《System vs Rebirth》


 Chapter 1 System Vs Rebirth

    *Thump!*


    "To think I need to take care this useless nobody," said a guy with a full metal armor covering his body. He pushed a man off the carriage and spat on him.


    "This is a result after a small viscount family offended the royal family as well as the Stargaze Marquis Family."


    "It''s just the usual fight for the throne, the losing side faces their extermination since they can''t submit to the current king."


    "The family was executed. I heard his parents beg the royal family to spare their only son."


    "No one has ever heard anything about him. He doesn''t excel in sword, magic, or even literature. The royal family is a sadist, ain''t they? They exile this useless guy to the Demon Banner Army. He won''t live long."


    "Sssshh¡­ We don''t want anyone to hear that. Let''s just leave right now since we''ve sent him here. Someone should pick him upter."


    "Right."


    After realizing they said something wrong, the two soldiers left in a haste, not wanting to deal with this matter anymore.


    A skinny-looking youth with a handsome but tired face clenched the red-colored sword in his hand. He was Noel Ardagan, the only son of Viscount Ardagan.


    ''Just you wait. What you have thrown away will eventuallye back to you.'' Noel gritted his teeth and looked at the red colored sword in his hand, muttering in a low voice. "Father said the key of our family revival is in this sword and I need to get stronger first before heading to the former third prince."


    Noel remembered the oath he took when he was a child. "I am Noel Ardagan. In front of the family heirloom I swore I shall be the master of Ardagan who everyone could be proud of."


    *Kacha!*


    A cracking sound echoed in his ears as his body trembled out of surprise. He widened his eyes and stared at this red sword with a dumbfounded expression.


    p A red light dimly glowed from the red jewel embedded on the sword''s hilt before a blood colored aura flew to the back of his right palm as though it was a fluid.</anda>


    "Wha¡ª" Noel instinctively dropped the sword to the ground and pulled up his hand, not knowing what kind of substance had juste into his hand.


    There was no pain spread in his hand, making it look harmless. But Noel couldn''t be so sure.


    He lowered his head and checked his hand, only to find a red colored cross appeared on his hand.


    ''What is this symbol?'' Noel frowned, looking left and right wondering whether anyone saw what just happened. He didn''t expect it to be this way, so he just took an oath there.


    Luckily, the two soldiers dropped him two hundred meters from the town''s gate and no one was around.


    Curious, he touched the symbol with his forefinger. As if responding to his touch, the symbol let out a glowing light and projected a small translucent screen.


    [System of Honor]


    [Training]


    [Medal]


    [Career]


    [Status]


    [Shop]


    The moment he saw this screen, his head instinctively turned around and checked the area again. After all, this was bigger than what happened earlier.


    The screen on his hand could be seen easily by anyone even from afar.


    Without hesitation, he ran toward a tree not far from his position, hiding his body as well as the screen. Even though he wasn''t as talented as those geniuses, he was, by no means, a fool.


    Everybody around him would be suspicious had they seen the screen. There was even a chance his hand bing a target.


    While running away, he also found the screen actually followed his hand''s movement.


    He put his hand in front of him, lining it up with the tree behind him so that no one could see the screen from the city''s direction.


    After he thought no one would see him anymore, Noel observed the screen and asked himself. "What is this? Since it''sing out of my hand, can I touch it?"


    Curious, he extended his hand and touched the screen.


    *Thud!*


    It felt as if he touched a solid surface and because he had pressed the ''Medal'' panel, the screen changed. All the panels disappeared and a few words appeared in the screen.


    [Honor: 0]


    Medal: Good Citizen Merit


    Requirement: Help 5 Townspeople


    Reward: Good Citizen Medal and 2 Honor Points


    ***


    Medal: Military Service Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Demons


    Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points


    "¡­" Noel was stunned when he saw all this, not because the screen changed, but because of the requirements. It struck deep in his heart as he remembered what happened in the past.


    "I heard from my father that the ancestor was a normalmoner that rose through the rank from his merits. He often helped othermoners, nobles, and people in need. Of course, he was also a goodmander on the battlefield, but it was a kind of military merit too."


    It was easy for Noel to corrte what the ancestor did to these missions. With how small the requirement of these medals and how big the ancestor did in the past, it was clear this wasn''t the end.


    There would be more medals in the future which would give a more dangerous task.


    "I see. So, this is the reason why my ancestor did all those meticulous tasks. It was all for this." Noel clenched his fists. "In other words, father should have known something about this. That''s the reason for handing me this sword. He wants me to rebuild our noble family like the ancestor!"


    Anger, excitement, sadness, and happiness mixed in his heart. On the one hand, he wished his father could tell him more about all this and that they didn''t need to die. On the other hand, he was confused why his father didn''t use this power to escape from the execution.


    "Either way, my goal hasn''t changed. I''m going to make those who kill my parents pay! Wait for me." Noel swore while clutching his fist, showing his determination. "Especially, that Anna Stargaze. She''s the main reason why they killed my family. Only her I won''t ever forgive. I will¡­"


    ¡­


    Stargaze Family.<sub> </sub>


    "Your name!" Anna''s body suddenly trembled as her body rose from the bed. "Eh?"


    She was utterly shocked as she realized that her hands became smaller and her skin became a lot more tender.


    ''This¡­ this is my room?'' With just a single nce, she recognized the ce. The position of the table, the bed color, the window¡­ Everything looked fresh in her memory.


    Anna looked toward the side, specifically the mirror, and saw her young, beautiful face.


    "I was actually reborn?" Anna was speechless. The memory of her dying together with Noel was still fresh in her mind.


    ¡­


    "Noel Ardagan! Why did you destroy the royal family?! Do you know how much the people will suffer from the demons?!"


    A shout erupted under the rain, followed by a thunder as if reflecting her anger.


    A sturdy-looking youth with a handsome face and unyielding aura stood in front of her. His calm face became even colder and aloof when she uttered those words.


    He was Noel Ardagan, the former Marquis Ardagan.


    "There''s no need for that corrupted kingdom to continue. You think they were willingly fight against the demons? You''re too naive." Noel shook his head in disappointment. "I always thought of you as my archenemy this whole time, but I realized that you were just a mere puppet controlled by the demons. I lost my interest in you. As long as you leave thisnd and stop getting controlled by the demons, I will spare you and your family."


    His eyes were locked on this desperate woman.


    Even though her golden hair was wet and blood flowed out of her mouth, her pretty face still made the girls around her feel jealous.


    "You''re the one who don''t know anything!" She shouted back, releasing all her anger. "Do you think you know it all? You think you''re right, but you turn out to be wrong."


    "You can keep believing in your ideal. I don''t care for I have seen everything." Noel raised his sword. "If you don''t disappear right now, I won''t hesitate to fight you. After killing you, I''ll destroy your family."


    "So be it!" She gritted her teeth and raised her sword. A red me gushed out of her body, emitting an intense heat in this cold rain.


    Suddenly, the temperature became colder as the rain droplets gradually froze. Noel''s gaze became extremely cold as he leaped forward.


    Not wanting to lose, the woman also approached him with her burning sword.


    The moment their swords shed, blue and red light flickered. The rain droplets refracted the light and brightened this in.


    The flowing blue and red light created an overwhelming pressure in the area, cracking the ground and sending a shock wave away.


    Noel considered her his archenemy simply due to her strength. Even with all his strength, he never once defeated her.


    However, everything was different this time. He had prepared a trump card this time.


    With the sword on his right hand, Noel reached for a ne with his left hand. "Anna. It''s time for you to die."


    The blue jewel on his ne shone brightly, blinding both of them. Even though their eyes closed, both of them still pushed each other sword, trying to gain some advantage while Noel waited for the blue jewel to show its might.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Little did he know, Anna wore a simr ne that shone together with Noel''s ne as if they embraced each other.


    Suddenly, both of them felt a stabbing pain on their chests as they couldn''t help but spat a mouthful of blood.


    "Gah!"


    They both opened their eyes no matter how bright the light was, only to be shocked of what happened.


    "Master!" Anna''s eyes widened and her jaws dropped, not believing her master to appear here to kill Noel.


    "Your Highness!" The same applied to Noel. This person was an important person in his life, yet, he never realized he was the person he saw as a friend to be smiling at hisst moment.


    After all, Anna''s Master thrust her sword through his heart until it pierced through Anna''s heart. The same as Noel''s best friend and lord. He killed Anna with a single stab in her heart along with his right chest.


    Anna and Noel fell to the ground at the same time, realizing they had been betrayed by the person closest to them.


    "Finally, both monsters have died. Now, there''s no one who can stop us." The man smiled and looked at Anna''s Master. "It''s their fault for getting too strong."


    "It''s as you predicted, Your Highness. I may not be as strong as my student, but please let me serve you, Your Majesty." She bowed politely.


    "We shall return¡­ together."


    A smile appeared on her face as her figure disappeared into thin air like the man before her, leaving the Noel and Anna to die.


    Noel gritted his teeth and red at Anna''s pale face before his eyes shifted to the jewels on their nes.


    "I see. He used me this whole time." Noel muttered in a low voice. "You were right. I should have trust no one."


    This might be the first time they were in front of each other without having a fight. She closed her eyes with regret while saying, "No. I was wrong as well. They might have nned to kill us this whole time. I shouldn''t have fought against you¡­ If only I could go back, I wanted to fix my past."


    "It''s just your wishful thinking."


    "Yeah. Can you¡­ tell me why did you want to kill me?" Anna asked herst question, knowing they both couldn''tst any longer.


    "My¡­ name¡­" Noel tried to answer her but his vision turned back as he lost thest bit of energy left in his body.


    "Your¡­ name¡­" Anna muttered thosest two words in herst breath.


    ¡­


    In the instant she regained her memory, her mindpletely focused on Noel and hisst two words. "That''s right. His name¡­ His name is Noel, Noel Ardagan. Wait, Ardagan?"


    Suddenly, a lot of memory shed in her mind. This was the memory of her younger self. And there was one part that told her about Ardagan. It was her convincing her family to join hands with the royal family to destroy Ardagan Family.


    With that memory stuck in her mind, her face became pale as Anna clutched her head. Her back was covered with cold sweat. "I was the one who caused the downfall of the Ardagan Family¡­ No wonder he couldn''t forgive me."


    "Should I kill him right now? No, no. Noel Ardagan was a man with good reputation. He helped people in need and did more good stuff, but more importantly, his strength was strong enough to scare the demons. He is more useful when he is alive."


    There was only one solution appearing in her mind.


    "I might need to risk my life to solve the hatred between us because after that, his strength is enough to be this kingdom''s hero."


    Unbeknownst to them, both Anna and Noel clutched their right hand on their chest and said at the same time.


    "I will change him (kill her)!"

 Chapter 2 Start (1)

    Banner Fort.


    Noel stood in front of a middle-aged man with a tired and sad expression. Although he had seen some hope in his revenge, he couldn''t show it yet because they might eliminate him when there was a chance.


    The atmosphere in the room turned cold for a while, so much so that even the middle-aged man couldn''t help but shake his head as he stopped ring at him.


    The previous fierce gaze from him vanished into thin air, reced by a gentle stare full of pity.


    "I know your family, especially your father. Your father didn''t know me, but I often saw him when he visited the third prince." A deep voice resounded inside the room.


    "¡­" Noel remained silent, but in his mind, he was quite shaken when the third prince was mentioned. His father also told him to go to the third prince because he supported him previously.


    Even though the third prince had been stripped of his status after losing the throne war, he still had quite deep connections.


    "I''m not your father''s ally, but the third prince has agreed to take care of you¡­ It seems your father knew his fate and wanted to save you." The middle-aged man pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling troubled.


    "Did my father truly¡­" Noel suddenly fell silent and looked down. Although he wanted to be careful, he was still a naive 15 years old boy. He couldn''t contain his curiosity when the guy brought up his father.


    "That''s right. So, the third prince gave me two instructions." The middle-aged man nodded.


    "Two instructions?" Noel squinted his eyes, observing the man''s expression. This man was the lord of this ford, Baron Oscar.


    Because of his overwhelming battle prowess, he, who was amoner, was granted a title of baron by the previous king. With such a status, there was nothing he couldn''t do in this fort. If this person helped him, Noel might be able to start his revenge.


    Unfortunately, not everything went ording to his expectation. Oscar said, "First of all, you''re going to have two identities. Noel Ardagan and Leon."


    "Two identities?" Noel tilted his head in confusion, not understanding the need for double identities.


    "That''s right. If you die so easily, the people will think you have no effort. You need to survive for a while before ''dying.'' This will make the nobles who hurt your family worry for your sudden growth but soon feel relieved because your talent is only at that level. This should match your average talent that they know about."


    Noel looked down, pondering his words.


    Oscar paused for a moment and continued, "As for your second identity, you''ll also build up this identity. So, you''re going to use both identities intermittently so that both of you don''t seem to appear or disappear out of nowhere. After Noel Ardagan ''dies,'' you can continue with this identity to start your revenge n if you want."


    Noel widened his eyes, amused by the n. To think there was a reason for double identities, he thought he only needed to die and got a new identity right at the bat. But now he realized his thinking was still short-sighted.<sub> </sub>


    "Of course. You can practice here so that you won''t die whilepleting a mission."


    "I understand. If you''re going to facilitate me, I have no reason to refuse." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "Good. As for the second instruction¡­ your father entrusted this to His Highness and His Highness entrusted this to me. He believes you know what this means." Oscar took out a thumb-sized crystal and ced it on the edge of the table so that Noel could take it.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and examined this ck jewel. It looked like a normal mineral that didn''t give off any feeling.


    However, it was clear the mineral was for a purpose. He suddenly remembered there was a small dent in the sword hilt.


    That dent wasn''t created because of a fight, but it was made for the gem. As for the reasons, he couldn''t understand it.


    Although Noel had figured it out, he didn''t say anything about this. After all, the sword was his family heirloom. It would be foolish of him to give information about his family heirloom, especially since the guy said he wasn''t his father''s ally.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "Hmm¡­ My father never mentioned this jewel, but since he left it for me, I''ll take it." Noel nodded and took the jewel with a sad expression. He ced the jewel on his chest while saying, "Father¡­"


    Oscar felt his emotion and sighed, pitying the kid who was thrown to this brutal battlefield.


    "Anyway, if you go out with another identity, make sure you get another sword. We can''t afford anyone recognizing the sword, since it''s¡­ quite eye-catching. Just take it from the barrackter and tell them this is my order."


    "I understand. I''ll be careful."


    "Then take this." Oscar took out a key and tossed it to him.


    Noel hurriedly extended his hand and caught the key. Confused, he asked, "A key?"


    "Although I don''t know your father personally, since he once supported the third prince like I do, I won''t treat you unjustly. There is a gray and white building two blocks from here. You can get a private room there¡­ The key will lead you to the furthest room in the third floor. It''s small and a bit ufortable, but at least, you don''t need to share it with other soldiers here. That''s the least I can do for you."


    Noel widened his eyes, amazed by this graciousness. He smiled for the first time after the incident and thanked him politely. "Thank you for your help, Baron Oscar. I''ll remember it."


    Oscar waved his hand as if it wasn''t a big deal and said, "Go put your belongings there. Tomorrow,e to the barrack and get some basic training. Your first mission will be handed one week from now."


    "Yes. Please excuse me." Noel nodded and turned around, leaving the room. He felt a bit happy to get a decent start for his revenge. He thought, ''I''m not going to waste this chance. Just you wait, I''m going to destroy the Stargaze Family and put the royal family to shame.''

 Chapter 3 Start (2)

    Stargaze Family.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    On the contrary to Noel''s resolve, Anna had just found the biggest problem in her life.


    The atmosphere became gloomy, her expression darkened, and blue veins popped out on Anna''s face.


    "Uu¡­" Anna let out a depressing wail while clutching her head, muttering, "What did he do again? I didn''t have many memories about him. All I knew was him trying to kill me all of a sudden."


    Anna was still debating whether to eliminate Noel or not. On the one hand, Noel could be this country big shot and prevented the demons from taking over. On the other hand, she had gained the second chance. Her power should increase by leaps and bounds since she knew many things from her past life.


    ''Can his progress keep up with mine?''


    Noel was the most talented person she had seen. If not because of her teacher and the kingdom pouring resources to her, she wouldn''t be Noel''s opponent.


    Although they were betrayed by the people they trusted the most at the very end, Noel still saved most of the kingdom''s innocent citizens from the great war. It was clear Noel had a significance importance to the kingdom and what had toe.


    "I should see his progress first. If he can''t keep up with me, I''ll eliminate him to avoid future problems. If the speed of his progress is simr to mine, I''ll try to resolve the situation between us."


    Now that Anna had gathered her resolve and found her answer, the only thing she needed to do was to find out where Noel was exiled.


    After all, Noel could ovee any problems in the past.


    Anna kept her cold face and exited her room, heading straight to the person that had the answer to her question.


    ¡­


    Sean Stargaze''s Study Room.


    Sean Stargaze, Anna''s father, was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes. He managed to take on many opportunities to raise the family''s status. And with his genius daughter, it wouldn''t be that long until the royal family offered a marriage proposal.


    Now that his biggest opponent, Viscount Ardagan, had died, nothing could stop him now.


    "Even though he was only a viscount, his reputation had run deep in the citizens'' hearts¡­ Not only his own subjects, but other territories''. If we didn''t eliminate him, there would be a chance of uprising." He mumbled in a low voice while staring at the garden outside.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    "Father. It''s me."


    A series of knocks followed by his daughter''s voice resounded across the room.


    His serious expression disappeared, reced by a small, gentle smile. He turned around while saying, "Come in."


    Anna opened the door with a serious expression, walking to the front of her father''s work desk.


    "Anna¡­ Do you need anything from me?"


    Anna politely bowed her head while slightly raising her skirt, greeting her father. "Good morning, Father."


    "Um." Sean nodded, observing her daughter''s expression.<sub> </sub>


    "Actually, I''d like to request Father''s help."


    "What is it? As long as it''s within my means, I will do my best to help you."


    "Then, I won''t be polite." Anna paused for a moment before saying. "I wish to know Noel Ardagan''s whereabouts."


    No matter how absurd her wish was, it still wasn''t special enough to surprise him. However, never in his wildest dream would this wish appear in his mind.


    He couldn''t contain his surprise in front of his daughter. Noel Ardagan was the child that Viscount Ardagan protected with his life. In fact, he traded his life as long as the royal family spared Noel''s life.


    So, her daughter asking Noel''s whereabouts put a frown on his face.


    "Why do you want to know it?" Sean asked, probing Anna''s intention. He couldn''t afford to have Noel harm Anna. Although her daughter was a genius, there were many methods that could kill a person stronger than you.


    On the contrary, Anna also forgot to consider this question. In her father''s perspective, they were enemies. They might have won not long ago, but the situation still lingered.


    After pondering the answer for a few seconds, she replied with a calm tone. "Father always taught me not to spare my enemy¡­"


    "!!!" Marquis Stargaze widened his eyes, amused by her respond. Curious, he looked into her eyes, finding no lies in it.


    Of course, there was no lie. Anna indeed nned to kill him¡­ but only if Noel was useless.


    Although he had some few reasons to reject her, he could use this chance to train Anna. And he might spare his life, but if his genius daughter was the one to do it, no one wouldin.


    The hesitation remained for a few minutes before Sean revealed Noel''s whereabouts. "The royal family exiled him to the Demon Banner Army."


    "Banner Fort, Demon Banner Army¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath when she heard the ''Demon Banner Army.''


    She lowered her head and said inwardly, ''In the past, there''s a hugemotion in the Demon Banner Army because there was an Ancient Demon Tree sleeping not far from the forest. This Demon Tree was killed by an unknown person because its strength had yet to recover from the long slumber¡­ Now that I think about it, that mysterious person kept racking more and more achievement there and suddenly disappeared as if he wasn''t there to begin with.


    ''It was the time Noel''s name started to resound in the cities and viges near the Banner Fort¡­ Don''t tell me, the mysterious guy was Noel all along?''


    Anna started gathering those pieces of information and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, all the clues led to Noel being the mysterious person.


    ''As expected, this might be the reason why Noel could be strong. I should use this opportunity to go to the Demon Banner Army. I can either observe Noel''s movement and confirm his identity or take Noel''s opportunity from rising¡­ This way, I can decide whether to kill him or not. But what should I say to my Father so that he allows me to go to a dangerous ce like this?''


    "Is there something wrong?" Sean was unaware of the wild thoughts in Anna''s mind. He became a bit suspicious of her reaction since she kept lowering her head, making him unable to observe her expression.


    "Father¡­ Can you grant your daughter''s wish?" She politely asked. "I wish to go to the Demon Banner Army and personally eliminate Noel."


    Unbeknownst to her, the only reason why Noel would know there was an Ancient Demon Tree in the past was because he was forced to take actions by his system.


    [Mission: Eliminate the weakened Ancient Demon Tree within 30 days.]


    [Description: There''s an Ancient Demon Tree sleeping underneath the Dark Demon Forest.]


    [Reward: Demon Hunter Medal and 7 SP]


    [Penalty: Lose your qualification to wield Ardagan.]

 Chapter 4 Checking The System

    "Hmm¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the blue screen in front of him. Since he''d got his private room, he could check whatever the sword actually gave him.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: -


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: -


    There were so many mysterious things he experienced in the past few minutes. This time, he was looking at his status.


    Aside of his name and weapon, he clearly didn''t understand the meaning of Job and Main Medal. He thought, ''There is no instruction on how to use this. Even my father doesn''t tell me anything about this sword. Ugh, the only thing I know is how to activate the sword.''


    Although he was a bit disappointed because he needed to investigate how to use this power by himself, he knew this was the only thing that could help him to reach his goal.


    ''There are only four main features it seems. Training, Medal, Career, Status and Shop. This status is of no use for me since I don''t understand the usage. As for Training, I think it''s telling me to train my body.'' Noel frowned and opened the training panel again.


    Training: Push Up 100 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.1%


    Training: Running 10 km


    Reward: Stamina +0.1%


    Training: Swinging a Sword up and down 100 times


    Reward: Sword Mastery +0.1%


    ''What''s this number means? I know that it''s trying to strengthen my body, but there''s nothing written in here. And the reward doesn''t seem to be that useful since I will probably not feel any change.'' Noel scratched the back of his head and skipped this panel.


    Meanwhile, he already saw a glimpse of what the Medal was for before evening to the fort. In one word, he couldn''t understand what the use of the medal. As for the Honor Points, he could use it on the shop where there were various weapons and items.


    ''Then, thest thing is this¡­'' Noel''s expression turned grim as this might be the most important decision he needed to make.


    [Career]


    Swordsman - A man who fights with a sword.


    Commander - A person in authority, especially over a body of troops or a military operation.


    Noble - A person belonging to a hereditary ss with high social or political status.


    There were only three options that he could see, and all of them were rted to him.


    He was a former noble or a fallen noble. It was normal for him to be a noble again after clearing his family name.


    And if his parents were not executed, he would have seeded the house.


    But¡­ as much as he wanted to be a noble again, he couldn''t bear to move his hand forward as if someone was stopping his arm.


    The memory of how his parents died in the hand of the royal family was still fresh in his mind. No one wanted to serve the family who killed your parents.


    On the contrary, amander felt like a dream to him. After all, his ancestor was a Marshall, and his reputation resounded across the kingdom.


    It was an honor to follow his ancestor''s footsteps since this might be a good option for him to raise his reputation.


    Unfortunately, the current situation didn''t allow him to be amander. There was no way the royal family would let him grow up.<sub> </sub>


    Even if he put on a mask to hide his identity, no one would grant an authority to an unknown person.


    Hence, he left with one option, a swordsman.


    ''A swordsman, huh¡­'' Noel scratched the back of his head, reluctant to choose it.


    However, the scene where his father begged the royal family to spare him stuck on his mind. If not for that, he would have died long ago.


    Thus, the words of his father felt as if it was ringing in his ears.


    ''Father mentioned the third prince. Although I can be amander as long as I flee from this kingdom and join another one, I should believe in my father a bit more. If not for him, I would have died anyway¡­? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ''If I can''t choose, I will simply use that option to turn around the situation. I won''t give up even if I''m forced to be in this situation! I will be a man who can turn everything into my opportunity.'' Noel clenched his teeth and chose the swordsman.


    <o>,m The screen soon changed as Noel became a swordsman.</o>


    [Career: Swordsman]


    Skill: Swift Strike (0/5)


    Requirement: 1 SP


    Skill: Ardagan Swordsmanship (0/15)


    Requirement: 1 SP


    Skill: Mega sh (0/5)


    Requirement: 1 SP


    ''What is this skill all about? Is it something simr to a spell?'' Noel tilted his head in confusion. In fact, there were simply too many questions in his head.


    Because no one gave him the instruction about the sword, he had no idea what they could be used for unless he tried it himself.


    ''I often heard the story about my ancestor. It was said a single wave of his hand was enough to increase the soldiers morale. A single shout could make the enemies tremble in fear¡­ Is this the reason?'' Noel looked down while cing his hand on his chin, falling into deep thought.


    It seemed these skills were rted to the path he chose. Because he became a swordsman, it was clear that their names felt rted to a sword.


    ''I see. In my situation, choosing Commander or Noble is simply a death wish. However, my ancestor could rise to the peak as amander¡­ This means the power granted by this sword has that potential. No matter which path I choose, it can carry me to the peak.


    ''In that case, I was a noble¡­ I understand how to govern the citizens. I wanted to be a Commander because it was the best option. But it turned out I was wrong¡­ Without enough strength, I can''t even fight back if the royal family want to execute me. Without enough strength, I can''t gain the respect of the soldiers. In that case, I''ll use this path to be stronger so that in the future, no one can do anything to me.''


    A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he thought he chose the best path in his situation. He clutched his fist with his eyes full of determination. ''Just you wait, you royal family¡­''


    As if answering to his determination, the red sword on hisps glowed dimly, sending something to him. It was then another blue screen appeared.


    [Special Medal]


    [Mission: Eliminate the weakened Ancient Demon Tree within 30 days.]


    [Description: There''s an Ancient Demon Tree sleeping underneath the Dark Demon Forest.]


    [Reward: Demon Hunter Medal and 7 SP]


    [Penalty: Lose your qualification to wield Ardagan.]

 Chapter 5 Desperate

    ''Huh? Dark Demon Forest? Isn''t it something the forest next to this fort?'' Noel frowned. ''What is Ancient Demon Tree? Is it alright for me to ask themander about this? What if he bes suspicious of me? After all, I''m supposed to be a person who knows nothing.''


    ''Even though themander is rted to the third prince whom my father trusted, I''m not in the situation where I can trust anyone easily. It''s better if I figure this out first. If I meet a dead end, I can try asking.''


    Noel scratched the back of his head and looked at the time limit. No matter what, he still had some time to practice.


    ''In that case, I shouldn''t waste my time here. I need to be as strong as possible. Even if others witness my training, they will think it''s myst struggle.'' Noel shrugged and rose from his bed.


    Since he needed to check this system''s credibility, he decided to do one hundred push up.


    Without hesitation, heid down on his stomach and raised his body a bit.


    "One¡­"


    "Two¡­"


    "Three¡­"


    Noel began his one hundred push up, but as one would expect from someone who never had physical training.


    He couldn''t evenst for thirty push up.


    "Ugh." Dropping to the ground, Noel let out a small groan. His body gradually warmed up and sweats started to appear.


    Although he wanted to take a rest first, the memory of his father appeared in his mind again.


    While clenching his teeth, he continued. "I''m not giving up. This is nothing!"


    Each push up was tough. His arms felt the stabbing and burning pain. Yet, the determination in his eyes didn''t fade away.


    The pain he endured right now was for his future. If he couldn''t even work hard, there was no way he could survive the harsh world.


    50¡­


    60¡­


    70¡­


    Even though it took him a minute just for ten push ups, he gradually made his progress to reach the 100th mark.


    The sweat had covered all over his body and his exhaustion started to take over his body. He took off his shirt and threw it to his bed.


    Even though his arms felt like it was going to fall off, he finished all the push ups.


    After that, he fell to the ground, tired. His triceps were crying that when he raised his hands to check the system, they couldn''t stop shaking.


    However, his effort wasn''t for naught.


    Training: Push Up 100 times (Completed)


    Reward: Constitution +0.1%


    The change in his body might not be apparent, but Noel was satisfied that there was an additional ''Completed'' in the system. It meant the mysterious power from the sword was real.<sub> </sub>


    If he continued doing this, he should be able to feel the change sooner orter to feel the system''s power.


    At the same time, he saw another one appearing.


    Training: Push Up 200 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.25%


    ''This is it. I can''t do push up anymore for today, but If I continue training, I can get stronger.'' A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he kept panting. Thepletion of this mission simply increased his determination inpleting the other tasks. He thought, ''That''s right. I have a few trainings and missions left. My arms hurt, but I should be able to run for 10 km. I can use that chance to help five people as well in town while learning more about this fort.''


    A bright idea appeared in Noel''s head. After understanding how the system worked, he understood that he could kill two birds in one stone.


    He rested his body for a few minutes and wiped out his sweat before going to the town.


    His intention was clear. No one would suspect a desperate guy.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Still, as one would expect from a fallen noble who never trained his body, his stamina wasn''t good.


    <o>,m Even so, he managed to gather some information about the town, themander, and the demons.</o>


    He learned that themander was pretty respectable figure as he had stopped the demons from destroying the fort for a few years. The town might have some problems, but they were not big enough to the point the town would be gloomy.


    Although he could only help two townsfolk like helping them to find a lost item, he was pretty satisfied since the mission waspleted.


    The new mission even arrived like the push up mission.


    Training: Running 20 Km


    Reward: Stamina +0.25%


    Because he needed to go to the barrack tomorrow, he decided to spend the rest of the days resting his body since it would be obvious he would experience muscle pain tomorrow.


    Before sleeping, Noel looked at the white ceiling while muttering, "Father, Mother. I''ll be fine. I promise you that I won''t follow you soon because I still need to prove how wrong the royal family has treated us."


    ¡­


    Commander''s Room.


    "He ran around the town and talked to the people." A middle-aged man reported what happened during the day to themander.


    "Hmm¡­" Oscar looked down while pinching the bridge of his nose.


    His troubled face made the middle-aged man''s heart skipped a beat, thinking he would receive a punishment for this report. He asked with a soft tone, "Is there something wrong, Commander?"


    "No." Oscar shook his head helplessly. "As expected from a former noble¡­ No, should I say from a fallen Ardagan?


    "Unlike other nobles, Ardagan is more loved by their people. After all, their actions are so down to earth that their subjects will feel close to them. So, even if he was a noble, his action reflected that of Ardagan.


    "Running around the town¡­ It seemed he was desperate enough to do something that useless. It''s not like anything will change with just a few days of training." Oscar let out a long sigh. "Anyway, since the kid wants to survive, I shall help him a bit.


    "When he arrives at the barrack tomorrow, increase his training by threefolds¡­ no, twofolds. He should be pretty tired today after all. As for his training, it''ll be basic sword training and survival training. No matter what, muscles can''t be built in just a few days, so it''s better to train him in this area. Hopefully, this kid can survive."

 Chapter 6 No More

    ''Is he that rumored fallen noble?''


    ''Noel Ardagan¡­''


    ''How long can even a noble like him who never saw a battlefieldst in this ce?''


    More than a hundred people red at a the blue-haired young man. Contempt, disgust, disappointment filled the atmosphere because no one ever bothered to hide it.


    Noel had been exiled by the royal family and stripped of his title, so he was amoner like them. At the same time, this fallen noble never had any training or fight a demon, making him far weaker than anyone in this ce.


    On the contrary, the person in question remained still as if their gaze never bothered him. In fact, he was lost in thought. ''What should I do in this training? If I do something useless in the training, I won''t be strong enough to handle the demons when the timees¡­''


    Still, despite him being in the middle of the crowd, there were three people that stood out: a young man with blue hair who kept staring forward as though he didn''t care about Noel, a muscr man who tilted his head in confusion, and a female with sharp gaze.


    They felt different from the rest. Although he didn''t know why, Noel could feel a different atmosphere around them.


    While ncing back and forth to remember these people''s faces, a middle-aged man entered the corner of his vision.


    He climbed the small wooden tform so that everyone could see him and said, "Wee to all 120 trainees. I shall be the instructor who will teach and evaluate you from now on."


    "!!!" As soon as they heard his deep voice, everyone of them turned around and straightened their backs, looking at the instructor.


    ''Hmm?'' The instructor narrowed his eyes since he was a bit pissed to see the trainees focusing on someone else instead of him. However, it didn''t matter much to him as he observed everyone''s face and noticed a few exceptional ones.


    ''I see some fine faces in here this time. Well, the most noticeable one is Alfred Starwood, the second genius of Starwood Family. I heard his talent is simr to his brother but failed to seed the house just because he''s the second son.'' The instructor thought, assessing everyone.


    As soon as he remembered their faces, he raised his voice. "As you may already know, the Demon Banner Army is the best way to gain money and achievement. If you can rack up achievement, money shall follow. You can even be a knight or even a noble if your contribution is recognized.


    "However, the benefitse with a great risk. You can easily die in this ce. Hence, I will assess your ability first¡­" The instructor smiled, took off his vest, and rolled his sleeves.


    This action confused the trainees, but the instructor didn''t even bother to wait for them to realize. He jumped to the ground and started running around the field.


    The field where they gathered was quite spacious. Onep was equal to 500 meters.


    "Everyone, run!"


    The moment the instructor said those words, all trainees immediately followed him.


    Even Noel started running while gritting his teeth, thinking, ''As expected, my muscle is in pain.''


    His reaction was slower than all of them due to his body, but he soon picked up his pace while remembering the training he had yesterday. ''I can run like yesterday.''<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Since all the trainees had followed him, a small grin appeared on his face as he excitedly shouted, "Ah. You''re all so boring. Are you trying to run like that when you''re chased by a demon?!"


    Without hesitation, he increased his speed by two times, leaving everyone in the dust.


    The expressions on their faces immediately changed. They didn''t know what would happen if they failed this small test, so they gritted their teeth and ran as quick as possible, trying to match the instructor''s pace.


    "Good!! You''re doing good!" The instructorughed.


    The blue-haired man, Alfred, maintained his calm breath while increasing his pace. He thought, ''This is nothing. I have to keep up the pace.''


    Contrary to his focus, everyone''s attention turned to one person at the very back. It was Noel who ran at a snail pace.


    ''Kh.'' Noel used all his power to muster the strength to run. However, the stabbing and burning sensation kept spreading around his legs and arms, making him unable to focus.


    ''They''re getting farther away¡­ I should have trained my body previously. Can I even survive fighting the demon? There''s no way they will wait for me to get stronger first before dispatching me! But¡­''


    Noel couldn''t help but remember the leisure life he had in the past. The delicious food always came at the same time every day, the maid would help him put on his clothes, and everything he needed would be provided by his father.


    Compared to that life, this ce was hell. No one could take care of him anymore. If he didn''t have strength, he would die. If he died, he could let go of this grudge since nothing mattered anymore.


    The feeling crawled inside his heart, pressuring him to give up.


    However, a memory shed in his mind. It was the symbol on his hand and the blue screen that gave him the possibility.


    ''Ah¡­'' Noel let out a long sigh.


    His sigh didn''t escape the instructor''s eyes as his expression changed as if he was asking, ''Has he given up?''


    The answer came in the form of an expression. A smile reced it¡­ A smile that contained his determination and resolve.


    ''I am pathetic¡­ Despite having thrown away the shackle of the past, I still let it influence my mind.'' Noel clenched his hands and raised his head. ''I''m so damn, pathetic. Compared to my parents who threw away everything just to allow me to live for a bit longer¡­ This is nothing.''


    He started looking forward and running with all his strength, ignoring all the pains in his muscle. Even if he tore it today, he believed someone could heal it. In that case, he didn''t need to hold back and kept running.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ''I won''t be a good for nothing son anymore.''


    A smile couldn''t help but appear on the instructor''s face when he saw those eyes filled with determination.

 Chapter 7 Willpower

    "Swing it!" The instructor''s shout resounded in the entire training area.


    "Ha!" The energetic response from the trainees followed right after. However, their faces and bodies were drenched in sweat. And this was especially true for someone who hadn''t received any physical training, Noel.


    The sharp stabbing pain still spread around his thighs and calf due to the previous training. Even so, it couldn''t overwhelm the determination in his eyes.


    Even if his legs were to give up, Noel had sworn to continue swinging.


    "Ha!" He let out another roar while making another swing. At the same time, another thought came into his mind.


    ''Each time I swing, the weight from my sword shift down, almost making me drop my sword. In fact, my body has been following the sword instead of controlling it. It put a toll on my arms and wrists just to stop my swing¡­


    ''Seriously¡­ I never experienced all this when I was a noble. I took everything for granted, not knowing that the soldiers and guards of my family had endured this kind of training for so long. I should have respected those soldiers and guards more.''


    The more he stayed in this ce, the deeper his understanding about how the world worked. Instead of getting swayed by the pain, he became even more determined to survive.


    "Ha!" Noel swung his sword one more time.


    Since he couldn''t see his system in this ce, he kept counting the number of his swing to know whether he hadpleted the mission or not.


    The instructor raised his head and saw the orange sky, realizing it was the time to end the training. After rechecking their expressions, he said, "It''s time to go. Wash your body and have dinner."


    "Yes! Thank you very much." The trainees shouted in unison as they had been waiting for this.


    After answering, Noel fell to his knees as the tension in his body loosened. Now that the adrenaline gradually disappeared, all the tiredness struck him.


    "Ha¡­Ha¡­" Noel panted a few times while looking at the other trainees who seemed to have some stamina to spare. Still, the previous three people became the focus of his attention as he could easily see that they didn''t sweat too much.


    ''So, they are already that strong, huh¡­'' Noel clenched his hands while looking down to the ground with a darkened expression. "We will have physical training in the morning, followed by a lecture. And the instructor choose to close it with a weapon training."


    Seeing the training ground alone made him feel embarrassed of himself.


    "Damn, I''m so pathetic." Noel clenched his teeth and used his sword to help him rise from the ground before making his way toward the well. Even if his body staggered left and right, Noel continued what he had to do.


    Unbeknownst to him, someone had been watching him after he fell down to the ground.


    That man was none other than themander, Oscar. His expression was calm, but his eyes emitted some killing intent.


    "How is he?" Oscar asked, ncing at the instructor who had taught Noel''s group today.


    "His physique is the same as your typical fallen noble¡­ No, should I say he''s worse than that, but not too much."


    "His physique, huh. It''s rare for you to specify it."


    An amused smile appeared on his face as he continued, "His willpower is strong. Even though I''ve been torturing him with that amount of physical training, he hasn''t let out a singlein. In fact, he''s been angry at himself this whole time.


    "At the same time, he has some knowledge from when he was a noble. He adjusted to the training with that knowledge and his movements gradually became better. Not perfect, but eptable.<sub> </sub>


    "Anyway, I will lessen their training in thest three days since we can''t afford to send them to fight demons when their bodies are still hurt."


    Hearing this lengthy exnation from the instructor put a smile on Oscar''s face. The Third Prince had personally asked him to take care of Noel without hesitating to punish him if he made ruckus in this camp. However, the exnation was enough to know why the Third Prince suggested this treatment.


    Before leaving, he asked onest question. "Will he survive in the first mission?"


    The instructor was stunned by the question, but he soon pondered the matter seriously.


    "I don''t have much confidence in answering that question, but if you don''t mind about my rough spection¡­ I believe he can survive." The instructor gave him his honest opinion. "That is if no one harbors some hidden intentions to him."


    Oscar''s eyes squinted as the killing intent turned to the instructor.


    Thetter felt chills down his spine. He immediately corrected himself. "I''m going to personally choose his first teammates, so you don''t need to worry about any schemes."


    "Let''s hope that''s the case." Oscar turned around and walked away with a cold expression as though he wanted to murder someone.


    Although it was for an instant, he could feel deathing from themander.


    ''As expected from themander who has protected this fort for twenty years¡­ He has killed so many demons to the point his aura alone is far scarier than a demon.'' The instructor wiped the sweat on his forehead.


    Little did he know, what he feared had alreadye true.


    Bam!


    "Gah¡­" Noel fell down to the ground, feeling helpless. With the muscle pain and tiredness, he truly couldn''t fight back.


    Raising his head, he red at three people who just pushed him. He only wanted to wash his body, but these people started to bully him.


    "You nobles think you are better thanmoners¡­ And what? You can''t even fight by yourself. Even today, you''re useless! It must be nice to be a fallen noble since you can use your connection to enter this army instead of enduring all those hellish tests." The guy in the middle snarled, exposing his intention why he pushed Noel down.


    Despite not having the ability to fight back, Noel never once showed a weakness in his stare. His gaze kept telling them that if he had some stamina left, he would fight against them.


    And this annoyed them even further.


    "This bastard!"This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Do you think you can do anything now? You are a fallen noble. No one will help a useless person like you."


    "Beat him."


    With a single shout, the trio started punching and kicking him while Noel could only endure it.


    His eyes still maintained his ferocity no matter how worse his condition was as if saying, ''You can do all you want to me right now. After I turn my fate around with the help of the system, you will pay me back by a few folds.''

 Chapter 8 Spirit

    After having dinner which was quite unpleasant because of his injuries, Noel immediately returned to his room to get as much rest as possible.


    But the instructor stopped him before he left, surprised by his injuries. "What happened to you?"


    Noel shook his head with a calm expression as if it didn''t matter.


    "¡­" Remembering the scene from earlier made him shiver. He originally thought there wouldn''t be a problem in this ce, but he seemed to be mistaken. If this incident created a great impact in Noel''s heart, he would be held ountable by themander.


    Since he didn''t want to be med, he immediately dragged Noel inside while raising his voice. "Follow me first. Let''s have the doctor see you."


    Although reluctant, Noel followed him since he still wanted to practice tomorrow.


    It took them a few minutes to reach the infirmary.


    The doctor was a thin man, whoseplexion was quite pale on the contrary to his profession. However, his condition was a bit worse for a reason.


    "Again?" The moment he saw Noel''s injured body, he made an annoyed expression. "I have been working without sleep for two days¡­ Can''t you just let me rest?"


    "Just one more." The instructor smiled wryly as he also didn''t want to deal with this if not necessary.


    "Fine. Come here." The doctor waved his hand and pointed at the bed next to him. "Sit there. The wounds seem to be superficial, so it won''t be hard to fix."


    The instructor pushed Noel''s back as if ordering him to get the treatment.


    Since he went all this trouble for him, Noel nodded and sat down on the bed.


    "Only on the upper body? Is there any wound on your lower body?"


    "Yes. Only on the upper body."


    The doctor nodded and grabbed Noel''s left hand. Suddenly, a green light glowed dimly on his palms and spread to Noel''s arm and eventually wrapped all his upper body.


    Noel felt as if his body was covered by warm wet towel, rxing his tired body. Still, he took this opportunity to observe every change in his body, including the magic he used to heal him.


    Seeing his curious look, the instructor approached both of them and introduced the doctor. "He is Evan, the person in charge of infirmary, a healer."


    Noel nodded, acknowledging the introduction. Instead of the light enveloping his body, his curiosity shifted toward the instructor''s kindness. There was no way the person before him would take care of him.


    ''Is there another force protecting me right now? But if I need toe up with a name, it will be themander of this fort. With that kind of status, it''s easy for him to order the instructor to take care of me. Is it because of my father? Whatever the reason, I need to take advantage of it right now and get as strong as possible,'' thought Noel, knowing he needed to change a bit of his original n.


    The instructor was confused by Noel''s sudden change of expression. In fact, Noel had been showing such a change from time to time, making him know Noel was a man who always thought about something in his mind.<sub> </sub>


    While he was getting distracted, he took this opportunity to give an additional lesson. "Listen to me. It''s hard to fight a demon alone at your level. Even a low level one has more strength than you, so we usually take them on in a group or rely on our mind to set up a sneak attack."


    "What are you doing? You''re not going to add a special lesson to this kid, right? I''m in the middle of healing him." Evan squinted his eyes, looking annoyed. He had brought a kid when it was already past his work hours, yet he still dared to conduct a lecture during the healing process¡­ Evan wanted to stop him right now.


    However, the instructor raised his voice, showing the importance of this lesson. "You idiot! Do you think the demons will wait for you to get ready? They can attack you while you are resting, getting healed, or even pooping. You need to be ready on all times."


    Evan rolled his eyes, not caring about what he said. His job was to heal people, not thinking about this stuff.


    Contrary to Evan, Noel had gained a valuable lesson. He maintained his silence and continued listening to the lesson.


    There was a reason why he talked about this to Noel at this time. In fact, Noel was the only person that should listen to this because he was bullied by others.


    "If you get separated from your teammates, you need four things to survive. First, you need to have a thing to set up a fire because the fire can help you with many things. Second, you need a water source like a river or ake.


    "Third, sharp objects like a knife or a sword are a must. Last but not least, the way to kill a demon alone¡­ If you want to defeat a demon, you need to learn controlling your Spiritual Energy."


    The moment he mentioned the ''Spiritual Energy,'' Noel''s expression brightened. He couldn''t help but ask, "Spiritual Energy? What is that?"


    "That." The instructor pointed at the light that enveloped his body. "That light is Spiritual Energy. We all have a spirit in ourselves. The reason we can do something bad is because the spirit in our heart is an evil spirit. The reason why people can be kind is due to the angelic spirit.


    "They''re the one that was born from our deepest desire. In fact, we usually call them desire. If you can connect to it, you should be able to learn your spirit''s true nature and it will give you power."


    "Spirit¡­" Noel muttered and looked down.


    "Every person has a unique spirit. That''s why you will also have one¡­ Your talent determines how much power can you draw from your spirit¡­ That''s all."


    Noel fell into deep thought, wondering how to connect to his spirit.


    Seeing the determination in Noel''s eyes, the instructor couldn''t help but scratch the back of his head, saying, "If you want to learn how to connect with your spirit, go to the training ground after having your dinner. I can help you with that."


    The offer was too good to be true. Hence, Noel wanted to confirm on whose order he acted. "Why are you so kind to me?"


    "I''m just trying to survive in this brutal world. That''s all." The instructor looked away, refusing to give an answer. However, he also made it clear that he did it not because of his kindness, but because someone made him to do it.


    Nevertheless, this was something Noel would take advantage of. "I understand. Please take care of me, Instructor."N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "My name is Shale. Outside the training, just call me Sir Shale."


    "Yes, Sir Shale."

 Chapter 9 Meeting The Spirit

    The next day, Noel continued training together with everyone else. However, the bullies were shocked to see Noel''s bruises gone overnight.


    They never thought someone would help Noel.


    After the long training and washing their bodies, the bullies once again stopped Noel.


    "Stop there." They stood in front of Noel, blocking the way to the dining hall.


    Noel narrowed his eyes and red at them. "What do you want again?"


    "How do you recover from your wounds?"


    "That''s not important. We only need to beat him up again. Since there will be no trace tomorrow, we can beat him up every night," another bully said with an arrogant tone.


    "That''s right. It''s rare for us to be able to beat a noble¡­ Oops, a fallen noble."


    Without even asking that question, their intention was clear. They wanted to beat him again because they were not satisfied with the disappearing bruises.


    But as soon as they stepped forward, a smile appeared on Noel''s smile. The thought had been in his mind since yesterday.


    There was a way to suspend them, but he chose to solve this matter himself. If he somehow brought them to the training ground, the instructor should see their action and deal with them.


    However, their suspension would be an extremely dangerous situation since he didn''t know what kind of thing they would do in desperate situation. After all, the bullies would likely do something even more notorious.


    He had learned from his family''s execution that he shouldn''t leave his enemies alive because they would plot against him in one way or another.


    Hence, there was a way to settle everything. He only needed to kill them in the first mission a few days from now.


    That was why he couldn''t afford to have them suspended yet.


    To create this kind of situation, Noel confronted them with a confident smile to intimidate them. "Do you think why the bruises on my body has disappeared?"


    "¡­" It was an obvious question, but none of them could actually answer. After all, they didn''t want to admit the fact he got help from someone else. Even a noble title couldn''t bring them too far here, let alone a fallen noble.


    Still, even though he was a fallen noble, as long as there was someone stronger than them, they shouldn''t want to antagonize them.


    And Noel''s n was to act strong when he was actually weak. He stepped forward and red at them. "I have forgiven you once because my house has fallen. But that''s it¡­"


    Hisst tone had a trace of chilliness as though he was nning to kill them.


    "¡­" The bullies subconsciously stepped back. Their expressions gradually changed.


    He took another step and started looking down on them. "Come on. I am waiting for you to beat me."<sub> </sub>


    Even now, their names weren''t important in his mind. As long as he remembered their faces and voices, that was enough.


    It wasn''t because he looked down onmoner. He simply had no time to deal with them.


    "What''s wrong? I''m here in front of you." The smile on Noel''s face became even bigger, annoying them.


    "Should we do it?" One of the bullies whispered, trying to get the answer from the guy that invited them to beat Noel.


    However, there was no answer from the guy in the middle. Instead, they found out that he took another step back as if he was scared of Noel''s provocation.


    Thetter took advantage of it and pressured them even more. "Come and hit me. I want to taste the pain you inflicted me yesterday."


    Noel''s intention was clear. He wanted to use this chance to frame them or something. When that happened, their career in this fort would be over.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    It was already hard to even get admitted as a trainee here. There was no way they would waste it because of this cheap provocation.


    "Shut up! I''m being generous tonight." The guy gritted his teeth and turned around. "You''re lucky tonight."


    Noel''s expression darkened the moment they walked away, staring at their back. His gaze was cold as he remembered what the instructor saidst night.


    ''Once again, I know how naive I was in the past. Like the instructor said¡­ This world is truly a brutal ce. If you are strong, no one will bother you. Yet, when you be too strong, you will be a threat that needs to be removed like how the royal family ruined my family. And if you are too weak, your life isn''t even in your hand. Such a cruel ce to live in.''


    Noel took a deep breath, calming his heart. He immediately entered the dinning hall to eat some food before heading back to the training ground, finding the instructor sitting in the middle of the training ground.


    The tranquil atmosphere made it look like the instructor was illuminated by the moonlight. Just by looking at him could soothe one''s heart.


    Noel observed him for a minute before slowly approaching him, wondering if he could disturb him or not. Even though this opportunity came from others, he nned to fully take advantage every chance he got.


    So, he steeled his resolve and greeted him. "Sir Shale, I havee."


    "You should stay quiet and sit down in front of me instead of calling my name." Shale shook his head in disappointment. "You should see that my eyebrows twitched a bit, signifying that I''m aware of your presence."


    Noel fell silent, not making a single excuse. But this action actually surprised Shale as he couldn''t help but ask, "You''re not going to give me a reason?"


    "I know that I''m wrong. If I told you I didn''t see it or didn''t know how to respond, you would probably say, ''I need to observe the demons so as to not miss any details that I can take advantage of,'' or ''I need to stay sharp.'' That''s all," Noel exined this time.


    "Passable answer." Shale nodded in agreement since that was probably what he was going to say. He paused for a moment and gradually opened his eyes, looking at Noel''s expression. "Do you know what I have been doing this whole time?"


    "No."


    "Connecting myself to my spirit." Shale pointed to the ground in front of him. "Sit down in lotus pose and take a few deep breaths. I''m going to teach you how to meet your spirit."

 Chapter 10 Noels Spirit

    Noel sat down in a lotus pose, following Shale''s instruction.


    "Take a few deep breaths and start closing your eyes."


    Noel took one deep breath while closing his eyes before stabilizing his heartbeat, which was probably the purpose of his instruction.


    "You only need to answer this in your heart. First question, do you have anything you want to aplish?" Shale asked with a soothing tone to help Noel keep his calm.


    Noel recalled all the memories that had happened not long ago. The Royal Family executed his parents, seized his property and sent him to this ce because they believed he would die facing those monsters.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Noel wanted to take his revenge against the Royal Family. Yet, he felt something was wrong with this desire. His heart was asking him, ''What if all those stuff never happened? What was your dream if you still had your family, wealth and status?''


    Noel''s heart skipped a beat when he found this question. In the past, he was just a normal nobleman that had average talent and no desire. He just followed whatever happened.


    He always believed that he would seed his father''s position sooner orter and would take a wife before leading the same ordinary life like his father.


    This was just an ordinary dream of an ordinary noble child. Everything soon changed when the Royal Family did all that stuff.


    ''I see. Desire huh¡­ I don''t truly have a goal that I would continue to chase for as long as I''m alive. All my desires are rted to my current life¡­ I have yet to change to the new me¡­ Just following the nature course. If somehow the Royal Family restores my family, will I have another desire?


    ''On the other hand, what if I forget about my family, the conflict, my hatred¡­? What am I? I am just an empty shell. That desire is the one that fulfills me for the rest of my life. So, what is the desire that I Noel Ardagan personally has? Something that is unrted to my hatred, my family, or my enemies¡­


    ''My desire is¡­''


    While he was thinking, Noel didn''t realize that something was happening outside his body.


    "!!!" Shale''s eyes opened wide. Sweats were covering his eyes despite the temperature bing lower.


    Noel''s body was emitting a dim blue particles.


    ''Impossible.'' Shale thought while sucking a cold breath. ''An average person needed years of meditation to find their own desire, their spirit¡­ Even the emerging genius, Anna Stargaze is said to require three days to awaken her spirit. How is this possible? He can actually awaken his spirit in just a few minutes?''


    Shale suddenly remembered how themander wanted to protect him. He was wondering if themander was already aware of his talent.


    However, another light soon shone. It was a red light emitting from the red mark on his right hand, where the Ardagan Sword ced its symbol.


    ''Spirit Pact?!'' Shale dropped on his butt, staring at Noel in horror. ''How can he make a spirit pact within a few minutes? Even I need to have a long talk with my spirit and gain an understanding first before creating an agreement between us¡­''


    On the contrary, Noel was unaware of what was happening outside his body. His consciousness had fallen so deep that it felt like he was leaving his body.


    He didn''t feel anything in the deep darkness.


    However, after finding his desire, a bright light started illuminating the darkness, bringing him to a in white room.


    "Eh? Where is this? Shouldn''t I be in the training ground?" Noel looked left and right, finding nothing.


    A sound suddenly echoed inside his mind.


    ''Ngiik!'' The high-pitched sound made him close his eyes as his brain started to hurt. If it was a sound from the outside, he felt it would rupture his eardrums.


    Yet, when it disappeared, Noel seemed to understand the meaning of that sound.<sub> </sub>


    "Eh? That sound¡­ is telling me to look back?" Confused, Noel slowly turned around while gulping down. Suddenly, he found a red sword that looked exactly like the Ardagan Sword.


    "That is¡­ Ardagan." Although a bit hesitant, Noel tried to approach the sword while trying to reach it.


    As if reacting to Noel''s action, the sword released a zing me that gradually moved toward him, trying to burn him.


    At the same time, Noel''s body started glowing as a snowke symbol shone on his right chest.


    "This is¡­" Noel felt the heat of the zing me gradually decreased when something cold began to spread from his right chest. He lowered his head and found the symbol, fighting against the me.


    "A snowke?" Noel frowned, not understanding what was going on.


    After that exchange sh, another high-pitched sound echoed directly in his head.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. He also understood the sound meaning.


    ''I am Ardagan. A sword whose purposes are to cut down whoever you want to cut and burn the injustice.''


    ''I am Heisk. The Icy Spirit of Northern in, your desire.''


    "Eh? Spirit? Does that mean I am in the ce where I meet my spirit? But a human is supposed to only have one spirit, right?" Noel expressed his confusion, only to receive another high-pitched sound in his head.


    ''Outsider.'' This was clearly Heisk''s voice. There was a distinct difference between the two. Ardagan''s voice was simr to a deep voice from a middle-aged man while Heisk''s voice felt like a gentle female. The two were the opposite of each other. Yet, he felt no hatreding from Heisk''s voice.


    Even if she deemed Ardagan to be an outsider, there was no repulsiveness that wanted to chase him out.


    ''You''ve be our master! Our goals are the same, which is your desire. To achieve your desire, I have been lending you my power.''


    "Your power?" Noel widened his eyes and asked, "The system?"


    ''Yes. However, the true essence of my power lies elsewhere. It''s your duty to understand me. The more you understand me, the more power you can receive from me.''


    "!!!" Noel recalled the missions and medals in the system. It seemed that the more hepleted those things, the more he could understand Ardagan. Hence, his goal was clear. It was to do his best toplete them.


    After that, Heisk''s voice echoed in his heart.


    ''My power can''t bepared to him, but it doesn''t mean I''m weak. My power lies on my versatility. That''s why I shall¡­''


    The snowke symbol suddenly came out of his chest and floated to Ardagan.


    The jewel on Ardagan''s hilt shone, creating a red symbol. In the middle of the symbol was a me mark. But the moment Heisk touched that mark, the fire symbol was reced by a snowke symbol and integrated itself to Ardagan.


    Ardagan was a sword with a ck grip and red de, but after the integration, the color on the de split into two. One was a blood red while the other was light blue like that of the snowke.


    Then, both of their voices rang at the same time.


    ''We shall lend you our power, Master.''

 Chapter 11 Change

    Noel gradually opened his eyes after meeting with his spirits, finding the shocked Shale.


    "Sir Shale?" Noel was confused by Shale''s reaction, not knowing the reason of his shock. After all, he never read anything regarding spirit since he had no desire back then.


    Hence, he observed Shale''s expression, wondering what his thought was.


    When he heard Noel''s voice, Shale''s body trembled.


    "A-ah! Right! Have you met your spirits?" Shale asked.


    Since two spirits were something unprecedented, he thought he should hide this fact. At the same time, he realized that the only person that had two spirits in their body was his ancestor, thest wielder of Ardagan. This time, Ardagan helped him, allowing him to have two spirits inside his body.


    So, he said, "Yes. I met her."


    Shale was speechless. At the same time, he didn''t know what happened earlier. At first, there was a dim blue light emanating from his body. But it shed with the red light as if they were fighting each other.


    But because Noel said ''her,'' there must be something special to his spirit. And it was already beyond his responsibility. He didn''t want to get entangled too deeply with Noel and his secret.


    "I see. In that case, there''s nothing I can teach you anymore. If you want to wield your power, you can simply talk to your spirit. Just do a simple meditation like earlier and you should be able to connect with your spirit."


    "I understand." Noel nodded.


    "That''s good. How do you feel right now?"


    "I feel¡­" Noel fell silent and looked down, realizing the exhaustion and difort in his body had gone. It seemed that the connection with his spirits had rejuvenated his exhausted body since healing couldn''t recover his stamina. "I feel refreshed."


    "Mhm. Connecting to your spirit allows you to recover faster."


    "By the way, where do spiritse from? Are they truly the personification of our desire?" Noel asked. He was confused about this earlier. Ardagan himself was a sword that suddenly turned into his spirit after the contract. As for Heisk, she revealed herself as a spirit from Northern in.


    "ording to the research, each spirit will give you a different answer. Despite trying to find their exact origin, no one has managed to discover it. So, I can''t really give you any answer, since I''m someone who just takes the spirit for granted."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment before nodding. "I understand. Thank you very much, Sir Shale."


    "There''s nothing I can teach you about spirits, but you should continue training tomorrow. Your physical ability should be reinforced a bit by the connection, so keep training. You''re going to face the first test in a week."


    "Understood."


    "Go back now and have some rest."


    "Yes." Noel then rose from the ground and thanked him once again before leaving the training ground.


    While looking at Noel''s back, Shale was thinking whether he should tell themander or not. However, he ended up shivering as he thought, ''No, no, no. I shouldn''t tell him about this. If themander knows me knowing that kind of extraordinary talent, I''m afraid he''s going to kill me to avoid spreading the information. It''s better to bring this secret to my grave.''<sub> </sub>


    He could only sigh and turn around, noticing that there were two extraordinary geniuses in their kingdom: Anna Stargaze and Noel Ardagan. But the Stargaze Family colluded with the Royal Family to crush Count Ardagan.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ''There might be a civil war sooner orter. I think fighting against demons are better than getting involved in that civil war.'' Shale sighed, returning to his own living quarter.


    Meanwhile, Noel returned directly to his room to check anything different from his system since he had met with Ardagan.


    The red sword that he stored under the bed was gone too since Ardagan said he resided inside his body now that they had a contract.


    He raised his head and imagined Ardagan appearing in his hand.


    The same red sword then came out of nowhere, gently resting on Noel''s hand. But the color of the de remained the same red as if it was before the sword fused with his original spirit.


    "Hmm¡­ I guess I need to continue meditating to find out what''s happening." Noel nodded with a serious expression. After that, he started checking all the system panels but found no change except for the Status Panel.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Spirit Knight


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: -


    "A job?"


    "What''s the use of this job?" Ardagan tilted his head in confusion. He tried to check it out but to no avail. No matter how he touched the title, it wouldn''t give any exnation.


    So, he leaned on the wall and started thinking. "Spirit Knight¡­ I think the people who can use both Magic and Sword to fight. Oh wait, now that I understand more about Spirit¡­ I think the Magic they''re talking about is the Spirit lending their power.


    "By using the Spiritual Energy, one can manipte that kind of stuff¡­ Fire, water, lightning, oh wait. To put it simply, elements!


    "In other words, Magician is also someone who has awakened their spirit to wield the elements. So, that''s how it is¡­ I don''t know the power Heisk and Ardagan have, since I can''t stay too long with them, but I think I should meditate every day to connect with them and learn their power. I still have a few days to prepare¡­"


    After finding out his desire, Noel became even more fired up when training. Just like his past self, he was still whining when the training was too hard, but stillpleted the training like anyone else.


    He had epted both his current self and past self andbined them together.


    He continued his training from swinging his sword and shaping his body. Although they couldn''t do much in a week, Noel still felt the difference in his body. The muscle didn''t form that easily, but he looked more fit and brimming with energy.


    Finally, after a repetitive training for a week, the day of the test had arrived.

 Chapter 12 Anna Stargazes Arrival

    The night before the test, Noel opened his system again to check his progress over the past week.


    Training: Running 40 Km


    Reward: Stamina +0.25% (umtion: 0.70%)


    Training: Push Up 500 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.25%  (umtion: 0.70%)


    Training: Swinging a Sword up and down 500 times


    Reward: Sword Mastery +0.25%  (umtion: 0.70%)


    "Hmm. The effect doesn''t feel that big, but I think I will feel the effect the stronger I be. After all, I heard that there is a big difference for each individual strength the stronger you are¡­ Well, I will continue umting this point, I guess." Noel nodded with a serious expression and opened the other panel.


    <o>,m Medal: Excellent Citizen Merit</o>


    Requirement: Help 25 Townspeople (3/25)


    Reward: Excellent Citizen Medal and 4 Honor Points


    "I''ve got two medals, the Good Citizen Medal and the Great Citizen Medal." Noel opened each medal. "And I''m using thetter right now since it''s quite good."


    Medal: Great Citizen Medal.


    Effect: Constitution +0.5%


    Description: Helping people is a good thing to do. As a great citizen, you need a good health to continue helping other people.


    In the past couple of days, Noel found some time after training to help the citizens in need like finding their pets, bringing home a drunken guy, and other misceneous stuff.


    He''d never done all this stuff when he was a noble. And when he did, he got the warm smile from the townspeople. Some of them even invited him to have dinner with them as thanks.


    It was truly refreshing to find another perspective when he was just a meremoner.


    After reminiscing the good memory, Noel''s focus returned to the medals.


    "Well, it seems that the Constitution is giving me an overall boost in my physical ability. My strength, agility, dexterity, and other stuff. Stamina from Running is as it is. The weird one is the Sword Mastery. I don''t feel it that much, but it''s kind of easier to wield the de. That''s probably the reason." Noel nodded in satisfaction.


    Unfortunately, there was no full exnation from the system or Ardagan regarding his power, so he kept deciphering their meanings as he improved himself.


    Last but not least, he opened the ''Shop'' since that was the only ce to spend his Honor Points he gained from the medal mission.


    [Shop]


    Avable Points: 5 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Disinfectant Bandage (1 HP)<sub> </sub>


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Torch (1 HP)


    When Noel looked at these four items, he believed the current point was barely enough for survival kits.


    "Should I spend all my points? No, that won''t be wise. If I buy one of them, will it appear mysteriously or something will happen? I think I should try one first." Noel sighed and decided to spend one point in Water Bottle.


    Suddenly, a wooden bottle appeared in front of him. The size was perfect for his hand and the length was a little less than his lower arm''s length.


    "Hmm¡­ this is the water bottle?" He immediately grabbed this item and felt the heaviness from the water, realizing it waspletely filled. He tried to open it and confirmed the water. However, he wondered whether it was edible or not.


    Although he was a bit hesitant, he still took a small sip and tasted the water.


    "Hmm, it tastes¡­ a little sweet, unlike the normal water. And somehow I get this refreshing feeling. Other than that, I don''t feel any change. I guess it''s a high quality water or something that can make you feel refreshed. At least, it''s not an ordinary water. I guess 1 Honor Point is worth it." Noel nodded with a calm expression. It was perfect for his survival since he didn''t need to find a water source.


    "Then, I still have 4 Honor Points¡­ For now, I should buy one Skill Point first since the skill intrigues me."


    Noel exchanged two Honor Points to one Skill Point and immediately raised his Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    Skill: Ardagan Swordsmanship (1/15)


    Requirement: 3 SP


    "This is¡­" Noel widened his eyes as his heart skipped a beat when he raised the Swordsmanship. He suddenly moved to the center of the room and swung Ardagan like how the teacher in the camp taught him.


    However, he soon found the difference.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "No, no. The swing should be slightly higher¡­" Noel shook his head and corrected his form. "Wait a minute. Why do I know I should swing a bit higher? Is this the effect of the skill? It seems that my body will learn how to use it instinctively. And I can still upgrade this skill 14 more times.


    "I see. I''m looking forward to the effect of all of them. In that case, should I buy another Skill Point to get either Swift Strike or Mega sh? No, no, no. With this Swordsmanship alone, I should be at the level of the average people in that camp.


    "All I need right now is to cooperate with the others to kill the demons since I have a mission to kill ten demons for medal and Honor Points. At that time, I have some to spend to the skill since I need to save a few Honor Points for emergency use. I can''t be too reckless and spend it all because a mistake will cost me my life."


    With this, he had finished checking all his progress. Thest thing he did was to check all the forms of his Swordsmanship. Since his body knew how to do it, he only needed to check the improvement so that he wouldn''t make a dumb mistake.


    After that, he took a proper rest and headed straight to the camp for the test.


    Unbeknownst to him, there was a female riding a horse outside the city.


    "Ngihihii¡­" The horse let out a cry as it stopped in front of the city gate.


    The female looked at the tall and sturdy brick walls and smiled. She fixed her blond hair and said, "It''s really astonishing. I wonder how''s that guy doing since this ce should be the start of his journey¡­"


    That smile of her entranced the guards that wanted to ask for her identification. That was why she was the one approaching them while showing an insignia.


    "I am Anna Stargaze, the first daughter of Marquis Stargaze. Please let me pass."

 Chapter 13 Group

    In the training ground, all the trainees stood orderly, staring at the instructor in front of them.


    "Listen up! We''re different from any army! The reason for our strength is because we''ve fought hundreds of battles and survived!" Shale shouted with a proud look. "That''s why today''s test shall be a battle between life and death too!


    "In this test, you''re required to go to the battlefield and kill those demons! The demons are disorganized and oftenes separately. That''s why your group can surround it and kill the demon!"


    *Hiss~!*


    When they heard they needed to go to the battlefield, everyone sucked a cold breath. Despite their talent and body build, they never directly went to the battlefield to fight them. That was why no one knew what to expect from the battlefield.


    "We won''t know whether you will die or not, so this is thest time to quit."


    The people were shaken when they listened to this offer. After all, no one wanted to die.


    However, none of them actually stepped out. They remembered how hard they worked to get to this ce. There was no way they would back down at thest moment.


    "Good." Shale nodded and took out a purple crystal from his pocket, showing it to everyone. "This is called Demon Crystal! Every demon has this crystal in their head, so after killing the demon, you need to open its head and retrieve this crystal. There are numerous uses of this crystal, but I''ll just exin itter in our sses.


    "For now, all you need to do is to obey orders. Anyway, each group will consist of three people since this is the minimum number to form a triangle formation to watch all directions.


    "Each group is required to bring back ten Demon Crystals! If youplete the mission, you shall be the true cadet of Demon Banner Army.


    "You shall go to the Dark Demon Forest to hunt these demon beasts. As for the group, I will call each of your names ording to your group. 1st Group: Albion¡­"


    Shale started calling all the 120 names, dividing them into forty groups.


    "If you look at the ground, there is a number for your group. Head there and talk with your group. You have 30 minutes to prepare and immediately head to the Dark Demon Forest.


    "Your time limit is three days. If you don''t have a tent or any other equipment like weapons, you can acquire it from me. That''s all!"


    As soon as Shale stopped talking, each person immediately went to their designated spot.


    Noel also spared no efforts to meet his teammate, only to find a surprise with his teammate.


    The first one was the blue-haired guy that didn''t care about his presence on the first day while the second guy was actually one of the people that bullied him previously.


    "¡­" Noel frowned. It seemed his luck was bad to get these two as his teammates.


    The bully looked at Noel with hostility while the blue-haired guy said, "I don''t care about what you do. Don''t hinder me killing those demons. As long as you do your jobs, we can be the first because of my power."


    "Is this fallen noble even needed here? He''s clearly the weakest guy among the group." The bully tried to ignite a me to make the blue-haired guy angry at Noel, but it seemed he didn''t care..<sub> </sub>


    Noel only asked sarcastically, "So, do you have any n, Mr. Noble?"


    "Why should I tell you?" He snorted.


    "Well, if you expect us to move ording to your instruction, it''s better to tell us now instead of getting mad when we''ve made a mistake simply because we''re unaware of your preference." Noel shrugged.


    He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Noel for a few seconds as if he was angry with Noel''s attitude. But surprisingly, the blue-haired guy said, "I''m the strongest in this group. There''s no denying it. That''s why you two shall stop the demon''s attack and I will kill it."


    "That''s not possible, right? The demon acts on instinct, so there''s no telling who it will attack after it finds us." Noel refuted his words again.


    "If it attacks me, I will send it to you, simply because it will be much faster if I kill it."


    "Well¡­" Noel shrugged. He remembered he needed to kill ten demons toplete the mission, so he wanted an opportunity to kill those demons. That was why before anyone killed it, he would deliver a killing blow.


    On the other hand, the noble guy simply asked, "What? Do you have another objection?"


    "None. I simply wish to know how I should call you."


    "You don''t need to know my name, you''re not worthy of it."


    "Well, that''s fine. I''ll just call you, Mr. Noble then." Noel didn''t care about his reaction. Despite his arrogant attitude, this noble still continued answering all his questions. So, he thought the noble wasn''t as bad as he thought, like the other guy who had a great prejudice against him.


    "Then your role is to watch the night for as long as we''re there. You also need to bring our equipment since you''re so useless. You should be able to do this stuff at the very least, right?" Just like he expected, the bully ordered Noel as if he was above him since Noel had been reduced tomoner.


    Noel narrowed his eyes. Although he was displeased, this was actually a chance for him to explore the forest. ording to the system, there was an Ancient Demon Tree that slept underneath the forest, so it would be good if he had some time to search for the clue.


    Of course, he was nning to do his job. Instead of watching over the tent, he was nning to expand his area so that he could look over the camp and find some clues at the same time.


    However, the noble guy snorted and said, "I''m not nning to let an exhausted weak guy to watch over me. We''ll use the rotation for the night. We will split the burden evenly. I hate weak people, but I hate idiots, who can''t even see that his decision will endanger people''s lives, even more."


    Noel was surprised that even though this noble guy was arrogant, he was rational and objected anything that would endanger their lives. It turned out he was just stating the fact even though his mouth was quite sharp.


    When the bully heard those words, he gritted his teeth and red at the noble, only to get a cold gaze from him. In the end, he needed to ept it.


    While they were talking, Anna Stargaze was staring at the group with an amused expression.


    "Oh? It seems that there''s an interesting group there." Anna smiled. "Should I sneak into the forest? Anyway, let''s meet themander first."This is from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 14 Convincing Alfred

    Because of the blue-haired guy''s impartial judgment, Noel managed to escape from all the bullies that came to his way. He even made sure to talk all the important stuff, leaving no gaps for the bully to exploit.


    In the end, the group went to Shale to grab their tent, food, and water. The bully had his own armor and weapon while the noble guy seemed to have only his sword.


    Noel, on the other hand, thought he needed some pieces of equipment to protect himself from the unknown danger, albeit they were a bit too heavy for him, whose current body had yet topletely develop the muscle.


    Even Shale suggested to use leather armor instead. Its protection was far less than iron armor, but they still could reduce some impacts. It was perfect for the current Noel since it didn''t affect his mobility.


    As for his weapon, he had Ardagan with him. Of course, he took Ardagan out before leaving his room so that everyone didn''t think it was a Spirit.


    After they had taken care of everything, Shale said, "Your group will head to the forest right now. Just enter and find any Demon inside. I''ve said this in the ss¡­ Demon can be in many forms. They can have a beast form, a humanoid form, or even a fruit form. Before doing anything, make sure to confirm they are not demons."


    "Yes, Instructor." Noel and the bully politely nodded while the noble guy asked, "Do we really need to bring back ten Demon Crystals? What if we bring more?"


    "That''s up to you. As long as you can bring back everything within three days, you''re good to go. Of course, we keep a record on the fastest one to bring ten pieces¡­ Just like your brother that is¡­" Shale smiled slyly as if he knew about the noble guy. Unlike Noel who was protected by themander, he wasn''t that scared against this guy, Alfred Starwood. To him, themander was scarier than the noble.


    Alfred gritted his teeth and turned around as if he couldn''t wait any longer to hunt some demons.


    Noel and the bully followed Alfred while Shale looked at Noel''s back.


    "Oi, wait." Noel panted while shouting to Alfred.


    Because of the provocation, Alfred had been rushing to the forest. Even though it was close, the distance was still more than 3 km.


    The fast pace made it hard for Noel to keep up.


    "You''re so slow!" The noble guy snorted. "If you can''t keep up, you should just go back to the fort! I don''t need you."


    "I don''t mind, but don''t forget that this assignment is a group test. Even with the record that you seem to be aiming at, are you sure you want to get a note about how you abandon the team? What about the probability of someone dying because of you rushing? It will surely not go unnoticed unless you kill all of us right now? But that''s probably the worst move you can make." Noel smirked, taunting and reminding him at the same time.


    p Even with his eyes, he could see Alfred''s body shaking.<sub> </sub></anda>


    There was anger in his eyes. Even his face became extremely cold. However, he still said, "You have a way with words¡­"


    "Isn''t noble supposed to have a way with their words?" Noel shrugged.


    "And do you think it will stop you from being the most useless here?"


    "Of course." Noel smiled and raised a finger. "With so many people killing the demons, it will be hard for us to find one. That''s why this test is luck based."


    "¡­" Alfred couldn''t refute it as what Noel said was indeed correct.


    However, Noel added, "Of course, I was pretty lucky to listen to something when going to meet up with the group! It seems that the deeper region has more demons than the outer region. There are groups trying to go to the inner region to kill them. At the same time, we''ll waste too much time when traveling, so I have a suggestion.


    "Why don''t we travel to the border between the outer and inner region. ording to them, it''s around 3 km from the edge¡­ This way, we can travel between the inner and outer regions, allowing us to position perfectly that we can kill many demons and return with the shortest route possible."


    "If we want speed, we simply need to kill the demons that other people fought!" The bully snorted. "Not only did they have weakened the demon, but we can also fight without using too much stamina."


    Noel smiled. As expected of the bully guy, he truly suggested that option. Even he would say something like that, but after knowing a little bit of Alfred''s back story, it was clear that Alfred didn''t like a stain in his honor.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Just like he predicted, Alfred snorted coldly. "Ipete fairly unlike you who love to do dirty jobs."


    The bully red at him for a moment before clicking his tongue and looking away. Instead of getting angry at Alfred, he directed that anger toward Noel, who obviously ignored it.


    ''To be honest, I really want to ept the offer to go back to the castle so that I can go alone, but I have never fought against a demon, so I need them to measure their strength first before gaining some confidence to fight them alone. So, I will cooperate with you guys for now.'' Noel thought as he still had the mission to kill ten demons.


    Meanwhile, Anna had finished all problems with themander and immediately headed to the forest, finding Noel''s group standing in the open.


    ''Mhm? Why did they stop? Did they notice something?'' Anna furrowed her eyebrows. ''If I remember correctly, the Ancient Demon Tree was going to wake up soon¡­ Due to that problem, the demons started acting strangely¡­ I''m not sure about this but there''s a small hordeing out of the forest to attack the fort during the test. Half of the trainees ended up dead, including Alfred Starwood, the younger brother of the sword genius, Helzhen Starwood.


    ''Still, why did they stop there? Did Noel notice that something is going to happen? It seems that Noel''s secret is bigger than I thought. Should I follow him silently?'' Anna thought, assessing Noel. Little did she know, she waspletely misunderstanding Noel since she couldn''t get close enough to listen to their conversation.

 Chapter 15 Technique

    "Fine. Let''s do it your way. You are pretty useful even though you are annoying and weak." Alfred had made his decision.


    Noel''s answer came in the form of a smile. That was why Alfred thought he had nothing left to say.


    "Since we''ve been talking here without doing anything, it should be enough for resting, right?" Alfred red at Noel.


    "Of course." Noel smiled. In fact, his stamina was still enough to run for a while. After all, he had been running for tens of kilometers for his training. The only reason he stopped here was to conserve his stamina a bit, allowing them to have a perfect condition to fight against the demon.


    After getting what he wanted, Noel then followed the group entering the forest.


    The trees in the forest were mostly 20 feet tall. They had different types of trees, but their heights were roughly the same. The difference was in the size of the trunk.


    If all trees had big trunks, it would make it hard for them to see all the things around them. However, because their size varied, it gave a hallucinating effect that confused them in discerning things.


    But it seemed Alfred was overconfident with his ability that he ignored the terrain and continued to move forward.


    Noel wanted to advise him, but they still had enough stamina to go all the way to their destination. Hence, it was better to hold back.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Alfred suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at the front.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused for a moment and found a small sphere on the ground. If it was just a small sphere, he wouldn''t be that worried. But this ball had six legs.


    This small creature wiggled on the ground and turned around when it noticed Alfred''s gaze.


    The ck ball turned out to have a big eyeball. When their gazes intertwined, the creature immediately jumped to the side, leaping for over one meter contrary to its small size.


    "!!!" Alfred widened his eyes in surprise before his body rushed forward. "Kill it!"


    Noel and the bully hurriedly followed him, but the ck ball attached itself to a tree as if it was getting swallowed by the tree.


    The ground started trembling as there was a faint sounding from underneath.


    Alfred continued to charge at the tree, but Noel stopped, observing the sound movement.


    It turned out the sound was gradually moving toward him before stopping right beneath his feet. And the next thing he realized, a spike came out of the ground, aiming for his neck.


    "!!!" Noel gritted his teeth and threw himself to the side. "Spike? No¡­ It''s¡­"


    Noel took a closer look at the object and realized it was a tree''s root.


    "It''s dangerous!" Noel wanted to warn the others, but it seemed they were attacked by the roots as well. Even Alfred stopped to block the root while the bully had his lower left arm pierce by it.


    But his decision to warn the others actually bit him on the back.<sub> </sub>


    Three more roots emerged from behind and looped around him, trying to strike him from above.


    Noel followed the sound and turned around, waving his sword toward the three roots.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t go like he expected, Ardagan cut through the first root, but stopped in the middle of the second root.


    "I can''t cut it?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. Ardagan''s sharpness was beyond his imagination. He had tried to cut a rock with it and it was able to cut it like a butter.


    ''Is this root harder than a rock?'' Noel gritted his teeth while leaning his body to the side. Although Ardagan cut one root and stopped the other one, there was still one root moving toward him. And he wasn''t in the position to reach it.


    Luckily, with thatst ditch movement, the root missed his arm, only grazing the skin.


    "Kh. It hurts." Noel hurriedly pulled Ardagan back, raised it to the top of his head, and swung it down, cutting the root that injured him earlier. "Ha!"


    Surprisingly, the root was cut so easily that he felt no restriction from it, unlike the first one.


    "Eh? I can cut it like cutting the stone¡­" Noel was surprised by the revtion. But his mind soon tried to figure out the reason.


    It was said that a sword master could cut more than a normal swordsman. And what was the reason?


    ''Is my techniquecking?'' Noel was bewildered by what he found. ''But if that''s the case, why did the first sh have the restriction while the second didn''t?''N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    While thinking about this problem, Noel leaped back to regain some distance from the roots.


    "Wait a minute. Sir Shale is training us to do only three movements¡­ A vertical sh, a diagonal sh, and a stab." Noel figured out the reason. The first sh wasn''t among the three he practiced, so his technique, even with the help of Ardagan Swordsmanship, was stillckingpared to the three techniques he''d learned.


    As if giving Noel an opportunity, two roots emerged behind him. The roots were pretty straightforward, so Noel didn''t even need to look at it before jumping to the side, avoiding the roots that always aimed for his body.


    ''Let''s try it.'' Noel thought as he raised his sword to the side, making a diagonal sh that perpendicr to the root. "Ha!"


    Surprisingly, the two roots were cut cleanly that he felt no restriction unlike the first swing.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. It turned out a sharp sword wasn''t everything. He also needed a proper technique to handle the sword.


    "So, that''s how it is. Although it''s only three techniques¡­" Before he finished his words, he heard a scream from the side.


    It turned out the bully got his right thigh pierced by the roots.


    ''Tsk. Although I hate him, he''s still useful when he''s alive. It''s clear that the demon can release more than ten roots¡­ and if all of them go to me, I would be dead. I''m not strong enough to defeat a demon by myself right now, so¡­'' As the thought appeared in his head, Noel''s body had reached the bully as he struck the root that hit the bully, cutting it down. He muttered inwardly, ''You need to live until I get stronger.''

 Chapter 16 Killing A Demon

    "You¡­" The bully widened his eyes, shocked to find Noel helping him. He thought Noel was weaker than him that needed some helps, but it turned out to be the other way around. Even when he nced at Noel''s previous spot, he knew Noel had cut them down with only a graze.


    However, Noel didn''t care about his opinion and immediately turned around, finding Alfred getting surrounded by five roots at the same time. He seemed to have a hard time fighting against the roots.


    Noel rushed to Alfred without hesitation and took the demon by surprise, cutting down two roots in rapid session.


    Their reaction was the same. Alfred never expected Noel could achieve all this.


    On the contrary, Noel simply said, "Kill the demon!"


    Alfred''s body trembled before he recalled his confidence and goal. Without hesitation, he ran to the tree demon and let Noel take care of the roots.


    Unfortunately for him, he didn''t realize that Noel was using him to check the demon''s capability.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    The tree demon could indeed manipte the roots to attack them. It would be extremely dangerous if it ambushed them out of nowhere. However, the roots were not the only part of the tree.


    Even a human could punch, kick, and even headbutt their enemy to inflict damage. Hence, he believed the demon that had been described as scary creature would have more capability than he thought.


    Just like he predicted, the branches started moving and expanding not only from the width, but also the wide.


    The roots came out of the ground and began to turn the trunk around, showing a huge craved face on the trunk. The giant branches looped around, surrounding Alfred from all directions.


    "Tsk." Alfred clicked his tongue and jumped to the side, trying to avoid the encirclement before moving to the tree side.


    When he was about to strike the tree with his sword, the leaves fell on top of him.


    Because he had seen roots and branches, Alfred stopped in his track and went to the other side, avoiding the leaves that turned out to be just a distraction.


    The moment he reached the other side, the demon sent its branches to strike Alfred. Although he blocked it with his sword, the demon was stronger than him and eventually pushed him back.


    However, the demon had one miscalction. It was Noel.


    After cutting down the roots, Noel immediately headed to the tree, nning to chop it with a single strike while its attention remained on Alfred.


    "!!!" Alfred was surprised that Noel always appeared to handle the situation.


    His sword already reached the trunk, trying to cut it down. But surprisingly, the sword stopped in the middle.


    "What?!" Noel widened his eyes. He had used the right technique, but he still failed to chop it down.


    It turned out the demon had a stronger body than a rock.


    ''No. That small ball must be the demon and the tree is just its host¡­ Still, it doesn''t change the fact that the tree bes even sturdier. No wonder the demon is scary.''


    While he was thinking, the tree spun its body, especially its root to smack Noel.


    "Watch out!" Alfred shouted.


    Noel could tell the movement and immediately pull his sword, but¡­ the result wasn''t like what he envisioned.


    "Huh?! It''s stuck." Noel couldn''t pull his sword. When his vision moved slightly to the right, he saw the trunk started regenerating.


    "Stop!" Alfred roared as he struck the tree, albeit he couldn''t do as much damage as Noel. Even his sword only went through several centimeter, not even half of Noel''s reach. "Kh. Hurry up and pull that sword. If you don''t pull your sword right now, you won''t be able to pull it outter!"<sub> </sub>


    "I''m trying!" Noel gritted his teeth, pulling it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, it was useless.


    "Tsk. I don''t like owing someone anything." The bully suddenly reached them and swung both of his swords, striking Noel''s sword toward the opening.


    This force was all Noel needed to break free from the restraint, allowing him to pull out his sword.


    However, due to the injury he sustained, the bully dropped to the ground while clutching his arm that was injured earlier. He overstrained his muscle and widened his injury from that strike alone.


    "Gh." As if getting angry at the man who ruined everything, the tree aimed at his life next.


    However, Noel once again struck the tree at the same spot, cutting the other half of the trunk with all his strength.


    "Haaaa!" Noel roared, mustering every ounce of his strength.


    The sword had a hard time slicing the trunk, but with Noel not thinking about conserving his stamina anymore, the sword ultimately cut the rest of the trunk.


    *Bam!*


    Due to the diagonal cut, the trunk slid down and fell to the ground.


    "Ha¡­" Noel panted a few times before looking at the two who also felt relieved that the demon was dying.


    Unfortunately for them, they still didn''t know the demon enough. The branches started moving again and rushed to the bully.


    "!!!" The bully widened his eyes as he thought he was going to die, but Alfred already appeared in front of him, stopping the branches with his sword.


    He didn''t forget to shout at Noel, "Go to that face! The small creature earlier must be controlling the tree from there. The head!"


    "!!!" Noel recognized his goal and immediately rushed forth, finding the tree craved face.


    Without hesitation, he stabbed the area on top of the eyes, since it should be considered the forehead in human''s anatomy.


    Although he didn''t know the exact position, he just hoped that was the case since their group was in a bad situation after this fight alone. They didn''t want to make it worse.


    "Die!" Noel shouted.


    When he was piercing the tree, he suddenly felt a sudden change in texture as he ultimately pierced through the trunk.


    The branches stopped for a moment before falling to the ground, signaling the end of the battle.


    *Huft!*


    *Huft!*


    Noel dropped to his knees while secretly touching Ardagan''s mark to open the system. He had tested it in the past week and knew that no one could see the system other than him. He opened the mission and confirmed that he managed to kill the demon.


    Medal: Military Service Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Demons (1/10)


    Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points

 Chapter 17 Roles

    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    Noel was quite exhausted even though the enemy was only a single demon. And it didn''t seem to be a high rank demon either.


    Even Alfred couldn''t say anything after challenging the demon.


    Before talking to them, Noel cut the wood carefully and found the small creature inside the trunk. The sensation on his hand felt like as if he was squeezing a wool that he could crush with his hand. There was a purple blooding out of the stab wound, so he avoided touching that area.


    After taking a closer look at the demon, he used his sword to cut open the demon, specifically in the head''s area, finding a small purple crystal.


    ''So small¡­'' Noel thought as he used Ardagan to scoop it out and poured some water to wash the blood away. Only then he returned to the group while handing the purple crystal to Alfred.


    "Here, the purple crystal."


    Alfred frowned, pondering something in his head. After a while, he said, "I apologize for being so arrogant. I take my words back. It turns out I can''t handle the demon by myself. So, I want to ask you two to cooperate with me so that we can finish the task as soon as possible."


    "!!!" Noel and the bully widened their eyes as they didn''t expect the proud and arrogant noble actually apologized.


    When they were about to say something, Alfred exined the reason. "I am here as a trainee of the Demon Banner Army, not a noble. Even I will die if I can''t cooperate with both of you. So, this time, I want to renew our agreement."


    Noel looked at Alfred weirdly. Just like Alfred said earlier, he was someone who stated all the facts. If he was in the wrong, he would say so and choose to lower his pride to survive.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    At the same time, the bully looked at Noel and said, "In that case, I''d like to apologize as well. If not for your help, I would have died earlier. I acted earlier because of my prejudice against noble, but it turned out you''re different than them. So, If you want to hit me to pay back for what I have done, do it. I won''t fight back¡­ as long as we can cooperate. The better the group ranking is, the bigger chance I can grab for my life."


    Noel became even more surprised. Even though the situationpelled for such an action, they were still not that bad. At the very least, they didn''t cling to their useless pride and cause the group to be defeated by a demon.


    "Once again, I''m Noel Ardagan. You can call me Noel¡­ Hitting you here is the worst move I can make, but if we can finish the mission and return to the base, let me hit you once¡­ we will call it even." Noel smiled.


    The bully closed his eyes as he said, "Sure. I am Lezlev."<sub> </sub>


    Alfred thought for a moment before finally introducing himself. "I am Alfred Starwood. You can call me Alfred. Before we continue, we need to tend to our wounds first."


    "That''s right." Noel agreed without hesitation.


    Alfred immediately covered his hands with white cloth while Lezlev bandaged the wound on his arm and thigh. Since Noel''s wound was only a graze, he finished first and helped Lezlev bandage his thigh.


    Lezlev felt embarrassed because the fallen noble that he had bullied in the past week was actually far different than his imagination. He regretted to fall for cheap provocation and bully him.


    In the end, he apologized over and over again even though Noel said, ''It''s fine.''


    After they finished, Alfred said, "ording to my family teaching, an introduction is a must for a group, especially about their specialty and what you can expect them to do. I thought you guys were useless, so I didn''t do it. But I''d like to talk about this now.


    "To show my sincerity, I''ll tell mine first. My sword is a slightly heavy sword that can deal a lot of damage. It can crush a demon if I put all my strength to it, but it seems that I''ve underestimated them. That''s why I''m nning to change my role¡­ considering Noel''s sword seems to be sharper than anyone else here."


    Lezlev thought about his quality before exining it to them. "I use a normal sword and armor. My technique is so-so, but I have some confidence to execute some tasks like earlier. I can move around to help when needed."


    Since both of them had revealed their strength, Noel also showed a bit of his power. "I''m just a fallen noble and I''ve never held a sword in my life before my family was ruined. I''m relying on my sword right now, but I think I have improved quite good in the past few days¡­ I don''t know about my specialty though."


    "That''s enough." Alfred nodded. "After listening to both of you, I think I''ll be the one taking the attack from the demons. Noel can attack the demon with your sword. Even if you can''t take down the demon in a single strike, make sure to wound the enemy. Lezlev will move between us and cover our backs.


    "We might have a grudge between us, but I''d like to ask you to forget about the grudge when we''re in this forest. At the very least, we need each other to survive in this mission. What do you think?"


    After listening to Alfred, Noel and Lezlev exchanged looks as they were the bully and the bullied. Noel had recognized this fact before they talked, so he nodded. After another round of apology, Lezlev also agreed to the arrangement.


    Just like Alfred said, the group might have a grudge between each other, but their cooperation would be better until they finished their mission.


    ''Well, the situation has improved I guess¡­ It seems that I''m pretty lucky to have this teammate over those who will only continue with their prejudice even in danger¡­'' Noel thought as he expected more in the next fight.

 Chapter 18 Trust?

    "I spotted another demon!" Lezlev shouted. After enough rest, they started hunting for another demon and soon found it not long after.


    This time, they had strategy and understanding to each other. So, they wanted to do better than the previous hunt.


    The demon Lezlev found turned out to be a beast. It was standing on four feet and its fur looked like spikes with both sharpness and hardness. It had a sharp ws and long fangs that could shred them apart.


    Its height reached Lezlev''s chest and its length was twice of its height. Although it was smaller than the tree, a demon beast like this would be even more troublesome.


    As soon as it heard Lezlev''s shout, the demon leaped forth, pouncing on him.


    Luckily, Alfred was close to Lezlev and immediately appeared between them, striking his sword to the demon''s ws.


    "Go!" Alfred shouted.


    It was the signal for Noel. Taking the advantage of him stopping the demon, Noel looped around them and hit the demon''s body.


    *ng!*


    A clicking noise resounded in the area as Ardagan actually failed to cut the demon''s body.


    "It''s not strong enough?" Noel widened his eyes.


    "Haaa!" Lezlev also came to Noel and struck Ardagan, giving an additional force to it. However, the spikes had no sign of breaking. Only the body slightly tilted to the left.


    p As if the demon started getting angry, it roared and used all its strength.</anda>


    In the instant he pushed Alfred, thetter moved for several meters.


    "What strength¡­" Alfred gritted his teeth and hurriedly charged forward, trying to grab the demon''s attention again.


    But the advantage of being a demon beast became apparent as the demon spun its body and struck both Noel and Lezlev with its paws.


    "!!!" The duo was shocked because they almost lost their swords from the strike alone, showing the raw strength the demon had. If not because they gripped it firmly, the swords would have flown away.


    Even though they managed to hold their swords, their bodies were pushed back for several meters as well.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "It is agile, quick, and strong. The demon is far different than the demon tree we fought earlier." Noel squinted his eyes, wondering how to kill this kind of enemy.


    "You seem to be smarter than any of us here in dealing with the demon¡­ I''m going to help Alfred to buy you time. Come up with something," said Lezlev as he moved toward the demon.


    Although they had some understanding from the previous talk, it was still surprising how much a person could trust you after you had a conflict with them.


    Even so, Noel couldn''t care less about it in this situation.<sub> </sub>


    ''A spike covering the whole body, the fang that can protect the front, the sharp ws to attack, and the agile body that can move to a desired position.'' Noel squinted his eyes, finding a way to fight this monster.


    While Noel wasing up with a strategy to take down the demon, Alfred struck the monster with his sword but ended up getting blown away by their difference in strength.


    "This demon is too strong." Alfred gritted his teeth. "It''s far stronger than the demon tree."


    "Should we run away then?" Lezlev asked while cutting the demon from the side, only to be stopped by its spikes.


    "It''s impossible to run. Can''t you see that it''s faster than us? If we don''t kill it, we won''t be able to escape from this ce alive," Alfred replied. Although he had expected the demon to be this strong, he never thought it would be this strong.


    Lezlev could only leave everything to his fate and continue swinging his sword. Alfred said the truth. Even if they tried to run, the demon would chase after them. So, it was impossible to run.


    While they were keeping the demon at bay, Noel furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the demon.


    "The Demon Banner Army required us to kill ten demons. If all ten demons were simr to the demon tree we defeated earlier, it wouldn''t be that hard to achieve it before the sunset.


    "Yet, the Demon Banner Army gave three days for the time limit¡­ Why?" Noel muttered inwardly beforeing to a realization. "Don''t tell me¡­ They know that we''re going to face trouble like this¡­ It''s a fair point because we''ve trained only for a week before hunting a demon. It''s not enough training.


    "In that case, their aim is something else. It''s true that we need to kill the demons, but killing a single demon will take us most of our stamina and time¡­ That''s why the time limit is three days. Then, how do we kill a demon far stronger than us?" Noel''s mind started to recall all the things they taught in the sses other than the physical stuff.


    At that time, Shale said, "The demon has a far superior physical ability than us and they''re also versatile. That''s why it''s hard for a human to kill a demon by themselves. However, why do you think we''re still standing here instead of getting killed by the demon?


    "Because we are smarter than them. Our brain can use everything around us as a weapon to kill the demon. Whether it''s a trap,bining our power, or anything, we will make sure we have enough advantage to kill the demon. This is our way to kill the demons!"


    Noel suddenly got an inspiration. "That''s right. Combining our power is not enough right now, in that case, I should create an advantageous position with something¡­ And what''s that¡­"


    After a minute, Noel shouted, "Alfred, Lezlev! Do you trust me?"


    Alfred looked at Noel in confusion while Lezlev replied, "Do you have a way to kill this demon?"


    "I do, but I need preparation! If you can hold for ten¡­ no, five minutes¡­ I will be able to kill the demon."


    "Then do it!" Alfred shouted.


    "Fighting against a powerful opponent like this will drain our stamina and it''s also extremely dangerous. Five minutes, huh¡­" Lezlev ultimately nodded his head.


    As soon as he got their approval, Noel ran away, stunning both Lezlev and Alfred.


    "Is he running away?"

 Chapter 19 Appearance

    "What are we going to do now? That guy must be running away, leaving us here to fend for ourselves." Lezlev gritted his teeth, looking at Alfred. Even though he could cooperate with Noel and trust him a bit, this was already beyond his ability.


    p "Nothing we can do." Alfred shook his head. "Even if we run, this demon will hunt us down. We need to find an opportunity if we want to run¡­"</anda>


    "An opportunity?"


    "Yeah. If there''s another battle around us, we can drag this demon there to get some help from others. But¡­ let''s wait for five to ten minutes first. If he doesn''te back, we''ll do it." Alfred nodded in agreement. He also wanted to escape right now, but the situation didn''t allow him to.


    Seeing there was still a trace of trust in Alfred''s eyes, Lezlev could only grit his teeth and endure this battle for another few minutes.


    The battle continued as the demon continued to overwhelm them. Alfred had exhausted most of his stamina while Lezlev was covered with bruises. The hope became dim as these few minutes felt like a few hours.


    The one they expected toe back never appeared.


    But when the situation couldn''t get any worse, they heard a shout from the side.


    "Lezlev, Alfred! Run toward me!"


    "!!!" Lezlev and Alfred turned their heads, finding Noel on the side with his shirtpletely soaked with sweat.


    It seemed Noel had been working hard on his own.


    After exchanging a nod, Lezlev and Alfred hurriedly ran to Noel.


    As Alfred said earlier, the demon chased them. Its speed was quicker than them, so the demon caught up to them soon.


    When the demon was about to leap and pounce them, Noel leaped forward and grabbed Lezlev and Alfred''s shoulder and pushed them to the ground.


    The three suddenly dropped to the ground, making the demon miss them and falling to the bushes behind Noel.


    Even though falling to the ground was painful, Noel still stood back up and thrust his sword.


    Surprisingly, the moment the demon reached the bushes, it stopped in mid-air as if he was stuck in that position. And Noel thrust his sword to the area that wasn''t protected by its spikes, the butt.


    *Huft!*


    *Huft!*


    Noel panted a few times as he dropped to the ground, smiling. "Finally. It dies."


    "What is happening?" Lezlev widened his eyes. There was a shock and confusion reflected on his eyes.


    On the other hand, Alfred opened the bushes and found a few sharp spikes nted on the ground. Two of them impaled the demon''s face, making him stick in that position.


    "Spikes from woods¡­ No, they''re roots." Alfred gasped.


    "That''s the roots from the demon we killed earlier. This demon beast is protected from all sides, so I thought about using a surprise attack to impale him. This way, the fangs won''t be fast enough to stop them." Noel exined while panting.


    "The demon tree?"


    "Yeah. I noticed that the demon tree was sturdier than normal trees. At the same time, we didn''t have enough time to carve a spike made of its trunk. Hence, I chose the roots that had pointed tips. They were perfect to pierce our body, so I thought it was at least better than a normal tree trunk to impale him." Noel nodded.<sub> </sub>


    "So, the reason why it took you so long¡­" Lezlev looked at Noel in shock.


    "Yes. I ran there and came back here before nting these roots." Noel nodded.


    "Still, why did you think about using a trap?"


    Noel smiled and recalled the lesson from Shale. "Let''s admit that we''re weaker than the demon. Even if webine our strength, we can only take down a demon tree earlier¡­ The time limit and the difficulty don''t match up. So, I thought this is a test to apply all the lessons we''ve learned so far. In other words, our adaptability.


    "We can use everything as our weapons, even the parts of a demon''s body. That''s why they only want us to bring the crystal back. They want us to use their parts to kill them. Just like these roots, if we use those sharp fangs as a dagger, won''t it be able to cut the enemy if we ce a trap like this?"


    "Now that I think about it, there are two superior weapons other than a weapon made of metal. And one of them is a weapon created by a demon body." Alfred nodded in agreement.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Yeah. The time limit is too long. So, I figure out they''re the time it takes us to create traps and strategy to kill the demon. And the other reason is¡­" Noel looked down, hesitating to say the other reason.


    "What is that?" Alfred frowned.


    "It''s to join hands with other groups. Although we need to kill two or three times the number, it''s going to be far easier to kill the demon with that number." Noel looked at Alfred. "It''s just I don''t think you''re fond with this idea."


    "¡­" Alfred remained silent. It was true that getting another three people in the group would allow them to kill the enemies easier. However, he didn''t like the fact that he was taking advantage of other people. After all, they could simply leave after achieving their objective. It was basically the same as Lezlev''s previous strategy.


    But Alfred found one more thing. "There is a difference between your words and Lezlev''s previous n. It''s to have an equal cooperation. We can''t go back until both groups have achieved their objectives. So¡­"


    "Are we going to cooperate with another group then? But we don''t know where they are¡­" Lezlev reminded them about the problem.


    "That''s¡­"


    *Swish!*


    *Swish!*


    Before Alfred could reply, the bushes started moving before a beast leaped above the bushes, trying to pounce Noel. The demon had the same appearance as the one they killed earlier.


    "Noel!" Alfred shouted while Noel turned around, thinking, ''There''s another demon around us? Not good, I can''t dodge this one..''


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment, knowing he would be heavily injured by the monster.


    However, the pain he had expected never came, confusing him. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the demon''s head flying.


    The one who beheaded the demon was a woman. Her blond hair had some yellow lightning spark on it, making the hair shine like that of a gold. When she turned around, she smiled warmly and asked, "Are you alright?"


    Noel instantly recognized this face. How could he forget about it? She was the woman that nned the entire execution of his parents and the downfall of his family, Anna Stargaze.


    Despite her having saved Noel from the demon, the blood rushed into his head as veins started bulging on his forehead.


    Gripping the sword tightly, Noel had no hesitation to swing his de to her with a shout full of anger.


    "ANNA STARGAZE!"

 Chapter 20 Suppressing Noel

    "ANNA STARGAZE!" Noel waved his sword toward the mastermind who caused the downfall of his family.


    *ng!*


    A green-colored sword stood in Noel''s way, blocking Ardagan easily. Anna''s body had tilted to the side with her eyes staring at Noel.


    "I just saved you from this demon and now you want to kill me?!" Anna asked with a shocked expression. However, she already knew that Noel wouldn''t be able to control himself.


    With just a single nce, it was clear that Noel would continue to attack her. So, Anna used both hands to push Noel''s back before letting the sword slide downwards, allowing her to avoid it with a leap.


    In the air, she spun her body and sent a kick right at Noel''s arm. Even though she didn''t look that strong, a single kick from herunched Noel away.


    Rolling a few times on the ground, Noel finally stopped a few meters from the group.


    "!!!" Alfred and Lezlev dropped their jaws, shocked. Anna just showed a strength simr to the demon they fought earlier. However, she had a small build and her arms didn''t look it had muscle.


    Yet, they couldn''t deny what they had just witnessed either. They didn''t know how Anna could release that much power with that body.


    On the other hand, Noel was gnashing his teeth as he was trying to endure the pain on his right arm.


    With all that pain, he somehow managed to stand up and prepared to attack her again. How could he wait anymore? The person that destroyed his family and killed his parents were in front of him. This kind of chance might note again.


    "I don''te here to fight you, Noel." Anna sighed. Even though their current age was the same, she had regressed. Her soul was much older than her current age, so she couldn''t help but call Noel with his name like an older woman calling a small kid in the street.


    "Don''t call me with that poisonous mouth of yours!" Noel rushed toward her and thrust his sword.


    "You''re not strong enough to fight me, let alone killing me." Anna shook her head helplessly and struck Noel''s de, letting it slid on her own de and causing Noel to continue moving forward.


    When they were only half a meter away, Anna grabbed Noel''s shirt and twisted it before throwing Noel to the ground with his own momentum.


    "Gah!" Noel coughed a few times as his whole body felt hurt.


    But before he could do anything, he suddenly felt something pressing his back. Soon, two shoes stepped on both of his hands, pinning his body and hands to the ground to restrain him.


    "!!!" Noel nced to the back and saw Anna sitting on his back with her feet restraining his two hands. "You!"


    "You have been a smart guy since the start¡­ Why do you be a fool right now?" Anna let out a long sigh. "Do you think you can kill me now? Just give up. If I wanted to kill you, you''d be dead already. But I''m not here for your life."


    "I don''t care. No matter what I''m going to kill you." Noel roared before Anna''s hand grabbed his head and pinned it down,pletely restraining him this time.<sub> </sub>N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Kill her!" Noel then looked at Lezlev and Alfred.


    "This¡­" Lezlev and Alfred exchanged looks, wondering what they should do. On the one hand, this was the first time they saw Noel this angry. On the other hand, they knew Anna had just saved his life.


    As for the story between them, they werepletely unaware since they didn''t participate in the throne war.


    "She must have been hiding since she could appear in such a perfect time! In other words, she has been following us this whole time. Are you going to trust her?!" Noel tried to convince them. And it was indeed a good argument, considering Anna''s appearance was perfect.


    Anna lowered her head, thinking, ''I start regretting my decision to choose this group instead of others¡­ At first, I want to observe Noel further because of his potential, but it seems that I''m too rash. Ugh, even in my past life, I''m not that good in mind battles like this. The only good thing from my past life was the techniques I learned as well as my experiences¡­ What should I do now?''


    After thinking for a while, Anna exined to Lezlev and Alfred. "I have been following you three. That''s true."


    "¡­" The two guys remained silent, but they still furrowed their eyebrows because it was truly unpleasant to know someone tailing them like this.


    "That''s right. Don''t trust this woman! If not, she will ruin your family!" Noel didn''t forget to add some mes.


    However, Anna added, "I won''t deny what I''ve done. However, all that is for a good reason. I am trying to find a team that can help me with something and your group is actually the first one to figure out the essence of this test. So, I think you guys are the perfect fit."


    "Help you with something?" Alfred asked, "What is that?"


    "I''m not pretty sure right now, but there''s been a strange movementtely. I''m afraid this movement might cause a small outbreak and endanger the people here, especially you trainees."


    "What? Demon outbreak?" Lezlev dropped his jaw to the ground as his face became pale, terrified.


    "Yes. Although this is not confirmed yet, I''d like to prepare something in advance. At the very least, I want to save as many people as possible. Though, this means you''re going to give up the record¡­ Of course, I''m going to talk to themander about this, so your contribution won''t go unrewarded. What do you think?"


    "I''m not going! I won''t trust you!" Noel shouted as he was shaking his body to throw her away but to no avail. "Don''t trust her! If you trust her, she will ruin your life!"


    "Sure. I''ll help you." Alfred suddenly answered. He didn''t even need to think for long.


    "Yes. I agree." Lezlev nodded in agreement.


    "What?" Noel looked at them in horror. Lezlev aside, Alfred seemed to have some conflicts in his family that required him to clear the mission as soon as possible, but it didn''t take too long for him to ept the request.


    He felt the little trust that he had built with Alfred and Lezlev just broke apart.

 Chapter 21 Desperate Attempt

    "I''m sorry, but the lives of the people are more important. Besides, this way I can surpass my brother in a different way and this record will certainly not be broken by anyone," said Alfred while closing his eyes, not knowing what face he should show Noel.


    "She''s lying! You''re going to be ruined if you trust her!" Noel wanted to warn them again, wanting to convince them that Anna would ruin them like how she destroyed his family.


    However, Lezlev simply stated with a cold tone. "Well, I don''t see any reason for her to screw me over. Even amoner like me knows the reputation of Anna Stargaze, the daughter of Marquis Stargaze. So, I''m simply taking the opportunity."


    No matter how hard Noel persuaded them, they didn''t have a single intention to change their thought.


    ''Uh.'' Anna closed her eyes with aplicated expression. She looked at Noel''s horrified expression and thought, ''I want to solve the hatred, but why does it feel like I''m taking everything again from this guy? I thought he could be calmer and follow me while bidding his time to kill me¡­ This way, he will continue observing my actions and learn more about me, lessening the hatred in his heart.


    ''However, it seems that he is more hot-blooded than I expected. Should I take back my words?


    ''But I also need to save Alfred Starwood. I met his brother in my past life and knew that his brother didn''t survive the outbreak. If I could save him, I could make his brother owe me something¡­ This favor will certainly help me in the near future for that event¡­


    ''On the other hand, Noel is still the biggest issue. I have worsen the already worst rtionship¡­ Really¡­ should I just kill this guy or let him grow while solving the hatred?


    ''Well, he''s more useful when he''s alive. Although I don''t want to admit it, in the past life, Noel has helped more than a hundred thousandmoners in the kingdom. But the king betrayed me at thest moment, is it still worth to protect this kingdom?''


    Anna was in the dilemma now that she faced the real situation. She thought she had considered everything, but the more she met Noel, the more problems appeared in her mind.


    ''So, do I continue with this farce and save Alfred to get the favor that can help me soon? Or should I mend the rtionship between me and Noel to solve the long war between us?''


    Anna didn''t know what to choose. The benefits that she could get from Alfred''s brother was simply too great, so she was contemting.


    After two minutes, Anna said, "I need your help too, Noel. Just bear with me for one night, at that time, I will give you the chance to kill me¡­ that is if you''re strong enough."


    She tried a different approach to gain Noel''s cooperation, simply because she wanted him to be in her side.


    "Get off me! I won''t be following whatever you said!" Noel gritted his teeth, ring at her in anger. "My family is not enough with you and now you''re trying to torture me here?!"<sub> </sub>


    "That''s¡­" Anna suddenly stopped as she remembered something in her past life. In thest battle against Noel, thetter always told her that she was ignorant and didn''t know anything without giving a single exnation. It truly made her heart waver.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ''This was what you said in the previous life. Now that I think about it, Noel was always good with his brain¡­ Well, I will use my experience when fighting against you.'' Anna smiled and looked at Noel, saying with a gentle tone. "Do you think that''s all there to it?


    "In your eyes, your family is probably number one. However, do you think that''s all there is to your family? Why do you think you''re spared with your family heirloom? Why do you think your family was executed? You don''t know anything, Noel. You don''t know the real truth." Anna smirked.


    She tried toe up with words that made Noel doubt himself while shifting the me from her to his ignorance.


    "Don''t you think my proposal is quite good? You can save some people while getting a chance to fight me in the end?" Anna smirked, inciting Noel for the fight. Though, her thought said otherwise as she said inwardly, ''Well, I don''t care what I need to use to keep you on my side. The more I save him, the more he hesitates in revenge. After that, I can start searching for some clues about the Royal Family''s betrayal. My words alone shouldn''t be enough to decide the life and death of Count Ardagan after all, so there must be something more to it.''


    When he heard this agreement, Noel''s eyes wavered slightly. He couldn''t believe what Anna said because that mouth was the one that gave the idea to the royal family to execute the Ardagan Family. If it was a normal royal family, their Ardagan Family would simply get exiled like the third prince they supported.


    With just a single thought about it, he could confirm that everything didn''t match up. There might be something more to his family''s downfall.


    As soon as he became a bit calmer, he knew his eyes had been clouded by revenge. However, he still couldn''t ept everything she said.


    "No! I''d rather die than cooperating with you," Noel answered out loud.


    "Mhm¡­" Anna frowned. It didn''t seem she could convince Noel today. However, she clearly saw the change in Noel''s eyes. "Well, it doesn''t seem you''re going to attack me right now¡­"


    Slowly but surely, Anna gradually rose while saying, "It''s clear that you''re not strong enough to fight a demon alone. So, I''ll take back what I said from breaking your group¡­ I just want you to know there''s a potential outbreak in one or two days."


    "I don''t need your pity. This group can no longer work," said Noel coldly while ncing at Alfred and Lezley. They looked away as if telling Noel that they wanted to follow Anna.


    Without waiting for them to reply, Noel turned around and started walking while pressing his left arm and chest to decrease the pain.


    "Wait, Noel." Looking at that lonely back, Anna tried to stop him. Unfortunately for her, Noel only red at her with some killing intent as he said coldly, "I don''t need your pity. I''ll make you regret for not killing me now, Anna Stargaze."

 Chapter 22 Doubt

    "I''ll make you regret for not killing me now, Anna Stargaze."


    While looking at Noel''s lonely back, Anna raised her hand as if trying to reach him but ended up scratching the back of her head, thinking, ''I messed up. Maybe I should have used a mask or something and gained his trust¡­ No, the moment he learns my true identity, it would just cause the same thing. I need to continue to approach him, but not too much so that he doesn''t think I am annoying. Then, I should focus on my original mission, I guess.''


    ? While Anna led Alfred and Lezlev through the forest, Noel wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. He felt like he had lost everything.


    ''As expected, I shouldn''t have any friends. They''ll just betray me again and again, especially with that poisonous woman around.'' Noel clenched his hands tightly because once again, something that he had was taken away again by Anna.


    At the same time, he couldn''t ignore what she said earlier.


    ''Still, no matter how talented she is, Anna Stargaze alone is not enough to influence the royal family to execute my family. There are only two reasons for the royal family to agree to the execution.


    ''First, they have an arranged marriage. In other words, Anna Stargaze will be the queen herself. However, this is impossible because she won''t be here. So, it means they''re not married or engaged.


    ''If that''s the case, then there was something hidden in my family. That something threatened the royal family, so they executed my family to seize that ''thing'' which I have no knowledge about.


    ''In other words, Anna Stargaze was just ying a small role here¡­ or even worse, bing the scapegoat of the royal family. Even earlier, she didn''t have any intention to harm me¡­ Is it like she said? There''s a conspiracy going on?''


    Noel gritted his teeth, not knowing anything. He truly had no idea about what happened. Unbeknownst to him, Anna also didn''t have any knowledge about it. She simply spouted some nonsense just to nt some doubts in his heart to make the negotiation smoother.


    ''Still, I can''t do anything right now. I''m too weak to even do anything. Themander also wants me to hide my identity soon, so I should start getting stronger and when I hide my identity, I can begin searching about the clues about my family and the conspiracy,'' Noel thought.


    "This is the best option for me. But how do I get stronger?" Noel frowned, contemting. At the same time, the previous scene shed in his mind.


    "Wait a minute. The sword she used earlier¡­" Noel recalled the sword''s appearance. The sword had a muddy silver color. Even with a single nce, he should have realized because the sword was actually the same as all the iron swords that Shale offered earlier.


    "It''s only a normal iron sword?" Noel gasped. Even his Ardagan had a hard time cutting a monster, but Anna could kill the demon with just a normal iron sword. He was too shocked.


    "What''s the difference between us? Our swordsmanship? I know that swordsmanship can determine how good you can cut your enemy, but it shouldn''t be to that extent. What if¡­ No, wait. Let''s take another look at this¡­"


    Noel fell silent and looked down, recalling the scene perfectly. He remembered there was a dim light covering her de.<sub> </sub>


    That light was made of yellow particles that continuously hovered around the sword. It ended in a sh, but he could clearly remember those particles.


    "What are they?" Noel squinted his eyes, trying toe up with some exnations about it. However, there was only one answer to all questions in his mind.


    "Spirit."


    "Don''t tell me, she has made a contract with her spirit too and can utilize its power?" Noel looked at Ardagan and frowned.


    He had made a contract with Ardagan and Heisk a week ago but the two always told him to improve his body and swordsmanship first before using their power because it would take a toll on his body.


    "Unfortunately, I am too weak." Noel gritted his teeth, frustrated. "It seems that I need to get a strong foundation and body first before I can fight with my spirit¡­ Although I don''t want to admit it, that woman managed to block my swing easily. It was clear that her sword mastery and body were stronger than me."


    Noel sighed, disappointed. Even so, he also knew how to get stronger from now on.


    "Since I''m alone right now, I should move around the forest to find any clues about the Ancient Demon Tree. At the same time, I''llplete my mission in eliminating the demons.


    "Although it''s impossible for me to kill any demon by myself, I can utilize traps. If I avoid all the demons that might be impossible for me to cut and only target those I can kill with traps, I can do this.


    "It might take a long time, but I need to do this. I won''t rely on anyone else. When I can use my spirit, I won''t bother myself with other people. Still, I think I should ept her proposal earlier¡­ the trainees are considered townspeople since they''re living in the town, if I help them, I can finish another mission that will give me more Skill Points to upgrade my ability. Well, it''s useless to cry over spilled milk."


    After considering everything, Noel shook his head and pped his cheeks. He had a resolve in his heart, which was to finish this test and survive.


    With a clear goal in his mind, he started making his preparation.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Cutting the trees with Ardagan and shaped it like a spike, getting some leaves to hide something, and even digging holes to trap them. Noel was creating all sorts of traps that Shale taught them in the past week.


    It took a lot of effort and time, but Noelpleted everything and was ready to hunt some demons.

 Chapter 23 Mutual Destruction

    "Hahaha!" Noelughed in the middle of the forest. Of course, he wasn''t insane.


    There was a demon in front of him. The demon had four feet, but half the size of the demon beast he first fought.


    Thatugh was simply to grab this demon''s attention. Unlike the previous demon beast, this demon didn''t have an extraordinary fur that could repel his attack, so Noel tried to take advantage of this situation first to see whether he could kill the demon without using a trap or not.


    The moment the demon pounced on him, Noel took a step back, trying to match his movement so that the demon''s movement would be a bit slower in his eyes.


    After that, he raised his sword, pointing it at the demon so that it would be impaled by its own momentum.


    Surprisingly, this demon waved its ws to the side, causing a small gale in the air. That slight push allowed the demon to push its body a little bit, resulting in the demon barely avoiding the sword.


    ''What? It can do that? The demon is too smart or it might be their instinct?'' Noel gritted his teeth. Although he could graze the demon''s body, it was too shallow to even do anything.


    Even the blood dripping from its stomach wasn''t that much, so it would be a long time before the demon''s movement started to be sluggish.


    ''Even though the demon could avoid it, it''s clear that humans are still smarter than demons. I should use everything as my weapon to defeat this demon.'' Noel thought, assuring himself that he could win this battle. At the very least, fighting this demon seemed to be easier than the demon tree they first encountered.


    Without any thought about using the traps, Noel kicked the demon that almostnded on the ground.


    ? However, he felt a sharp paining from his foot.


    "Argh!" Noel screamed in pain as he lowered his vision, finding the demon biting his teeth. He hurriedly thrust his sword to the demon that was still stuck on his foot, only to find it jump away.


    Noel gritted his teeth as the pain was unbearable. For someone who never fought on the battlefield, there were tears formed on the corner of his eyes.


    Still, he managed to hold on and jump back with his other foot to regain some distance.


    The two were ring at each other as they prepared to make a move.


    At the same time, there was a thought running in Noel''s mind. ''I see. Demons might have different traits from each other. The Demon Tree had good versatility, the demon beast earlier had strength and defensive ability while this one has reflex and speed. It''s truly hard to discern all the demon''s traits.''? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Noel tried to feel his left foot and found out that every step was heavy and painful.


    With this injury, the demon hurriedly charged toward him, trying to finish him off.


    Because it was impossible for Noel to jump back to match the demon''s movement, Noel couldn''t follow the demon''s speed this time.


    Thetter took this opportunity to run quicker, arriving in front of Noel in just two seconds. Noel waved his sword, but thetter ducked down before jumping straight at Noel''s neck.


    Noel hurriedly tilted his head to the side, barely avoiding the sharp teeth of that demon. After that, he dragged his left foot to turn around, making sure the demon didn''t escape his eyes.


    The demon turned around and attacked Noel again without mercy.<sub> </sub>


    ''I can''t jump but¡­'' Noel thought. There was one desperate attempt to recreate his previous movement. Instead of jumping, he was throwing himself backward even if it meant he fell on his butt.


    This action allowed him to match the demon''s movement for two seconds.


    Using that chance, Noel raised his sword, stabbing the demon.


    The demon once again waved its ws to avoid the sword, but Noel had expected him doing so. Hence, he struck the demon with his own head.


    Both of them fell back as Noel felt a scratch on his head. Although the demon was fast, it seemed it wasn''t fast enough to fully bite his head. The demon only managed to open his mouth a bit to let one of its fangs graze Noel''s forehead.


    On the other hand, Noel was using his own skull to make an impact on the demon''s mouth, causing the demon''s conscious waver for a second.


    With the demon stopping on its track, Noel gritted his teeth, enduring all that pain while thrusting his sword toward the demon to kill it.


    Medal: Military Service Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Demons (3/10)


    Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points


    *Huft!*


    *Huft!*


    Noel closed his right eye because the blood from the graze flowed toward it while his left eye tried hard to focus, making sure there was no ambush like earlier.


    "This is hard and painful. I could kill the demon but the injury was indeed not worth it. Should have used the trap no matter how weak the demon appeared." Noel felt the pain concentrated on his forehead and left calf but still had the time to review his performance, learning his mistake.


    "Why do I need to endure all this pain? This is unfair. If not because of that poisonous woman, I could still work together with Lezlev and Alfred, making this far easier."


    Noel wanted to continueining, but closing his wounds took priority. He had prepared something for this. Yes, this was the reason he saved some Honor Points.


    Noel exchanged one honor point for disinfectant bandage and imagined it to appear in front of him.


    "This¡­" Noel saw the bandage which was quite thick in his opinion. "It seems I can use it a few times. Lucky."


    He hurriedly put on his forehead and moved to the calf, stopping the bleeding. The pain still  continued jolting his mind and hindering his movement, but he should be able to kill another demon with the trap as long as he was careful enough.


    "It''s useless toin. I''ve made this decision, so I need to see through it." Noel gritted his teeth and started standing up again as a sign of his stubbornness. "I need to worry about foodter and I don''t think I can sleep for three days because my body is still not used to living alone in the wild. I might not wake up when the demon came to me. It''ll be a gruesome three days, but I''m not going to die here."

 Chapter 24 Traps

    "Ha!" Noel shouted as he jumped as far as possible, crossing numerous leaves on the ground.


    As soon as he reached the other side, he turned around and saw a three-legged demon pounced on him.


    He struck the demon with his sword, resulting in the demon to stop because it deflected Noel''s sword with its giant paw.


    "Gah!" The demon soon overpowered Noel with its strength and pushed Noel to the ground.


    But when he was about to crush Noel''s hand and shoulder, the demon''s feet had finallynded on the ground and crushed the small structures underneath the leaves.


    The demon widened its eyes in shock but didn''t let out a single sound. It simply stared at Noel as it fell down to the hole that the leaves hid.


    Noel panted a few times as he looked at the hole, finding the demon getting stabbed by numerous wooden spikes.


    He made this pitfall ten meters deep so that the demon''s weight and speed were enough to be pierced by the spikes. And it seemed to have worked splendidly.


    "Yes. I have finally killed 5 demons with this!" Noel smiled and pumped his fists. Although his body was covered by bandage due to him risking his life to bait the demon, it was worth it.


    "I need to kill five more demons before getting a technique that I can use to kill a demon without a trap." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    He then took out a rope in his bag and tied it to himself before attaching it to a tree.


    After that, he started going down the hole with the rope and carefully approached the dying demon. He severed the demons body to pieces so that he could remove them from the hole and reuse this trap.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to take out the crystal on its head after he took out the demon corpse.


    "Well, I don''t have any trouble with food and water right now because the demon''s meat is simr to a normal animal. I just need to cook them with fire. It won''t taste good, but at least, I will have enough energy from it." Noel sighed and raised his head, looking at the orange sky.


    Although he wanted to continue, it wouldn''t be wise to fight during the night because of theck of light. So, Noel looked at the pitfall and turned around. "I shouldn''t cover it because a human might pass by and fall to this if they''re not careful. I''ll just leave it like that and take a rest nearby, not that I can sleep."


    Noel sighed and walked away while bringing the demon''s big arm with him. After reaching an area, he dropped everything and started roaming around to make sure no demon or human was near him.


    After finding no demons or humans, Noel made a fire and began cooking the meat.


    Then, he checked the training progress.


    [Training]


    Training: Running 40 Km


    Reward: Stamina +0.25% (umtion: 0.70%)


    Training: Push Up 500 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.25%  (umtion: 0.70%)


    Training: Swinging a Sword up and down 500 times<sub> </sub>


    Reward: Sword Mastery +0.25%  (umtion: 0.70%)


    "Hmm¡­ It won''t be wise to run around during the night, so I''ll focus on Push Up and Swinging my sword. I shouldn''t overwork myself too."


    After having dinner, Noel tidied up the ce and started training again. His body was sore due to the wound, but he still persisted, trying to finish the training so that he got even stronger.


    He persisted for a few hours before deciding to take some rest. Although he wouldn''t be sleeping, he still rxed his body.


    "It seems I''ve been focusing on my swinging in the past week. To think it''s the first to bepleted." Noel smiled.


    Training: Swinging a Sword up and down 1000 times


    Reward: Sword Mastery +0.25%  (umtion: 0.95%)


    "Hmm¡­ This is weird. The reward doesn''t increase anymore¡­ At first, it increased to 0.35% once before falling back to 0.25%. Well, whatever. I''m just d I can get stronger just by swinging my sword." Noel smiled. He didn''t realize that ever since he needed to live by himself, he started appreciating every little thing.


    However, the peace was soon shattered by numerous howls that shook the forest.


    "Aoo!"


    "Aoo!"


    "Aoo!"


    There were so many howls as well as roarsing from all directions.


    "This is¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes and looked to the sky, wondering what happened. He didn''t know why but what Anna said to them earlier shed in his mind.


    "I am trying to find a team that can help me with something¡­ I''m not pretty sure right now, but there''s been a strange movementtely. I''m afraid this movement might cause a small outbreak and endanger the people here, especially you trainees."


    When he recalled those words, Noel''s expression darkened.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t tell me, she''s not lying? There is really going to be an outbreak that will endanger many people?" Noel''s body trembled. "ording to Sir Shale, the demons are very calm during the night. So, this is a rare asion for them to be this loud. In other words, there might be an outbreak happening¡­"


    Noel looked down and contemted, muttering his thought, "Did I make the wrong choice? Maybe I should have epted her offer not only to save my life but also to save more people to finish my mission.


    "No! I won''t go with her." Noel gritted his teeth and looked around him. "Anyway, I should think about how to save myself first. If it''s an outbreak, I should be able to hide on top of the tree, but¡­"


    Noel was wondering whether to take this opportunity to hunt some more demons or not. At the very least, his traps should be able to function well.


    After thinking for a while, Noel nodded with a grim expression. "Alright. This is going to be risky, but if I don''t risk my life, I won''t be able to surpass that woman."


    Without hesitation, Noel picked up the torch he had prepared earlier instead of the one from his [Shop] since the torch was simr to the torch in real life, unlike his disinfectant bandage or refreshing water.


    "Alright. Let''s do this. I should go near the area where I ce all my traps before the demonse." Noel immediately walked away while bringing all his equipment.

 Chapter 25 Outbreak

    *Roar!*


    "Aooo!"


    The forest became noisy soon. Not only the monsters, but the trainees inside the forest also added to the noises.


    On the other hand, Noel kept his silence while looking around, trying to find anything glowing in the darkness. After all, they were either humans or demons.


    After waiting for half an hour, Noel found a pair of eyes shining in the darkness.


    In an instant, he knew it wasn''t a human because the pair of eyes was at his waist''s level. There was no way a human would be that short.


    Taking out his sword, Noel came out of his hidden spot, showing himself.


    As he expected, the pair of eyes started running toward him. The closer it became, the clearer he could see the demon''s figure.


    The demon turned out to be a snake. Although barely, he could see that the snake was at around 20 meters. That was why rising its head alone could reach one meter high. The body was big. In fact, Noel knew the snake wouldn''t have a hard time in swallowing him.


    ''Finally! We have a demon snake. ording to Sir Shale, Demon Snake is dangerous, but extremely useful! Its skin is usually used for clothing material, its poison can be used to deal with other demons, and its meat is one of the most delicious among others. However, the demon snake can incapacitate you easily, so you need¡­''


    As he recalled Shale''s lesson, Noel moved to the right, baiting the demon to a tree.


    As expected, the demon circled the tree and started climbing it even though Noel only faked his climb.


    Before he reached the top, Noel jumped off the tree, seeing two-thirds of the demon snake''s body was already on the tree. Without hesitation, Noel struck this tree with all his strength, chopping it down.


    *Creak!*


    *Bam!*


    The tree fell down, crushing the demon snake. However, the demon was sturdier than Noel expected.


    Some of the branches pierced the demon snake''s skin, but the demon snake could still move, snapping those branches from the tree itself.


    "Tsk. As expected, it won''t go down so easily." Noel clicked his tongue and started running again.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    This time, Noel moved to a small in within the forest.


    Since a spike or a pitfall wouldn''t work for a snake, Noel had prepared something else to kill the snake.


    Noel entered a trunk lying on the ground and crawled inside to bait the snake. Of course, he wouldn''t dare to do this if the snake was near him, but the snake was slowed down by the first trap. It was also injured.


    So, Noel entered the trunk and crawled as fast as possible. This trap was best to utilize when there were other people, but because he was alone, he needed to do that first trap.


    Luckily, the moment the snake entered the trunk, Noel''s upper body hade out, allowing him to push himself out of the trunk, trapping the snake inside.


    Noel smirked. Now that the snake had entered, it wouldn''t be smart enough to move backward. Hence, the snake would most likely move forward to the other end.


    With the addition of the snake''s long body, it made the aim easier.


    As soon as half of the snake body entered the trunk, Noel swung his sword as hard as possible, cutting the trunk as well as the snake into half.


    "Ha!"


    *Creak!*<sub> </sub>


    *Bam!*


    The hollow trunk was split into two as Noel''s sword cut half of the snake''s body.


    "Tsk. I couldn''t see the snake body''s earlier, so I swung in a wrong angle." Noel clicked his tongue and pulled his sword back before cutting the snake once again.


    "Die!"


    Medal: Military Service Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Demons (6/10)


    Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points


    Noel felt relieved when he checked his system. The snake had truly died.


    "Well, I should skin the snake and take out its meat for food. As for the poison¡­ I will do thatter. At least, I should be able to get some money.


    When he was about to pull the snake out, Noel heard a screaming toward him.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    "Help!"


    "Move that way! I will stall them a bit."


    Two of the voices were female while the other one was a male.


    Noel put down the snake without hesitation and looked at the sound''s direction while furrowing his eyebrows. "Should I save them? But that direction¡­ I should have put a trap there¡­ Tsk. I should go then!"


    Noel clicked his tongue and rushed to meet these three people.


    Surprisingly, he recognized one of the women in this group. She was one of the people that ignored him when everyone looked at them in contempt.


    "She was that female with a sharp gaze. I don''t know her name, but she''s considered one of the best trainees. She''s holding back two demons by herself?" Noel widened his eyes, finally knowing her true strength. However, there was a concern in her eyes.


    "Her teammates seem to be useless. And that woman can''t see where she is going because she''s too upied. If this continues, she will activate one of my traps and die."


    Noel narrowed his eyes. "I should save them then. It''s not like I''m going to be friends with them¡­ I only save them simply because it can progress my mission." Noel shook his head and positioned himself between the woman and the trap. Of course, he was behind the tree.


    Using the darkness, he hid until she was only a few steps away from the traps before leaping toward her.


    He tackled her and pushed her to the side. Of course, Noel clung to her body so both of them crashed to the ground together.


    "Gah!" The woman coughed when she received the tackle as it was quite painful. Even Noel used her as a cushion to soften his fall.


    "You?!" The woman wanted toin, but Noel ignored her and hurriedly stood up, looking at the two demons.


    One of them was stabbed by the spikes while the other barely avoided it with only its thigh getting pierced by a spike.


    "Hurry up and stand up! This is the best chance to kill them!" Noel shouted while stabbing the dying them to make sure it died.

 Chapter 26 Duo

    "Hurry up and stand up! This is the best chance to kill them!" While saying those words, Noel killed one of the demons.


    Meanwhile, the other demon, whose thigh was pierced by the trap, had freed itself from the trap and moved toward Noel, nning to avenge its fallen kin.


    As expected from one of the best trainees, she struck the demon with her sword, stopping its movement.


    Noel pulled his sword and charged at the demon.


    The demon this time stood in two feet and its body was covered with fur. The size itself looked like a bear, but it had short arms.


    The demon stopped the woman''s sword with its paw while using the other paw to stop Noel.


    Instead of facing the demon, Noel stopped and changed his direction, passing the woman. "I have a trap past this ce. We''ll use it to kill the demon."


    The woman narrowed her eyes. Although she doubted Noel, thetter had saved her life. At the very least, Noel seemed to know this ce better.


    After taking another nce at her teammate, who seemed to have run too far, she clicked her tongue and chose to trust Noel this time.


    She pulled her sword back and followed Noel running away.


    Due to its injured foot, the demon''s speed decreased significantly. Still, the demon itself had a quite quick speed, so the injury only made its speed simr to Noel''s running speed.


    After a while, the monster caught up with them as the woman said, "Here hees! What should we do?"


    Noel nced back and said, "Ready to jump to the side when we''re about to reach the bushes."


    "Alright."


    She nodded. It was hard to navigate during the night, but she could still find some bushes ahead. Since they were heading straight to it, she believed those bushes were the ce he put those traps.


    "Now!" Noel shouted when they were about to reach the bushes.


    Without hesitation, both of them threw themselves to the side so that the demon had no time to stop its movement.


    *Stab!*


    A few spikes behind the bushes hit the demon''s legs and Noel shouted, "Now! Kill the demon!"


    They turned around and thrust their swords to the demon''s back at the same time. Their move was in sync since they had the same objective.


    However, there was a clear difference between Noel and the woman.


    While the woman''s sword pierced the demon''s back, Noel''s sword struck its head, ultimately bing the one that killed the demon.


    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    Like Noel who didn''t have much time to rest, the woman was too exhausted after dealing with two demons for her teammates.


    Still, Noel hurriedly pushed the demon''s body down and opened its head, taking out the crystal on its head.


    "You surely don''t mind me taking the crystal, right?" Noel asked. He didn''t expect a ''no'' for an answer though, considering he had saved her life.


    Before she even said anything, Noel had already walked away, wanting to get the other crystal.<sub> </sub>


    The woman was speechless, never expecting Noel to be this direct. Still, she waited until Noel returned while looking around to find her teammates.


    After Noel took the crystal, he returned and found the woman hadn''t moved from her spot. It seemed she was waiting for him because the moment she saw him, the woman called him.


    "You are Noel Ardagan, right?"


    Noel looked at her and nodded before checking his trap. He clicked his tongue, annoyed. "The spikes crack. I guess I need to rece it with a new one."


    That was right. Noel had been preparing so many traps which took a lot of his time today. He also needed to rece all the spikes that were broken by the demon''s body.


    If he didn''t have Ardagan that could easily cut down a tree, he would need one or two days to even prepare all these traps. So, he was quite lucky even if he needed to survive alone.


    "So, you''re using this ce to set up your base?" The woman asked before shaking her head. "No, that''s not important right now. The first thing I should say is¡­ Thank you for saving my life."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "It''s fine." Noel shrugged. "I just don''t want my traps to kill humans because we''ve a clear enemy, which is the demon."


    The woman looked at him for a moment before introducing herself. "I am Kirika."


    "You already know my name."


    "Yeah. All my previous questions werepletely due to my shock that you performed this good in this test. To think you set up traps around this area to kill the demon."


    "They''re strong, but at least dumber than me." Noel shrugged.


    "That''s true." Kirika agreed with Noel''s statement. "Though, they''re only a low level demon."


    "Low level demon?"


    "Yeah. There are a few ssifications about the demons. Those who reside in this forest are only Low Level Demons and Mid Level Demons. Low Level Demons move purely on instinct, but Mid Level Demons are extremely dangerous. Not only do they have a more powerful physical abilities, but they have some intelligence. They can even mobilize other Low Level Demons." Kirika exined.


    "I see. Traps will most likely not work on them¡­ Is that what you want to say?"


    "Yes. You saved my life. The least I can do is to tell you the danger of relying too much on traps. You need at least other people to help you when fighting against a Mid Level Demon. But don''t worry, they''re residing deep in the forest, we shouldn''t find them unless we''re going to the inner region."


    "Fair point." Noel nodded but when he was about to ask something, they heard something from the side.


    *Shake!*


    *Shake!*


    "!!!" Both of them turned their heads, staring at the bushes on the side. There were only a few meters to that ce, so they hurriedly raised their weapons, pointing at the bushes.


    Two pairs of eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness.


    "We''re in the middle of an outbreak and you''re talking about that. Why do I feel a Mid Level Demon will appear?" Noel squinted his eyes.


    "¡­" Kirika remained silent as she focused all her senses on the bushes, finding the real bodies of the demons. "They''re two Low Level Demons. Do you have any more traps?"


    "Only one. It can only kill one of them, so we need to work together to kill the other one." Although Noel didn''t want to get another teammate, he had no choice because he couldn''t fight against two demons without someone''s help.


    "Alright. Lead the way. We''ll kill at least one with your trap and deal with the other one ourselves."


    Noel nodded. "Follow me."

 Chapter 27 Mid Level Demon

    Without hesitation, both of them headed to the east before the demons came out of the bushes. Their action certainly made the demons reveal themselves.


    The first demon was like a ck-colored panther. It didn''t have strong fur to protect its body, but it had sharp fangs and ws as well as extraordinary physical ability. Meanwhile, the second demon stood on two feet. Luckily, the demon had a bigger body than the first demon or it would ride the first demon.


    They started chasing both Noel and Kirika, not knowing they were going straight at the trap.


    The first demon showed its extraordinary physical ability by leaping from one ce to another, allowing this demon to catch up with them.


    "How far away?"


    "One more minute."


    "I''ll stop this demon for a few seconds and you prepare the trap."


    "Jump to the side againter."


    "Got it."


    They agreed with each other. Kirika stopped the demon while Noel went first. The trap he had prepared for them was actually the pitfall he used earlier. But because he used it earlier, he hadn''t covered it again because it was hard to spot it during the night.


    Hence, Noel had another n to make the demon fall to the trap by going first.


    As soon as he reached the position, he grabbed the rope that he used to go down the pitfall earlier before stretching it to the other tree as Noel prepared to use both trees to trip the demon.


    When he saw Kirikaing, Noel shouted, "Jump!"


    Kirika threw herself to the side while Noel pulled the rope to make it tense. The demon used its four feet to slide to stop his momentum, but he was too quick that the demon ended up tripping first.


    "Argh!" Noel gritted his teeth as he was also thrown to the front. The momentum was too strong for him to handle.


    Still, he saw the demon rolling on the ground until it was next to the pitfall.


    "It''s not falling!" Noel shouted.


    "Kh." Kirika clicked her tongue and hurriedly reached the demon. Thetter managed to stand up, but the posture was still not stable. Kirika took this opportunity to push the demon into the pitfall.


    "Ha!" Kirika shouted and fell to the ground after sessfully pushing the demon to the pitfall. "Yes¡ª!"


    She wanted to celebrate, but she suddenly heard a loud booming from behind.


    It turned out Noel was facing the other demon. She could clearly see Noel''s hands shaking due to the pain from tripping the demon earlier, so it was clearly unexpected to see Noel so desperate to fight the demon.


    Kirika hurriedly helped Noel fighting against the demon.


    It might be because both of them had extraordinary prowess, but the battle went smoothly even with only two people.


    Kirika was one of the best trainees, so her prowess was simr to Alfred. Meanwhile, Noel had gained some experiences in killing the demon. To lure the demon, he needed to understand the demon''s movement, so his movement became smoother. With the help of Ardagan, Noel finally cut down the demon after fighting for five minutes.


    *Pant!*<sub> </sub>


    *Pant!*


    Noel dropped to his butt as his body was sore. Kirika had the same condition since she also sat down, trying to take some rest after fighting these demons.


    Because Kirika was the one pushing the demon to the pitfall, he was worried that he didn''t get the kill. Hence, he hurriedly opened his system to check.


    Luckily, it seemed that the system considered the pitfall to be the one killing the demon instead of Kirika''s effort to push the demon.


    Medal: Military Service Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Demons (10/10)


    Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points


    Noel sat down with his back facing Kirika so she didn''t know what he was doing. He then started opening his reward.


    Medal: Military Service Medal


    Effect: Spiritual Energy +0.5%


    ''Oh?'' Noel raised his eyebrows, asking inwardly, ''What is this Spiritual Energy? Spiritual Energy and Spirit¡­ Are they rted? What if this Spiritual Energy is the thing I''mcking to utilize my Spirit? Is that why my Spirits want me to get stronger first?''


    Noel felt like he had gained another reason to push himself to train. The more he trained, the stronger he could get, the more demons he could kill, the more Spiritual Energy he could get.


    While Noel was checking his loot, Kirika looked at his lonely back and tried to recall what happened earlier.


    "We''ve managed to kill four demons in a short period." Kirika''s expression darkened,ining. "Can you even imagine that? My group could only kill five demons earlier but with you¡­"


    Noel nced at her. Despite her sharp gaze, Kirika didn''t seem to be a bad person either like Alfred. Both of them simply didn''t bother with others.


    "If only we were a group earlier¡­" Kirika let out a long sigh. "Now that I think about it, if I''m not wrong, that noble guy should be in your group, right? Where is he?"


    "I don''t have a group." Noel shook his head and said, "After this, we''ll also go separate ways. I won''t have any group."


    Kirika looked at Noel while furrowing her eyebrows. There seemed to be a hidden story about Noel''s group.


    Unfortunately for them, their luck ran short when another demon appeared. That was right. They were still in the middle of the outbreak and the demons from the inner region wereing to the outer region before heading to the fort.


    So, it wouldn''t be so strange for them to appear at this ce.


    "We''re in danger." Kirika looked at the demon with fear as she gritted her teeth.


    Noel looked at this demon. It was simr to the ck panther demon earlier, but there was a clear distinction between them.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    This demon had blue-colored fire that acted like a fur on its head and the tip of its tail. Even its ws were shining blue color. And the demon size was twice as big as the demon with its height was as tall as Noel.


    "I have no more traps to use¡­" Noel had a cold sweat as he also stared in horror.

 Chapter 28 Despair

    Before they had the chance to think, the Mid Level Demon ran to Kirika first, hitting her with its paw.


    However, the moment it struck her de, the strength pushed the sword back, almost hitting her body. If not because of her reflex that spun the de so that its body instead of its edge that hit the body, she would have been cut in half.


    Even so, that strength stillunched her several meters away.


    *Bam!*


    "Kh." Kirika gritted her teeth, struggling to get up.


    Meanwhile, the demon turned its head to Noel and did the same thing.


    "It''s too fast." Noel struck the paw with all its strength, but Ardagan couldn''t pierce through his body. In the end, the demon overwhelmed Noel with its strength andunched him to Kirika so that he could kill them both together.


    "Do you have any thing to use against this demon?" Kirika asked as she pushed her body hard so that she could stand up.


    Noel remembered that he just received three Honor Points from the Military Service Medal.


    "I have. Give me ten seconds." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If that doesn''t work, we might die here."


    "Alright. I''ll do my best." Kirika agreed without hesitation.


    Meanwhile, Noel was thinking which skill he should get this time. He needed to use two Honor Points to exchange one Skill Point. Hence, he could only get either the Swift Strike or Mega sh.


    On one hand, Swift Strike could take advantage of Ardagan''s sharpness, allowing him to kill the enemy easily. On the other hand, he remembered that he couldn''t cut the demon earlier and Mega sh offered the solution.


    "I need something powerful." Noel hurriedly exchanged two Honor Points with one Skill Point. After that, he chose Mega sh.


    Just like when he learned the Ardagan Swordsmanship, Noel felt his instinct was sharpened by the knowledge of the skill, allowing him to perform this attack at instinctual level.


    On the other hand, ten seconds were up. Kirika gritted her teeth as Noel had yet toe over to help her.


    ''Wait a minute. Did he use me to run away?'' Kirika widened her eyes, realizing that Noel had abandoned her.


    "I''ll curse you even if I die!" Kirika gritted her teeth as her hands felt numb from stopping the demon''s fangs.


    However, some blue particles suddenly appeared in the corner of her vision.


    "Eh? What''s that?" Kirika widened her eyes, but she also saw the beast''s eyes ncing to the side to see what happened.


    Before they could move, Noel entered their vision as he swung his sword.


    Mega sh.


    "Die, Demon!" Noel shouted as he used all his strength to make this swing, hitting the demon''s body.


    Surprisingly, the sword this time managed to cut through the demon''s skin. And because Noel aimed for its neck, the demon would die if the attack seeded.


    Even Kirika had some hope that the attack would seed.


    Unfortunately for them, the skin and flesh of the Mid Level Demon was harder than they thought.<sub> </sub>


    Just after three centimeters in, the sword stopped.


    "What?" Noel and Kirika widened their eyes as their faces became pale, losing all hope.


    "I can do it once more." Noel refused to give up. He pulled his sword and nned to swing it again, cutting the same spot.


    But the demon shifted its target from Kirika to Noel. It let go of Kirika''s sword and spun its body so that its paw could hit Noel''s chest.


    "Impossible." Noel panicked. Because he was raising his sword to strike the demon, it made his body vulnerable.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    The paw struck Noel''s chest as thetter hurriedly spat a mouthful of blood before getting blown away to a tree.


    *Bam!*


    "Noel!" Kirika shouted his name, but Noel passed out due to the impact. "Kh. As expected, it''s hopeless."


    The demon once again attacked Kirika, but this time, its paw blew away her sword before hitting her on the stomach.


    She also crashed into a tree. But unlike Noel who was already injured and tired, she still managed to maintain her consciousness, albeit this might be the worst nightmare for her as she would experience getting eaten alive.


    The demon walked to Noel first because he was the one who managed to injure him, but when it was about to bite him, a yellow particles glowed in the air.


    "That''s¡­ like what he did earlier¡­" Kirika muttered, finding a woman suddenly emerging from the darkness and attacked the demon.


    Her sword was glowing in yellow, brightening the darkness. At the same time, lightning spark even manifested around the sword.


    The demon managed to react to her. It struck the de with its paw.


    Just like Noel and Kirika, that paw would blow away the sword, but its opponent this time was on a whole different level.


    When the ws and the sword shed, lightning sparked and pushed each other back.


    "What?!" Kirika widened her eyes, never expecting to see someone who could fight a Mid Level Demon head-on.


    However, the woman showed it was not luck by striking the demons a few more times, albeit each of her strikes was parried by the demon''s ws.


    ? "Tsk." The woman clicked her tongue and said, "I''m still not strong enough¡­ To think I would struggle to a mere Mid Level Demon."


    ''Not strong enough? You were fighting that demon on equal ground¡­ the same demon that knocked both of us out¡­'' Kirikained inwardly as she had no energy to shout to her, nor she intended to do so.


    *Roar!* The demon beast let out a huge roar as the me on its head and tail red up, bing stable at three times the original size.


    The demon''s eyes became bloodshot and the ws expanded, bing bigger and sharper. Its body started to bulge as the demon''s body grew by a bit.


    "As expected of a Mid Level Demon, it has the berserk state¡­" The woman smiled and shouted, "Alfred, Lezlev, check their condition and bring them away. My fight against this demon will be a bit dangerous from now on¡­"


    That was right. The woman was none other than Anna Stargaze. However, she had yet to realize that the two people she was going to save were Noel and Kirika because of the darkness and her focus on the demon beast.

 Chapter 29 Enemies Joined Hands

    Anna raised her sword in excitement as if she had finally got her match.


    But her focus was disrupted when she heard Alfred''s voice.


    "This is¡­ Wait, he is Noel?!"


    "Huh?" Anna widened her eyes. She had been chasing demons after demons to cut down, so she didn''t care about the people she saved until she managed to take down the demons.


    However, it was truly a shock to meet Noel here.


    When she nced back, she also found the other person that fought together with Noel.


    ''What? That face! It''s Kirika Loetzel. A noble from the neighboring country. She infiltrated the Demon Banner Army in the past and caused a thousand soldiers from the army to die. It was a big loss because that was the crack the demons needed tounch a huge scale invasion to the Demon Banner Army. I don''t know the details, but Noel was the one who subjugated her.


    ''Did my action just change the future? Noel had stated that he didn''t want to have any teammate, so did Kirika persuade him to join hands? Kirika Loetzel needs to die, but if I kill her, the hatred between me and Noel will increase. What should I do?''


    While she was lost in thought, the demon had swept its paw.


    "Not good." Anna gritted her teeth and raised her sword to the side to soften the damage she would receive due to her action.


    However, Alfred''s voice echoed again. "You¡­"


    A blue particles suddenly appeared from the side of the monster.


    Anna caught a glimpse of Noel in the corner of her eyes as he struck the demon''s paw with his sword that was covered in blue particles.


    Unlike the neck, the paw area was thinner to cut, so Noel''s sword somehow cut down the paw.


    "That is¡­" Alfred dropped his jaw, dumbstruck. Although the density of the blue particles were less than Anna, it was clearly the same technique. In other words, Noel had progressed so much that he could use it already.


    If they didn''t believe Noel was this talented, then he would have hidden this strength the whole time.


    "Spiritual Energy¡­" Anna was also shocked because Noel was supposed to be weak at this point of time. She thought he had a great teacher, but it reminded her of the original intention why she wanted to destroy the Ardagan Family.


    A year ago.


    She walked to her father and stated, "Father! Why do you want to spare Count Ardagan? He should be executed. I''m worried about their policy because I''ve heard that they have one thought when the family is on the brink of extinction! They always say ''Don''t challenge the Ardagan Family''s bottom line because that''s where Ardagan will truly shine.''


    "It''s better to wipe them out because if they truly shine, they wille and attack us."


    However, her father only said, "We''ve agreed to Count Ardagan. In exchange of him surrendering without a fight and hand over all their wealth, which is equal to a tenth of the national''s entire wealth, we will spare Noel Ardagan and hand him the family heirloom, that rusty sword. So, we''re nning to exile him to the Demon Banner Army so that he will die there."


    That was the reason, but they didn''t know the true meaning of the hearsay.


    p And this time, Anna finally understood the meaning.</anda>? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ''Truly shine, huh¡­ Although I don''t want to admit it, even in my previous life, Noel has always kept up with my progress despite the kingdom pouring so much resources to nurture me. In other words, he has a far greater talent than me.'' Anna thought.<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Noel looked at Anna. Even though blood covered his shirt and mouth, Noel still said, "I won''t owe my life to my enemy. Even if I need to join hands with you to take down this demon, it''s better than owing you my life!"


    "Heh¡­" Anna smirked. Noel truly had the nerve of the steel. Looking at his injury alone, she knew every step he took would cause him a great amount of pain. Yet, Noel still nned to fight in that condition.


    Seeing that Noel managed to cut him, the demon wanted to attack him, but Anna pushed him away with her sword.


    Using those few seconds, she agreed with him.


    Instead of stopping him, which would trample his pride, Anna said, "I''ll stop the demon. You find a chance to deepen the wound on its neck."


    "Don''t order me around." Noel stepped back while gritting his teeth, enduring the pain that had spread all over his body.


    As soon as Noel gained some distance, Anna rushed forward. She released even more yellow particles from her sword as she struck the demon.


    Due to the loss of one paw, the demon didn''t have the stable posture anymore. So, it started using its fangs to stop her instead.


    However, right before the fangs bit the sword, a huge blue light shone from within the demon''s mouth.


    "!!!" Anna was surprised, but she hurriedly fell to her knees while tilting her body to the back.


    The blue light turned into blue me and burst out for ten meters.


    "Breath¡­" Anna clicked her tongue as she almost got burned by it.


    Using this chance, Noel appeared next to the demon again, hitting him in the wound he inflicted earlier.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel suddenly dropped to his knees after striking the demon. His sword only deepened the wound by a short distance before his legs went limp.


    He even spat blood due to his extensive injury.


    "Gah! Kh!" Noel''s vision had be blurry because he lost too much blood.


    The demon took this chance to drop to the ground and roll so that its other paw could hit Noel, killing him this time. The demon had so much hatred to Noel because he kept appearing out of nowhere to hit him.


    If Noel was hit by this paw, he would die definitely.


    However, the demon was forgetting one more person.


    The yellow light shone brightly from the side as Anna had charged all her power into this swing.


    "It''s not over yet!" Anna shouted as she struck Noel''s sword. In that instant, Ardagan had enough force to cut the demon''s neck while the body lost its power, causing the paw to miss Noel.


    Alfred was truly stunned because Noel could somehow kill a Mid Level Demon even though he got help from his own enemy. "They really killed it¡­"

 Chapter 30 Advice

    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    Noel''s consciousness had be fuzzy to the point he would copse at any moment. However, he still held on while ring at Anna.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ''Well, it didn''t change the fact that I still tried to plot the entire execution. I can understand his hatred since I''m the one who caused everything,'' Anna thought before saying, "Take a rest. Your condition won''t allow you to continue fighting. It''s best to retire and get rescued."


    Noel gritted his teeth. Although he wanted to leave, he truly had no more energy.


    Seeing the stubbornness on his face, Anna nced to the sky and said, "I won''t be the one to rescue you. It''s the instructor."


    Noel raised his head and found Shale floating in the sky, looking at them. As if he finally found the reason, Noel closed his eyes and fell to the ground.


    "What a handful boy¡­" Anna muttered inwardly.


    After that, the rescue team arrived and started grabbing all the trainees they could find before returning to the fort.


    Of course, Noel got treated by Evan, the healer. Soon enough, all the superficial wounds had closed and his inner injuries started recovering as well. Eventually, he moved to the normal room to get some rest like other injured people.


    And surprisingly, Anna was sitting next to his bed, looking out for him.


    Suddenly, Alfred came to Anna. His curiosity got the best of him, so he wanted to ask something.


    "Ehm¡­ Why do you care about him? I just checked it earlier and it seemed that you were the one who caused his family to copse, his parents to be executed, and him being exiled to this ce. I can somehow understand his hatred to you, but your action is vastly different from what the record said." Alfred asked while squinting his eyes.


    Anna made a small smile when listening to his question. She looked at Noel and thought, ''Why, huh? I was ignorant at that time and thought it was better to cut off the problem from the root.


    ''However, now that I''ve regressed, I can''t help but want Noel to continue to live. Although I don''t want to admit it, he is a natural genius. He has many inventions that can make people''s lives flourish. The most famous one is Rune, it''s a more effective way to draw the Spirit''s power, allowing a normal person to defeat the demon by themselves.


    ''In the previous life, he helped hundreds of thousands ofmoners. I don''t understand the reason, but it''s clear that he only bears the grudge to the royal family and me, not the people.


    ''That''s why I know he can change in the future. And with that talent¡­ I actually want to see how far Noel can achieve¡­ What if I give him the foundation of Rune Mastery that he''d create in the near future? Maybe, he would achieve an even greater height.


    ''Now that I think about it, when I suggested to destroy the entire Ardagan Family, my father told me that they had decided the entire punishment¡­ In other words, my words didn''t matter. Why did they do it? My teacher betrayed me and the Third Prince backstabbed Noel.


    ''It seems I need some time to investigate it. Well, getting stronger is my priority right now and this ce is perfect for it. For now, I can suppress Noel and hope that I can still do so in the future.


    ''As long as Noel still lives in the kingdom, there will be many lives benefited from it. I should look for the bigger picture, after all.''


    Obviously, she couldn''t tell Alfred all that. Instead, she only answered with, "I have my own reasons."


    Alfred didn''t like the answer, but he wasn''t in the position to continue to question her, so he could only say, "Is that so? Well, his life isn''t rted to me."


    "Well, this is enough for now." Anna smiled and rose from her seat. After taking another look at Noel, she left.


    Alfred had aplicated feeling but still left without saying anything to the unconscious Noel.


    While he was unconscious, Noel actually entered the Spirit Space to meet with Ardagan and Heisk.


    "This is¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows and looked around, finding Heisk and Ardagan behind him.


    "Master." Both of them greeted Noel.


    "Thank you for the help, both of you." Noel smiled. "I don''t know how it works, but it seems that Ardagan has helped me with the Spiritual Energy?"


    "Yes, Master." Ardagan admitted it without hesitation. "You should have realized the real reason why we wanted you to get stronger first, right?"


    "Yeah. You wanted me to get used to it slowly."<sub> </sub>


    "That''s right. Using Spiritual Energy takes a toll on your body, so I want you to prepare your body as well as start getting used to it. That''s why I give you my swordsmanship as well as those two abilities. They will allow your body to develop and start getting used to Spiritual Energy from small amount."


    Noel nodded in understanding. He also reached the same conclusion.


    "Master doesn''t want to ask me to give you more options? Master should have realized that I can give you more, right?"


    "I know. But they''re useless to me right now." Noel shook his head. "I know both of you have your own consciousness, especially you Ardagan, since you shouldn''t have existed in my body. As long as I understand what you do is good to me, why should Iin?"


    "Thank you for your understanding, Master."


    "Though, you might want to give me more options if we face the same situation like yesterday. Even if it would take a toll on my body, it''s better than dying, no?"


    "That''s right. However, Master should consider getting more Skill Points first."


    "Now that I think about it, why do you make Honor Points and Skill Points instead of giving me one at a time?"


    "This is about the promise between me and my previous owner. Challenging the impossible can make you surpass your current limit. However, I can''t tell you the exact details, because I want to see what kind of answer will Master have in the future. You might reach another answer, so I''ll refrain from saying anything about my previous owner."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment. The previous owner Ardagan said must be his Ancestor. Although he wanted to know more about his Ancestor, he should focus on getting stronger first instead of getting fixated by the story.


    "However, I do have one warning to you, Master." Heisk finally spoke.


    "Yeah? What is it?"


    "That woman is dangerous. Even in the previous fight, she still held back."


    "I think I can agree with you. She wanted to get rid of the bystanders so she could face the Mid Level Demon by herself. It means she has confidence in taking down the Mid Level Demon alone."


    "Then, I shouldn''t say anything if Master is aware of it. I know that there is hatred between you two, but I want to suggest this¡­ You might want to observe her movement, strength, and every little clue you can find from her. You might be able to be stronger just by doing it."


    Ardagan added, "Observing her can allow you to understand her. This way, you will know how she moves and take advantage of it in the future when you finally fight her."


    "So, you suggest me to get rid of my hatred?"


    "No. You simply need to hide that hatred for the time being."


    "I see. Learning her strengths and weaknesses so that I can take advantage of themter on." Noel looked down, contemting.


    "If Master can do it, I will also help you," said Heisk.


    "Well, your suggestion do benefits me even though I hate to do that¡­"


    "In that case, please, Ardagan."


    <o>,m "Alright." Ardagan then used its power and gave Noel another mission.</o>


    Training: Rivalry


    Requirement: Spar with people you consider your rival (0/2)


    Reward: Spiritual Energy +0.25%


    Medal: Rivalry


    Requirement: Spar with people you consider your rival (0/5)


    Reward: Rivalry Medal, 5 Honor Points, and Ice Control Ability

 Chapter 31 Talent

    After receiving the new tasks, Noel woke up.


    "Mhm¡­" He let out a small groan while moving his body around. Although he didn''t feel much pain, the fatigue still wore down his body.


    "You have woken up." Shale''s voice echoed in his ears as Noel hurriedly turned his head to the side. "Because your group has helped Anna Stargaze in minimizing our casualty, you''re exempted from the test as well. And because of that incident, it seems that the test will need to be canceled."


    "I¡­" Noel looked down and found his bag on the side of his bed. He immediately grabbed it and took out a pouch with ten crystals inside. "I don''t have a group and this is my proof."


    Shale raised his eyebrows in surprise and checked the bag. He had heard from Alfred that Noel chose to go by himself.


    Hence, he still imed that Noel was with them, simply to help Noel. However, he might have underestimated Noel.


    "Did you gather these alone?"


    "Yes."


    "Traps?"


    "It took me a while to find a good spot and build some traps, but yes¡­"


    "I see." Shale nodded in understanding before handing back the pouch. "I''ll still consider you as a part of the group."


    "But¡­"


    Shale waved his hand, denying his im. He said, "Instead of getting swallowed by your pride and hatred, it''s better to use those crystals to get stronger."


    "Get stronger?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. Shale hadn''t talked about the usage of the crystal, so he wasn''t aware of the reason why they wanted to gather these crystals.


    "Do you know why themps on the street can shine continuously? It is because the Spiritual Energy from the crystal has been converted to lit it up. In other words, the crystal is a source of Spiritual Energy."


    "I''m sorry, I don''t quite follow what you said."


    "To put it simply, the crystal is the core of the demon that supplies Spiritual Energy. Although your spirits will let you know how to use them, you still need Spiritual Energy to wield them. And we, humans, can get stronger by absorbing the Spiritual Energy from this crystal.


    "And each human has a limit to what they can absorb, so it''s not like you can buy a hundred thousands of crystals to be the strongest person in the world. How much can you actually grow depends on your conversion rate.


    "Conversion Rate itself is simr to that of talent. If you have 100% Conversion Rate, you can be the best after absorbing all the crystals to your limit. Of course, having 100% Conversion Rate is close to impossible.


    "Even I only have 50% Conversion Rate. Even that genius, Anna Stargaze, has 95% Conversion Rate ording to the rumor. So, instead of getting fixated on your pride or hatred, I want you to use these crystals to increase your Spiritual Energy.


    "As for how high your Conversion Rate is¡­ It depends on your Spirit. Just ask them¡­ At the very least, I know that the Spirit can''t lie."


    Noel looked down for a moment and said, "So, this conversion rate is talent. The higher your conversion rate is, the stronger you can be."<sub> </sub>


    "Exactly."


    "How many crystals can we absorb in our lifetime?"


    "ording to our research, you can absorb 2500 Low Quality Crystals, 1500 Mid Quality Crystals. That''s what you need to know for now."


    "Low Quality Crystals?"


    "Yeah. Theye from Low Level Demon Above it is Mid Quality Crystal from Mid Level Demon. It continues¡­ but there''s no way you can fight against a High Level Demon for now, so just give up that idea."


    "What happens after we reach the limit?"


    "You will find yourselves unable to absorb more of them. The Spiritual Energy will simply leave your body. The research used 10,000 people, so it''s pretty urate."


    "I see." Noel looked down, contemting. He also remembered what Heisk and Ardagan said. It was true that he hated everything, but it seemed that his action was a bit too much.


    If he swallowed his pride, he might be able to achieve more than this by taking advantage of Anna Stargaze. If he hid his hatred and lowered Anna''s guard, the chance of him killing her would increase.


    ''It seems my eyes have been clouded by revenge this whole time. I almost forgot that my current objective is to get stronger. I can''t achieve my revenge if I''m not strong.'' Noel closed his eyes, calming his heart down. Noel nodded, "Thank you, Sir Shale. I''ve recognized my mistake and will do my best from now on."


    "Is that so?" Shale nodded. "You''re free to rest until tomorrow. The sses will resume the day after tomorrow and the test will be rescheduled to one week from now. Because the participants are stronger by that time, we''ll lower the number of people per group. So, there will only be two people per group."


    "Understood. I''ll prepare myself."


    "Alright. That''s all you need to know." Shale then rose from his seat and checked the other trainees, wondering who had woken up.


    Meanwhile, Noel meditated again, nning to ask Ardagan and Heisk about this conversion rate.


    Surprisingly, their answer was beyond his imagination.


    "I have 100% Conversion Rate," Ardagan proudly stated.


    "I have merged with Ardagan, so I also have 100% Conversion Rate now." Heisk added, "Though, what''s more important is that¡­ There are two spirits inside your body. It means your limit is doubled. In the future, you can be twice as strong as that Anna Stargaze."


    "Don''t forget about my medal''s effect. The more demons you y, the better the effect will be. You can be even stronger than that. However, it will mean nothing if you be full of yourself and get killed somewhere because of that confidence."


    Noel nodded with a smile. "Don''t worry. I know what I should do right now."


    "Then, we wish you to get stronger as soon as possible, Master."


    "Alright. Thank you for the help, you two." Noel smiled and returned to the reality. He checked his body''s condition and muttered inwardly, ''I have this free time, so I need to focus on my training as well as helping the citizens to get more Honor Points in the meantime. I also have the mission to kill the Ancient Demon Tree¡­ I need to reconsider my approach this time. For now, let''s go back.''


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 Chapter 32 Help

    Aftering back to his house and taking a rest for a little while, Noel went around the town to help the people. Of course, he simply wanted to get more Honor Points.


    However, when he was strolling around, he encountered an unexpected meeting. It was with the woman he saved yesterday, Kirika.


    "Wee. Do you want any fruits?" Kirika smiled, greeting his customer before finding Noel was the customer. "Eh? Noel Ardagan?"


    "Oh?" Noel didn''t know how to respond since Kirika always wore a cold expression during the training. He never expected that Kirika could make a big and warm smile like this. She would be a star in everyone''s heart if she showed such a thing to the trainees. Unfortunately for her, Noel didn''t have any excitement seeing such a smile because he had lost too much, including a part of his emotion toward women. Even though he epted that his eyes were clouded by revenge, he still couldn''t ept women in general, especially those around his age.


    "Oh, my. Who is this, Kirika?" A middle-aged woman rose from the ground after taking out some fruits from the basket on the ground.


    "This is¡­ Noel Ardagan."


    "Ah, he''s a noble? I-I''m sorry for disrespecting you, Sir." The woman panicked and immediately lowered her head. She even went all the way to kneel on the ground to ask for forgiveness.


    Noel only smiled and said, "It''s fine, Ma''am. I''m just a fallen noble, you don''t need to respect me."


    The woman was stunned for a second as she didn''t know how to respond.


    "He is Noel Ardagan. Although he is a fallen noble, he is one of the most hardworking men among the trainees. He also saved my life yesterday."


    "Ah, so he was the gentleman that saved you from the demons?" The woman widened her eyes in shock.


    "It''s fine. I was the one who ced the traps, so it might be my fault."


    "I''ve heard the story from my daughter. Whether it''s the trap or not, I know that the demons are scary. If not for your traps, my daughter would have been in a more dangerous situation." The woman looked at the fruits and immediately picked some of the best. "Please have this as my thanks for saving my daughter."


    "No, no. You don''t need to." Noel smiled, rejecting it softly.


    However, the woman pushed the basket to Noel and said, "I don''t know much about Fallen Noble, but I know that you must haven''t lived that well in the past few weeks. You should eat some fruits. They''re very nutritious."


    "No, no. Please don''t think much about it. I saved her because of my own traps. If I take all these fruits, your business will receive the impact, so¡ª"


    "Please." The woman looked at him with a sad look. "I can''t do much as her mother. Even these fruits are not equal to my daughter''s life, but this is the least I can do as her mother."


    "Please." Seeing her mother''s action, Kirika couldn''t help but lower her head, asking for Noel to receive it.


    "Is that so? Well, I''ll take it then." Noel ultimately epted it. He couldn''t help but remember the time he helped the people here.


    They were so nice and sometimes even offered something to repay him even though he only did it only for a mission. Of course, he never expected to receive anything from them.


    ''I never harmed or helpedmoners before because I wasn''t interested in them. But now¡­ I know that not every help will go rewarded and some will even bite the hands who feeds them, but somehow looking at their actions and feelings puts my heart at ease¡­'' Noel thought while closing his eyes. ''This is the life that I''d never know had I locked myself up in my mansion the whole time.''


    Little did he know, there was a change in his heart. He might still help people for the mission, but he would do it more sincerely from now on.


    "Thank you, Ma''am." Noel smiled and waved his hands. "I''ll excuse myself then."


    "Yes." The woman nodded and saw him off until he disappeared into the crowds. After that, she looked at Kirika and said, "That boy is so bright. This is the first time I have seen such a polite boy."


    "He is indeed different."<sub> </sub>


    "What do you think about him?" She smirked, assessing her daughter''s feelings.


    "Eh? What do you mean?" Kirika looked away, knowing what her mother was implying, so she refused to say anything, only to get pestered by her mother for a while.


    Meanwhile, Noel went around for a bit and decided to eat one or two fruits by the fountain in the city center.


    There he could see people going around and watched everyone''s expression without fearing his status as noble like in the past.


    "I don''t know if I can finish all these fruits by myself before they go bad." Noel sighed, looking at the fruits. Suddenly, he found a kid wearing a tattered rag looking at his fruit basket with watering mouth.


    After their gazes interlocked, he slowly approached Noel and raised his hand as if he was trying to beg for fruit. "Sir¡­ Can¡­"


    Noel looked at him for a moment, thinking, ''Even in the Ardagan Territory, there will always be people like this.''


    However, he remembered thedy that gave him the fruits and muttered, "Someone''s kindness goes to another person and it will continue to another person. However, this kid will continue to starve if it''s like this, so¡­"


    After some contemtions, Noel said, "Do one thing for me and I will give you two fruits."


    "That¡­ That''s¡­" The kid was afraid that Noel wanted him to do bad things.


    But that suspicion was shattered when Noel continued, "Dance for me."


    The kid was hesitant but immediately did it when he heard, "I don''t care if it''s bad. Just do it and you will get two fruits."


    The kid awkwardly danced. He looked like a fool, but after one minute, Noel fulfilled his promise by giving him two fruits.


    Surprisingly, the kid politely bowed to him and ran away.


    "Wait." Noel stopped him. "Where are you going?"


    "Ah¡­" The kid scratched the back of his head and looked at the fruits. "My sister needs this more than me."


    "So, you have a sister? Is there any other kid like you?"


    "Un." He nodded.


    <o>,m "Then, eat those two fruits. The one who earns it has the right to eat it. If your sister wants to eat, she also needs to dance like you. So, after you finish eating these fruits, go back and bring your sister and other kids¡­ I have twenty fruits here, so bring a total of ten people."</o>


    The kid hesitated again, but Noel continued, "Listen, kid. If you keep begging like this, you will continue to starve for who knows how many days. I know that you''re bad at everything, but everyone is like that. But you still need to do it, your hundredth time doing it is better than your first time.


    "If you want to eat every day without that uncertainty, you need to work hard for that future instead of letting others decide it. That''s why eat it and bring your sister and nine other kids here."


    After hesitating for another minute, the kid ate the fruits and hurriedly went back to inform his sister and the other homeless kids before Noel left.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Just like the first kid, they danced awkwardly. However, Noel only smiled and pped his hands as if he was enjoying the show before giving them the fruits he received from Kirika''s mother.


    There were people who looked at these kids in disgust, who didn''t bother themselves with them, or just enjoyed like Noel. However, Noel didn''t care about them because helping them opened something in his heart. Although he was just fulfilling the mission, he still sincerely felt happy for helping others. This was a life that Noel would never experience had he stuck in that mansion.

 Chapter 33 Partner

    Unbeknownst to Noel, one of the bystanders was Anna Stargaze. She almost dropped her jaw when she saw Noel talking to a kid.


    ''Wait a minute. Isn''t that kid¡­ the famous twin Sword Dancers? He should have a twin sister. Noel shouldn''t have known about his talent, so why did he help him?''


    Her opinion soon changed when she saw the kid dancing awkwardly. She couldn''t even call it a dance at that point.


    And what even more absurd was when the kid brought other people with him, including his twin sister.


    In that instant, she realized something.


    ''Noel helps them simply because he wants to help them. If it were me, I would have helped the twins simply because of their talents and made them owe me. But it''s because he helps them randomly, people naturally like him.


    ''In my past life, there were many great figures Noel saved, including the twins. Those who felt indebted to him helped him during the rebellion against the Royal Family. That was why they had a hard time fighting against Noel.


    ''And this is also one of the reasons why I haven''t killed Noel yet. He is a great asset to make the kingdom prosper. It seems I need to suffer a bit. Time to train a bit more, so that he can''t surpass me.'' Anna sighed and disappeared. She was taking a stroll to get something to eat and found amotion which Noel caused. Since she had gotten what she needed, she chose to return to her ce, making sure she was strong enough to handle Noel''s hatred until it could be resolved.


    Meanwhile, Noel said goodbye to the kids before running around for his training.


    He also checked his system to see the progress of his mission.


    Medal: Excellent Citizen Merit


    Requirement: Help 25 Townspeople (16/25)


    Reward: Excellent Citizen Medal and 4 Honor Points


    ''Hmm? I helped 11 kids just by feeding them today? But who are the two others? Kirika and her mother? Kirika aside, her mother?'' Noel widened his eyes, realizing that an indirect help could also be counted as helping people. ''Still, I need to experience how indirect can it be for it to be counted as help.''


    After receiving this sign, Noel didn''t hesitate to use today and the next day to help some more people, finallypleting the mission.


    Before going to the barrack again, he checked his system.


    [Shop]


    Avable Points: 6 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Disinfectant Bandage (1 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Torch (1 HP)


    "Hmm¡­ I had 1 Honor Point left before going to the forest and received three points afterpleting the Demon Mission. I used two of them. But with the additional four points from helping the citizens, I could buy three Skill Points right now.


    "I have two options. First, the next level of Mega sh and Ardagan Swordsmanship will cost 3 Skill Points, meaning all of what I have right now. On the other hand, I can spend only one Skill Point and save the rest if I choose to learn Swift Strike.


    "What should I do?" Noel narrowed his eyes. After remembering the Rivalry Medal, he immediately used all his Honor Points to buy the Skill Points to advance his Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    "The test is rescheduled one weekter. In other words, I can get more Honor Points to spendter." Noel smirked.


    After receiving all the knowledge about the swordsmanship, he went to the barrack as Shale had prepared a big announcement.


    There were certainly less people after the previous incident. Although the casualty had been minimized by Anna, there were still at least ten people dying in the forest.


    After a while, Shale arrived with Anna in the training ground and shouted, "Attention!"


    All of the trainees hurriedly gathered and became quiet.


    "15 people out of 60 people have passed away during thest outbreak. Thanks to Anna Stargaze here, we somehow cut our loss more than half. In other words, if not for her, there would be more than 30 people losing their lives. So, make sure you thank her.<sub> </sub>


    "Because of this sudden outbreak, we''re going to reschedule the test. The military personnel shall check the condition within the forest first so that this situation won''t happen again. Because the number has been reduced this much, we''re going to change our method.


    "I''m sure that you''ve realized it but it will be hard for you to kill a demon on your own. You need to get the help of other groups or traps which I have taught you for the past week. Of course, you have no idea how to coordinate with each other as well because you might have known your teammates not long ago.


    "Hence, you''re going to train in a pair because the test will be in pairs instead of a group of three. There is one week from now. You can learn more about your pair, learn what you need to do and prepare as much as possible. This will allow your pair to be better than the previous three-person group.


    "Of course, you''re free to add traps and join hands with other groups like the previous test. Because the number is odd, Anna Stargaze will join you as a trainee. That''s all. You have 30 minutes to decide your partner and register it. Go!" Shale stepped down.


    As expected, Anna instantly gathered the attention of all people because they knew how strong she was. If they could pair up with her, their group would be the top group.


    Yet, Anna never epted their invitation and instead, walked to Noel with a cunning smile.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, Noel¡­ It''s been a while."


    "!!!" Everyone widened their eyes in surprise.


    "Why did she go to him?"


    "Did they have a rtionship?"


    "Certainly, but not a good one."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Her family was the one that destroyed Noel''s Family. In other words, they were enemies."


    "The rumor said she was the one giving that idea."


    "So, Anna wanted to torture Noel using this opportunity?"


    "Damn. Even I couldn''t help but sympathize him at this point. He can''t really catch a break."


    The people were whispering to each other about the information between the two houses. Even Alfred and Lezlev who once partnered up with Noel furrowed their eyebrows.


    Anna ignored all their words and said with a cunning smile as if she was inciting his anger. "What do you think, Noel? Do you want to partner up with me?"


    Their prediction came true. Anna truly wanted to torture Noel at this point.


    But to everyone''s surprise, Noel gave her a calm answer. "Sure."


    "Eh?!" All of them dropped their jaws, not believing what Noel said. It was clear that Noel needed to refuse it if he didn''t want to experience a miserable life, but he actually epted her invitation.


    Even Anna''s eyes opened wide.


    "Why are you shocked too when you''re the one inviting me?" Noel looked at her coldly.


    "No, I mean¡­" Anna couldn''t find any words because she had prepared a few pick up lines that could make use of Noel''s anger to make him join.


    However, Noel took out his sword and pointed it at her.


    "This is¡­" Anna took a step back, feeling a bit relieved since this was how Noel was supposed to act.


    "I don''t know the reason why you won''t kill me right now¡­ Maybe you like to torture me or whatever, but I''ll take this chance to have something from you too. I want you to fight me seriously at least three times a day because I''m going to kill you for real. I''ve said to you that you''re going to regret for not killing me." Noel stated with a cold tone.


    Anna smirked as she''d got what she wanted today. "Sure. I can agree to that terms. But I need to remind you that you''re too weak to even make a scratch on my body."


    "We don''t know anything about that yet." Noel snorted.


    However, both of them thought the same thing in their head. ''Got her(him).''

 Chapter 34 Ignorant

    For Anna, joining hands with Noel meant she had more time to persuade him and settle the hatred between them. On the other hand, Noel wanted to spar with Anna simply for killing her as well as finishing the mission.


    Still, no matter how they looked at it, Anna looked like she wanted to use this chance to beat Noel up. Even those who bullied Noel in the past week hesitated to do the same because of Anna.


    In fact, Lezlev had been spreading the words about Anna not wanting to give anyone a chance to bully Noel because she wanted to do it herself. Although she looked like a horrible person, this was the way she protected him.


    In thirty minutes, all people finally found their own pair. Alfred seemed to have gotten used to Lezlev''s style, so he chose to go with him. Meanwhile, Kirika had a different person as her group died because they left her behind.


    "Alright. Since you''ve got your own pair, I will inform you about your schedule." Shale stepped up again after the time limit was up. "The schedule in the morning won''t change. You will focus on your individual strength.


    "However, you need to train with your partner after lunch. There will be three sessions. The first session is Free Training. You''re free to do anything you want with your partner, whether it''s sparring, training alone, and so on.


    "The second session ispatibility training. In this session, you will find some training where you need a pair toplete. You will understand what kind of training this is after experiencing itter.


    "The third session is survival training. I''m sure you''ve known this, but traps and working together are effective against demons. So, we''ll make sure that in a group, both of you know what to do if the pair somehow gets separated. This shall be your schedule from now on. Without further ado, we''ll start our training. First, running!"


    "Yes, Sir!" The trainees hurriedly ran like they used to do.


    When running, Anna approached Noel and asked, "It seems that we can''t really fight three times a day. You won''t be able to fight another battle after our spar."


    "One before the individual training starts, one during the free time, and one before the training ends," said Noel with a calm expression.


    Anna widened her eyes, not believing Noel''s change. If it were the Noel in the forest, he would rage at her. However, Noel somehow became calm and saw the bigger picture.


    ''Did my strategy work? It seems nting a doubt in his heart is working. This way, the hatred can be solved easier.'' Anna smirked.


    Still, Noel added, "I simply consider the best time for me to kill you."


    "Fine then." Anna epted the terms. However, she was smiling inwardly as if looking something cute, ''He''s probably too embarrassed to admit his raging incident and don''t want to apologize to me because of the hatred. Well, he''s simply someone ying hard to get¡­ Somehow, he looks cute.''<sub> </sub>


    After conveying the message, Noel went away from her and clicked his tongue. His thought was the same as Anna, they bothpletely misunderstood each other''s reaction.


    ''Her face was too calm. She must have realized I''m nning something because of this abrupt change. Should I explode my rage once in a while to make her believe me? I need to consider another n to fool her.''


    Either Noel or Anna knew each other''s secret. As someone with a system that allowed him to progress rapidly, Noel had already started looking at the future, not only about killing her, but also the full revenge against the royal family. Hence, he was nning to use her to gain more information from observing her reaction and expression.


    But Anna was a regressor. Her soul was much older than her actual age. And she had the memory of Noel''s future. Someone who could help hundreds of thousands of people shouldn''t be that bad. Solving the hatred was enough. That was why she looked at Noel like looking an edgy kid.


    In the individual training, she noticed that Noel''s physical ability wasn''t that bad at all. With the addition of his fighting style, Noel turned out to be better than most people here. If he started using his Spiritual Energy efficiently, he would be the top among these trainees.


    ''No, wait. It''s a basic knowledge that Spiritual Energy can strengthen your body. Even without the connection with spirit, as long as one can feel Spiritual Energy, they can use it. This army is supposed to teach the trainees about this after they''re acknowledged as a real soldier, which is dyed due to the outbreak. But the way he acts¡­ He doesn''t seem to be someone knowledgeable of Spiritual Energy. Is he ignorant or something?


    ''Now that I think about it, Noel was someone uninterested with anything. ording to what I know, he never participated in social gatherings and simply relied on the wealth of his family to live alone. I see, so that''s how it is¡­ Noelcksmon sense and knowledge because he''s been spoiled. The difference between him and those arrogant young nobles is Noel is stuck in his home while those people are aggressively showing their power. I can finally understand him now.


    ''If that''s the case, Noel must have found his Spirit. And he does it without all the basic knowledge? Is this his talent?'' Anna shivered by the thought alone. Even she needed an extensive knowledge and time to find her Spirit for the first time.


    ''Let''s check my theory.'' Anna approached Noel again and said, "So, you''ve met your Spirit¡­ If you haven''t found your Spirit, you would have used the Spiritual Energy to strengthen your muscle to make you stronger."


    "¡­" Noel remained silent but the slight twitch on his eyebrow didn''t escape Anna''s eyes. Noel snorted, "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I agreed to make a pair with you, but I didn''t agree to answer any of your questions."


    "Yeah, yeah." Anna smiled as she had gotten what she wanted to know. Then, she gave a tempting offer. "How about I teach you about Spirit and Spiritual Energy?"


    Even Noel paused for a moment, considering the offer carefully.


    ''Did she seriously say that? What does she want? What if she provided a wrong information that might cause me harm in the future? I can''t trust her. It''s better to ask my Spirits or Sir Shale instead¡­'' Noel didn''t answer her as he simply moved away from her as if running from devil''s temptation.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 35 Spar

    *Huft!*


    Noel panted a few times even though he was standing still. He just finished his personal training and went to eat.


    As expected, despite bing a pair, Anna chose to sit far away from him. Although she looked like she was trying to get closer to him, she didn''t be closer than necessary.


    When Noel looked at her, he thought, ''I see. So, that''s what she wants. She''s trying to approach me during the training because my mind can get tired and identally give away information. The rest of the time will be her avoiding me. What a cunning woman.''


    However, his exact thought was actually the opposite of what Anna had in mind. She was even smiling inside, thinking, ''I can''t get too close to Noel just yet. I know that the marquis house will hear about my action here. If I be too close without showing some distance, they''ll suspect me and Noel. It will simply danger both of our lives. So, this is the best for us right now. I''m thoughtful.''


    Noel didn''t know why Anna came here, so he could only see the schemeing from her while the person herself believed she was thinking the best option to avoid the unnecessary danger.


    There was also an option to discuss this matter with Noel, but with how Noel acted a few days ago, she doubted Noel would believe her. There might even be a potential of a sudden betrayal, so she decided to move slowly but surely.


    After finishing their meal, the trainees returned to the training ground as they had time for free training with their partner.


    All the attention was gathered at one spot. Anna and Noel were standing in front of each other while holding wooden swords.


    "You should have that sharp sword if you want to kill me." Anna smirked, taunting him.


    "The tip is still sharp enough to kill you and the edge is still useful enough to leave a scar on your face." Noel snorted.


    "Heh." Anna narrowed her eyes as she pointed her sword at Noel''s neck.


    Noel took a deep breath. Instead of raising his sword as the sign he was ready for the battle, Noel actually lowered his sword.


    Anna became suspicious of his action before she noticed Noel''s fingertips reddened as if he put more power into them.


    The sign was followed by Noel''s immediate action as he jumped to Anna and shed straight to her neck.


    "You should know that you need to raise your sword to show that the fight will start, right?" Anna said while taking a step back to gain some distance.


    However, Noel followed her movement and tried to stab her heart while saying, "Say that to a demon or assassin."


    "That''s true, but¡­" Anna blocked the sword with her own but soon let Noel''s sword slide on her sword as she pulled Noel in. After that, she kneed him in the stomach. With the additional force from the Spiritual Energy, Noel was thrown a few meters back. "¡­We''re not in both situations!"


    "Gah!" Noel spat a mouthful of acid. He felt the food he just ate earlier rose from his stomach. A knee was all it took for him to almost throw up.


    Anna smiled excitedly as she said, "You''re a bad guy, aren''t you?"


    "Not as evil as you." Noel gritted his teeth, enduring all the mess in his body. He also forced himself to stand up so that Anna didn''t take that chance to attack him.


    "Since you said, ''I''m evil,'' I won''t hold back anymore." Anna leaped forward and mmed her sword to Noel''s waist.<sub> </sub>


    Surprisingly, Noel managed to react and stop it with his own sword.


    After that, Noel took a step to the side before swinging his sword to Anna''s neck. Anna did the same thing. She blocked the sword and used that chance to attack him.


    *k!*


    *k!*


    *k!*


    Without anyone realizing, Noel and Anna somehow had exchanged ten blows.


    ''Hmm¡­ How is his swordsmanship this good? He shouldn''t have been this good when he first attacked me in the forest or when he fought against a Mid Level Demon. Did he train like crazy? But two days were not enough¡­'' Anna was confused by Noel''s sudden leap of ability. Ultimately, she could only link his improvement to his talent.


    Of course, Anna''s swordsmanship was beyond what she had shown so far. She simply hid it because she didn''t want too much attention under those many eyes. If she showed a superior swordsmanship, not only would it crush everyone''s heart but she would also be suspicious.


    She limited herself to the level of what she could show right now.


    Even so, it was already a quite high level, so Noel''s swordsmanship was quite astonishing to be able to keep up with this level.


    However, she also wanted to confirm Noel''s level once again by provoking him. "Why don''t you use your Spiritual Energy? I know that your ability can be stronger than this."


    Noel gritted his teeth and almost bit that provocation, albeit he remembered the fight against the Mid Level Demon. His power was certainly not enough to kill a Mid Level Demon. And Anna was the one that killed the demon. Even though she hit his sword, that hit actually cut two-thirds of the neck''s flesh.


    So, if he showed that power, it would just make him in a disadvantage for a few reasons.


    Hence, Noel refrained himself from using it.


    "Useless provocation!" Noel shouted as he jumped forward, attacking her a few more times.


    "Since you don''t want to do it, then I need to remind you how ignorant you are¡­ I''ve told you earlier that you can strengthen your muscle with it¡­" Anna shed downwards, hitting Noel''s sword.


    Although she didn''t cover her sword with Spiritual Energy to sharpen it, Noel felt as if he just got hit by a huge boulder.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ''Kh. Too heavy.'' All the veins on his head bulged out just from enduring the weight of that strike alone. When the first strike was sessfully received, a second strike came from the side hit him.


    Noel tried to block it but his hands were numb after that first attack, so it ended up blowing his sword away and knocked his body to the ground.


    "Gah!" Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain on his side.


    "What''s wrong? How about I teach you the basic of Spiritual Energy?" Anna smirked. She wanted Noel to learn more to see his the true extent of his talent, but she didn''t realize that her words would cause a misunderstanding since in Noel''s perspective, it was the same as telling him that he needed to beg her to teach him the basic of Spiritual Energy.

 Chapter 36 Hand-To-Hand Combat

    "No." Noel snorted coldly, rejecting the offer without hesitation. However, there was a progress in his temperament since the previous Noel would have said, ''I''d rather die than learning from you.''


    Anna also noticed it. Although the timing was a bit absurd, she just felt happy about it.


    Hence, she decided to show it to Noel instead of teaching him. With the talent Noel had shown this whole time, there was a chance that Noel would understand what was going on and implemented his knowledge by himself.


    Even Noel saw her body releasing yellow-colored particles. Normally, she never spent this much Spiritual Energy because it wasn''t cost effective. However, she needed to make sure Noel could see everything.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, observing the Spiritual Energy.


    ''The Spiritual Energyes out of the body¡­ Now that I think about it, how do you use a Spiritual Energy?'' Noel imagined the feeling he felt when using Mega sh. It felt like something in his body was sucked outside.


    The movement came from his heart to his hands before flowing into his sword. There was only cold sensation followed by a bit of pain.


    ''Now that I think about it, other than using the Mega sh, I have never touched the Spiritual Energy itself.'' Noel took a deep breath as he shifted his de to the side. His other hand gently touched the wooden sword while his right hand still prepared to swing the moment Anna make a move.


    ''Mega¡­'' Noel followed the Mega sh motion and started muttering inwardly to enhance the imagination.


    He suddenly felt something warm in his other hand as the blue light starteding out of his sword.


    ''This is¡­'' Noel nced at the blue light and thought, ''I do feel drained like losing my blood. My temperature will also drop. But the Spiritual Energy is such a warm thing¡­ It''s like a blood but the texture is simr to that of air. Something like that in my heart¡­''


    Noel tried to imagine that power and draw more from his heart, but he couldn''t feel anything. There wasn''t a movement at all.


    After standing still for thirty seconds, Anna finally made the first move.


    She leaped to his side and struck him from below.


    Noel took a step back to gain some distance and shed downwards, hitting her sword right in the middle.


    Mega sh.


    *Bang!*


    The moment the two swords collided, Noel broke Anna''s sword apart due to Anna not covering her de with Spiritual Energy.


    "What?!"


    "Is he stronger than Anna Stargaze?"


    "Impossible."


    No one could believe it because losing one weapon would mean losing the battle. However, Anna didn''t think that was the case.


    She proved it by letting her sword go.


    After breaking her sword, Noel''s swing continued on its path, preventing him from pulling back.<sub> </sub>


    ''No! She baited me!'' Noel widened his eyes and wanted to change the path of his sh, but Anna was one step ahead.


    She grabbed Noel''s wrist and spun her body before lifting Noel with her back, throwing him.


    "Kh." With his body hanging upside down in the air, Noel knew that Anna wanted to take this chance to defeat him, especially with the fact that her Spiritual Energy gathered on her fist.


    Noel hurriedly raised both arms, protecting his body.


    "Not good enough." However, Anna responded by touching his arms gently as if she never nned to harm him.


    But the next thing he realized, the Spiritual Energy burst out, giving a powerful shock wave that was concentrated on his arms.


    *Bam!*


    The shock wave shook the entire training ground as it blew Noel several meters.


    He crashed to the ground on his back, but instead of his back, Noel was overwhelmed by the pain on his lower arms.


    "Argh!" Noel gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain.


    "Even if you lose your weapon, you will use everything around you as your weapon. I''m sure that the instructor has taught you that," said Anna with a calm expression, reminding everyone that everything hadn''t been set in stone just because they lost a weapon.


    Noel''s hands were shaking. It was clear he had a hard time moving them.


    ''Kh. This is not enough. I need to draw the Spiritual Energy from my heart. It seems there is a kind of reservoir in my heart that stores the Spiritual Energy. The fact that I can use Mega sh before absorbing the crystals means there is an initial cup that allows me to draw a portion of its power¡­ But I don''t think I can do this right now¡­ Even Shale said it will take a long time to even use Spiritual Energy¡­''


    Although he was a bit disappointed about it, he decided to stop focusing on the Spiritual Energy in this fight. Instead, he nned to rely on something else.


    Just like Anna said earlier, losing a weapon didn''t mean losing the battle. He might not be able to use a sword with this sword, but he still had a few ways that could injure Anna.


    Even though he couldn''t grasp his sword, he still could held the dirt. While he was rolling around to endure the pain, his hand grabbed the dirt.


    The moment Anna dropped her guard, Noel pushed himself back to his feet and threw the dirt right at her face.


    Anna was surprised that Noel used this tactic. Luckily, her soul seemed to retain her instinct. She leaped back to gain some distance, avoiding the dust.


    After that, she leaped back to Noel, but somehow stopped in her tracks, avoiding Noel''s kick.


    ''A kick, huh. He can''t use his hand, so he uses his foot.'' Anna thought before gathering her power in her calf and put her left foot on his way.


    Noel hurriedly retracted his foot because he knew kicking Anna would just injure him.


    ''She can envelop her body with the Spiritual Energy while I can''t. The only thing that can injure her is my Mega sh right now¡­ Should I stop to retain some of my stamina? If I injure myself foolishly, it will just lower my chance to wound her.'' Noel narrowed his eyes, assessing the current situation.

 Chapter 37 Progress

    ''I have injured Noel''s hands¡­ At least, he won''t be able to use those arms for another one hour. And with the small internal injury, I don''t think he can easily run around after this. If I continue, the wound will be too much for his body to handle the next training. I guess this is when I need to stop¡­ Though, he might not agree with me based on his personality.''


    Anna thought while searching for the words that could convince Noel.


    "It''s time for us to stop. More injury will make you unable to continue the rest of the training," said Anna as she prepared the next sentence the moment Noel refused.


    "Sure."


    "Right? I know that you''re going to refuse. It seems I need to suppress you all t¡ªWhat?" Anna widened her eyes, staring at Noel dumbfoundedly. She couldn''t believe that Noel actually agreed without making a fuse.


    "Why are you the one getting shocked when you''re the one who is expecting it the most?" Noel nced at her coldly.


    "No, no." Anna waved her hands and coughed once to regain her bearing.


    "Since we''re done with the sparring, I''m going to leave." Noel turned around and started walking away as if he didn''t want to talk to her any longer.


    "Wait a minute."


    Noel stopped for a moment and nced back.


    "My offer still stands."


    "I don''t need it." Noel harrumphed and finally left the field.


    No one knew where he was going since Noel actually went to find Shale to ask about the Spiritual Energy.


    Unfortunately for him, Shale rejected his request. "I''m sorry, but I can''t favor you too much. I need to make it fair for other trainees as well. I have taught you about Spirit and asked Evan to heal you. So, you need to wait for a week."


    "A week?"


    "Yes. The reason why there is a test so soon after you just be a trainee is that we want to prepare you as an elite soldiers. I didn''t give you the reason why you needed to bring back ten crystals, right?


    "That''s because we will hand them back to you and train you about Spiritual Energy by using those crystals. All basics about strengthening with Spiritual Energy to the advanced level depending on your speed inprehending the technique itself.


    "Hence, it''s better for you to wait for another week and learn it together with the others. I''m sorry, but I can''t help you more than this."


    Noel looked down while clenching his fists.


    Shale noticed his reaction and said, "Your partner is Anna Stargaze, right? You can learn from her. I might not be able to teach you, but I can''t stop other trainees from teaching the others. In fact, people will start asking around about the Spiritual Energy since you make that shy fight."


    "¡­" Noel obviously loathed the idea of asking Anna to teach him. But surprisingly, Noel said while walking away, "I will learn on my own way."


    ''Hoh?'' Shale squinted his eyes, looking at Noel''s back. ''If it''s the previous him, he would have rejected it with guts. It seems he has grown a bit. Whether it''s bad for him or not, only time will tell.''


    Of course, Noel didn''t want to go back to learn from Anna. Hence, he returned to the field and sat down on the ground, away from others.


    He saw the people flocking Anna to know the secret of her sess. Currently, Anna didn''t tell them anything.


    He tried to connect with his spirits and ended up learning that the Spirit itself didn''t have a way to teach him because they only let Noel use their power. As for how Noel would use it, it would depend on himself.


    In the end, Noel learned it alone by recalling the sensation over and over again, not caring about everyone''s thoughts about him.


    After the free training session ended, Shale returned and informed them the reason of having the test. It made everyone look forward to have the same strength as Anna.


    In the next few days, Annapletely beat him up every spar because of hisck of control over his Spiritual Energy. Even so, Noel didn''t say anything to this situation as if he hade to term with it.


    Luckily, hepleted the mission on the second day.


    Medal: Rivalry (Completed)


    Requirement: Spar with people you consider your rival (0/5)Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Reward: Rivalry Medal, 5 Honor Points, and Ice Control Ability


    ***


    Medal: Rivalry


    Effect: Learning and Teaching +1%


    This was the first time he saw the medal''s effect give so much despite being the first medal. If Anna could see this, she would have realized the reason why Noel always fought against her in every chance.


    Whether it was his luck or not, his progress in helping the citizens as well as his Rivalry went smoothly, allowing him to finish the next mission as well.


    Ultimately, he received 21 Honor Points, Excellent Citizen Medal, Perfect Citizen Medal, Rivalry Medal, and Rivalry II Medal.


    He exchanged 18 Honor Points with 9 Skill Points and leveled up Ardagan Swordsmanship, Mega sh, and Swift Strike.


    With all these preparations, he was ready to fight against Anna seriously in theirst match since he had been hiding his Ice Control Ability that turned out to be thest thing he needed to understand the Spiritual Energy.


    Although his control wasn''t as good as Anna, reinforcing a part of his body was possible for the current him.


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Anna realized his swordsmanship had gotten significantly better again.


    Theirst spar was held on thest day before dinner. This might be thest dinner they could have with all the members since they needed to head back to the forest the next day.


    Noel and Anna agreed that their fight wouldn''t be observed by anyone, since Noel nned to go all out.<sub> </sub>


    And as soon as everyone left to eat, Noel and Anna stood in the middle of the training ground, preparing theirst fight.


    **********


    Noel''s Progress:


    [Training]


    Training: Running 80 Km


    Reward: Stamina +0.25% (umtion: 1.20%)


    Training: Push Up 1000 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.25%  (umtion: 1.20%)


    Training: Swinging a Sword up and down 1000 times


    Reward: Sword Mastery +0.25%  (umtion: 1.20%)


    Training: Rivalry


    Requirement: Spar with people you consider your rival (5/10)


    Reward: Spiritual Energy +0.25% (umtion: 0.75%)


    ***


    [Medal]


    Medal: Best Citizen Merit


    Requirement: Help 100 Townspeople (48/100)


    Reward: Best Citizen Medal and 10 Honor Points


    ¡­


    Medal: Military Service II Merit


    Requirement: Kill 25 Low Level Demons (0/25)


    Reward: Military Service II Medal and 5 Honor Points


    ¡­


    Medal: Rivalry III


    Requirement: Spar with people you consider your rival (4/15)


    Reward: Rivalry III Medal and 15 Honor Points


    ***


    [Career: Swordsman]


    Skill: Swift Strike (1/5)


    Requirement: 3 SP


    Skill: Ardagan Swordsmanship (3/15)


    Requirement: 7 SP


    Skill: Mega sh (2/5)


    Requirement: 5 SP


    Skill: Ice Control Ability (1/1)


    Requirement: -


    ***


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Rivalry II (Learning and Teaching +3%)


    Low Quality Crystal - 10/5000

 Chapter 38 Last Spar

    "This is ourst spar before going to the forest again. I''m sure that you know it, but I''m not nning to hold back in the forest. I don''t care about the speed record because my original n is to kill as many demons as possible to get their crystal," Anna exined her n since they were a pair.


    "I know. I don''t know if I can defeat a Low Level Demon by myself or not, but I''m not nning to back down. My kills might be more than you, who knows." Noel shrugged, turning her exnation into a provocation.


    "Heh." Anna raised her sword. "In that case, show me whether you can do it or not."


    "You might die." Noel also did the same, pointing it at Anna''s neck.


    The atmosphere became silent as both of them were observing each other''s movement. Noel enhanced his muscle so that he didn''t lose against Anna''s strength.


    The moment Anna slightly moved her foot, Noel jumped forward, taking advantage of that movement to catch her off guard.


    However, Anna swiftly struck Noel''s sword as if she had been expecting it. In fact, she might make that small movement to invite Noel in.


    Once she repelled the sword, she spun her body and used that momentum to attack him.


    *Bang!*


    The two wooden swords suddenly hit each other again as Noel somehow made a swift swing after getting deflected.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes because she saw the Spiritual Energy in that one swing. If not for her reaction speed, she would have lost her sword earlier. It seemed both of them almost fell to each other''s trap.


    ''Swift Strike is not fast enough?'' Noel narrowed his eyes and took a few steps back to regain some distance.


    ''What is that speed? Even his Swordsmanship is too good. He must have hidden his power this whole time.'' Anna frowned, increasing the danger level of Noel.


    Not only had Noel changed to be a calm and collected person, but he also could hide his skills until the right moment. It seemed Noel had changed to be a more dangerous person that might be able to kill her the moment she lowered her guard, she thought.


    Meanwhile, Noel was frustrated that Anna could still react to his swing. If he had taken out her sword earlier, his winning change would increase drastically.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Unfortunately for him, the moment he regained his distance, Anna chased after him, trying to pressure him so that he couldn''t show any of his hidden power again.


    Noel wasn''t scared of her, so he met her sword skillfully, deflecting all her swings. It seemed Anna didn''t have any intention in using the Spiritual Energy in her sword except when he used his own ability.


    It made their sh became even fiercer as both of them exchanged fifty blows within thirty seconds.


    Noel managed to keep up with Anna''s fighting style, but now that he had understood more about Ardagan Swordsmanship, he could see that Anna''s movement was quitecking.


    It wasn''t her skill that wascking, but the speed and power in each blow as if she was holding back.


    Her technique might be higher than what she currently showed.


    ''So, you''re still looking down on me.'' Noel''s expression became cold as he made his decision. ''In that case, keep underestimating me because it shall be your doom.''


    The two continued their sh for another few minutes before Noel was the first to bail out of this fight. He jumped back a few times while panting.


    As expected, his stamina still couldn''t hold that kind of sh for too long.


    "Hu¡­" He took a deep breath to regain his breathing.<sub> </sub>


    Unfortunately for him, Anna didn''t let him do whatever he wanted. Despite using the same amount of energy as Noel, she had yet to break a sweat.


    Noel could only grit his teeth and continue swinging his de while searching for a chance to attack her.


    After another thirty seconds, Noel made a powerful swing by covering his sword with Spiritual Energy. Of course, Noel could only control the Spiritual Energy to enhance his muscle for now. This kind of control was only possible because he was using Mega sh.


    With that huge amount of Spiritual Energy, Noel struck Anna as hard as possible.


    Anna grabbed her sword with both hands and received this attack, getting pushed back for five meters.


    ''It''s be more powerful¡­'' Anna sucked a cold breath. Even though she had protected her hand with Spiritual Energy, the numbness still struck her fingers. ''I need to release a bit more of my power. I''m really lucky to have the chance to regress since I can deal with this monstrous talent skillfully.''


    After knowing what to do, Anna ran forward to face Noel again. But to her surprise, Noel''s expression changed for the first time.


    "Heh." Noel suddenly smirked as if Anna had fallen into his traps.


    "A smirk?" Anna gasped and suddenly felt the Spiritual Energy fluctuate on the ground. "Ah?!"


    The moment she lowered her vision, she saw a small spot on the ground that was covered in a thinyer of ice. And her left foot stepped on it, making her fall.


    Noel had raised his sword with both hands, preparing a hard strike at her head to kill her.


    ''A trap? How many times I have fallen into his trap in my previous life¡­ And I still couldn''t escape from it?'' Anna panicked for a moment. Still, her soul already picked up the habit of reacting to Noel''s trap.


    "No!" Anna gritted her teeth and forced her hand to move, stabbing the ground with the sword to support her body so that she didn''t fall to the ground.


    Sadly, no matter how fast she moved, she wouldn''t be fast enough. And she also realized it.


    Hence, Anna chose a different option. The moment the sword reached the ground, albeit sideways which couldn''t support her body, she used that little force tounch herself to Noel.


    She then spread both arms to tackle Noel''s body, specifically his stomach.


    "I''m not going to let you achieve what you want!" Anna shouted.


    ''She can still react to that?'' Noel gritted his teeth as he couldn''t believe her reaction speed. He waved his sword, but it was too slowpared to Anna.


    In the end, Anna was the first to reach him. However, due to her slipping and theck of support, she didn''t reach the ce she intended to, which was Noel''s stomach.


    Instead, the target was a bit lower than the stomach¡­ Yes, it was his crotch.


    Her face was the first to hit it while her arms circled around Noel''s butt.


    But for Noel¡­ He wailed in pain as he almost passed out from the pain alone. The momentum then made him fall to the ground.


    "Uuuu¡­"

 Chapter 39 Misunderstanding

    "Uuuuu¡­"


    Noel somehow regretted using that trap. He could only lie on the ground as he tried hard not to pass out.


    Meanwhile, Anna could easily get back up.


    "Ah!" She looked at Noel with a dumbfounded expression. Even though she was older than her current age, this was the first time she had this much intimate contact with an opposite gender.


    Although she didn''t want to admit it, it was her left cheek that made Noel like this because she could clearly feel it earlier. The embarrassment that surged in her heart made her depress.


    "You¡­" Noel gritted his teeth.


    "Uh, sorry. I mean it, but isn''t that because of your trap? You share the me too because if I didn''t react, I would be dead."


    Noel''s n was perfect. The only miscalction he had was the fact that Anna would be able to react to that kind of fall.


    "Ugh, let me bring you to the infirmary first." Anna grabbed Noel''s weakened body and carried him to the infirmary. She carried him on her back so that he didn''t see her face the whole time.


    On the way to the infirmary, she had a lot of thoughts in her mind.


    ''What did I just do? Did I just bury my face in¡­ in¡­ in his crotch? If someone saw that fight, they would think I''m a horny sl*t. If my family heard this, I could somehow twist the story, but there would be many misunderstandings¡­


    ''Argh. What the hell¡­'' Anna felt her body be warm as her face was flushed red. She was too embarrassed to even look at anyone. The only way to calm her down was to remind herself of her age. ''Don''t be like that, Anna. You and Noel are still fifteen years old, your soul might be older, but you need to act like one.


    ''But wait¡­ The marriage among nobles are around 12 years old. We''ve gotten all the necessary knowledge about it before then¡­ Won''t they think I¡­ I''ve done it with him?''


    Anna''s imagination ran wild while Noel was enduring the pain. It was truly too much even for him. The pain was extremely different than the likes of cut wound or even bruises.


    Fortunately, they reached the infirmary in just three minutes.


    Anna immediatelyid him down on a bed and asked Evan to treat her.


    "Please, Mr. Evan."


    "Well, I can do that much at least." Evan nodded with a calm expression and examined Noel, only to find no external injuries. "Hmm? Where''s the injury again?"


    Anna embarrassedly pointed at Noel''s crotch before running away as she couldn''t endure the shame.


    ''What has happened?'' That was the first thought Evan had in his mind. ''Did they¡­''


    Evan shook his head helplessly and said, "Oh, boy. Shale told me that you two made a pair and kept sparring against each other. It seemed that you two had another one without anyone watching you this time. Was that because you couldn''t control your lust?"


    "No, we were just sparring!" Noel gritted his teeth, denying all the usations that led to their rtionship being good.


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to correct Evan, there was no way that Evan would think something else.


    "Sparring eh¡­ Then, tell me what did she use to hurt you? I won''t heal you if you don''t tell me."<sub> </sub>


    "That''s¡­" Noel hesitated for a moment before answering, "Her¡­cheek."


    "Cheek? The head?" Evan raised his vision as his imagination started revolving. He muttered inwardly as soon as he got his answer. ''Ah, mouth service¡­''


    He didn''t know that Noel used a trap to make her slip and she somehow used that to tackle him. Of course, there was no way they would be able toe up with that conclusion. Even if Noel exined the entire thing, not many would believe it.


    Ultimately, Evan nodded with a smile, praising him. "You''re good, boy. To exact your revenge, you make the talented and proud noble Anna Stargaze fall in love with you. And a few yearster, I wonder what Marquis Stargaze would see when his enemy actually made a child with his daughter. A good way to exact your revenge¡­"


    "You''re wrong¡­" Noel tried hard to exin, but the pain was still too much.


    "Yeah, yeah. Don''t worry.. I''ll keep this a secret." Evan nodded in understanding and started healing him, reducing the pain.


    After that, Noel had a long talk with Evan, exining every little detail that happened. Sadly, Evan didn''t listen to him seriously, keeping the misunderstanding.


    In the end, Noel returned to his room. His face waspletely filled with despair. For Noel, there were many ways to avenge his parents, but this wasn''t one of them.


    "Anna Stargaze¡­ I''m going to make you pay for this humiliation." Noel gritted his teeth.


    Sadly, no matter how hard he cursed Anna, nothing would happen. In the end, he was too tired to even continue.


    He also didn''t do anything within the few hours where he could help some more people in the town.


    He was thinking about how to pay her back for this embarrassment.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Noel returned to the training ground. His head was filled with anger.


    When he saw Anna, it was truly hard for him to control his outburst. At the same time, Anna could only look away as she was too embarrassed to even look at him.


    Meanwhile, other trainees didn''t bother with Noel anymore because they had seen his fight against Anna for an entire week. It was clear that Noel''s improvement was tremendous.


    Without Spiritual Energy, his swordsmanship alone could rank among the best. And with the Spiritual Energy that he learned by observing Anna, hisbat power surpassed everyone.


    What made his pair stand out was the fact that his partner was the current strongest person among the trainees, Anna Stargaze. It was clear that this was the strongest pair.


    They had tried to persuade Anna and Shale to teach them about Spiritual Energy, but both of them refused because they needed to pass this test first.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    And they somehow envied Noel who learned Spiritual Energy first. Yes, all the boys were jealous because they wanted to be paired with Anna as well.


    Little did they know, Noel and Anna''s rtionship had be worsest night.

 Chapter 40 First Time Working Together

    "That''s all. Grab the equipment from me and immediately head to the forest. I can assure you that another outbreak won''t happen under normal circumstances."


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks as they walked to Shale. Thetter only smiled at them as he had been told the situation by Evan.


    "Good luck, both of you. Don''t forget to work together and focus on the demons," said Shale, reminding them not to bother with physical intimacy when they reach the forest.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched while Anna just ignored him.


    "You carry the tent and cooking utensils. I carry the remaining tools as well as our bottles." Anna handed him a backpack.


    Noel just wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible, so he epted the bag without making a fuss.


    After that, the two ran to the forest. Their training had strengthened them and improved their stamina, so Noel could go at a faster speed without getting exhausted easily.


    Anna, of course, didn''t go too fast either because they were notpeting this time.


    "Anyway, we will get ten crystals toplete the mission. After that, we will get half of the loot."


    Noel listened to Anna''s suggestion and agreed without hesitation. Although he didn''t want to admit it, Anna was stronger than him. Yet, she wanted to give him half the loot.


    He might hate the fact that he lived on the grace of his enemy, but over the past week, he had learned how to swallow his pride and shamelessly take everything. The faster he became stronger, the quicker he could exact his revenge after all.


    Anna also noticed Noel''s calm behavior. At least, he wouldn''t be an impulsive young man that could endanger their group anymore.


    "Well, I don''t think both of us need a trap to handle a Low Level Demon. If you utilize Spiritual Energy, it will be easy to cut Low Level Demons. So, we only need to worry about the Mid Level Demon. I''m nning to hunt some Mid Level Demons in the Inner Region. What do you think?"


    "Set up a base in the inner region and make traps."


    "¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. She just said that traps weren''t needed, but Noel seemed to be firm about his opinion. Remembering Noel''s fighting style, she reluctantly agreed. "Fine. But make the traps when you''re on your night watch! We won''t have too much time during the day.


    "I don''t think I need to remind you this, but I can wake up if I sense youing to the tent. So, don''t try to sneak up on me. I''m going to make you regret it when you do that."


    Noel snorted. "Fine. But I''ll be the one to choose the camping spot and where to go."


    "I don''t have a problem." Anna felt satisfied that they could finally make an agreement. This was an improvement in their rtionship.


    Little did she know, Noel only buried his anger. And that anger didn''t disappear.


    After making a decision where to go, they then headed straight to the inner region which would take two hours to reach.


    On the way, they found their first Low Level Demon.


    Without hesitation, Anna and Noel took out their weapons at the same time. As if the beast could sense the danger from Anna, it attacked Anna first with its ws.


    However, Anna skillfully cut the ws as well as the paws of this demon.<sub> </sub>


    But this time she had a more reliable teammate than Alfred and Lezlev. As soon as the demon was stopped by her, Noel used his Mega sh, swinging the sword with both hands.


    The sword cut through the monster''s neck in a single swing.


    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath, feeling relieved that he could kill a Low Level Demon with a single swing. After all, this was the proof that he had gotten stronger.


    "Don''t be too proud of yourself. Killing one Low Level Demon don''t mean you''re strong. A Low Level Demon is the lowest rank among the demons. In a war, their number is the highest. Sometimes, you will be surrounded by a thousand demons.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "I have heard that the Demon Banner Army is going to train you for a year. If youplete your training, you can handle thirty to fifty Low Level Demon by yourself. But the elites in the Demon Banner Army are even stronger.


    "ording to the rumors, a single wave of themander''s sword can kill a thousand of Low Level Demons." Anna added, making sure Noel wasn''t too proud of himself.


    However, Noel only snorted. "I know that already. Do you think I''m satisfied with this? I''ll only be satisfied after killing you."


    "Yeah, yeah. I don''t care about that. I just want you to know that even themander is afraid of the demons. The reason is simple. Their number is overwhelming. Can you imagine a single fort taking the full brunt of millions of demons? What if we add Mid Level Demon or even those above them in the mix? I''m sure you know this already, but what you see here is just the edge."


    "You don''t need to tell me twice. I don''t care if there are strong demons or not. I only need to be stronger than you."


    "You love twisting my words, don''t you?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Noel maintained his poker face the whole time while Anna tried to tease him from time to time, trying to crack that stone face of his.


    Ultimately, the two of them met a total of eight Low Level Demon on their way to the Inner Region.


    They stopped in the middle of the dense forest. It was pretty hard to even measure their exact position at this point.


    Anna asked, "So, how are you gonna navigate in this forest?"


    Noel raised his head and looked at the sun''s position before pointing at the west. "That direction. We should be able to find a smallke that way."


    "You have a map? Even me couldn''t get a map from the instructor even though I asked him."


    Noel closed his eyes, remembering the reason he knew this. When he was helping in the town, one of them was actually a senior soldier that had retired.


    While helping him, the senior soldier started talking about his experience and knowledge. And when he knew about Noel''s status as a trainee, the senior soldier gave him some tips and tricks.


    Of course, he wouldn''t tell Anna about it.


    <o>,m "Just follow me. If you don''t trust me, then you can go somewhere else," said Noel as he started running, not waiting for Anna.</o>


    "I trust you, though." Anna smirked and followed him.

 Chapter 41 100 Years Old Ice Pearl

    Just like the prediction, Noel and Anna found a smallke in the middle of the forest. There were at least some distances between the water and the nearest tree, so there was no dead tree floating in theke.


    At the same time, the water itself was a crystal clear, showing that it wasn''t contaminated by anything.


    "This is¡­" Anna narrowed her eyes and approached the water, examining it carefully. She even touched the water and felt the cold temperature even though it was still summer.


    On the other hand, Noel found his system pop out of nowhere, startling him.


    [Mission: Dive into the water.]


    [Description: Dive down to the bottom of theke.]


    [Reward: Icy in 100 Years Old Ice.]


    ''This is¡­'' Noel widened his eyes in shock. He almost forgot that his spirits could actuallymunicate with him through two ways. One was the usual meditation while the other one was through Ardagan''s system.


    However, this was the first time Noel received this sudden mission. When he looked at Anna who was already suspicious about the water, he could understand the reason. Since he shared his vision with the spirits, they, specifically Heisk, knew Anna had found out something about the ice underwater.


    ''I see. I should be the one getting this ice then. I don''t know their use, but I believe it''s useful for me.'' Noel thought as he put down his bag and approached the water. "Move."


    "Noel?" Anna widened her eyes, shocked. She felt the water was different. Although it was thin, she somehow saw the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, albeit barely. That was why she examined the water to make sure of her guess.


    But Noel was here and even started taking off his clothes.


    "I won''t be away for too long." Noel ignored her. Although it was embarrassing to strip in front of her, Noel had an objective.


    Wearing only a trunk, he dipped his feet into this icy waterke. It was so cold that his body shivered.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, wondering if he could do it or not.


    "Spiritual Energy can resist the cold to a certain degree," Anna shouted, helping him. After that, she examined Noel''s movement and thought, ''Did he notice something weird under the water? But even with my sensitivity, I could only sense it barely. If not because of the examination, I wouldn''t be so sure something is inside.


    ''But from his action, he seems to know there is something in the water. How? I can''t understand.'' Anna frowned.


    On the other hand, Noel used his Spiritual Energy to strengthen his muscle. To his surprise, he could feel the warmth as if his body was enveloped by fire.


    This effect reminded him of the time he used the Spiritual Energy to strengthen him.


    ''Now that I think about it, whenever I used my Spiritual Energy during the dawn, my body would feel warm. On the contrary, my body cooled down during the second and third sparring of the day. Is it because of Ardagan and Heisk? Ardagan has that ck me while Heisk has ice. Ardagan is probably the reason I can withstand this cold. I shouldn''t waste this chance then.''<sub> </sub>


    Without hesitation, he walked to the center of theke.


    p ''Ugh. Now that I think about it, I don''t know how to swim¡­'' Noel thought while gritting his teeth as he took a deep breath before putting his head underneath the water, searching for something unique in the bottom of theke.</anda>


    Luckily, theke wasn''t that deep. It was only three meters.


    After walking around at the area where he could stand with his head above the water, he found a small glimmer among the rocks at the center of theke.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    He changed the spots a few times and confirmed the blue gem buried underneath those rocks.


    ''Can I make it? I can only hold my breath for almost two minutes. The distance between me and that ce¡­ Well, theke is not that deep. A single jump is probably all it takes for me to reach the surface. Getting a single breath to dive should end in an instant.''


    After steeling his resolve, Noel took a deep breath and started running. His head gradually submerged as his body moved to the center.


    It took him quite an effort to move underwater, but he managed to get another breath after jumping to the surface.


    This would make him get more time to retrieve the light blue gem.


    As soon as he reached the middle area, Noel hurriedly dug a bit at the spot where he found the sparkle.


    ''Where is it? Where is it?'' He tried hard to see the sparkling, but the dust made the water muddy, covering his vision.


    ''Kh. This stupid dirt and sand.'' Noel clicked his tongue and kept digging until he felt a cold surface touching his finger. ''Wait. This is¡­''


    The shape was round, and the size was only a small finger''s joint. However, it was clear that this was the item he was searching for, considering the mission was to grab an icy object.


    As soon as he got what he wanted, Noel hurriedly returned to the surface. It might be due to the muddy water or Noel''sck of Spiritual Energy sensitivity, Noel didn''t realize there was a green light glowing dimly underneath the ground where the icy object was.


    Noel simply took the object out of the water as heid down his body on the grass, exhausted. This was his first underwater experience.


    "Hu¡­ Hu¡­" He panted a few times while Anna approached him, staring at the blue marble on his hand.


    "This is¡­ What? This is not fair. I should have been the one going to the water!" Anna clutched her head as she started regretting to let Noel go. "This is 100 Years Old Ice from Icy in. The in has a unique ice that can absorb Spiritual Energy, thus allowing them to grow stronger as time goes.


    "And this 100 Years Old Ice can purify the water and keep it cool. If someone wears this as a ne, their body will be cool." Anna gritted her teeth.


    Noel hurriedly pulled his hand, protecting the blue pearl from getting stolen. "This is mine. We''ve agreed to split the loot, but it only applies to the crystals, not this one."

 Chapter 42 Responsibility

    "This is mine. We''ve agreed to split the loot, but it only applies to the crystals, not this one."  Noel hurriedly put it inside his pocket to make sure Anna didn''t have any thought about it.


    Anna showed an annoyed expression for the first time. She clearly knew the worth of the 100 Years Old Ice Pearl. With this pearl, she could avoid any assassination that involved water. Poison that was spread in the ss or in the water that she drank, the Ice Pearl would simply purify them.


    At the same time, the cooling effect could make the water feel refreshed. Wearing this pearl could cool her heart down.


    Noel felt satisfied when he saw that annoyed expression since this was the first time he could make her frustrated.


    ''So, this is the taste of victory. I don''t think I will kill her easily from now on. I''m going to defeat her on everything and make her fall into despair. Only after that will I deliver my killing stroke.'' Noel thought, not realizing that he had gradually strayed away from the path of revenge.


    Meanwhile, Anna thought, ''Now that I think about it¡­ No matter what happened, Noel was supposed to be the one finding this pearl. After all, in my previous life, I wasn''t here.


    ''Noel must have found out theke''s location from someone. That meant the pearl was never meant for me. Well, I guess I now know Noel possesses this pearl.''


    On the one hand, she really wanted the pearl because of its uses. On the other hand, Noel would have been the one to get it because theke''s information was from him.


    Ultimately, she let out a long sigh to calm her heart down.


    "Fine. Now that you''re done here, you should put on your clothes. Because of the pearl, we don''t need to worry about water source anymore. Just purify the water and be done with it. This can be our camp, but where are you going to ce the traps?" Anna asked.


    Noel thought for a moment and looked around while putting on his clothes. "I don''t know. I haven''t scouted this area."


    "Think so." Anna sighed. "Anyway, you won''t be able to work on your traps until tonight. So, it''s better we get moving soon. Since we''re not chasing the deadline, we can return to this ce to build the tent before the dusk. What do you think?"


    "I don''t have a problem with that."


    "Then, we''ll have night rotation?"


    "2x4hours?" Noel asked.


    Anna pointed at the sky. "It''s pretty hard to calcte the clock, so¡­ we will use the moon. Anyway, we can discuss about the details for night rotationter."


    "Fine by me."


    "Then, onest question. Can you cook?" Anna asked.


    "¡­" Noel froze as he couldn''t answer them. Still, he couldn''t show a weakness in front of Anna, so he imed proudly, "I can cook!"


    "I see. You can''t cook." Anna nodded in understanding.


    "Wait, wha¡ª"


    "I''ll cook our meal. You''re going to bring firewoods and build the tent. I don''t care about your pride as long as we have equal distribution to the tasks."


    "Well¡­" Noel clicked his tongue and agreed.


    "Since we''ve reached an agreement, it''s better to get moving. The demons in the Inner Region cane in a group, so we need to be careful where we''re moving. You can find theke, so I''m sure you can find a nice hunting spot, right?" Anna smirked, challenging him.


    "Of course." Noel snorted and simply took his sword before letting it fall to the ground, pointing at a certain direction.


    "This is¡­" Anna widened her eyes. "You serious?"


    "Inner Region is filled with demons, so no matter where we go, we will find a demon. In that case, we''ve plenty of options¡­ We just need to focus on one area at a time." Noel shrugged.


    "That''s understandable, but I expected a lot more from you."<sub> </sub>


    "That''s your fault." Noel looked away.


    "Argh." Anna gritted her teeth as Noel really frustrated her.


    Noel smiled over his small victory and said, "Well, that''s the direction. If you don''t have any objection, we better go now."


    Ultimately, Anna followed Noel as they both explored the area in the direction Ardagan pointed at.


    As they predicted, they soon found two demons near each other. This would be extremely dangerous because they needed to face one demon each, but both of them had confidence they could defeat them.


    Anna came closer to him so that they didn''t rm the demons when they were talking.


    "I''ll take care of the left one and you''ll kill the right demon," whispered Anna in a voice that only they could hear.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I''m better fighting against a demon that stands on two feet."


    "Then, it''s the other way around." As someone stronger, Anna obviously needed to adjust herself to Noel''s level by making this arrangement.


    "Good enough."


    "Then, let''s go."


    After they reached an agreement, they came out of their hidden spots and approached the two demons.


    As soon as they saw Noel and Anna, both of them ran forward ording to their own position.


    Noel smiled because he was going to face the demon of his choice.


    On the other hand, Anna strengthened her body with Spiritual Energy as she sped up, reaching the demon in a second.


    With her experience, she easily delivered some heavy wounds to the demon.


    *ng!*


    *ng!*N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    A few clicking sounds echoed in the battlefield as Anna''s iron sword shed with the demon''s ws. She intentionally slowed down her pace so that she could take a nce of Noel''s progress.


    To her surprise, the demon in Noel''s direction slipped down and struggled to get up. The demon even moved around its body to make sure Noel didn''t take advantage of this situation to kill him.


    When she lowered her vision, she saw the small ice floor that obviously tripped the demon. However, one question remained.


    ''Wait a minute. Where is Noel?'' Anna looked around to find Noel but to no avail.


    Unfortunately for her, the answer soon came in the form of action. The demon before her screamed in pain before falling to the ground, dying.


    Noel finally rose from the ground while pulling his sword out. In other words, Noel used the opportunity to deliver the killing blow to her demon before returning to his position to kill the other one.


    "With this, I can surpass you in the kill count."


    Anna was dumbfounded as she never expected that she was outyed by Noel. "Listen here you rascal."

 Chapter 43 Simpleton

    "Listen here you rascal."


    Noel ignored her and focused on taking down the demon.


    But when he was about to hit the demon on the ground, Anna suddenly appeared next to him. Her boots were covered with lightning as if she used that power to cover the distance between them in an instant.


    Her sword moved even faster now that it was covered with lightning, swiftly slicing the demon''s head. The cut was so quick and precise that the demon didn''t have the time to react.


    Even Noel was stunned to see Anna''s true strength that could kill a demon in an instant. Unlike the previous time where Anna saved him for the first time, this kill only relied on her overwhelming strength.


    "!!!" Noel stopped in his track when he saw the demon''s head flying. "This is¡­"


    "You stole my demon and I did the same." Anna stomped the ground and looked at him coldly.


    Noel had no words to say, but this asion had given him a big opportunity. That was right. He could see Anna''s true strength.


    In fact, Anna might still be hiding her true strength. However, it was clear that the strength that she utilized to kill a Mid Level Demon wasn''t her true strength. It was only because of his interference that she decided not to use it.


    ''Ah, I should have a clearer head at that time because I can see her true strength. But I ended up ruining that chance¡­ Whatever, I''m going to use this hunt to observe your strength so that I know how much stronger do I need to be. I''m not going to foolishly attack you anymore,'' Noel thought with a cold gaze.


    Since they had killed both demons, Noel immediately scooped out the crystal on their heads and stored it in Anna''s bag.


    ? "It seems you''re nning to turn this into a smallpetition. For what? To frustrate me? I don''t really mind about thepetition, but I need to make sure you know when to stop. I''m not going to have a stupidpetition when our lives are in extreme danger," said Anna while giving a cold gaze at Noel.


    "I''m not going to kill myself. And if killing you means I''m dead too, it''s better to wait for another chance. You''re not the only one in my list." Noel shrugged.


    "Good enough for me." Anna smirked. "I''ll take you on. This time, I won''t let you kill a single monster."


    Noel epted the challenge. She didn''t realize that she had fallen into Noel''s trap.


    If she used all her strength to kill all the demons today, she wouldn''t have enough power to do the same tomorrow or the day after. In other words, he could kill more monsters during the second day and third day.


    In that case, he would also see how much power she had in that body. The more he knew about her strength, the higher the chance to kill herter.


    Noel smirked as he led the way again while hiding his true thoughts.


    The duo continued their journey deeper into the inner region.


    As they predicted, there were more and more demons appearing together. They often found a group of demons consisting of three or even four demons at a time.<sub> </sub>


    During that time, Noel could see Anna''s overwhelming force. He really didn''t get any demons for at least three hours.


    Unfortunately for him, it seemed Anna had caught a wind of his n and started decreasing her pace, allowing Noel to kill some monsters.


    It was such a shame, but that was enough for the time being. At the very least, he knew what to expect from Anna.


    The huntsted for eight hours. It was a quite long hunt, but they managed to kill a total of 67 demons today, with Noel killing only 17 of them.


    Noel and Anna were the top crops among the trainees, so their hunting speed was insane. However, after more preparation and information about the test, the other teams also worked splendidly.


    Some groups evenpleted the task in a day. Half of them chose to return to the fort to submit their crystals while half of them worked for more crystals, knowing that they could get the rest after submitting ten of them.


    Coming on the second and third were Alfred and Kirika''s teams. Alfred and Lezlev killed 26 monsters together while Kirika and her new teammate crushed 21 demons.


    It wasn''t that muchpared to Noel''s pair, but they were much better than their previous performance.


    When the sun was about to set, all pairs seemed to know what to do. They hurriedly found a ce to make a camp. This included Noel''s pair.


    They had returned to theke before the sky waspletely dark.


    Noel was searching for firewoods while Anna was preparing their food.


    While looking around, Noel had an evil thought in their mind.


    "Now that I think about it, I can catch her when she''s bathing. Isn''t this perfect for shaming her?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "A noble can''t show their body easily, but I''m a fallen noble¡­ That rule only applies to her, not me. This is perfect to make her feel ashamed. Even if it doesn''t work, just with me being there is enough to prevent her from taking a bath. She will be stink."


    As if he''d got a good n, Noel hurriedly found the necessary firewoods and returned to the camp, only to find Anna cutting some vegetables. It waspletely normal, but Noel noticed her wet hair as if she had just finished taking a bath in theke.


    "What?" Noel dropped the firewoods in shock.


    Anna noticed his expression and somehow read his thought. She couldn''t help but smirk.


    "What? Returning earlier than expected so you can take a peek of me when bathing? Or do you want to prevent me from taking a bath?"


    Noel''s body trembled for a moment as he denied it loudly, "I just want to build the tent and rest as quickly as possible."


    "Heh. Simpleton." Anna rolled her eyes, not believing a single thing he said. She couldn''t help but remember her past life, thinking, ''This is not the first time you used this kind of tactic. You attacked me when I was bathing in ake or a river because you could use the embarrassment to make me drop my guard. I''ve many tricks that you can use, Noel. It won''t work against me anymore.''


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 44 Conquer His Stomach

    Noel could only grit his teeth when he realized that his ns didn''t work against her. He never knew that the Noel in the previous life had utilized all that strategy to trick her.


    In the end, Noel built the tent while Anna cooked their dinner.


    *Growl!*


    While he was building the tent, the aroma from Anna''s dish was carried by the wind to his nose. It was a sweet and warm smell that somehow incited his stomach.


    "¡­" Noel was surprised by the reaction of his stomach and even pped it a few times as if it had embarrassed him. When he nced at Anna, thetter felt his gaze and chuckled. It was clear she wasughing at his reaction.


    Still, he couldn''t help but remember all the meals until now. Compared to the meal in the barrack or the barely edible meal he cooked in the previous test, this meal was far too peptizing.


    In fact, the smell alone could reach the professional chef in the Ardagan House.


    ''How can she be this good? She is a nobledy, right? A nobledy should only learn about etiquette¡­ There''s no way she''s allowed to go to the kitchen. Even if she is an entric woman, she should be too upied with her training.'' Noel had so many doubts in his mind, but the smell didn''t lie.


    Anna took out two bowls and poured the soup she made into them before extending one to Noel. "Here you go. Oh, wait. Wash your hands first in theke."


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips. Although he didn''t want to admit it, the food managed to tempt him.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The soup had a yellowish color. It was filled with Demon''s meats that were simr to that of an animal''s meat. There were some potatoes scattered around and Anna even prepared a hard bread for him. A hard bread was usually used for survival because they couldst longer and if you poured boiling water into it, the bread would be soft enough for easy consumption.


    However, this hard bread actually matched perfectly with the soup. In fact, the soup gave the hard bread a vor.


    Noel couldn''t say anything and simply went to theke to wash his hands. After that, he took the bowl and stared at it for a while.


    Anna couldn''t help but chuckle, looking at Noel''s silly reaction.


    "Surviving in the wild like this might be top priority, but why don''t you make it more enjoyable? I know that we can''t y around, but having a good meal should be a standard. With a good meal, you can get a good sleep and a refreshed mind.


    "That''s why learning how to cook is necessary when surviving in the wild." Anna made a smug smile. She trained hard to learn cooking because Noel once trapped her in the wild.


    It was a torture because the taste of the meat was bad. When she returned, it turned out the demon''s meat had one of the best vors. She simply couldn''t process it.


    After that, she learned how to cook despite everyone telling her to focus on the training. And it seemed that her training had paid off.


    Noel, who had a sharp mouth, couldn''t even say anything to her after tasting the food.


    "Wait a minute. We''re in the middle of apetition, right? Shouldn''t I make you just an edible food instead of a good one? This way, you will be under a lot of stress and I can win easily." Anna smirked.


    "!!!" Noel''s body trembled. However, he didn''t want to show any weakness, so he snorted and said, "I don''t care. As long as I can eat and have energy to fight for tomorrow, I don''t really care."<sub> </sub>


    "Heh." Anna was amused by Noel''s question. It was clear that his body''s reaction was the honest one. She then saw Noel''s bowl was almost empty. It was because he ate too quickly so that he didn''t need to make an excuseter.


    Seeing this opportunity, Anna then scooped another spoonful of soup and said, "Here you go."


    "I don''t need it." Noel shook his head, rejecting the soup because it might show that he was too reliant on her.


    "Is that so? I''m full with what I have and it''s not like I can use it for tomorrow''s breakfast. I guess I''ll just throw it away."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes and shouted in anger. "How can you throw it away? Do you know how many people are starving in the fort? Have you ever gone around the fort to see those people? You shouldn''t waste food!"


    "But I''m full."


    "I can eat it even if I''m full." Noel harrumphed.


    "Then, here you go." Anna smiled and poured the remaining soup into his bowl.


    Noel hurriedly ate the food while Anna kept chuckling as if she had just won.


    She secretly took a peek at Noel and muttered inwardly, ''Because of his hatred to me, he can''t be honest to me because it means showing his weakness. His reaction is really cute.


    ''The Noel in my memory was annoying and troublesome. Compared to him, the current Noel was too cute. How can such a difference exist?


    ''Well, that''s obviously because of me. Even though I suggested it, my father and the royal family had made an agreement before that. Hence, my suggestion was useless. I ended up bing the sacrifice.


    ''Looking at this matter again, our rtionship isn''t that bad. It''s just a misunderstanding. Noel should hate my family instead of me¡­


    ''In that case, let me raise Noel a bit more so that he can help more people in the future. After that, let''s solve this hatred.''


    Anna had her n in mind, knowing this was the best oue that she wanted to achieve.


    "What?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows after Anna stared at him for a few minutes.


    "Nothing." Anna smiled and pointed at his clothes. "Put the bowl there. I''ll wash themter. Also, you might want to use and dip that pearl againter so that it can purify the water."


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. He would take advantage of it too, so he had no reasons to refuse her request.


    "In that case, you should wash yourself first. I''m going to sleep first because I need to wake up early to prepare the breakfast."


    Noel agreed again as he saw Anna entering the tent nonchntly.

 Chapter 45 System Vs Rebirth

    ording to their agreement, they only had one tent. In other words, they were going to share this tent. It would certainly be ufortable for most people, but Anna didn''t feel that repulsive to Noel, so she suggested this idea.


    Noel also thought that bringing only one tent was easier. The tent itself was only for sleeping, so he didn''t really care about the situation.


    However, with Anna sleeping in the tent, Noel couldn''t help but stare at it intensely. There were various thoughts in his mind.


    Normally, as a boy in his puberty, Noel would have a weird thought in his mind when sharing a roof with a woman, a beautiful one on top of that. However, Anna in his mind was evil that he was just thinking about how to n against her.


    On the other hand, her words about his parents and his family shed in his mind.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ''What was the actual reason for the Royal Family executing my family? Anna Stargaze alone wasn''t enough to influence them, so there must be something that scared the Royal Family.


    ''Did my family have something like that? I hadn''t learned much about business from my father, let alone the family as a whole because I was toofortable in my own zone. So, I didn''t really know about this matter.


    ''However, what I do know is that¡­ My family''s wealth was equal to a tenth of the country''s entire wealth.


    ''Despite being a Count, my father''s status was simr to that of a marquis or even higher because of that wealth.


    ''After executing my parents, the Royal Family seized everything other than my family heirloom.'' Noel looked at the ck de. At first, it was rusty but after recognizing him as its master, the rust had disappeared.


    ''Now that I think about it, this sword was used by the family''s ancestor. It was said that my ancestor helped the first king to establish the country and fended off hundreds of thousands of enemies.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ What they wanted was the power of Ardagan? But they didn''t think that the rusty sword was actually the reason why my ancestor could achieve all that?


    ''Well, this is usible, but I don''t know whether it''s true or not because I''m not them. I need to investigate this matter closely in the future. And it seems that Anna Stargaze doesn''t know much either. She is like a puppet of the family.'' Noel frowned.


    There were many questions in his mind, but it seemed he could only explore itter.


    While he was in deep thought, he was rmed by the sudden explosion from theke.


    *Boom!*


    "!!!" Noel opened his eyes wide as he took his sword, heading to the water. He gasped when he saw the water burst out so high that it surpassed the trees in the area. "What is happening? No, that''s not important."


    Taking a deep breath, Noel let out a huge roar. "Anna Stargaze!"


    As if responding to his call, Anna hurriedly left the tent and looked around, finding the water raging.


    "What happened?" Anna asked as she arrived next to him.


    "I don''t know." Noel shook his head. His heart was racing and the adrenaline was rushing. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t find anything extraordinary other than the water.


    "Underwater?" Anna frowned.


    "Probably. But such a situation¡­" Noel took out the Ice Pearl and gasped. "Don''t tell me¡­ What''s the hidden use of the Ice Pearl?"<sub> </sub>


    Anna shook her head. "I have told you all its purposes. But¡­ it''s purifying ability¡­ It might be the one that has been keeping thiske calm."


    "Then, we should put back this pearl."


    "No. It''s useless." Anna thought for a moment. "Do you have any clue about what''s going on? At least, something at this scale?"


    ? "The instructor didn''t tell me anything, so no." Noel shook his head. He didn''t know why but a memory shed in his mind. It was the mission that Ardagan gave him. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    [Mission: Eliminate the weakened Ancient Demon Tree within 30 days.]


    [Description: There''s an Ancient Demon Tree sleeping underneath the Dark Demon Forest.]


    [Reward: Demon Hunter Medal and 7 SP]


    [Penalty: Lose your qualification to wield Ardagan.]


    "No, this might be possible." Noel looked down, contemting.


    "I know that you don''t trust me, Noel. But at a situation like this, you should share any possibilities. We can understand the situation better¡­"


    Noel gritted his teeth and ultimately asked, "Can you seal a demon?"


    "Seal a demon?" Anna gasped as she finally recalled the memory when a mysterious masked man in the Ancient Demon Tree. "How do you know there''s an Ancient Demon Tree down here?"


    "How do you know it''s an Ancient Demon Tree?"


    "Eh?"


    "Eh?"


    Both of them were stunned at their own reaction. It was a desperate question, but they blurted out a secret at the same time.


    No one was supposed to know about this information, but somehow both of them had this information.


    ''How did she know? I didn''t even realize that Ardagan could even predict something like this¡­ Even themander shouldn''t know about the Ancient Demon Tree.'' Noel thought while ring at Anna.


    ''As expected, the masked man was him. But how could he know there was an Ancient Demon Tree lying underneath this ce? It was clear that Noel was ignorant. He shouldn''t have read anything about Demons¡­ So, it was impossible for him to know the Ancient Demon Tree¡­ What did he do to know this information?'' Anna also had her own suspicion.


    How could Anna know that Noel had the help of Ardagan who seemed to be able to predict the future? Or how could Noel know that Anna had regressed with the knowledge of the future?


    Both of them could only suspect each other. Anna''s rebirth was one step ahead with knowledge and experience while Noel''s system could predict things and was flexible enough to adjust to his need, giving him a perfect growth path.


    This was the start of the battle between the power of system and rebirth.

 Chapter 46 Rune

    "So, tell me what do you know." Anna narrowed his eyes.


    "No, it''s you who needs to tell me what do you know." Noel returned it back to her. They were ring at each other, without a single intention to back down.


    Both of them wanted to know why they knew about the Ancient Demon Tree.


    However, they were interrupted by the raging wave that somehow sshed them.


    "¡­" The duo turned their heads around and saw what was happening.


    To their surprise, the raging wave gradually disappeared as if nothing happened.


    "This is¡­" Anna frowned. There were a few questions in her mind, but she only had one way to get the answers.


    Without hesitation, she jumped into the water to check the phenomenon herself and found a few green lines buried underneath the ground.


    Anna widened her eyes in shock as she never expected to see these lines.


    ''Impossible.'' Anna gasped for air and came out to take another breath. After that, she started sweeping the dirt that covered the lines and made sure its existence. ''This is Sealing Rune. How can there be a Rune in this ce? Noel was supposed to invent the rune¡­ But Noel fought against the Ancient Demon Tree in the past, he might learn something from this seal and re-invented the rule.''


    She said ''re-invented'' because the rune had existed in the past and Noel simply discovered it and remade the rune so that people could use it.


    ''Or there might be a treasure that exined the runes inside¡­'' Anna frowned and explored the rune for a bit more. After another ten minutes, she discovered that the rune was still intact.


    ''Hmm. I don''t see any problem with the rune, but the raging water¡­ is there something wrong with the rune? I can''t understand.'' Anna frowned.


    On the other hand, Noel also saw the glowing lines after Anna cleared the dirt on top of it. As if recognizing the rune, Ardagan suddenly presented him with a new training and skill.


    [Recognizing Arvart Ardagan''s Rune.]


    [Opening up a branch of career.]


    [Because the host has chosen the swordsman, the career is adjusted.]


    [Rune Swordsman is opened.]


    [Career: Rune Swordsman]


    Skill: Rune Mastery (0/10)


    Requirement: 5 SP


    Noel gasped when he saw that name.


    "Arvart Ardagan? The ancestor of Ardagan Family?" Noel''s face became pale as he looked at the green lines on theke''s floor. "But what do you mean the career is adjusted? Bing a swordsman seems to be the reason. So, if I chose ''Commander,'' I would be a Rune Commander?"


    Noel frowned, albeit he received no answer.<sub> </sub>


    "Still, Ardagan said he didn''t want me to know much about my ancestor¡­ Did he lie to me? But Spirit doesn''t lie. In that case, it was my misunderstanding. The reason Ardagan didn''t want to tell me was simply to make me choose my own path instead of chasing after my ancestor.


    "Finding this was obviously out of the equation, so it gave me all this new stuff." Noel wasn''t one hundred percent sure about his conjecture, but he couldn''t meditate to meet Ardagan for the time being, so he could only believe this assumption for the time being.


    After a while, he saw Anna returning to the surface.


    "And now I''m wet¡­" Anna let out a long sigh. "Maybe I should have taken off my clothes first¡­ If only the little pervert wasn''t here, I would''ve done that."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he asked, "So, what did you find there?"


    "Why don''t you go there and find out?" Anna smirked, taunting him.


    "If you don''t want to say anything, that''s fine." Noel shrugged and looked away. Assuming that Ardagan could predict the future by showing how he could know there was an Ancient Demon Tree underneath thiske, he realized that the time limit was real.


    No matter what he did, the Ancient Demon Tree would onlye out near the time limit since he needed a bit of time to kill the Ancient Demon Tree.


    ''In that case, one day or two days before the time limit.'' Noel thought. ''The demon will be severely weakened because it just wakes up. Considering my ancestor was the one that made the Ancient Demon Tree fall into slumber, the tree hadn''t woken up for around a thousand years. Even the current me had a chance against this demon tree.''


    Anna looked at Noel''s expression and said, "How about you ask me one question and I ask you one question? It''s obvious that we don''t want to tell our secrets, so a question about that is a no-no. Only general questions are allowed. What do you think?"


    Noel contemted for a moment. Although he knew about the time limit, knowing more about the rune itself was good, so he epted the condition. "I''m alright with it."


    "That''s good. In that case, I''m going to change my clothes first." Anna nodded and returned to the tent.


    While Noel was thinking about the question he wanted to ask, the light from the tent distracted him. There was a silhouette behind that thin cloth that separated them. Although she was an evil woman in his mind, Noel almost forgot that Anna was considered one of the top beauties in the kingdom.


    Even if it was only in the form of shadow reflected by the light, her curvy body could be considered perfect and it was still growing. He didn''t realize it until now.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly shook his head and screamed inwardly, ''What are you doing, Noel? That''s your enemy. Don''t have any weird thoughts about her!''


    Noel ended up closing his eyes to calm his thoughts until Anna finished changing.


    Fortunately, he managed to control his emotion that when Anna came out with a short pants and tight white shirt, he had no change of expression.


    Noel maintained his calm face and sat near the campfire, asking, "Who will be the first to ask?"


    "Since I''m so magnanimous, I''ll allow you to ask the first question." Anna smirked.


    "Then, I will take up your offer." Noel nodded, shamelessly epting it.


    "Wait, what?" Anna widened her eyes in surprise. "Shouldn''t you suppose to say, ''Hmph. I am more generous than you, so I''ll answer the question first?'' That''s what I thought you were going to say from your previous action."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Noel rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I''ll be asking the question."

 Chapter 47 Spirit Oath

    "¡­" Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she never expected Noel to be this shameless. Noel''s change was too much and too fast. However, she had offered it, so she could only ept her fate. "Fine. Ask anything. However, we need to make a Spirit Oath first."


    "Spirit Oath?"


    "Spirit never lies. I''m sure you''ve heard about this, right?"


    "Yes."


    "With the Spirit Oath, it will force you into that situation. In other words, the Spirit Oath will prevent you from lying."


    "A good reason to torture someone." Noel narrowed his eyes, making a small remark.


    Anna looked away as the torture was indeed used to make them swear a Spirit Oath. This way, they could dig information.


    "In that case, where is your Spirit Seal?"


    "Spirit Seal?"


    "You don''t know about that too? It''s the mark of your spirit¡­ You should have a tattoo in your body, right?" Anna sighed and slightly pulled her shirt, showing a yellow zig-zag line like that of a lightning on her waist. "We''re going to have them connect to each other so that we can''t lie. This is one of the primary uses of the Spirit Oath and Spirit Seal."


    "How are we going to do that?"


    "Just put the two seals together."


    "That sounds annoying." Noel had an annoyed expression. There were so many things that could go wrong in this process.


    "Haha, certainly. What if you have a mark on your private areas? You obviously can''t show that." Anna shrugged. "Well, you hate me so much that you can only see me as an evil witch, so I am not that embarrassed."


    "Heh¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    Anna''s eyes became cold as she stated with killing intent, "Sexually harass me and you''ll die."


    Noel shrugged and took off his glove. The reason why she suggested the Spirit Oath was because she had seen this Spirit Seal when Noel dove to the water.


    "Just have them touch each other. That''s enough." Anna held her shirt.


    Noel hesitated for a moment but still ced the back of his hand where Ardagan''s seal was on Anna''s waist so that the two Spirit Seals touched each other.


    Suddenly, his body trembled as a sharp pain somehow jolted his mind, followed by lightning that electrocuted his body.


    "This is¡­" Noel was surprised by this feeling, but he knew that something had truly happened. He also thought, ''It seems that I need to go to a library or something to learn about Spirits. If this ritual actually made me in a disadvantageous position simply because I didn''t know about it, I would have regretted that decision.''


    While he was in his thought, he could feel Anna''s body had an increase in temperature. It seemed Ardagan''s me had affected her.<sub> </sub>


    "The Spirit Oath is done. Let''s finish this as soon as possible."


    Noel nodded. Ardagan could easily connect to him, so if this was a dangerous ritual, he would have created a mission for him to reject this. Since Ardagan didn''t do anything, it meant she had been telling the truth. That was the only reason why Noel dared to do it despite having no knowledge about the Spirit Oath.


    After Anna confirmed it, Noel uttered his first question. "What do you know about the lines you have found underneath theke?"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Those lines are called Rune. It''s a kind of Spirit Technique that utilize the Spiritual Energy more effectively. And this particr rune is called Sealing Rune. Like the name implies, it seals something inside." Anna paused for a moment. "Then, it''s my turn. What do you know about Rune?"


    Noel wanted to test it first, so he tried to lie. Surprisingly, his mouth couldn''t open at that time. He even felt a jolt straight to his brain as if warning him not to lie.


    He tried to pull his hand but couldn''t do it as if his hand had been attached to her.


    ''It seems that the only way to stop this is to fulfill the Spirit Oath. No wonder this technique is used for interrogation after a torture.'' Noel thought before answering Anna''s question. "I don''t know anything about runes. I haven''t even learned about it."


    Anna frowned. Because of the Spirit Oath, he was indeed not lying.


    On the contrary, Noel could feel that the restriction in his hand was gone. If he pulled away right now, the Spirit Oath would be broken since both sides had asked and answered one question.


    Still, Noel had another question in his mind. He asked, "Where do you learn about Rune?"


    "¡­" Anna paused for a moment and answered. "From a book called Basic Rune."


    Anna obviously couldn''t say it was from him since it would cause more trouble. So, she told him about the book that he wrote. This was the loophole of a Spirit Oath. She might not be able to lie, but it didn''t mean she needed to tell the whole truth.


    "My turn. From my observation, it doesn''t look like the rune is damaged even though you''ve got the Ice Pearl. But¡­ How long will the rune break?" Anna asked with a serious expression.


    "!!!" Noel''s heart skipped a beat. He realized he had been trapped in thatst question. If he said the time limit, it would make her suspicious because it didn''t match hisck of knowledge.


    On the other hand, he had no way to lie. He wanted to use the fact that it was a sensitive question, but Anna truly took advantage of the loophole.


    ''How do I escape this?'' Noel panicked. ''I can''t lie, but I can''t really tell her the truth. She will suspect me after that. But what should I do?''


    Noel was racking his brain as the electricity shook his brain a few times because he had been trying to lie.


    Anna smirked as if saying, "You''re sweating, Noel. It seems that you''re hiding something."


    Noel gritted his teeth. It was clear that in this situation, they couldn''t say anything but he somehow understood what she was saying in her heart. He also wanted to shout, "Shut up. You''re hiding something as well."


    Unfortunately for him, he couldn''t do it. In fact, could he even escape this situation?

 Chapter 48 Thoughts

    Noel gritted his teeth as the pain started numbing his body. If he continued, he would have passed out sooner orter.


    ''How should I answer this?'' Noel attempted to find the answer that could make him escape this situation, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing came into his mind.


    ''As expected, there''s no way to get around this. In that case, I should avoid the worst case scenario.''


    Noel had resigned to his fate as he said, "It can be tomorrow, it can be a few weeks from now on. Who knows."


    Although the system had told him the time limit, two weeks had passed. So, there were only two to three weeks left. Luckily, he could still say a few weeks since two weeks could still be considered more than one. At least, this y of words was enough to make him look like he didn''t know anything.


    As soon as he answered, he could feel the power that attached both Spirit Seals became loose. Without hesitation, he pulled out and red at her, thinking, ''As expected, that woman wants to trap me. She''s truly a maniptive evil woman.''


    "So, a few weeks, eh?" Anna smirked. "How do you even know the time limit? Maybe you know something about the rune?"


    Noel didn''t want to lose to her, so he said, "What about you? How do you know about Runes? The knowledge itself shouldn''t be passed on since if the effect is like you said, there will be many people learning it already."


    Anna and Noel ended up ring at each other, knowing that they were poking each other.


    "Since you are not nning to ask another question, then I''m going to sleep. I''ve wasted too much time for this." Anna harrumphed and returned to the tent.


    When she lied down, she thought, ''As expected, Noel knows something about the Ancient Demon Tree and the rune. There are many questions that I want to ask, but he won''t fall for the same traps twice. How do I acquire the information from him?


    ''Anyway, the Ancient Demon Tree will wake up soon. Its power will be extremely weak, probably only around Mid Level Demon or a bit higher, but it definitely doesn''t reach Advanced Level Demon. I need to prepare a few things to fight against that tree¡­Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ''And since Noel knows something about the time of the awakening, I should follow him within the next few weeks. I bet he''s going to fight this demon secretly. Sorry, but the Ancient Demon Tree is a huge temptation even for me.'' Anna smirked.


    On the other hand, Noel was looking at the tent with aplicated expression.


    ''How does she know about runes? I haven''t read any records, but if the world knows about such a technique, they''ll be famous already. After all, their reputation will be higher than any other Spirit Users. Even the ignorant me would have heard about them.


    ''That''s why it doesn''t make sense. Should I ask her about the author of that book? Was my ancestor thest person to use it? I wanted to ask Ardagan, but I knew that he wouldn''t give me any answer.


    ''At the same time, Anna Stargaze managed to turn around the situation this whole time. Whether it was my trap or trick, she somehow used it against me. How smart is she?''


    Noel didn''t realize that he was the smarter one among them. The only reason she could turn around the situation was due to him using that particr trick in the previous life.<sub> </sub>


    ''Anyway, I don''t think I''ll be able to get her to answer that. In that case, I should focus on another thing.'' Noel opened the system again. Looking at the Rune Mastery, he was nning to use it because it looked extremely useful.


    After making his decision, he stood up and pulled Ardagan out. "Well, looking out is boring, so I should spend it training. As long as I don''t lower my guard down, I should be able to see any demons around us."


    Without hesitation, Noel started swinging his sword. Obviously, he couldn''t run around because of the situation, but swinging his sword wouldn''t take much movement and attention, allowing him to progress his training faster than his original n.


    After another few hours, Anna woke up. She thought Noel didn''t wake her up, but it seemed she was a bit too early for her shift.


    When she took a peak at the outside, she saw Noel swinging his sword, shocked.


    ''What? Did he use all this time to train his body? Does he not know that rest is important as well?'' Anna wanted to stop him, not knowing that Noel''s body followed the system''s enhancement instead of natural human body''s progress.


    Although rest was good, Noel didn''t need to bother with it too much.


    As soon as Anna came out of the tent, he said, "Since you''re up, it''s time for me to sleep."


    "Y-yeah?" Anna saw Noel passing her nonchntly without even waiting for her answer. Before he entered the tent, Anna shouted, "Wait a minute. Wash your body first. You reeks of sweat!"


    "Does it bother you?" Noel smirked as if nning to use it to annoy her.


    "You don''t want a good meal, don''t you?" Anna narrowed her eyes, not scared of Noel''s threat.


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he eventually snorted and walked to theke.


    Before going to the tent, Noel said, "Listen. I didn''t wash my body because I was scared of your threat. I just wanted to make you work for me like a chef. It sure feels like you''re my maid. Hahaha!"


    Anna chuckled, not caring about Noel''s petty thoughts. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."


    "¡­" Annoyed by Anna''s uninterested reaction, Noel went to the tent with a frown. The moment he lied down, a sweet smell somehow entered his nose.


    ''What is this?'' Noel thought while closing his eyes. ''The sweet smell¡­ somehow feels a bit too rxing¡­ That woman must have used a perfume or something to make her sleep well. I''ll take advantage of it too.''


    Noel didn''t realize that Anna never had something like that as his consciousness had gradually faded, wandering to the dreand.

 Chapter 49 Return

    The next day.


    *ng!*


    *Cling!*


    A few shing sounds echoed inside the wood as Noel was repelling three Low Level Demons at the same time.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. Usually, the demons would split into two groups with at least one of them chasing after Anna, but it seemed he was unlucky today. All three demons ignored Anna and focused on him.


    ''This is annoying.'' Noel nced at Anna who seemed to have no intention to help him. It was clear that she wanted to test Noel''s limit with three Low Level Demons.


    However, Noel was only annoyed, not angry. How could he get angry when the demons came to him?


    Medal: Military Service Merit II


    Requirement: Kill 25 Demons (24/25)


    Reward: Military Service II Medal and 5 Honor Points


    Knowing that the demons were avable for him to kill, Noel could progress his mission and get more Honor Points.


    When the three demons came to attack him, Noel bent his knees and lowered his center of gravity. After that, he used the Ice Control to create an ice floor around him.


    This was the same ice floor that he used to take down Anna in theirst spar. But the ice spread in all directions so that it tripped all the demons.


    The only reason for lowering his center of gravity was to prevent the attack that woulde to his crotch, causing that pain.


    As soon as the demons tripped and started sliding on the ice, Noel took a step back and swiftly cut one of them.


    Swift Strike.


    <o>,m The stroke was quick and precise. Noel knew that the demon didn''t have a hard skin so he used this ability to kill the demon.</o>


    On the other hand, Noel used his Mega sh to take down the other two.


    *Huft!*


    Noel let out a long breath as he felt a bit exhausted after using all those abilities. After making sure he got the kill, Noel turned to Anna. "Why don''t we split the loot right now? It''s better to have more Spiritual Energy."


    "Nope. I can''t let you do that. We need to wait until we reach a safe ce. It might be because you haven''t absorbed one, but if you absorb the crystals continuously, it will make you feel exhausted.


    "Your body will be sluggish because the Spiritual Energy that just entered your body starts circting around. That''s why it''s better to wait until we go back to the fort." Anna exined with a smile.


    "¡­" Noel looked at her for a moment, not satisfied with her exnation. However, he couldn''t retort any of her ims because he indeed felt that when absorbing the first ten crystals.


    ''I don''t know why but he appears more docile in thest couple of days¡­ How can someone change that much in just a few days?'' Anna furrowed her eyebrows, suspecting something wasn''t right in Noel''s personality. She was suspicious that Noel was nning something big to kill her.


    "Whatever." Noel clicked his tongue and gouged the crystals out of the demons'' heads before tossing them to Anna.


    After that, they continued their journey with Noel focusing on killing as many demons as possible. He didn''t even bother with thepetition anymore because he had a clear goal in his mind.


    With the previous mission, he now had 8 Honor Points. As long as he couldplete the next mission which was to kill 50 demons, he would get another 8 Honor Points. With these points, he could learn about Rune.


    Although he didn''t want to admit it, pairing up with her meant to have a better hunt. She somehow managed to work with him, preventing most of the injuries that they would have if they fought alone.


    He might have gotten some bruises and scratches here and there, but he didn''t need to buy anything from his system anymore, saving some Honor Points. He could use those points to upgrade his ability.


    Noel endured all the hardships he needed to endure just to kill one more monster.<sub> </sub>


    "Oi. We should go back right now. This is already the third day and we need to go back before the dusk. The sky has be orange." Anna shouted while watching Noel fighting against four Low Level Demons.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "After this." Noel clicked his tongue.


    "That''s what you said two hours ago!"


    Yeah, Noel had been dying their return trip because he hadn''t finished the mission.


    He needed another three more Low Level Demons to finish the mission.


    "You''re forcing me to kill those demons right now, Noel!" Anna gritted her teeth, frustrated.


    "You can go back first if you want. No one is stopping you."


    "Unlike you, I''m a team person. I can''t abandon my teammate."


    "Then, stick with that curse." Noel shrugged.


    "Kh. This brat." Anna clenched her fists, wanting to smack Noel''s head.


    "What brat? We''re at the same age." Noel nced at her while furrowing his eyebrows as if he noticed something from her words.


    However, his focus soon returned to the demons as he killed the demons one by one.


    It took him another ten minutes to finally finish the fight.


    ''It''s finally done.'' Noel was short of breath, so he gasped for air while observing the demons.


    But his actual gaze lied upon the system screen that only he could see.


    Medal: Military Service Merit III


    Requirement: Kill 50 Demons (50/50)


    Reward: Military Service III Medal and 8 Honor Points


    ''With this, I can start learning about runes.'' Noel thought as he took care of thest few crystals. He then returned to Anna and handed the crystals over. "Let''s go back."


    "Finally! You''re doing at your own pace, aren''t you?"


    Noel looked away, ignoring her.


    "Ignoring me again, eh?" Anna smirked. "Well, whatever. We''ve got a quite big hauls this time. I need to check it again, but I think I''ve killed 137 Low Level Demons and 4 Mid Level Demons. As for you, it should be around 71 Low Level Demons and 1 Mid Level Demons.


    "We''ve agreed to split it evenly. But since we have one excess Mid Level Crystal, I''m going to take it because I contributed more. Also, you need to talk once more or I can simply ignore our agreement and grab everything that is mine."


    "Yeah, sure. So, 104 Low Level Crystals and 2 Mid Level Crystals for both of us. The rest is for you." Noel nodded.


    "Haha, you''re greedy." Anna smirked, teasing him that he would do everything as long as he got benefits from it. This was also something that she could use to gradually change him.


    However, Noel immediately looked away, ignoring him again. He had talked earlier, so the agreement was valid.


    "I want to hit you." Anna''s eyebrows were twitching as she had clenched her fists as if nning to hit her.


    "Then do it!" Noel shrugged. He realized that Anna had another thought about harming him, so he shamelessly used it against her argument.


    "Argh. Just you wait, I''m going to annoy you to deathter!"

 Chapter 50 Acting

    When the two returned, there was only one person in the training ground. He was Shale, the man responsible for the entire test.


    As soon as he saw Noel and Anna, he felt relieved that nothing happened to both of them. Knowing their strength, they would venture deeper to the region, so he was quite worried.


    But when he took a peek at their bag, he realized there was no need to worry about them. It was clear from the bulging in their bag that they''d got a lot of crystals.


    Without hesitation, Anna took out a small pouch with ten Low Level Demon Crystals in it. "This is for the test."


    "Certainly." He epted the pouch with a smile. "Well, this will be given back to you after the official appointment from themander himself."


    "So, the pair is going to continue?" Noel frowned.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Yes. Normally, it will be a group of three, but themander hasn''t decided whether to keep the current arrangement or go back to the usual procedure. It''ll be announced the day after tomorrow. You''ve got a whole day to rest." Shale nodded.


    "In that case, do you mind if I ask you something?" Noel raised his hand with a poker face.


    "What is it? I''m telling you this, but if you want to learn about Spiritual Energy, you should wait for the appointment ceremony."


    "No. I''m sure that I won''t be able to learn everything after that. So, I want to read some books about it. Even if you don''t want to teach me, there shouldn''t be a problem if I read something, right?"


    "Hmm¡­" Shale thought for a moment. "To be honest, because theck of literacy among themoners, there are no rules stating that you can''t go to the library to read things. There are, of course, a few records about it. And we''re nning to teach you the foundation of the Spiritual Energy."


    "Since there is no record, that means I can go in, right?" Noel kept pressuring him for an answer.


    Shale was hesitating, but Noel''s expression ended up making him agree. "Yes There is no rule stating that you can''t read either. If you want to read some books, you should ask Evan in Infirmary. He has the control over it."


    "Understood." Noel nodded, satisfied.


    Anna was a bit skeptical about this matter, but there wasn''t anything interesting in the library. She also couldn''t really follow him to the library since it had gone beyond the boundary.


    People might even think her as a pervert who loved to follow Noel everywhere. Ultimately, she decided to focus on her training.


    "Since you''re done, bring all the items you''ve used there and go back."


    Noel and Anna nodded at the same time as they immediately put their luggage down and split the crystals.


    Due to them giving ten crystals to Shale, they ended up with only 99 Low Level Crystals and 2 Mid Level Crystals each.


    Of course, Shale, who was watching the entire transaction, could only suck a cold breath as this was the first time there was a pair that could bring back more than two hundred Low Level Crystals. They even had Mid Level Crystals.


    ''They surely got a lot.'' Shale thought before raising his head, sensing someone''s presence. He looked at the tower on the corner of the training ground and released his killing intent, warning this guy to not mess with him. They were the trainees under his protection, so eliminating the trainees would mean his failure in protecting them.<sub> </sub>


    There was already a lot of pressure since the outbreak, so he couldn''t allow any more mishap. After Noel and Anna went separate ways, Shale immediately disappeared from the training ground.


    The mysterious guy with a ck suit that covered his entire body other than his eyes suddenly felt a cold, sharp de on his neck. He sucked a cold breath because he couldn''t even feel Shale''s presence when he approached him.


    "Who are you? Depending on your answer, I might need to kill you." Shale''s expression was cold as he wouldn''t have any hesitation to kill him the moment he didn''t get a satisfactory exnation.


    To his surprise, Anna managed to climb the tower as well, albeit far slower than Shale.


    "He is with me, Instructor."


    "Mhm?" Shale nced at Anna for a moment as if he was hesitating to believe it. There were too many things he needed to consider, but Anna was the genius of the kingdom. After a momentary contemtion, he lowered his sword and said, "As long as you don''t do anything dangerous, I''ll turn blind eyes on this. Even though you''re a noble, we still have rules here, Anna Stargaze. I''m sure that even Marquis Stargaze doesn''t want to fight ourmander."


    "That is of course. Don''t worry. I''ll handle this properly." Anna nodded calmly.


    After getting the assurance, Shale let out a helpless sigh before disappearing again.


    ''As expected, he is not an ordinary man. Shale, the Demon Exterminator¡­ He is considered to be one of the top ten fighters in this fort. And above him is themander of Demon Banner Army. With this line up, they''re considered to be one of the strongest force in the kingdom. If not for their role to maintain the safety of the kingdom, their influence will be spread far.'' Anna thought, assessing Shale''s strength.


    "Young Miss." The guy in the ck suit hurriedly fell on one knee, apologizing for the blunder.


    "That''s enough. I''m sure that you''re already aware of what kind of ce this fort is, right?"


    "Yes. But Master is worried about you."


    "I can protect myself." Anna snorted.


    "That''s¡­ It''s because Young Miss has paired up with¡­" The guy looked away and stopped his sentence. However, his meaning was clear.


    Anna smirked evilly as she said with killing intent. "Don''t you think it''s amusing? What if there is a person who plotted your entire family''s execution in front of you? And no matter what you do, you can''t surpass that person, let alone kill her? His heart will break apart slowly but surely. I''m going to y with him a bit and make him fall into despair¡­ Yes, I''m going to break him apartpletely."


    "¡­" The guy lowered his head. When he felt the killing intent, he felt Anna said the truth. He couldn''t help but think her action was vicious. However, it was clear that Anna wouldn''t have any rtionship with their enemy, Noel Ardagan.


    "If you understand, go back and tell my father not to send anyone else here. It''s annoying."


    "I understand. I shall convey Young Miss'' intention." The guy nodded and disappeared.


    After his presence disappeared, Anna''s cold expression turned to a poker face as she muttered inwardly, ''That''s done. It should be enough to fool my father for the time being. Now, my task has increased¡­ I can''t only mend my rtionship with Noel, but I need to handle the rtionship with my family as well. Such a troublesome task¡­''

 Chapter 51 Rune Mastery

    Meanwhile, Noel hurriedly went to the infirmary to meet Evan.


    Not expecting to have a visitor, Evan furrowed upon this sudden intrusion. He asked coldly, "What are you doing here? It seems that there are bruises and grazes here and there, but it''s not something that I should heal. I don''t want to waste too much power."


    "No. You misunderstood me." Noel calmly exined. "I actually want to go to the library to learn more about Spiritual Energy."


    "Library?" Evan widened his eyes in shock. This was the first time someone asked him about reading books.


    "Yes. Sir Shale sent me here and told me that I could ask you."


    "So, you want to learn more about the Spiritual Energy? Just wait for the official appointment. You''ll be learning Spiritual Energy for a few months before graduating to be a real soldier."


    "I know that, but I can get the full details and exnation if I read the books."


    "Fair enough. This is the first time someone wants to read a book. But well, most of the trainees here aremoners, so they can''t really read and write. Most of them onlyes back after a few months or years. Well, I guess I can give the permission¡­ But with my schedule."


    "I understand. I appreciate the help." Noel nodded.


    "You can only enter the library with my permission and you need to leave before I go back."


    Noel agreed without hesitation.


    "Then, you should go back first. My shift will end in half an hour, so there won''t be any time to read. If you''re serious about it, meet me tomorrow at dawn."


    "Understood. Thank you for your help." Noel then left the room with a smile on his face. With this, the first task had beenpleted.


    The second task was learning how to cook. As long as he couldn''t cook, Anna would have the supremacy. Hence, he should use this time to turn around the situation.


    At the same time, he needed to schedule his days properly because he wouldn''t have too much time for helping people and training.


    Hence, he returned to his room to make the ns for everything.


    With the addition of the trainings from the army, he would only have one or two hours to read the book in the morning. He then nned the rest of his schedule in the evening.


    "This should be enough." Noel nodded with a smile, satisfied with the schedule. After that, he looked at the bag that carried more than one hundred crystals.


    "In that case, I should focus on getting stronger." Noel then poured all the crystals on the ground as he closed his eyes while putting the crystals on top of Ardagan''s Spirit Seal.


    He could feel the steep increase in his Spiritual Energy. The warm feeling from the Spiritual Energy spread all over his body to the point it made his consciousness a bit fuzzy.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "I see. So, this is it¡­ It has reached the point beyond ufortable. It''s bing painful to absorb one." Noel sighed. "I have only absorbed fifty of them. It seems that is my current limit. I can rx for a bit to cool down my body''s temperature, or¡­"


    Noel remembered the pearl and ice spirit. He took off his shirt and tried to absorb the Spiritual Energy through Heisk''s Spirit Seal.


    To his surprise, Heisk''s Spirit Seal sent a chill all over his body.


    "So, that''s how it is. Ardagan''s me is increasing my temperature and Heisk''s ice is cooling down my body. If I absorb through both of them at the same time, I might be able to increase the rate of my absorption as well as preventing my body from being exhausted.<sub> </sub>


    "Though, I''m not sure whether it''s safe or not for my body. I should consult Ardagan and Heisk about this first."


    After a while, Noel decided to enter his consciousness. As expected, Ardagan and Heisk told him that there wouldn''t be anyplication if he did it like that. Both Spirits had imed that they didn''t feel difort, so the means must be safe.


    With the approval of those two, Noel hurriedly absorbed all the crystals without hesitation. This way, he managed to erase the side effects that Anna talked about. Although he couldn''t show this to everyone else, it was good enough for him.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Military Service Merit III (Spiritual Energy +2%)


    Low Quality Crystal - 109/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 2/3000


    "This is great. I can feel that my Spiritual Energy has be a lot stronger. I believe that even normal people won''t have any trouble in killing 2500 Low Level Demons. This will give everyone a chance to be stronger at the start.


    "Then, they will start having difficulty in Mid Level Demon and Advance Level Demon. Depending on their abilities, they can fill them as well. And those who manage to do it must be elites. I think that''s how it is? I need to make sure about it with the books tomorrow." Noel smiled.


    "Anyway, I''m d that I have Ardagan with me. A 100% Conversion Rate is simply a perfect Conversion Rate. Its power is beyond everyone''s imagination. Even at my current state, my Spiritual Energy is twice as much as the people who have 50% Conversion Rate¡­


    "Still, I can''t be toocent. Although I have a lot of Spiritual Energy, I need to keep training my body. If I can''t use the Spiritual Energy well, I won''t be able to defeat that Anna. That''s why Spiritual Energy is useless without properbat techniques. Hence, I should learn something that can increase my power. And that is¡­"


    Noel smiled and opened his system, buying 5 Skill Points from the shop and spending all of them on Rune Mastery.


    To his surprise, there were a few information Ardagan gave him.


    [You''ve learned Rune Mastery.]


    [Officially open the Rune Swordsman Path.]


    Skill: Increase Agility Rune (0/3)


    Requirement: 3 SP


    Skill: Strength Blessing Rune (0/3)


    Requirement: 3 SP


    At the same time of the notification, his brain also received an influx of information about Rune.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. There were so much information to process and they were in pieces, so it would be hard to sort them. However, Noel could say one thing for sure. Raising the Rune Mastery was worth it.

 Chapter 52 Learning (1)

    Noel fell on his butt after receiving the knowledge. Despite being a basic knowledge, their information was quiteplete.


    "Let''s see¡­" Noel looked down, sorting the information. "Rune is a way to draw Spiritual Energy in a more unique way. They''re not necessarily the quickest one, but they can amplify the Spiritual Energy.


    "Normally, the Spiritual Energy will move to their destination immediately. If I want to infuse my Spiritual Energy into my sword, they''ll just keep flowing into it one at a time. However, Rune can gather them in one ce, allowing me to umte the Spiritual Energy instead of wasting them.


    "Sadly, there is not much knowledge about the Spiritual Energy here. All I can see is that instead of pouring the Spiritual Energy to the target, it''s better to use the rune to gather it and create an explosive power.


    "Each person has their own unique rune. However, there are numerous basic strokes that one can learn to understand their function and purpose.


    "For now, I only get five basic strokes. Their purposes are for Spiritual Energy Gathering, Spiritual Energy Storage, Spiritual Energy Explosion, Body Amplification, and Body Connection.


    "I don''t understand much about it, but if I''m not wrong, the Strength Blessing Rune or Increase Agility Rune relies a lot on Body Amplification and Body Connection. They also need Spiritual Energy Gathering and Energy Storage to maintain their power. I can understand why upgrading the Rune Mastery unlocks the two runes.


    "I should go back to the forest right now and see the rune under theke. But at the same time, I don''t know if my shallow knowledge can do anything about it or not. And it will also make Anna Stargaze realize I''ve understood something about runes.


    "That''s right. I''m nning to use another identity soon. How about I use the Ancient Demon Tree as a debut for my second identity? With the help of the rune, I can make my identity unknown because of this unique ability." Noel muttered in a low voice.


    Due to the influx of information, Noel knew that he needed to prepare his second identity as soon as possible. At the same time, he needed to focus in strengthening his basics while holding some of his power back.


    If he and his second identity had the same amount of power, people would figure it out soon.


    Last but not least, he needed to think carefully about his weapon.


    "Now that I think about it, how do I hide my sword? Should I get a new weapon?" Noel narrowed his eyes while remembering how the sword had two colors when they first merged.


    After a while, he met with Ardagan and Heisk once again.


    "There is no need to think much about it, Master. We can simply change it anytime you wish it." Both Ardagan and Heisk gave the same reply.


    "What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    Heisk then looked at Ardagan and said, "Please."


    Inside the gem in the sword hilt, a blue snowke shone. Suddenly, Ardagan''s ck color turned white while the red part changed into blue.


    Although Noel could see that the sword''s body was still the same, Ardagan''s body itself was simr to the mass produced sword from the kingdom. People wouldn''t easily suspect him this way.


    "I see. So, I can just talk to you about this?"


    "Yes. Whenever Master wishes for a change, you can simply ask us. We''re here to help you after all." Ardagan answered.


    "Alright. With this, I can start the preparation." Noel smiled and waved his hands. "Thank you for the help. I''m going back."<sub> </sub>


    "Yes, Master."


    Noel returned to the reality sooner than he expected. Although the sword was still ck, he knew that he could simply request Ardagan to change his color.


    "In that case, I should start writing down all the information about runes. Even I have a hard time organizing them because there are too much information. It''s easier to sort them when I have the physical copy. I can burn the bookter or whatever." Noel shrugged.


    If Anna saw him writing this book, she would be stunned because this book would be the first guide of the runes called ''Basic Rune.'' Yes, the book that she told Noel about.


    After putting down his thoughts, Noel took a rest since he needed to meet Evan early in the morning.


    As expected, Noel ended up waiting for Evan. It took him thirty minutes before Evan finally arrived at the infirmary.


    Upon seeing him, Evan sighed, "It seems that you''ve waited for quite a while. I''ve seen your determination. Follow me."


    He thought someone like Noel would have a hard time toe this early in the morning where most people hadn''t even started working.


    So, his determination andck ofint pleased him. Evan decided to bring him to the library.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The room turned out to be located two doors away from the infirmary. When Evan opened the doors, Noel could only see a small room with only one bookshelf. Even that shelf is only half filled.


    "This is¡­" Noel widened his eyes.


    "Not many can read and books aren''t necessities since we''re teaching you all the basics. So, there are not many books that we collect." Evan shrugged and approached the shelf. "Still, if you want to learn about Spiritual Energy, I suggest these two books."


    Evan put down two books on the table.


    Curious, Noel approached the table and read their titles.


    Spirit System.


    Basic Application of Spiritual Energy.


    "Spirit System is basically the introductory book for Spirits. You will understand more about your spirits by reading this book, including demon ssifications as well as the usage of their crystals. I don''t know much about you, but I think you don''t have any knowledge about Spirits, so I suggest to read this book first.


    "Then, you can continue to this Basic Application of Spiritual Energy. As the name implies, now that you''re aware of Spiritual Energy, you can learn how to manipte it inside your body. They can do many things. Even so, if you want to get stronger, you need to know about Spirit first because Spiritual Energy alone is not enough."


    "I understand. Thank you so much for the help." Noel nodded with a serious expression. These two books were truly what he needed, especially remembering how he was trapped by the Spirit Oath.


    "I don''t think there are many people that wille to the infirmary today, soe to me if you have any questions. But you need to finish reading the whole book first before asking a question rted to it." Evan waved his hand and left with a poker face.


    Even so, his action couldn''t help but give warmth to Noel''s heart. Despite his nonchnt and not caring appearance, Evan truly took care of others.

 Chapter 53 Learning (2)

    "Hmm¡­ Spirit is born from human''s desire. After realizing one''s true desire, the spirit will manifest ording to that desire.


    "Normally, people will recognize their true desire in six months to five years because people believe that their desires are their goals, not what they truly want.


    "And because they''re from your desires, the Spirit has a unique character. They''ll support you in using their power, but in their own way. Because the Spirit shares their senses with you, they''ll know what you''re thinking¡­ No wonder Ardagan can give all those missions and simply talk to me in an emergency.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "The Spirit itself has a simr ssification to demons. There are five ssifications for spirits based on their conversion rate.


    "1% to 25% is Low Level Spirit.


    "26% to 50% is Mid Level Spirit.


    "51% to 75% is Advanced Level Spirit.


    "76% to 99% is Ancient Level Spirit.


    "Lastly, 100% Conversion Rate means you have the Legendary Spirit. There are not many records about Legendary Spirit because thest person to have it is Arvart Ardagan. It''s said that Spirit itself is rted to one''s bloodline, so people are trying to marry those with higher conversion rate for the chance that their descendants to have a higher conversion rate.


    "The higher the Conversion Rate, the more Spiritual Energy you can have. To grow your Spiritual Energy, you need to absorb the Spiritual Energy from Demon Crystals.


    "Well, this is the first time I learn that Ardagan is a Legendary Spirit. However, it''s truly surprising that Ardagan can help Heisk increasing her Conversion Rate. Either way, I can make use of this information."


    Noel kept reading page after page. He learned all the basic knowledge about Spirits from the Spirit ssification to Spirit Seal to Spirit Oath.


    The information might not beplete but it should be enough to avoid being fooled again by Anna.


    After learning about the Spirits, Noel began to read the second book. He had a time off, so he didn''t mind spending all his time in the library.


    Obviously, he had many questions that he wanted to ask to Evan, but because of the promise, he ended up writing down his questions first.


    Luckily, the books weren''t that thick, allowing him to finish one book in just four hours.


    As soon as he finished, Noel went to Evan to ask some questions. Although Evan kept showing an annoyed expression, he continued answering him until there were no more questions left.


    Even Evan didn''t expect for Noel to be able to learn all that from just two books. It showed how much Noel''s imagination was.


    He explored the possibility from the knowledge instead of taking everything he learned as it was.


    As expected, due to the number of the questions and discussions they had, Evan became too busy that he ended up going back to his houseter than usual.


    Still, Noel was smiling the whole time as he gained so much knowledge that gave him endless possibility.<sub> </sub>


    That night, Noel immediately applied the knowledge he just got.


    While sitting on a lotus pose, Noel closed his eyes, focusing his attention to the Spirit Seal.


    "People who haven''t found their Spirit will have a trouble finding the Spirit Core. To put it simply, the Spirit Core is where the Spirit channels their energy.


    "The Spiritual Energy given by the Spirit can now be channeled to the entire body depending on the intention. Of course, learning how to move it alone requires a huge amount of time. This whole time, I''ve been taking advantage of Ardagan''s skills, which seems to be controlled by him.


    "If I want to get stronger, I need to learn how to control the Spiritual Energy myself. I might still use Ardagan''s skills, but I''ll control how much power and how fast the Spiritual Energy flows when using that skill.


    "At the same time, by using Ardagan''s skills, I can learn how the Spiritual Energy flows in my body. This will help him inprehending the Spiritual Energy.


    "The flow of the Spiritual Energy itself carries a special feeling so it can make one recognize it easier.


    "Anyway, with the help of Ardagan, I can skip a few stages¡­ I don''t need to find the Spirit Core since the Spirit Cores are on my Spirit Seals. Then, I need to learn how to direct the movement of the Spiritual Energy from both seals. It''ll take more time, but Ardagan helps me through his skills.


    "After learning how to direct the flow, I will learn about each application like muscle strengthening, senses enhancement, hiding presence and so on. Yeah, that sounds like a n for me."


    Noel had decided his priority as he immediately took out Ardagan, preparing to use Swift Strike and Mega sh to feel the movement of the Spiritual Energy.


    Although he could barely feel it, Noel felt the increased temperature in his hand and a drop in temperature in his heart. The two seals had different powers, so he expected this.


    ording to the book, the best imagination that one could use for flowing Spiritual Energy was like a water that smoothly flowed on a calm river.


    Noel used that imagination to send a signal to his brain. It seemed that the brain was the one controlling the flow of energy, but how much one could transfer depended on the concentration and mastery.


    Noel didn''t give up in trying no matter how he felt. Although barely, he could see the improvement.


    To his surprise, the learning process actually amused him to the point he forgot about time. Without him realizing, he had wasted more than seven hours in meditation.


    He needed to sleep but at the same time, his excitement couldn''t go down after discovering the Spiritual Energy.


    Ultimately, his curiosity got the best of him. He ended up using the remaining time to continue his training.


    As a result, Noel''s eyebrows were so heavy when he did his morning routine. Even his mood decreased because of theck of sleep.


    "This is annoying. Lack of sleep can annoy and bother me this much¡­ Why do humans need to sleep anyway?" Noel sighed as he went to the barrack with a fool mood, hoping that Anna wouldn''t do something worse today.

 Chapter 54 Goal

    After a long training, Noel finally returned to the training ground with the rest of the trainees.


    It seemed they had an important announcement. Even Shale straightened his back and wore formal clothes as if he was receiving someone with a high rank.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    To everyone''s surprise, a middle-aged man walked to the tform. The man had fierce and sharp gaze that could send chills down one''s spine with just a single look. His muscr body was even excluding an aura that made them feel they were just a hopeless prey.


    Noel recognized him because he was the most important person in this fort, themander, Oscar.


    Unlike the pity or gentle expression he showed in the past, Oscar didn''t seem to want to give any differential treatment to the trainees.


    After taking a nce at all the trainees, Oscar opened his mouth, speaking with his deep, gant voice. "I am themander of this fort, Oscar. I congratte you for finishing the test with flying colors. Although it''s unfortunate that people died in thest outbreak, it''s impressive that you didn''t fall into the same pit in thest test.


    "With this, I''ve recognized you to have graduated from the trainees introduction ss. Now, you shall be the Junior Soldier of my Demon Banner Army.


    "If you want to be a full-fledged soldier, you have an objective that you''ll need toplete within one year. Shale will give you the full exnationter.


    "What I want to say here is that¡­ The number of our soldiers might not be high, but¡­" Oscar paused as he took a deep breath before shouting with all his pride. "¡­our soldiers are elites! They have the strength of a hundred if not thousands of men! Why?


    "Because we''ll pour our resources on each of you and give you the best training we can provide.


    "What we provide is the power to fight a hundred demons! Spiritual Energy! You''ve collected ten Demon Crystals with the first test. We''ll teach you how to induce the Spiritual Energy from within the Demon Crystals.


    "This is the use of Spiritual Energy!" Oscar raised his right hand as a blue-colored meing out.


    The me stunned the trainees. Even though they had seen Spiritual Energy from Anna and Noel, they only saw the particles.


    However, Oscar condensed me with that Spiritual Energy. "Spiritual Energy can be used for many things. Strengthening your muscle, thus enhancing your strength and speed. Giving an explosive boost on your foot so that you can jump higher or faster. Anything!


    "Including a powerful attack like this." Oscar punched upward, releasing all the me on his hand.


    However, the small me that came from his fist suddenly erupted and turned into a giant tornado.


    Even if they were far away from him, they could feel the intense heat from it. They thought they would be burned alive if they came closer to this me.


    "This is what you''ll learn in the next one year while aplishing your mission. I know that most of you don''t have any literacy skills, but we''ll also provide you with the basics so that you can read and write. This is a must!


    "All the detailed information shall be exined by Shaleter. He''ll be your mentor for one year. Prove to us that you can be an elite soldier. I wish you luck." Oscar ended it with a nod as he turned around, leaving the tform or even the training ground.


    Not a single of the trainees pped their hands or even moved. But it was clear that the me in their heart was ignited.


    If they were employed by a local noble or an imperial army, they might not be taught Spiritual Energy. But in this ce, they would be the most elite soldiers in the entire kingdom. There was no one who didn''t get excited from such a tempting future.<sub> </sub>


    They swore in their hearts.


    "I''ll survive."


    "I''llplete this training."


    "I''ll be an elite soldier."


    Noel''s expression was serious this whole time as he had an entirely different reason forpleting this training. He just wanted to get stronger to have his revenge.


    As long as he could get stronger, he could help more people and gain people''s affections. In the future, there would be a chance for an uprising. This would be his revenge.


    After seeing off themander, Shale walked to the tform and said, "I shall be exining your tasks in one year.


    "There are three main things you need to clear within a year. First shall be your basic literacy. We often have a record of your mission and journey, so it''ll be easier if you can read and write.


    "The second task is to learn basic application of Spiritual Energy. I believe you''ve seen what a Spiritual Energy can aplish. The reason we''re elites because all our soldiers can use their Spiritual Energy unlike any other army. We''re here to fight demons, so don''t misuse this power! As long as you''re in the right, our army will back you up!


    "Last but not least, you have toplete ten missions from us. They''re divided into two, solo mission and group mission! You''re not an elite soldier just because you''re strong! You''re an elite soldier because you have good judgment skills and powerful strength.


    "If you just take your training as it is, you''ll be strong, but you won''t be wise. We won''t limit your creativity¡­ That''s why you''ll be the one to judge your own schedule. When and where will you go for a mission? Will you take a single mission or two at once? That''s entirely up to your decision making.


    "Just to remind you that if you haven''tpleted five Solo Missions and five Group Missions within one year, you''ll be expelled from the army. Any questions?!"


    Shale looked at the junior soldiers in the training ground.


    Surprisingly, one of them raised their hands, asking, "Sir! I have a question. Don''t you think it''s still beneficial for us even if we don''t finish the missions? With such a skill set, we can be paid high from other lords? You''re not nning to kill us or something?"


    Shale shook his head. "The answer is simple. What we''ll be teaching you is a basic. You might be able to live a leisure life with what you learn from this ce, but you won''t be the elite among elite. In fact, your true training will start afterpleting all these tasks.


    "There are many of our soldiers who retire from this ce and be the head knight of noble households. It''s them who are begging you to stay in their house. Can you see the privilege now? It''s you who will choose them, not the other way around. They might even marry their son or daughter to you and make you a noble! You can be a stronger knight in their territory if you don''t aplish the missions, but that will be all your achievements. You won''t be able to climb to an even higher ce!"


    Shale''s statement shocked everyone as they never thought about this. Bing the head knight or even a noble? It was a truly shocking privilege.


    Those who wanted to join this army already had a high ambition but when learning about the potential, they realized they didn''t aim high enough. With this fire igniting their desire, they clenched their fists and swore. "I will make it."


    Shale smiled after seeing their expressions. "Now then, I''ll exin the details."

 Chapter 55 Challenge

    After a bit of exnation from Shale, all junior soldiers sat down in a lotus pose. Shale had given them five Demon Crystals each for this next training.


    "Just close your eyes and take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere in the morning to feel the Spiritual Energy from the Demon Crystal," said Shale while observing their progress.


    As expected from Anna, she already absorbed the Spiritual Energy with her own Spirit Seal. In fact, she had been emitting Spiritual Energy from her body in perfect harmony as if this meditation was just a way for her to strengthen the connection between them.


    ''She has been using Spiritual Energy skillfully in the training, so I don''t need to teach her anything. The control is very stable, so she''ll get stronger just fine. On the other hand¡­'' Shale turned to Noel who had been training with Anna.


    In the training, Noel also let out his Spiritual Energy, but unlike Anna, his control was sloppy. He could only use the Spiritual Energy on his sword.


    ''Well, he has absorbed the Demon Crystals, but¡­'' Shale nced at the purple crystals that now had turned gray. It was the proof that he had absorbed all the Spiritual Energy from it. However, Noel couldn''t release any Spiritual Energy he had despite having plenty of it. ''It''s going to be tough for him from now on. He needs to learn how to control his Spiritual Energy as soon as possible.''


    After a while, Shale said, "Every morning, you''ll be meditating for four hours! The rest will be your physical training and group training. Because of the missions you can get, attending my ss is notpulsory anymore. You can do your own meditation and training at your own room, but if you''re here, you can consult me with your problems. I''ll help as much as possible.


    "If you want a mission, juste to me and I can show you the mission catalog you can choose from. I can read them for you but I''m sure that you can understand why we want you to have basic literacy skills.


    "Anyway, that''s all I have to say. For now, you can go to your pair and discuss your schedule and n for the next one year. After that, you can continue meditating." Shale then walked away from them, giving them some space.


    Anna came to Noel and sat in front of him while asking, "So, what do you have in mind?"


    It was true that Anna had already nned everything with her experiences, but she believed Noel''s brain was smarter than her, so she also needed to ask for his opinion.


    Noel slowly opened his eyes and said, "There are group assignments, huh¡­"


    "That''s right. You can''t escape from me." Anna smirked, teasing him.


    "Can we change our pair?" Noel sighed.


    "Haha!" Anna chuckled.


    To their surprise, Shale appeared next to them while saying, "You can! This is a special privilege for all of you. If you want to change your partner, you can simply kick someone else from that party.


    "In other words, you can beat someone else from another group and rece their position. It''s easy, right?"


    "!!!" Anna and Noel widened their eyes. In fact, everyone also heard his statement.


    Noel acted as if he was tempted by it while Anna gritted her teeth, ring at Shale as if she hated him for giving that idea to Noel.<sub> </sub>


    The others even had that thought because Anna was a huge temptation for all of them. Having Anna in their group meant they could easily achieve the top. At the same time, they could ask her about all their questions since Anna was knowledgeable. And for men, there was no way they would let go the chance to work together with a beauty.


    Still, if they wanted to work with Anna, they needed to defeat Noel. Although they didn''t want to admit it, Noel was stronger than them due to his Spiritual Energy.


    If not for Anna covering her sword with Spiritual Energy, the wooden sword wouldpletely be shattered by his attack. So, before learning about Spiritual Energy, it would be foolish to challenge Noel.


    Yet, no matter how obvious it was, there was always someone foolish, ignorant, and arrogant enough to do it.


    A muscr man approached them while asking, "So, Sir Shale. Does that mean we can challenge that person?"


    "Of course. The other party has no right to refuse. However, I need to remind you that you can only challenge the same person once! We have a talented healer in our infirmary, so as long as you don''t kill the other party, it''s alright. Oh, don''t cut anyone, alright?" Shale smirked.


    "Since the other party can''t refuse then¡­" The muscr man walked to Noel while looking down on him. "I want to challenge you!"


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows because this person was the one who bullied him the most. He was the one that led Lezlev and other bullies to attack him in the training.


    However, unlike all of them, this one didn''t stop bothering him. If not for Anna, he would continue to bully him.


    That was why he thought he needed to settle this grudge. Although he couldn''t kill him, he could still beat him ck and blue until he feared him. This way, no one would bully him anymore.


    "Hmm." Shale narrowed his eyes and said, "Alright. I shall authorize this fight. Because you''ve just returned here, the duel will be held tomorrow morning before the meditation."Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "¡­" Noel closed his eyes as if he had epted the duel.


    "Hmph. Don''t run away!" The muscr man snorted and walked away.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue, annoyed. Everyone thought she must be angry because she couldn''t torture Noel again if thetter lost.


    At the same time, Alfred and surprisingly Kirika looked at this pair as if they were interested in it.


    Surprisingly, Noel said to Anna, "One solo mission near the fort within the first month. The rest can be scheduledter."


    "Hoh? You sounded like you can win tomorrow. Do you want me that much? Or do you love the pain that I inflicted? Pervert." Anna smirked.


    "I simply think this is my best choice to kill you." Noel shrugged.

 Chapter 56 Warmth

    Aftering to an agreement with Anna, Noel continued his training like normal. Other than the meditation and some additional training in mobilizing the Spiritual Energy, there was no change in their schedule.


    Of course, Noel still couldn''t use his Spiritual Energy yet. He only took advantage of the skills to manipte the Spiritual Energy. However, his control improved by leaps and bounds due to the skills.


    He expected that he could do a basic control of his Spiritual Energy within a week.


    Before going back to his room, he made another trip to visit the street kids that he looked after.


    They danced every time Noel visited them. And it was clear that they became more skillful as time passed. From the awkward and robotic movement to a fluid but still awkward dance, Noel was impressed by their progress.


    Their progress stuck in Noel''s heart because they proved what he believed in. As long as one worked hard for it, they could still be good at it.


    With their talent, they somehow managed to make a bit of money to at least buy food themselves.


    Noel started to grow attached to them.


    "Everyone''s be good." Noel smiled.


    "Thanks to Big Brother Noel. We wouldn''t be anything without Big Brother Noel." The bright kid that first met Noel replied with a smile. He was the leader of these kids, guiding them to make their own money instead of begging or stealing. It was hard at first and they got scorned by others, but every penny they got felt so satisfying. The food became even more delicious.


    After learning this pleasure, he continued to lead the kids to do it.


    "Is that so? You know how to tter now, Eric?" Noel smiled.


    "My brother is too stupid to think about ttery." A female kid came over while shaking her head helplessly, disappointed by Eric.


    "Erica!" Eric pouted while ring at her.


    Erica looked away.


    "Is that so? I guess that''s true." Noel chuckled.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "What?!" Eric gasped and took a step back. He was shocked by the sudden betrayal.


    The othersughed together.


    "It seems that you have been managing the group, Erica. Well done." Noel smiled and patted her head.


    "It''s thanks to Big Brother Noel. You taught us that we needed to work hard to pursue our ideal life instead of epting our fate." Erica answered with resolve, but when their gaze intertwined, she couldn''t help but look away, feeling embarrassed.


    Food wasn''t the only thing she bought with the money they earned. They also paid for clothes. The tidier and cleaner they were, the more people would be more impressed by them after all.


    Despite being amoner, Erica seemed to have this understanding without Noel teaching her anything.


    "Is that so? Haha, you make me embarrassed." Noel smiled.


    "She used my words and tweaked it a little." Eric pouted.<sub> </sub>


    "Well, I hope that you can continue bing better and better!" Noel waved his hand and started walking away.


    "In the future, we''ll get very good! We''ll perform at Big Brother Noel''snd to repay Big Brother!" Erica shouted before Noel left them.


    Noel felt moved. If he was still a noble, he might not care about their words and even ignored them. But with his current status, he could see the world differently and appreciate all small things.


    "Is that so? I''m looking forward to it."


    The kids waved their hands with a smile.


    Unbeknownst to them, there was one person that looked at this group from afar. His expression was cold and even had a shred of killing intent.


    Noel didn''t know that there was danger looming nearby.


    After returning to his room, Noel made thest preparation for their duel.


    He had four weapons to defeat Azgar: pure swordsmanship, Mega sh, Swift Strike and his Ice Control. By no circumstances he could use his Rune Mastery. He even refrained himself from using the remaining Honor Points to learn one of the two runes.


    He had experienced fighting against Anna many times, so he expected a victory against his opponent.''


    The next day.


    Noel and the bully, Azgar, stood in front of each other. All the junior soldiers seemed to attend this duel as they wanted to measure Noel''s true strength to see whether it was possible or not to take his position.


    They both were equipped by a wooden sword, but Azgar chose a bigger sword to match his build. It was clear that he would have a powerful swing. Even Noel would have a hard time blocking this.


    However, Noel could use his Spiritual Energy topletely crush that sword before defeating Azgar. But whether Noel would use it or not was another question.


    The junior soldiers stood in the side of the training ground, allowing the two to have the whole training ground for themselves.


    Shale stood in the middle as he became the referee of this official challenge. He also needed to make sure that none of them died.


    With a calm expression, Shale said, "I need to remind you about the rules. We''re soldiers from the Demon Banner Army. Using all kinds of tricks are allowed because it''s the proof that we can defeat demons with everything.


    "However, there are two lines that you mustn''t cross. First, you''re not allowed to cut someone''s body. Our doctor might be able to heal broken bones or superficial injuries, but it can''t reattach or regrow body parts. Second, you shall not kill your opponent. If you somehow kill your enemy, the fort''s rules shall apply. Whether you''re amoner or a noble, if you kill someone here, you''ll be jailed for at least twenty years if not getting executed.


    "Don''t try to challenge our authority. The moment we know you kill someone, we''re going to enforce the rules. Once a count''s son killed amoner here and his father executed him on the spot because he feared us." Shale exined the rules and finally took a step back.


    "If you understand then¡­"


    He paused for a moment as Noel and Azgar raised their swords, preparing to sh.


    "Start!"

 Chapter 57 Shaken

    "Start!"


    The moment they heard Shale''s signal, Noel and Azgar leaped forward.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    To gain as much experience as he could, Noel wanted to fight Azgar without his Spiritual Energy first to measure how far he could go with only his Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    Noel swung his sword from the left while Azgar mmed his sword toward Noel''s head, wanting to crush it.


    However, Noel skillfully struck Azgar''s sword and slightly pushed the sword so that it moved away from its trajectory. At the same time, Noel had a few small steps to push his body to the other side, allowing him to avoid this powerful strike.


    Once Azgar hit the ground, a small shock wave kicked up the dust. It was clear that Noel would have bled if he was hit.


    Noel nced at the power behind that swing while taking a few steps back, regaining some distance from Azgar.


    His expression remained calm as he had expected this kind of battle. At the same time, he checked his hands'' conditions. Luckily, he didn''t feel anything because he didn''t try to block the hit earlier.


    Azgar didn''t want to let him go because this was his chance to defeat Noel. Before thetter used his Spiritual Energy, he needed to win.


    Hence, Azgar hurriedly chased after Noel and made a diagonal swing from above.


    This time, Noel tried something different. Instead of dodging the attack, Noel parried this attack with his sword. But the result was expected. Azgar''s strength overwhelmed Noel''s and immediately pushed his sword back.


    His sword continued making its way toward Noel''s neck. Unbeknownst to him, Noel used the force that he used to his own advantage.


    With the sword still shing, Noel used it as a support to tilt his body in the direction the sword moved.


    This way, Noel ended up falling to his knees with his body tilted almost ny degrees.


    Azgar smirked as he thought he was winning, but because of his huge and muscr body, Noel''s body disappeared from his vision due to him dropping to his knees.


    When everyone thought Noel would be in disadvantage after this exchange, they were shocked by Noel''s adaptability.


    In fact, Noel intentionally put himself in this condition.


    Now that he had disappeared from Azgar''s vision, he spun his body and raised his right foot, kicking Azgar on the head.


    "Wha¡ª" Azgar widened his eyes when his head was already tilted due to the kick. The sharp pain jolted his brain, making his body tremble and losing its bnce.


    Using this opportunity, Noel continued pushing his kick to the side until Azgar fell to the ground.


    "Kh!" Azgar gritted his teeth and saw Noel rising from the ground as if he had won.


    The only way to avoid losing this fight, Azgar hurriedly swung his sword even if his body refused to move.


    Luckily, he somehow managed to swing his sword to Noel''s feet, forcing thetter to jump.


    However, Noel had pointed his sword at Azgar to stab him from above.


    Azgar hurriedly rolled a few times to avoid the attack before rising from the ground. While stabilizing his body, he pointed his sword at Noel to keep him at bay.<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Noel took another deep breath to calm his heart down. It was clear that Ardagan''s swordsmanship appeared to be useful even in a battle like this. If he applied the swordsmanship while using the Spiritual Energy, it would be even more powerful.


    The entire battle had been in Noel''s favor.


    "As expected, Noel Ardagan is strong even without Spiritual Energy."


    "His swordsmanship is among the best."


    "Still, his strength and speed are lower than us if not for the Spiritual Energy."


    "But he has been improving by leaps and bounds. This means the longer we wait, the stronger he''ll be."


    "We need to challenge him as soon as possible, huh?"


    The people started talking about the battle as the few rounds they exchanged were truly extraordinary. It was the swordsmanship that had been polished every time he challenged Anna.


    Although Noel didn''t want to admit it, Anna''s swordsmanship was currently far superior than his. The experience he got in each spar was a huge boost in his stability.


    And now, Noel had been utilizing everything he had learned to control the entire fight.


    Even Anna couldn''t help but smile, thinking, ''As expected, he''s a genius, might be more than me. If his start wasn''t that low, he would have surpassed me.''


    Noel and Azgar continued their sh for another few rounds. Every time Azgar attacked, Noel skillfully blocked or repelled it before making an opportunity to deliver a counterattack.


    Azgar managed to avoid some of them, but bruises started appearing on his body.


    With the way things were going, it was clear that Noel would defeat Azgar without using his Spiritual Energy.


    *Bang!*


    Their swords shed once again as Noel prepared to back down to avoid his strength again. However, Azgar did something different this time.


    When their swords shed, Azgar smirked as his head slightly leaned toward Noel. He opened his mouth, whispering something to Noel.


    Noel widened his eyes in shock when he heard those words. His body trembled. He was clearly shaken by the words he told him.


    ''An opening!'' Azgar thought. That news truly shocked him to the point it gave such an opening. He smirked and struck Noel''s sword. He would have blown Noel''s sword away if Noel didn''t have a good swordsmanship foundation.


    Still, with both hands above his head, Noel wouldn''t be able to block his next attack.


    He swung his sword once again to deliver the killing blow, but Noel''s reflex was beyond his expectation. Even at thest moment, Noel managed to swing his sword once again, stopping his sword.


    But his expression was still in clear shock. Azgar took advantage of it to let go one of his hand and punched Noel in the stomach.


    "!!!" Noel felt the fluid in his stomach rise as he spat out some acid before gettingunched into the air and falling to the ground. "Gah!"

 Chapter 58 A Devil

    Rolling a few times on the ground, Noel stopped several meters from Azgar. He hurriedly stood up to avoid the continuous onught from Azgar.


    At the same time, the words he told him earlier stuck in his mind.


    "Those eleven kids are cute, eh? I wonder if they''ll be able to see you anymore."


    Noel didn''t expect that Azgar mentioned them. And with his tone, it was clear that he had done something to them.


    ''Did something happen to them?'' Noel thought.


    He couldn''t help but remember the memories he had with them.


    "Big Brother Noel!" Eric''s voice and figure shed in his mind.


    "I''ll take care of the group." Erica''s smile appeared in his vision.


    "Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Big Brother Noel!" The other kids'' big smiles and energetic cheers shook his heart.


    But Azgar actually did something to them? Noel couldn''t believe it. Shale had told them about the fort''sws, so it was clear that killing someone was forbidden inside the fort. But if he was talking about Azgar, he could clearly do something worse than that.


    He could torture the kids or even break their bones. As long as they didn''t die, Azgar could get away with the crimes.


    Just thinking about that possibility made his body freeze.


    Although he didn''t want to admit it, he had grown attached to them. After all, those children could be taught and had the will to improve themselves.


    Yet, the connection between them was actually the one that harmed them the most. Noel gritted his teeth as he couldn''t forgive himself and especially Azgar.


    Because of his contemtion, he saw Azgaring to him to take advantage of his opening.


    "Ha!" Azgar roared as he released all his strength to strike Noel''s sword. As long as he could blow his sword away, he could defeat Noel.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel''s focus had returned. In fact, his anger soared to the sky as his eyes started emanating killing intent.


    Blue particles started appearing on Noel''s sword as he swiftly and precisely struck Azgar''s de.


    *Bang!*


    This one strike actually smashed a portion of the wooden de. If Noel could deliver the second blow, he could snap the de. In fact, if Noel used Mega sh earlier, he would have destroyed the de. But due to his opening, he needed to resort to Swift Strike to get enough speed to hit Azgar''s de.


    Seeing such a situation, Azgar hurriedly said, "If you don''t admit defeat, you won''t be able to see them anymore."


    This should be enough to stop Noel from moving, but Azgar had made one big miscalction.


    Noel''s bottom line was never the kids. When he reached this ce, he was alone without nothing to protect. There was only revenge in his mind.


    He wouldn''t allow eleven children to be the wall that stopped his revenge.


    That was why thest threat actually made Noel even angrier.


    He used Mega sh and struck Azgar''s sword, snapping the de into two.


    "You bastard!" Azgar gritted his teeth, but Noel didn''t care about him anymore.<sub> </sub>


    Instead of protecting the kids'' future, Noel chose the path that was currently suited to him.


    Noel''s killing intent was telling him, "If I can''t see them, then I''ll avenge them by making you live a life worse than death."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Killing him was impossible, so Noel didn''t use his Spiritual Energy this time. Instead, he used this blunt wooden sword to strike Azgar''s face, breaking his nose in one hit.


    Due to the hit, Azgar''s muscr body became unstable. Noel punched his broken nose to add thest bit of force needed to take him down.


    *Bam!*


    Azgar fell on his back while screaming.


    "Argh!"


    ''This is¡­'' Shale widened his eyes in shock. He never expected that Noel would show such a fierce action and killing intent.


    ''That guy whispered something to Noel earlier¡­ What was that?'' Anna frowned, suspecting something between them.


    However, Noel didn''t wait for Azgar or anyone else to react.


    As soon as Azgar fell, Noel swung his de to hit his head, nning to crack his skull.


    As his desperate attempt, Azgar grabbed the dirt and threw it to Noel''s face.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly closed his eyes as the dust entered his eyes. The sting his eyes experienced forced him to be unable to open his eyes.


    "You bastard!" Azgar roared as he used all his strength tond a blow on Noel''s face.


    Luckily, Noel was far smarter than most people. He hurriedly leaped back, knowing that this was also one of the oldest tricks in the book.


    As long as he continuously ran away until he could open his eyes, he could fight back. At the very least, he knew that they were in the middle of the training ground, running for a few seconds should be enough to recover his vision.


    But as soon as he missed Noel, Azgar grabbed another handful of dirt and threw it to him. Even Noel had to cover his eyes with his left hand.


    ''Kh.'' Noel gritted his teeth. While running, he thought, ''What should I do? Show him my back? No, I can''t. But he keeps throwing the dirt from the ground¡­ Wait, the ground?''


    Before reaching the wall of the training ground, Noel jumped. This action obviously confused all the people because there was no point in jumping.


    However, what came after shocked all of them.


    When Noelnded on the ground, a thinyer of ice formed around his feet, allowing him to take advantage of the momentum to slide on the ground. And the ice kept spreading so that he could continue until his momentum stopped or hit something on the way.


    On the other hand, Azgar obviously didn''t expect Noel to have an ice technique. With the sudden loss of the friction that kept his bnce, he tripped.


    His face even hit the hard ice surface to the point it cracked. And Azgar felt an extra pain from his broken nose.


    "Argh!" Azgar let out a scream of agony.


    On the other hand, Noel forced himself to open his eyes. They were red because of the sand that entered his eyes earlier.


    He ran to Azgar while raising his sword. With the addition of the killing intent and anger emanating from his eyes, Noel looked like a devil that wanted to take Azgar''s life.

 Chapter 59 Anger

    "¡­" Shale had started pouring his Spiritual Energy into his feet, preparing to stop Noel if he wanted to kill Azgar. After all, themander asked him to take care of this guy. Although he couldn''t y too much favoritism, he could stop him from breaking thew that would result to his execution.


    However, Noel was a person who managed to ovee his hatred. If it was the Noel a few weeks ago, he would kill Azgar right now.


    But he managed to calm his heart enough to rationally think about the consequences. Hence, Noel redirected that anger to something else.


    Without using his Spiritual Energy, Noel mmed his sword to Azgar''s arms.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    "Aaaaahhhhh!" Azgar screamed while writhing in agony.


    "Did you think I was going to buy your cheap provocation?" Noel shouted and struck Azgar''s hands this time.


    "Aaaahhhhh!"


    "Did you think just because I''m a fallen noble, I wouldn''t dare do anything against you?" Noel shouted and stabbed his hand until it bled.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!" Azgar couldn''t do anything as the pain was too much for him to handle.


    "Did you think just because I didn''t do anything when you bullied me means I''m powerless?" Noel roared and stomped on his feet.


    "Aaaaahhhh. Stop!"


    "If you think you can get away with everything just because my house has fallen, then you''re wrong!" Noel struck Azgar''s thighs. This way, he broke all the things that allowed Azgar to counter-attack.


    "No, STOP!" Azgar kept shouting, but Noel kept hitting him.


    "I had never oppressed my servants or even the civilians when I was a noble! And what''s with your prejudice?" Noel struck him again.


    "Stop! I surrender!"


    "Remember this! I can''t kill you here, but remember this! If something happens to them, I''ll break all your limbs every day!" Noel shouted while delivering another strike.


    However, this time, Shale intervened by grabbing Noel''s wrist to stop him.


    Shale said with a cold tone. "Stop it. More than this and you''ll break the rule."


    Noel gritted his teeth as he hadn''t had enough. However, there was nothing he could do when Shale had intervened.


    In the end, he dropped his sword as the sign and Shale released his hand.


    Noel red at Azgar while gnashing his teeth. After that, he looked at the rest of the people in the training ground.


    There was panic, fear, or even worse terror reflected in their eyes. When they looked at Noel''s red eyes due to the sand, they couldn''t help but tremble.<sub> </sub>


    Noel''s current appearance and all the rage he released earlier truly put a deep fear in everyone''s heart.


    Because he was stopped, Noel took a deep breath to calm his rage while saying, "I don''t think I can do meditation right now. If Sir Shale doesn''t mind, I''d like to get some fresh air for a while. I promise to return to the training ground before the next training."


    "You can do meditation everywhere that can make you feel at ease. So, feel free." Shale nodded while carrying Azgar''s body. Although Evan could heal his injuries, the pain would still remain. If Noel was going to do all this every day, even Azgar would be traumatized by it to the point he didn''t want his body to be healed anymore. This was simply a torture.


    Still, before bringing Azgar away, Shale watched Noel''s back until he left the training ground.


    Anna raised her hand while saying with a serious expression. "I am his pair, so I think I should observe him for a bit. We don''t want him to break the rule after all."


    Shale nodded. After Anna left, Shale then carried Azgar who seemed to have passed out away.


    Meanwhile, the others were also scared of Noel right now. They never expected that Noel could be that cruel if they pushed the limit.


    And Anna was the one controlling him currently since Anna had done something worse than what Azgar did. If she wasn''t careful, Anna would meet a fate much crueler than what they saw earlier.


    Yet, such a person still nned to look after Noel. They simply couldn''t understand about the rtionship between them. She might be genuinely concerned of his well being, or she could rub salt into his wound. But only both of them knew what exactly happened.


    In the end, the junior soldiers had some trouble in calming down their heart, thus making the morning session a bit useless. At least, most of them thought the same thing.


    ''Never antagonize Noel again.''


    On the other hand, Noel walked to the area where he usually met the kids. But this ce was empty.


    He then continued deeper to the slum where the kids usually lived, but still found no one.


    Normally, he would think that the kids were going to another ce to make some money. But no matter how hard he tried to look for them, he couldn''t find a single clue of them until one hourter.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel saw a white cloth that seemed to have been ripped apart near where the za. This might just be a random cloth, but he remembered the button and flower pattern embroidered on it.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    This piece of cloth was from the sleeve of Erica''s clothes. Erica was a smart girl, smarter than all the other children, so she must want to use this to inform him that they were attacked.


    Noel bent his knees and picked up the piece of clothing as his expression darkened.


    Anna stopped not far from him to see his state, but Noel seemed to know she was there all this time.


    He even started talking. "Eric is a bright child that can inspire others to continue to work hard. He refuses to ept his fate as a beggar kid and works hard to be a better person.


    "Erica is a smart kid. She knows what they need to be better and lead the group. Bluhan might look like a coward, but when pushese to shove, he''ll be the first one to step forward. He is¡­"


    Noel kept saying all their good points, showing how good their rtionship was.


    Anna, on the other hand, shared the pain that Noel had in his heart. Even though Noel still wanted to kill her, Anna could feel a change in Noel.


    To her surprise, Noel even turned around and said, "Anna Stargaze. Let''s make a deal."

 Chapter 60 Ambush

    "That bastard. I''m going to make him regret. Starting from the children!" Azgar gritted his teeth while walking down the street. Although his wounds had been healed, the pain was still lingering in his mind. And it simply made him furious, wanting to take revenge against Noel.


    At first, he thought he could win this match by using the psychological battle, but Noel actually was bothered by it for just a few seconds. It seemed that Noel was crueler than he thought.


    All that kindness he showed to the kids were just a facade.


    Still, the fact that Noel was bothered by it meant there was a chance that he still cared for the kids. Hence, he nned to torture those kids every day he broke his bones and show them to Noel as the consequences of his actions.


    <o>,m He returned to his room first to change his clothes first before heading to another ce with the cover of the night.</o>


    He even looked around to check whether he was being tailed or not. After confirming there was no one following him, he continued walking a few blocks down the street.


    Eventually, he reached a small house in the outskirts of the slum.


    The house was made of woods and had a rather monotonous rectangr shape, making it look like a box. The house barely had light, but it also made the house not that noticeable.


    Knock.


    Knock.


    Knock.


    A middle-aged man opened the door while looking around as if checking the surroundings.


    On the other hand, Azgar wasn''t patient enough as heined, "Hurry up and let me in. I want to beat those kids again!"


    The middle-aged man ignored him and made sure there was no one around. Only after hepleted his surveince did he let him in.


    As soon as he let him in, Azgar hurriedly stormed in and ran to a door in the corner. When he opened it, there was an empty room with eleven children in it. They had been tied up and gaggedpletely.


    Some of them had bruises covering their bodies. It was much worse for Eric and Bluhan, the two people that always stepped forward to protect the group.


    Eric proudly stood with his tattered body, ring at Azgar to protect his group. On the other hand, Bluhan was a coward. Despite his staggering body, he still stood next to Eric, using his body to hide the rest of the group.


    Meanwhile, most of them were staring at Azgar in horror because they didn''t want to experience the pain anymore. Only Erica who remained calm, trying to find any escape path.


    "You bastard. If not for you, if not for you! I''m going to make you regret for being born in this world!" Azgar shouted as he raised his arms, nning to beat the children again. He wouldn''t kill them because there wasw, but no one stopped him to beat them up. And it would be the children''s faults if they evermitted suicide.


    It was a perfect n, but he miscalcted Noel and Anna.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Before he could punch them, the door was opened again.


    "What''s wrong, Hagar?" Azgar was already annoyed that he shouted in frustration. He turned around and saw Anna Stargaze standing in front of him.


    "What a joke. Amoner, a noble? There is no difference between them. A good noble can help many people with their governance. A goodmoner can help other people with their skills. However, a bad noble and a badmoner can do the same harm." Anna looked at him with disgust while ncing at the children to check their conditions. It seemed that the first beating wasn''t that bad.


    At least, all of their body parts were still intact. After getting treated, they would recover in no time.


    It was Noel''s idea that they acted fast because he knew Azgar would continue doing this.<sub> </sub>


    "Anna Stargaze, you!" Azgar widened his eyes in shock, never expecting Anna to appear here.


    "Hagar!" Azgar shouted because he knew he couldn''t stop Anna. There were only two options left for him. First, he should have Hagar to stop Anna while the second was to take the children hostages. He wanted to use the first option first before resorting to thetter.


    Unfortunately for him, Hagar suddenly fell to the floor with a ck-clothed man pinning him down.


    "I''ve restrained him, Miss," The man reported with a serious expression.


    "Wha¡ª" Azgar was shocked and immediately turned around to grab one kid.


    However, Anna''s reaction speed was much faster than him due to her previous life. She leaped toward him and kicked Azgar on the head, knocking him to the floor.


    *Bam!*


    The force of the kick was so great that the body cracked the wooden floor. Anna even kicked him outside, away from the children.


    She then waved her hand and smiled, "Are you alright, kids?"


    "Who are you?" Erica asked while being vignce. She had heard her name from Azgar, but she didn''t know why she helped them, street kids.


    "Hmm, you''ll know about it in a minute." Anna smiled as she walked toward Azgar with a cold expression.


    "Anna Stargaze! I''m going to report you after this!" Azgar gritted his teeth.


    "Is that so? I''m not afraid. After all, no one can punish me if I kill you here." Anna snorted. "Though, I won''t be the one to kill you."


    "Do you think you are above thew just because you''re extremely talented?" Azgar shouted back.


    Even the ck-clothed man was confused by her statement, he looked at her with a worried gaze. "Miss¡­ I still don''t know why you agreed to that deal."


    "There are two reasons."


    "Two reasons?"


    "Ancient Demon Tree."


    "Ancient Demon Tree¡­ That Ancient Demon Tree?" The ck-clothed man widened his eyes.


    "Yes. And the second reason is¡­ How about you lift up that man''s right sleeve?" Anna smirked.


    "You!" Hagar was shocked as he suddenly struggled with all his life as if stopping them to lift up his sleeve.


    However, the moment it was shown, there was a tattoo on his right arm. It was a tattoo of a skeleton head with two bright red dots as its eyes. And there was even a sword nted on the skeleton''s head.


    "This is¡­ Supreme Devil Organization."

 Chapter 61 Sorry

    "This is¡­ Supreme Devil Organization."


    Anna nodded. "Knock him out!"


    Without hesitation, the ck-clothed man struck his head, knocking Hagar out. It was as if he had a huge hatred to this guy.


    "Supreme Devil Organization¡­ an evil organization that has been terrorized the kingdom for a long time. Whichever territory you are in, you have the right to capture or kill any members of the Supreme Devil Organization. Even in this fort¡­ and you, Azgar, have been determined as the aplices. Even if I kill you right now, there is no one who will judge me."


    "Wa-wait! Please listen to me. I don''t have any¡ª"


    Anna ignored his pleas as she kicked him to the wall while saying, "Get Noel here."


    Although hesitant, the ck-clothed man received the order and disappeared to bring Noel here.


    "Big Brother Noel?"


    "Big Brother Noel helped us?"


    The children''s expression brightened. However, some of them soon lowered their heads, knowing that this started as a grudge between Azgar and Noel.


    Eric also felt their sadness and doubt, so he smiled to them and asked, "What''s wrong with you all? Haven''t we been beaten up by those adults in the past? This much is nothing. Have you gotten so muchfortable with Big Brother Noel''s help that you forget about it?"


    Those who lowered their heads immediately looked at him as if they remembered the hardship they endured in the past.


    Getting beaten was just daily life. They would never think much about it. And to think that they would actually doubt the man that had given them purposes in their lives and a means to change their lives for the better, they now felt guilty.


    "This much is nothing." Eric made a big smile, assuring all of them.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Anna couldn''t help but take a nce at these children, muttering, ''They''re truly strong children.''


    Only Erica came to her while groveling.


    "We thank you for your help, Miss Noble. We can''t repay you for this help."


    "Don''t thank me¡­ I won''t be here if not for Noel." Anna shook her head calmly.


    "Ann¡ª" Azgar wanted to shout again after recovering from the pain, but Anna simply put her shoe on his mouth while putting enough force to pin his head on the wall, preventing him from making a fuss.


    "Shut up. Don''t call me with that filthy mouth of yours." Anna snorted.


    The other children didn''t know the rtionship between Noel and Anna, so they were staring at her curiously.


    However, before they had the courage to ask, Noel hade into the house.


    "Big Brother No¡ª" Erica, who was outside the room, was the first to see Noel, but she became hesitant when she saw Noel''s eyes. They were cold and filled with killing intent. This was the first time she saw this side of him.


    However, she also noticed Noel brought a bag and wooden swords.


    Anna said, "You can kill him anytime you want. Because of his rtionship with this evil organization, he can be executed by anyone."


    Noel didn''t respond to her. When he saw the conditions of the children, he was so furious that he could torture Azgar for a long time.


    However, he knew that the longer he wasted his time on him, the longer the children had to wait to be treated.


    Hence, for the first time in his life that he prioritized others'' lives before him.


    Azgar''s face was pale, but Anna''s shoe was still stuck on his mouth, so he couldn''t even shout.


    "Mhmm¡­"<sub> </sub>


    "Hmtm¡­"


    "Mmmm¡­"


    He tried so hard to produce a sound but to no avail.


    And Noel made a swift and precise swing, slicing Azgar''s neck without hesitation. Despite this being the first time he killed a human, he had nothing to feel due to his anger.


    Yet, the cold expression mellowed a bit when he turned to the children. He looked at their bruises, the blood on their clothes, their messy appearances, and even ripped clothes.


    "Big Brother N¡ª" Erica wanted to call him, but Noel was the first one to kneel on one knee.


    His face filled with sorrow that she couldn''t help but want to touch andfort him. But Noel pulled back at thest moment while saying, "Sorry¡­ Sorry that you had to endure all this because of me. It''s better if we don''t meet anymore."


    "Big¡ª"


    Noel stopped her again by putting down the bag as well as the wooden swords. "There is enough food and water for three days as well as new sets of clothes. Your dance improves by leaps and bounds, so try swinging this sword while dancing. There is no form of swordsmanship, so you can explore it by yourself."


    When she opened her mouth again, Noel stopped her by continuously saying, "Sorry¡­ I''m truly sorry."


    All the children were shocked by this side of Noel. His gentle and cheerful personality had vanished. He took all the me into himself.


    And before they could say "It was alright," Noel had walked away, leaving them.


    Tears couldn''t help but flow out of the corner of their eyes. They wanted to reach his back, but it felt so far. Before they realized it, Noel had disappeared.


    Anna closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the deal they had.


    "Anna Stargaze. Let''s make a deal."


    "Oh?" Anna widened her eyes In surprise.


    "I want to kill him. Make it happen. You are a noble, so you have more influence than a fallen noble like me."


    "And what can I get from this deal?" Anna asked with a sly smile.


    "Ancient Demon Tree. When it wakes up, the Ancient Demon Tree will be severely weakened. We''ll hunt them together and split the reward evenly."


    "Deal." Anna agreed without hesitation.


    While in reminiscent, she was woken up by her assistant''s voice.


    "Miss¡­" The ck-clothed man had returned and noticed the awkward atmosphere.


    "Bring these two to the authority." Anna pointed at Azgar and Hagar. "I know that you doubt me¡­ Why would I cooperate with him while knowing that he wants to kill me? The answer is simple. The Supreme Devil Organization and even the Ancient Demon Tree¡­ why does he seem to know everything?"


    "!!!" The ck-clothed man widened his eyes upon the realization.


    "That''s right. I''m going to squeeze all his secrets first." She smirked evilly.


    "I understand." The ck-clothed man knew that Noel had many secrets. There might even be a person at high level that supported him by giving him this information. So, Anna wanted to get all his secrets first before killing him.


    After receiving that answer, he dragged the two bodies out, leaving Anna with the children.


    ''It''s finally done. It''s so hard to fool him unless I act like an evil woman.'' Anna thought while letting out a sigh.


    Unbeknownst to them, the children next to her somehow red at her with hostility as if they wanted to protect Noel from this evil woman.

 Chapter 62 The Birth Of Sword Dancers

    "Anyway, the situation has been solved. All of you can return now." Anna smiled at the children while assuring them that they were safe now.


    However, the reply came in the form of hatred res from all of them. They obviously listened to everything she said earlier.


    To save them, Noel invited this evil woman who wanted to work him to death and personally kill him. For their safety, Noel gave the parting gifts and left them.


    Just for a beating, Noel gave up so much for them, street kids who would die sooner orter.


    They couldn''t help but hate themselves and Anna who took advantage of the situation. Of course, they didn''t know that Anna was acting. At the same time, Anna couldn''t tell the real truth to them because they would tell Noel or others that this was a fake and she would face so much trouble in the future.


    "Well, since all of you are fine now, it''s time for me to leave." Anna had a wry smile as she left the house while thinking, ''This is not like what I imagined. Those kids look like they want to kill me. Did I just make more enemies by helping Noel? Why do I feel like more misunderstandings are created every time I act? I am so unlucky.''


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Eric was the first to get up and woke everyone up with his voice. He made sure Anna had left the house before saying, "Alright, I know that you''re sad and angry.


    "But don''t forget what Big Brother Noel did to us! He gave us a purpose in our lives¡­ To us! A street kid that no one will cry for if we die.


    "Do you know why Big Brother Noel left us? It''s simple. We''re simply too weak. If Big Brother Noel always needs to protect us, then there is no way we can repay him! This life will be no different than what we have right now.


    "That''s why¡­ I know that you are angry, but use that emotion to motivate yourself. Just like what Big Brother said, ''If we keep begging and getting beaten, we''ll continue to starve for who knows how many days.


    ''I know that we''re bad at everything, but everyone was like that in the first ce. But we still need to do it, our hundredth time dancing is better than our first time.''


    "I''m sure that you know it already! That''s why we need to pick up the sword and prove to Big Brother Noel that we can follow him. Our rtionship with him started with a dance and ended with a sword. We''ll use both of them to improve ourselves.


    "In the future, we''ll start our rtionship again with both sword and dance! We''ll fulfill our promise to dance a unique style that no one has ever seen before! This will be the Sword Dance that connects us to Big Brother Noel." Eric shouted, encouraging the rest of the children.


    They couldn''t help but look at Eric in awe. They realized they didn''t think this through.


    Some of them regretted they couldn''t help Noel when he needed them the most when Noel had given them everything.


    Erica bit her lips and grabbed the sword. "No matter how many times I''ll fail, I''m going to prove it."Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "I''m going too!" Bluhan gritted his teeth and reached for his own sword.


    "I''ll too."


    "I¡­"


    All the children inside that house took the arms, determined to repay Noel in the future.


    Outside, Anna closed her eyes while smiling. She was leaning to the house''s wall while listening to Eric''s inspiring speech.


    "Now that I think about it, even without my interference, Noel''s talent would make that big guy envious. This situation must have happened in my past life too. And this speech gave birth to that group¡­<sub> </sub>


    "The dance group that had a unique sword style that no one had ever seen before, the Sword Dance. And those twins¡­ will be called the Twin Sword Dancers.


    "I want to believe that this is due to the kid''s speech, but there are many more important talents that will bloom after meeting Noel. They have potential, but it seems their encounter with Noel is their turning point.


    "As expected, Noel has that charm to gather those talented people. It''s a waste to kill him. The only thing I can do right now is to solve the hatred between us." Anna smiled while walking away.


    The next morning, Anna and Noel met again before the meditation training so that they could have a spar like the usual schedule.


    But before they started, Anna asked, "So, what is your n? When will the Ancient Demon Tree appear?"


    "I don''t know. I can give you the range¡­ But we''re going to hunt it together, so I''ll just inform you when I''m going." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Won''t you just leave me here?"


    "I am not like you, evil woman. I fulfill my promise." Noel snorted.


    "Is that so? Hunting the Ancient Demon Tree together, eh? It''s quite nice. I mean, its body can be sold for money¡­ By the way, I can give you the demon crystal, but I want the part that protects the core."


    "I know that you have some use for it, but this is not a bad deal." Noel agreed without hesitation.


    "We sell the rest and split the money?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, what should I do with the individual mission?"


    "The individual mission and the group mission, huh¡­ Although it''s said to be an individual mission, no one said that you can''t take it together. We can simply take a simr mission."


    "You don''t want to be separated from me? Or do you like the food I made that much?" Anna smirked.


    "No. It''s just for the first one. I''m not going to cooperate with you for the other four individual missions."


    "Eh?" Anna let out a long sigh.


    ''It''s true that I can improve by cooperating with you, but I need other experiences. If I continue relying on you, I''m afraid that I''ll owe too much that I''ll need to forget my hatred,'' Noel thought while ring at her.


    "What?" Anna tilted her head in confusion because Noel had been staring at her weirdly.


    "No. Are you ready?" Noel raised his sword.


    "Of course." Anna pointed her sword at Noel''s neck while smiling as their sh had begun.

 Chapter 63 Payback

    Before the meditation training, Shale gathered all of them with a solemn face.


    It seemed that some of them had realized that Azgar hadn''te to the training ground. So, this announcement must be rted to him.


    As soon as Shale stood in front of them, he opened his mouth. His tone was cold and his eyes released killing intent.


    "I have an announcement. Azgar has been found to have a connection with the Supreme Devil Organization. I think this organization has been amon knowledge, but I''ll exin it to you again.


    "The Supreme Devil Organization is a group that believes in the Supreme Devil. What is the Supreme Devil? To put it simply, it is the ruler of the demons.


    "I know that you''re going to ask ''Is there a ruler for the demons who don''t have much intelligence?''


    "My answer is simple. There are no rulers of the demons. However, there were three existences in history that could be depicted as the ruler of the demons. They were so strong that they had that title.


    "But that''s not important right now, I''m going to talk about the Supreme Devil Organization a bit. What you need to know about them is that they have a tattoo of a skeleton with two red eyes and a sword nted on its head.


    "The tattoo can be anywhere in their body, so it won''t be easy to find them unless you strip them.


    "If you meet a person with this tattoo, you''re obliged to kill them! However, don''t be blinded by this instruction. The reason is as I said earlier, you have no way to find them unless you strip them. If you happen to see this tattoo, you can kill them. But I need to remind you that you shouldn''t abuse the tattoo too much.


    "Men, don''t use this suspicion to strip a woman because in most areas, there arews that will punish you if you misuse it. Women, don''t strip men to embarrass them. Just remember it! If you coincidentally find them, that''s the time you should act.


    "After the torture, we know that it''s Azgar who lets him into the city. Anyway, remember this! You hear me?"


    "Yes, Sir." All of them answered.


    Meanwhile, Noel narrowed his eyes and realized that the simple rule could be easily abused. He could even be framed by those people.


    However, this was where the Spirit Oath came in. He could easily prove his innocence with the help of the Spirit Oath, but it would be different if the people who had no Spirit Seal.


    ''No, this might also be the objective of the organization¡­ By increasing their evil reputation, they can strike a deep fear to many. And if they are aiming for the demons, they must want this world to fall to chaos. That''s why they use this terror to force the people to create thisw and use it to create more confusions and terrors. The veryw itself might be a w that the organization takes advantage of. No wonder they''re that evil¡­''


    Noel narrowed his eyes. Although he wanted to care about this organization, it didn''t mean much in his eyes currently. He still had his original objectives, so he had no time to get involved in this matter.<sub> </sub>


    "Anyway, now that we have lost one of the junior soldiers, we need to change the condition for a bit. Themander has told me that the pair will remain as it is, so I can''t use my authority to recreate the three-person group system.


    "Hence, I''ll alter the current situation a bit." Shale raised one finger. "There will be one person to be left alone, but it''s not fair to do all the missions and training alone! Hence, I''ll help whoever wants to volunteer to be a one-man group.


    "In other words, I''ll guide you personally during the meditation, train your body intensely, and give you some personal advice when doing missions. Yes, the one who volunteer themselves will be my mentee."


    "!!!" The people widened their eyes in shock, never expecting this kind of offer from Shale. It was clear that the moment they were chosen by Shale, their status would be elevated significantly.


    Although Shale would only help them in mission and training, they didn''t need his help if a fight broke out because they would be strong enough to defeat anyone.


    Obviously, all the people were excited because they knew how strong Shale was¡­ All, except two people: Noel and Anna.


    ncing at Anna, Noel asked with a nonchnt tone as if it wasn''t an important question. "You don''t seem to be interested in it. It seems that you are confident that your knowledge is more than him¡­ especially after showing all that stuff. Your understanding is better than him, right?"


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched but she didn''t say anything.


    However, this was enough for Noel to realize Anna''s secret.


    ''Got her!'' Noel smirked. ''She shouldn''t be the arrogant type who unts a non-existent strength. So, she must have a big secret that allows her to have more understanding than Sir Shale. Sir Shale might be a powerful veteran, but Anna Stargaze is a rising star.


    ''Since she is a woman that I must kill, I should stay with her instead of fighting my way to be Sir Shale''s mentee. I hope that I don''t regret this decision.'' Noel thought while stepping back as if he wasn''t interested in fighting for that position.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Anna was sweating. Her face became pale as she realized. ''I''ve been had!''


    ''That one question was enough to know that my secret is much deeper than he originally thinks. With this kind of secret, he must be finding a way to dig out all of them so that he can see a way to kill me.


    ''He is paying me back for the question I used to trap him in the forest. Tsk.'' Anna gritted her teeth as their battles seemed to haven''t ended yet. She ended up backing down like her original n. No matter what bluff she threw him, it was impossible to conceal that secret from Noel.


    ''It''s payback time.'' Noel made a smug smile while Anna bit her lips in annoyance.

 Chapter 64 Missions

    Due to the amount of people wanting to be taught by Shale, thepetitionsted for a few days.


    In the meantime, those who weren''t interested in it immediately picked up their pace in training.


    Noel also stepped up on his training. After the incident, Noel knew if he wanted to shut people up, he needed strength powerful enough to scare them. So, he trained his body to the limit.


    He even asked Anna to increase the pace of their training by a whole different level. Instead of running around the training ground, he proposed to run around the town. They could use the people as the obstacles, allowing them to have a greater return when facing a forest terrain.


    Anna, of course, agreed and asked for the permission from Shale. After agreeing to his condition in not bothering too much people, Shale let them go.


    With this kind of training, Noel could fulfill two missions at the same time. He could do "Training: Running" and "Helping Townspeople Medal," allowing him to progress by leaps and bounds.


    Of course, there was no restriction to where they could train anymore. Hence, Noel asked Anna to have a spar before and after the training, progressing his "Training: Rivalry" and "Rivalry medal."


    With this advantage, Noel could shift his time to do "Training: Push Up" and "Training: Sword Swinging" in his nighttime exercise. And before he slept, he could study about Rune Strokes.


    Noel utilized this schedule to improve everything that he could.


    In the meantime, the person that became Shale''s mentee was thest of the three people that didn''t bother Noel when he started training here, the bald muscr guy.


    Even so, Noel didn''t bother to look at everyone because his mind was filled with training. And it seemed that everyone was scared of him as well.


    It couldn''t be helped, considering Noel beat Azgar half-dead and the next morning, Azgar somehow died due to his rtion with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    They didn''t want to provoke Noel anymore because they might end up dead.


    With such a peaceful environment, Noel progressed by leaps and bounds.


    And finally, two weeks had passed. Noel and Anna came to Shale to ept their missions.


    "Hoh? You are the first pair toe to me for a mission." Shale widened his eyes because he expected some fools to go to him first. It seemed that the duo were impatient. "A group mission is it? Alright."


    "No. We''d like to have one group mission and one individual mission."


    "Can you even handle two missions? And what are you doing with the individual mission?"


    "You don''t state any rules that we can''t cooperate in our individual mission." Noel shook his head.


    "Tsk." Shale clicked his tongue, knowing that a noble should be smart if they wanted to govern the territory. "Alright. I have a total of one hundred missions for each here. So, you can choose from them."


    Shale handed them some thin books.


    "Can you show us a mission rted to the Dark Demon Forest?" Noel asked.


    "Well¡­" Shale flipped a few pages and pointed at five missions. "These are the missions."


    "I''m going to take this then." Noel pointed at a mission without hesitation.


    Mission: Low Level Demon Exterminations (0/25)


    Reward: 100 Contribution Points


    Time Limit: 5 Days


    "By the way, what is this contribution points?" Noel asked, frowning.


    "Contribution Points can be used for two things: Rank Up and Exchange for benefits. Your current status is Junior Soldier or people know it more with "Apprentice Knight," so you can be a full fledged knight after umting 5,000 points. The points can be exchanged for many things in the fort. You can get magic books, magic weapons, and so on."


    "I see. The more points you have, the better the stuff gets?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s convenient." Noel nodded in agreement. "I can see that there are a few requests involving people. Won''t people pay the fort to solve their problems?"


    "Exactly. I mean, the fort can''t run without money. So, the fort will get the money from the requests while rewarding you with points. You can even exchange important stuff you got from your missions for some points."


    "With that, the fort can run without any problems." Noel nodded with a serious expression.<sub> </sub>


    "Indeed."


    "Thank you for your exnation."


    "Then, which mission do you want, youngdy?" Shale asked, turning to Anna.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "I''ll take this then." Anna chose a mission.


    Mission: Kill a Mid Level Demon and retrieve the Mid Level Crystal


    Reward: 75 Contribution Points.


    Time Limit: 5 Days


    "I see." Shale nodded and recorded it in a book. "How about the group mission?"


    "This." Both Noel and Anna pointed at the same mission.


    Mission: Kill 25 Mid Level Demons and retrieve their Mid Level Crystals


    Reward: 500 Contribution Points.


    Time Limit: 15 Days


    "Hoh?" Shale was impressed that they were aiming for the deepest region of the Demon Forest, but it was clear that both of them had that ability. If it was anyone else, he would deny their request due to the danger, but Shale epted it because it was Anna and Noel. "Alright."


    After recording their mission, Shale said, "Don''t forget about the time limit, alright?"


    "We understand." Noel and Anna nodded their heads.


    "In that case¡­" Shale took out two wooden tokens from his pockets. He then poured his Spiritual Energy into the tokens.


    Suddenly, a few words appeared on the token along with a symbol. The symbol was two swords crossing against each other with a demon''s head in the middle. This was the Demon Banner Army insignia.


    "Apprentice Knight"


    "This shall be your proof of your identity." Shale then turned the token around and showed them a few more words and a number.


    Anna Stargaze


    0 Pts


    Noel Ardagan


    0 Pts


    "This is a magical token where we can record your rank and contribution point. Of course, we''re using a special technique from the fort. Without our special technique, it''ll be impossible to alter it. I hope that you two don''t misuse this token." Shale handed them the tokens.


    Anna and Noel nodded with a solemn face while receiving the tokens.


    "Thank you, Sir Shale."


    "Alright. You are free to go right now or tomorrow. The basic survival kits are there, so you can get them by yourself."


    After thanking Shale, they walked away as Anna asked, "So, when are we leaving?"


    "Have you prepared?"


    "Yeah. Only need to get the tent and some stuff."


    "After lunch then."


    "Alright. We''ll meet at the gate?"


    "Yes."

 Chapter 65 Noels Progress

    Noel had some time before lunch, so he checked all his progresses during the past few weeks.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Military Service Merit III (Spiritual Energy +2%)


    Status: Stamina +1.7%, Constitution +1.7%, Sword Mastery +1.7%, Spiritual Energy +1.5%, Rune Mastery +0.5%


    Low Quality Crystal - 109/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 2/3000


    "This is quite good. The more percentage I can umte, the bigger my progress will be." Noel smirked. After learning more about Ardagan in the past two weeks, he realized that he could also negotiate with Ardagan to make the system more convenient.


    Ardagan had said to him that he would support him, so changing it to match Noel''s preference was better.


    And for Noel, this was the best way to track all his progress.


    "Still, Spiritual Energy +3.5% in total¡­ If I can umte it to 50%, with the fact that I can absorb twice of the amount of crystals due to two spirits residing in my body¡­ it means I''ll have an additional spirit. And if I can reach 100%, it means I''ll have four spirits worth of Spiritual Energy. This is the best improvement I can get.


    "No wonder my ancestor can rise to the very top. That''s why I need to be careful when using my power. If the royal family knows this power, they won''t hesitate to kill me.


    "I thought about using the Ancient Demon Tree as the entrance for my second identity, but did I make the wrong choice when making that deal? I was too angry at that time." Noel scratched the back of his head. "Well, I shouldn''t cry over spilled milk. Instead of focusing on the past, I need to think about my n for the second identity."


    After shaking his thoughts off from the unnecessary matter, Noel continued to his other progress.


    Skill: Swift Strike (1/5), Ardagan Swordsmanship (3/15), Mega sh (2/5), Rune Mastery (1/10), Increase Agility Rune (1/3), Strength Blessing Rune (1/3)


    "Well, I will only use my rune abilities when using the second identity, so I''ll need to defeat the Ancient Demon Tree with Swift Strike and Mega sh. I have 9 Honor Points right now and with the demon extermination, I can get more Honor Points before the fight against the Ancient Demon Tree. If pushes to shove, I can level up Mega sh or use runes."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Alright. That''s all. I really wish I could prepare more, but there''s a time limit. This might be the test that Ardagan has to test me whether I''m qualified or not to wield him. He wants to see if I have the potential to be someone like my ancestor¡­ No, for my goal, I''ll surpass my ancestor."


    After finishing his preparation, Noel went to the training ground to get the tent and other stuff. He had agreed to share the stuff with Anna, so he only brought one person worth to lessen the burden.


    As expected, Anna had been waiting for him in front of the gate with her own luggage.


    "We''re good to go?" Anna smirked.


    "Yes. The time limit is five days. We''ll return here after killing as many demons as we can."


    "The Ancient Demon Tree will appear within these five days then?"


    "I have no proof but it should be like that."


    "I wonder how do you know all this?"<sub> </sub>


    "I wonder if your family ount book can give me some secrets to expose." Noel rolled his eyes.


    "Hehe." Anna chuckled.


    Despite the hatred in Noel''s eyes, their conversation had surely mellowed down. At the same time, after being with Noel for almost a month, she realized that Noel wasn''t a bad guy down there. The hatred was the one corrupting him.


    As long as she could solve the hatred between them, he was a very reliable ally. In fact, she admitted that Noel might be her strongest ally, even stronger than her who had the future memories. That showed how strong Noel''s potential was.


    In their past lives, if Noel attacked her a few yearster, he might have be too strong for her to handle.


    Since their main focus was on the Ancient Demon Tree, they immediately headed straight to theke and set a camp there before night came.


    Only after this they could roam around to kill some demons.


    "Have you finished setting up the tent?" Anna asked while looking at the soup she currently made.


    "Yeah. It''s done. We''ll be switching every four hours." Noel looked around and asked, "By the way, I want to ask you something."


    "What is that?"


    "What was the reason you wanted to kill my family?" Noel''s face was solemn but there was no trace of killing intenting from his eyes.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Still, the question came out of nowhere. Even Anna was stunned for a few seconds.


    After contemting for a while, Anna answered with another question. By using doubt, she could shift Noel''s direction from that matter and eventually, he would reach his own conclusion. "Have you ever learned about your family''s history?"


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t answer the question because he never had any interest in it. All he did was justzying around every day. Even though he didn''t harm any citizens or his servants, he also did nothing.


    In the end, Noel looked away as if he didn''t want to say anything.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, a demon''s howl echoed near theke, interrupting the awkward situation.


    Noel and Anna followed the sound and saw a ck-colored wolf standing twenty meters before them. The monster was bigger than a normal one and the bloodshot eyes made it look like it had be a demon.


    Before Anna took out her sword, Noel had already unsheathed Ardagan and said, "I''ll take care of this."


    Noel stepped forward while focusing on his internal body.


    "Spiritual Energy¡­" Although it was not as strong as Anna, Noel felt the Spiritual Energy surging from the Spirit Seal on his right hand flowing to his entire body, strengthening his muscle. This was the first Spirit Technique he learned.


    When his eyes released his killing intent, the demon charged forward. Noel also jumped forth while swinging his de as quickly as possible.


    Swift Strike.


    Noel''s body tilted to the right as he still precisely struck the demon''s neck, severing it in an instant.


    "Hoh?" Anna was impressed. "That strike never killed a demon in one stroke before, but with the muscle enhancement, he increased his speed and strength to amplify that attack, allowing him to cut a demon in one strike. It''s simr to what I showed him the first time we met¡­"

 Chapter 66 Suggestion

    "Hu¡­" Noel let out a breath of relief as he lowered his vision, making sure the demon was dead. "It seems that I can use it right now."


    He recalled the sensation from the muscle strengthening. The power surgeing from all over his body made him feel like he was flying.


    "Muscle Strengthening, one of the most basic spirit techniques. My current control doesn''t allow me to maintain it for a long time, but this is a perfect chance to hone it. With the life and death battle, I can force myself to continue using this spirit technique.


    "From what I felt, it seemed that the Muscle Strengthening increased thirty percent of my power. ording to Sir Shale, it can reach fifty percent. There are other spirit techniques that can amplify my power even further, but that''s not something I can use right now.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "For now, I need to focus on honing my current skills." Noel was satisfied with his performance and dug out the crystal before disposing the demon''s body and cleaning the blood. They were going to live here, so they didn''t want the bad smell to disturb them.


    "Impressive." Anna smiled while scooping the soup and handing the bowl to him. "Come eat."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded. He didn''t say anything more because of the previous question. It seemed that there was something that his parents had hidden from him. Or, they might simply never told him because he was never interested in learning about the family business.


    ''Maybe I should investigate my past¡­ But it''s impossible to do it currently since my mansion has been taken over by the royal family. In that case, should I make another deal with Anna? No, I can''t trust her one hundred percent. She was the one ordering the execution, so she could lie easily.


    ''If I don''t find anything from my investigation, I need to suspect her as well since she has been lying this whole time. In any case, I''ll get stronger first. As long as I be a full fledged knight, I can do more.''


    Noel fell into deep thought while he was eating, confusing Anna.


    "What''s with the long face?" Anna asked, concerned that he was thinking about the Ancient Demon Tree.


    "By the way, what do you know about the Ancient Demon Tree? Its strength, appearance and other stuff." Noel asked back, changing the topic.


    "You don''t know?" Anna frowned but she started talking after seeing Noel''s expression. "Well, I have three pieces of information. The appearance of the Ancient Demon Tree is¡­ well, it''s just a normal tree. However, the tree reaches 20 meter tall. Can you imagine how tall it is?


    "Anyway, that''s not important. The problem is the Ancient Demon Tree''s strength. In the past, the Ancient Demon Tree could wipe out the fort with its branches alone. That was how powerful the Ancient Demon Tree was.


    "But it had slept for thousands of years, so I believed the Ancient Demon Tree didn''t even have 0.001% of its strength. We need to kill the Ancient Demon Tree as soon as possible because we can''t afford to have it regain its full strength.


    "In one hour, the demon can kill us with a single snap. So, we need to kill the tree within an hour."


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "How about the Supreme Devil? How is itpared to the Ancient Demon Tree?"<sub> </sub>


    "Supreme Devil is one level stronger." She shook her head helplessly. "Ancient Demon Tree can threaten the entire kingdom, but a Supreme Devil can threaten the entire world. I''m sure you can understand theparison."


    "I see." Noel lowered his head with a serious expression. "It seems that the world is a bigger ce."


    "Anyway, thest piece of information is how to kill the Ancient Demon Tree. Normally, we''ll kill the tree by severing its body, right? But that''s not possible with this huge tree. Hence, we''re going to climb the tree and create a hole for us to go inside the tree.


    "After that, we''ll head directly to the Demon Crystal and destroy it. Don''t worry, even though the crystal is destroyed, you can still absorb it.


    "But the Demon Crystal is too potent for you, so I don''t advise you to absorb it." Anna suggested.


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"


    They had agreed that Noel would get the crystal while Anna would take the piece of wood, but now Anna suggested not to absorb the energy, Noel felt unpleasant.


    "The energy is too much for you to handle. Even I don''t have the capability of absorbing the energy." Anna shook her head, exining. "I''m sure that you know about Spirit Vessel, right?"


    ? "Spirit Vessel." Noel looked down, recalling the information he got from reading about Spirit. "Spirit Vessel is a kind of a cup that holds the Spiritual Energy in our body. The more we absorb the Demon Crystal, the bigger the vessel will be. That''s why we should absorb all the Demon Crystals to make our Spirit Vessel as big as possible, allowing us to have a huge amount of Spiritual Energy."


    "Yes. However, can you imagine this¡­" Anna raised her wooden ss and asked, "This is your current Spirit Vessel. And the moment you absorb the Ancient Demon Tree''s crystal, your vessel will evolve into thiske."


    "Isn''t that good?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "No. The rapid expansions will lead to an unstable foundation. If you think about it, how do you transform this small cup to thiske and suddenly fill all the Spiritual Energy to the brim? It''s simple, you need to do it slowly so that you don''t get drowned by it. Your Spirit Vessel might even break and you''ll die."


    "Does that mean there is no meaning in killing the Ancient Demon Tree?"


    "There is one!" Anna raised one finger. "That is the part that protects the demon crystal. That part is stic but durable, a perfect item to create armor or sword handle¡­ My original n is to use that part as my sword handle.


    "As for the Demon Crystal, it''s best to give it to the fort and exchange it for other rewards."

 Chapter 67 Using Each Other

    "Other rewards? Then, why did you agree that we''ll split the money?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "If you already knew about this, you should have talked about this."


    "Why? I had no reasons to give any exnation? In fact, if you didn''t ask, I would have just allowed you to absorb the Demon Crystal. Won''t it be good for me if you die?" Anna shrugged. "Don''t forget that we''re at odds, Noel. I have no obligation to tell you unless you ask it yourself. And even if I tell you, I know that you''re not going to believe me that easily. So, why should I take extra effort to tell you?"


    Noel couldn''t refute her. As she said, he was still trying to kill him. So, there was no way Anna would help him easily. Even though she didn''t want him to die for the time being, she didn''t want to stop him from courting death because they were enemies.


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Alright. Your suggestion is quite good. By exchanging for another reward, I can get something good at my current level. At least, they''ll be beneficial for my current state."


    "That''s right. Do you think what are the most important things someone like us need? Powerful weapons? Durable armors? No! It''s Spirit Technique¡­ precisely Ancient Spirit Technique.


    "If you learn about history, your mind will be blown away when you realize that every single person in the world was born with Spirit. There is no need for awakening!


    "And Spirit Techniques¡­ the current Spirit Techniques are the result of the optimization that suits the current situation. Their power has been toned down to match our body. On the other hand, the Ancient Spirit Technique is an extremely powerful technique! They can release a far more powerful strengthpared to the current Spirit Technique.


    "Most people can''t use Ancient Spirit Techniques right now because they don''t have what it takes. But it''ll be different for us¡­ or me? My conversion rate is close to one hundred percent like the people in the past. I have enough qualifications to learn the Ancient Spirit Techniques.


    "I''m nning to use the reward to exchange the Ancient Spirit Techniques to strengthen myself. That''s what I''ll suggest to you as well. Instead of courting death, why don''t you take a bit of the tree to make an armor for you? Though, it''ll be hard to process it. You might need a skilled craftsman and they might not be humans.


    "Either way, this is my exnation and suggestion. Whether you want to believe in my word or not, it''s entirely up to you."


    Noel paused for a moment. What Anna said made sense. He couldn''t question the logic at all. Although his knowledge about Spirit was low, he had read a few books regarding this topic, so he could still make judgment whether what she said was good or bad.


    As Anna said, he realized that it was better to trade the reward. However, he still said, "But we have agreed that I''ll have the demon crystal and you get whatever that covers it. I''m not going to take what is not mine."


    "You''re so uptight, eh. For better or worse¡­" Anna chuckled. "In that case, how about I propose you a deal?"


    "A deal?"


    "Yeah. In exchange for a part of my possession, I want you to follow me to a certain ce. At least, find a group mission that is around that area, so that we can visit a ce together."


    "What are you plotting?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched.


    "Who knows?"


    "I need to hear the deal first to know whether I should agree or not."<sub> </sub>


    "Sure. Eight months from now, I want us to go to the border between this kingdom and Vrueniel Kingdom. In that ce, there is a ruin I want to enter. It''s said that the ruines from a thousand years ago. Many explorations have been done, but none of them could find anything. I want both of us to go there."


    "It seems that you know something." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "What do you think?" Anna ignored his statement. "I mean, this will benefit both of us since whatever is inside can increase our strength tremendously."


    Noel thought for a moment. However, his fate was sealed when Ardagan started speaking like he knew every single information, even the future.


    [Mission: Explore the Sword Saint Ruin]Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    [Description: A Soul of the Sword Saint Enzelgal has been buried under this ruin. Meet him and pass his test.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ''Sword Saint Ruin? Sword Saint Enzelgal? How does Ardagan know everything? Now that I think about it, a thousand years ago¡­ Isn''t it the time when my ancestor started making a name for himself? Does that mean my ancestor lived in the same era as this guy?'' Noel narrowed his eyes.


    ''Still, there is no penalty when I fail to do it like this Ancient Demon Tree mission. It seems that the penalty is simply a way for Ardagan to test me whether I''m qualified to wield him or not. If I can prove that I''m qualified, there is no need for penalty because he''s going to fully support me. If that''s the case, I''m truly grateful. There is no reason for me to reject this offer.''


    After contemting for a few minutes, Noel nodded his head. "Fine. I agree."


    "Great." Anna smirked while thinking inwardly, ''Hehe, you''ve fallen into my traps, Noel. In the previous life, Noel entered this ruin alone and received everything inside. This time, I''m going with him so that I can leech off him.


    ''Well, Noel was the only one that could open this ruin in the past. There were two theories back then. First, Noel was actually rted to the person inside the ruin. Second, Noel had talent that piqued the ghost inside the ruin. It seemed to be thetter, so it might be rted to his conversion rate¡­ It seems that Noel''s Conversion Rate is above me¡­ He might even have a perfect conversion¡­ Either way, I''m going to leech off his opportunity. I''m so awful but I need it so that Noel doesn''t get too strong that fast and I don''t get left behind.''


    Just like Anna, Noel had also his own thought.


    ''The mission only benefited me, so there''s no reason for me to reject. Thanks to her, I can discover something this good.''


    Noel and Anna looked at each other smiling as if they hade to an agreement. However, they both had an opposite thought.


    ''I''m going to use her knowledge to discover more missions.''


    ''I''m going to leech off his opportunities.''

 Chapter 68 Sense

    ''How the hell did this happen?'' Noel asked himself as he was looking up to see Anna''s face. Anna was sitting behind the tree while her hand was holding his head and burying his face on her breast.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago.


    "How is the situation on the other side?" Anna shouted while carefully deflecting a few Mid Level Demons'' attacks.


    Her answer came in the form of action. Noel suddenly rushed to one of the Mid Level Demon and covered his sword with the Spiritual Energy.


    Mega sh.


    Noel struck the Mid Level Demon''s head, only to be stopped by its horns.


    If it were three weeks ago, he would be useless against the Mid Level Demon. However, this time was different.


    As soon as he saw the demon stopping his attack, Noel took a step back and looped around the demon. In fact, he was going around the several Mid Level Demons to hide himself with their bodies.


    ''As expected, the Low Level and Mid Level Demons don''t have that much intelligence. Mid Level Demon is better, but they''re still using their instinct.'' Noel thought as he saw the Mid Level Demon chasing after him, slipping past several demons.


    Using that to his advantage, Noel could bother the other demons.


    "Ooohhhhh!" The demon let out a roar as if informing the other demons who had yet to realize Noel''s appearance due to him not saying anything.


    When the other Mid Level Demons turned around to find Noel, Anna charged forward with a smirk.


    Her sword and body had been covered by lightning. Her jumping speed felt like a bullet as she appeared next to the demon in an instant.


    After that, her sword struck the demon''s horn. Unlike Noel, she had aplete control over her Spiritual Energy. Even if the demon could stop her sword with its horn, the Spiritual Energy sparked, resulting in the same reaction from the lightning.


    The spark cracked the horn and Anna released all her strength to push forward, destroying the horn and cutting the demon''s head.


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, thinking, ''As expected, her control of Spiritual Energy is so high. I can''t kill her with my meager ability for now.''


    Seeing one of them getting killed by Anna, all the demons turned around and directed their anger toward her.


    Noel used this chance to approach the demon from behind to attack their softest spot.


    However, Noel took one step further as he pointed his palm forward.


    Ice Control.


    The skill allowed Noel to create ice around him, so he covered the soil with a thinyer of ice, causing the demons to fall down.


    "Kill them!" Noel shouted as he and Anna jumped to the demons together.


    Noel killed two Mid Level Demons during the confusion with the help of his Mega sh while Anna took care of four. With the addition of one Mid Level Demon, she managed to kill five Mid Level Demons in total.


    "Nice ice ability." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Not as strong as your lightning ability."<sub> </sub>


    "Come on. Mine is powerful, but yours is versatile." Anna smirked.


    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath as he didn''t want to continue the conversation. He looked around while making sure that they were not watched by the demons. "We have been pretty deep inside the forest. Although the stronger demons living in the deeper region make sense in one way to another, I still don''t understand why¡­"


    "A tree can grow in a good soil, right?"


    "Yes."


    "But there is another theory about it. The richer the soil is, the more it contains the Spiritual Energy. You might not be able to feel it or see it right now, but this world is filled with Spiritual Energy.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "The demons like to live in an area rich of Spiritual Energy. As for why stronger demons live in the deeper area, it''s simply because the deepest region is where the Spiritual Energy is concentrated. The rest is simply hierarchy."


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "In that case, does that mean the deepest region has the strongest demon?"


    "Yeah. We''re already a bit too deep right now, so we should pull back soon."


    "So, a higher ranking demon, an Advance Level Demon?"


    "Perhaps. I''m not too sure currently, but let''s just¡ª!!!" Anna stopped abruptly and turned around, staring into the woods.


    "Anna?" Noel was confused but remained vignce when he saw Anna''s solemn face.


    Suddenly, Anna ran toward him and dragged him while putting her finger on her mouth as if signaling him to not make a single noise.


    They hid behind the biggest tree in the area. She even held him close so that he didn''t stand out.


    "Don''t make a single sound or release your Spiritual Energy if you don''t want to die. I''m going to use my power to erase the trace of our Spiritual Energy," said Anna with a low voice while raising her right hand. Her index and middle finger rose as if she concentrated her power into the fingertips.


    "Wh¡ª" Noel was confused, but Anna hurriedly grabbed his head and pulled his head into her breast as the means to silence him.


    Noel was startled by Anna''s action. Despite the hatred, he still couldn''t deny the fact that Anna was the most beautiful woman among the Knight Apprentice. And to think she would have his face buried on her chest, it was unthinkable as a noble.


    ? However, when he raised his vision, he stopped struggling. No, he stopped every little movement.


    Anna had closed her eyes to get more focus, but her forehead was covered with sweats as though she had been utilizing a great amount of Spiritual Energy.


    Noel knew that this was a dangerous situation, so he decided to cooperate with everything she said.


    He didn''t dare to move even though he was curious about what she saw.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the answer to his curiosity appeared.


    He felt an immense Spiritual Energying toward them. Unlike their Spiritual Energy, he could sense the killing intent and bloodlust emanating from this creature.


    Although he couldn''t see its figure, he felt dread that his body was trembling.


    This was the reason why Anna panicked and did the unthinkable.


    In the end, Noel also closed his eyes to calm his heart. He wanted to make sure that his body was in the condition to respond to the worst case scenario.

 Chapter 69 Advance Level Demon

    ''Hu¡­'' Noel took a deep breath because it was quite hard to breathe due to their position. It truly took a bit of effort to even breathe.


    However, Noel could feel that the immense pressure started moving away after two minutes standing still.


    He felt a bit relieved but he wasn''t foolish enough to drop his guard. He maintained his vignce to make sure that they wouldn''t be discovered.


    Seeing how scared Anna was, it was clear that the demon was pretty powerful.


    Even though Noel couldn''t sense the pressure anymore, Anna didn''t release him yet. Remembering that Anna managed to pick up his presence far before him, he knew that the demon had yet to leave that far.


    Hence, they waited. Their position was perfect for Noel to shame Anna, but he didn''t do anything to make sure that he didn''t disturb her concentration.


    Still, no matter how hard he tried to hide his desire, Noel''s thoughts ran wild.


    ''If I disturb her right now, I can grab the attention of that whatever creature here. I don''t know how strong Anna is, but she might die facing this demon.


    ''However, Anna is a mysterious evil woman. She should have some secrets that can allow her to escape as long as she abandons me here. As for me, I''ll certainly die here. So, I can''t disturb her no matter what.''


    Yes, in the midst of this situation and position, Noel still thought about killing Anna. Fortunately, he realized that this n didn''t guarantee Anna''s death, only his, so he abandoned it immediately.


    After what it felt like four hours, Anna finally opened her eyes while feeling relieved.


    ? She dropped on her butts as Noel was also dragged to the ground.


    "We''re safe now." Anna let out a breath of relief before lowering her vision, finding Noel''s face on her breast. "¡­"


    Noel pointed at her hand as if asking her to release him.


    "Ah¡­" Anna realized what she had done as her face slightly reddened from the embarrassment. She hurriedly let him go while ring at him.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "You did this, not me." Noel immediately justified his position.


    Anna''s instinct wanted to p him, but what she did was the exact opposite. She took a few deep breaths to calm her heart and said with an embarrassed face. "Yeah. Can you forget about it?"


    "That''s impossible. It has been burned into my mind."


    "Can you be a bit more gentleman?" Anna sighed, feeling a headache. Instead of embarrassment, she felt a bit angry.


    "Well, I am a fallen noble, so I don''t care about that anymore. But I guess I can do that as long as you exin to me¡­" Noel nced to the direction where the intense pressure went.


    "What is the difference between Low Level Demon and Mid Level Demon?"


    "Their abilities. The Mid Level Demon has a better physique, but more importantly, the biggest difference they have lies on their Spiritual Energy. The Mid Level Demon can utilize a bit of their Spiritual Energy."


    "Exactly. However, the Mid Level Demon can''t use their Spiritual Energy that easily. Their condition is simr to the you a few weeks ago when you can only apply your Spiritual Energy to one task, which is attacking." Anna nodded, confirming his statement.


    "And that one is¡­ an Advance Level Demon?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. An Advance Level Demon can fully utilize their Spiritual Energy. They also have opened their wisdom, making them a hard opponent to fight. Even in the current me, running away is the only option. Well, my skill is enough, but I don''t have enough Spiritual Energy to fight them right now." Anna felt disappointed because she couldn''t defeat the Advance Level Demon.


    "I see. It seems that the Demon Banner Army wants us to reach a level simr to that demon before graduating to the real knight?" Noel contemted for a moment.


    "No. Their aim is just Mid Level Demon. However, the most talented people will surely surpass that target before graduation." Anna smirked as if she was stating she would be one of them.


    "I see. Every year, the Demon Banner Army doesn''t ept that many soldiers after all, but they sure create numerous elite soldiers." Noel nodded in understanding. "So, do you want to create a target?"


    "A target?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Yeah. Let''s kill that Advance Level Demon in a few months."


    "A few months, huh¡­" Anna calcted it a bit and said, "Three months?"


    "Sounds good to me. After this mission, we''re going to train a bit more before heading outside this ce. You and I will do one or two individual mission group missions each. The details can be discussedter like the ce, the time, and the mission."


    "Sounds good. I''m not going to stay in this ce for too long." Anna agreed with him. "How about killing the Advance Level Demon for a group mission after we return here?"


    "Fair enough. We can discuss the detailster." Noel nodded. "In that case, let''s continue the hunt."


    "Right." Anna nced at the demon corpses they left behind earlier.


    "Still, you smell good even though you are an evil witch."


    "What? I''ve told you to forget that! I''ve exined the situation to you earlier!" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "No, the agreement is just forgetting about your attempt of murder, not about your smell."


    "Attempt of murder? It''s you who are enjoying my body!"


    "Do you think I''d enjoy that? I was about to be suffocated earlier." Noel denied her with a poker face as if he meant it.


    Even though Noel looked far too youngpared to her soul, she still had some confidence in her body and beauty. But this man truly frustrated her.


    "How about I beat you up since I couldn''t suffocate you?" Anna raised her fist with veins bulging out of her forehead.


    "I''m going to scrap the crystals." Noel escaped in an instant, doing something that could stop Anna from bothering him.


    Unbeknownst to them, the seal under theke had gradually deteriorated.


    The lines started shining dimly as the ground started to crack, resulting in the green lines beginning to disconnect to each other.


    *Rumble!*


    *Rumble!*

 Chapter 70 Ancient Demon Trees Emergence

    "Your solo mission waspleted in the first day, mine was the same. And the group mission waspleted on the second day since we managed to kill 12 Mid Level Demons on the first day and 15 Mid Level Demons on the second day. Today, we managed to kill 25 Mid Level Demons. Don''t you think this is a good progress?" Anna stretched her hands while yawning.


    They were walking back to theke as soon as the sun came down, so they felt a bit tired, especially due to the sudden appearance of the Advance Level Demon.


    Even Noel believed they had done so much, considering Low Level Demons were the majority in this area.


    Even though he still needed to submit a portion of the crystals, they still had a plenty of them to share. And they had an abundant amount of Low Level Crystals.


    However, Noel stayed quiet when Anna told him their progress.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna turned around, looking at Noel who seemed to be upied by his thoughts. Noel looked like as if he was observing theke.


    "No, I''m just thinking that tonight or tomorrow morning¡­" Noel closed his eyes while thinking about all the knowledge he had regarding the runes.


    "What do you mean?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    Noel pointed at theke, specifically the middle of theke.


    "Huh?" Anna nced at theke and noticed the glimmer green light emitting from within the water. In that instant, she opened her eyes wide in shock. "Since when?"


    "I''m not sure, but it''s been like that ever since we came back."


    "That''s clearly the case. It seems that the seal is breaking. I don''t think I feel anything such as the increase of Spiritual Energy. A demon at that level should have a ridiculous amount of Spiritual Energy, but I guess that shows how weak he is right now. Mid Level Demon, probably the strongest Mid Level Demon you can ever imagine, but it won''t be as strong as Advance Level Demon."


    "Then, there is its size." Noel added.


    "True. The size will make it hard since we need to climb the tree. Can you do it?"


    "I have tried it yesterday. Climbing a tree won''t be a problem since my grip is stronger now, but it''ll be a different matter if the demon is stopping me from climbing it."


    "Even I don''t have too much details on the Ancient Demon Tree, so we can only improvise our approach."


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded. "For now, let''s have some rest so that our bodies are well enough to kill it."


    Anna agreed as she immediately prepared some food while Noel kept staring at the rune but still couldn''t find anything. It seemed that his knowledge wasn''t enough to decipher the rune.


    ''I guess, my ancestor was too powerful for me toprehend right now. Well, the history indeed imed that he was one of the strongest, if not the strongest.'' Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Hey, Anna. Do you mind if I''m the one to kill it?"


    "Huh? A question like this out of nowhere¡­"


    "I just want to know whether it''s possible or not. I don''t care if we split the reward, but I want to kill this demon." Noel looked at Anna with a solemn face.


    Anna narrowed her eyes and pondered.


    "I know that it''s a kind of a request, but I don''t think this much is a problem for you, right?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yeah. I''m simply going to be the vanguard and let you deliver the killing blow. That much is not a problem, but can you keep up with me?"


    "I will, even if it takes all of my power." Noel nodded without hesitation. He got the mission from Ardagan, so he needed to kill the demon no matter what.


    "Alright then. I''ll open the path for you, but lend me your Ice Pearl for a day." Anna also had her own condition. Although bing a vanguard was a simple task, Anna knew how hard it was to not being able to kill her opponent.


    Just like the sparring, she needed to go with the intention of killing her opponent, but didn''t kill them.


    With such an awkward situation, her strength would be greatly reduced and had a big potential to be injured. Hence, she asked for this condition.


    "Alright. Just for one day, I''m going to trust you for one day." Noel answered with a grim tone.


    Anna felt the heaviness in the word ''trust'' due to her destroying his family. Even though Noel had been listening to her suggestions and cooperating with her, it wasn''t based on trust. He simply chose the most optimal solution.


    "It''s just for one day. In fact, you can watch me during that time, so I won''t run away with the pearl."


    "¡­" Noel sighed and said, "It''s alri¡ª!"


    *Rumble!*


    *Rumble!*


    Suddenly, the ground started shaking.


    "!!!" Noel and Anna hurriedly rose from the ground and faced theke as they saw the water started raging.


    The light shone brighter and brighter as time passed.


    "It seems that I have made a mistake." Anna gulped down. "It''s not that there is no Spiritual Energy, it''s just the seal has been absorbing the Spiritual Energy to the point I can''t sense it. And now, the seal is¡­"


    *Boom!*


    A shock wave from a Spiritual Energy shook the area, affecting all living beings in that area. The trees, tent, and the water were blown away. The ground soon started to crack as a few pieces of branches emerged from the ground.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    The branches expanded and theke gradually copsed. A huge trunk soon emerged from the now driedke and continued to rise to the sky.


    Even though they had expected the tree to be big, they never thought it would be this big.


    The smallke had a diameter of forty meters, yet, the tree was actually a fourth the size of the basin. In fact, now that the water had been blown away, the basin looked like a crater that was used to seal the demon tree.


    "So, this is the Ancient Demon Tree¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath.

 Chapter 71 Panic

    *Boom!*


    The Spiritual Energy flew in all directions. As expected from the Ancient Demon Tree, all the Spiritual Energy that had been absorbed by the seal could even reach the fort a few kilometers away from its position.


    "!!!" As the current two strongest people in the fort, both Shale and Oscar felt the intense amount of Spiritual Energy.


    "This is¡­" Shale gulped down and hurriedly flew toward the wall to check the situation.


    As expected from the veterans, they thought alike. Oscar had also reached the wall and tried to see the situation from the top of the wall.


    "Commander." Shale greeted Oscar and said, "I couldn''t see anything."


    "Yes. It seems the Spiritual Energy traveled that far¡­ But it needed a ridiculous amount of Magic Power. Even I couldn''t do it. A being that could do something like that could easily destroy this fort." Oscar gritted his teeth. "But there shouldn''t be a being that powerful around us. Is there any record about such a being near the forest?"


    "No. In that case, there might be an ancient being residing in that fore¡­" Shale suddenly fell silent.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "This is not good." Shale''s face became pale as he looked at themander and panicked. "Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are in the forest right now."


    "!!!" Oscar widened his eyes. Those two were the top in their generations. Anna even surpassed them by arge margin. Their potential was simply too big. If they died here, the loss they needed to bear would be too much for them to handle.


    Still, when Oscar thought he should go there to save those two right now, he didn''t forget that he was themander of this fort. There were numerous people living in this fort, so he couldn''t abandon them simply because of his hot blooded head.


    "Wind Extermination General Shale! Heed my orders!"


    "Yes, Sir!" Shale straightened his back as his expression turned serious.


    "All fort guards are to prepare for an evacuation. Demon Extermination Squad under you shall follow me to march to the forest to handle this unknown being and all the remaining squads will stand by on the wall."


    "Yes, Sir!" Shale disappeared as soon as he received the order.


    Oscar gritted his teeth as he kept staring at the distance.


    "This is not good. We can only march there in five minutes and will arrive in another five minutes. Those two might already¡­ No, I hope that those two are not close to that being." Oscar kept maintaining hisposure while thinking about all possibilities.


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel and Anna were actually in the middle of the storm.


    "I underestimated the seal and the Ancient Demon Tree¡­" Anna clenched her fists. "Instead of an hour, I''m afraid we only have a few minutes."


    "What do you mean?" Noel asked while turning around as if he was preparing to escape.


    "You surely remember the Advance Level Demon we met previously, right? That demon would surelye here to check about the intense Spiritual Energy. When that happen¡ª"


    Before she finished her exnation, Noel threw a rope to her.


    "What?" Anna was startled while catching the rope.


    "Tie your body up. At first, I thought we could use the water to break our fall a bit and utilize our Spiritual Energy to lessen the damage, but the water is now gone. Falling from that high is the end, so we should use this rope." Noel exined while tying the rope on his waist.<sub> </sub>


    Anna understood Noel''s concern and immediately tied herself too. This way, if one of them fell, the other two could help them.


    "Don''t forget to match our movement and if possible, use your sword to climb the tower. Our grip might not be enough to take the force from the fall."


    "Don''t worry, I know." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Although I want to understand the situation right now, we don''t have too much time, right? In that case, I just want you to answer one question. Can we defeat it?"


    "The Spiritual Energy shocked me, but the Ancient Demon Tree is indeed only at Mid Level Demon range." Anna nodded. "We can¡­ no, we will kill it."


    "Five minutes then. We''ll y this demon within five minutes."


    "Got it."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna smirked as they stood next to each other.


    As soon as they exchanged nods, they ran at the same speed, heading straight to the Ancient Demon Tree that had yet to be aware of their presence.


    Noel could also see the giant face fifteen meters above the ground. It was close to the top of the tree, considering above the face was only a small area that could be said to be its brain where the crystal was located and the branches.


    As if sensing the iing presence, the roots started to emerge from the ground. Each root had a diameter of two meters, making them even bigger than Anna or Noel''s height.


    "Seriously?" Noel widened his eyes and shouted, "Anna!"


    "I''m the vanguard, so follow me." Anna replied with a confident face.


    Since they were attached by a rope, Noel nodded and followed her.


    Anna leaped onto one of the roots and continued running, approaching the tree.


    When Noel followed her, there were a few other roots that came out from the sides, trying to squeeze him to death.


    "Kh. I''m not going to be left behind." Noel gritted his teeth, utilizing his Spiritual Energy to strengthen his two feet.


    After that, he leaped into the air in Anna''s direction, avoiding the roots.


    As expected, those roots actually attacked Anna, but she skillfully and quickly avoided them, so he was the one that got attacked instead.


    Luckily, the rope was five meters long or else they wouldn''t be able to do anything.


    "Where are we going?" Noel shouted while realizing Anna had been moving around the tree instead of going straight to the trunk.


    Anna didn''t answer him because she thought the Ancient Demon Tree could understand their conversation. She only told him to follow her.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and followed her. He soon noticed that they were rising bit by bit just by going around. It turned out the roots were ovepping each other because they kept swarming at them to kill them. ''So, she''s using the roots¡­''

 Chapter 72 Spirit Ability

    As soon as Noel understood Anna''s intention in using the root to increase their elevation, he finally saw the path that Anna nned to take.


    They might be moving up and down for a minute, but Anna skillfully came closer and closer to the trunk at the highest elevation they could get.


    "Four, no¡­ Five meters. As long as we can reach five meters, we should be able to avoid all the roots. And¡­" Noel raised his vision and saw the branches start moving. "Anna! Above!"


    "I know." Anna shouted and calcted their best path. "We might not be able to reach the best position."


    "Indeed." Noel nodded. At least, tell me a second prior so that I can react." Noel nodded in understanding, preparing to avoid both the roots and branches at the same time.


    As expected, the Ancient Demon Tree might not have its past power, but it could understand theirnguage.


    As soon as Noel and Anna reached an agreement, the Ancient Demon Tree sent its branches to the ground.


    "This is insane." Noel gulped down when he saw the tip of the branches begin to extend and bend to the ground, aiming for their lives.


    "Here theye!" Anna shouted while ncing to the left and right. The roots were stopping next to the one they were stepping on, forming a wall on both sides.


    "Walls? We need to get away somehow." Noel furrowed his eyebrows while trying to find an escape path.


    "We''re not going anywhere." Anna clicked her tongue and sped her hands. "North Sword, South Lightning. Sword D''Dantalian."


    Noel''s vision soon darkened as he realized the culprit was the sword that gradually formed on top of them, blocking the moonlight.


    The sword had the same length of a human''s height, but the body was covered by lightning.


    ''What is that? No, that''s a Spirit Ability and the incantation. Unlike the Spirit Technique that derived from human research, Spirit Abilitiese directly from the Spirit themselves like my Mega sh and Ice Control.'' Noel sucked a cold breath.


    The lightning sword flew forth, hitting the right root that blocked their path from escaping.


    *Boom!*


    The lightning sparked, creating a small explosion on the root. The spark was so strong that it could manage to destroy a part of the giant root.


    ''She destroyed a part of the root, so we can escape.'' Noel observed her action.


    Anna proved his spection by jumping to the destroyed part and using it as her footing to jump on top of the ruined root.


    Noel followed the path and nced at the right and left. ''We can jump back to the ground or back to the roots.''


    It seemed they were fast enough because not long after they got to a higher elevation, the branches began to shoot down.


    "Here theye!" Noel shouted.


    Ten branches fell down on top of him. The pointed tips impaled the roots, albeit missing both Noel and Anna.


    Anna skillfully tilted her body and avoided all the huge branches, but Noel''s reaction time was still slower than her, causing the roots to graze his right arm and waist.


    "Are you alright?" Anna asked while lowering her speed.<sub> </sub>


    "It won''t be a problem." Noel nodded before widening his eyes. "Anna, jump!"


    Anna didn''t see anything in front of her, so the first thing she did was turn around and saw spikesing out of the roots.


    Anna clicked her tongue and lowered her head, barely avoiding the spike with only a graze on her cheek.


    At the same time, Noel managed to avoid itpletely due to him being able to see what wasing sooner.


    "We need to start climbing right now." Anna gritted her teeth, knowing that the more they wasted their time on the roots, the more dangerous the situation would be.


    "Will the trunk let out a spike?" Noel started thinking about the potential danger on the trunk.


    "It wasn''t a spike, but the branches that bent inside the roots."


    "Ah!" Noel remembered the branches that impaled the roots earlier. It turned out they were the culprit of the spikes. After that, he pointed at the front a few meters in front of them. There was a perfect curve near the trunk, so it should be a perfect spot to jump.


    Anna nodded in agreement as she jumped to the root on the other side so that she could be closer to the target.


    Noel followed suit and followed her, preparing to jump right after her.


    "Here I go!" Anna shouted while looking at the branches that wereing for them.


    "Hurry up!" Noel gritted his teeth. He might end up dead if he waste just by one second due to his position.


    Anna saw the branches had begun to fall down, so she jumped to the trunk. Noel gritted his teeth and used his fastest speed to reach the edge and jump to the trunk, next to Anna.


    He nted Ardagan into the trunk, making sure he didn''t fall down. He looked back and saw the branches impaling the roots.


    "Noel, it''s going to bend again!" Anna shouted as she wondered how they could avoid this with both their hands and feet getting tied down in gripping the trunk.


    But when she turned to Noel, thetter had already looped around the sword and used the impaled sword as his footing to avoid the iing branches.


    ''He''s too smart.'' Anna gritted her teeth, realizing that she hadn''t improvised enough. She hurriedly followed Noel and stood on top of her sword.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    When the branches were about to impale them, they jumped, avoiding the branches. Of course, she had a specific direction so that when shended, she was on top of the impaled branch.


    Noel had the same thought because he was already standing on top of them.


    "Your sword!" Noel shouted.


    "I¡­" Anna nced at her sword and shook her head. "No. I''ll focus on using my Spirit Ability."


    Noel nodded as they jumped from one branch to another, trying to climb the trunk with the impaled branches. Due to Noel acting first, Anna ended up being the one that followed him so that their rope didn''t stuck to one of the branches.


    However, slowly but surely, they were climbing the trunk together.

 Chapter 73 Teamwork

    "Watch out!" The iing branches that bent inside the trunk began to emerge, trying to kill them.


    But because of the bulging trunk, they managed to locate them and avoid them easily while making their way to the top. With their efforts, they somehow managed to reach 10 meters mark. They only needed to find a way to cover the remaining ten meters.


    And the Ancient Demon Tree had learned its mistake. With the addition of the danger that woulde when impaling his body at this height, the tree decided to approach in a different way.


    Instead of impaling them again and hurting itself in the end, the tree tried to pierce them from the side or simply wipe them off its body.


    "Iing!" Noel shouted. Since he was the one leading now, he said, "Normal way is too much for us, so we''ll risk our lives right now."


    "What are you pl¡ª" Anna was about to ask, but she saw Noel jumping into the air as the branch almost pierced him. To her surprise, Noelnded on the branch that almost impaled him.


    Instead of climbing the normal way, he ran on top of the branch. Since the tree was going to impale them from the sides, the branches needed to have the right slope for them to climb due to the branchesing from above. It needed a part of the branches to be twisted in one part, so the rest would just be a smooth slope.


    "Let''s go!" Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, due to the tree''s big branch and root, they could easily run on top of them without fearing to fall. Of course, Noel was scared when running on top of the branches due to him being above ten meters high. Even so, he needed to do it because the tree would take an even more extreme measure to knock them off.


    Hence, the only solution to reach the top of the tree was to utilize any unorthodox way.


    "He is insane." Annained but still followed him. She realized that even without her, Noel could still climb the tree. He could easily find a way to do it even if he needed to improvise due to an additional person.


    The Ancient Demon Tree also started retracting its branches, knowing that Noel nned to take advantage of it. So, Anna hurriedly followed him, making sure that she wasn''t left behind.


    Lightning even sparked around her boots, increasing her speed by causing a small spark in every step she made.


    However, they also needed to worry about another threat other than the tree.


    *Roar!*


    A huge roar erupted from the ground, startling both Anna and Theo.


    "!!!" Anna nced to the bottom and saw a humanoid figure with a red skin. The humanoid figure didn''t have a single hair on its body and it didn''t even have gender. However, it still had a mouth and nose like a human.


    But the one that took her attention the most was a pair of horns on its head.


    "Noel! It''s the Advance Level Demon from earlier! It''s going to help the Ancient Demon Tree!" Anna shouted.


    "Seriously?" Noel gulped down and asked, "What should we¡ª"


    When Noel nced at the bottom, he saw the demon opening its mouth, forming a red-colored light ball in front of it.


    "I''m going to take care of that beam!" Anna raised two fingers and drew a cross in the air with her Spiritual Energy. "Lightning Fall!"


    The cross shaped lightning soon fell down to stop the Advance Level Demon.


    On the ground, the light ball had grown to the size of the demon''s head as the demon soon shot it like a beam.


    "Can you even stop t¡ª" Noel doubted Anna''s Spirit Ability could stop it, but he soon saw something that shocked him.


    A symbol appeared below her attack before forming a circle surrounding it.<sub> </sub>


    With his current knowledge, he could recognize this symbol and its form.


    Both of them said the same thing.


    "Amplification!"


    As soon as the cross-shaped lightning passed through the circle, the lightning sparked and expanded its size. The power behind it was also amplified like the name implied.


    This was one of the basic runes, Amplification. However, he hadn''t been able to draw that rune due to Ardagan requesting him to either master the Increase Agility or Strength Blessing Rune first.


    The beam soon struck the Lightning Fall, causing it to explode. However, the explosion was so fierce that it bent the beam, shifting its path a little bit, barely avoiding them. The beam even struck one of the tree branches at the top and destroyed it.


    As if getting angry because Anna and Noel were like a pest that couldn''t be exterminated, the tree shot a branch to the ground, creating a slope that could allow the Advance Level Demon to climb.


    "The Advance Level Demon is going to reach us by using that branch. What should we do? One of us might need to fight it to buy time¡­" Anna gritted her teeth.


    Noel wanted to talk about her knowledge about Rune, but he knew this wasn''t the time. Even Anna also didn''t want to exin everything in this situation, since this was a secret that she wouldn''t reveal if not for the sudden threat.


    ''For real. How did Noel even climb to the top and kill the tree in my past life? Has my regression actually weakened Noel? No, I''m sure that Noel has be stronger from his past life due to his hate to him. So¡­'' Suddenly, Anna''s thought was disrupted by the sudden power surge in her body.


    She felt more powerful and her body was lighter.


    "This is¡­" Anna widened her eyes and saw Noel using two runes.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "It will onlyst five minutes. Normal way won''t work anymore. So, we''re going to skip all this and immediately go to the top. Make sure you don''t fall!" Noel shouted as he jumped into the trunk again. "Swing me to the top, Anna!"


    Anna widened her eyes because she saw Noel nning to drop himself after reaching the trunk. Since they were on a branch, Anna could make a full swing that could throw him straight to the top with her ability. And that rune was the amplification she needed to aplish the mission.


    In other words, Noel nned to use the force from the throw to reach the tree''s head in one go. This way, they could outrun the Advance Level Demon.


    Anna smirked as she realized how insane his brain could work. She became excited because she could see some hope in killing this demon tree.


    As soon as Noel dropped himself, Anna stomped the branch so that her feet were slightly buried. She nced to the side and saw the branch continued to retract itself, so she only had one shot. If she missed, both of them were going to fall.


    The moment she felt Noel''s weight, she gritted her teeth as her body slightly tilted to the front. "Kh. It''s too heavy!"


    Even so, she endured all the pain and weight and hung on while ncing at Noel''s momentum.


    The moment he returned to the trunk, she utilized and amplified the centrifugal force to toss him to the top. "GOOOO!!!"


    Noel flew into the top at fast speed. And now, he prepared himself for Anna''s weight since they were going to climb together.


    But to his surprise, he never felt Anna''s weight. He nced back and saw Anna falling down after cutting the rope.


    Anna was smiling at him while saying, "You go to the top and defeat the Demon Tree. I''m going to stop this Advance Level Demon from stopping you."

 Chapter 74 Fulfilling Their Role

    Noel gritted his teeth and nted his sword into the tree. While hanging on, he looked down to see Anna had turned around.


    She created a circle with her Spiritual Energy and pushed it forward, creating a chain made of lightning. After that, she channeled her energy into her hands, skillfully forming a sword.


    This lightning sword would be her weapon against the Advance Level Demon.


    The Advance Level Demon stopped climbing and looked at the lightning circle with its bloodshot eyes. It raised both hands and caught the lightning.


    "Burn it away!" Anna shouted while snapping her finger.


    The lightning sparked for a split second, but the Advance Level Demon ripped the ring apart.


    "As expected, I don''t have enough Spiritual Energy to conjure a more powerful lightning attack." Anna clicked her tongue and shed her sword downwards, trying to knock the demon off the branch.


    However, the demon managed to grab Anna''s sword easily. If it was a normal junior knight, they would be shocked by its power, but Anna had fought against demons stronger than this one. Hence, the moment the demon caught her lightning sword, Anna let the sword go and kicked him from the side, knocking him off.


    After that, shended on the branch and waved her left hand. "Sword D''Dantalian."


    The lightning sword she conjured earlier to destroy the Ancient Demon Tree''s root appeared again. She shot it right at the Advance Level Demon who was still trying to find a way to avoid getting shot down.


    Unfortunately for the demon, Anna''s sword was faster than it expected. The sword arrived in an instant, causing the demon to catch it again.


    *Boom!*


    The sword sparked and exploded,unching the demon to the ground. As if it wasn''t injured, the demon still had a clear vision of Noel who almost reached the top of the tree while avoiding the branches.


    It opened its mouth again, charging the Spiritual Energy to shoot Noel down.


    Anna wouldn''t let the demon do whatever it wanted, so she jumped to the ground and stomped the demon''s stomach, getting its focus again. Even the beam disappeared due to the disruption she caused.


    When the demon realized Noel had reached the top of the tree, it was clear that he couldn''t shoot him anymore. Hence, it shifted all its focus to Anna who was on top of him.


    Suddenly, an eruption of Spiritual Energy shook the area, creating a shock wave to blow Anna away.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna skillfully directed the Spiritual Energy with her own, but the demon moved its body, forcing her to leap off the demon''s body.


    But as soon as shended on the ground, the demon appeared next to her.


    "Too fa¡ª" Anna couldn''t even finish her thought, but her instinct managed to react by putting both arms next to her head where the demon struck her, blocking it.


    As one would expect from an Advance Level Demon, the force from the sweep was extraordinary.<sub> </sub>


    *Bam!*


    Anna was blown away and crushed into a tree several meters away from her original position.


    "Kh." Anna gritted her teeth and hurriedly rose from the ground, thinking, ''Without the Increase Agility Rune, I wouldn''t be able to react to that attack. And the Blessing Strength allowed me to sustain only minor injuries from this. As expected, an Advance Level Demon is different.''


    She took a deep breath while letting her instinct take over. ''My speed can''t match an Advance Level Demon yet, so I need to use my instinct to react to its movement. Five minutes best or in the worst case scenario, I need to wait for ten minutes until Noel digs up the core and kill the Ancient Demon Tree.''


    While she was grabbing the Advance Level Demon''s attention, Noel had finally reached the top of the tree.


    To his surprise, the top of the tree looked like it had a tform on it. The branches came out only on the edge.


    "This is¡­" Noel was amused by the tree''s structure, but he soon raised his vision and saw the branchesing from above. Noel leaped to the side and avoided getting his body pierced by the branches.


    However, he noticed an important detail. When the branches were about to hit him, they decelerated until they were slow enough to not pierce through the trunk.


    ''The branches are now afraid of injuring the trunk? As expected, the core is near the top.'' Noel looked down and thought, ''There are two ways to kill a demon. The first one is to split the demon into two, especially sever the head and the body. For a tree like this, I just need to cut right below the tree''s face. Or the second way is to crush the demon crystal. As long as the crack is big enough, the tree will die because the demon crystal acts like a human heart. One stab is enough.


    ''But the problem right now is¡­ where is the core?'' Noel looked at the tform above the tree. The tree trunk was ten meters in diameter and this tform had roughly half the size of the trunk. Even so, it would be hard to dig up everything in this environment.


    Yet, when Noel should start digging out for the core, a ridiculous thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Now that I think about it, I don''t need to rush here. The Ancient Demon Tree won''t be stronger for the first one hour. If that''s the case, I can wait for a bit until the Advance Level Demon kills Anna before killing this tree.''


    It was such a logical idea because this asion was perfect to kill Anna and the me would go to the Advance Level Demon instead of him.


    However, Noel had an ufortable feeling in his chest. It wasn''t love.


    He simply disliked the idea.


    Clenching his fists, he shook his head, ''This is why I hate owing someone. It makes me hesitate to kill them. I can be like that evil woman and kill her with this scheme, but why should I be a hypocrite and do something like the person I hate?


    ''If someone owes me a debt, I''m going to settle that debt first before I kill them. That''s the same for you, Anna Stargaze. People will think I''m an idiot, but at least, I''m not a hypocrite. Be grateful, Anna Stargaze, for I am not someone like you!''


    Noel nced to the top and avoided the branches again before he started striking the tree''s trunk with his sword.


    Mega sh.

 Chapter 75 A Plan

    Mega sh.


    *Bam!*


    With the help of Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes, Noel''s attack was amplified greatly. In addition of Mega sh, the moment he struck the trunk, a portion of it was shattered as if he used an axe to hit it.


    ''It''s too shallow. Am I going to dig this whole ce?'' Noel clicked his tongue and leaped to the side again, avoiding the branches again.


    ''I can''t waste too much time here, so I need to correctly pinpoint the core''s location, but how?'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows before cing his hand on the ground.


    Suddenly, the ice spread from his hand to the surrounding, covering the entire tform with a thinyer of ice.


    He then slid on the ice while observing the branches'' movements.


    Whenever the branches were about to strike him, they decelerated. However, the moment the tree realized there was a thinyer of ice on top of him, it thought he could go a bit more faster.


    *Bam!*


    The ice cracked when the branches hit it, but it was clear that the ice was able to contain much of the impact, allowing the demon to go all out.


    This looked like a foolish ning from Noel.


    And in addition, Noel even said, "Not good. It seems that the ice is too strong. It can withstand that kind of attack that should be able to crush me."


    Noel clicked his tongue and kept sliding around.


    After the fight with Azgar, he learned that he should practice how to slide on his ice. If possible, he should continue sliding on top of the ice, allowing him to gain good control in a fight like this.


    Although his speed was lower than when he was on a hard surface, his movement was smooth due to theck of friction between his shoes and the ice.


    He simply needed to tilt his body when the branches fell down again. And he managed to avoid all of them without even using his stamina.


    Soon, the thing he was looking for appeared in front of him.


    He had been moving around for two minutes and the branches had been raining him down with barrages of attacks. The thinyer of ice had been crushed. Some even got shattered and ovepped with each other.


    Yet, he found a ce where the ice didn''t break at all. It was one meter to the side from the middle point.


    Anna had been emphasizing how the Ancient Demon Tree had enough intelligence to understand them. And Noel had observed enough to know what she said was correct.


    Hence, the foolish provocation he had earlier was actually a way to bring more branches down.


    With this, he could see which ce the tree deliberately avoided, considering the thinyer of ice managed to withstand its attacks.


    This foolish n was actually a well considered n. And with all the ice shattered, he managed to find the ce where the core was hidden.


    Without hesitation, Noel slid to that area before retracting the ice floor.


    Mega sh!"


    Noel struck the spot and chipped away the wood. However, it was too shallow. He might need tens of hits to open up the core.


    And in the meantime, the Ancient Demon Tree would rain him down with so many branches.<sub> </sub>


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue as he was forced to jump away due to the branches.


    However, the Ancient Demon Tree seemed to be able to engage in a mind battle with Noel. The branches that went down this time formed a small circle, protecting everything inside.


    ''Seriously? A demon can be this smart?'' Noel gulped down and wondered how he should proceed this time.


    ''No. I won''t make it this time. If I try to do something else, I am not strong enough to dig this kind of trunk until it''s toote. Then¡­'' Noel suddenly remembered one more thing. He had always saved a couple of Honor Points in case of emergency.


    To think he would be able to rely on them again, he couldn''t help but smile.


    He had 9 Honor Points and exchanged 4 Skill Points. Mega sh needed 5 Skill Points and Ardagan Swordsmanship needed 7 Skill Points. Hence, there was only one more way to fight this tree.


    He increased his proficiency in his rune.


    Strength Blessing Rune (2/3)


    Requirement: 5 SP


    Noel smirked and formed another Blessing Rune to increase his strength.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The power surge was even more amazing than he expected. The rune earlier could only increase thirty percent of his strength, but this rune now managed to increase seventy percent of his strength.


    With that additional force, Noel struck the tree with Mega sh.


    *Bam!*


    Instead of chipping the wood away, it formed a small crack on the surface. If he continued this way, he should be able to reach the core easily.


    However, the crystal was still guarded by the branches. So, he went straight to the branches and struck them with all his strength.


    Mega sh.


    *Bam!*


    ? "What?" Noel widened his eyes when he failed to cut the branches. Not even a single one was sliced. It seemed that gathering in one group increased their resistance.


    "Fine by me. If I can''t deal with you this way, I''ll find another way to strike." Noel started utilizing his Mega sh next to the wall while avoiding the iing branches. This way, he could dig a hole near the demon crystal and hit it from the side instead of the top.


    And the Ancient Demon Tree didn''t have enough branches to cover thisrge area.


    "Haha,e here! I''m going to beat you up." Noel smirked as he continued smashing the woods, gradually digging deeper and deeper.


    However, he almost forgot about the time he took to dig this kind of hole.


    Even though he managed to do so much with the Strength Blessing Rune, Mega sh, and Ardagan''s sharpness, five minutes passed in a blink of an eye.


    Meanwhile, Anna''s condition was horrible. Her left eye was closed due to the blood running from her forehead to her left cheek. Her right eye had gradually lost its focus due to the amount of injury.


    Even so, she still tried hard to maintain her consciousness while fighting against an Advance Level Demon, trying to keep it away from Noel.


    "How long do I need to fight again?" Anna panted a few times with her eyes still locked on the demon.

 Chapter 76 Meeting Oscar Again

    Anna truly had a hard time holding on her consciousness. She was too injured to continue the fight. However, she still needed to hold on until Noel defeated the tree.


    As long as they fought this Advance Level Demon together, even if they couldn''t defeat this demon, they could escape together.


    She had even lost track of the time.


    "How long do I need to fight again?" Anna muttered in a low voice before seeing the demon charging toward her. "Tsk."


    When the Advance Level Demon arrived before her, a middle-aged mannded in front of her, protecting her from the demon.


    She had a hard time recognizing this man due to her vision being fuzzy, but she soon noticed the word that he spoke.


    "Scram."


    When the word was uttered, a powerful shock wave shook the area and turned into a powerful tornado that ran through the ground, shredding the demon''s body apart. The tornado was so powerful that it destroyed everything on its path. The trail was even longer than fifty meters.


    ''That''s¡­ Soul Spirit Ability.'' Anna recognized the man from his ability, thinking, ''To think that themander would appear here and kill an Advance Level Demon with a single word. Soul Stigma, that''s the name of his Spirit. The powerful ability that can be used just by stating a word.''


    Now that themander had appeared here, she felt that her role had beenpleted and dropped to the ground, feeling exhausted.


    Themander nced at her for a moment before turning to the Ancient Demon Tree. "So, this is the cause. The power is not that strong¡­ What is this demon?"


    "I am assuming it''s the Ancient Demon Tree," Anna answered despite her condition.


    ? "Ancient Demon Tree¡­" Themander''s expression turned grim as if he recognized the name. "Its appearance here, that kind of Magic Power¡­ I see, it seems that the Ancient Demon Tree has just been awoken. That burst of Magic Power is the result of the Magic Power from its awakening. At least, it appears here instead of somewhere else. I can kill it right now before it restores its power."


    "There''s no need to do that, Commander Oscar," said Anna while raising her vision.


    "Hmm?" Themander furrowed his eyebrows, finding another presence on top of the tree.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Suddenly, the Ancient Demon Tree released another shock wave along with a huge echo.


    *Ngoong!*


    However, neither Anna and themander were shaken by the sound or the shock wave as they realized that it was thest voice that the Ancient Demon Tree made.


    [Mission: Eliminate the weakened Ancient Demon Tree within 30 days.]


    [Description: There''s an Ancient Demon Tree sleeping underneath the Dark Demon Forest.]


    [Reward: Demon Hunter Medal and 7 SP]


    [Penalty: Lose your qualification to wield Ardagan.]


    [Congrattions. You''vepleted the mission and gained Ardagan''s recognition.]


    [Ardagan is expressing its will topletely support you from now on.]


    Skill: Sword Fire (0/3)


    Requirement: 3 SP<sub> </sub>


    Skill: Ignition Sword (0/3)


    Requirement: 3 SP


    "It seems that Ardagan has recognized me as its wielder now." Noel smiled, realizing that this was the true start for him. He looked down and sighed, knowing that it would be impossible for him to absorb the crystal. "Still, the part that covered the crystal was the one that we came for, right?"


    After some considerations, Noel cut some more wood around it since the rest had been shattered by his continuous attacks. Even he felt a bit exhausted after using Mega sh many times. So, he slowly cut them down before he heard a familiar voice echoing in his ears.


    "Why are you here, Noel Ardagan?"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes and turned around, finding Oscar standing next to him. "Commander¡­"


    "I am asking you what you''re doing here."


    Noel took a deep breath to regain his calm and stated, "I killed this tree."


    "I can see that already. How do you know the tree''s location? And why do you happen to be near when the tree is awakened?"


    ''Ah, this must be him interrogating me. He''s suspicious of me.'' Noel thought before saying, "When we conducted the retake exam, I found something weird in this ce."


    "And you didn''t report it?"


    "We had no obligation to report it. In fact, we didn''t know anything about it¡­ I''m just a fallen noble. Will someone actually listen to my words?"


    Oscar looked at Noel''s expressionless face as if he had given up on everything. "And why are you here?"


    "To do some missions of course. Both Individual and Group Missions. To survive, we need a water source and thiske is good for camping. When we returned to the camp, the demon emerged."


    Oscar red at him for another minute before closing his eyes to calm down. After that, he said, "Nheless, you have defeated the tree. You will surely receive your rewards and your deeds shall be honored. Even though the condition of this tree is still weak, the fact that you can kill it proves your identity and strength."


    "Can you hide this kind of achievement?" Noel asked.


    "It seems that you haven''t forgotten your objective."


    "Yes. If the royal family knows about this, they''re going to kill me as soon as possible." Noel nodded.


    "Fine. I''ll hide your achievement for you. And to think that you would join hands with Anna Stargaze."


    "I''m simply observing her power and progress. I''ll continue to learn everything about her so that I can use it to kill her in the future." Noel shook his head, assuring him that he still had the hatred in his heart.


    "That''s good then. From now on, when you go for an individual mission, you should go a bit farther away. And I''ll provide you a mask that can change your appearance and a new identity. Use that to build up your second identity''s reputation. During the group mission, you can use your real face if you don''t want to make her suspicious."


    "I understand. I shall follow your arrangement." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "In that case, let''s talk about your reward. Even though you want me to hide this achievement, you surely won''t let go of the reward, right?" Themander understood them since that was what he would do as well.


    "Yes."


    "Then, state what you want right now."

 Chapter 77 A Different Scenario

    "I want to learn more about Spirit Technique. You surely won''t mind if I enter the fort''s treasury, right?" Noel asked.


    "Not holding back, huh? Great." Oscar smirked and said, "Fine. I allow you to enter the treasury. This Ancient Demon Tree is among the strongest, so I will feel bad for giving you some scraps. So, I''ll allow you to take out two items from the treasury."


    "Thank you, Commander. However, I do have one more request."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "What is it?"


    "I don''t think I can take any of this back, but can you spare a bit of this tree, specifically this one." Noel pointed at the part that he had just cut.


    "The Ancient Demon Tree is quite sturdy and durable despite being a tree¡­ It''s quite a good armor for someone like you."


    Themander instantly saw through his intention. However, if one took another look at it, there was no way he didn''t see it through, considering Noel had no other use to take this much of wood.


    Noel didn''t answer, so Oscar continued, "You can get it. But you need two things to turn it into a good armor."


    "Two things?" Noel widened his eyes, not knowing what they were since Anna was the one suggesting the armor.


    "You need the cksmith and a priest, a high level one on top of that. I don''t think any cksmith of the fort can handle this material, so you should go to that ce¡­"


    "That ce? In fact, who can handle this kind of item?"


    "Master cksmith. However, you don''t have the means, connection or even money to pay for a Master cksmith, so you should go to one certain Master cksmith. He won''t take your money or anything as long as you bring a unique thing for him to work with."


    "So, he''ll make an armor for free because of this material."


    "That''s right. I''m going to pass the detailster, but you should have no problem in doing that, right? I''m not going to help you in this."


    "Yes. I''ll do my best." Noel nodded.


    "Then, the second one is the priest. Since you''re a soldier of my Demon Banner Army, it''s obvious you need to fight demons most of the time. Hence, you should get a priest to bless this armor. However, this one is not urgent, considering the basic armor alone is enough for the time being. Just remember about this."


    "Yes. Thank you for the advice, Commander." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Alright. Leave everything here. I''ll send this piece of wood to your roomter. You should go back." Oscar then grabbed Noel''s waist and jumped off the tree,nding smoothly on the surface.


    Noel saw Anna in such a bad shape. The soldiers seemed to have treated her with first aid, bandaging all the wounds, but she was still in such a bad shape.


    "Eric. Come here." Themander shouted, calling a person.


    "Yes, Sir." A blond man hurriedly walked to him and stood still.


    "Take them back to the fort. The rest will focus in dealing with the aftermath here with me."<sub> </sub>


    "Yes, Sir." Eric acknowledged the order and immediately assigned the people.


    Meanwhile, Noel walked to Anna. Her head, her two hands, and her left thigh was bandaged.


    Eric came over and asked, "Can you walk?"


    "I think I can." Anna tried to stand up but her body was staggering. A single flick was all it took for her body to fall down.


    "Easy." Eric tried to grab her so that she didn''t fall, but Noel had already squatted in front of her.


    "Come. I''ll carry you," said Noel with a cold tone. "I hate to do it, but he can protect us better this way."


    "Noel¡­" Anna was surprised by this sudden twist of fate. This was the first time he saw Noel so kind to her.


    "Hurry up." Noel clicked his tongue as he wanted to escape from this embarrassment. To think he would show mercy to his enemy, this was unthinkable before.


    "Y-yes." Anna hurriedly took his offer and gently pressed her body against him before Noel lifted her up, carrying her on his back.


    "Let''s go then." Noel nodded to Eric as the signal that they were good to go.


    "Mhm. Alright." Eric smiled while thinking, ''These two look cute together. He looks cold but he''s so warm inside. Ah, he must be a person who can''t be honest to his feelings. Well, I''ll protect them from a bit farther away, so they can have more time together.''


    Eric didn''t know anything about their identities and rtionship, so if Noel heard his thoughts, he might have the urge to swing his sword.


    ''Tsk. I hate owing someone¡­ the Ancient Demon Tree and this one¡­ I shall consider this as repaying the favor. Next time, I''m going to kill her for sure. No more hesitation.'' Noel gritted his teeth but still walked away from the scene.


    <o>,m Meanwhile, Anna had no more energy to react. She simply rested her body on Noel''s back.</o>


    She didn''t know why but there was a warmth feeling in her heart.


    ''I had been a genius in my previous life. I didn''t rely on anyone because they couldn''t match up to me. Now that I think about it, the one who was with me the most was actually Noel. From all sorts of harassment to real fights, he was the only one who could keep up with me and actually motivate me to keep getting stronger. Though, for an entirely different reason.


    ''Even so, this is the first time I felt his back¡­ Somehow, this makes mefortable. It''s tiring to rely on myself, bearing all that burden. Maybe if the execution didn''t happen, there would be a chance for us to have another form of rtionship.''


    Anna thought as her consciousness became fuzzier. Her eyelids were heavy as she had a hard time fighting the sleepiness.


    She couldn''t help but imagine the life if the execution never happened and the misunderstanding never took ce in the first ce. She could see there was Noel who could actually share a portion of her burden, the burden that a genius needed to bear.


    ''Ah, if we didn''t have any hatred between us, we might be a friend¡­ a best friend¡­ or even a lo¡ªzzz¡­'' She couldn''t finish her thoughts as her consciousness faded away.

 Chapter 78 Annas Thought

    "You don''t know anything, Anna. You are always inside the cage that you''ve created yourself." Noel looked down on her.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Anna gritted her teeth, ring at Noel.


    ''Eh?''


    This was a scene where they had a final fight before they got betrayed. The current Anna could see both her past and Noel''s past figures before her eyes.


    Her consciousness didn''t question what happened to her or what kind of body she had right now. Instead, she was asking to herself about the reason why she had this kind of dream.


    When she looked at this stand-off, she couldn''t help but feel pain in her heart.


    ''That''s right. Why did I fight against Noel in the first ce? I think that the first time I fought Noel was at that time¡­ I was visiting a small vige and got angry due to the fact that they didn''t have any good ces to stay.


    ''The past me didn''t have a memory like this, so I was immature back then. If I wanted something, I could get it. If I couldn''t, I would do anything as I pleased.


    ''Yes, I was a genius, but my behavior was terrible. I might look nice on the outside, but I was a horrible human being on the inside.


    ''Back then, Noel was the guide toplete the mission and I was tricked by him the first time. I got lost and almost died in that mission.


    ''Still, all I had was hatred back then. By the time I got tricked on the second time, I got rescued by the local people. Yet, when they saved me, I didn''t thank them. Instead, I killed them. That was the start of my regret.


    ''I noticed something when I looked at the happy smile they had when they found me and the horrified expression when I killed them.


    ''Noel might be taking revenge for this ughter by forcing me to live in the wilderness without anything. Yes, he somehow trapped me in the middle of nowhere. I hated everything at that time, but to survive, I needed to eat everything.


    ''No one helped me anymore. For days, I suffered. I was hungry, thirsty, tired¡­ basically, I did everything by myself for the first time. I realized what amoner felt when they were hungry but had no money to buy something to eat.


    ''I knew how thirsty they were when they needed to walk for half an hour just to fetch out some water. Yet, those samemoners were killed by me previously despite them offering me food and water after they rescued me.


    ''When I was rescued, I tried to act differently. I wanted to fix my past and started thanking people no matter how small their help was.''


    The scene shed before her eyes where when she had a nightmare of the people she had killed so far because of her impulse. She ended up puking hard that night and couldn''t sleep for days.


    She had realized that what she had done was too much even for a noble.


    ''After that, I identally saw Noel in another ce, helping the people in need. They were smiling genuinely¡­ Their smiles were much brighter and bigger than the people that smiled at me.


    ''At that time, I realized that the people around me were smiling because they feared me, not because they were happy being with me.


    ''When I tried to help them like Noel, they couldn''t give me the best smile. I didn''t know why. I did my best to help them and gave the best solution, yet, there was no smile like that.


    ''Why? Why? Why? I kept questioning myself but never found the answer. Why could Noel make people happy while I couldn''t despite doing the same thing as him? Why could Noel gather so many loyal people under him while those who followed me came because of fear?


    ''I didn''t understand¡­ and I still don''t¡­'' Anna clenched her fists. ''Why? I did better than Noel. I was hailed as a genius unlike him. Yet, I couldn''t attain what he got.''


    The scene changed into the scene where Eric and the others were kidnapped. When they saw Noel, the kids became so hopeful and their expressions brightened.


    Even when Noel left them, they swore to themselves that they would repay everything to Noel.<sub> </sub>


    Yet, when they saw her, they were horrified and angry. Although it was an act, she never had the need to rify it. In her mind, there was Noel''s figure that could fix everything.


    ''Why does Noel give hope to others but I can''t even though we do the same thing?'' Anna bit her lips before she recalled the first scene.


    "You don''t know anything, Anna. You are always inside the cage that you''ve created yourself."


    "A cage¡­ What kind of cage that I''ve created?" Anna gritted her teeth. "I don''t understand. I haven''t created any cage¡­"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She suddenly fell silent as her stories shed in her mind. She somehow could see the reason why Noel always tricked her and let her suffer.


    It was revenge, but if she looked at it a bit more, she realized there was one more reason.


    When they first met at the first time, she acted like a horrible person, so Noel tried to crush her by making her fall into the trap. When she almost died, her trusted knight died to protect her.


    Despite having treated him like a dirt, the knight only smiled at hisst moment and said, "I''m d that you''re alright, Miss Anna. I hope that you can live better."


    "The second time we met, he wanted me to experience what it felt to help and to be helped. Yet, I threw that away and ughtered those kind hearted people. After that, I was known as a ruthless genius.


    "The third time, I got lost and lived like a normalmoner in the middle of nowhere. I learned how they lived and wanted to make a change.


    "However, it was already toote. Everyone only treated me well because they feared me. No matter how hard I tried to change it, there was nothing that could be done.


    "Yes. After that, everything was just about me. I did this for them, so they should thank me. I did the best, so you should be grateful. It was all about me. I was never sincere to them because I did it for myself, not for them.


    "The reasons the kids loved Noel and wanted to follow him was because Noel thought himself as a part of their group. It wasn''t about Noel, it was about them. Even if he left, it was for them.


    "The reason why I never gained anything was myself. The cage I''ve created myself, for me, and about me.


    "I see. To think that it took so long for me to realize it¡­ I saved the kids for Noel, not for the kids. When I tried to gain my strength, I took something from Noel''s future without the need of paying him back.


    "Now that I think about it, Noel carried me back because he felt indebted to me for stopping the Advance Level Demon, not knowing that I was simply taking advantage of his knowledge about the Ancient Demon Tree. He hated me so much, yet, he could still put down his hatred for the sake of repaying favor. And I was taking advantage of him this whole time¡­


    "I shouldn''t have done that. There''s no way I can solve the hatred between us by scheming and using him.


    "That''s right. After this, I should also share the fortunate encounters that my past self got to repay him for the future that I took from him.


    "Is this the meaning of my second life? To fix every mistake that I made? Ah¡­" Anna closed her eyes as she said, "There is one thing that I''ve never said to Noel. If you want to make up with someone, you should say ''Sorry.'' I''ve never said it once¡­"


    Anna felt her consciousness began to return as if she was about to wake up.


    Herst thought was, "That''s right. I know it''s hard, but I should apologize to Noel. After I wake up, I should apologize to him. I should say, ''I''m sorry,'' to Noel."


    Her consciousness gradually returned as Anna opened her eyes, waking up from her slumber. However, the first thing she saw wasn''t the ceiling.


    It was a ck sword that was only a few centimeters away from her face. Yes, it was Noel.


    "What the¡­"

 Chapter 79 Simple

    Noel was sitting next to Anna, who was sleeping on the bed. Even though the situation had been handled, he still needed to wait Anna to wake up to get their rewards.


    He looked at Anna''s sleeping face. She looked so weak and defenseless that he could kill her easily with a single swing.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    However, this wasn''t the revenge he wanted. He still remembered the despair, fear, and anguish that he experienced when he saw his parents'' heads were severed by the guillotine.


    He wanted Anna to fall into despair first before dying. He wanted to destroy her family first so that she could understand the feeling of losing a family. He wanted to break everything around her so that she could feel the helplessness from it.


    A life worse than death. Only when she had nothing that he would kill her.


    ''To do that, I need to wait. Even right now, she''s already that strong. What about her family? The royal family? I still need to be stronger and stronger. When I''m strong enough, I''ll crush everyone so they would know the true pain.'' Noel bit his lips.


    However, he couldn''t help but remember when Anna cut the rope at thest moment, sacrificing herself to buy some time.


    ''What was your thought when you asked the execution of my parents? What was your thought when you came here to bully me? What was your thought when you cut that rope to help me?'' Noel looked at this innocent face that he couldn''t believe was the cause of his despair.


    He bit his lips and asked, "Why?"


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Anna was thinking about what to do in her dream. She wanted to apologize to Noel and ended up talking in her sleep.


    "Noel¡­ I''m¡­ sorry¡­"


    Her expression showed remorse and her tone was sad as if she wanted to repent.


    That statement shocked him to the core. All the bad memories about the execution as well as the good memories about his life with his parents shed in his mind.


    ''Sorry? After everything you''ve done, you''re saying sorry now? In that case, why did you steal everything from me? If you''re sorry, then you shouldn''t have done it. Why? After everything happened¡­ Why did you say ''Sorry''? Are you just toying with me even in your sleep?''


    Noel couldn''t help but rise from his seat while pointing his sword at Anna, wanting to kill her right away.


    However, he hesitated. He wanted to make her experience the same pain first before killing her. A revenge that he desired.


    Even if everyone told him it was foolish, even if they told him that his parents wouldn''te back to live even if he kill her, he still wanted to do it.


    ''If I don''t let you suffer the same thing, my revenge will never be done. Even if I kill you right now, my heart can''t move on!'' Noel gritted his teeth, restraining himself from killing her.


    And it was at this time that Anna gradually opened her eyes.


    "Eh?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. The sleepiness was gone as her eyes focused on the sword.


    When she was about to act like the usual her, she remembered everything in her dream vividly.


    Her heart calmed down as she closed her eyes again with a smile this time. She said with a gentle tone as if she had given up. "Go on. If I know about you correctly, you want me to suffer before dying. So, dying in your hand peacefully sure feels nicer."<sub> </sub>


    Noel gritted his teeth and red at her. Ultimately, he retracted his sword and unsheathed it again.


    *Creak!*


    Suddenly, the door was opened as Evan had returned from the outside, looking at this bizarre scene.


    "Hey, you two. I don''t care about your rtionship, but my infirmary is a ce to save lives, not to take it away." Evan narrowed his eyes. "Noel. If you do it, then do it. However, I won''t heal your wounds or allow you to go to the library again."


    "¡­" Noel paused for a moment before retracting his sword and unsheathing it. He then walked away while saying with killing intent. "You won''t die a peaceful death."


    Anna looked at Noel''s back before calling him out loud. "Wait Noel, I''m¡ª"


    *Bang!*


    Noel didn''t wait for her. He mmed the door and left.


    ''There goes my chance¡­ Well, I have a long time ahead. I can do it at another time¡­'' Anna sighed before checking her body condition. "My wounds are closed and other than my stamina, everything has recovered."


    "Of course, I was the one who treated you after all."


    "Ah." Anna looked at Evan for a second, stunned. She then politely bowed her head and said in an awkward tone. "Doctor¡­ Thank¡­ Thank you."


    This time, she thanked him from the bottom of her heart. She had decided to be a bit more sincere in this second life to fix all her mistakes. Still, this might be the first time she said something genuinely. There was no her, only gratitude to Evan.


    "Mhm?" Evan widened his eyes in surprise. "So awkward."


    "Sorry¡­" Anna looked down, feeling embarrassed.


    "But well¡­" Evan made a small smile. "You''re wee."


    Anna looked at his smile and opened her mouth in shock. This was the first time she felt something from someone''s smile. Even though the smile wasn''t as bright or big as she imagined, the smile warmed her heart.


    A tear couldn''t help bute out of the corner of her eyes.


    "What''s wrong with you? You''re crying now of all times? Seriously? I am not here to babysit someone like you. Leave this ce right away¡­" Evan paused for a moment. "But at least, lie down for another hour to make sure that everything is alright. After that, you can leave¡­ no, you should leave."


    "Yes." Anna nodded furiously as Evan hurriedly walked away to his desk.


    ''Ah¡­ Why didn''t I realize something so simple this whole time? If you can''t even be sincere to others, there''s no way others can do the same.'' She made a big smile as if she had just won something big.

 Chapter 80 Report

    After resting for an hour, Anna finally got the permission to leave.


    Instead of her room, Anna walked to themander''s room while remembering what Evan said earlier.


    "He is probably waiting near themander''s room since you''re going to receive the rewards together. Rather than going back to your room to rest and fix your appearance, you should visit themander as soon as possible."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    She received a spare uniform from Evan and changed into it before going to meet Noel. As Evan said earlier, she saw Noel in the corridor leading to themander''s room.


    His eyes were closed as though he was sleeping. However, Anna noticed the Spiritual Energy around him, signifying the connection between Noel and his spirit.


    Instead of calling him, she simply sat next to him and waited until Noel finished. His connectionsted for ten minutes and Noel immediately picked up the presence next to him.


    "So, you''vee." Noel nced at her as if checking her condition.


    "Yes. Actually, I want to talk to you about something¡­" Anna lowered her head because she felt a bit guilty.


    Her actions reminded him of the words she said during her sleep. Ultimately, Noel turned around and refused to hear it. "Let''s go then."


    "Ignored again¡­" Anna made a wry smile. Though, she could understand why Noel didn''t want to hear her apology. ''Still, there''s something changing in Noel. I don''t know what it is.''


    When Noel was about to knock on the door, themander''s voice echoed from inside. "Come in."


    "¡­" Considering themander''s strength, he should have picked up their presence long ago. So, Noel slowly opened the door, finding themander reading the paper in his hand. "I apologize for making you wait, Commander."


    "It''s fine." Oscar looked at Anna and Noel who stood next to each other. The third prince was a losing faction in the throne war. As his supporter, Oscar obviously knew that Anna''s family was the supporter of the current royal family.


    However, he had no intention in harming an innocent person. Even in his report to the third prince, he had stated that he wouldn''t treat Anna badly as long as she followed the rules.


    This middle-aged man then put his paper down and said, "The demon has been confirmed. It''s called Ancient Demon Tree, its strength is among the strongest. ording to the record, this demon was sealed by your ancestor, Noel Ardagan."


    Noel widened his eyes, acting as if he was shocked. He didn''t want to give too much information to themander or Anna, so he needed to pretend here. "My ancestor?"


    "Yes. Your ancestor, the first and strongest marshal, Arvart Ardagan."


    "Ah¡­"


    "It seems that it was your destiny to kill what your ancestor couldn''t. ording to the report, the seal would suck the Ancient Demon Tree''s Spiritual Energy, so when it awakened, the demon didn''t have much Spiritual Energy. Even the current me would have no problem in defeating the demon.


    "However, even I couldn''t im that I was near what your ancestor could do in the past. So, I believe he had predicted everything and allowed you to kill it."


    "I see." Noel closed his eyes like he had a hard time epting this fact.<sub> </sub>


    ''What an act¡­ He obviously knew about runes, so it''s not fate or something,'' thought Anna while taking a peek at Noel''s expression.


    Themander paused for a moment and said, "Anyway, I have promised you to give you a reward. Although it won''t be befitting your achievement, it''s the best thing I can give you at your current state."


    "Thank you, Commander." Noel slightly bowed his head. Anna also followed suit to express her gratitude.


    Themander then rose from his seat and said, "Follow me to the treasury. Both of you can take out two items each."


    After that, Oscar went through the fort a bit as if he was walking around aimlessly. However, Anna could see that themander was emitting a faint Spiritual Energy. Although she didn''t know what he was doing, it was clear that he had another intention.


    The trip took fifteen minutes before they reached a room guarded by four soldiers.


    "Open the gate," Oscarmanded.


    Two soldiers moved and channeled their Spiritual Energy to their whole body before using all their strength to push the door.


    With a single nce at the thickness of the door, Noel and Anna knew that the door itself weighed tonnes. Not only did it show the strength of the guard, but also the protection of the treasury.


    "You have thirty minutes inside. Pick anything you like, I''ll stay here," said Oscar with a serious expression as if warning them not to make a mess inside.


    Noel and Anna nodded solemnly and walked inside.


    The gates were closed once again, giving them the privacy they all needed. If Oscar entered together with them, they would have refrained themselves a bit after all.


    "Woah! Look at these¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath, impressed by the entire collections.


    The treasury seemed to be divided into three parts. On the left, they could see a few shelves and racks filled with equipment, from armor to various types of weapon.


    On the right side, they could see many essories like a ne or bracelet. In the inner part, they could see many raw materials too.


    However, their focus lied on the opposite side of the room.


    There were books and many bottles that seemed to have been filled with extremely powerful liquid.


    Anna couldn''t contain her curiosity as she took a closer look at them. "Seriously? There is a National Treasure in this ce? And this armor¡­ isn''t this an armor created from a lost technology? Take a look at this ne, it has the Sea Lord Jewel. It''s said to be able to boost your Water Spirit''s power. Wait a minute¡­ Is that the Demon Dragon''s scale?"


    Anna was truly impressed by the entire treasury to the point she thought this was the royal treasury.


    "Ah, now that I think about it, the Demon Banner Army was created by your ancestor, Arvart Ardagan. It had so many outstanding achievements over the centuries. Even the country sometimes gave them National Treasures to reward them for their achievement. I guess all those items have been stored here." Anna made a little grin and looked at Noel. "Don''t you think we''re very lucky to be here?"

 Chapter 81 Rewards

    "Yeah, yeah. We only have thirty minutes, so I''d rather get what I need first before looking around." Noel shrugged and walked to the shelves where they stored Ancient Books.


    "Well¡­" Anna had an awkward smile but still stopped looking around and followed him to the book section.


    "Hmm¡­" Anna narrowed her eyes while saying, "The Ancient Books are for those who have high conversion rate since most people are like that in the past¡­ So, the intensity and power are different. Even so, the Ancient Books are divided into a few ranks as well.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "They are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Level. What kind of books are you nning to get? The Advanced Level Books?" Anna asked.


    "Do you even need to ask?" Noel sighed, feeling a bit annoyed that there was a need for her to ask this question. He thought Anna had been underestimating his intelligence.


    "If you get the Adv¡ª"


    "It''s obviously Beginner Book." Noel shook his head helplessly while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you think I''m a fool? I know that my current level is not enough to use those powerful stuff. I should choose something that suits me. There is still a chance to exchange for something betterter."


    "Oh¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed. However, this was the perfect time she tested it. She opened her mouth and spoke in a low voice. "I''m sorry¡­"


    There was no response from Noel as thetter ignored her and started searching for the books.


    "¡­" Anna was speechless and ended up sighing. Ultimately, she looked around to find a book that suited her too.


    After ten minutes, Anna had picked her two Ancient Techniques.


    ''Lightning Z-Bird Step.''


    ''Four Points Cirction.''


    Noel still had a hard time picking on his second book. Seeing his struggle, Anna thought she could give some advice to him. "Are you still searching for one?"


    Noel tilted his head in confusion and took a glimpse of the title of the two techniques.


    Noticing his gaze, Anna smiled and showed the two techniques to him. "Ah, I got these two. Well, the one who knew about the appearance of the Ancient Demon Tree was you, so I wanted to share this Four Points Cirction Technique with you."


    ''In the past, Noel could kill the Ancient Demon Tree by himself. So, he would have done the job without my appearance here. If he wanted to, he could leave me behind by hiding the truth about the tree''s emergence. In other words, I''ve taken something from Noel''s future and got benefited by it.


    ''I''ve decided to change, so I don''t want to monopolize everything. If we share this technique, it means I get 1.5 books while he gets 2.5 of books,'' thought Anna, nning to fix all her mistakes.


    However, Noel misunderstood her intention once again. After all, he had no memory about his past life.


    He looked at Anna with a weird expression and thought, ''What is she doing right now¡­ Is she nning to make me feel indebted to her again by sharing this technique?''


    The scene of her apologizing couldn''t help but sh in his mind.


    ''As expected, she''s changed somehow. It seems that this is her trick right now. She''s nning to make me owe her to humiliate me even further for feeling indebted to the enemies that killed my parents. No, I won''t let her do so.'' Noel gritted his teeth.


    He hurriedly returned the book he had earlier and grabbed two books that he had seen earlier.


    ''Bouncing Spiritual sh.''


    ''Spirit Aura Breathing.''


    He then showed the Spirit Aura Breathing to her and said, "If you try to share it with me, then I''ll share one book with you too."


    "Noel¡­" Anna widened her eyes, feeling moved. Noel''s action looked like a proof to her realization earlier. She thought, ''That''s right. If you''re not sincere to others, others won''t do the same to you. That''s why I''ll be sincere to him. In the future, I hope that we can be a good friend.''<sub> </sub>


    Unbeknownst to her, that thought waspletely her own misunderstanding.


    Noel simply didn''t want to feel indebted to her due to his character. There was no other meaning behind it.


    "That''s right. Let''s share then. Together, we can be even stronger." Anna made a big smile.


    Even Noel didn''t expect this smile from her. It somehow felt different from her usual smile, but he didn''t understand it.


    So, he ignored it and said, "Now that we''ve chosen the books, we still have some time to explore this ce¡­"


    "Ah, right! Let''s go around." Anna nodded furiously. She even took the initiative to be his guide, introducing the items in this treasury.


    While they were looking around, she asked, "By the way, what are we going to do after this?"


    "I am nning to train for the rest of the month. After that, I''m going for a journey."


    "For Individual Mission?" Anna tilted her head, thinking Noel was a bit too rushed.


    "Yeah. We shouldn''t go too far¡­ At least a month worth of trip before meeting at a certain location to do a Group Mission." Noel sighed. "I need to match the timing for the promise with you¡­ 8 months from now, huh."


    "Ah!" It turned out Noel was calcting the promise as well. It was her who hadn''t put that much thought into the nning. In the end, she decided to trust Noel and follow his schedule together. "I see. Let''s do that then. I''ll match your schedule."


    "Match my schedule?" Noel looked at her with a weird face. "I don''t need yourpassion."


    "No, no." Anna waved her hand while chuckling. "Let''s just say that I''m dumber than you. Since you''ve put that much thought into the nning, it''s better to cooperate."


    "So, you''re dumber."


    "Is there a need to emphasize that?"


    "Yeah. Absolutely. If only other people can hear that too, that would be perfect." Noel admitted without hesitation.


    "¡­" Anna had the urge to hit him, but refrained herself. "Well, whatever. Just tell me about your n and we''ll match it, alright?"


    "Well, since you''re dumber, then we can do it."


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched.. She even took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "Anyway, let''s go back."


    Noel also thought this was the time for them to go back.


    As if expecting their return, the soldiers opened the gate again.


    "Well, it seems that you''ve got what you want¡­" Oscar was a bit speechless when he saw both of them bringing two Ancient Techniques at the same time. It was clear that someone influenced the other to take it. However, he didn''t want to talk about it right now.


    "Alright. Since you''ve got your rewards, you can go back."


    "Yes. Thank you, Commander." Both Anna and Noel bowed their heads politely.


    Before they left, Oscar grabbed Noel''s shoulder and said, "You need to follow me after this."


    Noel was confused for a second before remembering the extra rewards for his second identity. He agreed without hesitation. "I understand."

 Chapter 82 Second Identity

    "Take this mask and identity token." Oscar handed him a masquerade and the same token as the one he possessed right now.


    Noel received the items, but he had a big question in his head. "Won''t this only cover a part of my head? It''ll be easy for the others to find out my identity."


    "No. This is a magical mask. It can also dye your hair and eyes to a different color. As long as you don''t take off this mask, it will stay that way. With those two in different colors, do you think there is still anyone who will recognize you after covering a part of your face with that masquerade?"


    Noel imagined himself having a different hair color and understood his concern. "I see. As long as the mask is not taken off, I''ll be fine."


    "Yes. Though, there''s no telling what will happen in a battle. Just be careful that the mask doesn''t fall off."


    "I understand." Noel nodded and inspected the token this time.


    Iadre


    0 Pts


    "So, my name is Iadre?"


    "Yes. That''s your new name. So, here is the n. Every individual mission from now will bepleted with your second identity. As for the group mission, you''ll continue as Noel Ardagan.


    "At first, I wanted you to do something big before giving "Noel Ardagan" a deadly mission, so that we could show that you''ve died. But it''ll be hard to hide your identity due to your current achievement, considering you hunt together with Anna Stargaze and has been discovered by some soldiers.


    "Hence, we''ll build up your second reputation over the year before I send you to a deadly mission after graduation. And that''s when Noel Ardagan loses his life. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Sir." Noel agreed without hesitation. After Noel Ardagan died, he could go anywhere he wanted and even begin his investigation about his household.


    For now, he should endure the inconvenience first.


    "Although I already know the answer, do you mind if I ask¡­" Noel paused while looking down, hesitant to talk about it.


    "What is it?" Oscar furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Do you think you can investigate my family?"


    Themander saw his expression and sighed. "Unfortunately no. Although I am the supporter of the Third Prince, I need to stay neutral for most of the time. If I start investigating your family, the royal family might see me as a threat and send their subjugation force. So, there''s nothing much I can do."


    "I understand." Noel had expected this answer, but he still felt a bit disappointed. With themander''s help, he could get more information faster.


    "Although I don''t know much about your family, there is certainly a ce that you might want to visit." Oscar thought for a moment and raised his finger. "Lienston City. There is a temple in that ce and your father often visited that ce every year. I''m sure you''re aware of that, right?"


    "Yes. I only followed him once in a while, but thest time I visited that ce was 3 years ago." Noel thought for a moment. "Still, I don''t think I can go there right now. After all, that city is in¡­"


    "In our neighboring country, Ain Kingdom. From this ce, you need one month of travel just to reach that ce. Still, I believe you need to visit that ce as soon as possible."


    "I understand. I''ll think about it."<sub> </sub>


    "That''s right. Do you know how to ride a horse? Traveling with a horse is faster than a foot."


    "No, I think I''ll travel by foot." Noel rejected it for two reasons. He added inwardly, ''I was toozy to learn how to ride a horse, so I can''t ride one right now. And there is a training for running. It''ll be better if I can train during my travel just by running. So, there''s no reason for riding a horse. Time problem can be solved with proper schedule anyway.''


    Oscar furrowed his eyebrows. It was clear that traveling by horse was the fastest way of transport, so Noel''s thought was kind of absurd to him. Still, since the person in question had rejected the idea, he didn''t n to pursue it further.


    "Since you don''t want to, then it''s alright. That''s all I have to say. The rest of the journey will entirely depend on you."


    "I understand. I''ll certainly not betray your expectation." Noel nodded with a solemn face.


    "Good. Take these two items home along with this and prepare your next journey." Oscar took out two envelopes and put it next to the mask.


    "This is¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "A letter of introduction as well as the location of the Master cksmith. Be sure to use it carefully."


    "Thank you. Then, please excuse me." Noel turned around and left the room.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    He didn''t waste his time in the training ground since there was no obligation for him to train today.


    Of course, Noel had no intention to rest today since he had already plenty of rest when Anna was unconscious.


    So, the moment he reached his room, he took out the envelope and read the details about the cksmith.


    "The cksmith''s name is Harvard, located in the small vige northeast Astary Town. He''ll build you everything for free, but if he thinks you''re worthy of his best effort, he might ask you to do something for him first before making the armor.


    "Give the letter of introduction to him, so he knows that I''m the one sending you there. That''s all."


    "Astary Town, huh¡­" Noel contemted for a moment. "I should get a mission near that ce then. The sooner I finish my armor, the safer I''ll be."


    Now that he had confirmed his path, he immediately opened his system to check the reward he got from defeating the Ancient Demon Tree.


    Medal: Demon Hunter


    Effect: The user is able to detect demons in 50 meter radius.


    "Seriously? It''s quite big. As expected from a Demon Hunter, it really wants me to continue hunting demons." Noel chuckled before looking at the 7 Skill Points he received earlier. Without hesitation, he put everything to upgrade the Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    The information soon entered his mind as Noel could see a few of his ws get solved by the knowledge he received.


    "Swordsmanship, Ancient Techniques, New Spirit Abilities from Ardagan, and helping the citizens¡­ I need to do all of them within the next two weeks." Noel clenched his fists, getting fired up.

 Chapter 83 Progress

    The next day.


    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    A series of panted filled the cool morning as Anna and Noel stared at each other.


    "Nice fight, I guess." Anna tried to calm her breath while thinking, ''What''s wrong with him? Why does his Swordsmanship suddenly be so good in one night? Has he gotten enlightened? Now that I think about it, he also experienced the same thing a few weeks ago.''


    Noel panted a few times before saying, "Since we''ve ended the fight. It''s better to start the meditation training, considering we have something more important to learn.


    "That''s true." Anna and Noel nodded. Even for Anna, this was the first time she learned an Ancient Spirit Technique from this fort, so she wouldn''t seed immediately.


    Noel and Anna took out a book they decided to share as they sat next to each other.


    Since it would be better if they could discuss a topic for brainstorming, they agreed to read the Four Points Cirction first.


    The Four Points Cirction Technique revolved around the two palms and two soles. ording to the book, they could circte the Spiritual Energy from these four points and discharge it at one of the four points.


    In other words, the moment it exploded, the Spiritual Energy would release four times of the power.


    The cirction technique used the heart as the main point to connect these four main points.


    "This is a quite good technique, don''t you think?" Anna asked. "I mean, you can punch or kick someone higher."


    "That''s true. But I am a swordsman, so my focus is on the sword. I''m wondering if we can pour that kind of energy into our sword to give a burst of power." Noel contemted for a moment.


    "I think it depends on your control. For example, you can ce the point in your sword instead of your palm. It''ll give your sword a significant amount of boost, but maintaining it will be a huge problem since your Spiritual Energy will be drained," Anna exined with her past knowledge.


    "That''s understandable. But it might also create an unbnce between the points, right?"


    "That''s true¡­" Anna looked down, realizing that she hadn''t thought this through.


    "Still, it''s a good technique. Due to our high conversion rate¡­ Or in this technique, I think they''re emphasizing the flow rate of the Spiritual Energy. After all, it''s not just the conversion rate from the demon crystal to our body, but also the flow from the heart to every part in the body."


    "That''s true. But we don''t know the name used in the past. So, let''s just say Conversion Rate for now." Anna paused before pointing at her heart. "So, you gather the Spiritual Energy to this ce before channeling it to one of the four points. The higher your conversion rate, the more energy you can release."


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded and took out his book. "And this book might also prove to be useful."


    Spirit Aura Breathing.<sub> </sub>


    "By using the breathing, we circte the energy to cover our body with a thinyer of Spiritual Energy. This will allow us an extra protection. It doesn''t require a huge amount of Spiritual Energy that people can use this technique for a whole day without problem. And this technique can smoothen the flow of Spiritual Energy in your body." Noel exined what he found yesterday when reading the book.


    "Let me read it first." Anna asked for the book and started flipping it, understanding what Noel said earlier.


    Noel also took Anna book to read it again to understand it better. Instead of meditating, they thought this was more productive.


    Noel also didn''t mind that Anna got stronger for now since he needed to surpass her and even the royal family if he wanted to take his revenge. There was no way the royal family would care about the current her.


    While they were reading books, Noel also noticed that many junior knights didn''t participate in the training anymore. Some had their individual trainings while some went on a mission.


    However, that didn''t matter since it meant Noel had a more peaceful time to learn.


    After a few hours, Noel began his meditation as well as physical training. During that time, he tried to follow the instruction in the books.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    As expected, learning Spirit Aura Breathing and Four Points Cirction method wasn''t easy. Even Anna had some problems in controlling her Spiritual Energy, let alone him who could only do a basic muscle strengthening with Spiritual Energy.


    Of course, Noel never forgot about the spar as well as helping people since they increased his power as well as Honor Points.


    Two weekster.


    Anna managed to learn Four Points Cirction, Spirit Aura Breathing, and the book she got only for her, Lightning Z-Bird Step. Even Noel thought Anna''s talent was much higher than him if he overlooked the Conversion Rate as well as the advantage of having two spirits.


    On the other hand, Noel managed to get some more Honor Points and immediately upgraded his two new skills he got after getting Ardagan''s recognition: Ignition Sword and Sword Fire.


    Since people had known him to be having Ice Spirit, he could fool everyone by using me this time. With the addition of the mask, no one should know it was him.


    He realized that with how hard it took him to get Honor Points, he wouldn''t be able to upgrade all his skills to the max, so he focused on the most useful skills, the Swordsmanship, Rune Mastery as well as other Skills that didn''t require too many Skill Points like Runes.


    Unfortunately, Ardagan didn''t have a perfect system as well. All he could give was the technique that had been stored inside of him. Other techniques like the Ancient Spirit Techniques he learned right now couldn''t be mastered through Skill Points.


    Although it was a bit disappointing, Noel knew that it would be wise to not spend the Skill Points to all the techniques if he could learn them manually.


    In the end, Noel managed to learn Spirit Aura Breathing and the Four Points Cirction, but not the Bouncing Spiritual sh, the other Ancient Spirit Technique he took for himself.


    Still, his foundation was now solid and he believed he could take a more dangerous missions this time. Even a few Mid Level Demons could be killed with some preparations.


    Finally, Noel and Anna met again to pick up the mission. And Shale presented them with the mission catalog, saying, "You can choose the mission."

 Chapter 84 Choosing Missions

    Anna took a look at the mission while Noel asked Shale, "I have a question. How do we inform you that we''ve finished the mission? I mean, there are missions that requires three months from traveling to the mission itself. Won''t it be too much if we can''t pick another mission in the meantime simply because the time limit has gone due?"


    "The system doesn''t work that way. Our request is usually connected to either paranormal activity or demons. So, the request itself is not from an average person. Hence, there is one big requirement to request our assistance." Shale raised two fingers before continuing.


    "You''re required to agree to write a proof ofpletion as well as a report to us. This way, we''ll know that the request has beenpleted and you can turn in the proof ofpletionter."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel nced at the catalog and realized that ording to Shale, the report would allow the fort to take down the mission. And the proof ofpletion was the record of the person thatpleted the mission.


    Now that he saw this, the ces that were a bit far from the fort would have the instruction to meet a certain person. It seemed this person was the one responsible to the mission.


    "Of course, to send the report as well as write the proof requires them to be someone wealthy. So, I''d like to ask you to not receive any money from them because the fort has received thepensation. If it''s found that you''re misusing your ability to extort them, the fort will send someone to punish you."


    "I know that." Noel nodded with a serious face. He''d never do something like that.


    "Lastly, they usually give you a ce to stay and something to eat. Though, you may want to bring some money. It''s easy for you to get your money. Just kill a demon in the forest and sell the crystal."


    "Still, we can choose not to stay in the ce they reserve for us, right?" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "There are many cases like that. So, you don''t need to be worry about it. It''s just they won''t provide a free stay and meal." Shale confirmed. It seemed Noel had a trust issue. He had even thought the possibility of the sudden betrayal of the provider.


    "That''s enough." Noel thanked him for the exnation.


    As if she was waiting for their talk to be over, Anna immediately handed the catalog and pointed at a mission. "I think this mission is good."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows while looking at the map provided in the book.


    Mission: Bandit and Demon Suspicion.


    Description: There is an indication that a bandit group is using the demon to destroy a vige. Go to Sheikzel Vige and meet the vige chief to understand the situation.


    Reward: 800 Contribution Points


    Time Limit: 10 Days.


    "This is a group mission." Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "With a rough calction, we need around five days to reach that vige¡­"


    "Yes. So, how about doing the group mission first before the individual one?" Anna asked while adding inwardly, ''I can''t let this bandit group go. It must be the Iron Bar Bandit. They were catching demons and releasing it to attack the viges so that they could raid the vige without getting med for the attack.


    ''In the past, this method is passed down to other bandit groups, causing many devastation to viges. Well, I''m not sure about the details, but the fact that this mission is here means that the difficulty is not that high. I don''t think the enemy is stronger than an Advanced Level Demon.''


    Noel contemted before agreeing to this mission. "Sure. I don''t mind."


    "Great." Anna smiled before choosing her own individual mission.


    Noel picked a mission near the Master cksmith''s location since he wanted to create an armor. Although it was three days away from the location, they were still within his expectation.


    "I choose this mission then." Noel showed Shale the mission.<sub> </sub>


    "Alright."


    Mission: Demon Extermination


    Description: A group of demons are spotted near the river and stopping the people from fishing. Please meet the vige chief of Sothbame Vige to get more information.


    Reward: 200 Contribution Points


    Time Limit: 30 Days


    Shale recorded it first and said, "Alright. When are you nning to leave? You can go to the stable and get a horse. As long as the horse doesn''t have any disability or die, you don''t need topensate. Although it''s only for a while, I do have taught you horse riding. It shouldn''t be a problem for you to ride a horse, right?"


    "Yes, but I prefer to run to that ce. Do you mind?" Noel asked.


    "Huh?" The statement stunned both Anna and Shale as they looked at Noel dumbfoundedly.


    Noel nced at Anna and said, "If we''re going on a mission, I want to run to reach there. I don''t mind if you are riding the horse or even reach there earlier than me. I''m simply going to train while traveling."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless. On one hand, she praised Noel for his dedication to get stronger. On the other hand, he looked like a fool who only had training in his mind.


    Little did she know, Noel only thought aboutpleting his training so that he got more bonus strength from the system.


    "Well, that will put me in an awkward situation." Anna shook her head helplessly while pinching the bridge of her nose, troubled. "I should have expected something like this. Well, I don''t mind running since I can focus on training too¡­"


    "Are you sure? You don''t need to do it with me. In fact, this is why I want the group mission to be thest."


    "So I can just ride back home?"


    "Yes."


    "No. It''s fine. I''ll run together with you. If I need a ride, I can buy a horse in a nearby city."


    "Are you sure about this? It will cost you a lot of money, no?"


    "Do you think I''m a person with money trouble?"


    "¡­" Noel shook his head.


    "That''s it. So, if I want to ride a horse, I can simply buy one on the way."


    "Well, thank you for putting up with my stubbornness."


    "Mhm." Anna nodded, not realizing that this was the first time Noel thanked her. Sheter regretted for getting too upied with Noel''s weirdness and forgot to tease him that time. Nheless, Anna agreed with the condition and asked Shale to record their missions.

 Chapter 85 Journey

    "Since we''re running instead of riding a horse, the journey will take at least a day longer. I guess we need to focus on our speed as well as the time limit," said Anna while stretching her body.


    "Yeah. And we''ve this luggage." Noel nced back. Since they were going to have a journey on their ownter, they brought their own tent and tools. So, their luggage weighed the same.


    "Indeed. Let''s go then." Anna smirked, looking at the horizon.


    Noel nodded as the two started running to their destination.


    This was the first time Noel and Anna ran for such a long journey. Even in the past life, Anna rode a horse or carriage when traveling this far.


    So, it was quite surprising to see Noel pushing himself this far.


    ''No wonder he could grow stronger that fast in the past life. His dedication toward training is something to be praised of. The more I am with him, the more I learn how he behaved in the past.'' Anna thought while running.


    Noel ignored her gaze and continued running, following the road. They had no way to pinpoint their exact location when traveling, so they followed the dirt road and turned to another direction when they met the crossroads.


    It was true that they could arrive earlier by going straight one way, but they would end up getting lost because they couldn''t pinpoint their exact location.


    Even so, Noel didn''tin. How could hein? This was a perfect opportunity to continue his running training.


    During the day, they just kept running. There wasn''t even much talking between them. During the night, Noel would train himself by making himself aware of the surroundings even if he fell asleep.


    It was tiring, but if he could do this, he could travel alone without getting ambushed by monsters or people.


    Meanwhile, Anna hunted a wild animal that hadn''t been turned into a demon for their food.


    Although the atmosphere was awkward most of the time, Noel never showed his hostility openly anymore. If Anna talked to him, he would listen and reply to her. For Anna, this was a huge progress.


    On the second day, Noel found another set of training that could be done while running. It was Spirit Aura Breathing.


    This would increase his proficiency by the time they arrived. Even Anna copied him.


    After a long seven days, they had finally reached the outskirt of the vige.


    The vige had no wall to keep them safe. They probably had not enough money to build one.


    From a single nce, most of the houses were made of wood instead of bricks. The difference of quality of living was clear to see.


    There was no way he would find something like this when he was a noble. The most he would do was going to another city, never a vige.<sub> </sub>


    "That''s the vige." Anna was pretty excited to experience this kind of life again. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn''t mistreat people again, so this was the first step to achieve it.


    "Look." Noel pointed at the people that were moving around the vige. Some of them held a weapon, some held their farming tools. However, all of them seemed to be vignce. They were probably afraid of the iing attack.


    When one of the vigers spotted them, they informed the others. Women and children hurriedly ran back to their houses and closed every window and door. The men gathered in front of the vige while holding their weapons and tools to fend off the invaders.


    They were quite hesitant because they could only see Anna and Noel. If it was a bandit group, they woulde with many people.


    Seeing their hesitation, Noel took out his knight token and shouted to calm them down. "My name is Noel Ardagan, an Apprentice Knight of the Demon Banner Army. We''re here because the request for bandits subjugation. Please lower your weapons!"


    "?!" The people became a bit confused after listening to Noel''s words. They looked at each other, wondering what to do.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Suddenly, they moved back, giving a way for an elderly man. His aged face was filled with wrinkles that he had a trouble to even open his eyes.


    Still, he slowly approached both of them and asked, "I apologize for our behavior. However, I have a request that I hope Sir Noble canply. Would you mind showing me the token so that I can confirm your identity?"


    Noel thought about using his family name to make them think he was a noble to stop them from attacking them, but it seemed he made unnecessary fear.


    ''Yeah. I shouldn''t use my family name when introducing myself. People won''t know that I''m a fallen noble without knowing me personally.'' Noel had gotten used to the prejudice in the Demon Banner Army, so he didn''t put too much thought in his introduction.


    Still, it was useless to cry over spilled milk. Instead of fixing the misunderstanding, Noel put a gentle smile to assure them that he wasn''t a hostile noble. He then handed the token to the vige chief. "Here you go. Don''t worry. I can understand your unrest."


    "Thank you so much." The vige chief respectfully received the token before inspecting it. After he made sure Noel was real, he returned the token and dropped to his knees. "I apologize for my rudeness before."


    When the people saw the vige chief kneeling, they also dropped to the ground since Noble like him would have a good reason to eliminate this vige. Pointing their weapon at a noble could be punished to death after all.


    Noel hurriedly bent down his knees and helped the elderly up while saying, "There is no need to kneel. I understand your action. The bandits have terrorized you so much that you''re scared of anything. That''s why I''m here to solve your problem. Instead of kneeling here, why don''t you get up and talk about the bandits?"


    "Oh." The vige chief was surprised by Noel''s gentleness and kindness. Even though he had stood up, he still lowered his head, pleading. "Please save this vige."


    "Yes, that''s what I''m nning to do. Let''s talk somewhere else?"


    "Y-yes." The vige chief nodded furiously. "Let me invite you to my house. I shall tell you everything I know about the bandits."


    Behind Noel, Anna was taking notes of Noel''s action on how he deescted the situation and even made them feel assured.

 Chapter 86 Hideout

    Noel and Anna were invited to the vige chief''s house to discuss the problem.


    "The incident started a month ago. There were 5 viges next to this vige previously, but now, there is only one left. The first vige was destroyed a month ago. At that time, we didn''t think much about it. We only asked for the help from the kingdom to subjugate this bandit.


    "Unfortunately, the kingdom didn''t move fast enough and the second vige was destroyed ten dayster. At that time, we started fearing about the potential raid.


    "Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the soldiers dide to kill the bandits. However, they couldn''t do anything because they were attacked by the demons. The soldiers retreated and even escaped.


    "We were med for not reporting this matter. So, we asked for the assistance of the Demon Banner Army to subjugate the demons while paying attention to the bandits.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "It was at that time we learned that the demons attacked the third vige before the bandits came just to loot the now empty houses. They kidnapped women and children who managed to survive from the demon attack.


    "A few days ago, we heard that the bandits had attacked again. If we''re looking at the position, this vige is going to be the next target."


    Noel contemted for a moment and said, "Thus the time limit. It seems that the bandits are attacking you every week. From the look of it, the situation is moreplicated than we originally expected¡­"


    "Are you going to¡­" The vige chief''s face became pale. It was clear that he was afraid of Noel and Anna rejecting this request.


    "I think we should have some power to handle the bandits as well as the demons." Noel nced at Anna who nodded in agreement. After that, he looked at the elderly and said, "Still, we need your cooperation to end this problem."


    "I understand. Please tell us anything you want us to do." Out of fear, the chief epted the condition without hesitation.


    "Thank you." Noel smiled, assuring him that they wouldn''t leave until the situation was solved. "It''s hard to pinpoint the bandit''s location, even for us. So, is there someone who knows about the bandit hideout?"


    "There is a man who once spotted the bandit nearby. We believe it''s around that area."


    "Good. Can you ask that man to guide us there? We''ll do some surveince first to understand their situation. Only after that can we subjugate them." Noel paused for a moment.


    "Yes, absolutely. He surely won''t reject the chance to show you their location since he''s a hunter." He nodded.


    "Since the bandits have attacked a nearby vige a few days ago, we still have around three to four days before they attack this vige." Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Should we observe them for two days and attack them on the third day?"


    "I''ll leave the nning to your hands." Anna raised her hands. Noel was more adept than her even with her past memory, so it was better to let Noel do whatever he saw fit.


    When he talked to Anna, he also said the remaining days they could live in peace while assuring them that they would subjugate the bandits before that happened. After listening to his statement, the vige chief felt a bit relieved.


    He didn''t want to let Noel and Anna do everything, so the vige chief said, "In that case, please let me prepare your meal and your rooms. This is the least I can do for you, Sir Noble."


    "Thank you. But we''ve eaten earlier, so we''re going to confirm the bandit hideout first. We''ll be back around dinner." Noel didn''t reject the offer to show that he wasn''t angry of their rude behavior from before.


    "If that''s the case, let me call him first." The vige chief rose from his seat, preparing to call the man to this house.


    However, Noel did the same while saying, "Let''s go together."<sub> </sub>


    "Thank you very much." The elderly smiled for the first time, feeling gratified of Noel''s kind gesture.


    Anna remained silent and just simply observed Noel, learning on how to act from him.


    As soon as they left, the vige chief walked toward the house in the outskirt of the vige.


    He knocked the door a few times until a muscr middle-aged man opened the door.


    "Chief?" He was surprised at first but when he saw Noel and Anna, he wanted to kneel, only to be stopped by Noel.


    "This¡­" The muscr man was confused for a moment until the vige chief said, "He is Brad. He is a hunter."


    "What''s going on, Chief?"


    "Sir Noble hopes that you can guide him to the bandit hideout."


    The man scratched the back of his head and said, "Although I''ve spotted them nearby, I can''t really say that I know their exact location."


    "It''s fine." Noel nodded. "At the very least, you can give us some clues so that we can find them. Our goal is to defeat the bandits in their hideout since we don''t want the vige to be razed down by them first before eliminating the bandits. That''s why I need your help. Will you do it?"


    When he heard Noel''s exnation, he immediately nodded his head. "I will do it. Please let me do it."


    From his expression alone, Noel knew that Brad didn''t want this vige, his home, to be destroyed by the bandits. And the people in the vige would be a casualty too, so he cooperated with Noel and Anna without hesitation.


    "Great." Noel smiled.


    "Thank you for your hard work, Brad." The vige chief patted his shoulder with a smile.


    "No, no. This is my job as a viger." Brad nodded with a solemn face.


    "In that case, let''s not waste anymore time." Noel turned around while asking Brad to lead the way.


    Brad bowed to the vige chief. Although he was surprised that these two people would do their job as soon as they reached this vige, he was more than happy toply.


    The vige chief bowed to Noel and Anna as if asking them to solve this problem.


    After a wave of his hand, Noel turned to Brad and asked, "Then, please."


    "I understand. Please follow me."

 Chapter 87 Small Talk

    "This is the ce I spotted them," said Brad after leading them into the forest.


    "Hmm¡­ We''ve been heading north this whole time¡­ Now that I think about it, where are the locations of the other viges? Are they north of your vige?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. Is there something wrong with it?" Brad tilted his head in confusion.


    "I see. In other words, the bandits have been attacking you from the north, eliminating one vige after another."


    "Ah. So, that''s how the vige chief knows we will be targeted soon." Brad gasped.


    The literacy skill for amoner was very low, so it was understandable that he wasn''t aware of this.


    However, for Noel, this was just amon sense. This was the discrepancy between nobles andmoners, especially the ones from the vige.


    "Anyway, is there something in the north? I mean, like an important and huge ce that can be used to host the bandits?" Noel asked again, inciting his train of thought.


    ''He really does ask for the cooperation of everyone. Just by asking this question, the hunter will feel that he''s be a part of the group. This way, he will feel great if we manage to eliminate the bandits. I see, this is how Noel bes a part of them and treats them sincerely..


    ''If Noel just asked for the data and where they came from, he would be able to figure this out easily. Yet, he asked the hunter''s cooperation.'' thought Anna, assessing Noel''s every single action.


    "I think there is one important ce." Brad nodded in agreement while pointing at the north. "If I''m not wrong, there used to be a mine in that area. It stopped a decade ago."


    "Then, this ce might be the bandit''s hideout. Can you lead me to the farthest vige? We''ll advance carefully so that we don''t get spotted by bandits too. At least, she can tell." Noel grinned, pointing at Anna.


    "Oi. What do you think I am?"


    Noel shrugged. "Anyway, let''s not waste time."


    The group continued their way to the north. On the way, Noel learned that the vige handled the mine not long ago. So, there was a chance that they could find the map of the mine, allowing them to locate the bandits.


    Hence, Noel decided to investigate the vige, hoping that not everything had been burned down.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, they arrived at the vige. Half of the houses seemed to have been burned down to the ground. But due to the distance from one house to another, half of the building in the vige managed to escape the fire.


    The vige itself had a slightly bigger area than the vige that requested for the army''s assistance.


    But this vige was filled with skeletons lying on the ground. It was clear that they were what remained from this vige, mostly men.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    The blood had been washed away by a rain that fell two weeks ago, so there was no foul smell entering their nose.


    "How is it?" Noel asked Anna in a low voice while hiding behind the tree.<sub> </sub>


    "I am not very sure. But let me go around to check. You shouldn''t leave this ce until Ie back." Anna looked around, trying to find people in the area.


    "Alright." Noel agreed. As soon as Anna left, he looked at Brad who was resting behind the tree. He asked, "Are you afraid?"


    "Y-yes. I used to hunt animals, but I couldn''t do it anymore ever since the bandits roamed around. They would kill without batting an eye, so¡­" Because of Noel''s gentleness every time he spoke, Brad forgot the fact that the vige chief referred Noel as a nobleman. He just spoke casually.


    "If you have the opportunity, will you kill the bandits? It''s a bandit that will harm your vige if left alive¡­"


    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­ I''ve never killed a human in my entire life." Brad shook his head helplessly.


    "I see." Noel smiled. "Though, I still need your help to eliminate the bandits. Just like the other vigers who raise their arms when they saw us in the distance, you need to kill the bandits as well. It''s my job to eliminate them, but it''s also your duty to protect your vige, don''t you think so?"


    "Y¡­yes¡­" Brad nodded in agreement.


    "Well, just keep in mind. If the enemies are too many, I might need your help. Just shoot them with your bow like how you kill the animals." Noel shrugged.


    The waitsted for an hour to the point Noel was confused, wondering if Anna was captured or not. But considering Anna''s prowess, even if she couldn''t defeat them, she had the ability to escape. So, he just trusted her.


    Fortunately, she soon came back while bringing good news "It seems that the enemy is indeed hiding inside the mine. I can see a few banditsing in and out the mine. Though, I can''t calcte their number."


    "As expected¡­ I guess we need to go to the vige to check the houses. Maybe there is a map of the mine. We can use it to locate them inside the mine." Noel nced at Brad and said, "You''re free to go back right now."


    Remembering what Noel said earlier, Brad hurriedly said, "Let me help you."


    Noel patted his shoulder and said, "No. This time, we''ll do our work alone. In the meantime, you should think about what I said earlier. Before attacking the bandits, I''m going to ask you again. Give me your answer at that time."


    "I¡­ I understand." It seemed Noel saw through his hesitation, so he could only believe in Noel.


    Noel didn''t want to leave until he made sure Brad went back, so thetter had no choice to excuse himself first.


    After that, Noel and Anna turned to the vige.


    "I hope that you can stay around the vige to make sure there''s no enemying. I''ll check the vige house one by one."


    "Sure." Anna agreed without hesitation but she still nced at him with a poker face. "Though, what did you talk about earlier?"


    "Secret." Noel stuck his tongue out while walking to the vige.


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched, annoyed by him. He always did this.

 Chapter 88 Shocked

    *Creak!*


    *Creak!*


    A sound of the bending wood echoed in the silent house. Although the house was still intact, there were numerous items scattered on the ground. It was clear that the house had been ransacked.


    Noel, searching for the clues about the map, entered this house with precaution. Despite this house being the seventh house he investigated, he didn''t lower his guard, thinking the potential of a small demon left behind by the bandits.


    ''Still, this is a quite full house. Looking at the papers that are scattered around, it''s clear that this person knows how to read and write. But because of the mine operation, there are a few records about the mine, making this vige have a better literacy skill than the rest.'' Noel thought while roaming around the house.


    Suddenly, he stumbled upon a small box on the ground. It was already half opened, so he approached the box and opened it.


    The inside was only a two sheets of paper, ovepping each other. Due to the position of the box and the paper, Noel knew this box had a quite amount of jewelries before. But now, there were only these two rolled paper left.


    Still, the fact they were in this box meant the paper was quite important.


    He took out the paper and opened it before gasping. "Got it."


    As expected, the paper was rted to the mine. The first paper was a map of the mine while the second one was the deed of the mine.


    Unfortunately, before he could look at the map thoroughly, Anna entered the house while saying in a low voice. "Noel. Follow me."


    "What''s wrong?" Noel nced at her while rolling the paper again, putting it in his bag.


    Anna didn''t say anything. She simply left the house, leading Noel to the outside of the vige.


    After five minutes, she lowered her body to hide behind the bushes while pointing forward. "Look at that."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and didn''t believe what he witnessed.


    It turned out Anna had found the mine. There was a huge entrance to the small hill, but that was thest thing Noel noticed.


    What shocked him was the cage that trapped a dying woman and a demon.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "That''s¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. After bonding more with themoner in the fort, he could see people equally now. That was why seeing a person devoured by the demon angered him.


    He had the urge to take out his sword and slice the demon. But what infuriated him the most were ten people surrounding the cage. They wereughing as if everything was an entertainment.


    The dying woman didn''t let out a single sound, but from the bruises on her body and her ragged appearance, it was clear that she had been treated cruelly. And she soon died after getting bit by the demons.


    Anna said in a low voice that only they could hear. "This is disgusting. The woman was yed by them until they were half-dead before they used the body to feed the demons."


    At the same time, Anna couldn''t say more than that. In her past life, she once treated people like that too. That was why she became so angry.<sub> </sub>


    "A few days to a week." Noel narrowed his eyes, ring at them coldly. Anna suddenly covered his eyes when she felt a bit of killing intent leaking from his gaze. She didn''t want them to be exposed, so she pulled him back while saying, "Calm down."


    Noel''s body trembled as he took a deep breath.


    "Sorry." Noel shook his head helplessly. "I lost my calm."


    "Anyway, what did you say earlier? A few days to a week?"


    "Yes. That''s the time they broke the people they kidnapped and fed the demons. In other words, the moment they raided the vige, they had no more humans to y with and feed the demon." Noel nodded.


    "That''s¡­" Anna also felt disturbed by those words.


    "Still, it''s not safe to charge right now." Noel nced at Anna and said, "I''m going to move up our schedule a bit. If possible, I''m nning to save whoever manages to stay alive until now."


    Anna nodded. This was the first time Noel didn''t bother to say something about her death. It would be amusing to him if she experienced that kind of torture before her death, but Noel seemed to have forgotten about the grudge when there was innocent party involved.


    ''Not only in this asion, but also when we saved the kids, he could put down his grudge to me¡­ I don''t know what to say other than it''s amazing.'' Anna thought for a moment before noticing something different. ''Wait a minute. In my past life, this method was spread around. But who came up with that kind of method?


    ''Now that I think about it, this incident caused a bit of trouble to the Demon Banner Army. And there was going to be an invasion of the demons that caused a great blow to the army¡­ Noel rose from that, but it was clear that the Demon Banner Army was targeted. Don''t tell me, there''s someone who spread this method?'' Anna sucked a cold breath.


    "Noel."


    Noel didn''t answer her but still nced at her.


    "I just have a wild spection. There''s no way the bandits cane up with this kind of method."


    "So, you''re telling me someone is pulling something from behind?"


    "That''s just a spection. I''m not sure of it yet, but if it ends up true. This method will be spread to other bandits."


    Noel found the idea to be ridiculous since he had no memory about the past life, but he couldn''t dismiss the potential either. With how low the literacy skill in the vige was, it was clear that the bandits shouldn''t be able toe up with this method, much less capturing the demon.


    "Then, ask them about it." Noel decided to take the precaution.


    "Yes. But we need to be careful about it because we don''t know their number."


    "That''s true." Noel thought for a moment. "Instead of three days from now on, we''ll attack them tomorrow night. During the day, we''ll observe them."


    "Got it."

 Chapter 89 Information

    Due to the change of their schedule, as soon as they returned to the vige, Noel headed to Brad''s house to talk about his choice.


    Meanwhile, Anna went to the vige chief''s house since there was no inn in the vige.


    Before sleeping, Noel went to talk with Anna about his n. He even brought the map with him, showing it to her.


    "Let''s see. There are a few ces potentially holding the hostages. It''ll be hard if they''re using the hostages as their shields." Noel pointed at threerge spaces ording to the map.


    "That''s true. So, what should we do? Should we go with the intention to kill everyone, including the hostages? Although I''m sorry to say this, but they''re mostly women. And after what the bandits have done to them, I don''t know if they can still live normally again." Anna exined with a disappointed expression.


    "First of all, we''re going to capture the bandits outside the mine and interrogate them. After learning about the location as well as the number of the hostages, we shall go to ambush them. No, more like¡­" Noel paused for a moment and asked, "I am afraid I need you to do the hardest task."


    "The hardest task?"


    "A bait."


    "So, you want me to storm inside alone?"


    Noel nodded with a solemn face. Even Anna looked at him for a while to see how serious he was in proposing this idea.


    Ultimately, Anna nodded. "Fine. I''ll do it. But how much confident are you in this n?"


    "Eighty percent sess rate. And I believe we can rescue the hostages with this n."


    "Alright. Let me hear the details."


    Noel took an hour to exin his n. It was quite surprising for Anna to know this borate n. She finally understood the reason why she had always been tricked into his scheme in her previous life.


    The next morning, Noel and Anna left the vige. To her surprise, Brad also followed them, begging them to let him tag along.


    Although it was true that Brad''s bow mastery as a hunter was quite good, she never expected that Noel would ask the people to fight.


    As soon as they reached the mine, they waited and continued observing them. Still, no matter how hard they tried, it would be impossible for them to calcte the enemy''s exact number.


    However, Noel predicted that there were around seventy bandits. He calcted based on the fact that he had seen thirty different faces during their observation and believed the number inside would be twice to thrice the number what they could see.


    Raiding such a stronghold was definitely a challenge even for them. Luckily, Noel had prepared a n for this.


    The moment the night came, Noel and Anna moved out, leaving Brad behind. Of course, Brad was preparing his bow, nning to kill a few people even though this was the first time he hunted something other than animals.


    Anna led Noel to go to the mine''s entrance secretly. There were four people who stayed in the lookout and ording to Noel, they always changed people every two hours. And this time, there were only ten minutes left before the changing shift.


    Anna and Noel climbed the hill, specifically the tree around the entrance.


    Now that their position was right above them, the two exchanged looks to confirm each other was ready.


    Then, Noel raised his left hand as the signal. Both of them then jumped behind the bandits.


    Anna had prepared wet rolled clothes. As soon as shended on the ground, she skillfully wrapped the bandit''s mouth with the clothes, preventing him from talking.


    "Wha¡ª" The other wanted to react, but Noel appeared next to them.


    Swift Strike.


    He waved his sword swiftly and precisely, cutting all their necks. Thanks to his Increase Agility Rune, Muscle Strengthening Technique, and Swift Strike, a normal bandit couldn''t even react to his strike. This was simr to how helpless he was against Anna at the first time they met.


    Meanwhile, Anna immediately dragged the man into the woods while cing her sword on his neck.


    After they reached a hundred meters away from the mine, Anna dropped the guy and released her killing intent to scare him.


    "Who¡ªAaaahhhh!" The bandit wanted to talk, but Anna stomped his leg, bending his knee in a weird way. This was the reason why she brought him far from the mine. Even if he screamed, no one would realize it.


    "Shut up. I ask, you answer. Say another word other than the answer, I''m going to crush your bone like this one."


    The bandit''s body trembled. He was still screeching in pain, but he didn''t dare to talk anymore because of the first stomp. He was truly scared of what was going to happen to him.


    "How many people do you have?" Anna asked the first question.<sub> </sub>


    "Fif¡­ Fifty¡­" The guy answered immediately.


    In that instant, Anna stomped his other knee, bending it to another way.


    "Aaaahhhhh!" The bandit screamed in pain while holding his other knee.


    However, Anna kicked his face and put him back in his ce, not allowing him to do something to ease the pain.


    "I ask, you answer. Give me a wrong information, you''re going to experience this much longer."


    "Don''t do something that dangerous." Noel had finally arrived after dragging the three bodies elsewhere.


    The bandit looked at Noel and remembered how he killed the other three bandits.


    Noel squatted and said, "Well, I''ll let you go if you answer my question honestly."


    "Wait, what did you say? You''ll let him go?" Anna was the first to question his decision.


    But Noel nonchntly shrugged. "What''s wrong with that? However, that depends on him. If he doesn''t answer me honestly, then¡­"


    The bandit panicked and realized that Noel was his chance. Unlike Anna, there was a chance to escape with Noel''s condition.


    "How many people are in your group?"


    The bandit immediately used this chance and said with a scared tone. "82¡­ 82 people."


    "Good." Noel smiled, satisfied. "Are there any people beside your group? Like women, kids or elderly?"


    "There¡­ There are¡­ 20 of them."


    "In one room?"


    "Y-yes."


    "Then, where is your leader?"


    "He¡­ he is with them."


    "How many demons do you have?" Noel asked another question.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "We have seven Low Level Demons."


    "Where?"


    "In the same ce."


    "Alright. Twost questions." Noel felt he had gotten enough information, so he just proceeded with the extra information. "What''s the route to your leader?"


    "That''s¡­" The bandit didn''t know how to say this. He looked around, panicked. Noel''s expression darkened during that time, making him scared. So, he blurted, "Every junction you meet, go right!"


    "Alright. Thest question is¡­ who taught you to capture demons?"


    "The leader¡­ The leader suddenly defeated our previous leader and¡­"


    "Taught you a lot of things, huh." Noel narrowed his eyes and saw the bandit nodding furiously.


    After receiving the answer he needed, Noel rose from the ground.


    "Then¡­" The bandit looked at them with a brightened expression, thinking he was spared.


    However, Noel and Anna were acting this whole time. The moment Noel finished the interrogation, Anna waved her sword, slicing the bandit''s neck. "He lets you go, but I don''t."


    Noel smirked and nced at Anna, "Now, let''s take down the bandits, shall we?"

 Chapter 90 A Surprise

    "Where are they?"


    "Knowing those guys, they''re the one who would go back and urge us to change shift."


    "Are they being diligent today?"


    A few bandits walked out of the mine while looking around. However, they couldn''t find a single person in the area.


    There was only Brad in the area, and he was hiding behind the bushes.


    ''They haven''t returned?'' Brad thought while peeking through the gaps between bushes.


    The bandits became restless as they couldn''t find those people.


    "Where are they?"


    "I''m having a bad feeling right now."


    The people suspected that something happened to them. Brad, who witnessed all this, clenched his bow and pulled out an arrow from the quiver.


    ''Should I shoot them right now?'' Brad wondered what to do. His heartbeat sped up as the cold wind brushed his skin, making him shiver. He remembered Noel''s instruction earlier. "Don''t do anything until there''s no more banditing out of the mine."


    Noel must be talking about the time after Anna lured them out. So, he was hesitating to make a decision.


    Still, the bandits started moving around with one of them going back to the mine as if he was going to inform the rest of the bandits. This sudden movement forced Brad to pull his bow, aiming at them.


    When he was about to shoot, Noel and Anna suddenlynded on the ground. Because the bandits started walking away from the entrance, they didn''t see Noel and Anna until they heard a cracking sound between them.


    "!!!" The bandits turned around and saw Anna entering the cave while Noel appearing before them.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Without hesitation, Noel waved his sword and skillfully sent the bandit''s head flying. After that, he moved toward the other two.


    "Wha¡ª" The second bandit raised his sword and tried to shout, but Noel had reached him and struck his sword. With the help of the Muscle Strengthening, Noel pushed him back and spun his body before slicing the bandit''s neck.


    "We''re under attack!" Thest bandit managed to shout, trying to rm everyone near the entrance.


    Some might hear it, but the one that just entered the mine had been killed by Anna as she made her way inside. Meanwhile, Noel approached the third bandit.


    "Your attack is not a surprise anym¡ª" While talking, he stepped forward as his preparation to fight against Noel. However, thetter used his Ice Control and created a thinyer of ice on the ground.


    Without the friction of the ground, the bandit slipped and his body fell to the ground. Noel took that opportunity to slice his neck, killing thest bandit outside.


    Unfortunately, he had no time to check them. As soon as he finished with them, Noel entered the mine without even ncing at Brad.


    The mine tunnel was two meters wide and three meters high. Around him was the hardened soil and reinforced by the wooden nks, supporting the tunnel so it didn''t copse.<sub> </sub>


    On the ground, he could see a rail for a mining cart, so he positioned himself slightly to the wall so that he didn''t stumble.


    At the same time, he could hear series of shouts echoing from the inside. And soon, he found the corpse of the fourth bandit that came out earlier.


    It was clear that Anna was fighting against several bandits.


    Due to the fight, he managed to catch up soon, finding Anna stopped by three bandits.


    "There is o¡ª" The bandits were about to inform the rest about his appearance, but Noel didn''t allow him. He used the Increase Agility Rune to himself as well as to Anna.


    Feeling the surge of strength all over her body, Anna sliced their throats in rapid session, preventing them from telling the position.


    Noel also managed to cut thest one as he pointed forward. Their voice would echo, so it wouldn''t be a good idea to talk in this mine.


    Anna agreed and immediately ran forward. There were two junctions before they could reach the room where they hid. And in just ten seconds, they could see the first crossroads.


    Noel shook his head, showing her that he was nning to hide in the second junction. It would be dangerous, but he would be closer to thest room. Hence, she agreed.


    They immediately sped up. Anna released her lightning power and took off, trying to kill as many bandits as possible.


    They killed thirty in the process and some of them managed to alert the people of the iing attacks.


    Luckily, the main force had yet to arrive, they managed to find the second junction. Noel then nodded to Anna as he took the left path instead of the right one.


    Anna hurriedly rushed to the right one as the bait to lure most of the bandits out.


    In the meantime, Noel hid behind a giant wooden pir while taking a peek of the bandits. Of course, he also maintained his vignce from the peopleing from the opposite direction.


    It only took one minute before Anna suddenly returned to the junction. She was running away from what appeared to be thirty people.


    ''We have killed eight people before the operation started. Then, we killed another thirty people.  I can''t count those people since they''re moving too quickly, but I think there will only be a few bandits left protecting their base.


    ''Still, I can''t underestimate them because their leader must haven''t made his move. And I need to take care of the demons as well. Luckily, it''s only a Low Level Demon. I should have no problem in dealing them.''


    Noel took a deep breath, waiting for all the people to pass.


    However, he suddenly felt a stingy sensation from the back of his palm. He raised his hand and saw Ardagan''s Spirit Seal.


    Yes, the stingy sensation came from Ardagan. It seemed he could let him know about something when he did it. Ardagan was indeed special, unlike Heisk who couldn''t do something like this.


    ''Eh? This is¡­'' Noel widened his eyes in shock when he opened the system. Ardagan had sent him a notice that pumped up his spirit. ''A mission¡­''

 Chapter 91 Protecting

    A minute ago.


    "Go, go away!" shouted a huge muscr man while looking at his subordinates leaving. This half-naked man had a cold expression as he muttered, "Another soldier again? They''re going to die needlessly."


    He didn''t know why but his attention was focused on the axe on his bed as though someone strong wasing this time.


    He then looked at the naked women all over the room. His fierce gaze made them shiver and look down, not daring to look at him in the eyes.


    As if their instinct was incited, the demons started rampaging inside their cages.


    The man looked at the cage next to him. The cage was made of an iron bar. The demon''s size was only half the size of a human so that they could be trapped inside that cage.


    "It seems this ce is really my target." Noel''s voice echoed inside the tunnel as Noel made his appearance slowly.


    The only reason he didn''t choose to ambush them was so that he could take a deep look at the room.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    It seemed the miner had excavated a 30x30 room. It was spacious that made one forget they were inside a hill.


    On the left side, he could see a few beds lining up to each other with naked woman shivering. It was clear as to what kind of treatment they had received this whole time. Still, he counted the women and confirmed their number was the same as what the bandit said earlier. There were only twenty of them. They killed elderly, kids, and men.


    However, his focus was on the opposite direction. He could see many ck cages containing a Low Level Demon. For him, they weren''t that dangerous, but it would be a different case for normal bandits or vigers. These demons were enough to massacre them.


    There were a few half-naked men on the sides who were sitting on the ground as if they werezying around. It was clear that they had satisfied themselves just not long ago.


    Noel''s gaze was cold as he saw these atrocities. However, his attention soon shifted to the giant man across him.


    His aura and fierceness were telling him that he was the leader.


    "Who are you? How can you reach this ce?" The leader shouted while raising his axe.


    "Ah, are you talking about those puny bandits? They''re all dead." Noel was lying without batting an eye. He was just showing a strong front to scare the bandits.


    However, the bandit leaderughed out loud as if he was looking at a fool.


    "You think you can pass them that easily? You must have a group that is luring my people away."


    "You can believe whatever you want." Noel pulled out his sword. "Who taught you how to catch a demon and exploit them like this?"


    "Do you think I''ll tell you?" The bandit leader suddenly turned to his remaining four subordinates that still remained in this room. "Do it. We''ll see whether he is that strong that he can protect those women from the demons."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes as the bandits had no hesitation in opening the cage, allowing the demons to go straight to the woman as if they were going to eat them.


    At first, Noel believed that his thought was already pretty extreme when he was thinking about multiple ways to kill Anna. However, he realized that he was still far too innocentpared to these bandits.<sub> </sub>


    They killed innocent people not for revenge, but for their own amusement.


    Noel hurriedly stood between the women and the demons while holding his sword. He strengthened his muscle with the Spirit Technique, looking at the iing demons.


    The seven Low Level Demons hurriedly charged at them. Some even pounced on him.


    Noel clicked his tongue. Luckily, he only needed to handle four demons instead of seven as those guys still tried to open the other cages.


    *Roar!*


    The demons were scaring the women as a few of them started convulsing. They remembered how their people who died got thrown into the cage to feed the demons.


    They always thought their fate would be the same sooner orter. Some of them became even hysterical as they started screaming, not wanting to die.


    ''It''s impossible to say anything to these people right now.'' Noel clicked his tongue and stepped forward, swinging his de toward the demon that was about to reach him.


    The demon waved its paw to overwhelm him, but Noel wasn''t the weak him from the past. As soon as he struck the demon''s ws, Noel stomped the ground and pulled the sword, releasing all his strength in that one swing.


    "!!!" The demon looked at the sword before his body was spinning in the air due to being overwhelmed by Noel''s power.


    He then kicked the demon to the other one as they ended up crashing into each other. This way, he only needed to handle the remaining two demons that came from the opposite direction.


    However, not everything went ording to the n as the remaining three demons had been released.


    While ncing at the demons, Noel thought, ''With the demon''s speed, I''m afraid I only have this one chance.''


    Without a single hesitation in his de, Noel used his Swift Strike.


    The demon could see the attacking, but the Swift Strike was already too fast for a Low Level Demon. In that one swing, two demons had their heads cut horizontally and dropped to the ground lifelessly.


    Noel then proceeded to the three remaining demons that came to him. Luckily, the other two demons were struggling to get up, so he could focus on these three for the time being.


    Mega sh.


    The Spiritual Energy covered his sword as he smashed the demon''s body with his de. The swing was too powerful that it cut everything on its path, allowing Noel to make aplete swing, slicing another demon''s head in the process.


    As for thest one, his sword couldn''t make it, so he spun his body and kicked the demon away. "You''re not going to eat anyone in my watch."


    Unfortunately for him, the moment he uttered those words, Noel could see an overwhelming presence on his back. It was the bandit leader and he was already swinging his axe.


    "Die!"

 Chapter 92 Fighting The Bandits

    "Die!"


    "!!!" Noel turned around, but he was toote to swing his sword.


    He could only raise his left hand, but it was useless against an axe. In addition, the bandit leader had a big muscr body, the power behind it was tremendous even without the Spiritual Energy.


    There was only one oue in this sh. Noel''s head getting severed along with his hand.


    However, Noel wasn''t a normal person either. Right before the axe reached him, he used his Ice Control to form a thick ice to stop this attack.


    *Crack!*


    In the instant they shed, Noel felt a force that almost snapped his hand, but he still hang on while ncing at the ice.


    The ice thickness was 3 centimeters and the axe managed to crush two thirds of it.


    "Kh." Noel''s right eye closed as he experienced an intense pain on his hand. His body was pushed back as well, but he stomped the ground to stop the momentum.


    This time, it was the bandit leader''s turn to be surprised. He never expected that Noel managed to block his swing with his hand.


    "What?" The bandit leader gasped before gritting his teeth, trying to push Noel to the ground.


    Even the other bandits dropped their jaws, saying, "What? He stopped the leader''s strike with his hand?"


    "Look. There''s an ice on his palm."


    Everyone was confused, but Noel was even more confused when the demons suddenly charged at him again. Three demons were still alive, so they would hinder him so much if they attacked together.


    ''Why did they not get attacked by the demons?'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. ''Why only me?''


    There was a big question in his head, but he was unable to find the answer because he was too upied by the bandits.


    "You guys attack him too!" The bandit leader shouted while trying to kick Noel.


    However, Noel utilized his Four Points Cirction and gathered his Spiritual Energy into his left hand. The excessive amount of Spiritual Energy caused them to burst, creating a shock wave from his palm.


    That shock wave sent enough force to push the bandit leader''s axe as Noel skillfully used his sword to cut down the foot that was about to kick him.


    However, the bandit leader seemed to be stronger than he thought. At thest second, he managed to stop his kick, albeit the sword still managed to leave a shallow cut on his foot.


    "Argh!" The bandit leader gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.


    It was at this time Noel returned his kick with another kick on his stomach, but the demons managed to catch up and bit him.


    Noel''s body was soon covered by the Spiritual Energy through the Spirit Aura Breathing, giving a smallyer of protection. At the same time, ice also formed around the area, so that the demon could only bite ice.


    "Aoo." The demon that bit him let out a shrill and retreated for a bit.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, the bandit leader took that chance to get away, giving the opportunity for the other two demons to kill Noel.


    However, Noel''s concern was the four guys behind those demons. He was sure that these people would kill him the moment the demons distracted him.


    The only way to avoid his doom was to create an ice floor around him. The demons and the bandits slipped and slid on the smooth ice.


    Noel saw the demons and struck them with his sword without taking a single step. Although he had trained fighting in an ice like this, he still didn''t have any mastery. So, he would slip in the end. Rather than taking unnecessary risk, he remained in his position and struck them.


    The demons had no way to escape and died.


    Meanwhile, the other bandits managed to stop by nting their sword on the ice.


    "Ice?"


    "Is he a magician?"


    "What kind of sorcery is this?"


    Noel took a deep breath as he took a look around to check the situation. The four bandits seemed to be struggling to just stand while the bandit leader red at him in anger.


    When he turned to the women, he smiled and said, "Don''t worry. I''ll bring you out of this ce safely. Just remain on the bed until I eliminate all these bandits."


    Noel''s assurance made the women felt relief for the first time. After showing his prowess, it was clear that Noel could fight against all these people, especially after he eliminated all the demons.


    With this, he only needed to take care of another five people. Although they didn''t have any more home to return, it was better than getting tortured in this ce by these guys.


    So, they didn''t do anything despite wanting to run using this chance.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "You still haven''t answered my question. How did you manage to capture the demons? You seem to be able to control them since they''re only attacking me, not you." Noel asked with a cold expression, trying to get some information.


    Unfortunately, the bandit leader shouted, "Do you think I''m afraid of you? Even if you could kill those demons, you are still not my match."


    Even the other bandits raised their weapons with the intention to kill.


    "Looking at your confidence, it seems the people here are the strong ones that can capture the demons." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "It seems that you''re not that foolish." The bandit leaderughed. He didn''t even think about hiding it after getting praised by Noel. Of course, it wasn''t a praise. Though, it was apliment for the bandits.


    "What''s the reason for you to capture demons and use them? Who taught you how to catch the demons?" Noel asked again while raising his sword as if he was threatening them. However, he would never expect what wasing.


    "Fine. If you want to know¡­" the bandit leader smirked as he said, "Let''s see if you can ask that again after this. Do it!"


    Noel was confused for a second before he opened his eyes wide and his body moved to the front slightly. Behind him was a woman holding a dagger, stabbing Noel from the back.


    "!!!"

 Chapter 93 System

    "Hahaha!" The bandit leaderughed, looking at Noel''s pathetic self. Despite his overwhelming strength, he would never expect that the woman was actually one of the bandits.


    And now that ignorance would cost him his life.


    The leader immediately came to him while raising his axe, nning to cut him down. "Die!"


    A smile suddenly appeared in Noel''s face as the woman finally realized what happened.


    "No!" She let out a cry while lowering her vision. Her dagger was actually stopped by ayer of ice like how Noel stopped the bandit leader''s axe at first.


    Unfortunately, she was toote. Noel swiftly swung his sword.


    Swift Strike.


    "Keuk!" The bandit leader gritted his teeth and tried to move away, but it was toote. Noel managed to cut his hand.


    "Argh!" While screaming in pain, the bandit tried to move away, but not before another sh from Noel, cutting his other arm. This way, the bandit leader wouldn''t be able to attack him anymore. As for his life, he was nning to let him live a little bit longer so that he could extract the information.


    However, Noel couldn''t forgive the backstabbing woman. She reminded him of Anna. Though, Anna was leaning to plotting instead of backstabbing.


    He cut the hand that held the dagger, making the woman scream like the bandit leader. She dropped to the ground while clutching her arm.


    "Arghhh!" The woman gritted her teeth, ring at him. "How do you know?"


    Noel looked down on her, recalling what happened earlier when he received the mission.


    ''This is¡­ a mission!'' Noel thought, reading the mission details.


    [Mission: Save 19 hostages.]


    [Description: There are neen women that got captured by the bandits and shall be saved.]


    [Reward: Ardagan Swordsmanship+1]


    [Penalty: A Nightmare.]


    The reward was tempting, but he was more focused on the number of the hostages.


    ''There are twenty women inside ording to the bandit, but now there are only neen?'' Noel thought.


    When he entered the room, he counted the woman and realized the bandit didn''t lie.


    ''What''s wrong? There are twenty women, but I only need to save neen of them? Then, does that mean there is a traitor among them? There is a woman who is affiliated with the bandits¡­'' Noel thought this was the case. However, he encountered one problem. ''Still, I don''t know who it is. Saving this person might lead to another problem, so I need to find that one suspicious woman. Then, there is only one way¡­''


    His n was to show a bit of overwhelming power and weakness, thinking it would be the time for her to step up and show herself. And his n worked.


    Not only he could see the traitor, but he could also defeat these bandits thoroughly.


    He looked down on her and said, "As expected, there is a bandit hidden among you. In that case, there''s no need for letting you live."


    The woman''s face became pale, staring at Noel in horror.


    Because of the wretched nature of hers, Noel couldn''t withstand his anger and slice her neck, sending her head flying without batting an eye.


    His expression was cold as he turned to the remaining four bandits.<sub> </sub>


    "Hiii!" The bandits were so scared at him that they ran away, trying to leave the cave as soon as possible.


    But to everyone''s surprise, Noel didn''t even make a single move. Instead, he focused on the bandit leader as though he wanted to torture him for the information.


    However, he also noticed the terrified women on his side. Seeing their helpless faces reminded him of his own feeling after he was brought to the Demon Banner Army.


    He let out a long breath to regain his calm. A smile returned to his face as he tried to assure them with a gentle tone. "Don''t worry. I have my teammate right outside. They won''t be able to do anything."


    As Noel said, they didn''t know Noel was just bluffing earlier. Even though the bandit leader had told them it was a bluff, seeing Noel''s overwhelming strength made them think otherwise.


    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    The bandits started panting as they were running as fast as possible. As soon as they saw the exit, they thought they would be safe since they could simply disperse to avoid getting chased down by Noel.


    But what met them was a horrifying scene. Before them lied tens of corpses. The ground was dyed red by the blood and the foul smell filled their nose when they came out.


    Their bodies became stiff as they couldn''t move even if they wanted to.


    In front of them was a woman with a red sword. That redness didn''te from the metal''s color, but it was dyed by the bandits'' blood. It was clear that she was the one that annihted their entire group.


    Although they could see some arrows here and there, the woman was too terrifying to ignore.


    Anna nced at them and smirked, "It seems that there are a few rats who are trying to escape."


    "Hiii¡­"


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Noel had stood in front of the bandit leader. His eyes were emitting killing intent as he stabbed the bandit leader''s right thigh.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!" He screamed in pain as his body started convulsing. Even if he wanted to clutch the stabbed area to lessen the pain, he couldn''t.


    "Who taught you how to catch the demon?" Noel asked with a cold tone.


    "I don''t know¡­ I don''t know¡­" The bandit leader started crying from the intense pain. "Please don''t kill me."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he twisted his sword, ripping apart the flesh in his thigh.


    "Aaaahhhh!" The pain was several times higher that the bandit leader dropped his body to the ground.


    "Who taught you how to catch a demon?" Noel asked the same question.


    "I don''t know¡­ He was a hooded man. I couldn''t see his face." The man answered while begging for his life. "Don''t kill me. I''ll tell you everything you want."


    This was the first time Noel killed a human. However, he was surprisingly calm. In fact, he was even filled with anger.


    Never in his wildest dream that the cruel bandit would beg for his life after killing these many people brutally.


    "Unfortunately, you have answered my doubt. Now that I know you''re useless, there''s no need to keep you alive anymore." Noel pulled his sword as he cut down the bandit leader, thinking, ''I don''t think this is enough for the hatred the women had to endure, but I can''t waste too much time either.''

 Chapter 94 Hope (1)

    Now that he had finished eliminating the threat, he turned to the women. "Please wait here for a bit. There should be some clothes that you can use. I''ll bring you to the nearby vige."


    Some of them were shaking in fear. The trauma of living in this hell almost made her copse. Some even let out a shrill while crying.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    However, he could see some of the strong ones. They gritted their teeth and even lowered their heads, thanking him.


    ''I have never thought about this, butmoners'' lives are so easy to be destroyed. Bandits can even do this and even if I can save them here, they''ll experience the trauma¡­ The noble can experience the same thing, but they have the money and prestige to avoid most of the attempts. But it''s different frommoners¡­''


    Looking at their state, Noel wondered about one thing. ''Have I actually saved them? There bound to be someone who thinks death is mercy.''


    His doubt was proven when one of them suddenly spoke, "Thank you for saving us, Sir Knight. But¡­"


    She nced at the women beside her and bit her lips. "We have lost everything. Even if we can continue to live, we have no more home. There''s no one who wants us. That''s why¡­"


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment and turned around, walking to the bandit leader. He then brought the axe and ced it in front of the woman.


    "Sometimes, life is worse than death. You''ve lost everything, so it''s better to die. I understand it perfectly." Noel looked at them and finally introduced himself. "My name is Noel Ardagan."


    "¡­" The women were surprised by the family name because only the noble had a family name.


    Noel then continued, "Yes, as you were aware¡­ I was a noble."


    "Was?"


    "I am just a fallen noble. I am no different than any of you. I''ve lost everything." Noel ced his hand on his chest as if he felt the pain in his heart. "It was painful. I fell into despair. But even so, I keep fighting. And now, I have be stronger and I can kill bandits to save all of you. So, please don''t think it''s over."


    Some of them had brightened expressions, but they still said, "But¡­ we are just weak women. We''ll be a burden and after this, no one will want us anymore. In the end, we''ll continue to live like this."


    "That''s where you are wrong." Noel put on a genuine smile. "Although I hate to admit it, my teammate is a woman like all of you. But she is far stronger than me. Whether you are a woman or a man, that doesn''t matter."


    "A woman¡­ who is stronger as Sir Knight¡­"


    Noel then handed the axe to the one who spoke the most. "Please hold this axe."


    The woman followed his instruction and lifted the axe, but she was too weak. She could only raise it for one centimeter and her body was already shaking.


    Noel then helped her again before ncing at the woman next to him. "You too¡­ How about helping her hold the axe?"


    The woman didn''t understand what Noel was talking about, but still followed his instruction. To their surprise, they could raise it to the top of their heads.<sub> </sub>


    "Eh?" They were shocked because it was supposed to be impossible.


    Noel smiled and took back the axe. "You said you don''t have anyone to take you in. That''s fine. You have eighteen others who shares the same pain and understand you the most. If you can''t do it alone, then do it together. Rely on the others and ask for their help."


    "But in the end¡­ we''re only women. We can''t do¡ª" They wanted to deny it again, but Noel shook his head.


    "No. That''s not true." Noel looked at her and asked, "What did you do before?"


    "I¡­ I weaved sandals from straws."


    "When you first tried to make one, can you do it?"


    "No." The woman shook her head helplessly.


    "Then, now, can you make a sandal?"


    "Yes."


    "See? You can do it." Noel smiled. "Everyone can''t do it at first. But they continue to do it until they can. Just like you." He then turned to another woman. "How about you?"


    "I¡­ I made clothes¡­ I also couldn''t do it at first, but after a while, I managed to make my first clothes¡­"


    "That''s right. You can do it as long as you continue trying. What about men''s job? Farming? Plowing the field? Then, just do it. I know that it will be hard for you at first, but the more you do it, the more skilled you are. Just like my teammate, she chose to swing her sword continuously.


    "If it''s too hard for you, ask someone next to you to lend you a hand. I know that you can do it¡­ Just don''t be afraid to try it because it''s weird. They don''t understand you¡­ Only these neen people in this room can understand each other.


    "If you hate the bandits? Then, hate them. Take up the sword and practice. It''ll be painful, but I am sure that it''ll be different after you do it for a long time. When you do, you can capture the bandits and throw them to jail or even kill them like what I did here. That''s up to you¡­ But please remember, the hope is there. Don''t lose hope and please keep living on."


    They looked at him with a dumbfounded look. Some of them even cried.


    "Can¡­ can we do it?"


    "I don''t know. Even I don''t know if I''m suited to be a knight or not after bing a fallen noble. But what I know is¡­ You won''t be able to do it if you don''t try it." Noel smiled. "One month¡­ Please continue to live for a month. If you still think you can''t do it, then you can use this axe to kill yourself."


    They ended up crying, finally dropping their guards. They cried until there was no tears left.


    Unbeknownst to them, Anna was staring from the tunnel, leaning her back to the wall. She looked at the ceiling and sighed, thinking, ''I thought I recognized some of them, but those neen people formed a Blue Rose Mercenary in the past life. They did a variety of jobs from building a house to bandits subjugation. The women were independent that they could do everything. Their fame spread and they became a guild that helped people. I really can''t win against him¡­''

 Chapter 95 Hope (2)

    "We''re thankful for your help." The vige chief lowered his head to Noel. Brad had confirmed the mine, so his words were more credible than both Noel and Anna.


    That was the reason why he wanted to bring Brad to the mine. He saw how Anna fought against the bandits too, allowing him to know that lying was not a possible option.


    "It''s fine." Noel smiled. "Although it''s hard for me to ask this, can I ask you to allow these people to stay with you for a while?"


    The vige chief immediately had a troubled expression. Their vige was already full and they wouldn''t have enough food to feed these many people. If it was only two or three people, he would agree without hesitation, but it was too hard for him to keep them.


    Brad suddenly stepped forward and approached a muscr man among the vigers. They had gathered outside to greet the hero that eliminated the bandits, so all people from the vige was here.


    Brad lowered his head to this muscr man and asked, "Can you please make them a house? Just chopping the wood and make a big shelter for all of them is fine. There''s no need to be that extravagant."


    "Well¡­ I can do that. If you just want a shelter to survive¡­ I can make it within a month."


    "Thank you so much, even if we need to sleep on the floor, we are grateful as long as we have a roof above our heads." The women thanked him.


    Noel was thankful for Brad''s help, but to his surprise, Anna also came to the vige chief and took out a small pouch filled with coins.


    "This should be enough for their living expense for a month. I''m sure that they can help the vige after that." Anna smiled and handed the pouch to him.


    "This¡­" The vige chief was surprised for a moment before nodding. "I understand. I''ll help as much as I can¡­"


    To request the knight''s assistance, he gathered the money they had, but to think the knight would even give some of them back to provide assistance for these women.


    ''One month?'' Noel looked at her with his eyebrows twitching as if asking her, ''Eavesdropping?''


    ''You don''t have money, right? I can help too.'' Anna wanted to be like Noel, but she knew that no matter how hard she did it, there was no way to replicate what Noel did when he gave that hope to these people. The only way she could do was to use her wealth to help them. However, this was the second step Anna took to change from her past life.


    Ultimately, they ended up bringing the women to the vige chief house. Although they slept on the floor, none of them actuallyined. At least, they felt more secure in this ce and wasn''t tortured like previously.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    Anna woke up from her bed, feeling a bit sluggish.


    "Ugh." Anna clutched her head and said, "My head hurts. Did I hit something yesterday?"


    She looked around her and realized she was looking upside down. In other words, her head fell to the ground when she slept and caused her to wake up.


    "Seriously? I thought I didn''t move much during my sleep¡­ Was I trying to try sleeping on the floor unconsciously?" Anna asked herself before hearing some noises from the outside. "The sun hasn''t risen yet, but they have started working?"


    Anna left her room, only to find that there wasn''t a single person left in the house. So, her only option was toe out.


    The vige chief and Noel were standing next to each other, looking at the distance.


    In the outskirt of the vige, they saw many people gathering.


    The muscr man was cutting down the log to make a nk.


    "Alright. The first one is done. Now¡­" The man rose from his shield, but when he was about to lift the nk, one woman approached him, asking, "Are you going to carry it somewhere?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yeah. This will be used as the building''s foundation, so I need to carry it to that spot." He nodded while pointing the direction.


    "In that case, please let me help you." The woman tried to smile but ended up with an awkward smile due to the trauma. Still, she was eager to help and tried to lift the nk, only to find herself not being able to.


    "Ah, you don''t need to help me. I can do it by myself." The muscr man pitied her and was about to take the nk, but a few other women came, helping the woman carry the nk.


    "Please let us help you too. We are already thankful that you want to build us a house, so we need to do as much as possible."


    "O-oh?" Before he could even warn them about the heaviness of the nk, they had carried them to the spot he pointed at earlier. It was hard even for them as some of them walked staggeringly due to the weight, making him worry. But ultimately, they reached the spot and dropped it there.


    "Is this the ce?" One of them asked out loud.


    The man couldn''t help but smile and give a thumbs up. "It seems that I can work on the second log with this."Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Just like them, the others also started to blend in.


    There was even one person that was plowing the field by herself. Her body was shaking when she was near a man, but she was still strong enough to swing the hoe. Although she ended up working a bit farther away from the other farmers, she still helped them.


    "She is really a strong woman. Even though she was scared of others, but she still tried to help." One of the farmersmented, praising her determination.


    Of course, some women were still scared to the point they didn''t want to work, but seeing the others work hard moved their bodies as well.


    When Anna saw all this, she shook her head helplessly, impressed.


    "Despite having that kind of trauma, they were working hard¡­ When I was traveling in my young day, I saw many women who could only scream and be crazy after the bandits kidnapped them¡­ This is my first time I see something like this."


    "They''re strong, just need a support," said Noel as these people reminded him of the kids that tried hard dancing to change their fate.


    "You''re the first noble to be able to achieve that." The vige chief looked at him with a solemn expression. "Thank you very much, Sir Noble. I wish that I am someone from your territory¡­ You would have be a great lord."


    "Ahaha, I''m grateful for your words. Still, I can''t do more than this. The rest depends on them. As such, I hope that you can help them for a while."


    "As you said, they''re strong. And I also have received the money to buy their necessities. I promise I''ll take care of them." The vige chief lowered his head.


    "In that case, the job is done. It''s time for me to leave."


    "Y-yes." He handed a scroll as the proof. "I have written everything here. Please let me make a breakfast for you¡­ This is thest thing I can do."


    "Is that so?" Noel smiled.


    They had a simple breakfast as Noel and Anna packed their luggage.


    Even Noel didn''t expect that all vigers ended up seeing them off.


    The first one to drop to her knee was the strong woman that kept speaking when they were inside the mine. Her forehead touched the ground as she shouted, "Sir Knight. We''re extremely grateful for giving us the second chance of our lives."


    When the other women heard it, they also did the same.


    Even Noel couldn''t help but smile as he waved his hand and walked away, saying, "Live on."

 Chapter 96 Going Separate Ways

    While walking inside the forest to where they were going to go on their own separate ways, Anna asked, "What do you think about the bandits?"


    "I think I told youst night. The mastermind is someone else, so the scenario will probably follow yours." Noel sighed.


    "The method of capturing the demons to cause chaos, huh¡­" Anna raised her head, looking at the sky and recounting the past memory.


    ''In my past life, the cause of this incident was none other than the Supreme Devil Organization. The Demon Banner Army was suppressing them sooner orter until this method disappeared¡­'' Anna suddenly remembered about Kirika and looked at Noel since he was the first one that encountered Kirika and the one who ended her life.


    ''Now that I think about it, Kirika managed to lure a thousand demons that crippled the Demon Banner Army, allowing the Supreme Devil Organization to attack the Demon Banner Army and gain their victory.


    ''If I take another look at it, how did Kirika control them? Capturing the demons and releasing them¡­'' Anna''s expression turned cold, realizing something. ''Don''t tell me, they managed to do the same thing with a higher level demon? The Low Level Demon is just a trial.''


    "It seems that you know about something." Noel nced at her.


    "Supreme Devil Organization. If I tell you they''re the one causing this incident, will you believe me?" Anna asked nonchntly as if she was talking random things.


    "¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment beforeing up with another theory. "Assuming that''s the case, is there any connection to the one that we captured in the fort?"


    "Ah!" Anna remembered that one guy.


    "To be honest, having a tattoo that signify their affiliation is foolish, considering you''re supposed to live in the shadows, not like the nobles who live in the open. I know that it''s to spread fear to show people that they''re everywhere. But if it were me, I don''t want a tattoo¡­ Just a secret code is enough."


    "Well, a high ranking member of the Supreme Devil Organization can easily hide that tattoo¡­" Anna added the missing piece of information.


    "I see. That''s more understandable then. That''s easy for them to send their lower ranking member to make them a scapegoat. Meanwhile, the high ranking one is hiding among us." Noel smirked.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock as if everything hade together. She thought, ''What if Kirika was just a pure woman in the past, but this hidden member influenced her?''


    "Anyway, I have asked the vige chief to send a message to the fort while sending the proof of the missionpletion. They should be aware of this method soon and my suspicion about it. As for the rest of the information, it''s best to keep it a secret first because we don''t know who is a traitor. It''s best for us to inform themander himself." Noel exined.


    "That''s true. There''s no proof either, so I can''t really say much." Anna sighed.


    "Anyway, we havepleted with this. I think it''s time for us to go separate ways." Noel stretched his body as if he was preparing to run.


    "The crossroads is still 20 km away though."


    Noel''s reply came in the form of action as he suddenly sped up, leaving her in the dust. Anna shook her head helplessly as she also started running, catching up to him.


    As soon as they saw the crossroads, Noel went to the left without saying anything while Anna could only sigh that Noel had no sign of opening himself yet.


    Noel''s destination had been decided. It was the Sothbame Vige, near the vige where the master cksmith resided.<sub> </sub>


    Since it would still take a long time to reach there, Noel took this chance to look at his system, especially the rewards for saving the hostages.


    [Mission: Save 19 hostages.]


    [Description: There are neen women that got captured by the bandits and shall be saved.]


    [Reward: Ardagan Swordsmanship+1]


    [Penalty: A Nightmare.]


    Now that he had finished this mission, he epted the reward and immediately checked his Ardagan Swordsmanship."


    Skill: Ardagan Swordsmanship (5/15)


    Requirement: 11 SP


    The knowledge about the Swordsmanship entered his mind. However, he felt something was wrong with this current knowledge.


    "This is¡­" Noel squinted his eyes, sorting the information. However, his doubt was answered soon.


    [Ardagan Swordsmanship has reached level 5. Transitioning to Intermediate Swordsmanship.]N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    [You''ve acquired Sword Aura.]


    [You''ve acquired Sword Fall.]


    "Really? I got two skills just from that¡­" Noel muttered while sorting the new acquired knowledge to see what was going on.


    "As expected, this time, the knowledge I get revolves around the assimtion of Spiritual Energy into my Swordsmanship." Noel pulled out Ardagan and wanted to test the two skills. But he suddenly stopped for a moment before asking, "Can you change to the white sword?"


    As if responding to his request, all the ck color in Ardagan turned into white while the red turned into gold. Unlike the demonic like de, this sword looked like it symbolized a true knight.


    After that, Noel took out the masquerade from his bag and put it on. He poured his Spiritual Energy into the mask as his hair soon changed color to blond and his eyes turned blue. He wanted to match his appearance with the sword after all.


    "Perfect." Noel smiled. "From now on, my name is Iadre¡­ call me Ia, I guess? I''m just amoner that somehow bes an Apprentice Knight. Also, I''m known for my Ice Control, so I won''t be using this element. Instead, I''ll focus on Sword Fire and Ignition Sword.


    "How about Sword Aura and Sword Fall? Well, I''ll use it for the time being. I can also use Rune because I''m nning to publish that Rune books. I don''t know why Anna knows about Rune, but there isn''t a single trace that such a book exists. ording to Ardagan, my ancestor was thest person that could use Rune and the information had been lost."


    Noel tried to figure out something about Anna, but she was too mysterious. Ultimately, he stopped thinking about it and shifted his focus back. "Anyway, let''s try the new abilities."

 Chapter 97 Lucky Or Unlucky?

    Noel pointed the sword forward while closing his eyes. He followed the knowledge in his mind and started pouring the Spiritual Energy into his sword.


    Normally, the aura would be leaving the sword, but he got the technique to make the Spiritual Energy stay and even d the sword.


    When Noel opened his eyes, he saw the sword was covered in blue light.


    "So, this is Sword Aura¡­" Noel muttered and remembered the Ancient Spirit Technique he learned in the fort. "It''s simr to Spirit Aura Breathing. The difference is in the target. The Spirit Aura Breathing is maintaining a thinyer of Spiritual Energy to protect our body while Sword Aura is used to strengthen our weapon.


    "If it''s a normal branch, I can use it like a real sword when I envelop it with my Sword Aura. Meanwhile, if I''m using Ardagan, it''ll be sharper." Noel smirked, feeling excited with this power. The ability truly amplified his power even further.


    "Then¡­" Noel took a deep breath as he circted the energy around the sword and pushed it to the tip of the de. He then threw the Spiritual Energy into the air.


    p The ball of Spiritual Energy flew into the air for a moment before transforming into a giant sword.</anda>


    "!!!" He abruptly stopped as the giant sword fell right before him.


    *Bam!*


    The power contained in the sword was too powerful that it pierced the ground.


    "For real?" Noel sucked a cold breath as his heart skipped a beat because it almost hit him. "I need to practice my throw since the range depends on my Spiritual Energy and my way of throwing. But this big sword¡­"N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Noel examined the sword and felt satisfied that it didn''t resemble Ardagan. Instead of a ck sword, this one was white. However, he could still see some red patterns, but no one would think it was Ardagan.


    "The length is three times of my height and the wide is two times of my body. I see. If only I have this power, killing the Ancient Demon Tree would have been easy." Noel sighed, thinking that the Sword Fall could easily prate the top of the tree and pierced through the crystal.


    "Anyway, I''ve got two powerful moves. With Sword Aura and Spirit Aura Breathing, I have an additional weapon and armor. And with this Sword Fall, I doubt anyone can stop it¡­ I mean, someone at my current level.


    "Let''s practice while moving then." Noel smiled as he continued running.


    ¡­


    A few dayster.


    In a long windy grass in, a few caravans were lining up right in the middle of the road. More than twenty people were sitting down on the grass, eating their lunch.


    Unbeknownst to them, they were observed from afar, not by trouble, but Noel.


    After running for a few days, he was only two days away from his destination, so he was already quite close to Astary City, the city that governed the vige that were requesting his assistance as well as the one where the Master cksmith resided.


    So, encountering a merchant group this close to the city wasn''t that rare.<sub> </sub>


    ''Oh. There''s a group of people ahead. I don''t think I''ll get into trouble since I''m just passing them. And even if they want to ask my identity, I can simply show my identity as the Demon Banner Army''s Apprentice Knight. It should solve the problem,'' thought Noel as he was preparing to pass them.


    As expected from the guards, they were still vignce despite taking a rest. Before Noel could even reach their position, they already stopped talking and took out their sword, trying to figure out who he was.


    Noel remembered when he was traveling with his parents, the people would often go to the side and passed them from a safe distance so as to not provoke them.


    Hence, he gradually moved to the right, entering the grass field. He just ran there with a poker face as if he didn''t want to have any trouble.


    It seemed that the merchant group was aware of his intention as they slowly dropped their weapons, letting him pass as long as he didn''te closer.


    ''It''s quite annoying to move to the side, but I guess those with status have the priority to use the road. From the royal family, noble family, merchant, and finallymoners.'' Noel muttered while ncing at the group.


    However, not everything went ording to his n.


    *Fwoosh!*


    Noel suddenly felt a killing intent from the side as he instinctively ducked. He heard a stabbing noise on the side and when he nced to the ground, he saw an arrow.


    "Huh?!" Noel was annoyed. He never meant any harm, but to think they would be the one to shoot him. He red at them while taking out his sword. "What do you¡ª"


    Noel fell silent immediately for two reasons. First, the group didn''t have any archer among them, considering all of them were holding a melee weapon. Second, the arrow came from the other side.


    Noel turned around and saw tens of people wearing a rag, staring at them menacingly.


    But to his surprise, he could see a few demons in a cage as the people were carrying them.


    "Give us all your money or we will kill you all!" A huge fat man moved forward proudly while shouting.


    "How unlucky I am¡­ To think I would meet another bandit group on my way. And the bandit seems to know about it as well¡­ No, should I say I''m pretty lucky because I can extract some information from them?'' Noel suddenly remembered another mission. He had confirmed this when he was on the vige, so he couldn''t help but smile. ''Ah, yes. I''m pretty lucky.''


    The mission in his mind was none other than helping the citizens. All people, whether they weremoners or nobles would be counted as citizens, so there was no need to hesitate anymore.


    Medal: Extraordinary Citizen Merit


    Requirement: Help 200 Townspeople (131/200)


    Reward: Excellent Citizen Medal and 8 Honor Points

 Chapter 98 New Mission

    ''Ugh, I''m not nning to get entangled into any problem, but to think I would meet a bandit group like this.'' Noel thought while ncing at the demons inside the cage. ''Still, it seems that Anna is telling the truth. I want to suspect her for being connected to the Devil Supreme Organization, but I don''t have any proof.


    ''Still, the fact that the method of controlling the demons are spread to the bandits, I don''t think this is something I can handle. The mastermind would most likely be far stronger than me, so I''ll just handle only the bandits, not the investigation of this incident.'' Noel thought while jumping back, trying to gain some distance from the bandits.


    At the same time, Noel wanted to use this chance to approach this merchant group.


    However, it seemed that their group couldn''t contain their calms when they saw the demons raging in the cage.


    "Demons?"


    "Howe there are demons?"


    The fighters among them were panicking because they''d heard enough about the ferocity of the demons but never fought one themselves.


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man stepped up while unsheathing his sword, saying, "Don''t be afraid. You can fight the demons with a pair. All of you focus in stopping the demons, I''ll handle the bandits."


    "Lucas, what''s wrong?" A female''s voice echoed from the carriage at the very front of the group. The door was opened as two people came out. The female had an enchanted blue eyes paired with long blue hair that tied into a ponytail. Behind her was a slightly older male with a simr feature.


    "Demons? Bandits?" The man frowned when they saw this.


    "Please stay inside, young lord, young miss. We''ll handle the bandits." The middle-aged man nced at them before swinging his sword as an arrow flew toward the carriage.


    "It seems that we''re going to be rich after this, boss." The bandit suddenly interrupted them with a shout, looking at this group like that of a prey.


    "Attack!" The bandit leader shouted while pointing at the merchant group.


    In that instant, the bandits opened the cage. The demons came out and charged at the group as if they didn''t know the bandits existed.


    The tension rose as the guards were scared of these demons. They moved faster than a normal animal and their hide was harder, making them hard to kill by a normal soldier.


    ''Really? They''re scared of these? Even the eptance of the Demon Banner Army requires you to kill ten demons. And these guards are afraid of Low Level Demons?'' Noel thought but he also had another absurd thought in this situation. ''Now that I think about it, it seems that everyone has forgotten about me despite almost being the first casualty.''


    Noel had a mixed feeling. On the one hand, it was good that no one paid any attention to him. He could use this opportunity to leave them behind. On the other hand, he noticed something off from the bandits, so he needed to interrogate them a little bit.


    ''Well, since no one is looking at me¡­'' Noel sneakily went behind the carriage so that no one would see him. He also made sure that the two people inside this carriage didn''t see him. After that, he used his Increase Agility Rune as well as Strength Blessing Rune to amplify his power.


    This was enough as a preparation to eliminate the bandits. And the first clicking metal resounded on the battlefield as the soldier tried to cut the demon only to be stopped by its sharp ws.


    More and more demons reached the group, trampling over the soldiers. Because they were afraid, the soldiers had a hard time dealing with the demons despite banding together.


    Seeing this, the middle-aged guard shouted, "I''m going to end this myself."


    He jumped forth, approaching the bandits.<sub> </sub>


    While they were shing, Noel suddenly had a thought.


    ''Now that I think about it, I have the mission to kill demons and help citizens. And they''ll keep repeating, allowing me to farm many Honor Points. But how about the bandits? Ardagan, do you have a mission to subjugate bandits? I mean, I''ve encountered two groups in a span of few days.''


    Suddenly, the Spirit Seal became itchy again as he received the response from Ardagan. The moment he checked the system, a smile couldn''t help but appear on his face.


    Medal: Military Honor Merit


    Requirement: Kill 10 Bandits (0/10)


    Reward: Medal of Honor and 4 Honor Points


    ''That''s my Ardagan.'' Noel smirked, feeling excited. ''Alright. I''ve decided, let''s kill all the demons and the bandits.''


    ¡­


    While Noel was expecting the mission, the sh had be fierce. The middle-aged guard was trying to fight against 14 bandits, but he ended up getting overwhelmed due to the difference in number. Even the leader of the bandit who seemed to be stronger than all of them had yet to make his move.


    At the same time, the demons were creating chaos in the group. The guards had a hard time dealing with the demon because they never faced a demon or had any knowledge on how to deal with the demons.


    Of course, there were a few stronger guards among them, who managed to make the situation in aplete standstill.


    Meanwhile, the two people inside the carriage were shaking while looking at the situation.


    "What should we do now, Brother?" The female asked. Her face became pale and her voice was shaking. This was the first time she experienced a life threatening situation.


    Meanwhile, her brother waved his hand down. Even though he was scared himself, he still tried to calm her down. "Don''t worry. Let''s believe in our guards."


    "Y-yes." She nodded, but soon her relieved expression was reced by a horrified one as the guard suddenly screamed in pain.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!"


    The demon bit his arm and ripped it apart, causing the guard to fall to the ground.


    Even the brother became pale after witnessing this scene, thinking they would die if they continued to stay here.


    However, a hope soon appeared as Noel, who had been ignored this whole time, made his appearance.


    His appearance gave a strong impact as Noel shed the demon''s neck in a single sh. His sword was covered in blue light and his expression was cold and aloof.


    He looked at the entire situation and muttered inwardly, ''Alright, let''s gather some Honor Po¡ªAhem, I mean, let''s save people and subjugate the bandits."


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.

 Chapter 99 Overwhelming Strength

    "Huh?" The guard was stunned by Noel''s appearance. He forgot Noel was there because of the demons. Still, never in his wildest dream would he think Noel was strong enough to kill the demon in a single sh.


    Noel ignored his reaction and looked at the demons that surrounded them.


    ''There are eight demons, one is down. That leaves seven more¡­ I''ll kill them all within two minutes.'' Noel calcted in his mind while circting the Spiritual Energy, strengthening his muscle and wrapping his body.


    He then moved toward the second demon and swung his sword.


    The demon had an easier time against the guard, so it managed to break free and stop Noel''s sword with its fang.


    Unfortunately for the demon, Noel spun his body and swung it again this time. The demon thought it could stop him with its fangs again, but this time, Noel''s sword was covered by Spiritual Energy.


    Mega sh.


    *ng!*


    As expected from the demon, its fangs were too hard to break in a single sh. Even with Mega sh, he only managed to crack it.


    Still, Noel''s aim was the powerful impact contained in that strike. The force knocked the head to the side, giving a huge opening to be used.


    Swift Strike.


    Without hesitation, Noel sliced the demon''s neck with a swift and precise strike.


    "That''s two." Noel muttered in a low voice.


    His action was witnessed by the guards as well as the siblings inside the carriage. They gasped when Noel easily killed two demons in session.


    But what shocked them more was the blue lighting out of his sword.


    "Brother¡­ That is¡­"


    "Yes, that''s Spiritual Energy. Someone who can utilize Spiritual Energy is hard toe by. It''s especially true with a small merchant group like us. Who is this man?"


    Noel wasn''t aware of their conversation. There were only bandits and demons in his mind. So, as soon as he killed the second demon, he jumped to the third one and the other demons, killing them in a rapid session.


    In this sh, Noel only used Swift Strike and Mega sh since it was enough to handle Low Level Demon.


    The guards were cheering for Noel because his action saved all of them. But they soon remembered that their captain was still getting suppressed by the bandits.


    "Attack the bandits."


    "Help the captain!"


    "Attack!"<sub> </sub>


    The soldiers immediately ran toward the bandits, stunning everyone who thought that the guards couldn''t deal with the demons.


    However, Noel stood out the most as he was at the very front.


    "What?! The outsider?!" The bandits were stunned because they never expected that the outsider was actually the one leading the guards. At the same time, he was the one that killed the demons. They never took into ount that this outsider, who should be their bonus target, became the hunter.


    To kill the bandits, Noel used his Sword Aura.


    The Spiritual Energy gathered in his sword, creating ayer of Spiritual Energy that sharpened his de.


    ''This is the first time I use it on battle.'' Noel smirked. Still, before he attacked them, he abruptly stopped midway.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Huh?" The guards were perplexed by his action, but they stopped, thinking Noel must have noticed something. Even the bandits were confused.


    To everyone''s surprise, Noel shouted, "Who taught you how to capture demons, bandits?"


    "Just because you can kill the demons, you think you can kill me? Spiritual Energy? I can use it too!" The bandit leader shouted as it finally unsheathed his sword for the first time, circting the Spiritual Energy. The blue light appeared again, allowing them to know that Noel and the bandit leader might be equal.


    "I see. So, you''re the guy who I should interrogate." Noel smirked. The only reason for his question was to see who had the most knowledge among the group. Now that he had determined his target, Noel approached the bandit group from the side, nning to kill the bandits one by one.


    "!!!" The bandit leader''s body shook as he didn''t expect that Noel would attack them from the side first. He immediately rushed to Noel since he was the only one who could stop him.


    Meanwhile, the guards also charged at the remaining bandits, trying to help their captain. With their superior number, the bandits wouldn''t be able to handle them.


    "As long as I kill you, I can kill the rest of them!" The bandit leader smirked and swung his sword.


    Noel was supposed to engage in abat against the leader for some time, giving them time to eliminate the bandits.


    But what everyone didn''t expect that when the bandit leader was about to hit him, Noel used his Four Points Cirction to cause a small burst of Spiritual Energy beneath his feet.


    The shock wave caused a steep increase in his speed, allowing him to slip past the bandit leader.


    "Wha¡ª!" The bandit leader widened his eyes, ncing at Noel. It turned out Noel''s real target was the remaining bandits.


    The guards as well as the bandits were shocked by his appearance, but he was simply far fasterpared to a normal person. The moment he reached their position, he ended them with a single swing on their neck. There was no way Noel nned to let go the opportunity to get Honor Points.


    "¡­" The bandit leader stopped for a moment, thinking he should escape when Noel was upied by his subordinates. Although he had some confidence in killing Noel, it would be a different case if those guards helped Noel.


    He hurriedly turned around and tried to run away. But suddenly, a male''s voice resounded across the battlefield. "Don''t let the leader escape!"


    "!!!" The guards turned their heads to the bandit leader and saw him running away. They exchanged looks at each other, thinking if Noel was eliminating the rest of the bandits, they should buy enough time so that Noel could finish his job and deal with this bandit leader.


    After a few seconds, they nodded at each other as they started chasing after him. "Stop him!"

 Chapter 100 Misunderstandings

    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    The bandit leader was running inside the woods, leaping from one ce to another to hide from the pursuers. After a while, he hid behind a tree, dropped to the ground, and tried to regain his breath.


    ''I should have lost them, right?'' He took a peek while looking around, not finding any person. For that short time, he felt relief since he managed to keep his life.


    However, he soon heard someone''s voice echoing from the other side.


    "So, who taught you how to catch the demon?"


    "!!!" When the bandit was about to turn around, a sword came out of the opposite side of the tree and stopped right in front of his neck as if telling him that it would kill him if he didn''t answer that question.


    "I-I don''t know!" The bandit leader shouted. "Don''t kill me please!"


    "Answer my question." The voice asked again as the sword slightly pressed the neck, making it bleed.


    Feeling the pain made the bandit leader panicked as he kept begging for his life. In the end, he told him everything he knew. "I truly don''t know anything. Suddenly, a mysterious person came to our hideout and told me about the method."


    "Then, tell me more about the method."


    "The method is not how to catch the demon or anything, it''s just to make us invisible to the demons, allowing us to be safe when utilizing the demons." The bandit leader gulped down.


    "Hoh? Spill everything you know about this method."


    "We use¡ª"


    When the bandit leader was about to reveal the information, the de suddenly moved to the side as they heard a clicking sound by two metals shing each other.


    "Hii¡ª!" The bandit leader panicked while Noel emerged from behind the tree, ring at the woods.


    ''An ambush?'' Noel thought while trying to find the assant. ''Is it someone from the Supreme Devil Organization? I should have realized it sooner and asked the bandit from the mine since there was no one who could kill the bandit leader previously.


    ''Meanwhile, this time, the attacker must be connected to the Supreme Devil Organization. I don''t know the other party''s strength. Seeing that the cult is messing with powerful people across the country, it''s clear that their strength is extremely high. I don''t think I have a chance to win against them. Should I retreat then?''


    Suddenly, he felt killing intent from behind.


    "Kh. I''m toote." Noel turned around and swung his sword, but he saw another arrow piercing the frightened bandit''s head, killing him.


    "No¡­" The bandit let out a shrill before dropping to the ground.


    "!!!" Noel gritted his teeth while looking around, trying to find the killer. He needed to be extremely careful because they might kill him as well, considering he was prying for the information.


    One minute became two minutes, two minutes became five, but not a single attack wasunched after that.


    ''Are they noting at me?'' Noel thought. ''There should be two killers earlier, but they don''te at me?''<sub> </sub>


    He was perplexed because the killers should have silenced him instead of letting him alive. But this way, he also didn''t understand their aim.


    ''Why did they only kill the bandit, not me? What is their aim? Instead of focusing on this matter, I should have left the forest where I can regain my vision on my surrounding so that no one can sneak attack on me.'' Noel thought.


    He had been using Spirit Aura Breathing and Sword Aura to prepare forbat, so the moment he thought about retreating, he fled the scene with haste.


    Of course, Noel didn''t drop his guard down, expecting another ambush to be set up in another ce. Yet, there wasn''t a single attacking toward him.


    Eventually, he escaped from the woods without being attacked a single time.


    ''Huh?'' Noel was confused but at the same time felt relieved because he managed to stay alive.


    Aftering out of the woods, he saw the merchant group earlier waiting for him.


    The two siblings even came out of their carriage to meet him personally.


    "We''d like to thank you for your assistance." The blue-haired man stepped forward and politely bowed his head.


    "And we''d like to apologize for making you step aside when you were crossing the road earlier." The man''s sister also apologized because Noel''s strength should allow him to gain the priority over the road.


    Just like how amoner needed to ceded the road when a noble cross the road, they did too.


    Noel still hadn''t dropped his guard down and said, "It''s fine. I''m not that small of a person. And I''ve also received your thanks, so I''ll be leaving."


    This was just Noel''s usual action when there was an assant nearby. Staying with them was dangerous, so he tried to part with them as cold as possible so that the enemies didn''t kill this merchant group.


    However, the merchant group didn''t know this. They feared that Noel bore a hatred to them for being so useless. Not a single guard managed to kill a bandit or a demon, so it looked like they were useless.


    But the fact was that Noel was simply too strongpared to normal people. Utilizing the Spiritual Energy allowed him to swiftly deal with the bandits and the demons, so it wasn''t their fault since given time, they could kill some bandits and demons by themselves.


    Still, the blue-haired man said with an aghast face. "May I know where you are going? If possible, I''d like to thank you personally."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "No, it''s fine. I just did what a normal person would do. So, you don''t need to reward me for subjugating the bandits." Noel shook his head. "Since I''ve done my job, it''s time for me to leave."


    Noel nodded to them before running forward, leaving everyone behind to their disbelief. And just like that, Noel saved them and left them without getting the recognition he deserved.


    "B-brother¡­" The blue-haired woman nced at her brother. "Is he angry with us?"


    "I don''t think so. From what I can see, he seems to be rushing. I don''t know the reason but he wants to leave as soon as possible. Either way, he''s such a good man. With that kind of power, he is not arrogant and overbearing. It''s such a shame that we can''t invite such a man and make a connection with him." The man sighed.


    "Still, don''t you think his voice and hand look like he''s a young guy? Like around my age?" She asked, remembering Noel''s feature.


    "I guess?" The man made a small smile.


    The two siblings didn''t realize they actually misunderstood Noel''s action. Noel simply wanted to get away as fast as possible because of the killers. If there wasn''t a killer, he would ask them to send a message to the Demon Banner Army to report about what he found as a reward. However, the siblings certainly remembered Noel''s facial feature: blond hair, blue eyes as well as his age.

 Chapter 101 Water Gallon

    Meanwhile, Noel kept running and running for days. He didn''t drop his guard all this time, thinking the killers coulde to him at anytime. After all, he couldn''t sense their presence earlier.


    So, they could hide their presence now until he dropped his guards before swiftly eliminating him.


    ''This is annoying. Are they following me or not?'' Noel gritted his teeth. ''Am I being paranoid? No, this should be the correct course in my current situation. Instead, dropping my guard down is a foolish action because it gives them the opportunity to kill me.''


    Noel ended up staying like this until he reached his destination, Sothbame Vige. This vige was only a few hours away from the one where the Master cksmith resided, so it was a perfect vige to do his mission.


    As soon as he entered the vige, the vigers looked lifeless as if they hadn''t drunk anything for days.


    They were lying on the ground or leaning on a house with their thin bodies.


    "¡­" Noel looked around for a moment before closing his eyes. He wanted to help them, but his Honor Points weren''t enough to buy enough water for them. After all, he couldn''t afford to waste his Honor Points like that.


    But to his surprise, Ardagan told him otherwise.


    When he felt that tingling sensation, he walked to an isted ce and opened his system.


    He didn''t get the notification, confusing him for a bit. But he soon saw the change in the ''Shop'' feature.


    Avable Points: 6 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Disinfectant Bandage (1 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Water Gallon (2 HP)


    Torch (1 HP)


    ''Huh?'' Noel sucked a cold breath. ''Now that I think about it, where does Ardagan have all this item? Is he creating them magically? Still, he was curious about the water gallon because it only had a difference of one Honor Point.


    In the end, he didn''t do anything yet. Instead, he walked to the vige chief''s house to understand the situation a bit first.


    As expected, the vige chief also had the same lifeless aura around him. If not for the hope that Noel brought with him, he wouldn''t even meet him.


    "Vige chief, I''m the Apprentice Knight from the Demon Banner Army, Iadre."


    "O-oh!" The vige chief''s expression brightened. "Thank you foring, Sir Knight."<sub> </sub>


    "Well, it seems that I need to do my job as soon as possible, but if you don''t mind, can you exin the situation first? I need more information before doing my job."


    "Certainly." The vige chief nodded furiously, thinking the faster he exined it to him, the quicker he would work. So, he immediately exined, "Our vige has been relying on the water from the river nearby.


    "But three weeks ago, a group of demons came to the river and created a dam that stopped the water from flowing. We tried to look for the demon, but some of us ended up dying and some who were fortunate enough managed to survive with severe injuries.


    "We immediately requested the assistance of the Demon Banner Army who was specialized in handling the demons, so please help us. We managed to hang on our lives by using our water reserve, but it has been used up yesterday. If we continue like this, we''ll die soon." The vige chief lowered his head, begging Noel to take action immediately.


    "Hmm¡­ This is hard." Noel thought for a moment. "I don''t know the numbers of the demons and what their level is. And fighting them in the water is a first for me."


    "That''s¡­" The vige chief''s face became pale.


    "I need to investigate the situation first before being able to do anything. After all, if I go recklessly, I might end up dying instead of solving your problem. And if I die, the vigers will also die because another person won''t being." Noel exined.


    The vige chief bit his lips. He wanted to ask Noel to just go, but his exnation made sense. If Noel went and died, they would die together with him due to theck of water.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "The most I can do is to stay for one or two days to observe them before trying to kill them." Noel sighed, thinking, ''A demon living under the water, huh¡­ This is the first time I encounter one of them. I don''t know what kind of trap I can use against them¡­ Well, my strength should be enough to deal with Low Level Demon, but I don''t know if I can fight a Mid Level Demon underwater by myself.''


    Noel saw the hopelessness in the vige chief''s face and said, "Let me think about it first. Who knows there''s another option."


    "I-I understand." The chief nodded with a sigh, knowing that it was impossible to force Noel do everything they wanted. After all, Noel might end up getting pissed and leaving the vige.


    Noel walked outside the house and looked at the conditions of the vigers.


    Suddenly, a young kid walked to him while carrying a girl who seemed to be connected to him.


    "Mister¡­ do you have any water? Can you spare us some water? No, it''s just for my sister. Please¡­" The young kid was begging. Even Noel could see her sister was already too weak to even walk.


    p Noel sighed and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll deal with this problem and soon you can drink. Just wait for a few minutes, understand?"</anda>


    The young kid didn''t know what to do, but Noel had already returned inside the vige chief''s house as if he was avoiding him.


    However, Noel just used that chance to buy the water gallon and summon it, wondering how much water does this one contain.


    To his surprise, he found a huge container. The container was a cylinder with the height of  half a meter.


    "This is¡­" Noel looked at the water gallon and muttered inwardly, "With this alone, it should be enough to sustain the vigers. And it''s the same situation as the dancing children from the fort, whenever I helped them, the progress still continued to rise. So, with this, I could get another progress and by the time I solve their problem, the progress will rise once more. Doesn''t this mean I''ll get two birds in one stone?"


    When he saw this gallon, he smiled and immediately headed to the vige chief. He asked energetically, "Vige chief! How many people do you have in this vige? I think we''re not out of options yet!"

 Chapter 102 Entitled

    "Eh?" The vige chief was confused for a second, but he soon saw a huge jar next to Noel. Although he wasn''t sure of it, he believed the jar contained water.


    "I''m asking how many people are in this town." Noel asked with a serious expression.


    "There are¡­ There are a total of 23 families in this ce with a total of 61 people." He answered dumbfoundedly.


    "61 people, huh¡­" Noel thought for a moment before buying another Water Gallon from Ardagan and taking it out.


    "Huh?!" The vige chief was stunned when he saw a jar miraculously appear before his eyes. "This is¡­"


    "I have something on me that can let me do this, but don''t ask for more." Noel let out a long sigh while saying, "These two water gallons should be enough tost for a day, right? I''ll change my n. Instead of observing the monster for two days, I''ll only do it for a day.


    "Please, bear with me for a day. After that, I''ll definitely kill the demons. And distribute this water carefully among the vigers so that they won''t die from dehydration. Can you do that?"


    The vige chief sucked a cold breath as his body was shaking. If he was aware of Noel''s real identity, he would have knelt already.


    "Y-yes. I''ll make sure that we don''t use the water too much." The vige chief nodded furiously, feeling happy that there was hope.


    "Alright. You deal with this after I leave the vige to scout the demons." Noel took a deep breath to calm his heart as he had another job to do.


    "Ah?! After you leave the vige? You''re not going to distribute it yourself? I''m sure that the vigers will be thankful to you."


    Noel shook his head with a smile. "No. It''s your job because the people here know and respect you more than me. That''s why if it''s you, they will be more organized. Besides, if I help you, I''ll be upied for a few hours. The priority here is the river¡­ the water gallons are just emergency relief. That''s why I need to work hard to solve the problem."


    "You¡­" The vige chief was stunned. If Noel actually helped giving the people this water, they would be extremely grateful to him. And his name would be spread. Yet, thetter didn''t seek fame. He just wanted to do his job without getting any recognition.


    This was the first time he met such a genuine young man. In his heart, he swore to make sure to tell the tales about what happened in this ce.


    He would make sure that Noel gained the fame and recognition he would have.


    "Alright, it''s time for me to go. I''ll leave the water here to you." Noel smiled and finally left the vige chief''s house.


    Looking at his back, the vige chief muttered his name, "Apprentice Knight Iadre¡­"<sub> </sub>


    The tone was filled with respect and admiration, hoping that the man lived a long life. He was sure that Noel would help more and more people in the future.


    Meanwhile, Noel met the two kids again and knelt in one knee, patting the kid''s head. "Don''t worry, kid. The problem will be over soon. Just make sure you follow the vige chief''s words."


    "En." The kid nodded, not understanding why Noel instructed him to follow the vige chief.


    However, Noel had already stood up and walked away as he headed to the river. The path itself was quite easy since the vigers seemed to have plowed the soil, making it a simple road for the men and women to gather the water from the river.


    Due to their remote location, they couldn''t find any water source nearby since the nearest vige from them was one day away. And with the current situation, they had no more money to buy the water, let alone bringing it back here.


    So, the river was the main water supply of the vige. Whether washing clothes or drinking, they used the river for the clean drinking water.


    However, the supply was disrupted by the dam, causing a drought in the area. And when they approached the river near the dam, they would be attacked by the demons. They tried to go upstream but the problem was simr. It seemed that there were several demons that roamed inside the water.


    Although they didn''t know the reason for it, the kingdom seemed to have been investigating it. So, it wasn''t his ce to butt in.


    His only goal here was to kill the demons and destroy the dam.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Noel walked ording to the path the vige chief gave him and found the dam half an hourter.


    ''Seriously? It took me so much time just to get to the dam?'' Noel widened his eyes in shock, never expecting that the life of themoner was much severe here.


    In the fort, there was a few wells that took care of the water supply, but in this ce, they needed an hour just to bring back the water. At the same time, they could only bring one bucket at a time, causing so much time to waste just to get the water.


    And with some asional attacks from the demon fishes, some vigers would die from time to time.


    ''Once again, I understand that I''ve been too entitled with my past life. When I was a noble, I didn''t need to think about it. The maids and butlers would take care of everything.'' Noel sighed and shook his head to regain his focus on the mission. ''I can think thister. For now, I need to focus on finding the monsters.''


    Noel turned his head and found the dam they were talking about. The dam was three meters high and spread over ten meters to each side, causing the water to not flow down. The dam was built of boulders. On the downstream side, it''d been lined with logs. Some of them are big and quite heavy. And on the other side, it''d been packed with mud and vegetation.


    ''This is¡­ to think there''s a natural dam like this. If I destroy the dam, won''t it cause a major flooding?'' Noel sucked a cold breath before his attention was grabbed by something poking out of the water.

 Chapter 103 Beaver Demon

    There was a head poking out of the water. Noel could only see a small portion of its face and a pair of eyes.


    ''Hmm?'' Noel hurriedly hid behind the tree and tried to observe this demon. However, the demon didn''te out of the water immediately. Instead, it remained underwater for quite some time before it submerged again.


    The waiting game continued as he couldn''t find the demon for a while after that. In the end, Noel could only remain in that position while taking out a dried jerky since he hadn''t have any breakfast yet.


    One hour became two. Two hours became four. The demon finally returned to the water. But this time, the demon didn''te from the water, but the ground.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. ''It''s not a demon living in the water?''


    He hurriedly observed the demon carefully while muttering inwardly, ''Hmm, the demon has arge body, the height alone is around one meter but the length is about three meters. The color is ck and it has a tail that looks like a paddle. Its body is far bigger than me, so its weight should be a few times than me. Still, there are two huge front teeth¡­ I''m afraid it can rip apart something solid.


    ''From the looks of it, this demon can be categorized as Mid Level Demon. But the problem is that¡­'' Noel suddenly fell silent because before the demon entered the water, it spotted a small crack on the dam, causing the water to flow a bit.


    It immediately moved toward the flowing water and inspected it. After a while, it returned to the surface and approached a tree.


    The demon started biting the tree, devouring it from one side.


    ''Now that I think about it¡­ the small demons are infecting the animals, causing them to be a big demon. So, the original body is that of a normal animal¡­ If I ignore its size as well as color, the living pattern is like¡­'' Noel recounted the information about animals that Shale had taught everyone in the ss. ''¡­A beaver.''


    Noel finally grasped the demon''s real body. However, he was stunned when he heard a cracking sounding from the distance.


    *Creak!*


    *Creak!*


    Suddenly, the tree swayed left and right before the trunk snapped, causing the tree to fall down to the ground.


    *Bam!*


    Since the forest was quite wet, there was no dust to be kicked up. However, it was still surprising to see a ten meters high tree fall down. The loud sound startled even him.


    But this beaver demon immediately ripped apart one of the branches and started moving to the flowing water, carrying that branch. It then started cing one branch after another before grabbing some mud to hold the water flow. Thanked to the branches, the mud managed to hold the waterpletely.


    ''This is¡­'' Noel was impressed by this natural phenomenon. Still, he also found another problem due to this action. ''I see. So, that''s how it is. The beaver demon is repairing the dam that fast. I can destroy it with my power, but the beaver will just build another dam whether in this ce. It will cause a huge problem to the humans in this area.


    ''I need to kill this beaver¡­ And because it''s living in thend, I don''t know how many beaver demons are nearby. If I want to solve this problempletely, I need to kill all the beaver demons.'' Noel thought for a moment and realized there was a n to deal with the beaver. "Ah, I can do that too!"


    Noel grinned, believing this was the only n to solve the problem from the roots.


    He continued observing this area until the night had arrived. Before it was too dark for him to go back, Noel finally returned to the vige and found them all staying in their own houses.<sub> </sub>


    ''It seems that they manage to gain enough energy to restore the basic live in the vige. He nced at the empty gallon and knocked the vige chief''s door.


    "Ah! You''ve returned." The vige chief was surprised to see Noel but hurriedly asked him toe in.


    Noel nodded and found the other gallon to be half empty. If it was like this, the water could stillst for another half day. It seemed that the vige chief had done a splendid job.


    "Do you mind if I ask you something?"


    "Please."


    "Do you know anything about beavers?"


    "Beavers?"


    "Yes, they''re the one causing this problem."


    "We do know about beavers, but they''re just a small and cute animals. Although they do build dams, but we can handle them easily."


    "It seems that the beavers have be a demon. And now the demonified beaver is stronger and faster, creating this type of problem."


    "I see¡­ When our people tried to look for the water, they didn''t realize it was a beaver."


    "The appearance indeed change that much, but the way of living was still the same. So, I have a n for tomorrow." Noel looked down with a grim expression.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "The demons are categorized as Mid Level Demons, so it''s going to be dangerous. And it''s only like I can destroy the dam easily. At best, I can restore it to the way it''s before in two days because I need to kill all the demons to make sure this problem doesn''t ur again, but¡­"


    "The water supply huh¡­" The vige chief thought for a moment, troubled.


    "Yes. I do have some confidence in killing the demons, but I can''t defeat them in one go since you know how the beavers live, right?"


    "Indeed. But we have no other water than the one you gave us."


    "That''s the problem that I want to consult you. I''d like to have two of your bravest men to get the water from the dam. I''ll be with them and fend the demons, but I can''t guarantee their lives because these demons are stronger than I originally expected." Noel exined.


    The vige chief didn''t know what to say since it was the same as sending two people to their death. But he still looked at Noel and said with a stern tone. "I''ll assemble the vigers tomorrow."

 Chapter 104 Unity

    The next morning, all the vigers had gathered in front of the vige chief''s house because the chief wanted to talk about something important to them.


    They didn''t know why, but since the vige chief had provided them with emergency water yesterday, they needed to attend this meeting.


    Finally, after waiting for like five minutes, the vige chief came out with the young man that was supposed to handle the problem.


    "Good morning, everyone." The vige chief looked at theirplexions which had recovered a bit. "This young man is the Apprentice Knight the Demon Banner Army sent to us. He has been observing the dam and providing us with some information that I want to hear.


    "First of all, the demons seem to be the beavers. They have infected the beavers in the forest and turned them into demons, but their number is still unknown. Normally, the knight that is sent to this ce will only kill the demons and be done with it, but this young man would like to eliminate everything from the roots, making sure that there are no more beaver demons that can build a dam like that.


    "This is what he wants to do and I agree because we have no more money to hire another knight in the future.


    "However, thises with a problem as well. To lure the beaver out, he needs a few days, so in other words, there will be a few days without water." The vige chief sighed.


    "Vige chief, I don''t think we canst that long." One of the vigers raised his hand.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "I know." The vige chief nodded. "That''s why the young man proposes to have two strong and agile men to follow him to the dam. He''ll protect you when you gather the water. Still, the demons are so ferocious that even he can''t guarantee your lives. Hence, I need two volunteers who can risk their lives. Does anyone want to do it?"


    "¡­"


    The silence filled the atmosphere. There wasn''t a single person raising their hands. It was to be expected since no one liked to volunteer to die.


    They were looking at each other as if asking them to go while they were scared to volunteer themselves. Everyone was hoping that someone would take the role.


    Seeing this situation, the vige chief let out a long sigh. He was sad and disappointed. Ultimately, he raised his own hand and said, "I''ll be fetching the water. I might be old, but my strength should still be enough to carry the water. I need one more person¡­ is there anyone that wants to go together with me?"


    "!!!" The vigers widened their eyes as they felt ashamed and surprised at the same time. The vige chief had done everything for them, yet, not a single of them was brave enough to go. In the end, he took everything into his own hands, sacrificing himself again for the vige.


    Suddenly, a kid raised his hand and shouted. It was the same kid as the one that brought his sister to Noel to get some water. "I''ll do it. I might be small, but I can carry my sister. My strength should be enough to do it."


    "Nico?" The vigers were shocked by his action. Even a little kid was braver than any of them.<sub> </sub>


    Suddenly, a big middle-aged man grabbed Nico''s hand and put it down. Meanwhile, he raised his own hand and said, "I''ll do it. My daughter died of illness and my wife died because of the demons. I''m now alone, so let me take a part to help the vige since no one will be sad if I die."


    "I will also do it!" Another man raised his hand, looking at the vige chief. "You have sacrificed so much, chief. And it''s you who have been handling all the matters in the vige, without you, this vige will copse sooner orter. Let me handle this job for you."


    "Me too."


    "Me too!"


    More and more people raised their hands, volunteering to fetch the water.


    The vige chief finally smiled as he said, "I understand. Thank you for your cooperation. But the young ones can''t go. You have a long future ahead of you, so let me choose a pair of an older men."


    After this situation, Noel whispered the vige chief a few things before he went to the dam to get some work done.


    Looking at Noel leaving confused them, but the vige chief spoke again. "The young man is trying to kill as many beavers as he can right now to lower the danger. And we also need to handle the dam. That''s one of the reason why we can''t go this fast. If the entire dam copses in an instant, there will be a massive flood.


    "Fetching water, hunting, or even fishing will be extremely dangerous, so that''s why he asks for a few days. He knows that our situation is already dire without water, food, and money. He wants to make sure that we''re not troubled by them anymore by solving the problem from the roots.


    "And the water I have with me came from him, but he asked me to hide it from you¡­ He just wants to fulfill his job topletion while thinking about us and not receiving the recognition he deserves¡­ I can''t say how thankful I am that he is the knight that is sent to this vige." The vige chief told them the entire truth after Noel left.


    The people gasped. They thought that the young man was just a knight who would do whatever he wanted and left after killing one or two demons. But they realized he was the one saving the whole vige.


    They felt ashamed for thinking like that.


    The vige chief took a deep breath and said, "Let''s distribute the remaining water. And the pair will go to the dam after the sun is on top of our heads. Do you understand?"


    "Yes!" The vigers nodded their heads together. Their expressions had changed for the better. Some even clenched his fists, thinking why they didn''t do anything earlier.

 Chapter 105 Fish

    In the meantime, Noel had arrived in front of the dam with a serious expression.


    "There are two ways to lure them. If they''re underwater, I can simply stand next to the dam. They will surely attack me. But if they''re not underwater, I''ll break a small portion of the dam so that the flowing water disturbs them. When they''re trying to repair it, I''ll kill them." Noel thought.


    Since he didn''t know whether there was a demon underwater or not, Noel stood next to the dam with Ardagan in his hand. He was in high alert, preparing for any kinds of attacking from the demon.


    This was a risky operation, but he needed to check this out because of the vigers. When they fetched the water from this dam, the beaver might attack them too, so he needed to get used to this battle to lower the danger.


    Muscle Strengthening.


    Spirit Aura Breathing.


    Sword Aura.


    Noel used all three of them to strengthen his power and increase his speed, waiting for the beaver.


    Suddenly, a huge whirlpool appeared before that whirlpool came out like that of a water spout. It rose for a few meters before it turned to Noel''s direction.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly jumped to the side, avoiding the water.


    As soon as it touched the ground, the water should ssh and everything would have ended. But to his surprise, the water turned once again before hitting the ground as if it was alive.


    "What?!" Noel widened his eyes, realizing that the water would continue to follow him. "Tsk. What is this demon trying to do? It can even control the water like this. I can''t do any underwater fight because my fire won''t work in the water and freezing the water just means trapping myself."


    Noel looked around, wondering how to pull this demon out of the water. In the end, he tried to retreat to the woods so that the water wasn''t enough to follow him.


    Unfortunately for him, the water kepting at him. There was plenty of water in the dam, so the demons could use all of it until it reaches Noel.


    But Noel''s unluckiness didn''t stop there. Another water spout emerged and behaved like a living tornado that chased after Noel.


    "There is another one?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "I need to lure them out of the water or I won''t be able to kill them. They can move like a fish in the water after all."


    Noel looked around but found nothing that could pull them out of the water.


    "Tsk." He clicked his tongue and used Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune.


    With this speed, Noel wouldn''t have any trouble in dodging these two water tornadoes. At the same time, he wonder if there was a log that was big enough to be thrown into the water. But the log shouldn''t be too big since his strength wasn''t enough to carry that log, let alone throwing it.


    "Ah, wait. I think I don''t need a log. I have this, right?" Noel smirked and approached the water. The Spiritual Energy had gathered in the tip of his sword as the moment he reached the water, he swung his de upward, throwing the Spiritual Energy that he gathered into the air.


    As soon as the Spiritual Energy was on top of the water tornadoes, it changed shape into a giant sword. This giant sword should be bigger than a log that he could throw with his current strength and due to it being formed by Spiritual Energy, it was stronger.<sub> </sub>


    Noel waved his left hand down as ifmanding the sword to fall. "Sword Fall."


    The giant sword fell with all the weight. But the tip of the sword was thin and sharp, so there wasn''t a ssh when it touched the water.


    Still, Noel didn''t mind because his original intention was to hit the beaver with that sword.


    "Die!" Noel shouted, hoping that the sword managed to pierce one of them.


    Suddenly, one of the water tornado stopped spinning and the water fell down to the ground, indicating that one of the demons had stopped controlling the water.


    "Did I do it?" Noel smirked, knowing this was the chance to handle the other two demons.


    As if answering his question, the third water tornado reappeared, causing Noel to be surrounded by three of them.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. "I missed. I need to find another way to handle this."


    Noel thought for a moment and moved toward the bag he put down near the dam. That huge backpack contained the core wood of the Ancient Demon Tree. It was sturdy enough for him to use.


    Without hesitation, Noel took out the biggest piece of the wood and used it like a shield.


    The Strength Blessing Rune and Muscle Strengthening showed their might. When the water tornado hit them, Noel wasn''t pushed back immediately.


    He managed to withstand the water force for a few seconds before he could feel the power was too much for him to handle.


    "I see. I can protect myself with this for the time being." Noel muttered and started incorporating the shield when he was moving. Dodging also became easier with this shield since he could just break through one of the tornadoes when escaping from them.


    "So, what should I do now¡­" Noel nced to the dam. "It seems I can only use this tactic."


    He ran toward the edge of the dam and cut down a small portion at the top, causing the water to flow through that one gap.


    The flow of the water was quite big because the huge amount of water that had been stored within.


    "Come out." Noel smirked, expecting the beaver to emerge from the water to stop him from destroying the dam they had worked hard for.


    However, what came out next stunned even him. Instead of a beaver, a huge fish with two sharp canines in the front leaped out of the gap and pounced him, trying to rip him apart with those two big fangs.


    The fish had a circr shape with a diameter of one meter, causing Noel to freak out.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "It''s not a beaver! It''s a freaking FISH!"

 Chapter 106 Fighting The Fishes

    "It''s not a beaver! It''s a freaking FISH!"


    Noel was taken aback because the one he faced was not a beaver, but a fish. He had heard about the report of a fish demon attacking the human from time to time, but he never thought that they would gather in this ce.


    ''Now that I think about it, the fish usually swim downstream. But because of the dam, they can''t continue to swim there. In that case, how many fish demons are there?'' Noel thought while waving his sword.


    Swift Strike.


    As expected, the fish demon actually had the might of a Mid Level Demon. And with the addition of its momentum as well as Noel''s unpreparedness, the fish overwhelmed Noel with its strength.


    "Kh!" Noel gritted his teeth, standing on his ground. Still, he was pushed back for at least ten meters back before the fish had used all his momentum.


    When the fish fell to the ground, it started pping its body due to theck of water. However, the fish didn''t seem to be stopping.


    Every time it pped, the fish was trying to go toward Noel to bite him.


    ''This is annoying.'' Noel clicked his tongue and swung his sword upward.


    Sword Fall.


    A huge sword appeared on top of the fish, but the moment it fell, the fish had already pped its body again, avoiding the sword.


    "It''s still too fast even on the ground. But the fish can''t live on the ground, should I wait for a while?" Noel muttered before ncing at the hole, remembering there were two more fishes that attacked him earlier. "No. Let''s end this as soon as possible."


    "Let''s see whether this guy is delicious or not." Noel smirked as the Spiritual Energy started gathering around his sword. Then, the Spiritual Energy sparked, enveloping the sword in fire.


    Sword Fire.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    This ck fire could burn the fish bit by bit every time he attacked, so eventually the fish would be cooked alive. He just hoped that no other fish demon came out of the water to help this one.


    Noel waved his sword toward the fish while thetter pped its tail to repel the fire sword.


    *ng!*


    "Heavy¡­" Noel frowned, feeling the intense force from the tail. After knowing that the fish wasn''t as weak as he expected, Noel changed his approach again.


    He saw that the tail reddened after getting scorched by the fire for a while, so Ardagan''s me was effective.


    ''Although I have expected this, but Ardagan''s me is indeed extraordinary.'' Noel thought while leaping forth, approaching the fish again.


    Thetter pped its body, kicking it to the air again. After that, it opened its mouth and tried to swallow Noel from above this time.


    Noel took a deep breath and calmed his heart down. Instead of working up and jumping to the side out of panic, Noel calmed down and took a few small steps to the left.


    This way, he managed to avoid the fish without a single waste movement.


    Before the fish pped its body again to get away, Noel swung his sword and struck the fish''s body.


    The ck me started scorching its body, but it wouldn''t be able to kill the demon easily. So, he applied one more skill from Ardagan.


    "Ignition Sword."<sub> </sub>


    The me around his sword suddenly red up and caused an explosion.


    *Boom!*


    "!!!" Noel covered his eyes with his arm, thinking he would be engulfed by the me as well. But to his surprise, he didn''t feel the heating from the sword.


    Only the fish suffered from the explosion. Its side was scorched ck. A portion of its body even burned to ashes, causing the blood to continuously flow out.


    "The power¡­ It''s so strong." Noel was taken aback by the strength. He had never used this power before because whenever he used the ck Sword, he needed to use ice along with it since everyone knew that he was an Ice Spirit User.


    However, the sword had be white this time and he had another identity. This way, he could freely use his fire.


    "Oh, it seems this Spirit Ability is more useful than I thought." Noel smiled satisfied. He saw that the fish was in pain to the point it couldn''t use that side of his body to kick his body to the air anymore. Thanks to it, the fish''s movement became extremely simple and predictable.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to approach the fish from the injured side and struck the fish.


    Mega sh.


    This time, Noel strike sliced its head a bit, causing the fish to slow down. There was nothing the fish could do to avoid dying at this point.


    When he was about to deliver the killing blow, two more fishes came through the gap and jumped to him.


    "!!!" Noel immediately stopped his motion and turned around to face these two fishes.


    These two fishes seemed to be different from the one he defeated earlier. When these two fishes were flying in the air, they opened their mouth as blue light gradually shone from within.


    Suddenly, a water twister came out of their mouth and flew to Noel at a fast speed.


    Although he had expected this from a Mid Level Demon, he was still surprised that they used it immediately. From what he knew from hunting Mid Level Demons together with Anna previously, the Mid Level Demon''s Spiritual Energy Capacity wasn''t that huge. They could only attack him like this less than five times.


    With the addition of the usage of Spiritual Energy that they used to attack him at the first meeting, they wouldn''t have enough Spiritual Energy tounch another attack like this after they failed to attack him.


    Still, the fish truly caught him off guard. Noel couldn''t dodge this with his current movement. Hence, he raised his shield again while using his Four Points Cirction to boost his shield so that he had enough thrust to stop the force in the water twister.


    *Bam!*


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth as his hand became numb just from receiving the impact.


    As one would expect from a Mid Level Demon, even though their intelligence was low, they didn''t act based on instinct like that of a Low Level Demon. The moment those two fishes managed to stop Noel in his track, the injured fish flew toward Noel and opened its mouth, trying to swallow him.


    "I have fought multiple Mid Level Demons before, so I know it will be like this." Noel smirked while swinging his sword upward.


    A sword appeared above the fish. The fish was in the air this time, so it was impossible for it to dodge.


    "Die."


    Sword Fall.

 Chapter 107 Pinch

    Sword Fall.


    The humongous sword pierced through the fish and impaled it to the ground. The fish, who was already dying, died in an instant.


    Meanwhile, he needed to handle these two fishes next.


    "I have understood their movements, so¡­" Noel muttered and looked at his white sword that was enveloped by ck fire. He then approached one of them from the opposite direction of its friend, causing the other fish to loop around if it wanted to attack Noel.


    This way, Noel could fight against this big fish one at a time, giving him a huge advantage.


    Swift Strike.


    His first attack was a quick and precise attack to the neck. The fish barely avoided it, but a portion of the sword scratched its neck, causing a slight burn in that area.


    Due to it avoiding Noel''s attack, it exposed the other fish that was about to loop around.


    Taking advantage of the momentum, Noel approached the fish from the opposite direction, striking him from the back.


    Ignition Sword.


    The fish tried to avoid him, but Noel managed to strike its tail and caused another explosion, obliterating the tail in one go.


    "Heh." Noel smiled, knowing that this fight would be easier since he had understood the fish''s movement.


    With this kind of injury, the fishes wouldn''t be able to harm him even if they worked together.


    "Still¡­" Noel muttered before he felt another presenceing from the water.


    This demon didn''t jump straight in. Instead, it was climbing the dam and looking down on the field, finding Noel and the three fishes.


    Its bloodshot eyes were directed at Noel as if thinking him as an enemy that should be eliminated. It was clear that the demon was angry due to Noel breaking down its dam.


    "¡­" Noel maintained his silence. He wondered what this demon nned to do. Although he had prepared some traps, he didn''t know which one was effective against him.


    Since the beaver demon hadn''t attacked him yet, Noel went straight to the fish that had no tail. This was the demon that he could kill the fastest after all.


    "Die¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice as he struck the fish with another Ignition Sword.


    Unfortunately for him, another demon came out of the forest when he was about to strike the fish.


    "!!!" Noel felt the killing intent that saw him as a prey. He hurriedly turned around and saw a beaver pouncing him. "Kh."


    <o>,m Noel didn''t have enough time to use Ignition Sword. In the end, he only managed to block the beaver''s teeth.</o>


    Seeing this sword, the beaver didn''t hesitate to bite it, trying to destroy the sword like it was chopping down the tree.


    However, the moment it bit Ardagan, the beaver demon was stunned for a second. The demon was startled to be unable to destroy this sword.


    ''It''s not a family heirloom for nothing.'' Noel smirked and released the Sword Fire to burn the beaver''s mouth.


    As soon as it felt the intense heat emanating from the sword, the beaver hurriedly let it go while jumping back a few times. It also opened its mouth due to the heat.


    "Still, this is not a really good situation." Noel muttered in a low voice. There were four Mid Level Demons around him. Although his strength was enough to handle them, he needed to deploy some traps if he wanted to escape unscathed from this battle.


    At the same time, the fish demons would surely return to the water when he ran to his traps. Letting them go back would mean the water became more dangerous than it needed to be.<sub> </sub>


    Hence, leaving this ce wasn''t an option.


    "I really need to kill these demons here." Noel had decided that it was a better choice to end everything in this ce. He just needed to find a way to eliminate the fishes first before running to his traps.


    Noel hurriedly chased after the fish without tail again, trying to eliminate it as soon as possible.


    "It''s not the time to hold back anymore." Noel''s expression became serious as the beaver demon tried to stop him from harming the fish.


    However, ice suddenly appeared on the ground. As expected of the beaver demon, it impaled the ice with its ws, preventing its body to slip on that ice. However, the ice had done its job since all he wanted was to stop the demon.


    He took this opportunity to reach the fish and struck him one more time.


    Ignition Sword.


    Now that the fish didn''t have a tail, the sword struck right at the back of its body.


    "Point nk range." Noel smirked as the sword exploded again, obliterating half of the body.


    The fish had somest struggle, but its body gradually became weak and the fish ultimately died from that wound.


    Knowing that he was dangerous, the beaver demon that had been standing on top of the dam this whole time finally made its appearance.


    It leaped into the air and attacked Noel from above.


    Noel smirked and waved his sword, nning to explode the beaver''s hand.


    Ignition Sword.


    The me burst out, but to his surprise, the explosion never happened. When he took another look, he saw watering out of the beaver''s ws, suppressing his fire.


    Meanwhile, the second beaver came to him from the opposite direction.


    Noel raised his shield and blocked its ws, but he suddenly noticed something wrong.


    ''Wait a minute. Where is the other fish?'' Noel thought before he felt another presenceing from behind.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and tried to spin his body, but it was toote. The fish was already right before him and bit his left arm.


    Noel used his Ice Control to create an ice that could withstand the teeth, but those canines were sharper and sturdier than he thought.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The ice was crushed in an instant as the teeth finally made its way toward Noel''s arm.


    The two beavers had already retreated, allowing the fish to devour Noel.


    "Aaaahhhhh!" Noel screamed in pain as the demon''s teeth impaled his arm. He used all his strength to withstand the pain while thrusting his sword to the fish.


    Mega sh.


    The demon that he struck was sliced easily by his Mega sh, but the force was still too strong. Mega sh also pushed back the demon a bit, causing the teeth that stuck on his arm to start ripping his flesh apart.


    "Aaahhhhh!" The pain was beyond his expectation. He often pierced a demon and started slicing them from that hole. It was effective and he could understand it now how painful it was.

 Chapter 108 Defeating The Demons

    "Aaaaahhhh!" Noel gritted but he soon realized that the fish had died since there was no more forceing from the teeth.


    Without hesitation, he pulled out all the teeth by pushing off the mouth. However, the two beavers didn''t let this opportunity go.


    While Noel was pushing the fish away, the beavers approached him again, trying to kill him.


    Annoyed, Noel shot out the Spiritual Energy upward, creating a humongous sword above them.


    The two beavers leaped in the opposite direction, looping around to attack Noel from both sides.


    But Noel managed to free himself from the fish within that time. Although he couldn''t move his left hand for the time being, he should be able to kill the two beavers.


    "I don''t need a shield anymore," said Noel as he leaped to one of the beavers.


    The beaver in the front waved its ws to attack him while the one behind him opened its mouth, trying to snap his head with its strong teeth.


    Noel struck the beaver''s ws, but thetter seemed to be smarter than he thought because the beaver somehow pushed the ws downwards, preventing Noel from swinging his sword again to handle the oneing from behind. At the same time, the beaver in the front opened its mouth, nning to do the same thing.


    The calm expression in Noel''s face was unchanged as if this situation was still within his means.


    Noel finally showed the swordsmanship he had been learning from Ardagan.


    With that downwards swing, Noel was supposed to stop that swing before it passed his legs, but he continued that swing until his hand reached his back. It was at this time he let go of the handle with a small force, causing the sword to be thrown upward at a slow speed.


    Then, Noel''s right hand rotated in the opposite direction and caught the floating sword behind his shoulder.


    "!!!" The beavers were startled that the previous Noel who was supposed to be an easy target became the hunter. Their momentum didn''t allow them to change their directions, and the best thing they could do was to lean their bodies to the side to avoid getting shed in one hit.


    In that instant, Noel made another full swing that cut both beavers in rapid session. Unfortunately for him, Noel only managed to cut a part of their bodies and one arm. Their heads still remained.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Although the blood loss would be enough to kill them, the demons should still be able to move around for a while. If he dropped his guard right now, he would be the prey of these demons. At the same time, there was no need for traps when it had reached this point.


    ? Noel didn''t hesitate to leap to the beaver in the front that was trying to escape from him. He summoned another giant sword and dropped it in front of the beaver. The panicked beaver was startled and tried to loop around, but Noel took this opportunity to catch up and slice the beaver''s head with Mega sh.


    Without wasting his time, Noel turned around and chased after the second beaver that was running away from him. Noel''s Increase Agility Rune and Four Points Cirction finally showed their might, boosting his speed significantly.


    Noel caught up to the beaver in just a second as he struck the beaver''s back with Ignition Sword, destroying a part of the body. With the injury it suffered earlier, the beaver died a few secondster.


    On the other hand, Noel fell on his butts, tired. His body was also covered with pain.<sub> </sub>


    ncing at the injured shoulder, Noel bought a bandage from Ardagan, nning to cover his wound first. He was nning to go to Astary Town first before visiting the Master cksmith, so he could heal this wound in that town. It wouldn''t take too long anyway, so he immediately grabbed that bandage.


    Before he could put on the bandage, he heard a man''s voiceing from behind.


    "Sir Knight?"


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly turned around, rmed by their presence. However, he soon lowered his guard when he confirmed that they were the vigers that brought the two empty gallons to fetch the water. "Oh, you''vee."


    "You''re injured¡­"


    They approached him with worried faces. The two people that had been chosen was the man who was the first to raise his hand and a farmer.


    "You should be careful. That dam is flowing right now, so there''s a chance that a demon wille out suddenly." Noel warned them while ncing at the corpses in the area.


    They nodded with a serious expression. They could imagine what kind of battle Noel had faced earlier. In fact, they had been watching him since a few minutes ago. They didn''t dare toe out because they thought they would just be the burden if the demons targeted them.


    Instead of increasing his burden, they chose to be an observer.


    Once again, they realized how Noel risked his life to fight against the demons to save their viges. If Noel didn''t care about the vige, he would just kill one or two demons before calling itplete.


    So, they felt grateful for Noel to do all this without being asked.


    "That¡­ can I see your wounds? Although I can''t do much, I can wrap the bandage. I often helped the vige hunter whenever he returned with injuries." The farmer raised his hand, asking.


    "Is that so? I''ll let you do it then." Noel nodded before standing up. "Can you dress my wound while I''m standing? I need to make sure there''s no demoning out of that gap."


    "That shouldn''t be a problem." The man agreed without hesitation.


    Although he wanted to hide inside the forest for the time being, it would be troublesome if the demon came out and somehow let loose without anyone knowing.


    So, standing here was the most optimal option.


    The man immediately grabbed the bandage and prepared to wrap Noel''s wounds.


    Meanwhile, Noel pointed at the dam and said, "We''re going to let the water to flow like this for a while. Not only will the beavere out to fix the dam, but we can also destroy the dam without causing a flood or any damage."


    "We understand. If you need anything, please instruct us. We''ll definitely help you." The two men were in awe of Noel''s dedication and decided to help him no matter how weird the request was.

 Chapter 109 Bond

    After his wounds were wrapped neatly, Noel then stated, "We can use that gap to get some water. Although both of you need to hold the gallons so that they won''t be thrown away by the water velocity, you can hide behind the dam itself to avoid the demon''s sight. Meanwhile, I''ll stand in front of the gap so that they will see me first.


    "This way, they won''t be too focused on you. What do you think?" Noel asked. The fact that he was asking their opinions just showed that Noel wasn''t a dictator. He also wanted them to participate in saving the viges.


    Both of them exchanged looks before nodding to Noel. "We''ll do it ording to your instruction."


    "Good. Also, if you want to, you can bring back the corpses here. Although they''ve be a demon, their corpse still can be eaten. I''ll just remove their crystals and you''re good to go.


    "I know that the viges have a hard time surviving, so this might be the time for you to make a little party to cheer everyone''s up. Just take away the burned parts and you''re good to go. With their size, it should be able to easily feed the people, right?"


    "This¡­" They were surprised. It seemed they had underestimated Noel''s magnanimosity. Noel was not only a savior, but a hero. He truly thought everything for them and wanted to help them to the best of his ability.


    "How can we thank you¡­" The farmer lowered his head. He wanted to cry from his kindness. The hardship they had endured in the past few weeks were truly too much. Some had even died due to theck of water. So, he was thankful that the one liberating their vige was Noel.


    "Just do your job immediately. It''s been too hard for you, so you should hurry." Noel smiled. "Anyway, I promise that the problem will be solved within two to three days."


    "Y-yes." They nodded with a serious expression as they immediately worked ording to Noel''s instruction.


    While hiding themselves behind the dam, they held the gallon below the flowing water.


    The gallon was filled to the brim in just a few seconds, so the job itself wasn''t as dangerous as it seemed.


    At the same time, Noel had just eliminated all the demons nearby, so there wasn''t a single demoning out of the dam for the time being.


    Ultimately, the two guys returned to the vige with a smile on their faces. After that, they brought two more people to cut the fishes and beavers so that they could eat them.


    In the meantime, Noel kept standing in front of the dam, waiting for a demon to appear.


    After several hours, another beaver demon emerged from the water, trying to fix the dam. Noel gained its attention easily and the beaver immediately chased after the injured him.


    Because he was injured, Noel was relying on his traps. The trap was just some simple spikes or ropes to trip them. There wasn''t a need for moreplicated traps for the time being because Noel''s strength was already between Mid Level Demon and Advanced Level Demon.


    Another few hours of peace was gained after the beaver''s appearance before Noel could hear the falling tree from a distance. He immediately checked the area and eliminated another beaver demon.


    It was a smooth progress because Noel could see the water going down slightly.


    Since the flow rate decreased a bit, Noel cut down another portion of the dam, increasing the flow rate. He also needed to make sure he didn''t cut too much to the point the dam would crumble since it would be catastrophic.


    Eventually, the night fell and Noel retreated back to the woods next to the dam, watching the gap while biting his dried jerky.<sub> </sub>


    ''Still, to think that I''d gotten used to the meal that Anna made¡­'' Noel thought while clicking his tongue. ''I feel like eating dried jerkies for days are a torture itself. That must be Anna''s plot¡­ She must be trying to conquer my stomach to the point I can''t live without her. Screw her.''


    Noel kept eating even though he was annoyed.


    Suddenly, he felt a movementing from the vige''s direction.


    "Hmm?" Noel hurriedly raised his sword, trying to see what kind of demon was approaching him.


    But he soon saw light among the woods. It was clear that the light came from the torch, meaning a viger was visiting him.


    "Who are you?" Noel''s voice resounded in the area, giving away his location. As if responding to the sound, he soon found the farmer among the woods. "Why do youe here?"


    The farmer also spotted Noel and immediately came to him. "I finally found you."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something happening to the vige?" Noel frowned, feeling something ominous.


    However, the farmer brushed that feeling away with a smile on his face. He ced down the bag he carried earlier and opened it. "No, no. I''m here to bring you this."


    "This is¡­" Noel widened his eyes when he took a glimpse of the bag.


    It was food, a piping hot one as the steam was stilling out.


    "You told us to use them to cheer us, but you''re the one fighting for us¡­ We can''t really allow you to suffer like this when we''re happy." The farmer smiled. "This food should be able to keep you warm right now."


    "O-oh?" Noel didn''t expect that someone would risk his life in this darkness just to bring him food. He couldn''t help but smile. "Thank you."


    "No, no. We should be the one thanking you." The farmer scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed to receive Noel''s thanks. "Actually, if you''re going to remain here during the night, the guy, who came during the day, wants to take your position in watching the dam. He wants to help you watching over the dam during the night. He''ll rm you when he spots a demon. This way, you can take some rest since you''re injured¡­"


    Noel truly felt gratified by how they repaid the kindness. He didn''t expect them to repay it, but it was truly amazing to see people''s bonds like this.


    "No, no. There''s no need for you to worry about that. I can easily go through two to three days without sleep. After that, just let me rest for a bit before I leave the vige after the missionpletion." Noel politely denied their offer since it was too dangerous.


    "I understand. But please¡­ Let us bring you foodter so that you won''t be in empty stomach." The farmer looked at him with a serious face.


    After rejecting the previous request, Noel felt bad for declining this one too, so he nodded his head. "Alright. But you need to be careful."


    "Yes. Thank you, Sir Knight."N?velDrama.Org ? content.

 Chapter 110 Danger

    Noel never thought that the farmer that approached him and showed his kindness would get into an ident today.


    "Not good, old man." Noel shouted as he watched the beaver demon biting the farmer''s shoulder.


    The blood sttered and the scream resounded in the area.


    "Aaaaaaahhhhh!" The farmer let out tears as his face turned pale in an instant. The pain was far more extraordinary than what he had endured so far as a farmer.


    Noel couldn''t understand how did this happen. He could only look at the beaver demon trying to swallow the farmer.


    ? "How did this happen¡­" Noel gritted his teeth.


    ¡­


    A few moments ago.


    The night passed safely. Although Noel found a fish demon once during the night, he eliminated it without much trouble.


    However, the challenge came during the second day. Since there was already arge amount of water that had been flowing out of the dam, Noel cut a big part of the dam, causing the water to flow at a higher rate.


    This caused the beaver demons to be extremely angry.


    When the two guys were trying to gather the water from the dam while hiding behind it, the beaver suddenly came out of the water, but didn''t jump straight to Noel. Instead, it climbed on top of the dam to look the dam''s condition.


    It was at this time the beaver demon found the two guys that hid underneath the dam.


    *Shaaa!* The beaver demon let out a cry, angry at these two people.


    "!!!" Noel was startled for a second and immediately jumped to the beaver demon. "What do you think you''re doing?"


    He waved his sword to the beaver''s neck, but thetter avoided it easily by jumping to the ground.


    Noel tried to chase it but he soon heard the water sshed behind him. When he turned around, he saw another beaver demoning out of the water.


    "Eh?" The farmer widened his eyes and felt this overwhelming presence behind him. He thought that the beaver demon that came out first was the only enemy, but it turned out there were more hiding underwater.


    The beaver demon''s bloodshot eyes were staring straight at him, wanting to kill him. It opened itsrge jaws as if trying to swallow him alive.


    "Dodge it!" Noel shouted in panic as he immediately returned to these two.


    However, it was toote, the beaver demon had already bitten the farmer''s shoulder.


    "Aaaaahhhh!" The farmer immediately dropped to the ground while the other guy was panicking, but not knowing what to do.


    Sword Fall.


    Noelunched the Spiritual Energy into the air so that the giant sword would appear on top of the beaver before him.


    Feeling the extraordinary pressure from above, the beaver demon immediately opened its mouth again and leaped back, avoiding the sword.


    Noel had finally arrived but couldn''t afford to look at the farmer''s injury because they were still in a predicament.<sub> </sub>


    Noel immediately handed over the leftover bandage and said, "Take it."


    The two beavers were surrounding them from two sides. He had once protected people from a few Low Level Demons and he managed to do itpletely. Still, two Mid Level Demons were far greater threat than seven Low Level Demons, so Noel didn''t know whether he could protect them or not.


    "We''re going to breakthrough. I know that you''re in pain, but you need to get up right now!" Noel shouted before finding the left beaver demon running straight at him.


    He waved his sh with enough Spiritual Energy in his sword to crush the demon''s skull.


    Mega sh.


    The beaver felt the danger of this attack and stopped abruptly, barely avoiding the sh. After that, it waved its ws, trying to push away the sword while its teeth went straight to Noel''s head.


    If this was the usual Noel, he would use his Sword Aura as well as Four Points Cirction to overpower this demon, but he needed to protect these two.


    As expected, the other beaver demon took this opportunity to go to the people Noel protected as if it knew they were Noel''s burden.


    Noel clicked his tongue and jumped back even with the beaver chasing after him.


    Suddenly, Noel waved his sword downwards to smash the beaver''s head but seeing Noel didn''t use his Mega sh to attack him, the beaver used its sharp ws to stop the sword.


    Little did he know, Noel''s foot was already right at its stomach.


    Four Points Cirction.


    A shock wave erupted from his foot as he blew away such a huge beaver with a single kick. Although it wouldn''t cause enough damage to the beaver, it was still enough to buy some time for him to reach the other beaver.


    Sword Fall.


    Noel released another huge sword not in front of the beaver, but in front of the two men. The huge sword body were enough to act as a shield from the beaver.


    And the time that the beaver took to loop around the sword was enough for Noel to catch up with the help of his Increase Agility Rune.


    Mega sh.


    The beaver didn''t expect Noel to return so fast, considering its friend had been upying him. He barely reacted to that sh and stopped it with the ws, but the power in Mega sh was beyond its expectation.


    Some ws were cut while some bent in a weird way. The pain in its hands were extraordinary as the beaver let out a screech.


    "Shut up!" Noel shouted and swiftly struck the beaver.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Swift Strike.


    Ignition Sword.


    Noel used two Spirit Abilities in rapid session to sh the beaver demon. Today might be his lucky day because his Ignition Sword managed to strike at the beaver''s head, blowing up half of the head. With such a wound, the beaver died in an instant.


    Noel wanted to focus on the other beaver, but he was afraid that another beaver woulde out right now, so he turned to the two guys and shouted, "Hurry up and leave!"

 Chapter 111 Realization

    While holding his shoulder, the farmer was the first one to move, enduring all that pain. He couldn''t help but remember what Noel had done so far, so all he wanted was to make sure that he didn''t bring more weight on his shoulder.


    Seeing the farmer, the guy behind him immediately followed.


    Luckily, the two managed to escape from the dam safely and Noel stood in front of the woods, making sure that the beaver didn''t chase after him.


    As expected, the beaver demon was angry that its friend died in Noel''s hand. It rushed in anger, pouncing on Noel.


    Noel nced at the two guys to check their conditions. It seemed that they managed to escape, so he didn''t need to hold back anymore.


    The Spiritual Energy covered his sword, enhancing its sharpness and power.


    The beaver also raised its ws and rapidly attacked Noel. Thetter also did the same with his sword.


    *ng!*


    *ng!*


    *ng!*


    In just three seconds, they traded ten blows with none of them nning to back down.


    Noel didn''t want to use too much of his Spirit Abilities for one reason.


    ''My Spiritual Energy has been running a bit too low since yesterday due to fighting multiple Mid Level Demons. I usually didn''t care much because Anna always helped me, making the Spiritual Energy consumption low, but this time, I am alone. I have been exerting the Sword Fall and Ignition Sword too much.'' Noel knew that these two Spirit Abilities consumed much more Spiritual Energy than Mega sh or Runes.


    Assuming that there would be more beaver or fish demons, he began to save as much Spiritual Energy as possible.


    ''I see. So, this is how Anna has been fighting this whole time. She kills the demons by using Spiritual Energy as low as possible. Focusing on efficiency instead of overwhelming power. I can understand that now¡­ After all, your stamina can be recovered with just some rest but Spiritual Energy will take a few days to recover.''


    Noel took a deep breath and calmed his mind. He wanted to defeat this demon while maintaining his consumption low.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    After understanding the tactic, he used his Sword Aura as well as Muscle Strengthening alone.


    The beaver seemed to be nning the same. It charged toward Noel and struck him with its ws.


    Noel focused on his Ardagan Swordsmanship this whole time.


    He swung diagonally to the left, repelling the ws. After that, he made a spin to go past the beaver''s defense while striking its other ws.


    Seeing such a difference in Noel''s fighting style, the beaver demon was startled and tried to move away from Noel.


    On the other hand, Noel kept closing their distance and started overwhelming the demon with pure swordsmanship.<sub> </sub>


    Every time he struck the demon, a thought appeared in his mind. That thought gave birth to a realization. One realization gave birth to two more and continued.


    ''I see. It seems that I have been too focused on my Spirit Abilities as well as the Ancient Spirit Techniques. I have forgotten how I fought Anna for the first time. Back then, I didn''t have any Spirit Ability, let alone the Spirit Techniques. I purely relied on my swordsmanship to defeat her, but to no avail because her swordsmanship is far better than me.


    ''In the recent spar, I wasn''t as overwhelmed as I was back then. I forgot the fact that my pure swordsmanship itself is a weapon.


    ''Now that I think about it, every time I swing, I also increase the count of my Swinging Practice, right? If that''s the case, not only can I lower my Spiritual Energy consumption but I can also practice this way.''


    This realization opened a huge door in Noel''s path as a smile appeared on his face.


    Noel kept striking the beaver to overwhelm him with all these swift and precise strikes. Even a Mid Level Demon had a hard time to follow Noel''s movement this time.


    Little did Noel know, this action of his caused a huge misunderstanding to the two guys who had managed to escape and hide behind the bushes. While wrapping up the wounds, the two guys took a peek at the battle.


    They saw the beaver and Noel exchanged blows so quick that they couldn''t even imagine their power.


    "We never really saw him fighting the demons, but now that I think about it¡­" The farmer''s face became pale, realizing the hardship Noel had to endure in this mission. "He is fighting the demon this hard, and yet, he already killed a dozens of them yesterday. Including the wound that stops him from using that left hand, I can''t imagine how hard has he been fighting for this vige.


    "Do you know anything about the Mid Level Demon?" The farmer asked.


    "I don''t know much, but it''s said that normal soldiers can''t go against a Low Level Demon. They need to undergo a harsh training before they can fight against a Low Level Demon. And Mid Level Demon is beyond that¡­" The guy exined everything he knew.


    "I see. Look at him, he''s so young¡­ I think he''s just around 14 to 15 years old. Yet, he has been fighting for us this hard withoutining. Not sleeping, not taking care of his body¡­ he keeps fighting. I feel ashamed of not doing anything." The farmer bit his lips.


    As soon as the wound had been wrapped up, the farmer immediately rose from the ground and tried to reach the gallon that they failed to fill earlier.


    "What are you doing?"


    "I need to go back to fill this."


    "You''re injured."


    "Even if I can''t use one hand, I still have my other hand. I can''t lose to a kid like him." The farmer shook his head, determined to go back after the dam was safe.


    "You¡­" The guy was speechless but understood why the farmer was so adamant. Noel''s action had truly inspired them, showing that if a kid this young already worked this hard and endangered his life, why would they fear?


    He ended up taking the gallon from the farmer''s hand.


    "Oi, that''s my gallon!"


    "You''re injured, so you should rest there. Although it''ll be hard, I''ll fill both gallons and bring it back to the vige. I''m stronger than you." The guy snorted as if the farmer''s spirit had been transferred to him.

 Chapter 112 Completion

    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath after killing thest beaver. In this second day, Noel could see that the dam had half destroyed and the water only had a third of its original volume. If he continued working this way, they could wrap everything up by tomorrow.


    The longer he waited, the lesser the beaver demon that came to him too, so he expected that he would be able to find every single one of them tomorrow.


    Eventually, the time had passed and Noel didn''t find a single beaver demon during the third day. But to his surprise, the farmer, who was injured, still tagged along to fetch some water. But this time, he was apanied by another muscr man that was tasked to get the water. It seemed he was adamant to visit Noel just to check his condition.


    And he was the one who had been bringing him food so that Noel didn''t feel hungry in the past three days.


    Because there was no more beavering out of the dam, Noel finally asked them to pass the words to the vige chief, telling him that the river had returned to normal.


    In that instant, the vige chief went all the way to the half-destroyed dam to see it himself.


    And as expected, the beaver demon didn''te out anymore, proving that Noel hadpleted his job.


    "Normally, the beaver demons wille out in a few hours interval. But it''s been around 16 hours and there''s no sign of another beaver again." Noel exined.


    "I see¡­ So that means¡­" The vige chief''s body was shaken as the gue that had been creeping in his heart disappeared. The trouble that had killed more than twenty people in his vige had finally been taken care of. "Thank you¡­ Thank you¡­"


    "It''s fine. This is just my job. For now, I''ll wait until tonight to confirm my statement. And looking at the water level right now, I''ll destroy the rest of the dam tomorrow. It should return to a normal river soon. But I can''t do anything about the demon fish¡­"


    "No, no, it''s alright. The demon fishes are the demons that have been living with us. No matter how hard you exterminate them, they''ll juste back since theye from upstreams. We already know how to deal with them." The vige chief shook his head, assuring Noel that he had fulfilled his job.


    "Alright. I''ll go back when the night arrives and get some rest before leaving tomorrow." Noel nodded with a smile.


    "I understand. I''ll prepare the proof ofpletion as well." The vige chief promised Noel. "And I''ll make sure that you can get a proper rest after all this work. Thank you very much."


    Noel saw them off while the farmer remained next to him. It seemed that he had something to talk about.


    "Ehm¡­" The farmer hesitated for a moment before asking politely, "Do you have a time tonight?"


    "What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Actually, we''ve been preparing a feast for you. We want to thank you for your hard work. Besides, you''ve given us that huge fish. So¡­"


    "Ah, you mean that fish." Noel thought for a moment. He thought it would be rude to reject him and there was something that he wanted to witness for the first time, so he epted the invitation. "I understand. I''ll be back an hour after the moon rises, so I have plenty of time."<sub> </sub>


    "I see. Thank you very much." The farmer smiled and hurriedly returned to tell them the good news.


    Noel smiled as he watched this enthusiastic guy returning to the vige. It was told that he would have a hard time to work in the field anymore, yet, the guy wanted to thank him so much.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    He really couldn''t believe it.


    "Back in the fort, I killed the guy that had been bullying me. Even though what he did wasn''t that much rted to me, I still killed him. But there is this guy, who is thanking me even though I task him with a job that forces him to step away from his work.


    "Am I crazy? Psychopath? Or am I just a normal person and that guy is just overly kind? But then again, there are those kids maintaining their brightness despite experiencing such a situation¡­ There are those women who are strong enough to stand back up after witnessing hell." Noel lowered his head, wondering what was the right thing.


    On the one hand, if he didn''t eliminate his bully, he would treat the people around him worse than he could imagine. On the other hand, he asked himself whether it was possible to mend the situation?


    "This is really hard." Noel let out a sigh. "Still, I''ll keep exploring around the world to see numerous kinds of people so that I can get the answer I''m searching for. I promise that I''ll use everything I''ve learned in this journey to treat the people in my future territory better."


    This was the reason why Noel managed to wake up his Spirit in an instant. The spirit didn''t wake up earlier because he thought his goal was to take revenge for his parents. But he soon learned it wasn''t the case.


    After taking revenge of his parents, Noel asked himself what he wanted to do? It was at that time, he got an answer. Learning how to govern his future territory was just one of his small goals, not his ultimate goal that woke up his Ice Spirit, Heisk.


    Noel clenched his fists, getting fired up.


    After that realization, Noel continued watching over the dam, making sure that not a single beavering out. He also patrolled around the area but found no demons. After another few hours, he decided to wrap up his mission and return to the vige. He was quite exhausted and sleepy after working for three days without sleep.


    But when he returned to the vige, he found that the lifeless atmosphere that the vige had a few days ago had disappeared.


    There were lights all around the viges, brightening the area.


    The vige were brimming with energy as the people walked back and forth, preparing the meal for the feast.


    The farmer was the first to greet him as if he knew that Noel woulde around this time.


    "Wee back. Pleasee with me." The farmer smiled.

 Chapter 113 Suggestion

    <o>,m Noel was led to a certain spot where everyone could see him. He was the honorable knight that saved this vige after all.</o>


    The people thanked him one by one. Even the pair of kids that wanted water from him before he went to the dam. It was truly such a sight.


    Noel received their thanks and eventually managed to find some time to get a good meal.


    While eating, the farmer approached him again to thank him for everything he had done.


    "Thank you so much, Sir Iadre." The farmer lowered his head politely.


    "I''m just doing my job. Though, I wonder will you be fine from now on? After all, your hand¡­" Noel looked at him worriedly.


    "Ah, please don''t worry about me, Sir. I can still work on something else and my son can take my job on the field too."


    "I see." Noel felt a little relieved knowing that the man would be alright from now on. However, Noel also had another thought about this feast. "That''s right, do you mind if I know the recipe on how to cook these dishes? They''re delicious."


    "Ah¡­ I''m sure the people who worked hard on the dishes will be d to share it with you. And the vige chief shouldn''t have any problem in writing it down."


    "That''s great." Noel was happy because if he could keep remembering more and more recipes and cooking it for himself, he would be able to escape from Anna''s delicious meal. "And I have one more question to you. What do you think a vige like this needs the most?"


    "Pardon? I don''t quite understand your question."


    "While doing this, I want to know more about the people all around the kingdoms. I''m sure that every vige, town, big cities, have their own problems. I want to know more about it, so I want your opinion about it."


    "Ah!" The farmer nodded with a serious expression. "To be honest, there is not much that we actually need. For us, as long as we can survive during the winter and don''t get extorted by taxes, we''re already happy."


    "Survive the winter¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice.


    "Yes. In the winter, we barely have any harvest. So, it''s hard for us to get enough food. We can manage with the firewood, but at least one person always die every winter because of the cold. If there''s a prolong winter, we might even experience famine." The farmer sighed.


    "But can''t you just hunt more animals and store it so that it will be your food supply? The same applies to the field."


    "Yes, we can, but our field is limited. So, it''s hard to produce that level of food since we need to bring the majority of them to the city for tax."


    "I see." Noel took this opinion seriously. For the first time in his life that he started regretting not learning anything from his father. If he worked hard back then and learned various stuff in governing a territory, he would be able to get some answers.


    Unfortunately, he could only collect ideas for now before solving the problem one by one.


    "It''s a good talk, thank you." Noel smiled, thanking him for the opinion.


    "Are you going to retire to your room, Sir?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes."


    "The vige chief has prepared the room for you and I can lead you there. What do you think?"


    "Sounds good to me."


    The farmer then led Noel to the vige chief''s house and opened Noel''s room. Although it wasn''t good or fancy, the room had enough space to move around and the bed was quite soft as one would expect from the best house of the vige.


    After that, the farmer finally left Noel so that he could rest.


    Noel had washed his body in the dam before going back, so he was alreadyfortable enough to sleep. But there was one thought lingering in his mind.


    Medal: Exceptional Citizen Merit


    Requirement: Help 300 Citizens (59/300)


    Reward: Exceptional Citizen Medal and 10 Honor Points


    "The lowest rank of a noble is a baron. A baron usually have around 40-50 viges along with its own city. Normally, a baron has five thousand people in his jurisdiction. If I somehow be a baron and do something good to my own citizens, I think I can easily finish this mission multiple times.


    "And the higher my rank, the more people under my jurisdiction. It''s basically farming Honor Points.


    "Still¡­" Noel closed his eyes, remembering all the smiles he received from the vigers. In his heart, he felt happy just to see that smile. Yes, he was just happy that he could help people.


    The mission was just a kind of bonus for him.


    "After this mission, I know that helping them doesn''t mean I need to save them one by one. I just need to solve their problems. That''s why if I make a great governing system, I can help them. Then, if they have a problem in their vige, I can dispatch soldiers to help them.


    "Father, I know that your son was useless in the past. I do regret myziness in the past, but I promise you that I''ll be a better person and be a great lord in the future." Noel smiled as he finally fell asleep, tired from working for three days straight.


    The next morning, Noel received the proof ofpletion from the vige chief before going to the dam to destroy the dam.


    It seemed a few vigers followed to see theplete destruction of the dam. Noel smiled and cut the dam apart. The water velocity increased a bit, but it should return to a normal river tomorrow.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    When Noel cut down the dam, the people cheered because they could finally started fishing again and the water could be used for their daily needs.


    Noel waved his hand with a smile as he bid his goodbye to the vigers as he started his journey to the city before visiting the Master cksmith.

 Chapter 114 Unexpected Surprise

    "I have finally arrived." Noel smiled, looking at the vige in the distance. It had been a few days ever since he finished the mission.


    He went to Astary Town to get his wounds healed. Luckily, he got some Mid Level Demon Crystals, allowing him to get enough money to heal himself.


    Since he had been living inside the fort the entire time, he didn''t take much interest in this town and immediately left after recovering from the wounds.


    After another day of running, Noel finally arrived in front of the vige where the Master cksmith resided.


    As expected from the vige that had a Master cksmith in it, when Noel saw the farmer outside the vige, he could see the power of a good equipment. Plowing the field was much faster and easier because the farmer could easily swing that hoe. The man itself wasn''t that muscr, showing that the hoe itself was lighter than a normal one.


    ''Hoh? It seems that the Master cksmith also improved the quality of life for the people around here.'' Noel muttered inwardly while looking around the area. The people in this vige had a smile on their face.


    ''Still, there are more people than expected¡­'' Noel also asionally saw soldiers, hunters, and other people who used weapons for their jobs. ''As expected from a Master cksmith, many people wants him to make equipment for them. I wonder if I can get one myself¡­''


    Noel walked to the vige, finding people roaming around the area. The building in this vige seemed to be sturdier and biggerpared to all the viges he had seen so far.


    It was clear that the economy of this vige was booming due to the existence of the Master cksmith alone.


    But when he was about to enter the vige, he heard a familiar voiceing from behind.


    "Ah¡­ Are you¡­"


    The feminine voice startled even for Noel as he hurriedly turned around and saw the blue-haired siblings. They were the siblings that he saved from the bandits.


    "Ah?!" Noel politely nodded. "Hello."


    "Thank you again for saving us from those bandits. Without you, we''d have died." The woman politely bowed her head.


    "It''s fine. I just happened to pass by." Noel shook his head, assuring her that she didn''t need to thank him.


    Seeing that gesture, the man asked, "By the way, what are you doing here? Are your purpose of visiting this vige the same as most visitors?"


    "I guess you can say so." Noel nodded his head.


    "Ah!" The woman covered her mouth in surprise before giving a suggestion with a smile on her face. "If that''s the case, do you want to follow us? This is the least we can do to repay you."


    "This¡­" Noel didn''t know whether to ept it or not, considering he didn''t know the identity of these two.


    "I think we haven''t introduced ourselves. My name is Rick and she is Rica. We''re from a small merchant group known as Elezes. If you want to talk with the Master cksmith, we can set up a meeting for you." The blue haired man stepped up, offering the solution.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Noel thought for a moment before deciding to ept it. "I understand. Thank you very much."


    "Please¡­" Rick extended his hand as if asking him toe together with them. But he paused at the end because he didn''t know how to address Noel.


    "Iadre. You can call me that."


    "Please follow me, Iadre."


    Noel nodded and followed these siblings to the vige. He expected that it would be hard to meet the Master cksmith, considering he had so many customers. However, he had a letter from themander, so he should be able to get some audience with him without the help of the two siblings.<sub> </sub>


    But seeing their enthusiasm, Noel decided to use the letter as the backup n if they couldn''t bring him to the cksmith.


    As for the smithy itself, the ce was located at the outskirt of the vige. It wasn''t that the Master cksmith refused to live in the center of the vige, but it was due to the big building as well as the number of visitors. So as to not disturb the vigers, the Master cksmith set up the smithy in this corner.


    "There are simply too many people here¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice, looking at the people lining up.


    There was a young man standing in front of the smithy who was talking to the people that came to this ce. He sometimes rejected them, epted them or inquired more information.


    Noel had be amoner, so he instinctively lined up to wait for his turn to meet the Master cksmith.


    But Rica couldn''t help but chuckle. "Haha, what are you doing there?"


    "Eh?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "I''m just waiting in line. I mean, isn''t that the point?"


    "Don''t worry. Please follow us." Rica asked him to step off the line as they went straight to the smithy.


    Noel hesitated for a while but ultimately followed them. "I understand."


    ''They''re so confident and don''t seem to be arrogant, so there might be a reason for them to be this confident.'' Noel thought while walking.


    "Rejected! Go away!" The man in front of the smithy chased away another person while asking the person behind him toe.


    "This is really hard."


    "How do you even impress the Master cksmith?"


    "We need to wait for hours just to get rejected."


    "It''s so sad."


    "Look! There are three people who are cutting the lines!"


    "What? Do they not know that the people from the smithy don''t like people skipping the lines?"


    When Noel listened to their words, he wanted to suggest them to go back since he didn''t want to have any trouble, considering he had put a lot of effort to get the rmendation letter from themander.


    At the same time, the person in front of the smithy also noticed them due to the people talking about their action. He had frowned because this action displeased him.


    "Hey look, another one that will be turned away. And that anger¡­ They''re going to be cklisted from this ce."


    "Serve them right!"


    The people were sneering at Noel and the two siblings.


    However, Rick opened his mouth, greeting the angry guy and shocking everyone in this ce. "Uncle Ben, it''s been a while. How is Father?"

 Chapter 115 Master Blacksmith

    "Uncle Ben, it''s been a while. How is Father?"


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in surprise. The rest of the people also stared at him in disbelief.


    They doubted him until the angry guy bowed his head and shouted, "Wee back, young master."


    "¡­" Noel never thought that the two guys he met by chance was actually a bigshot. A Master cksmith was a prestigious title because there were only less than twenty people who had this title.


    So, their title was simr to that of a noble since even nobles didn''t dare to offend them easily. After all, the other party could simply flee from this ce and move to another ce, supplying them weapons and equipment to take revenge against the noble.


    And the children of the Master cksmith was treated like that of the children in the noble family, except for the fact that they weren''t an official noble appointed by the kingdom.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath, staring in disbelief.


    "Are you surprised?" Rica smirked, amused by Noel''s reaction.


    "Y-yeah. Who won''t be?" Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Anyway, let''se in. You want to see my father, right?" Rica waved her hand as Rick seemed to have conveyed his words to the guy.


    The angry guy then led them in, stunning everyone else.


    "What''s that?"


    "How does that guy know the Master cksmith''s children?"


    "We need to know that information so that we can get this kind of treatment!"


    There was an uproar outside as they were staring at Noel intensely, trying to pry all sorts of information from the guy but to no avail.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Meanwhile, the inside of the smithy was more magical than Noel thought.


    He thought that the cksmith would just be heating the metal and hammering it, but when he entered the smithy, he could see a guy who was releasing fire from its palm to melt the metal. There was even a guy who was using a big hammer with his Spiritual Energy to boost his power.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a hot breath and couldn''t help but cough a few times because he wasn''t used to this kind of environment.


    "What''s wrong?" Rica asked.


    "It''s just surprising that these people here are using Spiritual Energy¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "Some even have awakened their Spirits."


    "The cksmiths are divided into three sses. Normal cksmith, Veteran cksmith, and Master cksmith. Normal cksmith is someone who has just finished their apprenticeship while Veteran cksmith is the one who has worked for at least a decade.


    "But there is a hidden requirement for a Veteran cksmith¡­ They need to be able to use Spiritual Energy because the metal is harder than you think and there are some special equipment that can be made too.


    "If you manage to awaken your Spirits, you have the chance to create a Spirit Weapon, which basically can do something special when infusing your Spiritual Energy. As for Master cksmith, I don''t think I need to exin it. They''re beyond Veteran cksmith and can create something better than Spirit Equipment." Rica exined.


    "I see." Noel nodded with a serious expression, understanding the gist of the job.


    "And who do you bring this time, Rica?!" A deep voice suddenly startled them. The voice contained anger and annoyance.<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" Rica''s body trembled as she turned around stiffly. "F-Father."


    Noel immediately turned around and saw a muscr man walking toward him. The man had a tall body and bald head, but his thick beard increased the intensity of his gaze. He was far different than Rick and Rica to the point he thought they were not blood rted.


    "He has helped us from the bandits, so we bring him to you to thank him." Rica hurriedly exined. This was the first time Rica stuttered as if she was scared of this man.


    "And do you think I haven''t seen people paying the bandits to fake a raid?" He snorted. There were already numerous times that their family were in danger because of people faking this attack just to take advantage of them, so he had some prejudice for people like Noel.


    However, Rick raised his hand to stop his father. "It''s different this time, Father."


    Still, even though he didn''t like people like Noel, he was open for discussion. It was proven that he still listened to Rick.


    He asked, "What''s the difference?"


    "The bandits captured and used the demons to raid us," exined Rick with a grim expression.


    "Huh?" The Master cksmith widened his eyes. "You aren''t lying to me right now?"


    "Do you think I''ll be joking this time?" Rick shook his head.


    The Master cksmith closed his eyes for a moment before walking to Noel. "Your name?"


    "Iadre." Noel hurriedly answered and took out the letter. "Actually, I have a rmendation letter."


    "Do you know that a Master cksmith is a kind of noble?" He asked but still epted Noel''s letter before ncing at the seal. "Hmm?"


    The moment he noticed this seal, he fell silent and opened the letter.


    With just a single nce, Rick and Rica also noticed that blue seal that symbolized a certain army. "Demon Banner Army?!"


    Rica looked at Noel dumbfoundedly, "You are from the Demon Banner Army? No wonder you''re so strong, especially against the demons."


    Before Noel could answer, the Master cksmith asked, "The materials?"


    Noel took off his bag and showed the glimpse of the material inside the bag.


    The Master cksmith only took a nce of the item before asking again, "Your name?"


    "Iadre."


    "I know that already. I mean your real name." The Master cksmith narrowed his eyes.


    "Real name?" Rick and Rica widened their eyes. Although they had expected this because Noel was using a masquerade, it was still surprising to hear his real name.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel said yfully, "I''m sorry, I don''t think I understand what you''re talking about."


    The Master cksmith read the letter again before summoning a fire to burn the letter so that no one could read it. After that, he pointed at the door behind him. "Follow me."

 Chapter 116 Argument

    The Master cksmith led Noel to a separate room where the Master cksmith worked. The room was quite spacious, considering it was only for one person. The tools lying on the table were excluding Spiritual Energy, showing that each tool was a Spirit Tools that could create a better quality items.


    Despite such an extraordinary tools and room, the Master cksmith calmly headed to the huge table in the corner and started pushing away the tools on it.


    "Take your material out. I need to inspect it more."


    "Father?" Rick narrowed his eyes, not understanding why his father suddenly acted this way after reading the letter.


    However, Noel still took out the item since he was the only person that could work with this material. Heid down the wood on the table and said, "This is the material."


    The middle-aged man lowered his head and inspected it. He observed the material, touched it gently, poured some Spiritual Energy before asking, "What kind of equipment do you want from this?"


    "I want something thin, but sturdy enough to protect me. It''s like an armor that I can hide underneath my clothes."


    The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "That''s possible. The material is quite sturdy and its ability to channel the Spiritual Energy is splendid. The armor is thin, so we need to rely on the Spiritual Energy to reduce the damage to your body¡­ As long as you don''t mind the paining from every blow, I can make an armor piece with this."


    "I''ve gotten used to pain." Noel nodded, agreeing to him.


    "Alright." He paused and observed Noel.


    "What''s wrong?" Noel narrowed his eyes and stepped back as if he was being seen through by this guy.


    "How in the world someone like you killed an Ancient Demon?"


    "!!!" The ones who got shocked wasn''t Noel alone but also Rick and Rica.


    "What did you say? Ancient Demon?" Rick was dumbstruck by this revtion. He perfectly knew what kind of existence the Ancient Demon was. Noel was strong but not that strong to handle an Ancient Demon.


    "If we''re talking about Ancient Level Demon, they''re supposed to be a Demon that can destroy an entire kingdom, right?" Rica sucked a cold breath, looking at Noel as if looking at a monster.


    "I am sorry, but I don''t know what you''re talking about." Noel immediately yed dumb and regained his calm.


    The Master cksmith fell silent for one minute before saying, "Well, I guess that''s fine with me."


    He suddenly moved to the other corner and picked up a pickaxe. While resting the pickaxe on his shoulder, he turned to Noel and said, "Alright. Come with me then. Let''s go to the mine not far from here."


    "Father?" Rick and Rica were confused because mining wasn''t supposed to be his job.


    "What? I do whatever I want just like you!" The middle-aged man red at them.<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Rick and Rica felt embarrassed after that re.


    "See? I have asked you to be a cksmith like me, but both of you choose to be a merchant. Do you want to be rich so much? Money is not everything. If you want to be rich, you can also gain it by bing a Master cksmith, but don''t be too fixated on it."


    "We''re not fixated with money! Bing a merchant is like a calling for us!" Rick answered, raising his voice.


    "Then, what are you nning to do with all that money? You can''t spend it if you''re dead. Give it to your children for inheritances? Spoil your children with money? Those children will be too spoiled in the future and ruin the family too by spending a lot of money without care. Instead of money, why don''t you be someone good in this life? I might not be rich, but look at the vige, it''s brimming with people and the vigers are happy!"? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    p Rick couldn''t reply to his statement. He didn''t even know why he would be a merchant other than the fact that he was just good at it.</anda>


    Rica could only lower her head, not participating in this conversation.


    "Instead of piling up money, why don''t you use your ability to make the others around you happy? That''s how I''ve been living this whole life and it''s the reason why people like you so much. Even if I need to reject the riches and other things, I still have the need to be a good person." He sighed and walked away, disappointed.


    Rick and Rica hang their heads low.


    Meanwhile, Noel was stuck in between. On the one hand, he was grateful that the two siblings brought him to their father. On the other hand, he needed to follow him because he needed the equipment.


    Noel looked at them back and forth, wondering what to choose. Suddenly, Rica, even though she was still looking down, pushed Noel gently as if telling him to follow her father.


    Noel sighed and decided to left the smithy with their father.


    They walked out with a back door so that they didn''t meet any person on the way.


    While crossing the small forest, the Master cksmith opened his mouth. "My name is Roel. What is your real name brat?"


    Seeing that no one was here, the Master cksmith thought he could get to know Noel''s real name, but Noel shook his head and said, "I''m sorry, Sir."


    "So, that''s how it is. It seems that you have a hard life." The Master cksmith sighed.


    When Noel observed his emotion, it looked like he had empathy and sympathy to his children. This affection made Noel feel that there was another ulterior motive from his action.


    However, it wasn''t his ce to ask, so he remained silent.


    The middle-aged man also felt Noel''s gaze and was thankful for his consideration. But still, he looked up and sighed, asking, "Sorry that you had to witness a family bickering. It was supposed to be a secret, but I ended up making a fuss with it. I am a bad parent, ain''t I?"

 Chapter 117 A Small Talk

    "¡­" Noel didn''t know what to say. But this affection was something that he missed as well. Whether it was just a small bickering or the true care of his parents, he missed them because he no longer had any parents. "Well, it''s not my ce to say it, but it seems that you have your reason for talking like that. And I can''t call it ''blowing up'' from my perspective."


    "No. It''s blowing up because I have prejudice with merchant profession." Roel shook his head helplessly. "My wife was a merchant like them. She wasn''t a big merchant, but her workers loved her and were loyal to her.


    "But one day, she headed to a city and was attacked by a bandit group. Although she managed to return to our home, she passed away not long after. Back then, there were four arrows nted on her body and her right hand was gone.


    "Can you imagine what kind of feeling to see your wife like that? And that''s because she managed to return¡­ If she didn''t return, I couldn''t imagine what kind of hell she would experience as a woman inside a bandit group. And I wouldn''t even get to see her body for a proper burial. That''s why I went to a small vige like this¡­ I didn''t want them to be a merchant by seeing them in the city."


    "¡­" Noel recounted what he found inside the bandit hideout. It was truly hell to the point he wondered how those strong women he rescued still had the will to fight for another day. Even when he encouraged them, he didn''t expect them to keep fighting. That was why he offered that axe.


    He understood the reason why Roel didn''t want his children to follow histe wife''s path.


    "I just want them to be content by working as a cksmith after seeing the smile of the people around them. I just want them to like it." Roel scratched the back of his head. "It seems I''ve said too much. I thought about exining it to you just because you saved them from the bandits¡­ I couldn''t help it."


    "It''s not my ce to say this, but my family was a former merchant as well. But they still supported a useless person like me¡­ That might be the reason I gained so much determination just from thinking about it. That''s probably the reason I don''t hate them. A simple support is all we need." Noel made a small smile, remembering his parents.


    "A simple support huh¡­" Roel fell silent for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. "Here I am thinking exining to you as a simple gesture for saving my children, but I guess I''m now getting lectured by you."


    "No¡­ That''s not what¡ª" Before Noel finished exining himself, Roel interrupted him by saying, "Thank you. Thanks to you, I''ve realized something."


    "You''re wee." Noel also felt embarrassed because he didn''t think much about his opinion.


    "Anyway¡­" Roel stopped while pointing ahead. "That''s the mine."


    Noel could see that the mine had been protected by people and there were two people going back and forth while bringing cart filled with rocks.


    "Follow me, I need you to protect me while I am mining the ores. There are some Low Level Demons that infested the rocks, so it might be something that you haven''t fought as a knight in the Demon Banner Army."


    "I understand. I''ll do my best to protect you." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He was ready to fight any Low Level Demons, thinking he wouldn''t lose against them.


    However, the reality couldn''t be any different.


    After entering the mine, they headed straight to the lowest level. The oxygen was quite thinpared to the upper level and the temperature was quite high. Even Noel needed to roll up his sleeves.<sub> </sub>


    Roel handed him over a thin cloth to cover his mouth and nose so that he wouldn''t inhale the dust.


    When Roel just started mining, a demon suddenly popped out of the wall.


    Even Noel was surprised by this demon because it was truly a rock. The rock looked like a cube but it had eyes and a crystal on its head. The demon seemed to be able to leap from one ce to another.


    "It''s going to hurt if that demon hit you," Roel warned him as he already began to mine the ore.


    Meanwhile, Noel took out his sword and covered it with Sword Aura.


    "Hoh? What a sharp sword you have there¡­ I guess I can understand why you''re able to defeat a weakened Ancient Demon Tree." Roel smirked.


    "!!!" Noel''s body trembled when he mentioned the weakened Ancient Demon Tree.


    "Your face is asking me how do I know about the demon¡­ Well, the letter only told me that the demon was an Ancient Demon Tree. After inspecting it, I could see that the trace of Spiritual Energy is low. If we''re talking about the real Ancient Demon Tree, the wood should be brimming with Spiritual Energy.


    "Even your sharp sword won''t be able to do anything with it. So, the material grade has gone so bad that it''s only as strong as Mid Level Demon. But with my skill, I shouldn''t have any problem to make you an armor that can protect you from Advance Level Demon. That should be enough, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Alright. You should work immediately. Don''t underestimate that demon."


    "¡­" Noel realized that the demon had leaped toward him, so he immediately blocked it with his sword. But soon he realized as his sword was pushed back. ''It''s heavier than I thought.''


    Noel stomped the ground to gain enough power to stop the charge, making sure the demon didn''t get past him.


    After that, he pushed the demon back and took a deep breath to calm down. Normally, he would attack the demon, but he was protecting someone this time, so he remained in his position and just took a defensive position.


    ''It seems that he''s quite proficient in his job. But what about his movement?'' Roel thought. He was mining while observing Noel at the same time. ''Though, I won''t underestimate the mineral demon because even if it''s only a Low Level Demon, its defense is equal to that of a Mid Level Demon.''

 Chapter 118 Tips

    Noel struck the demon with his de covered in Sword Aura once again. This time, he had enough preparation to make a full swing to destroy this demon.


    *Clink!*


    The clicking sound echoed inside the tunnel as Noel knocked the demon to the ground.


    However, his sharp de only left a small dent on the monster. Even the Mid Level Demon like the beavers would have their bodies cut, so he was quite surprised that a Low Level Demon could withstand his attack.


    Although he understood that the demon was a mineral, but it was still too much.


    "Huh?" Noel narrowed his eyes and kicked the demon back to its original position while looking at it with a dumbfounded expression. "Huh?"


    The demon didn''t stop as it immediately jumped to Noel''s stomach afternding on the ground.


    Noel took a deep breath and used his Mega sh, the strongest attack he had.


    *Clink!*


    Noel ignored the clicking sound and focused on the demon itself. Even then, the demon was still intact. The dent was deeper but it was nowhere enough to crush or cut the demon.


    "It''s not enough?" Noel frowned as his sword was soon enveloped by fire.


    "Hoh?" Roel raised his eyebrows, impressed by what Noel showed. The Spiritual Energy couldn''t release any me unless the Spirit in one''s body had awakened. That was why he knew that Noel was pretty impressive to be able to awaken his spirit when he was only an Apprentice Knight. He thought, ''Now that I think about it, when did this year''s admission start again?''


    He soon realized that Noel seemed to have awakened his Spirit not long after the admission started, meaning that he had this kind of ability just by training a month or two. That was why he was sure that Noel managed to kill the Ancient Demon Tree by himself.


    Ignition Sword.


    A huge st urred from the sword, causing the wall to shake a bit. Even Roel was startled as he looked around, making sure that nothing fall on top of them.


    The explosion crushed the demon, but the first thing Roel did when the dust had settled down was shouted in anger. "You brat! Why did you use an explosion inside a tunnel?"


    "Sorry." Noel immediately apologized, knowing his mistake. He just never thought that the Low Level Demon would give him this much trouble. He forgot that he was inside the cave.


    "The dust will be kicked up and enter your lungs, causing you to die. Or the rocks can crumble and fall on top of you. In the worst case, you''re stuck in this ce because the exit is blocked. Either way, don''t use a freaking explosion inside a cave!" Roel berated Noel with cold hard fact.


    Noel couldn''t say anything as he agreed with Roel''s opinion. There was no excuse.<sub> </sub>


    "Are you seriously having a trouble against a mere Low Level Demon?" Roel shook his head helplessly, not telling Noel that the demon''s defense was equal to Mid Level Demon.


    "I apologize. It seems that I have troubled you." Noel apologized again.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Seeing Noel this obedience made Roel feel awkward and lose the will to lecture him. Instead of giving him a long lecture, Roel put down his pickaxe as if he wanted to give up.


    "That¡­ I apologize. I''ll make sure that I don''t use any more explosions and defend you from the demons." Noel thought Roel dropping his pickaxe meant he had given up because of disappointment, so he tried to convince him.


    However, what Roel truly wanted to do was to defeat the demon.


    "You seriously have a hard time in defeating this Low Level Demon? You can''t control your Spiritual Energy that much?" Roel asked.


    Noel looked down, embarrassed. "Yes. I can use some Spirit Abilities and Techniques, but¡­"


    "Instead of learning more and more Spirit Abilities and Techniques, what do you need right now is the control over Spiritual Energy!" Roel stated with a serious expression. "What Spirit Technique can you use?"


    "Muscle Strengthening and two Ancient Spirit Techniques." Noel exined.


    "Ancient Spirit Techniques?" Roel narrowed his eyes. Although he never learned any Ancient Spirit Techniques, he knew they were good stuff. But their potential was wasted on Noel right now.


    "I''ll teach you the reason why Control is one of the most important things to learn." Roel picked up a small hammer on his waist and saw another demon in the middle of the tunnel. He released his own killing intent as if picking a fight with the demon.


    Without hesitation, the demon charged at him. Noel obviously couldn''t allow the cksmith to fight, so he hurriedly stepped forward, only to be stopped by Roel.


    "Just watch this!" Roel raised his hammer. "First. Muscle Strengthening Technique, it''s a perfect basic Spirit Technique that you have to learn. By channeling the Spiritual Energy in all direction, you can surpass the limit of normal people. But what if all that Spiritual Energy goes to one spot?"


    Roel gathered all the Spiritual Energy into his arms as he swung that hammer downwards, knocking the demon to the ground. This time, the demon was half-crushed.


    Noel widened his eyes in shock. The hammer was ordinary and the cksmith wasn''t someone who was able to fight, so it was clear that gathering enough Spiritual Energy in one arm could allow him to harness even more power.


    "This is just a Muscle Strengthening Technique. In that case, how about releasing that energy out like enveloping your sword with the Spiritual Energy? Instead of the whole sword, what if you gather that Spiritual Energy into one ce?"


    Roel asked while doing the exact same thing as he was talking about. The Spiritual Energy was concentrated in the tip of his hammer as he crushed the demon into pieces and created a small crater on the ground.


    "This is the result. Can you see the advantage of controlling your Spiritual Energy? There is a few more steps beyond that, but this should be perfect for you right now. I''ll give you some tips on how to control your Spiritual Energy. I think this is a perfect reward for saving my children as well as making me realize something important earlier." Roel smirked.

 Chapter 119 Monstrous Talent

    "Yes, Sir!" Noel felt excited. Not only did Roel agree to make an equipment for him, but he also nned to teach him, it was an opportunity that he couldn''t miss out.


    "Alright." Roel returned to pick up his pickaxe before handing it to Noel. "Here is the deal. You mine the ore when there''s no demon. If I spot any demon, you drop it down and handle the demon."N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "¡­" Noel was speechless for a second. In an instant, his opinion in Roel dropped, thinking that Roel nned to take advantage of him this whole time by making him doing everything. However, he soon understood why Roel wanted him to mine the ore.


    "Don''t tell me, you want me to try controlling my Spiritual Energy so that I can mine the ore easier?" Noel asked.


    "Of course. Is there any other reason?" Roel tilted his head in confusion.


    After getting that answer, Noel felt embarrassed to even think that Roel wanted to take advantage of him.


    "I understand." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He held the pickaxe and sheathed his sword. "What should I do?"


    "Try to hit the wall a few times so that you can understand the feel of the pickaxe first. After that, you can release your Spiritual Energy to cover that pickaxe. I''ll teach you how to control it as soon as you get used to it."


    <o>,m "Alright." Noel began as soon as he agreed to those steps.</o>


    As expected, wielding a pickaxe was far different than that of a sword. It had two weights in the front and back, causing the swing to be much faster and using more energy at the same time.


    Due to the difference in length, he also had a hard time pinpointing his target.


    Only after an hour that he finally got used to the pickaxe.


    As soon as he received the confirmation that he could use Spiritual Energy, he immediately applied the Sword Aura to the pickaxe. As he expected, the first time he applied the Spirit Ability, he failed.


    "Hmm?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He recounted the feeling earlier. Just like his sword, he could easily channel the handle. But due to the heading in two directions, the Spiritual Energy was dispersed there because a sword didn''t have this kind of part.


    "It''s pretty hard, isn''t it? But covering the pickaxe with your Spiritual Energy shouldn''t take that long, right?"


    "Yes, I just haven''t gotten used to such a shape. I should be able to do it after a few tries." Noel nodded in agreement as he immediately started working. But he could only cover the pickaxe thirty minutester, making him slightly disappointed. "I''m sorry for taking that long."


    "It''s alright. Take your time." Roel smiled. "This is the first way to increase in your control. It''s to apply the Spiritual Energy into random objects. A pickaxe, a bag, a shoe, anything! Cover them with your Spiritual Energy.


    "With different shapes, you need a different approach. Once you have gotten a hang of different objects, you''ll gradually understand the flow of the Spiritual Energy.


    "For example, you want to gather the Spiritual Energy to the tip of your sword¡­ Then, how about changing the approach. Instead of a whole sword, I''ll take the shattered de and give you the pointed tip. Isn''t it the same as you gathering your Spiritual Energy to the tip of the sword?<sub> </sub>


    "Once you have gotten used to the shape, you can understand how to move the Spiritual Energy around in that shape, which gradually increases your control over the Spiritual Energy."


    Noel listened to his words and noticed something. "Does that mean I can do this?"


    Noel suddenly held the pickaxe in its head instead of the handle. This way, he would need to conjure the Spiritual Energy in a bit different way than the previous one.


    As expected, he failed at the first time.


    "Ah!" Noel scratched the back of his head, finding the trouble.


    Roel smiled and agreed to Noel''s statement. However, he was screaming inwardly, ''Huh? Who the heck is this guy? How can he learn so fast? My father asked me to cover the hammer with my Spiritual Energy and it took me three days for me to master it. And this guy could do it in thirty minutes? He''s a monster. How high is his conversion rate? His talent is so high.''


    Roel was also impressed by Noel who understood the principle and immediately applied it to his training.


    He then gave another advice. "Then, let''s move on to the second tip. ce your right hand on your left arm."


    Noel dropped the pickaxe and ced the right hand on his left arm. "Like this?"


    "Yes! After that, use your right hand to channel the Spiritual Energy and cover your arm with Spiritual Energy like how you did it with the pickaxe."


    Noel had gotten used to the pickaxe shape. Since his arm had a simr shape, he somehow covered his arm perfectly.


    "Eh? This is¡­" Noel widened his eyes in shock. It was simr to the Spirit Aura Breathing that covered his body with a thinyer of Spiritual Energy, but because he was using Sword Aura, the energy was far denser. It should be able to withstand an even stronger impact.


    "See that? I am working as a cksmith and the application of Spiritual Energy is far different here even though we are using the same Spirit Technique as you guys. In my opinion, the Spirit Technique itself is versatile¡­ you are the one limiting the Spirit Technique, not the other way around. Just because the description is like that and the people use it that way doesn''t mean that''s the only way to use the Spirit Technique," Roel exined.


    "I see¡­ So that''s how it is¡­" Noel got an idea as he immediately picked up the pickaxe.


    His right hand held the handle while his left hand was on the head. This time, he poured the Spiritual Energy to both parts at the same time as if he was wielding two swords.


    As he expected, the pickaxe was now covered with Spiritual Energypletely. It was even faster than when he did it from the handle.


    Even Roel widened his eyes in shock, staring at Noel dumbfoundedly. There was only a single word in his mind.


    ''Monster!''

 Chapter 120 Explanation

    "Keep at it!" Roel shouted.


    "Yes!" Noel replied while jumping to the side. He poured the Spiritual Energy into the sword but thought that the sword was actually a short sword, so that when he poured the Spiritual Energy, the Spiritual Energy would only cover half of the sword.


    With a Spiritual Energy like this, he would have an easier time to defend himself in that area.


    The mineral demon jumped to him, so Noel struck the demon with the lower part of the de where the Spiritual Energy was concentrated.


    To his surprise, the dent this time was as deep as when he used Mega sh even though Sword Aura couldn''t contend against his Mega sh in terms of destructive power.


    Seeing such a dent on the demon made him excited. He couldn''t help but imagine the time he could use the Mega sh with that kind of pinpoint Spiritual Energy. The offensive power would skyrocketed in that area, allowing him to destroy his opponent.


    This trip was totally worth it even if he didn''t have the equipment.


    Noel continued fighting this way as he kept striking the demon until the damage was enough to kill this Low Level Demon.


    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath and sheathed his sword.


    "So, what do you think about your performance?"


    "It''s taking a toll in my mind since I have to keep the Spiritual Energy in that ce continuously. The burden is far above what I was doing. However, I can see that the offensive power is overwhelming. If I get used to it, it shouldn''t be a problem. And the hardest part is to infuse the part that is not directly touching my hand.


    "Right now, I am imagining this sword is a short sword, so the Spiritual Energy is still connected to the handle and my hand. But the sword''s striking point is at the upper part to the tip of the sword. If I want to concentrate the Spiritual Energy, it won''t connect to my hand anymore." Noel sighed, feeling the trouble ahead.


    "That''s where you are wrong. It''s impossible for you to control it if it''s not connected to your body, considering your body is the supplier of the Spiritual Energy." Roel shook his head, trying to correct Noel.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Huh? But¡­"


    "Listen to me first." Roel stopped him and took out his hammer. He then poured the Spiritual Energy into this hammer and concentrated it on the hammer''s head. However, Noel found something surprising the second time he saw this.


    "What is this¡­" Noel pointed at the thin line that connected the hand to the concentration point.


    "That''s the trick to control the Spiritual Energy. You just have to create a line to connect them, allowing you to control their movement." Roel smirked and raised three fingers. "You can use a rope as stage one of your training to understand how to make such a line. Then move to a smaller one like a thread before going for nothing."


    Noel looked down, thinking. He finally understood the mechanism, but even for him, it would be hard to master it.


    Seeing Noel''s serious face, Roel smiled and patted his shoulder. "Anyway, it''s over. Let''s go back to the surface. We''re already like nine hours here, so it''s better to leave the mine right now."<sub> </sub>


    "Eh?" Noel widened his eyes. "But the ores¡­"


    "I''ve picked some that I can use. I''ll just tell my workers to bring the rest upter."


    "So, we didn''t need to mine so much ore this whole time?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, why did you ask me to mine the ore?" Noel asked while furrowing his eyebrows.


    Roel smiled and grabbed Noel''s body starting from his arms, legs, and eventually his body.


    "Swift hands, flexible joints, quick movement on the arm. The legs are basically the same because you make more movements that you need to. I don''t say they''re waste movements since you are using small steps to maneuver around to make yourself unpredictable.


    "Then, there is your body. Your body seems to be able to react to an attack. When there''s a rock almost hitting your body from mining, your body will tilt to the side to avoid it. The same as monster. Your fighting style requires you a lot of movements.


    "So, I need to create a thin¡­ a very thin armor to avoid hindering your movement as well as  hide it underneath your clothes. You surely don''t like to look so buff unnaturally, right?


    "But at the same time, I can''t give you a weak armor since it''ll be useless to protect you from a sharp object. It''s the same as leaving yourself vulnerable.


    "Hence, I''llpress the wood as much as possible. With that kind of density, the armor will be slightly heavier, but it should be hard enough to withstand a sharp object.


    "And I''ll make three adjustments with my Spirit. The first will be the defensive power. By infusing your Spiritual Energy, you can enhance the armor. This way, you don''t need to fear even if your opponent use the Spiritual Energy.


    "Then, I need to apply another enhancement in the weight. I can''t really make you go with that much of weight. You are not a heavy soldier unit after all. Then,st adjustment is in the pain.


    "With an armor that thin, although it can protect you from the immediate danger, it''s still extremely painful. So, I''ll redirect the force to the entire armor so that the pain won''t be too overwhelming for you." Roel exined the reason why he had been asking Noel to do his job.


    It turned out he was assessing Noel''s ability and fighting style. This way, he would understand what kind of armor did Noel need.


    "Ah!" Noel also understood the meaning and immediately apologized. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine. I wanted to tell you about it, but then again, you might get too worked up or not use all your power¡­ So, I didn''t tell you. I wanted to see your full strength." Roel exined with a chuckle. "Though, the armor itself is hard to make since I need topress the Ancient Demon Tree. If I rush it, the armor will be too brittle. So, it''ll take around two to three months before the armor ispleted. Can you wait that long?"


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes."

 Chapter 121 Mending Their Relationship

    "Still, why do you want to emphasize that you want them to be good to others?" Noel asked.


    After the mining was over, they immediately headed back to the vige. On the way, Noel couldn''t help but recall the argument between Roel and Rick.


    "That? I basically learned it from myte wife. She was good to others like paying their wages above other merchant groups, treating them likerades, and so on¡­ That action paid off. Herrades are loyal and good to her. They don''t hesitate toy down their lives for her, knowing that their families would be fine even if they die here.


    "I don''t want someone to backstab them, so I ask them to be good to people. And she often did somemunity service by spending a portion of her ie to feed people or do something good. Eventually, the people love her.


    "She once escaped an assassination attempt because someone in the slum snitched on them because he thought she was too good to die." Roel exined.


    "Have you ever told your children about it?" Noel asked.


    "I did, but I couldn''t exin the reason because¡­" Roel let out a long sigh.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "They ran away?"


    "Yes, we always got into an argument because the merchant group couldn''t expand that way." Roel nodded, feeling troubled as well. "That''s certainly the truth, since my wife is not that big of a merchant as well."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel fell silent. His family was also a merchant family, so he could understand why his wife did it. At the same time, the siblings'' perspective was also correct since they couldn''t grow their business without money if they spent a huge portion in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Ah, no. My family was a merchant as well, so I could understand you. But I never took part on it, so I can''t really give you any advice."


    "Really?" Roel was surprised that Noel started to open to him as well.


    "Well, Merchant is all about give and take, right? You have money, I have something to sell."


    "Give and take¡­" Roel looked down, falling into deep thought. It seemed he had realized something.


    It was proven when Roel suddenly patted Noel''s back two minutester. "Hahahaha! So, that''s how it is. It seems that I am too indebted to you now!"


    "No, no. I just like what you taught me earlier, so why not?" Noel humbly refused.


    But that humble personality made Roel like Noel even more.


    In the end, Noel epted to stay for the night because Roel insisted. They even had a dinner together, which was appreciated by Rick and Rica.


    However, to give some time for Roel, Noel immediately escaped to his room, leaving the family alone.


    The atmosphere became heavy as soon as Noel left since they all remembered the argument they had earlier.<sub> </sub>


    Rick and Roel looked at each other as if they wanted to blow up again while Rica didn''t know how to stop them.


    Unexpectedly, the first thing that came out of their mouth was, "Sorry."


    "Huh?" Even the two who said it were dumbfounded.


    Rick immediately exined himself. "I''m sorry that I shouldn''t have talked to you that way. I know that you were concerned about us, so¡­"


    "No, it was my fault. I should have talked to you better to avoid any misunderstanding." Roel sighed. "Anyway, if you don''t mind, I want to say something about your merchant group. I hope that you can remain calm until I finish. If you want to rebuke my ims afterward, I''ll listen to you."


    Rick and Rica opened their mouths in shock. This was the first time their father actually approached them this way as if they were talking as equals, not a father and his children.


    Even Rick couldn''t help but turn serious. "I understand. I won''tment or argue with you before you finish."


    "Thanks." Roel smiled and hurriedly exined. "You don''t need to spend much on your escort anymore."


    Rick obviously wanted to rebuke this statement because of how wrong it was. If they didn''t spend much on their protection, they would die in their journey.


    He was clenching his fists and his breathing became rougher, but because he had promised him, he tried his hardest to remain calm.


    And Roel''s next statement was really something that changed his perspective of his father.


    "I''ll be helping you with your escort by providing them with good quality equipment. You can think of it as a loan. They''ll work for you for a period of time to pay for this equipment. You don''t need to repay me or anything¡­ You can take it as me buying people to protect you. I''d promised your mother."


    Rick and Rica finally realized that their father always cared for them, but he never had a chance to exin himself because they always ended up in an argument from the first sentence.


    After listening to it, Rick said, "Actually, it''s usible but not very effective. You are a Master cksmith, so the equipment is extremely valuable. In our merchant group, there is a contribution system. You basically do tasks for our merchant group to get this contribution points and exchange it with something valuableter. This way, we can spend less money on it. At the same time, when they''re racking up points, we can gain their trust and loyalty slowly but surely."


    Roel got an idea after listening to him as well. "There are many excess weapons in this ce. They are from Apprentice or Veteran cksmith, so how about making some sort of levels with my equipment being the highest?"


    "Yes, that''s certainly going to work. By the time they receive this kind of weapon, they''ll be loyal to us. And if possible, I can send them to your ce to get the weapon. If we''re the one bringing that weapon, many people will look at us and try to steal it."


    p "That''ll be dangerous." Roel nodded in agreement. "Then, you can give them a letter of rmendation. I''ll also make something to prove that you are my children so that they believe you."</anda>


    "Yes!" Rick was excited because for the first time in his life, he could finally see eye to eye with his father. But he soon rose from his seat and lowered his head. "Father¡­ I''m sorry for always arguing with you. I should always keep my calm¡­"


    "I was just too overbearing. It''s not your fault." Roel smiled.


    Those three continued their discussion for a whole night at that time. But it could be said that their rtionship became as good as it could.

 Chapter 122 Unexpected Encounter

    The next morning, it was the time for Noel to leave. Roel had promised him that the armor would be ready in three months, so there was no need for him to remain in this ce. He also got some tricks in his control over Spiritual Energy, making the trip bountiful.


    After packing his luggage, he walked out through the back door with Roel and his two children waiting for him.


    "You''ve been waiting for me?" Noel was surprised that they were waiting for him, considering those three didn''t sleep for the whole night to discuss their family matters.


    "The discussion we hadsted long enough that we didn''t need to sleep to see you off." Roelughed and patted Noel''s shoulder. "Still, thank you. I''m d that you''re here."


    "No need to thank me, I don''t help you that much." Noel shook his head, humbly replying to his thanks.


    "Facilitating the discussion between us is already a huge help. Thank you." Rick also stepped forward, thanking him.


    Before Noel could reply, Rica approached him and bowed. "What you did was bigger than you thought, so please ept our thanks."


    "Alright, I understand." Noel smiled. Little did Noel know, the small help he extended created a great bond between him and the Master cksmith.


    "Also from me¡­" Rica smiled and approached Noel to give a small kiss on his cheek. It would be a surprising ''thanks'' even for Rick and Roel, albeit it turnededic when she realized she kissed his palm instead of cheek.


    "Huh?" Rica widened her eyes and stepped back, looking at Noel with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Ah!" Noel just realized what he had done. "Sorry, it was my reflex."


    Noel actually blocked that kiss with his hand as if he was sensing danger. He subconsciously thought that Anna would use this kind of move to bewitch him, so he was already put on his guard in that area, not noticing that this reflex actually blocked all advances from other women as well.


    Roel and Rick were stunned as well. Either it was Rica''s attempt in thanking Noel with a kiss or Noel''s block, they truly never expected this kind of development.


    "Uh¡­" Rica looked down as her face flushed red. She was ready to cry out of her embarrassment.


    To avoid making her cry, Noel immediately raised his hand and dashed off. "Thank you for taking care of me. Goodbye!"


    He looked like he was embarrassed as well so that people didn''t think much about the previous incident. This way, Rica could also keep some dignity in front of her brother and father.


    Rick couldn''t help but shake his head helplessly. "Well, Rica¡­ you got a good taste. Father approves."


    "Father!" Rica shouted in embarrassment as she just wanted to escape from the teasing.<sub> </sub>


    But she stopped for a while, looking at Noel''s back. She bowed to him once more to show her thanks.


    ¡­


    After leaving the vige, Noel returned on the road that led back to the fort. On the way, he was thinking about their next schedule, considering they still had three Individual and Group Missions.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    "We are only two months in and have made this kind of progress. And in three months, I need to return to this ce¡­ but then again, they also want to send it to my ce personally¡­ I guess I''ll be waiting for them during that time since Rick and Rica will most likelye to visit to give me the armor.


    "Then, in six months, I need to go on a trip to the sword saint''s tomb with Anna. Well, I think I can finish all the missions within that time if I truly want, but I need some time to get stronger as well.


    "That''s right. Should I use this time to go to Ain Kingdom as well to visit the temple." Noel kept thinking about his schedules since he wanted to make it as smooth as possible.


    But on the third day, he had an unexpected encounter. With the size of the kingdom, the timing, and even the road they took, it was impossible to meet unless it was fated.


    "Oh! Hello!" A woman greeted him while running. There was only one insane person that would be running in this situation. She was none other than Anna Stargaze.


    After getting influenced by Noel''s insanity, Anna continued running to increase her own stamina during the whole trip. But still, they were going in a different mission, and a different route, and they somehow met each other on the way, it was beyond his understanding.


    "Hello." Noel purposely made his voice a bit deeper than his usual voice. The mask could hide his identity, but not his voice, so he needed to be careful, especially around her.


    "So, you''ve finished your mission, Noel?" Anna asked with a smile.


    Noel''s heart skipped a beat because she saw him through that easily. Still, there was no way he was going to admit it .


    "Noel? Who''s that? By the way, who are you?" Noel asked, ying dumb.


    "Right? I know that you''re in disguise but who''s in their right mind to run across this in? Normally people will go with their group even if they want to run or just use a carriage. Only Noel who will do something like this. If you don''t want to reveal your identity, how about you take that glove off? There should be a Spirit Seal." Anna smirked.


    She added inwardly, ''Don''t think you can fool me. Even in this life, you haven''t changed. A masquerade, blond hair, blue eyes, and white sword¡­ It seems that you still chose the same disguise. Do you think I don''t know you? The Noel I knew could use two different elements, Fire and Ice, so don''t think you can fool me.''


    "I don''t understand what you''re saying Miss? You are mistaking me with someone else. I was separated with my group because I was too slow, so I''m nning to catch up to them." Noel continued to y dumb since he couldn''t afford to have his own disguise to be known to Anna. He even screamed inwardly,ining, ''Of all people, why do I need to meet this witch? Of all time, why does it need to be now? Of all ces, why did we need to meet in this kind of ce?''

 Chapter 123 Misunderstanding

    "Well, it seems that I''ve mistaken you with someone else." Anna smiled, apologizing to him. "You looked so much like him, you know. In his brain, there is only training, training, and training.


    "I do admit that he''s smarter than me, but I know him more than himself. I believe he is the first person to have a spirit with two different elements, Ice and Fire.


    "He is so handful. Seriously! I have manyints about him." Anna harrumphed.


    Each of her statement felt like a stab in his heart. But he didn''t know how Anna could know that he had Ice and Fire Elements, considering he only utilized this element when she wasn''t with him.


    ''Huh? There is something wrong. How in the world Anna knows something like this? Even themander doesn''t know it. Is it her family? But if it''s her family, this situation will be extremely dangerous.


    ''They might know that I have two spirits in my body. Am I being targeted by them?'' Noel had so many questions in his mind. After all, there shouldn''t be anyone to know about these two spirits.


    It would be troublesome if he didn''t know anything about it, so he decided to pry for the information. "I don''t know about this friend of yours, but it seems that he is a splendid person."


    "Of course." Anna smiled, answering that question from the bottom of his heart. "I may have the strength, but my de always kills people. But he is different¡­ His sword is sharp, sharper than mine. Yet, he uses it to protect the people. All I can do is to ruin things, but he''s building it. I''m envious of him."


    Noel was stunned because this was the first time he heard this kind of opinion from Anna. It even gave him a wild thought.


    ''Huh? She has this high opinion on me? But she was supposed to be the one to order the execution of my parents. Or was it just a fabrication? She was the one who actually wanted to protect me from her parents who actually wanted to wipe Ardagan''s bloodline out?


    ''Because of her, I could actually live? Is that the reason why she came to the Demon Banner Army? But then again, she''s bullying me the whole time¡­ Though I can say that she''s very cooperative at the same time.


    ''What if¡­ Let''s say what if¡­ what if her family sent a spy to watch over us? The only reason she bullied me because she needed to keep a facade to make them think she wanted me dead, but her original intention was to protect me from her family?''


    Noel had the first wildest thought in his mind because it could change his perspective of Anna.


    She thought Anna was fabricated as the murder of his family when the real culprit was the marquis himself.


    And Anna dropped another bomb that reinforced his misunderstanding.


    "Still, that guy is so infuriating. Does he not know that I learned how to cook because of him? Does he know that I''m this strong because of him?" Anna let out a long sigh.


    ''Huh? She learned how to cook because of me? She got stronger because of me?'' Noel was surprised to know it. Never in his wildest dream that he would think Anna learned things because of him.


    However, Anna didn''t lie either. If not for the threat called Noel Ardagan in her previous life, she wouldn''t be able to get stronger fast. After all, if she couldn''t keep up with Noel''s strength, she would be killed by him.<sub> </sub>


    If not for him dropping her to the middle of nowhere, she wouldn''t have learned how to cook. That was why the reasons she became like this was Noel, albeit in his previous life.


    "It seems that the guy doesn''t appreciate you. You are beautiful and seem to be able to do everything," Noel replied, trying to see what she was nning to brag again.


    "Right?" Anna pouted, refusing to give more information. Hence, Noel tried to pry for more. "It seems you like him, miss."


    "I like him."


    "!!!" Noel was shocked. His mind became crazy. However, it seemed that he could escape from this situation and when he saw the junction not far from them.


    "I see. He''s fortunate to have you. But I need to take the turn. Are you going there too, Miss?" Noel asked since if it was a statement, it would look like he knew where she was nning to go.


    Anna thought for a moment. If she continued to pester him, Noel would be pissed. And she also had said a lot of things too, enough to upy Noel''s mind for a while.


    She replied with a smile. "No, I need to go straight."


    "In that case, this will be where we go separate ways. It''s a pleasure to know a beautifuldy like you. I hope that your rtionship can work out." Noel smiled as he took the turn simply because he wanted to wait for a while until Anna disappeared before going back to the fort.


    When he was already far enough, Noel fell on his butt while clutching his head. He thought, ''What the heck? Did she seriously know that I''m Noel? But she even knows that I have Heisk and Ardagan¡­ It seems she doesn''t confuse me with someone else.


    ''But then again, what does she mean by she likes me? Does she say that just to confuse me? Or is her family the culprit this whole time and she''s just protecting me? I don''t understand.


    ''No, she must have seen through my disguise and said all that to confuse me. However, I can''t make another disguise since she will recognize this masquerade even if I change my hair and eye color. Does themander have another item that can be used to disguise my appearance?


    ''Still, which one is the actual Anna?'' Noel scratched his head, frustrated because he couldn''t see which one was the truth.


    Meanwhile, Anna was smiling from ear to ear as she finally managed to say all that.


    <o>,m Of course, she didn''t lie earlier. Noel was truly the cause of her action, but in her previous life.</o>


    At the same time, Anna threw thest statement partially.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Well, I do like him and respect him because I''ve seen all the things he did. Strong determination, unyielding tenacity, and the kindness to help people¡­ How can someone not like him as a human being?" Anna smiled. "I aspire to be like him."

 Chapter 124 Report

    After mulling over the talk they had earlier, Noel finally got his back to his feet. As much as he wanted to continue thinking about this matter, he realized that no answer woulde before he began his investigation.


    Whether it was his family, the Marquis Stargaze Family, and the royal family, he would know the truth as long as he investigated them. For the time being, he should focus on getting stronger first.


    The trip took around two more days before Noel reached the fort. Instead of going to the training ground, he went to his room first to avoid any suspicion, especially with Anna returning not far from him.


    He also made sure that he hid the masquerade as well as his equipment so that Anna wouldn''t find any of these to figure out his identity.


    Noel wrote a letter and retired for the night since he thought Anna would immediately report what she found during the mission.


    However, it seemed he had predicted wrongly again. To his surprise, when he was about to report to Shale before their morning routine started, Anna was also there, waiting for him.


    "Oh?! We met again, Noel." Anna smirked, teasing him.


    "Yes, it''s been weeks." Noel nodded calmly.


    "¡­" Anna rolled her eyes as if she knew that Noel was the one with the masquerade. In her past life, Noel had been bothering her with both identities, so she knew it was Noel. "Whatever. It seems that you have finished your mission."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Yes, you too." Noel nodded in agreement, not replying to her words that much.


    Eventually, Shale arrived in front of them and asked, "So, you two have returned and it seems that you returned at the same time¡­ Is this fate or something?"


    "That''s certainly not. Well, whatever¡­ I just want to hand in the proof ofpletions." Noel handed the proof ofpletions for both individual mission and group mission.


    Anna also gave the proof ofpletion but only the individual mission.


    "Alright. I have received them." Shale took a peek at the letter first, confirming the proof. But before he said anything, Shale walked away. "Wait a minute here. I have something to show you."


    Shale went inside for a few minutes beforeing back with a few letters directed to them.


    "It seems that you two are loved."


    "Hmm?" Noel tilted his head in confusion and opened the letter.


    "Thank you very much, Sir Noble. If not for your encouragement, I won''t live to this day. The work is hard for a simple woman like me, but I''ll continue working hard. I hope that I can repay your kindness in the future." - Xena.<sub> </sub>


    "The girls have been working so hard. It''s true that our bodies hurt so much, but we seem to have found the meaning to our lives. From now on, we will make a group that can do everything and be the best group that consists of only women. We will learn everything here, so that we can work in Sir Noble''s territory in the future." - Melinda.


    "The vigers have been working hard and would like to say thank you for your help. You are truly the best knight we could ever get, Sir Knight."


    "I hope that I can send some vegetables for you in the future, Sir Knight. Not that I can farm anymore though, but if in the future, there''s an excess harvest, I''ll do my best to send the best crops to you, Sir Knight."


    Noel couldn''t help but smile when he read all these messages. The first two letters were from the women he encouraged. It was good to know that they were living a good life this time and Noel hoped that they could continue to be that bright for the rest of their lives.


    Thest two letters came from the vige chief and the farmer he met in the individual missions.


    The message was simple, but it gave a lot of emotion. Noel had decided that he would treasure these letters.


    Meanwhile, Anna had been ncing back and forth between her letter and Noel. She realized that she only had one letter, thanking her for the money. But she didn''t receive any letters from anyone else.


    She had done her best in the individual mission, but it seemed she was still nowhere near Noel. She felt a bit envious to see those four letters.


    "It seems that you have done a splendid job this time." Shale even praised Noel while nodding as if he approved of Noel''s conduct.


    "Thank you." Noel smiled and took out his own letter. "By the way, can you give this to themander?"


    "Hmm?" Shale hesitated for a moment since themander wasn''t someone they could see easily. But Noel''s rtionship with themander was good since thetter asked him to look after Noel personally. Hence, he received the letter. "Alright. I have no promise, but I''ll certainly give this letter to him."


    "Thanks." Noel then raised his finger. "That''s right. We encountered a bandit group that utilized demons when they attacked."


    "Huh? Bandits using demons? Do you know what you''re talking about? You need a good soldier to be able to handle a demon and you''re saying that the bandits¡­" Shale''s expression darkened, not believing what Noel said.


    But Noel added, "I witnessed everything. And if you go to the vige in our group mission and visit the women there. They will tell you the same thing."


    Listening to this statement, Shale hesitated, thinking what Noel said might be true.


    "I can testify it as well. I mean, the mission description alone is already telling you the same thing, but is it that hard to believe such a case?" Anna supported Noel''s report.


    "Yeah. The mission description is basically the people''s perception and we don''t know whether it''s true or not. But if you have seen it with your eyes, I have no choice but to believe it." Shale scratched the back of his head. He also arrived at the same conclusion as Noel. "If the bandits could use the demons, they could make the viges look like they were under the demons'' attack, not them before stealing everything after that. No one will know about it."

 Chapter 125 Suspicion

    "That''s what I believe as well. This is the reason I tell you about it. I am sure that the letter about the message has arrived, right?"


    "Yes. I still can''t believe it, but I have made an investigation team. They''re already heading there, so I guess we can confirm it." Shale nodded with a serious expression.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Even though Shale couldn''t believe it, he still acted ording to the procedure. He made sure that the investigation team was formed and sent them on this mission.


    ? "I have reported it to themander as well, but he wants me to take care of it." Shale let out a long sigh.


    "I believe this matter is bigger than you think." Anna added. She knew how much the destruction this matter would cause, so she couldn''t afford to let the same thing happening again. She said, "You need to have themander act on this matter personally. I''m afraid that it''s going to be a big problem for the Demon Banner Army because we''ll be finding this kind of mission appearing sooner orter."


    Anna wanted to prevent it by using themander''s authority, but Shale shook his head and asked, "Do you have any proof that can back up your words?"


    "I¡­ don''t." Anna clicked her tongue as she didn''t know how to convince Shale.


    But this time, Noel was the one that supported her. "I do."


    "Noel?" Anna widened her eyes, never expecting Noel to help her here. She thought that her words previously had worked on him.


    Noel ignored her reaction and said, "I have a proof. I encountered another bandit group with that kind of situation. When I was about to interrogate their leader, someone killed him. At that time, I immediately fled the scene because I couldn''t sense the killer. If I continued investigating this matter, I was afraid I would die, so I chose to report to you instead of risking my life since this way, my life would be more useful."


    "!!!" Shale was surprised but his expression darkened as he asked again to confirm it. "You are not lying?"


    Noel extended his right hand and said, "If you don''t believe it, we can do it this way."


    Looking at the Spirit Seal on the back of Noel''s right palm meant he wanted him to use the Spirit Oath to make sure that he didn''t falsify the information.


    Due to this determination, Shale paused for a moment and said, "I understand. I''ll bring this matter to themander right away. Is there anything else that you want to report?"


    "If you still don''t have enough information, you can go to the Master cksmith called Roel. The people I saved from that bandit group was his children," Noel exined.


    "Master cksmith?" Shale pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "Alright. Do you have anything else? Like where did you find them?"


    Shale took out a map around the fort and pointed at the location of their first group mission, which turned out to be the southeast of the fort. "This was the ce of your group mission. Where did you encounter the bandit group?"


    "North to them, near Astary Town. Around one day from that town, I think?"


    Shale pointed at the rough location which was located on the east of the fort. But he soon realized something as he fell into deep thought. "This is¡­"<sub> </sub>


    "Is there something wrong?" Noel asked.


    Shale took out the mission catalog and opened it, finding another mission that seemed to be simr to their group mission. But the location was at the opposite direction. "This is the simr mission. And the ce is in the west¡­"


    "It''s not possible to cover that kind of huge area unless¡­" Noel also understood why Shale had suspicion.


    "Yeah. There are more people involved in this and most likely an organization. And if that''s the case, there''s no way they''ll choose these spots unless they have a connection to each other." Shale pointed at the map and circled it. "What if from this ce, they continue to the south and eventually reach the west? Or they can go around the north¡­"


    "What if they''re doing both?" Noel asked, dropping the bomb.


    "!!!" Shale sucked a cold breath as he couldn''t refute that im either. But if they did both ways, it meant that the fort would be surrounded with this problem. "Don''t tell me¡­ Encirclement?!"


    "But what''s their aim? The demons they can use is Low Level Demon. It''s true that the bandits seemed to be invisible to the demons since the moment they released the demons, they weren''t attacked. But do they think the Demon Banner Army will lose to this kind of threat?" Noel asked.


    "Huh? They were invisible?"


    "Yes. I didn''t understand what was going on back then, but the demons immediately attacked other demons, ignoring them. Even when they were carried by them, they didn''t go rampage." Noel nodded.


    "That''s it!" Shale pointed at Noel. "They want to create chaos. By using this kind of encirclement, there''s no point in going to the fort anymore because they''ll be attacked by those bandits.


    "Merchants won''t be around here and the viges will be attacked by them. It means there won''t be any food or economic activity around here until we suppress them. But at that time, the damage will be catastrophic."


    "Ah!" Anna suddenly came to a realization. She thought, ''So, that''s how it is. I remembered that the fort had faced a famine due to this attack¡­''


    Noel nced at her while furrowing his eyebrows before saying, "This is just a guess, but I think the Supreme Devil Organization is behind this."


    He told him the information that Anna provided at the time. Since it would be too suspicious for Anna to say it, he stepped up and informed Shale.


    "Your reason?" Shale asked.


    "The Supreme Devil Organization is worshiping the demons, right? Then we''re their biggest threat." Noel exined.


    "I see. That can be a reason too." Shale fell into deep thought. After a few minutes, he finally stood up and walked away. "Alright. I''ll tell themander about this and alert the fort. You two can go on a date somewhere¡­ I mean, training! Bye!"

 Chapter 126 Date Battle

    Hearing what Shale said earlier, Anna couldn''t help but make a yful smirk as she turned to Noel and asked, "Should we go on a date then? I mean, training."


    If this was the normal Noel, he would certainly correct her again, implying that they were just going to train.


    However, Noel actually answered her with a calm tone. "Sure."


    "Huh?" Anna wasn''t prepared for this kind of answer. She subconsciously took a step back, looking at Noel dumbfoundedly.


    <o>,m "Why are you so surprised when you are inviting me?" Noel frowned.</o>


    "No¡­yes!" Anna''s mind went nk.


    Even though he epted it, Noel''s sole purpose was to confirm whether what Anna said was true or not. If they walked around together for a while, Anna should slip out sooner orter. Hence, he could confirm that everything was a facade.


    ''I''m not going to let you lead me by the nose anymore.'' Noel was determined to prove her words.


    "What''s wrong? Since you''re the one asking me out, you should be leading. Where should we go?"


    "That''s¡­ That''s¡­" Anna looked left and right, trying to get some help or some time to think.


    But Noel pressed her harder by walking away. "If you don''t want then, you shouldn''t say something like that."


    "Wh-what?" Anna bit her lips and hurriedly caught up to him. Even though, she didn''t know what to do, she should apany him right now. She coulde up with something on the way.


    ''What should I do? Even in my past life, I never experienced something like this.'' Anna panicked.


    But a scene in the past shed in her mind.


    Back then, she was exhausted. She stabbed her sword to the ground just to support her body.


    While panting, she looked at Noel who was standing on top of the cliff.


    Noel had a sad smile, but it wasn''t due to his body covered in wounds.


    With his body darkening due to the orange sun being the backlighting, his appearance looked even sadder. Noel''s gaze felt like he had lost something important.


    That appearance of his couldn''t be forgotten because he also said, "Anna. You don''t know anything."


    "Just give up, Noel. Your body is already wounded. Even I''m exhausted right now, my current condition is enough to kill you. Surrender!"


    Noel shook his head. "Surrender, huh. Living is worse than death, so why do I want to surrender? Instead, I prefer dying¡­ After all, dying in your hands might not be that bad."


    "Huh?" Anna was taken aback by thatst statement. She was supposed to be Noel''s nemesis, yet, thetter said otherwise.


    As if Noel tried to annoy her again, he stuck his tongue out and said, "Just kidding."


    "You¡ª" Anna wanted to get angry, but she was toote, Noel had jumped off the cliff.


    "I''ll see you many more times in the future." Noel smiled as he fell.


    "What?" Anna tried to grab him, but he was already far away. However, she also found a river underneath the cliff and Noel fell onto the water.


    Noel was an extraordinary Spirit User, so it was clear that he wouldn''t be dying by falling into the water. But Noel''s wounds would make him bedridden for a long time.


    "Kh. I want to jump, but my Spiritual Energy is not enough to protect my whole body. Am I going to kill him even if it means a part of my body is crushed?" Anna gritted her teeth and stomped the ground in frustration, giving up on the pursuit.<sub> </sub>


    However, that image of Noel''s sad smile always lingered in her mind.


    ¡­


    Remembering that scene, Anna couldn''t help but think, ''Now that I think about it, despite Noel showing such an extreme hatred, he truly had changed her life. And thatst sentence of his¡­ what does it truly mean?''


    Unfortunately, her thought was broken because Noel asked her, "So, where are we going?"


    "A-ah!" Anna was startled, but she immediately said, "The Demon Forest!"


    "Huh? Why would we go to that ce?"


    "There''s something I want to show you¡­ though, around the sunset."


    "Then, what will we do to pass the time?" Noel squinted his eyes, judging her.


    "That''s¡­" Anna was thinking hard before eventually a good idea shed in her mind. "We just strolled around the forest. I mean, we''ve been to the forest a few times, but each time, we''re fighting against time, making us rush many things.


    "This time, how about we slowly walk around and just enjoy the scenery? Even though it''s a forest filled with demons, it''s still a forest. Not like the demon can do any harm to us as long as it''s not an Advanced Level Demon."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you sure you want to waste my time of training with this idea?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "!!!" Anna''s body trembled for a moment. Noel was a training maniac. Although he wasn''t a muscle brain, he truly trained whenever he had the chance.


    Still, Anna coulde up with an excuse. "Resting itself is also a form of training. You need to properly rest your muscle and allow them to heal themselves so that they can grow stronger."


    "¡­" Noel paused for a moment. "Fine."


    "Great." She smiled.


    With Noel''s agreement, they proceeded to walk to the gate.


    But as expected of Noel, he grabbed Anna''s shoulder and stopped her from leaving the gate.


    "What are you doing?" Anna wanted toin, but Noel had already left her. "Huh?"


    She soon found him standing in front of a stall selling bread and returned with a bag of them.


    Because of her inexperience, Anna forgot the fact that they were still early in the morning and they hadn''t had any breakfast. Even if they could skip the meal, Noel wanted to make sure that they had enough energy to move around and kill demons if they tried to attack them.


    Noel gave her some and said, "Here you go. This should be good for breakfast. You should cook for lunch."


    Anna received the bread with a dumbfounded expression and saw Noel starting to eat the bread as if she didn''t care about her expression.


    Little did he know, inside that nonchnt expression, Noel was thinking, ''Hehe. In addition to your unpreparedness, this action will make you feel challenged because you haven''t done anything even though you''re the one asking me out. You''ll surely show your true nature.''


    However, what Anna did waspletely the exact opposite what Noel expected.


    She lowered her head, looked at the bread for a while, before taking a small bite. The bread wasn''t particrly delicious, so Noel couldn''t understand why she would blush.


    ''Huh?!''

 Chapter 127 Point Of View

    ''Huh?!'' Noel was shocked inwardly. ''Why would your face redden? No, you should be ashamed, right? That''s right, your face redden because you feel ashamed because of your unpreparedness, right?''


    Noel tried his best to deny everything he had seen.


    Anna''s thought waspletely the exact opposite of his thought.


    Anna truly felt a huge contrast from Noel today. Usually, Noel would alwaysin or trick her, making her put up her guard the whole time. But this time, she could see the caring Noel.


    Due to the fact that Noel only directed that care to other people, she never felt what it meant to be cared by Noel.


    Despite his hatred, he never directed that hatred toward innocent people. That itself was already a good feat. And this time, her enemy showed his caring side like this. Even she would be taken out by surprise.


    After taking one bite, Anna turned to him with a big genuine smile on her face. "Thank you, Noel."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Just like Anna, Noel hadn''t prepared himself for this smile. This was the first time Anna was this happy, so he could feel the genuine emotion behind it. At the same time, Anna was a beautiful woman since she was known to be one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom. That smile of hers could melt anyone''s heart.


    In that instant, Noel realized that he had lost in this round.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and looked away, frustrated. His movement was a bit stiff afterwards, but Noel shifted their attention to his words. "So, are we going to buy some spices?"


    "Just the salt. I can do the rest with the herbs and meat." Anna exined. "That is if you don''t mind eating on top of a leaf."


    "Even if it''s raw, I''ll still eat it." Noel shrugged.


    "Hehe, wait a bit then. I''ll go to that shop to buy salt." Anna chuckled and pointed at the store next to the gate. It was an item store that was used to buy something they forgot to bring before leaving the gate. So, there was a wide variety of items.


    Still, Anna only brought a small bag of salt for them to use itter.


    "Let''s go, shall we?" Anna smiled.


    "Yeah." Noel took the time she was inside the store to calm his heart and finally returned to his nonchnt attitude.


    When they walked out of the fort and arrived at the in that separated them from the fort, Noel felt something different this time.


    ''Now that I think about it¡­ this is my first time rxing. I only used this in to go to the Demon Forest, so I didn''t realize it until now that¡­'' Noel looked around. The slightly tall grasses that made the scenery look a bit cooler. The wind blowing the grasses soothed their mind. And the firm dirt road that had been slightly tilted to the inside due to many people and carriages passing over this area. This was the first time Noel saw everything a bit clearly and it felt, "¡­so beautiful."


    Noel subconsciously muttered it out of his mind.


    Anna''s heart skipped a beat. She didn''t know why but her body slightly warmed up.


    ''Did Noel just praise me?'' Anna''s heart was pumping like crazy as she nced at Noel to check his expression.<sub> </sub>


    However, Noel''s eyes were locked on the environment. He never took his eyes off them, so that praise earlier was actually directed to the in, not her.


    Anna had her head low, disappointed. But soon she shook her head and thought, ''Why was I disappointed in the first ce?''


    <o>,m Unfortunately for her, from that point on, Noel''s eyes were locked to the scenery. Even when they entered the forest, Noel kept looking at the environment.</o>


    This was his first time seeing the world with such a rxed emotion after all. His point of view had changed.


    There were many things that the world could offer to him. But because in his mind, there was only training and revenge, he always looked at the front without caring about anything around him.


    So, this was the first time he realized that the wind blowing the grasses could be so soothing, the tranquility of the forest could calm his heart, and the cool temperature of the forest made his body feel rxed.


    He learned so much things just by looking at the world from a different point of view.


    Eventually, they stopped somewhere so that Anna could cook.


    Since they couldn''t move anywhere, Noel''s mind had finally returned. He remembered his objective. By annoying Anna, he could see her reaction that would reflect her true nature.


    Hence, the first thing Noel did when waiting for the food was to stare at her.


    *Stare!*


    "¡­" Anna could maintain her poker face for a while, but she felt slightly disturbed after a long time. "Can you direct your gaze elsewhere?"


    "Why?" Noel smirked, showing his unwillingness.


    Still, Anna was preparing food, so her ultimate weapon was still here. She replied, "If you don''t look elsewhere, there''s no food for you."


    "I see. That''s your intention. By asking me out here, you want to starve me out. I perfectly understand your intention now." Noel nodded in understanding as if he had seen her true nature. "At least, I know that I shouldn''t trust you in the future.


    Even Anna was speechless and corrected herself. "Wait, no! I don''t mean it that way! You should know that I never let you starve whenever I cooked!"


    Noel returned his gaze again with a smug as if showing that he had won.


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched, but she also had anothereback. She said calmly, "Though, you staring at me like this¡­ doesn''t it look like you''re mesmerized by me? Like a husband watching his wife cook?"


    But before she realized it, Noel had already turned his head around as if to prove that it wasn''t the case.


    "What the¡­" Anna subconsciously bit her lips, thinking, ''I don''t know why but I''m more annoyed with this than the food¡­ I somehow want to hit him right now.''

 Chapter 128 Moon Blessing

    After having food, they walked around the forest together. There were some demonsing to them, but they skillfully killed them. Those Low Level Demons didn''t evenst more than two rounds before they died.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Noel hadn''t shown the result of his fight since he nned to take on Anna by surprise. At the same time, he started wondering whether to kill Anna right away.


    On the one hand, he didn''t have enough information to prove Anna was the one that ordered the killing of his parents. There was a possibility of her being framed by others to take the me. On the other hand, he had to kill everyone involved in that execution. Whether it was the royal family or the Stargaze Marquis Family.


    So, Noel hesitated to do it.


    ''Should I kill her or wait until the investigation? But I can''t really investigate anything right now. Only after I be a full-fledged knight of the Demon Banner Army that I can start investigating this matter. But it''ll only be one yearter¡­ Is there truly nothing I can do right now?'' Noel contemted for a moment.


    Soon, a ce shed in his mind.


    ''That''s right. There is that ce in the neighboring kingdom. My father visited them every year, so their rtionship should be quite good. They might know something about my father. Still, the journey will take at least a month, two months for the return trip.


    ''We''re currently two months in. And in the eighth month, I need to go to the Sword Saint Tomb¡­ If that''s the case¡­'' Noel tried to get a good form for his schedule, not wanting to waste too much time.


    Noel finally opened his mouth. "Say, we''re going to go to the ruin six months after this, right?"


    "Yes. That''s the best time to visit them."


    "If that''s the case, how about using the next four months to train ourselves?" Noel asked her opinions. Four months weren''t a short amount of time. Even right now, they didn''t have four months filled with training since there were missions from time to time. So, asking her for four months off was quite a challenging feat.


    Anna fell silent and thought, ''Noel was going to the Sword Saint Tomb during that time, so I can''t change it¡­ Then, how about making a preparation for the Sword Saint Tomb? I once visited the Moon Temple after helping them.


    ''I have promised that I won''t take everything Noel had in the past for granted, so I think this is a perfect opportunity to repay it. If we go to the Moon Temple, we''ll be blessed by the moon itself and gain the Spirit Technique that allows us to see through the dark. This will be extremely useful during the night or in the dark ce.''


    After some consideration, Anna opened her mouth. "Let''s go to the Moon Temple in those four months."


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes because he didn''t expect that Anna woulde up with this idea. "Do you know what you''re talking about? The Moon Temple is known to be a temple of sadness, you know?"


    "Do you know the reason why the Moon Temple is known to be a temple of sadness?"


    "No." Noel shook his head.


    "That''s because they''re always building their temple in a ce where there''s sadness¡­ like famine, drought, or whatever. Whenever there''s a ce experiencing such an event that causes the people to lose hope, they''ll always appear.<sub> </sub>


    "That''s why they''re known to be the temple of sadness. It''s because they take their sadness head-on and try to make things better. Some seed, some fail¡­"


    "Ah!" Noel instantly understood the meaning behind that sadness. "So, that''s how it is."


    "I am nning to go to the Moon Temple to help them and gain their blessing. The blessing of the moon¡­ It is a kind of Spirit Technique that allows us to see through the dark. This will be extremely useful for our exploration, no?" Anna asked.


    "That''s true." Noel thought for a moment. "But how do we help them? Money?"


    "Nope. Each temple has a different problem. If we help five temple in solving their problems, we can get the blessing." Anna paused and recalled the map. "How about going to the moon temple located in Excar City? That ce should be under Baron Excar."


    Suddenly, Noel got the notification from Ardagan.


    [Mission: Help the Saintess of the Moon Temple in Argali Town]


    [Description: The Saintess is facing a huge problem of her life. Go and save her within 75 days.]


    [Reward: Moon Blessing and 21 SP]


    [Penalty: Regret.]


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock because this was the first time Ardagan gave him a mission with such reward.


    On the one hand, he hesitated to ept it because the reward reflected the difficulty of the mission. On the other hand, the first reward came from the temple, not Ardagan. So, he thought the only reward was just the 21 SP, meaning the difficulty wasn''t that high.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Say, if we help the Saintess herself, can we get the blessing in one go?"


    "The Saintess?" Anna didn''t expect that Noel would mention her. She exined, "Yes, we can. But the Saintess is always helping where she deems to be the hardest problem, so I don''t think you want to go there."


    ''Saintess? You serious?'' Anna added inwardly, ''The Saintess of the Moon Temple once defected from the Moon Temple because she was possessed by the demon. She was known to be the greatest Saintess of all time, so her falling to that path was a huge blow to the Moon Temple. The reason I could get the Moon Blessing in my previous life because I had to y the Saintess¡­ But that event should be two yearster.


    ''Does he have some information? Does the Demon possess her right now and because she''s a good person with strength and mental fortitude that the demon has a hard time controlling her? That''s why he wants us to go there to help the Saintess? Then, how in the world he has that information? Noel''s secret is deeper than I imagine¡­ Well, in his perspective, I''m the same I guess¡­ Since I have the memory of what will happen in the future. I hope that I haven''t changed so much history¡­''


    "Alright. Let''s go to Argali Town." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "We''ll help the Saintess and get the Moon Blessing immediately."

 Chapter 129 Lowering Their Pride

    "Well, if you have made the decision, I don''t have any objection, but I need to make sure that you''re aware of the danger." Anna squinted her eyes, pressuring Noel to rethink about his decision. If he still agreed to this n, she would follow his decision.


    "Yes." Noel nodded without hesitation. "Either way, I''m dead. Getting killed by you or dying in a mission is basically the same."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent because she recalled that moment when Noel thought that dying by her hand wasn''t that bad at all. It was clearly different from what Noel thought right now.


    ''Did something happen to Noel at that time? It felt like he wanted to kill me but not wanted to kill me at the same time. And me killing him was a kind of relief to him¡­'' Anna noticed why Noel always said she was ignorant. ''I see. It seems that I truly don''t know anything. Not only Noel, but I should also investigate the incidents too. After all, it''s weird that my father has agreed to the royal family to execute his parents but exile Noel alone. And there is the family heirloom which can be seen to be a good sharp sword.


    ''My own family is hiding something about Noel¡­ Is he that important?'' Anna''s expression darkened.


    "What''s wrong? Do you not want it that much?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "If you don''t, then I can go there alone."


    "No, that''s not what I mean¡­" Anna shook her head hurriedly. "I don''t have any problem with your decision since you have thought it through. In that case, when are you nning to go?"


    "Hmm, how far is Argali Town?" Noel asked.


    "¡­" Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she was screaming inwardly, ''You can call the town''s name but don''t know the location? Are you serious? How in the world you know the Saintess'' location without even having any kind of information?''


    Anna took a while to sort out her breath and said, "Argali Town is in Earldom¡­ Who is it again? Earl Hawkins? Either way, the distance from this ce to the Earldom is around two weeks¡­ That is because you love running."


    Noel was speechless and said, "We can go with horse for this one."


    "Huh?" Anna was startled and looked at Noel dumbfoundedly as if someone was impersonating him.


    "Why are you looking at me as if I am a fake?" Noel held back his anger and said, "Well, we''ll be training for one month before going to that town¡­"


    "Training?" Anna suddenly smirked and teased him. "Oh, can you ride a horse? You were azy person in the past, right? You shouldn''t have learned how to ride a horse, right?"


    "Is that a problem?" Noel narrowed his eyes, annoyed. "I''ll learn it in one month, alright?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Fine, fine. I won''t be teasing you. In fact, I can teach you. I mean, we both are still 15 years old, so our body should be able to sit on a saddle together. I can make you learn horse riding in a week." Anna smirked.


    Noel was taken aback by this idea. On the one hand, it was truly the best way to practice horse riding. On the other hand, he hated it so much since he didn''t want to be indebted to Anna.


    The question would be whether he would lower his pride in order to get the best result or kept his pride but stopped his progress for a while.


    After two minutes, Noel hade to a decision. Even Anna dropped her jaw to the ground when Noel suddenly lowered his head to her.


    "Please teach me horse riding." Noel put down his pride for the first time. With so much hatred buried in his heart, this wasn''t an easy thing to aplish.<sub> </sub>


    Anna froze because she had an idea how much Noel hated her. Even though that hatred had been diminished a little, it was still too much for him to bow. And she felt the heaviness of this action.


    Anna''s expression turned solemn and said, "I understand. I''ll make sure you can ride a horse within a week."


    After getting Anna''s agreement, Noel finally raised his head.


    Anna could see that Noel was clenching his fists so hard that his nails almost pierced his palms. This was Noel''s resolve.


    Anna felt a bit moved for his determination and decided to make him forget the embarrassment.


    She grabbed his hands and said, "Follow me."


    "Huh?" Noel couldn''t understand what Anna was doing. He didn''t realize that Anna took his confusion to gradually stop him from hurting himself and even held his hand to make sure that he couldn''t bleed his palm.


    After that, she smiled and ran, dragging him to another ce. "I said follow me!"


    "W-wai¡ª!" Noel couldn''t finish his sentence as he already started running because Anna had been dragging him.


    They ran through the forest, avoided all the trees in the way, and kept running.


    On the way, Noel looked at their hands together and realized that Anna''s hand was actually smooth despite so much hard work she put in swinging her sword. It seemed that she had been taking care of her skin despite all that hard work. Yes, he realized that he wasn''t the only one doing his hardest.


    Eventually, they came out of the forest and reached a cliff. Noel panicked because he thought Anna nned to jump off the cliff, but before he could warn him, Anna stopped.


    "Tsk. I want to show you this during the sunset but I guess this is fine too." Anna smiled and spread her hands while showing the scenery on top of the cliff.


    Noel, for the first time, saw everything in the horizon. Thend was covered by trees, the meandering rivers, the smallke where they always camped, and the sun that illuminated the forest. It felt so vast and beautiful.


    Looking at them from on top of the cliff somehow made his heart beat rapidly from excitement as if the scenery was telling him that there were many things to explore in the world. That was right, the world had many different things that could be explored. Different kingdoms had different cultures and different ways of living, and if he couldn''t solve a certain problem in his territory, other ces might have the solution to that problem.


    His heart was telling him to explore the world to know as much as he could so that he could know what to do when he regained his territory.


    "This is¡­" Noel was entranced by the beauty of the nature. But Anna dropped another bomb because Anna finally bowed to him for the first time.


    "Noel, I''m sorry."

 Chapter 130 Dilemma

    "Noel, I''m sorry."


    "Eh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    This was what Anna had been wanting to say this whole time. Whenever she had the opportunity to say this, Noel would find an excuse to leave her or shut her up. But this time, Noel was too confused to do the usual action, allowing her to finally say this one word.


    ''Sorry.'' After Anna changed for the better, she hadn''t apologized for a single time to Noel. And this apology was directed to her past action.


    Anna closed her eyes and exined, "Even though when I brought the topic to my father, I realized that my father and the royal family had decided on your family''s oue, there''s no denying that I asked my father to have your entire family get executed.


    "At first, I thought that you should be eliminated because your family might rise again and take revenge. Even I don''t understand why my father and the royal family decided to spare your life, but¡­


    "After knowing you and observing you up close, I know that you didn''t deserve any of that. Your light helped other people and will surely continue helping others¡­


    "So, I owe you an apology." While still holding her head low, she took a deep breath and said with everything in her heart. "Noel, I''m sorry."


    Noel froze. He was already aware that Anna had changed. So, he had been avoiding her to make sure that his determination to take revenge didn''t falter. But to think that Anna took this opportunity to finally apologize to him, it gaveplicated feelings to Noel''s heart.


    On the one hand, Noel thought to himself.


    ''If a murderer got caught and sentenced to twenty years in prison, how do people react to this man? What if the murderer has actually changed himself for the better and get prepared to turn over a new leaf? He has admitted his mistakes and wants to atone his sins for the rest of his life by bing a good person.


    ''Will others ept him? Or will others stay away from him? If it''s the former, can others actually put down their grudge to this person? Can they provide him with a job?


    ''What if they can''t ept him back? He won''t be able to get any job and even another person in his life? What does he needs to do if he wants to eat? Stealing? Then, the murderer will be a thief. Even though he wants to be a good person, the other forces him to be a bad guy once again.''


    With this kind of thought, Noel hesitated to see whether he could forgive Anna or not.


    Just like the murderer, Anna might truly want to be a genuinely good person that would help him in the future to atone her sins. If he couldn''t put his grudge down and make her suffer, wouldn''t it mean he was the one who forced her to fall into that path once again?


    The vicious cycle would continue until one of them died.


    On the other hand, Noel still couldn''t ept this apology because the grudge in his heart was still too strong. What the Stargaze Family and the Royal Family had done were simply too much for him. There was no way he could forgive them¡­ at least for a long time.


    Noel bit his lips because he was in a dilemma. He was stressed because he couldn''t decide.


    Noel gritted his teeth and rushed to her, choking her neck.


    "Kh." Anna didn''t put any resistance. Her eyebrows were twitching because she was enduring the pain. Gritting her teeth, she only looked at Noel helplessly.


    "If you have done something like that, why do you even need to apologize? Don''t apologize!" Noel shouted as his hand started shaking. The grip became weaker as time passed. Noel added inwardly, ''If you don''t apologize, it''ll make my job easier. I know that I need to kill you. Why do you need to change?''<sub> </sub>


    "I need to apologize to you. And I''ll do it no matter what it takes." Anna answered. She was gasping for air.


    "If you want to atone for your sins, then kill yourself!" Noel shouted back, not epting that apology.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t die here." Anna gritted her teeth. "I still have many things to do, including atoning that sin. By continuing to live, I can do much more to atone that sin."


    Noel gritted his teeth. He knew that giving a person chance to atone that sin was more reasonable because that person could do much more by giving kindness to other people. And that kindness could give birth to another kindness.


    ''Why would you forgive the ones who killed your parents?''


    ''You should kill them like how they killed your parents and destroyed your family.''


    ''The only reason you are suffering like this is them!''


    ''You are a fool.''


    The hatred kept crawling back into his heart. But Noel had changed in the past few months he was here. The kindness to other people had also grown to him, so those thoughts also shed in his mind.


    ''If you don''t give her the chance, how do you know she hasn''t changed?''


    ''If you don''t give her the chance to atone her sin, she won''t be able to change.''


    ''You are a kind person.''


    Noel''s mind was in a mess because of all these thoughts. He tried to shake it off but to no avail.


    Ultimately, Noel let her neck go and walked away without saying anything. It was clear that he had yet to be prepared to give the answer to her apology.


    Anna could only look at his back while biting her lips.


    Noel was walking through the forest as the good and evil thoughts kept ringing in his mind.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ''You fool, you have to kill her, destroy her family, and make her fall into despair.''


    ''The world will change depending on how you see it. Do you want to live in a world where kindness and forgiveness are considered a weakness? You surely don''t.''


    Noel gasped for air as he used the tree next to him to support his body. He mmed his fist to the tree while gritting his teeth. "Damn it."

 Chapter 131 Progress

    After that day, Noel had never spoken a single word to Anna anymore. It was clear that there was a bridge between their rtionship.


    On the one hand, Anna had taken the first step to her change which was to apologize. On the other hand, Noel still couldn''t ept that apology.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    She could understand Noel''s perspective since she might do something even worse if she was in his position. In fact, it was because Noel was kind that he became like this.


    She never saw that kindness a weakness. After all, Noel helped so many people and gained many allies from all around the kingdoms in the past. That kindness became the bond between him and the people. That was why Noel''s kindness was actually his biggest strength.


    The biggest challenge to that kindness was the hatred toward her family and the royal family.


    In the past, Anna never apologized and kept being ignorant. That was why it was easy for Noel to decide an uprising to take his revenge.


    In this life, Anna wanted to change for the better. She wasn''t a cruel person anymore that killed people just because she wanted to do it. Instead, she tried to help others as much as she could like how Noel treated others.


    That was why it became much harder for Noel to kill her. And that was why Noel didn''t want to be indebted or reliant on her.


    Although it looked like a foolish move, Noel stopped sparring with Anna because he had to sort his feeling out.


    At the same time, if he continued like this for the next two months, he would lose a total of 180 spars, which could transfer to 0.5% of Spiritual Energy with his training. It didn''t look much right now, but Noel would surely feel the effect in the far future when he had more Spiritual Energy.


    So, Noel ended up training by himself for five days by himself before he asked Anna to meet him in a quiet ce.


    Anna and Noel stared at each other for a while before Noel finally opened his mouth. "Sorry, but I don''t think I can ept your apology."


    Anna had expected this reply, but she still felt disappointed when hearing it from Noel. She closed her eyes for a moment and said, "I can understand that."


    Looking at Anna''s disappointed expression, Noel added, "I hope that you don''t mention it for now¡­"


    "!!!" Anna''s expression brightened as she looked at Noel in surprise. Noel''s meaning was clear.


    ''For now.'' Those two words meant a world to her because it was clear that the chance for Noel to finally forgive her was there. She just had to keep proving her determination until they reached that point. In the future, there might be a chance for them to finally make up and be a true ally. These two words gave so much hope in her heart.


    She didn''t know why but she could picture herself standing side by side with Noel as they fought numerous enemies. Unlike the past life where they always shed their des against each other, they would protect each other''s back and rise to a greater height.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "And¡­ I don''t think I want to meet you for the rest of the week. But I''ll make sure that I''ll be like my previous self after that¡­ It might be awkward afterward, but I hope you don''t mind and start teaching me horse riding."


    After saying everything that needed to be said, Noel then walked away.


    Anna watched Noel''s back with a smile on her face. Those two words simply gave her too much hope that she couldn''t contain her smile for a few minutes.


    Just like Noel promised, he didn''t meet her for the next two days as if he tried his best to return to the previous him, treating her apology as if it never happened.


    And when he returned, he still acted a bit awkward because of the bridge between them. Luckily, Anna didn''t mind that and tried her best in smoothing their conversation.


    Anna even brought the horse with Shale''s permission to teach Noel. With training, they could smoothen the conversation since everything would be around the training, making them forget about what had happened.<sub> </sub>


    Due to their bodies that had yet to fully develop, the two managed to fit together on a saddle, allowing Anna to hold Noel''s hands to teach him better.


    Unknown to them, the people could only look at them from far away, not daring to go near them because they didn''t want to destroy the good atmosphere around them.


    Other than Noel''s hatred, they looked like a couple or a rival whenever they trained together after all.


    They didn''t realize it themselves, but the others had considered them as a thing already.


    Nheless, the time continued to pass. Noel had learned how to ride a horse and they wouldn''t have any problem in having a long journey.


    With the Moon Blessing in mind, they decided to get a mission near that area as well so that they could finish it when they traveled together.


    They ended up taking a group mission together. To bnce it, they wanted to take an individual mission, but Noel hesitated because he had to visit the neighboring kingdom to investigate his family.


    After talking it through between them, they agreed to a few things that would smoothen their progress inpleting the requirement for graduation while bing as strong as possible when the fort was still providing them with free lessons from Shale.


    Two monthster.


    The day for them to leave the fort for the group mission had finally arrived.


    Noel was putting on his clothes while walking and looking at the status, seeing the progress he had for the past two months.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal (Sensing all demons within 50 meters)


    Honor Point: 38 Pts


    Skill Point: 0 Pts


    Status: Stamina +2.2%, Constitution +2.2%, Sword Mastery +2.2%, Spiritual Energy +2.0%, Rune Mastery +1.0%


    Low Quality Crystal - 257/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 33/3000


    With his progress, he was ready to take on the challenge again.

 Chapter 132 Mission Update

    "Let''s go." Noel nodded to Anna next to him.


    "Yes."


    "By the way, do you have any idea about the problem that the Saintess currently facing?"


    "You don''t know anything about it?" Anna looked at him with a weird expression. Noel already knew about the location of the Saintess and even noticed the trick to get the Moon Blessing earlier, so she expected Noel to know the problem as well.


    However, Noel could only shake his head since his mission only told him to go there. Because he was afraid of drought or something simr, he had been storing all the Honor Points he had gathered in the past two months.


    After all, there was a case of the vige he previously visited. So, he thought there might be a need to summon another water gallon to help them.


    Meanwhile, Anna thought, ''Now that I think about it, I never paid attention in the past about what the Saintess did. All I knew was the fact that the Saintess always took a heavy job because that was where her power would work better.


    ''If only I was an information broker in the past¡­ Or at least someone who worked in espionage, I would have gotten many more information about things happening all around the kingdom. Albeit, my limited knowledge didn''t have the information about the Saintess'' job.


    ''When I subjugated her, I only learned that the Saintess had three main Spirit Abilities. The first ability was Moon Barrier. During the day, the demons would be easier to spot and defeat. But during the dark, people had limited vision, forcing them to stay closely and not do anything.


    ''The Moon Barrier is to erect a barrier blessed by the moon, allowing her to protect everything inside that barrier as long as the moon is still up.


    ''So, I had to fight the Saintess during the day when she got corrupted by the demon. Then, the second ability was Moon Tears. It was a dangerous Spirit Ability that almost killed me. But still, the most dangerous ability she had should be the third ability, Moon Recall. The ability to create a moon for herself. The Saintess was the strongest during the night, so creating the moon for herself allowed her to fight during the day with her strongest strength.


    ''Still, these three abilities didn''t show much about her mission.'' Anna thought for a moment before noticing something. ''Now that I think about it, the Saintess was supposed to be corrupted by the demon, right? Because her blessing was strong, she could fight against the corruption for a while, but¡­ when did the Saintess first got corrupted by the demon? If we could prevent it, wouldn''t it mean we could fix the situation?


    ''But then again, is preventing the problem the solution? Noel wasn''t supposed to be this strong in my previous life but because of my interference, he grew far faster¡­ If I stopped the Saintess'' corruption, what effect would it bring in the future? I won''t be able to use the future information anymore.''


    Anna was in dilemma. Unlike Noel who was good ating up with a solution of everything they faced, Anna''s thought always wandered about her past life since that was where her advantages lied.


    Anna had been considering about her action because she didn''t want to get involved too much since she didn''t know whether her action would bring good or bad to the world.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noticing Anna''s expression, Noel furrowed his eyebrows, asking, "What''s wrong?"


    "Ah?!" Anna was startled and immediately turned to Noel while fidgeting.


    "I don''t know what you''re thinking, but it seems to be serious. So, if you''re thinking about our mission, can you share that information with me?"<sub> </sub>


    Anna scratched the back of her head. She hesitated for a few minute before asking Noel, "Do you know what it means a divine revtion?"


    "Divine Revtion? As in a divination from a being stronger than us?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. Since they were talking about the Saintess, it was clear that her temple had a God that they worshiped, so Noel believed she was talking about it, not realizing that she was just camouging her knowledge about the future.


    "Yes. If you have that kind of phenomenon and know the future and see there''s a suffering in that ce, will you go save them even if it means sacrificing everything?" Anna asked.


    Noel''s expression darkened. This was indeed a tricky question. On the one hand, if he didn''t agree to go, he would be selfish. On the other hand, if he went there, he would lose everything.


    After some contemtion, Noel opened his mouth. "If there''s such a thing, I won''t give up my life."


    "Yes, I can understand that." Anna nodded her head in understanding, expecting this answer.


    However, Noel also added, "Still, I won''t run away."


    "Eh?" Anna widened her eyes as if she understood something from Noel''s words.


    "You mentioned ''the future'' specifically, so it means that it hasn''t happened. In other words, you shouldn''t be sacrificing everything right now. If that''s the case, then there are many routes I can go like asking for help, more preparation, and other things¡­ Or in the worst case, I''ll save them by making them run away as far as they can. If everything I''ve done has failed, then it''s time for me to run away¡­ I am just a selfish person. I save people when I can, but I won''t go all the way to sacrifice my life for them. For me, I think that staying alive is better because I can save more people with it." Noel shook his head, exining his thought.


    "Staying alive is better¡­" Anna looked down as if she was thinking about something. ''Was that why you never killed me in the past?''


    Anna wouldn''t know the answer because that was the experience unique only to her in the past. But Noel''s words were enough for her to steel her determination.


    She looked at Noel with a solemn expression and said, "I don''t know what the Saintess'' problem right now, but I do know that she''s going to be corrupted by a demon sooner orter. When that happens, it would be a nightmare that has to be subjugated."


    [Mission has been updated.]


    [Mission: Help the Saintess of the Moon Temple in Argali Town]


    [Description: The Saintess will soon be corrupted. Go and save her within 75 days.]


    [Reward: Moon Blessing and 21 SP]


    [Penalty: Regret.]

 Chapter 133 Hope

    "!!!" Noel was shocked. In Anna''s eyes, Noel had this expression due to the shocking revtion about the Saintess. But in Noel''s perspective, the mission became clearer.


    This was the first time he saw a mission update from Ardagan.


    ''As expected, it seems that Ardagan has some information about the future while Anna has some knowledge about everything in the world. If I use Anna''s knowledge to stimte Ardagan, I can get more unique missions like this.'' Noel got a bit excited because it was clear that he needed to use Anna''s knowledge to discover more and more missions.


    Only a special mission like this could give so much benefits unlike his repetitive missions.


    p After some considerations, Noel said, "Alright. Assuming what you said is true, do you know any demon that can influence such a person?"</anda>


    "You believe me?" Anna stared at Noel in disbelief. If it was any other person, they would consider her a heresy by cursing the Saintess.


    "You won''t say something without thinking it through. You are dumber than me, but by no means, you are an idiot. Even though I suspect you too, I''ll still listen to what you have to say. Only then will I make a decision." Noel exined.


    "Dumber than you¡­" Anna''s eyebrows twitched.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Don''t deny it, that''s a fact." Noel calmly replied.


    "Fine, fine. I might be dumber than you, but you''re weaker than me!"


    "You can fix weakness by getting stronger, but you can''t fix stupid."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless as she had never won in an argument with Noel. She could make him fall into tricks, but Noel could trulye up with any argument as long as he could lie. Still, she truly wanted to smack him in the head.


    "I''ll be a bigger person and forgive what you said." Anna snorted and tried to calm her heart down. After that, she said, "Anyway, to answer your question, the demon should be an Advanced Level Demon. I don''t know about the type of that demon, considering Demons can grow stronger by influencing living beings like beasts, livestocks, or even nts."


    "I see. The Advanced Level Demon is scary, but the Saintess should have a good blessing whatever, right?"


    "Yes. That''s why the Advanced Level Demon shouldn''t be that strong in terms ofbat because its talent lied on its corruption ability. Still, we''re talking about Advanced Level Demon, there was a big difference between Mid Level Demon and Advanced Level Demon¡­"


    Noel squinted his eyes and continued her words. "Because Advanced Level Demons could behave like a human. The previous Advanced Level Demon we found in the Demon Forest, it could fight like you but with stronger power, so¡­"


    "Yep. It''s going to be a dangerous mission, but we should still have enough power to kill it." Anna nodded.


    The two seemed to havee to an agreement on how to approach the Saintess this time. And they continued their journey to make sure they weren''t toote.


    ¡­<sub> </sub>


    In Argali Town.


    At the top of the clock tower, the highest point of the city, a person stood below the bell that always rang whenever a day had passed.


    She had a white robe covering her body but her eyes seemed to be covered with a blindfold. Despite such condition, she seemed to be able to see everything and had no trouble in moving around.


    When she reached the top of the tower, she was looking at the night sky, specifically the crescent moon above her.


    It was a tranquil city. The city wasn''t big, but it certainly had many things they needed. But they certainly had a big problem.


    The moment she lowered her vision, she could see a dome-shaped translucent barrier that covered the entire city.


    Many demons were swarming the barrier and kept hitting it as if they wanted to break it, but to no avail.


    Still, the fact that the entire city was surrounded from all directions meant there was no path to enter or exit the city.


    There wouldn''t be any supplying into this city and vice versa. The longer it continued, the harsher the situation would be as the city would be destroyed because the people inside died due to starvation.


    Suddenly, the woman nced to the back before a man covered in armor emerged from the stairs, bringing a te of food.


    "Saintess. Please eat your food¡­ We can''t afford to have you copse because you don''t eat anything." The man paused for a moment, looking at the Saintess. He wanted to say many things, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he put down the te and left her. "Please eat it, Saintess."


    It turned out the woman was the Moon Temple''s Saintess. She was looking at the food and frowned. "The food still has meat, but there''s no more seasoning. The water has be a bit scarcer as well¡­ And this must be the best food they can give me¡­ How about the people? They might not be able to eat in this circumstances¡­ the town has truly suffered."


    The Saintess bit her lips, regretting the fact that she couldn''t do anything to help them. The only thing she could do was to erect that barrier during the night to let the people recover for their fatigue from fighting against the demons during the day.


    "And I don''t think I canst for that long either¡­" The Saintess bit her lips while ncing to the west where she spotted a ck spot on her golden-colored barrier. It was clear that such a color shouldn''t appear in that barrier, especially with the fact that it continued spreading to all directions.


    She fell on her knees while joining her hands, praying. "Dear Moon Goddess¡­ please bless us with your grace. If you need a sacrifice, please use my body as a sacrifice to help all 1021 people left in the city. Please send your help because we can''tst any longer."


    Suddenly, the light of the moon seemed to be enveloping her body. The Saintess felt a slight difort in her body but there was one word that suddenly shed in her mind.


    And that word was¡­


    "Hope."

 Chapter 134 False Hope

    "Hurry up!"


    "These gates will be getting ran by the demons soon."


    "Reinforce the other gates."


    The soldiers were shouting at each other, trying to defend the gates from the monsters that came to them.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Some demons managed to jump so high that it surpassed the wall, so they had to deal with those demons. Obviously, normal soldiers couldn''t deal with the demons by themselves. But it would be different with height advantages.


    When those demons tried to jump, the normal soldiers just shoved their spears onto them before they could attack them.


    Those with thinner skin would get stabbed while those with thicker skin would be able to repel them and reach the top of the wall.


    It was then the holy knights under the Saintess worked as they eliminated the demons before they could kill the demons.


    Meanwhile, the demons that couldn''t go that high would ram their bodies as if trying to take down the wall. Unfortunately for them, the wall was sturdy enough for them. They wouldn''t be destroyed so soon, considering most of the demons were Low Level Demons.


    It would be a different case if the majority that attacked their city was a Mid Level Demons or stronger. Their attacks contained Spiritual Energy, so the city would be destroyed sooner orter.


    "Our people are getting exhausted," said one of the knights.


    "How many soldiers left?" Another knight with a golden armor asked while furrowing his eyebrows, looking at these demons.


    "The normal soldiers are around one thousand left. As for the holy knights, Albres and Hensai have passed away from their injuries."


    "Tsk. If this continues, we won''t be able to hold this city for long¡­ The most we can do is three more days¡­" The knight bit his lips, trying to find a solution. "There is also a problem with the supply. We don''t have much supply, so we''re weaker."


    "Will the reinforcement evene?"


    "I don''t know. The city is under the Earldom''s jurisdiction. The Earl has supplied us with two thousand soldiers at the start, but because everything has been blocked, we can''t get any more support from him. Then again, no one wants to go to a city filled with demons¡­ We can only expect the royal family to send their elite army." The knight paused for a moment and asked, "How is the Saintess?"


    "Her body has grown significantly weaker. It seems that she''s enduring pain whenever using the barrier."


    "This is going to be troublesome." The knight remembered the ck spots that had been contaminating the Saintess'' barrier. The Saintess had been denying everything to make them feel assured, but he was the captain of the Holy Knights that came with her, so he knew everything.


    Those ck spots were eating away the Saintess'' soul, so it would be troublesome if they didn''t deal with them as soon as possible.


    "What''s the situation in the city?"


    "All elderly, women, and children have been evacuated to the temple''s basement. Even if we have to fall, they should be able to wait until the reinforcementes."


    "Good. The least we can do is to have as many survivors as possible."<sub> </sub>


    "There is one thing that I want to ask, Captain¡­ Has Goddess of the Moon abandoned us?"


    The holy knight captain''s eyebrows twitched as he pped the knight''s cheek and looked at him coldly. "Never say that again!"


    "¡­" The knight felt the p was unjustified since he thought the situation already had no other route other than death. But a female''s voice soon echoed in his ears.


    "Our Goddess hasn''t abandoned us. This is just a trial from her¡­ However, please don''t give up hope as she has told me that hope will appear today."


    "!!!" The two knights turned around and saw the Saintessing to the wall. They immediately lowered their heads with their right hand on their chest. "Saintess."


    The knight captain immediately asked, "Please don''t go to the wall, Saintess. It''s dangerous."


    "Even though I''m the Saintess, do you forget that my power is above you."


    "But you¡­ you have exhausted your power¡­" The knight captain gritted his teeth, worried.


    "Please say no more. Ie here to see the hope that will appear today." The Saintess smiled.


    "The hope, huh¡­" The knight captain muttered, wondering what kind of hope that woulde to this forsaken ce. "Who wille? I do know the Royal Army won''te to this ce. Even if theye, it''ll be toote due to the distance."


    "I''m not sure. But they seem to be the one that will solve our problems." The Saintess shook her head. "Can you keep a close look to our surroundings to see whether they are around or not?"


    "I understand. Please wait in the city. I''ll inform you as soon as theye."


    "I''ve told you that I''ll wait here." The Saintess shook her head. "Even if I have exhausted my Spiritual Energy, it''s still enough to use my barrier for a bit, so you don''t need to care about my safety."


    The knight captain reluctantly agreed and informed. "Tell the other squad captain along with Knight Romanez that there might be a group of peopleing to this city today. Inform me as soon as they find them."


    "Understood." The knight bowed his head and immediately rushed to the other walls.


    Now that they were alone, the Saintess asked with a serious tone. "How long can west?"


    "The water has almost run out. Two days, our casualties will increase by half. Three days, most people will die. Four days, then the city will be overrun by the demons." The knight captain informed her the real situation which was more dire than the one he told the knight earlier. "I''m sorry. It''s not that I believe you, but even if theye, can they solve this problem before today is over?"


    "I don''t know." The Saintess shook her head. "But they''re certainly the hope."


    "¡­" The knight captain sighed as he could only ce his hope on this unknown group that woulde to save them.


    But to his surprise, when he raised his vision, he found two youngsters standing on top of the tree three hundred meters away from them. They were looking at the city as if they were assessing them.


    "What?! Children? Are you kidding me?"

 Chapter 135 Speechless

    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna who had been standing on top of the tree to assess the situation.


    "So, how are we going to get inside the city, Noel?" Anna asked.


    "I''m not sure. What do you think you can do to enter?" Noel replied with another question.


    Anna thought for a moment and said, "Duplication Rune. If I have enough time, I can use the Duplication Rune to duplicate our power up to eight. It means, our Spirit Ability would be eight for one moment."


    "So, you know about rune and can use it too?"


    "Hehe." Anna chuckled, refusing to give any exnation.


    "Anyway, we have a horse to bring as well, so¡­"


    "Yes, I understand. We need to enter through the gate. But the monster will enter together if they open the gate, so it''ll be a bit of a dilemma." Anna nodded in understanding. "What do you think about running them over? With our superior firepower?"


    "But will they open the gate? That''s the most important question." Noel shook his head, thinking about the most important problem. If they didn''t open the gate, they had to abandon their horse and leaped to the city wall.


    "Fair enough. Still, there are around one to two hundred demons on this side¡­ If we multiple it by four, there are around 500-700 demons."


    "What''s wrong with that multiplication?"


    "Just using a more urate range." Anna shrugged. "Anyway, most of them are only Low Level Demon, so that''s good. Do you think we can kill them?"


    "From the top of the wall, that is. It''s impossible to kill them all from the outside unless you want to get swarmed by hundreds of demons in an instant." Noel thought for a moment and said, "Well, I think I know how to enter."


    "Heh." Anna smirked. "Let''s go then."


    Noel nodded. "Prepare your Duplication Rune."


    After Noel gave the instruction, he looked at the wall and found that someone was actually looking at them. Even if they didn''t, they should be able to see what he was going to make.


    Noel turned around and looked at the trees in their surrounding. Without hesitation, he chopped down the trees, making Anna panic.


    "Wh-what are you doing?"


    "Sending a message." Noel shrugged. He continued chopping a few trees then used his Strength Blessing Rune to allow him to carry this wood and even erect it.


    He ced them to each other and even used his ice to freeze the joint so they stayed together, forming four words.


    "Open"


    That was the word that Noel wanted to convey by arranging the logs. And with the trunk''s size, it should be easily visible from the top of the wall.


    As expected, the one that was confused the most was none other than the holy knight captain. "What the heck? Open? What do you mean by open?"


    "Opening the gate, I think." The Saintess added. "So, the hope has trulye."


    "Saintess. There must be something wrong with this. I can see two people from here, but they are not even an adult. Are you going to pin your hope on them? There must be another group that wille hereter."


    The Saintess thought for a moment and still decided. "Open the gate."


    "Saintess!"


    "That''s my decision. I''ll use my barrier as soon as they enter so that you have enough time to close the gate again." The Saintess clenched her fists as if she believed they were the hope.


    "Saintess!" The knight captain tried to persuade her. On the one hand, he didn''t have any hope in these two kids. On the other hand, he didn''t want the two kids to get involved in this problem, considering it was a dangerous situation that could endanger their lives.


    "Unless they''re aplete fool, they won''t charge straight at the city surrounded by demons. So, that means they have enough confidence to handle these demons."


    The knight captain gritted his teeth. He nced to the side and realized the soldiers had also seen the message from afar.


    "Ten people with me. We will open the gate. Carlos, you handle the timing."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    He took another look and found Noel and Anna had started moving. "What the heck? Are they so confident that they havee right away? Hurry up! If we''re toote to open the gate, they''re going to be swarmed by the demons."<sub> </sub>


    The knight captain ended up moving down as quickly as possible despite his continuous rants.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers, whose eyes were not as good as the captain, could see the appearance of their reinforcement.


    "Children?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "How old are they?"


    "What''s wrong with this?"


    "Are these kids ying with their lives?"


    There were so many doubts in the soldiers'' minds, not believing that Noel and Anna could do anything.


    However, the next thing they realized, those two children proved how wrong they could be.


    Anna pped her hand and formed a huge rune on top of her head.


    "Where do you want to strike them?"


    "Lining them up to the gate." Noel instructed.


    "Got it." Anna pped her hand again. Another eight runes appeared and Anna arranged four to each side.


    When they almost reached the gate, they could see that the gate gradually opened. Noel and Anna could see several feet behind the gates.


    "The gate is opening. We shall slow down and prepare to handle the demons before us." Anna warned Noel.


    Noel''s reply came in the form of action. He swung his sword and shot the Spiritual Energy into the rune.


    Suddenly eight giant swords appeared next to the gate.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. ''I had seen this skill.''


    But her thought was disrupted when Noel shouted, "Prepare an explosion to blow up their corpses!"


    As soon as he gave the instruction, the eight giant swords fell down and pierced the demons that stood below it. None of them were spared no matter how tough their skin was.


    But more importantly, the swords were lining up perfectly that they could block the demons'' advance for a while, giving them a passage to enter the gate.


    As long as they annihted the demons in the passage, they could easily enter the city.


    This was the time for Noel to show the result of his training. The Ancient Spirit Technique that he hadn''t been able to use a few months ago.


    Noel waved his sword and sent a beam of light toward the monster, but soon the beam bounced from one ce to another, making a random and unpredictable attacks.


    "Bouncing Spirit sh."


    It was a massacre. Without being able to move around, the demons fell one by one.


    Anna also didn''t want to lose by summoning the lightning sword that would result in a huge explosion to clear their path. "Sword D''Dantalian."


    Before the explosion, behind the gate, the knight captain could finally see what was happening behind the gate since it had opened enough.


    He immediately shouted to his squad. "Prepare to fi¡ª"


    Before he finished his words, an explosion urred, destroying all the demons in their path and revealing the unscathed Noel and Anna.


    *Boom!*


    He couldn''t even react as Noel and Anna smoothly entered the city and passed them.


    And Noel was the first one to berate histe action by shouting, "Hurry up and close the gate! Do you want to let them in?"


    "Fi¡­ Fi¡­ fight my ass. Close the gate!"

 Chapter 136 Situation

    "Close the gate."


    All the soldiers he brought earlier immediately closed the gate, making sure that no demons entered the gate.


    *Bang!*


    Seeing the gate was finally closed, Noel could finally feel at ease.


    "Hello." A feminine voice soon echoed in everyone''s ears as they turned around and found the saintessing.


    ''Saintess La, the person that is said to be the strongest Saintess of the Moon Temple. Though, she died in my hand before she could develop all her strength.'' Anna narrowed her eyes, looking at this saintess wearing a white robe as if symbolizing the light from the moon. She could also see the crescent moon symbol on her chest. ''She''s truly the one I fought that time.''


    Anna confirmed her identity and politely bowed her head. "Saintess La."


    "Oh my." The Saintess raised her eyebrows, but because she was blindfolded, no one could see her surprised eyes. "Do you know me?"


    "Who doesn''t know the Saintess of the Moon Temple." Anna smiled.


    "This is quite surprising¡­ I guess I''m infamous."


    "Infamous? Not at all, you are a kind soul, so there''s no reason for me to see you in a bad way." Anna shook her head politely.


    "Is that so? The way you talk to me feels a bit familiar." The Saintess smiled, not knowing why she felt that Anna seemed to know her more than she imagined her to be. Still, there was one important question that needed to be asked. "May I know who you are?"


    "Apprentice Knight of the Demon Banner Army, Anna Stargaze."


    "Likewise, Noel Ardagan."


    "Oh my. You two are nobles." The Saintess was quite shocked that the people that endangered their lives to save them were actually nobles.


    "Fallen, yes." Noel didn''t hesitate to add this time, not wanting to make them think he was using his family name to instill something in their heart.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "¡­" The Saintess fell silent as the atmosphere became awkward.


    "The Demon Banner Army?" The knight captain was the first to react from the important information they just shared. "The Demon Banner Army is a special elite army specialized in solving problems rted to demons. No wonder that you''re so strong¡­ But Apprentice Knight should be recruited four months earlier, so¡­ how in the world the army train their people to make them so strong in just a short amount of time?"


    "I don''t think that''s an appropriate question in this situation." The Saintess stopped him before the two talked, considering each army had their own training method and secret.<sub> </sub>


    "Let''s just say that both of us are a special case." Anna added, which could be taken as the answer.


    "Ah, I apologize." The knight captain lowered his head. Although he was a bit skeptical to these two kids, it was clear that they could easily kill those demons and enter the city unscathed. Their skills were enough to give some respect.


    "In that case, let me formally introduce myself. I am the Saintess of the Moon Temple, La. It''s my pleasure to meet you." The Saintess gently nodded with a smile on her face.


    Noel was curious about the blindfold but didn''t say anything. Even so, she must look beautiful if she had ever taken off that blindfold, he thought.


    Instead of thinking about such a useless question, Noel immediately cut to the chase and asked, "May I know the situation of the city?"


    "Please tell him everything. I hate to admit it but he''s smarter than me." Anna shrugged. Although she could analyze the information as well, she didn''t want to do it to keep the little pride she had left in terms of analyzing.


    "The situation is a bit dire. There are around seven hundred demons surrounding the city. And I don''t think there will be helping to this ce. In other words, we need to defend the city ourselves."


    "No, I''m not talking about that." Noel shook his head. "We can talk about the demonster. What I want to know is the city''s situation. How many people are living in the city, how many injured people, and how much supply left?"


    "!!!" The captain and the Saintess were amused by Noel''s question. The Demon Banner Army was specialized in hunting demons, so their priority should be the demons outside. Yet, the man in front of her actually cared people more than the demons.


    The Saintess thought for a moment and nced to the knight captain. "Can you?"


    That nce was enough to tell Noel that she had no problem in sensing the people around her. But Noel ignored his curiosity and immediately turned to the knight captain.


    "There are around 5,000 people in this ce, 2,000 of them are soldiers. But because of the continuous fights, the number of soldiers have been reduced to one thousand. To protect the Saintess, there are four division of Holy Knights. In total, we have around one hundred holy knights that could kill Low Level Demons.


    "There are already 676 deaths and the rest are injured. As for the supply, we have no problem in food supply since we can use the demons to supply food. The problem is the water. Due to theck of outside help, the water is scarce. The well seems to have been drained out and the river has been blocked. It''s impossible to get any more water."


    Noel lowered his head, thinking, ''Now that I think about it, when I was in that vige, I could feed around one hundred people with a water gallon. And if I remember all the past missions about helping the townspeople, it gives me around 3 Honor Points per one hundred people I save¡­


    ''And there are around 4,300 people in the city. If I use 2 Honor Points and get 3 Honor Points per one hundred people, I can get an additional 43 Honor Points. But then again, I can only do this once since Ardagan only consider the first help to be valid unless I give them a different kind of help that''spletely unrted to the first form of help. It''s his way to prevent me from abusing it I guess.''


    "I''m sorry, but even if you''re here, I don''t think we can spare you much food and water as well." The knight captain apologized since they came here just to suffer.


    However, Noel waved his hand and smiled, "I''ll solve the water problem for at least a day. Within that time, we''ll try to finish the problem as soon as possible. So, let''s talk about the demons now."

 Chapter 137 Solution

    "!!!" Everyone was shocked to hear that Noel could fix their water problem. Even Anna didn''t expect this and suddenly remembered what made Noel famous in the past.


    ''That''s right. Noel always saved people like a disaster relief while solving the problems. It seems that he''s going to magically pull out water or something.'' Anna narrowed her eyes, observing Noel.


    "You can provide that much water? Do you know how much you need to feed more than four thousand people?" The captain doubted him immediately since the idea alone was insane and no one in their right mind would believe such a thing was possible.


    "I do have my way, so shut up. Just talk about the problem here!" Noel sighed. He wanted to finish this problem as soon as possible because he wanted to check something.


    However, the Saintess still grabbed both of his hands, stunning everyone.


    "Huh?" Anna was dumbstruck because that action would only be taken by those who believed him.


    The Saintess'' hands were shaking, but her tone was filled with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you."


    "¡­" Noel felt her anxiety and said, "If we want to distribute the water as quickly as possible, I think we should discuss about the problem first. Don''t you agree?"


    "Y-yes!" The Saintess nodded her head furiously. This time, she was the one to give the exnation. "Actually¡­ The enemy this time is quite tricky."


    She raised her hand and created a translucent shield next to her. However, there was a huge ck spot that had contaminated a third of that shield.


    "You can think of this shield as my power."


    "So, a third of your power has been contaminated or something?" Noel squinted his eyes. Anna also became serious as it turned out the corruption had begun.


    "Yes. The demon seems to be an Advanced Level Demon. I''m not sure myself, but ording to Knight Romanez, the strongest knight of this Earldom, the demon is a kind of fungus. The fungus seems to be able to affect one''s mind. And those demons have been infected by the fungus¡­ We have tried to confirm it and if you try to take a look at those demons, there should be a fungi somewhere in their bodies. It''s the proof that they have been controlled."


    "So, its power is a kind of parasite that can corrode one''s mind."


    "Yes. Because it can''t attack my mind, it''s aiming for¡­"


    "Your power." Noel finally understood the gist of the situation.


    "Yes. If it continues, I''m afraid that my power will be demonified and eventually go to my mind."


    "So, that''s how it is." Noel asked a few more questions. "Alright. I only have three more questions."


    "Please ask anything. I''ll answer it to the best of my ability."


    "How does it affect one''s mind?"


    "Infected. If you have any wounds where it can enter your body, you''ll be affected."


    "So, not only that the enemy is an Advanced Level Demon, we have to kill it without getting injured."


    "I''m afraid so."


    Noel nced at Anna. "Is that possible?"


    "Oi, oi. You''re kidding, right? We''re not at that level yet. Although if both of usbine our strength, we will be injured even if we manage to kill that demon."


    Noel was pondering his n while the knight captain couldn''t believe the absurdity of their discussion. ''Seriously? These two kids can actually kill an Advanced Level Demon? And they''re still at Apprentice Knight level? Is this a joke or something?''<sub> </sub>


    While Noel was thinking, Anna gave a suggestion. "We can fight without any injuries as long as¡­"


    Anna was ncing at the Saintess as if she was implying that she would take part of the battle.


    "Do you want to use my ability to prevent any injuries?" The Saintess furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, I do have confidence in defensive ability, but my offensive ability isn''t reliable. So, all the thing I can do is to block something."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ? "Yes. That''s all. Leave the offense to us." Anna nodded. "What do you think, Noel?"


    "That''s possible, but¡­" Noel looked at the Saintess with a worried expression.


    "It seems that I can''t hide it. I don''t have much Spiritual Energy left. And by the time it recovers, I need to use the barrier during the night to let the soldiers rest."


    "Anyway, I can see that the town has many people."


    "Are you asking them to fight as well?" The Saintess asked while furrowing her eyebrows. "All the men have been forced to be a soldier, you know. There are only women, children, and elderly left."


    "So, where are they?" Noel kept pressuring this matter.


    "They¡­ they are inside the houses or the temple to hide in case the demons break through."


    "Huh?" Noel''s eyebrows were twitching, annoyed. "Why are they not helping?"


    "But they are¡­"


    "I don''t care what is their condition. As long as they can move, they''re expected to help! If they can''t fight, then they can carry water to the people above or near the wall. They can carry arrow, weapon or rocks. They even can tend the wounded. If they can help, then they should help. We''re risking our lives here."


    "But¡­" The Saintess wanted to refute him, but Noel added, "So, are you a male?"


    "Ehm, no."


    "Then, is she a male?" Noel pointed at Anna.


    "No." The Saintess shook her head.


    "Then, there''s no problem with women. And it seems that this old guy is considering us as children, so I don''t want to hear any excuses about children either. As for the elderly, they can tend the wounded. There are even some old people standing on top of the wall, right? You don''t have to fight, but you should contribute in a time like this." Noel sighed.


    "This¡­" The Saintess truly had no way to rebuke him because everything made sense.


    "I''ll provide them with water. And with their help, the soldiers will have an easier time on top of the wall. That''s why they should be able to preserve their stamina and keep fighting through the night.


    "During that time you should recover your Spiritual Energy so that tomorrow, we can leave the city and fight the Advanced Level Demon. As for today, Anna and I will be locating the Advanced Level Demon.


    "No matter how hard it is, tell them to endure it for one day." Noel looked at the Saintess. "And the one who can tell them is the one who has protected them this whole time. It''s you, Saintess La."


    La fell silent for a moment. Noel''s argument was solid and made sense. Listening to his speech even gave her some determination and energy to finish this problem as soon as possible.


    It took her a whole five minutes before she decided.


    "I understand. I''ll try to convince them."

 Chapter 138 Darkness

    A momentter.


    All citizens were standing in the middle of the square, the biggest ce they could gather all people, especially the women, children and elderly that had yet to participate in the battle.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I don''t know. They said the Saintess wanted to tell us something."


    "That''s the Saintess."


    Everyone looked at the Saintess that stood on top of a podium so everyone could see her.


    Even with her eyes blindfolded, they could feel how determined she was.


    After checking everyone''s condition, she finally opened her mouth. "Listen to me, my beloved people!"


    Her tone was unlike everything they had heard previously. Her voice contained a strong energy as if she was preparing to fight in a battle herself.


    "I don''t think I need to tell you this, but our condition is bad, bad enough that we won''t be able tost more than four days.


    "We can kill the demons but a hundred demons will soone to our city, reinforcing those demons. It will leave us besieged by an unlimited number of demons. If we don''t do anything and only expect help, we''ll be the ones to be destroyed in a matter of days.


    "In fact, I''m aware that some of you have almost gone insane due to your thirst. That''s why this desperate measure has to be taken.


    "I don''t want to die because of starvation or thirst. If I have to die, I''d like to die of old age because that way my life has been fulfilled because I''ve helped more people. Even if it''s not possible, then I''ll die in the battle, trying to save more people.


    "Hence, I won''t use my barrier tonight and conserve my power so that I can go out tomorrow to hunt the demon that causes all this."


    La''s statement contained a strong fighting spirit that could incite everyone''s heart.


    "Saintess, Please don''t do this."


    "You can die in the battle."


    "What will we do if you die?"? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    The people who had a heart movement tried to persuade her to stay because they should be the one to fight. The Saintess had truly done her best for so long and she deserved that rest.


    However, some of the people weren''t the light itself. They were shadow. And the brighter the light the Saintess had produced, the darker the shadow would be.


    "If you don''t erect a barrier tonight, what will we do then? The demons will be attacking us during the night."<sub> </sub>


    "Are you trying to leave us in this situation? You worded it like you''re going to fight, but aren''t you just trying to make an excuse to escape?"


    "Do you want to leave us to die here?"


    The people got influenced by them also started screaming at her as if she was a criminal.


    "Wha¡ª" The Saintess never expected these dark thoughts to appear here. Even she hadn''t prepared for it. She had pledged to fight, but they couldn''t trust her even after the effort she had made for so long. Her body was trembling because she was scared.


    Just like the Saintess, Anna, who was watching the entire thing from the roof of a building near the za, was stunned to see people not believing the Saintess.


    "How can those people think that way? The Saintess has protected them for more than a month. Yet, those people actually thought that the Saintess would betray them at thest moment? I mean, I can understand their worry, but can''t the Saintess preserve her own life at the very end? If all the people protecting you die, who will protect you then?" Annained with a pout, disappointed in the citizens.


    She turned to Noel, wanting to know about his opinions about this problem. At the very least, Anna believed that the Saintess deserved to rest and save her own life. Knowing the Saintess'' character, even if she fled here, she would still help more and more people in the future. If she abandoned four thousand people so that she could save a hundred thousand people in the future, it was a good trade in Anna''s mind.


    It was logical enough that Noel wouldn''t reject the idea since he was in the same opinion.


    Noel sighed and said, "That''s why I don''t want to make my appearance."


    "Huh?"


    "That''s why I was so mad when the Saintess locked those people inside their home instead of asking them to participate in the battle." Noel sighed.


    "Not locked, it''s hiding them. But yes¡­"


    Noel nced at her for a while as if she was annoyed by her remark but he still continued, "If they fight together from the start, they''ll understand the Saintess more, allowing the trust to form. When the decisive timees, they''ll be able to trust the Saintess. And the people on top of the wall will have an easier time this whole time."


    Anna sucked a cold breath. Normally, the people would lock the ones who couldn''t fight in the church or their homes, hoping they could survive in the worst case possible. But Noel''s thought was different.


    He expected people to contribute. Even if they couldn''t fight, there were other roles they could do. Anna knew this was Noel''s style. That was why he could encourage the people he met in the past.


    ''Those kids and those women he encouraged in the past¡­ I see. So, that''s why Noel is loved by the people. There is already a trust formed between them. He always involves them in his n, forming that bond. It is not that he saves the vige, but it is that he works together with them and saves their vige.


    ''The former only shows that he has done his job while thetter shows that the vigers are not useless because they can work together to ovee any problem in the future even if he isn''t there anymore. Thetter is stronger.''


    Anna''s body trembled as she had done something fundamentally wrong. That was the reason why she never received any thanks from the people she saved before. In their eyes, she just looked like doing her job.


    "Hmm?" Anna was startled when Noel suddenly pointed at the Saintess.


    "If I were there, the people would doubt a kid. Demon Banner Army? Can they believe an Apprentice Knight? If I were there, they would think of me as a dictator who forces them to fight. Although I hate to admit it, I don''t have the strength or the influence to raise their spirit." Noel had a sad smile on his face as if he was disappointed in himself. But he added, "If there is someone who can convince them, it''s the one who has protected them this whole time. The Saintess."

 Chapter 139 Moon Goddess

    The Saintess didn''t know where she had gone wrong. To think that the people couldn''t even trust her the slightest bit.


    ''What have I done wrong? I just wanted to save them and protect them. The reason I made a Moon Temple here was because they were a city that was suffering due to the demon''s siege. I immediately rushed to help them. I even brought four knight divisions.


    ''Everything I did was for their sake. But why? Why could they not trust me? Please believe me that me leaving this ce is for the sake of defeating the demon who causes all this mess, not to save my own life.''


    The Saintess'' body was trembling because of the shock she received.


    Even her faith was shaken for a split second. And it was also the same time she strengthened her faith.


    ''No, the Moon Goddess is not wrong. She, who can only work during the night, has been helping the people during their sleep. It''s a thankless job but that''s what my intention is this whole time.


    ''Even without their thanks and appreciation, I''ll help them. That''s my mission as the Saintess of the Moon Temple.'' The Saintess took a deep breath and prayed, ''Oh, Goddess in Heaven. Please grant this weak person the strength and courage to help them.''


    Suddenly, her body was enveloped by the light like when she received the divination from the Goddess.


    "Huh?"


    "That''s¡­"


    The people suddenly stopped screaming. They could see the golden light that emitted from her body but the Saintess was still praying.


    "What''s happening to her?"


    "That golden light¡­"


    There were three Holy Knights that guarded her and all of them immediately kneeled on one knee upon seeing this phenomenon. They even sped their hands, praying.


    "Thank the Goddess. Even with our faith shaken, you don''t abandon us."


    Their statement shook the entire za.


    Even Noel felt the power as the Spirit Seal on his hand started emitting heat.


    "Kh!" Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from the heat. He wanted to touch the Spirit Seal, but couldn''t do it due to the heat.


    "What''s wrong, Noel?"


    "I don''t know." Noel shook his head in confusion. Even he wanted to ask Ardagan about this sudden reaction because this was the first time he experienced it. "What is Moon Goddess anyway?"


    "Is this a time for that question?" Anna panicked, worrying about Noel''s well-being.


    However, Noel kept staring at her with a serious expression as if he had to know the truth.


    "That''s¡­ Logically, the Moon Goddess is a kind of being higher than anyone else and grants the people the Spirit for the Moon Temple. That''s why the Saintess is born as she is her representative in this world. Through the Spirit granted by her, the Saintess could understand her intention.


    "Although we don''t know what kind of being that can grant someone a spirit, we can''t dismiss the fact that many miracles have appeared either¡­ So, we don''t know what kind of being she is but it''s clear that she exists.<sub> </sub>


    "But for the people of the Moon Temple, the Moon Goddess is their symbol¡­ symbol of hope."


    When Noel heard it, he fell silent as the pain subsided. He was confused but still muttered, "Symbol of hope¡­"


    He suddenly found the Saintess raising her finger and writing a word in the air. The light in the tip of her finger remained in the air, forming that one word.


    Hope.


    All the citizens who saw this phenomenon were stunned.


    The Saintess opened her mouth. But her voice couldn''t be any more different. This time, her voice sounded ethereal as if it didn''t belong to this world. Her voice shook their heart to the point they wanted to immediately kneel upon her presence.


    However, her words were stuck in everyone''s mind at that time.


    "The darkness in your heart can be the hope you are searching for and the light in your eyes can be the despair that will haunt you."


    The people stopped screaming when they heard this statement. They muttered these words in their hearts.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    The meaning was clear. The Saintess was the light that wanted to liberate them, but their eyes turned that light into despair simply because they couldn''t believe her.


    However, she also reminded them that the darkness in their heart could be the hope they were searching for. That was why she wrote that one word.


    The darkness in their heart meant their desperation. The Saintess was theirst hope that remained, but because of their desperation, they thought the worst.


    So, what the Moon Goddess wanted to say was that the Saintess was their hope. They just had to believe in her.


    Noel somehow grabbed his sword at this time while gritting his teeth to make sure he didn''t do anything suspicious.


    "Noel?" Anna was startled.


    But Noel also felt a strange thing. Despite wanting to unsheathe his de, the desire that had been raising in his heart was not to kill the Saintess but to protect her. "I don''t know¡­ I just want to protect her. I don''t even understand what''s going on."


    "Huh?" Even Anna was confused as his action and statement were the exact opposite.


    While they were in the confusion, the Saintess finally regained her consciousness.


    "This is¡­" The Saintess'' body trembled again, but this time from the confusion because she had experienced the blessing personally.


    "Hope¡­" The Saintess muttered in a low voice. Now that the people were silent, the Saintess lowered her head and said, "I''ve got a reinforcement earlier and we should have enough water supply for all people for a day. That''s why during this one day, I want all people, whether they are women, children and elderly to take parts in the battle.


    "I don''t mind if you can''t fight. You can just support them from the back like tending their wounds, cooking meals, or bringing some stones or weapons to the soldiers on the wall. With your help, you can make them have an easier time.


    "I know that you can''t trust me, but the hope is there. If our fate is to die in this ce, then I want to die while trying to escape death! I want to die while trying to protect all of you. So, please¡­"


    The people couldn''t say anything afterwards. Unbeknownst to her, most people in that za had been converted to Moon Goddess''s believers.

 Chapter 140 Unexpected Revelation

    After that speech, the citizens had agreed to participate in the battle. There were someints left, but they were minority this time and couldn''t influence other people.


    At the very least, they should take care a third of the soldiers'' jobs, making them having an easier time on the wall.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna immediately headed to the building where the Saintess lived when she was in this city since they were going to distribute the water.


    "And now, you need to go out." Noelmanded as soon as he reached the house since he was going to take out the water gallons from the system.


    "What? Why do I need to go out?" Anna narrowed her eyes. "You''re going to miraculously pull out some water, right?"


    "How do you know?" Noel had thought about using all kinds of excuses to fool others, but Anna seemed to have known about his power. ''Is Ardagan''s system known by others? But the only person who should know about it was the first wielder of Ardagan, my ancestor. How does she know?''


    Seeing Noel''s confused but displeased face, Anna immediately raised both hands and said, "Fine, fine. I just need to go out, right?"


    Anna left the house without any moreints. She was considerate enough to show some space for Noel even though she had known a bit about Noel''s power. There was no need to look into the information desperately since she would end up being annoying which could lead the friction in their rtionship this way.


    "¡­" Noel even felt grateful for her consideration.


    ''There are three big questions in my mind right now. Firstly, Anna seems to know me and my power more than I expected. Secondly, the answer to what happened to my family. Lastly, there seems to be a connection between Ardagan and this Moon Goddess¡­ It looks hostile at first, but I have a desire to protect in the end. I have to meet Ardagan, but that''s forter. I have jobs to do.''


    As soon as Noel sorted his thoughts, he immediately used all points to summon the water gallon. Two water gallon could feed more than sixty people for a day and there was still an excess water, so if he stretched it, he believed one gallon could feed a hundred people for a day. The rest would depend on the ability of the Saintess.


    Without hesitation, Noel summoned twenty water gallons due to theck of space. But it was still a huge amount of water.


    *Creak!*


    The door was opened as a voice echoed in the house.


    "Excuse me. It seems that you are here since your friend is outs¡ªouch!" The Saintess identally kicked the gallon and stumbled. "Wa¡ª!"


    She ended up falling on top of the gallons while fidgeting like a fish trying to find water.


    "What''s going on?" The Saintess tried to save herself from the embarrassment.


    Noel chuckled and hurriedly helped the Saintess by pulling her up. "Here you go."


    "What are you doing, Mr. Noel? Are you trying to embarrass me?" The Saintess'' face reddened from embarrassment.


    "No, no. You''re falling on top of the water gallons that I bring." Noel chuckled.


    "Water gallons?" The Saintess frowned.<sub> </sub>


    ''She doesn''t realize the obstacles? What''s going on? Shouldn''t she be able to understand her surroundings since she has been walking around without any problems this whole time?'' Noel asked the questions inwardly.


    "So, those are water gallons¡­ I thought you also received the blessing¡­" The Saintess let out a sigh of relief.


    "Blessing?" This statement confused Noel since he was here to get the blessing.


    "My eyes might be blind but it can still perceive Spiritual Energy. And the energy from this water has a simr kind of energy like that of a blessing."


    "Huh? It doesn''t make sense. I can''t even see anything."


    The Saintess fell silent, turned around, and bent her knees in front of the gallon, examining it. She touched every nook and corner before pulling it up.


    "I see. Judging from the size and the weight¡­"


    "Can it feed one hundred people for one day? It might be a stretch though."


    "It definitely can and it''s not stretching." The Saintess shook her head. "If I see the amount of energy from the water, I can see that it has a refreshing effect. Have you ever felt refreshed and not get thirsty easily after drinking this water?"


    Noel scratched the back of his head. The only experience he had with this water was the first water bottle he brought. He wanted to test the power, so he drank it. Her exnation was urate but he didn''t drink enough water to determine such effect.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "It seems that you haven''t realized what kind of power you have." The Saintess nodded in understanding. "This water gallon can provide one hundred people with enough water for a day. I just have to make sure they don''t get more water after drinking it just because they like it."


    ''So, those people in the vige actually liked the soothing effect that they kept drinking it? If I knew, I would only provide them with only a single gallon¡­'' Noel remembered the vige where he needed to destroy the dam.


    "Anyway, I''ll distribute them right away."


    "Ah, one more thing." Noel stopped her and said, "We''ll be leaving the town in a moment to locate the demon since ording to you, the demon won''t be able to go that far away from the demons they control. Hence, I want to ask you if you prefer to leave the town by yourself or escorted by us?"


    The Saintess understood what he meant. If they were outside, they would have a hard time going back to this town. So, they asked her to know whether they should return to the town or wait in a rendezvous point.


    "I''ll have a group of knights to escort me. While it is true that we''ll be chased by the demons, I''m pretty sure this is better. Not only can we work together to take down the demons but my Holy Knights can help you in stopping the demons that will most likely protect the Advanced Level Demon."


    "You entrust me with that job easily¡­ Isn''t your holy knight stronger than us? Since we''re younger than them."


    "No. I can see that both of you are stronger than any of them. After all¡­" The Saintess took her blindfold for the first time, revealing gray-colored eyes thatcked of light to signify her blindness. If it was any other person, they would be appreciating how beautiful she was. Her beauty, in fact, wasn''t any lower than Anna. But Noel was more focused on those eyes that seemed to be able to see through him.


    And the Saintess even made his heart skip a beat by saying, "I know that you have two Spirits in your body, Mr. Noel."


    "!!!"

 Chapter 141 Connection

    "I know that you have two Spirits in your body, Mr. Noel."


    "!!!" Noel''s heart thumped and his body trembled. Noel raised his hand as if he wanted to grasp that neck, but he restrained himself for a bit.


    He didn''t want to strike her first without giving her any time to exin. He already had a time when he was so impulsive back then, so he was already mature enough to control his emotion.


    "What do you mean?" Noel asked.


    The Saintess smiled and put on her blindfold. She said, "I''m sure that you are here for the Moon Blessing. My Moon Blessing is a bit different than the rest. Not only can you see in the dark, but you can also see the Spiritual Energy easier. Though, it alsoes with a price of my eyesight. Not that Iin for my blindness¡­ since it can help more people that way.


    "But don''t worry. Only my eyes can see something beyond the Spiritual Energy, which is the source of our power, the Spirits¡­" The Saintess smiled, locating the two Spirits in Noel''s hand and heart. "I know that you don''t want your secret to be exposed and the best way to do it is to eliminate me.


    "But to be honest, the reason why I''m exposing you like this is because I want to gain your trust. Instead of sneakily holding your secret, I want you to know that I have known your secret. This way, if the information is leaked somewhere, you surely can think of me as the suspect."


    Noel narrowed his eyes, feeling suspicious. "And why do youe to a conclusion that you want to gain my trust?"


    "The Moon Goddess," The Saintess answered without hesitation. "I am not so sure, but it seems that the Moon Goddess wants me to support you."


    ? "Wants you to support me?" Noel remembered the feeling of him wanting to protect her earlier. He wanted to question the connection between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess but it would reveal a lot of information, so he wondered if this was the right thing to do.


    As if she could see Noel''s doubt, she added, "We''re the same. We both know nothing and have the doubt. But never in my life that the Moon Goddess ever did something bad to me¡­ She might give me some hardship to ovee, but she wouldn''t harm my entire being. That''s why I choose to believe her and reveal this information to you.


    "Have you ever asked these questions? What is actually the Spirit? Why are they inside of us this whole time and why must we discover them first before we can gain their power? What''s the difference between the spirits and the demons? The spirits reside in our body like the demons reside in living beings."


    Noel fell silent because he never asked those questions. He had been learning many things in the past few months through the books in the library, but he never questioned the information itself. How did theye up to such a conclusion?


    Noel could see that the spirits and demons were more mysterious than he thought. "So, you are assuming that there''s a connection between spirits?"


    "Yes. But because they don''t have the uniqueness like us, they don''t realize it."


    "So, what''s the connection between our spirits?"


    "That''s what I want to know as well. We can even use the Spirit Oath to share our finding."<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Noel knew that he wouldn''t be able to lie when using the Spirit Oath, so he decided to refuse because he didn''t want to get trapped again. "No need. Instead of talking about this, we should distribute the water as soon as possible."


    "That''s right. The longer we''re here, the more impatient they will be." The Saintess smiled, not pursuing the matter further.


    Both of them were curious about the Spirits, but they knew that the situation was moreplicated than they thought.


    In the end, the Saintess opened the door and asked the knights that stood by outside to help her in bringing the water gallons out of the house.


    The knights immediately distributed the water and Noel could see their faces after drinking the water. It was truly a bliss. It seemed the water from the Ice Pearl couldn''t bepared to the water from the system. But then again, the Ice Pearl gave him free water while thetter used two Honor Points. Of course, the water from the system was better.


    While distributing the water, Noel was often distracted by the connection between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess.


    It was so visible that Anna could see through him easily. After checking Noel''s condition from a distance, she approached him to know what was going on.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna asked worriedly.


    Noel looked at Anna for a while.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ''What should I do? I should get going with Anna to locate the demons, but my mind is distracted from this thought. If I go outside with this kind of thought, it''ll be dangerous. I might get distracted in the middle of a fight. This time, my curiosity is far higherpared to any events in the past.''


    On the one hand, Noel wanted to act like normal. On the other hand, he would just endanger their lives if he went out right now.


    He knew it would be rude for him to take back his n like this, but he still asked, "Sorry, Anna. I think I''ll have to meditate for a while to sort my thought about the previous incident. Do you mind waiting for me?"


    Anna was surprised because Noel never abandoned his n just because of a small matter. It felt like she was abandoned just for his cause. It wasn''t fair.


    However, Anna also knew that if something had distracted Noel to this degree, the matter wasn''t small. Hence, she nodded her head with a smile, assuring him. "Sure. That''ll be the best. I''ll take care of your job here, so you should finish it quickly."


    "Sorry and thank you."

 Chapter 142 Spirit Ranks

    Because of his curiosity, Noel ended up borrowing a room from La and sat down in a lotus pose to meet Ardagan. This matter disturbed him too much because the connection between them could interrupt his bigger n. So, he needed to resolve this matter as soon as possible.


    After meditating for a while, Noel finally entered his consciousness where Ardagan had been waiting for him.


    With a serious face, Noel stood in front of Ardagan and said, "I believe that you already know what I want."


    "Yes. But Master, I can only answer to what you want to know. You have to directly ask me that question." Ardagan acknowledged the question but still asked Noel to give the questions.


    "Then, I won''t hold back. What''s the connection between you and the Moon Goddess."


    "I can''t say."


    "You can''t say?" Noel squinted his eyes, pressuring him for the answer. He also started suspecting Ardagan who had been helping him this whole time. "Do you know what you did earlier?"


    "Yes." The talking sword slightly tilted its body as if a human nodding their head.


    "It''s clear that you''re trying to make me protect her. That influence is too much even for me¡­ It''s said that a Spirit won''t lie, so Ardagan¡­ I''ll ask you. Are you trying to take over me?" Noel didn''t hold back with his question.


    If Ardagan said no, it would mean he would never do it. If he gave him the answer in a roundabout way without answering the question, it meant he had a hidden intention and Noel had to suspect him. There was even a possibility where he had to abandon Ardagan''s real body.


    Ardagan answered as if he already knew Noel''s doubt. "No."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent when he heard that answer. Ardagan didn''t seem to be lying. But the fact that he managed to influence him earlier made Noel fear that Ardagan would be taking over him in the future. And it was clear that there was a connection between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess.


    Then, he recalled the discussion about spirits. Thinking he could understand the connection between them by knowing more about spirits, Noel asked, "Then, what is the spirit itself? What are you? How does spirit appear in our body? Are we truly born with a spirit residing in our body?"


    Ardagan fell silent for a moment. "As an apology for what I did earlier, I shall tell Master one thing.


    "Spirits are divided into five ranks. They are Normal Spirit, Superior Spirit, Beastly Spirit, Demi-human Spirit, and Humanoid Spirit."


    "Five ranks? This is the first time I''ve heard something like this."


    "Because no one knows about these ranks. Even your ancestor doesn''t know it. Heisk is considered to be a Demi-human Spirit."


    "Demi-human? What''s that? Is it something like a human?"


    "The body is a spirit but the appearance looks like a human." Ardagan exined. "Her actual body is like a tiny human with a pair of wings, the Icy Spirit of the Northern in, Heisk."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel thought for a moment, trying to connect the information with the rtionship between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess. He asked one more question, "Then, what rank are you? A humanoid spirit? But you don''t look like a human at all, you are a sword."


    "I''m none of them."


    "None?" Noel widened his eyes in surprise.


    "I might be a spirit, but I was originally a sword. My first master granted me a life, thus allowing me to be a spirit."


    "Bing a Spirit? You can be a Spirit? Who is your master?"


    Ardagan fell silent as if he was refusing to answer. Instead, he gave him something that piqued his interest.


    [Mission: ???]


    [Description: ???]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 1]


    [Penalty: None.]<sub> </sub>


    "Is this your way of telling me that I shouldn''t learn the information?"


    "No. You have the right for the information, but I can''t give it to you right now."


    "Curiosity kills the cat, you should know the phrase, right?" Noel narrowed his eyes. If he knew about this phrase, Ardagan who remained in his mind should also be aware of the meaning.


    Ardagan acknowledged it. "Yes. That''s why I''m telling Master that you have the right to the information."


    "Is there something stopping you from giving me the information?"


    "Yes."


    "And you can''t tell me anything about it?"


    "Not really. I can give you some clue on how to attain that information. It''s to appease Master''s curiosity as well. I am your Spirit, so I shall support you to the best of my ability."


    "A clue?"


    "Yes. It''s rted to the Moon Goddess as she also has that information."


    "!!!" Noel suddenly linked up the connection between them. "The desire to protect, the Moon Goddess¡­ Are you telling me to be a Holy Knight so that I can protect the Saintess? And in exchange, the Moon Goddess might give me some information?"


    "Yes and no."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I know more than anyone else that Master wants freedom. By telling you to be a Holy Knight means I''m controlling your life."


    "And that''s why you don''t give me a mission about it."


    "Yes. However, you can help her from time to time since both of you have the same path which is to help people in need. Whether you want it or not, it''s entirely up to you. Don''t forget, Master. The only person who knows some exclusive information about Spirits is you. If Master has no desire to be controlled, you can pass on the information and continue living like you always do.


    "You can even wait until you have settled everything and have some time to seek some information. You have the freedom to choose."


    Noel lowered his head in contemtion. On the one hand, Ardagan was right. He truly had the freedom to choose. Because no one had this kind of information and the world still continued as usual, it was clear that the information wasn''t important enough to affect the world. But it should be mind blowing to him just to satisfy his curiosity.


    That was why there wasn''t a need to rush to discover this knowledge. At the same time, Ardagan had given him enough exnation that his future was still in his hand, not in anyone else''s hand, including the Moon Goddess and the Saintess.


    He was free to exact his revenge or everything else.


    "I have more questions now than when I first came here. But my doubt has truly been answered. If I chase for that information¡­" Noel nced at Ardagan.


    "It''ll take a lot of time."


    "And I precisely don''t have that kind of time." Noel nodded in understanding. "Well, it''s not toote to learn more about spirits after I finish my revenge. Then, twost questions, do you know how to hide that reaction?"


    "Two ways. Simply retract my body to the Spirit Seal or Suppress my Spirit Seal by channeling the energy from Heisk''s Spirit Seal."


    "Okay. Then, let''s finish this conversation with this question. Do you have any connection to spirits other than the one in the Saintess'' body along with the Moon Goddess?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Yes. But Master doesn''t need to worry that you can''t do anything. Even if you kill the Saintess, no one can stop you. The connection between spirits are different than that of a human."


    "¡­" Noel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He truly had many questions in his mind, but it was enough to solve his current doubt. "Okay. That''s enough for now. In the future, I hope that I can learn more things."

 Chapter 143 Leaving The City

    Noel gradually opened his eyes with aplicated expression. He scratched the back of his head and muttered, "I have more questions now, but it''s a relief to know that I can still control my own life. I don''t have to give up my revenge and ambition. Besides, I can find more and more information about the spirits in the future.


    "No one knows this information and the world still works like usual, so there''s no rush in finding more information about spirits. In that case, I should focus on getting stronger and my revenge first."


    Ardagan might be rted to the Moon Goddess, but their lives, by no means, bound to each other. Hence, Noel didn''t have to revolve his life around the Saintess.


    "Alright. That''s decided." Noel pped his cheeks to shake the thought off and raise his spirit.


    After sorting his thoughts, Noel came out of the room, finding the water had been distributed to the people.


    ording to them, there were 4367 people still alive in the city, so he had taken out 44 water gallons.


    It might take him 88 Honor Points which he didn''t have, but because he continuously helped them and gained more Honor Points, he could supply enough water to them. And thanked to their number, Noel also gained an additional 44 points.


    With this, he had a total of 82 Honor Points, the highest he had so far. He could exchange so much Skill Points with this, but he didn''t forget that half of the points he got was from his effort for thest two months.


    "To think I did all that for only 38 points¡­ and it took me two months to get all that. As expected, having a city to help is the best way to gain Honor Points." Noel sighed,menting the fact that his two months of effort couldn''t bepared to save a single city.


    Still, he had enough Skill Points to y with. Although he wanted to rush and improve all the skills he had, he didn''t know what kind of monster this Advanced Level Demon was. Hence, he chose to not level them up first and wait until he confirmed the enemy.


    With this, he had an assurance if something went wrong.


    As soon as he left the house, he found Anna still distributing the remaining water. But the sun was already above the sky, if they didn''t leave soon, they didn''t know if they could find the demon today.


    "Anna."


    "Mhm?" Anna turned around and found Noel walking toward her. "Have you finished?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "I see. Should we go now then? Our action will surely alert the demons, so we have to kill those who chase after us."


    "Yes. Anyway, the enemy this time is an Advanced Level Demon. As much as I want to split up to expand the search range, we have to be together all the time to even stand a chance against this demon."


    "Agreed. Though, do you have a ce in mind?"


    "The west side of the city. ording to them, the demons had been attacking the city in a clockwise direction. Yesterday came from the south, the day before came from the east and so on."


    "So, you''re assuming that the Advanced Level Demon are preparing some demons to supply the attack from the west." Anna thought for a moment and agreed with Noel''s n. "Good enough. Since we''re already here, there''s no need for a horse, right?"


    "Yes. Let''s go."


    The two hade to an agreement as they immediately told the Saintess they would be leaving to scout the area and headed to the west gate.


    On top of the west gate, Noel and Anna stood next to each other.


    "Approximately fifteen meters to the ground. Can your body handle that?" Anna asked while looking down.


    "There is a cushion."


    "Cushion?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    Noel, on the other hand, remained silent and walked one of the soldiers.


    "Wait, Noel! Watch out!" Anna panicked because there was a demoning up to the wall in his direction.


    As she expected, the demon reached the top of the city wall and nned to defeat the soldiers around it.<sub> </sub>


    However, Noel shouted while running toward it. "Move away!"


    The soldiers were startled by the shout and turned around, finding Noeling at them. "A kid?"


    Noel ignored their reaction and strengthened the muscle as well as covering his body with Spiritual Energy. After that, he kicked the demon right in the belly and blew him away from the castle gate.


    "What?" The soldiers were shocked because they never expected a kid could be this strong.


    But what shocked them the most was the thing he did next.


    Without hesitation, Noel jumped at the demon, resulting in both of them flying away from the castle.


    The people thought Noel wanted to die, but the moment the twonded on the ground, Noel was actually standing on top of the demon unscathed.


    He even had the time to cut the demon after using the demon as a cushion for his fall.


    "!!!" Anna was stunned because Noel truly had a crazy idea on leaving the city. "He used the demon as the cushion and killed it right after? He''s crazy, but¡­ why does it look so fun?"


    She was nning to just jump down as far as possible with the help of her Spirit, but she couldn''t help but kick a demon and followed Noel''s action.


    "Yahoo!" Anna smiled brightly, feeling excited as if she was using the demon to surf in the air.


    *Bam!*N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    As soon as shended on the ground, she killed the demon with two shes. She stillughed and said, "Hahaha, that''s truly fun! Maybe we can do it again tomorrow."


    "Shut up and run!" Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he already started running. Anna almost forgot there were many demons behind them.


    Her face became pale as she immediately picked up the pace. There were around fifty demons that turned around to chase after them.


    "Still, isn''t that fun?" Anna smirked while running beside Noel.


    "It''s not fun." Noel gritted his teeth.


    "Why do you have to be so tense?" Anna sighed.


    Noel only pointed to their front while making a grim expression.


    "Huh?" Anna turned around and tried to see what was going on. She was shocked to find some movements from the forest where the Advanced Level Demon resided. And it was clear who made all those movements.


    In just a few seconds, more than fifty demons suddenly came out of the forest together, pinching them from two directions.


    "Ballom¡­" Anna muttered.


    "What that word means?" Noel was confused of this weird word, thinking it was a foreign word.


    "I learned it from the Saintess. It''s to pray to the Moon Goddess for her protection." Anna smiled.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "We''re screwed."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched, annoyed. "You still have the mood to joke around?!"

 Chapter 144 Annas Hidden Strength?

    "This is not good. They''ll be surrounded by the demons and die in that ce." The knight captain still watched over Noel and Anna because he was worried that they didn''t have the strength to put a fight against the demons.


    And his worst fear came when numerous demons emerged from the forest, causing them to be pincered.


    "How do we help them? We can''t open the city gate and even if we can reach them, they might have died¡­" The knight captain gritted his teeth, trying toe up with a solution.


    However, he would be shocked once again when Noel and Anna revealed their true ability.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna were discussing about their n in escaping from this ce.


    "Can you use the Duplication Rune again?" Noel asked. They were already toote to avoid the sh by going to the side. And if they didn''t do anything, they would be overwhelmed and surrounded.


    Even if they had the ability to take down many Demons at once, they couldn''t defeat all one hundred Demons, especially with at least ten of them being Mid Level Demon.


    "No. It takes me at least ten seconds to prepare that rune." Anna shook her head. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, if that''s the case, we can only break through them, right?"


    "That''s the only way, but¡­"


    Anna smirked and said, "I''ll take the front. You support me. I''m going to release everything I have right now."


    "Huh?" Noel was confused, but seeing Anna''s serious face, he fell silent and slowed down his pace to run behind her. At the same time, he opened his System and exchanged for some Skill Points.


    With his 82 Honor Points, he could exchange 41 Skill Points. The only way for them to escape from this was an overwhelming strength, so he had to support her.


    Of course, he had nned to raise their level this whole time, so Noel raised Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune to the maximum, costing a total 14 Skill Points.


    Noel then utilized these two runes to support Anna.


    "!!!" Anna could feel the great increase in strength and agility. It was differentpared to the increase she felt when they were about to enter the city. She nced at Noel in shock, thinking, ''What did he do to be able to increase his power drastically?''


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t receive that answer because they had something to do.


    Anna took a deep breath.


    ''Kill!''


    ''Kill!''


    ''KILL!''


    A scream kept echoing inside her head as if it was trying to drive her to the madness.


    ''Ha¡­ It''s been a while. Thunder Berserker Spirit, I am going to use your strength for the first time.'' Anna smirked as her gaze became extremely cold.


    Even Noel felt the different atmosphere around Anna, making his body tremble.


    Suddenly, lightning started sparking around her. The spark was different than anything that she had released in the past.


    The lightning was more ferocious and ruthless. The spark came from all over her body.


    "Sword D''Dantalian." She muttered while summoning a lightning sword in front of her. This was the sword she always summoned to blow things up.<sub> </sub>Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    And she sent this sword forward to create a path for them.


    Noel reminded her, "We need speed if we want to break through."


    "Don''t worry." Anna''s tone was cold and contained killing intent as if she had experienced a great change.


    The lightning sword finally reached the demon and caused a huge explosion. The power was at least twice of her usual ability and it even let out a spark in all directions.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. ''This is not the usual her. The power was far stronger than what I have seen this whole time. And that spark¡­ the spark went to all direction with the lightning cutting those demons down instead of electrocuting them.''


    But what shocked him the most was the fact that the lightning sword didn''t disappear after that explosion.


    Anna grabbed the sword on the way and threw it again. The lightning flew like an arrow and pierced through multiple demons. It didn''t cause any more explosions, but its lightning seemed to be powerful enough to pierce through four demons before it disappeared.


    Obviously, now that they were surrounded by the demons, the ones running next to them wouldn''t let them live. They hurriedly turned around and pounced on Anna. Two demons were far closer than the rest as they reached Anna from two sides.


    Anna nced to the sides, but a sword came and cut their necks, killing them.


    It was Noel. As long as they kept up with their speed, not many demons would surround them, so he said, "Keep attacking. I''ll protect you."


    A grin appeared on Anna''s face as she leaped forward while kicking the demon that she killed earlier.


    The lightning sparked around her feet, causing a powerful shock wave that knocked the demon''s body away.


    The corpse crashed to other demons, restricting their movements.


    ''Completed a third, need to kill at least 10 more demons.'' Anna thought while moving in a zig-zag way to avoid the corpses that had fallen to the ground.


    After that, she took out her own sword and channeled it with the lightning before swinging it down.


    A crescent-shaped lightning flew forth, running through the ground and cutting everything on its way.


    The demons in front of them tried to escape but didn''t have enough time and ended up dying. Meanwhile, the demons at the back had more time than them and barely avoided it.


    The path was to escape from them waspleted, but the demons soon closed it again. They even took this opportunity to attack her from the sides again.


    This time, there was even a volley of Spiritual Energying from the air. It seemed one of the Mid Level Demon released this mass of Spiritual Energy from the distance.


    Anna took a peek at the attack but immediately retracted her gaze as if believing that Noel would protect her.


    Like she predicted, a giant sword fell next to her and nted itself in the ground, protecting her from the lump of Spiritual Energy.


    When it hit the sword, thetter stood tall, towering the attack and the shock wave it produced so that none of them reached Anna.


    Anna couldn''t help but smile. As she expected, she could focus on the offensive as long as Noel was on her back.


    Despite the bridge called hatred between them, Noel and Anna worked together perfectly.


    Even the knight captain dropped his jaw to the ground when he saw their performances.


    "They are still Apprentice Knight in Demon Banner Army? They''re already at the level of a full-fledged knight! And within this time, they should only train for four months¡­ What''s wrong with this generation? How strong they will be after a whole year?"

 Chapter 145 Escape

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were roaring to scare them off, but Anna only clicked her tongue and swung her de, releasing another lightning to the surrounding. "Shut up and die!"


    She soon noticed there was a huge sword in front of her. The sword fell down but in a diagonal way, causing the body to tilt to the side.


    This was Noel''s Sword Fall and with the way its body leaning, she understood what he intended too.


    Without hesitation, Anna stepped on the sword''s body and climbed it. The sword was tall enough to surpass many demons'' height, so when she was at the top, she had nothing to fear.


    Four Points Cirction.


    She released the energy on her feet, using the power to jump higher than any demons as they leaped past the demons.


    However, Noel seemed to miscalcte one thing.


    When they flew in the sky, a volley of Spiritual Energy suddenly rained them down as if preventing them to escape.


    Anna could see at least five demons that were looking at them from a distance, shooting them down.


    ''We''re going to fall at this rate.'' Anna thought, but this was their chance to escape.


    Anna raised her left hand and formed multiple lightning balls. She shot them forward to counter these attacks.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    Multiple explosions urred as soon as they shed, causing a powerful shock wave toward the sky and Anna.


    "Ah, not good¡­" Anna had expected this, but it was truly troublesome because this shock wave stopped her momentum in the air. And she could do nothing to stop her from falling back to the demon''s encirclement.


    However, two hands suddenly grabbed her body as Noel''s voice echoed in his ears.


    "As I said, I''ll protect you."


    It turned out Noel had predicted this but still thought about jumping past them. With Anna blowing them away, she would fall down. All Noel needed was to jump slightlyter than her to avoid the shock wave and caught her in the air as they went past the demons.


    Anna blinked her eyes a few times as she looked into Noel''s face. Noel was reliable, that was a fact. But this time, she felt something different. She felt like she could do anything because Noel would take care of the rest.


    This sense of dependency somehow stuck in her heart. In the past life, Anna was their strongest genius. No one could evene close to her. That was why every time she stood tall, she would be alone.


    And the only one who could stand before her was Noel, but back then, he stood as an enemy.


    This time, Anna experienced the first time what it felt to have someone standing by your side. If it was him, he could stand next to me. If it was him, I could rely on him.


    It was a fresh feeling in her heart. She felt like she truly could do anything with him by her side.


    However, her dream was shattered when Noel stated with annoyance. "Hey, we havended already, so run with your own feet!"


    "¡­" Anna was startled as she realized Noel had been carrying her in his arms. When she nced back, some of the demons seemed to have turned around and chased after them.<sub> </sub>


    Anna couldn''t help but cover her mouth and say, "I feel like I''m getting addicted to this."


    "Huh?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Doesn''t this mean I can just cling to you and have you carry me all the way without me doing anything?" Anna looked away as if she was a weak woman that needed her knight to protect her.


    "Eh?" However, the reality was far different than her expectation. Noel wasn''t a knight and he truly had fed up.


    Without hesitation, the moment he heard those words, he threw her to the side and kept running.


    Anna fell on her butt as sheined, "Oi, don''t throw me like that! Can''t you just put me down norma¡ª"


    She felt the iing presence from the side as she forgot that the demons were chasing after them for a moment.


    "W-wait!" Anna hurriedly rose from the ground and ran with her full speed, catching up to Noel. "You bastard, do you know how to treat ady?"


    "Then, behave like one. You are just like a goripared to thedies! And we''ve escaped from the demon, so my job to protect you is already over."


    <o>,m "Gori? Call it Independent and Strong Lady!" Anna gritted her teeth. As expected, she couldn''t really win in argument with Noel. The previous feeling she had when relying on Noel felt like it never happened.</o>


    "Whatever. Now that we are out, there''s only one thing to do." Noel nced back.


    "True enough." Anna smirked.


    Now that they were the one getting chased, there was only one thing to do. Instead of using their agility to escape by using the forest, Noel and Anna were looking back while running.


    There was only one thought in their mind. ''Just st the demons who dare to chase us.''


    Sword Fall.


    Bouncing Spiritual sh.


    Sword D''Dantalian.


    With the demons chasing after them, they simply had to drop one attack after another, killing those demons since their speed was a tad faster than the demons due to Noel''s Increase Agility Rune. The demons wouldn''t be able to catch up to them and ended up dying from one of the attacks.


    ¡­


    The knight captain, who witnessed everything, couldn''t help but say, "Who are they really? They are too abnormal. Are they seriously Apprentice Knights?"


    "I think I know them." The soldier next to him raised his hand. "I was in the capital city a few years ago and I saw the woman. If I''m not wrong, she''s Anna Stargaze, the most talented person in the kingdom."


    "Anna Stargaze? Marquis Stargaze''s Daughter?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, who is that man?"


    "I''m not very sure. But with how the guy doesn''t seem to like her that much, then I only have one person in mind." The soldier paused for a moment because he was confused by the situation. "Count Ardagan''s Son, Noel Ardagan."


    "Count Ardagan? Wasn''t the Count executed by the royal family? If I''m not wrong, Anna Stargaze was the one suggesting the execution. With that much of hatred, how did they end up working together?" The knight captain dropped his jaw to the ground.


    However, no one knew the answer. So, the knight captain scratched his back, looking at them while muttering, "Well, I''m now impressed by Noel now. What a strong kid, to think that he can hide that much hatred in his heart and work together perfectly."

 Chapter 146 Hidden Danger

    "Now, no demons are chasing us anymore," said Anna while ncing at their back. They had been raining the demons with their power, killing them one by one. Because they had to chase them, they couldn''t move so much, so they ended up dying.


    Meanwhile, Noel was staring at Anna, thinking, ''What was the power earlier? She felt different as if she underwent a great change. In fact, it felt like apletely different person.


    ''I don''t understand how she can draw out a power like that. The lightning sword that is usually vaporized together with the explosion remained intact and could still be used. Each attack had the lightning power instead of just a mere Spiritual Energy.


    ''Lightning power shoulde from her Spirit, so is it rted to her Spirit? Does that mean she can utilize the Spirit better?


    ''But I haven''t found any record about them being used like that¡­ It''s like the spirit is possessing her. Still, a spirit shouldn''t think like that. Even Ardagan doesn''t have the intention. Though, he never rified that the other spirits had the same intention.


    ''This only means one thing, Anna seems to know Spirits than your average person. I don''t know how much she knows, but it''s worth to explore.


    ''Now that I think about it, Anna is powerful and knowledgeable. I have been using her as my sparring partner so that I can get stronger. And I think I should make her spill the knowledge from time to time, not just about a special region that can provide me with some power up, but also the general knowledge about spirits.''Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    <o>,m Noel thought for a moment. He wanted to say, ''What a powerful humanoid spirit,'' to see Anna''s reaction. The information that only he knew currently.</o>


    If Anna actually reacted to the word ''humanoid,'' she might be aware of the Spirit Ranks as well, making him doubt Ardagan and Anna at the same time. This statement also meant that Anna''s spirit originally was a higher rankingpared to his if he didn''t meet Ardagan.


    In other words, he could see Anna''s true potential.


    Still, it would be too risky to expose something that he only knew currently. Hence, Noel decided to refrain himself and rode the wave, waiting for the right time to probe for more information.


    He said, "Now that we''ve escaped from the demons, it''s time to chase after the Advanced Level Demon. The fact that the demons chased us to this forest meant that the Advanced Level Demon is here."


    "So, we''re in the middle of his territory now." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Yeah. But I don''t think the Advanced Level Demon will be meeting us. And his movement right now will be extremely unpredictable."


    "So, that''s why you were so angry?"


    "Yeah. I believe that we can escape those demons in one way or another, but the aftermath will be horrible." Noel nodded.


    "Should we split up now?" Anna asked.


    "No. We can''t split up no matter what." Noel shook his head solemnly. The moment they were separated, the demon would take advantage of it and attack one of them. It didn''t have to fight them since controlling their mind was all it took for the demon to win.


    "Alright then. Where should we go?"


    "Let''s go to the north first to make sure it doesn''t escape ording to his pattern."


    Anna and Noel hade to an agreement as they started running, chasing after this Advanced Level Demon.


    Unbeknownst to them, the Advanced Demon itself was actually hiding not far from them. There was a small mushroom behind the tree that could move left and right depending on his needs.<sub> </sub>


    And this mushroom had been releasing its spores into the air this whole time. Unfortunately, the demon was barely outside the range of Noel''s detection with the help of the Demon Hunter Medal. If not, he would have found it.


    ¡­


    A few hourster.


    Noel and Anna had been running around the forest, trying to find the demon''s location but to no avail.


    "This is going nowhere." Anna became a bit frustrated.


    Noel was the same but his expression remained calm. He had predicted this oue, so he wondered what they should do next.


    They had met multiple demons but had no result in finding the Advanced Level Demon.


    "So, you don''t have the mood to joke anymore?" Noel red at her.


    "¡­" Anna looked away, ashamed. She finally understood why Noel wasn''t happy this whole time. At first, she thought the reason was because they were in danger, but it turned out the search was the one that concerned him.


    "I''m sorry, alright? Spare me with the nagging. I won''t be like this anymore."


    Noel rolled his eyes, not believing a single bit that she would repent.


    "Whatever. The problem is that¡­ the night is going toe soon, and the search will be extremely hard and dangerous after that point. Even so, we have to find them no matter what. There''s a chance that the demon is preparing more demons, but their target is not the city, but¡­"


    "Us." Anna''s face turned serious. She knew what would happen at that point. They could barely defeat the Advanced Level Demon, but their mission would absolutely fail if there were other demons helping them. Although the knight captain had promised to help, but he wouldn''t bring so many people to make sure the city didn''t fall while they were fighting here.


    Hence, they couldn''t afford to have other demons fighting them.


    "What should we do¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice, racking his brain.


    "Noel. I have an idea." Anna raised her hand as this might be the first idea she ever gave him since she had been relying on his brain toe up with an answer.


    "How about causing chaos everywhere? We utilize one explosion to another to check the ce in wide area. The normal demons will be rmed by this movement while those demons¡­ I''m not sure. There are two possibilities. If a huge number of demons gather in one ce, their roars will be extremely loud or there won''t be any roars at all because they''re controlled by the Advanced Level Demon."


    "What a reckless n, but it sounds like you, a crazy witch." Despite his words, Noel was actually impressed.


    But everything didn''t seem to be going ording to their n. Noel suddenly received a notification from Ardagan as if it was the proof of his exnation from earlier.


    [Warning!]


    [Unknown source has entered Master''s consciousness.]

 Chapter 147 Challenging The Danger

    [Unknown source has entered Master''s consciousness.]


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    [Burn/Freeze/Let it be?]


    ''Something is entering my consciousness? What is that something? But we''re talking about the Advanced Level Demon who is specialized in controlling its targets¡­ Don''t tell me.'' Noel''s expression turned cold.


    He also nced at Anna. If she was infected, she should be the same because they were together the whole time.


    However, the most shocking thing he realized was the Demon Hunter Medal.


    ''What''s going on, Ardagan? I have been using the Demon Hunter Medal that allows me to sense all demons within fifty meters radius. Are you telling me the Advanced Level Demon can influence me from outside the radius?'' Noel bit his lips, wondering if the Demon Hunter Medal was any use.


    Back in the dam, he used it to prepare himself against the iing demon from the water, while using it to locate the demon around them this time.


    Yet, the only thing they could find was only normal demons.


    Noel narrowed his eyes while looking at Anna.


    "This cold wind is very ufortable. If I''m a normal person, I would have fallen sick by this time without any proper warm clothes." Anna sighed,ining. She was using the knight uniform, so it wasn''t enough to handle this cold wind that seemed to be lower than any ces she visited by a few degrees.


    "Wind?" Noel widened his eyes in shock and grabbed Anna''s shoulders.


    "Ehm, Noel?" Anna was startled due to Noel''s sudden action. He was actually staring at her intensely as if he wanted to push her down right away. But the Noel she knew wasn''t someone like that, so she didn''t know what to do.


    Noel kept staring at her without blinking. His mind was revolving crazily, contemting about this matter.


    After a minute, Anna felt a bit ufortable and wanted to push him away, but the intense gaze didn''t change as if he was in deep thought. She couldn''t afford to take this matter lightly anymore like what she did when they got pincered in two directions.


    Anna only closed her eyes and let Noel do whatever he wanted. As long as he didn''t cross the limit, she wouldn''t do anything.


    But as soon as she closed her eyes, Noel let her go and took a step back as if he was ying with her. He just wanted to make her embarrassed with that action.


    "Hey¡ª" Anna wanted toin but stopped when she heard Noel muttering, "The wind, the spore, and the demons¡­ So, that''s how it is. The Advanced Level Demon is a mushroom, so it''ll be releasing its spores into the air and let the wind carry it. Now that I think about it, the wind is particrly strong in this forest. Why did I not realize it until now?


    ''The demon is using the wind to carry its spores so that it can control more demons. If that''s the case, all we have to do is to follow the wind."


    "!!!" Anna blinked a few times, never thinking the situation was like this. She thought Noel was considering about her proposal earlier in that silence, but it seemed he was thinking about how to track the demon. Even if they caused many explosions, it would be useless if they went to the wrong way.


    Noel wanted to pin point their direction and started working from there.


    On the other hand, Noel was also thinking about another thing. He asked Ardagan inwardly, ''So, Ardagan. How do I burn or freeze this spore?''<sub> </sub>


    Skill: Undying Fire (0/5)


    Requirement: 20 SP


    Skill: Freezing Crystal (0/5)


    Requirement: 7 SP


    ''It seems that I can use both of these skills to eliminate the spore. But the problem is Anna. There''s no telling when the spores will be acting up.'' Noel fell into deep thought before a devilish n appeared in his mind.


    Because he was acting as Noel, he immediately leveled up the Freezing Crystal instead of Undying Fire. There were two reasons. Firstly, Noel''s known element was ice. Secondly, although the Undying Fire sounded powerful, it cost too much Skill Points. It was something that he couldn''t afford to use for a moment.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    As soon as he leveled up the Freezing Crystal, he got the knowledge about its use. As expected, it seemed Heisk was still powerful even though she wasn''t the highest rank of Spirit.


    From the knowledge, it seemed he could turn the spore with the Freezing Crystal the moment he located the spore.


    Still, the spore should be so small since he couldn''t even see it. In that case, he had to choose a perfect timing.


    Right before he would be controlled or right after the demon activated the spore in his mind, he should freeze the exact same spot and cancel the mind control.


    ''Still, there''s one problem remaining.'' Noel nced at Anna.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna tilted her head in confusion since Noel had been staring at her a lot.


    Noel smiled and said, "Nothing. Since we can now locate the Advanced Level Demon, we should chase after it right now."


    Anna nodded in agreement, not realizing that she was already under the control of the demon. As for Noel, he had already prepared for everything, including Anna''s mind control and what he would do when that time came.


    They hurriedly followed the wind to find the demon. Noel obviously knew the danger. The fact they were going through the wind, there should be some spores left in the air. However, he just kept chasing as if he wasn''t scared of these spores.


    After getting Noel''s approval, Anna started shooting the ''Sword D''Dantalian'' to the area, causing explosions after explosions that woke the demons up.


    Roars resounded across the area, displeased by the situation. But because those two acted covertly, they didn''t get spotted by any demon. Noel even took charge due to his Demon Hunter Medal, avoiding all the demons that came at them.


    However, there was one spot where they didn''t hear a single roar of the demon.


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks and agreed to check this spot.


    While going to this ce, Noel suddenly stopped Anna as his Demon Hunter Medal was picking up several presence. Anna could also feel it too and agree with him.


    This was the spot.

 Chapter 148 New Abilities

    Both of them stopped and hid behind a tree as they approached the area carefully, making sure they didn''t make any noise. The animal''s ears were sensitive, and it was worse when they turned into demons, so if they were not careful, everything would be in vain.


    Of course, both Anna and Noel didn''t dare to approach them easily. They were watching them from far away on top of the tree.


    Noel had a hard time finding the right spot to watch the entire scene, while Anna seemed to have found her spot and even asked him toe over. In the end, Noel came to her and finally had a view of the demons.


    There was a three meters tall mushroom standing in the middle. It had thin legs and arms, making it look vulnerable to sharp objects. However, dozens of demons were watching this mushroom demon as if they were listening to their father.


    Noel and Anna had agreed that this demon was actually the Advanced Level Demon they had been looking for. They also could see the mushroom in the demons'' bodies. Some were hidden, some were easily visible.


    But it was clear that all these demons were under the mushroom''s control.


    Both of them exchanged looks as if they were trying tomunicate their next move.


    Noel pointed at his eyes and those demons in session, telling Anna that they were going to watch over them.


    Since the Saintess was nning to bring some Holy Knights to stop the demons, there would be some trouble in the city wall due to theck of capable people. Hence, it was better to stall the remaining demons here instead of letting the city take them head-on.


    After all, it would still be considered a defeat if they let the people in the city die. Noel couldn''t bear the fact that he would lose so many Honor Points.


    Still, when Noel counted the demons, there seemed to be a total of 38 demons in this area alone. Taking them head-on would be too reckless. Even the Holy Knights wouldn''t be able to defeat them.


    Hence, they had to challenge some of the demons first. This was a challenge for Noel to see what kind of n they had to use in order to defeat these demons.


    After some consideration, Noel used 8 Skill Points to upgrade the Rune Mastery.


    Skill: Rune Mastery (2/10)


    Requirement: 12 SP


    Noel received more information about the Runes, such as more rune strokes and some basic knowledge. If he could keep this up, he didn''t even need the knowledge from Ardagan to form a new rune. Of course, he had to level this skill up for a bit more before he could do such a thing.


    And for now, Ardagan seemed to be responding to thatck of knowledge.


    Skill: Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune (0/3)


    Requirement: 5 SP


    Skill: Chain Bind Rune (0/3)


    Requirement: 5 SP


    Noel thought for a moment because this was the first time he saw these two runes. Unlike the previous two runes, these runes weren''t support runes that could enhance their abilities.


    If he allocated his remaining 12 Skill Points to these two runes, he wouldn''t be able to react to the enemies in case something bad happened.<sub> </sub>


    Still, these two runes might be good for him. The first would be the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. As its name implied, the rune''s purpose must be to disperse Spiritual Energy. It seemed to be a defensive rune that could block a Spiritual Attack by dispersing that energy.


    On the other hand, the Chain Bind Rune could help him restrain a demon. Depending on the situation, he could use it to stop a demon.


    However, there was one thing in Noel''s mind. The time needed to cast both runes. The Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes could be used pretty much in an instant, so if they had to wait, it would be a problem.


    After some consideration, Noel decided to level up these two runes. And now, there were only four Honor Points left since he hadn''t exchanged them for Skill Points.


    The knowledge about the runes entered Noel''s head.


    ''Their effect is as expected. Well, the Rune Mastery allows me to understand more about runes, but this is not the ce to review it. In that case, let''s focus on the important matter first.'' Noel tapped Anna''s shoulder and nced to the back as if asking her to step down and talk in a ce the demons couldn''t listen.


    Anna acknowledged it with a nod as those two climbed down and walked quietly until they were a few hundred meters from the spot.


    Finally, Anna asked, "So, what are we going to do with them?"


    "As expected, we have tounch a sneak attack and kill as many demons as possible at the first strike. The Saintess has to keep up her barrier to stop the mushroom until we kill enough demons for the Holy Knights to handle.


    "After that, we''ll take care of the mushroom with the Saintess. That''s the gist of the n." Noel exined.


    "The city wall can''t take them, huh?"


    "Yes. With their numbers decreasing to help us, it''s better to keep the demons here." Noel nodded. Regrettably, this was the best option they had.


    Anna closed her eyes, recalling the memory of her past. ''I had a simr mission in the past, but at that time, I took care of everything alone and sacrificed the city to make sure I could kill the demon. But Noel got the help of the people, so this wasn''t only his victory, but their victory. At the same time, he shared his n so that they knew he didn''t have any n to sacrifice the city no matter how many advantages it would bring.''


    Anna nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let''s do it then."


    "For tonight, just maintain our distance, and we will send a signal to the Saintess tomorrow morning."


    "Got it. We can''t set up the camp and fire and we don''t have anything to cover our body¡­ It''s going to be a cold night." Anna sighed.


    Noel took out his military jacket and handed it to her. "You can use it. I''m going to work my body during the night to keep myself warm anyway."


    "Are you sure?" Anna was startled because Noel wouldn''t do something like this no matter how much he changed.


    "If you don''t want to then¡­" Noel tried to put it back, but Anna immediately grabbed the jacket with a smile.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Thank you." Anna had a big smile on her face as she covered herself with it. However, the same thing couldn''t be said to Noel as he looked at Anna with a dark expression.


    ''That''s the least I can do for what I''m nning for you to go through.'' Noel looked away so that Anna didn''t get any suspicion.

 Chapter 149 Thunder Berserker Spirit

    Anna was leaning on the tree while watching Noel swinging his sword. This somehow became her night routine, considering Noel only rested his body ording to the schedule, not because he was sleepy.


    Noel would keep swinging his sword every night during their journey. She even wondered if he was possessed by the sword.


    ''Still, I can understand how Noel can keep up with me. Well, there will be many problems in the near future. I don''t even know how much my actions influence the future. Like the case about the bandits with the demons, I''m pretty sure that there''s going to be some reaction from the Supreme Devil Organization. I have to get stronger as quickly as possible¡­ I don''t know why but the stronger I be, the faster Noel''s growth is. It''s as if he can keep up with me the whole time.''


    Anna was watching Noel with a nostalgic gaze as if she had known him for a long time.


    At the same time, she felt ufortable about something. Whether it was due to her using the real power of her Spirit or not, she felt the need to sort her mind.


    <o>,m After some consideration, she quietly closed her eyes and meditated, entering her consciousness.</o>


    Inside her consciousness was a in white room with a man standing next to a punching bag.


    The man had spiky yellow hair and a huge muscr body. His gaze was fierce and fighting intent was emitting from his body as if he was picking a fight with anyone that saw him. If Noel was here, he would have recognized this man as the highest ranking spirit, the Humanoid Spirit.


    Upon her arrival, the man noticed her presence and turned around, confused. "What''s wrong?"


    She looked at the man and said, "I feel ufortable. Is it because I have used your power, Thunder Berserker Spirit?"


    "Nope." The man shook his head while pointing upward. "Something is sticking in your brain. I can feel it."


    "In my brain?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. "I didn''t feel anything though."


    "Are you sure? Why don''t you check it with my power? I mean, you surely know that technique without me teaching you, right? A brat like you who seems to know everything in our first meeting." The man smirked.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent before closing her eyes. Suddenly, she furrowed her eyebrows and felt a tingling sensation in her brain. "This is¡­ a kind of power that can control my brain?"


    "Definitely." The man nodded in agreement as if he knew everything.


    "¡­" Anna contemted for a moment. "Is this the mushroom? But how? I don''t even feel its presence and haven''t even seen its attack?"


    "What does mushroom release?"


    "Spores?" Anna finally understood the situation. "So, that''s why Noel said that¡­"<sub> </sub>


    Noel told her that the wind was carrying the spores, allowing the mushroom to control demons in a wide area without showing itself. It also meant that the spores had entered their brains.


    "In that case, Noel is in the same situation too? He must haven''t realized it." Anna gasped, knowing that the battle would be hectic. "I should inform Noel about this situation and get rid of the spores so that the battle goes smoothly."


    "Are you sure about that?" The Thunder Berserker Spirit smirked.


    "Huh? Noel''s n has to go smoothly so everyone can be happy." Anna tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why the man before her doubted her action.


    "I''m sure that you have felt when using my power what kind of madness that will revolve in your head. But aside from that madness, I do have a working mind you know. That''s why I want to ask you whether you want to do it or not. Don''t be Noel this, Noel that¡­ I just want you, my contractor, to express your desire."


    "Huh?" Anna was confused.


    "Are you dumber than me?" The spirit shook his head helplessly. He pointed at his head and said, "Why don''t you try to outsmart Noel this time, Idiot Master? I know that you''re trying to learn from him, but don''t you think it''s also fine to surpass him this time?"


    "Surpass him? Outsmart him? How?" Anna sucked a cold breath as she asked herself whether it was possible or not. "No, wait a minute. If Noel doesn''t know this, won''t the demon control him at that time?


    "What if I use this chance to suddenly turn around the situation by removing the mind control from his mind? Won''t this also make Noel owe me a bit?" Anna muttered, falling into deep thought. However, there was one thing that stuck in her mind. "Wait a minute. I can remove the mind control from my brain by inducing my own brain, but I have the protection of the Thunder Berserker Spirit. My brain can withstand the lightning used to electrocute my own brain.


    "Noel is different¡­ There''s no way his brain can withstand the electricity. How do I remove it?" Anna tried toe up with a solution from her past life but to no avail.


    The spirit smiled and asked, "Do you want me to help you?"


    "Can you? If that allows me to outsmart him for the first time, then¡­"


    "Hehe, sure¡­" The spirit walked to her and ced his finger on her forehead, transmitting the knowledge about a certain technique. "With your control over my power, I don''t think this is a hard technique for you to use, right?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "This technique¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath and stared at the spirit with a dumbfounded face. Instead of horrified, her face reddened when she fully understood the technique. "You¡­ What the heck are you thinking?"


    "I''m just helping you with a technique. It''s your choice whether you want to do it or not." The spirit shrugged. "Well, I have helped you, so¡­"


    The spirit snapped his fingers and transported Anna back to reality.


    In this lonely white room, the spirit smiled with a mysterious smile. "Well, I''m simply going to help you. I don''t understand why, but it already happens¡­ So, you should treasure this second life to make everything right, Anna Stargaze."

 Chapter 150 Three Types Of People

    "Hmm?" Noel nced at Anna who just returned and asked, "You good?"


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. After getting Anna''s confirmation, Noel continued his practice. Meanwhile, Anna took a moment to think about the knowledge that the Thunder Berserker Spirit gave her earlier. She still couldn''tprehend how the Thunder Berserker Spirit would give this technique.


    The technique itself wasn''t that hard, but if she had to fight Noel before applying the technique, she had to restrain him somehow.


    "¡­" Anna took a peek at Noel once again before closing her eyes with a troubled expression.


    She didn''t know what to do.


    "Anyway, we have to wait until dawn before executing the n. It''s also better since we''ll get a good visibility." Anna muttered in a low voice while examining Noel''s body. She had to make sure that he didn''t train too hard that it would affect his performance tomorrow. Though, it seemed Noel just made a simple swing without putting too much power. A swing like this wouldn''t do anything to the current Noel.


    Since there was nothing she could do, she just sat there without doing anything while thinking about what her spirit said earlier.


    ''Noel this, Noel that, huh¡­'' Anna lowered her head. ''It''s true that I have been trying to learn from Noel, but it seems that I''vee to ept that I''m inferior to him? No, my talent should be simr or higher than Noel.


    ''Even though I want to change Noel, it doesn''t mean I''m going to pursue my own path. Have I truly forgotten this? Has Noel changed me to this weak self?'' Anna let out a long sigh, realizing that she had softened a bit too much.


    Noel was indeed special in her mind, but there was this charm that somehow made people ept Noel. Even she didn''t know what it was.


    She couldn''t help but be curious and ask, "Noel. Why do you help people in the first ce? Normally, Nobles won''t be this kind to themoners, especially those who live in the vige."


    "Huh? Thises out of nowhere." Noel''s eyebrows twitched.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    There was a mission from Ardagan that forced him to help people. But there was one more reason why he tried to turn over the new leaf and became this kind of person.


    ¡­


    A few years ago.


    Noel was lying down with his head on top of a maid''sp while enjoying the gentle breeze in the morning.


    It was a peaceful day and he didn''t want to do anything.


    But a middle-aged man came. This middle-aged man had long ck hair and tied neatly on his back. He looked at Noel with a smile despite him being a useless guy.


    "Noel."


    Noel opened his eyes, recognizing the voice. "Father?"


    He also realized the maid had also lowered her head as if she wanted to greet his father without waking him up.<sub> </sub>


    But since Noel had opened his eyes, there wasn''t a need to do it anymore.


    "You''rezying around here again?"


    "I''m supposed to take care of the family after seeding your position. Since my life will go through hell after that, won''t it be the best choice to spend the rest of my peaceful days like this?" Noel asked.


    Even though he looked likezy and irresponsible, he still epted the fact that he would seed his position as if it was his duty.


    The middle-aged man nced at the maid and said, "Consider you are dismissed."


    The maid fidgeted for a moment, not knowing what to do with Noel''s head on herps. But Noel was still thoughtful enough to lift his body so that she could move away.


    After the maid left, Noel asked, "Does Father have something to tell me?"


    "I know that you don''t want to be bothered by many things, but I have things that I want to teach you."


    "I have read some books about the business. It should be fine since I''m reading those books in installment. I should have finished all of them by the time I seed your position." Noel nodded with a calm face.


    "No. This is something more important than the book."


    "Huh?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows as if he felt his peace was disturbed. Learning from his father meant it would take a lot of time from him, so he didn''t really want to do it.


    However, Count Ardagan raised one finger and said, "I''m going to teach you about one topic every week. Don''t worry. I''ll make sure it doesn''t exceed thirty minutes. You can even throw those books away in exchange for this time because I''m nning to teach you a life lesson."


    "Huh? I can throw away those books?" Noel narrowed his eyes, contemting. "For now, let''s hear about it. I''ll see whether I have to throw those books away or not."


    Count Ardagan smiled. Despite hisziness, it seemed Noel was still responsible enough to consider the books to be important. It showed that even though Noel would meet some difficulties in the future, he should be able to maintain the family.


    "I know you are smart. When you show me how you notice some nks in the ount book, I know that it''ll be fine to leave the family in your hand. But there is something that differentiate our Ardagan Family from your average merchants. What I want to tell you this week is about three types of people."


    "Three types of people? You''re not talking about genders, right?"


    "Not at all." He shook his head and began his lecture. "Let''s say there is someone who is asking for help. The first person thinks like this, ''What can I get from helping him? Shouldn''t he pay me forbor or shouldn''t he give me something bigger?''


    "Then, the second person thinks like this, ''He has helped me in the past or he might help me back in the future, so I should help him I guess?''


    "Lastly, the third person doesn''t think and simply say, ''Sure. Let me help you,'' without the need of exchange. What do you think about these three people?"


    Noel lowered his head, thinking.

 Chapter 151 Life Lesson

    "The first person is a merchant, the second person is themoner, the third person is too good to be true." Noel answered.


    Count Ardagan pointed at himself. "I''m the third person¡­ Or you can say trying to live that way."


    "Huh?" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "The third person is our ideal because he helps people with his kindness, not for what they can get!" Count Ardagan raised the forefinger, symbolizing the first person. "Let''s talk about the first person first.


    "If you meet someone like this, how are you going to approach them?"


    Noel answered without hesitation, "Since they''re going to suck me dry, then I don''t mind fighting them as well."


    "That''s right. When you meet normal merchants, they''ll try to set up the contract with a win-lose situation. They want to win as much as possible even if they have to destroy your life in the process. Even the nobles are like this. That''s why even though they''re good, they won''t be liked." He then raised his middle finger, symbolizing the second person. "Then how about the second person?"


    Noel had to contemte this time before answering, "I can understand them since they have to live as well. They can be friends, but won''t be more than that."


    "That''s right. In fact most people in the world falls into this category. They help because you have helped them or vice versa. Last but not least, how do you approach the third person?"


    "They''re good person and I personally like them the most. But if they''re too gullible, they''ll be taken advantage of. Though, I do admit that they''re someone that I can trust."


    Count Ardagan smiled in agreement. "This type of people will give without asking for rewards. It looks like this guy is too kind and too good to be true, but that''s not the case. You can train yourself to be someone like this."


    "Why should I? My wallet will bepletely empty if I live like this."


    "That depends on you." Count Ardagan shook his head. "When I rule people, I will extend my help when they need it without asking themoners to give me anything. Helping people doesn''t mean that you have to guarantee their lives or solve all their problems. They have to keep struggling like farming and such to sustain their lives so that they won''t bezy.


    "But you still extend your help without asking anything. Just help them and solve a bit of their problems. Normally, you think that I''m the second person, but no! If I help them, I think like this, ''My money will disappear, but so what?''


    "It was true that it wasn''t profitable, but I have said that most people are the second type, right? They''ll try to think about helping me in the future. You don''t have to expect anything from them even when making a big decision. If they don''t give you anything back, then you don''t have a problem since you don''t have any expectation. But if they help you back, then you dly ept them.


    "So, every time you help people, I want you to think like this. Just genuinely help them and don''t expect them to give you anything back. You help them because you want to. Even if they betray you in the future, you just have to deal with it. Don''t think too much."


    Noel lowered his head as if he understood what his father was saying. He muttered, "So, that''s why Father''s influence is great. You gain people''s support easily and many people want to follow you even if they have to sacrifice their lives. Without you expecting anything from them, you have changed their lives. And they''re the one wanting to repay you.


    "And there are two more catches about this type of person. First, you will be the one with many connections that you don''t expect. With that wide connection, expanding business to scrap the loss you suffer when helping them is possible. When people go to you, you''ll be a person who can say, ''Don''t worry. I got your back. I''ll tell this guy about it.''<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. You''ll be the person with the most connection. And the second advantage is that you have people''s support. They can be soldiers when needed since they''re ready to sacrifice their lives for you. And when you truly need help, you can simply ask them."


    Count Ardagan nodded in agreement. "That''s right. But you must remember, you have to help people without expecting anything back. That''s the hardest part you have to control."


    "I can understand. It seems that Father wants me to live this way for the Ardagan Household."


    "That''s right, but you''re missing something. You don''t have to use money to help them, so your coffer won''t be that empty."


    "Another form of help?" Noel widened his eyes.


    "And that is¡­" Count Ardagan made a yful smile as if teasing Noel with the suspense and he ultimately said, "I''ll reveal it next week."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. "Father!"


    "I''ve told you that I''ll be teaching one thing every week. I''ve made the rules, so I won''t change it even if you beg me. This is what is called integrity."


    "This is not fair. After you raise that suspense¡­" Noel clicked his tongue and still said out of spite. "Still, you just broke what you promised. You taught me about integrity, so it meant two things every week."


    "Huh? You little¡­" Count Ardagan chuckled and patted Noel''s head.


    ¡­


    This memory was one of the drive forces why Noel helped people. In the fort, he helped the kids first with the fruits he gained from other people''s gratitude. In the first vige he visited, he helped thosedies with his speech. In the third vige, he helped them by destroying the dam. Only in this city that he opened his personal coffer, the Honor Points, to help people.


    That was why the mission itself was perfect for him since he could simply expect something from Ardagan, not from the people. Though, it might look like he barely became the third type.


    He smiled yfully, teasing Anna. "There is a reason."


    Anna''s eyes brightened as she listened to Noel attentively, only to be disappointed because Noel added, "But I don''t want to tell you."


    "¡­" Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she had the urge to move her fist. ''I want to punch him.''N?velDrama.Org ? content.

 Chapter 152 Why Always Me?

    The next morning.


    Noel and Anna were preparing for their assault.


    "How do you inform them?" Anna asked. She had just scouted the demons and made sure they were still in their position.


    "I''ll simply leave the forest and inform them. Hopefully they haven''t made their move yet." Noel shrugged. The n was so simple as if Noel didn''t bother to evene up with a better n.


    "What if they move when you''re calling them?" She asked.


    "You." Noel nced at her.


    "¡­" It took Anna a moment to finally understand what he meant. "You are using me as a beacon?"


    "I can''t do it, can''t I?" Noel shrugged.


    She wanted to say that Noel had the ability by releasing his second element, but it would also make him suspect her since no one should know about Noel''s second element yet.


    "Fine. I''ll do it." She sighed. "This will be quite dangerous for me since I have to take them on if they''re moving."


    "We''ll be regrouping with you as soon as possible." Noel nodded.


    "You better do. Why do I always take up this hard job¡­" Anna let out a long sigh, recalling that she had to take on an Advanced Level Demon to buy time for Noel. And this time was no different.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Sorry and thank you." After saying those words, Noel hurriedly leaped away, heading straight to the exit of the forest to inform the Saintess and the Holy Knights to go to their position. They had agreed that the Saintess would leave as soon as they got the signal, so he hoped they were already prepared to leave right now.


    Noel used his fastest speed to reach the exit and as expected, the people had some trouble in maintaining the defense. They had been fighting the whole night, so it was clear that they were exhausted.


    Hence, this was theirst opportunity. The Saintess had to leave to use her ability to defeat the enemy after regaining some Spiritual Energy.


    As soon as he left the forest, Noel tried to wave his hand to inform them. Because he wasn''t clear whether they saw him or not, Noel cut down the trees next to him and nted it on the field so that everyone could see the weird, big trunk standing out of nowhere.


    One of the soldiers spotted the trunk and shouted, "I saw a trunk and a man outside the forest!"


    Without hesitation, he turned to the other side of the wall and shouted to the people below.


    Behind the gates had already stood ten people with their horses. The one who led them was a Holy Knight Captain that had been following the Saintess with thetter being surrounded by the knights.


    "It seems that everyone is ready." The Saintess smiled.


    "Are you sure you''re going to do this, Saintess?" The captain looked at the Saintess since this was the first time he saw La riding a horse on her own. She usually moved with carriage, so it was quite surprising to see her this way.


    However, La simply nodded her head and said, "Before bing a Saintess, I''m a knight wanna be. Don''t worry."


    "¡­" The knight captain was speechless for a moment before shouting, "Open the gate!"


    As soon as she heard the Order, the Saintess used her ability to create a translucent barrier right outside the gate so that no monsters came into the city.


    They walked outside the gate but still had some space between the gates and the end of the barrier, finding the demons trying to swarm this barrier.<sub> </sub>


    "Close the gate!" The knight captain ordered again as he raised his sword. The white shiny sword started to bask in golden light as he swung it down the moment the Saintess retracted the barrier. "O'' Moon Spirit¡­"


    The sword released a torrential golden light forward, trying to engulf everything in its path.


    "Let''s go!" The Saintess shouted as they hurriedly moved outside to breakthrough. The torrential light was eliminating the demons as if they were being burned by the holy light.


    However, the other demons from left and right wouldn''t let this go.


    The holy knights had been wearing full body armor and wielded a spear and a shield, so they put their shield in the side to protect the Saintess from both sides.


    They had to risk their lives so that the Saintess didn''t use too much of her Spiritual Energy before the fated battle.


    With the captain riding in the front and eliminating as many demons as possible, the entire group easily ran through the demons and escaped from the city.


    Still, the demons didn''t want to let them go. Like Noel and Anna, they sent more than thirty demons to stop them.


    However, there was a reason why they brought their own horses to escape.


    The Saintess sped her hands as if she was praying. "Dear Moon Goddess. Please grant us your strength."


    Suddenly, the knights and even the horses were enveloped by golden light, amplifying their abilities.


    The horses ran faster than demons as they continuously watched them getting away.


    "Hoh?" Noel narrowed his eyes, impressed by them. However, this was useless.


    They had to enter the forest, meaning the horses would be in danger if they crossed the forest with that kind of speed. And the demons would catch up to them soon.


    That was why Noel raised his sword, preparing to engage the demons. He had to kill them before they could reinforce them.


    As if sensing Noel''s anxiety, the Saintess lifted her right hand and summoned a golden light. This golden light flew toward the demons that chased them and turned into a dome-shaped barrier, trapping all the demons inside. With this, they should be able to enter the forest without getting chased.


    When they arrived, she smiled as if nothing happened. "Sorry for making you wait."


    "¡­" Noel squinted his eyes as if he knew this Saintess wasn''t ordinary.


    "Though, I think we should kill them since we don''t want any threatsing from behind." Noel exined while ncing at those demons.


    However, everything didn''t seem to go ording to his n because he heard a loud explosion in the sky.


    "!!!" Noel turned around and looked at the signal in the sky, correcting himself. "Never mind."


    Noel chose to abandon his intention in killing those demons because Anna had signaled him that the demons had begun moving.


    And of course, Anna was stillmenting her position as she stood in front of the numerous demons, including the Advanced Level Demon.


    "As expected, why do I have to do this the whole time?" Anna clicked her tongue while ring at these monsters. She had taken their intention, so she had to stop them here until Noel brought the reinforcement.

 Chapter 153 Late

    The demons had recognized her as someone that had to be removed. But they were waiting for the Advanced Level Demon to give themand to attack Anna.


    At the same time, Anna had considered the spores in her mind that could take over her mind at any time. The moment she noticed that the demon tried to control her, she would destroy it with her lightning.


    Hence, the first engagement would be important.


    "¡­" Anna examined the demons and eventually her gaze rested on the mushroom demon that stood at their back. It was clear that the demons wanted to protect him.


    Since the tension kept raising as none of them actually started making their move, Anna raised her hand and made the first move to suppress them. However, this move was simply gathering the Spiritual Energy while drawing a pattern on the air.


    As if sensing the Spiritual Energy fluctuation, the demons let out a roar. Even the mushroom couldn''t stop it anymore as it waved its hand, ordering the demons to kill Anna.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue. Since she couldn''t use the Duplication Rune, she stepped back and summoned a lightning sword that she sent toward the demons.


    *Boom!*


    The light sword exploded, injuring the two demons that got impacted by it and scattering the rest of the demons.


    ''Sword D''Dantalian can''t even kill them?'' Anna squinted her eyes, realizing that the Mid Level Demon used their Spiritual Energy to block that attack at thest second. That was why no demon died.


    This was also the reason why she didn''t want to fight so many demons at once. Unless her power was far superior to them, fighting against these many demons was a reckless idea. She would just be overwhelmed by an attack from all directions.


    ''Still, I can''t really run away, can''t I?'' Anna clicked her tongue and pointed her sword, ready to fight them head-on.


    To test their reaction, Anna leaped back to force them to chase after her for a short distance.


    The demons followed her as if they were only fixated on her. Some smaller demons leaped from one spot to another to avoid the trees while those who were bigger rammed their bodies and destroyed the trees to open the space. This way, Anna couldn''t use any trick as well.


    "¡­" Anna realized that it would be useless to fight them, so she just ran away to buy some time. She even ran to Noel''s position, hoping that they met on the way.


    However, the mushroom demon was an Advanced Level Demon. If a Mid Level Demon could utilize their Spiritual Energy and could think a little bit instead of following their instinct like the Low Level Demon, an Advanced Level Demon could master their Spiritual Energy and had the intelligence simr to that of a human.


    The Advanced Level Demon recognized Anna''s action and gave the signal through the fungi to let the demons know it was impossible to chase Anna since thetter could simply take them down one at a time.


    Hence, the Advanced Level Demon tried to corner her bymanding the demons to loop around as if they were running to the city. The Advanced Level Demon just wanted to test her reaction to their original n.


    If Anna cared for the city, she would try to sacrifice herself to keep them here. And it seemed the demon won its gamble.


    Knowing she couldn''t afford to have them go to the city, Anna stepped forward, challenging the Advanced Level Demon. If she fought this demon, the rest would turn around to help the demon.


    However, three Mid Level Demon stood in her ways while the rest of the demons turned around and encircled her.


    "¡­" Anna''s expression turned grim as she truly had no choice but to do this even though she hated to be in this situation.


    "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­" Anna muttered this one word a few times as her expression became colder and colder. Instead of berserk, she felt like someone who had been keeping all the tension in her heart and was waiting for the time to explode. And that explosion would be big.<sub> </sub>


    The demons didn''t care about Anna''s state as they continued to surround her. Some even had started to attack her.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Anna covered her sword with lightning and leaped to the three Mid Level Demons, nning to break through and go straight to the Advanced Level Demon.


    The Mid Level Demons opened their mouth at the same time and shot out powerful beams from their mouth.


    <o>,m "!!!" Anna ducked down, avoiding these beams. ''Is that the ability of a Mid Level Demon? But we''re talking about the controlled Mid Level Demon. Don''t tell me, because they''re controlled, they can utilize one hundred percent of their ability?''</o>


    Anna felt stumped as this battle would be harder than she originally thought.


    After that, she continued her way toward these three demons, only to find some demonsing from behind those three Mid Level Demons, ambushing them.


    *ng!*


    Anna struck their ws or horns to stop them, but in the end, they managed to stop her.


    Taking advantage of Anna''s situation, the rest of the demons gradually approached her. They rammed their heads into each other, hoping that Anna would die from either being crushed or stabbed by their horns.


    Luckily, thetter managed to escape into the air while looking around to find her helper. But it was impossible for her to avoid the attacks mid-air.


    The Mid Level Demons gathered their energy and let out breathes to take her down.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue and covered her body with Spirit Aura Breathing, nning to take these attacks with her body. However, a half sphere appeared underneath her and blocked all the attacks.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A few explosions urred, but there wasn''t a single graze on the barrier.


    Not long after, a huge sword appeared out of nowhere and impaled one demon when it fell down.


    Noel jumped into the barrier that caught Anna and extended his hand. "Sorry, it seems that we''re a bitte."


    "You are 1 minute and 23 secondste."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. "That was awfully specific."


    "I made that up. Hehe."

 Chapter 154 Fighting The Mushroom Demon

    "Anyway¡­" Noel rolled his eyes as he turned around, focusing on the mushroom demons. It seemed that they couldn''t ambush these demons anymore because of the current situation.


    "Move! Kill all these demons so that the Saintess can focus on the Advanced Level Demon." The knight captainmanded the group. Still, it looked too much for them.


    Each Holy Knight was able to take on one or two Low Level Demons while the captain himself could handle the Mid Level ones. But the number was bigger than what they were capable of.


    "Do you need my help?" The Saintess walked next to them as she had finally arrived after ensuring her safety.


    "Can you go with Anna to stop the Advanced Level Demon? I''m going to kill some demons so that the holy knights can handle them." Noel asked.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "That''s easily done." The Saintess nodded in agreement before looking at Anna to ask for her opinions.


    "Alright." Anna also agreed to the suggestion and turned around. Her entire focus lied on Advanced Level Demon. She could see some demons trying to stand in her ways, but that didn''t matter anymore.


    "Come." She rushed forth while shouting. Lightning sparked out of her body as she channeled the lightning into her sword.


    Four Points Cirction.


    This was an Ancient Spirit Technique they got from the fortress'' treasury. It could release Spiritual Energy from their palms or soles. This time, Anna released the lightning through her sword and spread it on the ground, creating a fan-shaped area.


    The lightning tried to destroy everything on its way, including the ground itself.


    The Mid Level Demons that saw it immediately used their Spiritual Energy to shoot down the lightning to stop spreading. But a translucent screen appeared out of nowhere. This golden screen received their attacks easily.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    Two explosions urred to take down a single golden shield, but it didn''t even leave a scratch on the screen itself. Anna''s lightning continued to move forth and electrocuted anyone in its path.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons, who got electrocuted, roared in pain. Due to her spreading the lightning, the power contained in each lightning was a bitcking. They couldn''t kill the Low Level Demons.


    However, it was a different case because of Noel. A snowke symbol suddenly appeared on top of these demons.


    "Huh?!" Not just the demons, but also Anna and the Saintess were confused by this snowke. Anna could see an immense cold from it while the Saintess felt the extraordinary Spiritual Energy. Anna thought, ''Noel''s New Spirit Ability?''<sub> </sub>


    When the snowke fell to the ground, its cold spread and instantly froze everything in ten meters radius. Those demons that couldn''t move because their bodies were electrocuted were frozen.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This Spirit Ability was simr to what she used earlier. If the demons were in normal conditions, they could avoid it or jump to the air to avoid the freezing ground. But because she had stopped them with the lightning, the snowke froze and took away their lives.


    She nced at Noel who remained behind her with a serious expression. ''He has this kind of Spirit Ability already?''


    She didn''t know that Noel had received two optional skills. The first one was this Freezing Crystal while the second one was Undying Fire. The Undying Fire cost 20 Skill Points while the Freezing Crystal only cost 7 Skill Points. Their strength difference was clear, but Noel didn''t have any n in using it yet due to the immense cost and because he didn''t want to reveal his me yet.


    Seeing his freezing ability progressed by leaps and bounds, Noel immediately shifted his focus on other demons. He leaped toward one of the Mid Level Demons while ignoring their shock.


    "Tsk. I can''t lose." Anna clicked her tongue and immediately went straight to the mushroom demon. She channeled the Spiritual Energy into her sword and dispersed her lightning once again.


    The lightning was weakpared to what she used earlier, but it was enough to shatter the ice that froze the demons.


    The shattered ice contained the demons'' body and no one would be able to survive from that kind of wound.


    Still, the most important thing was the fact that Anna and the Saintess could pass through them and arrived in front of the mushroom demons.


    "It seems that you''re eager to be beaten." Anna smirked, ring at the mushroom demon while thinking, ''Well, there are three ways for the mushroom demon to control me. The first one is to contaminate my Spirit, like the Saintess'' current situation. The second way is to use the spore in my brain. Last but not least, it''s from the touch. So, I can''t carelessly touch this mushroom.


    She waved her sword down and released a crescent-shaped lightning that ran through the ground.


    The mushroom demon looked at this lightning for a moment before it pointed its palm toward the lightning. A huge amount of Spiritual Energy suddenly erupted from that palm and struck the lightning, destroying it.


    The residual Spiritual Energy continued its way to Anna, only to be blocked by the Saintess'' barrier. Still, the barrier had a few ck spots as the proof of contamination, and when it blocked the Spiritual Energy, the ck spot reacted and became a bit bigger.


    "¡­" The Saintess felt the contamination and furrowed her eyebrows. If she continued this way, it would be very dangerous.


    Anna, on the other hand, smiled excitedly as she hadn''t fought an Advanced Level Demon for a while. "I have almost forgotten the fact that Advanced Level Demons have a ridiculous amount of Spiritual Energy. It doesn''t release it to the surrounding like the one I have found in the forest, but it''s clear that I can''t win easily."


    Anna took a deep breath as she channeled the lightning into her sword. This time, her sword was covered in blue light that extended a bit farther than her sword. The light was covered with lightning as well.


    This was Anna''s preparation to handle a demon that she couldn''t touch.


    "I''m going." Anna smiled, informing the Saintess.


    The Saintess'' expression turned serious. Despite the contamination, she still said, "Please rest assured that I''ll block all attacksing to you."

 Chapter 155 Not Controlled?!

    On the other hand, the knight captain was stunned, watching Noel fighting the demons.


    "What is this?"


    "How in the world a kid can do all that?"


    "Is it because of his Spirit?"


    "Has he trained so much before entering the Demon Banner Army?"


    "But Noel Ardagan is known as azy noble who never does anything."


    The Holy Knights were watching Noel''s overwhelming strength in shock.


    Noel jumped to a Mid Level Demon and swung his sword. The Mid Level Demon easily struck his sword with its ws covered in Spiritual Energy.


    But Noel''s sword was far sharper. The Spiritual Energy from the Sword Aura was concentrated in the spot where the de would hit the ws, enhancing its power by two to three times.


    With that kind of sharpness, the ws were cut in an instant. Noel even used Mega sh to provide with the necessary power.


    This was the control he learned from the Master cksmith.


    After cutting down the ws, Noel spun his body and kicked the demon in the stomach, releasing the Spiritual Energy with his Four Points Cirction.


    *Bam!*


    The demon was knocked back, but Noel''s attack hadn''t finished yet. As soon as there was a distance between them, Noel swung his sword and released a sword strike that bounced from one spot to another.


    The sword strike pierced through the demon''s body and bounced back to pierce another spot until there were many holes in the demon''s body, killing it.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    After that, Noel ducked down as two Low Level Demons almost struck him. Unbeknownst to them, the moment Noel dodged, he left behind the Snowke Symbol on top of his head.


    That was why both demons ended up running through it as the symbol popped, creating a st of ice that froze everything around it. The two demons turned into ice crystals in an instant as Noel immediately shattered them with his Mega sh.


    Noel wanted to continue fighting this way, but he could see that the Advanced Level Demon was overwhelming Anna and the Saintess with its firepower alone. Noel nced at the Holy Knights who were fighting the demons. "Alright. I''ll leave everything to you guys."


    "Leave it to us. We should be able to handle it." The knight captain nodded.


    "Should? I don''t like the way you phrase it." Noel snorted and used his Strength Blessing Rune and Increase Agility Rune to increase their abilities.


    "This is¡­" The Holy Knights were stunned by the surge of strength they suddenly received. With just a look of the runes in front of Noel, it was clear this was his ability. The knight captain understood the meaning behind this action and said with confident. "We shall handle these demons. Please rest assured."


    "That''s better." Noel smiled as he turned around, rushing to the mushroom.


    The mushroom was releasing another burst of Spiritual Energy to crush Anna and the Saintess, but a giant sword suddenly fell from the air and split the Spiritual Energy into two so that they wouldn''t get affected. It was clear that the Saintess would be more corrupted if this continued, so he wanted to take a bit of her burden.<sub> </sub>


    He smiled, assuring them. "Are both of you alright?"


    "Thank you for the help, Mr. Noel." The Saintess smiled.


    "Ready to take down an Advanced Level Demon?" Anna smirked as she could finally go all out with Noel here.


    "Of course." Noel nodded in agreement as they stood next to each other, preparing to kill this demon.


    But the first thing the mushroom did was pointing its finger to Noel and Anna.


    "!!!" Noel and Anna widened their eyes in shock because they could feel the same thing. The spores in their brain were trying to take over their mind. Now that they were together, the mushroom could control both of them at the same time without making any suspicion.


    The mushroom poured some Spiritual Energy to give themand to their brains. Even though the mushroom didn''t say anything, they could hear a sentence in their minds.


    ''Kill each other.''


    Noel had been waiting for thismand. He used his Freezing Crystal to freeze his brain. But with the help of Heisk, the brain didn''t freeze, only the spores.


    However, Noel still turned around and headed straight to Anna with his sword.


    Meanwhile, Anna experienced the same thing and burned the spore in her head before turning to Noel. But because Noel was the one to make the first move, Noel had reached her before she could swing her sword.


    In Noel''s mind, a memory about Anna''s apology shed in his mind. It truly made his heart ufortable because he would hesitate in killing her. On the other hand, she was still her enemy. Not a single day he had forgotten that fact.


    ''I will stab her here. Even though I won''t kill her right now because she still has some uses to me. I''ll make her suffer as much as possible. I can im this ident was caused by the spores and build up this coincidental suffering so that when she realizes I''m under control of these idents, she''ll lose her trust and feel betrayed and ultimately¡­''


    Noel''s n was perfect. Not only could he inflict some suffering to Anna, but he could use this chance to sneak attack on the demon by making the demon think he was still under his control.


    When he was one step away from Anna and prepared to thrust his sword to the side of her stomach to make it look more dramatic, he smiled excitedly in his heart, thinking, ''She''ll ultimately hate me and at that time, it will be easier for me to kill h¡ª"


    But what Anna didpletely blew his mind. Instead of using her sword, she actually let it go so that her body could turn faster. And she spread that arm and grabbed Noel''s head.


    Instead of snapping his neck like the mushroom intended too, she actually put Noel''s head in her embrace as she stroked Noel''s hair.


    "Good boy, good boy¡­" She smiled gently while trying to remove the spores with her hand. The technique she got from the Thunder Berserker Spirit allowed her to channel a small amount of lightning to his brain to the point it wouldn''t impact it. But she had to pull him in her embrace because she had to take him by surprise to ce her hand all around his head.


    But at the same time, both of them realized the same thing. Anna could move this way instead of killing him meant she had removed the mind control. As for Anna, she noticed there was nothing to remove in Noel''s brain.


    Both of them looked at each other with a pale face and thought in panic.


    ''He (She) isn''t affected by the mind control?!''

 Chapter 156 Overwhelming Strength

    ''He (She) isn''t affected by the mind control?!''


    Noel and Anna were staring at each other, never expecting that they both could remove the mind control spore.


    Noel nned to stab Anna. Even though he didn''t want her to die yet because she still had some uses, he wanted her to suffer, making her hate him so that it would be easier for him to exact his revenge in the future.


    On the other hand, Anna nned to remove the mind control to make Noel owe her again and outsmart him.


    But all of it was for naught when they realized that they could stop their own mind control.


    And now, they were left in this embarrassing position.


    "¡­" The Saintess tilted her head in confusion, not understanding a single thing about this situation. She couldn''t see their position directly, but she understood their movement. "What are you two doing? Flirting?"


    "NO!" Both Anna and Noel answered out loud at the same time. Their faces were flushed red, embarrassed by the whole situation and misunderstanding.


    Of course, the Saintess might not be able to see the world with her blind eyes, but she could still see the movement of the Spiritual Energy like how she discovered the two spirits residing in Noel''s body. So, she knew the mushroom did something earlier.


    Anna hurriedly let go of Noel while thetter gritted his teeth in anger.


    They truly wanted to forget about what happened earlier. They even had the same thought as their eyes let out killing intent.


    Looking at the mushroom demon, Noel said to Anna. "Hey. What about a mushroom steak?"


    "No, it must be mushroom stew." Anna answered while ring at the mushroom.


    This embarrassment could only be washed away by blood. And they were nning to kill this mushroom and eat it.


    Even the Saintess felt a bit scared of their change right now. They were looking at the mushroom as if it was their arch-nemesis.


    ''Kill.''


    ''Kill.''


    ''Kill.''N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Anna started letting the instinct from the Thunder Berserker Spirit flowed as she prepared to use his power. But this time, she had agreed to this one.


    ''Yes. Killing is the only option.'' Anna answered inwardly as her body began emitting lightning spark.


    Meanwhile, Noel used everything he could use to amplify his ability. Sword Aura, Increase Agility Rune, Strength Blessing Rune, Muscle Strengthening, and Spirit Aura Breathing. He was nning to use all of them in order to kill the monsters.


    The mushroom might have done something it shouldn''t have. But it was toote.<sub> </sub>


    Anna had made the first move by charging straight to the demon. The only thing she had to fear was the mind control from the touch. It was much more potent than the contamination or the spore. As long as she didn''t touch the mushroom, she would be fine.


    That was why this lightning covered sword was a perfect weapon for her.


    She tried to sh the mushroom to cut it down. But the mushroom somehow leaped into the air and kicked the sword to the ground.


    "!!!" Anna saw mushrooms growing on her sword and started sucking the Spiritual Energy. Without hesitation, Anna released the lightning, turning the sword back to a normal one.


    The mushrooms followed the lightning and disappeared, allowing Anna to summon another lightning once again. If she used a normal sword and let the mushroom stay there, they would suck the Spiritual Energy she poured into her sword. So, it would be a waste.


    Still, Noel took this opportunity to get closer to the mushroom and swung his sword right at the body.


    The mushroom once again showed an acrobatic move by grabbing Noel''s sword and using it as a support to throw its body into the air.


    And the spot that it touched earlier started growing some mushrooms. Without the help of a cover like what Anna did, Noel''s sword this time would be useless.


    "Noel! The mushrooms are going to absorb the Spiritual Energy you pour into a sword. You should return and get them removed first." Anna warned him out loud.


    Unfortunately for her, Noel wasn''t even listening to her. He only smiled when he saw those mushrooms and pointed his palm to the Advanced Level Demon. A rune was formed.


    Chain Bind Rune.


    Two chains suddenly emerged from the runes and flew straight to the demons. Now that the demon was in the air, it couldn''t possibly escape from these chains.


    Noel''s chains circled around the mushroom body and stopped its movement. The only thing the mushroom could do was fall down. However, the mushroom demon also did something to the chains as small mushrooms began to appear on the chain sucking the Spiritual Energy in it. If it continued, the chains would disappear in no time.


    However, Noel had already expected such a move, so he came straight to the demon to cut it.


    His body was hard enough to stop this attack since Noel couldn''t cut the mushroom''s hand when it used the sword to perform an acrobatic move. So, Noel had to pour Spiritual Energy into the sword if he wanted to cut it, albeit they would be sucked by the small mushrooms infesting his sword.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel wasn''t the same person as he was two months ago. He hadpletely grasped what the Master cksmith Roel taught him.


    When he poured the Spiritual Energy, the Spiritual Energy moved around the sword as if it was alive. It avoided all the mushrooms so that it didn''t get sucked and eventually reached the tip of the sword.


    "!!!" The mushroom demon panicked because it couldn''t suck any Spiritual Energy from this attack. And the chains had yet to disappear, so it couldn''t perform any more acrobatic moves to stop it.


    In the end, it used its left hand to stop the sword, but ended up getting sliced by Noel''s sword. However, the mushroom demon somehow managed to escape from Noel''s attack and avoid the worse.


    Meanwhile, the Saintess had been following their battles this whole time and was stunned by their performances. Their movement wasn''t like an Apprentice Knight. She was so shocked to the point she asked herself, "Do they even need me here?"

 Chapter 157 Unexpected Ambush

    "Do they even need me here?"


    That question wasn''t just her own opinion. It was a hard cold fact. After all, the moment the mushroom escaped from Noel''s sword, Anna appeared behind the mushroom to strike it down.


    This wasn''t just two Apprentice Knights fighting an Advanced Level Demon. It was two Apprentice Knights bullying an Advanced Level Demon.


    Anna struck the mushroom from behind with her lightning sword.


    The demon tilted its body to the left and barely avoided it with its side getting pierced by the sword.


    To escape, the demon released a huge amount of spores that it created a kind of smokes. If these two inhaled those spores, their body should be taken over.


    However, the Saintess immediately covered them with her barrier by creating a spherical barrier that isted them.


    The spores were soon carried by the wind, so La released them to chase after the mushroom that was about tond on the ground.


    "Noel!" Anna called him out loud while summoning a rune in front of him.


    Noel recognized this rune because this was the Duplication Rune she used before. It was clear that Anna had been creating this rune beforeunching her attack.


    Seeing this rune, Noel believed they could catch up to them. He swung his sword and released a beam of Spiritual Energy into the runes, duplicating it into eight.


    Bouncing Spirit sh.


    Noel smiled as he controlled all the eight Bouncing Spirit shes. These eight shes bounced from one spot to another, but because they numbered eight instead of one, they basically created a torrent that wouldn''t leave anyone alive if they got swallowed into it.


    The mushroom demon widened its eyes in shock as it couldn''t avoid these shes in the air. It tried to release another spore cloud as a defense mechanism.


    The spore cloud would affect them at this rate, but the mushroom demon released the spore for a different purpose.


    The spore might be able to grow on the Spiritual Bouncing sh and take away its Spiritual Energy, but the st from the spore allowed the mushroom demon to tilt its body a bit more.


    It might not be able to reach the ground, but the mushroom managed to get into the best position to avoid all these shes.


    <o>,m Still, Noel''s attacks were not easily beaten. When it almost avoided his shes, Noel changed the directory once again and tried to at least injure the demons instead of letting it escape unscathed.</o>


    In the end, six of the eight shes managed to graze the mushroom, making it bleeding all over.


    "Since when a mushroom has blood?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "We can''t eat a mushroom that has blood."<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he nced at her. Obviously, the thought about cooking this mushroom was just an expression to his anger. But he never expected that Anna was serious about it. "You took it that seriously?"


    "Eh?" Anna blinked a few times as she realized it was just a figure of speech. She became even more embarrassed at this point and turned everything into anger. "This mushroom bastard! I am going to kill it, slice it thinly, and dry it up in the sun."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless while looking at this embarrassed woman going straight to the mushroom in anger.


    Meanwhile, the Saintess once again couldn''tprehend these two knights. Despite facing an Advanced Level Demon, they still could make a joke, get angry, and flirt with each other. She couldn''t help but think, ''What''s wrong with these two?''


    Of course, the two would deny the fact they were flirting at each other. Noel simply wanted to embarrass Anna while thetter tried to outsmart him in his argument. There wasn''t any intention to flirt. But that was how others saw their interaction.


    Since the mushroom demon had embarrassed them, Anna hurriedly chased after the mushroom as soon as they reached the ground. The lightning spared around her feet as she leaped into the mushroom with her fastest speed.


    Even for an Advanced Level Demon, Anna''s speed wasn''t something that could be taken lightly. In just two seconds, she caught up to the mushroom demon that was already thirty meter away from her.


    "Got you!" Anna smirked and sliced the mushroom.


    The mushroom leaped into the air to avoid the sword, but Anna had predicted it and pointed her palm at the mushroom. She knew that the mushroom was acrobatic, so she could make him jump into the air so it couldn''t avoid her attack.


    Realizing that Anna had figured out his pattern, the mushroom opened its mouth, gathering a huge amount of energy.


    Anna and the mushroom demon released their attacks at the same time. Anna''s lightning was so fierce that it could prate the demon''s body. But the beaming from the mushroom mouth was different from those spores. It contained so much energy that it had the same amount of power as Anna''s lightning. In fact, it could be stronger than Anna''s lightning in terms of raw power.


    When these two powers shed, the beam from the mushroom overwhelmed Anna''s lightning and pushed it back to Anna. However, the lightning''s true power lied on its prating force. It pierced through the beam and pushed it back.


    Ultimately, the battle ended up in a draw and the attacks caused an explosion. The Saintess immediately covered Anna with her barrier again to avoid any spore or explosion.


    Meanwhile, the mushroom took the advantage of the smoke that was produced by the explosion to run away. It noticed that Anna and Noel''s firepowers were greater than it expected. If it continued, he would lose against them.


    Noel wouldn''t allow such a thing as he caught up to them and sliced his sword. Anna also prepared to move as soon as the Saintess removed the barrier.


    However, the mushroom demon only looked at them with contempt as if it had predicted everything.


    "!!!" Suddenly, Noel widened his eyes as he spun his body, striking a demon that suddenly intruded the battlefield. There were more and more demons emerging from the side.


    There was only one scene in his mind that could produce this situation. It was the spore smoke that was blown by the wind.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Don''t tell me, the spores?" Noel gritted his teeth, seeing many demonsing to the battlefield.

 Chapter 158 Not Finished Yet?

    "Don''t tell me the spores?" Noel gritted his teeth and hurriedly formed an snowke on top of his left hand before sending it forth.


    Freezing Crystal.


    The snowke exploded, releasing a huge amount of ice and cold wind that would freeze everything in a fan-shaped area. This was the only way to deal with the demons right now. If they failed to kill the mushroom demon today, the city would fall. So, failure wasn''t an option.


    "Saintess! Please trap them!" Noel shouted.


    "How about your defense?"


    "There''s no other way!" Noel decided to abandon their defense as long as they could kill the mushroom.


    Meanwhile, Anna knew that the problem was already beyond theirpetitive spirit. Although she was embarrassed from what happened earlier, it was clear that the situation was beyond their expectation. The only person who could stop those demons were La.


    "I understand." The Saintess agreed before the problem got bigger. Although Noel was younger than her, his ability inmanding and fighting were greater than her. So, there was no need to hesitate.


    A barrier formed around the demons and trapped them inside. As long as the Saintess was here, they wouldn''t be able to leave this ce like how the demons couldn''t destroy the barrier and attack the city every night.


    Noel saw this as an opportunity to get rid the mushroom demon. This was their only chance. The longer they waited, the higher the chances that the mushroom demon called more demons out of nowhere.


    He kept chasing after the mushroom demon with Anna, but slightly lowered his speed so that he could talk to her.


    "Anna. We have to kill it before it''s toote. Failure is not an option."


    "Understood. Give me the n."


    "I''ll take the front. You support me."


    "Got it."


    Now that Noel had given hismand, there was no need to reject the n since she had no n anyway.


    So, she watched Noel increasing his pace and gradually caught up to the demon.


    Seeing this approach, the mushroom tried to blind Noel with another spore smoke.


    The smoke was big and million of spores were contained in that smoke, so it would certainly bring more demons if the wind carried it.


    That was why Noel prepared two options to handle the spore smoke. He didn''t know which one was effective, so he used both of them at once.


    Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    Freezing Crystal.


    Since the mushroom released all these spores continuously, it was clear that the spores itself were created by its Magic Power, so there was a chance that the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune would work. As for the Freezing Crystal, this was Noel''s best option.


    When the spores touched the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, some dispersed but some didn''t. It seemed the majority of the spores were created by using Magic Power, but the real spores were dangerous.


    That was where the Freezing Crystal came into y. The snowke burst and froze all the spores, but because each spore was next to each other, he ended up freezing the entire smoke.


    The only way for him to go through was to destroy the ice.<sub> </sub>


    "Sword D''Dantalian."


    "!!!" Noel heard Anna''s voice and nced back, finding the lightning swording into his direction. He hurriedly ducked down and saw the lightning sword destroy the ice, allowing Noel to go through.


    Noel smiled and took this opportunity to use the Four Points Cirction in his feet, boosting his speed. It only took a few seconds to catch up to the mushroom demon.


    The mushroom demon opened its mouth to st Noel with its beam. This time, he was seriously going to kill him.


    However, Noel created another Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    The beam split into eight and scattered due to the rune. This might be the best way to utilize this rune, Noel thought.


    "Die." Noel muttered as he struck the mushroom demon. Thetter grabbed Noel''s sword again, preparing to dodge it with another acrobatic move.


    However, Noel had prepared another trick in this situation. "Swift Strike."


    The speed of his swing suddenly increased by two times, making the mushroom lose its timing. When itunched himself into the air, he ended up tripping and spinning in the air.


    Noel smirked as this was the opportunity he had to seize.


    "Sword Fall."


    A huge sword appeared on top of the mushroom and fell down to stab it. But the mushroom tried to release its spore again to twist its body so that the sword didn''t reach him.


    But this was what Noel had been waiting for. When it was charging the Spiritual Energy in its body, Noel knew the mushroom couldn''t defend from his attack.


    Before the Mushroom Demon noticed, Noel struck the mushroom with all his Spiritual Energy and Mega sh, slicing the demon into two.


    "!!!" The demon was shocked but it was toote as its body had been split. And when the residual Spiritual Energy that was about to release came out, a snowke appeared and exploded, freezing its dying body and eventually killing it.


    "Done." Noel let out a breath of relief.


    "Congrattions. You just killed an Advanced Level Demon," said Anna after catching up to him.


    Though, Noel still didn''t lower his guard. After taking a breather, he reminded her, "We have to go back to the Saintess and get rid of the demons. Even though the mind control has disappeared, she can''t deal with all those demons."


    Anna nodded in agreement and immediately headed back with Noel.


    As expected, the Saintess was still holding back the demons.


    She smiled when she noticed Anna and Noel''s presence, knowing that this mission was a sess and the city would be sav¡ª!


    "Aaaaaahhhhhh!" La suddenly screamed in pain as she covered herself with the barrier. But this time, the ck spots had almost covered the entire barrier as if symbolizing that the mushroom was about to take over her.


    "Saintess?!" Noel and Anna were stunned. They had killed the monsters, so the control and the contamination should have disappeared.


    But La dropped to the ground while wailing in pain. She tried to endure the pain while stuttering, "The demon¡­ hasn''t¡­ died."


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 Chapter 159 Undying Mushroom Demon

    "The demon¡­ hasn''t¡­ died."


    "!!!" Anna and Noel were dumbstruck.


    Noel hurriedly checked his system while Anna tried to look at the mushroom''s previous location. They were checking if the demon had died or not. But to their surprise, the demon had truly died.


    There was only one answer to this situation. "That mushroom is not the real Advanced Level Demon!"


    *Gasp!* Anna fell silent as her expression turned grim. "Are you serious right now? If the real Advanced Level Demon is not that strong, then how''s about the real Advanced Level Demon?"


    Anna gritted her teeth, recalling all the memories in her mind. ''No! An Advanced Level Demon should be at that demon''s level. This hiding mushroom should have the same power, but are there two Advanced Level Demon in this forest?''


    Anna didn''t know what to do in this situation. Handling that one mushroom alone used up a lot of stamina and Spiritual Energy. If they had to take care another Advanced Level Demon, she might end up exhausting all their Spiritual Energy before she could kill this demon.


    On the other hand, Noel looked at his sword. The mushrooms on his sword had indeed died. The demon they faced earlier was real, but there was a hidden enemy.


    ''Is there a twin demons or something?'' Noel thought. On the one hand, he wanted to believe this was a different Advanced Level Demon. On the other hand, he could rte the two demons together.


    After all, their strength was awfully simr. Unless they were twins, there was no way they were a different demon.


    ''If that''s the case¡­'' Noel didn''t have time to think, so he hurriedly revolved his brain toe up with a hypothesis. But the realization that came to him was a bit shocking. ''Wait a minute. The mushroom that I killed earlier was a fake? And this Advanced Level Demon is the real one?N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ''But if this is the case, then the demon''s ability is to significantly raise a demon''s ability to Advanced Level as a fake?'' Noel sucked a cold breath and asked, "Anna. Is there any demon that can raise another demon to Advanced Level Demon for a fake body?"


    "What did you say?" Anna was stunned hearing Noel''s question. After all, it led to one of her memories. "Undying Mushroom Demon!"


    "Undying Mushroom Demon?"


    "Undying Mushroom Demon is not that strong, but its ability is like you say. It can use the take over ability to control a demon and raise its ability. Even if we kill that demon, as long as the Undying Mushroom Demon hasn''t died, it will continue take over and make more and more demons like that."


    "!!!" Noel was stunned, never expecting that the situation was more severe than he originally thought.


    Anna also thought the same. ''Wait. The Undying Mushroom Demon is not an Advanced Level Demon in the past. It''s beyond that point¡­ A Peak Level Demon. It cause everywhere because no one can find its body. It sends one Peak Level Demon after another, so that''s why it''s considered a disaster. In other words, if we let this demon escape, the Saintess will bepletely taken over and that demon will reach the Peak Level.''<sub> </sub>


    Both of them had the same thought. They had to kill this Undying Mushroom Demon no matter what.


    And Noel suddenly remembered the scene when the mushroom released its spore. The wind carrying it in a certain direction, meaning the mushroom itself was positioning itself on the opposite direction. And they had been going in the wrong direction this whole time.


    "¡­" Noel turned grim, realizing the severity of this matter. Without hesitation, Noel shouted. "Anna. Take care of the Saintess and don''t let her use her power again. Just escape from those demons!"


    Without wasting a single second, Noel turned around and went straight to the opposite direction where the wind was going. He also used the Demon Hunter Medal to make sure he could find all demons around him. He was nning to check all signatures and killed those demons since he couldn''t afford to let this Advanced Level Demon escape.


    "W-what?!" Anna was stunned because Noel just left them behind like that. She wanted to chase after him, but she saw the Saintess still enduring the pain. Looking at the barrier, it was clear that she would fully be contaminated sooner orter. The only way to save her was to stop her from using her power. It would dy the time a bit.


    She gritted her teeth and went to the Saintess. "Release your barrier and I''ll carry you out of here."


    "Please go with him! I''m fine." La endured the pain while assuring her. Noel needed a help to fight another Advanced Level Demon before finding the Undying Mushroom Demon, so he needed her help.


    However, Anna was far more decisive than she originally thought.


    "I don''t like losing anything!" Anna broke apart the barrier that isted her. La must think it could iste her from the outside because she didn''t know what would happen if she got taken over. But this barrier was far brittle than she originally thought.


    "Eh?" La was shocked, never expecting that her barrier could be shattered just like that. She admitted that it wasn''t as strong as the peak form, but even those demons couldn''t break it. It was weird to find Anna breaking it easily.


    Little did she know, Anna had known her weakness since she had to eliminate her in the past. This barrier could easily be destroyed by her.


    Without hesitation, Anna grabbed the Saintess and carried her on her back before chasing after Noel.


    "Of course, I''m going to chase after him. But I also need to bring you away from these demons. That''s why we both are going. As I said, I don''t like losing anything, so I''ll just get both done simultaneously." Anna smiled and started running in Noel''s direction. She added, "So, stop using your power. There might be another opportunity for you to utilize that power to help us."


    "¡­" The Saintess fell silent for a moment and finally released the barrier trapping the demon. "Understood."


    Their approach might be different, but La felt that Noel and Anna had drawn her in. She felt like it was alright to rely on them.

 Chapter 160 Bad Situation

    Noel was heading straight to the mushroom demon''s direction while maintaining a close look to his surrounding. The mushroom demon had the ability to create another Advanced Level Demon, so if he wasn''t careful, he might be killed without a chance to fight back.


    ''As expected, there are more and more information that I can dig up from Anna. Even when I thought she didn''t have that much information, she could still give me more than I could imagine. How much knowledge does she have? She is still at my age, but her power, her knowledge, and her actions are more than mine.


    ''In fact, I wonder if she''s actually an old woman disguised as a young girl.'' Noel narrowed his eyes. All Anna had was impossible to have by a 15 years old girl, even if she was an extraordinary genius. It felt like she had a secret even more extraordinary than one could think.


    ''Hmm? I have known about the spirit ranks¡­ Looking at this, it seems that Anna has a Humanoid Rank Spirit, a level above Heisk, my Ice Spirit. Can they provide knowledge like this?'' Noel had a question in his mind, but it was impossible to ask now.


    It seemed that after being cornered, the mushroom demon approached everything head-on.


    Noel stopped abruptly when he felt a demon presence within his range.


    "One, no two demons." Noel squinted his eyes and tried to find the demon in his range. Unfortunately, he could only see one demon with the other being hidden behind a tree.


    The demon in front of him was a wolf.


    ''Is this ce a wolf habitat?'' Noel felt something was wrong. A wolf wasn''t supposed toe here, yet he could find an Advanced Level Demon. It was clear that it was a normal wolf transformed into an Advanced Level Demon. ''Something doesn''t match up. How does a wolf appear here?''


    "Aoooo!" Noel had so many questions in his mind, but the wolf didn''t let him. The wolf demon howled and started rushing toward him.


    "So fast?" He was stunned, never expecting that the wolf could cover forty meters in just three seconds.


    Luckily, his instinct managed to react within those three seconds. He raised his sword and swung it horizontally, trying to strike the wolf''s fangs.


    But it was at this time, the wolf''s body glowed. The blue light was clearly Spiritual Energy. And as expected, the wolf suddenly increased its speed.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly spun his body as the wolf had looped around him in an instant.


    Swift Strike.


    *Cling!*


    The clicking sound between the metal and the wolf''s fangs echoed in the forest. Noel was overwhelmed by its speed that his strike didn''t contain that much power. He had fought many demons from the one with overwhelming strength to one with imprable defense. But the one with speed was the most troublesome.


    The demon could easilyunch a sneak attack or outrun him. And the Advanced Level Demon had ovee all its weaknesses like having a light and brittle skin orcking in Spiritual Energy.


    In other words, this Advanced Level Demon might be the most dangerous monster he could face so far.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ''Huft¡­'' Noel took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn''t kill the demon with this monster standing on its way.


    The wolf stepped back and looped around again, trying to take Noel out from an unexpected angle.


    However, Noel had one thing that could stop the demon. He summoned a rune and pointed it at the wolf. "Chain Bind Rune."<sub> </sub>


    The wolf saw those chains and swiftly dodged them.


    As expected, the chains were far too slow to catch the demons. However, it didn''t stop Noel from using the rune.


    Everytime the wolf avoided the chains, thetter continued its trajectory and ended up catching a tree.


    "Tsk. Go again." Noel summoned another Chain Bind Rune to catch the wolf but to no avail.


    The wolf seemed to be looking at him smugly as if he had won. And to repay what Noel had done, the wolf rushed to him and tried to rip apart Noel''s head.


    Noel used his sword to strike the wolf''s fangs again, but he felt something different from this charge. If the previous attack came from a loop, whichck momentum, this attack had all the momentum it needed.


    When Noel struck the fangs, the momentum pushed him back until he fell down to the ground.


    "Kh." Noel was lying down on the ground while trying to stop the wolf with all his strength. He surely didn''t want to be the wolf''s breakfast.


    Noel gathered his Spiritual Energy in his foot and kicked the wolf from below.


    *Bam!*


    He used the control from the Master cksmith and the Four Points Cirction, so the power in it was enough to blow the wolf into the air.


    As soon as the wolf was in the air, he pointed his palm at the wolf. Another Chain Bind Rune appeared, shooting out chains to catch the wolf.


    "Aooo!" The wolf howled, but during that time, he was gathering Spiritual Energy in his mouth. The moment it stopped howling, the wolf shot out a powerful beam from its mouth to st both the chains and Noel.


    Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    Noel activated this rune in order to be his shield, dispersing the Spiritual Energy into the surroundings.


    As expected, the beam was dispersed and began destroying the area. However, the Rune started to crack, showing that it couldn''t handle the immense Spiritual Energy.


    Noel hurriedly used his Freezing Crystal to freeze the remaining Spiritual Energy before shattering it to get another clear vision of the wolf.


    Unfortunately, the wolf took that opportunity tond on the ground and start moving around.


    "So, this is the true Advanced Level Demon. Its strength are far different from that mushroom¡­ I guess the mushroom''s strength is in mind control that can mobilize many demons while this wolf is the most powerful in one-on-one fight."


    Noel assessed the situation while gritting his teeth. It took his all just to hold back the wolf''s attacks, so he might die if he didn''t do anything in the next few minutes.


    "What should I do?" He squinted his eyes, examining what kind of ns could work against the wolf.

 Chapter 161 Noels Strength

    "Aooo!" The wolf let out another howl before charging toward Noel.


    Noel hurriedly used another Chain Bind Rune to stop the charge. As expected, the demon immediately changed its direction and looped around to attack him from the side.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noel had predicted this and struck to the side.


    Mega sh.


    The wolf sensed a danger from this swing and immediately tilted its body to the ground, avoiding the strike. Noel took this opportunity to spin his body and kick the demon.


    He wanted to kick the head, but the demon was fast enough to tilt its body again, avoiding the worst case scenario. The body received the kick, but the tough skin managed to absorb most impact.


    After getting kicked, the demon leaped back to distance himself from Noel.


    It was clear that the demon was scared of Noel''s Chain Bind Rune. The Undying Mushroom Demon surely shared the vision of the wolf, since it realized the wolf couldn''t escape from the chains if it got captured. This was something he could take advantage on.


    Without hesitation, Noel made another Chain Bind Rune to capture the wolf, but the wolf continuously avoided it. If this continued, Noel would exhaust all his Spiritual Energy before defeating the wolf.


    However, the continuous usage of Chain Bind Rune had finally shown its effect.


    When the wolf leaped to the side, its feet tripped on a chain that stuck in the tree.


    "Ao-?!" The wolf was confused and realized why Noel never stopped infusing the Spiritual Energy to the Chain Bind Rune he had used this whole time. Noel wanted to use the chains to restrict its movements.


    As soon as it recognized Noel''s intention, it finally noticed how many chains Noel had spread this whole time.


    Noel had used nine Chain Bind Runes and each rune released two chains. There were eighteen chains all around him that could restrict the movement.


    With this kind of chain, the wolf understood that Noel had made him subconsciously avoid the chains. That was why when it tried to loop around to strike Noel''s side, Noel could strike him faster than ever.


    Noel''s chains had restricted any attack from the left side and his back, so the wolf had no choice but to go to his right. That was when Noel moved one step ahead.


    And now that Noel had covered all directions with chains, there was no ce to escape.


    Noel smirked and swung his sword, releasing a sharp sword strike toward the wolf.


    "!!!" The wolf hurriedly stood up and avoided this attack, but when the sword strike touched the ground, it bounced a few times and continued to chase after the demon.


    It turned out the chains had another purpose beside restraining the demon''s movement. With the gap between the chains, the demon had to position itself to the gap so that it could move around.


    But Noel''s Bouncing Spiritual sh had the perfect size to move between the gaps. In other words, the Bouncing Spiritual sh could be far faster than an Advanced Level Demon in this situation.<sub> </sub>


    Noel smirked and muttered, "Die."


    The wolf demon panicked because the hunter and the prey position had reversed. Noel was now the hunter.


    Just like how Noel killed his first demon despite not being able to fight it head-on, he just had to create an environment that allowed to kill them.


    As if trying to kill his joy, a barrier suddenly appeared next to the wolf and turned into a wall that stopped the wolf''s movement.


    "!!!" Noel noticed the barrier and saw the Bouncing Spiritual sh pierced the wolf''s body and pinned it to the barrier. He clicked his tongue and used his fastest speed to leap to the wolf and used his Mega sh to kill the wolf in one strike.


    "Ao¡ª" The wolf wanted to howl for onest time, but Noel had cut its head, killing the demon.


    Before looking at the barrier, Noel still had one job. Without hesitation, he retracted all the Chain Bind Runes and headed straight to the demon located by his Demon Hunter Medal.


    He summoned the snowke again after noticing the demon tried to escape.


    The snowke burst out and froze the entire area, including the demon.


    As expected of an Advanced Level Demon, Undying Mushroom Demon, even though it was frozen, it didn''t die that easily. In fact, the ice was gradually corrupted by the mushroom and shattered into pieces. The Undying Mushroom Demon managed to escape from the ice in just a second.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and used the Four Points Cirction on his feet to catch up to the demons.


    He was surprised that the demon was actually just a small mushroom. To think such a dangerous demon was just a small mushroom, he didn''t know what to say.


    However, Noel used the Sword Fall and made in front of the mushroom, letting the demon to crash to the sword. He then stabbed the demon with his sword and pinned the demon to the sword until it died.


    "¡­" Noel took a deep breath when he confirmed its death through the system.


    Meanwhile, Anna and La were standing on top of the tree while watching the whole thing.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. Her expression turned grim because of what she had witnessed.


    ''Noel''s strength is notparable to an Advanced Level Demon. That''s a fact. If this is a in, the Advanced Level Demon won''t fall. Even so, it doesn''t change the fact that Noel could kill the demon even without our help.


    ''If he doesn''t have the strength to fight them, he just has to create an environment where he can kill the demon. This is why Noel is strong.


    ''In my previous life, my strength was above him most of the time, but I always ended up struggling to fight him. And with my intervention, Noel has be stronger far faster than his previous life. If I''m cking just for one bit, I''m afraid that Noel will surpass me soon even with all my memory. What is Noel''s secret? I know that it''s something beyond his talent¡­ A secret that allows him to keep up with my strength that has been boosted by my previous life''s memory.''


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel and Anna had started suspecting each other''s secret: the system and the reincarnation.

 Chapter 162 Victory

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    "Attack them!"


    "Hurry up!"


    The demons were still skirmishing the city. Because they had been fighting since yesterday, they were already pretty tired. There were some who even thought that the Saintess had abandoned them.


    "Don''t give up!"


    "The Saintess will bring us victory."


    "Haaa!"


    The Holy Knights kept raising their spirits to avoid the worst possible scenario. The Saintess wouldn''t abandon them, so they had to stop the demons no matter what.


    *Roar!*


    *Bam!*


    One of the demons somehow reached the top of the wall and crushed the top part before trying to jump down to the city.


    "Keep the demon here and kill it!"


    "Don''t let the people die!"


    "Attack!"


    The soldiers and the Holy Knights immediately headed straight to the demon.


    When the Holy Knights tried to attack the demon, thetter somehow stood still as if its mind was nk, not knowing what to do.


    "Huh?"


    "The demon didn''t move?"


    "The demon allowed us to kill it?"


    The soldiers were confused because this never happened in the past few weeks. However, they soon heard a shout from the soldiers.


    "Wait!"


    "Those demons! Those demons are fleeing?"


    "!!!" All soldiers immediately went to the edge to confirm what they had said. Low Level Demons might not have intelligence and would attack anything before them. But their instinct didn''t instruct them to attack a wall.


    Upon that realization, the demons were confused on what to do and saw the forest, trying to return to his habitat.


    Of course, not all demons would run back to their habitat. Some of them stayed and kept fighting against the soldiers, following their instinct to prey upon the humans.


    "Only a portion of them return!"


    "A portion? Are you blind? It''s more than half. Look at the other sides too!"


    The soldiers were scrambling on top of the wall while checking each other''s situation. They reported the same. More than half of the demons returned to the forest as if they didn''t have anything more to do.


    It didn''t take too long for them to realize that all the mushrooms in the demons'' bodies had died. In other words, the demons were not under control anymore.<sub> </sub>


    "There are no more mushrooms. They''re not controlled anymore."


    "In other words, the ones attacking us are just a normal Low Level Demons who only act upon instinct!"? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Listen up, soldiers! There is only one reason why the demon is not under control anymore!"


    The people were listening attentively despite in a situation like this. After all, they had been wanting to hear one wording from the Holy Knight Captain that had been leading them this whole time.


    "The Saintess has defeated the demon leader! That''s right. This is our VICTORY!" The Holy Knight Captain shouted at the top of his lungs.


    "Uoooohhhh!" The soldiers let out a huge cry, startling everyone in the city. They didn''t know why the soldiers were screaming uncontrobly.


    "Listen up! The Saintess will soon return to the city. This is the time to show our might! Kill the rest of the demons!"


    "Uoooohhhhh!" The spirited soldiers became even more ferocious. They knew that the demon leader had been defeated, so the only thing they had to do was to kill the rest of the demons that attacked their city.


    Unlike the previous situation where they couldn''t see any hope due to the continuous supply of demons, they could finally see hope. If they could defeat all these demons like how they did it in the past few weeks, they would be able to save the city.


    Their spirit was at its peak. Even if they were tired, they knew what they did in the next few hours wouldn''t be a waste.


    "Attack!" The soldiers shouted as they showed a might that no one had ever seen before. They looked like a ferocious soldier that had gone through a hundred battles.


    One of the people in the city asked the soldier who just climbed down the stairs to inform the people. "Sir Soldier. Is there something wrong?"


    "The Saintess has defeated the demon leader. More than half of them have returned to the forest, so we can defeat the rest of the demons and finally save the city. The Saintess will surely return here not long after!"


    When the people heard those words, some of them couldn''t help but tear up. They had been suffering for thest few weeks. Their morales were very low. And now, the hope appeared.


    "I''m d¡­ I''m d I can survive."


    "Uoh¡­"


    Some fell down to the ground, some cheered. Nheless, all of them were happy.


    "Please help us to spread the news. Just a few more hours! Just a few more hours we can eliminate all the demons!"


    From that point on, the city was brimming with cheers. Even though the threat had yet topletely disappear, the festive mood had filled the city.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the real hero that saved the city was none other than Noel.


    Noel took a deep breath after confirming the death of the Undying Mushroom Demon. This might truly be the hardest mission he had gone so far.


    All of his previous missions were quite easy because the demons were something that he could handle by himself. But an Advanced Level Demon was different. If he wasn''t careful or the battlefield wasn''t perfect, he would have died.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that he managed to kill an Advanced Level Demon.


    He then turned around, knowing that the Saintess hade to help him. And the one who would probably bring the Saintess was Anna.


    As expected, he saw them standing on top of the tree. Since the situation was already safe, the Saintess formed a few small barriers that acted like stairs, allowing her to go down.


    She walked to Noel while clenching her hands. She lowered her head to Noel and said, "Thank you¡­ Thank you. Thank you for saving the city. I''m d that the people are now safe."


    Noel could feel her gratitude by the fact she said "Thank you" three times alone. However, Noel maintained his serious face and stopped the gratitude. "Don''t thank us yet. We haven''tpletely solved the problem."

 Chapter 163 Kindness?

    "Don''t thank us yet?" Anna muttered in a low voice. She couldn''t help but notice the word ''us'' from Noel''s mouth. It was clear that Noel was the biggest contribution of this battle. In fact, he single-handedly killed the demon leader. Yet, Noel considered her as well and never took the credit for himself.


    This was something not everyone could do. Even she wondered what she would do when she was in his position. She would think that she deserved it because she had done it by herself.


    ''Looking at this, Noel should have a way to defeat the Ancient Demon Tree. But I used the opportunity to take something away from him. If I didn''t help him, he would have defeated the tree alone and got more rewards.


    ''Because I reincarnated, I could utilize the memory of my past life to get more chances and be even stronger than my past self. Yet, I never thought about this¡­'' Her heart thumped as she looked at Noel. ''What if I take someone''s chance and as a result, they die because of me? Have I even considered the effect when I take someone''s chance? They''re strangers for sure, but¡­ looking at Noel who can give me the credit without hesitation¡­''


    She felt being ashamed. Unlike Noel''s system that granted him something from somewhere else, Anna took something from others by using their chance. Before, she thought about giving something else to Noel from her own opportunity, but there were some chances that she took from others. She just never considered her actions because she didn''t know them personally.


    ''For example, what if I got the artifact that someone should have in the future to save the people in needs? But because I took it, that someone couldn''t save those people and die?''


    Anna looked down, wondering if her choice was alright. She could be selfish too, but she hesitated after seeing Noel.


    Noel didn''t know about the dilemma in her heart. He only nced at her before turning back to the Saintess. "We have two more problems. The first is the demons outside the city. I''m pretty sure that the demons won''t return just like that since they move based on instinct. We have to kill the demons."


    "I agree. I''ll tell the Holy Knights to eliminate them." The Saintess nodded in agreement.


    "No. We''ll be the ones defeating the demons."


    "Huh?"


    "Your Holy Knights have another job to do. I said it earlier, right? We have two more problems. Even if we can save them, we still have one big problem. What is it?"


    "!!!" The Saintess almost forgot about it. "Water supply! That''s right. The water supply has been stopped by those demons. Even if we can save the city, it''ll be for naught if we can''t solve the water supply."


    "That''s right. I want your Holy Knights to handle the water supply. I''m pretty sure they''re creating some sort of structures to stop the water supply. The Holy Knights have to destroy it and bring the people to fix the water supply problem."


    The Saintess agreed with his opinion. The Moon Temple job was to solve the city''s problem. The demons were an outside problem while the water supply was a problem from the inside. The Holy Knights Job should be thetter, not the former. It was the duty of the Demon Banner Army to exterminate the demons.<sub> </sub>


    "My apology! I don''t mean to look down on you, O'' Knights of the Demon Banner Army." The Saintess lowered her head again.


    "No problem. I know that you''re desperate to help people. I can understand that. But let''s do what we''re supposed to do." Noel smiled. "Of course, the Holy Knights in the people''s eyes are the heroes of the city. That''s why I''ll ask you to apany us in exterminating the demon. This way, the Saintess will be the one saving the city from the demons. After that, the Holy Knights will return to fix the water problem."


    "But¡­" The Saintess furrowed her eyebrows. "If you do it like this, won''t the people only think of us, not you?"


    "As I said, we''re simply doing what we''re supposed to do. Exterminating the demon is the job of the Demon Banner Army, but bing the savior is for the Moon Temple."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    The Saintess was shocked. She never met someone as kind as him. Even though he could be a hero in those people''s eyes and raise his reputation in order to rebuild his ruined family, he chose to give that credit to someone else. This was truly unexpected. How could one be so kind?


    Though, it was just her misunderstanding Noel''s kindness.


    Noel was thinking something else in his head. ''Of course, you will take the credit. I''m not gonna do it because the higher my reputation is, the more the Royal Family will keep me in check. If my reputation increase that much in short amount of time, I''m afraid the Royal Family will send an assassin to thoroughly eliminate me. So, you should take the credit.


    ''And with Anna taking the credit, the people will think that everything is due to her talent and strength, not me. I''m simply saving myself here.''


    As Noel thought, he didn''t have any rtion or power to resist the problems if he became too big for the Royal Family. Even themander wouldn''t dare to offend the Royal Family just for an Apprentice Knight. So, without power and background, he couldn''t do anything.


    For now, his n was to help people as much as possible. Whether they gave him anything or not in the future, he had instilled his existence to those people. Bit by bit, he was building his own reputation. The pace, too, wasn''t that fast to the point it would reach the Royal Family''s ears.


    Still, the Saintess was different. She could only see Noel''s kindness and moved by it.


    sping her hand as if she was praying, she came closer to Noel while saying, "O'' Goddess of the Moon. I have found a soul, kinder than anyone else. Please bless him with your grace so that he can help more people."


    The Saintess gently ced her hands on Noel''s cheeks before she slightly lowered his head so that she could give a kiss on his forehead.

 Chapter 164 Moon Goddess

    "Eh?" Anna was dumbfounded, watching the Saintess kiss Noel''s forehead out of nowhere. There was a weird feeling that crept into her heart, but she believed it was due to the sudden action.


    And that feeling soon disappeared when golden light gradually covered his body.


    "This is¡­" Anna realized that the Saintess had to do it in order to give him the blessing. She could also see that Noel stopped moving and even closed his eyes as if he received something.


    After that, the Saintess smiled and confirmed that he''d gotten what he deserved. Only then did she turn around and walk to Anna.


    "Saintess." Anna politely lowered her head as if she knew she would be receiving the blessing too.


    However, La stopped her and took her hands.


    "Thank you for helping me and the city. If you are not here, I might not be standing here alive. Please close your eyes."


    Anna closed her eyes, preparing to receive the same thing as Noel. But she was shocked when La suddenly touched both her eyelids.


    A surge of Spiritual Energy entered her eyes. But she never expected that the treatment was different from Noel.


    While she was receiving the Moon Blessing, Anna muttered inwardly, ''Huh? What''s wrong with her? Why did she kiss Noel''s forehead and the only thing she did to me was touching my eyelids? What''s with the different treatment? Does she hate me or does she like Noel?''


    Anna felt ufortable because of the difference in treatment, not knowing whether this thought came simply from the different treatment or not.


    She could only remain silent for this whole process that didn''t even take too long toplete. It appeared Noel had received a separate reward.


    ¡­


    While La gave the Moon Blessing to Anna, Noel''s consciousness had gone to somewhere else.


    He could feel a chilling night breeze, but the cold didn''t prate his skin. The warm light gradually illuminated this darkness, revealing the true form of this ce.


    "This is¡­" Noel was stunned because he saw something like this for the first time. He was in the middle of a flower garden. There were numerous flowers around him from white to ck. All of them grew beautifully.


    There were fireflies roaming around to brighten the garden.


    "Where is this?" Noel looked around, wondering what he had to do in this ce. But when he turned around, he saw a huge flower that could devour him easily.


    And on top of that flower sat a woman with unprecedented beauty. She had long ck hair tied into a ponytail and crystal clear skin that could reflect the moonlight, making her look ethereal. Even Noel never saw a woman this beautiful.


    However, what shocked him the most was a pair of butterfly wings attached to her back.<sub> </sub>


    With how the moonlight seemed to illuminate her brighter than anyone else as if showing its differential treatment, Noel couldn''t help but mutter her title. "Moon Goddess."


    A smile appeared on her face as her closed eyes gradually opened, revealing a pair of beautiful purple eyes.


    "Wee to my garden, child."


    Noel never thought he would be able to see a Goddess with his own eyes.


    "I''m sure that you''re confused as to why I brought you here." She waved her hand as if asking him toe.


    Noel gulped down and hesitated a bit, but still walked to the Moon Goddess.


    No words came into his mind despite him having so many questions in his heart. He wanted to ask her many things about the spirits, but his mind felt frozen as if preventing all those questions to appear.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Thank you for helping my children, especially this little kid." She raised her finger and projected an image of La.


    "I¡­ I''m simply doing my job for a reward. I don''t deserve your thanks." Noel shook his head, not daring to take advantage of a Goddess'' kindness. He felt that she could see through his heart, so there was no meaning to lie to her.


    "You did it for my blessing. Of course, I know. I also know that your desire and the reason for you to not taking the credit for yourself."


    *Gasp!* Noel''s body twitched because the Goddess before him could deem his thought to be treacherous to the Saintess, so she wondered what he should do.


    "Worry not for I won''t get involved too much in human''s matter just like all spirits."


    "Huh? All spirits? You¡­" Noel had this doubt as soon as he saw those butterfly wings, but he never thought that the Moon Goddess actually revealed it herself.


    "I am also a spirit, precisely the Dark Butterfly Spirit. But you can say that I''m stronger than those spirits. Well, let''s not talk about me because the reason I call you here is to mention something about your spirits."


    <o>,m "My Spirits?" Noel had expected this ever since the Saintess revealed her ability to see the two spirits in his body, but it was still surprising that the Moon Goddess was bringing the topic itself.</o>


    "Yes. Aside from their name, you should know about the type of their Spirit. Your Heisk is an Ice Fairy Spirit as for your sword¡­" She paused a bit, showing the importance of Ardagan''s identity as well as raising the tension. "Ardagan is the Pure Sword Spirit. He wasn''t born but created by a Pure Fire, a fire that is so pure that it can burn everything to nothing. He receives its trait a little bit and call it Undying Fire."


    "The Pure Sword Spirit?" Noel was confused by the meaning of its name. In the past, the spirits had given their own names but the humans never considered the spirit type important. "Pure Sword Spirit, Ice Fairy Spirit, Dark Butterfly Spirit¡­ Do these name have something that differentiate them? Ah, I apologize if I sound rude by adding your name into it."


    Noel hurriedly lowered his head to apologize. He wanted to find another example of spirits to make the question more fluid, but he only knew about the Dark Butterfly Spirit, so he ended up adding her name into it.


    Instead of getting angry, the Moon Goddess was actually smiling.

 Chapter 165 Different Answer

    "There is a meaning of the names. But that will be your task to discover the difference. Are the spirits living in everyone''s body? Why do people have to awaken them first? People have worked hard for their entire life but still can''t awaken them? Does true goal really the condition of the spirit awakening? There are many questions you can discover.


    "Unfortunately I can''t give you the answer. It''s not because I don''t want to give it to you, but I wish you can discover them yourself. There is a merchant selling an item for two silver coins and a customer is willing to buy it. How many copper coins does he has to give the merchant?"


    "Huh? This question¡­" Noel tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why she asked this simple question. He answered without hesitation, "200 copper coins."


    "It might be right, it might be wrong." She made a yful smile.


    "It might be right, it might be wrong?" Noel repeated it as he was thoroughly confused.


    "That''s right. I can say that the customer is paying 201 copper coins? Why? Because the customer likes to give a tip. The answer can evene in the form of gold coin even though the question is about the copper coins. Why is that?


    "It''s because you don''t know what kind of buyer ising to the merchant. This buyer has their knowledge, experience, and character just like you. That''s why the answer you will achieve when discovering the spirits might be different from the one I''ll give you. It can be wrong, it can be right. Or you might be wrong now, but there''s someone in the future that will prove your opinion is correct.


    "That''s why I want you to discover the answer yourself. Ardagan will give you some hints here and there based on his own knowledge, but he won''t tell you everything. It''s up to your interpretation."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He could feel the wisdom from her exnation alone. It was clear that she could give her all the answers he wanted.


    But she herself actually doubted her own understanding. She thought she was right, but others might think she was wrong. She might discuss it with others and a new idea would be born.


    She approached things differentially so that she could find something new. It was no wonder that she was a Goddess.


    "Are you disappointed that you don''t get the answer from me?" She smiled.


    "I''ll be lying if I said I''m not disappointed. However, I can''t say that I''m excited to see my own answers. If you guide me with your answer, my mind will always think what I know is correct because it''s directlying from you.


    "But I''m just a human. Even the knowledge we have all around the worldes from the culmination of experiments to discover the truth itself. I have my own goal, but I can say that this aligns with my goal. So, I don''t really mind finding the truth myself. You even guarantee that Ardagan will give me some hints here and there.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "That''s why I might not find the correct answer in my lifetime, but I believe that the answer I have discovered myself is the correct one." He smiled back, showing his determination.


    "You are a good child."


    Still, Noel had one doubt in his heart. The Moon Temple had been trying to help people, so he thought that the Moon Goddess would be stopping him from avenging his parents. But she never mentioned anything about it.


    As if she could see through his mind, the Moon Goddess added, "I''ll never stop anyone from avenging someone. It''s your choice and decision and that''s not something I''ll interfere. However, I do have to warn you about one thing.<sub> </sub>


    "It''s just two words that you might question yourself often. ''Now what?'' These are the two words. After revenge, you might probably ask this question. I''m sure it''s different when you know about your real goal, right?"


    "Ah!" Noel widened his eyes, feeling enlightened. It was true that he would feel empty since revenge would be over after he killed those people. He didn''t know what to do for the rest of his life. However, his goal was different. It would keep driving him to the end of his life as if it was¡­


    The Goddess smiled and finished his thought. "Live to your own belief. Just make sure that before you pass away in the far future, you will be able to think, ''I''ve lived my life and I don''t regret for living that way,'' alright?"


    "Yes. Thank you for your wisdom, Goddess." Noel lowered his head, thanking her.


    "Good child. In that case, thanks to your effort, I''ll give you one hint. Give that ice pearl to Heisk." As soon as she finished her words, she snapped her fingers and Noel''s consciousness became fuzzy.


    "Huh?" Noel could hear her hint clearly, but he didn''t have enough time to ask the reason. But before his consciousness fadedpletely, he could see Ardagan''s notifications.


    [Mission: Help the Saintess of the Moon Temple in Argali Town (Complete)]


    [Description: The Saintess will soon be corrupted. Go and save her within 75 days.]


    [Reward: Moon Blessing and 21 SP]


    [Penalty: Regret.]


    [Receiving the Moon Goddess Blessing.]


    [Your eyes now can see the dark.]


    [Receiving 21 SP.]


    This was the first time he saw the notification to appear directly because of someone else. It was clear that the Moon Goddess'' action was the one causing it, proving the connection between her and Ardagan. But there was no way he would get the answer.


    "Haaa¡­" Noel let out a sigh before realizing that he had returned to reality, finding Anna and La waiting for him. "Ehm¡­"


    "You have been standing like that for fifteen minutes," Anna said without hesitation, answering his doubt. "It seems that you get something special. I''m jealous."


    "Something special? I''m just like you¡­ I only received the blessing." Noel shrugged while looking at Anna. Contrary to his poker face, Noel became even more determined about his revenge. Even the Moon Goddess didn''t stop him, so he had no reason to stop it.

 Chapter 166 Reward (1)

    "Chain Bind Rune."


    "Sword Fall."


    "Sword D''Dantalian."


    Anna and Noel were moving around the walls, making sure to kill every single demon that threatened the city. Fortunately, there were around four hundred demons that besieged the city earlier, but due to the continuous effort of the soldiers as well as the removal of the demon leader, there were only a bit more than one hundred demons remaining.


    Noel and Anna easily swept them away. The only hard part was to move around the city wall, considering the city was quite massive.


    They ended up using a few hours to kill these demons. Fortunately, Noel and Anna had been running a lot for their training, including the fact that they traveled to another ce by foot. Their stamina looked endless to the point they covered the whole city without exhausting themselves.


    Even the Saintess ended up retiring due to theck of stamina. Of course, Noel simply asked her to enter the city to calm the citizens. After they finished all the demons, La could properly handle the citizens so that they knew what to do.


    As expected, the Holy Knights that they sent separately to take care of the water supply had returned. ording to the instruction, they should have eliminated all the demons in the area and the Saintess would take care of the people that would fetch the water.


    After a continuous effort from Anna and Noel, they finally freed the city. However, the people were too busy to think about their water supply to the point a huge number of people were running out of the city to bring back some water.


    It might be the first time for a city to actually help each other out to relieve themselves from this crisis.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna took some rest in the Saintess'' house because they had worked too hard during this relief.


    "So, it seems that we have finished the jobs." Anna smiled, feeling relieved.


    "Yeah." Noel confirmed.


    "Our Group Mission was to kill the demons that surrounded this city, so I guess we''ll be able to receive the proof of ourpletion now from the Earl."


    "You handle that, I''m not going to bother myself with the Earl. It''s better for another noble to meet another noble. It''s not the ce for a Fallen Noble like me." Noel shrugged while looking away.


    "You¡­" Anna wanted to rebuke him, but she couldn''t. She was a part of the reason why Noel became a fallen noble, so it was clear that he said this just to spite on her.


    Noel shrugged. "Whatever. I''m tired, so I''m going to retire first." Noel shrugged as he immediately went to a room designated for him. Anna also had one, but she could only watch Noel leaving.


    ''Why does he seem to be colder than usual? This is weird. Although his action didn''t show it in the past few months, Noel should still have some hatred to me. Yet, he actually openly showed it this time as if something changed within him.'' Anna thought, wondering what happened to Noel.


    She didn''t know that Noel had sorted a bit of his emotion and feeling after meeting the Moon Goddess.<sub> </sub>


    Although he wouldn''t show it most of the time, he had to do it now and then to make sure that he didn''t be too close to Anna to the point he forgot about his revenge.


    He couldn''t help but remember the moment where he considered Anna''s confession seriously. If it was him from the past, he would deny it without hesitation. It was clear that Anna had changed a part of him, so if he continued to act that way, Anna might be able topletely change his heart sooner orter. Hence, a bit of coldness was necessary.


    Of course, Noel also had another reason for retiring this early. He might be exhausted, but it wasn''t enough to make him rest.


    He simply wanted to check his system entirely, considering they had just finished the mission.


    There were three huge gains in this mission. The first one would be the Moon Blessing.


    Due to this blessing, he had the ability to see in the dark. Hence, Noel immediately moved to his bed and tried to check under the bed since the light couldn''t reach the spot.


    After that, he channeled a bit of Spiritual Energy into his eyes and the darkness soon dissipated as if the light illuminated it.


    "So, this is Moon Blessing. It doesn''t require too much Spiritual Energy and it''s quite useful to fight during aplete darkness such as caves. We don''t need a torch that can give away our location. As for during the night, well, it''s quite useful as well since we have a longer vision range.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "The Ancient Ruin is going toe soon, so the Moon Blessing will show its might there. I''m waiting for the time I truly use this power." Noel nodded, satisfied.


    Then, he immediately moved to the second gain.


    Skill Points: 21 Pts


    He had received 21 Skill Points from the mission. There were several things he could upgrade, but what made him curious was actually the Undying Fire that Ardagan showed him earlier.


    After learning more about Ardagan from the Moon Goddess, it was clear that Ardagan''s existence wasn''t ordinary. He was a Spirit that was artificially created. If hepared the Freezing Crystal and the Ignition Sword, the explosion was actually more dangerous despite using less SP to learn. That was why it was clear that Ardagan''s ability far surpassed that of a Demi-human Spirit. Ardagan might be equal or even higher than the Humanoid Spirit.


    Hence, he had a great hope for this Undying Fire.


    Although he was hesitated a bit, he still put 20 Skill Points to learn the Undying Fire. All the information was immediately transferred into his mind.


    But he soon sucked a cold breath because the information was far beyond his imagination.


    "This is¡­" Noel covered his mouth in shock, sorting the information right away to get a clear image. "Such a strong fire¡­"

 Chapter 167 Reward (2)

    "Such a strong fire. The Undying Fire has five stages. The first stage is the natural awakening of the Undying Fire. It''ll have the ability to burn my own body in a good way such as fat and other stuff that will weaken me. With this, I can expect that the fire will improve my physical ability by at least ten percent. This alone is enough to make a great improvement since its effect far surpasses all the training I have done.


    "That''s why Ardagan offered this option when I wanted to remove the spore from my body. It believed that the spore was something that would weaken my body. In other words, poison and the like wouldn''t be able to affect my body as well. I don''t know to what extent, but the fact that I get some poison resistance or even immunity is very good. I don''t need to fear assassination attempt or adventure rted to poison.


    "I don''t know about the second stage, but the fact that this fire has such powerful ability from the first stage alone is enough to make me anticipate the next four stages." Noel smirked excitedly.


    However, the Undying Fire didn''te without a weakness. There was one big weakness that Noel couldn''t unsee.


    Skill: Undying Fire (1/5)


    Requirement: 100 SP


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. "Seriously? 100 Skill Points for stage two? It''s simply too abnormal. Ah, that''s right. I have helped many people once again. Back then, the system recognize my effort by stacking the help that I give in the form of water and the one rted to the dam.


    "Since I have relieved them with water and the demon, I should get a quite amount." Noel immediately checked his Honor Points, only to be disappointed by the result.


    Honor Points:


    "What is this number? There are more than four thousand people in this city and this time, I don''t use two Honor Points to get three Honor Points every one hundred people. So, I should be able to get a full three Honor Points per one hundred people.


    "Yet, I only get less than half? 60 Honor Points only? Really? Are you kidding me?" Noelined for the first time. The result was far from what he expected after all.


    He thought he would be able to get more than one hundred twenty Honor Points but they didn''t even get half of it. So, he questioned Ardagan about the result, only to find that he didn''t save all of them. No, specificically, Ardagan exined to him that it was a joint effort this time.


    Unlike the previous time where he involved the others but was still the only one toplete the mission, this time, he had tasked other people like the Holy Knights fighting the demons so that they could focus on the Advanced Level Demon or the Holy Knights taking care of the water supply.


    Because he delegated such stuff, hispletion rate became lower, making him receive less Honor Points because he didn''t save them by himself.


    Noel was dumbfounded when he knew about the reason. He couldn''t help but recall all the previous helps he had given to others.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Even in the dam mission, he realized that he was the only one taking down the demons while the vigers only helped him carrying the water. That was why he always received the full amount.


    This time was different, the Holy Knight was directly involved in helping.


    Noel learned that he had toplete the mission by himself if he wanted to progress the mission. Delegating someone a task that would make them directly participate in thepletion meant he needed to receive less amount.<sub> </sub>


    Still, considering he had to split the reward with many people, Noel was still given the reward as the biggest contribution by saving 45 out of 100 people.


    "So, I can''t delegate task to others if I don''t want my rewards to be split. But then again, if I delegate more people, I can save more. Depending on the case, splitting the jobs can give me more reward since I can''t do everything by myself." Noel was in dilemma.


    On the one hand, he wanted to monopolize the point to get the highest reward. On the other hand, he wondered if he didn''t delegate others to do their job like the Holy Knights, could he actually save those people easily?


    If he refused to do it simply because he wanted to get everything, the people might realize and end up scorning him instead of thanking him. When that happens, the count of helping people might not increase at all.


    That was why Noel had to carefully n his move next time.


    "I guess paying around sixty Honor Points for this lesson is worth it. At the very least, I haven''t reached the point where I save more than ten thousand people or even more." Noel nodded in understanding. "With this, I know what to do. In any case, I still have 64 Honor Points and 1 Skill Point that I can use.


    "Because I''m going back to the fort to wait for Rick and Rica to bring me the finished armor, I''ll save the Honor Points right now. After all, I''m going to the ce my father visited every year as soon as I receive the armor before heading to the ruin."


    Noel didn''t want to drown in his mistake, so he moved on to the next topic.


    He took out the Ice Pearl he got from theke in the Demon Forest. "That''s right. The Moon Goddess said to give this pearl to Heisk. And the only way to do it is to¡­"


    He put the Ice Pearl on Heisk''s Spirit Seal. Soon, the Spirit Seal glowed as if reacting to this item. The Spiritual Energy from the Pearl was sucked by Heisk as if she was drinking a delicious wine.


    "This is¡­" Noel was also shocked because he found out something.


    Skill: Water Purifying (1/3)


    Requirement: 10 SP


    Skill: Temperature Control (1/3)


    Requirement: 10 SP


    "I got more skills? But no one was supposed to receive a skill like this since they don''t have a system like Ardagan¡­ What will happen to the normal people when they do this?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows because he wanted to find the answer like the Moon Goddess said. But he never thought that he would realize something that changed his perspective forever. "Wait a minute. Is there a possibility that a Spirit can evolve to a higher rank if we continue feeding them what they can absorb?"

 Chapter 168 Thoughts

    It was a surprising conclusion even for Noel. He thought that if the Spirits could give people more power, it also meant that there was a chance to improve.


    "Now that I think about it, there are a few records that one''s talent has be even higher due to the sudden awakening. The record name it Second Awakening. It''s said that the absorption rate is increased.


    "But the first three ranks are Normal Spirit, Superior Spirit, and Beastly Spirit. They might not look that different, I guess?"


    Noel had a few theories in his mind, but none of them could be proven without any research. In the end, he abandoned this thought for a while so that he could focus on the matter in hands.


    "I have now gotten so many Spirit Abilities. The Water Purifying thing is good. Maybe I can use it in the future as a recement of the water from Ardagan. As for the Temperature Control¡­ I''m not sure about this skill. It''s not that powerful, considering the Spirit Ability doesn''t allow me to freeze my enemy. For now, it can control the temperature of my body, so it''s quite useful when I''m injured or something. When I lose a lot of blood, I bound to have a fever. Or when I travel, I can use this to withstand the heat."


    Noel nodded in agreement. There were many things he could get from these Spirit Abilities. Still, the reward was bountiful this time. He didn''t expect to get so much from one mission.


    "Anyway, Anna will take the proof ofpletion and we''ll then go back to the fort so that I can receive the armor. After that, I''ll go straight to the neighboring kingdom. Since I''m a fallen noble, there''s no need to send the letter anyway."


    As soon as he decided his course for the next month, Noel immediately tried the Spirit Ability he''d got earlier.


    As expected, the Temperature Control wasn''t that powerful. It could affect the water temperature like the pearl, but it didn''t do much in terms of offensive power. As for the Water Purifying Ability, the effect was the same. It could purify poison and other things inside the water.


    Any assassination attempts wouldn''t work this way since he could easily use this Spirit Ability instead of using the Ice Pearl to do it. The Spirit Ability made it more convenient.


    Andst but not least, the Undying Fire.


    Noel summoned the Undying Fire on top of his palm. The ck me wasn''t that aggressive since its power focused on his body. Even if the Water Purifying ability didn''t work, all the poison in his body would be burned by this Undying Fire.


    Right now, it might not have any offensive ability, but if he upgraded it to the second level, the Undying Fire would evolve and be even greater.


    "That''s right. There is a record of my ancestor. Since we''re wielding the same sword, the ability is the same. My Ancestor''s Undying Fire is said to be able topletely erase an Ancient Level Demon to nothing. As expected of the strongest expert in the world at that time.


    "But then again, if my ancestor is that strong, why does he seal Ardagan? He said to only wield Ardagan when we''re in peril¡­ If he''s that strong, why does he not make his son or grandson to inherit this sword? This is weird, very weird.


    "Does the ancestor know something about the sword? The secret of the sword, spirits, and the demons?" Noel had many questions in his mind.


    On the one hand, he was curious about the ancestor. On the other hand, it wasn''t something he could find easily.<sub> </sub>


    "So, is there any record about my ancestor? There should be one in my previous house, but it''s been sealed by the royal family. I don''t know the condition of the book too.


    "Is there any way I can buy that property again? But that requires me a lot of money. I guess I should buy that mansion again with my second identity. After all, Noel Ardagan has to die after one year."


    Due to the Saintess, he had been thinking a lot of things. La only mentioned about her suspicion, but it was clear that it had been weighing Noel''s mind a lot.


    Noel couldn''t help but scratch the back of his head. "I should take a nap to reset my mind."


    Not wanting to continuously ask the questions that he couldn''t answer, Noel decided to take a nap.


    Meanwhile, Anna was heading straight to the mansion where the Earl was located.


    She was greeted happily by the Earl himself due to Anna''s contribution.


    Earl Hawkins was a middle-aged man with long ck hair, tied neatly on his back. He had thin body, so it was clear he couldn''t participate in the battle himself.


    "Isn''t this miss Anna Stargaze, the most talented person in our kingdom? It''s my honor to be graced by your presence. I thank you for your help in relieving the disaster." Earl Hawkins politely bowed his head to greet and thank Anna for her hard work.


    ''In the Axaomor Kingdom, the nobility system consists of Duke, Marquis, Earl, Count and Baron. My status as the most talented person in the kingdom as well as the daughter of a marquis allows me to speak tantly to an Earl.


    ''Well, due to my status, there are so many people wanting to marry me too, but I shut them up with my talent. This Earl''s son should be one of my pursuers, but with this, I can make sure he doesn''t go to me anymore.


    ''But then again, the one who did the most was Noel. I don''t know if I should receive all this gratitude.'' Anna contemted for a moment. On the one hand, her words alone was enough to destroy the Count Ardagan. On the other hand, if she let Noel get all the credits, it would be contradicting to what she had built so far.


    Her father might know about her change of heart. If he knew that she didn''t want to kill Noel but instead help him, Marquis Stargaze might send an assassin to kill Noel personally. She was in dilemma because she didn''t want Noel to die.


    After some contemtion, Anna politely nodded. "No, it''s fine. I''m simplypleting my mission from the Demon Banner Army."


    ? ******


    AN: Count = Earl. But I''ll be using ''Count'' to rece ''Viscount'' in this novel. So, the rank will be: Royalty, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Count, Baron, and Commoner.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 169 Scam

    Anna processed the formality to get the proof ofpletion. Since she made an excuse that she hadn''t slept for a whole day, she managed to get away from the Earl.


    The Earl offered her a room in the mansion since she didn''t have to suffer in a bad bed anymoner had, but he backed down after knowing Anna living in the Saintess'' house.


    In the end, Anna managed to finish the entire process within thirty minutes instead of hours.


    ''As expected, talking to a noble is tiring.'' Anna let out a long sigh. ''If I was my past self, I would talk to them rudely since I thought of them as someone beneath me. But now, I have to force a smile when I''m talking to them¡­ it''s tiring.''


    "She is¡­"


    "She is Anna Stargaze!"


    The citizens that had been trying to restore the life to this city recognized Anna walking down the street. She was on her way back to La''s house, but it seemed she wouldn''t have any peace here.


    "Thank you!"


    "Uoohhhh!"


    The people in the street cheered. Some even kneeled to give their thanks to Anna. As expected of the most talented person in the kingdom, her fame had spread around the kingdom, especially this area since the Earl''s son was her pursuer.


    Everyone sang a praise to her because she had helped them from the disaster.


    "Thank you, Miss Anna Stargaze."


    "As expected of the most talented person in the kingdom."


    "Uooh!"


    The cheers kept erupting. Anna could see their joyous face as if they thanked her wholeheartedly.


    It couldn''t help but put a smile on her face. This was what Noel had felt this whole time when he helped the people and received their gratitude.


    ''It''s no wonder that Noel helped people in the past. To think I''ll be able to feel this happy¡­ When we''re a noble, people will thank us because we''re doing our job. But right now, we''re a soldier from the Demon Banner Army, we have no obligation to help them. That''s why in their eyes, the fact that we''re helping them means we''re good people. Their gratitude is so genuine.''


    Anna could understand the difference between a noble and amoner. Noble had their obligation called Noblesse Oblige. But it was different if she came as something else.


    ''It seems that joining the Demon Banner Army is the right thing to do and meeting Noel is probably the best choice I have ever made.'' Anna made a big smile while waving her hand to the people.


    However, not everything was a praise. With her ability, she couldn''t help but listen to those whispers as well.


    "Isn''t Noel Ardagan with her too?"


    "That fallen noble?"


    "He must haven''t done anything. What can he do in front of the most talented person in the kingdom?"


    "That''s right."


    Anna''s heart was shaken when she heard those whispers. Those people didn''t know that Noel gave the n to ensure the city''s supply, killed the Advanced Level Demon, and relieved the city. He did all those things.


    In fact,pared to her or La''s contribution, he was a cut above the rest. That was why if they wanted to sing a praise, it would be for Noel.<sub> </sub>


    Yet, Noel didn''t receive anything, but scorn from these people. And it got worse.


    "That Noel should have died¡­ To think he''s trying to ride on Miss Anna Stargaze''s strength for his own achievement."


    "No wonder he is now a fallen noble."


    "The royal family should have executed him, not exiled him."


    "Miss Anna was the one asking them to kill him too, right? Does that mean she know this fallen noble is disgusting? That''s why even if she can''t kill him, she can put him on the leash?"


    "That might be true. As expected of Miss Anna, she has a great foresight and talent."


    Anna was speechless. Rage started to creep into her heart. At one point, she wanted to burst out and tell them off, but the people wouldn''t believe her.


    ''Why? Has Noel been experiencing this in his whole life? How about his past life? Even with people despising him, he still helped these people? How strong do you have to be to do something like that?''


    Anna questioned people''s heart. She never thought that even if you helped them, they would talk about you behind your back. It was disgusting and painful.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    If she erupted here, Noel''s reputation would be smeared even further because they would think Noel had managed to influence Anna.


    She clenched her fists to hold back her anger. Her smile became forced as she increased her pace, wanting to go back as soon as possible.


    ''Does Noel know this oue if hees with me to Earl Hawkins? So, this is why he is hiding in his room? I¡­'' Anna never thought that the burden Noel carried was this big. She just wanted toe and talk to him. If possible, he wanted tofort him because he deserved that much. ''This is the reason why Noel gives all the credits to the Saintess. People won''t believe him and his power.


    ''The people in the city are more knowledgeable than those in the viges. That''s why Noel can only do it in those viges because they simply don''t know about his identity.


    ''Even if no one thanks him, I should go back and thank him right now.'' Anna was rushing back to the point she was ignoring the cheers from the people. Her heart wasn''t happy anymore.


    "Noel!" Anna shouted as soon as she reached La''s house and immediately went to Noel''s room.


    However, she saw the Holy Knight Captain in front of Noel''s room, handing two big bags.


    "These are the Demon Crystals. There should be more than six hundred Demon Crystals with fifty of them being Mid Level Demon Crystals."


    "Are you sure you don''t want to take this? You need money for your operation, no?"


    "The Saintess has told us personally to give everything to you. Without you, we would have died in this city and because you don''t want to take any credit, we can only give you these crystals as our thanks. Please don''t reject it."


    "I understand. Please convey my thanks to Saintess La." Noel nodded.


    "Yes." The Holy Knight Captain smiled and noticed Anna on the side. He made a yful smile and immediately left them alone so that they could talk.


    Noel nced to Anna and smirked. "Oh, you have returned, Anna. It must feel great to be hailed as a hero, right? I am so envious¡­ But since you have gotten the credit as well as the praise, I''m taking everything. Thanks!"


    Noel didn''t hesitate to return to his room and m the door shut, taking all the Demon Crystals by himself.


    All the sadness in her heart was instantly dissipated.


    ''Did he know that everything would turn this way so he gave the credits to others? Everything is so that he could rip all the material benefits? Wait, if he absorbs all those Demon Crystals¡­ Won''t his Spiritual Energy be above me?'' Anna panicked because she came to a realization. ''He¡­ He scammed me?''

 Chapter 170 Almost

    The next day.


    Noel came out of his room after absorbing all the Demon Crystals. He didn''t find anyone else in the house, but he could sense the presence of La in her room. It seemed she was a bit exhausted after helping the people.


    He then walked to the outside, wanting to get some fresh air, only to find Anna who was covered with sweats.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Anna panted a few times as if she had gone through a very hard practice.


    "Yo, it seems that you have been practicing for a whole day?" Noel made a smug smile.


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched. She wouldn''t be practicing like this if he didn''t scam her. "Whose fault do you think I''m working this hard?"


    "Who knows?" Noel shrugged.


    "I really want to hit your face right now."


    "Then, do it." Noel smiled and dropped his guard as if allowing Anna to punch him.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Anna was truly pissed. She knew what Noel was thinking. If she hit him here, he would have gotten another reason to kill her. Hence, it was better to drown Noel with guilt so that he couldn''t kill her.


    "How about sparring with me?" Noel smirked as if giving the chance to hit him. Since Noel was the one asking for the sparring, he couldn''t hold a grudge with this. No matter how petty Noel was, he wouldn''t be this petty.


    But Noel''s mind was different. He thoroughly believed that with the current situation of his Spiritual Energy, he would be able to defeat Anna. As long as he could keep Anna at bay for a long time, he could defeat her.


    After all, he had absorbed so many Demon Crystals. He had even checked his status earlier.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Low Quality Crystal - 902/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 129/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 1/1500


    Unfortunately, the crystals affected by the Undying Mushroom Demon didn''t change to Advanced Quality Crystal, so he could onlyment that fact.


    Anna clicked her tongue and ced her hand on Noel''s shoulder before releasing all her Spiritual Energy.


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "This is¡­"<sub> </sub>


    He realized something within this power. The Spiritual Energy she had might not be lower than him at all.


    "Don''t forget this, Noel. Do you think I''ve been using all of my power this whole time? I have never exhausted my Spiritual Energy unlike you." Anna snorted and walked away as if she managed to scare him.


    ''That amount of Spiritual Energy¡­'' Noel was stunned, looking at Anna''s back. The more the Spiritual Energy you had, the stronger your release. That was why Noel could roughly feel the amount of Demon Crystals she had absorbed.


    It was truly above him. He never expected that Anna still had this kind of trump card. Anna might beat him ck and blue with that kind of power.


    ''How strong is she right now? Now that I think about it, Anna seems to have knowledge and abilities that I can''t measure up. So, the only thing she needs is the Spiritual Energy. Don''t tell me, she has been absorbing the Demon Crystals this whole time? Did she use her family power or money to buy the Demon Crystals too? If that''s the case, does she have a weakness?''


    Noel squinted his eyes, never expecting Anna to be this powerful.


    Meanwhile, Anna who had returned to her room was leaning on the door. She felt tired to match with Noel and even panicked a bit.


    ''That was dangerous.'' Anna gulped down while recounting the scene where she showed a high amount of Spiritual Energy. ''Spiritual Energy Release¡­ A forbidden technique that burns your own blood to release more Spiritual Energy from your body. To think I have to use a Forbidden Technique just to escape from Noel.


    ''If only he didn''t scam me¡­ my Spiritual Energy would still be above him. With the knowledge of my past life, I have a good Martial Ability as well as necessary knowledge to improve, so what I''mcking in this life is Spiritual Energy and the body to keep up with my progress.


    ''I have been using all my time to enhance my body, but it seems that I have to seriously go all out to increase my Spiritual Energy. Where should I get the Demon Crystals? Ah, that''s right. There is a cave called Demon Graveyard. There was a powerful Spirit Magician in the past that seeks the most powerful way to absorb the Spiritual Energy from those crystals, but in the end, he died due to the overdose.


    ''There should be a lot of Demon Crystals there, so I have to go there before visiting the Sword Saint Tomb. Besides, this cave is supposed to be found by someone from the Supreme Devil Organization and given to their Supreme Devil to increase his strength drastically.


    ''I can fool Noel with burning my own lifespan for now, but I have to go to this ce. This time, I don''t need to prepare thepensation since the Supreme Devil Organization is the enemy of mankind. I can even weaken them too by taking this cave.''


    Anna closed her eyes, knowing this was the best course of action.


    ''If that''s the case, it''s better if we leave as soon as possible since it might take a long time to absorb them.''


    She was determined to get stronger than Noel again. Although she still had some confidence in beating him, the moment she showed any sign of weakness, Noel would keep pestering her.


    After all, he would think he had surpassed her.


    ''With that huge gap in the past, when Noel surpass me, he would think that I won''t be able to keep up with him anymore. After all, it means he is progressing far faster than me. Once surpassed, I wouldn''t be able to catch up. That''s why I have to get far stronger than him.''


    Anna nodded with a serious expression before noticing another fact. ''Wait a minute. How did Noel absorb all those Demon Crystals? With his current Spiritual Energy, it''s clear that he''s absorbed it all¡­ Even if it was me, I would take at least a few days to absorb that amount. As expected, it must be rted to his secret.''

 Chapter 171 Misunderstanding, Misunderstanding Everywhere

    While Anna misunderstood Noel''s system as the secret that allowed him to absorb all those Demon Crystals in a day instead of thebination of both spirits and their elements, Noel also had another misunderstanding about Anna.


    Noel sucked a cold breath while sitting on a chair, contemting. ''How does Anna have that much Spiritual Energy? But her Spiritual Energy shouldn''t be that high since I would have noticed it when she fought against the Advanced Level Demon. In fact, if she had this kind of Spiritual Energy, she would have won against the Advanced Level Demon that tried to protect the Ancient Demon Tree.


    ''So, she has that kind of progress in the past few months we''re together? But I have been training with her this whole time, so where in the world¡­'' Noel fell silent, remembering one mission that allowed her to surpass him.


    After a group mission that exterminated the bandits that captured the demons, they had an individual mission.


    There was no telling what she had done in that mission and what kind of lucky encounter she had.


    ''That time? As expected, with the knowledge she has, she should have known about a great opportunity. Just like how she knows about the Sword Saint Tomb, she must know more about it. But how in the world she knows everything?


    ''Even my Ardagan has to get the knowledge first before giving the mission. How is she getting all the information? irvoyant? Nah, if she has that ability, she won''t need my brain toe up with a n.


    ''Then is there any possible reason why she has gotten all that knowledge?'' Noel thought it hard but to no avail. There was no reasonable guess that could answer her. The best he coulde up with was Anna having an ancient book of someone from the past.


    That book told her about her current knowledge. And her fast progress was due to this Ancient Book.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    And the other reason was about her having an artifact that gave her the knowledge. How and what information she got were still in question.


    Just like Anna misunderstanding the power of his system, Noel was also misunderstanding Anna''s reincarnation. After all, both the system and reincarnation were something that could nevere to their mind due to how ridiculous they were.


    "Why are you frowning in the morning?" La''s voice suddenly entered his ears as Noel turned around, finding La with a cup of tea.


    "Ah, Saintess." Noel nodded, greeting her. He was staying in her house, so of course, he had to help her a bit. At least, by not making her worry. "I''m fine, Saintess. I was thinking a simple matter."


    "Is that so?" The Saintess smiled and sat down across Noel. "Are you fine with this oue, Mr. Noel?"


    "You don''t have to be that polite to me, Saintess. I''m no different than amoner now."


    "I truly respect you from the bottom of my heart, so I have to." The Saintess shook her head. "After all, you have helped the people without taking any credits. In fact, your reputation is quite bad among the people as they''re thinking you are leeching our achievement. I want to tell them everything, but¡­"


    "Please spare me. They won''t believe me and will even misunderstand your words. As a result, my reputation will go to rock bottom." Noel shook his head.


    "I can respect your decision. Then do you want me to tell you something?" La smiled while taking a sip of the tea.<sub> </sub>


    "And that is?"


    La put down the cup and gently took off her blindfold. When she opened her eyes, she revealed a pair beautiful silver eyes. However, the color in those eyes had faded away.


    "I never once regretted sacrificing my eyesight to give others the Moon Blessing. When I lost my ability to see, I gained another ability." She pointed at her ears. "My ears and senses are getting stronger, allowing me to understand what''s going on around me.


    "That''s why I want to tell you¡­ You might lose the recognition of the people as well as their thanks, but you have gained the respect of our Moon Temple, especially me. If you need our help in the future, as long as your goal doesn''t sh with the Moon Temple''s purpose, we''ll help you." She handed him a letter. "This is my letter of introduction. They''ll treat you to the best of their ability if you have this letter. Depending on the case, you can receive the help from our Holy Knights."


    "This¡­" Noel widened his eyes. Never in his wildest dreams would he think about getting this powerful letter in this mission.


    "Please ept it. I have great expectation of you, Mr. Noel."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "You calling me with honorific is making this awkward. Well, I''ll ept it."


    The Saintess smiled. "When you gain back your title, I don''t mind calling you Lord Noel though. But I guess our status will be kinda simr, so I''ll call you by your name when that happens."


    "Haha, you really have that much expectation huh." Noel chuckled. "I''ll gratefully ept this letter then. Thank you."


    She nodded. "One more thing. When you and Miss Anna are going to get married, please tell us, alright? I''ll be giving you the blessing of marriage."


    "Huh?" Noel dropped his jaw in confusion. "Marry? Me and Anna? How in the world you woulde to that conclusion? She killed my entire family, seized the assets¡­ She basically took everything away from me. I''ll kill her!"


    "Is that so? Then, it must be my misunderstanding. After all, you two look good together. Even when fighting, you arepletely in sync. It makes me think you have that kind of rtionship as if you''re fated to be together before you were even born. But it seems it''s only my misunderstanding."


    "Yeah, it must be your misunderstanding." Noel nodded in agreement. Even the Moon Goddess didn''t stop him from taking revenge, so it should be a misunderstanding.


    "If that''s the case, then I should step away since I have another job to do. When will you leave? I''m going to see you off."


    "Tomorrow before dawn."


    "I see. Then, please take it easy today." The Saintess waved her hand as she walked away while putting her blindfold on.

 Chapter 172 Reaction

    A few dayster.


    While Anna and Noel were on their way back to the fortress to report about their matter, Earl Hawkins had sent a message to the famous Marquis Stargaze. Anna had helped them a lot, so he should send a letter to the marquis.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    A butler knocked on the door and entered as soon as there was a response from the inside, finding the marquis sitting behind his work desk.


    "Master. There is a letter from Earl Hawkins about the young miss. It''s currently with pigeon, but he informs us that the actual letter will be arrivingter."


    "What''s the message?" Marquis Stargaze calmly replied. He was a middle-aged man with short blond hair. Unlike Anna''s purple eyes, his eyes were blue. His muscr body was hidden neatly underneath his clothes. Despite hearing Anna''s name, the marquis didn''t react exaggeratively since he had to know about the matter first.


    "It seems that she has saved Earl Hawkins from an Advanced Level Demon''s encirclement."


    "Hoh?" Marquis Stargaze furrowed his eyebrows. "Then, it must be the mission from the Demon Banner Army. How is her bodyguard?"


    "She has sent him back and the Demon Banner Army also requests us not to intervene their matters."


    "Then, how about her partners?"


    "She doesn''t have two partners like the usual knight group. This year is a bit different and they''reing in a pair, so¡­" The butler paused for a moment, hesitating to say it. But since the marquis was waiting for it, he had to tell him. "Her partner is Noel Ardagan."


    "Ardagan?"


    "Yes. He is Noel Ardagan, the only heir of Count Ardagan."


    "She came to me a few months ago and told me that she wanted to torture Noel herself¡­ As a noble, we have to be ruthless, but I don''t know about having such a disgusting behavior."


    "But Master, it might be because she was dissatisfied with the judgment of the Royal Family who was exiling him."


    "Well, whatever. I won''t interfere with their business. After that incident, Ardagan Family is gone along with my grudge, so don''t interfere with their business. Let Anna solve her own problem, this will be the best situation for her to grow."


    "Then, do we need to send another person to look after her?"


    The marquis thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Anna has been different for quite a while. Instead of observing her, it''s better to wait until she''s finished showing everything about herself. After that, I''ll personally train her."


    "Understood. That''s right. The earl also told us that Noel Ardagan was most likely leeching off her and the Saintess. He wanted to punish him, but the two protected him, especially the Saintess."


    "Which Saintess?"


    "Moon Temple."


    "Then let him go. The Moon Temple might have bad reputation among the nobles, but the citizens are supporting it. Unless you n for a civil war, it''s better to stay away from the Moon Temple. So, just let them do whatever they want until their graduation. After that, give me report about both of them."


    "Understood." The butler politely bowed his head and left the marquis alone again. He was wondering why the marquis didn''t do anything. Normally, he would be trying to investigate the other person, which in this case was Noel.<sub> </sub>


    Still, his order was absolute, so there was nothing he could do.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the one who was talking about Noel was not only the Stargaze Family. There was a pair of siblings that had reached the fort where the Demon Banner Army was located.


    They had a group of people escorting them. But unlike the previous escort, this group had a slightly better equipment.


    "I wonder where Iadre is¡­ Considering he is an Apprentice Knight, is he in the barracks?" The young girl asked while looking around.


    "Then, should we go there to ask about him?"


    "Yes! Let''s not waste any time. We can restter."


    They nodded to each other and headed straight to the barrack. There were many people who were still training under Shale since they weren''t taking any mission. Just like Noel and Anna, they took some time off to train themselves to get ready for the next mission.


    When the siblings arrived and took a peek of the situation inside the barrack, Shale instantly noticed them and appeared right before them.


    "Do you need anything?" Shale asked coldly, while ncing at the people escorting them. They didn''t seem to be that strong, but their equipment solved that weakness. Hence, he had to make sure their intention first.


    "You are¡­" The siblings took a step back while the people that escorted them stepped forward, trying to protect them.


    "Please go back, young master. This guy is dangerous."


    "I am the instructor of this year''s recruits, Shale. I think I have the right to know your intention in taking a peek to our training¡­ If you are only a normal citizen without any escort, I won''t do this much, but¡­" He nced to the escort, considering them as a threat.


    "We¡­ We are Rick and Rica. We are here to meet Iadre to give him his armor. Do you happen to know about Iadre?" Rick stepped forward, stopping them.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Iadre?" Shale looked up, wondering if there was someone with that name. He soon remembered there was one unique individual who required a second identity, Noel. He immediately understood what he had to do. "I do know him. If you''re nning to give something to him, you can leave it to me and I''ll pass him after he returns from the mission."


    "He is in a mission? If we wait for him, will it be that long?"


    "I''m not very sure. The mission right now is quite hard and the location is about a few days away from him with horse, so it might take a while." Shale exined.


    "Is that so¡­" Rick thought for a moment before ncing at Rica. "What do you think?"


    "We can afford to wait for a week. If he hasn''t returned, then we can only do this." She suggested.


    "Alright." Rick nodded in agreement and turned to Shale. "That''s how it is. I apologize if we''re disturbing you. If he has returned, can you tell him that we''ll be staying in the nearest inn from this ce?"


    "No problem."


    Rick and Rica then left the barrack as if they were nning their course of action for the next week.


    ''It seems that no matter which identity he assumes, he''s going to be quite popr.'' Shale thought while staring at their backs. ''I can now understand why themander treasures him a lot. He has that charm that makes you want to help him.''

 Chapter 173 Benefits

    Fortunately, the wait didn''t take too long.


    Noel and Anna returned five days upon their arrival.


    "That''s how it is. The Advanced Level Demon has been taken care of and the city is now safe." Noel finished his exnation with a calm nod, assuring him that everything was fine. He also brought back the letter from Earl Hawkins.


    Of course, he sang praises for Anna, which was quite a huge shock for Shale.


    Normally, the one who would be praised was none other than Noel since Noel''s action and conducts made them happy. So, Anna shouldn''t be the one to be praised. It wasn''t because she wasn''t worth the praises, but Noel was simply that good.


    ''Hmm. Why is the earl praising Anna? Noel should be the one dealing with the whole problem if we''re talking about this pair. I guess the name of Noel Ardagan is a bit too big for a city. They''re more educatedpared to the vigers, so I guess there are many people who don''t think highly about Noel. That''s probably the reason why the earl is praising Anna. Well, it''s not my problem.''


    Shale nodded in understanding. "I have confirmed thepletion of this mission. The points will be transferred to you tomorrow. And with this, you havepleted half of the requirement. Two Individual Missions and Three Group Missions¡­


    "With this pace, I believe you will be able to finish the requirement in the next five months. You might even set up a record. Do you n to graduate early?"


    "Graduation?" Anna raised her eyebrows. "What are we doing after the graduation and what''s the benefit?"


    <o>,m "Graduation is simply recognizing you as a full-fledged knight of the Demon Banner Army. With this, you can get the benefits of being our knight. As you know, our reputation is quite huge.</o>


    "When you show yourself as a full-fledged knight of the Demon Banner Army who is in a mission, the city you pass will have to give you the best amodation they can offer.


    "In return, you have toplete the mission as soon as possible because the city will be able to observe you to know whether you''re doing your job properly or abusing your privilege.


    "Other benefitses in the form of horses. You can request to the lord of the city to provide you with a horse in order to travel. Of course, you have to return itter through our partner, the Londwell Mailing Service. The charge will be handled by the Demon Banner Army.


    "Of course, a full-fledged knight has more duties than an apprentice knight. For example, the army can station you somewhere. As you know, we''re fighting against the demons all around the kingdoms, so we have to send you on a mission personally.


    "If you''re able to get some achievements, you can be promotedter on. And the benefits will be far above the full-fledged knight. I mean, a full-fledged knight is like an elite knight that nobles can have. Someone above it is beyond what you can think. Of course, you can''t simply leave the army that easily. You have toplete some missions if you n to leave the army so that we won''t suffer much.


    "The missions itself aren''t that hard. The people who usually leave the army are those who don''t have courage to pursue the path further, basically cowards. But even with them filling those quotas, thepletion rate is around seventy percent."<sub> </sub>


    After listening to Shale''s exnation, bing a full-fledged knight sounded good. And if they could be a captain or even higher, the benefits would be beyond their imagination.


    "What''s about you, Sir Shale?" Noel couldn''t help but ask.


    "You don''t know who he is?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was amon knowledge for nobles, so it was quite surprising that Noel didn''t know him. But she also remembered that Noel was ignorant at the start, so it calmed her heart a bit.


    "You know who he is?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "Sorry for being ignorant, alright?"


    "Demon Extermination Squad, one of the five elites squad of the Demon Banner Army. It''s said that this squad can take down numerous demons by themselves. There was once a man who challenged a thousand demons. He killed all of them by himself. At the orange sky and a river of blood, the man stood on top of the mountain of corpses¡­ He istter known as the Demon Exterminator Shale, one of the top fighters in the Demon Banner Army." Anna exined with a sigh.


    "That was just the past. I''m nothing but your instructor right now, so chill." Shale shrugged. "By the way, Noel, lend me your ears."


    Noel thought Shale was going to punish him fromcking ofmon knowledge, but Shale actually passed the message Rick told him.


    After that, he said, "That''s all. Since I''ve received the proof ofpletion and exined all that stuff, you can leave."


    "You''re not going to tell us the benefits for bing someone at your level?" Noel asked.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Are you nning to be someone like me? I think you have another path in front of you, right?" Shale smirked.


    The benefits itself was obvious to Noel. After listening to the exnation, when someone reached Shale''s level, even Noble wouldn''t dare to treat him badly. Lower ss nobles like Baron or Count even had to meet them personally if they visited. They might not be a noble themselves, but if they actually left the army, the nobles would be flocking them to have them marry their sons or daughters.


    Still, Noel had a different path than Shale. He didn''t n to be on a simple knight. He wanted to rebuild his Ardagan Family. And for that reason, he would need to leave the army after racking up some achievements.


    Noel then sighed and politely nodded to him. "I understand. Thank you for the exnation. I''ll be returning to my room."


    "En." Shale nodded.


    Of course, Noel had to return to his room since he had to pick up a masquerade to meet the siblings.

 Chapter 174 Spiritual Enchantment

    Noel wasted no time to go to the inn and informed his arrival. Knowing the siblings, they must have given some instruction to the innkeeper, so when he told him about the siblings, the innkeeper immediately informed the siblings.


    Finally, he reunited with the siblings once again.


    "Ah, Iadre." Rick smiled and nodded. After what happened in Roel''s house, Rick didn''t mind about the honorific anymore. Noel had even told him that he was younger than them.


    "Rick, Rica. I''m sorry for making you wait for so long." Noel felt bad for making them wait for days. He thought they woulde a bitter, but it turned out to be the other way around.


    "We were simply too eager to meet you again. You did nothing wrong." Rick chuckled, assuring him it wasn''t his fault.


    "We want to thank you for mending the rtionship with our father. We have misunderstood each other for so long, so we''re grateful to you. Who knows how long it will continue without you helping us." Rica politely lowered her head to thank him.


    "Please don''t mind about it. I was just being a busy body at that time." Noel waved his hand, telling them to pay no mind.


    "That''s right. I''m sure that you''re waiting for this." Rick tried to change the topic since it would be an endless thanks and apologies if they continued. He ced the wooden armor on the table.


    Since it was only a wooden armor, no one would bother to look at this armor, considering wooden armor was useless. They were stiff and weak against a sharp object. Hence, they thought the people who wanted it were foolish.


    However, Noel had a different opinion. The wood from the Ancient Demon Tree was durable and flexible. Coupled with a skilled cksmith and the Spiritual Energy imbued to the armor, it was a superior armorpared to most armor out there.


    "So, this is¡­" Noel looked at the armor excitedly. The armor itself wasn''t as big as he imagined. In fact, the contour perfectly matched his body.


    The armor would be protecting his body only, not his arms or his legs. But if he trusted that armor and put it underneath his body, it wouldn''t look like he was wearing an armor. He could take advantage of it, making the enemy attack his body, which would be blocked by that armor. In that instant, he attacked them back.


    "This armor is matching your body line. My father knows that your body hasn''t properly grown. I am not very sure, but it seems that you''re barely an adult. The age to reach an adulthood is 14 years old, so you are like 15 or 16 years old.


    "Hence, my father knows to make the armor as flexible as possible. So, you can use this armor for a long time because it can slightly expand to match your body''s line.


    "Due to that, we have to properly adjust it for you. Well, you can do that by yourself, but do you mind if we''re the one doing it?"


    Noel listened to their exnation. Roel seemed to have put a lot of thought into this armor. After some considerations, Noel epted Rick''s offer. "Sure. I don''t really mind, considering it''s better for the cksmith''s son to put thest adjustment instead of a rookie like me."


    "That''s great." Rick smiled. "How abouting to my room? The tools are there."<sub> </sub>


    "Sure." Noel nodded in agreement.


    Without hesitation, they immediately headed to Rick''s room to pick up the tools as Noel carried the armor. It wasn''t as heavy as he imagined. Although this additional weight would make him slow down a bit, it wouldn''t hinder his fighting ability too much. And if he managed to get used to this armor, it would be a life saving armor.


    However, he also noticed a few symbols on the armor.


    "Hmm? This is¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes when he spotted these symbols.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Ah, those are the things we use to improve the armor. We call it Spirit Enchantment. Basically, those few symbols can direct your Spiritual Energy. There are three symbols embedded into your armor.


    "The first is hardening. As the name implies, it''ll be a great boost to your defensive power. The second one is impact deflector, which will redirect a portion of the impact off your body. The third one is flexibility so that it can match your body. Unfortunately, my father can''t put more because it''ll ruin the armor itself.


    "Considering the armor''s material is extraordinary, it''s already abnormal to get three Spiritual Enchantment. Normal weapon can''t even get one.


    "And only those veteran cksmiths in our ce can even put a Spirit Enchantment in an item. People call it Spirit Weapon or Armor."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded after listening to him. But his doubt still remained in his heart. After all, this Spiritual Enchantment was actually something he had seen before. He muttered inwardly, ''This is rune, right? Although the rune is iplete, it''s still the same symbol as the rune I have in my mind.


    ''Does that mean the people already know the existence of the runes? Then, the only one who can poprize it is none other than my ancestor. The rune itselfes from Ardagan, so¡­''


    Noel asked, "May I know how do you know about these symbols? If it''s a secret, then it''s fine."


    "No, it''s not that much of a secret. Spirit Enchantment has been poprized since one hundred years ago after someone found a notebook containing the symbols. Due to the bad condition of that book, we can only do this much." Rick exined calmly since it wasn''t his father that invented the rune anyway.


    "And where is that notebook?"


    "The original record has been stored in the Greenwood Kingdom''s Royal Library. However, some copies have been made and spread because it''s an effective weapon that can fight the demons."


    "I see¡­" Noel nodded. He was slightly disappointed since he wouldn''t be able to see this book because Greenwood Kingdom was a neighboring kingdom. However, he had some clues that considered the Spiritual Enchantment as one of Rune''s applications.


    ''Now that I think about it, Rune Mastery is teaching me all sorts of runes. I think the first five levels are all about knowledge. Level 6 to level 10 will be all those applications. It seems I have to take my time to level up the Rune Mastery.''

 Chapter 175 Adjustment

    Noel also thought about the bad possibility that woulde from theplete rune.


    ''If everyone knows about my knowledge about theplete rune that can basically transform the entire Rune System as well as the cksmith''s Enchantment¡­ many kingdom will either form a connection with me or try to kill me for the information.


    ''Either way, it can also be myst trump card if I can''t avenge my parents by myself. Marrying to another kingdom and force them to help me is also an option, but for now, I want to do it by myself. Hence, I need to gain enough reputation first before showing the whole rune if I don''t want this kingdom seizing this power. Well, I can even make a unique school about rune in my territory which will allow me to gain some connections with the nobles who will send their people to learn from me. Yeah, there are many ways to use it, so I don''t have to rush everything for the time being.''


    Noel''s expression brightened as they reached Rick''s room. Noel also took another look at the iplete runes.


    ''Rune itself is just an imaginary power of a single word. The runes embedded into this armor are Harden, Dispersion, and Flexible. In fact, this Dispersion is the exact same thing as my Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    ''In fact, all my runes like Increase Agility, Strength Blessing, Spiritual Energy Dispersion, and Chain Bind Rune can be described by a single word that is embedded to that rune itself. Agility, Strength, Dispersion, and Chain Runes. Anna''s Duplication Rune is the same.


    ''The embedding process uses the advantage of Demon''s parts which are rich in Spiritual Energy, making them a perfect conductor to Spiritual Energy. That''s why that''s the only way to create a Spiritual Equipment¡­ I think?


    ''Well, I have spare Honor Points that I can use to upgrade my Rune Mastery, but I''ll wait after my expedition to the Sword Saint Tomb since I might need to use it at that time.''


    While Noel was thinking, Rick had picked up his tools and came to him. "Noel. Are you ready?"


    "Yes, I''m ready. But what are you nning to do?" Noel asked.


    "It''s simple. You put your armor on so that I can activate the Spiritual Enchantment. After this, you won''t have any problem in activating those runes by yourself."


    "Ah! Alright¡­" Noel nodded in agreement, knowing what he had to do. However, this armor was supposed to be worn underneath his clothes, so¡­ "Wait a minute, doesn''t that mean¡­"


    "Yes. Please strip." Rick smiled, confirming it without hesitation.


    "Well¡­" Noel made a wry smile. He didn''t really mind taking off his shirt to put the armor on and since he wasmoner, there was no need to care about others'' opinion. But¡­ Noel couldn''t help but look at the side.


    Yes, there was Rica in the room. Anna had seen his body, so he didn''t really mind, but he wondered what the other party thought. It could be considered a harassment after all.


    "Rica. Leave the room a bit!" Rick nced to his sister.


    "Wait, what? Can''t I stay? I just have to not look, right?" Rica was bewildered.


    "Be a properdy and wait outside!" Rick was adamant in making her leave to the point he dragged her out of the room before locking the door.


    When they were busy among themselves, Noel had taken off his shirt and put on this armor.


    It was quite tight even for him. It felt like he was wearing a thickyer of tight clothes. But surprisingly, he didn''t feel restrained at all. The armor could match his body movement as if it was continuously expanding and shrinking.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "The only adjustment that has to be made is the Flexible Enchantment. I have to fit your body." Rick exined while taking out a Mid Level Demon Crystal and a few Low Level Demon Crystals. He then connected the Crystals and the Rune with his fingers.


    Just like how Roel taught him how to focus the Spiritual Energy into a certain part, Rick seemed to be able to do the same as his hand became the bridge of the Spiritual Energy between the rune and the crystals.<sub> </sub>


    The armor gradually became less tight. In fact, he felt morefortable this way.


    "This is how you make an adjustment. You have to feed the Enchantment with Spiritual Energy from the Demon Crystal. It''ll gradually expand in size while matching your body contour. I''ve heard that you''ve learned about this technique when helping my father."


    "Ah, yes. That''s why you said I could make the adjustment, right?"


    "Yes. Even if we didn''t meet you, you could do it yourself with some instructions."


    "Showing it is better." Noel nodded, assuring him that he didn''t mind either way.


    Rick smiled and continued feeding the rune until Noel confirmed it was the right size. After that, he said, "How about channeling your Spiritual Energy to the other Enchantments to test it?"


    Noel nodded and poured the Spiritual Energy to the Harden Rune. He realized that the armor became stiffer, making it hard to move. But he didn''t feel much pain when he hit the armor.


    He understood that Harden Rune would be extremely effective but he had to use it at a perfect timing.


    After confirming its effect, Noel tried the second rune, the Dispersion Rune. This time, he used Spiritual Energy to punch his stomach. As expected, the Dispersion Rune scattered the Spiritual Energy, lowering the impact.


    Roel knew that Noel would be fighting against the Demon, so Dispersion Rune would benefit him in the long run, since the demons could use Spiritual Energy from Mid Level Demon onward.


    Depending on how he used it, the armor would be another form of weapon for him. But what satisfied him the most was when he put back on his clothes. It certainly made him look a bit buffed, but it wasn''t much to the point others would notice the difference. Only those who had known him would notice it.


    "How is it?" Rick asked.


    "There''s no problem. I can get used to this in less than a week since there''s not much difference."


    "Great. That means we''ve delivered your requestpletely." Rick smiled.


    "How should I pay you? I even make you use Demon Crystals."


    "Please don''t mind about it. Our father is already thankful enough to fix this messy family. If he knows that I''m taking your money whether forced or not, I''ll be beaten up. I also do it because I want to repay you."


    "I see. Thank you." Noel nodded. "Still, since you have arrived here, I can bring you around. That much should be fine, right?"


    "I have wandered around for the past few days. If you don''t mind, you should bring Rica around since she must be sulking right now."


    "Ahaha, will do." Noel chuckled. "Then¡­"


    "Yes." Rick waved his hand, seeing him off while cleaning up.

 Chapter 176 Septa

    "Here you go." Noel bought a bag of fruit and asked Rica to take some. They were going around the town after Rick''s suggestion. He was thankful to them to wait for him just so that they could give the armor personally.


    So, he didn''t mind to spend the rest of the day to show them around. Though, Rick didn''t join them.


    "Thank you." She received an apple while asking, "Do you have any rmendation when visiting this fort?"


    Noel thought for a moment. He had been running around the town and helping the people, so his connection was quite wide among the citizens. Hence, he had a few suggestions.


    However, there was one spot that held a special ce in his heart.


    "There is one." Noel smiled, recalling the memory of that ce.


    "Oh! Do you mind if we go there?"


    Noel nodded as he didn''t hesitate to bring Rica to the za where he first met the kids. Since that day, he never appeared before them anymore, but it didn''t change the fact that he still watched them from afar, feeling happy with their achievement.


    Like usual, the kids had been performing in the za with many people waiting for them. After months of dancing, the kids had truly gotten better.


    "Oh my!" Rica raised her eyebrows in amusement. The kids were actually moving in unison. Although their moves were a bit sluggishpared to a professional dancer, they had their own specialty that no one could replicate.


    They were actually dancing with swords. Every swing was quite big in soldier''s perspective, but they truly gave a different charm, making them look beautiful.


    Soon, everyone walked in pair and brandished their sword to each other. Still, the kid had an odd number, so thest person walked forward as if he was the one leading their movements.


    *k!*


    *Pak!*


    *Creak!*


    A different sound was produced when they hit each other''s sword, but surprisingly, it created a festive mood as if they were pping their hands in melody.


    The people couldn''t help but smile while pping their hands at the same time as the sword was hit each other. Those enjoyed their performances were cheering while those who never saw them were curious.


    Even Rica couldn''t take her eyes off them.


    Noel smiled because they were his pride and joy. Although their meeting was brief and an ident happened, the kids had truly grown from the children who grew in the slum to the kids who could change their own fate.


    Noel also followed the pping sound while enjoying the music.


    Their performancessted for another four minutes and the money started piling up in front of them.


    "They''re bright kids." Rica smiled while apuding.<sub> </sub>


    "Indeed." Noel nodded without hesitation.


    "Still, I''m kinda worried¡­ They''re still kids, so I''m afraid that adults are trying to take advantage of them." Rica sighed. "I mean there must be people who wants to take advantage of that money, right?"


    The heavy atmosphere soon reced the festive mood between them. What anyone didn''t know that Noel had been spreading the rumors as Iadre, telling them that someone wanted to take advantage of them and died the next day.


    He put all those scary rumors so that no one would touch them. Of course, he often beat people up in the dark, which reinforced the rumor about someone protecting them.


    This way, the kids could progress without worry.


    But today''s performance seemed to be different. There was a guy suddenly pping while walking forward.


    "Superb! That''s the first time I see people swinging their sword so beautiful!" The guy was a young man with short spiky blue hair. However, his clothes were that of the military''s uniform.


    The kids squinted their eyes, bing vignt. They didn''t know who this guy was. Even Noel observed this guy''s movement, making sure he didn''t make any foolish move.


    "No need to worry. I''m not here to ruin your performance. I''m simply amused by your unique dance that involves the sword. It''s something I have never seen before." The guy ced his hand on his chest like that of a gentleman. "Let me introduce myself. I am Septa, Demon Observer Squad''s squad captain. Do you happen to be interested in joining the Demon Banner Army and be my students?


    "I can''t provide you with whatever you are doing right now, but I can offer you some advices that you can apply to your dance. I believe you''re going to be an excellent knights because of your unique style. That''s what I want to see."


    Noel narrowed his eyes, wondering who this Septa was. He thought Septa was a man who tried to roley a knight so that the kids could follow him. After that, he would be taking advantage of the kids by fooling them.


    However, Rica seemed to recognize the name. "Septa? The Youngest Knight Captain of the Demon Banner Army?"


    "Do you know him?" Noel squinted his eyes, curious.


    "Yes. It''s said that the Demon Banner Army has received a genius a few years ago. His name is Septa. He has been racking up achievements and bing one of the youngest knight captains in history. He manages to reach that rank at 23 years old. But there''s a rumor that the genius Anna Stargaze is bing a knight here, so there''s a huge chance that she will break the top record and be the youngest person to be the knight captain." She exined.


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. It seemed that this guy wasn''t role ying. Even if he was insane, no one would be impersonating a knight captain of the Demon Banner Army.


    If the kids could learn from him and fix their mistakes in swordsmanship and polish it with their own dance, he believed they could grow even further.


    So, he was a bit supportive with this choice.


    But to his surprise, the children, especially the one leading them, Erica, politely bowed to Septa. "Thank you for the offer, Sir Knight. However, I''m afraid that we can''t ept your invitation."N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Hoh?" Septa was amused because this was the first time someone rejected him. "Why is that?"


    "We have someone we want to catch up and repay. If we join the Demon Banner Army, I''m afraid¡­" Erica paused, letting Septa understanding the meaning.


    Meanwhile, Noel, who was watching the entire thing, was moved. Her words stabbed right in his heart.

 Chapter 177 Unexpected Visit

    He never expected that the children wanted to repay him this much, even after learning about Septa.


    What he didn''t know was that the children had understood the rumors. No, Erica was the one to figure out the person in the rumor as the smartest kid in the group. She told them that Noel had been protecting her this whole time, making the children feel moved.


    Even though he wasn''t with them anymore, their ''Big Brother Noel'' was still protecting them.


    Their pure hearts truly wanted to repay Noel for everything because they knew that Noel would still take care of them until they truly grew up.


    Septa seemed to be more and more interested in them as he asked again, "So, who is this man that you want to repay?"


    "He is big br¡ª" The children seemed to want to show Noel''s kindness in front of everyone, but Erica hurriedly shut them up with a re. If they gave away the name, the knight who seemed to be superior than Noel might make it difficult for him. She didn''t want to repay Noel with trouble.


    Erica shook her head and said, "I believe we can''t tell you that."


    "You are truly a smart kid. You think I''ll make trouble to him after knowing his name. I heard that you''re from the slum¡­ so, I''m quite surprised to see such a smart kid like you. Alright, you don''t have to tell me! How about this? I will guide you a bit after your performances and you don''t have to enter the Demon Banner Army."


    Erica squinted her eyes, feeling suspicious. She looked at Septa and said, "Something that is too good to be true shouldn''t be trusted."


    "As expected!" Septa was truly satisfied with Erica''s intelligence. So, he added, "Then, I can guide you in front of these people. Fixing some mistakes here and there. I''m sure that I can''t do anything to you that way!"


    "But I don''t see any reason for you to help us."


    "I just want to see how far can you go with this style. After all, this dance is a new branch that has yet to be explored. As a swordsman, I obviously want to see how far can you grow¡­ There''s a chance that it will be popr in the future, so I''m just leaving my mark in that history." Septa exined while smiling.


    "That''s¡­" Erica thought for a moment. There was no demerit in this deal. If the person wanted, he could simply kidnap them instead of letting people know about his intention. And with him showing his status as the knight captain, it would make everyone suspect him in case something happened to them.


    And Septa seemed to understand that implication because he added one more condition. "If someone harass you in the next three months, feel free to go to the barrack and tell the soldiers that Captain Septa is protecting you. Alright then, it''s time for me to go. Make sure you think about it, kids. Give me the answer tomorrow¡­ I''ll visit your performance again."


    After leaving the message, Septa left the za with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Noel kept staring at his back, wondering whether the man had a hidden intention or not.


    Seeing Noel''s serious face, Rica couldn''t help but say, "You seem to care about them."


    "Ehm, I guess?" Noel scratched the back of his head, realizing he forgot to handle his emotion. The kids were truly his soft spot. They were the same as him, who were once useless but wanted to change their fate.<sub> </sub>


    "In any case, the children seems to be wonderful. I can understand why you bring me here. Thank you, Iadre."


    "No, it''s fine. Since the performance is over, it''s time for us to leave as well. I have a few other ces that I can bring you."


    "Alright." Rica agreed and shifted the topic so that the atmosphere didn''t be awkward.


    Even though it was coincidence, Anna was actually among the crowd and noticed Noel and Rica walking together.


    ''That''s Noel, right? Who is that woman beside him? This is the first time I see her and I don''t think she''s someone from this fort either. I was buying my dinner and watching the children''s sword dance, but I would never expect Noel to be here with a woman.


    ''Who in the world is that woman? Has Noel actually gotten involved in that kind of situation? But then again, I can''t seem to remember the woman''s face¡­ I don''t think I know her in my past life. She mustn''t be someone important¡­


    ''Well, whatever. It''s not my ce to intrude on his privacy. I don''t think it''llst that long anyway¡­'' Anna squinted her eyes. She didn''t realize that Noel''s matter was actually much more important in her headpared to the appearance of another knight captain, Septa.


    ''Still, why am I that bothered after seeing Noel with a woman? I don''t feel anything when the female knights hanging around him.'' Anna scratched the back of her head, confused. ''Do I actually know her or do I not?''


    She couldn''t remember anything about the woman, so she just gave up and stopped concerning herself with Noel. Of course, on the way to her room, she was trying to recall all people rted to Noel, wondering if there was an event she was missing.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Rica continued walking around the town as Noel showed some good spots that he got from the local. It was a rxing mood since he almost never stopped practicing every day.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Rica also told him that she would be leaving to another town to finally work as a merchant group recognized by her father. Noel wished her luck and continued until the night arrived.


    But it seemed that fate still connected him to the man called Septa.


    The next day.


    "Noel, Anna. There is someone that wants to talk to you." Shale suddenly called them in the middle of their spar.


    They were confused but still followed Shale to meet this person, only to find the familiar figure. This was the same person as the one they saw yesterday. The Demon Observer Squad''s Squad Captain, Septa.


    "Hello." Septa smiled while waving his hands.

 Chapter 178 Reason

    "Hello."


    "This¡­" Noel and Anna obviously recognized him since they had seen him when they were watching the sword dance. They never expected to meet him today.


    "I guess there''s no need for me to introduce myself since you have seen me yesterday." Septa smiled.


    "!!!" Noel and Anna tried to maintain their calm, but their heart skipped a beat, surprised to how they got found out.


    "The guy who was ring like crazy and the girl who observed me¡­ Hahaha, don''t worry. It''s just my job. In fact, I kinda remember all the people I met yesterday." Septa chuckled.


    Shale coughed and finally opened his mouth. "Even if you have seen this guy, I think it''s better to introduce him again. He is Septa, the captain of the Demon Observer Squad, one of our elite squads as well."


    "Oh! Nice to meet you." Septa smiled before turning to Noel. "Though, I''m quite curious about you. Your re wasn''t normal yesterday, so I assume you''re the one those kids mentioned yesterday."


    Noel''s expression turned grim as if he was preparing to fight him. It was foolish to fight against someone like him, but he didn''t want to get beaten up without putting up any fight now. There was one big question in Noel''s mind. ''How does he know?''N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Noel had put on a disguise yesterday, so it should be impossible for him to know unless such a thing didn''t work against him or themander himself told Septa about it. However, there was one more possibility, which was quite impossible. Septa had actually investigated him, even bypassing themander''s knowledge. This also showed Septa''s ability as the captain of the Demon Observer Squad.


    Septa was amused by Noel''s reaction and waved his hand as if telling him everything wasn''t like what he thought. "I''m not nning to do anything. I''m just curious with the kids, that''s all. It''s not like I have a lot of time to teach them, so I''ll just use some spare time to do it. In fact, that drive can make them get stronger faster. There''s no way I''m going to erase that drive.


    "Well, it''s true that revenge is a force that can drive you forward far faster than anything else, but I''m just worried about their future. After that revenge, the kids would be broken and ended up dead. And what they did to get stronger¡­ would be questionable. Hence, it''s better to let them think this way."


    Septa''s words actually hit him more than the kids. His current main driving force was revenge. But he never did something unthinkable to get stronger. The only reason he could stay sane in this situation was due to his true goal. He had been thinking about what he would do after the revenge, allowing him to know which one would be bad for the body in the long run or not. This way, he could continue to pursue his goal after his revenge.


    Still, Noel couldn''t drop his guard down against this unknown guy that appeared out of nowhere.


    Seeing Noel''s expression, Anna asked, "Either way, is there a reason for us to be called here?"


    "Oh?" Septa looked at Anna amusedly as if he never expected this kind of action from Anna.<sub> </sub>


    Shale, on the other hand, didn''t beat around the bush and exined. "I told you, right? Septa is the leader of the Demon Observer Squad. This squad only has one purpose. It''s to investigate anything rted to demons. That''s why they''re called Demon Observers.


    "He has been recalled by themander for several reasons, but surprisingly, all of them are rted to you. So, I call you here to introduce him."


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "By the way, which matters are rted to us?"


    Septa was the first to answer this question. "Ancient Demon Tree, the Supreme Devil Organization, and the incident about bandits using the demons."


    "!!!" Anna and Noel instantly forgot about the previous problems as they recognized all these problems. It was true that they were rted to everything.


    Septa thought for a moment. "I can''t say much to you guys, but I guess I can say these things¡­ I have checked the ce where the Ancient Demon Tree appeared. There is something weird about it because I notice some markings that I don''t recognize. It should be rted to the things from a thousand years ago.


    "I''m going to check those markings and seek some trace of them all around the world. It''s possible that there are more hidden demons than we originally thought. If it''s just a natural thing, then we can consider it a natural disaster. But if a person has the key to unseal all those powerful demons, then we can only call it a weapon." Septa''s expression darkened.


    Noel was confused, but Anna''s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ''So, that''s how it is. The Demon Festival! In the future, demons suddenly appeared and terrorized thends. It was a chaotic situation. Noel was one of the people who stood out the most in this incident because he killed numerous demons. It was also one of the biggest reasons Noel had received huge support for rebellion. But whether it''s natural or not¡­''


    The answer woulde from Septa.


    "Well, that''s the first matter. As for the second one, I don''t know about them that much. It''s a hassle to investigate those maniacs. The guy you killed might be rted to the third one as well such as bing the beacon of those demons or something. But we have to investigate it again since it''ll just be a conspiracy theory without proof.


    "In any case, the fact that there is a low level member in this fort means there is someone from the higher level. They will think that we won''t be on our guard anymore since we have found out about the spy since there shouldn''t be any more spy. Hence, I''m the one in charge to investigate the whole fort.


    <o>,m "Last but not least, the demon and the bandit¡­ I don''t know what to say about this one other than ridiculous. This is the first time I have seen something like this. The report stated that the demons only attacked the people other than the bandits, so we''re assuming they had a way to disguise their presence in front of those demons. If only we have some bandits to interrogate.</o>


    "Well, those are the things I can tell you right now since you''re involved. If you know anything or a clue that I can use to investigate, please tell me about it."

 Chapter 179 Noels Plan

    Anna closed her eyes as if absorbing the information she heard earlier. She wondered what she should tell him because the other party could start suspecting her as well.


    Noel was a weird guy and her target, so it was fine if Noel knew about it. But it would be a different case with Septa since he was the formal investigator. She even knew what kind of figure Septa would be in the future.


    Septa the Observer. When people thought this name, they would know he was the greatest investigator in the kingdom. Almost all cases he investigated would give the result. Even the Supreme Devil Organization would have a hard time to escape his eyes.


    So, if he suspected her, it would be bad.


    And Noel surely loved to take that opportunity¡­ albeit, it was impossible for the time being. It would be better if he could snitch on her, but Anna would also snitch on him.


    If both of them became Septa''s targets, the worst case scenario would be their death. Even in the bad scenario, he could picture themselves getting tortured for the information. And if all his doubts about how Septa figured out his identity from the disguise, it was impossible to hide anything from Septa.


    Hence, Noel was nning to direct Septa''s suspicion somewhere else. He asked, "Well, our opponents are demons, so we''ll cooperate. But will we get anything from it?"


    "Hoh?" Septa squinted his eyes, staring at Noel. Noel was indirectly implying that he would only give him some small pieces of information in his cooperation. If he wanted more, he had to buy that information from him.


    With his authority, he could force Noel to cooperate. But he wouldn''t know how much information Noel was hiding. So, this was a negotiation.


    "Interesting. What do you want from me?"


    "The safety of the kids as well as you teaching them without making them do something they don''t want."


    "Mhm." Septa was amused by this request. Noel seemed to be a selfless guy. Beforeing here, he had investigated him as well. The result was surprising. Noel had been going around the town and helping so many people. So, this form of selfless act was like a nature to him. It was quite surprising to see it from someone who devoted himself in revenge against the royal family and the Stargaze Family.


    If not for Anna to be stronger than him, Noel wouldn''t hesitate to kill her. So, he never expected that Noel to be this good.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Septa nodded and said, "I guarantee it."


    Noel took a deep breath and gave a piece of advice. "This is for the first one. Bring a cksmith with you, the more skilled they are, the better. If possible Master cksmith."


    "cksmith?" Septa tilted his head in confusion because this waspletely new to him. He wondered what kind of skill Noel was talking about. ''The craving on the rocks¡­ cksmith¡­ No, Master cksmith¡­ Wait! Craving and cksmith¡­ Shouldn''t it be the Spirit Enchantment? Is it rted to that?<sub> </sub>


    ''If I''m not wrong, he was with a girl back then. The girl might not be that famous, but it couldn''t escape our eyes. She was the daughter of Master cksmith Roel. He must have a piece of equipment with Spirit Enchantment from them. Is that why he is suggesting to bring a Master cksmith?''


    This train of thought was quite interesting to him. He never thought about using the cksmith to help him with the investigation. But if those cravings could be proven by those cksmiths, they would know what was going on.


    ''Who is this Noel? Should I investigate him further? No, he''s still useful. Rather than making him suspect me, I won''t do it for the time being to gain his trust to get more information. If he has be too suspicious, I''ll investigate him.'' Septa thought before smiling, saying, "Alright. I''ll take your suggestion."


    Noel nodded with a calm expression. Of course, it looked foolish since Noel told him about the information. This way, Septa would be suspicious. The best course of action should be telling him nothing other than what stated in the report.


    However, Noel had one more reason to direct Septa''s attention to Master cksmith. The first would be the notebook containing runes in his room. If Septa knew about that book, he would suspect him to know the markings. And it would be weird for a guy like him to know about this.


    Hence, Septa''s reaction actually proved that he hadn''t known the existence of the book. It meant he hadn''t investigated himpletely.


    And after some more time, even if Septa knew about the existence of his notebook, he could simply say that he had been learning the secret of the Ardagan Family that derived back to his ancestor.


    After finding the simrity between them, Noel could use Septa to promote the book as well. This was an effective power against the demons, so it would be good to spread it. This way, his poprity would skyrocket, allowing him to gain some influence in the kingdom. Even the royal family had to give him a title for this groundbreaking discovery no matter how much they hated him. If they didn''t do it, the other kingdoms would snatch him from them. This was Noel''s long term n.


    On the other hand, there was another possibility, which was to capture him and torture him for the information. At that time, he could simply kill himself. He had nothing to lose anyway, so killing himself was an option. And Moon Temple could be his shelter when that time happened.


    And it seemed he also gained a bit from Septa as he said to him, "That''s right. I think I should give you this information. When you were chasing after the bandits, you said you encountered someone that killed him from giving the information, right?"


    "Yes."


    "We''re assuming that they''re from the Supreme Devil Organization. With me investigating them, they''ll shift their attention to me and forget about you. That''s why you don''t need to worry about further assassination attempts."


    "I see. Thank you." Noel politely nodded his head.


    "No problem. It''s my job anyway."

 Chapter 180 Suspicion

    "Then, I''ll excuse myself." After receiving the information from Septa, Noel nodded and immediately excused himself. He felt scared of this guy, who seemed to know everything.


    Anna also followed him while thinking about this Septa. His power was truly beyond her imagination.


    Looking at them, Septa nced to Shale and asked, "Are they truly Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze?"


    ? "What''s wrong with you? Yes, they are."


    "This is weird. ording to the information, Anna Stargaze was the cause for his family execution, but I didn''t see any hatred from Anna. And Noel seemed to believe Anna to be the cause. That hatred hidden underneath his heart¡­ I can''t imagine how he hides that." Septa squinted his eyes.


    "Are you investigating them?"


    "Not really, but it''s kinda weird." Septa shrugged.


    "You haven''t been born at that time, so I guess you don''t know the past rtionship between Marquis Stargaze and Count Ardagan. I heard they were best friends."


    "Then, the execution was a betrayal from Marquis Stargaze?"


    "I don''t know. There might be something deeper in it. But that''s not a ce I can stick my nose into. You should focus on the matter at hands as well."


    "Yes, I know. Still, it''s such a shame. Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze. With their current situation, it seems like they won''t stop until one of them is dead. Both of them are quite talented¡­ In fact, more talented than me. I bet both of them can easily be a captain ss before 20 years old."


    "I can kinda see their potential, but I''ll just let the youngsters to handle their own problems." Shale shrugged. "For now, what do you truly think about those three cases?"


    "Noel''s suggestion is correct. After checking the memory in my mind, the markings seems to resemble Spirit Enchantment, so I''ll bring a Master cksmith for the investigation. As for the Supreme Devil Organization, it''s a hassle since there seems to be someone hiding among us."


    "Among us? Among captains?"


    "Yeah. That''s itself a problem. You can suspect me, I can suspect you or anyone else. That''s why this one will be a difficult problem. Last but not least, the Supreme Devil Organization is targeting us with the third problem. If they cause bandits emergence with demons from all directions, what do you think will happen?"


    "We have to mobilize all our troops, leaving the fort defenseless. So, that''s how it is¡­" Shale nodded. "It seems that their target is to destroy us as the beacon of this kingdom. We have been protecting the kingdoms from most demons, so if we''re destroyed, there''s a chance the kingdom will copse."


    "That''s not all, Shale. Do you truly understand why I''m so fixated on Noel Ardagan?"


    "Hmm?" Shale was confused for a moment before noticing the connection between them. "Are you suspecting¡­"


    "No. I''m not suspecting Noel to be backed by the Supreme Devil Organization. But Noel, who has a grudge against the Royal Family and Marquis Ardagan, will surely be a great pawn for them. Now they know the existence of Noel and his talent, I''m afraid they''re going to approach him soon."


    "!!!" Shale widened his eyes in shock, but that expression soon turned grim, knowing the severeness of this matter. "What are you nning to do?"


    "That''s for me to know. As I said earlier, everyone can be the suspect. If I can''t do anything, it means I''m the suspect. If I tell you and the information leaks, you''re the suspect. If I report to themander and the enemy knows what to do with me, themander is the suspect. For now, I can''t say anything to others about my n." He shook his head.


    "Are you joking with me? Captains like us aside, you''re suspecting themander?"


    "That''s why I don''t want to talk to you about my ns. For me, everyone is suspicious no matter who they are. I even found a record that the Supreme Devil Organization had made a contact with the Royal Family."


    "What? Even the Royal Family? Do they know how will it implicate them? The Supreme Devil Organization is not the enemy of our kingdom, but the enemy of the world."<sub> </sub>


    "Yeah, yeah. That''s all I can tell you. For now, I''m going to put my all in investigation."


    "Alright. I understand." Shale nodded. "By the way, what''s the deal with the kids? You''re going to be their teacher?"


    "I found out about those kids yesterday. They were quite an interesting bunch. Their sword style was actually a dance. Can you imagine dancing with a sword?"


    "Dancing with a sword?" Shale raised his eyebrows. "You serious?"


    "It''s shocking, right? Their movements are a bit too big, but I''m going to fix some of their moves. It''s their job to perfect their own dance. If they truly seed, you might see a beautiful but deadly dance."


    "Well, that might be worth seeing." Shale nodded. "Anyway, you should go back soon. I have to continue teaching the kids."


    "Hehe, alright, Instructor." Septa smirked.


    "Shut up. Someone will do it next year."


    "Yeah. The gori will be the one teaching next year applications."


    "Gori? You serious? Now, I''m starting to feel bad for next year''s kids." Shale chuckled.


    Septa shrugged and started walking away.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Anna couldn''t help but tease Noel after hearing that information. She smirked and asked, "So, you were there, Noel! I don''t see your figure anywhere. The only Apprentice Knight I saw there was someone with a mask, who was never a part of our generation. Don''t you think it''s suspicious? It''s suspicious, right?"This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "I was there though, but not directly in the za. I watched it from somewhere," said Noel with a poker face.


    "Really?" Anna chuckled. "Well, we''ll leave at that. So, who is the woman with you?"


    "What''s wrong with your questions? Are you suspecting me to be someone else?"


    "Hehe¡­" Anna smiled yfully. "What if I am?"


    "That''s ridiculous. And you even act like a wife catching her husband''s adultery." Noel shook his head in disappointment. Whenever he used the wife and husband card, Anna would always back down and stop talking.


    But surprisingly, this time, she continued, "Then, should I punish the husband by not cooking for him for a whole month."


    "I don''t care." Noel shrugged and walked away. "That''s all. We''re going to meet at the ancient ruin two months from now."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless because Noel was weak against this type of attack. She thought he would react embarrassed like the time they met in the in where he went to another route just to hide his embarrassment. But she suddenly noticed something. "So, that''s how it is. It seems Noel has some rtionship with that girl¡­ Am I just the third wheel here?"


    "¡­"

 Chapter 181 Ezenholm

    The next day.


    Noel returned to Shale with all his equipment. This time, he also brought the book with him so that Septa didn''t find it. This was a perfect opportunity to buy some time from Septa, lessening the suspicion.


    Noel looked at Shale and asked, "Sir Shale. Do you have any mission in a neighboring kingdom or something near that ce?"


    "Hmm? Neighboring Kingdom? Our Demon Banner Army doesn''t stretch that far. We are only here to protect our kingdom, not the others."


    "If that''s the case, is there a mission near the border?"


    "Whose border you''re talking about?"


    "Greenwood Kingdom''s border."


    "Greenwood?" Shale raised his eyebrows in surprise, never expecting Noel to leave the country.


    "Yeah."


    "Well, let me take a look first." Shale narrowed his eyes and started skimming the missions in the catalog. It was a surprise that there was actually one mission from that far away. "Is this what you want?"


    Mission: Demons have been harassing the troops in the border.


    Description: A group of demons have been spotted near the borders. Please dispatch a knight to investigate this matter.


    Reward: 1000 Points.


    Time Limit: -


    "This is surprising. If we''re talking about the border, the mission is supposed to be handled by our branch over there. It seems that you can go to our branch and report for the mission. Why does a mission like this exist¡­ as if it''s an invitation for you?" Shale squinted his eyes, not understanding the whole situation.


    Noel also wanted to know the answer. He expected Shale to not have the mission, so he would just choose a mission as close as possible. But he never thought it would be this close.


    "I don''t understand either. But since there''s such a rare opportunity for me, I''m going to take it." Noel nodded without hesitation.


    "Still, leaving the kingdom, huh. In your case, I guess that''s fine too. But don''t forget to inform the higher up about your resignation." Shale sighed. After his family was executed, Noel would seriously consider another kingdom with his talent. Before he was recognized by the kingdom, it would be better to start his career there.


    Noel never went this far because he wasn''t strong enough, but this time, Noel should be able toplete the trip.


    But Noel tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I''m not here to defect to another kingdom."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah? Ehm¡­ Alright?"<sub> </sub>


    "Anyway, I''ll be taking this mission. I have brought my luggage, so I''ll be going immediately."


    "I''ll write a letter to the branch then. Wait a minute." Shale was confused, but it wasn''t a matter he should get involved to, so he just focused on his job.


    After receiving the letter, Noel immediately grabbed all his luggage and rode his horse. This was a long trip, so he truly needed a horse to shorten the time it took.


    While passing the city gate, Noel looked at the blue sky while muttering, "One month trip to the neighboring kingdom and fifteen days to go to the Sword Saint Tomb. I only have fifteen days to finish my mission.


    "Well, Ardagan Land is also on the way, but I guess there''s already someone who upy thatnd. For now, I shouldn''t care much about it." Noel sighed as he steeled his resolve again. "Alright. Let''s go shall we? To Ezenholm Family, my mother''s family."


    ¡­


    As Shale suspected earlier, the mission was none other than an invitation for Noel to go to the other kingdom.


    The one who created that mission was none other than the former head of the Ezenholm Family from the Greenwood Kingdom.


    He was sitting in his garden, enjoying the beautiful flowers. However, his eyes were fixated on the letter in his hand.


    The letter contained thest message from Count Ardagan.


    ''Father-inw! You must be happy right now since the bastard who stole your daughter is dead now! Hahaha! Then again, your daughter is with me, so you must be hating me. But don''t kill yourself just to beat me, alright?''


    The opening letter alone was making his blood pressure rise. He almost crushed the letter.


    ''I want to talk to you about many things, but I think it''s impossible for me to do it now. I want to tell you this¡­ Don''t avenge me. I know that your power is strong, but please don''t do it. This is my and Leysha''s request.


    "Besides, Noel will be exiled to the Demon Banner Army. This will be a painful memory in the chapter of his life, but I''m sure that Noel can ovee it. I know because I have seen Noel''s potential.


    "He is kindazy right now, but once he has to do something, he''ll do that thing as quickly as possible. At the same time, he also has the protection of our ancestor.


    "Anyway, can you do me another favor? I want you to set up a mission for Noel near the border so that he has a reason to go to your ce. I''m sure that kid will visit you before bing a full-fledged knight.


    "Of course, I''m not asking you to take him in since he is Noel Ardagan, not Noel Ezenholm. Hahahahaha! I bet you almost crushed this letter. Hahahaha! But please read until the end, alright?


    "Anyway, he''lle to you sooner orter. In his visit, I want you to teach him something. Well, you can judge his ability by yourself and teach him something you think is the best for him. I know that you hate me, but that''s my sin, father-inw. Don''t hate Noel for this.


    "Still, I and Leysha will always say this¡­ We never and will never regret this choice. We''re sorry for making you sad and always giving you trouble. If there''s a chance, let''s gather together and enjoy our time together¡­ Please be well, Father. Goodbye."


    The old man clicked his tongue. He wanted to crush the letter but stopped after seeing thest sentence. He let out a long sigh and muttered, "I never hated you, bastard. Leysha could only truly smile when she was with you. So, let me see this grandson of mine again to see what kind of change he has after experiencing all this."

 Chapter 182 Unexpected Encounter

    Noel''s journey was progressing smoothly since he used a horse. Although he often had to stop on the way because the horse needed to take a break, he still managed to cover more distance than what he could do by foot.


    It took him three weeks to even reach the border. He had met some bandits on the way who thought he was an easy target, but hepletely annihted them. He didn''t even bother to spare them and send them to jail because he didn''t have enough time.


    Some demons also appeared here and there but like Septa said, he didn''t find anyone suspicious. It seemed the Supreme Devil Organization had beenpletely focusing on Septa instead of him.


    While he was going to the border, Anna was also heading to her next destination.


    She stood on top of a hill, looking at a vast valley before her.


    The valley had one river going down, splitting the valley into two. The lush green trees and tall grasses gave a cool and fresh atmosphere.


    "This one is a quite good ce to live, except for the fact that this ce is known to be a home for a thousand demons." Anna smiled. But she suddenly turned around when she heard voicesing from below. "Mhm?"


    "This hill is hard to climb. But the valley should be good, right?" A feminine voice resounded in the area as a group of people almost reached the top of the hill, noticing Anna who had arrived at the top.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows when she saw this group. They consisted of five people: two men and three girls.


    Anna recognized almost all of them because three of them were actually the Apprentice Knight from the Demon Banner Army.


    ''That''s¡­ Kirika Loetzel. Why does that another kingdom''s noblee here?'' Anna asked inwardly, not understanding her motive. She looked like apletely normalmoner in the Demon Banner Army, who was living with her mother, but in my past life, she was a demoness who led demons to eliminate a thousand knights of the Demon Banner Army, bing the reason for the fall of the Demon Banner Army.''


    Kirika noticed Anna as well, rmed. "Anna Stargaze."


    "Mhm?" The others also heard her and knew this name since they were from the same generation.


    "Anna Stargaze? The number one genius in the kingdom?" The people turned around and saw Anna''s figure. With her standing on top of the hill and getting her hair gently blown away by the wind somehow made her more charming.


    The guys were entranced by her appearance as she looked like a gentle but reliable woman. However, Kirika and her partner didn''t forget what he did to Noel when she first came to the fort. It was true that her treatment to Noel had grown better, but it didn''t change the fact that she was torturing him at first.


    Behind that pretty face was actually an evil heart.<sub> </sub>


    However, it was different for the other three who weren''t from the Demon Banner Army. The one who led them seemed to be a female with long braided hair, but the guy beside her seemed to be equal to her. He had the same brown hair like her, but he had a calm and collected face.


    ''The Quartzal Family¡­ It was said that Earl Quartzal has given birth to two talented kids. The first one is a timid looking daughter, Misha Quartzal. In my past life, Misha Quartzal bes one of the top Spirit Magician, who is said to be equal to the royal magician.


    ''And the other kid is Samuel Quartzal. He has be a captain of the royal knight. Despite his conduct, he''s a guy who loves to torture his enemies while camouging it as interrogation. Earl Quartzal was one of the biggest people supporting the royal family in my past life but they died when stopping the rebellion army formed by Noel.''


    <o>,m ''So, the knight behind them should be Samuel''s knight, Lorenzo. He''s the famous knight who will be protecting the Quartzal to hisst breath.</o>


    ''But I''m more impressed because Kirika''s partner is actually this guy¡­'' Anna looked at Kirika''s partner, who turned out to be the bald guy who didn''t care about anything other than getting stronger. ''He used his fist to crush all his enemies. It was said that his fist could destroy a small hill with a single punch. The mad champion, Lokhtar. To think I would meet all these famous people here. Since when did they climbed? I didn''t notice them at all.''


    Anna noticed that they came from a different direction, so that might be the reason why she didn''t find them. In the end, she brushed that thought off while looking at them coldly as if she didn''t care about them.


    But as expected from a noble kid, Samuel and Misha Quartzal immediately greeted Anna. "Well, isn''t this Miss Anna Stargaze? It''s a pleasure to meet you in this ce. We are from Earl Quartzal Family, my name is Samuel and this is my sister, Misha."


    Anna looked at them and nodded gently. "It''s a pleasure to meet the rumored pair from the Quartzal Family."


    "We''re nothingpared to the famous Anna Stargaze." Samuel smiled and walked to Anna. "Do I have the pleasure to know why Miss Anna is climbing this hill?"


    "I''m simply admiring the famous valley that is so beautiful but so deadly at the same time." Anna shook her head calmly.


    "Then, if you don''t mind about it, I can be your guide." Samuel smiled.


    Anna nced at his group. It was true that all five of them were actually talented. They should be able to venture the valley for a while since most monsters here were only Low Level Demons and Mid Level Demons.


    However, her destination was further ahead where the Advanced Level Demons were located. Although this was a dangerous trip, she had to go there in order to make sure she was still stronger than Noel.


    She thought for a moment and said, "It''s fine. We should go separately."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Please don''t reject us. Going into this valley is better with a group." Samuel strongly insisted with a smile.

 Chapter 183 Kirika Loetzel

    "Please don''t reject us. Going into this valley is better with a group." Samuel strongly insisted with a smile.


    "Excuse me?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, showing her displeased. She had told them that she didn''t n to go with them. Everyone already knew that her character, which was different from what she had shown to Noel the whole time. This was just her past character that she had changed, but since the other party didn''t back down, she had to show them.


    Samuel flinched and tried to exin. "I don''t mean to be rude to you. But the valley is extremely dangerous. We might not be stronger than you, but our group is by no means weak. We can give you some help."


    Surprisingly, Kirika stepped up and said with hostility. "As expected from the famous Anna Stargaze. You''re as cold as ever. I wonder how much torture Noel has received from you. I''m starting to pity him for getting paired up with you."


    Even Anna didn''t expect this hostility from Kirika. She had felt Kirika''s cold gaze whenever they met in the barrack, but Kirika never did something as if she knew that she wasn''t strong enough to challenge her. She seemed to want to defeat her to break the pair, saving Noel. But if she didn''t get stronger first to the point where she could defeat her, she wouldn''t be able to challenge her again since she only had one chance.


    "What right do you have to get involved in my matter?" Anna asked coldly.


    Kirika gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.


    "Let''s stop, shall we?" Misha came between them to stop the arguments. "We''re simply thinking that it''s safer if we stick together since meeting here must be fate."


    "That''s right." Samuel nodded in agreement.


    "There''s no need for it. You should be the one to worry about your safety, not me. I''m not here to carry others through this valley." Anna harrumphed, turning around.


    "You¡­" Kirika gritted her teeth and stepped forward, ring at her. "Anna Stargaze!"


    "What''s wrong?" Anna maintained her cold face. Their heads were only a few inches away as they were ring at each other. She smirked evilly and said, "Ah, you must be the one that Noel saved back then, who I identally saved as well. What''s wrong? Have you fallen to that guy and want to avenge him? Sorry, you''re not strong enough. MISS Kirika."


    "!!!" Kirika widened her eyes when Anna emphasized the word ''Miss'' as if she knew about her noble identity. "You¡­"


    Anna smiled coldly as if her n seemed to have worked. She could now see the hesitation in Kirika''s face. She added inwardly, ''Well, they should now see how horrible I am. Even if they try to report to the people on their back, they''ll be spreading how bad I am. This way, my father won''t realize that I''ve changed and won''t send any people to kill Noel. This should be enough to fool him for a while.


    ''I can simply ''change'' in the future because of some mysterious causes. But I have to be this hateful for now.''


    Of course, Anna couldn''t let out such a thought and no one knew about this thought.


    "If I need to cut you down, then I''ll cut you down." Kirika reached for her sword on her waist.


    Anna smirked and also reached her sword. "If that''s the case, I won''t show you any mercy."


    "Stop, stop, stop! We don''t need to fight." Samuel immediately went between them to stop them.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Anna nced at him coldly before turning away as if she didn''t care. She had wasted a lot of time with them.


    "Don''t bother me. If you bother me¡­" Anna released her Spiritual Energy and her lightning. Her sheer pressure alone cracked the ground, making them feel dread. "¡­ I won''t spare any of you."<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" They trembled because they could see the killing intent that seemed to have killed thousands of people instead of demons. They never expected that Anna to be able to release this kind of killing intent. At the same time, even if Marquis Stargaze was a doting parent, he wouldn''t allow Anna to murder so many people.


    That was why they wondered where this killing intent came from. At the same time, they realized that Anna was out of their reach.


    Anna walked away after scaring them, heading straight to the valley by herself.


    Kirika gritted her teeth, ring at her back. She couldn''t help but remember all the past memories.


    When she was seven years old, she was left alone in a middle of a banquet. Everyone scrutinized her because she was chubby. So, she left to cry by herself in the garden, but she met a ck-haired kid who was sitting in the garden this whole time. He was none other than Noel Ardagan.


    "You are¡­ the noble kid from the Muivell Kingdom."


    "So?" Noel nced at her before turning back to his book.


    "Are you here alone because others don''t ept you as well?" Kirika asked.


    "Huh?" Noel raised his eyebrows since that obviously wasn''t the case.


    "Ah, I apologize¡­ You must be disappointed to be talking to a fat girl like me, right?"


    "I don''t care. I''m simply toozy to bother with you and the rest of the people."


    "But you have to talk to them to make a connection."


    "I said I''m toozy. If I have to make a connection, then I simply have to make them go to me themselves. I''m toozy to go to them. I already have a job which is to seed the house and make it better, so why do I have to work more to make rtionship when I can do just that by making my family better?"


    <o>,m "That''s¡­" Kirika was stunned. This was the first time she met Noel and his words actually changed her. She realized that she just had to change and improved herself to the point no one could ignore her anymore.</o>


    After that day, she improved by leaps and bounds and those who were mocking her actually went to her with their flowery words. Although Noel had changed and she realized that Noel''s n was actually a wed n, it didn''t change the fact that she was saved by those words.


    But after the destruction of the Ardagan Family, she was forbidden to help him even though she wanted to thank him so much. In the end, she ran away and hid her identity to meet Noel.


    She could see Noel changing by putting more effort like herself. And when he showed his brilliance by using traps, she knew that Noel had been doing his best.


    She thought she could pair up with him. But that was when Anna Stargaze appeared. A strong force that could make everyone feel helpless. She wanted to help but the moment she made a move, she would lose the chance to do it in the future, so she had been trying hard to get stronger to defeat her.


    She took a deep breath and thought, ''No, I still have a few months. There''s still a chance.''


    Anna didn''t know yet there was someone who had been haunting her back this whole time. One would wonder what Anna would feel and do when she realized Noel and Kirika''s rtionship. But more importantly, Noel didn''t realize that his life had been filled with misunderstanding even though he just wanted to livezily.

 Chapter 184 Arrival

    "Still, what''s wrong with that Kirika? She''s so hostile to me. Kirika Loetzel, a noble kid from the Greenwood Kingdom. She came to this kingdom abruptly and decided to ruin the Demon Banner Army by bing the pawn of the Supreme Devil Organization.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Now that I think about it, isn''t Noel''s family¡­ Count Ardagan is certainly from this kingdom, but his mother is supposed to be from the Greenwood Kingdom, the Ezenholm Family. Don''t tell me¡­ Kirika is his fiancee or something?


    "So, Noel actually has fiancee? Wait a minute. In my past life, the one who subjugated Kirika was none other than Noel instead of other people, who were stronger than him.


    "There must be a meaning behind this. It seems that Noel was aware of Kirika''s identity in my past life? Was it because he paired up with her? Then, was that situation fabricated for Noel to deal with the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    She fell silent, realizing something. It seemed that she had never thought this much. "I have been with Noel this whole time, so the chance for Kirika to reveal her identity is never present. Should I give my spot to her like how it''s supposed to be?"


    Anna lowered her head. She didn''t know why but she felt ufortable picturing both of them together. She shook her head helplessly, "Anyway, there''s no proof that my conjecture is correct. And I am currently Noel''s partner. I have no n in letting someone get it."


    She didn''t realize that she was overthinking things, resulting in another misunderstanding in her head.


    Still, she managed to regain her calm soon due to the matter in hands.


    "I should focus on my n. The trip to that ce isn''t that hard, but absorbing that many Demon Crystals will take a week or so? The faster the better." Anna nodded in agreement and immediately marched forward, heading straight to the original location of the treasure.


    On the way, she found three Mid Level Demons that wanted to stop her. However, Anna simply took out her sword and covered it with lightning.


    She struck the first demon with her lightning sword and somehow cut the demon''s ws and ultimately split his body into half. After that, she spun her body and kicked a demon on the stomach, discharging the electricity until it created a hole on its body.


    However, she still had one more demon to take care as thetter took the gap between Anna''s movement tounch an attack from her blind spot. Unfortunately, Anna was able to move her body to the way she liked it.


    When the demon was about to hit her body, Anna leaped into the air and spun her body, using the momentum to cut the demon''s w. As soon as shended, she killed the demon in one swing.


    It didn''t take too long for her to take care of Mid Level Demon. If it was Noel, he would have used a longer time, but with his current amount of Spiritual Energy, he would have dealt with the demon easily. So, she truly needed the treasure hidden in this ce.


    "It''s going to be harder from now on." Anna smirked excitedly as if she was ready for a hundred battles.


    Despite the beautiful scenery, this valley was extremely deadly after all.


    While Anna made her way to the destination, Noel had reached the Demon Banner Army''s branch located three days from the border.


    He immediately reported to the army for his mission. Unlike the fort, the army was stationed in the south of the city since they didn''t have the full control over this city.


    Since he was going to visit his family, Noel didn''t hide his appearance this time or it would be suspiciouster on. He went to the office and saw a quite small hallpared to the one in the fort.<sub> </sub>


    In this ce, the hall only had two clerks who were working behind the desk, epting the people''sints or reports.


    Without hesitation, Noel immediately walked to them and handed the mission to him. "Hello, I am an Apprentice Knight. I am here for a mission."


    "Hi. Let me check a bit." The guy smiled, weing him. He read the mission. His face was distorted because this was the first time he saw a mission as ridiculous as this. But there was amander''s seal on it, so the mission was real. "Can I see your badge?"


    Noel handed the badge without hesitation, proving his identity.


    After confirming his badge was real, the guy nodded his head and said, "ording to the letter, there''s a town two days away from here called vina. It''s a small town, but that''s the rallying point of an ordinary army of the kingdom. You have to go there to meet the informant in the bar after notifying the army.


    "As long as you prove your identity, there won''t be anyone to stop you since our army is ranked only second to the royal army. Do you need anything to help you in this mission?"


    Noel shook his head. "No. It''s enough. I just want to inform you about this mission."


    "I understand. After you investigate the area, please report it to the army. They''ll send the copy to us."


    "Understood. Thank you."


    "You''re wee."


    Noel then grabbed the mission and the token, nning to leave right away.


    However, someone who had been sitting in the hall suddenly approached him.


    "Wait a minute. Sir Knight!"


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and looked at this guy. He was a huge guy but all of them came from fat instead of muscle. His round face and nted eyes gave him a friendly atmosphere, but the slightly oily face from sweat made one want to stay away from him.


    However, Noel didn''t care much about his sweat as he was more focused about the matter. "Yes? How can I help you?"


    "I apologize, but I overheard your conversation. It''s said that you''re going to the border¡­"


    "Yes."


    "If you don''t mind, can I tag along? I have to go to the merchant association in vina Town. There has been many demonstely, so I''m thinking about asking a knight from the Demon Banner Army instead of any other people to escort me. Do you think it''s possible?"

 Chapter 185 Suspicion

    Noel furrowed his eyebrows because this was the first time he experienced this. At first, he felt suspicious, but this was the hall of the Demon Banner Army. This ce was bound to have many people wanting to put on missions for the Demon Banner Army.


    <o>,m "That''s¡­ I''m afraid that''s not something I can decide by myself." Noel shook his head while ncing at the man who handled his mission earlier.</o>


    "Ah, if you''re asking for the legitimacy, I have just posted the mission. I thought someone would do the job tomorrow or the day after, but if I can go there faster, then I don''t mind paying extra."


    "Well, I have to ask first." Noel nodded and walked to the counter again to ask for the information of this client. "Excuse me."


    When the clerk raised his head, the chubby guy immediately smiled. "Hello. I''m sure that you have received my mission. So, I''m wondering if I can give him the task?"


    "Ah, right! You must be Mr. nton. Yes, your mission is to escort you to vani Town. Are you sure it''s alright?"


    "Yes. I am fine with him escorting me." He nodded. "Although some demons are there, I think an Apprentice Knight is enough to escort me, right?"


    "That''s true. Well, if you don''t mind about it, then I have to ask the knight if he''s willing or not."


    Noel nodded without hesitation. At first, he was suspicious why the guy chose him since it would be dangerous to go with an inexperienced knight like him. But when the clerk confirmed that the situation wasn''t as dangerous, he realized this guy had been aware of the situation and decided not to take the situation that seriously. So, there was no need to hesitate.


    "Alright. Let me delegate the mission to him then."


    "Is this count as an individual mission?" Noel asked.


    "I''m not sure since this is the first time I''ve seen an Apprentice Knight venturing this far. But we can draft a proof ofpletion for you and you can bring it so that the headquarters check it. Whether they ept it or not¡­"


    "I see. In that case, can you do that for me?"


    "Sure. It won''t take too long."


    Noel turned to the guy and asked, "Do you mind waiting?"


    "Sure. I''ll have to pack up my luggage too, so I''ll be waiting for you in the north gate. We''ll be departing in two hours. How''s that?"


    "Sure." Noel agreed.


    "That''s right. I have agreed to pay you extra. I have to change the contract."


    "No, there''s no need for that. Just consider that you''re lucky to meet someone who is ready to take on your mission. There''s no need to spend extra." Noel shook his head, politely declining the extra money. This mission was originally for a full-fledged knight, so he thought it was better not to take it since he was still an Apprentice Knight. At the same time, he was just tagging along, so it wouldn''t be that much of a problem.


    After seeing the client off, Noel handled the necessary process for the proof. If this mission could be used as well, it meant he would only need toplete two more group missions and one individual mission. He might graduate early, but he wondered whether he should do it or just keep training and graduate with other apprentices.


    In the end, he brushed that thought off and headed to the gate after getting the proof ofpletion. As long as he got the stamp from the employer, he could use this as a proof ofpletion.


    Meanwhile, the chubby guy wasn''t really bringing his luggage. He was meeting someone in a dark alley.<sub> </sub>


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. He hase. It seems that the long wait has finally been paid off." The chubby guy nodded.


    "I understand. We''ll stick to the n. You bring him to the vani Town and I''ll be heading there faster, so that I can prepare for the rest of our ns."


    "Understood. How is the road?"


    "I''ll try to kill as many demons as possible, but I''ll leave some so that you can see his prowess."


    "Alright. Then, I''ll excuse myself since he should be waiting for me."


    "Yes." The guy nodded as he disappeared in the darkness.


    After that, nton walked away as he brought his caravan.


    It didn''t take too long for him to find Noel, who had been standing near the gate, waiting for him.


    "Sir Knight. I''m ready." nton smiled.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "That''s good." Noel nodded and started getting up on his horse. "I''ll be bringing you to the Salvani Town."


    "Yes."


    The two immediately left the city side by side.


    "Still, it''s quite surprising to see an Apprentice Knight venturing this far. If I''m not wrong, you need three weeks or so to reach this ce, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "Are you alright for spending too much time in the journey? I''m sure that you only have one year to graduate¡­"


    "There''s no need for Mr. nton to worry." Noel smiled.


    "I see. Then, I''ll be counting on you." nton nodded. He knew that Noel seemed to not want to talk about his personal life, especially to a stranger. He had tried to be like a good elder who was just worrying about the young people, but he could feel Noel maintaining his distance. Even if he continued asking him, Noel would only give a simple answer.


    ''He''s good. It seems that he is able to maintain some suspicion to other people. Without developing some trust, it seems that no one can take advantage of him.'' nton thought, observing Noel.


    On the other hand, Noel remained calm and rode his horse ording to their pace while maintaining his surveince, making sure no demons approach them. His family was a merchant, so he knew that the goods might be precious and he shouldn''t let any harme to it as well.


    He didn''t know nton had met someone and seemed to be targeting him.

 Chapter 186 Reaching Slavina Town

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars echoed in a in. As warned, the situation near the border had been chaotictely. In this trip, Noel had been encountering many wild demons that appeared here and there.


    Luckily, Noel could easily handle them since most of them were only Low Rank Demons. Even Mid Level Demon wasn''t able to hold a candle to him.


    Noel''s strength surprised even nton, as this wasn''t the ability that a normal Apprentice Knight would have at this point of time.


    After defeating all the demons and gathering their Demon Crystals, Noel returned to nton and asked, "Are you alright?"


    "Y-yeah." nton was startled. "Thanks to you, I''m fine right now. You''re strong."


    "It''s nothing worth mentioning. I still have to be stronger and stronger." Noel shook his head calmly.


    "Ahaha." naton scratched the back of his head. If it was any other generations, Noel''s strength would have been at the top. Yet, Noel actually thought he was still lower than someone. It was a surprise even for him.


    Then again, he heard a rumor that Anna Stargaze also came to the Demon Banner Army, so he thought this was the reason for Noel''s attitude.


    "Anyway, I''ll be relying on you to escort me to vina Town."


    "Is the road situation always like this?" Noel asked.


    "Not really. Usually, the road is filled with bandits instead of demons. But regr escorts should be able to handle the problem. Lately, there are many demons roaming around. I think those demons are wiping the bandits too, so no bandits should show up in our trip because of the demons."


    "Hmm¡­ That sounds like countering poison with poison." Noel nced at him.


    "Countering poison with poison, huh. That''s a quite goodparison. The bandits are like a poison since they rob, kidnap or even kill people around. And the demons are only acting with their instinct, so they cause a lot of problems again.


    "But the demons are hard to handle as well, so I guess we have to wait until the Demon Banner Army understands the situation around here. If I''m not wrong, you''re the one investigating this problem, right?"


    "Yes. Well, I have to meet about the informant first who seems to have some clue about this situation."


    "I see. I hope that this situation can be solved as soon as possible."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "I''ll do my best." Noel nodded.


    "Still, young man, why do you choose to join the Demon Banner Army? I heard that you have to undergo a harsh training. Looking at your behavior and etiquette, I can see that you''re from a wealthy family, possibly a noble." He asked with pure curiosity.


    However, Noel simply waved his hand and politely refused to answer. "Sorry, but I don''t think I''ll answer that question."


    "Ah, I apologize. I was just¡­" nton scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. But he added inwardly, ''He''s also wary about letting out information. It seems that his situation is that bad that he has gotten ustomed to this kind of situation?''<sub> </sub>


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel decided to keep his distance from nton. Noel thought that though nton was asking questions as if he was curious and concerned about him, the questions themselves were precise and seemed to be able to see through his situation.


    Hence, he chose to maintain some distance so that he wouldn''t get into trouble.


    It took them a whole day to reach vina Town. Noel had defeated more than thirty Low Level Demons and five Mid Level Demons. It was a lotpared to a journey he usually had.


    Without hesitation, nton used his stamp as the mark ofpletion, allowing him to finish an Individual Mission. With this, as long as he could figure out the situation, he wouldplete another mission.


    "There you go. Thank you for escorting me." nton smiled and handed him the proof.


    "I was simply doing my job." Noel nodded and waved his hand. "Then, have a good day."


    "You too." nton waved his hand, seeing Noel off. After observing him for a whole day, nton realized that Noel was a hardworking guy, so his next destination would be the army instead of getting some rest.


    As he expected, Noel headed straight to the army barrack to inform them of his arrival.


    ''This is my first time to meet the original army. If I''m not wrong, the Demon Banner Army is operating differently, so I don''t know how this army will process my matter.'' Noel thought as he found the gate leading to the barrack. It might be due to the strength of the Demon Banner Army that they didn''t need guards to stand in front of the gate, but this was the first time he saw guards keeping people away.


    When he reached the gate, the guards immediately crossed their spears against each other as if blocking the entrance.


    "Halt. This is the Army Barrack. An ordinary civilian can''t enter!" One of the guards stated with a strict tone.


    "I''m here to report my presence for a mission. I am from the Demon Banner Army. Here is my token." Noel took out the token to prove his identity.


    "!!!" The guards widened their eyes, recognizing this token. The right guard hurriedly corrected himself. "We apologize for stopping you. However, I need to inform my superior first."


    "Please do so." Noel nodded in agreement.


    He then immediately entered the barrack and returned with a middle-aged man who seemed to supervise the entire barrack.


    "Mhm?" The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows. He didn''t expect that they sent someone this young for this dangerous mission.


    "I am Magen, the supervisor of this branch. I heard that you''re from the Demon Banner Army. For what reason do you visit us?"


    "I''m here to investigate the disturbances near the border." Noel took out the mission paper and handed it to him. "This is the proof."


    When Magen opened the mission, he confirmed the mission. But he suddenly dropped his jaw when he saw the person in charge of Noel.


    ''Shale, the Demon Exterminator Shale? Such a person won''t easily send a guy to his death, so it means he has some confidence about this kid. Well, this is the matter of the Demon Banner Army, even if this kid dies, it''s not my problem.'' Magen thought for a moment and handed the proof back to Noel. "I have confirmed the mission. We have got the information as well, but it''s better to listen the whole information from the informant himself since there might be some misunderstandings since we don''t usually deal with demons."


    "I''ll do my best."

 Chapter 187 Young Master

    A momentter, Noel stood in front of a bar and examined the building. He could handle some alcohol, but it had been quite a while since hest drank one. There was a kind of craving for one, but he didn''te here for that.


    When he entered the bar, he immediately went straight to the bartender. Of course, he nced to the sides, seeing people drinking and creating mess with their drunkenness.


    Noel ended up ignoring them, ced two coins on the table and said, "Two blizzards."


    "¡­" The bartender furrowed his eyebrows, never expecting the person who ordered it to be this young. But he recognized the coins from the army. It was a special coin and one of the purposes was none other than for the secret code.


    "Certainly." The bartender nodded and said, "Unfortunately, we don''t have the bottle here. If you want to enjoy it, please follow me."


    Noel maintained his calm as he followed the bartender entering a door that led to a deeper part of the bar.


    He then knocked on one of the doors and said, "An extra drink."


    "Come in," The person inside immediately answered.


    The bartender then opened the door for Noel.


    But surprisingly, when Noel entered the room, he saw a familiar figure talking with two people.


    The familiar figure was none other than nton. He furrowed his eyebrows because he didn''t expect for nton to be here. However, he had some suspicion of nton, so he managed to maintain his calm.


    p Meanwhile, the one who stood across nton was a female. She had long brown hair and deep, loving gaze. The white dress couldn''t cover her well-endowed body. When their eyes made contact, she winked her left eye and stood up. "Well, what do we have here¡­ To think such a cute guyes to this ce¡­"</anda>


    She walked to him as if she wanted to seduce him.


    But Noel''s focus remained on the guy at the opposite side of this room. He was an old man wearing a in white shirt and leather pants. He looked like a warm and weing guy, but he dressed too neat to visit this ce.


    "It seems that you''re from the army¡­" The old man smiled warmly, but his gaze was so fierce as if he was trying to see through Noel.


    "He''s not from the normal army. He''s from the Demon Banner Army." nton chuckled.


    "Oh my. Why don''t youe and join this big sister?" The woman hugged Noel''s hand and gently dragged him to the chair.


    "There''s no need. I''m just here for the information." Noel pushed the woman away while ring at the man.


    "No need to rush, little brother." The woman coquettishly persuaded him, but Noel maintained his silence and refused to budge.<sub> </sub>


    The man looked at Noel for a moment and realized the reason why Noel stayed there was due to his position. If he sat down, there was a chance that he couldn''t reach the door behind him and escaped.


    It seemed that Noel had been preparing for the worst. Despite his identity being guaranteed by both the Demon Banner Army and the normal army, he didn''t put his guard down.


    Seeing this, the man stated, "If you want to hear the information, it''s better to sit down."


    "I don''t think there''s no need for me to sit down." Noel shook his head.


    "I made the rule. If you want to hear the information, you have to sit down."


    "I canin to the army."


    "They have received the information from me. So, they will just give you the information instead of the army. Who knows if they can give you the same information from word to word."


    Noel squinted his eyes and nced at nton. "I see. So, that''s how it is. It seems that Mr. nton is already aware of my identity and brought me here. If that''s the case, then I''ll investigate it myself."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "You are not strong enough." The guy harrumphed. "After all, the anomaly is caused by multiple Advanced Level Demons. Do you think you can handle them?"


    "Who knows?" Noel smirked as if he was confident in defeating an Advanced Level Demon. Although he didn''t want to becent about his achievement in defeating an Advanced Level Demon by himself, it didn''t change the fact that he did. And now, he had the armor that could increase his fighting prowess, so he had more confidence in defeating them one by one.


    "¡­" The man paused for a moment. "Muivell Kingdom in the west and Greenwood Kingdom in the north. Both kingdoms have been warding the demons for a long time. After all, there''s a huge dark territory that we can''t explore this whole time due to the insane amount of demons.


    "And this bnce is going to be broken soon because some demons has utilized the gap between the kingdoms to make their way here. In other words, the border itself is the weakest part they can enter to spread more demons.


    "And the one who leads the demons are none other than five Advanced Level Demons. Their general whereabouts have been known, but there''s need to be an expert to handle them.


    "So, if you want to solve this situation, you have to bring an excellent knight and a squad that can handle all these demons. In other words, if you''re going, you should take us with you." The old man stated with a grim expression as if he was ordering him instead of requesting him.


    Noel became even more suspicious. "If that''s the case, why give the mission to the Apprentice Knight¡­ No, I should ask you a question. Who are you? I don''t think this is a coincidence, but you seem to be luring someone to this ce."


    The man closed his eyes for a moment and said, "To answer your question¡­"


    Suddenly, all of them gave him a big surprise. All of them fell to the ground in one knee, ced their right hand on the floor, and lowered their heads.


    They said the same thing. "Please take us with you, Young Master."

 Chapter 188 Reasons

    "Please take us with you, Young Master."


    "Young Master?!" Noel gasped and looked at them kneeling. It wasn''t normal to do this if they just asked him to bring them, so this could only mean one thing. He asked to confirm, "Who are you?"


    "My name is Elsa, a Spirit Magician under Earl Ezenholm."


    "My name is nton, I work at financial sector of Ezenholm Family."


    "My name is Ilzen, I''m the previous master of Ezenholm Family, Rancart, your grandfather''s butler."


    "¡­" Noel had expected this, but he was still quite shocked to see the people from his mother''s family to be here. "So, what''s the meaning of the mission?"This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    nton and Elsa trembled while Ilzen smiled, "It seems that you have realized it too, Young Master."


    "It''s kinda obvious. Instead of sending such a risky mission to the full-fledged knight in the branches, you''re sending the mission to the headquarters so that the Apprentice Knight can take it. Other than an invitation, I can''t see any other reason." Noel squinted his eyes as if he didn''t like the invitation.


    "It''s the will of Sir Rancart. He wants to help you, but because you''re in the Muivell Kingdom and he is in the Greenwood Kingdom, he can''t do anything unless he''s nning to create a war between the two kingdoms." Ilzen exined.


    "Putting that matter aside, shouldn''t you give me an exnation about your actions?" Noel red at Ilzen before turning to Elsa and nton, reminding them about what they did previously.


    Ilzen made a wry smile. "I apologize for them. They were just doing their jobs. Sir Raincart has told us to test you to see your capability. But since you are Sir Ardagan''s son, you must be familiar with the concept of give and take a merchant usually uses.


    "Hence, we''re creating the mission for the repayment to test you. nton is testing your capability while Elsa is testing your willpower. As for myself, I''m trying to see your judgment ability." Ilzen exined the entire thing.


    "¡­" Noel still couldn''t believe them. He asked another question. "Then, why does the Ezenholm Family show such a support at this time? Why did you not do anything during the darkest hour?"


    "I apologize, Young Master. But Sir Raincart has forbidden us from doing anything. It seems that your father, Count Ardagan, has instructed it that way."


    "My father?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding the reason for this action. If they wanted, his parents could simply leave the country and seek refuge in Ezenholm Family. They might lose their wealth, but with his father''s skill, it shouldn''t be that hard to get it back.


    So, unless the Ezenholm Family rejected him because they didn''t want to partake in this entire situation, his father should have no reason to go to Ezenholm Family.


    Hence, the exnation waspletely nonsense.


    Ilzen understood the confusion in his mind and opened his mouth. "I believe, if you want to understand the whole situation, you should ask Sir Raincart himself."


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. His mind was muddled and his heart hadplicated feelings.<sub> </sub>


    His original purpose here was to cross the border and go to the Ezenholm Family. So, he had no reason to reject this proposal.


    But he didn''t know whether he could trust them as well.


    Ilzen seemed to be able to see through Noel''s doubt and immediately took out the Ezenholm Family''s emblem, presenting it to him. "This is the proof of our identity."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He could finally understand why Ilzen was the butler. The way he presented something he needed the most and how he answered all the questions while trying to lower his anger, it was clear enough he was very experienced in them.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "Answer two of my questions first and I''ll consider it."


    "I understand." Ilzen nodded.


    "First, why do you use a mission to invite me? Can''t you simply go to the Demon Banner Army?"


    "That''s not possible. First of all, the Demon Banner Army has their elite captains and theirmander. If we''re sneaking around, we''ll be found out immediately. And the implication after that is severe. We can create a war between two kingdoms or simply make the royal family use our family.


    "Hence, after Sir Raincart sent us here a few months ago, we''ve been trying to make a contact with you through this application. nton is in charge of the Demon Banner Army''s branch that you''ll most likely to visit before going to the border.


    "Elsa is doing the same, but she has taken care of thest month''s job, so it''s nton''s turn right now. As for me, I''m the one in charge of them, ensuring they don''t make problem in this foreignnd."


    Noel closed his eyes, contemting that answer. After he got enough answer in his head, Noel asked the other question. "Then, what''s the task sent to you by my grandfather? How do you even get this information? You''re not telling me that you''re the one causing this situation, right?"


    "Of course not. Our mission is simply to invite you to the Ezenholm Family. When we were crossing the border, it was quiet. But a month ago, this situation happened, so we investigated it.


    "I mean, if we sent a mission without a time limit, it would just cause suspicion. Since a mission near the border was already suspicious enough, we didn''t want to add more to it. Hence, this mission was the second mission we sent."


    Noel took a deep breath, processing the information. "Alright. I understand the situation. It seems that I can only get the rest of the answer after meeting my grandfather. Also, you want me to take you in this mission? This is considered cheating."


    "Sir Raincart can''t truly help you much due to the promise he made to your father. However, it doesn''t change the fact he wants to. Hence, the two missions are his way to help you, hoping this can ease your burden a bit. We''ll be the one eliminating the Advanced Level Demons, so Young Master doesn''t have to worry."


    "Whatever. My goal here is to cross the border while doing the mission. But I still want to take on at least one Advanced Level Demon. If you reject it, then I''ll assume that the entire conversation never happened," stated Noel with a serious expression.


    "We understand."

 Chapter 189 Spirit Levels

    <o>,m "By the way, what is your strength? For you to confidently say to leave the Advanced Level Demons to you three, I don''t think you''re weak." Noel furrowed his eyebrows.</o>


    "Are you aware of the Spirit Level, Young Master?" Elsa asked.


    "Yes. It''s said that Spirit Level is basically the amount of Spiritual Energy in your body." Noel nodded.


    "There is another reason for the Spirit Level to exist. It''s to generalize our power. For example, there are Spirit Magician, Spirit Swordsman, and even Spirit Commander, right? If each of them has a unique term for them, it''s going toplicate things.


    "Hence, the Spirit Level is to generalize them. There are seven levels: Spirit Apprentice, Spirit Practitioner, Spirit Wielder, Spirit Master, Spirit Grandmaster, Spirit Transcendence, and Spirit King.


    "Although they''re based on your Spiritual Energy, they also have to understand the application of Spirit. For example, Spirit Apprentice only has a little amount of Spiritual Energy, so they can only strengthen their strength or something. I''m pretty sure this is what they''re teaching in the Demon Banner Army. They''re turning you into Spirit Apprentice to prepare for the next one.


    "Spirit Practitioner is a stage where you have awakened the spirit and can use some Spirit Abilities. It''s pretty simr to the difference between Low Level Demon and Mid Level Demon, right?


    "That''s the same for Spirit Wielder, who is equal to Advanced Level Demon. The rank continues and you''re forced to understand more Spirit Applications the further you go."


    Noel nodded in understanding. He was already aware about the levels, but it seemed the reason for the levels were more profound than he thought. "I see. In that case, what is your level?"


    "Me?" Elsa was startled and immediately answered. "I have reached Spirit Master a few months ago."


    "I am only a Spirit Wielder." nton raised his hand before turning to Ilzen. "He is only a step away from Spirit Grandmaster."


    "Hmm?" Noel narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I see. It seems that fighting against an Advanced Level Demons will be easy for you."


    "Well, we can''t underestimate anyone." Elsa smiled wryly as if she had experienced a dark past because of underestimating someone. She exined, "When you have seen people utilizing their spirits, you''ll be more sensitive to Spiritual Energy. You can easily discover their power when they''re utilizing their energy."


    "I see. So, what is my level?" Noel asked.


    "Ehm¡­ you have to use the Spiritual Energy first. Well, you can also measure it with the amount of Crystals you have taken, but we need to converse it with the rate. The rate is your privacy, so we can''t do that."Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "No one wants to know your talent after all¡­ Unless they''re trying to show it off." Noel nodded in understanding and released his Spiritual Energy through Spirit Aura Breathing, covering his body with Spiritual Energy. "Can you measure it with only this?"


    Elsa gasped when she saw the amount of Spiritual Energy. She never expected Noel to have this much Spiritual Energy. "Young Master¡­ You''re only one step away from reaching Spirit Wielding Level."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded while closing his eyes. He thought, ''Seriously?''<sub> </sub>


    He remembered his status, especially the amount of crystals he had taken in the past few months.


    Low Quality Crystal - 902/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 129/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 1/1500


    It wasn''t much in his eyes, considering he hadn''t even filled twenty percent of his quota for Low Quality Crystals. However, he almost forgot the fact that he had two spirits, so his limit was doubled.


    ''That''s right. If it''s the normal limit, I have already absorbed a big number of crystals. And I have to remind myself that my conversion rate is one hundred percent. Even Anna is hailed to be the greatest genius with 95% conversion rate. As for others, the talented people usually have around 70% to 90% conversion rate. I guess I can understand the reason why I almost reach Spirit Wielder Level.''


    Noel understood the reason in his mind, but it was still shocking to him since he never expected that his effort finally paid off. Of course, the big reason was the mission about the Saintess. He managed to scam all those crystals from Anna.


    ''Young Master should only have trained in the Demon Banner Army for a few months, right? This amount is crazy. Has Count Ardagan been feeding Young Master some crystals since young?'' Elsa wondered. She was also worried that Noel was absorbing the Spiritual Energy without much thought that might result in his future, so she had to check it. "Young Master. I may have overstepped my bound with this question, but I have to check your condition. Have you been absorbing crystals since you''re young?


    "The reason I have to know this is due to the amount of Spiritual Energy. If you absorb too much crystals without being able to wield it, you can be controlled by the Spiritual Energy itself and might even kill yourself. We call this Spirit Overload. And there''s another reason¡­ You can also be called useless for just taking Spiritual Energy and not practicing how to use it.


    "There are many noble children who use this method, but when they meet a real expert, they''ll be cut down in an instant." Elsa was worried that Noel was irresponsible in this area.


    "No. I didn''t absorb anything. I only learned about Spirits a few months ago."


    "Is that so?" Elsa let out a sigh of relief. The first problem seemed to have been solved. She then moved to the second problem. "Still, I''m a little worried¡­ I don''t know if you can control all that Spiritual Energy."


    Elsa indirectly implied that Noel shouldn''t be rash, especially when he wanted to fight one Advanced Level Demon. She was worried Noel was too confident in his Spiritual Energy, neglecting his actual prowess.


    Noel understood the concern and simply said, "You don''t have to. That''s my part. You are here to observe my progress, right? Just do it and see whether I''m worthy or not."


    "This¡­" Elsa made a wry smile and nced at Ilzen to get his opinions.


    Ilzen was worried as well, but still gave a nod, thinking he could save him if necessary. Elsa then agreed with Noel and said, "Then, please allow us to observe you, Young Master."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded.

 Chapter 190 Preparation

    After reaching an agreement, Noel immediately turned the horse into the mailing service since he couldn''t take the horse with him or it would die. It was that dangerous.


    nton and Elsa also brought their own items while wondering if Noel didn''t n to get some rest.


    p Meanwhile, Ilzen was standing next to Noel as if he was serving him.</anda>


    "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you make some preparation too?" Noel asked. His eyebrows twitched, not understanding Ilzen''s thought.


    "I have prepared for everything, Young Master. There''s no need to worry." Ilzen smiled.


    "Mhm?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "We won''t use horses and will camp there. So¡­"


    "All have been packed in my bag, the tent and all rted items for camping. Please don''t need to worry." Ilzen calmly ensured Noel, showing his skill as a butler by preparing everything the master needed before asked.


    "¡­" Even Noel was speechless and said, "Well, whatever. By the way, what''s the real reason for the demons to go here? I don''t think they''reing to us out of whim, no?"


    "Certainly." Ilzen nodded. "Are you aware of the world''s map?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded, recounting the world''s map. "In the world map, there are two big chunks of territory that is split by the Dark Territory filled with demons.


    "The first chunk is none other than the territory ruled by the humans. They formed four kingdoms to resist the Dark Territory, trying their best to expand the territory. Another chunk is said to be formed by other species, I''m not very sure since I haven''t seen them."


    "That''s understandable. You have to cross the dangerous path if you want to meet them after all. So, people have no way to know about their condition. But seeing how the demons are getting pushed to our way, there''s a possibility that the other party is fighting back so fierce that it causes a migration for the demons, pushing the demons near us to enter our border." Ilzen exined.


    "I see. That''s a possibility as well, considering the other party is located in this direction." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "That''s just a conjecture. We have no way to know it unless we send a group of elites that can cross the Dark Territory to investigate the reason." Ilzen sighed, knowing that the problem would be much bigger if this was the case.


    "Well, my job doesn''t change." Noel shook his head. "I''m here simply to visit my mother''s family."


    "I''m aware of it. However, you have to be careful because if what we''re talking about is true, there''s a chance that you''ll be sent to the front line by the Demon Banner Army. It''s going to be dangerous, very dangerous."


    "Worrying too much will just make me paranoid. I''ll just keep trying my best and see what will happen in the future." Noel shrugged. "Anyway, we''ll be going after lunch. And it''s not like we can go straight to Ezenholm Family after solving the problem. I need to go back to report it first."


    "Yes, I understand. Don''t worry, Young Master. This mission is going to bepleted before you realize it." Ilzen ensured him that his strength was enough to handle this mission.<sub> </sub>


    "Mhm." Noel wanted to talk about his family but realized Ilzen wouldn''t be aware of the real reason for the execution. So, the only way to understand it was none other than to go to his grandfather.


    Since this was the case, he continued his preparation by bringing all the necessary items and reporting to the army. After having a lunch, Noel regrouped with nton and Elsa.


    Ilzen also had changed his clothes to a butler suit. It seemed he liked the suit that much as if it had be his second nature. When he lowered his vision, he saw a thin sword on his waist. It wasn''t as thin as a rapier, but he wondered if the sword wouldn''t break after fighting against a demon with tough skin.


    Meanwhile, nton brought a big bag by himself. Half of them was filled with equipment while the other half contained money. Noel didn''t understand why nton was bringing so much money.


    Still, the most surprising one was Elsa. She was a Spirit Magician. Due to the high number of people who became a Spirit Magician, there was an official guild that took care of them. Obviously, they had a uniform that symbolized their affiliation.


    Noel originally thought there would be a robe that covered the rest of her body and a heavy hat that would make her tired. But it turned out, she dressed as lightly as possible.


    She only wore a in white shirt and a miniskirt that made him think she just wanted her legs to be shred by thorns or brushes in the forest. However, it seemed there was a reason for such an outfit.


    As a Spirit Magician, she would be vulnerable to an attack, so she chose light clothes so that she could maneuver around easily. As for the miniskirt, it was her preference. Noel understood her after remembering how she dared to try seducing him earlier.


    "You''re going to lead the group, Ilzen?" Noel asked.


    "No, Young Master is the leader of this group. Please use us as you see fit." Ilzen declined without hesitation. It was an opportunity to observe his ability after all.


    "I understand. But I don''t know much about your power, so you don''t mind using you quite a lot to see your capability, right?" Noel smirked.


    Ilzen was surprised by this question. It seemed Noel understood the basic information needed to lead a party. Without asking them about their power, he wanted them to show their strength so that he knew what to expect from them, decreasing the possibility of making a judgment error. Ilzen smiled and confirmed. "Yes, please use us as you see fit."


    "Got it. Let''s go then." Noel nodded.


    The group immediately headed straight to the border. The Greenwood Kingdom and the Muivell Kingdom were separated by one long river that gave birth to a forest. There were some hills too, making the terrain a bitplicated to cross.


    Ilzen guided him to a certain area where he spotted the Advanced Level Demons.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    But before they arrived, they were stopped by multiple demons that spotted them.


    It was the time for Noel to see what these three were capable of.

 Chapter 191 Ezenholms Strength

    Seeing there were seven demonsing to them, Noel asked. "So, who wants to fight them first?"


    "Let me handle them." Elsa raised her hand, volunteering herself. Without hesitation, she leaped forth while taking out Demon Crystals from the small bag in her pockets.


    She first threw three Demon Crystals into the air. "Celestia."


    The three Demon Crystals glowed brightly, hovering above her head.


    "Please look at her, Young Master. Elsa is the most talented Spirit Magician the Ezenholm Family has. She''s still young and has this kind of achievement. We''re expecting a lot from her." Ilzen exined.


    "Mhm." Noel nodded, observing Elsa carefully.


    She threw five more Demon Crystals into the air, forming a curving lines. "Constetion, Crescent Moon."


    Although the lines were straight, they were connected to each other to make a crescent-moon.


    Each of the crystals suddenly lit up and shot out a golden light to the ground.


    The Demons widened their eyes because they thought the Demon Crystals wouldn''t do anything to them, considering it was their source.


    But this golden light was actually lethal to them. At thest second, they leaped to the side to avoid the light.


    Unfortunately for them, the power of the golden light was beyond their imagination. They elerated right at thest moment, piercing three demons. Not only the speed, but their firepower increased multiple times, causing a huge explosion that engulfed all demons.


    *Boom!*


    Noel widened his eyes as he saw only two demons remain from that attack. In just a single ability, Elsa could almost wipe them out. Even the survivors were heavily injured.


    "That is Elsa. Her Spirit is Star Constetion Spirit. She likes the stars so much that she often sneaks out of the house just to enjoy the midnight sky." Ilzen exined. "Depending on the constetions, she can adjust her firepower, attack pattern, and speed. She is currently learning from your grandfather, you can say she''s his student."


    "Are you sure telling me that information?"


    "You''re not an outsider."


    "Well¡­" Noel shrugged. Elsa eliminated the rest of the demons in an instant and returned to the group.


    "I hope I didn''t make the young master wait that long." Elsa smiled.


    "No." Noel shook his head. "Then, if we meet more demons, nton is next?"


    "Understood." nton received the task with pleasure.


    The group moved again. Noel picked up the signal from his Demon Hunter Medal and immediately turned his head. "There?"


    "Huh?" nton was confused while Ilzen furrowed his eyebrows. Although it was faint, he could feel the demon''s presence in that area. But he was still far stronger than Noel, so it was quite surprising to see Noel sense them.


    This only meant one thing. Noel''s sense was sharper than him. He couldn''t help but think, ''Is he truly someone who hasn''t trained before going to the Demon Banner Army? If only a few months of training can allow him to have this kind of sense, then¡­''


    Ilzenpletely overestimated Noel. There was no way Noel could feel them if not for his system. But Noel wouldn''t tell anyone about it, so he could just continue the misunderstanding.


    "There are about five demons in that direction. nton." Ilzen confirmed and sent nton.<sub> </sub>


    "Y-yes!" nton was confused for a moment but still moved ording to the instruction.


    As Ilzen said, the five demons picked up his presence and immediately revealed themselves.


    "How do you find them, Young Master? Even I can only feel them faintly." Ilzen narrowed his eyes.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Thanks to my sense, I can survive this whole time." Noel shrugged. Instead of ying dumb, he made Ilzen think his sense was doing the work. This way, no one would ever think about another force that helped Noel locating them.


    "I see. As expected of the young master¡­" Ilzen nodded. "I''m sure that you''re aware of the Ezenholm''s family strength, right?"


    "The Ezenholm Family is famous for their sensitivity to Spiritual Energy. They can produce many Spirit Magicians." Noel admitted with the exnation.


    "That''s correct. It seems that your Spiritual Energy sensitivity is very high. It''s no wonder since you are Madam Theresa''s son." Ilzen smiled proudly.


    "Alright?" Noel made a wry smile. He never thought that Ilzen would be misunderstanding him this way, but it worked great, so he was happy with the result. If someone questioned him, he would simply direct them to the Ezenholm Family to testify for him.


    "nton is also a Spirit Magician, but he''s using something unique. Please watch him, Young Master." Ilzen also warned him. "His spirit is Metal Spirit, but nton is quite obsessed with money, you see."


    As Ilzen exined, nton took out a few coins from his bag. It was a chunk of copper coins and he threw it to the demons.


    Seeing the copper coins, the demons didn''t even bother to dodge it. However, Noel was stunned because he saw the copper coins sticking to each other. It seemed they were attached to each other by Spiritual Energy.


    nton smirked when the coins had almost reached the demons. "Die, lowly demons. Money bomb."


    Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy around the coins erupted, causing a huge explosions and throwing all the coins to all directions.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were wailing in pain as the coins prated their bodies, creating holes all over the bodies.


    "That''s¡­" Noel gasped, never expecting money could be used this way.


    "There is a saying that you burn money to kill the demons. In practice, they''re using the money for equipment, training, and other stuff. But in nton''s case, he''s bringing that saying literally¡­ literally." Ilzen even said it two times, emphasizing the word. Even he was shocked when nton joined.


    nton examined the injured demons and took out silver coins, flicking them with his thumbs as if shooting a bullet. "Coin Shot."


    The five silver coins pierced through the demons'' head easily, killing them.


    "So strong." Noel seemed to have underestimated the power of the Ezenholm Family. Unlike the Ardagan Family, who was focused as a merchant, the Ezenholm Family was a true powerhouse.


    Elsa and nton were the proof.


    While he was in shock, nton was picking up some coins that hadn''t been destroyed to be used again, albeit only a third of them was picked up.


    "I lose three silver coins and ten copper coins¡­ sad." nton let out a long sigh.

 Chapter 192 Shock

    "Well, that''s nton." Ilzen made a wry smile, trying to ignore what nton said earlier.


    "It seems that it''s truly cost him a lot. No wonder he likes money." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "Well, what do you think about nton and Elsa?"


    "If I remember it correctly, I read in some books that there''s not a single spirit that is exactly the same to each other." Noel nced at Ilzen.


    "Indeed. There might be some, but because the number of people who can use spirits and the distance between the people, I doubt there are people who can prove otherwise." Ilzen confirmed.


    "If that''s the case, won''t fighting against other be hard?"


    "Indeed. There are spirits who have some simrity, but they''re not exactly the same. So, you have to understand them and find something to take advantage of." Ilzen nodded.


    Noel then looked at Elsa and nton. "I can see that they''re not your average people and if I''m the one fighting them, it''ll take a while to understand their power. This will give them a lot of advantage in a battle, especially against someone whose ability has simrities to normal people."


    Elsa closed her eyes for a moment, recounting the scene of all her past battles. She was the one confirming Noel''s words. "Indeed. That''s the case. And thanks to this ability, I can learn directly from Sir Raincart."


    "I see. I can take advantage of that." Noel turned to Ilzen. "In that case, you''re the only one who hasn''t revealed your strength. I don''t know if it''s needed though."


    "Hoho." Ilzen chuckled while covering his mouth with his hand. "I''ll show my power too. But unlike them, I''m not that unique."


    "Well, we''ll see." Noel shrugged. "Let''s continue our journey."


    "Understood."


    The trio nodded and immediately started walking through the forest, heading to the hill not far from them. ording to Ilzen, the Advanced Level Demons hid in the area behind the hill, so they had to climb the hill to observe thendscape instead of going around it.


    It didn''t take too long for them to find another group of demons. This time, the number surpassed what Elsa and ntor facedbined. There were twenty demonsing toward them and two of them were actually Mid Level Demons.


    "Are you sure you can handle it?" Noel asked.


    "Don''t worry. My bones might be old, but I still can handle them just fine." Ilzen smiled, assuring him. He walked toward the iing demons while unsheathing his swords.


    Noel might have underestimated Ilzen. Although his Spirit Level was the same as Elsa, Ilzen had lived for so long. The experience he carried on his back was immense.


    When Ilzen walked away, Elsa came to Noel and said, "Don''t worry, Young Master. He might not be interested in reaching the next level, but he''s, by no means, weak. I''d be lucky if I cannd more than two blows on him. Well, there''s a reason why he doesn''t aim for the next level. ording to him, he can only use one Spirit Ability."Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "One Spirit Ability?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows and saw Ilzen leaping to the demons. When Ilzen waved his sword, the Spiritual Energy on his sword suddenly flew forth and multiplied.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock because he had seen this ability. "Duplication?"


    "Yes, his only Spirit Ability is Duplication. That''s why he doesn''t need to raise his Spirit Level. By multiplying his attack, he can control all those attacks. If he spread it, he can kill more demons. If he concentrate it in one spot, he can prate even a demon with powerful defense. It''s simple yet deadly."<sub> </sub>


    ''Then, how about the Duplication Rune? It has the same ability. Although preparing the rune requires time, it doesn''t change the fact that you can use the same ability.'' Noel narrowed his eyes beforeing to a realization. ''Don''t tell me, the rune itself is actually the way for human to use the Spirit Ability without awakening the Spirit itself? Is this the way for a normal people who doesn''t have talent to awaken their spirit to fight?''


    Noel once again reconsidered the importance of the runes. If he actually spread this, all kingdoms would love to know the method from him. After all, they could turn normal soldiers to use runes. They just had to consume Demon Crystals and learn how to control Spiritual Energy.


    ''If I''m thinking about the humanity as a whole, runes itself are the best way to equip the humans with a weapon that can defeat all demons and expand themselves to the Dark Territory. If I''m thinking about the greedy people, the runes will be my doom. This is¡­''


    Noel sucked a cold breath, knowing that his choice to publicize the runes would change everyone''s perspective.


    "I''ve finished my job." Ilzen''s voice echoed in Noel''s ears, startling him.


    "A-ah! That''s right." Noel nodded while stopping his thought about runes. It was an important question, so there was no need to rush to make the decision.


    "You didn''t watch my fight, Young Master?" Ilzen asked.


    "I watched it. I know how to do it, so it''s alright." Noel waved his hand, calming him.


    "How about you fighting the demons yourself, Young Master? I''ll make my move if something bad happens."


    Noel looked at Ilzen in the eyes. It turned out Ilzen was using this as an excuse to observe his ability.


    Noel sighed and said, "Fine. There should be some demons in that direction."


    ? Ilzen narrowed his eyes, following Noel''s gaze and confirming it. "Indeed."


    "If that''s the case, I''m leaving." Noel hurriedly ran to the demons. He didn''t mind ying in Ilzen''s hands since he wanted to distract his thought from runes.


    ''Can I kill an Advanced Level Demon without runes or Fire Spirit Ability?'' Noel asked himself and saw the iing five demons.


    ''I should have no problem in using the Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune once when they aren''t looking. But that''s about it.'' Noel muttered inwardly while swinging his sword.


    Mega sh.


    Swift Strike.


    Sword Aura.


    Sword Fall.


    Noel easily used one ability after another, overwhelming Low Level Demons and killing them in a breeze.


    ''Yeah, I think there''s a way to kill one.'' Noel finished his thought and turned around, only to find Ilzen and the others dropped their jaw to the ground. "Hmm? What''s wrong?"

 Chapter 193 Fighting The Four Advanced Level Demons

    "Hmm? What''s wrong?"


    nton sucked a cold breath. ''I have seen him fighting, but not at this level. Did he hold back at that time? I believed he only used one Spirit Ability when he killed the demons that attacked us whether they were Low Level Demon or Mid Level Demon. Is he trying to show that he doesn''t need to use more Spirit Ability to calm me down?''


    ''How many Spirit Abilities he used earlier? I think there are four Spirit Abilities he used in rapid session. How many months since he first started training his spirit? To think he was already at this level.'' Elsa sucked a cold breath. She never expected someone to have many Spirit Abilities after training for a few months. She thought Noel needed a year or so and even then, he would be considered a talented guy.


    Unlike the two, Ilzen was more focused on the sword itself. ''What a magnificent battle. His swordsmanship is already good enough, but his physical ability is quite low. He doesn''t seem to be strengthening his muscle with Spiritual Energy, so that must be the reason. But other than that, his martial prowess is already at the level of full-fledged knight.''


    Noel didn''t know their confusion, so he asked, "What''s wrong? Seriously."


    "Ahem." Ilzen coughed to recover from his shock and exined, "We''re just surprised from your performance. If it''s possible, may I know how many Spirit Abilities do you have, Young Master?"


    <o>,m "Hmm¡­" Noel looked up, counting inwardly. ''Ardagan gives me four Sword Abilities and three Fire Abilities. Heisk has three Ice Abilities. Should I also include Runes and Spirit Techniques?''</o>


    Noel shook his head. "Well, I don''t like to answer that question."


    "I understand. I''ll respect your privacy." Ilzen nodded. It seemed he had to report to his grandfather about Noel having many Spirit Abilities. He would surely be shocked by the news.


    "Anyway, let''s go. We don''t have too much time to spare. If possible, I want to finish the mission and report it within two days. Do you think it''s possible?" Noel asked.


    "Yes, certainly. We''ll finish the mission today, set a camp, and return tomorrow."


    "Sounds good." Noel nodded in agreement. They immediately picked up their pace, climbing the hill.


    There were many demonsing toward them, but Noel didn''t ignore a single of them. He told them that they could absorb the Demon Crystals from the Demons they killed, since he was doing the same thing. But Ilzen didn''t n to be stronger, so he gave his shares to Noel.


    It took them a whole five hours to finally reach the peak. At the top, Noel found the river that separated the two countries due to the huge gap between trees.


    It seemed the Advanced Level Demons stayed near there, so they just had to cross the forest and followed the river until they found the demons.


    As expected, the closer they were to the river, the more demons roaming the area. It seemed the Advanced Level Demon were ruling them for their own purpose.


    "By the way, how many Advanced Level Demons are we going to face? And what are they?"


    "There are four Advanced Level Demons. A bull standing on two feet, a fox, and two chickens." Ilzen answered without hesitation.


    "I see. If that''s the case, I''ll take on the bull demon. I want Ilzen to handle the chickens and nton to kill the fox. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "Shouldn''t be a problem." Ilzen agreed without hesitation, not questioning the reason why Elsa wasn''t included.


    Of course, Elsa didn''t have much experience on a battlefield, so she asked, "How about me, Young Master?"


    "Elsa will stop all the demons that will help the Advanced Level Demons."<sub> </sub>


    "I apologize but I don''t think I''m qualified to stop the demons that wille from all directions."


    "What if we use the river to close one direction? Even if there are demonsing from the water, it won''t be as many. All three of us should be able to handle them."


    "There''s no problem." Ilzen nodded with a smile, satisfied with Noel''s judgment. It seemed that he was a wise young man.


    "Yes, I can manage for a few minutes." Elsa confirmed while clenching her fists, getting excited.


    "In that case, let''s not waste our time." nton smiled.


    "Yeah, let''s go." Noel led the group toward the river, killing as many demons as possible to thin their numbers. Of course, they had to make sure they didn''t waste too much Spiritual Energy to avoid getting exhausted in the middle of the battle.


    As soon as they reached the rivers, some demons came out of the water to attack them, but they easily destroyed them. Ilzen was far too strong as he took care a third of the demons without breaking a sweat. He could actually deal with all of them, but he simply gave the opportunity for Noel and the others to experience their own battles.


    After crossing the river for a while, they suddenly heard a loud ruckus.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Roar!*


    "This is¡­" Ilzen noticed this roar. "Young Master, it seems that our target is near. This roares from that bull. Be careful, he''s a powerful demon holding a huge tree as his weapon."


    "I understand." Noel immediately followed the roar''s direction and found demons sitting next to each other as if they were able tomunicate.


    To understand them better, Noel came closer since he only felt their presence earlier. And as he expected, the four demons were the ones they had been searching for.


    Noel gave a thumbs up, confirming their existences. Ilzen also confirmed it with his trained senses.


    But as expected, they couldn''t underestimate the demons'' instinct and hearing. They noticed Noel''s group before they could ambush them.


    "They''reing!" Since there was no point in hiding anymore, Noel shouted, rming the team.


    nton took out a few coins while Elsa grabbed all the Demon Crystals she could fit in one hand.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "There is a chance that they''ll be working together, so be careful." Ilzen stated while unsheathing his sword, stepping forward to stop them first.


    "Got it." Noel also pulled out his sword and wrapped his body with Spiritual Energy. This would be the second time he fought against an Advanced Level Demon.

 Chapter 194 Fighting

    Ilzen waved his sword, releasing several crescent-shaped energy to stop these demons.


    As if noticing the power behind the sh, the bull demon stepped forward and covered the tree trunk with his Spiritual Energy, smashing it to the attacks.


    *Roar!*


    He let out a roar to raise his fighting spirit and broke all the attacks apart. Meanwhile, the others jumped to the side in case something happened. As expected, the chickens jumped to the same side due to being the same species.


    Still, this was what they wanted.


    Without hesitation, Noel leaped forth while covering his sword with Sword Aura.


    The bull demon only looked at him with a calm expression and tried to stop that attack with the trunk.


    Surprisingly, when Noel''s de struck the tree, there was a confusion in the bull demon''s face and looked at Noel, wondering if he had hit him or not.


    Hepletely didn''t feel the force of that attack at all. Compared to what Ilzen did, this attack was like an ant biting a demon''s skin.


    Knowing that his enemy was weak, the bull demon let out a roar and smash Noel with the trunk.


    Due to the size of the trunk, even the bull demon wouldn''t be able to move that fast.


    Noel easily avoided this swing by jumping into the air, but this was what the bull demon wanted since Noel wouldn''t be able to do anything while in the air.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Since the demon had underestimated him, Noel immediately used his Sword Fall.


    A giant sword appeared on top of the bull demon and Noel pushed it down, trying to kill the demon in one go.


    The bull demon hurriedly grabbed the trunk with two hands and raised it above him, receiving this attack.


    "Grr¡­" The bull demon felt he was being pushed back by this attack. In terms of power, this attack was actually simr to what he received earlier.


    Even the sword pierced through the trunk and forced him to swing the trunk sideways to dispel the pration force, stopping the sword.


    ''It seems that Swift Strike won''t work against him. Mega sh will only annoy him, but as expected, Sword Fall will be my main Spirit Ability to kill him. Still, it doesn''t change the fact that the bull demon was slower than I expected¡­ As long as I maintain my focus, I can keep dodging those attacks. Though, I might get heavily injured just by one attack.'' Noel took a deep breath, assessing the situation.


    Unlike the bull demon who was fighting against the weak Noel, the chickens could feel the danger emanating from Ilzen''s body. They were chickens after all.


    Without hesitation, the chickens let out a growl to call the demons from the surrounding area. The howling sound was followed with roars from numerous demons as well as the rampaging sounds they made.


    "!!!" Elsa widened her eyes and shouted, "We''re going to be surrounded by demons at this point. We have to move back a bit. To think that an Advanced Level Demon is a coward who can only get some help."


    Ilzen narrowed his eyes and turned to Noel. "Young Master!"


    Noel nced at Ilzen and nodded with a serious expression. "Alright. Let''s g¡ª"


    Before Noel finished, the demons had made their appearance, forcing Noel to correct his sentence. "Our path is blocked. What do we do?"<sub> </sub>


    "The path on our back is free!" Ilzen shouted and immediately leaped back.


    "But¡­" Noel gritted his teeth and turned around. He couldn''t do nothing other than following them because this was the only path to escape.


    The Advanced Level Demons were happy that their prey turned out to be dumber than they expected. They never expected that there would be numerous demons surrounding them.


    *Roar!*


    The bull demon ordered all these demons to chase them.


    Seeing the iing demons, Noel furrowed his eyebrows. It seemed the n wouldn''t be working as he expected.


    He thought about utilizing the Advanced Level Demon''s intelligence to bait them, but it seemed that he had underestimated their intelligence. The four Advanced Level Demons actually moved behind their minions. If this continued, they had to fight against the demons first before them.


    "¡­" Noel examined the situation, wondering how he could make the Advanced Level Demons toe out.


    On the other hand, Elsa had made her move. She was tasked to deal with all these demons, so when they were about to reach them, Elsa took out a bunch of Demon Crystals and tossed them into the air. This time, they were forming a line.


    "Constetion, Wall."


    The Demon Crystals shot up a beam of golden light, but instead of exploding, the beam remained, connecting the crystals and the ground.


    The demons didn''t understand this kind of attack, so they just tried to smash their bodies into these golden pirs to destroy it. But when their bodies hit the beams, they were cut into pieces. And the demons behind them couldn''t stop either, making thempletely split. It caused a chain reaction as the demons behind them also pushed the one in front, causing numerous casualties.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in amusement. "She''s so strong. By the way, I don''t know much about stars, but I don''t think crescent moon and wall are the names of constetions, right?"


    "It''s just her naming them. She said it''s easier for her to remember and imagine it." Ilzen answered.


    "I see. But this will be useful." Noel nodded with a serious expression. Seeing the demons dying after crossing the light pirs, other demons started going around it, causing them to open the path for the Advanced Level Demons.


    "Shoot past those light pirs, Ilzen."


    "Understood." Ilzen waved his sword, releasing multiple energy wave. Due to how thin the attack was, those attacks easily slipped through the light pirs and headed straight to the Advanced Level Demons.


    The bull demon once again stepped forward and smashed it with the trunk. There was anger reflected in his eyes as if he was disappointed by the Low Level Demons for not being able to do their jobs.


    He ran forward and smashed the wall Elsa created with his own hand. With the trunk covered in Spiritual Energy, the light pirs couldn''t cut the trunk and ended up getting destroyed.


    ? *Roar!*


    The bull let out a huge roar as if sharing his disappointment and telling them that he was going to do it himself.


    Unbeknownst to him, Noel was actually smiling seeing this situation.

 Chapter 195 Sword Fall

    After the bull demon took the lead, the demons shifted, giving way for the bull demon to chase them personally. The other demons also followed suit since it would be impossible for the bull demon to take care of all of them.


    Seeing the situation worked ording to the n, Noel believed everything was going to work out.


    But once again, they were taken out by surprise because the roar from earlier had called all kinds of demons, including the ones from the water.


    "Young Master!" Ilzen narrowed his eyes. Even though his power was enough to handle the situation by himself, he still wanted to let Noel lead them. This would be the proof of Noel''s strength. He would surely report everything he had witnessed during the mission.


    "Elsa, nton!" Noel shouted.


    "Got it." Both of them nodded their heads, acknowledging their parts.


    Elsa threw another wave of Demon Crystals and made them shoot the demonsing from the ground. Meanwhile, nton grabbed a bag made of leather. From the looks of it, this bag had money as well. ton struck the iing fish demon that was going to ambush him.


    "Money Smash!"


    nton roared while hitting the fish demon with his bag as hard as he could. The strength and the weight of the money were amplified. The weight alone made the fish fall unconsciousness and the force knocked it back to the water.


    Elsa truly had a good firepower, but her attack was a bit monotone because they all came out of the Demon Crystals. If they could keep track of the crystals, they could easily avoid the attacks.


    Meanwhile, nton had a unique power rted to money. He could use the money as everything, including that money bag that might even be more powerful than the average warhammer.


    Since they had shown their power, Noel could finally focus on the bull demon, knowing it would be fine to let them take care of the rest. And with the water behind them, they only had to worry about other directions.


    "It''s time then." Noel smirked and leaped forth, waving his sword.


    The bull demon was already angry due to how useless the minions were. So, instead of blocking Noel''s attack, the bull demon actually stepped forward and struck Noel''s sword with all his strength.


    Noel froze the ground and spread it to the bull. Because the loss of the friction that kept his body stable, the bull demon tripped and spun his body, almost hitting the other demons next to him. If not for their reflex and instinct, they would have died.


    Using this chance, Noel summoned Sword Fall on top of the Bull Demon, trying to kill it.


    The bull demon let go of the trunk for a bit and caught the giant sword with his muscr hands.


    Noel had expected the bull demon to be strong enough to stop this sword, so he jumped to the bull demon to kill him.


    Seeing Noel''s sneakiness, the other three Advanced Level Demons tried to stop him. But nton and Ilzen stood in their way, not letting them pass.


    Mega sh.


    Noel struck the bull''s neck to give a clean cut, but he suddenly heard a clicking sound as if his sword met another metal.


    "Huh?" Noel squinted his eyes and noticed the bull having covered his neck with metal. "No, the demon is turning his skin into metal."


    The bull smirked and suddenly tilted his body, swinging the giant sword toward Noel.<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" Noel was surprised that the bull actually tricked him into approaching him so that he could attack him like this.


    Still, Noel had some preparations for the worst. Right after his swing, he had summoned a snowke in front of him, falling down to the bull''s chest.


    "Mooo?" The bull demon noticed the snowke, but it was toote. The snowke suddenly exploded and enveloped them into icy cold mist.


    Even Noel moved back a bit to distance himself from the core of explosion, watching how the crystal trap the bull in a thickyer of ice.


    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath. "Did it work?"


    Noel examined the ice, but a crack soon appeared out of nowhere. The bull''s body also began to vibrate as its upper body started turning to ck-colored metal like Ardagan''s color.


    *Roar!*


    The bull demon let out a roar while shattering the ice trapping him. He panted a few times while ring at Noel, realizing he had been underestimating him this whole time. To defeat Noel, he couldn''t hold back anymore.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Noel clicked his tongue. "It seems it won''t be that easy, huh."


    He thought he could injure him with Mega sh as long as he could attack the bull''s weak spot, but with the additional ability that turned his skin into metal, Noel couldn''t find any other way to defeat the bull other than utilizing his Sword Fall.


    Considering the Sword Fall was his strongest attack, Noel opened his system. While running away from the bull, Noel made it look like he was fighting instead of tapping his system.


    ''Can''t I just use my thought to upgrade my skills? It''s kinda annoying to upgrade them with my hands in a battle like this.'' Noelined. ''I just want to upgrade the Sword Fall two times. It should be enough to handle an Advanced Level Demon like this.''


    To his surprise, Ardagan seemed to be able to receive the order and update the system.


    [Upgrading the Sword Fall.]


    [Upgrade Complete.]


    [Upgrade Complete.]


    Skill: Sword Fall (3/5)


    Requirement: 11 SP


    Noel got an influx of knowledge about Sword Fall. The next stage might not be adding the power of the Sword Fall itself, but it increased the numbers. This was what Noel had been waiting for.


    He might have used 16 SP to upgrade the skill twice, but it was worth it.


    Noel smirked and raised his hands. Three giant swords appeared above their heads. Even if it was the bull demon, it would die if it got attacked by three of these swords.


    "Sword Fall."

 Chapter 196 Defeating The Bull Demon

    "Sword Fall!"


    The bull demon saw the three swords falling at a different location and speed. He tried to avoid the first sword, but the second and third sword came from different directions, trying to lock him in the middle.


    At the same time, his momentum was already far too fast to stop, so he either had to take this on or do something about those swords.


    Surprisingly, the bull demon actually lowered his speed as much as possible so that the sword fell first. Although he couldn''t stop it, he could simply crash to these swords and destroy it with his head. There was no horn, but its head should be hard enough with the help of his ability, turning it into metal.


    *Bam!*


    The sword was nted on the ground and the bull demon struck the sword with his head, trying to shatter it.


    Unfortunately for him, the Sword Fall was Noel''s strongest attack. It also included the tough de.


    The thick de stopped the demon''s advance to the point its head started bleeding due to the collision.


    "Moo?!" The bull looked confused for a moment while trying to regain the focus he lost from the collision. Seeing there was a huge sword in front of him, the bull leaped and grabbed the sword, nning to kill Noel with this huge sword. In fact, this sword might be a better weapon than the trunk.


    It seemed that the bull had hurt his head in that crash earlier to the point he forgot the fact that the giant sword was made of Spiritual Energy.


    When he grabbed the sword''s handle, the sword disappeared entirely before Noel released the snowke into the air. This time, Noel managed to predict the bull''s movement, so he shot the snowke right at the bull.


    *Boom!*


    The snowke touched the bull''s skin directly before exploding. Not only did the ice trapped the bull inside, the cold from the explosion would directly enter the bull''s skin, making the metal skin more brittle.


    Still, as expected from the bull, it managed to crack the ice before he fell to the ground. If this continued, the bull would be able to escape right after itnded on the ground.


    Noel wouldn''t let such a thing happen. He hurriedly summoned another three swords diagonally, trying to match the bull''s posture. This way, he could split the bull into four.


    Sword Fall.


    The bull shattered the ice and looked up, seeing the iing sword. He jumped away right after but it was toote. One of the sword fell right on his arm, chopping it down.


    *Roar!* The bull screamed in pain as this was the first time a human injured him. With his extraordinary strength, it wasn''t supposed to be possible.


    Noel maintained his smile as if he was proud he got the upper hand, but he was also concerned with his current state. ''This is still too much even for me. Those three swords requires three times the Spiritual Energy, so I won''t have much Spiritual Energy to spare, especially after dealing with demons earlier.


    ''Can I actually kill this guy right now? Well, if only I can use Rune, I can trap the bull with my Chain Bind Rune, but it''s not wise to use the runes in front of the servants of a Spirit Magician Family.'' Noel thought, wondering what his next move to be able to defeat the bull demon.


    The bull demon jumped back, trying to reach out for his trunk. He thought letting this trunk go was his biggest mistake.


    Still, Noel didn''t show any mercy. Since he couldn''t use his rune, he didn''t mind using the Ancient Spirit Technique.<sub> </sub>


    Noel used the Bouncing Spirit sh to attack the trunk itself,unching it far away. He just wanted to make sure the bull didn''t grab it.


    But the bull was also desperate so he immediately ordered the other demons to stop Noel until he grabbed the trunk.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and saw the iing demons. He stopped and summoned the snowke.


    Freezing Crystal.


    The snowke exploded, trapping the demons in a thickyer of ice. Unlike the bull demon, the Low Level Demons couldn''t withstand the extraordinary freezing power from the ability. So, they died.


    After that, Noel jumped using his Four Points Cirction to catch up with the demon.


    When the demon grabbed the trunk and was about to lift it, Noel appeared next to him and stepped on the trunk as hard as he could.


    *Bam!*


    The Four Points Cirction was utilized to the utmost limit, knocking the trunk off the bull''s hand.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "No." Noel gritted his teeth and summoned his Sword Fall, piercing the trunk to the point nting the trunk on the ground. This way, the bull demon wouldn''t be able to use it anymore.


    The bull demon thought this was his chance. Now that Noel used the giant swords to pin his trunk, he wouldn''t be able to use anything to attack him.


    This was his chance to get rid of him. He tried to grab Noel and crush his head.


    But Noel also smiled at him as if he was expecting him to do it. Noel struck the bull''s hand with his sword, which was pointless. But the sword released a Spiritual Energy that bounced in the air until it went straight to the bull''s eyes.


    Even if the bull covered his whole body with metal skin, there was no way the eyes would be the same. This created an opportunity for Noel. He just had to create a situation where the bull gave such an opening.


    As expected, sacrificing himself was the best way to make the bull think he would win, lowering his guard.


    With both eyes pierced by the Bouncing Spiritual sh, Noel retracted his Sword Fall and summoned it again on top of the bull, chopping the bull down.


    "Moo¡ª" The demon let out hisst roar before his body fell to the ground.


    Noel finally managed to kill an Advanced Level Demon by himself, albeit he almost exhausted all his Spiritual Energy. If he was alone, he would already be overwhelmed by the number, so he was lucky to have these people with him.


    When he turned around, he saw nton and Ilzen helping Elsa after defeating their own enemies.


    "Tsk. They''re still too strong for me."

 Chapter 197 Life Filled With Misunderstanding

    Since the other two had joined together to deal with the rest of the demons, Elsa decided to take a rest since it was more tiring fighting against all those demons than the Advanced Level Demon.


    "Young Master. Congrattions for killing an Advanced Level Demon. You haven''t even reached Spirit Wielder level, so it''s quite surprising." Elsa politely bowed to him, recognizing his talent.


    This was the first time she saw a guy who managed at Noel''s level after all.


    ''Even if you''re a Spirit Wielder, you have to band together to defeat an Advanced Level Demon. nton can do it because of his power and I think he loses a lot of money right now. Still, this is the first time for me someone who hasn''t reached the requirement can actually defeat an Advanced Level Demon.


    ''This must be the talent from the Ezenholm Family. If only Young Master has been trained well by the Ezenholm Family, his achievement must be amazing. Still, it doesn''t change the fact that the young master has used around ten Spirit Abilities. I know that not everything is a powering from the spirit itself like Muscle Strengthening, but it''s still too amazing.''


    Elsa didn''t know that Noel never had the need to learn his Spirit Abilities. Everything was thanks to his system that shortened the process just by simply gathering the Skill Points. This was the reason why he could gradually close his gap with Anna, who was a reincarnated person. If he didn''t have the system, he wouldn''t be able to reach her no matter what.


    He took a deep breath and said, "You''re exaggerating. I''ve wasted too much Spiritual Energy. Without all of you here, I can only ept my death even if I manage to kill an Advanced Level Demon. Besides, the bull demon has a powerful strength. It means, I can take advantage of itsck of speed to overwhelm him. If I was fighting against a fast monster, I wouldn''t be able to achieve it."


    "That''s¡­ Young Master hasn''t even reached Spirit Wielding level. I believe you can defeat them when you reach that level." Elsa smiled, assuring him. She was already shocked enough to see Noel defeat one, but he turned out to beining about his own performance. Despite his strength, Noel wasn''tcent. This was something good to report.


    Not long after, Ilzen returned after killing the remaining demons.


    "Young Master. Congrattions."


    "Thank you." Noel nodded. "I guess we''re going to make a camp soon. The sun is about to set."


    Ilzen took a nce at the orange sky and agreed. "Indeed. I have spotted an area which is perfect for our camp. We''ll go there to rest and I''ll immediately prepare the food."


    "You can cook?" Noel asked with a curious gaze.


    "A little." Ilzen nodded.


    "What a little¡­ Young Master, butler Ilzen is good at cooking, you know. His skill is not losing against a real chef. But whenever someone praises him about his skill, he will always say¡­" Elsa stopped, letting Ilzen finish her words.


    Ilzen closed his eyes and humbly said, "Unlike a butler, you can''t really bring a chef to a dangerous ce like this, so cooking ability is necessary to serve your master."<sub> </sub>


    "See." Elsa winked her right eye. "You''re going to be amazed by his skillter."


    "¡­" Noel paused and looked down, contemting. After a moment, he looked at Ilzen and asked, "Assuming that we''re going back to report and start our trip to the Greenwood Kingdom tomorrow, how many days will we need to reach the Ezenholm Territory?"


    "I believe it''s around five days."


    "Then, can you teach me how to cook in those five days?" Noel''s expression was serious.


    "That''s¡­" Ilzen scratched the back of his head. "Cooking itself is trials and errors. You can learn from the recipe, but it''s not like we''re going to get all the ingredients in the wild. So, we have to improvise. I don''t think I can teach you all that¡­"


    "It''s fine. Teach me whatever you can during those five days. I''ll experience the rest." Noel didn''t mind the situation. He just wanted to cook by himself.


    "I see. I don''t know if my skill is enough to teach the young master." Ilzen was still hesitating while Elsa smirked. "Butler Ilzen, I think you should ept the young master''s request. Young Master has shown such determination to learn how to cook.


    "This can only mean one thing. He wants to impress someone with his cooking. This is joyous news because I''m sure I can love Young Master if he captures my stomach."


    "Wha¡ª" Noel widened his eyes in shock, not knowing how she managed to misunderstand that. There was a reason like wanting to enjoy the adventure with good food, but she somehow reached the conclusion it was for someone.


    She wasn''t entirely wrong, but still¡­ Noel just wanted to escape from Anna''s control over food.


    "I see. If that''s the case, I''ll teach you whatever I can. I''ll make sure that Young Master can learn anything you want. If you''re not tired, then I''ll continue teaching you. I believe that in a few months, Young Master can be a good chef.


    "If your background is not enough, you can bring the girl to the Greenwood Kingdom. We''ll show them who is she dealing with." Ilzen nodded in understanding, not realizing he was also misunderstanding things.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Ilzen''s eyes were brimming with energy as if he was prepared to investigate the woman he liked and nned to report it to the family to consider as their inw.


    Noel''s eyebrows kept twitching. He wanted to solve the misunderstanding, but he felt like they would just tease him instead of believing him. At the same time, he loved to see their expression when they misunderstood Anna, who was the murderer of his family, to be the one they were talking about.


    However, the fate didn''t work that way. Noel didn''t realize that the misunderstanding he caused today would explode and created a bigger misunderstanding in the future.

 Chapter 198 Reporting

    In a dark tent, Noel gradually opened his eyes, feeling the slight touch that disturbed his sleep. But it wasn''t just a slight touch, he could feel a soft cushion covering his arm and his something locking his leg.


    He didn''t know where to begin, but when he turned around, he could see a woman''s sleeping face right in front of him. She was Elsa.


    Elsa might not be as beautiful as Anna, but with her mature charm and the well-endowed body, it was hard not to look at her. Yet, the person in question was actually hugging his arm, sleeping next to him peacefully.


    ''Ugh, how does the situation end up like this¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly while trying to get some sleep again.


    ¡­


    A few hours ago.


    After nton finished gathering all the Demon Crystals, they immediately moved to the spot Ilzen was talking about and set up a camp.


    nton and Elsa were going to search for herbs since they brought back the water and the meat from the battle earlier. Meanwhile, Noel took care of the tent and Ilzen prepared the meat.


    As soon as they returned to the camp, Noel immediately helped Ilzen cook while learning from him.


    Ilzen''s exnation was concise and understandable, so Noel stored everything in his mind. He even wrote down a few tips in his notebook. Though, he just ripped the paper out of his book to note everything since it was from his Rune Notebook, the book that was going to be the basic introduction of rune.


    Noel didn''t know that his action actually happened in the previous life too. Anna might not have a direct influence, but Noel certainly went to the Ezenholm Family in the past and ended up learning from Ilzen.


    This ripped page would be questioned by all the people in the world because it must contain something far deeper for an introduction. That was why Noel ripped it apart.


    Noel told them that he just used it for cooking notebook, but no one believed it, thinking such a great master wouldn''t give them the correct answer.


    That action became the greatest wonder that Noel created in his previous life, and yes, formed by others'' misunderstandings.


    Still, the current Noel didn''t know about it and hadn''t regretted his action yet. He happily took note of important parts and started cooking.


    After they finished, they took turn for the nightwatch and since they had an even number, they decided to split the group into two. Noel got Elsa as his pair and somehow thetter refused to set up another tent and simply used this tent to sleep.


    Of course, Noel never did anything and never nned to, since rtionship would just hinder him in his path.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    There was also another reason why Noel paired up with Elsa instead of Ilzen even though they could use that time to study more about cooking.<sub> </sub>


    For Ilzen, rest was important. Resting one''s body was good, but resting one''s mind could allow the other party to absorb the knowledge they had just learned, so he didn''t want to use every second to teach Noel.


    In the end, Noel just slept and woke up. This might be a good rest once in a while that he rarely got after spending most of his time training.


    The next morning, Noel immediately returned to the army toplete the mission.


    "Are you kidding me?" The supervisor mmed the table while ring at Noel. "Did you say there are four Advanced Level Demon in the border? And you imed you''d killed them?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a calm expression. "These are the four Demon Crystals. After you eliminate all the demons roaming around, the situation will soon return to normal."


    "Do you think I''ll believe you? You are just an Apprentice Knight. You''re not even a full-fledged knight¡­ You think I''ll believe an Apprentice Knight who ims to be able to kill multiple Advanced Level Demons?"


    The supervisor was just stating the facting from his experience. He had been in this field for twenty years, but even a full-fledged knight from the Demon Banner Army had difficulty in fighting against a few Advanced Level Demons, let alone an Apprentice Knight.


    Noel could understand him as well. That was why he remained calm this whole time as if ignoring all his words.


    "You can choose whether you want to believe it or not. Still, you should have heard from the informant that there are multiple Advanced Level Demons, right? I''m simply confirming their existence¡­ it''s up to you whether you want to believe it or not." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "You¡­" The middle-aged man wanted to rebuke all his words, but Noel wasn''t from the regr army, but the Demon Banner Army. The Demon Banner Army was known to be arrogantpared to all other army because they had more authority. That was why if his angerpletely took control, he might do something that would lead to his demotion.


    Noel looked at his face and said, "Also, my mission is to investigate the cause of the demons. I havepleted my job then and you have to give me the proof ofpletion. Well, I identally solved it as well, but it''s your problem whether you believe it or not. If my investigation is proven to be wrong, then the Demon Banner Army is the one going to regte my failure, not the regr army. Don''t you think so?"


    The middle-aged man gritted his teeth while ring at Noel. He truly wanted to beat him, but he had no authority over him.


    Just like Noel said, the Demon Banner Army would be the one delivering his punishment if the mission turned out to be fake.


    And the one who sent Noel here was the Demon Exterminator Shale. His reputation was simply far too scary¡­ enough to bury all desires to make Noel pay for his arrogance.


    <o>,m He took a deep breath and said, "Write all your reports down and I''ll send it to the branch near this ce."</o>


    "Got it." It seemed that the supervisor was more rational than he originally thought. So, Noel didn''t mind writing everything as long as he could immediately leave the city.

 Chapter 199 Fighting A Spider Demon

    After finishing everything in the town, Ilzen led the group toward the Greenwood Kingdom. They crossed the designated path that could lead to the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Although it was filled with demons because of those Advanced Level Demons, it was still far safer, so most people, who wanted to cross the border from vina, usually used this path.


    On the way, Noel kept listening to Ilzen''s lecture about herbs and meats like how he prepared them and their taste. This was just knowledge, and Noel had to experience it. Though, it didn''t change the fact that this knowledge would certainly give him a good understanding of food.


    p ¡­</anda>


    Meanwhile, Anna had finally reached her destination, the cave where everything began.


    The cave was big. Considering it was hidden underneath a hill, the temperature was cool and the tunnel was dark.


    Luckily, Anna could easily solve it by using the Moon Blessing. She poured the Magic Power into her eyes and the entire cave was lit up. She could even see the detail on the rocks next to her as if she was outside.


    "This is the cave. Right now, my Spiritual Energy is only at Spirit Practitioner Level. Even lower than Noel¡­ I could fool Noel back then by sacrificing only a few days of my lifespan, but I would be a fool to use more than that.


    "I don''t know how many Demon Crystals are hidden in this cave, but the Supreme Devil started growing in this ce, so I believe the amount is quite high. Maybe I can go straight to Spirit Wielder or even more? I have enough knowledge and experience, so I don''t need anything other than Spiritual Energy."


    Anna clenched her fists, making her resolve. That amount of Spiritual Energy wouldn''t be easy to absorb, so she had to endure pure torture that wouldst for days or even weeks.


    With this thought in mind, Anna walked forward, crossing the tunnel. ''I don''t have any information about the hidden danger in this cave, so I have to be careful."


    Anna walked into this cave while squinting her eyes. Her pace was slow and her hand was on the sword''s handle, preparing to draw it as soon as she found a demon.


    Surprisingly, this cave only had one tunnel instead of multiple branches, which was normal to happen inside a cave.


    But she was certainly taken aback by what was waiting for her.


    ''Hmm?'' Anna stopped on her track when she saw the cave expand. Inside that huge cave was filled with numerous Demon Crystals. The number was unimaginable.


    She thought she could get around one thousand Low Level Demon Crystals and one to two hundred Mid Level Demon Crystals, let alone the possibility of the Advanced Level Crystals. It would certainly directly allow her to go straight to Spirit Wielder.


    But she noticed something in that cave. There were a few eggs sitting next to the Demon Crystals. Some were even attached by thin threads.


    ''No, it''s a web¡­ cobweb. I hate bugs.'' Anna gritted her teeth while approaching the cave carefully, trying to get a glimpse of the demon waiting inside this ce.


    As she expected, there was a huge green-colored spider hanging on the ceiling.


    ''Green spider¡­ Isn''t this the Green Poison Demon? If I''m not wrong, the green spider is storing a venom so strong that it can neutralize or overpower all kinds of poisons. If one takes the pearl formed inside the demon, there''s a chance that you''ll develop some poison resistance or even immunity.


    ''Someone once tried to use poison to kill the Supreme Devil but failed because of his immunity. As expected, this must be the spider¡­


    ''I do know a few techniques to expel the poison from my body, but I wonder if those techniques are enough to expel the poison until my body develops immunity.''<sub> </sub>


    Anna considered everything thoroughly since she didn''t want to make any mistakes just because of her greed. As for taking an opportunity from others, this cave was originally used by the Supreme Devil, so weakening that guy was something she had to do.


    ''Alright. I think I get it. I''ll use the Demon Crystals to increase my Spiritual Energy first. I don''t know whether my techniques are powerful enough, but as long as I have Spiritual Energy to spare, I should be able to do something about it. In that case, let''s kill the spider first and destroy the eggs.''


    Anna took a deep breath.


    She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating the Spiritual Energy on her feet. Once hit by the spider poison, she would be dead, so she wanted to focus on dodging.


    At the same time, she prepared the Duplication Rune since the first strike was important.


    ''My enemy is an Advanced Level Demon, so I have to be careful.'' Anna muttered inwardly for onest time before she suddenly leaped forth, entering the huge cave.


    "!!!" The demon felt Anna''s presence and immediately woke up from its slumber. All eight red eyes were locked on Anna.


    Anna pointed her left hand to the spider and released the rune. The huge rune appeared in front of her and the lightning started gathering around her hand.


    Before she released that lightning, the spider suddenly jumped off the ceiling, scaring her.


    Anna''s heart skipped a beat as this was one of the reasons why she hated fighting insects.


    ''They do love to scare people with their sudden action and grotesque appearance.'' Anna clicked her tongue and released all the lightning in her hands.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Electric Shock.


    The lightning flew forth and hit the Duplication Rune. As a result, the Duplication Rune created a few other runes and summoned the same lightning from each other, overwhelming the demon spider.


    The spider immediately spurted out webs from its butts and pushed it forward, trying to catch the lightning.


    But due to them moving toward each other, the spider couldn''t catch all the lightning. Only five out of the eight lightning strikes were trapped inside its webs and exploded there.


    The remaining three reached the demon''s body and exploded.


    *Boom!*


    The electricity spread all over its body, numbing the spider''s body.


    "Kiekk¡­" the spider let out a scream as itnded on the ground, ring at Anna.


    "Oops. It''s not very effective. It seems I have thoroughly angered the spider."

 Chapter 200 Eggs

    The spider leaped forward, trying to kill her with its long sharp leg. However, the spider noticed something different in its body.


    Anna smirked when she saw the spider''s direction slightly turn to the left, even though it wanted to go straight to her. This was the effect of her Spirit Ability she released earlier.


    She electrocuted everything inside two out of eight spider legs, causing the spider to have numb legs. With this, the spider wouldn''t be able to walk straight for a while.


    Without hesitation, Anna rushed to the weaker side and waved her de, releasing crescent-shaped lightning.


    The lightning ran through the ground, approaching the spider from the side.


    The spider immediately turned around and opened its mouth, spurting out a green-colored liquid. When the liquid touched the lightning, it melted the lightning, making it dissolvepletely.


    After that, the spider spat another lump of poison toward Anna.


    "Oops." Anna smirked and leaped back, avoiding the poison. At the same time, she waved her left hand and shot out the same lightning strike like earlier, nning to numb all the spider''s legs so that she could easily subdue it.


    As expected from the Advanced Level Demon, it immediately recognized Anna''s n and turned around, destroying the lightning with its poison.


    Unfortunately, Anna was taking advantage of its brain andunched another attack from the side.


    She covered her sword with lightning and shed the legs as hard as she could.


    *Crack!*


    "Seriously?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was already her full power, but it could only cut down one leg. Her swing was stopped by the second leg.


    *Reee!*


    The spider screamed in pain and immediately turned around, trying to catch Anna. But Anna had stepped back to regain some distance. Knowing that the spider was going to hit her with the poison, Anna hurriedly ran to the spider egg, using it as her shield.


    "!!!" the spider demon widened its eyes, never expecting Anna to be this dirty. It couldn''t even spit the poison again, knowing it would cause the egg to melt and kill its baby.


    ? In the end, the spider leaped into the air and flipped its body, shooting the thread from its back to get back to its web.


    Anna narrowed her eyes. If this continued, the spider could shoot everything from up there. In fact, the reason why the spider returned to its web was to shoot out its web to grab its baby. If it was in the ceiling, Anna wouldn''t be able to attack its baby.


    That was why Anna knew what to do. Without hesitation, Anna smashed the egg with all her strength.


    *Reee!* The spider let out a cry, cursing Anna.<sub> </sub>


    However, Anna maintained her cold expression, stating. "A demon can''t reproduce even if they take over living beings. These eggs are not your children, but other animals that you have chewed and formed to create something simr to your baby."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    If it was a true baby spider, she might show some mercy, but inside those eggs were actually other animals she devoured to be turned into a spider. But the result would be horrible.


    She once fought against a Peak Level Spider and it had many children. However, the children themselves didn''t look like a spider. Instead, their bodies looked like a normal animal, but their legs were thin and sharp like a spider. Theypletely looked like monsters.


    So, she didn''t hesitate to smash all these eggs.


    Still, the spider didn''t think that way. It was screeching and started shooting its webs to recover the rest of the eggs.


    Anna kept cutting the web down, causing the egg to fall down and pop out. The inside of the egg soon sttered on the ground and it was revealed that there was a pig head inside the egg. The state was almost unrecognizable to the point Anna was disgusted by it no matter how delicious a spider could be.


    "How about facing me here on the ground?" Anna provoked it again while taking the eggs as hostages. She smashed every time the spider didn''t want to go down.


    Seeing that its effort was futile, the spider walked around the walls, climbing down to face Anna once again.


    The spider seemed to be avoiding the Demon Crystals as if it didn''t want to destroy them with its poison. Anna believed it was the source of the eggs, supplying the energy needed for the transformation. So, it was convenient for her as well.


    Seeing the angered spider, Anna waved her hand and summoned a lightning sword, shooting it at the spider.


    The spider spat a mouthful of poison while marching forward. The moment the poison melted the lightning, the spider emerged from behind them and surprised Anna.


    If only Anna wasn''t a reincarnated person, she would have been surprised. However, Anna had seen this kind of movement a long time ago due to Noel''s trick and her previous life.


    She leaped back and shot another lightning sword.


    Since Anna only repeated her move, the spider also did the same, knowing it would be fine. But before the poison melted the lightning, thetter exploded, creating a shock wave that threw the poison back to the spider.


    The spider was bewildered and immediately stopped to avoid the poison. But Anna emerged from the smoke and surprised the spider instead.


    She was going to the left side and struck the leg again, cutting one more down. This way, the spider would lose its bnce, causing its movement to curve to the left.


    "That''s another one down," Anna smirked and nned to destroy the other one. But the spider wasn''t a pushover either. It used its blood that was flowing out of the legs to melt Anna.


    Anna hurriedly leaped back, but it was toote. She had to use her sword to stop the blood, causing her sword to melt. It was a normal sword, so it couldn''t withstand the poison''s corrosion.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue while looking at her ruined sword. The handle was the only thing left from the sword, so she threw it to the spider''s head and stomped on the ground. Lightning sparked around her feet and started cracking the ground. "As expected, my lightning is the best thing I can use right now."

 Chapter 201 Respect?

    The spider moved around to match Anna''s speed, but with the loss of its two legs, the spider had a hard time supporting its own weight.


    Anna took this opportunity to attack the spider from the back, but the spider shot out the web from its back.


    Anna jumped to the side, avoiding this attack. When fighting against a spider demon, it would be better to attack the spider from the sides instead of any other direction, but there was a reason why she approached the spider from the back.


    When she avoided the web, the web continued to the opposite side of the room and struck the egg. The spider was already angry, so the force from that web was enough to drag Anna to the wall and trap her there.


    But since Anna dodged it, the egg had to endure that kind of force and ended up breaking.


    "!!!" The spider realized it had just killed one of its children. It wailed in tears while Anna took this chance to strike the spider''s body. She joined both hands and pushed them forward, stopping right before she touched the spider''s body.


    Lightning Discharge.


    The extraordinary lightning gathering around her hand was released, striking the spider''s body.


    *Reeee!*


    The spider was screaming as its body flipped to the side with a small hole on the side caused by the lightning.


    "Good. If I continue this way, I should be able to defeat this spider without any injury." Anna smirked. "Well, I''m lucky that my opponent is a spider instead of a demon with good defense and power. My attack will surely not be able to pierce it. If only you fought Noel, you''d have won."


    There was another reason why Anna and Noel managed to make a good pair. And this was what Saintess La had seen from them.


    Noel''s ability came from his rational mind as well as his overpowered ability. Meanwhile, Anna''s strength was in her speed and stability.


    They solved each other''s weaknesses and knew their roles, allowing them to create a bnced pair.


    Both of them were aware of each other''s strengths and made use of them. They simply never thought about more than that.


    Anna took a deep breath and started regting her lightning. "This is just the start¡­"


    Anna smirked and continued attacking the injured spider without mercy.


    A few minutester, the spider''s body was covered with injuries, and its blood constantly flowed out of its body, weakening its strength as time passed.


    Anna, on the other hand, was pretty exhausted as well. Even though she managed to destroy three more spider legs, the spider was stubborn, not letting her kill it easily.<sub> </sub>


    "My Spiritual Energy is almost empty." Anna sighed. "If only my Spiritual Energy was as much as Noel''s, I would be able to kill this spider faster. Well, at least it''s dead now and I can gain many things here."


    Anna looked at the spider''s corpse and thought for a moment. Although she wanted to remove the corpse from this cave due to the smell, she had to endure it since she had many things to do inside the cave.


    The first thing she did was to smash all the remaining eggs since they would be dangerous if the baby suddenly came out when she was in the middle of the training. The second thing she did was to cut the spider''s body open, letting the remaining blood flow out.


    Only after that did she gather the Demon Crystals into one spot to absorb them.


    "Yeah. I think I have a rough calction. If I absorb all these, my total counts should be around¡­ 1400 Low Level Crystals, 400 Mid Level Crystals and 10 Advanced Level Crystals. This should be enough to reach Spirit Wielder.


    "Sadly, I can''t get more Advanced Level Crystals since most of them are in the Dark Territory. As expected, after graduating, I should go to the Dark Territory to start getting all the necessary crystals.


    "In my previous life, I could get the crystals easily just by asking my teacher. She had the way to acquire all those crystals, allowing me to focus on honing my skill. But this time, I have to stay away from that woman because who knows if she will backstab me again. And there''s also the third prince, Noel''s backing.


    "I should make Noel stay away from him since he''s going to be betrayed by him. But the current Noel has a lot of suspicion about me. I wonder how I can make him stay away¡­" Anna sighed. Thinking about it now was pointless, so she ended the thought and sat down, starting to absorb the crystals.


    She grabbed those crystals and ced them near her Spirit Seal so she could begin absorbing the Spiritual Energy.


    The absorption process wasn''t that hard, the problem was the fact her body would be numb whenever she absorbed a lot of crystals. Then, the lightning started electrocuting her body, giving tremendous pain.


    If it continued, the lightning wouldpletely numb her body to the point she wouldn''t be able to move her body anymore.


    "Kh." Anna gritted her teeth when she started feeling the pain. "I really hate it when I have to absorb this."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Sweat began to cover her forehead as she clenched her fists, trying to withstand the pain.


    If this was Noel, he would be surprised by the amount of pain she had to endure. After all, he had never experienced something like this due to Heisk and Ardagan canceling each other.


    Though, Anna''s opinion about Noel was extremely high.


    "To think I have to endure all this pain again. I wonder how Noel handled this kind of situation. Back in the Earldom, Noel absorbed the crystals so fast¡­ That must be him trying to increase his pace so that I can''t take advantage of his crystals. But then again, absorbing all of them in a short amount of time will result in him experiencing pain beyond belief.


    "As expected, Noel is a beast. Even though we were equal in the previous life, I should be far ahead, and Noel wouldn''t be able to catch up to me because I have my previous life''s memory, but Noel somehow grows even faster than in my previous life¡­ It seems that in this life, Noel works even harder. I can''t lose."


    Anna kept taking the Demon Crystals, enduring the pain that kept increasing while thinking of Noel.

 Chapter 202 Reaching The Ezenholm Family

    While Anna was absorbing all the Demon Crystals, Noel had finally reached the Greenwood Kingdom, specifically the Ezenholm Territory.


    As a Spirit Magician Family, the Ezenholm was located near the border to both the Dark Territory and the Muivell Kingdom, bing the tower that stopped both of them. There were also other families located near the Dark Territory, but Noel''s focus was on the Ezenholm Family.


    "Ezenholm Territory is not that vast. However, it''s incredibly solid. They have fortresses around the border of Dark Territory and the Muivell Kingdom, allowing them to keep control over both of them.


    "However, the real territory is located in the middle of those fortresses. That''s right. We''re heading to the middle territory where the Ezenholm Family could easily send reinforcement to all forts.


    "This is¡­" Ilzen smiled and pointed at the huge city with a great wall and ditch surrounding the city. "This is our main city, named after our own family, Ezen City. The city works as a headquarters that maintains stability within all our borders. If there''s a need for reinforcement, Ezen will send forth reinforcement since this is the ce where people are trained.


    "Unlike the Demon Banner Army, the Greenwood Kingdom allows each noble to create an elite army instead of a regr army. Of course, this caused a lot of cold wars between nobles, but this also forced them to improve if they didn''t want to get swallowed up.


    "With the royal family reigning as the supreme power, they''re creating a system that can make the nobles improve themselves, causing a continuous improvement.


    "Although I don''t want to brag, the Greenwood Kingdom is the most advanced kingdom right now." Ilzen smiled, exining. It seemed that he wanted to convince Noel to defect to this kingdom instead of continuing to stay in the Muivell Kingdom.


    Even Elsa looked away, knowing that Ilzen loved how smart Noel was. Noel was very hardworking and talented, making him a good heir. Now that he had lostziness, he had to continuously improve himself. That was why it would be good if Noel Ardagan could be Noel Ezenholm.


    However, Noel had no intention of doing it. He refuted Ilzen''s words by saying, "But¡­ Don''t forget that the Muivell Kingdom is not that weak either. It''s focusing on its military might. That''s why it can create the Demon Banner Army."


    "But it doesn''t change the fact that the Muivell Kingdom is relying too much on talent. Here, we''re working toward a better future, trying to produce something that can make an ordinary person fight as well. In other words, even if you''re not talented, you can change your life." Ilzen tried to convince him, but Noel only shrugged, rebuking everything. He made it clear that he had no intention of leaving the Muivell Kingdom before he finished his revenge.


    Ilzen could only sigh, knowing he had no way to convince him. In the end, they managed to reach the gate as Ilzen used the badge of the family to enter. They went straight to the mansion located in the middle of the city, the Ezenholm Family''s mansion.


    The guards standing outside the gate recognized Ilzen and hurriedly opened the gate. But they didn''t recognize one person in the group.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "Young Master Noel. I''ll be informing Master Raincart about your arrival. For now, you''ll have Elsa show you your room. nton will handle the report." Ilzen smiled and politely bowed to him.


    "I understand." Noel nodded. He had gone to this ce in the past, but it seemed the guards were new, so they didn''t recognize him. The mansion didn''t change, but the scenery was different from his memory.


    "That''s right. When was thest time you visited this ce, Young Master?" Elsa asked.


    "Mhm¡­ Around seven or eight years ago. I was seven years old at that time. Well, I visited this family every year when I was four. But I didn''t go anymore after I was seven years old." Noel looked around while pointing at the fountain between the gate and the mansion. "The fountain had a star decoration on the top back then, not a circle."


    "Ah¡­ that¡­" Elsa scratched the back of her head embarrassedly.


    Surprisingly, an aged voice filled their ears,pleting her words. "That''s because Elsa destroyed it identally because she loved the star that much."


    "!!!" Elsa widened her eyes and immediately turned around, finding an olddy walking toward them. She had an aged face, but her expression was still brimming with energy. Despite her old age, she often walked around. Elsa recognized her and immediately lowered her head, blushing. "M-madam!"<sub> </sub>


    Noel also recognized her. He was surprised that her appearance didn''t change much after all these years. He ced his hand on his chest and bowed, "Grandmother."


    "It''s been a few years, Noel. How are you?" She nodded, giving him a warm smile to make him at ease.


    "Yes." Noel straightened his back and said, "I hope that Grandmother has been living well."


    "My life here is as good as ever, unlike you¡­ Such a pitiful child. Come and hug Grandma." She spread her hands.


    Because he hadn''t met her all this time, his movement was awkward, but he still hugged her.


    "Look at you. You have grown into a big man. I really want to see you growing up. You look like Leysha¡­" She closed her eyes, embracing Noel.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t visit you all this time." Noel could finally feel the warmth of the family again.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. You have your own vision. As long as you are alright, Grandma doesn''t mind." She smiled and stroked his hair.


    She then nced at Elsa and said, "Where are the others?"


    "Butler Ilzen is meeting Teacher, I mean, Sir Raincart. nton is making the report."


    "So, you''re going to bring him to his room?"


    "Yes." Elsa nodded.


    "Then, can you bring him to the third room on the second floor?" She asked.


    "Ah! Grandma, you¡­" Noel let her go and took a step back in surprise.


    She chuckled. "Silly kid, do you think I forgot about your favorite room?"


    "Grandma¡­" Noel felt moved and subconsciously called her more intimately.


    "Go and have some rest first. We can talkter."


    "Yes." Noel nodded and saw her walking away. He turned to Elsa and said, "Please."


    "Yes, Young Master."

 Chapter 203 Raincart

    "This is your room, Young Master." Elsa opened the door for Noel.


    "Thanks." Noel smiled and entered the room, looking at the nostalgic room.


    Elsa also felt the nostalgia from Noel and left the room. "Then, please excuse me."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded while looking around. The familiar table, bed, and window position. He was small at that time, so he had to use the chair to look outside. But this time, he could simply reach for the window and look at the town.


    This was one of the reasons why he loved being in this room. He could see the bustling street that was the exact opposite of hisziness.


    Every time he visited, he would be with his parents. This time, however, he stood here alone, watching the bustling city.


    Noel''s expression contained his sorrow and loneliness. He thought that he should have spent more time with his family instead ofzing around. He should have epted their invitation every time they visited this ce.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Unfortunately, no one knew regret until they experienced it. And Noel was toote to realize it as his parents were no more.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, recounting all those images in his mind. He subconsciously clenched his fists and muttered in a low voice, "Don''t worry, Father, Mother. I''m going to exact my revenge. I''m sorry that I couldn''t spend more time with both of you, but I have to move on. Sorry and thank you, Father, Mother."


    He took a deep breath while trying to brush this thought so that he didn''t show it to this family. Although it was fine, he believed it would just bother them.


    Unbeknownst to him, there was an old man leaning his back on his room''s door. He also had a sad expression. Despite Noel''s volume, he could hear it just fine.


    It took him a while before he straightened his back and knocked on Noel''s door.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    "Noel, it''s me."


    "!!!" Different from her grandmother, he could barely recognize the voice. It took him a few seconds to realize it was his grandfather''s voice.


    He hurriedly opened the door and saw his grandfather. "Grandfather!"


    The old man had long white hair coupled with a white beard. His aged face lookedpletely different from her grandmother''s. He didn''t seem to be filled with energy.


    "Noel. It''s been a few years." He nodded with a warm smile.


    "Yes, Grandfather. I apologize for not visiting you."


    "Are you tired?"


    "Not really."<sub> </sub>


    "In that case, do you want to take a walk with me?"


    This kind of invitation was important, considering his grandfather was the one sending Ilzen and the others to pick him up. So, he agreed without hesitation. "Yes. I''d love to."


    His grandfather, Raincart, nodded and started walking to the garden. "Well, you can meet the otherster during dinner. As for me¡­ I just want to see my grandson''s condition. Are you living well?"


    "Yes. Absolutely." Noel answered without hesitation, not trying to worry him.


    "Is that so?" Raincart paused for a moment. "I don''t know what I am supposed to say now that I''m with you. But I guess let''s talk about some important stuff right away. I''m sure this is the reason why youe here, right?"


    "Well.." Noel chuckled, feeling a bit embarrassed since Raincart saw through his purpose.


    "It''s fine. What do you want to talk about¡­ Just ask me questions. Is it about why I''m not helping your family? Or is it about the conspiracy in the Muivell Kingdom?"


    "I''m not very sure. There are many things I want to ask, but I guess I want to know this first. What do you think about my parents? Do you hate them?"


    "Silly child. There''s no way I''m going to hate them. Even if that bas¡­ I mean, your father stole my beloved daughter, I never hated them." He shook his head. "If you''re asking whether I hate them or not, it must mean that you''re curious about why they didn''t escape to this ce. With our strength, we should be able to avoid the execution¡­"


    "Y-yes." Noel nodded, confirming his doubt.


    Raincart smiled while looking at the sky as if imagining their faces. "Your father actually sent me a letter, asking me not to help them."


    "My father?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "What do you mean?"


    "Yeah, your father asked me not to intervene in this matter. I don''t know the reason, but no matter how hard I decline their request, they keep telling me to. My only concern is you. After they leave you just like that, I don''t know what will happen to you.


    "But seeing you are standing in front of me like this, I think everything is going ording to their n." Raincart let out a long sigh. "It''s not that I didn''t want to help; they were the ones who didn''t want my help."


    "I understand." Noel nodded in understanding. If it was his parents'' wish, even Raincart would be in a hard position.


    "Thank you for your understanding. Since you''re already aware of the situation, let me share you some information." Raincart walked to the table in the middle of the garden where he usually enjoyed his tea. He sat down and asked Noel to sit across from him since they were going to talk about a more important topic.


    As soon as Noel sat down, he asked, "Grandfather, do you know the reason why my parents didn''t want you to intervene?"


    "I don''t know. All I know is your father is shrewd even though he looks like a good guy. So, that leaves me to start some conspiracy theories after knowing some facts¡­ I guess it''s fine for me to tell you about this thing¡­" Raincart smirked while raising his finger. "Don''t you think this is strange? For your parents to be executed."


    "Mhm? I don''t think it''s strange at all." Noel shook his head.


    "No, it''s very strange from my perspective. After all, Marquis Stargaze was your father''s best friend, who had gone through life and death many times."


    "!!!"

 Chapter 204 Three Questions

    "No, it''s very strange from my perspective. After all, Marquis Stargaze was your father''s best friend, who had gone through life and death many times."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "What¡­ did you say?"


    "You didn''t hear it wrong. Your father and Marquis Stargaze were best friends." Raincart smirked.


    "Then, are you telling me that Marquis Stargaze betrayed my father?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "That''s something I don''t know, but I feel it''s weird. I''ve heard the stories from your mother, Leysha. She told me that your father had always saved Marquis Stargaze with his timely support, mainly with supply. Meanwhile, Marquis Stargaze had repaid him so many times, including gambling with his life in exchange for your father''s safety.


    "With that kind of rtionship, I hardly believed that either of them would betray the other. So, if this is not betrayal, then what is it?" Raincart asked.


    Noel looked down, contemting. He didn''t know why but this kind of ridiculous thought appeared in his mind. "Now that I think about it, I heard that Anna Stargaze asked her father for my parents'' execution. Meanwhile, the Marquis Stargaze had agreed with the royal family to spare my life.


    "If it was the normal Royal Family, they would surely agree with Anna because executing all of us would mean solving the problems from the root.


    "Does that mean Marquis Stargaze had been begging the Royal Family and stopping his daughter from executing me as well? But the best they could give was my exile. If that''s the case, does that mean Marquis Stargaze actually saved me? Still, if they''re best friends, shouldn''t they be on the same side?"


    "Exactly." Raincart pointed at Noel. "That''s why I feel it is strange. There are three questions that can easilye up with this situation. The first question is about Anna Stargaze. Even if she''s the most talented person in the kingdom, there''s no way the Royal Family could follow her words.


    "In other words, her words couldn''t change anything. Whether she said anything or not, the judgment wouldn''t change. Yet, why did they emphasize that they made this judgment because of her? Don''t you think it''s strange?


    "I mean, if I''m from the royal family, I''d rather have her marry into the royal family to give her more right to speak. Yet, the royal family didn''t do it and simply used that as an excuse, making people''s focus shift to her.


    "This surely gave the Marquis a hard time, considering it was the same as repaying his support with a p on the face.


    "Then, the second question is¡­ about your exile. You''re together with the heirloom of your family, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "After seizing all of your father''s assets, why don''t they keep your family heirloom as well? Imagine, since your father is no longer with you, don''t you think it''s fine if they just gave you some random sword instead of the family heirloom, which was the most important asset in your family since it was basically the symbol of the Ardagan Family?


    "They''d seize all kinds of opportunities to get the sword, so it''s weird when they didn''t. At the same time, I haven''t seen any signs that the Royal Family is selling your family''s assets even now.


    "The assets won''t be useful if they don''t sell them since your family is a merchant family instead of other kinds of family¡­ I mean, if it''s like the Ezenholm Family, a Spirit Magician Family, there''s no need to sell anything since everything you''ve taken from here is better to be used instead of sold.


    "That leaves thest question. Seeing how your father sent me a letter as if he knew about his execution, shouldn''t he have made any preparation for it? Surrounded by all sides? I already told you that your father was shrewd as hell. If not, how could he steal my daughter? That''s why I couldn''t believe him not trying to smuggle you out of this country."<sub> </sub>


    After listening to these three questions, Noel felt like he got another understanding of what had transpired behind his back.


    "I see. It seems that the matter is moreplicated than I thought¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose.


    "Yeah. At first, it looked normal, considering your Ardagan Family is one of the richest nobles. Then, with your father''s reputation, the rebellion could be started, so killing your parents was the right thing to do. But if you investigated further, why was your family the only one to suffer this kind of fate?"


    "I don''t know that answer." Noel shook his head. "There must be some shady dealing behind the entire execution."


    "Exactly my point. But we don''t know what kind of stuff happened in the dark. There were probably three people who knew about this."


    "And they are¡­" Noel squinted his eyes.


    "Your father, Marquis Stargaze, and the king himself."


    Noel''s expression darkened. Marquis Stargaze was his father''s best friend and he might be the one begging so that his life would be spared. The royal family was the executor, so they might also know something. And his father might also be behind this.


    "It''s impossible for me to know the truth for the time being, especially since it''s rted to the major power¡­" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "That''s probably not the case." Raincart shook his head. "There''s a possibility for you to dig out some information."


    "Huh? From where?"


    "Your parents."


    "Are you asking me to dig out my parents'' graves, Grandfather?"


    "No. There''s one more ce to find out, no?"


    "!!!" Noel finally understood his meaning as his tone became solemn. "My family''s fief?"


    "Yes. Your current territory belongs to the royal family, but there aren''t many people guarding it. If you want to find some information, I think that''s the right ce. Don''t you think so?"


    Noel fell silent. If the royal family hadn''t touched his family''s mansion, it meant any kind of evidence would be present there. If he could sneak in, it might give him some information. In fact, not many people guarding the mansion alone was already a kind of invitation for him.


    "I can''t cross the border, but no one will suspect you. So, I''m thinking about sending you there to investigate it yourself. I said it earlier¡­ your father was shrewd and knew about his execution, if he was actually the mastermind of his own execution, he should have hidden something in that mansion."


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 205 Next Plan

    "¡­" Noel understood what Raincart was saying. In fact, with all this information, he would have the same thought. It seemed that Raincart had been investigating on his own even though his son-inw had asked him not to interfere.


    But due to the limitation, he couldn''t really investigate that far. Only someone from the Muivell Kingdom could do it without getting suspected.


    Noel was the perfect example.


    ''I see. There''s a chance that Marquis Stargaze himself is an ally and my father is the mastermind of his own executions. I don''t know the reason, but I feel that a portion of it is the truth. If that''s the case, the best option right now is to go to my family''s mansion to get some information.


    ''With a low number of guards, I can sneak into the mansion to find out the real reason behind the execution. If I can''t find anything, then I have to get stronger so that I can meet the marquis himself. Whether it''s from torture or normal interrogation, I will be able to get some information.


    ''It seems this is the path to discovering about my family''s circumstances. If it''s like this, can I consider Anna the murderer of my family? But she was advocating for my family''s execution¡­ Although her opinion didn''t matter, she was still¡­''


    Noel fell silent, wondering what he needed to do now.


    ''Well, I''m nning to meet with Anna to explore the Sword Saint''s tomb. After that, we''re going toplete the rest of the requirements for graduation¡­ Should I bring Anna to my family''s mansion to help with the investigation? But I can''t really trust Annapletely. She might be trying to erase all kinds of evidence. As expected, I have to go there alone.''


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose because there was another problem. ''Still, if I graduate, I''ll be sent to the Dark Territory to fight against the demons. It''s an opportunity to grow because there are many demons and we can absorb their crystals¡­ That''s what the knights from the Demon Banner Army needed.


    ''But if I go there, I don''t know when I can return to investigate it. If I wait too long, the evidence might disappear since there''s a chance someone mighte to that ce.''


    Noel was contemting his choices because one wrong move could screw him.


    But there was one missing variable in his thought. Noel suddenly asked, "Grandfather. Do you know this figure called the third prince?"


    "The third prince of the Muivell Kingdom¡­ I mean, the former prince. The former prince seemed to be an honorable person since he wanted to take the throne for the people. It was said he wanted to remove the Supreme Devil Organization from the Muivell Kingdom.


    "I think that was why your father supported him. Well, I''m not sure myself since I haven''t investigated him. After losing in the throne fight, he was exiled to the southwest area to live there for the rest of his life."


    Noel thought for a moment. "This is weird. Shouldn''t the royal family kill the third prince since thetter might make aeback?"


    "Indeed. But I don''t know anything about it. I can try to investigate, but my influence is limited in the Muivell Kingdom."


    "If that''s the case, then I''ll go. I mean, my father told me that I could go to the third prince for help."


    "Your father? I see. Well, if he says it''s fine, it''s fine I think." Raincart nodded in agreement. "It''s your life. You can do everything you want. If you are tired and don''t want to do anything with the Ardagan Family anymore, you can go back here and change your name to Noel Ezenholm. I''ll be sure to protect you."


    "Thank you, Grandfather." Noel bowed his head. "That''s right. I want to ask you something¡­"


    "What is it?" Raincart tilted his head in confusion.


    "I¡­" Noel hesitated for a moment. He wanted Raincart to keep safe the introductory rune book for him, but knowing Raincart was a famous Spirit Magician, he might realize the rtionship between the runes and the Spirit Enchantment, making things moreplicated.<sub> </sub>


    But if he brought the book back, Septa might be able to find it and ask him about the rtion between that book and the runes he had seen in the Ancient Demon Tree''s location.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I want you to keep something for me."


    "And that is?"


    "I''m going to keep it a secret for now. I''ll give it to you before I go back to the Muivell Kingdom." Noel made a wry smile. He also wanted to test his grandfather slightly, wondering if his grandfather would investigate him or not.


    "I see. Well, I''ll be looking forward to what kind of thing you want me to hold. I just want to make sure of one thing. You are not going to give me something illegal, right?"


    "Don''t worry about it." Noel shook his head. The runes weren''t illegal since he was the only person writing them. Even the record about rune was only at the grand library in this kingdom.


    But that also raised another question. Where did Anna''s knowledge about runese from? She said it came from a book, but it was kinda impossible since the only record was the book in this kingdom''s library.


    Raincart continued, "I''ll hold that thing from you since it''s not illegal. But you have to promise me that you''re going to get it back."


    Noel smiled, knowing that Raincart was indirectly implying to him to not die. "I understand. I''ll be sure to get it back from you."


    "Good." Raincart stood up and said, "Well, it''s almost time for dinner. Let''s go back and have dinner."


    "Do you think it''s fine for me toe?"


    "It''s fine. Everyone seems to like your father. As shrewd as he was, he was indeed a generous person." Raincart remembered one thing. "That''s right. I heard you could use many Spirit Abilities. Tell me, since when did you start training?"


    "I was truly ignorant before I came to the Demon Banner Army." Noel chuckled. It was truly hard to believe it, but that was what truly happened.


    "I see. So, how about taking Ezenholm''s name? With your talent, I can match you up with the princess, you know. Or maybe someone rted to Duke¡­" Raincart smirked.


    "Stop being my matchmaker. It''s not the time for that yet."


    "Even though you asked Ilzen to teach you how to cook?"


    "How did you evene to that kind of conclusion?"


    "Now that I think about it, Ilzen tried to test your rationality by making you sleep with Elsa. I guess you''re not that kind of person."


    "It was a test?"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "Hahaha, did I say that?"

 Chapter 206 Introductory Rune Book

    Noel had dinner with the Ezenholm Family. There was his grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, and their two children. Their first child was older than Noel by two years, while the second child was far younger than him.


    There was no tension in the middle of dinner. The Ezenholm''s was very weing. Even though the second child was a bit vignt about Noel''s appearance since he''d never seen Noel in his life, he didn''t show any hostility during the dinner.


    It might be a bit awkward for Noel, but he certainly didn''t feel repulsive.


    When returning to his room, he was apanied by Elsa.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Young Master. I''ve received the instruction from your grandfather that I have to teach you something. After some considerations, I''m thinking about teaching you how to curve your attack."


    "Curve my attack?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "You should remember my power, right? I can shoot everything by using the Demon Crystals. I can also throw the stones next to me and shoot them forward. Depending on how I use it, I can really do whatever I want."


    "I have guessed it, but you truly have hidden your ability." Noel nced at Elsa.


    "It wasn''t my intention. I simply didn''t have the chance to use it."


    "Well, whatever." Noel thought for a moment. "I couldn''t really stay in this ce for so long."


    "I know. That''s why I''m just going to teach Young Master the simple parabolic movement. Your Spirit Ability¡­ The giant sword that falls, that one is a very powerful Spirit Ability. If you can actually throw it forward, don''t you think it''ll be a better ability?"


    "Huh?" Noel was surprised and imagined the Sword Fall that moved horizontally. If that kind of attack could be used that way, it would truly help him. And with the number of Sword Fall that would keep increasing the more he upgraded the skill, this ability would be perfect for the Sword Fall.


    "I see. That''s interesting." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Are you sure you''re going to teach me that?"


    "Yes. If we''re only thinking about the parabolic movement, it''s the simplest one. After some practice, you should be able to do it¡­ maybe within a few weeks."


    "Well, that''ll be useful for me. I guess I''m going to rely on you again."


    "It''s fine. Please leave everything to me."


    Noel nodded and entered his room. Before closing the door, Noel said, "Thanks, Elsa."


    "You''re wee." Elsa smiled while waving her hand. She almost forgot to bow her head and said, "Please have a good rest."


    "Ehm, you too. Good night." Noel nodded and closed the door.<sub> </sub>


    After listening to Elsa, he understood what he wanted to do next. Instead of sleeping, he went to his notebook, the introduction of the runes.


    He checked his Honor Points and used 24 Honor Points to buy 12 Skill Points, which was the requirement to upgrade the Rune Mastery to the next level.


    With this, he only had 10 Honor Points left, but the knowledge about the rune was almostplete.


    He hurriedly wrote his knowledge about the runes into this notebook.


    ''The Greenwood Kingdom is the most advanced kingdom, right? If that''s the case, they should be able to understand these runes, including the potential that they can bring to normal people. With this, anybody can change their fate since the rune itself allows an ordinary person to wield Spiritual Energy without the Spirit Awakening.


    ''And it seems that I''ve gained four more Runes to learn. Well, I can forget about them for the time being since I don''t have enough Honor Points to upgrade them for now.


    ''Besides, if I level up my Rune Mastery to level 5, I should be able to unlock all kinds of runes. So, I don''t need to use my Skill Points to upgrade them anymore. I just have to continue upgrading the Rune Mastery to understand more applications.


    ''This is a good idea. Although I''m pretty sure that this book will be studied further, I don''t really mind if this family is the first to master it. If this family bes greedy simply because of runes, which they know can improve even further by me, it means I can''t trust this family anymore.


    ''That''s why this is a big opportunity for me. I believe that the Ezenholm Family will poprize the book just fine and the Greenwood Kingdom will be thankful to me. Depending on their moves, my life will be in danger. But I''m going to use my second identity soon¡­ The only person who knows about it is themander, Shale, and possibly, this third prince.


    ''I can narrow my targets easily. I think this is a good n for the time being. I don''t know what will happen when I explore the Sword Saint''s tomb, but I''m going to use my time here to the best of my ability.''


    Noel had steeled his resolve, wanting to discover the truth about his family''s execution. That was why he wanted others to favor him as much as possible while maintaining enough distance so that they didn''t try to possess himpletely.


    He continued writing as much as possible for the next few days, albeit he felt a bit sad that there was a page that he had ripped a few days ago.


    Even so, the introductory book should be finished in a few days.


    During the morning, Noel came to the garden to meet Elsa, who would teach him about the parabolic movement.


    It seemed his grandfather wanted to watch his progress as well, probably trying to see Noel''s talent. If Noel was truly talented like how he imed to be, Noel should be able to learn the parabolic movement easily. That was why he decided to observe him from afar.


    Noel and Elsa stood in front of each other as Elsa smiled, starting her exnation. "Alright. Today, I''m going to teach you about parabolic movement. This is a new technique poprized two decades ago, so I hope that Young Master can learn this ability."


    "I''ll do my best."

 Chapter 207 Parabolic Movement

    "Basically, the parabolic movement is just you extending the movement of your body." Elsa raised a finger, giving Noel the shortest exnation possible.


    "Extending the movement of my body?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Yes." Elsa took out a small coin from her pocket and threw it into the air. "Look at the coin. After we throw the coin, it will create a curve to go up to the highest point before going down, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "This is what you call parabolic movement. You create a curve to the limit before it goes another way. If you take a look closely, this kind of movement is like you extending your body and attaching that coin to a thread, right?"


    "Well, that''s true." Noel nodded in agreement while raising one of his fingers, imagining the thread that tied a coin. If he swung the coin, it would create the same movement. "But doesn''t that mean we can create a movement from the side or probably from the bottom?"


    "Yes. You can. You can imagine yourself extending a part of your body to create that movement. That''s why I said it''s just an extension of your movement."


    "I see. I can understand that."


    "Since you''ve understood the principle of the motion, I''ll start with the theory on how to curve the Spiritual Energy." She nodded with a serious expression before beginning her exnation.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Elsa''s words were a bit crude and hard to understand. Seeing Raincart was sitting on the side just observing them meant Raincart used this chance to help Elsa in this area. If they truly didn''t reach anywhere, he would surely help with the lesson.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel managed to keep up with her exnation.


    "I see. To put it simply, the curving Spiritual Energy is based on our movement. No, it''s more like this motion is the one helping us to learn it. If we have mastered it, there''s no need for such a movement."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows while waving his hand. When it was rotating clockwise, Noel made a motion as if tossing a ball from the bottom. The ball would create a parabolic movement until it reached the ground.


    Meanwhile, when he tried the counter-clockwise direction, he threw the ball to the ground directly.


    "Hmm¡­ This is weird." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "No, no, no. You have to use your Spiritual Energy to keep going upward as if the Spiritual Energy is spinning." Elsa scratched the back of her head.


    Raincart chuckled and finally entered the lesson. "Alright. Let me give you an exnation. If you gather the Spiritual Energy in your hand and throw it forward, it won''t go down like what happens if we throw the coin, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Then¡­" Raincart formed a ball with Spiritual Energy and pointed at the top part of the ball. "What if I make the top part continuously flow to the bottom, creating a kind of spin?"


    "If that''s the case, won''t it give you an extra force to go down? After all, if the Spiritual Energy spins, it will generate a force downward."


    "Exactly. What if I add the spin from the bottom?"


    "Ah! It''ll generate an upward force, causing the ball to go up."


    "That''s the basis of curving Spiritual Energy."<sub> </sub>


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. Elsa took more than twenty minutes, but Noel still couldn''t understand it. Meanwhile, Raincart only needed a few sentences, and Noelpletely understood the concept.


    "I apologize." Elsa scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed about her own ability.


    Raincart nodded with a smile. "Then, how do you create that spin?"


    "Giving it extra energy?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. That extra energy will cause the spin to happen, and the Spiritual Energy will continue flowing that way. If you put too much energy, the spin will be too fast and you''ll miss your target. On the other hand, if you put too little energy, the spin will be too weak to the point it won''t even curve."


    "I see. It''s trial and error."


    "Exactly. But once you get the hang of it, you''ll know how much you need for all techniques you have." Raincart nodded, confirming Noel''s theory.


    Noel thought for a moment. "I can try it, but I don''t know if my control is enough or not."


    "Do try it. Elsa will be next to you." Raincart finally walked to the side, returning to his original position and leaving the rest to Elsa.


    The training continued as Noel had a hard time adjusting to Spiritual Energy. Even a small error could actually cause a high deviation, making it extremely hard to adjust.


    But considering this was just flowing one motion, which was the parabolic curve, there was only one spin that he had to add. It was the reason why the Parabolic Movement was one of the easiest abilities to learn.


    Still, even if Noel couldn''t learn it when he was in this family, he could continue practicing this ability after he returned.


    For the time being, hepletely focused on the matter at hand until his stay was over.


    After a few days, Noel was ready to leave the Ezenholm Family. The visit was more useful than he thought and he had gotten a lot of information from Raincart''s investigation.


    Since the situation around the border wasn''t stable enough, Elsa and Ilzen escorted Noel until he reached the Muivell Kingdom. Raincart actually gifted him a horse that he could use whenever he wanted without the need to borrow it from the Demon Banner Army. It was quite useful, so he took it.


    "This is the furthest we can escort you, Young Master." Ilzen politely bowed.


    "Thank you." Noel nodded with a smile. He hesitated for a moment but still took out his notebook, handing it to Elsa. "Can you tell my grandfather to keep this? I''ve been hesitating this whole time, but I think this notebook will be better in his hands."


    "This is¡­" Elsa furrowed her eyebrows, reading the title of the book. "Introductory Rune Book."


    Because of Anna, Noel ended up naming it this way since he didn''t want others to think he giarized someone''s book, not knowing he was the one actually writing that book in his previous life.


    "Well, just hand it to Grandfather." Noel smiled and waved his hand. "Now that everything is finished, it''s time for me to leave. Take care."


    "Yes, Young Master." Elsa and Ilzen politely bowed their heads until Noel was far away.

 Chapter 208 Mysterious Guy

    "Kirika. Watch out!" Lokhtar, the bald guy, shouted.


    Kirika widened her eyes and turned around, swinging her sword to the right.


    *Clink!*


    The clicking sound symbolized the sh between her sword with another hard surface. When her body finished turning around, she found a mole jumping out of the ground and almost struck her with its w if not for her de.


    "Kh." Kirika gritted her teeth.


    There wasn''t only one mole demon, but multiple of them. They starteding out of the ground with only their heads out as if peeking at their group.


    "This is¡­ There are fifteen demons around us." Samuel Quartzal informed while taking a deep breath, not knowing whether he could defeat all these demons or not. The number was simply too overwhelming.


    They had been fighting this whole time, so they were already quite exhausted. They thought about killing a few more demons before retreating to a safer area to rest, but they ended up getting surrounded by the demons.


    Kirika gritted her teeth while ring at these demons. She couldn''t help but recall what Anna said a week ago. "Sorry, you''re not strong enough."


    Kirika steeled her resolve and stepped forward. "I''ll open up a path!"


    "Wait, Kirika. Don''t¡ª" Misha Quartzal wanted to warn her, but it was toote.


    Her stepping forward was a kind of aggression to these demons, so they immediately made their move by jumping out of the grounds, swarming them.


    The people''s hearts skipped a beat as they panicked, wondering how they should get away from this.


    "Lightning Dragon."


    Suddenly, dragon-shaped lightning appeared and struck all these demons in rapid session. All the demons were electrocuted, and smoke starteding out of their bodies as if they were perfectly cooked inside.


    The lightning dragon stopped and started swirling around as if watching the entire group. At the same time, Annanded on the ground while looking around, confirming there were no other demons in the area.


    Her expression was calm as if these demons weren''t her opponents anymore.


    The menacing dragon scared them. Misha Quartzal gulped down as she wondered whether this dragon would kill her anymore.


    Meanwhile, Samuel Quartzal was trembling, never expecting that Anna was this strong. Not only was her status very high as Marquis Stargaze''s only child, but her strength was also the strongest among her peers. This was Anna Stargaze.<sub> </sub>


    Kirika fell on her butt as Anna actuallynded in front of her. She could see Anna looking down on her as if paying back for the previous conflict.


    "Miss Ann¡ª" Samuel tried to call her, but Anna harrumphed and leaped away without saying a single thing.


    However, everyone knew that Anna was indirectly implying they weren''t strong enough to talk to her.


    Kirika gritted her teeth. Although Anna didn''t say anything, her gaze was telling her that she wasn''t strong enough to do anything. And even if she still had a few more months to go before graduation.


    They couldn''t say anything because of the strength Anna showed them earlier. Annapletely destroyed the demons. No one would believe such a person was only fifteen years old.


    However, it was toote for them as Anna had left them and they wouldn''t even be able to catch up.


    After passing the hill, Anna took a deep breath to think up her next course. "I have finally be a Spirit Wielder. Noel hasn''t reached this level yet, so I''ve regained the upper hand. But who knows, Noel is an absurd guy who can somehow keep up with me.


    "Anyway, I have to go to the Sword Saint Tomb now since Noel will reach that ce in a few weeks. I don''t know about the details, but Noel should get something special from this tomb¡­ I wonder if I should go with him right now¡­ but I made him go to the tomb a year earlier.


    "What kind of change will it have to the current situation?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. Even if she tried her hardest, the answer wouldn''te to her mind unless she experienced it herself.


    So, she immediately headed to the nearest city to get a horse before heading to the town next to the Sword Saint Tomb.


    Her action in getting all those Demon Crystals this time truly affected people''s fate.


    A few weekster, a guy walked to the cave and found out that the Demon Crystals had been absorbedpletely, leaving only an empty shell. Although the spider corpses and the crushed eggs weren''t there, it was impossible to get rid of all the evidence, especially the melting ground from the poison.


    The mysterious guy furrowed his eyebrows while touching the ground, realizing there was actually someoneing to this ce.


    "Kh¡­ Who¡­ Who was the one entering this cave?" The mysterious guy shouted in anger. "I had been storing all the Demon Crystals I had this whole time without raising anyone''s suspicion. I had even put a demon to guard this ce. Yet, there was a thief who stole everything from me?


    "Who is it? I''ll kill whoever gets all these crystals. I''ll do whatever I can do to catch and torture them for the rest of their lives." The guy roared.


    Meanwhile, Anna was riding her horse pretty slowly since she was already near her destination.


    "Mhm¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it because I have been traveling far too long that my body is so dirty that I have the urge to scratch all over my body¡­ Well, I can wash my body since the city shouldn''t be too far from here. This life is truly good. Noel and I have been improving far faster than in our previous life¡­ by the time my master¡­ I mean, that witch found me and the third prince found Noel, we would have be far stronger than they expected¡­


    "With that, they couldn''t kill us anymore. This time, we both are going to live. Though, how do I convince Noel to not trust the third prince?" Anna let out a long sigh before the city finally came into her vision. "There is some time, so I''ll think about it along the way."


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

 Chapter 209 Chicken

    In a tavern, Noel was sitting down with a te of food. He had reached this ce three days earlier than nned, so he had to wait.


    They had agreed to meet in a za when the sun was on top of their head, so he still had some time.


    He looked down while contemting, ''We''re about to go to the Sword Saint Tomb. I don''t know what awaits us there, but it''s clear that the Sword Saint and my ancestor were rted.


    ''I read in a book that the Sword Saint was my ancestor''s best friend. My ancestor might be the greatest spirit user in his time, but the Sword Saint was truly a peerless expert with a sword. If my ancestor didn''t use everything, he would have lost against the Sword Saint.


    ''Since both of them were best friend, I should be able to take advantage of this, right?'' Noel tapped the table a few times, thinking deeply. ''That''s right. I can simply tell him that I''m thest Ardagan and Anna is the culprit for my family execution. The Sword Saint''s Spirit is rted to soul, so he must have a way to retain his soul.''


    Right after, Noel thought that way, fate worked magically. A feminine''s voice echoed in his ears as she sat down in the empty seat next to him.


    "Hello, gentleman. Do you mind if I share a seat with you?"


    "No¡­" Noel wanted to refuse but soon noticed the voice sounded familiar and turned around, finding Anna sitting down next to him. "Anna, huh."


    "Why do you sound so disappointed?" Anna pouted.


    "Don''t you think you know why?" Noel shrugged.


    Anna let out a long sigh. Whenever Noel brought this up, she truly couldn''t say anything. Hence, she decided to change the topic. "So, when are we going to go to the ruin?"


    "I''m ready whenever. You want to rest first?" Noel asked.


    Anna raised her eyebrows, looking surprised. She stared at Noel with a gentle smile. "So, you''re worried about me?"


    "No, I''m just afraid you will mess up because of fatigue, endangering my life as a result."


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she thought, ''This guy truly knows how to use all kinds of insults. I wonder if this guy''s brain is actually filled with this kind of thought.''


    On the other hand, Noel had a different thought in his mind. ''Anna is just a pawn. It''s a fact. Then, her father might be the one protecting me from the execution, but I don''t know just yet, considering the mastermind might be my father. I truly have to investigate it.''


    But Noel and Anna had a simr thought in their mind.


    ''I''m going to use the rtionship between my ancestor and the sword saint to deal with you.''


    ''I will use his ancestor to confess and somehow exin the situation.''


    Both of them smiled at each other, knowing what to do in this expedition.


    "If that''s the case, how about going to the ruin tomorrow morning?"


    "Sounds good to me." Noel nodded in agreement.<sub> </sub>


    "Excuse me, give me the same thing as him." Anna then called the waitress and ended up eating there. Since their condition was important, they decided to go back to the inn, having some rest for tomorrow''s expedition.


    But the two somehow went back to the same inn.


    Noel had an annoyed expression while Anna made a wry smile.


    "Say¡­ Are you a stalker or something?" Noel nced at Anna.


    "This must be a coincidence. So, you''re staying here too Noel?"


    "If you''re a noble, then act like one. Stalking someone is not good. Oh, wait. I think I can use this to ruin your reputation." Noel walked inside, trying to forget about this.


    "What do you mean? I''m simply searching for a good but affordable inn. This is the perfect inn for that. I''m here as Anna, not as a noble daughter, so I can''t afford to use their money." Anna chuckled.


    While they were talking, their feet continued to move toward their room, but out of three floors, they somehow ended up in the same floor. Not only that, Noel and Anna surprisingly stood next to each other, trying to open their door.


    "You are seriously not a stalker?" Noel''s eyebrows were twitching.


    "If I told you I''m not and everything is just a coincidence, will you believe me?" Anna looked away.


    Noel mmed the wall and cornered Anna, looking at her coldly. "You seriously think I''m going to believe you? Now that I think about it, you have all that kind of information and knowledge as if you can see the future. Don''t you think it''s possible for you to locate me with that kind of power?"


    "Hoh?" Anna made a cheeky smile, not backing down in this conversation. "I have the power to see the future? What if I tell you that the next future after this is both of us returning the key and end up sleeping in the same bed?"


    "Are you taunting me?" Noel squinted his eyes as he began excluding killing intent.


    "You''re the one saying I''ve the power to see the future." Anna shrugged.


    Noel took a deep breath, holding his anger. Surprisingly, he put on a smile while saying, "If that''s the case, then we should do that. Getting a single room for both of us is surely cost effective. We can use that money for something else. Well, I don''t mind a single bed."


    Noel took a step back and started walking as if he wanted to go to the clerk to return the key.


    It took her a while to realize before Anna hurriedly caught up and held his hand, stopping him. "Wait, wait, wait. Just think of this as coincidence, alright? This is truly coincidence."


    p Suddenly, an evil smirk appeared on Noel''s face as he turned around as if nothing happened. He also whispered to Anna. "Haha, chicken."</anda>


    Anna was dumbfounded and could only stare at Noel as he went to his room, leaving her alone. She realized Noel had just yed her earlier. She thought she had seen all Noel''s tricks, but she was never this close to Noel in the previous life, so this one was new to her.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "You¡­" Anna clenched her fists and shouted inwardly, ''Just you wait. Next time, I''m not going to cower. Next time, let''s see who will run first!''

 Chapter 210 Ardagan Family Crest

    The next day, Noel and Anna came out of their room since they were nning to go to the ancient ruin today. Since their rooms were next to each other, they didn''t have to wait somewhere else since they could simply call each other.


    Anna had also gotten a new sword, since her previous sword broke when fighting the demon spider.


    Since they weren''t that far away from the ancient ruin, they went there without using their horses.


    However, instead of the ancient ruin, they actually went to a mountain range.


    "Huh? What is this?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "Why are you bringing us to this mountain range?"


    "Because the ruin is around here. I don''t know how we can find it though." Anna shook her head helplessly. She added inwardly, ''In the past life, the tomb was found around here. But Noel was the only one who could open it. So, I don''t know if there''s some kinds of hidden mechanisms waiting for us or not¡­''


    "You don''t know how to find it?" Noel looked at her with an annoyed expression.


    "But it''s true. The ancient ruin should be in this ce. It''s better if we start searching around. Although we don''t care about the dark thanks to the Moon Blessing, it''s still better to finish this matter during the day." Anna shrugged, telling him that her information was limited to this.


    Noel let out a long sigh. On the one hand, he wanted to ignore all of this and just went straight to his family mansion to find out about the truth. On the other hand, Anna wasn''t someone who would joke around like this. He could easily confirm it with the Spirit Seal, but seeing how she wanted to use this as an opportunity meant there was something around here.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "If that''s the case, can''t you scan the area? Just find some clues about the ruin?"


    "Alright. Let me look around." Anna nodded in agreement and started looking around. At the same time, she was also recalling all information about the ruin. ''How was the ruin found anyway? ording to the information, there was actually a guy who identally stumbled upon this ruin.


    ''However, the guy couldn''t enter deeper because of some reasons. And those some reasons were Noel. Noel became the only person to find something inside and acknowledged as the Sword Saint''s disciple. Of course, we''re talking about Noel''s second identity. With that kind of identity, Noel bes famous.


    ''Maybe I shouldn''t have suggested this? Although Noel can get something from the tomb, he doesn''t get the poprity¡­ But we''ve gone all the way here. I made this mistake months ago, so I guess I can only continue with this. I won''t forget this mistake.


    ''Anyway, where''s the ruin? The Sword Saint had a Spirit rted to soul, so his soul must be there? If that''s the case, how should I do this? If we''re talking about soul and darkness, the tomb should be underneath a mountain. But there are a few mountains here.''


    Anna thought it really hard. She had some pieces of information like the rough area as well as the fact you needed a lot of torches to explore it. So, she knew the tomb was buried underneath a mountain, but she never went here in her previous life, resulting in her not knowing the exact location and what was waiting for them.


    However, she noticed something different when looking down. "Wait a minute¡­"


    "What''s wrong? Do you find something?"


    Anna pointed down. Since they were at the mountain peak, they could easily see everything below them. Her fingers were directing Noel to the gap between the trees.


    "Look at the gap between trees over there. Don''t you think it''s strange?"


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at the nearby mountain. "Look over there. You can find the same thing. Won''t it be a river or something?"<sub> </sub>


    "Is it?" Anna turned the other way around and found the same pattern. "There is one over there too."


    "Maybe we''ll find the same pattern in all mountains around here?"


    "That''s probably the case. But don''t you think it''s strange?"


    "What do you mean?" Noel asked while contemting, whether there was a meaning or not.


    Anna pointed at the left. "There, the gap is like a straight line. In this mountain, the gap is curving. Meanwhile, the gap in our right is a straight line again."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "What are you trying to imply?"


    "There''s a pattern¡­"


    "I know that much. But I don''t know if it''s rted or not. We might just be overthinking about this."


    "But isn''t it fine to start searching from there? It''s not like we have other clues."


    Noel and Anna looked at each other for a while before Noel made his decision. "Alright. You go to the left and record the pattern. I''ll go to the right to do the same. We''ll gather in this ce again after we record all of them and share what we find."


    "That''s a good idea."


    The two came to an agreement and immediately started working. They ended up walking around a few mountains before noticing there were no more patterns they could find.


    Still, even with their strengthened body and Spiritual Energy, it took them half a day just to record all the patterns.


    "Here you go." Anna showed the paper that recorded all the patterns. After that, she took out a pot to start cooking. "I''m going to cook, so you can try to figure it out."


    Noel nodded and tried to figure out the patterns. As expected, the pattern was all over the ce. It didn''t even give anyone any idea. It didn''t form a sentence or symbol, making him think it was just a natural urrence.


    He let out a long sigh, thinking about giving up this clue and searching for another one tomorrow. But he was surprised by Ardagan who suddenly rmed him.


    [You''ve found Ardagan Crest.]


    "Ardagan Crest?" Noel widened his eyes and looked at the patterns again. It was scrambled, but if he connected each other ording to what Ardagan said, he could find a sword and with a star on it, symbolizing the most powerful general in history, whose figure was immortalized in the family crest. "This is¡­ Ardagan Family Crest¡­"

 Chapter 211 Invitation

    p "This is¡­ Ardagan Family Crest¡­"</anda>


    "!!!" Anna heard what Noel said and raised her vision, staring at Noel in disbelief. Since she was still waiting for the water to boil, she hurriedly went to Noel, wanting to see. "Seriously?"


    "Yeah, just put your everything here and there and you will get my family crest." Noel nodded. He was also shocked himself that he forgot about Anna''s identity.


    Anna sucked a cold breath. "This is¡­ really true. The sword symbol that represent the ck sword and the star symbol that represent the ability tomand."


    "As expected, the Sword Saint is rted to my Ardagan Family''s ancestor." Noel finally confirmed, this time not only from the recorded text but the proof that hadn''t disappeared in a millennium.


    "How do you know this ce is rted to the Sword Saint?" Anna nced at Noel, surprised that he knew this was a tomb. Noel shouldn''t know about it with his reaction when she first introduced the idea of going to this ruin. At the same time, he wouldn''t have gone to his family territory to get this kind of information.


    That was why she wondered where Noel did get that information.


    ''Is he also a reincarnated person like me? But if that''s the case, Noel should have retained his ability and experience. He also won''t fight me because of the betrayal of those two.'' Anna thought, confused.


    Noel, on the other hand, got an idea. He looked at Anna and stated, "Anyway, it''s clear that this ce has an Ancient Ruin in it. The only clue is that symbol¡­ I think we need to explore those gaps directly. The fact that those gaps don''t disappear even after one thousand years mean there''s something hidden there."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock, not believing what Noel had just said. She also noticed something. If there was the Ardagan Family Crest, Noel would have got the right to expel her from this ce.


    Yet, Noel never thought about it and simply told her more secret.


    The only reason why Noel didn''t tell her off simply because he didn''t want to owe anyone. He found this ruin because of Anna. If not for her, he wouldn''t have found this tomb. Since they came together here, he invited her.


    Anna somehow felt bad about taking this invitation. At first, she thought about leeching him off. But after experiencing many things together with him, she didn''t know whether it was the right thing to do or not.


    On the one hand, Noel''s fortunate encounters in the past life was so bountiful and allowed him to increase his strength far quicker than anyone else. Getting some of them should benefit her too. On the other hand, Noel''s heart was that of a light. Despite of what had happened, Noel never treated anyone badly other than those he had grudge off.


    It was just a matter of conscience. Anna thought for a moment and said, "Say, Noel¡­"


    "Mhm?" Noel mumbled while looking at the paper, wanting to discover more.<sub> </sub>


    However, Anna words truly like thunder reverberating in one''s ears. She said, "I''ll stop here. Since this is rted to your family, it''s not a ce for an outsider like me to go."


    "Huh?" Noel looked at her in disbelief. "What did you say?"


    "You didn''t hear it wrong. I''m going to step down from this exploration." She sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed to say it again.


    "Did someone hit your head in the past two months?"


    "Wha¡ª" Anna was dumbstruck by Noel''s reaction. She had chosen to stop to honor him, yet, she got insulted like this. She wanted to get angry but realized it wasn''t the best option. She confirmed it again. "I mean, this is your family. I think I have done enough to your family. I have told you back then, right? I''m sorry, I apologize for everything I''ve done in the past.


    "After I''ve realized everything I''ve done to others, I don''t want to live that way anymore. The reason I looked mean in front of others not because I wanted to hurt you¡­ There was someone from my family tailing me and reporting to my father. I don''t want my father to know that I''ve changed, making him change the decision and follow what I said back then."


    Anna exined her reason. This was one of the biggest thing weighing her heart. Now that she had told Noel about it, she felt the burden was lifted from her heart.


    Noel was silent the whole time, never expecting Anna to say all this. This might be a lie from her as well to deceive him, but he couldn''t sense any lie from her tone and expression either. So, Noel was in dilemma.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ''There are two reasons why I invited her in. The first reason is rted to my conscience. I don''t want to owe someone anything because it makes me hesitant if I want to kill them like in her case. The second reason is that I want to use this opportunity to mess with her. With the help of the Sword Saint, Anna should suffer a bit. It will be hrious to see her efforts are wasted to get a punishment instead of reward.''


    However, when Noel saw Anna this way, he somehow became hesitant. He had this thought back then.


    If a murderer got caught and prisoned for twenty years, how would people react to this man after they released him? What if the murderer had changed for the better and turned over a new leaf? He admitted his mistakes and prepared to atone his sins for the rest of his life by bing a good person.


    What if others didn''t ept him back? He couldn''t get any work and in the end, he would have no money to live a decent life, forcing him back to steal or even murder more people for money?


    He wanted his revenge so much, but there was someone in front of him who had changed and wanted to seek forgiveness.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "You can go in. If you haven''t realized the signal that I gave you earlier, then I''m telling you here directly. Come in with me. Don''t forget, it''s not because I''m pitying your reason or whatever. I''m simply a man of integrity. A few months ago, I''ve promised you that we''ll explore this together, so I''m doing just that."


    "Noel¡­" Anna didn''t know why but her heart felt ticklish. There was a fuzzy feeling emerging from her heart.

 Chapter 212 Secret Pattern

    Anna pressed her chest while looking at Noel. Was this the first change Noel had shown? Did it mean she had a chance?


    At the same time, she didn''t realize that she was like the women Noel saved from the bandits a few months ago.


    He showed the kindness like this, making her heart moved. She didn''t expect that anyone would be able to say this.


    ''This is bad¡­ I''m slowly getting addicted to this kindness. In the future, when Noel has forgiven me and we can act like a true friend or partner, will this be a daily life? Now that I think about it, is there any woman with Noel in the previous life? That woman must be the happiest woman in the world.


    ''Wait a minute, I don''t think Noel has any woman in his life.'' Anna muttered inwardly, misunderstanding Noel''s action. He just didn''t want to owe her anything.


    Noel''s action earlier could be seen as him ying hard to get. He seemed to have a change of heart even though his words were the exact truth without any meaning.


    But for Anna, Noel truly had changed.


    "Well, if you know that already, then I think I want a delicious meal." Noel snorted, trying to push her away.


    "Ah, right!" Anna remembered she was in the middle of cooking. "I''ll cook your favorite, beef stew tomorrow."


    "What? What do you mean by favorite?" Noel took a step back, startled.


    "Isn''t it your favorite food? Whenever I cooked the stew, you seemed to be enjoying it more than any other food. So, I thought it was your favorite stew."


    "You must be imagining things." Noel tried hard to remain calm.


    "So, should I change the menu for tomorrow?"


    "There''s no need since you''ve nned it that way." Noel closed his eyes while adding inwardly, ''As expected, she''s a witch. I have learned the knowledge about cooking, but it still can''t bepared to Anna''s¡­ Ugh, I should improve my cooking as soon as possible so that she doesn''t trap me like this.''


    Anna chuckled, looking at Noel''s expression. "Sure, sure."


    Noel always showed his strong front because of their rtionship, but her meal seemed to be able to make Noel forget about it for a while.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Once he forgot about it, Noel''s true character was usually shown. Anna personally enjoyed when Noel acted natural. She felt like this was what truly happened if Noel became her truepanion.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    Anna gradually opened her eyes while letting out a soft moan. "Mhm."


    "What is this? I feel a bit lighter after sleeping. This is my first time experiencing it. Is it because I told Noel all that? It''s true that I feel like a heavy burden has been lifted from my heart, but¡­" Anna squinted her eyes, not knowing the answer.<sub> </sub>


    In the end, she decided not to think about it and began fixing her hair beforeing out of the tent, finding Noel standing on top of the mountain, looking at the terrain.


    She didn''t know what Noel was doing, but whenever Noel showed this kind of expression, he always figured out something.


    She quietly approached him while asking, "Did you find anything, Noel?"


    Noel didn''t answer her immediately as if he was still in the middle of thinking. Only after a few minutes did Noel open his mouth. "What if this pattern means another thing?"


    "Pattern?" Anna tilted her head, confused.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded and showed the paper to her, pointing at the patterns. "If you look at this, don''t you think you can find that the pattern is actually connected to each other?"


    "Connected to each other¡­" Anna muttered before understanding what he meant. The pattern might look all over the ce, but if they actually tried to connect them, it was truly what he said.


    The furthest mountain had a ''-'' pattern on it where as the next mountain had a curve, but if they connected it, the second mountain had a slight straight line that connected the second mountain and the curved could easily attach itself to the third mountain.


    "Are you implying¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath.


    "See the secondst mountain?" Noel pointed at the second pattern on the right. Only this one actually didn''t connect to other mountains as if it was acting as a wall. In the symbol, this one vertical pattern was acting as the de pattern, but if they were looking at this, the vertical pattern represented a wall.


    "If we''re following this logic, it means that thest mountain is where the tomb lies. The wall is stopping people from entering the wall and the rest of the patterns are basically the ce''s structure or you can say the map¡­


    "In other words, the entrance should be at the furthest mountain in our left. And the trip inside might be simr to this pattern since if you ce structure underneath that area, you can prevent the trees from growing, creating all these patterns.


    "And there is one more reason¡­ If you add the Ardagan Family Crest, it means the only one who can enter the tomb is someone from the Ardagan Family." Anna exined her conjecture from what she had seen from this pattern.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded in agreement as he had reached the same conclusion. "Anyway, I''m going to bring you in. Whether you will get anything or not, that''s not within my responsibility. Understood?"


    Anna made a small smile. "Yes. Ehm¡­ Thank you, Noel."


    Noel nodded. "Anyway, we should start packing everything. This is only just a theory, it means nothing if we can''t find anything there."


    "Alright." Anna hurriedly turned around and walked together with Noel to the camp, going to pack up everything.


    "By the way, how do you know there''s a ruin in this ce? If this is rted to my family, shouldn''t you have no clue about this?" Noel squinted his eyes, staring at Anna.


    p Anna smiled and said, "The same applies to how you know this is the Sword Saint Tomb."</anda>


    Both of them truly had a deep secret that they already suspected but didn''t want to talk about.

 Chapter 213 Tunnel

    "Where''s the entrance?" Anna let out a long sigh, feeling a bit tired. They had been walking around in the mountain for a few hours to find the entrance. However, they didn''t find a single clue.


    "This is weird. Does this mean my conjecture is wrong?" Noel put his hand on his chin, contemting.


    "Or maybe we''re missing a clue somewhere." Anna sighed.


    Despite doubting their own spection, none of them actually believed this ce had the Sword Saint Tomb.


    Anna was certain that the tomb was in this ce since it had been proven by her previous life. On the other hand, Noel had Ardagan confirming the Ardagan Family Crest.


    As a Spirit, Ardagan had lived that long and met the Sword Saint himself when his ancestor still wielded him. So, Ardagan dering it was the Ardagan Family Crest was the clue itself. He just had to find the entrance to the tomb.


    "Still, do you think it''s going to be dangerous inside the tomb?" Noel asked.


    "What do you mean?"


    "If we''re talking about a long tunnel inside the mountain, shouldn''t we be worried about the air? Will the air be enough for us to move around?"


    "The air?" Anna muttered in a low voice. "That''s right, the air! With the fact that the Sword Saint prepared the crest for the Ardagan Family, it''s clear that he''s showing that this ce can wee you.


    "In other words, the inside should have enough air. We simply need to find a hole that can let the air through."


    Noel blinked his eyes a few times, staring at Anna in disbelief.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "What?" Anna was confused by Noel''s action.


    "No, I feel like defeated¡­ How can you be this smart?"


    "What do you mean I can be this smart? I am smartpared to average people. But it''s different if Ipare myself to you." Anna gritted her teeth.


    "Even though you''re Anna?"


    "Why are you talking like I am a special species?" Anna was about to explode but Noel suddenly turned around. "Alright. I know where it is."


    "Huh, what?" Anna was bewildered by his words.


    Noel didn''t say a single thing because he could hear an echo. He walked toward the echo and somehow found a gap in a tree formation with high bushes as if trying to hide something. If they didn''t have the need to find something here, they wouldn''t notice this formation. But because Noel heard the echo earlier, it was clear something was inside.


    When Noel opened up the bushes, he could see a huge hole leading to the underground. There was even an exposed stairs they could use to go down.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped. Now that she was near the hole, her voice echoed inside this tunnel. "Wait a minute¡­ You''re using my voice to find this hole?"


    "Yeah. Since the air is there, it means there''s a tunnel leading there. I don''t think he will cover the entrance." Noel nodded.


    "Then, why are you taunting me earlier? You could have shouted yourself."<sub> </sub>


    "What''s the use of you if I don''t use you?" Noel shrugged and started walking to the hall.


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched. "Do you want to get beaten?"


    "Try it." Noel smirked since Anna wouldn''t dare to do it.


    "Maybeter. Since you indeed found this tunnel."


    ? "Then." Noel pointed at the hole like a gentleman. He even put his other hand on his chest as if asking Anna politely. "Ladies first."


    "¡­" Veins bulged on Anna''s forehead, realizing that Noel was nning to use her as an experiment to see whether the hole was safe or not. "I seriously want to hit you. Well, whatever."


    She took a deep breath and put down her bag. After that, she took a thin cloth and wrapped it around her mouth and nose. "There might be insects living there and the dust will surely fill the tunnel. It''s been a thousand years after all. I don''t know about demons though."


    "Indeed." Noel also put down his luggage and prepared the same thing.


    There was actually another reason why Anna didn''t hesitate to go down first. After covering her mouth, she smirked, saying inwardly, ''Jokes on you, Noel. I have the memory from my previous life. There''s a piece of information stating that the tomb doesn''t have traps or demons. So, I just have to destroy those bugs with my lightning and we''ll be good to go.''


    "This should be impossible to explore since it''s too dark inside. I guess we''re lucky to have Moon Blessing." Noel nodded, satisfied.


    "Haha, thank me."


    "I have done that by making you famous. It seems that you don''t like how the others thank me whenever we saved a vige, so I made you famous within that city. Shouldn''t I get a reward instead?" Noel chuckled.


    "A reward? You scammed me from my portion of Demon Crystals. I''m the one who want to ask forpensation." Anna sighed. She shook her head helplessly. "Somehow talking with you makes me more irritated. I should just go instead of listening to you."


    She covered her body with Spiritual Energy and even her lightning started sparking as if she would destroy any insects that dared toe to her.


    Meanwhile, Noel kept some distance with her before he started going down. It was a vertical stairs, so they could only go one at a time.


    It was quite deep underground and no light could enter.


    Although it was stable, the air was thin inside. Unless they needed to fight, they shouldn''t waste their breath in this ce.


    When Noel reached the bottom, he could see a quite inside. The tunnel size was 4x4 meters made of limestone.


    Since his Moon Blessing was active, he could clearly see what was inside this tunnel. As expected of a thousand year, the dust on the floor was one centimeter thick. There were spider webs here and there and some insects had truly made this ce their nest.


    Though, all of them had died as soon as Anna came.


    "Nothing dangerous should be here. Let''s not waste our time." After seeing Noel sessfully descended, she said.


    "How do you know there''s nothing dangerous? How about giving me your brain so that I know what kind of information you have?"

 Chapter 214 Waking Up

    After following the route for a bit more, they finally reached the pattern that acted as a wall.


    "Hoh?" Anna squinted her eyes, amused by this one. In front of them stood tall a wall thatpletely blocked the entire path. "Are we going to tear this up?"


    "So, our strongest strength? But then again, we have to carefully examine it beforeing to that conclusion. We don''t like to be buried here after all." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Well, I don''t know what we should do right now. I mean, look at this wall¡­" She walked to the wall and ced her ear on it before gently knocking the wall to measure the thickness. To her surprise, the wall itself wasn''t quite thick, making her want to smash it open.


    Meanwhile, Noel was inspecting the wall, wanting to see if there was anything special from this wall.


    "This should be the wall separating us from whatever is inside thest mountain, right?" Anna nced at Noel.


    "Yeah. I don''t know much about structure, but don''t you think this cave will copse if we break the wall?" Noel raised his vision, noticing the wall was holding up a giant stone that was different from the rest of the ceiling.


    "What do you mean?" Anna was confused and followed his line of sight, noticing the same thing. "Ah! The difference in structure¡­ If we break the wall, the different stone ced on top of the wall will fall down. I think that''s the mechanism."


    "That''s what I''m talking about. So, there must be another mean to enter." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Your Family Crest? Do you have your crest?" Anna asked.


    "I''m a fallen noble. Do you think I can still have a family crest? You must be joking." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "Alright, alright. Don''t look at me that way¡­ I was just trying to suggest something." Anna looked away while waving her hands down to calm him down.


    "Though, if we''re talking about the Sword Saint, whose ability is rted to sword and soul¡­ I think there''s another solution." Noel thought for a moment. "I don''t know if this is a bit of a stretch, but how about I use my sword to cut my hand and smear my blood on the wall? The blood should awaken the soul, no? Considering I''m an Ardagan, it should recognize me if what we''re talking about is correct."


    "That''s probably true. But how much blood do we need? It''s not like I can let you just use all your blood?" Anna worried that Noel would be desperate and do something reckless.


    "Either way, nothing will happen if we''re not trying." Noel took a deep breath and pulled out Ardagan, cutting his palm a bit. He then waved his hand to the wall, sttering the blood on its surface, wondering if it would react.


    "Is it not enough?" Noel contemted as he was prepared to give more blood. At the same time, he asked Anna. "Can you search for another clue around here? I''m trying to use my blood to see if it''s going to work."


    "Alright." Anna nodded. Although she walked away, she kept ncing at Noel to make sure he didn''t push himself.


    Meanwhile, Noel prepared to smear the blood again.


    When he was about to cut himself again, a light suddenly shone on the wall, forming words after words as if reacting to the blood.


    "Wee, Young Ardagan. You, who wields the Ardagan, have finally arrived like my old friend''s prediction. It seems that my ability is of use for you. I''m sure that it''s been hard for you, young man. However, it''s time for you to wake up from your nightmare."


    "Huh? My nightmare?" Noel squinted his eyes, not understanding what these words were saying.


    "What''s this?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He felt that his body became light as if all the flesh in his body suddenly disappeared.<sub> </sub>


    When he lowered his head, he saw his body be translucent.


    "Eh?" Noel nced at Anna to check her situation as well and realized she experienced the same thing.


    "What happened here?" Anna looked at Noel with a worried expression.


    "I don''t know." Noel shook his head and started using his Spiritual Energy but to no avail.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    His consciousness began to be fuzzy as his vision turned blurry.


    ''What is going on?'' Noel could only think that in his head because his mouth didn''t produce anymore sound. His vision gradually darkened as if his eyes were closing.


    Out of desperation, Noel tried to move his body to Anna, trying to do something at thest second.


    Unfortunately, it was for naught because his translucent body dissipated into the air.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Aaaahhhh!" Noel shouted as he lifted up his body.


    His shout startled everyone in the room. In his left sat down a man with white robe. He was sping his hands while releasing a yellow light from all over his body. In his right sat down a mature woman with long brown hair.


    Despite her age, she didn''t show any wrinkles on her face. Instead, she showed a warm and energetic smile.


    Noel was shocked beyond his belief because he simply couldn''t understand why this person actually sat down here with him.


    "Is this¡­ Hell?" Noel muttered subconsciously.


    "Hell? Are you having a nightmare?" The woman still kept her warm smile as if trying to soothe Noel''s heart. She gently ced her hand on Noel''s hair and stroke it.


    "What is happening?" Noel looked at her with a horrified expression, feeling like he had forgotten something.


    "What is happening? Do you not remember? Actually, you have been ina for eight months, dear. This is the first time you wake up. Look at you, so thin. I''ll ask the maid to make you something light to eat."


    "I have been ina for eight months?" Noel clenched his fists and looked at the entire room. His body was shaking as he looked at the woman. "Is it true¡­


    "¡­Mother?"

 Chapter 215 Dream

    "Is it true¡­ Mother?" Noel widened his eyes in shock, staring at his mother who was supposed to be dead.


    "Silly child." Leysha chuckled. "You don''t have any problem talking but your body is still quite weak after eight months on bed, so wait here first. I''m going to ask the maid to bring you a nutritious meal and inform your father."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded. "Thank you, Mother."


    Leysha waved her hand and walked away, bringing the priest who seemed to have healed him.


    He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at them. He didn''t know why but everything seemed weird.


    ''Is everything truly my dream? But I have experienced everything in that dream, it feels so real. Isn''t a dream supposed to be faster?'' Noel narrowed his eyes. ''Or is this actually another dream of mine?''


    Noel scratched the back of his head, wondering what to do. He closed his eyes and tried to make a connection with his spirits. As expected, because of his sleep, he wasn''t able to be connected with Ardagan.


    However, no matter how hard he tried to do it, Heisk also didn''te out either. ''As expected, should I try awakening Heisk again? Or Heisk is just a spirit in my dream? I don''t understand.''


    Noel scratched the back of his head with a long sigh. He didn''t understand what was going on.


    It didn''t take too long for his father to rush inside with his mother.


    "You''re finally awake?" Count Ardagan looked at Noel and found him sitting on the bed. Without hesitation, he jumped to him and hugged him as tight as he could. "Good son, good son. You''re finally awake."


    "Mhm. Sorry for making you worry, Father." Noel made a sad smile. He still didn''t know how to differentiate reality. In his supposed to be dream, he had many regrets that he wanted to do with his parents. But he couldn''t do it anymore because they had died.


    "It''s fine. It''s fine. I shouldn''t push you with anything. You''re a good and smart kid, so you should do everything in your pace." Count Ardagan''s tone was filled with sorrow and regret as if he had done something wrong. However, Noel couldn''t recount what happened.


    ''That''s right. There is something I can test.'' Noel got an idea to prove his existence. "That''s right. Do you mind if we can talk, Father, Mother?"


    "Talk?" Count Ardagan tilted his head in confusion before turning to Leysha to ask her opinion. They were just staring at each other, but they seemed to know what to do. Count Ardagan immediately smiled and nodded. "Sure. Let''s talk."


    When Noel opened his mouth, his stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.


    *Grumble!*


    "Ah?!" Noel looked at his stomach, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    "Oh my." Leysha chuckled. "You must be hungry. You should eat first. We''ll hear you out after that."


    "Mhm." Noel thought for a moment. "If you don''t mind¡­ can I ask Mother to feed me?"


    "Silly child. You''re bing a spoiled brat." Count Ardagan sighed, not knowing what happened to Noel.


    Noel looked at Leysha with a pleading gaze. "Can''t I?"


    Leysha''s expression instantly melted. Noel usually relied on the maid to do things for him, but he never really asked her to feed him. She instantly agreed to Noel''s request. "Alright, alright. Everything for my boy."


    "Hehe." Noel made a big smile. It didn''t take too long for the soup toe in. Because Noel hadn''t eaten anything for so long, he needed to eat something light.


    "Here you go." Leysha carefully scooped the soup with a spoon and blew it to make sure it wasn''t too hot.


    <o>,m "Ahm." Noel happily ate his meal.<sub> </sub></o>


    Seeing his appetite, Count Ardagan''s expression mellowed a bit, knowing that Noel was alright. He asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"


    "Can''t you let him finish the soup first?" Leysha squinted her eyes.


    Noel gently grabbed her hand. "It''s alright, Mother. Actually, I have been wanting to ask you something."


    "What is it, dear?"


    "Is it true that my father kidnapped you from your father?" Noel asked.


    Leysha was startled that she almost dropped the te. "You¡­"


    "What do you mean kidnapped? I didn''t do such a thing." Count Ardagan raised his voice. "I simply asked her hand for marriage¡­ whether he agreed or not."


    "¡­" Noel looked at him with a judging gaze as if telling him that what he meant by kidnapping.


    Leysha was chuckling this whole time. It was truly funny to see his reaction. "Your mother wouldn''t call it kidnapping. We love each other and have agreed to go through everything together."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded.


    "Still, why are you asking that kind of question right now?" Count Ardagan shook his head helplessly, feeling embarrassed by his reaction earlier.


    "Well, that''s because¡­ Grandfather told me that you have a best friend¡­ instead of normal friends."


    In noble circle, one had to get many friends, forming rtionship that could benefit the two houses. However, best friends were different. Best friends weren''t formed by benefit, so Noel''s question was clear.


    "Best friend?" Count Ardagan instantly remembered one thing. "You mean Kevin?"


    "!!!" Everything clicked in Noel''s mind straight away. Kevin in his mouth was none other than Marquis Stargaze, Kevin Stargaze.


    "Why do you ask about him? Now that I think about it, when did your grandfather said that? Thest time you visited your mother''s family was eight years ago¡­ This year will be the ninth year."


    "I was sleeping the whole time, right?"


    "Ah, you mean you dream about your grandfather?"


    "En." Noel nodded.


    "Then, do you dream about your mother?" Leysha immediately came in to the conversation while pointing at herself.


    Noel fell silent for a moment, thinking about what happened. He suddenly smiled and said, "Of course. In my dream, I did a lot of thing with Mother. Somehow I want to do it for real."


    "Really? Then, let''s do it!" Leysha''s expression brightened. It had been a while since they did something together, so she thought it would be fun.


    "What? That''s not fair." Count Ardagan furrowed his eyebrows as if he felt jealous.


    "Father too¡­ In my dream, father worked so hard for the family, especially for me and Mother. I hope that Father can give me an opportunity to work together with you. I want to help you now."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Leysha and Luke Ardagan widened their eyes in shock, wondering what he had dreamed this whole time. However, another thought also came into their mind. ''Isn''t thema too good? It can change Noel this much.''

 Chapter 216 Hidden Danger

    Noel smiled. "Well, I want to help you in your work. Is it possible, Father?"


    "Of course, of course. You''re a smart kid, so you should understand at least half of the work already. You''re justcking in experience, so your father here will help you experience everything." Luke bumped his chest with his fist as if he was fired up. "Though, are you sure you want to do it? The usual you will always ask me to leave you alone."


    "Mhm." Noel looked down with a sad smile. "It''s just¡­ not all dreams end in a happy ending."


    When they heard those words, they understood Noel''s meaning. It seemed the reason why Noel wanted to work hard because he saw that bad ending.


    Noel scratched the back of his head, hesitating to say it. However, knowing this was the right time to get some information, Noel asked, "Is it possible for Marquis Stargaze to betray you?"


    "Kevin betraying me?" Luke looked at his son''s serious face. It seemed that he had to tell the truth instead of a white lie. Luke confirmed it with a nod.


    Noel''s face became pale. "Then¡­"


    "Kevin and I have gone all the way back¡­ We''re like brothers rted by blood, helping each other to go through fire and water. So, I can''t imagine Kevin betraying me except for one asion." Luke raised a finger.


    "Really? And that is?"


    "If I request him." Luke pointed at himself proudly.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused. This was exactly what his grandfather said in his dream. "Request him to betray you? Why would you do such a thing?"


    "Did Kevin betray me in your dream? Do you mind telling me about it?"N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Noel hesitated because the dream felt so real that he couldn''t believe it either. "Well, in my dream, he betrayed you and we lost everything except for one thing. Ardagan Sword. You gave me Ardagan."


    "I gave you Ardagan?" Luke was surprised because he never intended to do it. "To be honest, I never want you to wield a sword. I just want you to enjoy your life from behind the scene through our business."


    "Then, if that''s the case, why would you ask Marquis Stargaze to betray you?" Noel asked.


    "Let''s see¡­" Luke was thinking hard about it and said, "I''m not very sure about the details since I can''te up with something concrete. But if I were to give you Ardagan, it meant your ancestor wanted it to be that way. As you know, Ardagan Sword has been our family heirloom this whole time, but no one has ever been acknowledged by him, even me. Seeing you have such a dream, that means Ardagan is creating an opportunity for you.


    "I don''t know how to say this, but Ardagan Sword is said to be alive. But no one has ever made any reaction. Maybe¡­ do you want to see Ardagan? I can take you there." Luke asked.


    "Really? Then, I''d like to see Ardagan!" Noel nodded with a smile.


    "Alright, but¡­" Luke paused for a moment while staring at Noel''s feet that was covered by the nket. "After you can walk again, alright?"


    "Ah!" Noel looked at his legs that had be significantly smaller. Even his body barely had any flesh left. He was truly too thin for a normal human. "I understand. I''ll be sure to recover."


    "Good." Luke smiled and stroke his hair. "If that''s the case, I''ll leave you with your mother."


    "Yes. Thank you so much for listening to your child''s nonsense, Father."


    "What nonsense? I know that you never say anything meaningless to me. How can I, your father, not believe you?" Luke smiled and waved his hand until he left the room.<sub> </sub>


    Noel then turned to his mother and asked, "Mother. Do you mind if you help me with my recovery? I also want to learn a lot from you."


    "Really? Did grandfather tell you something?"


    "Not really, but I know that mother is a good Spirit Magician."


    "Well¡­ Mother will do her best then."


    "Yes, let''s do many things together now."


    Seeing this smile truly made her heart melt. Noel had always been alone, so she felt a bit sad that they didn''t have many memories in the past. But it seemed Noel had changed. She would certainly take this opportunity to do many things together.


    After that discussion, Noel immediately began his rehabilitation, trying to walk again. His mother was always beside him, helping him. Meanwhile, his father didn''t show up so often, but he loved to watch him from his study room whenever he was on a break.


    It didn''t take too long for Noel to recover. Noel had been working hard without a break for eight months, so this kind of suffering couldn''t bepared to what he had experienced.


    After two months, Noel finally looked like a normal person again. He could do many things and surprisingly, his swordsmanship became good. He still couldn''t call upon his spirit, but it seemed to be affected by his goal that seemed to have changed after this abrupt situation.


    And the time for his father to show Ardagan had arrived. He was walking in the hallway with his mother to meet Luke.


    On the way, Noel suddenly brought up a matter. "That''s right. Mother, do you know anything about this?"


    Noel took out a paper and showed it to Leysha.


    "This is¡­" Leysha squinted her eyes, looking at the drawing in the paper. "Spirit Enchantment? But this is moreplex than that¡­ Is this theplete version of Spirit Enchantment? I don''t know what it''s called but the Ardagan Family''s ancestor should be the one¡­ Ardagan? Ah, it seems that Ardagan has truly chosen you as its master."


    Leysha let out a long sigh, knowing the time hade. She didn''t know what would happen to Noel after this and saddened with the fact that she couldn''t spend more time with her son anymore.


    "Don''t worry, Mother." Noel gently held her hand and said, "I love to spend time with you."


    Leysha patted his head and smiled. "Right? Let''s spend more time then. Mom will do everything with you."


    "En."


    "Then, let''s go to your father then."


    "Yes."


    The mansion had been filled with peaceful atmosphere, not knowing that there was a danger that was about toe.


    In another ce, Anna Stargaze was standing in front of many soldiers. "Count Ardagan has been embezzling money for the Greenwood Kingdom. General Helzen, I''m going with you to deal with the Ardagan Family."


    A middle-aged man nodded with a serious expression. "It''s an honor to meet you, Anna Stargaze."

 Chapter 217 Hidden Room

    Meanwhile, Noel and Leysha finally arrived in Luka''s study room.


    "I''ve brought him." Leysha opened the door and entered with a smile. "He is really chosen by Ardagan. To think he''s got the full version of the Spirit Enchantment."


    "¡­" Luke remained silent even though he was shocked. Everyone knew about the Spirit Enchantment since this was what made a cksmith prosper. As the head of the Ardagan Family, he obviously had heard about the runes in some records, but not the whole thing. He looked at Noel for a moment and finally stood up. "Alright. I''ll show you Ardagan."


    He walked to the shelf where he stored the book and removed three books randomly. After that, he cut his finger with a knife and dropped the blood right on those three spots. Suddenly, three runes appeared on the shelves, causing the shelves to get pulled back.


    There were even some mechanical sounds happening behind the shelves.


    "!!!" Noel was amused, never thinking there was a hidden mechanism. The runes were activated by blood, so it was clear that no one other than the person who had Ardagan Blood would be able to find it, much less open it.


    "This is¡­" Noel saw another wall inside which seemed to have been reinforced by another rune. This time, the rune was so much bigger that it looked like it could withstand a powerful impact.


    "This room is made by the ancestor himself. It''s said to be able to withstand the power of a Spirit Transcendence. So, unless you can open it through the normal way, I don''t think anyone can find anything inside." Luke exined. "And this symbol is the full version of the Spirit Enchantment.


    "ording to our ancestor, the full version of the Spirit Enchantment could allow anyone to utilize their Spiritual Energy without the need to awaken their Spirits. What do you see from this?" Luke asked, trying to figure out whether what Leysha said was correct or not.


    "I''m not very sure." Noel walked to the rune carefully and examined it. He pointed at a few patterns and said, "I think this means blood, harden, and Spiritual Energy¡­ There are four more patterns that I don''t recognize."


    "¡­" Luke closed his eyes, confirming Noel''s knowledge. Even he could only recognize the ''Harden'' since it was stated in the Spirit Enchantment Book. As expected, Noel was chosen. He said, "Now, let''s use your blood to open it."


    Noel hesitated for a moment but still followed Luke''s decision. He slightly cut his finger and smeared the blood on the wall.


    Suddenly, the wall started getting pulled up, revealing the hidden room of the Ardagan Family.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. The room wasn''t big. The size was about 2x2 meters, making it hard to even put something inside.


    In the opposite side of the room was the ck sword that he had been using this whole time, Ardagan. The sword was nted on the ground as if waiting for the owner to pick him up.


    But before he could pull out the sword, there was a table with a single book on it. Noel carefully walked inside and looked at the book.


    [Ardagan]


    Noel grabbed the book and tried to open it first. The book itself didn''t seem to be that thick and not all pages were written. In fact, there were only ten pages that were written here.


    ''I am writing this to my future generations. Ardagan is my partner as well as the lifelong support of the Ardagan Family.''


    ''Ardagan will only wake up to the worthy heir. Unless you''re chosen by the Ardagan itself, no one shall take it out.''


    ''However, if the family is about to perish, the Ardagan will shine brighter than the others and bring the family glory back.''<sub> </sub>


    ''I am not good with my words, but Ardagan will be the one exining everything, not me.''


    ''He is alive and I ask you to respect him as much as you respect me.''


    ''If you wish to hold Ardagan, show him the pride of the family, show him why you can be his master, and he can be proud that you wield him.''


    "!!!" Noel finally understood why in his dream, his father actually asked him to swear in front of Ardagan.


    Suddenly, a scream echoed inside the room.


    "Aaaaahhhh!" It was faint because of the distance but Leysha and Luke could hear it. They turned to Noel and found that he waspletely focused on the book.


    "You should apany him because you''re also an Ardagan." Leysha was the first to speak and immediately left to see what was going on.


    She tried to follow the scream''s direction while looking at the windows. However, she was in shock when she saw a group of soldiersing into the mansion led by two people.


    "Those two are¡­ Anna Stargaze and General Helzen?" Leysha furrowed her eyebrows. "But we didn''t find any report of theming with a group of soldiers. No, it''s not that we didn''t get any report, but¡­"Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    She turned around and remembered what Luke said a few months ago. "It seems that Luke is hiding all the information about them. If not, they won''t even be able toe here."


    She took a deep breath and returned to the room. "Dear¡­"


    Luke looked at her serious expression and instantly understood what was going on. "You stay with him and tell him how to close the hidden door. I''m going to deal with it."


    Leysha nodded and said, "Exin it to meter, will you?"


    "Of course. Sorry for hiding it the whole time. I can''t bear to tell you when you spend your time with him." Luke made a gentle smile before leaving the room.


    Leysha clenched her fists while closing her eyes. She looked at Noel, hoping that he could finish it fast since they didn''t have much time left.


    Unbeknownst to all of them, in another ce, Noel and Anna were standing next to each other.


    Anna seemed to be able to move her own body again and her body wasn''t translucent anymore. She was inspecting the wall carefully while waiting for Noel to finish.


    However, she suddenly felt a surge of energy from Noel''s body.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes and turned to him, finding Noel pulling out his sword while ring at her.

 Chapter 218 Protect

    In front of the mansion, Luke came out and shouted, "For what reason do General Helzene to my mansion?"


    "!!!" All the soldiers and the two leaders stopped and turned to the mansion, finding Luke standing in front of the doors. Suddenly, a middle-aged man came to him with his sword. "Master¡­"


    The middle-aged man was none other than the strongest knight of the Ardagan Family, Dimitri.


    "Please evacuate with madam. They don''t seem to being peacefully. I''ll hold them back." Dimitri stepped forward, trying to protect him.


    However, Luke patted his shoulder and stepped forward, facing these people head-on.


    Helzen walked forward and dered. "The Ardagan Family has been embezzling the kingdom''s money to send it to the Greenwood Kingdom. This is a treason and the royal family has dered that the Ardagan Family has to be exterminated and all the family members are going to be executed."


    "Heh. Embezzling money." Luke smirked. "What''s the proof? Where''s your proof? Don''t make up too much nonsense. You have killed my servant and I won''t let you go."


    "I have the decree from the Royal Family." Helzen smirked and took out a scroll, opening it in front of them. "The royal decree states that they have annulled all Ardagan Family''s achievements and deprived Luke Ardagan from his title."


    "Hoh? Despite everything I''ve done to this country, they''re going to boldly use me as a traitor? This is quite interesting." He nced at Anna. "And what about you? There''s no need for you to appear here. Did you run away from your house just to y knight, little girl?"


    "I''vee here to follow my father''s instruction. I''m going to capture both you and the madam." Anna pulled out her sword.


    "Do you think you can?" Luke stepped forward and said, "Then do it. Let''s see whether you can even reach me here."


    Luke even sat down on the stairs that led to his doors as if he invited them toe in.


    Helzen furrowed his eyebrows. Although Luke was known to be generous for the people, the nobles who had investigated him was aware of his shrewdness. There was no reason for Luke to allow them toe in that easily.


    ''A trap?'' Helzen furrowed his eyebrows while looking around. If they were caught in a trap, the situation would be dangerous, so he couldn''t proceed easily.


    "What are you doing? Attack him!" Anna shouted to Helzen.


    "I am themander here." Helzen red at her back while shouting, "Surround them and attack!"


    "Master¡­" Dimitri, on the other hand, released his Spiritual Energy and directed everything to Anna, trying to strike the weakest opponent first.


    "!!!" Anna felt the boundless Spiritual Energy directly and started gasping for air. She felt like her body was crushed and her organs wanted to explode just from the Spiritual Energy alone.


    Helzen clicked his tongue and came between them while releasing his Spiritual Energy, blocking Dimitri''s power. "Dimitri¡­ A Spirit Grandmaster under the Ardagan Family."


    "It''s an honor for General Helzen to reco¡ª" Suddenly, Dimitri disappeared as if he turned into ck smoke.


    "!!!" Helzen hurriedly spun his body while swinging his sword, finding Dimitri behind Anna. Still, his sword was fast enough to hit Dimitri, preventing him from attacking Anna.


    Without hesitation, Helzen approached Dimitri to prevent him from using the same trick. "Surround Luke Ardagan!"


    He evenmanded his soldiers to attack Luke, who was still sitting calmly in front of his mansion.


    The soldiers approached him carefully. They were elite soldiers under General Helzen, so they knew that their general was wary against Luke Ardagan. There was even a possibility of traps around him.<sub> </sub>


    It was proven when someone suddenly screamed.


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    Everyone followed the sound and saw him getting covered in a thick ice.


    "There are traps!" The soldiers shouted, warning each other.


    However, a woman suddenly jumped from the second floor and gracefullynded on the ground. Her tone was cold as the temperature also decreased. "There seems to be uninvited guests here. Why do I never hear any of this?"


    She was none other than Leysha.


    "She must be Leysha Ezenholm! Be careful, she''s strong!" One of the soldiers recognized her and warned the others.


    But Leysha waved her hand and in an instant, the ice spread from her feet to twenty meters to her left in a fan-shaped area, covering them in thick ice.


    "Shut up. I''m not done talking." Leysha snorted.


    A single wave of her attack could even harm three soldiers and one of them put his body on the line to protect the rest of the soldiers.


    "¡­" Helzen furrowed his eyebrows. "Even the elite soldiers are not enough?"


    "It seems that you have underestimated us." Dimitri smirked. "Do you think we''re the same as other Counts?"


    Anna suddenly shouted, "All soldiers, surround her! I''ll capture Count Ardagan himself! Unlike them, Count Ardagan can''t fight!"


    Since her order made sense, the soldiers immediately shifted their movement to keep Leysha busy. If they could capture the count, the situation would be solved in an instant.


    "Mhm?" Leysha narrowed her eyes and pointed her palm at Anna. "Freeze."


    A torrential ice was formed, heading straight to Anna.


    A soldier with a big shield suddenly appeared between them and nted the shield on the ground.


    "Ha!" The soldier shouted as the shield released a shock wave that extended the shield''s protection area, catching all the ice she shot.


    Seeing the soldiers were able to stop Leysha or at least bought some time for her, Anna immediately headed straight to Count Ardagan.


    "Count Ardagan. Be prepared!" Anna rushed to him while raising her sword.


    However, a young man of the same age suddenly came out of the door and leaped forth, waving a ck sword.


    "Don''t you dare!" Noel struck Anna''s sword, stopping her. There was only one thought in his mind, ''This time I''m going to protect them. I''m going to protect this family.''


    Anna widened her eyes in shock, both her in this illusion or her in the reality. They were blocking Noel''s sword with their own as they looked at Noel, saying the same thing. "What?"


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 219 Stop

    "What?!" Anna widened her eyes in shock because the illusion had begun to control Noel. She clicked her tongue and started parrying Noel''s relentless attack.


    The clicking sound produced by the two swords kept echoing inside the tunnel. Noel''s eyes were bloodshot even though his focus wasn''t there. She could feel the hatred in Noel''s eyes.


    To her surprise, the hatred was actually simr to what she felt during the first time they met when Noel attacked her without thinking.


    She was shocked because she had done all the things she could to diminish the hatred in his heart. But when she realized everything she did actually had no impact to him, she wondered whether she could really do it.


    ''Is this the reality? His hatred is at the same level as back then¡­ Did I not change anything within him? Are we fated to be fighting each other until only one side is standing?'' Anna''s mind started to fall into despair.


    ''Noel is supposed to be a great powerhouse that can elevate the kingdom to a great height as long as I can diminish his hatred. His talent can even keep up with me who has the knowledge of the previous life. So, it''s clear that he''s more talented than me.


    ''But if this is going on, I''m afraid I''m the one who have to die. Is there truly no other way to solve the hatred between us? No, wait¡­ Has he been holding this kind of hatred this whole time?''


    Anna couldn''t help but recall the memory when Noel did something for her. It was unforgettable. But now, the truth was revealed.


    ''Is there truly no way?'' Anna thought before he found Noel raising his hand, creating a snowke and tossing it to her.


    Anna hurriedly jumped back as the snowke suddenly exploded, creating a massive ice crystal. At the same time, she managed to cover her sword with lightning and struck the crystal before it reached her, shattering the ice crystal at thest moment.


    Seeing this situation, Noel was thoroughly angered as a ck me suddenly appeared on his left hand. The me didn''t let out an extraordinary heat, but Anna''s sense was tingling.


    ''That''s¡­ the me¡­'' Anna obviously recognized the me since she had seen it in their fight. This was Noel''s me that could be said to be the strongest me people had seen.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    However, when he was about to wave his hand, Noel suddenly stopped as if he was restrained by someone.


    "Eh?" Anna widened her eyes in surprise. This was the same reaction as the Anna in the illusion had.


    She was staring at Noel''s ck me that wasn''tunched at her because someone''s hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him at thest second.


    The one who stopped him was none other than his father, Count Ardagan.


    "Dimitri¡­ It''s enough. I surrender." Count Ardagan stated with a sad expression.


    "Father!" Noel looked at his father.


    "Silly child. Your dream felt like you have gone through that kind of life for real¡­ It makes me wonder whether it''s true or not. I''m sure you have felt it too, right?" Luke smiled.<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He never admitted it but he certainly felt it. No, he didn''t want to admit it because that was exactly the purpose of this test.


    If he admitted it, he would be losing them again. He had felt it during his stay here. Two months felt like it was a sh, making him realize that the time didn''t flow like his dream. In other words, this was nothing but an illusion.


    However, he could do many things with his father and mother, trying to make up his regret. That was why he never admitted this wasn''t real. He just wanted to spend more time with them.


    Luke looked at Helzen and said, "Give us a few minutes to talk and I''ll surrender myself without a fight."


    Helzen squinted his eyes, wondering why he had a change of heart. However, he also saw Noel''s ck me earlier even though he had used ice not long ago.


    "I understand. If you can surrender, then it''s better for us." Helzen ultimately epted it because his subordinates would also die in Leysha''s hand.


    Luke gently pulled Noel a bit to create a distance and said, "My child, listen to me. What you said in your dream might be correct, but that also means I orchestrated it. If that''s the case, me and your mother should be alive somewhere, but we can''t really meet you for a while.


    "As for you, your father never truly abandoned you. I didn''t throw you there without a single protection. I''m sure that Dimitri is with you, protecting you from death. Unless it''s necessary, I don''t think he will appear before you, but if you don''t trust me, you can just go to a cliff and jump as if you want to kill yourself. That will be the trigger to make him act."


    "!!!" Noel gasped because he had numerous situation where he almost died. However, there was one memory that shed in his mind. It was when he met Rick and Rica. There was an assassin that killed the bandit leader, but that assassin never appeared again. If what his father said was true, the assassin might be trying to kill him and Dimitri judged it was too dangerous for him to be left alive. That might be the reason why he didn''t meet another assassin.


    "It seems that Dimitri has taken some action." Luke smiled and patted Noel''s head. "But I''m d that you''re doing alright. Since I''m the mastermind, I''ll most likely leave everything there. I don''t know if we can meet again, but I wish we can. At that time, make sure that you do the same thing. It''ll make us very happy."


    Luke hugged Noel tightly and said, "Don''t worry. Keep moving forward! No matter what you do in the future, you will always be the child we''re proud of."


    Tears starteding out of his eyes. The time they spent together was short, but it might be the best moment in his life.


    However, he had to part with this happiness because his father made him admit that this wasn''t real.


    The house, the sky, and even the ground started to disappear. The father he hugged turned into particles as he dropped to the ground while desperately catching everything, not wanting to let him go.


    It was futile. He could only let it go.


    "Father¡­ Mother¡­ I miss you." Noel mmed the ground as his tears dropped to the ground. His scenery gradually changed back to the tunnel and his action was reflected in the real world.


    Anna who saw everything had her heart thumped.

 Chapter 220 The Sword Saint

    Seeing Noel acting this way, Anna could imagine what kind of illusion he had seen. At the same time, this was also the second time Anna saw Noel expressing his emotion to the fullest. This wasing from the bottom of his heart like the anger he showed in their first meeting.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    How much Noel loved his parents? Everything was clear when they saw him this way. How much her action influenced Noel? That was the question that was answered in Anna''s heart just now.


    "¡­" Anna couldn''t say a single thing when she saw Noel like this. It was far easier to say something when Noel hated her or acted normal, but when Noel broke down, everything she said would bepletely useless.


    She bit her lips as this action also made her remember the time when she killed all those people. Her enemies aside, she had killed numerous innocent people. What would their rtives felt when they realized she had killed them when they were just trying to help her?


    ''How much did I make others suffer in my previous life?'' This thought appeared in her mind.


    Suddenly, the grumbling sound underneath the floor disturbed them. Even Noel took a few deep breaths to calm his heart as he wasn''t supposed to let go of his emotion at this ce.


    Still, he had a hard time suppressing that desire. He couldn''t even control his emotion when he saw Anna. The killing intent from his gaze told Anna everything, but they were distracted by the a gentle voice echoing in their mind.


    "Come here, children. You have passed the test."


    Noel and Anna were confused but still took a step forward behind the wall. Seeing nothing happened, they continued to walk until they saw light at the end of the horizon.


    They approached the light carefully but because of their vision had adjusted themselves to the darkness due to the Moon Blessing, the light was blinding than they originally thought, forcing them to close their eyes for a moment.


    When they opened their eyes again, they hade into a room with a white light, emitting from the ceiling.


    "Where is this ce?" Noel muttered while looking around.


    On the right side of the room, he could see a few treasure chests that seemed to be the treasures they were looking for. Meanwhile, there was nothing in the opposite side. The only thing that they could see beside the chests were a coffin.


    Suddenly, a translucent figure appeared, sitting on the coffin. He had a long white hair tied into ponytail. His eyes were fierce but the gaze he gave was gentle. He wore a white robe that covered his entire body.


    He smiled at them and said, "Wee, children."


    Noel was the first one to kneel in one knee and said, "I am honored by your presence, Sword Saint."


    "As expected from the Ardagan¡­" The man smiled.


    "Ah!" Anna also kneeled down to greet him.


    "It''s surprising to see you bringing someone else here. But well, it''s fine, I guess." The Sword Saint walked to Noel to touch the ck sword on his waist. "It''s been a while, my friend''s partner. Have you been well?"


    Ardagan didn''t react. However, the Sword Saint actually smiled and said, "I see. It seems that you have got a good master."


    "Uh¡­" Noel wanted to say something but didn''t know whether he should or not.


    "Haha, just say anything you want. I''m not as strict as your ancestor." The Sword Saint smiled, assuring Noel.<sub> </sub>


    "It might be presumptuous to ask, but you really can talk to him?"


    "My Spirit is about Soul. Of course, I can feel the soul of the sword. It seems that you have been a good master to him. He''s satisfied with you."


    "I see." Noel felt a bit happy since he knew Ardagan was alive.


    "How old are you?"


    "I will be sixteen in two months."


    "I see. How is the Ardagan Family? Are you treated well by them? Are they still adhering to the rules of their ancestor?"


    "Ardagan Family¡­" Noel looked down with a sad expression. "¡­have been destroyed."


    "What?!" The Sword Saint widened his eyes in shock. "Your family has Ardagan, yet, it''s been destroyed? Are you kidding me? If not for Ardagan, I could beat your ancestor."


    "That''s¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "Because the Ardagan Family has to be executed."


    "Executed? By who?"


    "The Royal Family."


    "Are they so ungrateful? When I was with your ancestor, we helped that brat Kairvan to build a kingdom and this is how his family repaid us? If I have my body, I would have split that castle into two." The Sword Saint clicked his tongue, annoyed. He then turned to Anna, "So, that''s how it is."


    Anna''s heart beat rapidly, wondering what the Sword Saint had understood. However, she coughed when she heard his words.


    "Is she your wife? You two are going to recreate the Ardagan Family? Hmm, this kid is quite good. For real? She even has a Humanoid Spirit, looking at the age, it seems that the Humanoid Spirit is special, maybe at the same level as the Dark Butterfly¡­ This is quite amusing. I see, It seems that I don''t need to worry about Ardagan since you two will do just fine."


    Noel''s expression darkened. He was speechless, not understanding how the Sword Saint could actually reach this conclusion.


    He pointed at Anna and said, "She is Anna Stargaze, the daughter of Marquis Stargaze. She''s deemed to be the most talented person in the kingdom and she''s¡­ the one instigating the execution of the Ardagan Family."


    Anna''s body trembled, realizing Noel''s n this whole time. He wanted to use the Sword Saint to kill her. But the Sword Saint was just a soul, so he might only be able to make her suffer. Still, it was enough for Noel since that suffering would surely be great because the Sword Saint''s strength wasparable to his ancestor.


    This was shown when the Sword Saint''s expression darkened. He red at her and said coldly, "So, you killed the family of my old friend?"


    "This¡­" Anna''s hand wanted to move but she felt her body was frozen in fear. She finally felt the power of soul. She raised her head to exin since this was the only way to save her life. "I¡ª"


    But before she could say anything, the Sword Saint suddenly smiled as if he was impressed. "Beautifully said. You were exactly like my sister and she ended up bing my old friend''s wife."


    "I¡­ What?"

 Chapter 221 Soul Contract

    "Beautifully said. You were exactly like my sister and she ended up bing my old friend''s wife."


    "Eh? What?!" Both Noel and Anna dropped their jaws in shock.


    The Sword Saint tilted his head in confusion. "You don''t know? Don''t tell me that cheap bastard has been hiding the whole truth?


    "Back then, my sister almost killed him a few times and annoyed him. Then, she soon changed her way and became hispanion. A few yearster, she nned to repay him for all the killing attempts by bing his wife and taking care of his children for the rest of her life."


    "Huh, what?" Noel was speechless. There were many things toment, but not a single word came into his mind.


    "You seriously don''t know? I guess they were too embarrassed to tell it to the future generations. I was the one suggesting it by the way. I called it the punishment for the rest of your life." The Sword Saint smirked proudly as if he had done the best thing.


    "Stop it! She had kill¡ª"


    "You are the one who should stop clinging to it. You should admit it that your parents are still alive and probably the entire execution is a fake. My power can see through one''s soul and enhancing one''s memory. That''s why what you see is notpletely fake because the father you saw not long ago was created by your memory, a part of your and his soul, and the opinions you have."


    "What? They''re still alive." Anna widened her eyes in shock.


    "!!!" Noel gritted his teeth, not knowing why the Sword Saint said all those words. Now that Anna knew about his parents'' conditions, she would surelye up with another evil n.


    But to his surprise, Anna suddenly dropped to the ground as if her legs had given up. She made a relieved expression as if she was happy with the oue.


    "That''s¡­ a relief." Anna smiled. This was the best news she could hear.


    "You¡­" Noel pointed his finger at Anna because of her unrealistic reaction.


    However, the Sword Saint yfully said, "I told you earlier that my power could see through one''s soul, right? I saw her soul and she truly wanted to repent from her action. So, I judged that she should be given a chance."


    "Do you think I will ept it?" Noel gritted his teeth.


    "Even though you have been thinking about it? What''s that all about? A murderer that has¡ª"


    "Stop!" Noel gritted his teeth, never expecting that the Sword Saint would remind him of his thought about a murderer that should be given a chance in the society so that he wouldn''t be a murderer again.


    The Sword Saint examined his expression before saying, "How about a request from your ancestor''s? Well, your ancestor''s wife is my sister, so I guess I can be called ancestral uncle. How about taking the words of this uncle?"


    "I don''t know whether you are truly my ancestral uncle or not." Noel snorted.


    "Is that so? Then, how about I pay you to do it? Let''s see, how about this¡­" The Sword Saint snapped his finger.


    Suddenly, Ardagan''s react and gave the notification about missions.


    [Mission: Explore the Sword Saint Ruin]


    [Description: A Soul of the Sword Saint Enzelgal has been buried under this ruin. Meet him and pass his test.]


    [Reward: Ardagan Swordsmanship +3 Levels]


    [Mission: Investigating the Ardagan Family''s Mansion]


    [Description: Investigate the Ardagan Family with Anna.]<sub> </sub>


    [Reward: Rune Mastery +2 Levels]


    "What¡­ What did you do?" Noel gasped because he might be the first one that could intervene with the system directly. Even Anna could only do it with her information.


    "I told you that I''m your ancestor''s best friend. Do you think I don''t know this secret?" The Sword Saint harrumphed.


    "But do you think this is enough to move me?" Noel gritted his teeth.


    "Right? How about I do this?"


    [Mission: Investigating the Ardagan Family''s Mansion]


    [Description: Investigate the Ardagan Family with Anna.]


    [Reward: Rune Mastery +2 Levels and two Special Missions.]


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes because a Special Mission was different from a normal or repeatable missions. Special Missions were called special missions because nothing could replicate it. Just like this Sword Saint Tomb Mission and the Ancient Demon Tree Extermination Mission, no one would be able to replicate it. Of course, the reward itself was extremely good.


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips and raised his finger. "Plus tell me about Ardagan''s secret."


    "No. You should be the one to discover it." The Sword Saint rejected it without hesitation. He turned to Anna and said, "But I can make her not to pry your secret."


    "Tell me about Dark Butterfly you mentioned earlier." Noel didn''t want to take a loss, so he changed his condition.


    "That can be done. I guess we have a deal." The Sword Saint smirked.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    The Sword Saint gave an offer. "Youngss. Let''s have a trade. You tell him about Fire Bird Nest and Body Strengthening Liquid and promise me that you won''t pry his secret. In exchange, I''ll give you the de you want so much."


    "Huh? How did you know?" Anna also had the same reaction as Noel. After all, this information came from the memory of her past life. In other words, the Sword Saint actually knew she was reincarnated.


    In her previous life, she remembered the de was auctioned by someone. The de was so sharp and strong that it could be a national level treasure. This was a perfect de she wanted. But the fact that the Sword Saint said he would give her the de meant the de was his.


    And the one who auctioned it must be Noel.


    After contemting for a moment, Anna nodded her head. "I understand. I promise."


    "This is the Soul Contract." The Sword Saint pped his hand and formed a piece of paper, stating the conditions. "This contract will bind your soul making sure that you follow the conditions. If you don''t, depending on your actions, your brain can explode."


    Thest condition was exactly Anna''s will because if she took this contract, she wouldn''t be able to seek Ardagan''s secret. At the same time, it also showed Noel that she wasn''t hostile.


    "I''ll take it."


    "Press the contract with your thumb."


    Anna followed his instruction and the paper soon turned into a blue ball and entered her head.


    "The contract is now valid."

 Chapter 222 True Spirit Body

    "The contract is now valid." The Sword Saint smiled. "Try to wonder about Ardagan''s secret."


    "Mhm?" Anna was confused for a moment and tried to form a thought about Ardagan, but she suddenly felt an extreme pain jolting her brain. She instinctively clutched her head and fell to her knees. "Kh. What is this?"


    "This is the effect of Soul Contract. I''m sure that you know the consequences if you''re prying too deeply, right?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Good." The Sword Saint nodded, satisfied. He then waved his hand as one of the chests on the side opened. Suddenly, a white de flew toward them. The de was thin,pared to Ardagan, but even with just a look, both Noel and Anna could feel the sharpness. They believed that the sharpness could rival that of Ardagan.


    "This is the de that my old friend, Simeon Ardagan, created. I was sulking at that time that I always lost against him, so he created this de for me to defeat him."


    "Huh?" Noel was baffled by his statement. "My ancestor can make weapons?"


    "You don''t know about it? But from your knowledge, it seems that he passed down the secret for Enchantment, which is perfect for cksmith. This de has five Enchantments: Extension, Harden, Conductor, Burst, and Blood. I don''t think I need to exin it to you about the traits, so use it well."


    "Yes." Anna gratefully epted the reward.


    "Alright then. Now that I have given you the reward, can you leave this ce? I have things I want to tell him."


    "I understand." Anna politely bowed to the Sword Saint and walked away without hesitation. She was curious, but she didn''t n to pry for that information. She was already benefited enough with this de and the conversation with the Sword Saint that allowed her to solve some hatred with Noel. The fact that Noel''s parents were still alive was huge for her.


    As soon as they couldn''t see Anna''s anymore, the Sword Saint turned to Noel and said, "Alright. Let''s talk about three things. The first will be the Dark Butterfly, the second one will be about your rewards, and thest one is what I want to tell you."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Alright. Let''s start with the Dark Butterfly. Are you aware of the ssifications of Spirits?"


    "Yes. There are five ranks of Spirits."


    "Normal, Superior, Beastly, Demi-human, and Humanoid Spirits. These are the five ranks." The Sword Saint nodded in agreement. "Normal Spirit is a form of spirit that doesn''t even have a fixed form like slime and other simr things. Hence, their intact of Spiritual Energy is low, causing your conversion rate low. This is what people usually have.


    "Superior Spirit has gotten their form and they can take more Spiritual Energy, but there is a big difference with the Beastly Spirit. As the name implies, the Beastly Spirit means the Spirit has the form of a beast. You can consider them as an animal or a symbol like your snowke.


    "But different for Demi-human Spirit, at this rank, the spirit can form a humanoid body, even though it''s not perfect. For example, if the previous form is a cat, when they reach a Demi-human Spirit, they can gain a humanoid body, but they are still covered in fur like that of a cat.


    "When you reach Humanoid Spirit, the spirit has reached its peak form, mimicking the humans, allowing you to get a perfect match with your own spirit and causing your conversion rate to be one hundred percent. Well, that''s what perfect match means."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. "But you said the spirit has reached its peak form¡­ Does that mean the spirits can evolve?"<sub> </sub>


    "Exactly! You can grow your spirits, so even if you get a Normal Spirit, you don''t have to feel bad. It''s true that your start is far lower than the others, but you can still make your spirit grow." The Sword Saint looked to the distance. "Thatss has a Humanoid Spirit, so her starting point is higher. But you have Ardagan, so it means that you''re better than her."


    "Where does Ardagane from?"


    "Ask Ardagan. I won''t say anything about him." The Sword Saint shook his head. "We''re talking about the Dark Butterfly Spirit right now, so I think you know what rank she is."


    "I have met her." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "That''s better, but I guess she doesn''t tell you anything about her past contractor."


    "Past contractor?"


    "Yes. My sister had the Dark Butterfly Spirit."Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "What did you say?"


    The Sword Saint smiled. "I think you can guess it by now."


    "If the Dark Butterfly Spirit is still alive, doesn''t that mean the Spirits are not living within us?"


    "Yes. Every humans in this world is the contractor of the spirits. I don''t know how it starts, but it seems that there is a trade between the humans and the spirits in the past. The spirits will give their power to their contractors while thetter are giving the opportunity for the spirits to evolve."


    "Huh? But knowing humans, they are surely going to betray that expectation, no?" Noel snorted.


    "Haha, that''s certainly true. I think that''s why the conversion rate in the past is so high while right now, the conversion rate has dropped significantly. Even a 95% rate is enough to be the most talented person in the entire kingdom¡­ Don''t joke. In the past, every noble family has at least one person.


    ? "However, there are also many humans who are trying to level up their spirits as much as they can. After all, a big reward awaits them."


    "A big reward?"


    "Yes. If you can reach the Humanoid Spirits, that is."


    "A reward that only the Humanoid Spirits have¡­ If they reach the highest rank, it means that their body ispatible with us¡­"


    "Yes. And that reward is to borrow their whole strength. The ability unique to only the Humanoid Spirit that has evolved to the very peak, lending you flesh and soul to give you a power beyond one''s imagination, True Spirit Body."

 Chapter 223 Imaginary Battlefield

    "True Spirit Body¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. Hearing the exnation alone already told him how powerful the ability was. However, there was one thing that made him doubt about this ability. "Why are you telling me about this ability? Heisk is not even a Humanoid Spirit."


    "First of all, you have to evolve Heisk to that rank before continuing until your spirit has a mutation. It means that Heisk will be able to use that ability, synchronizing it with you.


    "Of course, the requirement of this ability is not just that. It''s basically burning away your Spiritual Energy, so if you want to use it for a while, you have to reach at least Spirit Grandmaster."


    "Spirit Grandmaster!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Are you kidding me? I am not even a Spirit Wielder."


    "It''s a long term project. Well, I know this information from the Dark Butterfly Spirit in my sister''s body."


    "Was that why Ardagan was reacting to her?"


    "I think?"


    "Well, whatever. This information alone is quite useful, considering I know how to get even stronger."


    "Alright, then. I''m d that you like it." The Sword Saint raised his finger. "Since we''re done with the first matter, let''s continue to your reward. I''m going to pay you in advance, so¡­"


    The Sword Saint ced his finger on Noel''s forehead as a surge of energy started gathering in Noel''s brain.


    Noel blinked once and his scenery changed. This time, he was transported to a in white room without any furniture. The only thing he could find in this ce was a wooden sword.


    "Where am I?" Noel muttered in a low voice while looking around, finding any other details.


    Suddenly, he heard a voice ringing in his head.


    "This is a ce I create in your consciousness with my power. It''s impossible for me to teach you the Ardagan Swordsmanship since I use a different kind of Swordsmanship. Hence, I''m going to pull out the memory of your ancestor to teach you about the Ardagan Swordsmanship and the Runes."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows before finding a middle-aged man with short spiky ck hair.


    This time, the Sword Saint didn''t make it react like a living human. Instead of talking to Noel, the middle-aged man started moving around to swing his sword.


    Noel couldn''t recognize him since he had no idea how his ancestor would look like. But considering this was from the Sword Saint''s memory, it seemed that this was truly his ancestor.


    Noel''s ancestor, Simeon Ardagan, raised his sword with an emotionless face. This might be the first swing that Noel couldn''t forget for the rest of his life.


    The moment the de moved downwards, it released a trace of Spiritual Energy in the air before creating a shock wave that traveled in all directions.


    "Huh?" Noel took a step back while trying to hold his position from getting pushed back by the shock wave. "How can a single swing¡­"


    "This is your ancestor. He is a formidable general. Once he moves, he always has something in mind. That''s why when he swings that de, he has an intention why he has to swing that de.<sub> </sub>


    "Have you ever thought about this¡­ When you''re practicing your swing, have you ever thought about the use of that swing?"


    "No. It''s just a practice swing, so I only need it to increase my stamina, muscle, and strength." Noel shook his head, answering the question.


    "That''s where you''re wrong. Ardagan Swordsmanship is fueled by its fire. For your ancestor, it''s the undying fire in his heart. That''s why whenever you swing, you should have the fire to move it. In other words, your intention!


    "When your ancestor swings that de, even in practice, he had imagined his enemy standing in front of him. He killed his enemies multiple times as if this was thest strike that he would use to kill his enemies. That''s why he''s strong."


    "A general''s swing." Noel muttered in a low voice before closing his eyes. He never imagined someone standing in front of him whenever he practiced. This time, he tried to do something different.


    Anna was standing in front of him as Noel raised his sword like his ancestor. It was then Anna leaped forward and waved her sword. Noel did the same to kill her, but surprisingly, his own imagination betrayed him.


    He imagined the real Anna, so that imagination came to him with full force, causing the Anna in his imagination to elerate and cut him down.


    "!!!" Noel coughed a few times as if he had just died.


    The Sword Saint''s voice immediately rang in his head. "Seeing your reaction, it seems that you died¡­ Hahahaha!"


    Noel wasn''t pissed by thatments. This was actually fresh for him.


    "This is¡­ weird but interesting." Noel looked at his sword while cing his chest where Anna cut him earlier.


    "This is Simeon''s training method. Imaginary Battlefield! By training like this, he''s able to form a simtion of the battlefield, allowing him to be the greatestmander in history. But you seem to have a different path of him, so this Imaginary Battlefield will be useful to hone your battle sense. Of course, it''ll be hard for you to imagine all of this and it will also take a toll in your mind, but once you get used to it, you can continue for a bit longer. For now, continue doing it for twenty times."


    "Twenty times? That''s not enough."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He always swung at least a few hundred times, so twenty times weren''t enough for him.


    But this was the Sword Saint''s advice, so he ended up doing it withoutining further.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    He imagined Annaing to him and swung his sword. Surprisingly, his Spiritual Energy also reacted and started coating his sword to give more impact.


    However, Anna did the same and caused their swords to sh.


    Noel''s swing was halted in the middle as if he was truly stopped by a de. The Spiritual Energy around his sword was thrown away due to the sudden stop, causing it to travel to the ground and creating a small shock wave. It was iparable to what his ancestor showed him, but this was certainly something new to him.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath, not believing what he just did.

 Chapter 224 Swordsmanship Training

    "Don''t be impressed yet. You can imagine her clearly and do it better because you''re inside your consciousness thanks to my help. If you go out right now, I doubt you can do it. For now, I want you to use those twenty chances to get used to it and continue practicing it outside."


    "But is this truly Ardagan Swordsmanship?"


    "Yes, it is. Ardagan is a living spirit, so he''s matching your own body since all humans are different. Depending on your situation, Ardagan Swordsmanship will adjust itself and create a form that matchespletely your body and movement. In other words, you can pursue your own swordsmanship and that Imaginary Battlefield will be your first step."


    "My own swordsmanship¡­ Now that I think about it, when I tried to awaken my spirit, I had to ask myself a question¡­ What is my goal? Is it truly a revenge? If my goal is a revenge, then I''ll be empty or even kill myself after achieving it. So, my goal is not revenge." Noel looked at his sword. "Then, what is actually the goal of my swordsmanship¡­"


    Noel fell silent in an instant as if he came to a realization. Even the Sword Saint who observed him this whole time was stunned.


    ''Is this guy for real?'' The Sword Saint couldn''t help but recall the memory when he was traveling with Simeon and his sister.


    Simeon was swinging his sword as always and he couldn''t help but ask, "Simeon. Isn''t it time for you to stop swinging? It''s sote already."


    Simeon nced to him and chuckled. "Haha, a bit more. I haven''t reached my goal yet."


    "Goal?"


    "Yes. To aplish a big goal, I have to create a small goal every day. Unlike you, who pursues a pure swordsmanship, my sword will swing for my own goal." Simeon smiled.


    "Goal, huh¡­" The Sword Saint muttered in a low voice. Suddenly, Simeon swung the sword three times. The first swing was a downward swing with killing intent and Spiritual Energy, the second swing was formed after him taking a step back as if he was moving to someone and protecting him, thest swing was a diagonal one that was simr to the first swing, killing the second attacker. "Huh?"


    However, Simeon suddenly dropped to the ground while pressing his chest.


    "Kh." Simeon gritted his teeth.


    "Oi! Are you alright?"


    "Y-yeah." Simeon took a few deep breaths to calm him down. "I didn''t expect that¡­ To think the person I saved actually stab me on the back. If I have to swing my sword, I have to consider everything. That''s why my sword exists¡­ No, this is the identity of my sword."


    The Sword Saint closed his eyes, never expecting that the sword Simeon talked about was his true Swordsmanship.


    And the Sword Saint could actually feel it again right before his eyes.


    When Noel swung his sword, there was a trace of anger and killing intent in that swing. It was so small that normal people wouldn''t feel it, but he, who mastered the soul, could sense it easily.<sub> </sub>


    ''Huh? This is like Simeon''s¡­ No, it''s different.'' The Sword Saint thought for a moment before asking Noel. "Kid! What is your goal? No, tell me why did you bring thatss when she actually asked her father to execute your family?"


    Noel was baffled by his question but still answered. "I simply don''t want to owe her anything. She was the one prompting your tomb''s existence, so it would be unfair to her if she couldn''t go in because this was rted to my family."


    "Even though she killed your parents? Well, I mean, they''re not dead, but beforeing here, you believed they''re dead."


    Noel shook his head. "When I thought about revenge as my goal, I realized that it wasn''t the goal because¡­"


    Noel fell silent, making the Sword Saint curious. He couldn''t help but continue Noel''s words. "Because you will feel empty?"


    "No. Because I feel like I''m free. I''m free from my hatred, I''m free from my revenge, I''m free to choose whatever I want from that point on." Noel smiled.


    "!!!" The Sword Saint widened his eyes in shock. "So, the reason you brought her¡­"


    "Yes. I don''t want to owe her anything. If you owe someone, you''ll feel restrained, right? As if you have to repay them. It''s different if you make others owe you, you''ll be free to do whatever you want because they owe you. That''s why I don''t want to owe anyone." Noel smiled.


    His exnation couldn''t help but put a smile on the Sword Saint''s face. He was indeed different from the Ardagan he knew, but Noel seemed to have his own path. Although it was still something vague in his head, Noel would surely bring that path alive.


    The Sword Saint said, "Interesting. If that''s the case, I''m allowing you to swing thirty times for this first phase. I''ll continue to the second phase after you''re done."


    "Second phase?"


    "Yes. This Imaginary Battlefield is just one level for your Ardagan Swordsmanship. The other one is a bit different. I don''t know if you''re aware of it, but Ardagan Swordsmanship is split into three. The first one is just basic swordsmanship while the second part is filled with Spiritual Energy usage. I''m trying to give you another Spiritual Energy utilization for Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    "It''s called Spirit Weaponry. Do you know why there are no runes embedded in Ardagan while my sword has several of them? The answer is simple. Ardagan is already perfect.


    "So, I will teach you this Spirit Weaponry that allows you to sh the Spiritual Energy itself. In other words, whether your enemy use lightning, fire, or water, you just have to swing your sword to cut them. Ardagan is the only one that can do this and it''s also the reason why your ancestor never put a rune in that sword."


    "Spirit Weaponry." Noel thought this was indeed something he needed. "Certainly, if there is lightninging at me, I usually dodge it or block it with my own. If I have this, I might be able to do something more."


    "For now, continue with that swing. After you''re done, we''ll move to the second phase."N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Understood."

 Chapter 225 Rewards

    Noel spent two hours inside that space to swing his de ording to the Sword Saint''s instruction. He was shocked by how much a toll that his swing took in his mind.


    It seemed that the Sword Saint had considered everything, including his limit. After the swing, he continued to the next training to cut through the Spiritual Energy. This was the uniqueness came from Ardagan itself, who was a living spirit instead of a normal sword.


    Still, there was one more important thing he learned in this space. It was about the runes.


    The Sword Saint gave him the remaining knowledge about runes that he had beencking this whole time. With this knowledge, he could create many runes of his choices. He could even read the runes that sealed the Ancient Demon Tree.


    The seal was made of at least thirty runes, so it was impossible for him to recreate it. Even if he could apply a quite powerful rune, he would exhaust all his Spiritual Energy for it. Hence, he had to stick with some low level runes for the time being until he absorbed more Spiritual Energy.


    After those two hours, the space gradually disappeared and the Sword Saint seemed to be more transparent as if he had used most of his remaining Spiritual Energy.


    "Are you¡­" Noel squinted his eyes, examining the Sword Saint''s condition.


    "I''m fine. No matter what, I had died so long ago. You don''t have to worry about me." The Sword Saint smiled and patted Noel''s head like his own son. "You are quite talented, boy."


    "I''m ttered, but I don''t think this is enough."


    "To surpass her?"


    "Yes. I have to do it." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "However, working together with her will be more advantageous for you." The Sword Saint shook his head helplessly.


    "Are you telling me to drop this hatred?" Noel gritted his teeth, ring at the Sword Saint.


    "No matter how I tell you that your parents are still alive and she doesn''t do anything, I won''t tell you to drop your hatred because that''s your main driving force to get stronger right now. In fact, you can continue hating her for the rest of your life like your ancestor and my sister.


    "Even though they were husband and wife, they hated each other and always tried to beat each other, whether in skill, parenting, or even on bed¡­ Ahem, forget about thest one.


    "Anyway, what I want to tell you is that she can make you stronger and you can cooperate with her. I know that you don''t want to owe someone, so I''m just telling you to create a situation that way. She might be a key that can lead you back to your parents."


    "A key to my parents? Why?" Noel was confused, trying to connect everything but to no avail.


    "Just think about it like this. Your parents were the mastermind of their execution and they must be using body double to trick people. Then, they framed the talented girl who was supposed to have no power to decide their execution as the culprit. It''s clear that Anna Stargaze is a huge part in their n. Instead of killing her, you might want to use her."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment. He didn''t think about this. As the Sword Saint said, Anna wasn''t supposed to be in the equation, yet, she became the center of attention. Why?<sub> </sub>


    "That''s all I want to say about her. Right now, I have to tell you the reason why I built this tomb here instead of your home. I mean, I am your Ancestral Uncle, you know. I should be allowed to be buried next to my sister, right?" The Sword Saint smirked. "Well, there is a reason why I built my tomb here."


    "A reason¡­" Noel looked at him with a curious gaze while trying to guess it in his mind.


    The Sword Saint nodded and walked to the remaining treasure chests. With a single wave of his hand, he opened all of them, showing Noel the treasures hidden in it.


    The first chest contained a pair of golden rings. It didn''t have anything special on it other than a single rune that was embedded in the inner part of the ring. "These were the wedding rings of your ancestors. I''m sure that you know the rune on it, right?"


    "Yes. Transmitter Rune. By using the Spiritual Energy, it can transmit a weak signal to the other ring. Right now, I can think of several ways to utilize it." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "These are yours." The Sword Saint smiled, cing the rings on top of his palm. "You can use it for your wedding rings as well since that might be what Samuel wanted."


    "Uhm¡­ Thank you." Noel didn''t know what to say since marriage never came into his mind.


    The Sword Saint then took out the treasure in the second chest. It''s three blue pills. "These are the pills formed by my own soul. It can heal all your wounds as long as you''re not dead. It can even grow one limb as long as the wound is still fresh. Even if you''re stabbed in the heart, you will still be fine as long as you''re not dead."


    Noel dropped his jaw to the ground because these three pills were extremely precious. They were life saving pills.


    "Are you sure about giving these three pills to me?" Noel sucked a cold breath.


    "Of course. My tomb is for the Ardagan, so I want you to use this pill as you see fit. Knowing you, I believe you will use these pills carefully."


    "Thank you very much."


    "And this is thest reward." He took out a book for Noel. "This is my Spirit Technique called Hyper Jump. Basically, it allows you to kick the air to stabilize your bnce. You can only do it once and it''ll put some pressure on your foot, but I think this is a precious technique that can save your life."


    "Yes. It''s certainly a technique everyone need." Noel nodded in agreement. However, he also noticed that thest chest hadn''t been opened yet, but the Sword Saint had said thest reward. In other words, the reward wasn''t meant for him.


    "You''re not going to ask me about thest chest?" The Sword Saint smiled.


    "No. If it wasn''t meant for me, I don''t have to be greedy for it."


    The Sword Saint waved his hand, opening thest chest. "And that''s why I want you to bring these with you¡­"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

 Chapter 226 See Off

    Thest treasure chest was actually hiding two books.


    "These are my swordsmanship and footwork. I have written everything there. I want you to find a talented individual for me and give him/her these two books. I want someone to inherit my swordsmanship."


    The two books gradually fell on top of Noel''s hands as he was overwhelmed by these two books. This was the Sword Saint''s swordsmanship they were talking about. No one would pass the opportunity.


    However, he had to find a talented individual, so he had to choose carefully.


    "But my eyes for people might not be good¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. "I don''t want to disappoint you."


    p "It''s fine. I believe you, so you have to believe in yourself." The Sword Saint smiled, assuring Noel. "Will you do it for me?"</anda>


    "If you don''t mind by how long it might take me, then¡­ yes. I''ll do my best."


    "That''s good enough. I have passed everything to you, so I''d like to ask you onest request."


    "What is it?"


    "Burn my coffin and corpse with Ardagan''s Undying me. I don''t wish my corpses to be studied by anyone else. Can you do that?"


    "But shouldn''t you be¡­" Noel was shaken by the request since it was a bit too much for him.


    The Sword Saint patted Noel''s shoulders. "I have died, so there''s no need for me to continue lingering in this world. If my body is not burned down, my soul will continue to stay here, trapped until who knows when. So, please¡­"


    Seeing the Sword Saint''s expression made Noel''s heart felt heavy. However, he could feel that the Sword Saint had no attachment left in this world. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I understand."


    It was a heavy decision, but this was thest respect he could give.


    "Thank you." The Sword Saint smiled and sat on top of his own coffin, waiting for Noel.


    Noel lowered his head first and said out loud. "Thank you for everything, ancestral uncle."


    "Your path will surely be an arduous one, but continue to march forward. You are different from your ancestor, so just pursue your own path. However, this is onest piece of advice from me¡­ Never waver and see it through, no matter how painful your path is!"<sub> </sub>


    Noel kept lowering his head as he released his Undying Fire, starting to burn the coffin as well as the corpse inside.


    The Sword Saint''s body became even transparent as it was truly the time for him to leave this world.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    There wasn''t any trace of sadness in his heart.


    He looked up and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking in his head. ''I have lived my life to the fullest. I have lived by the sword and contributed to the building of an era. I met a best friend that I could rely on everything, I had a sister who made me feel home, and in my final days, I was even able to meet trustworthy sprouts of the next era, the boy who inherited Ardagan''s system and the girl who was a reincarnated person, I can''t walk in the future they will shape, but I''ll watch over them from up there. With this, I have no regrets left.


    ''Atst, I go to where my brother and sister await.'' The Sword Saint opened his eyes as the image of his best friend and his sister shing before his eyes, showing how much he missed them. He smiled. ''Sorry for making you two wait for so long.''


    Noel gritted his teeth and dered out loud. "I see the ancestral uncle off!"


    Noel shed some tears. Even though this meeting was brief, the Sword Saint truly gave a big impact to his life.


    It took a few seconds for the fire to burn everything down. Noel knew that he had to move on. After giving another bow to where the coffin originally was, Noel finally straightened his back and took a deep breath to calm his heart.


    After that, he walked to the items he put down earlier. He stored the books, the rings, and the pills in his bag before checking the room once again, making sure he didn''t leave anything. Only then did he start going back.


    It took Noel a while to reach the exit, so he used all that time to make sure there was no trace of him shedding some tears. He didn''t want to appear weak in front of Anna, but then again, he was slightly embarrassed for crying because of the illusion. Anna even saw him like that.


    ''Still, I have promised that I''ll investigate my family''s mansion with Anna. As the ancestral uncle said, Anna isn''t supposed to be in the equation, yet, she bes the center of attention. This means someone puts her into that position for something.


    ''And that person might be my father. Does that mean he wants Anna to lead me to where he is? But even Anna doesn''t know anything about the mastermind, so I highly doubt she''s qualified. No wait, Anna still has her father, Marquis Stargaze.


    ''If Marquis Stargaze is actually an ally, Anna might be the key for me to meet the marquis. But I don''t know whether Marquis Stargaze will y dumb or not, considering I have no information or any cheap to make him say everything truthfully. Maybe I can make Anna my hostage? Then again, I need enough power to do that. Even if Anna acted together with me, he wouldn''t believe if my power was lower than her.


    ''Either way, it seems that Anna is an important piece in this entire scheme. And the clue is somewhere in my mansion. No, maybe there is indeed a hidden room in that ce. At least, I know what to do to go forward. My next destination has been set.'' Noel''s expression became serious as he steeled his resolve to infiltrate his family mansion.


    "¡­" Noel squinted his eyes because he didn''t realize he had reached the exit as the blinding sunlight made his eyes feel burning. He nced to the side and saw Anna waving her hand.

 Chapter 227 Traveling

    "So, where are we going now?" Anna asked. "Also, I have to tell you about Fire Bird Nest and the Body Strengthening Liquid."


    "You can say it after we''re done with this." Noel shook his head.


    "Are you sure?" Anna was confused, feeling Noel had changed a bit.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I''ll deliver the promise first and you''re going to pay me after that."


    Anna felt something weird with Noel. Although he was using the business term between them, he seemed to have changed a bit. This time for sure, Noel''s hatred had diminished for a bit.


    Still, there was no way for her to know whether Noel just faked it or not like the whole time they were together.


    "Anyway, let''s go."


    "Where?"


    "My family mansion."


    "Your family mansion? Wait a minute. It''s true that your family territory is in the middle of our return trip, but your family mansion is guarded by the royal family."


    "Are you going or not?" Noel didn''t want to argue with her, so he simply asked with a strict tone, demanding an answer between ''yes'' and ''no''.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Yes, definitely." Anna sighed. She had been thinking about Noel after leaving the cave, wondering what he was talking about with the Sword Saint. The Sword Saint seemed to be able to know about Noel''s secrets with his power. So, she believed that the Sword Saint was also aware of her reincarnation. It was proven when he actually knew she wished to get his de.


    She thought for a moment and asked, "Noel. Do you mind if we go somewhere else first? I want to ask someone to attach the de to the handle I have prepared. I''m sure that this sword will be useful for our mission."


    There wasn''t supposed to be any fight in this infiltration mission, so they might not need to even unsheathe their sword. But he couldn''t really brush away the potential where they were found out.


    "Alright. As long as it doesn''t take more than three days."


    "Of course, attaching it will only take a day at most. Though, we have to go to the Barun in first. Since we''re talking about the Sword Saint''s de, I want a Master cksmith to handle it."


    "Barun in¡­ It deviates a bit, but we can indeed go there. Alright." Noel agreed to her request. "We still have a few missions left before our graduation, so we need to hasten our pace."


    "Are you going to graduate early?"


    "No. It''s better to use that time to make more preparation. I have many things to do after all."


    "So busy." Anna chuckled. "But I''ll match your pace!"


    "You can graduate earlier. No need to wait for me. There''s no reason to do so."


    "Aren''t we going to be stationed at the same ce if we graduate together?" Anna smirked. "Won''t this be perfect for more adventures?"<sub> </sub>


    He didn''t want to admit it, but Anna was truly a good partner. She could cook, knew many things, and a great fighter.


    On the other hand, Anna considered Noel as a guy who could improve rapidly, amander, and someone that could keep up with her. He was the only one who wouldn''t leave her alone in the future when she became strong.


    Still, Noel''s n was to use the graduation to create his second identity. Having Anna there wasn''t a good n, considering Anna knew about his second identity.


    "Whatever. I don''t like being with you." Noel snorted.


    "Eh¡­"


    Anna chuckled as they continued to travel. They rode the horses to the former Ardagan Family''s territory. No one had upied thisnd for the time being because the royal family hadn''t given any noble enough jurisdiction for this plot ofnd.


    When Noel looked at this city from the outside, he had a nostalgic feeling because this was where most of his memory came from. If the execution never happened, he would still live in this town.


    Anna lowered her head, feeling bad for what she suggested in the past. In fact, she wanted to be reincarnated before the execution. However, this was the situation, she had one more chance to make it right at the very least.


    She gently brushed the sword on her waist. Her new sword had beenpleted. With the Sword Saint''s de and the Ancient Demon Tree core as the materials, she had produced a weapon only second to Noel''s Ardagan.


    Noel hurriedly wore a long robe and hid his face with a mask along. Of course, he covered his hair with hood. No one should know he had visited this ce.


    Even Anna had to do the same.


    "So, how are we going to infiltrate this ce? The gates are guarded, so I don''t think we can go through them easily." Anna asked. "Does your family have a secret tunnel that leads to the outside?"


    "None." Noel shrugged. Though, he simply didn''t know whether there was a secret tunnel or not since he never learned the family business from his father. "This city is built in a safe ce, so the wall isn''t that high. We just have to climb it."


    They had stopped in the previous city to leave their horses since it would be hard for them to enter with a horse. They even stood a bit far away to make sure no one spotted them.


    "But there should be soldiers guarding the wall."


    "We''re going to infiltrate during the night and make use of our Moon Blessing. Search for any dark parts and go there."


    "Then, we should hope that tonight is cloudy." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "Not necessarily." Noel shook his head and pointed at the wall. "You can barely see them, but there are a few dots moving on the wall. How many are they?"


    "The dots must be the soldiers'' heads¡­ Wait a minute, there are only two pairs of soldiers for that long wall?" Anna noticed Noel''s secret meaning.


    "Yes. If they only put those many during the day, we might only encounter a pair during the night. So, the infiltration won''t be that hard. Though, we still have to be careful."


    "Alright." Anna agreed with the n.

 Chapter 228 Sneaking In

    "Go." A small whisper filled the silent night as a pair of people stood next to the wall, ready to climb it. As expected of a city built in a safe ce, there wasn''t even a ditch for basic fortification.


    Both of them gathered their Spiritual Energy in their feet as they jumped as high as they could.


    Even though the wall wasn''t that tall, it was impossible for them to reach the wall in a single leap. Hence, one of them raised both hands while the other ones ced their feet on them, using the hands as stepping for the second leap.


    Still, they were tied by a long rope. The second leap was enough to reach the top of the wall, but because of the rope, the one at the bottom was stuck hanging.


    The one at the top immediately pulled the other one up until both of them reached the top of the wall.


    They ducked down while looking around, finding the pair of the patrol would take a long time to get to them.


    So, both of them nodded and attached the rope to the side of the wall before jumping down. They couldn''t do another stunt with the demons as their cushions, so they had to use the rope to let them decrease the altitude before one of them cut the rope so that both of them fell to the ground.


    Since the rope was cut by one of them, the rest of the rope followed the other person. There was no way anyone would find any evidence about their infiltration.


    Both of them nodded with a serious expression as they used the dark alley as their cover to move through the city.


    "What should we do now? We can go to the mansion now, but if we use light to search for anything in your family mansion, we''ll be noticed easily." Anna whispered.


    "We go there and wait until the sun is up. I know the mansion the most, so I know the ce to hide."


    Anna nodded as they started moving again. When they reached the main street, they looked around first to make sure no one saw them before leaping to the other side, approaching the mansion.


    Because they weren''t used to this, it took them two hours to finally arrive near the mansion.


    "There are two guards on the gate, I don''t see any patrols, but I believe we''ll see one soon. We have to observe their pattern first before making a move," said Anna while examining the mansion.


    "Then, let''s move to the back first. There is a huge tree at the back of the mansion which we can use as a cover. And the wall there is a fixed wall, not one with railing pattern, which can be seen through like this." Noel suggested as he pointed to the right, asking her to follow him.


    Anna nodded and started moving again. At the same time, they maintained their distance from the mansion to make sure they could see if there were any guards patrolling the mansion.


    Surprisingly, Anna only found one guard as if there was ack of fund for this mansion. Anna didn''t know that Noel was aware of thisck of security this whole time. After all, his grandfather had investigated this ce.


    They looped around the mansion and finally reached the back of the mansion. As he said earlier, no one could see through the wall and there was a huge tree at the corner. If they wanted to observe the mansion, they could do it from there.


    Anna and Noel exchanged looks before nodding their heads as a signal. In that instant, they moved to the wall and leaped to the top of the wall. The wall wasn''t that high, so it was easy for them to go past the wall. Normally, this would be impossible because of the number of guards patrolling the mansion, but the Royal Family seemed to be inviting him by using this amount of guards.


    They hid behind the trees to check whether there was any light or not inside the mansion.<sub> </sub>


    "What should we do next? The mansion should be locked or any thieves can simply enter." Anna asked again.


    Noel also agreed to that opinion and waved his hand. "There is one ce that shouldn''t be locked."


    "Where is it?" Anna asked while following him to the other corner of the mansion.


    "The servant quarter. It''s separated from the mansion, so we should be able to find something there."


    Noel pointed at a small building on the corner. This ce was used to be a living quarters for the maids and other servants.


    As soon as they reached the servant quarter, Anna hurriedly went to the door and opened it, only to find it locked.


    "Wait, it''s locked as well. Do we have to break the window?" Anna asked in confusion.


    "Why do you want to use the door?" Noel shook his head helplessly as he walked to the other part of the building. However, there wasn''t a single thing in this area other than grasses and wall.


    "What are we going to do here?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Noel lowered his body and started digging the ground.


    "What are you doing?" Anna became even more confused.


    "There is a hole on the other side where we can enter. Then, we just have to go to a room, which shouldn''t be locked to retrieve the mansion''s key. Also, help me dig!"


    "What the hell? How do you even know there''s a hole there?"


    "I was the one who broke it to sneak into this ce."


    "You what? Are you sneaking so that you can steal the maids¡ª"


    "Your mind is so dirty." Noel shook his head helplessly. "I often bought my maid some stuff like better clothes and since it would bring the jealousy of other maids, I had to do it like this."


    "What kind of rtionship do you have with your maids? To even do something like that¡­"


    "I simply treated the people who treated me good better." Noel snorted. "Hurry up and help me."


    Anna made a wry smile, thinking, ''Are you indirectly implying that I''m the exact opposite?''

 Chapter 229 Weird Ancestry

    Anna helped digging the soil while making a wry smile. As Noel said earlier, there was indeed a hole on the other side, allowing them to go inside the building.


    She even wondered why no one repaired it, but if it was Noel''s fault, then she could understand why they didn''t want to repair it and only closed it with the dirt.


    The hole was located in the kitchen, so Noel smiled because of a nostalgic feeling, looking at this kitchen again.


    He immediately left the kitchen with no door and walked through the hall way until he reached a certain door.


    Without hesitation, he opened the door that wasn''t locked at all. Anna was surprised that this door was unlocked, considering he had tried to open other doors and they were all locked.


    Noel didn''t even bother to exin it to her as he immediately went to the cupboard where his maid stored her clothes.


    There were still some left over maid clothes inside as well as corset and underwear.


    "What are you doing? Do you have that kind of hobby?" Anna''s eyebrows twitched.


    Noel just tossed the corset to her to shut her up while rummaging the closet, finding a huge ring at the very bottom. He immediately pulled it up and showed the thirty keys hanging on that ring.


    "See? The mansion''s keys." Noel smirked.


    "Seriously? Shouldn''t the one who have those keys are the master of the house, the head maid and the head butler?" Anna widened her eyes in shock.


    "She is my maid, so of course, she will have one. If not, how could I livezily in the past?" Noel shrugged. "I guess, there''s an advantage why I waszy in the past."


    "Don''t give an excuse just to boost your ego." Anna rolled her eyes.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Whatever. With this, we can enter the mansion." Noel shrugged and walked away. This time, they left the living quarters with the front door before patching up the hole to make it look like no one came.


    After that, Noel opened the door behind the mansion to enter.


    "Now that we''re here, where are we going to hide? We can only investigate this ce in the morning, right? Since we don''t want anyone to see the light inside the mansion."


    "I''m going back to my room." Before Noel walked to his room on the second floor, he looked at Anna with a serious expression. "Though, I do want to warn you something. If I ask you to go out, I want you to go out."


    "Huh?" Anna was confused. They were investigating this mansion together, so it didn''t really make sense. However, there was one thing that reminded her. It was the family''s secret room where they stored the most important items in the household. Hence, Anna nodded in agreement. "Alright."


    Noel nodded and started walking to the second floor. No one seemed to be taking care of the mansion when he saw the dust on the carpet as well as other decorations inside.<sub> </sub>


    It also meant that no one would bother to go inside the mansion.


    ''So, this is the Ardagan Family''s mansion.'' Anna looked around. When they reached the main stairs that led to the second floor, she was stopped by a huge painting.


    It was a painting of a couple. Instead of Count Ardagan and his wife, there was another pair painted on this, signifying their importance to this family.


    The man had spiky ck hair and stern face. He wore a military uniform with a huge diamond star on his chest, signifying his status.


    ''Diamond star? If we''re looking into the history of this kingdom, there was only one person bestowed a Diamond Star. He was Simeon Ardagan, the greatestmander in history, the one who led the Muivell Kingdom to its peak. He was also the creator of the Demon Extermination Army, which had changed its name to Demon Banner Army.


    ''Wait a minute. Demon Banner Army, Noel, and Simeon Ardagan. Are there connections between them? Is there a reason why Count Ardagan faked his death and sent Noel to the Demon Banner Army? Does he know something that no one knows about Simeon Ardagan?


    ''If you look at the painting again, that woman¡­'' Anna gasped, looking at the woman. She had long silver hair, different from the Sword Saint''s white hair. She had a gentle gaze and wore a beautiful dress, but the blue-colored ne on her neck didn''t escape Anna''s eyes.


    ''Isn''t that the Blue Ocean Pearl? It''s said to be the best to Spirit Conductor. Now that I think about it, I have seen her face somewhere¡­ There is almost no record about the Sword Saint''s sister, but now that I think about it, I have seen her face in the Greenwood Kingdom''s Royal Castle.


    ''Huh? Isn''t she supposed to be the Greenwood Kingdom''s princess? But her brother is the Sword Saint, right? I haven''t heard anything about the Sword Saint being a royalty. This is weird, very weird. What a mess up family tree¡­


    ''His ancestor is the greatest general in history, this is a known fact. However, I don''t think there are many people who know that his ancestor''s wife was a princess of the Greenwood Kingdom. And his ancestral uncle is actually the Sword Saint. What''s wrong with this family?''


    Anna clutched her head as she couldn''te up with a reason to connect all of them.


    Noel nced at her and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Is there any library in your mansion? We can read there with the Moon Blessing, right? There''s no need for light."


    "I have tried reading in the dark in the Sword Saint''s tomb. The words are kinda blurry as if my eyes are not used to reading like that." Noel shook his head. "That''s why I suggest to wait for the morning since we need light to read."


    "Seriously? Why didn''t I ask this question earlier because it was weird that we could see the dark with the Moon Blessing but we needed light to read?"


    Noel shrugged. "I don''t know the exact reason. I think the Moon Blessing is a kind of ability that enhances our eyes, but because our eyes are not built that way, we have a hard time adjusting to it. Have you ever read something inside a carriage?"


    "Yeah. I felt sick because of the continuous bumps on the road."


    "I felt simr when I read using the Moon Blessing. It''s fine for a while, but if you read for a few minutes or even hours, you will be like that. So, I''m going to bed early so that I can immediately investigate when the sun is up! Bye." Noel yawned while walking away.

 Chapter 230 Test It?

    The next morning.


    The sunlight gradually entered his room as Noel let out a soft moan while gradually opening his eyes. It had been a while since he slept in his previous bed.


    It was nostalgic but also made him feel lonely, knowing that there were no servants or parents in this mansion anymore.


    An image of his maid suddenly came to his room to greet him in the morning and change his clothes even shed in his mind. Her voice saying, ''Good morning, Young Master,'' also rang in his ears.


    Noel looked at the ceiling and let out a sigh. ''I guess the time has changed.''


    When he was about to go up, he suddenly felt his arm being restrained as if someone pulled him.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly turned around and saw Anna sleeping beside him. "Huh, what?"


    Noel''s mind became crazy in that instant.


    ''What''s happening right here? Why does Anna sleep beside me? Did something happenst night? What did I dost night?'' Noel''s mind tried their best to recall every single detail.


    ¡­


    Last night.


    Noel opened his room with the key and smiled, looking at this familiar room. The tables, the cupboard, and even the floor was covered with dust. However, Noel didn''t pay attention to it as he immediately went to the bed.


    "I guess I have to change the sheet," Noel muttered. "Where is the sheet again? Is it in the servant quarter? No, they''re too small for this. So, I guess I have to go to the storage."


    Noel turned around and saw Anna entering his room. "So, this was your room?"


    "Wait here. Don''t go anywhere." Noel hurriedly left the room to grab some clean sheet. Of course, there would be no clean sheet in this house since they should have been covered with dust. However, everything in the storage should be better since they had been folded neatly. Only a small part of them is covered in dust. They could be cleaned a bit with a few ps.


    Meanwhile, Anna looked around the room. "This was Noel''s room. It''s kinda simr to what I have."


    She walked around while touching the cupboard and the table, wondering if they had any significance to Noel.


    "He would still be living in this ce." Anna muttered while looking around with her Moon Blessing.


    Though, she couldn''t do anything as Noel had gone back with a new sheet. He started changing the sheet carefully as if he had done it so many times.


    "I guess you have gotten used to change your sheet by yourself instead of making your servants do it." Anna wanted to tease him, but it soon backfired as Noel snorted. "Yeah. I won''t get used to this if you didn''t ask your father for my parents execution."


    "Wait, wait. I know that I''m in the wrong for that, but your father was the one who arranged it, right?"


    "You''re going to wash your hands with that?" Noel rolled his eyes as he had finished changing his sheet and returned his own sheet to the storage. Since no one bothered to enter the mansion, the new sheet would be getting covered with dust again after a while.


    As soon as he finished preparing his bed, Noel fell down on his bed with a rxed expression. "Finally done."


    "Ehm, where should I stay?" Anna asked with a wry smile.<sub> </sub>


    "There is a guest room at the corner of the second floor. You can sleep there."


    "Then, where is the new sheet?"


    "In the storage room."


    "I mean, where is the storage room?"


    "Who knows? Go suffer by yourself." Noel chuckled as he started taking off his boats and robe to make himself morefortable. "I guess we can''t really wash our bodies here since there''s no running water. Well, it''s not much of a problem."


    Noel immediately sneaked into his quilt and waved his hand to Anna. "There you have it. Go sleep with the dust."


    ¡­


    That was what happenedst night ording to his memory. There should be nothing that happened since he had made Anna suffer through the night by forcing her to sleep there.


    However, he didn''t understand how Anna slept next to him.


    It seemed that the shocked reaction he let out earlier woke Anna up.


    "Mhm?" Anna opened her eyes and saw Noel next to her. "Good morning."


    "Morning? What did you dost night? You must be taking advantage of me!" Noel gritted his teeth.


    "What do you mean taking advantage of you? Well, I guess I kinda did? I don''t want to sleep in that dust covered bed, so instead of searching for the storage room, why don''t I just sleep with you? This way, we can hide in the same room and I don''t need to bother myself to inhale the dust on the bed." Anna answered with sleepy eyes.


    "Huh?" Noel''s body trembled. It seemed that he was too wary against her that his mind thought of all the bad things that could happen to him.


    Anna misunderstood Noel''s relief as disappointment as she couldn''t help but smirk, teasing Noel. "What''s wrong? Disappointed that we didn''t do anythingst night? You are the one having the dirty mind here. You must be thinking that we''re¡ª"


    Before she finished her words, Noel looked at her in disgust. "Woah, your ego is so high that it goes to the sky."


    "I can''t help it since I''m born this beautiful." Anna made a smug smile as if she was proud of her beautiful face.


    <o>,m "Yeah. If only your heart is as beautiful as your face. I guess the more beautiful you are, the more dangerous your heart is." Noel snorted.</o>


    "What did you say?" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "I''m just stating the fact. If a scandal like this spreads, I''m afraid that my reputation will be smeared by yours."


    "I should be the one saying that. If what you said is true, there''s no way you made me go to Earl Hawkins and received the recognition of those people!" Anna smirked. "You''re the one chickening because you don''t dare to do it."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel pushed her down, grabbed her hands and and looked into her eyes. "So, should we test it?"

 Chapter 231 Hidden Room

    "So, should we test it?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Anna''s heart skipped a beat, never expecting Noel to behave this way. She thought Noel would simply let it go this time or even if he fought back, he would just say random things.


    She blinked a few times as Noel kept staring into her eyes as if he was serious to do it.


    Ultimately, Anna looked away and said, "That''s right. I have been thinking about this the whole night. Your ancestor was the greatest general in history from the Muivell Kingdom, your ancestor''s wife was a royalty from the Greenwood Kingdom, but the Sword Saint''s identity, who was supposed to be the prince, was not known to the world. Don''t you think it''s strange?


    "If you take another look at it, your father marries your mother, a daughter from a powerful family of the Greenwood Kingdom as if he''s trying to direct you there¡­"


    "Chickening now?" Noel snorted and let her go. Although he wanted to keep pushing her, her words indeed made some sense. He moved away and left the bed while asking, "Are you implying that my father wanted me to find the Sword Saint?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded with a calm expression even though her heart was still beating rapidly.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked another question. "Then, what''s the purpose for this coincidence? I don''t think meeting the Sword Saint is the purpose."


    "But do you seriously forget about your ancestor? Your ancestor created the first Demon Extermination Army that changed its name to the Demon Banner Army."


    "What did you say?" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    "You seriously don''t know anything? I almost forgot that you were ignorant when we first met. I guess you''ve beenzying around without learning something." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "Demon Banner Army, Ancestry, Greenwood Kingdom, and scheme." Noel squinted his eyes, contemting.


    "If you don''t mind, I''d like to ess the library in this ce to learn more about the history of your family."


    Noel couldn''t really trust Anna, since she could hide some truth for her convenience. But there was one thing that he could use. "In exchange for allowing you to use the library, I''m going to make sure your information is correct by using the Spirit Seal."


    "But you also have to tell me something¡­"


    "I''ll give you the information I found as well, but at the level I can tell you."


    "You''re not going to trick me again, right? Like saying one word and tell me that''s the level you can tell me." Anna narrowed her eyes.


    "I can at least promise you that I don''t get any information if it''s truly the case and share far more than that."


    "¡­" Anna looked at Noel''s eyes for a while. Noel could be lying, but Anna chose to y this way to show that she wanted to solve the hatred between them. She epted, "Fine. Let''s do it this way."


    If Noel truly tricked her again when she trusted him this much, she had to consider her option in solving the hatred between them.


    Noel nodded and said, "If that''s the case, follow me. I''ll show you the library."


    "Let me fix my hair a bit, I just woke up, you know."<sub> </sub>


    "Whatever. Go to the first floor if you''re ready. I won''t wait for too long." Noel harrumphed and left the room.


    A momentter, Anna came out of the room to find Noel, but surprised to see him staring at the same picture that piqued her interest too. The picture of Noel''s ancestor.


    "Did you find something?" Anna asked while walking down the stairs.


    "No." Noel turned around immediately since she hade. Without wasting any more time, he showed the library, which also had been covered with dust.


    The library wasn''t a big room. It was at the size of Noel''s room. Still, this 4x6 meters room contained at least a thousand books for her to read.


    "Remember, we can''t be too long here because I don''t want to raise anyone''s suspicion."


    p "Of course, I know what kind of book I want to read, so I should be able to find them quick."</anda>


    Noel nodded and immediately left the room. He had another ce in his mind, which he should visit.


    The Sword Saint said that he could see one''s soul that contained memory. But Noel didn''t have any memory about the hidden room in his father''s office. So, that memory coulde from his father or Ardagan himself. After all, Ardagan was a living spirit.


    He didn''t know if the Sword Saint could use his ability on Ardagan, but this one was more feasible than the first theory.


    Hence, as soon as Noel arrived at his father''s office, he immediately walked into the shelf where the hidden room was located.


    "What were the books my father took out back then?" Noel closed his eyes, recounting the memory he had in that dream. He also kept looking at the books to jog his memory.


    His hand reached for the book next to his knee, the book in front of his chest, and the one in front of his eyes. "I think these are the three books."


    Noel hesitated because the clue might not be here, but since he had nothing to lose, he pulled out Ardagan and cut his palm, dropping the blood on those three spots.


    Suddenly, three runes appeared in those locations, triggering the mechanism behind the shelf.


    "!!!" Noel''s expression brightened. "It''s real. The hidden room is real."


    The shelf was pulled into the wall as Noel found the same stone wall that asked for his blood to open.


    Noel immediately smeared his blood on the wall as thetter recognized its blood and started moving, revealing everything inside.


    And the truth was revealed because everything looked simr to what he had seen in his dream, except for the fact that Ardagan was with him instead of nted on the stone at the opposite side of the room.


    "Still, is this truly the right answer? I don''t have any idea about this room if I don''t meet the Sword Saint, so will my father actually leave something in this ce?"

 Chapter 232 Clue

    As soon as Noel stepped inside the hidden room, there was only one book in that ce since this was the ce where Ardagan slumbered previously.


    It was the notebook of his ancestor that he didn''t finish in his dream because of what happened during that time.


    He carefully opened the book and saw the first few sentences in that book. The words were exactly the same, so it meant either Ardagan or his father had read this book.


    Noel looked around to find any more clues, but since there was nothing but stone wall inside, he decided to walk back to the office and put the book on the table.


    The book wasn''t that thick, so he should be able to finish this book in one sitting.


    But to his surprise, when he lifted the book up, a letter fell down to the ground.


    "This is¡­" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He carefully picked up the letter and opened it because he never saw this letter in his dream. Even the paper looked new.


    "My son. By the time you read this letter, I''m sure that we''re not with you anymore. However, there''s no need to fear because your mother and I are fine in a ce no one knows.


    "To be honest, I don''t know when you''re going to read this letter, but I''m pretty sure that you''ll find the hidden room after you go to the headquarter of the Demon Banner Army. There is a hidden room inside the treasury that your ancestor left behind, which should be rted to the hidden room. So, I believe you will find this room from there.


    "I don''t know much about Ardagan, but I am aware that he''s a living spirit. If Ardagan deems you to be ready, I believe that he''s going to show you the hidden room inside the Demon Banner Army''s treasury.


    "You should know that I was supporting the third prince, right? I don''t know how much do you know about the truth, but I''m going to be blunt here.


    "I and Marquis Stargaze are best friends and we have agreed to split up to find a certain truth. If you truly don''t know what to do, you can go to him and ask for his help. But I doubt that he has the ability to do it because he''s also being monitored.


    "Hence, our execution is simply a way to hide me, allowing us to further investigate this certain truth.


    "As for the certain truth¡­ it''s big yet simple that I can exin in a single sentence. To put it simply, the royal family is colluding with the Supreme Devil Organization.<sub> </sub>


    "I''ll exin it further now. We don''t know which member of the royal family is colluding with the Supreme Devil Organization, but as expected from the royal family, they''re ambitious. So, we targeted the ambitious people, which was the crown prince and the third prince. Marquis Stargaze took the crown prince''s side while I took the third prince''s side.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Hence, I want you to do something for me. Help me investigate the third prince and the current king, but you must go to the third prince first because it''s easier to gain his trust now. If you need someone''s help, go to a cliff and jump off because someone will be there for you.


    "That''s all I can tell you right now. However, believe me that your father doesn''t want to do this if not for the fact that your life is threatened. There is actually another verse of Ardagan.


    "It''s said that Ardagan can glimpse into the future. No one has the quality to be his master this whole time, but I noticed Ardagan started to change after you were born. I didn''t want to believe it, but Ardagan had chosen you as his master. The problem is¡­ the other verse told us that the moment Ardagan chose its host, the great danger would befall. I couldn''t handle the danger by myself, so I could only prepare all these things for you. I''m sorry, child.


    "Your father and your mother will miss you. We don''t want you to be in danger, but we can''t do anything to prevent it. If you think it''s too dangerous, please forget everything about this letter and live the way you want. There''s no need to rebuild the family. You can even go to your mother''s family to live there. All I and your mother want is a smile on your face every day. We love you, Noel."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent when looking at this letter. There was simply too much for him to take. First of all, the royal family and the third prince were the prime suspects. There was also the Supreme Devil Organization. If they were truly connected, they must be nning something big.


    Hence, it was certain that Noel couldn''t trust them both.


    "Seriously? Am I a child of prophecy or something? I never signed up for this." Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "All I want is to livezily. Or did my parents just misunderstand the prophecy? I feel like my life has been filled with misunderstanding recently¡­"


    Noel''s eyebrows were twitching, feeling the trouble ahead. Still, Noel scratched the back of his head and muttered, "But I don''t think I can let this go either¡­ the dream I had with my parents were the regret buried in my heart. At the very least, I wanted to restore my family to its previous state."


    "Yeah. There''s only one thing to do." Noel clenched his fists as he was determined to do it. He also remembered the fact that Ardagan could actually remind him of the hidden room when he was in treasury. With how Ardagan could create a mission with Anna''s information, it wouldn''t be weird if Ardagan would give him a mission to discover the hidden secret in the treasury.


    So, Noel stroked Ardagan gently and said, "I might not be that worthy as your host right now, but I''ll be sure to keep getting stronger. When that timees, we have a lot to talk, buddy."


    ¡­


    Noel wasn''t the only one who found a clue to the current situation. Anna dropped her book in the library while gasping. "Is this¡­true?"

 Chapter 233 Money

    "Mhm? So, this book is a kind of introductory book for Ardagan. There are only three main points in this book. The first is Ardagan is a living spirit and it chooses its owner by fate, not qualification. However, because of the pact between the ancestor and Ardagan, only those with Ardagan blood can be its owner.


    "Secondly, ording to this book, Ardagan has a few main features. I have experienced how highly interactive he is from all those system notifications. It''s quite handy and powerful, considering Ardagan has the power to see a glimpse of the future like how he can suddenly give me a mission.


    "Anyway, the other main feature is the knowledge embedded into Ardagan. From my understanding, Rune and Ardagan Swordsmanship are included in this knowledge and other skills that I can learn with Skill Points¡­ He can transfer the knowledge he has, so the more knowledge I give him, the more he can pass down for the future generations. This is so powerful but maybe that''s why Ardagan didn''t have an owner this whole time.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Either way, everything I have seen right now is going to be useful someday. I might not be able to feel that much of a difference currently, but I''ll surely feel it in myter day.


    "Now that I think about it, Ardagan gives me a bonus stamina by percentage. Then, let''s make an example of my current power. If my current Spiritual Energy reflected by the number of Demon Crystals¡­ I have absorbed 1,000 crystals for example. Then, I will get an additional 20 crystals since it''s two percent boost. But if I absorb 10,000 crystals, I will get an additional 200 crystals.


    "I can see where this is going. If I keep getting stronger, I will be able to increase my strength even further. At the same time, this number will keep increasing by continuously training myself. If I can get at least twenty percent boost or even more, I will be able to ovee anything, especially with the fact that I can store twice as much with the help of Ardagan as my second spirit.


    "I can discover more tricks from Ardagan in the future, so I should be satisfied with what I have right now. In fact, I should focus in enhancing them so that it will benefit meter.


    "Well, aside from this, thest thing this book told me is the secret of the spirit. The True Spirit Body. It''s not explicitly described, but I can understand it because the Sword Sa¡­, I mean Ancestral Uncle told me." Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling overwhelmed by the information.


    It was quite simple to understand, but Noel felt this information would be helping him in the long run. "As much as I want to bring this notebook with me, I don''t think I should, since there are people who are interested in me. If they somehow know about this book, they might realize that I have two spirits in my body."


    Noel let out a long sigh and closed the book. Since there was nothing to find inside the secret room other than this book, he returned it and closed the secret room.


    After that, he began to look around the office to see if there was any more clues hidden by his father.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t find anything even after five hours. Hence, he gave up and walked to the library to find Anna.


    When he opened the library, he was stunned by the amount of books that Anna researched. In front of her was three giant books that were opened side by side. There were also a few stacks of books standing next to her.


    "What is happening here?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched.


    "Ah, Noel! Come here!" Anna raised her head and waved her hand, calling him.


    Noel was confused, so he walked to her to see what book she was reading. To his surprise, she was actually opening his family''s ount book.


    "Do you know this is a family secret?"<sub> </sub>


    "I didn''t mean to open this book at first, but I found some clues from these books."


    "Clues?"


    "Yes. Well, I''m not good at reading these books, but I can see something is missing from basic calction. Take a look!" Anna pointed at the books.


    Noel''s expression became serious as he stood next to her and lowered his body a bit. His hand was on the chair as if he was reading together with her.


    "¡­" Noel soon narrowed his eyes. "Well, I didn''t read many books, but ount book was one of the books I study, considering I would take over a merchant family. But this is kinda dumb¡­"


    "I am not an expert on this. What can you see from these numbers?"


    "Give me a few minutes."


    Noel fell silent for a few minutes, looking at the number in the ount books. If it was a small embezzlement, he would have a hard time to find it because he had to do a thorough calction. But this was different. There was a big gap in the ount book as if telling him to find them.


    "This is¡­" Noel''s expression became grim.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "The clues I found was about the connection between the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization. Also, my father and your father seemed to be best friends for life and wouldn''t betray each other, unlike you. Last but not least, they went to different sides to investigate the king as well as the third prince."


    Noel exined, shocking Anna to the core.


    "Huh? What did you say?"


    Noel''s reply came in the form of action. He pointed at the ount books and said, "There is a huge hidden money in the ount book. The purchase is useless if you see it here, so it means they''re using that transaction to give the other party some money. And there are three parties that are involved in those transactions.


    "The first one is my mother''s family, the Greenwood Kingdom''s Ezenholm Family. The second one is your Stargaze Family. Andst but not least, there is an unknown fraction that is not stated here. And this¡­ might be where my parents are."

 Chapter 234 Shouldnt Have Said Anything

    "!!!" Anna''s body was trembling. Her tone was shaking. "You¡­ You mean your family gave me money. And you said earlier that my father and your father are best friends? Also, the royal family and the different sides¡­"


    Anna gasped in horror. She couldn''t help but remember what happened in her past life. She muttered inwardly, ''The Third Prince betrayed Noel and stabbed him from the back. Is the Third Prince the culprit? No, wait. My teacher also did the same and her status was also important.


    ''My teacher was actually the leader of the royal magician. She was one of the closest retainers of the king, Basically, she was his left hand.


    ''Then, does it mean both of them betrayed us? If that''s the case, both of them have some involvement with the Supreme Devil Organization?


    ''Wait a minute¡­ Noel was supposed to know about this information and suspected the third prince. Noel was smart back in the day and he wouldn''t fall for this kind of trick easily.


    ''Wait, wait, wait¡­'' Anna got the shock of her life. ''Don''t tell me, the Third Prince and Noel actually yed a trick on my previous teacher? If that''s the case, Noel must be still alive in my past life and I was the only one who died. Is that why I''m the only one who gets reincarnated even though we''re both together at that time?


    ''But I can''t really give any exnation about the reincarnation itself. And the Third Prince might also show his true nature and Noel just tricked him into thinking he had died.


    ''There are too many IFs in this situation. But it''s clear that both the third prince and the king are the suspects¡­ Though, there is also a possibility that Noel had trusted the third prince so much that he didn''t think about betrayal.


    ''If that''s the case, should I tell Noel about what happened in our past lives? But if I told him not to trust the Third Prince, he would be suspicious of me as well like how in the world I got that information. There wasn''t any concrete proof that the Third Prince was actually the culprit either, since it might be just a fake show. If I told him about this, Noel would have a bias in his judgment, making him not believing the Third Prince even though he turned out to be a good person.''


    Anna couldn''t make a decision whether to tell him or not. There were too many cons if she told him everything.


    The current Noel had suspected both of them right now and if he investigated them, he would be able to judge with neutral eyes. If she told him about this, he might judge them poorly.


    After some thoughts, Anna decided not to tell him about the betrayal. Instead, she focused on her own family.


    She asked, "What''s happening with my own family? I can''t understand."


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "I told you earlier. Your father is an ally, unlike you who wanted my family to die."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent. She remembered when her father had given the sentence to Noel''s parents. He spared Noel and the execution was just a farce to hide his parents. In other words, her father had yed a part in the execution as an ally, not an enemy.<sub> </sub>


    That was also why that there were some money for her father, which might be used for something else.


    "Still, there is one thing that confuses me the most. Why did everyone make me the real culprit? If my father was your family''s ally, shouldn''t my father hide the fact I said all those words to make sure that there was no friction between us?"


    Noel couldn''t answer that question. He also had that kind of suspicion. If he was the father, he would hide what his daughter said in this situation. Instead, he would ask her to learn more from the other party so that there was no hatred between them.


    Yet, the reality was different. This friction looked like it was purposely made for something.


    "I don''t know. The only ones who know about the reasons are probably your father and my parents." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "If that''s the case, I can ask my father! No one told us how we should spend our time as long as we canplete the requirement for graduation. If that''s the case, I can go back to my family to ask my father." Anna suggested since he felt fired up to resolve their misunderstanding, hoping that the rtionship between them became better.


    Noel, on the other hand, didn''t think this n would work. "No. That''s something you shouldn''t do."


    "Why? Do you hate me that much? I''m sorry¡­ I apologize for what I''ve done. Is there truly no way for you to forgive me?" Anna gritted her teeth, bing frustrated.


    However, Noel remained calm and exined, "That''s not what I mean. After observing you for almost a year, I saw two contrasts of your action. It felt like you were bullying me for a certain reason and when we were on a mission which could be said we''re alone, you would be nice to me.


    "So, I figure out that you have your reason, which might be rted to your parents. In fact, I did have a thought that you actually suggested my family''s extermination and your behaviors were just a part of the n. In other words, you were involved in that n, meaning that every bad thing you did and said to me were just a facade."


    p "Ah!" Anna gasped, realizing her mistake.</anda>


    Noel''s expression became extremely cold as he stared at Anna. "At first, I wanted to apologize for misunderstanding you the whole time since you were just trying to save me and I should feel indebted to it.


    "But looking from your reaction, I could see that you truly wanted to exterminate my family, including me. And it wasn''t a part of the n. It also gave another contrast to your behavior." Noel red at her. "Anna Stargaze. What do you really want from me? You must want to toy with me."


    Anna was covered in cold sweat as Noel misunderstood everything again. She thought, ''I shouldn''t have said anything¡­''

 Chapter 235 Outburst

    "What do you want from me, Anna Stargaze? You must want to toy with me."


    Hearing this question from Noel, she regretted for telling him many things. After all, if she didn''t open her mouth, she wouldn''t be in this situation.


    With the current Noel, he would surely half-believe her no matter what kind of thing she said. But she couldn''t tell him the truth. If she knew the future and Noel would be dependent on it, there would be too much of a problem. She had changed a few stuff and would surely affect the future. If she told him about the future itself, Noel wouldn''t hesitate to use it to his advantage. But what she was scared the most was the future affecting his rational mind.


    Noel now had judging eyes on both the third prince and the royal family. Knowing the truth would give him unnecessary thought to the point it would affect his belief.


    ''But what should I say in this situation?'' Anna thought hard since she didn''t have much time left to respond to Noel''s question. After a while, she opened her mouth. "Can''t someone change? Making a big step of their life?"


    "You can. But what you didpletely was the exact opposite. So, it didn''t make sense."


    "Didn''t make sense, huh? You also don''t make sense too, Noel. How do you know about the Sword Saint Tomb? It''s clearly that you''re ignorant from everything, but you suddenly gain all that knowledge. You even know how to use Runes."


    "¡­" Noel''s expression became cold. "It''s none of your business."


    "None of my business, huh. Then why are you interfering with my business? Is it fun for you to take control of everything?"


    "Your business is interfering with my life and has turned my life upside down."


    "You and I know it¡­ We both know it now that everything is arranged by your father. You wouldn''t even hear me asking for the execution of your parents if not for the n making it blow up."


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes and took a step back. "Fine. I''ll think you have your own secret and you can''t tell me anything about it."


    "Fine¡­ Do you like to toy me that much, Noel?"


    "Toying with you? You''re the one toying with me."


    "I always want to make it up for you because I know I''m in the wrong. But you also have been ying with me this whole time, right? What? You think you''re right because the other party is at fault? You''re the same as me, Noel. The only justification you have is because I''m at fault. Other than that, you''re as evil as me." Anna snorted.


    "And that''s the truth," answered Noel with a poker face.


    "See?" Anna gritted her teeth and pushed Noel to the shelf, cing her hands on the shelf so Noel couldn''t escape. "I''m sick of this. You can be the judge! And now, judge me. What''s my punishment?"


    "¡­" Noel remained silent.<sub> </sub>


    "What''s wrong? Your tongue is tied now?" Anna seemed to have been frustrated after getting a constant pay back from Noel for thest eight months. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at her heart. "Here. Kill me if you think that''s the punishment."


    This was the first time Anna had this kind of outburst. Even Noel felt a bit overwhelmed. Anna shouldn''t have this kind of outburst since he hadn''t done too much to her. However, he didn''t know that Anna had been carrying this emotion from her past life. It had been umting in her heart.


    It was true that she changed because of Noel and she felt grateful for it. However, she was a human, not a punching bag that Noel could do whatever.


    She wasn''t as smart as Noel, so she wanted to be direct.


    "Come on, Noel. Do it right now! This is your chance to kill me." Anna challenged him again by handing the de to him. "Why? Why don''t you pick up this de? It''s not that you don''t want to, right? You simply can''t pick this de?


    "Because I''m still useful to you. When I''m no longer useful, you''re going to cut me down and do whatever you want.


    "What next? Are you going to tell me that I''m ming you for my own fault? Then, because I''m at fault, please punish me. What''s the punishment?


    "You always call me dumb. That''s fine. Because I''m dumb, I need to hear it directly from you, Noel. What do you want to do? Kill me? Do it, why hesitate? Torture? Let''s go to the torture chamber right now!


    "But if you want to know everything, I have the right to remain silent. Just like you who can''t even say anything about your secret, why do you demand it from me. I have agreed not to pry of your secret, so why can''t you do the same?"


    Anna gritted her teeth. She even gave some time for Noel to talk, but no words came out of his mouth. In fact, his mouth was closed the entire time as if he didn''t n to talk.


    It just made Anna even more frustrated. Noel was always like this. In the past life, he would always say, ''You don''t know anything, Anna.''


    It had been a gue in her heart. How could she know it if he didn''t tell her? How could she investigate it when she didn''t even know what Noel was talking about.


    And in this life, Noel had always been doing the same. She could fight some of it due to her past life, but as expected, Noel managed to adapt and change his strategy.


    She never said she didn''t deserve to be med, but when Noel always manipted her mind with this me, the frustration gathered in her heart.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna''s voice became coarse and her eyes reddened. She seemed to almost burst out of tears because of the frustration.


    But ultimately, she felt her body be weak and ced her head on Noel''s chest. "Please say it whatever you want me to do for your forgiveness. I truly want to change and have a good rtionship with you. Please¡­"

 Chapter 236 Embarrassment

    "Please..."


    When hearing that tone filled with frustration, sadness, and helplessness, Noel was stunned. This might be the first time Anna actually let go of her emotion. Whenever she did it, Anna would always brush that matter off.


    Noel would also do the same, but there was an instance where he let go of that emotion. It was in the Sword Saint Tomb. It might also be the trigger for Anna.


    "..." Noel looked at Anna, whose head was resting on his chest. He let out a sigh and gradually reached for her hand. His right hand grabbed the de while his other hand gently assured Anna''s hand to let it go.


    After letting out her emotion, Anna just felt tired and didn''t think much about his action. She let go of the sword and Noel used the chance to ce the sword on the shelf so that there would be no dangerous action could be taken.


    Noel thought Anna was maniptive, but if she could even use this outburst to actually manipte him, he would be tricked by her this whole time. There was no way he could call her dumb.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment and said with a soft tone. "My parents."


    "Mhm?" Anna raised her head and stared at Noel.


    "Help me in finding my parents. Whatever the case, you''re the center of attention of their execution. So, I want you to help me find my parents and get the truth from them. That''s the only way to solve this hatred because they''re the ones knowing the entire thing. Help me find out the truth why you be the center of the execution. If I don''t believe you, you can use the Spirit Oath to make both of us unable to lie," Noel stated with a serious expression.


    "That means..." Anna''s expression brightened.


    "Yeah. You want me to tell you directly, right? There you go. I have given you the condition. But until then, I don''t think I can treat you like what you want."


    Anna clenched her fists as if she had aplished one of her small goals.


    "Don''t think too much. I won''t change no matter how you beg me before that. This time, you can treat it as my apology for never talking to you, who is the rted party. Even in the court, the culprit still has the right to defend himself. So, I should have talked to you."


    "No, it''s fine. I know that you hate me so much. Even if I try to change you, it''s impossible because you have been hiding all that hatred in your heart." Anna shook her head while smiling. "At least, now I have the chance."


    Noel closed his eyes, wondering if this was the right thing to do or not. He sighed and said, "I''m going to get some air."


    He walked away, leaving the library. Anna could only look at him as he left the room because her brain had stopped working after doing all that.


    When Noel closed the door, Anna''s face flushed red as if all the embarrassment from earlier finally struck her.<sub> </sub>


    Her feet felt weak as she dropped to the ground. All the memory of what she did earlier shed in her mind, making Anna clutch her head.


    ''What have I done? Why in the world I did all that? Even though it''s true that I''m frustrated, I am older than him if we count the past life as well. I shouldn''t have done all that!


    ''Is it because I am that frustrated? No, I should be fine for a while. Noel is still a kid and I can understand his anger. Then, why did I tell him all that?''


    Anna couldn''t get a single reason in her mind. She wanted to make a reason but her body rejected that kind of reason.


    She couldn''t help but remember what the Sword Saint said.


    "Beautifully said. You were exactly like my sister and she ended up bing my old friend''s wife."


    "Wife... Noel''s wife?" Anna muttered in a low voice before shaking her head furiously. ''What in the world are you thinking? Bing Noel''s wife? You idiot.''This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna fell silent for a moment because she had another thought. ''But now that I think about it, if I be Noel''s wife, doesn''t that mean I can talk about my reincarnation? If you can''t even trust your husband, then who can you trust? That also means the rtionship between us is good.


    ''That''s right. If I think this way, won''t I be able to fight against Noel too? He pushed me to the wall back in the inn and almost kissed me, and we almost did it on the bed... If I kept pushing, wouldn''t it make Noel be the one to pull back? With that kind of hatred, there''s no way Noel will ept that. Wait a minute, how in the world am I thinking about it? I have reincarnated so I''m older than him!''


    Anna scratched her head, trying to make the thought disappear, but to no avail. Instead, another thought shed in her mind. ''But right now, my body is at the same age...


    ''Still, I remember that in the past life, Noel doesn''t have a single woman in his life despite being surrounded by them.


    ''What the... How in the world this kind of thought even appear in my mind? Is it because I have told him all that earlier?''


    Anna surprisingly became even more frustrated than when she let out that outburst. Her body was twitching as if trying to get rid of that embarrassment.


    She looked around to make sure Noel wasn''t there and caught a glimpse of the book on the table.


    "That... That''s right! Let''s just read the book and forget about this thought. I don''t even know how I coulde up with those thoughts too. It''s truly ridiculous. Haha... ha... ha..." Anna walked back to her chair staggeringly. Even her hands were shaking when holding the book.


    In the end, she covered her face with her hands while muttering. "Maybe... I really... shouldn''t have said anything."

 Chapter 237 Thoughts

    Outside.


    Noel was walking in the hallway. His face was distorted a bit as his mind was crazy with all the thoughts. The cause was none other than Anna''s outburst.


    ''I have been thinking Anna to be the executor of my family. That''s why I hate her to the bone. But now, my feelings are mixed. On the one hand, my parents are still alive and all this situation are created by my father. On the other hand, what am I supposed to feel now?''


    The outburst kept shing in his mind. If Anna was just a mere pawn that his father had arranged, he didn''t know whether to hate her anymore or not. After all, he had been clinging into this anger for the past eight months. So, he felt weird because that feeling was forcefully taken away.


    ''I might have been unfair to her¡­'' Noel scratched the back of his head. ''But at the same time, I believe that my father didn''t do this for nothing. He must have a hidden purpose. Then, why did my father put Anna as the target of my hatred even though her father is his best friend?


    ''Ardagan, do you have any idea about this? Well, it''s not like you''re going to tell me anyway.'' Noel stopped and leaned on the wall.


    ''Let''s think about it again. First of all, my parents are taking the third prince''s side while Marquis Stargaze is taking the king''s side because of their rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    ''Then, the third prince lost in the election and Marquis Stargaze asked the king to spare me. If the situation is reversed, Anna will be in my position and his father will be missing. Then, I''ll most likely be the target of Anna''s hatred.


    ''But in this situation, I won''t have Ardagan and Anna has all that talent to kill me. I doubt I willst this long if our situation is reversed. In other words, the reverse is not nned because the n is bound to fail that way. So, my parents know that the third prince was going to lose, so they went to that side? Or did they the one who caused the third prince to lose? I don''t know about this.


    ''Either way, I was sent to the Demon Banner Army, which was created by my ancestor. There were not much clue I could find in the stronghold, but it seems that Dimitri has been protecting me this whole time. I have faced many life and death battles, but he must have felt whether the rescue will being or not. When the result is that I will be fine, he won''te out.


    ''Well, I don''t think Dimitri is a big piece in this n. What I should be thinking right now is the hidden room in the treasury as well as my trip to the Ezenholm Family.


    ''With how themander urged me to visit the Ezenholm Family even though it was the neighboring kingdom, it meant themander might know something about this. But can I ask him all this because it would mean he would be suspicious of me. I don''t know if I can trust him since he''s the third prince''s man.<sub> </sub>N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ''Then, how about the Ezenholm Family? Only Grandfather who seems to know many things about my family situation because he''s the only one investigating the family. Did he know something about this entire n and just acted that way so that I didn''t find the truth? There were too many questions¡­


    ''Andst but not least, the Sword Saint. The Sword Saint is my ancestry uncle and he''s from the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family. If we''re talking about the family tree alone, it means I''m also a part of the royalty of the Greenwood Kingdom. But I don''t think the royal family will think the same way. After all, the lineage of the Sword Saint has been cut and his sister, the royal princess married my ancestor. The current lineage of the royal family muste from other princes or princesses.


    ''But the problem is the connection¡­ what kind of connection do all these points have? I can''t find a single reason that connects all of them. Do I miss something?''


    Noel thought hard to see if he missed any clue or whatsoever. But Anna''s outburst shed in his mind again.


    ''Why do I keep thinking of her? I do feel a bit bad because of how I treat her. I can justify my action when I don''t know this is my father''s n, but now that I know that my parents are still alive somewhere¡­''


    Noel let out a long sigh, feeling stressed by this feeling. However, he suddenly fell into deep thought as if he noticed something. ''Wait a minute. Why should I hate Anna? My father nned that I should hate Anna since she was the culprit and Marquis Stargaze should stop the rumor from spreading.


    ''Yet, they actually made Anna to be the biggest person in this n as if they want me to go to her to seek revenge. Does that mean Anna is actually the eye of this storm? He wants me to go to Anna for a reason and what''s the reason for it?''


    If Anna was actually thinking with him, she would also get suspicious because Noel harassed her in the previous life. But she also had that one memory where Noel had sadness and relief when he fell from a cliff.


    Anna would think that Noel was bound to learn this sooner orter. Yet, when the hatred had diminished, Noel actually didn''t stop harassing her. There should be a reason why Noel acted that way.


    ? However, this was their current life. Anna was unaware of Noel''s train of thought while Noel didn''t know what Anna had experienced. They were clueless to what was happening until Noel thought of a n.


    ''If my father wants Anna to be in the spotlight, it means that she''s the clue that I need for this entire situation. Then, I should take advantage of this situation to find the entire truth.'' Noel suddenly rushed back to the library and said, "Anna. Let''s get married."

 Chapter 238 Misunderstanding Solved?

    "Anna Stargaze. Let''s get married."


    Anna, who was still distracted by her own weird thought, dropped her jaw to the ground. "Wha¡ªWhat are you saying?"


    "I have been thinking about why you''re in the spotlight instead of your father covering you. Hence, I conclude that you''re the center of attention for a reason. It''s to make me go to you with all kinds of intention. In other words, if I want to solve this problem, you''re the biggest clue I have."


    "I can understand that, but why are you asking me to get married?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. Her face reddened due to her thoughts but she also felt disappointed when Noel didn''t even show any emotion from that ce.


    "This is the most simple solution. Everyone expect that Ie to you with hatred because of what you''ve done. So, I''m going to use the reverse psychology to drag them out. They will surely be surprised if I marry you, causing them toe out of their hiding ce," Noel exined carefully.


    "You bastard. Do you understand what you''re saying right now?" Anna gritted her teeth and pointed her de at his neck. "I have been fighting with my talent to escape political marriage this whole time and you think you can use me like that?"


    "I don''t." Noel shook his head. "Well, that''s just me trying to create a situation where we can use each other. I''ll be using you to investigate my parents whereabout while you can take advantage of that opportunity to what you''ve been doing."


    "I don''t like that idea. No matter how hard you''re trying to convince me, I''m not going to do it." Anna snorted.


    "Of course, I don''t expect you to agree. Even I don''t believe how I can even suggest that kind of idea. But I think you get the idea¡­ What I''m trying to say here is I want to drag them out by using the reverse psychology. If there''s a need of hatred between us, then we cane with the exact opposite of that." Noel shook his head.


    Anna squinted her eyes, feeling something wrong. She reached the same conclusion that Noel actually harassed her for a reason in the past life.


    ''Wait a moment. If the hatred is bound to diminish, then why did he kept doing that in the past life? This doesn''t make sense. Was he trying to change me because I was too horrible in my past life? I was like those sheltered nobles who thoughtmoners as animals that could be ughtered as I liked.


    ''And after he managed to change me, he was going to marry me to drag them out? If that''s the case, even if Noel seeded in the rebellion, he had yet to find his parents?


    ''In fact, if Noel seeded in his rebellion and the betrayal never happened, I would have been a prisoner of war. When that happened, Noel would marry me or something like that?'' Anna''s thoughts became even weirder.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    It might be the influence from her weird thoughts earlier, but she truly didn''t know why she reached this kind of conclusion. She thought it must be because Noel presented that absurd idea.


    However, she didn''t like this idea. She gritted her teeth and red at Noel. "Anyway, I won''t be doing any of your n. I don''t like it a bit. I avoid political marriage so that I can marry my future spouse after we love each other. So, I don''t want to do whatever you''re nning!"


    Noel nodded calmly. "I know that because I feel the same. Either way, my point is not about the marriage, but how to drag them out of their hiding ce. You can forget about the marriage or whatsoever."


    "¡­" Anna couldn''t believe how Noel even suggested this idea and how easy for him to tell her to forget about it. In fact, she felt Noel change a bit. It might be because of her outburst earlier, but Noel surely seemed weird right now. "So, what''s your n to drag them out? My father?"<sub> </sub>


    "No. Your father is monitored closely, so I don''t think he can move."


    "Then, if my father can''t, are we going to move by ourselves?"


    "That''s probably the n. Though, I also have a different option, which is to use my mother''s family."


    "Your mother''s family? Are you also going to use your rtionship with your ancestry?"


    "Do you think they''ll believe that?"


    "Not at all."


    "But if they actually believe that¡­" Anna suddenly fell silent before thinking of a person. "Wait a minute. Do you know that Kirika in our generation is actually a noble from the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    "Huh?" Noel was taken aback by this information. After all, a noble from the Greenwood Kingdom wasn''t supposed to be in the Demon Banner Army, unless she had a certain purpose. Kirika was quite talented herself, making Anna doubt that she was there to help Noel because of his ancestry.


    Noel still couldn''t believed what he''d just heard. "What did you say?"


    "Kirika Loetzel. Are you aware of that name?" Anna also had her own suspicion, thinking the Greenwood Kingdom was nning to help Noel through Kirika. After all, the runes that Noel had written down was rted to the Spirit Enchantment book that had been protected by the royal family of the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Kirika Loetzel¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, recalling all the information about the Greenwood Kingdom. He arrived in his memory about a banquet held by a certain noble in the Greenwood Kingdom.


    He actually met a unique girl that seemed to be left out by the rest. "Ah, is she that overweight girl?"


    "Overweight girl?" Anna''s face was distorted,pletely confused.


    "Mhm¡­" Noel exined about his encounter during that night and ended the story with, "So, I believe that Kirika is just trying to repay me or something? I think I''d heard someone inquiring my information from my father¡­ I didn''t pay attention back then, so I never knew the truth. But I think I should believe this is the case?"


    "Wait, so that means she just wants to thank you?" Anna couldn''t help but remember Kirika''s hostility and her misunderstanding of Kirika''s hatred. ''Does that mean I''ve been misunderstanding it this whole time?''


    However, there was one more thing that Anna missed. She missed how synchronize they were by thinking about the same thing... marriage.

 Chapter 239 Questions

    "Regardless of her intention, I have to visit her personally to talk to her." Noel shook his head. "In any case, thank you for telling me this information."


    "No, it''s just a simple name."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded his head and paused for a moment. "If that''s the case, then I''ll tell you one more thing. It''s about the investigation."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you going to take me out of the investigation? I''m determined to solve this mystery too since I''m involved, no, I''m in the center of the storm itself."


    "That''s what I want to ask you. If you wish to investigate, there is a ce you might want to visit."


    "My family? Should I ask my father about this?"


    "No. It''s not your family. It''s the royal family!"


    "!!!" Anna gulped down. Noel saying this was not without a reason. There was a connection between the Stargaze Family and the Royal Family, so she going there was better than Noel.


    She looked down, contemting. ''Wait a minute. If I can solve the hatred before that, is it possible to stop the rebellion?''


    "Though, there is one problem." Noel raised his finger.


    "A problem?"


    "Yes. You are now an Apprentice Knight of the Demon Banner Army."


    "Ah!" Anna facepalmed. It was mandatory that a knight from the Demon Banner Army to serve for a few years. The only way to escape the service would be failing to graduate in the first year. But that would also give a huge impact to her reputation, considering people knew her to be a genius. People would doubt her if she was talented or not.


    They could im that she might have a good conversion rate but not have the talent for fighting. It would also stain the Stargaze Family''s reputation, especially after she sent herself here.


    "¡­" Anna closed her eyes, trying to find a solution. "This is indeed hard."


    "Though, there is an opportunity for you to get out of the service."


    "What is it?"


    "Help me die."


    "Help you what?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was the first time someone wanted her help to die. In her past life, she was always the one to kill and those people must be unwilling to die. Yet, Noel actually wanted to die?<sub> </sub>


    "Hahaha, I confused you a bit." Noel chuckled, pleased with Anna''s dumbfounded expression. "What I mean about dying is just a facade. I want to fake my own death."


    "Ah!" Anna let out a sigh of relief. She remembered that Noel also used his second identity back then. His death was also much faster because of the Ancient Demon Tree, but since the people knew him to be the one killing the Ancient Demon Tree with her, it was impossible to use the second identity that fast. She truly had changed the future.


    "Yes. I''m going to tell you the concrete n after graduation since I can''t see the way to die yet. So, I guess we''ll be together for another few months¡­"


    "Sure. I don''t mind." Anna nodded with a smile. "That''s right. I also want to ask you something."


    "What is it?"


    Anna remembered about Kirika, so she tried to ask this question without pointing the culprit. "For example, there is someone who wants to create chaos in the Demon Banner Army by killing a thousand knights of the Demon Banner Army, what do you think the purpose of that person? Also, the method of killing is controlling numerous demons."


    "Controlling numerous demons? Killing a thousand knights?" Noel didn''t understand what she was talking about. But controlling the demons reminded him of the mission that asked them to kill the bandits who controlled the demons.


    "No, wait. Are you possibly trying to imply that the enemy is able to control a more powerful demons. Now that I think about it, the bandits can easily control the Low Level Demons¡­ You told me that the culprit is someone from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "If I need to connect them, all I can say is that the bandits are simply causing distraction and the real attack will be delivered by those higher ranking demons. With the loss of a thousand knights, I''m afraid that the Demon Banner Army will be panicked.


    "Every year, the people who graduate from the Demon Banner Army''s enlistment program is around fifty to a hundred. That''s basically ten to twenty years of effort. The Demon Banner Army is not that many, but they''re certainly a group of experts, so if they lose that many, I''m afraid that the Demon Banner Army will be weakened severely. Their influence will shrink more than a half, leaving a huge hole in the kingdom''s defense."


    Noel exined the entire situation explicitly, so Anna could understand. And Anna was stunned because the prediction was so urate that it was beyond belief. What happened in the past life was exactly like this. More and more problems started to appear inside the kingdom.


    On the one hand, Anna wanted to prevent this from happening. On the other hand, she didn''t want to change the history that much.


    ''No. I havee back to the past to change my history. Like how I want to change Noel, I also want to change the fate of the people. If I allow the chaos toe, tens of thousands of people are going to die.'' Anna clenched her fists.


    Seeing her reaction, it seemed that Anna had something in her mind. Noel couldn''t help but feel curious. "Why are you talking about it? Do you happen to know the future?"


    "Who knows? There is someone investigating it right now, so I don''t dare to say anything. I''m speaking just hypothetically, so you don''t have to pay any mind. Though, now that we''re done with the investigation, should we go back to the base?"


    Noel stared at her for a while, noticing that she wouldn''t budge with this one. He ended up sighing and said, "Sure. Let''s go back tomorrow."


    "Mhm." Anna nodded. "Let me store all these books first."


    "Alright." Noel walked away. Although he was prepared for this, he had to leave this mansion again, the ce filled with his childhood memory. He couldn''t help but want to wander around to fill his loneliness.

 Chapter 240 Original Sword Style

    During the night, Noel finally returned to his room and found Anna waiting for him on the bed as if a wife waiting for her husband. However, that was definitely not the case here.


    Anna simply wanted to sleep in this ce because she had no other room to use. Last night, Anna sneaked into his bed, so today, he felt a bit weird to think about sleeping on the same bed as her.


    "Are you done? Let''s get some sleep since it''ll be much faster to pass the time."


    "¡­" Noel closed his eyes, trying hard to maintain his calm. If this was anyone else, they would jump to the bed right away since they were going to sleep with a beauty. In fact, they might even do something more than that.


    But Noel was different. The hatred in his heart was forcefully removed by his father''s letter, making him feel a bit awkward. He had been clinging to that anger this whole time, yet, it ended up as a misunderstanding. Even he wanted to know the answer to that emptiness. That was why he felt weird out.


    Noel sighed and turned around as if he didn''t n to go back to this room.


    "Wait, wait. Where are you going?"


    "I''m going to train. I have too many things in my mind, so I have to sort it out." Noel shook his head helplessly.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Is it not because you''re going to sleep with a beauty like me?" Anna smirked, teasing Noel. After this, Noel would surely turn back and challenge her again.


    To her surprise, it didn''t happen. Noel simply shrugged his shoulders while walking away. "You can think of it that way. I don''t care."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless. The change in Noel was simply too big. She could only blink her eyes a few times, staring at the door which had been closed.


    "Well, I think I can understand a bit¡­" Anna muttered while scratching the back of her head. "Noel has been burying all that anger in his heart. I could see it in the Sword Saint Tomb. And that kind of hatred is forcibly removed in an instant. Obviously, his feeling isplicated right now.


    "I don''t know whether this will be good to me or not. There are too many things to consider, but I guess this is the first step." Anna sighed. She thought about it and decided to leave the room as well, wondering where Noel trained.


    After a while, she found Noel standing next to the tree on the backyard.


    Noel was closing his eyes for a moment before hitting the tree. Three leaves suddenly fell from the tree as Noel''s sharp eyes opened.


    "This is¡­" Anna widened her eyes while looking at him through the window.<sub> </sub>


    When Noel swung his sword, the first leaf was split into half cleanly. Meanwhile, the second leaf was cut a bit but the sword ended up bouncing off the leaf. Thest leaf was blown away by the wind when the sword was about to strike it.


    "Isn''t this Noel''s original sword style? Everchanging Emotion Sword Style." Anna gasped. "The first swing contains his anger as he slices his enemy without mercy. The second swing contains joy, so the swing is made to protect. As for thest swing, it contains his calmness.


    "Still, he must have just practiced it since it''s very iplete. In fact, this is a kind to initial stage. Back when I fought against Noel, his swings were much sharper than this.


    "The anger won''t only slice you up but also crush everything around it. If he swings his sword, the leaf that has been cut in half will disappear as if being burned by his anger.


    "For the second swing, the leave will certainly not hurt that leave even if he swings with his full strength. That sword is sharp, but even with that sword and his full strength, if Noel applies this, the one who is going to be cut won''t even feel a single change as if the sh never happens.


    "Lastly, the calmness will direct something like the flow of a river. In the past life, Noel used this swing to direct the enemy''s attack away like when blocking or repelling one''s Spiritual Ability.


    "If I''m not wrong, Noel has ten big emotions. Fear, anger, shame, contempt, disgust, guilt, distress, interest, surprise, and joy. Each represent their own unique way of sword.


    "Also, he has two different elements in his body. Fire and Ice¡­ it''s the exact opposite, which is quite useful for his emotions. If he is using Joy and Fire, it''ll be like a hot, fiery love. He''ll be extremely passionate about something. If he is using Joy and Ice, it''ll be a tough love, transmitting the emotion to improve. This swordsmanship is truly amazing."


    "Still, to think he has reached this step so soon¡­ Well, why do I have to be surprised with this? Noel has been able to keep up with my pace as a reincarnated person. His talent is extraordinary and seems to be stronger depending on the person he chases after. But now, Noel has lost his reason to kill me, right? Is this bad?" Anna fell silent. She wondered if her desire actually forced Noel to be weaker.


    Anna ended up watching Noel''s practice the whole night from the second floor. Noel''s original sword style was too mesmerizing for her to see.


    Each swing contained a meaning and his emotion. Before making each swing, Noel had always an imagination in his mind since he learned this ability from the Sword Saint.


    The Imaginary Battlefield was indeed extremely helpful for his development.


    When the dawn came, Noel took a deep breath to calm his heart while looking at the second floor as if he had noticed Anna from the beginning.


    He sighed and walked back into the mansion to return everything to its previous state, including locking the doors and returning the key, so that no one would know this mansion had been infiltrated.

 Chapter 241 Mission

    Since there was nothing they had to do in the mansion, they immediately returned to the Demon Banner Army headquarter. Due to the distance, it took them two weeks to reach the army.


    On the way, Noel focused in sorting out his emotions because itpletely confused him in the mansion.


    Of course, after leaving the mansion, Noel reminded her of something important.


    "By the way, aren''t you supposed to tell me about the Fire Bird Nest and Body Strengthening Liquid?"


    "Ah, you''re right." Anna nodded with a serious expression. "Fire Bird Nest is like the name implies. It''s located in the Demon Territory and you should be able to go there to find the Fire Bird Nest.


    "There is one thing that you need to prepare against the Fire Bird. Do you know about Spirit Levels?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, to put it simply, you have to reach Spirit Master to fight the Fire Bird since it is a Peak Level Demon. So, I guess you have to wait for another year to go there."


    "What''s the specialty of the Fire Bird? I don''t think the Sword Saint asked you to give away that information for no reason."


    "I know. Aside from the Demon Crystal, you''ll like to have the bird''s heart because it contains a ferocious me. That''s the most important thing if we''re talking about the fire bird." Anna exined but didn''t say anything about why Noel needed fire bird''s heart, considering it was only good for a spirit with fire element. From this alone, his identity as someone with two elements had been revealed.


    But the Sword Saint had seen Anna''s memory, so he was already aware of Anna''s reincarnation. There was no need for them to hide it anymore.


    "I see. So, there is such a thing." Noel nodded. "What about the other one?"


    "The Body Strengthening Liquid?" Anna thought for a moment. "There is nothing much about this Body Strengthening Liquid. Even if you go now, you should be able to get it. The Body Strengthening Liquid is a concentrated liquid that has beenpressed naturally. I don''t know about the specification of the liquid itself, but if you bathe in it, it can strengthen your body.


    "As for the location of those two, the Fire Bird Nest is located Northwest of Lelelei Fort and the Body Strengthening Liquid is hidden underneath the Geolythic Mountain. There should be a cave leading to that area."


    "I see." Noel narrowed his eyes and asked, "What if we fight the Fire Bird together?"


    "Fighting the Fire Bird together? But this is your reward. I don''t intend to take part in it." Anna shook her head. "Besides, fighting against the Fire Bird is hard, even for me. I don''t think we''ll be able to do that before you''re moving with your second identity. So, I don''t think I''ll go with you this time."


    "Fair enough. Then, let''s go to the Body Strengthening Liquid."


    "Listen here¡­ I have¡ª"


    Noel shook his head, stopping her words. "I should bath in this liquid, right? It means the liquid itself won''t lose its efficacy after a single bath or you can say, it will still give that effect even after someone using it. Hence, it''s better to bring an additional person."


    "But that''s your reward!"


    "Yeah. That''s why I''m inviting you here."


    "Huh? Why would you invite me?"


    "Although it makes me smile to get stronger than you, overpower you, and bully you continuously, I have thought about the bigger picture. If you get stronger, you can help me more when searching about the truth."<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Anna felt silent, never expecting Noel to ask her personally. After all, this was unthinkable to the previous Noel who had been burying that hatred in his heart. It was also the sign of Noel''s change. It might be forced, but Anna actually didn''t mind the current him.


    It was quite awkward to see Noel like this, but everything could be solved with time.


    "So, are you going or not?"


    "Of course, I''m going since you''ve gone all the way to invite me." Anna epted it without hesitation.


    "Alright then."


    [Mission has been registered.]


    [Mission: Defeat the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Description: Go to the Northwest of Lelelei Fort and kill the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Reward: 49 SP and One with me Medal]


    [Penalty: Someone gets it.]


    [Mission: Body Strengthening Liquid]


    [Description: Go to the Geolythic Mountain with Anna Stargaze and bath in the Body Strengthening Liquid]


    [Reward: Sword Aura +3 Level and 20 SP]


    [Penalty: Someone gets it.]


    Noel could see that the mission had been finalized after his will. It seemed that Noel could understand the mission system a bit.


    When Anna first told him about the information about the Sword Saint Tomb, it was clear that Anna had ced herself as one of the explorers. That was why the mission would be together with Anna and immediately notified to him.


    The Ancient Demon Tree mission was simr. It was finalized and given to him directly. He went there with Anna because Anna was an anomaly at that time. Now that Anna wasn''t a stranger anymore, Ardagan could update the system ordingly.


    With this, he had confirmed that he could put some conditions before Ardagan finalized the missions. If he simply epted the information for himself, the mission would be given just for him. But Noel had asked Anna to go with him, so the mission became rted to her. That was why the Fire Bird Mission was only for him and the Body Strengthening Liquid mission was together with Anna.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile because he indeed had some influences in the system itself. Depending on how he used it, this system could perfectly match his preference.


    Though, he wondered whether his ancestor had known about this or not, considering he didn''t tell anything in the book. Considering the ancestor considered Ardagan as a living spirit, he should have found out about it. The reason why he didn''t tell anything about it because he wanted theter generation to find it out themselves, making a system unique only to them.


    Thinking about this couldn''t help but put a smile on his face.


    However, Anna was unaware of his thought and misunderstood his smile. She thought Noel was just happy that they could go together.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 242 Invitation

    "We have finished our mission." Noel and Anna stood in front of Shale, reporting.


    "Mhm." Shale nodded and recorded their achievements and asked, "By the way, I apologize since I am talking about this after you juste back. I know that you''re tired, but do you think you can go for another mission?"


    "Mhm?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "It''s surprising to find you asking us like this, Instructor." Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "You two are currently the strongest pair in this generation. I don''t know the extent of your ability, but considering you can handle an Advanced Level Demon, you should be able to do this mission. No, even if you can''t do it, you two should be able to escape to get some help."


    "What''s the situation, Sir Shale?" Noel asked.


    "Do you know Kirika and Lokhar?"


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks and nodded. "Yes, we do."


    "We sent them on a mission a month ago. But we still received no information about them."


    "Aren''t they spending their free time? I believe other than the requirement, we''re free to do anything we want," Anna replied with a calm expression.


    "The problem is¡­ there is no proof about their missionpletion when the time limit should be up a week ago. The ce is not that far, so the letter should have arrived by now."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna widened their eyes in shock.


    "To be honest, I was about to send a letter to the Demon Banner Army branch around that area to notify them about their conditions. Although I know that candidates can die during the mission, we''re not going to let you die easily. So, I''m trying to figure out what happens."


    ''Did Kirika fall into a trap at a time like this? Now that I think about it, the incident that caused numerous knights'' deaths is only six months away¡­ Don''t tell me this incident is rted to the Supreme Devil Organization?'' Anna came to a realization. "I think we should take this mission."


    "!!!" Noel was taken aback by Anna''s agreement. Seeing how she agreed to this so easily meant she had some information about it.


    Noel asked, "So, where is the area and what''s the mission?"


    "The mission is infiltration. This is the detail." Shale gave the mission information.


    Mission: Heinsforth Warehouse Infiltration


    Description: There is some rumors about the warehouse storing a mysterious substance. Investigate the rumor.


    "This is¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "If you have this kind of mission, shouldn''t you just have to give it to Captain Septa?"


    Shale shook his head. "No. We are providing you with a wide range of missions to check your interest in the Demon Banner Army as well as your capability. For example, if you excel in espionage mission, you''re going to report to Septa''s squad after the graduation. If you focus on extermination, you''re going to be under me and so on.


    "In other words, these missions are the measurement on how you are going to be ced after graduation."


    "So, that''s why the requirement is to have five group missions and five individual missions. And the fact that we have a free time other than that¡­" Noel closed his eyes, understanding everything.


    "Yes. It''s all for your assessment. Don''t forget that you are still an Apprentice Knight, so your talent has to be assessed first before bing a full-fledged knight. Of course, don''t tell anyone about this. You two can know it because I already know where you''re going to be cedter."


    "That''s true." Noel nodded with a serious expression.<sub> </sub>


    "I can understand the Individual Mission, but what''s the rtion with our specialty with the Group Mission? I mean, it''s a group mission, right?"


    "There are two!" Noel raised two fingers. "The first is to assess the group''s overall prowess. For example, if one of them has a good martial prowess while the other one is good at espionage, they can see how good they are able to coordinate in a wide variety of mission, which reflects the group''s overall prowess.


    "The second one will be to influence the other party. Just like the first example, what if the first guy actually has a talent in espionage, but because he has been trained as the former, he never goes to that field, resulting in him not discovering his true talent."


    "Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. "I see."


    "Well, since Anna said that we have to ept this mission, then we''ll take it."


    "Good. If it turns out they''re fine, I''ll still record your contribution. At the very least, I''ll make sure that you finish a single individual mission for investigating yourrades."


    "Understood." Noel nodded calmly.


    "When are we going to leave?" Anna asked.


    "The time limit is quite low, so we''re going to depart three hours from now. I want to restock our supply and some other things."


    "Understood."


    "Then, please excuse us," said Noel to Shale as he walked away to prepare for their next mission.


    Before Noel left, Shale called him. "Noel!"


    "Yes?"


    "After graduation, do you want toe to my unit?"


    "Is that an order?"


    "No. It''s an invitation."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Shale actually scouted him because of his ability and judgment.


    "There is a hidden reason why captains of Demon Banner Army has to take role as an instructor every year. It''s also an opportunity to scout talented recruits for their own army."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "So, there is a reason like that¡­" Anna nodded in understanding. Noel obviously knew the meaning of this invitation. Shale had recognized his talent, even more than her who couldn''t even receive his invitation.


    However, Noel ended up shaking his head and said, "I apologize, Sir Shale. I am thankful for your guidance this whole time, but I have a squad in mind."


    "Demon Relief Squad?" Shale narrowed his eyes.


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Tsk. I guess I lose to that bastard, Raymond." Shale clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Anyway, do well with the rest of your missions. I will send a letter to that guy to take care of you or I''ll snatch you from him."


    "Thank you." Noel politely bowed to him before walking away.

 Chapter 243 Plan

    "Another mission, huh." Anna yawned while stretching her body, waiting for Noel toe to the gate. She hadn''t gone to her room for months, so she would have to clean itter. "Still, is this rted to the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    Anna muttered while contemting. However, a gentle voice soon echoed in her ears.


    "So, you don''t know the whole thing?"


    "!!!" Anna turned around and saw Noel sneaking up on her. "You¡­ What are you doing?"


    "Nothing." Noel shrugged. "Anyway, we have to be fast this time around, considering those guys might not have much time left."


    "Yes, I know." Anna nodded and got on her horse. "Let''s go."


    Noel smiled and rode the horse next to her as they rushed to the city where Kirika and Lokhar werest seen.


    On the way, Anna couldn''t help but feel a bit curious about what Noel had said earlier. "Say, Noel. Are you truly going to the Demon Relief Squad instead of Demon Extermination Squad?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded without hesitation. "Though, for our n, I do want to ask you to follow me there."


    "Do you know what it means to be in the Demon Relief Squad?"


    "Of course, I know." Noel smiled. "The Demon Relief Squad is always on the move because they have many people to save. The Demon Relief Squad''s purpose is to go to deal with the demons that will help the people. In other words, they''re like the guards of the kingdom.


    "Meanwhile, the Demon Extermination Squad is focusing on the front line, trying to expand the territory. It''s interesting, but it''s not my thing.


    "If I''m in the Demon Extermination Squad, I can only kill the demons. But if I''m in the Demon Relief Squad, I can kill demons as well as save people." Noel exined his reason while adding inwardly, ''The squad is perfect for me to earn more points. Hahaha.''


    Though, Anna didn''t know his true motive. She misunderstood his action for the goodwill and looked at Noel in admiration. "Noel, you¡­"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    She could understand why Noel was able to save so many people. Noel was actually a good guy in heart. If there was no hatred between them, he could do much more for the people. Yet, it was her stupid decision that turned him against her.


    ''Back then, we were on the opposite side. And in this life, we''re on the same side. I wonder what will happen now that we''re on the same side.. No, to what extent Noel can go in a situation like this¡­ I can''t help but feel excited.'' Anna muttered inwardly.


    "Sure. I''ll join you in the Demon Relief Squad. Though, that instructor is going to be mad after this since the best pair in the generation are going to the Demon Relief Squad instead of his squad."


    Noel shrugged because he had chosen his path.


    "Anyway, what do you know abut the mission?" Noel asked.


    "Hmm¡­" Anna contemted a bit while looking at the detail of the mission Shale gave them earlier. "ording to the information, the target of our infiltration mission this time is a brothel¡­ What?"


    "Brothel?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "Continue."


    "The rumor say that many men who visited the brothel went missing."<sub> </sub>


    "Hoh, interesting. I should probably go there myself."


    "Noel!" Anna gritted her teeth, ring at Noel. "Are you serious? Going to the brothel?"


    "Why are you so angry? It''s to infiltrate that ce, right? I''ll just act like them and go there." Noel shrugged. "Now that I think about it, I don''t have much money. Well, I never had any needed for money¡­"


    "You''re trying to hire a woman without money." Annaughed as if she was truly happy that Noel couldn''t do it.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Noel shook his head helplessly. "Anyway, since I don''t have money, you give me some."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. After all, this felt like a husband and wife quarrel because the husband wanted to go to a brothel and asked his wife for money.


    "Instead of that, I have another suggestion for you." Anna sighed. "How about I be the girl instead? This way, we don''t need money."


    "You?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows before suddenly thinking a bright idea. "Ah, now that you think about it, it''s a good idea."


    "A good idea?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "So, what''s the n?"


    "I''m going to enter the brothel through the usual way and find a girl there. Meanwhile, youe from the window or whatever and drag me from the waiting room to the bedroom before the girl I aske in. With this, we can sessfully enter the room. Using that as an excuse, we''re going to go around the floor to find any clue about Kirika and Lokhar."


    "I see. That''s an option as well." Anna nodded in understanding.


    "Good. That''s the basic n. If we don''t have any clue, just kidnap one of the girls¡­ Or maybe I should go to the room with that girl instead and you knock her out to interrogate her?"


    "That''s also another n. I guess we have to see what kind of brothel it is first?"


    "Yeah. For now, that''s the base n. We''ll discuss it again after we arrive. Also, is there anything you''d like to say about the mission itself?"


    Anna thought for a moment and said, "It might be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "They are everywhere, eh¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Yes. Their low ranking members are easy to find but the high ranking members are hard to find because their tattoos are hidden. The low ranking members are used for the advertisement¡­ I mean, they''re going to scare the people or make them feel relieved by the sight of them. Meanwhile, the high ranking people do the things in the shadows. That''s why they''re extremely dangerous."


    "I see." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "In that case, there must be a hidden room or something. That much is required for their operation¡­ And it''s most likely where they put all the kidnapped people in."

 Chapter 244 Awkward Acting

    Since the town wasn''t that far from them, Anna and Noel arrived at their destination within three days. Since it would be bad if they caught up because they had just arrived, Noel suggested them to go to an inn and wash their bodies.


    They couldn''t easily enter the brothel because of their age, but Noel could still act like a useless young noble that wanted to do anything he liked, including indulging in pleasure.


    Meanwhile, Anna would infiltrate through another way.


    Of course, infiltrating on the very first day they came in would be bad. Hence, they decided to investigate the brothel first, especially on how they worked.


    This time, Noel and Anna grouped up in the red-light district.


    "Is this the only way?" Anna asked while hugging Noel''s arm.


    "Yeah. This ce is only for couple." Anna nodded and pointed to the front.


    They could see that most of them were actually couple.


    "The red-light district doesn''t offer only brothel after all¡­ There are also ces for them to indulge in their fantasy."


    "That''s how it is. So, we''re going to pretend as one just to pass this street. Look, I won''t get caught by those girls from the brothel too if we do this."


    Anna nced at the girls in front of the brothel who were seducing the single men that tried to pass the street to bring them in. She could see the reason but she still felt embarrassed acting like this with Noel.


    ''Did this guy never have a heart movement? I''m embarrassed here since this is the first time for me. No wonder he had no woman in his previous life.'' Anna red at Noel.


    "What?" Noel asked with a poker face.


    "Nothing. Let''s go." Anna harrumphed.


    "Sure." Noel nodded as he walked slowly.


    "Why don''t you say something here, Noel?" Anna asked.


    "Saying something? Ah. What am I supposed to say anyway?"


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched. "Don''t tell me, you don''t have any knowledge about this?"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "Other than reading some books,zying around, and listening to some lessons, I haven''t done anything."


    "¡­" Anna seemed to have misunderstood him. It wasn''t that he was cold. He was just inexperienced in this matter. "Then, I''ll lead this time."


    Anna had a huge smile on her face and asked, "What are we going to do tonight?"


    "I''ll let you do whatever you want tonight." Noel smiled, trying to y along. While he was looking at Anna, he was also investigating the people from the brothel.


    "Is that so? What should I do with you." Anna chuckled as she pointed at the bench not far away. "How about we sit there first? I''m a bit tired."


    "Sure." Noel nodded.


    They didn''t realize that since both of them didn''t have any experience in this, they were a bit awkward.


    It truly came out of nowhere. In fact, Noel wouldn''t ever suggest this idea if not for the clues from his family mansion. But he hadn''t epted Anna either. That was why this became a bit too awkward.


    "We''re only walking for two minutes and I feel tired." Noel sighed while lowering his head as if he was ashamed by this result.


    Anna chuckled. "Now I can find your weakness. It seems that you''re weak for something like this."<sub> </sub>


    "Not at all. I often walk with my maid."


    "Then, is it because you''re walking with a beauty like me?" Anna made a smug smile.


    "Well, you might say that way." Noel made a small smile, admitting it.


    Anna was startled. She blinked a few times, stunned by Noel''s reply.


    "Haha." Noelughed at her reaction.


    In that instant, Anna realized that Noel was acting. "You¡­ you teased me."


    "Thanks to your awkward lead, I can kinda understand our situation. We have never pretended or role y as a couple, so why bother to do it right now? Just be ourselves." Noel chuckled, whispering to Anna so that no one could hear it.


    "You¡­ Do you know what you''re saying?"


    "Of course, that''s precisely why. Just act like usual and people will think we''re flirting." Noel shrugged.


    "No way."


    "But don''t forget where we are right now."


    "Huh?" Anna looked around and understood Noel''s words. "Ah."


    Although they weren''t really a friend usually, their simple discussion looked that way since Noel buried that hatred in his heart this whole time. With the fact they were a pair, they truly looked like a friend.


    And this ce was no different. If they acted usual like a friend, the red-light district would turn their atmosphere to a romantic one. So, even if they talked like usual and had fun together, the people thought they were in a date and flirted as usual.


    Noel smiled and said, "Alright. I know where to go."


    "Oh?!" Anna was confused but Noel grabbed her hand and dragged her somewhere.


    Noel took the lead this time as they visited a ce not far from the brothel. It was actually a clothing store, but unlike a normal clothing store, this store had all kinds of lingeries or dress for the night.


    "So, you want to go here?" Anna made a wry smile, not knowing what to expect from Noel.


    "Yeah. Get some dress for you." Noel nodded without hesitation.


    "Wee, Mister and Miss." The staff from this shop immediately greeted them.


    "I want to get a beautiful dress for her. Do you think it''s possible?" Noel winked his eye.


    The staff instantly understood what Noel wanted to do. Thedy next to him must be his woman and he wanted to dress the woman beautifully to enjoy the night. She politely bowed and said, "Of course, we can. We have all sizes, so we can make sure she''s dressed beautifully."


    Noel nodded and gently pushed Anna to the staff.


    "Wee, Miss. I''ll be helping you with choosing the dress." The staff smiled before turning to Noel. "Also, would you like toe together so that you can check whether it''s up to your preference or not?"


    "I can?"


    "Of course." She waved her hand to the side and said, "Then, please follow me."

 Chapter 245 Buying A Dress

    Anna ended up trying several dress. The first dress was a blue one-piece long dress that matched the color of her eyes. It gave a nice contrast to her hair too.


    The second dress was a short one-piece dress. This beautiful white dress gave an impression of a beautiful and pure girl. As expected of the flower of the Muivell Kingdom, even Noel had a hard time to look at her.


    The show continued for five dresses. All of them suited Anna or Noel thought that Anna was the reason why those dresses would look pretty. In the end, Anna struggled to pick one.


    After some thoughts, Anna said, "Then, can you wrap up this white one?"


    "Certainly." The staff politely nodded and brought the dress to the counter.


    Since Anna had finished changing her dress, she was wondering where Noel went and found him talking with the shop''s staff.


    He was just joking around and the talk seemed to be smooth as they wereughing from time to time.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. Her heart felt a bit shaken when she saw him that way, wondering if she couldn''t receive the same treatment. The only thing they wouldugh in their conversation was when they teased each other, so it was a bit disappointing when Noel couldugh like that with others.


    "¡­" Anna walked to the counter with a sad look, saying, "How much for the dress?"


    "Eh?" The staff was confused for a moment. Since Noel was the one asking for the dress, she thought Noel would buy it. But Anna somehow decided to use her own money for the dress.


    "The dress is 21 Silver Coins."


    "Alright." Anna nodded. Luckily, the dress wasn''t as expensive as the ones in the capital. The materials weren''t as smooth either, but for this mission, it was fine to use that dress.


    However, before she took out the money from her bag, Noel ced a small bag on the counter and said, "There are 24 Silver Coins in here. Just split the rest for you three."


    "Noel, you¡­"


    "Well, I''m the one proposing to buy a dress, so I should pay for it." Noel shrugged.


    "Ah, thank you, Sir!" The staff immediately epted the money. One silver coin was equal to half of their monthly sry, so this tip was so generous. In that instant, she processed everything so fast that Noel could get the dress in just one minute instead of a few. "This is the dress. Thank you for your patronage."


    Noel nodded and grabbed the bag. "Let''s go."


    Anna was dumbfounded for a moment but she still followed him.


    When they were outside, Noel simply led her away from the red-light district without saying anything.


    "Noel. Are you sure it''s alright for you to spend that much money? If I''m not wrong, you don''t have that much money, no?" Anna asked.<sub> </sub>


    "I still have some. If I''m too poor, I can simply hunt some demons and exchange their Demon Crystals for money." Noel shrugged and handed the bag to her. "I might be poor, but not that poor. Here you go."


    "Ehm." Anna received the bag timidly. This was the first time she received a gift from Noel. Even in her past life, she never received this kind of gift. Of course, as a talented genius, she had received numerous gifts that were worth far beyond this dress. But she didn''t know why but this present was actually the sweetest out of them.


    "Well, I choose this dress because it''s easy to move. The white dress might be shy, but you won''t think I''m an assassin or a spy wearing this kind of dress. Also, if I pair it with shorts, I can fight without worrying about my image."


    Noel only nodded to her as if he was thinking about something.


    "Ah, that''s right. We were supposed to be investigating the brothel. I think we have left the red-light district. I forgot because I was too busy choosing the dress."


    "Don''t worry. I''ve done all that." Noel shrugged calmly.


    "Huh? When? You were with me in the store the whole time."


    "When we sat on a bench near the brothel, I saw them picking some customers and bringing them in. I could sneak in with that way and one of them seemed to have seen us. I can simply say that I''m running away from you and I can enter smoothly.


    "When we were in the shop, I asked the staff about the brothel. Though, I said that you misunderstood me that I wanted to go to the brothel when I got some money and went to the shop just to pacify your anger."


    "Ah!" Anna blinked her eyes a few times, realizing all those moments. In other words, his head had been in the mission this whole time. She was the one who couldn''t perform her job.


    "You don''t have to worry since your job is to sneak in through the window instead of from the entrance."


    "But¡­ I was supposed to be the one leading you this time." Anna was disappointed on herself, especially when she misunderstood Noel''s action.


    "You are more adept than me in concealing your presence and I''m more adept in adapting to all conditions. We have our own strength, so you don''t need to worry about it." Noel shook his head helplessly. "Instead, we should worry on how we shall investigate the brothel tomorrow. It won''t be easy to find it and we can''t linger for too long as well."


    "That''s true. Hidden room¡­ But they''re gathering a huge number of people. Won''t they need arge space? I don''t think the brothel has that kind of space, except for¡­"


    "Basement." Noel finished her words and agreed with this thought.


    "Yes." Anna nodded with a smile. She suddenly thought of something and grabbed Noel''s arm.


    "Hey, what are you doing?"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "We are still on a date, right? Who knows if those people are tailing us or not." Anna chuckled and walked while hugging Noel''s arm.


    "Seriously¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly, but not pushing her away.

 Chapter 246 Brothel

    "Aaahhh¡­ too hard." Anna let out a moan as her body was twitching.


    "How did this happen?" Noel muttered inwardly. No, they weren''t doing anything they would regret. Noel was simply helping Anna to wear her dress. And he had to tighten her corset so that she could wear the dress.


    ¡­


    A moment ago.


    When they were going to prepare for their infiltration, Anna suddenly invited Noel. "Can you go to my roomter?"


    "Sure." Noel just agreed readily, thinking it wouldn''t be that big of a deal. Anna would probably need him to bring some stuff.


    But when he knocked on her doorter on, Anna opened it slightly and took a peek instead of opening the door wide like she used to. Her face was slightly red as she said with a wry smile. "Come in. I need your help."


    Noel nodded, not knowing anything about what she wanted him to do. But when he entered, he saw her wearing only a corset and the short to barely cover her skin.


    Even Noel was stunned for a second, finding Anna like this for the first time. Even when Anna was bathing, he never took a look because of the hatred in his heart. But now that he had changed slightly, Noel had a different opinion of Anna.


    "¡­" Noel gulped down before closing his eyes. "So, what are you nning to do? You''re not trying to seduce me, right?"


    "What? Seduce you?" Anna widened her eyes in shock before a sly smile appeared on her face. "What''s wrong, Noel? This is the first time you are saying that. Maybe it''s you who has the dirty mind? I simply want to ask you to help me tighten my corset. I have to wear a dress after all, so I need this corset."


    "O-oh!" Noel felt ashamed that this kind of thought would even appear in his mind.


    Anna turned around with a big smile on her face. She felt she had a victory against Noel for the first time. Of course, she couldn''t show this expression to Noel or he would have ae back.


    Instead, she gently held her hair to the side while showing her back. "Can you tighten it for me?"


    "Alright." Noel nodded awkwardly as he never did this in his life. "Well, I apologize in advance if I use it the wrong way."


    "Well, I''m sure that you know at least how to tighten something, right? You won''t loosen it or I''ll truly call you pervert at that time."


    "I know that already." Noel sighed while pulling the thin rope attached to it. "Is it this way?"


    "Mhm. Yes." Anna''s body twitched as the rope was pulled.


    Noel maintained his poker face as he endured this torture for another three minutes before he managed to do it perfectly.


    Anna chuckled when she saw how hard Noel tried to maintain his expression. Though, she wasn''t going to push him too hard, so she immediately put on the dress while showing her back again. "One more. You see the holes behind my dress? Just make a cross a few times and tie it neatly. It''s going to be hidden with my hair anyway."


    "Still, don''t you think it''s necessary to go like this? I don''t think those women from the brothel is wearing this kind of dress that will make it hard for them to put it back on."


    "Of course not. But this one is better for mobility and it looks quite sexy as well, which is perfect for the brothel."


    "Huh? Mobility? Isn''t a one-piece dress easy enough?"<sub> </sub>


    "The corset. Do you think I''m the same as you?"Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah!" Noel nodded, realizing what she meant. "Alright. Is this tight enough?"


    "Yes. It''s good enough."


    "But how are you going to fight like this? I mean, you can''t hide your sword like this."


    "I don''t need a sword." Anna shrugged.


    "If you say so." Noel nodded and took a step back. "It''s pretty hard to wear a dress, huh."


    "Haha, that''s why we take more time to prepare." Anna chuckled. "I guess my pretty facees in handy, since I don''t need more cosmetic."


    "Say, I have been thinking about it. You sure are narcissistic."


    "I''m just stating the fact." Anna shrugged. "Anyway, we''re ready now. Also, pick up those two gold coins on the table. It should be enough to hire a woman. Don''t forget to open the window so I know where to sneak in. Don''t choose the room that faces the street, will you?"


    "I know." Noel sighed and grabbed the coins. "Surely being rich makes life easier."


    Before she said anything, Noel immediately walked out of the room while saying, "I''ll be going first."


    "Sure. I''ll follow in three¡­ No, two minutes."


    Noel nodded as he walked to the brothel with a calm expression. As he expected, the moment he walked in front of the brothel by himself, the girls instantly noticed him and one of them even came to him while smiling. Of course, Noel had given the gesture that he was nning to enter.


    "Hello, Mister. Do you want to visit our brothels?"


    Noel ignored her calmly as if he was too shy to say it out loud. When he entered the brothel, he could see the building itself wasn''t that big since they were filled with rooms. There was only one big counter that handled the process and the floor was split into two, left and right, leading to the rooms they were going to use.


    "Wee." The receptionist smiled. "We have the list of girls here."


    Noel nodded and randomly chose a girl and took out two silver coins, realizing that they were cheaper than he thought. Then again, he was just getting a service for a night, not buying the person. It seemed that both Noel and Anna had overestimated the price.


    "Certainly. Please wait a moment and we''ll call the girl for you."


    "Also, can you get me a room that doesn''t face the street¡­ I''m¡­" Noel made a wry smile while scratching the back of his head.


    "Certainly." The receptionist nodded. She even heard the girl that escorted him in whispering, ''He must not want his woman to find him ying here. I saw him yesterday with another woman.''


    The receptionist acknowledged that information and immediately walked away to pass the message to the girl Noel chose.

 Chapter 247 Drink

    A blond woman came to meet Noel. She politely nodded her head and said, "Wee, Customer. Thank you for choosing me. My name is Melia. I''ll bring you to your room."


    Noel nodded with a calm expression and walked together with Melia. Of course, he remembered what happened earlier when the woman that escorted him inside actually whispered something to the receptionist.


    Normally, the girls outside wouldn''t be that sharp unless they were wary about something. Hence, this brothel was as suspicious as it could be.


    Noel didn''t show it on his face, but he would be suspicious of everything that this Melia would give him next.


    Melia led Noel to the room on the second floor. The room was small as it only had one purpose. There was only a bed and a drawer for everything they needed to use.


    Still, Noel''s eyes were glued to the window as he looked around suspiciously.


    Melia misunderstood his action as him fearing that his woman would catch him here. After all, she had been told that Noel had a woman out there.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Sir. This ce is protected, so you don''t have to worry. No one will find you here." Melia smiled, assuring Noel.


    Noel got an idea when hearing that assurance as he immediately yed along. His awkwardness soared through the roof as he became even more suspicious. His head turned everywhere to make sure that nothing could happen.


    Noel even walked to the window to check the outside.


    Melia could only make a wry smile. She had attended many customers, but no one was as afraid as Noel. She even wondered why Noel came here when he was this afraid.


    "Why did you lie to me?" Noel panicked and asked Melia with a desperate face.


    "I lied to you? I''m sorry, but I don''t understand what you''re talking about, Sir." Melia tried to apologize since she didn''t want trouble.


    Suddenly, Anna reached the window perfectly and her feet were already on the edge of the window, ready to jump.


    "See?" Noel pointed at Anna, shocking Meliapletely. He took that opportunity to rush to Melia and covered her mouth with his hand while Anna jumped to Melia''s back and hit her neck, knocking her out.


    <o>,m "Can you be more gentle? She can die that way, you know?" Noel said while confirming that Melia had passed out.</o>


    Anna, on the other hand, walked to the window to close it. After hearing Noel''s words, Anna shrugged. "How can I do that? I don''t have the ability to do it. That''s the best I can do and don''t worry, I have learned the proper way to do it."


    "¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. "Anyway, lower your voice a bit more."


    Anna nodded.


    "First of all, I''ve got to say, they''re extremely suspicious. They''re sharper than my imagination, so I''m afraid they''re hiding something. Still, it''s hard to go to the basement because we don''t know the exact location. It might even be inside the waiting room."


    "So, we have to interrogate her?" Anna asked while looking at Melia who passed out.


    "Probably. Or we can catch another girl¡­"


    "I see." Anna thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we should investigate the room first. They''ve been catching many people, right? If that''s the case, we have to consider about the potential of them using something in this room to catch us."


    "A drug?" Noel thought for a moment and said, "Now that I think about it, the missing cases should be extremely suspicious. Why haven''t the authority investigated this case properly?"<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" Anna was stunned as if she thought about something. "Who was the onemissioning this mission?"


    "The city lord. Even if he leaves everything to us, it''s weird to see him not participating in this case. Even the mission''s description told us to not bother him."


    "Are you suspecting that the lord of this city has some rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "Or he might even be one of them." Noel nodded, answering her doubt.


    Anna narrowed her eyes and muttered, "This ce is under jurisdiction of Marquis Lace. But I don''t think Marquis Lace knows about this, considering this ce is at the edge of his border."


    "If that''s the case, there might be something in the city lord''s mansion too." Noel thought for a moment and said, "Let''s investigate the room."


    Anna nodded in agreement as they immediately searched every nook and corner.


    The drawers contained numerous items like lotions. Meanwhile, there was nothing under the bed. In other words, all the clues were in the drawer.


    "There are only lotions here," said Anna while inspecting their smell.


    Noel took out something from the bottom part of the drawer, finding a bottle of drink. "A drink?"


    "Don''t you know that it''s better when you''re drunk? Well, my teacher said that."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent while taking this bottle out. He thought for a moment and asked inwardly, ''Ardagan. Is there any poison in this bottle?''


    [You have to take it.]


    ''Do you think your me can burn everything that enters my body?''


    [Yes.]


    Noel hesitated for a moment before he opened the bottle and took a sip.


    "Noel, you? What are you doing?" Anna was shocked that Noel chose to drink the alcohol.


    Before he could respond, Noel started to get dizzy. As a noble, he had drunk many alcohol and wine before. Yet, he couldn''t take on this one, so it waspletely weird. Even without Ardagan, he knew there was something wrong with this bottle.


    "¡­" Noel gritted his teeth and ordered, ''Ardagan.''


    The Undying me started circting in his body, burning the liquid that just entered his body along with the toxin.


    [There are three types of herbs, which two of them can be recognized. The first herb is Aproximadelei, a type of herb used for sleeping. The second herb is Fagant Leaf and its purpose is for sealing one''s Spiritual Energy and the connection to the spirit. Lastly, an unknown herb for numbing one''s body.]


    "Seriously?" Noel muttered while falling to the ground, waiting for Ardagan to neutralize the job.


    "Noel?!"

 Chapter 248 Fired Up

    "Noel?!"


    Noel clicked his tongue and said with a pale face. "I''m fine. Wait a bit."


    He could feel that the toxin efficacy gradually decreased from his body. If he continued this way, he should be able to recover. Even though the poison could sever the connection between him and the spirit, the poison couldn''t stop Ardagan from doing his job.


    After all, Ardagan was a living spirit. Unlike Heisk who could only remain in the Spirit Seal, Ardagan had its physical form.


    Ardagan used this chance to burn all the toxin. The process took a few minutes before Noel took a deep breath to calm his fuzziness.


    "This is quite dangerous." Noel muttered while furrowing his eyebrows.


    "Noel, what happened to you? Why did you drink it?"


    "That''s not important. I have to tell you something. I''m going to drink this again and pretend to be drugged. Meanwhile, you''re going to follow whoever takes my body because it''ll surely lead to the end ce."


    "Drugged?"


    "Yeah. There are three drugs: one for numbing my body, one for making me unconscious, and one for severing the connection to my Spirit, stopping me from using the Spiritual Energy. That''s why this is gonna be dangerous."


    "Severing the connection to your Spirit and stopping you from using the Spiritual Energy?" Anna dropped her jaw to the ground as if she realized something. She asked, "Is that rted to Fagant Leaf?"


    "How do you know?" Noel was dumbfounded once again.


    Anna''s expression became serious as she thought, ''Fagant Leaf Incident. It caused the copse of Marquis Lace''s territory. There was a territory war between Marquis Lace and Earl Anderson and it was said that Marquis Lace couldn''t do anything against him because his soldiers had no power left to defend themselves.


    ''After a while, this incident was called Fagant Leaf Incident because Fagant Leaf was found in the alcohol the soldiers drank when they celebrated a small victory. Then, is this truly a territory war instead of the Supreme Devil Organization?''


    Anna contemted for a moment on how to address this issue to Noel. After a while, she began to exin, "Do you know there is a dispute between Marquis Lace and Earl Anderson?"


    "Is this rted to it?"


    "Yes. Fagant Leaf was supposed to be extinct five hundred years ago. No, it could be said that they were forced to go extinct because of their dangerous characteristic."


    "Extinct¡­" Noel understood the reason why Ardagan recognized it. He came from a thousand years ago, so he must have recognized this herb when traveling with his ancestor. Still, the fact that the extinct herb would make another appearance again meant something was suspicious here. "Who has the herb now? Since we''re in the Marquis Lace''s territory, is it him?"


    "No. I believe it''s Earl Anderson. He has been suspicious for a while because he hasn''t done anything during the past three years. Unless you''re a noble who doesn''t care anything about your territory, you will do something for better or worse."


    "Interesting." Noel narrowed his eyes and noticed something. "So, it''s not rted to the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "I don''t know now. I''m afraid I have been mistaken."


    "Say, don''t you think this is a bit too suspicious?"Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What do you mean?"<sub> </sub>


    "Earl Anderson is the supporter of the current royal family while Marquis Lace leans to the third prince, right?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. Noel''s hints truly gave everything she needed to connect them. "Then, are you telling me that the Royal Family is the one¡­"


    "No, it could also be the other way around just to make the Royal Family look bad. Hence, I''m going to drink this again and infiltrate their base of operation. I want you to do something else for me."


    "What is it?"


    "Follow me and get some help."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent, worried about him. At the same time, this case might be far more dangerous than they could imagine. So, they needed some help.


    Shale had mentioned that there was a branch of the Demon Banner Army one city away from him. If she rushed right now, she could return to this city within half a day.


    "So, what do you think?" Noel asked.


    "I can go back here within twelve hours. I''ll immediately leave to get some help after I confirm where you''re going."


    Noel smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Alright. I should be able to buy that much time."


    "I understand." Anna sighed.


    Noel then grabbed the alcohol and used Heisk power to purify this drink. After that, he grabbed two sses from the drawer and poured the drink for two.


    He forced the unconscious Melia to drink slowly. She didn''t have to drink the whole thing, since some was enough to get rid some of the suspicion. Meanwhile, Noel also drunk a bit, which didn''t have any impact to his body.


    Noel thenid down Melia at the edge of the bed while he also sat down on it, preparing to lie down.


    Anna opened the window again to leave.


    However, Noel looked at her for a while as if he had some thoughts. Noel knew that it was impossible for him to reach the neighboring town within six hours. It meant Anna was preparing to use her full strength to go back and forth. It would put a strain on her body, but she dared to do it because of him.


    Noel couldn''t help but say, "Anna. Thanks. I''m d that I went with you in this mission."


    Anna''s body trembled when she heard that. She almost slipped from the window.


    When she turned her head, she saw Noel have started pretending to be unconscious, hiding his embarrassment from saying all those words. However, that statement put a smile on Anna''s face.


    No matter how hard she tried to contain that smile, it wouldn''t leave her face.


    Anna leaped to the top of the building next door while observing Noel''s movement from the window. She felt a bit more excited in this mission that she couldn''t help but say, "I''m fired up."

 Chapter 249 Pretending

    *Creak!*


    The door was slowly opened as the receptionist that Noel saw earlier politely entering the room as if she was trying to ask something.


    But the moment she entered there were no wordsing from her. Instead, she locked the door as if she had known that both Noel and Melia had passed out.


    With a single nce, she could know what happened inside the room. Both sses fell on the bed, so they had to clean the sheet after this. Still, this pose also meant that Melia and Noel had to drink at the same time. No, Melia was forced to drink together to make it not suspicious.


    The receptionist suddenly grabbed Noel and lifted him up easily despite not showing enough muscle to do something like that. She even carried the unconscious Noel with one hand.


    When she came out, there were two other girls waiting for her. She said, "Clean up the inside. I''ll bring him to that ce."


    The two women nodded and immediately entered the room. Meanwhile, the receptionist continued carrying Noel to the first floor before entering the waiting room.


    Even with his eyes closed, Noel could easily sense the number of people inside the room. And it was more serious when those girls actually talked like it was normal.


    "Is he the target this time?"


    "Is he a Spirit User?"


    "I don''t know, but seeing his vitality, he doesn''t seem to be a normal person either. Anyway, he will be a good catch for the lord."


    "Indeed."


    There seemed to be another door leading to the basement as the receptionist carried him for a while. Noel couldn''t see it, but the basement he suspected wasn''t actually a basement. Instead, it was a tunnel.


    Noel tried to count the steps and roughly measure the location. He was quite surprised to find the receptionist carrying him for a whole ten minutes in the tunnel.


    His body still managed to sense the direction, so he could roughly calcte the direction and the distance to locate his current position. As he expected, they were moving toward the city lord''s mansion.


    Still, Noel didn''t n to break his cover just yet. Hence, he kept pretending to be asleep. The receptionist didn''t know yet that she was carrying an explosive to the city lord''s mansion


    After another few minutes, she gradually climbed the stairs again and said, "Exm Monda."


    The instant she said it, the grumbling sound started as if there was a mechanism for the door in this side. Noel soon sensed two more people in this new room.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Put him down. We have to tie him first."


    The receptionist followed the order and tied Noel''s hands on the back. Since the drug had made everyone depraved from their spirit, even a normal rope was enough to stop them. So, they didn''t put too much effort in using chain or metal to bind them.


    Noel felt that his hands and feet were tied up. He didn''t put up any resistance because he thought of them as fools. Even if they could seal his Spirit Seal, they couldn''t seal a living spirit.


    Soon, he was lifted up again and carried to a certain area. It seemed that they had to go through the hallway before they had to climb down again as the sign of a basement.


    This time, Noel could feel multiple presence inside the basement, but with how they were separated, he could imagine what kind of ce this basement was.


    ? Suddenly, the one carrying him stopped as if she noticed something. She turned around and asked, "What''s wrong, Demon Banner Army weaklings? Ah, it seems that you recognize this man. He must be someone from the Demon Banner Army then. Haha, to think we would get someone from the Demon Banner Army again.<sub> </sub>


    "The Demon Banner Army this year is a pair. I see, so that blond woman was his partner. We could use him to bait that woman out and catch her too."


    "You¡­" Kirika roared. "Release him right now!"


    The woman kicked Kirika on the stomach and blew her away. "Shut up. A mere weakling dares to talk to me."


    "Gah!" Kirika coughed a few times. Her face was filled with anguish. Not only was her Spirit Seal was sealed, but she couldn''t help Noel too. She had sworn to help Noel to repay him, but when the chance appeared, she wouldn''t be able to do it¡­ again.


    She had lost against Anna and this time, she was useless too.


    Noel, on the other hand, was angry. However, he couldn''t show it just yet since he didn''t know how many enemies he had to fight in this ce.


    He knew that Dimitri, his father''s most trusted knight, was following him. He didn''t want to rely on Dimitri for everything. Just because his life was assured, he never considered Dimitri as a factor in his n.


    After all, it would just make him weaker since the only thing he could do was telling people to do the job that he should actually do.


    Hence, Noel remained silent, while remembering this receptionist.


    After being satisfied with Kirika''s reaction, Noel was thrown to the cell next to her.


    Kirika reacted even more. She tried to release herself from the rope but to no avail.


    After the basement was closed again, a man''s voice echoed in the basement. "Is that Noel?"


    "Yes." Kirika nodded. It turned out, Lokhar was also locked in this ce and his cell was right in front of Kirika.


    The receptionist must want to make them suffer like this. Hearing the weak voice from Lokhar, it was clear he had been tortured.


    Watching her own pair getting tortured must be painful. And now, Kirika had to experience the same thing with Noel.


    They wouldn''t stop with only Noel. They would catch Anna too, making them fall into despair.


    Of course, Noel couldn''t blow up his cover for the time being. After all, he had promised Anna to wait for her reinforcement.


    Twelve hours.


    Anna had the same thought as she had left the city. Since there was no one who would spot her anymore, lightning began to spark around her.


    "I have to hurry." Anna took a deep breath as her blond hair gradually turned into purplish white like that of a lightning. Her body was enveloped by a thinyer of light of the same color. "Lightning Possession."


    Anna''s eyes gazed upon the terrain she had to cross to reach to the neighboring city. "Here I go."


    The moment she leaped forward, she disappeared as the lightning trail sted the ground and soared up to the sky. If she actually used this ability when she was running together with Noel, she would have run around the Demon Banner Army fort in just ten seconds instead of half an hour.


    "Wait for me, Noel."

 Chapter 250 Status

    In the basement, a guy walked in with a bucket of water. It was clear who was the target of this bucket.


    "You, stop!" Kirika shouted, but the guy ignored her as he immediately walked to Noel''s cell and sshed him with that much water.


    "Haaa!" Noel''s voice instantly echoed in the basement. He coughed a few times as if he was still too shocked by the water.


    "It seems that you have waken up now." The guy smirked.


    Noel looked left and right as if he was confused with this ce. At the same time, he tried to move his body but to no avail. After that, he released his Spiritual Energy but it dispersed the moment it tried to connect.


    With those three facts, Noel suddenly looked at the guy who sshed him again. The middle-aged man had spiky white hair, but Noel''s eyes focused on the guy''s stomach.


    Due to him lifting the bucket to drop the water, his shirt was tilted up, allowing Noel to find a tattoo of a skeleton head and two bright red dots as its eyes.


    ''Supreme Devil Organization? It''s truly involved?'' Noel thought.


    However, the guy immediately kicked Noel in the stomach and said, "Demon Banner Army again. You are like pest!"


    "Gah!" Noel coughed a few times as he was convulsing on the ground. He could hear Kirika''s voice the whole time, trying to stop the man.


    But the more she shouted, the bigger the smile of the middle-aged man. He started stomping Noel''s body.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. He still acted confused as if he was unaware of his current condition.


    "Heh, you''re acting like a tough guy, huh. I like beating a tough guy like you!" The middle-aged man smirked.


    "Who are you?" Noel tried to jump on him and hit him on the stomach with his head. However, the middle-aged man grabbed his head before that and kneed his stomach. "Gah!"


    Noel dropped to the floor again and started gasping for air.


    "This is enough for now. Don''t worry. I''ll y with you a bit moreter." The middle-aged man snorted and walked away from the cell.


    Noel red at him in silence, seeing the man who took pleasure of that hatred. At the same time, Noel was confused because the man didn''t do anything more.


    If it were him, he would have at least break his bone. So, this was surprising for Noel.


    "Noel. Noel!" Kirika kept calling him, worried about his condition.


    Noel took a deep breath and leaned to the wall. "Yeah. What happened here? Do you mind exining it?"


    "Are you alright?"


    Instead of answering her, Noel asked another question. ''Where is Lokhar? Shouldn''t you two suppose to be together?"


    "I am here." Lokhar answered weakly.


    "You alright?" Noel obviously had known the answer since he was just pretending this whole time. But he couldn''t really show it because the enemies might suspect it from their reactions. So, he had to y dumb.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "I''m still alright, I guess."


    "You sounded weak. Did anything happen to your body?"


    Lokhar sighed and said, "You should worry about yourself. How is your stomach?"


    "I''m fine. I expected that guy to do it more brutally¡­"


    "It was just the beginning. He''s going to start beating you more violently from now on. Every few hours, he will beat you up to give you constant pain. And eventually, he''ll start to use knife or break your bones."


    "Are you sure you''re alright? Has he broken your bones?"<sub> </sub>


    "My left arm and right leg."


    "How many days have you been here?"


    "Six days."


    "I see." Noel fell silent for a moment and asked, "How are you, Kirika?"


    "I am fine. They haven''t done anything to me yet."


    "Yet?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Yes. There seems to be going an inspectoring to this ce. They''re going to send me to somewhere else and it''s probably where my hell is about to begin."


    "I see. Then, do you know the identity of the culprit? I mean, any information about this incident?"


    "The brothel seems to be cooperating with the lord of the mansion. There''s no information other than that currently."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent while looking at the other cells. "Are the rest dead?"


    "Possibly. Our body is strongerpared to the rest and due to the Spirit, we can still hold on for a bit longer. But if this continues, we''ll die sooner orter."


    "How about you, Lokhar? Do you know anything about this?"


    "One man per day. It seems they''re bringing one person everyday. I don''t know what kind of people they''re trying to bring though."


    "I see. Then onest question, how did you two get caught?"


    "The same as you."


    "I see. So, you entered the brothel while Kirika tried to save you."


    "Yeah."


    "It seems that the enemies are a bit extraordinary this time. Even though I have never seen you two that much, I know that you two are excellent among our generation."


    "The receptionist is a Spirit Wielder. And that guy from earlier was also a Spirit Wielder. I don''t know about the rest of the enemies."


    "Two Spirit Wielders, huh. Then, I''m assuming that this inspector guy is someone stronger than them? Or maybe more important. Either way, there must be a stronger person among them¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "Yeah."


    Noel let out a long sigh and said, "It seems that we have no way to go out."


    "We have been hoping for reinforcement this whole time, but I guess, you''re the reinforcement." Lokhar sighed in disappointment. "I''m afraid that Anna Stargaze is going to get involved in this."


    "Haha. She''s going to leave me right away if that happens." Noelughed. His tone didn''t carry a single hesitation as if he knew that would happen in this scenario. "So, now that you''re disappointed in me, what are you going to do next?"


    "I''m going to break out."


    "Do you think you can do it?"


    "No. But I''ll at least die trying. I''m just worried about Kirika." Lokhar nced at Kirika. He knew that her hell would far surpass him.


    "I can at least kill myself by smashing my head to the wall." Kirika made a sad smile and said, "Still, I''m d that at myst moment, you''re here, Noel."

 Chapter 251 Discussion

    "Last moment, huh." Noel muttered and said, "I guess I can say it''s been a while, right? Kirika, so I should say Miss Loetzel?"


    "How¡ª" Kirika was stunned, staring at the wall as if ''looking'' at Noel.


    Even Lokhar was stupefied and asked, "Loetzel? A family name? You''re a noble?"


    "I have just realized it not long ago. I guess, you are the girl that I met almost a decade ago."


    "A decade ago? You still get to know that person?" Lokhar became even dumbfounded. However, it wasn''t over because Kirika was going to drop bombs after bombs.


    "I have changed so much because of you, Noel. Did you remember what you told me back then?"


    "Yeah, I remember. It was as simple as changing yourself."


    "Those words meant a world to me back then. I started training my body and changing for the better until I became like this. And before long, those people who looked at me with contempt had to flock around me."


    "I''m d that you have found what you''re looking for. Though, I don''t understand why you''re hiding your identity and sneak into the Demon Banner Army."


    "I wanted to repay you. To be honest, when I first came here and saw you, I wondered whether you actually wanted to live or not. If you wanted to live, I was nning to be yourrade and help you through the missions. At least, I wanted to give you the best start for you to reim your life. If you didn''t want to live, I wanted to change you to restart your life."


    "Wanted? You didn''t n to do it anymore?"This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    "What can I do?" Kirika leaned on the wall with a sad smile. "You''re clearly wanting to live, a great one at that. I wanted to help you by bing your pair, but Anna Stargaze is there. I can''t bepared to her."


    Noel fell silent for a moment. "Are you going to return then? Ah, never mind that question. Just forget about it."


    Kirika was confused for a moment while Lokhar snorted. "You don''t have to mind me, you bastard. This is thest group missions we have, so even if she leaves, it won''t affect me in any way. Though, the real question is whether she can leave this ce or not. Our body has been drugged, so we can''t even use our Spiritual Energy. And my condition is like this."


    "Lokhar, you¡­" Kirika looked at Lokhar with a sad expression. Although it''d been only a few months, Lokhar had been her pair this whole time. There were a lot of memories they had created together. At the very least, Kirika had considered him as a friend andrade.


    "Still, it''s surprising that you go all the way here to repay me like that." Noel interrupted because Kirika''s repayment was far too big, considering all the things he said back then was just Noel being himself.


    "My Loetzel Family has a tradition to repay everyone ten folds. If someone gives you a coin, you pay back ten coins. Of course, it also worked the other way around. If someone beat you once, you''ll beat them to death¡­ So, your words changed my life, then I should help you get the best start to reim what''s yours."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. "Then, you have to survive from this. Since we''re in here, we can fake Kirika''s death so that she can go back to the Greenwood Kingdom. What do you think, Lokhar?"


    "I have no objection. It won''t affect me in any way. Besides, we''re still trapped here, you have to think on how to leave this ce first before thinking about that."


    "Haha, indeed. Let''s think about it then. You must have been trying to find the escape route this whole time."<sub> </sub>


    "Nothing works though." Lokhar sighed.


    "You two¡­ Why are you helping me?"


    "Well, now that I have realized your family''s tradition. I''m saying this¡­ You''re already useless to me, Kirika. I don''t need you anymore." Lokhar snorted. He precisely said all those words so that Kirika thought it he hated her instead of helping her. This way, Kirika didn''t need to consider repaying him.


    Meanwhile, Noel said, "You''ve gone all the way here for me, so I can''t afford to have you die. It''s as simple as that."


    "You two¡­" Kirika was speechless. She could feel their kindness. Despite wanting to help, she only received the help this whole time.


    Lokhar, on the other hand, believed that Kirika had helped him enough for the repayment. After all, he could achieve this point was due to her ability. So, there was no need for her to give something back.


    "If that''s the case, then we''ll have to leave this ce." Noel smiled.


    "Do you think you can do that?"


    "Who knows. I have to think a bit. You said he''lle every few hours, right? I just have to think of something before that."


    "You sure you can do that? We have been trying to find a way, but it feels like he knows everything." Lokhar was disappointed because he failed all his attempts so far.


    "Knows everything, huh." Noel paused for a moment, then asked, "How is your injury, Lokhar? Do you think you can walk or run?"


    "I should be able to walk, but I''m afraid my legs won''t allow me to run."


    "I see. That''s good enough. Kirika will help you too as the one who will protect you during the run."


    "Are you going to sacrifice yourself, Noel?"


    "I haven''t formted my n yet, but that''s the best scenario in my mind. We''re going to escape from this hell." Noel smirked.


    "How? That guy was a Spirit Wielder and we couldn''t even use our Spiritual Energy."


    "That''s what I''m thinking right now. Just pray that I can find a solution within a few hours." Noel snorted and fell silent as if he was in deep thought.


    Kirika and Lokhar were staring at each other across their cell, not understanding how Noel worked. But it was clear that he was determined to leave here. So, they had no other choice than believe him.

 Chapter 252 Fighting

    A few hourster.


    The middle-aged man came back to the torture room.


    "Hmm?" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and said, "I''m smelling something fishy again. You must be nning to escape again. Then, I don''t need to hold back anymore."


    He smirked and opened Lokhar''s cell. "I forgot about you earlier, but you''re going to be the first one. Since you''re nning to escape again, then I''m going to cut one of your leg this time and feed it to the dog."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Lokhar gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, nning to fight him.


    However, Noel''s voice soon echoed in the basement.


    "Haha, you smell something fishy? I guess you''re the dog itself who wants to eat his leg. It''s funny. If you''re a cannibal, then there''s no need to hide it. I''m not going to judge you, just going to kill you. Hahahaha." Noelughed out loud.


    Lokhar could see the rage reflected on the middle-aged man''s face. This time, he was thoroughly angered.


    Lokhar didn''t know why Noel actually tried to shield him.


    The middle-aged man stopped and left Lokhar''s room, saying, "It seems that you''re going to be the first. I have decided. I''ll cut both of your legs today and feed them to demons."


    "Oh, now you consider yourself a demon. You''re truly funny. What are you going to call yourself next? A human? No, please, anything other than a human." Noel chuckled.


    The man''s body trembled because the anger had truly taken over his heart. Without hesitation, he walked to Noel''s cell and red at him. "I''ll make you die a brutal death."


    "Oh, you''re a death reaper now? You think you''re as good as that. You can call yourself anything, but make sure you''ve the ability for it, so your words won''t be like your childhood dream." Noelughed.


    The middle-aged man released his killing intent and his Spiritual Energy soared, shaking this ce. Even Lokhar felt this for the first time. He never thought that Noel would anger him to this point.


    Inparison, Anna was far better than him because she had been tackling all these harassments this whole time and only blurted out not long ago.


    As soon as the middle-aged man entered the cell, Noel smiled and said, "What''s wrong? Come here? You want to kill me? Do you think you have the ability for it?"


    "A mere ant¡­" The middle-aged man roared as he leaped forth to catch Noel who was in the opposite side of the cell.


    Suddenly, Noel smiled and said, "Thanks."


    "!!!" The middle-aged man widened his eyes in surprise because he felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy aside from him. When he raised his head, he saw a snowke symbol falling. If this continued, he would be hit by this symbol.


    Without hesitation, the guy hurriedly spun his body and struck this symbol with his fist. By covering it with Spiritual Energy, his fist should be able to take it on.


    But the moment he touched the snowke, it exploded, releasing the massive cold to the area. The ice spread and enveloped the cell in an instant. It even began to move to other cells and the entire basement.


    Meanwhile, the man had to retreat while finding his hand getting covered in ice. He tried to remove the ice but to no avail.


    "How¡­ How did you use your Spiritual Energy?" Not only the man, but even Lokhar and Kirika were stunned that Noel could use his Spiritual Energy. Although they never knew Noel had this much power, they knew that Noel had ice element from the duel a few months ago.


    But when the man raised his head to re at Noel, he found Noel had freed himself with the ck sword in his hand.<sub> </sub>


    Noel shouldn''t have any weapon with him, yet, a ck sword suddenly appeared in his hand.


    "You¡­" The middle-aged manpletely didn''t expect this kind of power from Noel.


    However, Noel didn''t give him any time to think. He immediately leaped and shed diagonally, trying to cut him down.


    "!!!" The middle-aged man raised the frozen hand, nning to use the ice to block this sword.


    Noel smiled because the ice suddenly broke apart when the sword was about to hit him, allowing the sword to cut his hand.


    *Clink!*


    To his surprise, he could hear the clicking sound between metal. It wasn''t supposed to happen since he hadn''t touched the brick wall.


    Noel soon saw the man''s arm had turned ck as if it was coated by metal.


    "Ah, I see. As expected of the Demon Banner Army, they might be strong, but they''re not that good at fighting humans. You''re a fool." The middle-aged man smirked.


    Noel realized that the middle-aged man actually baited him to break his own ice so that he could free himself.


    Noel''s fighting style was proved effective against Anna some time, but most of the time, Anna could see through his tricks. This guy was the same.


    Noel took a deep breath because this was going to be a hard fight since the man in front of him might be stronger than an Advanced Level Demon he had fought so far.


    Since this was a life and death battle, Noel didn''t hesitate to use a portion of his power. Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune appeared behind him, strengthening his body.


    He also used Muscle Strengthening and Spirit Aura Breathing.


    Noel then leaped to the middle-aged man while swinging his sword.


    Thetter only smiled and blocked Ardagan with his metal arm and punched Noel''s stomach.


    "Gah!" It felt like a hammer pounding on his stomach, giving a shake to his organs.


    "Do you think you can defeat me? You''re just a mere ant." The manughed.


    However, he didn''t realize that Noel was smiling this whole time. He was supposed to be hurting right now and couldn''t do anything, but he suddenly spun his body and swung his sword again. There was even Spiritual Energy covering his sword.


    Mega sh.


    "!!!" The guy widened his eyes, feeling the danger from this attack. He instinctively leaped back as hard as he could until the bars stopped him.


    It was then Noel used his Freezing Crystal and sted it right in front of him, covering the middle-aged man with a thickyer of ice.


    "I guess my acting is good." Noel smirked. It was true that he felt some pain, but there was no damage to his body and the pain had been reduced by the armor underneath his body. This was the use of a thin armor that could block anything.

 Chapter 253 Everchanging Sword Style

    "You bastard." The middle-aged man gritted his teeth because the bars that stopped him wasn''t the bar that locked Noel up, they were from the bars from the cell across Noel''s.


    And this also meant that Noel had no one to stop him toe out from his cell.


    Still, the most shocking thing was the fact that Noel could use his Spiritual Energy.


    "You¡­ How can you use the Spiritual Energy?"


    "I just want to kill you, so is there a reason why I can''t use my Spiritual Energy?" Noel smirked.


    Noel''s words were truly poisonous for angering someone. The middle-aged man covered his body with metal and punched Noel.


    However, three big swords appeared on top of him. Seeing this extraordinary swords, the man feared for Noel for the first time. This kind of sword could truly kill him, he thought.


    Before the swords dropped, he threw his body to the side and ended up hitting the wall.


    "Kh." There was no pain because his body was covered in metal, but the embarrassment that came along with it was something he couldn''t endure.


    He was a Spirit Wielder, yet, he was toyed by a single Apprentice Knight. This shame couldn''t be washed until he killed Noel and all the witnesses.


    Unfortunately for him, the moment he turned around to attack Noel, thetter had stood in front of Kirika and Lokhar''s cells, standing with a smile on his face.


    "Haha, if only I can capture this moment, it will surely be great." Noelughed.


    "Noel!" Kirika and Lokhar called him, worried.


    Noel ignored them because he had to focus on this fight. The space was quite narrow, so he had to be careful since his opponent was a Spirit Wielder.


    He had been provoking him this whole time, so the anger wouldn''t rise anymore sooner orter. So, before he became immune to his provocation, Noel had to drag this guy out of the basement.


    Still, the man hurriedly jumped forth and punched Noel from above. Thetter easily dodged it by leaping backward, heading straight to the exit.


    At the same time, he gathered his Spiritual Energy on his hand and released the snowke symbol again.


    "Freeze."


    The middle-aged man raised both arms to tackle this ice this time. The moment the snowke burst out, it covered everything in ice. Even the gaps between bars were blocked by the ice. Yet, the man who endured the full brunt of this ice only ended up with his arms and body frozen.


    But since he was covered in metal, he smashed his body with his ice covered hands. The great force shattered the ice, freeing him.


    "Your ice won''t work against me anymore." The man roared and chased after Noel.


    However, Noel chuckled and shouted, "Run!"


    In that instant, Noel truly ran away, escaping.


    The man who was med with anger decided to chase after Noel instead of focusing on his friends.


    Still, Noel wouldn''t shout all the way like that if he just wanted to escape. The reason he shouted for all people to hear because it was a message. A message for Kirika and Lokhar.<sub> </sub>


    Both of them looked at each other in understanding. When Noel positioned himself between their cells, he actually made a quick sh that cut the bars.


    By luring the man, they could escape from him and stop bing his burden.


    Kirika was the first one to take off the bars and sneaked out of her cell before helping the injured Lokhar up.


    "Are you alright?" Kirika asked.


    "Yeah. We have to go out, but in our condition, I don''t think it''s possible. If we''re found out by that guy, we''ll be his burden again." Lokhar gritted his teeth.


    "I know where to go. I''ll help you up." Kirika nodded and helped Lokhar walk as they went to the exit.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Noel was fighting the man inside the mansion. Obviously, he didn''t mind causing ruckus since the lord of this mansion already knew about the Supreme Devil Organization. Hence, it was better to cause all the ruckus to let them know.


    *Bam!*


    The guy smashed a wall of the mansion, creating a hole leading to the garden.


    Seeing this hole, Noel hurriedly entered the hole to get some space.


    The man followed right after while gritting his teeth. "Running all you like, you will die today."


    "Oh, scary." Noel shrugged before pointing his sword at him. "Though, I think I can go more seriously right now."


    "Useless!" The man roared and punched Noel.


    Noel took a deep breath and imagined a situation that evoked an emotion with his Imaginary Battlefield. An image of a kid sitting behind him while crying appeared in his mind. He had to protect this kid, so he had to be as calm as possible.


    And after that, he gently struck the fist from the side and used the opponent''s weight and momentum to direct this punch to the side.


    Even the man was stunned because he felt like someone was pulling him to that side. Due to the sudden change of direction, he slipped and hit the ground, creating a small crater on the garden.


    This was Noel''s Everchanging Emotion Sword Style that evoked the Joy. He hadn''tpleted this sword style yet, but he could use it a bit.


    After repelling the punch, Noel smiled as the joy of helping someone filled his heart.


    He distanced himself again and raised his sword.


    ''I still used too much time to use this technique. If it''s a high level battle, I would have died in an instant. The emotion is also too weak. Tsk.'' Noelined about his performance inwardly. Even so, he was satisfied because he could use this opportunity to train his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.


    He smiled, provoking the man again. "Come. What''s wrong? I was just about to get serious and now you fear me?"


    "You, die!" The man roared and leaped to Noel again as their battle continued.


    Unbeknownst to Noel, the ice that covered the basement started to crack before a hand shattered the ice. From the inside, there was an eye filled with resentment as if nning to kill Noel as soon as he came out.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 254 Best Pair

    "Haa!" The man roared and punched Noel again.


    This time, Noel looked at him closely and felt disgusted by what he did and his influence. The moment Noel struck this fist, the disgust in his heart covered the sword, turning the sword like a bat.


    For Noel, a disgust wasn''t enough to kill someone. The farthest thing he would do was just to beat them, so this sword wasn''t sharp but blunt.


    This blunt sword carried a weight like that of a bat, fighting power with power.


    The fist felt the heaviness of this strike, but the man somehow still punched through it, hitting Noel on the stomach.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth and took a few steps back. Even with his armor, he still felt that punch.


    ''As expected, it''s not enough. The disgust is too shallow and because I haven''t perfected this sword style, I can''tbine it with my Spirit Ability like Mega sh. Or else, I wouldn''t have lost in power.'' Noel gritted his teeth and raised his sword again.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The man was confused because he felt that Noel didn''t have the intention to cut him down. Instead, he was just buying some time.


    "You dare not to take me seriously? A mere Apprentice Knight dares to act so proudly?" The man red at Noel with killing intent.


    "Seriously? I think you have an anger issue." Noel looked at him with a wry smile, mocking him by showing that he worried about him.


    "You¡­" The guy gritted his teeth and started attacking Noel again.


    Noel took a few steps back, analyzing the opponent''s strength. ''He doesn''t seem to have many abilities despite being a Spirit Wielder. But it''s clear that his strength is extraordinary. I don''t think my sword can easily pierce through his defense. I guess this is what a simple but solid means.''


    Noel took a deep breath and began using his Imaginary Battlefield again. His eyes were soon filled with interest in the ck metal that covered his enemy''s body since the metal had a simr color as Ardagan.


    By using this interest, Noel struck this fist multiple times. But unlike his previous shes, these shes actually didn''t have anything special on them.


    Even the man was confused because he didn''t feel any different. This was like a normal knight''s swing.


    Yet, Noel''s calm expression irritated him because it felt like Noel was trying to see through him.


    "You''re disgusting." The man clicked his tongue. He and Noel were aplete opposite of each other. His strength came from the solid metal that he had strengthened for a long time. It was simple but unbeatable. Meanwhile, Noel''s strength came from all the tricks he could use to see which one would work.


    Since the man stopped here, Noel hurriedly pursued him and kept striking him with his Interest Sword, trying to find a w in that body while using this enemy to practice his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    The clicking sound of metal disturbed the mansion. Even the lord of the mansion had assembled his knights as if he was prepared to capture Noel.


    Before long, Noel found knightsing from all directions as if trying to capture him.<sub> </sub>


    "Hahaha, it''s useless. You won''t be able to escape now." The guyughed while jumping forth to knock Noel to the knights so that he could get captured.


    Noel raised his sword again to block it. But at the same time, a woman suddenly slipped past the knights and made her way to Noel with a dagger in her hand.


    "Haha, die!" The middle-aged man suddenly stopped while shouting with a smile, looking at Noel and the person behind him.


    Noel noticed the presence behind him and tried to stop whoever''sing from behind.


    However, there was also another presence that fell like a falling star.


    "!!!" The woman behind Noel raised her head and saw a blond womaning from the air with her lightning covered sword.


    She tried to raise her knife to stop this sword, but it was useless. Her strength and momentum were too much for her to handle. Even the woman could only direct it a bit. Instead of slicing her into two, she directed the de so that it only cut her right arm.


    "Arghhhh!" The woman screamed while the one that attacked earlier said, "It seems that you need my help."


    "Even without you, I can stop her, Anna."


    Yes, the one that helped Noel was Anna. Noel also didn''t lie because that was the particr reason why he covered the basement in ice.


    There was no way the middle-aged man would know about their plot if there was no one that watched over them.


    When Noel came out of his cell, he didn''t find anyone there, so he believed that the one that watched over them acted like a prisoner themselves so that she could eavesdrop their conversation. This was the reason why they put only one person in each cell.


    It also allowed Kirika and Lokhar to escape safely.


    p However, this kind of thought was not relevant for Anna. After all, she could hear Noel''s voiceing closer to her. After fighting together with Noel for a long time, she realized that Noel was actually spinning his body.</anda>


    She hurriedly ducked her body in that instant.


    As she predicted, Noel was spinning his body and cut the woman''s neck by using Anna as his cover.


    With the injury she had just suffered, the woman didn''t expect Noel''s attack. She only stood there in shock before she realized her head was already sent flying.


    Due to the sudden interruption, even the middle-aged man was stunned and fell silent. Since Noel was turning his back against him, he tried to use this chance to kill him so that the situation wouldn''t get any worse.


    Anna noticed his movement and spun her body as well, looping around Noel and struck the guy''s metal fist from below, blocking it for Noel.


    Still, she didn''t have all the momentum like the guy, so her body was pushed back a bit. This was the time her back touched Noel''s back that acted like a wall, supporting her body to fully stop this fist.


    Both of them smiled. Even without saying anything, they knew what they were supposed to do. This was the best pair of this generation of the Demon Banner Army.

 Chapter 255 Demon Observer Squad

    In front of the brothel, there was a group of people wearing a ck uniform that reflected their identities. A normal soldier usually wore white uniform, even the royal soldiers.


    The Demon Banner Army was the only one that had ck uniform. It was symbolized after a soldier that went through numerous battlefield that his uniform was covered in blood and all other things until it turned ck.


    That was why the moment the Demon Banner Army Soldiers arrived in front of the brothel, all people were staring at them.


    "What''s this?"


    "The brothel?"


    "But that uniform¡­ they''re from the Demon Banner Army."


    "What''s their soldiers doing in the brothel? I guess even the soldiers from the Demon Banner Army can''t stop their urges."


    The people wanted tough at them, thinking the soldiers just wanted to relieve their stress in the Brothel.


    Even the receptionist came out and asked, "Oh my, aren''t you soldiers from the Demon Banner Army? Pleasee in. We have the best women in the city."


    They all maintained their poker faces until one of them stepped forward and dered, "You are suspected to be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. Hence, we''re going to investigate your brothel as well as put a stop for the kidnapping case rted to your brothel."


    This statement shocked the entire street because the Demon Banner Army seemed to be nning for a war.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna were smiling at each other''s support. Though, Noel had to inform her about their current condition. "Still, we have to fight these knights as well."


    Anna shouted while taking out the badge, "We''re from the Demon Banner Army and that guy is from the Supreme Devil Organization. If you attack us, it means you''re helping the Supreme Devil Organization. All of you are going to be executed."


    This deration stunned all the knights since they obviously only did their job. Their lord informed them because they never saw Noel, meaning he was an intruder. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man was a butler in their mansion.


    "Do you think you can fool anyone?" The middle-aged man took out his own badge simr to Anna''s and said, "I''m the one who is from the Demon Banner Army. Those two are impostors. I have beenmanded to help the lord of the mansion to investigate the involvement of a certain drug and they are the enemies that want to capture me so that I can stop the investigation. Kill them!"


    "!!!" The knights became confused. After all, the badges between the two were simr.


    Even Anna didn''t expect that the other party to actually forge an identification badge. In the past life, the Supreme Devil Organization never used this because it might be able to fool some, but the majority of people could know the fake badge in a nce.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    What made the knights hesitated was the middle-aged man''s identity as a butler of this house.


    "If only this badge is not made for Apprentice Knight, we can utilize its full might to show these fools we''re from the Demon Banner Army." Anna clicked her tongue. It seemed that the enemies had been prepared to deal with them.<sub> </sub>


    Noel was aware of the real badge as well since Shale had taught them about it. The real badge needed a drop of their blood so that they became the sole owner of the badge. Even if they died on a mission and their badge was stolen, no one would be able to activate their badge. This way, not many people could be fooled.


    However, the badge of the Apprentice Knight was just a normal one since the real badge was a bit more expensive. With the fact that the Apprentice Knights had the highest mortality rate, they didn''t want to invest too much, giving them only a normal badge. Besides, the Apprentice Knights rarely took a mission of this difficulty, so the feature wasn''t that necessary.


    But this time, it bit Noel and Anna as they couldn''t prove themselves.


    "There doesn''t seem to be anything we can do right now, Noel." Anna gave up.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "There''s nothing different from what we''ve been doing this whole time. You''re not tired already, right?"


    "Fool. I was just warming up my body." Anna smiled as her body started emitting electricity as if showing that all the running she had done to get the reinforcement was just a warm up.


    "Kill them!" The middle-aged man ordered the knights, taking advantage of this situation to eliminate all kinds of threats.


    The knights began to approach Noel and Anna while raising their shields to protect themselves from their power.


    Noel released his Spiritual Energy, nning to fight them.


    "There''s no need to do that."


    Suddenly, a gentle voice filled everyone''s head. They instinctively raised their heads and found a guy standing on top of the wall.


    The guy had long blue hair and wore sses, making him look intelligent. He also wore the ck uniform unique to the soldier from the Demon Banner Army.


    His expression was calm as if he had seen through all the people here.


    "It seems that everyone in this mansion is rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. My subordinates should have arrived at the brothel, so I shall proceed to capture everyone here." The moment he said ''capture,'' numerous threats came out of the wall and the ground, capturing the knights in an instant.


    "Threads?!" The middle-aged man widened his eyes in shock. "You¡­ Who are you?"


    "The badge in your hand was from a guy called Eizen, a person from my Demon Observer Squad. There''s no way that he can''t recognize me, his squad''s vice captain." The sses guy took out his badge and injected his Spiritual Energy into the badge so that it would shine, proving his identity was real. He even let out his Spiritual Energy that instantly enveloped the entire mansion.


    Noel was shivering from this Spiritual Energy while Anna smirked, finally feeling what she hadn''t felt for a while. "Haha, Spirit Grandmaster."


    "Spirit Grandmaster?" Noel widened his eyes before he remembered something important. "No, wait. You have to go to the brothel. The receptionist of that brothel is a Spirit Wielder!"


    As Noel said that, the receptionist of the brothel had begun showing her hostility in her eyes, her body also emitted the Spiritual Energy that symbolized a Spirit Wielder, and she said, "There are only five of you here. Do you think you five are enough to capture me?"

 Chapter 256 Fighting Together

    "The receptionist of that brothel is a Spirit Wielder."


    When the vice captain of the Demon Observer Squad heard it, he chuckled and said, "It seems that you''re mistaken about something, Noel Ardagan. Do you think thatss can arrive here that fast if not for her running at full speed at all time?"


    "!!!" Noel understood the hidden meaning behind those words. "Wait. Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Of course, the only ones capable of following her at her pace was also my talented subordinates. I have brought an elite team with me and all of them are¡­"


    Just like Noel''s shock, the receptionist also had the shock of her life because the five knights from the Demon Banner Army suddenly released their aura. But more importantly, all of them are stronger than her. In other words, all of them were Spirit Wielder or stronger.


    "¡­" Noel gulped down because the reinforcement this time was truly no joke.


    The sses guy smiled and said, "In any case, I''m going to capture everyone here."


    "Wait a moment. It is said there will be an inspectoring tomorrow."


    "Hoh?" He smiled and corrected his statement earlier. "An inspector is far more important than that guy¡­ I''ll leave that guy to you then and capture everyone else since you seem to have a grudge with them."


    It seemed that he could see whether Noel was lying or not since he easily epted Noel''s word and gave Noel the opportunity to solve that grudge by killing him.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the knights had been captured by him, leaving only some people that were still hiding inside the mansion.


    "¡­" The middle-aged man from the Supreme Devil Organization was speechless because his appearance was enough to turn around the situation.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Without waiting for Noel''s response, the vice captain had leaped and entered the mansion through the second floor''s balcony.


    "I guess we still have the chance to kill this guy." Anna smiled. This might be the first time they joined hands after her outburst that changed Noel a bit.


    "Oh, yeah?!" Noel nodded but his mind was still overwhelmed because everything went so fast.


    While they were thinking, the middle-aged man realized that he would be in trouble if the Spirit Grandmaster from earlier returned to capture him, so he ran away.


    "!!!" Anna was the first to notice him and caught up to him with her speed and kicked the guy on the head.


    The man easily raised his arm and stopped the kick that was infused by lightning, channeling that electricity to the ground.


    "Kh." The man gritted his teeth and grabbed Anna''s leg before throwing her away.


    Seeing both of them had started fighting, Noel also began to make his move, shaking off the unnecessary thoughts for the time being. He caught Anna so that she didn''t crash into the wall before spreading his ice on the ground.


    Not only did he slide by using the ice, but he also utilized this ice to make the man slip.


    "!!!" The man realized Noel''s n and formed a spike of metal on the bottom of his shoes, allowing him to run on the ice.


    However, Noel''s intention was never to slip him. He just wanted to slow the enemy down while using that time to boost Anna with his Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes.


    "Go!" After Noel boosted her ability, he threw her to the ground so that she could catch up to that guy.


    Anna smiled and leaped forward, feeling the change in their fighting style. However, she felt a bit morefortable this way because she knew there would be someone protecting her back.


    The moment Anna caught up to the enemy, she gathered the electricity in her shoe to the point a dragon started to form around it. "Try to stop it again."<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" The man was surprised and even feared the lightning dragon, feeling the extraordinary strength behind this attack.


    He could duck down to avoid Anna''s attack, but he also saw three huge swords that would fall on top of him when he did it.


    So, the guy ended up raising both arms, blocking her kick. The lightning dragon tried to electrocute him but seeing it was no use because his body was a metal, Anna let the lightning dragon exploded, causing a powerful shock wave thatunched the guy to the mansion''s wall.


    *Bam!*


    Anna smirked as she retracted her feet, allowing the swords to fall. But Noel finally showed the result of his training.


    Parabolic Movement.


    The moment the swords fell, they began to curve until they flew horizontally, hitting the metal guy.


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    The three swords impaled the wall of the mansion, crushing it. However, the metal guy seemed to be strong enough to avoid all three swords, albeit barely since one of the sword cut grazed his waist.


    Since the attack was a failure, Noel hurriedly summoned another rune, releasing two chains.


    Chain Bind Rune.


    The man felt that the chains would be able to capture him, so he hurriedly ran inside the mansion, trying to use the mansion to hide from Noel and Anna. At first, he thought about using the city to hide, but Noel and Anna had been preventing him from escaping to the town.


    "Kh." The guy gritted his teeth while looking through the window, seeing Noel and Anna begin to approach him.


    Anna jumped through the window, smashing it. Noel used the hole that she created and pursued the guy.


    Bouncing Spirit sh.


    Noel shot out a sword strike that kept bouncing off the wall until it reached the enemy, forcing the enemy to stop for a second.


    This one second was precious for Anna because she managed to catch up to him and kicked him in the head with the same dragon. This would surely heavily injure him.


    However, the guy seemed to be ready to sacrifice something else. He caught Anna''s kick with his left hand as the lightning began to prate the metal surface that covered it. At the same time, Anna waved her sword, trying to slice his neck.


    Before she could reach the guy''s neck, the guy threw Anna to the window, creating another hole that he could use to escape.


    *ng!*


    "Kh." Anna gritted her teeth, seeing the guy who was about to escape through the window she smashed.


    Unfortunately for him, this was the time for Noel to act. The hole was suddenly patched up by a thickyer of ice that covered the entire hallway, preventing him from escaping.


    Anna smiled and muttered in a low voice, "Nice assist."

 Chapter 257 Killing A Spirit Wielder

    "Tsk." The guy gritted his teeth and smashed the ice, shattering it in one hit. However, Noel had caught up to him and shed his sword downwards.


    He easily used his arm to block Noel''s sh, but surprisingly, he felt paining through it. "Huh?"


    When he took another look at his arm, Noel de managed to pierce through a little bit of his metal, causing it to start bleeding.


    "What?" He was shocked, not expecting Noel''s attack to be this strong. "No. You''re not this strong. Even your attack is not this strong."


    Noel smiled. "Of course, my effort alone might not be enough to pierce through your defense. But I''m not the only one fighting you."


    Noel released all his anger in his Everchanging Sword Style. For Noel, anger was a deep resentment that could bring one''s potential to the very limit in a single sh. That was why the de became even sharper during this sh, allowing him to finally prate his defense.


    "!!!" The guy realized what had actually happened. It was Anna. She had been kicking him in the same spot over and over again. The lightning had been prating his defense this whole time, and Anna must have thought that the lightning was enough and the only thing she had to do was to cut it. That was why she made the cutting motion earlier.


    But because she was thrown away, Noel took that opportunity to be the first one to cut him.


    "You¡ª!" He wanted to grab Ardagan to throw Noel off, but Anna came through the hole that he shattered earlier.


    "Thank you for destroying the ice. I can enter now." Anna smiled while shing her sword. The guy was shocked but it was toote because Anna''s sword had struck the back of Noel''s sword, giving an additional boost and finally cutting the guy''s left arm.


    "!!!" He widened his eyes as the intense pain shocked his brain. "Aaaaahhhhh!"


    He hurriedly leaped back to regain some distance while holding his left arm, which was still bleeding. Noel and Anna stood there together with a smile on their face as if they had been nning this kind of result the whole time.


    "It seems that you''ve gotten far stronger than I imagine." Noel nced at her.


    "I already told you, you won''t be able to surpass me."


    "We''ll see." Noel turned back to the guy who was trying to escape. "For now¡­"


    "Yeah." Anna smirked and leaped together with Noel. "We have a target to kill."


    The guy gritted his teeth, looking at both of them. Noel was the calm but supportive guy, allowing Anna to attack with all her might. At the same time, Anna''s attack power was far too powerful. Even he who was proud of his defense didn''t dare to take it lightly.


    "Kh." He jumped back to gain some distance again, but Anna stomped the ground and leaped as hard as she could to catch up to him.


    "I''m sick of it. Haaaa¡­" The guy roared as he raised his right arm. Suddenly, the metal arm turned into a sharp de.


    ''He is gathering a lot of Spiritual Energy to turn his hand into a de?'' Anna widened her eyes and spun her body to attack him with her sword instead of her kick.


    *Clink!*


    The clicking sound followed by an electric shock urred. This might be the first time Anna gritted her teeth against him, so Noel had to release all his strength as well to catch up to them.


    As expected, the guy started overwhelming Anna and pushed her back before swinging his sword to cut her.


    Anna raised her sword to block it, but even she wouldn''t be able to take this on. She prepared herself to be blown away again.


    However, a pair of chains suddenly circled around the de as the de suddenly stopped.


    "!!!" Anna and the enemy were startled by the sudden appearance of the chains. However, Anna had recognized this chain since the battle against the mushroom demon, so she was the first to react.<sub> </sub>


    Lightning began to cover her de as she took a deep breath. "Lightning God''s Wrath."


    She struck the de with all her might, releasing a ridiculous amount of lightning. It even brightened the area a little bit and the windows of the mansion began to shatter.


    "Haaaa!" The other guy also used all his Spiritual Energy to resist this attack.


    It was a sh between Spirit Wielders, a realm that Noel hadn''t reached yet. Even Noel was surprised by this amount of power.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    But the conclusion came in a sudden.


    *Crack!*


    The guy''s de started to crack as Anna continued cutting through the de since Noel still restrained it.


    ''Noel has gone all the way to restrain it. I can''t let this opportunity go.'' Anna thought while releasing all her power in this one sh.


    "Kh." The guy felt the lightning that kept getting stronger and stronger as time passed. He feared for his life for the first time, but it was toote. The sharp pain had struck his mind again as Anna''s de cut through his metal arm. "Aaarrggh!"


    He screamed in pain as both of his arms had been cut by Noel and Anna.


    ''The only thing that can stop this attack¡­ It might be the Ignition Sword. And that''s only dispersing the lightning. The fact that I also have to reveal my other element as well makes it hard to ept. I thought I have managed to catch up to her after the demon invasion, but it seems that I''m still far behind,'' Noel muttered inwardly, realizing the gap between them.


    Still, he didn''t n on losing. He saw that the guy tried to escape after both of his arms were cut, but he had been sneakily sending his Spiritual Energy around them.


    Before the guy could escape, Noel''s snowke had been staying there, waiting to explode. And this was the right time.


    Freezing Crystal.


    *Boom!*


    The snowke exploded, creating a thick ice wall that stopped the guy.


    "Gah!" He smashed his head to the wall, but it only managed to crack it.


    Noel leaped forward and tried to pierce his heart from the back.


    *Clink!*


    Unfortunately, the de couldn''t even pierce him. It didn''t even leave a single dent.


    "Haha, you''re useless. You won''t be able to pierce through my defense without her."


    "Yeah, so I''ll rely on her once more for now." Noel smiled as Anna''s figure appeared behind him.


    The guy panicked because Anna had a kicking motion. And it was obvious where she would release all that power.


    His face became pale and he tried to escape, but it was toote. Anna''s kick hadnded on the back of Noel''s sword, pouncing the sword like a hammer and nail and breaking through the guy''s defense.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!"

 Chapter 258 Danger

    "Aaaahhhh!"


    The sword impaled the guy''s heart. This attack could only be done by them because it took advantage of Ardagan''s indestructible body as well as Anna''s extraordinary strength.


    "Impossi¡­" The guy red at them until his consciousness faded away.


    Noel took a deep breath and pulled out his sword. "As expected, a Spirit Wielder is a bit harder to fight against an Advanced Level Demon. A human is indeed weaker than a demon in physical abilities, but they''re far trickier and harder to kill."


    Noel nced at Anna to check her condition. She had been running all this time, so she must be pretty exhausted. That was also the reason why Anna couldn''t overwhelm this guy in the first ce.


    "Are you alright, Anna?" Noel asked.


    "Yeah." Anna nodded while walking to him as if she waspletely fine.


    However, Noel could see her body shaking to the point her feet gave up.


    "Ah!" Anna realized that the adrenaline in her nervous system had begun to leave her and now her exhaustion began to fill her mind. "Mphmh?!"


    She thought she was falling to the ground, but her feet seemed to be still touching the ground. When she raised her head, she realized Noel had caught her. A smile couldn''t help but appear on her face. "Sorry. I was truly exhausted."


    "No injury whatsoever?"


    "Yeah. I just need rest."


    "I see." Noel paused for a moment before carrying her on his back. "Anyway, we''ve done our job here. I''ll take care of the rest."


    "Mhm, alright." Anna nodded.


    Noel carried her out of the mansion, wondering where he should go. After all, he still had to wait for the guy that Anna brought toe out.


    "Noel!" Suddenly, a shout came from the second floor.


    Noel turned around and found Lokhar and Kirika who managed to survive. Next to them was the sses guy who seemed to be dragging a few people with his threads.


    Seeing that the situation was already fine, the vice captain threw these people to the garden to regroup with Noel. Of course, he brought Kirika and Lokhar who he found hiding inside the mansion so that they didn''t get in Noel''s way.


    "It seems that you''re done." The vice captain nced at the side, finding the ruckus caused by the fight.


    "Yes. Thank you for allowing us to fight that guy."


    "It''s nothing. At the very least, we now know there will be an inspectoring. I can capture an inspector and you, who have found this out, will also receive a great merit."


    "I didn''t do anything. You should reward Kirika and Lokhar instead. They''ve suffered." Noel shook his head, refusing to take the credit.


    The vice captain paused for a moment before saying, "Of course, everyone will be rewarded. On behalf of the Demon Banner Army, I''d like to thank you, Noel Ardagan. You too, Anna Stargaze."


    "Thank you, Sir." Noel nodded while Anna was too weak, so she only smiled at him.<sub> </sub>


    "That''s right. When I was pretending to be unconscious, I heard that the receptionist said these two words to the guards. Exm Monda. Do you know what that means?" Noel asked.


    "!!!" The vice captain widened his eyes in shock. "What did you say?"


    "Exm Monda. She said those two words. I don''t know what that means though."


    However, Noel wasn''t the only one shocked by those words. Anna, Kirika, and Lokhar were stunned as well.


    "Mhm¡­ What''s wrong? Am I a bit too ignorant again?" Noel was confused.


    "Yeah. You are too ignorant, Noel." Anna sighed.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "We''re in a bad, no very bad situation." The vice captain bit his lips.


    "What does those two words mean?"


    "This is a code used by the Supreme Devil Organization. There are six ranks in the Supreme Devil Organization: Devil Worshiper, Devil Officer, Devil Inspector, Devil Bishop, Devil Saint, andstly the Supreme Devil. Each rank has their own code and the one you told me earlier is the code used by a Devil Bishop, not a Devil Inspector."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Noel asked again because he was still confused.


    "In other words, the inspector that will being this time is not the Devil Inspector, it''s the Devil Bishop." Anna exined. "You should know the Spirit Ranks. Spirit Apprentice, Spirit Practitioner and so on¡­ Each rank doesn''t mean that you''re getting stronger like a straight line. Instead, a Spirit Practitioner is ten times stronger than a Spirit Apprentice, a Spirit Wielder is ten times stronger than a Spirit Wielder, and so on.


    "An Inspector is a rank for people who have be a high level Spirit Wielder, close to Spirit Master. Some of them even have be a Spirit Master. However, a bishop is a rank for people who have be a high level Spirit Master or even a Spirit Grandmaster."


    "Ah!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Then¡­"


    "Yeah. In other words, the one who will bing right now is as strong as Vice Captain Joseph. And that''s not all, a Bishop will surely be escorted by multiple Inspectors."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent. "Maybe I should have said that one first."


    "No, you should learn aboutmon knowledge first¡­ These codes have been released asmon knowledge by the Supreme Devil Organization. The reason is simple, it''s too instill fear to the masses. By just knowing a powerful terrorist will being will surely cause chaos inside a city¡­ So, you truly have to learn moremon knowledge¡­ No, I''m going to teach you everything after this." Anna sighed, having a headache.


    "Kh." Joseph gritted his teeth and said, "Anyway, you four are to leave this city immediately. I''m going to find some reinforcement. You have done your job, so it''s time for me to do mine."


    "We understand." All of them nodded and began to walk. However, Noel stopped for a moment and lowered his head. "I''m sorry."


    "No. The fact that you told me this before everything happened is enough. At least, I won''t be going straight to my own death I''m going to call any captain near us. Hopefully there is one." Joseph waved his hand, telling him to leave straight away because he had to hurry.


    Noel nodded and walked away.


    As soon as Noel left the area, there was a sudden Spiritual Energy fluctuation that shocked Joseph. He hurriedly turned around and shouted, "Who are you?" albeit not finding anyone behind him.


    "I''ll be helping you to deal with the bishop." A man''s voice rang in his ears.


    "!!!" Joseph looked down and saw his shadow flickering. However, it soon stabilized as if the person had disappeared once again. His body was trembling as he muttered, "Impossible. A high level Spirit Grandmaster? No, he''s very close to Spirit Transcendence¡­ Then, does that mean he''s stronger than my captain? But¡­ why is that kind of person here? Is he following someone? Then, who?"

 Chapter 259 Fight

    "Vice Captain. They''reing." One of the soldiers came to him with a serious expression.


    "Are we really going to do this?" Another soldier expressed his doubt. After all, it would be impossible to take on a bishop without a single captain.


    However, Joseph nodded his head as if he was determined in doing it. He said, "We can''t find a single captain around our area, so we have to fight them so that they don''t destroy this city."


    "¡­" The soldiers looked down, hesitated. This order only meant one thing. They had to sacrifice their lives.


    Joseph understood their concern as well, but he could only trust that person for the time being. He said with a sigh. "Just trust me this once. We''ll win."


    "We understand."


    With a heavy heart, they walked outside the city, not wanting to take the fight inside because it would cause too many casualties.


    The five soldiers that walked together with him had steeled their resolve. They were meant to protect the people from the Supreme Devil Organization, so if they died, they had at least died for the people.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Joseph could see a carriage moving toward the city and a group of knights protecting it. However, each knight was a powerful Spirit Wielder, so they knew this was the man they were waiting for. Even Joseph could feel the eerie auraing from that carriage.


    "Tsk." Joseph gritted his teeth, trying to envelop the area with his Spiritual Energy to see whether the person that was going to help them would appear or not.


    Since he couldn''t sense anything, Joseph said, "If I die, you all should leave immediately and report it."


    "Vice Captain!" The five soldiers knew that Joseph would most likely sacrifice his life to give them some time to escape. They had known Joseph for a long time after all.


    Joseph ignored their reactions because it would just make it hard for him. He simply walked to the front, stopping the carriage bravely.


    "From the looks of it, you aren''t the knights from this city. For what pleasure that a random person stops us?" One of the knights came forward as if trying to converse with Joseph.


    However, Joseph simply said, "I''m not sure. I just happen to know you from these two people. That''s the only reason why I''m stopping you."


    The Supreme Devil Organization acted like a normal person outside, so he still had to make sure that they were his targets.


    Joseph dropped two heads in front of them, the middle-aged butler and the brothel receptionist''s head.


    "!!!" The knight in front of him was startled, recognizing these two people.


    Joseph saw his reaction, which was different from the shock. So, he said, "It seems that you have recognized them."


    "No. I was simply startled to find the person before me would act this cruelly." The knight regained his calm.


    And soon, there was a silence filling the atmosphere and the tension started rising.<sub> </sub>


    The Spiritual Energy gathered in Joseph''s hand began to revolve violently.


    Joseph was the first to make a move as he sent forth numerous strings from his right hand toward the carriage. He aimed for the Devil Bishop right away since he was the priority.


    On the other hand, the knight next to the carriage hurriedly pulled out his sword to stop these threads but to no avail. He managed to cut a few of them, but the rest had reached the carriages, slicing it into pieces.


    Surprisingly, the carriage didn''t crumble. Instead, the threads were the ones cut afterwards.


    "!!!" Joseph widened his eyes and took a leap back. Suddenly, a huge figure emerged from the carriage. The figure was like a ghost wearing a long robe that covered everything, including his hand. The long sleeves circled around the scythe, making it look more scary. But more importantly, this creature was created by blood.


    Seeing this creature, Joseph conjured another thread, but this time, it was a thick thread that wouldn''t easily be cut. He sent it forth straight to the creature.


    Thetter struck it with its scythe. The thread couldn''t easily be cut, but the blood creature seemed to know what it should do.


    The creature shifted its scythe a bit, deflecting the thread to the side.


    "!!!" Seeing this sh, the rest of the people hurriedly entered the fight as well. The soldiers and the knights stepped forward, trying to stop each other from interfering.


    Meanwhile, Joseph controlled his thread carefully, making it turn back as if it was alive to disperse the blood.


    However, a red strikeing from the carriage reached the thread and cut it easily, along with the carriage itself.


    "As expected from the Vice Captain of the Demon Observer Squad. I don''t know how you get the information about me, but it seems that I have to capture you to get that information." An old woman came out of the carriage while ring at Joseph.


    "You are¡­" Joseph recognized her in an instant. "The Bloody Queen, Wendy."


    "It seems that I''m a little famous." Wendy smiled while raising her hand. She used the thumb''s nail to cut her middle finger as blood began to drop.


    However, that blood turned into a sword for her to wield.


    Joseph gritted his teeth, knowing what kind of opponent he had right now. Among the Devil Bishops, Wendy''s rank was quite high, so her prowess was too much for him to handle. Even Septa wouldn''t be able to defeat her easily.


    "Without a single captain, you are trying to kill me?" Wendy smiled. "It seems that I have been underestimated."


    The killing intent and bloodlust from Wendy spread in the area, startling both foes and allies. It was so intense that some people began to tremble.


    "And even a thread user like you dare to stop me in this in. So good for a Vice Captain, you prioritize the people''s lives after your advantage. That''s why you''re going to be captured this time." Wendy smirked and stepped forward, nning to end this battle as quickly as possible.


    However, they didn''t know this time, there was eyes and mouth in Joseph''s shadow. And that mouth was making a smile as if it was excited by the development.

 Chapter 260 Butler

    Joseph hurriedly covered his body with thick threads, knowing that this opponent wasn''t something he could handle. So, he could only buy time, waiting for that shadow to appear until he felt he couldn''t hold on any longer.


    With this thread armor, Joseph leaped forth and pulled his fists.


    Wendy looked at both fists and controlled the blood creature toe between them.


    "!!!" Joseph had steeled his resolve, so he struck this creature with his fists. The strings began to disperse as well as if trying to sweep away the blood.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    But the moment a hole was created on the creature''s body, a sword came through it.


    Joseph hurriedly threw himself to the side, avoiding the sword that ended up grazing his cheek.


    "Tsk." Joseph gritted his teeth while wiping the blood on his cheek.


    Wendy chuckled and said, "It seems that the Demon Banner Army''s vice captain is weaker than I expected¡­ This is why you shouldn''t prioritize the people''s safety over your advantage."


    Joseph didn''t have the energy to rebuke it. If he was inside the town, he could attach the strings anywhere, so he could do much more like throwing an object, destroying houses, and more things. However, it also meant that there would be hundreds if not thousands of deaths. That wasn''t something he would like to have.


    But Wendy took advantage of this and injured Joseph in an instant. At that moment, she raised her hand and tried to suck Joseph''s blood.


    "!!!" Joseph saw that his blood felt like being pulled out to the outside. His body began to weaken due to the blood loss, so he hurriedly covered the wound with his string so that no more blood would be able to pull out. "Kh."


    "That''s a good amount." Wendy smirked while forming a smaller creature with Joseph''s blood. At the same time, she could also see some injuries on their subordinates, so he pulled the blood from Joseph''s subordinates to be used as a warrior.


    "Not good." Joseph hurriedly attached the strings to the back of his subordinates and pulled them out of the battle. He then covered their wounds with his strings so that they became weaker.


    "This is an impossible fight." One of the soldiers gritted his teeth, knowing that it was too reckless to challenge a Devil Bishop without a single captain.


    Joseph couldn''t say anything to them because there was no definite proof that he could tell them. He thought, ''It seems that I have put my hope in the wrong ce.''


    "This is the difference in our ability, Joseph. You should have brought your captain before challenging me." Wendyughed while being surrounded by her subordinates as well as the creatures she created earlier.


    But at that instant, a man''s voice resounded across the battlefield. "You too, old hag. You should have brought a Saint if you wanna live."


    "!!!" Wendy and Joseph hurriedly turned their heads. What they found was truly ridiculous.


    There were three bodies who had their heads flying. The shadow began to move around as a middle-aged man came out of that shadow.<sub> </sub>


    The man had long ck hair tied neatly on his back and nted eyes. His smile looked like a sly fox, making one wonder his next n. But surprisingly, he was wearing a butler outfit instead of anything else.


    "You¡ª" Joseph and Wendy were shocked, but before they were fast enough to do something, the middle-aged man had severed another five heads.


    "No, you don''t!" Wendy roared and leaped toward him before he could finish all her subordinates.


    The middle-aged man simply leaped back to gain some distance while stating, "There are only three people left along with all those blood creatures, I''m sure that you can handle the rest, right? Vice Captain?"


    "!!!" Joseph realized that the situation had been turned around in an instant. Without Wendy, all these creatures and the rest of the enemies were easy for them.


    However, Wendyughed at this middle-aged man. "You are a fool. To think that you''re allowing me to summon more creatures to use. Even if they''re dead, they can still be used as a warrior. I''ll show you what it means to challenge me!"


    When she raised her hand, she realized that there was no blood that could be extracted from the bodies, stunning her. "Huh?"


    She turned around to check but realized that all the bodies and the blood were gone as if they were swallowed by something.


    The middle-aged man smiled, saying, "Yeah, yeah. Because you took too much time saying all that stuff, I have finished cleaning the battlefield."


    He was the culprit. By swallowing the corpses and their bodies into the shadow, there was no way Wendy could use them anymore.


    "You b¡ª" Wendy was angered thoroughly, but before she could finish her words, her shadow had turned into a circle as if the moon was directly on top of her head. With that round shadow, a pair of red eyes appeared as if it found its prey.


    Suddenly, a huge creature appeared from the ground, swallowing Wendy.


    "You have anger issues, ain''t you? Don''t talk too much because you can use that time to use your power. Old hag, just because you''re old, don''t turn everything into a lesson." The middle-aged man shook his head helplessly.


    "¡­" Joseph widened his eyes in shock, never expecting that this reinforcement was able to deal with the Bloody Queen so easily.


    Still, as one would expect from a Devil Bishop, she wouldn''t die that easily. The shadow gradually turned red before it fell down like a blood, releasing herself. She even covered the soil with blood so that no shadow woulde out again.


    "Kh." Wendy gritted her teeth while ring at this man. "As expected, this shadow maniption¡­ There''s only one person of your caliber with this kind of ability. To think I would be meeting the famous shadow, Dimitri Val Heizer."


    The man turned out to be the butler of the Ardagan Family''s Dimitri. After hearing those words, Dimitri simply smiled and said, "What are you talking about? I''m simply a butler. Butler Dimitri."

 Chapter 261 Strength

    "You¡­" Wendy leaped forth while shing her sword.


    Dimitri also waved his sword, striking her sword.


    Wendy''s blood sword suddenly sshed like a normal blood and each droplet acted like a nail, puncturing Dimitri''s body.


    However, Dimitri covered his body with ck energy, absorbing all those droplets before making aplete swing due to the dispersed blood.


    "!!!" Wendy suddenly felt immense danger from that one full swing alone. Even though the sword didn''t even reach her, her instinct was telling her that if she didn''t move away, she would die.


    Hence, Wendy chose to trust her instinct and leaped back before a sharp pain struck her neck.


    Wendy widened her eyes in shock and tried to press the area where the pain came, only to find blood covering her hand.


    Wendy was shocked because this kind of attack shouldn''t have happened. But because she leaped back, her vision became wider and she spotted the shadow reflected by the moonlight.


    The shadow of the de looped around Dimitri and curved straight to her shadow''s neck. That was the reason why she got this injury. But to think that Dimitri could kill someone just by using their shadow, even she was shocked.


    "Kh." Wendy realized that even though their rank was about the same, it seemed that Dimitri''s strength was far beyond her. It wasn''t just about the Spiritual Energy, it was about the utilization of the Spiritual Energy. And Dimitri won that area by andslide.


    Dimitri, of course, didn''t n to drag this fight, so he leaped forth while waving his de. His shadow also began to move, so Wendy had to look at both him and his shadow attacks.


    Wendy gritted her teeth and covered the ground with her blood again. This would drain her Spiritual Energy, but this was the only way for her to stop Dimitri.


    However, Dimitri was never afraid of challenge. Seeing that his shadow was blocked, Dimtri covered his sword with dark energy before striking Wendy''s sword.


    It didn''t seem to be extraordinary attack, but Wendy had learned a lot from that the previous sh, so she stomped the ground while observing anything before striking Dimitri''s sword, stopping him.


    ''There''s truly nothing behind it?'' Wendy thought because she didn''t see any Spiritual Energy fluctuation or any change in the shadow.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri continued shing his swords as if trying to overwhelm her. He even looped around her to find any weak spots, but Wendy''s swordsmanship was better than he originally expected because each sh was contained easily.


    "Do you think I''ll lose against you in terms of swordsmanship?" Wendy snorted, stopping Dimitri''s de again.


    Upon hearing this challenge, Dimitri only smiled because there was a single purpose for him holding back in the swordsmanship. But because it had been achieved, Dimitri used more strength in pushing her back.


    Even Wendy had to hold her sword with two hands to stop his push alone, but Dimitri didn''t stop there.


    A dark de began to form around his arms and looped around to strike Wendy''s body.


    ''Huh? des? Where did ite from?'' Wendy was dumbfounded when she saw the des formed. After all, she had blocked the shadow¡­ "Shadow?!"


    As soon as she came into realization, she tried to leap back, albeit the des were faster. Two des impaled her shoulder and her waist.


    "Kh" Wendy endured the pain while pointing her palm at him. "Die."


    A blood tornado came out of her palm. If she used this to her carriage, she would be able to devour the carriage with ease. So, Dimitri had to dodge this if he didn''t want to be destroyed.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Why do you want to give me the power to attack you?" Dimitri smirked. Instead of dodging, Dimitri nned to challenge this blood tornado.<sub> </sub>


    He waved his sword downwards as if he was nning to cut the tornado, but nothing happened.


    But right before the blood tornado reached him, a ck energy suddenly stopped the tornado before splitting it into two.


    The gap between the tornado gave birth to another shadow, extending this sh. The process repeated until Dimitri''s sword strike reached the base of the tornado.


    "!!!" Wendy widened her eyes in shock and threw herself to the side as the shadow came through her tornado and almost cut her. Still, her movement was a bit toote and the shadow strike managed to cut her left arm.


    "Kh." Wendy gritted her teeth. ''Just like the des earlier¡­ He is using the shadow cast by the moon to form those des. I might be able to cover the ground, but I can''t cover a single thing. He can simply put his hand in front of his body and the hand will be covered with the shadow of his body.


    ''And that strike from earlier¡­ He is utilizing the shadow between the tornado to extend his attack. His shadow maniption is too much.''


    She gritted her teeth, not finding any way to defeat Dimitri. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do.


    Turning around, Wendy leaped away.


    "Running away?" Dimitri smiled and chased after her. Obviously, he was much faster than her, especially with the fact that he attached his own shadow to Wendy to make sure she couldn''t escape that fast.


    In an instant, Dimitri caught up and swung his sword.


    "No!" Wendy shouted while striking Dimitri''s sword. Her blood sttered again, but this time, they turned into des to kill Dimitri.


    Unfortunately for her, the blood des were cut into pieces together with her right arm by the shadow cast by their own.


    If one took a look, the shadow of those des as well as Wendy''s arm had been sliced by numerous des from Dimitri''s shadow.


    And now without any hands, Wendy wasn''t an opponent anymore.


    "Wait¡ª" Wendy tried herst resort, which was to reason. But Dimitri didn''t care much about her opinion, so he cut her in half, eliminating a bishop of the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The fight between two people of the same level was simply overwhelming. They never expected that Wendy couldn''t even hold a candle against this mysterious guy that helped them.


    Seeing this man, vice captain Joseph furrowed his eyebrows, muttering, "Dimitri¡­ Shadow¡­ Spirit Grandmaster¡­ Wait a minute. Don''t tell me you are¡­"


    Dimitri smiled and dragged Wendy''s corpses to them before saying, "I am just a butler. If that happens to be another way because of your Demon Observer Squad, I don''t mind removing the brat Septa."


    No one dared to call Septa a brat even though he was young. After all, his strength was truly unparalleled, but Joseph knew that Dimitri truly had the power to do so.


    He gulped down and nodded his head. "I understand. I promise you that¡ª"


    Joseph suddenly stopped after the re from Dimitri and hurriedly corrected himself. "I don''t see anything. We haven''t seen anything. We only see there''s a weird demon killing the Bloody Queen."


    "Much better." Dimitri nodded, satisfied as he turned into shadow again, leaving them away.


    Joseph''s body was trembling while his subordinates were staring at him as if asking him about Dimitri''s identity. After all, there was no way such a person would be this hidden. Even if he was just a butler, his strength should be enough to give some reputation. So, it was weird.


    But Joseph could only say, "Just remember this. We haven''t seen anything. If you say a single thing, Demon Observer Squad might have to change all of their personnel¡­"

 Chapter 262 Change

    Meanwhile, Noel and the others were heading to the other town where they could find the branch of the Demon Banner Army to seek some treatment.


    Noel was riding with Anna. Due to her exhaustion, Anna was curling up, sleeping. Noel had to carry her while riding the horse withoutining. After all, Anna had truly exhausted all her Spiritual Energy and stamina to bring a reinforcement.


    On the other hand, Lokhar was riding with Kirika in Anna''s horse. This would probably be theirst ride, considering Kirika had to go back after this.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Suddenly, Kirika moved her horse closer and said, "Sorry about this, Noel. And thank you for everything¡­ Even now, I can''t do anything to repay you and end up owing you more."


    She looked down, feeling ashamed of her weakness.


    Even though Anna looked sleeping, she was still conscious. She heard her words and thought, ''Kirika is one of the most talented people in this generation. If I didn''t regress, Noel might end up getting some help from her.


    ''Now that I think about it, after that incident, Noel was the one subjugating Kirika. Knowing that there was a Devil Bishop ying in this scheme¡­ Wait a minute. Did Noel actually pair up with Kirika in my past life?


    ''He somehow got caught and experienced the pain Lokhar had to endure? And Kirika was sent to the Devil Bishop? But Noel should be able to escape by using his strength, unless Noel had done that but he couldn''t defeat a Spirit Wielder in the past. After all, Noel had be far strongerpared to his past at this point.


    ''That''s probably the reason. This is such a coincidence. To think I haven''t changed the future, only alter it slightly with Lokhar recing Noel''s position¡­ I haven''t altered too much of the future, so I guess we''re good for the time being.'' Anna thought and felt at ease, knowing that she could still expect something from the future. Now that her heart had calmed down, she gradually drifted to the dream world.


    On the other hand, Noel caught a glimpse of Kirika''s ashamed face. He said, "Then, make sure you have a good reception for us if we ever visit your family in the future."


    "Huh?!" Kirika was baffled for a moment before understanding Noel''s words. She was sad because she ended up relying on her family again despite wanting to be independent.


    Noel sighed as his usual motivation side took over. He pulled out his sword and showed it to her. "This is my family heirloom. Even if I have lost my family, I still rely on my family. Have you ever said this saying? No one can choose their birth parents.


    "Yes, it''s not your fault to be born in a noble family. But what you do is the problem. You might be born with silver spoon, but if you end up losing that silver spoon before you die, that''s your fault.


    "That''s why you don''t have to be ashamed relying on your family. Even if you don''t have anything to rely on, you can create a connection with those in power. The key is simple¡­ Communication." Noel nced to the side as if implying that Lokhar didn''t need to be down either.


    "!!!" Kirika noticed Noel''s gaze and looked at Lokhar. That was right. Lokhar was born from an ordinary family, so he had to do everything by himself. And Noel had hinted the connection and her family.


    Kirika understood what he wanted to say, so she turned her head and said to Lokhar. "I owe you this much from what you have done, Lokhar. If you ever feel too troubled or just want to stay away from any fight,e to my Loetzel Family in the Greenwood Kingdom. With your strength, bing a knight shouldn''t be a problem."


    Lokhar was surprised by Kirika''s invitation. After all, this favor was overwhelming to an ordinary person like him. Even though she would be leaving soon, she still gave her a huge gift.<sub> </sub>


    A smile appeared on Lokhar''s face. "Certainly. Thank you, Kirika."


    Kirika smiled. She had another determination when going back to her family. To make sure that she could repay Lokhar''s favor in the future, she had to be the leader. Political marriage? She wouldn''t ept any of those. If they dared to push that matter to her, she would just show her strength to ovee anything to the point her father had no choice but to give his position to her.


    She couldn''t choose her family, but she could choose her future. Instead ofining and falling into despair like other women in noble families, she wanted to be strong and fight for herself.


    Upon that realization, Kirika politely bowed to Noel. "Thank you, Noel."


    "I didn''t do anything. You are strong, Kirika. And that''s how it''ll go from now on."


    "Hehe." Kirika smiled as an image of their first meeting shed in her mind. Noel simply said a few words, but those words changed her. Even after eight years, nothing had changed.


    The image of a chubby girl talking to the uninterested Noel had now been reced by the stronger Kirika getting another advice from the gentle Noel.


    Lokhar raised his fist and said, "Thank you, Noel. I apologize that at first¡­ I actually looked down on you. Sorry. And thank you for everything."


    "No problem." Noel nodded and bumped his fist. "After this, you''re alone, so you might have to work even harder."


    "I''m prepared to do that." Lokhar chuckled.


    The three were smiling at each other.


    If Anna was still awake, she would have said, ''Just another dose of motivation from Noel.''


    She just wondered how many people that Noel had changed in the past. Not all of them would participate in that rebellion after all.


    Helping a hundred thousand people, changing tens of thousand people. This was Noel''s strength.


    Anna didn''t regret her choice in this life. In fact, she had done all the worst possible things to Noel in the past, so she wanted to change her way of living this time.


    Anna hadn''t realized yet that she was also one from the tens of thousands people that Noel had changed.

 Chapter 263 Overthinking

    "This is the proof of yourpletion." Joseph handed them several proof ofpletion to them. Each of them got one, but because this was a task from Shale, Noel''s group also got another one for their group mission. It meant Noel and Anna only had one Individual Mission to finish the requirement to graduate.


    Still, Joseph had a weird expression when handing the proof to Noel. It was so obvious that Noel knew he was a bit stiff. This was uneptable for the Demon Observer Squad''s vice captain, so he wondered what happened.


    Unfortunately, Joseph didn''t n to tell him anything.


    In the end, they were seen off after they got the proof while Lokhar had to stay for a few more days to recuperate.


    "In that case, we''ll be returning first. See you, Lokhar." Noel waved his hand with a smile.


    "Yeah. Once again, thanks, Noel." Lokhar nodded.


    After bidding their goodbye, Noel and Anna immediately rode their horse back to the Demon Banner Army headquarter as they finally had some time off to rest their bodies.


    When they handed the report to Shale, thetter thanked them personally. "Thank you for your help in this mission. Thanks to you, we''ve managed to defeat a Devil Bishop and several Devil Inspectors."


    "No, no. I messed up a bit back then. But thankfully, it''s solved." Noel shook his head.


    "Alright. It seems that you two need some rest. So, you should go back. Or you''d rather to have thest individual mission before getting some rest?"


    "No, we''d like to get some rest."


    "I understand. You also have garnered some points, do you want to use it? You can go to the person in charge of treasury to get the catalog."


    "Can I exchange another Ancient Spirit Technique with my current point?" Noel asked.


    "Mhm¡­ Not yet." Shale recounted the memory a bit and continued, "An Ancient Spirit Technique usually cost around 10,000 points. Currently, you have 7,200 points, so I don''t think it''s enough for the time being. However, you can get some good equipment with this. It''ll definitely help you after you graduate."


    "Is that so? I don''t think I need another equipment. But thanks for the suggestion." Noel nodded. He had a flexible armor and Ardagan Sword, so there was no other piece of equipment that interested him.


    "Alright then." Shale recorded everything and gave their token backs.


    After that, Noel and Anna walked away. Before reaching their rooms, Anna asked, "What are we going to do next? I mean, we still have another three months before graduation. A single individual mission will only take around two weeks. So, what are we going to do in thest two and a half months?"


    "Do you remember when I told you that we''ll create a stage where you killed me?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded.


    "It''s going to put a stain in your name, you know. After all, I''m trying to build up my reputation."


    "I know that. The stain in my name will make me leave the army, allowing me to start investigating the royal family."<sub> </sub>


    "After that, we won''t be able to meet easily, right? So, I''m nning to get the Body Strengthening Liquid first before our graduation."


    "Wait, do you mean¡­"


    "Yeah. We''re going to spend the remaining time here for the individual mission and the liquid. Then, we''ll graduate even if it''s going to be a bit faster. In fact, it''s better if we''re a bit faster because after you kill me, I can use my second identity to reach the squad again, showing that I just got there after graduation."


    "Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. "So, you mind telling me your second identity now? Even though you have been ying ignorant all this time?"C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "This is just the basic of cooperation. What you should worry is not about my second identity, but the timing for us to meet to give each other information."


    "That''s true."


    "Anyway, we''ll be talking about the timing and other detailster. For now, I''m tired."


    "Me too."


    Noel and Anna agreed and went separate ways. As soon as Noel returned to his room, he had to clean up the room as well because the dust had been sitting on his room after leaving it for a few months.


    He then lied down on the bed while furrowing his eyebrows. "The first step is done. I just have to start using my second identity before approaching the Third Prince. But still¡­ to think all my hatred to Anna was just a n. I don''t know what to feel.


    "On the one hand, Anna was just a pawn in this entire scheme. On the other hand, my father is toying with my emotion. I don''t even know what to feel about Anna now that all my hatred is forcefully taken away like this."


    Noel bit his lips. He felt like he was trapped inside a muddy field. He wanted to go to the nearestnd, but he had a hard time to move and his body started itching because he just wanted to get this done already.


    Even Noel didn''t know what to do.


    "What''s the point of sowing discord between me and Anna, Father? Ah, right. I should have hit you once right after we meet¡­ I shouldn''t forget about this. Anyway, the point of the hatred is¡­ Is he leading me to Anna?


    "What if Anna doesn''t join the Demon Banner Army? Now that I think about it, Anna in the past is far different than the current Anna. She has refused it, but what''s the reason of her sudden change? It feels surreal."


    p Noel couldn''t help but remember the meeting with the Sword Saint. If everything went ording to his father''s n, his father must want to make them meet through this hatred.</anda>


    But he wanted to solve the hatred between them by forcefully taking away the hatred and the Sword Saint even came out to tell them about the story of the Ardagan''s ancestor and his sister. He even gave him the rings used for their marriage.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ My father is nning to marry me to Anna? There''s no way my father would know the content of the inheritance of the Sword Saint, right¡­ RIGHT?"


    "I must be overthinking¡­"

 Chapter 264 Spiritual Energy Reserve

    The next morning.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment as an image of Anna appeared in the darkness, wielding her sword.


    Suddenly, she jumped forth while waving her de.


    Noel raised his sword to strike this de, but once he stopped it, the lightning started spreading to his sword and eventually reached his hand, numbing it. Noel tried his hardest to stop it, but the numbness of his hands weakened them, causing the de to fail to stop this strike.


    In the end, Anna''s sword cut his neck.


    "Ha¡­" Noel gasped for air because the image was too real. This was his training with the Imaginary Battlefield.


    At first, he could still put up some fight against Anna, but when Anna showed the progress of her training, he simply had no way to defeat her right now.


    "How do I even fight against the lightning?" Noel murmured while looking at Ardagan. He remembered that the Sword Saint told him that Ardagan was perfect and no runes should be embedded to him.


    "Spirit¡­ Spirit Weapon, no Spirit Weaponry was it? The ability to sh the Spiritual Energy itself. That''s right¡­ What if I utilize the Spirit Weaponry in every swing?


    "The Spirit Weaponry itself is going to cost me a lot of Spiritual Energy and if I actually add it into my Everchanging Emotion Sword Style, it''ll be even stronger. Also, I have realized something.


    "Why did Ardagan not give me any mission for thest rescue mission? Also, I have managed to increase three levels in Ardagan Swordsmanship. Why did he not give me any Spirit Abilities?"


    Noel took half an hour to think about it before reaching the conclusion. "That''s right. The Everchanging Emotion Sword Style itself is perfect for me. If I put Anger into the sword, the sword will be the sharpest. This is simr to the Mega sh.


    "On the other hand, if I put fear, the sh will be quicker. After all, if we''re in fear, we often do something a bit faster simply because we''re panicking¡­ This power is simr to Swift Strike.


    "If that''s the case, haven''t I received a total of ten new skills? My Everchanging Emotion Sword Style has ten emotions. Fear, Anger, Shame, Contempt, Disgust, Guilt, Distress, Interest, Surprise, and Joy. Basically, they''re tranted as Quick, Sharp, Prate, Precise, Blunt, Hesitate, Desperate, Examine, Defense, and Protect.


    "Each of them is equal to a Spirit Ability if I manage to master them. That''s why Ardagan didn''t give me any Sword Abilities after increasing the level of my Swordsmanship.


    "Then, how about the mission? Normally, Ardagan would have taken out a mission. At the very least, a mission to save Kirika and Lokhar would appear. Yet, the mission was nowhere to be seen. Even right now, I haven''t received any medal in a while.


    "I have thought that I could control the mission system a bit after the two missions about the liquid and the firebird, but it seems that I haven''t understood Ardaganpletely."


    Noel sighed while scratching the back of his head, trying to figure out Ardagan. This felt like a challenge from Ardagan itself.


    After a while, Noel closed his eyes again, meditating to enter his consciousness.


    That was when he met Heisk. Instead of a snowke symbol, Heisk showed her new appearance after absorbing the ice pearl.


    She had a humanoid figure, but her size itself was only around the size of his palm. She had a pair of translucent wings and her body was covered in blue light.


    "Master!"


    "Heisk?" Noel raised his palm and Heisknded on top of it. "Where is Ardagan?"


    "He is somewhere around here. Do you want me to call him?"<sub> </sub>


    "Before that, what are you doing here? Usually, Ardagan would be the one to meet me first."


    "Ah! I want to tell you about something."


    "And that is?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Usually, Ardagan would be the one giving him all kinds of exnations. It seemed that Ardagan was the one sending Heisk to deal with him.


    "I want to give you this technique." Heisk raised her hands as a system notification appeared.


    Skill: Ice Infusion (0/2)


    Requirement: 7 SP


    "This is¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "Are you giving me an ability?"


    "Yes. It''s been a while since I have given you any ability."


    "Oh, thank you." Noel nodded.


    "There is one more thing. If you want more skills, you have to find something that suits us. Also, you have to get stronger too."


    "What do you mean? I can understand the first one since I have seen you giving me the ability of the ice pearl after absorbing it. But the second one¡­"


    Heisk raised her hand and formed a rectangle on the size of Noel''s head. "Imagine this is your Spiritual Energy reserve."


    "Energy reserve?"


    "Yes. If you use your Spiritual Energy, it''ll gradually chip away the reserve." The ice rectangle on top of her head gradually faded away, showing the consumption of the Spiritual Energy.


    "So, if I recover my Spiritual Energy, it will return to its original shape?"


    "That''s right. However, this is only the consumption of your power. Meanwhile, you can''t really utilize all of your reserve because the Spirit Abilities have taken some share." Heisk suddenly took out a smaller rectangle from the bigger one. "This is Sword Fall."


    She then took out a triangle shape and said, "This is Sword Aura."


    She continued by taking another few shapes from the rectangle. "This is Sword Fire, Freezing Crystal, Rune Mastery."


    "Wait a moment¡­ Are you telling me¡­" Noel squinted his eyes, understanding what she wanted to say.


    "That''s right. Each Spirit Ability you''ve learned will be ingrained into your Spiritual Energy reserve. It means, all the reserve doesn''t go simply as your Spiritual Energy, a portion of them are still used to register those Spirit Abilities. You can say it''s the price of our connection since we''re lending you our ability."


    "I see. I can understand that. Is that why you haven''t given me any mission?"


    "Yes. All these Spirit Abilities you have learned until today have taken a lot of toll in your reserve. If we take more than that, you will find yourselfcking Spiritual Energy. That''s why you have to get stronger by taking more Spiritual Energy."


    "Ah¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath, never expecting this was what truly happened inside his body. The fact that this knowledge hadn''t be amon knowledge meant this was a special exnation only to him. But this also brought a lot of questions in Noel''s mind.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 265 Ardagans Promise?

    "¡­" Noel thought for a moment and asked, "If I have to use a portion of my Spiritual Energy reserve to learn a new technique, doesn''t that mean I have to be more careful about choosing my Spirit Abilities?"


    "Not necessarily." Heisk shook her head. The Spirits were helping their master to improve, so even though she scared him about the possibility, Heisk had prepared for the solution. "We''re the ones taking care of your Spiritual Energy reserve. That''s why you haven''t received any Spirit Abilities for a while."


    "I see. But how can I know how much Spiritual Energy I do have and how much I have spent for the Spirit Abilities?"


    "You can simply ask us. We''re the one taking care of your Spiritual Energy, so if you ask us, we can make the rough calction for you. For now, your Spirit Ability have taken sixty percent of your Spiritual Energy Reserve and forty percent are used for your consumption."


    "For real? This whole time I have been using only forty percent of my Spiritual Energy?"


    "Yes." Heisk nodded.


    "But still, I can kinda understand about the reason why I have taken a lot of my Spiritual Energy Reserve for my Spirit Abilities. I have five Sword Abilities, three Fire Abilities, four Ice Abilities and Five Rune Abilities. Are the Spirit Techniques included?"


    "Yes."


    "It seems that my Everchanging Emotion Sword Style took a lot of it."


    "Yes. It took twenty five percent. The second biggest will be the Undying Fire. You have to be careful if you want to increase the level of the Spirit Ability as well."


    "I see." Noel scratched the back of his head. "This is going to be a problem. I have taken five types of abilities¡­ I''m afraid that my Spiritual Energy Reserve won''t be enough to handle all that."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Don''t worry, Master. Have you forgotten something?"


    "What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. He was worrying that he took too much energy by registering the skills. In the future, if he wasn''t careful, he would be in a deep trouble for not being able to learn high level Spirit Ability simply because he didn''t have enough Spiritual Energy Reserve.


    However, Heisk simply said, "Don''t forget that you have two Spirits in your body. That alone can allow you to register more Spirit Abilitiespared to a normal person.


    "Then, you have that training that increase your Spiritual Energy¡­ The higher your Spiritual Energy, the higher the increase.


    "Last but not least, you have medal that can increase your Spiritual Energy. The stronger you are, the harder the mission you will get. And at that time, your medal will be a lot better than now."


    Listening to Heisk''s exnation, Noel could finally understand that everything had been calcted. Ardagan was a Fire Sword Spirit, so he could use his natural absorption for the Sword Ability and the medal for the Fire Ability.


    Then, he used the increase in training to supply enough energy for the Rune Ability.


    On the other hand, Heisk took care of Ice Ability and Other Spirit Techniques. This way, Noel''s body would be able to handle all those abilities within him.


    The only thing he had to do was to get stronger and amass a greater amount of Spiritual Energy. In other words, he had to find more Demon Crystals.<sub> </sub>


    Upon hearing it, Noel could see the concrete n of the next few months before graduation.


    "I see. It seems that I''ve been relying on you two." Noel nodded in understanding.


    Heisk smiled and said, "I have to rely on Master as well for evolving to a Humanoid Spirit. I think you have aware of this but Spirit lives almost forever. I''m afraid that I''m serving you for a few decades just to evolve myself and live a better life after that."


    "No. This is an equal transaction. You help me, I help you. Please continue supporting me and I''ll do the same." Noel lowered his head.


    "Yes." Heisk also lowered her head.


    "Is that all?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. I believe I have told you everything. What you arecking right now is the Spiritual Energy. So, you have to gather a substantial amount of Spiritual Energy to be a Spirit Wielder."


    "That''s what I''m nning to do. Since you have told me everything, I have to move right away. You sure know how to make me excited." Noel pumped his fists. He understood the system that Ardagan had built more clearly this time. The only reason why he hadn''t given him anything for a while was because he wascking in Spiritual Energy.


    In other words, if he wanted to constantly improve, he had to increase the amount of his Spiritual Energy.


    After confirming everything, Noel waved his hand and said, "Alright. Thank you, Heisk."


    "Yes, Master." Heisk politely nodded while watching Noel leaving the consciousness.


    As soon as he disappeared, Ardagan''s voice echoed. "He is a peculiar host, isn''t he?"


    "Ardagan. You were here this whole time? Why didn''t you show up?" Heisk asked, turning around to find the sword floating next to her.


    "I shouldn''t be the one exining all that because it''ll be seen as me burdening him with all that problem. And if he''s grateful to me, it''ll cause a lot of problems because he might end up bing dependent."


    "I don''t know much about your resolve, but it seems that you have taken a great host after a thousand years."


    "I''m simply choosing a great host. You can say I''m picky. That''s the reason why I haven''t gotten any host for a thousand years. I''m going to raise him to a great man."


    "Even though, you can''t evolve? Although your form is not a humanoid spirit, you''re equal to one. So, I don''t see the point of doing all this."


    "You don''t understand my goal. I''m simply trying to fulfill the condition of my creator."


    "Your creator, eh?" Heisk closed her eyes and nodded. "Well, I''ll be doing my best to make him stronger."

 Chapter 266 Becoming A Royalty?

    Noel gradually opened his eyes, learning so many things in thest few minutes. He never thought that there was a secret in his body that formed his current power system.


    "Now that I know what to do¡­" Noel smiled and walked out of his room to go straight to the training ground to find Anna.


    It didn''t take too long for him to meet Anna since thetter was about to knock his door. Yes, Anna was standing in front of his door.


    "What¡ª!" Noel was startled as he jumped back in surprise.


    "I was about to knock your door¡­" Anna blinked a few times, staring at Noel dumbfoundedly. "I want to talk about something."


    Noel took a deep breath to calm his heart before asking, "Is it important? If it''s not that important, we should talk about it on the way."


    "It''s not very important." Anna shook her head. "So, let''s go for a walk."


    "Sure." Noel immediately grabbed Ardagan and closed the door. While they were walking to the training ground, Noel asked, "So, what do you want to say?"


    "I want to talk about runes."


    "Yeah? Are you finally going to tell me from where you learn the runes?"


    Anna ignored that question and told him about another thing. "You must have written a book about runes, right? And that book is probably at the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. Anna knowing about the book was one thing, but her knowing the book was in the Greenwood Kingdom was something that no one should know.


    Anna knew this because the first one that poprized the book in her past life was the Greenwood Kingdom.


    However, her concern was on another thing. It was the result of the book being poprize. She asked, "Do you have any thought about bing a royalty?"


    "What are you talking about?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you high?"


    "No. If you have the chance to be a royalty, will you do it? Or let''s talk about another example¡­ If the Royal Family is a part of the organization, how much are you nning to go?"


    "¡­" Noel was stupefied by the question. If the royal family was a part of the organization, there was nothing they could do other than starting a rebellion to take down the royal family. After all, it would create a great unrest if the Supreme Devil Organization was allowed to grow even stronger.


    However, that also created another problem because the Royal Family''s spot would be empty. The best option would be the Third Prince.


    But this kind of question made him misunderstand Anna''s real intention. She thought Anna was thinking about Noel killing all royal family''s heirs to ascend to the throne himself. He said, "It seems that you are trying to start a rebellion, Anna Stargaze."


    "Rebellion, huh?" Anna''s body was trembling, never expecting that Noel would even mention rebellion. "Did you misunderstand me or something?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Huh? Aren''t you talking about me being a royalty?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. What I mean is that the Greenwood Kingdom might poprize your book and after that, they''ll track your history. Knowing that you are the descendant of a royalty, they might grant you the prince title. Since your gene is already far away from the royalty, you are probably going to marry a princess there and be the true royalty." Anna exined her real concern.


    "Oh?" Noel nodded in understanding. The rune book was moreplete than the Spirit Enchantment Book in the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Noel, who knew about this book, was a huge treasure in their eyes. The Greenwood Kingdom would try to do everything to make him a part of them. If they couldn''t do anything, he would probably be eliminated. After all, the fact that he knew about the basic runes meant he could develop it even further.


    This would be a great threat to all kingdoms. And the best way to protect himself was to be a royalty.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment and said, "I can understand what you''re talking about, but my goal is clear. If bing a royalty can make me achieve that goal, I don''t mind bing one."


    Anna looked down with a sad expression. Noel had changed, so she couldn''t expect that Noel to reject it like the past life. In the end, she couldn''t hold him here.


    There was even a greater disappointment that she didn''t know where it dide from. She just felt empty knowing Noel would leave.


    However, that disappointment disappeared when she heard Noel''s next words.


    "Unfortunately, being a royalty won''t allow me to achieve my goal."


    "Eh?" Anna turned to him in shock. "You are not going to be a part of royalty?"


    Noel shook his head, confirming it. "I have my goal and that''s what I''m going to fulfill."


    "I see. That''s a relief¡­" Anna smiled as if a great burden was just lifted from her heart. "Ah, wait. Why did I say it''s a relief? The fact that you''re not going to be a royalty means you are going to face a harder future, you know."


    "Hahaha!" Noel chuckled and said, "That''s why I''m going to take advantage of you before graduation."


    "Mhm?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what Noel had for her.


    "What''s the best way to get Demon Crystals?"


    "Huh? That''s your n?" Anna hesitated for a moment and said, "There are three ways to get a huge number of Demon Crystals. The first would be to hunt it yourself. With that overwhelming power, you should be able to amass a huge number of Low and Mid Quality Crystals. Once you be stronger, you gather Advanced Quality Crystals and repeat it.


    "The second way is to buy it with your financial power. As you can see, the reason why the Demon Banner Army is strong because they have a lot of Demon Crystals. It allows them to create a financial power for those sheltered nobles that simply want to get stronger without risking their lives. So, yeah. You can take advantage of this one in two ways depending on your need.


    "As for thest one¡­ you can get a lot of Contribution Points and exchange it through the Demon Banner Army. This is the benefit only the knights from the Demon Banner Army will have."


    Noel listened to her carefully before a smile appeared on his face. "That''s it."

 Chapter 267 Warning

    Anna was confused by Noel''s train of thought and asked, "Do you want to exchange your Contribution Points with Demon Crystals?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, we, Apprentice Knights, haven''t been impacted by the rules yet, so we can easily get numerous Demon Crystals to start. After graduation, we''re going to get imposed by twenty percent rules where you have to hand over twenty percent of Crystals you got except for some special cases."


    "That''s what I''m nning." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I''m nning to hunt Demons right now and use all the Contribution Points right before graduation."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "The requirement to graduate is to finish five Individual Mission and five Group Mission, right?"Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. Ah, wait! Do you mean¡­"


    "Yes. That''s the minimum requirement. There''s no one telling us we can''t get more missions." Noel smirked.


    "But we don''t have too much time left."


    "The Body Strengthening Liquid¡­ We''ll take on missions along the way. If possible, I''ll also hunt some more demons." Noel nodded with a smirk. "This way, we can amass more Contribution Points and exchange it with the Demon Crystals. It''s true that Spirit Techniques are quite tempting, but what I''mcking right now is the Spiritual Energy in my body."


    "I see. It seems to be a concrete n." She agreed with Noel''s decision. Even she was tempted by it. Even though her father was still in power unlike Noel''s, she never relied on her family that much except for the little money she brought when she first came here.


    "Let''s go."


    "So, we''re only doing subjugation missions?"


    "Any mission that doesn''t take too much time. Three days will be the limit for each mission."


    With the agreement, the two immediately rushed to Shale and said, "Sir Shale. I''m going to take on myst missions."


    "Me too."


    "Last missions?" Shale was confused because both of them only needed one mission to graduate. He thought that Noel was telling him to represent Anna, but it didn''t seem to be the case.


    "I need to check it with you, but you know that you only need one more mission to graduate, right?" Shale asked for confirmation with a wry smile.


    "Yes. But there is no rule that we can''t take on more missions before we graduate, right?" Noel asked.


    "No. There''s nothing like that."


    "That''s why we want to take on ourst missions."


    It didn''t take too long for Shale to realize their aims. "You''re aiming for more Contribution Points?"


    Noel and Anna admitted it without hesitation. "Yes."


    "Are you serious?" Shale pinched the bridge of his nose while taking out the mission catalog. "Well, just take a look at the catalog."


    Noel took a look at the book while Anna asked, "By the way, how many Contribution Points to exchange for Demon Crystals?"


    "Mhm?" Shale finally knew their purpose in getting more missions. He watched both of their faces first. They weren''t people who would recklessly destroy themselves just for the sake of Contribution Points, so he let them away with this. "Depends on what you want."


    "Low Quality Crystals?"


    "One point for one crystal. That kind of demon is like an antpared to the knight of our army, so we just have too many of them."


    "How about Mid Quality Crystals?"<sub> </sub>


    "Fifty Points for one Crystals


    "That''s so expensive."


    "Advance Qual¡ª"


    As if he had done picking his missions, Noel interjected Anna''s question, "By the way, can we also turn in the Demon Crystals we have?"


    "Yes. People like that are usually exchanging it with equipment."


    Noel nodded and said, "In that case, I don''t need Advanced Quality Crystals."


    "Huh? Are you serious, Noel? Advanced Quality Crystal is very good for your development, you know." Anna stopped him from going to this path. After all, it would only slow down his progress. If he wanted to get stronger, he should get Advanced Quality Crystals instead of the lower quality ones.


    However, Noel had an answer to that. "I''m focusing on filling the Low Quality and Mid Quality Crystals first. As soon as I have hit my limit, I can sell the Crystals for money.


    "No matter what you say, I don''t have anyone backing me up with financial power. So, these Crystals will be my main source of ie for the time being."


    "Ah¡­" Anna looked away, understanding and respecting his choice.


    "How about you?" Shale asked Anna since she was different.


    Anna said, "I''ll also focus on the first two as well. I don''t want to rely on my family that much."


    "Alright. Anyway, have you picked your missions?"


    Noel nodded and pointed at least six subjugation missions. "These three are mine and the others are Anna''s. This is Individual Mission, but since we have finished our requirement right at the first mission, we don''t have to abide by the rule anymore, right?"


    "Tsk. Smartass." Shale clicked his tongue. "Yes. Though, I have to make sure that you finish your first mission by yourself."


    "Of course. Do we look like we don''t have any integrity?"


    "Well, just in case." Shale shrugged.


    "Are you salty that I didn''t ept your invitation?" Noel chuckled, presenting it in a lighthearted way to not offend Shale.


    Though, Shale replied with a serious expression. "Yes. I''m salty. Do you want me to express all my hatred to you for rejecting me?"


    "¡­" Noel pped his hands and hurriedly changed the topic. "Anyway, these are the missions. I hope that Sir Shale can record it for us."


    Shale stared at Noel''s face for a moment, making it awkward. But since Noel was looking away, Shale ended up recording it and handing the mission to them. "These are your missions. Remember the time limit as well as the missions."


    "Of course." Noel smiled.


    Shale looked at the sky before saying, "Before leaving, I suggest you to leave tomorrow."


    "What do you mean?" Noel was confused before seeing Shale pointing at the sky.


    "It''s going to be a heavy rain tonight. As you know, we have four seasons, spring, summer, rainy, and winter. And right now, we''re at the peak of the rainy season, so you have to be careful."


    "How do you even know it''s going to rain?"


    "Just take a look at the cloud, the shape, the size, and so on. Then, you take a look at the wind and see if it will carry the cloud away or not. After that, when you breathe, do you feel that its temperature drops or not? Then, does it feel humid? These are the basics to predict rain. Once you get used to it, you should be able to predict it correctly most of the time. It''s a useful skill."


    "I understand. I''ll learn it." Noel nodded and bowed to Shale before leaving, noting everything in his mind.

 Chapter 268 An Advanced Village

    The next day.


    Noel and Anna were riding horse side by side, going to their first mission which was aligned with their final destination.


    The soil was muddy and there were even some puddles in their path.


    "The rain was quite big yesterday." Noel furrowed his eyebrows, recalling Shale''s lesson.


    "Indeed." Anna nodded. "The worst will be the winter, the season after this. The temperature is going to drop even further."


    "Yeah. In just one month." Noel agreed and thought for a moment. "I guess we have to walk through the snow to reach our new post."


    "Yes. The problem is... Since we''re going to the Demon Relief Squad, the jobs will be harsher."


    "Indeed. I still remember that we start the training right after the winter ends. So, we have never faced this problem. I guess it''s going to be troublesome soon. There will be many people dying as well."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "It''s a problem for all kingdoms. It''s sad but we can''t unsee it. There are even worse viges where they have to sell their children just to keep them fed." She sighed.


    "Well, it''s impossible to take care of everyone in a winter." Noel scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we can discuss the problemter after we arrive at the Demon Relief Squad. For now, let''s focus on our missions."


    "Right."


    "If we take a look at these missions, they''re all subjugation missions. With our strength, I''m going to limit the time we will take to finish the mission." Noel had calcted the time they had to take to subjugate all these monsters. So, he raised three fingers. "Three days. We will meet here after three days to continue finishing the rest of the missions.


    "Then, we''ll go straight to the ce where the Body Strengthening Liquid is. This way, we should be able to finish everything before winteres."


    "I agree with your schedule. Though, the moment we return there, we''ll just spend our Contribution Points and graduate, right?"


    "Yes. That''s the n. With an extra of one and a half months before the normal graduation, we can spend half a month to prepare and go to our new post. Then, use a month or so to create a scheme to kill me. After all, this will be perfect for when Ie to the Demon Relief Squad."


    "It''s good enough." Anna nodded.


    "Now that we have fixed our course, let''s speed up, shall we?" Noel smirked.


    "Of course." Anna gently tapped the horse as it started running.


    It didn''t take too long for them to arrive at the junction where they had to part.


    "The left is Hugel in. It''s your ce to subjugate a herd of Leopard Demons that have been hunting all animals, making the hunters having no animal to hunt. If it continues, the hunter won''t be able to prepare for the winter. Even worse, they''re nomads tribe, so it''s going to be hell if they can''t get something to eat." Noel exined her mission.


    "Meanwhile, yours is Lontera Mountain. There seems to be a new king in that jungle and due to the sudden change, it causes a lot of problems to the viges near the mountain. You are going to subjugate it."<sub> </sub>


    Noel and Anna smiled, confirming each other''s mission. They seemed to know what each other wanted to say as they turned around and started going to their own direction.


    "See you in three days."


    The two went separate ways.


    Noel rode the horse to the vige at the foot of the mountain, which was supposed to be the one requesting their help.


    The vige didn''t seem to be that big. He could only see fifteen houses in the vige.


    "Mhm? It seems that the vige poption is about fifty people. Normally, the vige that will request the Demon Banner Army''s help is bigger than this. It seems that the vige is flourishing..." Noel muttered while trying to see the location.


    However, the more he climbed, the more he realized why the vige seemed to be flourishing. There was a huge farm field next to them. He even saw farmers leisurely sitting on the side as if they didn''t need to take care of the field.


    When they noticed him, they were waving their hands as if greeting him.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and jumped off his horse as he walked thest fifty meters to feel the living atmosphere in this vige.


    Surprisingly, there was a middle-aged man who suddenly came out upon noticing him. He raised his hand to stop him while asking, "Who are you? What''s the purpose of you visiting our vige?"


    Noel took out the badge and introduced himself. "My name is Noel. I havee upon the request to the Demon Banner Army."


    "Demon Banner Army?!" The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before saying, "Let me confirm it first. Do you mind waiting here?"


    "Sure. I''ll wait." Noel nodded while looking around, wondering the secret of the vige. Surprisingly, he could see multipleyers of field in this ce.


    "Hmm? The terraced fields... It''s not natural. It''s like they''re trying to use the slope of the mountain to create this terrace. But why?" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in his ears. "Because by using the slope and creating a terrace like this, it allows us to form a good irrigation system. Not only that, but we can create a farm in a sloped fields. There are other benefits as well."


    Noel turned around to find the woman who exined everything to him. The woman had long brown hair and wore big round sses. She looked like she was in her mid twenties, but despite her young age, she looked mature and knowledgeable.


    "Are you the vige chief?" Noel asked dumbfoundedly. He wasn''t shocked by her beauty, he was just surprised that the vige chief would be someone this young.


    However, the brown-haired woman shook her head gently. "No. But I''m the one requesting your help, Sir Knight. Pleasee with me. I''ll be exining the problem to you."


    "Sure."


    Noel didn''t know at this time that he would be shocked by the knowledge of the woman he had just met.

 Chapter 269 Farming

    Noel was invited to the house thedy used in this vige. It couldn''t be said tidy or messy because inside the living room, he could see a few stacks of books. There were even some papers scattered around.


    "Ahaha, it might look a bit messy. Please forgive me."


    "Do you need my help in cleaning?" Noel chuckled, thinking nothing of this mess.


    "How can I trouble Mr. Noel Ardagan with this?" Thedy shook her head with a smile as if epting the thought alone.


    "Mhm?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He only introduced himself to the vige as Noel, not his full name, so it meant that thedy herself was already aware of his name. "Do you know me?"


    "Of course, I know you." She smiled. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Jasmine Whitfield."


    "Whitfield?" Noel finally understood why she knew his name. She was also a noble.


    "That''s right. I am the first daughter of Count Whitfield. Thest time I''ve met you was probably at the banquet four years ago."


    "I see. You are Count Whitfield''s¡­" Noel nodded in understanding. "Please forgive my rudeness. Thank you for weing me here, Miss Jasmine. You can call me Noel as I have lost the right to call myself a noble."


    "Then, please call me Jasmine too. After all, I''m indebted to Count Ardagan for sponsoring all my research. He is the one allowing me to escape from political marriage and pursue my own study."


    "Ah?!" Noel just realized. Noble''s sons would be useless if they were not the first born since the first born was most likely to inherit the family. So, the other sons would most likely either marry to another household or work something they wanted to do.


    On the other hand, noble''s daughters had a more miserable fate. They wouldn''t inherit the family and they couldn''t do something they wanted by leaving the house. After all, the noble''s daughters would be a political tool to get connection between noble families.


    That was why Anna used all her strength to prove that she wouldn''t be a tool. And the one in front of him right now managed to escape that fate by getting the protection of his father. With that amount of money, she managed to break free from her family.


    Jasmine smiled and exined. "Count Ardagan didn''t only help me financially, but also gave some money to my family. That''s why I could research things I like. Looking at this case, you can say I''m working for Count Ardagan instead of my family¡­ So, you can call me Jasmine as well."


    "I see." Noel closed his eyes for a moment, understanding what his father wanted from her. "But my family has been ruined, so no need to be polite to me just because you once worked for my father."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "No can do." Jasmine shook her head. "I don''t know much about financial sector, but I still can get some money from the Count. It seems that he has left a big amount of money for me. If you ever reim your position, I''ll head to your territory and bring the result of my research. That''s the agreement between me and Count Ardagan."


    "Well, for now, I''m not a noble, so you can just feel at ease. Who knows about the future." Noel shrugged.


    Seeing Noel''s expression, Jasmine sighed and agreed to not be too polite. "In that case, do you have any questions about me?"


    "Many things. What''s about the terraced field? I can see that the farmer seems to be having an easy day."<sub> </sub>


    "Terraced Field is a method to create a farm field in a slope. You know that it''s hard to create something in a slope because the water will just continuously flow to the bottom, right?"


    "Yes."


    "By creating a terraced field, we can create a few t surfaces while maintaining the slope itself. Also, by using this method, we can trap the water as well, improving the overall irrigation system." She exined before remembering something. "Wait a moment."


    She tried to grab all the papers on the ground as if trying to find something before she found a drawing.


    "This is the concept." She showed the drawing of the terrace field to Noel. "See these lines? They''re used for the irrigation system. There is also one more thing that I have to add¡­ We''re not at the foot of any mountain¡­ Instead, this is a volcano!"


    "A volcano?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "Isn''t volcano bad for humans? I mean, if it erupts, it can kill you."


    "Yes. But the material that volcano spurt out seems to be good for the soil."


    "Now that I think about it, the people around the volcano indeed flourish more¡­"


    "That''s right. I''m taking advantage of the volcano to create a farmnd that is better than any others."


    "Are you serious?" Noel was impressed because if this experiment seeded, they wouldn''t have any problems with food anymore.


    "Yes. I''m also working in the nds, but the progress is a bit too small."


    "Well, I can''t really sponsor you or anything since I don''t have my family anymore. Sorry."


    "No, no. That''s not what I''m talking about. I''m not troubled with fund, I''m just waiting for the time because the harvest takes months and to prove it, it might take years. Do you know that pigs and cows'' feces can be used to fertilize the soils?


    "People often thought they were useless and disturbing, but it turned out to be a treasure. I''m working on a n to create a sustainable farm field. Then¡­"


    Jasmine continued to talk for half an hour. She even showed Noel the proof of research.


    With her enthusiasm and smile alone, Noel knew that she was very passionate in this area. Even Noel was impressed by her knowledge because he knew that no one had ever researched this. Everything she had gotten at this step came solely from her experiment.


    Despite all the trials and errors, she didn''t give up.


    In his heart, another small goal appeared. He wanted to be rich, rich enough to sponsor her and other people like her. With enough money, people like her could improve the life in his territory after all.

 Chapter 270 Investigation

    After an hour, she finally finished talking. She took a deep breath while wiping the sweats on her forehead.


    "This is the first time I''ve had so much fun talking about something." Jasmine looked a bit tired and said, "Do you know that you''re very knowledgeable, Noel?"


    "I often heard that I''m ignorant." Noel chuckled. "Everything I said came just from my logical thinking alone. Besides, I''m also curious about your experiment. If only I''m rich enough, I would''ve sponsored you."


    "Haha, I won''t have any funding trouble for a while. Maybe in the future, you can be my sponsor." Jasmine smirked.


    "Indeed." Noel nodded in agreement. "Though, let''s get back to the main reason why Ie here."


    "Ah! That''s right, I forgot about it." She facepalmed and hurriedly exined the mission. "There seems to be a change in this volcano. I''m not very sure about it, but this mountain has been controlled by a hawk. It often flies around, so we usually got into shelter so it didn''t find us.


    "But two months ago, we stopped hearing anything from the hawk. And the animals around the mountain have been more active recently."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "So, you''re assuming that the demons have gotten involved?"


    ? "Yes. It seems that the demons have infested this mountain. However, we can''t confirm it just yet because it''s extremely dangerous to climb the mountain right now."


    Noel thought for a moment. "I see. I can understand the situation. For now, I can''t say anything until I investigate the mountain."


    "How long will it take for you to investigate the area?"


    "Hmm?" Noel looked down, contemting. ''I have Demon Hunter Medal for now, so I can simply run around the mountain while relying on my medal to do the job. But this volcano is a bit too big¡­''


    After making some rough calction, Noel answered, "I probably need a whole day to investigate it."


    "A whole day?" Jasmine was dumbstruck, looking at Noel as if he just said something ridiculous.


    "Is it too long? Well, I can probablypress it to twenty hours. But that might put me in danger as well because I''ll be exhausted and won''t be able to fight any demons."


    "No, no. Don''t you think it''s ridiculous to investigate the mountain by yourself? I mean, I can understand if you tell me you need a week or something. But a whole day?"


    "Yes?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "I have my own method to investigate the area."


    "¡­" Jasmine fell silent and nodded. "Well, I''m no expert in this matter, so I''ll leave everything to you."


    "I understand. I''ll also try to find any trace of the hawk while doing so. Anyway, there are a few viges around the mountain, right?"


    "Yes. There are a total of eight viges scattered at the foot of the mountain."


    "Anything I have to be concerned with?"<sub> </sub>


    "Not at all. If they stop you or anything, please tell them that Jasmine is responsible for you. Even though I stay in this vige, I spread the method, you know. So, they should know my name."


    "I understand." Noel nodded. "Alright. I''ll start investigating right now."


    "Why don''t you get some rest for the time being? You must be tired after traveling so far, right?"


    "No, it''s fine. I''ll just leave the horse here and start moving around." Noel stood up, preparing to leave.


    "In that case, I''ll inform the vige about your situation. You can do whatever you want."


    "Got it. Then, please excuse me." Noel waved his hand and walked out of the house. After handing the horse, he began climbing the mountain while using his Demon Hunter Medal to find any demons near him.


    Still, the terraced fields truly impressed him. Even though he was running around, he kept ncing at the terraced fields. In his previous territory, there were a few mountains and one of them was a volcano. It would be useful to implement this method in the future.


    And he also confirmed that other viges also implemented the same thing, allowing them to be able to maintain their farm without too muchbor.


    After he felt enough, Noel began to focus on the investigation. Due to his Demon Hunter Medal that allowed him to sense all demons within fifty meters, he could simply run around the mountain in a straight line before climbing for another one hundred meters and repeating the process until he reached the top.


    The amount of time to run around the mountain would be less and less since the mountain looked like a cone.


    Noel''s speed was fast and he was nimble enough to avoid all kinds of obstacle he would find in the mountain.


    It didn''t take too long for Noel to confirm Jasmine''s words as he found the first demon four hours after he began investigating.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to kill the Low Level Demon before continuing his investigation. As expected from the mountain that had been infested by demons, the higher he climbed, the more dangerous it became.


    More and more demons were spotted. And the problem was the demon infesting this mountain was not only Low Level Demons. There were even some Mid Level Demons that an Apprentice Knight would have a hard time to kill.


    Unless the people that went on this mission was people like him or Lokhar, it would be impossible toplete it.


    But since he was Noel, he wasn''t afraid of them. In fact, Noel was expecting an Advanced Level Demon because that was the only one that could control this mountain.


    "Still, how did the demonse here?" Noel muttered while running. "It''s true that it''s hard to keep all borders in check and the demons must pass through the gap and infested this mountain. But we''re talking about Advanced Level Demon¡­ I can understand Low Level Demon and Mid Level Demons since they can be killed pretty easily. But Advanced Level Demon¡­"


    Noel narrowed his eyes, feeling something wrong.


    And that feeling was proven right after he questioned it. The Demon Hunter Medal suddenly picked a strong presence that made Noel instinctively stop and hide behind a tree.


    ''This is¡­''

 Chapter 271 Hawk

    ''This is¡­'' Noel''s heart thumped while taking a peek at the demon he just found. The demon was none other than the hawk itself. But unlike any other hawk, its size was at least four times bigger than what he knew.


    With such a wingspan, the hawk would be extremely heavy and its momentum would be far more powerful. The fact that this hawk was an Advanced Level Demon was also a problem.


    ''What should I do now? I have never fought against a flying demon. I do have the Hyper Jump that allowed me to kick the air a few times, but it can''t bepared to flying in the air.


    ''There is also another problem. The Advanced Level Demon canmand low level demons, so if the Low Level Demones, I''m afraid I''ll be in a disadvantage.''


    Noel also considered one more thing. Since there were a few viges at the foot of the mountain, he had to kill them in one swoop to avoid future problems.


    ''Since the demons can cause havoc, I should contain them in one ce. But it''s going to be impossible to fight them together with the giant hawk. I should retreat first.''


    Noel thought he could finish this mission in an instant, but it seemed that he should talk about it with the vigers first, considering their safety would be threatened.


    Now that he had found the hawk, it didn''t take too long for him to go back because he had remembered his and the vige''s locations.


    The investigation didn''t evenst for a whole day because Noel had found the hawk sooner than expected.


    So, when he reached the vige, all of them were already sleeping.


    Jasmine had given him a room to rest, but he didn''t know whether he should disturb her at this time.


    ''It''s midnight¡­ should I just wait until dawn?'' Noel muttered inwardly while pushing the door, surprisingly finding it unlocked. ''Huh?''


    Noel thought she would be locking the door. Even if this vige was safe and peaceful, it didn''t change the fact that she should lock the door during the night.


    But when Noel opened the door and entered quietly, Jasmine was there to greet him. Though, it wasn''t literally.


    Jasmine was sitting in the couch near the door as if waiting for him toe back. But due to the time, her eyes were already closed like she had fallen asleep.


    If there was a paper or a book in her hand, Noel would believe that she was overworking herself. But there was nothing in her hand, showing that she was actually waiting for him this whole time.


    However, the creaking noise from the door seemed to rm her as her body convulsed for a moment before she let out a soft moan.


    "Mhm?" She raised her head as if sensing someone''s presence. Then, she rubbed her sleepy eyes to see it clearly, finding Noel standing before her. "Noel?!"


    "Sorry for waking you up." Noel felt embarrassed. He thought about carrying her to her bed as thanks, but it turned out she had woken up before that.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ? "It seems that I identally fell asleep. I thought you were lost in the mountain and I prepared to set up a team to search for you¡­ But then again, I know that Demon Banner Army''s knights weren''t that weak either. So, I nned to wait for you until dawn but I guess I was too sleepy."<sub> </sub>


    "Ahaha, you should sleep again." Noel smiled.


    "No. Since you havee back, let me bring some water for you." Jasmine gracefully rose and walked to the kitchen. She nced at Noel''s expression and asked, "What''s wrong? Did you find something? The forest should be dark, right?"


    "Yeah. But that''s not a problem for me."


    "Do you have a Moon Blessing or something? So, that''s why you''re noting back during the night. Though, you shouldn''t push yourself too far during the night. The chilling wind and the cold temperature harm your body."


    "It''s fine. I''m used to it. Anyway, you should sleep first. I''ll talk about itter."


    "No. Let''s talk about it now. It doesn''t seem the problem is that small." Jasmine shook her head while waiting for the water to boil.


    Seeing her determination, Noel leaned on the wall and said, "There is an Advanced Level Demon near the top of the mountain."


    "Oh my? Advanced Level Demon? This is quite troubling. If I''m not wrong, you''re still an Apprentice Knight, right? We should immediately inform the Demon Banner Army to send reinforcement. I can''t have you risk your life for nothing."


    "Yeah. That''s what I''m thinking as well. Although I can kill Advanced Level Demon and I have experienced it a few times, I don''t want to bring any dangers to the vigers. If I just fight the Advanced Level Demon alone, I should have no problem. But the other demons might attack me or even worse rush to the viges. At that time, I don''t want to think what will happen."


    Noel decided to put down his pride because people''s lives mattered. If he was egoistic and fought those demons, he would win the battle but could he still im he had won the war if the demons destroyed the viges and killed the vigers?


    That was why he decided to call the reinforcement.


    Though, Jasmine''s shock was clearly written in her face. "You can kill an Advanced Level Demon?"


    "Yes. Is that a problem?"


    "Wait, wait!" Jasmine waved her hand to stop Noel before facepalming. "I just want to confirm this. You are an Apprentice Knight, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Isn''t an Apprentice Knight at the level of a Mid Level Demon? I know that an Apprentice Knight who is about to graduate is as strong as a Mid Level Demon, but this is the first time I''ve heard that an Apprentice Knight can kill an Advanced Level Demon."


    "Is there something wrong with me being able to kill an Advanced Level Demon?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "¡­"

 Chapter 272 Danger

    "There is no problem, but that''s not normal. I mean, even a full-fledged knight will have some problems against an Advanced Level Demon." Jasmine shook her head, feeling troubled.


    She wanted to think Noel was boasting, but his expression said otherwise. That was why she couldn''t tell him off, especially with the fact that Noel was her former boss'' son.


    "The Ardagan Family is truly extraordinary. To think that you have that ability at your age without being known¡­ If someone knows a fifteen years old boy can kill an Advanced Level Demon, the capital will be shocked. Yet, there ispletely nothing about you." Jasmine sighed.


    "Well, you should know about the rumor about me, right?"


    "Yes. Azy young master¡­"


    "There''s nothing wrong with it. I waspletely helpless a few months ago."


    ? "Are you serious? Do you seriously want me to believe it? Calcting the time, you should have just entered the Demon Banner Army for nine months. Yet, you im you''ve gotten strong enough to kill an Advanced Level Demon?" Jasmine frowned, examining Noel''s expression.


    "I won''t argue with you since it''s alreadyte¡­ Anyway, you can choose either to believe it or not. I won''t be pushing that kind of idea." Noel shook his head. "I mean, the only reason why I''m talking to you right now is because I don''t want any casualties."


    "Ah¡­" Jasmine pinched the bridge of her nose, realizing she was too obsessed with his strength that she forgot the main objective. "Sorry, you were just too absurd that I forgot about it."


    "It''s fine. You seem to want to believe it as well."


    "You are Count Ardagan''s son. Knowing him, he might be able to do something like that. I mean, he is a great merchant and merchant fights with information. Spreading the rumor to make others look down on you is not difficult."


    "Certainly." Noel nodded. "In fact, I''m curious about your view toward my family, especially my father. But I can wait until I''ve finished my job here."


    "Sure." Jasmine nodded. Since she didn''t know that his execution was a fake, she thought Noel was just missing his father. That was why she pitied Noel to lose a good father like him.


    "Anyway, you should sleep first. We can ask for reinforcement in the morning."


    "I understand." Jasmine nodded in agreement.


    But when she was about to go back to her room, a loud cry startled the vige.


    "!!!" Noel and Jasmine widened their eyes in shock, staring at each other.


    Both of them realized what kind of monster letting out this cry.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "The hawk?!" They said the same thing as if confirming their guess.


    Without hesitation, they rushed to the outside and saw the hawk flying on top of them.


    "What?" Noel clenched his teeth while pulling out his sword. "Did I bring the hawk to this vige?"


    "No. The hawk''s speed is far greater than you and it can fly¡­ If you bring the hawk here, we won''t even have any discussion. The twenty minutes gap is not enough to prove it."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent while ncing at her. "You go to the vigers and wake them up. I''ll stop the Hawk! For now, gather in one building so that I can protect everyone in the vige. If the demonse, I want all of you to leave the vige right away. I promise I''m going to protect all of you!"<sub> </sub>


    "But you¡ª" Jasmine wanted to refuse the request but it would just hinder him doing his job. Although a part of her didn''t believe Noel could defeat an Advanced Level Demon, she knew that obstructing his job also meant danger. Hence, she took up the quest. "I understand. Be careful."


    Noel nodded and created a rune on top of his head, shooting two chains to capture the hawk in the sky.


    The hawk casually avoided it by its great maneuverability. After that, the hawk dove down to kill Noel.


    This was what Noel wanted. The moment the hawk demon reached him, Noel struck his de to its beak.


    He thought about using his ice, but knowing that the danger was far greater than anything he had faced so far, Noel released all his ability.


    The sword released a me and caused an explosion.


    Ignition Sword.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion sted the hawk to the air, creating a parabolic movement to the outside of the vige. He didn''t want to endanger the vige, including the building, so he had to keep the fight outside.


    After that, Noel chased after the hawk before it could fly in the sky anymore. But when he arrived, he saw the hawk demon not injured by his Ignition Sword at all.


    The Ignition Sword could even destroy a Mid Level Demon''s body, yet, it didn''t leave a single scratch on this Advanced Level Demon. It seemed that the Advanced Level Demon this time was tougher than he originally expected.


    Before the battle fight, Noel activated Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune before enveloping his body with Spirit Aura Breathing. This was going to be a hard fight, but he had to finish the hawk before any other demons came.


    The hawk demon pped its wings, flying again. But Noel leaped into the air and struck the hawk demon from above.


    Seeing Noel''s de and remembering the explosion that woulde after this sh, the hawk demon tried to tilt its body to avoid the entire swing.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue because the hawk demon seeded in avoiding him and was about to soar to the sky. He hurriedly kicked the air and outran the hawk demon, stopping him again.


    ''I can''t use Hyper Jump too many times, so I have to make sure I can take down this hawk now.'' Noel summoned three giant swords above the hawk. But he positioned it so they made an iplete box. With Noel bing one of the box''s side, it would create a perfect encirclement.


    The hawk demon saw this and stopped in its track.


    Noel thought this was a sessful strategy, but the hawk actually used its talons to kick Noel in the chest.


    Noel didn''t avoid it. The damage waspletely absorbed by the armor, but he still felt the pain.


    "Kh. Get down!" Noel endured the pain while roaring, smashing the bird''s beak with his Ignition Sword.


    *Boom!*

 Chapter 273 Martial Hawk

    Seeing the hawk demon had crashed to the ground, Noel also fell down, following the demon. He was nning to suppress this demon on the ground since this was the only way to defeat it before other demons came.


    With a nce, he could also see that Jasmine was waking up the vigers by banging their doors. One by one came out to see what was going on and immediately followed her when they saw him fighting the demon.


    They were scared because an Advanced Level Demon was extremely dangerous. It could destroy their viges in an instant. That was why Noel was here to stop it.


    Noel stood between the hawk demon and the vige, maintaining this position.


    Seeing the hawk demon was about to p its wings again, Noel leaped forth and shed downwards.


    The hawk demon wasn''t nning to go down either. It spread its wings, taking advantage of its tough skin to push Noel''s de.


    However, Noel noticed the hawk''s strength. Just like any other demons, the hawk possessed strengths and weaknesses.


    ''As expected, its strength lies on its nimbleness and tough skin. However, the hawk doesn''t possess enough power to push me away. In other words, I should take advantage of this difference in strength.''


    Noel examined the eagle for a moment while pinning it on the ground with his sword.


    The hawk demon was ring at Noel as if ordering him to let him go. Noel couldn''t kill it easily due to the tough skin, but it didn''t change the fact he could somehow suppress him.


    Looking at Noel''s strength, even Jasmine, who was in the middle of evacuating the people, was impressed. She was stunned for a moment and asked out loud, "Noel, are you done?"


    The hawk demon''s eyes shed before it pped its wings, creating a powerful gale that knocked Noel back.


    "The hawk is changing its target?" Noel found the hawk trying to fly to Jasmine. Even though Jasmine didn''te closer, her voice was truly loud enough for the hawk to recognize her.


    It might be the hawk''s instinct to prey on something weaker first, so it changed its target in an instant.


    "No, you don''t!" Noel formed Chain Bind Rune and released two chains.


    The hawk tried to outrun it, but he only managed to avoid one while the other chain managed to catch his right foot.


    The hawk demon stopped in the air. He struggled to escape but to no avail.


    Taking advantage of this situation, Noel leaped to the eagle and pinned it to the ground as well.


    He shouted to Jasmine. "The demons can recognize you as an easier prey, so make sure you don''t talk too loud. Hurry up and hide!"


    Jasmine was about to apologize but she heard what Noel said earlier. If she apologized too loud, the demon would recognize her again. If she didn''t want to say that out loud, she had to go closer to Noel, which was also a fatal mistake.


    Even Noel understood that this was the risk of his job. After all, he couldn''t expect normal people to know that much detail from the demons.


    Luckily, Jasmine was a smart woman. She recognized her mistake and didn''t repeat it.


    She wanted to apologize but that could wait until the threat was solved. Hence, she only bowed to him as an apology and hurriedly returned to help the others.


    He took a nce at Jasmine and the people, recognizing that she had done a good work. In just a few minutes, Jasmine seemed to be able to gather at least half the vigers. As long as he could keep this up for another few minutes, she should be able to gather all vigers in one building, making it easier to protect them.<sub> </sub>


    Now that the hawk was pinned on the ground again, Noel changed his tactic. He couldn''t kill the demon with his Ignition Sword, so he could change his strategy.


    A snowke appeared above them as Noel leaped back, allowing the snowke to hit the hawk.


    "!!!" The demon was surprised and hurriedly changed its direction. Even though his foot was chained by Noel, it could still move to the side to avoid this dangerous ability.


    Still, due to the unexpected use of ice ability, the hawk demon was a bit toote. The ice crystal exploded, freezing anything in a few meters radius.


    The hawk managed to get away from it, but the ice managed to freeze half of its right wing.


    As an Advanced Level Demon, it obviously had some intelligence. It knew that a human could only possess one element. Yet, Noel actually used two elements.


    That was why it was shocked. The demon thought Noel could only release fire that wouldn''t harm him.


    Noel was actually nning to kill him from the inside by freezing his organs.


    However, the hawk realized it was wrong once again when he saw three giant des above him.


    *Cry!*


    The hawk let out a cry as if it was scared and started moving to the center of the chain to avoid those swords.


    This was Noel''s real n. He wanted to freeze the hawk to stop its movement for a second before using his Sword Fall to crush it.


    However, the Sword Fall''s extraordinary strength actually worked in the demon''s favor. It used its talon to kick the chain, causing the giant sword to fall on the chains, crushing it.


    "What?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. This was the first time Noel fought a demon that took advantage of his ability to their favor. It also showed that the demon''s intelligence was far above the demons he''d fought so far.


    Noel gritted his teeth, trying to stop the hawk demon from leaving the ground.


    The hawk didn''t n to get trapped with the same technique twice, so instead of flying, the hawk actually caught Noel''s de by taking advantage of its tough skin.


    After that, it kicked Noel in the stomach, knocking him back.


    "Kh." Noel endured the pain while looking at the hawk. "What are you? A hawk that knows a Martial Art?"


    However, the danger was elevated to a whole new level when a series of roar suddenly shook the mountain.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*

 Chapter 274 Shame

    "!!!" Noel opened his mouth in surprise. It turned out the previous cry was the hawk calling other demons on the mountain. It nned to raze the vige to the ground.


    ''Ugh. Should I order them to evacuate the vige? But ording to the roar, I know they still need at least a few minutes to reach here. But if it''s toote, it''s going to be a problem¡­'' Noel thought for a moment.


    The hawk saw this opportunity and flew to the sky.


    ''Ah, it used the split second I was in deep thought to fly?'' Noel clicked his tongue and leaped into the sky and started using his Hyper Jump to chase after the hawk.


    The hawk suddenly stopped and pped its wings to create another gale that could blow him away.


    ''I can dodge¡ª!'' Noel suddenly remembered something and nced back, realizing that the hawk was nning to destroy the vige if he dodged this attack. ''How is this hawk so intelligence?''


    He finally realized why it would be wise to fight Advanced Level Demon or above with a group instead of going alone. Their wisdom had been opened and the demon wouldn''t let go of an opportunity to weaken the opponent.


    <o>,m He could choose not to care, but this wasn''t Noel if he abandoned the vige behind him.</o>


    Noel took a deep breath and raised his sword above his head. His expression became cold as if it was targeting both the gale and the hawk.


    When the hawk sent the powerful gale toward him, Noel opened his eyes while gritting his teeth. "How dare you?!"


    The anger was transferred into his sword. With the addition of the Spirit Weaponry that the Sword Saint taught him, Noel sliced the gale into two.


    He didn''t use other emotions that was more suited to protect, but this was the best oue he had so far.


    Noel was already used to anger because of Anna, so he could release more of its power than any other emotions. He imagined the people below were brutally murdered by the hawk, evoking his anger.


    He utilized this anger with his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to split the gale into half, causing the wind to go in two directions.


    Although it didn''t destroy the house, the gale hit the farnds, destroying it.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. He was angry at himself for not being able to protect everything.


    That was why he kicked the air again and flew to the hawk.


    "Die, you demon!" Noel gritted his teeth, making a sharp sh to the hawk''s neck.


    As a flying animal, the hawk could maneuver easily in the air, dodging this sh. But Noel''s aim wasn''t the sh.


    He already knew that his sh would be avoided, so he let go of his sword and caught the hawk with his hand.


    "Undying Fire."


    Noel released his ck me to burn the hawk.


    *Cry!*


    The hawk was struggling. Although his skin was tough, the Undying Fire was simply too fierce.


    The hawk tried to extinguish it but to no avail. The fire simply red up again and again, cooking the bird alive.


    Noel felt a sharp pain in his head, realizing the toll that the Undying Fire had in his body.


    He endured the pain and kicked the demon to the ground.


    Little did Noel know, the people at the bottom actually thought of him as a savior. Due to the night, they couldn''t see the ck me very clearly.<sub> </sub>


    That was why they thought the hawk demon was the one using that me. And with the addition of the explosion they first heard in the beginning, they believed this was the case.


    They never thought that Noel Ignition Sword and Undying Fire was actually the culprit.


    "Incredible." Jasmine clenched her fists. "Even the most outstanding Apprentice Knight only manage to fight Mid Level Demons from what I know. But he can actually fight an Advanced Level Demon?"


    "What did you say? That hawk is an Advanced Level Demon? Impossible. He is too young to be able to defeat an Advanced Level Demon."


    "But that''s the case."


    "The demon must be extremely weak."


    "I don''t think so." Jasmine gulped down. "If you take another look at the battle from here, he keeps shing the demon but not a single attack actually prate its skin. The demon is only afraid of those big swords. From the looks of it, it prates the ground quite deep, so the power is extraordinary. That''s why I believe that hawk is an Advanced Level Demon."


    "So, he can save us?"


    "But there are roarsing from the mountain. More demons are approaching!"


    "That''s right." Jasmine turned around and shouted, "Let''s descend the mountain. For now, we have to leave this vige to make sure we''re not bing his burden."


    "But our houses¡­ A part of our farm has also been destroyed. It''s near winter."


    "Thend can be restored and the house can be rebuilt. However, if you die, then it''s over! That''s why we have to leave. We''re only a month away from winter, but we have a good harvest this year. There should be enough food tost for winter."


    When they heard Jasmine''s words, they agreed with her and finally decided to leave the vige for now.


    Noel, on the other hand, was too focused on the hawk because he had to kill this demon before the demons.


    "Sword Fall!"


    The three giant swords appeared again, trying to kill the burning hawk on the ground.


    Despite the constant pain from being cooked alive, the hawk still managed to avoid these three swords, albeit barely.


    Seeing that the hawk''s movement speed had decreased a bit, Noel took this chance to test another emotion.


    It was the shame. He felt ashamed that his sword couldn''t even prate the demon''s skin, so he used that shame to fill his sword, giving it a pration power.


    "Ha!" Noel shouted while stabbing the hawk.


    Thetter felt a danger from the tip of Noel''s de, so it rolled its body to dodge. Unfortunately, Noel was different than the Sword Fall. He managed to change the trajectory of his thrust and managed to impale the hawk''s wing.


    *Cry!*


    The hawk let out another cry of pain because this was the first time Noel managed to prate its skin.


    However, that advantage didn''tst long because the roars had finally reached his position.


    "!!!"C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    *Roar!* Ten demons suddenly came out of the woods, ready to pounce on him.

 Chapter 275 Killing The Hawk

    "Tsk." Noel pointed his palm at the demons and released a snowke. "Freezing Crystal."


    The snowke exploded, sending the cold into all direction and covering everything with a thickyer of ice.


    He could see that some demons were trapped inside ice, some were outright dying, while the rest managed to stay alive with some injuries.


    However, the demon he worried the most was the hawk. He hurriedly checked the hawk, not wanting his me to be extinguished by the ice.


    Luckily, when he found the hawk demon, the me was still burning. As expected of the Undying Fire, its ferocity was at a different level. He wondered if there was anything that could wash away that me.


    He even thought if he could defeat Anna with this me.


    "In any case, I can''t use this fire that easily and even if I do, I need to touch their bodies before activating it." Noel shook his head helplessly before turning his head around, seeing the demons who managed to stay alive to charge at him.


    He took another nce at the vige and realized they had evacuated properly. So, he didn''t hesitate to cover his sword with the ck me.


    Sword Fire.


    He shed the first Low Level Demon that came after him, slicing its body easily as if the fire was tenderizing the meat that the sword had to cut. Even the cut wound was burned, engulfing its organs.


    There were a few more demons that he had to cut, so he kept shing one after another, killing them.


    As soon as he killed all of them, he immediately changed direction to pursue the hawk. But to his surprise, the hawk was causing all kinds of mess.


    It was mming the body to the trees and the ground because of the fire. The entire area looked wet, yet, the fire burning them was not a normal one. Even if the rain came, it was doubtful if it could stop the me.


    "¡­" Noel didn''t want to start a forest fire, so he had to retract his Undying me.


    Fortunately, the me on the soils and the trees disappeared as well, but not without leaving a charred mark on the burning part.


    Meanwhile, the hawk realized the me had vanished, allowing him to retain his life. He had to escape because his body was weakened by the fire. Even his organs felt like they were already charred by that ck me.


    Noel didn''t let the hawk demon go and sent forth a pair of chains from the rune to capture the hawk.


    When he was about to reach the hawk, another wave of demons came out, stopping him.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and jumped back, ring at these demons. "How many demons are hiding on this mountain?"


    He suddenly saw a light among them. There was a demon who was gathering Spiritual Energy in its horn and released a lightning strike.


    Noel summoned his Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, causing the lightning to disperse in all directions.<sub> </sub>


    After that, he charged at the demons and struck the ground with his Ignition Sword.


    The st caused the dust to rise, hiding Noel from them.


    They tried to use their noses to track Noel but the charred smell was too strong, causing them to lose Noel inside. On the other hand, Noel had his Demon Hunter Medal, sensing their presence all the time.


    He swiftly slipped past them and reached the hawk without fighting another demon.


    The hawk immediately leaped into the air to kick Noel''s head, but Noel summoned his Sword Fall.


    When the three swords were about to reach the hawk, they began to curve. The new trajectory startled the hawk as thetter tried to move around to avoid them.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    However, the sudden change caused the hawk having a hard time to dodge them and one of the swords ended up hitting its wing, pinning the demon to the ground and ultimately cutting the hawk''s wing.


    *Cry!*


    The hawk was lying down on the ground as if it had given up after one of its wings was cut.


    The other demons realized their leader was injured, so they rushed back to help. Sadly, Noel had predicted their movement and released his Freezing Crystal, stopping them.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were unwilling to be stopped, but they couldn''t move their bodies due to the ice. Only two of them managed to continue, but Noel swiftly cut them down with his Sword Fire.


    After that, Noel returned to the hawk and utilized his Sword Fall again, killing the Advanced Level Demon.


    "Did I kill it?" Noel muttered while checking the system. As soon as he got the confirmation, Noel turned around as he knew there might be more demonsing, so he struck down a few of them while making the rest to release a distress roar. This way, more and more demons woulde in.


    It took one hour for Noel to kill the rest of the demons. He had exhausted most of his Spiritual Energy.


    "As expected¡­ The Sword Fall and the Undying Fire are draining my Spiritual Energy. Even though they''re powerful, I can''t rely on them too much because I''ll be in disadvantage if I don''t have any more Spiritual Energy." Noel let out a sigh of relief and dropped to the ground.


    "I feel like there are more things to discover about the Advanced Level Demon. Just like a Spirit Wielder, an Advanced Level Demon can be stronger than the others. Also, from what I''ve found in this fight, they seem to have a difference in wisdom as well.


    "The Hawk is surely the most intelligent Advanced Level Demon I''ve fought so far. I can still solve this one, but it''s surprising that there is an Advanced Level Demon in this area¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, almost forgetting there was another important matter he had to take care of.


    "That''s right. The battle caused a lot of destruction. It seems I have to apologize to the vigers." Noel sighed and stood up since he was going to search for them.

 Chapter 276 Apology

    "Oi!" Noel waved his hands to the distance.


    The people from the vige were confused because they could hear the voice but see no one due to the darkness.


    Noel forgot that the only reason he could find them was the Moon Blessing, so he came closer. "I''m here!"


    "Ah, that''s the boy!"


    Jasmine was the first one to run to him, checking his condition. "Are you alright? Is there any wound?"


    "Ahaha, I''m quite lucky." Noel chuckled.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Jasmine let out a sigh of relief. "That''s good then."


    "I should be the one apologizing to all of you. I seem to have caused a lot of destruction in the surrounding area." Noel lowered his head, apologizing to Jasmine and all the vigers.


    "Wait, wait! Don''t lower your head! Even though you have been stripped from your rank, you were a noble. You shouldn''t lower your head that easily! And I can''t truly ept it because I was once your father''s subordinate."


    "What? He was a noble?"


    "Jasmine was his father''s subordinate?"


    The vigers were stunned because of Noel''s extraordinary background. However, Noel shook his head and exined, "If lowering my head is enough to undo all the destruction, then I don''t mind lowering my head. Unfortunately, the destroyed farnds and buildings won''t be restored with only this action. So, the least I can do is to apologize. I''m sorry."


    "¡­" Jasmine''s body trembled as if seeing his father''s figure in him. Luke always thought himself amoner instead of a noble. That was why he could see something that noble couldn''t like discovering the talent in the street.


    There were various problems of why people didn''t utilize their talent. They might not have enough money, there might be another problem in their house, or they might simply lose the desire to do it. By bing one of the people, he talked to the others sincerely and found those people, who he groomed.


    Noel was simr to him in that regard. He considered himself a normal person and behaved like one. He didn''t realize that others thought of him as a noble, not amoner, even if he had been stripped from his title. And seeing a noble lowering their head moved the people''s hearts.


    An old man stepped forward and said with a smile. "Please don''t lower your head, Sir Noel. Jasmine once said that the building can be rebuilt but people''s death can''t be undone. That''s why we''re already grateful enough.


    "We have also seen your kind gesture by taking the fight outside our vige, minimizing the damage. That''s why please raise your head."


    Noel hesitated for a moment before sighing, "Still, the winter is around the corner."


    "We have enough food and items that can keep us warm. We truly don''t mind."


    "¡­" Noel took a deep breath as if he had given up. "I understand. I think I''ve killed all the demons, but I''ll go around the mountain again tomorrow to make sure there''s no more demons."


    "Please do. Thank you very much." The old man nodded with a smile.


    The silence after this conversation made it awkward, so Jasmine hurriedly dragged Noel back to the vige. "Alright. Let''s go back. You must be tired, so you have to rest now."


    Noel didn''t know that Jasmine was the biggest reason why the vigers could ept the condition this easily.


    ¡­


    A moment ago.


    "Why does our vige have to be attacked?"<sub> </sub>


    "There might be people dying in this winter."


    "That knight mustn''t think of us because he has a good life in the Demon Banner Army."


    "The typical soldier of the Demon Banner Army."


    The people wereining about Noel, thinking the attack was due to Noel''s carelessness.


    Hearing theirments were like an insult to her, so Jasmine shouted, "The situation is not like that!"


    "!!!" The shout startled everyone as they looked at Jasmine in shock. This might be the first time Jasmine looked so angry.


    "Jasmine?"


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    "You must be angry at the knight as well!"


    Jasmine gritted her teeth and said, "No. The situation is not like that. Noel¡­ I mean, the knight has returned for at least half an hour. During those thirty minutes, he was discussing with me about the countermeasure for the hawk demon.


    "He himself has the power to kill an Advanced Level Demon, but he chose to lower his head to ask for reinforcement from the Demon Banner Army. Do you know what this means?


    "Even though he could get the credit for himself, he chose not to im it because he was worried about our safety! By getting help from the Demon Banner Army, he had to let go of everything, his pride, his reward¡­"


    Jasmine clenched her fists, ring at them. "That''s why I''m telling you that''s not the situation. He is not like what you people think.


    "It''s just I don''t know how, but the hawk seems to be attacking us out of nowhere. It might look like the knight is poking the demon to act, but the demon will surely not wait for that long to attack us. If the demon notices him, it will attack. Don''t you think so?"


    The people looked at each other as if agreeing to her words.


    "That''s right. The demon that I know usually attack people without any warning."


    "Then, the hawk should do the same, right?"


    "But if what Jasmine said is true¡­ Then, why is it thirty minutes?"


    "Is it truly the hawk''s own impulse?"


    ? "There are no other exnations¡­"


    Jasmine paused for a moment before saying, "Just remember the previous fight, instead of fighting in the vige, he fights outside the vige to keep the damage minimal. He truly doesn''t want to involve us."


    "Now that I think about it, the farnd was destroyed because he blocked an attack that was supposed to crush us."


    "That''s right. He might not be like what we think."


    The people realized they had mistaken about Noel.


    Jasmine could even see their ashamed faces and felt relieved since he had convinced them. She also felt bad for endangering them because that shout actually made the hawk attack them and Noel had to take the me. So, the only thing she could do was helping him convincing these people.

 Chapter 277 Pledge

    "This is the proof ofpletion." Jasmine handed the letter to Noel.


    After taking some restst night, Noel immediately got back to work the next day, making sure that no more demons woulde to terrorize them.


    Now that he had finished his job, Noel got his proof ofpletion.


    "Are you going to stay here for the rest of the day?" Jasmine asked while ncing at the window, finding the orange color from the light.


    Noel thought for a moment. Since he had promised to meet Anna three dayster, he still had some time. "If you don''t mind, that is."


    "Of course, I don''t mind." Jasmine was delightful to host Noel again. There was also a regret in her heart. "I also want to apologize to you for my interruption in your fight. If not for my shout, you would havepleted your job perfectly."


    "Not at all. I can understand that normal people won''t easily know about the demons'' behaviors. So, I have considered it before fighting them." Noel waved his hand as if telling her not to mind it anymore.


    "Is that so?" Jasmine believed Noel was the only one who had this kind heart. If it was any other knights from the Demon Banner Army, they would have berated them or even taken some advantages.


    "As long as you don''t make the same mistake again, it''s all good," added Noel.


    Jasmine realized Noel was actuallyforting her despite her making a mistake. She looked at Noel for a while as though she was recalling something. "That''s right. Don''t worry about the vigers, I''ll be taking care of them. I don''t know why but you seem to be a bit rushing. Do you have an appointment or something?"


    "Yeah. That''ll help. Thank you."


    "No, I should be the one thanking you." She paused for a moment before changing the topic. "Anyway, you said you want to talk about your father. What do you want to know?"


    "Everything you know about my parents."


    "Mhm. I have only met your father, so I''ll just talk about him. The first time I met your father was twelve years ago. Back then, your father was hosting a banquet and I came with my father there.


    "I slightly felt left out and tired, so I walked to the outside to get some air. It was then your father came to me, asking whether I''m sad or not. I had a sullen look back then.


    "But he soon changed his words and asked whether I''m troubled or not. Do you know why?"


    Noel tilted his head in confusion. "I''m not very sure."


    "Your father said ''A wise man once said people said a word, but you heard two.'' That saying was always in my head ever since."


    "People said a word, but you heard two¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice, looked down, and fell into deep thought.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Jasmine smiled upon Noel''s reaction. It seemed that Noel had caught something and was pondering about it.


    "I think I''ve got it, but I can''t put it in words." Noel scratched the back of his head.<sub> </sub>


    "Well, your father didn''t say anything as well. I tried to figure out and what I found was that¡­ you listened to others but also saw their expressions and gestures. For example, I had a sullen look, so your father thought I''m sad.


    "But when I heard that question, my expression was distorted a bit, making your father realize I''m not. So, he changed whether I''m troubled or not."


    "Ah! That is possible too." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "Well, I wasn''t sad at that time because I had epted my fate to be a political tool. However, I also shared my problem with him."


    "About you wanting to escape the political marriage?"


    "Yes." Jasmine confirmed it without hesitation. "Then, your father asked me to work for him and he even bought me from my house. He paid a huge sum of money that my father couldn''t endure and even promised the favor of the Ardagan House.


    "Back then, it was basically a better deal than a political marriage, so he agreed and sent me to work for him. Of course, he didn''t do it out of pity. I was already known as a nerd back then, who loved to read books and experiments stuff.


    "He set up aboratory for myself to learn and experience stuff. Getting such an overwhelming favor, I worked earnestly. I wanted to repay his favor.


    "That''s why I''ve been producing all kinds of things. One of them being an irrigation in the nd. It can increase the harvest in Ardagan''s territory, so the increase in profit is a way for me to repay him.


    "And until now, I''m still researching many things about agriculture." Jasmine paused for a moment to look at Noel''s face, reminding her of his father, Luke Ardagan. "Do you n to reinstate your family, Noel?"


    "Yes." Noel answered without hesitation.


    Jasmine thought Noel answered it as formality or his words were driven of his anger or anything. But when she saw his expression, Jasmine was astonished.


    The man before him seemed to want to do it because it was a part of his ambition. And he looked like he already had a n to climb his way back, unlike any other people who wanted to rebuild their family but not thinking a single n.


    Jasmine fell silent for a moment before rising from her seat. She walked to Noel and dropped to her knees.


    "Jasmine?"


    Jasmine politely lowered her head to him and said, "Young Master Noel. When you''ve sessfully reim your territory, Jasmine will ride to your ce without hesitation. I hope that Young Master doesn''t reject me at that time."


    Noel''s body trembled. This was a kind of pledge of loyalty that Jasmine offered to him. However, he was only a fallen noble right now.


    That was why this pledge weighed even heavier. This was Jasmine entrusting her future to Noel.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment, steeling his resolve. He clenched his fists and looked at Jasmine with a serious expression.


    "I am nothing but amoner right now. However, I have a desire to ride back to my territory as the lord, not a visitor. I don''t know if I can be a good lord, but I''ll do my best to be a good person. If you can overlook of my inability and inexperience, and assist me, I shall strive forward to be a good lord."

 Chapter 278 A Lords Quality

    Noel and Jasmine looked at each other with a smile. This was Noel''s first time saying all those words, so he felt weird, wondering if he had made any mistake in his words.


    Jasmine, on the other hand, smiled at him, saying, "No one can be perfect and know everything. That''s why we''re together, so one can help the other. I hope that I can work together with Young Master in the future."


    "Me too."


    Jasmine politely stood up and returned to her seat. "Well, it might be impolite to ask this, but do you n to remake the Ardagan''s business?"


    Noel fell silent upon this question. Ardagan''s business consisted of several things. The three big businesses of Ardagan consisted of Agriculture, Smithy, and Loan.


    Noel had heard about them from time to time, but he never learned them from his father directly. That was why he couldn''t say he was adept in any of them.


    However, Noel had one thought before taking the lord''s position. "I have no experience in any of them, but I have the desire to learn about them. There is also another reason why I oftene to the vige on a mission from the Demon Banner Army.


    "I wish to learn from them. Their work, their living style, and their struggle. In this vige, the farnd is good and everyone can have a bountiful harvest every year. In another vige, they have an abundant water and many river fishes, but they have to struggle with life and death every day.


    "In another vige, they have no abundant things, but they have enough to continue their lives. However, they''re haunted with bandits and feared their turn woulde.


    "I''vee to learn that everyone has their own advantages and disadvantages. One job in one''s ce might not be the same as the one in another ce.


    "That''s why right now¡­ I want to learn from them as much as possible, so I know what has to be done when I be a lord.


    "I can''t give you the answer to your question, but I can tell you this¡­ I''ll do the business that I know the core of that business.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "If I want to do an Agriculture Business, I have to know about the farnd, the irrigation, and the farmers themselves. If I want to rebuild the smithy, I have to go to the mine to understand the danger lying deep inside it. If I want to create a loan business, I have to understand their struggle and their limit. This is my answer."


    Jasmine opened her eyes in shock. This kind of answer from a fifteen years old boy was unheard of.


    In the first mission to save a vige, Noel saved people from bandits. In the second mission to save a vige, he had to break a beaver''s dam to free the vige. In his third mission, Noel saved an entire city. Andstly, in his visit to get his armor, he learned a bit about mining.


    This was Noel''s experience. A precious experience that he would never have if he stayed in his mission.


    Jasmine smiled. "That''s enough, Young Master. I''m anticipating the time I can ride back to your territory."


    "Thank you." Noel nodded.


    "Ah, we''ve deviated too much from our conversation. Let''s continue about the tale of your father, shall we?"


    Noel agreed as Jasmine continued recounting her memory about his father to understand the struggle of his father.


    They talked too long to the point the night had passed.


    "Mhmmm!" Jasmine stretched her body while letting out a soft moan. "It seems that we''ve talked for too long. You couldn''t even get a wink of sleep¡­"


    "It''s fine. It was a lot of fun to listen to you." Noel waved his hand. He learned how much knowledge Jasmine had in one area. She might not be as good as others in another topic, but he could rely on her in Agriculture. "I guess this is the time for me to go."


    "Do you want to get some sleep first?"


    "No, someone is waiting for me." Noel shook his head calmly.


    "Is that so? Well, I''ll see you off." Jasmine extended her hand as if guiding him to the outside of their vige. She stood there until Noel''s back couldn''t be seen anymore.<sub> </sub>


    After that, she returned to her home with a smile, couldn''t contain her excitement after talking with Noel.


    But when she closed the door of her house, she suddenly felt an eerie atmosphere from her house. The temperature seemed to have dropped slightly, giving a chill down her spine.


    "This is¡­" Jasmine wasn''t an expert like Noel, but she seemed to know something was going on. Of course, it came from her experience.


    "This looks like someone is in my house¡­ And that person is¡­" She looked around before pointing at her own shadow. "Uncle Dimitri."


    A pair of eyes and a mouth suddenly appeared on her shadow, smiling. Suddenly, a small ck-colored tornado came out of the ground as Dimitri came out from within.


    "It''s truly you, Uncle Dimitri. You can''t scare me anymore." Jasmine stuck her tongue out before remembering something important. "But why are you here? It''s as if you are following¡­ No, wait¡­"


    Dimitri nodded. "I''m following the young master."


    "What? Why do you do that? If I''m not wrong, you have a good reputation in the kingdom, right? I thought you were working somewhere."


    "What are you talking about?" Dimitri shook his head. "I was the first one to swear my loyalty to Young Master Noel."


    "So, I''m the second."


    "No, you''re third."


    "Huh? Who''s the second one?"


    "I''m not going to answer that. You''ll find outter anyway."


    "So, because you can''t scare me anymore, you''re going to leave me in suspense."


    "Exactly."


    "Tsk." Jasmine clicked her tongue before sighing, dropping the matter. "Still¡­ to think the young master has you in his side. Are you nning to train him to be like Master Luke?"


    "No. I''m not nning to do anything. I don''t even want to appear before him¡­ I just resolve any problem beyond his own abilities until the right moment."


    "I see. But I guess Young Master Noel''s experience is a good boost to his career. Will he surpass his father?"


    "Don''t you see the de on his waist?"


    "The de?" Jasmine closed her eyes for a moment before realizing the meaning of that de. "That''s the family''s heirloom, Ardagan. And the only one who managed to wield that de¡­"


    "Yes. I believe that Young Master has the ability to surpass not only his father, but his ancestor. But before he reaches that point, I''m going to stay by his side."


    Jasmine felt more excited. She couldn''t wait to see that moment, but she still couldn''t let go the previous matter. She yfully asked, "So, mind telling me who''s the second?"


    "Goodbye." Dimitri disappeared into the shadow again and the room''s atmosphere returned to normal.


    "¡­"

 Chapter 279 Arrival

    Noel immediately headed to the previous junction where he was separated with Anna.


    Surprisingly, Anna had been waiting for him as if she was camping there just to wait for him.


    "You''ve been waiting here this whole time?" Noel asked while stopping his horse.


    "I have finished my mission in a day, so yeah." Anna nodded, confirming it.


    "I see." Noel nodded. Compared to her, he was taking his time to talk with Jasmine. However, he wasn''tte, so he didn''t say much about it.


    "Anyway, are we going to startpleting the other four missions?"


    "Yeah. We''re going to raise our pace from now on."


    "Sounds good to me." Anna asked, "Let me take another look at the map."


    Noel didn''t know what she was nning, but he still took out the map of their journey.


    "The four missions are like this and the Body Strengthening Liquid is in this area."


    "Yeah, it''s close to the border, so we might need to face stronger demons."


    "Indeed. Though, take a look at this vige. This is the farthest vige we can go, so how about staying here for a day?"


    "To rest?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. Whenever they traveled together, they never had a need to rest their bodies in a vige or a town. So, this suggestion came out of nowhere.


    "No, I''m talking about the Demon Crystals. I think it''s good to have you be a Spirit Wielder before we go to this ce since we might face Advanced Level Demons or an even stronger demon¡­"


    "Ah!" Noel finally understood what she meant. Anna was just worried that she had to take care of him when they had to fight those demons. Of course, Noel didn''t reject the idea. "That''s a good idea. I won''t be a burden anyway."


    "Burden, what¡­" Anna felt like Noel misunderstood her. She was simply worried about his well-being, not about him bing a burden.


    "Anyway, are you nning to give me all the Demon Crystals? I don''t think we can get enough Demon Crystals to make me reach Spirit Wielder if we share it."


    Anna thought about giving it away without any care, but she remembered the case in the Earldom, where she almost lost to Noel. Noel also would feel suspicious if she didn''t receive anything because it would make him look like he owed her greatly.


    That was why Anna nodded and said, "Sure. I don''t mind that if it means we can go there safely. Though, make sure you pay me back."


    "That''s easy. We can hunt some demons after obtaining the liquid." Noel nodded. "Alright. Let''s go with that n."


    Noel and Anna reached an agreement as they began to move to their next destination.


    In the next two weeks, Noel and Anna were entering several ces to exterminate the demons.


    Whenever they reached a vige, Noel would learn something new from their vige while Anna was standing next to Noel to absorb his knowledge and action.


    At the same time, they also did their job splendidly. They also had to eliminate many Mid Level Demons, in which turned out to bemanded by an Advanced Level Demon in theirst mission.<sub> </sub>


    This would be a huge problem for anyone since they had no power to defeat an Advanced Level Demon.


    But Anna and Noel were different. When the Advanced Level Demon attacked them, this pair actually bullied the demon by beating it ck and blue.


    It was a pitiful sight because the Advanced Level Demon looked like it was about to cry right before its death.


    In the end, they aplished all their missions perfectly and there was no one stopping them to do whatever they wanted after this. They were already eligible to be a full-fledged knight after all.


    It took another three days for Noel and Anna to reach the furthest vige before reaching the border.


    The vige wasn''t that big, considering they had to be prepared to be attacked by the demons. It would be easier for them to leave if they had a small number after all.


    This ce was often used for the knights to patrol the area as well, so the vige looked a bit betterpared to what they had seen.


    Although the poption was less than fifty people, they were still young or middle-aged people. They were still strong enough to run with all their strength.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    When Noel and Anna reached the vige, one of the vigers weed them.


    The middle-aged man was wearing an armor as if he was in charge of the vige''s protection.


    "Wee to Aurel Vige. May I know the purpose of your visit?" The middle-aged man asked.


    "We''re from the Demon Banner Army. We''re here to rest in this vige before going forward." Noel showed the badge and stated their purpose vaguely.


    <o>,m After seeing the badge, the middle-aged man nodded and said, "Wee to Aurel Vige. I hope that you''ve got a pleasant stay in this vige. Although I''ll be doing my best to protect the vige, I can''t assure everyone''s safety."</o>


    "Is there something wrong?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows since the guard shouldn''t be saying something like this.


    "Well¡­" The middle-aged man scratched the back of his head. "I don''t know either. It''s just the demon''s activity has been increasingtely¡­"


    Noel thought for a moment as if he was trying to figure out anything. Meanwhile, Anna asked, "You should have an inn, right?"


    "Yes. There is a small inn in the vige. You can go to the center of the vige and turn left to find the inn. It''s usually used to host knights, so its quality shouldn''t be too bad."


    "Alright." Noel was the one who answered him this time. It seemed he didn''t find enough clue to ask something from the guard, so he just entered the vige nonchntly. "Let''s go."


    Anna nodded and followed him while observing the vige''s situation. It didn''t seem that bad for a vige that had the highest risk to be attacked by a demon. She could see some destructions here and there, but it was just the aftermath. All the essential stuff for a vige had been repaired.


    Though, Anna felt something bad this time and approached Noel. "Do you have time?"


    "Let''s talk in your room." Noel seemed to have sensed something wrong too and replied with a low voice.


    "Alright."

 Chapter 280 Warning

    "I''ming in." Noel knocked on Anna''s door before entering her room. He carefully entered the room and asked, "How is my voice from outside?"


    "It''s quite loud."


    "So, don''t talk too loud here." Noel nodded and brought the chair next to the bed.


    With Noel sitting in front of her, Anna lowered her voice and said, "Do you see the situation outside?"


    "Yeah. It''s pretty horrible."


    "Most of them might be old, but some were certainly new, like within a week. Also, the inn is so expensive. I could stay for a week or even two in an inn with this quality elsewhere."


    "They''re simply taking advantage of their position and since ites with a risk, so I can understand the price." Noel could understand the price because his family was a merchant family, but the other topic also concerned him a bit. "Anyway, let''s not talk about the price."


    "Well, I don''t know much about it. I actually want to listen to your opinion."


    Noel thought for a moment and told her the truth. "Personally, I believe that the guard is trying to warn us. It''s clear that there is some kind of problem around here. Is it rted to the liquid?"


    "That''s a possibility as well, considering this liquid also works for demons¡­ But I''m not very sure because the entrance should be sealed."


    "Sealed, huh. But what kind of problem will they face in this area? It''s true that the demons are rather active around here. The missions wepleted during our trip to this ce signified an unusual movement from the demons."


    "Yeah. I wonder what''s happening right now. Should we report this to the Demon Banner Army?"


    "I''m pretty sure someone has asked for help. But the problem is we''re not here on a mission. Basically, we don''t have any reason to help them."


    "¡­" Anna frowned immediately, looking at Noel as if he had just said something unbelievable.


    The usual Noel would have helped them after some inquiries, so it was surprising to see him rejecting this problem.


    Noticing Anna''s expression, Noel''s eyebrows twitched. "What?"


    "You don''t want to help them?"


    "No. This is a risk of living here. They''re well aware that they''re going to face danger if they stay here because of the distance to the border. But the fact they continue to stay here is due to them wanting more money since this ce is filled with opportunity."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for a moment before realizing Noel ended his sentence with a gaze. He was continuously staring at her as if telling her something. Anna gasped and said, "Don''t tell me¡­ We are ones of the opportunity?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a calm expression.


    "Are you telling me they''re going to poison us and kidnap us?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "No, no. It''s already too much for them. However, we''re here bringing a few things, right?"


    "Ah! They''re going to take our belongings if we die?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes." Noel confirmed it. "Demons eat us, but not our belongings. There should be people who are waiting for us to die and steal our belongings from their mouth. That''s why I don''t want to do it."


    "I see. I can understand that. After all, they''re stealing from us."


    "No, they''re stealing from corpses. How we be a corpse is not their business. And if we leave any belongings here, it''ll be theirs right after. For now, they''re afraid of making any move to us because we''re from the Demon Banner Army, but if we are not¡­"


    "They''re going to send us to our death?"


    "Yeah. One way or another. It''s simple to create a fake story for the visitors to investigate. Other than fighters like us, who are insane enough to visit the border?"


    "That''s true. Then, what should we do?"


    "It''s simple. Let''s go tomorrow. I should be able to absorb all the Demon Crystals before midnight, so we''ll leave at dawn. Don''t give them any information even if it''s just a casual talk."


    "Understood."


    "Also, there''s one more thing you need to know¡­"


    "What is it?"


    "Don''t show any weakness." Noel looked at her with a serious expression as if this was the most important matter.


    "What do you¡­Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. "Alright. I''ll follow your advice. Still, to think you''re already this experienced in dealing with these people. I thought you werezying around this whole time?"


    "I''m never a good person." Noel shook his head. He often tricked his own father, so he could get an alone time after all. That was why he was adept in this.


    The Ardagan father and son had been trying to trick each other. The former wanted his son to work hard while thetter wanted to skip everything and rx. That was what trained Noel''s mind.


    "Anyway, that''s all. I''m going to be busy absorbing the crystals, so if you don''t have any business outside, it''s better to stay in your room." Noel rose from his seat while giving hisst advice.


    "Alright. I''ll listen to your words. So, we''re going to meet again to have dinner?"


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure. Just call me if I don''t remember."


    "Got it." Anna suddenly smirked, trying to tease him before he left. "Since I''m in danger, how about I sleep in your room? This way, we can protect each other."


    "No way. This is not my mansion, so the bed is small. If you''re going to sleep there too, it''ll be too cramped. So, no!"


    "¡­" Anna was speechless because Noel was leaving after brutally rejecting her. However, she also noticed two things from their conversation.


    The first one was the fact Noel never considered about letting her sleep on the floor. Though, he also didn''t want to sleep there since it was his right. Either way, it was a part of his consideration of her.


    As for the second one, Anna couldn''t help but smile slyly, muttering inwardly, "From the looks of it, it seems that Noel hasn''t prepared anything for the Body Strengthening Liquid¡­ Hehe, you''re going to be surprised of what you''ll findter. And we''ll see who''s chickeningter."

 Chapter 281 Progress

    Noel sat down in front of all the Demon Crystals, preparing himself to absorb them. Since he didn''t have any trouble in absorbing a huge amount of crystals in one go, Noel didn''t hesitate to put the Demon Crystals in both Spirit Seal, allowing the cold and the heat to sh and neutralizing each other.


    Noel''s Spiritual Energy Reserve kept increasing like crazy from all the Demon Crystals. He even got two missions from the system, signifying his progress.


    Now that his Spiritual Energy had reserved, he could take on more skills.


    Unfortunately, he had to stop since Anna had called him for dinner. Since it would be awkward and dangerous if Anna went alone, Noel stopped for a moment to apany her. It was just a simple meal and Noel immediately went back to his room to continue.


    On the other hand, Anna certainly felt the gazes of the people around them. She was still one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, so their gaze was more intense than any other viges she had visited so far.


    This was Noel''s warning, so she finished everything in an instant. Noel even went all the way to use his ability to purify the drink just in case.


    Ultimately, Anna was fine and Noel could finally finish what he was working for.


    Before midnight, Noel opened his system to check his progress.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal (Sensing all demons within 50 meters)


    Honor Point: 32 Pts


    Skill Point: 0 Pts


    Status: Stamina +3.2%, Constitution +3.2%, Sword Mastery +3.2%, Spiritual Energy +3.0%, Rune Mastery +3.0%


    Low Quality Crystal - 1210/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 255/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 7/1500


    "Mhm. The progress is quite good. I don''t seem to feel any difference when bing a Spirit Wielder. Is there a reason why this stage is special?"


    Noel muttered because he wanted to know what he could get by bing stronger. He also noticed that people often stayed in a certain ranks too, not because theirck of talent, but because they chose to do so, like the butler of the Ezenholm Family.


    "I should ask Annater." Noel shook his head and continued inspecting the new missions he had just received.


    [Mission: First Step]


    [Description: The first step to be a Spirit Wielder is facing Advanced Level Demons. Kill one hundred Advanced Level Demons.]


    [Reward: Ice Burst]


    [Mission: Killing the pests.]<sub> </sub>


    [Description: Kill fifty Devil Worshipers.]


    [Reward: 30 SP and Devil Hunter Medal.


    [Mission: Peerless]


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat three Advanced Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: me Conjuring Ability and Newbie Medal.]


    "I got these three missions after absorbing the Demon Crystals." Noel fell silent. "I can understand about the first mission, but I can only do it after graduation, so I''ll wait.


    "As for the second mission, well, they''re like pests to me, so the description is perfect. I''ll try to kill Devil Worshipers, but I don''t know if it''s that easy to find them or not.


    "As for thest one¡­ I don''t know how much stronger I have be by bing a Spirit Wielder, but if there''s no big difference other than my Spiritual Energy output, I don''t think I can fight against three Advanced Level Demons by myself.


    "For now, I don''t see any penalty, meaning these missions are registered for my personal growth. This is good because I can increase my strength in a short time.


    "Well, those are the changes, I guess. I want to upgrade my other medals as well, but I guess it can wait." Noel fell silent for a moment. "That''s right. I should start working on my runes, considering I have gained all the knowledge about the runes.


    "If I increase the level of my Rune Mastery, it should be giving me the knowledge about the application¡­


    "This is hard. I haven''t had too many chances in gathering Honor Points and Skill Pointstely. I guess I should focus on this instead of anything else¡­"


    Noel scratched the back of his head, thinking about the best option. After all, he didn''t have much time before he and Anna had to go on their ways toplete their objective.


    So, Noel had to finish his job as soon as possible.


    Noel took a deep breath and used his Honor Points to exchange for Skill Points before learning the Ice Infusion Skill from Heisk. He hadn''t allocated this one because he didn''t have enough Honor Points previously.


    But they had been helping people and killing demons in the past few weeks, so he got some additional points.


    Now that he had enough points, he used seven Skill Points to learn the Ice Infusion Skill.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    The knowledge of Ice Infusion Skill entered his mind as Noel understood how to use it.


    Ice Infusion Skill was a support Ice Ability that allowed him to infuse his ice into his de, allowing him to leave a frozen mark on the target to numb their body. This was a good ability since people would be weakened upon touching his de.


    "I still have 18 Honor Points which is equal to 9 Skill Points. Should I spend all of them in a skill?" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "By the way, Ardagan¡­ You haven''t updated the shop in a while. I can understand that you don''t add too much training since what has been listed there is to enhance my foundation.


    "But a shop is different, right? I can buy something from your shop, so I wonder what I can buy next."


    Soon, the system notification appeared before his eyes.


    [You have to feed me with something.]


    "¡­" Noel felt a bit weird since this was the first time Ardagan asked him something. Although he didn''t know the purpose, it seemed that Ardagan was acting in a way that benefited him, so Noel decided to agree. "Alright. I''ll do my best. Update the shop after that, will you?"

 Chapter 282 On The Way

    After checking everything, Noel finallyid down on the bed while stretching his body to rx.


    "Tomorrow is the day to go to the mountain." Noel muttered. Before sleeping, Noel took another look at the mountain in the distance.


    The mountain was shrouded by fog, but he could see it from here, albeit barely.


    "There is only twenty kilometers away from the mountain. It''s said that the mountain is also quite tall and the house of demons. It''s a perfect ce to get some Demon Crystals while we''re heading to the cave."


    Noel believed this was the course of their n, so he went back to his bed and closed his eyes.


    He didn''t know at that time this trip was more dangerous than he expected.


    In another room, Anna was also staring at the mountain in the distance, thinking, ''Now that I think about it, the liquid was found by a Devil Bishop from the Supreme Devil Organization. I didn''t remember his name, but it was certainly one of the worst things could happen since the liquid was good to nurture weak people like me and Noel.


    ''That Devil Bishop actually created two more Bishops. It increases the strength of the organization by a big amount.


    ''Meanwhile, the fire bird is also acquired by someone from the Supreme Devil Organization. He was known as the me Lord.


    ''Hmm, doesn''t this look like the Sword Saint is targeting the Supreme Devil Organization?


    ''Sir Sword Saint should be able to learn about my memory, right? He has shown the proof that he''s able to see my secret. So, is there any reason why the Sword Saint is targeting this organization?


    ''But shouldn''t this organization be made a few hundred years ago. When he was alive, there was nothing like this. So, is Sir Sword Saint considering them as enemies because of their conducts? Or is there any deeper meaning to it?''


    Anna pinched the bridge of her nose, confused. Since she couldn''t get any answer, she ended up sleeping to prepare for the next journey.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Noel and Anna came out of their rooms at the same time as if they had known each other''s habits and were aware when they woulde out.


    "¡­" Noel and Anna nced at each other in silence until Anna broke it. "Good morning."


    "Good morning." Noel nodded. "By the way, I''ve something to ask youter."


    "Sure. Let''s get some breakfast and leave the city. Since we can''t leave our horses here, we should find a path where we can climb the mountain while bringing our horses."


    "Yeah. That''s the n. I hope that the slope is not too steep." Noel nodded in understanding.


    It only took them half an hour before they left the vige without leaving a single thing. During their breakfast, there was actually someone asking them about what they wanted to do, proving Noel''s worry.


    Noel was the one answering the question, lying to this guy.


    When they were outside the vige, Anna chuckled. "That guy might be following us, you know."


    "No. A guy like him will believe what I said earlier."


    "Well, you said it with such a naive expression. Who would think the guy who have such a naive expression would be a shrewd bastard¡­"


    Noel rolled his eyes and changed the topic. "Still, I want to ask you about the difference between Spirit Practitioner and Spirit Wielder. Is there any difference between each rank except for their Spiritual Energy?"


    "There is one." Anna nodded and raised a finger. "Try to release your Spiritual Energy."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows and followed her instruction, enveloping his body with Spiritual Energy.<sub> </sub>


    Suddenly, he opened his eyes in amusement. "This is¡­"


    "Yes. What you feel right now is the difference between the two ranks. To put it simply, the Spirit Wielder allows you to give twice the result with the same effort."


    "I see. How about the next rank?"


    "Spirit Wielder is the rank for efficiency, whereas Spirit Master is the rank for Assimtion."


    "Assimtion?" Noel remembered about the lesson from the Sword Saint and nonchntly added, "What''s next? Spirit Grandmaster is the rank for Fusion?"


    "You already know about it?" Anna looked at him weirdly as if wondering why he asked her when he knew about it.


    "¡­" Noel fell silent, realizing the difference in each rank. "Basically, the higher your rank, the more synchronize you are with your Spirit."


    "How in the world¡­" Anna gasped. "What you said is not amon knowledge, Noel. Is it your spection? What people know that the higher your rank, the higher yourpatibility. No one would even exin it with the word ''synchronize.''Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "How do you know about it, Noel?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows.


    Noel was startled. He was just concluding what he had experienced, but to think Anna would make the matter this big.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "If I tell you, it''s a secret. Will you ask for more?"


    "No." Anna shook her head. "I''m curious but I''m going to respect your privacy."


    "¡­" Noel sighed and said, "It''s from the Sword Saint."


    "Then, do you know that the difference in forms of a Spirit is due to their ranks?"


    "The five ranks, right?"


    "Y-yeah. Then, do you know what kind of spirit I have in my body?"


    "Humanoid Spirit¡­"


    "¡­" Anna was speechless. It seemed that this knowledge came from the Sword Saint. In her past life, this information was poprized by Noel as well. It seemed that he received everything from the Sword Saint.


    "I see. So, that''s how it is¡­ Then, you must know that our spirits can grow?"


    "¡­" Noel didn''t answer this time since this was the information that would give the biggest shock to the world.


    Meanwhile, Anna simply asked one more question. "Are you nning to write the information in another book?"


    "How can I write a book in something you know? You might im I''m giarizing your idea."


    "I won''t! There''s nothing I can use to prove it anyway." Anna pouted.


    Anna didn''t seem to be lying from his expression, which was enough for Noel to confirm what he would do in the future.


    Since he''d gotten the answer to his doubt, Noel turned around and said, "Well, we have to hurry!"


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched while she stared at him shamelessly walking away. "I''m sure he was already satisfied with the answer and escaped before I could ask him anything. Tsk."

 Chapter 283 Problem

    Noel and Anna were running away as they were chased away by numerous demons. If they had to handle like fifty demons or something with only one or two Advanced Level Demons, they wouldn''t be running away.


    However, the ones chasing after them were numbered two hundred. And there were at least ten Advanced Level Demons leading them.


    "This is not like what you''re saying!" Noel shouted while running away with their horses.


    "How do I even know this?" Anna shouted back while raising her hand, shooting a lightning strike to hit the beam that was about to hit Noel.


    *Boom!*


    "Don''t you know everything? You even know this Geolythic Mountain has a special liquid!" Noel said while creating the Dispersion Rune to block a fireball that aimed for Anna''s head.


    Despite their bickering, they were still protecting each other. However, they surely never expected this kind of ident to happen.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago.


    Noel and Anna had reached the Geolythic Mountain and sought the gentle slope for their horse toe with them.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reach the end of the gentle slope and they had to fight against the steep ground to reach their destination.


    "Is there really no other way to go to that cave?" Noel asked while observing the area to find any path.


    If there were no other way, they had to jump off their horses and bring them on foot. In the worst case scenario, they might have to carry their horses.


    However, as soon as they jumped off their horses, they suddenly heard a loud cry.


    *Cry!*


    "!!!" Both of them widened their eyes and raised their heads, finding a bird flying in the sky. The bird seemed to have spotted them and alerted the other people about Noel and Anna as if they had trespassed their territories.


    "What''s that?" Noel sucked a cold breath, staring at this yellow bird that was covered by lightning.


    "I''m afraid that''s a Thunderbird. But judging from its look, it has be a demon."


    "Are you serious?" Noel narrowed his eyes. "Isn''t the cry from earlier a kind of way to alert itspanions?"


    "That''s true." Anna nodded with a serious expression while jumping back on her horse as if she was nning to run away.


    "Oi, why are you on your horse again?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched but he also did the same as if having the same thought.


    "You too¡­"


    They were ring at each other as if judging each other''s action even though they were doing the same thing.


    Their silence was broken by a series of roarsing from their sides.<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" In a single nce, they realized numerous demons had reached the area, ready to kill them.


    Still, both of them had confidence in their fighting prowess, so they didn''t retreat immediately. They were staring at the demons to roughly calcte their numbers since if it was at the level they could handle, they didn''t mind taking care of these demons.


    Unfortunately for them, the number was not something to be trifling with. Their faces became pale as they signaled their horses to run.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    *Roar!*


    Their actions invited thunderous roars from the demons as they began to chase after them.


    This was the start of their bickering. Noel recounted that memory to find any clues about what was happening and asked, "Do you know any reason why the thunderbird is involved? I mean, I can understand the demons are hostile to humans.


    "But if there is a thunderbird and numerous Advanced Level Demons, the Demon Banner Army should have taken care of it, right? I''m pretty sure that the vigers are going to report it.


    "Even though they''re greedy, these many demons are still too much even for them. Or are they foolish enough to think they could handle this number?"


    Anna fell silent, recalling the memory of the previous life. ''No. There is no big ident happening here. So, these demons should have been taken care of by the Demon Banner Army.


    ''As Noel said, the Demon Banner Army will surely take care of this ce. Even if the vigers are not reporting the number of the demons, the Demon Banner Army patrolled this area.


    ''In that case, what''s with this number? And we''re just a few minutes in¡­ How many demons are actually using the Geolythic Mountain as their home?''


    Anna contemted for a moment. Even Noel didn''t want to disturb her, wondering if she woulde up with a reason. In the meantime, he was fending off the attacks from all sides.


    ''The Supreme Devil Organization was the one taking advantage of this area in my past life¡­ But that was supposed to happen fifteen months from now, not at this time.


    ''Maybe some of my actions have affected the future? I have been avoiding in making a huge change in the world to avoid this problem, but it seems that the effect has begun to appear.


    ''There are a few problems that I''ve solved¡­ The bandit and the demon, the cave filled with Demon Crystals, and Kirika''s kidnapping case¡­ Maybe those three are enough to cause this effect?


    ''But if I follow this logic, doesn''t that mean the Supreme Devil Organization is the one causing this? In other words, the reason why the demons are more active in this area is due to them?''


    Anna contemted for a moment. She wasn''t sure with her guess, but she might have to find the cave first if she wanted the answer.


    With that thought in mind, she said, "Noel. Do you mind if we go to a farther vige to leave the horse at a stable? We might have to go by foot in this trip."


    Noel looked at Anna''s serious expression for a while. Anna wouldn''t suggest a dumb idea, so he agreed without hesitation. "Alright. Let''s go with that. But exin to me your train of thought after we outrun the demons."


    "Sure." Anna agreed without hesitation. She felt a bit fortunate since she could me everything to the Supreme Devil Organization right now.

 Chapter 284 Chicken

    They were supposed to outrun the demons as soon as they left the mountain. But surprisingly, the demons kept chasing them. Of course, some of the slow demons were quickly left behind, but their numbers were still more than one hundred fifty.


    "This is¡­" Anna muttered while observing the demons'' movements.


    "Hey, aren''t the demons supposed to stop chasing us right now?"


    "That''s what I thought too¡­ After all, demons are a bit territorial. It''s a kind of the instinct they inherit from the animals.


    "Then, doesn''t this mean we''re already causing an outbreak?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched, realizing the problems they had in hand.


    "That''s true. But I don''t think we can stop them. What should we do?" Anna was also confused by the demons'' behavior. They had been chasing after them and attacking them this whole time as if they were enraged by something.


    But if one took another look to their expression, they would know that these Advanced Level Demons had enough wisdom to stop the demons.


    "¡­" Noel contemted for a moment and said, "I have an idea. First, we have to get away from any viges and see if the demons will stop chasing us or not. If the demons haven''t stopped after fifteen minutes, we''re going to approach this matter differently."


    "Got it. What''s your n after that?"


    "I''ll say it after the first one fails."


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue but still trusted Noel''s n. He wasn''t someone who would do meaningless thing, so she should trust him first until he gave an absurd n.


    Noel and Anna then sped up, rushing their horses. Unfortunately for them, it seemed that their first n failed because the demons hadn''t stopped chasing after them.


    "This is bad. What are we going to do now?" Anna asked while ncing at the demons on their tail. "Are they going to chase us until we''re dead? Should we go to a big city to get some help?"


    "Are you nning to be a criminal? It will look like we''re bringing an outbreak to them."


    "But they will surely understand us, considering we also don''t know about the situation itself. They''ll also believe us since we''re from the Demon Banner Army."


    "No, I have another way to stop them or at least stop half of them." Noel shook his head.


    "And that is¡­" Anna narrowed her eyes, expecting another brilliant n from Noel.


    Surprisingly, Noel actually talked about nonsense next. "Do you remember that you have been chickening this whole time?"


    "Are you picking a fight with me right now?"


    "No, no, no. You''re misunderstanding my words. I''m just saying that I hope that you won''t chicken out this time." Noel winked his right eye as if giving a signal to her.


    "Chickening out¡­ Two people¡­ half of them¡­" Anna connected the important words in Noel''s mouth before understanding what he wanted to do. "You insane bastard."


    p "But that''s the way." Noel grinned.</anda>


    ''I was expecting a n to outrun them, but Noel is so insane that he''s still thinking about killing them. If we can eliminate half of them or at least buy some time from them, we can annihte them after a few tries. However, this n is insane because it''s very dangerous.''<sub> </sub>


    Anna understood the risks and asked, "With horse or without horse?"


    "Probably without. It seems that we have to abandon them in this situation."


    "That''s true." Anna nodded in agreement. Although it was a shame, this was something they had to do. "Alright. Let''s do it. You give the signal."


    "Alright." As soon as they reached an agreement, both of them began to shift their direction, creating some distance between them.


    As expected, the demons were following their movements and splitting into two.


    Anna kept staring at Noel while waiting for the signal. On the other hand, Noel was observing the demons to make sure no one hit them from a different direction.


    After the demons were in line and they had created enough distance, Noel raised his hand as the signal. "GO!"


    With that shout, Noel jumped off the horse and began running as soon as hended on the ground. Anna followed suit.


    Both of them had a hard time to adjust their momentum, causing the demons to catch up a bit. Some of the demons almost attacked them.


    Noel used his Sword Fall and Anna used her lightning strike to stop those demons.


    After that, Noel raised his hand once again as the second signal.


    In that instant, their paths began to curve as they were running to each other.


    Noel and Anna pulled out their swords as if those two wanted to fight even after being chased like this.


    Noel and Anna had a smirk on their faces as if they were challenging each other. If they collided like this, the demons behind them would squeeze them to death. If they didn''t have enough firepower, they might be overwhelmed by their number.


    So, this was a n where they had to put their trust in each other.


    Noel pointed at both of them first before pointing to the left as if telling her that both of them would move to the left at the same time.


    Anna acknowledged thismand and nodded.


    The demons obviously didn''t understand their hand signal. Even Noel didn''t say the whole sentence this whole time, fearing that the Advanced Level Demons would understand them and cause the n to fail.


    Noel and Anna became closer and closer as the tension rose to the sky. Their hearts were beating crazily, having both fear and excitement.


    Right before they collided with each other, both Noel and Anna stomped the ground with their right foot and jumped to the left.


    "!!!" The demons were stunned because they tried to follow both of them, but the distance from one group to another was too close.


    The demons with lower intelligence ended up colliding with each other,unching them into the air or destroying each other on the ground.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 285 Ice And Lightning

    *Roar!*


    *Oe!*


    *Uoo!*


    The demons collided with each other and ended up getting injured. Some even died on the spot due to being squeezed from two sides.


    Noel and Anna managed to use all their strength to take a single leap to get outside of the sh.


    However, they didn''t have an easy time either.


    When they were about toe out, a few Mid Level Demons and Advanced Level Demons managed to see through their ns and attacked them.


    Noel nced at them and used his Freezing Crystal to block them. As soon as the snowke exploded, the ice covered the demons. Due to their position, the Mid Level Demons created an ice formation due to theirrge body and the distances between them, blocking the Advanced Level Demons.


    Noel took this opportunity toe out while slicing a few Low Level Demons on his way.


    On the other hand, Anna had an easier time due to her power. Lightning sparked around her shoes as it gave her a boost when jumping.


    In a single jump, Anna managed to get out without even fighting. But like Noel, she also nned to kill as many demons as possible.


    She aimed the lightning on her shoe to the collision between demons and kicked forth, releasing the lightning strike.


    The lightning turned into a dragon and swallowed those injured demons, delivering a killing blow.


    Now that they managed to escape for a moment, Noel and Anna headed to their horses as if trying to catch up to them.


    However, the Advanced Level Demons stood in their way.


    "Tsk. You make me loss twenty Gold Coins." Noel clicked his tongue, angry because he had to lose his horse.


    Unlike Anna''s, his horse was given by his grandfather, so it was his possession. So, he didn''t like the fact that he had lost that much money due to them.


    Noel released that anger to these demons.


    Ice Infusion.


    The chilling aura began to envelop his sword as Noel struck one of the Advanced Level Demon.


    When Noel sliced the demon''s skin, he realized that it was too tough to prate with a normal attack. However, his Ice Infusion realized its might.


    The ice froze the skin, weakening the toughness of the skin. Noel knew the effect of the Ice Infusion due to the knowledge he got from the system. When the ice froze the skin, he struck the frozen spot with his Anger this time.


    Surprisingly, the sword cut through the skin, creating a deep wound on the Advanced Level Demon''s body.


    *Roar!* The demon was screaming in pain.


    "!!!" Noel was amused by the power of this Ice Infusion. As expected of Heisk, even though she wasn''t a humanoid spirit yet, she was still strong.


    Unfortunately, Noel couldn''tnd a killing blow on that demon and was forced to retreat due to their number.


    In the end, both Noel and Anna just continued to escape until they passed the demons and found each other.


    They regrouped while ncing at their back. "What should we do now? It''s more effective than I thought."


    "Gain some more distance." Noel answered while pointing his palm at the demons. Anna also did the same.


    Sword Fall.<sub> </sub>


    Lightning Dragon.


    The three giant swords appeared next to Noel, but when they fell, they suddenly curved and flew horizontally. This was what he had learned in the Ezenholm Family.


    Anna also shot her lightning dragon but there was another twist that she applied in this ability.


    Before the three swords struck those demons, the lightning dragon moved to the swords and coated them in lightning.


    "What?" Noel widened his eyes in shock, ncing at Anna.


    p "Hehe." Anna smirked. "I have given your swords my lightning. Go for it."</anda>


    Noel didn''t understand how Anna could do it, but he knew that the swords became even stronger.


    When it reached the demons, the swords actually pierced through the demons, killing at least twenty demons in a row. Although they were only Low Level Demons, the number they could kill with a single ability was truly beyond their expectation.


    "This is¡­" Noel was amused by this power before Anna added, "There is a Demon using a fire. I want you to block that fire with your ice. I''ll do the rest."


    Noel nodded in agreement as they moved together to make the demons chase them again. Most of the Low Level Demons had a hard time to get away from the collision while those who had escaped from there were the Advanced Level Demons.


    "That viper!" Anna shouted while pointing at a white viper.


    Noel pointed his palm at the viper and released his Snowke Crystal.


    The viper''s cheeks became inted all of a sudden before it opened its mouth, releasing a white-colored fire breath instead of poison.


    The snowke was hit by the fire and exploded, trying to freeze the fire. But as expected from an Advanced Level Demon, its attack was extraordinary. The fire was so strong that it tried to evaporate the ice itself, but because Noel''s ice came from a powerful spirit, it only ended up melting instead of evaporating.


    The other Advanced Level Demons used the fire breath as a cover as they approached Noel and Anna.


    Unfortunately for them, this was what Anna wanted all along. The fire melted Noel''s ice, but the momentum between them caused the water to ssh around, hitting a few Advanced Level Demons.


    Anna ced her hand on the ground and released her lightning.


    "Die." Anna muttered as she watched her lightning running through the ground.


    Reaching the collision between ice and fire, the lightning began to spread through the water and electrocuted three Advanced Level Demons.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The Advanced Level Demons were screaming in pain because the lightning felt like they were roasting them alive.


    "Noel!"


    "I know." Noel saw the opportunity Anna created for him and summoned three giant swords on top of the demons.


    Sword Fall.


    The three swords fell right at the demons'' heads, killing them.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nice."

 Chapter 286 Another Level Of A Team Fight

    "Nice."


    Noel and Anna smiled at each other before a roar disrupted them.


    The Advanced Level Demons who had some distance from the water managed toe closer, forcing the two of them to run.


    While running, Noel actually felt the difference between a Spirit Practitioner and a Spirit Wielder.


    He had known the difference earlier, but this was the first time he fought as a Spirit Wielder.


    ''So, this is Spirit Wielder. When I used my Freezing Crystal, I felt like I could summon the snowke in two ways. The first way is to release a normal but continuous burst like earlier. The second way is an explosion that gives twice the strength.


    ''The same as the Sword Fall. I can concentrate my Magic Power into the swords, making them even heavier and stronger.


    ''It seems that Anna has been fighting in this realm this whole time. No wonder I was losing this whole time.'' Noel never expected that they could kill a few Advanced Level Demons this easily. Even those Low Level Demons weren''t a match for them.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    If Noel wanted it, he might be able to kill a few of them with Freezing Crystal.


    ''I see. Have I been underestimating myself this whole time? Or do I becent for thinking this way? No, I should be more bold and confident but don''t forget to be careful.''


    Noel took a deep breath to rethink his strategy. It was clear that they had a chance of winning against these demons as long as they could keep fighting this way.


    However, Noel also thought about a certain mission.


    <o>,m [Mission: Peerless]</o>


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat three Advanced Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: me Conjuring Ability and Newbie Medal.]


    ''Three Advanced Level Demons by myself while fighting these demons¡­ Should I go for it? No, wait. There is a possibility that there are more demons in that mountain, since the Thunderbird that notified those demons didn''t chase after us. Since I can get a safer option, why don''t I do it like that? I can''t be overconfident.''


    Noel took a deep breath before saying, "Anna. Change of n. We''re going to kill all these demons here. Follow my instruction."


    "Got it." Anna nodded with a serious expression. She nced at the demons again and realized that all Mid Level Demons had managed to get out of the collision and Low Level Demons began to do the same.


    There were still at least seven Advanced Level Demons, twenty Mid Level Demons and one hundred Low Level Demons. So, they had to be fast before those Low Level Demons and Mid Level Demons joined the chase.


    "Duplication Rune and Jump!" Noelmanded.


    Anna raised her hand and created the Duplication Rune before jumping like Noel. Surprisingly, when theynded on the ground, they slid on the ground.


    "!!!" Anna looked down and found ice spreading underneath their feet, allowing them to maintain their current momentum while focusing on those demons.


    Anna hurriedly pointed the Duplication Rune on those demons while Noel released his Freezing Crystal instead of Sword Fall.


    "Are you serious?" Anna clicked her tongue as she felt her Spiritual Energy draining as soon as the snowke was duplicated. "Hey, I have to spend my own Spiritual Energy to duplicate them, you know!"<sub> </sub>


    "I know." Noel nodded. He had the knowledge about the runes, but never learned it because he wascking in Spiritual Energy Reserve. So, he only knew about the weakness of that rune and took advantage of Anna''s huge amount of Spiritual Energy.


    Eight Freezing Crystals flew toward the Advanced Level Demons.


    The viper was dumbfounded because his breath could only stop one.


    It ended up hitting the middle one with his breath while the rest had to take care of the rest.


    All Advanced Level Demons released all of their power to hit the snowkes from the distance, but one of them had to fight an extra snowke.


    Unfortunately, Noel''s Freezing Crystal had be stronger due to him bing a Spirit Wielder, so an Advanced Level Demon couldn''t defeat one snowke that easily, resulting in the extra snowke to reach the demon''s body and froze it.


    *Boom!*


    The snowke burst out in unison, creating a white chilling mist that covered the entire battlefield. The wind soon blew the mist away, revealing a huge ice wall that separated the pair and the demons.


    Taking advantage of this huge wall as their camouge, Noel leaped to the wall to prepare for an ambush while Anna understood his intention and followed him.


    They went to the left side of the wall as an Advanced Level Demon managed to loop around the wall to keep chasing them.


    Unfortunately for the demon, it couldn''t see its preys. Suddenly, the demon felt their presenceing from the side and turned its head around, only to see Noel and Anna right before his eyes.


    Noel struck the demon''s head with Ice Infusion, softening the skin. And Anna struck that frozen spot with her lightning sword, severing its neck.


    "Next one!" Noel said while turning to the side, finding another Advanced Level Demon that just came out from behind the ice wall.


    "Haha, let''s go!" Anna was excited because they had managed to do a more exciting battle now that they had be a Spirit Wielder.


    In the past, both of them were hailed as strongest experts in the kingdom, so Anna was slightly bored by her inability to reproduce her skills from the past.


    But now that she had gained some power with Noel, she couldn''t help but feel excited, anticipating the team fight that consisted of two strongest experts in the kingdom. She took glimpse of that sight in this battle.


    With a smile on her face, Anna summoned a lightning dragon from her hand to attack the Advanced Level Demon.


    It was surprised to find Anna and Noel on this side, so it didn''t have time to react and ended up getting electrocuted by the lightning.


    Its body was numb and stopped moving for a second. Noel took this chance to use two Emotions in his sword. He used Contempt to shame the prating force of his sword and struck the demon''s eyes before changing the emotion into Anger to cleanly cut the demon''s head from the inside, killing it.


    "That''s two. We have five more Advanced Level Demons and a bunch of other demons." Noel stated while assessing their situation.


    But Anna excitedly said, "But we will do it, aren''t we, Noel?"


    Noel smiled. "Of course. Keep up with me."

 Chapter 287 Food

    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    Anna and Noel were panting. They were sitting on the ground with their backs leaning on each other.


    "I''m so tired." Anna let out a long sigh of relief.


    "Still¡­" Noel nced to the side, looking at the numerous corpses.


    "Indeed. It''s quite a sight to see this many corpses here." Anna nodded in agreement while taking pride of their hunt. It was hard to fight them, especially the Advanced Level Demons, so they should be proud they could defeat all these demons in one fight.


    "Then again, we have to face more demons in that mountain. There is something wrong with that mountain, don''t you think?"


    "I believe so. Even the bird that rmed the demons didn''te to chase us. I''m afraid that there are more demons than we originally expected."


    "But this dangeres with an opportunity. The more demons we''re going to face, the more Crystals we could get. In fact, with all these demons alone, I can pay off the debts." Noel smiled and pointed at the demons. "There you go, this is the hunt, you can get all of them."


    "¡­" Anna was speechless, never expecting Noel to think about this opportunity. He had absorbed all their Demon Crystals not long ago to be a Spirit Wielder, and now he imed he had finished repaying the debts.


    Considering there were many Advanced Level Demons, she finally epted. "Fine¡­ We''ll split as usual after this."


    "Good." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "I think we''ll be in trouble if we bring these Demon Crystals on top of the ones we''ll get on the mountain. So, do you mind if I absorb them first? It''ll take a while but no more than a half day."


    "We have Moon Blessing, so the night is not a problem."


    As soon as Noel agreed, Anna started taking out the Demon Crystals from the corpses and gathering them in one ce.


    Noel was near her all the time to protect her from any threats, but luckily, nothing came to this area.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    A few hourster.


    Anna was woken up by a sweet smell. She had just finished absorbing all the Demon Crystals, so she hadn''t eaten this whole time.


    When the smell entered her lung, it incited the reaction from her stomach.


    *Growl!*


    "!!!" Anna''s body trembled as her face was flushed red. She never expected that she couldn''t even control her stomach.<sub> </sub>


    She nced to the side and found Noel steering a soup in a ck wok. Although they had been traveling together for so long, this might be the first time she saw Noel cooking.


    After all, her food was so delicious that Noel couldn''t resist. However, she forgot that Noel would also start cooking to make sure he wasn''t dependent on her and by the time she realized it, Noel''s cooking was already quite decent.


    She gulped down while looking at the yellowish white soup. "This is¡­"


    "Sweet and creamy magic soup from the Greenwood Kingdom. I have to boil it for another thirty minutes. So, why don''t you head to the river over there to wash yourself first?" Noel pointed at his back.


    "O-oh!" Anna didn''t know how to react to this bizarre finding. "Since when did you started cooking? I have never seen you cook."


    "A few months ago. I know that my cooking skill is lowpared to yours, but at least, this one tastes decent." Noel rolled his eyes as if Anna was looking down on his food.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for a moment before she decided to go to the river. On her walk, her heart was beating crazily. She gulped down and screamed inwardly, ''What is that? Noel can cook? If he can cook, does that mean he doesn''t need me anymore? I thought I could conquer Noel through his stomach, but if he can cook, that''s a different problem.


    ''That''s right. We have to go separate ways in a few months¡­ by the time we meet again, Noel shouldn''t be interested in my food anymore.'' Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew that the food wasn''t that relevant anymore after solving the hatred, but there was a disappointment in her heart when thinking that she couldn''t cook for him anymore.


    "Well, shouldn''t I be happy that I don''t have to cook all the time anymore?" Anna muttered, trying to make her feel better, albeit failed. She hung her head low as she walked toward the river.


    After a while, she returned to their camp while drying her hair with towel. "I''m back."


    "Mhm." Noel nodded, took out a bowl, and poured the soup on it. "Here you go."


    "Thanks." Anna received the ball and sat next to Noel. She didn''t hesitate to taste the soup, trying to measure Noel''s cooking skill.


    But when the spoon entered her mouth, the sweet smell from the found instantly filled her mouth and lung. But more importantly, the soup actually had two tastes. It was sweet but sour, making her confuse the taste for a second before realizing the sh between the two actually enhanced the dish''s vor.


    *Cough!* Anna coughed once, overwhelmed by the vor.


    "What''s wrong? Is it that bad?" Noel let out a long sigh, knowing that it wasn''t up to par with Anna''s cooking.


    "No, it tastes good, but there are a few problems. The taste is a bit too overwhelming. You have to dilute it with water a bit more. I can understand that you pair it with hard bread, so that the bread will have a good vor and soft texture if you dip it into it¡­ But you have to understand that we''re adventuring right now.


    "If you eat something too overwhelming, there is a bigger chance that you will fall ill. Even if our body is stronger as a Spirit Wielder, you have to take care of your diet. One time might not be a problem, but if you continuously do it for a period of time¡­ You might also create a chronic illness in your body."


    "Ah!" Noel scratched the back of his head before remembering something. "Is that why your cooking feel so light but fulfilling?"


    Anna nodded.


    "I see." Noel sighed, muttered inwardly, ''So, Anna didn''t cook something just for the sake of filling our stomach. She also took care of our bodies but still gave us the satisfaction that we needed¡­''


    Seeing Noel''s disappointment, Anna quickly devoured the soup and said, "Still¡­ I said that once in a while is fine. So, another bowl please."

 Chapter 288 Decision

    "What do you think?" Noel asked while looking at their perimeter.


    After eating, they rested for a while before they began to move, taking advantage of the darkness to infiltrate the mountain. They didn''t know whether the Thunderbird woulde down again or not, but they had to prepare for everything.


    "There is nothing for now. I can see a few demons, but I haven''t seen a strong ones." Anna shook her head. "It seems that they haven''t found demons to refill those we have killed."


    "Then, this is the perfect chance for us to infiltrate the mountain. Can you set up a route for us?"


    "I''ll try. But we don''t know where the Thunderbird lives. I''m afraid that we''re going to encounter that bird while we''re in the middle, causing us to be surrounded from all sides."


    "So, your suggestion?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Although he already knew what she wanted to say, he still asked to confirm her intention.


    "Yeah. We have to kill the demons first before we can go in without any interruption. In the best scenario, we kill the Thunderbird who seems to be controlling the demons in this area."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment as if he hade up with a ridiculous idea. "Say¡­ is it possible for Advanced Level Demons to be domesticated or something?"


    "You want to domesticate an Advanced Level Demon? Are you insane? Do you want to fly?" Anna''s shock was understandable because no one had ever thought about befriending the demons, considering thetter always attacked them as soon as they met them.


    However, Noel exined his thought which gave her another understanding about Noel''s question. "No, do you remember the case of the bandits with the demons? You''re talking about the Supreme Devil Organization at that time, so I thought since thismotion might be rted to that organization¡­"


    "Ah!" Anna stared at Noel in disbelief. In her previous life, she had seen an even stronger demon taking side of the Supreme Devil Organization, so it might be possible to control Advanced Level Demons.


    In other words, the Thunderbird, who was controlling this mountain, might have been domesticated by the Supreme Devil Organization.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The fact that the Supreme Devil Organization''s bishop found this ce and took advantage of it reinforced this thought.


    "Our situation might not be as good as we originally thought." Anna''s body trembled because of the realization. The fact that themotion that wasn''t supposed to be here actually urred before her eyes meant the Supreme Devil Organization had found this cave.


    The future had changed slightly and this was the result.


    ? "There is a possibility that the Supreme Devil Organization has found out about the liquid and the Thunderbird is used to protect it. In other words, this wholemotion might be rted to them." Anna confirmed it while clenching her fists.


    "No. I don''t think the Supreme Devil Organization is that stupid. The fact that you''re using your demon and other loose demons to create this ruckus means you''re ready to make your presence known.


    "Looking at the Supreme Devil Organization''s movements this whole time, I know that they won''t be doing this unless¡­" Noel paused for a moment, creating the suspense. Anna was staring intensely as if demanding the continuation while Noel simply pointed at the cave''s direction. "They haven''t found it."<sub> </sub>


    "Do you mean that because they haven''t found it, they''re mobilizing these demons to find the cave?"


    "Yes. I believe they have found out about the general location, not the specific position."


    "So, are we still going to aim for it? I''m afraid that the enemies have a Devil Bishop. It will be over if we go straight there."


    "No." Noel shook his head. Although he had a thought about Dimitri who was supposed to be protecting him, he didn''t want to rely on him so that he could mess around. He considered his n carefully and said, "We''re going to slip past all these demons and go straight to the cave. We take a bath on it and then I''ll burn the liquid."


    "But that means we can''t report it to the Demon Banner Army?"


    "The Demon Banner Army might be able to protect and take advantage of it, but with the distance between this ce and the branch, it''s impossible to mobilize them before the enemies find the cave. When that happens, the organization might be able to transport all the liquid away¡­ I mean, they have demons."


    "Still, the demon army''s alone is enough to cause a ruckus in the Demon Banner Army, let alone the Body Strengthening Liquid¡­ I see. You want to destroy the Body Strengthening Liquid to decrease the number of problems?"


    Noel smirked, confirming her suspicion.


    Anna once again was impressed by his decision. It was true that they could take advantage of the liquid if they reported it to the Demon Banner Army. They might even gain an achievement and rewards, but this Body Strengthening Liquid was outside their mission, so no one could tell them they couldn''t destroy it.


    Hence, Noel chose to eliminate the problem after taking advantage of it.


    Noel waved his hand as he climbed the mountain a bit while looping around the mountain as if he was trying to show her something.


    "I''ll pretend that I believe youpletely. That''s why if I were them, I would be staying in this mountain with the demons to find the liquid." Noel suddenly pointed at the front, specifically at the smoke that rose to the sky. It was covered by the mountain before, but now they had changed their position they could find the smoke on the other side of the mountain.


    "!!!" Anna knew that this camp must be from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "They might be using the demons who don''t know about the day and the night, but that''s precisely their weakness. The humans, who control them, have to rest during the night and start searching again during the day. Hence, the best time for us to go to the mountain is now¡­ That''s why what is your decision, Anna? Are you going with my n or do you want to report it?"


    Anna let out a long sigh as if she acknowledged the defeat this time. She looked at Noel with a smile. "I''ve told you about the liquid, so it''s now yours. Since you want to go, who am I to refuse such an invitation?"


    Noel smiled slyly. "Let''s go, shall we?"

 Chapter 289 Thoughts

    Anna waved her hand while hiding behind a huge tree, taking a peek at the demon not far from them. Since the demon was controlled to take a rest, it left a gap for them to exploit.


    Noel took advantage of it and quietly moved to Anna. They had been doing this for two hours, approaching the cave.


    It was truly hard because of the number of demons in this ce. However, it wasn''t impossible because the demons wouldn''t be wandering too much like what happened during the day.


    After passing this obstacle, they walked again, climbing the mountain. Noel thought the cave was located near the top of the mountain, but he soon found he was mistaken.


    Anna began to climb down and head to a small valley next to the mountain.


    Even though he had many questions in his mind, Noel didn''t utter a single sound because of their current situation. He didn''t want his sound to be heard by the demons and caused them to rm the people from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Although he had Dimitri, Noel never confirmed Dimitri''s existence and strength. Even if he believed Dimitri''s existence through the letter from his father, he didn''t know about his true strength.


    Noel didn''t know that Dimitri had the power to fight a Devil Bishop and believed his strength to be somewhere around Devil Inspector. Hence, he never considered Dimitri as a part of the n, even if he had to destroy such a treasure.


    That was why Noel had been following Anna quietly this whole time. As long as they could use the treasure and leave this ce before dawn, this trip would be considered useful.


    It took another hour before they reached the valley and surprisingly, he didn''t pick any presence with his Demon Hunter Medal.


    Noel abruptly stopped while looking around.


    "What are you doing?" Anna asked in a low voice.


    "I don''t feel any demons in our surroundings." Noel exined while furrowing his eyebrows.


    "That''s good then. The bunch from the Supreme Devil Organization must have thought of it the wrong way." Anna pointed at the mountain. "They thought the liquid is on the mountain, but that''s not true. I''ll exin it to you after we enter the cave."


    Anna stopped talking and began to move a bit faster, heading straight to the end of the valley.


    With her back facing a steep slope, Anna turned around and smiled, "We''ve arrived."


    Even though the night covered the valley with darkness, Noel and Anna had their Moon Blessing, allowing them to see the night brighter.


    The valley was covered in a short grass and didn''t seem to have been touched by outsiders. With the light from the moon, it looked like Anna was basking in a blue, graceful light.


    The happiness that was reflected by that smile somehow warmed up the cool and serene atmosphere.


    This might be the first time Noel traveled to a beautiful ce like this without carrying his hatred. Even when Anna brought him to a cliff with a beautiful view, he didn''t think much about it.<sub> </sub>


    But because the letter from his father, Noel somehow saw the world a bit more differently. It felt like there was a sound in his heart, telling him that the world wasn''t just about hatred.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the world he had seen after his parents'' deaths. It felt like he had lost his hope and the color disappeared from this world.


    In that ck and white world, Noel stood there alone. He felt cold and lonely because this was the first time he stood by himself without any support from his family.


    He remembered the two soldiers who brought him to the Demon Banner Army. He couldn''t forget about their stature, but he couldn''t recall their faces as if he had put it away from them.


    It might be due to his heart back then, but Anna''s face felt different. Her beautiful smile looked like a sly, devilish smile. There was also an instance when she beat him up. He didn''t know it at first but when he saw Anna like this, he understood Anna was only acting this whole time.


    She had to act to fool the marquis because there should be someone who followed her. After all, there was no way the marquis would allow his daughter to go without any protection.


    Noel didn''t know what Anna had done in the previous life. In his memory, the only bad thing Anna had done in this life was the execution of his parents, which turned out to be a lie.


    He didn''t know what his previous life thought about Anna who once had killed many innocent people, behaved like a tyrannical nobles, and thought others as nothing but mere ants.


    He didn''t know his previous life actually tried to change Anna for the better. No one knew the reason and why he did it, only to let her die in the previous life.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Just for a second, Noel forgot about all his problems and saw the real world. The cool and slightly earthy smell associated with the grass entered his nose. The grass regained its beautiful green color.


    And Anna standing in the distance, waving her hand to invite him. Noel had aplicated emotion when realizing he was sealing himself in his own world to protect himself.


    He didn''t want to be betrayed anymore, so he only buried that hatred to Anna in his heart and kept reminding himself to work together with her only for the sake of getting stronger without getting attached to her.


    Despite all his kind and genuine words to other, Noel felt like he was only acting on how he had been taught by his father.


    Noel couldn''t help but want to punch his father for putting him in this spot. He wondered if his father never manipted the situation that made Anna look evil, would they be able to work together and raise to an even higher position? Could they act like what their parents did?


    Could they be best friends that would be able to sacrifice their own lives for the other?


    An image of his father standing side by side with Marquis Stargaze shed in his mind. With a smile on their faces, they fought all the problemsing toward them.


    At the same time, a blurry image came together with it. It was an image of Noel and Anna who watched each other''s back on the battlefield. Even with the blood covering their clothes, the smiles on their faces hadn''t faded away because they knew there was a reliable person watching their back.


    Seeing this image, a tear couldn''t help but form in the corner of Noel''s right eye because the image was soon shattered because of this whole situation.

 Chapter 290 Cave

    "Huh?" Anna was startled to see Noel''s tears. She hadn''t shed any tears in this life, but she certainly had a lot in the previous life when transforming to a better person.


    So, she could understand if Noel cried like in the Sword Saint Tomb.


    "Are you alright?" Anna stopped while going back to him to check his condition.


    Noel remained silent while wiping the tear. He walked past her while saying, "I''m sorry."


    "Huh?" Anna''s body trembled as chills went down her spine. Noel was only saying, "I''m sorry," but she could feel the emotion behind those words.


    The sadness, regret¡­ all theplicated emotions mixed into one. Anna didn''t know why Noel apologized when he had done nothing wrong, but it felt like there was another burden lifted from her heart. It felt like this apology was directed to something in the past.


    "What did¡­" Anna turned around, looking at Noel''s lonely back. A thought appeared in her mind. ''Why do I feel like Noel has changed once again?''


    Anna feared that Noel changed for the worse when she was currently enjoying the current Noel, who was able to work together with her this well. It felt like they were truerades in the past one month.


    So, she didn''t want it to be changed, afraid that Noel would just return to the previous one.


    Anna pped her cheeks as if trying to return to her energetic self, nning to transfer this energy to Noel.


    She yfully walked beside Noel while teasing him, "What''s wrong? You''re a grown man already¡­ No, wait. You''re still 15 years old, right? How many days are left until your birthday? This is an important celebration since you''re going to be an adult."


    "¡­" Noel nced at Anna with a troubled expression. He knew that Anna wanted to brighten the mood and considering they were on a mission, he shouldn''t be this down.


    He took a few deep breaths and said, "Yeah, you''re right. I guess that''ll be thest time I shed any tears since I''ll be an adult soon."


    "Come on. You can cry. Comee¡­" Anna spread her arms as if preparing to be an adult to calm him down.


    "What are you doing? You''re the same age as me." Noel shrugged. "Anyway, we should focus on our mission. I apologize if I made the atmosphere awkward a moment ago."


    Anna checked Noel''s expressions again and knew that he was trying to shift the mood. So, Anna yed along and forgot about it.


    "Alright. Let''s go!" Anna pointed at a steep slope that could be said as a wall as well. This steep wall had vines covering the wall.


    Anna grabbed the vines and pushed them to the side, showing a bit of opening on the wall. The gap created a rectangle shape as if it was an artificial stone that blocked the cave like a door.


    "This is¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "A door."


    "Yes. ording to the legend, it''s rumored that a great figure from one thousand years ago was using this cave in the past. The man lived inside this ce because it had water dropping from the ceiling and that water allowed him to stay alive inside. It could even make him feel full¡­" Anna pointed at the ground and made Noel realize the muddy ground near the entrance as well as the wet part of the rock.


    "Doesn''t that mean it''s already flooding inside?"


    "What do you expect? It''s already one thousand years, you know." Anna shrugged and took out her sword. "Help me up in pulling out this rock."


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. He stabbed the gap between the rocks, trying to cut everything that connected the rock with the entire wall.


    After making sure there was nothing that stopped them from moving the rock, Noel stabbed a single gap and used his Ice Control to extend his sword and looped it around on the rock.


    <o>,m He took a nce at Anna''s sword and connected this ice to her sword.</o>


    "Hmm?" Anna felt the change in her sword as if something entering her sword. She nced at Noel who winked his right eye.<sub> </sub>


    There was actually ice that connected their swords. Noel nned to used this to pull the rock out.


    "Ready?" Noel asked with a smile.


    "Got it." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Pull!" Noel gave the signal as they pulled their swords with all their strength.


    Luckily, the bottom part of the rock was wet, reducing the friction and allowing Noel and Anna to pull the rock with half the effort.


    *Grumble!*


    *Grumble!*


    "!!!" They felt the slight movement from the rock, indicating it was possible to pull the rock out.


    They looked at each other, thinking the same thing. As soon as they nodded their heads, they pulled the rock again, moving it a little at a time.


    It took them a whole five minutes to pull out half of the rocks.


    Noel even asked, "Is there any need for us to do this? Can''t we just destroy it?"


    "No. We have to do this. Do you know if you put a lid when you''re cooking without creating a hole on the lid, your food will suddenly burst out?"


    "Hmm?"


    Anna was exining about the pressure the steam built up inside if there was no hole to allow them to travel.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Although Noel didn''t understandpletely, he knew what she wanted to do. "You''re pretty bad, you know."


    "You called me evil witch in the past."


    "You like that name?"


    "¡­"


    The two chuckled and started pulling again. Finally, after their continuous effort, they managed to pull the rock out of the entrance, revealing the cave.


    The cave wasn''t big or long. There was a small basin in the middle of the cave, which was used to store the water, but because a long time had passed since someone took this, the cave was already flooded.


    "By the way, did you say you can drink it, not bath in it?"


    "If it''s a small amount, it can work like ration. If it''s a huge amount, you''ll die from overdose. So, it''s better for the pore in your skin to absorb it bit by bit to strengthen it. That''s the principle."


    Noel noticed something in that exnation and asked, "So, we will take a bath one at a time¡­"


    Upon hearing that question, a sly smile appeared on Anna''s face as if she had been plotting something.

 Chapter 291 Dilemma

    The sly smile on Anna''s face already gave Noel enough information that she was nning on doing something.


    "We don''t have time to do that, Noel. Don''t you think it''s better for us to bath in it together?"


    "¡­" Noel was speechless by her question. The answer to that question was obviously yes. But never in his wildest dream that Anna would suggest it.


    As a noble woman, she had to maintain the purity of her body. That was what she had been doing until now when taking a bath in a river orke.


    When she asked him to use the Spirit Seal to tell the truth, he was shocked at first because he had to touch her waist.


    There was an instance where she embraced him, but that was for the sake of hiding from an imminent danger, so he thought nothing much about it.


    That was why the time when she slept on the same bed as him baffled him that much. He believed that Anna wouldn''t dare to do it because she had to maintain her image.


    If people knew that she had slept with him, whether something happened or not, she would be judged by the people''s eyes. Yet, she dared to do it with an excuse.


    And now, Anna asked him to bathe together. It was already beyond what they had done this whole time.


    If they had to take a bath together, it meant Noel could see her body. She didn''t seem to be a noble anymore.


    "You¡­" Noel bit his lips. If he took advantage of it, he would certainly benefit from it, considering Anna Stargaze was considered one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom. However, there was a line that he shouldn''t cross.


    If people knew that he had taken a bath with her, his reputation could be smeared as well, causing a lot of trouble. Even the marquis might forget about the rtionship with his father ande to take his life.


    Anna might know about this and took advantage of his situation. She knew that Noel couldn''t say anything about them bathing together because it would cause his downfall as well.


    Noel didn''t realize that Anna thought nothing of it. Her train of thought was simple. She would provoke him to make him take a step back, showing her dominance. This would give her the confidence to defeat Noel who had beaten her twice.


    There wasn''t a single perverted or scheming thought in her mind.


    "What''s wrong? You''re going to back off today?" Anna smirked, teasing Noel. "It seems that I won''t be the one chickening out."


    "!!!" In that instant, Noel understood Anna''s motivation in doing this. His expression was distorted. "You¡­ You''re doing something like this just for that? Are you serious?"


    "You have defeated me twice, so I''m going to win this time!" Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    Noel facepalmed, annoyed. "Are you dumb? No, you are dumb! Have you forgotten the fact that you''re a noble daughter from a marquis household? Do you know what it means to bath together with someone, especially a man of the same age?"


    Anna widened her eyes and forgot about this. It might be due to the fact that Noel''s father was her father''s best friend, she thought it would be fine doing this. After all, the Ardagan Family was as strong as the Stargaze Family. Their rank might be lower, but their financial power closed that gap.<sub> </sub>


    In other words, the worst case scenario would be them hiding this fact. However, she forgot the fact that the Ardagan Family had lost their power.


    Anna felt slightly embarrassed for getting obsessed in defeating Noel that she forgot about many things.


    But if she admitted she forgot about it, Noel would take that opportunity to fight back. So, she could only use her trump card.


    "Are you chickening out, Noel? If you are, just admit it." Anna smirked. "This is between us, not between the son of the Ardagan Family and the daughter of the Stargaze Family. If you are afraid, then just admit it."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. On the one hand, he had to avoid staining his own honor as a former noble. On the other hand, there was also an opportunity in this small battle.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    He was going to use his second identity soon and Anna was the only one who knew his n. However, Anna didn''t know what kind of appearance he would have again.


    It would give him a leverage in their situation, allowing him to take advantage of the rumor and strike her.


    Meanwhile, if Anna spread the rumor that Noel had taken a bath with her, nothing would change because he was a former noble while Anna was the most talented woman in the kingdom. In the end, she would only smear her own reputation.


    In other words, there was nothing to lose if he continued.


    With that thought in mind, Noel suddenly took off his shoes and dropped his bag as if he was nning to take off his clothes. "Afraid of you? In your dream."


    "Haha, is that so?" Anna also unbuttoned her shirt as if nning on doing the same.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he closed his eyes to avoid any impure thoughts. After all, the moment he made his move, Anna would win.


    Noel also forgot about one thing. Dimitri was tailing him in order to protect him.


    At the top of the hill, Dimitri was bbergasted when he saw Noel and Anna taking off their clothes. From what he found so far, they were going to take a bath together.


    When he watched their action, Dimitri''s eyebrows were twitching. His hand reached for his sword. "That whore. How dare she seduce the young master? Is she going to sully the young master''s reputation? No, wait¡­"


    Dimitri paused for a moment. "Now that I think about it, Master loves the story about our ancestor¡­ If I''m not wrong, the ancestor''s wife¡­ Don''t tell me, Master''s real n is to make them fall in love like what happened to the ancestor? From enemy to lover situation?


    "Then, what is actually my role? Protecting the young master? Or making their love bloom? That''s right. That Anna even dared to sleep on the same bed as the young master¡­ Then, should I kill all those people from the Supreme Devil Organization to give them more time? No, they assumed those people would be finding this ce soon and I shouldn''t interfere if it wouldn''t kill the young master even if it means losing a precious treasure. What should I do then?"


    Dimitri never expected that the biggest dilemma in his life was caused by the rash action of two young people.

 Chapter 292 Scared

    "Hehe, are you disappointed? Ie prepared this time." Anna proudly puffed her chest, showing the swimsuit she had prepared this whole time.


    This white swimsuit covered from her shoulder to her thighs, so Noel had no way to see her body.


    On the other hand, Noel, who was expecting to bathe separately, came unprepared. He might be able to go without a shirt, but he had to wear pants this time.


    And seeing how Anna bragged about it showed how much she had prepared for it.


    As soon as they reached in front of the basin, Noel asked, "Looking at how prepared you are, don''t tell me you''re actually looking forward to it? Looking forward to take a bath with me? How perverted are you?"


    "Wha¡ª" Anna didn''t expect that Noel could strike her with those questions. "I''m not a pervert!"


    "But you didn''t deny that you''re looking forward to take a bath with me, right?" Noel stood in front of her, ring at her.


    Anna felt like Noel was giving an intense pressure, forcing her to step back. "I''m looking forward to it to defeat you. Look at you, aren''t you disappointed?!"


    Noel kept pushing forward while saying, "Disappointed huh? What if I said I''m disappointed? Are you going to strip?"


    Anna''s body trembled. "Strip? You are joking. Can''t you feel the tingling sensation on your feet? You must feel that pain¡­ If you go there with naked body, you''re going to be destroyed by the pain."


    "So, you knew and didn''t tell me about it? You must want to kill me."


    "No¡­ I didn''t know about the pain."


    A smirk suddenly appeared on Noel''s face as he asked, "So, you didn''t know about the pain. Then, I guess you''re scared now because you don''t dare to go in without anything? You must be afraid of the pain¡­ If you don''t dare, why don''t you go out right now?"


    Anna wanted to answer while taking a step back before she felt her back touched the wall.


    "!!!" Anna nced to the back and realized she was trapped. Noel took this opportunity to m the wall, preventing her from escaping.


    "This is thest time you can leave¡­ What will you choose? If you''re afraid of pain, I suggest you to escape right away!"


    "You¡­ You can''t scare me like that! My pain resistance is stronger than you! It''s just I know that if I go there, you will be scared to dive."


    "No, no. I''m a gentleman. Unlike a pervert like you, I know the basic courtesy. So, it''sdies first¡­ You can go first if you''re not scared." Noel smirked.


    "You are just trying to escape, aren''t you? Just tell me if you''re scared. There''s no need to threaten me like this." Anna smiled slyly as if she recognized Noel''s n.


    However, she slightly pushed Noel away and stood in front of the basin while pointing at it. "Come on. Let''s jump together. The one who doesn''t jump is the chicken."


    "Do you think I''m afraid of you?" Noel snorted and stood next to her, showing his willpower.


    The water was flooding the cave, but it only reached their heel. However, the pain they had to endure in their feet were like they were standing on top of zing fire.


    The scorching pain made their feet numb and their bodies shake. They couldn''t imagine what kind of pain they would feel if they dove into this pool of Body Strengthening Liquid. The pain would be all over their body and they might pass out.


    If they passed out, they might die from other causes like drowning or even the people from the Supreme Devil Organization.<sub> </sub>


    Noel took advantage of this to make Anna''s victory disappear because he had changed thepetition from taking a bath together to pain resistance.


    But when those two standing at the edge of the basin, staring at the pool, they were scared to jump in.


    "Ladies first. Show me if you dare to do it or not. Or I''ll take this as my win." Noel snorted..


    "Your victory? No! You also don''t dare to do it. If you''re so confident, why don''t you jump in right away? If I don''t dare to do it, that would be your victory."


    "Do you think I don''t know your method? You must like to see me being tortured while you''re entering the pool slowly while adjusting the pain."


    "No way. Just tell me you''re scared."


    "No, you''re the one who''s scared."


    "Just admit it that we both are scared by the pain." Anna red at him while pointing at the pool. "Let''s jump together. By the count of three, we''re jumping in. Do you dare to do it?"


    "So, you admit that you''re scared."


    "I''m asking whether if you dare or not. The pool is not that deep, so our head should be able to stay afloat after the initial dip." Anna smirked.


    "Fine. Let''s go in together. I''ll lower myself to you and ept your challenge."


    "Then, let''s do it."


    Anna and Noel looked at the pool together.


    "One¡­" Anna started the count.


    "Two¡­" Noel also did it to show he wasn''t scared.


    And finally, they both said at the same time. "Three!"


    Anna and Noel jumped into the air together as they were prepared to dive at the same time. However, Noel jumped once more with his Hyper Jump that allowed him to kick the air to stay afloat, letting Anna fall first. "I''m doing this to make sure someone is awake!"


    "You¡­" Anna realized she was tricked by Noel. However, Noel was underestimating her reflex.


    She suddenly smirked before submerging as if telling him, "I know you''re going to do it. That''s why I jumped slightly higher than you."


    Because she was in the air longer, she had the time to react and grabbed Noel''s waist before he escaped from her reach.


    "!!!" Noel''s face became pale, knowing what would happen next.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Noel and Anna realized that they both had ns to trick each other. But in the end, Anna managed to cling to him and drag him to the pool.


    *Boom!*

 Chapter 293 Memory

    *Boom!*


    Both of them submerged into the water while staring at each other.


    However, a sharp pain suddenly struck their whole body and went straight to their mind.


    "!!!" They widened their eyes.


    Even though they had prepared, the pain going through their body was beyond their imagination. Even Noel opened his mouth, coughing the air out.


    Anna, on the other hand, still held out while gritting her teeth. Her willpower wasn''t at the level of a fifteen years old girl after all.


    But to her surprise, Noel also endured the pain pretty well. Although his body was shaking, his expression gradually returned to normal.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that moment, both of them stomped the ground and came to the surface to get some air.


    "Haaaa!" They gasped for some air.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. All the water covering his body was giving him pain. It felt like he was burned alive, but at the same time, it felt like his body was being twisted by an unknown force.


    Tears wereing out of his eyes due to the pain, but Noel didn''t let out a single sound. His consciousness became fuzzy, but Noel still managed to stay awake. Due to him opening his mouth, the water also flooded his mouth for a moment, causing the pain to enter his mouth as well.


    There was nothing he could think in this pain, let alone doing anything. In the end, Noel closed his eyes to get used to the pain as soon as possible.


    Looking at Noel''s reaction, Anna couldn''t help but smile.


    She heard that when one was close to dying, their entire life would sh before them. Anna didn''t know if it was due to the close to dying or she had experienced the same pain, there was a scene that appeared before her.


    The image was about her lying down on the ground, writhing in pain.


    "Aaaaahhhh!" Anna was screaming, her body was convulsing, and her voice was shaking. Her right arm had turned blue and her face had be pale.


    Next to her was a green snake whose head was already crushed.


    "Kh. I was poisoned by the Green Viper." Anna gritted her teeth. Her tears kept flowing and she continued gasping for air.


    The poison continued to spread and the pain felt like she was being skinned alive. The sharp pain jolted her mind again and again.


    This was the tenth day of her survival in the wilderness. She, who never saw the world, hadn''t eaten anything during the past ten days.


    So, the pain wasn''t the only thing she had to face. The exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration also struck her at the same time, almost killing her.


    "NO! I don''t want to die!" She looked at the viper and started rolling her body to there.<sub> </sub>


    "The Green Viper might be toxic, but it''s said that the body is the antidote." Anna looked around to see whether she could cook it or not. But looking at the condition of her arm, she might die before she could do anything about it.


    She looked at the disgusting viper corpse and faced two options: eat it or die.


    Anna gritted her teeth and shouted, "I refuse to die!"


    She grabbed the viper and opened her mouth, taking a huge bite of the viper body. The foul odor and the meat filled with skin and blood instantly filled her mouth.


    "Ueee¡­" She vomited in an instant as she had never tasted something as disgusting as this one. She just wanted to throw up everything from the mouth and cleansed it with water. But it was impossible for her to do it.


    In fact, if she didn''t eat the viper, she would die. Not only she was in pain, but she had to endure the disgusting meat.


    Facing the death itself, Anna had no other choice but to take another bite.


    She wanted to throw up in an instant. Her expression was distorted and became blue. Her tears were overflowing.


    "U¡ªMph!" She covered her mouth with her hand as if forcing her to swallow everything.


    Everything gradually came down her throat. Her eyes had lost their focus and she was about to pass out.


    Even then, she endured everything and tried to use her hand to reach for the bloody meat. She pinched the meat and stuffed it into her mouth.


    She didn''t know how many times she put a piece of meat into her mouth because the next thing she remembered, she had passed out.


    She woke up a few hourster as the green viper corpse had disappeared.


    Remembering that kind of memory made her awake. This pain was nothing to that pain and disgust.


    If she had to choose, she would rather experience this pain a hundred times than enduring that disgusting moment once.


    After recounting her past life, she took another nce at Noel who had fully immersed in the pain to get used to it.


    With a small smile on her face, she also closed her eyes, thinking, ''Now that I think about it, why did I not hate you after everything you caused? Is it because I want you to be a tall tower for the kingdom?


    ''No, I don''t think so.'' Anna tried to recall something in her mind but to no avail. ''Still, thinking about that experience¡­ The green viper''s disappearance might be rted to you¡­ You were the one protecting me when I endured all that. Should I say you protected me or watched me?


    ''But well, I guess you were protecting me since due to that experience, my body developed a poison resistance that allowed me to do many things after that.


    ''But that experience is too brutal, right? Is it simply because you thought I killed your parents in our past lives?'' Anna had gotten no answer. But she certainly held no hatred toward Noel as everything he caused her ended up benefiting her. There were also other things that he did that lessened that hatred.


    ''This is kind of ironic¡­ In the past life, you were the one trying to lessen the hatred, while in this life, I''m the one trying to change you. Is it truly a coincidence?'' Anna muttered in her mind as she gradually became immersed in strengthening her body.

 Chapter 294 Effect

    Three hourster.


    Anna opened her eyes, realizing that the pain had subsided significantly. It might be the pain had subsided or her body had gotten used to it, but there was another thing that changed in her body.


    She raised her hand and tried to make a grip. She even grabbed a stone and tried to crush it.


    "Mhm?" She cracked the stone and gradually split it open. She assessed her change inwardly, ''My strength is¡­ doubled?''


    ''The Body Strengthening Liquid is a unique liquid from this mountain. It''s said that the mountain itself has a unique rock formation, trapping the water in it.


    ''When the raines, the water is stored andpressed by the rock. And that water flow through the gap and eventually reach the pointy rock above our head, allowing it to fall one droplet after another.


    ''No one has ever found the truth, but that''s the best version of the exnation. However, the concentrated water is indeed useful to our body. Just by being exposed to it, the water will try to enter our pore to change the water in our body, causing our flesh, bone, and skin to change.


    ''If we drink it, it''ll do the same to our organs, but the organs won''t be able to take it, causing people to die.


    ''That''s why the best way to take advantage of this water is to bathe in it to reinforce our muscle.


    ''Sadly, we can''t keep this water since the Supreme Devil Organization is here. With a huge demon carrying it, it''s possible to transport all the water in this ce, which will cause a lot of trouble for the Demon Banner Army in the future.


    ''It''s better to destroy this ce and inform the Demon Banner Army so that they can dispatch a team to investigate the liquid itself.''


    Anna took a deep breath and wondered when they would go out. On the one hand, she didn''t want toe out because it would keep increasing her strength. On the other hand, they couldn''t be too long in this ce. Not only the efficacy of the water would keep decreasing, but the Supreme Devil Organization might find them.


    ''Well, Noel should already calcte it. I should just focus until Noel wakes up.''


    Anna decided not to put too much thought in it since Noel would do the rest.


    As Anna expected, Noel opened his eyes three hours after that. He had gotten used to this pain and checked his body.


    ''Hmm, this is?'' Noel noticed something different from Anna.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    [Mission: Body Strengthening Liquid]


    [Description: Go to the Geolythic Mountain with Anna Stargaze and bath in the Body Strengthening Liquid]


    [Reward: Sword Aura +3 Level and 20 SP]


    [Penalty: Someone gets it.]


    He checked his skill and confirmed that his Sword Aura had raised by three levels.


    Sword Aura (4/5)


    However, there was one more thing he saw through from this development.<sub> </sub>


    When he channeled his Spiritual Energy from his body, he realized he could do it more fluidly.


    His organ couldn''t be refined by the Body Strengthening Liquid, so there was no change when he tried to use his Muscle Strengthening Technique. But he noticed the change when he used Spirit Aura Breathing.


    The Spiritual Energy could easily travel on his skin and body.


    ''Anna said this liquid is strengthening one''s muscle, but the Muscle Strengthening Technique doesn''t have any change. Instead, the Spirit Aura Breathing, which release Spiritual Energy to cover the skin, has a more fluid flow.


    ''It seems that the effect of this liquid is to smoothen the flow of the Spiritual Energy by refining anything that it touches.''


    To prove it, he channeled his Spiritual Energy to the inside of his mouth, which had been exposed by the water earlier when coughing out the air.


    As expected, he could make the Spiritual Energy flow easier in that area. In other words, Anna''s exnation was wrong.


    ''Did she lie to me? No, by the looks of it, she also didn''t know about it.''


    Noel fell silent for a moment and thought about something.


    ''I see. It seems that Ardagan has known about the effect of the liquid. That''s why the mission reward is Sword Aura''s levels. That''s basically the reward for refining this liquid and the 20 Skill Points are the reward from Ardagan.


    ''So, if I''m more careful with the mission''s description, I can see through the real reward as well as the effect of what I''m nning to get.


    ''This is good. Not only can I control a bit of the mission, but I can also know what I''m getting at. This is like a irvoyance.''


    Noel smiled and realized he could take advantage of this liquid one more time. With that thought in mind, Noel stood up from the pool while ncing at Anna, who seemed to have just woken up as well.


    "Noel? Are you done?"


    "Yeah. I have found out something. But the price for that information¡­ I want you to promise me something." Noel looked at Anna with a serious expression, adding inwardly, ''Thanks to your foolish action by dragging me inside, I can find this truth, so I don''t mind sharing a bit.''


    Anna was confused for a moment but Noel wasn''t someone who would do meaningless thing. So, she agreed without hesitation. "Sure. What do you want me to do?"


    <o>,m "Judging by our condition, it seems that we will be able to go back to the fort by moving close to a river. It means we won''t have any problems with water supply. That''s why I want to borrow your water bottle."</o>


    "Hmm? For what?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "I want to bring as much water as possible before burning all this water away." Noel exined.


    "But what can you do with those two water bottles? And with yours, it''s four water bottles. I don''t think that''s enough water to use."


    Noel fell silent for a moment, thinking about a solution. However, Anna seemed to remember something. "That''s right. Don''t you have that magic bag or something that can bring a lot of water?"

 Chapter 295 Storage

    "I have something like that, but it''s only for taking out things. It''s not meant to store anything." Noel shook his head, knowing the idea came from the town they saved.


    Back then, he took out a lot of water gallons. So, Anna must think that he had the ability to store the water.


    However, the reality was much different. Noel couldn''t use the shop to store things.


    To his surprise, even after knowing that fact, Anna suggested another thing as if this was what she had in mind. "No, no. I''m talking about taking out those big gallons and pouring all the water out so that we can get it out."


    "Hmm?" Noel suddenly understood her intention. "Now that I think about it, that''s possible."


    "Though, we will have another problem, which is how to transport all of them. I mean, if we have a horse, we can buy a carriage or something. But how in the world will we be able to cross this mountain with all this luggage."


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "That''s possible. Though, I need your cooperation."


    "I understand. What should I do?"


    "Wait a minute." Noel walked out of the cave to buy Water Gallons. He had ten Honor Points left, so he could buy five water gallon.


    However, Noel had a better idea in order to utilize it. It was possible now that their strength had increased.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "What are you nning to do?" Anna asked while walking to him.


    ? Noel pointed at the gallons and said, "Help me pour all the water out except for thest one. And don''t forget to wear your clothes while I''m going somewhere."


    "I understand." Anna agreed without hesitation and watched Noel leaving to somewhere. Since she had a task, she immediately followed it through by pouring all the water out, except for thest gallon. Though, she was curious why Noel wanted to leave one gallon out.


    It was quite unexpected when Noel suddenly returned with a tree trunk not long after. The tree was quite big and long and he still carried it by using his strength alone. It proved how much Noel had gotten stronger.


    After Noel put down that tree, he asked Anna. "Can you fill up those four gallons with the Body Strengthening Liquid?"


    "Yes." Anna immediately did her job while wondering what Noel nned to do.


    When she returned, she was surprised that Noel was cutting the trunk and creating a basin in that trunk so that they could store the water inside.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped. The trunk itself was quite big. The length alone was enough to fit both of them inside and the diameter was three times of their bodies. Although it wasn''t enough to store all the Body Strengthening Liquid, they could take at least half of it.


    That amount should be enough to take advantage of.


    "We have to fill the trunk with water immediately." Noel said while grabbing one of the gallons and starting to pour everything inside the trunk.


    "Are you nning to carry this trunk?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. It''s going to be impossible if each of us carry one to cross the mountain terrain. But if we carry this together, we should be able to leave this ce without rming the demon." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Ah!" Anna understood Noel''s n but there was still one question.. "How do we transport them? I mean, we can carry it, but the water is going to ssh anywhere."


    "I''ll show you howter. For now, let''s fill it to the brim."


    "Alright."


    Anna and Noel immediately worked hard to fill the trunk. It didn''t take too long for them to finish filling the trunk. After that, Noel grabbed the part he cut earlier and peeled its outeryer.


    "Huh? What are you nning to do with that thin outeryer? Are you going to use it as a lid? But once it''s cut, it''s impossible to patch it back up with your me. This is not stone where you can use it to melt and attach them together." Anna exined.


    This was the time Noel pointed at fifth gallon, "Now, bring that gallon to me and help me hold this thinyer."


    Anna handed the gallon and grabbed the outeryer of the trunk, cing it right above the opening. There were only her fingers that stopped the outeryer to drop.


    "I''m not a carpenter, so I can''t make a container and its lid in an instant, but I can use my Spirit." Noel smirked. If he was a carpenter, he should be able to make a storage that allowed him to put the outeryer as a lid without doing anything special. But since he wasn''t them, he took advantage of his power that differentiated him and the carpenter.


    Noel poured the water out of the gallon and used his Ice Control to freeze this water.


    "Ah!" Anna finally saw through Noel''s n. He was nning to ssh the water and freeze them immediately to create a lid for this storage. And since it was made of ice, it would automatically attach itself to the trunk, so they didn''t have to worry the lid would be tipped over if they made a sudden movement.


    The thinyer of the skin was only to make the shape.


    Noel kept freezing it from one point to another, carefully sealing the storage.


    When he reached Anna''s spot, Noel said with a serious expression. "Please endure it."


    "Got it." Anna nodded and saw Noel pouring the water near her hands. The Ice Control soon froze the water, including the one that touched her hand.


    Anna''s fingers immediately went cold. If this continued, her fingers would be numb. However, she withstood the entire process without saying anything, knowing this was something she had to do.


    After sealing that area, Noel helped her defrost the fingers and sealed the remaining area. "With this, it''s done."


    Noel took a step back and looked at the entire trunk, satisfied with his work. He even tried to tilt the trunk over to see if the water would spill or not.


    As soon as he confirmed everything was safe, Noel said, "Alright. We now can do the rest of our job before leaving this ce."

 Chapter 296 Valuable Experience

    After finishing the item that they wanted to transport, Noel put on his clothes and went back to the cave. The water level had decreased exponentially, since half of the water in the pool had gone.


    The previously flooded cave had be dry with only a few puddles here and there.


    Noel burned all those puddles of water to make sure the cave was entirely dry. After that, he ced his hand on the water surface before releasing the Undying Fire.


    The ck me instantly covered the water surface, but to his surprise, the me soon died out.


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock, seeing his Undying Fire who was supposed to be able to continue burning everything to stop. "This is¡­ It seems that everything won''t go ording to my n."


    Noel sighed. "I can''t burn this water down without continuously pouring my Spiritual Energy. Wait a moment, burn? Did I say it to Anna that I could burn things?"


    "¡­" The sweats soon covered Noel''s back as if he realized his blunder. No matter how smart Noel was, he was still a fifteen years old boy, whose experience was stillcking. This might be his biggest blunder so far. "Did I just give my identity away?"


    Noel gulped down and nced to the outside of the cave. He had made Anna stay outside the cave, but he still said about burning the water.


    "But¡­ Anna should have known about my fake identity, right? That means she is aware of my power as well¡­ Though, I don''t know where that knowledgees from." Noel tried to make himself better, but the mistake truly brought him down this time.


    "¡­" Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the blunder he made this time was in front of Anna, who seemed to have already known about that secret. If it was from anyone else, his secret wouldn''t be safe.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But it was said that one''s mistake could make them learn, and Noel wasn''t someone who took this lesson poorly.


    "Uh¡­" Noel bit his lips. "Have I grown a bit too ustomed to Anna that I start bbering my secret subconsciously? My father said my mother is someone he can trustpletely and shares his secrets with. But Anna and I are not like that¡­


    "If the world knows that I''m able to wield two elements and spirits at the same time, they will surely capture me or kill me. My body and Ardagan are worth to research for.


    "Not only the kingdoms, but all kinds of organizations will chase me down. I shouldn''t have made this kind of blunder in the future¡­ No, I shouldn''t have grown too attached to someone in case I blurt out a secret.


    "That''s right. I shouldn''t have alcohol as well. I might have some tolerance with wine and a little alcohol, but if someone is forcing me out with arge amount of them, I''ll be drunk.


    "That''s why I can''t be too close to someone. I, Noel, shouldn''t have any woman or drink alcohol from today onward until I reim the prestigious name of Ardagan Family."


    Anna didn''t realize that Noel had actually undergone this simr experience in the previous life. That blunder cost him a lot and he also swore not to have any woman or drink before he reimed his honor.


    That was the reason why even though Noel was surrounded by women, but he never took any of them.


    After that vow, Noel continued burning the rest of the water. He surely put this blunder in his heart, but since Anna already knew, he didn''t hide it anymore.


    He poured more Spiritual Energy and burned everything inside. Since he couldn''t allow it to condense again, he chose to leave the cave open so that the steam could leave this ce.


    Meanwhile, he also felt that his inside was being torn open. He soon realized that the steam was actually a treatment for their inside.


    They might be able to refine their skin by bathing, but they couldn''t refine their organs since it would be too much for them. But steam was different. The steam was more mildpared to the concentrated water. If they took this treatment for a few hours, their body wouldpletely transform.<sub> </sub>


    This was the only thing that made Noel happy after his blunder. He left the cave while enduring the pain inside his body, finding Anna who was waiting for him.


    "Let''s go." Noel said while grabbing the trunk. "We have to leave this ce as soon as possible."


    "We should close the cave first."


    "No, don''t." Noel shook his head. "Trust me."


    Anna looked at Noel''s serious expression and decided to follow him. "Alright."


    In this mission, Noel finally realized that no matter how prepared they were, one variable could lead to a change of n. This might be the first failure of his n and he sure gained a valuable experience from it.


    However, Noel also wasn''t aware of what was currently transpiring in the barrack.


    Shale was watching over the training of the Apprentice Knights in the training ground before he noticed a few heads taking a peek at what happened inside the training ground.


    "So, that''s how they''re training."


    "There are a few who practices with their weapons. There are some who meditate? Why meditate?"


    "Who knows¡­"


    Shale furrowed her eyebrows before deciding to go to meet them.


    "Look. The one sitting there should be the instru¡ª" Before she could finish her words, Shale suddenly disappeared and startled them by appearing right before them. He moved so fast that they couldn''t even follow his movement, making it look like he just teleported to them.


    "Wo¡ª"


    "Woah?!"


    "A ghost?!"


    The kids were scared and fell to the ground.


    Shale only smiled and asked, "What''s wrong with you kids? Why are you peeking at the training ground?"


    Shale didn''t mind if one took a look at their training. The reason why the training ground was close to the entrance was because the people could take a nce at them and get inspired by their determination. This served as an advertisement.


    But it was quite rare to see many kidsing at once. More importantly, each kids had nice clothes and tidy appearance as if they were a children of nobles, except for their manners.


    In that instant, he remembered the kids that Noel took in which Septa talked about. "Hmm, you are¡­ the street kids that Noel cares about."

 Chapter 297 Sneaking In

    "What is this¡­"


    "What is this¡­"


    "What is this¡­"


    The same question echoed again and again as a bald muscr man gritted his teeth while roaring in anger. "What is this?!"


    He was in front of the cave, looking at the empty basin. Due to Noel leaving the cave entrance open, the steam hade out of the cave. Some were trapped, but they wouldn''t be able to collect the condensate. At least, the amount wouldn''t be enough for them to do anything.


    That was why the muscr guy was screaming in anger because this was what they were searching for.


    "Who¡­ Who leaked it? There is no way those bastards from the kingdom know about this ce. Even I only managed to find this location after deciphering a lot of ancient texts." The muscr guy red at the people he brought.


    "That''s¡­" The people were afraid because the bald guy might do something to them.


    They remembered that the demon was rmed before and said, "That''s right¡­ Sir, there is an intruder yesterday."


    However, the next thing they realized, the guy''s head had already been crushed by the muscr guy''s hand. He shouted, "I know that already. They have been chased away by many Advanced Level Demons. And no demons rm us afterward, do you think they''re still alive?!"


    The people panicked. On the one hand, they would die if they talked about something. On the other hand, if they didn''t say anything, they would receive the same fate.


    Knowing this fact made their body trembling in fear, trying to find a way to calm him down.


    "Sir Bishop, the culprits shouldn''t be that far from here. They might still be in this mountain."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Unfortunately for the one who was brave enough to step up, his head was flying. The Devil Bishop roared, "As I said, I know that already. I have made my demons to search for them. I told you they won''t be here because they don''t know anything about this cave.


    "There must be a traitor in our ranks who leaks our information. And¡­" The guy stopped, ring at his people as if implying that they were the prime suspects.


    "Sir Bishop."


    "We don''t do th¡ª!"


    "We¡ª!"


    It was a massacre. The muscr guy didn''t let them exin themselves. He didn''t even trust them anymore, so he just murdered them in anger without thinking about torturing them for information.


    Nheless, the guy was so angry that he didn''t care about the condensate anymore and left the cave.


    When he was about to fly away from the area, he noticed blood on top of the hill. From the trace of the blood alone, it was clear that at least several demons had died in this ce.


    However, their bodies were gone, leaving only the blood.


    Noel and Anna didn''t do anything about this. In fact, they didn''t even notice a single demon in this area.<sub> </sub>


    It was Dimitri who took action against the demons. Before they entered the range of detection of both Noel and Anna, he took care of them. He believed that the two could handle these demons before rming the others, but he didn''t want them to have their time get interrupted.


    But when the muscr guy saw this trace, he became angrier as he knew the culprit was still alive.


    "Whoever it is, I''m going to kill them!"


    ¡­


    Noel and Anna didn''t see the reaction of the Devil Bishop, who once took advantage of the Body Strengthening Liquid in the previous life. They were busy carrying this huge trunk to the Demon Banner Army Headquarters, not wanting anyone to spot it.


    They didn''t bother to rest in nearby viges because they didn''t know what kind of threat they would possess.


    Because the trunk was filled with water, it became quite heavy. It felt heavier than when it was only a simple trunk. Even with Anna and Noel''s reinforced body, they still had a hard time carrying it.


    Their speed was slow and ended up reaching the fort in one week instead of four days.


    As soon as they reached the fort, they didn''t go to the headquarter immediately. Instead, Noel asked Anna to bring the log to his ce to get some water for them.


    "What are you doing with this amount, Noel?" Anna asked, confused.


    "Do you remember when I opened my mouth after diving into the water?"


    "Yes."


    "I have learned that¡­" Noel exined his finding as well as the steam method. It hadn''t been proven, but he felt this was the right method, considering he felt a bit stronger after inhaling the steam when burning the water.


    So, Noel nned to use this amount of water to reinforce his body and suggested Anna to take a part in it as well before turning in the rest of the water to the Demon Banner Army.


    After listening to Noel''s exnation, Anna agreed to it. They deserved this much after carrying it this far. And they wouldn''t have any problems in getting a lot of Contribution Points after this, allowing them to get another reward.


    After getting enough water out, Noel sealed the trunk again and brought this trunk to the Demon Banner Army.


    Of course, it would be suspicious if they just went through the entrance. Hence, Noel and Anna came inside from the side, jumping over the wall to hide the fact they carried the Body Strengthening Liquid.


    As one of the strongest people in the Demon Banner Army, Shale obviously noticed their presence and instantly appeared before them.


    "Who dare to trespass in my Demon Banner Army?" Shale released his killing intent, preparing to take them down. But he was soon stunned when he realized Noel and Anna were the culprit.


    Noel raised his hand to calm him down and said, "Hello, Sir Shale. I apologize if we sneak in, but there is a great reason for this. Do you think you can allow us to meet themander without anyone noticing?"


    Shale frowned, having aplex feelings because trespassing was not something he could tolerate. But he noticed the huge trunk that they carried, making him realize the reason for them to do this was rted to this trunk.

 Chapter 298 Confirming The Water

    "This trunk?" Shale inspected the trunk and noticed it was sealed by ice. "What''s in it?"


    Noel thought Shale could be trusted, so he said, "An important liquid that can strengthen one''s body. I''m nning to show it to themander."


    "¡­" Shale couldn''t really allow such a thing, since it would look like anyone could meet themander as they pleased. But Shale still remembered how themander asked him to take care of Noel.


    Since there was a special rtionship between Noel and themander, Shale said, "Alright. I can ask themander about it. However, if you''re doing this to not get spotted, just the fact that you''re bringing a big trunk in the city is already giving away that information."


    "What they see was a trunk, they didn''t know there was a liquid inside since we covered the icy seal with clothes. As long as I could make something out of the remaining trunk, people would think I used it to make those." Noel exined.


    "That''s understandable." Shale thought for a moment and said, "I got the idea for you. Anyway, I''m going to discuss this with themander first. Wait here."


    "Understood. Thank you, Sir." Noel politely thanked him.


    Shale walked to the main building to meet themander immediately. Noel might im a fake stuff, but he wasn''t someone who would easily be deceived by a quack, so Shale chose to trust Noel in this matter.


    Ultimately, Noel was the one who had to take the responsibility, so he didn''t mind calling themander.


    ¡­


    "So, that''s how it is¡­" Themander closed his eyes for a moment after listening to Shale.


    "Yes, Sir." Shale nodded. "I personally believe that Noel is a smart kid. However, I''m still unsure whether he is telling the truth or not. I''ll chase them away if you don''t want to meet them."


    Themander thought for a moment and rose from his seat. "Alright. Lead me to their ce."


    "Understood." Shale was quite surprised that themander really believed everything that Noel brought.


    Shale didn''t know that the one who took care of Noel wasn''t themander, but the third prince. Although themander was mostly neutral, it didn''t change the fact that he was the third prince''s subordinate. As long as the third prince didn''t force him to do something beyond his code as a knight, he would help him as much as possible, including taking care of Noel.


    He also remembered that the first time he got involved with Noel was when the Ancient Demon Tree appeared.


    Noel wouldn''t bring this matter to him if it was just a small matter, so themander decided to meet Noel again.


    They reached Noel''s location in a few minutes, finding Noel and Anna sitting on the trunk.


    "Commander." Noel and Anna stood up and immediately ced their right hand on their chest, saluting themander.


    "At ease." Themander nodded with a calm expression and nced at the trunk. "Something inside that trunk? Looking at the ice that acts like a seal, it seems to be a liquid, which means Shale didn''t lie."


    "This is Body Strengthening Liquid. If you take a bath in it, you can refine your body. We have tested it and our strength should be doubled after that." Noel exined.


    "What? Doubled?" Shale widened his eyes in shock.


    "Yes. Not only that, but after taking a bath in this liquid, it''ll smoothen the conductivity of your skin. In other words, you can let the Spiritual Energy flow better outside your body."<sub> </sub>


    "Are you serious?" Shale was stunned. "Where did you get this liquid?"


    "Geolythic Mountain. There seems to be people after this as well and I''m suspecting them to be from the Supreme Devil Organization. This is not a baseless im because I can see that the demon''s movement is actually coordinated¡­ Even the Advanced Level Demon behaves not like a demon, but like a pet."


    "Advanced Level Demon as a pet?"


    "Yes. I''ll give you the reportter. But for now, please confirm the liquid."


    Themander was the first one to make his move. He bent down his knees and said two words. "Fly. Break."


    Suddenly, the ice started floating as if detaching itself from the trunk. After raising for one meter, the ice shattered into pieces before disappearing into thin air.


    "¡­" This was the first time Noel saw themander''s ability. Unlike Anna, who was saved by this abilityst time, Noel was too upied with the Ancient Demon Tree, so seeing how his ice obeyed themander truly startled him.


    Themander ignored his shock and dipped his hand into this water, instantly feeling the pain like it was cut by many swords.


    "Mhm?" Themander didn''t have a change in expression. He calmly pulled his hand back and looked at it. "Is this poisonous?"


    "No. That''s the process of strengthening your skin." Noel shook his head.


    Themander furrowed his eyebrows and tried to revolve his Spiritual Energy before muttering, "The conductivity is indeed getting better. I see, it seems that the longer your skin touch this, the better its effect."


    "Yes. After a while, the effect will diminish. So, I suggest that once you get used to the pain, it''s time for you to stop." Noel nodded.


    "I see. What''s about the rest of the water? I''m pretty sure that this is not the only water you found¡­"


    "As I said earlier, the Supreme Devil Organization was nning to get it too. So, I took everything I could get and left that ce after burning the rest of the water. The demons in that mountain acts on behalf of them, so we couldn''t solve this problem any other way."


    <o>,m Themander paused for a moment before turning to Shale. "The one near the Geolythic Mountain is Hendry, right?"</o>N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Inform Hendry to check the rest."


    "Understood."


    Before they finished their conversation, Noel added something. "Sir, the situation in that area is a bit abnormal. There are many Advanced Level Demons there. I''m afraid the one controlling those demons¡­"


    "A far stronger person¡­ Devil Bishop? Or even Devil Saint?" Shale narrowed his eyes.


    "Tell Hendry to bring his Demon Hunting Squad to eliminate all threats in that area." Themander corrected his order as soon as he heard the situation. "Also, involve Septa in this. It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization has the ability to control those demons. Advanced Level Demons are still manageable, but it''s going to be dangerous if they go for Peak Level Demons."


    "Understood!"

 Chapter 299 Reward

    "To think there is a liquid like this." Themander muttered after ordering Shale. He nced at Noel and Anna. "Are you two sure you want to give this to the Demon Banner Army?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "This liquid might not be losing to the Ancient Demon Tree."


    "Yes, we know."


    Themander looked at their expressions and finally let out a sigh. "Alright. I''ll ept this liquid on behalf of the Demon Banner Army. As for your reward, what do you want?"


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks before saying the same thing. "Contribution Points for Demon Crystals."


    "!!!" Themander furrowed his eyebrows, never expecting that these two only wanted Demon Crystals.


    Even Shale couldn''t believe it.


    "Haha, this water is enough to gain my favor. Having me as your helper should be a good thing, no? Yet, you only want Demon Crystals?"


    "We know that the Demon Banner Army is focusing on Demons and each squad doesn''t really treat anyone badly. That''s why themander''s help might be a good thing, but for us, it''s better to get stronger instead. We believe we''recking in Spiritual Energy right now instead of your help." Noel exined.


    He indirectly implied that if they got stronger, they could produce the same result again and again. And at that time, they could gain themander''s help. But for now, they needed more Spiritual Energy, thus their decision.


    Themander thought for a moment and said, "Shale. Give each of them 500 Low Quality Crystals, 300 Mid Quality Crystals and 100 Advanced Quality Crystals."


    "But, Sir¡­" Shale wanted to object, considering this water wasn''t worth that much.


    However, themander only stated, "This is my investment toward the youngsters. They are ambitious and have shown the result. Just like Septa, show me that you''re worthy of my investment."


    Noel and Anna were surprised, never expecting thismander to be so generous.


    For Noel, this many Demon Crystals would improve the amount of his Spiritual Energy by three times. Although it wouldn''t be as far as bing a Spirit Master, it was enough to be a solid Spirit Wielder. There would be many more missions that could give him the Spirit Abilities.


    On the other hand, Anna had the same thought. Unlike Noel, her capacity in absorbing the Demon Crystals weren''t doubled. So, she would have filled the Low Quality Crystal quota with this reward and the other two would be increased drastically as well.


    With just a bit more training and Demon Crystals, she might be a Spirit Master. This was a huge opportunity.


    Anna and Noel hurriedly thanked themander for the generous reward. "Thank you very much."


    "Mhm." Themander nodded. "That''s right. If I''m not wrong, you two should have passed the requirement to graduate, right?"


    "Yes. We''re nning to graduate after this."


    "Which squad do you want to go?"


    "Demon Relief Squad." Both of them said the same thing without hesitation.<sub> </sub>


    Even themander was surprised that they wanted to enter this squad. Unlike other squads, the Demon Relief Squad focused on the people. They were always in the move to solve the demons'' problems.


    Shale also added, "In their missions, people are singing praises for their help."


    "I see." Themander thought for a moment and said, "Tell ra to put them in the zero squad."


    "What? Zero squad?! Are you sure about it?"


    "Yeah. That''s the best squad for them to grow."


    "I understand." Shale nodded. Since he had done all he could, themander disappeared, returning to his room.


    When he sat down, he couldn''t help but remember the letter from the third prince. He grabbed it and read it again.


    ''Commander Oscar. There will be someone entering your Demon Banner Army right now. His name is Noel Ardagan, the son of Luke Ardagan. I want you to take care of him. I can assure you one thing, Noel Ardagan will surely be of help to the Demon Banner Army, so don''t waste the precious resource I''ve given you.''


    He didn''t understand these words at first, but the Ancient Demon Tree and the Body Strengthening Liquid had proven his worth. He also managed to be a Spirit Wielder from the lowest point in less than a year.


    In the future, he might grow even further.


    "Luke Ardagan, huh¡­ It''s only a merchant family, but their financial power is the strongest in the kingdom. They even have a good public opinion due to the kind count. I guess the son is like the father. I''m pretty sure that he is nning to take back his territory¡­ I guess I''ll help him a bit in the future." Oscar smiled.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Shale was questioned by them because Noel and Anna never knew about this zero squad.


    "Sir Shale, what is this zero squad?"


    "Do you know the structure of our Demon Banner Army?"


    "Yes. Themander has fifteen direct subordinates, which are the captains of each squad. Then each captain usually has a thousand people each. The number might not be that big, but each of them is elite.


    "And the captain usually have an even elites squads,prising of less than one hundred people. They''re special elite groups that handle all hard missions while the rest of the knights will handle the misceneous stuff. That''s why the promotion to these elite squads are basically apetition for them."


    "That''s right." Shale nodded. "There are a total of ten elite squads in our army. Each of them has least than ten people, mostly formed in three groups of three like what you''re supposed to have if there isn''t an ident.


    "But there is one more squad above those squads. This is the Zero Squad. Basically, all these people want to be the Zero Squad because this is where each captain will choose their sessor to lead the army in the future."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna widened their eyes in shock.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Shale smiled and continued, "That''s right. Themander wants to give you two a chance. For Noel, it''ll be a good chance for you to reim your position as a noble since the captain can rmend someone to be evaluated as a new noble and with the help of themander, you shouldn''t have any problem to be a noble.


    "For Anna, it''s a good basis of your reputation, especially since we''re talking about the Demon Relief Squad. This is a powerful weapon for a noble, I''m sure you know what I mean."

 Chapter 300 Kids

    "¡­" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. They were surprised that themander asked him to put them in this zero squad.


    "Are you sure about us going there immediately?"


    "It''s fine. Septa came to the first squad right after the graduation. And you two have surpassed him, so it won''t be too much for themander to put you there. I''ll just send the letter of rmendation and that''s all." Shale nodded, assuring them there wouldn''t be any problems.


    "Well." Noel and Anna couldn''t reject it either, considering this was a big opportunity for them.


    "Alright. The matter of your cement is done, so let''s move on to the next topic. I have to cover up your action, so¡­" Shale disappeared for a moment beforeing back with a bunch of wooden swords. He gave it to Noel and said, "Carry these swords."


    "Wo-woah?" Noel was startled for a second while Anna grabbed a few to help him.


    "Wooden swords?" Noel was confused.


    "You carry a trunk, so it''s normal for it to be wooden swords. As for the reason¡­ follow me." Shale waved his hand while walking back to the training ground.


    Noel immediately dropped his jaw when he saw the kids dancing in the training ground.


    "What are you doing? Are you forcing them to¡ª" Noel wanted toin to Shale, but Shale simply pointed at them and told him to be quiet.


    Noel stopped and observed them a bit more.


    Some of them held a wooden sword, some of them didn''t. But considering the wooden swords in their hands were already run down, it was clear that those who didn''t have a sword actually had broken their swords.


    "Those kids came here a week ago, asking me to train them the basics. They''re not nning to be a knight in this army anyway, so after seeing their determination¡­ I just told them a bit of the basics. Septa is quite interested in those kids anyway." Shale shrugged, exining the situation.


    Noel fell silent, watching them. Although they weren''t holding a sword, they kept dancing and dancing. Erica and Eric surprisingly danced as if they were fighting each other. Their hands waved to the head, neck, chest, arms, providing a fatal blow to an enemy.


    Yet, even though each move was deadly, they looked beautiful. Some of their movements had also shrunk a little bit. Although it looked like waste movements, Noel could feel something different from it.


    "This is¡­ their swing is big, but¡­" Noel frowned.


    Shale nodded in agreement. "Yes. Their movement, specifically their dance, allow them to create abination move that allows them to either retreat or attack. The dance bes unpredictable and it''ll surely overwhelm their opponents. I have never thought that the kids can achieve something like this. They''re too smart."


    "It''s rhythm." Anna gave the answer from the previous life. "They have a rhythm nted in their bodies. While dancing, they are remembering the rhythm of a song, which allows them to incorporate it in their movement.


    ''A strong and overwhelming song can give them a unique rhythm that gives them power. A mellow and soothing song can give them a rhythm that gives them precision. And so on¡­" This sword dance had been poprized in her previous life.


    Eric and Erica led their group and became famous thorought the kingdom. There were many nobles that even gave them position as long as they joined their household, but at that time, Eric and Erica only had one answer.


    "We cross this path for him. If we can''t help him, then why do we have to use this power for someone else?"<sub> </sub>


    The nobles were stunned and immediately tried to find the one who inspired them to convince them to give these kids. But Noel challenged them head-on, not afraid of their threats.


    The Sword Dance Group and the Independent Woman Group were among the pirs that made Noel''s territory thrive.


    Anna closed her eyes, knowing how amazing Noel was. If in the past, he had the reach of the royal family, there was a chance that he could make not only his territory, but the entire kingdom to thrive. Unfortunately, there was that rebellion that shattered everything.


    Anna swore in her heart that she would correct all mistakes from the past, including Noel.


    Noel, on the other hand, just felt proud about them. It felt like he was looking at his younger brothers and sisters, who managed to achieve something big.


    One of the wooden swords somehow fell to the ground, rming them.


    "!!!" The kids stopped and turned around, finding Noel carrying the wooden swords.


    "Big Brother Noel!" Eric and Erica were the first to call his name as the rest had their eyes shed. In that instant, they dropped whatever they were doing and swarmed Noel.


    "Wa-wait." Noel was startled by their reaction, but Shale suddenly added to make them even more excited. "You know, your Big Brother Noel has heard about you training here. After knowing your swords are either damaged or broken. He brought a trunk to the city to make wooden swords for you to practice."


    "You¡ª" Noel wanted toin to Shale but he realized Shale was actually doing this for him. This white lie could cover up the entire trunk incident and somehow moved the kids'' hearts.


    "Big Brother¡­" They were looking at Noel with admirations. Whatever they did, their Big Brother always helped them out.


    "Then, I''ll get this one!" Erica grabbed the sword that fell to the ground.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Is that alright with you?"


    "Yes. This is special. Unlike the others that are still in your arms, I get one different from the rest."


    "Wait, what? If you think different means disrespect, you''re wrong¡­" Noel wanted to take it back, so he could hand the swords properly, but the big smile on Erica''s face stopped him. "Alright. You can get it."


    Noel then handed the rest of the swords. Anna also helped it but the kids still looked at her with hostility, thinking Anna only did it to cause more misery to Noel.


    "Well, you can talk for a while. I''m going to prepare for your graduation and rmendation letter."


    Noel thanked Yale and sat down on the ground to listen to them and Erica somehow sat down on hisps, making the others jealous.


    Since he dropped her sword earlier, he thought she deserved this much.


    ''I guess if I have a sister or brother, they''ll be like this.'' Noel thought while patting Erica''s head, not seeing Erica''s blissful expression.

 Chapter 301 Dinner

    "Eat everything you like. Today is my treat." Noel smiled, looking at the kids. He brought them to the restaurant since this might be thest time he will see them.


    "Woah!!" The kids were surprised because they never went to this kind of ce.


    Since it was a rare asion, Noel sold a bit of his Demon Crystals to treat them.


    The kids enthusiastically picked up the menu, albeit they couldn''t read it. "Uh¡­"


    "Ahaha, should I read the menu for you?" Noel chuckled while picking up the menu.


    However, Erica suddenly interrupted him and asked, "Big Brother¡­ This is kind of expensive¡­"


    "You can read, Erica?"


    "Yes. I''m probably the only one who understand reading and writing." Erica nodded without hesitation.


    "I see. You can pick everything you want. I told you, right? I''m going to treat you today."


    Erica bit her lips, hesitating. She recalled when Shale suddenly came back while they were talking in the training ground, mentioning about Noel''s graduation.


    In other words, Noel would leave this city and might nevere back. She was a bit reluctant to order because of it.


    But she ended up ordering some in order not to reject Noel''s kindness. "Then, eleven corn soups, two fried chickens, three potato sds."


    "That''s all?" Noel didn''t know how to feel. Erica ordered the food enough for them to fill their stomach, but she made sure to consider Noel''s money as well so as to not burden him.


    ? He felt gratified for Erica''s thoughtfulness and said, "Then, let''s add three more chickens and¡­"


    Noel ended up ordering a bit more.


    "Big Brother¡­" Erica wanted to stop him, but Noel had given the order to the waitress, so it would be impossible for her to take back their order.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. I want you to get something good once in a while." Noel chuckled while patting Erica''s head.


    "Ugh." Erica looked down, having no words to rebuke him.


    "Thank you, Erica¡­" Noel looked at her with more fondness. "Thank you for taking care of the group. You''ve worked hard."


    "Mmm." She pouted, having no words to say when Noel praised her like that. The others also knew they would be in a mess without Erica.


    Eric, her twin brother, was the leader of the group because of his charisma, but the one controlling the group was Erica.


    They both did their own parts, allowing them to function.


    "What are you nning to do after this?" Noel asked.


    "We want to keep dancing." One of the kids raised his hand, answering Noel''s question.


    "I just want to make sure they''re safe." Eric gave an answer befitting his position. Although he was still a kid, he knew his responsibility in this group.<sub> </sub>


    As one would expect from Erica, her answer gave a more concrete idea. "We''ll train for a bit more to make sure we don''t lose to bandits. Even if we can''t defeat a Low Level Demon, we want to be strong enough to escape from them. Only after we have aplished this requirement that we''ll begin our journey.


    "We''ll continue dancing like this and be more popr. If Big Brother doesn''t mind, if you manage to reim your territory, can we go to your ce?"


    "Of course, why would I reject you? You are free toe." Noel smiled and looked at Erica, warning her. "Still, if you choose this future, you''re going to have a lot of hurdles, not only from the bandits or demons, but also from the people with good clothes."


    "I know." Erica nodded with a serious expression. "We have seen them many times."


    Erica confirmed that people had been approaching them to get them. However, Erica always refused them and made sure that the other kids didn''t take anything from them that could be used against them.


    They were still safe within the fort because of thews, but if they moved to another town, thews that protected them would be no more. So, that was where their true hurdle came.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    "Is that so?" Noel thought for a moment. "If you need any help, just tell me about it. I''ll help you."


    "Mhm, thank you, Big Brother."


    The food soon came, ending their conversation. "Alright. Let''s stop talking and begin eating."


    "Ooh!" The kids cheered up. This was the first time they saw such an appetizing food, so they couldn''t help but start devouring them.


    Even Erica was impressed after taking a bite, albeit she was a bit more reservedpared to the others.


    Noel was smiling the whole time, looking at these cute kids. The dinner felt warm, filling the emptiness in his heart.


    He couldn''t help but remember when he had dinner with his parents. He never talked too much, so it felt a bit distant to his parents. ''Maybe our family will be in a different situation if I talk more openly to them¡­''


    He kept reminiscing about his family, hoping that they could reunite in the future. At that time, he would surely correct his mistakes.


    After half an hour, the kids had finished. All the tes werepletely empty, but it was enough for Noel after seeing their blissful expressions.


    After paying the bill, Noel took a walk with them before going back to their houses in the slum. Despite being in a bad condition, it seemed that the group was a bit scary to the people around them. They must have fought a lot, Noel thought.


    Noel stopped in front of their hut and waved his hand, seeing them off.


    "Big Brother Noel. Thank you very much." The kids shouted together.


    "No problem. I''m d that you enjoy it. Bye¡­" Noel waved his hand while closing the door.


    To his surprise, when he was about to walk away, Eric came out of the house and held his shirt.


    "Eric?" Noel was confused because Eric''s expressionpletely changed. He seemed to be filled with worry, so he kneeled down and looked into his eyes. "What''s wrong?"


    Eric hesitated for a moment before sharing his worry. "I''m afraid¡­ Am I a good leader to them? Can I protect them? I''m afraid that they will¡­"


    Eric stopped when Noel suddenly patted his head. His expression was gentle as if he understood all his worries, saying it would be fine.

 Chapter 302 Leader

    Noel understood Eric''s worries.


    "You will do just fine as their leader." Noel assured him.


    "But Erica is better in taking care of them."


    "Being a leader doesn''t mean taking care of everyone. Being a leader, you can make a decision when others are arguing about their choices. Being a leader, you can stand in front of them to let them know you are there. That''s why I can assure you their leader is you."


    "Big Brother¡­" Eric felt like he understood a bit of what he was saying.


    "What do you think of them?"


    "They are my family."


    "Then, you have to protect them." Noel smiled and gave him a question. "What will you do if someone threatens them?"


    "I will step forward and protect them."


    "That''s correct. Leave everything about the group to Erica. You just have to do what you can do for the group. When Erica has trouble, you have to step up and be her strength, assuring her that everything will be fine.


    "Use your body to protect them and sacrifice your life to keep them alive. There are so many things you can do as a leader. That''s why this is my advice to you. No matter how hard it is for you or the group, never show it in your face.


    "If you are troubled, the group will also be troubled." Noel pointed at Eric''s heart. "Be a pir for everyone; a pir they can lean on, a pir that can protect them, and a pir that can support them."


    Eric looked down for a moment, not knowing if he could do it or not. But he remembered what Noel said earlier. Even if he had a hesitation in his heart, he couldn''t show it.


    He wiped the tears on the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath as if steeling his resolve


    "That''s right. It''s not that I can do it or not. I''m their leader, so I have to do it." Eric clenched his fists and looked at Noel with a serious expression. "Big Brother. I''m going to do it. I''ll protect them!"


    Noel patted his head and said, "That''s good. I''ll leave the group to you, Eric."


    "Yes!"


    After giving hisst advice to Eric, Noel turned around and walked away while waving his hand.


    Eric was sad because they had to be separated, but he pped his cheeks until it was red before showing a calm and brave face. He swore in his heart that he would do it.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    When he went back to the barrack, he saw Anna standing outside as if waiting for him. A bag was sitting on the ground next to her.


    "Have you properly bid farewell to them?" Anna asked with a concerned face, thinking the emotion from when he left his family would resurface in his heart.<sub> </sub>


    In fact, he might be the most saddened person among them. He just couldn''t bear to part with the kids.


    However, as he said earlier, he shouldn''t show it to them because they would be saddened as well.


    Noel sighed and asked, "Why do you have to look so mature right now? Can''t you just be your energetic self like usual?"


    That concerned face alone was enough tofort him, making him embarrassed because he was seen through by Anna.


    Anna handed him the bag and said, "The reward for the liquid is inside this bag. Since it''s going to take a long time to absorb all this, the graduation will be held a week from now. I''m going to finish in five days, so if you have any trouble, you cane to me after that."


    "No, it''s fine." Noel picked up the bag and asked, "What''s about the appointment?"


    "We''ll be going to the squad right after the graduation. The letter of rmendation will be given in the graduation as well, so just bring everything you need and throw everything else outside your room since they''re going to clean up the ce.


    "After reaching there, we''ll be getting a new ce. Then again, the Demon Relief Squad is always on the move, so we won''t have any luxurious ce, I think.


    "As for the rest, everything will be taken care of by the instructor. So, you don''t have to worry for the next one week. Just absorb the Demon Crystals to get as strong as possible.


    "Although we have a rmendation from themander itself, they won''t look at us that favorably."


    "I know. They''ll think we''re here because of our connection, so there might be a test or something. By the way, where is their current location?"


    "ording to the instructor, they''re currently at Shinonot Vige, ten days from this ce. There seems to be a Peak Level Demon attacking that vige."


    Noel thought for a moment before warning her. "That''s right. I almost forgot that we''re going to the Zero Squad. The fact that this is a leading squad means they''re stronger. The mission they will receive is also at high level, meaning our opponents will be Advanced Level Demon or stronger."


    "Yeah. But we won''t have any trouble with that, right?"


    Noel made a small smile. "I guess you can say that way. Just don''t underestimate our opponent."


    "Of course. Then, I''ll see you again soon."


    Noel nodded and picked up the bag. While walking inside the building, Noel said, "Anna, thank you."


    "!!!" Anna was startled and turned around, finding Noel had shut the door. This might be the second time he thanked her. Still, the first time he thanked her was due to her ability. Meanwhile, this one came because of her own self, not her ability, meaning the thanks came from his heart.


    The corner of her lips kept raising as she had a hard time containing her smile.


    In the end, she just let the smile out while looking at the building, thinking about Noel. "Although I''m sad that we can only be a teammate for another two or three months, I''m d I came here."

 Chapter 303 Graduation

    One weekter.


    The Apprentice Knights who were still in the fort gathered in the training ground to witness a historical moment. There was also a group of kids witnessing the ceremony.


    Noel and Anna were kneeling on one knee in front of themander, who personally handled the graduation as they were the first pair that graduated from this ce. They were also the strongest out of all of them. So, they deserved such attention.


    Themander stood in front of them as Shale handed him a tray with a token, a knife, and a uniform.


    He grabbed the token and the knife before extending them to Noel while saying, "I''m happy to announce that Noel Ardagan has fulfilled the requirement to be the Elite Knight of our Demon Banner Army. Will you use your power to eliminate the demons in the name of the Demon Banner Army?"


    "I vow to protect the people from the demons in the name of the Demon Banner Army." Noel received the knife and cut his finger, letting the blood drop to the token.


    After that, he returned the knife and held the token with his hand before pouring his Spiritual Energy. Suddenly, the token shone in silver color. From now onward, the only one who could activate this token was Noel. If he died, then no one would be able to light up the token anymore.


    This token would act as his identity, proving him to be one of the elite knights from the Demon Banner Army. It came with many benefits, considering the army handled far stronger opponents than the regr army.


    Last but not least, themander handed the ck-colored uniform to Noel, which he gratefully received.


    Anna also experienced the same thing. She proved the token and received the uniform.


    They received thunderous ps from the other Apprentice Knights. Although these knights didn''t admit it, they knew Noel and Anna deserved it.


    Meanwhile, Noel got another cheer from the kids, which livened the ceremony.


    Before finishing the ceremony, Shale brought them a letter.


    "This is the letter of rmendation for both of you. You shall be a member of the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad. Work hard in your next post and keep climbing through the rank. The people beside you might be your bestrades, but they''re also your rival."


    "Yes, Commander." Noel received the letter on behalf of them.


    "With this, I dere from now on, Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are the Knights of our Demon Banner Army. Those who harm them are harming the Demon Banner Army, and I shall spare no effort in handling this problem."


    p Another round of apuse was heard as themander returned to the building.</anda>


    Shale patted their shoulders and said, "I''m sad that you two can''t join my Demon Extermination Squad, but I hope that you use this privilege to do something right. Don''t break thew."


    "Yes, Sir." Anna and Noel answered in unison.


    Shale took a look at the people first before retiring to the inside. This was their moment, so they should get some fun.


    As soon as the ceremony was over, the other Apprentice Knights immediately swarmed them. Though, they approached Anna more than Noel as if they still had some prejudice against him, believing his current achievement came directly from Anna.


    On the other hand, Noel never cared about it since the kids came to him to congratte him.


    Surprisingly, Lokhar was in the fort today and attended the ceremony. He came to Noel and extended his hand. "Congrattions, Noel."


    "Thank you." Noel shook his hand firmly.


    "Haha, I''m going to follow you right after. Just you wait."


    "I''m looking forward to it." Noel smiled.<sub> </sub>


    After Lokhar left, Noel took care of the kids.


    "Big Brother, Congrattions!"


    "Big Brother¡­"


    "Big Brother¡­"


    Noel thanked each of them with a smile on his face. Eventually, he came to Eric and Erica, holding their hands. "Eric. Please take care of the group for me."


    "Yes, Big Brother. I''ll protect them with my life on the line."


    "Erica, you are the smartest among them. It will be hard for you from now on, but I hope you can continue supporting the group."


    "Yes, Big Brother. Leave them to me." Erica nodded with a smile.


    "Good." Noel smiled and turned around to look at the rest of the kids. "Thank you, everyone. I will treasure this memory. If something happens, I will rush to your ce to help you."


    "No, Big Brother. We should be the ones thanking you for providing us with this opportunity. Without you, we might not survive this winter. So, thank you very much." One of the kids answered while bowing to him.


    The rest also followed him, showing their gratitude.


    "In that case, this is a goodbye from me." Noel smiled and hugged them one by one, wishing them luck. The kids ended up crying because they knew they couldn''t meet him anymore.


    But Erica stopped them while saying, "Don''t cry. We have to work even harder from now on if you want to meet him again. Be prepared!"


    The kids tried their best to stop their tears. While wiping their tears and snots, they tried to see Noel off with a smile on their faces.


    Although their voices were shaking because of crying, they still shouted in unison. "Big Brother, Thank you!"


    Noel waved his hand while walking to the exit. This was the end of his life in this fort and the beginning of his career.


    As soon as he left the training ground, Anna suddenly appeared next to him.


    "Ha¡­ I can finally leave." Anna let out a long sigh. "They''re too annoying."


    "Should you be the one saying that?" Noel rolled his eyes.


    "What? I am annoying? You must be blind."


    "Yeah, yeah." Noel shrugged as they continued to walk to the gate. There were two normal soldiers standing next to the gate while holding the horses. Each horse had a bag on top of it as this was their luggage.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Noel and Anna received both the horses and the bag from them and rode the horse together.


    Noel smiled while ncing at Anna. "This will be the start."


    "Indeed. I''ll be counting on you, Noel."

 Chapter 304 Demon Relief Squad

    Shinonot Vige.


    There was a tent right outside the city. Seven people were sitting inside the tent, with a brown-haired woman sitting at the edge. She had a gentle expression, but her gaze seemed to be able to see through anything.


    She sat down with a smile on her face, watching the other six people.


    "Captain. We heard there would be a new team member. Is that true?" A guy raised his hand, asking with a concerned expression.


    "Aren''t they the newbies from the headquarters? Why do they send them to this squad even though there are many other squads? Are they qualified to even be a member of this squad?" Another person let out a long sigh as if she didn''t want to take care of the mess.


    "Shut up, Ste. You might not know about this, but one of them is called Noel Ardagan." Another person red at her to stop her rumbling.


    "Ardagan?" Ste widened her eyes in shock.


    "Yes. One of them is the son of your idol, Luke Ardagan. Youe here to the Demon Relief Squad because you admire him, right? If I''m not wrong, your vige once got destroyed by demons, and he was the one helping your vige. That was why you also wanted to help people now, which became the reason you joined this squad."


    "Well, Count Luke''s reputation is like thunder reverberating in one''s ears. I doubt anyone here hasn''t heard anything about him. The wealthiest man in the kingdom as well as the most generous one. He has relieved one ce to another."


    "However, what about his son? I heard his reputation is not as good as his father''s. He was azy young master, and no one had ever seen him doing anything. I mean, he didn''t do anything bad, but he didn''t do anything good either¡­"


    The Captain, ra, shook her head and exined their identities. "They should be arriving today. I''ll brief you about their achievement ever sinceing to the Demon Banner Army.


    "ording to Shale, Noel Ardagan might not know a lot of knowledge, but he was extremely smart. He learned many things easily. Also, his talent was peerless. He imed he told the ignorant Noel about Spirit, and in just a few minutes, he managed to awaken his spirits."


    "What?" The group widened their eyes, not believing what they had just heard. Awakening their spirits might be their hardest task before graduation. Even then, only half of them usually managed to awaken their spirits within one year.


    Yet, Noel actually managed to awaken his spirit within a few minutes, and he never knew anything about spirits before that. They simply couldn''t believe it.


    "On the other hand, Anna Stargazees to the Demon Banner Army with a solid reputation, strength, and background. They weren''t that sure about her initial strength, but she is currently a Spirit Wielder. After thest reward, she should be near the high level of Spirit Wielder."


    "A high-level Spirit Wielder right after graduation? Is this a new record?" The people were even more shocked by this strength.


    "But she came to this army with solid strength. So, we couldn''t really call this an achievement. We have to know her initial strength first, and awakening the spirit usually takes the longest."


    "I haven''t finished here." ra red at them, making their bodies tremble and their mouth stop moving. After regaining their peace, ra continued, "Of course, Noel Ardagan isn''t that far from her either. He has be a Spirit Wielder and received another reward from themander to solidify his rank as a Spirit Wielder."


    "Are you serious?" Ste gasped, never expecting the son of her idol was this talented.


    "There are numerous praises about them, but I can see that the people they help are more grateful to Noel. There is even praise from the Moon Temple''s Saintess, saying Anna might be a hero, but Noel is certainly the savior."<sub> </sub>


    "The Moon Temple''s Saintess?" Ste furrowed her eyebrows. The Moon Temple''s mission was simr to their Demon Relief Squad, except for the fact Moon Temple developed inside the kingdom while they were helping the people near the border. Still, they often worked together, so they certainly had a high opinion of the Saintess.


    Hearing such high praise from the Saintess wasn''t that easy, meaning Noel truly had done something extraordinary.


    "But don''t you think Noel is the one setting up the record right now? Hepletely breaks Septa''s record, considering he came to the Demon Banner Army without any solid knowledge or strength. Yet, he became a Spirit Wielder and graduated early.


    "Even though Septa graduated around this time, he was one step away from Spirit Wielder, and he had some solid strength for his foundation. So, I think Noel has be the current record holder?"


    "Certainly."


    The people agreed while Ste, who had been grumbling until now, suddenly looked down and fell into deep thought.


    Before long, Ste raised her hand and said, "Captain. Can you leave Noel to me?"


    "Ste? Don''t steal people just like that!" Another guy stopped her while gritting his teeth.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Although they didn''t admit it, they had already epted Noel and Anna in the group. If the record was true, Noel and Anna had the potential. So, it was their turn to give them enough experience to be true members of their squad.


    "That''s right. Do you think you can use your idol card to snatch a person from us?"


    "Yes, yes. If you are the one taking care of your idol''s son, you will end up spoiling him, which will limit his future. You''re not suited to do it."


    They started arguing to see who would be Noel and Anna''s mentors. The argument got pretty heated to the point it annoyed ra.


    ra mmed the table.


    *Bang!*


    "!!!" The people instinctively stopped and looked at her.


    ra took a deep breath and finally assigned them properly. "These two have enough talents butck experience. So, I''ll divide all of you into two groups. Ste, Zion, and Jonathan will be in group A. You three will take care of Noel at the same time.


    "Paul, Ben, and Rose will be in group B and handle Anna. They''ve been informed they won''t be treated as noble, so make sure they know they''re a part of the Demon Relief Squad. In two weeks, all of you are to go to Lawrence Fort to handle their problem. They''re investigating it right now, but we might expect there are two Peak Level Demons causing the unrest."


    "Understood!" The six of them stood up and ced their hands on their chest, receiving the order.

 Chapter 305 Arrival

    "This should be the ce, right?" Anna asked while staring at the vige in the distance. She couldn''t see how this ce was a vige. Unlike any other vige they had seen, this vige was guarded by a tall wooden wall, protecting them in all directions.


    There was even a ditch outside the wall filled with water that would hinder anything froming in. There was only one gate leading to the vige and a wooden bridge that connected it.


    There were a few huge tents outside the vige, which was probably their destination.


    "Reinforcing the vige here?" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "That''s probably it. A wall and a ditch are the basic after all."


    "Will that even work? I mean, the monsters near this ce often find Advanced Level or even Peak Level Demons, right?"


    "True. If those demons attack this vige without the help of the army, they''ll be useless." Anna agreed with Noel, seeing this reinforcement had no purpose.


    Suddenly, a mature and gentle voice echoed in their ears, answering their doubt. "It''s not as useless as you two thought. Their primary purpose is to keep the vige outside Demon''s sights, mostly for Low Level and Mid Level Demons. Although there are Advanced Level and Peak Level Demons around here, the majority of the demons that are roaming around are the Low and Mid Level Demons.


    "So, by covering the vige with a wooden wall, those demons wouldn''t think there was a vige in this ce. And with the ditch filled with water, the demons would think this ce was ake or something, not going to bother to enter it."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna hurriedly turned around because they couldn''t feel this presence at all. To their surprise, the one next to them was a woman. And only Anna would recognize her in this life.


    "C-Captain ra?"


    ra raised her eyebrows and looked at her. "Do you know me?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Ah?!" Anna forgot that her knowledge came from her previous life. There was no way she didn''t know ra, considering Noel had grown up in this ce. However, the current Anna shouldn''t know ra at all. Hence, she had to bluff. "I have heard about your achievement in the past. Although I don''t know your face, there is no reason for a powerful Spirit Grandmaster like you to appear in this ce for no reason."


    "So, there is only one person that fits your description?"


    "Yes."


    ra stared at Anna for a while as if judging her answer. In the end, she dropped the matter and said, "Well, you are right. I''m ra, the Captain of the Demon Relief Squad. I heard both of you from the report Shale sent here."


    Noel hurriedly handed her the rmendation letter. "Captain ra, this is the rmendation letter."


    ra looked at Noel like Anna before epting the letter.


    She opened it to confirm the content of the letter and said, "I see. This is a surprise for themander to get involved in this. But I guess that''s for a reason. Despite her outburst, Anna Stargaze is calm enough to handle the problem. She is also knowledgeable and resourceful.


    "Noel might not have enough information and knowledge, but he can adapt to all situations. The example is him giving me the letter."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna''s hearts skipped a beat, realizing she was assessing her this whole time.


    "That''s good enough for now. I wee you to my Demon Relief Squad. I don''t have many rules personally, but I just want you to understand three things.


    "First, never think yourself above the others, whether it''s toward other knights in our squad or toward the people. If I find you unting your identity as a noble, I''ll immediately report you to the headquarter to expel you from my ce.<sub> </sub>


    "Second, our job as a Demon Relief Squad is to help people in all kinds of forms. So, you can''tin about your work. Instead, you should learn how to do it properly.


    "Last but not least, you are bound to work together with other knights. If it''s with the same Demon Relief Squad, treat them gently. If it''s with other squads, make sure they don''t look down on our Demon Relief Squad. I permit violence. If they don''t change their way, the violence must not be enough."


    Noel was dumbfounded when hearing the third one. The first two were truly the essence of the Demon Relief Squad, so ra''s exnation was quite good. But he never expected ra to permit the use of violence against other squads.


    Her kind face felt like it was just a calm but cold face. Her soothing tone sent a chill down his spine. He even wondered which one was the real ra.


    "Do you understand those three rules?" ra asked.


    "Yes, Ma''am!" Noel and Anna hurriedly answered.


    "Good. I wee you to my Demon Relief Squad. Follow me." ra walked toward a tent to introduce them to their groups.


    But when they came in, the six people inside the room suddenly trembled as if death just came in.


    "!!!" All of them hurriedly turned their bodies around, staring at ra. They were already long enough in this squad to know ra. Despite having no change in her expression or demeanor, they could clearly see ra was pissed.


    ''Did they do something they shouldn''t?'' Ste thought while gulping down. She tried to find an answer by ncing at the others.


    ''They must be Noel and Anna¡­ They just came here, so what kind of mistake could they make?''


    ''They just came here?''


    ''Ah!''


    Something clicked in their mind as they greeted ra. "Captain ra."


    "This is Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze. They''ll be with us from now on, so please treat them kindly."


    "Yes, Captain!"


    ra walked to her seat and exined, "Noel will go to group A, and Anna will be with group B."


    "Ah! We''re not going to be together?" Anna asked.


    "No. You might want to be together with your partner, but there''s no guarantee in the future that you won''t have your partner on your side. So, you have to do it with what you currently have. By separating both of you, I believe you can grow further."


    "I understand." Anna nodded.


    "Good. I''ll let them exin all the work to you."

 Chapter 306 Introduction

    "Please excuse us." The six people immediately left the tent, bringing both Noel and Anna away.


    The first thing they did was actually warn them.


    Ste came to them and said in distress, "You two¡­ Can I assume that both of you addressed her other than ''Captain''?"


    "Yes. We called her Ma¡ª" Anna wanted to answer, but her mouth was covered by Noel to stop her from continuing. Noel even said, "It seems we have made a mistake. Please forgive us."


    The group was speechless by Noel''s reaction. They knew what Anna wanted to say, but Noel seemed to know it would just cause more problems and stopped her.


    Ste scratched the back of her head and said, "Well, it seems you''ve understood it. I just want to say you should call her ''Captain'' instead of anything else. Understood?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded while whispering to Anna. "You don''t want me to call you ''old hag,'' right?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes before nodding her head, understanding what they were talking about.


    After that, Noel released her and stepped back.


    "Well, it seems that we can introduce ourselves." Ste smiled. Ste looked like she was in her early twenties. She had an energetic appearance and a cheerful smile. Her red hair was tied into a ponytail so that it wouldn''t go in her way while making herself look enchanting by wearing the military uniform but with shorts. They could ask for a tailored made uniform, so she must have done something like that.


    "My name is Ste, I am from the group A. And these two here¡­" Ste pointed at two guys that seemed to be in her group.


    The first one was a fat guy with nted eyes. He had a calm expression. It gave a peaceful feeling that seemed to be able to de-escte a situation. He introduced himself. "Hello, I am Zion. I''m also from group A. He is Jonathan."


    The second one was a tall but skinny guy. He was theplete opposite of Ste, one without energy. In fact, Noel and Anna could feel his gloominess. He didn''t really express himself other than when he was scared of Captain ra. He only nodded to them as a greeting.


    "Then, this is the B Group as well as our Vice Captain, Paul." Ste pointed at the muscr guy brimming with fighting intent. One would wonder why a guy that seemed to be nning to fight everyone to be the vice captain of the Demon Relief Squad.


    Paul gave a thumbs up and said, "Nice to meet you, newbies. I''m Paul! You don''t have to respect me or anything, but I hope you can listen to me in an emergency. These two will be with me in group B, they are Benjamin and Rose."


    Benjamin might be the most normal among them. He wasn''t skinny, muscr, or even energetic. He was just an average guy. "Hello, I''m Benjamin. Well, my name is too long, so just call me Ben. We don''t care much about seniority here."


    Thest person was a woman with sses. Her sharp gaze seemed to be scrutinizing Ben and Paul. However, she didn''t say anything to them and proceeded to introduce herself. "I am Rose. You might be annoyed when talking to me, but I don''t care much about it."This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Noel politely nodded to them. "I''m Noel, a fallen noble. Even if I want to unt my title, I''m now just amoner. So, I hope that all of you can treat me as such."


    "I''m Anna Stargaze. I''m here not as a representative of the Stargaze Family, but as a knight from the Demon Banner Army."<sub> </sub>


    Ste nodded, satisfied. "Alright. Since we have done with the introduction, let''s move on to our jobs. It''s hard to exin our work, so you have to experience it yourself. But I''ll give you a brief exnation.


    "To put it simply, we''re doing all kinds of works that the vigers usually do. We can be a carpenter, a farmer, or even a hunter. We kill demons and help the reconstruction of the vige. Of course, we are Knights from the Demon Banner Army, so we are not burying our talent here.


    "I don''t know if you have noticed it or not, but all of us here are Spirit Masters, except for Paul, who became a Spirit Grandmasterst year," Ste exined while showing a bit of her Spiritual Energy.


    Anna was more sensitive than Noel, so she had felt it from the start. All of them were indeed Spirit Masters.


    However, Noel was more interested in their groups instead of in their strength. He raised his hand. "May I ask a question?"


    "Yes, you can. There''s no need to be that polite. Just treat us as your colleague orrade."


    "Then, I can see all of you are different and seems to be specialized in something. Why do you work in different groups instead of working together? I''m pretty sure it''s going to be more effective¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, assessing them.


    "Hoh?" Paul grinned as if he liked this newbie. Ste, on the other hand, exined to him. "We always work together as you said. But because of your enlistment, we''ll work separately for the time being. In other words, these two groups will only exist for two weeks to introduce you to our work.


    "In two weeks, we''re going to another ce, which might require us to hunt Peak Level Demons. As for the Captain, she is not really with us every time. She often inspects other groups as well, so you''ll only be with us most of the time."


    Noel nodded in understanding, thanking her for the exnation.


    "Do you have more questions?"


    "No, I believe I''ll observe everyone first to learn what my role is." Noel shook his head.


    "How about you, Anna?"


    "I have one. What kind of ce does this group usually visit?"


    "Hmm, our Demon Relief Squad goes all around the kingdom, but our Zero Squad is near the border because the Demons are stronger and no ordinary squad can handle them. So, it means we''ll be facing one dangerous ce after another. If you''re scared, I don''t mind telling the captain to move you to another squad though." Ste smirked as if provoking Anna.


    "So, it means there will be more Demon Crystals?" Anna wasn''t scared of her.


    "Yes." Ste''s expression became calm again before pointing at the vige. "If you don''t have any more questions, let''s go inside the vige. We''ll show you our jobs."

 Chapter 307 Building A House

    The group entered the vige that seemed to be in the middle of reconstruction. It seemed the vige was badly damaged by the demons from the earlier attack and the Demon Relief Squad helped them in dealing with all their problems.


    "Oh, Ste and the group. Are you going to help us today?" One of the vigers came to them with a smile on his face.


    "Of course. We''ll make sure your vige can function like usual soon." She pumped her fists and assured the man with her energetic tone.


    From the way Noel observed them, Ste seemed to be the pir of emotional support for the people.


    Meanwhile, Rose came over and said, "For the time being, we should help with the house over there."


    "Oh, let''s go then!" Paul nodded with an excited expression.


    The group nodded while Ste said, "You two can watch how we work first to see if you can do the same thing or not."


    "Understood. We''ll learn many things from you." Noel agreed and stepped back. Meanwhile, Ste and the group walked to an empty space they had prepared for the house.


    Rose was the first one to make her move. She gathered her Spiritual Energy and raised both hands. "This will be the house!"


    All of a sudden, a house appeared out of thin air. The wooden house had a nt roof to the left. It was only one floor and the basic shape was a box, so it shouldn''t be that much of a hassle.


    Noel widened his eyes in amusement. "That''s¡­"


    "An illusion ability?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, knowing that this ability came from a spirit that dealt with illusion.


    Even Noel had expected this to happen, considering he had seen Elsa and nton from the Loetzel Family. Many spirits were simr to each other, but there were unique spirits like an illusion, money, and so on.


    This ability showed him that there was more than one way to use an ability.


    As soon as the illusion was erected, the group took a nce at it before Paul said, "Alright. That''s enough. We''ve got the basic down."


    "Zion!" Ste shouted one''s name, who seemed to have disappeared without anyone noticing.


    "!!!" Noel looked left and right, trying to find Zion. He suddenly reappeared with a few logs that seemed to have been freshly cut.


    "Here you go." Zion threw the logs into the air.


    Ste unsheathed her de, smiling as if she wanted to show off in front of the son of her idol. She closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them and began cutting the logs skillfully.


    In an instant, the logs turned into a long wooden block. In other people''s eyes, Ste seemed to be wasting the log by not properly cutting it. But he seemed to be wrong when he saw the waste that fell to the ground.<sub> </sub>Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Wait¡­" Noel gasped. ''She actually cuts the wood in precision. It seems she has calcted the depth of her sword¡­ That took skills.''


    Ste winked her right eye yfully as if telling him she had a lot of effort into it.


    However, the trunk didn''t stop there. Since Zion threw it forward, the fallen wood would drop on top of her.


    This was the time for the gloomy Jonathan to work. He lifted his hand and the wood miraculously floated in the air.


    "Telekinesis." Anna sucked a cold breath. This ability was quite unique because there were many applications for it. But not many users could be a Spirit Master since the ability was too weak to be used against monsters.


    Jonathan lifted the wood with his Telekinesis and moved it to Ben. Ben cut a bit of the wood just to fit a certain shape. It seemed he was making a hole in the wood to act as a connector to the other wood.


    More and more logs were brought over by Zion, and Ste cut them. And after a few logs, Noel and Anna could see Paul began working.


    He was wielding a small hammer. With his energetic vibe and muscr body, they thought he would smash that hammer and end up crushing the blocks, but they were wrong.


    Despite how he looked, Paul covered the hammer with his Spiritual Energy and struck the hammer with only enough energy to perfectly finish his job. Each nail and each connection were dealt with a single hit, which reflected his control over his strength.


    ''Impressive. This is the first time I''ve seen so many applications to one''s power with my own eyes.'' Anna thought, amazed by their teamwork. ''Well, the bigger question is¡­ will our ability fit this ce? It''s true that Noel has been helping people, but he does it with his speech and killing. He hasn''t done anything to help with the construction or any misceneous task.


    ''The same applies to me. My Spirit is Thunder Berserker Spirit. It might be a humanoid spirit, but I haven''t seen anything about the applications for the work in the Demon Relief Squad.


    ''What about Noel? He has an Ice Ability, which works for¡­'' Anna tried to imagine how Noel could work together with them but to no avail. The only thing they could do was either cut the logs or bring them to this ce like Ste and Zion.


    This thought gave Anna a dilemma, which made her fall into deep thought.


    On the other hand, Noel approached this matter with more positivity.


    "This is amazing!" said Noel while staring at the house. They only worked for fifteen minutes, and the house was already twenty percent done. This way, they could finish a house within an hour or so.


    "Hehe, is it?" Ste smiled, satisfied with Noel''s reaction. "What do you think about it?"


    "It''s so wonderful to see many applications to one''s ability. I feel like I can see a lot of things¡­ Ehm, but can I observe more? Maybe I can get a more concrete exnation¡­"


    "Sure, just observe our works for this house and we''ll listen to you after this." Ste nodded. "It won''t take too long anyway."

 Chapter 308 Observation

    As Ste said, they finished the house not long after. If normal people worked on this house, they would need at least a couple of days just to finish it. Yet, it only took an hour or so for this group. This showed a lot of differences between the normal people and the Demon Relief Squad.


    After finishing the work, Ste came while giving a thumbs up. "So, how is it?"


    "It''s fast and it''s kind of unique." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He constructed the words that had been forming in his mind after watching them. "I don''t know if what I''m saying is correct, but let me tell you what I''ve seen first.


    "Zion brought the logs from the forest near this ce. I don''t know how he did it, but his speed was amazing. I mean, you had toe out of the gate¡­ Or maybe he jumped over it?


    "After that, you were the one cutting the logs. The precision you have in order to cut that log was extraordinary. Meanwhile, Jonathan brought the log with his power and ced it so that no one had to move from their positions. It created aplete flow for the group.


    "Then, Ben took care of the details before Paul finished it. Of course, it couldn''t have been started without Rose''s help. Without the shape that she gave with the illusion, you wouldn''t know where to start."


    "Hoh?" Ste and Rose were amused by his observation.


    "Don''t you think there is another application for it?" Rose asked, trying to incite Noel to think.


    However, Noel seemed to have prepared for this question. He nodded and exined, "Even though we''re helping the construction, we shouldn''t forget about our identity as Demon Relief Squad. No matter what, we''re also dealing with the demons.


    "In other words, we have to be someone who can work with many things to help reconstruct in one''s ce, and in the front line, we have to use our power to deal with the demons. And from what I can see, it seems that the work of reconstruction is actually the one making you stronger.


    "For example, Zion is the kind of guy who usually gets asked to bring something. However, due to this kind of skill, he can actually due a lot more like overwhelming the enemy with his speed.


    "Then, Ste''s precision can deal a lot of damage to the demons. Even if you can''t cut the demon in one''s strike, Ste''s precision allows her to deal damage on the same spot over and over again.


    "I don''t know much about Jon''s power, but it feels like your power can be used in a lot of ways. I''m sorry that I can''t say anything much about it other than your power is versatile.


    "After that, it''s Ben. He seems to be the all-rounder in the group that can take care of most of the matters. If someone messes up, I feel like Ben will be there to help. I don''t know much about his power though, since I don''t think he used his power during the construction¡­


    "Paul is a powerful vice leader. He has a lot of strength and the precision to work with his Spiritual Energy. I don''t mean to be rude, but he seems to be a guy who might make a rash decision but seeing his control over his Spiritual Energy, I know that I can trust him to make a decision in case of emergency.


    "Last but not least, Ste. As I said earlier, you are the beginning. It seems that you are the one taking care of the group from the shadow, no, it''s more like¡­ You observe the battlefield more than they do. You''re the calmest person in the group and probably the one giving them instruction most of the time."<sub> </sub>


    "Wow¡­" Paul and the others were impressed by Noel''s observation. They never expected Noel could see through that much just by observing them.


    Even Rose couldn''t help but look at Ste. "Let''s move Noel to Group B instead of your Group A."


    "What did you say?" Ste red at her, not wanting to lose Noel. In her mind, she had epted Noel from the bottom of her heart. His observation alone befitted his identity as her idol''s son. There was no way she would give up on him.


    "You can see that he is simr to me. I think it''s better if I be his mentor."


    "We don''t know about it yet! Just because he shows an exceptional observation skills, it doesn''t mean that''s the only thing he has!" Ste gritted her teeth and desperately looked at Noel, asking, "What can you do other than this?"


    "I''m not very sure what I can do in this situation yet. After all, this is my first day of joining this squad. I hope that I can get some time to see what I can do." Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed to know he wasn''t up for the task.


    "I see. That''s understandable." Paul nodded. "Either way, even though we''re divided into two groups, you can simplye over and ask about something. We''ll try to train you and give you experience as much as possible."


    "Thank you very much." Noel politely nodded, thanking him.


    "I think no one objects to Noel being here, right?" Ste asked once again, confirming their intention. No one opened their mouth since they were impressed by Noel''s ability. Considering he had be a Spirit Wielder in one month, it was clear that Noel''s strength in battle couldn''t be underestimated as well.


    There was no way they would let go of this extremely talented man. If he had been working hard in the past instead of beingzy, he might be the most talented man in the kingdom instead of Anna.


    That was why they turned to Anna, expecting her to showcase her skill.


    Anna maintained her silence for a moment. As someone stronger than her, she had seen what Noel said earlier. But since Noel took the chance to showcase his skill, she had lost that chance.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    It could be said Noel stole her moment, but it could be said she lost that opportunity because her reaction speed was slower than Noel.


    And now, everyone was looking forward to what Anna had to say.

 Chapter 309 Punishment Game

    Anna shook her head calmly. "Since Noel has said everything that needs to be said, is there a need for me to add anything?"


    "¡­" Ste and the others were dumbfounded, never expecting to have Anna reject this chance.


    Still, Ste didn''t give up. "Well, if you want to say something, you should tell us clearly. Our group is not a jerk who will destroy you just because you''re a bit impolite. Besides, if you can tell us something we don''t know, we''ll be grateful. Basically, we see our weaknesses as a challenge to improve ourselves."


    "Then, I won''t hold back." Anna smiled and turned to Zion. "You put too much Spiritual Energy in your boots, causing you to leave a mark on the ground. It can be traced by enemies. I don''t know if you''re already aware of it or not, but the Supreme Devil Organization has been implementing a system of working together with demons. What we''re fighting right now might not purely be a demon, so a trail like that is fatal.


    "Ste has precision and speed butcks power. Although she can hit the same spot many times with what she has, you''ll make your whole life a lot easier if you have strength.


    "Jonathan''s Telekinesis is quite good already, so I don''t think I''ll say something about it right now. The same applies to Paul''s strength. His control over Spiritual Energy is already good enough. As long as he has good techniques and control over his weapon, he will be invincible on the battlefield.


    "Ben is an all-rounder, which is good to have. But you have to remember that sometimes a master of something is better than an all-rounder. Of course, I''m not putting you off just because of this¡­ Your all-rounder system is created with Spiritual Energy as your foundation, so you should add technique or something to solidify your foundation.


    "Last but not least, Rose''s illusion is already good enough, though, I know it''s not what you usually use. The illusion is less solid than I thought."This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    "!!!" The people were dumbstruck by her observation. Noel had exined all their power, but Anna turned out to be able to criticize their strength. It was clear that in terms of sensitivity to Spiritual Energy as well as knowledge, Anna was superior to Noel.


    Rose, as the calmest person in the group, managed to catch a glimpse of Noel''s expression. Noel might maintain his calm expression, but his gaze seemed to be telling her something else. It felt like he had known about this side of Anna and recognized her ability. In other words, he had epted Anna to be superior to him.


    "Wo-Woah?!" Paul smiled and gave a thumbs up, showing no hostility. "You''re good, Miss."


    "I''m impressed." Ste nodded in understanding. She pointed at her bracelet and said, "Your analysis is correct, and this wristband is my way to handle my problem. It''s quite heavy, you know. In fact, everyone has been trying to solve their weaknesses."


    "Thank you." Anna politely nodded, thanking them for not having any hostility because of jealousy or something.


    "Since you''re this good, then I don''t think anyone has an objection to her joining the squad, right?" Paul asked, confirming the group''s intention.


    All of them nodded, acknowledging Anna''s ability.


    "Good. Then, let''s move on to the next introduction¡­" Paul nced at Ste.


    "Alright. In this step, we''re going to test your fighting ability. As you can see, you are currently a Spirit Wielder while we''re Spirit Masters. So, we want to test your ability to see if you can join our fight or not." Ste made a yful smile while adding a condition. "But this time, we''ll go separate ways."


    "Hoh? Is that a challenge, Ste?" Paul smirked.


    "Of course. We haven''t hunted anything today for the temporary food supply, Vice Captain. Don''t you think it''s better to do it now?"


    "What are the objectives?"<sub> </sub>


    "There are a lot of Advanced Level Demons in the Laguna Lake ten kilometers from here."


    "Good enough for me."


    Both of them smirked, challenging each other.


    As soon as Paul epted the challenge, Ste turned to Noel and Anna. "There you have it. We''ll go to theke right now. I''m sure you''re not tired, right?"


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks and shook their heads in unison.


    "Good. The goal is simple. We kill as many Advanced Level Demons as possible. Our teams will only support you and try to give you some advice to help you in defeating those demons." Ste nced up to see the sun''s position. "The moment the sun is right on top of us, the battle is over. The loser will be the gofer of the winner for the rest of the day."


    "Sounds good enough." Paul nodded in agreement.


    "Does the punishment¡­"


    "Of course, it''ll be no fun if we don''t have punishment. As usual, the pair will be me and Rose, Paul and Jonathan, Zion and Ben. Last but not least, you and Noel. Whoever loses will be the gofer." Ste smirked. "This is our usual style of doing things and you''ll probably find it again and again in the future, so you might want to change the squad if you don''t like it."


    ''Anna bes my servant?'' Noel nced at Anna. If theypared in raw power, he would stand no chance against Anna. However, he still believed his hunting ability was better than Anna''s. So, he had the chance to win.


    ''A game where I can make Noel do anything I want?'' Anna smirked.


    p Anna and Noel seemed to have their own ideas of what they wanted the others to do.</anda>


    "Good enough. I''m in." Noel nodded, confirming his participation.


    "Indeed. I don''t mind releasing all my abilities in today''s hunt." Anna smiled excitedly.


    "Haha, let''s go now!" Paulughed as he led the group to theke.


    Meanwhile, Ste stayed quiet after inciting them. There was a reason why she suddenly fell quiet.


    She had heard of what happened to her idol and the cause of everything was Anna Stargaze. So, it was kind of absurd to see a good rtionship between Anna and Noel.


    She brought up the punishment game to see Anna and Noel''s reactions to understand their rtionship and the extent of what they would do to each other. At least, she wanted to confirm whether Anna nned to kill thest Ardagan or not.

 Chapter 310 Challenge

    They reached theke within twenty minutes since they had to adjust their pace to match Noel and Anna while making sure they weren''t exhausted from the speed as well.


    Theke had a radius of two hundred meters. The water came from the nearby mountain, which was filled with demons. In fact, the reason why Ste said this ce had many demons were due to the mountain.


    The surrounding of theke was mostly in and it would soon be a gentle slope. If they were going to fight in a ce like this, they could assess their abilities to adapt to terrains.


    "Alright. We''ll talk for five minutes before moving to our respective position," said Ste while pointing in two directions to show their starting position.


    Since there was no objection from Paul''s side, Ste turned back to Noel and said, "Well, I don''t know about your abilities right now, but all I can say is how our Demon Relief Squad fights. You should know we''re doing all kinds of things, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "That''s because we emphasize versatility. We want to be as flexible as we can. It includes the terrain¡­ If we are in a in, we can''t do much because there is nothing but soil and grass. But if we''re in a forest, we can use the tree as an obstacle or even throw them to the demon to hinder their movement. Basically, don''t hesitate to use everything around you to your advantage."


    Noel thought for a moment and asked to confirm his doubt. "Are you talking about traps?"


    "No, no. Traps are good, but they''re not that easy to make. Unless it''s necessary, there''s no need for traps." Ste turned around and pointed at the tree not far from them. "You can see that tree? What if I cut the tree down and throw it to the demons?"


    "They might go separate ways or even smash the tree¡­"


    "Exactly. Use that opportunity to hit them."


    "Ah, that''s what you''re talking about." Noel nodded. He had done it by forming an ice wall before, so he might be able to do it again this time.


    "It seems you''ve understood. Alright, let''s go to our position then." Ste smiled while walking to their position, waiting for Paul''s team to do the same.


    Before they started, Jonathan added, "Although we''ll be saving you in case of emergency, I hope that you don''t move recklessly just because we''re near you. There will be a time where we''re not together, so I hope that you don''t get used to acting recklessly just because you know someone is there for you."


    "Don''t worry. I know that already." Noel nodded with a serious expression. If he was that type of person, he would have relied on Dimitri more this whole time. But he chose not to do it.


    "Good. I have high hope in you." Jonathan patted Noel''s shoulder. If not for his gloominess, Jonathan would surely be a cool guy. However, his tired face and huge ck bags under his eyes made him a bit unapproachable.


    ¡­


    Group B.


    "No need to think about anything. Just st those demons, and you''re good! Hahaha!" Paulughed.


    "Can you not give our new recruit a hard time with your foolish rumbling?" Rose red at him, causing Paul to tremble.<sub> </sub>


    "I''m sorry, Ma''am¡­"


    Rose sighed and formed a blue screen in front of her with eight blue dots flickering in it. "This is my ability. As you said earlier, that illusion wasn''t my usual ability.


    "My senses are better than the rest, so I can see everything more clearly. If I have the high ground, I can find demons near you unless the forest is too dense. And¡­"


    Rose snapped her finger and formed a thumb size ball. Suddenly, her voice echoed from this ball, saying, "I can guide the team with this. Basically, I''m using my illusion on you, and that illusion allows me to say something to you. By taking advantage of this ability, I can control the group from afar."


    Suddenly, two red dots appeared next to them.


    "As you can see, these red dots are the movements within the area. I''m still not sure whether they''re Advanced Level Demons or stronger, so you still have to be careful."


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows and said, "This is very useful."


    "Well, there were cases where I couldn''t find the enemies, so don''t rely on it too much, alright?"


    "Understood. I''ll be asking you to help me during this hunt." Anna nodded.


    "Alright. Make sure you win." Rose agreed to help her wholeheartedly.


    Ben, as an all-rounder in the group, added, "I can only say one thing to you. Even sand can be your weapon, so don''t hesitate to use them. Your only limit is your imagination after all."


    "I understand. I''ll work hard and learn many things from you guys." Anna nodded.


    "Good. Since we have finished our discussion, all I have to say to you is that¡­ Don''t be afraid and do whatever you think is right. We''ll be the ones covering things for you. We''ll be following you, so if you have any trouble with the enemy, wave your left hand. If you don''t want us to interfere, only raise your left hand. Understood?"


    Anna nodded.


    Since they had reached an agreement, Paul started walking to their position while ncing at Noel''s side, who had finished their discussion.


    Anna and Noel were staring at each other. Without opening their mouth, they seemed to know what each other thought. Of course, there was nothing but a provocation from them.


    ''I''ll be winning this and turn you into my ve for the rest of the day, Anna. Be prepared for it.''C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ''Hehe, you are going to follow my order today, Noel. I wonder what I should make you do? Massage me? I''ll use this opportunity to spoil myself a bit.''


    Both of them were brimming with fighting intent as Paul pped his hand as loud as possible so both of them could hear them. "Start!"

 Chapter 311 The Start

    [Mission: Punishment Game]


    [Description: Hunt as many demons as possible within two hours]


    [Reward: 10 SP and the right to order Anna for the rest of the day]


    [Penalty: Gets ordered by Anna for the rest of the day.]


    It might be due to him finally increasing his Spiritual Energy, he could finally gain missions again. And this time, the system nned to hype this game with this 10 Skill Points reward.


    Noel couldn''t help but smirk, nning to win this battle.


    "Start!"


    As soon as they heard the signal, Noel and Anna leaped forward.


    Anna went straight to the demon that Rose showed. With her senses and illusion, Rose could find the demons and inform Anna immediately, making her the best support of the team.


    However, Noel wasn''t a pushover either. He used his Demon Hunter Medal and kept walking in the same direction. The size of his Demon Hunter Medal''s detection area should be enough to cover a lot of space.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But as expected from Rose''s ability, Anna was the first one to find the demon.


    The demon was an oak tree. Its branches was spreading in all directions to protect its body.


    "Hoh? This is a Mid Level Demon. Let''s see how Anna handles it." Paul smiled, observing Anna''s movement. Although they were helping the people, the members of the Demon Relief Squad had to equip themselves with extraordinary skills. So, he had to make sure Anna''s ability could keep up with them.


    As soon as the demon noticed Anna, the branches and the roots began to extend toward her.


    Anna pulled out her sword.


    "Mhm¡­ That''s a good sword. It looks so sharp and majestic. It even has Spirit Enchantments." Paul nodded in understanding, satisfied with her weapon. And now, it would be her time to prove her skill.


    Although the snow hadn''t fallen yet, winter had arrived. So, the trees had no leaves on it, making the branches look like a spear that could stab someone to death.


    This would make it harder for Anna to reach the demon''s body.


    Anna smiled while drawing a circle with her left forefinger.


    Suddenly, the circle sparked out lightning and shot out a lightning strike. The lightning strike wasn''t big, but when it touched a branch, the lightning strike sparked and created an electric field that crushed everything in it.


    The branches werepletely crushed, leaving a hole in the demon''s defense.


    Anna jumped into the air to avoid the roots while taking advantage of this gap to slip past the tree''s defense. She covered her sword with her lightning before precisely swinging at the ce where the demon resided.


    "!!!" Paul and the others widened their eyes in amusement. Anna''s swing was sharp and precise, killing the demon in an instant.<sub> </sub>


    "Amazing." Paul smiled excitedly. "She used that lightning to form a path for her and cleanly strike the demon tree. The lightning doesn''t use too much Spiritual Energy and her sword is so sharp that she doesn''t have to reinforce it excessively. She has both skills and judgment in the battle. It makes me want to fight her."


    The others agreed with him. Anna hadpleted her task while conserving her stamina. This was a good mindset, considering she didn''t know how many demons she had to fight today.


    They were expecting her to do an even awesome job next time.


    Meanwhile, Noel''s luck seemed to be quite high too. He met a demon not long after Anna found her first demon.


    This Advanced Level Demon had the form of a fox. Unlike the normal wolf who hunted in a pack, this Advanced Level Demon didn''t seem to be working together with the others. Or this wolf might have devoured his entire pack.


    Nheless, Noel had considered this wolf as his prey.


    "We''re pretty lucky. To think Noel will find an Advanced Level Demon this soon." Ste nodded excitedly.


    "Still, Ste¡­ Do you remember his movement earlier?" Jonathan nced at her, recalling what happened earlier. Noel was running straight before he suddenly turned around and found this demon. It was an abrupt movement, but it showed that Noel found the wolf with his sense alone.


    "Yeah. His sense is quite good. It''s a different sense from Rose. Unlike Rose who can observe the entire area, Noel''s sense must lie in his sixth sense that can find a living being in his surroundings. Basically, the demon won''t be able to sneak attack on him."


    "Then, let''s see whether he can take care of the Advanced Level Demon or not, shall we?" Zion nodded in agreement while gathering his Spiritual Energy in his feet. He was ready to help Noel in case the worst happened.


    Surprisingly, Noel smiled. "There is no snow yet, but it seems the temperature boosts my ability quite a bit."


    Noel took a deep breath, cooling down his body as if he was trying to match himself with the surrounding.


    The wolf felt something different from Noel and immediately charged forward, trying to strike him down before he could harm him.


    Even though Noel didn''t close his eyes, he could still imagine the scene where Ste shed the trunk.


    "Precision. You''re going to be my practice target." Noel looked at the demon coldly as if he thought the winner had been decided.


    The moment the demon wolf jumped on top of him, Noel made two small steps to the right before spinning his body and waving his de.


    "!!!" Ste dropped her jaw, shocked. "That''s¡­ That''s¡­"


    "¡­" Jonathan remained silent while Zion gulped down. "That kind of precision is simr to your sword strike, Ste."


    All three of them could see the wolf''s left ear fall down to the ground.


    Noel used his Contempt Emotion to fuel his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to increase his precision, but as expected, he still couldn''t beat Ste in precision.


    He tried to cut the earpletely, but there was still a part of the ear that failed to be cut.


    "Only 90% of the ear was cut. It''s not enough." Noel muttered and turned around, challenging the wolf again.

 Chapter 312 Shock

    *Aooo!*


    The wolf howled in pain while ring at Noel, never expecting that a human could do something like this. It endured the pain and charged at him again, nning to kill him this time.


    When the wolf was about to pounce on him, Noel''s thought changed.


    ''Woah, this wolf is quick.''


    Although the wolf''s speed was still within Noel''s imagination, he acted like he was surprised to evoke the emotion for the defense. When a person was surprised, they either stood still or used their reflex to act.


    Normal people would surely be standing still, but Noel had a trained body and reflex, so this surprise was just a means for him to use his reflex.


    And that reflex allowed Noel to strike the wolf''s right foot from below, knocking it up.


    *Aoo?!*


    The wolf was dumbfounded because that strike somehow blocked his paw. Although the ws managed to withstand the sharpness of the de, they couldn''t stop the force from Noel''s sword.


    Now that the paw was knocked back, the wolf had tond on the ground again and find another way to attack him.


    But Noel''s emotion changed once again.


    Looking at the body that was about to crash into him, a thought arose in his mind. ''The wolf will crash onto me.''


    In that instant, the thought became fear and that fear boosted Noel''s speed, allowing him to wave his sword once again, striking the demon''s body.


    The power from this sword wasn''t much and the demon''s skin managed to stop the de with only a hollow wound. But the force still knocked the wolf to the side, moving it away from him.


    ''This is not enough. I have used Fear (Quick), Contempt (Precise), and Surprise (Defense), but I haven''t killed the demon yet. I guess the Fear lowers my strength more than I expected. Still, I can''t really use any other abilities while using my Everchanging Emotion Sword Style¡­ No, wait¡­''


    Noel thought of something in this battle.


    Although he was disappointed in the result, the trio who had been watching him this whole time had a different opinion. They were utterly shocked by his battle.


    "Did you see it, Ste?" Zion sucked a cold breath.


    "Yeah." Ste nodded in agreement, realizing why he could be a Spirit Wielder.


    "I can see three different swings as if he has three different personalities. The first swing is precise. It might not be at your level yet, but that kind of precision is hard to find among other groups.<sub> </sub>


    "The second swing has speed, but it feels like the sword turns blunt. If you look at the Spiritual Energy emitting from the sword, you can see that it spreads a bit to increase the area of impact. It is a swing to protect himself.


    "Last but not least, that quick strike¡­ If it was not a demon but a human, they would have died from that sword. Looking at these three strikes alone, you can see the bnce iscking. In other words, he has more strikes to unleash. Have you heard this swordsmanship?"


    "No. Is it his self-created swordsmanship?" Ste narrowed her eyes, judging Noel.


    "Are you serious? Do you know how hard it is to create your own swordsmanship? He is supposed to be someone who just learned how to fight a year ago, right? Do you think he can create swordsmanship with his current experience?"


    The answer was obvious to most people. There was no way someone could create unique swordsmanship, especially without training. Noel had beenzy in his entire life, so they couldn''t believe it either.


    However, Ste still said, "There is no telling whether he has a teacher or not. That teacher might be teaching him this swordsmanship, but if he doesn''t have a teacher¡­"


    She paused for a moment. Even if she didn''t finish her words, Zion and Jonathan already knew what she wanted to say.


    "Yeah, Noel''s talent might be higher than anyone can see¡­"


    But they were going to be shocked once again because Noel had thought of another way of using his technique.


    The injured wolf was ring at him, wondering how to kill Noel. This entire time, the wolf had shrouded its body with Spiritual Energy to increase his physical ability, but Noel seemedposed thorought the battle.


    The wolf had to find another way to kill Noel. Instead of utilizing its speed, the wolf decided to overwhelm him.


    It gathered a huge amount of energy in its mouth and shot a blue beam.


    "Hu¡­" Noel took another deep breath while raising his weapon. Anger began to rise in his heart as if he was mad at the wolf who didn''te to him anymore.


    The Spiritual Energy around his body began to flicker as he infused his Spirit Weaponry into this strike.


    The Spirit Weaponry was the Sword Saint''s ability that allowed him to cut down Spiritual Energy itself. So, the moment Noel swung his sword downward, the Spiritual Energy flew forward and struck the beam, splitting it into two.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "What? He split the Spiritual Energy into two?" Ste dropped her jaw to the ground. This was the first time she had seen something like this. If it was a Spirit Ability, she wouldn''t be so shocked. But what Noel showed was pure Swordsmanship.


    Although he was shocked as well, Jonathan stepped forward while waving his hand because one of the beams went directly at them. He used his Telekinesis to push the air forward. When it touched the beam, it felt like there was a barrier on its way, causing the beam to disperse to the area.


    "A swordsmanship that can even cut down the Spiritual Energy¡­ With that alone, I''m convinced that Noel is strong." Jonathan muttered while blocking the beam.


    "What kind of monster has our Demon Relief Squad got this time?" Zion scratched the back of his head. "This couldn''t be called a battle anymore. Noel is simply bullying the Advanced Level Demon with only his Swordsmanship. If he starts using his Spirit Abilities, I don''t know what will happen¡­"

 Chapter 313 Not Enough

    Noel took a deep breath, staring at the demon before him. After learning how Noel fought this whole time, it started pouncing on Noel while releasing blue light balls around its body.


    All of these balls shot out beams that could kill Noel.


    Normally, he would easily repel this attack by using the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. But he had to consider what his second identity, Iadre, could do.


    Although he wanted to use all his strength here, if he gave these people too much information, they would realize Iadre was him.


    So, Noel had restricted himself to Everchanging Emotion Sword Style and Ice Spirit. Of course, Noel also nned to use his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style when he acted as Iadre, but he made sure no one was there first. As for the others, Noel could use his fire ability and Rune, which should be enough for him to climb the rank.


    As long as he became a vice captain, he should be able to find a way to retire and be a baron. At that time, he would start climbing the nobilitydder and reiming hisnd.


    So, in this fight, Noel had sworn only to use his Swordsmanship, honing it as much as possible.


    When he saw the iing beams, he leaped back, avoiding all of them. This wolf was clever. He knew that Noel Joy''s emotion which was used to protect could only handle one beam at a time.


    Hence, if it scattered its attacks, Noel had no other way but to avoid it.


    "Tsk. Is this the limit of his current swordsmanship? I can see that he''s still making awkward movements here and there, but is this really his current limit?" Ste gritted her teeth. She was annoyed that Noel couldn''t do much more, considering the uniqueness of the swordsmanship itself.


    "Mhm?" Jonathan raised his head and turned around as if feeling something. "Hey. Do you feel it?"


    "!!!" Ste instantly spread her presence and realized multiple demons wereing by. "Not good. We have to stop th¡ª!"


    Zion grabbed her hand, preventing her from interfering.


    "Zion?" Ste gritted her teeth, confused to why Zion stopped her.


    "That''s enough, Ste. We''ve discussed this. The reason why everyone wants to stop you from bing his mentor is due to this. Just take a look at it more calmly, he could sense the demon wolf earlier, so don''t you think he has felt those as well? Then, why is he not using all his power?"


    "!!!" Ste''s body trembled, realizing Noel had a n.


    Zion stopped her earlier, not because he wanted to endanger Noel, but because he didn''t want Ste to spoil him. As long as Noel hadn''t given up, he would believe in Noel.


    Ste bit her lips and decided to watch after him for the time being.


    As Zion said, Noel had sensed them with his Demon Hunter Medal. There were a total of four demons nning to ambush him. He didn''t know about their levels yet, but he felt they wouldn''t be too weak.


    The wolf had been howling this whole time and it turned out it was trying to call its friends. But because he acted alone earlier, his group had been separated from him, causing them to be dyed for this long.


    Noel kept fighting the demon wolf without an expression, not telling the wolf that he was aware of the demons that nned to ambush him.


    It was until onest moment when the wolf and Noel were about to sh, four demon wolves suddenly rushed to them and leaped into the air.


    *Aoo!*<sub> </sub>


    *Aoo!*


    ''Three Advanced Level Demons and one Mid Level Demon¡­'' Noel assessed their abilities.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The demon wolf before him smiled as if everything went ording to his n. However, Noel smiled back as if he made him think it was ording to his n.


    "!!!" The Advanced Level Demon was smart enough to realize Noel had calcted all this. *Ao¡ª!*


    Before it could rm the other demons, Noel leaped to the side.


    Noel waved his left hand and formed a snowke, throwing it at them.


    *Aoo¡ª!*


    The demons realized they were fooled. Unfortunately for them, their realization came toote.


    The snowke had touched them and exploded.


    *Boom!*


    "!!!" Ste, Zion, and Jonathan felt chill down their spines when seeing the ice st.


    "This is¡­" Ste gulped down, watching how a single explosion covered all five demons in ice. They couldn''t avoid it because they were pouncing on him earlier.


    Still, as one would expect from Advanced Level Demons, they released their Spiritual Energy and even their abilities and broke free from the ice. But it was clear that the cold had entered their bodies.


    The injured wolf and one other Advanced Level Demon got their bodies shaking while the Mid Level Demon waspletely frozen to death.


    "Is this truly an ability of a Spirit Wielder? What kind of Ice Spirit he has?" Jonathan asked with a grim expression.


    Noel had proven himself to be strong enough to join their Zero Squad. Some of the people from the First Squad were indeed a Spirit Master, but they werecking in talent.


    All of them were already middle-aged people, so it was clear that they didn''t have too much potential in going further. That was why they were not cut to be a member of the zero squad.


    However, Noel was different. He only learned everything for less than a year and somehow became this strong. His observation skill was extraordinary as well.


    Looking at these facts alone, Noel was truly a peerless talent. His future would be limitless as long as people allowed him to grow. They were d that Noel joined them because it would also elevate their status like when Septa joined his army.


    But amidst of their praises about Noel, there were two things they didn''t know. Noel was actually clicking his tongue while ring at the demons. "This is not enough. Ardagan, use my Skill Points to raise Freezing Crystal''s level."


    That was right. Thispetition was simply to let Noel find his weakness and solve it. He knew that his Freezing Crystal would be useless sooner orter, so he had to increase its level. This was the first thing that Ste and the others didn''t know. Noel''s system was beyond their imagination.


    As for the second one, it was¡­

 Chapter 314 Annas Overwhelming Strength

    "This is¡­" Paul was shaking, witnessing what was happening.


    In front of him was Anna standing on top of nine corpses.


    "Three Mid Level Demons and Six Advanced Level Demons are crushed by her. Is she truly a Spirit Wielder? This is already at the level beyond it¡­" Rose dropped her jaw to the ground.


    A few minutes ago.


    Rose was pointing at the northwest direction. "In that direction, there are a few demons. I can''t say the exact number but there should be more than five. Be careful."


    This instruction was given in consideration of Mid Level Demons in the mix. And she also wanted to see Anna''s limit.


    As long as Anna showed a sign of defeat, she would step in and kill the demons.


    However, the reality couldn''t be any different from her expectation.


    When Anna found the demons, there were actually nine demons.


    "This is¡­" Rose hurriedly stepped forward to stop it, but Anna raised her hand, stopping her.


    In this overwhelming disadvantage, Anna was actually smiling.


    "Will this allow me to win this game?" Anna smirked as she pulled out her sword. "I''m sorry, but all of you are going to die here."


    The demons were a pack of mountain goats.


    ''They are lightning mountain goats. They were fast and could run in any terrain. However, the danger came from their sturdy horns. Not only it was hard and could impale you, but the horns acted as a tool to conjure their Spiritual Energy. Yeah, yeah. I know everything about them¡­''


    She couldn''t help but recall her past life where she was stuck in a library, learning all kinds of knowledge about the demons.


    She was locked inside by her teacher back then because knowledge was necessary.


    And in this life, that knowledge was extremely useful for her to discern the demon''s type and weakness.


    "Lightning, huh? I have it too!" Lightning began sparking all over her body.


    In the instant the mountain goats rushed to her, Anna also confronted them head-on. She raised her palm and released forth a lightning bolt.


    The demon goats gathered their Spiritual Energy into their horns and shot it forward. This was the difference between fighting a single demon and a pack.


    The Spiritual Energy they shot forward actually merged with each other and created a barrier. This way, the mountain goats could rush to her without being hurt.


    When the lightning hit this barrier, it was instantly dispersed in all directions.


    "As expected, it''s hard for her alone to handle all these demons." Rose bit her lips and nced at Paul. "Should we step in, Paul?"


    Paul narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No. She isn''t this weak."


    As Paul said, Anna didn''t flinch even after her attack was neutralized that easily. Instead, she smiled and charged her lightning in her feet.


    She then stepped forward and kicked the barrier, confronting nine demon goats with her strength alone.


    *Bam!*


    The lightning was dispersed by the barrier and the strength behind that kick produced a shock wave that was also scattered in the area. Still, that kick managed to stop the demon goats for one second.<sub> </sub>


    "!!!" The demon goats didn''t expect that a human could stop them with a kick. They were enraged and pushed harder.


    Anna''s right foot was still on the barrier, but her left foot was sliding on the ground. She was getting pushed back.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Looking at this difference in strength, Anna actually said, "Fools."


    Suddenly, the ground beneath the demons exploded, discharging the electricity.


    *Boom!*


    Some of the demons were blown away while some fell to the ground after being electrocuted.


    Nheless, the barrier was crumbling. Anna took this chance to slice two demons in their necks, killing them.


    "That''s two¡­" Anna smirked while turning to the right, kicking the goat that was about to recover. Her foot discharged a lightning strike, creating a hole in the demon''s body. "That''s three."


    The demons behind her also had recovered and were about to ram her.


    But Anna waved her sword, shooting out lightning strike. This lightning strike surprisingly looped around her body and hit the goat from the side.


    Unfortunately, the demon goat had recoveredpletely. Seeing this surprise attack couldn''t kill it anymore as the demon goat used its horns to attract the lightning and turn it into its own lightning.


    *Mbeee!*


    The demon goat discharged that lightning from its horns.


    "As expected of Advanced Level Demon." Anna leaped into the air to avoid the lightning charge. She concentrated her lightning and Spiritual Energy in one spot and struck the goat''s horns in that concentrated spot.


    The lightning between the two sparked, shing with each other.


    However, the conclusion came in a sudden.


    *Crack!*


    "!!!" The demon goat widened its eyes, seeing its horns crushed by Anna. But that was thest thing it saw because nothing stopped Anna''s sword from cutting the goat''s head anymore.


    *Mbee¡ª!*


    The goat fell down to the ground while Anna smiled. "That''s four."


    Looking at this overwhelming strength from Anna, Rose was actually trembling. "Is she really a Spirit Wielder?"


    She couldn''t believe how a Spirit Wielder killed two Mid Level Demons and two Advanced Level Demons in an instant. It was simply too absurd, considering Anna had just graduated.


    "Cool mind, fiery heart, good judgment and extraordinary skill¡­" Paul closed his eyes for a moment. "So, this is the most talented person in the kingdom, Anna Stargaze. I have heard the rumor about her, but this kind of skill surpasses all the rumors.


    "She looks experienced and knowledgeable. She also knows how to utilize her strength very well. Last but not least, look at how she maniptes the Spiritual Energy¡­ I''m afraid that her control is better than mine."


    "Better than yours?" Rose gasped. "Are you joking?"


    "No. I''m not. Just take a look at the battle¡­ At first, she discharged her lightning through her right foot and the next second, she discharged it through her other foot and imnt them underground to st those demons. Then, her curving lightning strike as well as that concentrated lightning that could destroy the goat''s horns¡­


    "This is her strength¡­ Anna Stargaze''s strength." Paul said with a grim expression.

 Chapter 315 Newbie Medal

    "Huuu¡­" Noel took a deep breath while staring at the demons.


    ''As expected, defeating them won''t be that easy.'' Noel thought, trying to figure out another way to end this battle easily.


    The demon wolves became even more careful in approaching Noel, believing there would be another trap like earlier.


    As if taking advantage of their doubt, Noel leaped back like he wanted to run away.


    "!!!" The Advanced Level Demons instinctively chased after him. Although they were intelligent, they would still chase after their prey.


    Hence, the sign of Noel retreating was the signal for them to kill him.


    Noel smiled and formed the snowke again on his palm. He then tossed it to the wolves.


    The wolves had learned from the previous attack, so they immediately leaped to the side, looping around it.


    Unfortunately for them, they didn''t realize his Freezing Crystal had evolved.


    The moment it burst out, the ice explosion was far biggerpared to the earlier one. This explosion lowered the temperature even more and a huge ice crystal was formed in the middle of the explosion.


    This crystal had a longer reach than the previous one, engulfing two demon wolves. Meanwhile, the other two weren''t in good condition either. Due to how close they were to the ice crystal, the chill had seeped into their bones, causing their bodies to numb.


    The sudden change in their body got taken advantage of by Noel. He appeared in front of one demon wolf while shing his sword downwards.


    The demon wolf used its ws to deflect the de, but the wolf realized that was thest thing he should do at that moment.


    The moment the sword touched Noel''s sword, ice began to form on the wolf''s ws, spreading straight to the wolf''s body.


    *Aoo!*


    The wolf was howling in pain, but no other demon could afford to save him as two of them were frozen while thest one was quite far due to looping around the ice crystal.


    The sword sliced the wolf''s neck cleanly, finishing it in one blow. After that, Noel turned to the frozen wolf and changed his emotion.


    This time, he was using Disgust to make his sword like a blunt bat and struck the ice, crushing it into pieces. The demon''s body had also fused with the ice, causing it to be split into pieces ording to how the ice broke.


    "Two more¡­" Noel muttered while ncing at one frozen wolf and one angry wolf. The frozen wolf was trying to crack the ice this whole time.


    "I don''t have too much time. I have to kill this wolf as soon as possible." Noel looked at the angry wolf and used his Sword Aura that had been enhanced by the Body Strengthening Liquid.


    When he used his previous Sword Aura, the Spiritual Energy only enveloped the sword to sharpen it. However, the level of this skill had increased by three after using the Body Strengthening Liquid. He had even used it to strengthen his organ by evaporating it and allowing the vapor to enter his body.


    So, when he used his Sword Aura again, the Spiritual Energy burst out like a raging fire.


    Noel struck the wolf with this Sword Aura. Surprisingly, the Sword Aura bent the ws, allowing the sword to slice the wolf''s paw and all the way to the body.


    *Aoo!* The wolf dropped to the ground, still alive. Noel didn''t have a hobby in letting them suffer, so he immediately impaled the wolf''s head, killing it.<sub> </sub>


    After that, he crushed the ice before the wolf could escape, killing it.


    With this, Noel had sessfully killed five demons by himself.


    "Hu¡­" Noel let out a long breath to calm his heart down, seeing Ste and the others dumbfounded expressions.


    They werepletely shocked Noel was able to achieve this feat.


    While they were still stunned, Noel asked inwardly, ''Ardagan. I should have finished the mission, right?''


    [Mission: Peerless]


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat three Advanced Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: me Conjuring Ability and Newbie Medal.]


    [You''ve acquired me Conjuring Ability.]


    [You''ve acquired Newbie Medal.]


    Noel nced at Ste and the others, knowing he couldn''t show a weird behavior. So, he was staring at the demon''s corpse as if inspecting it.


    Meanwhile, he was asking Ardagan to do the entire thing for him.


    ''What is Newbie Medal?''C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Medal: Newbie


    Effect: Sword Mastery +2%, Spiritual Energy +2%, Rune Mastery +2%


    ''What? You serious? There is a medal like this?'' Noel was shocked because this might be the best medal he had ever got. It improved his overall ability.


    ''Now that I think about it, can I change my medal during the battle? I mean, depending on my medal, I might be able to handle the enemy in a different way. And yes, I''ve started feeling the difference in the amount of my Spiritual Energy with different medals.


    ''If my Spiritual Energy bes even higher, these medals will be very useful. I see. The mission is called Peerless but I get a Newbie Medal¡­ Does this mean this medal can evolve?''


    Ardagan didn''t answer that question yet. At the same time, Noel heard Jonathan''s voice.


    "You''re truly great. This is the first time I''ve seen someone like you." Jonathan smiled. "Normally, it''s hard for a Spirit Wielder to kill an Advanced Level Demon. The Spiritual Energy inside their body might be simr, but the demon has a stronger body, so the result is obvious.


    "That''s why we''re improving our skills. We hone our skill to the highest degree, allowing us to exert strength beyond our power. This will result in us being able to defeat a few people on the same level.


    "Take Ste as example, due to her precise strike, she could defeat four demons of the same level. So, I''m telling you this, please hone your skill continuously while you''re with us. Wee to the Demon Relief Squad, Noel Ardagan." Jonathan extended his hand.


    Noel smiled after getting acknowledged by Jonathan. He shook his hand. "Thank you. I''ll surely learn a lot here."

 Chapter 316 Assessment

    Ste walked over to him and said, "Everything is good. But do you mind if I suggest you something?"


    "Yes. Tell me everything I''ve done wrong." Noel nodded without hesitation. This was a chance to improve after all.


    "Then, I want to talk about your ability to envelop your sword first." Ste paused for a moment. "You should feel your it like a zing fire, right?"


    "Yes. I call it Sword Aura. The name is inspired by Spirit Aura Breathing." Noel lied a bit to smoothen the conversation.


    However, Ste didn''t care much about the name as she continued her exnation. "That''s good for explosive power, but what you''re using right now is a sword. What is a sword used for?"


    "Mhm? Everything?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. His Everchanging Sword Style allowed him to wield the sword like a bat or even a shield, so there was nothing wrong with his answer.


    But Ste facepalmed and said, "I mean, in general. Your case is unique."


    "To cut and stab the enemy." Noel corrected his word this time to match what she wanted.


    "Exactly. What you should focus on right now is your control over Spiritual Energy. Imagine if you can tame that zing fire and turn it into a calm Spiritual Energy that sharp the edge of your sword? The ws earlier will be sliced like butter.


    "As I said earlier, you are kind of unique who used a sword like everything. If you can control your Sword Aura precisely, you could turn that sword into anything you like."


    "Ah!" Noel finally understood what she wanted to say.


    "As for Spiritual Energy Control, Paul and Jonathan can help you with it."


    "I''ll help him." Jonathan nodded, excluded his own Spiritual Energy, and formed a ball purely made of Spiritual Energy from his palm. The ball then transformed into a sword, a shield, and a spear. "See this? I''ll be helping you in controlling your Spiritual Energy to this level."


    "I understand. I''ll be looking forward to it." Noel thanked him, excited to grow even stronger.


    "Then, I''ll take care of your Swordsmanship. Spare some time in the morning to spar with me."


    "Mhm¡­ But I always have a spar with Anna." Noel politely declined. It wasn''t like he didn''t trust Ste. He just felt Anna had more refined swordsmanship, and there was also a mission involving her. There was no way Noel wanted to throw away all those free benefits.


    "Hmm¡­" Ste narrowed her eyes. There was actually another reason why she set up this punishment game. Whoever won, she wanted to see their orders. She tried to discern the rtionship between Noel and Anna.


    If they hated each other, Noel or Anna would surely give an absurd order. At that time, she would be wary of Anna because she was a threat to Noel.


    But seeing how Noel preferred Anna over her made her doubt her decision.


    She thought for a moment and said, "In that case, what about the normal physical training? Do you run?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Then, I''ll join you. I''ll also bring some equipment to develop your body further."<sub> </sub>


    "If that''s the case, then I''m fine with it." Noel nodded.


    "That''s all for now, I guess. I can''t reallyment on those different sword strikes because I still can''t understand the concept behind them. At the same time, it seems you know how to improve them, so I''ll focus on your foundation instead."


    "Alright." Noel agreed with her.


    "Good. For now, you can continue with what you''re doing and win this game. We''ll be taking care of the corpses for you." Ste nodded and gave a thumbs up.


    Jonathan waved his hand once and the Demon Crystals came out of their bodies, flying toward him. This was his way of telling Noel not to worry about the rest.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    With such reliable people behind him, Noel started going to the peak to hunt as many demons as possible.


    Of course, Anna was also doing the same. She also had reliable people beside her like Rose, who could inform her of the location of the demons near them.


    That was why thepetition between the two was fierce. No one wanted to lose.


    Paul, Ste, and the rest of the people had gotten used to Noel and Anna''s extraordinary strength. They kept showing their power to let them know they were reliable.


    Although they were not Spirit Masters like them, they indeed could rely on them in some easier tasks.


    This was extremely useful for Rose, who was in charge of the group''s movement with her illusion ability.


    They didn''t know ra was actually watching their game from the peak. No one even realized she was there this whole time.


    She smiled, knowing there were two talented people in her group.


    "Anna is like a polished diamond. She is talented and seems to be experienced. The thing she needs is probably Spiritual Energy, and from the looks of it, she isn''t that good at helping people. So, I guess her purpose in staying here are those two.


    "As for Noel, he is a rough diamond. Although he isn''t as good as Anna, the fact he reaches this level alone in less than a year shows how talented he is. He''ll learn in the group and gain more experience. And from the report, it says the people love him more than Anna, so I can expect a lot of things from him.


    "Either way, there are two talented childrening to my Demon Relief Squad. I''ll surely develop them." ra smiled and disappeared as if she had satisfied her curiosity.


    ¡­


    And finally, the sun had reached the top of their heads and thepetition had finished.


    Rose informed them not to go back to theke to show the result of their hunt.


    Noel and Anna were standing next to each other with their Demon Crystals lying on the ground. From one nce, they seemed to be umting the same amount of Demon Crystals, but they had to calcte it carefully to know the result.


    Jonathan stepped forward and said, "I''ll be counting your Demon Crystals. Are you ready?"

 Chapter 317 Draw

    Jonathan lifted their crystals with his Telekinesis andpared their number by lining them up in the same way.


    "Oh?" Paul narrowed his eyes. "Anna got 23 Advanced Level Crystals and Noel got 22 Advanced Level Crystals. Impressive."


    Even though the number of Advanced Level Crystals showed Noel had lost, Paul didn''t dere the winner immediately.


    Jonathan then lifted the Medium Level Crystals, showing the difference.


    "Amazing." Paul nodded with a serious expression. "Anna got 68 Medium Level Crystals and Noel got 77 Medium Level Crystals and¡­"


    He nced downwards and saw one small Demon Crystal lying next to Noel. "¡­ one Low Level Crystal. This is amazing¡­ You are so lucky."


    "¡­" The others rolled their eyes. In this area, they would hardly find a Low Level Demon. So, you could be considered lucky to encounter one.


    Still, a Low Level Demon couldn''t amount to a Mid Level Demon, let alone an Advanced Level Demon. They didn''t know whether they could call it luck or not.


    "A closepetition." Paul nodded. "I''m surprised. After seeing Anna''s overwhelming strength, I thought she would win. But it seemed Noel had done his best as well."


    Paul nced at Ste, who proudly nodded her head.


    "That''s why I suggest Noel is the winner. Ten Low Level Demons are equal to one Mid Level Demon and ten Mid Level Demons are equal to one Advanced Level Demon. This ismon knowledge. It seems that Noel iscking nine more Low Level Demons, but in this area, his luck is immeasurable, considering he could find one Low Level Demon, which should be a Mid Level Demon if not Advanced Level Demon.


    "If it was a Mid Level Demon, it would be a draw, but if it was an Advanced Level Demon, which was most likely to happen¡­" Ste smirked.


    "No can do. Low Level Demon is Low Level Demon. It''s Anna''s victory." Rose stopped her, not wanting to follow her order.


    "Just take a look at this, Noel hunted more monsters than her. It was proof that he could win if he encountered one Advanced Level Demon among thosest ten demons."


    "If you consider luck is a part of one''s strength, then Anna is luckier than him since she encountered the right amount of demons. In a battle, you can''t say you''re lucky because your opponent identally hit your vital despite you having dealt many shallow wounds and expect people to say he''s lucky because you don''t hit a vital spot among those strikes." Rose red at her.


    "You can''tpare them. You should know that¡ª"


    "I don''t care what you say. A win is a win!" Rose red at her.


    "It seems that you want to fight." Ste smirked while holding her de''s handle.


    "Sounds right. Why don''t I make your idol grovel before me?"


    "You''re making someone''s father do that? It seems that the Demon Relief Squad doesn''t want to ept him."


    "You¡­"<sub> </sub>


    Rose and Ste were ring at each other while the others only looked away as if trying to ignore them.


    Anna pped her hand and said, "How about we call this a draw? This is just a wee game for us anyway."


    "¡­" Rose and Ste stopped for a moment and turned to her, finding her awkward smile. They couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed to show such an immature action.


    "That''s true¡­" Rose coughed once to regain her bearing while saying, "This is just a wee game to test your ability. And we have agreed that we can trust you to watch our back. So, there''s no need to continue."


    "Indeed." Ste ultimately agreed since they should better spend the time introducing the two newbies to the Demon Relief Squad''s work.


    "Still, we can''t really drop this game easily. This is also a part of our tradition. The game is basically telling you if you don''t want to get ordered around, you should get stronger. And that''s how this Zero Squad has be stronger this whole time." Paul stopped them and gave the suggestion. "In that case, how about this¡­ We won''t call it a draw, but both win and lose simultaneously. So, each of us has the right to order the other party once!"


    The group looked at Paul for a moment and nced at each other.


    Even Ste and Rose seemed to have reached an agreement. "Sounds good."


    "Then, that''s decided." Paul nodded and ended the game. "The order can only be used today. Since that said, let''s go back."


    Ben came to them and brought a demon''s corpse. It was a boar demon that was somehow found in this ce.


    He said, "I''ve brought the meat. This should be enough to feed us and the rest of the people in the vige."


    "Good work, Ben. As expected of our all-rounder." Paul gave a thumbs-up and waved his hand. "Alright. Let''s go back. Anna, Noel, you two can get the Demon Crystals. You were the ones who obtained it anyway."


    Noel and Anna nodded and grabbed their crystals. In their mind, they were thinking about what kind of Order they would give.


    Noel and Anna smirked while ring at each other as if saying, ''Just you wait¡­''


    Paul couldn''t help but warn them after seeing their smirks. "Just in case you don''t know about the limit, you shouldn''t force someone to do something exaggerated, you know. There''s no way they willply if you ask them to run around the vige naked. Just make sure you know the limit of your order, alright?"


    "Don''t worry. My order can easily be done." Anna and Noel said in unison. They were in sync as if they had known each other for years.


    "¡­" Paul looked at their enthusiastic face and shook his head helplessly, letting the two youngsters do whatever they wanted.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The group simply went back to the vige for lunch before they started working again until dusk.


    Unbeknownst to them, Ste was hiding something from them. She nced at Anna from time to time as her heart became cold. If not for her bright mood and wide smile, she would give one''s chill down their spine.


    But little did Ste know, Anna noticed her nces this whole time¡­ a nce of hostility.

 Chapter 318 Intention

    "Mhm. This is nice." Rose let out a satisfied moan, annoyed Ste who was massaging her.


    That was right. Her order to Ste was to massage her.


    Ste obviously got annoyed since they were the only women in the Zero Squad, considering they couldn''t consider ra as a part of the Zero Squad. So, they often challenged each other.


    "Should I do a sensual massage for you?" Ste smirked while grabbing Rose''s butt firmly.


    "!!!" Rose red at her. "You¡­ Do your job correctly! I don''t order for that!"


    "Tsk." Ste clicked her tongue and looked away. However, her hands still massaged her.


    However, she soon heard Rose''s voice. "So, have you confirmed everything from this punishment game?"


    "¡­" Ste''s expression changed as she looked at Rose, who was closing her eyes to make herself morefortable. She sighed. "So, you know about it?"


    "They''re pretty famous, you know. Anna Stargaze was the one asking for the Ardagan Family to be executed. Thanks to his father''s previous achievement, Noel Ardagan was spared and exiled to the Demon Banner Army.


    "The main purpose in sending him there should be to let him die from monsters. Yet, he manages to ovee all hardship and reaches this ce as a talented knight.


    "But the problem is Anna''s presence. Why did shee to the Demon Banner Army in the first ce? It was a mystery. In one nce, it looked like Anna wanted to kill Noel with her own hands. If that was the case, Anna wouldn''t wait this long.


    "With her abilities, it was a simple matter to kill him. Yet, she didn''t¡­ At the same time, Noel and Anna''s talents were pretty simr.


    "Although I couldn''t understand itpletely, I could see Anna is experienced despite her age. This is weird even for me. I can understand her being strong and knowledgeable due to her talent, but experienceses from age. That''s why I can''t understand how her behavior doesn''t match her age.


    "Even if you mature early like Noel, it gives off a different feeling. And don''t you think it''s weird that someone can pinpoint our weaknesses that easily? As if she is a veteran who has fought thousands of battles.


    "That was why I knew you were plotting something when you suggested that punishment game. You were trying to make Noel and Annapete with each other to know which Order they would give to the other party.


    "If Noel won, you would know he wanted to kill Anna if his order was excessive and vice versa. But this time¡­ I''m not very sure if they''re going to order something that bad. From the looks of it, they don''t seem to have a hatred between them. Instead, they''re like best friends who have gone through many life-and-death battles.<sub> </sub>


    "So¡­ what are you nning with this?" Rose finished her analysis with a sigh. She hadpletely deciphered Ste''s intention. Rose added, "The fact that Anna is so experienced means there''s a chance that she has felt your intention, Ste. Are you nning to fight the Marquis Family?"


    Ste paused for a moment and said, "I guess only you who can read me like an open book."This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    "How many times do you think we havepeted with each other?"


    "Haha, that''s true." Ste sighed. "Still, I don''t like sitting around either. Noel is clearly talented, very talented. He might easily surpass Septa at this rate. You should know about Septa''s talent, right?"


    "Yeah. He started at 16 years old and climbed through the rank to be a Captain ss Individual at age 23. It was said that he could be the nextmander." Rose nodded. "If I''m not wrong, Noel is 15 years old right now¡­ and he is already a Spirit Wielder."


    "Yes. Reaching Spirit Wielder at age 15, then Spirit Master at age 17, and Spirit Grandmaster at age 20. This is just my rough calction without knowing the extent of his talent. He can even reach that step even faster and has the possibility of bing a Captain ss Individual at age 21. Don''t you think it''s a waste to kill this individual?" Ste bit her lips.


    "It''s a waste if you think the benefit of having such a talented individual. But the royal family and the Stargaze Family have executed his parents and seized his family''s assets. With that kind of grudge, don''t you think he will be a threat to them? This is such a world¡­ where if you have too much talent, you''ll be a threat to others."


    "That''s why I want to understand their rtionship." Ste nodded. This was her concern. She had to know whether Noel would die or not. Although she couldn''t help him too much, Noel was still her idol''s son. So, she wanted to help him as much as possible.


    "I understand your concern, but he is not that weak. Anna might be more experienced, but Noel is more cunning. All you can do is to observe them for the time being¡­ Ah, right. I think you have one way to help him. Why don''t you ask him to train together with you? Just separate Noel and Anna."


    "I have asked him about it, but he prefers to spar with her instead of me. Though, he will be with me for physical training."


    "Hoh?" Rose narrowed her eyes, interested in this matter. "Sparring with her? Does that mean he wants to beat Anna to release his hatred?"


    "I don''t know. That''s why I''ll be watching them. They''re still 15 years old anyway. No matter how hard they hide it, they''ll leak out killing intent in one way or another. I won''t miss it." Ste nodded.


    "Is that so? Well, just don''t bother them too much or that hostility will be directed at you. I know that you''re concerned about him, but I''m the type who will trust him. I think he wants to deal with his situation himself." Rose smiled, stood up, and stretched her body. "Hmm, my body feels very light. It''s time to eat. Ben should have finished cooking."


    "¡­" Ste looked at Rose who shamelessly walked away. She clicked her tongue and walked outside.

 Chapter 319 Order

    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna were staring at each other in a tent as if nning to use their orders right away.


    "How about you say it first? What do you want me to do?" Anna asked.


    "I''m a gentleman, sodies first." Noel extended his hand to Anna, throwing the chance at her.


    "Mhm¡­ if I say mine first, you can easily change what you want after that." Anna harrumphed, ring at him.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I wouldn''t change my decision." Noel shook his head.


    "Yeah, you wouldn''t because you haven''t made the decision. There''s nothing to change if you haven''t even made one in the first ce." Anna rolled her eyes, knowing how Noel''s brain worked.


    "¡­" Noel looked away before saying, "How about this, we write down our order on the ground and show it to each other at the same time?"


    "That''s a good idea. Though, why the ground? If we want to write, we write on paper."


    "Don''t waste ink and paper." Noel shrugged and stood up. "Anyway, let''s write it outside."


    Anna didn''t think much about the ink and the paper, but she forgot the fact they were camping with the Demon Relief Squad. The supply was limited.


    They hadn''t learned anything about their supply route, so it was better not to touch their supply if possible. This was Noel''s thought.


    Anna and Noel ended up walking outside and used their swords to write on the ground. They made sure their bodies covered the writing until they finished.


    "Are you done?" Noel asked.


    "Yeah. I''m done." Anna nodded.


    "Then, let''s turn our back at the same time and show it."


    "Sure."


    Noel and Anna turned around and stepped to the side, showing their order.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Massage me before midnight."


    "Cook me something before midnight."


    "Huh?" Both of them widened their eyes because they were asking for something before midnight.


    "Why do you want me to cook before midnight?" Anna asked, confused.


    "You too, why do you want me to massage you before midnight?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, suspicious.


    "That''s because my birthday is tomorrow. Tomorrow is when I be an adult. Normally, there would be a ceremony for this and the party will be big, but because I''m here, can I at least ask for something nice?" Anna exined her decision.


    Surprisingly, the exnation was the exact same as Noel''s.


    "Eh? Yours is tomorrow too?" Noel blinked his eyes a few times, shocked.<sub> </sub>


    "Eh? You too?" Anna covered her mouth while sucking a cold breath.


    "My father used to celebrate it because he wanted to feel joy before the harsh winter," Noel exined before making a weird expression. "What''s wrong with this situation¡­ Are you sure your father hasn''t told you anything?"


    "No, no. Shouldn''t I be the one asking it? Your father was the one manipting things in the shadow, so I can''t see any reason for not suspecting your father."


    "My father is gone now. Only your father is around, so you should ask your father about this!"


    "That''s true¡­" Anna looked down, contemting. "There are simply too many coincidences. The n to make me murder your parents, our birth¡­"


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t say he wasn''t suspicious either.


    "Well, I would be going back to my family after this, so I would be asking my father about it. You surely don''t mind if I use your name to check my father''s reaction, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. He also felt strange about this coincidence. He didn''t know how much his father was involved, but the marquis, his best friend, shouldn''t be that oblivious to his n too.


    "Still¡­" Anna nced at the order and used her feet to remove the writing on the ground. With this, there was no order given to each other since she erased Noel''s as well. After that, she said, "How about this¡­ I''ll cook us something for us to celebrate, and you''re going to help me. We can''t really celebrate it any other time since we can''t disturb the others."


    Noel nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."


    Noel and Anna finally reached an agreement. After that, they were simply following the group to finish whatever they were nning to do today.


    And it seemed they had a good work bnce because they stopped the moment dusk came. Each of them went somewhere as if retiring for the day. However, Noel and Anna knew that they were using this time to practice.


    Noel and Anna obviously would do the same if they didn''t n to celebrate their birthday tonight.


    They let go of their swords just for today as Noel and Anna searched for some vegetables to cook.


    Anna made a simple but delicious meal. She also made sure the others didn''t notice since it was better not to disturb them.


    That night, Noel and Anna met each other in the back of their temporary house in this vige with a bowl in their hand. The soup gave them warmth on this cold night.


    While leaning their backs against the wall, they were looking at the sky together.


    "Still, I have never thought that I would be sitting together with you like this." Anna smiled.


    "That''s true. I have always thought about killing you. But after reading that letter, I don''t know how to feel about you." Noel sighed. "Even right now, I still hate you, but that hate gives meplex feelings. It feels like I hate you, but I can''t hate you at the same time."


    "I have realized everything I''ve done wrong in the past. I have no excuse for that because I truly thought about killing your parents for the sake of stability in the past. But when I realized it, I immediately rode my horse to you, wanting to fix my mistakes.


    "You were the one teaching me a lesson that I would never forget. You were the one who changed me." Anna smiled, reminiscing about her past. It was tough, but she truly grew up.


    Noel misunderstood her words. Since he didn''t know about his past life, he thought the execution was a lesson for a lifetime. Or that might be what his father''s n was to change the daughter of his best friend.


    Noel remained silent and just sipped the soup.


    "Congrattions to both of us for bing an adult."

 Chapter 320 Desire

    Noel and Anna spent one week in this vige.


    The first three days were spent to introduce to all kinds of works they usually did in a vige. In the restoration of the vige, they helped constructing the wall and buildings. They even dug the ditch and filled it with water.


    There was a lot to learn and the reason behind those constructions. And each time they worked on something, they surely utilized their power in a unique way that could help them in finishing their work.


    Just seeing it alone made Anna and Noel confused, trying to find a way to help them with their strength.


    ? It was hard for both of them, considering three days weren''t enough to handle it. But they could only continue working on this matter.


    The next four days were spent in training.


    Noel had a spar with Anna as always, but Ste seemed to be sticking close to him as if she wanted to learn about their current level after watching their hunt previously.


    Her excuse was, ''Because I have to create a good physical training schedule for you, I have to observe you a bit longer to see what you need.''


    Noel epted her logical reason because it was impossible to learn everything about someone with a single hunt.


    After that sparring, Noel went over to Ste to practice together with her.


    They started it with running, which was obviously a chance for Noel to talk about something with Ste.


    "I don''t know if it''s appropriate for me to say this, but I feel like you have known me before, Ste¡­" Noel looked at her while furrowing his eyebrows. He felt Ste purposely approach him because of something as if wanting to separate him from Anna.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Ste''s body shook a bit. She made a weird smile while pointing at herself. "Am I making it that obvious?"


    "Not really." Noel shook his head. "But your attitude toward me is different from the others."


    Ste scratched her head, wondering how to exin it. In the end, she let out a sigh and said, "Well, I idolized your father. Do you know how much your father has helped the people, including us?"


    "I''m not very sure. I do know that my father has charity work aside from his business. But I don''t know much about the details."


    "That charity work extended to a third of the kingdom. It provided people with water, food, and protection. It could be said that your father single-handedly created the second Demon Relief Squad.


    "We would be very grateful every time your father extended his hand to the ce where we worked because the entire work became even smoother.


    "And in one vige, a small vige girl, who almost died from starvation, got helped by him. It was the reason for me to join the Demon Relief Squad. I wanted to help people like how your father helped me.<sub> </sub>


    "Even if I couldn''t do it at that scale, with my current position, I should be able to get a lot of money, which could be used for that. That''s why I want to help his son¡­ because¡­" Ste paused at that moment.


    However, the reason was obvious to both of them. It was Anna.


    Noel didn''t know what he was nning to do to Anna because of the letter from his father. But he still said with a serious expression. "I appreciate your feeling and desire to help me, but I ask you not to get involved in my matter. I''ll solve my problem with my own hands."


    "!!!" Ste paused for a moment, staring at Noel''s serious expression. This was his resolve and duty. If he could only ask for help, how could he reim his right as a noble who helped others? That was why he wanted to solve the problem with Anna with his own hands.


    Ste bit her lips before making an awkward smile. "I guess that''s how you are. I''m sorry if I somehow make you ufortable."


    "No. I''m really thankful for your feeling."


    "Mhm. But if you need help in the future, don''t hesitate to talk to me." Ste pumped her fist as if she was raring to go.


    "Well, if you don''t mind, please help me to get stronger. What you know about me is that I am Luke Ardagan''s son. And people will think of me as such. However¡­" Noel raised his hand as if trying to reach the sky. "I want the people in the future to know me as Noel Ardagan, not someone''s son or someone from the Ardagan Family. And for that¡­"


    "You have to get stronger." Ste finished his words. She couldn''t help but feel admiration after listening to him.


    Despite falling to rock bottom, Noel still had a fiery desire to write his own future. With all the experience and deeds on his back, he wanted to leave a legacy that everyone could remember.


    He wanted to tell them, "This is Noel Ardagan''s legacy," not, "This is a story about the son of Luke Ardagan, who chased after his father."


    Ste took a deep breath, realizing the son wanted to surpass his father. She couldn''t help but feel a bit excited to see how far Noel could go. And in one chapter of his life, there would be a story about her.


    Ste smiled and said, "If that''s the case, then I won''t hesitate to help you! Are you sure you can follow me?"


    "Of course. There''s no need to hold back." Noel nodded with a smile.


    It was the start of their gruesome training together.


    The training onlysted for four days because the group had to start moving to their next destination. The time limit given by ra was two weeks, but they had to use one week to reach their destination, so they could only go today.


    And just like how the people always reacted when Noel left, the people in the vige stood together in front of their vige, waving their hands as they watched them leave.

 Chapter 321 World

    Their group had two carriages to bring all their equipment, from tents to construction tools. The first carriage was handled by group A and the second one was given to group B.


    In the front, Noel and Ste were sitting in the front, with Ste holding the helm.


    Since Noel had nothing to do, he was staring at the map to see the path they took. "Ehm¡­ If I''m not wrong, we''re going through the Vines Mountain, right?"


    "No, we''re going the other way, through the Leimas in. It''s a in, so we should pick up some speed. If we go through the mountain, we''ll need two weeks to go around it. I mean, that''s not a problem if we''re in our house and don''t have to care about our carriage. But we''re not¡­"


    "But¡­ Leimas in is¡­" Noel pointed at the Leimas in that had been marked red. This red mark only meant one thing.


    "Yeah." Ste nodded. "It''s past the border. In other words, we''re going through the demon territory."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He had heard that the area across the border was very dangerous. The demons over there were more aggressive and stronger. Unless they were confident in fighting those demons, they shouldn''t go near the border.


    "Well, it must be scary if you learn it when you''re training. But it''s better to experience it yourself. There aren''t many differencespared to this ce, except for more demons." Ste paused for a moment before a smile appeared on her face. She looked at the sky and said, "Do you know about this story¡­ In the past, humans once conquered the world. We ruled over all living beings in this world."


    Noel fell silent, listening to this story. This was a story about ancient times.


    "Suddenly, the demons started emerging in the world. We don''t know what the cause was and where it starteding from. But the demons soon filled the world. They entered one thing after another. They turned our animals into demon beasts, trees into demon nts¡­ They infected all living beings."


    Noel paused for a moment and asked, "Now that I think about it, is there any record of a human being infected by the demon?"


    "Mhm¡­ I haven''t heard about such a case. The demons were supposed to infect the living creatures with less intelligence than us. From what I''ve heard, the demons have the same intelligence as us, so they can only devour the consciousness lower than them, which is the animals and trees.


    "It might be due to the mobility as well, but the nts are rarely infected. After all, the demons will have to live there for the rest of their lives." Ste exined.


    "Mhm¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "I mean, if the world was once ruled by humans, shouldn''t there be a record about a rare case like that? I mean, how big the world ispared to our kingdom''s territory or maybe all of the human territory?"


    "That''s a good question. Even I don''t know how big the world is¡­ Though, I''ve heard that if you keep advancing toward the east, you''ll find a ce filled with water. The water expands to the horizon to the point you will be surrounded by water. This is what I heard from my past friend who once lived in Aikuvell Kingdom." Ste exined. "The more amazing thing is that this water is salty and if you evaporate the water, you can get salt."


    "Salt¡­" Noel widened his eyes in surprise.<sub> </sub>


    "Yes. Our kingdom uses the salt extracted from the ground called Rock Salt. Even themoners there won''t have any problems with salt. They even imported their rock salt to our kingdom."


    "Mhm. That sounds like a good ce to live¡­" Noel nodded.


    "Well, we also have our own advantages. We might not be near that waternd, but we have found several mines that we can use to strengthen our forces. Do you know there is another living area that is said to have a living being that is not human?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "It''s said they''re the product of abination between human and animal. Humans might have good adaptability, but animals have superior strength. In the past, people wanted tobine them to create a strong soldier.


    "They seeded and they''re thriving. However, there was a conflict between humans and this new race, causing all of us to weaken each other.


    "Because their number can''t bepared to the humans, they''ve been expelled and stayed there for generations. But at that time, human territory had been reduced to tenth percent of our original size.


    "ording to the record, it seems we have regained another ten percent, which means, all thebined human territory is simr to a fifth to what we had back then."


    "Oh¡­" Noel was amused by the story. "Then, is there any record about the past civilization? I mean, we''re reiming our territory, right? There should be some traces out there."


    "There should be some. In fact, the reason why we know there''s a mine or not is because of the previous map. However, only the royal family has the right to see that map, considering it has been controlled by the four great forces¡­"


    "But if it''s the royal family, won''t they just be sending you to your death if they lie to you?"


    "That''s true. Though, unless they''re aplete fool who wants to ruin the kingdom, they won''t do that on arge scale. Besides, themander should be one of the few people who were given the right by the royal family to see that map, allowing him to make another decision different from the royal family. You should know about the power bnce in the kingdom, right?"


    "Yes. There are three great forces in our kingdom. The Royal Family is the head that directs the kingdom. The Demon Banner Army is the sword that fights the demons and expands the territory. Andstly, the Tower Association¡­ they''re the ones developing the kingdom with their knowledge."


    "Yes. They''re keeping each other in check to make sure the kingdom can still run. If one of the leaders is aplete fool, the kingdom won''t be destroyed because there are the other two. But it''ll be a different case if two or even all of them are fools. I just hope it won''t happen."


    "Well¡­" Noel nodded in agreement.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 322 Demon Banner Army

    "Though, that doesn''t stop them from trying to eliminate us." Noel shrugged, speaking from experience.


    Ste fell silent, understanding Noel''s anger. Although the three of them were keeping each other in check, it didn''t change the fact that those three would turn a blind eye if one of them targeted someone not important to them.


    In this case, if the Royal Family wanted to eliminate Noel, themander would turn blind eyes to this case since it didn''t hurt the Demon Banner Army that much.


    But it would be a different case if Noel had be a Vice Captain or even a Captain. The Commander would fight the Royal Family to the death if they dared to eliminate Noel.


    This was the reason why Noel nned to hide his identity until he became a Vice Captain, allowing him to change his career from the Vice Captain to a Baron. He would immediately reim the empty Ardagan''s territory without hesitation and themander would help him in that matter.


    At the same time, Ste didn''t know that themander was working with the Third Prince. The Royal Family should have heard about Noel''s graduation, but they hadn''t sent anyone to eliminate him. It should be due to the influence of the Third Prince.


    As for the Tower Association, he didn''t know anyone from that ce, so they must remain Neutral, Noel thought.


    Noel scratched the back of his head, apologizing. "Sorry. It seems my casual remarks make it awkward. Still, do you mind telling me more about the state of the world? This is the first time I''ve seen someone so knowledgeable."


    "I read books before sleeping." Ste shrugged. "Alright. Let''s go back to the previous topic. Where were we earlier¡­Ah, right. The map!


    "The map is where our current situationes from. You should know the Demon Banner Army has fifteen squads, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Basically, the fifteen squads are divided into three categories: Sword, Shield, and Hammer. Sword means fighting on the frontline. They''re people who fought the most since they''re the ones expanding our territory. This year¡­ Should be Captain Shale''s time. His Demon Extermination Squad is one of the swords. There are also Demon Hunting Squad and so on.


    "If you want to be rich, strong, or influential, you should go to the swords since it''ll give you an opportunity to grow as fast as possible.


    "As for the second category, the shield¡­ It''s basically the ones fortifying what the Swords have done. For example, they create bases and supply routes along with protecting the exhausted soldiers from the swords. The Demon Barrier Squad is among them and they''re the ones who will hold next year''s training.


    "If you want a stable and safer path of advancement, this is a ce to go. Though, sometimes, they''ve to bolster the other squads to make sure the expansion can keep going.


    "Last but not least, the hammer. They''re basically the ones handling the misceneous stuff. We are the Demon Relief Squad, which handles the living area near the border since it''ll be affected by the demons. I mean, the kingdom keeps expanding, so it''s clear that they''ll send people to live near the border. That''s where wee in.


    "There is also Demon Observation Squad, whose captain is one of the most talented people the Demon Banner Army has received in years, Septa. And a squad like Demon Construction Squad is the one creating a fortified base that can be used as a temporary headquarters for the advance squad.<sub> </sub>Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Basically, the Sword, Shield, and Hammer cooperate with each other to expand," Ste exined.


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Then, I heard there are five elite squads among those fifteen squads¡­"


    "Ah, these five elite squads just mean they''re the favorite. They''re judged by the strength of their captain, the overall power of the group, their work, and so on.


    "The current five elite squads from the first to the fifth are Demon Destroyer Squad, Demon Extermination Squad, Demon Shield Squad, Demon Assassination Squad, and our Demon Relief Squad."


    "Huh? Our squad is that strong?" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    "You don''t know about it?" Ste thought Noel came here because they were the top in the Hammer Category, but it seemed she was wrong. "Well, the strength of the captain matters a lot to the ranking.


    "For example, thirty years ago, no one came close to the Demon Assassination Squad. It''s like their golden age because of their Captain. He was known as Shadow. All kinds of enemies whether they were from normal people or even the Supreme Devil Organizations were scared if they knew the Shadow had invited them to the abyss. It was said that if Shadow kept working for at least another decade, he would be able to be themander.


    "But he chose another path and no one ever heard about him anymore. And right now, the Demon Assassination Squad could only reach the 4th spot.


    "At the same time, our Captain, ra, is the best after many generations. He might be a healer, but her spirit is a type of spider. Her threat can reattach the blood vessel and even the limbs. But you don''t mess with her¡­ As I said earlier, she is like a spider¡­


    "Last year, Paul teased her too much and she ended up getting angry. She sewed his lips, eyes, and limbs and even attached poison that made his body in pain before hanging him on a wall upside down for a whole day."


    "¡­" Noel blinked his eyes a few times as he couldn''t believe it. "Seriously?"


    "Yeah. That''s why no one wants to provoke her anymore. Even on the battlefield, she once sewed a bird to a ball andpressed it to death."


    "¡­" Noel pointed at himself. "Then, aren''t our lives in danger?"


    "Hahaha, not really. The punishment is severe and she is a sadist, but as long as you don''t provoke her, she will be your best captain andrade. Just remember not to mention anything about her sadistic nature and age. After all, she is our young and beautiful captain."


    Noel sucked a cold breath, remembering why they suggested to call her by using ''captain'' instead of other titles.


    "I''ll remember it."

 Chapter 323 Fighting A Peak Level Demon (1)

    "It''s here." Ste smiled while pointing forward. "We''ve reached the border."


    Even though Ste said so, Noel couldn''t see any differences. They had been traveling on the in for a while, so there wasn''t any change in their surroundings.


    Ste chuckled, seeing Noel''s confusion. "I told you earlier, right? There aren''t that many changes whether we''re still in the human territory or not, except for more demons. We''re barely crossing the border, so we won''t find too many of them, but if we continue our way to that direction¡­"


    Ste pointed at their left and continued, "You''ll start finding more and more demons."


    "Still, there would be many Low Level and Mid Level Demons, right?"


    "Of course. Or how do you think they''re found inside the kingdom? The border to the demon territory is vast, so it''s impossible to block everything, especially since we''re expanding continuously.


    "And the stronger squads must have killed enough Low Level Demons for them to use and sell the rest for their pocket money. I mean, that''s how you be rich in the first ce." Ste smirked. "Even I have a quite amount of money."


    "So, you have absorbed Low Level Crystals to the limit¡­ How about the Mid Level Crystals?"


    "Yeah. I''ve finished it as well. I''m working on the Advanced Level Crystals right now."


    "I see." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If that''s the case, how do you usually split the crystals among all of you?"


    "We usually gather the amount until everyone can get one each. So, if you have five crystals, you won''t get the split for the time being until we get another crystal. If you have ten, everyone could get one and wait for another one after another two crystals."


    "I see."


    "And because there''s an addition of both of you, we''ll split every eight crystals."


    "Huh? But¡­" Noel was confused for a moment. It was clear that they wouldn''t be able to contribute as much as the others, but they actually nned to split it with them too.


    Ste patted Noel''s shoulder and said, "No need to think too much. You are one of us now, so there''s no need to feel reserved. Just make sure you keep getting stronger, and who knows, in the near future, we might be the ones getting your kindness."


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, realizing there was a group like this. They still cared about their personal achievement, but it didn''t stop them from functioning as a group. In fact, the group looked more solid.


    "I understand." Noel nodded with a serious expression. When he was about to ask her something, Rose''s voice suddenly resounded in their ears.


    "On our left!"


    "!!!" In that instant, all people were rmed. Even Ste turned to the left to see what was going on, finding a gigantic cheetah running toward them. The demon was covering all his feet with purple-colored Spiritual Energy, and his bloodshot eyes were targeting them.


    Paul jumped into the field, pulled out the warhammer on his back, and said, "It''s a Peak Level Demon. Rose will keep watching our surroundings. Ste, Jonathan, and Zion will take care of it. Understood?"


    Ste smiled while handing the reign to Noel. "Just keep it stable. It won''t take long. Don''t forget to watch how we fight¡­ It might be an important lesson for you."


    Noel nodded, staring at the three of them who were about to take a Peak Level Demon on.


    When Noel saw this demon, he could feel chills down his body. There was a dense amount of killing intent fell on top of his body. In the demon''s eyes, he was nothing but prey.<sub> </sub>


    "This is¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice while looking at his shaking hands. "Not good. The demon''s gaze alone is enough to make me trembling. And if I take another look at it, each time the demon takes a step, the ground underneath waspressed downward.


    "This is only the step, what''s the feeling of taking down a Peak Level Demon?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, wondering the difference between an Advanced Level Demon and a Peak Level Demon.


    He once fought against the Ancient Demon Tree, but that demon couldn''t even muster a percentage of its original power. So, he never had seen the strength above Advanced Level.


    Ste was smiling when Noel watched intensely. "Well, gotta show off a bit. Help me, will you?"


    "Just don''t be too reckless because he might catch your stupidity." Jonathan shrugged.


    "Stupid? Noel has recognized me as a knowledgeable person, you know. So, just support this time." Ste harrumphed. "Stop him for me."


    "Tsk." Jonathan clicked his tongue but still walked forward. He looked at the cheetah with an annoyed expression.


    The cheetah let out a roar filled with Spiritual Energy. The roar sted everything on its way. Even the ground was swept by the sheer pressure. And this st went straight to Jonathan.


    "!!!" Noel was astonished. "A single roar can even shatter the earth? Then, Jonathan¡­"


    He was worried about Jonathan, who had to take this roar, but it seemed his worry was unnecessary.


    Jonathan simply waved his hand and the pressure was suddenly pushed by an unknown force, neutralizing it.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Annoying. If you''re a cat, then no need to be that fierce!" Jonathan waved his hand down. "Kneel!"


    "!!!" The demon suddenly felt tremendous pressure that fell on top of him.


    *Bam!*


    The ground suddenly cracked as the pressure continuously pushed down the demon.


    *Roar!*


    The demon tried to resist the pressure, but the more it exerted strength, the more the ground was destroyed.


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. "This is¡­ Telekinesis. It''s so strong."


    "Well, it''s truly strong. Jonathan is a master of Spiritual Energy''s maniption. Normally, Telekinesis is used to wrap the target around it and then lift it. However, Jonathan has a different style. Instead of wrapping the tiger with his telekinesis, he is controlling the air to push downwards. The amount of control you need to even start influencing the air¡­ Even I can''t replicate it."


    "Oh¡­" Noel nodded in agreement, understanding Jonathan''s strength. However, he also nced to Ben who had been standing next to the carriage this whole time. "I''m sorry, but since when you are here?"


    "That''s your question?"

 Chapter 324 Fighting A Peak Level Demon (2)

    Meanwhile, the fight still continued. The cheetah was struggling to resist the pressure. Its Spiritual Energy kept rising and eventually, the cheetah let out another roar, sending forth a st to all directions.


    *Roar!*


    The shock wave from the st hit the pressure on top of him, scattering it.


    But when the cheetah was about to move to kill Jonathan, Zion suddenly appeared on top of him, falling down with his foot covered in Spiritual Energy.


    "He said kneel, you idiot!" Zion dropped a kick at the cheetah''s head and knocked it to the ground.


    The loud crashing sound echoed in the field and the cheetah had his head nted on the ground.


    This was the time Ste made her move. Since the cheetah had been restrained, she covered her sword with Spiritual Energy and struck the cheetah''s head. The Spiritual Energy turned into wind and scattered upon hit.


    The gale was so sharp that it cut the cheetah''s skin, covering the cheetah head in hollow wounds.


    Ste didn''t stop here. She continued moving to the side of this demon and struck her sword again, scattering the wind and cutting the skin as well.


    She struck the cheetah a few more times,pletely covering his entire body with wounds.


    The Spiritual Energy from the demon''s body became even fiercer.


    "Oh, this is not good." Ste muttered while leaping back to regain some distance. In that instant, the Spiritual Energy erupted, creating a shock wave that pushed all of them back.


    The demon stood up again while releasing a roar. The roar''s strength was simr to the first one that could destroy the ground, but this time, the roar spread in all directions, causing a massive destruction to the area.


    "Is this the strength of the peak level demon?" Noel sucked a cold breath.


    "There are two states of mind for the peak level demon: calm and berserk. In the calm state, the demon usually uses their brain to fight their enemies. They are skillful and annoying. However, their full strength will be unleash if they''re in berserk state. In that state, they''re drawing all the potential in their body and fight like a beast. So, yeah¡­ Choose your poison."


    "Calm and skillful, insane but strong," Noel muttered while contemting. "I see. Depending on the situation, you can make them berserk or keep them calm¡­"


    "That''s right. Well, they''re unnecessarily making this demon berserk¡­ Someone is probably wanting to show off. Yeah, this must be Ste." He pointed at Ste and said, "Her Spirit is a Wind Spirit. She scattered her wind to find a weak spot. Still, as expected of a Peak Level Demon, its skin is tough. Low Level and Mid Level demons would have died in a single hit."


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, realizing the wounds truly covered the body. This way, she could see which wound was the deepest to concentrate their attacks on that spot.


    Without anyone noticing, Ste had actually regrouped with the other two. She said, "The ears, the eyes, the tail, and the leg''s joints. Zion, you kick the tiger''s legs while I cut the rest. After that, we''ll deliver the killing blow."


    "Got it." Zion nodded and leaped to the demon.


    The demon instictivelyy gathered its energy on its paw and stomped Zion. Thetter smiled for a second before disappearing from that position.


    Still, the paw actually shattered the ground around that area. If he took it head-on, Zion might probably get injured.<sub> </sub>


    Fortunately, Zion''s speed was enough to avoid this paw as he went straight to the other leg and kicked the joint.


    *Bam!*


    *Roar!* The demon screamed in pain as the shock wave from the kick cracked the ground. It turned out Zion''s kick wasn''t any weakerpared to the demon''s. And that kick dislocated the bones, causing the demon to fall down.


    It was at that time, Ste came in. Instead of dispersing her wind like earlier, Ste concentrated that wind to cut the demon''s ears.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demon became angry but he couldn''t hear their movement anymore. He could only rely on the smell and vision to track them, but Jonathan didn''t allow him to do that.


    He concentrated the air with his Telekinesis and pushed it to the eyes.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    The demons felt the fluctuation of the Spiritual Energy, but because it couldn''t move due to Zion''s attack, the demon could only close its eyes, hoping the eyelids were strong enough to protect his eyes. The demon even lowered down his head to avoid this attack.


    *Bam!*


    The telekinesis ended up hitting the demon''s forehead, but this was enough for Ste because she had arrived in front of the eyes. She shed her swords horizontally, cutting both of the eyes.


    *Roar!*


    The demon was truly helpless when fighting against these three. It tried to resist with its Spiritual Energy again, but Jonathan wrapped his body with Telekinesis, suppressing the Spiritual Energy for a few seconds.


    After that, Jonathan raised his other hand and lifted a huge chunk of dirt.


    Ste''s eyes shed as she cut down the dirts, turning it into a nail. With Jonathan''s cing it right on top of the demon''s head, Zion gave enough strength for the nail to impale the head with his kick.


    *Bam!*


    The demon couldn''t do anything as it was already half dead the moment the dirt entered his head. And Ste delivered the killing blow by slicing its head through the hole from the nail.


    "And this is how we fight. In the end, the demon couldn''t use all its strength," said Ben as he watched how the three finished a Peak Level Demon. "Of course, there is only one demon this time. Normally, we have to take care of the other demons as well and if there are two Peak Level Demons, we''ll have some trouble.


    "Just imagine, we have to take care of two of that demon while holding off at least thirty to forty Advanced Level Demons, let alone the numerous Mid Level and Low Level Demons."


    "I see. Still, it''s amazing." Noel nodded in understanding. "Although I can''t really handle a Peak Level Demon, I hope I can somehow lessen your burden."


    "No need to rush. Besides, Rose will be the one giving you instructions."

 Chapter 325 Ditch

    Noel had learned so much during the fight. How Ste precisely aimed for a certain spot, how Jonathan controlled his Spiritual Energy or how Zion managed to restrain the demon. It was something he never tried, considering he only had one partner, Anna.


    During the trip, Noel kept asking question after question to Ste to the point she was overwhelmed by his drive to improve.


    On the other hand, the group also learned about Anna''s cooking level.


    There was a weaker guy who had the desire to improve and there was a strong girl who almost had everything. They looked like aplete opposite, but they truly filled each other''s weaknesses.


    Anna wanted to make sure Noel didn''t surpass her while Noel had the desire to surpass her. This synergy allowed them to improve tremendously and broke the record of the Demon Banner Army.


    They kept finding demons on their path, but they were lucky that the demons came by themselves, not bringing an entire pack, allowing them to eliminate them quickly and continue.


    Whenever Peak Level Demons came, Ste and the others would take care of it. Meanwhile, Noel and Anna had the tasks of handling the Low Level Demons to Advanced Level Demons.


    Ste also gave some advice about what he did during the battle, refining Noel''s swordsmanship even further. Though, she still couldn''t see through Noel''s Everchanging Emotion Sword Style and she didn''t ask about it because it was the same as asking for his strength and weakness. If she was a bad person, she would use that information to defeat him or get some benefit.


    Eventually, they reached to their destination, the Lawrence Fort.


    The fort was surrounded by a 15-meter tall wall. It was pretty high, considering no demons should be able to jump over it. However, they could see fresh bloodstains on the wall, meaning there was a fight recently.


    "By the way, Rose. What''s the information about this fort?" Paul furrowed his eyebrows, observing all the details from the outside.


    "Lawrence Fort is the pride of the Lawrence Earl Family. They have been standing for fifteen years and keep stopping the demons. The Demon Banner Army and the Lawrence Fort have a mutual rtionship.


    "The fort can be used as a temporary base or a checkpoint for our supply route. Earl Lawrence has also been poaching our knights to join his family to handle this fort. And the Demon Crystals are their main source of ie."


    Paul narrowed his eyes and said, "Since the fort is quite famous and has been standing for over fifteen years, how in the world does this fort have no basic fortification like a ditch?"


    "Mhm?" Rose didn''t know how to answer it as well.


    Ste used those words to give some more information to Noel. "Do you know the basic fortification like a ditch?"<sub> </sub>


    Noel surprisingly nodded. "Yes. Normally, you want to dig a ditch before even building the wall. You stack the extra dirt behind the ditch and build the wall on top of it. So, if you dig five meters, the ground for the wall also increases by five meters. But because the two goes different ways, they will sum up, elevating the wall for ten meters.


    "There are also many benefits for using a ditch. If another kingdom wants to attack you by using a siege tower, they''ll have to fill the ditch first or the tower won''t be able to go near the wall. And during that time, they''ll be rained by our attacks. And if you fill the ditch with water, no one will know how deep it is.


    "The same applies to the demons. So, having a ditch is a must to build a fort¡­ That''s why I also don''t understand why the fort who has remained for so long in the frontline doesn''t have a single ditch. Well, Sir Shale kept telling a story about his friend who alwaysined about ditches."


    Ste chuckled. "Haha, if we''re talking about Captain Shale''s friend, it must be the captain of the Demon Protection Squad, Captain Boris. Captain Boris is what we known as ditch brain, not muscle brain. It can''t be helped, he once defeated five hundred demons just by using ditches."


    "That''s¡­ kinda amazing to be honest."


    "True. If you put a great effort into it, even a joke is a serious job¡­ That''s how we haveedians." Ste pointed at the fort. "Then, why do you think there is no ditch?"


    "I''m not sure." Noel shook his head helplessly while pointing at the wall itself. "From what I can see, although the blood has covered the wall, I still can see some Enchantment put in there. So, I believe the Enchantment can still be activated to protect against a powerful attack.


    "This means the wall itself is the primary wall. There aren''t any walls behind that one. So, only fools will allow the primary walls to not have a ditch. If I can assume things, then there are two possibilities. First, the one in charge of this fort is corrupt. Or the demons are smarter than we believe because they''ve filled the ditch."


    "¡­" Ste fell silent while ncing at Rose, who seemed to agree with Noel''s opinion.


    "Well, we won''t get involved with the government, so let''s ignore the first one." Rose thought for a moment. "What''s about the second one? Are there any demons with that ability?"


    Paul couldn''t help but say, "Even if there is one, this demon must be an Advanced Level Demon or even a Peak Level Demon. It seems that we will have some trouble this time. For now, let''s enter the city and get some information. I''ll give you another instruction after that."


    "Understood." The group nodded.


    The group immediately drove their carriage to the city on high alert. They were making sure no demons suddenlying toward them.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Two soldiers suddenly shouted at them from the top of the wall. "State your identity!"


    Paul took out his badge and poured Spiritual Energy, letting it shine. "Paul, Vice Captain of the Demon Relief Squad. I request you to open the gate."

 Chapter 326 Bad News

    As soon as the gate was opened, they were greeted by a man in full armor. He took off his helmet as a formality and greeted them. "I''m Captain Henderson, the one in charge of the south wall. It''s an honor to meet the Demon Relief Squad here."


    Paul nodded and shook his head. Although he didn''t look like he was doing anything, he was actually observing Henderson''s condition. Normally, people would have taken off their helmet before meeting someone, but Henderson seemed to be paranoid to the point he had to confirm the other party first before taking it off.


    "Nice to meet you. We''ve heard the distress call from your fortress and shall help you. So, who is in charge of this fortress?" Paul asked.


    "The one in charge of this fortress is the second son of Earl Lawrence, Hagen Lawrence." Henderson replied, but his smile seemed to be superficial. "Let me guide you to his mansion to discuss about the current situation."


    "Understood. I appreciate it." Paul agreed and Henderson immediately asked someone to stand in for him as he had to bring the important guest.


    As soon as they entered the fort, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. He had seen the Demon Banner Army''s fort, so it was clear how different the lives in these two forts.


    The Demon Banner Army''s fort was filled with life and hope. The people who lived there were smiling, and the fort was brimming with merchants.


    Meanwhile, the Lawrence Fort had no lives in it. There were people here and there, but they had the look of a dead fish.


    It seemed Ste could sense it as well and said, "Noel. Can you tell Jonathan and Zion to take over the reign? We''ll go inside. Tell Rose and Anna to go inside the carriage as well. This fort is bad news."


    "Got it." Noel nodded with a serious expression and jumped off the carriage to tell those people. Before long, everyone sneakily changed their positions, with Noel, Anna, Ste, and Rose hiding inside the carriage.


    Noel wasn''t supposed to be here, but because he was still new, Ste invited him to give him some more information.


    "It seems you have noticed it as well." Ste looked at Noel with a grim expression.


    "Yes. My senses might not be as sharp as yours, but I still can see it." Noel confirmed it without hesitation. The people were looking at them as if they were prey. They paid special attention to Ste, so Anna and Rose should receive the same treatment.


    "Although in most ces, the ce near the wall are slums, I don''t think it''s a slum before, considering how that Henderson doesn''t act differently toward these people. In other words, it bes one only recently," Ste exined.


    "The reasons for that are due to the demon''s attack and the mismanagement," added Rose. "Even if you''re attacked by demons, it won''t be much of a problem if the upper management is good. They can raise people''s morale and our group wille to help them. That''s the normal case.


    "However, there are times when there is no care from the lord of the fortress. Due to the demon invasion, the people will lose their jobs because they can''t take care of their farms and the merchants can''t help revolving the economy.<sub> </sub>


    "At that time, the people will suffer. From the size of this fort, they should have enough food in their storage to feed people for at least a month. But the situation has be like this when the attack started only three weeks ago.


    "This is a proof that the one in charge of this fort can''t do his job properly. Well, I apologize if you feel insulted as a noble, but that''s my honest criticism."


    "No. That''s understandable." Noel shook his head. "Then, the only thing we have to find is the condition of the lord himself. We''ll be able to see how much the people have suffered."


    "Yes." Anna nodded in agreement. In the past, she wouldn''t care much about these lowly people, but meeting Noel had changed her perspective. She realized how evil she looked in the people''s eyes and took this criticism head-on. In fact, she was thankful for Rose to point everything out.


    "What do you usually do if you encounter this situation?"


    "First of all, it''s better to hide the women. Well, we all are strong enough to protect ourselves, but it''s gonna be annoying, considering our fate can be much worse than dying. As for the men, they''ll take care of everything. Although Paul looks like a muscle brain, his mind is calm and collected. And Ben will take care of the negotiation. Are you going with them too, Noel?" Ste asked.


    "I''d like to, but Lawrence and Ardagan don''t really have a good rtionship. So, I might have to stay here with everyone to not make the discussion more problematic." Noel sighed.


    "Hehe, just tell me that you want to stay with us,dies." Anna teased him.


    "Then, do you want to meet him? If I''m not wrong, Lawrence is one of the families that wants to marry their son to your house." Noel red at her.


    Anna looked away, not wanting to answer that question.


    "Well, that''s why we''re in a group. We can rely on the others in this type of situation." Ste chuckled, de-escting the situation. "Anyway, we''re going to deal with the demons as soon as possible. I don''t care much about the noble stuff, but it''s the people who suffer. By finishing this job, the merchants cane back and the economy will be revolving again."


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "By the way, it''s better to use this." Rose, who had been searching for an item inside the carriage, brought them a few coats that could cover their entire bodies. "It''s winter, so anotheryer of coat won''t matter that much. Besides, there will be many people dying in this winter due to this attack, so as Ste said, it''s better to finish this job before the snow starts falling."Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Got it."

 Chapter 327 Bad Lord

    Paul and Ben walked into the mansion while Jonathan and Zion were left to protect their carriages.


    Under the guidance of Henderson, they met the butler of the mansion, who guided them directly to the guest room, who wanted to wait for their lord.


    "What do you think, Ben?" Paul asked after making sure they were alone.


    "It''s not good. The mansion is guarded tightly but the people are suffering. It''s as if he fears the people will get crazy and start a rebellion because of the government''s own fault. And the fact that he is here without getting prepared to meet us means the lord is someone who isn''t standing by¡­ I mean, the time right now is like an hour before our lunchtime, so usually, the lord is working right now.


    "The fact that they''re making us wait this long during this day means the lord is doing something else¡­ It doesn''t seem to be sleeping due to overworking either." Ben exined while looking around the room. "As expected, we should finish this job as soon as possible. And I don''t think it''s a good option to live somewhere in this city¡­"


    "So, we''ll immediately head out and exterminate the demons. Well, scouting first, so I guess we''ll camp outside."


    "Yeah. That''s probably the best option right now. Five days¡­ No, four days should be enough."


    "Sure. I''ll also put some work into this mission. I don''t want to put my people in this kind of situation as well." Paul nodded.


    It took the lord twenty minutes before he entered the room with the butler.


    "I apologize for making you wait too long." He said. The lord was a twenty years old young man who had spiky, short red hair. He dressed neatly like that a noble, but Paul and Ben noticed the faint odor of alcohol that the body was releasing. There was even a sweet perfume mixed into it.


    They never thought that when the fort was facing its difficult time, the lord still had the time to get some women, ignoring the suffering of his people. It was no wonder why the fort had this terrible atmosphere.


    Still, Paul and Ben couldn''t show their dissatisfaction right now. Although the Demon Banner Army wasn''t afraid of nobles, they didn''t want to provoke them either. Unless the noble showed the sign of aggression, it was better not to show any dissatisfaction.


    With a smile on his face, Paul extended his hand, shaking the guy''s hand. "Thank you for weing us. I am Paul, the Vice Captain of Demon Relief Squad. We''ll be helping you remove the demons. This way, the merchants can return here to help you restore the fort."


    "Merchants?" He had a confused expression at first before he brushed it off as if he had just remembered. "Ah, right. Yes. I''ll take care of my fort. You must be tired, I''ll prepare rooms for your squad."Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "That''s not necessary, my lord. Our Demon Relief Squad''s main mission is to restore the city, so we would like to eliminate the demons as soon as possible for the sake of this fort. We won''t give you more problems since you must have a lot on your hands already." Paul politely refused. This was how he usually rejected a noble, and thetter usually was thankful because of his consideration.


    However, this twenty years old lord had a sign of dissatisfaction on his face as if it was hurting his pride. This was when the butler stepped in and said, "We''re thankful for your consideration, Sir Paul. But we don''t like to mistreat you, who has gone all the way here to help us, either."


    "There''s no need to think about it. We exist for the sake of people, so as long as the people can smile, that''s enough for us." Paul rejected him again.


    But to his surprise, they seemed to be insisting that they stayed. The Lord asked, "I guess my humble mansion is nothing more than a shack to the people of the Demon Banner Army."<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" Paul frowned. If he rejected it again, there would be a sh between the two fractions. He nced at Ben, who was contemting the pros and cons of staying in the mansion and somehow gave the nod.


    It seemed that staying in this mansion gave less troublepared to sh with the Lawrences.


    In the end, Paul said, "Since the Lord has given us the ce to stay for the night, we shouldn''t reject it."


    "Good." The man made a smug smile while walking away. "Prepare the guest rooms."


    "Understood." The butler nodded his head.


    Paul and Ben furrowed their eyebrows while walking back to the entrance to talk with the rest of the group.


    Since they were already near the mansion, there weren''t many people around anymore, so Ste and Rose left the carriages while taking off their hoods.


    "How is it?" Ste asked.


    "It''s not that good. We have to stay in this mansion tonight to avoid trouble. However, we''re going to report to Captain ra to file a formalint to the Demon Banner Army so that themander can send it directly to the Lawrence Family. If Earl Lawrence doesn''t have any intention to fix this problem, the Lawrence Fort is going to fall." Paul shook his head "For now, we''ve got to put up with it."


    "I see. It seems the problemse from both external and internal." Ste nodded in understanding. "Well, tell us about the situation about the lordter."


    "Alright." Paul nodded. "I''m truly sorry for making this decision."


    "No, it''s fine. We trust your ability and it seems Ben has agreed to it as well, so it''s better to do it like this to not create more problems." Rose nodded.


    "Thanks." Paul smiled as he prepared to lead the group inside.


    Rose maintained her poker face, but as someone with the most sensitive senses in the group, she felt an unpleasant gazeing from the window on the second floor.


    She used her illusion a bit to make her head keep looking forward while the real her nced at the window, finding the lord licking his lips vulgarly.


    "Tsk."

 Chapter 328 Problem

    Because of the team situation, Paul had insisted in separating them into three rooms. The beds a noble usually used were big anyway, so three people could easily fit into one bed.


    Paul and Zion took one room while the other three boys took the other one. The threedies also got into one room.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna was simply staring at Ste and Rose who had been getting restless.


    "What are you two thinking?" Anna was still oblivious. In her past life, no one dared to disrespect her due to her strength and status. Besides, she often stayed in the inn instead of a mansion like this when traveling, so she didn''t know what they were mulling over.


    Ste sighed and exined it, "Well, do you know why most people dislike nobles, especially the second generations?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know." Anna shook her head.


    "Well, those who are in power usually have greed, enough greed to get something more. And they love to do it with someone in power as well¡­"


    "Do it with someone in power¡­" Anna mumbled it for a moment before realizing what she was talking about. "Ah!"


    "Well, there are people who like it too, and they sometimes can marry the nobles or be their mistresses, living a life of riches. However, not everyone likes that. We''re lucky that we''re in the Zero Squad and our words matter to the captain, so they can''t do much to us, but if it''s the people from lower status¡­ Yeah, you can imagine.


    "And sometimes nobles are even worse to the point they dare to drug us. No one will remember what happens, and the army doesn''t extend that much protection. That''s why if possible, we usually stay away from the government.


    "But the second generation is worse. They don''t even know what their actions can cause to their family along with the politic behind them. They think they''re at the top of the world and can do everything they want. When that happens, usually the main house will be handling that matter, but you can''t undo what has happened¡­" Ste exined with a grim expression.


    Rose couldn''t help but add, "More importantly, Paul and Ben had to wait for a while to talk to the lord, who was supposed to be standing by in his office to do some work. And that guy released a smell that looked like he had been ying with alcohol and women. I''m sure you know what I mean¡­"


    "Ah!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was the first time she had encountered this problem.


    At the same time, Ste and Rose''s words actually pierced her heart. She had changed now, but before meeting Noel, she was like that too. She killed and did horrible things to innocent people just like the second generation nobles. And the reason why she hadn''t gotten into trouble must be because of her father, the marquis. Everyone was either silenced with death or money.


    "¡­" Anna closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "I see. So, that''s how it is."


    "Well, we''ve encountered this situation a few times in the past, so we''ll handle this problem." Ste assured Anna that everything could be settled peacefully. "If I''m not wrong, he''ll most likely to appear before¡ª"


    Before she finished her words, someone knocked on their door.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*<sub> </sub>


    "¡­" No one could say anything because Ste predicted it right.


    Ste and Rose nced at each other as if asking who would go.


    In the end, Ste decided to confront this guy. She opened the door gracefully and found the lord waiting outside.


    "My lord." Ste politely bowed her head as a sign of respect to a noble. She made sure to block the view to the entire room. "Is there anything you need from us?"


    As expected, the lord took a nce to the inside, but because almost all of it was blocked by Ste''s body, he couldn''t see anyone. He smiled and said, "I wonder if you like the room. If you feel it''s too cramped, I can prepare another room for you."


    "I''m thankful for your concern, but that won''t be necessary. The bed is spacious enough for all of us."


    "Is that so? If you need anything, don''t hesitate to tell me."


    "Yes." Ste nodded.


    "And¡­" He paused for a moment and hesitated at thest second. He changed his words, "And I''ll be preparing your lunch and dinner for today. I hope that all of you can join me. I want to hear your deeds because I admire the Demon Banner Army."


    Ste nodded. "Certainly. We''re thankful for your reception."


    "If that''s the case, I won''t disturb you any longer." He politely nodded and walked away.


    Ste''s expression became cold while looking at his back. She could already predict what was going to happen.


    As soon as she closed the door, she nodded to Rose and Anna. "Yeah. As expected¡­ I''m sure you''ve heard the conversation, right?"


    Anna nodded. "Well, I''m more troubled than ever, considering my face is known and Noel''s family doesn''t have a good rtionship with this family. So¡­"


    "Don''t worry about Noel. Paul will make sure that no one from our squad is looked down. As for you, we''ll just give you some details about what you should do and what you shouldn''t do.


    "Besides, looking at how he invited us for lunch and dinner showed how he wanted to ask the favor¡­ ording to our experiences, he is most likely nning to use us to boost his own reputation. You can say he has messed this fort up and use our efforts to make up for it or even boost his own prestige.


    "And this is why the second generation is so clueless. To enter the Zero Squad, one needs the drive to learn, including politics, economy, and manners¡­ So, yeah. The moment he tries to take advantage of us, themander has all the excuses to pressure them. All we need to do right now is to protect ourselves and solve the problems."


    Anna nodded in agreement and said, "I understand. I''ll learn as much as possible from you. This is my first time looking at the noble life from another''s perspective¡­"

 Chapter 329 Leaving

    As expected, the lunch was where the hell broke loose. Noel and the others had prepared themselves for this lunch. Although they were from the army, they still had some neat clothes to make them not look like a bunch of barbarians.


    In fact, some of them even used their military uniform, which already looked elegant. Noel also used one since he didn''t want to bother to look like a noble.


    When they entered the dining room to meet this young lord, they were surprised that the lord''s seat was still empty as if he had something to do.


    It became even more surprising that he actually made them wait fifteen minutes as if trying to assert his dominance.


    He entered the dining room with a smug expression as if he had done a good job.


    The people remained silent as they didn''t want to cause unnecessary problems. But it seemed that the other party wanted to make a problem with them.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The moment he entered, instead of sitting on his seat, he actually made a detour to Ste and Rose, who he had seen earlier.


    "Well, I hope youdies have a great time here." He politely ced his hand on his chest and bowed to greet them.


    Their expressions already said they had been fed up with this situation. And Anna''s appearance was the one that started the problem.


    "This is¡­" He widened his eyes in shock, never expecting to meet Anna Stargaze in this group. "Miss¡­ Anna. I¡­ I don''t know you are among them. If I knew you were with them, I would have prepared a bigger room for you."


    "There is no need. I''m a part of the Demon Relief Squad, so I don''t need special treatment." Anna was still polite to him after all this, but his action began to anger her.


    When he realized Anna was among them, he took another look at the group again and realized he had missed one more person. It was Noel.


    "Noel Ardagan!" He gasped before making a sly smile. "Well, well¡­ I have never expected the young master of the fallen Ardagan Family toe here. Ah, are you so pitiful that you can only leech off your enemy to reach that position?"


    That statement was like a zing fire to everyone''s ears. They understood what Noel meant by not wanting to show himself because it would just create more problems.


    If the Earl was here, he would be wise enough to act as if Noel didn''t exist. But the young lord before them was still immature and didn''t know the depth of politics.


    The moment he stated those words, all the people from the Zero Squad became cold. They could endure the lustful action and disgusting behavior from him because they were more experienced than Noel. But enough is enough. They stopped enduring the moment he insulted Noel, who had been sensible this whole time.


    Suddenly, a cold voice echoed in everyone''s ears, giving chills down their spines.


    "It seems that the Lawrence Fort doesn''t ept us. If the lord invited us here only to embarrass us, then we''ve received your kindness. If that''s the case, my squad will leave this ce at once. We''re thankful for your hospitality."


    Paul stood up and said, "We''re leaving. NOW!"


    The others didn''t say anything and just stood up to follow him. Noel and Anna were shocked at first but since the others only followed instruction, they also did the same.


    They were following Paul without saying anything.


    "Wait, wait! What did you say? I have given you a ce to stay and food to eat, and you dare to leave now?!"<sub> </sub>


    Paul stopped, turned around, and gave him a cold gaze. "It seems that you misunderstand something. You''re not giving us all these, you''re forcing us into all these. If you think you can bully us just because of all these, then we''ll file a formalint.


    "However, we''re from the Demon Relief Squad. Unlike the Lawrence Family, we know our job well and willplete it perfectly. After all, we exist to help the people, not the Lawrence Family. Then, please excuse us."


    Paul didn''t say anything after that and simply went back to their rooms to pick up their luggage. They hadn''t unpacked their luggage as if expecting something like this to happen, so they could leave with ease.


    But the lord hadn''t finished his farce. The moment they stepped out of the mansion''s door, they were stopped by twenty soldiers.


    He was standing among the soldiers while shouting, "You can''t leave!"


    "Hoh?" Paul red at the soldiers. "Are you nning to stop us?"


    "If you want to leave, you have to ept my condition first."


    When Paul was about to burst out, Anna grabbed his arm, stopping him. This time, she was the one to step up.


    "Miss¡­ Miss Anna¡­" His body trembled a bit.


    "It seems that the Lawrence Family has gotten a big head now. Even the soldiers dare to point out their weapons to me, the sessor of the Stargaze Marquis Family."


    Anna walked toward the soldiers without fear and opened her arms wide. "Come here. Stab me if you want to stop me from leaving."


    "That¡­ hurry up and put your swords away. How dare you stop Miss Anna from leaving?!" He was trembling, but his eyes seemed to be pretty determined. He could let Anna leave but not the rest.


    "So, you''re nning to stop my people as well? Can I safely assume that the Lawrence Family is nning to go against our Stargaze Family?" Anna looked at the soldiers before a huge palm grabbed her head as if praising her for her action.


    However, there was a time for the vice captain to step up. Paul smiled and said, "There''s no need for you to do it like this. We''re here as a Demon Relief Squad. Even if they have a hundred soldiers, they can''t stop us."


    Paul gathered his Spiritual Energy into his hammer and swung it down, creating a shock wave that dispersed on the ground.


    *Bam!*


    The shock wave wasn''t enough to destroy the ground, but it was enough to create a loud sound for everyone to hear. Even the people around the mansion would be able to hear it.


    Paul said with a smile. "Those who think they can defeat a Spirit Grandmaster cane forward. I shall be your opponent!"


    Paul red at the soldiers, who were trembling in fear the moment they heard ''Spirit Grandmaster.''


    "Demon Relief Squad, let''s leave." Paul snorted the moment the soldiers started dropping their swords. He then led the group to leave the mansion through the front gate.


    Though, amidst the tension created by this conflict, Jonathan was actually enjoying himself when he was using his Telekinesis to carry the two carriages and the horses like holding a balloon.

 Chapter 330 Suffer

    The group didn''t say anything as they left the city immediately.


    They ended up creating a camp not far from the city to have their lunch before finishing their mission.


    "Still, why do you stop me?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, asking the reason for Paul''s action. "I want to smash a few soldiers and that guy''s head. Argh¡­ I''m angry!"


    Paul maintained his calm expression even though his heart was filled with anger as well. He took a deep breath and said, "Not everything can be solved by strength. I know that you are a nobledy, but this is the Demon Relief Squad. We''re here to help the people, not harm them."


    "But aren''t you frustrated after all that?" Anna bit her lips.


    "Well, calm down, Anna." Noel stopped her from causing more ruckus and bringing the mood down even further.


    "This is involving you, Noel!"


    "It''s fine. I believe that our vice captain has a hidden intention with his action, right?" Noel winked at Paul as if he had understood the meaning behind the action.


    "Huh? Hidden intention?" Anna frowned, staring at Paul.


    "As expected of you, I guess my action can''t escape your eyes." Paul smirked. He finally exined the reason why he held back this whole time. "As I said earlier, not everything could be settled with brawn.


    "Sometimes, you have to take a step back and endure everything to get your revenge. I wanted to m that table earlier, but I refrained myself. Our Demon Banner Army is fair and just, so if I destroyed the table earlier, it would also give a bad record to the Demon Banner Army, especially the Demon Relief Squad.


    "The Earl could also use it as a way to lessen the damage he suffered. Then, if you made your move earlier, it would also give another way for the Earl to escape.


    "Well, I was once in your position and smashed a lot of things and people to vent my anger. But that was where the reality struck me¡­ I couldn''t even file a formalint because the damage was too excessive. There couldn''t even be a negotiation.


    "And the worse was when that guy sent assassins to kill me¡­ It was where I knew how to draw the line.


    "By not harming them right now, the negotiation could be formed and punishment could be delivered.


    "Judging from his behavior, the condition he wanted us to make is probably to let him take the credit by making reports about mercenaries. He could im he hired a mercenary group to fix the situation and boosted his status as the sessor of the house.


    "But he looked like a fool, so I''m pretty sure that the moment we finish this mission without telling him or anything. He''ll still im our work as his. And that''s where we can strike him.<sub> </sub>


    "The Lawrence will be fighting themander himself, who will demandpensation after the Lawrences tried to im our work, treating us badly and even pointing their swords at us. You should be able to see the end result from here."


    When everything was revealed, Anna gasped. This was the politics that her father had handled this whole time.


    Noel understood it better than Anna as he said, "Let''s see¡­ The Demon Banner Army should be able to force the Lawrences to strip his position as their second son, reducing him to amoner. With him being a spoiled guy like I was in the past, he wouldn''t survive unless someone took care of him like how the Demon Banner Army took care of me.


    "In the slum, he might get r*ped by frustrated guys, experience extreme pain from hunger, drink polluted water due to his thirst, and finally die without anyone knowing him. He''ll probably think that death is salvation instead. It''s a good punishment.


    "Also, by acting like this, the action is still considered as Demon Relief Squad. It won''t be Paul, who did it, but the Demon Relief Squad that did all this. This way, the Lawrences couldn''t even try to lessen the damage they suffered, and themander could extort him all the way."


    The others were impressed by Noel''s analysis while Paul smirked and gave a thumbs up as if he had found hisrade. "Hehe, you know it well."


    "Of course. I know precisely that killing someone is the easiest escape for them. However, slowly dying is the hardest one, especially if you can drag the people around them. With this n, that guy will die painfully, and the Lawrences even have topensate us."


    Anna dropped her jaw to the ground. She almost forgot how Noel tortured her with all his tricks. She didn''t realize that Noel''s actions and n were still too soft this whole time. And it might be due to the influence of the Demon Relief Squad that taught him politics that he knew how to torture people.


    ''He is so bad. I know why I can''t make him my enemy¡­ On the other hand, he''ll be extremely reliable if he is my ally¡­'' Anna gulped down.


    Paul cracked his fists and said, "Just you wait, you idiotic lord. The moment we finish this mission is your downfall. Hehe, prepare for trouble."


    "That¡­" Anna raised her hand. "Do you think it''s possible to add my name to the list?"


    "What do you¡ªAh!" Paul paused for a moment. "You want me to record how the soldiers pointed out their swords at you? Well¡­ your family could im that as an attack and pressure the Lawrence Family, but those twenty knights would probably die. Just by looking at how they trembled easily, it was clear that they could only do it because they were forced by the lord. If we recorded this, they would die and their families would suffer after losing their ie.


    "They might have to go to the slum and sell themselves as ves to pass this winter. If you don''t mind about doing that, then I can add it."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "¡­" Anna''s body shook for a moment as she looked away, taking her words back. "Never mind. Sorry."


    "No, it''s fine. I''ve said this repeatedly. We exist for the people, not the nobles. So, if the noble harm us, we try to harm only our enemies, not the innocent people." Paul stuck his tongue out.

 Chapter 331 Plan

    Anna learned a lot about how they were thinking. No wonder people from the Demon Banner Army were highly valued. They didn''t only learn about fighting techniques but also politics, economy, and other skills valued by a noble.


    Of course, everything was their choice. They could focus solely on fighting or learn only political skills, not others.


    This was why the stronger the team was, the more capable they were in all kinds of things.


    It turned out the secret of their sess was the system created by the previousmander. It allowed the knights to be able to learn anything they wanted. Just by using their Contribution Points, they could get books and tutors to improve their skills further.


    She asked many things about their current skills during lunch. After all,moners didn''t have easy ess to knowledge, unlike nobles.


    Though, Noel kept listening to them, wondering if it could work in his territory. Giving ess to themoners to education was a good idea, yet hard to implement.


    After all,moners would have a hard time to even attending the education ss due to them working on their farms all day long.


    In the end, he put this thought at the back of his mind and started working on how to deal with the monsters.


    "So, what are we going to do right now?" Noel asked, wondering how the Zero Squad usually dealt with this situation.


    "Mhm? What do you think?" Ste asked back, wanting to test Noel.


    "Well, that''s what I''d like to know. I mean, how do you usually handle this situation?" Noel asked.


    "Our usual strategy is simple." Paul pointed at the wall. "We use them as a bait. In other words, justy low for the time being until the demons strike again before finding their bosses and killing them. After that, we hunt the remaining demons.


    "Or we can change our tactic a bit by gathering the information about the demons and locating them. This way, we can hunt them in their own home, which is more dangerous because we don''t have numbers, and no one knows how many demons reside in their ce. There might even be a stronger demon that we don''t know about.


    "Basically, unless you trust your informant, you don''t use this tactic," Paul exined. "If it''s you, how do you think we should do it?"


    "Mhm¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "Before that, even if we use the first n, what if there are more demons in their ce, and they haven''t attacked yet because they want to see how we react?"


    "That''s where we call help from other squads. Though, we have to call any squads near our position to handle the problem as soon as possible."<sub> </sub>


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "What if we let the city fend off the demons for the time being and we head to their nest to check the enemy''s situation?"


    "As I said, we don''t know the condition of their nest."


    "Ah, I forgot the fact that we''ve been specialized as such. In the academy, you have to do everything by yourself, so I thought you were trying to investigate the ce by yourself¡­ Well, I understand that we might have to let the Demon Observer Squad handle the investigation." Noel chuckled, waving his hand and pulling out his suggestion.


    "Yeah. Unfortunately for you, we are working on our specialty. It''s good to have the motivation to do everything by yourself, but can you do it better than them? All we can do is observe the ce from the outside and maintain some surveince before notifying the Demon Observer Squad." Paul nodded.


    Paul and the others obviously had some experience in investigations, but their skills couldn''t bepared to the knights from the Demon Observer Squads. So, it was better to let the experts handle it.


    "I see. If that''s the case¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "Do you think it''s possible for us to bait them?"


    "What do you mean?" Ste got interested as well in this new idea.


    "Bait them? Can you exin it further, Noel? You don''t have to care about experience or anything. We can ept new ideas as long as it''s feasible in our mind." Paul asked with a serious expression. As a leader, he never suppressed his people. Instead, he encouraged them to give more to the teams, allowing them to develop themselves in this group.


    So, Noel began exining his thoughts. "The wall is tall and wide, so it''s perfect for covering our movement. And because there is no ditch, the demons will be trying to climb the walls.


    "Hence, I suggest we try to bait them to follow us from two opposite sides. We''ll be moving toward the same location, allowing the demons to crash into each other. This way, we''ll be able to attack the defenseless demons and kill many of them at once."


    "Letting them crash into each other, huh¡­ That''s true. Most of them will be Low Level and Mid Level Demons whose intelligence aren''t that good yet. They can be baited like this." Paul nodded with a serious expression, understanding the concept behind the n.


    "Wait, Noel. Isn''t this what we''ve done before?" Anna was surprised that Noel nned to do the same thing as back then. The number of demons that would be chasing after them wasn''t as low as back then, so escaping from them would be an arduous task.


    Paul nced at Anna for a moment before giving him two problems. "First of all, there is a chance that the Advanced Level Demons or even the Peak Level Demons will stop them before they crash. Secondly, we need people to escape from that crash, so someone with high speed like Zion."


    These two problems could easily be seen through by anyone in the group. But there was a smirk on Noel''s face as if he had predicted it and even prepared the answers.


    "Hehe, this is my idea." With a smirk on his face, Noel asked them to get closer as he whispered about his n.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 332 Sync

    Unfortunately, no demons attacked that day, so the group just hid inside the forest not far from the fort. They even looked around to make sure no demons woulde toward their ce.


    However, that peace soon came to an end when they heard a series of roarsing from the opposite side of the fort.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    "Hmm?" Paul and Rose narrowed their eyes, standing up and looking into the distance. "Rose¡­"


    "Yeah. This is weird. We have situated ourselves in the south of this fort. Meanwhile, the demon territory spans from the west to the north. I can somehow understand they''re going from the north, but this one is slightly leaning to the northeast¡­" Rose nodded with a serious expression. "There should be another fort in that direction, no?"


    "Yes, but we don''t know if the demon ising from that fort or just going through the gap." Paul nodded. "For now, we shall handle all these demons and go to the neighboring fort to wait for our next order."


    "Got it." Rose nodded.


    "Alright. It''s time for you two, Noel, Jonathan."


    Noel and Jonathan exchanged nods with each other. "The timing is important."


    "Zion and Ben will help me distract the Peak Level Demons. Ste and Anna will provide firepower for Noel and Jonathan while Rose will maintain ourmunication and guide us as usual. As soon as you clear up the area, we''ll take down the Peak Level Demons. The details are as discussed. Understood?"


    "Yes." The group answered in unison as they began preparing their equipment for the n.


    Paul and the others hurriedly moved toward their positions before Jonathan and Noel started.


    Before going, Noel saw the demons gradually looping around the fort to surround it.


    "I go from there, you go from there. We''ll meet on the opposite side." Noel said while pointing at their spots.


    "Sounds good. Make sure you don''t stumble and get overwhelmed by the demons."


    "Don''t worry. The people here are helping us as well, so we should be able to do it." Noel nodded.


    "Then, let''s go." Jonathan raised his fist.


    Noel smiled and bumped his fist. "Let''s go."


    With that signal, the two of them came out of the woods and headed straight to the fort.


    Jonathan was carrying a huge dead tree with his Telekinesis while Noel summoned three big swords above him.


    "Die!" Both of them shouted, signaling each other to begin.


    The tree fell on top of many demons while the Sword Fall killed five demons just by flying toward them.


    Many demons realized the attacks and turned around, finding Noel and Jonathan approaching.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    A few demons rmed the others, asking them to turn around to stop these two.


    However, Noel and Jonathan''s paths began to curve, stopping not far from the demons and running around the wall.<sub> </sub>


    The demons that chased after them gradually increased.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows because he saw a few Mid Level Demons and one Advanced Level Demon not far from him and they seemed to be nning to chase after him as well.


    Knowing the situation wouldn''t be good, Rose gave him the illusion of her voice ringing in his ears.


    "Go straight. Ste is ready for you!"


    Noel didn''t respond to it, but his hesitation disappeared. This was how Rosemunicated with the others on a battlefield and it was truly helpful.


    He charged straight toward those demons while waving his sword.


    Bouncing Spiritual sh.


    The sword strike flew forth and began to bounce from one spot to another, confusing the demons. This strike hit multiple Mid Level Demons in front of him as Noel used his speed to avoid the rest of the Mid Level Demons.


    But as expected of an Advanced Level Demon, this demon managed to follow his speed and pounce on him.


    Noel wasn''t afraid because there was a reliable teammate that would cover him. When the demon was about to reach him, a crescent-shaped concentrated wind flew toward the demon and hit it, cracking a few bones andunching the demon to the wall.


    However, the wind soon dispersed since Ste didn''t want to destroy the wall.


    A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he began picking up speed while finding Ste and Rose in the corner of his eyes. Rose was going to position herself at a ce where she could see both sides, allowing Jonathan and Noel to arrive at the exact same time.


    Meanwhile, Ste easily followed his speed even though she had to cross a longer road because she was a bit far away from the fort to not be found by the demons.


    As soon as he reached the corner, Noel turned around and headed to another corner while waving his sword, attacking the demons from behind. This was a good opportunity, so he wanted to kill as many demons as possible for his repeated missions.


    Noel smirked and saw Rose at the other corner, saying, "Noel, slow down a bit to match Jonathan''s pace."


    Noel didn''t reply again, but he decreased his speed for a bit until the next instruction. While waiting for Jonathan, Noel used his Sword Fall a few times to kill Mid Level Demons near the wall.


    There were many demons scratching the wall and even used their Spiritual Energy to destroy it but to no avail. It seemed the runes had enhanced the sturdiness, making it impossible to be destroyed by Advanced Level Demons or lower.


    So, Noel used their focus to catch them off guard and kill them.


    "Match your speed right now. I''ll count to three and you''ve to reach the corner at the same time."


    Noel and Jonathan nodded their heads as they maintained their speed.


    ? "One¡­"


    Noel and Jonathan''s hearts skipped a beat, wondering how many demons they managed to attract in a single run. It didn''t look muchpared to the whole army of demons, but both of them managed to bait more than one hundred demons each. So, the crash would be enormous this time.


    "Two¡­"


    Noel and Jonathan braced themselves as they were right around the corner. They could even feel each other''s presence as they were ready to jump.


    "Three!"


    The moment Rose''s voice raised in their ears, they jumped as high as possible as they reached the corner, seeing each other.


    Noel and Jonathan smiled at each other as if telling each other. "Perfect."

 Chapter 333 Succeed

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were screaming at each other right before the crash. However, their momentum was too fast to stop.


    Some of them managed to stop, but the demons behind them didn''t know anything and ended up running over them. Some demons tripped and fell, causing another to trip and fall as well.


    And those that couldn''t stop ended up crashing into each other.


    *Roar!*


    The demons were destroying each other. Some even got thrown into the air.


    Meanwhile, Jonathan used his Telekinesis to bring Noel float in the air, looking at the crash.


    "I''ll start!" Jonathan pointed his palm toward the demons and pushed the air downwards, pressing the demons down.


    Before Anna and Ste could attack them, Noel made his first move. He gathered all the Spiritual Energy he could muster to form a snowke, throwing it toward the demons.


    Freezing Crystal.


    The moment the snowke touched the demons, it burst out and devoured at least two-thirds of the entire army, covering them with thick ice.


    Noel got the notification of killing so many demons, but he couldn''tunch a second attack because Jonathan had pulled him back.


    He noticed Anna and Ste had been charging their Spiritual Energy on the side. Anna''s ferocious lightning was ready to beunched from the sword, while Ste''s atrocious wind was ready to devour all these demons.


    Although it looked like Ste poured more Spiritual Energy into her sword, Anna was the one who managed to control and make sure no Spiritual Energy leaked from it. In the end, the amount of power inside their swords was equal.


    "Her control is extraordinary. There is no leak in her Spiritual Energy." Jonathan muttered while staring at Anna.


    "Leaked? What do you mean?"Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''ll exin to you after we finish this battle."


    Noel nodded, knowing this wasn''t the right time to listen to the exnation either.


    He then watched how these two attacked their enemies.


    Both of them raised their swords at the same time. Upon the signal from Rose, they both shed downwards, shooting forth their elements.


    The crescent-shaped lightning ran through the ground, destroying everything underneath. When it reached the demons, the lightning obliterated their bodies, not letting anything stop it.<sub> </sub>


    Meanwhile, Ste had a different application for her Spiritual Energy. The moment the crescent-shaped wind reached the first demon, it shed the demon into two, but the impact caused the wind to split. From one wind attack to two, two to four, four to eight, Ste steadily eliminated the demons.


    Because they attacked from opposite directions, Anna''s lightning was about to hit Ste''s wind. Surprisingly, Ste became even more excited like this to the point she controlled her wind to go straight toward the lightning.


    "Huh? What is she doing?" Noel gasped, not understanding her n. He thought Ste would continue killing the demons, but it seemed not to be the case.


    "Ste''s Spiritual Energy is soft and easy to control. Though, itcks a bit of power. On the other hand, Anna''s Spiritual Energy is overbearing and hard to control. It gives power, but it doesn''t allow her to control it. I''ll teach you about control over the Spiritual Energy after this fight. There is a lot for you to learn."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. He also learned why Ste actually made her wind hit the lightning. Due to her soft approach, the wind acted as a wall and dispersed the lightning in all directions. The more wind shes added to the wall, the more it scattered.


    Ste was matching Anna''s movement to get as many kills as possible. Even as an experienced fighter in her past life, Ste''s support had left nothing to be desired from Anna''s perspective.


    "So, this is the level of the Zero Squad," Anna muttered with a smile.


    Noel shouted, "We must kill the rest of the demons, including the one near the wall. With that, we should have cleared enough space to handle the Peak Level Demons!"


    They agreed to Noel''s suggestion. Even Jonathan couldn''t help but remember the time when Noel gave them this idea.


    At that time, Paul gave him two problems.


    "First of all, there is a chance that the Advanced Level Demons or even the Peak Level Demons will stop them before they crash. Secondly, we need people to escape from that crash, so someone with high speed like Zion."


    "The second problem is the easiest one to fix. I''m more familiar with this n, so I''ll be the bait. As for the second person, it''ll be Jonathan!"


    <o>,m "!!!" Paul instantly understood what he wanted with Jonathan. "I see. You''re nning to fly in the sky?"</o>


    "Yes." Noel smiled. "As for the first problem, we''ll only need to meet right in the corner instead of in front of a certain wall. With so many demons getting killed in one''s corner, it can act as a wall, stopping the demons from seeing what happened on the other side. Then, we can focus our force on eliminating the demons on a side where the Peak Level Demonse. Two of us will stay at the other corner to stop the rest of the demons while six people will take down the Peak Level Demons."


    "Mhm?!" Even Paul was surprised. He thought Noel nned to let them crash in front of a certain wall and split their forces to clean up that wall. But with this n, they could shorten their time since they could concentrate their forces.


    It took only two seconds before Paul epted the suggestion. And this was the result.


    Looking at this wall made of demon corpses, he realized the demons couldn''t even see what was happening on the other side. So, he immediately picked up Ste andnded next to Anna.


    "In that case, let''s clear this side of the wall before regrouping with Paul and the others." Jonathan nodded.


    Ste and Anna nodded with a smile, ready to exterminate all the demons.


    They immediately began killing while Rose kept the surveince, making sure nothing went wrong.


    She couldn''t help but smile when seeing this efficiency. "So, this is the new Zero Squad."

 Chapter 334 Alone

    Anna and Ste were going wild on the battlefield. Ste could utilize her wind to improve her speed while Anna moved like a lightning. They kept eliminating demon after demon while covering each other up.


    On the other hand, Noel had been using his Sword Fall and Bouncing Spiritual sh to kill the demons they didn''t manage to kill in the first strike.


    The same applied to Jonathan. In the end, they had an easy time during this battle, allowing them to conserve their energy.


    It seemed that the squad to take down the Peak Level Demons had been decided.


    The moment they cleared up the entire wall, Rose''s voice echoed in their ears.


    "Jonathan and Noel will be going to kill the Peak Level Demons while Ste and Anna handle the rest of the demons."


    "Got it!" Jonathan nodded and immediately brought Noel to the other battlefield.


    "For now, I''ll be with you, making sure the demons can''t harm you. If you have anything strong that can prate the Peak Level Demon''s skill, then you can use it. If possible, attack them from afar like that burst of ice of yours."


    Noel nodded, trying to formte a n to handle these two demons.


    The two Peak Level Demons seemed to be buffalo and a snake. Paul was fighting the buffalo and achieved a better resultpared to Zion and Ben.


    The buffalo had both horns crushed, while the snake only had some superficial wounds on its body.


    As soon as he noticed them, Paul pointed at the snake and shouted, "There!"


    Jonathan and Noel immediately headed straight to help Zion and Ben.


    The snake spat a mouthful of poison toward them as if telling them not to get involved in the fight.


    However, Jonathan used his Telekinesis to disperse the poison. Still, the poison seemed to be able to melt everything it touched and it was releasing gas after melting them.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Jonathan hurriedly used his Telekinesis to push the wind so that the poison gas would be blown away in another direction.


    Meanwhile, Zion leaped back to them and exined the situation. "The snake has powerful poison and sturdy skin. If we want to attack it, we have to either release an attack that can destroy the scale or hit it from the inside."


    Before Noel said anything, he actually approached the poison and used his Water Purifying. Although he didn''t know whether it would work or not, the poison was also liquid, so the purification should be able to affect it in a way.


    Surprisingly, the poisonous purple liquid suddenly turned transparent.


    "!!!" Jonathan and Zion widened their eyes, not believing what they saw. "What are you doing?!"


    "I''m trying to purify this liquid." Noel thought for a moment and said, "I think you can allow me to enter the snake''s body and kill it from the inside. My attacks will be useless against this snake from the outside, but the inside shouldn''t be tough. Even I can cut it."


    "No!" Jonathan shouted with a cold expression while Zion exined, "We''re not at a level where we can get reckless yet. I know that you''re nning to get the best result, but this is not the way to do it. As expected, your brain is good since you cane up with one n after another.


    "But you''reckingpassion. Do you think we like to see you recklessly ying with your life? Noel, look around you!" Zion had noticed Noel''s weird behavior. He had good observation ability, but everything seemed to be centered on him.


    Even Noel didn''t realize he had been acting this way. He might have gotten used to the fact that his parents had died, so there was no one he should think about anymore. This way, he could recklessly push his body to achieve his goal.


    This kind of thought had been nted for a few months and became his new reality. Even the letter couldn''t really break apart this feeling.<sub> </sub>


    Even when fighting together with Anna, Noel still acted like he was alone. That was why he had been trying to convince himself otherwise. And the first time he did, it was by thanking Anna for being with him during the rescue mission.


    He wasn''t alone anymore. The people around him were like brothers and sisters that would help him instead of plotting against him. The Zero Squad was his new family.


    Zion gently flicked his forehead and smiled, "Stop fighting alone, Noel. We''re here."


    Noel bit his lips. This was the breaking point of his heart, making him realize that he wasn''t alone anymore. The letter and Anna might crack his cold heart, but Zion''s words truly shattered everything.


    "Ah¡­" Noel had forgotten this feeling. There were people beside him. He wasn''t alone anymore.


    Noel wanted to apologize, but he knew it wasn''t the time. Instead, he said, "Let''s change our n. Ben and Jonathan will stop the snake for a while. Zion and I will kill the snake."


    Noel didn''t specify his n and might even try to do something reckless again, but when they saw his expression, they realized Noel had changed.


    Zion smiled. "Sounds good to me."


    Jonathan nodded as he flew toward the snake''s head, helping Ben stopping the monster.


    Meanwhile, Zion ran toward the snake''s body with Noel while asking, "So, what are we going to do?"


    "Let''s nt a nail on its body!" Noel smirked while summoning his Sword Fall. This sword was heavy and sturdy, so it shouldn''t break against this snake''s scale.


    Zion finally agreed to his n. Noel used his control to make the three swords curve and fly to the snake.


    *Cling!*


    As expected, the swords couldn''t even leave a dent in the scale. However, Zion came in and kicked this sword as hard as possible.


    *Bam!*


    *Shaaaa!* The snake screamed in pain because the sword managed to pierce through its skin.


    Zion didn''t stop there as he kicked the other two swords, impaling the snake.


    The snake tried to turn around to stop Zion and Noel, but it was stopped by Ben and Jonathan.


    <o>,m Zion smiled. "Good! Let''s continue! We will be able to kill this snake after repeating this a few times!"</o>


    "No, no need." Noel''s voice entered his ears, startling Zion. Thetter turned around and found Noel rushing toward the snake''s body.


    The three giant swords suddenly disappeared into thin air, exposing the three holes leading into the snake''s body.


    "Wait, are you going to¡ª" Zion thought Noel nned to enter through the gap.


    "Of course not." Noel smiled, showing he wasn''t going to be reckless anymore. Instead of going inside, Noel formed his Freezing Crystal and sent it through the hole, allowing it to explode inside.


    *Boom!*

 Chapter 335 Hopeless

    *Boom!*


    *Shaaa!* The snake was screaming in pain because its inside was destroyed by the ice explosion from earlier. A part of its body was frozen and an ice spike came out of the holes, injuring the demon from the inside.


    A normal demon would have died from an attack like this, but as one would expect from a colossal Peak Level Demon, it managed to survive the attack.


    Zion was surprised that Noel decided to attack it this way, but it was extremely useful because he managed to weaken the snake from the inside.


    He hurriedly grabbed Noel and moved away, trying to see what the snake would do next.


    "That''s a good attack. But you truly made my heart skip a beat earlier¡­ I thought you were going to be reckless again. No, wait. I could probably consider that action to be reckless, no?"


    "Ahaha, please don''t say it like that." Noel made an awkwardugh and said, "Though, this should be enough for you to deal with this demon, right?"


    "Indeed." Zion nodded. "You stay here. I''ll finish the rest."


    He dropped Noel and hurriedly returned to the snake, kicking its body and shattering the ice inside the body. The shake of the body knocked the ice, making it pierce the demon''s flesh.


    With Jonathan and Ben taking care of the head, Zion could fully utilize his strength and crush the demon bit by bit, killing it within four minutes.


    "Hu¡­" Zion let out a breath of relief, giving a thumbs up to Noel. "That''s a good idea you have there, but discuss it with us before doing that."


    "Indeed." Jonathannded next to Noel and patted his shoulder. "Anyway, you should stay here or help Anna and Ste."


    "I''ll go help them." Noel nodded with a serious expression. Although he wanted to contribute more to the fight against the Peak Level Demon, he knew his strength and chose to work on something he could handle.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And with the help of those three, it wouldn''t be too long before Paul killed the Peak Level Demon, considering he also managed to injure the demon to a degree.


    "I don''t have to care about them. For now, I should kill as many demons as possible toplete my task and improve my body''s constitution." Noel rushed toward the city wall, only to be shocked by the numerous corpses lying on the ground. It turned out Ste and Anna had cleared an entire wall by themselves.


    "This is¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. "They have killed around one hundred to one hundred fifty demons in the span of ten minutes? Are they serious?"


    He saw Anna and Ste talking with each other in the corner, so he approached them to offer his help, only to get a headache.


    "What are you doing?! Don''t think about leeching off me!" Ste shouted.


    "You''re the one leeching off me. I killed 78 demons earlier!"


    "I killed 79 demons!"


    "Don''t lie! I know you only killed 50 demons!"


    "You were the one lying. I killed 100 demons!"<sub> </sub>


    "Just because you gave a random number, don''t think you''re the correct one!"


    "What?!"


    "¡­" Noel was speechless when he heard their conversation. He never expected that the two would be arguing such a foolish topic. ''Who cares about how many demons they kill in this situation? Shouldn''t you be working on crushing the rest of the demons instead of arguing about this?''


    Noel was dumbfounded and couldn''t help but cough to let them know his presence. "Ahem."


    "!!!" Anna and Ste stopped and turned around. "Noel!"


    "What are you two doing here?" Noel asked, but his voice got a bit cold.


    "She imed I''m the one leeching off her. I can''t stand that!" Anna pointed at Ste.


    "I didn''t say that," Ste shouted back, trying to defend herself.


    "I don''t care about your reasons now. Don''t you think it''s inappropriate for you two to argue that stupid topic in a situation like this?" Noel let out a long sigh. "Well, whatever. You guys can go argue for whatever reason¡­ I''m going anyway."


    Noel sighed and jumped toward the demons, killing one demon after another.


    He didn''t know how it started, but Rose, who had been observing the entire battlefield, couldn''t help but facepalm.


    "I don''t know what''s wrong anymore¡­" Rose sighed, remembering how it started.


    Before they began their killing spree, Ste was challenging Anna. "It seems that you have great control over your Spiritual Energy. With that kind of control, I think you have been hiding something even greater¡­ Why don''t we have a match here?"


    "You want me to use all my power? Do you think I''ll tell you my secret? Even if we are from one squad, don''t you think your action is a bit obvious? You''ve been trying to separate me from Noel this whole time." Anna snorted.


    "I''m not trying to hide anything. I''ve told you everything with my action. In fact, why does a murderer of his family have to be so clingy to him? Are you torturing him or something?" Ste narrowed her eyes. She had been suspicious of Anna''s intention this whole time, considering this pair wasn''t supposed to exist.


    On the other hand, Anna couldn''t tell her anything either, considering no one should know about the reason why she became the culprit. This was a secret that only she and Noel could know for their n to exist, considering Noel wanted her to kill him when the opportunity arrived.


    So, Anna could only reply, "Who do you think you are to enter the problem between Noel and me?"


    "I''m simply stating the fact that he is here, the Demon Relief Squad will be protecting him." Ste snorted.


    "I''m also from the same squad, so I can file aint to Paul for this mistreatment? Besides, have you seen me mistreating him?"


    "¡­" Ste narrowed her eyes. She had only heard about the rumor, so she couldn''t confirm the truth of what had happened between them. She knew she would lose in an argument this way, so she simply escaped from it by saying, "Whatever. If that''s the case, you can continue being weak and getting carried by us."


    "What did you say? I don''t mind getting help from others, but you? No, thanks. I''ll show you that I can kill more demons than you¡­ What will you say if this weak girl defeats you¡­" Anna smirked and leaped forward, making the first move.

 Chapter 336 Control

    "Have you cleaned up that way?" Paul asked while pointing at the north wall.


    "Everything is done." Ben nodded. "Now the problem would be how to handle the next course¡­ I''m pretty sure that they''re going to im all these demons."


    "First of all, the knights have seen us killing most of the demons. So, we''ll be taking at least half of the Demon Crystals, especially the two Peak Level Demon Crystals. As for the rest, they can use it to restore the city¡­ Though, I doubt that foolish lord will do something like that.


    "In any case, we''ll only do our parts and leave the rest to him before filing aint." Paul paused for a moment. "Anyway, you are going with me after this to talk to the soldiers on the wall about our situation. The rest can move to the side to store our loot this time. That''s right, you want to exin things to Noel, right, Jo?"


    Jonathan nodded. "Well, thanks for the consideration."


    Paul nodded. After giving the instruction, he walked with Ben to the wall to handle the transfer of the possession before assuring the citizens about their situation.


    Meanwhile, Jonathan began to take out the Demon Crystals from the corpses with his Telekinesis and gathered them in one ce so that Ste and the others could handle the rest.


    Of course, Jonathan didn''t go too far since he might need to help them in case they needed it.


    Noel was sitting in front of him, listening attentively.


    "Alright. Let''s start the lesson about Spiritual Energy." Jonathan raised his palm and formed a ball of Spiritual Energy. "I don''t think I have to go to the basics anymore about Spiritual Energy, so I''ll start from this. What do you think about this ball?"


    "It''s a lump of Spiritual Energy."


    "That''s right." Jonathan nodded and raised another hand, forming another ball. But this time, the ball looked like a zing fire. "What do you think about this one then?''


    "Mhm¡­ A me?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, looking at this me made of Spiritual Energy. Of course, it was impossible to do it unless one had a Fire Spirit. And the me that Jonathan made was made of gold like the color of the Spiritual Energy. "Hmm¡­ not a me¡­"


    "That''s right. This is not a me, but the same Spiritual Energy as the one in my left hand. I pour the same amount of Spiritual Energy, yet, they''re acting differently. Why do you think?"


    "Is it about Control? But I''m not very sure how control can affect the Spiritual Energy¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "That''s right. It''s about Control. When you pour the Spiritual Energy into your weapon, how do you do it?"


    "I just channel my Spiritual Energy into my weapon."


    "No, I mean the details."<sub> </sub>


    Noel was confused at first before understanding what he wanted. "I am channeling my Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Seal and pouring it out through my pores before infusing it into my weapon."


    "That''s right. When you''re channeling your Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Seal, you can actually try to stop it at first. For example, imagine your Spiritual Energy is running like water. Then, in the middle of the path, there is something clogging up, causing your Spiritual Energy to be stuck. What will happen?"


    "Then, the amount of Spiritual Energy I can pour will be decreased."


    "That''s right. Then, what if I break apart the clogged part?"


    "Ah!" Noel remembered when he tried to break the dam. If he destroyed the entire dam in an instant, the water would be ravaging thend.


    "This is called Hard Approach. There are two ways to control your Spiritual Energy, Soft Approach and Hard Approach. The Soft Approach is the usual way of us stimting our Spiritual Energy. The flow is like a normal water flow. Meanwhile, the Hard Approach is where we stop it for the time being and let it out, causing a burst of Spiritual Energy.


    "I think you have been doing it without you noticing. I''m talking about your swordsmanship¡­ I''m not sure about the swordsmanship itself, but I can see that you can actually release the Spiritual Energy in those two ways depending on your n.


    "And I think you can see the power behind these two¡­" Jonathan threw the rounded ball forward and exploded it, causing a small gale. But when the zing ball exploded, it caused a shock wave, showing the difference in their power. "You can see the power behind them. To be fair, Spiritual Energy is intangible, meaning you can turn them into anything.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "For example, let''s replicate your Bouncing Spiritual sh. Look at this¡­" Jonathan formed another ball with the Soft Approach before throwing it forward. The ball suddenly started bouncing in the air, imitating the Bouncing Spiritual sh.


    "What?" Noel gasped.


    "It''s nowhere your Bouncing Spirit sh, but you get the idea. By controlling the Spiritual Energy in a certain way, humans manage to create all those Spirit Techniques. Of course, what weapon you''re using, your experience, your memory, your emotion, everything¡­ The way you''re utilizing your Spiritual Energy will be unique and when you use that control to create something unique to yourself, you''ve created a Spirit Technique.


    "Of course, everyone can create Spirit Technique, but only those who are good will be recognized as a proper Spirit Technique.


    "Even I can create a Spirit Technique right now, like this." Jonathan raised his hand and enveloped his right arm with Spiritual Energy. It maintained its form like hands like a glove. "Look, my Spiritual Energy is acting like a glove. That can be called a Spirit Technique, but it doesn''t have a use, so why should anyone recognize it as a proper one? I think Anna can show one with Hard Approach for you!"


    "Hmm?" Anna felt like she was being called out and saw Jonathan forming a glove. Jonathan called her and asked her to form the same thing to show Noel the importance of control.


    Anna smirked as lightning began to spark around her right arm. But unlike Jonathan, she covered her right arm entirely with lightning that gradually turned into a dragon. This raging lightning felt like they were going to st someone upon touch.


    "Like this?" Anna smiled.

 Chapter 337 Claim

    "Anna, you should be able to control your Spiritual Energy to cover your entire arm with Hard Approach, right?" Jonathan asked after calling Anna.


    Anna nodded before releasing her Spiritual Energy around her arm. That Spiritual Energy created a lightning spark and eventually turned into a dragon. "Like this?"


    "Yes." Jonathan nodded while exining it to Noel. "This is what I''m going to teach you. If you master this technique, you should be able to give more power to your abilities."


    "That''s true. For example, this Bouncing Spirit sh we''ve learned." Anna agreed and waved her sword, releasing the sword strike forward. The sword strike began bouncing around the tree and hit it multiple times. "This is the usual strike, but¡­"


    She released the Bouncing Spirit sh again, but this time with the hard approach. There was no difference in the bounce, but the moment it hit the tree, the sword strike exploded, crushing it.


    "There you go. You can see the power yourself, but there is one thing that I have to warn you about. There is a reason why the technique is calledplete, even though it can be used through either the Soft or Hard Approach.


    "When they created their technique, they should have foreseen this situation. Yet, they still choose to go with Soft Approach like this Bouncing Spirit sh. The Bouncing Spirit sh focuses on your control to make the sword strike hit the enemy as many times. In fact, you can even make it not attack your enemy just to confuse them. It''s not meant to be shooting your enemy like what I did earlier.


    ? "If you want another example, let''s go with a spear thrust. If you thrust your spear and use the Hard Approach, the energy will explode, right? Then, what if you use that thrust to create a hole in your enemy''s body? At one nce, there is nothing wrong with both of them. But in the second case, you should add a spin into your thrust, making your Spiritual Energy like a torrent to increase its prating power. But with this, it has be a different kind of technique.


    "Thus, the reason why the technique doesn''t need to be used in both ways. There is another technique that fixes the mistakes.


    "I haven''t told you anything about this method because your body has naturally changed the approach when using your abilities, so there''s no need to add another information that makes you doubt your sword," Anna ended the exnation with the reason she never mentioned anything about Spiritual Energy.


    Of course, Noel didn''t have any right to demand it from her. That was why he took this information carefully.


    Jonathan was impressed by Anna''s knowledge. Despite her age, her knowledge was vast, making him wonder if she had started learning from her mother''s womb.


    Anna had a huge secret. This was clear in his heart, but whether he wanted to get involved in that secret or not was another question.


    "I think you have exined enough. I''ll deal with his training." Jonathan waved his hand, asking Anna to go back.


    Although he agreed with Anna''s opinion about Noel''s strength, he still chose to teach Noel about it. In his perspective, Noel wasn''t someone that brittle. He believed Noel could ovee his doubt and grow even stronger.<sub> </sub>


    "There you go. I think you have learned the basic knowledge about the approach, so I''m going to ask you again. Are you nning to learn this?"T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. I know that there is a reason why we use only one approach. If that''s the case, can''t you say I''ll be able to wield my power better because I''ve mastered both approaches?" Noel smirked excitedly.


    "¡­" His motivation was indeed amazing. Jonathan even thought this was the reason why Noel could reach this level within a year. He agreed with him and began teaching him the details about the two approaches.


    Meanwhile, the rest was finishing their own tasks so that they could leave this ce as soon as Paul and Ben had done with the hand over.


    It took them an hour before Paul came back. It seemed that the soldiers of this fort hade out as well to take care of the corpses. Their Demon Crystals could be used as an initial fund for the restoration of the fort and the body could be used to feed the people. Hence, the soldiers happily received them and felt thankful for the Demon Relief Squad.


    They even saw the squad off while waving their hands and only started working until the two carriages had disappeared into the horizon.


    The Demon Relief Squad was heading straight to the neighboring fort to give their report while the soldiers began to bring the corpses inside.


    They didn''t realize that the fort was going to experience another tribtion, but this time it didn''te from the outside.


    The lord had gotten the report about the workpletion by the Demon Relief Squad. The soldiers had seen their figures, but they didn''t know anything about them because no one ever mentioned the Demon Relief Squad.


    This was where the lord began to im their deeds.


    The lord smiled and said to the butler, "We''re going to make a festival for the restoration of the fort by using the meat we''ve got from them. And inside the festival, I want you to bring all the merchants together to make them feel grateful to me who has used my personal connection to solve this problem. Don''t ever let them know this is the work of the Demon Relief Squad.


    "Those foolish bastards. It''s your women''s honor to be picked by me, but they refused. Since they weren''t known by the people, this would be a good time to take the credit from those barbarians." The lord smirked.


    Little did he know, Paul was saying the exact thing. "¡­Or so he would say in this situation. Ah, I love it when people think we''re barbarians. We canpletely be let off the hook because our brains are just brawl and use that to our advantage to hit the bad nobles. Let''s see what will happen next¡­"

 Chapter 338 Reward

    "Whoo!"


    "Thanks the lord for saving us."


    "We can finally restore our previous life."


    "The lord is even sharing the meat with us to go through this winter."


    "The lord is amazing. The second young master should be the next lord of the Lawrence!"


    "But I''ve heard from the soldiers that there was a group of people who handled all those demons. Where are they?"


    "They must be the people from the Lord himself."


    "But shouldn''t the Demon Banner Army be the one solving the problem with demons?"


    "Don''t forget that we''re in Lawrence''s territory. They havested for generations in defending this area, so of course, their strength is enough to handle all these demons!"


    "Long live Young Master Hagen Lawrence."


    The people were cheering. Despite the temperature that had dropped due to the winter, they could finally smile, knowing that this winter was survivable because of the meat.


    Meanwhile, the lord himself could get recognition from the family and should get a huge advantage in this battle of session.


    This was a win-win situation, except for the fact that they disregarded the true helper this time, the Demon Relief Squad.


    A guy, who was just cheering with the people a moment ago, suddenly stopped and returned to his house. There wasn''t a smile on his face. Instead, he looked at these people and the lord in contempt.


    When he opened his door, there were a few cages storing pigeons. He hurriedly walked toward one of them and put a small scroll into the small tube attached to the bird''s foot.


    After that, he opened the window and let the bird fly.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "By the way, if we leave them here, how do we prove them iming our deeds? If we stay there, they don''t dare to do it. But now that we''ve left, I don''t think we can prove it."


    "Ah, you don''t have to worry about that. You should know about the Demon Observer Squad, right?"


    "Yes."


    "If the Demon Observer Squad is in charge of the investigation of the demons, the Demon Beholder Squad is the one monitoring us. In other words, they''re the ones who keep us in check.


    "I mean, sometimes people abuse their authority, right? That''s why this Demon Beholder Squad has to be formed. They''ll watch how we perform and report it to the headquarters.


    "Of course, they''re not solely observing us, they also watch the behavior of the nobles and handle it when they abuse their authority. In other words, they''re a double edged sword, so all we have to do is perform our duty and let them do the rest.


    "With their observation and ourint, the Demon Banner Army will handle the problem." She smiled.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, feeling something was missing. "If they''re known, shouldn''t the noble be afraid of them?"


    "Not really. They simply don''t know about their existence because Demon Beholder Squad is the name that only the Zero Squads know. What people know is the Demon Adjudicator Squad and people think they''re simply the people who will investigate our behavior when nobles fileints."<sub> </sub>


    "Oh¡­ Does that mean you also have one in my family''s former territory?" Noel asked.


    "Ah¡­" Ste scratched the back of her head, wondering how to exin this.


    Noel only chuckled. "I don''t me you or anything. In fact, this is truly an amazing system. It seems that each squad has its own purpose, which makes the Demon Banner Army very versatile and can adapt to all situations."


    "Well, yes. So, we''ll just go to the neighboring fort and file aint about our treatment and the headquarters will review the information from the Demon Observer Squad before handling the situation."


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a smile.


    As she exined, the bird that had been sent by the Demon Observer Squad had arrived at the headquarters.


    "Mhm¡­" The staff in the headquarter opened the message and furrowed his eyebrows. He hurriedly straightened his back, fixed his clothes, and went straight to themander. "Commander. We''ve received information about the abuse from Lawrence Fort."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Come in," said themander as the door opened itself as if following themander''s order.


    The staff hurriedly entered and gave him the letter.


    Themander opened the letter and read it for a while before calling, "Tell Milfa to handle my work next week. I''ll solve this problem. Also, inform Mark to prepare for my trip to the Lawrences, including the merchants, a few soldiers, and citizens from the Lawrence Fort as witnesses."


    "Yes, Sir."


    Themander then waved his hand, dismissing the staff. The fort would only be reopened tomorrow or the day after because of the incident, so he couldn''t really go right away.


    However, the moment it was reopened, they had a perfect chance to get merchants andmoners in that fort to testify.


    And that was all he needed to get whatever he wanted from the negotiation.


    Noel didn''t know everything that happened behind the scene, but if theint was actually working, the Demon Banner Army truly had a good system.


    As soon as they reached the next fort, they didn''t announce their identity as the Demon Relief Squad and picked the best inn. Instead, they just let the soldiers know they were normal people and rented some rooms in a good but cheap inn until they received their next mission.


    Of course, now that they had taken care of the money problem with the Demon Crystals they got from the hunt.


    It was the time for Paul to give rewards to those who contributed to the battle.


    He gathered the entire group in one room as he stated, "There are two Peak Level Demon Crystals in my hand. These are the symbols of the people who have the highest achievement in thest battle.


    "Hence, I will announce those two names to receive their trophy. Even though her role didn''t stand out too much, we all knew that without her, we wouldn''t be able to produce such a perfect result. So¡­ Rose!"


    "Yes." Rose received the Peak Level Crystal from him and returned to her seat as Paul continued to the second biggest contributor.


    "Despite joining the squad recently, he has proven himself by creating a n that could make usplete the mission easier. He even helped taking down a Peak Level Demon before helping us eliminate the demons around the wall. He is truly befitting this position. Noel!"


    "Yes." Noel smiled and stood up.


    Paul thought Noel''s contribution was slightly bigger than Rose''s, but the reason why he chose Rose as the first one was because he didn''t want Noel to becent after this achievement. He knew Noel would go far further from this spot, so he ced him second in the hope for him to continue improving.


    At the very least, he didn''t suppress his achievement and gave him enough recognition.

 Chapter 339 Facts

    One weekter.


    Themander was sitting in front of Earl Lawrence. He crossed his arms while staring at the Earl coldly.


    The Earl wasn''t aware of what happened in his fort. He asked with a calm expression. "I wonder what''s the purpose of your visit today, Mr. Oscar¡­ I can safely assume it''s not to drink some tea, right?"


    The Earl nced to the window as if looking at the people he brought into his residence before continuing, "Especially after bringing those people."


    Oscar also didn''t n to beat around the bush. He was already too busy with his work, so he immediately stated, "It''s simple. I want to ask whether the Earl doesn''t put us in your eye or something."


    "Mhm?" The Earl felt something wrong with that statement. He had been doing business with the Demon Banner Army this whole time, so of course, he wouldn''t want to offend the Demon Banner Army for no reason.


    He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Can you exin what do you mean by those words?"


    "To put it simply, your second son, Hagen Lawrence, has threatened my Demon Relief Squad. As the Earl, you should know the circumstances of your fort, right?"


    "Of course. I''ve received a report that there was an attack from the demons and my son had splendidly destroyed them¡­" Upon saying it, he began connecting the dots. His expression was gradually distorted as if the more he realized things, the more he was afraid of the consequence.


    "Your second son has forced my Demon Relief Squad, specifically the Zero Squad¡­" Themander paused for a moment. When he heard themander mentioning the ''Zero Squad,'' his face became pale because every noble knew what it meant to be the Zero Squad.


    It was basically the pinnacle of existence of the fifteen squads of the Demon Banner Army. And Demon Relief Squad was among the top five squads, so he knew the importance of that zero squad.


    That was where themander butchered the earl with his words. "Your son has forced my Demon Relief Squad to stay in his mansion after they''ve rejected it."


    "That''s¡­ that''s must be his way to be polite. Your Demon Relief Squad has gone all the way to the fort to help my son, so he should at least offer you ce to stay and let you rest before doing your mission." The earl tried to exin, avoiding the me.


    Unfortunately, themander had prepared for everything. He added, "Of course, my Demon Relief Squad would love to stay in that mansion if the situation allowed it. Sadly, the fort situation is a mess.


    "If I''m not wrong, there are granary and food storage in your fort that canst for a whole month even if you have to feed the whole city."<sub> </sub>


    "Yes, that''s correct. One month should be enough to arrange arge-scale reinforcement." The Earl nodded, confirming their existence.


    "Yet, what the people said about the situation was vastly different. The fort looked like a slum. The gloomy atmosphere and the preying gaze made my people ufortable. I''ve brought a fewmoners from that fort to testify the situation on how your second son didn''t open the food storage and let the people suffer.


    "It seems they could barely eat from the meat that the soldiers brought back for them. This is quite an unfortunate thing, isn''t it¡­" Themander narrowed his eyes.


    The earl gulped down, but before he could exin, themander had continued, "Our Demon Banner Army acts for the people, so our Demon Relief Squad would like to move immediately to restore the fort.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "However, the moment they met the lord, they were forced to stay. My squad had smelt alcohol and sweet perfume in their meeting¡­ I don''t have any n to teach Earl Lawrence how a noble should act. But I''ve heard that your son has been forcing the women on that fort to satisfy his need in order to feed their family. Of course, that didn''t really matter to my Demon Relief Squad.


    "It''s just¡­ with how your son acted, I felt unsafe to leave my Demon Relief Squad in your son''s hand, especially with the fact he forced them to stay. We''ve three beautifuldies in our squad after all¡­ I presume you understand what I mean."


    The Earl didn''t say anything this whole time. But he was already raging inside, cursing his son for making this mess. Fortunately, this action could still be tolerable. As long as he gave a bit ofpensation, themander wouldn''t mind ignoring this problem.


    Unfortunately for him, themander had just started.


    "Well, let''s ignore that problem for the time being. Let''s talk about how he insulted my people. We might have different squads, but it doesn''t mean we''re not solid. Ask your soldier what they think about theirrade and you''ll understand what it feels to have yourrade being insulted when the one who insulted them was actually asking them to help him. Really shameless¡­"


    "That''s¡­ You can''t just make up things, Mr. Oscar. There is no witness. If you im everything without a witness, I can consider it as you making things up!" The Earl gritted his teeth.


    "Of course." Themander rolled his eyes as if he had expected it. He continued, "I''m telling you about that reason not to pressure you but to let you know why my Demon Relief Squad has to leave the mansion.


    "After that insult, our Demon Relief Squad left the mansion, but I already told you that our Demon Banner Army acted for the people, right? Despite being insulted, we only left the mansion but didn''t abandon our mission. We wanted to leave to finish the mission as soon as possible.


    "Yet, before leaving that mansion, your son stopped them and pointed his sword at them¡­" Themander became even colder as there was even a trace of killing intent emanating from his eyes. He asked with a cold tone. "Say, Earl Lawrence¡­ are you trying to pick a fight with us?"

 Chapter 340 Anger

    "Earl Lawrence¡­ are you trying to pick a fight with us?"


    Feeling the cold gaze from themander gave chills down his spine. His body trembled a bit but he still had to act calm and said, "There must be some misunderstanding between them. I''ll try to summon my son to listen to what he has to say first. Please calm down, Sir Oscar."


    "Oh! There is no misunderstanding, Earl." Themander shook his head. "After leaving that ce, my team was acting separately and dealt with the enemies ording to the missions. All the soldiers had seen their gant appearance.


    "If you asked any soldiers, they would say the same thing. A group of eight people ughtered close to one thousand Demons and two Peak Level Demons.


    "But there is actually something good from what I''ve heard in that city. I''ve broughtmoners and merchants from that ce to testify it. Right now, they don''t understand what has been transpiring between my Demon Relief Squad and your son. Even I ask my subordinate to invite them here, so they don''t know anything about the current situation.


    "If that''s the case, how about asking them right now? What is happening inside the fort?" Themander smirked and added, "I''m pretty sure they''re going to praise your son. After all, the demon corpses that our squad has gathered have been handed over to your soldiers to restore the peace inside the fort.


    "There is even a celebration for the fort restoration and because there is no more threat from the demons, the fort can be opened again. Take a look at this, don''t you think it''s something praiseworthy?" Themander smirked.


    If this was a normal situation, he would be praising his son nonstop. But the reasonmander brought it up was none other than because his son had made the greatest mistake in his life.


    The Demon Banner Army focused on their mission because they acted for the people. However, never imed their deeds because they weren''t the dog of the nobles. The Demon Banner Army was a third party that kept this kingdom going.


    And iming their work meant considering them beneath the noble. Just like how the nobility, the higher ranking family had the right to look down on lower ranking families, but this was simply due to the fact both of them were noble. If a baron or count was insulted by another party that wasn''t a noble, this meant war.


    "Not only did your son im those eight people were the mercenary he hired, but he also insulted them by letting them know they were only barbarians. I see, so it seems this is the stance of the Lawrences.


    "Since we''re only a barbarian, I''m sure you don''t want to cooperate with us anymore. If that''s the case¡­" Themander smirked. "We''ll cut off our ties with the Lawrences and we''ll set up a new border with Count Heston as a new outer ring."


    "!!!" Earl Lawrence widened his eyes in shock. Count Heston''s territory was right behind his territory. If he set up Count Heston as the new outer ring, it meant there wouldn''t be any more help from the Demon Banner Army. Not only the fort, but this city he ruled would be razed down to the ground by the demons.


    The fact that the Demon Banner Army left his Lawrence Territory alone would mean mass migration from both people and merchants. They didn''t have any more stability staying in this ce, so there was no reason for them to stay there.


    With such an empty territory, his territory would no longer exist.


    "That''s¡­ That''s not the stance of our Lawrence Family. We have had a good rtionship with the Demon Banner Army this whole time. This is because my son is still too young that he doesn''t under¡ª"<sub> </sub>


    Before he finished, themander stopped him by saying, "Oh, it''s not your Lawrence Family? But if I''m not wrong, your son is an adult. He should be around twenty this year, right? And you say he''s still not understanding the big picture?


    "Then, I have to question your teaching, Mr. Lawrence. Have you been teaching your son to im everything that is not his? If that''s the case, then I have to reconsider the credibility of your words.


    "Maybe I have to check the record of our operation in your territory to make sure that we''re not taking advantage like your ve." Themander stood up and said, "Oops, I''ve said enough. I don''t like teaching how you should act as a noble because that''s your territory and you''re the government. But I won''t allow you to treat us like a ve, Mr. Lawrence.


    "I''ve said everything, so it''s time for me to leave." Themander turned around as if he was nning to leave.


    The Earl hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, Mr. Oscar. There must be a misunderstanding between us."


    Oscar stopped like he wanted to talk more about thepensation, but suddenly, he started walking again as if he didn''t care about it. "I''m going to leave. If this is how the Lawrences acts, we''re going to leave the Lawrence Territory. You mayin to a marquis, a duke, or to the royal family, but I''m pretty sure they understand who is in the wrong."


    Earl Lawrence''s face became pale. Those families would surely take his side if the enemies could be easily handled. But even the Royal Family didn''t like to antagonize the Demon Banner Army that easily. Hence, they would simply abandon him.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The Earl knew that his territory would go to ruin if nothing was done.


    He gritted his teeth and mmed the table. "Aaaaahhhh! That cursed idiot!"


    The Earl gritted his teeth. He had received that Hagen had handled the problem well and he was about to call him back to consider the matter of session. But it turned out he had been deceived by his own son that wanted to destroy this family.


    "Leyfon!"


    "Yes, Sir." A butler entered not long after with a serious expression.


    "Bring that bastard Hagen back here even if you have to cut his limbs and drag him here!" The Earl gnashed his teeth while giving the order.


    Even the butler could feel his anger and immediately left the room to not get involved with his wrath.


    Hagen, who was drunk in his achievement, didn''t know about his impending doom.

 Chapter 341 Punishment

    With a proud smile on his face, Hagen returned and met his father in his office.


    He walked right in front of his father and bowed to him. "Father, your son, Hagen, has returned. I''ve settled all the problems within the fort."


    His father didn''t buy any of his lies. He simply nced at his butler and said, "From now on, he can''t bear the name of Lawrence and he shall be expelled and thrown into the slum. I never have a son called Hagen."


    Upon hearing it, Hagen''s face became pale. He was confused, not expecting to receive this treatment, especially after his good work in their fort.


    "Fa¡ª" Before he spoke, the Earl had mmed the table and shouted, "You are not my son!"


    "What? What is happening? Why did you do this to me?! I''ve done everything for the fort and yet, you''re throwing me like this?!" Obviously, Hagen didn''t think he was in the wrong. He never realized that iming the Demon Banner Army''s deeds was one of the greatest mistakes.


    "You''ve done everything you shouldn''t have done! It''s better if you were never born!" The Earl gritted his teeth, remembering the day when themander came to extort him.


    If he was still as angry as that day, he would''ve killed this guy on the spot. But because he had promised themander, he had to make sure everything was done thoroughly.


    He took a deep breath and shouted to his butler, "Drag him out of here ording to what I''ve told you before! I don''t ever want to see this guy anymore and make sure he can''t use Lawrence''s name anymore!"


    "What? Father, I don''t understand why you are doing this to me. I''ve done everything I can to help you with the fort¡ª!" No matter how much he pleaded, the Earl didn''t exin to him while the butler dragged him out and threw him to the knight.


    "Let me go!" Hagen kept struggling while two soldiers were pinning him down.


    "Are we allowed to do this? Won''t our lives be in danger?" One of the soldiers was still hesitating while dragging Hagen to the carriage.


    The carriage was driving straight to the slum while the other soldier remained silent because he was focused on restraining Hagen.


    Hagen kept cursing them and swore they would kill their families. The other guy was scared while the other maintained his calm.


    As soon as they reached the slum area, the calm soldier said, "We''ve received the order from the lord. From now on, the Young Master is not a part of Lawrence anymore. Although I''m not sure what is happening, I''ve heard that themander of the Demon Banner Army has personallye to this ce.


    "This is just between you and me. ording to my friend who went to a merchant that themander brought to this ce, it was said that the young lord had mistreated the people in the fort and asked for the Demon Banner Army''s help only to mistreat them and even point his swords at them. Andstly, he imed their deeds.<sub> </sub>C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Themander was angry and the Earl had to give him a lot ofpensation. I''m not very sure, but back then, there were around fifteen charts of goods¡­ No one knew the extent of thepensation, but it was certainly big for the Earl, considering he was angry for three days and three nights, ording to the maid working there."


    "What?" The soldier was shocked, Hagen also dropped his jaw, not understanding what was happening.


    But the next thing he realized, he had been thrown to the dark alley by the soldiers and said, "Don''t me us, Young Lord. We''re only doing our job¡­ Ah right, you''re not our Young Lord anymore."


    "You¡ª" Hagen wanted to snarl at him but the carriage had driven away. He didn''t realize just yet that there were a group of thugs hiding in that darkness.


    As soon as the soldiers left, someone''s hand covered his mouth as a rough voice echoed in the alley. "Hey, did you hear that? This must be the famous lecherous second lord, right? To think he would be stripped from his title. He is now the same as us!"


    "What are¡ª" Hagen tried to struggle to see these people, but there were a few punchesnding on his face in that instant, knocking him out.


    His consciousness was nk for a few hours before he woke up again in the middle of nowhere. He was surrounded by buildings but it wasn''t bright like the town. His body was covered in pain, especially in his jaw.


    Because of the temperature, his skin was numb and freezing. In that instant, he realized he was stark naked.


    His stomach was soon rumbling as he hadn''t eaten anything even before meeting his father, so all the hunger suddenly came. But due to the punches on his stomach that covered his belly with bruises, the moment he touched his stomach, he fell down while growling in pain.


    "Aaaaahhh!" Hagen gritted his teeth while looking around, trying to find someone to get help. "Help¡­ I''m the second son of Earl Lawrence. If you help me, I can give you everything."


    He kept crying for help, but not a single person came to him. Hagen tried to crawl on the ground, trying to get into the city, but the pain and the cold were making it hard to move. His consciousness had be fuzzy as well due to the hypothermia.


    There were only two possibilities for Hagen. If he had a strong mentality, he would try to stand up and find something to eat even if it meant rummaging through the trash. There was a chance that he would be bullied by the people around as well.


    And that would put him in greater pain, not knowing whether he would be able to survive or not. After all, he had to suffer from hypothermia due to theck of clothes, extreme hunger and stomach pain because of the food, and the harsh life of the slum.


    The other possibility was him dying due to the cold because no one helped him.


    Either way, it was said that Hagen Lawrence was never seen since that day.

 Chapter 342 Next Course

    After resting for a while, they had finally gotten another assignment along with the reward from the previous mission.


    A messenger came to their location, which was the Demon Beholder Group''s member.


    "You''ve received a new assignment. Immediately set off to the Silica Valley and receive theplete instruction from the Valley Master."


    Paul nodded. "Order received."


    "Also, this is your reward from the previous mission." He handed a letter before leaving.


    Paul opened it and saw the reward. As expected, they received a quite amount of Gold and Contribution Points. Like Paul announced back then, Rose and Noel received the biggest reward while the others weren''t that far off.


    Normally, this would be the end of the reward. However, there was an additional reward attached at the bottom of the page along with the message.


    ''The Zero Squad will receive an additional 4,000 Gold and 120,000 Contribution Points.''


    ''This reward can be exchanged for various items in the Demon Banner Army Headquarters. The Demon Relief Squad can handle how they distribute it themselves.''


    "Mhm? What is this additional reward?" Noel asked.


    "It''s from extorting that noble," said Paul with a smile. "Themander usually shared thirty percent of the reward with us in the form of money and points since we don''t really need all the expensive stuff."


    "I see." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Are you disappointed that we only get thirty percent?"


    "Not really. It''s clear that the reason why we could get so much from the noble is from themander''s prestige. In other words, he''s the one who contributes the most, so it''s already quite good to have him share thirty percent of the reward." Noel exined his thought.


    "Indeed. Anyway, we''ll be leaving in three hours. All of you are to pack up our stuff and get ready to leave."


    "Understood." They nodded and immediately dispersed.


    "Noel, Noel¡­" Anna tugged Noel''s sleeve.


    "Mhm?" Noel tilted his head in confusion before he remembered what they were about to do. "Do you want to go somewhere? Let''s go then."


    Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    Without hesitation, both of them left and moved somewhere far from the group since they had an important matter to discuss.


    After Anna checked their surrounding, she finally sat down and ordered some food.


    "This valley is perfect for us to do it."


    "That''s true. We can easily find some cliffs around the valley." Noel nodded.


    "But are you sure we''re going to do it?" Anna asked again. Although she had agreed to this n, she didn''t know what would happen to these people. After all, the people around here were so caring. She felt bad deceiving them like this.


    Surprisingly, Noel didn''t hesitate to give the nod as if he had steeled his resolve. But that resolve turned out to be an arrangement made by themander. "Yes. Don''t worry about them. In fact, I''ve asked themander to put me in the same squad using my second identity.


    "Know those guys, they''ll realize something is up. And after seeing them like this, I don''t think someone will snitch on us. Though, I''ll just give them my side of the situation, not yours. After all, you''re the one dealing with the Royal Family, so if they know about it, it''ll be troublesome for you."<sub> </sub>


    Anna contemted for a moment. It was true that these people would instantly realize Noel was Iadre just by looking at his build. And that would dispel their hatred immediately.


    In the best case, they would even rte this incident to the reason why she became famous for destroying Noel''s family. They would think this was actually the scheme created by their families.


    Of course, the timing was important. He couldn''t really just appear right after his death because the news couldn''t be spread.


    Hence, he was nning to train by himself for another month before making his appearance.


    "I see. If that''s the case, then how are we supposed to meet again? Well, if I show them my talent, it''ll be easy for me to get dispatched to deal with something. It can be counted as experience, but it''s hard to arrange the meeting between us."


    "I have thought about it. We can''t really meet too often, so I''m nning to arrange a meeting every season. What do you think?"


    "That''s easy, I guess. I can monitor the Demon Relief Squad''s mission from my position, and I can justify my action with their hatred after killing you to ensure there wouldn''t be any revenge."


    "Yes. Just don''t take a mission that is too close to our ce because it''ll arouse some suspicion. And I''m pretty sure you can cover the distance between two cities easily, right?"


    Anna nodded. "With my current strength, it won''t be a problem."


    "I''m going to rely on you a lot." Noel sighed. He wanted to leave, but the Zero Squad would find him easily. Although they would suspect something, he didn''t want them to get involved too much in this matter.


    "That''s the gist of the n. Do you have any dissatisfaction? I can alter it a bit." Noel asked.


    Anna looked down, contemting the pros and cons. "I don''t have any problem with the n itself. And it''ll be a perfect opportunity for me to understand the whole problem. Though, I''m pretty sure you''re going to start making contact with the Third Prince, right?"


    "Yeah. I''ll try to find a way to do it." Noel nodded.


    "If that''s the case, how about we make a littlepetition between us?"


    "Competition?"


    "Who can get more information! Just like this squad''s tradition."


    "¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. "The game is one thing, but being reckless is another thing. By making thispetition, one is bound to be reckless. So, I don''t suggest the idea."


    "Well¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. She just wanted to make this bad situation a bit more enjoyable, but it seemed Noel wouldn''t budge.


    Surprisingly, Noel added, "Though, I don''t mind about the game. I know that I''m smarter than you, but you''re by no means a fool. So, I''m sure you know your limit. But to prevent you from being reckless, let''s change the rule of the game."


    "What''s the rule?"


    "It''s not about winning, but about not losing."


    Noel was indirectly implying that they should get information at their own pace instead of pushing themselves to get as much information as possible. Thetter would make them reckless while the former was trying to motivate them a little bit.


    "The loser will be serving the winner during the information exchange." Noel smirked.


    Anna also smirked. "I''m not going to lose. Prepare to be my butler."


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 343 Mission

    "Alright. Let''s set off." Paul nodded after confirming their items.


    Surprisingly, Paul had decided to change the arrangement a bit. She asked Rose and Ste to handle the first carriage while Anna and Noel took care of the second one. It seemed Paul had noticed what Ste was doing and tried to put them together to see whether it was like Ste feared or not.


    While sitting next to Anna, Noel asked, "By the way, do you know anything about this valley master?"


    Anna thought for a moment. "Mhm¡­ How do I start this¡­ Do you know about the Tower Association?"


    "Yes. Although there are people like Spirit Magician, Magic Knight, or whatever, the category is mainly split into two: One wielding their tool or one wielding their Spiritual Energy. Basically, if you''re utilizing your Spiritual Energy with abilities like Freezing Crystal and such, then it''s thetter. But if you''re focusing on your weapon or tool, then you''re the former.


    "If you''re the former, you can go anywhere and be fine, but if you''re thetter, then you have to go to the tower. They''re the association researching Spiritual Energy. Most of them don''t wear weapons like this, instead, they''re using an item with high Spiritual Energy conductivity.


    "Though, I could say that they''re very influential. For example, the Muscle Enhancement Spirit Technique came from them. So, yeah¡­ they''re that kind of organization.


    "As for their connection to the valley master, the Tower Association has twelve Main Tower. Basically, their system is simr to the Demon Banner Army with its fifteen squads.


    "But the difference is they don''t have the sole leader. If they have to make the decision, they''re usually using votes to decide.


    "Anyway, this valley master is one of the twelve tower masters, known as Water Lord. He was adept at controlling water to the point it looked like it had be a part of his body. So, he''s kind of prestigious and strong.


    "The fact that he''s asking us for help means there is something behind¡­" Anna suddenly fell silent as if remembering something.


    "Anna?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. She often did this, so he waited until she finished her thought.


    ''Now that I think about it, in my past life, the Water Lord was dead because there were overwhelming number of demonsing toward them. In the end, the valley was ruined and the Water Lord had to be thest line of defense, sacrificing his life.


    ''However, the Water Lord was strong, so it was impossible for him to die. At the very least, he was as strong as a Captain in the Demon Banner Army. So, it was weird for him to die around this time.


    ''Now that I think about it, Noel was supposed to join the Demon Relief Squad, right? Ah, wait. He joined the squad after this incident¡­ Does that mean the Zero Squad had been wiped out along with the Water Lord in the past?''


    Anna''s expression continuously darkened the more she thought about this incident.


    ''If that''s the case, did Noel join the new Zero Squad since he was supposed to graduate a weekter? Then, does that mean Noel had never met these people in the past? Was this the reason he became so shrewd?''


    Anna suddenly stood up and handed the reign to Noel before asking Paul who was riding not far from them.


    "Paul! Can I ask you a question?"


    "Mhm?" Paul was confused and hurriedly moved his horse next to the carriage. "What''s wrong?"


    "The people who were about to be a part of the Zero Squad must be in the first squad, right?"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Paul didn''t understand why Anna asked this, but he nodded. "Yes. First and Second Squads are the candidates."<sub> </sub>


    "Then, what''s the condition to be a part of the Zero Squad? No, it''s more like¡­ what''s the condition of the people right now? Are they bad guys?"


    "Hmm? Why do you ask this kind of question?" Paul contemted for a moment. "Well, since you have be a part of the Zero Squad, I think it''s fine to tell you this. There are three main requirements to be one of us.


    "The first is their achievement and strength. The second is their social skills since we''re mainly to help people. Andstly, their kindness.


    "The people in those two squads don''t know much about the third condition, which is actually the most important. We''re here to help people, so we want a good person to enter.


    "What is currently happening in the first squad is that they''re scheming at each other, trying to take them down so that they can be picked as a part of the zero squad. However, there are often lights in that darkness, shining so bright that you have to choose them. And those are the people who make the cut."


    "!!!" Anna''s body trembled after hearing it. She looked at Noel and realized Noel had been influenced by those people. They had no time to rece the zero squad when Noel came, so Noel ended up mingling with that kind of people.


    In other words, there was a high chance that the Zero Squad would be wiped out during this mission.


    "What''s wrong? Is the answer too shocking for you?"


    ? "Ehm, yes¡­" Anna nodded and timidly returned to her seat.


    Paul couldn''t understand her actions but moved away a bit, pondering why she suddenly asked that.


    "Did you figure out something?" Noel asked. He knew Anna had a secret that could let her receive this kind of knowledge. But just like how she didn''t pry into the secret of the system, he didn''t go all the way to pressure her to exin her secret.


    Anna gulped down and whispered to him. "I''m afraid the Zero Squad will be exterminated in this mission."


    As if proving Anna''s words, Noel also received the mission from the system¡­ the mission that shocked him to the core because it could see the future.


    [Mission: Save the Zero Squad]


    [Description: The Zero Squad is going to be wiped out. Please save them.]


    [Reward: Rune Mastery +1 Level, Rune Enchantment System, Hardening Rune, Softening Rune, Energy Gathering Rune.]


    [Penalty: You, Anna, and all the members of the Zero Squad die.]


    [Mission: Save the Silica Valley]


    [Description: The Supreme Devil Organization is going to attack the Valley. Stop them.]


    [Reward: Water Lord''s Favor, Freezing Crystal +1 Level, Ice Infusion +1 Level.]

 Chapter 344 Danger

    "¡­" Noel''s expression darkened when he saw the mission. Ardagan seemed to have the ability to predict the future, so the fact that he stated they would die meant they were truly going to die.


    At the same time, he could see the reward of this mission. It was rare for the system to give this much as a reward. Although it was better to give Skill Points, he realized that Ardagan was nning something with these abilities.


    ''The reward is big, so the problem is big. The fact that it can wipe us out¡­ Paul has broken through to Spirit Grandmaster not long ago and the Valley Master is as strong as Captain ra¡­ What kind of monsters are we dealing with?''


    ''Now that I think about it, Peak Level Demon is equal to a high level Spirit Master or a new Spirit Grandmaster. But there is another demon above that level called Superior Demon. But this kind of demon is like our Captain¡­


    ''If Ardagan is right that this is happening because of the Supreme Devil Organization, then does that mean they have some way to tame a Superior Demon?


    ''Seriously? What kind of existence can tame a demon as strong as our Captain? Someone like themander who has reached the Spirit Transcendence Level? Or there won''t be any demons attacking us?''


    Noel contemted for a moment before asking, "Is it all thanks to the demon attack?"


    "Huh?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes."


    She wasn''t aware that this situation was caused by the Supreme Devil Organization. She only thought there would be a powerful demon that could defeat all of them, which was the superior demon.


    Even if the Valley Master couldn''t stop it, it was better if they could ask for a backup.


    Anna asked, "Are they asking for reinforcement from other squads as well?"


    Paul, who heard it, couldn''t help but reply, "No. Normally, if someone asks for our assistance, they won''t ask for others. After all, they must be experiencing some destruction and that will be our primary task. Besides, we also have the strength that can solve the demons. So, there''s basically no need to ask other squads besides us.


    "Of course, if we deem the situation too dangerous, we are free to call any nearby squads to help us. But yeah, there''s no guarantee they are close enough to aid us during the battle. And I still don''t understand why you have been asking these weird questions to me."


    "Mhm¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. "I''m not very sure about this, but isn''t this mission quite dangerous?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "The valley master is equal to our Captain, right? Then, if we''re tasked with something that even he can''t handle, doesn''t that mean we''re in a very dangerous situation?"


    Paul shook his head. "As I said earlier, with the valley master in charge of this ce, our main priority is not fighting. It''ll be construction. Of course, there will be a time where we have to fight since it''s better for the valley master not to make his move easily, showing all our cards.


    "Hence, I believe that the situation is not that dangerous, considering the valley master will act when needed."


    Noel had this concern. No matter what Anna said, it would be impossible for them to convince them to bring out more reinforcement unless they had a solid reason or proof.<sub> </sub>


    So, Noel had been thinking of a way to convince them. If not the help from the other squad''s captain, they had to bring their own captain here.


    ''No, wait. A single demon like this should be crushed by the valley master, but because this ising from the Supreme Devil Organization¡­'' Noel gulped down. ''Don''t tell me, there will be a Devil Bishop assisting them?


    ''Well, it''s true that I can''t picture them taming a Superior Demon. But what if this Superior Demon is not tamed but lured? The Devil Bishop is luring this demon to this valley¡­''


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Anna. What''s the specialty of Silica Valley? Is there any particr reason it has to be defended at all cost?"


    "Hmm?" Anna closed her eyes for a moment, recalling all the memory.


    Since Anna had a hard time thinking about it, he couldn''t help but ask out loud. "Ste, is there any specialty from Silica Valley? Or is there any reason it has to be defended at all cost?"


    Ste was knowledgeable, so she might have the answer.


    "¡­" The people were confused because this was the first time Noel acted out of character.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "The entire valley is a treasure," Ste shouted back. "There is said to be an ore vein underneath the valley. That ore vein is letting out a vast amount of Spiritual Energy, enriching thend. The Valley Master is said to be using that Spiritual Energy to enhance the water running down the valley to irrigate the farm underneath.


    "I don''t know much, but the farm seems to be rted to Spiritual Energy Research that the Valley Master conducted. If I remember correctly, the product seems to be trying to smoothen your control over Spiritual Energy. It''s said one of the best crops of the year can be sold for one thousand gold coins."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He thought, ''Don''t tell me, the Supreme Devil Organization attacked this ce to take control over it? Then, the research that the Valley Master conduct will be beneficial for them?''


    "What''s wrong with you two? Both of you are acting weird, you know!" Ste narrowed her eyes. She wanted Noel to stay with her instead of Anna because of this.


    "Well, I might be paranoid over this little thing, but everything doesn''t sum up. I''m pretty sure you''ve heard what Anna said earlier¡­ so, yeah, why do they actually want us to go there instead of anyone else? Is the condition so bad that they need someone to help with the construction?


    "If the buildings have been ruined, doesn''t that mean the Valley Master has failed to protect his own ce?"


    "¡­" Everyone suddenly fell silent. With such a strong person, there should be no problem in protecting the entire thing. But at the same time, Valley Master was only one person. He couldn''t protect everything by himself, especially against so many demons. So, this kind of destruction was as expected.


    Even so, Noel and Anna had been acting like this at the same time, making them wonder if they were truly afraid or they were sharp enough to find something amiss.


    Paul said, "In that case, let''s talk to the Valley Master first before reaching any conclusion. If it''s too dangerous, I''ll be asking for reinforcement immediately."

 Chapter 345 Arrival

    "This is it." They had finally reached the valley after going around the hill.


    The valley was hidden behind two ranges of hills going straight to the north. There was a river going down the valley, creating lives in this valley.


    There was a huge castle three hundred meters away, standing tall to stop all the iing danger. Behind the castle were huge fields filled with farms.


    "Is there any destruction around that castle?" Noel narrowed his eyes, trying to see farther.


    "I''m not sure because the view is blocked by them, but if they''re attacked by monsters, their north should have be a barren ground¡­ After all, the number the demons need to take down this castle is huge, so their steps would destroy all kinds of things." Paul shook his head. "Still, we can''t see anything from here. It''s better to go there and check it ourselves."


    "In that case, Zion and I will be moving around the town," said Rose. Her sense was extraordinary and Zion was quick in his feet, so they were perfect to go around to gather information.


    "Yeah, I''ll leave it to you two. Jonathan and Noel wille with Ben and me to handle the negotiation with the valley master. Ste will go with Anna to see if you can find something suspicious." Paul nodded, assigning their task.


    "Ehm? What?" Anna and Ste widened their eyes, not understanding why Paul went all the way to pair them up.


    But thetter immediately walked to them. Even though he was smiling, they could only feel chills all over their bodies. He said with a strict tone. "If I were to see both of you arguing about a silly matter again¡­"


    Ste and Anna nodded furiously, assuring him they wouldn''t do something foolish again.


    "Good then. Let''s go." Paul was satisfied with their answer and immediately led the group to enter the city.


    They were able to get in as soon as they saw the Demon Relief Squad''s badge. The city was surprisingly clean even though they were far away from other ces. It was bustling with people and most of them wore a smile on their faces.


    ''This is quite surprising. To think there is a good city like this in the middle of nowhere¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly. ''The air is cool, the area also has enough sunlight, and the soil is fertile. It seems that the underground vein is truly giving a lot to this city.


    ''And if the Supreme Devil Organization takes over this city, they will have a perfect ce to fight the kingdom, considering this ce is far away from other people. And any kind of movement will be spotted from the mountain ranges.


    ''Besides, by killing the Water Lord, no one is going to help this city. As long as they surround the city with demons, people won''t go to this ce, allowing them to cultivate it for a long time.


    ''Still, a Superior Demon, huh. And if my prediction is right, there will also be a Devil Bishop. Both of them are enough to eliminate all of us here. In other words, we need at least another Captain to handle the enemies this time¡­''<sub> </sub>


    Noel didn''t consider Dimitri again because he didn''t know about his strength and didn''t want to be reliant on him.


    Hence, Noel was trying to figure out a way to ask for reinforcement.


    They were guided to the castle where the Valley Master lived. As arranged, only four of them entered the castle while Paul dismissed the other four, allowing them to have fun around the city.


    As soon as they entered this castle, they were greeted by huge staircases leading to the fourth floor.


    "Mhm?" Paul narrowed his eyes, not understanding why the construction looked like this. Creating stairs straight to the fourth floor put immense pressure on the support, so it was better to create the foundation on each floor and connect them one by one with the stairs.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Yet, the stairs went straight to the fourth floor as if there was something hidden in these three floors.


    As if expecting this kind of confused face, the butler, who had been working in this ce for a long time, exined, "My Master''s research ce is behind this stair, so the stairs are this long.


    "Not anyone can be invited into this ce. The people, who have entered the gate have some strength, so I believe everyone has the ability to climb the stairs, right?" The butler smiled. Even though he only worked as a butler, Paul could feel that the butler''s strength was close to a Spirit Grandmaster. Even Ste, who was the strongest in the group, wouldn''t know whether she could win or not against this person.


    Paul nodded. "We don''t have any problem with the staircases, so please¡­" Paul extended his hand, asking the butler to guide them.


    "Then, please forgive us for the inconvenience." The butler nodded and immediately climbed the stairs. "My Master''s office is on the fourth floor. He has been waiting for you there."


    "I see. It seems that we''ve made the Valley Master wait." Paul looked around to see if he could find anything. But because the huge stairs covered almost everything, he could only see the white walls on both sides.


    When ncing back, his heart skipped a beat, realizing he had to go down this long. He somehow had some fear of going down after this because the long, wide stairs were messing with his bnce.


    ''Hmm¡­ this is surprising. So, there is a construction that can confuse me like this.'' Paul narrowed his eyes. ''The height is simr to a city wall, but those stairs aren''t this wide, so they aren''t confusing my bnce¡­ Interesting.''


    Noel, on the other hand, noticed something different from Paul. Instead of the construction, he was confused why they didn''t see any other person after entering this ce. With a castle this big, it was normal to employ at least thirty maids and butlers to take care of this castle. Yet, they didn''t find anyone.


    "¡­" Noel felt a bit suspicious.

 Chapter 346 Problem

    As soon as they reached the fourth floor, they found a single hallway with only one door at the end. The butler immediately led them to the room and knocked on the door. "Master. I''ve brought the guests."


    "Come in."


    The butler opened the door after getting the confirmation, showing a huge hall inside. The hall was filled with bookshelves, and there was a huge table in the center of the hall where the Water Lord seemed to be doing all his works. There were various books andrge pieces of paper on the table, so it was clear why he needed that big table.


    The Water Lord looked like a man in his early thirties. He had nted eyes and a gentle smile. He was wearing big round sses, making his face look innocent. His long blue hair was tied neatly on his back.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Despite meeting the guest, he was wearing a in white shirt and long ck pants. It seemed these were his usual clothes when working, considering he only took a nce at them before returning to his book.


    After they came in, he finally dropped the book and said, "Sorry about my disy. There has been too much work recently, so I don''t have time to change my clothes and tidy up this room to meet you."


    Paul nodded politely. "It''s alright, Valley Master. We know that you''re a busy person."


    The Valley Master smiled. "Still, please sit down."


    The butler guided them to the big table and brought them the chairs. After that, he bowed to them and said, "I''ll prepare the snacks for you."


    The Valley Master nced at their faces and said, "It seems there is a new guy among you."


    It seemed he noticed Noel''s strength couldn''t bepared to the others, making him look like a new guy.


    "There''s no need for you to worry, Valley Master. We can guarantee his skill." Paul thought he was worried because Noel would be too weak to handle the task. So, he had to assure him.


    The Valley Master didn''t reply to the assurance as if it was not the point. He paused for a moment and asked, "So, are you going to hear about the mission right away or do you have any questions about this ce first?"


    It seemed he knew that they were gathering the information from the city. So, Paul said, "It will be better if we can hear the problem first. After all, this is what we''re here for."


    "Do you mind if I tell you about it while I''m reading these documents?"


    "Please."


    The Valley Master nodded. "The problem is simple. There is poison in our water supply. Although we''ve managed the city with the water reserve, it''s going to be a problem for us if we can''t get a new water supply."


    "Are you asking us to build a well?"


    "No. The water supply is from Eleist Mountain uphill. I''m sure youe from that ce. My people have tried to investigate it but found nothing. So, we don''t know the cause."


    "Then, if it''s an investigation, it''s better to give this job to the Demon Observer Squad."


    "No. It''s too much work to do an investigation, and by the time you finish the investigation, my people will have died from dehydration."


    Paul contemted for a moment. "So, you want us to drain the water and allow the fresh water to flow?"


    "Yes. What do you think you should do in this case?"<sub> </sub>


    "We have checked the topography around here. There is a smallke on the hill, which should be where the poison umted. We can block the water flow from uphill first and drain theke before letting the freshwater flow like usual."


    Paul determined this was the problem since the Water Lord acknowledged the solution was to drain the water. And the only thing they could drain was thiske.


    "That''s good enough." The Valley Master nodded with a serious expression.


    "Then, do you have any problem with the monsters?" He asked.


    "I do have a bit of trouble. Do you know the poison called Winding Beast Poison?"


    "Please enlighten us."


    "The Winding Beast Poison is used to make the demon be berserk. This poison was found two decades ago. Well, it''s also effective for humans, but instead of making the humans berserk, they''ll have some sort of organ failure. There were already a total of thirty deaths before I figured out the issue.


    "But the problem is the demons¡­ You should know how long this valley is, right¡­" The Valley Master smirked, testing the Demon Relief Squad.


    Paul narrowed his eyes. "I see. So that''s why you want to drain the water instead of doing anything else."


    The Valley Master smiled. "The river is flowing to the Demon Territory and making the demons berserk, causing them to attack us. Instead of letting the water continuously flow down, I''d like to handle the source of the problem first before doing anything else. After all, I need to call some fighting squads and investigation squads from the Demon Banner Army and still have to deal with the water problem¡­"


    "That''s understandable." Paul nodded in agreement. Even he would do the same thing in this situation. It was better to solve the source of the problem first before dealing with the rest. "If that''s the case, we''ll try to fix the water supply as soon as possible."


    "Thank you. I''ll reward you properly if this is done." The Valley Master smiled, satisfied with their answer.


    However, he noticed something different from Noel.


    He was actually looking down, falling into deep thought as if he found something weird.


    Noticing the Valley Master''s gaze, Paul nced to the side and saw Noel acting in his own world.


    "Noel." Paul tugged his hand to wake him up.


    "Ah!" Noel realized what he was doing and immediately bowed. "I apologize for my rudeness."


    "It''s fine. It seems that this young friend is thinking about something. Can you share it with us?"


    "This¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head, not knowing whether to say it or not.


    "It''s fine. Tell us everything¡­ After all, it''s better to have more people talking about this matter since we''ll get new perspectives." The Valley Master waved his hand, calming Noel down.


    "Then¡­" Noel took a deep breath before his expression became solemn. "Valley Master¡­ This might be rude for me to ask. But are you trying to use us as baits?"

 Chapter 347 Accepting The Job

    "Valley Master, this might be rude for me to ask. But are you trying to use us as baits?"


    "Noel!" Paul frowned because he never thought Noel would blurt out something like that.


    The Valley Master was only surprised but not offended. He closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to regain his calm before asking, "So, why do you say so? Can you exin your thought to me?"


    Noel carefully arranged the words in his mind, making sure not to attack the Valley Master too much but also to send enough messages to the rest of the team.


    "First of all, there is one thing that I can''t understand. The water runs from the south, which is the mountain. And the north is the demon territory. Just by looking at this fact alone, we can see that this is not the work of a demon.


    "With your strength, I doubt there will be a demon that can get past this castle, so I arrive at the conclusion that this is someone''s work," Noel exined his first point.


    "Understandable." The Valley Master nodded. "Continue."


    While the Valley Master was listening to him, Paul and the others didn''t know what to do. After all, this might enrage the Valley Master. At the same time, they remembered when Noel had a suspicion about this mission on the way.


    It was clear that something was missing, but they still wondered whether this was just Noel being paranoid or a fact.


    "My second point is about the poison itself. I''m a bitcking in my understanding of demons, but I haven''t experienced a demon strong enough to utilize a strategy like this. More so when you can''t even find the culprit.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Also, we can''t forget the fact that the choice of poison is the one inciting the demons. A powerful demon doesn''t need to use poison to bring a massive army of demons.


    "With that kind of poison running down the valley, it''s clear that this is the work of someone that wants to destroy or take over this ce."


    "¡­" Paul looked down, falling into deep thought. He realized he hadn''t put too much thought into this matter.


    The Valley Master, on the hand, smiled after listening to him.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, bing a bit more suspicious. "Do you need me to continue, Valley Master?"


    "No. It''s enough. The fact that this is the handiwork of someone is clear, and everyone in this room should be able to figure out why I send you there." The Valley Master admitted it without hesitation. "Yes, I''m sending you as baits."


    "!!!" Paul and the others raised their eyebrows in shock. They never expected they would be backstabbed like this. Paul red at the Valley Master and demanded his exnation. "Valley Master. What do you mean by baits?"


    "I have a good reason for doing this, especially hiding that fact from all of you." The Valley Master took out the map of this valley along with the Demon Territory. There was surprisingly a huge red dot on the map located in the north of the valley. "Two months ago, my people found a sleeping bear when doing their exploration.


    "Its body is colossal and has a lot of power. A single swipe of its paw can even destroy this castle. The bear is this dot¡­" The Valley Master pointed at the red dot. "Take a look at the distance and the river carefully."


    "¡­" Paul furrowed his eyebrows. "It''s not that far¡­"


    "Yes. The demon bear is hibernating during the cold season, especially this winter. However, due to the poison that causes a lot of ruckus among the low-level demons who don''t have the need to hibernate, there is a risk that the bear will wake up."<sub> </sub>


    Noel narrowed his eyes, staring at the map. "So, you want to make us the baits? With our strength, it''s possible to fend off the enemies while draining the water. Just by looking at the trajectory and their objective, it''s clear that they''ll prevent us from draining the water.


    "Hence, it''s better to send us there. However, there is one question in my mind¡­ How strong is that bear?"


    The Valley Master smiled as if expecting this question. "That bear is a Superior Demon."


    "!!!" The people from the Demon Relief Squad trembled. Their squad might be strong, but they weren''t strong enough to handle a Superior Demon. Only their captain could handle this demon. "This is¡­"


    The Valley Master stated with a serious expression. "Don''t worry. I''ll handle that Superior Demon myself. Although it''s strong, I can repel it from here. The only reason why I let the Superior Demon live this whole time is because of its life cycle.


    "This demon bear will hibernate for more than half a year. During that time, this ce experiences peace. By letting that bear reign the Demon Territory around this area, I can have an easier timepared to a more aggressive demon.


    "That''s why I''ll handle the bear while you take care of this culprit." The Valley Master exined.


    Even Paul had no objections to such a n. The Valley Master had been using that bear to shield this ce as well.


    Looking at this fact alone, he understood why the Valley Master wanted to solve this problem as soon as possible. And by using the Demon Relief Squad to drain thiske, it was clear that he was very serious about dealing with the poison, which would trigger the action of the culprit.


    Noel didn''t say anything after all this exnation as if he had agreed to take on the task.


    It seemed he had underestimated Noel''s observation skill. As one would expect from a noble, even though the house had fallen, it didn''t change the fact that Noel was the son of the richest person in the kingdom. There was no way both of them would be ordinary.


    Paul nodded his head and said, "If that''s the case, then our squad will take on this task."


    "If you need help, you might go to my butler. At the very least, he can go to assist you in dealing with this problem."


    "Understood. Thank you for your concern. I''ll discuss the n with my squad first before working on it. Please let us handle the problem."


    The Valley Master nodded while seeing Paul and the rest stood up, ready to leave.


    Before that, the Valley Master stopped them. "Wait!"


    "Is there any problem?" Paul frowned.


    The Valley Master looked at Noel. "You''re good, kid. Your name?"


    Noel contemted for a moment. But considering he was famous because of his fallen household, there was no need to hide it anymore. Noel dered with a proud smile. "Noel Ardagan."

 Chapter 348 Suspicion

    The Valley Master was looking at the silhouettes of the people who had just left his castle.


    "It''s been a while since someone managed to pique my interest. To think there is someone who can see through that n in just a nce¡­" The Valley Master narrowed his eyes. "Noel Ardagan, huh¡­"


    "Do you need me, Master?" The butler entered the room and bowed, asking for the instruction.


    "If I''m not wrong, Ardagan Family has¡­"


    "Yes. They''ve fallen after the battle for the throne. The richest man in the kingdom, Luke Ardagan, is executed together with his wife. His riches are seized by the royal family. But there is currently no leader that upies their territory."


    "No one is upying thatnd? Even though thatnd is the reason why the Ardagan Family bes the richest family?"


    "The Count once became famous for saying, ''Thend is like iron ore. Without great experts tempering it and turning the ore into a sword, nothing will prosper.'' And that''s why after the execution, all the experts who have been working for the Count scatter. Some join another family, some are living in seclusion, some are missing."


    "Hoh?" The Valley Master narrowed his eyes. "I see. It seems that the former Count is the head and those experts are his limbs. Cutting the limbs won''t take down the count, but taking down the head will destroy the family¡­"


    The Valley Master contemted for a moment before smiling. "Can you see it, Azhen?"


    "What is it, Master?"


    "The new head." The Valley Master smirked.


    "!!!" The butler''s body shook a bit as if understanding his intention. "Master, are you going to¡­"


    "Well, it doesn''t feel bad to have the next generation owe me something. Once they ask for your help, make sure you keep him alive no matter what."


    The Valley Master didn''t know at that time, who would actually be the one owing the favor.


    ¡­


    After finishing their discussion, Paul led them to an inn while waiting for the rest to return.


    Surprisingly, all of them had a troubled expression as if they had seen something ominous.


    Rose and Zion reported what they found without hesitation. "We''ve gone to the city wall and thend ispletely destroyed. I don''t know how the Valley Master handled the monsters, but it''s clear that they''re only attacking one side of the wall. As for the number, we suspect¡­ in the thousand."


    Paul pinched the bridge of his nose, contemting for a moment. Before saying anything, he asked Noel''s opinion, considering he had seen Noel''s true ability earlier. "Noel. What do you think?"


    "Actually, there is one thing that I haven''t told you during the discussion."<sub> </sub>


    "What is it?" Paul frowned. He should have told him during the conversation so that he could negotiate with the Valley Master. But that thought vanished as soon as Noel shared his opinion.


    "Calling us to this ce is surely bringing the attention, not only from this ce, but also those outsiders that want to crush this ce. Do you think the enemies who can do something like this are so foolish that they will underestimate us?"


    "What do you mean?" Paul was still confused since Noel''s exnation was all over the ce.


    "To put it simply, we have the Valley Master and you, a new Spirit Grandmaster. Suppose the Valley Master could stop the demon bear, there is no way the enemy will send their people to their deaths just to stop you¡­


    "There is a chance that they have prepared enough to kill you, either with aplex n or with overwhelming strength."


    "Overwhelming Strength¡­ Wait, are you saying¡­" Paul gasped as if realizing Noel''s true concern.


    "Yes. The enemy might be someone at the Valley Master''s level or the Valley Master might be the culprit himself. But because I couldn''t find any proof for thetter, I didn''t say it during the negotiation."


    "I don''t think the Valley Master would kill us, considering there would be a huge conflict with the Demon Banner Army. If that''s the case, there might be an outsider as strong as our captain¡­ But that kind of outsider that doesn''t mind killing us¡­"


    Noel nodded. "Yes. There is only one organization that has the ability to kill us and doesn''t mind picking a fight with the Demon Banner Army. I''m afraid they''re sending a Devil Bishop to this area. If this is the case, after exterminating our group, this Devil Bishop will sneak attack the Valley Master, who is upied by the bear, to take over the area."


    "!!!" The people were shocked. Ste asked with a horrified expression. "Is that why you asked me about this town''s specialty?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    Ste gasped, wondering how far ahead he could see. ''To think Noel had seen through this situation even before reaching the ce¡­ I guess the son of a tiger is also a tiger¡­''


    Anna, on the other hand, had known that Noel seemed to be able to gainplete information after she gave some clues about it. And everything he said would always be correct.


    So, Noel actually made up all these suspicions to direct the group into thinking about the existence of the Supreme Devil Organization. He didn''t have concrete proof that the Supreme Devil Organization was the culprit, but he knew they were the culprit.


    All he had to do was create the conspiracy theory to make them believe they were the culprit.


    Paul closed his eyes, realizing this matter was moreplex than he thought. He admitted there was no way they could stop a Devil Bishop. At the same time, it was impossible for the Valley Master to die in the Demon Bear''s hand. So, the only way to kill the Valley Master was to join hands with the demon.


    He had heard about the rumor of the Supreme Devil Organization taming the demons to fight alongside them.


    Suddenly, his body trembled as if he had received an even greater shock. He stared at Noel and asked with a shaking voice. "Don''t tell me¡­ You want me to call any captain around here to sneak attack the ambusher?"C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Noel smirked. "Aren''t trump cards meant to be used to flip the situation around?"

 Chapter 349 Trust

    "Aren''t trump cards meant to be used to flip the situation around?"


    Paul was impressed. This was the first time someone was giving this kind of n to him, but remembering how he came up with a n during the demon siege, it was clear that Noel was capable of doing something like this in an instant.


    Paul closed his eyes for a moment, contemting. The others were also trying to think about this n. They might not be as good as Noel, but by no means, they were dumb.


    The n made sense. Although there were some ws in this n, they were just minor ws that could be fixed by their individual contribution. So, they nodded their heads, agreeing to this n.


    Paul was thest one to give his nod because he had to consider the lives of his group as well as the stability of the Demon Relief Squad. If their n failed, they had to handle the consequence to the point they had to face their own demise. So, they needed to be careful here since retreat was also an option.


    "¡­" Paul thought for a moment and asked, "What''s the nearest squad from us?"


    Rose hurriedly moved away to fetch the map from her bag and pointed at two spots. "The first one is Demon Barrier Squad, which is located in Skizo Town, two days away from here. The second one is Demon Extermination Squad, but Captain Shale is¡­"


    "In the headquarters, huh¡­" Paul pinched the bridge of his nose. "Our Demon Relief Squad is a week from here, so I guess we can only rely on the Demon Barrier Squad¡­"


    With all the information they had, Paul finally made a decision. "We''ll dy our work for five days. The first day, we''ll have Rose, Ste, and Zion to check the condition of theke and scout around the area.


    "The second day, we''ll measure the intensity of the poison and do some rough calctions. On the third day, we''ll try to make a simtion to drain all the water.


    "In the fourth day, we will try to drain a portion of the water and the fifth day will be the battle day where we go all out to bring out the enemy.


    "As for the reinforcement, I''ll send the message to our branch located in Lumino City to request backup from the captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. It''s only one day away, so the time should be enough.


    "The letter¡­ Noel, you''ll go with me and write the letter, exining all the n. You''re the oneing up with this ambush n, so you''ll tell them about the exact n. As for the rest, you''re free to move around the town and gather more information if you can. Unless you''re needed that day, you''re free."


    They exchanged nods, showing their support for this n.


    "Good. Let''s do it this way then." Paul nodded with a serious expression and dismissed the group.


    Since dusk was about toe, they didn''t do any work today. Instead, they simply toured around the city to get some fresh air.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Paul were discussing the letter. Noel had written the content about the ambush, which got Paul''s approval.


    "This is good enough, I think."


    "Paul¡­ I know you must have noticed it. Why did you still support me?" Noel asked.<sub> </sub>


    Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise before scratching the back of his head. He patted Noel''s back and said, "You''re a member of our Zero Squad, and I''m its vice-captain. It''s obvious that I have to support you with all my might. Even if the chance of an assassination attempt is less than fifty percent, I''ll still try to bring the reinforcement.


    "Zion and Jonathan have told me about your circumstances. It seems you''ve been fighting alone this whole time. Although I don''t know what''s your rtionship with Anna, who murdered your family, I know that you don''t have many people to rely on.


    "That''s why I''ll be one of those people for you. Our squad is a peculiar one¡­ Jonathan has that gloomy appearance because of his dark past, Ste has a bright smile on her face, but she''s the one who struggles the most. Rose wasn''t born with those senses, it was because of her harsh living conditions that her senses were heightened.


    "Zion might look like that now, but in the past, it would be good if he could even eat something every two days. Ben was a ve, and he would be beaten if he couldn''t do everything because his owner wasn''t that wealthy to afford another ve to do another job. And even I had my own share of problems.


    "Yet, despite all that, everyone could shine brightly and help people around us. We all know each other weaknesses, yet, we don''t use them to our own advantage to bring each other down. Do you know why?" Paul smirked. "It''s trust. And I trust you, Noel. So, you, too, should trust us¡­ trust the Demon Relief Squad. We''ll support you."


    Noel looked down. His heart felt heavy, but a smile couldn''t help but appear on his face. The squad was truly a unique one. And this might be the reason why they were there to help people.


    He had lost that trust when his family was executed. He thought people approached him because they wanted to do something, so he could no longer trust anyone, including Anna. If not for her persistence, he wouldn''t have started trusting her.


    Although he didn''t say it, he felt it might be fine to ce his trust in others for a bit.


    Noel nodded and handed the letter with a smile. "The letter is finished, so¡­"


    "Yeah." Paul didn''t say anything more. He simply took the letter and left the room, leaving Noel the time to think.


    ¡­


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel wasn''t the only one who thought about this n. As a Valley Master, the Water Lord also had some suspicion about the culprit and an assassination attempt.


    That was why he had asked for the Demon Relief Squad to help him¡­ the ''Whole'' Demon Relief Squad. That meant the invitation included their captain, ra.


    ra was standing in the branch of the Demon Banner Army located in Lumino City.


    "It seems that the storm is approaching. To think that even one of the twelve masters of the tower association would ask for my help¡­" ra smirked. "I wonder if any of my squad will realize this n and notify me¡­ I''ll be disappointed if they can''t figure this out."


    However, there was one miscalction that no one would ever realize. In the past life, the Demon Relief Zero Squad was exterminated. Even Anna didn''t know whether ra had participated in this fight or not.


    No matter what, the Zero Squad was still crushed by the enemy. And Anna had been changing the past life this whole time. The umted effect that had yet to take ce would begin to unfold.


    Could Noel and Anna actually change the fate of the zero squad?


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 350 Gathering Information

    The next day.


    Zion, Ste, and Rose immediately headed straight to theke to do their job. The rest were taking their time around the city while Noel and Anna had decided to go around together.


    "To think that you manipted the conversation like yesterday." Anna smirked.


    "Mhm¡­" Noel nodded, remembering what Paul said before. He kind of felt bad since if what Paul said was true, he didn''t have to resort to maniption. "Either way, there is something that I want to hear from the people around here."


    "What is it?" Anna''s expression became serious, wondering what kind of information he had received.


    Noel thought for a moment before smiling back, "Just follow me around."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue. Though, she kept following him to see what was going on.


    Noel walked around the town and found a stall of fruits. He came to this stall without hesitation. His expression was filled with a smile as if he was enjoying the town. "The fruits look good."


    "Oh my. You have great eyes. We picked this not long ago, so they''re still fresh." The woman chuckled, ttered. She also noticed Anna who was next to him.


    The moment Noel said, "How much for a bag?" the woman grabbed the bag while saying, "It''s 5 copper. You don''t seem to be someone from around here. Do youe to this ce recently?"


    "Yes. We''re just sightseeing around here." Noel chuckled while raising one finger to tell her he wanted one bag.


    "Oh, do you like this ce?"


    "Yes. I love the sight when I arrived here. The valley was truly beautiful."


    "Is that so? It would be even more beautiful if not being harassed by the demons. Recently, there were a lot of demons attacking this ce."


    "What? Isn''t that dangerous? Aren''t you going to leave this ce?" Noel asked with a shocked expression.


    "No way. What can a woman like me do to leave this ce? This ce is a blessing for a woman like me since I can take care of the farm and sell it like this. Besides, this ce has the esteemed Water Lord that takes care of us, so we love this ce."


    "Oh! From the looks of it, the Water Lord really takes care of his people here. I haven''t even found any slums in this city unlike other towns."


    "It''s because the Water Lord takes care of us well. In fact, a third of the people who live here are former ves. He bought us and released us, granting us protection. I heard there was someone who got in trouble with the Water Lord when creating trouble for us. So, this ce is a blessing for all of us."


    "Is that so? The Water Lord seems to be a genuinely good guy."


    "Of course! I''d rather help the fight against those demons and remain in this ce instead of searching for another home." The woman nodded with a proud smile.


    ? "This seems to be a truly wonderful ce. I''d certainly love to visit this ce again when it has be stable."


    "Yes, you should do it." The woman agreed without hesitation. "Since you''re traveling with your girlfriend, then let me give you a bit of service here."


    The woman put in two more apples before giving the bag.


    "Thank you so much. Are you sure about this?"<sub> </sub>


    "Of course. Please take it." The woman chuckled.


    "Thanks." Noel nodded and gave her five copper coins. He then held Anna''s hand and gently dragged her away.


    Anna didn''t understand what he was doing this whole time.


    "What are you doing?" Anna''s eyes were glued to the hand held by Noel. She never thought Noel would be this bold. He didn''t even correct her when she called her his girlfriend.


    "You haven''t noticed what I want to do?" Noel widened his eyes in amusement. "Well, I''ll tell you about it, but for now, just act like this until we reach the next block."


    "Mhm¡­" Anna nodded while furrowing her eyebrows. Of course, her gaze hadn''t moved even an inch. She wondered why Noel acted like this and she also felt a bit frustrated for being the only one flustered about this.


    As soon as they took a turn, Noel slowed down his pace while extending the bag, asking her to take some to eat. He also had let go of her hand so that she could grab one.


    "¡­" Anna grabbed one without saying a single thing.


    Noel, on the other hand, began to exin his action. "When you are a merchant that wants to open a branch in a city, you usually go around the town first and even spend some money to understand the town''s situation.


    "Themoners might feel pressured if they know we''re nobles, so it''s better to talk casually with them. There''s no need for manners or whatever we''ve learned as noble. This way, themoners will feel safe and casual.


    "That''s where we begin to strike up a conversation with them. Just praise the city and the lord for seeing their reaction. If they''re looking repulsive or their answer seems a bit stretched, we know that the lord is not praiseworthy. And if they''re looking proud like that, we know that this city is in good hands.


    "Of course, one person is not enough. We''re going to spend the whole day talking to people in all directions to listen to their stories. This way, we''ll be able to hear unbiased opinions. I hope that your stomach doesn''t give up anytime soon. We''ll be having a lot of food after this." Noel smirked.


    "Well¡­ I don''t really mind since all the fat will be gone after some training. But I still don''t understand why do we have to do this¡­"


    "It''s simple. I want to check the Water Lord''s character. If he''s trustworthy, it means he isn''t rted to the current enemy. If there are a few bad rumors, we have to be suspicious of him and the n might change. That''s why."


    "Oh¡­" Anna nodded in understanding. She truly learned a lot the longer she was with Noel. It was very different from what she had learned from her teacher.


    She couldn''t help but hear her voice when remembering her. The voice gave a shiver in her mind.


    ''You''re a noble. Commoners will always be beneath you, their lives are in your hand. If you don''t like them, you just have to kill them.''


    Anna''s breath became heavy all of a sudden when she hallucinated blood on her hands, the blood of themoners she had just killed.


    ''That''s right. This is the pleasure of a ruler. They''re not humans, they''re just tools for you to use.''


    "Anna?" Noel''s voice suddenly entered her ears.


    Her body jolted and her head looked up. She realized she had stopped walking.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    Anna made an awkward smile and said, "Nothing. I just remembered something bad, but that''s not important right now. Let''s go around the city. I''m curious how you talk with others¡­"

 Chapter 351 Flaw

    "It doesn''t seem there is anything bad about this Water Lord," said Anna while putting down a bunch of food on the table. She then sat down on the chair while stroking her belly. "Ugh, I''m too full."


    "Even though I ate two times than you?" Noel nced at her while shaking his head helplessly.


    "My usual portion is small, you know. Although I said that I can burn the excess fat with my training, it doesn''t change the fact I don''t want to be fat." She pouted while looking around.


    "What''s wrong with being fat? Doesn''t it just show you have enough to eat? With your status, it''s not like there will be fewer people who want to marry you."


    "There is nothing wrong except for health. There are more health problems. So, the reason is as simple as I don''t want to get sick." Anna shrugged.


    Noel shrugged, not having anything to say after that. He then walked to the bed and sat on it. "It seems that this ce is a bit wed."


    "Huh? What do you mean? We haven''t found a single weakness of the water lord. His government is basically perfect." She narrowed her eyes. She didn''t know how Noel even came up with this conclusion. Every time they asked people, they would be singing praises about their beloved Valley Master. Yet, Noel imed this ce was wed.


    Noel raised one finger. "The fact that there isn''t a w in this ce is the w itself."


    "Huh? What''s wrong with being good?"


    "No, there''s nothing wrong with being good. I''m talking about something that is wrong when you are too good!" Noel shook his head and continued, "There is an example. What will happen if the royal family is being tyrannical?"


    "They can exert their power when necessary, keeping the kingdom in check," Anna answered without hesitation. With that trait, it was easy for them to control the kingdom.


    Then, Noel asked again. "What will happen if the royal family is being too tyrannical?"


    "Too tyrannical? Doesn''t that mean they cut down every¡­ Ah!" Anna gasped, understanding his thought.


    "Yes. When the royal family being too tyrannical, the oppressed will find dissatisfaction in their rule and that''s where the rebellion starts. The same applies when the royal family is too weak." Noel sighed. "That''s also what happens when you''re being too powerful.


    "For example, if you''re bing powerful, the kingdom will favor your talent. But if you''re bing too powerful for the kingdom to control you, then there is a chance they will eliminate you no matter how loyal you are. Just the fact there is a threat to their rule is enough for them to kill you.


    "That''s why I said that there is nothing wrong with being good. It''s just¡­ If you are too good and have no w, that is the w itself." Noel exined.


    "Being too powerful¡­" Anna understood his exnation, but what caught her interest was the second example. Noel and Anna had grown so much in their past life to the point they were the strongest in their kingdom.


    Anna was loyal to the royal family, while Noel was the leader of the rebellion. Despite those two facts, the third prince and her teacher killed them after they exhausted their power.


    In other words, both the third prince and her teacher might want them to fight each other and kill them. After all, the moment Noel died, Anna would be a huge threat to the royal family, considering she never married anyone from the royal family. On the other hand, if she was the one to die, the Third Prince wouldn''t be able to sit on the throne because the people would pick Noel, who was the strongest as well as the kindest.


    That was the reason why both of them were killed. They were simply too strong.


    "¡­" Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. She never found the reason why her teacher betrayed her. But after listening to Noel''s exnation, she could understand why she killed her.<sub> </sub>


    "I see. So, being too good is a w." Anna muttered while pinching the bridge of her nose.


    "Yeah. That''s why the Demon Banner Army, the Tower Association, and the Royal Family are keeping each other in check. When one party has grown too strong, the other two will join hands to suppress the third party."


    "I understand that being too good is a w, but how is it rted to the Valley Master?"


    Noel shook his head. "I''m not very sure about it yet. The threat cane from the inside and the outside."


    "So, you''re assuming that someone from our side is trying to use the Supreme Devil Organization to suppress this ce?"


    "Who knows?" Noel shrugged. He truly didn''t know, but it didn''t change the fact it was one of the possibilities.


    If there was actually someone aiming for the valley master, they would certainly mark the Demon Relief Squad.


    "Even if that''s just a possibility, doesn''t this mean we''re in danger? No, it''s more like the people who are going to theke."


    "No, not yet. They won''t make a move in a situation where they don''t have the advantage. If they''re going to move, it''s going to be the fifth day¡­" Noel sighed. "And that fight would be the biggest one we have ever faced."


    Anna frowned. "If that''s the case, shouldn''t we prepare more?"


    "What can you do right now?" Noel sighed. "There''s nothing we can do except call for reinforcement."


    "Well, preparing an escape route?"


    "Jonathan is our escape route."


    "Jonathan?"Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. With the mountain ranges blocking our way, we only have two paths, either go to the Demon Territory, which is extremely dangerous or go through the entrance, which will be blocked by the enemies. Pick your poison."


    "Ehm. But Jonathan¡­ Ah, are you nning to use Jonathan''s Telekinesis to lift us up over the mountain?"


    "Exactly." Noel nodded.


    "¡­" Anna seriously couldn''t beat him. This made her realize again that Noel would be the greatest and most reliable ally she would ever have.


    Noel, on the other hand, turned around as if hearing someone''s voice. "Mhm? It seems they''ve returned. We should meet them."

 Chapter 352 Decision

    Noel opened the door and came out of the room together with Anna, finding Rose and the others had juste back.


    "Wee back." Noel smiled.


    "There is nothing wrong around theke. Rose and Zion have scouted around the area and haven''t found anyone near theke. I have also checked theke''s condition and it seems the poison has mixedpletely. Although the running water is diluting it, it won''t be able to clear the poison at least for another few months. So, it''s better if we drain it." Ste exined.


    "Oh, that''s good. If that''s the case, we can continue our work as scheduled." Noel nodded.


    "Yeah¡­" Ste suddenly noticed Annaing out of the room while stroking her stomach. "Oh, wow. Your stomach is sticking out¡­ Don''t tell me, you are pregnant Anna?"


    "Preg-what?!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. "I was stuffed. I ate too much because of Noel."


    "I was just joking. There''s no need for you to get that flustered." Ste chuckled.


    Anna shook her head helplessly, trying to calm her heart down. "Supposed I''m pregnant, who''s the dad? Noel, you want to take responsibility?"


    "Why am I getting dragged into the rivalry between you two?" Noel looked at both of them and moved away. Instead of talking to Ste, he moved to Rose and asked her, "Alright. Let''s ignore these two idiots for now. I have to talk to you regarding tomorrow''s project."


    "Sure. Let''s ignore these two." Rose nodded and walked together with Noel.


    "¡­" Ste and Anna paused for a moment before ring at each other.


    "Well, the more you fight the closer you are, so I have no intention of stopping you two. Just make sure you perform your duty during the mission or else Paul will report you to Captain ra¡­" Zion added before running away. Of course, she didn''t forget to say, "I wonder how will Captain ra deal with you two¡­ Maybe stitching your hands for weeks so that you have to do everything together? Or hanging you two somewhere until you look like dried fish? Ahaha, have fun."


    "¡­" Ste, who had been in the Zero Squad for a while, obviously knew that their captain was capable of doing it.


    Anna hadn''t seen it yet, but she had heard of what happened in the past. So, she clicked her tongue and walked away. "You''re lucky today."


    "Hmph." Ste saw Anna returning to her room while wondering, ''Why does she seem so different when she''s with Noel but very petty when she is around me? Is she interested in Noel or something?


    ''Now that I think about it, she has be Noel''s partner from the start. It looks oppressive, but don''t tell me¡­ the reason why she has been together with Noel this whole time is because she likes him? Wait a minute, did she kill his family so that there wouldn''t be anyone stopping her from having Noel? What''s wrong with this kind of love?


    ''Or am I misunderstanding things? Since Noel has a grudge against the Stargaze Family, he''s aiming for the daughter to pay them back. If this is the case, Noel is truly built differently.


    ''Either way, it doesn''t seem she''s hostile to Noel. In fact, she looks like she is trying to learn and impress him.'' Ste had been observing her and even separating her from Noel this whole time. In fact, this was the reason why Anna became annoyed.


    Anna just wanted Ste to leave her alone while Ste didn''t want to do it in order to help Noel because of herck of understanding about the rtionship between the two. It just spurted conflict between them and made them look childish.<sub> </sub>


    They were just misunderstanding each other''s intentions.


    Though, it didn''t stop them from doing their work. Anna came out soon with the food they failed to eat. It would work as a snack during their meeting.


    Anna just harrumphed when she passed her and continued on her way. Ste clicked her tongue while scratching the back of her head.


    Meanwhile, Noel and the others had returned to their gathering room.


    "¡­that''s what I''m nning to do tomorrow," Noel exined.


    "You truly have a purification ability?" Rose asked, not believing him.


    "Yes. I can show it to you."


    Paul thought for a moment. "Instead of draining theke, you want to purify it¡­ Although it''s a good idea, we don''t know how much Spiritual Energy do you need to purify the entireke, you know."


    "Theke is not that big, right?" Noel asked.


    "True. It''s not that big, but it''s still ake nheless." Rose nodded.


    "Then, bring me with you tomorrow. I want to try to purify it. We''re doing the rough calction tomorrow, so it''s the best time for me to try it."


    "That''s true." Paul thought for a moment before asking, "Rose. What do you think?"Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Normally, if we want to drain theke, Jonathan will dig up a path for the water to flow to another ce and seal it with soil. Of course, the rest of us will help him dig the hole for this water. In the worst case, we can still direct them around to spread it evenly. The poison might work against humans and demons, but it''s safe for nts. So, it''s fine if we spread it around the valley.


    "But if Noel wants to purify it¡­ Then, we''ll have to see his ability first. If it''s working effectively, I still don''t think it''s possible to purify the entireke. But maybe half or even a quarter of theke is possible. This way, the people don''t need to wait for too long for theke to fill up again." Rose nodded. "It''s worth trying."


    "Then, it''s decided. Tomorrow, we''ll be measuring the intensity of the poison to see our n to drain it. So, Ben, Zion, Rose, Noel, and Anna will go to theke. Ste and Jonathan will follow me tomorrow."


    "Understood." They nodded, receiving their task. Though, they were confused why Paul wanted to bring Ste and Jonathan tomorrow. It seemed he had a different agenda.


    Noel stayed silent while wondering about Paul''s intention.

 Chapter 353 Water Purifying Ability

    The next day, Noel and the others immediately headed to theke. They had brought several items like buckets and a few tools to measure the poison.


    Theke had a diameter of one hundred meters. It was quite big, but with their n and strength, draining theke shouldn''t be a problem.


    Noel asked, "How do you usually test the poison?"


    "There are a few ways. Test it ourselves, evaporating the water, all using some reagents to incite the poison." Jonathan exined while staring at theke.


    "I see." Noel didn''t know much about this work, so he had noments.


    "I''ll bring you a bucket to see how much Spiritual Energy you need to purify one. You should be able to do some rough calctions, right?"


    "Yeah."Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Jonathan nodded and waved his hand to the others. "Let''s get to work. Ben will take care of our sample. I will be conducting the test. Zion and Rose can split up to scout our surrounding while Anna and Noel would work together for the purification."


    After assigning their work, Jonathan handed over the bucket to Ben so that he could acquire the sample for Noel and everyone else.


    The bucket wasn''t that big. Even Noel felt like he could purify the water in the bucket in an instant.


    As soon as he received the sample, Noel closed his eyes, concentrating. He often used this skill to purify the water to drink, but this was the first time he purified poisonous water. So, he didn''t know whether this ability would work or not.


    The Spiritual Energy began to gather around his hand and gradually move toward the water. The water looked clear already, so there was no change in its appearance.


    It took him three seconds to do the purification. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized everyone was staring at him, wondering if he had finished or not.


    "Is it done?" Jonathan asked.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Well, I''ll also test the sample andpare it to the poisonous one to see their reaction." Jonathan nodded and thought for a moment. "Since it doesn''t seem to be a hard work for Noel, why don''t you help Zion and Rose, Anna?"


    "Ah, alright." Anna knew that she wasn''t needed here. At first, she would be Noel''s bodyguard, protecting him while he was purifying the water, but since they were just testing the sample today, he didn''t need the bodyguard yet.


    After Anna left, Jonathan began testing both samples together. The poison would trigger the demons, so they caught a few demons. Jonathan immediately lifted the water and formed a small ball before putting it into the demon''s mouth.


    As expected, the purification worked. When the demon drank the water, it didn''t react too much. They were just following their instinct which was trying to kill Jonathan.


    But the moment they drank the poisonous water, their eyes turned bloodshot as if all the reasons in their mind had disappeared. The demon was rampaging and tried to break the cage even if they had to hurt themselves.


    The reaction was so differentpared to the pure water, proving the poison.<sub> </sub>


    "Mhm¡­ It seems that your purification works. How much Spiritual Energy do you need?"


    "To be honest, I don''t feel any change in my body. I think I need a pond to measure it."


    "A pond huh¡­" Jonathan thought for a moment before lifting the soil. "2x2x2 meters should be enough, right?"


    After making the hole, Jonathan moved the water from theke to the pond and asked, "Can you do it again?"


    Noel nodded and purified the pond. This time, it took him twenty seconds before he opened his eyes again, giving the signal that he had done the purification.


    Jonathan tried to feed the demons with this water and didn''t receive any exaggerated reaction from them. "I see. It seems to be working."


    "Also, I don''t think I have used even one percent of my Spiritual Energy¡­" Noel paused for a moment, contemting. He almost forgot that his Water Purifying ability was still level 1.


    Water Purifying (1/3)


    ''What if I make it to level 3? Won''t this make my contribution bigger since I can purify more water? The system split the contribution ording to the impact I''ve made. So, if I do this¡­ I might help around one thousand people.


    ''The city has the poption of eight thousand people¡­ Except for the fight, which hasn''t happened yet, the only way to save them is through this water¡­''


    When he saved a city with Anna, the calction came twice. The first one was when he helped the people with their water supply while the second one was after the siege.


    He wanted to replicate this situation and got all the benefits. With enough Honor Points, he could level up a few Spirit Abilities.


    Noel couldn''t help but smirk. Exchanging a few Skill Points to level up the Water Purifying Ability was worth it.


    With that thought in mind, Noel asked Ardagan to level up the skill in his mind before asking, "Jonathan. Can you increase the size of the pond? I want to see how much I can purify¡­"


    "Instead of increasing the pond size, I should do this¡­" Jonathan lifted up the ground he had dug earlier and threw it into theke, forming a wall that separated a portion of theke. "This should be enough, right?


    "Oh!" Noel nodded with a serious expression. The size of this pond was ten times bigger than what he had purified earlier. With this, he should feel the change in his Spiritual Energy.


    Without hesitation, Noel hurriedly used his ability. Due to leveling up the Spirit Ability, the effect and Spiritual Energy cost to activate this technique became lower.


    Even though the pond size couldn''t bepared to theke, it was still quite big. Noel took a few minutes to purify it and he felt his Spiritual Energy decreasing, albeit by a small amount.


    "This is¡­"

 Chapter 354 Realization

    "What''s wrong?" Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, thinking it wasn''t possible for Noel to purify theke.


    But Noel, on the other hand, said, "I feel like my Spiritual Energy is decreasing, but I don''t think it''s at the level I have to be concerned about. In fact, I might be able to purify this kind of pond more than a hundred times."


    "Seriously?" Jonathan and Ben widened their eyes in amazement. "You serious?"


    Noel nodded. "Yeah. I don''t have any problem in doing it."


    Ben nced at theke. "Just byparing the sample and the size of theke¡­ And the fact that we have two days to work on it¡­ You might be able to purify the entireke. Then again, we have to consider the amount of your Spiritual Energy. If you''re a Spirit Master, taking care of thiske is feasible, but because you are still a Spirit Master¡­ Let''s see, half ake within two days? Someone has to be by your side too."


    "That''s a very rough calction. But I can kind of understand. Either way, we''re going to do the calction tomorrow, so for now, let''s test how much Spiritual Energy it takes for you to purify around three to five percent of theke. And how fast your Spiritual Energy gets refilled¡­" Jonathan shook his head helplessly. Even though it was good news, he had to make sure that Noel wouldn''t overwork himself too.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The fact that Noel could purify the entireke alone could change their n. Hence, it was better to discuss the matter with Paul first.


    "That''s true. Though, how about purifying the entireke? This way, we can give the city the best result." Ben narrowed his eyes, having another thought.


    "You''re the one doing the negotiation, Ben. What do you think of the valley master? Is he someone who will ept this and consider this mission a sess? Or is he the type of guy who wants the contract to be fulfilled literally?"


    "I''m not very sure. I might have to go to the castle again to discuss the n and see whether he epts it or not."


    Noel raised his hand. "I think we should have drained a bit of the water instead ofpletely purifying it. If we take a look at our situation, it''s clear that we''re the baits. So, we still have to drain theke to be proper baits, but¡­"


    Jonathan understood what he wanted after seeing Noel staring at the artificial wall he had made. "So, you want me to dump a lot of dirt into theke and divide theke into several parts? Then, we''ll confirm the draining part just by draining only a portion of theke, while the real workes from you¡­"


    "Yes," Noel confirmed the n.


    "That''s also a good n." Ben thought for a moment. "I''ll talk to Paul about this n."


    "Also, how do we prove that this water is purified?" Noel asked.


    "We can ask the valley master about it. Usually, he can bring out a few criminals to test this poison. Though, we are often asking criminal who has a death or life sentence."<sub> </sub>


    "I see. I don''t have any problem with it."


    "Yeah. For now, we''ll continue to test the sample. I''m going to ask you to do a few things for meter, so don''t use too much Spiritual Energy." Jonathan ended their conversation and began to work.


    This was the first time Noel had participated in a test like this. It was a good experience for him, considering he knew how hard it was to solve the poison problem.


    If his territory experienced the same situation, he knew how serious the problem was. Luckily, this water was running through one city, but if there were multiple cities on its path, the problem would be worse.


    As a lord, he had to understand how much he had to prioritize this kind of problem.


    While they were testing the sample, the other three had been going around for a while, trying to find a trace of enemies.


    They could find a few demons here and there, but they couldn''t find any trace of humans around. Zion even climbed the hill to see everything from the top but to no avail.


    They were perplexed and started doubting that the enemy would attack them from behind.


    However, Anna was the only one who didn''t doubt this fact. Noel had confirmed their existence, so she had to find some proof to prepare for their ambush.


    "The city fell in the past. The valley master and the people from the zero squad die¡­ Assuming that the new zero squad is bad, I know I have to save these people. At the very least, Noel will get a better squadpared to the past.


    "But how did they destroy the city? The Superior Demon shouldn''t be able to cause any problem with the valley master protecting the city. Hence, there must be a third party that caused their downfall¡­ It''s just, where are they? Are they staying far away from here so that no one knows their position?


    "But if they are too far from the city, won''t it mean they don''t know what''s going on around here? How do they know the city is under attack?"


    Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. She might not be as clever as Noel, but she was, by no means, a fool. With these facts, she realized something. "Wait a minute. Noel is suspecting the water lord, but the water lord doesn''t have a w in his management¡­ Then, why did he want to die in the past?


    "No, what if he was truly a good lord and the reason why the enemies stayed far away from the city was¡­ because they had a source of informationing from the city. A mole?!" Anna gasped.


    "If the city had a mole, then it could exin how they destroyed the city in my past life. But I have no proof right now, so¡­" Anna turned around and looked into the distance. "There are only a few paths to enter the city, so they must be camping in one of the paths. It seems I have to go further this time."

 Chapter 355 Annas Skill

    "Hmm? Only both of you return? Where is Anna? We have agreed to regroup here before lunch, right?" Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows.


    Rose looked around and frowned, not finding any trace of Anna. "Does she forget about the time?"


    "Or maybe she has found something and is upied with it at the moment?" Noel asked.


    "There is a chance she''s captured¡­" Zion narrowed his eyes. Which way did she go earlier?"


    "There." Jonathan pointed to the south.


    "I''m going to check on her." Zion nced at Noel since he knew Anna the most. "What do you think, Noel?"


    "Anna isn''t someone who will get captured easily. Though, our enemy this time might have a Devil Bishop among them, so I agree with you. But even if you find anything, it''s better to stop there. At the very least, we already know that there are humans hiding around there, which is a sign of the enemies. Instead of alerting them, it''s better to ambush them when a Captain has arrived."


    Zion nodded with a serious expression. "In that case, I''ll go. Rose will maintain the surveince."


    "Got it."


    The group immediately split up to do their new task. Rose immediately climbed the hill again, watching the entire area from above. After getting all the samples needed, Ben was in charge of cooking while Jonathan and Noel kept doing their jobs.


    ¡­


    While the others were searching for her, Anna kept wandering around the hill while looking for any sign of people around them. With the help of the demons, the Supreme Devil Organization didn''t need a lot of people to attack them. Instead, they preferred a group of elites that could deal with the Demon Relief Squad.


    Knowing this, Anna was trying to find any ce where they could hide with a small number of people among the hills.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Anna narrowed her eyes. She remembered when she tried to survive in the wild alone due to Noel''s scam, she would camp around the water source.


    Hence, she instantly started at the upstream where the water hadn''t been contaminated by the poison.


    "Let''s see, the upstream terrain is quite tough, but I can see a few spots that can be used as a camp¡­" Anna muttered. She raised her head to look at the sun, calcting the time. "I''m going to bete at this rate, but¡­"


    The opportunity was in front of her. She let out a long sigh as if building her resolve. Instead of informing the group, she followed the river, trying to get into all the areas.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Zion had a hard time finding her. The area was vast and he had no idea how Anna investigated an area before.<sub> </sub>


    "What''s wrong with this Anna¡­ She is a bit too special, isn''t she?" Zion narrowed his eyes, looking at the ground. "There isn''t a single trace of her footstep. I can do this myself since that''s the point of my power, but Anna¡­ she can even use her Spiritual Energy to lessen the impact her foot give to the soil?


    "This is not at the level of genius anymore. She is basically a monster in terms of controlling her Spiritual Energy. She also has the highest conversion rate in the kingdom. So, is this the current most talented person in the kingdom?" Zion was amazed and scared at the same time.


    Her power was this strong even though she had just be an adult recently. Although Noel''s talent was extraordinary, Zion felt Noel''s talent a bit more humane since he could see Noel''s rapid progress. On the other hand, Anna never ceased to amaze him with all her strength.


    "And the only one who can find her is probably the Devil Bishop himself¡­ I''m afraid she is also good at removing her presence. In fact, with this skill alone, she has the ability to challenge the vice captain of the Demon Observer Squad. If she bes a Spirit Master or even Spirit Grandmaster, people might beg her to take their position."


    Zion let out a long sigh. There was no point in getting scared of Anna since she was one of their squad members. Now that he had to find her, he immediately jumped around the area, trying to find any trace of her.


    Unfortunately for him, there wasn''t a single trace of Anna he could find. It felt like Anna was adept in the covert operation.


    Even after thirty minutes, he couldn''t find anything rted to Anna. There was no footstep or even a trail on the trunk, branches, and dried leaves.


    "¡­" Zion pinched the bridge of his nose. "Should I go back and inform them instead? This is going to be troublesome since I have no idea how to find her. It''s better to bring some reinforcement to find her."


    Zion was quick to decide. He turned around and jumped back to where he came from, following the path to regroup with his team.


    But to his surprise, Anna was there, standing with everyone.


    "What?!" Zion widened his eyes in shock and immediately checked on her, not believing she could get past him unnoticed. "You¡­"


    "Oh, sorry, Zion. So, you were the one trying to find me. I thought the presence in the hill I felt earlier was from the enemy scout."


    "Enemy scout, what?" Zion was bewildered even further. "What happened?"


    "Well, well, Zion. Let''s calm down for a bit. Sit down and eat." Rose handed a bowl to the dumbfounded Zion.


    "¡­" Zion was tongue-tied. He was embarrassed to be bested by someone far younger than him. He sighed and asked, "So, do you mind telling me what happened? You mentioned enemy scout earlier¡­ Don''t tell me you found our enemies?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded. "Though, I judge that it''s too dangerous to observe them directly. So, I just look at their presence and leave without doing anything. Of course, I can lead you to them after this so that you can confirm their existence."


    "Yeah, we can do thatter. For now, do you mind telling me everything from the start? Do you know how worried I was because I couldn''t find a single trace of your movement?" Zion sighed.


    "Sure." Anna smiled. "It was¡­"

 Chapter 356 Weird

    Fifteen minutes earlier.


    Anna was standing on top of a tree, staring into the distance.


    ''Kill¡­''


    ''Kill¡­''


    ''Kill¡­''


    This one word kept echoing in her mind. This was the side effect of having the Thunder Berserker Spirit in her body.


    Due to its berserk nature, the Thunder Berserker Spirit kept letting out its instinct to challenge everyone.


    Even she had a hard time stopping it in her past life. In fact, she kept practicing under her teacher''s guidance in the past to control this nature.


    Only when she had controlled this nature did shee out and experience the world. But it was already toote because Noel had grown strong enough to keep tricking her.


    But this life was different. She had gained control over the berserk nature and amplified her ability from the very start.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "This is¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath because her sense was tingling. It was clear that there was a powerful being in front of her. "My instinct is telling me that proceeding forward is a bad decision."


    Anna couldn''t confirm it, but this was an instinct she had honed in her past life. Even though her body couldn''t sense anything from that ce, her soul was shivering in fear.


    ''I guess this is it. I can''t confirm whether they''re humans or demons, but it''s clear that there is danger looming around. If we ignore this, we''ll be facing our own annihtion.'' Anna took a deep breath.


    Although she was disappointed that she couldn''t evene closer, she still turned around, leaving the area.


    But to her surprise, not long after she went back, she felt another presence roaming the area. The presence moved nimbly around the hill while stopping in a few ces as if finding traces.


    Anna hurriedly erased her presence and leaped away from him, not wanting to alert the enemy. However, she was convinced that the danger she felt earlier came from humans, meaning that the dangerous ce was the Supreme Devil Organization camp.


    She never expected that the presence she felt actually came from Zion, who was desperately finding her.


    At the same time, this also showed how sharp her sense was. She could feel Zion''s presence from the berserk nature.


    ? "This is getting annoying," Anna muttered inwardly. "In my past life, this instinct almost took over my mind multiple times. And in this life, I have some control over it. My mind and soul are strong enough to withstand nature, but my body still can''t ept this berserk nature¡­


    "Sadly, there aren''t any treasures that can help me control this instinct. And even that Thunder Berserker Spirit wouldn''t help me. He''s truly an insane spirit for asking for more blood¡­" Anna took a deep breath to calm her mind before continuing her journey.


    She didn''t want to be away for too long since it would make them worried.


    "¡­and that''s the story. I didn''t expect the presence I felt earlier was yours." Anna made an apologetic smile. She was too restricted by time, so she didn''t check on him.


    Zion scratched the back of his head, embarrassed to know that Anna could find him instead of the other way around.


    "This is truly interesting. To think Zion would be losing." Rose smirked, teasing Zion.


    "I''ll be training my perception after this." Zion clicked his tongue. Though, he didn''t forget to say, "But at least I''m d that nothing happened to you."<sub> </sub>


    "Mhm. Sorry to make you worry." Anna smiled.


    "Anyway, we have a lot of work to do today. Don''t rx just yet." Jonathan nodded, confirming everything.


    They resumed their work after eating. Zion, Rose, and Anna went to the dangerous area to find the dangerous existence. Zion couldn''t find the presence, but Rose, whose senses were far strongerpared to the rest of the group, confirmed its existence. In fact, she was surprised that Anna could feel it from far away.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Jonathan kept testing a few things to make sure that the treatment would be perfect.


    As soon as they finished their jobs, they recalled Zion and the others so that they could go back to the city.


    "Alright. We''ve finished our job. It''s time to go back," said Jonathan while walking to lead the group.


    The rest nodded their heads and followed him, but Noel couldn''t help but notice something amiss on Anna''s face.


    Her face was slightly pale. It seemed she was a bit ufortable.


    "What''s wrong, Anna? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    "No, it''s fine." Anna shook her head with a smile, not wanting to worry anyone. In fact, she had been feeling the instinct getting stronger and stronger ever since he felt that presence. Even she didn''t know what was wrong with it.


    "Is that so?" Noel was still curious since this was the first time Anna had acted this way. In the end, he walked at her pace, making sure he was beside her if she ever needed assistance.


    Anna thanked him for the gesture while gritting her teeth.


    ''What''s wrong with my spirit? This is the first time I''ve ever received this bacsh.'' She muttered inwardly. ''What''s wrong with you? Can''t you calm down?''


    ''Kill¡­''


    ''Kill¡­''


    Her vision gradually turned red as if her eyes were covered in blood. The cool wind made her shiver.


    ''Thises out of nowhere¡­'' Anna wrapped her body with gentle Spiritual Energy to ease her instinct. This happened all of a sudden. ''What is truly happening to my body¡­''


    She maintained her silence the whole time, wanting to go back to her room to meet the Thunder Berserker Spirit.


    Inside her body, a muscr man was sitting on top of a boulder. The yellow lightning sparked all over his body, rampaging around.


    Despite all the lightning discharged from the body, this spiky yellow haired man maintained his calm expression as if he''d gotten used to this situation.


    He was sitting alone, waiting for his host to arrive.


    "It seems she hasn''t realized anything¡­ Even in her past life, she never bothered about my power. All she did was try to control this power and ignore all my words. I wonder what she will do in this life."


    A sly smile appeared on his face as if he was nning something by exerting all his instinct to influence Anna''s mind.

 Chapter 357 Tool

    As soon as Anna reached her room, she sat on her bed in a lotus pose before closing her eyes.


    In an instant, the scenery changed into a barren in. There was a man sitting on top of a boulder, and the sky was dark, with lightning sparking in the sky.


    "What are you doing with my consciousness?" Anna gritted her teeth, thinking this was caused by the spirit.


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit calmly opened his eyes, looking at Anna without any emotion. He simply said, "I''ve done nothing."


    "What do you mean nothing? Just take a look at this ce. Because of it, my instinct is going berserk." Anna bit her lips.


    "I think you''re misunderstanding something, Anna Stargaze." The spirit frowned and said with a cold tone. "I have never intended for this to happen. However, a spirit has to match their power with the host. It''s impossible to do so, but we''re the ones forcefully doing it so that we can give you power.


    "And just like you, humans, we also have our own traits. You''re the one who should take care of this remaining trait."


    "What? I have to take care of your trait?"


    "You don''t want to do it?" The spirit smirked. "If you don''t, then it''s simple. I can leave your body anytime. Not all spirits could do it, but you seem to be underestimated us, Humanoid Spirit, too much."


    "Leave my body¡­" Anna''s body trembled. If the spirit really moved out of her body, all her strength would disappear. When that happened, she didn''t know what others would do to her.


    The spirit itself was the one converting the energy in the Demon Crystal into their Spiritual Energy. If the spirit left her body, she wouldn''t be able to get stronger anymore. Even if she could retain her Spiritual Energy, she would still be considered a cripple.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent, not understanding the entire situation. First, her instinct was going rampage. Second, the Thunder Berserker Spirit had gone all the way to threaten her. This was the first time he behaved this way.


    Seeing her confused expression, the Thunder Berserker Spirit harrumphed and said with a cold tone. "I thought you would be better after getting the second chance. It seems that I''ve put too much faith in you."


    "Second chance¡­ How do you know about that?" Anna''s body trembled. "Wait. Don''t tell me, my reincarnation is rted to you?"


    "I''m not directly involved." The Thunder Berserker Spirit shook his head. "But you could say that I still yed a role in giving you a second chance."


    "How in the world¡­" Anna tried to recall every piece of information in her past life about the spirits, but there was no record rted to this reincarnation.


    "Noel should have been the one to reincarnate. Unlike the self-centered you, Noel was a better choice. He took great care of his spirits and tried to understand them. It could be said, the spirit has its own trait, weakness, and strength. He understood them and tried to find a way to utilize everything in his own way. He is special because he doesn''t do anything like others.


    "How about you? What do you think about spirits?" The Thunder Berserker Spirit narrowed his eyes, giving a cold gaze. One wrong word might make him leave her body.


    "I tried to understand you as well." Anna gritted her teeth. "I tried to control the instinct, I¡ª"<sub> </sub>


    "Stop." The Thunder Berserker Spirit was annoyed. "I, I, and I! Yes. That''s what you are, Anna Stargaze. Everything is about you."


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit leaped off the boulder and stood before her. Lightning began to spark around his arm and turned into a dragon. "This is how you showed off in front of that man, right?"


    Anna widened her eyes because the spirit was extending its hand toward her as if she wanted to murder her with this ability. She instinctively raised her own hand and used the same technique, thinking she wouldn''t lose.


    The moment the lightning dragon on their arms collided, a thunderp resounded, giving an additional force.


    And as expected, Anna wasunched into the air and rolled a few times on the ground.


    "Gah." She coughed a few times while holding her right arm. It felt like her fingers were crushed by the lightning.


    "Even with the memory of your first life, you can''t even take a single attack from me despite using the same technique. Are you even trying? Didn''t you say you learned how to control my instinct? Didn''t you want to say you tried to control my power in your own way? And what is this?


    "You''re different from Noel Ardagan. He cares about his spirits, and in exchange, the spirits support him with all their might. That''s why he can get stronger quicker and keep up with your pace despite not having any memory about his past life."


    Anna gritted her teeth and shouted, "I have tried to do everything, including controlling this berserk nature. What do you want me to do!"


    "Again, you said ''I''. You have treated me like that even in your past life. Do you think we''re a tool?"


    "I have never treated you as a tool!"


    "Then, have you ever asked anything about me other than my power?"


    "I¡­" Anna couldn''t answer that question.


    "Have you ever checked my condition, my trait, personality¡­ anything about me?"


    "¡­" Anna couldn''t even open her mouth at this point.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Have you ever thought that the method you used to control the berserk nature might actually hurt me?"


    Anna looked down. She had done all kinds of things in order to control the instinct. Even the spirit before her never showed any dissatisfaction whenever she visited him, of course, for more power. So, she thought everything was fine¡­ No, she always took it for granted. She was never concerned about him.


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit stood in front of her and looked at her coldly. "I ask again, Anna Stargaze. Have you ever treated me like a living being instead of your tool?"

 Chapter 358 Dissapointed

    Just like the spirit said, Noel had treated his spirits differently. He always asked about their opinions, making sure that whenever he utilized their power, it didn''t harm them.


    The spirits could feel Noel''s feelings and helped him as well. In his past life, the spirits took a softer approach so that Noel didn''t go into a very dangerous ce just for an opportunity. Ardagan didn''t give him an impossible mission. All the missions that looked impossible had been considered thoroughly, so before giving him any mission, he knew that Noel would be able toplete it.


    That was why when Anna was here to change everything, the spirits gave him a more dangerous mission and a bigger reward. They took care of his Spiritual Energy Reserve and so on.


    Noel created a mutual rtionship with both Ardagan and Heisk.


    Meanwhile, Anna was different. Back when she tried to control her berserk instinct, she tried everything from killing numerous people to satisfy the need for blood or even using herbs to weaken the spirit, which caused the instinct to be weakened as well.


    She never asked her spirit how to control this berserk nature and what''s function of this berserk nature was except for power amplification.


    When the spirit revealed everything to her, she couldn''t say anything. There was nothing she could say to appease the spirit. Although indirectly, he had yed a role in her reincarnation, allowing her to make everything right.


    She wasn''t aware of this case, but she also never asked the spirit about it. She didn''t have extensive knowledge about her own spirit. All the information she had wasing from outsiders like her teacher and other experts.


    "¡­" Anna bit her lips. She might have changed Noel a bit, but she had overlooked everything else.


    She lowered her head while regretting her action. "I''m sorry¡­"


    The spirit red at her while asking, "Do you know that the berserk nature has two sides?"


    The spirit formed the same dragon as earlier and shot forth the dragon. The lightning didn''t spark at all and the dragon swallowed the boulder he sat on earlier. After that, the dragon returned back, carrying the whole boulder.


    "The gentle rage instinct. Unlike an explosive storm, this rage is like a calm deep sea before the storm."


    After that, the dragon spat out the boulder before ramming its head to the boulder.


    "And the second instinct is the explosive rage."


    The dragon suddenly let out a thunderp as if showing its rage and exerted two times of its original strength, crushing the boulder into pieces.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Meanwhile, what you''re trying to control ispletely in between these two, thepletely unrefined rage. It might be able to give you some power amplification, but in exchange, your instinct will try to take over you. Do you know any of these? No, right? You never asked."


    The spirit''s voice felt like he was hurt, sad, and disappointed.


    Anna couldn''t help but remember all their conversation from past life. Even though she always demanded more power from him, the spirit had been trying to warn her about this potential. But she never listened to him. She didn''t care about his opinion, thinking she had done everything right.


    But it turned out everything was a mistake. If she had learned these two instincts, she would have been able to defeat Noel in her past life.


    "Do you know my instinct has no weakness? It''s not trying to make you berserk or anything. It''s not even trying to take over your mind. My instinct is simply telling you the state of your current power. It measures the power in your ability, allowing you to change its approach ording to what you want.<sub> </sub>


    "What? Are you going to say the word ''kill'' disturbs you? That''s not even my instinct telling you, it''s yours. My instinct is simply amplifying that thought. When you awakened me in the past and experienced my instinct for the first time, have you ever heard that word?"


    "!!!" Anna''s body trembled. She awakened her spirit at the age of ten. At that time, the instinct was still pure and all it did was increase her fighting intent. She felt like she wanted to keep challenging people to get stronger. That was all it did.


    Everything changed slowly after she met her teacher. That word began ringing in her head, telling her to kill everyone.


    In other words, she was the culprit of her own berserk state, not him. She took her teacher''s words seriously and murdered everyone she didn''t like.


    Anna was tongue-tied.


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit let out a long sigh, filled with disappointment. He asked onest question. "My instinct is just your typical fighting intent. But have you tried to see all the effects the instinct gives you? Have you tried finding the difference whenever the instinct kicks in?


    "You should be aware that my instinct sometimes warns you, sometimes excites you, and sometimes calm you down. It''s because my instinct can measure the strength of the opponent, remember their strength, and even recognize them from afar. Sadly, you have never utilized it to the fullest."


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit sighed and waved his hand. "Whatever. I''ve told you everything I wanted to say."


    Suddenly, Anna''s consciousness faded away, returning to her original body.


    "This¡­" Anna looked left and right, realizing she had returned. She hurriedly meditated to meet her spirit again to apologize, but no matter how hard she tried to do it, she couldn''t enter her consciousness anymore.


    "I¡­" Anna panicked. She didn''t know what to do in this situation. But her instinct told her once more, reminding her of thest thing the spirit said.


    ''It''s because my instinct can measure the strength of the opponent, remember their strength, and even recognize them from afar.''


    Her body trembled as she remembered what had happened today. Her instinct started going berserk when she found the enemy. She couldn''t find the person''s identity back then, but with this information, she realized something.


    "I felt my instinct kicked in like this in the past. It came from the Devil Bishop from the Supreme Devil Organization, known as Blood Berserker. Don''t tell me all this time, it''s been telling me their identity? But I never¡­"


    Anna''s body felt weak as she started clutching her head.


    "Aaaaahhh¡­" Anna bit her lips, regretting her action. If she had taken her time to know her spirit, if she didn''t be toocent and listened to her spirit, if she had cared for her spirit like Noel¡­ everything would have been different. She didn''t care about it and took everything for granted.


    Her only thought was changing Noel, even though she swore that she wanted to correct all her mistakes.


    Despite her actions, the spirit still tried to help her. Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes. She regretted everything. She thought she had gone in the right direction, she didn''t realize that she never questioned if all the things she did whether to Noel, to her spirits, and to all the people she had met were correct or not.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I''m sorry¡­"

 Chapter 359 Information

    Anna looked down with empty eyes. After listening to the spirit, she realized that almost her entire life was a mistake.


    On the one hand, she could push all the me on her teacher, who had taught her the noble''s conduct, the treatment, and all her characters. On the other hand, she would be the same Anna as the one in her previous life if she med her teacher. It wasn''t because she wanted to protect her teacher, she just wished to correct all her mistakes.


    "It seems that my entire life is a joke." Anna let out a long sigh, wondering what she had to do after this.


    The instinct had calmed down, but because she had understood the meaning behind that rage. In fact, if she actually understood her own instinct, she wouldn''t face this kind of problem.


    She took a deep breath and lifted up her shirt, still finding the Spirit Seal on her waist.


    "I still have the second chance¡­ I need to consider everything I''ve done so far to make sure I don''t make a mistake anymore." Anna gulped down, knowing this was an arduous task.


    Even so, she had to do it. As soon as she got her resolve back, she grabbed some papers and listed everything she wanted to do.


    There were some smaller things, but she had four important tasks.


    "I have to regain the trust of the Thunder Berserker Spirit, continue as Noel''s ally, remove everything rted to my teacher, andstly, focus on my task in this group. I don''t have too much time to do all this¡­ The Supreme Devil Organization had lost their piece to bait a lot of knights to ambush them. So, I''m wondering if they are going to make the same attack but with a different person?"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Anna''s expression darkened. She had prevented some of the incidents, but this surely would bring a lot of change to the future. So, she had to consider the change and their persistence.


    "Taming demons¡­ This is the biggest problem. In the past, the Supreme Devil Organization has tamed many Peak Level Demons. Other than that¡­ two events are about to start, the Demon Relief Squad extermination, and the¡­"


    Anna fell silent for a moment before going to the door as if she wanted to do something.


    Surprisingly, she found Ste, who was about to knock on the door. There was a bowl of soup and two pieces of bread in her hands.


    "Ah." Both of them blinked their eyes a few times, not knowing what to do. The atmosphere became awkward.


    Ste hurriedly handed the food. "Here. You have locked yourself up for hours, so I believe you haven''t eaten anything yet. Since no one wants to bring it to you, I have to do it myself. It''s definitely not because I''m worried about your condition, alright?"


    As soon as Anna grabbed the tes, she turned around and walked away, "Then, I have delivered it to you."


    Anna was speechless, never expecting Ste to lie like that. There was one person who would do it even if anyone else didn''t like to go. It was Noel.


    The fact that Ste was the one bringing the food here meant she was volunteering herself.


    Anna had aplicated emotion in her heart. It felt like she could understand Ste a bit. It was true that they were often bickering with each other, but Ste was just worried that she nned to do something to Noel.<sub> </sub>


    Other than that, she treated her like a part of the group.


    A small smile appeared on Anna''s face as she couldn''t help but say, "Ste¡­"


    "What? Are you going to thank me? I''m listening." Ste harrumphed while leaning her ear toward her as if asking her to say it.


    On the contrary, Anna gave her a piece of important information. "I have once got a mission to save the people and at that time, a Devil Bishop came. You could confirm the mission with Noel and the vice captain of the Demon Observer Squad.


    "I think I have a good grasp of what a Devil Bishop could do. And when I found their trace, I could pick up two things from the presence alone.


    "The first one is an extraordinary fighting intent. It''s like a beast treating everything around him as prey. The second one is the smell of blood and killing intent. I don''t know what those two mean, but can you tell them about it?" Anna exined the trait of the Blood Berserker.


    This Devil Bishop was known as a ruthless man. He could crush everything with his fist and his killing intent could make one feel they were sliced into pieces.


    "A beast and killing intent¡­" Ste furrowed her eyebrows. Before she could ask anything, Anna had closed the door and a small voice echoed from the door, saying, "Thank you."


    "¡­" Ste clicked her tongue, realizing she couldn''t win even with this trick. At first, she thought she could easily tease her for a while with this, but the n failed because of this important information.


    Not knowing what to say about this information, she returned to the group, telling them about the trait while wondering if any of them knew about it.


    They all looked down, contemting.


    There was only one person that had a different expression. It was Rose.


    "You serious?" Rose gritted her teeth as her body trembled.


    "Rose? What''s wrong?" Paul frowned, not understanding such a reaction. "Do you know who this person is?"


    "How could I not know?" Rose mmed her fists on the table. Killing intent began toe out of her eyes. If she didn''t hold back her anger, she would have destroyed a portion of the room.


    "Who is he? To think you have this kind of reaction¡­" Paul frowned.


    "Fifteen years ago, my vige was destroyed and I had to survive in the wilderness if I didn''t want to die, allowing me to gain these senses. But¡­"


    Paul''s expression turned grim as he understood the meaning. "So, he was the one who destroyed your vige¡­"

 Chapter 360 Plan

    "So, he was the one who destroyed your vige¡­"


    When they heard it, they sucked a cold breath. They also expressed their anger by furrowing their eyebrows.


    "Who is he?" Ste asked.


    "Back then, I also felt the same thing. He was releasing a natural killing intent and he was a cruel person beyond one''s imagination.


    "I could see the cult symbol on his subordinate''s hand, so I joined the Demon Banner Army because of it. After that, I kept following his news, trying to be stronger so that I could kill him.


    "However, I never expected that he became too much stronger that I still couldn''t touch him¡­" Rose took a deep breath before saying, "He is now a Devil Bishop of the Supreme Devil Organization. He is known as Blood Berserker."


    "!!!" They widened their eyes in shock after Rose called his name.


    "Blood Berserker, are you serious?!" Paul gasped.


    "Yes." She nodded with a serious expression.


    "Blood Berserker¡­ one of the cruelest Devil Bishops¡­ It was said that he had forced a father to eat the flesh of his family. He had brutally mutted many people in front of their loved ones¡­ and he¡­" Paul couldn''t even say all his deeds because it was beyond cruel.


    The others didn''t expect they would be fighting against this person as well. If Noel wasn''t suspicious about the Supreme Devil Organization, they wouldn''t have called a captain. And if they were attacked by this person, there was no telling what he would do to them.


    While the others were contemting about what to do, Ardagan startled him with another mission.


    [Mission: Help Rose''s Revenge.]


    [Description: Kill the Blood Berserker with whatever means.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ''Hmm? A hidden reward?'' Noel remembered the time he got a nk reward, the reward was quite big. After all, it was a mission about the Sword Saint.


    Although he didn''t know how big the reward was for this, it was worth the shot.


    He raised his hand. "Excuse me. Since we know that this cruel person is trying to aim at us, we should kill him."


    "That''s easy for you to say that, but you have no idea how powerful the enemy is¡­" Paul pinched the bridge of his nose.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I think I know. A Devil Bishop is simr to our Captain in terms of strength, right? In that case, why don''t we invite another captain?"


    "The nearest captain is four days away from here. And sending the message now will force us to extend our progress for a bit longer. I''m afraid¡­" Paul sighed, not finishing his words. Noel should have understood what kind of variable would ur during the extension.


    That was why Noel added, "But you have a perfect reason to do this."


    "A perfect reason? I don''t understand what you''re talking about."


    "It''s probably about his purification ability," Jonathan added. "By telling the Water Lord that he can purify the water, I''m sure he doesn''t mind extending our time limit. After all, the town will be benefited from it."<sub> </sub>


    "Purification¡­ The nearest captain is four days away. Even if he is fast, he needs one and a half days to reach here. So we have to extend at least six days¡­ Will that even work?" Paul scratched the back of his head.


    "We don''t know whether it will work or not, but I think it''s better to discuss it with the Valley Master after this," said Ste.


    "Indeed. If we can surround him with two captains, we could kill him." Zion nodded in agreement.


    "That''s right. We have to kill him." Ben also agreed. "I''ll do my best in the negotiation to extend our time limit."


    "Everyone¡­" Rose felt moved. She knew they did this for her. And the one who started it was Noel.


    Feeling her gaze, Noel turned around and smiled. "I''m disappointed that I''m too weak to help you directly, but if my ability can help your revenge, then I''ll do my best."


    "You took the word out of my mouth." Zion nodded. "Then, I can be a direct messenger. With my speed, I should be able to reach that ce within a day. So, you have to extend the time limit for only one day. What do you think?"


    The rest couldn''t help but agree. Since they had figured out their enemies, Zion didn''t need to find their trace anymore. He could focus on bing their messenger.


    Rose felt gratified for everyone''s help. She knew that if she wanted to get her revenge with her own strength, it would be close to impossible to do it. After all, her spirit was an illusion spirit, which wasn''t directly rted tobat, while the other party had an extremely powerful strength in closebat.


    So, the best way to exact her revenge was by getting help from others. And this was a perfect n because they could surround this guy with two Captains to make sure they could kill him.


    And Noel should have seen through this n even before he suggested this n. She couldn''t help but pull Noel into her embrace while smiling brightly.


    "You, little¡­" She patted his head while saying, "You truly know how to make a n. Let this big sister pamper you."


    "Haha." Noel chuckled. "I can''t do much though. And whatever you''re nning to do, it''s better to wait until we sessfully kill this guy. This is just the beginning."


    "Right!" Rose smiled. "When that time happens, I''ll spoil you with all my might."


    "No, no. You can''t. I have to train."


    "Hahaha." Roseughed. She was excited because she could avenge her family and put their soul to rest.


    "Just look at this, Paul¡­" Jonathan leaned to Paul while whispering, "Isn''t he a natural?"


    "Now that I think about it, he is. Is it because he was a noble?"


    "I think it''s his charisma."


    "Either way, I think it''s better this way. With Noel here, I think the group can improve further. Who knows that everyone''s problem can be solved this way, including you too, Jo."


    "Well, I won''tment on it, but I''m d that he''s the one joining our group." Jonathan made a small smile.


    Paul patted his shoulder as he had to make sure to handle the negotiation well.

 Chapter 361 New Medal

    "So, because the poison concentration in theke is beyond your expectation, you have to take another approach?" The Valley Master frowned, falling into deep thought.


    "Yes. We are measuring everything right now, but of course, I''m here not to bring only bad news."


    "Hoh? What is the good news?"


    "One of our members has the ability of water purification. He might be a Spirit Wielder right now, but after some testing, we can ask him to purify the water. This way, we don''t have to drain theke."


    Water Purification ability caught the Valley Master''s eyes. "Are you sure about that?"


    "Yes. We first divide theke into fifty sections and ask him to purify fifteen sections per day. If we can ask him to start earlier, then we will only have one day''s dy. On the plus side, the city won''t be harmed in any way, considering you can use the water immediately."


    "But how can I know that his purification ability is working?"


    Paul nced at Ben as thetter brought forth a container filled with water. "This is the sample of the waterke along with the purified one. As the Water Lord, I''m sure that you are capable to test the water whether it still has the poison or not."


    Paul nodded. "And if you still can''t believe us bringing the right sample, you may check our progress directly. This way, you will be able to see whether the purification works or not."


    "That''s certainly tempting." The Valley Master thought for a moment. "With your previous n, theke needs a few months to recover, but if you can purify it, then the water can be used immediately."


    The Valley Master closed his eyes as if he was imagining the entire process. "I''ll give the approval if you can prove to me that your idea works. If I''m not wrong, you haven''t started the work yet, right?"


    "Yes. Today was supposed to take a rough calction and run a few simtions. We would be draining tomorrow."


    "In that case, I''ll test this water first and visit theketer. Ask him to purify a part of theke and I''ll try to see the difference right there. If you truly can purify the water, then I''ll agree to this n."


    "Understood. We''ll be looking forward to your visit." Paul nodded. He was happy but he couldn''t show it at this moment. If he smiled, the Valley Master would think something was up.


    However, his trial wasn''t over yet. The Valley Master frowned and asked, "Still, why did you not bring it up previously? Why did you make a sudden change in the n?"


    "That''s¡­" Paul scratched the back of his head, feeling troubled. "I won''t lie to you, Valley Master. This guy is a new member of our squad, so we don''t have extensive knowledge of what he can do. And because he is still a Spirit Wielder, we don''t know how long it will take him to purify thatke.


    "Hence, we couldn''t bring it up. After some testing, we''ve seen how effective it is, so we choose to go with this n." He exined.


    "I see." The Valley Master nodded. "Alright. I''ll approve if I see the result."


    "Yes, Sir. We will start working on it then." Paul and Ben bowed politely to the Valley Master, showing their thanks. They then stood up, ready to leave.


    Before leaving, the Valley Master asked onest question. "By the way, the new member that has the purification ability in your mouth¡­ Is it that guy that came with you in thest meeting?"


    Paul knew it was impossible to fool the Valley Master in this situation. After all, there were only two Spirit Wielders in his group, and both of them came not long ago. And since their genders were different, it was clear who Paul was implying earlier.<sub> </sub>


    Paul smiled. "Yes. He is the new pride of our Demon Relief Squad."


    "I see." The Valley Master nodded and finally let them go.


    As soon as Paul and Ben left the room, the Valley Master turned to his butler and asked, "What do you think about them?"


    "They''re unique. In fact, their group is the most versatile group in the Demon Banner Army. They can act as a vanguard like Demon Extermination Squad, as a protector like Demon Barrier Squad, and as a helper, which is their original purpose. As for that fallen noble kid¡­ he is even more amazing than we might have expected."


    "I see." The Valley Master waved his hand, dismissing his butler. His expression soon darkened as if he was foreseeing great doom. "¡­"


    ¡­


    Noel, who was working on theke, was startled when a notification popped out right before his eyes.


    "!!!" Noel''s heart beat rapidly, but he still maintained his calm expression. He nced at the mission while making sure that his eyes were still focused on the work so that no one suspected him or anything.


    [The Valley Master is interested in you.]


    ''What the¡ª'' Noel wanted to curse because he misunderstood the words. He thought ''interested'' in the system meant affection, but Ardagan immediately added.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    [Mission: The Valley Master''s Interest.]


    [Description: The Valley Master requires your ability for his project. Help him.]


    [Reward: Affection Medal.]


    [Penalty: None.]


    ''¡­'' Noel became confused as he asked inwardly, ''What is this affection medal, Ardagan?''


    [You have chosen Rune Swordsman instead of Commander or Noble. As such, the medals you receive will be rted to Rune Swordsman. Affection Medal is a way to understand one''s affection for you.]


    ''Now that I think about it, I have explored the mission but I haven''t paid any attention to my job at all. Then again, Affection Medal should be rted to Commander Job, no? I mean, it''ll be better to know your subordinate''s affection as amander instead of a swordsman.''


    [The affection is not limited to people.]


    ''¡­'' The moment he saw that sentence, Noel widened his eyes in shock. His mind was going crazy because he knew exactly what it implied. ''You mean¡­''

 Chapter 362 Hidden Message

    ''You mean the affection medal can see all beings'' affections?''


    [As long as they''re alive.]


    ''This¡­'' Noel sucked a cold breath because he knew the importance of such a thing. If he could see all living things'' affection, it meant he could see the intention of the demons, the animals, and even nts.


    With this Affection Medal, he could even differentiate which tree was a hidden demon. In fact, he was satisfied with the nts alone since it was hard to differentiate a normal tree and a demon tree in a forest. He often got ambushed by them, making this medal even more powerful.


    But there was something he feared from this medal. With this medal, he could see someone''s affection. It was fine if he just looked at strangers. But it would be a different case if they were close to him.


    It would be terrifying to know if he could see his wife''s affection, which turned out she actually hated him, it would truly scare him for life.


    The same applied to his children. So, this was a double-edged sword. There were things he shouldn''t know after all.


    That was why this medal couldn''t be used easily.


    With that thought in mind, he continued working with the purification as Paul and Ben came to them, telling them about the agreement.


    After understanding the situation, Jonathan began to split theke into fifty parts with the soil around it.


    As agreed, the Valley Master visited them after confirming the result of his research. As the Water Lord, he was already good with water and understood its property, so it didn''t take too long for him to know that the poison had truly been removed.


    "So, here it is¡­" The Valley Master muttered while staring at theke.


    As the vice captain, Paul was the one apanying him. "Yes. Thank you foring, Valley Master."


    "Mhm." The Valley Master nodded. "Well, I have a lot of work to finish after this, so I hope you don''t mind if we cut to the chase."


    "Of course." Paul extended his hand, asking the Valley Master to follow him to the part Noel worked on.


    "Hello. We met again, young man." The Valley Master smiled, observing Noel.


    "Yes, Sir." Noel nodded. "How can I help you?"


    "I''d like to test the water, but there is a possibility that you change the water with the new one in one of these ponds. Although I don''t like to doubt you, would you mind if you work on a new part that I choose?"


    "Yes, I don''t mind if it can erase your worry. After all, we''re talking about thousands of lives here."


    "Thanks." The Valley Master immediately walked to a certain area. The water soon rose with a single wave of his hand, forming a bubble.


    After that, the Valley Master raised his other hand and started waving it up and down. The bubble was wobbling around as if it was trying to mix something into the water.


    "Do you know that the poison itself is a powder? The powder is like sand, but not sand either. A portion of them can be dissolved into the water and another portion will remain solid.


    "However, the problem is the solid part since it will poison the water again. That''s why I agreed with you about draining theke and leveling up the ground. And with that, all the poison will disappear from thekepletely.


    "But something piques my interest because a young man ims he can purify the water. I thought at first the water would be contaminated again by the remaining solid powder.


    "Hence, this was the reason I wanted to check your work first before approving this method."


    While the Valley Master exined his reason, he formed another bubble with his Spiritual Energy and tried to mix it with the water from theke.<sub> </sub>


    Surprisingly, the water from Spiritual Energy became muddy as soon as it mixed, showing a reaction.


    "This water is indeed poisonous." The Valley Master nced at Noel. "Why don''t you purify this area for me?"


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression as he ced his hand into the water and began using his Purification Ability.


    Meanwhile, Paul exined, "Don''t worry about the poison, Sir. Our people can lift the soil up. For now, we''re just trying to make some simtion."


    "Hoh?" The Valley Master smiled. "Actually, you don''t have to do that."


    "What do you mean, Sir?" Paul frowned.


    "I told you the poison couldn''t be dissolvedpletely, right?"


    "Yes."T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "And in the water sample you gave me, I found the poison that hasn''t been dissolved there. To my surprise, the poison has lost its effect."


    "!!!" Paul widened his eyes in shock. "You mean¡­"


    "Yes. The Purification Ability is strong enough to make the poison lose its effect. Do you know that when you''re diluting your wine with water, you''ll get less taste?"


    "Yes."


    "I believe his ability works the same. The Purification Ability is diluting the poison again and again until the poison is used up and the original poison bes nothing but normal sand.


    "In other words, you don''t have to lift up the soil to extract the remaining poison. Instead, you can simply let him do all the work and everything will work perfectly. And right now, I''m trying to see whether my theory is correct or not." He smirked.


    Paul was impressed by Noel once again. He never thought Noel had this powerful ability.


    It took Noel more than an hour to purify this water, and the Valley Master tested it again, confirming that the water had been sessfully purified.


    "Alright. I have confirmed it. You''ve got my approval. I know that it''ll be hard for a Spirit Wielder to purify the whole area in an instant, and that''s the reason you asked me to extend the time limit."


    The Valley Master smiled. "In that case, let me invite you to eat with me tonight. At the very least, I want to thank you for giving me the best solution."


    "That can wait until we''ve purified everything, Sir." Paul smiled awkwardly.


    The Valley Master thought for a moment before agreeing. "I know. Fine, in that case, I hope you join me after the work ispleted."


    "Yes, Sir. We''d love to."


    Before leaving, the Valley Master walked to Noel and patted his shoulders a few times. "You''re good, Young Man."


    He looked like he was praising him, but his head suddenly came closer to Noel''s ears as he whispered a few words.


    "Haha, I''m looking forward to your work." The Valley Masterughed and stepped back, leaving Noel in shock. No one knew what he said to Noel.

 Chapter 363 Movements

    "Alright. Today is the day we finish our job. We don''t know when the exact time they''ll attack us, but I''m pretty sure that it''s going to be today. Make sure you''re aware of your surroundings and prepare for battle," said Paul.


    They had been working on theke for the past three days, but there wasn''t a single movementing. So, they thought the enemies wouldn''te to them at all.


    On the other hand, they had gathered some information about the demons'' activities. The city had experienced a lot of attacks during their project since they couldn''t stop the flow of the river that had been contaminated.


    Luckily, the city''s soldiers and the Valley Master managed to stop thempletely.


    "Still, are they trulying?" Ste asked with a frown.


    "We don''t know about it yet."


    "I mean if they don''te, isn''t it bad for the two captains we''ve invited to this ce? They should have work to do instead of wasting their time with this. I''m afraid they''re going toin about how we''re wasting their time."


    "I don''t know. If theyin, I''ll take responsibility for it. Even so, if there is a possibility of enemies appearing, I won''t hesitate to ask for help. So, make sure you keep the danger in your mind."


    Ste nodded, notining anymore. On the one hand, she wanted smooth sailing for this mission. On the other hand, if there was no danger, they would receiveints from other squads, so this was the reason for her question.


    Now that they had one mind for today, they immediately headed to theke.


    Surprisingly, the Valley Master had waited for them in front of the gate to share his gratefulness.


    "Well, this is thest day. After finishing your work,e to my castle and have dinner. I''d like to express my gratitude to all of you."


    Paul nodded. "Thank you for receiving us."


    The Valley Master smiled and saw them off.


    The group immediately started working on the purification.


    Only Zion was missing in this group, considering he had been tasked to bring another Captain.


    Paul, Ste, Rose, and Anna were looking around, making sure there were no enemies.


    It was a tense day because they had to ensure the team''s safety.


    ¡­


    As they expected, there were a lot of movementsing from around them.


    The first movement came from the hill in the east. There was a woman standing on top of the tree, watching the entire valley with a bored expression.


    "Hmm¡­ The work is about to bepleted. If the Supreme Devil Organization is going to attack them alongside the demons, then it''s better to do it after they finish their work. After all, they can simply repel the demons and upy this ce with fresh running water.<sub> </sub>Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "In that case, there won''t be any attack during the day. Then again, we can''t rule out any possibility." ra thought for a moment and turned to the castle. "Still, if they''re going to attack, the first one to make a move is the Superior Demon from the north¡­"


    ra seemed to be nning something, but she decided to wait for it.


    Just like her, among the mountain range in the south, there was a group of fifty people standing side by side.


    The one leading them was a muscr bald man. His body was emitting bloodlust and his gaze could make one tremble in fear.


    He red at the people he brought and said, "Tonight is the time for us to upy thatnd. This is going to be fertilend that can contribute a lot to the organization, so failure is not allowed. Anyone who contributes to the failure will be executed by me. Understood?"


    "Yes, Sir." They nodded their heads. To fight the Valley Master and his soldiers, they brought five Devil Inspectors and twenty Devil Officers. With the help of the demons, this attack shouldn''t fail.


    But as expected, the valley might be the center of attention right now. If there was ra in the East, the demon in the North, and the Supreme Devil Organization in the south, then there was one more captain in the west, though he hadn''t arrived yet.


    Zion was leading a thin young man to the fort. The young man had nted eyes and long blonde hair tied into a horsetail. Unlike the Devil Bishop from the Supreme Devil Organization, he appeared friendly and harmless.


    Even his weapon was a rapier. Still, as one would expect from a Captain, he was following Zion''s top speed with ease.


    Still, the problem remained in his head as he couldn''t help but frown. "Are we going to bete for the party, Zion?"


    "I''m not sure about that. Besides, we can''t do anything, considering this is the fastest we can go."


    "I can go even faster, though." The man smiled, teasing him.


    "That''s certainly true. In fact, I apologize for wasting your time with my slow speed."


    "Well, your speed is already so high that it''s beyond belief. If you were in my squad, I would have nurtured you."


    "That''s an honor."


    "Haha, you''re qualified for that. If only your body is slimmer, you might be able to increase your speed further."


    ? Zion didn''t know how to react to thest one, considering he kept his body like this for a reason. Though, he didn''t refute him either since he precisely knew what he could do with a slimmer body.


    "Thank you for your words, but I''d like to remain the same. This is the only thing I can''t give up."


    "Well, there is nothing I can say if you want it like that. But you''re free to change the squad if you ever feel like quitting the Demon Relief Squad."


    "Haha, thank you for the invitation, but I enjoy thepany of my squad. It''s truly an honor to get praise from you¡­ After all, you are the fastest guy in the Demon Banner Army, the Demon Assassination Squad''s Captain, Captain Lucian."

 Chapter 364 Celebration...Or Not

    Just like many people''s predictions, there was no one who attacked them during the purification. And Jonathan finally removed the soil from theke, allowing theke to be one again.


    After that, he tested them onest time to make sure they didn''t leave any poison behind.


    As soon as they hadpleted the work, they immediately wrapped up and returned to the city to bring the joyous news.


    "There was no ambush¡­I guess we''ll hear a lot of things from Captain ra after this." Ste scratched the back of her head, thinking how awful it would be when their captain finally regrouped with them.


    Paul nodded. "Either way, it''s good that no one is hurt. That''s the most important. All kinds of punishment and lectures are better than having one of you crippled or dead. So, that''s all I care."


    The group nodded their heads in agreement.


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel had known another secret, which the Water Lord whispered to him a few days ago. He was still pondering about it since it was a crucial factor in their n.


    At the same time, he couldn''t say anything about this to this squad. At the very least, it was better if they didn''t suspect anything to make it even more believable.


    ''Still, to think the Valley Master asked me like that¡­ Even now, I still couldn''t understand the depth of the Valley Master. His ability is way beyond me, considering he can make a n of that level.


    ''Now that I think about it, it seems that my n has been a little too straightforward. All I do is use my abilities to ovee any challenge. I have never tried to lower the enemy''s guard, pull them in, and execute them.


    ''I should have thought about this already¡­ I should be shrewd. Even my father could manipte his own execution, so it''s clear that if I want to meet my father, I should be as shrewd as him or even more.


    ''Instead of searching for him, I might be able to trick him intoing out to meet me by himself.''


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, realizing something important. He was a former noble and if all the prestigious noble families saw the current him, he would surely be one of the top candidates for political marriages.


    He looked like he was as talented as Anna since he was a Spirit Wielder. He also had the Ardagan Family, the richest family in the kingdom, on his back. And he was a genius who could think of a n to handle all his problems.


    However, the politics were harsher than that. In this political battle, they had to scheme against each other. If they didn''t constantly outsmart the others, they would be devoured.


    And Noelcked that shrewdness to outsmart those people. He realized it after meeting the Valley Master.


    He clenched his fists and muttered inwardly, "That''s right. I''ll admit my defeat for today. However, the next time I meet the Valley Master, I''m going to outsmart him."


    No one was aware of Noel''s thoughts because he maintained his poker face all the time.


    As soon as they reached the city, they washed their bodies and wore formal clothes.


    "Wee." The butler smiled, epting them. "Please follow me. The Valley Master is waiting for you in the dining room."


    They nodded and followed the butler to the dining room, finding a long table that could fit a total of twenty people.


    When they came in, the Valley Master approached them with a huge smile. "Thank you for helping my city."


    "We were just doing our job." Paul humbly nodded.


    "Haha, for you it was just a normal job, but for us, it was life-saving. Do you know how much it would affect the city if the problem wasn''t fixed within a short period of time? And even if you could drain it, we would have a problem in getting the water."<sub> </sub>


    "If that''s the case, you should thank Noel. After all, he''s the one doing all the job."


    "That''s right. I should be thanking him." The Valley Master nodded with a serious expression before moving to Noel. "Thank you very much, Young Man. If not for youing to this city, there would be many problemsing."


    "No, no. I just happen to have this ability, so I believe I should use it properly."


    "Haha, you''re very humble. Even I, who was known as the Water Lord, didn''t have the purification ability. It was truly a good ability, you know." The Valley Master patted his shoulder before gently dragging him. "Let''s go. Sit next to me. I''d like to personally thank you again."


    Noel made a weird smile because he was forced to sit next to the Valley Master. And Paul was in the same position as him, just in the opposite direction.


    It was clear that the biggest contribution to this mission was Noel.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Haha, please serve the meal." The Valley Master smiled, asking the butler and the maid to bring out their food.


    One by one, the table was filled with food. Last but not least, they poured out wine to drink.


    "This is my wine collection, a thirty years old wine called Regel D. Blue. Try it." The Valley Master smiled while holding his cup, slightly spinning the sses. He moved his nose next to the sses, smelling the sweet aroma.


    *Cough!*


    The Valley Master coughed twice after smelling it as if it was a bit too strong. "Excuse me. Haha, as expected, the aroma is quite good."


    Noel looked at his own ss with a troubled expression.


    "What''s wrong, Young Man?"


    "Actually, I don''t like to get drunk." Noel smiled awkwardly. "It''s not because I don''t have resistance, but because of my oath."


    "I see. That''s easy." The Valley Master raised his hand and the wine from Noel''s ss suddenly floated in the air and spun a few times before falling back into his ss.


    Everyone was staring at the wine, thinking it was a performance.


    "I have evaporated the alcohol content. You shouldn''t get drunk because of it¡­ In fact, it''ll taste like grape juice."


    "Haha." Noel felt a bit embarrassed but nodded. "Thank you."


    "And now¡­ cheers." The Valley Master raised his ss.


    The rest also did the same. "Cheers."


    They drank the sweet wine with a smile on their face. Unfortunately for them, their smiles would soon disappear when the Valley Master suddenly coughed abruptly while pressing his chest.


    "Gah¡­ Gah¡­" The Valley Master gritted his teeth while grasping his heart. "This is¡­"


    Before he could say anything, the Valley Master fell to the ground, unconscious.

 Chapter 365 Emergency

    "¡­" Everyone was shocked because they couldn''t understand what had just happened.


    "This is¡­" Paul gasped and panicked. He hurriedly went to the Valley Master to check his condition.


    Meanwhile, the butlers and the maids were shocked because they didn''t know what to do with this situation.


    "Master, Master!" His personal butler came to him and checked his condition. Without hesitation, he dered, "He''s poisoned!"


    "What?!" All the people were shocked, not understanding what had happened. They looked at each other with pale faces.


    The butler red at Noel and the others at first, but he said, "This must be the work of someone in the kitchen or the maids and butlers."


    Noel and the others never touched anything before thest moment, so it was clear that there was a mole hiding in this ce.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped, thinking, ''No way. Is this the reason why this ce fell in my past life? The Valley Master was poisoned? And because Noel wasn''t here, Paul and the others had to face both the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    Anna realized that even if they had prepared, there were only two captains who would help us with this problem.


    Even if they wanted to kill the Devil Bishop, it was impossible because theycked one more person that could tilt the battle in their favor.


    That was why Anna bit her lips, thinking they couldn''t achieve anything in this situation.


    "Kh." Anna tried to find a solution that only she knew.


    The butler, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and shouted, "We need to bring him to his room right now and call the doctor."


    "We''ll help you bring him to his room and you can call the doctor," Paul suggested.


    The butler thought for a moment and pointed at one butler. "You¡­ lead them to the master room."


    They didn''t know what to do in this situation other than follow the head butler since he was closest to him.


    The butler led the Demon Relief Squad to bring the Valley Master to his room while the head butler tried to find the doctor.


    "What is this? How in the world does this happen?" Paul bit his lips, not knowing why there would be poison in his drink.


    However, he soon remembered what Noel had told him about the mole. Back then, Noel suspected there was a mole among them who would call the Supreme Devil Organization. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    Paul looked at Noel and asked, "Are we going to be attacked now?"


    "I''m afraid so." Noel nodded with a serious expression, confirming his doubt. Now that the Valley Master had fallen, no one would be able to stop him anymore.


    "Noel. I''ll be taking care of this, so you take care of the group. I know you''re smart, so do everything you can right now! And we need to find a way to inform others."<sub> </sub>


    As soon as he received themand from Paul, Noel immediately gave his instruction. "Who is in charge of sending the message?"


    "Me. We have a small bomb that can release a bright light in the sky, so we''ll use it to inform the people that we''re in an emergency. I''ll send them into the sky with my strength." Jonathan exined.


    "In that case, Jonathan and Ste will inform them. However, not now."


    "Not now?" Jonathan became confused. He thought it would be toote if they didn''t inform them right away. But Noel ignored his reaction and said, "Rose and Ben will go to the wall and watch the movement. I''m afraid there will be demons from the north and people from the south. So, inform Jonathan right away after finding them and that''s when you''re sending the signal."


    "But¡­" Jonathan wanted to argue, but it seemed Noel had another n in his mind.


    "Alright. We''ll go straight away."


    "What are we going to do then?" Anna asked with a serious expression.


    "You''ll be with me to do something." Noel had a reason for keeping Anna by his side. The only person who should ''kill'' him was Anna, so it would be best if he kept her near him to see an opportunity to execute their n.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Anyway, that''s the current instruction. I''m sure that the two captains standing by will know what they''re supposed to do in this situation."


    "Alright then. Let''s go with this n." Ste nodded and turned to Jonathan, signaling they had to go to prepare their item.


    Rose and Ben also nned to leave, but Noel suddenly grabbed Rose''s arm, stopping her.


    "Noel?" Rose was confused since they were in a serious situation.


    Noel made a determined smile as if assuring Rose that everything would be right. "Rose. I know that the situation doesn''t seem like it, but I''ll make sure that you can get your revenge today. But to do that, I need you to mark all the people who know about this poisoning incident."


    "What are you¡ª" Rose waspletely dumbfounded, but Noel had let her go, asking her to go on her way.


    Noel had turned around and dragged Anna to another ce.


    "Oi, Noel. What are you nning to do now?" Anna gritted her teeth. She never expected that they would be overwhelmed from both sides and had no chance to turn the situation around. "We''re in a very dangerous situation. There is even a mole that we have to handle to make sure that nothing happens in this city. Do you understand what this means?"


    "I know." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "You just have to stay by my side since this is a perfect chance for me to ''die.'' Make sure you don''t waste that chance."


    She thought she had prepared for it, but she still felt a bit hurt to know she would be separated from Noel. They had done a lot of stuff together, so it was such a shame that they had to go separate ways from here.


    "But we have a more important task. Now that the Valley Master can''t do anything, how do we fight them, especially with the mole?"


    Noel smirked and said, "Don''t worry. Everything has been set up perfectly. All we need to do is to kill them."

 Chapter 366 Mole

    "Hurry up. Where is it?" Jonathan asked while scrambling through the piles of items they had in their carriage.


    "It should be in the first carriage. Since we haven''t used it before, we shouldn''t have moved it." Ben also helped him but to no avail.


    They were gritting their teeth since they didn''t have a lot of time. There would be something happening soon, so they had to call the two captains as soon as possible.


    But no matter how hard they searched for it, they couldn''t find this item.


    "Where is the item?" Ben gritted his teeth, starting to be frustrated.


    "I also want to know that answer." Jonathan bit his lips. "How about searching for the second carriage?"


    "Alright. You, too, should bring out all these items to make it easier for us to find them."


    Jonathan and Ben reached an agreement. While Ben ran to the second carriage, Jonathan used his Telekinesis to bring out all the items.


    Yet, despite searching both carriages, they couldn''t find the item they were looking for.


    "What is this? How in the world could we not find the item when we need it the most?" Jonathan stomped to the ground, releasing his anger.


    "Wait, that is¡­" Jonathan stopped him and pointed at the basket where they ced a bunch of tools.


    "What are you pointing¡ª" Ben followed his finger and found the basket before falling silent.


    Both of them seemed to understand what each other was thinking.


    "Ben¡­ This is¡­"T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. The position of the tool has been changed. Although we just toss every tool into this basket without tidying it up, we always put the heavier tool at the bottom. But why is this hammer actually at the top?"


    Jonathan and Ben gasped, realizing something.


    "No way. You are thinking what I''m thinking, Ben?"


    "I sure do. There was a mole who knew about our signal, so this person took it away. And the only person who knew about our meeting with the Valley Master was¡­"


    ¡­


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    Numerous demons wereing toward their city, startling all the soldiers on the wall.<sub> </sub>


    They immediately rang the bell to inform the rest of the soldiers to fight.


    "All the soldiers have to go to the wall right now. There are a lot of¡­" The soldier, who was informing the others, gasped when he saw the sheer number of demonsing toward them. "What is this¡­"


    Normally, they would fight one or two hundred demons at the time. But the number of demons they could see right now surpassed anything they had ever seen.


    "There are a thousand, no, a few thousands¡­ No, it might even reach ten thousand¡­" The soldier dropped his jaw to the ground. His body began trembling because he didn''t even know whether they could stop this or not. "We only have one thousand soldiers in the city and we always win the battle. But this time, there are a few thousand demons at the very least. Are we supposed to fight all of them?"


    But before he could think of anything, there was a shadow in the distance. Every step it took made the ground vibrate.


    "What is that monster¡­" Another soldier pointed at the shadow in shock. "The height alone is around fifteen meters and nothing can stop that giant body, even this wall."


    "That must be the Superior Demon lying on our south, that Demon Bear."


    "Not good. We have to tell the Valley Master to take action. We can''t let the Superior Demone here!"


    Before they could even go back to tell the Valley Master, another soldier reached the top of the wall while bringing emergency news.


    "This is bad. I have received the news from the castle. It''s said that the Valley Master is poisoned. His current condition is unknown!"


    "!!!" The people were shocked when they heard it. They always thought that the Valley Master was capable of repelling the Superior Demon. But they never imagined they would be in a situation where the Valley Master couldn''t fight while the Superior Demon came.


    "This is¡­" The soldiers started to fall on their knees as if realizing this battle was as good as lost. There was no way they could stop a Superior Demon without the Valley Master.


    They didn''t realize that Rose was among the soldiers. She had reached this ce for a while to do her mission of observing the demons. However, she couldn''t help but remember what Noel had said earlier.


    "I''ll make sure that you can get your revenge today. But to do that, I need you to mark all the people who know about this poisoning incident."


    ''Why does he want me to mark these people? No, wait¡­'' Rose suddenly came to a realization. ''To boost the soldiers'' morale, they should hide the news about the poisoning incident. Yet, giving this kind of news to the soldiers will pummel their morale. No, in the first ce, there are only a handful of people who know about the poisoning incident.


    ''Other than us, the maids and the butlers are locked in that room to be investigated. There are only two butlers whoe out of that room, the butler that leads us to safety and the head butler who¡­ No way.''


    Rose gasped as she could finally understand what had happened. The only reason why this news could get out was from mouth to mouth. The butler who led them had to return to the dining room to be questioned, but they had never seen the head butler anywhere after that.


    There was a mole in the castle. This was something they had agreed on. But they never expected that the mole was actually the head butler, a Spirit Grandmaster.


    As she came to that realization, Paul was holding his left arm, so the blood didn''te out of the wound.


    He was ring at the head butler who was supposed to be getting the doctor. Instead of dragging a doctor here, he was bringing his sword and inflicting that wound.


    Paul gritted his teeth, ring at the head butler. "What do you mean by this?"

 Chapter 367 Signal

    "What do you mean by this?" Paul gritted his teeth while holding the pain. He never thought that the head butler was going to do something like this. "I have some suspicions about a mole in this ce, but to think the mole is you¡­"


    The Head Butler, who was also a Spirit Grandmaster like him, snorted without saying anything.


    "You are unqualified to be a butler. To think you would point your sword at your ma¡ª" Before Paul could finish his words, he felt a jolt in his body as he fell to his knees. "This is¡­"


    "As expected, it seems if you don''t take it directly, it is less effective and takes a long time to get affected." The butler narrowed his eyes.


    ''I can''t even move a muscle?'' Paul gritted his teeth, never expecting the poison to be this powerful. He realized that the poison came through his sh after the sword grazed him, but even so, this was still too much, considering he had been using his Spiritual Energy around that area.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "It''s useless. What I have used is the Seven-Colored Poison. You won''t be able to fight against it."


    "Seven-Colored Poison?" Paul recognized this name. ''The Seven-Colored Poison was a mixture of seven deadly poison herbs. Although it''s hard to produce because not only you have to find all the seven deadly poison herbs, but the amount you can turn into the real poison is low. And it should be impossible for them to be able to acquire it¡­''


    "The Fagant Leaf should have gone extinct a few hundred years ago and the only person left who possesses this leaf is¡­" Paul gasped. "No way, one of the twelve leaders of the Tower Association, the Poison Lord, has joined your side?"


    "That''s how it is." The Head Butler smirked. "It''s truly hard to acquire this leaf since its effect is the best. They can seal one''s Spiritual Energy, no matter if they''re a demon or a human. And now¡­"


    The Head Butler ced his sword right at Paul''s neck. "I can kill you both effortlessly."


    He raised his sword and swung it down.


    ¡­


    On top of the wall, Rose and Ste noticed a few people who had been dampening people''s morale.


    Rose and Ste had understood why Noel wanted to pay attention to them. Without hesitation, they followed them quietly, wondering where they were going after this.


    To their surprise, there were a total of ten people gathering in a dark alley.


    "We have done our job. All we need to do is to wait for the bishop toe."


    "That''s right. Did you see their faces? They werepletely hopeless."


    "No one would be able to stop us now."


    They thought they had won the battle, but they didn''t know Rose and Ste had been tailing them this whole time.


    Both of them looked at each other as if whispering something.


    ''There doesn''t seem anyone strong in their group. However, we shouldn''t take them out right away. We have to open their mouth to know about their n.''


    Ste heard Rose''s voice through illusion but gave her a confused look, not knowing how to do it.


    ''Wait for a moment. I have a n.''<sub> </sub>


    Both of them nodded as they disappeared to discuss their n.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Jonathan and Ben had gone to the opposite wall as if they had a n.


    "We can''t use the bomb anymore because it has been seized and we don''t know where it is right now. So, we have to call the two captains in another way," said Jonathan while raising his hand. "I''m going to shoot a ridiculous amount of Spiritual Energy into the sky to rm them."


    "But we can''t do it right now because we have to pull the enemy in first. If we miss this chance, we might not be able to kill that bishop. We have to kill him since he is one of the first few people we have to kill in the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Are you serious? We only have two Captains now and the Valley Master can''t help us with anything. Do you think the two of them can handle both the bishop and the Superior Demon? Let''s think about this rationally." Jonathan bit his lips.


    Ben couldn''t say anything. Of course he knew about it, but the Blood Berserker was that big of a deal.


    "In that case, how are you nning to do this? Are we gonna call the captains right now to scare the enemies?"


    "But if there is a mole inside, those people must have known about the existence of the two captains¡­"


    "Yet, he still dares toe¡­"


    "Does he have some assurance in handling both captains?"


    "I don''t think so. Then, what is his aim that can stop both captains?"


    "That''s¡­"


    Both of them looked at each other as if they understood who would be the next target. Yes, they were the targets.


    "If we''re the targets, then shouldn''t we try to escape from this ce? If he dares to fight the two captains with that Superior Demon, it''s clear that he has a way of dealing with all of us. In that case, we shouldn''t be the burden for the two captains¡­"


    "¡­" Jonathan fell silent, contemting. "Then, should we inform the rest of the group?"


    "No, we should inform the two captains first toe here. Since he''s going toe no matter what, it doesn''t matter whether we call the captains now orter. In fact, it''ll be safer to do it now."


    Jonathan nodded in agreement as he started gathering his Spiritual Energy into his arm. "Alright. Let''s do it."


    Ben nodded. "I''ll support youter."


    Jonathan took a deep breath as the Spiritual Energy around the area began to concentrate in his arm.


    The blue-colored light began to shine on top of the wall, startling the soldiers. However, Jonathan didn''t care about their distress as he raised his hand, shooting out a bird into the sky before making it explode to create a huge bluemp in the sky.


    *Boom!*

 Chapter 368 Manipulation

    *Boom!*


    The explosion stunned all people whether they were in the city or outside the city.


    "This is¡­" A bald man observed the huge light in the sky with a serious expression before he shouted, "Let''s do it! We shall conquer this city!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    The Supreme Devil Organization had moved out. The Blood Berserker was releasing his bloodlust to the surroundings as he became excited since he could kill so many people tonight.


    Meanwhile, the other two captains who had been watching the city from afar frowned.


    "This is¡­ Shouldn''t they have the bomb to give a signal? As for this ability, this looks like Jonathan wasting his Spiritual Energy¡­" ra frowned, trying to understand their situation. "Still, it doesn''t feel right¡­ Even the Water Lord hasn''t made his appearance even though the Superior Demon is about to reach the city."


    It didn''t take too long for ra to realize something was wrong with their n. She immediately jumped forward to assist them before feeling an ominous presence from the south.


    "!!!" She turned her head around with a serious expression. "This is¡­"


    ra wasn''t the only one making her move. After seeing that signal, Zion recognized it and said, "This is Jonathan''s ability."


    "Huh? Doesn''t the Zero Squad have the signal bomb to use?"


    "Yes. We should have one. That''s why I don''t understand why they waste their Spiritual Energy like this."


    "Unless the situation is not going ording to the n."


    "!!!" They became serious in an instant, knowing they had to help them as soon as possible.


    "Let''s go!"


    "Yes, Sir."


    Both of them hurriedly moved toward the city to help them before feeling the overwhelming pressure from the south like ra.


    When they turned around, they could see a group of peopleing down the hill. The leader was a bald man who was emitting an extraordinary killing intent.


    "A Devil Bishop¡­" Both ra and Lucian stopped for a moment, thinking they had to stop them.


    "Captain Lucian, it''s not the time for you to make your move yet. We''ve called another Captain, so we can lure him first before taking his life." Zion stopped him, reminding his position as a Demon Assassin Squad''s leader.


    "I know. I''m more concerned about the town''s situation. Even at this time, the Water Lord hasn''te out to deal with the Superior Demon, so it''s clear there is a problem with the Water Lord himself."


    "Then are you nning to¡­"


    "Yes. We''ll stop the Superior Demon first while raising the soldiers'' morale. After that, we will shift our n gradually depending on the situation."


    "Understood. In that case, I''ll go to myrade to know about the situation before informing you about the change of n."


    "Let''s go." Lucian epted it and began to move toward the Superior Demon.


    While the people outside the city were confused with the development, the people inside were panic-stricken. There were rumors about their city getting destroyed because the Water Lord had been poisoned.


    However, they stopped for a moment when they saw the huge blue light in the sky.


    "This is¡­"


    The people were confused, but the one panicking right now was the members of the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "What? Haven''t we disposed of the signal bomb?"<sub> </sub>


    "That''s right. They shouldn''t be able to inform them before it''s toote. How did they do it?"


    The people were trying to figure out the situation before another guy came in and shouted, "So, this is where you are. I''m a Devil Inspector under the Blood Berserker. What is happening right now?! Is there a change of n?"


    "We don''t know either. We have disposed of their signal bomb."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Tsk." The guy clicked his tongue and said, "Then, we have to change our n. The bishop is besieged by two Captains of the Demon Banner Army right now. So, I need all of you to gather the remaining members to this ce right away. I''m going to lead you out of this city to regroup with the rest."


    "U¡­Understood!"


    They nodded and dispersed to the area, trying to gather all their members.


    Surprisingly, there were a total of one hundred people who had been spread in this city. They were disguised as farmers, shopkeepers and even butlers in the castle.


    It was shocking because there were too many people infiltrating the city.


    "Sir Inspector. We have gathered everyone here. Other than another Inspector who is currently dealing with the Water Lord, everyone has gathered here," said one of them who seemed to be their leader.


    "Alright. Let''s go." The guy nodded with a serious expression as he led them through a few alleys to sneak out of the city.


    But suddenly, they stopped in a big alley, surrounded by buildings.


    "Why did we stop?"


    They became confused because the guy was supposed to lead them out of the city.


    However, five shadows appeared on top of the building, surrounding them.


    "This is¡­" They looked at those figures, not recognizing all of them.


    "No, you''re not from the organization!" One of them shouted, realizing they had walked into their trap.


    "Leave some of them alive and kill the rest!" Noel''s voice echoed in their ears.


    The guy, who led them here, smiled as his body glitched a few times before the illusion disappeared, revealing a woman figure. She was Rose.


    ? Meanwhile, those five above the buildings were none other than Noel and the rest of the group.


    Rose''s n was to trick them and lure everyone to one ce so that they could capture some of them. Meanwhile, Noel''s n was to make Rose realize her n so that they could eliminate all of them.


    Upon realizing it, Rose sent Ste to inform Noel about their n and it was at that time Jonathan and Ben came back.


    It turned out Noel had been manipting them the whole time. Noel knew that the mole would remove their signal bomb and Ben woulde back with Jonathan because they had to help Paul. The same applied to Rose and Ste, allowing them to regroup immediately.


    It first started from when the Valley Master whispered something to Noel''s ears.


    He said, "There is going to be poison in my drink or probably in my ss since it''s impossible for me not to notice poisonous liquid. I will distract everyone''s attention while you remove the poison. I''ll fake the entire situation to win this battle. I know you''re smart, so you figure out the rest."


    This was the message. The Valley Master knew there was a mole among his employee, but he didn''t know who was the mole. Hence, he used this tactic to lure the mole out, which turned out to be the head butler.


    And this was also the time Noel learned he had been holding back when making his n this whole time.


    ''That''s right. No wonder I''m not my father''s match. All of my ns are about how I can solve the problems while my father always maniptes all the people around him to create a new problem that he can solve.


    ''In that case, instead of trying to solve the moles by finding them, I should have gathered them in one ce so that they will be eliminated altogether.'' Noel smirked as he waved his hand, shouting. "Kill them!"

 Chapter 369 Clara

    The Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t do anything as there were four Spirit Masters and two Spirit Wielders on their side while their strongest people were only Spirit Practitioners.


    They couldn''t even do anything as they werepletely suppressed by these people. Even their sounds couldn''t go out because of Rose''s illusion, making them think they were screaming but instead, they weren''t doing anything.


    They took all the enemies without any problems.


    Meanwhile, outside the city, the Blood Berserker was smiling when he reached the city wall. All soldiers were frozen in fear as they couldn''t withstand the bloodlust and killing intent emanating from him.


    However, a female''s voice resounded across the battlefield.


    "Activate the Protective Enchantment!"


    "!!!" The Blood Berserker furrowed his eyebrows and turned around, finding ra heading straight toward him.


    ra raised both hands, releasing multiple threads. She waved her hands, shooting forth those threads toward the members of the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Suddenly, the Blood Berserker came between them and punched forward. His fist caused a thunderp and the shock wave blew the threads away.


    ra still continued approaching them despite seeing such a powerful fist.


    "So, you''re the Demon Relief Squad''s Captain, ra!" The Blood Berserker recognized her now that she hade closer.


    "You''re just something lower than a human."


    "As expected of the Demon Banner Army, you look down on everyone." The Blood Berserker smirked and punched her face. The red-colored Spiritual Energy swirled around his arm. When the fist hit its target, it would release a burst that would inflict more damage to one''s body.


    However, his opponent this time was one of the Captains of the Demon Banner Army, the current rank 5th, ra.


    "!!!" He suddenly felt his punch hit a cushion, unable to move forward.


    It turned out ra formed a cobweb with the threads on her hand, stopping this punch.


    "It seems that I''ve been underestimated. I''ll break your fingers with this!" The Blood Berserker roared, releasing an even stronger force from his body to break through this cobweb.


    The more ra held on to this, the more her fingers would break or get twisted.


    Knowing this fact, ra decided to jump a bit, allowing the force to blow her away.


    "All of you enter before they erect the protective barrier!"


    The members of the organization immediately followed his direction while ra gritted her teeth, never expecting that the soldiers hadn''t activated the protective enchantment that would block the attacks.


    "What are you doing? Hurry up and activate the b¡ª" Before ra could finish her words, the Blood Berserker had reached her while plunging his fist.


    ra clicked her tongue and jumped back.


    However, the Blood Berserker still finished his punch. The red-colored energy swirling around his arm flew forth, turning into a tornado made of blood.<sub> </sub>


    ra clicked her tongue and got engulfed by the tornado.


    However, the tornado suddenly got twisted from the inside, causing each side to hit and neutralize the other.


    "As expected from a captain, you''re tough."


    ra snorted. "You talk too much despite your weak strength."


    "Weak strength, huh?" The Blood Berserker smirked. "That''s right. If I''m not wrong, your Demon Relief Squad is the one getting called to this ce. I wonder how you will feel when you see how I treat them after conquering this city."


    "!!!" ra''s expression darkened. She had heard about the Blood Berserker too, especially from Rose. The Blood Berserker was a ruthless and cruel man. He would have done many things that people condoned. Even a torturer would find him cruel.


    So, if the Blood Berserker ever attacked her team, there was no telling what he would do. And it would be a horror to see it.


    Hence, ra knew she had to finish him if possible. A man like this couldn''t be left alive.


    ra took a deep breath and red at the Blood Berserker.


    The Blood Berserker suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He looked at ra, who was emanating killing intent at the same level as his. He thought his killing intent was one of the fiercest in the world, but there was actually someone who had something simr. And that person was actually a doctor.


    "Haha, interesting. I''m going to defeat you but not kill you yet. After all, I''m going to make you see¡ª" The Blood Berserker suddenly stopped because ra had appeared before him while releasing her threads around his neck.


    The Blood Berserker actually let her wrap her threads in his neck. ra thought the Blood Berserker couldn''t react to this surprise attack, but it turned out he allowed her to do it because ra would be close enough to him.


    As soon as she was within reach, the Blood Berserker smirked and grabbed her left arm.


    "Got you!"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "!!!"


    ra hurriedly kicked him to gain enough force to get away, but it was futile. The Blood Berserker used his strength to crush her arm. Meanwhile, ra also utilized the threads to cut his neck.


    In the end, both of them let go of each other when there was enough momentum for them to get away.


    "¡­" ra gritted her teeth, never expecting that the Blood Berserker would resort to this kind of attack. She looked at the Blood Berserker''s neck which had been covered in blood. The threads managed to cut it a bit, but it was only a superficial wound. He wouldn''t die with only this wound.


    Meanwhile, ra was in a worse situation than she expected. She looked down at her arm while gritting her teeth.


    She never expected that the Blood Berserker would manage to crack her bone in that instant. There was already a vast amount of Spiritual Energy covering her entire body, so it wouldn''t be that easy for her to get injured, but the Blood Berserker surpassed it.


    "To think you wouldn''t even let out a single sound even after I almost destroyed your bones." The Blood Berserker smirked.


    ra''s expression became cold as she covered her entire arm with the threads, tightening it so that the bones would have less stress when she forced it to move.


    She red at him and said, "You''re dead."

 Chapter 370 Lucian

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, the Demon Bear was terrorizing the soldiers with its presence.


    "Activate the barrier immediately!"


    ? "That''s right. We will have to protect this wall first and evacuate the people."


    "But the Water Lord is poisoned."


    "Who cares about that? I should have died if not for Water Lord taking me in, so I''m going to fight to the end for him."


    The soldiers were shouting at each other, trying to raise their morale. However, the colossal Demon Bear came closer and closer, making them afraid. Every step it took caused the ground to vibrate, so they couldn''t help but shudder in fear.


    A single sweep from this demon would be enough to destroy the wall. At the same time, this was the reason why they should activate the barrier right away.


    After all, it should be able to stop the Demon Bear a few times, buying them some time.


    Suddenly, the wall shone as a few iplete runes appeared on the wall''s surface. If Noel was here, he would have recognized these three runes.


    These were the Advanced Fortification Rune, Spiritual Energy Barrier Rune, and Spiritual Energy Gathering Rune.


    Normally, they only used the first and third runes since they were used to strengthen the walls physically and gather enough Spiritual Energy to supply the rune respectively. Meanwhile, the Spiritual Energy Barrier Rune was an even more advanced Rune. Even Noel didn''t know whether he could draw this kind of rune or not.


    A translucent wall appeared in front of this stone wall. The demons on the ground were soon split into two because the translucent wall stopped them.


    The Demon Bear saw this rune and roared as if feeling challenged by this kind of hurdle. He gathered the Spiritual Energy in his paw. The Spiritual Energy was rampaging and fierce that it looked like a zing fire.


    The Demon Bear roared and charged forward, stomping any demons in his way since he couldn''t be bothered to wait for the rest of the demons to give way.


    Although the Demon Bear ended up killing dozens of demons, no one felt happy at this moment because the Demon Bear had finally reached them.


    The Demon Bear struck the barrier with all its might.


    *Bam!*


    The collision alone created a massive shock wave that blew away all the demons in the surrounding. The ground was shaking for a few seconds and the loud bang struck fear in everyone''s heart.


    "Hiii¡­" They were scared still. If they were hit by this attack, they would have died on the spot.


    In fact, if the bear hit the ground, a huge crater would be born.


    "Humans and its useless invention! Do you think I''ll let you off after you disturb my sleep?!" The bear roared, surprisingly speaking in humannguage.


    "The demon can speak ournguage?"


    "Impossible. I have never heard of such a thing."


    They didn''t know that a Superior Demon''s brain was already beyond an average human''s brain. So, it wasn''t that weird for them to be able to speak humannguage.


    However, the normal soldiers didn''t have this knowledge, so they were panicking when they heard the demon speaking theirnguage.


    And even worse, after seeing his attack was blocked by the barrier, the bear raised its paw again, nning to attack it the second time.<sub> </sub>


    When it was still gathering its Spiritual Energy, there was a blinding lighting from the side.


    The light looked like a spear, piercing through anything. No demons could even stop it as it continued toward the Demon Bear.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" The Demon Bear widened its eyes and waved its paw toward this white light with all its might.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The Demon Bear let out a roar, trying to destroy this white spear.


    The sh between the light and the bear''s paw caused a simr shock wave that blew away the demons. In an instant, the field was cleared because of those two.


    However, the Demon Bear seemed to be stronger as it managed to deflect the light.


    The light ended up hitting the ground and exploded. The light engulfed more than three hundred demons and decimated every single of them.


    When the light disappeared, the bear could see a human standing in the middle of the explosion. He was none other than the captain of the Demon Assassination Squad, Lucian.


    "That Demon Bear is stronger than I expected¡­ To think I couldn''t defeat it with a single attack." Lucian muttered with a smile. He raised his rapier again.


    Despite how thin the rapier was, its durability had been reinforced by runes, allowing him to wield a rapier like a normal sword. And that thin pointed de made it perform like a needle, being able to pierce through anything.


    Unfortunately, the bear was stronger than he thought, deflecting the attack he put everything into it.


    "I''m still wondering what is the Water Lord doing, considering he is supposed to be the one fighting this demon while we kill the people from the Supreme Devil Organization." Lucian narrowed his eyes when he saw numerous demons encircling him, nning to help their leader to take him down.


    "Then, let''s see whether you can do it or not." Lucian smiled and gathered the Spiritual Energy in his rapier again, nning to fight against all these demons by himself.


    The Demon Bear looked at him and said, "It seems that I have to kill you first before I destroy this city. I don''t want any city to disturb me anymore."


    Lucian smirked and ignored him as he had to tell the soldiers on the wall. "I am a Captain from the Demon Banner Army. All soldiers, ready your weapon and protect the wall from the rest of the demons. I shall be the one taking care of this huge bear."


    The soldiers heard his voice loud and clear.


    "A Captain from the Demon Banner Army?"


    "Captains are the strongest fighters in the Demon Banner Army¡­ If it''s him, then it''s possible¡­"


    "That''s right. All soldiers, raise your weapons again. Let''s repel the demons! We shouldn''t be the one to go down."


    "This is our city and we shall protect it with our own hands!"


    "Uoh!"


    The soldiers cheered as they became determined to protect their city.


    Lucian smiled. "Then, I have to kill this bear for them."

 Chapter 371 Overwhelming

    "The situation has be too big," said Zion as he regrouped with the rest of the group. "Captain Lucian is stopping the Demon Bear while the other captain is holding off the Devil Bishop. What should we do now? Should we regroup with Paul?"


    Noel shook his head. "No. There is no need for that. Paul is better off staying with the Water Lord. Meanwhile, we have to divide the team into two. The first team will help fend off the Supreme Devil Organization, while the other will kill as many demons as possible.


    "Since there are a lot of demons, then Jonathan and Ste can go to the South Gate while the rest will go to the North Gate to fend off demons," Noel exined his n while thinking about his next n.


    "Alright, then." Ste and the others agreed. Although they could think like this as well, Noel had shown his brilliance bying up with many ns. Hence, it was better for him to do it instead of letting others think about it and creating confusion due to so many ideas.


    Normally, it was Paul who would decide everything. Due to his absence, Noel was chosen despite his time in the group. They just believed that someone who was capable should do their job instead of thinking about seniority.


    As soon as they reached an agreement, the group split.


    "How many demons are in the North Gate?" Noel asked Rose who should have seen the demons.


    "I''m not sure, but there are at least seven thousand demons. Although most of them are just Low Level Demons, it''s still a force to be reckoned with." Rose frowned before asking, "What are you nning with the demons?"


    "How do you usually fight a battle of this scale?"


    "We usually killed those demons from the wall with the help of the wall''s reinforcement. So, just shooting our Spirit Abilities again and again until we kill many of them before cleaning them up."


    "Alright. Let''s do that." Noel nodded with a serious expression. This was a perfect opportunity to get the reward for killing demons and advance his medals even further. At the same time, he also had to put in a hidden agenda, so he had to be careful in his move.


    When he reached the wall, Noel was stupefied. He had seen hundreds of demons attacking one ce at once, but this was the first time he saw thousands of them in one ce.


    It was a sea of demons, and all of them simply waited for their turn to reach the wall. Those Low Level Demons even tried to rush through the numerous demons in front of them to reach the wall, making them step on each other.


    It was truly beyond what Noel had seen before. Numerous lights flew into the air and gradually fell down, hitting the walls.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The lights struck the wall, but luckily, the translucent wall managed to stop their stspletely.


    These attacks came from Mid Level Demons and Advanced Level Demons who were supporting the Superior Demon from behind.


    It seemed that they were using the Low Level Demons as normal soldiers whose purpose was simply to distract a huge number of human soldiers. Meanwhile, the Mid Level Demons were providing some firepower with their Spiritual Energy while the Advanced Level Demons acted as amander who helped the demons when needed.


    However, there were a few Peak Level Demons in sight. These demons were even more dangerouspared to other demons. They were simply observing the battle right now, but their intelligent eyes seemed to be searching for a way to break through the wall. It seemed they were the brains of this massive demon army.


    Last but not least, the Superior Demon acted as their leader and led the charge with the rest of the demons.<sub> </sub>


    If there had been no reinforced wall, this ce would have copsed long ago. Of course, Captain Lucian also yed a huge role in this defense, considering he was the only person who could stop this demon.


    "This is overwhelming," Noel muttered with a serious expression.


    "This is actually normal if you go deeper into the demon territory. And this ce has a Superior Demon near it, so this kind of number is to be expected." Rose exined, assuring Noel that they had seen something like this and survived. So, he just continued to do his job so that they could survive.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "In that case, let''s help the soldiers." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Still, how do we attack them when there is a barrier like this?"


    "See the distance between this wall and the translucent barrier?" Rose asked.


    "Yes."


    "We''ll kill the demons between this gap and go down so that we can use our Spiritual Energy on the ground. I''m sure that your Spirit Ability can manifest through this barrier¡­ We''ll use this barrier to block everything while we''re taking our time killing them."


    "Oh?" Noel nodded with a serious expression, understanding the n. "In that case, let''s do it."


    "Yes. Follow us." Rose nodded and waved her hand, signaling the rest of the teams.


    Ben and Zion were the first to go, showing Noel an example of their operation.


    Without hesitation, Ben and Zion jumped off the wall. Obviously, they were spotted by many soldiers since they had done a crazy thing.


    "There are people jumping off."


    "Hey, what''s wrong with them?"


    "We have to help them."


    The soldiers wanted to help, but they soon got startled after a loud explosion sound echoed in their ears. They instantly looked down, finding both Ben and Zion killing twenty Low Level Demons in an instant while making a perfectnding.


    "This is¡­" The soldiers were stunned, not knowing what to say.


    Rose came to them to assure the soldiers. "We''re from the Demon Banner Army. We''re here to help you to handle these demons. Just make sure you maintain the barrier."


    Before waiting for their reply, Rose had stood on top of the wall while saying to Noel, "I''ll remain on top of this wall to be your eyes. What will you do, Noel, Anna?"


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks and smiled.


    "Of course we go."


    Without hesitation, they kicked the demons that were about to reach the wall and used it as a cushion like how they did it the first time.

 Chapter 372 Change

    *Bam!*


    Noel and Annanded on the ground safely. They looked around to find their target.


    "Noel!" Anna shouted, pointing toward the right side. There were more demons over there, so it would be perfect for hunting. This way, they could lessen the burden on the wall.


    Of course, Noel didn''t reject that idea, considering he wanted to kill as many demons as possible.


    He nodded to Anna while ncing to the side, looking at the demons who ferociously rammed their bodies into the translucent wall. They couldn''t break through it no matter what. All they could do was stare at Noel and the others who were practically killing their kin.


    "I''ll be leading the charge as usual." Anna raised her sword while releasing her lightning. She took a deep breath and released her instinct.


    As expected, the word ''kill'' still rang in her head, but after knowing the difference between pure instinct and the one from her teacher, the word didn''t affect her too much.


    ''My mind is clearer, but my sharpness remains the same. I should continue removing the brainwash from my past life to release the full strength of this instinct.''


    Despite fighting intent emanating from her eyes, Noel had a hard time feeling the killing intent that usually fused with it. In fact, sometimes, he couldn''t help but shudder when he felt the killing intent.


    ''She has changed?'' Noel frowned while taking out his sword. Although he felt the change, he didn''t know whether this was a good change or not. To prove it, he would have to fight alongside her first.


    Looking at the numerous demons, Anna gathered her lightning around her sword. Surprisingly, she also noticed the difference in the flow of Spiritual Energy after controlling her instinct.


    "Mhm?" The flow of her lightning was overbearing. It wanted to crush, destroy or kill anything before it. But this time, the flow was subtle, allowing her to gain more control over the lightning.


    Curious, she nted the sword to the ground, releasing all that lightning in a fan-shaped area.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The lightning shattered the ground like it did previously, but the power decreased slightly. In exchange, there were more lightning sparks on the ground, allowing her to target more demons in a single attack.


    Each lightning hit a Low Level Demon and electrocuted them. Those who didn''t have a good defense immediately fell down. Their bodies were numb and they had a hard time moving.


    "This is¡­" Anna widened her eyes in amusement. ''The lightning might have grown weaker, but it''s perfect for electrocuting the demons. And with that many lightning strikes, I can aim for more demons, which increases my ability in a battle like this.''


    Noel was surprised as well since he had seen this ability. However, he let the thought go for a moment since there was something even more important.


    Normally, the demons Anna electrocuted would have died since the lightning burned their bodies. But because she only incapacitated them, this was a perfect chance for Noel to kill them.


    ''Perfect.'' Noel waved his sword, releasing the Bouncing Spirit sh. After learning a bit about the control from Jonathan, Noel could finally see what the original creator of this Spirit Technique wanted from it.


    The sword strike flew for a moment before falling to the ground due to gravity. But this was when the Bouncing Spirit sh showed its true might.


    The sword strike began to bounce on the ground, heading straight to a demon whose body was electrocuted. It struck the demon''s head and pierced through its flesh. Instead of the explosiveness from the Hard Approach, Noel used the Soft Approach to enhance its piercing ability, allowing him to create a hole on the demon''s head before letting the sword strike to aim for the second head.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*<sub> </sub>


    The demons wanted to stop it, but they could only helplessly see how their lives ended. The Bounce even became even more ridiculous as Noel gained more and more experience in controlling the Spiritual Energy. From a vertical jump to a looping jump, it allowed Noel to make an unpredictable attack with his own control alone.


    ''That''s right. The Soft Approach and the Hard Approach are the knowledge I need to improve further. If I can master both approaches, I will be able to fight Anna on equal ground¡­ Though, I don''t know how much she has improved at that time¡­''


    Noel nced at Anna while thetter did the same, as if they were surprised at each other''s improvement.


    "What are you looking at?" Noel snorted.


    Anna smirked. "Hehe. Why don''t we y the game again? Who can defeat more demons?"


    "In this situation? It''s hard to keep the count in our head, you know." Noel shook his head. "But I agree if you want to y the game. But the game is about how many times we save each other."


    "Save each other? So, we''re going to be reckless while watching each other?"


    "Yes. That way, we can kill more demons while being careful. Though, I prefer the word ''all-out'' instead of that one."


    "Hehe, you''re on."


    Both of them smirked as they both immediately jumped toward the numerous demons.


    A lightning dragon formed on Anna''s arm as it began to expand. The dragon let out a roar before it flew toward the demons and exploded, causing a huge spark that killed and injured many demons at once.


    But among those demons, some were still unscathed and used that confusion to pounce on Anna.


    Sword Fall.


    Three giant swords fell on top of the demons, killing them. After that, Noel jumped on top of the sword as he marked his target.


    A snowke crystal appeared beneath his feet as Noel kicked it down.


    Freezing Crystal.


    The snowke crystal blew up, freezing more than twenty demons. However, a few stronger demons managed to shatter their ice before Noel fell down, trying to kill him.


    Anna''s speed increased drastically as she skillfully maneuvered around the frozen demons and appeared among those who lived, killing them so that Noel could have a safending.


    "One point for both of us." Anna smirked.


    "True. Who will win today? As for the bet, the loser has to agree to do something for the winner."


    "I''m looking forward to it."


    "Let''s go then."

 Chapter 373 Valley Master

    "Haha, I got you there!" Anna shouted while shing the demons that were about to hit Noel.


    "No." Noel''s reply was simple as he also killed the demons that chased after her. They had been killing the demons like none other. Their synergy was rare even among the Demon Relief Squad.


    Rose, who had been watching them this whole time, couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Despite the rumors about them, those two look like a couple who have traversed so many battlefields," Rose muttered with a smile. "They are moving in sync. Is it because the rumor is incorrect?Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Or do they fall in love with each other? This is intriguing and I''d love to hear about itter. I just hope that it''s not like they''re still enemies who try to figure out each other''s weaknesses¡­ That''s why they know what to do to help each other."


    Rose was smiling when she saw them cooperating with each other. She had heard a lot of rumors about their rtionship, so she managed to confirm it was wrong during this battle.


    Unlike Ste, who always saw Anna as an opponent to beat, she looked at this pair more objectively.


    So, she thought about epting both Noel and Anna wholeheartedly into the group.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna were actually discussing an important matter while they were fighting.


    "Say, Noel. Do you know what happened to the Water Lord? We wouldn''t be able to gain aplete victory without him."


    "Don''t worry. The Water Lord will make an appearanceter." Noel assured her.


    "Huh? Why are you so sure? Do you know anything about it?"


    Noel smiled. "Do you remember when he tried to remove the alcohol content from my drink?"


    "Yes. Why do you talk about it?"


    "What if I told you that was just a scheme to grab everyone''s attention?"


    "To grab everyone''s attention? But why¡ª" Anna suddenly fell silent as if she had figured out the situation. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yeah. The Water Lord knows about the mole, but he''s not sure about his identity. That''s why he asked me to purify his wine while he grabbed everyone''s attention. Hence¡­" Noel stopped talking. A smile appeared on his face, giving her the answer.


    Anna couldn''t help but suck a cold breath, never expecting this turned out to be the case.


    ¡­


    "Ste, how is your side?!" ra shouted.


    "I can take care of this. Jonathan is chasing after the people who have gone inside!" Ste replied out loud while waving her sword, repelling the enemy''s attack.


    They had been besieged by the Supreme Devil Organization this whole time and had a hard time killing them because they had a lot of people. And among them were three Devil Inspectors, whose strengths weren''t lower than Ste''s.


    "Alright. Keep focusing on your side. We need the rest of the people to help us here, especially Paul and the Valley Master. Aren''t they together ording to you?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yes, Captain."


    "Haha, you must haven''t known this¡­ But it''s useless to rely on that Water Lord!" The Blood Berserkerughed out loud. "After all, the Water Lord can''t even lift his hand anymore."


    "!!!" ra was surprised. The Water Lord was one of the strongest people in their Kingdom, equal to her in strength. Yet, the Blood Berserker imed he had died. How could she believe him?


    However, the Blood Berserker added, answering her doubt. "Fagant Leaf."


    "!!!" ra widened her eyes in shock. There were only two types of people who would recognize this name. The first one would be a poison master. Since they had worked on poison for so long, they would eventually ask about the strongest poison. And one of them was none other than the Fagant Leaf, which was said to be able to seal one''s Spiritual Energy.


    And the second type was none other than the one who healed the poison. Yes, ra belonged to the second category. She had detoxified a lot of people as a healer, so she had heard a poison that she might not be able to detoxify.


    But there was a problem.


    "Fagant Leaf should have gone extinct! You''re just bluffing!" ra shouted, not wanting to believe it. However, she could understand why the Water Lord couldn''t go to help them if he was poisoned by the Fagant Leaf.


    "Captain! You don''t have to worry, Paul is staying beside him! He will be fine!" Ste shouted, assuring ra.


    "It seems you have forgotten something. There is one more person that could threaten your so-called Vice Captain in that castle." The Blood Berserker smirked.


    Ste''s body shook as she remembered one thing. ''That''s right. The head butler hasn''t made his move this whole time. If he is the one taking care of the Valley Master, Paul would have gone all the way here to help us¡­ Don''t tell me!''


    "It seems that you have realized it. Both your Vice Captain and the Valley Master have¡ª" The Blood Berserker enjoyed Ste''s horrified expression, so he continued.


    But before he could finish his words, ra appeared before him, waving her hands to form multiple threads to sew his mouth.


    "You''re too loud!" ra snorted coldly. She didn''t show it on her face, but she was also shocked by what she discovered, hoping Paul was safe.


    "Hahaha!" The Blood Berserkerughed while protecting himself from the threads.


    But before the fight escted to a whole new level, there was an explosioning from the castle.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion didn''t seem toe from a fire. Instead, it looked like someone had just destroyed a part of the tower.


    "!!!" Everyone tried to look at the castle, but because of their current position, they couldn''t see past the wall.


    Unbeknownst to them, a part of the castle''s upper floor had been destroyed and there were three people visible to the people close to the castle.


    One was Paul, who was holding his arm. The other one was the head butler whose neck was choked by the third guy''s hand. And yes,st but not least, he was the one that everyone had waited for, the Valley Master.

 Chapter 374 Second Superior Demon

    The Water Lord looked upon the city that hadn''t been harmed in any way.


    "How¡­ I should have¡­" The head butler gritted his teeth. He tried to struggle but to no avail.


    "The poison? Haha, Noel has purified it for me." The Water Lord smirked. "I already know there is a mole in my castle, but I never thought it would be you."


    The head butler red at the Water Lord. It seemed that he had epted his death as he released the remaining Spiritual Energy to cause an explosion.


    However, the Water Lord had pierced through his chest with his hand, killing the head butler.


    The head butler smirked, using hisst bit of energy to say, "Glory to the Supreme Devil¡­"


    The Water Lord tossed his body to the side while looking at the north gate. "What do you want to do after this, Demon Relief Squad''s Vice Captain?"


    "I''m going to join the rest of my squad. And since we''re in this situation, I believe I should go to the south gate."


    "If I''m not wrong, the attacker this time is the Blood Berserker¡­"


    "Yes."


    "I will kill him. So, you have to buy enough time for me on the other side. Is that possible?"


    "Leave it to us. We''ll definitely protect the gate." Paul nodded with a serious expression. No matter how ugly they aplished their task, they had to kill the Blood Berserker to avenge Rose.


    As soon as they reached an agreement, the Water Lord waved his right hand. Suddenly, the water particles in the air began to gather and form droplet after droplet.


    The droplets joined together and formed a thread in the air.


    "Alright. It''s time for me to go." The Water Lord smiled as he grabbed the water thread and slid down, heading straight to the gate.


    "!!!" The Blood Berserker widened his eyes, feeling the Spiritual Energy fluctuation. "This is stronger¡­"


    The Blood Berserker instantly realized his n had gone wrong. He turned around, trying to sense that presence.


    "You dare to be distracted?!" ra appeared behind him and waved her hand, releasing the threads.


    "Tsk." The Blood Berserker clicked his tongue and jumped to the side, avoiding all the threads that cut the ground upon contact. If he hadn''t protected his body with his ability the entire time, the threads would have cut him into pieces.


    But the threat didn''t stop there. After dodging ra''s attack, he raised both hands, covering them with blood-red energy.


    Two spears made of water flew straight at him, hitting his fist.


    "Kh!" The Blood Berserker gritted his teeth, feeling the water like that of metal. It was hard, yet, when the energy ran out, the water turned back to normal, sshing his entire body.


    "As expected, the poison is not enough to stop you¡­" The Blood Berserker gritted his teeth, looking at the Water Lord who stood on top of the wall.


    "Demon Relief Squad''s Captain, ra¡­ I''m afraid I can''t greet you properly¡­" The Water Lord ignored him and smiled at ra.


    "It''s fine as long as¡­" ra nced at the Blood Berserker.


    "Indeed." The Water Lord smiled.


    "Haha¡­" Getting surrounded by an Elder from the Tower Association and a Captain from the Demon Banner Army meant death for a Devil Bishop like him. Yet, the Blood Berserker actuallyughed. "This is hrious!"


    "There is nothing funny here." ra snorted.


    "No, this is funny. It feels like all the things we''ve done have been ruined¡­ The union between demon and human, the mountain of Demon Crystals, and a lot more, including this one¡­" The Blood Berserker was mentioning the change that Anna had brought in her second life. And that was why he wasughing. He had prepared another surprise for all of them.


    "Since I know someone will be ruining my n, all I have to do is to get even crazier with my n! That''s why I prepare¡­" The Blood Berserker smirked.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡­


    North Gate.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars suddenly came from the south, rming all people.


    "This is¡­" Lucian, the Captain of the Demon Assassination Squad, was startled, recognizing this roar. "No way!"


    Although he didn''t know the demons, the roar itself was infused with a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    Lucian nced to the side while sucking a cold breath. Unlike the bear who had a big body, this demon''s size was simr to other demons. But Lucian could see the fluctuation of the Spiritual Energy. His instinct and eyes were telling him that there was a demon, not weaker than the bear,ing toward them.


    "Another Superior Demon?!"


    Lucian wasn''t the only one who recognized the roar. As someone who had seen this level on a daily basis in her previous life, Anna could recognize the amount of Spiritual Energy the demon had.


    She gasped as her body trembled in fear. If this was her previous life, she wouldn''t be afraid of a mere Superior Demon. But the current her was only a Spirit Wielder. A Superior Demon waspletely out of her reach.


    "A second Superior Demon? Seriously?" Anna gasped.


    "What?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. The n in his mind began to crumble. At first, he thought it was possible to kill the Devil Bishop by faking the poisoned incident, but it seemed that he didn''t take into ount the possibility of the second Superior Demon.


    ''No, no. This shouldn''t have happened. If there were two Superior Demons, the Demon Relief Squad wouldn''t have died. After all, they won''t hesitate to escape while evacuating the city. The Water Lord might use his life to stop them while evacuating the people¡­ So, howe there is a second demon?'' Anna trembled, not realizing the second Superior Demon hade because all her actions had changed the future.


    Meanwhile, Noel stopped for a moment while ncing at the top of the wall. If they relied on the Water Lord to stop this demon, it would be possible to save the city. But it meant he would break his promise to Rose.


    It was true that saving the city was more important than the promise since he could kill the Devil Bishop at another time, Noel wasn''t someone who would take his promise lightly. Hence, he had to fulfill that promise no matter what.


    ? And that was where he got an idea.


    "It seems this is the perfect time to do it¡­ I don''t know how strong Dimitri is, but there is no other way but to test his strength in this situation¡­" Noel gulped down while shouting to Anna. "Anna! Lift me up!"

 Chapter 375 Separation (1)

    "Anna. Lift me up!"


    Anna was confused by the sudden request and turned around, finding Noeling to her.


    "Wait, what?!" Anna was trying to understand the situation, but Noel didn''t give her any chance to sort out her thoughts.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    After working together with Noel for a long time, Anna understood how Noel worked a bit, so she ended up positioning herself near the wall while making sure she had enough distance from the monsters.


    Luckily, they had killed a lot of demons before, so there weren''t many demons left in the gap between the stone wall and the translucent wall.


    Anna''s hands joined together as she lowered her stance. As soon as Noel stepped on her hands, she utilized her strength to throw Noel up.


    As expected from a Spirit Wielder, it wasn''t that hard for them to reach the wall anymore. Anna didn''t even use all her strength and Noel couldnd on the wall beautifully.


    Of course, his action stunned the soldiers. If there were a lot of demons from the bottom, they would think Noel was a demon and begin to stab him. Luckily, the soldiers had an easier time after Noel and the others went down, so they could see it was him.


    Noel ignored their reaction as he looked left and right, trying to find Rose. "Rose?"


    "On your right!" Rose''s illusion immediately told him her location. She even waved her hand so that he could find him.


    Without hesitation, Noel ran toward her, nning to give her another n.


    "Rose! We have to change our n." Noel''s expression became serious, knowing the second Superior Demon hade.


    "Another Superior Demon? I''m not sure since I can''t really feel the Spiritual Energy from here, but there''s no way you''reing here without something that bad going on."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded and pointed to the opposite gate. "I need someone¡­ No, I need Zion to go to the South Gate right now and tell the Water Lord to assist us here. Ben will clear the rest of the demons."


    "How about you?"


    "I will settle everything here, not just the demons, the Supreme Devil Organization, but also my problem." Noel smiled as if he had gathered his resolve.


    "Huh? Your problem?" Rose was confused. However, Noel didn''t give her any time to think as he had already jumped back to the ground to kill the rest of the demons. "I don''t know if I still can do it, but if it''s possible, I''ll do my best to fulfill your revenge even if it means using my life. And¡­ you don''t have to thank me."


    "Wait!" Rose tried to stop him but to no avail. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and inform them about their new n.


    "!!!" Zion widened his eyes when he heard about the new n and information about the second Superior Demon. Without waiting one more second, he immediately returned to the wall and asked for confirmation.


    Although he wasn''t sure about it, he had to go to the South Gate because he was the fastest. Failure wasn''t an option since they couldn''t afford to handle the second Superior Demon without the Water Lord.


    Rose, on the other hand, changed her focus from the entire battlefield to Noel because she felt something bad was going to happen with how he exined it.


    "He''s still trying to fulfill my revenge even when our situation is not possible anymore? But why does Noel want to warn the Water Lord who is in the South Gate? No, since when the Water Lord has gone to the South Gate? I did hear an explosion from the castle¡­


    "Don''t tell me, the poisoning incident is just a scheme to draw the enemies out? After that, they''re using that chance to eliminate the Blood Berserker to fulfill my revenge. But because of the second Superior Demon, the Water Lord has to go here?


    "In that case, how does he n to kill the Blood Berserker¡­" Rose fell silent, trying to figure out Noel''s n. "With his own life¡­ Don''t tell me he''s nning to risk his own life?"


    Rose instantly frowned. If Noel nned to exchange his life to fulfill her revenge, there was no way she would ept it. She preferred to live and pursue revenge for the rest of her life to use Noel''s life to fulfill her revenge.


    Unfortunately for her, it was already toote.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars resounded across the battlefield, showing a big change.


    Rose was startled by the roars and instantly turned back to the battlefield, seeing the demons moving to the side.


    "Huh? What''s going on? Why are they going there?!" Rose hurriedly took a peek to the side, finding the demons chasing after two people.


    Yes, Noel and Anna had gone out of the barrier to lure the demons away.


    "Wait. Don''t tell me¡­ With his own life¡­ Noel is nning to lure all those demons as a distraction so our side can deliver a killing blow? But that will endanger his life¡­ The Low Level Demons might not pose any threat to him, but it''s a different case if he''s luring them to a Devil Bishop. So, that''s why he''s nning to risk his life for my revenge¡­ No, I can''t allow him!"


    Rose couldn''t allow such a thing. Noel''s existence had be a big part of her heart like any other member of the Zero Squad. So, she wouldn''t allow Noel to act that recklessly even if it meant he had to p him.


    "You little bastard. Do you think I''ll be happy if you sacrifice your life just for my revenge?" Rose gritted her teeth, chasing Noel and Anna.


    Of course, there were many demons following her, ready to prey on her as soon as they got an opportunity.


    "Tsk." Rose had a hard time maneuvering because of the number of demons Noel and Anna had brought with them.


    Luckily, the moment she reached the hill, she could find Noel and Anna''s silhouettes in the distance. But she might not be able to say she was lucky to catch up to them because what she saw was Anna stabbing her sword into Noel''s body.


    "Do you think I don''t know your n? You''re nning to use the demons and me to go to the Blood Berserker so that I will die because of him. Is that how you''re nning to kill me, Noel? It seems you haven''t learned anything."

 Chapter 376 Separation (2)

    "Do you think I don''t know your n? You''re nning to use the demons and me to go to the Blood Berserker so that I will die because of him. Is that how you''re nning to kill me, Noel? It seems you haven''t learned anything."


    Anna shouted out loud so that everyone could hear it, especially Rose who was following them.


    They had put a lot of distance before doing this, so they had some time.


    But for Rose, this was an absolutely heart-breaking scene.


    In that instant, her heart dropped and her face became pale. Anna and Noel looked like a cute couple when they were doing things together. That was why the thought of them fighting each other, like the rumor, had disappeared from her mind.


    She never thought that the rumor was true. These two were just hiding it this whole time.


    "Anna Stargaze! What have you done?!" Rose shouted in anger. She wanted to reach them, but the distance was too far. At the same time, the demons were rmed as they chose to attack her instead of them. "Kh!"


    Rose had a hard time fending off these demons. Although she was a Spirit Master, her fighting ability wasn''t that high. She couldn''t obliterate all these Low Level Demons in an instant.


    And the duo had reached the end of their performance.


    Noel''s face became pale, but a smile soon appeared as if he didn''t mind all this.


    Anna was also hurt by doing this alone. She couldn''t help but remember what Noel had told her earlier.


    "Anna, I want you to stab me with your sword to make it more believable. Rose will surely watch us, so this is the perfect time to do it."


    "Stab you with a sword? Isn''t the n just throwing you off the cliff?"


    "It''s not enough. Even if you push me off a cliff, it won''t kill me. It will be a different case if you weaken me to the point I can''t do anything."


    "But stabbing you with my sword¡­"


    "Please." Noel looked at her with pleading eyes. This might be thest thing he asked before they went their separate ways.


    "¡­" Anna ultimately agreed to this n. Noel believed in her skill in avoiding the vital, so the wound was treatable, considering Dimitri would be there for him.


    And Noel gave her the line to speak to fool Rose.


    Anna gritted her teeth, remembering their conversation. She thought about rewinding the time again, not choosing this path because her hands felt heavy and her breath became rough. She just wanted to throw up after stabbing the person she respected the most.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ''It was said you wouldn''t realize your feelings until you lose it¡­ And I think I understand that feeling right now¡­'' Anna muttered inwardly. She wanted to cry, but if she didn''t act here, Rose wouldn''t believe everything. So, she could only give Noel a cold gaze.


    On the other hand, Noel was free to express himself. He smiled at her and weakly raised his hand, touching her cheek gently. He said everything she wanted to say. "My father told me I won''t realize my feelings until I lose them. I think I remember that feeling once again. I once lost my parents and realized how I should have treasured them before it was toote.


    "And now, our fate, once intertwined, has now be loose and gone separate ways. I hade to realize that when I was with you, I felt assured. I could give all kinds of ns for our sess because I knew you were there."


    Noel nced to the side. Although Rose had stalled the demons for a moment, some of the demons had turned back to them.


    Hence, Noel said hisst words. "Anna¡­ If there''s a second chance, I hope that we can meet again, not get entangled in all kinds of schemes¡­ Just you and me¡­ together."


    Noel moved back, pulling out the sword himself as he weakly fell off the cliff. He had said everything he wanted.


    The memories of them together resurfaced in his mind. At first, Anna was a truly hateful person. He only wanted to kill her.


    That was actually the truth. Anna was indeed a terrible person if she didn''t have a memory of her past life.


    However, Noel had seen her change in the one year they were together. And he came to realize that he enjoyed Anna''spany. She was reliable, strong, and a bit childish but mature at the same time.


    A bad person wouldn''t always be a bad person. And it took a strong heart to change it. People would have given up on their rationality and believed Anna should die because of their weak hearts and temper. But Noel was different.


    At thisst moment, he couldn''t help but remember what his father had once said.


    "Listen, Noel. It''s easy for us to wish for people to die. But it won''t solve the problem. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth¡­ If the world is filled with bloody revenge, then that will be the time for the world to copse. He killed my father, so I killed both of his parents. He killed my entire family, so I have to kill all the people rted to her¡­ The blood will continue to flow like that of a river. And when you reach the end, the cost is your everything¡­ your family, your wealth, your people, your emotions, your body, your everything."


    "But if I forgive them, he will think I''m weak and kill more people. What should I do, Father?" The young Noel asked.


    Luke smiled and gave him one more message. "Being a good person does not mean you have to put up with other people''s wickedness. But¡­ a strong person knows the solution. If you''re in that position, what will you do to solve the hatred?"


    Noel closed his eyes, smiling.


    ''It seems my father has been preparing for me this whole time¡­ As expected, I truly want to see you next time¡­'' Noel looked at Anna with a longing face. ''¡­but this time, there''s nothing behind us. My father''s scheme, the Ardagan Family, the Stargaze Family¡­ It''s just you and me, Noel and Anna. See you¡­ Anna.''


    Noel expressed all his emotion in hisst smile. No matter how dense Anna was, there was no way she couldn''t understand that expression. She clenched her fists until the nails pierced her palms.


    There was nothing they could do. This was their path.


    Noel wanted to apologize to Anna for making her do something like this. But he also had to apologize to one more person.


    Before he fell, Noel nced at Rose with a small, weak smile, saying, "I''m sorry."


    Rose was horrified as she called his name desperately, hoping everything was just a dream.


    "NOEL!"

 Chapter 377 True Start

    "NOEL!"T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Rose, who didn''t know anything, screamed his name, albeit nothing had changed. She couldn''t do anything because she was stopped by so many demons.


    This might be the first time she wouldment how she didn''t have an overwhelming strength like the others.


    "Anna Stargaze! What have you done?!" Rose red at Anna, who was standing still, watching Noel fall.


    She also didn''t want to do this, but the only way to convince Rose this wasn''t a scheme was when they went this far.


    Anna felt like she wanted to cry. Her heart was wrenched in pain. Without her memory of her past life, this might be the happiest thing she had done. But after the reincarnation and the things they went through in the past year, it was the exact opposite of happiness.


    However, if she broke her character here, everything Noel had done would go to waste. So, Anna bit her lips before ring coldly at Rose. "I know. And this is necessary. Although our meeting was brief, I did enjoy yourpany. There is no need to see me off."


    Without hesitation, Anna turned around and ran away, not caring about what Rose was going to do next. She had nned her escape route since she had no intention of returning to this group.


    She kept running until her feet felt hurt. It was already winter, so it was harsh even for Anna.


    Even so, she didn''t stop until she reached a safe distance where she couldn''t be tracked anymore.


    After that, she dropped to her knees as her feet went limp. She could continue running for a few more hours, but the acting took a toll on her mind, heart, and body.


    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    She panted a few times, breathing out the cold-wrenching air. She hugged herself and screamed. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"


    ''This is for the best.'' Anna clenched her fists. ''If I didn''t ''kill'' Noel, his life would be in danger because the Royal Family might send an expert to assassinate him soon. But why¡­ why does my heart feel so much pain?


    ''In the past year, I experienced a lot of things with him. He had been my greatest ally, covering all of my mistakes. Even with this, we would still meet again next time. I was once separated from him for months, but I never felt this¡­ So, why?''


    Anna gritted her teeth. This was the first time she had experienced this pain. Even in her past life, she never had gone through something like this.


    ''Is this the pain of losing someone you care about?'' Anna looked at the sky, noticing the small white balls falling to the ground. It had started snowing as if the cloud was showing its sympathy. It was crying.


    ''I knew Noel for almost a year. There was a connection between us, but it couldn''t bepared to his rtionship with his parents. If I had to endure this kind of pain just with this, how much did he endure in the past?'' Anna bit her lips.


    She didn''t realize she had been treating herself as someone closer than a friend or arade to Noel. But because she had no experience with it, she thought of him only as herrade.


    ''Noel''s feeling¡­ My inability to create a better n than Noel, my rtionship with the Spirit, my bloodlust¡­ There are so many things that I have to fix. It seems that despite getting reincarnated, I haven''t fixed anything. I have been too ignorant this whole time¡­


    ''Just like the Thunder Berserker Spirit said, it''s always been about me. I don''t know about others¡­ No, it''s more like I don''t want to know about them¡­''


    Anna ced her hand on her chest. "This pain is the reminder of my weakness. I don''t have to experience this kind of pain if I''m strong enough to protect everything. I didn''t need to kill Noel if I could protect him¡­


    "That''s why this pain will be my witness. O'' God of all Spirits, I hereby swear that I''ll create a world full of happiness. This time, it''s not just about my happiness¡­ But also the people around me. If people kill me because I''m too strong, then I shall get even stronger so that they won''t be able to think about it. If people try to kill the ones around me, I shall etch my name into history, so I can protect the people I care about with my name alone.


    "This time, I, Anna Stargaze, shall make everything right!"


    Anna took a deep breath. After letting out all of her emotions, she felt a bit more refreshed. There was a newfound determination in her heart.


    Suddenly, there was a familiar voice ringing in her ears. "The fact you have no w is a w itself. And no human is perfect, so everyone, including you and me, will have a w in ourselves. That''s why wee together¡­ It''s so that we can cover each other''s weaknesses."


    Anna couldn''t help but smile as she stood up and began to walk.


    "That''s right. I have my ws. However, Noel is there for me, covering my ws. That''s why this time, I shall be a person he can rely on, I shall be the person my spirit can trust, I shall be the person to solve their problems¡­ because I know Noel will cover me up, my spirit will help me back, and the connection with the people will be a treasure one day. I shall be a better person than yesterday, and I shall walk on this path until the day my feet can''t move anymore."


    Anna was determined to face every problem from now on. In fact, this might be the true start of her reincarnation.


    ¡­.


    If Anna found a new determination, Noel actually found a newrade.


    "Huu¡­" Noel weakly leaned on the tree as a middle-aged man stitched his wounds. He, of course, recognized this man since he had been the one taking care of him since he was a child.


    "I can finally meet you again¡­ Dimitri."

 Chapter 378 Overwhelming

    "I have finally met you again¡­ Dimitri."


    Dimitri''s eyes were still glued to the wound, but he didn''t forget to respond to Noel. "Yes, Young Master. It''s my pleasure that we can meet again¡­ You have truly grown up."


    Noel smiled. "Since you are the one saying that, that''s true, I guess."


    "Ahaha, Young Master knows how to joke around now." Dimitri had a gentle smile on his face, feeling gratified to see the change in his young master.


    "There are a lot of things I want to talk about."


    "I know. But I have to warn you that I don''t think I can answer a lot of your questions, not because I''m forbidden to answer them, but because I''m clueless like you."


    "In that case, my first question is¡­ how strong are you? Can you do something about the Superior Demon or the Devil Bishop?"


    "That''s two questions, Young Master."


    "I mean the first pair of questions." Noel smiled.


    Dimitri couldn''t help but chuckle as this action reminded him of his master, Noel''s father, Luke Ardagan.


    Dimitri hesitated for a moment and thought carefully to give a perfect answer. "My strength is indeed enough to do something about them. However, I don''t want Young Master to rely on me¡­ I''d like to see you grow by oveing difficulties like you''ve done from the start."


    "I know. Unfortunately, I have promised someone that I''ll fulfill their revenge¡­ As the next lord of the Ardagan Family, I can''t afford to break my promise."


    "If that''s the case, I''ll help them if Young Master gives me a satisfactory answer."


    "Hoh? What''s the question then?"


    "What are you nning to do after this? Are you going to meet up with them or¡­"


    Noel smiled. "I''ll be traveling with you for one month. In that month, I''d like you to teach me about things I don''t know and keep training me. After that, I''m going to use my second identity to meet them again. I know it''ll be unfair to them and they''ll figure it out sooner orter, but I should do this for many reasons¡­


    "After that, I''m going to reinstate the Ardagan Family and get an exnation from my parents! Whatever they''re going to do next, I shall be the new Patriarch of the Ardagan Family!"


    "So, Young Master would stop after rebuilding the family?"


    "Of course not. I don''t have the ambition to be the richest man or the strongest man in the world. They''re too restricting for me." Noel smirked. "I think you already know my nature, Dimitri¡­ And what I want the most¡­"


    Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment with a smile on his face. He couldn''t help but picture thezy young master who was lying on top of a maid''sp, enjoying his time. "I have to tell you this¡­ Your path might be harder than bing the strongest or the richest man in the world."


    "I''m ready for the challenge. But to do that, I need your help."


    Dimitri fixed thest stitch and stepped back before kneeling on one knee, lowering his head.


    "I, Dimitri, swear my loyalty to the next lord of the Ardagan Family. Please give me your instructions!"


    "I order you as your lord. Kill the Blood Berserker!"


    "Your wish is mymand."


    Without hesitation, Dimitri carried Noel to a hill next to the South Gate so that he could see what was going on.


    He saw ra having a hard time fighting the Blood Berserker. Although the Blood Berserker had more wounds on his body, ra seemed to be the one suppressed. She looked exhausted.


    Even though she was a captain, she was still a healer. So, it was clear that their strength wasn''t at the same level. Even ra had a hard time healing the wound on her body, showing how tough it was for her.


    "Young Master. Have you learned about two Approaches?"


    "Yes. Hard Approach is for explosive use, and Soft Approach is leaning to control."


    "That''s right. I''ll start with the Soft Approach¡­ What do you think about Control?"


    "The control of my Spiritual Energy?"


    "Yes. What does it change for you?"


    "Hmm¡­ The pration force? The direction?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "No." Dimitri shook his head. "Pration force? You can change the shape of your Spiritual Energy into something like a needle to increase the pration force. Direction? You can twist the shape so that it flows like your shape. It doesn''t change all that¡­ Instead, it changes¡­ Dimension!"


    Dimitri waved his hand. Suddenly, the shadow underneath his feet turned into one sharp de on the ground, expanding toward the South Gate.


    "You change its shape, extend it, expand it, or whatever you like! And this time, I''m extending my own shadow and¡­" Dimitri paused for a moment.


    The Blood Berserker, who was fighting ra, felt another powerful presenceing from the side.


    He saw the shadowing toward him and tried to jump away. But at the same time, the shadow suddenly came out of the ground, turning into chains and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.


    "¡­Change its shape." Dimitri smiled as he pulled out his sword. "When you manage to capture your target, all you need to do is to cut it down."


    The ck energy around his sword was zing like a me.


    "That''s where the Hard Approaches in. You gather all your energy into one spot and release it at once!" Dimitri waved his de, releasing the ck energy.


    "!!!" The one who was shocked the most wasn''t Noel, but the Blood Berserker.


    He was trying to rip the shadow apart, but the shadow seemed to be changing its dimension continuously, acting like a rubber.


    And before he seeded in freeing himself, a huge sword strike ran down the hill and headed straight to him.


    Compared to other attacks, the Blood Berserker felt he would lose his life if he took this attack head-on. He felt¡­ fear for the first time.


    He instinctively jumped back to avoid this attack, but it was toote.


    His left hand was a bit toote to react and this ck sword strike cut his left arm. All it took was two moves from a distance for Dimitri to cut a Devil Bishop''s hand. This showed the difference in their strength.


    There was only one word in Noel''s mind.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Overwhelming.

 Chapter 379 On A Whole Different Level

    Noel waspletely stunned at the level Dimitri showed. He never expected Dimitri to be this strong.


    However, Noel wasn''t the only one shocked. Ste, Zion, and Jonathan dropped their jaws to the ground.


    They knew what kind of existence a Devil Bishop was. Even their captain was struggling against him.


    Yet, a mysterious force entered the battlefield and cut down his hand so easily. Their strength was simply on a whole different level.


    "What is this?" The Blood Berserker gritted his teeth, staring at his hand. He easily endured the pain, but the situation started looking bad for him.


    At first, he believed another Superior Demon was all it needed for them to take down the Demon Relief Squad, the Water Lord, and the two Captains.


    But it seemed he was wrong. There was actually someone even stronger among them.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And looking at the people''s expressions, it seemed they weren''t aware of this existence this whole time.


    "To fool your enemy, you have to fool your ally first." He muttered while gulping down. He had used a lot of his energy to fight ra, so there was no way he could escape from this existence.


    On the other hand, ra widened her eyes when she saw the shadow moving.


    ''Shadow? This kind of ability and control¡­ I don''t think there is more than one person who can utilize the shadow this skillfully¡­'' ra gulped down, ncing at the hill. ''The one who utilized this shadow must be¡­''


    While ra had recognized this person, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Who are you really? A Devil Bishop is simr to a captain, yet, you''re bullying him from a distance. You''re even sparing some of your attention to teach me¡­ No, I think I know who you are¡­ I have heard about it somewhere. There was once a man who was about to be amander¡­"


    Dimitri smiled at him and shook his head. "It''s not something I''m proud of. But I guess I have to introduce myself formally to you, Young Master. I am the former captain of the Demon Assassination Squad, known as Shadow, Dimitri."


    Noel sucked a cold breath. Even though he had figured it out, it was still surprising to hear it from Dimitri himself.


    "A man who almost became amander, his strength couldn''t bepared to a normal captain."


    However, Dimitri added, "I''m not fit to be amander because Ick leadership, politics, and even care. The Demon Banner Army would decline if I took the mantle."


    "I do want to hear your story though. Because I can''t imagine how my father actually got you to be our family''s butler¡­"


    "That can wait for the time being. There is a pest that I have to take care of."


    "Indeed."


    "In that case, I''m going." Dimitri released his shadow, turning them into a fire. Then, this ck me began to cover his entire body, turning into armor thatpletely hid all his skin.


    Before Noel said anything, Dimitri disappeared.


    "!!!" Both ra and the Blood Berserker felt his presence.


    ra stopped in that instant while the Blood Berserker gritted his teeth and jumped away, trying to escape from him.


    But in that instant, a ck string was attached to the Blood Berserker as the shadow warrior pulled it, preventing him from escaping.


    "!!!" The Blood Berserker gritted his teeth, trying to destroy the thread attached to his body but to no avail. He then raised his head, staring at the shadow warrior.


    The ck me began to re up and began to form a huge coat.


    "Who are you?!" The Blood Berserker tried to observe this shadow warrior because he didn''t know such a person was hiding among them.


    "A dead man doesn''t need to know." A deep voice echoed from inside the shadow armor. Dimitri, as a Demon Assassination Squad''s captain, should know the restrictions as an assassin. He shouldn''t talk, leave traces, and fight the enemy head-on like this. Yet, he still did it, showing to the people he had changed. He wasn''t the shadow anymore. Instead, he was the proud butler of the Ardagan Family.


    "If you kill me, the entire Supreme Devil Organization will hunt you down!" The Blood Berserker didn''t know how to escape anymore to the point he started threatening him with whatever he coulde up with.


    "Then, bring it on. A mere bishop dares to talk big in front of me, even your saint has to pray not to get targeted by me!"


    "!!!" In that instant, the Blood Berserker realized who the person before him was. There was a rumor among the higher-ups of the Supreme Devil Organization.


    There was once an assassin that struck a deep fear in the Supreme Devil Organization. With a one hundred percent sess rate, he could assassinate all people in the world without fail.


    And it was said his sword was so sharp that it could kill even a Devil Saint.


    "You¡ª" The Blood Berserker suddenly trembled, noticing the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy on his back. It turned out Dimitri was using all those useless talks to set up his own execution ground.


    The Spiritual Energy behind him affected the Blood Berserker''s shadow, giving it a life.


    Suddenly, the shadow emerged from the ground. Two curved des were extended out of its hands, perfectly matching the neck''s shape.


    The shadow waved its hands, trying to cut the Blood Berserker''s neck.


    "No!" The Blood Berserker shouted while releasing a huge amount of Spiritual Energy to st the shadow. But this shadow was his own shadow, so it would continue to be attached to him.


    The Shadow instantly stood back up and waved its swords.


    The Blood Berserker ducked down to avoid it before jumping to the side after feeling the Spiritual Energy from behind him, which turned out to be Dimitri.


    "Kh!" The Blood Berserker gritted his teeth because Dimitri released the same strike that cut his arm earlier to cut another one.


    Without any arms, there was no way the Blood Berserker could even stop the attack from his own shadow. The only thing he could do was reinforce his own skin to prevent the shadow from shing through.


    "Gah!" The Blood Berserker suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. He looked down and saw another branche out from the shadow body, piercing his heart. When he nced back, he saw Dimitri pointing his sword at his heart. "The sword is attracting the shadow¡­ No, I was too focused on my own shadow that I didn''t notice¡­"


    The Blood Berserker couldn''t believe it, but he died without being able to put up a fight against Dimitri. This was the strength of someone who once almost became themander.


    After killing the Blood Berserker, Dimitri turned around, staring at ra for a moment before disappearing from the battlefield.

 Chapter 380 Truth

    "¡­" ra was dumbfounded. She never expected to find a living legend here. Although the Blood Berserker was quite exhausted, Dimitri was simply on a whole different level.


    When Dimitri was still working as the captain of the Demon Assassination Squad, she had seen him defeating one captain after another. His strength was already extraordinary back then and it seemed even after retiring from the army, he still improved himself.


    "Captain!" Zion and the others jumped down, trying to figure out what had happened.


    "Who is that shadow, Captain?"


    "It seems that you know that person."


    ra took a deep breath to calm her mind. "What are you talking about? Are you sure you can''t recognize him? There is only one person whose shadow ability has surpassed the level of a Devil Bishop¡­"


    "What?"


    "Is he¡­"


    ra nodded. "I don''t know why he is here, but it doesn''t change the fact he has helped us. With this, we can clean up the Supreme Devil Organization before helping the people at the other gate. Zion, Jonathan¡­ I''ll leave the people of the organization to you. Ste will go with me to reinforce the other gate."


    "U¡ªUnderstood!" They were also shocked by the sight of a living legend. But they still had a job toplete.


    Unbeknownst to them, they would only receive devastating information from Rose when they reached the north gate.


    In the meantime, Dimitri had returned to Noel and asked, "Are you sure you want to learn things from me, Young Master?"


    Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "My training might be hard for you to endure¡­"


    "Haven''t I gone through an even bigger hurdle?" Noel asked back, showing his determination.


    "¡­" Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment. "In that case, please stand up. We''ll leave here."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes before making a weird smile. "You''re not going to carry me? You''re faster than me, right?"


    "Not at all. Since Young Master wants to learn from me, then I''ll be starting now. I want you to endure all that pain and follow me to another ce. I''ll be here to close your wounds if it opens again, but I hope that Young Master can adjust your movement and speed so that your wounds won''t open again.


    "If Young Master wants to know the reasons¡­ It''s simple. Do you expect there will be a healer or arade next to you every time? There will be a time when you''re alone and have no one to rely on while fending off demons and your enemies.


    "At that time, you have to do all this to survive. That''s why I''d like Young Master to master all kinds of survival abilities. Also, this will be the training for your Spiritual Energy as well. Are you up to the task, Young Master?"


    Noel answered Dimitri with his action. He took a deep breath before standing back up. The constant pain numbed his body and mind, but Noel gritted his teeth and just endured it. They still had to walk far away, so it was going to be an arduous trip.


    "I''m ready."


    Dimitri smiled and started walking. "Please follow me then."Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    Noel was struggling to walk, especially because he had to maintain small steps to avoid opening his wound.


    "Since there are a lot of things you want to talk about, please ask me questions. I''ll see if I can answer it or not." Dimitri smiled.


    ''Are you serious?'' Noel bit his lips. It took his all just to keep this pace. He couldn''t even think of anything in this state.


    "Does Young Master not wish to know more? I don''t really mind either way. By the way, there might be a time when you''re in this state, running away from your enemy. At that time, you have to rack your brain to get away from them."


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. After two more minutes, Noel finally opened his mouth. "Why¡­"


    "Why what?" Dimitri asked again with a teasing smile.


    Noel took a few deep breaths before finishing his question. "Why did you quit the Demon Banner Army? Aren''t you supposed to be undefeated? I heard the rumors that you went on one thousand missions andpleted all of them."


    "Hahaha. They''re exaggerating my achievement. In fact, I only took 653 missions andpleted 652 of them."


    "Huh? You failed one mission?"


    "Yes. The failed mission was also myst one. And that mission was¡­ to kill an innocent baby. I have assassinated so many people, even children. However, in myst mission, I couldn''t do it for two reasons. First, I was tricked by the house owner. Second, the one who gave that mission had betrayed humanity."


    "Huh? Tricked by the house owner¡­ A baby¡­ You''re not talking about me, right?"


    "It is you, Young Master. Myst mission was to assassinate you. And now, as the punishment for the assassination attempt, I''m working as a butler, raising you." Dimitri looked at Noel with a gentle smile.


    "¡­" Noel didn''t expect there was such a history in his family. Although the first reason piqued his interest, he had to know more about the second reason. "Who actually gave that mission?"


    "That''s¡­ probably the reason for everything you experience right now. The reason why Master and Madam are hiding and why you''re here alone.


    "He was once the captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, or you could say Demon Beholder Squad.


    "He gave me a fake mission to kill a baby that was born two days prior, poisoned the previousmander and resulted in his death, and betrayed the entire kingdom to join the Supreme Devil Organization as one of the Devil Saints."


    ? "Devil Saint?" Noel widened his eyes.


    "Yes. There were three candidates for the nextmander in the past. The Demon Assassination Squad, the Demon Adjudicator Squad, and the Vice Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad."


    "Huh? Who are they?"


    "Their Vice Captain is the currentmander, Oscar. But the captain of that squad was once known as Laufey Ardagan."


    "Laufey¡­ Ardagan¡­" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    "Yes. Your Father''s younger brother¡­ Your Uncle."

 Chapter 381 Layers Of Protection

    ? "Yes. Your Father''s younger brother¡­ Your Uncle."


    "What?" Noel frowned. "But I have been told that he¡ª"


    "Died in action, yes. But how much have you heard about him?" Dimitri asked. "Do you know him being a part of the Demon Banner Army? His squad? His position?"


    "I only know of him being a part of the army, but that''s all¡­" Noel looked down with a serious expression. He realized he hadn''t paid too much attention to the details.


    "There are a few reasons why you haven''t heard about him. The first is the fact that he is a part of the Demon Beholder Army means you have to erase your identity. The same applies to the Demon Assassination Squad.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "You''re not allowed to use your real identity anymore and get a nickname for yourself. I was known as Shadow and your uncle was called Watcher. We belong in the dark after all.


    "Another reason is because of his weird behavior. No, I can''t really ssify it as weird behavior¡­ Hmm, how do I say it¡­" Dimitri thought for a moment. "Just think of him as problematic. His conduct is still like that of a noble.


    "He has manners and all the nobility stuff, but his head is kind of screwed. He is simr to your father, a schemer.


    "However, your father''s scheme works for a certain goal that minimizes the bad things while maximizing the end reward. Meanwhile, your uncle always tries to harm both sides. There is simply no win or lose in your uncle''s n, only both sides lose.


    "I heard he once stabbed someone to death in exchange for him to do the same. Basically, he stabbed his own hands, legs, and body while the other party had to do the same thing. Because he was stronger, he survived.


    "If I were to put it simply, he is insane. Well, if the young master thinks it''s too much to call him that, I''ll apologize."


    "No need. Everyone is entitled to their opinion." Noel shook his head and looked down. "So, my uncle was someone like that¡­"


    "Yes. Not many people knew about it, but the Royal Family was aware of it. And when you were born, he wanted to kill you by giving me a fake mission." Dimitri looked at him with a serious expression. "Your father faked your death and tricked me into thinking I had finished my job. When I reported it, everything was clear that your uncle was behind it.


    "Unfortunately, it was toote. He had poisoned the previousmander and joined the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "I believe this is the reason why you''re sent to the Demon Banner Army alone. First, your uncle was once a part of the army and managed to survive on his own. Second, the Demon Banner Army should be able to protect you when your parents aren''t there for you. Third, I have a personal connection with the army. So, I would be there for you if something went wrong."


    Noel contemted for a moment. He now understood the reasons why they sent him to the Demon Banner Army. However, he was still confused about why his parents had to fake their deaths.


    "Still, I can''t understand why my parents¡­ No, wait. The Stargaze Family?"


    Dimitri nodded. "I think you''re already aware of it. Your Father and Marquis Stargaze are even closer than best friends.


    "I believe he has made an agreement with the marquis to split up after hearing the Royal Family is connected to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "They don''t know who it is, so the marquis had to support the current king while your father chose the king''s brother, the Third Prince.


    "I''m not very sure about this, but it''s most likely that your parents are trying to hunt down your uncle. If they won and the Third Prince became the current king, they would use that influence to hunt him down openly.


    "But because they lost, they faked their own deaths with the help of the marquis. In the dark, they would be able to act freely to hunt down the organization.


    "Of course, I can''t really praise this kind of action, considering they have left you alone. But I can kind of understand¡­ Despite leaving you alone like this, they''re giving you all kinds of support.


    "For example, me. I have been following you for the past year. There is also the support of the Third Prince. Since he was indebted to your father, he tried to ask themander to support you. Then, there is your mother''s family¡­


    "I don''t know if you''re aware of this, but if we trace back your ancestry, you can be considered a royal from our neighboring kingdom. It seems that your father is trying to use the connection of your mother''s family to get the help of the royal family to help you. Though, I can say that Master and Madam are in love with each other, so don''t worry, they conceive you not because they are forced, but because they want you.


    "Just looking at theyers afteryers of protection, I can see that your father has prepared everything before this."


    Noel fell silent. He already knew about his ancestry and the connection to the Sword Saint and the royal family. It was surprising that despite leaving him alone like this, his father had been preparing a series of protections.


    It seemed his father wanted him to get stronger during that time. As for the reasons¡­ Noel looked at Dimitri. "I have several questions."


    "Sure. I''ll do my best to answer your questions."


    Noel took a deep breath. "Are you aware of the real purpose of following me?"


    "The real purpose? I''m here to protect you, Young Master."


    "Protect me¡­ From what?"


    "Protect you from everything and deal with the mess you''ve left behind," Dimitri answered without hesitation.


    However, Noel shook his head calmly as if he could see through a bit of his father''s n after learning all this information.


    "There is actually another reason for you to follow me. It''s true that my father wants you to protect me, but there is one threat that he truly wants you to stop. And that is¡­"

 Chapter 382 Secret

    "And that is¡­ my uncle." Noel''s expression darkened. "You are strong. And my uncle, a Devil Saint, is probably the biggest threat in my life.


    "I mean, I was just born and he already wanted to kill me. Don''t you think he wille for me when my parents can''t protect me anymore?"


    "Ah!" Dimitri looked down. What Noel said made sense. If it was him, repelling a Devil Saint wasn''t a problem. In fact, he was probably the only one who could do it.


    "Dimitri. Do you know the reason why my uncle wants to kill me?"


    Dimitri scratched the back of his head. "I''m not very sure about it, but when I was on my mission to kill you, I heard your father saying something about the reaction to the family''s heirloom as if you were the chosen one."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock and looked at Ardagan. He couldn''t help but remember what the Sword Saint said back then.


    "My spirit can create a real desire of a person from memory alone. And it''s not limited to humans."


    In that instant, Noel realized why Ardagan showed a connection to him. It had happened once when he was born.


    In other words, his parents were already aware of him being Ardagan''s host. No, he was probably the only one who would be epted by Ardagan after using that oath.


    ''Why am I chosen by Ardagan?'' Noel asked himself. ''I once asked Ardagan about this, but he didn''t give me the answer. But more importantly, why did it matter to my uncle?''


    No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn''t find the reason why his uncle wanted to kill him just because he was chosen by Ardagan.


    "Still, what''s the connection between my uncle and Ardagan?" Noel frowned.


    "I believe it''s because of your ancestor."


    "My ancestor?"


    "Yes." Dimitri nodded and pointed at Ardagan. "In history, there were only two people who wielded Ardagan. You are the second, but the first one was your ancestor. Your ancestor was known to be the strongestmander in history. He helped the royal family establish this kingdom.


    "More importantly, the word ''strongest'' couldn''t be taken lightly. There are two strongest people whose strength is simr in the kingdom right now. They are themander of the Demon Banner Army and the current Marshall. Both of them are powerful Spirit Transcendences. The realm above the Spirit Grandmaster.


    "However, none of them can step on to the next stage, the highest realm recorded in history, the Spirit King!" He pointed at him. "But, Young Master, there was once a person who ascended to that throne."


    "!!!" Noel gasped. "My ancestor¡­"


    "Yes. Your Ancestor was a Spirit King. And that''s probably the reason why you''re targeted¡­ Ardagan has finally chosen its owner and that''s you¡­ In other words, you have the potential to be a Spirit King.


    "If we take a look at the fact your uncle is a member of the Supreme Devil Organization, I think it''s pretty easy to learn why he tried to kill you¡­"Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "If I were to be a Spirit King, the Supreme Devil Organization wouldn''t be able to do anything." Noel nodded in understanding. "So, he wanted to cut me down before I could grow."


    "Yes. And looking at how fast you progressed, it seemed that possibility was there."


    "¡­" Noel took a deep breath. It was a bit hard for him to swallow all the information. But he noticed one thing off. "Wait a minute. The reason why the Royal Family executed my parents¡­"


    "In fact, the Royal Family wanted topletely kill the Ardagan, including you. We have to thank the marquis who yed his role perfectly."


    "No, I''m not talking about the marquis. I''m talking about Anna!"


    "Ah!" Dimitri shook his head. "To be honest, no matter how talented she was, the royal family wouldn''t care too much about her opinion, especially when the marquis had been putting her marriage on hold.


    "So, the fact that she became the most vocal person in that incident was probably¡­ the scheme of the Royal Family."


    "What do you mean by their scheme?"


    "You don''t know about it, Young Master?" Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "I believe you should talk about it with Master. It''s not my position to say it. Sorry, I can''t answer this question."


    "¡­" Noel frowned. "Fine. I want to ask twost questions. Why do my parents chase my uncle desperately? And why does the royal family not seize our properties and instead take care of them?"


    "I''m not sure about it as well. It seems to be rted to the secret of the family. That''s the answer to both questions. I mean, the reasons why your parents were ''executed'' were pretty clear. That was because of your uncle. There was no way they would forget someone like him and your parents had to be taken ountable as well.


    "And both your uncle and the royal family seem to want the secret of your family that has been hidden somewhere. They couldn''t find it no matter how hard they searched for it.


    "The marquis took advantage of this to make the Royal Family exile you instead of killing you right away. He made them believe that you would lead them to the secret of the family.


    "Hence, they hadn''t done anything until this point because they wanted you to get stronger and get the secret. After that, they would try to seize it from you.


    "If there is one person who will know about the secret of the family after your father, it''ll be you."


    Noel thought for a moment. "Still, we have declined to the point we''re only a Count. So, what kind of secret do those people want¡­ No, wait. We''ve been talking about our ancestry. Don''t tell me¡­"


    "I think Young Master has found the reason." Dimitri smiled. "Yes. I''m assuming that the secret they''re trying to get is none other than the way to be a Spirit King."

 Chapter 383 Reward

    Noel had been discussing the problem of the Ardagan Family. He never thought that the problem was to this extent.


    His uncle alone was enough to prosecute the Ardagan Family. The Royal Family had enough reasons to suspect them.


    However, they couldn''t do it openly for three reasons. First, they needed the secret as well. With that secret, their strongest expert could be a Spirit King and suppress all influences in their territory.


    Secondly, the Ardagan Family was the wealthiest family in the kingdom, so fighting them would pose a massive threat to them since no one could tell what Luke Ardagan would use his money for.


    Last but not least, it was Luke himself. As the head of the Ardagan Family, Luke was known to be a smart and brilliant guy, whose deeds resounded across the kingdom. His good deeds gave a lot of support from the civilians, making it hard for them to make their move.


    If not for the fact they supported the Third Prince, had a family member who defected to the Supreme Devil Organization, and allowed the Royal Family to act, they wouldn''t fall.


    In other words, the reason why the Ardagan Family fell was because they desired it, not because they were ruined by others.


    Noel never thought his family was this strong. Even though it didn''t look like it, his father had built the family''s reputation to its peak.


    There was no way he wouldn''t be astonished to know everything about his family. In fact, the desire to rebuild the family became even stronger in his heart.


    While they were walking toward a nearby city, Noel kept asking about all the family matters as Noel nned to learn everything from Dimitri. Of course, as someone who had been working under Luke and the Demon Banner Army, Dimitri was adept in all kinds of topics, from politics to family businesses.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Eventually, they reached the town and Noel could finally get some rest and have his wound fully treated.


    Of course, due to the fact he had died, he had to wear a mask.


    They went to the inn. Since Noel was injured, Dimitri chose to leave to get some medicine. "Then, I''ll be back as soon as possible."


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression. After Dimitri was gone, Noel immediately checked his system since he had done a lot of things.


    [Mission: Help Rose''s Revenge.]


    [Description: Kill the Blood Berserker with whatever means.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Mission: Save the Zero Squad]


    [Description: The Zero Squad is going to be wiped out. Please save them.]


    [Reward: Rune Mastery +1 Level, Rune Enchantment System, Hardening Rune, Softening Rune, Energy Gathering Rune.]


    [Penalty: You, Anna, and all the members of the Zero Squad die.]


    [Mission: Save the Silica Valley]


    [Description: The Supreme Devil Organization is going to attack the Valley. Stop them.]


    [Reward: Water Lord''s Favor, Freezing Crystal +1 Level, Ice Infusion +1 Level.]


    Noel couldn''t help but smile after seeing these three missions. He had finished all of them.


    ''This is good. Although Dimitri helped me kill the Blood Berserker, it still counted as me helping Rose''s revenge. Then, I also managed to avoid the worst-case scenario where the Zero Squad was wiped out. Last but not least, the Supreme Devil Organization has been defeated thoroughly¡­'' Noel smiled, feeling relieved that he could finish these three missions.


    Of course, he was slightly disappointed since he couldn''t finish one more mission.


    ''I can''t help the Water Lord, but it''s alright for now. I have time to get the Water Lord''s favor¡­ Considering I''m nning to rebuild the family, his opinion as one of the elders of the Tower Association will help me a lot.


    ''And it seems that I can''t get my Affection Medal yet¡­ Well, it''s a double-edged sword, so I''ll prepare myself for the time being.


    ''Of course, let''s take a look at the reward right now.'' Noel frowned when he looked at Rose''s mission. ''The reward is still unknown, but how can I even ept it? Ardagan?''


    [You have epted it automatically. But because it''s unknown, you have to meet Rose first before knowing your reward.]


    ''Well, this is Rose''s revenge, so I kind of understand the reason. But is there no rewarding from you?''


    [It''ll be revealed after you meet her again.]


    ''Tsk. The reward is on hold, huh. It seems I haven''t understood youpletely.'' Noel sighed and took a look at the second mission.


    ''Rune Mastery +1 Level, Rune Enchantment System, Hardening Rune, Softening Rune, and Energy Gathering Rune. Although the runes themselves are stored in my mind, it''s pretty hard to learn them from scratch.


    ''So, getting these three runes makes it easier for me to master them. And the Rune Enchantment System is like a blessing to me since I can use runes to affect an object. Even the Rune Mastery level has increased by one. This is a big reward for me since I can finally utilize my runes freely now that I''m using my second identity.


    ''As for thest mission¡­ The Water Lord''s favor can wait until I rebuild my family. The Freezing Crystal is a powerful ability. Although I''ll use my Fire Ability as Iadre, I don''t mind utilizing all of my abilities in terms of emergency. It applies to the Ice Infusion.


    ''That''s all for the missions, I guess. Then, let''s think about what I''m nning to do with Dimitri here. Of course, I''m going to get stronger, but I have to go to the Demon Relief Squad again after a month or so as Iadre.


    ''And from the looks of it, Rose will be informing them about my death and the rumor will spread. I feel bad fooling them like this, but I can''t afford to reveal everything. Well, I''ll just talk to them after going as Iadre. They''ll realize it sooner orter anyway. For now, I''ll just let the rumor reach the Royal Family''s ears.


    ''As for my training, I have to improve my Fire Ability¡­ Well, Dimitri has been chosen by my father, so I guess I can trust him. Alright. Let Dimitri decide my training schedule after he learns about my two elements. It''s not like I''m telling him about my system or Ardagan.''


    Noel had decided his n for the next month.

 Chapter 384 Training Preparation

    "We have gone far enough from the city, Young Master. I want to ask you what kind of secret are you nning to show me?" Dimitri asked.


    "I think you already know about it if you have been observing me." Noel raised both hands. His right hand released fire while his left hand formed a snowke.


    "I see. So, you''re talking about your two elements." Dimitri nodded in understanding. "To be honest, this is not unprecedented. There was one person who had this record as well¡­ It was three hundred years ago.


    "There was a shaman with peculiar yet beautiful pupils. Her pupils had different colors: red and green. The shaman from the Tuzsk Kingdom had twin spirits¡­ Fire and Wood Spirits.


    "Other than that¡­ I don''t think anyone had two Spirits in their life." Dimitri exined. "So yeah, Young Master is the second."


    ''I''m the third since my Ancestor was the first one.'' Noel added before saying, "Yeah. This is what I want to tell you. Even though I have two elements, I would like to seal my Ice Element for the time being."


    "That''s a good idea. You have only shown one element as Noel and another element as Iadre. Since people think one spirit per person is the norm, they won''t know it''s you. Even if they somehow know, they need to check it twice to confirm it. But since you''re nning to hide it, are you going to abandon itpletely?"


    "No." Noel shook his head. "I''m nning to boost the Spirit''s Ability."


    "!!!" Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, Young Master has heard about Spirit Growth?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s good." Dimitri thought for a moment. "In that case, I have to prepare your fire element¡­"


    "There is one more thing I''d like to show you." Noel walked to a head-sized rock and poured the Spiritual Energy into his sword before craving a symbol on the rock.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "This is¡­" Dimitri gasped. "Enchantment?! Spirit Enchantment. But there is something different from this Enchantment¡­"


    Noel finished the craving after thirty minutes since there were a lot of details to make and this was the first time he did it. Still, he was satisfied with the result as he said, "Try hitting it."


    Dimitri nodded and struck the rock with his fist. Surprisingly, he only cracked the rock.


    "Huh?" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock. "That punch earlier should have destroyed a low level Enchantment. Young Master, you¡­"


    Noel smiled. "What you call Enchantment is actually an iplete rune."


    "Iplete rune¡­" Dimitri looked down, falling into deep thought. "Now that I think about it, the Spirit Enchantment Book is in the Greenwood Kingdom. Your ancestry¡­ Ah! Is this rune rted to the ancestor?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "But who had that record? I didn''t remember you having a book¡­" Dimitri nced at the sword. "It was said that Ardagan was alive. That was why he chose his owner¡­ If Ardagan was more mysterious than I originally thought, then I could understand why you knew about this¡­"


    Noel nodded. "Yes. And I''m nning to hone my Rune Skill. In other words, I want to learn swordsmanship, the Fire Element, the Rune Mastery, and everything about Spiritual Energy, including the Spirit Technique. Can you make the schedule for me?"


    "I see. I also have to teach you some basic survival as well. At the very least, you have to be in a situation where you have to survive so that you won''t have any problem doing it when I can''t protect you."


    Dimitri was calcting the time and said, "If that''s the case, you could train your Rune Ability in the morning, the Fire Element after lunch, and the swordsmanship during the dark. You also have the blessing, so you won''t have any problem doing everything during the night unless you''re in a cave without any moonlight.


    "I''ll teach you some survival techniques and anything about Spiritual Energy in between them."


    Noel nodded. "I''ll do my best following your training. Just ignore all myints."


    "Understood. Though, I have to warn you that my training won''t be easy."


    Noel smiled. "I''m looking forward to it."


    He got another surprise from Ardagan after confirming the training.


    [Mission: Gain Dimitri''s Approval.]


    [Description: During your training, you have to receive Dimitri''s Approval in five categories: Sword, Fire, Rune, Survival, and Spiritual Energy.]


    [Reward: Depending on the number of approvals.]


    [Maximum Reward: System Shop Upgrade.]


    [Penalty: -]


    Noel was shocked to see the reward. He hardly looked at the Shop because it didn''t sell anything new for a while. But if it was going to be upgraded, then he would get a lot of new things.


    At the same time, Noel realized something about the system. There was a part that he hadn''t explored yet.


    ''Now that I think about it, the daily mission hasn''t been updated for a while. The Career contains all my abilities, so I can''t say much about it. As for the Medal¡­ Now that I think about it, what if the medal section is upgraded? What will I get? Can I use a second medal? Imagine, if I can get two medals with 25% additional Spiritual Energy, my Spiritual Energy will increase by half even though my Spiritual Energy capacity is twice a normal person due to hosting two spirits. Is it like what I think, Ardagan?''


    [It is a possibility. However, I''ll still have to consider the amount of your Spiritual Energy reserve so that you won''t get easily tired because of theck of Spiritual Energy.]


    [I don''t think I need to remind you, but I''ll still say it. Even though your Spiritual Energy Reserve is twice that of a normal person, your body has two elements, Rune Ability and even the medals. So, you still need to be careful.]


    ''I know. I''ll leave it to you, Ardagan. Just tell me if you need anything¡­ At the very least, I want to kill that Fire Bird Demon to get its heart so that you can get stronger.''


    [Thank you for the thought. But you have to get stronger first.]


    ''Haha, of course.'' Noel smiled, looking at Dimitri. ''I have someone to teach me right now.''

 Chapter 385 News

    While Noel was receiving his training from Dimitri, the rest of the Demon Relief Squad had just received heavy news from Rose.


    "What did you say?!" Ste widened her eyes in shock. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard. "Noel died?"


    Paul frowned as he asked to confirm it. "Are you sure Anna killed Noel?"


    Rose nodded while gritting her teeth. Her expression was filled with anguish and anger. If Anna had been here, she would have torn her into pieces.


    Obviously, ra had told them about the end of the Blood Berserker. She couldn''t help but remember what Noel said about fulfilling her revenge.


    "I''ll fulfill your revenge even if it costs me my life."


    Noel''s voice echoed in her ears, making her regret even more. She thought she had told him enough that Noel wouldn''t do it, but it turned out she had to put on a leash on him to ensure Noel didn''t do it.


    Unfortunately, it was toote. Rose bit her lips. "Yes. I personally saw it. Anna stabbed Noel with her sword and pushed him off the cliff."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Jonathan, who had been Noel''s mentor in Spiritual Energy Control, had some special attachments to Noel. He considered everything properly and muttered, "In the normal condition, Noel wouldn''t have a hard timending on the bottom of the cliff. But if his body is stabbed by a sword, it''s a different matter."


    "Where is Noel''s corpse?" ra asked.


    "I''m sorry, Captain. After fleeing from those demons, I hurriedly checked the site. However, I could only see blood sttered in the area and ripped clothes." Rose shook her head.


    "What? His body has been eaten by the demons?" Ste roared while unsheathing her sword.


    "What do you think you''re doing, Ste?" ra red at her.


    However, the rage in Ste''s heart overwhelmed her feelings toward ra. She simply stated while emitting killing intent. "I''m going to hunt her down and make her pay!"


    "Stop it. This is my order as your Captain!"


    "Captain. Can''t you even see what''s going on here?" Ste bit her lips, standing in front of ra as if she wanted to challenge her.


    "I haven''t bonded too much with him, so I don''t have any special attachment to him. However, I can''t deny the fact that a squad member has died. That''s why you are going to stop here and I shall report this to themander¡­ personally!" ra red back.


    As she said, she had never worked together with Noel, so she didn''t have any attachment to him. That was why her opinion was colder than the rest since she also had to consider the Demon Relief Squad as a whole.


    Besides, there was something in her mind that also caught her attention. Though, she didn''t say it to the rest of the group due to theck of proof.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    ra and the rest turned around, wondering who wasing to their room. However, the Water Lord''s voice soon echoed through the door.


    "I''m sorry, but I overheard your conversation. May Ie in?"


    Jonathan nced at ra, asking for her opinion. As soon as she gave the nod, Jonathan used his Telekinesis to open the door.


    The Water Lord also had a troubled expression on his face, considering Noel had made a huge impact on his n and him personally. Hence, it was a shame to know the person who piqued his interest died just like this.


    "Is it true that Noel Ardagan has died?" The Water Lord entered while asking. He didn''t get the answer, but their expressions confirmed it. "I see¡­"


    The Water Lord paused for a moment before exining, "The entire n could work because of him. That was why I was nning to reward him more than anyone else here. However, I didn''t expect him to die like this.


    "Still, it doesn''t change the fact that he has saved this ce. Not only could I get rid of all the demons, but I also managed to eradicate the Supreme Devil Organization in my territory. I owed him.


    "Although his noble family had fallen and his name wouldn''t be remembered, I shall give him the status of "Hero of the Silica Valley" to honor him." The Water Lord sighed. "If there''s a chance to prosecute Anna Stargaze for his death, you could contact me. I will do my best to help you."


    The Water Lord gave him the status so that his name would still be remembered by the people. This was the least he could do for Noel.


    Though, he doubted anyone would try to prosecute Anna or the Stargaze Family upon his death. After all, Noel''s status wasn''t as high as his father''s former status.


    ra nodded her head. "I''m grateful that you do something like this, Water Lord."


    "No, it''s something I should do." The Water Lord waved his hand as if telling her it wasn''t a big deal. "What are you nning to do, Captain of the Demon Relief Squad?"


    "It''s not something that the Water Lord has to be concerned about. We will simply continue our work, including fixing yournd a little bit."


    "Well, if that''s what you like. I''ve said everything I wanted to say, so I''ll take my leave here." The Water Lord politely nodded to them before leaving the room.


    ra pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Anyway, you all are to continue your work here for thend restoration. Meanwhile, I''ll go back to the headquarters to discuss this matter with themander.


    "I think I have to remind you once again, especially Ste and Rose. I know that you are trying to avenge him, but I forbid you from doing it. This is an order. The matter between the Stargaze Family and the Ardagan Family is aplicated matter, so I have to consult with themander first.


    "Paul and Jonathan too¡­ You are forbidden to do anything about this matter. Ben and Zion will keep an eye on them, understood?"


    ra gave them a cold gaze as if she didn''t take ''no'' for an answer.

 Chapter 386 Return

    While the Demon Relief Squad was mourning, Anna rushed back to her territory.


    She was standing in front of a middle-aged man who was busy signing a few documents on his table.


    She politely bowed to him and said, "I have returned, Father."


    "En." He only nodded his head.


    There were no words exchanged between them. The awkward silence filled the room, but Anna didn''t do anything after all this.


    After a few minutes, he nced at her and finally pushed away the documents for a moment. "You''re not throwing a tantrum? It seems that you''ve grown up a bit."


    "I apologize for making you worried, Father." Anna was observing her father because she was curious about how much her father knew regarding Luke''s n. However, she didn''t n to break the news for now, considering she didn''t know how many ears were in this mansion. Even her father might have turned his back on Luke, so she had to confirm it first.


    "So, what have you done in the Demon Banner Army? I heard you were pretty amazing there to the point you snatched the record of being the greatest Apprentice Knight, surpassing that of Septa." Her father, Kevin Stargaze, let out a small smile as if he was proud of her achievement.


    "Yes. I managed to do that. More importantly, I managed to get rid of the potential threat of our Stargaze Family."


    "Hoh? What do you mean by that?"


    "I have killed Noel Ardagan!" Anna stated with a cold tone.


    "¡­" Kevin seemed to maintain his poker face, but Anna''s perception was different from the past. She noticed the slight change in his father''s gaze as if he was disturbed by that fact.


    "I see. So, you killed him. In that case, I should get prepared for themander''s interference." Kevin thought for a moment. "Still, I don''t understand one thing. Why did it take so long to kill him? If it were the usual you, you should have killed him from the very start. You even dismissed the guard I sent to protect you."


    Anna had prepared this answer with Noel, so she answered with confidence. "I believe one year is the perfect time to both observe him and avoid the Royal Family''s attention."


    "Observe him and the royal family¡­ Why?"


    "Although I had suggested executing him along with his parents, that was the first time I saw him. So, I couldn''t help but get curious to see what kind of man would pose a threat to our family.


    "Even I had heard about Count Ardagan''s prestige. But he was different, so I wanted to see whether he would be a threat or not. After seeing his progress, I believed he had to die. Hence, the decision.


    "And if I killed him right away, it would harm the reputation of the Royal Family. Although it looked like I had just finished what they should have done, it could also be interpreted as me being above the royal family since I corrected her punishment on Noel from exile to death.


    "Father might do something about it, but I didn''t n to harm the family. That was why my decision was like this. I hope I have satisfied you, Father."


    Kevin paused as if he was contemting her action.


    "Well, that''s enough for now. I thought you had be his best friend and chose to protect him instead of killing him." Kevin chuckled as if treating Noel''s life like nothing. "There was no feeling between you and him?"


    "I did indeed feel he was different from a typical noble. If our path never reached this point, I believed he would be a great ally to me. In fact, if we were born into a different family, I wouldn''t mind marrying him because it would benefit the family. I had seen his achievement, which was simr to the prestige of Count Ardagan in the past, albeit on a smaller scale.


    "Unfortunately, the moment the execution was done, there was no turning back. Hence, the only option was to kill him."


    "I see. That was an interesting opinion. From the looks of it, he seemed to be more capable than any noble sons or even the princes." Kevin rose from his seat and walked to the cab in the corner of the room. He took out a ne from the cab and handed it to her.


    The chains were made of gold and the circr pendant had a bright red gem attached to it.


    "This is called Red Sapphire Ne. It was said that the original color was blue, but because it had been worn from generation to generation, the pendant had been covered with blood and turned red over time.


    "However, this ne has been imbued by enchantment. You should wear this because this pendant might save your life one day. It''ll only be activated when one approaches death, so you have to wear it all the time."


    Anna was confused and excited at the same time. She was looking at the ne on her hand while thinking, ''What is this ne? This is the first time I have seen it¡­ There are a lot of things going on within the ne, but I couldn''t see its depth. Three, no, there are four runes embedded into this ne. How does my father possess something like this?


    ''And I never received this pendant in myst life. Does that mean my father sees something in me that I don''t realize? This is weird, but since I get a ne like this, I don''t mind taking it.''T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Looking at her confused expression, Kevin exined. "It seems that you don''t know the reason why I give this to you¡­ Well, it''s simple. In the past, you have never taken any interest in the family''s matters. Everything you''ve done has the potential to harm the family.


    "That''s why I don''t wish this important ne to be stolen. But after seeing you now, I''m assured. A spirit wielder, a powerful but unknown de, and experience¡­ All these changes have made me think of you in another light. That''s why you''re worthy of this ne. Take care of it."


    "Yes, Father."

 Chapter 387 Kevin

    "Then, I''ll take my leave." Anna bowed her head and stepped out of the room politely. She couldn''t help but look at the ne in her hand. ''Something is different in this life. It seems that I was too much of a mess in my past life¡­ To think it would take me my entire life to even figure that out.''


    She had nned a few things when she came back here, including meeting her teacher.


    ''Noel is doing his best there, so I''m not going to lose here.'' Anna smiled while walking to her room. At the very least, she was going to rest for today since she would have a lot of things to do.


    However, she couldn''t help but recall the change of expression her father had when she mentioned Noel. It seemed her father also knew about him.


    ''As expected, the letter is right. There is a connection between my father and Noel''s family. He should have some ns regarding the Ardagan Family. Though, I can''t really tell him everything I know because I don''t know who I can trust right now. My father might even do something out of my imagination if I tell him like this. I''m not Noel, so I should keep this information to myself until I''m sure about it.


    ''Now that I think about it, I should use this chance to increase not only my strength but my experience so that I can understand Noel''s n better. That way, I might even be able to work together with Noel before he tells me his n.


    ''Yeah. This is what I should do.'' Anna smiled while pumping her fists.


    While Anna walked to her room, her father, Kevin, pinched the bridge of his nose.


    "My daughter has killed my best friend''s son?" Kevin''s expression darkened. "No, no, no. There is no way she has done it. After all, Luke told me that Noel was protected by someone. There was no way he would die.


    "So, the problem is¡­ Did he n his entire death? And is my daughter in it right now? If she is, then doesn''t that mean there''s a rtionship between them?


    "Did Noel manage to solve the hatred between them? After all, my daughter should be the focus of the entire execution. What happened to them?"


    Kevin tried to figure out what happened from all the information he had but to no avail.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    His subordinate had been trying to tail them, but because Shale once spotted him, he had to move a bit further away. Hence, he couldn''t capture everything that truly happened between them.


    That was why hecked information about what transpired between Noel and Anna.


    "This is confusing. I don''t know if my daughter has changed or not¡­ Well, she has changed, but I don''t know if she still retains some of her past nature.


    "Well, I haven''t asked for what she ising back. But at least I have more chances to observe her now. Maybe in the future, she will truly change like how Luke predicted.


    "Still, I have given the ne that Luke gave me in the past. He told me to give it to my daughter if she had the potential to work together with Noel¡­


    "Although he never said it, Noel was supposed to be the key to solving the Supreme Devil Organization that seems to be guing this kingdom.


    "So, I should assume that Noel hasn''t died. Then, I should continue my n." Kevin took a deep breath before he felt someone rushing into his room. "Who?"


    *Bam!*


    Suddenly, someone mmed the door, rushing into the room.


    "This is bad, Sir." A butler entered. Due to rushing here, he was panting and had a hard time catching his breath. His right hand was presenting an important letter that contained the royal seal.


    "Hmm?" Kevin narrowed his eyes, looking at the seal. "This is a royal seal? Is there anyone from the royal family visiting us? No, wait. There might be someone¡­"


    Without hesitation, he took the letter and waved his hand, dismissing the butler.


    As he expected, the moment he took out the letter, it came from the person he had thought of earlier.


    "I have heard that my disciple has returned to the capital city. I''ll be visiting her as soon as possible."


    Josephine Brown.


    In an instant, Kevin''s expression became cold when he saw the name.


    "She''sing again? That witch sent by the royal family¡­" Kevin clicked his tongue. It all started with the betrayal of Noel''s uncle, Laufey Ardagan.


    Because of what happened, the royal family put a close eye on Luke and his connections, including him.


    And when they found out about Anna''s talent, they tried to control her. Though, it also became his ticket to get close to the royal family.


    In exchange, the royal family sent an observer to ensure Luke and Kevin wouldn''t pose any threat to them.


    With Josephine bing Anna''s teacher, the brainwashing began.


    Even though he had been sneakily helping Anna, he couldn''t remove her influencepletely.


    That was why he never disagreed when Anna wanted to go to the Demon Banner Army. At the very least, she would be away from Josephine''s influence.


    Now that she hade back, he was afraid that Anna would return to the way she was.


    ''What should I do now?'' Kevin bit his lips, trying to figure out what he should do to prevent Anne from returning to her past self.


    "As soon as possible¡­ Even if this letter is brought by a special carrier, she has to travel for another one or two days before reaching here. I should prepare some countermeasures before then."


    Without hesitation, Kevin began formting his n on the spot, pushing all the matters on hand away. Anna had changed for the better, so there was no way he would let Josephine change her back.


    Unbeknownst to him, Anna wasn''t a simple sixteen years old girl. He didn''t know she had reincarnated. Her willpower wasn''t as weak as he thought it would be.

 Chapter 388 Josephine

    "Father. I''m here." Anna knocked on her father''s door with a serious expression, not knowing why her father suddenly called her here.


    "Come in."


    As soon as Anna entered, she saw her father''s concerned expression as if something bad had happened.


    "Is there anything I can help you with, Father?" Anna asked with a calm expression like she never noticed his concern.


    "I want to ask you about something. What do you think about your teacher?"


    "Are you talking about Teacher Josephine? Or is it Sir Shale?"


    "The former."


    Anna looked down for a moment as her expression became cold. On the one hand, she wanted to kill the teacher that killed her in the past. On the other hand, she couldn''t do it right now for two reasons: she wasn''t strong enough and she hadn''t prepared for the consequences of killing her.


    The royal family would attack them as soon as Anna tried to harm them. And she had to act as if she was still following her teacher''s words for the time being.


    Hence, Anna exined, "I''m indebted to Teacher Josephine for teaching me many things. Without her, I wouldn''t be able to reach this level."


    Kevin frowned when he heard her answer. However, that expression soon disappeared as he calmly said, "I see. If that''s the case, I''m here to inform you that your teacher will be visiting soon. So, you have to greet herter."


    "!!!" Anna was surprised to know her teacher wasing. Although she had expected this, she thought the teacher would being farter. She would have a lot of time to prepare for it.


    However, it seemed the situation wasn''t going ording to her expectations.


    ''It seems that I have to adjust my n for a bit.'' Anna muttered inwardly before politely bowing to her father. "If that''s the case, I shall prepare for her visit."


    "Yes." Kevin hesitated for a moment before saying, "However, if you think you want to practice by yourself, I can tell your teacher about it."


    Anna was surprised once again. Although he worded it that way, Anna knew if she wanted to reject her visit, her father wouldn''t hesitate to not ept Josephine from entering the territory.


    However, Anna had to face this Josephine sooner orter. Since the opportunity had arrived, she chose to face her teacher head-on.


    Anna smiled. "Thank you, Father. But that won''t be necessary. It''s been so long since thest time I met her."


    "Is that so?" Kevin made an awkward face before agreeing to her. "Since you want it that way, then I''ll inform you when she''s arrived in our territory."


    "Yes. Thank you, Father. I''ll be¡ª" Anna stopped when she felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from the outside.


    Even Kevin turned around, furrowing his eyebrows.


    If the Demon Banner Army had their captains and the Tower Association had their elders, the nobles had their Arbiters.


    And from the fluctuation just now, they knew that one of the Arbiters had arrived. Third Arbiter, the Royal Magician, Josephine Brown.


    Kevin gritted his teeth. He had told his people to inform him before she reached this ce, so there was no way they wouldn''t do it. Hence, the only reason why he never heard a single thing from them was because Josephine had traveled faster than them.


    "It seems that your teacher has arrived."


    "Then, I''ll be greeting her." Anna politely nodded while maintaining her calm face.


    But when she left the room, her expression turned cold. ''Now, I wonder how much influence is left in this body¡­ Although I have reincarnated and my soul is strong, the body is still my previous body. So, it should be reacting to her words. And I have to measure it so that I can adjust my n ordingly.''


    With that thought in mind, Anna came out of the mansion, looking at the gate. Despite releasing that amount of Spiritual Energy, it seemed she didn''t enter the marquis'' mansion without permission.


    In fact, she was waiting without saying anything as if she knew someone woulde for her.


    And as she predicted, Anna hade out.


    "¡­" Anna took a deep breath. Just looking at her appearance could make her shiver. It seemed that she would still have some problems getting rid of her influence.


    She looked at this red-haired woman with an emotionless face. Despite her short notice, Josephine was wearing a in white shirt and ck pants coupled with long ck robes that signified her identity as a magician.


    These were her usual clothes every time she met the king, so it was polite enough to visit a marquis.


    As soon as their gazes intertwined, Anna politely bowed to her and greeted her. "It''s been a while, Teacher Jose."


    "Indeed," Jose smirked, wondering how much Anna had changed because she joined the Demon Banner Army.


    Of course, Anna was sensitive enough to know what she wanted. Without hesitation, she released her killing intent and shouted coldly, "Open the gate! Youmoners are too blind to not even recognize the great arbiter! Do you want to die?!"


    If Noel was here, he would be shocked because Anna was always polite to others despite their different status. Though, if he never knew Anna and saw this behavior, there would be nothing to stop him from killing Anna.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers panicked because they had heard a lot of rumors about Anna from the other guards or staff in the mansion.


    They hurriedly followed her instructions as if their lives depended on it.


    As soon as the gate was opened, Jose entered the mansion while smiling. She stood in front of Anna and said, "It seems you have returned from the Demon Banner Army. So, did they kick you out?"


    "No, Teacher. I went there simply to fulfill your teaching. You once told me thatmoners and nobles are different and that their lives are in our hands.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "So, I went there to torture Noel Ardagan before killing him. He had even contributed a big time to the point it would be a problem even for me. If only Teacher could see his despair right before he died." She smiled evilly.


    "Good, that''s my student."

 Chapter 389 Matter

    "Good, that''s my student."


    The guards who stopped her earlier were inplete shock. They had heard about Anna''s rampant behavior. She didn''t care about other people''s lives.


    They thought she was just a typical noble miss, but there was a huge difference between Anna and her father, Kevin.


    Despite having a powerful strength and influence, Kevin still treated his employees well. On the other hand, there were already a few people who had died because they made a mistake in front of Anna.


    Now that they had seen what truly had happened, they realized Anna had be this way because of her teacher.


    She was the one teaching Anna of her current mindset. They couldn''t help but wonder if the marquis had tried to do something for Anna since they weren''t at the level where they were aware of the conspiracy between the marquis and the royal family.


    Still, their job was to remain silent since they would die if they spoke anything wrong.


    They didn''t know Anna was different from the past. She had to do this just to fool her teacher.


    Though, Anna also had her fair share of surprises.


    While bowing her head to greet her, Anna felt her body be heavy. It took a lot from her just acting like this. At the same time, she could say all this as if it was her second nature.


    The nature that had been ingrained by her teacher.


    ''As expected, even with my past memory and stronger willpower, it''s still not enough to erase the nature that has been ingrained in my body. My body feels like shaking and bes weak just from seeing her alone.


    ''Well, both in my previous life and this life, I still remember her teaching and can understand why the body is reacting.


    ''If that''s the case, I should keep her with me for the time being so that I can get used to this pressure. After my body has grown ustomed, I willpletely break free from her brainwashing. And that''s where I will get my revenge.''


    Anna couldn''t help but remember the time when her teacher stabbed her in the back. She couldn''t forgive her teacher, but at the same time, she had learned the reason from Noel.


    Though, it was still something that a teacher should do to her own student.


    Coupled with the fact that she had been brainwashing her from childhood, Anna nned to get the best revenge in the near future. But for now, she still needed her to be a guarantee if she wanted to investigate the royal family.


    Anna paused for a moment before asking, "May I know the purpose of your visit this time, Teacher?"


    Jose nced at Anna and said, "Follow me to meet your father."


    "Understood." Anna nodded without hesitation, following her. She thought, ''This has never happened before. In the past, because of my aptitude, I was training around this time. Though, I have now be a Spirit Wielder, so of course, I can understand there is a change. Whether it''s a good change or not¡­''


    Anna didn''t continue her thought. However, she would make sure she could meet Noel every three months as promised.


    Because she had been teaching Anna, she was already aware of theyout of the house. So, it didn''t take long for her to arrive in Kevin''s office.


    Both of them looked at each other without leaving any sound. It felt like they were trying to challenge each other.


    Of course, her father wasn''t afraid of her, considering her father was also one of the Arbiters. However, the royal family made him an Arbiter just to give him enough benefits to stay on their side while they maintained the surveince due to the friendship he had with Luke.


    If her father and her teacher fought, Anna couldn''t predict who would win.


    "So, for what reason do youe here with such short notice? You even rushed to this ce¡­" Kevin asked with a slightly annoyed tone.


    "Aren''t you the one who is so slow? You couldn''t even greet me at the gate."


    "This is my territory. With such short notice, I can im that you''re invading my territory. Do you really want to fight me?" Kevin narrowed his eyes.


    "I don''t mind, but¡­ that''s not what Ie for." Jose nced at Anna before pointing at her. "The Crown Prince has taken an interest in your daughter. Present your daughter to the King right away!"


    In that instant, Kevin''s expression became extremely cold. "Hoh? I have set the limit beforehand, and all of us have agreed on that. So, are they going to break the agreement we made at that time?"


    "If Anna hasn''t shown such explosive growth, that would be the case. However, it''s a different case when she bes a Spirit Wielder at the age of 16. With her strength and the royal family''s influence, the kingdom will flourish. This is a win-win situation."


    "I don''t see any winning here, especially when they''re nning to break the agreement." Kevin gritted his teeth, growing even more irritated.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m simply giving you their message."


    Surprisingly, the one who stopped the conversation was not Kevin but Anna.


    Her tone was filled with annoyance as she grumbled. "No one is qualified to marry me. Even if the God is the one trying to match me with someone else, I won''t follow it."


    "¡­" Josephine narrowed her eyes. "This is not a ce for you to butt in."


    Anna smirked coldly before releasing her killing intent. "Teacher, you''re the one who taught me, right? I''m different from anyone else. They should be grateful when I kill them. That''s why someone as special as me doesn''t belong to royalty. Unless he can unite the four kingdoms, he is not qualified to be my husband!"


    "You¡­" Josephine widened her eyes, never expecting Anna to talk back like this. She thought she hadpletely ingrained her teaching in her body and mind, but it seemed that the training in the Demon Banner Army had changed her a bit.


    "I have told you that this is not your ce to butt in. If you don''t marry the Crown Prince, you only have one route."


    "Are you insane?" Kevin mmed the table while gnashing his teeth. "You''re going to make my daughter an inquisitor?"

 Chapter 390 Inquisitor

    "You''re going to make my daughter an inquisitor?"


    Anna recognized what this meant. Even though they called it an inquisitor, it was actually an even worse ce.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ''An inquisitor is simr to a mercenary group, but it is an organization built by the royal family itself.


    ''The people in the organization came from varied backgrounds, including criminals as long as they are good at fighting.


    ''The organization works in order to fulfill the request of the nobles and the royal family. It is basically the ce to train an Arbiter.


    ''My Father once came from this ce and became strong enough to the point he married into the marquis family.


    ''It is rumored that this ce doesn''t look at your status, only your skills. They can use anything if they want to go up, including poison, drugs, or even assassination of other members.


    ''In other words, this ce is either kill or be killed.'' Anna remembered the information from her past.


    Unfortunately, she had never gone down this path because she had the connection of her father and teacher to smoothen her journey. It didn''t take too long for her to be an Arbiter in the past and fight Noel.


    But because she had never experienced the cruelty of people who worked in the dark, Noel would always outwit her.


    In other words, if she underwent this progress, she would be able to be on par with Noel in terms of scheming alone.


    This was a good opportunity for her because she would also gain freedom here. She was free to go anywhere around the kingdom as long as it fulfilled the condition of the nobles or the royal family.


    ''I have never taken this path, but this one suits me the most¡­ At first, I thought about using my father''s influence to roam around the kingdom to match Noel''s movement, but with this, I might be able to do it alone.


    ''This way, no one should be that suspicious since people would think I''m escaping marriage. It''s ufortable, but I think I should thank the Crown Prince for being so foolish that he bes my reason to do what I need to do.


    ? ''Besides, Noel once said, the bigger the ambition, the more likely they rush. That''s where the mistakes usually happen. That happened to me when I tried to change Noel so hard that I ended up antagonizing him.


    ''And this Crown Prince would surely do something whether to control me or fulfill my condition. That was where I could find the slip-up and see if the royal family was rted to the Supreme Devil Organization or not.''


    After considering a few things, Anna actually had no reason to reject being an inquisitor.


    She said, "I already told you. I''m going to show you I''m special. An inquisitor? Fine by me."


    "No. I won''t give my consent on this!" Kevin shouted in anger, ring at both Anna and Josephine. What he was afraid of was not Anna''s death. If he was afraid of that, he wouldn''t have allowed Anna to go to the Demon Banner Army.


    What he was afraid of was the darkness of the organization. Although it gave a lot of freedom and opportunity, it was filled with cruelty. He didn''t want Anna to suffer a fate worse than death.


    But this was where Josephine smiled, recalling something. She remembered the conversation she had with the king a few days ago.


    The king said, "There was a rumor that Anna Stargaze had killed Noel Ardagan and got sanctioned by the Demon Banner Army. She has be too talented, so we have to control her.


    "As soon as she returns, you are to go to the Stargaze Family''s territory to tell the marquis that he has to offer his daughter to me and marry her to the crown prince."


    Josephine furrowed her eyebrows. "But I believe¡­"


    The king shook his head. "I told you earlier. She has be too talented for her own good. If he doesn''tply, send Anna Stargaze to the organization and let her be an inquisitor."


    "Huh? That ce¡­" Josephine came from that ce as well, so she was already aware of the cruelty of that ce. So, she couldn''t help but hesitate.


    However, the king simply stated, "That''s where you''re going toe. Send a few people to protect her and start brainwashing her again. Make sure that she will bepletely reliant on the royal family."


    "Ah!" Josephine finally realized the king''s n. It turned out the king wanted Anna to suffer some hardships. Although the Demon Banner Army had danger, the army was still too good of a ce since they only fought against demons whose ability was limited to their instinct.


    Meanwhile, humans were crueler and they had a lot of nasty tricks that could make Anna suffer.


    The king wanted to make Anna feel hopeless before bing the light that saved her. At that time, Anna would be so grateful that she would be loyal to the royal family.


    "She might be talented, but she is too inexperienced and foolish. We have to use it to our advantage."


    Josephine closed her eyes for a moment, contemting. After a while, she asked, "So, what am I supposed to say about the agreement?"


    "You can say whatever you want, especially regarding the Ardagan Family. Make sure the marquis can''t refuse this arrangement."


    "I understand." Josephine nodded, agreeing to this request. She then immediately headed to the marquis territory to give this surprise.


    However, she never expected that Anna would be this headstrong. She thought Anna had gained a little too much confidence in the Demon Banner Army that she thought she could do anything.


    She didn''t know the depth of the organization, which worked in Josephine''s favor. This way, it would be easy to break Anna down before making her owe them.


    Anna said, "Father. It seems that you''re not aware of my achievement in the Demon Banner Army. Even this inquisitor thing is not a challenge for me. I will prove to you that I''m different from everyone."


    Josephine couldn''t help but smirk at the marquis, muttering inwardly, ''Oh, Kevin. You never expected that your daughter would be the one requesting it. It worked perfectly in my favor.''


    Kevin could only grit his teeth while Anna was cursing in her heart. ''What''s wrong with them? When are they going to decide whether I go or not? I have said everything that needs to be said to make sure I can go there. Do they not want me to go there?''

 Chapter 391 Explanation

    "What do you mean by not taking any action? It''s already clear that the nobles are trying to make a ruckus in the Demon Banner Army. They have killed one of my members!" ra gritted her teeth, ring at themander, who remained calm this whole time. "Why haven''t you done anything?"


    Because there was no action from themander, she couldn''t help but go to the headquarters personally to demand an exnation. She was also annoyed by how the Zero Squad kept mourning. So, she came here to settle both problems.


    Unfortunately, themander hadn''t answered her question for a whole thirty minutes despite her exining everything.


    "Excuse me." Suddenly, a woman opened the door while bringing two cups of tea and a letter.


    The woman seemed to be more mature than ra as she put a gentle smile on her face while serving the tea.


    "Wee, ra. Have tea first¡­ It took me a while to brew this tea." She put down the cup as if she didn''t notice the tension in the air.


    "Milfa. Don''t stop me. I have to get the exnation from him today! I won''t be leaving without it!" ra gritted her teeth, ring at her to shove her away.


    However, the other party only smiled at her. "Oh, my. What kind of exnation do you wish to get? I think he has done everything he can¡­"


    "Why are you protecting him? He literally did nothing when one of my squad members died. This is not the first or second squad, but my zero squad member!"


    "I''m not protecting him. I''m simply telling the truth."


    "Shut up! You are not even his wife, but you''re stopping me from demanding an exnation. So, go away and put thatst letter in your name in the front if you want to stop me today!"


    "I''ll take it as apliment. I''m d that you''re praising me for being mature." Milfa let out a chuckle while putting another cup on themander''s table. "That''s right. This is the letter you told me to bring."


    Themander nodded with a serious expression. "Thanks."


    "You''re wee. So, should I bring ra out?" She asked.


    "What? You want to drag me out of here? Do you think I''m afraid of you? Why don''t you go out instead of me?"


    "But my station is in the headquarters." Milfa made a weird smile before themander tugged her sleeve. She turned around and saw themander handing back the letter as if telling her to give it to ra.


    "Why are you not speaking?" ra clicked her tongue. "I''m going to sew your lips so that you won''t be able to speak for the rest of your life."


    "ra is funny today. You are usuallyposed, but it seems that today you''re getting pretty worked up¡­ It must be an annoying problem for you." Milfa chuckled while handing the letter. "Well, he wanted you to have this letter."


    "I don''t need it. I have to get an exnation first!"


    Milfa let out a long sigh before opening the letter herself. "Well, if you don''t need it, then I will burn this away. While I''m at it, I''ll read it a bit. Let''s see¡­


    "There will be a knight called Iadre joining the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad. He has a few achievements under his belt. He has a Fire Spirit and wields a white sword. Unfortunately, he is unable to show his face and is forced to use the Changing Masquerade to hide his face and change the color of his eyes and hair.


    "But please burn this letter after you read this line. Iadre''s true identity is Noel Ardagan¡­ Oh, my." Milfa was slightly startled before raising her hand. "I have to burn this letter right away since I have read that li¡ª!!!"


    Before she could do anything, ra grasped her shoulder, stopping her. ra looked annoyed as she demanded the letter back. "Give me the letter!"


    "But I have to burn it ording to the letter."


    ra red at her before ultimately snatching the letter away. She instantly read the letterpletely.


    It turned out the letter was the exnation itself. There was no need to avenge someone who was still alive. But because of a few reasons, Iadre had to wait for a while before meeting with the rest of the Demon Relief Squad.


    With how he acted alone, the Demon Relief Squad wouldn''t have had any trouble identifying him since he had made a good impression on them. At the same time, the others wouldn''t know he was Noel because of a different element and hidden face.


    When ra fell silent, themander added, "I was going to send that letter tomorrow. By that time, the rumor about his death should have spread. So there wouldn''t be any suspicion.


    "He was targeted by the royal family and many nobles, so this was the best way to protect him. As for Anna Stargaze, I don''t understand their rtionship, so ask her the reason, not me.


    "As for why I''m sure he''s still alive somewhere¡­ I think you have seen the reason already¡­ You even stated in the report."


    "The report?" ra widened her eyes in shock. "Shadow?!"


    "With him protecting Noel, there is no way a mere Anna can kill Noel, no matter how good she is. Although I don''t understand why Shadow is working for him, I can guess the reason¡­ something like working for his father or something.


    "So, what I want you to do is to keep the news about him being alive a secret. I''m sure that the zero squad wouldn''t mind doing something like that as well. Though, for now, you shouldn''t say anything to them¡­ Just wait until he shows up.


    "Is that a good enough exnation for you, Demon Relief Squad''s Captain, ra?!" Themander frowned as if he had gotten a bit annoyed by her action.


    ra bit her lips. Although she was annoyed by how her zero squad reacted, it was true that Noel had contributed a lot to the Demon Relief Squad. Hence, she had to get him justice.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    However, it turned out that everything was just a lie, and she also fell for it.


    She looked down with an embarrassed expression. "Yes."

 Chapter 392 Genius?

    During the night, Dimitri was opening his eyes, waking up from his nap. Since he and Noel camped outside the city, they took turns being on the lookout. And this time, Noel was supposed to be watching the surroundings.


    But when he took a look around, he noticed Noel had disappeared.


    "Mhm?" Dimitri was confused. He thought Noel was slipping away to pee, but he felt the sound of someone swinging his sword.


    Dimitri knew whose swing it belonged without even going there. He had seen everything in the past year, so he knew Noel would still be swinging his sword at a time like this.


    Though, he never knew the reason why Noel worked this hard.


    In his mind, Noel''s growth was unprecedented. From aplete newbie, who never wielded a sword and searched for information about spirit, to bing a Spirit Wielder. It was beyond Anna''s growth.


    After so long, his curiosity became big enough for him to walk to Noel and ask, "You haven''t stopped yet? You should get some rest, you know."


    "It''s fine. I still have some energy left to spend." Noel shook his head, rejecting the offer to rest.


    However, Dimitri caught his de for a few seconds before using his other hand to open Noel''s palms. He could see the blisters all over his palms. "Take a look at this. One year ago, your palms were so smooth. But now, it''s all rough and covered by blisters. Why don''t you take a rest for a bit?"


    "No. I don''t have time to rest. Although rest is important, I believe I have slept long enough with my current schedule. So, while I''m awake, I should spend that time training my body."


    Dimitri scratched the back of his head and asked, "Young Master¡­ I have been observing you this whole time and I know how stubborn you are in training like this. However, I don''t see any reason for you to do something like this. In fact, I''d suggest you sleep at least six hours a day instead of three to four hours. Why are you working this hard? I mean, you are so talented, Young Master¡­ You can reach this level just within a year, so your future is limitless."


    "Dimitri." Noel stopped him by calling his name. As soon as he gained Dimitri''s attention, he shook his head and said, "Am I talented in your eyes?"


    "Of course. You''re the most talented man I''ve ever seen. Even Anna can''t bepared to you."


    Noel smiled. "I''m thankful that you''re thinking that way. But you are wrong¡­ I never consider myself talented!"


    "Huh?"


    Dimitri waspletely confused. If Noel wasn''t talented, then there was no talent in this world.


    What he didn''t know was the fact that Noel''s Spirit only had a Conversion Rate of eighty percent. Compared to Anna, he was far less talented than her.


    But how did he keep up with her progress? There was only one answer. Ardagan.


    Ardagan became his spirit and bumped the conversion rate for both of them to one hundred percent. And he also gave him a system. A system that had been helping him to learn everything and reach this level. If he didn''t have a system, he would have died long ago.


    The medals, daily training, and even the Shop Function. Everything made him stronger, depending on how he used it. He even managed to see the future with them, helping him solve a problem that couldn''t be solved.


    That was why he thought Ardagan was the one giving him this opportunity, not his talent. His talent might be above average, but it wasn''t enough for all this.


    That was right. Noel understood that not many people could see. No, they just might refuse to see it, taking everything for granted.


    Noel didn''t see it that way. Noel believed that something that could be given, could also be taken away. If his conversion rate was increased by Ardagan, it would mean Ardagan could take it back. What if he lost Ardagan in the future and stayed with only Heisk? His Conversion Rate and his limit of Demon Crystals would be gone.


    Hence, Noel didn''t care whether Ardagan would be leaving or not. Instead, since he still had Ardagan, he would continue doing his best to raise his level as much as possible so that even if Ardagan left, he wouldn''t return to his trashy self.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile while asking, "Dimitri¡­ I want to ask you again, am I talented?"


    "You''re a genius, Young Master. I can say that without hesitation!" Dimitri answered.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "No. Perhaps you and other people would say I''m a genius, but after following and observing me from the start, I''m sure you know this¡­ I''ve never been a so-called ''genius.''


    "Just take a look at it, the Swordsmanship I have right nowes from a constant beating from Anna. All the abilities I have right now have been paid for by my blood and sweat!"


    Noel gritted his teeth, thinking about his parents and the Ardagan Family.


    "After that execution, I havee to a realization. If I don''t want to lose something important, I can only count on myself. This time, I want to grasp it¡­ a strength that allows me to do anything I want, including protecting everything I care for!"


    Dimitri couldn''t help but shudder when he heard his speech. This kind of speeching from a 16 years old man was quite surprising for him.


    He couldn''t help but smile, thinking, ''That''s right. People only see him when he seeds. But they don''t know the price you''ve paid to acquire this sess.


    ''However. I''m right. My Young Master is a genius. People said that hard work could beat talent. I do agree with that, but on the premise that themon people utilize all their energy to keep practicing while the talented individual wastes his time not honing his talent.


    ''But what if that genius gives all his time and energy to keep practicing like he will die tomorrow? There is no waymon people can surpass him. This is why the Young Master can be this strong.''


    Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand, Young Master. I apologize for my rude remark. From now on, unless it concerns your future or the foundation of your strength, I won''t stop you from training."


    "That''s good enough."

 Chapter 393 Promise

    "Are you sure about this, Anna?" Kevin asked Anna, who was putting on her belt. She had chosen to take the punishment that she never had to get.


    "I don''t mind, Father. It seems that the Royal Family is nning to do something." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "It''s because you''re getting strong too fast. I don''t have a problem as your father, but the royal family has a different perspective. I''m afraid they''re trying to pin you down here and make you rely on them." Kevin exined his point of view and the spection.


    "It''s truly surprising. We have done a lot of things for the royal family, but the only thing we get is something like this¡­" Anna narrowed her eyes as if she was dissatisfied with the royal family.


    On the one hand, her father didn''t know she suspected the royal family. So, he thought Anna said this because she thought the royal family had betrayed them.


    No matter what, Anna''s teacher was Josephine. Even though she personally might not be rted directly to the royal family, the rtionship between her and the royal family should have been quite good before.


    But everything changed after she came home. It looked like the royal family had betrayed her trust and she nned to get her revenge.


    On the other hand, her father was hiding the matter between him and the Ardagan Family. It also became the main reason why they could force them into this.


    Anna nced at her father and said, "I don''t know much about the family''s matters, but I know this one thing. The Stargaze Family is strong. You''re one of the Arbiters, so I''m pretty sure that not many can push us like this¡­ I don''t know why you''re willing to ept this, but you should know that I''m unwilling."


    "If that''s the case, let me take care of this problem for you."


    Anna shook her head again. "No. I''m going to take this fall for the family. But I have a request, Father."


    "What is it?"


    "I want you to acknowledge me as your sessor. During this period, I''m going to show you that I have learned a lot and am worthy of being your sessor. When I be the sessor, you have to tell me everything¡­"


    "What do you mean?" Kevin was confused for a moment.


    "When I ''killed'' Noel, he told me one thing¡­ If only there were no barriers between us. I couldn''t understand what he was talking about no matter how hard I racked my brain.


    "There wasn''t even remorse on his face as if he had epted his own fate. I couldn''tprehend why a man, who should hate me to the bone, would be like that.


    "So, I thought there were a few things I must not be aware of. The reason why you hid it must be because of my actions that kept troubling the family. That is why I will walk down this path and show you that I have the right to know the secret."


    Anna didn''t talk about Noel in this life. Instead, she recalled the one in her previous life.


    As she said, Noel seemed to be torturing her, but because of them, she grew even stronger. Her personality also changed.


    In theirst moment, she could remember his exhausted but smiley face. It felt like there was no hatred in his heart. If there was an opportunity where they could talk to each other to know their circumstances, they might be able to understand each other.


    So, she wanted to take this chance to directly ask her father. No matter how hard she tried to create a n like Noel, she couldn''t do it so perfectly. Hence, she didn''t beat around the bush and asked her father while mixing a couple of lies to smoothen her words.


    However, Kevin was startled because Anna seemed to have realized the connection between the Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family.


    Kevin thought for a moment and said, "There are four ranks as an Inquisitor: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and tinum Inquisitor. You''re going to start at Bronze and will take mission after mission to get enough points to reach the next rank.


    "The higher your rank, the harder the mission will be. If you wish to know about it, you have to reach tinum Inquisitor at the very least. I don''t have any doubt that your current strength can make you a Silver or even a Gold Inquisitor, but you have to be a Spirit Master and reach the highest rank.


    "Only when you reach that level can you challenge one of the Arbiters to take their position. That''s why you have to reach that level and challenge me. If you take my position, my job will be over and I have no reason to hide it anymore. The problem is¡­ will you be able to aplish it?"


    Anna smirked. "Of course. In fact, I''m wondering what to do if you still refuse to talk about it. Since you''ve given me a concrete task, it''ll make the whole thing easier. Just wait for a little bit since I will be a tinum Inquisitor very soon."


    "Yeah. I''ll be waiting for you. Also¡­" Kevin took out a small notebook and handed it to her. "Take this as well."


    "What is this, Father?"


    "This is my notebook¡­ Or specifically my friend''s notebook. He gave it to me in the past so that I could grow stronger and ovee all the challenges.


    "In that notebook, there are a lot of guides on how to be an Inquisitor, including all kinds of tricks that they might use to trap you.


    "So, I want you to learn many things from that notebook since it''s the one helping me be an Arbiter.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Take care of that notebook since it''s a precious notebook that I got from my friend."


    "I understand." Anna nodded with a serious expression, nning to read it on the way.


    "The royal family might use some schemes to put you in a different spot. So, you have to be careful out there. I can''t help you too much because they''re putting some ears and eyes around me. That''s all I can say, I hope that you can ovee everything, Anna."


    Anna maintained her silence as she walked together with her father outside. She hopped onto her horse, nning to go alone.


    "I don''t know how long we can meet again, but please take care of your health, Father." Anna politely nodded and began to ride her horse, leaving the mansion.

 Chapter 394 Bloody Mary

    The trip only took three days before she reached the capital city. She immediately went to the ce marked on the map.


    It was a bar. When she entered, she instantly startled everyone because of how beautiful she was.


    However, Anna ignored all of them, especially their vulgar gazes, as she made her way to the bartender.


    Right after she sat down, a big muscr guy approached him.


    "It turns out there is such a beautiful young woman here. Hey, Miss, what do you think? Both of us can go straight to the inn after this!" The guy smirked, ncing at her breast.


    Anna coldly stared at him before snorting. "Shut up before I shut you up for the rest of your life."


    "Oh! A tough woman. I do love a tough wo¡ª" The guy wanted tough, but Anna suddenly grasped his neck and pulled out his tongue. The Spiritual Energy suddenly sparked around her fingers as she used them to cut the man''s tongue.


    "Aawawaawhhh!" The guy instantly screamed in pain but couldn''t muster a single word.


    After that, Anna punched his jaw, knocking him out.


    "Shut up." Anna snorted, looking at how the guy dropped to his knees before falling unconscious.


    In that instant, the entire bar fell silent as all the people dropped their jaws to the ground, not believing what had just happened.


    An unknown woman who had juste to the bar actually cut someone''s tongue and knocked him out.


    Seeing their friend treated brutally, all of them suddenly stood up as if nning to avenge him.


    Anna ignored the and asked the bartender, "One sweet luvu with a cherry on top."


    "!!!" Not only the bartender but also the rest of the people recognized that code.


    That code was used if they wanted to enter the secret hideout. It meant this unknown woman wanted to be an inquisitor.


    Before the bartender could reply, one of the guys roared, "Do you think you can join after what you have done?!"


    "Just shut up! Do you think I want to join your little gang? You''re the one sullying my reputation!" Anna snorted. She looked high and mighty because this was supposed to be her original personality.


    She never showed it to Noel this whole time, but to make everything a sess, she had to revert back to this character.


    "A little girl like you who doesn''t know what''s good for you?! I''m going to discipline you right now!" The guy gritted his teeth. With their number, it wouldn''t be that hard to suppress Anna alone.


    Little did they know, Anna was different. These people were only Spirit Practitioners while she was a Spirit Wielder.


    And Anna also had that notebook. She had read it and remembered a paragraph.


    ''The organization doesn''t havews outside their hideout. As long as normal people don''t see what you''ve done, you''re free to do whatever you want among the inquisitors. Killing, crippling, and so on are allowed, so there''s no need to hold back. When they''re using their numerical advantage, if you have the ability to face them, don''t hesitate and¡­ kill them all.''


    As soon as she remembered that paragraph, her expression turned extremely cold as she released her killing intent, nning to fight all these people.


    Looking at how they seemed to be targeting her, she thought these people were working with the royal family. They were trying to suppress her by using numbers to test her strength.


    So, Anna understood what she had to do in this situation.


    As soon as the guy reached her and was about to grasp her shoulder, Anna swiftly dodged to the side while pulling out her sword, cutting his arm.


    "!!!" Everyone widened their eyes as a scream soon echoed inside the bar.


    "Aaaaahhhh!" The guy fell to his knees while holding his arm. "You¡­ You bitch!"


    "Do you think I don''t know what you''re nning to do?" Anna snorted. "You want to sleep with me even though you''re so weak? And you are trying to use your numerical advantage to suppress me and r*pe me?"


    "This ce is different. Do you think you can get away after doing all this?!" The guy red at Anna before shouting, "Attack her!"


    "Get away after all this? Of course, do you think I came here without knowing anything?" Anna smirked as she cut the guy''s other arm.


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    The people were shocked because this was the first time they had seen a woman who would do something like this.


    ''Ah, I was nning to enter peacefully, but why did all of you have to provoke me? You don''t know how cruel I was in my past life¡­ I guess I don''t mind showing it again so that no one bothers me anymore.'' Anna nced at the guy and cut his legs this time.


    "NO!" One of them shouted, trying to stop her. But it was toote, she had cut his legs and the guy screamed in pain. "Aaaahhhh¡­ My arms, my legs."


    "If I lose, my fate would be worse than death itself. Then, don''t you agree that you have to experience the same thing?" Anna smirked while releasing her killing intent as if she had gone insane. "Don''t worry. Painless death will be thest thing I''ll give you. You shall experience thest hours of your life in agony."


    When they heard it, all of them attacked Anna, trying to suppress them.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, a bald man suddenly entered the bar, finding the entire mess. The people were screaming in pain. Some of the lucky ones passed out and would surely die without experiencing all the pain. Some of them were in agony as if begging Anna just to kill them instead.


    All of them had at least two of their limbs cut down. Just like she said, she left them alive but made sure they had no ability to fix themselves, so their only fate was to die slowly.


    The blood covered the floor, and some sttered on her clothes, dyeing them red.


    "What is this?" The bald guy was utterly shocked as he saw the woman drenched in blood, releasing a killing intent that made his body shudder.


    "Branch Manager¡­" One of the guys recognized him and tried to beg for help.


    The Branch Manager couldn''t understand what had happened. The only thing he could see was Anna and the bartender who was presenting a drink to Anna.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "This is my present for you, Miss. Please enjoy this¡­ Bloody Mary." The bartender said as if giving her a nickname from the drink itself.

 Chapter 395 Violence

    "¡­" The bald Branch Manager was sitting in front of Anna with an awkward expression. He nced at Anna''s calm expression as if she wasn''t bothered by what had happened earlier.


    She even had the nerve to sip her tea like a nobledy.


    He waspletely taken aback by what happened and the brutality inside his own ce.


    ''What the hell actually happened earlier?'' He muttered inwardly, recalling what happened earlier.


    ¡­


    Ten minutes ago.


    "What is happening here? Who are you?" The Branch Manager red at Anna while covering his body with Spiritual Energy, nning to fight.


    However, the bartender stopped him by saying, "Manager. She would like to register as an inquisitor."


    "Huh? Register? After all this?" The Branch Manager looked around, smelling the foul stench of blood. There was so much blood sttered on the floor and wall that he couldn''t smell any fresh air inside the bar.


    If not for the fact this bar was quite remote and shady, there would be a lot of people listening to the shrills of these grown men.


    However, the Branch Manager couldn''t dismiss the words of the bartender easily since there was a rule to make sure the master couldn''t be touched as they were the ones connecting everything.


    No matter how big the fight would be, as long as the bartender remained neutral, they shouldn''t touch him.


    So, seeing the bartender protecting Anna made him reconsider his decision. He nced to the side while muttering inwardly, ''Now that I think about this, these guys are from the same group. Although they''re reckless, they''re not the type of people who would provoke anyone without knowing the other party''s identity.


    ''And from the looks of it, the girl in front of me is the famous Anna Stargaze. I don''t understand why she is here and joining the organization, but it seems there is something fishy going on.


    ''And the third party must be influencing these boys to take action. In other words, these guys are at fault. Still, how am I supposed to handle the matter after all this¡­''


    The Branch manager wanted to cry but had no tears. He was truly speechless that someone who wanted to join the organization actually killed a total of 14 men before even joining. At the same time, it also showed her strength. Anna Stargaze wasn''t someone easy to bully.


    The Branch manager took a deep breath and asked, "Let me confirm this again. You want to join the organization, right?"


    "Yes. I believe that the royal family has given a statement about it." Anna nodded.


    "Royal¡­" The Branch Manager paused for a moment, remembering the letter. However, they only stated that they would send someone over without specifying their name. He thought it was a letter of rmendation, but after what happened earlier, it seemed that the letter was a kind of punishment for Anna.


    He wasn''t nning to get involved in their feud, so he said, "I understand. I''ll process your registration. But I have to remind you that no matter what kind of connection you use, you have to start from the bottom."


    "Don''t worry. I know the rules of the organization." Anna nodded.


    "Well, we allowed anything, including killing. But please refrain from making a big mess in the organization."


    "I will¡­ as long as others don''t provoke me." Anna agreed without hesitation before adding, "Of course, if they dare to do something to me, they should prepare for the worst. Death might be the easiest way¡­"


    "¡­" The Branch Manager couldn''t rebuke her. Death might truly be a mercy after that incident.


    To think Anna would cut them up into pieces but make sure they wouldn''t die for a while. It was gruesome to see. At the same time, for those who were cut down, the despair of being unable to do anything other than waiting for their death was simply excruciating. The pain from the wound itself added to their misery.


    If they provoked Anna, she wouldn''t mind showing them what it meant to be cruel.


    The Branch Manager felt like there would be a lot of problemsing his way soon. However, he could do nothing to stop it. He could only sigh and suck it up.


    "Alright. Let me grab the registration paper and notify the badge master. Please wait here." The Branch Manager rose from his seat and left Anna alone.


    As soon as the door was closed, Anna let out a breath of relief.


    ''Luckily, Noel wasn''t with me. If he ever saw me doing all that, no one knew what would happen after that. He might join them and kill me¡­


    ''Well, I did all those things in my past life. But the targets weren''t my enemies, but innocent people. Aaaahhh¡­ I''m too embarrassed... Now that I''m looking at it again, I wonder how in the world I could do that¡­


    ''And now, my soul has gotten used to it. The organization didn''t allow me to erase the bloodthirsty nature that had grown in me¡­ No, is this a perfect opportunity for me to test it?


    ''Since I wanted to remove the bloodthirsty nature and brainwashing, shouldn''t I take advantage of this opportunity? If I could endure all their useless ramblings, I should be able to suppress those negative traits¡­


    ''Although I wasn''t as cruel as the Blood Berserker, I was pretty brutal in my past life. Then again, I did this for another reason.''


    Anna couldn''t help but recall one of the quotes in the notebook.


    ''If you want to make an impression, make a big impact. The scarier you are, the safer you are in the organization. Hence, if you ever wish to tell them not to provoke you in the future¡­


    ''Gather all those people in one ce where other people could see as well and show them what it means to provoke you. The moment they see and spread that, your name will resound in everyone''s ears. Although you''re known for your infamy, you''re going to be pretty safe inside the organization. Yes, this might be a bad thing to say, but¡­Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ''If violence can''t solve your problem, that means you haven''t used enough violence."

 Chapter 396 Organization

    The Branch Manager came back after a while. He presented the registration form. "You know how to write, right? Or do you want me to write it for you?"


    "No need. I''ll write it myself." Anna shook her head and immediately grabbed the feather pen and filled out the form.


    After that, the Branch Manager presented her with a bronze badge and said, "This is the badge for Bronze Inquisitor. You need this if you want to get or turn in a mission. Please bring this wherever you go."


    "I know. Is there anything else I need to know about the organization?"C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Our organization is simr to the Demon Banner Army. We have many branches all around the kingdoms for two reasons. First, we want to keep the nobles and other parties like the Tower Association and the Demon Banner Army in check. Second, the branches can be used as a rest spot for the inquisitor.


    "Each branch is equipped with a few rooms to rest if you don''t have enough money or want to save some money. Of course, it''s not mandatory to use the rooms. If you don''t like it, you''re free to use the inns, though, we won''t cover it for you."


    "How do I be a tinum Inquisitor?" Anna asked.


    "That''s simple. You just have to finish the missions. I''m sure you have seen it beforeing to this room. In the hall, you should have seen the big board with a lot of papers sticking to it. That is the request board.


    "The missiones from nobles or wealthy merchants. As for the missions, they cane in various types such as escorting and so on. You''ll be paid in points if youplete the mission."


    Anna thought for a moment and asked, "What if the clients are asking something ridiculous?"


    "¡­" The Branch Manager knew what Anna was thinking. Since they were the employer, they had more rights than them.


    And it was especially true when the royal family was messing with Anna. In other words, they might take advantage of this situation to request an atrocious thing.


    However, the Branch Manager couldn''t do anything other than say ording to the rule, "Unless you are a Gold or tinum Inquisitor, you''re the only one who will choose your mission. So, there''s no pressure from my side.


    "Of course, there will be a penalty if you choose to abandon the mission. So, if your employer is asking a ridiculous thing, you only have two options: suck it up or quit the mission."


    Anna frowned. This wasn''t something eptable in the Demon Banner Army. At the very least, the Demon Banner Army would back their people up in case a case like this happened.


    On the other hand, the organization was a dirtier ce than the army. They didn''t support each other. Even your ten-year best friend would stab you in the back if the opportunity arrived.


    Anna knew exactly what was going to happen to her.


    She couldn''t help but close her eyes, muttering inwardly, ''Now that I don''t have Noel with me, I feel a bit scared to go forward. One misstep might destroy me.


    ''In my past life, I never experienced something like this because I was too ignorant to know what was happening behind the scenes. And the result was my death.


    ''This time, I have to go through all this, beating all those dirty people in their own game. If not, Noel would be able to surpass me effortlessly.


    ''That''s not going to happen. In this life, I''m going to stand at the top with Noel and unravel the connection between the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization. I''m going to bring the kingdom to its golden age while making sure no one can control or betray me.''


    Anna took a deep breath and said, "Alright. I understand the mission. Onest question, since our purpose is to keep the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association in check, shouldn''t we have an espionage system that can track them?"


    "Of course, we do. Though, you might need to get some points to exchange the information. Also, I can''t guarantee you if their information is correct or not."


    "It''s enough. I know what to do in this ce. For now, I''m going to get some rest before doing my first mission." Anna took the badge and stood up, preparing to leave.


    The Branch Manager couldn''t help but pity her. He never expected that the most talented person in the kingdom would be in this situation.


    ''The greater the light, the darker its shadow. As expected, the more overwhelming her talent is, the more those people are afraid of her. They''re trying to control her¡­'' The Branch Manager sighed.


    Even if he didn''t agree with this, he couldn''t do anything.


    Anna didn''t bother to ask for his opinion either. She simply left the bar without talking to anyone.


    Her father left her some money for her. He even promised to provide her with enough money so that she could focus on getting the points. So Anna didn''t need to think too much.


    She rented the greatest inn in the capital city that cost a lot of fortune a night. But since she was here only for a day, she should get the best service. Noel said the same thing.


    "Noel. Why do you get the best inn? You don''t have much money left."


    "Haha, it''s fine. There are two options normally: a good, affordable inn or the best, most expensive inn. To be honest, I prefer the former if I know the area around. But in an unknown area where my life is on the line, I''ll get the best inn.


    "Although it''s expensive, they guarantee my safety and have a lot of things to reduce my fatigue. Of course, don''t let your guard down even with all the services."


    Anna recalled that conversation while rxing in her hot tub.


    "Noel might be ignorant in fighting knowledge such as swordsmanship or spirit. But he''s surely knowledgeable about other things. I''ll take advantage of all the advice I''ve ever heard and escape from their scheme."

 Chapter 397 Realization

    One monthter.


    Under the waterfall sat down a young man with ck hair. He had been meditating under the beating of water for a while. Despite the height of the waterfall, the young man maintained his inner peace as if he had gotten used to the pain.


    A middle-aged man came near the water while calling him. "Young Master. It''s been a month. It''s time for you to go back."


    Noel gradually opened his eyes while raising his right hand. The Spiritual Energy around his arm began to form a shield that blocked the water.


    He had undergone a lot of training during the past month. It was hard but fulfilling. Although he could only use a bit of Soft Approach, the shield was proof that it was only a matter of time before he mastered it.


    He jumped from under the waterfall to the ground in a single leap.


    "I see. It''s been a month." Noel muttered while walking to the side, getting his clothes back.


    "Yes, Young Master." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression. He had nothing but praise for Noel.


    Noel''s ability might have soared to Spirit Wielder, but because of his rapid progress, he didn''t have too much time to consolidate his strength.


    So, the only thing they did was fix Noel''s mistakes in his movement, correct his Spiritual Energy control, and give him some knowledge about everything, especially survival and battle.


    During that time, Noel absorbed all the knowledge like a sponge. Even though no one taught him the basics, he had a solid foundation in his swordsmanship.


    Although Noel had learned it through the system, Dimitri still managed to catch a few mistakes in it. That was probably the reason why his swordsmanship was still level 8 instead of 15.


    At the same time, Dimitri praised his ability in the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. Even he didn''t expect Noel was able toe up with this unique swordsmanship by himself.


    But he was assured because the swordsmanship had a good foundation and limitless potential.


    In fact, he enjoyed teaching Noel. Unlike the past, where Noel waszy, the current young master was hardworking.


    He thought it was impossible for Noel to change so easily. So, he believed Noel never changed.


    He was diligent but in a different area. Even though he had beenzing around, his father was still impressed by how smoothly Noel talked to him.


    At first, he thought Noel was just smart. But he soon realized that when Noel was lying on the maid''sp, just enjoying the weather, he was actually thinking.


    That was right. Noel might lookzy, but he was working hard by thinking about all kinds of things. He came up with a lot of answers in his thoughts. Thus, the reason why Noel looked knowledgeable in noble''s knowledge and tactics.


    Luke gave him a little bit of knowledge and Noel simply developed all that idea, creating numerous possibilities. This was the reason why Noel was able toe up with a lot of ns and even outsmarted other people. He had gotten used to thinking about it for a long time.


    When Dimitri realized it, he couldn''t help but feel apologetic for thinking Noel was just azy young master.


    He even doubted whether Noel could be a good lord or not. In the past, Luke always told him that Noel was the only person who could seed the Ardagan Family. No matter if he had many children, Noel was the only one who could develop the Ardagan Family. And now, he could see it was true.


    "What is it?" Noel asked while putting on his shirt. "You have been daydreaming a lot recently."


    "That''s¡­" Dimitri thought for a moment. On the one hand, he wouldn''t be able to easily meet Noel since he didn''t want Noel to rely on him a lot. On the other hand, he acknowledged Noel''s status as Luke''s sessor.


    Hence, Dimitri said, "Young Master. If you wish to call me, please raise your left hand like this."


    Dimitri raised his left hand. He pulled down his ring and middle finger so that only his forefinger and pinky were pointing upward.


    "I''ll appear and solve your problem when you do it. However, please remember this one thing¡­ The more you use my help, the less I''ll respect you." Dimitri took a deep breath. "Master always said I can respect him if what he''s doing is worthy of being respected.


    "And currently, you have the ability to seed the Ardagan Family, albeit you still haven''t reached that level yet. That''s why I''ll protect you and help you in secret, but this is also a test for me.


    "I''d like to see the young master''s determination as the lord of the Ardagan Family. If you have be my master, then I won''t hesitate to help you in all kinds of situations, but right now¡­"


    When Noel heard it, he waved his hand as if treating it as no big deal. "You don''t have to worry about it, Dimitri. I''m not nning to rely on you to solve my problem. I know that I have been ignorant and need you to help me, but from now on, I''ll solve my problem by myself.


    "I''ll show you that I''m worthy of being your lord. And when I reach that point¡­" Noel paused while ncing at Dimitri as if asking him to finish his sentence.


    Dimitri smiled and fell to one knee. "When that happens, I shall recognize you as my lord. If you wish to assassinate the king, I will dly throw away my life to aplish that objective. No matter who you want to kill, I''ll go through fire and water to fulfill your wish."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Noel smiled and stated, "What are you talking about? You are not an assassin anymore, Dimitri."


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in surprise and raised his head.


    "You''re the butler of the Ardagan Family, Dimitri, not the Demon Assassination Squad''s Captain, Shadow. I don''t need your help to assassinate someone. Instead, I need you to help with the household''s affairs, take care of my future children, and witness how far I can go. Isn''t that right, Butler Dimitri?"


    Dimitri was dumbfounded. He couldn''t help but recall the time he pledged his loyalty to Luke.


    At that time, Luke only said, "I''m not worthy of your loyalty. But since you offer it to me, I''ll dly take it. However, remember this, Dimitri. In the future, there will be a person who is worthy of being your master¡­ But before that time arrives, please take care of my child."


    Luke looked down, stroking baby Noel''s head as if implying he was the one Luke was talking about.


    Although it was only an image, Dimitri couldn''t help but feel excited because¡­ that image mighte true one day.

 Chapter 398 New Guy

    Demon Relief Squad.


    "What do you mean we''re going to ept another person here, Captain?" Ste shouted while mming the table. She still couldn''t forget about Noel, so she didn''t have the heart to ept another person.


    ra, on the other hand, wanted to say the new person was Noel but with an alternate identity. But she thought it would be amusing if they realized it themselves, so she didn''t say anything about it.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    It was a good payback for Noel, who made her Zero Squad like this and created more trouble for her since she had been going back and forth to the headquarters. Of course, she took into ount his contribution to saving her Zero Squad. So, she just let him settle everything with them.


    "I''ve got the rmendation letter from themander himself. It seems that themander has been suppressing the information about him.


    "ording to what I''ve heard, this guy is quite good as well. He has a connection with a Master cksmith. He''s slightly older, but his strength has reached Spirit Wielder recently.


    "If Noel and Anna weren''t in this generation, he would undoubtedly be the first rank. His talent seemed to be simr to Septa''s. Other than that, he had saved people too, so he was quite fitting with our squad."


    "Another Spirit Wielder? Since when has the Demon Banner Army received a lot of talented people?" Paul frowned, feeling something was wrong.


    ra shrugged. "I don''t know. Though, his identity is truly a problem. If his identity is revealed, I''m afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization will hunt him down. So, make sure you don''t reveal his identity."


    "What? He''s a target of the Supreme Devil Organization?" Paul looked down, contemting. There were a lot of reasons why one could be the organization''s target.


    But more importantly, for him to be targeted as soon as his name was heard meant he was already on the ''must-kill'' list of the organization.


    Since he had to protect his group, Paul couldn''t help but ask, "Do we have the power to protect him or something? What should we do if his identity is known to others? We can''t really abandon him, right? I''m sick of losing a goodrade."


    ra nodded. "Of course, you don''t have to protect him or something. If you want to do it, you''re free to do it. But you don''t have an obligation to risk your life for him. As long as you''re not deliberately revealing his information, that is enough."


    "I see." Paul nced at Ben. "What do you think, Ben?"


    "I don''t really mind. From the looks of it, this guy doesn''t seem to be nning to stay with us for a long time. In fact, I feel like he''s using us as his stepping stone. So, why not?"


    ra raised her finger as if remembering something. "That''s right. He wants to be a noble, so you can say that way."


    "I see. It''s not that weird for someone wanting to be noble." Ben nodded in agreement. "By bing a Vice Captain, you can receive a baron title from the kingdom if you choose to join the nobility. If you are a Captain, you''re equal to a count. Even better if you''re among the strongest captains since you can be an Earl. Above that, it''s better if you marry into the royal family."


    "Yeah. Since we''re only stepping stones, there''s no need to get attached so deeply." Paul agreed. He didn''t want to feel so down like after losing Noel again, so he chose to put some distance from this new guy.


    "When is heing?" Zion asked.


    "It should be around this time. We''re staying in this Roro Town for another five days. He should reach here within those five days."


    "Got it."


    They nodded. Though, Ste was showing her displeasure the whole time. No matter if this was a stepping stone or not, Ste still couldn''t get over Noel''s death.


    Still, the one who got hit the hardest wasn''t Ste. It was Rose.


    Noel had fulfilled her revenge even if it cost him his life. He was even the first one to suggest the revenge n. Her feelings for Noel were much deeper than anyone else here.


    When she saw Noel''s death, Rose didn''t leave her room for a whole week.


    The moment she heard about this new guy, she just remained silent as if she was devoid of emotion. She just couldn''t bring herself to be attached to anyone else, thinking she would just kill them.


    If she didn''t share her story, Noel''s death wouldn''t have happened.


    After that announcement, she simply stood up and left the tent.


    "Oi, Rose! Where are you going?" Paul asked her since ra was still with them.


    However, Rose didn''t say anything.


    "That''s fine, Paul." ra shook her head, letting her go.


    "Well, I can kind of understand her feeling right now. She has been ming herself for Noel''s death, saying this wouldn''t have happened if Noel didn''t think about her revenge." Jonathan let out a long sigh.


    "We can only give her some time. Hopefully, she will be able to recover soon." Paul nodded with a heavy heart.


    There was actually one thing they didn''t expect. It was a meeting between Noel and Rose.


    Rose had just left the tent, walking aimlessly for a while to get some air. She just wanted to calm her heart.


    "Huu¡­ I was rude again to the captain and the others¡­" Rose let out a long sigh. She didn''t want to cause problems for them, but she just couldn''t help it.


    She leaned on a tree while staring into the sky, thinking about how to get over Noel''s death and stop causing trouble for the rest of the squad.


    It was at this time she heard someone''s footsteps.


    She nced to the side, finding a young man wearing a masquerade. He had short blond hair and a pair of blue eyes. His sword was white.


    He was theplete opposite of Noel, who had dark hair and a ck sword. Yet, her instinct was telling her it wasn''t their first encounter.


    Both of them involuntarily locked into each other''s eyes.


    At that moment, something clicked in their mind.

 Chapter 399 Reunion

    Noel thought no one would be able to recognize him, at least with just a single nce. However, he might have severely underestimated Rose''s senses.


    She instantly picked all the details with her eyes. The different colors in his eyes, hair, and sword, but a simr body figure. There might be one more thing so detailed that Noel forgot to match so that Rose couldn''t see through him.


    It was his movement. Yes, Rose could see the familiar way of walking. It wasn''t something other people could easily pick, but Rose saw all those details just from a nce.


    The moment their eyes met, all the clues clicked in her head, pinpointing the identity of this person.


    Yes, even though he was different, Rose knew the person standing before her was Noel.


    Desperate, she jumped forward and tackled Noel to the ground, refusing to let him go anymore.


    Noel was startled because he didn''t expect Rose to pounce on him. He ended up falling to the ground with Rose on top of him.


    "Wait, what? Who are you? What are you doing?!" Noel asked in panic with a slightly heavier tone to match his disguise. "Hurry up and release me. Who are you?!"


    "Noel," Rose called his name.


    Noel''s heart skipped a beat. However, he tried not to show it in his action as he shouted, "If you don''t move away, I''m going¡ª"


    He couldn''tplete his words when he felt something touch his cheek. It was wet.


    In that instant, he raised his head and saw Rose''s face, filled with tears.


    "Why are you crying, woman? Hurry up and release me!" Noel shouted, gritting his teeth.


    "Even if you''re using a disguise, I will always know who you are." Rose smiled. "This might be one of the rare times that I''m so d I have these senses¡­"


    "What are you saying? I don''t understand. Who is Noel?! You must have got the wrong person. I am¡ª"


    Again, Rose lowered her head, resting it on Noel''s chest. Her body was trembling and her shaking hands held Noel''s hands. Relief and fear, happiness and sadness, all of them mixed in her heart.


    With a coarse tone, she uttered, "I''m d¡­ I''m d. Thank god¡­ you''re alive. I¡­"


    Noel''s body shook a bit. This was the first time he saw Rose break down. In fact, he was aware that Rose might be hit the hardest by his n, but Noel couldn''t do anything because he had to ensure his life as well.


    Still, when seeing Rose like this, Noel began to doubt whether it was alright for him to continue lying to her. She was supposed to find out his identity sooner orter after all.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    He contemted whether it was alright to admit it or not since it was best for the rumor about his death to keep spreading for a bit longer.


    Ultimately, Noel let out a long sigh and said in his original voice. "Ah, I give up!"


    Rose''s body shivered when she heard that voice. She was convinced this person was Noel before, but she hadn''t confirmed it. But when the other party had admitted it, she felt relieved that he was the right person.


    She hurriedly tightened her grip as if refusing to let Noel go, afraid he would truly leave her for good this time.


    Noel checked Rose''s condition once again before saying, "I''m sorry, Rose. I didn''t want to hurt you like this, but I had no choice but to do it. Well, I''ll exin it to you, but can you keep it a secret from the others for the time being? I''ll also give you the reason for that."


    "Mhm¡­" Rose nodded weakly but still refused to let him go.


    ? Noel scratched the back of his head as he tried to push his body upward. Surprisingly, Rose also matched the movement even though she still buried her head in his chest.


    ''It seems that it was too much for her. Maybe I should let Ste witness it instead¡­ But if I let anyone else witness my death, Anna would be in danger¡­ Well, I can understand why she is like this.'' Noel gradually stood up before holding Rose''s hand. "Sorry, Rose. But with this, I can''t go anywhere now."


    Rose''s body shook before she nodded, knowing he meant she was holding his hand now, so she didn''t need to fear him leaving again.


    "Well, let''s go somewhere else to talk. Since I''m not used to this area, do you mind showing me a ce where we can talk without being found out?" Noel asked with a gentle tone.


    Rose nodded timidly and turned around as fast as possible, not wanting to show Noel her face. She gently pulled him to another spot where she usually cried by herself.


    It seemed she was embarrassed by the earlier outburst. She had been a cool elder sister to Noel in the group, so showing that side of her to Noel was the same as breaking her character.


    After reaching the area, Rose sat down on the ground while covering her face with her knees. Though, she didn''t let go of his hand.


    Noel made a sad smile before saying, "Well, there is a lot to exin. But I''ll try to make it as brief as possible. So, where do I start¡­"


    Noel began to tell her the whole story about how his life was at risk. The only reason he disguised himself like this was to fool them. And his death had to be done and witnessed so that the information spread.


    He also gave her the reason for choosing her. He just never expected that the Blood Berserker was the target of her revenge. That was why the impact hit her more than Noel originally expected.


    After listening to his reasons, Rose couldn''t really bring herself to me Noel. If he didn''t do that, he would die sooner orter but in a more tragic way.


    Of course, Noel also med himself for her current state. He knew he had his reason, but it didn''t change the fact that he had hurt her like this.


    Noel ended his exnation with, "Sorry, Rose, for making you go through everything. And thank you¡­"

 Chapter 400 Roses Decision

    After listening to his story, Rose could finally raise her head again, staring into his eyes.


    "Mhm¡­ I thought I would lose you forever."Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "I won''t make any excuses. If you wish to hit me, then don''t hesitate. I won''t me you for it." Noel put on a gentle smile while spreading his arms as if inviting her in.


    Rose shook her head. "No. I don''t hate you or me you for this. I can understand everything after your exnations.


    "You were the one to bring the idea of revenge and fulfill it even if it cost you your life. I felt helpless this whole time for not being able to help you after you''d done so much for me.


    "I''d talked big by saying I would pamper you after all this, but I never had the opportunity to do so. I was just afraid that I couldn''t repay you."


    Rose was thankful to everyone on the team for helping her in the revenge. But Noel''s contribution was on a whole different level. It became even higher when she considered Noel a Spirit Wielder while the others were Spirit Masters or even a Grandmaster.


    With that weak strength of his, he overcame all the challenges and fulfilled her revenge. That was why Rose felt this indebted to Noel.


    Noel shook his head and said, "You don''t have to repay me. I actually pretty much like the Zero Squad. You treated me, an outsider, like your own family. I couldn''t help but feel the same way.


    "You are like my family, Rose. So, I won''t hesitate to do things for you. That''s how much the Zero Squad matters in my heart." Noel smiled. "Besides, everything wouldn''t have worked properly if I had missed any of you.


    "Without you, we wouldn''t be able to notice the enemies among the people. There wouldn''t be anymunicationwork in the group as well.


    "So, please don''t think too much. You''ve helped me¡­ helped us enough."


    "That''s not it." Rose furiously shook her head. "This and that are different. I''m not talking about us or the Zero Squad. I''m talking about you and me as individuals.


    "You''ve done a lot for me as an individual. I want to help you." Rose looked down for a moment. "I have been thinking about what I can do to help you during the past month if you are still alive.


    "And after seeing you here, I seem to have found the answer." Rose smiled, staring into his eyes. "Do you mind if you take me under your wing?"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes, startled. "Under my wing?"


    "Yes." Rose nodded with a serious expression. "I''ve heard from the introduction the headquarters gave about you. It seems that you''re trying to reach either Vice Captain or Captain position this time to be a noble and rebuild your family.


    "That''s why¡­ When you''re retiring after reaching your position to be a noble, I''ll do the same and follow you.


    "Though, in the premise, you still want to ept a Spirit Master who can''t even fight." Rose made an awkward smile, embarrassed for herck of strength.


    Thatck of strength was theplete opposite in Noel''s eyes. He was shocked beyond belief that Rose would be a part of the Ardagan Family.


    From Noel''s perspective, Rose was the smartest among the original Zero Squad. She had good judgment and was a hard worker. She even focused on the very details.


    If everything went ording to his n, Dimitri would submit to him and be his right-hand man.


    What hecked was someone like Rose. If Rose actually followed him, Noel would gain a left hand. He didn''t need Rose to fight since Dimitri would take care of it.


    He needed her to help him with all his work as a noble like a secretary. She might not possess an overwhelming strength, but her strength as a Spirit Master was enough to protect herself.


    There was no secretary as capable as her.


    That was why Noel was shocked when Rose volunteered to follow him.


    He couldn''t help but ask, "Are you sure about this? We''re talking about your future, you know. If you continue on the Zero Squad, you might receive a lot of benefits and could be a noble yourself¡­"


    Rose shook her head. "I have put a lot of thought into this. I might be able to be a noble myself¡­ Or at the very least, marry into a noble household. However, that''s not something I want.


    "I might be amoner, but it doesn''t mean I have no pride. For others, marrying into a noble household might be the best goal. But for me, it''s nothing but a burden.


    "I don''t wish to be someone''s possession whose sole purpose is to make them shine. I want them to know me not as a certain noble''s wife¡­ but as Rose. That''s why if you don''t mind, would you like to take me under your wing."


    "Joining me might make you lose your wings¡­ There is a chance that you will lose your name." Noel was implying that she might be nothing but an average person whose life had nothing to be remembered. "In fact, you might even lose your life by following me¡­ I have told you the reason."


    But Rose shook her head. "I know it''s dangerous. I know the risks. However, this is a decision I''ve made. Please, Noel."


    Noel closed his eyes, contemting. On the one hand, he didn''t want Rose to choose him. After all, his path was filled with big rocks, while her current path was smooth sailing. On the other hand, he had to consider that this was a decision Rose made herself.


    After a few minutes, Noel extended his life. "I''m looking forward to being with you. I can''t promise you anything right now, but I will continue to strive for a better future for my own household. For that, I need you, Rose."


    Rose smiled and took Noel''s hand without hesitation.


    In that instant, Ardagan sent a notification to Noel.


    [Mission: Help Rose''s Revenge.]


    [Description: Kill the Blood Berserker with whatever means.]


    [Reward: Rose''s Loyalty.]

 Chapter 401 Coming Back To The Zero Squad

    Noel didn''t expect Rose would be like this after that revenge. Of course, he didn''t really mind, considering he managed to get the best person to be his secretary.


    In fact, getting Rose''s loyalty was beyond any reward that the system could give him in his current state.


    Though, he had a concern with this reward.


    While they were walking to their camp, Noel couldn''t help but ask Ardagan. ''What''s with the reward earlier? Why can you give Rose''s loyalty as a reward? Do you use your power or something to take over her mind?''


    He wanted Rose''s loyalty, but he didn''t want it toe at the expense of mind control. Rose had the right to make a decision for herself, so Noel had to confirm this.


    Fortunately, what he feared didn''te, as Ardagan replied.


    [No. I didn''t do anything.]


    ''If you didn''t do anything, how do you exin her loyalty? Is it purely coincidence that she bes like this? And how is it rted to the unknown reward?


    ''You''re not telling me that the unknown reward is simply because you aren''t sure of the reward, right? You aren''t sure by how Rose acts, so you put that unknown reward and if she doesn''t give me her loyalty or a reward that is equal to the mission, you''re going topensate me or something¡­''


    Noel just expressed his thoughts, but surprisingly, Ardagan agreed.


    [Yes. I could give you missions like what you''ve seen before, but even I can''t predict human action.]


    ''Even though you can predict the future?''


    [Fate is predestined, but your action is not.]N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ''What do you mean by that? Shouldn''t my action have been destined?''


    [Fate is a kind of numerous possibilities. Those possibilities have been set like that, thus calling it Fate. But your action is not, you can stop walking right now and end up in different possibilities or you can walk here while opening your mask, getting into another possibility.]


    [In other words, you choose your action, but what happens next has been destined.]


    ''Ah, so that''s what your words mean. I''m the one choosing which possibility I enter¡­ And those people from the Supreme Devil Organization had chosen to attack the valley while I chose to interfere. So, they''re destined to die¡­''


    [You''re not entirely correct. You could choose to interfere but give up halfway, moving into another possibility.]


    ''I see. So, all people have their own fates. When our Fates are interlinked at one point, that bes a reality. In other words, all of the coincidencese from many people''s fates intertwined with each other. Something like that?''


    [More or less. Fate or Destiny is hard to describe.]


    ''I don''t really want to know to that extent, but I certainly love to learn some basics. After all, I can now understand why you''re able to predict those missions. Also, it seems that the missions can change if there is another variable¡­"


    [Yes.]


    ''I see. That''s enough.'' Noel understood Ardagan a bit more. Ardagan could exin everything to him, but it seemed he wanted him to learn more before exining it.


    If he didn''t grow up, Ardagan wouldn''t give him the information. Sometimes, being ignorant could save someone from a lot of trouble. As a noble, he certainly understood it better than anyone else.


    At the very least, he finally understood that Rose''s loyalty came from her directly, not from the interference of others.


    This was enough for him.


    After a while, Noel could finally see the camp they were staying at and say, "From this point onward, it''s better if I go alone. Although it would be nice to have you apany me, they''ll get suspicious, considering you''re still hurt¡­


    "I hope that you can act that way for a while." Noel nced at Rose, asking her to act along with him.


    After understanding Noel''s circumstances, Rose knew why she had to keep her acting.


    She was disappointed she couldn''t do more, but she supported his decision.


    "I understand. I''ll stay here for thirty to sixty minutes before going back."


    "Thanks." Noel nodded and finally walked to the camp, meeting the Zero Squad once again.


    As if feeling his presence, the entire squad came out to meet this new guy, who was supposed to rece Noel and Anna.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes. They seemed to fare better than Rose. At the very least, they didn''t break down from the incident.


    They observed each other. From their perspectives, they could only see a simr figure from Noel but other than that, the rest werepletely different.


    "Is this the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad?" Noel asked with a more casual tone. If he was Noel, he would ask more politely, but because Iadre wasn''t a noble, he had to use a more casual tone with them.


    Hearing his question, Paul nodded and stated, "This is the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad. I am the Vice Captain of the Demon Relief Squad, Paul."


    Noel straightened his back and put his right hand on his chest, dering his name. "Reporting. My name is Iadre. I''m a swordsman and a fire spirit user!"


    Seeing no simrities in his conduct, Paul dropped his suspicion and smiled, "We''ve heard about you from the reports. You would have be the best if Noel and Anna didn''t exist in your generation."


    "I don''t need topare with those monsters. I''ll simply do my tasks and take one step at a time. I don''t care about the reputation as long as I get thestugh."


    "¡­" Paul nodded in understanding. As he said, he didn''t need any recognition as long as he got thestugh. That was the reason why he bothered to use a disguise.


    So, Paul exined, "Well, you''ll be with us most of the time. There is one more person who has some matters to take care of. Also, I don''t know if you have heard about it, but Anna and Noel were supposed to be with us if not for a certain ident. So, if possible, don''t ask more about it."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 402 Sparring

    Paul nced at his group before saying, "You''ll be with me for the time being. Follow me and learn about what we''re doing. If you don''t understand anything, don''t hesitate to ask. We''ll do our best to exin it to you."


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Since you''ve known about it, I wee you to the Zero Squad, Iadre." Paul extended his hand. The reception was slightly different than previously, but considering what happened during thest mission, he could understand why they wanted to get some distance from him.


    They didn''t want to be hurt in case an ident happened again. Just like Noel, Iadre was also targeted by people.


    So, Noel could feel they were treating him as a teammate, not a friend or family.


    Although he deserved it, Noel still felt a bit sad and angry at himself for even using that n.


    Noel shook Paul''s hand with a smile. "Yes. Thank you for weing me. I hope I can learn a lot from you."


    "Since we''re done, we would like to know about your abilities first so that we don''t give any instruction to do tasks beyond your levels to avoid incidents. And let''s do it as quickly as possible¡­" Paul thought for a moment and nced at Noel. "Do you think you''re up for a spar?"


    "A spar?"


    "Yes. I know you''re pretty tired after your trip, but we can help you more after learning about your strength."


    "I don''t really mind to be honest. I''d like to know about the strength of the Zero Squad as well." Noel nodded with a serious expression. Although he knew their power after fighting together, he never fought against them. This would be a perfect chance for him to understand how far he had gotten after consolidating his power.


    Paul nced at the other members and asked, "So, who would want to test him? Since he is also a swordsman¡­ Do you want to do it, Ste?"


    Ste had some prejudice against new members, thinking there was no one who was as good as Noel. But since she was the only one who used swords, except for Ben who could use anything but wasn''t good at any of them as well, she believed she should fight Noel to understand his ability.


    "I don''t mind." Ste agreed. "The battle limit will be fifteen minutes. You should use all your strength within those fifteen minutes so that we can measure your abilities."


    "I understand. Please take care of me." Noel nodded and gently pulled his sword out.


    "¡­" Paul felt a bit nostalgic when seeing that white sword with a blue stripe. It reminded him of Noel''s ice. In fact, this sword would look better if Noel was the one wielding it.


    However, Noel released a ck me in his left hand after that. The contrast between the white sword and the ck me was so ring that it hurt to watch.


    Seeing Noel had finished his preparation, Ste pulled out her sword and asked, "You should know about the Spirit Levels, right? I''m a Spirit Master, so you don''t need to hold back your strength."


    "If that''s the case¡­" Noel nodded and summoned two runes: Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune.


    "Hmm?" All of them instantly furrowed their eyebrows when seeing these runes. They looked simr to the Spirit Enchantment but even moreplex andpleted.


    Because they were too focused on Noel''s runes, they didn''t realize Rose was watching from afar with her extraordinary senses.


    "What are those? They''re like Spirit Enchantment, but a bit different. He also has ck fire instead of ice¡­ Does that mean he has a spirit with two elements? It''s not unprecedented, but it''s still extremely rare. I can see why he''s being targeted by a lot of big shots.


    "Having two elements, using something simr to Spirit Enchantment, creating unique swordsmanship, and reaching Spirit Wielder at a young age¡­ They have enough reasons to kill Noel. No wonder he''s hiding his identity." Rose sighed, not expecting Noel to be hiding all these abilities. She wanted to see what kind of battle he would show them.


    Noel and Ste exerted their Spiritual Energy as if trying to tell each other they were ready.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The tension began to rise as Noel made his first move.


    He jumped forward with his fastest speed, showing speed far faster than Noel.


    "!!!" Ste widened her eyes in surprise. This would take everyone by surprise and a Spirit Wielder would have a hard time reacting to it. However, Ste was a Spirit Grandmaster.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords collided with each other, stopping each other''s movement.


    "You''re fast¡­" Ste smirked as the adrenaline kicked in.


    "Thank you for thepliments." Noel smiled. He tried to use his strength to overwhelm her, but the sword didn''t budge the slightest. So, he jumped back to gain some distance.


    "You''re not going anywhere!" Ste followed Noel to pressure him. The more Noel was under pressure, the more he would make a mistake after all. And that was where she would finish this sparring.


    ''Yeah, yeah. You''re trying to force me to make a mistake. I know you.'' Noel obviously knew her intention, so he would strike her with something she didn''t expect.


    Noel pointed her left hand toward her as if nning to release the me.


    "The me? No, you can''t hurt me with your me!" Ste smirked and waved her de, releasing a small gale to disperse the fire.


    But before the gale could hit Noel''s arm, Noel summoned the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    *Fwoosh!*


    The wind suddenly scattered in all directions.


    "Hah?!" Ste was surprised, but the one who got shocked the most was Jonathan.


    "Impossible. What is that? It looks like a Spirit Enchantment, but that thing can disperse the wind¡­ No, the Spiritual Energy itself?" Jonathan, who understood Spiritual Energy the most,mented while gasping.


    "What? The Spiritual Energy itself?" The rest couldn''t believe what they heard. Noel''s sword might be able to cut through elements, but Iadre was able to disperse the Spiritual Energy. They didn''t know how all these talented people seemed to gather in one generation.

 Chapter 403 Fighting Stella (1)

    "¡­" Ste was shocked as well, but the battle was still going on. So, she had to focus on the opponent before her. "You have something unique, you know. However, if you think that''s enough, then you''re wrong."


    Ste suddenly jumped forth while swinging her de. "Let''s see how good your swordsmanship is."


    Noel narrowed his eyes. On the one hand, he could block all Ste''s strikes, but if he did it the usual way, Ste might notice it.


    Hence, Noel jumped to the side. Instead of engaging her, Noel left behind a small fire that would touch her sword.


    me Conjuring.


    "Hmm?" Ste frowned, not understanding why Noel escaped instead of fighting her. She hurriedly used her wind to suppress this me, but to her surprise, the moment the two mixed, the me suddenly burst up, devouring the wind.


    "!!!" Ste was dumbstruck while using her wind to throw her to the side. "Kh."


    "What? Ste is pushed back?" Paul narrowed his eyes in surprise. Although Ste looked like she underestimated him a bit, it didn''t change the fact that there was a huge gap between Noel and Ste.


    ''Normally, a me that small would be suppressed by the wind. Just like blowing a candle. However, that me actually devours the wind¡­'' Jonathan analyzed the situation with his extensive knowledge of Spiritual Energy. ''Don''t tell me, the fire is so superior that the wind ends up getting devoured?


    ''Although the wind is weaker than water in case of extinguishing the fire, it still can''t exin how a fire that small can win unless that fire surpasses the elemental advantage itself.


    ''If this is true, then I don''t know what will happen if the fire engulfs a person. There is a chance that the me can''t be extinguished.''


    Jonathan contemted for a moment and shouted, "Can both of you stop the spar for a second? I must confirm something since this is rted to your safety."


    "Huh?" Ste was taken aback. She had just gotten excited by the challenge, but Jonathan destroyed her excitement.


    On the other hand, Noel followed Jonathan''s words, wanting to see what Jonathan had discovered.


    Jonathan looked at Noel and asked, "How strong is your fire? Can you extinguish it in case of an emergency? I can see that your fire is so strong that it can devour the wind, so I have to confirm this before anything big happens.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel thought for a moment and exined, "I can extinguish my fire, yes. Though, you don''t have to worry that much because I''m using my fire at a level where I can stop it before it leaves a scar for the rest of your life."


    "So, that means you have a stronger fire? No, it''s more like you aren''t utilizing your firepletely to avoid an ident?"


    "Yes."


    "It seems that you''re underestimating me." Ste smirked, pretty frustrated by how Noel looked down on her. Noel must think she couldn''t handle that kind of me, so he held back.


    But Paul actually agreed with Jonathan this time. He said, "Shut up for a little bit, Ste."


    "What? Me?" Ste pointed at herself, confused.


    Jonathan asked again, "How much force do I need to use to extinguish your fire? If I don''t know the limit, I''m afraid I can''t let this spar continue."


    "If I use my fire at its full strength, a joint effort from Spirit Masters shouldn''t have any problem in extinguishing my power. Or if possible, you can bring a Spirit Grandmaster here to suppress it. I have tested it on an Advanced Level Demon and it¡­ couldn''t be extinguished."


    "Oh!" Paul and the others were impressed by his statement. It didn''t look like he was lying, so this was worthy of consideration.


    Jonathan, on the other hand, had made a decision. "In that case, you can use the current output for your me. More than that, I have to stop the spar. Understood?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Hmph. If that''s the case, I''ll hold back as well." Ste harrumphed, not wanting to lose.


    Noel shrugged as if he didn''t care. He tried to make a different impression from the Noel in their head, so he had to be as indifferent as possible.


    As soon as the match restarted, Noel took the initiative to attack Ste. He waved his sword to show his raw strength.


    *Clink!*


    The two swords clicked as Ste stopped the sword without budging. No matter how hard Noel pushed it, he couldn''t push her back.


    "Hehe. You¡ª" Ste wanted to show off her strength, but suddenly, Noel''s Spiritual Energy gathered in the tip of his sword. "!!!"


    *Boom!*


    An explosion urred, blowing Ste away and kicking the dust up so that no one could see her.


    This was Noel''s Ignition Sword. It was still useful against Ste as thetter had to form a concentrated wind barrier in front of her to disperse the explosion.


    Ste gritted her teeth. Although the wind barrier managed to absorb most of the damage, her hand still felt numb after that explosion.


    "¡­" Ste realized the man before her might be stronger than she expected. In fact, he might be stronger than the Noel she knew.


    She didn''t realize that Noel had been holding back to a great extent, considering he only used pure Swordsmanship and Ice Ability. Meanwhile, the current him could use the superior spirit, Ardagan, as well as the main supporting ability, his runes.


    Noel took a deep breath and pointed his sword at her.


    Ste narrowed her eyes. It was a clear provocation from Noel''s side, but instead of getting angry again, she took a deep breath and calmed her heart.


    This was the Ste he knew. Although Ste looked rash, the moment she was at a disadvantage, that rash personality of hers suddenly disappeared.


    "I''ve underestimated you. I''m sorry for that. You might have just graduated, but I promise you that I''ll be serious this time. Be prepared." Ste stated with a calm expression.


    Noel released his Spiritual Energy again as if acknowledging her words and preparing for her attack.


    Ste clenched her sword tighter, nning to charge ahead. But the one who made the first move was Noel.


    He turned around and ran away.


    "Wha¡ª!"

 Chapter 404 Fighting Stella (2)

    "Wha¡ª!" Ste was dumbfounded as she became hot-headed again. "What are you doing?"


    She hurriedly chased after him while gritting her teeth.


    It might look like he was running away, but Noel knew Ste''s personality. So, instead of letting her befortable with her serious mode, he would prefer to fight her in this state since she was easier to manipte.


    Noel looped around a tree to use it as a shield.


    "Do you think I will fall for this trick? I know you''re going to use this tree as your shield tounch a sneak attack. All I have to do is to slice it through!" Ste smirked and waved her sword, striking the tree.


    *Clink!*


    "!!!" Ste widened her eyes when she heard the clicking sound. She looked at the tree and realized it was only half-cut. In other words, she couldn''t prate the tree with that swing.


    "What? Although Ste hasn''t used her full power, she shouldn''t have any problem cutting a tree!" Zion gasped.


    "Take a look behind that tree!" Jonathan pointed at the rune behind the tree.


    It was Noel''s Hardening Rune. This was the rune he got afterpleting the previous mission in the valley.


    Yes, he had opened the Spirit Enchantment System, so he could boost everything around him, including the tree.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Now that Ste''s sword was stuck in the tree, Noel looped around and struck her from the opposite side.


    Ste clicked her tongue and formed a wind barrier to block this swing. But as expected, Noel used his Ignition Sword again, sting the wind barrier.


    ''Got her.'' Noel smirked, believing he had hit her with this. It seemed his strategy of riling her up worked.


    "Or so you thought¡­" To his surprise, Ste answered with a light-hearted tone as the wind blew away the smoke from the explosion, revealing Ste''s condition.


    Unexpectedly, Ste was standing next to the tree with her sword fully pulled out from the tree.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned, never expecting this from Ste. He looked back for a second and realized Ste directed the explosion to the sword so that it knocked off the tree. Ste shouldn''t be capable of this feat.


    Ste answered his doubt by saying, "You would have got me if it was a month ago. Thanks to a certain ident, I realized my weakness. If I were not so hot-headed that I ended up overlooking things, I wouldn''t have had to experience all that stuff. That''s why no matter how hot-headed I will be, I''ll keep my mind as cool as possible."


    That was right. Noel wasn''t the only one who had gotten stronger. Ste and all the people in the Zero Squad had tried to fix their mistakes so an ident like Noel''s death wouldn''t happen anymore.


    Rose might be the only one who didn''t have time to get stronger due to not being able to ovee her grief.


    Noel couldn''t help but feel gratified that these people still tried to do their best to improve.


    He took a deep breath and pointed his sword at her neck again, challenging her.


    "Let''s start again, shall we?" Ste smirked and jumped forward, trying to catch Noel off guard by moving before he could run away.


    However, Noel had prepared for this since he used his Sword Fire to block Ste''s sword.


    The wind on Ste''s sword started rampaging as if trying to overwhelm Noel''s fire, not wanting to lose again like earlier.


    Unfortunately for her, the result was still disappointing as she could see her sword reddened as if it was heated up. If this continued, her sword would be soft and eventually be moltenva, so she had to jump back, avoiding the worst thing.


    Noel took advantage of the situation to run away, looping around the tree again.


    "Heh. Do you think the same trick will work on me twice?!" Ste smirked, moving toward the tree. When she was about to strike it, she stopped and looped around to fool Noel.


    At that time, he heard Noel''s voice.


    "Yeah."


    "!!!" Ste''s body trembled as she instinctively ducked down. Suddenly, Noel''s sword cut through the tree, almost slicing her neck.


    ''He faked it this time?'' Ste started sweating, never thinking someone who had just graduated could be this clever.


    Sadly, Noel hadn''t stopped there. Noel had waited for a bit before slicing down the tree because he had prepared another trap for her.


    The ground she stopped earlier had been embedded with a Softening Rune.


    When Ste tried to get up, the ground wobbled, destabilizing her form.


    "What?!" Ste stomped the ground to get more force to stabilize her form, but Noel took this chance to form another rune.


    Chain Bind Rune.


    "A chain this time?" Ste narrowed her eyes and released her wind to deflect the chain. She thought the chains would be packed with a lot of power, but surprisingly, the wind easily carried them away. "Huh?! The chains aren''t that powerful?"


    Ste was confused for a moment, but she didn''t know the chains ended up hitting two trees behind her. Noel had nted a Softening Rune on those two trees, so when the chains hit them, it would crush the trunks and the trees would end up falling in her direction.


    "!!!" Ste turned around and created a wind barrier to blow away the trees, thinking, ''This new guy is amazing. He is utilizing that weird power that looks like a Spirit Enchantment to confuse me. Because I don''t know the meaning behind them, I end up like this.


    ''If hebines with the extraordinary me, he won''t be an easy opponent. As long as he gets more experience and more Spiritual Energy to advance to a Spirit Master, I''m afraid I won''t be his opponent.


    ''Though, the battle is not over. I have to get up and chase him aga¡ª'' She suddenly stopped her thought when she realized Noel had raised his hand as if giving up.


    "I have done everything to show my strength. I believe this is enough, so¡­ let''s end it here."


    Veins bulged on Ste''s forehead. Noel had excited her this much with her power, yet, he left right after. If she could hit him right now, she wouldn''t hesitate to do so.


    "You bastard!"

 Chapter 405 Count Swirzel

    Zelez Town.


    Anna was sitting on her bed while looking at the paper in her hand. "Hmm, the mission this time is about the embezzlement. Well, it shouldn''t be that hard, I guess."


    It had been a month since he joined the organization. So, he had gotten used to living in this kind of environment.


    "What should I worry about is this."


    Requirement: Three Bronze Inquisitors.


    "I have been getting a lot of missions in the past month, so I will rank up after this mission. After bing a Silver Inquisitor, I will have an easier time meeting Noel two monthster," Anna muttered while sighing as if she was a bit tired after aplishing many missions in a short time.


    "I guess I''ll see who will be my teammates this time." Anna smirked. "I bet they''re going to target me again. Considering the mission this time to demand the money back from Count Swirzel.


    "He has done a lot of dirty business with a neighboring kingdom, so the kingdom has lost a lot of money in taxes.


    "But if I were the Royal Family, I would promise him a tax write-off as long as he could corner me. In other words, the two inquisitors beside me would probably be the people they sent to either help me or help the Count.


    "Well, to think I would be able to see all this pretty easily¡­ Maybe I should thank Noel since he always told me to ask ''why'' in every situation and every answer." Anna smirked. "Alright. Let''s make them think I''m clueless."


    While Anna was preparing her n, the Count received the letter Anna sent on behalf of the organization.


    The Count frowned after seeing the letter since he also received another letter with the royal seal.


    Anna''s letter was simple as she only demanded somepensation for the embezzlement. On the other hand, the letter with the royal seal asked him to use any means necessary to put Anna in a bad situation.


    He had to be a bad guy that would be defeated by the inquisitor. Everything would be done secretly, so his reputation wouldn''t be tarnished and any real damage wouldn''t be done. In addition, the Count would receive a pardon for all the embezzlement.


    The Royal Family truly paid a lot to make Anna bow down to them.


    The Count thought for a moment before smiling. "Although the opposite party is the daughter of Marquis Stargaze, a figure that I couldn''t touch no matter what, the one asking me this time is the royal family.


    "They have promised that Marquis Stargaze won''t be able to do anything to me. There is no demerit in this n. I just have to use my influence to arrange a few experts¡­ normal thugs can''t be used since Anna Stargaze has be a Spirit Wielder. So¡­"


    The Count narrowed his eyes and stood up, walking toward the barrack. This was his personal army, but the Count knew it was impossible to mobilize them, especially against a Spirit Wielder like Anna.


    However, there was one person that should be able to fight against Anna. He walked toward a middle-aged man who supervised the training.


    "Sir." The middle-aged man bowed to him, greeting the Count.


    Count Swirzel nodded and asked, "I have a task for you."


    "What is it, Sir? For you to personally ask me¡­"


    "The opponent this time is a Spirit Wielder. You are a peak Spirit Wielder, only one step away from Spirit Master. So, you should be able to defeat a Spirit Wielder, right? Especially a brat who doesn''t have too much experience."


    "A brat?"


    "Yes. There will be three Inquisitorsing here. Two of them are our allies, but one of them is Anna Stargaze."


    "Stargaze as in Stargaze Family?" The middle-aged man frowned.


    "Yeah. That Stargaze Family. I know you''re afraid of offending them, but this is an order from an even higher position." The Count nodded. "That''s why I want you to work together with two of them to corner Anna Stargaze and get defeated. Don''t worry. You might get some superficial injuries, but I''ll make sure topensate you properly."


    "But Sir¡­"


    "One thousand gold coins and five women you like."


    The middle-aged man suddenly fell silent before saying, "Consider it done."


    "Wait until the other party makes contact with you." The Count patted the man''s shoulder a few times before walking away.


    A Count would have a hard time employing a Spirit Master. So, a peak Spirit Wielder like him was a great catch. That was why he had given him a lot of things to keep the man here.


    Their rtionship was purely transactional. The Count gave him a lot of money and women for him to aplish a difficult task.


    But the result was usually satisfying.


    Anna might be a Spirit Wielder, but in his eyes, there was no way a 16 years old girl would be able to do many things. Herck of experience would prove to be fatal since the man had done a lot of dirty work during his stay with the Count Family.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    The two Inquisitors even came to help the Count, so he believed the mission was nothing but assured.


    The Count only needed to sit down and rx while watching how his subordinate reported thepletion of the mission. After that, the royal family would forget about the embezzlement.


    "Still, an inquisitor, huh." The Count frowned. "An inquisitor is the kingdom watchdog. They''re dealing with smuggling, embezzlement or even uprising. All the kingdom''s tasks that couldn''t be done in a normal way would be done by them.


    "That''s why the Royal Family didn''t care about the people inside the organizations. Even if they were thugs, as long as they werepetent, they would be good inquisitors.


    "To think the most talented person in the kingdom would be thrown to a ce filled with that kind of people¡­


    "I guess the brighter the flower, the more people want to pluck it." The Count closed his eyes, pitying Anna.

 Chapter 406 Newbie

    On the other hand, Anna received information that herpanions had arrived in the city.


    She instantly walked toward the side alley of the inn while crossing her arms, waiting for those two.


    Suddenly, two people wearing a coat that covered their bodies and faces approached her.


    At a nce, Anna could see one of them was a man while the other was female. The male stepped forward and said, "Dog licking a diamond."


    "Can''t understand its value," Anna replied. This was the code for them to recognize each other.


    As soon as they confirmed the code, the two raised their covers, revealing their appearance.


    The man seemed to be in his early thirties. He had short curly hair and energetic eyes. His thin body didn''t seem to pack a lot of power, but there was a knife on his waist. If not for Anna''s sharp eye, no one could see that knife.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    The woman, on the other hand, had short bob hair. Unlike the man, her eyes looked like a dead fish, not interested in doing anything other thanpleting the mission. She held a sword on her back, covered with thick purple cloth.


    The man smiled and introduced himself. "Hello. You must be Anna Stargaze. I have heard a lot of you when visiting the headquarters. My name is Myzik, a Spirit Practitioner, a Bronze Inquisitor.


    "And with me here is Risha, also a Spirit Practitioner and a Bronze Inquisitor. We''re requested by the headquarters to assist you in dealing with the Count''s embezzlement case."


    "I''m looking forward to working with you." Anna nodded with a serious expression. Although she was polite, her eyes were filled with contempt. Yes, the people could see she didn''t like them and thought they weren''t on the same level.


    They had a lot of information about Anna''s behavior, so they confirmed Anna was still the same.


    They didn''t know Anna was thinking something else, ''Spirit Practitioner? Who are you kidding? Both of you are Spirit Wielders¡­ close to Spirit Master. If I''m not wrong, the Count also has a knight captain of the same level. So, they''re nning to suppress me with these three Spirit Wielders. It seems they''re underestimating me a bit.


    ''They should have brought Spirit Master if they n to stop me.'' Anna took a deep breath before asking, "So, who is the leader of this operation?"


    "Since you are a Spirit Wielder, you shall be the leader," Myzik answered without hesitation. "So, I''d like to ask what the n is. I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can talk formally since I''m just amoner who hasn''t learned much about manners."


    Anna nced at him for a while before harrumphing. She said, "We''re going to meet the Count tomorrow to give him an ultimatum. We''ll give him two days to meet our demand. If he can''t meet our demand, we''ll wreak havoc on the Count''s mansion and capture his family."


    "Understood." Myzik nodded in agreement. He nced at Risha and exchanged nods. They seemed to have confirmed something.


    ''Going to the Count to give an ultimatum, if she still has the backing of Marquis Stargaze, the Count will be afraid of her. But she has lost that protection, so the Count won''t care about the ultimatum,'' Myzik thought.


    ''Straight to the family? It''s predictable. As expected, she is an amateur. There is no need for us to fear her.'' Risha had a simr thought, confirming she was still a newbie. She hadn''t known anything about the darkness of the organization.


    It seemed Annapleted her missions because the other party was afraid of her reputation and backers. But since the Royal Family had made its move personally, this would be the end of her.


    "If that''s the case, we shall rest in a nearby inn. Unlike your esteemed self, we don''t have enough money to get a room in the best inn." Myzik exined and politely bowed to him.


    "Go!" Anna snorted, looking down on them like filths.


    Myzik and Risha bowed again and walked away. Risha had an annoyed face, hating Anna''s guts. Myzik, on the other hand, didn''t care much about it since this would be thest time they met her.


    After they were far away from Anna, Myzik said, "The situation is as we expected. She is clearly an amateur. If that''s the case, we''ll do it the usual way."


    "Alright. I''ll be contacting the Count then." Risha nodded.


    "Yeah. I''ll keep a watch on her to make sure she doesn''t do anything." Myzik confirmed the n.


    Unbeknownst to them, Anna was actually smiling after returning to her room.


    "I am a newbie who doesn''t know the darkness of the organization¡­ You two must think that way." Anna made an evil grin. "As expected, this is how Noel operates. He doesn''t know other people''s thoughts.


    "What he knows is that when they arrive in a certain situation, they only have some options to choose from.


    "So, I have to create a situation where those options are predictable even for someone like me.


    "By making them think I''m a newbie, they''ll lower their guard and create a low-level n that will work on a newbie. They don''t know they have been ying in my hand this whole time."


    Anna smirked, feeling a joy that she had never experienced before. She felt like she wanted to shout as loud as possible, releasing the pent-up happiness in her heart just to avoid smiling in front of them.


    "Ah¡­ This must be how Noel felt whenever he tricked me. He was truly built different. To think he could hide his emotion perfectly."


    Annaid down on her bed while staring at the ceiling. She raised her hand as if trying to grasp the sky.


    "Just wait, Noel. Two monthster, I''m going to surprise you when we meet. You won''t be able to trick me anymore. No, wait. I like to work with him¡­ Instead of being tricked, shouldn''t it be¡­ working together as if we understand each other?"


    Anna smiled, expecting a lot of things for the next two months.

 Chapter 407 Scheme

    Count Swirzel''s Mansion.


    There were three people standing in front of each other. They were Count Swirzel himself, the knight captain, and Risha.


    "So, how are you nning to deal with this Anna?" Count Swirzel asked with a serious expression.


    "Before telling you how to deal with her, I''ll tell you about her n first." Risha shook her head.


    The Count thought for a moment and shrugged. "Well, it''s not bad to know what she''s nning to do first."


    "She is going to give you an ultimatum tomorrow before kidnapping your family after the ultimatum ends."


    "Hoh? An ultimatum, it''s a rather straightforward way." Count Swirzel narrowed his eyes. "I thought the organization wouldn''t use an ultimatum to warn me and simply do everything to fulfill your mission even if it means assassinating my family members without any warning."


    "It''s not your ce to speak anything about the organization." Risha red at the Count.


    "Oi¡­" The knight captain tried to stop her rude remark, but the Count simply waved his hand, stopping him to avoid any trouble. Seeing the Count so passive this time, he could only let this matter go.


    "So, what are you nning to do? I''ll cooperate with you."


    "It''s simple. We''ll let that young miss give you an ultimatum. After that, we''re going to set up an ambush where I''ll stab her in the back. After that, my partner will try to defeat you before bringing her away from the mansion.


    "With that condition, she wouldn''t be able to do anything and the rest would be up to the royal family to handle," Risha exined a simple n.


    Since Anna''s n was simple, there was no need for any wicked ns such as poison, assassin, or something along the line.


    The Count contemted for a moment before noticing the same thing. "Still, isn''t this n too straightforward?"


    "It''s enough for a newbie like her." Risha shook her head. "Even if this n doesn''t work, we have three peak Spirit Wielders. If something goes wrong and she notices our n, we''ll surround her and defeat her.


    "At that time, you can y as a bad man and capture her. After that, the royal family will take over the matters."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    The Count didn''t really have any objection to this scheme. Although it was straight, they indeed had the strength to overwhelm Anna.


    Although Anna was also a Spirit Wielder, there was still a gap between a normal Spirit Wielder and a peak Spirit Wielder. All organizations around the world recognized it.


    That was why the Demon Banner Army usually put a peak Spirit Grandmaster in the captain position instead of a normal Spirit Grandmaster like Paul. The same applied to the Supreme Devil Organization, which put the Devil Bishop at the same level as the Demon Banner Army captains.


    They had prepared for the worst, so the n didn''t need to be extremelyplicated. They might even guarantee their sess if they used drugs or something, but the royal family had personally tasked them to make sure Anna didn''t suffer a longsting injury. After all, she had to marry the prince.


    "If that''s the case, you can move from the barrack where the soldiers are staying. I''ll have them standby there." The Count suggested.


    "Why do we have to go there? It is too obvious."


    "I''ll act as a paranoid noble and increase the security of my mansion, fearing her attempts. But there is a link between my mansion to the barrack, which is on the west side of this mansion. I''ll put fewer guards there, thinking the enemy won''t go through a barrack full of soldiers.


    "Since the attempt will go during the night, it''s easy to believe they''re sleeping. So, you can go through there by giving her the information about the ce alone. I don''t think she will go all the way to scout the area." The Count exined.


    Risha frowned, considering the Count''s suggestions carefully. As he said, there shouldn''t be any problem with tricking a newbie like this. If Anna was more experienced, she wouldn''t ept this suggestion. But since Anna had been straightforward this whole time, it didn''t seem to be a bad n. Even if things went wrong, they could simply overwhelm her.


    "Yeah. I think I can ept that suggestion. For now, we''ll go with that. I''ll update the situation if there''s any change and inform you about the date of our attempt."


    "Good." The Count nodded with a serious expression, feeling happy that Anna was ignorant of the world. It would be easy to trick her.


    Unlike the organization, the Demon Banner Army was also a straightforward organization. As long as they had a talent, they would be recognized by them. The rest would be taught after they graduated.


    But Anna left the army after just one month. There wasn''t much for her to learn, especially since the demons didn''t use any kind of schemes most of the time.


    After reaching an agreement, Risha walked away to inform her partner.


    Meanwhile, the Count looked through the window while asking, "What do you think?"


    "She is strong. I can say that she is truly a peak Spirit Wielder. If herpanion is at the same level, then we can suppress a normal Spirit Wielder no matter how talented she is."


    "Since you have said that, I guess I can rest assured now. All we need to do is to confirm her strength tomorrow. So, you''re going to apany me."


    "Understood."


    After that discussion, they all went to make their own preparation to receive Anna.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Anna, apanied by Myzik and Risha, sat in front of the Count.


    She didn''t bother with the Count''s knight, who stood there to protect him as if she had confidence in scaring him.


    The Count was also sweating as if he was scared of her. With a shaking tone, the Count asked, "May I know for what pleasure Miss Anna Stargaze came here?"


    Anna lifted her head, looking down at him. She said with an arrogant tone while handing a piece of paper. "I want you topensate the kingdom for the embezzlement you''ve done. The total is here."

 Chapter 408 Seeing Through The Plan

    "I want you topensate the kingdom for the embezzlement you''ve done. The total is here."


    "This¡­" The Count gulped down while making a weird smile. "Miss Anna. I don''t know what you''re talking about¡­"


    "Embezzlement of Kingdom''s funds, smuggling goods to another kingdom, and tax evasion. We have the evidence. If you don''t pay¡­" Anna narrowed her eyes.


    "This¡­" The Count scratched the back of his head before looking at the paper. The figure written on the paper was bigger than he originally thought.


    Yes, this was the organization''s job. If the royal family took action personally, they might be able to receive a full reward. However, they used the organization to take care of this situation so that they could extort the target.


    For example, the figure written on the paper was actually 1.5 times the amount he had to pay legally.


    Of course, any sane person would try to pay legally instead of getting extorted like this. However, paying this legally would mean they had revealed their own crimes.


    Many people would know about it and they had no choice but to get prosecuted. That was why for the Count''s crime, there was no other way. He had to ept the punishment and pay more.


    Though, if the Royal Family was always this just, they would be hated by a lot of nobles. Even though the organization existed and got all sorts of information for them, they simply stored them and allowed the corrupt nobles to exist.


    It was easier to control them this way. At the very least, they would focus on their corruption instead of thinking about a rebellion. And if they went out of line, the Royal Family would use all the information they had stored to weaken them or even take them out.


    Even the other nobles wouldn''t help them since they knew the royal family had put a blind eye to their corruption for a while.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    No matter how corrupt it was, it didn''t change the fact that the Royal Family had maintained their reign for a thousand years with this system. So, there was no need to make an abrupt change filled with risks.


    The Count also knew about this system, and that was why he had been visited by inquisitors. But this time, the Royal Family didn''t n to destroy him. Instead, they gave him an opportunity to be pardoned as long as they carried out a task for the royal family.


    Obviously, there was no need to think. It was obvious what he chose.


    After seeing the figure, he made an awkward smile and asked, "Are you sure the amount is correct?"


    "That is correct¡­ Unless you''re nning to reveal all your crimes in front of everyone and get prosecuted for it." Anna snorted. "I don''t have too much time to deal with you. I''ll give you two days. Gather the money."


    "This¡­" The Count nced to the side. The knight captain nodded and brought a chest, presenting it to Anna. He opened the chest, revealing gold coins.


    "There are one thousand gold coins inside. Do you think you can let this pass, Miss Anna?"


    "How bold! You dare to bribe an inquisitor?" Anna roared and kicked the chest.


    The Count was trembling in fear as he gulped down. "This¡­"


    Anna gritted her teeth and dered, "You have two days. If you don''t bring me the money, then hehehe¡­ who knows what will happen to your family. Remember, the organization will be watching you."


    The Count was left speechless as Anna abruptly took her leave. Risha and Myzik had no choice but to follow her. However, Risha and Myzik raised a thumbs up on their back to show the Count that everything was going ording to their n, and they had confirmed Anna''sck of experience.


    It would be an easy n this time.


    When they left, the Count had a big smile. All the fear on his expression earlier disappeared without a trace. He nodded to his knight, confirming the n. Even the knight could see how inexperienced Anna was and had no problem with the n.


    ¡­


    As expected, after two days, there was no news about the Count.


    Anna called Risha and Myzik to discuss what they were nning to do.


    "So, what''s the situation?" Anna asked. He had asked them to watch the mansion in the past two days, so she needed their information.


    Risha calmly exined the situation. "The Count seems to be tightening the security around the mansion. However, there is no sight about the money, so we can safely assume that the Count is trying to fight this time."


    "If that''s the case, we need to find a way to kidnap the Count''s family." Anna thought for a moment. "Is there any weak spot?"


    "There is a weak spot. The barrack is connected to the mansion. It seems the Count won''t expect us toe from this ce, considering there are a bunch of soldiers in the barrack. Well, that should be the reason why he doesn''t put many soldiers there.


    "Hence, we can go through there after midnight since most of the soldiers have gone to sleep. Then, we''ll enter the mansion and kidnap the first son of Count Swirzel before leaving in the same way.


    "With that son of his, it''ll be easy to negotiate with the Count, considering he needs a sessor for his household," Risha exined everything, suggesting the n.


    Anna narrowed her eyes as if wondering whether this n would work or not.


    If Anna hadn''t met Noel and learned a lot about him, she would have gone through this n without any suspicion. And without her past life, she couldn''t see through Risha and Myzik''s strengths.


    With all the information presented like this, Anna smiled and agreed to the n. "Alright. We''ll do it tonight. Tomorrow, we''ll meet the Count again and pressure him to give the money."


    "Understood." Risha and Myzik nodded, epting the instruction from Anna.


    "Gather here again at midnight." Anna stated before dismissing them.


    Risha and Myzik left the room, thinking they would seed in their missions without any problems.


    Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they left, Anna was smiling as she had seen through their ns.

 Chapter 409 Sneak Attack

    Anna fixed the ck mask that covered her face. She had a tight body suit that wouldn''t hinder her movement during the mission.


    Only her eyes and hair were visible from the outside. She took a look at herself in the mirror for onest time beforeing out.


    She walked toward the meeting spot, where she found Risha and Myzik wearing simr outfits. They were going to infiltrate the Count''s Mansion, so they had to wear ck suits to match the darkness.


    Now that they had gathered, Anna nodded to them and said, "Let''s go."


    They nodded without hesitation as they followed Anna''s lead toward the barrack.


    Before entering through the barrack, Anna pointed at Risha and said, "Go in first and check the situation."


    Risha epted the task and leaped over the wall to check the situation around. After two minutes, Risha came back and gave a thumbs up to them, signaling them toe in.


    Aftering into the barrack, they instantly walked toward the building, using it as a cover. Meanwhile, Risha briefed them about what she had seen earlier. "There are two guys in the front and one guy in the back. It''s better if we go through the back and knock out that guy before continuing."


    Anna harrumphed. "I can handle both of those soldiers¡­"


    Risha''s body trembled for a moment. She never expected Anna would be this arrogant when it came to a battle. But luckily, Anna added, "Still, it''s better to go to the back this time."


    Anna waved her hand, asking them to move.


    They felt relieved and followed Anna''s instructions. She even gave them the opportunity to go first, meaning they would be able to lead them like they wanted to.


    Without hesitation, Risha and Myzik moved toward the back. The Count had given permission to kill some guards, so Risha didn''t hesitate to appear behind a soldier and slit his throat, killing it.


    After that, she waved her hand, asking them to continue.


    Under Risha''s lead, the group advanced pretty quickly. The barrack was one hundred meters long, considering it hosted around a thousand soldiers. So, they had to make sure to cross this one hundred meters without being spotted.


    They were moving outside the barrack, so it was fine as long as they didn''t make any noise and move near the window.


    But Risha soon stopped when they reached the other end of the barrack. She pointed at the path leading to the mansion.


    "There are only four guards leading to the mansion. Myzik and I can take care of one each¡­ Does Miss have the confidence to take the other two on?"


    "Who do you think you''re talking to? I''m Anna Stargaze. I can do that easily." Anna snorted.


    Risha nodded, ignoring her remark.


    Anna took another look at the guards before releasing her lightning around her shoes to increase her speed.


    As soon as she was ready, Anna took a huge leap toward the furthest guard.


    "!!!" Myzik and Risha were surprised by her speed as Anna covered thirty meters in just a single leap. However, they didn''t know Anna was still holding back since she hadn''t used Rune or even the basic reinforcement.


    Although they wanted to assess Anna a bit more, they couldn''t drag her down for now or their n would go to ruin. They followed Anna''s lead and took down a soldier each before finding Anna already dragging two bodies to the side.


    Anna nced at those two in contempt, feeling relieved they weren''t a burden.


    Since they had finished their task, Anna looked into the distance where the mansion was. Since they had taken care of the four guards here, they only needed to cover another fifty meters distance and one more guard to be able to reach the mansion.


    Because there was only one person left, Anna didn''t hesitate to charge at thisst guy with her de.


    The guy wasn''t looking at her, but he was actually smiling when he felt her presence.


    ''This is thest.'' Anna thought while waving her de.


    But before she could send his head flying, the guy suddenly turned around and unsheathed his de, blocking Anna''s attack.


    *Clink!*


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes and tried to use her strength to push this guy but to no avail. The man didn''t budge at all.


    "It seems that our little inquisitor is confused here." The guy smirked while shouting, "Come out!"


    Suddenly, numerous soldiers gathered in an organized manner as if they had practiced this a few times.


    The soldiers raised their shields while pointing their swords at Anna, nning to stop her.


    "It seems that you''re confused, Miss Inquisitor." The guy smirked and took out his helmet, showing his real appearance.


    "You¡­" Anna''s body trembled because this guy was the one she saw protecting the Count.


    "I know that you''re a Spirit Wielder, but there is a big difference between a normal Spirit Wielder like you and a peak Spirit Wielder like me. I''ll show it to you." The guy raised his sword, nning to take Anna head-on.


    On the other hand, Anna was shaking because her n was seen through. There was no way they would know her n. So, she couldn''t understand what had truly happened.


    "It seems that you haven''t realized it yet. O'' arrogant woman. We already know everything about your n. After all¡­" The guy smirked, looking at her¡­ No, the person behind her.


    "!!!" Anna gasped as she heard Risha''s voice echoing in her ears. "I''ve been telling them about the ns."


    Anna tried to turn her body around and block Risha who was charging with her dagger. Unfortunately for Anna, she was one step toote as the dagger pierced her waist, barely missing her vitals.


    The blood sttered on the ground, but because it missed the vital, Anna wouldn''t die. However, this should be enough to render her useless.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    With this wound, Anna would drop to her knees and get captured¡­ That was what was supposed to happen, but...

 Chapter 410 Crushing The Scheme

    They thought this would be the end of Anna.


    However, the moment she heard Risha''s voice, Anna''s lightning sparked. Even her Spiritual Energy red up, giving her a boost in her speed for a split second.


    Before the dagger hit her, Anna took a step to the side while saying, "He said an overconfident enemy would lower their guard when they''re going for a sure-hit attack. And you''ve just proven his words."


    "Huh?" Risha was dumbstruck as she saw her missing. She nced at Anna before lowering her vision and finding Anna''s de flying toward her body.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the de didn''t hit her stomach and kill her instantly. Instead, the de sliced her legs and made her stumble to the ground.


    "Eh?" Risha was still stunned, processing what had happened. But soon, the sharp pain jolted her mind, showing her the reality.


    "Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Risha screamed in pain while holding her legs.


    Since she was loud, Anna kicked her in the face, knocking her out.


    "Shut up." Anna snorted. "A mere ant dares to sneak on me."


    "What?!" Myzik and the knight captain dropped their jaws. This n should have been perfect and Anna would have been finished by Risha. Yet, the reality was different. Not only did Anna avoid the dagger, but she also defeated Risha, a peak Spirit Wielder.


    "Three peak Spirit Wielders and a bunch of normal soldiers." Anna''s cold voice suddenly echoed in everyone''s ears. She looked at them as if she was looking at filth. "It seems that you''re underestimating me too much. Do you think you can defeat me with only three peak Spirit Wielders?"


    They were still shocked, but Myzik had to regain his calm as soon as possible because Anna suddenly appeared before him.


    "So fast?" Myzik gritted his teeth and raised his sword, trying to block Anna''s sword. His Spiritual Energy gathered around his sword and limbs to strengthen his power against this sword strike, albeit he underestimated Anna.


    She might swing her de with her right hand, but her left hand actually moved toward his stomach.


    Myzik instantly used his Spiritual Energy to form a shield around his hand to block Anna''s attack. No matter how poor his talent was, he was still a peak Spirit Wielder. Stopping Anna''s attack shouldn''t be that hard for him.


    Anna knew about this too. And that was why he nned to strike down Myzik during this exchange, considering the knight captain would help him after that.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Hence, Anna formed a lightning dragon on her arm, releasing it before she hit Myzik.


    Myzik tried to take the full brunt of the dragon, but surprisingly, the dragon flew out of her arm and looped around his body.


    "What? She can do that?" Myzik was shocked. No matter how talented Anna was, it was impossible for a 16 years old girl to be able to control the Spiritual Energy that well. Even he couldn''t control his Spiritual Energy as if it was alive.


    However, Anna actually managed to do it. The dragon avoided him as if it knew it couldn''t do any damage if it hit that spot. It looped around and struck him from behind, electrocuting him.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!" Myzik screamed in pain as his body went numb. He thought they would be able to suppress Anna with three peak Spirit Wielders, but he never expected Anna to outsmart them and take them out by surprise.


    As soon as Myzik was electrocuted, Anna waved her sword two times, cutting both his arms.


    "Aaa¡ª!" Myzik wanted to scream too, but Anna knocked him out as well.


    "What?" The knight captain gasped, not believing what he had just seen. Anna actually defeated two peak Spirit Wielders in an instant. Although it was due to the sneak attack, it was still an impossible feat unless they had underestimated her.


    What the knight captain didn''t know, Anna''s past memory was enough to boost her martial prowess to Spirit Master. Even Ste couldn''t defeat her easily.


    And this Anna was staring at him and the rest of the soldiers like they were her next prey.


    ''I might have provoked someone I shouldn''t have¡­'' This was thest thought of the knight captain as five minutester, he was on his knees with Anna''s sword on his neck.


    As for the soldiers, all of them had died, creating a pool of blood.


    Anna looked at the knight captain''s confused and shocked face.


    "It seems you''re confused, Mr. Knight." Anna smiled, throwing all his words back at him. "There is indeed a difference between normal and peak Spirit Wielders. However, that gap can be ovee by something.


    "Yeah, yeah. I''m just a newbie in your eyes. That''s why I know you weren''t going to make aplicated n to deal with me because I''m inexperienced.


    "I would be in trouble if I had to consider all kinds of possibilities of your schemes such as poison, drugs, or even assassinations.


    "That''s why I acted like someone ignorant. That way, you were going to act this way. No matter how strong a peak Spirit Wielder is, they''ll be dead if you cut their neck, don''t you think?" Anna smirked.


    The knight captain felt chills down his spine. It turned out Anna wasn''t that ignorant this whole time. She was actually limiting their options by making them underestimate her.


    They had truly been yed by Anna this time.


    "I have a lot to ask about this betrayal along with the Count''s scheme¡­" Anna added while ncing at the unconscious Myzik and Risha.


    "I¡­ I can tell you about his ns. Please spare my life. The Count forced me to do this." The guy shamelessly begged for his life.


    Unfortunately for him, it was at that moment Anna sent his head flying.


    "Among the people I want to ask, you''re not one of them. So, die." Anna snorted, coldly walking away.


    She didn''t care about him at all as she had reached Myzik and Risha.


    "Well, well. These two must know something about the royal family''s intentions. Though, I don''t think they''ll talk¡­ I guess I''ll torture them a bit together with the Count." Anna smiled coldly as if her brutal side from her past life had resurfaced.

 Chapter 411 Torture

    Count Swirzel''s Family dungeon.


    Underneath the barrack, there was an underground prison used to imprison the people that wanted to go against the Count Family.


    Normally, the prison was filled with the screams ofmoners who got captured for any kind of reason or the fighters that wanted to challenge the authority of the Swirzel Family.


    However, there was something different today. There were five people who got tied up inside the cell. Normally, they would be locking up two people in a single cell, but this time, the wall had been destroyed, linking up three cells together.


    In other words, the five people who were being tied up could see what the others experienced. Normally, people would be scared when others screamed in pain when they could see them since they ended up imagining things worse than what actually happened. It was a psychological attack.


    But this time, they could witness what happened to the others, most likely for the worse. After all, the people who were chained here were none other than the Count Family themselves.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Yes. In the first cell, his first son was chained to the wall. His neck, his wrists, and his ankles were locked up.


    In the second cell, there were the Count and his wife. The wife had been screaming about all kinds of dissatisfaction she had, from how she was being treated to how dirty the dungeon was.


    Last but not least, Myzik and Risha were locked up together. In Risha''s case, she only had her hands left since Anna cut her legs to incapacitate her. The same applied to Myzik, who had lost his arms.


    They had been treated by the doctor the Count Family had. Although he was only a Spirit Practitioner, his skill was enough to close their wounds, so they didn''t die.


    Obviously, Anna was the one forcing them to call him if they didn''t want to die. And the Count, having no ability to fight Anna without his subordinate, could only ept it and call the doctor.


    Yes, the Count couldn''t put up a single fight before Anna. In fact, he gave up the moment Anna came to his room. It was clear how Anna had defeated three Peak Spirit Wielders and came to him. There was no way a normal person like him could fight her.


    Now that they had been locked up here, Anna finally came without any torture equipment. She might need one if she wanted the information about them, but she believed her past self was enough to torture them.


    With cold eyes, Anna walked toward the Count and his wife.


    "You wh*re! Do you think you can get away after doing all this? Even if you''re a marquis'' daughter, you''re going to die a horrible death." The Count''s wife instantly insulted Anna as if she wasn''t scared of her.


    However, that was probably the worst choice she''d ever made.


    Anna pulled out her sword and pointed at her neck. "Shut up. I''m the one in charge here. If you don''t want to die, then shut your mouth!"


    As expected, the wife was only trying to be strong. The moment she felt like she would die, she hurriedly shut her mouth, not daring to speak again.


    "Good. You''re obedient. Unlike the Count, who doesn''t want to give me the information." Anna smiled.


    The wife felt relieved she didn''t die. She even saw Anna pulling her sword back.


    Sadly for her, the moment that relief filled her heart, Anna suddenly let go of her sword, dropping it right on her thigh.


    The sword stabbed her thigh and due to the weight of the sword, it fell down to the side, poking out of the flesh.


    "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed in pain. Tears wereing out of her eyes. She had given birth to her son, so she was already aware of some pain. But this time, the pain was beyond her imagination.


    After all, Anna smiled coldly while saying as if she was enjoying the sight. "Oops. I identally dropped my sword. Sorry, sorry."


    "AAAAHHHHHH!" She continued to scream. Her focus was gone and there was no telling if she could hear Anna or not.


    Anna raised her sword first before pulling it out.


    The Count and his son were stunned because they couldn''t imagine what kind of pain she was experiencing.


    Anna calmly walked to the Count and asked, "So, where is the letter? I also need to know when you are going to pay? If you don''t pay, I can''t go back, you know."


    The Count was shaking, but there was a problem if he spilled the beans. The moment the Royal Family made their move, he might experience something even worse. All his family would be executed and that would be the end of his line.


    "Ah, it seems that you can''t answer me. Now that I think about it, it''s already dawn. It''s time for breakfast¡­ It seems that I have to give you breakfast since I can''t afford you to die because of hunger."


    Anna smiled and walked away. The tension rose when she left because the madam kept screaming in pain. She was cursing Anna in tears, wanting her to die.


    It took Anna fifteen minutes toe back. She brought a ck pot filled with water, boiling it in front of them.


    "Don''t worry. I''m going to make soup. I''m sure the Count can remember it after having breakfast." Anna made an innocent smile as if she believed this was truly the case. If Noel had been here, he would have stopped Anna from going through all this. But without him, Anna could release the chains that bound her past memory from affecting her character.


    "So, Count Swirzel. I hope that you''re not a picky eater¡­"


    "Kill me. You won''t get anything from me." The Count spat on her, which she avoided. He knew what would happen to him, so it was better if he took the brunt and made Anna spare the rest. "Even if you try to torture them, you won''t get anything. Only I know the thing you want."


    "Oh¡­ I think you forgot something." Anna smirked. Suddenly, Anna waved her sword, straight at the madam''s feet, specifically her toes.


    "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The madam screamed again. Her body was convulsing, shocking the Count.


    "You¡­" The Count thought she would stop if she focused on him. But no, Anna''s past life was the exact opposite of Noel''s. She was extremely cruel.


    "I think you forgot something." Anna picked up the toes and said, "We''re talking about breakfast, not what I want."


    With how Anna grabbed the severed toes, the Count felt like he knew what Anna nned to do. In that instant, his face became pale.

 Chapter 412 Completing The Mission

    "See this? I hope you are not a vegetarian since I''m going to give you meat." Anna pointed at the toes. "Don''t worry, Count. I''m sure I can help you digest everything. You shouldn''t waste food, you know."


    "You¡­" The Count was speechless. His body was shivering, realizing Anna was much more devilish than his imagination.


    Anna suddenly stopped as if she remembered something. "Ah, right. I''m making soup. So, I should boil this first¡­"


    Anna saw the Count''s horrified expression. "Ah, do you not like soup? If that''s the case, I can deep fry it. Or maybe you don''t like this one?


    "I''m good at cooking, you know. I can make you anything you want¡­" Anna thought for a moment and asked, "How about a meatball? Of course, I won''t be using this as the filling¡­


    "That''s right. How about using your wife''s eyeball?"


    The Count gritted his teeth and shouted, "Have you thought about karma after doing all this? You''re going to the deepest depth of hell!"


    Anna tilted her head in confusion. "Well, I''ll certainly go there."


    She knew she would go there after dying from her past life alone. No matter what good thing she did during this life, she would have to atone for the mistakes of her past life.


    Since she already knew she would go to the deepestyer of hell, nothing stopped her from doing all this.


    Anna said, "Anyway, we''re talking about your breakfast here. It doesn''t seem like you like this. Then, how about I change the ingredients? How about using your son?"


    The Count was shocked once again. He wanted to stop Anna, but thetter didn''t pay him any attention as she walked toward the first son of Count Swirzel.


    After seeing what happened to his mother, he panicked and started shouting, "What¡­ What are you doing? Don''te here. Help me, Father, Mother! Help me! No, don''te here. Stay away! NOOOOOO¡ª!"Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    The guy screamed at the top of his lungs. But before Anna reached him, the Count suddenly said, "Spin the handle of my desk twice and it will open a secretpartment. That''s the location of the letter¡­ Please spare my son."


    If his hands and feet were free, he would have groveled on the ground, begging. However, this was the only thing he could do to stop Anna''s madness.


    "Well¡­" Anna stopped and walked away as if to grab it. It didn''t take too long for her to return with the letter.


    As soon as the Count confirmed it, he said, "Since you''ve got what you want, please spare us."


    "Hmm, should I?" Anna tilted her head in confusion. "If I let you go, you might try to gather force to pressure my father."


    "I won''t do it. I swear I won''t do it." The Count had had enough of this cruelty.


    However, Anna added another possibility. "Or you can tell those people about this and attack me¡­"


    "No, please. I just don''t want to do anything with this anymore." The Count lowered his head.


    "Well, I also haven''t received thepensation since I have to submit it to the organization."


    "I''ll prepare the payment today and send it right away."


    "¡­" Anna thought for a moment, ncing at the Count''s defeated face. The answer came in the form of action as blood suddenly sttered on the Count''s face, startling him.


    "You?!" The Count looked at Anna in shock. The swing was fast and killed its target in an instant. And that target was none other than his wife. "What have you done? I''ll do anything you want."


    Anna shook her head. "Sadly, you can''t be trusted. You should have known that after evading tax, fund embezzlement and even smuggling¡­ Do you think I will just blindly trust you?"


    "You¡ª" The Count raised his voice, only to find Anna''s sword nted on his heart. He widened his eyes, looking at the bloodied shirt. He couldn''t even let out hisst words before he died.


    After killing him, Anna walked toward the Count''s son and smirked evilly, scaring him. "Since the Count has passed away, you are going to be the next Count. That means you have full authority over the treasury now. So, you''re going to pay, right?"


    He couldn''t give an answer because he was too afraid of her. Anna looked like a devil in human clothing. Even the devil might look cutepared to her.


    "Right?" Anna asked again. "Also, you have to hide everything about this. Just tell people that the Count and his wife have decided tomit double suicide because their business is failing. If other people know or if you''re nning to take revenge¡­"


    Anna came closer to him, whispering in a chilling voice. "I''m going to show you something worse than this."


    The son gulped down and furiously nodded his head.


    It seemed Anna would get what she came here for from this guy. And there was no need to fear this person since her image had been nted in her mind.


    For better or worse, Noel never saw this side of Anna when his parents were ''executed.'' If he had seen something like this, his hatred would be on a whole different level.


    Of course, Anna nned to do the same to Risha and Myzik to get the information they had. Unfortunately, they were professional. They had burned the letters unlike the Count who loved to store them so that they could be a weapon one day.


    She could only get the statement from both of them and had to leave the city without evidence, except for that single letter.


    After finishing her job, Anna let out a sigh, looked at the sky, and said, "To think it would drain me this much¡­"


    Her body was shaking, not from excitement but from guilt. She had gone a different way in this life and it shed with the darkness from her past life.


    Her mental state was unstable. She just fell on her butt while clutching her head. "I have to go through more of this as long as I''m in the organization¡­"

 Chapter 413 Current Situation

    "What is this?" The king gritted his teeth, ring at Anna''s teacher, Josephine. He was angry after reading the documents Josephine provided. After all, it stated the Count ended up paying for everything.


    It wasn''t supposed to happen. Anna should have fallen into the Royal Family''s hands. Yet, no one could say a thing about what happened to the Count.


    Their spies, two peak Spirit Wielders, had died on duty. The Count and his wife had died due to suicide.


    How could he believe such a report? Something must have happened, and it was possible that Anna managed to trick the two of them, allowing her to take them down. After that, the Count was killed in order to mess with the truth.


    As for the sessor, the first son of Count Swirzel, he was afraid of Anna''s retaliation, so he gave fake news to the Royal Family. The trauma Anna inflicted was far greater than one''s imagination.


    At the same time, the Royal Family had yet to know their letter to the Count was in Anna''s hand. If Anna kept gathering all the proof about their Royal Family, she could gain more and more advantages against them.


    Obviously, there were many families who wanted the weaknesses of the Royal Family. And if the proof was spread among the people, it would create massive chaos in the country.


    However, Anna wasn''t nning for a rebellion like Noel in her past life. Instead, she wanted to use this proof to investigate Noel''s incident, along with the rtionship between the royalty and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    That was why after getting all of it, she returned to the headquarters to receive the next mission. She had to move fast so that the Royal Family had no time to think about their next move. And by the time they realized it, Anna would have be either Gold Rank Inquisitor or even tinum Rank Inquisitor.


    While waiting for her mission, Anna sat down in the bar while looking down, falling into deep thought.


    ''Hmm... I reached Silver Rank after thest mission. It seems the Royal Family hasn''t done anything to alter the reward in the organization. Well, I can also use it as proof of the Royal Family''s sabotage, so I guess they won''t do it anytime soon.


    ''If I can reach Gold Rank, I can form my own team or even do it alone since even the head of this organization has put up the rule about the Gold Rank''s privilege. Even the Royal Family can''t put anyone on my team just like that.


    ''Still, I might need another four to six months to reach Gold Rank at my current pace. It''s truly a bit hard on my body, considering mypletion speed is much faster than anyone here.


    ''Either way, I manage to gain some stability in this ce. The only thing I have to worry about is Noel. Since the organization is used to keep the bnce in the kingdom, I can easily get information about the Demon Relief Squad. I guess I''ll take a mission near it in another two months.


    ''I think Noel won''t have much problem, considering he can grow at the same pace as me, who has the memory of my past life.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ''Though, I wonder how long it will take for Noel to be a Vice Captain or even a Captain...''


    Anna fell silent, recalling her memory of Noel. ''Noel once became the youngest captain in history, albeit with his second identity. After that, he retires and bes a noble, re-establishing the prestige of the Ardagan Family.


    ''If I''m not wrong, he was eighteen or neen years old at that time... So, I guess two to three years. Gold Rank can be achieved in just a half year, and I might need another year to reach tinum Rank.


    ''And I should use thest six months to challenge an Arbiter and get their position. When I reach that point, the Royal Family won''t have too much power against me...


    ''Well, my father has been suppressed by them, but I am on a different path. I don''t have any weaknesses they can exploit right now. And it''s basically impossible for them to force me to marry the crown prince...


    ''Wait, speaking of a prince... the king''s brother, who failed to ascend the throne, was called the Third Prince. That title still stuck with him because of his previous position, while the current king was actually the second prince.


    ''He refused to take on a Duke Title because of the shame he received from the current king. Still, there''s no reason for him to keep that title, considering people will confuse him with the current third prince.


    ''Is there a deep meaning behind that title? Something is amiss...'' Anna felt something wrong with the Third Prince.


    ''The connection between the Third Prince, Noel''s parents and the royal family. I''m afraid there is something going on between them, considering the Third Prince once plotted together with my teacher...


    ''Is my teacher a spy? Or is the Third Prince still a part of the Royal Family...''


    Anna felt Noel might also fall from the trick. Although Noel was smart, there was still a possibility of it. So, she couldn''t dismiss it entirely.


    ''It seems I have to investigate the connection between him and my teacher. I don''t know if they have made contact or not, but... I''ll surely discover them.''


    Anna felt fired up. On the one hand, she didn''t want to lose against Noel this time. On the other hand, she also felt like the kingdom was darker than she thought.


    After the reincarnation, she wanted to make the kingdom bask in golden light, so she wanted to correct the kingdom. That was why she had to investigate everything and know the depth of the darkness she wasn''t aware of in her past life.


    ''This is making me excited. I''ll know everything and make my decision at that time.''

 Chapter 414 Contact

    While Anna was facing a new challenge, Noel had a prettyid-back life here.


    "Iadre. Can you help me here?" Rose asked while pointing at a few stacks of wood.


    "Sure." Noel immediately walked to her and helped her.


    The others were ncing at them, especially Paul and Jonathan.


    "Do you feel like Rose has gone back to her previous state? It seems she has moved on." Paul mentioned it while observing her.


    "I''m not sure about that, but she''s clearly been smiling a lot recently, which is good."


    "Maybe Iadre reminds her of Noel, so she bes a big sister just like that, making sure he''s alright?"


    "Do you mean a substitute?"


    "Something like that." Paul nodded.


    "Hmm¡­" Jonathan observed both of them for a while before saying, "Well, I don''t really care about it. They are in a win-win situation either way.


    "Iadre can get a lot of benefits if Rose takes care of him. Rose can gradually move on with Iadre. So, why not?"


    "Fair enough. At the very least, we''ve got a temporary solution. Hopefully, it''ll go well in the long run." Paul agreed, hoping for the best for Rose. Iadre would be able to reach his goal sooner if he got Rose''s help anyway, so he didn''t care much about their rtionship.


    The others seemed to have the same opinion about them, believing Iadre''s appearance had brightened up the group.


    They didn''t realize Iadre was Noel. As expected from Noel, he asked Rose to act like she hated him for a while before gradually opening up to him. This way, the others wouldn''t realize about him yet.


    As for when he would reveal his identity, he would wait for a bit longer when his position had been stabilized and the Third Prince began to contact him.


    Everyone was also curious about Iadre''s Runes, which seemed to be an improved version of Spirit Enchantment.


    However, he had asked them to not reveal it for the time being. He wanted to develop it first before he would reveal these runes so that others could use them.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Of course, he nned to teach Rose about the runes as soon as possible.


    Since she was the group''s eye that could only monitor the situation and inform them, she would be far more useful if she could boost their abilities with the help of the rune.


    And her illusion would surely help her learn the runes.


    Of course, the big reason why he taught Rose was none other than the fact Rose had be his left hand.


    Luckily, the group agreed and didn''t tell anyone about Noel''s runes. They wanted to see the improved version of the Spirit Enchantment.


    Noel even promised them he would Spirit Enchant their equipment after he gained a bit more mastery, which was a big addition to the group. Everyone surely loved the Spirit Enchantment, and if they could get the better version of them, no one would reject it.


    They didn''t realize Noel was bribing them through that.


    Nheless, the group had been brimming with energy since Rose had recovered and now they were on a mission for a city''s restoration after a huge battle.


    This fortress was made by the Demon Banner Army as a supply base to the frontline.


    After dinner, Noel returned to his room. He was just about to take off his coat before noticing a letter on the table.


    "Hmm?" Noel narrowed his eyes and scanned the room. Since he couldn''t use his Demon Hunter Medal to sense his opponent, he still had some good perception.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t find him. So, he decided to move on and open up the letter, believing Dimitri would make his move if the enemy was far too strong.


    ''Two hours after dusk, the best inn, the best room.''


    ''Such weird phrasing¡­'' Noel narrowed his eyes. Normally, people would normally talk in a letter, not using code like this.


    However, he also noticed that they used the words ''best inn'' and ''best room'' instead of the specific name.


    There were three inns in the town and the opinions would vary depending on the people. However, he could ask the people for the best inn and gathered the majority''s vote.


    However, the best room was weirder. Although he could simply go to the most expensive room, the one sending the letter should have said it that way instead of using the best room.


    In other words, the best inn and the best room referred to safety and a ce where privacy was guaranteed.


    ''Interesting.'' Noel thought. There were three people who would like to talk to him using this method. The first one was Anna, but because she had to do her job as an inquisitor, she was ruled out.


    The second one was his father. Unfortunately, if this was all it took for them to meet, his father wouldn''t have orchestrated the whole thing. That left the third person, the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince had been getting involved ever since he entered the Demon Banner Army by asking themander to take care of him. So, he might want to check whether his investment would bear fruit or not.


    Because his position was sensitive, he had to do it this way to not be seen by anyone. It was already brave of him to meet Noel in this fortress.


    Of course, Noel didn''t believe the entire thing easily. He also prepared some escape ns in his mind if things turned out to be different.


    After that, he put on his coat again and walked to the second best inn. They had good service and a fair price. But because they weren''t the best, they weren''t that looked upon.


    So, this was a perfect ce for their meeting.


    Noel also didn''t go to the most expensive room, which was on the top floor. Instead, he went to the second best room, which was one floor lower.


    There were four rooms on this floor, so he had to carefully pick it, lest he embarrassed himself.


    Surprisingly, all of them were empty except for the furthest one.


    Without hesitation, Noel walked toward the door and knocked on it.

 Chapter 415 Three Requirements

    Before he even knocked on the door, there was a voiceing from inside.


    "Come in. The door is not locked." The tone was calm but had a pulling effect as if it was trying to attract him.


    "¡­" Noel was startled and confused at the same time. However, he still opened the door and entered the room, finding a middle-aged man waiting for him.


    The middle-aged man had long white hair. His eyes might look gentle, but Noel could feel sharp, observing gaze from it. Despite having a small smile on his face, he didn''t have any weing aura.


    His clothes were simple, only a in white shirt and long ck pants, matching his white hair.


    As soon as he saw his appearance, Noel fell to one knee, lowering his head. "Noel Ardagan greets the Third Prince."


    "Hmm?" The middle-aged man frowned. He didn''t expect Noel to kneel down that soon, so he asked, "I believe we haven''t met yet. So, did your father tell you about me?"


    "No." Noel shook his head.


    "But it seems you know who I am¡­ You''re not going to answer me like it''s just because my hair is white, right?"


    Noel hesitated for a moment before exining his thought process. "The letter in my room is the first reason. If it''s your subordinate, we won''t be meeting in this ce since they don''t need the ''best'' ce to talk to me.


    "Of course, the white hair yed a part in my judgment, but I also took a look at your age. Your age shouldn''t be that different from the current king.


    "Last but not least, your eyes. I can feel that you are ''familiar'' with me instead of knowing me. The formeres from the information and story, while thetteres from reports. So, it gives two different types of gazes. Thus, the conclusion."


    The Third Prince paused for a moment before pping his hands a few times, impressed by Noel''s performance.


    "Interesting." The Third Prince smiled. "Stand up."


    "Yes, Sir." Noel stood up and straightened his back. He maintained his poker face, but he was still observing his movement, making sure he didn''t do anything to him.


    The Third Prince raised three fingers. "Ie personally for three reasons. First of all, you''re currently too weak to even be useful. Of course, I can understand that you just started training a year ago.


    "However, I''m going to need you very soon. Hence, you have to reach Spirit Master within two years. Judging from your progress, it doesn''t seem to be a hard one, right?"


    "I''ll do my best." Although Noel was confident he could be a Spirit Master in just a few months, he couldn''t really give him the assurance. After all, the Third Prince might consider him as someone who was overconfident in his ability.


    The Third Prince observed him for a moment as if he wanted to see whether the answer just now was sincere or not. After a while, the Third Prince continued, "Before bing a Spirit Master, I won''t be contacting you.


    "You''ll know the reason why I need you to be a Spirit Master first before receiving a request from me. I''m sure you''ll do it, right?"


    The Third Prince asserted some pressure with his words. He wanted to see whether Noel would be loyal or not. His father was loyal to him, so he took care of Noel this whole time, expecting Noel to be loyal as well.


    Although Noel was still suspicious of the Third Prince, he still lowered his head and dered, "The Third Prince has given me all the chances and opportunities during my time in the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters. I''ll be repaying everything, with interest."


    "With interest, huh? As expected of the son of a merchant." Third Prince was a bit dissatisfied with how Noel didn''t answer with only "Yes." After all, it would mean Noel had full loyalty to him. Still, the fact that Noel was the son of the richest merchant in the kingdom, he could understand why Noel said these words. It seemed he had a habit from his family.


    "Then, the second reason for my visit is to give you a goal during your stay in the Demon Relief Squad.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "The goal is simple. You have to be a Captain in less than five years. Instead of bing a lesser noble, it would be better if you get your position as a Count back and re-establish your Ardagan Family.


    "If you can achieve it within five years, I promise you that you''ll be getting your family''snd back."


    Noel was quite surprised by this reward. Although he had enough confidence to be a noble, he still couldn''t guarantee he would get his family''s territory back. After all, the Royal Family wanted something from his family like Dimitri said.


    But if the Third Prince nned to do some work behind the scenes to guarantee him his formernd, it would work great.


    Although the business had been failing in his territory due to theck of a lord, it didn''t change the fact he was most familiar with the territory. Rebuilding it wouldn''t be as hard as making one from scratch.


    It didn''t take long for him to be interested in this deal. It was a win-win situation. Noel could get his family territory back and the Third Prince had the future richest person in his palm.


    Noel had no reason to refuse. "I understand. I''ll do my best to be a Spirit Grandmaster and seed a Captain''s position before bing a noble."


    "Good." The Third Prince nodded, satisfied. He had seen all the reports about Noel''s progress, so he expected a lot from him.


    At first, he thought about giving him a ten year time limit, but since Noel could be a Spirit Wielder in just one year, he halved it instantly.


    After receiving a satisfactory response, the Third Prince raised his voice. "As for thest¡­ I won''t hold back this time. Tell me the secret of your Spirit Enchantment."

 Chapter 416 Reason

    Noel had expected this ever since he revealed this power. He knew many people would be interested in it, including the Third Prince.


    That was why he had prepared a few types of answers to dodge this question.


    "My apology for not being able to satisfy your request." Noel looked down as if he was disappointed he couldn''t give it to him.


    "Hmm? You reject me?" The Third Prince frowned. His calm face instantly darkened.


    "Yes. Before exining the reason, I''ll be telling you about how I got this knowledge."


    "Go on." The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, putting on some pressure on Noel.


    Noel exined, "First of all, the Third Prince should be aware of the Spirit Enchantment Book that the Greenwood Kingdom has, right?"


    "Yes. I''m aware of it. That''s the great inheritance of the Greenwood Kingdom." The Third Prince nodded with a serious expression.


    "Then, you should know about my family."


    The Third Prince paused for a moment before saying, "Your mother''s family?"


    "Correct." Noel nodded, confirming it. "My mother''s family, the Ezenholm Family, is close to the royalty. My grandfather was a royal magician and the king''s tutor. And a few months ago, I visited them¡­"


    The Third Prince realized why Noel talked about it. "So, you''re saying your grandfather told you about it?"


    "That''s not it." Noel shook his head. "I was lucky to take a nce at my grandfather''s note in his analysis about the Spirit Enchantment."


    "Hoh?" If what Noel said was true, then his knowledge would be iplete. He only had that note and had never seen the actual book, which might be different. In fact, that could exin why Noel''s Spirit Enchantment was different from the normal Spirit Enchantment.


    Whether it was due to his talent or luck, Noel managed toe up with a Spirit Enchantment that was somehow stronger than the one present.


    In other words, the knowledge Noel had might be iplete, but he might have gone in the right direction. So, what Noel wanted to say was that he needed more time to perfect it so that he didn''t get the me if the Third Prince got injured because of the iplete version.


    However, there was also a possibility of Noel''s lying. He just wanted to get the Spirit Enchantment for himself, raising his evaluation.


    That was why the Third Prince had to consider his words thoroughly before responding to Noel.


    He wanted the Spirit Enchantment Noel had because it was not only useful to recruit cksmith or even Master cksmith, but it would work to pull in normal people as well.


    This was when Noel added, "Of course. Once I have perfected the knowledge, I''m nning to create a book containing all the information.


    "I believe the Spirit Enchantment shouldn''t be limited to cksmiths or high-status people. Instead, the Spirit Enchantment should be spread so that even amoner can use it.


    "I have seen many things after joining the Demon Banner Army. That''s why I know themoners have the right to get this kind of knowledge as well.


    "After all, our true enemies are not the kingdom, the Supreme Devil Organization or any other influences. Instead, it''s the demon.


    "If we equip themoners with this knowledge, we''ll be able to gain an army to rapidly expand our territory, putting other kingdoms in shame.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "And after that, the other countries want to take a piece as well, making them either eliminate me or give many benefits to the kingdom for the sake of this knowledge."


    The Third Prince remained silent this whole time. He thought Noel was a justice idiot who wanted to eliminate all the demons in the world. At the same time, he still preserved his business nature by giving some leverage to him.


    As Noel said, even if the Third Prince had this knowledge, it would be useless since Noel could perfect it. Even if he tortured Noel for this information, the progress would be stagnant for a long time. What if Noel actually fled to another country?


    There were countless possibilities such as being poached by another country, killed because of information leakage, and so on.


    So, the safest path would be to allow Noel to perfect it secretly. In the meantime, he needed to gain some influence in the kingdom so that he could protect himself when others demanded knowledge from him.


    This way, Noel could get some protection and he could get benefits for himself. There might be a chance for him to be a King.


    Still, the most important thing was the fact Noel was a justice idiot. The fact that he was justice-oriented meant it would be easy to control Noel in the future.


    He didn''t know Noel was smiling inwardly, thinking, ''¡­Or so you thought. I don''t have much leverage right now, but I''m going to get some advantages first so that you have no choice but to give me some information and pull me to your side. At that time, I''ll have a lot of opportunities to investigate you.''


    The Third Prince was unaware of Noel''s thoughts. He might look innocent, but he was actually as shrewd as his father, who even fooled the Third Prince with his death.


    The Third Prince contemted for a moment before giving his answer. "I understand. I''ll give you time to perfect it. However, I''ll be watching you. I hope that you don''t betray my trust."


    "Yes, Sir. Thank you for your trust. I''ll do my best." Noel dropped to his knee again.


    The Third Prince waved his hand. "You''re dismissed. Remember those three things. I''ll contact you again after you be a Spirit Master."


    "Yes. Please excuse me." Noel calmly stood up and left the room.


    Meanwhile, the Third Prince smiled, muttering inwardly, ''It doesn''t seem he is as wise as his father. However, his talent is quite good. Not only is he good at fighting, but his unique perspective on Spirit Arts gives him a new insight into Spirit Enchantment.


    ''The tree is not ripe yet, so I''ll wait a bit longer. Noel Ardagan¡­ no matter what you do, you''re going to be ying in my hand.''

 Chapter 417 Shop Upgrade

    After meeting the Third Prince, Noel returned to his room. He didn''t know whether the Third Prince was still observing him or not, but in any case, he wouldn''t be able to find the one who monitored him.


    Hence, Noel simplyid down on his back, staring at the ceiling. They had talked about a few things, but Noel also managed to hide some things from the Third Prince.


    While closing his eyes, he thought, ''I already learned about the variety of runes. However, the runes themselves are divided into five main categories. The first one is the popr method that people know, the Rune Enchantment. As for the other four, they''re Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, Rune Body, and Rune Array.


    ''They''re the next four levels of Rune Mastery. Rune Engineering seems to be able to program a certain movement into an object, while the Rune Spell is basically a normal rune but embedded on something so that normal people can use it just by pouring Spiritual Energy. The Rune Body is something I might get.


    ''By painting the runes on my body, I can utilize those runes whenever I need them. Though, I don''t really rmend painting all sorts of runes since it''ll burden the body.


    ''As for the Rune Array, it''s basicallybining the four types of runes. I don''t know much about it, so I''m not going to think much about it right now.


    ''I''m more curious about the reason why my ancestor only poprized the Rune Enchantment system. Well, if I take a look at the other four, I can kind of understand why... This knowledge could be a weapon that would destroy the four kingdoms instead of helping the people.


    ''For now, I don''t n to upgrade the Rune Mastery. Although I have received a few Rune Skills after upgrading the Rune Mastery, it''s not enough. I have to learn the rest of the runes if I want to use them.


    ''I guess this is another goal for me. I just have to make sure no one gets this Rune System for the time being, considering it has a lot of potential, and the one who gets it will gain a huge advantage over others.


    ''And I''m still wondering how Anna could learn the runes...''


    Noel became silent after that thought. Anna had been too mysterious. His current strength came from the system. On the other hand, Anna shouldn''t have the system with her. That was why he kept wondering where her mysterious strength came from.


    ''Sometimes, she was mature like she was a lot older. Sometimes, she was childish... just acting like her age. Does she have a split personality or something?''


    Noel couldn''t get the answer. So, he decided to drop the topic as well.


    ''Then, all that''s left is...'' Noel asked Ardagan inwardly, ''Can you open the shop?''


    A blue screen appeared in front of him. He looked like he was staring at the ceiling, but actually, he was observing the items added to the shop.


    After the training session with Dimitri, he finally got a shop update. Although he didn''t know why Ardagan gave him the upgrade afterpleting the task, he knew Ardagan was helping him grow.


    So, he didn''t question Ardagan and just felt thankful for the upgrade. This was Ardagan''s power after all, not his.


    [Shop]


    Avable Points: 120 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Water Gallon (2 HP)


    Water Tank (3 HP)


    Random Rune Scroll (30 HP)


    Random Upgrade Scroll (30 HP)


    He had seen a lot of new items from the scroll. However, there were three things Noel paid a lot of attention to. The first one was the water.


    Ardagan seemed to be offering a lot of water to him. Whenever he asked about it, Ardagan only told him that water was essential to humans. There was nothing such as not enough water.


    Since he was so adamant about it, Noel could only ept the answer and move on to the second thing, the Random Rune Scroll.


    He was confused because Ardagan offered him something random. Of course, he could see the merits and demerits of this item.


    On the one hand, Noel could learn a rune from the system and upgrade it with the Skill Points. His training speed would be significantly fasterpared to learning it from the knowledge in his head alone.


    On the other hand, it cost a lot of Honor Points. He knew the importance of the item. But it was random. If his luck was bad, he would get something he didn''t need. If his luck was good, he might get an extremely powerful rune that was hard to master. He only had to use the Skill Points to upgrade it.


    This randomness was something Noel frowned upon since it was basically a gamble.


    The same applied to the next item, the Upgrade Scroll. It would upgrade one of his skills randomly. If he could upgrade the Undying Fire, which required a lot of Skill Points to upgrade, it would be worth it.


    However, he had a lot of skills, so he was sure they would end up getting upgraded instead. So, Noel put this off for the time being.


    This was the Shop Upgrade. It certainly gave him a lot of opportunity if he yed it right, but he had to sacrifice a bit to get them.


    ''In any case, I still have two more months before meeting Anna again. I''m also nning to reach Spirit Master in six months since I''ve consolidated my foundation enough.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ''All I need to do right now is to act normal and drop the Third Prince''s suspicion. During that time, I''ll use it to absorb as many Demon Crystals as possible.


    ''After that, the next phase of my n can finally start together with the Third Prince''s request. I have to get closer to him if I want to investigate him.''


    Noel let out a long sigh, knowing he had so many things to do.


    This was just the beginning of his journey.

 Chapter 418 New Mission

    Two monthster.


    Noel was wearing a white uniform with a long white cape. The color was the exact opposite of his previous uniform, but it matched his current appearance.


    He walked confidently with a smile before hearing Rose''s voice.


    "Ah, Iadre. You''re here." Rose waved her hand with a smile as she walked beside him.


    "Yeah. I heard we''re going to receive a mission soon." Noel nodded with a smile.


    "If I''m not wrong, the mission this time is a supply problem. Though, I don''t know much about the details." Rose exined while looking up as if recalling the information.


    "Is that so? Will Captain ra lead us this time?"


    "Nope. The Captain has other work to do. So, it''ll only be seven of us." Rose shook her head, disappointed. "Though, I have learned a lot about the runes. Since this is going to be a mission where we can unleash all of our strength, I''m nning to show you the result of my training."


    That was right. During the past two months, Noel had been teaching Rose about Runes. He was sure that the Third Prince was going to observe him, so teaching Rose was a method to make the Third Prince believe three things.


    The first would be the proof of Noel''s words. He could prove that he kept experiencing the rune and improving it. It was shown by Rose''s progress.


    The second was that the runes were still iplete. Noel, of course, taught Rose theplete rune, but in his system, some runes were still at level one while the others were at level three.


    Noel taught her some level three runes such as Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune since it would be necessary for battle. But he taught her more about the level one runes.


    Last but not least, Noel wanted the Third Prince to know that this knowledge could be passed on to someone who wasn''t good at Runes. Just like one could be an expert by picking up a weapon for a period of time, they could also be a Rune Master if they were taught properly.


    It increased the Third Prince''s evaluation on Noel a lot since Noel would be an important piece to get people interested in Runes.


    If he decided to torture him for the information, they would end up losing everything since Noel would act defiant. On the other hand, if they tried to get Rose, they might be able to threaten him, but Rose had already sworn loyalty to him. Her loyalty didn''t need to be questioned.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    That was why the Third Prince couldn''t act for the time being. He could only wait for Noel to finish everything and get it from his hand.


    Noel''s n in the past two months had seeded since there was nothing happening around him.


    And currently, he was walking with Rose to receive their new mission.


    When they reached the tent, everyone seemed to have been waiting for them.


    "I''m sorry for beingte," said Noel calmly.


    "It''s fine." Paul waved his hand and pointed at the two empty seats. "You two should take a seat first. I''m going to exin our mission this time."


    They nodded and took their seats. After that, Paul took out the letter and showed it to them.


    "Our mission this time is located in the City of Edell, which is used as a supply point to the Surkhan Fort. It seems that there are a lot of demons around this area, so we''re going to work together with the Demon Hunting Squad to handle it.


    "You should expect multiple Peak Level Demons and a huge number of demons. Due to the supply problems, the fort couldn''t function as a barrier, thus causing more problems on the inside. So, we have to fix the supply route." Paul exined with a calm expression.


    Rose raised her hand. "Sorry, Paul. I don''t understand why we need to go there¡­ I mean, shouldn''t the Sword and Shield aid them there? The Shield can help the fort while the Sword can hunt the demons to fix the city. I don''t think the problem is this shallow."


    "I''m also aware of that possibility. However, I can''t conclude anything before looking at the situation myself." Paul shook his head helplessly. He also didn''t know what to do, but they still had to go there since the mission had arrived. "Do any of you have an opinion regarding this mission? It''s going to be a bit dangerous, but since we''re working with the Demon Hunting Squad, it shouldn''t be that hard."


    "This Demon Hunting Squad¡­ Which squad they''re sending?" Jonathan asked.


    "The Zero Squad," Paul answered without hesitation.


    "I see. That will make it easier. But I don''t really like other squads that much. They are too arrogant." Jonathan let out a long sigh.


    "How about we beat them and shut them up?" Ste smirked, getting fired up.


    "I don''t really care personally. Without us, they can''t function anyway." Zion shrugged.


    "As long as they don''t provoke us, we won''t do anything. Though, I heard they also have a super rookie¡­" Ben added while ncing at Noel, wanting to hear his opinion.


    Noel remained silent for a while before saying, "I don''t have any interest inpeting with others. I have my own goal. As long as he doesn''t stand in my way, then he''s not my enemy. But if he stands in front of me¡­ I don''t mind beating him up until his parents can''t recognize him anymore."


    Paul nodded. "Then, that''s decided. Pack up your luggage. We''ll be leaving after lunch."


    "Understood." They nodded and stood up, leaving.


    Meanwhile, Rose came to Noel and whispered to him the information about the new guy in the Demon Hunting Squad. "I heard this new guy was only eighteen years old, and he managed to be a Spirit Wielder in just three years."


    "I don''t want to make any enemies if possible. But if it''s not possible, then¡­" Noel shrugged. Although Noel didn''t say it, he might do something to eliminate the threat.


    Rose smiled awkwardly, just believing in Noel and hoping that the guy wasn''t annoying.

 Chapter 419 Demon Hunting Squad

    "We''ve arrived," shouted Jonathan, informing the people who were inside the carriage.


    Everyone instantly took a peek to check the city''s outer appearance. They wanted to see whether the enemies had destroyed the city or not.


    But from the looks of it, the monsters seemed to be unable to deal a significant blow to the city.


    Blood might have dyed the wall red, but there weren''t a lot of scratches on the wall, so it was clear the soldiers managed to deal with the demons.


    "There seems to be no problem. It''s just that the battle should be quite brutal." Jonathan said while observing the city.


    They nodded in agreement, having no problem with his observation. Rose, of course, had to look at it more carefully than the others to confirm the conditions.


    "The soldiers look energetic. Their morale is quite good."


    "Then, there shouldn''t be too much problem with the city itself." Paul nodded in agreement. "We''re probably sent here to chase after those demons and eliminate them outside."


    "That''s probably the reason why they also bring the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "Fair enough."


    After confirming the condition of the city, they immediately went straight to the city. It didn''t take too long for them to enter after showing their badge.


    There was a soldier guiding them to the lord''s mansion. In the meantime, they also observed the living condition of the city.


    Despite facing a dire situation, the people were still brimming with energy. It seemed they managed to hold on for quite a while.


    "Water and food don''t seem to be their problem." Rose frowned. "Why are we sent here then?"


    "Maybe we have to open up their supply route. From the looks of it, they have enough strength to repel the demons," Zion replied.


    "Well, we''ll know about it after meeting with the lord of this city. Who is the one controlling this ce again?"


    "He''s a new baron called Evander Ravendli. He was a former magician from the Tower Association. His rank was quite high, so he became a baron after retiring from there." Rose gave the information as usual.


    "Since he doesn''t seem to be corrupt, I guess we can rest assured with this one. At the very least, there''s no need to be a confrontation between us." Paul chuckled. "Since the city is quite good, I guess we all can go there to discuss the situation with him."


    They nodded in agreement. As soon as they arrived in front of the lord''s mansion, they were greeted by a middle-aged man wearing a purple robe.


    "Wee to my city, esteemed guests from the Demon Relief Squad."


    "Hmm?" The people were surprised by the words he spoke. The fact he imed this was his city meant he was the lord.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Although he was a baron, it didn''t change the fact that he didn''t need to wee them here.


    It seemed his position didn''t go into his head, making him arrogant.


    Paul stepped forward and smiled. "We''re overwhelmed by the warm wee, Milord. To think you would personally greet us¡­"


    "Haha, I''m the one asking you to help, so of course, I should be weing you personally." The man smiled and extended his hand. "It''s my pleasure to meet you."


    "We too. I''m Paul, the Vice Captain of the Demon Relief Squad." Paul shook his head firmly.


    "Pleasee into my mansion. The Demon Hunting Squad should be arriving sooner orter. So, you should get some rest first." He asked them to follow him inside, indirectly implying that he wanted to tell them about his n when the Demon Hunting Squad arrived.


    Paul had no problem since the city was well-managed and the lord was kind. "Of course. We''re honored."


    He guided them until they were inside before a butler took over.


    Because he was only a baron, his mansion couldn''t bepared to that of a Count or above it. And to avoid troubling him, Paul asked for one big room, so they could rest together.


    The butler ended up bringing them to the biggest guest room so that they could stay there together until the Demon Hunting Squad arrived.


    While waiting, Paul asked, "So, what do you think, Rose? Do you find anything weird from their behavior or expression?"


    "Not at the moment. It seems they''re sincere." Rose shook her head.


    "In that case, we don''t have to do anything until the Demon Hunting Squades." Paul shrugged.


    "Well, we can get some rest then." Ste instantly took off her shoes and jumped onto the bed, stretching her body while yawning. "Wake me up when they''ve arrived."


    The others could only shake their heads, looking at the free-spirited Ste. As always, she did everything at her own pace.


    As the lord said, the Demon Hunting Squad came three hourster.


    Noel was watching the gate through the windows. When he spotted the master of the mansion, he instantly alerted the others. "It seems they''ve arrived."


    The Demon Hunting Squad only sent six people this time. However, Noel knew each of them was as strong as Ste and the others.


    However, his eyes were glued to the young man that stayed with them. The guy had short spiky hair with a long sword on his back.


    Despite his tiny figure, the guy was carrying a sword almost as big as his body.


    "So, that''s the new kid. It''s said he has a good fighting sense and extraordinary strength despite his small body." Paul took a peek, curious about the Demon Hunting Squad.


    "Well, how is hepared to our guy¡­" Jonathan nced at Noel as if expecting him to be stronger.


    "Don''t put too much pressure on him. Though, I still believe our Iadre is stronger." Rose added with a smile.


    "Yeah, yeah. We''re here not topete with them, but toplete our mission. Just don''t forget that." Zion sighed.


    "Since they have arrived, I guess we have to leave this room now." Ben nodded while waking Ste up.


    "Let''s go then." Paul smiled as he nced at the door, hearing someone knock on the door.

 Chapter 420 Situation

    Inside the meeting room, the Demon Relief Squad was standing face to face with the Demon Hunting Squad.


    In front of Paul was a man with the same build. He wasn''t losing in terms of muscle and height. Just them ring at each other seemed like a fight broke out.


    Just like that, everyone got their own match as if they werepeting with each other. Everyone except for Noel. It seemed they weren''t interested in Noel because he was a newbie in the group. Even their newbie thought the Spirit Master would be his match instead of Noel.


    Of course, Noel didn''t care about it as long as the work was done. He also had to find some time to go around the town to find Anna after all.


    She should being soon.


    While they were staring at each other, the baron brought a map andid it down for them.


    "This is the map of the region." The baron said while pointing at the map. Even though he said that, they could only see some terrains and three structures on the map, one of them being the city itself. The other two structures were the fortress in the west and another city in the east.


    "So, where are the demons?" The muscr guy from the Demon Hunting Squad asked, not nning to wait for the baron to exin the whole situation.


    The baron frowned for a moment. Even though he showed somepassion since he asked for their help, it didn''t mean they could just forget about manners. He had gone all the way to exin the situation to them, so at least, they had to respect and listen to him first.


    "Just ignore him. Please continue. We can''t rush blindly." Paul stopped him and asked the baron to continue. Meanwhile, the other guy didn''t like him and red at Paul. "What are you saying? Our squad is the Demon Hunting Squad. Our job is to hunt demons. Just give us the location and we''ll kill them for you. We''re not like you, who are jack of all trades but master of none."


    Paul frowned before sighing. He shouldn''t be the one to lose his temper, so he ignored his remark and asked the baron. "So, can you exin the situation?"


    The guy wanted to rebuke him, but the baron had ced the pieces on the map.


    "This is the situation." The baron stated with a strict tone as if telling them to listen to him. "We have been trying to figure out the demons'' location. After one week, we found three demon nests nearby.


    "The three bases are located here¡­" The baron pointed at three dots on the map. Two of them were near each other, while the other one was in the opposite direction.


    As soon as he saw the positions, Paul frowned and asked, "So, since we''re here, I guess we''re going to hunt the demons in this ce."


    Paul chose the one with only one nest, considering it was situated between the two cities. If he could clear them, the supply route could be fixed.


    The muscr guy smirked as if thinking Paul knew his ce. However, the baron shook his head, rejecting the idea.


    "No. I''d like to ask both of you to eliminate all the threats in this ce." The baron pointed at the two nests nearby each other.


    "Huh? Are you underestimating us? You think we can''t handle it by ourselves?" The muscr guy snarled, not liking how the baron treated them the same even though one specialized in hunting while the other was in utility.


    The baron simply stated with a cold tone. "I know both of you are strong since you two are Spirit Grandmasters. I might lose against you, but don''t forget that I''m also a peak Spirit Master. I know what you''re capable of, so listen to what I want to say!"


    The muscr guy never thought the baron would be angry, while Paul simply didn''t say anything as if he wasn''t in the wrong.


    Since the two had shut up, the baron continued, "In these two nests, there are a total of ten Peak Level Demons. That''s why I need both of your squads to eliminate the threats here. In the meantime, I can move my soldiers to the other one, where only Advanced Level Demons are around.


    "I hope that you can understand the situation and work together to handle these ten Peak Level Demons."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Ten?" Even the muscr guy was surprised to hear that number. They could easily hunt five to six Peak Level Demons, but they had to consider it if they had to fight ten Peak Level Demons at once.


    Paul asked, "Why are there so many?"


    "ording to the fort in the west, there is a demon outbreak involving a Superior Demon and many Peak Level Demons. The disaster has been averted, but they''re still recuperating¡­"


    The baron looked at the muscr guy and said with a harsh tone. "Seeing how you''re acting this recklessly means you haven''t gone to the fort despite being your headquarters, your headquarters has just finished a hard battle.


    "And by sending you here means they''re trying to buy some time to recuperate from their injuries. I hope that you can work together with the Demon Relief Squad to fix the supply route so that your squad can recover faster¡­"


    The muscr guy had no words to say. As he said, their Zero Squad was ordered to return not long ago and the n changed when they had to go to this city. So, they didn''t realize there was such an event recently.


    If they knew about it, they would have gone directly to the fort instead of here.


    Paul, on the other hand, saw something that the Demon Hunting Squad couldn''t. He pointed at the river separating the fort and the city. "Now that I look at this, the river is the problem, right?"


    "As expected of the Demon Relief Squad." The baron smiled. "The fort and this city are separated by a river. And my scouts have reported to me that the bridge connecting them is half-broken. I need your squad to eliminate the monsters and fix the bridge. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "Time limit?"


    "At your discretion."


    "Alright. We''ll finish it as soon as possible."

 Chapter 421 Arguments

    The two squads had their own circumstances. Although the Demon Hunting Squad was a bit disappointing, they had just returned from their mission, so they didn''t know what had happened to their base.


    They thought their captain wanted them to solve this problem since he focused on the enemies ahead, but it seemed to be not the case.


    The muscr guy couldn''t help but fall silent this time, knowing it was better not to say anything right now. After all, there might be bad rumors spreading from this baron''s mouth. Although he wasn''t afraid of him, this city and their headquarters had a good rtionship. So, it wouldn''t be wise to provoke him.


    "Hu¡­" The guy took a deep breath as if rethinking the situation. He then said, "I know that you want us to focus on those two nests, but we couldn''t really allow your soldiers to go there without any trump card.


    "We''ll leave one of our fighters with your soldiers. This way, there is a Spirit Master in your army, and you, a peak Spirit Master, should be able to protect the city in case something goes wrong."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    The baron, Paul, and the rest of the Demon Relief Squad were startled to see how fast the guy calmed down and looked at the bigger picture. They thought he was all brawl and no brain, but it seemed they were wrong.


    The baron paused for a moment before agreeing to his suggestion. "Alright. Let''s do it that way. Though, are you sure you can hunt these demons without this one member?"


    "You don''t have to worry about us. We''ll have to look at the condition of the nest first before making some adjustments. In any case, we''re capable of stopping multiple Peak Level Demons if necessary."


    The baron then suggested another thing. "If that''s the case, can you, the Demon Relief Squad send someone to help them?"


    Paul frowned. Although he didn''t mind sending one of them to their squad, he didn''t know whether this guy was a reliable leader or not.


    Still, the baron had asked him personally. It would be bad if he rejected it instantly.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the guy simply shook his head. "There''s no need for that, Sir Baron. We have enough personnel toplete our tasks. The Demon Relief Squad is not a fighting squad like us, so ourbat ability is stronger than theirs. Even if we''recking one member, we are still stronger."


    "¡­" Paul and the others took their words back. Even if he became rational, the guy really loved to look down on other people.


    At the very least, he seemed to have a cool head when making an important decision. So, the baron agreed. "Alright. In that case, I''ll be relying on both of you. If you need any reinforcement, immediately inform the soldiers on the gate with this¡­"


    The baron took out two insignia from his pockets. From its look, it was clear the insignia was his family crest.


    They could immediately alert the soldiers if they needed to.


    Both leaders took the insignia. Instead of leaving, Paul asked, "Do you mind if we take another look at this map? We want to check the supply route and see if there''s something that needs to be fixed."


    "Sure. I''ll leave you here. If you need anything, I''ll let my butler stay on the outside. So, notify him." The baron nodded.


    Since there was no more request, he turned around and walked away, leaving these two groups inside.


    In that instant, the tension rose as they red at each other again.


    "The Demon Hunting Squad will take care of the demons. You guys from the Demon Relief Squad can just fix the bridge." The muscr guy didn''t hesitate to throw a mockery toward Paul''s squad.


    However, Paul didn''t let it go just like that. He didn''t care if the others smeared his reputation, but it was better if they didn''t insult his people.


    "As expected of the Demon Hunting Squad, all you can think of is hunting the demons like hunting dogs. Should I call you a dog instead? Come here, doggo¡­" Paul smirked.


    Both of them narrowed their eyes. If they weren''t in the mansion, they would have fought each other.


    "Hmph. They''re just a bunch of cowards. Just look at them, wearing something neat and even putting on some makeup. I bet they never hunt demons." A short-haired woman snorted. She had a long scar from her left eyebrow to her left cheek, increasing her fierceness. If one dared to approach her, she would have shown them what it meant to be dominated.


    However, this woman also looked at Noel, who hid his face with the masquerade. At one nce, she knew Noel was handsome as long as he took off that mask.


    But that feminine-looking Noel was something she hated the most. Sheughed, "They even bring a baby here. How about bing a boy first before going on a mission?"


    Rose couldn''t let go of that remark. She gritted her teeth and released her Spiritual Energy.


    Suddenly, a figure appeared behind their new guy, trying to capture him.


    As if feeling its presence, the short-haired woman''s eyes shed as she turned around, punching the figure in the face, only to realize it was just an illusion.


    In that instant, Paul and the Demon Hunting Squad''s Vice Captain released their punch while the others also unsheathed their weapons, pointing them at their enemy.


    It only took them a moment for the tension to copse.


    However, there was one person who didn''t get marked at all due to the difference in number and experience. It was none other than Noel.


    Noel was standing between them with a smile. There were two runes next to him. The right one released twelve chains that locked the people''s wrists, while the other was the Hardening Rune that strengthened the chains.


    Noel said with a gentle smile as if trying to de-escte the situation. "Alright. Let''s stop here, shall we?"

 Chapter 422 Agreement

    "Alright. Let''s stop here, shall we?"


    "!!!" All of them widened their eyes, seeing the chain manage to reach them before they noticed.


    The Demon Relief Squad already knew about Noel''s runes, while the Demon Hunting Squad only saw it for the first time. But because of theirck of knowledge about Rune and Spirit Enchantment, they thought Noel was a Spirit Magician.


    The short-haired woman released her Spiritual Energy around her hand to rupture the chain, but surprisingly, it remained intact. The Demon Hunting Squad''s Vice Captain even tried to rip it apart but to no avail. If he wanted to break free from this chain, he might need to exert more of his power. But it would end up destroying the mansion.


    In the past three months, Noel had made a huge improvement like Anna. He had increased the levels of his runes and other Spirit Abilities.


    This time, he used the max level Chain Bind Rune and Hardening Rune to stop them.


    "Heh¡­" A man with nted eyes smiled, looking at Noel as if he had managed to pique his interest. He raised his hands and said, "Let''s stop here, shall we?"


    The short-haired woman was unwilling since it meant she had to eat her own words. But her Vice Captain had let out a sigh and stated, "Alright. Let''s stop here. Alright, Becky?"


    "¡­" The short-haired woman snorted. "Just because you''re the one asking it."


    After she lost her spirit, the Vice Captain looked at Paul, who ended up turning to Noel as if asking him to retract the chain.


    Noel then waved his hand, removing the runes. Since the tension had disappeared, Noel returned to his position as a member of the Demon Relief Squad.


    "¡­" Paul paused for a moment before saying, "We''re here to discuss our n and situation. If your Demon Hunting Squad doesn''t want to listen, then you''re free to leave. However, the Demon Hunting Squad''s opinion is necessary here, so will you leave or will you stay?"


    Their Vice Captain knew the conflict had to end. No matter what, their squads were going to cooperate this time. The faster theypleted the mission, the quicker they could go back to check their headquarters.


    "Go on." He extended his hand, giving the opportunity to Paul.


    "Then, Rose. If you may." Paul took a step back.


    Rose nodded. Without hesitation, Rose put the pieces away and reced them with her illusion. This time, the demons, the structure, and the area were easily visible.


    Soon, a red line that connected this city, the neighboring town, and the fort appeared.


    "This is the current supply line just by looking at this map. There is one nest located approximately five hundred meters from this line, while the other two are located within one kilometer of the bridge.


    "It''ll be hard to hunt the demons and protect the bridge at the same time. I don''t mind if you think the bridge is not important, but the more the demons destroy the bridge, the longer it''ll take to repair it. Hence, the longer the supply route for your headquarters gets fixed. You should know the consequences, right?


    "Hence, we have to mix our groups and split into two. The first group will be the vanguard that hunts all the demons while the second group will protect the bridge."


    "Hmm?" The Demon Hunting Squad''s Vice Captain noticed something and asked, "Why don''t all the vanguard be filled with my squad?"


    Rose had expected this question. She wlesslyid down the reasons. "First of all, the vanguard has to know about the connection between the demons and the bridge. Unfortunately, we need an expert that can measure the situation and make sure the demons don''t go all the way to the bridge. That''s why you need our people.


    "The same applies to the second group. Our squad might be good at defense and fixing the bridge, but your Demon Hunting Squad is more adept at searching for demons around. Hence, you will support us to make sure the ce is safe."


    Rose didn''t exin it in the way their Demon Relief Squad was the best. This way, the Demon Hunting Squad should agree with their suggestion without hard feelings.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Even their Vice Captain couldn''t really disagree with the n as he perfectly understood the reasons. However, the problem was their number. "So, how do you n to split the group?"


    "Since you have promised the baron to lend one of your people, then we''ll split the group this way." Rose used her illusion to show blue and green dots.


    There were four dots near the bridge and the rest were next to them.


    "Our Vice Captain is the strongest in strength, so he will stay behind with me. And your group is going to lend two people who are good at scouting and assassination to eliminate the demons. In the worst case, our Vice Captain will be there to handle the rest.


    "As for the vanguards, it will consist of the members who are good at hunting demons," Rose exined.


    The muscr guy thought for a moment and asked the guy with nted eyes. "What do you think?"


    "You can bring Becky and Shawn to the front while Brad and I will stay near the bridge. Hugo can go with the soldiers."


    "Hmm? I can understand Becky, but why Shawn?"


    "I believe she is nning to strike the nest one at a time, right?"


    Rose nodded with a serious expression. "That''s right. No matter how confident we are, we don''t know the situation on the field, so we must first be cautious. This situation is the result of a huge battle happening in the fort, so you should understand my concern.


    "Hence, we have to destroy one nest at a time. During that time, we don''t know what will happen to the other nest. Hence, having three Spirit Masters and one Spirit Grandmaster near the bridge is the best option.


    "This is the n. If you have any objection, I don''t mind exining more to you."

 Chapter 423 Meeting

    "Alright. We''ll go tomorrow morning. The battle won''t be small, so I hope that everyone is in their best condition." Paul stated with a calm tone, knowing this was the best idea. "Is there any objection, Demon Hunting Squad?"


    The muscr guy nced at his adviser, who nodded his head. Since there was no problem, he finally agreed. "Fine. We shall do it ording to your n. Just don''t be our burden."


    "We don''t know who will be the burden." Paul smirked, not fearing the challenge.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hmph."


    Since both of them had reached an agreement, they came out of the room, finding the butler.


    "We have reached an agreement and will go tomorrow morning. Please inform the lord about it."


    The butler nodded with a serious expression. However, the baron had left some messages. "I know it''s ufortable to sleep together in one room. And the mansion doesn''t have enough room to amodate all of you. Hence, the lord has prepared an inn for all of you."


    "Oh?" Paul thought for a moment. It was great to get a ce to sleep, especially afortable bed, before a battle. So, he certainly wouldn''t reject it since the lord had prepared them. "Please give my thanks to the lord."


    "Let me guide you to your inn." The butler nodded and extended his hand.


    They left the mansion without hesitation since they had some preparation to do.


    As soon as they reached their room, Noel immediately walked away, nning to leave the inn.


    "I''m going to go around the town. Although the appearance looks good, I don''t know if this town is truly good or not." Noel waved his hand as if saying they didn''t need to follow him.


    "Yeah." Noel was sleeping with Jonathan and Zion. Both of them exchanged nods, waving their hands. "Have fun."


    Noel nodded and immediately left the inn. He had a different purpose foring out. He had promised Anna they would meet every three months after all.


    ''Hmm¡­ I don''t know where to look. Has she reached this ce yet?'' Noel muttered. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Anna. He also wanted to see how much Anna had progressed during the past three months.


    His appearance was quite eye-catching, considering he wore a masquerade all the time.


    Since it would be boring to not do anything while he was here, Noel tried to buy a bag of apples to feed some kids, wondering if he would find some amusing kids like the ones in the Demon Banner Army Headquarters or not.


    Of course, he didn''t n to be attached to these ones.


    But when he just finished buying the apple, someone stopped next to him and raised her hand. "Excuse me. Do you mind if you share the apples with me?"


    The familiar voicepletely startled him. The woman next to him wore a coat that covered her entire body, so he couldn''t see her face. However, he still could see the blond hair resting on her chest.


    "¡­" Noel sighed, knowing who she was. "Sure."


    "Sorry for this¡­ Even though this is your favorite fruit, I''m simply too hungry."


    "Want to grab a bite then? I''ve just arrived here, so let''s find a good restaurant, so we can eat peacefully."


    "Hoho, are you asking me for a date?"


    Noel was surprised by her reaction. Usually, she would be the one who got startled by the request, but this time, she had a lot more confidence in herself.


    Noel extended his hand. "If you don''t mind¡­"


    Both of them smiled as they walked side by side without looking at each other. They looked like strangers from others'' perspectives, but their movements werepletely in sync.


    It didn''t take long before they found a restaurant that offered a small private room to talk. Noel didn''t bother to rent the room and ordered some food.


    Meanwhile, Anna finally took off her hood and released her blond hair. "Ah¡­ this feels nice."


    Noel smiled, feeling the change in Anna. From her expression alone, he could see a lot of confidence as if she had seen a lot of things. She also appeared to be more mature.


    Although she often acted childish, it felt like this time, that character had been diminished.


    Noel opened his mouth, saying, "It''s been a while, Anna."


    "Yeah. How are you?" That was right. The woman was none other than Noel''s partner, Anna Stargaze.


    "I could be better if you didn''t appear right next to me so suddenly." Noel chuckled.


    "It can''t be helped. I have be an Inquisitor now, so this is the kind of work I''ve been doing." Anna chuckled.


    "Your strength doesn''t seem to have grown a lot, but¡­ I can see a huge change in your temperament."


    "Hehe, are you looking down on me?" Anna smirked. "If you do, you might get crushed by me before you know it."


    "I''m looking forward to it. I hope that you also have grown here¡­" Noel pointed at his head.


    "Are you telling me I''m stupid? For your information, I''m not stupid. You''re just too abnormal." Anna harrumphed. However, her expression soon became serious as she added, "Of course, I won''t rely on youpletely this time."


    "Hoh?" Noel smirked, feeling excited to see how much she had grown.


    As if sensing the waitress outside, Anna suddenly put on her hood back. The waitress didn''t say anything when she saw Anna. She just put the food on the table and hurriedly left them alone.


    "Well, I guess we should eat first." Noel chuckled while looking at her. "You must be hungry after running all the way here."


    "Of course. I''m hungry." Before Anna began to eat, she looked back at Noel and reminded him, "You haven''t forgotten about our bet, right?"


    "The betting game about who can give more information. Of course, I haven''t forgotten about it. We can share our informationter after we finish our food." Noel pointed at the food since they should finish it while it was still warm.


    "True enough."

 Chapter 424 Exchanging Information

    "Fu¡­ I''m full." Anna leaned back, feeling rxed.


    "Your manner haspletely changed¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. Unlike Anna, Noel still sat straight and didn''t explicitly show his satisfaction.


    "Hehe¡­" Anna scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Since we''re done eating, should we start?"


    "Before that, let''s ce the bet. What will we bet this time?"


    "If I win, you are going to massage me. I''m tired, you know." Anna made a smug smile as if she was nning to enjoy her time here.


    Noel shook his head helplessly and said, "In that case, if I win, cook me something for tomorrow."


    "Your favorite?"


    Noel nodded.


    "It''s a deal." Anna smirked. "So, who''s going to start?"


    "We''ll reveal one piece of information after another. And¡­Ladies first."


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue. But since she was confident with the amount of information she had, Anna stated, "Before that, do you know anything about Arbiters and the Inquisitor Organization?"


    "I haven''t heard about the organization, but I''ve heard about the Arbiters. There are twelve Arbiters, with your father being one of them."


    "That''s right." Anna nodded. "Arbiters are basically the Kingdom''s hands. They''re enforcing the rules and maintaining the stability of the kingdom. They''re usually high-ranking nobles or super talented individuals rted to the royal family like my teacher, the royal magician, or the Marshall.


    "As for the organization, it''s basically a simr ce to the Demon Banner Army. You''re to focus on racking up achievements and getting stronger so that you can challenge an Arbiter and take their spot."


    "I see. So, what''s the information rted to this?" Noel nodded in understanding.


    "It seems that the Royal Family involves my teacher to put pressure on my father so that he marries me to the crown prince. I don''t care about marriage, but there is a catch here.


    "Judging from my father''s expression, it seems that they''re pressuring him with your family. Yeah, I''m talking about how he forced the royal family to exile you instead of executing you. Once again, I''m sorry."


    "¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. This was always a sensitive topic for both of them. But after three months of not meeting her, Noel didn''t want to put too many thoughts on unnecessary stuff. Instead, he wanted to think about how the information benefited him.


    "I see. It seems that your father was truly involved with my father''s n. I also have to apologize for making you involved¡­"


    "No, no. I should be the one to apologize for asking to execute you."


    "Let''s drop this matter, shall we?"


    "Mhm."


    Both of them agreed, so Noel changed the topic. "Alright. We can now believe the letter my father left behind a bit, considering he shows such a reaction."


    "Ah, right. He also showed a reaction when I told him I had killed you."


    Noel frowned. Although he was his best friend''s son, it didn''t change the fact that his current condition was due to him. In other words, Noel harmed the Stargaze Family''s position indirectly.


    But from the way Anna described it, the marquis didn''t seem happy. Instead, he looked disturbed.


    Noel couldn''t really determine his stance with just this. But he knew the marquis was deeply involved in his family''s matters.


    After confirming it, Noel gave the piece of information he got about the Third Prince.


    "I met the Third Prince two months ago. Are you aware of the royal family''s individual strengths? How is the king''s Spirit Level?"


    "Hmm? I''m not sure, but if I remember correctly, the king is only a Spirit Wielder because he has been doing a lot of work."


    "Then, it makes me suspect the Third Prince." Noel narrowed his eyes. "Can you believe that the Third Prince can easily sense my presence?"


    "Huh?" Anna looked down. Although Noel wasn''t that good at hiding his presence, he, by no means, was bad at it.


    To easily spot Noel, Anna realized the Third Prince was stronger than she thought.


    ''A Spirit Master or even a Spirit Grandmaster¡­ It seems that after losing to his brother, the current king, the Third Prince continues to hone his Spirit Arts. This is weird¡­ I don''t think the royal family will grow that big unless they''re a big genius¡­ At the same time, I have never heard of the Third Prince being a genius in the Spirit Arts.''


    Noel nodded, agreeing to her statement. It was suspicious, but he didn''t really have any proof.


    "Then, it''s back to me¡­" Anna recorded the information in her mind and stated the second piece of information. "Although my teacher forced me to join the organization if I wanted to escape the marriage, it didn''t seem she agreed with everything the royal family wanted. In other words, there was a chance that she wasn''t on the same side¡­


    "No, more like she was on their side because it still benefited her. If the royal family couldn''t give her any more benefits, she might leave."


    Anna had seen it as well in her past life. The Third Prince worked together with her teacher. However, she didn''t know whether the Third Prince gave her more benefits or she still worked for the royal family under the pretense she was the Third Prince''s ally.


    But having suspicion was enough for both of them. They might not have any concrete proof, but they had just started their investigation three months ago. And they didn''t meet with them directly for a long time, so it was impossible to gain any concrete proof.


    Since that was the case, Noel added, "Well, I have a chance to get closer to the Third Prince. He told me he wanted me to do something after I became a Spirit Master."Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hoh? A Spirit Master? Interesting." Anna looked down, recalling the information about Noel. She wondered what the Third Prince wanted him to do. Since it required him to be a Spirit Master, she recalled all the big things that happened when Noel was a Spirit Master.


    "How is it? Do you have any more information? If you don''t, let''s see who wins this time." Noel smiled.


    "I''m not done yet."

 Chapter 425 Important Piece

    Both of them stared at each other. Despite putting a strong front, both of them thought the same thing.


    ''I only have one more piece of news. If he (she) still has more, I''ll lose this battle.''


    Anna and Noel smirked at each other.


    Since she was confident, Anna was the first one to reveal her information.


    "Alright. It seems the organization is the best ce to gather the information. Due to the nature of the job, I can meet many nobles.


    "As soon as I can avoid all the people trying to get me, I can start visiting the nobles that once supported the Third Prince. From the looks of it, the Third Prince hasn''t given up yet, so I might be able to use the conflict between me and the Royal Family to get some information from them."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. It was good information. If she yed it right, there was a chance that she could investigate both the Royal Family and the Third Prince.


    "Do you need their names?"


    "No. I can simply get it from my father."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment. He didn''t know Anna was out of the news.


    There was a hesitation in his heart because he didn''t want to lose. But it seemed he had to take the loss today since he hadn''t met the Third Prince for too long.


    He said hisst piece, "The Third Prince is interested in the runes. I can take advantage of it to get him to reveal some information. Of course, I have to ask for your cooperation. The runes are too big for one person. That''s why your role is important."


    ''You can use this kind of information as well?'' Noel''s words actually gave her some inspiration. However, she had to focus on the core of the discussion, so she asked, "What kind of role are you referring to?"


    "Before I tell you about it, I have to know¡­ How do you even know the runes? This knowledge shouldn''t exist right now." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "Ah!" Anna immediately looked away as if she didn''t want to answer.


    Noel understood her and calmly exined, "Every time you told me about the culprits, it felt like you already knew what was going to happen. However, it didn''t seem you could clearly see it as if you only saw it piece by piece.


    "I don''t know what your Spirit is, but that''s the only thing I can think of. Does your Spirit allow you to take a peek into the future? Not the entire future but only a few images¡­ It''s more like a premonition."


    Noel''s expression became serious as he asked, "If that''s the case, how much have you seen? Have you seen my future?"


    Anna''s body shook. Although it wasn''t as much as reincarnation, it still had some rtions.


    "If you don''t want to disclose it, it''s fine. However, I need to know whether there is another person who knows the runes aside from you or not. After all, I''m nning to bait the Third Prince with the runes."


    Anna paused for a moment before saying, "No. I''m the only one who knows about it."Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "I see." Noel stopped asking. Anna was forced to respect his privacy by the Sword Saint, so he nned to do the same.


    After the letter about his father''s n, he wanted to believe Anna for a bit. So, this was his decision.


    Anna was thankful that Noel didn''t n to ask about her reincarnation. If she told him about it, she didn''t know what kind of impact it would bring.


    After getting the confirmation, Noel exined his n. "I''m going to bait him with the runes, and you''re needed here. I don''t want him to monopolize the runes, so I''ll spread it in another way."


    "Are you nning to use me to spread it while you''re giving the runes to the Third Prince?" After working as an inquisitor for a few months, Anna could grasp some of Noel''s long term ns.


    Noel even confirmed it. "Yeah. By spreading the runes to the entire kingdom and even the neighboring kingdom, we can stop the monopoly. This is simply too big to be kept as a national secret."


    "No matter how scheming the Royal Family or the Third Prince is, it doesn''t change the fact that our true enemies are the demons, huh¡­" Anna let out a sigh, knowing how hard it would be topletely rule the world. They couldn''t even create a passage that led to a different civilization, so how could they even think about the world''s domination?


    And by spreading the runes to all kingdoms, the expansion speed would be greatly affected.


    Anna couldn''t help but ask, "Noel. Why do you want to spread it? I''m sure with your brain, you can even monopolize it without the Third Prince."


    Noel smiled and spread his arms. He spoke the words that Anna would never think of. "You said the kingdom in our south is covered in sand. You said the kingdom next to it has a pool of water covering the horizon¡­


    "Don''t you think there will be something more in this world like a mountain made of sand or a world under the water¡­ I want to see them." Noel smiled brightly. It felt like they were outside and Noel would fly into the sky, exploring everything. He was free.


    Anna''s body shivered, not because she was scared, but because she was also curious about that possibility. That was right, they had been in this kingdom for their entire life. Even their parents or grandparents never set foot outside the demon border and beyond.


    She knew the demons would be a huge threat, but they could find something no one had ever seen before.


    A smile couldn''t help but appear on her face. Her heart was beating loudly as if asking her to go. In her past life, she kept fighting Noel and died before she could do anything. But maybe, in this life, she could join hands with him and discover many things they had never seen before.


    With Noel, she could do it. With him, she could do everything. She knew that feeling and that was why she was excited.


    "That''s an admirable vision. Do you think you¡­ No, do you think we can do it?"

 Chapter 426 Win Or Lose?

    Noel raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Who knows? There are a lot of problems I have to take care of right now like finding my parents, rebuilding my family, and investigating the Third Prince. I can''t give you an answer before doing all that."


    "That''s true. I also have to solve the misunderstanding between us and our families, regain the control of my family over the kingdom, and investigate the Royal Family. We have a lot of things to do."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded in agreement. "That''s why we have to solve all our problems first¡­such as our betting game this time."


    "Right." Anna chuckled. "Your information gave me an idea, Noel. I have a letter from the Royal Family asking a Count to make me submit to the Royal Family. That one letter alone can''t do much, but if I can gather a lot of them and spread it among nobles, I should be able to gain some allies to resist the Royal Family.


    "When you pressure them so much, the Royal Family might need to show all their hands, including their rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization if they have any."


    Noel widened his eyes in shock before closing his eyes, falling into deep thought. It felt like he was considering that n since it was a bit reckless, but it turned out Noel was thinking of another problem.


    He suddenly raised his hands and said, "I lost."


    "Huh?" Anna dropped her jaws to the ground as if she couldn''t believe what she''d just heard. Noel was a sore loser. If he had anything that could be used to win, he wouldn''t hesitate to do it. Yet, the same Noel actually gave up.


    "I don''t have any more information that I can offer." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Yes, I heard it all right. It''s just¡­ seriously?"


    "Don''t look at me with those eyes¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He sighed, "I might be a sore loser, but I''ll admit defeat if I lose. I''m not going to be petty to the point I''ll have to resort to everything just to either win or make it draw."


    "¡­" Anna was still too shocked that she couldn''t say anything.


    Meanwhile, Noel asked, "So, how should I do this? Do you want me to massage your shoulders now? Or we can go to an inn to massage your feet since you said you were tired earlier¡­"


    Anna scratched the back of her head and thought for a moment. "Well, we should also talk about our missions here. Maybe it is rted to each other?"


    "I see. I guess we should get room to do that. Though, next time, I''m not going to lose." Noel harrumphed. Even though he had admitted defeat, his expression waspletely unwilling as if she defeated him by luck.


    "Haha, alright. We''re done here anyway. You should know some inns in this town, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded and immediately led Anna to a different inn from the one he stayed at. After all, he didn''t want anyone from the squad to meet her.


    As soon as they reached their room, Anna leaped onto the bed while yawning, "Aaahhh¡­ This is tiring. I haven''t gotten enough sleep these days since I''ve beenpleting one mission after another."


    Noel pulled the chair to the bed without saying anything. There were already a lot of tasks in Anna''s hands. On top of what she said earlier, Noel still asked her toe to meet him and even became his errand girl.


    At the very least, he could be a bit gentle on her this time.


    "So, which one?" Noel asked.


    Anna hurriedly took off her shoes andid down on her stomach. "Of course, my legs. Don''t worry, I washed myself before our meeting."


    "I know. That''s why you didn''t sweat at all when we met."


    "¡­" Anna had expected him to say those words, so she just rolled her eyes. From their conversation earlier, she also knew why the runes were spread in her past life. The only difference was the fact she was the one spreading it, while in the past life, someone else did it.


    "Mhm¡­" Anna let out a soft moan when Noel began massaging her calf. It seemed Noel knew how much strength he had to put in.


    "I thought you would be a sore loser and massage me with all your strength¡­ And here I''m prepared to release my Spiritual Energy to increase my defense¡­" Anna chuckled, teasing Noel.


    "Well, I know how hard you''re working right now. Since I''ve lost, might as well give you some service so that you can work harder." Noel answered without a change of expression as if it came from the bottom of his heart.


    "¡­" Anna was startled, not knowing why Noel became so gentle. She wondered what had happened to him in the past three months.


    However, her heart felt warm. She couldn''t help but imagine what would happen if there had been no conflict between them since the beginning.


    While burying her head in the pillow, Anna said, "I saw your future."


    "¡­" Noel nced at her, interested.


    "I don''t know what was happening, but both of us were already on the ground, in dying breath. I didn''t know you, but you knew me. At thest moment, you gave me your name."


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned, not understanding what she was talking about. But after mulling it over, he realized Anna must be talking about the reason why she came to the Demon Banner Army. The rumor about her and her actual personality waspletely different as if she had changed.


    It might be due to her seeing that future that she chose to work together with him instead of fighting him.


    "I see¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "Thank you for revealing it to me¡­"


    Anna embarrassedly looked away. She had changed, but it felt like she only changed because of that vision instead of him. She didn''t want Noel to think something weird after knowing about it.


    But when she was thinking of Noel''s reaction, she suddenly blushed as she turned around out of reflex, finding Noel had raised both his hands. "Hey. Where did you massage me earlier?"


    Noel couldn''t help but smile after hearing Anna''s secret. It showed how much Anna trusted him. However, he soon regained calm and said with a gentle expression. "I''m simply nning to thank you for telling the truth."


    "And how are you nning to thank me?"


    "Of course¡­" Noel''s turned into an evil smirk as if he had a great scheme in mind. "Full body massage. Don''t worry. You will feel refreshed after this!"


    "You bastard. You are going to take advantage of my body! I''m going to cut you down right now!"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Kh¡­ Sore loser." Anna gritted her teeth. She knew Noel was just using all kinds of excuses to make her suffer. He truly didn''t like losing because he was a sore loser.

 Chapter 427 Trouble

    "Fuu¡­" Anna let out a long breath with a rxed expression. Her body felt light after getting the massage. "You have a talent in this¡­ Why don''t you just drop your goal and be my personal masseur?"


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched, wanting to smack her right in the face. However, he dropped the matter since he had to ask her about her mission. "So, let''s continue our discussion."


    "Well¡­" Anna was a bit disappointed since she wanted to enjoy more of it. But her body was already rxed, so she had no other option but to stop. "Alright. I''m here on a mission as well. What is your mission? The loser will have to answer first."


    Noel shook his head helplessly. It seemed the victory this time had gone to her head. But since she won, Noel ultimately told her first. "My mission is to remove the demon nests built not long ago. What is yours?"


    Anna looked down for a moment, contemting. She seemed to have seen a connection between them. After a while, she said, "This territory might be under the baron, but the baron is actually a Count''s subordinate."


    "If we''re talking about this area, then is it Count Elezar?"


    "Yeah. That guy. ording to my information, Count Elezar has been visiting the neighboring town recently. It seems that he is nning to do something."


    "Isn''t his city supposed to be five days away from here?"


    "That''s why I''m suspecting him right now." Anna nodded.


    "Is there any rumor or spection about his business?"


    "We don''t know about it yet, but the Count loves to eat demons."


    "Love to eat demons?" Noel frowned. Although he didn''t mind eating demon meat, he still preferred basic livestock such as cows or chickens. So, the fact the Count loved them meant he enjoyed the demons more than normal livestock.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    And there was a group of demons around this city.


    "Noel. When were the demon nests built?" Anna asked.


    "Hmm?" Noel recalled the information and said, "They haven''t discussed it yet since the Count doesn''t seem to be releasing the information. However, it seems that the nests are built around one to two weeks ago."


    "This¡­" Anna fell silent as if finding something. "This is weird."


    "Yeah. It is indeed weird." Noel contemted before raising a question. "This is just my spection¡­ What if the Count was the cause of those nests?"


    "Are you talking about demon farms?" Anna narrowed her eyes. Her tone became cold and her expression turned grim. She had never heard anything about a demon farm in the past, so it shouldn''t be possible.


    At the same time, they might have been destroyed before the research bore any fruit.


    "I don''t know about it." Anna shook her head helplessly. "But if this is true, then I might be able to take advantage of the situation."


    "Oi¡­" Noel''s expression changed after hearing those words. It seemed Noel had thought about the same thing. But the fact Anna managed to see through that n showed how much she had improved in the past three months.


    "You were the one who told me to create an opportunity if there wasn''t any." Anna smirked.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. "It seems that you have be sharper¡­"


    "I''m not going to just blindly follow your n. If I also know what you want, I can act differently to match it so that everything is perfect." Anna had a sly smile on her face. She stated, "I am going to mess your team up."


    Noel scratched the back of his head with a troubled face. "I am a part of the Demon Relief Squad, so I can''t divulge the team''s n to outsiders."


    "But I''m not an outsider. I have left the group, but I haven''t officially resigned from my position as a knight of the Demon Banner Army." Anna was proud that she could shamelessly say that after what had happened previously.


    "Our n is to destroy the nest one at a time. And we''ll be striking the left nest first."


    "Hehe, then I''m going to cause a ruckus in the right nest and bring those demons past the Baron''s city and go all the way to the Count. When the Count is panicking, I''ll investigate his involvement in this case. Hopefully, the Count worked together with the Royal Family since I could get some proof from him¡­"


    "We don''t know about it yet, but it''s clear that we have to consider every possibility. In that case, I''m going to stall the group for a bit by going deeper into the nest so that they don''t know anything about the ruckus in the other nest." Noel nodded in agreement. He knew his role in this n.


    This might be the first n Anna devised herself and asked Noel to execute him. It gave her a lot of confidence, especially since the n got Noel''s seal of approval.


    "Anyway, I have to ask you two things." Noel raised two fingers. "First, you can''t show yourself to the group."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not nning to break your disguise." Anna nodded. "It''s going to be troublesome to handle multiple Masters and Grandmasters after all."


    "Then, the second thing is regarding the Count. He''lle at you with his soldiers. So, you have to maintain your distance from the Baron''s soldiers."


    "Understood." Anna agreed without hesitation. She knew the risk of bringing the demons to the Count, but this was the only thing she could do to mess with the Count.


    "This is your first n that we''re going to execute together." Noel extended his fist. "I''ll watch your back this time, so don''t mess up."


    "Haha, don''t jinx it." Anna chuckled and bumped his fist.


    Noel and Anna smiled at each other. They had gone separate ways, so working together like this excited them a little bit.


    After discussing some details, Anna and Noel left the inn. Noel had to go back to the group so that there was no suspicion. The same applied to Anna, who was supposed to be in another town.


    The next time they meet again, they were going to cause trouble.

 Chapter 428 The Demon Hunting Squad

    "Is everyone ready?" Paul asked, ncing back at his teammates. Next to them was the Demon Hunting Squad and they would be showing how they hunted demons.


    Of course, this would be a good experience for Noel.


    "Yes. Let''s go." Jonathan nodded without a change of expression. If not for the fact they would be working together, he would have used a nk and carried them all with his Telekinesis.


    "We''ll be the vanguards. You can support us from behind." The Vice Captain from the Demon Hunting Squad didn''t forget his passive-aggressivement.


    Paul and the others had gotten used to it, so they just shrugged.


    The baron saw them off outside the gate as they ran toward the bridge located two hours away from here.


    Fortunately, they didn''t find any demons in the next ny minutes. But the closer they were to the bridge, the more demons roamed around.


    Their first encounter was with a total of ten demons, eight Low Level Demons and two Mid Level Demons.


    Although Paul didn''t like them, he still said to Noel. "Iadre. Even though you''re a part of our group, look carefully at how they hunt demons. It''ll benefit you a lot."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. However, he was also curious about trying it himself since practice makes perfect. He asked, "Can I imitate them?"


    "Of course. The others will fix your mess." Paul was supportive since he wanted Noel to gain a lot of experience in battle. That way, the team strength would be boosted to a whole different level.


    Noel then gave a thumbs up to Rose, allowing her to use her runes this time. Rose''s strength was in her illusion, but these people didn''t know about it. Even if Rose used Runes, they wouldn''t connect it with Spirit Enchantment.


    Since they had reached an agreement, the group fell into silence as Noel observed all the people from the Demon Hunting Squad.


    Since the man with nted eyes joined the ordinary army, the Demon Hunting Squad only had five people left in their group.


    "There are ten enemies, I''ll take care of the two Mid Level Demons. All of you will take care of the rest."


    They acknowledged the order of their Vice Captain and began to spread their formation.


    The demons seemed to be a group of cows. They had been demonized, resulting in a pair of humongous horns on their head. Even their skins had be pale as if they were fused with minerals.


    As expected of the demon hierarchy, the Low Level Demons hurriedly charged forward to protect the two Mid Level Demons.


    At the same time, the members of the Demon Hunting Squad increased their speed.


    The short-haired woman, Becky, turned her hands into crystals. After that, she jumped forward, facing the enemies before anyone else.


    "Haaaa!" Becky roared and grabbed two horns, which were supposed to be her targets. She used her muscle and spun her body, using the momentum to throw the two Demon Cows to the side, striking both sides.


    "Moo?!"


    "Moo?!"Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    The two Demon Cows ended up crashing into four other cows, leaving the rest confused.


    But because of that distraction, the other members of the Demon Hunting Squad could unsheathe their weapons and deliver a killing blow to the fallen demons.


    It was swift and precise. Becky even came back and smashed the heads of the two cows she had thrown earlier.


    As for the remaining two cows who were still standing, the Demon Hunting Squad split into two groups and killed them.


    With this, only the two Mid Level Demons remained. Their Vice Captain came forward this time. He gathered his Spiritual Energy into his fist before punching forward, sending the shock wave produced by the Spiritual Energy forth.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes because the shock wave crushed the Mid Level Demons'' heads before obliterating their bodies. There was clearly a difference in power between Paul and their Vice Captain.


    "What do you see?" Paul smiled, noticing Noel''s change of expression.


    "They''re amazing. That woman provided a distraction so that the group could eliminate the enemies quickly. They''re aware of each other''s abilities, so when they have to divide their group, they can do it with anyone. And in this case, they make a pair with the nearest one.


    "Last but not least, their Vice Captain might be a muscle brain, but his instinct is quite good. I believe he''s showing that power because he wants to show us that he''s reliable enough to handle this mission.


    "And more importantly¡­" Noel paused for a moment as this was the most important thing he found. "The only ones who used their Spiritual Energy were their Vice Captain and that woman. The rest only relied on their weapon mastery."


    That was right. Even though the Demon Hunting Squad looked reckless, they still knew how to pace themselves. There was no way they would use a lot of their Spiritual Energy right away.


    Noel''s opinion about them had changed a lot.


    "Should we do it too?" Rose smirked. "I can provide everyone with the distraction and even boost your abilities."


    ? "That sounds good. Though, we might have to use our Spiritual Energy since some of us don''t use weapons or have the necessary power to kill the demons in an instant." Jonathan nodded in agreement.


    As he said, the only ones who could imitate the Demon Hunting Squad would be Ste, Ben, Paul, and Noel. Jonathan and Zion had to rely on their Spiritual Energy, while it was impossible for Rose to not use her Spiritual Energy.


    "We''ll let them do it for a bit until we reach an area with a denser poption of demons. At that time, try it. It might be useful for our group." Paul smiled, giving them permission.


    Their group was special since they had to do everything themselves, from construction to battle. So, they gathered all the knowledge they could and made it their own. This was the reason why Noel joined the squad in the first ce.


    Since they had permission, the group smiled excitedly. "Understood."

 Chapter 429 Imitating

    "We''re approaching the bridge!" Paul stated while Rose confirmed the increase of demon poption in the area.


    "We will go straight to the bridge and think about the rest after we reach that ce." The Demon Hunting Squad''s Vice Captain, Richard, shouted.


    "We''ll be following his instructions this time. Take out your weapons." Paul warned his group as he pulled out his warhammer.


    All of them nodded with serious expressions, knowing it was their chance to shine.


    "There are sixteen demons ahead!" Rose shouted, informing both squads.


    "We''ll take care of ten of them. I''m sure you can handle the rest, right?" Richard asked Paul and his squad.


    "Of course." Paul snorted. Although the Demon Hunting Squad was good, he believed his squad wasn''t that far off either. After all, they were the subordinates of ra, who was known to be an undefeated healer.


    "Ben and Ste will be the vanguards. Paul can stand by and help anyone that needs it. Iadre and Zion will help the vanguards respectively, and Jonathan will conserve his stamina." Rose gave an instruction.


    "Got it." They agreed without hesitation. They knew Rose was thinking the best for the team. Even Jonathan wasn''t bothered by the achievement.


    The vanguards sped up and matched their pace with the Demon Hunting Squad.


    "Huh?" The people from the Demon Hunting Squad were quite surprised to see these people could keep up. However, they couldn''t assess them since they had reached the demons.


    *Clink!*


    des and ws shed against each other. The demons tried to stop their momentum before devouring them. On the other hand, the two squads nned to kill them as soon as possible.


    The momentum they had formed wasn''t that easy to stop. When the demons used their bodies to reduce their momentum, they ended up getting pushed back, providing an opportunity for these people to strike.


    Ben waved his de to the side, causing the monster to stumble to the side. At that time, Noel sliced the monster''s neck by taking advantage of Ardagan''s sharpness. It was a clean cut and the demon died without even letting out a sound.


    The same applied to Ste and Zion. Both killed their targets in rapid session.


    However, the real contributor to this swift fight was Rose.


    Rose provided them with two things. The first was the distraction. Right before they shed with the demons, she released an illusion to disturb the demon''s focus, creating a big hole in their defense. The second one was the Runes.


    She utilized Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune to boost their overall ability.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Even the people from the Demon Hunting Squad were shocked by how the Demon Relief Squad killed their targets so effortlessly.


    It was more efficient than them. If the brain of their squad, the man with nted eyes, was here, he would have seen through the core of the group, Rose.


    But Richard could only think the Demon Relief Squad was hiding their true strength this whole time.


    Feeling their ce threatened, Richard gritted his teeth and exerted a bit of Spiritual Energy to kill all the demons.


    He punched the demon in the face, releasing a burst of Spiritual Energy that sted the head.


    The power was so overwhelming since the head exploded. But his action caused his teammate to use their power as well, not wanting to lose.


    They recklessly spent their Spiritual Energy. Even though the amount wasn''t that big, it was still an important part when battling against numerous demons.


    When Noel saw their reaction, he couldn''t help but remember what his father had taught him in the past.


    "I''m going to teach you how to be a leader." Luke smiled and raised his finger, "I only have one rule as a leader. I''m not asking you to keep a tab on everyone under you. You are bound to have a lot of subordinates in the future, so it''s impossible to look out for each of them.


    "You just have to pull them with your charisma. No matter how rough the situation, never show a troubled face. If you look lost, your subordinates will follow you."


    Noel remembered it clearly and saw the meaning of those words. Because of their overwhelming strength, Richard thought he couldn''t lose and release more strength. The team followed him and unleashed their power to kill the demons.


    If he was like the leader in his father''s mouth, Richard would maintain his calm and keep going forward. It wasn''t like they were slow in killing demons anyway.


    ''A leader huh¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly. He hadn''t shown much of his emotion in the past when leading the group because of this teaching. As a result, he managed to ovee many situations while Anna still thought everything went ording to his n.


    This time, the group managed to kill the demons within half a minute.


    They stopped for a moment as they took out the Demon Crystals. And the one who carried the bag filled with crystals was none other than Rose.


    She volunteered earlier. Because she didn''t have anybat ability, she thought it would be better if she became the porter while maintaining her support and surveince.


    For Noel, it was a sign of her improvement, which he wouldn''t reject.


    As soon as they grabbed the Demon Crystals, they continued moving toward the bridge, killing numerous demons in their way.


    It took them twenty minutes before they finally got a sight of the bridge. The bridge was made of paved stone and stretched over thirty meters. Underneath the bridge was a big river that flowed to the east and with a river thisrge, the bridge was vital for transport.


    So, seeing the bridge''s condition made Paul frown. Although it wasn''t destroyed, it looked battered as if the demons had been hitting it with their bodies.


    There were still some demons on the other side that seemed to be hunting fish around and ended up stumbling to the bridge, causing it to shake.


    "There are demons on that side, we have to kill them first before assessing the bridge!" Rose shouted, pointing her finger at the demon''s location.


    "You heard her!" Richard nodded, instructing his people to hunt the demons.

 Chapter 430 Like An Arrow

    A few minutester.


    Richard walked to Rose while looking at the bridge. "What do you think?"


    Despite his pride, it seemed he was concerned about the condition of his headquarters. Without the supply, they wouldn''tst long. So, he wanted the bridge to be fixed as soon as possible even if it meant he had to ask for help.


    "I can''t give you any answer right now since I have to inspect every corner to check its condition." Rose shook her head. "We should be able to give you a rough calction in fifteen minutes."


    "Alright. My team will be on the lookout."


    Rose nodded and walked around with Noel. She was the one in charge of teaching Noel about construction and how to roughly estimate their life from their condition.


    It was an eye-opener for Noel, considering he might have to repair some roads or bridges in his territory.


    After some discussion, Paul informed Richard. "The damage is a lot, but most of it is superficial. There is no crack on the main pir and the support is well-built. But since not all of us can repair it due to the presence of two demon nests, we might need around¡­ five days.


    "It would help if you could help us bring some materials to rece the crushed parts. But it depends on your choice."


    Richard looked down, contemting. "We''ll hunt the demons first. I think it won''t take too long for us to handle all those demons. At most, one or two days."


    "Are you sure? You''re not going to check the nest''s situation and calcte their number first?"


    "We have our own method to measure the enemy''s strength. It''ll take at most one hour for it. If you can trust that judgment, then we''ll be able to hunt them quicker."


    Paul couldn''t really trust Richard, but he didn''t seem to be lying. He knew the Demon Hunting Squad was known for its hunt, so they must have their own ways of tracking their enemies, including calcting the number of their targets.


    "Since a Spirit Grandmaster such as yourself is going with them, I''ll tell them to trust your opinion, except it''s too ridiculous."


    "Fine by me." Richard and Paul reached an agreement.


    Both of them seemed to have thought the same thing after working together. ''He doesn''t seem to be that annoying when working together. He knows the priority.''


    Meanwhile, the short-haired woman and their new guy were still skeptical about the Demon Relief Squad. They believed their squad was the best in hunting. But their new guy couldn''t help but stare at Noel, who was at the same level despite being a few years younger.


    The short-haired woman was observing Rose, who was teaching Noel, since she was the new guy, Shawn, mentor.


    Of course, Noel and Rose felt their gazes but chose to ignore them. They just went straight to their jobs and after the assessment, they split up to join their own team.


    There were eight people as vanguards. Richard brought Becky and Shawn as nned while Ste, Ben, Zion, Jonathan, and Noel.


    "Alright. Since our target is a nest, I need to split up the team into three." Richard announced as his gaze fell on Noel. "You''re the weakest among them, so you''re going with me since it''ll be the safest. The woman and the big guy can go with Shawn. Although he is still a newbie, he knows how our squad works, so I hope you two can provide some support to him.


    "Lastly, the gloomy-looking guy and this average-looking guy can go with Becky. Becky is a killing machine, so you just have to provide backup."


    They exchanged looks before nodding their heads, agreeing to the arrangement. Noel had no objection since he could observe their vice captain personally.


    "Are we going straight to their nest?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. We''ll be moving like an arrow. In other words, if we see any demons, depending on their location, the respective group will handle them." Richard nodded, exining it to Noel. Becky and Shawn seemed to be exining the same thing to their own teammates.


    As soon as they finished their brief discussion, Richard turned around and said, "Make sure you follow me. I''m not good at holding back."


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a calm tone.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    As soon as Noel answered him, Richard started running. And his speed was even faster than when they ran together.


    "!!!" Noel was startled for a second, realizing Richard had crossed twenty meters in just two seconds.


    Not wanting to be left behind, Noel channeled his Spiritual Energy into his muscles to boost his speed before chasing Richard.


    As expected, even with this power, he still couldn''t follow his speed. Becky and the rest of the Spirit Masters around them seemed to be able to follow, but Noel and Shawn had a hard time keeping up with them.


    Shawn was utilizing a lot of Spiritual Energy to keep up with him, while Noel had to use his Increase Agility Rune to catch up.


    Seeing how Shawn suffered, Noel also applied the rune to him.


    "!!!" Shawn was surprised at first before gritting his teeth as if telling Noel he didn''t need his support. Of course, Noel just ignored him.


    The strategy actually worked. Whenever there were demonsing at them, each group would react differently. If the demons came from the left, Becky would take care of them. The same applied to Shawn on the right.


    Meanwhile, Richard took care of the middle. With his power, he sted all the demons in front, so there weren''t many things for Noel to do.


    However, Noel could see the essence of this strategy. By utilizing their speed, they could kill the demons while heading to their nest as quickly as possible. This way, the demons wouldn''t have time to inform the demons around them, which would cause a chain reaction that might rm the nest. Though, it needed a lot of Spiritual Energy to do this job.


    ''So, this is how the Demon Hunting Squad works. I''ve promised Anna to buy her some time¡­ I guess I have to change my n a bit.''

 Chapter 431 Problem

    "We have reached here." Richard said while narrowing his eyes, staring at a cave. "This doesn''t look good."


    Noel took a peek from behind a tree, wondering what he meant. "Is there something wrong?"


    Richard nced at Noel. Even though he was reluctant, he pointed at the cave and said, "Look at the entrance of that cave and check the number of demons around."


    "Hmm?" Noel narrowed his eyes for a moment, scanning the entire area. The demons around them were foxes, wolves, and even mice. "Ah?!"


    "It seems you have noticed it. That''s right. There are many demons that have the ability to see through the dark and the cave seems to be a limestone cave. The size should be long and big as well. There should be a few huge areas inside, so we''ll be at a disadvantage to deal with a huge number of demons like them without visibility."


    "True. You have to rely on your instinct to fight in the dark¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "What should we do then?"


    "We''re going to infiltrate the cave of course, but it seems scouting the cave is not possible."


    "If I say I can see the dark, what will you do?"


    "Hmm? You?" Richard narrowed his eyes, doubting Noel. But it didn''t take too long for him to realize the ability to see in the dark. "Is it rted to your Spirit or Moon Blessing?"


    Noel shrugged, not nning to give away the information to other squads. However, it was enough for Richard.


    "You don''t have any experience in scouting a cave, so we''re going to adjust it to match your level. For now, I want you to inform me of the number of demons as well as their locations. It''ll be a big help for us. And since you''re the only one who can see them, we''ll make you the core of the formation. If there''s any demon, we''ll give it to you so that you can kill it.


    "As for the rest, I''ll give you an instruction based on the situation. Just keep me up to date with the situation."


    Noel carefully listened to him before nodding his head. "Alright. I''ll do my best."


    "It''ll take a lot from you, but¡­ do your best." Richard patted Noel''s shoulder while his other hand gave a signal to the other teammates.


    Becky and Shawn saw the signal and exined the n to their group.


    The cave was under a short slope, so Becky led her group to loop around the area and climbed the slope from the opposite side, waiting right at the top. Meanwhile, Shawn prepared his group to be the bait.


    As soon as he received permission from Richard, Shawn hurriedly came out from his hiding ce and headed straight to the demons.


    The demons were confused at first, but they hurriedly howled, informing the others. The howl also rmed the demons inside the cave.


    With the addition of fifteen demonsing out of the cave, they had a total of forty demons. And all of them immediately charged at Shawn.


    Shawn didn''t hesitate to jump into the crowd of demons as if he was used to dealing with them this way. Seeing his recklessness, Ste and Zion had to adjust their n.


    They had to help Shawn, but instead of going from two separate directions, Zion kicked a demon with all his strength,unching it straight at Shawn. The demon ended up crashing into multiple demons, giving Ste an opportunity to attack.


    Ste released her wind and waved her sword, scattering the wind. The wind turned into a few wind des that cut all the fallen demons.


    This way, no one could stop Zion from using his top speed to go straight to Shawn.


    But before he could jump, Becky hade out, running down the slope and smashing the ground with her metal hand.


    "Ha!"


    *Bam!*


    The ground shattered and the demon that got hit by her was obliterated. Her appearance shocked the demons near her, but because they took action based on their instinct, the demons immediately pounced on her.


    "Crystal Body!" Becky roared as her entire body turned into a crystal. The demons that tried to bite her ended up breaking their teeth. And Becky would use this opportunity to end their lives.


    However, Jonathan and Ben were the ones helping her. When he jumped off the slope, he used his momentum to apply his Telekinesis in the same direction, causing the Spiritual Energy to push downward.


    *Bam!*


    The demons were shocked because the pressure was too much for them to handle. They were only Low Level and Mid Level Demons after all.


    As soon as they fell down to the ground, Ben took out a few throwing knives and threw them straight at their heads. The knives had been covered by his Spiritual Energy, so when they touched the demon''s head, it created a hole and ultimately killed the demon.


    Becky clicked her tongue. She didn''t need them, but she couldn''t stop them since they had to cooperate this time.


    She decided to smash the demons that had bitten her.


    With these two groups rampaging around, the demons werepletely in disarray. They had to kill them, but their instinct was telling them it was impossible to defeat them.


    As if he had seen through their mental state, Richard jumped forth. He pped his hands once before waving his right hand from right to left, causing the wind to sweep the demons.


    Noel infused his Undying Fire into this wind, turning it into a ming gale that burned the demons to death.


    "!!!" Richard and the rest of the Demon Hunting Squad were surprised by the intensity of the me. And the color was unusual.


    Before they could put some thought about it, Noel had retracted his me since he had confirmed their deaths through the system. After that, he unsheathed his sword as he nned to challenge the demons one by one.


    "Ho?" Richard was quite impressed by Noel''s performance but had no thought aboutparing him with Shawn. Instead, he thought it would be better if Noel joined his squad as Shawn''s partner.


    "I want to observe him more, but I guess we have our priority here," Richard muttered and waved his hand, signaling Becky and Shawn to kill all the demons.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 432 Noel

    "We''re done here." Richard concluded the battle while looking at the corpses around him. "Becky. Do the usual!"


    "Got it!" Becky nodded and told them not to follow her. After that, she entered the cave while covering herself with minerals.


    "Huh? Why are you sending her inside? Aren''t your n¡ª" Noel stopped because Richard gave him the reason.


    "You''re not the main n here. I''m simply trying to use you to check their position and number. Becky will bait as many demons as possible, especially the Peak Level Demons so that we can thin their number before cleaning up the cave. That''s the n." Richard shook his head helplessly.


    It looked reckless at first nce, but when he thought about it, Becky might have the best defense among them. With her speed and instinct, it wouldn''t be that hard for her to bait numerous demons.


    As expected, it didn''t take too long for her to return due to the insane number of demons inside. Roars kept echoing inside the tunnel as they grew closer and closer.


    Eventually, Noel could see the numerous demons inside the cave and Becky, who led all of them. He also understood why Richard asked Becky to do it.


    There were three demons that bit her body, but Becky kept running as if she didn''t feel anything. She just maintained her poker face and led the demons outside.


    Even though Becky had looked down on them before, it didn''t change the fact that she was a strong fighter. Noel acknowledged that fact after seeing this.


    "They''reing!" Noel warned them.


    "I''ll hold them off. You two will ambush them from afar while Shawn will nk them!" Richard instantlymanded them. The two in his mouth were the ones in Becky''s group.


    Jonathan and Ben nodded and returned to the top of the slope. Ben hurriedly cut the trees down and skillfully turned them into a huge nail. Jonathan used his Telekinesis to control them, preparing tounch them straight at the demons.


    Shawn led his team to the side while Richard remained in his position.


    As soon as Becky came out, Richard stomped the ground and punched forward.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars followed Becky as numerous demons came out of the cave. However, Richard''s punch released a shock wave that hit the ground right in front of them.


    Becky jumped to the side as if she had gotten used to this kind of strategy. She was in the opposite direction of Shawn since she was nning to act as a wall from this side.


    After Richard stopped their initial charge, he fought them head-on. Becky also did the same as if trying to cram them in one ce.


    Jonathan saw the demons starting to loop around them by using the free path, but that was when Shawn made his appearance. He crashed into them while Zion and Ste stopped the demons more skillfully.


    Seeing the battleing to a standstill, Jonathan shot the wooden spikes, impaling as many demons as possible.


    Ben also kept making the spikes for Jonathan to use.


    Seeing everyone had begun fighting, Noel also joined the fray. But this time, Noel nned to do something special.


    Using his me Conjuring, he enveloped his de with ck fire.


    "Huu¡­" Noel took a deep breath. He remembered the lesson regarding Spiritual Energy Control.


    ''I don''t need an explosion. I need a zing me that can engulf everything.'' Noel muttered inwardly as he thrust forward.


    Sword Fire.


    This was one of Noel''s Fire Skills. It used to be a skill to envelop his sword with fire, but after learning the control and upgrading the skill to its highest level, Noel could finally release the me.


    ''Turn everything into ashes.'' Noel released the fire forward. This crescent-shaped fire that ran through the ground burned everything. The heat melted the ground and all the demons getting hit by it ended up with their bodies sliced.


    The heatpletely melted their bodies, rendering them useless. Just by using a single skill, Noel managed to kill more than fifteen demons.


    Although it didn''t have a huge range like the Freezing Crystal, it still could deal with all demons in a straight line.


    ''Hu¡­'' Noel took a deep breath. Both his Fire and Ice had their advantages and disadvantages.


    The Ice Spirit didn''t require a lot of Spiritual Energy, but its power wascking. Meanwhile, Ardagan''s me had overwhelming strength, but it also drained a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    That was why he didn''t use it too much.


    As soon as he killed those demons, he moved toward the gap, taking advantage of the confusion to kill more demons with his swordsmanship alone.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t unleash all his strength right now since he didn''t want to reveal his identity to the Demon Relief Squad yet.


    Hence, Noel relied on his Ardagan Swordsmanship instead of the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to kill a lot of demons.


    When he was surrounded by demons, Noel could easily escape by using the Ignition Sword.


    He used it once, and the explosion was so big that it engulfed thirty demons.


    By taking advantage of that gap, Noel could catch some breath and continue fighting in that area.


    It didn''t take too long for them to finish all the demons. But because Richard suspected their number to be greater than they originally expected, Becky returned to the cave to bring more demons.


    And as one would expect, their target had finallye out.


    This time, there was a pair of white wolves that came out of the cave, followed by hundreds of demons.


    These two demons were the Peak Level Demons they were searching for.


    When he saw these two demons, Richard released his wind as if showing his presence in front of these two wolves. The wolves also recognized Richard as a formidable enemy.


    "Hahaha, that''s good." Richard smirked while raising his hand. "Let me see how strong you two are. I hope you''re not disappointing, Peak Level Demons."


    Richard didn''t realize Noel had been observing him this whole time. Although there was a lot to learn, Noel was also greedy. He had been devising a strategy, so he could stand out.


    And this was the time to do it.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 433 Stealing The Kill

    The two wolves instantly charged at Richard, who was the most dangerous threat among them.


    The wolves'' size was simr to that of a regr wolf. But the Spiritual Energy contained inside their bodies was extremely abundant.


    The right wolf suddenly stopped and howled, informing the other demons in the cave toe out to meet their opponents. The left wolf gathered its energy to the mouth before releasing a beam of white light at Richard.


    "Heh." Richard had a small grin as he covered his hand with Spiritual Energy. He suddenly grabbed the small beam with his bare hand before twisting it around.


    ''You can do that?'' Noel was surprised. He thought the beam would explode upon touch, yet Richard seemed to be able to control his strength.


    It felt like he was grabbing the beam at the same intensity, making the beam think it was just an extension of it. This required a soft touch from Richard.


    Despite his looks, it seemed Richard mastered control over his strength. His grip could be as soft as holding a baby and he could be as hard as smashing a boulder.


    "Only this?" Richardughed while directing the beam elsewhere. Meanwhile, the other wolf had gathered its Spiritual Energy on its paw.


    It charged at Richard and was about to pounce on him. However, the wolf had a different approach than the left one.


    Instead of attacking him with his paw, the wolf stopped and waved down the paw.


    Suddenly, a bolt of lightning appeared on top of Richard''s head, releasing a lightning strike that struck right at his body.


    "Hmm?!" Richard widened his eyes in amusement before raising his hand. He gathered his wind around his lower arm and formed a shield to take the lightning strike head-on.


    The wind spun like crazy. When the lightning hit it, the lightning dispersed in all directions.


    "!!!" The two wolves noticed Richard''s strength and jumped back as if feeling threatened by him.


    Richard was oozing bloodlust and directing it at them. His grin became bigger and bigger. "Haha. This is good. Come!"


    The wolves had their pride as Peak Level Demons as well. So, they released their Spiritual Energypletely, causing a small shock wave around them.


    "Good, good." Richard became even more excited. He concentrated his Spiritual Energy around his arms. This time, he was the one charging at them.


    The wolves knew they would be injured if they fought Richard head-on. Hence, they formed a barrier surrounding them while leaping to the side to gain some distance.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t escape from Richard that easily. As soon as they gained some distance, Richard turned to the left wolf and punched forward, releasing the concentrated energy on his fist.


    "Bam!" Richard shouted.


    The shock wave flew straight at the wolf and hit the barrier. Thetter dispersed most of the power, but the shock wave still cracked the barrier and the force from the shock waveunched the wolf into a boulder not far from it.


    "Aooo!" The other wolf realized Richard wanted to take advantage of the situation to kill its partner. So, it released another bolt of lightning on top of Richard, preventing him from moving.


    "Gh." Richard gritted his teeth as his movement had just been stopped. Since the other wolf had provoked him this way, Richard turned around to fight this lightning wolf first.


    Lightning began to spark all over the wolf''s body. Suddenly, the wolf disappeared.


    "!!!" Richard widened his eyes in shock, realizing the lightning increased the wolf''s speed. Suddenly, the wolf appeared on his right, hitting him with lightning and momentum.


    Richard nced to the side and smiled, facing this paw with his head covered.


    *Bam!*


    As expected, the wolf had the advantage. It knocked Richard down, but it noticed something else.


    Even though his upper body had been knocked down, Richard''s feet were still stuck on the ground.


    It realized Richard hadn''t lost its bnce yet. Before it could attack again, Richard released the wind on his right foot and kicked the paw that had just knocked him.


    *Bam!*


    The kick was so strong that the wolf ended up getting lifted off the ground for a split second.


    "Aooo!" The other wolf, who had recovered, gathered its light element in its mouth and shot it again.


    Richard used his hands to stand on the ground before spinning his body so that he could gain momentum and kick the white beam to the side.


    "!!!" The lightning wolf widened its eyes, realizing Richard used the white beam to attack.


    The lightning wolf hurriedly jumped back to avoid it, but this was when it felt another presence from behind.


    "!!!" The lightning wolf tried to turn around, but it was toote.


    The white sword touched its fur as a huge explosion urred, engulfing the wolf.


    *Boom!*


    "Aoooo!" The lightning wolf screamed in pain as it desperately tried to remove the fire from its body.


    However, Noel didn''t allow him to do it. Before he could do anything, Noel had used his Chain Bind Rune and captured the wolf''s limbs with it. Since he only used one rune this whole time, they might think he was Rose''s apprentice. This was the best oue when he was learning from them.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Though, his action seemed to have displeased Richard.


    "They are my prey!" Richard shouted in anger while punching the chained wolf in the stomach.


    The lightning bolt formed on the wolf''s stomach, deflecting most of the punch''s force, but it still scraped its fur and skin, causing some internal bleeding.


    Noel used this chance to create a bigger sword with his Ignition Sword. After that, he waved it straight at the wolf''s neck.


    The wolf obviously tried to protect itself by releasing the lightning to st away Noel''s sword.


    But the moment the me and the lightning made contact, the former burst out and burned the lightning itself as if it was devouring it.


    After that, the me melted the neck as it continued on its path, severing a Peak Level Demon''s neck.


    Then, Noel coolly said, "Sorry, I''m not your subordinate, so I don''t know your custom."

 Chapter 434 Overwhelming Flame

    "Tsk. A smart-ass brat!" Richard clicked his tongue. Before he could berate Noel, the other wolf was thoroughly angered as it stormed at Noel, trying to kill him.


    The wolf was going to take its revenge now.


    Richard wanted to let Noel suffer, but he realized there would be a conflict with Paulter if he did this. The Demon Relief Squad might refuse to repair the bridge, which resulted in the suffering of his Demon Hunting Squad. So, he decided to step forward, stopping the wolf.


    Even though he couldn''t make him suffer, he should be able to lecture himter.


    So, he wanted to deal with this as soon as possible.


    With his power gathering in his fist, Richard punched the ground, turning it into a crater.


    "!!!" The wolf wasn''t prepared for a sudden change in terrain. It tried to bnce its body due to the change of angle, but Richard had appeared in front of him, punching the wolf in the face.


    "Ao¡ª!" The wolf wasunched a few meters away.


    "¡­" Richard narrowed his eyes, looking at his fist that somehow got reddened upon touching the wolf.


    Unlike the lightning wolf who had extraordinary power, the light wolf had a unique defense. Even Noel couldn''t steal his kill easily this time.


    Richard might have been too focused that he forgot Noel was only a Spirit Wielder. Yet, he could kill a Peak Level Demon easily. Even with his help, it was still impossible unless he had extraordinary strength. Even their Shawn couldn''t achieve this feat, so it was surprising that Noel could effortlessly do it.


    Richard didn''t realize it untilter. He focused on the demon before him first.


    The demon suddenly erected another barrier again as if it was trying to protect itself from Richard.


    But there was a sudden change in fluctuation with this barrier. The Spiritual Energy kept increasing at a rapid rate.


    "Not good!" The first one to feel it was Jonathan, who was the most adept in Spiritual Energy. "That kind of energy will explode!"


    "!!!" Richard widened his eyes in surprise. He hurriedly formed two huge hands next to the wolf.


    "Wind Palm!" Richard roared while pping his hands. The two wind palms also moved toward each other as if trying to cover the wolf.


    But since it was the wind, Noel had the ability to boost it.


    He formed the Undying Fire on top of his palm before throwing it to the two wind palms.


    In that instant, the wind palms were lit.


    "What are you doi¡ª" Richard couldn''t stand Noel for ruining his fight, but he soon stopped. He noticed something weird on his wind palm.


    These now fiery ck palms surprisingly suppressed the wolf''s Spiritual Energy.


    "Huh?" Richard gasped. ''It''s suppressing the Spiritual Energy? No, it''s burning the Spiritual Energy, reducing it to nothing¡­ What kind of me does he possess? To think it has such intensity. The me itself doesn''t release so much heat, but it can burn everything, including the Spiritual Energy itself.''


    Richard had realized why Noel managed to join the Zero Squad at his age. That ability was enough to even be the best in his generation.


    If he could control his me, he would be invincible.


    With this fire, Richard continued pressing the wolf, making the palms burn the wolf alive.


    "Aoooo!" The wolf screamed in pain as its fur was lit on fire. Its body was boiling and its blood was evaporating. The skin turned charred in mere seconds.


    Eventually, the wolf died, unable to do anything.


    Even Richard was shocked after witnessing all this. He realized they managed to kill two Peak Level Demons with such ease. The others hadn''t even finished their fight, despite their opponents being only Low Level and Mid Level Demons.


    ''Is he for real?'' Richard sucked a cold breath, ncing at Noel. ''This guy has perfect timing, extraordinary me, good judgment, and confidence. Is he truly a mere Spirit Wielder? This kind of mastery can''t be easily achieved even for a Spirit Master.''


    What Richard didn''t know was that Noel never had a need to learn his abilities since he had a system that would give him the knowledge and mastery. Noel also had a good natural talent along with Dimitri as his teacher. Dimitri had taught him all the basics, strengthening his foundation.


    In addition to his overwhelming me and three months of absorbing Demon Crystals, even though Noel hadn''t reached the peak Spirit Wielder, hisbat prowess had entered that realm.


    Killing Peak Level Demons was possible with the help of a Spirit Grandmaster and perfect timing.


    "Huu¡­" Noel let out a sigh of relief. He had in three Peak Level Demons when he was with the Demon Relief Squad, but it took a lot of nning and effort.


    ''As expected of the Demon Hunting Squad, their strength is too overwhelming. I could easily kill both of them.'' Noel thought as he saw Richard rushing toward him. His face was filled with anger, so Noel knew what he wanted to say.


    "Hey, you brat! Do you know what you have done?" Richard gritted his teeth while cracking his fingers, nning to beat Noel up.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Noel maintained his poker face. He knew his teammates would help him, but Noel also didn''t want unnecessary problems.


    Hence, he skillfully dodged it by pointing at the cave.


    "By the way, before you start, you might want to focus on that one¡­"


    "Huh?" Richard was confused at first and turned around. If there was nothinging out of the cave, he would blow up.


    But this time, he saw a centipede and two bats leading a group of demons.


    These centipede and bats were Peak Level Demons that the two wolves had called. If they came out before the two wolves died, it meant the group had to take down five Peak Level Demons together with a group of demons. It looked like Noel had a good reason to steal the kill.


    Richard gritted his teeth and shouted, "I still haven''t forgiven you for ruining my hunt! But that can wait¡­ With three Peak Level Demons, even I might need your help. Come!"


    "Yes, Sir."

 Chapter 435 Noels Brilliance

    "Keep the other demons away. I''m going to face these three Peak Level Demons by myself! You guys can kill the demons in the other nestter!" Richard shouted.


    "!!!" They were confused at first but seeing how Richard was already adamant about taking these three on. They could only agree.


    A Spirit Master was able to fight against a Peak Level Demon, but killing them was hard. However, Richard was a Spirit Grandmaster. Three Peak Level Demons were enough handicaps for him.


    He also had Noel helping him. With Noel''s perfect timing and good judgment, they should be able to prevail.


    Seeing Richard''s fighting spirit, the centipede hurriedly moved forward. Instead of facing Richard head-on, the centipede suddenly entered the ground, digging a tunnel. No one would know where it would appear next.


    Meanwhile, the two bats pped their wings, creating a gust to blow Richard away.


    "Heh!" Richard smirked and punched forth, releasing the Spiritual Energy to neutralize the gale.


    As if knowing they had to buy time for the centipede, the bats flew in opposite directions, surrounding Richard from two sides.


    Richard smiled, ready to take on everything they threw at him. He was actually worried about Noel, considering he should be near him. He didn''t want Noel to get taken out that easily.


    But when he scanned the area, he couldn''t find Noel anywhere as if he already knew what was going to happen and hid himself to deliver a killing blow.


    ''That guy is truly amazing.'' Richard smirked.


    The two bats opened their mouths, releasing a sound wave.


    "Hmm?" Richard suddenly felt his eardrums going to burst. Although he couldn''tprehend it, he knew it came from the bats.


    "Haaaa!" Richard roared while smashing the ground with his fist. The ground cracked and turned into a small crater, allowing Richard to have a different elevation from the bats. The cracked ground and the rocks that stuck out blocked a portion of the sound wave, allowing Richard to regain his focus.


    As if not letting Richard recover, the centipede emerged behind him. Its sharp mouth was about to crush Richard''s body.


    This was a perfect time for Noel to appear, helping him to recover by fending off the centipede.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel didn''t help him.


    "!!!" Richard also felt no one wasing. Noel should know this was a perfect time to stop the centipede, but he was nowhere to be seen.


    "Kh!" Richard gritted his teeth and turned around, concentrating his Spiritual Energy on his arms. He stopped the centipede''s jaws. "Arghhh!"


    He thought he had overestimated Noel. No matter how good his judgment was, he was still a newbie. Missing an opportunity like this was normal.


    He should have taken this into ount.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    But when he was about to curse andpletely erase Noel from his battle n. Noel appeared, albeit not on the centipede.


    "!!!" Richard widened his eyes and nced to the right as Noel appeared with his fire de, striking the bat.


    Because the bat released the sound wave in Richard''s direction, it reacted toote for Noel''s attack.


    The bat tried to fly away, but Noel managed toplete his swing, reaching the bat''s right wing.


    "Ciii¡­" The bat screamed in pain while flying away from Noel. Although it was a Peak Level Demon, it had to regain its bearing first before it could do anything to Noel.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. Even though he had good timing, it was still hard to kill a Peak Level Demon when it wasn''t fully upied by Richard.


    Although disappointing, Noel had prepared some escape ns.


    He turned around and ran toward the others. His movement was quick and precise as he made himself invisible among those demons and people. This way, the bat would have a hard time finding him, and he would get another shot at killing the Peak Level Demon.


    But the most shocked one among them was actually Richard.


    ''Are you kidding me? Did that brat just use me as bait?'' Richard thought while making a weird smirk. This was the first time someone dared to use him this way. But he also noticed something from Noel''s movement. ''Still, it feels like he knows I still have the ability to stop the centipede even if he doesn''t help me. And he uses it to his advantage to kill the one that everyone is not focused on. It''s a great tactic, but his strength is stillcking.''


    Richard was a bit disappointed, not with Noel''s judgment, but with his strength. If Noel was a Spirit Master, he would have killed that demon bat.


    "Huuu¡­" Richard took a deep breath before kicking the centipede, blowing it away. After he freed himself, Richard took another look at his surroundings.


    Seeing the injured bat that wanted to chase after Noel, Richard released a shock wave that hit the bat, grabbing its attention.


    "That''s right. Just focus on me. I''m your opponent!" Richard smirked. ''Even if he failed, he still injured the bat. It might take a few hits to kill these demons, but it''s better than if I do this myself.''


    Richard knew his role. He didn''t realize that instead of him being the leader that ordered the people, he actually became Noel''s support, acting for his cause.


    "Hahaha,e!" Richard smirked and jumped to the other bat, nning to cause an injury so that he didn''t lose to Noel.


    But the bat flew back while the other one released another cry to disturb Richard''s mind.


    "Kh." Richard gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. He kept moving toward the uninjured bat, but the centipede used this opportunity to attack Richard from the side.


    This time, Noel made his appearance again. Richard wondered which demon Noel would attack this time.


    But to his surprise, Noel didn''t attack any demon. Instead, he threw a huge spike made of wood toward Richard.


    "Huh?" Richard was confused at first, but he realized what Noel wanted to do.


    He pointed his palm at the spike and used his shock wave to direct the spike to the bat.


    "Kiii?" The bat was surprised and tried to dodge it, but with Richard''s control over his strength, he skillfully directed in a way that the bat had no way of dodging.


    "Kiii!"

 Chapter 436 Realization

    "Kiii!" The bat got its wing impaled by the spike. It was the same spike Jonathan used to attack the demons. Noel simply threw it in his direction, and with the help of Hardening Rune, the spike was strong enough to injure a Peak Level Demon.


    ''What? How could he do that?'' Richard was shocked that a mere wood could injure a Peak Level Demon. Even though the bat didn''t seem to have tough skin, it was still a Peak Level Demon. Without applying some Spiritual Energy, it would only leave a scratch at best.


    Yet, this one could impale it.


    He was curious, but the other two demons had attacked him as if giving time for the bat to free itself.


    The bat endured the pain and flew to the air, albeit its form had lost its stability. Due to its wing getting impaled, the bat''s flying path leaned slightly to the left.


    There was no way Richard won''t take advantage of this advantage. He gathered a huge amount of power above him and formed a palm.


    After that, he shot the palm forth, aiming slightly to the left of the bat. And when the bat tried to escape, it ended up flying straight to the palm.


    "Kii?!" The bat gritted its teeth before covering its body with both wings, stopping the shock wave. However, the shock wave contained a raging wind. When it touched the bat''s wings, it tried to rip it apart.


    This time, the bat ended up with two half-destroyed wings.


    It didn''t expect that Richard could do something like this in a short amount of time.


    However, the demons didn''t know Richard was surprised as well.


    ''Tsk. That brat is a monster. Usually, I would have been the one leading the team and teaching them how to fight the enemies. This time, I have someone that supports me¡­ Though, the worst part is that he''s so overwhelming that I end up moving at his pace.'' Richard clicked his tongue. He had realized that their roles had been reversed.


    Despite being only a Spirit Wielder, Richard considered him an equal.


    With that thought in mind, he changed his stance.


    "In that case, let''s make this a st!" Richard smiled and spun his body while releasing the shock wave continuously.


    It ended up turning into a tornado that tried to suck everything in.


    The two injured bats tried to fly away while the centipede returned to the ground. The centipede could escape, but the two injured bats had a hard time moving away due to their broken wings.


    Noel took that opportunity to send his Undying Fire straight to the tornado. The wind absorbed the fire and turned into a fire tornado.


    The bats immediately felt the heat and wanted to escape. They didn''t want to get burned alive.


    But it was impossible to do anything in this scenario, especially when Noel released his chains. The targets were their wings.


    As soon as their wings were restricted, the bats couldn''t fly away anymore.


    As a result, they got sucked into the tornado and the ck me soon spread all over their bodies.


    Still, as one would expect from Peak Level Demons, they released all their strength for onest moment and let out a loud cry.


    Their voices contained a vast amount of Spiritual Energy, releasing a powerful shock wave that neutralized the tornado and blew out the fire on their bodies.


    Unfortunately for them, this opening was all Noel needed.


    As soon as he got that opportunity, Noel went straight at the left bat and swung his sword.


    "!!!" The bat noticed Noel and wanted to escape but was powerless to do it.


    However, the centipede seemed to have understood Noel''s attack patterns. When Noel was about to reach the bat, the centipede came out of the ground and attacked him from the side.


    Surprisingly, Noel didn''t even bother to look at the centipede. It looked like he couldn''t react to him, but the centipede realized it wasn''t the case when Richard appeared next to its head and struck its mouth.


    "Chiii!" The centipede fell down.


    At the same time, Noel reached the bat and waved his de with his Ignition Sword, devouring the bat with his ck fire.


    "Kiiiii!" The bat was screaming in pain. The voice gradually weakened, showing the state of the bat.


    Knowing its partner was about to die, the other bat endured all the injuries and flew straight at Noel. Even if it had to ram its body without using its power, the bat would do it as long as it could save its partner.


    Noel had prepared for this and moved behind the fire. This way, the bat would have to loop around first if he wanted to attack him.


    "!!!" The bat was infuriated by Noel''s action. It released its sound wave to stop Noel.


    Noel felt the pain Richard had experienced earlier. Instead of taking it head-on, Noel actually ran away, trying to escape from the sound wave.


    The bat was relieved at first and tried to check its partner''s condition. It gathered its power to blow away the fire.


    But that was when another spike fell on top of the bat, impaling its body.


    "Kiii!" The burned bat let out itsst shrill before it died.


    Noelpletely overwhelmed it by taking advantage of the messy battlefield.


    Richard was shocked by Noel''s ability, but there was one more person who had been observing Noel, and from a better position.


    He was Jonathan.


    Jonathan couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows when he saw Noel''s movement.


    ''Huh¡­ That kind of judgment, his shrewdness, and his timing¡­ Why does it feel familiar?'' Jonathan thought for a moment beforeing to a big realization.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "!!!" Jonathan gasped. He answered inwardly, ''Don''t tell me. Iadre is Noel? That''s right. Even though the masquerade can cover his face, he can''t change the condition of his skin, his movement, his height¡­ His build is slightly buffed, but the rest is simr to him.


    ''Now that I think about it, Rose seems to have gradually ovee her sadness after he appeared¡­ As expected, Iadre is Noel.''

 Chapter 437 Difference

    "Hahaha!" Richardughed after seeing how another Peak Level Demon had just died. Even he was surprised to see a Spirit Wielder, more so in the Demon Relief Squad, to be able to kill a Peak Level Demon so easily.


    He became even more excited. Looking at this centipede, Richard released all his Spiritual Energy.


    "Haaa!" Richard let out a roar.


    The centipede realized the increase in Spiritual Energy and immediately backed away. It would be bad if he was struck by what Richard nned to do.


    Richard, on the other hand, concentrated that Spiritual Energy around his fists. Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy became calmer and covered his fists as if they were gloves.


    However, the centipede could see spikes around the gloves. Even its carapace would be prated by those spikes.


    Hence, the centipede hurriedly dug to avoid a frontal confrontation.


    "Why are you running away?" Richard smirked and punched the ground. This time, he didn''t turn it into a crater.


    But there were a few huge cracks in the soil. Richard took advantage of that gap to send his Spiritual Energy inside.


    "Chiiii!" The centipede screamed before its entire body was blown out of the hole it entered earlier.


    Seeing how the centipede had no way to protect itself in the air, the bat looped around, forgetting about its fallen partner and focusing on helping the centipede.


    "I have seen through your ability." Richard smirked and released a portion of his Spiritual Energy to create a wind shield that deflected the sound wave.


    Unbeknownst to him, Noel had simply killed the bat so fast that thetter hadn''t utilized its full power.


    Since the bat knew they would die if they didn''t kill Richard, the bat decided to release all its Spiritual Energy in this attack.


    The sound wave suddenly punctured the barrier.


    "Huh?!" Richard widened his eyes in surprise as he hurriedly ducked down.


    The sound wave flew like a spear, piercing through everything in its way. Because Richard managed to dodge it, the sound wave hit the ground, pulverizing the soil and creating a hole as big as the centipede.


    "Ho?" Richard narrowed his eyes. The Demon Hunting Squad''s motto was to kill the demons as quickly as possible. There was a huge reason behind it.


    ording to the statistics they had gathered, the demons always looked down on the human when they first encountered them. There would be exceptions for demons who had encountered strong humans before and won the battle or escaped from them.


    But inexperienced demons would look down on them and didn''t release their full strength. Noel had actually learned about this from the Demon Relief Squad.


    It was the berserk state. For the Demon Relief Squad, the demon''s full strength was the berserk state. But for the Demon Hunting Squad, the demon simply had just released the power they hid.


    There was a big difference between their approach. And Richard was about to show that difference.


    "Battle Energy!" Richard covered his entire body with his Spiritual Energy. Instead of gloves, he chose full-body armor.


    After that, Richard went straight to the falling centipede as he had to crush it before the centipede reached the ground.


    The bat gathered its energy again before releasing another sound wave.


    The sound was sharp like the previous one, prating everything in its way. But Richard didn''t have any intention of avoiding it this time.


    As for the reason, it was shown right after the sound wave hit his body.


    *Bam!*


    The sound wave caused a small explosion due to its momentum, but Richard actually emerged from the smoke without any injury.


    "!!!" The bat widened its eyes in shock. The barrier that coated Richard''s entire body actually managed to absorb the sound wave.


    And with this, Richard managed to reach the centipede and struck its body with all his strength.


    "Explosive Punch!"Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    *Bam!*


    The Spiritual Energy around Richard''s fist turned violent as it pulverized the hard carapace and created a hole in the centipede''s body.


    The centipede let out a cry, but it couldn''t do anything as it fell to the ground. Its body had be weak due to that injury.


    When Richard was about to kill the centipede, the bat tried to stop him. It realized Richard''s power could neutralize its attack, so it tried to ram him, thinking its body should be able to push Richard away.


    Richard grinned and pointed his palm at the bat.


    "Kiii?!" The bat soon widened its eyes when it suddenly stopped. It felt its organs move due to the sudden stop as though it had just hit a wall.


    When it looked down, it realized Richard actually stopped its momentum with just one hand.


    "You are¡ª!" Richard smirked, wanting to say onest thing before he crushed the bat''s body. But before he could finish it, Noel had appeared next to the bat, wielding his fire sword.


    By taking advantage of the bat''s confusion and Richard''s strength, Noel sliced the bat''s neck and ultimately killed it.


    "You bast¡ª!" Richard wanted to curse Noel, but once again, he stopped because Noel delivered a killing blow to the centipede.


    In just one movement, Noel actually killed both of them.


    "And with this, our job is done." Noel let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the centipede and remembered what had happened earlier. He thought, ''The Demon Hunting Squad is crazy. When the demon went berserk, he actually allowed the bat to attack him.


    ''More importantly, he used that information to measure the bat''s strength. That information was enough for him to know the bat wouldn''t be able to hurt him when he used that strange ability that covered his body. Instead of being careful, he actually used the berserk state to measure the demon''s attack to change his hunting style. No wonder it''s called the Demon Hunting Squad. I have learned a lot.''


    While Noel was thinking, Richard had gone to him and told him why he shouldn''t steal someone''s prey.


    Of course, all those words just entered his right ear and came out of the other ear. What Noel and the Demon Relief Squad cared about was the result. As long as the demons died, no one cared who killed them.

 Chapter 438 Weird Movement

    After a while, they managed to kill the rest of the demons.


    Of course, the group immediately entered the cave after that. They could clean up the battlefield after making sure there were no more demons around.


    Since Noel was the only one who had the Moon Blessing, he became their guide. Aside from the Moon Blessing, Noel also took advantage of the Demon Hunter Medal, trying to find demons that hid behind the wall or underground.


    The others didn''t seem to have a problem walking in the dark either. They relied on their Spiritual Energy to measure the size of the cave and used their instinct to predict each other''s movement. This was useful in a fight as well.


    During that time, Jonathan kept observing Noel to confirm his suspicion.


    He could somehow understand why Noel had to disguise himself as Iadre. Anna might be the royal family''s spy that nned to kill Noel this whole time. It exined why ra said Noel wanted to use this squad as a stepping stone in order to be a noble.


    Still, there must be a reason why Noel kept it a secret. So, he didn''t n to talk about it for the time being. At least, they had to be alone before he confronted him.


    In the end, the group continued moving around the tunnel with ease, finding one demon after another.


    Since there were a lot of demons that came out earlier, the cave became pretty empty. ording to their count, they only encountered a total of 149 demons inside the cave with one of them being another Peak Level Demon.


    This Peak Level Demon died in an instant after being surrounded by the entire group.


    It took them three hours to clean up the entire nest. And of course, the Demon Relief Squad hurriedly took out the Demon Crystals, nning to split it upter with the Demon Hunting Squad.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Unbeknownst to them, Anna had begun to move. They didn''t realize Noel had been buying some time for Anna by checking the cave thoroughly and informing them about hidden demons.


    On top of the bridge, Paul was carrying two boulders to the other side, where he could start shaping them into blocks used to patch all their holes.


    Rose used her ability to create a fake stone so that Paul could follow its size, shape, and angle.


    The two people from the Demon Hunting Squad couldn''t help but be curious about their works.


    This was the first time they saw the Demon Relief Squad work. Any artisans they had encountered this whole time would carefully measure the hole and create something with their tools.


    But the Demon Relief Squad actually used their Spirit Abilities to speed up the progress. This was the reason why the Demon Relief Squad was called to help with construction. They simply wanted a cheap but quick worker.


    Still, the fact they could repair the bridge was good news to the Demon Hunting Squad.


    They couldn''t help but approach Paul and ask, "Hey, do you have a task for us? One of us should be enough to be on the lookout, so we can help you. But remember, we''re doing this not for you, we just want the supply route to be fixed so that our camp can get more supplies."


    Paul was stunned at first before chuckling inside. It turned out the people from the Demon Hunting Squad were cute. They just acted tough this whole time while, deep down, they still cared about others.


    However, Paul had to reject them. "Sorry. I''m grateful for your gesture, but I don''t think there are a lot of things you can do. It''s better to leave it to us than have you mess around."


    "¡­" The two were quite pissed by Paul''s words, but they didn''t give up. One of them couldn''t help but suggest, "Then, how about the stone or tree? We can get them for you."


    "Well, you need a specific tree and stone for them¡­ Can you find the right one?"


    "We are fast. Even if we bring the wrong one, we can go back and get another one."


    Paul thought for a moment and nodded. "That''s alright for me. Just make sure they''re not in the way. Though, one of you still needs to look around."


    "Got it." The two nodded and exchanged looks as if deciding who would go.


    While those two worked, Rose suddenly stopped and raised her head as if she sensed something.


    She closed her eyes to concentrate everything on her ears. Suddenly, she picked a small roar from far away.


    ''Hmm? A roar from the opposite direction where the group went? Does ite from another nest?'' Rose narrowed her eyes, thinking. On the one hand, she wanted to send one of the Demon Hunting Squad''s members to check the situation. On the other hand, their main priority was the bridge.


    After some consideration, Rose decided not to inform them, believing there was nothing wrong with the other nest.


    But the more time passed, the more ruckus came from the other nest.


    "This¡­" Rose pinched the bridge of her nose.


    "Is there something wrong, Rose?" Paul asked with a confused expression.


    "I''m not sure, but the other nest is quite lively." Rose pointed in the other nest''s direction. "Though, our main priority here is the bridge. I think we should stay here and wait until the vanguard returns."


    "I see. We just have to inform them about it so that they can be more careful."


    "Yes." Rose nodded in agreement. The other two actually gave another suggestion.


    "If that''s the case, I''m going to stop helping and create twoyers of defense. I''ll focus on that direction while my partner will handle the rest. This way, we can react if those demons actuallye at us."


    Paul thought for a moment before ncing at Rose, who nodded.


    "Sounds good. I''ll leave it to you."


    "Great." Both of them nodded and immediately dropped their work as they fulfilled their next task.


    They didn''t know at that time they would be facing an empty nest next.

 Chapter 439 Unexpected Find

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    There were a series of roars echoing through the area. However, the sound was still quite far from the bridge.


    During that period, the two from the Demon Hunting Squad continued watching the surrounding, making sure there were no demons that strayed from the trouble and ended up reaching this ce.


    In the meantime, Rose focused on her ears, trying to find a way to locate the enemies.


    But to her surprise, the sound actually moved farther and farther as if they were not nning to attack them.


    "This is weird¡­" Rose narrowed her eyes.


    "Is there something wrong, Rose?" Paul asked, feeling concerned. He had to stop his activity because of the possibility of a huge outbreak.


    "No. I might''ve overthought everything¡­ I don''t know why but the demons are moving away from us."


    "Isn''t that good news?"


    "Yeah." Rose nodded and pointed in their direction. "It seems they''re going that way."


    Paul frowned and recalled the maps. ording to her direction, they should be going to an empty field where there was no civilization for at least one or two days. So, they were safe for the time being.


    Even if the demons went toward another city in that direction, there was enough time to inform the other city, considering they could use the pigeon to send the news.


    "If that''s the case, we''re pretty safe for the time being." Paul let out a sigh of relief. "Just in case, we''re going to stay here until the rest is back. After that, we''ll send them to check the situation. They can handle the nest together with what is happening right now."


    "Yes. That''s the n." Rose agreed with the suggestion since she had thought the same thing. Although they could ask the two from the Demon Hunting Squad to find out what happened, the situation was a bit unstable.


    So, Rose chose not to risk the entire progress.


    The other team went back after four hours.


    All of them seemed to be pretty energetic, despite fighting against many demons and a few Peak Level Demons.


    The only one who felt a bit worn out was Richard since he took on all the Peak Level Demons.


    "You guys are finally back!" Paul waved his hand, putting down his tools to check his team.


    "Is there something wrong?" Noel asked Rose, who had a worried expression.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    In that instant, all eyes were on Rose. Seeing how ufortable she was, Paul exined. "She has heard the movement of demons, but it seems they''re moving away. We haven''t checked it since the situation was unstable before."


    Richard thought for a moment and asked, "So, you want us to check the situation there?"


    "Yes. You''re going to clean the nest, so you might as well do it." Paul nodded.


    Richard nodded in agreement. There was nothing wrong with doing it since they were nning to go there.


    "By the way, do you want to get some rest first? It seems you have fought a lot of demons there. So, you might want to take a breather. In the meantime, I''ll prepare some light food to replenish your stamina," Paul asked Richard while examining the team''s condition.


    "No. It''s better if we settle this as soon as possible. After that, it won''t be toote to get something to eat." Richard rejected it. Although they had exhausted some of their stamina, they still had enough to crush the other nest.


    Since there was an unstable situation before, it was better to confirm it as soon as possible.


    "Alright then." Paul stepped back and tossed some water bottles. "At least, get something to drink."


    Richard ended up allowing the group to rest for five minutes while they discussed the next n.


    Unlike before, Richard proposed they went to the nest a bit more carefully, not wanting to get ambushed because of the uncertainty.


    There was no objection, even from Noel. After the break was over, they immediately rushed to the other nest.


    Five minutes soon passed. But to their surprise, there wasn''t a single demon in the area.


    Richard became even more cautious in this situation, thinking the demons from this nest were aware of their existence and nned to intercept them somewhere. They even spread their team to check their surroundings.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t find anything. There was no demon, only some footprints that ran toward the direction Rose told them.


    It was weird because they thought there was something big in this direction. In the end, the team followed the footprints while adjusting their course to match the nest''s location.


    The closer they were to the nest, the more they thought this was a trap. All the trails led in the same direction as if they were moving because of a call from a certain demon.


    And the most absurd thing they found was when they arrived at the nest location.


    The nest was located in the middle of the woods. They tore down the woods and put the trunks around it to block the wind. Meanwhile, there was a huge empty space inside with nothing but some branches that seemed to be used as a mattress.


    But they noticed something weird inside this nest.


    The nest might be big, but its shape was simr to a circle. And there was actually a big mattress made of branches in the middle of this nest as if it was implying the status of their leader.


    The entire group shuddered when they saw this spot because there were supposed to be a few Peak Level Demons inside this nest. And the only one who could be their leader was a higher rank demon. In other words, a Superior Demon.


    They couldn''t believe there was a Superior Demon in this nest. Even Richard had no confidence in taking a Superior Demon. Only his captain would be able to do it.


    Because Richard couldn''t decide what they should do, the group gathered to discuss their next n.


    Meanwhile, the most distracted person out of them was actually Noel. After all, he was aware that Anna was the one the demons chased. And if she was chased by a Superior Demon, it would be over.

 Chapter 440 Dire

    "So, what should we do now?" Richard asked while looking at the Demon Relief Squad. They could consider this movement as a threat to the bridge, so he had to ask about their opinions.


    Noel had piqued his interest earlier, so Richard observed Noel more than anyone else. And at this time, Noel showed a restless expression as if he was thinking about something bad.


    "What''s wrong?" Richard came to Noel while furrowing his eyebrows.


    All of them soon turned to Noel. The Demon Relief Squad never saw Noel acting this way, so they were curious about what he was thinking.


    Noel nced around as if scanning the area again before exining the reason for his panic. "This¡­"


    "Exin it to us. We can''t understand you if you don''t talk." Richard demanded the answer with a strict tone. Thest thing they should do was get worked up.


    Noel gritted his teeth and exined, "I believe all of you have thought the same thing. The nest should have multiple Peak Level Demons, but the position of this mattress is kind to that of a leader. So, there might have been a Superior Demon in this nest previously.


    "No one can defeat the Superior Demon right now. But I''m more worried about the direction where they''re going¡­" Noel paused for a moment and said, "Looking at the trail on the way, it looks like they''re going to the in. But this will change with a Superior Demon. You should know about their intelligence, right?"


    Richard nodded. "Continue."


    "There is a Demon Hunting Squad''s base at the border. And there''s no way a Superior Demon can pass them unless there''s a big battle where the Demon Hunting Squad''s captain is upied. Hence¡­"


    Richard frowned, thinking Noel was looking down on them. However, what he said made some sense. So, Richard asked to confirm his doubt. "So, you''re telling us the Demon Hunting Squad fails to keep the demons at bay?"Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Yes, specifically this Superior Demon. Its existence is a great threat to the kingdom since there won''t be anyone to stop it."


    "Yeah. It''s indeed a threat, but I don''t understand the reason for your panic."


    "The Superior Demon is extremely intelligent. With how the demons move in the same direction, it''s clear they have a leader who can order all the demons in this area. And such a demon is capable of using a strategy¡­ What if they''re not moving toward an empty in?!"


    "!!!" In that instant, everyone widened their eyes. They realized the real meaning behind Noel''s exnation.


    He was implying that the demons might change their direction. And they could go to the tattered Demon Hunting Squad''s base or the Baron''s city. It would lead to a catastrophe if the demon ever reached them.


    "What''s the reason? There''s no way the demons know about our movements and go further away just to lower our guard, right?" Ste asked.


    Jonathan thought for a moment and said, "The reason is not important right now. What we need to do is to split the team into two. The first team will follow the trail and see if there''s any change of direction. The team has to tail them and wait until the second team informs Paul and the others and catches up.


    "This way, we can strike them from behind. At the very least, this should be enough to buy some time from the Superior Demon. We have to act fast."


    When everyone heard Jonathan''s suggestion, they looked at each other as if wondering how they would split the team.


    Since he was the superior among them, Richard instantly divided the team. "This time, my Demon Hunting Squad will follow the trail. No matter what, we''re superior in tailing the demons. And considering the enemies, this time can''t be underestimated, it''s better to have a superior team doing it.


    "It''s not like there''s any threat to the bridge now since they have left this ce. Meanwhile, your Demon Relief Squad will inform those four and catch up to us. ording to them, it''s been one hour since the ruckus, so they might have gone far. We can''t waste any more time.


    "If you understand, then let''s go!" Richard gave an order. This time, no one objected to his decision.


    Richard led Becky and Shawn to follow the trail while Noel and the rest returned to the bridge to inform them what they had found.


    They were shocked to hear what happened. Paul even ordered them to drop everything they were doing and immediately chased after the demons.


    It would be bad if a Superior Demon attacked a normal city since they were only meant to hold back Peak Level Demons.


    It didn''t take too long for them to be out of the nest area and headed straight to the in. But to their surprise, the trail had begun to change its direction.


    And the current trail was heading straight to the Baron''s city.


    "This¡­" Paul sucked a cold breath and shouted, "We have to hurry. The city might be under siege. No, if it''s a Superior Demon, it might have destroyed the city."


    The group nodded and increased their pace. While running, Rose couldn''t help but move to Noel, wanting to know more about the situation.


    "What''s going on here? Do you know anything?"


    "I''m not sure." Noel shook his head helplessly. Even he wanted to know about the situation since he didn''t expect there to be a Superior Demon. He was even more worried about Anna.


    Anna was supposed to lead them to the Count''s city. But he thought Anna would be heavily injured because of the Superior Demon.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel didn''t find any trace of fighting. Anna either died without a fight or managed to escape unscathed.


    He hoped it was thetter.


    "Rose. I have something I want you to do." Noel looked at Rose with a serious expression.


    Rose was surprised at first, but it seemed Noel had a n in mind. When he became like this, it meant the situation was dire.


    "Alright. Tell me."

 Chapter 441 Trail

    "Where are they?" Paul gritted his teeth. They had been running for an hour, but the trail still kept going.


    As they feared, the demons might have gone to the baron''s city, causing havoc there. The baron might stay in the city, but he was still useless against a Superior Demon.


    Even if they could help them, they probably only tried to evacuate the citizens and inform the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters for reinforcement, especially the Demon Hunting Squad''s base.


    "Hmm?" Rose suddenly narrowed her eyes as if noticing something. "Wait a second¡­"


    "What''s wrong, Rose?" Paul asked. They kept running at the current pace, hoping they could catch up soon.


    Meanwhile, Rose seemed to have no worry as though there was no trouble to begin with. Rose pointed at the trail and said, "I don''t know if you noticed this, but I think the demons aren''t going to the town!"Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "What do you mean?" Paul frowned, not understanding what she said. The current trail was going to the city. That was what they could currently see.


    So, a contradiction like this made them confused. Even the others couldn''t see the point Rose was talking about.


    Rose pointed at the trail and said, "It might look like they''re going to the city, but if you take another look at the detail. They have been gradually moving away from the city''s direction.


    "For example, if you just move one meter to the side every ten meters, you will deviate from the original course, ultimately not finding the city. I''m not sure how great it is, but from my rough estimate, I don''t think the demons will find the city."


    Rose exined with a serious expression.


    The others felt weird. On the one hand, they didn''t doubt Rose''s senses. On the other hand, the change wasn''t that visible. So, they didn''t know whether the deduction was correct or not.


    However, there was actually one person whopletely believed Rose. It was none other than Noel.


    "So, you''re saying the demons aren''t going to the baron''s city?" Noel asked.


    "Yes." Rose nodded without hesitation, confirming it. "Unless the demons change their course after this, they won''t find the city if I calcte this correctly."


    "In that case, where do you think they will go?" Noel frowned.


    The others were still listening, trying to understand Rose''s points better.


    Knowing she had grabbed everyone''s attention, Rose added, "I''m not sure, but if they continue in this direction, I''m afraid they''re going to reach a city far deeper in the region¡­ I''m not sure which city since I haven''t looked at the map again, but yeah, this is what I believe."


    Paul looked down, contemting. Even though it looked like the situation was in their favor. It didn''t change the fact the enemies had a Superior Demon to help them.


    "Hmm¡­" Paul hesitated for a moment before asking, "Should we split the group into two? We have to inform a captain eventually, so it''s better to start now."


    "I don''t think that''s necessary for now." Rose shook her head.


    "Hoh? Why is that?"


    "What we need right now is speed and time." Rose raised two fingers. "Right now, our speed should be enough to gradually catch up. The other nests have a lot of demons, so since we haven''t found any Low Level Demons yet, it''s clear that they have to reduce their pace in order to allow those demons to stick together.


    "Then time¡­ If we take another look at their trajectory, it''s clear that we''ll encounter a city sooner orter. It''s better to use a pigeon to pass the message since it''ll be faster. And with us confirming its location, we can pinpoint the enemy and have the captain handle it afterward."


    "So, during that time, we''re going to employ some traps to stop the Superior Demon?" Ste asked.


    "Yes." Rose nodded.


    "What do you think?" Paul turned to Zion, who would be their messenger.


    "I don''t mind if you send me ahead right now just to follow the trail." Zion shrugged. "I''ll inform the city and send the information to the Demon Hunting Squad''s captain right away."


    "No. The Demon Hunting Squad is already ahead, so we''ll maintain our pace." Paul rejected the idea and chose to believe in Rose.


    They didn''t realize that Rose and Noel had been working together this whole time. Although, at first, they looked like they were discussing some unimportant stuff, those two had reached an agreement.


    Of course, it didn''t change the fact that the enemy was a Superior Demon. What Noel and Rose wanted was a direction change since they wanted to make the Count the target.


    As long as they didn''t find the pack of demons, Noel knew Anna hadn''t died. So, he hoped the trail wouldst as long as possible.


    And as they expected, the demons actually passed the city. The baron had prepared the little army he had left to stop the demons, but it seemed they couldn''t fight against numerous demons. So, they ended up holding themselves in the city, waiting for reinforcement.


    Meanwhile, there was also the regr army in charge of thest nest. They seemed to be making progress, so they didn''t bother to go there to check their condition.


    Their priority was to catch up with the Demon Hunting Squad and get some information regarding the demon pack.


    It took them three hours before they managed to see the back of the Demon Hunting Squad, albeit they were still in the distance.


    "Zion!"


    "Got it!" Zion raised his Spiritual Energy output to catch up to them, informing their arrival.


    As soon as the two groups met, they immediately matched their pace to discuss what had happened.


    Unfortunately for them, none of them seemed to be able to find anything. They were wondering why the demons went this way as if they were lured by something.


    They didn''t know it was actually Anna who had been luring them away. The reason why Rose heard the noise was moving away was due to Anna knowing Rose''s ability.


    This way, Rose wouldn''t bother to check them and she could bring all these demons to the Count.


    And a few hourster, it was time for everything to begin.

 Chapter 442 Temptation

    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    The sword was clicking either with ws, fangs, or tough skin.


    The demons had begun their raid while Anna, who lured the demons to this city, had disappeared.


    As soon as the demons saw the city, they immediately changed their direction, so Anna took that chance to escape.


    "What is this? How is this happening?" A middle-aged man gritted his teeth while looking at his document. Even though the city was fighting, he was still trying to figure out which documents he had to bring with him before escaping the city.


    "Sir!" A butler came to his room with a serious expression. "We don''t have much time left."


    "I know!" The middle-aged man mmed the table while ring at him as if telling him to leave him alone for the time being.


    The butler indeed left the room for a moment before returning to the room.


    "What? Do I need to spell it for you?!" The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.


    "No, Sir. It''s just we have received information that the Demon Banner Army has made their move!"


    "What?" The middle-aged man suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at the documents before putting them down. "Who are they?"


    "They are the Demon Hunting Squad and the Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squads."


    "The Zero Squads? Are their captains with them?"


    "No, Sir."


    "Then, what''s the number of our enemies?"


    "There are seven Peak Level Demons and a few hundred lower level demons. With the strength of the two Vice-Captains, they might be able to stop these demons."


    "You serious?" The guy frowned, not believing his words. He was ready to pack his luggage if he was lying.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    But the butler nodded his head. "Yes. ording to the information, the two Vice-Captains are Spirit Grandmasters. So, they should be able to handle those Peak Level Demons."


    "Good, good, good!" The guy pped his hands, feeling relieved. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his palms and forehead. "So, it means we''re safe, right?"


    "Yes, Sir. We just have to wait until they finish their job."


    The guy nodded in understanding while muttering, "I wonder how delicious a Peak Level Demon''s meat can be¡­"


    Yes. The guy was the Count. He was a bit concerned when the baron called the two squads at first, but he never expected that this city would be attacked by demons. Ultimately, the two squads ended up saving him.


    The guy thought for a moment and asked, "Prepare a feast for them."


    "Understood." The butler politely bowed his head and left.


    The Count looked around as if trying to find something to do to calm down.


    "Although I couldn''tplete the project, I still gained a good amount of data. It''s possible to trap the demons by using a nest specifically created for them.


    "As long as we have a secluded ce, it''s possible to increase the demon''s strength over a period of time.


    "The more the demons grow, the more delicious their meat is. I don''t mind¡ª" Before he finished his words, he suddenly stopped because he felt a cold, sharp de on his neck.


    "That is interesting information. And now, you have served your purpose. Give us the research data." A deep voice resounded in his ears.


    "Who¡­ are you?" The Count gulped down. He didn''t feel a single thing about this guy. Although he wasn''t that good of a fighter, he was still a Spirit Practitioner. He had some basic defense.


    Yet, he couldn''t sense anything about this guy. The person behind him might be a Spirit Wielder or even stronger.


    "You don''t need to know. All I want is the data. It''s fine if you don''t want to give it to me, I''ll just take it from your corpse."


    "That''s¡­ We can talk about this." The Count''s body started shaking as he was never in this situation before. He didn''t want to die, but if he wasn''t calm, the enemy might identally kill him.


    So, he nced back, trying to see the enemy, but to no avail. The enemy pressed the de a bit deeper, making his neck bleed.


    "!!!" The sharp pain jolted his mind as the Count froze. "I''ll give it to you. I''ll give it to you!"


    The Count hurriedly agreed since he didn''t want to die.


    He grabbed all the paper on the table and handed it to the mysterious guy behind him. "This is everything¡­ Please let me go."


    "You are still useful. If you join us, I''ll spare you!"


    "Join you?!" The Count was confused because he never piqued an organization''s interest, except for the Inquisitor Organization. But that was a different problem.


    The Count suddenly got his answer when the guy extended its arm, showing a skeleton skull with two bright red eyes and a sword nted on the skull.


    "This¡­ Supreme Devil Organization¡­" The Count gasped, never thinking an organization like this would visit him.


    His research was about making the demons stronger like a farm. Everything was for the sake of the taste that he pursued.


    Meanwhile, the Supreme Devil Organization needed this method to increase the number of their army. With more and stronger demons, they would be able to create an army that could fight against the noble''s army and the Demon Banner Army.


    That was why they targeted the Count.


    "So, you don''t want to?!" The cold, chilling voice resounded in his ears as a sharp pain jolted the Count''s mind.


    He felt his back stabbed by another knife, causing another bleeding.


    "I¡­" The Count still hesitated even in the face of death. No matter what, the Supreme Devil Organization was humanity''s enemy. If the people knew he was a part of the organization, he would die without a doubt. So, epting or declining the invitation would result in the same oue.


    However, the guy added, "That''s right. If you join us, we''ll give you a spot where you can build a huge farm. We''ll supply the demons for you to experiment and because the kingdom can''t catch us, you don''t need to be afraid to get caught. What do you think?!"


    "!!!" The Count''s body shook, showing how those conditions piqued his interest.


    "I¡­"

 Chapter 443 Agreement

    The Count looked interested in the deal. After all, he would be able to get the resources for his experiment. And considering the one offering this deal was the Supreme Devil Organization, they would most likely try to hide their rtionship with him.


    After all, it wouldn''t be good if he was crushed by the Royal Family because of the allegation.


    So, the secret should be leaked anywhere.


    However, he was still concerned that the Supreme Devil Organization pulled this trick in order to make the Royal Family crush him. That way, the kingdom would just get weakened.


    Even if his research was somehow dangerous, it didn''t change the fact that losing a Count wasn''t something that could be brushed away easily.


    So, the Count tried to think with the little time he had.


    He believed the risk was great, but the reward was huge. If he couldplete his experiment, he should be able to recreate it and get it only for himself. This way, he would be able to taste the delicacy anytime he wanted.


    And he didn''t need to call the Demon Banner Army to take down the Peak Level Demons or stronger since the Supreme Devil Organization would cooperate with him.


    The Count remembered the letter that the royal family secretly sent to him. They wanted him to take care of Anna, who woulde to this ce to scheme against him. In exchange, the royal family would exempt tax and increase the Count''s rank.


    As scheming as he was, the Count gave him a condition. "I need you to do something first."


    "You''re not in a position where you can negotiate with us!" The guy gritted his teeth and tried to threaten the Count.


    But thetter added, "If you can''t deal with this problem, then it''s impossible for me to take your offer. After all, the target is trying to take me down by investigating the thing that you want me to do."


    "!!!" The person from the Supreme Devil Organization suddenly fell silent as if he was considering the possibility thoroughly.


    To make it easier for the guy to ept his condition, he released the information. "I want you to take care of Anna Stargaze, an inquisitor that will try to investigate my farm. You shouldn''t have a problem dealing with a mere Spirit Wielder, right?


    "And not only that, if I seed, I have the chance to be an Earl. With that authority, our cooperation will be safer, no? The only condition is that you can''t kill Anna or crush her beauty and talent. I have to deliver her to the royal family."


    The guy indeed agreed with his opinion. The kingdom wouldn''t intervene with an Earl that much. In noble''s rank, an Earl wasn''t too high and wasn''t too low either.


    Not many wanted to make trouble on an Earl. So, it was clear that if he got this position, he could hide himself to focus on this experiment.


    It was a tempting deal.


    He contemted for a moment, measuring the pros and cons of the agreement.


    After a while, the guy finally made his decision. "Fine. I''ll take care of that Anna Stargaze for you. You just have to wait for the good news and start preparing for your farm. I''ll return to tell you the detailster.


    "If you trick me this time, I''m going to make sure you are experiencing a nightmare." The guy leaked a bit of his Spiritual Energy.


    The Count felt like his heart was grasped by an invisible hand. He had a hard time breathing and his body started shivering. It felt like he was in front of a beast that was ready to pounce on him.


    "I know." The Count gritted his teeth, mustering all the energy he had to answer him.


    As soon as he agreed, the guy retracted his Spiritual Energy and left the Count alone. His presence vanished into thin air, so when the Count turned around, he couldn''t see anyone.


    Of course, the agent from the Supreme Devil Organization this time was slightly capable. He was a Martial Master, so he believed Anna wouldn''t be able to defeat him.


    Without hesitation, he began his preparation to handle Anna.


    ¡­


    Anna, on the other hand, had been waiting outside the mansion. He wanted to see what the Count''s decision was regarding the ruckus outside.


    If she knew about the Count''s personality correctly, the Count would most likely escape. She nned to ambush him on the way and get all the important things he brought with him.


    But to her surprise, she didn''t find anyoneing out of the mansion. It was weird, considering they should leave as soon as possible.


    "Hmm? Why are they¡ª" Anna was muttering inwardly before stopping when she noticed something weird.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    She actually felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from the mansion. It was faint, but her soul was very sensitive to Spiritual Energy due to how high she had achieved in the past.


    She measured the fluctuation and was shocked by what she found. "This¡­ is a Spiritual Energy from a Spirit Master? It''s faint, but it doesn''t seem he''s at the intermediate level.


    "Every Spirit Rank is divided into four categories: Low, Intermediate, High, and Peak. A Peak Spirit Master is simr to that of a new Grandmaster, whereas a High Level Spirit Master is close to that of a Spirit Grandmaster. They have consolidated their strength and begun learning about the realm of Spirit Grandmaster.


    "But the Intermediate Level is only a realm where they have fully consolidated their power. An Intermediate Spirit Wielder, that was Noel''s strength before we were separated three months ago, while I''m a High Level Spirit Master now.


    "But the one I felt earlier is still a Low Level Spirit Master. Although he has the ability of a Spirit Master, his ability still has some simrities to that of a Peak Spirit Wielder.


    "Is this the Count''s trump card?" Anna frowned, thinking this guy was the reason why the Count hadn''te out yet. The Count must be thinking about using this man to deal with the Peak Level Demon or at least, buying something for him.


    Curious, Anna erased her presence and moved around the mansion to check the origin of that power.

 Chapter 444 A Joke

    "Hoh?" Anna narrowed her eyes when she saw a figure with ck coating out of the mansion. She was standing near the wall before this guy jumped over it and began to blend in as if he was just a passerby.


    Normal people wouldn''t think much about it, but a Spirit Wielder like her could easily find him.


    ''So, he is the Spirit Master.'' Anna thought, tailing the guy.


    Anna couldpletely erase both her Spiritual Energy and presence, so the guy didn''t realize he had been tailed.


    Despite him wanting to suppress Anna, he didn''t realize he had been tailed by the very target.


    The guy entered a shabby inn and opened the cover of his face. He could finally get some breathing air for a bit.


    "Hmm?" Anna widened her eyes in shock because she actually found a boy that seemed to be slightly older than her.


    ''What? How old is he? It doesn''t seem he is in his twenties, but how does he reach a Spirit Master at that age?'' Anna gasped. She didn''t enter Noel and herself into the equation because they werepletely abnormal with their own secret.


    A Spirit Master that young would be famous no matter where he went, so it was quite surprising that the guy was this strong.


    However, she was soon shocked by what she found next. Although she couldn''t see it clearly due to how small the gap was, the guy''s hand seemed to be covered in fur.


    ''Huh? A fur?'' Anna frowned, trying to recall the information about something like this. She soon arrived at a certain ce that seemed to experience an attack by someone like this.


    ''Now that I think about it, I have heard of a town being destroyed by a few people. All of them have great strength and unique power. A part of their body seems to have been merged with the demon, so they couldn''t be said to be a human anymore.


    ''Still, it didn''t change the fact that these humans came from an experiment. An experiment to merge the two bloodlines so that they could stay as a human but with the strength of a demon.


    ''No, wait. If I''m not wrong, Noel will find this incident soon. Ah, I can''t remember the details¡­ No, I don''t know the details since I haven''t read that part.''


    Anna scratched the back of her head and changed the question. "Is there some corrtion between the Count, the Supreme Devil Organization, and the experiment?"


    Anna looked down for a moment beforeing to a realization. "Wait a minute¡­ Are you serious?"


    Anna had just realized the conspiracy was bigger than she originally thought.


    "It seems that the Count truly has a way to make a demon farm. By utilizing this farm, the Supreme Devil Organization can get an endless amount of powerful demons. In the past life, they used this tactic to weaken the Demon Banner Army.


    "At the same time, there were also a few cases regarding the fusion between a human and a demon. I had never handled them before, but it seemed their strength was forcefully raised because of the fusion. It was great at first, but the side effects were a different matter."


    Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. It turned out the Count provided the farm and the necessary material for the fusion.


    "I have been weakening the Supreme Devil Organization to strengthen myself, which is the best way to get stronger. But this time, I''m afraid the situation isn''t that simple¡­"


    Anna bit her lips. "Should I let Noel handle him? But seeing his strength and how awkward it would be if Noel suddenly brought back this guy, I couldn''t really allow them to get this guy. What should I do then?"


    Anna contemted for a moment. She knew that it was impossible to crush this guy by herself. She was nning to get Noel involved and win the fight, but how would they split the loot, especially this guy''s body? It was enough to rm the Inquisitor Organization and the Demon Banner Army after all.


    "I see. It seems I have to take down the Count. He should have been smuggling some money in order to create the farm. I can take all the money away, especially the Demon Crystals to get stronger.


    "Meanwhile, I''ll take this guy down with Noel''s help. Lastly, I''ll try to investigate the Count''s mansion after everything is over.


    "The only problem will be how to involve Noel in this matter, considering he will be under the supervision of his superior.


    "I have to find a way to separate Noel while not making myself known since I would be dead if they found out about me."


    Anna had a headache thinking about all the possibilities. This was what Noel had been through this whole time when she relied on him to make the battle n.


    Now that she had changed and gained some experience, Anna could see a few ns that could work.


    Not only could she get the mysterious guy, but she could also use it to take down the Count. It was a serious crime to even hold a conversation with a member of the Supreme Devil Organization, so this was enough to prosecute the Count.


    While deciding on her n, she noticed that the guy hade out of his room as if nning to do something. She didn''t know she was his target this time but kept tailing him.


    At the same time, the guy didn''t know Anna had been watching him without him noticing. It was a clear gap between their strength despite the guy being stronger.


    The guy from the Supreme Devil Organization turned into a soldier by wearing some armor and climbed the wall effortlessly. By posing as a soldier, he could find the situation outside, especially the demons along with the Demon Banner Army.


    Seeing how the Demon Banner Army had arrived on the battlefield, he knew he didn''t have too much time toplete his mission.


    So, he immediately returned back to the ground while holding his de as if nning to cut Anna down as soon as he found her.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 445 Reaching The City

    Outside the city.


    "We have spotted them!" Zion shouted while returning to his group.


    Paul and the others looked at him, wondering what was going on.


    "What''s happening right now, Zion? Where are they?"


    "They''re attacking the city ahead. Currently, the city manages to hold back the demons. And the Demon Hunting Squad has begun their hunt in order to relieve some pressure. After all, the city is not built to hold off the demons."


    Paul nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Looking at the city''s location, the Demon Hunting Squad and the baron''s city are the ones to hold the attack."


    "Yes. Luckily, the Count was visiting the city and he brought some soldiers that managed to bolster their defense. So, we should hasten our pace to help the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "Hmm¡­" Rose looked down, contemting. It seemed that the situation wasn''t that bright in her eyes. "What about the Count? Is he leaving the city?"


    "I''m not sure. Even the Demon Hunting Squad can''t see anything. They told me to bring all of you to sweep the demons in a clockwise direction since this is the best method to handle the situation." Zion shook his head helplessly. He didn''t enter the city earlier, so he truly had no idea about the current situation.


    "If that''s the case, we''ll assist the Demon Hunting Squad for the time being. We''ll send someone inside to check the situation and report about our arrival." Rose exined her n.


    "Then, who will go there? Zion?" Paul nced at Zion.


    But before Zion nodded his head, Noel raised his hand. "I''ll go. Zion will be a good messenger, but the current situation doesn''t allow us to dy for too long. In that case, it''s better for me to go to the city. I can talk to their captain and bring the message to the Count. I''m the weakest among you and it''s only been three months since I joined the squad, so my teamwork is still not as good as all of you."


    "If we''re talking about the weakest, then I''m the weakest." Rose narrowed her eyes.


    "But your ability is essential in a battle like this." Noel shook his head. There was a reason why he wanted to enter the city.


    Anna was nning to find a clue about the Count, so he knew he had to y a part here. If he could find the Count and buy some time for her, she would aplish her mission.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    And after some consideration, Paul nodded his head. "Fine. Iadre will go. The rest will handle the demons."


    "Understood." Ste and the others epted it without hesitation. Meanwhile, Jonathan, who was already aware of Iadre''s real identity, wondered why Noel suggested this.


    Noel was shrewd. He was already aware of that after seeing his performance in the valley and how he orchestrated his death. So, he knew Noel had an ulterior motive.


    Unfortunately, there was no way he could see through Noel''s plot since he didn''t consider Anna in his n.


    In the end, Noel got permission and the group continued heading toward the city.


    It took them another thirty minutes before they reached the city.


    There were close to one thousand demons surrounding the city. A part of the wall had been destroyed by a few Peak Level Demons. And it seemed the Demon Hunting Squad were doing their best to stop all the rampaging Peak Level Demons.


    But it ended up allowing the rest of the demons to attack the wall.


    "Let the Demon Hunting Squad take care of the Peak Level Demons. We''ll clear up the rest!" Paul shouted.


    "Oh!" They nodded with serious faces.


    "Will you give me a lift?" Noel shouted at Jonathan.


    Jonathan nodded and raised his hand, using his Telekinesis to push Noel to the top of the wall.


    "Go!" Jonathan shouted. This time, his gloomy tone changed to a familiar one as if he had known him.


    With just that one shout, Noel could feel that Jonathan seemed to have noticed his real identity. Unfortunately, there was no time to talk since he had to handle the situation on top of the wall.


    As soon as hended on the top, the soldiers took steps back. They were startled to see someoneing up.


    At first, they wanted to attack him since that was what they had done this whole time, but they stopped after realizing it wasn''t a demon.


    "Woo¡ª" The soldiers wanted to shout, but Noel shouted first, stating clearly. "I''m Iadre from the Demon Banner Army. I need to see yourmander. Where is he?!"


    It seemed he was lucky since themander was actually near him.


    "I''m themander!" A deep voice resounded on the wall, getting everyone''s attention.


    Noel turned around and found a middle-aged man with a long mustache. He said, "I''m Iadre from the Demon Relief Squad. I want you to start moving half of your soldiers to the right side as soon as the soldiers see the demons decreasing down there. My squad is clearing everything right now while the Demon Hunting Squad stops the Peak Level Demon!"


    "Why should I follow yourmand? This is our city, I''m the one in control here. Do you think I''m giving my order without any thought in mind?" Themander didn''t like it since their squad waste and many of his soldiers had died.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, a demon suddenly climbed the wall and pounced on him.


    "Dem¡ª!" The soldiers wanted to shout, but Noel skillfully waved his sword, hitting the demon in the face. The sword didn''t seem to cut the demon, but soon, an explosion urred, sting the demon into smithereens. And with that kill, Noel said coolly, "I''m the weakest one in the squad."


    "¡­." Themander was dumbstruck when he saw Noel''s overwhelming strength. And yet, he imed he was the weakest. It was clear that the squad was going to kill all the demons in rapid session.


    He changed his opinion in an instant as he turned around, ordering his soldiers, "We''re moving the soldier from the right side to the left side."

 Chapter 446 Persuading The Count

    "Tornado sh." Ste shouted while waving her sword, creating a tornado that expanded horizontally. The tornado engulfed the demons and shed them. Some died, but some were only slightly injured.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    At that time, Zion and Paul appeared, crushing all the remaining demons. Rose showed them the path to cross while the rest supported those three.


    Jonathan soon returned to the group, reporting. "I''ve returned."


    "Got it. Support us!" Paul nodded. Since Noel had safely arrived on top of the wall, they didn''t have to worry about him anymore. Although Iadre didn''t seem to be as good as Noel in terms of nning, he still had a solid foundation. Paul didn''t realize Noel had been holding back this whole time, so he didn''t look like Noel.


    ¡­


    While the squad continued sweeping the demons, Noelpleted delivering the message to themander.


    After that, he asked, "I heard the Count is here. I need to inform him about our two squads and prepare for the worst-case scenario."


    Themander was startled. They thought the city would be relieved by the two squads, so he didn''t understand why Noel told him they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.


    "I''ll tell the Count about it, but for now, please trust our Demon Banner Army. We believe there is a Superior Demon¡­"


    "Superior Demon?" Themander was dumbstruck.


    From his reaction alone, Noel knew that themander hadn''t found this Superior Demon. However, Noel didn''t know whether the Superior Demon was hiding or it didn''t exist.


    So, Noel had to confirm it with Anna since she was the one luring all these demons to this ce.


    Noel nodded. "This is just a suspicion, but for now, I have to meet the Count first to exin the situation. Where is he?"


    "The Count should be in his mansion!" Themander pointed at the huge mansion on the left side of the city. "That''s the Count''s mansion."


    "Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. If we''re going to retreat due to the Superior Demon, my squad will be informing you and handle the retreat!"


    "Y-yes!" Themanderpletely forgot about their loss, knowing the situation was even more dangerous than he originally thought. He just hoped that the Superior Demon didn''t attack them.


    Meanwhile, Noel had gone straight to the Count''s mansion, wondering how he should meet him.


    He also had to meet Anna to check on the situation.


    But since he knew Anna would be observing the Count, he prepared to go to the Count first.


    "Who are you?!" There were still a few guards standing to protect the mansion. They were holding their des, stopping Noel.


    Noel took out his badge and showed them it was real. "I''m Iadre from the Demon Banner Army. I''m here to tell the Count about the current situation, including the possibility of a Superior Demon''s existence."


    "That''s¡­" The soldiers didn''t know what to say. However, Noel shouted, making them hasten their pace. "This is a serious situation. Do you know that dying this matter will make the situation even more dangerous? We have to act fast!"


    "Please follow me!" One of the soldiers shouted and immediately brought Noel inside. But as expected, he didn''t allow Noel to go inside the mansion directly. Instead, he waited for him right in front of the wooden door while the soldier informed the staff inside.


    Soon, a butler came out with a panicked face.


    Noel showed his badge and said, "I''m Iadre from the Demon Relief Squad. I''m here to meet the Count to exin the situation. This is an emergency. I have to report to the Count directly! This involves the possibility of a Superior Demon, and we don''t have a Captain that can handle that kind of demon right now!"


    The butler''s face became pale as he hurriedly brought Noel inside. "Pleasee in."


    The butler hurriedly stopped him on the second floor as he knocked on a certain door, informing the situation inside.


    The Count instantly gave permission and invited Noel in.


    "So, you''re saying there''s a possibility of a Superior Demon?" The Count narrowed his eyes.


    "Yes. When we''re dealing with the demon nests from the mission, we''ve found some clues that can lead to a Superior Demon''s existence. Unfortunately, when we got there, the nest was already empty. So, we chased them here."


    "But there aren''t any Superior Demons outside my city."


    "A Superior Demon''s intellect can''t be underestimated. I have watched a Captain fighting a Superior Demon and I know how they''re employing their strength." Noel stated with a serious tone.


    The Count still doubted Noel, but thetter had no benefits in lying to him. And it would give him a reason to getpensation from the Demon Banner Army if it turned out to be wrong.


    So, the Count nodded his head and said, "Alright. What do you want me to do? Seeing how you''re still calm like this, it means we still have some time, right?"


    "Yes. We''re trying to find the Superior Demon right now. In the meantime, I''d like to ask the Count to evacuate the city. My team is trying to clear the gates, allowing the citizens to leave safely."


    The Count frowned. On the one hand, he didn''t care about the lives of themoners. On the other hand, he knew that themoners could act as a shield when he left this city.


    After taking the situation into ount, the Count said, "In that case, I''ll let my soldiers inform the people about the evacuation. I''ll have to ask your squad to clear the gate so that we have a safe passage to leave. What are you nning to do?"


    "I have been tasked to secure your safety. Hence, I''ll be with you right now and check the situation before sending you off." Noel looked like he would be the Count''s pawn, but he had a hidden mission.


    With him staying at the Count''s side, he could easily influence the Count to move away from his office. And Anna would use that time to find all kinds of proof.


    Even if she couldn''t find anything, she could ambush the Count, who brought all the important documents with himter.

 Chapter 447 Ambush

    Anna frowned when she saw Noel entering the mansion. At first, she thought Noel would be outside, so she nned to lure the enemy outside, specifically when she ambushed the Count.


    However, it seemed that the n had changed. Looking at the current situation, it was clear that Noel was nning to buy some time for Anna to infiltrate the mansion and get the important documents.


    Anna muttered, "So, should I go inside right now? But¡­"


    Anna couldn''t enter easily. After all, she was still tailing the mysterious Spirit Master that came out from the Count''s mansion.


    If she let her guard down even for a second, the enemy would be able to pick up her presence.


    But when she looked at the guy, she realized he was observing Noel''s movement as well. His identity was clear since he had shown his Demon Banner Army badge.


    And there was a reaction from this mysterious guy as if he wanted to kill Noel as well.


    ''I wonder what I should do right now. I want to infiltrate the Count''s mansion right now, but it doesn''t seem to be wise to move my eyes away from this guy.'' Anna gulped down. Noel must be expecting her to do something. But there was no way to inform Noel about it.


    Noel, on the other hand, was walking next to the Count as he went into his bedroom, gathering a few clothes and documents.


    Noel didn''t say anything this whole time as if he wasn''t interested in the Count''s matter. The Count also kept ncing at Noel as if he wanted to make sure of Noel''s intention.


    But it seemed that Noel didn''t n to say anything. This was good since he could easily pack up all the documents and Noel would simply think it was the noble''s documents.


    With that thought in mind, he gathered all the documents within ten minutes. During that time, the butler informed the other maids and butlers to spread the news.


    In that instant, the mansion and the town were lively again. It was clear that the Count was nning to leave together with them.


    The Count would have good protection, so this was their chance to leave. Everyone started packing up their luggage, ready to go.


    "Are you still here?" The Count asked Noel while walking outside his office, ready to move to his carriage.


    "Yes. After you enter your carriage, I''ll immediately go to the gate to check the situation. That way, when you arrive, I''ll be able to give you the answer." Noel nodded. He looked professional since hepletely escorted the Count.


    But Noel was actually the Count''s judgment. He had already seen a few red marks, starting from how the guards reacted.


    The fact that they could easily be pressured by a person from the Demon Banner Army was huge. If he was an assassin, the Count would have been dead by now.


    Then, the Count allowed him to follow him everywhere. He might not give any expression away, but it was clear Noel could easily get all the necessary information about the Count.


    Last but not least, Noel could escort the Count all the time. It looked like the Count couldn''t judge the situation himself and pushed him away when necessary. These three points made Noel understand what he should do next.


    While walking toward the carriage, Noel also noticed something wrong. ''Still, has Anna infiltrated the mansion? There won''t be many documents left, but it''s clear that there are still some important documents. There might be clues here and there.


    ''After getting that information, she could easily ambush the Countter since she knows where he''s going. I don''t understand.


    ? ''From the looks of it, Anna has improved so much that I don''t need to exin the n all the time. So, she should be aware of my intention toe here. If she hasn''t gone to the mansion yet, does that mean¡­


    ''No, wait. What if there is actually a problem?'' Noel frowned. He knew Anna must be watching somewhere, but the reason why she couldn''te out must be somewhere around him too.


    Noel thought for a moment before raising his head, watching the building around. There were some buildings whose roofs were above the mansion''s wall. He could also see a few rooms that were higher than the wall.


    When he checked the situation, he noticed something.


    ''Hmm?'' Noel narrowed his eyes, focusing all his attention on one of the roofs. He noticed there was a shadow on top of the roof.


    And that shadow actually came out of the hands. In that instant, he recognized that hand.


    ''Anna?''


    That was right. It was Anna''s hand. Of course, it wasn''t that Anna nned to give her position away.


    But since Noel had noticed her, Anna was showing her hand and pointing in a certain direction.


    And that direction was the lead to her trouble.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ''So, there is a problem in that direction. From the looks of it, I should help her.'' Noel contemted, gathering all the clues he had.


    After a while, he came up with a n. The Count seemed to have reached his carriage as well.


    "Then, I''ll go ahead." Noel politely talked to the Count.


    Satisfied with Noel''s performance, the Count nodded. "Go."


    As soon as he received permission, Noel turned around and ran toward the exit. The Count only knew that his destination was the gate, but Noel had another n.


    As expected, the moment he came out of the Count''s mansion, the one that caused trouble for Anna followed him from above.


    Noel didn''t turn his head the whole time, making his opponent think he hadn''t noticed him yet.


    ''It seems he''s heading to the gate.'' The mysterious guy thought while following him on top of the roof. He kept focusing on Noel, but more and more people flooded the street since they wanted to escape together with the Count.


    And that was when Noel took the opportunity to disappear inside the crowd.


    ''Huh?'' The guy widened his eyes, shocked. He tried to find Noel but to no avail.


    Suddenly, Noel climbed the roof while unsheathing his sword.


    "Got him."

 Chapter 448 Working Together Again

    "Got him!"


    "!!!" The mysterious guy widened his eyes in shock. He saw Noel having no hesitation in cutting him down.


    "Kh!" The guy took out his sword as well, barely stopping Noel''s attack.


    Still, this guy was a Spirit Master, while Noel was only a Spirit Wielder. As soon as the guy regained his calm, he started overpowering Noel.


    "Haaaa!" The guy gritted his teeth and pushed Noel away.


    Noel summoned a Chain Bind Rune and controlled all chains to capture this guy.


    ''What is that?'' The guy became even more shocked since this was the first time he had seen a symbol like this. He thought Noel was using his Spirit Ability, but the rune was simr to the Spirit Enchantment.


    Because of the weird technique, he ended up moving back to regain some distance.


    Suddenly, Noel smiled. "Got him."


    "Huh?" The guy was confused for a moment before he suddenly felt chills down his spine. A presence appeared behind him. No, it was more like the presence couldn''t be detected because it didn''t enter his range this whole time.


    Now that the presence was this close, he could feel it.


    "Kh!" The guy hurriedly spun his body and struck Anna''s de.


    Unfortunately for him, Anna had covered her sword with lightning. The moment the two swords shed, the lightning was discharged.


    *Bam!*


    "!!!" The guy was hit by the explosion and thrown back to Noel. Using this opportunity, Noel also waved his sword by imbuing the sword with ck fire.


    ''ck Fire?'' The guy couldn''t understand Noel''s strength at all. But more importantly, he recognized the female that almost killed him earlier. She was Anna Stargaze.


    That was right. Noel was baiting him this whole time, so Anna could kill him. But as expected from a Spirit Master, he wouldn''t die that easily. Even though he barely blocked all their attacks, it didn''t change the fact that he was almost unscathed even after the ambush.


    *Clink!*


    He also stopped Noel''s sword at thest second and tried to push him away. This was when Noel released his Ignition Sword, causing a big explosion.


    *Boom!*


    The guy was engulfed by the explosion, but the roof was surely destroyed.


    "Kyaaaaa!"


    "What''s happening?"


    "Aaaaahhhh!"


    *Bam!*


    The people panicked as they stared at the building where the explosion urred. Everyone was locking their eyes on the three figures standing on top of the building.


    The one in between was actually covering himself with a water bubble, neutralizing Noel''s explosion. But Ardagan''s Undying Fire wasn''t that easy to defeat. The water ended up falling down as if it didn''t have any energy left to maintain its form.


    "Who are you?!" Noel shouted, rming everyone. He took out his badge and dered, "I''m Iadre from the Demon Banner Army. Why do you follow me when I''m tasked to escort the Count and the citizens? Are you the one causing the demon''s outbreak?"


    The moment they saw the badge, they were convinced Noel was the real one. The Demon Banner Army was on the people''s side, so they instantly trusted Noel and frowned upon the guy in the middle. After all, Anna was also fighting this guy. They thought Anna was a part of the Demon Banner Army as well.


    "What''s going on?"


    "There seems¡­"


    The people were whispering, wondering what had happened. Some were still running away, but half of them actually stayed to understand the situation first.


    Since they would be his weakness, Noel hurriedly moved toward the edge of the roof, standing between the enemy and the citizens. He pointed to the gate and shouted, "Go to the gate. I can''t protect all of you with an enemy like this."


    "!!!" The people snapped. They almost forgot what they had nned to do earlier.


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    "Run!"


    "Hurry up!"


    The people began to run away as they realized they would die if the enemies tried to harm them.


    At the same time, Anna charged forward, slicing the guy''s neck.


    "Kh!" The mysterious guy blocked the sword, but Noel hurriedly used the Runes again, boosting their abilities.


    Increase Agility Rune.


    Strength Blessing Rune.


    With these two runes, Anna''s raw strength was equal to that of a Spirit Master.


    ''What? How can she be this strong?'' The guy was shocked and soon noticed the trick was the runes earlier. Still, Noel''s ability was very versatile, and it astounded him.


    He had the ability to bind someone, support his teammate, and release a powerful attack.


    Unfortunately, no matter what thought appeared in his mind, Anna would be there to stop him.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "The Count!" Anna suddenly shouted.


    Noel didn''t know Anna''s reason for shouting ''The Count'' earlier. After all, Anna wasn''t obligated to protect the Count. No, she was actually nning to harm the Count. So, that shout earlier must not be her request to help the Count.


    Instead, she was nning to do something to the Count by using that guy.


    ''Ah?! That guy is connected to the Count? But if he''s connected openly, he won''t hesitate to state his identity. The fact that he doesn''t state his identity means their rtionship shouldn''t be known.'' Noel, once again, saw Anna''s improvement. This wasn''t something possible before, but because she released that information, Noel had a new n in his mind.


    He nced to the side, looking for the Count. It didn''t take too long for him to find the carriage among the crowd.


    And Noel said, "Seven minutes. Let''s finish him in seven minutes."


    "Talk about a challenge. He''s a Spirit Master¡­" Anna clicked her tongue, but she soon smiled as if getting fired up. She was up to the challenge.


    Noel also smirked as he began the offensive.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious guy gritted his teeth, never thinking Anna would have an ally in the Demon Banner Army.


    He waspletely fooled by the Count.


    ''Did the Count fool me? He wanted to send me to Anna so that he could kill me? Don''t tell me¡­ He''s already aware of this situation and rejects my proposal¡­ He dares to reject the Supreme Devil Organization?'' The guy was angry, not only at the two kids before him but also at the Count.


    "I''m going to kill all of you."

 Chapter 449 Fighting A Spirit Master

    The guy released his ck-colored Spiritual Energy.


    Both Noel and Anna raised their guards to the maximum, staring at this guy intensely. No matter what, he was still a Spirit Master. It wasn''t someone they could defeat easily.


    However, it was, by no means, an impossible opponent. Anna knew that this guy was a new Spirit Master, so his strength wasn''t that good.


    "Be careful, the enemy is a new Spirit Master. We have to make sure he doesn''t cause a ruckus and¡ª" Anna looked like she made a blunder because she was reminding the enemy to cause a ruckus.


    And the guy from the Supreme Devil Organization was no fool. He instantly picked up what she had to do and turned around, heading straight to the town.


    "Hahaha. You''re a fool. I''m going to kill those people!" The guy shouted whileughing as he jumped down the building from a different direction, where Noel and Anna didn''t stop him.


    Noel nced at this guy with a calm expression while Anna actually smiled. It felt like she wanted the guy to focus on the citizens instead of them.


    After all, the moment he turned his back on them, Anna instantly released her Spiritual Energy around her foot. The lightning began to spark as she suddenly disappeared.


    "!!!" The guy widened his eyes in shock and realized what Anna had nned earlier. He hurriedly turned around, but Anna was already right before him, shing her sword.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    The guy was toote to block it with his sword, so it tried to flinch so that his body could escape from that sh even if it was just a little.


    Knowing it was impossible to block it, the guy decided to sacrifice his left hand.


    By covering his left hand with Spiritual Energy, it could withstand Anna''s sword for a split second. That split second was used to grab the de and deflect it in another direction.


    "Kh." The guy gritted his teeth because two of his fingers were cut.


    However, Anna wasn''t the only one who thought of that n.


    ? As expected of Noel, after seeing Anna''s improvement, he knew she would use her fastest speed to take the enemy by surprise.


    That was why Noel also jumped down. He might not be faster than Anna, but Noel had prepared a gift for them.


    When he was falling, Noel pointed his sword at them. Anna couldn''t help but feel dread whenever Noel nned to do something. After all, if she didn''t move away, she would end up receiving the same attack.


    So, right after she cut two fingers, she shed to the side, using the force of the swing to push her away.


    "!!!" The guy opened his eyes wide because Noel had concentrated his ck me at the tip of his sword. When Anna gave way to him, Noel released that ck me.


    The ck me flew in a single line. But unlike Anna, who managed to catch him off guard with her speed, Noel''s me was rtively slow.


    The guy had enough time to raise his de and strike it. The ck-colored Spiritual Energy had spread like a mouth as if devouring the ck me.


    "As expected from a Spirit Wielder¡­" The guy regained his confidence when he saw Noel''s ck me and was unable to do anything against his me.


    Unfortunately, this was where the ck me finally showed its might.


    Ardagan''s Undying Fire started to spread around the ck energy, burning it down without mercy.


    "!!!" The guy realized the ck me was even more terrifying than he thought and hurriedly pulled back his sword. However, the ck me had burned down all his Spiritual Energy and touched the sword.


    In that instant, the ck me began to devour the de. He could see that the de was starting to melt at the tip. Yet, he was confused because he didn''t feel any heating from the me.


    He only knew this me was extremely dangerous.


    He hurriedly suppressed it with Spiritual Energy. Although the me began to waver, the me also burned down a portion of that Spiritual Energy.


    In other words, if he wanted topletely extinguish the me, he had to exhaust a lot more Spiritual Energy than necessary.


    He gritted his teeth. Although it was such a shame to use this much Spiritual Energy, he couldn''t afford to lose his sword just yet.


    After all, the two kids before him were far more monstrous than he originally thought.


    "Kh." The guy nced at his de before turning to Noel and Anna, thinking, ''Since when are there two strong kids in this kingdom? Anna Stargaze might be the most talented person in the kingdom, but she is supposed to be only sixteen years old.


    ''Even if she is a Spirit Master, there''s no way she has umted a lot of experience. And there is that guy, I don''t know what face is behind that mask, but despite not having a lot of experience, he has an overwhelming ck me.


    ''The organization hasn''t received the information about these two. No, wait. The Demon Relief Squad? Our people were exterminated when they tried to attack the Silica Valley because they ended up meeting the Demon Relief Squad there.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ The reason why the Demon Relief Squad could achieve victory was due to this guy? But he was only a Spirit Master.


    ''Either way, this guy is bad news. I have to inform the organization about these two kids. We have to either recruit them or kill them.''


    The guy had deemed that his agreement with the count wasn''t necessary anymore. It was better to go back to inform the organization than die here.


    Hence, the moment he reached the ground, the guy hurriedly turned around to escape.


    It seemed Noel and Anna had already seen through his n.


    Before the guy could escape, a lightning dragon approached him from the left while a ck me wall stopped him from the right side.


    Noel and Anna had blocked two sides as the two stood in the other two to make sure he didn''t escape.

 Chapter 450 Got Him

    "Kh!" The guy gritted his teeth, knowing it would be hard for him to escape. He had to make some sacrifices.


    "ck Wave." He ced his hand on the ground and created a wave of ck energy, swallowing everything around it.


    Unfortunately, the lightning dragon exploded and the ck me devoured a portion of the wave, causing it to be in disarray.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna werepletely fine just by taking a few steps back.


    It seemed the guy had chosen Noel to be the weaker one as he went straight to Noel, nning to create a chance to escape.


    ''It seems I have been underestimated.'' Noel narrowed his eyes and summoned his fire.


    me Conjuring.


    This time, he formed a huge hand on top of his head. This hand was made of ck fire, so the opponent would instantly be wary.


    As expected, the guy turned around and used all his strength to stomp the ground, gathering all that energy in his lower body to jump into the other side of the street.


    Surprisingly, Noel could keep up with him as he followed the same movement. He used the ck palm to attack him anyway, the real body still hadn''t made its move.


    "Annoying!" The guy shouted while smacking Noel with his sword.


    Noel blocked this attack, but the guy showed the difference in their strength again by blowing Noel away.


    The mysterious person realized he could simply overpower Noel with his raw strength alone. As long as he could avoid the ck me, he would be fine.


    Unfortunately for him, the moment the guy charged forward with that thought in mind, Noel activated his Strength Blessing Rune.


    "!!!" They exchanged looks as both of them were confident in their strength.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords clicked, creating a small gale. But to their surprise, both of them were holding on.


    ''How?'' The mysterious guy panicked because he didn''t expect Noel to be this strong despite being a Spirit Master.


    Meanwhile, Noel was quite surprised to see that his Strength Blessing Rune couldn''t allow him to overpower this Spirit Master. He believed this was the reason why there was a gap between the Spirit Wielder and the Spirit Master.


    If he was fighting this guy alone, it would be dangerous for him.


    However, Anna was the original target of this guy.


    With him stopping this mysterious person, Anna took advantage of that situation to approach him from behind. She had covered her entire body with the lightning, ready to eliminate the target.


    The guy gritted his teeth and turned around, shing the de at Anna to push her away.


    Unlike Noel''s ck me, the ck energy from the mysterious guy still managed to deflect Anna''s lightning.


    Noel obviously didn''t n to just watch from the side. He joined the fight, trying to kill this guy with one single hit to his vital area.


    Both Noel and Anna didn''t use a big technique yet because it would be bad for the town. At the same time, they prevented their enemies from using one by continuously attacking him.


    In just a minute, all of them had fought for thirty rounds. However, none of them actually managed tond a scratch after that.


    Knowing they needed a long time to handle this enemy, Noel decided to y a mind trick by saying, "It seems that the Count''s information is right. This guy is still someone we can handle. Let''s proceed carefully. The Count will reach this ce soon."


    Anna was surprised that Noel painted the Count in a good light. But there was only one reason for Noel to do it.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    She nodded with a smile. "Understood. We shall suppress him."


    The Supreme Devil Organization wanted the Count''s experiment and his expertise to create an army of a demon. They would go to a great length to get the Count.


    But it seemed thetter remained loyal to the kingdom. Although he had underestimated the Supreme Devil Organization just by using two Spirit Wielders, it didn''t change the fact theirbat prowess could reach him.


    That was why the guy was convinced that the Count had betrayed them.


    "I''m going to kill all of you!" He was thoroughly angered. The ck energy wrapped his bodypletely.


    Anna could see that he was draining his Spiritual Energy by using this technique. However, the power from it was also tremendous.


    "Don''t kill him yet. We have to torture him!" Noel was fearless, thinking he could still win.


    Anna was confused for a moment, but everything was clear when she saw Noel''s eyes. She nodded, "Alright."


    "Bold of you to assume you''re strong enough to defeat me!" The guy pointed his palm at Anna and Noel.


    Both arms released a few tentacles.


    ''The ck energy is expanding into a tentacle?'' Anna widened her eyes in surprise. She hurriedly jumped back to gain some distance, taking this chance to observe him.


    Noel, on the other hand, was fearless as he sent forth his ck fire, burning it.


    "Aaarrgggghhhhh!" The guy looked like he felt a burning sensation. Though, he didn''t seem to care as he continued extending the tentacles.


    Noel conjured another palm with his fire and tried to smack the tentacles away.


    To his surprise, the tentacles actually wrapped the palm and ended up crushing it.


    "What?!" Noel was shocked and took a step back. This was the first time someone overpowered his ck me.


    Meanwhile, Anna was also striking these tentacles with her lightning sword. She was also dodging since the tentacles kepting at her.


    "He''s using too much Spiritual Energy. If we can hold on for a while, he should be exhausted." Anna shouted, warning Noel.


    "In that case¡­" Noel ced his hand on the ground.


    This action garnered the guy''s attention. It looked like Noel wouldn''t be able to dodge properly by making that gesture. But the moment he pounced on him, Noel rolled a few times to avoid him.


    That was when the guynded on the ground Noel touched earlier. Unexpectedly, the ground was so soft that it felt like mud, making him stumble.


    "Got him again."

 Chapter 451 Checkmate

    "!!!" The guy stumbled to the ground, having trouble to keep his body stable.


    Anna''s eyes shed. She took advantage of the opening to appear behind him and sh his body.


    The guy hurriedly ducked down to escape. Unfortunately, Anna faked her swing since the sword was let go and ended up dropping to the ground.


    "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!" The guy screamed in pain as the sword actuallynded and stabbed his calf.


    Anna pulled that sword to cut his feet, but the guy endured the pain and hurriedly jumped with his uninjured foot.


    He was gnashing his teeth, never thinking that two Spirit Wielders would be able to handle him. And due to their speed and attack patterns, it was impossible for him to use any big moves that would destroy the entire area.


    When he started revolving his Spiritual Energy, Anna increased her speed with her lightning to arrive before him.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords shed again, preventing the guy from using his Spiritual Energy. He could only muster a little bit of Spiritual Energy at a time.


    ''Is she truly only a Spirit Wielder? Why is her strength simr to mine? And that masked bastard¡­ If there is no him, this woman''s attack pattern will be full of holes.''


    In his thought, he had recognized Noel and Anna''s power. He also showed how Noel yed a huge part in Anna''s attack pattern. At the same time, it also meant Anna trusted Noel a lot since she left her back open.


    Anna kept focusing on dealing as much damage as possible while Noel filled all the gaps between her movements.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    They ended up crossing their swords for another fifty times. Although the battle looked like it reached a stalemate, the enemy gradually lost its power due to the injury earlier.


    Meanwhile, Anna and Noel managed to keep him at the area while keeping the people away by using Noel''s Sword Fall.


    But one variable urred. They had taken their time in this fight, so it meant the Count, who was trying to escape from the city, had left his mansion and reached the street.


    "What is happening here?!" The Count shouted in anger, peeking at the situation from his carriage.


    The people who stopped a bit farther away from the battle ended up obstructing the way, so he couldn''t leave.


    It took him a while before he could reach this far. But everything changed when he saw Noel fighting together with Anna Stargaze.


    As soon as he heard the Count''s voice, Noel turned around with his mouth open as though he waspletely shocked by his appearance.


    "Not good!" Noel hurriedly moved between them while shouting, "Protect the Count. The enemy is a Spirit Master! He''s nning to harm the Count!"


    "!!!" Anna was shocked by what she heard and realized Noel just wanted to brand him as an enemy.


    Meanwhile, the guy from the Supreme Devil Organization smirked as he could finally see the gap after the Count entered this ce.


    He was already angry at the Count for betraying them. So, he nned to kill the Count. With this intention, he should get some advantages in the battle.


    Even Anna was shocked for a moment, giving an opportunity for him to jump toward the Count.


    "You bastard. You had agreed to join the Supreme Devil Organization but you actually betrayed me by sending these two people?!" The guy shouted in anger, revealing an important piece of information.


    "!!!" The people were shocked. The Count was dumbstruck. They were looking at each other as if they couldn''t believe what he said.


    Everyone knew about the Supreme Devil Organization and their evil deeds. So, it was clear what it meant to have a rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "What?!" The people began questioning the Count.


    "Is that true?"


    "The Count is a person of the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    While the citizens, who witnessed the battle, were questioning the Count. Noel had appeared between them and stopped the guy from killing the Count.


    "I don''t know if that''s true, but you have to pass me first if you want to harm him." Noel righteously dered. "You are innocent until you''re proven otherwise. And since you have dered you are from the Supreme Devil Organization, I''m going to kill you."


    *Clink!*


    "Gh!" The guy gritted his teeth as Noel''s sword ended up stopping all his momentum. "Go away! Do you not know that the Count has set up a Demon Farm? And the current predicament of this city is because of his farm?!"


    The guy dered the Count''s deeds without hesitation. At the very least, even if he couldn''t escape, the Count would surely be dead alongside with him. His life exchanged with a Count''s life¡­ it was worth it.


    Little did they know, this was the reason why Noel didn''t want to kill the enemy right away. He wanted to get information from this guy directly since it was clear that he was quite spiteful.


    And when everything was revealed, all the eyes were locked on the shocked Count.


    "What did you say? How dare you nder me! Do you think your trick by making up lies like that will work?!" The Count shouted back in anger.


    Anna''s eyes shed right away. She suddenly raised her badge and stated out loud. "I''m Anna Stargaze, a direct subordinate of Arbiter Stargaze. I''m an Inquisitor in charge of protecting the kingdom''s stability. We have some suspicion of the shady Demon Nests. It seems that both of you are truly working together¡­"


    Everyone waspletely startled by Anna''s identity. They knew about the Stargaze Family, but they weren''t aware of Inquisitor, considering the organization worked in the dark. However, it was a different case for an Arbiter.


    Everyone knew about the kingdom''s arbiters since all of them were the Kingdom''s strength. And with Anna stating she was under her father''smand, it was clear that the usation wasn''t empty.


    And with this, they had checkmated the Count and this mysterious guy from the Supreme Devil Organization.

 Chapter 452 Reinforcement

    "What?"


    "The Count is truly¡­"


    The people around him were shocked as they stared at the Count.


    They had lost many soldiers due to the attack this time. It was truly a great loss to the city, but it was an even greater loss to their families.


    They weren''t supposed to fight the monsters. Yet, due to the Count''s farm, they died needlessly.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    The anger was welling up in their eyes. But a part of them was still thinking it was impossible for them to kill the noble even if they wanted to. Even an attack alone was enough to make them go to jail or mine.


    If they attacked him right now, the Count could easily kill them. They were afraid that the Count would silence them since they had all heard about it.


    Even Noel couldn''t predict what the Count would do, considering he might be reckless after his secret was exposed.


    Still, it took both of them to handle this person. If one of them had to stop the Count from being reckless, it would mean this guy could use a powerful attack to destroy the city and cause more chaos. That way, many people would die even if they managed to take him downter.


    That was why Anna wondered whether they had another backup or not. She had been going ording to Noel''s n, but she was a bit worried about this situation.


    And this was the time a reinforcement appeared.


    "It seems that the Count has caused all this. We don''t know the extent of the situation, but it seems I have to apprehend you first."


    A female''s voice echoed in everyone''s ears as a blond-haired woman appeared right on top of the Count''s carriage.


    She took out her badge and stated her name. "My name is Rose. I''m from the Demon Banner Army, specifically the Demon Relief Squad, one of the squads that are helping the soldiers fend off the demons outside. I''vee to detain the Count, so I hope everyone can cooperate with me."


    "!!!" Anna was shocked, not expecting Rose to appear.


    She was the one to witness Noel''s death. So, it wouldn''t be weird if Rose didn''t want to appear. Yet, not only did shee to help them, but she also ignored herpletely.


    Anna didn''t know yet that Rose was Noel''s ally. She was already aware of the scheme.


    Although it made her mad just thinking of how Noel and Anna plotted this and made her cry so much, she knew it was for Noel''s safety. So, Rose didn''t have any grudge against her¡­ at least, it wasn''t enough to mess up with the n.


    And as for the reason why Rose was here, it came from a few hours ago when they were still running on the field.


    "Rose. I have something I want you to do." Noel looked at Rose with a serious expression.


    Rose was surprised at first, but it seemed Noel already had a n in mind whenever he became this serious. It showed how dire the situation was.


    Knowing her role as his vassal, Rose nodded. "Alright. Tell me."


    "I want you to help meter. I don''t know how far the situation will go, but I''m afraid there will be a lot of people dying if something goes wrong. So, I want you to guide the group for a while.


    "In the meantime, I''ll try to enter the city and deal with the inner problem. I want you to go inside after that, but don''te out yet unless you deem the situation needs you to act in order to save a lot of people."


    Rose didn''t know that Noel was already aware of Anna''s n. But it was clear that something was happening inside the city.


    After guiding her group for a while, Rose told them she would enter the city because she was worried about Noel''s condition.


    In the end, Paul gave permission, thinking Rose just didn''t want to lose someone she had opened up to again.


    This was the reason why Rose appeared before them and helped Noel apprehend the Count.


    She jumped off the carriage and red at the Count. "I''m afraid I have to ask you to remain inside. If you make any move, I''m going to use the strength of a Spirit Master to stop you."


    The Count waspletely shocked. He was scared as well since he had lost the trust of his people.


    He nced to the side and saw Anna and Noel suppressing the guy from the Supreme Devil Organization. Defeating Noel and Anna was their only way to escape, but since they had joined the Supreme Devil Organization, it was practically impossible to leave alive.


    The Count didn''t know what happened because everything happened so fast. But it was clear that Anna would take this chance to seize everything.


    Even if he could escape from the punishment of having a deal with the Supreme Devil Organization, he would still have to endure the harsh jail and work in the mine. In other words, his career was already over.


    The Count gritted his teeth and shouted, "I didn''t do anything. It was just a false im. Did you see who spread it? It was Anna Stargaze.


    "I have heard that your newbie, Noel Ardagan, was killed by Anna Stargaze. She might use that statement to make you turn your anger on me instead of her. She is so maniptive. She¡ª"


    The Count tried to exin a lot of things, but Rose had her priority. Her task was simple. She had to keep the Count away from everyone.


    So, she remainedpletely calm as she said, "I don''t care what you''re saying right now. I have separated my private life and work, so I''m going to detain you here even if it''s thest thing to do. I can''t afford to allow a potential criminal to escape."


    The Count gritted his teeth. "I''ll tell the Commander about this. I''m going to file aint after this. You''ll be miserable at that time."


    Rose snorted and stated coldly, "Feel free to notify our Commander. Though, you need to be free first."


    Rose smiled as if she knew the Count couldn''t get away from his crime this time.

 Chapter 453 Cornering The Enemy

    ''Why did she not attack me? Is she already aware that Iadre is Noel?'' Anna nced to the side. Although she was curious about the reason, she had to focus on the matter at hand.


    They had been suppressing a Spirit Master this whole time, but as expected, it wouldn''t be that easy to kill him.


    It was true that the Spirit Master couldn''t use any big move due to the constant attack. He simply had no time to gather his energy. But the same could be said for Noel and Anna. Although they had time in the transition, it was only enough to close the gap between Spirit Master and Spirit Wielder.


    So, they were still finding a way to kill the enemy.


    Noel seemed to have found an idea. They had injured this Spirit Master, and Anna even cut his fingers. This was something they could take advantage of.


    Since only Anna and Rose were aware of his identity and no one else knew about Noel''s abilities, Noel started to get serious.


    He jumped toward the Spirit Master while revolving his Spiritual Energy.


    The enemy did the same, nning to stop Noel with the same amount of Spiritual Energy.


    However, the energy around Noel''s sword suddenly changed its characteristics.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master noticed it and muttered inwardly, ''What? That Spiritual Energy is changing from mild to¡­ very sharp energy?''


    He hurriedly held the sword with both hands as he struck Noel''s sword.


    *Clink!*


    To everyone''s surprise, the one who got pushed back this time was actually the Spirit Master.


    "What?!" The guy was shocked as his hands felt a bit numb. The strike was different from any attack he had received. It was sharp to the point he could feel his sword getting sliced.


    Luckily, his weapon had been blessed with a Spirit Enchantment, so it wasn''t that easy to cut it. Still, Noel''s threat level had risen exponentially after releasing that strength.


    This was Noel''s Everchanging Emotion Sword Style that emphasized anger. Noel believed he could cut the sword down after a few strikes on the same spot. That was why Noel continued to swing his de, trying to hit the sword as many times as possible.


    The Spirit Master noticed how dangerous it would be to sh swords with Noel. At the same time, Anna seemed to be approaching from behind.


    So, he stomped the ground, gathering all that energy in his lower body to jump to the side. His movement was so fast that Anna and Noel werete for a second. It seemed that the Spirit Master was risking his life to get all that energy.


    Unfortunately for him, he wasn''t the only Spirit Master around. There was still Rose, who still had enough power left to help Noel and Anna.


    The Spirit Master nced at Noel and Anna when he was moving away. He nned to use this momentum to overrun them. Or at the very least, creating an opportunity when Anna tried to catch up using her lightning.


    But he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure in front of him. He felt he would die if he didn''t duck down.


    There shouldn''t be anyone that would be able to kill him, yet, his instinct rarely went wrong.


    The Spirit Master turned his head around, only to find a de swinging at him.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master hurriedly ducked down as the de felt like it was cutting his hair.


    But the sudden duck caused him to stumble to the ground, rolling a few times. He lost his momentum and the pair could catch up to him anytime.


    The Spirit Master tried to go up as soon as possible, raising his stance. But he soon noticed the person who had swung that de earlier.


    It was actually not a person. Instead, it was a humanoid figure without any human features like hair, eyes, nose, and so on. It was a kind of shadow that came alive instead.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    And that shadow swung the de, scaring him.


    As soon as they looked at each other, the shadow suddenly disappeared into thin air, showing the enemy that it was nothing but an illusion.


    The guy widened his eyes in shock, noticing whose energy summoned that humanoid. It was none other than Rose.


    He wanted to curse Rose, but Anna and Noel had arrived, swinging their swords at the same time. Anna aimed for his neck, while Noel wanted to split him in half.


    The guy gritted his teeth while holding the sword with both hands. He didn''t have any more momentum to block this, so he had to receive it and might get injured because of it.


    *Clink!*


    Anna''s sword hit first, discharging a little electricity that numbed the Spirit Master''s hands.


    The Spirit Master gritted his teeth. Of course, he was happy he could stop Anna''s attack, but when he raised his head, he saw another deing.


    Noel''s sword struck the back of Anna''s de, giving a push needed to break through the Spirit Master''s defense.


    "Kh!" The guy tried to hold it back but to no avail. After all, Noel was using the Disgust to turn his de into a blunt bat.


    The Spirit Master''s sword instantly moved toward himself as if it was trying to cut its owner down. He had no choice but to abandon his sword and throw his body to the right, resulting in his left arm being cut down by the sword''s momentum.


    Unfortunately, they could only im his left arm as Anna tried to stop the momentum and stabilize her posture. Noel, on the other hand, retracted his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to regain his bearing.


    He recovered first and tried to attack the Spirit Master.


    As if knowing the two would attack him right after, the Spirit Master kicked his own de into the air and grabbed it with his right hand, swinging it toward Noel.


    Their swords collided again. As expected from a Spirit Master, it wouldn''t go down easily.


    Noel clicked his tongue since he couldn''t take down a Spirit Master with that attack. Still, he applied his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to the fullest as he began to overwhelm the Spirit Master, who could only exert a portion of his strength.


    "Haaa!!!"

 Chapter 454 Killing A Spirit Master

    "Haaaa!!!" Noel shouted to pump up more spirit as he began pushing the Spirit Master back.


    Because he couldn''t use both hands, the Spirit Master ended up taking a few steps back until he waspletely cornered with his back touching the wall.


    ''Impossible. How can I even lose against two Spirit Wielders?'' The guy was still in denial even though he had recognized both of their power earlier. He simply couldn''t believe that these two young people had this kind of ability.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing left he could do since Anna had stabilized her posture and gone straight at him.


    The Spirit Master tried to release his Spiritual Energy to blow Noel away as ast struggle, but Anna was one step ahead. She utilized her lightning to increase her speed so that she appeared before the Spirit Master before he could do anything.


    He had no choice but to let his sword slide on Noel''s de before striking Anna''s sword.


    But Noel changed his sword style again into Fear as he released the quickest swing today.


    The sword ended up cutting the guy''s right arm and Anna blew the hand away, making sure the sword couldn''t be picked up anymore.


    The guy kicked Anna in hisst struggle, but thetter managed to block it with her sword. She even grabbed his foot to stop him from doing anything to Noel.


    This gave Noel a big opportunity to end his life.


    Without hesitation, Noel used his Contempt to make a precise swing, sending his head flying.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "Huu¡­" Noel let out a sigh of relief. He felt happy that they could defeat a Spirit Master without allowing the enemy to use a powerful move. Though, the enemy was still a new Spirit Master, so he couldn''t really call him the true Spirit Master like Rose and the others.


    Still, this was a victory. So, he checked the system again to make sure he got the notification for killing the enemy.


    After that, he nced at Anna as if telling her to do her part.


    Anna knew they weren''t supposed to know each other. Although Rose was already aware of the situation, the people still had to think they didn''t know each other. After all, it would be bad if an Inquisitor had a friend in the Demon Banner Army. Both of them had to be suspected as double agents.


    So, Anna ignored Noel and started doing her job as an inquisitor.


    After confirming the enemy''s death, Anna let out a sigh of relief while scanning the area around. There was no sign of another enemy appearing, so she believed the guy operated alone.


    She also cut the guy''s clothes to find the Supreme Devil Organization''s mark. As expected from a high level member, the mark itself was hidden with Spiritual Energy. There was even a thinyer of skin that hid the mark underneath.


    Anna cut it and showed the enemy''s affiliation, confirming the Supreme Devil Organization''s involvement.


    With this mark, Anna turned to the Count, knowing she had all the right to be suspicious of him.


    But before confronting the Count, she had to meet Rose, who had been helping them take down the enemy. It was a little gesture, but that truly helped a lot.


    Anna stopped in front of Rose with a grim expression. She knew Rose must be angry because of what she had done to Noel. But since she was already aware of Iadre''s identity, she shouldn''t be fighting her out of the blue.


    That was why she was ready to hear Rose''s rants for a bit before dealing with the Count.


    But to her surprise, Rose only said, "I don''t like you for what you did, but I can understand the situation. So, I won''t do anything that will hinder you¡­"


    "¡­" Anna thought Rose would be talking for at least a minute, but this was truly convenient to her.


    After releasing everything she wanted to say, Rose stepped aside and said, "I believe this is your job."


    "Thank you." Anna nodded. She was thankful that Rose helped her take care of the Count or else the situation would be much more serious.


    Rose walked to Noel to discuss the situation while Anna red at the Count and said with a cold tone. "I believe I don''t need to tell you about anything else. I''m going to detain you right now and investigate the rtionship between you and the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "You¡­ I''m not rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. He''s just framing me." The Count gritted his teeth, denying all the usations.


    However, he was so focused on the Supreme Devil Organization that he forgot Anna''s original intention ining here.


    Anna narrowed her eyes and smiled, "I see. So, you do not deny that the current situation is because of you. It seems the rumor of you creating a demon farm is true. That alone is enough for me to investigate you. That''s why I''m going to have you cooperate with me."


    "Do you¡ª" The Count wanted to stop her, but Anna simply said, "You won''t have anything to worry about if you''re not rted to this incident. I''ll even pay for the reparation for the damage and Arbiter Stargaze shall be clearing your name.


    "However, if you''re proven to be rted to this case, I''ll be dealing with you personally. Don''t expect any mercy." Anna said all those words with a big smile on her face.


    However, the Count couldn''t feel any warmth or happiness from it. Instead, he just felt chills down his spine.


    He knew Anna was using all these excuses to get all the documents he had. It would be fine if he managed to escape without meeting the guy from the Supreme Devil Organization since Anna couldn''t fully investigate him that way. Yet, the situation wasn''t in his favor.


    The Count knew that no matter what he did, his life was already over. He was surely going to be executed after this.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Rose left the area without saying goodbye to Anna. They still had the mission to eliminate the demons after all.

 Chapter 455 Explanation

    "So, there is no Superior Demon?" Rose asked while furrowing her eyebrows.


    "Yeah. I have asked Anna before leaving." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He was afraid that there was a Superior Demon in the mix as well, but luckily, it seemed to be just their misinterpretation.


    "Before leaving? When?" Rose was more focused when Noel actually asked Anna. After all, it was so fast and smooth that she didn''t find them talking.


    "Earlier." Noel had a hard time describing it, so he just ignored the problem and moved on. "Anyway, now that we have no worries left, we should focus on dealing with the demons andplete the mission as soon as possible."


    Rose nodded. Though, she was still curious about something. "By the way, since when have you two nned this together?"


    Noel nced at Rose''s expression, thinking it would probably be fine to tell her about it. Rose was trustworthy and had decided to be his vassal after all. It would be a waste if he didn''t take advantage of her ability as his secretary.


    He exined, "I met Anna right after discussing the n with the Baron and the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "Ah, at that time!" Rose remembered when Noel decided to go out alone to take a breather. It seemed they had truly nned their meeting. "I see. So, you''re discussing the suspicion and the n at that time¡­"


    "Yeah. You should know about the Inquisitor, right?"


    "I know about them. Basically, they''re the government dogs used to keep other nobles or influences in check. So, Anna gave you that information while you exchanged our ns. That was why she brought the demons here?" Rose frowned upon Noel''s action. It was true that this would help them to fight the Count. But his action resulted in the death of many innocent soldiers.


    If Noel didn''t give a satisfactory exnation, she would be disappointed. After all, she had two reasons for following Noel. She was indebted to him and knew that Noel was a kind lord that would lead his territory just fine.


    Noel had already expected this reaction. The answer had been prepared long ago while he was still chasing after the person from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "Of course, I know that my actions will cause a lot of deaths. However, if I don''t do this, there will be more deaths in the future." Noel shook his head. "Do you remember the matter that I once solved? Regarding the bandits using the demons to spread chaos."


    "Ah!" That clue was enough for Rose to understand the whole situation. She thought for a moment and arranged the words in her mind before confirming the reason. "Are you saying the Count truly makes a Demon Farm?


    "And this farm can basically cultivate demons, considering we have seen a lot of Peak Level Demons. If the Count seeds, he will be able to create an army of demons.


    "This is something that the Supreme Devil Organization wants and that''s the reason why they sent a Spirit Master to threaten the Count. Whether it''s fortunate or unfortunate, we''vee to intervene at the right moment, stopping the Count from colluding with the Supreme Devil Organization. Yeah, they should be about to reach an agreement with how that guy acted toward the Count.


    "In other words, the Supreme Devil Organization originally nned to use the Count to make an army of demons and they''ll control those demons.


    "With that kind of power in their hand, they won''t be afraid to attack the Demon Banner Army. There will be a lot of deaths after that, including the Demon Banner Army''s knights."


    Rose gasped, fully understanding the situation.


    "Yes. That''s the reason." Noel nodded with a grim expression, showing how severe the situation was. Even if he had to sacrifice all those people, he had to do it since more lives were at stake.


    Rose couldn''t say anything to him after learning about the situation. It was clear Noel was doing his best while minimizing the casualties.


    Rose thought for a moment and asked, "What do you want me to do?"


    "I''m nning to visit the Demon Hunting Squad''s headquarters."


    "Why is that?" Rose frowned, not understanding the reason. She personally didn''t like the Demon Hunting Squad that much because of their arrogance. But Noel wouldn''t suggest something without reasons, so she at least had to hear what he wanted to say.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to tell her the suspicion. "This is just my spection, but I think the one that attacked their headquarters is¡­"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization." Rose knew what he wanted to say, so shepleted it. She tried to link the current situation with the answer. "So, you''re saying the attack is just a distraction so that the captain of the Demon Hunting Squad can''t do anything to help these people? Meanwhile, the Supreme Devil Organization takes advantage of this situation to get the Count¡­"


    "Yeah. I believe that''s the case. Without their captain, it''s basically impossible for them to prevent the kidnapping." Noel confirmed her doubt.


    "That''s bad. In that case, I''ll try to suggest it. And if possible, I''ll make the Demon Hunting Squad owe us so that they will invite us to their base to thank us."


    "Thank you." Noel smiled. Everything had be easier with Rose helping her. He didn''t regret making Rose his left hand.


    "But before we can go there, don''t forget we still have a mission here." Rose pointed forward, showing the gate and a lot of people trying to leave the city. The soldiers were holding them back for the time being because there were still numerous demons outside.


    Noel agreed with Rose. They had to solve this problem first.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I''m going to help the soldiers and our squad to deal with the demons. You are going to support us from the top of the wall. At the same time, try to calm down the crowd. They don''t need to leave anyway."


    "Got it." Rose patted his shoulder with a smile as she slightly shifted her direction.

 Chapter 456 End

    "Alright. Everyone hear me out!" Rose took out her badge and used her Spiritual Energy to awaken it. The light emitted from the badge grabbed many people''s attention. "I''m¡­"


    Rose exined the whole situation in front of the gate. In the meantime, Noel made his way to the top of the wall and checked the situation at this gate.


    Surprisingly, they had just finished one side and started turning to this side of the wall.


    It would be better if he joined them now, so Noel checked the demons attacking the city first. As soon as he saw an iing demon, he moved toward the demon and shed it a few times before kicking it off the wall.


    He stepped on the demon and used it as a cushion to fall, stunning the soldiers, who didn''t even realize Noel was there until he fell down.


    "That''s Iadre!" Paul shouted while pointing at the falling demon. "We''re going to catch up to him. Make sure you don''t hold anything back!"Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh!" The others shouted as they pumped their own spirit before unleashing a greater force.


    When Noel saw their reaction from a distance, he realized those people were actually holding back. It seemed they were worried about the Superior Demon that they needed to preserve their strength in order to fight one.


    That was why Noel immediately waved his sword toward the demons that stopped him from regrouping with his group.


    "Move away!" Noel shouted as he used his Ignition Sword to cause several explosions, killing and blowing the monsters away.


    It didn''t take too long for him to regroup with his squad.


    "Iadre!" Paul smiled. "How is the situation on your side?"


    "Everything has been taken care of. We just have to deal with these demons before helping the Demon Hunting Squad take on the Peak Level Demons. As for the Superior Demon, it''s just a false rm.


    "It turns out all those Peak Level Demons are staying in the same ce because it''s actually a demon farm rted to the Count. That''s why they''re organized like that."


    "What a demon farm?" The squad waspletely dumbfounded when they heard the information. But no matter how inexperienced Noel was, they knew he wasn''t someone who shared false information.


    Paul trusted him for the time being and asked, "So, the entire situation is due to the Count and we don''t need to worry about the Superior Demon?"


    "Yeah. Rose is calming down the people for the time being and she will regroup with us soon. As for us¡­"


    Noel didn''t finish his words. All of them knew what they were supposed to do.


    Since there was no more threat they had to consider, they had lost the reason for holding back.


    That was why all of them released their Spiritual Energy to the fullest, nning to kill all these demons in an instant.


    "Haaa!" Paul roared while smashing a demon''s head with his warhammer. The head was obliterated and the weapon ended up hitting the ground, destroying the soil.


    Jonathan raised his hand, using his Telekinesis to raise a few Low Level Demons. At the same time, Zion had leaped into the air and kicked these demons in rapid session.


    Ben and Ste also became the vanguard, dealing with all the demons around them.


    Last but not least, Noel also contributed to the battle by swinging his swords multiple times at the demons while using the Ignition Sword. At the very least, he could kill some demons for his missions.


    Rose soon regrouped with them, monitoring the situation from the top of the wall. She was using her illusion to inform them about the enemy''s movement.


    The group cleared the entire wall quickly to the point the soldiers on top of the wall were shocked and started cheering for them. It was clear that there was a huge burden relieved from their shoulders.


    The Demon Relief Squad ignored those cheers as they continued sweeping the demons.


    It took them an hour before they reached the other side, where all the Demon Hunting Squad stopped the Peak Level Demons. As expected of theck of members of the Demon Hunting Squad, they could only stop the Peak Level Demons, not kill them.


    However, this was enough because the bnce was soon tipped over the moment the Demon Relief Squad came.


    Paul split the group and allowed them to work together with the Demon Hunting Squad to kill their respective Peak Level Demon. Of course, Rose informed the Demon Hunting Squad about the misinterpretation regarding the Superior Demon.


    When they heard there was no more threat after killing these Peak Level Demons, they became energetic again and started releasing all the strength they had left in their bodies.


    It didn''t take too long for them topletely kill all the Peak Level Demons, especially Paul, who worked together with Noel.


    Just like how he did it with the Demon Hunting Squad''s Vice Captain, he also helped Paul from a distance before delivering a killing blow.


    After killing the first Peak Level Demon, he moved toward another one and got another kill.


    In the end, Noel managed to kill two Peak Level Demons and severely injured one. Unfortunately, thest one didn''t add his mission counts.


    After Rose made sure there were no demons left around the city, she finally allowed them to gather while she made their way to the captain of the garrison. She had to inform them about their sess so that the soldiers would be adjusted ordingly.


    After that, she rushed to the Demon Hunting Squad and the Demon Relief Squad to suggest going to their headquarters.


    But when she arrived, Paul surprisingly said with a smile as if he fully agreed with the suggestion. "Alright. After this, we''re going to fix the bridge and head to the Demon Hunting Squad''s headquarters. If possible, we will also repair some of the damage done¡­"


    Rose thought it was her role to convince him, but she soon saw Noel, who winked his right eye yfully as if telling him he was the culprit.

 Chapter 457 Lying

    "Move the stone that way!" Richard shouted, ordering his teammates to bring the stones to a specific spot. He had been helping with the bridge''s repair the most since he was the most grateful to the Demon Relief Squad, especially Noel.


    Back then, he still remembered how Noel handled the situation. After dealing with all the monsters, they were about to discuss how to deal with the Superior Demon.


    "So, where is the Superior Demon? We have to make a n to handle the Superior Demon. I don''t think we can fight it with our current condition and it doesn''t seem we can inform a captain from the army to handle it. I guess we have to distract the demon and bring them somewhere else." Richard exined with a serious expression.


    Although he didn''t like the fact he couldn''t hunt a demon, he was still thinking rationally and considered the best solution.


    The rest seemed to have agreed with this decision as they were aware of the group''s situation as well.


    However, Noel raised his hand as if he had an idea.


    "Hmm?" Richard furrowed his eyebrows. Although he had seen Noel''s prowess, Noel hadn''t shown anything about his intelligence. So, he was a bit doubtful when Noel wanted to suggest something.


    But since Noel was an expert, he still asked for his opinion. "Yeah. Do you have any suggestions?"


    "It''s not a suggestion. I just want to inform you that the Superior Demon is a false rm."


    "Huh?!" Richard was confused, while the others were shocked. Richard asked while frowning, "What do you mean? I hope you can give me a logical exnation, or I will treat your words as jokes."


    Noel nodded. "Well, I have my own methods to get insider information. So, I''ll share the matter regarding the demon nests first."


    "Alright." Richard turned serious, judging Noel. The rest also listened to him to confirm it.


    "I''m going to talk about how the demon nests are formed¡­ Hmm, I can''t really call it demon nests since they''re a farm instead of a nest."


    "A farm? A demon farm?"


    "Yes. Count Elezar has been building a demon farm this whole time. Let''s take another look at the three demon nests, the two we''re dealing with are stronger than the nest the normal army attacks, right?"


    "Yes. What''s about it?"


    "To put it simply, the original farm is the weakest one. The Count creates a Demon Nest and ns to use it to host the demons. He uses it to let them grow stronger and harvests it for himself. I''m not entirely sure about the process as well, but that''s the gist of the situation.


    "Then, the two demon nests that we attacked earlier¡­ Those two are basically the additional two nests that the Count prepared in order to get more farms."


    Richard nodded in understanding. "But why do those two nests have stronger demons?"


    "Have you forgotten?" Noel smirked yfully while raising one finger. "There was an incident not long ago where a huge number of demons attacked your base?"


    "!!!" Richard and the other Demon Hunting Squad members shuddered. Richard pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling troubled. "So, you mean those demons are upying the demon nests that the Count built?


    "Due to therge scale of the invasion, those strong demons were bound to slip past them. But because of the empty farm, the demons used it as their nests. Is that it?"


    Noel confirmed it without hesitation. "Yes. The original farm was made by the Count and by seeing their strength as well as their number, it''s clear that the Count has considered it carefully.


    "First, the location. It''s situated near the baron''s city. The baron can handle all the demons inside that nest, so it''s clear that the Count doesn''t need to care about its safety since the baron will be there.


    "The second will be this city. This city might be under his territory, but his city is still a bit further, so no one will know about his deeds here in case something happens with the demon farms.


    "He is even nning to add the number of demon farms. Unfortunately for him, the situation changed when there was arge invasion. Due to the sudden attack, the demons entered the territory and found the nests.


    "This is when he can''t handle them anymore and calls us," Noel exined the whole situation. Of course, he was bluffing. Anna didn''t have all that information, let alone him.


    Still, Noel sure had a slick tongue as he almost convinced these people.


    Ben, the sharpest one beside Rose, noticed something. "Wait a minute. We''re just talking about this because you have an informant, right? We can''t tell whether it''s true or not."


    Noel pointed at the city. He had prepared an answer to this question. "If you enter the city, you will find a Spirit Master from the Supreme Devil Organization. He should be a Devil Inspector.


    "And I don''t think I have to tell you about the whole reason why the Supreme Devil Organization wants to contact the Count, right? After all, someone in my generation has sessfully found out about the way the bandits used demons. And the Supreme Devil Organization must have something to do with it."


    The people gasped in horror. They could imagine what kind of a weapon they would have if they could get the Count.


    They could simply confirm what Noel said as long as they entered the town and found the guy from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    In fact, they could simply talk to Rose, who also entered the town.


    Noel smirked when he saw their expressions. It was easy to convince them, and he only needed one more thing.


    "If you don''t mind, we should go to your base after repairing the bridge. This way, the Demon Relief Squad can help with the reconstruction as well as confirm the situation with your captain. We might find something else."


    Paul was a bit skeptical about this suggestion, but he didn''t rebuke Noel as if he was also curious about it.


    Richard contemted for a moment. Noel was indeed exceptional. If not for him, they wouldn''t know about the entire truth.


    Looking at the situation, it seemed they still needed Noel''s expertise. So, he nodded, "Alright. I''ll bring you to the base."


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

 Chapter 458 Igor

    After that discussion, Rose confirmed about the Supreme Devil Organization''s involvement and thought this was their entire n. Of course, they never thought everything was Anna and Noel''s n. However, they didn''t know about it, so everything seemed to be fine.


    Anna had also taken care of the Count as well, so they finally had the time to deal with the repair.


    Though, the group went to help with the baron''s soldiers too. It didn''t take too long for them to crush the demons, considering the normal army had taken out most of the enemies. But as expected from a regr army, they ended up with some casualties.


    After talking about the situation, they immediately moved toward the bridge to repair it.


    Now that there was no more threat, the Demon Relief Squad began to work. Richard and a few others from the Demon Hunting Squad offered their help. Meanwhile, people like Becky and Shawn, decided to not take part in it as they were too embarrassed to help them. Richard ultimately ordered them to be on the lookout, to which they agreed.


    Richard and the rest brought all the stones and trees necessary for the repair. Meanwhile, Paul led his group to fix the bridge as soon as possible.


    Normally, it would take a long time for the bridge to be fixed since normal humans had a hard time moving the materials around, let alone doing it while floating in the air.


    But for the Demon Relief Squad, they ended up fixing the bridge in two days instead of months if normal humans worked on them.


    Richard was grateful since it meant they could finally bring supplies to their base. After informing the baron that it was essible again, Richard brought the Demon Relief Squad to their base to discuss their finding with their captain.


    As soon as they finished their work, the two squads immediately headed to their base.


    The base didn''t have a tall wall. They weren''t big either.


    The base was a square of only two hundred meters in length. It was supposed to hold a thousand people inside, so it was a bit too small, considering they still needed training areas.


    The wall only reached up to seven meters. Even with the ditch, it didn''t seem to be over ten meters. Even Noel could easily reach the top with a single leap.


    There seemed to be less than five soldiers on top of the wall. Multiplying it by four, they had less than twenty people to watch over the area. It looked like they were in pretty bad shape, considering some parts of the wall were still in the middle of the repair.


    As soon as they saw Richard''s group, they seemed to inform the people in the town as they rang the bell in the city as if indicating someone had approached them.


    Richard straightened his back as if he was going to meet an important person. This was the first time Richard looked so polite and restrained.


    "¡­" Noel and the others were looking at each other, confused by the sudden change.


    The atmosphere became tense as they gradually approached the gate.


    Still, seeing how serious they were, Noel and the others decided to stay quiet while preparing for everything.


    Though, the people didn''t seem to be nning to open their gate for them as they ended up reaching the gate first before they even lifted the gate.


    But after one minute of standing still, they suddenly heard the clicking sound of chains as it was being pulled up. The gate also began to be lifted up as there were two feet behind the gate.


    The feet were massive and it looked like the one standing behind the gate had a body bigger than anyone here.


    The more the gate was raised, the more they could see how big the person was.


    Rose eventually knew who the man was behind the gate as she whispered to Noel. "It seems we''re going to meet their captain directly."


    "Their captain?" Noel was confused at first since he couldn''t believe it when their captain met them like this. It made them look special since there was no way ra would do the same.


    "Yep. Just looking at that build, it should be him. The biggest human in the army, whose raw strength is said to be the strongest. The Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain, Igor."


    After that brief introduction, Richard pumped his fist before cing it on his chest. He slightly raised his head as if trying to match Igor''s stature.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel was quite surprised when the body was seen since it was truly far bigger than any of them. Even Paul, who was the biggest in the squad, looked tinypared to him.


    The guy looked to be over two meters. His body was filled with muscle to the brim. Even his arm had the same size as Noel''s head.


    Noel could see his face soon after. Igor had short spiky ck hair. He seemed to be growing his beard, but it didn''t cover his mouth at all and had been trimmed neatly.


    Because of his giant body, his t-shirt didn''t have a sleeve and it looked so tight as the shirt was following his muscle lines.


    Still, the most memorable thing Noel could see from him was his eyes. That pair of eyes were excluding fighting intent as if he was treating everything as his prey.


    Their eyes met when Igor scanned the group and Noel could feel his body be tinier due to the pressure from him. He was the exact opposite of ra.


    A grin appeared on Igor''s face as he opened his mouth, saying in a cracked, deep voice. "It seems that we have visitors here."


    Richard bowed his head politely, followed by the others from the Demon Hunting Squad.


    "We''re back, Sir."


    "Good work, Richard and all of you. It must be hard to deal with everything, so you should get some rest after this." Igor paused for a moment before ncing at the people from the Demon Relief Squad. "Of course, after introducing these guys."

 Chapter 459 Story

    "Of course, after introducing these guys."


    The one who answered Igor was actually not Richard. As the Vice Captain of the Demon Relief Squad, he obviously had to show his worth as well so that his squad wasn''t underestimated by others.


    Paul stepped forward and extended his hand, "I''m Paul, the Vice Captain of the Demon Relief Squad. It''s my pleasure to meet the captain of the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "The Demon Relief Squad?" Igor frowned for a moment before understanding why Paul came here. "I see. The fact that you are here means you either have finished fixing the bridge or need our help. So, which one is it?"


    "Of course, we have finished fixing the bridge. The supply route has been fixed, so you don''t have to worry about the rest." Paul answered without hesitation. He was still extending his hand as if he hadn''t given up on shaking Igor''s hand to prove their squads were at the same level.


    After hearing that they had aplished the mission, Igor finally shook his hand. "In that case, I thank you for your help."


    It felt like there was a spark between these two guys. On the one hand, Paul was only a Vice Captain, he wasn''t at the same level as Igor. On the other hand, the Demon Hunting Squad wasn''t even among the top five squads in the Demon Banner Army.


    So, it looked like they had apetition going.


    Still, Noel remembered that the strength of their captain mattered a lot for the squad''s ranking. The fact that ra could be ranked above him showed a lot of her strength.


    And there were still four more squads above their Demon Relief Squad. He wanted to know Shale''s strength since thetter had taught him in the past year. Above all, Shale''s Demon Extermination Squad was ranked two in the army.


    "Since you are here, it''s only right if I invite you in." Igor extended his hand to the inside. "Please."


    Paul nodded. He could say something to provoke him, but he chose not to. No one wanted to have friction between the two squads after all.


    "Richard. It seems that there will be a banquet tonight. Help them." Igor shouted while grinning.


    "Understood." Richard nodded as he became their guide. Meanwhile, Igor seemed to be going elsewhere as if he had something to do.


    They didn''t demand Igor to handle them personally, considering he was still the captain of this squad.


    After taking over, the first ce Richard brought them was none other than a small house where their guests usually stayed.


    "This will be your amodation for tonight. I know that you want to present a problem to him, but please understand that we haven''t sent any message to him as well, so he wasn''t aware of your visit this time."


    "It''s fine. We understand that." Paul nodded.


    "For now, you can stay here and take a stroll. This squad is a bit aggressive, but they won''t do anything to you unless you fall for their cheap provocation."


    "We''ll mostly stay here until we get an audience with your Captain."


    "Alright. That''s for the best." Richard nodded. "If you need anything, you just have to ring the bell in front of the house to call someone to help you."


    "Got it." Paul understood everything. He had heard some reputation regarding the Demon Hunting Squad, so he knew it was better to stay inside than go around.


    Meanwhile, Noel was looking around the area to see what kind of people the Demon Hunting Squad had. To his surprise, the pair of eyes that these people had was like that of a beast.


    It seemed that their zero squad had been hiding it this whole time, but including their captain, most people in this squad smelled like a beast.


    In the end, Paul led his team into the house. The house was quite big as it had enough space to host over twenty people.


    "Alright. Since we''re already here, it''s better if we stay here for the time being. You can do anything you want inside. It''s quite spacious anyway." Paul pointed to the inside.


    The squad seemed to have no interest in taking on those people, so they agreed with Paul and stayed inside.


    While waiting, Noel couldn''t help but go to Rose, asking, "How much do you know about the Demon Hunting Squad?"


    "Hmm¡­" Rose looked up, recounting all the information. "Hendry Igor. That''s the name that once shook the Demon Banner Army. Unlike the others, Hendry didn''t rely on his Spirit at all.


    "He only relied on his overwhelming strength and control over his Spiritual Energy. Despite not using his spirit, Igor could be considered the strongest in the Demon Banner Army in terms of raw strength.


    "I heard he once cracked a small hill with his fist."


    "Hoh?" Noel was quite amused by this information. After all, it gave him a question. "Why does our squad rank above them if he''s the strongest? I mean, the strength of the captain matters a lot, right?"


    "Well, the Demon Hunting Squad has a lot of problems. First of all, Igor might be strong, but it only ounts for his power. His squad isn''t flexible at all. Even though the others are a bit logical, Igor relies on his instinct when operating the squad and he has no intention of listening to his subordinates'' suggestions.


    "Still, I can''t say everything is too bad because sometimes he is able to solve a huge problem where logic can''t handle. But yeah, sometimes you have to deal with his mistakes.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "That''s a big no-no for the squad ranking. Then, I already told you earlier that he didn''t use his Spirit. There are a lot of problems and I don''t think I want to list everything I know here.


    "Still, you should get the idea. The strength of the captain might matter a lot, but not everything is not decided by it."


    "I see¡­" Noel had some questions in his mind and began to ask Rose one by one.

 Chapter 460 Competition?

    "From what I can see, it''s true that the Demon Hunting Squad is strong. And I can see why they have several problems in taking on a mission, especially about being not flexible." Noel nodded in understanding. He still remembered how Richard and the others were ring at them and provoking them right after they met.


    So, it was clear that the squad couldn''t function properly. Still, it didn''t change the fact that the Demon Hunting Squad''s strength was among the top.


    "Yeah. It seems themander has a good rtionship with Igor. After all, Hendry Igor is a former noble from another kingdom. He travels here and bes a knight. Themander knows how to utilize Igor and thetter doesn''t hesitate to aplish the task." Rose exined a bit more about their story.


    Noel was curious, but he felt there was one more thing that mattered in their current situation.


    "Can we even convince him regarding the matter of the Supreme Devil Organization?" Noel asked.


    "I am not very sure." Rose shook her head. "Though, Igor is a rather special captain. I think it should be fine."


    Noel scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say about that remark. Even Rose didn''t know how to convince him, so Noel wondered whether their trip here was futile or not.


    In the end, the group decided to go to their respective room to get some rest after working so hard in thest couple of days.


    When Noel was about to rx on the bed, someone suddenly knocked on his door.


    "You there?"


    It was Jonathan''s voice. Noel didn''t know why Jonathan came to visit him, but since he was the one to exin the entire problem, Jonathan might want to discuss this matter.


    Hence, Noel hurriedly opened the door for him, only to find Jonathan being alone. There were no Ben or Paul apanying him.


    "Can I talk to you inside?" Jonathan asked.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to invite him in and even brought him the wooden chair.


    Noel was sitting on the bed, wondering what Jonathan wanted to say, especially with that serious expression.


    Jonathan didn''t beat around the bush as he asked, "Why are you hiding your face right now and changing your identity, Noel? No, I''m more curious about the reason why you''re orchestrating your own death, causing misery to the group."Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He never thought his cover would be blown away so suddenly.


    But Jonathan seemed to be judging his answer as if he was going to hate him if Noel''s answer wasn''t something he liked to hear.


    Noel thought for a moment and gradually took off his masquerade, allowing his hair and eyes to return to normal.


    He looked at Jonathan with a smile. "I have a reason. If possible, I want you to listen to the whole story first before giving anyment."


    Jonathan nodded. He didn''t speak as if telling him that he wouldn''t open his mouth until he finished his exnation.


    Noel began to tell him about the story of how he almost got killed by the royal family and how he ended up with this second identity.


    After listening to the entire story, Jonathan had the same stance as Rose. He was supportive of Noel''s actions, but he was also angry that he couldn''t be there for him.


    Still, there was a doubt he wanted to confirm as soon as possible. It was regarding the spy Noel talked about a few days ago. "Is it Anna?"


    Noel nodded, confirming that his spy was actually Anna, the woman who was supposed to order his family''s execution. It was beyond belief that Noel could even forgive Anna, but Noel didn''t n to share anything with someone who wasn''t his vassal.


    He only apologized and asked for his understanding.


    In the end, Jonathan had to ept the current situation. Although he didn''t hate Anna, he didn''t like her either.


    After understanding the situation, Jonathan finally left him alone. He had agreed not to intervene with him as long as Noel didn''t n to hurt the group as well.


    Of course, he was very supportive of his goal to rebuild his family. Although it was a shame that Rose was going to join him when that happens, he knew Noel always had a different path and his charisma would naturally bring people close to him.


    ¡­


    Later that night, the entire base was in a festive mood. Because their supply coulde again, they ended up throwing a small festival for the entire group. They had suffered a lot after their supply was cut after all.


    So, they were using half of their remaining food supply to host this party.


    The party was held in the middle za. The floor was soil and there were a few marks that indicated practice targets. So, it was clear this was their training ground that was used as a hall for the banquet.


    Paul and the others were sitting near Igor, who seemed to be curious about their squad. It seemed Richard had told him a lot of things.


    "Hahaha, eat eat, drink drink!" Igorughed uncontrobly. The beastly eyes that made people cower were no more. Instead, it was just the unrestricted Igor who loved to enjoy parties, wine, and food.


    Still, Paul had to break the mood as he had an important matter to discuss. "Captain Igor."


    "Huh?" Igor nced at him, half drunk. "What do you want?"


    "I have something to report. I believe you have to know about this and react to the current situation." Paul wanted to inform him about the Supreme Devil Organization, but surprisingly, Igor cut him short.


    "I don''t care about that. If theye, I''ll smack them hard. That''s all¡­" Igor seemed to be nonchnt, infuriating Paul.


    Paul gritted his teeth and raised his voice. "Still, this¡ª"


    Igor raised his hand, stopping Paul from talking. "Demon Relief Squad. This ce is my home. If you want to discuss it, you should do it in our style.


    "Let''s make a smallpetition. If you win, I''ll listen to everything you have to say and consider your suggestions. I might end up following them.


    "However, if you lose¡­" Igor nced at the other members, making others think he was trying to get thedies. But the one he pointed at was actually Noel, confusing all of them.


    "Huh?" Noel pointed at himself to confirm Igor''s target.


    "Yeah, you. Join this squad."

 Chapter 461 Fearless

    "Yeah, you. Join this squad."


    "What¡ª!" The people from the Demon Relief Squad were utterly shocked by the demand. After all, asking someone to join their squad in front of his own squad was the same as demanding a betrayal in front of hisrades. And more importantly, the people with him were none other than the Demon Relief Squad''s best group.


    That was why this matter became even more ridiculous. Unlike the Demon Assassination Squad''s captain that offered a chance to Zion, this guy asked it in front of everyone and it sounded like an order.


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes as he spoke in a cold tone. "Captain Igor¡­ Your words are not light, you know."


    "Who cares about that?" Igor smirked.


    "¡­" Richard, who was the culprit, could only close his eyes, remembering how the conversation went on earlier.


    "So, what do you think about the Demon Relief Squad, Richard?" Igor asked while drinking his wine.


    "The Demon Relief Squad is indeed good at their own work¡­ But there is someone who piqued my interest."


    "Hoh?" Igor stopped drinking his wine as his expression turned serious. "Who is it?"


    "He is Iadre. The guy with a masquerade." He paused for a moment before exining the reason why Noel piqued his interest. "There are a few reasons, but mainly about his fighting prowess. He is extremely good at fighting and taking advantage of opportunities.


    "When we were dealing with the Peak Level Demons, he killed half of them. Provided I was the one that grabbed the demons'' attention, it didn''t change the fact that he killed them.


    "And as expected from the Demon Relief Squad, they''re good at using their brains. This guy is exceptional. Although he is not as good as their brain, Rose, he is not losing to others.


    "I don''t have a lot of information about him, but it seems he has just entered the Zero Squad. Though, judging from his voice¡­ I think he is young, younger than Shawn."


    Igor listened to him attentively. The drunk look on his face gradually disappeared as he became more and more interested in the one that got such high praise from Richard.


    "I see. Though, the real question is¡­" Igor smirked. "Is he qualified to join our squad?"


    "I believe so. Right now, Paul seems to be the next captain¡­ But from what I can see, this guy has the potential to be the captain of the Demon Relief Squad. Of course, we''re talking about the future.


    "But I''m pretty sure that the Demon Relief Squad won''t have a lower rank than their current one as long as he bes the next captain."


    "Hoh?" Igor narrowed his eyes before asking, "Then, what about you? Are you ready to give up your position for him?"


    Richard smiled gently as if he had expected this question and had prepared the answer. "You don''t be a captain just because you''re qualified. You be a captain because the people around you recognize you as one."


    Igor was satisfied with the answer. At the same time, he still carefully considered his words, weighing the pros and cons.


    After a while, he waved his hands. "Alright. You can go for now. Prepare for the banquet. We''re going to have a big party tonight."


    "!!!" Igor''s body shook at that time as if it was an unexpected decision.


    Remembering that conversation, Richard couldn''t help but make a wry smile, thinking, ''I was suggesting the idea so that he could talk about it secretly¡­ I never thought he would be forcing him like this.''


    Then, he heard Noel saying, "Captain Igor¡­ Your words are not light, you know."


    His tone was cold and his expression was displeased. Even the people from the Demon Relief Squad stood up, not liking this invitation.


    "Who cares about that?" Igor smirked, ignoring their reactions.


    "You don''t, but I care." Noel shook his head. "I''m honored by the invitation, but I don''t like the way you approach me. That alone is enough for me to reject your invitation right away."


    Igor narrowed his eyes. He thought Noel would be giving some reasons to politely reject him, but it seemed Noel was truly one of a kind guy.


    He even stood up and walked to him, asking, "Give me a reason why you do not like my Demon Hunting Squad, not me?"


    Noel couldn''t help but smirk. Igor was standing in front of him and his face was getting closer as if he was trying to intimidate him.


    Even the others had rushed to them, trying to stop both Noel and Igor.


    But Noel actually provoked him more by saying, "Who cares? I don''t want it. That''s enough."Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Noel was actually using his own words to reject him.


    "Captain Igor!" Paul gritted his teeth, ring at him. He even put his arm between them as if trying to stop Igor from attacking Noel.


    "I''m simply giving you a perfect chance to order me around. You want to inform me about the Supreme Devil Organization, right? I don''t care about them, so if you want me to act, you have to earn that chance." Igor smirked.


    "You¡ª" Paul wanted to snarl at him because he was far too annoyed with his rudeness.


    However, Noel had already opened his mouth. "You don''t care, huh. Then, I shall report to the headquarter about this. Our mission is to handle the demons, not the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "But it changes when the Supreme Devil Organization creates an army of demons. It has be your concern now.


    "If you don''t n to act, then I''ll just inform the headquarters about your action and the potential of you colluding with the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "You bastard. Are you going to nder me?" Igor red at Noel. His eyes began oozing his fighting intent as if he was nning to pounce on Noel.


    Noel was fearless. He stated with a cold tone, "I am simply stating the facts and my conjecture ording to your actions."


    Igor and Noel were ring at each other. It felt like they were about to fight despite one being a Spirit Wielder while the other one was a Spirit Grandmaster.

 Chapter 462 Fight

    When the conflict was about to explode, Noel took a step back as if he was a bigger person. He said with a calm smile, "Though, I''m interested in this bet of yours. It''s just that I don''t know the details of the bet. What are you nning with that littlepetition?"


    Igor''s body shook. He didn''t expect Noel to suddenly step back. But seeing how Noel was interested, he decided to exin. "Fight Shawn. Both of you are Spirit Wielder."


    "Interesting." Noel smirked.


    "Noel!" Paul shouted, not agreeing to thispetition.


    However, Noel raised his hand as if asking him to stop. This was his decision after all.


    He thought for a moment and said, "Fighting the Supreme Devil Organization is mandatory. You can''t use it as a chip for gambling."


    "!!!" The people from the Demon Relief Squad were stunned, never expecting Noel to agree to this. Then again, Rose felt Noel had another intention.


    The fact that he nned to change the chip meant he was nning to get something from the Demon Hunting Squad.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Igor couldn''t say anything since Noel had made it clear that the Supreme Devil Organization was the enemy. So, he had to change his reward.


    After some thought, Igor ended up asking, "What do you want?"


    Noel smirked. "I should be the one asking you. What can you offer? After all, you''re the one who wants to invite me, right?"


    Igor fell silent for a moment. His bloodlust and fighting intent gradually disappeared as he started using his brain to think about the solution.


    "If youe to my group, I''m nning to make you join the Zero Squad and give you a chance to fight for my seat. It''s clear that you have the potential to reach it. So, I don''t understand what you actually want."


    "If you don''t even know what I want, how can you even try to poach me from the Demon Relief Squad? After all, this squad is ranked higher than the Demon Hunting Squad." Noel harrumphed, provoking him again.


    Surprisingly, this time, Igor didn''t raise his voice as if he knew about the fact already. He just tried to see what Noel was nning to do.


    Igor closed his eyes for a moment before giving a suggestion. "If you win, you can request one thing from me. I won''t reject it as long as I can give it to you."


    A nk check.


    Noel actually got a nk check from the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain if he won thispetition.


    However, the price was also quite heavy. After all, Noel had been with the Demon Relief Squad for a while. It wouldn''t be easy to simply ditch them even if he nned to use them as a stepping stone.


    Igor added, "But if you lose, you have to join my Demon Hunting Squad. What do you think?"


    "One-on-one fight, huh?" Noel smirked. "Fine by me."


    "!!!" Paul and the others were surprised that Noel actually agreed to this. Although the reward was big and they had some trust in Noel, they were afraid that Noel would end up losing because of some circumstances.


    Noel had be a big part of their group after a while, so they didn''t want to lose him.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel had agreed. Rose, who had chosen to follow Noel, considered joining the Demon Hunting Squad to follow him. She was indebted to the Demon Relief Squad, especially the captain, but Noel was the one who avenged her. She didn''t know what to do.


    It was then she saw Noel''s smile as if everything was going ording to his n.


    "Fine. I agree." Noel finally gave his answer.


    At this party, they were going to see the most promising rookie from their Demon Hunting Squad fighting against a new member of the Demon Relief Squad. It was a fight worth seeing since they could see the gap between the two squads.


    If the Demon Hunting Squad lost, they could see Noel''s true strength and potential to find out how far the Demon Relief Squad nned to go in the squad ranking.


    If the Demon Relief Squad lost, they could get this rookie Noel who waspletely fearless against their captain. Obviously, Noel had a lot of achievements under his belt, so it wasn''t their loss if they could get him.


    That was why this battle excited most of the people inside the base.


    "Since you have agreed¡­" Igor raised his hand and shouted, "All you guys! Prepare the stage!"


    "Ooh!" The people from the Demon Hunting Squad cheered as they immediately cleared the area and created a small boundary for those two.


    Noel was talking with his group after this decision. He first apologized for not consulting with them. Then, he told them to believe in him.


    Paul gritted his teeth. He wanted to berate Noel''s actions, but he couldn''t say anything because he knew Noel treated them as his stepping stones. It was clear that Noel could easily switch sides as long as they provided the chance to rebuild his family, which meant bing a noble.


    However, only Rose, who was supposed to be his assistant, came up with a wild but Noel-like guess.


    ''Wait a minute. If he is treating the squad as his stepping stone, isn''t it the same for the Demon Hunting Squad? In that case, is he nning to force Igor to give him the captain position so that he can rebuild his family? Then again, Igor will reject it because he is not strong enough¡­ I still can''t see through his n.'' Rose sighed, disappointed that she didn''t know about her lord''s n.


    After talking with them for a while, Noel stepped onto the arena while unsheathing his de. Shawn was in front of him, ready to defeat him to show who was stronger.


    Igor became the referee, making sure they didn''t go overboard.


    "Remember. No killing, no permanent injury, and no hard feelings. After this fight, both of you have to move on and the bet shall be fulfilled. Do you understand?"


    "Yes," Shawn answered with a cold tone while ring at Noel.


    Noel maintained his collected expression and nodded, "I do."


    After looking at their expressions one more time, Igor finally stepped back and dered. "Match starts!"

 Chapter 463 Recognition

    "Match Start!"


    Noel and Shawn immediately released their Spiritual Energy, trying to see who had more Spiritual Energy.


    The winner might look like it had been decided in an instant. Shawn actually released a powerful Spiritual Energy that was rampaging around like a raging fire. It was trying to crush everything in contact with it. The Spiritual Energy was so overwhelming that the ground beneath his feet started to crack.


    On the other hand, Noel''s Spiritual Energy was very subtle like a candle without any wind. The Spiritual Energy didn''t seem to be overwhelming as if he didn''t have much Spiritual Energy.


    Most people thought Noel would lose against Shawn as thetter would eventually overpower him. However, the Spirit Masters or above actually found something else in Noel''s Spiritual Energy.


    "This is¡­" Igor narrowed his eyes, feeling something weird. Although the Spiritual Energy wasn''t overwhelming, it was very solid and seemed to be giving Noel enough energy to do everything.


    "It seems that Shawn will have a hard time," Richard muttered in a low voice. He could remember how Noel utilized his Spiritual Energy, so this might not be good for Shawn.


    "Despite not having an overbearing energy, he seems to be able to control his Spiritual Energy better."


    When the others were shocked by Noel''s strength, the two finally jumped forward, trying to test each other.


    Shawn channeled this overbearing Spiritual Energy to his sword as he swung his de downward.


    On the other hand, Noel covered his sword with Sword Aura as he gently received this swing while gradually deflecting it to the ground.


    *Clink!*


    The clicking sound echoed as they saw Noel''s sword get pushed back. However, Noel skillfully let Shawn''s sword slide on the surface as it continued moving downward. In the end, the sword reached the ground.


    Noel took this opportunity to kick Shawn, but thetter seemed to be exerting more power on all his body. This surge of power gave him an explosive burst of speed, allowing him to spin his de and swing it to Noel''s body before the kick arrived.


    Seeing the iing sword, Noel hurriedly jumped to the side, avoiding the sword like a coward. He had the option to stop the sword, but he didn''t n to do so.


    In the end, there was a few meters gap between them again, allowing both of them to catch their breaths.


    Still, this was the Demon Hunting Squad''s base. The people from this squad obviously cheered for Shawn.


    "What''s wrong? Are you scared?" One of them was trying to provoke Noel.


    "Make sure you don''t piss on your pants. Or else, we don''t have anyone to clean that up."


    "Oh wait. You''re from the Demon Relief Squad, so of course, you can clean it up yourself!"


    "Hahahahaha!"


    The people were mocking Noel''s actions as if they showed cowardice.


    Rose frowned as she knew Noel''s action had meaning behind it. ''Although Noel is retreating, it''s to avoid using the Spiritual Energy unnecessarily. Noel still has the advantage against him. That Shawn might have explosive power, but hecks Noel''s stability and a cool head. Noel will win no matter what.''


    The others who could see the meaning behind Noel''s action had a simr opinion to Rose. Shawn might have the upper hand right now, but the longer they fought, the higher the probability of Noel winning.


    "Tsk." Shawn clicked his tongue. As expected from the most potential newbie in the Demon Hunting Squad, he might becking in perception, but his instinct was sharp. He realized how dangerous Noel was.


    That was why he decided to end this fight as soon as possible. Without hesitation, Shawn leaped forward while swinging his de diagonally.


    The sword strike was extended until it reached Noel''s location, forcing thetter to raise his sword to block it.


    The force seemed to be overwhelming Noel as it pushed him two meters back. However, this just made Noel gain more distance which he could use to think about his next move.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Surprisingly, Noel took this challenge head-on. Instead of waiting for the right moment, he was nning to crush Shawn.


    This was to show that he was more amazing than Shawn, which reflected the quality of the Demon Relief Squad. Of course, he was going to do it respectfully so as to avoid offending Igor.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    Shawn and Noel shed a few times. Their swings were bold and precise as they continued at high speed, trying to take advantage of the gap made by each other.


    Shawn made his first move by channeling more Spiritual Energy. Noel didn''t want to lose in this ss, so he utilized his Ignition Sword.


    "!!!" Both of them widened their eyes the moment their swords collided.


    *Boom!*


    Noel''s Ignition Sword caused an explosion, while Shawn''s overbearing Spiritual Energy caused a shock wave that ended up dispersing the Spiritual Energy.


    In the end, both of them jumped back to understand what was going on.


    ''That explosion¡­'' Shawn frowned, realizing that his Spiritual Energy was burned by that me. Although he managed to disperse it, the fire was still too dangerous. He was afraid that it was too much for him to handle that fire.


    On the other hand, Noel also noticed something from Shawn. ''This is weird. I believe he is using the Hard Approach, but there is something else hidden in his Spiritual Energy. I''m afraid even though this energy looks overbearing and uses a lot of energy, it''s actually not.''


    Noel and Shawn seemed to have realized that the enemies this time had a lot of tricks. Although he had seen Noel killing multiple Peak Level Demons, it didn''t change the fact that it was impossible to achieve it without Richard.


    The same applied to Noel. Despite knowing how reckless he was, Shawn didn''t get a single injury in that battle. He seemed to have some energy left after fighting for so long.


    It seemed that their opponent this time was stronger than they originally expected.


    There was a spark between their gaze as if trying to show they were superior.


    The second round would soon start after both of them recognized each other''s strengths.

 Chapter 464 Runes

    Shawn gathered his power in his de again while heading to Noel. This time, it felt like the energy was acting like a huge hammer that would crush him if he dared to block it.


    ''This feels simr to my Everchanging Sword Style, but his power is focused on destruction.'' Noel observed Shawn''s flow of energy and wanted to use his unique sword style, albeit it wasn''t the time yet.


    He changed his strategy to focus on his fire element.


    "me Conjuring," Noel said inwardly. The ck fire was leaking out his left hand and gradually forming a palm.


    The powerful fire made Shawn wary. He hurriedly changed his target from Noel to this palm.


    He struck it with his power and used his Spiritual Energy to cause a shock wave to disperse the me.


    In that instant, the me disintegrated as if there was an invisible force ripping them apart.


    ''As expected, it seems that his power is an invisible force¡­'' Noel narrowed his eyes. Noel thought the reason why Shawn''s energy was overbearing must be because of that energy.


    Shawn was bolder than Noel. Even though he didn''t know the full extent of Noel''s power, he still confronted him without any fear.


    This time, he gathered the energy to both his feet and hands as though he was nning to use hand-to-handbat as well.


    Noel wasn''t afraid of this provocation. He used Sword Fire to cover his sword with fire.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    He blocked Shawn''s sword effortlessly, but Shawn''s energy erupted, causing the fire to disperse.


    Noel hurriedly used his control to maintain the me''s form. He then made a full swing and shot the me to the ground.


    Surprisingly, the me began to follow its looping path and started moving around Noel. It ultimately reached Shawn''s head from the side.


    "!!!" Shawn widened his eyes in shock. He hurriedly punched the me with all his strength.


    *Bam!*


    The shock wave urred again, dispersing the me.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel continued observing him as if he was interested in that power. Although it was a unique power from the Spirit, he felt like he could imitate that power to a certain extent. It should provide a good boost to his ability.


    After using the energy on his fist, Shawn hurriedly raised his foot, kicking forward. The energy from his foot shot forth, nning to destroy everything in its way.


    Noel was supposed to avoid it here, but he actually stood in the original position as if he was nning something.


    Suddenly, a rune appeared in front of him and blocked the shock wave.


    As he originally expected, the energy suddenly dispersed like how normal Spiritual Energy scattered whenever he used this ability.


    "!!!" Igor and a few others widened their eyes as they could understand what this rune meant. Although it was only a few resemnces, they felt like Noel had an ability simr to the Spirit Enchantment.


    "Impossible. Have I underestimated him?" Igor gasped. If Noel was actually someone who could use Spirit Enchantment, his worth had to be reconsidered. After all, Noel had the ability to be a Master cksmith on top of his fighting prowess.


    Richard was as surprised, considering Noel only used the Chain Bind Rune this whole time while the rest was taken care of by Rose.


    It seemed he had been deliberately hiding it as their trump card.


    But the moment the rune hade out, Noel''s fighting style changed.


    He formed another rune and shot out a few chains toward Shawn.


    "!!!" Shawn instinctively moved back as if he was scared by these chains. He even gathered a lot of Spiritual Energy to it as he tried to smash it.


    Surprisingly, the chain was only knocked down. It didn''t even leave a down, let alone get destroyed.


    Noel hurriedly used his control to take over the chains. In that instant, the chains rose to the air and started wiggling like worms.


    The chains soon continued expanding, trying to capture Shawn.


    Thetter jumped back like how Noel escaped from his attack earlier.


    "!!!" The people were shocked because it made them look like they were a hypocrite.


    "Shawn?"


    "Why are you taking a step back just like that?"


    "Show him who''s the boss, Shawn!"


    They kept cheering for him while watching the battle.


    However, Shawn didn''t attack Noel again after that. Seeing Shawn be passive, Noel took advantage of this opportunity tounch his attacks.


    Noel applied his Increase Agility Rune and Strength Blessing Rune to increase his overall physical ability. After that, he applied the Softening Rune on his sword.


    Noel tried to attack Shawn''s neck but was blocked by the sword.


    Surprisingly, the sword began to go deeper as if it was cracking.


    "!!!" Shawn panicked for a second as he hurriedly jumped back to avoid it. After all, the shrapnel could injure him, let alone the snapped de.


    As soon as they gained some distance, Shawn hurriedly checked Noel''s weapon to see whether there was a mark or not.


    Unfortunately for him, he didn''t find anything. On the one hand, he still doubted what he saw since he had to be careful if he didn''t want to die. On the other hand, Noel''s sword could cut multiple Peak Level Demons, it shouldn''t be destroyed easily by his own sword.


    That was why Shawn realized he had been tricked. He immediately charged forward, trying to regain his honor.


    Unfortunately for him, this was what Noel wanted this whole time. The moment he was only three meters away from him, the ground suddenly became soft, causing him to stumble to the ground.


    "Kh." Shawn gritted his teeth while falling to his knees. He hurriedly raised his body back up to avoid Noel''s attack, which really came right after.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords shed again as Noel was already in front of him. He could barely block Noel''s sword with his strength boosted by the Strength Blessing Rune.


    "This is¡­" Shawn did his best to stop Noel''s strength but he ended up falling short. The blowunched him away.


    Shawnnded on his feet, but when he looked back at Noel, he realized he was already in front of him again, ready to kill him. Noel had already sworn that he would crush him after all.

 Chapter 465 Fooled

    *Clink!*


    "Kh!" Their swords shed again as Shawn was pinned to the ground. He tried to fight back, but Noel kept pushing with his strength.


    Both Noel and Shawn were staring at each other without using their Spiritual Energy. Noel knew that Shawn would use his Spiritual Energy the moment he used the Ignition Sword and vice versa. So, they were trying to wait until one of them gave up this waiting game.


    It seemed Shawn was the first to give up. However, Shawn didn''t want to make himself look bad. Hence, Shawn let out a burst of Spiritual Energy not on his sword but on his back.


    *Bam!*


    Noel got pushed back for a bit due to the momentum produced by the impact that hit the ground. Still, Noel gritted his teeth and stomped Shawn''s stomach to prevent him from leaving the ground.


    Unfortunately, that was actually a bad move. The real reason for Shawn to use that burst of Spiritual Energy was due to the soft ground. A single burst slightly crushed the soil, causing him to fall a bit further.


    This caused Noel to lose his bnce because it was deeper than he imagined.


    Using this opportunity, Shawn kicked Noel in the stomach, blowing him away. Noel might get pushed back a bit, but he didn''t get any real injuries.


    At the same time, Shawn managed to get up while holding his stomach.


    "¡­" Shawn and Noel narrowed their eyes. They realized they might need a lot of time to defeat the opponent before them.


    As if having their own ns, Noel and Shawn jumped toward each other.


    "Haaaa!" Shawn roared while stomping the ground to stop the momentum. After that, he spun his body, kicking Noel from the side.


    On the other hand, Noel also did the same, trying to take his opponent aback.


    Unfortunately, it appeared they had thought the same n as their feet almost hit their faces at the same time.


    Both of them ducked down, causing their feet to hit each other and ultimately stopping their momentum.


    "Kh." Shawn gnashed his teeth, feeling frustrated. Noel clicked his tongue and took a step back, trying to find another way to defeat his opponent.


    ''It seems that he can neutralize the gap between our strengths by using his Spiritual Energy. The same applies to my Ignition Sword, which is dispersed by that power.


    ''ording to my observation, he should have a Spirit that has a unique way of controlling Spiritual Energy. However, that Spirit doesn''t have any element. So, I can utilize the elemental advantage to suppress him. If only I could use my Ice Element or my Everchanging Emotion Sword Style, it would be an easy fight.


    ''I can probably use thetter, but it means I might rm my own team. Only Rose and Jonathan know about it right now and I''m nning to wait for another three to six months before revealing my identity to them.


    ''Still, it doesn''t change the fact that I''ve decided to crush him. In that case, with only my Fire Ability and Rune Mastery, how do I crush him?''


    Noel thought as his sword began to be enveloped by ck fire.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Sword Fire.


    Noel''s expression turned grim as he wouldn''t hold back anymore. He might identally injure him, but he had confidence that Igor would have the ability to stop him at thest moment.


    He even nced at Igor as if showing his intention.


    "¡­" Igor frowned, not pleased by this decision. At the same time, he couldn''t say anything because Shawn actually expressed the same thing. Their battle would probably be even bigger than he imagined.


    Noel and Shawn took a deep breath.


    Shawn was the first one to make the first move. He let out a burst of Spiritual Energy around his feet to st him to Noel.


    Seeing the iing Shawn, Noel stomped the ground to reinforce his stance and raised his sword.


    *Bam!*


    Their swords collided, but this time, Shawn was shooting himself like a bullet, so the momentum immediately pushed Noel back. In fact, Noel could be said to be remarkable to even block it.


    Feeling not enough, Shawn jumped into the air and stepped on the air,unching himself at Noel. This time, he wanted to use the same tactic as Noel''s and pinned Noel to the ground.


    Instead of dodging, Noel actually ducked down, cing his hand on the ground. He was forming the Hardening Rune.


    However, Shawn''s momentum was greater than he imagined. The moment he finished the rune, Shawn was already right before him.


    Noel had to throw himself to the side to avoid Shawn''s attack.


    *Bam!*


    Noel clicked his tongue, feeling a bit hurt on his side due to throwing himself a bit too strong to escape from that momentum.


    Though, Shawn''s condition was worse than his.


    "Gah," Shawn screamed while holding his left fist that almost hit Noel. Even his de fell down because it failed to prate the ground.


    "!!!" The people widened their eyes. They knew how soft the ground was since it was made of sand and dirt. Yet, Shawn actually failed to stab the ground.


    They simply couldn''t believe it.


    "What''s happening?" Igor sucked a cold breath, remembering the rune Noel ced before he escaped. "What is that earlier? Its appearance is simr to Spirit Enhancement. But a Spirit Enhancement is supposed to be exclusive to cksmiths¡­ And seeing how fast he can enhance the ground, I''m afraid there''s no one as fast as him in the entire kingdom."


    Igor waspletely clueless about Rune.


    This was a fighting technique that everyone could learn after all. That was why its worth far surpassed anything everyone could offer. If it was monopolized by a certain individual, that individual would be the greatest existence in the kingdom. Thus, the reason why Noel wanted to spread the knowledge sooner orter.


    Though, these people were still unaware of the real potential of the runes. They simply saw this weird ability, thinking it was Noel''s Spirit Ability.


    Noel hurriedly stood up, seeing Shawn, who was still in pain. It was time for him to end this fight.

 Chapter 466 Undying Fire Upgrade

    Noel hurriedly approached Shawn, but surprisingly, Shawn was actually faking his action.


    Although he was hurt, he still managed to endure the pain. He just acted like this to make Noel approach him while lowering his guard.


    As soon as he arrived, Shawn spun his body and struck Noel.


    "!!!" Noel was surprised that Shawn would utilize something like this, considering Shawn was a straightforward type. It seemed he realized he wouldn''t be able to win unless he resorted to cheap tricks.


    Noel gritted his teeth and hurriedly threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the de. The de scratched his shirt, albeit blocked by the armor underneath his shirt.


    "Hmm?" Shawn widened his eyes, feeling the armor. "You''re cheating."


    "I''m not." Noel rolled on the ground and stood back up.


    "You''re using armor." Shawn pointed at the ripped shirt.


    The others also saw the spot and realized Noel was using armor underneath his shirt.


    They immediately cursed at Noel.


    "What are you doing? Wearing armor?"


    "You''re such a coward."


    "Just get out. You''re not our Shawn''s match."


    Noel heard their insults and said with a calm tone. "There are no rules about using armor though."


    In the Demon Hunting Squad, this reckless behavior was actually to show their power. On the other hand, not wearing armor or any protectiveyer was a foolish action in the Demon Hunting Squad.


    These two ideologies ended up conflicting with each other in this battle.


    Shawn actually started looking at him in contempt, while Igor understood their difference and rified, "There are no rules about using armor."


    Even with his words, the crowd didn''t calm down. No matter how indifferent Noel was toward their insults, he still heard all those words and became a bit annoyed.


    ''Now I can understand why people have a hard time controlling their anger after being provoked. One cheap provocation won''t affect me, but it seems I''m getting pretty annoyed right now.'' Noel took a deep breath.


    "¡­" Noel paused for a moment before taking off his shirt. "Well, you seeded in provoking me, I guess."


    "What is Iadre doing?" Paul narrowed his eyes. It was a foolish action to leave behind his advantage. He didn''t know that Noel had actually given enough handicaps to Shawn by not utilizing both Ice Ability and Everchanging Sword Style. And with him taking off his armor, he would simply cause Noel to be far weaker than the usual him.


    Still, he couldn''t say anything more because the atmosphere had turned in Shawn''s favor. Even he was gritting his teeth, wanting to beat all these people.


    Rose, who knew about Noel''s identity, could see the emotion behind that mask. She made a weird smile, "I don''t know what they have done, but he is getting annoyed right now. I think we should pray that Noel doesn''t end up destroying him too much to the point he breaks the rule."


    Noel''s eyes started releasing his killing intent. He had gotten pretty annoyed and wanted to release all this anger to Shawn. He might want to crush Shawn before, but this time, it felt like he wanted to destroy everything Shawn had, including the small pride he had left.


    ''Ardagan. Upgrade Undying Fire.'' Noel gave instruction to Ardagan inwardly.


    It seemed Ardagan noticed his change of emotion and warned him first before making a change.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    [You have to calm down first before making a decision.]


    ''Don''t worry. I''m still maintaining a clear head right now. I always want to upgrade this ability, but I have to prioritize the others. The city and the bridge that connected to this ce gave a lot of points, so I wanted to use the points I got from them to crush them.''


    Ardagan paused for a moment before agreeing to Noel''s decision.


    Undying Fire (2/5)


    Skill: Undying Phoenix (0/5)


    Requirement: 15 SP


    Skill: Phoenix Wings (0/5)


    Requirement: 6 SP


    Skill: Undying Fire Feathers (0/5)


    Requirement: 12 SP


    Seeing how he got three new skills, Noel immediately ordered, ''Upgrade them to level 1.''


    "Hahaha. It seems that you''re not as cowardly as I think you are." Shawn snorted,ughing at him. He was looking down on Noel, thinking he could only achieve this result due to his armor.


    However, provoking him was thest thing he wanted to do at this time.


    Noel red at him while releasing a re filled with bloodlust. "Shut up for a moment!"


    Shawn didn''t know why but he felt chills down his spine from that re. It was weird because the gaze was so different from what Noel had been giving this whole time.


    He didn''t know Noel was actually stressed out because of the amount of knowledge he got from upgrading four skills at once.


    "Do you think your opponent will wait for you?!" Shawn roared, not caring about Noel''s opinion. In fact, he nned to crush him to show that his fear from earlier was just his imagination.


    "I have been saving this the whole time, but I guess I should test it on you. You better not die, muscle-brain monkey. Even I can''t control this me fully." Noel stated with a cold tone.


    "Hahaha. You should worry about yourself because I''m going to crush¡ª"


    Before Shawn finished his provocation, Noel had raised his left hand, waving it diagonally.


    "Undying Phoenix," Noel muttered in a low voice.


    The me around his hand suddenly red up and shot forth a ck phoenix.


    The phoenix let out a cry as if it was alive.


    Everyone who saw this phoenix actually shuddered as if they felt suppressed. Even the Demon Relief Squad was as shocked as the Demon Hunting Squad. They werepletely unaware Noel had been hiding this powerful technique this whole time.


    But remembering Noel saying he was saving this because he couldn''t control it yet, they could somehow understand it.


    Shawn gritted his teeth, not scared of this phoenix. He let out a roar as he punched forward, trying to destroy this phoenix.


    But this was the time a figure suddenly appeared between them, getting hit by both the punch and the phoenix.


    *Boom!*

 Chapter 467 Victory

    *Boom!*


    A figure suddenly appeared between them. He caught Shawn''s fist with a single hand and did not flinch. At the same time, he punched Noel''s phoenix as his Spiritual Energy swept the entire phoenix as though it was disintegrating it.


    But the phoenix was far stronger than he originally thought and ended up exploding. The ck me soon devoured them, albeit it didn''tst for too long before a single wave of hand extinguished the fire.


    The one who appeared in the middle of the battle was none other than the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain, Hendry Igor.


    "That''s enough," Igor stated with a clear understanding. He nced at Shawn for a moment before closing his eyes in disappointment. Of course, Shawn had done his best in his eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough as he dered, "The winner of thispetition is Iadre."


    "!!!" The entire base was stunned, not believing what they had just heard. They had seen Shawn crushing a lot of Spirit Abilities, yet, Noel actually won to the point Igor had to take that attack by himself.


    Igor hurriedly put his hand on the back as if trying to hide his hands. At the same time, his straight body and intense re looked like he reluctantly admitted his defeat.


    "You have won, Iadre."


    Noel closed his eyes, feeling relieved. He used a Spirit Ability that he had just got after all, so he was worried that the ability wasn''t strong enough. Even with the knowledge integrated into his mind, he still had to practice that ability after all.


    Now that Igor had dered his victory, Noel could finally lower his guard a bit. Though, after making sure that his opponent or the spectators had no intention to sneak attack him.


    "Captain. I''m not convinced. Do you¡ª" Obviously, Shawn wouldin. He hadn''t fought against that phoenix once, so he wasn''t convinced it was his loss.


    Since Igor''s back was facing him, he tried to grab Igor''s arms to grab his attention.


    But all of a sudden, he instinctively pulled back his arms while shouting in pain. "Aahhh!"


    The people were obviously shocked because they didn''t know what was happening. Meanwhile, Shawn certainly felt it as he was looking at his hand and Igor''s arm, not believing what he just felt.


    ''It''s hot?'' Shawn asked himself inwardly. There was only one person who used fire ability in this ce. It was Noel.


    He had seen Igor crushing every enemy with his fists. Yet, Noel''s me almost broke his defense.


    It was proven by how Igor''s arms became hot. If Shawn actually took on that attack, he might get burned or even worse, his arm might melt.


    That was why Igor dered Noel''s victory. There was simply a big difference in strength between them. And with how Noel remained calm this whole time, he should be able to find a way to hit Shawn.


    Still, the others were unconvinced. They didn''t know what had happened. All they knew was how Noel was cheating with armor.


    "What''s wrong, Captain?"


    "Are you favoring them that much?"


    "I''m di¡ª"


    The people wanted toin, but Igor simply shouted in anger. "It''s enough. Thepetition ends here. Anyone who disapproves of the end result will be talking to me directly."


    In that instant, the entire base fell silent. They knew what it meant to talk to Igor directly. There was someone who did it and ended up getting disabled, so it wasn''t best to provoke Igor.


    On the other hand, Igor was ring at Noel and said, "It seems you have hidden your trump card sessfully. That one is an extremely powerful ability. I hope that you can continue to hone it until you master it. I''m looking forward to seeing you mastering that me of yours."


    Noel nodded politely. At the very least, Igor seemed to be honoring the bet.


    "¡­" Igor paused for a moment before asking, "Do you have something you want from me?"


    Noel shook his head. "I''m sorry, Sir. I think I have to put that request on hold. However, I promise it won''t be something you can''t do."


    Igor nodded. "In that case, you can go back to your guest house. It''s not like everyone is in the mood for a party anyway. So, you can get some rest ande to me tomorrow morning to exin the situation and your n to me. Understood?"


    "Yes, Sir." Noel nodded with a serious expression as Igor gradually walked away as if he had just admitted defeat.


    Noel knew it was better for them to leave since these people would just look at them with hateful gazes. So, he turned around and walked to his group, saying, "Sorry. It seems the atmosphere became awkward because of me. Let''s go back first."


    They nodded, not objecting to his decision. It was clear that Noel had shown a strength no one would expect from a Spirit Wielder. Even Ste could feel danger from that ability.


    Although the Fire Phoenix wasn''t that fastpared to someone''s speed, it had a lot of power and effect, so Noel nned to use it more in the near future.


    After seeing Noel returning just fine, Igor finally shouted, "Those who still want to party can enjoy the food and drink here. The rest will have to abstain and get yourself ready for tomorrow."


    "Yes, Sir!" The people shouted in sync.


    After making sure they behaved, Igor finally returned to his room, followed by Shawn who demanded an exnation and Richard, his vice captain.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    When Igor sat down in his room, he leaned back as if trying to rx himself. However, if one took a closer look at him, he was sweating profusely as if something was burning him.


    This was when Richard came to him with a bucket of cool water and a towel to wrap his arms. "I''m sure you need this."


    Igor looked at the bucket first before smiling at Richard, who knew what he needed.


    "Yeah." Igor nodded while recounting the battle. "It seems the Demon Relief Squad has just gotten a monster."

 Chapter 468 Observation

    "Is he that strong?" Richard narrowed his eyes. This was the first time he saw Noel releasing that powerful fire after all.


    "It seems that he hasn''t used this power in front of you. Seeing how he agreed to my proposal and baited me to ept his condition, he must know he would win if he used this method. What a monster." Igor gritted his teeth, impressed and annoyed at the same time.


    If Noel was in the Demon Hunting Squad, he would have shone brightly. There was a high chance that he would be the next Captain of this squad.


    Still, Igor had Richard and Shawn. They might becking at the moment, but they were improving rapidly. So, he believed he could leave the base to them.


    After making sure Richard wasn''t angry or anything, Igor finally presented his right arm that stopped the me earlier.


    "This is¡­" Richard gasped, taken aback by the arm''s condition. He could see steam on the surface of the hand as if the fire was just extinguished. He approached it with his palm, feeling no heating from it. "What is this me? To think it''s so strong when it''s not even releasing a zing fire."


    "I''m not sure, but it''s clear that Iadre possesses this kind of power. Now that I think about it, what''s the reason for using his masquerade?" Igor asked while wrapping his piping hot arm with the towel.


    "I''m not sure, Captain. However, it''s clear that he''s good, and seeing his talent, it might cause the kingdom to fight over him just like Anna Stargaze.


    "I''m afraid the reason why he''s hiding his face is because he wants to remain unknown," Richard exined his observation. Though, he wasn''t sure either.


    At the same time, he noticed Igor''s serious expression and couldn''t help but ask, "Why are you being silent, Captain? If it''s the normal you, you would have gone to spread the words out of spite. This way, you can force him to use that favor to stop you from spreading the words around."This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Igor shook his head this time. "It''s not good to provoke that guy. Even I can see that much. Although his current strength is not good, his talent is top-notch.


    "The moment he''s strong enough to oppose me, he mighte for my life. That''s why it''s better to let him be unknown for the time being.


    "Instead, what we should be doing right now is a reform in the Demon Hunting Squad." Igor seemed to have gained some inspiration from Noel. It actually stunned Richard.


    "What do you mean, Captain?" His Captain never did something like this since he always thought power was the most important.


    But Igor sighed, "I don''t have a concrete n. It''s just¡­ seeing their battle gives me some inspiration that I can''t say out loud. I want to see whether it''s possible or not.


    "At the end of the day, we are the Demon Hunting Squad. We hunt demons. However, no one is saying that we have to hunt demons by using brute strength. I have a fuzzy picture in my head, but I''m sure it can help us be stronger."


    "I see. In that case, let''s gather all our thinkers to see whether they have an idea or not. Since Captain is nning to listen to them, I''m sure they will give us all kinds of ideas." Richard nodded in agreement. There was no need to reject the change if they could get stronger.


    Shawn gritted his teeth and mmed the table. "You two have been ignoring me this whole time. You still owe me an exnation, Captain. Do you think I will lose to that fire?"


    Igor shook his head helplessly, not knowing what to say. "Shawn¡­ What we''re doing is hunting. There is a difference between sparring and hunting. I''m sure you have felt it as well¡­ That me might melt your hands if you touch it.


    "Unless you have enough Spiritual Energy, that me will continue to spread until there is nothing left to feed it."


    "But¡ª" Shawn wanted toin, but Igor red at him, stating with a cold tone. "Sometimes, there is a time when you have to admit defeat if you want to get stronger. You should use this chance to find a way to get stronger instead of watching your rival!"


    "¡­" Shawn couldn''t say anything to rebuke him.


    "For now, you should go back to your room and we''ll discuss what we''re nning to do with them tomorrow. I hope it won''t be something weird."


    "¡­" Shawn was still unwilling, but in the end, he left the city, not knowing anything.


    While they were thinking about what happened earlier, the Demon Relief Squad threw a small party for Noel.


    But after that disy of power, it seemed Paul had begun to realize Noel''s real identity. And he was actually visiting Rose to talk about it, considering Rose gradually moved on after Noel appeared.


    Of course, Noel was exining the reason why he hid the fire phoenix to the rest of the group.


    They had to ept his ridiculous reason since he just wanted to avoid hurting them.


    In the end, they agreed with the exnation before Rose brought up the n to deal with the Supreme Devil Organization and the Demon Farm.


    They were discussing the details since they had to present their idea to Igor, the strongest man in this area.


    So, they had to make sure they convinced him.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Igor had agreed to discuss their n to handle the Supreme Devil Organization, so both Zero Squads and Captain Igor gathered in a single room.


    Igor crossed his arms while asking, "I have heard about the situation concerning the Supreme Devil Organization. I''m nning to deal with them as well, but I have to bring a lot of opponents while protecting my home. This is exhausting."


    Rose nodded and began her exnation. "Alright. This is the n we''d like to suggest¡­"

 Chapter 469 Agreement

    "Alright. It''s time to spread." Igor stood on top of their wall while looking at the horizon. He could see numerous hunters waiting for his call.


    As soon as he gave the order, the people who were holding gs raised blue gs, signaling those on the ground to start moving.


    Seeing those guys spreading in all directions, Igor couldn''t help but recall their conversation.


    "Alright. This is the n we''d like to suggest¡­" Rose paused for a moment as she used her ability to create an illusion on top of the map. There were several pieces on the top: ugly-looking demons, a castle, humanoid figures, and a few circles.


    "We believe that the Supreme Devil Organization is currently watching every movement of this base from somewhere.


    "Hence, we''re going to spread all the people here to find them." Rose gave her n with confidence.


    Even Igor, who wasn''t used to fighting with his mind, couldn''t help but feel confused. "If we spread our people, won''t they notice us and make a run for it?"


    "Of course. They will do something like that. If this were another squad, I wouldn''t propose such an idea. But the Demon Hunting Squad is different, right?"


    Igor fell silent for a moment while the guy with nted eyes asked, "Are you implying that we''re going to find them from their trail?"


    "!!!" Igor understood what she wanted in that instant. He murmured, "The Demon Hunting Squad is adept in hunting demons. But in order to hunt one, we have to find this demon by following the trails. Although we are the rough bunch, it doesn''t change the fact that tracking is our base training.


    "Even without our mind, it''s easy to track those people as long as we follow their trails." Igor narrowed his eyes, still feeling a bit unconvinced about the n.


    Rose took this opportunity to fill in the missing link. "We''re going to spread all the people at once and at a very high pace. The Demon Observer Squad might be good at careful investigation, but what we need right now is speed.


    "The Demon Hunting Squad can sniff their trails in an instant and chase after them. So, if we startle them with this, they won''t be able to cover their trails since they have to run."


    Igor nodded in understanding. "And that''s where wee in."


    "Yes. I want the Demon Hunting Squad to send the signal and we''ll focus the people on that area."


    "Then, it''s better to send a smoke signal since it will be easily seen."


    "No." Rose shook her head. "If we use the smoke signal, the enemy will be able to see it too. Unlike people from the Demon Banner Army, the Supreme Devil Organization can simply leave their people behind if that will endanger them. That''s why we''ll be using the g."


    "g?"


    "Yes. By using gs, we can let the people from the wall see them. This way, we can find which one finds the trail."


    "I see." Igor looked down for a moment. "We don''t have much problem with the g, since we have a lot of Demon Banner Army gs."


    "That''s good. In that case, we can use those." Rose nodded, feeling satisfied with the condition.


    "Still, how do you know that the Supreme Devil Organization is still around?"


    Rose paused for a moment. She wanted to nce at Noel because he was the one who provided the answer.


    She recounted the answer he had prepared and told him with confidence.


    "We captured a Supreme Devil Organization member. Since he was a Spirit Master, his rank shouldn''t be so low.


    "I''m pretty sure your subordinates have told you about the incident, so I''ll just cut to the chase. With them operating near the Count, I''m sure that they have to put a watch on this base.


    "After all, the biggest problem would be you making a move. Thus, the reason why I suspect them to be around here.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    "With that guy getting captured, they won''t hear the information anytime soon. And they can only confirm it after seeing us entering your base¡­ Since they aren''t sure yet if we actually found their person or not, it''ll take time for them to confirm it, giving us enough time to hit them.


    "We believe that the Supreme Devil Organization was the culprit of thest attack you suffered.


    "Hence, it wouldn''t feel bad to mess with them, right?" Rose smirked.


    Igor looked down, thinking about her answer. Even though he wasn''t good in this area, everything she told him was pretty simple and easy to understand.


    He agreed with her since he wanted to pay back if there was a mastermind in thest attack. They suffered a lot after all.


    If the Supreme Devil Organization was behind this, they had to hit them as hard as possible.


    Igor thought for a moment and nced to the side, asking the opinion of his subordinates.


    Surprisingly, all of them agreed. Even Richard confirmed their abilities, so there was no need to underestimate their ns.


    After pondering a lot, Igor finally agreed with their n. "Alright. I''ll mobilize my people. However, what if they''re not around here? And it''s just you who wants to mess around with me?"


    Igor was just afraid that they didn''t like how he behaved earlier, especially recruiting Noel that they had to y tricks with him.


    This was when Noel stepped up by stating, "If that''s the case, then you can consider we are even. You don''t have to fulfill the bet anymore."


    A promise from a captain was enormous. It was simply priceless since there were only a few people whose strengths were higher.


    They managed to show their credibility and determination by making Noel bet on that favor.


    Igor looked into Noel''s eyes for a moment before agreeing to this n.


    "Alright. You''ve got the full support of my Demon Hunting Squad. If the situation is truly the case, I''ll wee you once again to the Demon Hunting Squad." Igor nodded and ordered, "Call all squads to start moving."

 Chapter 470 Found

    While watching the people from the wall, Igor had a sudden visitor.


    "Hmm?" Igor nced to the side and asked with a little smirk. "So, you''reing here means you want to join my Demon Hunting Squad?"


    That offer is only meant for one person. He was none other than Noel.


    Noel had a grim expression on his face. It felt like he had a lot of problems, and he wanted to inform Igor about his concern.


    He hesitated for a moment before he finally said, "I''m afraid that we might need your help this time."


    "My help? Haven''t I helped you enough with this?"


    "No. I''m afraid that Sir Igor has to make a move today." Noel shook his head with a sigh.


    "Your reason?" Igor felt like the Demon Relief Squad was more of a mind type like Rose. So, Noel asking for a favor must mean a serious problem.


    "Our Demon Relief Squad has been dealing with the Supreme Devil Organization this time. From the incident regarding the coordination between bandits and demons to the one in Silica Valley where a Devil Bishop died, we have been in their heads for a while.


    "I''m afraid that they''re going to mobilize a Devil Bishop or more. So, you might have to make a move."


    "Hoh?" Igor narrowed his eyes, interested in this matter. "It''s been a while since I have gone with a Devil Bishop. It''s going to be interesting then. You should be the one to worry about this since if we seed here, your Demon Relief Squad will be targeted."


    "I know, but I''m going to focus on the enemy in front of me."


    "If that''s the case, you should go back to your team. After all, you will be participating in this hunt."


    Noel nodded. He turned around and started walking away. Still, this was a problem their Demon Relief Squad brought, so Noel thanked him before returning to his team.


    As soon as he reached his squad, Noel whispered some possibilities to Rose.


    After three minutes, they finally heard a shout echoing across the walls.


    "We have found them. They are in the east!"


    "!!!" The people from the Demon Relief Squad became focused as they started unsheathing their weapons, ready to join the hunt.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Without hesitation, they immediately ran toward the gate and left the base, heading straight to the location indicated by the Demon Hunting Squad.


    Noel had another n for this hunt.


    He was pretty sure that the Demon Hunting Squad would bring a lot of people this time. After all, they were trying to keep the Demon Hunting Squad busy by sending many demons.


    To keep up with those demands, they had to mobilize many people or a few strong people. If it was thetter, Igor would have found them.


    So, Noel assumed there would be at least tens of their members with a few high-ranking people to supervise their actions.


    This was the perfect time to finally finish one of his missions, where he had to kill fifty Demon Worshipers.


    The group saw the guy waving the g and hurriedly approached him. Thetter actually pointed at his back as if telling them to go on.


    They decided not to stop and followed his instruction. They began to find footsteps on the ground that were easily visible to others.


    The people from the Supreme Devil Organization might not leave the trails purposely. And seeing the footprints slightly deeper than they were supposed to, Noel and the others knew these trails were left behind by the Demon Hunting Squad so that others could follow them.


    They followed this trail while increasing their pace. They had to get as close as possible to the ones chasing after the enemies since they wanted to deal with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    It didn''t take too long for them to find the leading squad.


    Their squad was made of a Spirit Master and eight Spirit Wielders. But with how they were running at fast speed while tracking their enemies, it seemed like they ranked pretty high in the Demon Hunting Squad.


    Paul sped up and introduced them, "We''re from the Demon Relief Squad."


    The Spirit Master nodded. "We know that. Since you''re here to help us, be quiet for a moment as we have to focus on following their trails.


    "We''re going to wait until we find their base before engaging them. For now, just match our pace until the person we''re chasing right now reaches their camp."


    "Got it." Paul agreed with the arrangement even though he was a Spirit Grandmaster while the other party was only a Spirit Master. He didn''t care about pride as long as they seeded in their mission.


    Paul also asked the others to follow their instructions until Rose saw a huge number of enemies ahead.


    "Hmm? I can find a lot of people in front of us. Their strength is unknown, but their number is around seventy or even more. I can''t find them all." Rose pointed forward.


    "What about the squads behind us?" Paul asked about the reinforcement.


    "None for the time being."


    "Are we going to engage them?" Noel asked with a serious expression. He knew how dangerous it was to deal with the current Supreme Devil Organization. So, he had to confirm it with Paul.


    It seemed that Paul was confident in stopping the enemy for a while in case they needed it.


    Hence, Paul said, "We''re going to engage them. Make sure you get some distance to understand the entire situation first. In the worst case, I want Zion to use your ability to get the reinforcement here."


    "Got it." The group nodded their heads while Noel added, "The Demon Hunting Squad should be following us unless they find another trail."


    "Let''s deal with them first." Paul nodded. Since he was the strongest among them, he nned to make the first move to check the enemy''s strength.


    He released his Spiritual Energy and sped up before jumping into the air, looking at the enemy''s camp.


    He raised his warhammer and struck the ground with his momentum. "Hey, hey! Time to die!"

 Chapter 471 Shock

    *Bam!*


    The warhammer struck the ground, splitting it. Some of the cracked stones emerged from the ground and hit three people.


    Seeing how Paul had greeted them, Noel shouted to Rose, "Anyone powerful?"


    "I''m not sure. They''re surprised, but none of them are actually experienced enough to react far faster than anyone else." Rose exined, indicating their strength.


    It seemed the enemies this time didn''t have any high ranking people. After all, if they had Spirit Master if not Spirit Grandmaster, they would have reacted to Paul''s attack or at leastunched a counterattack.


    Since they didn''t react, Noel pulled out his sword and sped up. The others seemed to have the same thought as they ran next to Noel.


    Ste reminded them. "We''re facing the Supreme Devil Organization. Maintain vignce. This can be a trap as well."


    The rest nodded and started approaching from all directions. In the meantime, Rose jumped into the air, looking at their entire surroundings.


    "There''s no one around," Rose reported out loud. It appeared this wasn''t a trap.


    So, Noel and the others didn''t have any more hesitation in their hearts.


    Noel looped around Paul and approached the enemy from the left. Although this would be a good time to use the Phoenix Wings and Undying Fire Feathers to kill many people at once, he believed this wasn''t the time yet, considering there might still be a potential enemy. He was sure a high ranking person was around the Demon Hunting Squad''s base, so he had to conserve a bit of his energy to handle anything that woulde their way.


    Hence, Noel had chosen his Sword Fire and Ignition Sword as his weapon to kill these Demon Worshipers.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred as Noel skillfully shed des with the Demon Worshipers. As a Spirit Wielder, Noel''s Ignition Sword was unstoppable. The Demon Worshipers were either Spirit Apprentices or Spirit Practitioners, so their weapons shattered or their bodies were destroyed by the explosion.


    ? "Ah!"


    "No!"


    "What is this?!"


    They were confused because they didn''t expect the Demon Hunting Squad to find them like this.


    They tried to fight back, but the Demon Relief Squad had an overwhelming strength against them, killing their people one by one.


    Even Noel managed to kill seventeen people in this raid alone, giving significant progress to his mission.


    There was simply little to no resistance as they finished the battle within fifteen minutes. And those from the Demon Hunting Squad could only look at them from far away.


    "This¡­" They were utterly shocked by the squad''s strength. Although they had a lot of confidence in the Demon Hunting Squad, it didn''t change the fact that the Demon Relief Squad was ranked higher than them


    In addition, the squad before them was their zero squad. They had a lot of things to learn from them, so they didn''t join the fight and just observed them.


    Noel was looking around to see the surroundings. Unfortunately, he found no one, making him be even more suspicious about the entire group.


    "This is weird¡­" Noel muttered while ncing at Rose, signaling that the entire situation wasn''t right.


    Rose nodded with a serious expression and told everyone. "There must be something not right."


    "What do you mean?" Paul asked while furrowing his eyebrows.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "I''m not sure what is not right, but looking at these people, don''t you think it''s weird for them to be staying here just by themselves?"


    "It''s possible? We can''t predict what the Supreme Devil Organization wants." Paul still didn''t understand what Rose was talking about. He actually forgot about the most important thing in this situation.


    Rose shook her head calmly and pointed to the ground. "Paul. You forgot something. Where are we?"


    "We are near the Demon Hunting¡­" Paul wanted to give the base as an answer, but he suddenly stopped, remembering there was a more appropriate answer. "We are beyond the border!"


    That was right. They were beyond the border where more dangerous monsters resided. The Demon Worshipers might appear here, buting here in a group like this was the same as courting death. So, they muste here with someone strong.


    And that strong person was most likely the culprit of the entire situation.


    "That''s right. I''m afraid that many strong ones are hiding somewhere and we don''t know what they''re aiming for right now¡­" Rose warned them with a grim expression. They had to be careful so as to not get ambushed. After all, they had been ruining the Supreme Devil Organization''s ns multiple times in a short period.


    Paul paused for a moment and turned to Ben. "We''re going to split the team. You are to lead the second team. Your group will consist of you, Jonathan, Rose, and Iadre. I''ll bring Ste and Zion with me."


    "Got it." Ben nodded. Normally, the leader would be Ste, but it seemed Paul needed Ste in this situation. Her firepower was second to Paul in the group after all.


    As soon as they reached an agreement, Ben asked for confirmation, "Then, we''re going back¡­ right?"


    "Yeah. Go back to the base and find another trace. I''m assuming they''re nning to use these people as baits."


    "Got it. Let''s go back then." Ben nodded while turning to his teammates. Without wasting any more time, he ran back, knowing Paul would be running around to search for the remaining trace.


    Noel and the group ran back to the base while wondering what the Supreme Devil Organization''s target was.


    Ste was racking her brain while Jonathan observed Noel, wondering what he nned to do. After all, Noel was sharper than Rose. Seeing how Noel had been giving some secret signals to Rose, he believed Noel had found something.


    Meanwhile, Ben was bolder than Jonathan this time. He matched Noel''s ce so that he could say something to him.


    Noel was confused at first but soon was dumbstruck when Ben opened his mouth.


    He actually asked, "So, what is your n, Noel?"

 Chapter 472 Fighting Together

    "So, what is your n, Noel?"


    "!!!" Jonathan and Rose were startled, staring at Ben.


    On the other hand, Noel maintained his poker face as if he was trying to y dumb. But with a single nce at Ben''s face, he determined Ben had confirmed his identity.


    "¡­" Noel didn''t expect Ben to find out about this far faster than Ste and the others.


    Ben shrugged and exined the reason so that Noel could reply to him. "It''s simple. I''m good at everything, and I have been observing the rest of you, including your work during the reconstruction. That''s where I know you have a particr style in that kind of work. So, I know it''s you.


    "I''m pretty sure that Rose knew about it before anyone else since she cheered up after your arrival. Jonathan should''ve found out not long before this, but I won''t talk about that right now.


    "What I want to know is your n. It seems you have figured out something, so¡­ do you want to add anything?" Ben asked.


    Noel was speechless. Because Ben wascking in presence, he had forgotten Ben''s existence and excellence this whole time. Ben was the one who would take care of their mess, so he obviously knew more than anyone else.


    "I''m somehow getting scared of you just now¡­" Jonathan couldn''t help but shake his head. Ben was the jack of all trades, so he didn''t stand out in the group. Even so, he was actually the person they relied on the most. So, Jonathan wondered how much Ben knew this whole time.


    Noel wanted to make ament as well, but he had to focus on the current matter. "Yes. It seems that they''re targeting the base itself. I''m afraid our current n has been leaked. By sending all our people out, they will have a chance to destroy the base. When that happens, no one can predict what will happen to the entire area."


    "!!!" Ben and the others shuddered. Ben frowned and asked to confirm his doubt. "So, you''re saying they''re nning to lead their main force to attack the base?"


    "Yeah. I''m not sure about the number of Supreme Devil Organization members. Our Demon Banner Army only has around twenty thousand people. But the Supreme Devil Organization should have a lower standard to be a member, so¡­" Noel sighed.


    "By using these cannon fodders, they''re nning to target the base. It''s true that reconstructing the base will take a long time, but I''m afraid Hendry Igor will be their target. Without their captain, the Demon Hunting Squad will lose their power after all."


    "I have warned him, but I don''t know what he is doing right now." Noel shook his head helplessly. He wanted to believe in Igor, but thetter didn''t show any sign of trust. So, he had to consider the worst possible oue.


    Unfortunately for them, their worst fear came true.


    When they came back from their chase, they found the base being attacked by many demons.


    They could find ten humans at the very edge as well. They were wearing ck robes to cover their body and facial features. But with their positions, Noel and the others knew they were the culprits.


    "Hurry up and attack them! We have to stop all these demons!"


    A familiar voice resounded on the battlefield. They raised their heads and saw Richard leading the knights on the wall to crush the demons.


    "Where is the signal?"


    It seemed like there was a problem with their group. There should be a signal to inform their members that the base is under attack. Yet, they release it this whole time, making Noel suspicious.


    "This¡­" Noel pointed at the wall and said, "I''m afraid that they have encountered a problem. We should go to the wall to help them."


    Jonathan looked at the people behind those monsters. "What about them?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Although it''s very tempting to attack them, it''s better to reinforce the base first since they are encountering a problem. We have to know about the problem first before killing those guys." Noel exined before asking Ben. "Do you mind if I take over themand?"


    "It''s all yours." Ben knew Noel was sharper than him in this group. So, he didn''t hesitate to relinquish hismand.


    As soon as he received the authority, Noel gave his order. "Jonathan. I want you to stay here to watch their movement. If those humans are nning to do something, you are going to stop them. Of course, you shouldn''t attack them if you deem they''re far too dangerous such as a Devil Bishop.


    "Rose will go to Richard. Get the information from him and report it to me. Meanwhile, Ben and I will go to the wall and kill some monsters, relieving some pressure so that you can get the information."


    "Got it." Jonathan and Rose agreed without hesitation while Ben asked one more thing. "Do we need to inform Paul and the others?"


    "No. It will take too long and our strength is kind of limited. It''s better to work with the people inside the base instead of getting Paul, Ste, and Zion."


    "Alright. Let''s go then!" Ben smiled. It had been a while since Noel took the reign. He wanted to know, when Noel got the authority, how far he would go.


    Noel and Ben increased their speed as they nned to open the path for Rose.


    "That''s¡­" The ten people covered in ck robes saw Noel and Ben, followed by Rose behind them. However, they didn''t know that Jonathan was watching them from another spot.


    Noel ignored their gaze as he released his Sword Fire, sending for the zing fire to the monsters.


    The me burned everything and some demons couldn''t withstand the heat and died without being able to fight back.


    Ben took out a sword and a spear. He first gathered his Spiritual Energy in the tip of his spear before throwing it forward. The intense energy pierced through the demon''s body without any resistance, startling the demons.


    After that, Ben raised his sword and slightly tilted it in Noel''s direction.


    "It''s been a while, Noel. Let''s go, shall we?"


    Noel smirked, feeling excited as well. He waved his sword at him as if they were giving each other a high-five.


    But in that instant, Noel''s fire and Ben''s Spiritual Energy came out of their weapons. They waved it at the same time, creating a ck and white cross sh that traveled to the demons.


    "GO!"

 Chapter 473 Sync

    "GO!"


    Both of them shouted at the same time as they released a cross sword strike. Noel''s fire sh from the Sword Fire was in the front while the Pure Spiritual Energy from Ben backed him up, ready to use itself to fuel Noel''s fire.


    *Boom!*


    The moment the Sword Fire hit the demon, it caused a huge explosion fueled by the Spiritual Energy from Ben''s sh.


    The explosion sted all the demons nearby and burned everything inside it. There didn''t seem to be high level demons, so every demon engulfed by the me was burned to death.


    Rose was amused by this sight. He had seen them fighting together but was never this sync.


    At the same time, she could somehow understand why they fought like this. Even though they had never used this kind of fighting style, they had observed each other''s movements. This attack was simply how they greeted each other after Noel revealed his identity.


    She couldn''t help but smile, knowing that everyone would eventually realize Noel''s identity. And at that time, the Demon Relief Squad would finally return to its former state.


    Noel and Ben turned their heads around, informing Rose.


    "We''ll open the path for you," stated Ben with a collected expression as if everything was within his prediction.


    "That''s right. Just leave everything to us." Noel nodded in agreement as he smirked when looking at Ben onest time. "Are you ready?"


    Ben smiled back as he excitedly raised his weapon.


    Some of the demons had turned around, nning to stop them.


    Rose didn''t even bother to look at these monsters as these two reliable backs made her feel safe.


    Noel and Ben waved their swords, killing the demons in an instant. Noel used his Sword Fire and Ignition Sword to sh and explode the demons. Every swing was precise, so the demons couldn''tst more than one round.


    The same applied to Ben as he coated his sword with that Pure Spiritual Energy, cutting the demon cleanly.


    No demon could stop them and the group kept getting closer to the wall.


    me Conjuring.


    Noel formed a pair of giant hands behind his back with this me Conjuring. These arms started grasping demons one by one. The me didn''t release heat, but it continuously burned the part caught by the hands until it melted them downpletely.


    "Haaaa!" Noel got even more fired up as he shouted while crushing all the demons. He even stepped forward to take charge while Ben focused on supporting Noel by killing the demons that Noel missed.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reach the wall. Noel put his sword in his mouth so that he could use it anytime he wanted to while using the two fire hands to protect himself.


    Meanwhile, Ben stood in front of Noel with his sword so that no one could disturb him when tossing Rose.


    "We got you." Noel winked his right eye, signaling to Rose.


    Seeing Noel had lowered his body and joined both hands, Rose made a few small steps before stepping on Noel''s hands as thetter tossed her into the air.


    Rose could easily climb the tower with this, but the demons outside the borders seemed to be smarter than the ones they had seen so far.


    As soon as they saw Rose jumping to the top of the wall, two of them leaped into the air, pouncing on her.


    Rose just nced at them to acknowledge their existence. However, she didn''t take any action as a fire sh and a translucent sword strike cut both demons down. It was Noel and Ben.


    Rose didn''t even bother to look back as if she hadplete trust in them.


    "Heh¡­" Noel and Ben smirked. Since Noel usually took charge, Ben asked, "So, what are we going to do next? Kill them all?"


    Noel confirmed without hesitation. "Yes. Let''s kill these demons. We have to be careful against those guys who have yet to make their move."


    "Got it."


    Noel and Ben began ughtering the demons without mercy. Meanwhile, Rose hurriedly showed her identity and requested a meeting with theirmander.


    And the one sent to meet her was none other than Richard.


    "I''m here." Richard narrowed his eyes, never expecting Rose toe back like this. "What are you doing here?"


    "I''m here to get information from you."


    "¡­" Richard was speechless for a moment. Rose added to let him know which one he should tell her. "I need the chronology of what happened after we left. Then, the identity of those people along with the whereabouts of your captain!"


    Richard gritted his teeth while checking the entire situation. He didn''t like exining this problem to her, an outsider. At the same time, she had the right to know some information.


    He checked the situation around the wall first. After confirming they were safe, Richard answered, "I''m going to tell you this first. We don''t know anything about those people¡­ We''re assuming that they are from the Supreme Devil Organization. Their strength is quite good¡­ From what I have seen, all of them are Spirit Masters.


    "Our captain is chasing after their leader¡­ or probably leaders. We''re not sure yet, but we''re dealing with this kind of situation here. Do you understand?"


    "Of course. I have to know about the chronology to confirm whether this is a trap or not. If it''s truly a trap, I''m afraid we have a mole, so I''m going to tell my squad about it to see what we can do."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Richard hated how others looked down on his squad or even insulted them. But he couldn''t find any words to rebuke him since it was the truth.


    As the Vice Captain of this squad, Richard obviously knew about the secret n. But it was a different matter whether he could tell Rose or not.


    After careful consideration, Richard finally opened his mouth. "Alright. I''m going to tell you a bit about the hidden n we''ve devised, especially for these Supreme Devil Organization bastards."

 Chapter 474 Outplayed

    A moment ago.


    After the Demon Relief Squad left to hunt their targets, more and more signals appeared. There were already two more people waving their gs as if they had found out about the enemy''s trace.


    Igor, who supervised the entire thing, frowned as he could feel danger wasing. He couldn''t help but remember what Noel said regarding the Supreme Devil Organization''s hatred toward their Demon Relief Squad.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Richard came to report. "Sir. There are a total of four signs, two in front, one on the west, and the other one, which has been taken care of by the Demon Relief Squad. What should we do?"


    Igor paused for a moment before saying, "Get that sleeping guy here."


    "Sleeping guy¡­" Richard made a weird smile. "Sir. He has nted eyes, he''s not sleeping."


    After that remark, Igor didn''t say anything else, so Richard had to go back to call his teammate.


    As soon as the person in question arrived on the wall, Igor asked, "Those marks are fake and they''ll be attacking us soon. If that''s the scenario, what will you do?"


    "Hmm?" The guy wasn''t expecting a question like this. He looked down for a moment, contemting.


    ? It felt like someone managed to influence Igor since he acted differently this time. But if this was true, then there was something they could do.


    "I suggest you leave this ce immediately. If they''re nning to destroy this base, I''m afraid they''re going to send a powerful person to hold you back. In that case, it''s better if you go far away from here to avoid destroying the area."


    Igor looked this guy in the eye as if trying to confirm what he said. He had caught the hidden meaning behind those words. It wasn''t that hard to understand, so Igor finally agreed with that suggestion.


    "Alright. Call the second squad here and I''ll be going to chase after the enemy."


    "Got it."


    Just like what they predicted, the enemy truly brought a pair of Spirit Grandmasters to provoke Igor.


    They attacked the wall vigorously, intending to destroy it. But Igor shattered everything with his fist, allowing him to gain a good look at these two Spirit Grandmasters.


    As soon as they stopped attacking, Igor jumped off the wall and chased after these people. He was rushing as if he was afraid that the squads he had sent around would be attacked by these guys.


    The pair believed they had done their job and immediately retreated, trying to buy as much time as possible.


    In the meantime, the ten Spirit Masters lured a lot of demons from all directions to attack this base. This way, the Zero Squad that was in charge of the base''s protection would have their hands full.


    ¡­


    "That''s what happened," Richard exined the whole story.


    "It seems that there is a mole that gives them the news about our movement," Rose muttered, instantly concluding this scenario. "We would have taken the enemy by surprise if our n was not leaked.


    "But at that time, there were only your captain and two zero squads. I don''t like suspecting people, but our squad has been ruining their n this whole time. So, I doubt our squad is the mole. That leaves¡­" Rose nced, indirectly implying that the culprit was among their zero squads.


    Richard obviously felt offended and red at them. "Watch your mouths."


    "I have a few reasons to suspect them." Rose snorted. "Anyway, we''ll be helping you defend this wall. As for those ten Spirit Masters, our squad alone won''t be enough. So¡­"


    "Don''t worry. We''ll be helping you deal with those Spirit Masters." Richard didn''t like how Rose spoke earlier, but they certainly needed their help right now. So, he wasn''t going to cause more problems than necessary.


    After getting the confirmation, Rose transmitted the whole situation to Noel and Ben below.


    Noel surprisingly stopped for a moment as if feeling something weird.


    ''Two Spirit Grandmasters? I''m afraid those Grandmasters are Peak Spirit Grandmasters. They''re equal to Devil Bishops.


    ''After all, those people should know better than anyone else that there will be Igor protecting this base. Even if they can somehow stall him, there is still Richard.


    ''That''s why they have to send two Peak Spirit Grandmasters. And with the current situation, they can defeat Igor over time, but I don''t think they have that much time since if we can solve these demons and regroup with Paul, we would be able to repel the other Peak Spirit Grandmasters.


    ''In that case, their aim is something else. They''re just nning to stall Igor while crushing the Demon Hunting Squad.


    ''In other words, their original n was this base all along. If this base is gone, no one will be able to stop them from creating more farms. Yeah, they should think the Count is still within their grasp, not realizing everything has started to crumble.''


    With that thought in mind, Noel hurriedly raised his head and shouted to Rose, "Rose. I need you to maintain surveince and find any Spirit Grandmaster. I''m afraid they''re nning to destroy this base."


    Rose nodded with a serious expression, albeit she froze afterward as if she was startled by what she saw.


    She was pointing forward while having no words to say.


    Noel was confused by her reaction. Even Richard, who was still standing next to her, followed that direction.


    Both of them were dumbstruck when they saw a humongous tiger standing not far from the ten Spirit Masters.


    Of course, a single Peak Level Demon wouldn''t be so strange. The one that shocked them the most was actually the man that stood on top of the Peak Level Demon''s head.


    The demon was prideful, so they wouldn''t allow someone to stand on top of their head. But this sight made them realize the enemy had managed to tame a Peak Level Demon.


    Since the two Spirit Grandmasters that lured Igor away didn''t ride a demon, it was clear that this person was the third Spirit Grandmaster.


    In other words, there was a third Spirit Grandmaster that would be crushing them. Their target wasn''t the base alone. They also wanted to take down Igor.


    Noel clicked his tongue, realizing he had been outyed by the enemy this time.


    "Now, now¡­ how should I fix this situation?"

 Chapter 475 Leaving

    Noel took some time to contemte. He even said out loud, "Ben, buy me some time."


    Ben didn''t understand at first, but seeing Noel making a grim situation, it seemed that the situation was moreplicated than he originally thought.


    Seeing them deploying a lot of Spirit Masters, it seemed that the Supreme Devil Organizations had gone all out.


    There were ten Spirit Masters in sight. ording to the report, there were two Spirit Grandmasters and a possibility of a third Spirit Grandmaster.


    There was no way three Spirit Grandmasters were only apanied by ten Spirit Masters. So, he believed there were more Spirit Masters around them, and most likely, they were hiding because they knew rushing to this base wasn''t a good option.


    They wanted to know whether they had prepared a trap or not.


    It was easy to see how by sending all these beasts to them.


    Noel looked down for a moment. On the one hand, he had to make sure there were enough Spirit Masters on their side. On the other hand, the Supreme Devil Organization should have deployed around twenty Spirit Masters and three Spirit Grandmasters.


    It seemed they were nning to destroy the Demon Hunting Squad this time. And with them being unable to report this situation to the other captains, the enemy would always have the numerical advantages.


    ''Two Spirit Grandmasters¡­ There isn''t a third Spirit Grandmaster yet and Captain Igor has left the Zero Squad, the First Squad, and the Third Squad in the base.


    ''With these three squads and us, it''s possible to resist all those Spirit Masters. That leaves only the third Spirit Grandmaster.


    ''I want to ignore this possibility, but it''s quite high to the point I have to put it in my calction. No, wait a minute¡­ Why does he only bring out the Second Squad instead of the First Squad? I can understand that the Zero Squad has to remain since Richard is the second inmand. But First Squad?''


    Noel felt something amiss. The one Igor should have brought was the First Squad, not the Second Squad. So, he wondered why he did it.


    ''Wait¡­ we have enough Spirit Masters to resist the Supreme Devil Organization? Looking at the scale of this raid, the Supreme Devil Organization should have thought of a good n. And this one is good since we''re in a pinch.


    ''But Captain Igor''s movement feels like he already knows about the enemy''s movement¡­''


    "!!!" Noel soon gasped, thinking of the ridiculous possibility. He muttered inwardly, ''Don''t tell me, Captain Igor has known about this? If there''s a mole to let them know about our movement, then¡­ does that mean Captain Igor is already aware of the mole?''


    The moment he considered the possibility of Igor knowing about the mole, he realized that the situation might be salvageable.


    Suddenly, he turned around and jumped to the top of the wall. The wall wasn''t that high, so he easily reached the top.


    After that, he went to Richard and Rose while stating, "I need people to chase after Captain Igor. I''m sure that the Supreme Devil Organization has brought those Spirit Grandmasters in order to kill him. The loss of Captain Igor will be devastating, so we have to prevent it from happening.


    "That''s why I need people to help Captain Igor," Noel exined the situation before demanding reinforcement.


    Richard paused for a moment. He was a bit skeptical of this n, but Noel didn''t seem to be nning to harm them.


    Hence, Richard immediately asked, "How many men do you require?"


    "I need Rose and Ben toe with me. And there should be one Spirit Master with us to turn around the situation. So, the strongest Spirit Master you can give me."


    Richard thought for a moment and pointed at himself, "Then, I''ll go with you."


    "Huh?" Noel would never ask Richard to move together with him. After all, Richard''s strength was beyond their league.


    However, Richard''s overwhelming strength would be extremely useful in this area. So, Noel had no intention of rejecting it.


    Though, there was something he had to confirm. "If we leave, how about your team?"


    "You don''t have to worry about them. The First Squad''s Captain can handle this and my squad is good as well. So, we can go just fine.


    "Besides, it''s better if you bring me here. Our opponent is Spirit Grandmasters. Assuming that the Captain could crush one of them easily, we have to stop the other one from buying enough time for our Captain.


    "And the best person to deal with another Spirit Grandmaster is me. Although I don''t know whether we''re equal or not, I''m pretty sure that we can somehow buy enough time for my Captain to defeat his opponent."


    Noel contemted for a moment. It seemed that he had no other way to reject it. Of course, he was afraid that the enemy would unleash their third Spirit Grandmaster when Richard left.


    But Noel knew the base had some Protection Enhancement that could be used to stop a Spirit Grandmaster for some time. Hence, they had the luxury of helping Igor.


    "Alright Let''s go ording to your arrangement." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He knew that this was probably the best course of action they could take, considering they needed speed.


    "I''ll give mymand to someone then. We''ll go in two minutes. Get ready."


    As soon as Noel nodded, Igor rushed to the other side of the wall to inform him about the new arrangement. As expected, the one he chose to take care of this wall was none other than the guy with nted eyes. He was smart and quite powerful, so the wall should be safe for some time.


    While waiting for him, Noel had gone down and informed Ben about their n before climbing the wall with Ben.


    Exactly two minutester, Richard finally returned and nodded to them. "Alright. I''m ready. Do you want me to lead the group?"


    "We prefer if Iadre leads us, considering he''s the only one to see through the enemy''s n." Rose supported Noel.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    There was no objection. Richard simply nodded and pointed at Noel. "Shall we go?"

 Chapter 476 Ambush

    "Hmm?" One of the Spirit Masters narrowed his eyes and pointed at the distance. "Look!"


    All of them followed the direction he pointed at and found four people leaping off the wall. It wouldn''t matter that much if these people just wanted to die after getting surrounded by demons.


    But the ones that came out just now were the Demon Relief Squad and the Vice Captain of the Demon Hunting Squad, they weren''t people that would easily die because of some low level demons.


    "The Demon Relief Squad?" It seemed they ced more importance on the Demon Relief Squad than the Vice Captain of the Demon Hunting Squad.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    They had foiled a lot of their ns recently, so obviously, they were angry at the Demon Relief Squad to the point they wanted to eliminate thempletely to show that no one could resist them.


    "What should we do? The Demon Relief Squad has left."


    "They should be heading to the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain. It will be troublesome if they can help him."


    "Then again, there are two Spirit Grandmasters there. Do we even need to help them?"


    "Of course. The Demon Relief Squad managed to solve two Superior Demons and one of our bishops, so we can''t underestimate them."


    "What are we going to do then?"


    "We''ll split our group into two. Five of you will remain here while the rest will follow them. At the very least, we can stop those Spirit Masters, allowing our side''s Spirit Grandmaster to deal with that Vice Captain."


    "It seems there''s no other way."


    "Yeah. We have to show the Demon Relief Squad who is the boss."


    The ten Spirit Masters seemed to have reached an agreement. They hurriedly split their team and went after Noel and the others.


    Rose obviously saw theming and reported to Noel, "We''re being chased."


    "We don''t have time to deal with them. So, we''ll focus on going to Captain Igor." Noel shook his head helplessly, not wanting to bother with them.


    Richard frowned and asked, "But shouldn''t we turn around right away tounch a counterattack they never expected? I am a Spirit Grandmaster, so dealing with them shouldn''t be a problem."


    "No." Noel shook his head again. "If you take a look at the distance between us, it''s clear that those Spirit Masters are maintaining a certain distance so that they can avoid our counterattacks. They want to buy some time while waiting for us to find the Spirit Grandmaster so that they can attack us.


    "So, it''s better to continue without caring about them." Noel shrugged. Instead of wasting their time, he preferred to fall into their traps and ovee them.


    He already had a n in mind anyway, so he wasn''t afraid of them.


    Rose didn''t doubt Noel''s judgment while Ben was trying to figure out Noel''s n. Richard was the only one who was confused about this decision to the point he wanted to raise his voice to show his point.


    But Noel didn''t pay any heed to his concern as he told Rose, "We''re going to need you here. Can you fight?"


    "Defeating an enemy? It''s kind of hard to do that."


    "No. I just want you to stall them."


    "In that case, leave two of them to me. Ben should have no problem with two, right?" Rose smirked, teasing Ben as if she didn''t believe Ben was that strong.


    Ben only chuckled while saying, "Hahaha, indeed. I will stop two of them for you. You should worry about the Spirit Master you handle, considering you''re still a Spirit Wielder."


    "Well, it should be fine for now." Noel nodded, thanking him for the concern. However, it wasn''t necessary since he had a certain n to defeat this person.


    They continued to track Igor''s movement. They thought Igor had gone too far since he still couldn''t see any traces of battle even after running for three minutes.


    Hence, the group had to continue until they found a change of trace.


    It seemed that his worry was soon answered when they heard a few explosions urring on the horizon. They still couldn''t find out about it, but Rose confirmed.


    "There seem to be three people. I''m not sure about it yet, but that should be the number." Rose exined ording to the number of noises she heard with her enhanced senses.


    With Rose''s confirmation, Noel and the others picked up their pace, trying to widen the gap between them and the Spirit Masters.


    "!!!" The Spirit Masters were surprised that they decided to increase their pace. They thought it was their n to ambush them, so they waved their hands, asking each other to lower their pace so that they could react to anything.


    However, the noise of the battle soon proved them wrong. There was a fierce fight between three Grandmasters in that area.


    The sound they produced could be heard from three hundred meters away. So, the Spirit Masters hurriedly sped up in order to catch up to them.


    But the moment they sped up to catch up, the ground seemed to have turned into mud, causing two of them to trip.


    "What are you doing?" The three Spirit Masters were confused since it was easy to avoid it.


    But before they could reply, they heard another sound. They thought it came from the battle, but they were wrong.


    Suddenly, Ben appeared from the right side and struck his de, stopping them.


    *Clink!* They were shocked and stared at Ben. Ben didn''t care about it as he simply grabbed both of them and yed with them first.


    "Ambush!" The people shouted while looking around, finding a few arrows being shot from around them. They were in the woods after all, so they had no choice but to avoid those arrows.


    They didn''t realize it was an illusion, and it was the perfect opportunity for Noel to appear.


    "!!!" One of the Spirit Masters managed to react and stopped Noel''s de, but because he was startled, he got pushed back a little bit, allowing Noel to grab his wrist and throw him away.

 Chapter 477 Unleash Everything

    "Kh!" The guy who was thrown away by Noel managed tond safely and stabilize his stance in an instant.


    However, Noel was still fast enough to reach him and swung his sword downwards.


    *Clink!*


    The guy was forced to pull out his de and block it with one hand on the handle and the other on the de, trying hard to stop it.


    ''What''s wrong with this guy''s strength?'' He asked inwardly, feeling something wrong with Noel''s strength.


    Noel was only a Spirit Wielder while he was a Spirit Master. There should be a huge gap in their strength.


    Noel wasn''t like Igor either, who trained his body to the limit and achieved that strength. So, it was quite surprising to find this power in that tiny body.


    The Spiritual Energy started toe out of his body and made its way to the sword. Noticing the movement, the enemy also circted his Spiritual Energy while jumping back to gain some distance to see what Noel was up to.


    Before he could escape, Noel used the Spiritual Energy as fuel to light them up with the Ignition Sword.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion struck this guy from the Supreme Devil Organization, pushing him downward. The dust was kicked up, covering them.


    Once it settled down, Noel actually managed to pin the guy on the ground. His enemy was on his knees, but unfortunately, the fire seemed to be not enough to deal some damage.


    "Haaaa!" The guy was angry as his pride was being crushed after this mere Spirit Wielder managed to push him to this state. He let out a roar while releasing all his strength in one go.


    The burst of Spiritual Energy allowed him to push Noel back and overpower him.


    Unfortunately, Noel had always known that his attack would bepletely useless against a Spirit Master like him. Hence, Noel jumped to the side as if he was trying to regain hisposure.


    His enemy chased after him and covered the distance in a single leap.


    "!!!" Noel looked startled as he instinctively raised his sword, receiving his enemy''s sh.


    *Clink!*


    The single sh actuallyunched Noel into the air before eventuallynding a few meters back.


    The enemy didn''t give up after that one sh. He continued to chase after Noel as he didn''t n to let Noel go until he brutally killed him. This was the only way to wash away that shame.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    A series of shes resounded inside the woods as every time he struck, Noel was blown away for a few meters.


    It looked like Noel was being pushed back by this guy and had no way to fight back. Little did this guy know, Noel was nning something.


    After a few more rounds, Noel''s face, which showed his distress, suddenly regained its calm.


    "!!!" The rational side of the guy suddenly kicked in, not missing that single detail. Still, he had already swung his de.


    Suddenly, there was a burst of Spiritual Energy on Noel''s sword as it received his sh.


    *Bam!*


    The swords collided, but the Spiritual Energy that empowered their swords ended up shing, causing a small shock wave.


    Surprisingly, Noel stood on his ground, not being pushed back even an inch.


    After so long suppressing this ability, Noel could finally use it.


    Everchanging Emotion Sword Style, Surprise.


    Yes, Noel finally lifted the ban on his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. There were three reasons why he decided to unleash this ability. Firstly, no one was around anymore. With no witnesses, no one would be able to recognize this ability.


    Secondly, the people from the Demon Relief Squad that were with him right now knew his identity. There was no need to hide it anymore.


    Andst but not least, Noel always wanted to see how strong the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style was. Although he had been suppressing this sword style the whole time, it didn''t mean he abandoned it.


    Every opportunity present was used to train the abilities he couldn''t show like the Ice Ability and this swordsmanship.


    And finally, Noel could unleash everything on this opponent.


    ''He changes?'' The enemy felt something from Noel. His instinct kicked in as his body moved by itself. ''Eh?''


    The guy didn''t realize it, but he was already a few meters away from Noel. His fear was actually telling him to fear Noel.


    He kept staring at Noel dumbfoundedly as he found the Spiritual Energy on his sword and body intertwined with each other as if the sword had be a part of his body.


    Noel took a deep breath before leaping forth. He waved his sword from the right. The Spiritual Energy on his sword became far sharper than previously.


    "!!!" The enemy felt like this sword could cut everything, so he tried to avoid it.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel created the Increase Agility Rune to give thest boost he needed to catch up to his opponent.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords shed as the enemy gritted his teeth while feeling some numbing pain in his hand.


    It felt like his sword would be destroyed if he continued this way. And even his hands would have a hard time.


    Still, he was a Spirit Master. Unlike the previous battle, where Noel and Anna managed to suppress a Spirit Master from using all his abilities, Noel was alone this time.


    The guy covered his body with Spiritual Energy like before. As soon as Noel approached him, he struck Noel''s de first, aiming for his neck.


    Another clicking sound echoed in the woods as Noel blocked his swing easily. However, the position was close to his face.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel didn''t feel anything the whole time until suddenly a sharp pain jolted his mind.


    "!!!" Noel was startled and jumped to the side, avoiding whatever his opponent tried to do. But he soon realized the reason for that pain as he put his hand on his cheek, finding blooding out.


    ''What?'' Noel was dumbfounded, not understanding how the enemy managed to hit him. He had perfectly blocked that attack. So, Noel asked himself, ''How?''

 Chapter 478 Clown

    ''How?''


    While Noel asked that question, the guy clicked his tongue before smiling. "I guess even a baby, it''s still a lion. Even if you lower your guard, you still put some distance¡­"


    The guy was implying that Noel had the chance to block it right in front of his neck as if he was trying to make no waste movement. But Noel was more careful than he originally thought because he blocked it a bit far away from any vital area as if calcting the opponent''s strength.


    However, Noel didn''t understand what he was talking about. He was still trying to figure out the enemy''s strength.


    It seemed the enemy didn''t intend to wait for him as he charged forward with his de, making the same swing as the previous one.


    Noel remembered what happened in the previous sh and hurriedly used his Everchanging Sword Style to strike it. He used Fear to improve his speed for a split second, hitting the sword upward.


    The guy smirked as if he didn''t care about this sudden change of trajectory. He used the same ability to put a small wound on Noel''s face.


    Unfortunately, the distance between his neck and the sword was bigger than earlier. This time, Noel could finally see what was going on and ducked down.


    His hair was cut a bit and Noel was forced to leap back.


    Still, that sh gave him a lot of information. He recalled what happened earlier.


    At thest second, the enemy''s de seemed to be releasing Spiritual Energy that formed another de like an extension. It turned out the enemy could manipte his Spiritual Energy freely as a weapon.


    As if noticing Noel''s change of expression, the enemy smirked and raised his sword to his back. Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy erupted on his sword as it gradually formed a longer de covering the original de.


    "It seems you have noticed it." As one would expect from a Demon Banner Army''s knight, he thought.


    He didn''t bother to hide it anymore. His smile was confident and his action was bold, thinking Noel wouldn''t be able to do anything to him even if he knew it.


    And to prove his confidence, he waved his de horizontally. The Spiritual Energy erupted once again as the de expanded.


    "!!!" Noel hurriedly used the Surprise Emotion to bolster his defense and raised his sword to the right.


    This time, the clicking sound felt like something was hit by a huge boulder. The sound was soon followed by a few bumping sounds as a few trees were cut down by this long de.


    Noel gritted his teeth, seeing this ten meter long de. It was surprising to see there was a de this long even if it was just an extension.


    But wielding this kind of de would surely take a toll on his physical body, so Noel ignored the numbing pain in his hands and leaped forward, trying to defeat him in closebat. With a sword that huge, it would be hard to use it anyway.


    The guy had already expected this kind of movement since there were a lot of people who used the same strategy in the past.


    Still, no one managed to kill him yet because¡­ The guy''s de shrunk in a split second as the energy went backward, forming an extension to the guy''s handle.


    ''A spear?!'' Noel was shocked because the new form looked like a spear. That shock actually stopped him from attacking this guy as thetter was trying to stab him.


    Noel was annoyed because he was forced to block this attack.


    Meanwhile, the enemy was trying their best to defeat him and get all the glory.


    After striking Noel, the guy retracted the de again and changed its form again. Noel wasn''t nning to lose either. These two strikes provided a lot of information about this guy.


    His mind was pondering an attack pattern to use against such an opponent.


    Before the third strike came, Noel rushed to the enemy while gathering his Spiritual Energy on his boots instead of his sword.


    The guy was confused for a moment but decided to use the long sword again. He used the weight of a long sword and its momentum tounch Noel away.


    To his surprise, Noel actually stopped and raised his right foot. Instead of blocking or avoiding this de, Noel actually kicked it.


    *Clink!*


    The surprise didn''t end there as another clicking sound echoed in their ears. The guy was astounded to see Noel''s boot was actually as strong as a metal. He didn''t know that his boot had been enhanced by the Hardening Rune.


    Noel used this swing to step on the de before using the sword''s momentum tounch him forward.


    The guy was shaken as Noel actually managed toe closer. Luckily, Noel would have a hard time stopping that momentum, so he would crash somewhere.


    But what he didn''t understand was why his instinct was telling him to block an attack.


    The guy decided to follow the instinct that had helped him a lot in the past. Unexpectedly, Noel was actually right next to him.


    Noel just used the Hyper Jump to step on air, stopping all that momentum. He thought he could catch the enemy off guard, but it seemed the Spirit Master was far stronger than his previous opponent.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue, disappointed.


    "Do you think you can defeat me just like that? A mere Spirit Wielder¡­" The guy shouted in anger, using all his strength tounch Noel away. "No matter how hard you struggle, it''s impossible for you to go against me!"


    "Oh really?" Noel actually smiled after that provocation. After all, he had left another package for him.


    There was a sudden fluctuation of Spiritual Energy on his de. The guy''s body was shaken as he raised his sword, trying to figure out the situation.


    But in that instant, ice formed on his sword, expanding to his head.


    The guy tilted his head to the side out of reflex and the ice ended up cutting his cheek quite deep. It was different from Noel''s superficial wound.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    And Noel used this chance to provoke him.


    "What did you say again?"

 Chapter 479 Fighting A Spirit Master

    "What did you say again?" Noel snorted, not scared against a Spirit Master like him at all even though he was stronger than the one he faced in the town.


    There was a huge difference between the previous battle and this one. In the previous battle, he couldn''t use his Everchanging Sword Style and the Ice Ability.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Now that everything had been unleashed, there was nothing to stop him anymore.


    The enemy was utterly shocked. He had seen Noel using a Fire Ability, but this time, he actually wielded an Ice Ability.


    This was the first time he saw someone with two elements.


    He sucked a cold breath emanating from the ice while gritting his teeth.


    On the one hand, Noel was his enemy that he should kill. On the other hand, Noel had a rare talent to wield two elements at once.


    He might have to capture Noel since his talent was so rare that it could go beyond this kingdom. As for whether they could turn Noel into one of them or not, it would be a problem for the organization as a whole.


    He still believed Noel couldn''t go against him because of the difference in their strength.


    But this was actually the situation Noel envisioned in his mind. With his opponent being unable to kill him, Noel could go all out to a certain degree until the enemy felt his life in great danger and chose to kill him instead. This was the reason why he chose to fight a bit further from the rest since his talent couldn''t be revealed yet.


    His enemy suddenly lowered his spear and turned it back to a sword. At the same time, he pulled out another sword from his waist. A chain made of Spiritual Energy connected the two swords at the back of the handles.


    Noel knew he had to unleash everything in order to find an opportunity to kill him. He had used his Ice Infusion earlier, but it seemed that the Spirit Master reacted better than he originally expected since it only left a wound on his cheek.


    He leaped forth while covering his sword with Spiritual Energy.


    The enemy seemed to be focusing on his de as if wondering what kind of element Noel nned to use next.


    This was a dual element advantage. Normally, it would be beneficial if the two elementsplemented each other since they could boost each other to a whole different level.


    But Noel''s elements were the exact opposite. The fire and ice would neutralize each other.


    Still, the one who used these two elements was Noel. These two conflicting elements actually suited him the most, especially with the fire being the strongest he had ever seen.


    Noel first released his ice element. The Ice Infusion was used again.


    Now that he was aware of Noel''s two elements, the guy instantly recognized the freezing energy from that Spiritual Energy.


    He hurriedly poured more Spiritual Energy into the tip of his de and struck Noel''s de.


    *Clink!*


    Their swords shed for a split second. Noel had left his Ice Element there and it was about to erupt to strike his neck this time.


    However, the guy released a burst of Spiritual Energy on the sword''s edge, spreading it to create a shield.


    The ice emerged, but because of the shield''s surface, it couldn''t prate the de and ended up spreading on the shield''s surface.


    With the left sword blocking Noel''s attack, he used his right sword to hit Noel on the knee.


    Noel nced down. As he expected, the guy intended to subdue him instead of killing him. It was proven by how the guy spread the Spiritual Energy in the way he formed a club instead of a sharp de.


    Noel also used his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. But instead of using the Disgust to turn his de into the same bat, he used Fear to increase his speed.


    In that instant, it felt like his swing blinked for a split second as it struck down the de, nting it on the ground.


    "!!!" The guy shuddered when he saw the speed. It was for an instant, but this was extremely dangerous for his life since a single cut to his neck was what Noel needed to kill him.


    He knew that even if he was a Spirit Wielder, his talent and current ability were beyond his level.


    With that thought in mind, he forgot Noel''s current strength and treated him as an equal.


    He kicked Noel in the stomach, which was blocked by Noel''s de.


    "¡­" They were at aplete standstill for a while before the guy spun his body and kicked Noel with the other foot.


    Noel clicked his tongue and took it head-on, only to get pushed back. He hurriedly covered his sword with fire and shed downwards, releasing a crescent-shaped fire wave.


    Sword Fire.


    The guy pointed the de at each other. Then, the des seemed to be multiplied by his ability, creating a wall that received the fire wave.


    The fire burned the wall. As one would expect from the Undying Fire, it started melting the wall the moment the fire touched it.


    However, the wall had done its job well as it protected its owner.


    The enemy looped around the wall and struck Noel from the right. Noel tried to gather enough Spiritual Energy for his Ignition Sword, but the enemy didn''t give Noel enough time.


    He had reached Noel and struck him with his de.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    A series of clicking sounds echoed. In just five seconds, they shed their des twenty times.


    Noel jumped back while furrowing his eyebrows. Although he could match the enemy''s speed, he was forced to use his Fear Emotion.


    ''Tsk. I guess I could reach the situation I like, but not everything goes ording to the n.'' Noelined inwardly, knowing that the enemy was calmer than he wanted. He thought he could make the enemy angry by provoking him with the help of the gap between their strength. But the enemy was able to maintain his calm.


    Noel took a deep breath,ing up with another n to catch the enemy off guard and end him in one strike.

 Chapter 480 Dangerous Fire

    The enemy nned to stop him from using all his abilities, so Noel ced his hand on the ground to confuse him.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "!!!" The guy became wary of this ability, wondering if he channeled either element inside.


    However, the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy was weak, making him think there was no way an attack that small would harm him.


    So, he chased after Noel while forming a shield with his second de just in case.


    As he expected, Noel leaped back to get away from him.


    He lowered his shield to block everything from below while chasing after Noel.


    The Spiritual Energy fluctuated violently the moment he stepped near the ground Noel put his hand on earlier. However, this amount of Spiritual Energy wasn''t enough to harm him, so he focused on going after Noel.


    This was his mistake because what Noel left behind was the Softening Rune.


    As soon as he stepped on the ground, the soil became so soft that it felt like it absorbed his foot.


    "!!!" The guy lost his bnce immediately. Although he managed to use his other foot to support him, his left leg was already on its knee.


    Before Noel attacked him, he actually used his Ice Control and froze the ground. The ice reached his opponent''s knee and made it stick. This way, the enemy wouldn''t be able to get into his stance.


    Noel took this opportunity to jump back to strike the guy''s head. He wanted to hit him from the back, but the guy would have already broken free. So, he had no choice but to attack head-on.


    *Clink!*


    The guy managed to raise his sword at thest second, blocking Noel''s attack. But because of his stance, he could only muster sixty percent of his power.


    On the other hand, Noel came to him with all that momentum and power, knocking him down to the ground.


    He ended up in an awkward position, with one knee stuck on the ground while the rest of his body was lying on the ground.


    He gritted his teeth as he tried his best to recover from such a situation.


    On the other hand, Noel had turned around and summoned three giant swords on top of him.


    Sword Fall.


    "!!!" The guy was shocked because he didn''t think he would be able to block these huge swords. But as expected from a Spirit Master, he joined his des together and spread the Spiritual Energy to form a sturdier shield.


    Instead of blocking this Sword Fall, he chose to let the three swords slide on the shield''s surface.


    Still, the Sword Fall was one of the strongest attacks Noel had. His hands felt numb just by deflecting three of them.


    Noel even had another package for him behind those swords.


    "!!!" The guy widened his eyes in shock, seeing a snowke above him. That snowke was giving a dangerous vibe along with a vast amount of Spiritual Energy.


    He instinctively changed the shape of his shield.


    Freezing Crystal.


    The snowke burst, freezing the entire area. But when the mist was gone, Noel could see dome-shaped ice that followed the shape beneath it.


    The Spirit Master managed to form a dome to block the Freezing Crystal.


    Noel wanted to take this opportunity where his vision was blocked by the ice. He had concentrated his Spiritual Energy to use his next ability.


    But the Spirit Master managed to react before him.


    The ice was shattered with a single swing.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" The guy was panting as he had used a lot of energy to block thest two attacks. He red at Noel, wondering if he could take down this guy by himself.


    He was sure that Noel couldn''t win against him, but capturing Noel was a different case. Capturing needed him to control his strength since he couldn''t harm Noel, while killing him only required him to go all out. That was why he believed his team could finish their battles first before helping him to take down Noel.


    Even if the mission failed, as long as they got Noel, they would surely be rewarded.


    Hence, the guy changed his approach. Instead of capturing Noel, he would just buy time from him until his teammates finished their fight.


    Even if they were Spirit Masters, they still outnumbered them by two to one. So, they should be able to win somehow.


    With that thought in mind, the guy came out of the broken ice dome and walked to Noel as if he wasn''t nning to attack him anymore.


    "¡­" Noel frowned because an enemy like this was more troublesome to him. Since he had used both elements, he had to kill the enemy if he didn''t want his secret to be leaked.


    But because the enemy did his best to buy time, it would be hard to kill him.


    Noel wanted to use the Spiritual Energy he had just gathered for the me Conjuring, but it seemed he had to use all his Spiritual Energy in order to kill him.


    The Spiritual Energy soon gathered on his palm. He waved his hand and formed a ck-colored phoenix.


    Undying Fire.


    The phoenix let out a cry as it flew toward the enemy. The guy jumped to the side to avoid the phoenix, but thetter actually turned around, matching his direction.


    The Spirit Master had no way to escape other than crushing the phoenix. Hence, he extended his de as far as possible while swinging downwards, afraid that this phoenix would explode like the snowke crystal.


    The phoenix went straight to the de and got shed. The phoenix might get shed just like that, but the Undying Fire remained on the sword''s extension and began to spread by using the Spiritual Energy as its fuel.


    "!!!" The guy was startled because the fire was approaching him. The de extension was made of Spiritual Energy, so it only took like two seconds before it reached his handle.


    Luckily, his reaction speed was fast enough as he cut off the Spiritual Energy with his other sword, making the de extension break apart.


    The de extension fell to the ground and kept burning until nothing remained.


    ''What a dangerous fire¡­''

 Chapter 481 Hard Fight

    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. This Undying Phoenix was one of his strongest techniques. Even though he had just acquired it not long ago, it didn''t change the fact that the Undying Fire was overwhelming.


    Yet, the guy managed to stop it. It was clear that the Undying Phoenix wouldn''t be working more effectively next time. He knew he could simply extend his de to stop it.


    This wasn''t looking good for him.


    ''I guess this is the current gap between a Spirit Wielder and a real Spirit Master, unlike the one I met in the town. Even with two elements, Rune and my swordsmanship, it''s impossible to close the gap between us.''


    Even though Noel couldn''t reach the Spirit Master''s level, he would probably win against the Spirit Master he fought with Anna if he went all out. Unfortunately, he still hadn''t reached the level of the Spirit Master before him.


    He never thought that a single rank had this big of a gap.


    Noel had to find another way to close thest gap. But it seemed he could only take advantage of the terrain or his teammate.


    "I have told you earlier, no matter how hard you struggle, you won''t be able to defeat me!" The guy stated coldly, asserting his dominance. He had acknowledged Noel''s strength and talent, so the only thing he had to do was to use his ability to capture Noel and present him to the organization.


    Noel should be valued a lot, so it wouldn''t be so strange if he got a huge promotion after this.


    Since he had seen a lot of his abilities, he wasn''t afraid of Noel anymore. He jumped toward him while extending his de.


    Noel hadn''t found any weakness to exploit. Despite getting provoked multiple times, this guy wasn''t even angry.


    In the end, he was forced to run away, trying to get into a ce where he could get some advantages.


    The guy kept chasing after him, thinking Noel had no more options left.


    He didn''t realize that the terrain had changed. The woods had be denser and the ground had be a bit wet, making his step go a bit deeper than earlier.


    The instant they arrived at this terrain, Noel immediately formed his Phoenix Wings.


    A pair of ck wings appeared on his back. This fire would surely burn the trees if touched, but Noel didn''t care much about it, considering the ground was wet enough to stop the fire from spreading.


    At the very least, it wouldn''t be a forest fire.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master felt something different from this area. It looked like Noel had been nning to lure him into this area the entire time. He was only biding his time so that he thought he had enough advantage that he didn''t need to fear anything.


    He scanned the area hurriedly while seeing Noel flying around with his wings. He didn''t fly up high since he wasn''t running away.


    Noel just didn''t want to be hindered by the wet ground.


    While flying around, Noel released a couple of fire feathers into the air. This was the third ability he received recently, the Undying Fire Feathers.


    These feathers stayed afloat for a while before they flew toward the Spirit Master.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master found a difference between Noel''s Undying Phoenix and these Undying Fire Feathers. They might be formed by the same fire, but they had two different approaches.


    The Undying Phoenix used the Hard Approach, while these feathers utilized the Soft Approach.


    He expanded his de and turned it into a shield, blocking all these feathers.


    Unlike the Undying Phoenix that would burn everything, these feathers actually melted his shield.


    This was where Noel''s control was tested. The first wave of Undying Fire Feathers melted a portion of the shield, creating a few holes in the surface.


    Then, he sent the second wave to slip through that gap and reach the Spirit Master.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master was startled because he couldn''t protect himself now that the Undying Fire Feathers had gone past his shield.


    He hurriedly threw his body to the left, trying to avoid the feathers. However, one of the feathers grazed him on the arm.


    "Arghhhh!" He screamed in pain. The feather actually scorched his skin the instant it touched. Although the feather was blown away by the momentum, it was still extremely painful.


    Noel finally saw a gap in his defense. He hurriedly flew toward the guy while covering his weapon with the Spiritual Energy, ready to choose either fire or ice depending on his needs.


    However, chills suddenly went down his spine. Noel was astounded when the guy actually stopped screaming.


    He endured all that pain while raising his de. The Spiritual Energy on the tip of his sword red up as it got extended far further than the previous de.


    "!!!" Noel gritted his teeth while waving his sword to the left.


    *Clink!*


    The extended sword hit his de and cut all the trees within thirty meters radius.


    With that length and momentum, being struck by this de felt like he was crushed by a huge man using a warhammer.


    That sh actually knocked him to the ground and continued to cut all the trees in the area, preventing Noel from taking advantage of the terrain.


    Noel used his arm to support his body and immediately returned back up. But before standing, he ced his hand on the ground, cing another rune.


    Everything was so smooth that he believed the Spirit Master didn''t even see him nting one, since he was using the falling motion to cover it up.


    As soon as the Spirit Master came in, Noel hurriedly jumped forward as if abandoning the rune he just made.


    However, the Spirit Master knew that Noel was out of options and struck him so that he could get some time to think.


    He smiled and took this opportunity to take down Noel, releasing all the anger he had after Noel almost melted his arm.


    The sword was covered with Spiritual Energy to form a hammer.


    Then, he struck Noel''s de and blew him away.


    *Bam!*


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 482 Trick

    Noel was flying for a bit. He tried to use his wings, but they couldn''t stop his momentum. He ended up falling to the ground and continued to slide for a bit.


    But because the Spirit Master had cut down all the trees earlier, one of the trunks happened to fall in the direction Noel was going.


    So, he ended up tripping on this trunk.


    This was a big opportunity for the Spirit Master to apprehend Noel. So, he rushed to him, only to stumble when he stepped on the ground imbued by Noel''s rune. It was so soft that it felt like he had just stepped on the water.


    He lost his bnce and fell to the ground.


    It turned out Noel had actually calcted this. He just wanted to lower the enemy''s guard so that he could take advantage of this opportunity.


    It was an act as Noel, who was supposed to trip, suddenly released the Undying Fire Feathers.


    "!!!" His enemy was startled, trying to get up.


    Unfortunately, he was toote. Noel already knew his position, so even without looking at him, he aimed at the right spot, sending forth ten feathers.


    "Kh!" The guy gritted his teeth and formed another shield.


    Just like before, the shield melted and a few feathers ended up slipping through the gap. The guy couldn''t dodge it this time. Even if he threw his body to the side, his foot was stuck on the ground.


    In the end, three of the feathers reached his body with one stuck on his leg and the other two hitting his waist.


    "Aaaahhhhh!"


    The guy screamed in pain. His body was convulsing and his hands were trying to throw those feathers away. When he grabbed those feathers, his fingers were burned, but he had no other choice but to throw them away.


    His anger had been welling up this whole time. When he first got burned by the feather, he didn''t care much about it because he believed the reward would be much greater if he could bring Noel back to their base.


    However, he was wrong. Noel was far trickier than he expected. He was strong and had a cool head, allowing him to react to any situation and even create a trap for him when he thought there was nothing left to exploit.


    It was clear that taking Noel back was close to impossible if he was alone. At the same time, he didn''t know whether the other members coulde to help him.


    His anger was on the brink of exploding. The only thing that calmed his mind was the fact they outnumbered them.


    If he bought enough time for the other members, they should be able to catch up to him and capture Noel.


    The guy gnashed his teeth while ring at Noel, who had just stood back up as if nothing had happened. It was a clear provocation to him, who got severe burns on his body.


    Ultimately, he chose to extend his de again. But this time, he formed a chain like the one attaching his de.


    These two chains that came out of the tip of his des flew in opposite directions to surround Noel.


    However, Noel also had his own chains. He still believed that his rune could overthrow these two chains.


    The Chain Binding Rune appeared in both hands as Noel pointed them at the two chains. Each rune summoned four chains and all of them captured the Spirit Master''s chains.


    "He also has chains? How? It''s just pure Spiritual Energy¡­ Is it his control? No, if his control is that good, his element will be fiercer. Then, what''s that weird symbol that summons the chains?" The Spirit Master shuddered.


    He had never seen Noel using his Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes, so he wasn''t aware of the rune yet, considering he used the Softening Rune in a way he didn''t notice.


    Hence, he thought Noel still had some tricks on his sleeve, increasing his value even more.


    ''He has many things in his repertoire. He only has two options¡­ either get captured or die.'' The Spirit Master narrowed his eyes. He knew that if he didn''t eliminate Noel, thetter would be a huge threat to their organization.


    So, if he was cornered by Noel, he decided to unleash everything to kill him.


    To prove whether he could capture Noel or not, he retracted the chains and turned back the two des. After that, he rushed forward while throwing one of his des.


    Noel didn''t understand why he threw away his weapon, but he struck this de to the ground.


    *Fwoosh!*


    But the Spirit Master was more clever than he thought. Before the de reached Noel''s range, it suddenly stopped.


    *Clink!* Noel ended up hitting the ground. He gritted his teeth while looking at the chain attached to the back of the sword.


    The de ended up falling to the ground, but it still fulfilled its objective, which was to buy time.


    During that time, the Spirit Master managed to reach Noel and swung the other sword.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Noel ducked down, avoiding the sword. But the Spirit Master pulled the other sword with the chain and grabbed it midair before swinging it to Noel.


    Noel blocked it with his sword, but he was forced to lean to the side as the Spiritual Energy surrounding that de turned into a spike, almost piercing his head.


    Still, due to that attack, Noel got stabbed in his shoulder. This was the same trick as the first attack, where he almost killed Noel, but this time, Noel managed to get a clear view of what was happening.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth as if enduring the pain. His left hand was holding the right shoulder as if trying to cover the wound.


    He also jumped back to regain some distance while ring at the Spirit Master. He wasn''t nning to go down, but he might not be able to resist for long because of the injury.


    The Spirit Master realized this was the perfect chance to seize him. With confidence, he rushed to him while swinging his de.


    And this was the moment, a smile appeared on Noel''s face.

 Chapter 483 Killing A Spirit Master

    A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he looked at the Spirit Master that approached him and stabbed him on the other shoulder, rendering both arms useless.


    The sword pierced through Noel''s shoulder and Noel was screaming in pain. His face was distorted and his fear started to grow.


    This was what the Spirit Master had been waiting for. With this, Noel shouldn''t resist anymore.


    It wouldn''t be too long until he captured Noel¡­ or so what was supposed to happen.


    But in reality, while Noel clutched his shoulder because of the pain, the Spirit Master stabbed his other shoulder.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Unexpected, instead of piercing the shoulder, the de actually stuck as if it had just hit a sturdy wall.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master widened his eyes in shock while looking at Noel.


    Noel was actually fine. He might have felt some pain in his shoulder earlier, but it wasn''t to the point he was injured. The same applied to the stabbed area. The de actually couldn''t prate his skin, or specifically the armor underneath his shirt.


    This was the armor made of the Ancient Demon Tree and was forged by a Master cksmith. Although the Master cksmith said it could only block an attack from a Spirit Wielder, Noel had perfected the Spirit Enhancement, turning it into a rune.


    At the same time, the Spiritual Energy he used to strengthen the armor was enough to stop a Spirit Master''s attack, let alone one without Spiritual Energy.


    He had underestimated Noel.


    Without the knowledge of this armor, the guy waspletely frozen. He felt like time had stopped and he was trying to think like his life depended on it.


    Noel, on the other hand, had prepared his attack this whole time. In fact, he had been luring the Spirit Master into this tricky situation. He knew he couldn''t defeat a Spirit Master unless he risked his life.


    When the opportunity arrived, Noel dropped his sword. The Spiritual Energy on his left hand turned into a phoenix, while the one on his right hand turned into Undying Fire.


    Noel ced his right hand on the guy''s chest while pushing him away.


    The Spirit Master was startled because the fire finally made direct contact with his body. The Undying Fire had been enhanced, so the burning effect was far greater than the one Noel used against an eagle.


    The Undying Fire started to spread on his body, burning his clothes away. Though, that wasn''t Noel''s ultimate objective.


    The reason he pushed him away was to create a distance between him and the Spirit Master.


    Noel took advantage of that gap to release his Undying Phoenix straight to him.


    The Spirit Master tried to use his power to block it, but Noel understood his movement. His hand motion was making a thrust, so when Noel pushed him away, the hand kept pointing at the phoenix.


    He might be able to use the de extension at thest minute, but Noel had made a little tweak to the phoenix.


    It suddenly leaned to the side a little bit, avoiding the de.


    "It moved?" The Spirit Master''s body was shaken.


    Noel was smiling. He still remembered what he had learned when he visited his mother''s family. After training with Dimitri, he finally mastered the way to make a parabolic movement.


    That was why he waved his hand horizontally, so the phoenix would move to the side for a bit before going back to its original track and hitting the Spirit Master.


    *Boom!*


    The phoenix devoured the Spirit Master with that raging fire and gradually turned into a giant fireball.


    "Aaaahhhh!" The Spirit Master was in agony. He was trying to cover his body with Spiritual Energy, but the overbearing me instantly evaporated it.


    The energy was so strong that he had a hard time enduring the pain. His skin was charred and his organ seemed to start failing.


    He threw his body to the side to escape the fire, but the Undying Fire had been boosted by the Undying Phoenix, so the me wasn''t extinguished.


    Even after using the Spiritual Energy to push away the me, he still couldn''t get rid of it.


    The only way to get rid of it was to use an even more overwhelming Spiritual Energy, but he didn''t have the time to do it. After all, Noel had reached his position while swinging his sword.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master used all his strength to avoid it while enduring the burning pain.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue, not because the Spirit Master avoided him, but because he only managed to cut his right arm.


    "Aaaahhhhh!" The Spirit Master screamed in pain. The fire that covered his body started to spread to his inside through that wound.


    The Spirit Master thought he had the ability to catch Noel and bring him to the organization, but it seemed he had made a mistake.


    He didn''t realize that Noel had made him think this way by exposing one weakness to another. At the same time, Noel also inflicted some damage.


    He would have released all his strength if he was cornered, but Noel had controlled his power so that the wounds wouldn''t be that big to the point he would change his objective from capturing him to killing him.


    And at thest moment, he used one powerful attack to kill him. Everything was going ording to Noel''s n.


    Even if the end result was a bit unsatisfactory to Noel, it didn''t change the fact that the Spirit Master had been wounded severely.


    Noel and the Spirit Master red at each other. They knew that their roles had reversed.


    Noel took a deep breath and charged forward while the Spirit Master shouted as loud as possible, rming his people.


    "Help!"


    Noel didn''t allow him to talk too much as he had reached him and swung his de. The Spirit Master tried to use his ability, but the fire burned his organs, causing him to be unable to use more power to resist him.


    Ultimately, Noel ended his life in a single swing.

 Chapter 484 Realization

    "Help!"


    "!!!" The other Spirit Masters from both the Demon Banner Army and the Supreme Devil Organizations were rmed by that shout.


    Rose, who was having a hard time fighting two Spirit Masters, noticed this voice, thinking, ''It''s not Noel''s voice¡­ If it''s reached this point, I''m pretty sure that Noel has defeated that guy.''


    Rose couldn''t help but smile. She focused on one fact. Noel managed to defeat a Spirit Master, not a new Spirit Master, whose strength was still not far ahead from a Spirit Wielder, but a Spirit Master with solid strength.


    It proved Noel''s strength and potential. She couldn''t wait to see how far Noel could go if he reached Spirit Master level.


    Meanwhile, Ben was fired up. Noel had fought someone above his level, so he should work a bit harder to defeat two people of the same level.


    ''I can''t lose to a Spirit Wielder, can''t I?'' Ben smiled.


    The Spirit Masters from the Supreme Devil Organizations hade to a realization. They never expected their teammate couldn''t handle a single Spirit Wielder.


    One of them gritted his teeth and jumped away, "I''m going there to help!"


    "Wait!" Ben and Rose stood in their way, preventing them from attacking Noel. Unfortunately, they were still outnumbered two to one.


    And with Rose''s ability not being focused onbat, she ended up letting one of them slip past her.


    "Kh." Rose was frustrated. She truly had a hard time dealing with these Spirit Masters.


    ¡­


    Noel fell on his butt, tired after fighting this Spirit Master. He had sustained a few injuries as well and his Spiritual Energy was depleted a lot.


    He leaned on the tree while looking at the corpse.


    ''It''s truly hard to fight against a Spirit Master by myself. And I defeated him this time because he underestimated me and tried to capture me instead of killing me.''


    Noel sighed. After fighting against a Spirit Master, he realized a lot of his new objectives.


    ''I need a lot of things. I have to get more Spiritual Energy and break through to Spirit Master as soon as possible. The runes might be working, but I have to add more variants.


    ''The Everchanging Emotion Sword Style works, but it''s stillcking a lot. Even this guy has a simr swordsmanship as me, but with a more unique andplete style.


    ''My fire is overbearing, but the more the person sees it, the more they are wary of it. I''m afraid I''d be in a more disadvantageous position the longer this fightsted.


    ''Last but not least, the ice might work, but it''s still too dangerous to expose it.'' Noel sighed. He still remembered how greedy the guy''s eyes were when he realized he had two elements.


    ''I''m afraid the kingdom will try to crush me wholeheartedly when they know about these two elements.


    ''Right now, there are only a few people who know about my two elements: themander, the Third Prince, Anna, and the people in the Demon Relief Squad.


    ''With the fact that I''m being suppressed like this by a mere Spirit Master makes it clear that I won''t be able to endure the suppression from other forces if this is exposed.''


    Noel couldn''t imagine the battle between many forces that wanted him and knew about his two elements'' secret.


    ''Now that I think about it, did my father know about two elements before he executed this n? What if my parents did this because they wanted to protect me?


    ''My father never really trained me inbat. Instead, he only taught me a few things regarding human characters and business ns.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ''If he knew about Ardagan''s secret and the importance of being chosen, his execution must be his way to help me escape the royal family''s grasp.


    ''Basically, the instant they know about two elements like the one in legend, people will flock around me and assassins will starting to eliminate future threats.


    ''It seems there are a lot of meanings behind the execution and I might have to ask my father about his reasons so as to avoid misunderstanding his intentions.''


    Noel became more and more impressed with his father. It felt like everything he did, from the execution to Anna being the mastermind, was just a ploy to protect him.


    Noel became more sure that he had to meet his father to understand the entire conspiracy.


    As he wanted to think more about this matter, he was interrupted by the appearance of the Spirit Master from the organization.


    "Raker!" A deep voice echoed from the side. It was filled with anger, shock, and grief.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes as he turned his head around, finding another Spirit Master approaching him.


    This Spirit Master didn''t expect Noel to be able to defeat him. He deemed Noel as dangerous, not caring about Noel''s potential or anything. He just wanted to avenge his dead teammate.


    So, he rushed to Noel while covering his hands with Spiritual Energy.


    Noel raised his de. Although he was exhausted, he didn''t n to go down without a fight.


    The Spirit Master waved his hand, sending forth all the energy built up in that palm. Noel also tried to strike it down, but before he had the chance to do so, there was a hand touching his shoulder.


    Noel was startled, but this hand actually pulled him back as if trying to protect him. Then, he saw another hand that released the same amount of Spiritual Energy as the enemy was releasing.


    Their energy shed and caused a huge burst to the surrounding, blowing away all the dust and fallen leaves.


    Noel was surprised by the amount of power those palms had, but soon, he raised his head and found out the identity of the person that helped him.


    It turned out the one who had just arrived was none other than Jonathan. He was annoyed and frustrated that Noel didn''t bring him here to handle these enemies. But more importantly, he was angry that these people dared to harm his family.


    And he¡­ was nning to kill them.

 Chapter 485 Retreat

    This might be the first time Noel saw the angry Jonathan. He normally didn''t show his emotion and maintained his poker but gloomy face.


    It seemed Jonathan had found out about their movement earlier. But because Noel didn''t have the chance to inform him, Jonathan took everything into his own hands.


    Instead of helping the Demon Hunting Squad stop the demons, he chose to go after his teammates, considering Paul and the others weren''t there. He had to protect them this time, especially Noel, who was known to be reckless.


    And it was proven right because he found Noel almost died at the enemy''s hand. Though, he was also shocked to find out that Noel managed to take down a Spirit Master. It was a huge aplishment.


    But due to the aftermath that was visible on the battlefield, he realized Noel had utilized both elements.


    If the enemy was aware of Noel''s ability, they wouldn''t have left him alone. So, he decided he was going to kill this one person.


    Noel, on the other hand, didn''t know Jonathan''s motivation this time. But it was clear that his power was overwhelming.


    He actually suppressed his enemy with his Telekinesis. When the enemy used his Spiritual Energy, Jonathan would disperse it with his ability. When the enemy tried to attack him, Jonathan controlled their body until they were severely injured.


    Noel finally understood that Ste''s strength might be second to Paul''s in the Zero Squad. But Jonathan might be the underdog who never really used all his strength.


    The battle onlysted for ten minutes before another Spirit Master from the Supreme Devil Organization died.


    Jonathan let out a sigh after making sure the enemy died. He turned around to check Noel''s condition. "Are you alright?"


    "Yes. I''m just a bit exhausted." Noel nodded. "Although it''s impossible to kill another Spirit Master, I should be able to run away."


    Jonathan thought for a moment and said, "In that case, you''re going to follow me. At the very least, you will be safer this way."


    "Yeah." Noel pointed in the southwest direction and said, "They are in that direction. It''s better if we hurry up. As long as we can tilt the bnce over, the enemy will be in a disadvantageous position."


    "I see. Our victory is assured then." Jonathan nodded in agreement. With Noel looking so confident, it was clear that the battle was in the bag.


    So, Jonathan led Noel in that direction and found the other three Spirit Masters.


    Although the logical option would be to take one of Ben''s enemies, Ben actually pointed at Rose''s enemy as if telling him to target him first.


    Jonathan understood what he wanted and worked together with Rose to kill the Spirit Master. This way, they could conclude the battle faster.


    And having the number disadvantage, the enemies chose to retreat.


    Noel stood in front of them and used his Undying Phoenix to make them stay for a while until his team caught up. And they ended up dying in Ben and Jonathan''s hands not long after.


    After handling the enemies, they gathered up to discuss their next move. Obviously, they were staring at Noel as if it was the normal thing to do. Even Rose, who took care of the group''s strategy, asked his opinion.


    Noel sighed. He wanted to leave the battle n to Rose, but since they didn''t have a lot of time, Noel epted the role and gave some ns.


    "We''re going to help Captain Igor to buy some time from one of his enemies. I''m pretty sure he will be able to defeat his enemy. We have Richard as well. Although his strength can''t bepared to Captain Igor, he still has enough abilities to handle one Spirit Grandmaster with our help."


    Rose contemted for a moment and nodded. "Yes. If we have Captain Igor back, we canunch a sneak attack against the enemies and figure out their objective."


    Noel nodded. "That''s why we have to hurry up. I''m afraid the enemies already know about our existence and aren''t sure about the situation."


    They exchanged nods, reaching an agreement. They hurriedly moved toward Igor and found Richard fighting against one Spirit Grandmaster.


    With Igor only fighting one Spirit Grandmaster, it was clear that Richard managed to stop one of them. But the difference in skill was visible since Richard''s body was covered in wounds. It would be bad if this continued, so Noel hurriedly waved his hand, asking his teammates to move.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "!!!" The four Spirit Grandmasters immediately found their presence on the battlefield and spared some attention to see their identities.


    The moment they confirmed they were from the Demon Relief Squad, Igor and Richard smiled since this was the time to counterattack. Meanwhile, the people from the Supreme Devil Organization seemed to have a prior arrangement in case they failed.


    And looking at the Demon Relief Squad appearing on this battlefield, they finally fulfilled their objectives.


    Without hesitation, one of the Spirit Grandmasters took out a small cylinder where he poured his Spiritual Energy and threw it to the sky.


    *Boom!*


    The small tube exploded, releasing red-colored particles in the air. It was so big that everyone in the area should be able to see it.


    ''Hmm? Why did they¡ª'' Noel tried to figure out the enemy''s intention by using that signal. He thought they wanted to inform the others so that they would get surrounded, but the Spirit Grandmasters actually turned around and jumped away as if they were nning to leave.


    ''Huh? A signal? Leaving? Don''t tell me, it''s a retreat signal?'' Noel gasped as he shouted in panic. "Not good! We can''t let them get away. Chase after them and kill them!"


    The people were confused. Although it was bad that they couldn''t kill the enemies, repelling them was enough since they could use this opportunity to ambush the remaining enemies along with the demons.


    They didn''t realize the meaning of a retreat signal. And that meaning would be engraved to Noel and the Demon Relief Squad instead of the Demon Hunting Squad.

 Chapter 486 Holiday

    They didn''t understand why Noel''s reaction was so big. But seeing how desperate he was, they thought it would be bad if those two escaped. Hence, they chased after them and chose to ask himter.


    Unfortunately, the two Spirit Grandmasters had made their first move to escape. Even with Jonathan and Igor, it was impossible to catch up to them.


    The best they could do was to maintain their distance, but the enemies had prepared another wave of demons, which ended up stopping their chase.


    Igor unleashed his beastly strength to crush all the demons as they gradually retreated to clean up the base.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the enemies managed to escape before they reached him. They noticed a few more signals exploding in the sky, which was enough to inform all the Spirit Masters on their side.


    "Kh¡­" Noel gritted his teeth while standing on top of the wall, looking in all directions.


    Next to him was Igor and the Demon Relief Squad. Igor was confused as to why Noel wanted to do all this, so he asked, "Why is it bad to let them escape? Although the Supreme Devil Organization is our enemy, we''re not going to send our people to a possible trap¡­ So, I''m afraid to inform you that I won''t be sending more people¡­ unless you ask me for that favor. Even themander will understand my reason."


    Noel shook his head. He had a headache just from thinking about the possible reasons.


    "Your Demon Hunting Squad won''t matter that much, I think¡­" Noel sighed.


    "Huh? It''s not my squad''s problem?" Igor became confused since his base had been attacked like this. There was no way it wasn''t his problem.


    Noel shook his head. "Their primary objective is us, the Demon Relief Squad."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "What are you talking about?" Igor couldn''t understand Noel''s words. Even Rose, Jonathan, and Ben tilted their heads, asking each other what he meant.


    Noel finally revealed the reason why he couldn''t afford to let them leave.


    "They have two objectives: the count and the Demon Relief Squad. I can finally understand the reason why those nests are filled to the brim and how the Demon Hunting Squad suffers from many attacks."


    Noel narrowed his eyes, realizing the enemies were far smarter than he originally thought. He waspletely outyed in this battle.


    "They flooded the area and attacked the Demon Hunting Squad with demons so that the baron would call us.


    "And with how we managed to intervene in their ns three times, I''m afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization already knew we were going to disturb their ns again.


    "In other words, they assumed that we would know about their movement and stop them¡­ which we did.


    "They wanted to confirm that the Demon Relief Squad was a huge threat to them and would go all out to wipe us out. I''m afraid this is their primary objective."


    After listening to Noel''s senses, his worry made much more sense. Igor thought for a moment and asked the most obvious question. "So, they attacked us because of you?"


    "I''m afraid so. I already told you about this, right? We had messed with their ns multiple times."


    "True." Igor nodded. He couldn''t see that far ahead from Noel''s exnation, but it was clear that the Demon Hunting Squad waspletely a victim this time. However, he couldn''t me the Demon Relief Squad as well since it was unintentional. And the Supreme Devil Organization was their enemy, so it was fine to lend a hand to kill them.


    Meanwhile, Rose got a more in-depth understanding of their current situation. "So, you''re saying they did all this to lure us and confirm that possibility¡­ With how they retreated, I could see that.


    "But doesn''t this mean they''re putting the Demon Relief Squad above the Demon Banner Army?"


    "More like they put the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad above everything else. They know that we might intervene with their ns again, so it''s better to lure us out before exterminating the Zero Squad." Noel nodded while sighing since the future looked bleak.


    Rose looked down, contemting their current situation.


    On the other hand, Ben seemed to have a solution. His expression remained calm as if everything was still within the calction.


    He suggested, "Then how about going back to enjoy your time?"


    "What?" Noel was confused, while Rose agreed with that suggestion. "I think that''s a good idea. Since we have be their target, it''s better if we remain hidden for a while until they don''t aim for us anymore."


    "What are you two talking about?" Noel couldn''t figure out their suggestion.


    This was when Jonathan came in. He exined, "Four months from now, we''ll have a holiday thates every three years. We will go back to the Demon Relief Squad''s headquarters before reporting to the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters.


    "After that, we will be enjoying a holiday that willst for a few months, depending on the situation. We can use that time to visit our families or pursue what we want."


    "Huh? This is the first time I''ve heard about it."


    "Well, you were supposed to know about it in a few months." Jonathan shrugged. "Anyway, I think it''s possible to move up the holiday if Paul suggests it to Captain ra. She will judge the situation and handle the approval.


    "I already told you before that the Demon Relief Squad was extremely flexible. If we were in danger, we could get help from other squads, including their captains. And in this situation, we might be able to get an early holiday as long as we can exin our circumstances.


    "If it doesn''t go ording to that scenario, then it''s nothing but an early off session. So, yeah¡­ You don''t need to worry about the condition since we''ll take care of it."


    Noel was contemting since this was the first time he had heard about a holiday. It seemed both Rose and Ben agreed with this decision.


    Of course, it might not go ording to the scenario, but Noel had been right from the day he joined the squad, so the chance of it happening was quite high.


    It was better to take this route.

 Chapter 487 Warning

    "I see. So, that''s how it is¡­" Paul closed his eyes. After returning from the hunt, he regrouped with Noel and the others and listened to Noel''s spection.


    It made some sense, so he couldn''t dismiss it easily. He murmured, "Byying low for the duration of the holiday, we can strengthen our group in a safe environment."


    "Yes. If their target is us, the fact that we''re on holiday means they can ignore us for the time being since we''re no longer a threat." Rose nodded in agreement. She had finally understood Noel''s n after thinking for a while.


    Paul considered everything before agreeing to the request. "Alright. I don''t have trouble with that. I don''t know how many months we can get this time, but I''ll try to ask the captain''s opinion about this matter and try to negotiate with her."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Thank you." Noel bowed his head. This was only a spection, but he still chose to believe it. Paul might be the only one who was this friendly to a newbie like him. So, Noel had to express his thanks.


    "Alright. We''ll be sleeping here today and go back to our base tomorrow." Paul waved his hand, dismissing them.


    They nodded and walked away. They were pretty tired since they hadn''t gotten a good rest since the mission started.


    Meanwhile, Rose came to him, asking to discuss their next move.


    Noel invited her to the wall where they could get some space to talk.


    "What do you want to discuss?" Noel asked while looking at the horizon.


    "I''m thinking about using this chance to go with you."


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. Although he was happy that Rose wanted to follow him, he had to consider Rose''s matters as well.


    However, Rose seemed to have made her decision as she immediately supported her request with all the reasons she had prepared earlier.


    "First of all, I have to inform you that I have no one left in this world¡­ You have heard about my story.


    "So, I usually use my time to improve my skills or just go to the library to learn some new stuff.


    "I don''t have anything to do, so I think it''s better to follow you. I''m sure you need my strength this time."


    Noel frowned. He still couldn''t ept it since this was a precious chance they got every few years. So, he didn''t want Rose to waste it.


    But before he could say anything, Rose added, "I can improve myself if I follow you. I''m sure you''re nning to go somewhere dangerous to get stronger. So, it''s better if I go with you. Not only can I get stronger, but I could also learn about your habits and work.


    "I''m going to work for you in the future, so I think it''s good to know more about you during this time."


    Noel couldn''t help but scratch the back of his head. "Is learning from me necessary? You''ve understood me this much."


    There was nothing Noel could say to reject her. She truly knew how to handle him.


    As long as she could provide all kinds of logical reasons, there was no way Noel had the heart to reject her.


    Rose smiled embarrassedly. "Hehe. I might be useless on the battlefield, but I''m good at learning."


    Noel actually had a few destinations in mind. And having Rose on this trip would certainly help him a lot.


    Though, he had another problem. He wondered how to contact Anna since thetter would try to find him three monthster.


    ? In the end, he believed in Anna, thinking she would know that there was no need to meet up during that time.


    He was also thankful for Rose''s help. Although Rose told him that she wasn''t useful in a battle, Noel knew that Rose still could hold back one or two people of the same level with her illusion.


    This power alone was enough to give him more options. That was why he was happy that Rose decided to follow him.


    Still, Noel had to warn Rose about what she should expect from this trip. "Rose¡­ I''m thankful for your gesture, but I have to warn you. My trip is going to be extremely dangerous. Even I don''t know whether I have the strength to protect myself or not."


    To his surprise, Rose answered as if she had prepared for it the whole time. "I know. Do you think following you is a joke? I know that you''re bound to rise up¡­ That path is thorny. I''m sure you have understood it well.


    "Despite knowing that I might lose my life in the process, I still choose to follow you and be one of your vassals. So, there''s no need to hesitate. I''ve prepared for the worst before even asking you to take me in." Rose assured him with a smile.


    Her expression couldn''t help but put a smile on Noel''s face. He looked at the horizon and stretched his hand as if trying to grasp the world. "Rose¡­ Following me might be a headache, but I''m going to make sure that the journey is something unforgettable."


    "That''s what I''m expecting from you, my lord."


    Noel and Rose exchanged a smile as the former finally asked Rose to walk back together. They had to leave in the morning after all.


    After packing up and getting a good night''s rest, Noel and the others stood in front of the base with Igor and Richard seeing them off.


    Before they left, Igor walked to Noel and stated, "If you still wish to join my Demon Hunting Squad, you''re free toe here. I''ll wee you with open arms."


    "Thank you for your appreciation. However, I still wish to stick with these guys." Noel pointed at the rest of the Demon Relief Squad. This was the squad that had taken care of him the whole time, so he wanted to repay them by sticking with them for a while.


    "Is that so? Well, I won''t force you. Though, I have to warn you a bit." Igor lowered his body and his head approached Noel''s ears, whispering, "The ze is everywhere: the kingdom, the army, and even the tower. I can smell it, the big ze that will envelop this kingdom and spread its poison to the others."

 Chapter 488 Help

    Two weekster.


    The group arrived at a city located northwest of the Demon Banner Army headquarters. The city was called Limebridge Town.


    It might be a bit far from the border, but it was at the very center of the border. They could easily dispatch the soldiers to any front.


    The reason why this town was called Limebridge was due to the bridge, made of limestone, located outside the city.


    The city was built near a cliff. Its sides were surrounded by farnds, leaving only one entrance which had a river spanning over thirty meters. This was the river that gave life to the entire area.


    The bridge was made to connect thend and the city.


    This city was governed by a baron called Baron Gilbert. The baron had a mutual rtionship with the Demon Relief Squad. These two never interfered with each other. The Demon Relief Squad gave them a good ce to live while the baron governed it well.


    It was a peaceful city, perfect for the Demon Relief Squad.


    They arrived at the Demon Relief Squad''s headquarters which was located in the west. The area might be only a tenth of the Demon Hunting Squad, but it was enough for their storage and small training area.


    They reached the administration building where Captain ra was supposed to do her work.


    "Alright. I''ll tell the captain about it. The rest of you can get some rest. Since Iadre is new here, someone should guide him around," said Paul while opening the door. He didn''t wait for anyone''s reply as he just entered the building, knowing the rest would take care of themselves properly.


    They exchanged looks for a moment and Rose immediately volunteered. "I''ll take care of Iadre. But before that, we should go to our lodging house."


    They agreed with the suggestion and immediately moved southwest of the administration building. There was a big building in the center where most soldiers stayed. This building was surrounded by a few cabin houses that could host ten to fifteen people each easily.


    "The biggest one is the main barrack where most knights and workers live. When you reach Tenth Squad or below, you can get one of these houses for the group to live in. It gives a lot of privacy and space to bond with your team." Rose introduced the buildings while the rest took care of the admission.


    After a while, they asked Noel and Rose to follow them to one of the houses to put their luggage down.


    But there was one thing bothering Rose this whole time. Noel had been frowning a lot recently.


    Noel had been dodging her questions the entire time, making her worried. But the matter must be a secret, so she couldn''t really demand Noel to exin everything.


    What Noel was thinking about was the warning Igor gave to him.


    "The ze is everywhere: the kingdom, the army, and even the tower. I can smell it, the big ze that will envelop this kingdom and spread its poison to the others."


    "¡­" Noel looked down, contemting. Igor didn''t seem to be lying. So, it meant he had sensed the iing chaos that would envelop the entire kingdom and affect the neighboring kingdoms.


    Igor might not look smart, but his senses were sharp ording to others'' descriptions of him. The way he looked at the world was different from everyone else.


    ording to Igor, there would be conflict everywhere. Noel believed the ze meant the fight.


    The kingdom meant the Royal Family and the nobles, including the Arbiters. He could somehow believe that the Royal Family, the nobles, and even the Arbiters might have spies from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    But he was quite surprised that the Demon Banner Army also had one. Seeing how Igor looked at them equally, it meant the spy in the Demon Banner Army had a high position that could be equal to that of an Arbiter. In other words, a captain.


    As for the Tower Association, he didn''t have much information about them, so he couldn''t get any conclusion.


    Still, he didn''t believe that Igor''s sense was that sharp to the point he could predict something. So, he thought Igor might not be as foolish as he thought he was.


    ''Does that mean Igor is affiliated with someone? Since he''s close with themander, then is it themander? He''s putting on a fool front to make others underestimate him and strike them when they don''t expect him.''


    Noel was trying to figure out the situation. There were simply too many possibilities like Igor being a spy and trying to confuse him.


    In the end, he left the house after putting down his luggage. Rose was apanying him, but thetter actually asked for a deserted ce.


    Rose didn''t understand what he meant but still guided him around. They ended up leaving the town for a bit and made their way to the farnd.


    There was a thick forest next to the farnd, so they were using that ce to hold a meeting.


    Noel had been raising his arm since earlier as if he was trying to do something. Rose was confused, but all her doubts were answered the moment Dimitri appeared before them.


    There was a pool of shadows that emerged from the ground like a fire.


    "!!!" Rose sensed that fluctuation of Spiritual Energy and hurriedly positioned herself in front of Noel, trying to block any threat.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She didn''t expect the shadow to rise from the ground and form a humanoid figure as if it was a human from the start.


    And Noel ced his hand on her shoulder to assure her that this was what he had been doing the whole time.


    Yes, Noel actually called upon Dimitri. Thetter had told him that he didn''t want to help him too much when he was still growing, but the situation was worse than Noel thought, so he had to ask him.


    The shadow gradually revealed his appearance as he bowed to Noel, greeting him. "Young Master."


    "It''s been a while, Dimitri. Let''s cut to the chase¡­ I need your help."

 Chapter 489 Task

    "Let''s cut to the chase. I need your help."


    Dimitri couldn''t help but frown upon those words. He didn''t want to help excessively, but it seemed Noel had another n in mind as he added, "I''m not going to ask you to protect me or even kill someone else. I only want you to bring something to my mother''s family."


    "¡­" Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment. Bringing something wasn''t that hard for him. This kind of help could be reced by others, but since Noel asked him like this, it was clear that the item he wanted to transport held great importance.


    Only Dimitri was trusted enough to bring this item. And since the help wasn''t about a fight, it didn''t matter that much. He only worried that the moment he left him alone, Noel would face great danger, especially from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    After mulling it over for a few minutes, Dimitri finally agreed to the request. "I understand. I''ll bring the item for you, Young Master."


    Noel smiled and took out a notebook. "I want you to give this book to my grandfather."


    "This is¡­" Dimitri fell silent because he could see the title of this notebook. It was actually about the rune that only he knew.


    He had observed Noel for a long time, so obviously, he was aware of the runes that Noel had taught Rose. Its potential might be beyond what the richest family had.


    "This is the second part. I''ve given the first part to my grandfather. I want you to tell him tobine the two books and make a book for a basic introduction to the rune.


    "However, he has to abide by one promise. He can only publish the book six monthster. Even showing the king of the Greenwood Kingdom can only be done not long before the book is published."


    "¡­" Dimitri frowned. He wasn''t sure about this n. As Luke Ardagan''s right-hand man, he obviously understood the lineage of the Ardagan Family. If Noel did this, the Royal Family of the Greenwood Kingdom might take some action. He had to ask Noel to confirm his doubt. "Young Master. Are you aware of your lineage?"


    "I know. My ancestor came from the royal family of the Greenwood Kingdom and the Sword Saint, who was my ancestor''s sworn brother, was also from the same royal family." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Huh? Royal Family?" Rose obviously didn''t know anything about the lineage. She was shocked to know Noel was rted to the royal family. Although the line already became so thin after a thousand years, it didn''t change the fact that he was also a part of the royal family.


    And with the Greenwood Kingdom having the record about the Spirit Enchantment, the downgraded version of the rune, they might potentially acknowledge Noel as one of their members.


    When that happens, Noel might face a big problem since the other princes and princesses who wanted the throne might want to eliminate him.


    Though, this problem could be solved by simply not visiting the Greenwood Kingdom altogether. It seemed that Noel only wanted to do this so that he could stop the Greenwood Kingdom from helping this kingdom or any organization to kill him.


    Still, publishing this book would give a lot of power to his mother''s family, the Ezenholm Family, especially since his grandfather was a great figure among the Spirit Magicians.


    Dimitri could see a few reasons why he entrusted this notebook to his grandfather. As a Spirit Magician, his grandfather would be interested in it and could arrange the training for a lot of people. The teaching could be spread easily.


    "But Young Master, if you want to spread the knowledge about the runes¡­"


    "I know. There are three major problems. First, there will be many influences that want to monopolize it. And with the Ezenholm Family having sole possession, they will be threatened from all directions.


    "That''s why I want to ask you this¡­ Who was a big enemy to our Ardagan Family?"


    "Huh, a big enemy?" Dimitri was confused for a moment while trying toe up with a name. Noel wanted a big enemy, not the arch nemesis, so it was clear that the Royal Family wasn''t the correct answer.


    With him knowing the truth about the Stargaze Family, Dimitri crossed them out as well. That left two names in his mind.


    "If I have to say, then it''s Duchess Prisci and Marquis Simon. The Duchess wanted your father''s aid back then, but because your father chose the Third Prince''s side, she held a grudge and was the one helping the execution of your problem.


    "As for Marquis Simon¡­ he has a different problem. He has been aiming for the Ardagan Family''s wealth for a long time. If not for Marquis Stargaze stopping him, he would be the one to take the Ardagan Family''s wealth andnd.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "If these two didn''t meet your requirement, then there was Earl Michael, who was your father''s love rival."


    Noel contemted for a moment. "I still don''t have enough power to go against a Duchess, but this n is a waste if I only use it against an Earl. In that case, let''s attack Marquis Simon¡­ If I''m not wrong, his full name is Simon Walford¡­"


    "Yes. He is Simon Walford, the head of the Walford Family. His territory is located northwest of the Ardagan''s territory. He was the one to condemn your father when he took care of that territory, only to bite him when your father seeded in making the territory prosper."


    "I see. That''s a perfect target. Then, do we still have any trusted allies left? Their rtionship with Marquis Simon is bad if possible."


    "Hmm¡­ Marquis Stargaze is our trusted ally, but I don''t think he can do anything right now. As for your second condition, I can only think about one person. It''s Countess Christina. Her territory is situated near both Ardagan and Walford''s territories, but your father had a mutual rtionship with her while the Marquis loved to oppress her."


    "That''s perfect. I have a n." Noel smirked.

 Chapter 490 Ally

    "I have a n." Noel pointed at the book. "The Third Prince nned to get this knowledge from me, but if I let him possess this, he would have too much power. It''s good if I want to fully support the Third Prince and reim the throne, but the situation is not that good.


    "My father suspects that the Royal Family is involved with the Supreme Devil Organization. It''s a bold im, but it makes sense for a lot of things.


    "Hence, I''m not nning to let one side possess that much power before determining whether that person is involved with the organization or not.


    "My grandfather will handle that side, while in this kingdom, I''m nning to use both the marquis and the countess."


    Rose frowned, feeling something off with this n. "But if you go this path, won''t the Third Prince question your loyalty? I can kinda understand the current situation and that''s why I''m confused."


    "No." Noel shook his head. "There is a catch. I''m nning to meet the countess to talk about the book, but I''m going to ask her to make it look like the marquis stole the book.


    "At the same time, the countess will spread the knowledge, starting from the Marquis'' territory. This way, the knowledge will spread from there and the me will fall on the marquis."


    Rose contemted for a moment and murmured, "I see. You can simply say that you want the countess'' help as an ally of your father for this book. But because it''s stolen, the me should be directed to the marquis.


    "I don''t know how much influence the Third Prince has, but it''s clear that he''s still very strong. The fact that he''s still called the Third Prince, his former title, and the Royal Family refusing to give the third-born child that title shows a lot about his power.


    "You want to use this incident to measure the Third Prince''s strength while using them to eradicate the family''s enemy. The countess will surely join because she can finally fight back against the oppressor and finally be liberated from all those sufferings."


    "That''s the n," Noel confirmed without hesitation. "As for the details, I''ll leave it forter.


    "That''s true. What you should worry about is the Greenwood Kingdom. How do you exin the leak of knowledge?"


    "It''s simple. I''ve given the book to my grandfather before graduation, so I can im that my grandfather arranged the book with the ancient Spirit Enchantment Book." Noel shrugged.


    With this excuse, it was clear that the Third Prince would have a hard time finding fault. Noel could simply im that he wasn''t as clever as his father, so mistakes were bound to make, especially since he wasn''t actively taking part in the management of the family.


    Noel had truly prepared a lot for this.


    "There is also another benefit to giving this book to the Ezenholm Family other than spreading the knowledge and the Royal Family.


    "I''m sure that my father will put my name on it as the creator of this rune system. This alone will give a lot of protection since they will think twice about whether to eliminate me or bring me to their side.


    "The neutral parties will try to negotiate with me or even wish to develop the rune with them. The enemies will try to eliminate me because I''ll be a huge threat to them, while the Ardagan Family''s allies will contact me to help. This way, I can see who is my enemy and who is my ally."


    Rose understood that intention. Although Noel didn''t seem to care about it, he also considered the Ezenholm Family''s interest. With this book, their status in the kingdom would increase. And the Ezenholm Family could openly protect him since Noel was an important resource that could develop the Rune System far faster than anyone else. Even their Royal Family might give a decree to the Ezenholm Family personally.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    There were some disadvantages to this n since it brought a lot of enemies to him directly. But Rose didn''t miss the detail where Noel said to publish this book six months from now.


    "Then, I assume the six months¡­" Rose narrowed her eyes.


    "Yes. I should be able to be a Spirit Master within six months and consolidate my strength. Although I still won''t be able to fight against a Spirit Grandmaster, I should be strong enough to escape."


    "I see." Dimitri nodded in understanding. He couldn''t reject Noel since thetter had considered all this. "If that''s the case, I''ll use my full speed to go straight to the Ezenholm Family. With the current distance, I think I should be able to return to you within two weeks. But I don''t know where you''re nning to go after this. You''re not nning to visit the countess before bing a Spirit Master, right?"


    "Yeah. I''m nning to visit the border after this to do something before going back to the Demon Banner Army headquarters within one month. Let''s meet up there."


    "I understand." Dimitri didn''t know what Noel nned to do there, but it would be easy if they could regroup there. He turned to Rose and said, "I''ll leave the young master to you, Miss."


    "Y-yes." Rose politely bowed. She didn''t know Dimitri''s real identity, but she could feel the overwhelming strength hidden underneath that gentle appearance. It seemed the other party was an expert whose strength was on par with Paul''s or even higher.


    "Good. Thank you for doing all this, Dimitri."


    "No, it''s my job."


    "Though, do you know anyone who is trusted enough to investigate something?" Noel asked.


    "Hmm¡­" Dimitri thought for a moment. "I think there is one person that you want to visit. Although he is only the second inmand for information gathering under your father, he is still avable."


    "The second inmand?"


    "Yes. The one in charge disappeared after the executions. I''m afraid he''s the one helping your father. So, it''s best to approach the other one."


    "I see. Who is he?"


    "His name is Harley, he is currently an owner of a brothel called Eternal Flower. If you wish to meet him, he should be in Tamworth."

 Chapter 491 Destinations

    Noel and Rose waved their hands as they saw off Dimitri. After giving them a lot of options, Dimitri finally left, heading straight to the Ezenholm Family.


    Meanwhile, Rose asked with some doubts in her heart. "By the way, since I''m going with you this time, I think I can hear about the n, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "I don''t know how long our vacation will be, but I have a few destinations in mind. We''ll build an itinerary after getting confirmation from Paul. What do you think?"


    "I don''t have a problem." Rose nodded. "I can get some information about the ce first."


    "Alright then." Noel thought for a moment, listing everything in his head to make sure he didn''t miss a single ce.


    Lelelei Fort.


    Silica Valley.


    Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters.


    "These three are the primary destinations," said Noel while exining the history behind them. "In Lelelei Fort, I need to defeat the Fire Bird Demon, which can strengthen my body. I need it, especially when I''m acting as Iadre instead of Noel.


    "As for the Silica Valley, I still need to do something for the Water Lord. Though, it''s mostly because I want him to owe me a bigger favor, which will be usefulter.


    "And seeing how the situation has be so dangerous, especially in the Tower Association, I''m afraid I have to meet him to talk about his n. I''m pretty sure that the Water Lord has been secretly working on the investigation, so getting information from him is good enough.


    "As for the Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters, I don''t think I have to exin it to you. That''s where we''re going to meet Felix anyway."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I see. It''s understandable." Rose nodded with a serious expression. She didn''t have any objection to the destination since the reason made some sense.


    Noel didn''t n to only strengthen his ability. But he also wanted to have a strong influence that spread in the entire kingdom. This was the only way for him to be safe from the royal family.


    After hearing Rose''s agreement, Noel added, "I''m also nning to visit your vige."


    "Huh? My vige?" Rose was startled. She misunderstood Noel''s intention.


    She thought Noel was interested in her and wanted to do this to impress her, but before she could say something, Noel added, "You''re my subordinate now. And after exacting your revenge, it''s better to visit your hometown to settle everything left."


    "!!!" The misunderstanding was solved in an instant. Rose even felt overwhelmed since Noel thought about her when she told him she wanted to follow him not long ago.


    "Thank you." Rose bowed her head. It just reinforced the loyalty in her heart, knowing that Noel was someone who took care of his subordinates well.


    Noel smiled. "I''m nning to go to one more ce, but it''s still not decided. Do you have any ces you want to visit?"


    "Hmm¡­" Rose looked down with a serious expression. She looked like she was thinking with her life on the line. In the end, she suggested a single ce. "If you wish to get stronger, I think there is one ce you might want to visit. It''s located not far from Tamworth, so you can visit the person he implied while you''re at it."


    "Interesting. What kind of ce is that?"


    "The town''s name is registered as Styxcanva. But the town is known for its other name, Spirit Paradise.


    "The town is located near the border. ording to the rumor, the town has everything you need about Spirits. There are many establishments that can help you regarding your Spirits and they even work together with the Tower Association to find out about the new way to use your Spirits. I think we can go there to find some new references to get stronger."


    "That''s¡­ a quite good idea." Noel nodded, satisfied. "Alright. Let''s go with these destinations. If we carefully make our schedule, I believe we can go to all these destinations within three to four months. If we get more days off, then we can find another destination."


    "Understood."


    With these destinations in mind, Noel and Rose finally returned to the city. Rose showed Noel around the town so that he understood the city''syout.


    The city had been thoroughly nned as Noel could find the perfect ce for a health center and market.


    The people didn''t need to walk for too long and waste too much time traveling just to get to their destination. Even the upper-ss families weren''t that far from the market, stopping them fromining.


    Noel couldn''t help but try to remember the cement. This information might be useful when he started governing his family''s territory.


    So, he took note of theyout. He wanted his city to be as good as possible.


    Now that he thought about it, his father might want him to experience the world first before taking control of the family. This way, Noel would understand a lot of things.


    He had to work a lot withmoners to know what they thought about the noble. He had to see a lot of nobles to see how they governed their territories.


    There were simply too many things to learn. This might be the first time he felt grateful that he was deprived of his status as the Ardagan Family''s young master.


    Instead of getting stuck in the mansion with mountains of papers, Noel could see, feel, and taste what life was all about.


    Rose noticed the change in his expression and couldn''t help but feel curious. She had asked him about it, but thetter chose to keep it to himself for the time being.


    And Rose respected that decision since there was a boundary that she couldn''t cross.


    After Noel felt satisfied, they finally returned to their house to get some rest. It seemed Paul had finished the negotiation as he had gathered all the people in the living room, waiting for them.


    "You two must have got some fun in the town. But for now, you two need to sit so that I can inform everyone about the holiday."

 Chapter 492 One Hundred Days

    An hour ago.


    Paul and ra were sitting in front of each other. Even though there was a pile of papers on her desk, ra actually left them behind so that she could have a serious talk with Paul.


    "So, why are you here? You''re supposed toe back in a few months." ra asked with a serious expression. The change of schedule took her by surprise, but Paul wasn''t someone who would do it without any reason. So, she asked him first.


    Paul exined Noel''s worries and how the enemies behaved. Even ra could connect all of them, so the spection might be true.


    Still, seeing how much Paul trusted Noel, it seemed he had figured out Iadre''s real identity.


    "It seems that you''ve figured it out, Paul."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Iadre''s identity."


    "Ah¡­" Paul nodded, confirming it. "Yes. He has different powers, so it confuses me even now. But it''s clear that Iadre is Noel Ardagan. As for his powers, I''ll just consider them his talents. Looking at this again, it''s clear that Noel is the most talented person in the kingdom, not Anna Stargaze."


    "That''s true. It''s sad that such a talented person is under continuous attacks from the royal family. If he''s able to develop his abilities, he might even be the greatest person in the world." ra let out a sigh. It was such a waste if Noel couldn''t properly train and utilize his abilities. But they couldn''t really do anything with their current position.


    So, ra changed the topic. "So, I''m assuming that you want to get the holiday¡­"


    "Yes. How long do you think we should hide from the public eye?"


    "Hmm¡­" ra fell into deep thought, not being able to find a concrete n. Since they were targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization, they wouldn''t easily disappear from their list.


    At the same time, they should be able to lower their guards for a bit if they get a holiday here.


    That was why ra had to consider how long they needed.


    After thinking for a few minutes, ra suggested, "Since this is not a nned holiday, I think you can get around two months."


    "But you have to consider the Supreme Devil Organization. The previous attack alone involved multiple Spirit Grandmasters. If we''re not lucky, we might die before we know it." Paul tried to persuade ra to get a longer vacation.


    ra pinched the bridge of her nose. She was thinking carefully and made sure to calcte their situation.


    After pondering for a few minutes, ra finally made a decision. "One hundred days. I can''t give you more than that."


    "One hundred days, huh." Paul felt slightly disappointed because he expected more in this situation. He believed the enemies had yet to forget about them within one hundred days.


    Unfortunately, he realized that it was impossible to negotiate for more after seeing ra''s expression. Usually, she would show a gentle smile or a poker face when talking to someone, but this time, ra''s tone was strict and her frown boosted the power of her words.


    Paul scratched the back of his head, feeling bad that he failed to get his team more. Still, he epted ra''s condition without even asking about the reason why she could only give this much.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I understand. 100 days then." Paul let out a long sigh. "I also have a few things to inform you."


    "Sure."


    Paul told her the story about Noel. There was a lot of praise about him, but the most shocking one came from the Demon Hunting Squad''s leader, Hendry Igor.


    It seemed he was satisfied with Noel''s abilities and asked ra to transfer Noel to his squad.


    Paul convinced ra that Noel wouldn''t go to other squads simply because his rtionship with Rose had be a bit too good. He was afraid that Rose would leave if Noel joined another squad.


    Understanding his concern, ra assured him that Noel wouldn''t go anywhere unless Noel asked for a transfer himself.


    After talking about everything, Paul finally excused himself to inform the rest of the group.


    ¡­


    "100 days, huh?" Ste looked down while letting out a long sigh. She was clearly disappointed even though one hundred days wasn''t a short time.


    Still, it was a holiday she could enjoy every few years, so she expected more.


    "I see. One hundred days should be enough." Noel muttered with a serious expression.


    Rose nced to the side and noticed Noel''s change of expression. It seemed that he was nning to finish the trip before the vacation was over.


    "So, when does the vacation start?" Jonathan asked.


    "The day after tomorrow. So, use today to get some rest and tomorrow to prepare for your vacation. We''ll meet again in this ce one hundred dayster, understand?"


    "Yes." The group acknowledged the instruction.


    Some of them were anticipating this as if they had prepared a long to-do list. But some weren''t that energetic. They probably didn''t expect this would happen, so they were confused when they had to make a vacation n.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to leave them alone and return to his room. Rose was the second person to leave since she had to follow Noel to confirm their n.


    Noel told her that they would be speeding up in their journey so that they could cover all the destinations within the time limit.


    Rose had expected this, but following Noel surely wasn''t easy. Despite being so talented, Noel''s thirst for victory was strong, making him extremelypetitive.


    Though, she was also blessed by this fact since Noel would continue to improve.


    ¡­


    Finally, two days passed peacefully. Noel and the others hadpleted their preparation. Even Paul nned to spend some time alone.


    They gathered in front of the house while staring at each other. It seemed Jonathan and Ben decided to remain here because they were more interested in what this city had to offer than the trip.


    They ended up seeing the rest off as their vacation finally began.

 Chapter 493 A Letter

    Anna was sitting at her desk, looking at the report that could help her with the current mission.


    "Hmm¡­ there is nothing I can use right now," Anna murmured while reading all the papers. Soon, someone knocked on her door.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Miss, you have a letter."


    Anna looked at the door for a moment, checked the person''s power, and said after confirming that he wasn''t a threat. "Come in. The door is unlocked."


    A middle-aged man opened the door, holding a white envelope. He didn''t say anything and just handed the envelope to her as if he was just doing his job as a courier.


    Anna received it and dismissed him while looking at the letter. But she noticed something weird. "Hmm? The seal is broken?"


    The middle-aged man made a wry smile while scratching the back of his head as if he was embarrassed. He said with a shaking tone. "Come to think of it, I tripped earlier. Ah, did I just mess up? Am I going to beid off from this job?"


    "Geez, get a grip on yourself." Anna sighed. Thetter maintained his awkward expression, but deep down, he was sweating profusely. Anna was known as Bloody Mary.


    Back when she had just joined the organization, she massacred the people that wanted to mess with her. The blood that she spilled dyed her clothes red like a drink. That was why it became her nickname.


    If Anna felt something weird, it wouldn''t be so strange that she would kill him.


    But to his surprise, after hearing his reasoning, Anna waved her hand to dismiss him. She didn''t say anything or kill him out of suspicion.


    Without hesitation, the man left before she changed her decision.


    She opened the letter and read it.


    ''Dear Anna


    ''It''s been so long since you''ve got some time for the family. After the Demon Banner Army, you''re doing your job as an Inquisitor.


    ''I was an inquisitor in the past, so I knew I could ask you this. Can you use the Expedition Leave to get some time for the family?


    ''We can go to the hot spring town, Alkasia, or we can visit the green city, Elkia, or the healing mountain, Ezenben. If you''re not fond of a long trip, we can go to your mother''s family.


    ''Your father and mother will always be waiting.''


    When she read this letter, she frowned. It was impossible for her father to ask for a vacation.


    The Expedition Leave was a special privilege granted to the inquisitor. During the leave, they couldn''t be given any missions.


    However, there were a lot of restrictions and rules imposed on it, so most inquisitors couldn''t take it because they couldn''t handle the consequences.


    But Anna had the backing of a Marquis, an Arbiter, so no one would be able to stop her if she wanted to take the leave.


    Of course, this was what other people knew about these circumstances. On the other hand, the truth couldn''t be any different.


    It was impossible for her father to request a vacation. It wasn''t that he didn''t miss or worry her. But they had agreed that they would respect each other''s choice and wouldn''t mess with their schedule and goal.


    That was why she knew her father wasn''t asking for a trip. Instead, he was warning her about something.


    ''What is this? What''s the real meaning behind this letter?'' Anna was contemting. She also remembered how the Marquis Family''s seal was broken when the letter arrived.


    Not many people dared to break the Marquis Family''s seal. After all, the Marquis could use it to frame them and even hunt them down.


    If the Marquis Family used a courier firm, the firm could be held ountable to the point they would have to hand in a ridiculous amount of money topensate the Marquis.


    However, the letter this time didn''t use such a thing. Her father sent this letter through his subordinate.


    With how the middle-aged man acted earlier, Anna could get a grasp of the situation.


    ''It seems that there''s a lot of spies in the family. My father can''t get rid of them because of the king.


    ''They opened the seal to confirm the letter''s content. My father knew about this and wrote a letter about the Expedition Leave¡­ There should be a hidden meaning behind these sentences.''


    Anna was racking her brain to see the hidden message. She had a hard time figuring out the reason.


    But she felt the important message was left on the destinations of their trip.


    ''Now that I think about it¡­'' Anna fell silent for a moment before rising from her seat. She walked to the shelf on her right, picked up a huge scroll, andid it down on the table.


    ? ''My family, Alkasia, Elkia, Ezenben Mountain, and my mother''s family¡­'' Anna muttered these five ces a few times before finding something weird. ''Wait a minute¡­''


    She looked at the map carefully and measured the distance between them.


    ''Alkasia and Elkia are in the opposite direction while the Ezenben Mountain is between them. However, there is one simrity between these three. All of them require a one month trip.


    ''It seems my father wants to tell me something that will happen in a month. If that''s the case, why is he telling me about my mother''s family that is only ten days away?''


    Anna narrowed her eyes, trying to connect all of them. Something clicked in her mind as her eyes shed. ''Maybe he''s not trying to tell me about this one month. Instead, he wants me to sum up the number of days required to travel to all of these since he can''t say to do the trip a few times.


    ''Three months and ten days¡­ In other words, one hundred days. Then, the expedition leave¡­'' Anna gasped. She finally understood the content.


    ''So, that''s how it is. The expedition leave is not for me but for Noel. He must be using whatever leave the army has for this trip that willst for one hundred days.''

 Chapter 494 Figuring Out The Situation

    Anna sucked a cold breath. This was the first time she got a coded message from her father. It was hard to decipher it, but she was thankful to both Noel and her father.


    After all, Noel had been teaching her a lot through experiences while her father actually supported her.


    This also showed that her father had trusted her enough to handle this conspiracy.


    ''And with this coded message, I finally know what my father''s stance is. It seems that my father and Noel''s father are truly best friends. Even in this situation, they''re still working together.


    ''But because of the circumstances, none of them can make their move right now. Noel''s father is hoping for Noel to be able to decipher the situation and move toward the goal. ''Meanwhile, my father has never given me any trust because of my actions in the past. I was too immature and would continue to live in that bubble for the rest of my life if I didn''t get a second chance through rebirth.


    ''And with this letter, my father has shown me that I''m trustworthy to be his hand that stretches all over the kingdom. He finally allows me to participate in this grand scheme.''


    Anna couldn''t help but smile. She never got involved with her father''s n because she was brainwashed by her teacher.


    If she had gone through this in her past life, she might be able to get along with Noel. In fact, the reason why Noel never killed her was probably that she was just a pawn in the grand scheme. And he was trying to change her to convert her.


    When that happened, the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization would be panicking because they lost one of their greatest pawns.


    ''I''m happy that my father has involved me now, but the situation doesn''t change. It seems Noel won''t be avable for the time being. But the fact that he''s leaving for more than three months, it means he won''t be there to discuss the update of the situation with me.


    ''Does it mean we''ll ignore the next meeting and focus on the one six months away? Or does he want me to go to him during his vacation¡­''


    Anna was confused about Noel''s intention. On the one hand, she had already got the information, so it was possible to track him. On the other hand, the one who gave this information was her father.


    If it was only her strength alone, she doubted she could get this information, meaning she wouldn''t know where Noel was going this time around.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ''If I know Noel correctly, he should be using this trip to get stronger. In other words, the aim of this trip is to reach the Spirit Master Level.


    ''It seems I shouldn''t go to him right now so that I can reach the Spirit Master Level as well. Wait a minute, I still remember that I have to tell him about the firebird demon that can strengthen his fire¡­ I''m sure he''s going there right now since his strength is enough to fight against a Spirit Master.


    ''I see.'' Anna nodded her head a few times. She was enjoying the time she took to connect all the dots to figure out Noel''s n.


    Anna had to consider her mission as well.


    ''Spirit Master, huh. The Third Prince will make contact with him and give him a new mission. What happened when Noel reached the Spirit Master Level in my past life¡­''


    Anna recounted all the memories from her past life.


    ''There are simply too many things that have changed from the past life. In the past, Noel would have to subjugate Kirika, who had caused the deaths of one thousand knights.


    ''Wait a minute. That amount of demons¡­ I''m afraid that the demons were rted to the Count. In this life, the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t get the Count to set up the farm and Kirika to lead them.


    ''In other words, this shouldn''t happen in this life. I''m just afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization is trying to do something to them¡­''


    "!!!" Anna dropped her jaw when she realized something was wrong with the situation. ''Wait a minute. He shouldn''t have left yet in the past life. If I''m not wrong, the normal schedule is still a few months away.


    ''If that''s the case, whatpels him to take this decision? There''s no way the Demon Relief Group would have realized all this conspiracy, so this must be Noel''s n.


    ''So¡­'' Anna paused for a moment and immediately grabbed the report about the previous event.


    ''The Demon Hunting Squad was attacked by a huge number of demons. Then, there was the Demon Nest, the Supreme Devil Organization''s spy, and Noel going to the Demon Hunting Squad''s base¡­''


    Anna was connecting all the dots before finally figuring out the situation.


    ''Wait a minute. The Supreme Devil Organization was the one who forced him to make this decision. If that''s the case, he should have recognized that the Demon Relief Squad wasn''t strong enough to take them on, so they had to go into hiding for the time being.


    ''In other words, this trip¡­'' Anna''s expression became serious. She had noticed the change in the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The Demon Relief Squad, specifically Noel, had been in their way multiple times. They had lost a lot of people, including the Blood Berserker and another bishop that Anna wasn''t aware of.


    So, it wouldn''t be strange for the Supreme Devil Organization to focus on wiping out the Demon Relief Squad first.


    In the past life, the original and strong Demon Relief Squad were no more, so they didn''t need to focus on them because Noel didn''t trust that teampletely.


    Everything made sense in Anna''s thoughts. In other words, further meeting with Noel would be dangerous because the Supreme Devil Organization and the Third Prince would be watching Noel.


    She had to prepare herself too, since her power was needed for what was going toe.


    ''It seems that I have to change my focus as well¡­''

 Chapter 495 Arrival

    Noel was riding a horse straight to his next destination. He was apanied by Rose this time.


    He nced to the side, taking a peek at Rose''s expression. She was confused when he announced the first destination.


    Early in the morning, they had just finished washing their bodies.


    Rose came to him and asked, "By the way, where are we going first?"


    They had five destinations, so Rose had made some ns regarding the course to make the trip as effective as possible.


    But to her surprise, Noel gave her a different n.


    "I have a n in mind. Though, I don''t know if you''ll agree or not." Noel smirked.


    "Huh?" Rose was confused. She usually managed toprehend Noel''s n, so the one in her head should be simr to what Noel had in mind. So, she was the first one to reveal the itinerary.


    "We are going to the Lelelei Fort, Silica Valley, Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters, my vige, then Styxcanva, right?" Rose asked for confirmation.


    "No." Noel shook his head calmly, correcting her. "We''re going to Silica Valley, your vige, Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters, Styxcanva, and Lelelei Fort."


    "Huh?" Rose was perplexed. There were a few reasons why she couldn''t approve Noel''s n. "Wait a minute. The Styxcanva and Lelelei Fort are supposed to have the furthest distance among our destinations, so why do you want to visit them both in session? It''ll take a lot of time just to travel between them. I don''t understand."


    "Yes. You haven''t understood the situation, Rose." Noel sighed. Rose had yet to understand how far the Third Prince could extend his hand.


    Now that Dimitri was on another mission, they didn''t have many options left. One wrong move could make the Third Prince get involved.


    When that happened, Noel feared that they couldn''t move ording to their n anymore.


    And the one thing that might make the Third Prince move was Noel getting stronger.


    He must be monitoring his movement so that he would appear before him when Noel reached Spirit Master Level. That was why getting stronger was thest thing he wanted to do.


    What Rose knew was Noel wanted to get stronger as quickly as possible. She failed to see the urgency of the situation.


    "I''ll tell you about the situation once we get out of here." Noel sighed. Although Rose was good at nning, she still hadn''t learned about the fight between aristocrats that happened in the shadow.


    Since his parents couldn''t help him, he had to be careful.


    After remembering it, Noel turned his head around to check the distance before speaking. "Rose. Have you thought about the n?"


    "Yes. But I still fail to see your objective in making such a n. If we follow your itinerary, I''m afraid that we''ll bete for the gathering. Well, we can still speed up, but it''ll put a strain on our body if we do this." Rose shook her head helplessly.


    Noel smiled. It was time for him to teach Rose about nobility.


    It took him a few hours to exin everything. If people heard about it, they would be confused and angry at the same time.


    Most people never traveled out of their cities. So, the only ce they knew was the city they lived in.


    If Noel gave them a different point of view, they would be confused and even pitied the people that got oppressed by the nobles.


    So, it was better to talk about it without any ears around.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The more Rose knew about what was happening behind the scene, the more serious her expression became.


    She might have learned from some rumors when working in the Demon Relief Squad. But it was truly beyond her imagination.


    Luke Ardagan had taught Noel a lot of things, including the darkness in the nobility, so that Noel could handle the family well when he seeded in his position.


    And this time, Rose had to learn it as well since she was going to be his secretary that would handle most of his affairs. ¡­


    Two dayster.


    Noel and Rose finally reached their destination, the Silica Valley.


    This was where the chain of sadness began. Noel had to make it look like he had died and the Demon Relief Squad had to mourn for him.


    However, Noel had finally returned once again to settle everything.


    He already had a mission for a new medal. It was a very controversial medal since he could learn one''s affection, but this would be beneficial for him in the long run. He just had to be careful not to use it against the people he loved since sometimes ignorance was bliss.


    With this thought in mind, Noel said, "Let''s enter the city."


    "Yes." Rose nodded.


    They rode straight to the gate. As expected, the city was asking for its purpose and a lot of other things.


    After the attack from the Supreme Devil Organization, the defense became pretty tight.


    Since they had no intention of harming them, they just followed their procedure to enter the city.


    It took them thirty minutes before they finally entered the fortress.


    "Alright. Let''s split up for the time being." Noel looked at Rose. "I''ll be bringing the horses to the inn. You''ll be the one to inform our arrival to the Water Lord."


    "I understand. Though, will he ept us? We might have helped him once, but it doesn''t mean he will ept us easily because wee without notice."


    "That''s why I need you to give this." Noel took out a white envelope from his bag and handed it to Rose.


    "What is this?"


    "A weapon to make the Water Lord agree to meet us." Noel smirked.


    "¡­" Rose nodded. It might look like Noel didn''t trust her by not telling her about the content. But Rose saw it as Noel''s way to protect her from knowing something that she shouldn''t have.


    In the end, Rose epted the letter and went directly to the Water Lord to inform him about their arrival. Meanwhile, Noel went to the inn to prepare their rooms.

 Chapter 496 A Deal

    "Sir, you''ve got a guest." A middle-aged man entered the Water Lord''s office. Due to the previous incident, the butler had changed into a newer one.


    The Water Lord frowned and asked, "You might be new here, but you should know that I''m not epting any guests easily, right?"


    "Yes, Sir. However, she said that she is from the Demon Relief Squad and she wants me to give this to you." The middle-aged man handed the letter.


    "Hmm?" The moment the butler mentioned the Demon Relief Squad, his expression turned grim. He immediately nced at the letter and took a look at the content.


    In that instant, he said, "I''m going to meet them tomorrow morning."


    "Understood. I shall tell her about it." The butler nodded and started walking away.


    But before he left, the Water Lord added, "Also, tell them to have a nice rest tonight."


    "Yes, Sir."


    When the butler left, the Water Lord looked at the ceiling as if he was overwhelmed by the content of the letter. He leaned on the chair and muttered, "Now I finally understand what happened back then."


    Rose was also surprised by how easily the Water Lord agreed to the meeting. It seemed that Noel had predicted everything.


    She was wondering what kind of letter he had given her. At first, she thought it would be Noel revealing his identity, but there shouldn''t be any matter left between Noel and the Water Lord.


    Even though he helped him tremendously, it didn''t change the fact that Noel had just done so ording to his role as a member of the Demon Relief Squad.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t get the answer.


    Obviously, Noel kept it a secret until the next day when they met the Water Lord.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    They finally arrived at the Water Lord''s office.


    The three of them sat in front of each other. The Water Lord had a calm expression while observing the other two, especially Noel.


    "Water Lord¡­" Rose opened her mouth to melt the awkward atmosphere. "I believe this is the first time we meet officially like this. I''m Rose. The reason why I''m here is for¡­"


    Before Rose finished her words, the Water Lord waved his hand as if asking her to stop talking. He continued, "I know. I''m more surprised by the fact that I have been deceived by a kid¡­ right, Noel Ardagan?"


    Rose''s body shook as she turned to Noel, realizing that the content of the letter was actually his introduction.


    However, her doubt was quickly resolved when the Water Lord handed them back the letter. "Still, how do you know that I need your help?"


    Rose was confused and took a peek at the letter.


    ''I know you need help with your current project. I have the ability you need.''


    She didn''t find anything that could give away Noel''s identity other than the fact that the one sending the message was a part of the Demon Relief Squad.


    Noel shrugged. "It''s simple. The moment you see me that favorably the instant you know about my purification ability, I know that you need my ability. I don''t know what kind of project you have, but I''m sure that I''m the only one you know that has the purification ability."


    "¡­" The Water Lord narrowed his eyes for a moment before giving up. "I can finally understand why your name is Ardagan. To be honest, I underestimated you."


    "Well, thanks."


    "Before I ask for your help, I want to know about your price."


    [Mission: The Valley Master''s Interest.]


    [Description: The Valley Master requires your ability for his project. Help him.]


    [Reward: Affection Medal.]N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    [Penalty: None.]


    Noel shook his head. "I don''t need any reward. Besides, I''m pretty sure you''re already aware of my request."


    "I guess so." The Water Lord nodded his head. Noel only had one request. He always wanted to re-establish his family.


    The Water Lord closed his eyes for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. I can help you with that."


    Noel nodded.


    "Wait a minute. If you don''t know about what kind of project he is doing, how do you know we can fit it into our schedule? We have limited time, so¡­" Rose frowned.


    Instead of Noel, the Water Lord was the one to answer that question.


    "Don''t worry. It won''t take longer than a week. I can assure you that." The Water Lord waved his hand. "In addition, I''ll give you another reward. I know that you don''t want anything, but I think you want to know about this information."


    "Hoh?" Noel narrowed his eyes, wondering what kind of information he needed.


    The Water Lord smiled. "It seems that you''re under a lot of stress against the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "¡­" Noel and Rose became serious in that instant. Their gazes felt like they suspected him of being one of the people from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    But he dispelled their doubts by saying, "I have been investigating the Tower Association after that attack. Although it''s only the beginning, I have found a few suspects."


    On the one hand, the fact that the Supreme Devil Organization had some spies in the Tower Association was a big thing, and their Demon Banner Army needed it. On the other hand, this was the Tower Association''s matter, not the Demon Banner Army.


    Even if he gave them the information, he should be the one to solve this problem.


    Still, it meant a lot for Noel since he nned to fight against the Supreme Devil Organization and the royal family.


    So, Noel agreed without hesitation. "Alright. It''s a deal."


    "Great." The Water Lord smiled. "I know that you''re on a tight schedule, so let''s not waste any more seconds and start."


    Noel nodded. "Alright. How about her?"


    The Water Lord nced at Rose for a moment before asking Noel, "Are you going to be responsible for her?"


    "Yes," Noel answered without hesitation, showing his stance.


    The Water Lord immediately stood up and led them to another ce. He actually led them to the garden inside the castle, where he worked on his project.


    It was separated by a giant double door.


    With anticipation in their hearts, they saw the Water Lord open the gate.


    "Wee."

 Chapter 497 The Seed Of Molecule

    "Wee."


    Noel and Rose finally entered the room where the Water Lord experimented. The room was spacious with a few tanks around it.


    Some were filled to the brim, some only contained some liquid. The colors of the liquid also varied.


    There were some smaller containers, from a gallon to a small tube. On the opposite side of the room, they could see a huge stone table where he experimented with the water.


    The Water Lord led them to that table and offered them some seats.


    "Please sit down. I''m going to bring some samples first, along with the chalk." The Water Lord immediately walked away, only to return with a chalkboard filled with some drawings and exnations.


    It was tooplicated for Rose and Noel, so they wondered what the Water Lord wanted to say.


    "Before helping me with my experiment, you have to know the basics of what you''re working for." The Water Lord put down two small sses, one filled with water and one filled with a green liquid.


    "These two are different liquids, as you can see from their colors. The first one is water and the other one is Herimone Poison extracted from the Herimone Snake.


    "When I was young, I traveled to all corners of the kingdom and learned a lot. At one point, I actually came to a certain note, saying that the water is actually formed by something smaller."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The Water Lord raised chalk and said, "Take a look at this chalk. I have ''one'' chalk in my hand, right?"


    Noel and Rose nodded in agreement. Then, the Water Lord scooped a bit of the water and let it stay on his palm. "How about this? Can I call this one water?"


    They shook their heads. "Well, it''s the difference between tangible and intangible¡­"


    "Yes, that''s true. But¡­" The Water Lord took out another ss, this time, full of oil. "This is the vegetable oil that you''re familiar with. I''ll pour this oil into this cup of water. What do you think will happen? Will they fuse?"


    "Hmm? Yes?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. He remembered that the poison would fuse together with the water like what gued this town not long ago.


    But to his surprise, the water and the oil didn''t fuse with each other.


    "Hmm? It didn''t¡­"


    "Yes." The Valley Master nodded. "They don''t mix. Then¡­"


    The Valley Master grabbed another cup of water and poured it on the poison. At first, the water remained clear, but as time passed, the water became more polluted, showing the fusion process.


    "Why is the first cup not mixed while the water in the second cup mixes with the poison? I''m not very sure myself either. But when I received that note saying that the water is actually made of something smaller.


    "That''s when I got the idea. What if the water isposed of particles¡­ something smaller than particles where we can actually divide that water and call it one water, two ''waters,'' three ''waters,'' and so on¡­"


    The Valley Master pointed at the image of a cup of water on the board. The cup of water was actually divided into three categories: A, B, and C.


    "This is my hypothesis. I believe that liquid isposed of something smaller than particles. I don''t have the name for it yet, but let''s assume there are three different things inside that water.


    "Then, there should be another three different things inside that water¡­" The Valley Master pointed at the drawing of the oil cup and the poison cup.


    The oil was divided into three called: X, Y, and Z. Meanwhile, the poison was also divided into three but with different naming: D, E, and F.


    "Let''s take a look at these nine¡­ let''s call them particles for the time being. These nine particles are the ones that determine whether they canbine or not."


    The Valley Master was trying to exin his research, not knowing whether this was the correct answer or not. But since he was experimenting with everything, he could only go forward until he reached the answer.


    "In the first cup, I believe that these A, B, and C are notpatible with the X, Y, and Z in the oil cup. Those particles can''t fuse with each other. On the other hand, the water ispatible with the poison.


    "Hence, they fuse and create AD, BE, and CF. Well, I don''t know if there are three different types of things inside the water or whether those are the rightbinations.


    "However, one thing is for sure. That note is right. There is actually something smaller than particles.


    "And now, I want to actually know about the particles that make up the water and everything else. The scope of the study is a bit too big, so I''ll limit it to the water right now.


    "My hypothesis is that there are things that are ipatible and things that arepatible. So, there can be a partial fusion as well."


    Noel was confused by the exnation. He understood what he wanted to do, but he didn''t see why his ability worked.


    "So, what do you want me to do?" Noel asked.


    "That''s where your abilitiese in." The Water Lord smirked yfully. "I believe that your purification ability is to let the water revert to its original form. Of course, the only thing that can allow such a process is Time Ability.


    "However, your ability rests in your Ice Element. I assume that this purification ability breaks apart the smaller particles and reattaches them to form the original waters. After that, it destroys the other particles aside from the water.


    "That''s the only exnation I had when you purified theke. So, by taking advantage of your ability, I can prove those particles and get closer to what kind of smaller particles the water has.


    "It will be a huge breakthrough in human history¡­ So, I need your help to purify the water in all kinds of liquid.


    "Of course, you are allowed to refuse a certain liquid when you realize that it''s too potent and might harm your body. What do you think?"

 Chapter 498 Experiment

    "What do you think?"


    The condition was good. Since he had the right to refuse, he could certainly avoid longsting injury because of venom or something else.


    At the same time, he could also see a portion of the goal of this research. "If you seed in this experiment, I''m afraid that it''s like opening a huge door¡­"


    "Exactly." The Water Lord smiled. "I won''t lie to you. If I seed in this experiment, my name will surely go down in history. And I promise that I won''t forget about your assistance.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Though, I might not be the first one to find it. After all, this research starts with a note¡­"


    Noel looked down, contemting for a moment. As the Water Lord said, if he seeded, there would be a whole new world opened to them.


    They might be able to solve a problem with the liquid in case someone who had purification ability was present.


    It could also aid the mixing liquid whether in the form of a war weapon or household utility.


    His name certainly would go down in history. But Noel was more curious about the paper instead about this research.


    "I have a few questions. Just answer the one you can answer." Noel raised one finger. "First question, where did you find that note?"


    "I think this is already a public secret. Do you know what lies outside the border?"


    "Demons?"


    "No. A limitless possibility." The Water Lord shook his head. "Everyone already knows about this little secret that everyone thinks it''s a fairy tale. Humans once conquered the whole world. Only when the demons came did they perish.


    "However, the civilizations didn''t perishpletely. Some still remain, and that note is one of them."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Do you mean¡­"


    "Yeah. I believe that the past humans have actually gone beyond what we currently have. And I''m just trying to rediscover a portion of the secret." The Water Lord smiled.


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment and said, "Alright. I can help you with this experiment. Having the right to refuse is big as well, so I don''t have any reason to reject your proposal."


    "Then, we have a deal?" The Water Lord smirked excitedly, feeling that there would be a huge breakthrough soon.


    The Water Lord and Noel shook each other''s hand while Rose didn''t know what to say about this cooperation.


    It was clear that the sess of this task would be a huge help for Noel. But Noel had forgotten something.


    "Still, I believe it''s not the time for you to show your real identity¡­" Rose added, concerned about Noel''s safety.


    The Water Lord seemed to have expected it and nodded. "Don''t worry. I understand that. In fact, I don''t desire his downfall either."


    "Hmm?" Rose narrowed her eyes, feeling something off from that statement.


    Looking at her confused expression, the Water Lord exined a bit of his intention.


    "Whatever I''m doing right now, it doesn''t change the fact that I have been interested in the heir of the Ardagan Family." The Water Lord turned to Noel. "Your father is a great man. Even I have heard his good name.


    "And his son is as talented if not more talented than him. Since I don''t have any grudge against your father, I might as well help his son.


    "Even though the royal family doesn''t like you, I can see that you are trying to gather a lot of outside help to re-establish your family. So, I''m simply acting as one of them¡­ I wish to see another Count Ardagan, one that is strong and loves his people."


    The Water Lord was implying indirectly that he also loved his people like Luke Ardagan. So, he wanted to help Noel, believing he would do the same thing as his father.


    Noel and Rose still felt a hidden intention behind his statement, but that wasn''t necessary for the time being.


    Noel waved his hand to stop Rose from asking another question. Then, he said, "I understand. Let''s work together."


    The Water Lord and Noel finally reached an agreement.


    Since Noel had decided and the Water Lord had given enough exnations, Rose finally stopped reminding or interfering with the decision.


    Because of the agreement, Noel and Rose decided to stay inside the castle. The Water Lord even offered the best treatment he could give.


    Before they started working, Noel would be training his body, making sure he didn''t ck off just because he had something to do.


    Rose also followed him while the Water Lord prepared for the research of that day.


    From the morning to the afternoon, they focused on the research.


    Noel would be purifying a lot of liquid, from poison to weird chemicals. It was a lot of work, and Noel didn''t understand most of the things the Water Lord wrote down.


    He wasn''t someone who worked in this area after all, so he didn''t have to understand all this. Still, he was also a bit curious as to what kind of liquid they would be after the purification.


    Sometimes, the water level went down as if everything had just evaporated into thin air, leaving only a small portion of water. In fact, the liquid might only beposed of that amount of water.


    The Water Lord also continued on with his work, trying to get whatever he could find during Noel''s stay.


    He made a lot of progress as he said previously. After all, his exnation of Noel''s ability was correct. What he was searching for was none other than the molecules.


    Although Noel wouldn''t be with him by the time he found it, it didn''t change the fact that the biggest contributor to this experiment was Noel.


    He swore that he would add Noel''s name when someone wanted to publicize his achievement. It would surely give good publicity for Noel, who wanted to rebuild his family.


    Time went by so quickly. Without them noticing, Noel had stayed for eight days and the work had beenpleted.


    Noel and Rose were standing in front of the castle''s gate, ready for their departure. The Water Lord was seeing them off as a friend.


    "Thank you for helping me with this research. It truly means a lot to me." The Water Lord extended his hand.


    "Yeah. It''s truly a fruitful week." Noel nodded while shaking his hand.


    "If you ever visit this ce again, I will wee you greatly."


    "Haha, the next time I visit you is probably the day you get the medal for your achievement." Noel smiled. "Good luck with your work."

 Chapter 499 Burial

    After finishing their work, Noel and Rose immediately made their way to the next destination. They didn''t have a lot of time, so they increased their pace.


    Rose''s vige was located east of the Silica Valley. It took them five days to finally reach this vige.


    The location was so remote that it was surprising that Rose even came to the Demon Banner Army.


    They had to get slightly into the forest to find this vige.


    When they arrived, they could only see ruined buildings everywhere. The wooden houses had crumbled, leaving only three houses that still managed to stand.


    There were scorched marks all over the rubbles. Noel could also see dried blood here and there.


    From the number of houses and the size of the vige, he predicted there used to be more than sixty people living in this ce.


    "It was quite surprising that Rose managed to flee from this ce. The way it was destroyed, she shouldn''t have been able to escape." Noel muttered inwardly while closing his eyes for a moment.


    Rose looked at this familiarndscape. She had never stepped foot in this vige anymore after that incident.


    She had sworn that she would avenge them before she could face them again.


    Now that the person responsible for this massacre had died, she could finally return to this ce.


    The emotions were mixed in her heart, making her a bit weak. Her feet were giving up and her hands were shaking.


    She had a hard time calming her heart down. Meanwhile, Noel didn''t n to say anything because this was her vige and her matter.


    She should be the one to settle everything in order to move on.


    Since Noel was here, Rose tried to make a warm smile so that Noel wasn''t worried about her. She started walking while saying, "Do you know¡­"


    When he heard her voice, Noel opened his eyes and followed her, listening to what she had to say.


    "When the raid happened¡­" Rose pointed at the center of the vige. "Everyone was supposed to rush to the center so that they could resist or something.


    "However, my father was the vige chief. He understood what was happening far faster than anyone else. Instead of sending me to the city center before directing us to another safe location, my father sent me away immediately.


    "It was hard. I was told to run even though I didn''t want to. In the end, my mother decided to apany me so that I could run away with her, leaving all the vigers behind.


    "However, my mother ended up leaving me soon because of the animal in the forest. So, I ran away¡­ I kept running away, thinking I should stay alive for as long as possible so that I didn''t disappoint them."


    Rose''s breath started to get rough. She couldn''t help but remember what had happened in the past.


    ¡­


    More than a decade ago.


    "Haa¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    Rose was panting while running through the bushes. She kept looking back as if the enemies still hunted her down.


    The jungle was the home of many beasts, so she kept hearing roars and howls here and there. So, the Supreme Devil Organization wasn''t the only one to hunt her.


    She hadn''t eaten for two days and her legs were giving up. She didn''t know whether she still had the strength to do this anymore.


    But at that time, Rose still hadn''t given up, knowing that her father was fending off the enemies so that she could stay alive.


    This was where her senses were trained. She got used to the sounds near her, keeping her awake.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The thick woods and bushes made her eyes stay vignt and sharp like an eagle''s. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to avoid all those creatures that wanted to prey upon her.


    She had gone through many sleepless nights and endured extreme hunger.


    Still, Rose didn''t stop running until she eventually came out of the forest, albeit from the opposite direction of the entrance. That was why it took her a long time to escape from the forest.


    Rose roamed around the area until eventually she reached a town where she ended up joining the Demon Banner Army.


    When Noel heard all that, he couldn''t help but feel a bit ashamed. Rose was telling him about the story. Of course, he sympathized with her, but there was something that caught his attention.


    "Hmm?" Rose noticed the change in Noel''s expression and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "No¡­nothing." Noel shook his head helplessly, not wanting to hurt Rose in this situation.


    "Come on. What''s wrong? You''re the one who gives me this opportunity, so I don''t want you to be ufortable because you''re apanying me." Rose furrowed her eyebrows, concerned about Noel''s condition.


    Noel looked at her face for a bit, still hesitant about asking this question. But seeing Rose''s adamant face, he ended up asking for it. "I know this is very rude and I don''t want to hurt you like this¡­"


    Noel paused for a moment, making Rose a bit impatient since she didn''t know what was inside Noel''s head. She wanted to ask again, but Noel uttered his question. "Don''t you think it''s strange that your father sent you away without hesitation when you were supposed to gather in the center of this vige?"


    "Huh?" Rose widened her eyes in surprise. She didn''t expect that Noel would be questioning her father.


    The purpose of this trip was to pay respect to Rose''s parents and allow her to move on. But Noel questioned her father, showing a sign of disrespect.


    Still, it was Rose who demanded him to speak. Noel couldn''t be med either since he wanted to remain silent if not for her demand.


    And Rose couldn''t help but feel something was amiss with the situation now that Noel had reminded him about it.


    "Now that I think about it, you''re correct¡­" Rose fell into deep thought.


    The atmosphere became awkward as Rose kept thinking about it. To Noel''s surprise, Rose actually said, "Before asking about it, I think we should go to my house first. If possible, I''d like to find everyone''s remains so that I can bury them properly."

 Chapter 500 Hidden

    Rose started going around the vige, finding all the bones and clothes lying on the ground. She picked them up and gathered them in one ce. She didn''t know whose remains they were, so she gathered all of them in the center so that they could build a simple memorial for all of them.


    Unfortunately, there was no telling which one was her father. Rose felt dejected, but there was nothing she could do.


    She ended up gathering everyone in that one tomb.


    Noel was helping her by digging the soil for all of them, cutting some wood, and bringing some stones for the grave.


    While paying his respect, Noel couldn''t help but recall what happened in his parents'' execution.


    ¡­


    One year ago.


    "Father, Mother!" Noel was running into the city''s za while being chased by the soldiers the Royal Family had dispatched.


    There was a wooden tform in the za. They only erected it when they were about to execute a dangerous criminal.


    But this time, the ones kneeling on the tform were none other than his parents. Their appearance wasn''t a mess. There were some wrinkles on their clothes, but they didn''t seem to have been tortured.


    The townspeople surrounded the tform. Most of them had sad expressions as if they didn''t want this to happen. Some couldn''t even bear to watch the execution.


    It showed a lot about what kind of leader Luke Ardagan was. He was kind to people and his people loved him.


    Yet, it didn''t change his fate. He had to be executed.


    Their hands and neck had been locked by wooden stocks and their feet had been chained to the tform, preventing them from escaping.


    There were two executioners, both wielding a sharp ive.


    They were wearing a helmet, so no one could see their faces.


    "Father, Mother!" Noel kept screaming while pushing away the people, trying to reach his parents.


    But because the people were slowing him down, he got caught by the soldiers.


    One of the soldiers grabbed his head and mmed his body to the ground while the other pinned his ankles down.


    The people were confused at the moment and when they saw Noel, the sole heir of the Ardagan Family, they couldn''t help but slightly back away as if trying to let Noel go through the mass.


    Unfortunately, with the soldiers pinning him down, he couldn''t do anything but watch his parents executed.


    "Start!"


    "Father, Mother!" Noel struggled to set him free but to no avail. To his surprise, his parents didn''t say anything to him.


    They only looked at him and gave their best smiles as the sharp des sliced their necks.


    This was the first time Noel felt the excruciating pain in his heart. He had been doing everything at his own pace, so he enjoyed most of his life.


    But with the death of his parents, he finally realized how helpless he was without them. The memories about them resurfaced in his mind, making him realize he hadn''t done anything for them before they left her.


    All the sadness, pain, and regret were swelling in his heart.


    There wasn''t a single word exchanged between them. The only thing Noel realized was the soldiers were dragging him away so that they could send him to the Demon Banner Army.


    Back then, he didn''t know that those people were not his parents. The reason why they didn''t say anything was to avoid making people notice the change in their voices. They might have the same face, but it was with the help of cosmetics. And cosmetics didn''t change their voices.


    So, Noel still recognized them as his parents at that time.


    Now that he knew everything, he started to wonder what was happening at that time. Where were his parents? What were they doing?


    In a sense, Noel had some simrities with Rose. He couldn''t help but take a few peeks at her face to see what kind of emotion she had and what she wanted to do after this.


    Though, he soon stopped and focused on the burial.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    As soon as they finished giving them a proper burial, Rose took a deep breath as if trying to push away all the matters in the past.


    Noel gave her the water bottle, which she needed the most to calm her down.


    Rose made a wry smile and felt grateful that Noel was here. Although it would mean she had shown her weak side to Noel, it didn''t change the fact that Noel was all the support she needed to go through all this.


    "Thank you, Noel. For everything you''ve done¡­" Rose looked at the houses around before saying, "I''m going to guide you to my house. What you said earlier made some sense¡­


    "This vige is quite remote, so there should be no reason for the Supreme Devil Organization to attack us.


    "And when the raid happened, the people should go to the center like usual. Yet, my father sent me away as if he knew what was happening.


    "It felt like my father knew about something that the vigers didn''t." Rose gave thest nce at the furthest house from them. "If we want to know about the secret, the only way to do it is to go to my house¡­"


    Noel nodded. He didn''t say anything since there was no need for an additional emotion invoked by Noel''s voice.


    Rose guided Noel to the house while trying to remember every detail of when she lived with her parents.


    It felt like her father possessed something the Supreme Devil Organization wanted.


    "I can''t help but wonder now¡­" Rose frowned as if she remembered something. "My father had never told me anything about the outside world. However, his body was muscr enough even though he was always inside the house, handling all kinds of matters.


    "I never saw him training his body. Now that I had tried to look back, it felt like my father knew some manners, unlike normal vigers¡­


    "And I think I know what my father is hiding¡­"

 Chapter 501 Found

    Rose led Noel to a river that flowed not far away from the vige. This was the source of water that provided life to the vige.


    However, what Rose wanted to show Noel wasn''t the river but a tree next to the river.


    The tree seemed to be the same as the ones around it, but its location was a bit unique. There were more than ten meters to the nearest trees as if the tree was being separated from the rest of the colony.


    "This should be the ce." Rose looked at the tree and touched the trunk, reminiscing the memory between her and her father.


    "Father! Look, I managed to climb it!" Rose puffed her chest proudly as she was standing on top of a branch. She was only six years old at this time, but she somehow managed to climb this tree with that tiny body of hers.


    "Rose. Please climb down. It''s not safe!" A middle-aged man shouted gently, trying to coax her so that she would safely climb down.


    But the small Rose was still cheeky as she proudly dered, "I won''t go down. You can also climb the tree and catch me. I''m going to prevent dad from¡ªooowh?!"


    When she was making a deration, she puffed her chest, causing her bnce to shift. She ended up slipping and falling to the ground.


    Her father''s heart skipped a beat. If he had been a normal father, he would have missed Rose because there was still some distance between them.


    Rose could only look at the sky as her back would be the one hitting the ground first.


    But to her surprise, shended on her father''s hands as thetter caught him gently, making her feel like she fell on top of a pillow.


    "Huh?" Rose''s body froze and her expression was terrified. She wanted to say something, but she panicked and her mouth refused to open.


    In the end, she could only cry. "Waaa¡­"


    Her father tried his best to make aforting smile while gently holding her in his hands. "Are you alright, my sweetheart?"


    "U¡­U¡­" Rose felt calmer a bit when she heard her father''s voice and looked up, realizing that her father had managed to catch her. "I¡­"


    She wanted to say something, but her father lowered her down gently before hugging her. "It''s alright. It''s alright. As long as you''re safe¡­"


    Theseforting words gradually calmed Rose down.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Sowwy¡­" Rose tried to apologize with all the tears on her cheeks and snot on her nose.


    "It''s fine. But with this, Daddy manages to catch you." Her father tried to make a light-hearted joke to lessen the mood.


    Rose gasped in realization, but her father had circled around her and held her from behind.


    "Hehe, Daddy won''t let you go this time." He gently sat down with his back leaning on the tree. This way, he could let Rose rest while making sure she was alright.


    Rose couldn''t say anything at that time because she was still in shock, but she remembered what her father had said.


    "Rose. Do you know there is something special about this tree?" Her father raised his hand as if trying to grasp the tree. "This tree is called Manloon Tree. It''s amon tree that you can find anywhere, but you will see a tree separated from the rest here and there.


    "It''s a natural urrence as if the tree is trying to tell everyone that it is different from the rest. The tree is screaming, ''I am special!'' like that."


    "Is¡­ dad¡­ special?" Rose asked with a shaking tone while rubbing her eyes to stop her tears.


    "Hmm¡­What do you think?"


    "I don''t know. But Rose wants to be like daddy!"


    "Then, daddy will be someone special, so Rose can be someone special!"


    "Really?!"


    "Yep." Her father smiled.


    Those words made her forget about what had just happened earlier and stopped the tears from flowing out.


    Now that she remembered that scene, Rose felt something was wrong. Her father wasn''t supposed to be able to catch her back then. So, the fact that he managed to do it must be because he had been hiding his strength.


    In other words, her father was special. And he might be the reason why the Supreme Devil Organization came to her.


    Rose kept her eyes closed while remembering that scene. She gently ced her head on the trunk and muttered, "The Manloon Tree might be amon tree, but it''s also one of the most resilient. And this tree that is separated from the rest has a different meaning.


    "It''s a special tree¡­ one that holds a special meaning." Rose slowly turned around, looking at Noel. "I think if my father wants to hide something, he will hide it in this ce. I believe we have to dig this area, Noel."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Although he was still confused about this tree, he still believed in Rose''s judgment.


    Instead of using his hand or sword to dig the ground, Noel cut a tree nearby and made two wooden shovels from the trunk.


    The shovels would break if they used them like this, but Noel had applied the Hardening Rune to make sure that they didn''t break.


    He handed one to Rose and started digging. "You don''t mind me digging around here, right?"


    "Yeah. Though, I hope that you can be a bit gentle since this tree holds a special memory for me."


    "Sure."


    Noel nodded.


    They tried to dig around the tree to see if Rose''s father had hidden something underneath the tree.


    As predicted, he indeed left something there.


    When Noel stabbed the ground with the shovel, he seemed to have hit something hard.


    *ck!*


    "Hmm?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows and tried to dig the ground near it to confirm his suspicion.


    When the soil above it crumbled, Noel could finally find the thing that Rose''s father hid.


    "This is¡­" Noel frowned and called Rose since she was more familiar with her father. "Rose. Come here for a second. I think I''ve found it."

 Chapter 502 Blueprints

    "Hmm?" Rose turned around, hurriedly approaching Noel since she was curious about what kind of thing her father left behind.


    It was actually a wooden box. The exterior was badly damaged due to the weathering, but there was no hole in it, so the contents should be safe.


    "What is this box¡­" Noel muttered while looking at this old box. Rose was 25 years old, and with her living here as long as she could remember, it was clear that this box was older than her age.


    In other words, this box was around thirty years old. So, they had to be careful when opening it.


    "Let''s open it." Noel put the box down, allowing Rose to open it. This was the item that her father left behind for her, so she had all the right to open it.


    Rose gently wiped off the soil so that she could grab the lock. It might be due to the passing of time, but when she tried to open the lock, it fell apart.


    The box ended up opening by itself. Rose was startled at first, but she still lifted the lid, wanting to see what was inside.


    "This is¡­" Rose was confused. Noel took a peek inside and found one book and a few pieces of paper.


    "What is this?" Noel frowned, wondering what these papers contained. After all, it was already so old that the content inside it might not be relevant anymore.


    Rose grabbed the book first as she recognized the words in this book.


    "This handwriting¡­ It''s my father''s handwriting." Rose gasped. Normal vigers might not have enough knowledge to write, but most of the vige chiefs could do it. So, it wasn''t that abnormal to see her father write something.


    However, the words that were written in that book were what shocked her the most.


    "If anyone can find this book, it will be my daughter. If you end up finding this notebook, it means I have died.


    "I don''t know what kind of event will unfold in the future, but I''m writing this note to tell you about three important things.


    "The first thing is my name. My name is not Billy. My real name is Emmanuel, and I am the knight captain of the Rumbledane Family.


    "The Rumbledane Family is a baron family that is located in the west of the kingdom. But it has been destroyed by a raid by the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "The reason for that raid is all these things I''ve left behind. This is the second thing I want to tell you.


    "These papers contain information about a certain item. I found them during an exploration with the knights of the barony in a ruin. That ruin seems to be holding some knowledge about past civilizations.


    "Although we didn''t understand a single thing about theirnguage, we''d got some information regarding their use.


    "ording to the people who had read them, these papers were actually blueprints for two items. The first would be the iron spring and the second one was an item that had stic characteristics, but it seemed to be durable enough to endure many harsh environments.


    "These blueprints must be the reasons why the barony was raided. At that time, there were many jealous people that wanted to get these two blueprints. So, there was also a chance that they were working with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "There were three influences that might get involved in this. They were Baron Alpenw, Baroness Litheart, and Count Serpentswift.


    "And this is rted to thest thing I want to tell you. I got this from the baron I served so that I could pass it to someone worthy enough to get it.


    "ording to the baron, these two blueprints are worth more than a barony. Their potential was limitless and it could be the specialty of a territory and make it prosper.


    "So, I''m going to give these two blueprints to you. I can only give you these two like this because, by the time you find these blueprints, not many should still remember them.


    "If you want to sell them, make sure you find a good merchant or a good noble. But be careful as they might kill you and steal these blueprints from you.


    "If you want to be a noble by marrying into their family, these blueprints shall be the dowry. I hope that they can take good care of my daughter.


    "Still, I believe that you are smart enough to handle this matter. If you don''t want anything to do with it, then burn these blueprints. Humanity might lose important blueprints, but the only humans I care about at this point are your mother and you. So, please¡­ do what you want with them.


    "I''ll be watching over you from here. I love you, sweetheart. Please lead a happy life."


    "¡­" Rose closed her eyes, trying hard to not cry. She never thought that her father would leave behind something this important.


    Although she didn''t know whether the blueprints were really worth that much or not, if they did, she would gain a lot of things in this life with them.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Noel didn''t read the books. He was examining the blueprints, only to find them confusing. As expected, he wasn''t a cksmith, so he didn''t understand what they were trying to do.


    Looking at his confused look, Rose couldn''t help but say, "Noel. These two are ancient blueprints from past civilizations. I think it''s better to measure it from a trustworthy cksmith. I want to give these two blueprints to you to thank you for avenging my family¡­"


    "Huh?" Noel was confused because he didn''t understand the blueprints and didn''t read the exnation.


    Meanwhile, Rose was only smiling at him as if she didn''t n to exin much about it. She only said, "Well, these two blueprints are highly sought and it will be dangerous just to carry them around. So, it''s better to let a cksmith see it and decide what to do after that."


    "¡­" Noel remained silent, not knowing what to say.


    On the other hand, Rose added inwardly, ''Sorry, Dad. I think I''ve found another option that is different from the ones you gave. I''ll be giving this to Noel because I know that he will take care of the blueprints well. And as an expert of the Demon Relief Squad, I don''t need money since my strength is enough to let me live leisurely for the rest of my life. So, I''m going to dedicate them to Noel.''

 Chapter 503 Bad News

    Noel was overwhelmed by the gift to the point he couldn''t ept it easily.


    "I''m sorry, Rose. I don''t think I can ept this." Noel shook his head helplessly. "These are yours."


    "But¡­" Rose frowned.


    "Do you think I don''t know their worth? I might not understand the information written on the blueprints, but I know it''s worth a lot.


    "After connecting some parts, I can see why the Supreme Devil Organization wants these blueprints¡­ no, should I say that the Supreme Devil Organizations want these blueprints because they know their worth?


    "You have told me that it''s dangerous to possess these blueprints as well, so I can kind of measure their worth. So, you should be the one holding them, not me. These are the gifts from your parents."


    Rose''s body shook. She wanted to repay Noel for everything she had done. She also had deemed Noel to be a good lord if he ever rebuilt his family.


    And with his current character, the people would know him as a wise and just lord. He might want his subordinates'' stuff, but everything was for the territory''s development.


    Even if he had to retrieve it, he would give enoughpensation. That was why she gave them to Noel.


    She could say she had expected this, but she also wished she could say otherwise. After all, she wanted Noel to receive them.


    "I know that you are a bit skeptical of receiving this, but trust me. You need these blueprints." Rose indirectly implied that the blueprints were more important than the dangers.


    But Noel wasn''t concerned about the danger. He was more skeptical about the worth of the blueprints. He couldn''t repay Rose for these. He believed what he had done for her still wasn''t worth more than these two blueprints.


    "It''s not about the danger, Rose. If you give me these two blueprints, I''m afraid that I will owe you so much that it will make me feel guilty."


    "Huh? Guilty?" Rose was confused. There was no need to feel guilty since she was the one that wanted him to ept, not the other way around.


    "You can understand why I feel that way after following me a bit more. Instead of giving me these two, how about you hold it first for me?


    "If you find someone suitable for it, you should give them or hand them to this person. But if you still haven''t found anyone, then when I have enough riches, I''ll buy them for you." Noel smiled as if asking Rose not to reject this proposal.


    "¡­" Rose bit her lips when she saw her expression. She still wanted to give him, but she ended up respecting Noel''s stance. "Alright. But I won''t give it to anyone. You are the only ones who can possess them, all right?"


    "Thank you."


    The atmosphere became awkward after that, but Rose ended up safekeeping the blueprints for Noel.


    Rose didn''t tell Noel the content of the blueprints. There were two reasons.


    Firstly, Rose wished Noel to ept it so that she could repay his kindness. Secondly, Rose wanted Noel to appraise it personally so that there wouldn''t be any lies about it.


    Even if she told him about the previous appraisal, they might not be correct. After all, civilization had developed further in the past thirty years. So, the answer might be different this time.


    In the end, they decided to stop talking about the blueprints and continued on their journey.


    Their next destination was none other than the Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters, where they nned to meet up with Dimitri.


    He was also curious about the development of those kids. They had talent and a unique path. Now that they hadn''t met for six months, he wanted to see how far the kids had gone.


    Noel couldn''t help but tell the story about the kids to Rose, showing how proud he was of them.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    After all, they were kids from slums that sought to change and reach a higher stage. They didn''tin about the training and kept making an effort toward their goal.


    The story piqued Rose''s interest since Septa was talented at his own level while Shale was one of the most powerful people in the Demon Banner Army.


    With them agreeing to the assessment, the kids should be good. She wanted to see what kind of sword dance the kids would show her.


    It took them three weeks to reach the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters due to how far Rose''s vige was. And their pace was quite high all this time to avoid gettingte.


    The horses were tired, but Noel and Rose kept pushing them forward just for a little bit until they met the kids.


    When Noel and Rose reached their destination, they didn''t hesitate to go toward the house where the kids lived.


    But to their surprise, the hut was empty and there was dust here and there, showing that the kids had left the hut for a while.


    So, Noel had no choice but to go to the barrack to find anyone that was supposed to have seen the kids.


    He knew that Shale had stopped teaching and the next instructor was the captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. However, he should know something about them.


    Even Shale should know about the kids'' talents and tell the Demon Barrier Squad''s captain about them.


    The Demon Barrier Squad''s captain was a middle-aged man whose body wasn''t losing against Igor. But ording to Rose, this person was more muscle-brain than Igor as they could still tell Igor something and he would follow the advice.


    As for this captain, he only thought about muscle and body. All the Demon Barrier Squad members had a simr body to him as if they were trying to be a meat shield. It was no wonder Shale and Septa called this person a gori. After all, he only taught the new recruits how to strengthen their bodies.


    And the moment they reached the barrack and found the captain, they received an answer that shocked them to the core.


    "The kids? They''re gone."

 Chapter 504 The Kids

    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    Noel was panting as he stormed inside a small wooden house and saw a simple backyard where a few kids shed their swords.


    The loud ''bang'' from the door rmed the kids as they immediately raised their weapons to stop whoever dared to trespass on their house.


    But to their surprise, the one that stood in front of their gate was Noel.


    "Eh?"


    "Big Brother Noel?"


    "You''re back?"


    The kids were confused and shocked at the same time. They were happy they could see Noel again, but they still couldn''t believe Noel would visit them again, especially with his busy schedule.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Noel was actually angry. His anger wasn''t directed at the kids but at the Demon Barrier Squad''s captain.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago.


    "They''re gone," said the captain with a poker face as if it wasn''t his problem.


    "What? They''re gone? Have they left the city?" Noel was desperate to know about their situation. If they truly died, he wanted to avenge them.


    It turned out he misunderstood him.


    "No. Themander has taken them away and given them another ce to live. So, they''re gone from this barrack since they''re training there." The captain answered while furrowing his eyebrows. "By the way, who are you? Why are you asking about the kids?"


    "I¡­" Noel stopped. He wanted to say he was the one taking care of them, but it was better to not say it to avoid leaking some information. Instead, he told him, "I am Iadre, a knight from the Demon Relief Squad.


    "Before the previous caretaker, Noel Ardagan, fell on a mission, he asked Rose, a colleague in the Demon Relief Squad, to take care of them. So, we were here to check on their conditions."


    Noel had one concern that made him hesitate with this guy. The fact that he answered the question before asking about their identities already made him look easy to fool. So, it wasn''t good to tell him about a secret.


    "Oh, I have heard about Noel Ardagan from themander and Shale. He indeed went to the Demon Relief Squad." The guy nodded in understanding.


    It seemed that he didn''t care much about the kids or Noel and just wanted to confirm their rtionship.


    In the end, Rose apologized for all themotion and immediately left with Noel to ask about the kids'' house from themander.


    As expected, they had to go through the normal administration office and get the information not long after. The wait made Noel a bit anxious.


    When he finally knew where they were staying, he rushed toward them and mmed open the door.


    There was a lot of confusion on their faces since they didn''t recognize him. But the moment he opened his masks after closing the door, the kids were dumbfounded.


    "Big Brother Noel!"


    The kids couldn''t help but drop their weapons and rush to Noel.


    "Wo¡ª" Noel wanted to stop them, but their physical ability was already much greater than he remembered, so they ended up tackling him to the ground.


    "Why are you making amotion?" There was a female''s voiceing from the back.


    Although the voice had a higher pitch, Noel still remembered the familiar tone and way of speaking.


    And when that female finally turned around the corner, their gazes met.


    Yes, it was Erica.


    She was holding a knife full of blood as if she had just murdered someone. And with her darkened expression and anger, it truly felt like it was the case.


    However, her expressionpletely changed when she saw Noel. "Big Brother¡­"


    She froze for a moment and checked her appearance. She tried to take off her apron, but the first thing she realized was the fake that her knife was already missing.


    "Eh?" Erica turned her head around to find her knife, only to see a tall woman next to her.


    "You shouldn''t move around with a knife in hand." It was Rose. She didn''t forget to remind her.


    Erica suddenly took a few steps back as if she was trying to gain some distance, measure the enemy''s strength, and n a counterattack.


    "Hmm?" Rose noticed her footwork, but what shocked her the most was how smooth it was. Her movement felt light and connected as if she was flowing water.


    It was simple yet elegant. This might be the first time she had seen something like this. Then again, she remembered Noel told her about the Sword Dance. In essence, it was a dance, so this movement was to be expected.


    "Who are you?" Erica became vignt, not feeling her presence this whole time.


    "Hello, I am Rose. I am Noel''s teammate in the Demon Relief Squad."


    "You are his teammate?" Erica frowned. "But isn''t Big Brother''s teammate that nobledy?"


    "I think Noel should be the one to exin the situation to you. For now, you just have to understand that I''m Noel''s senior in the squad and I don''t n any harm. I simply follow him here."


    "¡­" Erica looked hesitant but still dropped her guard while ncing at Noel as if trying to get his confirmation.


    Noel made a wry smile as he tried to stand up after these kids dragged him to the ground. After noticing Erica''s gaze, he nodded to her.


    "Alright, let''s stop this for a while, shall we? Let''s gather in another ce so that we can have a peaceful talk." Noel gently pushed the kids away.


    In the end, Erica told the kids to move away while she returned to the kitchen. She was cooking with a few other kids earlier, and it seemed she had be more fired up as if she wanted to make a feast for Noel.


    She didn''t tell the others about Noel yet since she didn''t want someone to get injured while cooking. Meanwhile, her twin brother, Eric, ended up leading the rest of the kids and guiding Noel to their living room.


    This was their new house, so he wanted to see whether they were living well or not.

 Chapter 505 Devastated

    A few months ago.


    The kids were practicing in the barrack with Shale. Because most people had graduated, the barracks were empty most of the time.


    So, Shale couldn''t help but watch these kids here. He was impressed by the kids'' talents.


    He could say that they were as talented as their knights, but what piqued his interest was the twins that led the group.


    Their talents were something else and they took care of the group while practicing. In other words, despite not having much time, they managed to reach that level.


    If he allowed them to grow even stronger, he believed that their achievement would be extraordinary.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ''Hmm¡­ Those two kids have the potential to be either a Captain or a Vice Captain in the Demon Banner Army. As for the rest of the kids, I think they will be able to reach the Zero Squad after some time.


    ''It''s truly surprising that these kidse from the slums¡­ Though, I don''t know if I should be more surprised about this or the fact that Noel managed to find them.''


    Shale ended up giving some pieces of advice every now and then even though they weren''t part of the Demon Banner Army. It was just a professional courtesy that didn''t wish for these kids'' talents to be buried away.


    While watching the kids, he felt a presenceing to his back. He hurriedly stood up and turned around to see who it was.


    "Huh? Commander?!" Shale was surprised to find themandering out personally. He had taken care of them and themander didn''t seem to mind about it.


    After all, it was also a good promotion for their Demon Banner Army.


    So, this was the first time themander came out so that he could observe the kids personally.


    "What brings you here?" Shale asked with a curious expression.


    Themander narrowed his eyes as he took action before answering his question. He looked at the kids for a moment before shouting, "Stop!"


    "!!!" Shale immediately used his Spiritual Energy to resist the sound wave, but the kids didn''t know what was going on.


    Their bodies suddenly refused to move as if they had be frozen. They were trying to see what was going on, but because of their body''s position, only some of them managed to find out about what happened.


    "The¡ª"


    Unfortunately, before they could say anything, themander had told them. "Silent!"


    At that moment, their mouths also released no sound, making the kids panic.


    Themander walked toward them while Shale hurriedly asked, "Commander. What is going on here? I believe I have told you about them and we are free to bring them in since they sincerely wish to get stronger. And Noel has entrusted them to me. They are still kids, so if you don''t like them, I''ll chase them away."


    Themander didn''t answer him. Instead, he kept walking until he gave another order. "Fix your posture and line up in front of me."


    The kids'' bodies moved on their own, confusing them. They tried to resist but to no avail.


    Shale gritted his teeth. This was themander''s power. His Spirit was rted to Sound and he could simply order everything from other people to Spiritual Energy. It was a powerful ability that allowed him to reach this position.


    Still, Shale couldn''t bear to see the kids getting punished or killed for no reason, especially when the other party never minded them.


    Before he could stand in his way, themander said, "You kids have been staying here for a few months. I have tomend you for not wasting any resources of this army. You don''t eat, use weapons, or even waste people''s time here.


    "You eat outside with your own money, use your own weapon, and ask or use the field when no one is there. So, I have tomend you for your effort.


    "However, the time hase to an end. You can''te to this ce anymore."


    "What? Commander¡­" Shale wanted to exin, but thetter shook his head as if he understood his concern.


    "I am giving you two choices. You can join my Demon Banner Army through the same route as anybody else if you still want to train here¡­"


    This was the worst choice for the kids. After all, they had sworn that they would be building their own group to show the world about the sword dance, a unique path that came from both them and Noel. They wanted to help Noel''s ambition with this new power.


    So, joining the Demon Banner Army would be thest thing they wanted to do. In the first ce, there was no way they could be together anymore if they joined the Demon Banner Army ording to Noel''s story.


    All of them seemed to be resisting this power as if they didn''t like the answer.


    Themander obviously felt their resistance, but the gap in their strength was simply too big that his control wouldn''t be disturbed.


    Shale wanted to say something this whole time, but his order was also affecting him, so he had a hard time uttering the words.


    So, themander continued with the second choice.


    "I give you two options because you all have a close rtionship with Noel Ardagan. Unfortunately for you, Noel Ardagan has died."


    "!!!" The kids were dumbstruck. They couldn''t believe what they had heard.


    "He was killed by his own teammate called Anna Stargaze. I believe you knew her."


    This statementpletely enraged the kids. They couldn''t help but remember the first time they saw Anna. Noel had given up a lot for them to the point he had to obey Anna. And to think he would end up dying in Anna''s hands. They werepletely shocked.


    Their eyes seemed to be telling him that they wanted to kill Anna Stargaze as soon as he released them from this.


    And this was when themander told them, "So, I give you this second choice. I have a small house for you that contains a small backyard where you can get stronger by yourself. His death involves the noble and the Demon Banner Army, so we can''t train you to kill her.


    "If you want to avenge him, you might want to take this option and get stronger by yourself. Wait until you are strong enough and do it."

 Chapter 506 Reason

    "Commander." Shale was finally released from themander''s ability. He kept ncing at the entrance where the kids had left.


    They had taken the second option, so they had to get stronger as quickly as possible to avenge Noel.


    Meanwhile, Shale didn''t understand why themander did this and demanded an exnation.


    Themander shook his head. "That''s the only way for them to get stronger. Noel hasn''t died."


    "But¡­" Shale suddenly fell silent. The news about Noel''s death had reached his ears, so it confused him to hear those words from themander. It seemed that there was another conspiracy in this matter, which was something he didn''t want to get involved in.


    "I know your concern, but this is for the best. The kids have a lot of motivation, but that''s not enough.


    "There are only some ways for those kids to survive in this harsh world. I''m sure you know it too, Shale."


    Shale looked down, understanding those words. He couldn''t help but recount his past.


    If there was only one kid, their survival chance would be higher. But there were a lot of kids in that group. If they wanted to survive as a group, they had to get stronger fast so that they wouldn''t be taken advantage of by others and end up getting killed in a plot. They might even get enved.


    So, themander fueled them with hatred so that they could get stronger as quickly as possible.


    But what he didn''t understand was the fact that themander forbade them from entering the barrack. After all, it was the best ce to train.


    "It seems that you don''t understand why I give them the second option." Themander made a small smile as if understanding his confusion. "There are three reasons for it. First of all, they don''t belong here.


    "The moment the new apprentice knightse, there is bound to be a conflict of interest between them. No matter how talented the kids are, I am still themander of the Demon Banner Army.


    "I have to put the interest of the army as a priority. So, I have to chase them away.


    "The second reason is about their instructor. Don''t forget that you are going to return to your squad soon, Shale."


    "Ah!" Shale widened his eyes in surprise, forgetting about this important matter. He didn''t forget about going to his squad. Instead, he actually forgot who would be taking over as an instructor. "That gori¡­"


    "Yeah. He will being as the instructor. The kids'' sword¡­ dance? Yeah, that. They are notpatible with his rough training. His training focuses solely on the body, while the kids emphasize their footwork and swordsmanship, so letting him oversee the kids will only give the opposite effect."


    The second reason alone was enough to convince Shale what hismander did was correct.


    But he still had one reason left.


    Themander raised his finger. "The third reason is the most important. What do you think is the most expensive thing in the world?"


    "Hmm?" Shale tilted his head for a moment before answering, "Strength? Or maybe treasure?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No. With enough money, you can still buy them. The most expensive thing in this world is freedom. You can''t buy it no matter how much money you have.


    "The freedom to do anything you want, the freedom to gain happiness, the freedom to be with your loved one¡­


    "In this cruel world, there are various forces that will restrict your freedom. Even your inw can easily restrict your freedom to be with their son or daughter.


    "Yeah. Those kids are free. I don''t want them to get entangled in this situation¡­at least not now. So, it''s better to let them stay there."


    "I see." Shale nodded in understanding. He never thought that themander would put so much effort into that kid.


    But he didn''t forget to add in a low voice, "Of course, everything is paid by Noel''s contribution points. He has told me to take care of them anyway."


    "¡­" Shale''s eyebrows twitched. More than half of the respect he had just given to themander was gone.


    ¡­


    "That''s what happened¡­" Erica told him the story until the kids left.


    But from the story alone, Noel could somehow understand why themander chased them away.


    Though, he didn''t exin it to them since it wasn''t important.


    Erica was wiping off the tears while saying with a shaking voice. "I thought that¡­ big brother¡­ hmmh¡­ *sob*¡­"


    Erica couldn''t continue as she was crying because she couldn''t imagine what they would do if Noel truly died.


    She remembered how much they cried after that day. They werepletely devastated.


    They never cried as much as they did that day. Even when they were bullied in the slum, they were never that sad.


    Noel was their savior, the one that pulled them from the darkness. So, his death hit them hard.


    The kids couldn''t help bute to Noel, hugging him and refusing to let go. They didn''t want to lose him anymore.


    Rose, who was watching the entire situation unfold, smiled. She had heard the story about them, but it seemed that Noel still underestimated the bond between them.


    She remained silent in the distance because she didn''t want to disturb their reunion.


    The kids were crying all the time while Noel tried to calm them down.


    They were also telling the story of how they overcame his death. Eric, as the leader, had fulfilled his role.


    He was the first one to hide his sadness and became stronger for the group. He tried to calm them down, but the hardest one was Erica.


    Erica had a simr ability to Noel in terms of leadership, so Noel had taught her the most. They could say their rtionship was the best in the group.


    So, she was thest one to ovee her sadness and finally had the will to get stronger to avenge Noel.


    Now that they found out Noel was still alive, they had to figure out what they were going to do after this.

 Chapter 507 Request

    "Mhm¡­" Noel gently moaned while opening his eyes. It was still in the middle of the night.


    It might be due to them getting pretty excited to know he was still alive, they ended up waking up thiste.


    Noel closed his eyes to imitate how they were sleeping so that the rest of the kids would follow his action.


    He gently rose from the floor, looking at the kids. They had pushed away their beds and used their sheets to create a thin mattress so that they could sleep together.


    So, Noel didn''t carry them to their individual bed.


    Instead, he made sure that none of them had trouble sleeping before walking out of the room as quietly as possible.


    When he reached the backyard to get some air, he found Rose sitting under the moonlight, staring at the sky.


    There was a smile on her face as if she had made a fun memory in this ce.


    "You''re still awake?" Rose smiled at Noel.


    "Of course. If I don''t try to sleep, the kids will continue until dawn. They are still growing up, so they should get some sleep." Noel shook his head helplessly. "Though, I''m wondering the same about you."


    "Hmm¡­" Rose''s smile became even bigger as she gently nced at the house as if looking at the kids behind the wall. "This ce is peaceful and filled with happiness. I can clearly see how attached they are to you."


    "Well, I never thought I would be that attached either."


    "Yeah. Though, You seem to have a lot of fun with them."


    "I can''t deny that." Noel walked to her and asked if he could join her.


    Rose nodded while saying, "Though, I wonder what you will do for the kids? They look so ready to avenge you¡­"


    "Just like you¡­"


    Rose couldn''t deny it. She, too, wanted to kill Anna before, but when everything came to light, she stopped thinking about it.


    Although she didn''t like Anna, it didn''t change the fact that Anna had contributed a lot to Noel''s n. And there didn''t seem to be any conflict between Noel and Anna. So, she dropped the idea of revenge.


    "I think you should worry about their motivation. Revenge usually drives people to a great length¡­ That should be the reason why their strength has improved drastically in the past few months."


    Noel didn''t reply to her statement for a while. It was clear that he knew about their motivation, but looking from his eyes, he seemed to be concerned about something else.


    Noel asked, "Do you think Revenge is the best drive to power? I don''t think it is. It''s true that you can grow stronger exponentially¡­ After all, that is what makes me this strong in the beginning."


    Noel remembered how the revenge thought forced him to keep training. However, the moment he got confused by his desire to get revenge due to his father''s note, he felt he had lost something important.


    He was lucky to find a new goal or he would have suffered a huge bacsh. He might fall from grace and couldn''t get stronger for a while.


    So, Noel had another worry and this was what he actually wished for the kids. "Actually, I wish that the kids could grow up without any thoughts of revenge. I want them to do everything they want, not be driven by any person.


    "When they first danced in front of me, they werepletely awkward and had no idea. The confusionpletely overwhelmed their smiles.


    "But after learning a lot about the Sword Dance, it felt like they were smiling a lot. They enjoyed it.


    "As long as we lived in this era and kept getting stronger, we are bound to kill a demon or a person. To endure such a cruel thing, we have to at least enjoy what we are doing or using.


    "I simply wish for them to not lose their smiles." Noel made a sad smile, showing how concerned he was.


    "I see." Rose nodded. She could understand his concern before turning around, saying, "I think you should say it to them. Eric and Erica, right? The leader and the manager of the group."


    Noel''s heart skipped a beat as he turned his head around, finding the two peeking from the corner. They were only curious, so there was no intent sent through their gazes.


    Noel would certainly feel them eventually, but Rose had beaten him and informed him about these two kids.


    "!!!" Eric and Erica panicked, wondering what they should do now that they had been found out.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Ehehe¡­" Eric and Erica came out while scratching the back of their heads, embarrassed.


    "We didn''t mean to eavesdrop¡­" Erica tried to exin. She noticed Noel leaving, so she tried to follow him. Eric noticed Erica''s movement, so they ended up going together.


    Noel looked at them and waved his hand, calling them.


    The twins ended up going to Noel. They wanted to apologize, but Noel had already said, "I guess you have heard everything. So, what are you nning to do after this?"


    "That''s¡­" Eric and Erica exchanged looks. They hadn''t thought about it. Their only thought was to get stronger before avenging Noel.


    It wasn''t something that a kid could easilye up with, so they ultimately shook their heads.


    "I see." Noel smiled. "It''s something that you have to choose eventually. But I have to warn you that your goal and destination shoulde from you, not anyone else. Don''t let anyone convince you, understand?"


    "Yes, Big Brother." Eric and Erica nodded furiously.


    "Good."


    Eric couldn''t help but raise his hand. "Big Brother. There is something that I need to ask you¡­ that is, if you don''t mind."


    As if knowing what Eric wanted, Erica tried to stop him. "Eric!"


    However, he had already piqued Noel''s interest, so Eric had to say it. "I have been wondering how far we have gone. It''s true that we have gone beyond ''children in the slums'', but we don''t know much about the world, especially how strong we are.


    "Can you¡­ fight us?"

 Chapter 508 Advice

    The next morning.


    Noel was standing in front of the kids. He had agreed to the duel Eric wanted. But Noel had made a condition.


    They had to attack him at the same time.


    All eleven kids were standing side by side while holding a wooden sword.


    "I think you have learned about this from the Demon Banner Army, but I''m going to repeat it. There are three things you need if you want to be stronger and fight bandits and demons. They are Swordsmanship, connections, and resources.


    "Connection can be made in the future when you eventually venture out of the city. Resources are the same. You have to make your own money and buy your own things, especially the Demon Crystals. You need them to get stronger.


    "I won''t be exining a lot of things about Spiritual Energy and Spirits right now. Instead, I will be leaving you with books so that you can learn together. Erica is the only one who has made a clear effort to learn how to read and write, so ask her to teach you or you can learn how to read and write from her.


    "There are a lot of resources from humans to items. I have a principle that I will settle everything fair and square unless the other party is not¡­ But I''m not going to impose this ideal on you.


    "Just keep asking the question of what, when, where, who, why, and how every time you do something and decide whether that''s the right thing to do or not.


    "Last but not least, the Swordsmanship. You have your own path to pursue, which is the Sword Dance. But in essence, they are simr to normal Swordsmanship.


    "You need technique, abilities, and footwork if you want to polish your strength.


    "However, you have something different from normal people. It''s the bond you have together. From the very start, you have been dancing together with the others. So, I want you to remember that and fight together.


    "This is your biggest advantage and the reason why I ask you to fight me together.


    "Each of you has your own build, sticity, and rhythm. I believe that you can show me some coordination¡­"


    Noel stopped his speech since he had talked too much. The rest could be exined after they had shown him.


    So, he paused for a moment while taking a deep breath. After that, he looked at the kids and raised his wooden sword.


    "I will only fight you with my swordsmanship this time to show you the gap between us. I won''t use my Spirit, Spiritual Energy, or any abilities." Noel looked at them with a serious expression. "Let''s begin."


    The kids instantly became nervous since this might be the first time they saw Noel this serious in a fight. It felt like they would be swallowed alive by him.


    However, Noel had yet to release his killing intent to avoid harming the kids. He simply focused his attention on the kids and the swords.


    The fact that the kids could feel it meant they had considered Noel as an enemy to beat. In other words, they were ready to fight him with all they got.


    Eric clutched his chest while taking a few deep breaths. "Amazing. So, this is a real fight. It''s different from those thugs in the slum¡­ This is the best chance to get a hang of a ''real'' fight. Let''s enjoy it, everyone."


    Eric''s words stunned everyone and dissipated their nervousness.


    He was right. They would be disrespecting Noel if they didn''t do this seriously.


    As a leader, Eric was the first to rush forth. His footwork consisted of small steps, allowing him to change his direction quickly.


    He charged at Noel before eventually spinning his body at the right time so that his sword would reach him with all that momentum.


    Noel could sense his intention easily and took a step forward to disrupt his rhythm.


    "!!!" Eric widened his eyes. His motion was meant to attack Noel in his position. The fact that Noel took a step forward, his sword would end up being too close to his own body.


    *ck!*


    Their wooden swords ended up shing with Noel standing right in front of Eric, stopping his wooden swordpletely. With this, his dance stopped. Eric needed to work with his rhythm again.


    ''Kh.'' Eric gritted his teeth and leaped back while thinking, ''That sh was supposed to hit his sword, making him use a bit of his strength to block it. During that time, I would be able to deliver the second strike¡­''


    Noel smiled. "Your movement is good, but it''s a bit too predictable. I know that it will give you an advantage once the attack connects, but what will you do when your rhythm gets interrupted? Don''t forget that the terrain might not be a nd like this but a jungle where trees, branches or roots might end up tripping you."


    "Yes!" Eric answered out loud, understanding Noel''s advice. It was the weakness of his Sword Dance.


    Since Eric had been stopped, the one that came after him was Erica.


    Noel could see her movement had be so fluid like a flowing water. With her intelligence, Erica should know where to go and what to do.


    So, stopping her rhythm would be hard.


    However, there was a fatal w in Erica''s ability.


    When Erica attacked him, Noel simply waved his sword stronger.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    *Bam!*


    Their swords shed, but Erica ended up getting thrown back and almost lost her sword.


    "!!!" Erica widened her eyes and fell to the ground.


    "It seems you have good coordination with your work, Erica. Though, you still need strength to support your attack. With that kind of weak attack, you can be stopped pretty easily. There are various ways to boost your strength. I don''t know which one you like¡­"


    Erica nodded as she already understood what she needed to work on. "I know. I think about using Spiritual Energy to raise my strength since I don''t wish to build more muscle on my body¡­"


    "You can also try using speed, momentum, or Spiritual Energy control. Increasing your options might be time consuming but not necessarily a bad thing." Noel smiled before turning to the other kids who hadn''te to him. "Come."

 Chapter 509 Goodbye

    "We shall end it here today." Noel stabbed the ground with his wooden sword while looking at the kids who hadid down because they had no energy left to move.


    They had been fighting for two hours as Noel kept giving them advice. Although he couldn''t be called a master of the sword, it didn''t change the fact that he got his basic right. So, his advice only focused on the basics as the kids would take that advice and incorporate it into their Sword Dance.


    The kids didn''t have any visible injuries even though Noel had hit them a few times. It seemed Noel had controlled his power carefully.


    "I am impressed that you have reached this level. This is a new path that no one has walked on, so it''s quite impressive for all of you to build it from scratch. You even have made the foundation for your Sword Dance.


    "I''m sure you will do just fine in the future." Noel nodded, satisfied. It was quite impressive for the kids who had no experience in battle or even learned any form of Swordsmanship to learn something like this.


    He didn''t know how much Shale had helped them, but it was clear that most of their foundation came from their dance.


    "What did you find, Rose?" Noel turned to Rose and exined, "This big sister here has sharp eyes. She should be able to notice any missing details, so make sure to listen to her."


    "I''m not that great and I haven''t learned any swordsmanship, so I will just tell you what I got from the sparring." Rose shook her head. "The Sword Dance is great and unique. I believe there are four advantages you can get from using the Sword Dance.


    "Firstly, the Sword Dance is a new path, so people will be confused about how to fight it. Of course, you have to at least reach a basic Swordsmanship level for the Sword Dance to confuse them. Basically, make sure the Sword Dance is usable.


    "Secondly, the Sword Dance relies a lot on rhythm. This is extremely unique because your dance will change a lot depending on the rhythm. I don''t know much about music since I rarely find bards in towns. But just by pping hands with different patterns, you can find your own rhythm. So, I think you should find some basic patterns.


    "Just like swordsmanship, these basic patterns will make you move easier because everything is programmed. It''s true that others can find out your patterns, but they need a lot of understanding about the Sword Dance, so it will only go back to the first point.


    "Thirdly, this is basically a dance. The more you dance, the more you spread your influence. It''s true that the goal is good and realistic, but you should know that the dance might allow your enemies to learn your Sword Dance. So, I suggest you have a separate dance pattern if you want to perform.


    "Last but not least, the Spiritual Energy and the Spirits themselves. I don''t know how much you have learned about them, but I have to warn you that sometimes your Spirits might not bepatible with your Sword Dance.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "The swordsmanship has been generalized, so it can match everything, including the spirits. But I don''t know how you''re going to develop the Sword Dance. That''s why I have to warn you about the direction you go. Make sure you think about the future as well. It will be awkward if one of you ends up bing ipatible after all."


    Rose stepped back after exining what she had learned from her perspective. They were good opinions since they hit the essence of the Sword Dance.


    Eric led the group by bowing his head. "Thank you very much. We are grateful to know about all this."


    "Thank you very much." The other kids lowered their heads.


    Noel smiled. He knew that everything would be alright. They were talented enough to ovee the problem.


    After thanking Rose, Eric went to Noel and said, "Big Brother. We have been thinking that we want to spend one year polishing our Sword Dance and start going around to hunt the demons. We are not going to be affiliated with the Demon Banner Army¡­"


    Noel thought for a moment and wondered what he should say to these kids. On the one hand, he felt one year wasn''t enough. On the other hand, they had numbers and unity, which should help them a lot against demons.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel nced at Rose. "What do you think about their n?"


    "I do think one year is not enough. However, I won''t stop them. As you said previously, you couldn''t decide what they did. In that case, it''s better to support them while giving some warnings."


    "I see¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will be giving you some basic knowledge about Spiritual Energy and the Spirits. Also, you have to learn teamwork and traps since that''s basically the first thing you need to kill the demons. Don''t forget you have to buy your own equipment."


    Noel paused for a moment. He was wondering if he should teach the kids runes or not, considering the kids would only leave this ce one yearter.


    By that time, the knowledge about the runes should have spread.


    However, it was better for the kids to focus on their Sword Dance first, so Noel decided not to give them the knowledge. Instead, he was nning to give them a parting gift.


    "Alright. Since we are done here, let''s have breakfast." Noel smiled.


    Noel spent another day with the kids before leaving. Rose also had some fun with the kids since they were optimistic and wanted to learn a lot of things.


    Although they had finished their business with the kids, they hadn''t left the fort yet. After all, they still needed to meet one more person, who had been waiting for them.


    Noel and Rose gathered in one room as a shadow emerged from the floor, turning into Dimitri.

 Chapter 510 Report

    "Let''s hear the report," said Noel with a serious expression.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Understood." Dimitri nodded before starting to retell what had happened.


    ¡­


    One week earlier.


    Noel''s grandfather, Raincart Ezenholm, was sitting in the library, reading a book. This book was none other than Noel''s notebook.


    He had been learning a lot from this notebook and didn''t expect that Noel had this kind of knowledge.


    However, he noticed that the knowledge was still iplete.


    "To think the Spirit Enhancement is the downgrade version of the runes. This is surprising since we all know how Spirit Enhancement can give so much prestige to a cksmith.


    "But if the knowledge about the runes has spread, I''m afraid that there will be apletely new job. The cksmiths will change from the Spirit Enhancements to Rune Enhancements.


    "Basically, this book is a priceless treasure. Not only will it change the wholendscape of cksmith, but it will also allow normal people to get stronger without the use of Spirits. We will be more and more independent from the Spirits.


    "Though, it doesn''t mean people don''t want Spirits anymore. After all, no one is rejecting an extra power up."


    Raincart shook his head helplessly. He felt he had already lost against Noel, a young man who had just turned sixteen not long ago.


    In ten years, Noel would surely be a monster that no one could ignore.


    "I want to protect him, but I can''t make any move right now. It''s basically impossible to send experts to Noel without the help of the royal family.


    "And by looking at the family tree, we can somehow convince the royal family to move as long as we present this book. But I don''t want Noel to get entangled into another throne war¡­"


    Raincart closed his eyes with a pained look. The throne war in the Muivell Kingdom had cost him his parents. If there was another throne war in the Greenwood Kingdom, Noel might get into a lot of trouble.


    "¡­" Raincart fell silent for a moment before saying, "The one who hides in the corner over there. You bettere out before I get angry."


    "¡­" There was no sound or replying from the corner. But a shadow soon approached him as Dimitri came out.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Raincart. I''m surprised that you can find my presence."


    "I simply realize your Spiritual Energy fluctuation. So, who are you?" Raincart narrowed his eyes, trying to observe Dimitri. The only reason why he hadn''t done anything yet was because there was no killing intent from Dimitri.


    Thetter had the skill to not leak the killing intent, but Raincart also had enough affinity with the Spiritual Energy to realize it.


    So, Raincart didn''t attack him yet.


    "I am Dimitri, a former Demon Assassination Squad''s captain. But right now, I am here as Dimitri, the butler of the Ardagan Family. I currently serve the Young Master."


    "Former captain¡­ Ah, the rumored best assassin in the Muivell Kingdom, the Shadow. I have heard a lot about you." Raincart nodded. "I see. So, why do youe to me?"


    The two looked at each other as if measuring each other''s strength. Raincart, as the former chief of Spirit Magician, had enough strength to fight against Dimitri.


    In fact, Dimitri felt like he would be losing if he fought against Raincart right now. His instincts were telling him that the moment he gave the wrong answer, he would die.


    Dimitri didn''t realize yet that Raincart had reinforced the entire library with his Spiritual Energy and created some traps in it. So, the moment he confirmed Dimitri was an enemy, he would use all of them to hunt him down.


    Dimitri slowly moved his hand so that Raincart didn''t think he was reaching for his weapon.


    To Raincart''s surprise, Dimitri actually took out a book and presented it to Raincart. "ording to the Young Master, this book is the other half. It willplete the book he gave a few months ago."


    "!!!" The only ones who knew about the books were Ilzen, Elsa, and him. So, Raincart knew that Dimitri was truly affiliated with Noel.


    Raincart checked the title of the book and noticed the simrity. Both were the introduction of the runes.


    As soon as Raincart took the book, Dimitri gave Noel''s message. "The Young Master said he would like you to publish this book six months from now."


    "Huh? Publish this book?" Raincart narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure he said that?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you know what will happen when I publish this book?" Raincart gritted his teeth. "The royal family will recognize him and there will be a high possibility of him getting involved in the throne war. And who will be the author of this book?"


    "The Young Master leaves it at your discretion."


    "¡­" Raincart closed his eyes while raising his head. He felt a headache just thinking about this matter.


    He wanted to understand why Noel did all this.


    "Monopoly¡­"


    When he heard Raincart mentioning the monopoly, he actually confirmed it. "Actually, the Young Master also said that it was better to spread the knowledge to the whole world. The runes are too big for someone to monopolize."


    "As expected¡­" Raincart sighed. "He knows the influence I have. He believes that I will be using my influence to spread this knowledge so that no one can monopolize it. Whether they can advance it to the next stage is another matter.


    "It seems that the situation has forced him to take this action¡­" Raincart sighed. "I''ve failed as a grandfather for not being able to help him directly in this situation."


    Raincart bit his lips, wondering why they weren''t in the same kingdom. If he, the former chief of the Spirit Magicians of the Greenwood Kingdom, meddled with the Muivell Kingdom, it would be seen as a deration of war.


    So, many people would be implicated in this matter. And the only way to bypass that situation was for Noel to abandon the Muivell Kingdom.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t going to happen.


    Raincart thought for a moment and said, "Alright. I''ll publish this book. However, I''m not going to steal my grandson''s glory. The author of this book shall be him, I won''t take it otherwise!"

 Chapter 511 Next Plan

    "I see¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the report. "What do you think about my grandfather, Dimitri? I believe you haven''t seen him when you are still with my parents¡­"


    "Yes." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression. He pondered first before giving his opinion. "With all due respect, I believe that your grandfather is extremely powerful. Even after getting some time to ponder, I don''t think I have the ability to defeat him."


    "Hoh? Interesting." Noel narrowed his eyes while Rose gasped. She truly couldn''tprehend this family.


    Noel''s father was the richest man in the kingdom and had an extremely widework. Meanwhile, his grandfather was someone strong enough to defeat the ''Shadow,'' the man who was feared as the number one assassin.


    There was also Noel''s ancestor and his rtionship with the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family.


    Yet, despite all this, Noel''s parents still decided to get executed. Noel hadn''t told her about his uncle, who was once a part of the Demon Banner Army.


    Noel had all the big shots gathered in his family, but he was actually reduced to this state. It was simply unbelievable.


    Contrary to her disbelief, Noel actually kept his calm as if he had predicted it. "Well, he was a former Royal Spirit Magician¡­"


    "A former Royal Spirit Magician¡­" Rose was speechless and ended up giving the knowledge she had about it. "The Greenwood Kingdom''s power came from their Spirit Magicians. They had a lot of trade with the Tower Association from our kingdom. And a Royal Spirit Magician meant he was the head of all Spirit Magicians in the kingdom.


    "And if we''re talking about the former Royal Spirit Magician, he was the king''s tutor¡­" Rose shook her head helplessly, realizing the true identity of Noel''s grandfather. At the same time, she could understand why his grandfather couldn''t help him openly despite having all that power.


    After all, the moment he made his move, it could be seen as a deration of war, which would implicate a lot of people.


    Noel nced at Rose for a moment before returning to Dimitri as if asking him about his opinion.


    "Well, I do have some knowledge about him, but even after retiring, it seems that he maintains his sharpness.


    "Although I don''t know what he has done, I can feel that my life will be over if I make a move against him. I believe he has set some traps without me noticing."


    To make a trap without Dimitri''s knowledge would put his strength slightly lower than themander if not equal.


    But it was to be expected from the Royal Spirit Magician.


    "I see¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "If that''s the case, I don''t have to worry about my grandfather''s side. I know that with his strength and influence, he can do his part without anyone''s knowledge.


    "And in the worst case scenario, the Greenwood Kingdom will notice it and find me to acknowledge my ancestry. Or their king will probably try to bind me by making me marry into the royal family. After all, being the grandson of the former Royal Spirit Magician gave me enough status to marry into the royal family."


    Noel paused for a moment. "In that case, I''m going to tell you about our next n. Right now, we are nning to head to Styxcanva as well as Tamworth. In Styxcanva, I''m nning to get some knowledge about the Spirits, especially something rted to my abilities.


    "As for Tamworth, I''m there to meet my father''s former subordinate. Then to the nearby town to meet Countess Christina.


    "During that time, I have a few tasks for you¡­" Noel looked at Dimitri. "I don''t need you to fight for me right now. But I want you to help me with the surveince. The moment I enter Styxcanva, I''m afraid the Third Prince will notice me.


    "So, I want you to check anyone that is trying to follow me. You don''t have to report to me if that person only follows me, but the moment he leaves to report to the Third Prince, I need you to inform me about it.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Then, I might have to rely on your stealth ability to help me convince the Countess. But for now, I''m going to meet her first to see whether negotiation is possible or not.


    "And one more thing¡­ I think it''s quite far away from here, but I have thought about a certain Master cksmith. I want you to go there and show him some runes.


    "I know his skill, and I''m sure you''re already aware of his identity since you''ve been following me from the beginning."


    "¡­" Dimitri fell silent for a moment as if he was shocked that Noel actually wanted to recruit a Master cksmith. Then again, with those runes, there was no way a Master cksmith wouldn''t be so interested.


    Noel had even helped his family, so the Master cksmith might end up helping him with some conditions.


    "I understand. I''ll help you with this. There is some distance from that ce to Styxcanva, but I think it''s possible to finish this matter before you arrive at Styxcanva."


    Dimitri nodded in agreement. It seemed that Dimitri was a bit easy to convince as long as it didn''t involve fighting, Noel thought. Though, Noel also understood the reason.


    Noel couldn''t re-establish his family if he didn''t have enough strength. So, it was better to focus on getting stronger while giving the rest to Dimitri.


    Noel then turned to Rose. "I want you to buy some iron swords for me. They don''t need to be special."


    "Are you going to give them to the kids?" Rose asked.


    "Yeah."


    "I know that you''re adept at runes, but can you engrave them?"


    "Of course not. I''m going to leave them to Dimitri as practice swords." Noel winked yfully at Dimitri.


    Obviously, the practice swords were for the kids, but this was also Noel''s way of convincing the Master cksmith.


    He wanted to let the Master cksmith experience the wonder of the runes.

 Chapter 512 The Commander

    It felt like they had finished discussing their ns. However, there seemed to be another surprise the fort had to offer.


    Suddenly, Dimitri turned around, ncing at the outside. Rose followed that action, feeling the same thing.


    "We have apany¡­" Dimitri muttered. "I am going to leave right now, Young Master. I don''t know what he is nning to do, but seeing how he has been helping you this whole time, I think it''s fine to leave you for the time being."


    After saying those words, Dimitri disappeared, not waiting for Noel''s reply.


    Rose was still confused. Although she could feel the presence, she couldn''t determine the person.


    So, Rose looked at Noel with a serious expression. "I am going to open the door. Please stay inside for the time being."


    Noel nodded and moved toward the drawer as if he was trying to hide. It didn''t take too long before that presence arrived at their door.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    It was surprising for the person to arrive precisely at their room. This was the first time they had slept in this inn, so unless the other party had a good informationwork that allowed him to locate them, it was impossible to find them.


    Rose gulped down. She opened the door cautiously.


    "Y¡ª" But before she could ask for their purpose, she ended up getting shocked. Her body became tense and she couldn''t help but blurt out the visitor''s identity.


    "C-Commander!"


    "!!!"


    The people inside the room were shocked by his identity. Meanwhile, themander maintained his poker face as if he had predicted their reaction.


    Instead of exining things, he asked, "Can I enter?"


    Rose was hesitant. But she also remembered what Dimitri had said earlier.


    Before she could answer, Noel had walked to the front door while saying, "Pleasee in."


    "¡­" Rose nced at Noel for a second before opening the door wide, so themander could enter.


    This was the first time she could meet themander privately. But considering the Ardagan Family''s influence, it was possible that themander was also an ally.


    So, she decided to let Noel take over.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    After themander entered and Rose closed the door, Noel politely bowed to him and said, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Commander Oscar. How can I help you?"


    "I know you are in this fort after hearing the report. Actually, I am here to tell you about three things that you might or might not be aware of." Themander nced at Rose, who seemed to be trying to prepare something to drink. He waved his hand as if telling her not to prepare one since he wanted to leave as soon as he was done.


    "I understand. I don''t think themander would like to waste his precious time, so let''s cut to the chase."


    "It''s great to talk with someone with that mindset. Alright then." Themander raised his fingers. "The first one is rted to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "After getting that suspicion and report, we have deemed that the Demon Relief Squad is in a terrible position.


    "Hence, your operation will be extremely limited since we don''t want to lose our precious knights.


    "I have told ra about this, but I''m going to tell you too since you are on their watch list. Are you aware of your identity?"


    Noel nodded with a darkened expression. "Yes. In addition to the recent events, I believe I know why they are putting me on their watch list."


    "In that case, it will make this simpler. From now on, you should get ready to be ambushed by the Supreme Devil Organization. Septa has been investigating the Supreme Devil Organization, but I don''t think we can know the exact time of the ambush.


    "So, you can only rely on yourself to fend them off. Do you understand?"


    "Yes." Noel already knew that his life was in danger after hearing about his uncle from Dimitri. So, he had been nning his trip carefully. And with Dimitri on his side, he doubted an ambush would work. But he would still need to consider the worst case scenario.


    "Then, the second warning is still about the Supreme Devil Organization. After a series of investigations, we have found out that the enemies are trying to use the Demons to fight us.


    "In other words, they are going to wear us down by using the demons before dealing a huge blow to us.


    "I don''t have any doubt that the Demon Banner Army will be able to hold on, but I''m afraid the damage will be quite great.


    "And I wonder if you have some information about the Supreme Devil Organization that can help us find out about their next n?"


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He could understand why themander was suspicious of him.


    After all, the ce he went, whether it was a normal vige or a fort under the Water Lord, everything was rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. And he ended up messing with their n.


    On the one hand, he decided half of their destinations. On the other hand, he truly had no idea the situation would be like that.


    But he had already noticed something. He remembered Anna was able to predict the future correctly.


    He believed Anna could either see the future or experience it herself. Unfortunately, he had no way or intention to investigate the truth like how Anna respected his boundary by not asking anything about the system.


    However, it didn''t change the fact that he could gain some information from Anna''s prediction. And if he could somehow trigger Ardagan into giving him a mission rted to the Supreme Devil Organization, it would be perfect.


    Though, he had to make sure he wouldn''t be one of the suspects.


    ''Wait a minute. What if I used my parents'' former influence to create an alibi? And it is possible to trigger a mission from Ardagan by using a special circumstance¡­


    ''If I y this right, I might be able to get more information about my parents and the organization.''


    Noel was shocked as he had just found a loophole.

 Chapter 513 Suspicion

    Noel looked down for a moment, confusing themander.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hmm? What''s wrong? Do you have some information about them?" Themander furrowed his eyebrows.


    Noel didn''t answer him immediately as if he was considering something.


    "I don''t have the information. But I might have a way to find some clues¡­" Noel paused in the middle as if he was expecting something from themander.


    As if seeing through his intention, themander narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems you want my cooperation¡­"


    "Exactly. Nheless, you should be aware of how wide the Ardagan Family''swork is, right?"


    Themander couldn''t help but acknowledge that fact as well. Although Noel''s father had been executed, there was no telling whether Noel still knew some rtions or not.


    This could be a bluff from Noel, but there was nothing wrong if he cooperated with him. It was true that his uncle might be one of the people from the Supreme Devil Organization, but his father was not.


    In fact, Luke Ardagan was one of the people who didn''t mind helping people who got affected by the organization.


    So, Noel might be inheriting Luke''s determination and want to continue his father''s work to fight the organization.


    Themander fell into deep thought. He had to consider the pros and cons first before deciding whether he would cooperate with him or not.


    After three minutes, themander agreed. "Alright. You have my cooperation. So, what do you want?"


    "Maybe I can help you investigate them. Though, I hope that themander can understand my circumstances as well. If I''m too focused on them, I will have no time to get stronger. So¡­"


    Themander''s expression was darkened. "So, you want me to tell you about the Supreme Devil Organization information around your destination?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a smile.


    Themander pinched the bridge of his nose. It would be easy to just order Noel around. But as he said, Noel would waste too much time doing this mission.


    It would affect his training speed. He couldn''t help but remember Noel''s state when he first came here.


    He was a powerless guy without basic knowledge about spirits. Yet, one and a half yearter, his power was at the peak of Spirit Wielder. If he allowed Noel to continue to grow his strength at this pace, he would be able to reach the Spirit Master soon and eventually be the youngest Spirit Grandmaster.


    He pinched the bridge of his nose before asking, "Where are you going?"


    "I am nning to go to Styxcanva and the area around it, like visiting Countess Christina."


    Themander looked down, recalling the information he had about that area. After a while, themander told him. "There is a suspicion around Tamworth. I am thinking about sending people over there.


    "Since you are nearby, I want you to visit that ce as well and check whether the suspicion is true or not. Considering you have limited time to travel this time, you only need to look around for three days.


    "After that, whether you find anything or not, you are going to send that report directly to me. Understood?"


    The moment he finished his words, Noel received a notification from Ardagan.


    [Mission: Commander Investigation Request.]


    [Description: The City Lord has a shady deal with the Brothel. Get the information rted to the shady dealing, including their involvement with the Supreme Devil Organization.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: Your Life.]


    Noel wanted to be happy when he found out he could trick the system into giving him a mission.


    But he couldn''t help but be shocked the moment he saw the description as well as the penalty.


    ''What? The City Lord and the Brothel? But if I''m not wrong, the Brothel should be rted to my father''s subordinate, who is skilled in getting information.


    ''Don''t tell me, my father''s subordinate has defected to the Supreme Devil Organization? Or has he be one of them from the start?


    ''Is there any connection between him and the execution of my parents? Maybe he betrayed them?''


    Noel couldn''t help but feel shocked. He couldn''t answer his doubt, but it didn''t change the fact that the suspicion was lingering in his heart.


    And the fact that the penalty of this mission was his life meant the opponent this time was strong enough to take his life away. If he didn''t y his card right, he might lose his life here.


    Though, there was one more possibility for such a penalty. It was Ardagan giving a penalty out of spite.


    But Ardagan never cared about him tricking the system. In fact, he was thankful because Ardagan could perfect the system he had. So, there was no reason why Ardagan would act this way.


    So, he concluded that it was the former.


    ''It seems that the situation is far more dangerous than he originally thought. But I have promised Dimitri to go there, so I''ll personally check it myself, I guess. If I''m not taking this risk, I''m afraid that I''ll escape whenever things go rough.


    ''I am going to challenge myself here and make sure to ovee this challenge.''


    With this determination in his heart, Noel bowed. "I understand. I ept the mission. Since I am on their watch list now, it''s better to confront them directly instead of letting them approach me and end up sneaking on me."


    "Alright then." Themander nodded. "I will entrust this mission to you. However, you have to remember that Septa''s subordinates will alsoe to that city. If you ever encounter a problem, you can reach out to them to get the necessary reinforcement."


    "I understand. Thank you for your concern." Noel was d that themander didn''t just leave him to die. He should know that this mission was a bit dangerous, so he mentioned Septa''s squad to remind him that they could take over if Noel decided to stop.


    Noel then looked at themander as if asking him for the third thing he wanted to talk about.


    Themander''s expression darkened the moment he saw this gaze. It seemed the third topic was something hard to discuss even for him.

 Chapter 514 Agreement

    Themander was hesitant for a while before finally giving him the information.


    "The third matter might be the most important one." Themander took a deep breath and continued, "I am afraid that you are going to be ambushed sooner orter. The one who will ambush you is none other than your uncle."


    "My uncle?" Noel acted surprised as if he didn''t know anything about this.


    "Yeah. It seems your father hasn''t told you anything. Your uncle was a Devil Bishop back when he was a double agent in the Demon Banner Army. But I''m afraid that your uncle has reached a whole new level¡­"


    "What? My uncle is a Devil Saint?" Noel gasped and took a step back.


    "Yeah, I don''t know about his current strength, but I don''t think it''s less than mine. I have been wondering whether I have to inform you or not¡­


    "At first, I wanted to tell you after you became a Spirit Master, but¡­"


    Noel was the one continuing that sentence as a sign of protest. "I''m thankful for your consideration, but I believe knowing this situation sooner is better. Although I don''t know if I have the power to resist or not, it''s clear that I will be able to make some preparation.


    "I believe you are afraid that after knowing I am in danger, I''ll be rushing to increase my strength, making my foundation unstable, right?"


    Themander nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes, it''s better to be ignorant, but I have deemed that your character and temperament is enough to handle this information.


    "As you can see, there are two reasons why I have decided to take you in. As long as you are in the Demon Banner Army, I can observe you to see whether you have a connection with the Supreme Devil Organization or not.


    "I have been supporting you so that I can see you slip up, but I guess my worry is unnecessary. So, I''d like to apologize for investigating you."


    Noel shook his head. "I can understand why you did that. You don''t have to apologize. And what is important here is that you have deemed me to be trustworthy, right?"


    "Yes." Oscar acknowledged it. "As for the second reason, I think you are already aware of it. It''s rted to your father''s connection. Since there is an outsider here, I won''t disclose too much."


    Noel paused for a moment. "Now that we have confirmed the reasons, could you continue, Commander?"


    "Yeah. There are two things your uncle has before he reveals his true identity. The first one is something rted to your father. Even I don''t know about it. Though, it''s said to be an important secret to increasing one''s strength.


    "I''m afraid it''s rted to your ancestry since it is considered an ancient item. As for the second one, it''s a map."


    "A map?" Noel frowned. He didn''t know what kind of map to be this important.


    "The map is about theyout of the Demon Banner Army. In other words, that map is enough for him to strike us with full force, taking us down one by one."


    "What?!" Noel gasped. It turned out the map was the most important secret of the Demon Banner Army.


    If Anna had been here, she would have realized the reason why the Supreme Devil Organization could deliver a huge blow to the Demon Banner Army.


    Noel also knew the importance of that map and asked, "So, you¡­"


    "No, it''s impossible to retrieve the map. Even if we get it back, they might have copied it. So, the secret should be known by many people, and it will be easy to attack us.


    "That''s why I have been asking Septa to go around to find their trace. We have to find their trace and try to protect them."


    Noel could understand how the enemies managed to attack a few vital areas rted or not rted to the Demon Banner Army.


    They knew their locations and simply picked a spot that could be taken over.


    "The Demon Relief Squad has been in their way ever since you join us, so I couldn''t help but suspect you at first. Though, I have confirmed that everything is just a coincidence. If it''s just a coincidence, then I hope it can stay that way, so I can rely on you a lot. But for now, I''ll just give you a task and wait for the situation unfolds."


    "I see¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He finally understood the bigger picture a little bit better. With this information, he might have to adjust some of his future ns.


    "Aside from it being a coincidence, I don''t mind helping you, Commander Oscar."


    "What do you want?"


    "Contribution Points. I only need that. Though, if you don''t mind, I''d like to exchange some with Demon Crystals."


    "I see¡­" Themander contemted. "I can agree to that. In fact, all the attacks might be rted to you because of your uncle. Since you want to be a problem ma for us, it''s convenient for me. I can station people around you to ambush them. But as I said earlier, I''m going to wait and see first. As soon as I confirm that you are around them, I''m going to invest a lot in you."


    "We have a deal." Noel nodded.


    "Alright then. I have told you everything. If I want to give you a message, there will be someone from the Demon Banner Army that will approach you."


    "Understood."


    Themander seemed to have no hesitation to leave after getting what he wanted.


    There was one more reason why Noel dared to ept this deal. It was because he had visited the Silica Valley before this.


    And in that valley, he had helped the Water Lord, which gave him a new medal.


    Affection Medal.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    This was what he currently needed. He couldn''t help but open the window as if seeing themander off from his room.


    At the same time, he changed his medal to see whether themander was on his side or not.


    And the result surprised him.


    "This is¡­"

 Chapter 515 Affection Medal

    "This is¡­"


    Name: Oscar Mainwort


    Affection: Neutral (54/100)


    Description: Someone who has a degree of trust in you, but it can change easily as long as he gets something concrete enough to destroy your reputation.


    Noel widened his eyes for two reasons. The first one was the Affection Medal, while the second one was because of themander''s gaze.


    "!!!" Themander actually stopped in his tracks and turned around as if he was sensing the gaze that was more than a simple look.


    Their gazes intertwined for a second before Noel hurriedly bowed to him as if he was properly seeing him off.


    ''How?'' Noel was asking himself. He didn''t know why themander turned around and how he noticed it.


    Luckily, themander didn''t bother to look into it as he simply walked away. But Noel noticed a change in the Affection Medal.


    Name: Oscar Mainwort


    Affection: Neutral (50/100)


    Description: Someone who has a degree of trust in you, but it can change easily as long as he gets something concrete enough to destroy your reputation.


    Themander might be suspicious of him with thatst gaze, so the affection went down.


    But this affection medal scared him in one way or another.


    He nced at Rose in shock, asking, "Did you notice something earlier?"


    "Why did you release your Spiritual Energy?" Rose''s answer came in the form of another question.


    At the same time, Noel forgot that he still put on his Affection Medal and couldn''t help but peek at Rose.


    Name: Rose


    Affection: Supportive (89/100)


    Description: She will support your decision and believe in your judgment.


    "¡­" Noel immediately closed his eyes. Although he was still shaken, he didn''t forget Rose was still there this time. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to buy some time and make Rose think he was confused.


    The Affection Medal was far scarier than he originally expected.


    There were four important details that Noel managed to figure out in an instant. The first would be the name.


    He could see that Rose didn''t have a family name, while themander had one. Although he wasn''t a noble, themander was strong enough to get a family name bestowed upon him. So, it wasn''t that weird to have one.


    But Noel''s focus wasn''t there. Noel was far scared by the fact that he got to know someone''s true name without asking for it.


    On the one hand, he could see whether someone was lying about their name or not. They might be royalty or a noble that was hiding their identity or an assassin that might assassinate him.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that he could see their name. At that time, his trust would be greatly shaken and he might end up calling them by their true name out of reflex. So, that kind of slip-up would cost him a lot. There was a benefit of knowing the true name, but it also had its own weakness. So, Noel had to be extremely careful, especially when he was angry, drunk, or emotionally unstable.


    Then the second detail was their affection. He didn''t know how many kinds of affection one could have. He didn''t believe that Rose''s Supportive Affection would be simr to his future wife with the same value of affection.


    In other words, the number beside the affection was to measure how big their affection was, not a grade to divide how affectionate they were.


    Although he had prepared to use this, it was still scary to know that his wife in the future actually wanted to murder him.


    What if his loving parents, who had been shielding and supporting him from behind actually hated him and wanted him to die brutally? He would be crushed by the extreme paining from that revtion.


    So, this Affection Medal was dangerous in one way or another.


    Of course, he couldn''t deny the fact that it was useful to know who was his enemy and who was not. But if he relied on this too much, he would lose his own affection because what he trusted was the number the Affection Medal provided, not what he had seen himself.


    Noel was shaken by the fact that his entire self would change because of this Affection Medal. He wanted to seal this medal forever, but he didn''t have the heart to do it because of the benefits.


    The third detail was the description. On the one hand, the description was good since he could understand the degree of that number. It literally exined the number. On the other hand, there was a possibility that the description was messed up.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    What if someone actually told him she loved him, but it was to the point she would kill every woman that came near him whether they loved him or not?


    This kind of unexpected description might give a scar on his heart. After all, depending on the description, he might have to kill that person.


    So, Noel didn''t know if he would go insane or not when he used this medal. If people knew about it, they could simply say to just check their number and act based on it without getting affected emotionally, but they had never experienced something like this. The emotion was far more unstable than they thought. This was what he had learned after experiencing a lot of things in the past one and a half years.


    Noel took a deep breath as he hade to thest detail. Rose mentioned it earlier and it was probably the reason why themander felt suspicious to the point his point went down.


    That fluctuation of Spiritual Energy could mean a lot of things. At the same time, there was something that he got from this information.


    He had been changing his medal depending on the asion. If he wanted to train, he used the Newbie Medal, which would increase his learning speed. If he wanted to fight, he would use the Peerless Medal or the Demon Hunter Medal ording to his need.


    And the fact that themander noticed him meant changing the medal would make his Spiritual Energy fluctuate, causing him to be unable to use it carelessly anymore.

 Chapter 516 Sorting His Thoughts

    ''This is not good¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly. ''If changing the medal causes a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, it means I can only change my medal in a ce where no one can find me. Or at least, I have to use it when the people who observe me are far enough or not sensitive enough. Even better if I can camouge it¡­


    ''I guess I can understand the reason why Spiritual Energy fluctuates. Ardagan has warned me before that he gives missions, medals, and abilities depending on the amount of my Spiritual Energy.


    ''In other words, each medal has taken its own portion of Spiritual Energy in my reserve. Changing the medal means I have to take out the first medal and put on the second one. That transition is the cause of the fluctuation.''


    Noel figured out the reason with the information he had pretty easily. But this also concerned him because he had to prepare for everything before he made himself look suspicious.


    Just like when he wanted to meet his father''s former subordinate, he had to use the Affection Medal before they met so that he didn''t realize he was doing something.


    Though, at that time, he was forced to see everyone''s affection, like Rose''s or even Dimitri''s.


    This action might cloud his judgment at that time. So, Noel had to control this Affection Medal strictly and avoid abusing it despite its overwhelming benefit.


    Noel took a deep breath before stretching his body. He also emitted a little bit of Spiritual Energy as a cover while he was changing his medal back.


    This way, the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy might still be there, but the others would think Noel was trying to do something.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    This action startled Rose a little bit, but Noel soon retracted his Spiritual Energy and hurriedly let out a long sigh.


    "What''s wrong, Noel?" Rose was concerned because Noel hadn''t said anything after she answered his question.


    Noel only made an awkward smile as if he apologized for releasing his Spiritual Energy. He said, "Sorry, I''m fine."


    Rose frowned. She misunderstood Noel''s action, thinking Noel was being affected by something that ended up making him leak his Spiritual Energy. But she didn''t know what kind of thing would have such an effect. Poison? Curse? Illness?


    Rose wanted to ask Noel''s condition, but thetter seemed to have no intention of answering her.


    So, she ultimately dropped the matter in her head and asked another question. "Do you need something? I can get it for you."


    Noel shook his head. "No, I''m fine."


    He walked to the bed and sat on it as if he was tired. He looked at Rose and asked, "Did I release my Spiritual Energy earlier?"


    "Yes." Rose nodded, confirming it without hesitation.


    "I see. Thanks." Noel made a small smile and tried to change the topic. "Anyway, since we have received another mission from themander, we have to be quick this time. There is no change of n as of now, but depending on the situation that we might encounter there, I might have topletely scrap our original n.


    "There is a possibility that I don''t have time to exin everything to you, so be prepared to improvise."


    "I understand." Rose nodded but still felt a bit hesitant because she was worried about his condition.


    Unfortunately for her, Noel didn''t have any intention of solving her doubt at the moment.


    He had a lot of things to think about because of this new Affection Medal. It truly could change how he viewed the world.


    Even if he didn''t use it, he might think about using it, believing that as long as he had it, he could see through anyone''s intention.


    So, he had to sort out his feelings and thoughts so that he didn''t make a mistake in the future. But he was just a human, so he knew he was bound to make a mistake one day.


    Hence, he also prepared for the action he had to take if he made that mistake.


    Because it required a lot of focus, Noel ended up faking it by going to bed.


    "Good night, Rose."


    "¡­" Rose didn''t know how to respond when she saw Noel acting like a sick person. She wanted to help him, but Noel felt so distant to the point she had to leave him alone in this room. "Alright. Good night. If you need anything, just inform me."


    "Yeah. Thank you."


    Rose thought he was sleeping, but Noel used every second of that night to think about his future and the restriction he ced on the Affection Medal.


    He would still use the medal, but he would try not to use it on his allies easily.


    As expected, the Affection Medal was bigger than Noel expected. There were countless possibilities that would cause harm to him, so a single night wasn''t enough to sort his thoughts.


    But to make Rose less worried, he acted like usual, as if telling her that a good night''s sleep was all he needed to recover.


    In the morning, Noel gave theplete task to Dimitri. He wanted him to invite a Master cksmith as well as give the practice swords to the kids. This was Noel''s present to the kids while using them to convince a Master cksmith. It was truly two birds with one stone situation.


    After that, Noel returned to the administration office. He didn''t want to meet themander or the Demon Barrier Squad''s captain.


    He went there to exchange his contribution points with some money and Demon Crystals to absorb along the way.


    Rose also wanted to get stronger so that she could continue to follow him, so she got some more Demon Crystals. Although she should be increasing her abilities and strength instead of the Spiritual Energy Reserve, Noel didn''t say anything because the runes would gnaw a bit of her reserve.


    After making their preparation, Noel and Rose finally left the fort, heading to their new destination, Styxcanva.

 Chapter 517 Styxcanva

    "So, this is the city of knowledge, Styxcanva," Noel muttered while looking up.


    They had just entered the city after proving their identity next to the gate. The city was different from anything he had seen.


    The city was extremely clean despite having a lot of people roaming around. The economy seemed to be booming.


    However, it felt a bit warmer due to the white color the city had. In fact, the city was far too white in his opinion. The building might not have the same structure, but they were all painted white, including the roof.


    The road was made of white stone, paved in an organized way that let them shine.


    Noel could see a few schrs moving around. The schrs came in various degrees. There was a pure schr who never cultivated their power and focused on theoretical work about so many things.


    The second type of schr was a battle schr. They were mostly Spirit Magicians from the Tower Association. They were the ones with the highest poption in this city, considering Styxcanva was a city directly under the Greatest Schr, the White Magician, Light Lord. He was one of the elders of the Tower Association, whose position was simr to the Water Lord.


    There were a few more types, but Noel was focusing on the second type. They might be numerous in this city, but he actually wanted to know about something. And only they had the answer.


    "So, what should we do now?" Noel nced at Rose. She was the one suggesting this ce, so she should know more about this city.


    "We have four options here. First, the street will always be busy until evening. There are various items you can trade here.


    "Although the number of goods can''t bepared to the city of trade, the quality is quite good. There is numerous research conducted in this city after all, so they obviously want a lot of things.


    "If you don''t want to look around, we can go to an inn. I have gone to this city once with Jonathan, so I know a good inn for us to stay.


    "Or you can go sightseeing with me. You don''t need to buy or do anything. Just looking at the city alone should give you some inspiration. We can go to the academy if you want.


    "Last but not least¡­" Rose paused for a moment and pointed at the huge tower standing in the middle of the town. "We can go to the Tower of Knowledge. That tower is basically the biggest library in this kingdom.


    "If you have any inquiries, you should go there and get some book rmendations. Although you have to deposit some money as insurance, it''s still a good opportunity. What do you think?"


    Noel looked down, contemting. He was quite interested in thest two options: the tower and the academy.


    So, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "What''s the deal with the academy?"


    "Well, this academy is made by six elders from the Tower Association, including the Light Lord. Even though the Light Lord is the one governing the territory, it doesn''t change the fact that this city is heavily guarded because the other lords have put a lot of investment into it, including the biggest library.


    "There should be three lords at a time who guard this city. So, even the organization doesn''t dare to strike this town that easily.


    "As for the academy itself, it''s basically what you know about the academy, except for the fact that it produces all kinds of schrs.


    "There are many influences who love to wait in front of their gates to recruit newly graduated students. Though, most students ended up working with the Tower Association.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "If you visit there, you might be able to get some treatment and know about their facility. After all, it''s not easy to be one of the Zero Squad members in the Demon Banner Army, especially the Demon Relief Squad. We have a lot of prestige, you know.


    "Do you want to visit this ce? There is also a benefit you can get from the academy. You can negotiate with the students to guide you to the library. As you know, with the number of books in the library, it''ll be hard for us to find a single book that we want.


    "We can hire a student who specializes in that field of study to bring us the book of their rmendation."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. It was truly a wonderful idea. Due to the tower being the biggest library in the kingdom and it being open to the public, he believed there would be a lot of people visiting it.


    So, they might want a guide to lessen their burden.


    Noel nodded his head. "In that case, let''s go to the inn first to drop off our luggage. We''ll get something to eat before heading to the academy."


    "Alright, then."


    Rose guided him to the inn near the academy. Although the fee was a bit expensive, it was the best inn in the town. So, it was worth it. And they had exchanged a lot of money with their Contribution Points, so they didn''t worry too much about their money.


    After dropping off their luggage, they used the inn''s restaurant to get something to eat before heading to the academy.


    To Noel''s surprise, the academy was bigger than he originally thought. It turned out the academy was actually the building that separated the tower from the rest of the town.


    With that size, the academy was split into a few categories, so they could go to one school of thought to find a person.


    This academy could be said to be the biggest academy in the kingdom, far better than the royal academy. Though, their purpose was different.


    Noel never went to the royal academy since his family could afford a tutor and his father also wanted to teach him himself.


    So, Noel didn''t know anything about the academy''s life. He was a bit excited to see what was inside the academy.

 Chapter 518 Academy

    Noel entered the academy with a calm expression. He saw a lot of students wearing uniforms. The uniform consisted of a white shirt and brown pants for the male and a knee-length brown skirt for the female. They also wore a robe that had numbers on them, implying something.


    He didn''t care much about them since he only wanted to go around the academy while finding a guide for the library.


    Though, his appearance, especially his masquerade, piqued many people''s interest as they wondered what kind of man was visiting this time.


    Noel ignored their gazes while walking toward the administration office to get their permission to go around the academy.


    "Hello, we would like to enter the academy and find a guide to visit the tower." Rose smiled, facing the young staff.


    The young staff nodded politely as if they had been trained to be courteous to everyone since there might be a noble hiding their identity.


    "Thank you for visiting El-nca Academy. I''ll be processing your permission. May I know your name or any proof of your identity?"


    At first, Noel didn''t want to use their identity, but Rose told him that they could speed up the process with their identity, so Noel agreed with it.


    Noel and Rose took out their badges while activating them, showing him the badges were real.


    "Iadre, Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad."


    "Rose, Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad."


    "Zero Squad¡­" The staff seemed to be shaken a bit. Although they weren''t nobility, they could easily marry into one of the noble households. So, their status was simr to that of a noble child. And if they waited a bit longer, they could gain the Vice Captain or Captain status, so Noel and Rose were a big shot in the staff''s eyes.


    He politely nodded and received their badges. "I will be processing it immediately. It won''t take more than five minutes. Please wait here."


    Before he left, he asked one question. "May I know what kind of guide you''re looking for? As you already know, we have several sectors, so I can inform you of the building you need to visit for the specific field."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The staff might look calm, but his voice cracked a bit. Still, he opened the door and let them enter the waiting room. It wasn''t extravagant, but it was enough to get a rxing feeling.


    "Hmm¡­" Rose nced at Noel. She only apanied him here, so she didn''t know what kind of knowledge he wanted.


    "I need two guides at separate times. The first topic is about the Spirit."


    "Spirit? Is it battle-rted Spirit? If that''s the case, you might want to visit the Spirit Magician Sector."


    "No, no. What I want is information about the Spirit itself. Their origin, their potential, and so on."


    The staff thought for a moment. "In that case, you should visit the Spirit Research Academy. They are the ones who specialize in Spirit Research, from the origin to the applications.


    "If you go to the administration office in that academy, the staff should be able to guide you to the specific ss where you can find the people that will be interested in being your guide."


    "I see." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Then, the second topic is rted to Spiritual Energy."


    "If that''s the case, my suggestion is to visit the academy that I previously mentioned, the Spirit Magician Academy."


    "Alright. Thank you." Noel smiled and took a step back as the staff immediately processed his permission.


    It didn''t take three minutes before the staff returned with two papers and two badges. The paper stated a simr thing with only their name being the difference. Meanwhile, the badge was made of silver.


    "You should be able to find a guide easily with this badge. We issue three badges: bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze is for a normal visitor, silver is for a distinguished guest, and gold is for a person with extraordinary status."


    "Alright. Thank you for the help. Where should we go to reach those two buildings?"


    "If you go through the hallway, you will find the gate leading to the inner area of the academy. There should be a few guides waiting for you there. As long as you state your purpose, they''ll immediately help you."


    Noel had learned everything he needed to know, so he nodded his head and started walking with Rose.


    The corridor was next to the office, so they only needed to cross it. It seemed there were a lot of rooms above the corridors, which should be the outer part of the academy.


    Unfortunately, Noel didn''t have any intention of looking around too much since it would be just a waste of time.


    He and Rose kept walking until they found the gate. As the staff said, there were a few staff who were standing by to guide the people who wanted to enter the academy.


    One of them immediately walked to them as soon as he noticed their presence. He bowed to them and made a gentle smile.


    "Hello, Sir and Miss. Wee to El-nca Academy. My name is Shack. How can I help you?"


    Noel took out his badge and said, "Yeah, can I trouble you to lead us to the Spirit Research Academy and Spirit Magician Academy? I''m looking for a guide to go to the tower."


    "!!!" The guy was surprised by the silver badge. He immediately nodded his head and asked, "May I borrow your badge? I can bring you to the ss and handle all the necessary tasks for you."


    "Sure." Noel handed him his badge.


    "This way please." Without hesitation, the guy hurriedly guided them.


    This was when Rose and Noel felt the gap in their technology.


    When they passed through the gate to the inner academy, they were shocked by the sight of new applications of Spiritual Energy, Demon Crystals, and Spirit.


    "Ho¡­" Noel was amused as he couldn''t help but smile as new knowledge actually interested him.

 Chapter 519 Moving Pathstone

    "Ho¡­"


    On the right side, Noel could actually see a hallway that was far different from anything he had ever seen.


    This hallway was separated into three parts. The left and right part was made of normal stone where people could walk on them. There were even some papers stuck on the wall as if showing someone''s research.


    But the middle part amused Noel. It was made of a huge block of stone that kept moving automatically with Spiritual Energy.


    "This is¡­" Noel muttered while approaching this weird, moving stone.


    "This is one of the technologies we have found from the demon territory. We call this one ''Moving Pathstone,'' The principle is pretty simple.


    "We link up a few big smooth stones together and make them move in one direction. And at the end, they will go down and move backward. Repeat the process and you will get this Moving Pathstone."


    "I see. It''s pretty unique." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "But isn''t this a waste of resources? Why don''t people just walk normally?" Rose asked while tilting her head.


    The guide wanted to say something, but Noel stopped her. "I don''t think you should think that way. If we take a look around us¡­"


    Noel pointed his finger at the two people in front of them. They were the schrs who were actually discussing something while they were moving forward. Because their bodies weren''t moving, they had an easier time focusing.


    "Take a look at those two schrs. They are moving toward their destination while discussing something. Without this Moving Pathstone, they can''t do it because it''s hard to read while walking.


    "Of course, I don''t say that this is entirely good. For us, who train our bodies, we are required to move a lot or our bodies will bezy and it will cause a lot of problems to our muscles and so on.


    "So, I can say that it suits the schrs but not us. So, it''s good but not applicable everywhere." Noel exined carefully.


    "I see." Rose nodded in understanding.


    Meanwhile, the guide seemed to feel relieved from Noel''s understanding. Many people didn''t know the usage andpletely mocked them.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Rose was a better case where she only questioned the usage. So, the guide felt a bit better when there was someone who could see through their use.


    On the opposite side of the hall was actually another Moving Pathstone, but in their direction. Because the school was made to surround the tower, this hall was made circr.


    Meanwhile, in the front, they could see a huge garden that separated the academy with the tower. If they wanted to get inside the tower, they simply needed to walk forward from the hall. But because they wanted to go to the academy, they ended up moving along with the rest of the people.


    This was the first time Noel used the Moving Pathstone. He couldn''t help but enjoy it.


    He only had to stand on top of them while using the time to take a look at the garden. It seemed the garden was used as a meeting between schrs.


    "By the way, where are the training facilities for the schrs?" Noel asked the guide.


    "Although most of our schrs are nonbat, we do have a few schools that havebat lessons. The training is usually held in the respective school. Each school has its own training area inside, which is not visible to most people.


    "But most of the time, they conduct the training outside the town. We might prioritize safety, but it doesn''t mean we''re going to deprive our people ofbat. After all, we have bandits, demons, and other threats that we might encounter outside this town."


    Noel nodded in understanding while looking at the garden. There were many schrs discussing their projects outside. Some of them were very young and some of them were quite old.


    Eventually, they reached their first destination, the Spirit Research Academy.


    The hallway that connected the academy was simr to the one they entered. There was nothing they could see from it.


    The guide led them to the administration office and immediately took care of the process, telling the staff about their purpose.


    As soon as they got permission, they immediately walked away from the office and headed to the second floor. This was where the academy began to look more interesting.


    There were numerous schrs chatting in the hallway. They all became curious when they saw Noel and Rose.


    For the schrs, guiding these people had two purposes. If they were from a wealthy family, they could earn some pocket money since people often gave a hefty tip.


    If these people came from a powerful figure, it was their chance to make a connection. There was a chance that they could be sponsored by them. After all, this type of people always had a way of procuring rare material with their connection.


    Though, there was a possibility that these people came frommoners. In this case, they usually didn''t get anything.


    As sad as it looked, it was the reality.


    So, they were wondering which type Noel and Rose belonged to.


    ''Are they¡­''


    ''Who knows? They don''t seem to bemoners. Just look at that masquerade, it seems he doesn''t want to show us his face.''


    ''But if you look at his body and posture, I think he is pretty handsome.''


    The people were whispering to each other. Noel and Rose ignored thempletely as they only had to follow their guide.


    Eventually, they reached a ssroom.


    The guide introduced this ssroom. "Wee, Sir and Miss. This is the Origin Spirit ssroom. I have received permission from the staff that we can enter the ssroom to introduce ourselves and our purpose to get a guide. I''m going to ask the teacher first."


    "Is it alright for us to intrude on their ss like this?"


    "There are some teachers who are strict about this, but most of them are not for many reasons."


    "I see. Please."

 Chapter 520 Guide

    The guide entered the ssroom first while Noel and Rose waited outside.


    Noel took a peek inside and found around fifty people in one ss. The teacher was a man in his early thirties. He had a calm and gentle expression, so it didn''t seem there would be any restriction inside.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    After a while, the guide came out and informed him. "We can enter for five minutes."


    "Is there a way to get a student guide easily?"


    "You just have to introduce yourself and exin the thing you''re searching for."


    "I see. Let''s enter then." Noel nodded and entered the room.


    In that instant, everyone''s gaze was locked on them. Noel shook the teacher''s hand first.


    "Pardon my intrusion."


    "Wee to my ss. Please don''t hesitate to tell them about your purpose."


    "I understand." After receiving the confirmation, Noel immediately turned around as the guide took out the badge, handing it back to him.


    The students frowned when they saw the silver badge, showing that Noel wasn''t an ordinary person.


    "My name is Iadre, a member of Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad. This is myrade, Rose.


    "We are here to visit the tower to find anything rted to the spirits. I often wonder where the spiritse from¡­ The demons¡­ And why are they even residing in our bodies¡­


    "So, if you are interested, please raise your hand." Noel made a brief introduction before stepping back.


    "I see. This is quite an interesting topic. We don''t get someone like you very often." The teacher smiled. "Even I feel like going."


    "Haha, no one is stopping you from helping me." Noel winked his right eye yfully.


    "Hahaha. Who can teach these kids if I''m not here," the teacher made a light joke while they were waiting for the students'' responses?


    Surprisingly, there were three people that raised their hands.


    "You can pick one of them, Sir." The guide whispered.


    Noel thought there would only be one person that wanted to help him, but it seemed the topic was more popr than he thought.


    But there was something even more shocking. Another person raised his hand and couldn''t help but ask, "Sorry, Sir. Before volunteering, I''d like to ask you a question."


    The teacher furrowed his eyebrows since it would waste their time and be a bit rude to this person.


    However, Noel didn''t know their custom, so he nodded his head. "Sure."


    "What do you think about spirits?"


    Noel already had an answer long ago. Even the spirits had told him about it.


    Without hesitation, Noel answered, "The spirits are like us, humans. The only difference is that we''re controlling our bodies while the spirits are residing in ours."


    "!!!" This statement stunned the people. Even the teacher couldn''t help but be more interested in Noel as if he wanted to guide Noel personally.


    But the student who asked the question earlier had made his move first. "Please take me, Sir. You don''t have to give me anything. Just by looking at you, I feel like I can know something more about spirits."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, observing this person. He had spiky red hair and nted eyes. His body was average, but there was something he noticed about this person. He had a Spirit Mark on the side of his neck.


    He himself had already received the spirit''s recognition, while the other three didn''t have one. Only one who had talked with the spirits knew what they meant to them.


    So, Noel agreed. "Alright. You wille with me then. As for the schedule¡­" Noel nced at the guide.


    "You are free to set the schedule, Sir. Though, please don''t interfere with the current ss if possible."


    "When is this ss over?" Noel asked.


    "In two and a half hours." The teacher answered.


    "I see." Noel looked down for a moment. On the one hand, he was curious about the knowledge. On the other hand, reading with a tired body wouldn''t be as effective.


    So, he decided. "How about tomorrow morning? I''ve juste to this town, so I''m going to recover from my fatigue first so that it will be more effective."


    The guy nodded without hesitation.


    "Good. We''ll meet in front of this academy then."


    "Yes, Sir."


    Noel was satisfied with the search and immediately thanked the teacher for giving the permission. He also apologized to the other students for taking their precious time before leaving the ss.


    It was quite surprising to see how well Noel conducted himself inside. It felt as if he was a noble.


    But there was rarely a noble that wanted to be a part of the Demon Banner Army. Even if there was one, they were the other way around. They came from the Demon Banner Army first before bing a noble.


    So, it seemed that Noel was one of the rare nobles.


    It was a big opportunity for them, albeit it was taken by someone who had acted rudely by asking a question.


    After getting the first guide, they immediately moved toward the second academy, the Spirit Magician Academy to find their second guide.


    This time, the teacher was a bit strict, so they had to wait for fifteen minutes before the teacher allowed them toe in, albeit reluctantly.


    Noel also got another guide here. She was actually a noble daughter, but because she was adept in magic and she was the second-born, it was clear that her option was either to be a schr or get married off.


    Though, Noel didn''t care about it as he only needed her as a guide. After reaching an agreement, Noel left the academy. Of course, he didn''t forget to leave a hefty tip for the guide.


    It was a bountiful day since he had seen an amusing structure of the academy, from their unique technology to their unique ss.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if it was possible to set up a smaller academy in his future territory, one that didn''t care whether they were nobles ormoners. He just wanted to increase the people''s academic levels.

 Chapter 521 Bullshit Theory

    In the morning, Noel and Rose met the guide once again.


    "Hello, Sir. My name is Sharkan. I''d like to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday." The guide came to him and bowed.


    Noel waved his hand. "It''s fine. Rather than that, I''d like you to bring us to the tower immediately. We don''t have a lot of time right now."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Certainly." Sharkan nodded with a serious expression and immediately led Noel to the tower.


    From the outside, the tower was made of the more polished version of the stone this city was using. Though, it also made the area slightly hotter.


    The tower was a cylinder and it seemed there were at least ten floors inside.


    Once they entered the tower, Noel and Rose felt slightly overwhelmed. First, the air inside the tower was cool as if the heat outside never came inside. Second, there were eleven floors and each of them was filled with books.


    This was truly the tower of knowledge, Noel thought.


    "It''s pretty cool inside." Noel made a remark, trying to get an answer from Sharkan.


    As if picking up his hint, Sharkan immediately exined. "This tower was built with the help of the Water Lord and Wind Lord. They created a system to circte the hot air inside to the outside while maintaining the humidity and temperature."


    "So, that''s why the outside is a bit hotter than I think¡­"


    "Yes." Sharkan nodded. "This kind of environment is good for the book as well as the people who read them. After all, no one can concentrate while continuously wiping their sweat."


    "Fair enough. Let''s go then."


    "Follow me." Sharkan moved to the left and prepared to show Noel another technology that would shock him. Inside the tower, there was a small tform surrounded by four pirs in each corner.


    Sharkan asked them to step on the tform and touch a button in the corner. Suddenly, the tform was lifted up.


    "!!!" Noel lowered his head in surprise. "This is¡­"


    He could feel the Spiritual Energy fluctuation, meaning it was the work of Spiritual Energy. And judging from the stone tform work, it was simr to the one they had outside. But instead of moving horizontally, this one moved vertically.


    "This is how we reach those floors. This seems to be one of the lost technologies from the previous civilization that we''ve managed to recover and recreate with Spiritual Energy as the foundation."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. This was truly a paradise for a schr. They used their brain to create a tool that might be useful to people who had no Spiritual Energy.


    If Noel didn''t have this tform, he could simply jump to the fifth floor with his strength. But not many people could do that.


    He could see how people loved all the technologies inside this ce.


    Before his shock subsided, the tform had reached the fifth floor.


    "We''ve arrived, Sir, Miss. Please¡­" He smiled and stepped outside. He waited for Noel and Rose, who were still quite shocked, before looping around the tower.


    They eventually reached a section with a ''Spirit'' tag on it.


    Without hesitation, Sharkan asked, "We''ve arrived at our destination. This ce is filled with books rted to Spirit. So that I can understand what you''re searching for, I have to know the topic of your research first.


    "May I know what kind of information you seek? The more detailed it is, the more urate the book I can bring."


    Noel thought for a moment. "If that''s the case, I want a book rted to the origin of the spirits."


    "Understood. Please wait here for a moment." Sharkan showed a table for them to wait. After that, he disappeared for a minute beforeing back with two books.


    cing these two books on top of the table, he introduced these two books. "The History of Spirit, it''s a book that records a person who uses all his life to seek information from other people''s spirits.


    "The second book is called Spirit Heart. It contains information about why the spirits reside within us."


    "I see¡­" Noel took the history book while Rose grabbed the other one. While trying to read the book, Noel asked, "It seems that you know these two books well. Why don''t you exin it to me while I read this?"


    He didn''t want to waste a lot of time reading the book, so he just wanted to get to the point while confirming the information with the book.


    "Certainly." Sharkan nodded. "In this book, the writer starts with the question¡­ "Why do we have a Spirit in our body? What are they? And why are people divided into the one who has a Spirit and the one who doesn''t have one?


    "For the first question, ording to the writer, our world is separated into two realms. Just like how we have day and night, the world also has this world and the spirit world. Each of us ispleting each other to make a stable world.


    "And the spiritse from that world. Then, what are they? Just like what you said yesterday, Sir. The spirits are the same as humans. In fact, we believe that the spirits are a kind of our reflection in the other world.


    "But as you can see, humans can give birth to many children in their life. So, we end up having more people than the spirits. That''s the reason why not all people have a spirit.


    "The writer believes that reincarnation does exist. So, in both lives, the same person will have the same spirit. This is proven by how the spirits know everything about us and support us thoroughly as if they understand our talents and preference.


    "So, if you continue reading this book, you''ll realize that the people who have spirits are reincarnated from ancient times while those who don''t are the new people thate into this world."


    Noel listened to him attentively, but he only had one thought after all of the exnation.


    ''What aplete mess.''

 Chapter 522 Another World?

    ''What aplete mess.'' Noel frowned. After everything they had shown in this ce, he thought the knowledge inside this tower would be precious.


    However, it turned out to be aplete mistake. He''d got some knowledge from Ardagan and the Moon Spirit.


    It was the exact opposite of what they knew.


    The spirits came from another world. It was true, but that other world was not in this ce, but among the starry sky. Ardagan was a Spirit who had the most solid form in this world.


    However, he was an artificial spirit that was made by the God of the Spirits. Meanwhile, the Spirits were like them. They had the ability to give birth to more spirits, and each person had their own spirit.


    The only way to divide humans was by separating the people who had awakened their spirits and who hadn''t.


    As for reincarnation, he didn''t know anything about that, but he didn''t believe in all that. He only thought about living this life to the fullest.


    Noel nced at Sharkan, who kept smiling this whole time as if he was having fun sharing this knowledge with others.


    He wanted to see how smart Sharkan was, so he asked, "So, what do you think about this book?"


    Surprisingly, the smile disappeared from his face after that question. It looked like he waspletely disappointed by Noel''s question.


    But it turned out he was wrong. Sharkan replied, "I don''t think this book is correct. There is one big question that I always get every time I read this book. If people don''t have a spirit in their body, why would many people who are desperate in their lives suddenly have their spirits?"


    Noel fell silent, realizing that Sharkan wasn''t aplete fool who would just follow anything written in the book. In fact, this was the true side of a schr. They kept asking a question, even a question, to their own answer.


    So, Noel couldn''t help but tease him. "In the Demon Banner Army, we learned how to awaken our spirits. The best way to do it is to have a goal in life¡­ Though, most of them can''t awaken their spirits¡­"


    Sharkan''s expression suddenly became serious as if he had just got important knowledge.


    Noel continued, "What if each person has a Spirit? What if the reason people don''t think they have a Spirit is that they don''t find their goal? The goal that they''ll pursue for the rest of their life?


    "You asked that question yourself, right? Why do so many desperate people suddenly get their spirits?"


    "!!!" Sharkan widened his eyes as if he had managed to connect something from those questions. He couldn''t help but think the same thing as Noel.


    Everyone had their own spirit, but they simply failed to awaken them. In other words, each person was equal. There was no untalented person. They simply hadn''t found their true potential. And once they realized it and got a goal for themselves, the spirit would awaken.


    "This is¡­" Sharkan gasped. "Sir, may I use this topic as my research? I''d certainly not forget to put your name in it. You inspire me after all."


    "Sure." Noel nodded casually as he didn''t know the importance of research. However, what Noel knew was that Sharkan was actually a smart person. The only reason why he could actually link them was because the spirit had given him some information.


    So, Noel chose a different path for Sharkan.


    What if he managed to turn Sharkan into his own person? He had received a list of names that the Water Lord believed to be the spies for the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Hence, Sharkan could be his own spy while researching spirits with all the clues he got. He hoped that he could give him information and find out more about spirits.


    In other words, Noel''s objective had changed from knowledge to spying.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    With that thought in mind, Noel grabbed the second book and asked, "How about this book? Give me a summary of it."


    "Certainly." Sharkan nodded excitedly. Noel had a different but blunt point of view. It made things easy for him to connect something to his own question and knowledge.


    Even his casual remark might be something that his spirit had told him.


    Sharkan immediately exined, "Like I said previously, this book contains information about why the spirits reside within us.


    "However, this is a bit absurd because it''s actually rted to the demons. ording to this book, the demons aren''t from this world.


    "Instead, theye from outer space." Sharkan pointed up.


    "Outer space? Do you mean outside this world?" Noel waspletely baffled by this information. But with how the spirits could enter this world to help the humans, the demons might be able toe here from outside. And they were the ones who caused the previous civilization''s destruction.


    "Yes. The author of this book was actually a Spirit Grandmaster, who was once a part of the Demon Banner Army. He had a lot of journeys outside the borders.


    "Apparently, there was no record of the demons in the ruins he had encountered. This is the main reason why he believes that the demon ising from the outside world. We don''t know how and when, but their appearance might be simr to an invasion.


    "They tried and are still trying to invade this world while the previous civilization resisted them.


    "Unfortunately, our civilization lost and the demons controlled the world. That was when the spirits came.


    "They were here to liberate us. Though, there was also a possibility that they were here to chase after the demons. By using us, they could exterminate them.


    "In other words, the spirits might be like us, but to travel from their world to this world, they can only do it with their astral body. And that''s the reason why they can only grant their power to us and have to reside within our body."


    Surprisingly, Noel couldn''t say anything about this theory. After all, he was somehow convinced by the content. The possibility was there, but he couldn''t prove it.

 Chapter 523 Thought

    Rose was hanging her coat when she noticed Noel was still sitting on the desk, reading his note.


    She couldn''t help but approach him while asking, "Are you still thinking about it?"


    Noel was startled at first before turning around while smiling. "Ah, yes. You''vee back."


    Rose recounted what happened during their discussion.


    "Everythinging from the ruins is actually something that can be moved without Spiritual Energy. In that case, what if the demons actually invade this world, not only bringing destruction, but also Spiritual Energy?


    "It''s true that the demons are attacking us, but they''re actually manipting the animals, objects, or nts around us. There are some records about the demons possessing the humans, but what if the spirits are the ones repelling the demons?Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What if those few records are from the humans whose spirits have been corrupted? If they behave like a human, what if there are some rogue spirits who actually want to corrupt you?


    "Even we, humans, don''t have a way to differentiate the bad guy and the good guy unless they have acted in such a way."


    When Sharkan represented that thought, Noel waspletely bewildered. That was right.


    He never thought about it.


    After meeting Ardagan and the Moon Goddess, he couldn''t help but think if he was a special person to meet both of them.


    With that thought, he wondered whether Ardagan and the Moon Goddess were good or bad. If they had an evil intention, he might lose his life.


    So, a question arose in Noel''s head.


    ''What''s the Spirit intended to do in this world? Why are theying to this world? Is it to fight the demons? Is it to help humanity resist the invasion?''


    He wanted to know the intention of these spirits. But asking it from Ardagan made him doubt himself.


    After all, it was disrespectful. Ardagan had helped him this whole time, making sure that he got everything he needed.


    And then, he began to doubt him as if Ardagan harbored a hidden intention.


    So, Noel wondered whether the spirits were the good guy or the bad guy.


    Noel closed his eyes to contemte that thought. It was clear that they had a certain intention. After all, there was no way the spirits would help humans for more than a thousand years.


    Noel shared this thought with Rose. Of course, it was a long discussion. Even Sharkan felt a bit overwhelmed by Noel''s intelligence.


    It was clear that Noel wasn''t a normalmoner. Instead, he was a noble.


    By taking that thought into ount, Noel tried to invite Sharkan to join him. He wanted him to find the truth about the spirits while being his agent in investigating the Tower Association.


    He didn''t know how useful Sharkan was, but it was enough to know that he could get some information from him. Meanwhile, the rest of the job would be handled by his father''s subordinate.


    After recounting the scene, Rose asked, "Have you asked about it from the spirits?"


    "The spirits might be telling the truth, but we won''t know whether it''s the whole truth or not. And the spirits can also remain silent." Noel shook his head.


    "I see. If that''s the case, you''re going to have some trouble, you know."


    "Yeah. The fact that I doubt the spirits mean the other way around can happen too. So, I don''t know what to do¡­


    "On the one hand, the spirits might already be aware of this thought. On the other hand, I''m still not strong enough to not rely on spirits¡­"


    Noel sighed. He knew how much he had relied on the system. It was basically the only reason why he could get this strong.


    So, Noel wondered what would happen if the spirits refused to help him anymore.


    He scratched the back of his head.


    "Well, you won''t be able to get the answer right now." Rose shook her head helplessly. She understood his concern. If he couldn''t use his Spiritual Energy and Spirits anymore, his life as a knight would be over. And there was no need to meet the second guide tomorrow to get some insight about Spiritual Energy and Spirit.


    "You should get some sleep first to clear your head. I believe you can think of something tomorrow. In the worst case, we''ll be canceling the meeting with the second guide."


    "That''s true¡­" Noel sighed. He nced to the side and couldn''t see the moon anymore. It showed how much time he had used to sort his thoughts. "I''ll get some rest first."


    "Then, I''ll leave you alone." Rose nodded and left the room, returning to her own room.


    Now that he was alone, he couldn''t help but think about the spirit again. Still, he closed his eyes as if trying to get some sleep.


    It was at this time he was actually invited to meet Ardagan.


    "This is¡­" Noel looked around, recognizing this in white world. In that instant, he turned around, finding Ardagan in front of him.


    "Ardagan¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "I guess you have learned my thoughts¡­"


    "Yes." Ardagan nodded his head. "There are some things we have to make clear."


    "That''ll be for the best. But I don''t think you''re going to tell me everything, right?"


    "That''s correct," Ardagan admitted without hesitation.


    Noel sighed. Although he had expected it, he still wished he could know the truth. "Well, by residing in our body, you''re able to ess our senses and brain. You know what we see, what we feel, and what we think. In exchange, you grant us your power."


    "That''s correct." Ardagan stopped for a moment. "Though, I have to tell you a few things about it."


    "I understand. Let''s talk about it. Though, I believe I have to ask this question. Can I trust you, Ardagan?" Noel''s expression became grim.


    Ardagan remained silent for a few seconds before answering, "Of course. You can trust me. The spirits aren''t humans'' enemies. After all, you, humans, are the descendants of the people the Spirit God holds dear."

 Chapter 524 Ancestry

    "After all, you, humans, are the descendants of the people the Spirit God holds dear."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. His body was trembling because he didn''t know how the Spirit God was connected to the humans.


    "Do you remember this mission?" Ardagan asked while using his power to generate a system panel, reminding Noel about a mission he once had.


    [Mission: ???]


    [Description: ???]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 1]


    [Penalty: None.]


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. He was trying to get some information about the spirits along the way, but because he had to prioritize strength over information, he forgot about this mission.


    "That''s right. I have this mission¡­" Noel looked at Ardagan before realizing what he wanted to say. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes," Ardagan confirmed while revealing the true mission.


    [Mission: Doubting the Spirit]


    [Description: One never gets an answer if they don''t ask a question.]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 1]


    [Penalty: None.]


    The mission was actually like the way of a schr. They kept asking and doubting until eventually they reached an answer.


    And this time, Noel''s doubt actually cleared the mission.


    "Because you have cleared the mission, I''m going to give you the reward." Ardagan''s tone became serious. "I''m going to tell you about four things. The first one is rted to your ancestry, but beyond what you know."


    "Do you know anything about the previous civilization? Not, right?"


    Noel squinted his eyes. "You already have the answer, so why ask?"


    Ardagan didn''t answer him. Instead, he continued with the exnation. "Humans once ruled the world. They conquered thend, the sky, and the sea. Their power was massive. Even without Spiritual Energy, they could do all that.


    "And our Spirit God actually had a close bond to one of the humans. I couldn''t tell you any details about their rtionship.


    "However, what I could tell you is that the Spirit God actually forged me so that he could give it to this human."


    "!!!" Noel became even more confused. He couldn''t help but feel this was a romantic story.


    But Ardagan seemed to understand his thought and added, "It''s not a romantic story."


    "¡­" Noel looked away as if he was embarrassed that his thought was that easy to understand.


    "The current humans are actually the people that managed to escape the destruction of humanity."


    "So, we''re the remnant of the people from that time? But you said that the world was ruled by humans. Didn''t that mean the humans managed to spread their poption all around the world? In that case, what kingdom were we derived from?"


    Ardagan''s tone became sad as if he was disappointed that he couldn''t tell Noel. "Unfortunately, that''s not a part of the reward. What you need to know is that you areing from the remnant of an ancient civilization. However, because you''re trying to hide from the demons while maintaining the resistance, there are a lot of resources that are lost."


    Noel looked down for a moment. "In that case, do you know how the situation was back there? You were supposed to have lived through the age, right?"


    "Yes. But that information wille with¡­" Ardagan stopped as he started releasing energy as if he was trying to do something.


    After that, a system panel appeared, showing a different mission.


    [Mission: ???]


    [Description: ???]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 2]


    [Penalty: None.]


    "So, I have to finish this unknown mission again to be eligible to know that information?"


    "Yes. Though, I think you have some ideas about how great they are."


    "Well¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. Of course he understood. Just from the way Ardagan spoke and the relic of the previous civilization, it was clear that the humans somehow managed to use technology, like the one he had seen inside the academy, to rule the world.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Yet, despite such a strong foundation and power, civilization had ceased to exist. It showed how strong the demons were.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "If that''s the case, why haven''t the demons annihted us? They could destroy humans back then. So, we should have been exterminated with the power we have now. After all, humans couldn''t conquer the world again."


    "That''s the third thing I want to tell you. Though, it''s connected to the second one, so I''ll start with it. It''s about my origin.


    "As you already know, I''m an artificial spirit, made by the Spirit God to be gifted to a human. And that human was actually your ancestor''s grandparents.


    "She was my first wielder, Ardagan. And because of her, the demons couldn''t enter this world, causing all these destruction. However, it changed when she passed away.


    "Now that this world didn''t have someone who protected them from the invasion, the demons finally emerged and invaded this world.


    "That was the beginning of the destruction. The demons started swarming the worlds and I, the previous beacon from the spirit world, was activated at the price of your ancestor''s parents.


    "That was why your ancestor wielded me and fled from the swarm of demons and established the new kingdom with the people he fled with. And this was the origin of your kingdom."


    "!!!" Noel was taken aback because he never expected that the situation would be like this.


    "Does that mean my family has been the one protecting the world?"


    "Well, your ancestors did protect the world, but after that, no one was qualified to protect the world again, including your ancestors."


    "¡­" Noel looked down for a moment. "Since it''s like that, doesn''t that mean humanity is doomed? But howe the demons have been so passive in the past thousand years?"


    "Well, I can''t tell you at the moment. I know that you might grow curious about it and I won''t stop you from getting the answer. However, you have to know that the reason I don''t tell you right now is because I don''t want to divert your attention. I want you to maintain your focus on your current goal."


    Noel narrowed his eyes as if he had picked up something amiss. "Then, that''s probably rted to thest thing you want to tell me."


    "Yes."

 Chapter 525 Bloodline

    "Yes."


    Ardagan confirmed without hesitation. This was probably the most important stuff he had to tell him.


    Even though Noel had expected it to be rted, he still had no idea what he wanted to talk about.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Before you tell me thest thing, do you think you can answer two of my questions?"


    "I''ll listen to that question first."


    "You told me earlier that my ancestors protected the world from the invasion. Did you mean they were fighting alone?"


    "Yes. And you seem to want to know whether you are going to do the same or not¡­"


    "Of course. After all, I also have a family to maintain. I can''t focus on it if my family is ruined."


    "I certainly understand that, but you don''t have to think about that. The fight won''t be something like what you''re thinking right now. You can do both just fine. As for the details, it''s better to wait until you get stronger."


    "Can''t I simply know about it now so that I can prepare for it?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s diverting your attention and your progress will be a lot slower. Right now, you don''t have much time left. If you don''t get stronger quickly, let alone save the world, you can''t even save yourself."


    "¡­" Noel squinted his eyes as if questioning Ardagan. But in the end, he let out a sigh and asked, "When are you nning to tell me about it? Is it rted to that mission?"


    "No. But if you want to get involved in this, you have to be a Spirit Grandmaster first. Otherwise, you''re too weak to even think about it. I don''t want you to get scared of something you can do nothing about."


    "I understand that." Noel was a bit disappointed, but he didn''t show it for the time being. He raised another finger, "Onest question. If my ancestors were that strong, how did they die?"


    "That''s something rted to the mission. Though, it''s not the current mission."


    "¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright then. What do you want to tell me next?"


    Ardagan paused for a moment.


    "I''m nning to talk about the rank of a spirit."


    "Huh? Is it about those five ranks?"


    "No. The rank I''m talking about is the ranking used for the spirit''s position."


    "The spirit position? Now that I think about it, how is the Moon Goddess known to be a Goddess instead of a normal Spirit?"


    Ardagan shook his body as if telling him that it was rted to that matter.


    "We, spirits, have one and only God, the Spirit God. His words are absolute and his rules give us prosperity. There is not a single spirit who doesn''t recognize his deeds. While I can''t say that all spirits are good and follow his will, it''s true that they recognize what he''s done for the Spirit World.


    "As for the Dark Butterfly Spirit, the reason why she is known to be above most spirits is because she is the Spirit God''s wife."


    "His wife?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "This is the first time I''ve heard about it. But when you take a look at it, I can somehow understand¡­


    "First of all, you are a Spirit made by the Spirit God. And with the rtionship between the Spirit God and the Moon Goddess, I can understand how you get all that information. No wonder you two know each other and have all this information."


    Ardagan didn''t reply, but it seemed he acknowledged what he said.


    "Below it is the Spirit God''s direct vassal. Each vassal has the strength close to the Dark Butterfly Spirit."


    "Hoh?" Noel became amused. By how the Moon Temple acknowledged the Moon Goddess, it was clear what kind of power she had.


    And to think the vassals had strength simr to hers, it was mind-blowing. After all, it meant that the spirit world had so many powerhouses. The humans werepletely like ants before them.


    This was the time Ardagan dropped the bomb.


    "And you have to know that Anna Stargaze has one of the Spirit God''s vassals as her spirit."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "What did you say? She has such a strong spirit?"


    "Yes."


    Noel''s body was shaking. On the one hand, Ardagan was telling him that Anna had such a strong spirit. It might look harmless. On the other hand, he was indirectly implying that his talent was far inferior to Anna''s.


    As if understanding Noel''s thought, Ardagan added, "Although you don''t have that talent, you don''t have to feel down. You actually possess one more thing that won''t lose to her talent."


    "And that is¡­" Noel frowned as he couldn''te up with a single thing that could defeat such a talent. After all, the spirit Anna had was the third strongest position in the spirit world.


    "It''s your bloodline."


    "My bloodline?" Noel was confused. After all, how could his bloodline affect all this talent? In fact, if his bloodline was strong, he would be able to get a better spirit.


    Ardagan paused for a moment, giving Noel time to think. After that, he continued, "There is one special thing you need to know about your bloodline. It''s rted to your ancestor.


    "Try to think about this. The demons have powerful strength and what do you think if they have the ability to reproduce at the same speed as the humans?"


    "Huh¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "They are strong and won''t die easily. If they reproduce at the same rate as the humans, they''ll certainly fill this world and rule this world."


    "Yes. That''s why the demons'' reproduction rate isn''t that high. There is always something to bnce it. And currently, your bloodline is so strong that the world has to bnce it in the same way as the demons.


    "In other words¡­" Ardagan stopped for a moment, creating suspense. "You can only give birth to one child no matter how much you want it."

 Chapter 526 Stronger

    "Huh?" Noel tilted his head before remembering his family tree. He covered his mouth with his hand as if trying to hide his thought while thinking, ''Now that I think about it, the Ardagan Family only produced one heir this whole time. Father never mentioned it as a curse, but it seemed he was already aware of this from the beginning.


    ''Does that mean all of Ardagans already knew about this and lived through it?'' While contemting, Noel suddenly felt something was amiss. "Wait a minute. How does this rte to the spirit position?"


    "There is one rtion. And this is probably the reason why your father has been chasing after your uncle."


    "Wait a minute. Since we can only produce a single heir, why do I have an uncle?"


    "He is adopted."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. He wanted to refute it, but he couldn''t do it, knowing what Ardagan said waspletely correct. So, he shifted back to the topic. "So, about the rtionship¡­"


    "There were only three people in history that managed to wield me. The original owner, her grandson, and you.


    "So, your ancestor actually wrote a book regarding your bloodline. And your father knew about it from the book¡­ But your uncle coveted that book and stole it from your father.


    "It happened in front of me when I was still sealed away inside the hidden chamber."


    "Wait a minute¡­" Noel gasped. "Don''t tell me¡­ the reason why my uncle wants to kill me¡­"


    "Yes. I believe what you''re thinking is correct."


    Noel was truly shaken by this revtion. "The Supreme Devil Organization is an organization that wants to destroy this world and ally with the demons. In other words, my bloodline is a hindrance, especially after knowing that I can wield you.


    "He wants to stop me from using you. And with this bloodline, there''s no way my father can produce another heir.


    "That''s why the bloodline will stop with me and the demons will finally have their way and eventually get rid of humans."


    Noel never expected that the reason why he was hunted was because of his own bloodline. But he couldn''t think of any other exnation.


    "As for its rtion with the spirit position¡­" Ardagan paused for a moment. "I want you to know that your power has been strengthened by me. As the wielder of Ardagan, your bloodline will be strengthened.


    "In other words, if you produce an heir, especially from someone with peerless talent, it could be said that your child will be the apostle of the Spirit God.


    "He might be the one that can liberate humans. Even if he couldn''t, he might be one of the hosts of the spirits whose strength is only second to the Spirit God."


    ? "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "You are not trying to force me to marry someone, right?"


    "¡­"N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    There was an awkward silence thatsted for a few seconds before Ardagan gave an answer. "Of course not."


    "What''s with that silence?"


    Ardagan acted as if he didn''t hear that question and continued, "In any case, the next spirit positions are themandants. Basically, they are the rulers of elements.


    "There are only sixmandants in the spirit world. Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Light, and Dark. These are the six rulers of elements.


    "I believe you have heard about a few of them in this world¡­"


    Noel paused. As he said, there were many talented individuals whose strengths werepletely beyond anyone''s level.


    "By the way, my ancestor¡­"


    "Of course. As the grandson of the first wielder, his talent far exceeded you. He is contracted to the ruler of Light."


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. "But our talent has been reduced because of our situation, right? Howe there are people like Anna and other talented people¡­"


    Noel couldn''t say he wasn''t jealous, but he wouldn''t insult them just because he didn''t have that talent.


    "They are exceptions in this world."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched as if he didn''t like the answer.


    Ardagan sensed it and added, "However, you don''t need to be jealous."


    "I''m not jealous. And why do I have to be jealous?"


    "If you''re not jealous, then all I can say is that your child will be extremely talented if you pick the right woman."


    "Shut up. Is it because you are a spirit and we are humans that you think we are simply like your pawns and that you can do everything you want for the sake of getting stronger?"


    Ardagan didn''t say anything. He could understand why Noel reacted so strongly. He doubted the spirits previously after all.


    "Do you think I''ll sacrifice everything just for your sake? I¡ª"


    Before Noel continued, Ardagan interjected him with a solution. "Of course. You are my host. I know how you feel and what you want. That''s why I''m telling you this. Bing my wielderes with a benefit.


    "Not only can you have two spirits in your body, but I can also use your blood to help the other spirit. This way, you will get the perfect conversion rate.


    "And instead of letting your child do it, I know that you are the type to deal with it yourself. That''s why I''m going to tell you this.


    "I have a way to make you stronger. You should be able to at least reach your ancestor''s level in the future with my help."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "My ancestor''s level? That''s definitely tempting, but you should know that even he couldn''t do anything against the demons. The demons are still in this world and we would have to live in this cursed world."


    "That''s why I''m proposing this second idea to you. I can only tell you this after informing you about the spirit positions."


    "!!!" Noel suddenly stopped as if he understood what he wanted to say. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes. Your ancestor''s talent allowed him to get the Ruler of Light. Talent might be determined at birth, but the end goal is not. That''s why I''m going to propose this.


    "You can surpass your ancestor with my help. We are going to make your spirit, Heisk, be the Ruler of Water or even beyond that!"

 Chapter 527 Do It

    "We are going to make your spirit, Heisk, be the Ruler of Water or even beyond that!"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise. He didn''t expect Ardagan to suggest this kind of n.


    Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. "Although I know how to let Heisk be stronger, it doesn''t change the fact that it''s not something possible at the current state. I need a lot of resources to even strengthen her. And Heisk hasn''t even reached the humanoid form."


    Ardagan nodded. "Of course, I understand that. That''s why I''m going to give you a proposal.


    "There are five ways to help the Spirit get stronger. As you know, the stronger they are, the more power you can gain from them.


    "So, I''m going to teach you about these ways. The first way is the mostmon method, which is actually letting them develop their own strength. In other words, you don''t have to do anything and just allow them to mature.


    "This is the slowest method, so I don''t really rmend it. As for the second method¡­ it''s to use the items that can improve their elements. I believe you''re already aware of this method, so I won''t continue with the exnation.


    "The third method is through the teaching method. There is actually another benefit for the spirit to help humans. Once they acknowledge the humans, they should be able to see how the humans use their power.


    "I''m sure you know about an idiom, ''Two brains are better than one,'' right? Heisk has been watching you utilize her ability. And if youe up with a unique way, she might be able to get enlightened. As you already know, we are not that much different from you.


    "The fourth method is to use a certain training method. However, this method will drain your lifespan, so unless the human is insane, we, spirits, never tell them about this method.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "That leaves us on the fifth path. We can actually form a symbiotic link between us. This is far better than the Spirit Seal¡­


    "However, I have to warn you that if we proceed with this method, you might be able to gain a boost in your power, but you will have to endure the side effects."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched the moment he mentioned the side effect. "What kind of side effect is it?"


    Ardagan paused for a moment before exining with a deeper tone. "This method is called Spirit Link. Basically, we are linking our consciousness with yours. By doing that, you can feel what we feel. Well, you should be able to sense the elements better.


    "But the side effect is that you will also sense our feelings, including our temperament. I have sensed the breath of the Lightning Berserker Spirit from that woman. So, I''m sure she is enduring the side effects the whole time.


    "I am not sure what it is, but it seems that she can be a little crazy at a time¡­"


    "!!!" Noel suddenly remembered what happened to Anna from time to time. Anna often released such a heavy killing intent as if she had gone mad. He thought it was rted to her family''s situation, but it seemed he was wrong.


    No, he wasn''t wrong. He was just not entirely correct. The Spirit Link indeed boosted that killing intent, but if there was no one trying to corrupt her, she would be able to control her killing intent easily instead of developing it to that stage.


    And this time, Noel was offered a way to get stronger with that kind of price.


    "Is the side effect only rted to killing intent?"


    "Not really. We, spirits, have different temperaments, so depending on our character, the side effects will vary. Even I don''t know what kind of side effects you will experience once you get a Spirit Link from Heisk."


    "What about you? There were two people who previously wielded you, right?"


    "Yes. But your ancestors didn''t know about this method. I didn''t tell him because his desire only reached that point. However, you are different. You are simr to my first wielder.


    "As for the side effects¡­ it''s better to let you feel it yourself."


    Noel didn''t know what Ardagan was trying to do, but the white world suddenly turned dark.


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t sense anything from around him, let alone see things. "What is this?"


    Noel looked around but to no avail. He didn''t know what he had to do in this situation.


    "Ardagan?" Noel tried to ask, but his knee suddenly hurt as if he was hit by something. "Kh¡­"


    Even though Noel had endured a lot of pain, this was the first time he had felt this kind of pain. This hit struck deep into his bone, making it tremble. "What is this?"


    After that pain, the darkness suddenly disappeared, returning to the in white room.


    "I am a different kind of Spirit. There has been no one like me since I''m born from forging. What you felt earlier was the pain that I went through during the forging¡­ Though, I was metal before. So, I didn''t feel any pain. You could think of it as a kind of tempering¡­"


    "¡­" Noel gritted his teeth. The pain was different because it made his bones reverberate. But he could see why it was called tempering. If that strike appeared from time to time, it should feel like he was being hit by a cksmith until he changed shape.


    "This is¡­"


    Ardagan nodded. "Still, I am considered equal to a Humanoid Spirit. So, the Spirit Link is stronger.


    "Hence, I rmend you to get a Spirit Link with Heisk first to get used to the side effect before attempting it with me.


    "This way, you can get stronger at a lower price. During that time, you can aid Heisk with a lot of things. And there will be more options for Heisk to choose when giving you abilities."


    Ardagan wanted to continue, but Noel suddenly raised his hand, stopping him. He suddenly looked at Ardagan with a face filled with resolve.


    "There''s no need to continue, Ardagan. Let''s do it!"

 Chapter 528 Spirit Link

    "There''s no need to continue, Ardagan. Let''s do it!"


    Ardagan was amused. After all, Noel looked like he was underestimating the Spirit Link. But with Noel''s character, he shouldn''t underestimate it after experiencing it himself. So, it meant Noel had prepared his heart for this.


    "You should think about this carefully. Once you form a Spirit Link, you can''t undo it." Ardagan tried to warn him, but Noel actually shook his head.


    "No. I don''t think it that way. It''s true that the price I''ve to pay is still heavy even though you said it''s a lower pricepared to you. However, I have to form the Spirit Link.


    "It''s not because I''m jealous of Anna or because I underestimate the Spirit Link¡­ I simply have to do it if I want to survive in this world.


    "My uncle, the Supreme Devil Organization, the Demons, and the schemers, whether it is the Third Prince or the Royal Family¡­ They won''t wait for me to get stronger.


    "That''s why I have to get all the strength I can get right now no matter what price I have to pay.


    "Besides¡­" Noel made a small smile. "You should know this, Ardagan¡­ My talent can''t bepared to my ancestors or even Anna.


    ? "If I don''t have a talent, I should have an indomitable will if I want to catch up to those peerless talents.


    "People think I am a genius since I can reach this level within one and a half years, but have they seen how hard I''ve worked?"


    Ardagan fell silent. He had seen how hard Noel had worked this whole time. He sacrificed a lot of sleep and did everything in a way to train. He pushed himself further and further, sacrificing a lot of time and sweat in order.


    That was why Ardagan suddenly apologized to him. "I''m sorry."


    His action earlier was very disrespectful to Noel''s resolve and determination.


    "It''s fine. Let''s begin." Noel shook his head with a smile. He knew Ardagan would understand him.


    "In that case, I shall call Heisk." Ardagan vanished into thin air before reappearing one minuteter.


    This time, Heisk, the Ice Fairy, was flying next to him. She bowed her head to Noel as if giving respect to him.


    Noel put on the most sincere smile and asked politely, "Heisk. I know this is a hard decision for you. But will you form a Spirit Link with me? I promise that I will continue to strive forward no matter what obstacles I have to face along the way. Will you get stronger with me?"


    Heisk nodded with a serious expression. She flew toward her Spirit Seal on Noel''s chest and looked at him for onest moment, asking, "Noel Ardagan. Will you ept my power and everything thates along with it?"


    "I do."


    "With the Spirit God as the witness, I, Heisk, swear that I shall apany Noel Ardagan to his ultimate goal no matter how long it takes. I shall support him to the very end. May the Spirit God punish me if I break this Spirit Oath."


    Heisk closed her eyes while touching her Spirit Mark with both hands.


    "!!!" Noel suddenly felt something strange all over his body.


    The Spirit Mark started pulsing, causing the heart to beat faster. Then, blue lines started to emerge from the mark and spread all over the body like that of veins.


    Noel couldn''t help but feel cold all over his body. It felt like his body froze from the inside.


    Yet, he didn''t actually feel any pain. Despite the ufortable feeling, he felt like something more important was being built inside of him.


    Suddenly, Noel''s feet became limp as he couldn''t help but fall to the ground.


    Heisk followed him while pouring more Spiritual Energy into his body.


    The blue lines finally reached the tip of his fingers and gradually moved toward his head.


    Noel''s eyes were already closed, so he couldn''t see anything. But he knew that something was prating his mind.


    This cool feeling gradually spread all over his head. He didn''t know why but everything became chill. He didn''t have any energy to even share his emotions.


    It didn''t take too long for Noel to understand what it meant.


    ''I see. So, this is the price I have to pay¡­'' Noel thought. The price was actually his emotion. The ice was freezing his brain and heart, making him unable to invoke his emotion.


    If Noel grew like Anna, whose killing intent was amplified by the brainwashing, he would certainly turn into an extremely cold man, one who was devoid of emotion.


    However, Noel had a different path from Anna. His path was formed by the rtionships he built along the way.


    His parents gave him warmth and love. The people he helped in the past shared their thanks, warming his heart. The kids showed him happiness. And the loyalty of Rose and the others kept him going.


    It could be said that Noel''s way of living was the perfect counter to this side effect.


    "I see¡­ I think I can understand why you suggest this, Ardagan. I don''t know how sure you are, but this side effect should be within your calction. And you know that everything I have right now can nullify that side effect. As long as I continue living this way, that side effect will not matter."


    Ardagan didn''t reply to him for a moment as if acknowledging that fact. Though, he still tried to praise him. "I simply believe that you can always ovee anything thates your way. And I, as your spirit, will help you to the best of my ability. I merely ask you to believe in me."


    "Is that so?" A smile suddenly appeared on Noel''s face. That smile was warm unlike the coldness he had just received from Heisk. "I guess I have to apologize for doubting you, Partner."


    "I can understand that." Ardagan flew toward Heisk while thetter gained some distance from Noel.


    Both of them said the same thing. "Please trust us. We shall support you to the best of our ability."


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 529 Reward

    Noel gradually opened his eyes. He had finally returned to reality.


    Since he had just gotten something from his spirits, the excitement still hadn''t left his body. He couldn''t help but rise from his bed, wanting to try this new power.


    Although he looked unaffected by the side effect, his calm and collected expression looked a bit colder as though he was aloof in this world.


    He raised his hand, pointing at the table.


    ''Back then, I could only freeze the thing I touched. But right now¡­'' Noel fell silent. He noticed a new feeling on his skin.


    The chilling wind, the coldness of the night, and even the current temperature¡­ he felt them like they were a part of his body.


    ''So, this is how the spirit feels¡­ Maybe I would be able to reach this point after long training, but right now, I''ve skipped that phase and gained this power instantly.


    ''It seems that the way we perceive this world is different from the Spirit. The coldness, the temperature¡­''


    While he was thinking about it, the wooden table started to freeze. It gradually spread to the entire surface, covering it with a thinyer of ice.


    He actually managed to do it without even touching the table. After confirming that power, the system appeared.


    [Congrattions on building a Spirit Link.]


    [Ice Control has been upgraded into Frost Control.]


    [Spirit Link has been established.]


    [You''ve acquired Ice Aura.]


    [You''ve acquired Ice Mirror.]


    [You''ve acquired Ice Vortex.]


    "This is¡­" Noel closed his eyes as new knowledge came into his head.


    Skill: Ice Aura (1/3)


    Requirement: 10 SP


    Skill: Ice Mirror (1/5)


    Requirement: 15 SP


    Skill: Ice Vortex (1/3)


    Requirement: 30 SPContent provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    "¡­" Noel was surprised to see these three skills. It was a powerful skill.


    There was one skill that didn''t use a lot of Spiritual Energy and wouldn''t bother the people around him, so he tried using it to check his ability.


    Ice Aura.


    Suddenly, blue-colored Spiritual Energy came out of his body, hovering around as if they were forming ayer of protection around him.


    ording to the knowledge, this Ice Aura was simr to his armor. Anything that touched this aura would be frozen by the Ice Aura. Unless they were strong or fast enough to bypass the freeze, they wouldn''t be able to touch him.


    If hebined it with his Demon Tree Armor, he should be able to block a lot of attacks from a Spirit Master.


    As for the other two skills, they were even more powerful than this Ice Aura.


    Ice Mirror could be considered an offensive and defensive skill simultaneously. If he formed the ice shield, he could use the Spiritual Energy in it to let the mirror shoot out ice energy that could freeze everything it touched. If he didn''t utilize the energy inside the mirror, he could turn it into a shield.


    Last but not least, the Ice Vortex. This vortex was more powerful than the Freezing Crystal. If he used it at the right time, it should be able to kill a Spirit Master. Though, it also required a lot of Spiritual Energy, so he shouldn''t use it easily.


    "I have gained a lot of things from this trip," Noel muttered, thinking of the next meeting. He wanted to know about the power of a Spirit Magician along with the utilization of Spiritual Energy. It was a bit important to him since he had just formed the Spirit Link.


    He was sure that no one in this world except for a few people knew about the Spirit Link. So, he would try to pique the other party''s interest with some hints, turning the guide into an ally. This way, he would have two spies within the academy.


    With that thought in mind, Noel continued working on his new control. It never ceased to amuse him whenever he used his Ice this time.


    Although he couldn''t utilize this power freely since he wasn''t ''Noel'' right now, it was enough to be a trump card. If he fought against the same Spirit Master that he managed to kill by himself, he should be able to kill that person without risking his life anymore.


    Rose was confused when she met him in the morning. After all, Noel looked tired and there was even a ck bag underneath his eyes as if he hadn''t rested for a few days.


    It seemed his excitement had drained almost all his Spiritual Energy, so he asked Rose to protect him while he recovered his Spiritual Energy.


    Of course, he still went into the meeting to know more about the Spirits, despite learning a lot from Ardagan.


    He knew what he had to do now. He might not be as talented as Anna or his ancestors, but by no means he epted that condition and remained weak.


    He would use every opportunity to get stronger until he surpassed his ancestor. At that time, he should be able to solve the problem with the Third Prince and the Royal Family.


    And he would spend the rest of his life striving forward, nning to liberate the world from the demons.


    Rose and Noel were standing in front of the inn as they prepared to head to the academy.


    But Rose seemed to find something different from Noel.


    "Hmm? Did something happenst night? It seemed that you were training a lot, but I think there is something different from you." Rose furrowed her eyebrows, assessing Noel.


    Noel made a gentle smile, assuring Rose. It seemed that Rose''s powerful senses managed to see through the change. But luckily, even with her senses, she was still not sure. It meant other people wouldn''t be able to recognize it.


    "Nothing. I''mpletely fine. In fact, I feel a bit excited¡­ I just learned yesterday that my journey is far too small." Noel smirked, teasing Rose. "You should be prepared, Rose. The lord you serve right now is bigger than you can possibly imagine. You might regret following me."


    "Haha, is that a challenge? Then, we''ll see whether I will regret it or not." Rose chuckled as the two started walking to the academy.

 Chapter 530 Recruiting A Master Blacksmith

    While Noel and Rose were upied with the academy, Dimitri had reached the vige where the Master cksmith resided.


    Of course, Dimitri didn''t n to offend the Master cksmith no matter how confident he was. Instead of lining up, he waited until the night so that he could sneak in.


    He was sure that he wouldn''t be able to meet the Master cksmith. And with this kind of mission, he was sure that it was better to wait until the Master cksmith finished his work.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the two siblings seemed to have returned to the vige, telling about their trip this time.


    After Noel''s help, the family reunited and their bond became far stronger. It was a truly peaceful and happy family.


    Unfortunately, Dimitri had to intrude into their happy meeting.


    "Hahaha. Is that so? I''m happy that they''re treating both of you well. I won''t tell you what to do. Instead, you should focus on getting the informationwork. After all, you need a powerful informationwork if you want to be a sessful merchant. Your mother told me that."


    The two siblings smiled. "Father¡­"


    "¡­" The Master cksmith suddenly fell silent and his expression turned serious as if he felt something.


    "Father?" His children''s smiles also disappeared as confusion filled the room.


    The Master cksmith furrowed his eyebrows and turned to the corner, asking cautiously, "For what reason your excellency visit this humble cksmith?"


    "!!!" The two kids turned around, following their father''s sight. They were surprised to find a shadow that gradually came out from the ground, turning into a humanoid figure.


    As expected from a Master cksmith, although he always worked with the weapons, his strength couldn''t be underestimated either.


    He was actually a Spirit Master. This was the reason why he could handle a lot of jobs and even teach Noel some techniques.


    "I''vee here toplete the task of my master."


    "Your master? If he wishes to get a weapon, he should follow the procedure. Even if you are strong, I won''t let you bully me." The Master cksmith red at him.


    "You are wrong. My master is someone you know, so I don''t need to follow the procedure." Dimitri paused for a moment, creating suspense.


    All of them were wondering who was bold enough to do this to a Master cksmith. But the moment Dimitri opened his mouth, everything was clear.


    "My master''s name is Iadre."


    "!!!" All of them widened their eyes in shock. They obviously knew about this person since he was the reason why they could get harmonious again.


    "Why does your master seek me? Although I know him personally and am thankful for what he has done, I think there are some procedures to follow. You can''t simply barge into my house like this."


    "I apologize. However, this matter is far more serious than you can imagine. If any of the people in your workshop know about it, it might bring a disaster to them and your family."


    "Hoh?" The Master cksmith furrowed his eyebrows. "I hope that you''re telling the truth or I might get pissed."


    "Don''t worry." Dimitri was in his shadow form so that he couldn''t recognize him. In fact, he had appeared on multiple asions, but only when he met Noel and his grandfather that Dimitri didn''t use his cover.


    Suddenly, a book appeared on top of the shadow, and he held it with both hands. "This book contains knowledge of aplete version of the Spirit Enchantment."


    "!!!" The Master cksmith was dumbfounded, but his expression soon turned serious. "Your words are not light. You should know that the Spirit Enchantment is a technique that has been recognized all around the world, right?"


    "Of course. That''s why I am giving you a sample. It contains theplete version of the Hardening Enchantment." Dimitri took out a piece of paper and tossed it to the Master cksmith.


    The moment the paper reached his hand, the Master cksmith dropped his jaw to the ground.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "This is¡­" He gasped because he couldn''t believe what he saw. "These lines, the strokes¡­ They contain the basic Spirit Enchantment. If this is truly theplete version, it should be at least 1.5 times stronger. Is this true?"


    "I believe you should be able to recognize it and prove it yourself."


    "¡­" The Master cksmith fell silent, staring at the paper. His children were confused and surprised, wondering what kind of thing could surprise their father. However, they didn''te to their father to take a peek in order to respect their privacy. This was a matter between Iadre and their father, so they should stay away until they were permitted to join.


    The Master cksmith fell into deep thought. It took him five minutes to consider everything.


    He nced at Dimitri and said, "Even with my expertise, I don''t think I can prove it easily. I have the basics down, but it''s close to impossible to recreate this enchantment in one go. I need around one week to practice¡­"


    "I apologize. I don''t have that much time to wait."


    "¡­" He frowned and said, "It might be sloppy, but give me three days. I should be able to do it within three days."


    Dimitri contemted this time frame. After all, he didn''t want to be away from Noel for too long.


    He calcted the time needed to wait, go back to the Demon Banner Army headquarters to give the kids a present, and head to Noel''s position.


    "Alright. I''ll wait for three days." Dimitri nodded.


    "What does he want me to do in exchange for this knowledge? I''m sure it''s not a free meal, right?"


    "He would like to invite you as a Master cksmith in his future territory. As for the price, he is nning to give you theplete version of the Spirit Enchantment." Dimitri raised the book.


    The Master cksmith closed his eyes. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, he might be the first Master cksmith to master thisplete version and his name would go down in history. But that price was heavy, considering he preferred this kind of lifestyle.


    That was when Dimitri presented the second reward. "Also, my master is nning to venture out of the human territory. There will be a lot of relics and blueprints. You will be able to handle all of it."


    "!!!" The Master cksmith widened his eyes in shock. The rewards truly tempted him, but he had to consider his children as well.


    "Father. Please don''t worry about us. We won''t be your burden forever."


    His children''s words touched his heart. But it wasn''t an easy decision.


    It took him a whole ten minutes to finally agree.


    "Alright. But my condition is that you have to support my children in your territory."


    "As long as it is within my master''s means¡­"


    "We have a deal."

 Chapter 531 Extension

    "This is¡­" The Master cksmith, Roel, frowned while staring at the sword he had just enchanted.


    The sword had a stable Spiritual Energy flow, but the power was a bitcklusterpared to the normal Spirit Enchantment.


    "Wait a minute¡­ it seems that there are a few differences in here, here, and here¡­" Roel took another look at the sword as well as the Hardening Rune he embedded.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    This time, Roel was in his personal workshop so that no one could know about this weapon. But because it had been three days, Dimitri ended up tagging along, so he could get thepleted version.


    His children, Rick and Rica, were worried that their father would end up meeting misfortune, so they also came and sat in the corner.


    When they realized their father had failed again, they couldn''t help but walk to Dimitri.


    "Sir¡­" Rick looked at Dimitri with a serious expression. "It''s impossible for one to learn this within three days even though one has the basic skill for it¡­"


    Dimitri wasn''t that bothered since Roel had given his promise, so he had to fulfill it.


    However, Rick tried to persuade him after finding something amiss in the negotiation. "Sir, I don''t mean to be rude, but you seem to be short of time. You are rushing this negotiation and learning process.


    "I believe that I can give you another solution. There is no way an expert like you will be staying in that fort, considering Iad¡­ Sir Iadre ising with his squad. Hence, I believe that you are nning to leave the fort right away after giving the swords to some people.


    "Here is my suggestion. Can you give my father a few more days to work this out? In exchange, I''ll deliver the goods to those people.


    "I am trying to respect your boundary by not getting involved in the creation process and the negotiation, but since you''ve given your words about supporting our merchant group in Sir Iadre''s future territory, how about giving us a little privilege to bring these goods with us?


    "You can consider this as our first contribution to Sir Iadre."


    Rick''s suggestion was good. Not only could he buy some time for his father, but he could also figure out Iadre''s true identity. After all, depending on the people he would meetter, he might be able to get enough information to deduce the noble''s identity.


    After all, there was no way a normal person could have a powerful expert like Dimitri under hismand.


    Dimitri thought this was a good idea. But he also didn''t want to let people know about Noel''s identity.


    So, he thought about another way to work this out. And this was a good measure to check these two''s integrity.


    "I''ll be giving you a letter after this. In exchange, you will be giving the goods to the Demon Banner Army''s administration office. With that letter, the people should know who they should give."


    Dimitri''s answer was clear. Although he couldn''t reveal Noel''s information to these two, it didn''t mean he had to avoid it if themander was directly involved.


    He might be a former member of the Demon Banner Army, but he was once one of the strongest people in the Demon Banner Army. So, asking a little favor from themander should be fine. It wouldn''t take too much time to give the weapons to the kids anyway.


    And it wasn''t like themander didn''t know that the ''Shadow'' had gone to serve the Ardagan Family.


    So, this was actually the best option.


    In addition, by using this letter, he could see whether these two were honest or not. If they actually tried to take a peek at the content, it meant they couldn''t be trusted and he had to be wary of them along with Roel himself.


    If they actually delivered the goods without any problem, it meant having both the Master cksmith and the merchant group in their territory shouldn''t be a problem.


    Rick and Rica also knew they were being tested, but they still decided to ept the task. This was their way of contributing to the family. They wanted to help their father, who had used a lot of resources to help their merchant group grow.


    Roel understood their intention and smiled. He was truly blessed by two great children.


    "I''ll extend the time limit by five¡­ no, four days! But that''s the limit."


    "Two days are enough for me toplete one and another day toplete the rest of the swords." Roel smiled with confidence.


    "That''s better being the case." Dimitri nodded. He wasn''t Noel, who had some attachments to this family. As a butler of the Ardagan Family, he had to maintain a professional attitude and focus on the task and the time allocated for it.


    After the agreement, Dimitri finally disappeared, leaving them alone.


    "Thank you." Roel smiled at the two kids, thanking them for their help.


    "This is what we should do, Father." Rica smiled back since she was the one giving the idea to her brother.


    "But will you be fine now?" Rick asked, worried that the time was still not enough.


    "Yeah. I underestimated the difficulty of this thing, but the time should be enough right now. I can even finish it faster¡­" Roel nodded while ncing at the rune. "Still, this is truly remarkable.


    "This rune¡­ was it? It seems to be only one of the applications. No, should I say that Spirit Enchantment is only a branch of the Rune System?


    "However, after looking at theplete mark, I know for sure that the Rune System is the future.


    "Even this one rune alone is about two times stronger than the iplete Spirit Enchantment. And the flow of Spiritual Energy is more stable.


    "If I manage toplete all this work and learn the Rune System, I might be able to be the number one Master cksmith in the world¡­" Despite etching his name into the canal of history, Roel was sighing.


    After all, his ambition ended up involving his two children.

 Chapter 532 Sorting

    While Dimitri handled the task, Noel finished his talk with the second guide, teaching him a lot about the basics of Spiritual Energy.


    He was sitting on his chair, trying to write everything he had learned today.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel looked at the notebook while furrowing his eyebrows. He tried to recall the exnation.


    "Two hundred years ago, the Great Spirit Magician divided the Spirit Ability into four grades: Basic, Destruction, Annihtion, and Apocalyptic Tier.


    "The Basic Tier is the Spirit Ability that only works against one to a few opponents. They are the tiers that we use most of the time.


    "Thenes the second tier, the Destruction Grade Spirit Ability. When an ability reaches this grade, it will be able to destroy an area and kill more than ten people at once.


    "After that, the Annihtion Grade Spirit Ability. At this point, the Spirit Ability can cause so much destruction to a town and kill more than a hundred people at once.


    "When you are able to wield this ability, you should be well-known all around the kingdom. Even the Captains of the Demon Banner Army, the Tower Association''s elders or all the Kingdom''s Arbiters have one or two of these abilities.


    "Last but not least, the Apocalyptic Grade Spirit Ability. I don''t need to exin more about the destruction. It''s simple¡­ this kind of ability is simply a massacre.


    "There are only two people in this kingdom who have this type of ability. The first is themander of the Demon Banner Army, while the second person is the current Royal Knight Captain under the Royal Family."


    "¡­" Noel looked down, recalling the power of his abilities. Due to having two spirits, he had a lot of Spirit Abilities.


    However, it seemed that his level was still far away from a Captain''s.


    Most of his Spirit Abilities were ssified as Basic Grade. Although he wasn''t sure about the scale, the Undying Phoenix, the Undying Fire Feathers, as well as the Ice Vortex could be considered as a Destruction Grade.


    However, he still had to upgrade them to the highest level.


    Though, there was one thing that could be better than these abilities. It was his Undying Fire. This was one of the first abilities Ardagan gave him.


    The Undying Fire was far more dangerous than a Destruction Grade Ability. After all, the more he upgraded this ability, the more it became inextinguishable.


    He believed that once the Undying Fire reached its peak state, even a Captain from the Demon Banner Army would have a hard time extinguishing it.


    Unfortunately, it was still wishful thinking to get this kind of ability. It used a lot of Skill Points just to upgrade it once more. If he poured all the points he got for a few months, he might be able to upgrade it to the final level. But it also meant the rest of his abilities would be stagnant, causing an imbnce in his fighting power.


    So, he dropped that idea.


    "It seemsing to this ce is the right choice. Ick a lot of basics. Although I have read a lot of books in the Demon Banner Army, their knowledge isn''t asplete as this ce.


    "But before reviewing the rest of the knowledge I had learned today, I wonder if it''s possible to apply this grade to the runes."


    Noel couldn''t help but remember what Ardagan had told him before.


    "The reason why I give you the Rune System is because you''re walking on a different path from your ancestor. Your ancestor didn''t wish to spread that knowledge, so only one kingdom has its official record.


    "But you are going to spread that knowledge so that everyone can get stronger. I believe this is necessary for the sake of humanity."N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. "I can understand the idea. If all humans can learn the runes, it means they will be stronger to face the demons. However, I still have a few doubts regarding this decision. First of all, why did my ancestor''s grandmother not spread the knowledge?"


    "I think you''re already aware that humans in the past didn''t rely on Spiritual Energy, so there was never a need to spread it."


    Noel looked down, contemting. After seeing the technology in the academy, he knew Ardagan was telling the truth.


    It seemed that the situation had changed and the need to use the runes had arrived.


    "I see. I guess I didn''t make a wrong decision." Noel let out a sigh of relief. He was a bit skeptical of spreading it at first, but it seemed there was a need to level up the overall strength of humanity.


    After remembering that conversation, he shifted his focus back to the book.


    "Well, the Spiritual Energy movement, the Spiritual Energy Reserve as well as the Spirit''s Link¡­ Luckily, those three are enough to tempt the young girl."


    Noel smiled while taking out another note that contained a few names.


    "Dark Lord."


    "Fire Lord."


    "nt Lord."


    The Water Lord gave him these three names that he believed had switched to the other side. However, he was confused why the Poison Lord''s name wasn''t on the list.


    After some thought, he realized that the one that poisoned the Water Lord was not the Poison Lord but the nt Lord.


    He remembered that he was once poisoned inside a brothel when he investigated a certain nt that shouldn''t have gone extinct a few hundred years ago.


    It seemed that the nt Lord was the culprit.


    But since this was the academic city, his focus was on the Fire Lord, one of the founders of this city. Although he didn''t give an important mission to the spies, it should be enough to get some general knowledge about the Fire Lord''s movement.


    As for the other two elders, he was nning to use the Ardagan Family''swork to deal with them.


    Though, he was worried that his father''s former subordinate had switched sides and would harm him the moment he reached Tamworth.


    In the end, Noel spent the rest of the week sorting all the knowledge before heading to Tamworth.

 Chapter 533 Unexpected Encounter

    Tamworth.


    A man was sitting in his office, looking at the report from his subordinates. "Hmm?"


    "Hestia." The man surprisingly let out a feminine voice as he was staring at the door as if calling the person that stood by in front of his room.


    Despite being a male, he was actually wearing makeup. There was nothing wrong with a male putting on makeup, but this makeup actually made him look beautiful like a woman.


    His skin was smooth and his gesture was gentle. He even put on a dress like a woman. If only his voice was one iota higher, one could easily mistake him for a woman. In fact, as long as he remained silent, no one would recognize him at all.


    Hearing her name being called, a woman entered the room with a cold expression.


    "Do you need anything, Ma''am?" The woman, wearing a maid uniform, asked while staring at this guy as if not bothered by his appearance.


    "Who gave this report?" He asked, tossing the report.


    Even though it was paper, it flew a few meters without being disturbed by the wind.


    Eventually, it reached the maid''s hand. It took her a nce to recognize the writing. "This is from Lisette. If I''m not wrong, the person she apaniedst night came from Styxcanva."


    "Hmm¡­" The guy looked down, contemting for a moment.


    "Is there something wrong with this information?" The maid asked without a change of expression.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t receive an answer as the guy had fallen into deep thought. After two minutes, the guy actually gave her an order. "I want you to tell thedies to be on the lookout during our business hours¡­ at least for one week to two weeks."


    "Is there something wrong? Is there any description so that we can keep the person out?"


    "No." The guy shook his head with a serious expression. "You shouldn''t chase away that guy. However, you shouldn''t let him in easily."


    "Huh?" The maid was confused.


    The guy waved his hand. "Tell the girls to prepare for the ''banquet.'' Remember, you have to be courteous to him.


    "As for his description¡­ I''m not very sure what kind of disguise he has right now. But apparently, he is going with a female friend, whoes from the Demon Banner Army."


    "¡­" The maid nodded. "I understand. In that case, I''ll tell them to find out information about the gate, especially about the people rted to the Demon Banner Army."


    "Yeah. Do that." The guy confirmed.


    "Is there anything else?"


    The guy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hmm, how is the deal with the noble?"


    "Everything works perfectly. I don''t understand your decision, Sir. If the Demon Banner Army knows about this, we''ll be in a bad position. So, why do you suggest holding a ''banquet'' instead of assassination?"


    "How long have you followed me?" The guy asked while narrowing his eyes.


    "Two years."


    "Exactly. That''s why you don''t know much about this matter. For now, just follow my instructions and don''t ask. If the opportunity arrives, I''m going to teach you about the current matter."


    "I understand." The maid nodded and immediately stepped back, stopping her curiosity. She immediately left the room to tell the others.


    Meanwhile, the guy was letting out a long sigh, staring at the ceiling.


    "Everything has gone far quicker than the prediction. It seems that I have to get involved soon¡­" The guy suddenly made an evil smile as if he was scheming something.


    His expression darkened and his tone became deeper. "Oh, Young Master Noel. Why would you evene to this ce? If you''re nning to visit me, then you should be prepared. After all, I''m going to give you a big present."


    ¡­N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    After a long journey, Noel and Rose finally reached their destination, Tamworth.


    Because this city was near the border, it was protected by a tall and robust wall. There was even a ditch that would stop the monster for some time. The wall was reinforced by Spirit Enchantment that would stop the monsters from destroying it with their own power.


    It was a defensive city and this kind of city was spread all over the kingdom. Even the Water Lord had a simr protective measure.


    When Noel looked at the wall, he couldn''t help but ask Rose, "By the way, do you feel anything weird from the outside?"


    Noel looked a bit worried since they were going to the enemy''s den. They didn''t know whether Luke Ardagan''s former subordinate was still an ally or not. Even though Dimitri had told them to head here, Noel still raised the suspicion so that Rose would be vignt.


    "Hmm¡­ Our destination is the brothel, right?" Rose asked.


    "Yeah. We''re simply passing by to confirm his intention. After handling some matters and thinking about how to deal with the enemies, we''re going to head to the Countess''s city to talk about cooperation before visiting the Lelelei Fort, our original destination." Noel nodded while exining.


    "Hmm¡­" Rose looked down, contemting for a moment. "There is nothing visible from the outside. We have to check everyone''s expressions first¡­"


    "I''ll leave that matter to you." Noel nodded. They were about to enter the city as their turn to be checked by the city guard was two people away.


    But the n seemed to love to go sideways. It might be fate ying them.


    After all, the one who was being checked suddenly raised her voice.


    "What are you doing? I have given you everything. That''s all."


    This voice sounded extremely familiar to their ears. Rose and Noel couldn''t help but nce at each other.


    "You''re not thinking the same person as I''m thinking¡­ right?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched.


    Rose gave a facepalm as the answer.


    They both took another nce at that person, whose blonde hair was slightlying out of her coat.


    They were sure about it. This person was actually Anna. Who would have thought that they would actually meet in this city and in this situation?

 Chapter 534 Same Target?

    "What? You should stop!" The girl seemed to be pushing off the soldiers while thetter tried to take her hood off.


    Suddenly, another woman came between them, startling all of them.


    "!!!" They all looked at the woman and gasped for different reasons.


    The soldiers admired the beauty, while the female was shocked by her appearance in this town.


    "You are¡­" The female stepped back while calling her name. "Rose?"


    "Who are you, woman? This is Tamworth. Everything has to be checked." The soldiers red at her while vulgarly scanning her proportion.


    Rose coldly looked at them while taking out her badge. "It seems that this city truly deserves its reputation¡­ To think even a mere soldier dares to act almighty in front of an officer from the Demon Banner Army.


    "Who do you think has been protecting this ce from the demons?"


    The moment Rose showed her badge, it rmed all the people around the gate.


    "Demon Banner Army?" The soldiers became panic-stricken.


    It also causedmotion to the point the supervisor who took care of the gate ended uping out of his office.


    He was dumbfounded that the soldiers were trying to harass a knight from the Demon Banner Army. And by looking at the badge, it seemed that her position wasn''t low.


    Rose red at him and said with a disgusted tone. "It seems that Tamworth is far worse than I imagine¡­"


    "May I know your name, Miss?" The supervisor tried to confirm her identity. If it was just a lowly knight, he wasn''t that afraid of the consequence.


    Unfortunately for him, the opponent this time was Rose. "Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad, Rose."


    "!!!" The moment he heard the Zero Squad, his heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he grabbed both the soldiers'' heads and lowered them down along with his own head.


    "I apologize for not disciplining my subordinates. I''ll immediately punish them after this."


    Rose red at him. She knew that they would just do this again after she entered the city, but she also didn''t want to make a big fuss.


    In fact, she didn''t n to use her identity previously if not for the fact Anna was being harassed.


    It wasn''t that she cared about Anna being harassed, it was that the moment Anna made a big scene, the consequence would be far worse than mentioning her identity.


    Anna was confused by Rose''s action. She was nning to enter this ce quietly. Even if she couldn''t enter right away, she could easily sneak in at night. But the fact that Rose appeared here meant there was one more person who shoulde out.


    The moment that thought appeared in her head, she felt an iing presence from the back. This figure immediately put his hand on Anna''s shoulder, acting like her best friend.


    "Oh, to think we would meet in this ce. What a coincidence. When was thest time we met?"


    Anna turned around, startled. After all, this was the man who was with Rose ording to the report, Noel. But she didn''t know why Noel actually visited this ce.


    She wanted to stop him, but she realized that it would be easier to enter with them. So, she had to y along.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah. What a coincidence."


    The moment the soldiers saw how good their rtionship was, they instantly looked at Rose who asked them with a demanding tone.


    "I didn''t n to use my identity previously, but it seemed I had to. So, am I allowed to enter with my friend?"


    "Y-yes." The supervisor nodded his head furiously, hoping Rose would go away immediately.


    Before the situation escted, Noel and Anna had entered the city, leaving Rose behind. Seeing their action, it looked like Rose had to let go of them and chase after the two.


    They felt relieved that Rose didn''t say anything more than that.


    They ended up entering the city after making a bit ruckus. They truly had a bad start.


    "What are you doing here?" Noel red at Anna with his eyebrows twitching, never thinking he would meet her here.


    "I should be the one asking that question." Anna clicked her tongue.


    Noel and Anna were staring at each other for a while before they reached the same conclusion.


    "This is not a good ce to talk." Noel sighed.


    "Yeah."


    "Tavern?"


    "Inn is better."


    In the end, they ended up agreeing to go to the inn first to discuss the current situation. Meanwhile, Rose waspletely speechless watching these two, who were about to argue, end up wanting to go to an inn together as if they were more than friends.


    She shook her head helplessly while following these two.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reach an inn and they immediately entered the same room to discuss this current matter.


    As soon as they reached the room, Noel and Anna were ring at each other as if they had be an enemy.


    For Noel, Anna''s appearance would cause a lot of issues, especially since his father''s subordinate would find her identity and get angry for executing his parents. In the end, they would end up causing unnecessary problems.


    On the other hand, Anna came to this ce for her own mission. And Noel''s existence would just cause another problem since he would do something unexpected in this ce.


    She had to determine his intention first.


    "What are you doing here, Noel?" Anna gritted her teeth, frustrated by his appearance. Although it was true that having an ally was good, the timing was not good.


    "I should be asking that question. I''m here to see my father''s former subordinate and to determine his stance. What about you?"


    "I am here because I got wind of the rtionship between a certain underworld tyrant and a noble that seemed to be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "So, I''m here to confirm their rtionship and if possible, handle them," Anna exined with a grim expression.


    "¡­" Noel suddenly fell silent as if he noticed something. "Wait a minute. That target is not rted to the brothel, right?"


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 535 Agreement

    "Eh?"


    "Eh?" Noel also had the same reaction, realizing that her target was actually the brothel.


    Noel immediately pinched the bridge of his nose while saying, "I think we need to discuss this matter carefully. So, do you mind talking about it first?"


    Anna nced at Rose, who remained calm even after seeing her like this. She didn''t know whether she could cooperate in this matter since she didn''t know Noel''s stance.


    But it didn''t hurt to talk about it.


    "So, I''ll tell you about my mission first." Anna took a deep breath before exining, "My mission is to investigate the brothel.


    "We have some suspicion that the brothel is involved with a certain noble who has a connection to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "Although our organization doesn''t really handle the Supreme Devil Organization, we still handle the noble.


    "So, because of this connection, I''m tasked to investigate the noble. And after knowing their rtionship with the brothel, I decided to infiltrate the brothel first for that information.


    "I''m not sure if you know about this, but the brothel has a certain reputation¡­ ording to my intel, it seems that the brothel is a front for a certain organization that specializes in espionage. I''m not sure which organization, but you get the idea.


    "I''m nning to enter the brothel to get a hold of all the information." Anna finished her exnation with a smile as if everything was under her control. It was true that if the brothel was just a front, it would be good to get a hold of their information.


    Not only would it be useful to be used against that noble, but the information should be massive enough to bring down more people.


    So, investigating the brothel was something that Noel would rmend.


    However, the problem was that the person running this brothel was none other than his father''s former subordinate. Before confirming the person''s intention, he didn''t n to take direct action against him.


    Noel thought for a moment and shared his side of the story. "Alright. Hear me out first. The person in charge of that brothel is actually my father''s former subordinate who is in charge of the espionage of the family¡­ or that was what I heard.


    "So, my objective was to visit the brothel and talk about rebuilding the family''s informationwork.


    "That was my objective before I learned about your mission. I also had some suspicion about him having some rtionship with the noble and the Supreme Devil Organization. So, I''d like to take action at first¡­


    "After all, there is a big difference between a subordinate and a former subordinate. Thetter couldn''t be controlled anymore, so they often switched sides.


    "Though, after listening to you, I couldn''t help but think of another possibility.


    "He is my father''s former subordinate. My father has been fighting the Supreme Devil Organization in the dark, so there is a possibility that he is actually in a covert operation to investigate the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "He might be getting along with that noble in order to find out about them. That''s why I''m wondering what I should do now."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent. She never expected that her target was actually rted to the Ardagan Family.


    On the one hand, if she took action against this person, it might be seen as Anna trying to eradicate the remaining members of the Ardagan Family. On the other hand, she didn''t want to cause more trouble for the Ardagan Family.


    So, she also couldn''t decide what to do.


    "Hmm¡­" Both of them looked down, contemting their choice.


    Rose looked at both of them, wondering how these two could actually do the same thing. Their actions were inplete sync.


    She couldn''t help but ask herself, ''Are they in a rtionship or something? The Stargaze Family hasn''t done anything about Anna''s fiance and the Ardagan Family has been destroyed before Noel could marry. There''s no information about Noel''s marriage partner as well.


    ''Considering their fathers are best friends and Noel''s father is the one who controls everything behind the scene, there is actually no bad blood among them right now.


    ''In fact, I couldn''t help but think their fathers actually want them to get together¡­ By pitting them against each other, they will see each other very often. And after resolving the misunderstanding, their rtionship might get better¡­''


    Rose narrowed her eyes. She didn''t know how much her prediction was true. In fact, she could bepletely mistaken.


    Either way, it didn''t change the fact that Noel and Anna were in sync.


    Rose couldn''t help but ask, "Is there any reason why you shouldn''t destroy the brothel?"


    "Obviously. Since we''re talking about an organization specializing in espionage, we can get a lot of information from them." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Yeah. If the other party is still on our side, we can take advantage of the informationwork to help us re-establish the family." Noel agreed with Anna.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "¡­" Rose shrugged. "Then, why don''t you just get there and talk about it?"


    "Hmm¡­" Noel suddenly fell silent. "I wanted to do that at first. After all, the other party was my father''s subordinate. Just that fact alone made me wonder about his strength¡­ If I go there carelessly, I might end up losing my life."


    "Yeah. And I am a woman, I can infiltrate as one of the women there, but I''ve to learn about theiryout and identities before going there. In other words, I won''t go there for another five to seven days."


    Noel and Anna looked at each other.


    "So, you are saying you can enter there¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "So, you are saying you can check their power¡­" Anna also narrowed her eyes.


    It seemed both of them had the same n in their mind. It turned out they needed each other toplete their own objective.


    "You''ll help me go there while I''ll try to check their levels," Noel smirked.


    "If they are allies, we can form cooperation. If they are enemies, I can sneak in with your information." Anna nodded in agreement as a smirk appeared on her face.


    Suddenly, both of them said the same thing at the same time, "Then, hit the noble!"

 Chapter 536 Plan

    "¡­" Rose made a wry smile. These two actually thought alike.


    When Anna was in the Demon Banner Army, she rarely took the initiative. It seemed that her work in the organization had helped her tremendously.


    She was smart to begin with. But because she never schemed in her past life, she didn''t have the necessary skill to do it.


    Now that she had entered the organization, the door was open, allowing her to stand next to Noel when they were discussing their n.


    It didn''t take too long for these two geniuses to agree with each other''s n.


    "By the way, what do you know about the noble?" Noel asked.


    "Hmm, I''m not sure." Anna closed her eyes for a moment, recounting the matter in her past life.


    ''In my past life, the noble has be a supplier for the Supreme Devil Organization. I''m not sure what kind of supplier they are, but when the Demon Banner Army finds out, they have fallen to the enemy''s trick.


    ''I believe the organization has sent someone to check about the noble as well, but since they don''t do anything, there is a possibility that the noble will kill him.


    ''It seems that the mission is trickier than I originally thought. As for the brothel¡­ I''d never heard of them in my previous life.


    ''If they actually work with them, I can somehow understand why Noel has a lot of information.


    ''But because of no information about the brothel, I don''t know if that former subordinate will actually work with Noel or not. After all, there''s a chance that Noel took over the brothel after exposing their deeds.''


    Anna thought for a moment, trying to see which information he could give to Noel without giving away her identity.


    After two minutes, Anna opened her mouth. "ording to my information, the noble is actually a supplier for the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Huh? A supplier? What kind of supplier is he?"


    "I''m not sure. I haven''t checked their information. In fact, I''m nning to use the brothel''s informationwork to find out their specialty." Anna shrugged.


    "I see¡­" Noel fell into deep thought.


    While waiting for Noel''s decision, Rose asked Anna, "Do you have any other information rted to the noble?"


    "I don''t think so. In fact, I''m surprised by how hard it takes to get information about the noble. I wonder if the brothel assists him in covering his tracks."


    "In that case, we can only enter the brothel to get the answer." Rose sighed.


    "I have the same thought." Anna nodded in agreement. However, Noel might have another idea, so she waited until Noel opened his mouth.


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn''t find any other way to achieve their objective.


    "It seems I have to get some good clothes here." Noel sighed.


    "¡­" The twodies looked at him, knowing he had reached the same conclusion.


    "Me too¡­" Anna raised her hand. She was going to infiltrate the brothel, so of course, she had to buy clothes that looked simr to them. She wasn''t nning to serve the customer, but she should be seductive enough so that others thought she was their friend.


    Though, she didn''t n to talk to the people there since there was a chance that she would be recognized.


    "Let''s split the task then." Rose smiled.


    "Yeah." Anna pointed at Noel. "You should buy some clothes and enter the brothel. We will see whether they ept you or not. If they don''t ept you, take the little time you get to check their levels.


    "If they ept you, try to understand theiryout. Hopefully, they are our allies. But even their appearance could be deceitful, so we have to prepare for the time they be our enemies.


    "As for me, I''ll enter first in order to figure out their movement patterns and operation. Noel will use that information to try to meet their leader.


    "After that, I''ll use his information to infiltrate their base of operation and try to extract as much information as possible.


    "Rose will be staying outside, taking a look at the enemies. You have the power of illusion and your range is quite far, so you can inform us if something happens."


    Anna seemed to be good enough to assign their roles. Even Rose believed this was the best role they could get.


    However, Noel rejected one of the roles. "No. I have to be epted no matter what. There is something I have to confirm."


    "Huh?" Anna tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the urgency.


    However, Anna didn''t know about Noel''s Affection Medal. He wasn''t using it right now, but he could see through the enemy''s affection toward him.


    As long as he could meet their leader, he could confirm whether that person was an enemy or not.


    So, he couldn''t ept it if the other party refused to meet him. No matter what, Noel had to confirm it.


    Noel looked at Anna and adjusted the role a bit. "I want you to find out about their secret code or something. If possible, find someone useful enough to lead me to their leader. At least, someone who I can pressure to lead me."


    "Are you going there with force?"


    "This is the n B. If possible, I want to resolve this without any conflict." Noel shrugged.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna pondered for a while before agreeing. "Alright. I''ll try my best. Though, we have to buy our clothes first."


    "I guess we know our next destination." Noel nodded. "Rose. I want you to go around the city and find the buildings you can use to observe them. If possible, try to look at the windows and gather some information from there. And make sure you look at their guests¡­ Since this brothel is an important ce, there might be high ranking guests¡­"


    "Got it." Rose acknowledged the order.


    "Alright. Let''s go there. I guess we have to y the same role as back then¡­ after you made some mess in the gate earlier¡­" Noel made an annoyed smile.


    Anna also knew the mistake on her part and immediately circled her hand on Noel''s arm while smiling, "Then, shall we go, Darling?"


    "Since when did you be so bold¡­"

 Chapter 537 Suspicious

    "She''s entered the building," whispered Rose while looking at the building through the window. She was sitting in front of Noel inside a restaurant not far from the brothel. This was a perfect ce to use to observe the brothel. Although it was a bit hard for even a strong fighter to see from this angle, it wasn''t a problem for Rose.


    She was monitoring the brothel''s movement and Anna, making sure nothing went wrong.


    The brothel was called Eternal Flower. Because the business was booming, the brothel building had four floors, standing far higher than most buildings in the area.


    Looking at how the building was furnished, it seemed that the higher the floor, the better the rooms. It showed that there were different levels of service and the top floor must be used for an important customer.


    "What should we do?" Rose asked gently, ncing at Noel, who was calmly eating his meal.


    Although he looked like he was focused on the meal, he was actually thinking about the information they had.


    ording to Dimitri, the brothel was owned by the second inmand of the Ardagan Family''s espionage division. The leader was called Harley.


    Noel couldn''t help but wonder how much they knew about their arrival. On the one hand, they hade to this ce unannounced. On the other hand, if the brothel truly had that vast and powerful informationwork, the other party should have heard about their arrival.


    That was why Noel wondered why the other party hadn''t contacted him yet. He thought it was due to him hiding his identity. It seemed that the other party only knew about Iadre, not the fact that he was Noel.


    Though, they should have some suspicion, considering they should be aware of Anna''s existence and the fact that they were helping Anna during the gate''s inspection.


    Noel stopped eating and took a sip of water before saying calmly, "I''m just worried that we''ve underestimated them."


    "Is that so?" Rose tilted her head in confusion. She thought the leader shouldn''t be that strong. Even if he managed to employ a powerful expert, it shouldn''t be as strong as theirs. After all, a loose Spirit Master was hard toe by.


    So, they should have some advantages during this operation.


    But Rose couldn''t assure Noel of that fact simply due to Dimitri''s existence. The Ardagan Family had concealed their true strength the whole time. Dimitri was one of the examples.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    So, it wouldn''t be strange if there were multiple Spirit Masters inside that brothel. Still, he didn''t think there would be a Spirit Grandmaster inside. At the very least, if they ended up in the worst-case scenario, they should be able to escape.


    Rose might still have underestimated the true power of the Ardagan Family. Although their rank had declined, it was still considered one of the oldest families in the kingdom.


    Even if they appeared to be ruined on the surface, the strength that no one had ever seen might still be hiding underground, biding their time.


    This was the reason why Noel wanted to meet this man. He actually wanted to know the depth of his own family.


    Now that he didn''t have parents who taught him about this, it was better to experience it himself.


    After a few minutes, Noel added, "Tell Anna to get out of there after thirty minutes whether she has found or hasn''t found anything."


    Rose didn''t understand why he wanted it that way, but she still ryed the message.


    While waiting for Anna, Noel took a deep breath as he scanned the entire restaurant with his Affection Medal. He had changed his medal beforeing here, so he could see whether the people around him were a bystander or not. Of course, he didn''t n to use this on Anna yet because he chose to trust her for the time being.


    To his surprise, he found three unique affections among these people.


    Name: Hansen


    Affection: Hostile (21/100)


    Description: Someone who is suspicious of you and tries to find out more about your information.


    Name: Hana


    Affection: Hostile (60/100)


    Description: Someone who hates you as if you have attacked her.


    Name: Gants


    Affection: Jealous (67/100)


    Description: Someone who is envious of your status, rtionship, or resources.


    ''What in the world is happening¡­'' Noel immediately frowned, retracting his gaze. He assessed these three unique affections carefully.


    But because of the degree of hostility, Noel tried to focus on the one with the highest number first.


    His eyebrows immediately twitched the moment he read the description. ''Jealous? Is it because I''m sitting with Rose? Well, she is a beautifuldy, so I can kind of understand. But seriously, this guy doesn''t think with his brain but with his instinct¡­ I''ll ignore it for now.


    ''As for the other two¡­ This Hana is a woman. And judging from the description¡­'' Noel suddenly fell silent before asking Rose, "By the way, when are we going back to the inn tonight?"


    "Huh?" Rose tilted her head in confusion, but she soon saw Noel telling her to stop looking with his lips. In that instant, she realized that they were being watched and yed along. "As soon as the sky turns dark. I don''t want to go back far toote."


    "Alright." Noel smiled. From the looks of it, Noel believed that this Hana was actually one of the women from the brothel. She must have been suspicious of them and tried to figure out the situation. That was why Noel asked her to stop.


    ''When did she arrive? I had scanned this ce earlier, but she was not there, I think? Or was she here the whole time and became hostile after suspecting us?'' Noel frowned.


    Hana was his main concern, but he couldn''t ignore thest guy as well. He didn''t know why this person was suspecting them as well, considering they were tourists here.


    However, one thing was clear in this situation.


    ''It seems that our stay here will be more dangerous than I originally thought.''

 Chapter 538 Bad News

    After a while, they decided to regroup. Anna already realized that their situation was worse than they had predicted. So, it was better to retreat as soon as possible.


    Even though the gain was small, it was better than alerting the enemy.


    "So, what I found inside was that the brothel had four floors. The first floor was basically the reception and all the utility rooms, including the waiting room for thedies. In other words, it would be pretty hard to enter through the front door.


    "I am pretty sure that thedies can utilize their Spiritual Energy as well. I have learned their system quite a bit.


    "It seems that the stronger and more beautiful thedy, the higher the floor they will be. I am assuming there is a corrtion between beauty, strength, and Spiritual Energy. Though, I''m not sure about this right now.


    "As for the fourth floor, not many can go there. Only a super important person can reach that floor.


    "There are rumors that the owner of that brothel is living on the top floor. Only those who he invited would be able to reach that floor. That''s all. I don''t know about their purpose, operation, and so on."


    Noel looked down, contemting. "That''s enough for the time being. It seems that I have to find a way to reach the fourth floor¡­"


    "Since you''re going to talk with the owner, who is a former subordinate¡­ Why don''t you use the family''s insignia? I mean, the other party is also a family, right?"


    "That''s true. But I don''t know whether the other party is an enemy or not. You should know that I am supposed to die in Silica Valley. If he is an enemy, he will spread this information. In the worst-case scenario, the Royal Family will hunt me down with all they''ve got." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "I see." Anna fell into deep thought.


    "How about infiltrating the building from above? We can easily destroy a window or two. If needed, we can even jump over the building¡­ So, it''s possible to enter from above." Rose gave another suggestion.


    "That''s possible, but he is my father''s former subordinate until proven otherwise. Doing something like this will just lower his trust and loyalty if he''s proven to be our ally." Noel shook his head. "We really have to go through the front door¡­"


    "Oh, I don''t know if I sense this correctly or not, but it seems that there is a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy all over the building. Although it''s faint, I''m sure the Spiritual Energy is covering the building. I''m assuming they have reinforced the building with Spirit Enchantment, so breaking them won''t be easy." Anna exined.


    "I guess we don''t have a choice." Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. There was only one way to meet that person. It was to go through the front door.


    However, he didn''t know how to reach the second floor or even the third floor, let alone the fourth floor.


    "How about asking for a service?" Rose asked. "You can try the service that will lead you to the second floor. This way, the girl who will apany you won''t be that strong, so you should have enough strength to defeat her.


    "Take that opportunity to enter the third and fourth floors," Rose exined her n, which made sense.


    Noel worried about many things, but it appeared there was no other way to infiltrate the brothel.


    "How is their level at one nce?" Noel asked.


    "I am not sure. Thedies on the first floor arepletely mixed, so I don''t know who is strong and who is weak. You have to find out for yourself. But from what I can see, there are a lot of Spirit Apprentices and Spirit Practitioners. I''m assuming there are Spirit Wielders, which should be serving the third floor. So, when you reach the third floor, you have to be extra careful."


    "I see. A Spirit Wielder shouldn''t be a problem. As for a Spirit Master¡­" Noel bit his lips. He had the confidence to defeat a normal Spirit Master with his fire and ice. But he couldn''t release his ice ability if he didn''t want his cover to be blown away and his two elements to be witnessed by the crowd. So, he had to prepare an escape route.


    "Alright then. I''m going to prepare first. You two should split up and find more information about them. If possible, don''t stay too long in one ce." Noel waved his hand, grabbing the clothes he had bought earlier.


    Rose and Anna exchanged looks before leaving Noel alone in the room. They had to y their part after all.


    ¡­N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    A few hourster.


    When the night came, Noel had changed his clothes. He was wearing a red shirt and long ck pants, covered with a long gray coat. He appeared to be a young man who had just finished adventuring outside.


    Considering this ce was near the border, there were a lot of demons, so it wasn''t that weird for someone like him to visit a brothel. After all, he could fight the demons during the day and enjoy the night apanied by a whore. This was a usual urrence in this brothel, ording to the information they got.


    However, Noel was still wearing his masquerade since he didn''t n to reveal his face before he could see the owner and confirm his stance with the Affection Medal.


    Noel took another look at the sign first.


    ''Eternal Flower.''


    After confirming that he didn''t go to the wrong brothel, he entered the brothel with a calm expression as if he was a regr in this ce. He even acted a little vulgar by ncing back and forth from onedy to another as if he was scanning them.


    Of course, he was looking at them to see their affection to determine whether his cover was blown away or not.


    "Wee, Sir." A woman wrapped her hands around his arm and smiled sweetly. "Pleasee in."


    Noel smiled at her as thedy gradually brought him to the receptionist so that he could pay for the service.


    The receptionist politely bowed her head to Noel, weing him.


    However, the moment he saw her affection, he realized that he had been found out.


    Name: Helena


    Affection: Hostile (35/100)


    Description: Someone who has confirmed you are suspicious.


    "!!!"

 Chapter 539 Temptation

    "!!!" Noel was shocked to the core that the other party actually knew him. But it was toote to back out.


    After all, the receptionist bowed to him and said, "Wee, Sir Iadre. My master would like to meet you. He is waiting for you on the top floor."


    "¡­" Noel was utterly speechless. On the one hand, he was happy that he could meet their leader. On the other hand, he didn''t know whether this was a trap or not.


    ''Should I go inside? I''m using my Affection Medal right now, so I can see their hostility. What if I suddenly escape the moment I see their master in case he is hostile?'' Noel thought this was possible.


    Unless the opponent was a Spirit Grandmaster, no one could stop him. At the very least, he could still make some ruckuses, rming Rose and Anna.


    He was a bit hesitant to ept this invitation, but he knew that if he backed away, he might not get a second chance. That was why Noel tried to consider everything in the little time he had.


    "My master knows that you are going to be hesitant. So, he is asking me to deliver this letter to you." The receptionist took out a letter and ced it on top of the table so that Noel could take it himself.


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. He looked around at first, making sure that they were not trying to harm him while he was reading the letter.


    After that, he braced himself to read the letter. The content only contained two sentences to his surprise, but it surely shocked him to the core.


    "Wee to my brothel, Young Master. If you wish to meet me, you should climb to the fourth floor by yourself."


    Noel was speechless. After all, the first sentence had told him that the other party was already aware of his identity.


    He thought there was no one who could see through his identity. But there was actually one person and he was in this building.


    He had to know how the other party knew about his identity or he might not know that his identity was already discovered by the enemies.


    Although this was risky, he might have to go this time.


    He bit his lips and said, "I understand. I''ll meet him myself."


    The receptionist bowed to him, not saying anything. Meanwhile, the girl who was pulling him here was confused because she didn''t know what had happened and how this gentleman knew their master.


    There was no one that tried to apany him or even stop him. Since the receptionist had allowed him to go, it was clear that the gentleman was more important than they could imagine. So, they left him alone, allowing him to go straight to the fourth floor.


    However, the moment he stepped onto the second floor, the atmosphere changed.


    "Hmm?" Noel widened his eyes in surprise, looking left and right to see what was going on.


    The scent of this floor was sweet. He could hear a lot of moaninging from the rooms on the second floor.


    He wasn''t that disturbed by the sound since he was inside a brothel. But what he didn''t expect was that a few women suddenly came out from the rooms.


    The women were almost naked. Most of them had clothes covering their private parts, but some only used their hands to cover their breasts as if trying to tempt him.


    The sweet smell that permeated the entire floor was actually inciting his instinct as if telling him to go with one of them and enjoy the pleasure.


    ''What is this smell? Am I being poisoned?'' Noel widened his eyes in surprise and hurriedly used his Undying Fire to burn every poison that entered his brain.


    To his surprise, the moment he did it, the sweet smell still remained, but his head became extremely clear. Due to that clear head, he could finally see what was actually happening.


    These women actually had no screen panelsing from them. In other words, they all were not human beings.


    Noel took a deep breath, calming his heart and mind down. It seemed that the sweet smell had a hallucination effect.


    ''Hallucination¡­ I never thought it would be like that¡­ I have to remain calm. The fire is burning the toxin right now¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly. He kept using the fire to burn all the toxins while covering his mouth and nose to make sure he didn''t inhale this gas.


    The women gradually disappeared from his eyes as the corridor turned into a normal one, filled with doors that led them to a room for the service.


    Some of them were open, some were closed. He was a bit hesitant, but he knew he had to step forward if he wanted to reach the fourth floor.


    He thought this was normal in the brothel, so he kept going while taking a peek at the open room.


    To his surprise, there were a fewdies inside the open rooms as if they were waiting for their customers.


    Although they couldn''t be considered beautiful, they weren''t that bad either. But when one inhaled this gas, they couldn''t help but hallucinate, turning these girls into peerless beauty. It was no wonder why the brothel used them.


    After confirming that it was just a necessary hallucinogen for a brothel, he continued walking forward, not nning to talk to any of them. He had to meet the owner of this brothel first before he could even learn anything from this ce.


    It didn''t take too long for him to reach the stairs, which were located on the other side of the building. It seemed that for the important customer, it was necessary to go through this corridor first so that they would hallucinate, turning the girl that would apany them into far more beautiful.


    And the smell filled the entire room. But Noel didn''t know that this was actually the ''banquet'' that the owner had prepared for him.


    The moment he reached the third floor, the atmosphere changed once again.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 540 Melody

    Suddenly, a melody started to echo in his ears.


    "Hmm?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, thinking this was another part of the hallucination. He became extremely wary of this change, so he kept burning the toxin inside his mind whether it was there or not. He just assumed that everything was either an illusion or a hallucination. This way, he could keep his mind clear.


    However, the moment he stepped onto the third floor, he suddenly felt pressure from above him.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock as he exerted a bit of his strength, trying to withstand this pressure.


    He nced to the side and actually found a person sitting on the other side of the corridor.


    And this person was hidden behind a curtain, but due to the light illuminating the person, he could see the shadow of that person, including the harp that she was ying.


    Suddenly, this person ticked the string a bit stronger, causing a little jump in the melody. At the same time, the pressure suddenly felt much heavier.


    "Kh¡­" Noel gritted his teeth. He had found the cause.


    It turned out this person was the one controlling this pressure.


    "It seems that I''m not epted here." Noel gritted his teeth while releasing his Spiritual Energy. He red at the person on the opposite side as if trying to tell her that he was going to use all his strength to attack her.


    However, he soon heard her voice, telling him, ''You are not invited here because you are not apanied by a woman from the brothel, Sir. I am here simply to maintain the rule of this floor.


    ''But because you are invited by the owner, as long as you can move ten steps from your position. This lowly woman will stop ying for Sir, and even guide you to the next floor to meet the owner.


    ''It''s just this lowly woman''s request Sir not to use your ability here. After all, this is where this lowly woman works. If it''s destroyed because of Sir, I wouldn''t be able to earn some money to continue living.''


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. On the one hand, he didn''t like to follow this person''s words, considering he was attacked there despite being invited. On the other hand, if the other party would guide him, it would mean that he wouldn''t have to suffer more until he met the owner.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "It seems that your ability is rted to this pressure and sound. I don''t like being tested, you know. However, since I''m in your ce, I''ll do it your way. But I have to warn you, I''ll remember your actions."


    "If Sir wishes to take my life, then you just have to ask the owner. As long as he gives you permission, I won''t even resist whether you want to kill me or torture me."


    "¡­" Noel''s expression turned serious. He never thought that this woman was this resolute.


    It seemed that it was better to follow this procedure than to cause a mess here. So, he took a deep breath and said, "Let''s do it then."


    "Then, this lowly woman shall y a lovely tune for you, Sir."


    Suddenly, the melody changed from a calm and steady melody to a sweet but mellow tune.


    It might be an illusion, but he felt that his body became warmer as if winter had just ended and he weed the spring. The cool breeze and the warm temperature made himfortable.


    However, he knew that he had to continue forward. Without hesitation, he took the first step despite his body beingzy because of the sudden change of atmosphere.


    First Step.


    After that first step, the atmosphere changed once again. His vision gradually became distorted as if he was being transported to another space.


    There was actually something he found from here. It seemed that if the other party was being covered by something like a curtain, towel, or anything thatpletely hid that person''s body, Noel couldn''t see their affection through the medal. He had to be extremely careful since one wrong step might cost him his life.


    And with addition to this illusion that transported him to a grasnd, hepletely lost sight of that woman.


    "¡­" Noel felt like he was standing still and his body refused to move as if he just wanted to enjoy this warm atmosphere.


    He bit his lips while raising his foot,pleting the second step. It seemed his body still managed to resist.


    This illusion was a different kind of illusion than Rose''s. At first, he thought he was already familiar enough with Rose''s illusion that he could withstand this illusion, but it seemed this illusion could be divided into many categories.


    Noel was trying his hardest toplete the third step, but because he understood the difference, he managed toplete the third and fourth steps without much problem.


    But the moment he was about toplete his fifth step, someone suddenly hugged him from behind.


    "!!!" Noel thought this was an ambush, but when he heard that voice, he waspletely frozen.


    "Noel. We can finally meet again¡­ I think this is enough for the test, right?"


    "!!!" Noel turned around and saw his mother''s face. If he wasn''t aware of the truth, he would instantly know that his mother was an illusion. But he already knew that his mother and father were still alive. And the fact that he mentioned it was a test, it was clear that the other party never had the intention to hurt him.


    ''Is this truly a test?'' Noel believed it for a second. But there was one fact that reminded him that he was inside an illusion.


    His mother actually had no system panel that showed her affection. In other words, she was also an illusion that wanted to stop him.


    "Kh!" Noel gritted his teeth, ring back to the sound''s direction. "That''s enough!"


    Hepleted the fifth step and sixth step right away in anger.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But this was the true challenge that began.


    The melody once again changed.

 Chapter 541 Pass

    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock, feeling the change of atmosphere again. Instead of the freshness of the spring, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body.


    The winter was different from any winter he had faced in his life. This winter froze not only his body but also his heart.


    His mind couldn''t help but ask, ''Where am I? Why is no one here for me? Why do I have to endure this alone?''


    Noel was turning around as if trying to find a person. But before he stepped back as if he was hesitating on his path, he actually stopped while sucking a cold breath.


    "¡­" Noel had never taken a ''step back'' in his life. No matter what had happened to him, he still tried to move forward as if he was trying to do his best to improve.


    Even when his parents were executed, he still tried to move forward by getting stronger to avenge them.


    So, if he took a step back here, everything would be over. After all, once he did it, there would be second and third times.


    Noel gritted his teeth, resisting the will that prevented him from taking a step forward. His face became a bit pale, but it didn''t mean much for him and his determination.


    He managed to turn around and step forward,pleting the seventh and eighth steps.


    Normally, thest few steps would be the hardest. However, it seemed that fate favored him.


    The moment he was about to take the ninth step, he suddenly felt people''s voices echoing in his ears.


    "!!!" Noel obviously knew these voices. It came from the people he held dear.


    ''Noel¡­''


    ''Noel¡­ Why are you sozy?''


    ''If you were not sozy, you would have seeded in my position and I could stop the royal family.''


    ''If only you focus on bing better like now, we wouldn''t have to die.''


    Noel couldn''t help but smile when he heard those voices. Even without ncing back, he could feel four freezing hands that gave chills down his spine.


    Yet, Noel didn''t feel lonely or cold. Instead, he was smiling as if he was happy with this illusion.


    There were two figures behind Noel. They were his parents. But instead of the normal parents, they were like zombies. Their flesh was rotten and some parts had already started melting. It was disgusting beyond belief. One could easily puke when they saw them.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Yet, Noel didn''t spare even a nce at them. He simply kept walking forward,pleting the ninth step.


    But before he finished hisst step, he said two things. "My father and mother are supportive of my actions. If I''m unreliable, they can simply change their n whether it''s to make me reliable or abandon mepletely. They are not useless enough to me me for something they can''t control.


    "Besides, do you think that these foolish illusions can fool me? I''m not as simple as you think!"


    Noel finished his tenth step. In that instant, the illusion disappeared as the melody stopped.


    The woman behind the curtain had stopped ying and even held her harp while bowing her head.


    "Congrattions, Sir."


    Noel''s expression became cold as he walked toward the curtain. He stopped for a moment as if he was staring at the person behind it.


    He opened the curtain, finding the person behind it.


    It was a woman, but he didn''t expect the woman to be this young.


    In front of him actually stood a woman, who seemed to have just be an adult. Their age shouldn''t be that much different.


    Her height was a bit shorter than him, but her eyes were devoid of emotion. It felt like she had epted her fate if Noel wanted to kill her.


    "You should try your own illusion," Noel stated with a cold tone.


    The meaning was clear. Although Noel managed toplete it, it was still annoying to experience that illusion. He wanted the woman to try it herself.


    "I have done it, Sir¡­" The woman shook her head. "Almost every night, I y the melody for myself. This piece is called Joy of Sorrow. With my Spirit, I can form an illusion rted to your sorrow¡­ the people, the atmosphere, the scene¡­


    "It''s been two years since I started doing this. Unfortunately, this piece never allows me to see a single person¡­"


    Noel suddenly fell silent. If her exnation was correct, it meant that she never had a person she cared for. And judging from her expression, it seemed that she waspletely devoid of emotion.


    Although it was annoying to have emotion since it could give away your feeling, cause a lot of problems, or even hurt the people around you, it was still a blessing to have emotion. It was what the people felt alive.


    Noel could finally understand that the woman in front of him never felt like she was alive. After all, she had no feelings.


    He wanted to say something earlier, but after understanding her circumstances, he became hesitant. That feeling was reinforced by the affection he saw from her.


    Name: Lisciana


    Affection: -


    Description: -


    There was no affection from this person. She didn''t hate or like him. She simply did something she was asked to do.


    On the one hand, he pitied her life. On the other hand, he didn''t like the treatment he had received so far.


    He scratched the back of his head. He didn''t want to prolong this matter as well.


    After some consideration, he had decided to drop the matter for the time being. He said, "You''ve promised to lead me to your boss. Now that I havepleted the trial, I think it''s time for you to honor your promise."


    "I understand." The woman politely bowed to him. "Please follow me."


    Without hesitation, the woman headed straight to the stairs as if there were no more traps from this point onward.


    To his surprise, there was only one door on the top floor. It was clear that there was the boss'' room on this floor.

 Chapter 542 Loyal?

    Noel frowned. He had two concerns. The first was the fact that there was no ce where he could run away. Although he was confident with his ability, he didn''t know whether his strength was enough to destroy the walls that had been reinforced by Spirit Enchantment.


    In addition, there was actually a maid standing in front of the door, waiting for them.


    When she noticed their presence, she looked at the woman before turning to Noel as if observing him.


    But she soon bowed to him and said, "Wee to the Eternal Flower, Young Master Noel. The owner has been waiting for you."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes, never expecting the other party to know about his identity. But this also confirmed how much they knew about him.


    He became even more cautious while observing the other party''s affection.


    Name: Illia


    Affection: Neutral (50/100)


    Description: Someone who has known about you but has no intention of you.


    This was simr to what he found from bystanders. But they were not as high as her in the degree as they didn''t know him.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what to say.


    However, the other party had knocked on the door.


    "Young Master has arrived."


    "Let him in."


    Illia suddenly opened the door without hesitation while politely bowing to Noel.


    "¡­" Noel was preparing to take out Ardagan that was hidden inside his Spirit Mark. If the other party tried to attack him, he would immediately take out his weapon and kill him.


    But to his surprise, the moment he reached the door and took a peek inside. He immediately saw that person along with his affection.


    Name: Harley


    Affection: Loyal (70/100)


    Description: Someone who is loyal enough to risk their life for you.


    This was another affection. He thought the other party would be supportive like Rose, but he realized there was a difference between Loyal and Supportive. In Rose''s case, he wasn''t a noble yet, so she still considered him apanion in the Demon Relief Squad. That was why her affection was ''Supportive'' instead of ''Loyal'' despite having sworn her loyalty to him.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, the other party was loyal to the Ardagan Family. So, it was clear why he was loyal to him. He was the young master of the Ardagan Family as well as the next head when he rebuilt the family.


    He was quite surprised to find out that the other party was still loyal to him.


    But he suddenly felt something weird from his attire. It might be because he had confirmed his affection that he dropped his guard a little, but he surely focused on the second most important thing from Harley, his attire.


    Harleypletely looked like a woman. Aside from his voice, everyone would think he was a woman.


    Harley seemed to believe that Noel had a grudge against what he had experienced earlier. That was why Harley immediately stood up while politely greeting him. "Wee, Young Master Noel. I have been waiting for you here. Pleasee in and allow me to exin the reason why you have to go through such a thing."


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. He took another nce at the two women next to him as if trying to confirm their affection before entering the room.


    To his surprise, the two women actually came together with him as if they were trusted enough to hear whatever they were trying to discuss.


    As soon as the door was closed, Harley dropped to his knees as if he was confessing his crime.


    "I''d like to offer my apology to Young Master. What you have gone through earlier is called the Banquet. It''s basically a test for me."


    "A test?" Noel red at him, not appreciating such a test if he was this loyal.


    However, Harley managed to strike right at the heart of the problem. He said, "The reason for that test is simply because I''d like to confirm the young master''s will.


    "I am Harley, the second inmand of the darkness division of the Ardagan Family. We are the division that handles the informationwork, assassination, and connection that can''t be known by others.


    "And as a person from this division, I have heard about the young master''s reputation. Master once told us to test the young master by ourselves to see whether you are capable enough to lead us or not¡­ That''s his answer when we have a doubt whether we can continue to serve you. After all¡­"


    Harley couldn''t say it. But Noel already knew the continuation. Yes, Noel was such a disappointment in the past. Although he had the talents, he was simply doing everything at his own pace. In the people''s eyes, he waszy.


    So, he knew why they had such doubts.


    "So, this test¡­" Noel muttered while contemting.


    "Yes. The second floor is filled with a hallucinogen that will incite your desire. It''s to make sure you are strong enough to resist the temptation. Unfortunately, we can only use this one to see the resistance to women¡­ We can''t test the riches, power, and authority.


    "As for the third floor, it''s to see whether your will is strong enough to rebuild the family. The master anddy have been a huge part of your life, so I''d like to know whether you are strong enough to rebuild the family or not."


    The test was understandable. He could see the reason why there was a need for such a test. After all, the past him waspletely different from the current him.


    He closed his eyes for a moment before asking, "So, are you disappointed with the result?"


    Instead of answering him with words, Harley decided to show it with his actions.


    He raised one of his knees, kneeling like that of a knight. The maid fell to her knees while the emotionless woman lowered her body gently while hugging the harp.


    "We pledge our loyalty to Young Master. Right now, you are our Master and we are ready to die for you in order to rebuild the Ardagan Family.


    "If Young Master is displeased by the test, Young Master can order us to die and we shall slit our throat right away!"

 Chapter 543 Suspicious

    "¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, wondering how this actually happened. There were so many questions in his mind as he couldn''t really understand the entire situation from how he was still loyal to the Ardagan Family to making contact with the noble and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "I know that after the test, it''s hard to gain your trust. However, if we can gradually earn that trust from the young master. You can tell us anything and we''ll do our best to fulfill it." Harley added after seeing the frown on Noel''s face.


    Noel confirmed that Harley was loyal. Meanwhile, the other two weren''t so loyal to him.


    But even without the medal, he knew that these two followed Harley, not him. As long as Harley ordered it, they would do it.


    Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. He couldn''t ept their pledge easily after that test.


    So, he had to confirm all the questions in his head first before epting them.


    "If that''s the case, you don''t mind answering my questions, right?"


    "Certainly." Harley nodded without hesitation.


    "In that case, you may rise. It''s ufortable talking in that position."


    A smile appeared on Harley''s face while rising from the ground. He gently pointed at the couch near the door. "Please sit here."


    Noel nodded while Harley asked the maid to prepare tea for Noel. He even asked the emotionless woman to y to set the mood, but Noel preferred a serious and silent atmosphere, so Harley ended up dismissing her for the time being.


    "So, what would the young master like to ask?"


    Noel thought for a moment, reorganizing his questions. The first question must be rted to his identity since this was the most important.


    "I''m still wondering how you know it''s me¡­ I believe I have made a perfect identity for this¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes. There should be only a few people that knew about his identity, so if there were actually more people that knew about this without his knowledge, his life would be in danger.


    "Yes, Young Master''s disguise is perfect, except for the fact that we are the ones providing that mask." Harley pointed at the masquerade Noel was wearing.


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. This masquerade was given by themander, but he never really asked where themander got this mask.


    "Yes. This masquerade had been created by Master. I don''t know about the details, but it seems that the master had asked for a famous Master cksmith to create this mask. If I''m not wrong, your grandfather was also rted to the creation of this mask.


    "And under your father''s order, I gave this mask to themander of the Demon Banner Army, telling him to hand this mask to you after you pass a certain requirement."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent, recalling the time he got this mask. It was after he defeated the Ancient Demon Tree. He realized that the special requirement was something rted to his potential.


    Themander had recognized him the moment he killed that Ancient Demon Tree.


    "I see¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment, never expecting the situation to be like this. But the fact that he received an order from his father meant Harley knew everything that transpired behind the scenes. "So, you should know that my father is still alive, right?"


    "Certainly. Unfortunately, I don''t have the details since your father is working with my superior. Even I don''t know what he is nning. My only task is to wait until the young master visits me so that I can pledge my loyalty to you."


    "After testing me," Noel added.


    "Yes, after testing you," Harley admitted without hesitation. He knew it was a problem, but his young master hadpletely changed. In fact, he had a high hope that the current young master could rebuild the family.


    "Then, why are those two¡­" Noel nced to the side, looking at the maid.


    "I shall introduce you to them. She is Illia and the one outside is Lisciana. You can think of them as my right hand and left hand. They are the ones helping me take care of this brothel."


    "Now that I think about it, the brothel seems to be rted to an organization specializing in espionage¡­"


    Harley smiled. "Actually, we are not tied into an organization. Instead, we are the organization itself.


    "I''m not sure if the young master has known about this, but do you know a brothel called Sleeping Flower?"


    "Hmm, I''m not sure. But I think I''ve heard the name somewhere¡­" Noel frowned.


    "The Sleeping Flower is one of the biggest brothels in the kingdom aside from two other brothels. Though, they are true brothels, unlike us. Anyway, our brothel has a lot of branches, but no one actually knows that the Sleeping Flower itself is just a branch of a certain brothel."


    "Wait a minute. A certain brothel¡­" Noel looked at Harley.


    "Yes. The Sleeping Flower Brothel is just a branch of the Eternal Flower Brothel. My superior is in charge of security, while I''m in charge of information gathering. We have been using the brothel to get all kinds of information."


    "¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. The Eternal Flower seemed to be strong, but he still didn''t know whether to trust him. After all, he was contacting the noble and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    If he had a bad intention, he would have his loyalty decrease after being suspected. So, Noel tried this risky move since he didn''t have a lot of time.


    "So, I guess you have inherited the will of my father¡­" Noel paused for a moment as his expression darkened. "Now I''m wondering why you are trying to cooperate with the Supreme Devil Organization when my father has been fighting against them?!"


    Harley fell silent, not expecting that question. But Noel had actually got his answer from the change of affection. It didn''t decrease. It actually went up.


    Name: Harley


    Affection: Loyal (80/100)


    Description: Someone who is loyal enough to risk their life for you.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 544 Harley

    "!!!" Noel was shocked to the core, not understanding why the other party became more loyal after being suspected.


    For Harley, the fact that Noel actually knew about this information meant Noel had a strong informationwork. After all, it wasn''t easy to find information like this. This showed Noel''s ability, which made him grateful because the person he served was this powerful.


    Harley answered without hesitation. "I have three reasons. Firstly, I have been trying to figure out the Supreme Devil Organization. So, I''ve been trying to make contact with the people the Supreme Devil Organization has chosen in order to find out their way of contact before trying to somehow find their base.


    "The second reason is that this matter is rted to a bigger picture. From the information we''ve collected, it seems that he has made contact with the people from the Tower Association. Although I''m not sure yet, I believe an Elder from the Tower Association has been working with the count.


    "I''m still not sure about what kind of project they''re working on, but we''re trying to find it out.


    "Last but not least, we are Eternal Flower Brothel, not Sleeping Flower Brothel. Only the insiders know that we are actually the main branch of those Sleeping Flower Brothels.


    "So, if the people suspect us of working with the Supreme Devil Organization, we can simply destroy this Eternal Flower Brothel. You can say that this is just a disguise. And because of this disguise, we can take this bold action. This is the fastest way to get information!"


    Noel could understand what he meant. Since no one knew about their true identity, they could simply abandon their disguise if necessary. As long as there was no trace of them, they would be perfectly fine.


    It was risky, but the potential reward was worth it. So, he had no reason to tell them to stop.


    "Hmm¡­ Actually, why a brothel? There are a lot of organizations that specialize in espionage, right?"


    The smile on Harley''s face suddenly became pale as if he was reminded of a certain sad memory.


    "I have been following Young Master''s news, from you joining the Demon Banner Army to your current position. We are not helping you, but we''ve contacted Dimitri a couple of times. That''s how he can keep following you.


    "And I''m sure you remember that you once saved neen women from the bandits, right?"


    "!!!" Noel certainly remembered those people. After all, they were one of the first batches of people he had helped.


    "Your father once did something simr. But that group was far bigger than the one you helped¡­ Because they can''t do a lot of things, your father has been trying to take care of them, dividing them into groups that handle one task specialized for them.


    "And these women, who have nothing but their bodies to offer¡­ Well, it''s also because they''ve been working in this kind of environment that your father has agreed to make a brothel. But because it will smear the reputation of the Ardagan Family, the ownership of the brothel is under our division management.


    "Still, your father helped us despite the difficulty and we managed to grow to this level. And right now, we have the power to finally help the master and you, Young Master."


    "I see¡­" Noel let out a sigh.


    "Though, I have to say that you remind me of Master. His kindness has helped a lot of people and those people have reached their peak like me. And that group of neen women you saved back then? They actually had left the vige.


    "Of course, it wasn''t because they were expelled from the vige. Instead, they formed a mercenary group. Their skills might be sloppy, but they have made cooperation with a certain merchant group that ends up sponsoring them.


    "The leaders of that merchant group are the twins you know from a certain Master cksmith."


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook as he couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "What did you say?"


    Harley smiled. "It''s surprising, isn''t it? You once helped the twins and ended up making a connection with a Master cksmith. And the group of independent women, who once thought death was salvation, became a mercenary group and rted to the people you also helped.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "Just like your father, although not all people you saved would be eternally grateful to you, there will always be people that will end up meeting each other. They create a stronger bond and your kindness will be repaid.


    "To be honest, I''m a bit concerned about our Lisciana. She has no emotion because of her past. After I hear about the group you made with some children, I''d like to ask you whether it''s alright to let her join their group or something.


    "What Lisciana needs right now is their warmth and energy. I hope that it can transform into emotion for Lisciana. On the other hand, it should be better for the kids to have a musician at their party since they are going to dance, right?


    "Lisciana might not be strong, but she should have enough strength to protect them. This way, Young Master doesn''t need to worry about them anymore. Don''t you think it''s a win-win situation?"


    "¡­" Noel was speechless. He didn''t have any words to rebuke him. Because of it, he couldn''t help but mutter, "Link, huh¡­"


    Harley smiled. "That''s right. You don''t realize that your kindness has spread and their rtionship will be a link that will end up going back to you. That''s why I''m going to say this, Young Master."


    Harley stood up once again and politely bowed to him like a faithful servant. "I, Harley, and all the people under the Eternal Flower Management will be of service. Let''s rebuild the Ardagan Family, Young Master."


    Noel simply did what his father taught him. He didn''t realize that his action would turn out this way. But it somehow ignited a fire in his heart.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile as he said, "You make one mistake, Harley. I''m not going to rebuild the Ardagan Family. The old Ardagan Family ended the moment my fake parents died in front of everyone.


    "And in the future, there will only be a new Ardagan Family. This time, I''m not going to make the same Ardagan Family, but a Family that will surpass the glory of the old. I''m going to make history, Harley. And to do it, I need your help."


    Harley''s body shook when he heard his ambition. He couldn''t help but smirk as if the challenge lit up his courage. "Young¡­ No, I shall serve you with my life, my master!"

 Chapter 545 Destroying Enemies With Scheme

    Noel smiled. He acknowledged the power behind the Eternal Flower.


    Though, no one expected that Harley had grown it to this degree. He felt a bit bad that everything that had been built so far became his right this instant.


    Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. On the one hand, he didn''t want to use the Eternal Flower because he still didn''t understand their depth and abilities. On the other hand, he had to ask for their help.


    After all, Harley''s loyalty was actually of great help to his current n.


    Seeing the hesitation on Noel''s face, Harley immediately asked, "Is there anything troubling you, Master? If you need our help, you only have to say the words. We shall assist you to the best of our abilities."


    Noel remained silent for a moment before ncing at the maid, who maintained her neutrality. It seemed that even though he was their leader, he still couldn''t capture the heart of his subordinates.


    Noel sighed. "As much as I don''t want to involve you in this, getting your help will smoothen the entire progress. So, I need your help, Harley."


    "Please tell me about the problem."


    "First of all, I have to confirm it first. The noble you are dealing with is¡­"


    "Count Leinberd, but he is a direct subordinate of Marquis Walford. Everything in our agreement must be traced back to the marquis. In other words, if we y our card right, we can destroy the marquis. Well, this might be a personal reason, one that I shouldn''t use if I want to take care of my enemy, but the marquis has been eyeing for the Ardagan Family''s wealth.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "Because of that, the people under your father don''t like him very much. Now that there is a chance to crush him, I''m trying to use that opportunity¡­"


    "Do you have any concrete n?" Noel asked.


    "I''m nning to form a good rtionship with the Count first while trying to make him misunderstand my affiliation and rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization. After that, I''ll use that connection to meet the marquis and find any concrete proof to report him to the royal family.


    "Although the marquis is strong, the moment we publicize the evidence, the public opinion will cause instability in the family. Even the Royal Family has no other way but to act against them despite being one of their allies."


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. The n was good, but it would take too long. Noel also had a n in his mind, but with this cooperation, he had to adjust it a little bit.


    "Say¡­" Noel was hesitant a little bit but still continued, "What if we don''t need proof to destroy them? Instead, how about we create the proof itself?"


    "That''s a good n, but that depends on the proof itself. We can''t create the proof from nothing, Master. It''llck credibility, and the royal family will help them instead of judging them." Harley shook his help.


    "No. I don''t mean the proof rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. Instead, we shall create proof that will strengthen the suspicion of others that they''re rted to that organization." Noel smirked.


    "Huh? I apologize, but I don''t really understand what you''re talking about."


    "Since you have been following me, you should know about Runes, right?"


    "No. Although we''ve been following your news, we never go too close since it''s Dimitri''s mission, not us."


    "I see. What if I told you that I had a book of thepleted version of the Spirit Enchantment? It can allow a normal person to be as strong as the demons of the same level without the help of spirits! And the ones who can cultivate it are not limited to Master cksmith."


    "!!!" Harley was stunned by the exnation, but he still didn''t understand why he mentioned it.


    Noel smiled. "Do you have a map here? I''m going to exin my n and see if you think you can help or not."


    Harley nodded. "Illia, get the map and a few pieces. We need the entire Western Region Map and the map that covers one hundred kilometers around Tamworth."


    Illia acknowledged the order and retrieved the maps immediately. During that time, Harley cleaned up the table so that they could put the map on it.


    As soon as heid the map down, Noel saw a few familiar names.


    Count Leinberd, Marquis Walford, Countess Christina. Everything was written on the map and their territory was near each other.


    Noel smirked and pointed at these three territories. "My n will involve these three people."


    "Hmm? Countess Christina is your father''s ally, Master."


    "Of course. I''m nning to ''give'' her the book. And I want you to help me spread the word about this.


    "We''ll use her and the book as bait to lure out the Count. I''m sure that the Count wille and try to snatch the book.


    "If they''re truly rted to the Supreme Devil Organization, the Count will hand this book to the marquis in order to get something big. And thetter will use it as coteral in the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "But during that time, we''re going to spread the news that the marquis has the book. You should know the worth of that book and the Third Prince has known about the book''s existence.


    "That''s why I''m sure that the Supreme Devil Organization, the Third Prince, and even the Royal Family will be eyeing that book. Then¡­" Noel smirked. He didn''t have to finish it.


    Harley already understood his n. "Though, I have to ask¡­ Are you nning to spread the knowledge?"


    "Yes. I have two reasons. The knowledge is beyond a person''s ability, so it''s better to spread it instead of monopolizing it. In addition, for my goal, I have to increase the overall ability of humanity. I''ve asked some people to spread the knowledge in other kingdoms, so you don''t have to worry about it."


    "I see¡­" Harley pondered for a moment. It seemed that he agreed with the n, but he had to confirm a few things. "So¡­"

 Chapter 546 Agreement

    "So, you want to use the count and the marquis as a scapegoat to spread the knowledge. This way, you can avoid the me from the Third Prince while still defeating your father''s old enemies.


    "During this turmoil, our Eternal Flower can infiltrate that ce and gather information about the Supreme Devil Organization. Even if they''re not rted, they''re going to be destroyed anyway."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "This way, I can safely spread the knowledge."


    "Does that mean you don''t trust the Third Prince?"


    "Although my father has supported him, I don''t know the Third Prince personally. The fact that he is still adamant about his Third Prince''s status, as if he is still the sessor of the throne, has told me everything. He is still nning to be the king.


    "Having this book will not only allow him to ascend the throne, but also be a higher rulerpared to the other three kingdoms. At that time, there will be a chance that the other three kingdoms will make an alliance and strike our kingdom.


    "I don''t want a war like that, Harley. I want humanity to unite and use that power to expand our territories by defeating the demons. Our enemies are not other humans. It''s the demons." Noel looked at Harley with genuine concern.


    Harley never thought that Noel didn''t think only of this kingdom but the entire humanity. It seemed the only way to surpass their ancestor was to go beyond this kingdom.


    He could finally see the path that no one had ever tread before. And this time, Noel wanted to walk on this path. To do that, he needed his help.


    Harley thought for a moment. "In that case, I have to confirm two more matters, Master. First, how do you wish to treat the Countess?"


    "She is my father''s ally, not mine. Hence, I''m going there as a friend. If we can cooperate, it''s good. But if we can''t, that''s when you make your move."


    "Ah, I see¡­" Harley nodded. "Lastly, how do you wish to lead this brothel? I and the girls are at yourmand, so we''d like to know how you are going to lead us."


    This question put a frown on Noel''s face. On the one hand, this question seemed to be a warning from Harley. He wanted to see whether Noel was a good leader or not. He might have the ambition and the will to be a leader, but he didn''t know about his ability.


    "I see. So, you are giving me themand over you, the girls, and the brothels?" Noel smirked as if he was having an evil thought about it.


    "Yes." Even Harley started to doubt, thinking he was hiding some weird intentions.


    But to his surprise, Noel actually patted him. "In that case, I shall hand the authority back to you. You are the one who develops the brothel and our informationwork. So, you should be the leader. I''m asking for your cooperation, Harley. I''m not going to order you like a doll. After all, your experience and expertise are useful to me."


    Harley closed his eyes for a moment. After hearing it, even Illia, who had been maintaining her poker face, couldn''t help but have a change of emotion. Even the neutrality in her heart gradually turned into loyalty.


    It seemed that their new leader was quite good.


    After considering some pros and cons, Harley confirmed. "I understand. We shall cooperate fully with Master''s n. We have spread our people around their territories. So¡­"


    Harley turned to Illia and nodded his head.


    Illia immediately walked to a shelf and took out a metal box. She presented it to Noel while opening it, showing a ck coin.


    The shape and size looked like a normal gold coin, but the color and the drawing on it were different.


    "Please take this with you, Master. If you present this to the receptionist in all our brothels, they''ll guide you to the manager of that brothel. They will treat you like how they see me, so you can ask for their cooperation."


    "I see. It''s good to have a backup." Noel nodded. "Don''t worry. Even if I have to involve them, I''m still going to consider their lives. I''m not going to send them to their deaths."


    "I''m grateful for Master''s consideration."


    "Alright then. Let''s discuss the details, shall we?" Noel smirked.


    It took them three hours for Noel and Harley to discuss the details. However, they surely felt satisfied with the development. Since it took them a while to finish, Harley sent Illia to inform Anna and Rose of the current development.


    Those two felt relieved since they gained the cooperation of the brothel. And Anna didn''t have to fight against the brothel whose owner was Noel''s subordinate.


    ¡­


    After finishing their discussion, Noel decided to leave, nning to finish his own preparation.


    Of course, he exined all the details to Anna and Rose. For Rose, this was a good opportunity to see how Noel''s n could take down a Count and a Marquis. This showed a lot of his abilities.


    On the other hand, Anna felt overwhelmed because it was clear that the brothel''s help would be a big boost to her investigation. Whether they were rted or not, it wouldn''t really matter since she wouldplete her own task with flying colors.


    At the same time, the Royal Family and the Third Prince would be fighting against each other for the time being, giving breathing time for her father. This way, she could finally return to visit her father for a while, discussing the next step.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "And that''s how it is¡­" Noel ended his exnation with a smile.


    Rose nodded, satisfied. Meanwhile, Anna actually dropped her jaw.


    Yes, the n was good. But Anna felt it was too good.


    With this n, he could take down a marquis. Even she had heard that the marquis'' downfall was rted to this scenario.


    But she also had a certain thought. ''What if Noel actually used this n to destroy her family?''


    It could destroy her family. But she somehow felt d that Noel should have known about his father''s secret beforeunching this n. Otherwise, her situation in her past life would be much worse. And in this life, they might have to kill each other for real.

 Chapter 547 Count Christina

    After gaining the support of the brothel, Noel could finally go to Countess Christina''s territory. His aim was to receive her support.


    On the other hand, Anna went straight to Count Leinberd''s territory. After all, she had to investigate the rtionship between the noble, the brothel, and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Although she could gain a lot by relying on the brothel, Anna didn''t want to leech off Noel''s influence in order to finish her mission.


    Since Noel had told them that the brothel was on their side, that was enough for her to continue her mission.


    In the end, the two had to move separately once again.


    Of course, they also decided on one thing. It was time for their next meeting. Considering they had a sudden vacation, it was impossible for them to meet.


    Fate had yed them, but they weren''t so free that they would sit together and talk about it before doing their punishment game.


    So, the two ended up leaving this matter for another time, which would happen one month after Noel returned to the squad.


    But before that, Noel had to face Countess Christina.


    He was riding a horse with Rose as they found the city on the horizon. Before reaching the gate, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Have you read the information?"


    "Yeah. I''ve studied the report." Rose nodded with a calm expression. To show his support, Harley had given him all the information they had regarding the three nobles.


    Noel and Rose took turns studying them.


    Rose let out a sigh. "The Countess is a unique woman. Unlike the normal nobles who put the son in the sessor seat, the Countess has defeated all her brothers in order to be the sessor of the previous Count.


    "She is extremely talented as a Spirit Magician to the point that she became the disciple of the Fire Lord. When she was about to be the Fire Lord''s sessor, she decided to step down and return to her family to defeat her brothers and finally be the sessor.


    "So, using her as a scapegoat for your Rune Book is perfect. Even the Third Prince will acknowledge the idea since you don''t have many allies at the moment.


    "Of course, we have to judge whether the Countess is our ally or not. Her rtionship with your father was not so simple.


    "The one who helped her avoid the political marriage from her family was your father. In fact, thanks to your father''s connection and resources, she could be acknowledged by the Fire Lord.


    "In addition, after going back to be a Countess, she received a lot of attacks from her neighbors, especially Count Leinberd.


    "In the end, she knew that the Ardagan Family was the enemy of the backing of Count Leiberd, Marquis Walford. Knowing that your father is a much bigger man than a Count, she allied with your father to resist both of them.


    "You could say that she is always on the receiving end. So, if you want to use that favor to help you against those two nobles. I think it''s possible.


    "Then again, we have to be careful since we don''t know whether the Countess will ignore you or not, considering your power and influence are still far from your father''s glory. Have you gone there before?"


    Noel shook his head. "No. I didn''t visit a lot of ces when I was still young, simply because I waszy. Though, I had learned about the situation around me since the books I read were not only some stories or weird books, but also history, cultures, and politics."


    Noel thought for a moment. He had the Affection Medal, so it should be easy to determine the other party''s feelings toward him.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    However, he had to be careful this time. After all, he had to reveal his identity in order to meet the Countess and gain her support.


    That was why if he didn''t y it right, he might end up leaking the crucial information.


    "Do you think our identity is enough to have an audience with the Countess?" Noel asked.


    "That depends on the Countess herself. I could say that our current identity has reached that level, but it''s still not at the level where it matters in the Countess'' eyes. Unless you have something that can pique her interest, then I don''t think she will meet us."


    Noel narrowed his eyes, trying to find a way for them to meet.


    "How about using the Ardagan Family Seal? You should have that, right?"


    "I do, but¡­" Noel fell silent. "If we show that seal, more people will know about us."


    In the end, they were trying toe up with a way to pique the Countess'' interest.


    It would be much easier to ask for Dimitri''s help, but he didn''t want to rely on Dimitri most of the time. At the same time, there was no Sleeping Flower Brothel in this city, so he couldn''t take advantage of the brothel manager to deliver the message.


    Hence, Noel decided to use the Demon Relief Squad''s reputation and mix it with some lies in order to meet her.


    Although this was a risky move that could make Captain ra judge their loyalty, it should be fine as long as they could somehow take down some nobles. They could simply mix more information to justify their action.


    As soon as they reached the gate, Noel and Anna entered the city by giving away their identities as members of the Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad.


    They were allowed to enter immediately and obviously, the news of them entering the city reached the Countess'' ears pretty soon.


    The Countess, who was taking care of her business, suddenly received the report about Noel and Rose. She frowned.


    "The Demon Relief Squad? I don''t think I have called for their help¡­ And since they''re using their identities to enter the city, it means that they want to let me know their presence. What are they nning to do?"

 Chapter 548 Change Of Affection

    The next day.


    Noel and Rose were sitting in front of the Countess. Countess Christina was a woman with long red hair. She appeared to be in her early thirties. Despite having to work under a lot of pressure and prejudice while taking care of her children, herplexion was good and there was no wrinkle on her face yet.


    She appeared to be confident and bold. She looked at them while furrowing her eyebrows as if judging them and their characters.


    After all, Noel and Rose had entered the mansion in a way she frowned upon.


    There was a letter on the desk that separated them. She asked, "I''d like to ask the meaning of this letter, two guests from the Demon Relief Squad. I hope that you can give me a satisfactory exnation."


    ¡­


    One day prior.


    After settling down in their inn, Noel gave a letter to Count Christina. Of course, he had to use the Demon Relief Squad''s name in order to force the Countess to read the letter.


    As expected, the letter was given to the Countess immediately.


    "Ma''am. We''ve received an urgent message from the Demon Relief Squad. What should we do?" The maid entered the room in a rush, holding an envelope.


    "Hmm? The Demon Relief Squad?" Since she had just received the news of them entering not long ago, she kind of expected this kind of letter toe. After all, they wouldn''t reveal their identities unless it was necessary. Hence, the Countess extended her hand. "Give me the letter."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    As soon as the maid handed the letter, she ripped the envelope apart and read the letter.


    "The Demon Relief Squad would like to inquire about a few things with Countess Christina regarding the recent rumor about the Supreme Devil Organization. Since this matter is important, we''d like to have your cooperation."


    "!!!" Christina obviously had heard that rumor, but it wasn''t her territory. So, she didn''t know why the Demon Relief Squad came to her. And this task should normally go to the Demon Beholder Squad, so it was weird to see this type of letter from the Demon Relief Squad.


    She couldn''t help but crush the paper while gritting her teeth. "What are they doing? This is so ridiculous."


    Recalling that letter truly made her feel sour. She red at Noel and Rose in front of her and stated, "Listen here. I don''t care if you are from the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad or even the captain of that squad. If you can''t give me an exnation right now, I''m going to judge you myself and let your captaine here if she wants you two back!"


    Noel smiled as if he didn''t feel threatened. He had seen the Countess'' affection and realized another thing.


    Because he was using the second identity and the Countess wasn''t aware of his true identity, the affection he received was Hostile.


    Although it meant he didn''t have any idea about her true feelings for Noel yet, the Countess should give him her honest feeling because of the shock of the revtion.


    That was why he had to see her first reaction as well as the affection to make sure whether she was on their side or not.


    "I hope this is good enough for the exnation, Countess¡­" Noel smiled while taking off his masquerade. His blond hair and blue eyes had turned back to ck while Noel''s white sword turned ck. This was the only thing he needed to prove his identity.


    "You¡ª!" Christina widened her eyes in shock, not believing who she had just recognized. "Those ck eyes and hair along with that sword¡­ You are Noel Ardagan, thest Ardagan¡­"


    "Thank you for recognizing me, Countess Christina." Noel smiled. There was another reason for his smile. He managed to see the change in her affection.


    Name: Christina Welfeirm


    Affection: Indebted (80/100)


    Description: Someone who will sacrifice a lot of resources to repay you but won''t use her life to help you.


    Name: Christina Welfeirm


    Affection: Worry (90/100)


    Description: Someone who doesn''t want any trouble because of you.


    The affection changed twice. The first one was when she was shocked, which was her true feeling. She recognized his identity and the debt that she couldn''t repay to his father.


    But after regaining someposure, she thought about her territory and the implication of being connected to Noel. Hence, the affection was worry.


    The fact that Noel came to her meant there was an important business they had to discuss. Whether it was a good thing or not, she simply didn''t want to do it because it would involve the Royal Family. She didn''t want to implicate the whole family after all.


    She gritted her teeth and pointed at the door. "I''m going to forget about the problem with your letter and pretend you never visited me. However, you have to leave right now."


    Noel understood her reaction. However, he ced Ardagan on the table while stating with a strict tone. "I am Noel Ardagan. I might be here to take advantage of my father''s glory. However, I don''te here without a good proposal.


    "I only want you to hear about it. Whether you want to cooperate with me or not, I shall respect your choice."


    Seeing Noel''s grim expression, Christina fell silent for a moment. On the one hand, listening to him wouldn''t hurt. After all, she still had the right to reject.


    On the other hand, if this matter was super important, she might get implicated just because she heard it. After all, ignorance was bliss.


    Christina looked down for a moment, contemting. She truly felt indebted to the Ardagan Household. But their former glory had vanished, so except for the fact that she felt indebted and wanted to repay them, there was no other reason for her to ept it from a political point of view.


    That was why Christina was in a dilemma.


    But Noel gave her an offer that she couldn''t refuse.


    "If you can help me, I''m going to get rid of the nobles that try to harm your territory. What do you think?"

 Chapter 549 Threat

    "!!!" Christina widened her eyes in shock. She was surprised at first, but she immediately calmed down to think about the implication. She red at Noel and said with a cold tone. "Your words are not light, Noel Ardagan."


    "Of course. If Countess Christina can support me, I don''t have any problems removing those two nobles."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It seems that my support is crucial¡­ If I say that I don''t have any interest and use this information to rm the Count and the Marquis, I can gain some stability for a while. Don''t you think so? After all, they are more worried about the remnants of the Ardagan Family instead of me."


    As expected from a woman that could seed a noble house, she still managed to threaten Noel back.


    Noel seemed to have prepared for this. He still looked at her calmly while saying his pieces. "Unfortunately, you can''t do that."


    "Hoh?" Christina narrowed her eyes. "It seems that you have underestimated me, Noel Ardagan. I thought you were as sharp as your father, but I guess, the rumor about you was true."


    "I should be the one to say that. It seems that because I''m still this young, you underestimate me, Countess Christina." Noel pointed down. "I''m watched by the Third Prince right now since I''m extremely important to him right now. Hence, the news of me visiting you would have reached the Third Prince''s ears as well.


    "Although the Third Prince has been weakened after the throne war, you should know that his force is still something to be reckoned with, right? If you''re trying to betray me, then you should be ready to face the consequences." Noel smirked evilly as if everything had gone ording to the n.


    "!!!" Christina was not the only one who was shocked by that statement. Rose also felt chills down her spine.


    Noel actually took advantage of the Third Prince surveince to threaten Christina. There was no proof of it, but if this was right, Christina would face a huge bacsh, one that might destroy her family. So, if she didn''t cooperate with Noel this time, she would be implicating her family, the one thing that she didn''t want to do the most.


    Christina gritted her teeth. "It seems that I''ve truly underestimated you. I guess a tiger''s son is also a tiger."


    As a noble, she obviously knew about what happened during the throne war and the fact that the Ardagan Family lost everything after that war.


    But looking at Noel''s current strength and his influence, it seemed that Noel still retained a lot of power the Ardagan Family had hidden.


    And the connection to the Third Prince was crucial.


    "You''re trying to ckmail me, you know that¡­" Christina looked at Noel coldly.


    "Of course. Though, I''m doing the same thing as you¡­" Noel shrugged.


    Christina gritted her teeth. The fact that the Third Prince was going to be involved in this matter, meant she couldn''t escape from this problem.


    And if they seeded, the annoying nobles would disappear. So, Christina epted with great difficulty.


    "It seems that we''re going to work together for a while."


    "Great choice." Noel smiled.


    Christina took a deep breath, never expecting someone who had just reached adulthood to be able to pressure her like this.


    She called the butler for tea before asking, "Alright. It seems that we''re going to have a long discussion. Tell me about your n."


    Noel nodded. He immediately took out the rune book he had written.


    In that instant, Christina widened her eyes. She was still one of the leading Spirit Magicians in this kingdom. She even almost seeded the Fire Lord''s position.


    So, when Noel showed her the rune book, she instantly recognized the symbol.


    "This is¡­ Spirit Enchantment? But how¡­ This is moreplete than the version I''ve seen¡­ Will this even work? But the symbols look perfect unlike the Spirit Enchantment¡­"


    Christina gasped.


    "I want you to help me distribute this book."


    "Huh? If the knowledge contained in this book is true, then you should know the immense power this book has, right?" Christina gritted her teeth. As expected, even Christina was influenced by greed. She wanted to study it and took advantage of the power of this book.


    However, Noel shook his head. "This book holds too much power. I¡­ No, even if the entire kingdom has it, this book''s power is still beyond that. I''ve judged that it''s better to spread the knowledge instead.


    "The details will be decided by me. As for you, I think you should be able to make a connection between this book, the nobles, and the Third Prince, right?"


    "!!!" Christina''s body shook as she couldn''t believe what she had just heard. "What? Are you serious?"


    Noel nodded.


    "You want them to think that these books are in their possession. And by taking advantage of that situation, I can spread the knowledge under their names. So, I can satisfy your condition while using that information to deal with those annoying nobles.


    "But the fact that you mentioned the Third Prince bothered me¡­ It seems that the Third Prince knows about this book. Are you sure you''re not using me as a scapegoat as well?"


    Noel smiled. "Of course not. I know that you still considered my father your ally, and I''m not nning to harm an ally.


    "And as one of the leading Spirit Magicians as well as one of the few allies of the Ardagan Family, I think everyone can understand why I ask you to help me with this book, right?"


    "Well, it''s true that the ones who can apply the Spirit Enchantment are mostly cksmiths, but the ones who can put more theories and research about them are Spirit Magicians like me. It won''t be strange to leave that book to me¡­" Christina looked down. She could understand what Noel wanted and how he nned to do it.


    And the fact that Noel, who just became an adult, made this n and managed to ''threaten'' her to be an aplice showed what kind of political figure he could be in the future.


    That thought couldn''t help but make her shudder.

 Chapter 550 The Beginning

    "Well, our job is done here." Noel smirked while stretching his body as heid down on his back.


    Rose was shaking her head helplessly. She wondered what kind of leader she decided to follow. Although she knew about his talent and ambition, the previous negotiation was still too much.


    Noel actually managed to force a noble to ept his proposal while maintaining their current rtionship. This was a win-win situation even though it was a threat from Noel.


    If Noel was allowed to grow for another decade, he might not only be a Spirit Grandmaster, but he would also be a formidable noble.


    His level could be equal to an Arbiter''s, if not stronger. And they still had to ount for Noel''s influence.


    "Well, it seems that we''re done here. What will we do next?" Rose asked. "Are we going to go to those nobles now?"


    "Why should we do that?" Noel smirked. "We are visiting this ce just to meet my father''s ally, right? After that, we will go to Lelelei Fort to hunt a firebird, no? We''re going there after this."


    "Eh? You sound confident enough that everything will go ording to your n." Rose was a bit skeptical since something might go wrong.


    However, Noel raised two fingers, showing her there were two reasons. "First of all, I trust my people. If I give them the task, then it shall be their task. Because I act that way, I can be this confident.


    "And the brothel isn''t weak, so I''m sure everything can be taken care of even if there are problems appearing here and there.


    "Last but not least, Anna is there. Do you forget our original aim? We want to spread the knowledge, so no one can monopolize it, right? That''s what we''re doing. The minor details shall be taken care of by the people. If I have to handle every little thing, I might die from overwork when I be a noble again. So, you have to change your mindset, Rose."


    Rose looked down,prehending Noel''s words. As he said, he would be too busy if he handled all the little details. So, as the head of the Ardagan Family, he had to look ahead and control the bigger picture instead. Let his people do the rest. This would also make it appear like Noel trusts them.


    "I see. It seems that I have been too short-sighted."


    Noel waved his hand as if treating it as not a big deal. "Let''s just focus on our original objective and enjoy the show."


    ¡­


    As Noel said, his subordinates had started working to the best of their ability.


    It all started from the Sleeping Flower Brothel.


    Harley had sent the message through the pigeon and even ordered his subordinate, Illia, to handle this matter personally.


    The owner of the Sleeping Flower Brothel located in the Count Territory had received the message while Illia was going there with the fastest horse.


    Of course, she wasn''t alone this time. The one who apanied her was none other than Anna.


    Although they were not friends, they were allies in this mission. Illia''s objective was to inform the count and pique the marquis'' interests. If possible, she wanted to invite the Supreme Devil Organization as well.


    Meanwhile, Anna''s objective was to investigate the nobles. Of course, he would receive help from the brothel if she wanted to get theplete information.


    Her true task was to pressure the nobles into taking action, forcing them to inform all the people behind them.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    That was why they wereing to Count Leiberd at the same time.


    As expected from the Sleeping Brothel, they delivered the message pretty fast.


    There was a beautiful woman standing in front of the count''s mansion, asking for an appointment.


    She had long blond hair and a well-endowed body. Even the soldiers couldn''t help but take a peek here and there.


    However, their enjoyment soon disappeared since the count had sent someone to invite her.


    The soldiers thought the count must have invited her to enjoy herpany. They felt a bit envious and wanted to be a noble since they could have a woman that pretty to apany them.


    This was one of the reasons why Harley established the brothel. Most people wouldn''t think much about a brothel.


    But the nobles who understood the dark side of the brothel would know that the brothel was just a front to hide an espionage organization. And the fact that she was visiting him personally meant the problem was big enough to get an immediate response.


    "Lady Henriette. To think that you woulde personally to my mansion¡­ Even I was taken aback." The count smiled vulgarly. Of course, he knew about the urgent matter, but it didn''t change the fact that he was also a regr.


    Henriette gracefully lowered her head. "Thank you for receiving this lowly woman, Sir Leinberd."


    "I see. It seems that there is an urgent matter¡­" The count smirked while walking toward her. He ced his hand on her shoulder, but the hand was moving closer and closer to her breast as if he was trying to tease her.


    She chuckled coquettishly while saying, "Haha, Sir. I''d love to apany you. Unfortunately, I have just received an important message from the owner. Does Sir know about Spirit Enchantment?"


    "Of course, I know."


    "ording to the owner, it seems that there is apleted version of that book. We''re trying to confirm how many are interested in that book, but it seems that there are a lot of parties trying to aim for that book already, including the Third Prince. It seems that the book is a relic from the ruined Ardagan Family¡­"


    "!!!" The count''s body shook as he couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "What did you say?"


    "I''m merely rying the owner''s message as a proof for our rtionship. The owner is sending someone to help you here."


    "¡­" The count fell silent for a moment. His expression turned serious. "Since it''ll be weird for you toe out right away, stay for the night. The maid will guide you."


    All the lust in his eyes suddenly disappeared as he understood the severity of this matter. He even immediately excused the brothel manager.


    The manager politely lowered her head before leaving the room. She maintained her poker face, but she was actually smiling in her heart.

 Chapter 551 Information

    The count moved very fast. As soon as he received the words about the book, he had asked his subordinates to go to Christina''s territory to confirm the information.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t trust the brothel, it was just he had to confirm it so that he could give the information to his superior, the marquis.


    But before he could confirm the truth, Illia had arrived at his city.


    She went to his mansion in haste with the help of the brothel manager.


    The two were staring at each other. If he was in a situation where he could rx, his eyes would already be all over Illia.


    However, this matter was of utmost importance. Without hesitation, the count said, "Thank you for going all the way here. However, may I know the reason for you toe here?"


    "I have three pieces of information directly from the owner. First of all, Countess Christina has received the book, so if you want to investigate her, you should immediately do it as quickly as possible.


    "Secondly, I don''t know who will win in this situation, but the biggest fraction that is currently monitoring Countess Christina is none other than the Third Prince.


    "Last but not least, it appears that the one visiting Countess Christina is rted to the Demon Relief Squad.


    "You don''t have much left, Count Leinberd. After all, there is also an inquisitoring to your city. She has been sneaking around in our brothel to find the rtionship between us and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "The moment she arrives here, she will be extremely annoying. You should understand that."


    "What? An inquisitor?" Although the three pieces of information shocked him, the one that rmed him the most was none other than the inquisitor. After all, the Supreme Devil Organization was their biggest backing and the one with the most sensitive status. If exposed, they would be destroyed.


    Count Leinberd looked down, contemting for a moment. "It seems that I have to be extremely fast."


    ''What should I do now? Should I just report with the current information I get from the brothel? But I still have to confirm it to make the marquis believe me.


    ''Countess Christina is extremely strong and independent. Even after losing her backer, Count Ardagan, she is still able to withstand the pressure. It''s impossible to harm her that quickly.


    ''And looking at the situation, she has two choices. The first one is to hand the book to the Third Prince, who is also aiming for this book, or send it to the royal family.


    ''Considering her backer, the Ardagan Family, sided with the Third Prince previously, she might give it to the Third Prince.


    ''Although not many acknowledged it, the Third Prince has a lot of influences in the Demon Banner Army. So, it seems that the Third Prince has been eyeing this book the whole time. After all, the one bringing this book is the Demon Relief Squad.


    ''Last but not least, Countess Christina is an excellent Spirit Magician. She is good enough to assess the book. No, should I say that the Demon Relief Squad is reaching out to her to check the content of the book before handing it to the Third Prince?


    ''And the most troublesome thing is the inquisitor. They have suspected us, so if we don''t move fast and carefully, we might end up getting destroyed.''


    Count Leinberd pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking about the pros and cons of his n. One wrong move might give away their rtionship with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Count Leinberd suddenly noticed something. "Hmm. You said that the owner sent you here to give the information. However, I don''t think that''s important enough for you to be here, right?"


    "Yes." Illia nodded. "The owner has told me to assist you in dealing with the inquisitor. But because the status of the other party is sensitive, we can only dy her. That''s about it."


    "Her status is sensitive?" Count Leinberd furrowed his eyebrows. "Who is she?"


    "She is the daughter of an Arbiter. Herst name is Stargaze."


    "!!!" Count Leinberd widened his eyes in shock. "Stargaze as in the daughter of Marquis Stargaze, Anna Stargaze?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes." Illia nodded.


    Count Leinberd covered his eyes, feeling a headache. He thought, ''This is not good. I''ve heard a lot of the recent problems in the organization as well. Anna Stargaze has beenpleting a lot of missions and there is not a single noble that can stop her.


    ''Even though Marquis Walford has the same rank, he is still not an Arbiter. So, if the two families sh, I''m afraid that Marquis Walford will lose. In other words, we can''t touch her when she arrives.


    ''I have to discuss this with the marquis. But it seems that the brothel is nning to stall her. If they can stop her for a while, I should get enough time to talk with the marquis.


    ''And since they''re the ones holding her back, Marquis Stargaze will be fighting them instead of us. I see. It seems that the owner of the brothel is showing us his sincerity.


    ''In addition, the fact that the information reaches us this fast shows a lot of their power. We really can''t underestimate the brothel. Their strength will be a great help to all of us.''


    Count Leinberd was smiling inwardly,ing up with a n where he could get all the benefits while the others took the me.


    After a few minutes, Count Leinberd opened his mouth. "I understand. Thank you for giving me this information. Please deliver my thanks to your owner. But since you havee here, why¡ª"


    "I''m sorry, Count Leinberd." Illia cut him off before he couldplete the sentence. She already knew that he would invite her to stay here, but she never nned to do it. She had heard a lot from the manager after all.


    "I''m honored to be invited to your mansion. However, my body belongs to the owner, so I shall stay in the brothel." She politely lowered her head.


    Count Leinberd could only fall silent. After all, he couldn''t offend the brothel in the current situation.

 Chapter 552 Task

    One dayter.


    Count Leinberd had used his fastest horse to reach Marquis Walford''s city. Since he couldn''t enjoy the ''banquet'' from the brothel, he rushed to this city in order to discuss the problem with his superior.


    He was received quite well by the marquis, but the atmosphere turned cold when the marquis finally spared some time to meet him.


    Marquis Walford was sitting in the opposite direction while squinting his eyes as if judging his action.


    "M-Marquis. You have to learn about this."


    Marquis Walford fell silent for a moment before saying with a cold tone. "Do you know that your sudden visit put me in a difficult position? You should know that you have to make an appointment first so that I can prepare an entrance for you! We can''t let many people know about our connection."


    "I apologize, Sir. However, this matter is very important. You have to hear this first."


    Hearing the plea, Marquis Walford snorted. "It''s better if that''s correct. If not, then you shall experience my anger!"


    "Y-yes." Count Leinberd nodded with a serious expression. He immediately told him about the information he had received from the brothel. He had sent his subordinates to confirm the information and told them to send the confirmation to the marquis territory.


    As expected, the news rmed even a marquis.


    His position was higher and his influence was bigger, so it was clear that the marquis knew a lot more about the situation.


    He instantly gritted his teeth while stating, "This is a huge problem. We are currently affiliated with the Royal Family. We have to show them that we''re their loyal subject. If this information is true, then we have to snatch the book from her hand.


    "You don''t know about this, but the Supreme Devil Organization has told me about the Demon Relief Squad. They have been the ones causing problems for the organization. They have told me that if we can somehow destroy them, they will increase their cooperation.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "It makes a lot of sense if you see the connection between the Demon Relief Squad, the Third Prince, and the Demon Banner Army. Then, take a look at our side. There are the organization and us.


    "Since the Demon Relief Squad is important, the fact that they''re the ones delivering the book means it''s something important. So, the information might be true.


    "And we can copy this book or even create a fake and give it to the Royal Family. I''m sure that they will be grateful to us. There might even be a promotion after this.


    "If everything goes ording to the n, the organization will have a high ranking spy in the kingdom. That''s why we have to use this opportunity to show both the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization that we are useful."


    Marquis Walford paused for a moment, thinking about his n. He looked at the count and said, "I''m going to send you a few experts. I want you to snatch that book from Countess Christina and hand it to me.


    "If you can do this, I''ll be helping you take control over two other territories next to you. They are weaker than that whore, so you can easily gain their territory with my help.


    "And once you be a high ranking member of the organization, you will also receive a lot of benefits."


    Count Leinberd''s eyes looked like they turned yellow as if he was looking at numerous gold coins in front of him. His greed waspletely lit up.


    If he yed his card correctly, he might be able to be a marquis sooner orter. It seemed he could fulfill his ambition faster than he originally thought.


    It seemed that he wasn''t wrong when he switched sides.


    "I understand. I shall make sure that the book will be in your hand as quickly as possible." Count Leinberd lowered his head, receiving the instruction.


    "Good. As for the inquisitor, it won''t be good to deal with Marquis Stargaze right now. He has a lot of pressure from the Royal Family, so his anger must be piling up. If we harm his daughter, he might direct that anger to us.


    "That''s why you have to tell the brothel to handle her in order to show their sincerity. Promise them that if they can perform well, I might connect them to the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Yes, Sir." Count Leinberd nodded.


    After sending Count Leinberd off, Marquis Walford actually smiled. "What a fool. Marquis Stargaze has been stopping me from getting everything that the Ardagan has left behind. If he makes his move out of anger, he will also destroy you.


    "At that time, I can get the book and destroy any evidence with the help of that marquis. The Royal Family will also apply more pressure on the marquis while rewarding me for handing over the book. Hahaha, I''m truly a genius!"


    Neither Count Leinberd nor Marquis Walford knew at that time that they had been yed by both the brothel and Anna. Though, the one who would cause their downfall was Noel''s participation and n.


    They didn''t know that the moment Count Leinberd left his mansion to personally inform this ''important'' information, they had already lost.


    After all, Illia had been cooperating with Anna.


    She said she would dy them, but Anna had actually arrived alongside her and had been hiding inside the brothel. Once they got the news of Count Leinberd leaving, Illia immediately informed Anna.


    "The Count has left," Illia said. She had changed her clothes from maid clothes to a tight ck suit to use the night as the cover. Just like Anna, she would be infiltrating Count Leinberd''s mansion.


    Although she didn''t look like it, Illia was only a step away from Spirit Master. So, with her help and expertise, Anna could easily get a lot of information from the marquis.


    "We''re going."


    "As expected, he''s evolving as well. I still can''t see this far ahead ande up with a n to make everything this smooth. I have a lot to learn." Anna smirked while looking at Illia. "I''ll be relying on you."


    Illia nodded.

 Chapter 553 According To The Plan

    "Hmm? There''s not enough information about their rtionship." Anna frowned, looking at the documents on Count Leinberd''s table.


    "We don''t have enough to examine all of them. But we can''t really steal all this information at the moment or the other party will notice," said Illia while bringing a few more documents.


    They had been searching for important documents that could be used against the count. Yet, there wasn''t a single document that connected him to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    It felt as if he was not connected to the organization at all.


    "What if the count is not connected to the organization?" Illia asked while furrowing her eyebrows. She felt annoyed if this was the case. After all, they had been suspecting the count''s connection.


    "Instead of thinking that way, it''s better to think that the count is not important enough for the Supreme Devil Organization. I''m afraid that the middle man is not the count but the marquis himself." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "Still, we can''t really approach the marquis right now. Although we have found some documents rted to the marquis, it''s not enough to make a move against him."


    Anna thought for a moment. "What if we use the count to lead us to the marquis? You should be able to find a way, right?"


    Illia contemted for a moment. The possibility was there, but she didn''t know whether it could work or not.


    "Yeah. It''s possible, but we have to move fast. After all, we have to use the information we''ve given to the count."


    Anna frowned. If they truly had to use the information, it would mean that they had to go to either Countess Christina''s territory or Marquis Walford''s Territory.


    "I guess this mission won''t be as easy as I think¡­" Anna sighed. "If my prediction is right, I''m afraid that the count is nning to return right away. We don''t have a lot of time here, so try to find any important documents and mark them so that we can retrieve them at any time. We can''t let the count know about our action yet."


    Illia agreed with Anna and immediately returned to their work.


    As expected, the count didn''t bother to rest since he had an important task that could allow him to rise even higher.


    There was no way the count would let the chance slip.


    Luckily, Anna and Illia had left this ce. Since there might be the count''s ''ears'' in the city, Anna had to leave the city again. Even the brothel might not be safe, not because she didn''t trust the brothel, but because the count might visit that ce.


    And as they predicted, Count Leinberd visited the brothel, not because he wanted some women''spany, but because he had to pass the message from the marquis.


    "That''s how it is. If you do your job well, the marquis might be your guarantor." Count Leinberd smirked, ring at both Illia and the manager. If not for the fact that he was in a rush, he would use this opportunity to ckmail Illia to sleep with him.


    Illia gritted her teeth and mmed the table. "You are insane. Do you want us to anger Marquis Stargaze? If we use too much force to stop her, the brothel might be harmed after this!"


    "That''s your job. If you want to get Marquis Walford''s help, you have to do your job well. If not, then you have to bear the consequences." Count Leinberd snorted, trying to assert his dominance.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Illia looked frustrated. She seemed to be considering the pros and cons of this action.


    In the end, she said, "Fine. We''ll do it. However, we can only stall her for three more days."


    "Three days are enough." Count Leinberd smirked while standing up, ready to leave. He looked at Illia in contempt as if showing the difference in their power. He wanted Illia to think it was her honor to be appreciated by him.


    In the end, Illia sent him off with an angry face as if she had just been defeated. But the moment she returned to the manager''s office, her anger disappeared.


    There was an evil smile on her face.


    The manager, who saw her smile, couldn''t help but ask, "I guess everything is going ording to the n¡­ What should we do now?"


    Illia nodded. "Yeah. That man is truly a fool like how you described. To think that the situation is this way, no wonder we can''t find any trace of the Supreme Devil Organization in the count mansion."


    Yes, Illia and Anna didn''t expect that the count didn''t have the connection. He only knew and used the marquis'' connection to rise through the ranks. He was truly a fool since he didn''t have any proof to take advantage of the marquis.


    "He fears the strong but suppresses the weak. So, it''ll be easy to manipte him. Though, I don''t think we can make any move right now." The manager took out a small piece of paper and put it down on the table, so Illia could read it.


    "Hmm?" The information on that small piece of paper made her frown. "Are you sure about this?"


    "Yeah. A few of our girls outside have confirmed it. And there might be some more people hiding in the shadows, so we have to be careful."


    "¡­" Illia pinched the bridge of her nose.


    "So, what should we do?" The manager asked.


    Illia looked stressed as if she was frustrated with the information. But actually, she was happy because the situation was as they expected.


    But the one who had nned all this was none other than a man who had just recently be an adult.


    Yes, it was Noel. She didn''t know how Noel knew that the marquis and the count would set up an ambush to get the book.


    She was Harley''s subordinate and Harley had sworn his loyalty to Noel. At first, she was skeptical about it since the other party was too green.


    But the fact that he predicted all this showed his potential. If they let him grow for another decade, he would be a monster. And this was the person her master served.


    She didn''t realize it yet, but her loyalty to Noel gradually increased in her heart.

 Chapter 554 Meet The Father?

    Anna, who had been hiding in a forest two hours away from the city, had received the same information from a pigeon sent by the brothel.


    And it seemed that they had to proceed to the next n immediately.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "Haha, Noel, Noel. I wonder how you can even think of this possibility." Anna smirked.


    She couldn''t help but recall the time when Noel shared his n.


    "Remember. I''m going to ask Countess Christina to send the book outside the city. This will make her look like she is delivering the book."


    "Huh?" She was confused. "Why would you do that? I mean, the book is important, right? Are you nning to bait someone?"


    "Yeah. Countess Christina will have two books. One is a fake book, while the other is the correct one. She will bring the fake book inside and allow it to be stolen by the other parties. With enough manpower and secrecy, we can prevent the loss on Countess'' side while making the other party believe this is the real book.


    "And with enough show, we can make the Third Prince focus on Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    "So, I want you to supervise the entire battle and make sure everything goes ording to the n. Don''t let anyone interfere.


    "Once the battle between the Third Prince and the marquis begins, you should use it to steal some information from the marquis.


    "You and I know that we can''t trust both the Third Prince and the royal family. Hence, it''s better not to hand them this information.


    "Though, I have to apologize since you can''tplete your mission this time." Noel lowered his head. He was a fair man, so he didn''t hesitate to apologize if he had wronged her.


    However, Anna waved her hand as if treating it as not a big deal. "It''s fine. I don''t know if they will ept it or not, but if the marquis is destroyed by the Third Prince, then the mission can be consideredpleted or get annulled. Well, everything depends on my luck.


    "In exchange, promise me something, will you?" Anna''s expression became serious.


    "Well, as we always do." Noel nodded.


    "Equivalent exchange. I know that." Anna knew that she couldn''t ask him for something beyond the worth of this mission. "It''s not a big matter. But I''m nning to make you meet my father."


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. On the one hand, it looked like Anna was trying to introduce her spouse to her father. On the other hand, this meeting wasn''t so simple. After all, thetter was his father''s best friend and one of the people involved in the grand scheme.


    If they met, Noel didn''t know what he would have to say to him.


    Anna smiled. "I know that my father has been hiding something. But I''m pretty sure that he wants to meet you. I don''t know what he will say, but I''m trying to create a situation where both of you can meet.


    "My father can''t be honest with me, so I have to ask you to get more information from him. After all, you are in the center of this scheme, so he might open up to you."


    Anna closed her eyes for a moment. She remembered how her father was always passive in the grand scheme. But when she thought about the freedom she had in her previous life, it seemed that her father was involved in almost every matter.


    In fact, the reason Noel didn''t kill her and even tried to change her might be rted to her father. After considering the content of the letter left behind by Noel''s father, it wasn''t enough for Noel to drop his hatred.


    So, her father might have met Noel and told him the real truth. She wanted to confirm whether her father pleaded with Noel to not kill her or not. This was one of the most important questions from her past life.


    She wanted to at least repay some of his kindness in this life.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I don''t mind meeting him. But you should know that it''s hard for me to go to a specific location, right? After all, I''m tied to the Demon Relief Squad."


    "I know." Anna nodded. "I''ll continue following your news. When you are within two cities away from a famous vacation destination, I''m nning to bring my father to you."


    Noel fell into deep thought. He didn''t know whether Anna would seed in luring out her father or not, but Noel was also curious about what her father knew. So, he was also a bit interested in meeting her father.


    "I understand. I''ll meet your father if the opportunity aligns."


    "Thanks." Anna smiled. "And I know that you''re nning to break through to Spirit Master on this trip. You should have enough Demon Crystals, right?"


    "The Demon Crystals are enough. But I still need to visit the firebird first before breaking through. I can''t afford to get involved in the Third Prince''s matter before it after all."


    "That''s understandable. I''m nning to make a breakthrough after this mission as well. Since the royal family, the Third Prince and the Supreme Devil Organization will be a bit chaotic for a while, that''s the perfect opportunity to break through. That hateful arbiter is still watching me after all."


    Like Noel, Anna also couldn''t break through easily since their n might be disrupted. But since the other party was nning to do it and the situation allowed her, she could finally reach the next level.


    "Alright then. Since we''ve reached an agreement, I think it''s time for me to prepare for my visit."


    "Alright. Leave the rest to me. I''m going to make sure that your n will go smoothly." Anna smiled.


    Noel and Anna smiled at each other as if they knew they could rely on each other.


    Rose, who had been watching their interaction this whole time, could only shake her head. She didn''t know if Noel and Anna had realized that their rtionship was already beyond just friends.

 Chapter 555 Taken The Bait

    "Sir." A masked man kneeled in front of a middle-aged man with white hair. This white hair was different from the normal white hair that people got through aging. This white hair was whiter than snow.


    This was the characteristic of royalty. Most of the royal children who were born had this hair and the kingdom believed it was their royalty gene. Those who didn''t have this white hair would be considered inferior.


    And this middle-aged man was one of the contenders for the throne, the Third Prince.


    He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at his subordinate as if judging the content of the information.


    "We have confirmed that Noel Ardagan has gone to Countess Christina''s territory. After that visit, Countess Christina''s mansion is quite lively for a while. And we''ve managed to receive a rumor that Countess Christina now has a weapon to take down the enemies. She''s nning to use it to destroy Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    "We don''t know much about the weapon, but it seems to be in the form of a book. It seems that she''s nning to send it somewhere else. We don''t know about her destination yet, but we''re putting a lot of our men into figuring out her destination."


    The Third Prince narrowed his eyes. "It seems that Noel Ardagan is using the book about the runes to entice Countess Christina. She is a smart and powerful woman, so she should be able toprehend the book and confirm its authenticity."


    "Should we steal the book?"


    "Noel must have left the book to her so that she could confirm the authenticity. Her reputation should be enough to make some important believe it and conduct more research. This way, it will be spread to those people and a lot more people will start looking at this book.


    "It seems that Noel Ardagan hasn''t predicted this result. He must have thought that Countess Christina would only do it for herself. And if he is loyal to me, then it won''t be weird that Countess Christina will give the book to us.


    "I thought Noel Ardagan would be smarter than his father, but I guess Luke Ardagan is at a level beyond a human. The way he thinks, the way he creates his influence, and the way he governs his people¡­ That''s what made me fascinated by him. Unfortunately, his son couldn''t bepared to him."


    The Third Prince thought for a moment. Although he didn''t say it earlier, he believed that Noel was dumber than he originally expected. And a foolish person wasn''t that much of a threat.


    So, the Third Prince asked, "Where is he going after this?"


    "ording to the direction, he is probably heading to Lelelei Fort. It seems that he is nning to leave the border for a while."


    "Hmm?" The Third Prince didn''t know Noel''s intention, but there shouldn''t be many possibilities of going out of the border. Noel must be trying to find a way to break through. And to do it, he had to hunt a lot of demons.


    Since Noel''s course of action could easily be predicted, his focus returned to the book. "If that''s the case, tell Countess Christina that if she gives me the book, I will get rid of her enemies for her. However, the condition is that she has to give it to me after she confirms it."


    "Understood."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Before sending his subordinate away, the Third Prince also had one more concern. "How many people know about this?"


    "We are not very sure right now. But getting the information is easier than we originally expected, so I''m afraid there are more people who know about this."


    "How many men do you bring?"


    "I bring four Spirit Wielders and more than ten Spirit Practitioners."


    "Use all of them to escort the book to me. And since the current situation is dangerous, you have to report to me if something goes wrong. I might have to make my move personally." The Third Prince''s expression turned cold as if he was threatening him that if he was useless, his superior would do it himself. As a result, he might not be able to keep his life.


    "We''ll do our best to avoid the situation where Sir has to do it personally." He lowered his head before disappearing.


    The Third Prince narrowed his eyes. He felt something was amiss in this situation. On the one hand, the problem looked simple on the surface. On the other hand, he felt something might go wrong.


    Unbeknownst to him, the Third Prince had been trapped inside the web Noel had spread in order to capture all the people who were interested in the book.


    And Countess Christina, who had known about all the ns, was sitting on her chair with a grim expression.


    On the one hand, she had studied and confirmed that the content was truly theplete version of the Spirit Enchantment. Although she couldn''t use it personally since she wasn''t a cksmith and she had never used runes before, she could still manage to form the rune on her hand.


    She looked at the rune on her hand and muttered, "It''s truly working. I can''t utilize its power yet, but the flow of Spiritual Energy is stable.


    "Judging from the content of the book, it will take an average person a year to understand the basics. Then, another three years to prepare the advanced runes. After that, it will take at least ten years for the specialization. There are even four types of runes and the Spirit Enchantment is one of them.


    "If this knowledge is spread, it will cause a massive shock to all kingdoms. And Noel, who has be the center of attention because his name is attached to the book as the author¡­ It''s clear that there will be a lot of changes happening around him.


    "The reason this is so important is that the runes aren''t limited to cksmiths. Spirit Magicians, Demon Banner Army''s knights¡­ everyone! Everyone who has cultivated their Spiritual Energy even if they haven''t awakened their spirit! The world is going to change¡­"


    Christina smirked before she destroyed the rune on her hand as she felt a presence. "It seems the fish has taken the bait."

 Chapter 556 Arrangement

    The masked man under the Third Prince has appeared before Christina. They were staring at each other, but Christina seemed to be looking down on her since she was a noble while the other party was just a servant.


    "Who is brave enough to trespass on my mansion?" Christina was still sitting as if she didn''t feel any pressureing from the person before her.


    However, both of them knew that their strength was simr. They were Spirit Masters.


    "I bring a message from the Third Prince."


    "¡­" Christina didn''t seem to be surprised as if she was already aware that the Third Prince would being. Still, she asked, "So, what''s the Third Prince want from a lesser noble like me?"


    Count was the second lowest position in the nobility rank after Baron. So, it was understandable that people often called them lesser nobles.


    Despite calling herself a lesser noble, her influence and strength was enough to fight against an Earl. And with the Third Prince losing his position as the sessor of the throne, she might have to be courteous to him, but not his subordinate.


    "The Third Prince would like to ask for the Rune Book from you, Countess Christina. In exchange, he''ll help you destroy Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford."


    Christina frowned. "The Third Prince should know how important this book is, right?"


    He couldn''t answer it. After all, he shouldn''t give out too much information even if the other party had already confirmed it.


    Christina paused for a moment, creating suspense. "I have received the words from Noel Ardagan about the Third Prince. He would like to dedicate this book to him, but he asked me to confirm the knowledge first. After all, he didn''t want the Third Prince to think that he gave you the wrong knowledge. That''s why I can''t give it to you now."


    "We understand. It takes time to confirm everything. However, if¡ª"


    Before he finished his words, Christina interjected. "Also, the knowledge in this book is tooplicated. Even if I try to use all my abilities, I won''t be able to figure it out in a short period of time.


    "Hence, to speed up the progress, I''m nning to send this book to the Tower Association. With my connection, I can create a research team to confirm the authenticity of this book¡­"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "That''s¡­" The Third Prince''s subordinate was in a bind. On the one hand, he couldn''t deny that the wrong knowledge might harm the Third Prince. On the other hand, the Third Prince had ordered him to take the book back.


    After some contemtion, "I''m afraid that we don''t have that much time, Countess Christina. You should know that the time and the team will cause a lot of problems."


    "Are you questioning my connection? Do you think my team will release the information?"


    "That''s not¡­"


    The two suddenly stopped. Countess Christina was judging his action since he dared question her ability. The other party was annoyed because Countess Christina looked down on the Third Prince. Even though their influence was weakerpared to the past, it was still strong enough to crush her.


    But before he could say anything, the burnt smell entered his nose.


    "Hmm? Something is burning?" The guy widened his eyes and tried to jump back to gain some distance from Christina.


    Unfortunately for him, this was Christina''s mansion. There was no way her mansion had no traps, especially with Christina''s strength.


    In that instant, a bright red me rose from the ground. It was so hot that it felt like it was burning and melting everything around it.


    The me gradually formed a humanoid body. It was only the upper body, but the body was muscr and the head looked like a human but with spiky hair and an angry expression. Since it formed from me, it didn''t look human.


    "!!!" The guy recognized this ability and gasped, inhaling the heat. He tried to escape, but he was a bit toote. The figure had grasped him.


    The heat was transmitted to the point the guy felt like he was being burned alive.


    "Kh¡­" He used his Spiritual Energy to resist the me. Although he wanted to use his power, he had to convince Christina to give him the book. So, it was better to look powerless and resist the me for a while.


    He knew this ability after all.


    ''I should be able to withstand this ability.'' He thought while ncing at the figure. ''This must be the famous Fire Devil. It''s an avatar created by Count Christina. It''s said that this ability can burn everything it grasps, so if I''m not careful, I might die. It seems I only have three minutes to convince her.''


    He gritted his teeth and said, "If you kill me, the Third Prince will send the next person. But at that time, you might not be able to make a choice right now. Count Christina, this is your time to make a choice.


    "If you give that book to us, you can show Noel Ardagan''s loyalty as well as crush your enemies. If you don''t give us that book, you might lose everything!"


    "Is that a threat?" Christina narrowed her eyes. She started emitting killing intent as if she didn''t like the threat.


    However, the guy shook his head and stated with a genuine tone. "No. That''s a fact."


    "¡­" Christina fell silent for a moment. The guy looked like he had a hard time enduring her fire, but he still didn''t use his ability to show that he didn''t mean any harm.


    After some contemtion, she let him go.


    "!!!" The guy was surprised that the Fire Devil had let him go and gradually vanished into thin air. And what shocked him the most was the fact that the intense heat actually burned nothing. Yes, not even a single strand of his clothes was burned. It showed the overwhelming control Christina had.


    Christina waved her hand. "I have made an appointment with my teacher about this. So, I still have to send it to him. However, the case will be different if it gets stolen on the way¡­"


    "!!!" The guy obviously understood her intention. She still had to fulfill her promise, but she was telling them to get it so that she didn''t break the promise while they still got the book.


    This seemed to be the best case scenario. So, he nodded his head. "I understand. I shall ry your message to the Third Prince."

 Chapter 557 Hidden Misunderstanding

    Three dayster.


    Christina was closing her eyes, waiting for the report. She couldn''t help but smile as if she had known the result.


    A few minutester, a butler entered her office and reported. "Ma''am. The package has been sent."


    "I understand." Christina waved her hand, dismissing him. She thought, ''What a crazy boy the Ardagan Family has. It seems that their revival is nothing but assured. It seems that I have to prepare something¡­''


    Christina smiled, recalling what had happened a few hours earlier.


    She was standing in front of her mansion, looking at ten elites that escorted a carriage. The carriage contained some good merchandise, but as expected, the most important item was a chest that contained the book.


    The elites bowed to Christina before going out of the mansion to deliver the book.


    She had told the Third Prince that the book had to be delivered to her teacher. However, the case would be different if someone stole it. Her teacher couldn''t me her since he didn''t know the importance of the book and Christina still fulfilled her words to both Noel and the Third Prince. There was nothing wrong with this development.


    Of course, these ten elites had been specifically instructed to defend the goods and run if the enemies were too strong. They didn''t know that the goods they carried had such importance, so there wouldn''t be any loss to Count Christina. After all, this much money in exchange for a good rtionship with the Third Prince and Noel was already a steal.


    The group entered a in not far from her territory. And this was when the enemies appeared.


    "Hmm?" One of the guards frowned as if he felt some presenceing from the sides. He turned around and saw a few heads taking a peek at their carts. "Bandits? Draw your weapons!"


    The others hurriedly pulled out their weapons, trying to protect the carts.


    In that instant, seventeen people came out of the trees and charged forward.


    "Not good. They have several Spirit Wielders!" One of the guards shouted. He seemed to be the most important person because he was the onemanding the guards. "We can''t afford to lose. Fight!"


    "Ooh!" The guards shouted, boosting their morale. Even though they were outnumbered, running away was only thest option. They had to fight them first since they might be able to repel them.


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    The clicking sounding from the des filled the in. Even though they were outnumbered, the people Count Christina sent were elites.


    They might only have two Spirit Wielders who acted as the captain and vice captain. But they were strong enough to stop five Spirit Wielders for a while. Meanwhile, their subordinates handled the rest of the enemies.


    It was a fierce sh and mightst for a while since both sides were equal.


    They hadn''t realized that someone was observing them.


    It was Anna.


    She narrowed her eyes when she saw this lineup.


    "Hmm?" Anna muttered inwardly, "Judging from their number, I don''t think they are from Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford. Then, they must be from the Third Prince.


    "I see. For a Count, having multiple Spirit Wielders under hermand is already impressive. But for the Third Prince, it''s kind of weird. He should have a lot of Spirit Masters under hismand. This feels weird¡­"


    Anna felt something was amiss.


    "Is it hard for the Third Prince to move a Spirit Master?" Anna felt this Third Prince wasn''t simple. After all, the fact that he still retained this much power to influence the royal family showed how formidable he was.


    So, sending these people shouldn''t be his only n.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "In that case, is he nning something else? Since he almost killed Noel in the past, he should be pretty strong himself. And fooling both of us showed how scheming he was." Anna fell silent for a moment.


    She suspected that the Third Prince was nning a second ambush. In order to avoid the unexpected ambush, Anna decided to look around, trying to find them.


    Meanwhile, the sh between Countess Christina and the Third Prince''s forces still continued.


    The captain from Countess Christina''s elite squad thought, ''It seems that the Countess knows we would be ambushed. But because she told us to run away if the enemies were too strong, then she should have expected this kind of ambush.


    ''I see. It seems that we have be either bait or a test. Normally, the Countess would have told us about this matter. But the fact that she didn''t¡­'' The captain widened his eyes. ''I see. It seems that the other party is quite powerful in terms of influence. She is trying to hide everything so that we don''t have to shoulder the responsibility.


    ''If we don''t fight too hard, the enemies will realize we are just bait. If we fight too hard, the Countess will lose some manpower. In other words, we only have to do one thing. We have to resist as hard as possible. If possible, sustain some injuries but not enough to kill us or force us to retire. At the same time, deal some damage to the enemies to show our seriousness.''


    With that realization, the captain shouted, "Don''t be afraid. We have to protect the goods! All guards, release all your strength and defeat our enemies!"


    "Ooh!" The guards responded with a shout as they began using all their strength.


    Looking at this, the masked man, who once visited Countess Christina, thought, ''It seems that they haven''t been told about the book. I see. It seems that the Countess is trying to make it look real. That''s why we have to push them back, not kill them to avoid angering the Countess.


    ''In that case, I''ll hide my true power for a bit longer. After some time, I''m going to show my Spirit Master''s strength to scare them, forcing them to retreat. This is probably the best scenario.''


    The masked man smirked.


    Both the masked man and the guard captain didn''t realize that they had misunderstood each other and Countess Christina''s arrangement.


    And they thought they were the smartest to realize the hidden n.

 Chapter 558 Ambush

    "Haaaa!"


    The guards and the ''bandits'' were shing fiercely. They had been fighting each other for a while. And as expected, they had spent a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    They were staring at each other. The guards tried to hold on while the bandits tried to push them back.


    The captain was keeping a close tab on his subordinates'' conditions, making sure that none of them were heavily injured.


    They thought for a moment, wondering if there was a chance to escape.


    It seemed that despite the fierce fight, the enemies continued creating an escape chance for the guards.


    The captain thought, ''It seems that the enemies have known about the n. But since they''re still fighting us, it means there might be some experts hiding around us, monitoring the situation. If we don''t act well, those experts might realize it. Just a few more minutes and we will retreat.''


    The captain shouted, "Guards. We are going to unleash the Fire Tactics!"


    "!!!" The guards were surprised, but their expressions soon changed, knowing what kind of strategy they nned to use.


    Suddenly, all of them began to release their Spiritual Energy. The captain and the vice captain, who were a Spirit Wielder and had awakened their Spirits, immediately stomped the ground.


    The intense Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Practitioner Guards was flown to the sky because of the shock wave.


    Then, the Fire Spirits from the captain and the vice captain released their fire, igniting the Spiritual Energy.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Suddenly, a huge me burst in the air. The captain and the vice captain sped their hands, starting to control the fire above their head.


    The fire gradually formed a humanoid figure.


    "!!!" The masked man widened his eyes, recognizing this power. This was the same power as the Fire Devil the Countess had.


    "What?!" The masked man gasped.


    "Fire Tactics, Devil Form!" The captain raised his hand. At the same time, the Fire Devil also raised its hand.


    "Haaaa!" The captain shouted while waving it down.


    The fire devil mmed the ground with its fire hand.


    "Dodge!"


    The enemies tried to dodge, but the hand caused an explosion, swallowing three people.


    "Aaaahhh!" They were screaming in pain. Although they didn''t die, they still suffered some burns.


    The teammates who were near them tried to extinguish the fire that still burned their bodies. Meanwhile, the captain had sent another hand, trying to hurt them as much as possible.


    "Not good!" The masked man gritted his teeth, realizing he had no choice but to reveal his strength. He suddenly raised his sword and waved it straight at the fire devil''s hand.


    A crescent-shaped energy flew toward the hand, shing with the fire.


    The sky felt like it was being split. The upper sky was bright red as if it was being burned by eternal me, while the lower air was dyed in blue as if pushing the heat away with its coldness.


    "!!!" The captain widened his eyes because the sword strike actually started freezing the fire devil''s hand. He roared. "Haaaa!"


    He released all the remaining energy inside the fire devil to explode the hand.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion shattered the ice and shot a few fireballs down.


    "Watch out!" The masked man hurriedly returned to his teammates'' position while erecting an ice wall, blocking the fireballs. But some of his teammates were a bit too far and the fireballs ended up hitting them.


    "Aaahhhhh!"


    His people suffered some damage.


    Meanwhile, the captain hurriedly used thest bit of energy to set the cart on fire. "Retreat! The enemies are too strong. They have a Spirit Master among them!"


    The Fire Tactics were used so that multiple Spirit Wielders could go against a Spirit Master. So, the fact that the masked man managed to stop them meant he was a Spirit Master.


    There was no way they would stay since it would only lead to a pointless death.


    The guards were a bit hesitant about that order since they had to protect the goods. But because the captain had started burning the cart, they could only follow him since he had burned the only thing they had to protect.


    The ''bandits'' were trying to chase after them. But the masked man shouted, "Don''t chase them. We have to stop the fire and get everything inside!"


    His teammates wanted to avenge the injuredrades, so they were a bit unwilling. But the masked man shouted once again, reminding them that this was an order from the Third Prince, not himself.


    In the end, they had no choice but to forget about the grudge and started saving everything they could from the cart. Obviously, the chest that stored the book was built with better material, so it wasn''t burned away. Meanwhile, most of the goods had started to catch fire and a part of them had been burned.


    Luckily, they didn''t really bother with the rest of the goods since they were not normal bandits. They only retrieved the books and let the rest burn to ashes. This would also help them clean up the battlefield.


    As soon as he confirmed the book, the masked man ordered, "Let''s go hide somewhere to treat the injured. After that, we shall return to give the goods to our master."


    The people nodded, acknowledging the orders. Those who weren''t injured immediately came over to help carry the injured and hid inside the woods.


    It looked like they had passed the worst. However, they didn''t know that there was one more party that had been observing them from a distance aside from Anna.


    Now that the group had suffered some injuries and exhausted a lot of their Spiritual Energy, they wouldn''t be able to handle an ambush from a group at a simr level.


    But as expected from a Spirit Master, he managed to find their presence no matter how hard the other party tried to hide it before they arrived. Their groups were at a simr level after all.


    "Not good. Rise and pull out your weapons! There''s an ambush!"


    As he said those words, fifteen people came out of their hiding and attacked them.

 Chapter 559 Misinformation

    "This¡­" The Third Prince stood on the ground, looking at the shattered ground, the crushed trees, and the destroyed bushes.


    Although most of them had been burned, there was still some blood sttered everywhere. He could still easily find some of the sources and understood that a huge battle had urred in this ce.


    He couldn''t help but recall what had happened a few hours ago.


    He was waiting for the good news in the neighboring city. But instead of good news, he actually received the opposite.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    Instead of knocking down on his door, someone dared to bang his door.


    The Third Prince was annoyed and nned to confront whoever it was. But the moment he came out, he found the dying masked man.


    "!!!" The Third Prince widened his eyes in shock.


    "Sir¡­" The masked man had a hard time opening his mouth. In fact, with his current injuries, it was surprising that he still managed to stay alive.


    The only reason why he could reach this ce was because of his strong willpower and hard training.


    "What happened?" The Third Prince''s body shook. Although he didn''t trust the masked man and his people that much, they were still considered an elite team. So, they shouldn''t be defeated just like this.


    However, the fact was different. His people were defeated so miserably that even the only person that survived almost died.


    The masked man gritted his teeth and said hisst words. "Leinberd¡­ Walford¡­ attacked us¡­"


    These were thest four words that he managed to utter before his dying breath.


    The Third Prince''s expression suddenly changed. He never thought that his people would be ambushed by a mere count. Although Marquis Walford was a bit troublesome, he still had enough power to destroy it.


    And the masked man had reported the matter about the two nobles to him previously, so he knew that they also wanted the book.


    That was why the Third Prince was furious.


    "!!!'' The Third Prince gritted his teeth and said, "It seems that a mere Count and Marquis dare to stand before me. Do you think I''ll forgive both of you after what you have done? You have even stolen the important book!"


    The Third Prince knew that the only way to get what he wanted was to destroy the Count and Marquis.


    He also received a rumor about the connection between the two nobles and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    He gritted his teeth. "It seems that I have to destroy them before the book reaches someone else''s hand."


    The Third Prince swore that he would retrieve the book. He didn''t think about Countess Christina, considering the other party had fulfilled her side of the agreement. And he didn''t doubt the masked man''s information.


    After all, there was a reason why he was the one to lead the elite team and report to him. His ability and judgment were quite good. So, this information must be urate.


    The Third Prince didn''t know what actually had transpired during that ambush.


    ¡­


    A few hours ago.


    "Kill them!" The masked man shouted while spurting some blood from his mouth. He was heavily injured after the sneak attack.


    Never in his wildest dream that he would find himself being ambushed by four Spirit Masters and fifteen Spirit Wielders. This kind of manpower was far beyond his ability.


    Even if he managed to stop two Spirit Masters by himself, the other two could either help them or crush his team.


    So, the battle was immediately turned in their favor.


    The masked man had no choice but to order a retreat.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In that instant, they began running away while blocking the enemies'' relentless attacks. Unfortunately, the enemies continued to overpower them and their people began to fall one by one.


    ''What is going on? Who has this much manpower? To think they would use so many Spirit Wielders and Spirit Masters just to ambush us¡­''


    The masked man gritted his teeth. He was angry at how the enemies mercilessly killed his subordinates. But he had to remain calm and remember their objective.


    Yes, no matter how painful it was, he had to keep going to bring the book to the Third Prince.


    Unfortunately, he still couldn''t escape.


    The four Spirit Masters had surrounded him from three sides.


    Knowing he would die if he didn''t stop them from utilizing their ability, the masked man had to turn around while gathering all the remaining Spiritual Energy to use his strongest ability to distract them.


    The enemies felt the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy and began to activate their ability to counter him.


    "Ice Rose!" The masked man shouted, sping his hands. Suddenly, the massive Spiritual Energy burst out of his hand, forming multiple huge roses. The roses expanded in all directions except for the one where he was going.


    It hit all the Spirit Masters, stalling them for a few seconds.


    However, there were four Spirit Masters covering only three directions. So, one direction ended up having two Spirit Masters.


    The enemies were quick-witted enough to split their roles. One of them blocked the attack while the other shot out an attack to immobilize him.


    "!!!" After using his strongest ability, the masked man had a hard time circting his energy. And this was the time he saw the iing attack.


    He couldn''t help but grit his teeth. This attack would surely hit him.


    ''My Prince¡­'' The masked man thought he wouldn''t be able to deliver the book or the information.


    But it seemed that fortune was smiling upon him.


    Suddenly, there was a figure falling from the sky, shing the attack aimed toward him.


    *Bam!*


    The ability exploded, engulfing both of them.


    The masked man didn''t know what happened, but within that smoke, he felt that the shock wave from the explosion hit the chest he carried and ended up knocking it down.


    "The chest!" The masked man gritted his teeth as he had to retrieve the book.


    But at the same time, he heard the unknown figure''s voice.


    "This ability¡­ It shouldn''t be the Captain of Marquis Walford, right? And that blocking ability should be Count Leinberd''s strongest knight¡­"

 Chapter 560 Second Phase

    "!!!" The masked man was shocked when he heard that information. He didn''t know who the person was, but it was clear that she had helped him.


    However, what made him believe her the most was when she answered his doubt after that statement.


    "Hurry up and go. The Countess has sent me to help you to make sure the goods have been delivered. But since the situation has be like this, it''s better to send the message instead of the book."


    The voice was small, but it was clear enough for the masked man.


    He understood the real intention of this person. It seemed that the Countess knew there would be another ambush. No, she might not be certain, but she certainly had some suspicion. That was why she sent this mysterious person to confirm the goods.


    Only the Countess knew about their agreement, so the fact that she knew about the agreement meant they were on the same side.


    In that case, the masked man had no choice but to abandon everything and use all his abilities in order to escape from the pursuit.


    At the very least, he should let the Third Prince know that the book had been stolen by the two nobles.


    Yes, there might be a possibility that the news was fake. But after confirming that the mysterious person came from the Countess, the other person should know about their identities. After all, Countess Christina had been facing the two nobles for so long. So, there should be a lot of information about the two nobles.


    That was why the masked man hurriedly ran away as quickly as possible. He didn''t know the condition of that mysterious figure.


    His only thought was to survive and ry the information.


    Unfortunately, the experts also managed to catch up to him and the mysterious person kept distracting them.


    In the end, the mysterious figure had to leave since they were near the city. It should be enough for the masked man to remain alive.


    And she led one Spirit Master and a few Spirit Wielders, which soon died under her hand.


    But for the time being, the information had been delivered.


    ¡­


    In the end, the people under Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford had to leave after finding their people dead. They were angry, but they had priority.


    They didn''t realize that the mysterious person was watching them from a distance the whole time.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    She was sitting on a tree while letting out a long sigh. She took off the hood, revealing her blond hair.


    Yes, she was Anna.


    "This is truly hard¡­" Anna took a deep breath, trying to recover her Spiritual Energy. As expected, it was a bit hard for her to take down these people. Of course, she wasn''t alone this time.


    She nced at five women on the ground. They were the elite teams from the brothel that Harley had lent her in order toplete the task.


    "Thank you for helping me," said Anna while jumping off the tree. "The enemy has retreated, so we should go to Count Leinberd''s city after recovering our Spiritual Energy."


    "Understood." They nodded, acknowledging Anna''s instruction. Although they were loyal to Harley, thetter had told them to obey Anna since her ability was within Noel''s n. So, they had to obey her.


    Anna nodded while looking at the distance. "The second phase has beenpleted. I guess it''s time for the third phase. Time to make everyone the culprit."


    Of course, they also sent a letter to Illia, confirming the situation.


    As soon as she received their letter, Illia couldn''t help but smile.


    The manager understood the meaning of that smile and said, "It seems the n is a sess¡­"


    "You know about the n?" Illia narrowed her eyes. On the one hand, she had never told her about the n. On the other hand, the manager should be smart enough to guess it. After all, the manager was the one in charge of the brothel branch, so they had to be at least that smart for an espionage organization.


    "I don''t know about the n. But seeing your smile alone is enough for me to know that the n must have gone ording to the n."


    "¡­" Illia fell silent for a moment. It seemed that she had lowered her guard because she was in the brothel. She shook her head and returned to her poker face before saying, "Anyway, I want you to spread some information."


    "Understood." She nodded with a serious expression.


    "You should know this. The owner is trying to impress someone. So, if you do well in this operation, there is a chance that you will be able to go to the headquarters."


    The manager smirked. As a manager, she obviously knew the privilege between the branches and the headquarters. Everyone dreamed of going there, so this was something she wouldn''t miss.


    "Understood. I shall work perfectly." The manager politely bowed to her and left the room to execute the n.


    Illia nced at the paper on the manager''s hand. It was the list of information that they wanted to spread.


    She thought about it for a while before sighing. "One mistake might end up hitting our headquarters as well.


    "So, there will be no promotion if there is a mistake since the headquarters might be destroyed and we have to build a new one."


    Illia sighed. "To think that the owner didn''t exaggerate the Ardagan Family a little bit. Everything is going ording to his n. And we have put the me on the two nobles. The Third Prince will start destroying them.


    "So, all we need to do is to ensure that the information will be blurry and the Supreme Devil Organization and the Third Prince will be confused by the information. Hence, no one can be med other than the two nobles."


    Illia shook her head helplessly, wondering how Noel came up with this n. But it seemed that working under him would allow them to prosper even more.


    If Noel had been here, he would have seen the change in her affection for him.


    Name: Illia


    Affection: Loyal (20/100)


    Description: Someone who has acknowledged you and believed in you.

 Chapter 561 Greed

    "Sir. We have received the book." A middle-aged man presented the book to Count Leinberd.


    Count Leinberd frowned and took a look at the book.


    Introductory Rune Book.


    Author: Noel Ardagan.


    "!!!" He widened his eyes in shock when he heard the author''s name. Although it would be wise to hide the author''s name, Noel knew that it was impossible to escape the sh with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    After all, his uncle had joined that organization and tried to kill him. So, it was better to let him know that Noel had the book.


    But Noel was supposed to die, so the next person they should investigate was none other than Iadre and Rose, who brought the book.


    Since they were not sure whether Iadre was Noel or not, they had to investigate him. There would be a sh with them soon, if not for the Third Prince.


    Yes, the Third Prince wanted this book the whole time. So, he obviously nned to retrieve it and spread some misinformation, trying to protect Noel until he could confirm the book.


    Even Christina couldn''t prove the book immediately. Hence, he had to wait for a while before understanding the book.


    Unfortunately, this book was fake. The Third Prince would be furious, not at Noel or Christina, but at the Count and Marquis.


    After all, the books were currently in their hands. There was a possibility of them recing the book with the fake one.


    They might be able to point that suspicion to Christina, but she had an alibi. It was the same rune that she once managed to use but failed to activate. As long as she showed it to the Third Prince, she could say that she had sent the correct book since it was the book she used to learn it.


    While the Third Prince hunted down the two nobles for the book, Christina would have an easy time spreading the knowledge.


    Of course, she had to start from Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford''s territories to make them look like they were the ones spreading it. The more they tried to lie, the angrier the Third Prince would be.


    Once the knowledge spread, it would continue spreading and no one could stop it. After all, this knowledge was simply too important to be monopolized.


    There was only one possibility of them containing the information, it was to have the royal family take action personally.


    But this would be impossible since the royal family would have to fight against the other kingdoms. Yes, this was the reason why Noel wanted his grandfather to spread knowledge in his kingdom and others.


    If they stopped the spread of knowledge in their kingdom, it would lead to their kingdom getting overwhelmed by other kingdoms in the future. In the end, no one could stop the spread and Noel couldn''t be med for this.


    After all, Noel, as the author, would be an extremely important person in everyone''s eyes. Although it would lead to a series of attacks to eliminate future threats, it would also allow Noel to gain time to negotiate.


    This was what Noel was after. He could protect himself during the negotiation. And with the system, by the time the negotiation ended, he would be strong enough to protect himself from any enemies.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Only five people knew about Noel''s n. Rose, Christina, Illia, Harley, and Anna. And they were overwhelmed by this genius n.


    So, Count Leinberd, who didn''t know about Noel''s n, immediately fell into his trap without realizing it.


    "Noel Ardagan? The son of Luke Ardagan? Impossible. Hasn''t he died? Or is this book written before his death and the Demon Relief Squad was helping him to bring this book to Countess Christina?"


    Count Leinberd became silent and suddenly rose from his seat. He immediately went to his treasury to look at some treasures.


    Obviously, he wanted to see the equipment with Spirit Enchantment on it. He tried to match the symbol on the book with the Spirit Enchantment and realized both of them were the same, but the rune was thepleted version.


    He had confirmed the information and knew what he had to do.


    "As expected, this kind of knowledge¡­" Count Leinberd fell silent. On the one hand, he could give this to Marquis Walford. It would allow him to get promoted and connected to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    On the other hand, the worth of this book was simply too much. If he directly handed this to the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization, he could gain a lot more than what the marquis promised.


    His heart was split between the promise and his own greed. And as someone who had been in politics for too long, he knew that the marquis might betray him sooner orter. Even if he didn''t, he could simply ask those two influences to get rid of the marquis and allow him to gain everything he had.


    That was why the count came up with his own brilliant n. He called someone to his mansion who was a master in copying someone''s writing.


    There were some of these people working for him since he had a lot of documents to copy.


    So, he picked a random guy, someone who he could kill after all this was over.


    He gave the book to him and said, "I want you to copy this book and change some details in one day. If you can do it, I will give you ten gold coins."


    It was a generous amount, so his staff didn''t hesitate to take the job. Since the Count was in a rush, the staff had to skip sleep and some meals in order toplete his work.


    With great effort, he managed to copy the book while tweaking some of the details.


    Unfortunately, instead of a great meal and ten gold coins, what he got was his own death.


    Meanwhile, Count Leinberd now had two books in his hand. He hid the original and handed the fake one to the people that Marquis Walford sent him. "This is the book. I''ve confirmed the authenticity."

 Chapter 562 Bloodbath

    After giving the book to them, Count Leinberd hurriedly made two copies of the book. They were for the Supreme Devil Organization and the Royal Family.


    Meanwhile, he was nning to hold one of them for himself to use as leverage.


    Count Leinberd didn''t realize that he hadpletely fallen into Noel''s traps. The book in his possession was already a fake or a lie. And with him tweaking the information, it had be a lie of a lie.


    It soon became a vicious cycle where the lies overwhelmed the truth to the point no one could see the truth anymore.


    There were currently two teams with the books. The first team was Marquis Walford''s team.


    Since they were going to send the book directly to the marquis, the group didn''t hesitate to leave the city as quickly as possible.


    Meanwhile, the second group was Count Leinberd''s elite team.


    They were heading straight to the royal capital. Since the marquis team had left, they didn''t know that Count Leinberd was scheming something.


    Hence, it was supposed to be a peaceful trip.


    However, Count Leinberd didn''t know that he had provoked someone he shouldn''t have.


    During their trip, the entire group was annihted.


    And there was one man standing on top of their corpses. It was the Third Prince.


    He was unleashing his anger by killing all of them. It seemed that the masked man wasn''t the only subordinate he had with him. A middle-aged man came to him and politely handed the books. "I believe these are the books."


    The Third Prince looked at him coldly before grabbing the book, looking at the content. After seeing some simrity to what he had learned from observing Noel and the Spirit Enchantment, he thought this was the real book.


    "Good. It seems that we have received what we came for. Still, why is he sending the marquis'' people away with another book¡­" The Third Prince looked down, misunderstanding Count Leinberd''s intention. "It seems that Count Leinberd ns to spread the books to gain massive influence from multiple nobles. Judging from the direction where this group is going¡­ They must be trying to contact the royal family¡­


    "I see. This Count Leinberd is trying to bite off more than he can chew." The Third Prince looked at this book. "This book might be a fake as well."


    "Sir¡­" The middle-aged man''s body became tense, knowing what it meant to give a fake thing to the Royal Family.


    "Yeah. There is also a rumor about them cooperating with the Supreme Devil Organization. It seems that I have to visit both of them personally."


    "I''m ready to apany you." The middle-aged man politely bowed. His expression darkened as if he was angry about something.


    "You should know that the one who killed your disciple was not me, but Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford. Let''s visit them and demand their exnation. But before that, I want you to investigate their behaviors first. I don''t know who has the real book, so we''re not going to rm them before getting the real book first."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Understood." The middle-aged man disappeared. He was a far stronger expert than the masked man since he was a Spirit Grandmaster. And it seemed that this Spirit Grandmaster had set his eyes upon Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    Little did everyone know, the brothel had begun their move as well.


    Noel also shared some secrets about the book. So, the brothel was the first to spread the rumor about the knowledge in Count Leinberd''s territory. Obviously, they nned to do the same thing after Marquis Walford received the book.


    Countess Christina had also sent a few people to help spread the knowledge. They had to be the real knowledge since she had agreed to Noel''s condition.


    This information eventually reached both the Count''s ears and the Third Prince''s ears. They were angry about two different things.


    The Third Prince was angry because he wanted to monopolize the knowledge to gain supreme power. So, this information made him want to butcher the Count.


    On the other hand, the Count was angry because he didn''t mean to have this knowledge spread. After all, it would just lessen the importance of the book. He wanted to reap all the benefits, so he immediately tried to lock down the city, blocking all kinds of information from going out.


    But it didn''t stop there. The Marquis ended up receiving the book before the knowledge began to spread, making him think that the people who brought the book were the ones leaking the information.


    And at that time, the Third Prince thought the Count and the Marquis were in cahoots, trying to manipte him.


    In the end, he moved the schedule for their execution. As soon as he got the information about the two cities, he ordered his subordinates to assemble the assassins to kill both Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    Obviously, Anna and the Eternal Flower Brothel couldn''t miss this opportunity. Anna and Illia immediately used the confusion to infiltrate the marquis'' city to get all the information regarding the Supreme Devil Organization. Meanwhile, the team that Harley dispatched to help Anna would help them handle the Count.


    The entire problem would soon be a bloodbath. And this would create a lot of chaos, not only in the kingdom but also outside the kingdom.


    ¡­


    As for the one who nned all this mess, Noel¡­ he was actually standing on top of a mountain with a huge smile on his face.


    He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh and cool air that soothed his body. He stretched his hands, waking up his muscles.


    "Mhm¡­" Noel let out a small moan before looking at the beautiful sunrise from the top of the mountain. "Ha¡­ I love this mountain. It''s quite cool up here and I can see everything in our surroundings. I guess there''s a reason why the firebird lives near! Then again, it''s a firebird, so it''s weird, I guess. Hahaha!"


    Hepletely enjoyed his time here, not thinking about the entire mess he had created.

 Chapter 563 Fire Bird

    [Mission: Defeat the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Description: Go to the Northwest of Lelelei Fort and kill the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Reward: 49 SP and One with me Medal]


    [Penalty: Someone gets it.]


    Noel looked at the mission while recalling the information that Anna gave.


    ¡­


    A few days ago.


    Noel said, "I''m nning to hunt the Fire Bird Demon after this. Are youing, Anna?"


    Noel looked at Anna with a serious expression. On the one hand, they had promised that they would hunt the Fire Bird Demon together. On the other hand, Noel had Rose with him, so it shouldn''t be much of a problem to kill the Fire Bird Demon.


    As much as she wanted to fulfill the promise, it seemed that the situation had changed drastically. She ultimately shook her head. "I don''t think I can fulfill the promise. I''m sorry."


    "I should be the one to apologize since the situation has changed so much that I can''t even create a situation for you to fulfill the promise." Noel could understand the situation and apologized as well. After all, both of them knew that the situation required Anna to supervise to make sure nothing went wrong.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    So, they had to split up after this.


    "Still, I''m going to give you some more information about the Fire Bird Demon. This demon is a powerful Peak Level Demon. Its body is covered with fire and a normal attack won''t be able to hit the demon.


    "You should try using your Ice Ability if you want to take it down. Or maybe you can overwhelm the demon with a stronger fire ability. Then again, the fire covering the demon is one of the most superior mes, so I don''t think you can do that.


    "Hence, you should focus on freezing the Fire Bird Demon. The demon is residing near a mountain. It''s a fresh mountain and doesn''t seem to be burned despite the Fire Bird Demon living in it.


    "Do you know why?" Anna asked. As soon as she saw the shake of the head, she continued, "Because the Fire Bird Demon has a cycle of life.


    "During its lifetime, the Fire Bird Demon will be umting the heat from his body. Yes, the heat will continue to increase the older it gets.


    "However, it''ll make the demon the strongest if that powerful characteristic doesn''t have a downside. Actually, the reason why the Fire Bird Demon''s me gets hotter the older it gets, it''s because the energy inside the Fire Bird Demon continues to fill up the reserve.


    "Once it reaches its peak, the Fire Bird Demon will turn into an egg, processing the energy inside its reserve to expand the reserve itself. In other words, to get stronger, the Fire Bird Demon has to go through this cycle again and again until it eventually bes a Superior Demon.


    "And this is probably the reason why the demon stays near a mountain. The Fire Bird Demon is trying to use the cool air in the mountain to slow down its cycle. Doing so will allow him to gather more energy to use for its reserve while increasing his lifespan.


    "I mean, after reviving from the egg, the Fire Bird Demon will have an empty reserve. So, it''ll mostly fight you with its body, not Spiritual Energy. The demon doesn''t want to be that weak, so it''s trying to prolong its life cycle.


    "I don''t know how old the demon is right now, so I''m suggesting you advance to Spirit Master first before hunting down the demon. This is my only advice to prepare for the worst. I don''t doubt your strength, but it''s better to be safe than sorry."


    This time, Anna''s serious expression felt like she was trying to convince him no matter what. If Noel tried to do something else or answered with something unsatisfactory, she might fight it out with him until he agreed.


    Noel could predict the demon''s strength from her expression alone. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I don''t mind breaking through to the Spirit Master before fighting the demon. After all, I won''t be going back and the Third Prince won''t know about me before I kill that demon. So, you don''t have to worry."


    With Noel''s assurance, everything was set.


    ¡­


    After recounting their conversation, Noel couldn''t help but raise his hands as if giving a signal to someone.


    In that instant, Dimitri appeared next to him. He actually brought a big backpack. All the demon crystals Noel had were inside the bag.


    "Sorry for making you do this, Dimitri." Noel closed his eyes as if he regretted asking him.


    "No need, Young Master. Although it''s faint, I can feel the breath of that demon. I can say that it''s extremely strong. So, I can understand if you want to break through first. Even I might have to help youter. But for now, I would like the young master to defeat the demon by yourself first. I hope that you can seed."


    Noel smirked. "How about a bet, Dimitri?"


    "A bet?"


    "Yes. If I manage to defeat the demon alone, can you kill one person for me? We can call it a draw if Rose helps me. And if you end up making your move, it means I have lost."


    Dimitri looked down, thinking for a moment. By using a bet, Noel could bypass the agreement they had set before about Dimitri not helping Noel directly.


    Still, Dimitri couldn''t see the benefits for him taking this bet except for seeing Noel get stronger. After some contemtion, Dimitri said, "If you win, you have to let me know the target first and I have the right to refuse. In exchange, I won''t ask anything if the young master loses."


    Noel shook his head. "If I lose, I promise you that I won''t be making any more bets with you. After all, it looks like I have taken advantage of my position to pressure you to help me. So, until you acknowledge me as your current master, I won''t be taking advantage of our rtionship! That''s my determination."


    Looking at Noel''s serious expression, Dimitri knew that this punishment was to create pressure for him. This way, he had a big need to get stronger. Hence, Dimitri had no reason to reject it.


    "I understand. We have a deal."

 Chapter 564 Breaking Through

    Noel sat down inside his tent, looking at the pile of demon crystals.


    If he absorbed all the crystals he had, bing a Spirit Master shouldn''t be a problem. But before he became one, he had to confirm two things. The first was his status.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal (Sensing all demons within 50 meters)


    Honor Point: 120 Pts


    Skill Point: 8 PtsExclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Status: Stamina +6.7%, Constitution +6.7%, Sword Mastery +8.7%, Spiritual Energy +5.0%, Rune Mastery +5.0%


    Low Quality Crystal - 2209/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 980/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 365/1500


    Peak Quality Crystals - 1/1000


    Superior Crystals - 0/750


    "¡­"


    Noel looked at his status carefully. He had truly gone a long way to the point he almost forgot that the number of crystals he could absorb was twice that of normal people. And the fact that he had a hundred percent conversion rate meant he would be able to reach the next level far easier than anyone else.


    "It''s crazy that I have almost filled my Low Quality Crystal if I don''t have two spirits since the maximum capacity is only 2,500 crystals.


    "Then again, I have to absorb a lot of crystals again if I want to reach the Spirit Master Stage."


    Noel knew that he had the biggest advantage, considering he could fill up another 2,500 Low Level Crystals than normal people. It might not be apparent right now, but when he became a Spirit Grandmaster, the difference would start to show.


    Normally, most Spirit Grandmasters should havepletely filled up their Low, Mid, and High Rank Demon Crystals capacity. So, it would be hard for them to advance.


    Though, Noel was essentially built differently with this kind of capacity.


    He might be able to reach Spirit Transcendence and be toe-to-toe with themander or even reach one step further, the Spirit King.


    "Still, I have to carefully move around to fill up my reserve. After all, they might start suspecting me if I buy a lot of demon crystals, especially the low and mid level ones to absorb when I''m supposed to have maxed the capacity."


    Noel sighed. He knew that talents were a good thing to have, but too much talent would just bring destruction. So, his talent might not be as good as Anna without the help of Ardagan, but he felt a bit happy that he could reach a stage beyond what Anna would reach in the future.


    Noel smiled. "Before I start absorbing the crystals, I''m going to review the knowledge about the Spirit Master first. There is a different name for the Spirit Wielder to Spirit Grandmaster. The Spirit Wielder is the realm of Efficiency. In other words, once someone reaches this rank, their bodies have adapted to the Spiritual Energy, allowing them to move the energy around quicker and easier.


    "But once someone reaches the Spirit Master, they will gain another advantage. After all, Spirit Master is known as the realm of Assimtion.


    "In other words, the body not only has adapted to the presence of Spiritual Energy, but starts to create harmony. And with the help of the Spirit Link, I can act like half spirit. I can imitate how the spirits use their power.


    "My senses will also be sharper and I will be able to see the Spiritual Energy itself. Only when I reach the Spirit Grandmaster, the realm of Fusion, that I can go one step further.


    "But for now, I''m going to focus on assimtion¡­" Noel took a deep breath.


    It might look like someone could easily break through to Spirit Wielder, Spirit Master, or even Spirit Grandmaster as long as they had enough Demon Crystals. But that wasn''t the case.


    One had to train their body as well. After all, the Spiritual Energy might affect the cell in their body, but if they didn''t train their body, which resulted in their cell bing stronger to withstand the influx of new energy, it would lead them to their death.


    "I believe I have trained my body enough. And pouring more energy into my body and organs will put them under tremendous pressure. I have to endure this since my body has to be active to endure the integration¡­ If not, I might die."


    Noel took a deep breath. No matter how prepared he was, he was still a bit afraid since he didn''t know his future. Still, he had to face it.


    There were many people waiting for him. Dimitri, Rose, Anna, the children, his future people¡­ he had to survive if he wanted to meet them again.


    With the determination reflected in his eyes, Noel reached out to the demon crystals and started absorbing the energy.


    Just like usual, absorbing the demon crystals took a lot of effort. First, the influx of Spiritual Energy would fuse with the element of the spirit. Since Noel had two elements, fire and ice, The chilling energy spread from Heisk''s Spirit Mark and the burning energy filled the body from Ardagan''s Spirit Mask.


    These two different energies collided with each other. The heat was burning Noel from the inside, making him feel like all the water in his body was evaporating. The cold froze a part of his body, causing it to either stop working or slow down.


    He would have to stop from time to time to recover from his condition. But Noel had two supportive spirits.


    Ardagan and Heisk joined hands to sh their energy. The chilling temperature from Heisk''s energy tried to take away the heat from Ardagan''s energy, while thetter tried to warm Noel so that he didn''t freeze to death.


    This way, Noel could continue absorbing the demon crystals for a much longer time than anyone else in the world.


    Noel felt that the energy reserve located in his heart was expanding rapidly. The size was only a portion of his heart earlier. But after a few hours, its size became a third of the heart and gradually grew.


    He felt like it would have the size of his heart once he reached the Spirit Master Level.


    Rose and Dimitri didn''t know Noel''s progress as they kept standing outside the tent, waiting for Noel to finish. They hoped that Noel woulde out soon, considering they didn''t know that Noel had two spirits that helped him absorb more energy before the need to recover.

 Chapter 565 Shock

    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. Even though the two elements in his body had been neutralizing each other, it still led to great difort. The two elements didn''t neutralize each other in an instant, so the energy around the mark caused extreme pain.


    Even Noel had a hard time tolerating the pain. He gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain for as long as he got.


    It had been more than twelve hours since he started. Normal people would have stopped after a few hours, but he managed to endure two or three times their capacity. And it seemed that Noel hadn''t given up yet.


    He continued absorbing the energy from the crystal, building up the energy in his heart.


    Fifteen hours¡­


    Twenty hours¡­


    Dimitri and Rose became extremely anxious. They both looked at each other, wondering what they should do. On the one hand, they were worried that something might have gone wrong. On the other hand, if they disturbed him when he absorbed the energy, they might cause a shock that would disturb the flow of energy, causing Noel to suffer some problems.


    "Do you know anything about this?" Rose asked. Dimitri had been observing Noel from the start, so he might know that Noel could cultivate this long.


    However, Dimitri shook his head this time. "I don''t know. Although I have been following the young master from the start, I have been doing my best to respect his privacy."


    "¡­" Rose didn''t know what to say. It was admirable for him to do that, but that action made them anxious here.


    They thought for a moment. But because they could only wait, they decided to stay. They would only enter if there was a disruption in the flow of Spiritual Energy, which meant Noel had failed to absorb a demon crystal.


    The time continued to pass.


    When it reached a whole day, they werepletely speechless. They never expected Noel to be this strong.


    ''An average person can absorb the energy for four to six hours before they have to refine the energy and recover to their peak condition.'' Dimitri gulped down. When he looked at this, Noel''s talent might be beyond his imagination.


    Noel never acknowledged his talent, but he didn''t realize that for others, Noel was a peerless genius.


    ''Even a genius can only withstand not farther than that. If I''m not wrong, the record is eighteen hours.'' Rose frowned. ''That record was made by a person who had twin elements¡­ It seems that the secret is the two elements. Noel has two elements that can neutralize each other.


    ''On the one hand, it can cause a huge bacsh if those two elements are in conflict. On the other hand, judging from the current situation, it seems that the elements are under control and they form a harmony that can help Noel go through all this.''


    Noel''s voice started toe out when it reached the thirty hour mark. The pain started to be unbearable, causing him to start wailing in pain.


    Still, if Noel stopped here, he needed some time to refine the energy. So, Noel must want tost for as long as possible so that he can refine all of them at once.


    That was why despite wailing in pain, Rose and Dimitri could still feel the Spiritual Energy circting inside. They had to endure the urge to enter the tent.


    31 hours¡­


    32 hours¡­


    The clock kept ticking. The longer the time passed, the bigger Noel''s scream.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    They had found a secluded ce, so it wasn''t that hard to block the noise.


    Dimitri frowned for a moment before asking Rose, "Can you hunt some monsters and gather some herbs?"


    Rose was confused for a second, but she immediately remembered that Noel hadn''t eaten anything in the past 32 hours. Although his energy and muscle were fed by Spiritual Energy, Noel still needed nutrition from food.


    So, Rose nodded her head and immediately left. Dimitri was more expert than her in this area, so she should be the one leaving.


    33 hours¡­


    34 hours¡­


    It was truly surprising that Noel could endure this kind of pain. Even Dimitri was gnashing his teeth the whole time, trying to see how far Noel could go.


    35 hours¡­


    Noel''s speed in absorbing the Spiritual Energy started to decrease because he had trouble enduring the pain. Still, he managed to continue for a while.


    Unfortunately, he had to stop at 36 hours. This was a new record.


    Even Dimitri couldn''t help but mutter inwardly, ''God blesses the Ardagan Family, God blesses Noel Ardagan. To think the young master can endure twice as long as the famous Twin Elemental Sage¡­ His talent is not from this world.''


    Dimitri couldn''t help but picture the Ardagan Family that Noel would rebuild in the future. With this kind of leader in the future, no one would be able to suppress the Ardagan Family anymore. Even the books that Noel spread all around the world were going to create a massive shock wave.


    It seemed that this kingdom alone wouldn''t be enough to contain him.


    ''As long as the young master can grow up to be a Spirit Grandmaster or even a Spirit Transcendence safely, the Ardagan Family will surely be the number one family in the world.''


    Dimitri couldn''t help but clench his fists. He knew that the only way for Noel to grow safely was for him to protect Noel.


    Noel had this talent and extraordinary mind that could destroy two powerful nobles without even being directly involved in the n.


    And he had to protect this person.


    ''Young Master is truly an unparalleled genius. There is only one test remaining. If he can pass that test, it''ll be the time for me to swear my allegiance to him.


    ''But it doesn''t change one fact. Young Master, this humble servant swears that even if I have to trade my life, I''ll protect you.''


    Dimitri closed his eyes for a second. Happiness, determination, and loyalty were mixed in his heart. He knew that this person would be able to reach a height that no one had ever seen before. Dimitri believed Noel could surpass his ancestor and was looking forward to the time he reached that stage.

 Chapter 566 Spirit Master

    Of course, even though Noel had spent a lot of time absorbing the energy, he still continued until he absorbed all the crystals needed to break through to the Spirit Master.


    When he reached the requirement to break through, Noel stopped absorbing the energy for a moment since he had to refine the energy to make it his own.


    During the refinement, Noel felt some changes in his body.


    The first was rted to his senses. Even though he was sitting in a lotus pose while closing his eyes, he felt like he could sense the tentpletely. He could measure the distance between him to the side of the tent as if it touched his hand directly.


    It seemed that the Spiritual Energy had be a part of his body. So, his sense was linked to Spiritual Energy, allowing him to feel everything around him.


    He didn''t know how far the sense could reach, but the change was truly important. Even without the Moon Blessing that allowed him to see in the dark, he could still feel the surroundings and avoid some ambushes.


    The second change was rted to the Spirit Marks. Before, he could only sense the Spiritual Energying from these two, not the elements. This time, he could feel the heat and coldness from the Spiritual Energy.


    He realized that the two different energies had been circting inside his body the whole time. If this conflicting energy wasn''t managed by the two spirits, they would sh inside his body and Noel would have died before he realized what had happened.


    He was thankful for the spirits who had been taking care of him.


    Thest change was rted to the Spirit Link with Heisk. The Spirit Link was an advanced version of the Spirit Mark. He could sense the chill in his surroundings because it was how Heisk perceived the world.


    But when he became a Spirit Master, he started feeling something different from those Spiritual Energy.


    After some moment, Noel finally opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was the bluish light in the air.


    ''Hmm?'' Noel narrowed his eyes, wondering if he had worked so hard that he started hallucinating.


    Though, due to the familiar feeling he got from the light, he soon realized what they were.


    ''These blue lights are Spiritual Energy in the air. Thanks to Heisk, I can sense the coldness. And with bing a Spirit Master, I can now see the ice element within the Spiritual Energy.


    ''It seems that the Spiritual Energy contains all the elements. I can only see the ice element in it. That''s why I can only see blue light.''Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel fell silent for a moment. He still had some Demon Crystals left, but since he had broken through, he should share this joyous news first.


    Without hesitation, Noel reached out for the tent''s cover, opening it. He saw Dimitri and Rose boil some water and cut some meat outside.


    They both looked at Noel, surprised. But they soon realized the reason he came out.


    "Congrattions, Young Master." Dimitri was the first to react, congratting him for his breakthrough.


    "Congrattions, Noel." Rose smiled.


    "Thank you." Noel nodded. He was also happy about his breakthrough since he was one step closer to his goal.


    Dimitri couldn''t help but drop all his matters ande to him. "Young Master. Do you mind if I check the flow of your Spiritual Energy?"


    "Sure. You are such a worrywart." Noel chuckled while extending his hand. Dimitri often did this because he was worried that his extensive effort might cause some problems in the future.


    When Dimitri grabbed his hand, he started pouring his Spiritual Energy to sense the flow in Noel''s body.


    Itsted only for a minute before Dimitri showed a relieved expression. "There is no problem in the cirction. It seems that you have created the Spirit Heart as well."


    "Spirit Heart?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Yes. Well, this is not normally taught. But do you know the evolution your body undergoes when reaching a higher rank?"


    "Isn''t it to build the Spiritual Energy reserve? I mean, right now."


    "You can say that way." Dimitri nodded. "When you be a Spirit Apprentice, your body will be introduced to the Spiritual Energy. So, you might have a hard time using your ability since your body doesn''t know how to handle it at that time.


    "After bing a Spirit Practitioner, your body finally is adapted to the presence of Spiritual Energy. At this stage, your body starts normally using your Spirit Ability or Technique.


    "Then, the moment you reach the Spirit Wielder Stage, the body starts to evolve ording to the Spiritual Energy inside your body, refining your muscles, organs, heart¡­ everything! This way, you can use your Spiritual Energy effectively.


    "And right now, you have be a Spirit Master. At this stage, the Spiritual Energy reserve starts to manifest in the form of your heart. We call this Spirit Heart. The reason for that name is because this heart bes a bridge for us and the Spirit. You can say that it''s a step where we can utilize the energy like the Spirit.


    "Then, if you reach the Spirit Grandmaster stage, you will refine a Spirit Mind, which is in the shape of your brain."


    "I see." Noel nodded. "What''s about Spirit Transcendence and Spirit King?"


    "The former will turn your body into a whole Spiritual Energy reserve. As for thetter, this is only a legend. But it''s said that you be a Spirit yourself. Even I don''t know much about it."


    "¡­" Noel looked down. It was great to know about what came next. But he knew he had to focus on the matter at hand. He muttered in a low voice. "Spirit Heart, huh? The bridge¡­"


    Noel couldn''t help but look at the surroundings.


    "I see. It seems that this is the Spirit Heart¡­." Noel muttered while waving his hand.


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock because a single wave of Noel''s hand covered the entire area with ice. This was truly amazing. Even he couldn''t do it when he became a Spirit Master.


    Contrary to his surprise, Rose, who was boiling the water, was annoyed, looking at the fire that had just been extinguished.


    "If you want to show off, please do it somewhere else. I''m boiling water here, and because of your ice, the fire is now gone, and the water has turned to ice!"


    "¡­"

 Chapter 567 Reward And Mission

    "Are you sure about this, Noel? I know that you are determined to do it, but now that I think about it, I''m worried that it''s too much for you. At least, let me help you." Rose frowned, showing her concern before the fight.


    Noel smiled. Unfortunately, the answer remained the same. "Sorry, Rose. I know that it looks reckless. But this is the only way! I have to do it myself."


    The bet might be one of the reasons why he wanted to do it alone. But there was another reason for Noel to be this stubborn.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    After bing a Spirit Master, Noel received a reward from his spirits. After all, his Spiritual Energy reserve had expanded greatly, so he had room to get more Spirit Abilities.


    Noel couldn''t help but remember what happened after he broke through to Spirit Master.


    ¡­


    A few hours ago.


    After bing a Spirit Master, Noel gradually opened his eyes, trying to sort his current ability and sense.


    However, his vision waspletely blocked by the system panel that contained a few rewards.


    [You have be a Spirit Master.]


    [You''ve acquired Split Step.]


    [You''ve acquired Circr Sword Strike.]


    [You''ve acquired me Scale.]


    [You''ve acquired Ice Lotus.]


    "Hmm?" Noel moaned since the sensation had changed. The pain in his body gradually subsided, but the ufortable feeling as if something was flowing into his brain appeared.


    He received information about those four abilities. He almost forgot that his swordsmanship ability was a bitcking. So, Ardagan gave him two abilities topensate for the gap between it and the elements.


    ording to the knowledge that just entered his brain, the Split Step was a unique footwork. It produced an extremely smooth movement that caused the enemy to see him splitting into two. It was extremely useful for an enemy who relied on their eyes instead of instinct or experiences.


    Meanwhile, the Circr Sword Strike was an aggressive sword strike that rotated at high speed, causing the Spiritual Energy to create a small ripple that could distort even flesh. It was a powerful sword strike. Depending on how he used it, it could easily surpass the Sword Fall in terms of power.


    Meanwhile, the me Scale''s ability was the same as its name. It covered Noel with scales made of fire, burning away anything that touched them.


    Last but not least, the Ice Lotus. The ability''s firepower was simr to the Ice Vortex. However, in terms of versatility, the Ice Lotus was clearly the winner.


    All their descriptions couldn''t help but make Noel a bit eager to test it. Though, they truly came with a high requirement to upgrade. Luckily, Noel could still keep up with the SP consumption by helping numerous people. But if he didn''t have his territory soon, he would fall behind, considering the stronger the technique was, the higher the requirement to increase its level.


    Although Noel wanted to think about the future n, he had to focus on the current matters.


    "Hmm¡­ They are useful for my fight against the demon. Though, I don''t know who is stronger¡­ my fire or the demon''s?" Noel muttered in a low voice.


    He wanted to close all the system panels, but there was one more thing noticeable from the reward.


    It turned out Ardagan tried to reward him with a mission. And this mission was quite interesting, especially the reward.


    [Mission: Complete the Third Prince''s task ording to Host''s best possible oue.]


    [Description: The Third Prince will issue you a task soon, so you have to finish it. But because the Host doesn''t know whether the Third Prince is good or bad, the Host has to consider everything first.]


    [Reward: Second Slot Medal.]


    When Noel saw the reward, he couldn''t help but ask for confirmation. ''Ardagan¡­ The reward¡­ Is it like what I''m thinking?''


    Noel didn''t bother to exin since Ardagan should have read his mind. And the answer was obvious.


    [Yes.]


    In that instant, Noel''s expression brightened. "A second slot for my medal. This is extremely good. If I can use two medals, depending on thebination, I can be extremely versatile. There are medals that increase the amount of my Spiritual Energy, so if I use two of them, there will be a huge leap in my reserve as long as I put those medals on.


    "If I''m close to Spirit Grandmaster, I might be able to fool people with it." Noel smirked, having some unique ways to utilize the second slot.


    "Alright. This is enough for now. I get new techniques and I have an ongoing mission. I don''t know what the ''One with me'' medal is used for, but I''m pretty sure it''ll be rted to my fire. 49 Skill Points are not low for a reward as well.


    "However, I''m a bit skeptical about the penalty, considering if I fail, someone will actually get the bird. Doesn''t it mean I''m taking someone''s future if I kill the monster?"


    Noel contemted for a moment. He felt bad if it meant he took someone else''s future. After all, it shouldn''t belong to him originally.


    "It seems that I have to confirm it with Anna next time. As for now, I think I have to be selfish first in order to strengthen myself. I''ll just ask Dimitri to monitor this area. If the person is an innocent person, I''ll try to repay him."


    Noel sighed. He understood faster than Anna that something he had taken away was someone''s future. If Noel was in Anna''s position in the first ce, he wouldn''t suggest anything rted to random people and only things rted to themon enemy weaken them like the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Noel let out a sigh. Thinking about it was useless unless he confirmed it with Anna, so he decided to take a step forward for once even if it meant ruining someone else''s future.


    "Sorry, but I have to do this," Noel muttered before going out of his tent.


    When he recalled that memory, Noel''s expression became serious. He looked into the distance while listening to Dimitri''s words. "Go straight for five hundred meters and look down. You will find its nest. It''s currently sleeping right now, but the moment you try to sense it, the demon''s instinct should wake it up. So, be careful."

 Chapter 568 Fighting The Fire Bird Demon (1)

    Noel followed the instruction and reached the location where he could see the other side of the mountain.


    It only took him two seconds to find the nest. After all, there was quite a big part of the trees that covered the mountain that had been burned into the ground.


    The Fire Bird Demon should cause it with its fire, so Noel knew where he had to go.


    On the one hand, it would be great if he could kill the monster on the ground. But knowing it was a bird, he would have to face the bird from the sky.


    ''Since the bird''s physical body is made of fire, the trees won''t be able to protect me from the bird. So, I guess it''s better to fight it in a ce where I can see all my surroundings to avoid the ambush from the bird.'' Noel muttered inwardly. He nced to the side, finding Rose and Dimitri on the side.


    Because of the bet, Dimitri agreed to keep other demons away from him. Rose had no way to convince Noel, so she ended up helping Dimitri.


    "I guess, it''s time to make my move." Noel smiled. He stared at the nest while circting his Spiritual Energy. "Sword Fall!"


    Three giant swords appeared on top of Noel. Instead of falling down, Noel pointed the three swords upward. He remembered the parabolic movement lesson, so he shot them upward like an arrow, trying to reach the nest with his height advantage.


    It seemed that the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from the three swords had woken up the Fire Bird Demon. Before it even reached the nest, there was a vortex of fire that swallowed the three swords, evaporating the Spiritual Energy.


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t help but feel a bit surprised. After all, what the demon burned was not his ability, but the Spiritual Energy itself.


    After that, the dust around the nest started to fill the area, carrying all the heat from the demon. It didn''t take too long for the demon to fly into the sky, searching for the person that dared to disturb its sleep.


    The bird had a wingspan of thirty meters. Noel looked so tiny before it, but more importantly, this bird''s body waspletely made of fiery red me.


    The me was circting on its body. It would continue to burn unless the demon died. The heat that the dust carried alone was enough to light up fire on some trees. So, Noel could imagine what would happen if he took a direct hit from that fire.


    "I see. No wonder Anna says this guy is strong. Just looking at this is enough to give me a shiver." Noel smirked. "Still, I have be a Spirit Master now. I''m not going to be afraid of a mere bird."


    Noel was oozing killing intent from his eyes, provoking the bird.


    *Cry!*


    The bird let out a loud cry that woke up all the demons nearby. They tried to respond to its call, but Dimitri and Rose had started moving around to suppress them, so Noel could focus on the bird.


    He smiled while covering his body with Ice Aura, cooling his body from the heat. Their ability was the opposite, so the bird knew that he had to crush Noel if it wanted to live peacefully again.


    "Come," Noel said, giving onest provocation.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    The bird pped its wings, heading straight to Noel.


    "As expected, instead of ice or new sword skills, I should test this one first." Noel smirked and gathered the Spiritual Energy into the tip of his fingers.


    Instead of ice, Noel actually released a ck phoenix from his fingers.


    Undying Phoenix.


    The Phoenix made of Undying me flew out. The size was only a fourth of the demon and the heat from the me couldn''t bepared to what the demon had, but the moment the demon saw it, its instinct was telling it to dodge.


    "!!!" The demon shifted its direction, avoiding Noel''s phoenix.


    "¡­" Contrary to the demon''s shock, Noel had be calmer. From that dodge alone, he knew that the demon was afraid of his me. In other words, his me was far superior to the phoenix.


    ''It seems that I have underestimated Ardagan''s me. Interesting.'' Noel smirked. Although he wanted to continue using his fire, he wanted to test all his abilities first.


    So, he let the demon approach him before waving his hand again.


    A huge block of ice suddenly appeared in front of him. It was then split into multiple thin tes, facing the demon.


    Ice Mirror.


    The demon looked at the ice, feeling weird. It felt the strong fluctuation from the Ice Mirror, but it wasn''t as dangerous as the previous Undying Phoenix.


    Hence, it tried to challenge Noel''s ability head-on to learn the level of Noel''s power.


    *Cry!*


    It let out another cry as the demon''s fire body red up, emitting more heat that tried to melt the Ice Mirror.


    *Bam!*


    The demon hit the mirror with its body, trying to evaporate it with its powerful me.


    Surprisingly, the fire from the bird actually failed to melt it before the impact. It only partially melted the mirrors, causing the demon to hit the mirrors for a second before the icepletely disappeared.


    "¡­" Noel frowned. Ice Mirror was one of thetest abilities he got, so it could be considered superiorpared to what he had before. Yet, the demon could easily melt it.


    If he wasn''t careful, he might lose this bet.


    Still, this was a challenge for Noel. He could finallypete with a Peak Level Demon by himself. So, he couldn''t help but feel excited.


    A smile appeared on his face as Noel used the Split Step to move to the side, avoiding the bird.


    "!!!" The bird was confused because there were two Noels heading in different directions. It was confused, so it ended up continuing on its trajectory, missing both Noels.


    It immediately turned around to see which one was real, but Noel had returned to his original position, making it look like an illusion.


    Noel waved his hand, provoking the bird. "Come on. I''ll take you on."

 Chapter 569 Fighting The Fire Bird Demon (2)

    "I''ll take you on." Noel smirked.


    The demon let out a cry, angered by the provocation. It pped its wings once, creating a gale that carried the heat from his body.


    Even from afar, Noel could feel the extreme heat that could light up some trees. Noel smirked while pointing his left hand at the demon.


    ? Temperature Control.


    Noel was using the ability he got after absorbing the Ice Crystal in the past that gave him the Water Purifying Ability.


    Back then, he could only transfer it through a solid medium. But after upgrading the skills to max level, Noel could turn the temperature down by using the air as his medium.


    The moment the two temperatures met each other, it caused a small vortex that gradually turned into a tornado. However, the tornado failed to form and ended up dispersing both temperatures.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Seeing his heat couldn''t affect Noel, the demon flew forward, trying to ram his body at Noel again.


    Noel nned to shoot the bird down with the Undying Phoenix, but before he could wave his hand, the demon suddenly spun its body as if trying to pluck his own feathers.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise as he saw ten feathers falling from his wings. These fire feathers spread out and flew toward him from multiple directions.


    Ice Mirror.


    Noel changed his strategy. He formed five huge ice mirrors to shield him from the feathers.


    When the feathers hit the ice mirror, they red up, engulfing the mirrors. Some of the mirrors managed to resist the intense heat, while some had already melted.


    "¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, feeling something was wrong with the demon. He had made the mirror block two feathers each. Yet, the effect on them was different.


    ''The demon''s fire is unstable? That might be the reason for the impact. What does this mean¡­''


    Noel wondered why the fire was unstable. On the one hand, the demon should have good control over his me. On the other hand, it was impossible to change the power behind each feather when the amount of Spiritual Energy that fueled them was the same.


    The demon didn''t care about Noel''s thoughts. It was simply trying to take its opponent down.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue, having a hard time figuring it out. As soon as the demon reached him, Noel jumped into the air, trying to avoid him.


    The bird immediately spun his body again, trying to send some heat to him. But Noel used his Hyper Jump to redirect his momentum and ultimately avoid the heat.


    After that, Noel used his Everchanging Sword Style and Ice Aura. The aura was used to cool down the temperature around him, while the Sword Style used the Fear emotion, allowing him to give a quick sh to the bird.


    As expected, despite using Spiritual Energy to cover the de, he felt no contact with the bird. It felt like the me had changed shape to follow the sword''s path and avoid it.


    Although it looked like physical contact couldn''t harm the bird, Noel still had one more thing to try.


    The bird had turned around to attack him, but Noel wasn''t scared. He struck the bird''s body, not with the Spiritual Energy or unique sword strike, but with the Spirit Weaponry.


    Surprisingly, the bird let out a cry as if it was crying from the pain.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise, looking at the small cut on his body. The Spirit Weaponry used Spiritual Energy different from the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style or any other sword abilities. It used Spiritual Energy to harm the target''s Spiritual Energy.


    It seemed that the demon''s body was made of Spiritual Energy since it reacted to his Spirit Weaponry.


    "I see¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, observing the demon. ''The demon''s body should be smaller and hidden inside that huge me body. I should try to find the location of the real body. But as expected, it won''t be an easy task.''


    After confirming his approach, Noel immediately used the Phoenix Wings. A pair of wings like the fire bird demon appeared behind him.


    Since his opponent was flying in the sky, he should have the same ability if he wanted to fight on equal ground.


    After that, Noel flew toward the demon, surprising him with his own wings.


    The bird wasn''t that surprised as if he had met multiple opponents like Noel, who challenged him to an aerial battle.


    Instead, it felt like the bird was happy with the development as if everything had gone ording to the n.


    It would have a hard time fighting Noel when he was on the ground. After all, the bird had to dive down with an appropriate angle and speed in order not to hit the ground or any obstacles that would injure him.


    But since Noel was flying, there was no obstacle or ground to hit. This way, he could go all out.


    Without hesitation, the demon faced Noel head-on as the me that made its body re up, trying to swallow Noel.


    Noel pointed his palm at the demon as a horizontal tornado flew out of his palm. This tornado was extremely cold and it had some pieces of ice swirling around it that could tear the body that was swallowed by this vortex.


    The bird felt the danger from the vortex and immediately gathered the Spiritual Energy in its body. After that, it let the Spiritual Energy out from its mouth, creating a fire beam right through the vortex.


    The extreme cold from the vortex froze the me immediately, but as expected, the me couldn''t be extinguished easily.


    A part of the vortex was melting.


    Noel clicked his tongue and used the Temperature Control to lower the temperature inside the vortex,pletely freezing the fire beam.


    However, the bird''s purpose remained the same. It was to kill Noel. The demon knew it was impossible for the beam to even harm Noel, so it only used the beam as a distraction.


    When Noel used the second ability to suppress the beam, it spun its body again, summoning the feathers to hit Noel.


    "!!!"

 Chapter 570 Fighting The Fire Bird Demon (3)

    There were twenty feathers this time and all of them had been scattered and flew toward him from all directions. If he didn''t run away as quickly as possible, he wouldn''t be able to do it anymore.


    Surprisingly, Noel didn''t bother to escape. He nced at these fire feathers with a serious expression.


    Instead of avoiding them, Noel nned to take it down head-on.


    Noel raised his left hand, forming a rune. This time, the rune was bigger than he had used in thest few months.


    This was the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. Instead of summoning it vertically so that it could disperse the iing attack, Noel expanded the rune and ced it beneath his feet.


    So, the energy from the feathers started to disperse a few meters from him. Ultimately, they disappeared before they could reach him.


    Though, utilizing the rune this way ended up dispersing the Spiritual Energy he gathered in his sword earlier.


    The effect might be great, but it was certainly a double-edged sword.


    ''I really need some offensive and defensive runes. Though, I still think my current repertoire is enough to defeat the demon¡­'' Noel thought while observing the feathers. He could see that some of the feathers were stronger than the others and almost hit him.


    Knowing that it was unstable, Noel had two options. First, he could gamble that the attack before him was the weakest one. This would cause the demon to be afraid of Noel''s boldness. The second option was to maintain a safe distance while trying to suppress the fire from his position.


    He remembered Anna''s suggestion, so he ended up choosing the second option.


    Noel sped his hand, trying to use the ability he had just acquired not long ago. An ice lotus suddenly appeared on top of him.


    The lotus'' size was three times his body. It had three petals.


    With a single wave of his hand, one of the petals fell down and floated in the air, heading toward the demon.


    "!!!" The demon''s instinct kicked in again. It sensed the same danger as Noel''s Phoenix, so the demon tried to avoid it.


    However, Noel had better control over the Ice Lotus than the phoenix. So, the moment the demon moved away, he shifted the petal''s direction and chased after the demon.


    *Boom!*


    The petal exploded as soon as it reached its attack range, letting out a huge white cloud.


    The cloud could freeze even the water particles in the air. If the demon was hit by this, his me might be suppressed for a split second and it would have a hard time using its fire afterward.


    Still, Noel''s attack didn''t stop there. There were two more petals that came out from the lotus, attacking the demon from two directions.


    "¡­" The demon looked at both petals before pping its wings. The hot gale formed a huge ball that somehow lit up and turned into a fireball.


    This fireball split into two. Then, the demon sneaked inside and pushed both fireballs toward the petal.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The fireball and the ice petal hit each other, causing a significant thermal explosion.


    The shock wave was so big that the demon and Noel ended up getting blown away.


    Noel couldn''t help but smirk when he saw the power of that ice petal.


    ''As expected, in terms of the whole power, the Ice Vortex is more powerful. But if I use the petals more efficiently, the Ice Lotus is more useful than the vortex.''


    This was a chance to test all his abilities¡­ All, except one. He wanted to use the me Scale, but it seemed that he would be harmed by the demon''s fire if he used it to block the attack.


    So, he didn''t bother with this one first. Instead, he raised his sword and poured a lot of Spiritual Energy on its edge.


    "Ha¡­" Noel took a deep breath while shing downward.


    Suddenly, a blue light came out of the sword like the extension of the sword. But this light gradually curved until it formed a circle.


    The circle kept rotating at high speed, cutting everything in its path.


    "!!!" The demon let out a beam to test this ability. Although it sensed some danger, it wasn''t as dangerous as the phoenix and the lotus after all. The demon couldn''t be scared of Noelpletely, so it tried to resist.


    Unfortunately, he underestimated the power of the sword strike. Due to its high speed rotation and the amount of Spiritual Energy used for this ability, the circr sword strike was cutting everything on its path like a saw.


    Even a sturdy metal would be cut through, let alone a mere fire.


    "!!!" The demon had to stop bursting its fire and started dodging the sword strike if it wanted to stay alive. Unfortunately, a part of its right wing was hit by the Circr Sword Strike.


    *Cry!*


    ¡­


    The battle was observed by Dimitri, who was stunned because of all the new abilities Noel had shown since the beginning.


    ''What are those abilities?'' Dimitri frowned. He had followed Noel for a long time. Although he didn''t watch his every movement, it didn''t change the fact that he had seen all his abilities.


    Yet, there were multiple abilities that he saw for the first time. He couldn''t help but wonder how much Noel had been hiding this whole time.


    Although he knew that these abilities muste from his ''spirit,'' there should be a significant amount of time to practice this ability.


    The fact that Noel could just use it right away without practicing was enough to show his talent.


    Even Dimitri was speechless since the more powerful the ability, the harder it took to master it.


    ''It seems that Young Master''s talent is still not explored fully. Though, I can see some ws in his current fighting style. I''ll tell him about it after this fight. I hope that you can defeat the demon by yourself, Young Master.''


    Dimitri smiled as if he was looking forward to the day he swore his allegiance to Noel.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

 Chapter 571 Fighting The Fire Bird Demon (4)

    The bird widened his eyes as the sharp pain hit his mind. It never thought that the sword strike could cut his wing.


    ''Hmm?'' Noel frowned, feeling something was wrong. At first, he thought that the bird''s real body was smaller than what he could see. But he started doubting that conclusion after his sword was able to reach him with the Spirit Weaponry.


    He thought it must be because of the Spirit Weaponry''s ability that could cut the Spiritual Energy itself. But it seemed he was wrong. The Circr Sword Strike didn''t have the same characteristic as the Spirit Weaponry, so it shouldn''t be able to harm the bird.


    Yet, the conclusion was different.


    ''Is there some missing information in my head?'' Noel tried to recall the information about the birds and his abilities.


    He couldn''t help but question how the Spirit Weaponry was able to cut through the Spiritual Energy while the others couldn''t. And how it was rted to the Circr Sword Strike.


    The fire bird demon noticed that Noel was distracted and let out a cry as if it felt Noel looking down on him.


    The bird dove down, trying to grab Noel with its talon.


    Noel clicked his tongue and raised his sword, trying to block this attack. But as expected, the bird was nning to use its weight to crush Noel.


    Luckily, Noel thought the same thing as the bird. He knew that the Peak Level Demon had a thought simr to that of a human. So, he knew the bird was trying to trick him with the diving motion as if it wanted to grab him.


    Right before the bird reached him, Noel activated the Ice Aura to protect himself from the heat. After that, he went into one of the trees and poured his Spiritual Energy into it.


    Ice Infusion.


    Suddenly, the tree was covered in thick ice. Due to its shape, the tree looked like a nail that was about to hit the bird''s talon.


    "!!!" The bird tried to stop, but he was moving too fast. In the end, his talon hit the tree.


    The weight from the body broke the tree apart since the bird came diagonally. But it seemed that the pointed tip of the tree managed to cause a wound on the talon as a portion of the trunk was stuck to the bird''s talon.


    "¡­" The bird flew around, trying to gain some distance from Noel.


    While he was at it, Noel asked Ardagan, thinking he was rted to the Circr Sword Strike''s ability.


    ''Ardagan. Does the Circr Sword Strike have the ability to strike the Spiritual Energy itself?''


    Although he didn''t want to rely on anyone other than himself, he had to do it to get a fast answer.


    [No. It''s an ability from Heisk.]


    ''Heisk?'' Noel widened his eyes in shock. The only thing he could remember about Heisk was her ability to control Spiritual Energy. She never used a sword, so she shouldn''t have given him the ability.


    But Ardagan didn''t seem to be lying.


    So, there was only one possibility in Noel''s mind.


    ''Now that I think about it, the only thing different from the previous Heisk is that I have created a Spirit Link with Heisk¡­'' Noel fell silent, thinking that the answer was the Spirit Link.


    ''It seems that the Spirit Link is more important than I originally thought.''


    As if trying to guide him, Ardagan gave one more reply.


    [The Spirit Link allows your body to behave like a Spirit. And Spirits are born to control Spiritual Energy naturally.]


    "¡­" Noel got his answer. As expected, the Circr Sword Strike must be rted to the Spirit Link and Heisk. He didn''t know why Heisk had it, but it was clear that he could utilize the Spirit Link with the help of the ability.


    "I don''t know much about the Spirit Link, but I think I can understand it a bit. The Circr Sword Strike and all my Ice Abilities are working, so I should focus on these two in order to figure out about the Spirit Link."


    Noel looked at the bird with a serious expression. Although he wanted to ask Ardagan again, thetter wouldn''t like to talk about it. After all, he wanted to know everything about the Spirit Link, whereas Ardagan wanted him to experience it himself.


    Noel sighed while gathering the energy into the de, ready to use another Circr Sword Strike.


    He knew which ability would be working, so killing the demon shouldn''t be impossible.


    The demon flew toward him while letting out a huge cry. It pped its wings a few times, shooting some feathers made of me.


    Noel still held the energy on his sword, ready to release it. But he had to handle the feathers first.


    He used another ability in his other hand. This might be the first time he used two powerful abilities at the same time.


    The energy around his sword instantly became unstable.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, having a hard time controlling the Spiritual Energy. However, he had to do it.


    He forcefully released the Ice Mirror.


    A part of the Spiritual Energy on his sword leaked out, cutting one of the mirrors. So, Noel had to stop all the feathers with only four Ice Mirrors.


    In the end, he surrounded himself with the mirrors, blocking the feather from all directions.


    He knew that some feathers would fly on top of them since it was the only unprotected area.


    That was why Noel instantly jumped to the side, sneaking past both the feathers and the mirrors.


    *Boom!*


    The feathers that dropped onto Noel''s position exploded, destroying the Ice Mirrors.


    But Noel was free and even had time to approach the bird while swinging his sword.


    Circr Sword Strike.


    The bird had already seen this ability once, so it immediately flew away.


    However, Noel was one step ahead. He had already used the Temperature Control to suppress the fire bird''s body.


    The fire bird was slowing down for a moment due to the sudden change in temperature, allowing Noel''s Circr Sword Strike to hit the bird.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 572 Fighting The Fire Bird Demon (5)

    *Cry!*


    The bird was in pain as the sword strike hit him again. Although it left a smaller wound due to some of the sword energy depleted from Noel''sck of control, it was still quite big.


    Noel immediately used his Phoenix Wings to chase after him.


    ''I can use some utility abilities like Split Step or Phoenix Wings at the same time as an attack ability. But I still don''t have enough control to use two extremely powerful abilities since they require greater control and a bigger amount of Spiritual Energy.''


    Noel clicked his tongue. He trulycked a lot of things despite getting stronger constantly. No, he felt that he could see more problems when he became stronger.


    This frustrated him a lot but also made him feel grateful since it taught him how to get stronger.


    ''Well, I should focus on the battle first.'' Noel muttered inwardly before the bird was angry again.


    The fire bird demon rose into the sky and spread its wings as if it was trying to absorb the heat from the sun.


    Noel narrowed his eyes, feeling the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy getting stronger.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped, seeing the me on his wings re up.


    When the bird pped its wings, it sent out a gale again. But this time, the gale contained some red aura as if it was the zing fire that was carried by the wind.


    Noel hurriedly used his Ice Vortex to disperse the attack.


    As soon as the cold and heat collided, the heat red up and caused an explosion, dispersing the Ice Vortex instead.


    "What?" Noel couldn''t believe what he saw. It was one of his most powerful abilities, yet, it was taken down easily.


    This was the second concern he had the whole time. The fire bird''s me was extremely unstable. Sometimes, they were strong. Sometimes, they were weaker than he expected.


    He wondered where the instability came from. And it seemed he had found the answer.


    When the fire bird spread its wings as if it was basking in the sunlight, he realized that the fire bird''s me had be more intense.


    "No way." Noel gasped. "Does the bird''s heate from not the fire in his body or the natural fire around him but from the sun itself?"


    Noel couldn''t help but shudder. If this was truly the case, he realized that fighting against the demon at this time was a foolish move.


    The fight started one hour before midday. If he couldn''t defeat the fire bird within one hour, the sun would continue to rise and reach its peak.


    "This is not looking good¡­" Noel muttered with a serious expression. On the one hand, he could still take advantage of the weaker abilities. On the other hand, that weakness might disappear when the sun reaches its peak.


    When that happens, the demon would be in its strongest form. Although he could gain some advantages with his current abilities, their positions would be exchanged the moment the sun was at its peak.


    ''I have to kill the demon as soon as possible.'' Noel gritted his teeth and flew straight toward the fire bird.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He used his Ice Aura to cool the temperature around him, trying to withstand the heat from the gale.


    As expected, the fire had be stronger. The fire even neutralized a portion of his Ice Aura and almost prated the ice Aura. If it managed to reach his skin, he would surely be burned.


    Noel ignored the current damage since it hadn''t reached him yet. He pushed through in order to get closer to the bird.


    The bird had realized that Noel had figured out his true ability. He wasn''t supposed to be called a Fire Bird. He should be called the Sun Bird.


    The more the sun let out its heat, the stronger he would be. Seeing Noel getting desperate all of a sudden was enough to answer his doubt.


    That was why the bird immediately flew back, trying to gain some distance. He nned to buy some time until he became even stronger.


    Noel clicked his tongue. He immediately used the Undying Phoenix to stop him.


    The bird knew it had no chance of winning against the ck-colored phoenix, so it moved to the side, avoiding it.


    Noel took this chance to close the gap between them and struck the bird from above.


    "Die!" Noel shouted while waving his sword.


    The bird''s eyes shed as if it had been waiting for this chance. The moment Noel was above him, the bird spread its wings again.


    "!!!" Noel suddenly noticed the sudden increase in the temperature. He immediately realized that the bird was connected to the sun through the sunlight.


    So, it could raise the heat between them by using Spiritual Energy.


    Noel tried to use his Temperature Control to slow down the increase in temperature while flying to the side.


    He managed to avoid it, but the bird also used that time to change direction. The chase had just begun.


    Noel kept flying after the bird while thetter maintained the distance by using a lot of Spiritual Energy. The bird knew that his power was currently inferior to Noel''s. So, he had to wait for a while until his fire became strong enough.


    Meanwhile, Noel also acknowledged the fact that the gap in their strength was shrinking at a rapid rate. He realized his prediction was wrong.


    If he didn''t defeat the bird within thirty minutes, he might lose.


    Noel gritted his teeth, ring at the bird.


    He tried to formte a n that could pin the bird down and defeat it within the time limit.


    And to do it, he had to use his new abilities and the Spirit Link.


    ''Circr Sword Strike, Ice Aura, Ice Mirror, Ice Vortex, and Ice Lotus¡­ How should I use them¡­ No, wait.'' Noel suddenly remembered something.


    [Shop]


    Avable Points: 120 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Water Gallon (2 HP)


    Water Tank (3 HP)


    Random Rune Scroll (30 HP)


    Random Upgrade Scroll (30 HP)


    His eyes were locked on the Random Rune Scroll in the shop. Something he needed to cover the gap in his n.

 Chapter 573 New Runes

    Noel knew that his current abilities were enough to kill a Peak Level Demon in a short time. However, this demon was different.


    Not only did his ability as a Peak Level Demon top notch, but he was also fleeing with all his abilities. Unless Noel had an overwhelming attack or a surprise attack that could catch him off guard, he wouldn''t have any chance of defeating this demon within the time limit.


    ''The rune I will get from the Random Rune Scroll will be ording to the current level of my Rune Mastery. I am at level sixth right now and I have only learned about the Rune Enchantment System.


    ''The next four levels of the Rune Mastery are Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, Rune Body, and Rune Array. Rune Engineering is about programming a certain movement in an object while Rune Spell is a way to store and release the rune power in a certain object¡­''


    Noel fell silent. He had enough Skill Points to upgrade his Rune Mastery, but he didn''t know whether the Rune Engineering was enough to defeat the demon or not.


    "This is annoying." Noel clicked his tongue. Since the scroll was random, he decided to give more options by upgrading the Rune Mastery twice. ''Ardagan! Exchange the Honor Points to Skill Points and upgrade the Rune Mastery with all the Skill Points I have!''


    Rune Mastery (7/10)


    Rune Mastery (8/10)


    In that instant, he received a lot of new knowledge regarding engineering and spell systems.


    He also got four new runes from each system.


    [You''ve acquired Enhance Forward Rune.]


    [You''ve acquired Extension Rune.]


    [You''ve acquired Rune Sword.]


    [You''ve acquired Rune Arrow.]


    "¡­" Noel gritted his teeth, trying to process the knowledge as quickly as possible. "This¡­"


    Noel didn''t know what to say about these four runes, considering each rune from each system was simr to the other.


    The Enhance Forward Rune can be embedded in an object and cause the object to move forward. But the Extension Rune could shoot up the Spiritual Energy inside the rune to extend the tip of the object. It was simr since both of them released something forward.


    Meanwhile, if he used the Rune Sword, there would be a sword made of Spiritual Energy appearing before him. The Rune Arrow was simr. It summoned an arrow from the Spiritual Energy.


    However, there was something unique from both Rune Systems. He felt they were connected.


    The Rune Arrow could be paired with the Enhance Forward Rune, allowing him to shoot the arrow without a bow. On the other hand, the Rune Sword could be extended with the Extension Rune.


    However, there was a problem. He didn''t know whether these runes could harm the demon or not.


    He thought for a moment, thinking of another way to use the rune. He couldn''t help but smile, realizing that there were more applications he could try to attack the demon.


    Noel took a deep breath and gathered the Spiritual Energy into the tip of his fingers. He started pouring out Spiritual Energy to form a rune in front of him.


    This time, it was Rune Arrow. After that, he formed another rune on top of the arrow. This was the Enhance Forward Rune.


    With the Spiritual Energy, he could tweak the arrow energy to apply the rune''s ability. He immediately released that rune arrow.


    As expected of the rune system, the rune arrow flew forward even faster than Noel''s flying speed. It managed to catch up to the demon in an instant.


    "!!!" The demon was surprised by this new ability. After all, this ability didn''te from the spirit, but from a new system unrted to the spirits. It wasn''t something that he used to deal with.


    The demon didn''t know whether to dodge it or not. On the one hand, he didn''t know whether this ability could harm him or not. On the other hand, he had some level of confidence that his instinct would kick in if this arrow was dangerous.


    So, the demon tried to choose whether to follow his rationality or his instinct.


    In the end, he chose to follow his rationality. This was what made Peak Level Demon different from other low level demons after all.


    The demon dodged it carefully while using his fire to burn the arrow.


    To his surprise, the arrow waspletely reduced to nothingness. It turned out his instinct was right. The arrow was not dangerous.


    And because of his action, the demon ended up giving Noel some time to catch up.


    Noel smirked while gathering the Spiritual Energy to use the Spirit Weaponry on his de. After that, he formed the Extension Rune on Ardagan.


    Suddenly, the sword was extended forward, turning Ardagan into a twenty meter long sword.


    "!!!" The demon widened its eyes, not expecting that Noel was actually able to release that unique Spiritual Energy out of his sword.


    This was what made the Rune System unique. Not only could it incorporate normal Spiritual Energy, but it could also work with the Spirit Ability and Spirit Technique. It was so versatile that it was too strong for anyone to monopolize the system.


    Noel immediately swung downward, trying to cut down the bird.


    As expected from a flying demon, its maneuverability was far superior to Noel''s Phoenix Wings. The moment it saw the iing de, it immediately spun its body while pping its wings, generating a wind to push him sideways.


    The spin even released a few feathers from his wings.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The feathers exploded, trying to crush the extension from the Spirit Weaponry.


    Looking at the result, Noel was happy about two different things. Firstly, he realized that the enemy was wary of his ability, showing that the Spirit Weaponry could really be extended. Secondly, he might be able to fuse the rune with something else.


    ''This is interesting. I know thatbining the runes is possible, considering thest level of the rune is theposite rune, which is basicallybining all four rune systems.


    ''Although I don''t have a lot of knowledge and experience aboutbining two runes or even more, I''m still able to do it safely. I just have to maintain enough distance so that the demon can''t turn around and attack me while I''m drawing the rune.''


    Noel knew how to fight the demon after confirming his new ability.


    He immediately drew the Rune Sword, summoning a gold sword made of Spiritual Energy. Instead of using the new runes, he actually used the Energy Gathering Rune.


    This was normally used in the Spirit Enchantment to fuel some energy into the rune to activate the runes embedded in the pieces of equipment. But this time, he enhanced his Rune Sword with the Energy Gathering Rune.


    As for the Spiritual Energy that would be poured into the rune was none other than his own Spiritual Energy.


    Of course, normal Spiritual Energy wouldn''t work. But he had two answers to fix it. He could either apply the Spirit Weaponry''s energy or the energy from the Spirit Link.


    Unfortunately, to release the energy from the Spirit Weaponry, he had to use the Spirit Dispersion Rune on the Spirit Weaponry first, so it would make the system extremelyplicated. Hence, Noel chose the second one.


    He used the energy from his Spirit Link, which was a unique Spiritual Energy that came from the spirit itself.


    He poured that ice energy into the Rune Sword, turning the gold sword blue.


    Seeing the overwhelming ice element inside the sword, Noel grabbed it with his bare hand as if he had just pulled a sword out of the ground.


    The ice element would have frozen him if he had wielded this sword without any protection. But due to the Spirit Link, his cold tolerance increased, so he didn''t feel any cold from the sword.


    So, he raised his sword, aimed at the demon, and threw it forward.


    There wasn''t much distance between them, so the demon had to move quickly if he wanted to dodge it. But because this was the first time he had seen something like this, the demon''s reaction was a bit slower.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The sword ended up touching the tip of its wing.


    *Boom!*


    The ice element immediately exploded, releasing a chilling white smoke from within the sword.


    As expected, Heisk''s Ice was quite strong even though she wasn''t the highest rank of Spirit. The ice extinguished a part of the fire wing, causing the bird to lose its bnce.


    It ended up flying to the side to maintain its bnce. This was Noel''s chance to catch up.


    He knew that he would be attacked by the connection between the bird and the sun if he went from above. So, this time, Noel approached the bird from the side.


    His left hand formed the Ice Lotus while his right hand gathered some Spiritual Energy to use the Spirit Weaponry.


    Noel smirked, seeing this opportunity. The lotus released its petals while Noel flew straight to the demon''s body while swinging his sword.

 Chapter 574 Injury

    Seeing the iing attacks, the fire bird realized that Noel had been preparing this attack the whole time. With the current condition of the wing, he would have a hard time dodging both attacks. So, he had to take it head-on if he wanted to survive unscathed.


    But he didn''t have enough time to prepare for an ability that could achieve that result. So, he knew he had to sacrifice something.


    He had seen Noel''s Ice Lotus and the Spirit Weaponry. The Ice Lotus had an overwhelming ice ability. It wouldn''t be strange if it could extinguish the fire on his body or wing.


    On the other hand, the Spirit Weaponry was a unique sword ability that could cut even his Spiritual Energy. So, getting hit by either one would still be pretty hurt.


    Yet, he had to take on if he wanted to survive.


    The demon gathered his energy in front of his body. The concentrated enemy started to burn like a raging fire, trying to engulf Noel.


    "!!!" Noel was surprised by the bird''s choice. He waved his sword, slicing the me. As expected from the Spirit Weaponry, it immediately sliced the me into two like butter.


    The me was cut, but the three petals from the Ice Lotus were closing in.


    One petal approached the other wing, another one flew to its head, and thest one appeared behind him.


    Noel would get his doubt answered when he saw the demon spinning his body at thest moment. Instead of letting his body hit just like that, the bird covered its body with its wings.


    *Boom!*


    The ice petals exploded, releasing the white icy fog. It instantly extinguished a part of the other wing. This way, the two wings would have a simr circumstance.


    This was when Noel realized the intelligence of a Peak Level Demon.


    After receiving that ability, the demon started flying again like nothing had happened. It turned out the demon had calcted the ability and used the Ice Lotus to trim his own wing so that both had the same condition.


    This way, he had two same wings. Aside from the ufortable feeling because he wasn''t used to flying with a smaller pair of wings, there was nothing stopping him anymore.


    ''Seriously? The demon can even do that?'' Noel gritted his teeth, trying to chase the bird again. He never thought that the bird allowed him to be hit so that he could adjust his wings.


    Unfortunately for him, the demon seemed to have nned a counterattack. The moment Noel tried to chase after him, there were several feathers surrounding him.


    ''Huh? Since when?'' Noel looked at them and saw the small red sphere that isted them. He soon realized that the demon was hiding them inside the white smoke this whole time.


    He almost forgot that every time the demon released its feathers was when he spun his body.


    In other words, not only did the demon use the previous attack to condition his wings, but he also secretly ced an ambush.


    "Kh." Noel hurriedly used his me Scale to cover his body.


    *Boom!*Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred, engulfing Noel.


    The power of the stunched Noel away and the heat from the fire made his body release smoke as if he was being burned alive.


    However, Noel''s body was covered with ck colored fire. This was Ardagan''s Undying Fire. And if one took a closer look, they would notice that Noel''s skin looked like they were covered in scales. And these scales were the ones releasing the ck fire.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth while scanning his body. ''Kh. Although the me scale and the Undying Fire managed to absorb a huge portion of the me, it''s still pretty hurt to get sted like that. Even the heat is warming up my organs¡­"


    Noel felt the burning sensation inside his body. The Undying me was covering the organs as well, but as expected, it still made him in pain.


    He took a deep breath. "My current condition is not too bad, but I can''t say it''s good as well. If I take another attack from the bird, my organs might start to have some problems."


    There was one thing he noticed from the explosions earlier. Out of ten explosions that hit him, eight of them reached unprecedented might. The bird was getting closer and closer to its peak.


    Noel gritted his teeth and chased after him. He wanted to be careful, but he didn''t have enough time.


    Still, the bird had made a considerable distance by using the previous attack. So, Noel had to use all his abilities in order to catch up to him again.


    If he used the samebination, the bird might dodge it easily because he had learned the attack pattern.


    So, Noel had to be more creative.


    Noel''s expression became serious. He tried to position the bird between him and the mountain.


    Seeing the sudden change, the bird tried to cross the mountain to avoid Noel. He hadn''t realized what Noel was nning.


    Noel''s n started the moment they passed the mountain. Noel used the mountain to step on the ground without diving down.


    That step was all he needed to activate the Split Step, dividing himself into two.


    "!!!" The demon was startled. This was the ability that confused him earlier. But when he was away from Noel, he could see the difference. One of them was surrounded by Spiritual Energy, while the other one was made of Spiritual Energy.


    It was pretty clear for the bird. So, it flew toward the one made of Spiritual Energy to gain more distance.


    But this intelligence was what Noel needed the most. Noel smirked. He had predicted that the bird would have seen through the ability. So, all he needed to do was to take one step ahead by going in the same direction.


    The bird was startled, realizing that he had been tricked by Noel. But it was toote. Noel once again managed to approach him while utilizing his abilities.

 Chapter 575 Risks

    The fire bird demon was trying to get away from Noel. As long as he could persist for a bit more, he would be unstoppable.


    But Noel had thought one step forward. He used the new rune, the Enhance Forward Rune, on his shirt.


    Yes, he applied it on his shirt so that his shirt would move forward, carrying him. This way, he didn''t need to spare some attention for the Phoenix Wings and other things.


    He could retract all of them and focus on the next strike.


    He also used the Rune Sword to summon another sword for his left hand. The bird never saw Noel wielding two swords. In fact, his subordinates had never seen it as well.


    The bird was surprised, trying to figure out what Noel wanted with these two swords.


    Noel gathered the Spiritual Energy for the Circr Sword Strike on Ardagan and Spirit Weaponry for the Rune Sword.


    The bird hurriedly raised its talons and stopped both swords. But Noel instantly cut the talon made of fire. Even if the bird was big, he still had enough power to cut through the giant body.


    The other talon also tried to stop him but to no avail. Noel had his momentum, cutting the demon''s legs.


    The demon was wailing in pain, but he didn''t stop there. The demon knew that Noel was unstoppable and it would be hard to defeat Noel in his current condition. So, he nned to injure Noel with some sacrifice until he reached his peak.


    With Noel''s momentum, he would have a hard time stopping his movement. So, the bird invited him in while wrapping Noel with his wings and body.


    "!!!" Noel realized that the demon was trying to burn him from the inside.


    It seemed that the bird was ready to pay some sacrifice in order to defeat him.


    Noel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain that came from his body warming up. If he didn''t do anything, he would be cooked alive. So, Noel used the Phoenix Wing to strike the demon.


    Phoenix Strike.


    The ck-colored phoenix reappeared and flew straight to the demon''s body before exploding.


    *Boom!*


    The phoenix exploded, releasing a raging ck fire that seemed to be able to burn the demon''s fire.


    Despite not having intense heat like the demon''s fire, the Undying Fire waspletely dominating the demon''s fire.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Even the bird ended up falling down while feeling all the pain. It felt like the me was eating him alive.


    Noel was supposed tounch another attack here, but he couldn''t help but spat a mouthful of blood.


    "Gah." Noel coughed a few times. His organs had started failing for being too hot. He never thought that the bird would sacrifice a huge portion of its body to harm him this way. It was surely effective, but the demon didn''t have an easy time either.


    When he looked down, he saw the bird''s size shrinking drastically until it revealed the real body of the demon. It turned out the demon was a bird the size of Noel''s body. It had extended its body with the Spiritual Energy, but because the Spiritual Energy was connected directly to the body, he ended up feeling the pain being cut by Noel''s Spirit Weaponry and Circr Sword Strike.


    Though, now that the me had gone, the demon''s real body was revealed. As long as Noel could defeat it, he would win the bet with Dimitri.


    Still, Noel couldn''t rejoice. After all, the bird might have revealed its true body, but the fire remained on his body. The scattered me was burning even fiercer than earlier.


    When Noel nced up, he realized that the sun had reached its peak.


    Although the demon was in its weakened state due to the attack earlier, the power of the sun was boosting its ability to an unprecedented level.


    In the meantime, Noel was injured internally. Inner injuries were far more dangerous than outer injuries, so Noel didn''t know whether he was still fit enough to kill the demon or not.


    He might be able to kill the demon, but if he continued, he might end up with a longsting injury that would gue him for the rest of his life. So, Noel had to consider it properly.


    ''Ardagan. Is there anything you can do with my current condition?'' Although Noel didn''t want to rely on Ardagan, Dimitri or anyone else too much, he had to do it this time.


    [Heisk''s power can let you recover for a bit. But Heisk can''t use her power to freeze the organs immediately since it''ll end up harming you instead. As for your current condition, Heisk said that it''s not too bad at the moment. As long as you don''t receive a simr attack within five minutes, you will be good.]


    ''There are a lot of risks, huh.'' Noel took a deep breath. He started to feel the energy from the Spirit Link that gradually chilled his body. It wasn''t an overwhelming chill since the drastic change in temperature could harm the organ. It was a gentle breeze that would gradually cool down the organs.


    ''Five minutes¡­ It seems I have to find a way to survive for the next five minutes.'' Noel muttered inwardly.


    Meanwhile, the demon had stood up while spreading its wings. It released another cry before soaring to the sky.


    The fire that covered his body started to recover. The intense heat from the small fire could rival the one in his prime condition.


    "¡­" Noel clicked his tongue. It would be a bit risky, but he had to do it.


    Seeing the change in Noel''s expression, the demon flew forth, trying to kill Noel.


    On the other hand, Noel had drawn the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. His sword was gathering the Spiritual Energy for the Spirit Weaponry. Due to the rune, the energy that had been converted by the Spirit Weaponry was dispersed in the air.


    "!!!" As expected from a demon, whose senses were heightened, it noticed the change in the Spiritual Energy. He didn''t know what would happen to him if he passed this Spiritual Energy, making him hesitate.

 Chapter 576 Victor

    The demon knew that it was close to its peak state while Noel was heavily injured. The situation had gradually shifted.


    And the moment Noel showed thest rune to disperse the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Weaponry, the demon realized that Noel had a hard time fighting back.


    This time, the hunter had be the hunted.


    Without hesitation, the demon looped around the unique energy and approached Noel from the back. Noel smiled as he moved back, using the unique Spiritual Energy as his cover. He nned to stay this way as long as possible since the demon was scared of this energy.


    Since Noel refused toe out, the demon ended up pping his wings, blowing the unique Spiritual Energy away.


    Noel actually followed the movement of Spiritual Energy. It had been dispersed further, but it was still enough to hinder the demon''s movement.


    But as one would expect from a bird, it flew past the hurdles skillfully, forcing Noel to fly away.


    "!!!" The demon had confirmed with this action that he truly had be the hunter.


    So, the bird chased after Noel. He might be heavily injured as well, but all he needed was one blow to defeat Noel. As long as he could catch up, he should be able to kill Noel.


    It seemed Noel had prepared for this chase. He summoned the Rune Arrow and applied the Extension Rune instead of the Enhance Forward Rune.


    In that instant, the arrow expanded forward. It might not be as quick as the Enhance Forward Rune, but the expansion made it sturdier.


    Unfortunately, the demon avoided it effortlessly.


    Noel raised his left hand again. This time, he used ''me Conjuring'' to form a big palm made of ck fire.


    He tried to p the demon from above.


    The demon had long acknowledged that this ck fire was superior to his fire. So, it didn''t hesitate to dodge the palm even if it meant Noel got away.


    Still, the gap didn''t widen that much. So, the demon used its fastest speed to catch up.


    Just like the demon, Noel had an ability to use feathers. Instead of spinning his body, Noel only pped the Phoenix Wings once, plucking out five ck feathers.


    Noel sent them forward, rming the demon.


    "!!!" The demon obviously understood how the feathers could be used. So, it soared into the sky, trying to get as far as possible from the feathers.


    After that, he dove down, getting all the momentum to reach Noel.


    Noel used the Ice Infusion and waved his sword, sending forth the frost energy. But because it was too small, the demon easily avoided it by flying to the side.


    It missed Noel, but the demon''s speed still far outpaced him, so the demon reached him a few secondster.


    Noel clicked his tongue and used the Ice Mirror to stop the demon.


    The demon only spread its wings and struck the Ice Mirror fearlessly. After the sun reached its peak, the demon didn''t fear Noel''s ice ability anymore.


    The moment it touched the demon, the Ice Mirror immediately got engulfed by the fire and melted away.


    Phoenix Wing.


    A ck colored phoenix emerged from Noel''s hand. It turned out Noel used the Ice Mirror to cover the demon''s eyes so that he could use the Undying Phoenix.


    The demon was startled and tried to avoid it, but it was toote. The Undying Phoenix hit the tip of the wing and exploded, engulfing the demon.


    Luckily, the demon''s momentum was extremely fast. The body managed to avoid the explosion and me with its momentum alone, but the ck me managed to reach its body.


    The demon''s right wing and right side of the body had a ck me on them, killing the demon slowly.


    The demon knew that if it continued, he would just die without a fight. So, he had to kill Noel before his body was burned.


    This was the most effective way to get rid of the fire.


    So, he ignored all the pain in his body and continued to fly straight to Noel.


    "!!!" Noel seemed to be shocked. He must think the demon would stop and wail in pain because of the pain before chasing after him. Unfortunately for him, the demon was stronger than he expected.


    It instantly closed the gap between them and finally reached Noel.


    Noel raised his sword, trying to kill the bird with a single sh. But that was only a desperate attempt from a shocked person. It didn''t have any other meaning.


    The bird was faster in closing his wings, using the me to create an oven to burn Noel.


    "Aaaahhh!" Noel let out a scream as if he was in pain. Although he didn''t catch fire yet due to the me Scale, it didn''t change the fact that his organs would be cookedpletely after this.


    *Cry!*


    The demon let out a huge cry while looking at Noel happily, knowing that his attack definitely became thest blow.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel had Heisk inside him. She had cooled down Noel''s organs, allowing him to withstand this heat once more.


    And knowing that the bird would use this kind of attack to kill him, Noel immediately flew forward while gathering his Spiritual Energy into his sword.


    Spirit Weaponry.


    Extension Rune.


    The sword became long enough to slice the bird in half.


    "!!!" The bird was shocked, never expecting Noel to use this kind of strategy. Its instinct was to move its body away from Noel, but it was toote.


    Noel shed horizontally, cutting the demon''s body into two.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    The bird never thought Noel would be able to defeat him. But there was nothing he could do since Noel had cut him down.


    It could only re at Noel one more time. It wanted to let out a cry, but it didn''t have the energy or consciousness to do it.


    The fire on the body had gradually subsided. When every me was gone, it was the sign of the death of the fire bird demon.


    The battle was over, and Noel was the victor.

 Chapter 577 Fire Birds Heart

    "Young Master!" Dimitri instantly appeared the moment he saw Noel delivering the killing blow. It seemed that he had taken care of the rest of the demons in the area and had been waiting for him to finish.


    Noel smiled at Dimitri before dropping to his knees while coughing up blood. "Gah."


    "Young Master!" Dimitri tried to check his condition. He even used his Spiritual Energy to scan Noel''s body.


    But surprisingly, aside from the heat, Noel''s body waspletely fine. He might experience a huge difort for a while, but he will definitely recover from this.


    He couldn''t help but feel relieved. He wanted to intervene this whole time, but he had a bet to uphold. If he participated in the battle before Noel gave up, he would break his own promise. So, he chose to believe him.


    "I''m fine." Noel let out a sigh. "This is truly hard."


    "No. I''m extremely impressed by Young Master''s strength." Dimitri shook his head. He pointed at the demon and said with a serious expression. "Look at the demon, Young Master. The demon was extremely strong. If I''m not wrong, it''s close to the limit of a Peak Level Demon.


    "And that kind of demon was defeated by you, who had just be a Spirit Master not long ago.


    "To think the young master can surpass that gap¡­" Dimitri sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the victory.


    Noel knew there were four phases to differentiate a single level. He was in the first phase of the Spirit Master, a new Spirit Master.


    Once he had more Spiritual Energy to consolidate his power, he would be a solid Spirit Master.


    If he could utilize all his abilities as a Spirit Master, he would reach the next phase. Meanwhile, thest phase was just the preparation to break through to the Spirit Grandmaster.


    The fact that Noel could bypass the gap between a new Spirit Master and thest phase Spirit Master was amazing. It was almost impossible for someone to fight someone above their level, let alone a few levels.


    Although Noel managed to take it down with surprise, it didn''t change the fact that Noel''s ck Fire, Powerful Ice, and Unique Rune allowed him to have the same strength as someone in the third or fourth phase of Spirit Master despite being a new Spirit Master.


    ''If he is allowed to grow, he will be unstoppable. With his other talents, there is no doubt that he will be a leading figure in the future.'' Dimitri thought after observing Noel''s ability.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Even though it was such a shocking scene, Noel wasn''t fixated on his ability. Instead, he focused on the mission he had justpleted.


    [Mission: Defeat the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Description: Go to the Northwest of Lelelei Fort and kill the Fire Bird Demon]


    [Reward: 49 SP and One with me Medal]


    [Penalty: Someone gets it.]


    Noel received 49 Skill Points in one go and a new medal. He immediately checked the medal''s power and was surprised by it.


    Medal: One with me


    Effect: me Ability +10%


    It was a simple description, but it was enough to show the overwhelming effect the medal had.


    ''What? Ten percent of my me ability? My Undying Fire is already so powerful to the point the demon didn''t dare to fight it head-on. What will happen if I use this medal? And what if I get the second medal slot along with another medal with fire ability amplification?''


    Noel gasped from that thought alone. He would be extremely terrifying in the future.


    As Noel thought previously, the daily mission or the medal might increase a small portion of his abilities to the point it lookedpletely insignificant.


    But when he went further and further in this path, the amplification would be bigger and bigger. Eventually, he would reach a point where the medal alone could allow him to skip a single level.


    ''This is good. Extremely good. If I continue this way, I will be unstoppable.'' Noel had no intention of bing a ruler.


    Even he acknowledged hisck of ability. He might be able to be a noble that governed a single territory, but he wasn''t good enough to be a leader of a country.


    Besides, his ambition was not that small. So, he wanted to be unstoppable for his ambition instead of his revenge.


    If he thought for too long, Dimitri would be confused. So, Noel dropped the thought for a moment since he had one more task to do.


    "Protect me for fifteen minutes. I''m going to recover a bit of my strength before I cut open the demon''s corpse."


    "Understood." Dimitri nodded and immediately disappeared, giving Noel time to recover.


    Noel cooled down the temperature in his body while recovering some Spiritual Energy. Even though he had used a lot of Spiritual Energy earlier, it seemed that he still had a lot of Spiritual Energy to spare.


    After recovering a portion of his strength, Noel stood up while unsheathing Ardagan. He walked toward the bird and saw Rose in the corner of his eye. It seemed that she had regrouped with Dimitri, but because he was meditating earlier, Dimitri stopped her.


    So, Noel gave a nod to her first to show that he was fine. After that, he continued to the demon and cut open the head and the body.


    Just like any other demon, the head contained the Peak Level Crystal. But the real objective of killing this monster was its heart.


    The Fire Bird was an extremely powerful animal that had undergone an evolution due to the existence of Spiritual Energy after the demon''s invasion. It was just a normal bird before, so it showed how much stronger they werepared to other species when they managed to evolve by themselves.


    And the secret to their evolution was their heart.


    When Noel cut open the body, there was an oval-shaped organ burning fiercely inside the dead body. This was the Fire Bird''s heart.


    ''So, this is the heart. It''s said it can grant powerful abilities and even evolution for the spirit if one consumes this heart¡­ So, I have high expectations from this heart.''


    Noel smiled while extending his hand, absorbing the energy from the heart without hesitation.


    [You''ve acquired¡­]

 Chapter 578 Rewards

    Noel looked at the fiery heart and extended his hand. Ardagan''s Spirit Mark shone on the back of his palm and began to absorb the me on the heart.


    There was no need for Noel to consume the heart since all he needed was the energying from the heart. It was the demon''s purest me.


    Just like how Heisk absorbed the energy from the Ice Crystal, Ardagan did it in the same way. The abilities were immediately transferred to him through the system.


    [You''ve acquired Fire Gale.]


    [You''ve acquired Fire Heart.]


    [Undying Fire Feathers Level +3]


    [Phoenix Wings Level +2]


    [Undying Phoenix +2]


    Noel immediately opened his eyes wide, never expecting that absorbing a single heart of a Peak Level Demon would give him so much advantage.


    "What is this¡­ Is the fire so strong that it stimtes the Undying Fire?" Noel muttered while looking at the notification. At the same time, he also received an influx of knowledge from the system due to the Fire Gale and Fire Heart.


    "This is interesting. Fire Gale is the ability that the demon used so many times earlier. It''s quite annoying but extremely useful. Unfortunately, if I want to use it, I have to activate my Phoenix Wings first. It can be said that the Fire Gale ability is the extension of my Phoenix Wings ability.


    "As for the Fire Heart, I don''t know what to say about this. On the one hand, the Fire Heart can be activated at minimum Spiritual Energy. It can amplify my fire ability while it''s active. To put it simply, the Fire Heart will absorb the energy from the Spirit Mark and amplify it.


    "On the other hand, the Fire Heart will increase the consumption of my Spiritual Energy drastically. I see, I got a lot from the demon and it felt like the Sword Saint had already known that this would happen, so he asked me to kill this demon."


    Noel looked down for a moment, wondering one thing. "Now that I think about it, this is supposed to be someone''s possession. I wonder what kind of ability they get after consuming this heart.


    "Obviously, the spirit rank might increase, but since Ardagan is considered to be the highest rank, he doesn''t evolve. Instead, he uses that ability to raise my abilities. It should be easier to upgrade a simr ability¡­


    "Last but not least, whoever it is must have gotten the two abilities as well, the Fire Gale and the Fire Heart. I should say that the Fire Heart Ability is the best gain in this hunt."


    Noel was curious about the Fire Heart Ability. He nced to the side and still saw Dimitri and Rose waiting at the side. It seemed that they were curious about his gain.


    So, Noel nned to try the Fire Heart first.


    Noel shouted, "Dimitri. Do you mind if I test something?"


    "Testing the new power you''ve got from the demon?" Dimitri nced to the side. Since he was also curious about the ability, Dimitri nodded, "Understood. Let''s test it. What do you want me to do?"


    "I''m trying to summon the ck phoenix at you. Do you think you can kill it?"


    "I can." Dimitri nodded without hesitation. He jumped back to gain some distance before waving his hand to let Noel know he was ready.


    Noel nodded and gathered the Spiritual Energy into his hand. He took a deep breath before using the Fire Heart.


    In that instant, he felt his heart pumping faster and harder to the point he could easily feel the pumping motion.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ''This is¡­'' Noel narrowed his eyes for a moment, feeling the surge of strengthing from his heart. He remembered that his heart had evolved after bing a Spirit Master. And due to the Fire Heart, the amplification became several folds.


    Noel waved his hand, releasing the phoenix.


    As expected from the Undying Fire Phoenix, who had just gained two additional levels. The Undying Phoenix''s power became twice as big and as powerfulpared to the previous one. But Noel also noticed the amplification from the Fire Heart.


    The Phoenix suddenly let out a cry, stimting the fire even further.


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock, never expecting to see this kind of power from the Undying Phoenix. He remembered that the Undying Phoenix wasn''t this strong.


    ''What is this? The strength¡­ It should be three times more than the previous one.'' Dimitri panicked after seeing the difference in power. He thought the fire heart would be beneficial, but he seemed to have underestimated the effect.


    Dimitri hurriedly gathered the energy on the sword''s de before waving it downwards. The ck-colored energy from his de flew down and hit the ground, fusing with the shadow. After that, it spiked like a raging fire and ran through the ground before finally hitting the Undying Phoenix.


    *Bam!*


    Their sh resulted in an immediate explosion. Dimitri was using the Hard Approach because he thought his power was not enough to deal with the Undying Phoenix, but as a result, the Hard Approach caused the sword strike to explode upon impact.


    The Undying Fire that made the phoenix scattered in the area, burning the trees, rocks, and even the soil.


    Thankfully, due to the st, the Undying Fire didn''t fly in Dimitri''s direction. Or it would be terrible if he got caught.


    ''This is¡­'' Dimitri narrowed his eyes. ''What I used earlier was equal to a Spirit Grandmaster''s strike. To think the phoenix would be that strong¡­ Although it''s only equal to a Spirit Grandmaster who has just broken through, it''s still beyond what a peak Spirit Master can do.''


    It seemed that Noel''s ability had improved again. This time, his ability surpassed three levels at once.


    He couldn''t say it was equal to a Spirit Grandmaster, but it was close to that level.


    Dimitri couldn''t help but sigh, "That demon truly benefits you a lot, Young Master."


    Noel could also feel the change in his power as well. He nodded with a serious expression. "Yeah, I think so."

 Chapter 579 Questions

    Noel took a deep breath after using that ability. As expected, it drained a lot of Spiritual Energy. But seeing the power behind that phoenix, he knew the Undying Phoenix could be a trump card to defeat his enemy.


    ''I''m Iadre right now, so the rewards mean a lot to me.'' Noel thought for a moment before looking at Dimitri. "It seems that the situation is going to change."


    "Are you talking about the Third Prince?"


    "Yes. He must be upied with the current matter, so he wouldn''t visit me that soon. So, I''m nning to go back to the Demon Relief Squad''s headquarters first before meeting the Third Prince. I''m sure it''s going to be easier to handle him that way." Noel sighed.


    "At the very least, you have all the alibi you need to handle the matter about the rune." Dimitri waved his hand, telling him that it wasn''t a big deal. He would be near as well, so Noel didn''t need to worry about the Third Prince.


    He might be strong, but Dimitri had enough confidence that he could bring Noel away if he ever tried to kill Noel.


    ''Indeed.'' Noel nodded in agreement.


    "Though, I might step over my bound by asking this question. But after some consideration, it seems that I have to ask you¡­" Dimitri fell silent. "Why do you need to spread the knowledge? If you just use the ability for yourself, people will think it''s an ability that belongs only to you. In other words, Spirit Abilities.


    "Although it will give a resemnce to the Spirit Enchantment, as long as you don''t use it easily until you''re strong enough, no one will try to get the knowledge from you," Dimitri asked with a serious expression. He believed this was a safer path for Noel. And with his intelligence, Noel should have considered this path as well.


    So, he didn''t understand why Noel wanted to traverse a riskier path.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He had two reasons. The first one, he wanted to try whether spreading the knowledge would allow him to gain the contribution to helping people. After all, knowledge could be considered wealth, power, and influence.


    If he spread the knowledge and changed someone''s fate for the better, he could be considered to have helped him. So, he wanted to see whether it would work or not.


    If it worked, Noel would gain a huge influx of contributions, allowing him to gain a massive amount of Honor Points. If it didn''t work, his name would still spread in all kingdoms, allowing him to gain a lot of options.


    As for the second reason, Noel simply believed that the path that Dimitri mentioned earlier was a far longer path.


    Noel had Ardagan and the system. He knew that his ability and power would grow by leaps and bounds by taking advantage of the system.


    If he raised his power like this without spreading the knowledge and taking risks, he thought that a lot of strong enemies woulde after him and he would be too weak to fight against them.


    He didn''t want to be helpless. So, he spread the knowledge to stimte the urgency to get stronger as well as to speed up his own progress.


    He believed this was the correct path and the only path he could take to surpass Anna Stargaze.


    Noel didn''t realize that in his previous life, he didn''t take this risky path. Yes, he indeed spread the knowledge about the runes, but he didn''t do it like this.


    That was why his progress in his previous life was much slower than his current progress. Seeing how Anna easily got stronger than him stimted his desire and urgency to get stronger as well.


    And he managed to keep up with Anna, who had knowledge and memories from her past life. If not for this, even with his system, he wouldn''t be able to fight Anna.


    Though, Anna also contributed to his progression from the information to the fact that she didn''t take everything that Noel needed to get stronger.


    Noel only knew that he had good reasons to spread the knowledge and replied to Dimitri, "I know that taking the safer path will bring a lot of benefits for me. I can also rebuild the Ardagan Family safely since much time should have passed before I gain the power to do so.


    "However, you have forgotten one thing, Dimitri." Noel raised his finger.


    "What is that, Young Master?" Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows.


    "You''ve forgotten the existence of Anna Stargaze."


    "!!!" Dimitri gasped. He was surprised and confused at the same time. "But Young Master, both of you seem to have understood each other and resolved the hatred between you. Why are you still doing this then?"


    "You could say that if I don''t do this, I will progress slower than her." Noel shook his head. "Although the misunderstanding between us has been resolved, it doesn''t change the fact that I have to surpass her!"


    Dimitri looked down, contemting. He didn''t know about the system, the two spirits, and the limit of Demon Crystals Noel could absorb. So, he thought Noel always felt inferior to Anna, forcing him to take this path to stimte his growth.


    Dimitri hesitated for a moment but still said what needed to be said. "Young Master. I don''t know if you''ve realized this, but I think your own pace is still fast enoughpared to all people. You are also a genius like Anna, so you don''t have to¡ª"


    Noel raised his hand, stopping him. "That''s enough. No matter how you persuade me, I''m not going to take the slower path. I have my own ambition, desire, and expectation¡­ If I lose a single one of them, I might not be able to reach my goal, Dimitri."


    "¡­" Dimitri fell silent before bowing to him. "Understood. I apologize for my rudeness."


    "Well, that''s enough. We''ve got what we need, so it''s time to go back." Noel waved his hand, telling him it wasn''t a big deal. He nced at Rose to signal her that they were ready to return to the headquarters. They didn''t know what the Third Prince did to the two nobles that dared to take his rune book.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

 Chapter 580 Massacre

    "What is this¡­" Count Leinberd was staring at the hallway of his mansion in horror. After all, there were supposed to be many maids and butlers going around to take care of the hallway. But this time, all of them were gone.


    Instead, there were countless bodies on the ground. Each of them had their own throat or body sliced, killing them as painlessly as possible.


    The blood sttered on the wall, furniture, and carpet. The smell of the blood was so strong that it almost made him vomit.


    He soon heard screamsing from all over the mansion.


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    "Noooo!!!"


    Although he never paid that much attention to his workers, it was clear that those screams came from them. They were murdered mercilessly.


    Seeing the tragedy that happened in his mansion, Count Leinberd couldn''t help but fall down, wondering what he had done to incur this person''s wrath.


    He was a Count. Not many people dared to massacre his people, so the person he had offended must be extremely powerful.


    However, he had been careful this whole time. So, he wondered who actually targeted him like this.


    But before he could say something, a de pierced through his heart.


    "Gah!" Count Leinberd widened his eyes in shock, trying to figure out the situation. He looked at the de before turning around, trying to see who had just killed him. But there was nothing he could find from the culprit.


    The culprit was wearing a tight ck cloth. Aside from the curve of her body and the purple eyes that locked into his eyes, he couldn''t figure out who and why she did all this.


    Count Leinberd tried to move his mouth, but the culprit had pulled out the de, causing the blood to spurt out his heart.


    The count could only drop to the ground and die without being able to figure out the situation.


    A few minutester, two people who wore simr outfits reached the hallway and saw the count.


    "Hmm?!" They were stunned when they found out that the count had died.


    "This is Count Leinberd. Who killed him?" One of the assassins gasped, trying to figure out why Count Leinberd died like this.


    "We have been ordered to kidnap him alive and kill the rest of the people¡­" The other person panicked, thinking this matter wouldn''t end well. "What should we do¡­"


    "We have to find the person who killed Count Leinberd. After we finish, we shall gather at point B to find the culprit. I''m afraid that the situation is moreplicated than we think."


    The two assassins looked at each other. They didn''t want this to happen, but since it had already happened, they had to figure out who killed him. After all, they had been trained for this, so they shouldn''t make such a mistake.


    If one of them incurred the wrath of their master, their life was basically forfeited. So, they had to find the culprit if they didn''t want their master to me all of them and eliminate everyone.


    They brought the corpses with them and retreated to the rendezvous point.


    There were a total of four people who carried out the massacre. Each of them was a Spirit Master.


    Once they brought Count Leinberd''s body in, all of them were startled.


    "Why is he dead?"


    "I should be the one asking that. We have been together since the start and found his corpse in the hallway. So, the culprit must be either of you!"


    "What? We have been killing the people from the garden. We haven''t even found him the whole time."


    "Do you think you can lie just like that?"Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I should be the one to say that! You must be framing us."


    When they were about to start their argument, someone suddenly opened their door.


    They all turned around, trying to find out who dared to interrupt them. But the moment they saw that unique hair, they immediately dropped to the ground.


    "Your Highness."


    All of them fell on one knee while sweating. They knew that the moment the Third Prince saw the body, he would be furious.


    Without raising their head, they could hear the rough breathing of the Third Prince.


    He gritted his teeth before asking coldly, "Who killed him?"


    None of them spoke. All of them were also confused about the situation. They were expert assassins, so they wouldn''t mistake their target. Yet, the body was right before them.


    The atmosphere in the room turned cold as the Third Prince released his killing intent.


    "!!!" All of them suddenly felt a chill down their spine. The Third Prince was restraining his Spiritual Energy, but all of them were able to sense his strength. He was already beyond them or even the Spirit Master Level.


    They knew that the moment he was angry, the Third Prince could kill them easily with his own hand.


    "We don''t know, Your Highness. When we were carrying the massacre, we stumbled upon his corpse. It seems that he hasn''t died for too long, so there might be another person trying to kill him to keep the information."


    Since no one was admitting their fault, they had to make up something in order to find a way to escape death.


    The Third Prince wanted to get angry, but he couldn''t deny that fact as well.


    He knew that Marquis Walford was wary of Count Leinberd. He must have known about the fake book, so he must try to silence him and recover the real book.


    ? "This¡­" The Third Prince gritted his teeth and said, "I''m going to the mansion personally."


    "Your Highness¡­" One of them tried to stop him, considering they had just carried out a massacre.


    But the Third Prince was already too annoyed, so he just roared at them. "What? You ipetent bastards. If you are a bit morepetent, you can kidnap him alive."


    The Third Prince didn''t care about their opinion and immediately headed to the mansion, trying to figure out the situation himself.

 Chapter 581 Chaos

    When the Third Prince reached the mansion, he opened all the rooms inside the mansion, trying to find anything useful from them.


    But when he reached Count Leinberd''s office, he dropped his jaw, realizing what had happened.


    The entire room was a mess as if someone had just entered and tried to find something hidden in this room. And seeing how there were no broken windows or conflicts earlier, it was clear that the other party had found their objective and ran away without anyone noticing.


    "!!!" The Third Prince gritted his teeth. He was angry at a few things. The first one was the ipetence of his subordinates, who couldn''t even find out what was happening inside the mansion.


    He also directed his anger at Marquis Walford. Before handling this situation, there were only a few involved parties.


    The countess had done her job well. He was supposed to have the book already, but it was stolen by Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    Marquis Walford seemed to have understood the importance of the book, so he also conducted a massacre to silence Count Leinberd and retrieve the real book.


    And there was someone who was strong enough to do it without his subordinates noticing.


    ''If I''m not wrong, Marquis Walford has a former knight of the Demon Banner Army. He was once a member of the Demon Beholder Squad''s Zero Squad. His current strength should be Spirit Grandmaster¡­''


    The Third Prince fell silent, knowing where he had to go next. Since Marquis Walford tried to take what he wanted, he had to take action personally.


    He looked at the subordinates who carried out the massacre. He wanted to kill them right away, but he had lost too many subordinates in the past few days. So, he changed his n.


    "I give you one more chance. Go back and bring two Spirit Grandmasters to me. We are heading to Marquis Walford''s territory. Remember, you only have three days. If you fail this time¡­" The Third Prince didn''t finish his words, but the meaning was already clear.


    Three days were already close to impossible. They had to run with all their strength tirelessly. But if they couldn''t do it, they would die.


    So, these four could only obey him just to keep their lives.


    They immediately disappeared from the mansion while the Third Prince looked around first to find out what was going on. He also wanted to find something that the other party had missed.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t find anything.


    And the city was soon shocked by the massacre that happened on this day. However, even if the Royal Family got involved in the investigation, the only trace that remained was that of the Third Prince.


    Although the current king had won the throne war, it didn''t mean the Third Prince was stripped of all his power. He still had enough power to fight the current king to a standstill for a few years.


    So, the current king might have to choose to ignore this fact while trying to find a way to further reduce the Third Prince''s strength before eradicating him in one go.


    And the marquis, who became the scapegoat, didn''t realize that his current life had been targeted by the Third Prince.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Though, there was one thing that everyone didn''t know. The real culprit for the count''s assassination was not those people. Instead, it was a third party not rted to them.


    ¡­


    Sleeping Flower Brothel.


    Anna, who had just finished her job, took off her tight suit that looked simr to the assassins under the Third Prince.


    While she was trying to change her clothes, someone knocked on the door.


    "Miss Anna. This is Illia."


    "Come in," replied Anna while putting on her clothes.


    When Illia entered, she nced at the ck clothes on the floor but didn''t say anything.


    "I have entered the mansion and killed the count. However, not much could be found." Anna sighed while tossing a few scrolls and books. "These are the ount books as well as some other important records about the count''s transaction. It should be useful for your investigation.


    "Though, I don''t think Count Leinberd is connected directly to the Supreme Devil Organization. So, we might have to go to Marquis Walford after this."


    Illia nodded. "Our people have spotted a few peopleing out of the city. Their identities are quite special and they left the city in a hurry as if they were doing something risky. I believe the other party is moving toward the marquis as well. So, I suggest that we should wait for a bit before going there."


    "Alright." Anna nodded. "But we don''t have much time either. And I don''t think we will have a lot of opportunities in Marquis Walford''s mansion."


    "Actually, Sir Noel has solved this problem." Illia shook her head.


    "What do you mean?" Anna frowned, wondering if Noel had told her all the ns or not.


    "I might be with you right now, but this entire operation involves our leader as well. He is leading a team to set up an ambush for Marquis Walford''s group. We have also sent some fake birds to give information about the massacre. By making it look like multiple organizations reporting about what happened in this city, we could force the royal family to hear about this matter."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. "By ambushing them, we could force the marquis toe out of his mansion. And we shall use that time to infiltrate his mansion. Even if he doesn''te out, the biggest threat will be leaving the mansion to take care of this matter personally due to the importance of the task.


    "So, we can find more things from the marquis before the Third Prince''s group arrives¡­" Anna looked down, realizing what Noel wanted to do.


    She never thought that Noel had prepared everything. And the chaos that he brought wouldn''t be small.


    "I see. It seems that chaos is necessary for him." Anna nodded with a serious expression. She nced at Illia, asking, "When are we leaving the city?"


    "At dusk."


    "Got it. I''ll get some rest to recover my stamina."

 Chapter 582 Oliver Ve Lenfenth

    Three dayster.


    Royal Pce.


    A middle-aged man was sitting on his throne. There was no one in the room aside from him. He had just finished the meeting in the throne room but chose to stay behind for a bit as if waiting for someone.


    Suddenly, a figure appeared next to him as if he was a ghost that had just manifested. He brought a small piece of paper and presented it to him.


    "Your Majesty. We''ve received an urgent report. That man has made his move."


    "!!!"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Yes, he was the king of the Muivell Kingdom, Oliver Ve Lenfenth. He was surprised because the person in his subordinate''s mouth was none other than the brother he fought in the throne war. He was the Third Prince, Elvien Ve Lenfenth.


    His expression turned grim because he had been trying to suppress the Third Prince this whole time. Hearing the other party making his move could give him a reason to go after him and reduce his strength even further.


    So, Oliver immediately became serious, trying to figure out what was going on. He grabbed the paper and read the message.


    "He has massacred the entire family of Count Leinberd?" Oliver frowned. There were a lot of nobles, especially lesser nobles, in the kingdom. Even he had a hard time remembering an insignificant noble with no big achievement. "If I''m not wrong, he is the ruler of Valvas¡­"


    "Yes, Your Majesty. ording to our information, the count is extremely close to Marquis Walford. Our people are checking the mansion right now, but from the description of the massacre, it seems that there is a big reason behind it. And it is closely rted to Marquis Walford."


    "Hmm? Marquis Walford, the Spirit Bearer¡­"


    "Yes. The Inquisitor Organization has some information and suspicion about the marquis as well. It seems that they are rted to the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "¡­" The king fell silent when he mentioned the Supreme Devil Organization. He looked like he wanted to condone that action, but he tried his best to calm down to think about their next move.


    "Why are they fighting?" The king muttered the question with no answer. "There''s no way he is killing an entire noble family for the Supreme Devil Organization. No matter if he is nning to justify his name or what, he''s not someone who will do something like that.


    "If that''s the case, there might be something bigger that we know nothing about." The king thought for a moment. "Who''s free in the capital?"


    "Who¡­" The guy paused. He was confused at first but soon understood the people who the king was talking about. He immediately answered, "Sword, Lightning, and Fleeting are free in the capital right now."


    "Order Sword and Lightning to head to Marquis Walford immediately. You have to save Marquis Walford to the best of your ability. As for whether he is rted to the Supreme Devil Organization or not, it can be investigated at ater date. I want them to save him and get all the information, including why he is targeted by my brother."


    "Understood. I shall pass your decree to Sword Arbiter and Lightning Arbiter right away. This might be presumptuous for me to say, but won''t Sword Arbiter be enough to handle this matter? Besides, there is an inquisitor that is currently investigating the matter. She is Anna Stargaze, so I think Fleeting Arbiter is more suited to this job."


    "Do you question my judgment?"


    "No. I don''t dare." The guy immediately lowered his head.


    "You are the Darkness Arbiter, so I know you have seen their strength. But that man is far more dangerous than you think." The king clicked his tongue, annoyed.


    Since the king had given the decree, the Darkness Arbiter immediately disappeared from the throne room to give his order to the two Arbiters.


    When the silence returned to the throne room, the king couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows.


    "I don''t think this is such a coincidence. Anna Stargaze, the daughter of the Fleeting Arbiter, Kevin Stargaze. There are also Elvien and the Supreme Devil Organization. They have been hiding from my eyes the whole time, but it''s clear that they are scheming something.


    "For them to get exposed like this¡­ I''m afraid whatever we''re going to find from Marquis Walford will shock the kingdom. I know my brother''s ambition so well. Even when I''m sitting on this throne, he is still pointing his sword at me, preparing to retake the throne for himself.


    "As for Anna Stargaze''s involvement¡­" The King fell silent. On the one hand, he had never gotten involved in Anna''s matter after giving specific instructions to the leader of the inquisitor organization. He had told him to push Anna to the corner, but the leader had never seeded in his attempt.


    As a result, he still hadn''t got his hand on Anna.


    "It seems that the Marquis Stargaze is nning something. But we don''t have any evidence right now. Although I can remove him from his position, he will use it as a reason to strike me back for abusing my power. I have to find evidence first and frame the marquis.


    "I have to weaken him enough until I get my hand on Anna Stargaze. As long as she belongs to the royal family, the royal family will prosper."


    The king pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite his concern about the marquis and Anna, he didn''t mention anything about Noel. It was clear that he had put the matter regarding the Ardagan Family and Noel behind. And with the news about Noel''s death, he thought he could focus on other things first.


    Still, there was one thing that confused him. "Now that the marquis is in this situation, what is he nning to do next? He should have seen that his family''s end ising¡­"


    As the head of the Stargaze Family and one of the Arbiters, Kevin Stargaze should know that the moment he lost against the king, he would lose everything, including his daughter. And with his personality, he would surely fight back.


    So, Oliver was worried about that strike since he hadn''t found anything rted to the marquis. And he wanted to see whether it was a coincidence that this big matter started when his daughter got involved in it. It might be his chance to take down the marquis.

 Chapter 583 Marquis Walford

    Marquis Walford''s mansion.


    Just like the king, Marquis Walford also received a piece of news. However, his news was not rted to the movement.


    "What did you say?" the marquis widened his eyes, staring at his butler.


    "The expedition has been ambushed and we couldn''t recover anything."


    "¡­" The marquis''s eyes turned red as he knew what this meant. He waved his hand while closing his eyes.


    The butler nodded his head and left the room, giving the marquis some time to think about this matter.


    Right after the butler left, a woman''s voice echoed in the room.


    "It seems that you are in trouble, Marquis."


    The marquis nced to the side. The woman was standing behind the shelf, but the shelf wasn''t thick enough to cover her entire body.


    Yet, despite such a person standing so close to the marquis, the butler didn''t notice her at all. It felt like she never existed in the first ce.


    Now that she had spoken, her presence returned and the marquis could see her clearly. He narrowed his eyes while asking coldly, "I am in trouble? Don''t you think I should be the one to ask you that question?"


    "You have promised us that book, Marquis." The woman smiled. She had long braided hair that hid in her coat. She was wearing a ck dress like someone who was about to join a banquet. Yet, the marquis didn''t even bother to look at her with any vulgar intention.


    "Yes, I have promised you. But it will be a different case if your organization doesn''t try to meddle in this matter." The marquis gritted his teeth.


    "Are you suspecting us?" The woman narrowed her eyes.


    The marquis seemed to be suspecting the Supreme Devil Organization, who had ambushed his knights.


    "Am I wrong? The only people who know about the entire operation are me, you, and Count Leinberd."


    "You forget about the Third Prince, Elvien Ve Lenfeth. It seems that you are still underestimating what he can do, Marquis Walford."


    "Of course, I know. But even the Third Prince shouldn''t have made his move just yet." Marquis Walford gritted his teeth while pointing his finger at her. "The Third Prince is going after me here, not my knights. So, the only one who could snatch that book is you."


    The woman''s expression turned serious. She was annoyed by the fact that he suspected them. After all, she also didn''t know anything about this matter. And the organization had entrusted her with this task.


    So, the fact that the marquis tried to suspect them like this put a gap in their rtionship. "Are you nning to join us? How dare you suspect the organization! It seems that you don''t want to join the organization, marquis¡­ Even after everything you have done¡­ You have sacrificed your wife, your son and your daughter to join us, but you¡­"


    The marquis gritted his teeth and mmed the table. "I don''t need you to remind me about it."


    The woman and the marquis red at each other.


    "I am not suspecting the organization. I am suspecting you¡­"


    "You shouldn''t overestimate yourself, marquis. Do you forget who is standing before you right now?" The woman''s re became even sharper as a sharp killing intent leaked out of her eyes.


    The marquis wasn''t afraid of her as he also stood up, standing in front of her. "Of course, I know. You are one of the Devil Bishops, known as Serpent. People say that the more beautiful a woman is, the more poisonous they can be. I can believe in the organization, but not you."


    The woman''s body was shaken for a split second. She suddenly waved her hand, pushing his body.


    That small push actually blew away the marquis to the other side of the room until he crashed into the wall.


    The marquis might have Spiritual Energy, but he wasn''t a fighter. His Spiritual Energy came from the crystal he got from money. So, he might be stronger than normal people, but he was just a mere ant in front of the woman before him.


    The woman stated coldly, "I can assure you that I haven''t done anything. There might be a third party that is trying to split us up and aim for those books. So, we shouldn''t fight among ourselves.


    "We should focus on finding the real culprit along with those books. It will be troublesome if someone else takes the books. One of our Devil Saints wants that book, understood?"


    The marquis gritted his teeth. He wanted to beat this woman, but he was powerless. He could only swallow his anger for the time being.


    He swore that he would find the book and present it to the Devil Saint personally. When that happens, he could force the Devil Saint to grant him a couple of requests.


    He took a deep breath, seeing the woman disappear in his vision. It seemed that the woman was nning to investigate it as well.


    He didn''t like the existence of the third party and wanted to eliminate them personally. He knew his personality perfectly, so he knew what he had to do.


    Without hesitation, the marquis stood up and opened the door, looking at his butler who waited for him not far from the room.


    "Where is Gaston?"


    "He is in the barrack, Sir." The butler answered without hesitation. "Should I call him?"


    "No. I''m going there personally." The marquis clicked his tongue and walked away. He had to move fast if he wanted to beat the woman.


    He didn''t realize that everything was a trap.


    The moment he came out from the barrack with a few knights along with his best knight, everything was ready.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Illia had been waiting inside the brothel. When she heard he was leaving the city, she immediately headed to Anna''s room to inform her.


    "The marquis has left."


    Anna''s eyes were closed as she sat on the bed. When she heard the report, she couldn''t help but say, "Not yet. There is one more presence in the mansion¡­ it''s faint, but I can feel it. If we infiltrate the mansion right now, we will be found out."

 Chapter 584 Suspicion

    "¡­" The woman who was inside the marquis mansion frowned. She had been staying here for a while as if waiting for the mastermind toe. But it seemed she was mistaken. Their aim was the book, not the rtionship between the marquis and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    She nced at the marquis'' office once more. She wanted to destroy all evidence rted to the Supreme Devil Organization, but if she did it and the marquis returned with the book, her life would be in danger. After all, the marquis would think she was manipting him this whole time. This sabotage was clearly the reason why the marquis suspected her.


    In fact, the marquis might not return to the mansion directly.


    "¡­" The woman frowned, wondering what she had to do. On the one hand, she didn''t want the Supreme Devil Organization to be found out. On the other hand, she had to chase after the marquis so that everything went smoothly.


    "It seems that I have to prioritize the books and the marquis first." The woman let out a long sigh.


    Of course, the woman was making sure that no one was around when all of them were away.


    She even hid her presence as much as possible to the point if she stood in front of a normal person, they wouldn''t have noticed her. With this kind of presence, she searched around while trying to find out any people that tried to find out about her.


    After making sure that no spies were inside the city, she started picking up her pace to follow the marquis.


    And this was when Anna opened her eyes.


    "It seems she has left." Anna muttered with a serious expression.


    "Hmm?" Illia, who had been working on gathering information for her, couldn''t help but look at her and ask, "What do you mean?"


    "It''s time to infiltrate the mansion." Anna shook her head helplessly, saying it in a simple way.


    "Are you sure about that? How do you know there is a person that can do such a thing?"


    Anna fell silent before ultimately shaking her head. "Unfortunately, I couldn''t tell you. Just think about it as a Spirit Ability."


    Anna wasn''t lying. This ability came from the spirit, but it wasn''t a Spirit Ability. What she had was the Spirit Link and the instinct that came from the Lightning Berserker Spirit.


    After receiving that instinct and acknowledging the connection between her and the spirit, she finally began to train her own instinct. She tried to use it to detect every living being around her.


    It was a kind of enhancing her senses like Rose, but it was her sixth sense.


    Her instinct had been telling her that there was a danger hiding inside the mansion. So, she tried to avoid any form of action that would expose her.


    After her instinct told her the threat had left the city, she finally woke up from her meditation.


    "Either way, it''s time for us to infiltrate the mansion and find something useful."


    Anna and Illia exchanged looks. Although Illia was more adept in this kind of mission, Anna''s ability was extremely useful. After all, she managed to escape from the ambush.


    No matter what, she wasn''t a Spirit Master, so it was impossible for her to recognize such a threat. She didn''t know that the enemy this time was a Devil Bishop, who was a Spirit Grandmaster. There was no way she would survive if she had infiltrated the mansion without Anna''s warning.


    After reaching an agreement, they immediately rose from their position and began to change their clothes, preparing for the infiltration.


    Although it would be good to use the darkness as their cover, they didn''t have much time to begin with. So, they could only rely on their ability to erase their presence and their expertise in hiding their trace to do it.


    As one would expect from someone who had lived twice, the moment she erased her presence, it was so thin that even Illia was startled.


    "!!!" Illia widened her eyes and even used her Spiritual Energy as if she was trying to confirm her presence. "You can erase your presence to this degree?"


    "Yeah. My current power is not enough to do more, but this should be enough for the current situation, right?" Anna smiled.


    Illia and Anna nodded at each other. Instead of going with their normal ck tight suit, they infiltrated the mansion in a maid uniform.


    This way, even if they were caught, they could pretend to be a maid and retreat smoothly. Besides, the ck suit stood out during the day, so it wouldn''t be good for them to use it.


    After putting on some makeup to alter their appearance a bit, they began to walk into the mansion.


    They were wandering around the mansion before finding a spot to jump over the wall. It was a simr infiltration to the Ardagan Family''s mansion.


    But this time, there would be a lot of people inside the mansion, so they had to be careful.


    ¡­Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    While they were entering the mansion, the marquis reached the ce where his people were attacked.


    There was nothing left other than the blood on the ground. Even the corpses had been burnedpletely and the armor had gone as if they were stolen. It looked like a bandit''s deed, but his group was an elite group. There was no way a mere bandit group could crush them like this.


    So, this was truly an assassination set up by someone.


    He immediately looked at the trusted knight he had, asking, "Do you think you can trace it?"


    "Let me try." A middle-aged man approached the corpses and sped his hands. Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy burst out of his palms and started enveloping the corpses.


    In that instant, the ground started to emit golden light as they projected the elite group as if they had been recalled from thend of the dead.


    All of them couldn''t speak, but they did the same thing. They were pointing their hands to the east.

 Chapter 585 Information

    Marquis Walford''s Mansion.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped, looking at the document.


    "Have you found the document?" Illia frowned while looking around the shelves.


    "I think yes. The marquis is insane." Anna frowned, reading the document. "He actually sacrificed his wife and children in order to join the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Sacrificed?" Illia was confused. "I don''t think I''ve heard about such a thing. Aren''t his wife and children supposed to die from an incident? No, wait¡­ The incident is rted to a bandit attack and no one survived¡­ Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yeah. I think that''s the situation."


    "The Marquis is insane. From the information we''ve gathered regarding that incident, it''s said that those three died brutally. I don''t think I have to tell you the details, but when the corpses were found, it was said that their limbs had been torn and their faces were almost unrecognizable. If that kind of ident was nned, then¡­"


    Illia was shivering from the thought alone. To think the marquis would be able to do such cruelty. "Though, I still haven''t got my answer. We''ve been following any news regarding the organization.


    "We have even found and tortured their members for information. Unfortunately, the low ranking members didn''t know many things. As you might already know, the organization has several ranks: Worshiper, Officer, Inspector, Bishop, Saint, and the Supreme Devil.


    "We have captured a few Worshipers and Officers and one Inspector. But aside from the Inspector, who chose to kill himself before we could interrogate him, the rest don''t know the details about the organization."


    Anna thought for a moment, recalling the information she had regarding the organization. Unfortunately, Noel was the one who handled the organization, not her. Even if she wanted to reveal the secret, she could only follow everything Noel did in his past life.


    This marquis was one of them. He was once a high ranking member. When the Demon Banner Army subjugated him, they needed a lot of people, including Noel. They suffered quite a bit as well, so she chose to investigate the marquis first before he became a high ranking member. This would further weaken the organization.


    "I once worked with Noel. At that time, Noel pretended to be captured and tried to save some Apprentice Knights. There was a Devil Inspector that controlled the entire situation and he said that a Devil Bishop would being.


    "I think we can safely assume that the organization is using the Devil Inspector as the middleman."


    When Illia heard this assumption, she couldn''t help but connect some pieces of information. "I think you are right. The Devil Inspectors should be the ones in charge of recruiting the Spirit Apprentice and Spirit Practitioners. Judging from the current information, they are training those people.


    "And if they find some good seedlings, they will contact a Devil Bishop to bring them to their headquarters for further training.


    "I think that''s the reason why they are able to create hideouts after hideouts without having any trace," Illia exined her own thought with the information she had.


    It seemed they were on the right track. It was basically impossible to find the Supreme Devil Organization just by getting information from Devil Inspectors or below. Even their hideout wouldn''t contain that information.


    However, they thought about something new that might be able to help them locate the headquarters.


    "What if we lure the Devil Bishop and follow them? They are Spirit Grandmasters, so I don''t think it''ll be easy to follow them. As for another way, we can select a few people to rise through the ranks¡­ But I''m afraid the Supreme Devil Organization has a way of brainwashing them or finding their lies.


    "Last but not least, there should be a separate rank for those who are manipting everything behind the scenes. The Devil Bishop and other ranks are simply a measurement for strength, not the brains of the organization.


    "And these people are extremely useful. After all, they should have more information than those fighters."


    With that thought in mind, they looked at the room again, knowing that this was a big chance. They had to get everything. They believed the marquis belonged to the third category, so they had to find as much evidence as possible.


    They continued to search the room and found multiple interesting pieces of evidence.


    "This is the ount book of this mansion."


    "There is actually a hidden project in an abandoned mine? Are they training a new batch of Devil Worshipers here?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "The marquis was actually involved in the Devil Inspector where Noel and I tried to save two Apprentice Knights?"


    "This is¡­"


    They found a lot of evidence regarding the marquis''s involvement. However, they couldn''t find anything that would lead them to a clue to the organization''s operation along with their hideout.


    It seemed that the marquis was also a pawn to the organization. But since he would be a high ranking member in the future, Anna ended up finding a lot more evidence than she expected.


    "This is good¡­ To think that the marquis is involved with so many things¡­ I''m afraid that they don''t expect us to infiltrate the marquis'' mansion due to how powerful the mar¡ª" Anna suddenly stopped as her instinct was telling her that the threat was back.


    "Not good!" Anna gritted her teeth and grabbed everything she could and said, "We have to run. The threat has returned."


    Illia was startled, but she was an expert in this field. The moment she heard the warning, she followed Anna as quickly as possible before leaving the mansion. Obviously, they met a few people, so Anna ended up knocking them out with her lightning.


    *ng!*


    The windows in the office suddenly shattered as the Devil Bishop returned. When she saw the mess inside the mansion, she realized that the enemies truly tried to find the information about them.


    "This¡­" The Devil Bishop gritted her teeth. She returned because she tried to lure those people into this mansion, but she never expected that the other party would be able to move one step ahead by leaving the mansion first.

 Chapter 586 Die

    "!!!" Illia widened her eyes in shock. They had left the mansion and escaped from the Devil Bishop. Though, she didn''t believe they were chased by such an existence the whole time.


    Unfortunately for her, the reality was presented right in front of her. Because of the shock and anger, the Devil Bishop leaked a portion of her energy and killing intent.


    Normal people wouldn''t be able to see the change, but those who had exceptional senses should be able to sense those two. She couldn''t help but tremble.


    If Anna wasn''t here, she would certainly die on this mission.


    She looked at Anna, wondering how a person could be so talented. She was still a Spirit Wielder, yet, she could easily sense a Spirit Grandmaster.


    She wanted to express her shock, but she still had to look like they were not concerned about whatever happened inside the mansion. They even brought a bag to hide all the documents before disappearing into the crowd as they made their way toward the brothel.


    "We have found a lot of things." Anna smiled while putting down their harvest. There were a lot of documents to read, but these documents would be extremely useful for their next move.


    While Anna was happy with the information, Illia was still standing next to her without doing anything.


    "What are you doing?" Anna asked, concerned about her situation.


    "I''m thankful for your warning. If I carried the task alone, I would have died." She bowed to Anna.


    "It''s fine. I didn''t do much. Without your help, I wouldn''t be able to achieve all this. So, let''s just call it even since both of us need each other. Instead, we should focus on sorting these documents."


    Illia nodded and started working with her. They had received a lot of information from the marquis. Unfortunately, they couldn''t share the information with Noel.


    While they were sorting the documents, the marquis was facing multiple problems at once.


    He tried to find the murderer but to no avail. It seemed that the group that ambushed his people was skilled and understood his knight''s ability to track them.


    When they marched toward the direction the deceased pointed at, they couldn''t find any trace as if the group had disappeared into thin air.


    Meanwhile, there were two other parties that nned to join the battle. The first party was the Third Prince, who had brought reinforcements to crush the marquis and retrieve the books, not knowing everything had been stolen.


    The second party was the Arbiters. Both Arbiters had personallye to the marquis'' territory to save the marquis.


    In addition to the Supreme Devil Organization, the marquis territory would soon plunge into chaos.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    And the masterminds behind all the chaos¡­ one was having a peaceful trip while the other one was sorting the harvest.


    ¡­


    One dayter.


    "Shit! I have to get away!" The marquis gritted his teeth when he heard about the iing parties.


    "Where are you nning to go?" The Devil Bishop narrowed her eyes, nning to stop him in case he ran away with all the information.


    The marquis had given up the search after a while. He didn''t have any more traces to track, so he could only leave the rest to his trusted subordinate. Meanwhile, he returned to the mansion to handle the problems from behind.


    But the moment he returned, he found out that his mansion had been raided without anyone noticing. Even the Devil Bishop med him for this mistake, not telling him that the Devil Bishop had tried to capture them but to no avail.


    "You are going to bring me to the Supreme Devil Organization!"


    "You are not a part of the group yet. You can''t even handle this problem and bring the books. You are overestimating your worth." The Devil Bishop snorted, pushing all the mes on him.


    "You must be the one ambushing my group because you don''t want me to join the organization! You vile whore! Do you think I don''t know what you think?!"


    "I told you I never did anything to your group." The Devil Bishop narrowed her eyes, bing more annoyed.


    The two were gritting their teeth. On the one hand, the marquis knew he couldn''t force the Devil Bishop since the other party was stronger than him. Even if he tried to locate the headquarters and made direct contact, it was impossible for them to think much of him when he failed miserably.


    On the other hand, the woman understood the implications this marquis would bring. If the marquis were still alive, he might expose all his deeds, trying to take them down out of spite.


    So, there was only one conclusion where the organization woulde on top.


    And it seemed that both of them thought the same thing.


    The marquis'' face became pale as he stepped back, gritting his teeth. "What are you nning to do?"


    The woman smiled. "We both are smart people. I''m sure we are thinking the same thing, Marquis Walford. It''s a shame, but I have the full right to this mission. I might have failed the mission, but I have to ensure that no information about us can get out."


    The marquis immediately released his Spiritual Energy to stop her, but the woman was faster. Her hand pierced through the marquis'' body and pushed him to the wall while covering his mouth.


    "Unfortunately, our cooperation ends here." The woman stated coldly. The marquis had sacrificed a lot of things. But he ended up dying without getting any reward.


    They knew that when the Arbiters and the Third Prince arrived, they would die no matter what. So, it was better to kill the marquis and destroy any evidence about them before they arrived.


    That day, the marquis'' mansion was enveloped by a great fire.


    ¡­


    Not far from the city, there was also a sh between giants.


    On the one side, the Third Prince led a couple of experts. On the other side, there were two Arbiters standing next to each other.


    They happened to meet on the way and knew the sh couldn''t be avoided.

 Chapter 587 Clash

    The Sword Arbiter was an elderly man. His face looked aged and his hair was already white. However, due to his continuous training, his eyes remained sharp and his posture remained gant. From the aura excluded by his body, it was clear that he was still enough to crush anyone that tried to attack him.


    The Lightning Arbiter was actually Anna''s teacher. Anna had a Lightning Element Spirit, so it was obvious that she would be her teacher.


    When they met the Third Prince''s group, she gently bowed her head and greeted him. "I greet the Third Prince."


    The Third Prince, backed by multiple experts, frowned. "It seems that the royal family is nning to get involved in my matter."


    The Lightning Arbiter shook her head. "I apologize, Third Prince. We are only following orders, so we don''t have anything to tell you. Our job here is to keep the marquis alive."


    The Third Prince clicked his tongue before shouting in anger. "Do you seriously not know? The marquis ambushed my people. Do you think I will let him off?!"


    The Lightning Arbiter remained calm and exined, "I have long heard about the Third Prince''s care for his people. Unfortunately, we couldn''t do anything about it since we have our own order. So, I have to ask the Third Prince to leave."


    "Are you sure you want to be my opponent?" The Third Prince narrowed his eyes.


    The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but m the ground with his sword. "Third Prince¡­"


    The Third Prince''s expression turned grim when the Sword Arbiter made his move. "Old man¡­"


    "I apologize, Third Prince. This old man might know you personally, but my loyalty lies in the royal family. I have received my order, so I have to carry it out even if I have to fight you." The Sword Arbiter started releasing his Spiritual Energy as if trying to scare him and his group.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "¡­" The Third Prince fell silent for a moment. His Spiritual Energy was gushing out from his body as well, telling the Sword Arbiter that he wasn''t scared. Even the Spirit Grandmasters behind him had released their Spiritual Energy as if nning to step in.


    The Third Prince gritted his teeth. His energy continued to erupt. The pressure from that energy increased to the point the ground started to crack.


    The Lightning Arbiter thought, ''I heard that the Third Prince joined the military in the past. His strength might not be a Spirit Grandmaster, but that record was twelve years ago. I don''t think his current strength is less than a Spirit Grandmaster¡­''


    The Lightning Arbiter believed that the Third Prince was going to unleash his strength. Even though they had two Arbiters, the opponent had two Spirit Grandmasters and the Third Prince himself. Even with their power, they might not be able to win.


    So, the Lightning Arbiters chose to make the first move. The lightning spark on her fingertip as she waved it toward the Third Prince, releasing a quick and precise lightning strike.


    The Third Prince simply opened his eyes wide as the pressure surrounding him changed its direction and hit the lightning, neutralizing it.


    The two Spirit Grandmasters saw the attacks and immediately moved forward, so the Lightning Arbiters had no choice but to release her full power.


    But before she could make any move, she felt a sharp pain in her neck.


    "Eh?" The Lightning Arbiter was shocked as she felt her body lose all strength. She tried to reach out her neck, thinking someone had just shed it.


    "It''s still intact¡­" The Lightning Arbiter coughed a few times before turning to the side, looking at the Sword Arbiter. She noticed something amiss from the Sword Arbiter. His sword was actually notpletely unsheathed as if he had just used it. "You¡­"


    "Spirit Sword, Greater Shock." The Sword Arbiter muttered the technique''s name as if telling her that he was the one making her move. At the same time, the Spirit Grandmasters that were about to move suddenly stopped because the Third Prince had used pressure to stop them.


    In the end, the Sword Arbiter and the Third Prince were staring at each other.


    The Third Prince said, "I don''t want to fight you, old man."


    "The feeling is mutual."


    The Sword Arbiter was one of the strongest Arbiters. Even if they outnumbered him, they wouldn''t escape unscathed.


    The Third Prince knew this fact and tried to reach an agreement. "That''s why I''m going to propose something. I won''t kill the marquis. In exchange, you allow me to extract information from the marquis first."


    The Lightning Arbiter gritted her teeth. She never thought that the Sword Arbiter would move against her. But she realized another thing. It seemed that the Third Prince was exceptionally strong to the point even the Sword Arbiter didn''t want to fight him. Although it looked like they were considering their previous rtionship, she could feel that both of them were judging each other''s strength and chose not to fight.


    ''The Third Prince has this much power?'' The Lightning Arbiter fell silent, thinking something.


    The Sword Arbiter actually agreed without hesitation. "Our mission is to keep him alive. Since we can keep his life, then I can agree to this agreement. It''s just¡­ I hope that the Third Prince will be a bit lenient since this old man will be in trouble if you cripple him or something."


    "Don''t worry. I can promise you that."


    "In that case, we have a deal."


    Both of them reached an agreement. The Third Prince prioritized the books, while the Sword Arbiter only focused on his mission.


    So, they instantly dropped their weapons. The Third Prince waved his hand, telling them that they were going to cooperate with each other.


    The Sword Arbiter also said, "Lightning¡­ I know that you are one of the Arbiters, but I hope that you don''t forget that the Third Prince was a member of the royal family. I wouldn''t tolerate such rudeness."

 Chapter 588 Another Clash

    The two groups might have reached an agreement. They had sheathed their weapons and retracted their Spiritual Energy, but they had to face one more problem.


    They never thought there would be another party that was aiming for the marquis'' life. The moment they reached the city, they saw the entire town panicking.


    They were confused at first and tried to find out what was going on.


    p¨£§ád¨£ §«?¦Í¨º1,§ã¨°§® The answer could easily be seen when they reached the marquis'' mansion.


    Not a single of them thought that the marquis would have died and the mansion would have been burned to the ground earlier.


    The Third Prince frowned before saying, "Old man. I think we need a truce first. We have to put out the fire and find any trace of the marquis."


    "Indeed¡­" The Sword Arbiter nodded in agreement. He stepped forward while unsheathing his sword. "I shall make the first move¡­"


    The Third Prince waved his hand as if telling his people to step back. He focused on the old man. The reason why he didn''t want to fight the Sword Arbiter was because of his strength.


    ''The Sword Arbiter is one of the oldest Arbiters. His strength is also among the strongest¡­ And his de¡­'' The Third Prince fell silent, watching the Sword Arbiter gathering his Spiritual Energy around his sword.


    The moment the Sword Arbiter shed downward, the Spiritual Energy flew away like that of a gale. The sharp energy cut everything in its path. The wall, the soil, and even the fire itself.


    The burning nks on the ground immediately perished and the zing fire that made contact with the gale immediately dispersed as if the energy could cut everything into pieces.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The energy continued until it hit the wall of the mansion, destroying it as a way for them to get inside.


    With just a single sh, the Sword Arbiter had cut everything down, allowing them to enter the mansion through a straight path.


    The Third Prince said, "We are going to enter the mansion right now. Our priority is to find the marquis and his office. Save every book you can find. Understand?"


    The two Spirit Grandmasters nodded, waiting for their liege to proceed.


    But before they entered, they found something weird.


    "Hmm?" There was a single page of brown paper that flew in front of the Lightning Arbiter. She wasn''t that surprised, considering the wind could easily blow away the paper from the marquis'' office. But what shocked her the most was the content inside the paper.


    "This is¡­ This symbol¡­ Why does it look like a Spirit Enchantment?"


    Her statement rmed both the Third Prince and the Sword Arbiter. Though, thetter was more concerned about the fact there was such a big reaction from the Third Prince.


    "Isn''t it just a normal Spirit Enchantment? He is a marquis, so we should expect him to have a few Spirit Enchantments, right?" The Third Prince tried his best to remain calm while trying to take a peek at the paper. He even extended his hand and asked, "Let me see¡­"


    The Lightning Arbiter was still ignorant about the matter, so she handed the paper without any thought. She only added something that shocked the Sword Arbiter. "Please. Though, I feel something weird about this paper. It feels like the drawing is moreplete and refined. I have seen a lot of Spirit Enchantment as an Arbiter, but this one is moreplex than the one I have seen¡­"


    The Third Prince smiled, not saying anything.


    However, the Sword Arbiter had seen through the matter and realized that the reason why the Third Prince came here was to get this information. He told his subordinates to save every book earlier, meaning whatever he searched for was in the form of a book.


    It wasn''t that hard to link everything up. The Third Prince was actually trying to find a book rted to the Spirit Enchantment which was moreplex than the actual one. That book could be a result of research or somethingpletely groundbreaking.


    With that thought in mind, the Sword Arbiter frowned and said coldly, "I''m afraid that our cooperation has to end here, Third Prince¡­"


    "Old man¡­" The Third Prince frowned. Although the Sword Arbiter was a man of focus, he still prioritized the Royal Family over his mission. The fact that there was knowledge that might threaten the royal family meant he had to stop whoever wanted it even if that person was the Third Prince.


    They were ring at each other again as the tension rose into the sky. Even the other three Spirit Grandmasters had started releasing their Spiritual Energy, preparing for the fight.


    The Lightning Arbiter never thought that the situation was moreplicated than she thought.


    ''A book that has this kind of knowledge? Something moreplicated than the rune¡­ if it''s research, it''s truly groundbreaking. If it''s new butplete knowledge¡­'' The Lightning Arbiter fell silent.


    On the one hand, the Royal Family was a big figure. They were the strongest power in the kingdom. On the other hand, the Third Prince seemed to have connections and more resources to this kind of special knowledge. It couldn''t help but pique her interest.


    They might be having a conflict and might start a fight soon. But it didn''t change the fact that the Third Prince seemed to be more resourceful than the current royal family.


    "¡­" The Lightning Arbiter looked at the Third Prince mysteriously.


    While the tension was rising in the city due to five Spirit Grandmasters, Anna and Illia were preparing to leave the city.


    Illia asked, "Are you sure it''s alright to show that kind of paper?"


    "I know her personality. She must have blurted all kinds of information she had in her head when she saw that paper. It would create another wave of chaos. That''s why we have to leave this town immediately. We have done our job and that hidden threat has left the city as well. We have achieved our objective."

 Chapter 589 Reactions

    No one could describe what happened inside that city. The city was ruined by the fight between five Spirit Grandmasters.


    Due to the importance of the knowledge, the Sword Arbiter had to challenge the Third Prince.


    Although they outnumbered them, the Third Prince had to retreat because of the Sword Arbiter''s overwhelming power.


    In the end, the two Arbiters had the priority to take everything from the mansion. Unfortunately for them, the battlested a bit too long. Everything that could be burned had been reduced to ashes. So, they couldn''t find anything from the mansion.


    The only thing they could bring back was the small remains from a corpse they found in the office room. They expected him to be the marquis, so they concluded that there was a third party that tried to find the book.


    The Sword Arbiter could only report this matter to the royal family.


    Though, both the Third Prince and the royal family were facing their own problems. It became bigger when they heard certain information that came from Marquis Walford''s city and Count Leinberd''s city.


    In that ce, the knowledge about runes started to spread. They had copied Noel''s introductory rune book and spread it to normal people. There were some merchants that carried the books as well. But the most important fact was how some mysterious people actually taught normal people about these runes.


    Although they were normal people, these mysterious people only taught the people who had Spiritual Energy in their bodies. So, they were mostly soldiers.


    Most of them couldn''t learn the runes easily. Even if they could, the royal family and the Third Prince would have returned to the city to interfere.


    But there would always be a hidden genius among the people. They couldn''t be found before because they didn''t have the right environment to grow.


    But when they learned about the runes, they started showing exceptional growth. They could even conjure the runes even though they still failed to activate them.


    Still, that fact alone turned the entire kingdom upside down.


    The Third Prince gritted his teeth before blowing up. "Aaaaaahhhhh!"


    He roared to the sky because of this problem. "Who are they? Who are the ones spreading that knowledge? I was supposed to be the only one who monopolized that knowledge!"


    The Third Prince wanted to me everyone, but he certainly couldn''t say anything about Noel and Countess Christina. The former had given the book to be checked since he didn''t want to harm the Third Prince, while thetter had checked and given the book.


    But everything went awry the moment his people received the book as if everything had gone ording to someone''s n.


    And the biggest suspect was none other than the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "We have to impose an information ckout, Sir." One of his advisers came and suggested something.


    But the Third Prince snarled, "Do you think we can do that? There are already many people learning about this knowledge. Even the merchants are carrying the book. If the knowledge is spread, I can''t monopolize it anymore.


    "Whoever that person is must want to spread this knowledge. He must be trying to take away my chance to reim the throne." The Third Prince gritted his teeth.


    It was already impossible to stop the spread of knowledge. The people would be spreading it mouth to mouth while the merchants would spread the books. Once this matter was known, it would be impossible to find the culprit who did all this.


    And the other kingdoms would surely want a piece of it.


    He had no doubt that the Muivell Kingdom was strong enough to stop the other three kingdoms for a while, but the problem was that the Greenwood Kingdom had the original Spirit Enchantment Book.


    If they found this book and realized Noel could be considered royalty from their kingdom, they would do everything to grab both Noel and the book. In the end, the Greenwood Kingdom would get all the knowledge.


    However, he didn''t know that Noel had asked his grandfather to spread the knowledge not only in the Greenwood Kingdom but in the other two kingdoms. This way, everyone would get a piece of the pie, preventing any monopoly.


    This was Noel''s n to spread the knowledge without doing it directly. His achievement would soar and his name would echo in all kingdoms. It would be risky, but if he yed his card correctly, he would be able to gain the biggest benefits.


    ¡­


    Royal Pce.


    The king was also gritting his teeth, having a simr problem as the Third Prince. Although the knowledge was important, the king focused more on the author of the book.


    Introductory Rune 1.


    Noel Ardagan.


    He gritted his teeth before mming the table. "Ardagan. Even when that family is gone, I still see them. I shouldn''t have stopped myself from killing that child¡­ I should have executed Noel Ardagan alongside his parents!"


    The king roared. He was angry that everything happened because Noel was exiled instead of executed.


    On the one hand, Marquis Stargaze had sent Anna, who became the scapegoat, to chase after Noel. She even personally killed Noel in front of a member of the Demon Relief Squad. On the other hand, Marquis Stargaze had a good rtionship with Count Ardagan. He couldn''t help but suspect him to be involved.


    He never thought that an ant that was supposed to die in the Demon Banner Army woulde to bite him again. At the same time, he had no idea what he should do, considering Noel had died.


    "Kh¡­" The king gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated. He wanted to kill Noel, but he couldn''t kill a dead person whose remains had already be the monster''s snack.


    "Immediately impose the information ckout!" The king ordered.


    "What? I don''t think it''s possible to stop them even with a decree. We also have toe up with a story to stop people from talking about it. And how big the area¡­"N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    The King stated without hesitation. "The entire kingdom. We can''t contain the knowledge in that single city, but we have to stop it from spreading to another kingdom. No matter what, this is our possession!"

 Chapter 590 Laufey Ardagan

    Aside from the king and the Third Prince, there were some other groups that received the news.


    One of them was none other than the Supreme Devil Organization, specifically Noel''s uncle, Laufey Ardagan.


    "That''s what happened, Sir." The woman, who was known as Serpent, kneeled before a middle-aged man. The middle aged man didn''t have ck hair like Noel or his father. He instead had short spiky brown hair.


    They were inside a room. There was nothing special in the room, only one table on the side, a window that became the source of the lighting of this room, and the chair at the opposite side of the room where Laufey sat.


    When he heard the report, his expression instantly became cold. "You couldn''t even handle such a thing?"


    "There were a lot of variables, Sir. If I didn''t escape, there were already five Spirit Grandmasters that might attack me. The least I could do was esc¡ª" The woman suddenly stopped because he felt the sudden shift in his position.


    She widened her eyes in shock because the next thing she realized, she was standing in front of the wall. And Laufey Ardagan had stood in front of her, extending his hand.


    *Bam!*


    "Gah!" The serpent coughed because her neck was choked and she was pinned to the wall. "Sir¡­"


    She looked at Laufey, who was raising her as if trying to make her stop breathing. She struggled a bit, but it was useless. She couldn''t attack her superior as well.


    "One thousand years ago, the great Ardagan gave a book to the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family as dowry. The book led to a controversy and there were many people that wanted the book.


    "In the end, the book was gone, reced with a new one. Unfortunately, that new one was the inferior version. Yes, That''s the book of the Spirit Enchantment.


    "The great Ardagan left his legacy. But contrary to normal people''s beliefs, the legacy was far simpler than anyone could imagine. There were only three books and the sword that apanied him.


    "There was nothing like the Spirit Enchantment to the point people thought the great Ardagan abandoned his future generations. However, after searching frantically for an answer, I got the real answer.


    "The real inheritance was not the books. It was the sword. The sword carried all his legacy. It was proved even further by that brat''s swordsmanship.


    "That''s why the kid would bring out the Spirit Enchantment inheritance sooner orter. That''s why I tasked you to retrieve the books for me! Yet, you failed the job."


    Laufey''s eyes started emitting killing intent.


    The woman was gasping for air as she struggled while trying to exin herself. "Please give me a second chance, Sir. I wil¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Laufey gritted his teeth. "You were lucky that I didn''t kill you right away!"


    Laufey started releasing his Spiritual Energy out of anger. The Spiritual Energy was so violent that the entire room cracked in an instant.


    The woman stopped struggling out of fear. The suppression also tried to crush her body. If not for the fact she was a Devil Bishop, she would have died.


    ''This is¡­'' The woman had the shock of her life. The person before her was one of the two Devil Saints the Supreme Devil Organization had. His strength had reached Spirit Transcendence.


    Even with the kingdom''s power, the only one that could stop them was either themander of the Demon Banner Army or the Captain of the Twelve Arbiters.


    Their strength was already beyond anyone''s reach. And the fact that Laufey could reach this point was one of the books that he stole from the Ardagan Family.


    If one book alone was able to allow him to reach this stage, what if he got all the books? She couldn''t imagine what kind of existence he would be. Yet, he said those three books were not the true inheritance.


    She couldn''t help but wonder what would happen to Noel, who had the Ardagan Sword, the sword that was said to be the real inheritance. He might surpass this stage in the future.


    Laufey gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill this woman, but it was true that she was more useful when she was alive.


    He seemed to be contemting whether he should spare her or not. Although she was about to run out of air and her face already became as pale as a dead person, she tried to avoid making any movement or sound so as to avoid angering him. At the very least, she got the chance to live.


    Her consciousness started to disappear due to theck of air. But it seemed that she got her second chance as her body dropped to the ground.


    *Cough!*


    *Cough!*


    *Cough!*


    She was holding her neck while coughing. She tried to get as much air as possible out of instinct. Tears wereing out of the corner of her eyes and her body fell limp.


    When she was trying to regain herposure, Laufey opened his mouth. "You are still useful to me. So, I won''t kill you yet.


    "That''s why I''ll give you another chance to prove that my decision to keep you alive is not wrong. You shall investigate Noel Ardagan''s death. Everyone said that his corpse had been eaten, but those monsters wouldn''t be able to destroy the sword.


    "Investigate his death and find the sword. If you can''t find the sword, don''t bother toe back."N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "Y-yes, Sir." She struggled to answer him. Although her body was weak, she tried her best to drag her body out of the room.


    She knew that if she stayed any longer, she would die. So, she used thest bit of her body to leave while gritting his teeth.


    People said Noel Ardagan had died, but Laufey didn''t believe it. After all, there was nothing they brought back as proof of his death. Even the sword was missing, so she had to investigate the entire area to see whether the demons had stolen the sword or not.

 Chapter 591 Luke And Leysha

    Though, there was one more organization that got the information about Noel''s book. It was a secret organization, whose name wasn''t even known to the world.


    The man leading the organization was a middle-aged man. He had ck hair that looked simr to that of Noel. Yes, he was none other than Noel''s father, Luke Ardagan.


    After faking his death, he had been covering his identity.


    Next to him stood a woman. She was holding a few documents in her hand as if she was trying to check them herself. But there were two books mixed in those documents. She was Noel''s mother, Leysha Ardagan.


    "I received the sample. Here you go." She put the two books in front of Luke with a smile. "What do you think?"


    Luke opened the book while frowning. On the one hand, he still had a hard time believing it. On the other hand, the record seemed to be true.


    Luke looked carefully and examined the runes on the books. "This¡­ They are simr¡­ They are simr to the ones in the Spirit Enchantment Book."


    He couldn''t help but close the book again to check the name of the book.


    Introductory Rune Book.


    Author: Noel Ardagan


    He ended up stroking the name of the author with a sad expression. Even Leysha couldn''t help but bite her lips, having the same feeling.


    "He must have suffered out there¡­" Luke closed his eyes as if he was regretting all his choices.


    "I know." Leysha nodded with a serious expression. "However¡­"


    "Yeah." Luke let out a long sigh. "At that time, the Ardagan Family was already facing its end. Even though I have raised it to be the wealthiest family in the Muivell Kingdom, deep down, I know that there''s nothing left to be used in the Ardagan Family. Sooner orter, the family will start to decline.


    "I don''t want Noel to bear the burden of the decline. He is a smart kid. I know that if he is the head of any noble family in the kingdom, he will be able to bring forth the family''s potential. Unfortunately, the Ardagan Family is different.


    "That''s why the Ardagan Family has to be destroyed once. There are three reasons. First of all, there is already a traitor in our territory. Even with our preparation, the traitor managed to steal some inheritance. And the matter became even more ridiculous when the Supreme Devil Organization came into the mix.


    "It had been guing the Ardagan Family for over three generations. It became an even bigger problem in my generation.


    "The fact that they were aiming for Noel''s life and Ardagan Sword was enough for me to do all this. Even with Dimitri protecting him, Noel might lose his life if he didn''t get strong himself.


    "That''s why Noel had to go to the Demon Banner Army to hone himself." Luke gritted his teeth. He wanted to teach Noel himself, but it was impossible to change him. As long as they were still living in luxury, Noel wouldn''t change.


    Only that kind of setback could force Noel to improve. And he could only believe in his ability.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Still, you have made a lot of preparations so that they can protect Noel. Even Dimitri is staying next to him." Leysha smiled. "Even if the family is ruined, you have preserved its core members. Sooner orter, Noel will be able to gather everyone back. And there will also be the new people that he brings into the family. When that happens, our son doesn''t need to face that decline problem.


    "Although we can''t meet him right now, I still believe this is the best we can do for us, for him, and for the family."


    Luke closed his eyes for a moment. "Yeah. You might be right. Unfortunately, we can''t meet him yet¡­ If we meet him now, there will surely be a lot ofplications. Even right now, the Third Prince is still hiding his fangs. It''s good that our son is smart enough to find a way around to stop anyone from monopolizing this knowledge¡­"


    "You have taught him everything he needs to know. Right now, his eyes can discern things like yours." Leysha smiled.


    "Though, there are some concerns¡­" Luke sighed, ncing at Leysha, specifically the ring hanging on her neck.


    Leysha gently raised the ring, looking at it with a smile. "I wonder if Noel is close to a woman¡­ I wonder what kind of person she is?"


    "As long as it is his choice, I don''t really mind. If she is ugly, we just have to create cosmetics or something that can enhance her appearance. If she is¡­ not as smart as we thought, we could simply teach her. If she is not capable, she can train. I am not that supportive of a political marriage. Even if the woman he chooses is a woman, it''s our job to change her until she is at the level where no one can look down on her. If people still say things, those are just excuses to hide their inability." Luke smiled.


    "That''s true." Leysha smiled back. "Though, Noel is going to face one of the biggest hurdles in his life. Now that the knowledge has spread, I''m afraid¡­"


    "Many old and powerful nobles, huh? Even the other kingdoms will probably join¡­" Luke thought for a moment.


    "You should be able to hold back those nobles and I can ask my father to help with the Greenwood Kingdom. But the other two kingdoms¡­" Leysha shook her head helplessly.


    "Well, I''ll search for a solution after this. For now, we will help spread the knowledge. If we can make it public knowledge, he will be safer. It seems I have to pay a visit to Styx Canva." Luke narrowed his eyes.


    "That''s true. But there''s something you should worry about¡­" Leysha raised one finger as her expression turned serious.


    Luke looked into her eyes as Leysha told him about the danger. "The Supreme Devil Organization is going to be more active now that the books are out. We should beat some fanatics."

 Chapter 592 Greenwood Kingdom (1)

    As expected of the former Royal Magician, Raincart Ezenholm, Noel''s grandfather, managed to spread the knowledge about runes in all directions.


    Unlike Noel, he didn''t have to hide his own existence. After all, the author was not him but his grandson, who was rumored to be dead.


    And with this knowledge being spread openly, Raincart, of course, had to deal with the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family.


    He was summoned to the royal pce. Normally, he would be judged by all the nobles. Yet, there were only four people inside the throne room: Raincart, the king, the prime minister, and the current Royal Magician.


    Raincart fell on one knee while greeting the king. "Raincart Ezenholm greets Your Majesty."


    The king, Theodore El Greenwood, frowned. His expression was dark as if he experienced a lot of stress because of the recent matter.


    "I think you already know the reason for calling you here¡­ Teacher," said the king. Although he called him his teacher, his voice was cold as if he held some grudges.


    "Of course. The Introductory Rune Book¡­" Raincart nodded.


    "Then, I won''t beat around the bush." The king asked with a strict tone. "Why do you spread it?"


    Raincart fell silent. He had prepared for an answer, but as expected, their rtionship as a former student and teacher made it hard for him to tell the reason.


    "I believe Your Majesty has seen the books¡­ But may I ask if the author of the book rings a bell in your ears?" Raincart asked.


    Normally, the prime minister and the royal magician would berate him for answering the question with another question. But Raincart was a Royal Magician, so he obviously understood that. Even if he was being interrogated, Raincart seemed to want to tell them something.


    Theodore narrowed his eyes and said, "Noel Ardagan¡­ I have heard about the Ardagan Family. They were from the Muivell Kingdom and seemed to have fallen not long ago. They were the wealthiest family in that kingdom, so of course, I knew them. What''s your point?"


    The Prime Minister seemed to catch something. "Wait a minute. Ardagan Family¡­ Ezenholm Family¡­ If I am not wrong, your daughter, Leysha Ezenholm, married the head of the Ardagan Family, Luke Ardagan¡­ And this Noel Ardagan must be their son or, in other words, your grandson."


    "¡­" Theodore fell silent when he grasped the whole situation.


    "Yes." Raincart nodded, confirming it.


    The prime minister continued, "We tried to investigate the author of the book, Noel Ardagan. But we only heard about his death on a mission¡­ Are you telling us that the reason for your action is honoring your grandson?"


    "Yes. I''m simply honoring the promise¡­" Raincart admitted it without hesitation.


    "Raincart Ezenholm¡­" The Royal Magician stepped forward. "You and I, as the former and current Royal Magician, should know that there was no way a young person like that would be able to write that, right? No matter how talented he was, someone who just reached adulthood wouldn''t be able to create something moreplete than the Spirit Enchantment."


    Raincart smirked. "Because you are the current Royal Magician that you haven''t experienced and learned everything yet."


    "You¡­" The Royal Magician was simply statingmon sense, so he was a bit offended when Raincart provoked him.


    However, the king waved his hand, stopping him. He had caught a hidden meaning in his sentence. "What are you talking about? borate."


    Raincart nodded. "As we all know, the Spirit Enchantment came from the ancestors of the royal family¡­"


    "That''s obvious." The king nodded. The Spirit Enchantment was basically the reason why the royal family could reign this kingdom.


    But Raincart asked another question about their family tree. "But are you aware of the origin of the book¡­ specifically? Where did the ancestors of the royal family acquire the book?"


    They were confused. But the Prime Minister, who was the sharpest among them, couldn''t help but notice the message. "Don''t tell me, the Ardagan Family? They were also an old family with a deep background¡­"


    "Exactly!" Raincart smiled. "In that generation, there were two members from the Royal Family that decided to leave the kingdom for an adventure."


    "!!!" The king widened his eyes in shock. "The Sword Saint, Noah El Greenwood, and the Fairy, Alicia El Greenwood."


    As soon as the king recognized those two names, Raincart immediately stepped forward with his story. "Yes. The Sword Saint and the Fairy went on an adventure and met a person that would change their lives. He was the Great General under Heaven, Alexander Ardagan."


    "!!!" Both the Prime Minister and the Royal Magician also recognized this name. "The first person to reach the Spirit King Level. The number one expert in that generation. Alexander Ardagan!"


    "Wait a minute¡­" The king contemted for a moment and asked, "Don''t tell me, the Spirit Enchantment came from¡­"


    "Yes. There was no record in this kingdom, but the Ardagan Family still had the record. Alicia El Greenwood married Alexander Ardagan. In exchange, Alexander Ardagan presented the Spirit Enchantment Book.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "But with the fact that both the Fairy and the Sword Saint chose to live and die in the Muivell Kingdom, I could only assume that their rtionship wasn''t that good. That was why the Spirit Enchantment that he gave was the downgraded version of what I''m currently spreading, the Runes.


    "That''s the origin of the book." Raincart ended his exnation with a smile, stunning all three of them.


    The Royal Magician frowned and asked, "Are you telling us that the books are actually the legacy of Alexander Ardagan?"


    "Yes." Raincart stopped after a single word as if he was waiting for their decision.


    As a royalty, the king noticed something different from these two. He was looking directly at his own family tree and couldn''t help but say, "If this is the case, doesn''t that mean the Ardagan Family and us have a deep rtionship?"


    "!!!" The Royal Magician and the Prime Minister widened their eyes in shock. They didn''t care about royal blood since it had been a thousand years. What shocked them was the king''s intention.


    "Your Majesty¡­"


    "You¡­"

 Chapter 593 Greenwood Kingdom (2)

    The king ignored their reactions as he asked Raincart, "Is this your n, Teacher?"


    Raincart shook his head helplessly. "Even I was surprised when I was given this n."


    "Given?" The words startled all of them. After all, the only person that would give this kind of n was none other than the author himself. In other words, such a young man would be able toe up with all this and n everything. It was terrifying.


    "There are only two possibilities after telling me this. First, I am mobilizing my elites to assassinate the author himself to avoid future threats. As for the second possibility¡­" The king paused for a moment as his tone became heavier. "¡­is to have a friendly rtionship due to the connection between you and me as well as the royal family and the Ardagan Family¡­


    "And since you spread the knowledge already ande to this ce without a fight, it''s clear that you want to achieve thetter¡­ But there is something you forget, Teacher¡­" The king''s expression became cold as he threatened. "The decision lies in me. If I want the former, no one can stop me!"


    "Of course." Raincart seemed to be unaffected by the threat. He looked like he had given up on convincing him since his grandson had died. But it turned out Raincart had already prepared for this kind of answer. He added, "I apologize, but his n also includes the other two kingdoms."


    "What?!" They dropped their jaws, not believing what they had just heard.


    "Yes. I have spread the knowledge in the other two kingdoms as well. He also has made an arrangement for the Muivell Kingdom. In other words, no one can stop the spread of knowledge. All kingdoms receive the same amount of knowledge. The only difference is that this kingdom has me to tell you everything."


    "Everything was nned by him?" The king never thought he would have this much headache from someone who had just reached adulthood. He asked helplessly, wondering how talented this guy was.


    When he saw Raincart nod his head, the king pinched the bridge of his nose, falling into deep thought.


    After a few minutes, the king asked, "Before I say anything else, I think it''s better to ask this one question first. Teacher¡­ What did he want?"


    "My grandson''s vision was not limited to the Muivell Kingdom, the Greenwood Kingdom or even the other two kingdoms. He was looking far, far ahead¡­"


    "Far¡­ Wait. The Demons?!" The king gasped. "Even though all kingdoms are expanding our territories, we stillpete with each other. But if he is looking at the demons instead of the four kingdoms, it means that he is trying to increase the level of the four kingdoms by spreading this knowledge in four kingdoms simultaneously.


    "Although I don''t know the extent of these so-called runes, I can say for sure that the knowledge will surely bring a lot of bloodbaths. And if a monopoly manages to be created, then there will be a lot of civil wars.


    "By spreading the knowledge simultaneously, he prevents all the bloodbaths while raising his prestige. Is this seriously a n made by a young man?" The king couldn''t help but smirk. He felt overwhelmed and excited at the same time. "If only that young man is still alive, he can achieve a lot more¡­"


    The Prime Minister nced at the king and noticed the calm expression on Raincart''s face. "I think you are incorrect, Your Majesty. If he cane up with such a n at that young age, it''s unlikely for such a person to die so easily. I''m assuming that this guy is still alive. He might be hiding his identity or hiding somewhere for some time¡­ After all, the knowledge spread a few months after his death¡­"


    "!!!" The king''s heart skipped a beat. "If such a person is still alive¡­ he will be a terrifying figure in the future."


    He muttered out of reflex, but when he looked at Raincart before him, he realized something. He thought, ''No, wait. Why would Teacher agree to this? I could use this excuse to punish the Ezenholm Family¡­ Don''t tell me, Teacher is nning to use our rtionship and the two families'' rtionship to push me into thinking of an alliance¡­


    ''If I be this young man''s ally, I will be able to get both his support and the Ezenholm Family¡­ He knows about this andes to the royal pce¡­ So, that''s your n.'' The king felt defeated. It was no wonder why Raincart could be his teacher in the past.


    The king asked, "Teacher¡­ I have two questions before I can make a decision."


    "Please ask anything, Your Majesty. I shall answer them to the best of my ability."


    "My first question. Is it possible to bring him to the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    Raincart hesitated for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. "I am afraid not. I have met him in the past¡­ All he thinks about is how to revive his family. So, I don''t think he will leave the Muivell Kingdom."


    "Then, the second question¡­ If I betroth one of my princesses¡­ No, the brightest among them, the second princess¡­ Will you help me?"


    Raincart shook his head, not because he didn''t want to help, but because he didn''t agree with the question. "I think you should ask the other princes and princesses whether they will let him live peacefully or not. My grandson will never attack someone without a cause, so¡­"


    Raincart didn''t continue since it might cause some problems. However, the meaning was clear.


    The other princes and princesses that were aiming for the throne would surely try to either befriend him or kill him.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Still, it''ll be hard to handle the Muivell Kingdom for this¡­" The king muttered, falling into deep thought. It seemed that the two answers were enough.


    He suddenly rose from his throne and dered his decision. "One year. Do everything you can to form a friendly rtionship with him. Don''t let any princes and princesses learn about his existence.


    "If we end up having friction between us, depending on the grudge, we will decide whether we will fix the rtionship or eliminate him. Remember, the time limit is one year!"

 Chapter 594 Return

    The other two kingdoms also had a simr talk. But because they couldn''t understand why Noel wanted to spread this knowledge in their territory, they were a bit more careful than the Greenwood Kingdom and the Muivell Kingdom. Even if they did something, it would be farter than those two Kingdoms.


    The Greenwood Kingdom was considering a peaceful and beneficial rtionship. Meanwhile, the Muivell Kingdom was looking at Noel''s name as gue.


    Still, the knowledge was already out and no one could stop them from spreading anymore. Even if they had the ability, they wouldn''t do it, considering the other kingdoms also had it. It would only cause their kingdom to be weaker than the rest, so even a foolish king wouldn''t do it.


    The one who felt relieved the most was Countess Christina.


    She was sitting in her office with a radiant smile. She was reading the report about everything that happened after she spread the knowledge.


    "To think everything is going ording to his n¡­ Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford have died. And there is no sessor to their families, which means they will be a neutral territory under the royal family''s jurisdiction for the time being.


    "This way, I don''t have to fear any threats around my territory. Even the royal family wouldn''t investigate me since they have their hands full with the problems the two families caused.


    "As for the Third Prince, he hadn''te back to me to interrogate me. As that guy said, I have done my job, so there''s no need to get involved anymore.


    "The kingdom will have a big headache with this matter, which will cause them to slow down for a bit. Meanwhile, Noel could take this chance to grow his strength.


    "Though I''m more worried about his safety now. He told me there were two possibilities that the Third Prince would bring. First, he will try to keep him alive. After all, Noel is the author of that book. His extensive knowledge will be useful in researching more about the runes. So, the Third Prince might ask him to continue with the research and try to save him whenever someone tries to kill him.


    "Even the Royal Family has to think twice before killing Noel. After all, Noel is the most talented person that can research this power.


    "But because he spreads this knowledge to all kingdoms, it will cause a lot of people to research this new knowledge. All those people are older and more experienced than him, so their words look more credible than his words.


    "So, the Third Prince might kill Noel to avoid future trouble. Although the progress will be a bit slower, the runes will still be developed. Even I can somehow research the runes. So¡­"


    Countess Christina closed her eyes for a while. She sighed. "I guess the Third Prince will choose the former. After all, the Ardagan Family was loyal to him, even if he tried to deliver the book through me¡­ The Third Prince might doubt Noel, but it didn''t change the fact that he didn''t have enough proof that everything was his n."


    Countess Christina couldn''t help but shake her head, feeling defeated. "To think the one who came up with this n was a young boy¡­ I wonder what kind of terrifying existence he would be in one or two decades. Though, he has to stay alive until then."


    Yes. Noel had predicted everything due to his father''s teaching. As a merchant, one had to look at their customer''s options and abilities, allowing them to suggest something that would suit all their conditions. That was the reason why the customers would follow their suggestion and buy it.


    Noel simply applied that lesson in this scenario. He understood what the Third Prince wanted and what kind of price he would pay. He utilized it to kill the two nobles and cause this ruckus. He also considered Count Leinberd, Marquis Walford, and the royal family.


    That was why everything went ording to n. Still, the biggest factor that allowed the n to seed was none other than the brothel.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The brothel had helped him with a lot of information. They were the ones allowing him to measure people''s options and abilities, after all.


    Although they couldn''t apany Noel all the time, they could assist him whenever Noel went to the brothel to ask for help. Unfortunately, Anna didn''t enjoy the same benefits.


    After this cooperation, the brothel would recognize Anna, but they wouldn''t help her. After all, the brothel was not her or her family''s possession. They stemmed from Ardagan.


    As for this Ardagan, who caused all this mess¡­ he was actually sitting on a bench outside the house provided by the Demon Relief Squad.


    After returning to the Demon Relief Squad''s headquarters, he took some time to let his body rest. He had overworked himself for thest few days by utilizing his power all the time to understand more about the new techniques. There were a lot of techniques, after all.


    He was resting his body so that he couldplete the next mission, which was the Third Prince''s mission.


    It seemed that he and Rose were the first ones to return. They had to wait for the others to return before they received the next mission.


    And with the recent problem, the Supreme Devil Organization would focus on the runes instead of him. In addition, they had rested for a few months, so the matters should have already been buried in the first ce.


    Hence, their new start shoulde with a fresh beginning. As long as they didn''t provoke the Supreme Devil Organization directly, they wouldn''t have any problems for a while.


    Not long after, the rest of the Demon Relief Squad''s members returned to the headquarters. And it was time for them to receive the mission from ra.


    When they reached her office, the atmosphere suddenly became tense as ra red at them with a dark expression.


    She opened her mouth, stunning everyone.


    "Your next mission¡­ might be more dangerous than you think."

 Chapter 595 New Mission

    "¡­" No one reacted to her words. They all had grim expressions as if they had prepared themselves.


    ra was satisfied with their expressions and finally revealed the mission.


    "A request came to us a month ago. And it was a serious request because it involved a lot of people. Even the matter itself was something that I couldn''t believe."


    "May we know the matter, Captain? I think it''s better to exin everything first instead of leaving us in this suspense," asked Paul. "We all have rested enough, so we should be able to go without any problems."


    "The request came from the Demon Extermination Squad, specifically their Captain, Shale. He requests us to assist him in killing some demons and restoring a certain facility."


    "Facility?" They were confused. Although they were good at construction, they had to understand what the facility was before doing any construction. If they couldn''t understand it, they wouldn''t take the job.


    And with ra saying it in this way, they couldn''t help but think the facility was something beyond their ability.


    ra sighed. "That''s the problem. We are going to work together with the Tower Association. It seems the facility is rted to the mysterious facility outside the border.


    "Currently, the Demon Extermination Squad and two Elders from the Tower Association have been stationed there, waiting for further action."


    "What?" Paul widened his eyes as he immediately asked for confirmation. "Outside the border¡­ Are you telling us that the facility we are going to work with is the mysterious facility left by the previous civilization?!"


    "Yes. We still don''t know anything about the facility and its purpose, so we can only go there first to confirm it."


    "If that''s the case, aren''t we supposed to work with more experts?" Paul narrowed his eyes.


    This was Noel''s first experience with the mysterious facility, so he didn''t know what he should say.


    Seeing Noel''s confusion behind his mask, Rose exined, "We once took a mission like this in the past. Back then, Jonathan, Ben, and I were still not in the Zero Squad. Even Captain ra was still the Vice Captain back then.


    "But that mysterious facility was basically a demon den. When we explored the facility to learn more, we were ambushed by a lot of demons. The previous captain was severely injured and was forced to retire. Four members of the Zero Squad died."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He never thought that the facility was that dangerous. It seemed that due to that ident, ra was forced to be the captain of the Demon Relief Squad. That loss must have devastated her to the point she became this strong.


    Even Paul, who was a new member at that time, trained tirelessly until he reached his current position.


    That was why they couldn''t underestimate this mysterious facility.


    They are working with the Tower Association and the Demon Extermination Squad this time. The Demon Extermination Squad might be good at killing demons, but there was a chance that they wouldn''t find any ambush hiding nearby. And that ambush would attack the people at the rear.


    This was why they didn''t know whether they should take this mission or not. On the one hand, the mysterious facility was a huge discovery. On the other hand, if they didn''t move carefully, they would incur a massive loss.


    Noel looked down, wondering if he could get a mission from Ardagan.


    It seemed that there was not enough information to create a mission. So, he wondered if Anna knew anything about this.


    ''Now that I think about it¡­'' Noel fell silent as if he had realized something.


    After a while, Noel asked, "Captain¡­ Are you going with us?"


    "Of course. The mysterious facility and the joint operation require a lot of experts. I have to go there personally¡­ So yeah, we are going to move together this time."


    "If that''s the case, can we know who the Tower Association sent this time? Will the noble faction get involved as well?"


    ra shook her head. "The nobles won''t get involved in this. Unless we find something they can''t ignore, they will wait from the sidelines. As for the Elders from the Tower Association¡­ they seem to be sending the nt Lord and Stone Lord."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He couldn''t help but remember the three names that the Water Lord thought to be involved with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The Fire Lord was rted to Countess Christina. In fact, he chose Countess Christina because he knew the Countess would inform her teacher. If he was involved, the Supreme Devil Organization would surely get involved.


    Although he didn''t get the proof yet, he suspected that the Fire Lord was indeed cooperating with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    And this time, he would work together with the nt Lord. He had to see whether the nt Lord was involved with them or not. He once solved a problem rted to an extinct nt, so he still believed that the nt Lord was an enemy.


    The fact that there would be a spy among them made Noel frown. After all, the entire mission would surely be extremely dangerous.


    With how the Supreme Devil Organization was trying to exterminate their squad, it wouldn''t be weird if those people tried to wipe out the Demon Relief Squad in this operation.


    Noel looked down for a moment, falling into deep thought. He asked, "I know that it''s not my ce to ask this. But can we receive more reinforcement? At the very least, the Demon Beholder Squad and their captain have to be involved¡­"


    ra frowned before ncing at Paul. Paul said, "He was often like this and his prediction was usually right. I think we can believe him."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ra thought for a moment. "Well, this is a mysterious facility. To avoid a loss like thest expedition, it''s better to involve Septa and his squad to search for ambushes or hidden items. I can try requesting their help. Are there more requests, Iadre¡­ No, I think all the people here already know¡­ So, Noel, what do you want?"

 Chapter 596 Requests

    "So, Noel, what do you want?"


    "¡­" Noel was silent for a while. He was ncing to the left and right, seeing no change of expression.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    That action was enough to tell him that everyone had realized his identity. Though, it wasn''t that hard to deduce if they paid close attention to how he acted this whole time. Even Ste, who usually ended up reacting to the revtion, was silent.


    It seemed that the expedition this time would be extremely dangerous.


    Hence, Noel thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, this is my first time going on an expedition like this. Even I have a hard time thinking about possibilities that might ur there. However, I do have two more requests and one question."


    "Let''s start with the question," ra replied without hesitation.


    "Alright. The question is simple. May I know the exact location of that ce? Is it near a good destination where people usually go for vacation?"


    ra frowned. The question looked weird, but since she agreed to cooperate with him, ra said, "The location of the ruin is in the north of this kingdom, specifically near a Baron''s territory. Because the baron is newly appointed due to the expansion, we shouldn''t expect much from this baron.


    "Also, if I have to name a good destination, then it''s probably the Hot Spring."


    "A Hot Spring?" Noel frowned. "What kind of Hot Spring?"


    "That kind of Hot Spring where you can rx your body and mind. The area is not that far from a volcano. That''s the reason why Stone Lord and nt Lord are cooperating with us. Since the volcano is making thend fertile, the nt Lord is to check the possibility of nt demons that are hiding inside the facility. As for the Stone Lord, he''s the one taking care of stone samples.


    "We have to prepare for everything, after all. Even the Fire Lord is joining this expedition¡­ Though, he is going to the volcano instead of the facility. So, I don''t include him."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel looked down for a moment.


    Rose seemed to notice Noel''s intention in asking that question. She thought, ''Is he trying to dy the expedition? Anna told him to meet her father so that they could talk. And with how Anna always brought some weird information¡­ I''m afraid that he is nning to extract some information if possible¡­ And depending on how the conversation is going, Noel might be nning to involve the marquis. This way, the expedition will be safer.''


    As Rose thought, Noel also muttered a simr thing. "I see. Then, the two requests remain unchanged. Since it''s going to be a big expedition that involves a lot of parties, I think we should be a bit more careful. When do we go there? In a month?"


    "No. Next week."


    "Next week? Are you sure it''s enough time to prepare?"


    "We have been preparing a lot of things in the past two months. So, we''re only waiting for all of you to return before we can move."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment before sighing. "In that case, can I ask you to mobilize a few more squads from the Demon Relief Squad? At least five more squads. Looking at the size of the expedition, we have to bring a lot more resources."


    "Did you not hear about what happened to the squad when we went on an expedition?" ra asked with a frown. "If we involved more squad, they might die. Noel¡­ Are you trying to sacrifice them?"


    "No. I can assure you that I''m not going to tell them to explore the mysterious building. I just want them to remain in the rear and erect a small base. This base has to be able to defend against a number of demons¡­ Basically, their task is to create a small fort to be used against the demons." Noel shook his head, exining his reason.


    Even ra had to consider this suggestion. It did make a lot of sense. The base could be a temporary home for them. As long as they fortified it a little, the people would feel safe.


    Meanwhile, their Zero Squad would handle the mysterious building''s investigation. This way, they had enough people to take care of the people inside the fort and handle the investigation.


    ra considered it for a moment and said, "Paul. I need you to send the message. Tell the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Squads toe to the location within a month. Since it''s a dangerous mission, they have a long time limit. Make sure they have enough preparation, or they might lose their lives."


    "Understood." Paul nodded with a serious expression.


    Noel smiled inwardly. He managed to hold back the investigation for a month. Noel and Anna had agreed, but they didn''t state the specific date. After all, it was hard to make an appointment with the current situation. Even Anna needed some time to return and tell her father about the meeting. So, Noel had to buy as much time as possible.


    After some careful consideration, Noel stated his second request. "Then, can we get some say during the expedition? I mean, we are there only to check the building and understand it, right? If possible, recreate or repair the facility¡­ But if this is the case, it means we will be there only for thebor. Themand will lie in the Demon Extermination Squad''s hands¡­"


    "It''s impossible. We are there to assist, not to lead, Noel." ra shook her head without hesitation.


    Noel knew about it already. So, he changed his words. "I''m just asking for a little bit¡­ Is it possible that we can suggest some ns and have them consider them carefully?"


    It wasn''t a big request when Noel reworded it. ra was also one of the strongest captains, so her words had a lot of weight on them. Forcing Shale to agree to such a condition wasn''t that big of a problem.


    So, ra nodded her head. "Alright. I''ll tell Shale about it. Does he know about your identity?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s easy to make him agree then. Though, I don''t think the Tower Association knows, right? We can only make some deals under the table¡­"


    "That''s fine." Noel nodded.


    "Alright. I can agree to your request. For now, make your preparation before heading there."

 Chapter 597 A Secret Mission

    They immediately sent the words to other squads. Luckily, two of them were staying inside the headquarters, so they could move togetherter. But because of the sudden notice, they had to wait for them to finish their preparation, which would extend the time of departure by one week.


    Noel was satisfied with the result, so he immediately made his own preparations. The first thing he did was not pack his luggage but go to the city.


    He didn''t n to look around the city. Instead, he was waiting for someone to approach him.


    The first day he did it, there was no oneing. The second day he walked around, no one approached him.


    It was only on the fifth day that he got a visitor when he was walking on the street.


    After buying some apples for the group, Noel walked on the street like usual. But this time, a woman with round ck sses suddenly slipped and fell onto him.


    "Kyaaa¡­"


    Noel instantly caught her with his reflex. It wasn''t that big of a deal now that he had be a Spirit Master.


    But once he caught the woman, thetter immediately smiled. "You are so strong, Mister¡­ Thank you very much for catching me. Do you think it''s possible to thank you?"


    "There''s no need to do that, Young Lady." Noel smiled gently, rejecting her invitation.


    But the woman suddenly grabbed his hand and asked desperately, "Please¡­ I don''t want to owe someone¡­ It''s just going to be a meal¡­"


    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® Noel paused for a moment before nodding his head. "I understand."


    Thedy immediately held his arm as if she was trying to prevent him from escaping. She then led her to a restaurant fifty meters from their location. It was a small but neat restaurant. Since there were a lot of open spaces and customers, it would be hard to hear a conversation as long as they picked the right spot.


    And thedy dragged him to a table far away from other customers.


    She gently smiled while waiting for the waiter toe. But in Noel''s eyes, that gentle smile was just a facade. Her real intention was to watch him.


    Although it was faint, Noel felt the extraordinary Spiritual Energy hiding in her body. With his current identity, it would be hard for him to run away from her.


    Suddenly, a young man approached their table. The man had long blond hair, and he seemed to be not much older than Noel. He asked politely, "Hello, why are you sitting far away from others?"


    "We like to enjoy our food in silence, so it''s better this way. You can join if you want." The woman smiled.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "In that case¡­" The man nodded and took a seat next to Noel.


    Noel wanted to roll his eyes since their acting wouldn''t fool anyone. It felt a bit forced. But since they wanted him to notice their identities, he understood why their acting was this bad.


    Noel politely nodded to him and said in a low voice. "Your Highness¡­"


    The man suddenly smiled. Since Noel had acknowledged him, he immediately asked the question that had puzzled him the most after the incident. "Why did you give Countess Christina those books?"


    "Your Highness has done a great favor to our family. So, I wanted to make sure that the books I gave you would work well and be safe for others to use without my supervision. And Countess Christina has the best understanding of Spirits among the people with a close rtionship with my father. That''s the reason."


    The Third Prince already knew about this, but he still asked the second question. "Then, why did the Countess n to give it to her teacher?"


    "I don''t know anything about it. I told her that I wanted her to give the books to you after she finished checking them. Actually, this is my first time hearing about it¡­"


    "¡­" The Third Prince frowned. On the one hand, the Countess seemed to make a mistake by trying to send the books to her teacher. On the other hand, her teacher was better than her, so it might just be one of the processes before she delivered the books to him. Hence, the Third Prince couldn''t me her entirely.


    At first, the Third Prince was trying to extract the information from Noel directly since the n to acquire the books had failed. But since the knowledge had been spread and the books could be acquired more easily, he chose to hide the fact that he had failed to avoid Noel looking down on him.


    Still, the Third Prince wondered if Noel was just a fool or not. After all, it looked like Noel was too inexperienced and not smart enough to consider such a thing to happen. The intention was good, but the execution was questionable.


    The Third Prince clicked his tongue. "As much as I want to punish you for making a questionable n, you still follow my request. So, I will forgive you this time."


    "I''ll give you a mission so you can make up for it."


    Noel immediately nodded. "I understand. It seems that I have made a huge mistake. I will not disappoint you like my father this time."


    "Uhm." The Third Prince nodded. He wanted to give him this missionst time, but the circumstances had changed. The Third Prince decided to give him a different task. "Alright. The Demon Relief Squad is nning to investigate a mysterious facility, right?"


    "I want you to remember every single detail inside the building and make a blueprint about that building."


    Noel tilted his head, asking innocently, "How do I take that note? I mean, if I do it, I''m afraid that the others will suspect me."


    The Third Prince gritted his teeth. His voice mixed with anger as he said, "You should take a mental note first and draw it after youe back to your own room. You are good at drawing since you''ve drawn many patterns in the rune book, right? You should be able to do something like this, right?"


    Noel nodded furiously as if he was afraid of angering the Third Prince. "I understand. I''ll not disappoint the Third Prince."


    "Good." The Third Prince sighed and asked the waiter to bring out the dishes. At least they had to eat first so that they wouldn''t be suspicious.


    Unbeknownst to the Third Prince, Noel was actually smiling inwardly, thinking, ''I am a fool. That must be your opinion of the current me, right? If I''m a fool, I''m not a threat. You have to drop your suspicion about the mastermind of the book incident. And it seems that the Third Prince doesn''t have a lot of connections in other kingdoms.


    ''I guess I have to earn some trust first to get more information about the Third Prince.''

 Chapter 598 Dangerous Expedition?

    Noel started packing his luggage for the uing expedition. This was the first time he participated in one, but with all the scary stories he heard from the squad, he knew that the expedition would surely cause a lot of deaths.


    On the one hand, he was trying to find a way to preserve everyone''s lives. He was a simple man in this regard. He was a member of the Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad, so of course, he wanted his team to survive, since they had bonded pretty well.


    On the other hand, he couldn''t even guarantee his own life, so how could he even help them?


    After some thought, Noel decided to leave the city by using the cover of darkness. He knew that he shouldn''t rely on Dimitri, but Dimitri was a former captain, so he should have some experiences or stories about an expedition like this.


    "Young Master." Dimitri politely bowed to him, greeting him. He thought the young master wanted to let him know about his target since he had lost his bet. But he was wrong.


    Noel looked at him with a serious expression. "Dimitri. I want to ask you a question¡­ I''m nning to go on an expedition to explore a mysterious facility. Do you have any experience there?"


    "Huh? An expedition to explore a mysterious facility? Do you mean the unknown facility outside the border?" Dimitri looked shocked, as if he couldn''t believe what he''d just heard.


    Noel confirmed it with a nod, making Dimitri look worried.


    Dimitri gritted his teeth. "Is there a way for you to back out, Young Master?"


    "I don''t think so. That''s why I want to guarantee my own life first with all kinds of information before trying to help others¡­"


    Dimitri fell silent, falling into deep thought. It seemed he had gone on multiple expeditions in the past. So, he was considering which one he should tell Noel.


    "To be honest, the mysterious facility has a lot of possibilities. It can be a safe haven where there is not a single demon hiding inside. Or it can be a demon den¡­ and a very strong one on top of that."


    "I have gone on three expeditions like this in the past. One of them was quite safe, but the other two were horrible. Back then, I was in charge of assassinating any demons that were going to ambush the exploration team."


    "But in the end, the demons managed to outnumber and overwhelm us. In the second expedition, I got the worst result. Half of my team died, and a third was forced to retire."


    "That bad?" Noel frowned.


    "Yeah." Dimitri nodded. "I think I should tell you about the worst that mighte so that you can prepare for the worst and be thankful if it''s not the case. The second expedition is to explore a certain facility¡­"


    "I''m not sure what it''s called, but the people considered it as a livingplex. It''s a huge building with a lot of rooms that can be filled with at least a hundred families inside."


    "We had to face a huge amount of demonsing from small holes. We didn''t know how many, but it felt like a never ending demon swarm."


    "There were at least a hundred Peak Level Demons inside and more than five Superior Demons."


    "What? A hundred Peak Level Demons and five Superior Demons? How could there be so many demons inside? Even so, how could they even stay in the same area together? Aren''t demons supposed to have their own territory?" Noel couldn''t help but interject, because he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    "That was what I thought, but the reality was different. That building was near a volcano. It seemed that the previous civilization managed to extract the heat from the volcano and the system still worked even after a long time."


    "In the end, the system allowed the demons to have a good environment to increase their strength. I''m afraid that the Five Superior Demons didn''te there. Instead, the Five Superior Demons grew from there. That was why it was the worst. We could only flee before mobilizing a lot of people to subjugate that facility."


    "The people have been trying to extract the energy from the volcano, but none of them have seeded yet."


    Noel looked down while frowning. "I''m afraid that I have to experience a simr expedition¡­ After all, the area is near a volcano¡­ Well, I can''t say it''s near, but it''s not far either."


    "¡­" Dimitri''s face became pale. "Is there really no other way for you to back down from this expedition, Young Master?"


    Noel couldn''t answer it. He truly wanted to leave, but he still had to ask one more question. "And what did you gain from this ce?"


    Dimitri frowned, thinking Noel wanted to see the opportunity hidden in that danger. If he thought it wasn''t worth it, he would probably back off. He thought for a moment and said, "For me personally, I got a lot of rmendations and points. There are some weird items from that mysterious facility, so they could be pawned as well since not all of them were brought back by the army."


    "All Demon Crystals were given to those who participated as well. And I found a weird thing inside it that gave me the inspiration for two techniques that I''m still using even now. If you paid a closer look and tried to find a new perspective, it could certainly give you inspiration."


    "Though, you had to consider your Spirit and element as well. I heard a few of them felt the environment was perfect for training their body. Though, I don''t know much more than that since I was too upied with my squad."Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Noel looked down for a while. On the one hand, the reward seemed to be worth it. On the other hand, the risk was far too great, especially since he had some suspicion about the nt Lord and Fire Lord.


    So, he wondered if he should take on the mission or not.

 Chapter 599 Coaxing

    After some careful consideration, Noel made his decision. "I''m going."


    "Young Master¡­" Dimitri frowned. He was worried about Noel''s life, considering the ce was extremely dangerous.


    Noel shook his head and said, "I''m going to assemble all the best fighters I can get. At the very least, we should be able to withstand their onught."


    "I¡ª" Dimitri wanted to say something, but Noel immediately corrected him. "You are going to have a different mission. Your task is not to protect me, but to investigate the nt Lord."


    Dimitri was stunned because he couldn''t ept this task over his young master''s safety. After all, Dimitri had acknowledged Noel as his master, but because of thest test, he was still forbidden to refer to him as such. So, there was no way he could agree if his master wanted to go to a dangerous ce without his protection.


    "Don''t worry. If everything is right, then we will have Captain ra, Captain Shale, Captain Septa as well as the Stone Lord. What I want you to do is investigate the nt Lord since he might be a spy from the Supreme Devil Organization. You should remember about the nts that were supposed to be extinct, right? Yeah, that mission might be rted to him."


    "What?!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock. It looked like the protection was enough with four people like them. But there was no way the nt Lord would stay still if he was indeed a spy, tilting the bnce to the demon''s favor.


    "Well, I''m nning to find a way to meet Marquis Stargaze, my father''s best friend. So, I might be able to cooperate with him, making the expedition a bit safer. But who knows if I can draw him out or not." Noel sighed.


    "Although it would be good for me to investigate that person, I''m still an assassin, Young Master. I exist to kill, not to investigate. Instead of me, you should have Septa investigate the nt Lord."


    "I did consider that option. But no matter how I tried to convince him, Septa would suspect me instead. After all, there was no way a person with no connection like me could get such information."


    Dimitri thought for a moment. "In that case, I will inform the previous captain of his squad. Although he has retired, Septa should still listen to him. I''m going to let him tell Septa to investigate the nt Lord. This way, he will trust the information and not know that the informationes from you. But are you sure about it, Young Master?"Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "The information came from the Water Lord. What do you think?"


    Dimitri paused, finding all the information he had about the Water Lord. After a while, Dimitri nodded. "Alright. I could convey it to that person. Septa will investigate the nt Lord and I shall take care of your safety, Young Master. I might have to force you to back off from the expedition if you can''t agree to this condition."


    "You sure are a worrywart." Noel shook his head helplessly. Knowing that Dimitri wouldn''t back down, he could only ept it. Of course, Dimitri wasn''t trying to be annoying or dictating. He was just worried because the danger from the expedition far surpassed anything he had faced so far.


    After agreeing to Dimitri''s request, Noel continued his preparation. He also came up with a few scenarios and ns to deal with the enemies.


    Dimitri had told him a few things that might be useful in an expedition, so he started working on them to ensure the safety of his group.


    After two weeks, Noel finally left the headquarters, heading straight to the expedition camp.


    ¡­


    His action was watched by a few parties. Among them were the Third Prince and Anna.


    As soon as Anna received the news about the expedition, she couldn''t help but gasp.


    "Huh, expedition¡­ I don''t think the Demon Relief Squad took any expedition back then¡­" Anna looked down, horrified. "That''s right. The Demon Relief Squad was too weak back then. The one who was supposed to go was the Demon Bearer Group. But if I''m not wrong, the expedition led to a disastrous defeat."


    "There were a lot of strong demons inside the facility. No, wait¡­ The facility was abandoned for a while, but before they realized it, the Supreme Devil Organization had taken over the facility¡­ Don''t tell me, they were involved in that expedition and forced them to leave? There must be something useful for them¡­"


    Anna fell into deep thought. She had just returned to her family before she got a letter concerning Noel via bird.


    After some consideration, she realized that she might have to participate in the expedition in one way or another.


    However, the expedition would be extremely dangerous since even if theybined their strength, both of them were still no match against a Superior Demon.


    So, Anna thought of another thing.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® It didn''t take too long for her to decide to meet her father.


    *Knock!*


    *Knock!*


    "Father, it''s me, Anna." She knocked on the door that led to her father''s office. It seemed that her father had sensed her presence before she came as the door immediately opened.


    ''The Spiritual Energy is opening the door?'' Anna thought while observing what was happening. Though, she soon focused on her father, who was working with a lot of documents.


    "Sorry, but your father is a bit busy. If you don''t mind, can we talk while I''m working like this?"


    "Yes. I know you are very busy, Father. That''s why I hope that you can spare some time so that we can take a vacation together. I don''t want you to be too tired, Father. After all, I have caused a lot of problems for you. The least I can do is to apany you like this¡­" Anna made a big smile, trying to coax her father.


    Even Marquis Stargaze had to drop his pen as if he felt weird from the persuasion. He looked at Anna and asked, "I know you have changed, but I didn''t think you would change this much. You have be a bit too cunning after joining the organization for more than six months. As much as I want to follow the suggestion, I can''t do it without any proper reason¡­"


    His expression turned serious as he asked with a strict tone, expecting her not to lie to him. "Give me a reason."

 Chapter 600 Fear

    "Hmm¡­" ra nonchntly stretched her body aftering out of the carriage. She yawned while asking, "Have we arrived?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, Ma''am," Jonathan answered while pointing forward. "That''s the camp."


    "Alright." ra nodded and took a peek at the camp. Fifty meters from them stood a lot of tents, big and small. There were a lot of people going back and forth.


    It seemed that two soldiers had spotted them and immediately approached them.


    The two soldiers were only Spirit Apprentices. It was clear that they were only there as a guard who handled the chores. They wouldn''t participate in the exploration directly.


    "Sir. May we ask from which units you are?" One of the soldiers asked politely.


    Ste took out her badge and stated, "We are from the Zero Squad, First Squad, and Fourth Squad of the Demon Relief Squad. Our captain is also with us."


    "!!!" The two soldiers froze for a moment and immediately changed their tones. "Please excuse us. We¡ª"


    "It''s fine. Just tell us where we are supposed to erect our tents and where we can bring our carriages."


    "Please follow me." One of the soldiers stepped up and immediately guided them to their area.


    As soon as they arrived in their respective area, Noel came out of the carriage and took a look at their surroundings.


    There were a pair of boys who noticed his gaze and waved their hands. Their expressions were filled with a smile. They came from the Fourth Squad.


    Since the journey took quite some time, they ended up bonding a little bit. Noel also had the chance to show his skill and the fact that he had be a Spirit Master. In the end, no oneined about Noel''s position in the Zero Squad, even though many members of the First Squad felt jealous.


    While he was scanning the area, he noticed ra waving her hand at him, calling him. Noel immediately came to her to know the situation. "Is there anything I can help you with, Captain?"


    "Noel. Call Paul and follow me to meet other leaders. We are going to discuss the cement as well as the base." ra stated while signing the documents presented by a soldier.


    "Alright." Noel nodded and immediately went to find Paul. He was confused at first since he couldn''t find Paul, but it turned out Paul was still sitting inside the carriage.


    His expression was dark and his body was tense. He was clenching both hands as if he was thinking something.


    Noel knew that Paul felt a lot of responsibility for the group''s safety. And due to thest expedition, the pressure became overwhelming. He was afraid that he wasn''t strong enough to help his friends again.


    Because Noel knew this, he said something first before calling his name. "The pressure of being a leader¡­ I know very well what kind of pressure to have everyone''s lives in your hands."


    Paul was startled as he looked at Noel with a shocked face.


    Noel smiled. "Because I know that I can''t show it on my face. If I look empty, people will be confused. If I look scared, they will panic. That''s why we can''t show our worry. If you have any worries, you can tell me about them. But at other times¡­"


    "I have to be strong." Paul nodded with a serious expression. Having someone sharing the same worry and understanding his burden was indeed reassuring. Paul calmed down a bit and tried to smile. Even though it was forced, it was a good first step.


    "The captain is calling us. We''re going to meet other leaders."


    Paul took a few deep breaths before gradually leaving the carriage. He couldn''t help but pat Noel''s shoulders. "Thanks."


    "Feel rxed a bit?"


    "Thanks to you." Paul nodded. "Let''s go."


    Noel nodded back as they began to walk to ra. The meeting tent was located in the middle of the army.


    Noel didn''t have to enter to feel the energying from the tent. He couldn''t help but tense up, feeling the overwhelming pressure. He never thought that having to meet these people would be this hard.


    Paul stepped forward as if trying to shield him from the pressure. He said with a serious expression. "It seems that the conversation isn''t going well. Can you bear the pressure?"


    "Psychological pressure is the heaviest. I can withstand the physical pressure all the time." Noel smirked. He didn''t feel afraid at all since he knew that Paul and ra were reliable. They would surely protect him.


    Paul nodded but still walked in front of Noel to resist some pressure.


    ra didn''t bother to look at them. But without them knowing, ra was smiling the whole time as if she was happy with the bond the Demon Relief Squad had.


    She gently pushed the tent''s cover while stating coldly, "Oi, oi, oi¡­ What''s all this? Do you think using your Spiritual Energy to create pressure can allow you to win an argument?"


    There were four people inside. Noel could easily recognize Shale and Septa since he had met them in the past.


    Though, there were two more people sitting with them. The first one was a middle-aged man with a pale face. He looked like Jonathan as if happiness and life had been deprived of his life.


    However, that gloominess, coupled with the aura he was excluding, made one feel a chill down their spine. It felt like this person would do anything to achieve his objective.


    As for the fourth person, he was an old man with a long beard. His eyes opened only a little as if his eyelids were too heavy. He gently stroked his long beard while staring at the others like he was too tired of getting involved in an argument. Though, his ferocious energy told them otherwise.


    All of them were hot-headed and ra came to de-escte the situation.


    It seemed her appearance was enough, as all four of them stopped for a moment to check ra and the two people that came with her.

 Chapter 601 Three Things

    "Demon Relief Squad Captain¡­" The gloomy middle-aged man stared at her face for a while. ra wasn''t afraid of him as she stared back.


    Despite the aura the gloomy middle-aged man was excluding, ra didn''t bother to release hers as if trying to pick a fight with him.


    In the end, the gloomy middle-aged man closed his eyes as if he had lost the motivation to fight.


    Meanwhile, Shale nced at Noel, who was standing behind ra. Noel''s existence was more important than ra''s for him. After all, he managed to pique his interest but dared to reject his invitation.


    Whether it was a grudge or something else, it didn''t change the fact that Shale was interested in him, especially with the fact that Noel could be a Spirit Master within a short time.


    ''Interesting.'' Shale thought while putting away his aura. Just for his sake, he wouldn''t act childish since the aura might affect Noel.


    Septa was confused, but he didn''t realize Shale was focused on Noel. Septa thought Shale was scared of ra or just respected her, so he followed suit. After all, there was no need for the people of the Demon Banner Army to fight among themselves.


    Since all of them had stopped, it would be childish if he kept releasing his Spiritual Energy. So, he retracted everything. It seemed the one with the heaviest Spiritual Energy was the Stone Lord since half of the pressure was gone as soon as he retracted his energy.


    Although it would be good to have a talk with them, Noel still acted as Iadre. Iadre didn''t know any of them except for Shale, so he tried to check the people who came with them.


    It turned out they were the only ones that came with two attendants. Shale came with a woman in her thirties. Even though her appearance looked gentle, there was no telling whether it was her real self or not since she came from the Demon Extermination Squad.


    As for the one apanying Septa, he was the Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad. He had seen him on a mission back then, so he immediately shifted his focus to the other two.


    The nt Lord brought a young man. His face and the atmosphere around him were the exact opposite of the nt Lord. However, he might not be the brightest since Noel could see a few blue and ck spots on his arms. They didn''t seem to be bruises, so it might be rted to whatever he was dealing with.


    Meanwhile, the Stone Lord was apanied by a middle-aged woman. Her age seemed to be simr to ra, but there was a badge with a stone symbol imprinted on it. The badge signified her identity as the Stone Lord''s disciple. Unlike the Demon Banner Army, both elders brought their disciples since their second-inmand had to take care of the matters while they were away.


    ra nodded her head, politely greeting them.


    "Thank you for your consideration. And thank you for gathering here today. Since we might have an argument again if we talk too much, let me give you a brief exnation about what I''m nning to do before the exploration then."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ra paused for a moment as if trying to see whether there was an objection or not. Since no one raised their hand, ra began her exnation. "Before the exploration, I''m nning to do three things."


    "First, I''m going to erect a small fort here. It''s fine if we use the woods, we just want to form a basic fort to make defending an easier task."


    "Second, we will leave the scouting to Septa''s squad since it''s your specialty. We will provide the supply as well as everything you need. Even if your equipment breaks, we have someone who can repair it."


    "Third, due to the unknown possibility, we are going to assume the worst. So, we''ll be more careful than anyone else, including the fact that we''re going to carefully examine each room and protect everything we can find from the mysterious facility. Is there any objection?"


    The first one to raise an objection was the nt Lord. He asked, "If you''re going to protect everything we got, there is a chance that you might smuggle something out. What are you gonna do about it?"


    "You canin to themander himself. At your rank, he will surely consider your words carefully. But don''t forget that my squad will not be holding back if someone ns to steal something and frame us." ra narrowed her eyes, not scared of the threat from the nt Lord.


    Even the nt Lord could only frown. ra''s reputation was good and her strength could back it up. So, pushing her into the corner for something so simple would just make it look like he hated her for no reason.


    "In that case, will we split the loot after the expedition?" The Stone Lord asked.


    "Yes. I believe all of us have read the contract of our cooperation. The one who found the facility was our Demon Banner Army and we mobilized a lot of our troops. So, the split would be 7 to 3. The split can be discussed after the expedition ispleted."


    The Stone Lord nodded as if he was satisfied with the answer. He came only for the loot after all.


    "How about the fort? Isn''t it hard to build?" Septa asked.


    "I''m sure you''ve heard a lot of reports regarding the expedition. Since we''re considering the worst possibility, we are going to make a basic fortification to make this ce a bit safer. Though, we have made some parts on the way, so it won''t take more than a week to build a simple fort. I might need a bit more manpower from all of you."


    "During that time, Septa will lead his group to scout the area to make sure everything is safe. And try to figure out if there are any monsters inside."


    Everyone thought for a moment and nodded their heads, agreeing to her suggestion.

 Chapter 602 Fortification

    After dering their intention, ra began to discuss the details about them. As expected, there were a lot of arguments due to the long discussion.


    But because ra had mentioned all the important points, even if they didn''t agree, they were moving in that direction.


    Noel remained silent the whole time. It wasn''t his ce to interfere, and he personally was interested in how they operated.


    It seemed that the Tower Association and the Demon Banner Army didn''t really like each other.


    The Demon Banner Army was a soldier who protected this country, so of course, they were a bit skeptical of the people from the Tower Association who did nothing but focus on their research.


    The Tower Association didn''t like that view as well. Though, they couldn''t deny that they were focusing on their research. Some were rted to their personal interest and gain. But some were trying to improve the quality of life of the people or help the people on the frontline.


    So, they might be able to berate the Demon Banner Army, but they couldn''t justify their actions as well.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    In the end, they ended up arguing by picking up a simple matter.


    Noel didn''t seem to have any interest in the meeting itself. However, it was just a facade for him to listen to their argument, especially the nt Lord. He might be a threat, so he had to make sure that they didn''t fall for his trick.


    The Stone Lord might look calm and wise, but he was a bit too greedy. Though he was greedy, it was toward knowledge instead of money. He wanted a lot of things to research, as if he didn''t have any retirement n.


    Meanwhile, the nt Lord was extremely cautious and systematic. He always came up with two or three reasons when he rebuked someone''s argument. It made him look smart but petty at the same time.


    Noel couldn''t really find any other clue in the nt Lord''s words. Even though he was a bit skeptical, he couldn''t find anything other than suspicion.


    So, Noel had to drop the matter for the time being.


    After three hours, the meeting reached an agreement and ra immediately returned to the group.


    She started instructing her people to build a wall. They even fortified it with some ditches to make it hard for the monsters to surpass it.


    Of course, the walls were made of wood and there was no Spirit Enchantment that could reinforce it.


    But they had prepared this time.


    ra gathered Rose and Noel in her tent andmanded them, "Noel, Rose. The knowledge about the Runes has been spread for more than a month. I think it''s fine for you to use it to reinforce the wall. What do you think?"


    Noel thought for a moment. "I don''t really mind. Even if they try to investigate us, they will know that the books originated from us sooner orter. Though, I hope that you can pin all the me on me¡­ I mean, my original identity."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    "I don''t mind. I can even act like I''m saddened over your death or something since I''m requesting a lot from you." The Spirit Enchantment wasn''t a simple matter. Even a Master cksmith wouldn''t easily reinforce the wall of other cities.


    When they did it, they would be paid heavily. So, ra knew that she asked Noel not only to reveal his secret but also to do something expensive for free. That was why she tried to amodate all his requests.


    Noel added one more thing while pointing his finger at Rose. "Also, the one who will be reinforcing the wall is Rose, not me."


    "Huh?" Both Rose and ra were startled by that statement.


    Noel smiled as if he had expected this reaction and began exining the reason for his statement. "If I use it, people will doubt me, considering Iadre and Noel have the same gender. But if it''s Rose, there''s no way people will think Rose is Noel, right?"


    Rose narrowed her eyes. She agreed with him, but she felt something was wrong. She wanted to ask about it, but Noel was the lord she had recognized, so she didn''t want to say something unnecessary.


    Though, ra was different. She didn''t care and asked without hesitation. "You are nning something, aren''t you? There''s no way that''s the only reason why you refuse to do it."


    "¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head helplessly. "I guess I can''t hide it from you. Yes, I''m nning to leave the camp for approximately three to four days."


    "I don''t really mind, but you are one of our Zero Squad''s members, so I need to know the reason. Don''t forget that you are a Spirit Master right now. Although it''s the same as your peers, the Spirit Master is treated differentlypared to the stage below it."


    Noel thought for a moment and exined, "I need to go somewhere. The reason is simple, and I think it''s fine to tell you this.


    "The Water Lord once gave me a few names that might be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "The nt Lord is one of them. That''s why I''m afraid that something will happen in this expedition.


    "So, we have to watch our back while handling the expedition, which makes this expedition harder than we originally thought. Hence, I''m leaving this ce so that I can call for more reinforcement."


    "Are you nning to bring another Captain into the mix?" ra narrowed her eyes. She didn''t question anything about Noel''s information since it wasn''t necessary. Although a part of her couldn''t believe Noel, she didn''t have any reason not to trust him as well.


    "No. A Captain or even a squad will be a bit too eye-catching. We might end up alerting the nt Lord at this rate. That''s why I''m nning to invite another person¡­ not from the Tower Association and the Demon Banner Army."


    "!!!" ra widened her eyes in surprise. "If not from those two, then from where? Do you have more connections outside the two ces?"


    Noel answered her with a smile.

 Chapter 603 Hot Spring

    The next day.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel looked up, staring at the gigantic wall. The air was quite cold, so this tall wall would usually make someone shiver. It looked sturdy and tall, making anyone that nned to attack it lose any hope.


    "So, this is the city that is famous for its hot spring¡­" Noel muttered. "If I remember correctly, the hot springes from the volcano''s activity. It doesn''t smell that nice, but it''s enjoyable and rxing. It can even help heal one''s injury, since the heat has been mixed with Spiritual Energy.


    "Though, I''m here to meet someone if that person is nning to go here, that is." Noel didn''t know whether the marquis was in this city or not. The marquis might not even bother visiting this ce, so Noel could only search for him in this city for a whole day.


    Unfortunately, the city was quite big due to the size of the visitors. The street was brimming with people and it was hard to find the marquis among these people.


    He even wondered how Anna could find him among the people like this.


    In the end, he had to use one of his abilities that allowed him to differentiate people. The Charm Medal.


    He used the Charm Medal to see everyone''s name and didn''t bother with the affection since most of them were the same.


    Though, he surely could see a lot of people''s reaction when he stared at them.


    He roamed the street and even went to a high building to get a better view. But no matter the method, he couldn''t find any trace of the marquis.


    Noel started thinking the marquis wasn''t here. There was even a possibility that the marquis had yet to reach this city or had finished visiting the city and returned home.


    Even so, Noel was still determined to find the marquis within the time limit. He could think of something else after that.


    Sadly, the effort didn''t pay off. The sky had turned dark and the street became a bit emptier.


    Noel knew that the possibility of him meeting the marquis had decreased. He even became a bit frustrated since the n didn''t work this time.


    "I guess I shouldn''t have expected too much. After all, Anna told me toe to a good destination if we wanted to meet. She only guaranteed that she would do her best to bring her father. There was even a chance that the marquis didn''t ept her invitation.


    "In that case, I can only work with the people who are involved in this¡­" Noel thought for a moment while wandering around.


    Surprisingly, Noel felt slightly disturbed by the light that shone brightly from the side. It stopped his train of thought, forcing him to raise his head.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned as he saw the sign of the store.


    "Recess Hot Spring."


    "Maybe I should rx my body and mind for once so that I can get a better grip on my memory? I''m a bit tired as well¡­" Noel thought it wasn''t a bad idea, so he immediately entered the store.


    This was the first time he had experienced a hot spring since he had never paid any visit to a ce like this when his parents were still alive.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    After paying the entrance fee, he immediately entered the bath. Of course, Noel didn''t n to take off the masquerade.


    He surely became the weirdo inside, but he didn''t bother with them. His only purpose in visiting this ce was to soak in the rxing hot water.


    The warm temperature immediately enveloped his body. The sensation was far different from anything he had experienced so far.


    When he was a noble, He had soaked his body in warm water a lot of times since the maid often boiled water for him.


    But this hot spring was different. The water was rich in Spiritual Energy. It might be due to the hot water, but the Spiritual Energy felt like it was sipping inside his body and flushing anything in his vein.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned since even Ardagan told him something.


    [The water is rich in Spiritual Energy. I''m circting the energy around your veins and taking advantage of the water property to help your body. Check your Spirit Heart and test circting the Spiritual Energy from there.]


    Noel never expected Ardagan to do something. But he followed the instructions and instantly felt something different.


    ''This is¡­'' Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. ''The energy movement feels so smooth like flowing water.''


    [Do you remember the Body Strengthening Liquid?]


    ''Yes. Is the water simr to it?''


    [Because it''s not in the concentrated form like the Body Strengthening Liquid, it still carries a simr characteristic. But because you have soaked in the Body Strengthening Liquid, the effect bes less effective.]


    [Though, there is something that we can use from the current state. The Body Strengthening Liquid has that kind of effect because the Spiritual Energy is concentrated in the water itself. It will be best if you use the water itself to refine your body.]


    [But this water doesn''t have that kind of concentration, meaning I can absorb a portion of that Spiritual Energy to strengthen your veins along with the Spirit Heart.]


    ''You can do all that?'' Noel was surprised since this was the first time Ardagan was so eager to do something for him.


    Before Ardagan could say something, someone actually entered the bath and seemed to be trying to sit next to him.


    "Sorry, Young Man. Can I sit here?"


    "Sure. No one is there, so feel free." Noel answered nonchntly while looking down as if he was thinking about something. After all, he couldn''t stare at the empty air since people would either feel something amiss or think he was crazy.


    Meanwhile, he heard the guy gradually sit down next to him while letting out a gentle moan as though he was feeling good after soaking his body in the hot spring. It was at that time the guy suddenly said something that shocked him.


    "To think my daughter would invite me to this ce so that I can meet you¡­"

 Chapter 604 Kevin Stargaze

    "To think my daughter would invite me to this ce so that I can meet you¡­"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock and immediately turned around, finding a middle-aged man sitting next to him. The middle-aged man had blond hair and a pair of purple eyes like Anna.


    Although he''d never seen the marquis, he knew that there was only one person who would talk to him like that.


    In other words, the man before him was none other than his father''s best friend, Kevin Stargaze.


    Noel didn''t know how to act in a situation like this. On the one hand, he didn''t know whether Kevin was still his father''s best friend. On the other hand, he couldn''t be rude to him either since he couldn''t prove otherwise.


    Kevin raised his hand as if he was trying to calm Noel down. "Don''t worry. I''m here not as your enemy. I''ve heard from my daughter that you want to talk to me, so let''s have a chat, shall we?"


    Noel nced to the side, wondering if there were people listening to their conversation.


    But Kevin added, "Don''t worry. It seems that you don''t know about my reputation as well as my power. My title as an Arbiter is Fleeting. I can cause distortion so that it looks like we just sit next to each other for a short time despite talking for five minutes. So, you don''t have to worry about the people around us."


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips, never thinking that the gap between them was this big. Not only did he fail to recognize the Spiritual Energy Kevin used, but he also failed to feel the threat around him.


    If Kevin wanted to kill him, he wouldn''t know how he died.


    Kevin looked at Noel with a smile as if he remembered something. "You truly look like Luke and Leysha. Your hair, brain, and eyes look like him. Your boldness is like Leysha''s.


    "Even when your father calls me his best friend, I''m only at the receiving end. That''s why I''m here to talk to you. I wonder what you have prepared for me."


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips. Kevin looked like he had gotten used to this kind of situation and immediately took the lead in their conversation.


    But everything Noel wanted to say required him to be the one leading this conversation. And he wouldn''t be able to do it rashly.


    He took a deep breath first and said, "I''m Noel Ardagan. I greet Marquis Stargaze."


    "You should have known about the rtionship between your parents and me. So, you don''t have to be this formal. Even though we haven''t met, I have heard a lot of things about you from your father. Just think of me as an uncle who lives next to you." Kevin smirked. He noticed what Noel nned to do and pushed him back, not letting him lead the conversation. This was a simple test to see Noel''s capability.


    Noel shook his head. "Unfortunately, I couldn''t do that, Marquis. After all, I don''t know you personally. It feels like I''m taking advantage of my father''s connection as well as my family name. If I be reliant on them, I won''t be able to do anything."


    Kevin''s eyebrows twitched. He closed his eyes for a moment before smiling. "It seems that Luke''s son has be a good man."


    "You overpraise. I''m nothing but an antpared to those people." Noel shook his head.


    Kevin knew that he indirectly implied the people who schemed everything, including his father and the royal family. He was aware that he had been manipted by them the whole time.


    But the fact that he acknowledged it meant Noel prepared to regain his control and pave his own path.


    Kevin couldn''t help but smile and say, "Alright. I shall surrender this time. It''s good to see you like this, Noel. I''ll listen to what you have to say, but I have one condition."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    "May I know what it is?"


    "It''s simple. Just call me Uncle Kevin."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. Both of them knew it was a hard thing to do even though the misunderstanding had been cleared.


    But Noel considered for a moment before opening his mouth. "In that case, can we talk¡­ Uncle Kevin?"


    "Sure." Kevin smiled and grabbed the ne hanging on his neck. He took it off and handed it to Noel. "Since you call me Uncle, I have to give you a gift for the first meeting, right?"


    "¡­" Noel looked at the ne with a serious expression. He had a hard time taking it.


    Though, Kevin added with a yful tone. "Take it. Your father entrusted it to me before. He wanted me to give this to you when you knew about the truth. This ne is special. I''ll tell you about its effect after our conversation."


    "¡­" Noel, albeit hesitant, still took the ne. "Thank you."


    "No problem." Kevin smirked.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel was a bit overwhelmed by how Kevin acted. Although they never met, he had learned a bit of Marquis Stargaze''s reputation.


    Marquis Stargaze was a strict man who didn''t hesitate to fight his enemy. His ability was also exceptional to the point everyone feared him.


    So, it was a bit confusing when such a man acted this friendly to him. It felt like the man before him wasn''t the marquis himself.


    However, Noel couldn''t lie to himself. No, the marquis couldn''t lie to the system, specifically the Affection Medal.


    Name: Kevin Stargaze


    Affection: Supportive (90/100)


    Description: Someone who is very supportive of you and your entire family. He will agree to almost everything.


    Noel got the second shock in his life. Despite all the revtions he had encountered so far, this one would be among the top.


    This was the first time he met the ''supposed enemy'' of his family. Yet, Kevin Stargaze was extremely supportive of him.


    It immediately cleared up all the misunderstanding since he realized that Kevin Stargaze was only ying along with his father''s n.


    "¡­" Noel took a deep breath, wondering what he had to say.

 Chapter 605 Target?

    Noel closed his eyes for a moment and said, "Uncle¡­ Is it possible for you to reveal anything to me?"


    "If you are talking about your father''s location, I know where, but I don''t think I can tell you. They are alive and well¡­ That''s for sure. But that''s the extent of it."


    "If you want to ask me about his n, it''s better for you to figure it out yourself. After all, the situation might change if I tell you about it."


    "If it''s about my daughter''s hand in marriage, you are the only one who can change my daughter for the better. So, ask her instead. I agree if she agrees."


    "But if you want to know about the Supreme Devil Organization, all I can say is that I''m going to cooperate fully, especially this time. The nt Lord is preparing something. I don''t know what it is, but I know that it will be able to cause a lot of problems for two Spirit Grandmasters. The rest shall be handled by the demons¡­"


    "Huh?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched as if he had just heard something disturbing. "I think I misheard it¡­"


    "Haha." There was no need for Noel to continue. The marquis added, "To be honest, I have been nning to change my daughter. She has been brainwashed by her teacher and the royal family. It is perfect to be a cover, but there''s no way I want my daughter to be that way forever.


    "I knew that you were going to know the truth and find me eventually. At first, I thought about allowing you to reform her. As long as she didn''t die, I could let you do whatever you wanted with her. After all, you were the most affected by the entire scheme.


    "Though, I don''t know when it started, but it seems that you have managed to reform her¡­ Maybe after joining the Demon Banner Army? Either way, I''m grateful for what you''ve done. As for what I mean¡­ To be fair, I don''t really care who she is going to end up with. Even if she''s going to marry amoner, I''ll allow it. I simply have to beat her husband and train him to be someone who won''t be underestimated. So, you don''t have to worry or misinterpret my words."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless, but after that exnation, there was no need to talk about it anymore.


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose first and asked, "Before that, how do you know me?"


    "I was involved in the creation of that mask. To be precise, the one who created that mask was my acquaintance¡­ So, your father created that mask through my connection."


    "I guess it''s impossible for me to know about the whole truth and scheme. There is onest question before returning to the topic. How far are you nning to go?"


    Kevin''s expression suddenly changed. "Until the Supreme Devil Organization disappears from this world."


    ''There is no shred of doubt in that statement¡­'' Noel gasped inwardly. He turned serious and said, "Since I have got the confirmation, let''s return to the matter at hand. May I know what you are going to do with the current matter?"


    "To be honest, I can''t really do much in the current situation. If someone knows me making a move, the royal family will take advantage of it to do something to me, Anna, or even my family.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "So, I''m nning to sabotage them in one way or another while I''m here. Instead of my n, I should be the one asking you. If you get my cooperation after understanding my circumstances, what do you want me to do?"


    Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. The circumstances made him adjust his n a bit.


    After two minutes, Noel said, "What if we allow him to do whatever he wants?"


    "Hmm?" Kevin narrowed his eyes. "So, you''re saying that we should walk into traps?"<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    "Yes. No matter what, it''s hard to prove his involvement with the Supreme Devil Organization. Or do you have any evidence to prove it?"


    "No." Kevin shook his head.


    "Exactly. Instead of prosecuting him or sabotaging him, we should let him expose himself." Noel smiled.


    "Hmm? But how are you nning to do that?"


    "Septa is going to cooperate with me. He is going to watch over the nt Lord."


    "Even so, the nt Lord has reached the area before Septa. He might have hidden something before his arrival."


    "That''s why I''m there." Noel smirked. "If you think about it, the Demon Relief Squad was targeted back then because we foiled the organization''s n multiple times. The Demon Extermination Squad found this ce and the nt Lord came before anyone else¡­ You should be able to see the connection, right?"


    "So, the nt Lord was the one rmending the Demon Relief Squad? I see¡­ It seems that the organization is still nning to crush your squad¡­"


    "Yes." Noel nodded. "That''s why the entire squad shall be bait¡­ No, I will be the bait."


    "Hmm? You? Why not the entire squad? Are you sure they''re targeting you?"


    "The nt Lord should be targeting the squad, but the organization might be targeting me." Noel raised his hand and formed a rune in front of him.


    "Is this the rumored rune that everyone is talking about?"


    "Yes. The organization, specifically my father''s younger brother, should be able to figure out that Iadre is only an alias. After all, I''ve learned Runes far before anyone else.


    "It won''t be hard to see that I''m Noel. That''s why I''m sure that they are nning to get me¡­"


    Kevin fell silent. On the one hand, it felt like Noel was overestimating himself. On the other hand, he couldn''t deny that possibility.


    After all, Noel''s uncle was indeed targeting the Ardagan Family for the sake of the inheritance. He wanted everything that the Ardagan Family''s ancestors left behind. When he got his hand upon the inheritance, he was afraid that a new Spirit King would be born.


    Kevin thought for a moment before asking with a serious expression. "What do you want me to do then?"


    An evil smile appeared on Noel''s face.

 Chapter 606 Telescope

    A few dayster.


    Noel finally returned to their camp. Everything had changed drastically since thest time he was here.


    There was a huge area that had been covered with wooden walls. There were even twoyers of ditches that had been filled up with water by using the people who had Water Spirit.


    Each huge trunk that was used as the wall had been enhanced by the Harden Rune. Unless there was a powerful Advanced Level Demon that concentrated their attacks on the wall, the wooden wall wouldn''t break that easily.


    There were a few towers as well. They would ce a lot of people who focused on using their barriers to intercept the iing attacks from the demons.


    The fort might not be as sturdy as other forts, but this was only a temporary fort. It should be enough to serve its purpose.


    After observing this fort, Noel finally returned to his teammates, wondering if they had prepared for everything.


    ra knew about some of Noel''s ns. So, the moment she heard about Noel''s return, she immediately summoned him.


    "So, how is it?" ra asked with a serious expression.


    Noel nodded. "You don''t have to worry. I can''t guarantee that everyone will be safe, but I can say that our survival has increased by another twenty percent."


    "So, how high is our chance of survival in your head?"


    "Hmm, I''m not being overconfident¡­ So, seventy percent?"


    "Seventy percent, huh¡­ It''s not that good, but not that bad either." ra closed her eyes. In the past, half of the zero squads died or retired. This time, Noel thought there was a seventy percent chance that everyone would survive. It was bigger than she expected, considering there was a possible spy among them.


    "That''s, of course, my prediction withoutpletely understanding your ability, Captain ra. After all, this is the first time we fought together."


    "¡­" ra pinched the bridge of her nose and asked another question. "Is there any other way to increase our survival?"


    Noel shook his head. "I have been thinking about it this whole time, but I don''t think it''s possible. After all, I''m still fearing the unknown."


    "The unknown, huh¡­" ra paused for a moment. "In that case, do you want to look at the mysterious facility from afar?"


    "Is it possible? Isn''t it dangerous since we might end up alerting the enemies?"


    "Septa has created the perimeter. And I have reserved a good spot to observe that building."


    "If that''s the case, then I would like to go." Noel nodded.


    "Then follow me."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    ra rose from her seat and immediately left the tent. Noel followed her without hesitation.


    They were not far away from the volcano, so thend was extremely fertile. There were a lot of trees and a slope that could hide their presence and body. It was perfect for scouting.


    However, this kind of environment was also good for demons. They could see a few trees had fallen and even been destroyed. There was some blood sttered on the ground.


    It was clear that Septa and Shale''s groups had been killing all the demons in the area to make it a bit safer.


    They arrived at a small hill not far from the area. ra jumped onto the tree and waved her hand to Noel, telling him to catch up.


    When Noel arrived at the top of the tree, the vision was cleared a bit, but he still had a hard time looking at the building.


    It was then ra grabbed a cylinder that had been attached to the tree. It seemed they had been using this spot a lot to observe the building.


    Noel frowned, trying to see the building without it.


    The building was gigantic. The length was more than three hundred meters and the width wasn''t that different. The height reached as high as twenty meters.


    "There are a total of five floors inside that building. It''s not tall, but it''s certainly huge. There will surely be a lot of monsters inside and we might be able to find a lot of new things." ra exined.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. "Although I can see that there will be a lot of demons residing inside that building, I can picture thousands of them staying in that ce¡­"


    "Of course. The demons usually take advantage of the terrain and create an underground tunnel. The Superior Demon is smart enough to order the lower level demons to do that. In other words, we might have to expect an area a few times bigger than the building we see right now underground."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless after hearing that exnation. Though, he still frowned, thinking it shouldn''t be the extent of it. Even though it would cause a huge outbreak, it wasn''t enough topletely decimate their people.


    Seeing Noel''s expression, ra pointed at a tall building not far from the gigantic building. "Look at the tower not far from the building."


    "Hmm?" Noel turned around.


    "There are a lot of buildings in this area. There are even houses in the vicinity. If you add the demons hiding in this slope and the area near it, you should be able to see the extent of the danger, right?"Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "I see¡­" Noel nodded in understanding. "Still, our objective is that giant building, not the tower, right?"


    "Well, we''ll go there eventually. We have recognized that tower since it''s simr to what has been found in the past. So, what we want right now is to enter something no one has entered before and map the building. After all, we can kind of expect what we will get from the tower."


    "I understand." Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. He wanted to figure out a few things to see if there was a new way to increase their survival.


    Suddenly, ra tapped his shoulder and presented the cylinder to him. "Put your eyes in front of this and try to look at them. This is one of the items found in the past. The Tower Association manages to recreate it with our own technology. ording to the record, this thing is called Telescope. It allows us to see something from afar."

 Chapter 607 Begin

    Noel was curious and followed the instruction.


    "Wha¡ª!" Noel was shocked in an instant as he somehow managed to look out the window along with the demon that stood inside the building.


    He almost dropped the item due to the shock. Luckily, ra had expected something like this and immediately helped Noel hold the telescope. "How is it?"


    "I could somehow see the window of that building, including the demon standing inside the building. It''s not aware of our location yet." Noel gasped while looking at this magical item called ''Telescope.''


    "Haha, surprising, isn''t it? When I tried it for the first time, I had a simr reaction."


    "Yeah. To think such a magical item exists." Noel shook his head helplessly. He didn''t know how to react once he got his hand on it.


    "This is the biggest reason why we''re expanding our border. We want to continue exploring mysterious facilities like this."


    "We can find more and more mysterious items and our people will try to replicate it. We don''t know much about the previous civilization, but one thing is clear. The previous civilization was an extremely advanced civilization."


    "They can live harmoniously without the Spiritual Energy. We don''t know how they do it, but it seems to be rted to Lightning Element."


    "Our civilization has been chasing after the previous civilization, trying to apply our unique civilization, specifically the Spiritual Energy, into the technology."Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    "This is one of the examples. What do you think?" ra smiled.


    Noel made a genuine smile. "It''s truly fascinating. I have always thought this world is extremely big. However, the four kingdoms can only upy a portion of it due to the danger that lies beyond the border. That''s why I''m wondering how good it is to explore the entire world¡­


    "There might be a new mysterious item that we can''t exin. There might be new terrain that we can''t describe. There might even be survivors from the previous civilization. Though, I know one thing that won''t change. You can''t venture out there without supreme strength. That''s why it''s a shame." Noel shook his head helplessly, feeling disappointed.


    ra patted his shoulder. "The previous civilization was surely amazing. Their building is sturdier than ours due to a special material. Even when we try to analyze it, we can''t recreate it. There are windows and other things that we recreate from the previous civilization. So, I''m suggesting that you should do whatever you want.


    "I know for sure your talent is something rarely seen in this world. It might take some time, but I have no doubt that you will reach a point where you can do that. I can''t do it, but I can say this for sure¡­ When we go out of the border, there will be an endless adventure."


    "Indeed." Noel nodded. "Though, I have to survive from this expedition first. Is there anything I can use to check the building?"


    "We don''t have much, but Septa''s squad should have prepared a few spots to observe the building. We can go check other spots to see the building from all directions."


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded.


    After a simple talk, Noel continued to observe the building, trying to find anything that could be used to their advantage.


    They even tried a few other spots that Septa''s squad had created for them. Unfortunately, it was hard to find any useful information through the window alone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They could see some cracks, but it seemed the demons didn''t destroy the building. There was no part that copsed, so they trulycked information.


    Noel wanted to know the purpose of this ce.


    From what he could see from the window, those windows wereing from many rooms. It might look like a small room where people usually used to live, but Noel couldn''t find anything rted to people''s living space.


    Only the bed was visible, but there were a few weird things that were spotted inside, which didn''t seem to be useful for a living space.


    So, Noel thought the building was a ce that could host a lot of people. But the people that went to this building weren''t there for the sake of living. Instead, they seemed to be nning to rest there for a while and return home.


    Unfortunately, that was the only thing they could find other than the weird machines inside the room. In the end, they had to enter to confirm the purpose of the building.


    ¡­


    The night before the departure.


    All captains and elders gathered again in one tent to discuss their ns. Their roles were pretty clear since there was a reason why they were invited to this ce.


    Shale immediately dered, "I have brought Five Squads of Demon Extermination Squad. The three squads shall be led by my vice captain to kill the demons around the vicinity. The other two squads will follow me inside."


    Septa nodded and said, "I have four squads with me. Two squads shall go around to maintain the information for the people outside, including the ones inside this fort. The other two squads will follow me inside to connect all the people inside the building as well as find any trace of demons. If possible, we have to find the hidden nest where the demons reside."


    The nt Lord raised his hand. "I have investigated the nts nearby. Nature has taken the building back from humans. So, there might be a lot of nts that make their way inside. They might contain poison or something, so I''ll be there to check the nts. My disciple will stay here, so we can bring anyone poisoned here to be treated."


    The Stone Lord smiled. "As for me, I''m nning to enter. I''m curious about the structure, so I''m nning to check every material they use inside. Don''t worry, the terrain is sturdy enough, so it should be easier to find a hiding ce¡­"


    ra exined her rolest. "In that case, only the Zero Squad will enter here while the rest remain here to support everyone in case of emergency. The Zero Squad will try to identify the building as well as its purpose. We''ll do our best to create a map of the building as soon as possible."


    Everyone looked at each other with a smile. They seemed to have reached an agreement.


    And finally, this expedition could officially start.


    The next day.


    All rted parties had stood in front of the fort, ready to explore the mysterious building. All of them had grim expressions on their faces, fully knowing the danger that was looming inside.


    "Let''s begin our exploration."

 Chapter 608 Entering The Mysterious Facility

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars immediately livened up the area.


    The group consisted of the elites from multiple squads who immediately looked at each other.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Shale focused on his vice captain. She was the woman that stood behind Shale during the meeting.


    "Rhane. I''ll leave those demons to you. Do the usual!"


    Rhane, the vice captain of the Demon Extermination Squad, nodded her head. She then turned around, looking at the people in the squads that would follow her.


    Everyone seemed to be excited as they were made for the purpose of exterminating the demons. Since they could kill a lot of demons, they were pretty eager to do it.


    However, Rhane suddenly opened her mouth, saying with a genuine yet serious tone. "I believe in you guys."


    "¡­" The words didn''t seem to have any hidden meaning. Even Noel was confused about why she said such a thing.


    But to everyone''s surprise, the expressions of those peoplepletely changed. They all became serious as if they remembered their original purpose.


    They might be exterminating the monsters, but they did it in order to protect these people. And with Rhane saying those words without any other meaning, it showed how much she truly believed in them. They shouldn''t betray that trust.


    "Let''s¡ª" Before Rhanemanded the squads, there were multiple demons that managed to sniff their scents and reach their position.


    "Four demons spotted!" One of the Demon Beholder Squad''s members informed them out loud.


    At the same time, a few more members of the squad suddenly appeared on top of the monsters, killing those monsters before they could inform the other monsters.


    "Targets have been neutralized." The Demon Beholder Squad''s member confirmed it again.


    But it seemed that they had made a bit too much noise when informing them. There were a few roarsing to their position as if they were following the human''s voice from earlier.


    In that instant, Rhane pulled out her sword and started moving forward. She didn''t forget to leave behind a message. "Leave the front to us. We''ll escort you."


    In that instant, the squads that followed Rhane followed her. They spread a bit, but their strength waspletely overwhelming the enemies.


    This might be the first time Noel saw the overwhelming power of the top squad of the Demon Banner Army.


    Rhane was swinging her sword once, but suddenly, a few demons got their head cut. Even other members easily killed the demons in their path. Even two Advanced Demons couldn''t hold a candle as they were easily overpowered by two members with their unique cooperation.


    They were extremely versatile when killing demons. This was the Demon Extermination Squad.


    Noel was observing them carefully, trying to learn their movement and cooperation. However, he couldn''t really focus on them since the rest of the group began to move toward the mysterious facility.


    After a while, Septa''s squad began to separate themselves to act as the ears and eyes for the Demon Extermination Squad outside the building, leaving only a small number of elites in the exploration team.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were only twelve people from the Demon Extermination Squad, eight people from the Demon Relief Squad, five people from the Demon Beholder Squad, and two elders from the association.


    It might look like a lot, but considering there might be hundreds if not thousands of demons inside the mysterious facility, they were truly a small group.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reach the mysterious facility. All demons had been killed by the Demon Extermination Squad.


    As expected, the more the demons came, the harder to silence all of them. In the end, a few demons managed to share their location and caused more and more demons toe to their position.


    Luckily, they moved quickly. They reached the building before they were surrounded by the demons.


    Once they stood in front of the building, they could finally experience how big the building waspared to them.


    Septa immediately stopped them while pointing to the side as if telling them to hide behind the walls.


    They didn''t know what was going on, but they followed Septa''s instructions.


    "Spread into two groups and enter through the windows. Immediately lock yourself in and don''t make any sound," said Septa with a serious expression. He kept staring at the entrance that was made of ss.


    They immediately followed Septa''s instructions. ra and Paul split up as each of them brought three people.


    Noel ended up under ra while Rose was with Paul. They didn''t know what was going on, but they felt it was something big.


    Still, Septa didn''t have any hesitation in his movement. As soon as they reached the window, he took a peek inside before pointing at the door.


    Shale nodded and waved his hand, utilizing his wind ability to close the door quietly. He did the same thing to the other room.


    As soon as the doors were closed, they sneaked in through the windows.


    Noel didn''t expect that he would end up in the same room as ra, Shale, and Septa. Meanwhile, the other rooms had two elders from the association.


    Still, the room he entered wasn''t big.


    It was only six meters wide and four meters long. With thirteen people inside the room, it felt cramped immediately. In addition, there were a lot of mysterious items inside the room, so they couldn''t move carelessly.


    Noel took a quick scan of the room. There was one bed on the right side of the room, followed by a few chairs. There was a weird machine next to the bed. With all the cables looping around, it was easy to know that this machine was used by whoever slept on that bed.


    There was a giant roundmp above them. Although it wasn''t on, they could imagine how bright it would be.


    Still, themp wasn''t a candle or Demon Crystal, so Noel couldn''t help but wonder how they worked.


    On the opposite side of the room, there was a big empty space as though it was used as a waiting area.


    Though, the one thing that piqued Noel''s interest was the shelf on the corner.


    ''Hmm?''

 Chapter 609 Demons

    ''Hmm?'' Noel frowned. Although he wanted to check the shelf, there were already too many people in that area. Trying to go that way would end up causing some ruckus, so he restrained himself.


    Noel nced at ra and asked as quietly as possible, "What do you think?"


    "I can''t deduce anything with just this room alone. It''s like a residential area, but I have never seen this piece of machine." ra shook her head helplessly.


    Before they continued discussing further, Shale and Septa came to them.


    Septa was covering his mouth with a finger as if telling them to keep quiet. He even pointed at the outside.


    Noel and the others couldn''t understand it at first, but everything changed when there was a huge roar that shook the entire building.


    *Roooooaaaarrrr!*


    "!!!" All of them widened their eyes as their bodies became tense. The roar was followed by multiple roars and howls.


    They began to hear footsteps outside their room. This must be the reason why Septa wanted Shale to close the door immediately.


    He knew that the demons were about toe out, so they wanted to block this room to be their hiding spot.


    A few loud bangs immediately filled the entire building. The ss shattered, the wall crumbled, and the ground shook. Demons were rushing to the outside to chase after their prey.


    ''A hundred? No, a few hundred¡­ It might even reach a thousand¡­'' Noel sucked a cold breath, realizing how dangerous it was to explore the building.


    He also understood that the people outside were bait to lure these demons away. On the one hand, it looked heartless. On the other hand, the opportunity that came after it was truly something they couldn''t pass on.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Luckily, they had erected a fort that could help them resist the demons, but those people obviously nned to stay around for a while so that they could lure as many demons as possible.


    While waiting for them toe out, Septa nodded to Shale as if telling him to use his ability. Shale didn''t hesitate to stretch out his palm.


    The air around him began to move and expand, matching its shape to the room.


    After that, Shale said, "I have isted the room with my wind. The wind should keep our voices inside. So, it should be fine for the time being¡­"


    "The output of your Spiritual Energy¡­"


    "I have made it to the minimum. It should be able to fool weak demons. But a Peak Level Demon wille out soon, so we don''t have much time." Shale nodded his head, assuring them.


    Septa then turned to the other people. "Alright. From my sense, I can feel at least six hundred demons residing in the building alone, not ounting for the demons that juste out, as well as the hidden nest."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "This might be harder than we originally thought, but it''s alright for the time being."


    "I will be moving ahead of you guys and trying to find all the demons. Shale and his squad will be killing those demons. Make sure to keep the noise as low as possible. If it''s not possible, then split up even further and check all the rooms, especially with any human remains. We don''t need the human remains, but having someone living inside the room means there will be more items we can take out."


    "The member of my squad should be informing the same thing to the other half. So, we''ll proceed first."


    "What will you do, ra?" Septa asked.


    "I''ll conserve my energy by staying on the back. During that time, I''ll try to gather all the unique items that we can bring. Zion and Ben will be taking care of the luggage, while Iadre shall handle the mapping. If you have any request, we''re willing to do it."


    Septa and Shale exchanged looks before shaking their heads.


    "Alright." Septa nodded. "We''ll be moving when most of the demons have left the building. Meanwhile, keep our heads down so that the demons don''t see us from the outside. I''ll give you the signal."


    They agreed to Septa''s decision. While waiting, Noel moved around to make a simple measurement of the room before drawing a rectangle on his note. He even gave a few notes inside the room itself. Of course, Noel wouldn''t take a note like this when they were in danger.


    Meanwhile, ra came to the shelf and found a few pieces of equipment. There was a long white coat and a big cylinder made of ss. She had seen the cylinder, but the white coat was something unique.


    Although it was a normal coat without any protective enchantment, this was the first time there was a coat like this. She didn''t even know what they used it for.


    She immediately wrapped it and tossed it to Zion while searching for other things they could bring out in the initial expedition.


    After a while, the voice of the demons started to decrease. Septa kept maintaining his focus on the demons outside the door.


    Suddenly, Septa said, "Three Low Level Demons on our right, two Mid Level Demons on our left. We are near the corner, so we have to be careful. I''m going to erect an invisible wall to make them think we''re noting out of the room. During that time, we''ll proceed to the hallway and find a good ce as our temporary base."


    Shale nodded and ordered his subordinates, "You two kill the Low Level Demons. I''ll handle the Mid Level Demons. The rest will check and clear the hallway while waiting for us."


    As soon as they reached an agreement, Septa closed his eyes before sping his hands.


    The hallway outside their room was quite long. Although there were demons near them, there were also demons that stood on the opposite side of the hallway. These demons would surely find them when they came out if not for Septa.


    Suddenly, an invisible wall appeared and replicated everything behind it. This way, the demons would only see the replica while the demons behind the replica would die.


    "Go!"

 Chapter 610 Door

    "Go!"


    Shale instantly opened the door and headed straight to the left while the other two members went in the opposite direction.


    The demons who were standing in the hallway as if they were waiting for the iing attackers from the outside werepletely dumbfounded by the sneak attack. They didn''t expect that the humans had entered the building without them knowing it.


    And with their intelligence, they only used their instinct to react. They tried to attack Shale to buy some time to react, but their opponent was simply too strong.


    With a single wave of his hand, a violent gale came forth. The wind enveloped the entire room and cut everything inside.


    It instantly left a lot of sword marks on the floor, the ceiling, and the walls. When it reached the demons, the wind cut them into pieces without having the chance to fight back.


    Shale just showed them why he was the captain of the Demon Extermination Squad as well as his reputation as one of the top fighters in the Demon Banner Army.


    Noel seemed to focus too much on Shale that he didn''t realize that the other two members had also taken out the Low Level Demons.


    "¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. ''So, this is the Demon Extermination Squad. Their power is overwhelming and their speed is quick. But why does Shale use that excess Spiritual Energy to cut the wall? Or is it because his power is so violent that it ends up that way? Someone as powerful as Shale should have taken care of the problem with waste movement, so¡­ it might be thetter.''


    Noel took a deep breath to calm his excited heart down. He wanted to be that powerful in the future. But for now, they had a mission toplete.


    As soon as the demons died, Septa immediately came out of the room and went to the corner of the hallway. He used his own sense to calcte the distance of the hallway as well as the demons residing in it.


    Septa pointed three fingers toward them. Each of them was heading towards a person. The first one was Shale since he focused on dealing with the demons. The second one was ra, who hade out since the demon had been taken care of. Thest one was Noel.


    The two captains had understood how Septa worked, so they didn''t hesitate toe to him. Meanwhile, Noel''s reaction was a bitte. It took him half a second before he realized he was being called.


    He hurriedly chased after the two to understand what was going on.


    Septa looked at Noel and pointed at his back, as if telling Noel to remember the hallway for his note. After that, Septa said, "There are stairs going to the second floor. It seems to be blocked by a door, so I don''t know if we can open it or not.


    "I''m going to blind the opponents this time and check the door, if possible, opening it. I want Shale to handle the demons. As for ra, you''ll help with the movement of the two groups. We''re going to the second floor since there are fewer demons."


    "Got it." The two nodded while Noel started looking around, remembering the shape of the hallway and the number of doors. Although he was curious about where the doors led him, he focused on drawing the map and putting some notes on each room.


    Although it wasn''t good enough to be called a map, he could take his time when they got back to put everything on a single piece of paper.


    Still, Septa''s power was a bit shocking, even for Noel. It could even fool the demons, since the Spiritual Energy used was almost nonexistent.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unless the demons had an extreme sense or were near the wall, they wouldn''t have realized the wall at all. This might be the reason why Septa could be a Captain despite his age.


    As soon as they reached an agreement, Septa immediately erected another barrier and said, "Go."


    Without hesitation, Shale came out of the corner and headed straight to the demons standing in the hallway. He did the same thing as earlier and killed the demons.


    Meanwhile, ra had gone back to the room and instructed the people on how they were going to move. Then, she opened the room next door and found the rest of the people waiting for her the whole time. It seemed that Septa''s group had exined to them about their operation.


    That was why they looked relieved when ra opened the door. After all, the mission could still continue.


    Last but not least, Septa had traversed to a green door not far from them. It seemed there was another entrance near the door, but because it was covered by the trees, Septa and the others didn''t find it or else, they would have used this entrance instead.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Septa tried to open the door. Sadly, it was locked.


    "Tsk." Septa clicked his tongue and immediately looked at the keyhole while furrowing his eyebrows. He used his Spiritual Energy to check the shape of the keyhole and the mechanism before forming another barrier at the tip of his fingertip.


    It turned out Septa''s power was something rted to Barrier. He could manipte a barrier to fool the demons and even lock picking. It was a versatile power for someone with his line of job.


    Septa tried to open the door for a few seconds while adjusting the barrier inside the keyhole. In just a few seconds, the door was unlocked.


    He quietly opened it and entered. The door actually led to a small passage with only stairs inside.


    Looking at the structure, the stairs seemed to be leading to the top. So, Shale was called to form the same barrier so that they could talk inside.


    Meanwhile, ra guided the people to enter the passage so that they could discuss their movement.


    Noel entered the room along with the rest of the people. But he noticed the green sign on top of the door.


    He couldn''t understand the words as thenguage was different from what he knew.


    ''How do we read that sign? I''ll memorize it first and see if someone knows the meaning.''


    Noel didn''t realize that he was actually writing two words, and it was something necessary for every big and tall building.


    The two words he wrote were, ''Emergency Exit.''

 Chapter 611 Five Groups

    As soon as everyone entered the passage, they all looked at each other, wondering what they should do next.


    Since he was the leader of the investigation, Septa immediately exined their current situation. "It''s not good at all. Theyout of this building is far too different from what I have in mind. Our n won''t work this way, especially with those demons roaming around."


    "That''s true¡­" Shale looked down while putting his hand on his chin as if he was contemting their next move.


    Noel also looked down, but he wasn''t thinking about their n. Instead, he was recalling every detail about thendscape of the building.


    ''Hmm¡­ the room is weird. We haven''t seen anything much currently, but there is that one white coat that is different from the rest. I don''t know the purpose of that coat¡­


    ''But when I look at the hallway and the area near the entrance¡­'' Noel closed his eyes, imagining the area.


    On the right side, Noel could see a reception table. He often found it in the administration building. With it being ced near the entrance meant whoever came had to go there first to exin their purpose of visit.


    But not many administration offices would have a lot of chairs. Noel remembered that on the left side of the room, specifically right in front of the entrance, there were a lot of chairs lining up together.


    Just by looking at the number of chairs, he could see that this building was visited by a lot of people.


    And there were a lot of rooms from what he had seen this whole time. From the way they were positioned, it seemed that the rooms weren''t that identical. In other words, if he could explore all those rooms, he would be able to understand the identity of this facility.


    Last but not least, the hallway itself. The height wasn''t that much different, but this was the first time he had seen a hallway this wide. It felt like six people could walk side by side without any problem.


    ''What''s the use of having this wide hallway other than wasting space? There is also a reception counter like an administration office¡­ And that white coat¡­ Still, if all the rooms are different, we might have to check every single room, which is extremely hard in the current situation¡­''N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Iadre."


    "Iadre."


    His name had been called out repeatedly, but Noel was too focused on his imagination that he didn''t hear it. Ultimately, someone grabbed his shoulder to wake him up.


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook as he looked around, wondering what had happened. But he soon realized that he was the problem when everyone was staring at him. "Y-yes?"


    Septa sighed. He wanted to berate Noel for being careless, but it wasn''t the time to do that. "Is there any detail you picked up from looking at the hallway? We''re nning to split our team even further and try to look around a few floors at once. But we need to understand the situation first."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hmm¡­ It''s a good suggestion. I have noticed a few details. From the way the doors are positioned, it seems that each room is different. However, I can''t say the same about the rooms on the upper floor without looking at thendscape and their position. So, we might have to confirm it. Having a smaller group will help us do that."


    "The building should be visited by a lot of people. That''s all I can find for the time being¡­" Noel looked down as if he was disappointed by his own ability.


    The others werepletely speechless since he could grasp that much within a short time.


    But his opinions gave a lot of options for the group.


    Septa looked around as if he was calcting their number. At the same time, he was expressing his idea. "In that case, should we split the group into five? Each group shall be led by either a captain or an elder. As for their positioning¡­"


    "Since there are more demons on the bottom floor, I''m going to lead the team on the bottom floor. I''m good at investigating, so I might be able to find an entrance to a hidden nest as well."


    "The Stone Lord shall move to the second floor. Although it''s not the ground floor, you should be able to feel the vibration of the ground as long as you''re not far from it, right?"


    "The nt Lord shall go to the top floor, if possible, the rooftop. He wants to check if there is no more hidden danger from above."


    "ra and Shale will lead each group to two other floors of your choice. Just find the safest one and move as quietly as possible."


    "If we end up rming the demons, those who are spotted will immediately leave the building at once and bring all those demons away. The rest will find any spot to hide immediately. If spotted, do the same thing. Any objection?"


    Septa had given them all their tasks. But there was one big question. "How are we going to split our people?"


    "Since there are five people from my squad, including me. Each person will have one of us. The Demon Extermination Squad will divide ten people into five squads and split the remaining two into the groups with the lowestbat power.


    "ra should be able to go alone, so six of you divide into three groups. As for me, I only need Iadre with me. He seems to be familiar with theyout, so it''s better for me to use him."


    They all looked at each other. On the one hand, they didn''t expect that Septa had such a high opinion of Noel. On the other hand, with all the details he grasped, they could understand Noel''s worth a bit.


    In the end, Noel and Septa had three Demon Extermination Squad members to fill their number. With Septa dealing with the detail and Noel handling the map andyout, the three Demon Extermination Squad members would have an easy time since all they had to do was follow Septa''s instructions and kill the demons.


    Now that they had gone to their own group, Septa finally said while opening the door, "Let''s go."

 Chapter 612 Weird Object

    *Ro¡ª!*


    *Arr¡ª!*


    The demons were trying to let out some voice, but they ended up dying before they could do anything.


    The three members of the Demon Extermination Squad easily killed all the monsters in the hallway with the help of Septa''s barrier ability. Meanwhile, Noel couldn''t participate in the execution even though he was also a Spirit Master.


    In terms of firepower, he might be able to win against them. But in terms of efficiency in killing demons, he couldn''t hold a candle against them.


    After all, this was the reason why there were so many squads in the Demon Banner Army. They all had their own specialty and became the name of their group.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Still, Noel wasn''t someone who took this ''defeat'' easily. He kept observing their movement to understand how they moved and killed the enemies so that he could improve himself. His stare and intention were so clear that the three people looked a bit ufortable.


    Though, they didn''t seem to be against the idea, considering they came from the same root, the Demon Banner Army. If the other party became stronger, the entire Demon Banner Army would grow too. So, they weren''t that selfish.


    After moving for a while, they finally reached the first room.


    The room was different from the one they entered earlier. The room was separated into two sections. The second one was separated by ayer of ss.


    ''Hmm?'' Noel looked around the first section. There was a long table inside this room coupled with a few weird machines that seemed to be of the same type. He couldn''t help but look around, wondering what they were used for.


    When he was not looking, Septa and the other three members of the Demon Extermination Squad had taken out a small piece of paper. Since they didn''t have someone with Shale''s ability, they had to keep quiet since the demon''s hearing was extremely sharp.


    As soon as they approached him, Noel nced at them with a weird expression, wondering what they were trying to do.


    Septa pointed at the second section as if telling Noel that they were going to that area.


    Since it was a bigger room with a lot more items inside, they might be able to find something. So, Noel nodded while looking around.


    The first item that piqued his interest was a small item on the table. Its shape was simr to his pen, so he couldn''t help but pick it up, observing it.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1~§ão§® ''Hmm? This looks simr to my pen. But there is something different from this¡­'' Noel frowned while looking at the inside of the pen. The ''pen'' he had was made of wood with a ck material inside that allowed him to write on paper. On the other hand, the one in front of him had a translucent body with a small tube inside containing a ck-colored liquid. It looked simr to the ink they used in the home.


    But the one they had back home was separated. The ink was inside a small container and they needed to dip the tip of the pen to be able to write.


    However, the item he found didn''t seem to need it since he couldn''t find any ink around.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He looked at the pointy tip and couldn''t help but try writing on the paper. Unfortunately, there was nothinging out. As expected of an item from the previous civilization, if they still worked after a thousand years, it could be as good as an artifact.


    Instead of focusing on the small matter, he took a look at the second item. This time, the shape was oval. The top looked like a mountain. Noel didn''t know why, but he felt the item was made for his hand. He only put his hand on top of the item, but it surprisingly fit.


    The bottom of the item was a t surface with a small hole in the center. He tried to observe every inch of it but couldn''t find anything useful.


    The surprise came from the tip of the item. It looked like they were separated from the main body, so he tried to apply a bit more pressure on it. And surprisingly, the area slightly moved down, followed by a clicking sound.


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t help but feel shiver since he had just made a sound. He hurriedly put it down, but not so hard that it would create another noise.


    It seemed that his action had been seen by Septa. He couldn''t help but return to Noel''s position and found the pen on the table.


    Septa picked it up and pointed at it as if asking whether he knew anything about it or not.


    Noel could only shake his head helplessly, not knowing what it was for.


    To his surprise, Septa seemed to be familiar with the item. He spun the tip of the item and pulled out the small tube inside.


    He showed it to Noel first and infused his Spiritual Energy into the tube. After a while, he put everything back like before.


    After that, he tried to write something on Noel''s note. It was still the same, but after more than ten strokes, ck ink starteding out of the item, allowing Septa to write Noel''s name on the book.


    "!!!" Noel opened his eyes wide. He simply couldn''t believe what he saw.


    Looking at Noel''s shocked face as if he was asking, ''How do you activate that artifact?'', Septa couldn''t help but smirk. He wrote down something.


    ''It''s not an artifact. It''s simr to the pen we usually use. I infused my Spiritual Energy so that it can work again, but it doesn''t need Spiritual Energy to begin with. The ck liquid inside is simr to our ink, but we still don''t know about the transparent gel above it. If we can recreate this, we will have something like yours but with the ink.''


    Noel waspletely shocked. As a noble, he often saw how a careless approach could spill the ink. If such a thing existed, they wouldn''t need to worry about it. They could even carry it around so easily. That was why Noel felt it was a revolutionary idea and praised the previous civilization for being able to create such a thing.


    Septa continued to write in his notebook.


    "The machine here doesn''t seem to be useful, so let''s enter the second section. It seems to have some drugs¡­"

 Chapter 613 Deduction

    "Some drugs." These two words piqued Noel''s interest. Since Septa had invited him, he chose to follow him to enter the second room.


    There was a giant machine in the middle of the room. It was a big cylinder, but Noel could see aplex mechanism inside the machine a bit through the translucent ss on it.


    There was even a hole in the middle of the cylinder. The length and size seemed to fit a person. The people from the previous civilization might be sending a person inside for something.


    ''Hmm? What''s the use of this machine?'' When Noel was thinking about it, Septa returned with a few ss bottles.


    There were a few pills inside one container. Noel could also see a syringe in another, but he was a bit surprised to see such a thin needle sticking at the tip of the syringe. This might be bigger than a needle for sewing, but it wasn''t big enough to be lethal. There was also a container that contained an unknown liquid.


    Noel frowned because he didn''t know much about all of them. He looked at Septa, wondering if he had something to say.


    Septa wrote a few more things.


    ''The liquid smell is a bit nauseating. I don''t know the details, but it feels like they are medicine. As for this syringe, I have tried to move them a bit. You will be shocked by this¡­'' Septa stopped writing and started pointing at someone.


    The person seemed to understand his intention and immediately raised both hands. With minimal Spiritual Energy, he conjured a small ball of water.


    Septa then pointed the syringe into the water and pulled the handle on the top. Surprisingly, the syringe gradually filled with water.


    ''It sucked the water?'' Noel widened his eyes in shock. He looked at the size of the needle again and couldn''t help but think of something.


    Noel wrote a few words and showed it to them.


    ''Can this item inject a liquid into our flesh?''


    "!!!" All of them were surprised as if they thought about the same thing. They exchanged looks and couldn''t help but nod.


    Septa still maintained his barrier so that the demons outside wouldn''t find anything suspicious. So, he immediately came out, cut the demon''s flesh and brought it back inside.


    He ced it on top of the bed and grabbed the syringe. He tried to stab the skin, but because it was too hard, he ended up using his Spiritual Energy to let it prate the demon''s flesh.


    He then pushed the handle carefully. Surprisingly, the liquid gradually came out, moved around the flesh, and gradually wet the bed.


    "!!!" They all looked shocked because they had never seen something like this before.


    But Noel couldn''t help but write a few more things, nning to give them the analysis. Instead of waiting for Noel to show it to them, they simply took a peek at Noel''s writing.


    "This ce might be simr to a pharmacy. They have those weird pills like the things we''ve seen in the pharmacy. And if I''m not wrong, this syringe is specialized for injecting a liquid into our body. We have a simr syringe, but there is no needle like that. So, what if our technology simply isn''t enough to recreate the needle to pair with the syringe?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They somehow agreed with Noel''s analysis. Still, they couldn''t really exin all the machines inside the room.


    "I don''t know anything much about the machine, and this is also my first expedition. So, I think we should search for another two rooms to confirm our guess. There is also that white coat¡­ I don''t know what they''re used for, but if they''re getting put on, the color is something useful to recognize the liquid that is stuck on the clothes."


    Septa looked down for a moment. He could agree to Noel''s request. After all, the logic was there and he couldn''t find any way to rebuke him.


    Still, checking two more rooms was easier said than done. To enter this room alone, they needed around twenty minutes to clear the demons and forge the path. They also needed to use their Spiritual Energy to maintain the current situation to avoid the demon''s suspicion.


    But if Noel''s prediction was true, they could confirm the identity of this mysterious facility.


    They all looked at each other before Septa grabbed Noel''s note.


    "It''s going to be hard. With the current situation, I don''t think we have a lot of time. Then again, searching for two more rooms will take around one hour. We also need to find a clue about the hidden nest."


    "I''m afraid that the situation will be dangerous past this point. So, I''m asking you guys right now. Are you ready to risk your life?"


    The three members of the Demon Extermination Squads exchanged looks for a second. But it seemed that all three of them had the same way of thinking. They didn''t hesitate to raise their thumb as if epting Septa''s invitation.


    They had been wrestling their lives this whole time since they hunted a lot of demons on a daily basis. So, risking their lives like this was just another day of their life.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    All that was left was Noel.


    Septa looked at Noel, asking for his permission.


    Noel wrote down his intention.


    "I am also a Spirit Master. I don''t have the efficiency of the three from the Demon Extermination Squad, but I''m confident with my firepower. Although it is a bit dangerous, I''m also going."


    All of them looked at each other to confirm their will. As soon as they got their message clear, Septa finally put everything down before pointing at the items that were small enough to fit in the bag.


    Noel nodded and immediately put everything, including the ''pen,'' the ''syringe,'' and the few containers that stored liquid and pills.


    Meanwhile, Septa used the note tomunicate with the other three about how they were going to proceed.


    The moment they reached an agreement, they immediately walked to the exit, ready to sneak around.

 Chapter 614 Hospital

    As expected of the members of the Demon Extermination Squad''s Zero Squad, once they learned the way Septa moved around to clear the hallway, they refined their movements. The previous awkward movement was gone, reced by a refined and precise movement, allowing them to work faster than Septa''s original prediction.


    Noel thought that the people in the Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad were already outstanding. They could aplish almost everything, and their fighting power couldn''t be underestimated.


    However, he realized that in terms of a job like this, they couldn''t defeat the Demon Extermination Squad at all. Even Ste, the most efficient person in the squad, waspletely defeated by these three.


    That was why Noel couldn''t help but feel amazed by their performance and wondered what kind of training they had in order to be that good.


    Noel didn''t realize that the people from his squad might not be the best at fighting, but they were certainly the best in anything rted to structure.


    That was the reason why he was even selected by Septa in the first ce.


    Noel was simply not satisfied with his current power and wanted to get more.


    So, whenever the three people from the Demon Extermination Squad took action, he would be there to observe them.


    His gaze was so intense that the three felt it easily. But they didn''t say anything since it didn''t do any harm. They simply continued their task and reached the next room within fifteen minutes from the expected twenty to twenty-five minutes.


    Inside the new room, they found other machines and a lot of pills. Some pills even fell to the ground, while some seemed to have been eaten.


    After that, they continued to the next room and found a lot of containers falling to the ground. It seemed that the demons hadpletely ransacked the entire room.


    The container didn''t seem to be spilling any liquid, considering the floor looked clean.


    Since they had reached the third room, Noel finally confirmed their suspicion.


    He gathered the entire group and wrote on his note.


    "I believe everyone has reached the same conclusion just from looking at the drugs scattered around the second room, as well as the containers on the ground here."


    "This ce is indeed a ce where people are getting treated. I don''t understand why they need a lot of room like this, but I''m sure that they offer a different treatment."


    "If I''m not wrong, the people above us will find a lot of rooms simr to this. It must be the rooms where the patients are allowed to rest."


    "I have seen a simr room from the surveince spots, so I think I''m correct about this one."


    After writing those words, Noel looked at all of them as if asking them whether they had an objection to the conclusion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No one raised an objection. Even though they weren''t as smart as Noel or an expert in structure, they could understand Noel''s exnation before that deduction. They had arrived at the same conclusion.


    "In that case, I''ll give you the conclusion. If you have gone to the capital, you should be aware of this building. It''s a ce where you treat a lot of people, but all these pills should be in the pharmacy. I believe this ce is abination of a health center and a pharmacy."


    "Now that we are aware of what kind of facility this building is, we should decide what to do next."


    The three members of the Demon Extermination Squad didn''t hesitate to look at Septa. He was the strongest and currently their leader, so he should decide their next move.


    Septa thought for a moment. Although he wanted to praise Noel for his ability, he couldn''t open his mouth yet. He also had toe up with their next n.


    After two minutes, Septa wrote down his idea.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "No matter how good the current situation is, there is no way it will go ording to our n during the expedition. That''s how dangerous the expedition is."


    "Now that we have understood the identity of this facility, we can change our n. Instead of dealing with the demons bit by bit while exploring like this, we should find a way to eliminate a lot of demons at once, making things a bit easier on our side."


    "Of course, if it''s possible, we want to kill any Superior Demon in this ce. But even at this time, not a single of them has been found. Considering the number of demons, there should be at least three Superior Demons around us."


    "And if you take a look at the containers on the ground, it''s clear that someone must have eaten the drugs here. The demons must be the culprit."


    "The reason why the expeditions are dangerous was because the items inside the building itself can strengthen the demons. That''s why the demons who eat the drugs here must have mutated and be stronger. They would be Peak Level Demons if not Superior Demons by now."


    "That''s why we should regroup with the others and thin out their number before continuing our exploration. And I think we will hear a lot of ruckuses not long after this if my prediction is correct¡­" Septa stopped for a moment as if falling into deep thought.


    After a while, he crossed thest sentence as if he wanted to take back those words. The only one who understood his meaning might be Noel.


    As expected, Septa was actually trying to investigate the nt Lord and currently he had some suspicion.


    He must want to end the exploration for this group as quickly as possible so that he could catch the nt Lord in action.


    Septa hurriedly corrected his words.


    "We''ll leave the building and return to the base. You guys are to escort Iadre to the base while I''ll stay here after showing you the path. I''ll inform the rest of the people to regroup. It''s easier for me to move around by myself as the captain of the Demon Beholder Squad, so I hope you can follow my instruction."

 Chapter 615 Demon Awakening

    His instruction was frowned upon. On the one hand, everyone here was loyal to their squad. They had a sense of camaraderie. There was no way they wanted to leave their team in this dangerous ce while they were going to a safe ce.


    On the other hand, they could understand why Septa wished to move around. With Septa''s ability as a captain of the Demon Beholder Squad, it should be easier for him to move around by himself. Yes, they acknowledged the fact that they were dragging him down.


    The only reason why they were here was because Septa required their specialty. But this time, he only had to sneak around.


    Noel nced at the three from the Demon Extermination Squad, wondering their decision. The trio also looked at him with a serious expression. It seemed they had made their decision.


    Without even saying a single word, they hade to a tacit understanding. They should leave this ce and allow Septa to do the rest.


    However, Noel wasn''t someone who would just agree without fighting back. He wrote a few things on his note.


    "This exploration can''t be called a sess yet. We might have found the identity of the building, but we haven''t found the hidden nest or explored the rest of the building."


    "So, this retreat only serves as bait to thin out the number of the demons. After that, we shall enter this ce again, as you said earlier."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "But before that, we have to spread them. The number of the demons is still too much for all of us to take them down, even with the help of the fort. Hence, I''ll go back and create more ditches and traps around the fort. I hope you can buy us enough time to do that."


    "And I still haven''t forgotten about my true role. I have to create a map of the building¡­ ording to the information, there is a mmable gas in this area. Captain ra has told me about it, so if possible, could you find it? It''s going to be important for our exploration."


    The three people from the Demon Extermination Squad were dumbfounded. This was the first time there was someone who dared to order a captain.


    This Iadre was a person from the Demon Relief Squad. Even though he was a Zero Squad, his rank wasn''t enough to tell Septa all this.


    However, Noel dared to do it because he knew that Septa would do it. After all, there was no way he hadn''t figured out Iadre''s true identity. He wouldn''t have be the captain of the Demon Beholder Squad if he hadn''t found out about it.


    This was the exact reason why he was so sure about Septa''s reply.


    Septa actually nodded to him as if he was nning to follow his instruction.


    The Demon Extermination Squad was an extremely strict squad. Since themand was absolute, they became this disciplined and strong. They couldn''t understand Septa''s action, but at the same time, they didn''t stop Noel. Captain Septa had agreed, so who were they to stop him?


    Now that they had reached an agreement, all of them prepared themselves to leave the building. They checked the situation from the window. Septa might have predicted that they would leave after reaching the third room, so he decided that the third room should be close to the outside.


    And there was only one thing they needed to exit. It was to open that window.


    Septa made sure first that no demons were nearby before opening the windows. He even took a peek before he waved his hand, telling them to go.


    One person left.


    Two people exited.


    Three people came out.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But when Noel was about to jump off, there was a huge roar that shook the entire building.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    "!!!" All of them immediately stopped and subconsciously looked in the direction of the roar. Their faces became pale because the roars were something different from before.


    Normally, the roar would be followed by a series of answers from other demons. But this time, the roar wasn''t apanied by anything. The only reply was in the form of action.


    The entire building soon became active as the demons began to move around as if they were trying to follow the instruction hidden inside that roar.


    All of them knew this roar was an order. And there was only one demon that dared to order the demons around without anyoneining.


    A Superior Demon''s roar.


    As they thought about it, they looked at each other, wondering what they should do. The three Demon Extermination Squad members had turned around, ready to fight the demons from the outside.


    Meanwhile, Septa opened his mouth. They didn''t have time to quietly discuss things anymore. He even pushed Noel out before jumping off the window himself.


    "Follow me, hurry up!"


    Septa didn''t even wait for their reply as he had already used his fastest speed to reach the woods near the building.


    Noel and the other three were confused, but they knew that if they didn''t act, they would be dinner. So, they hurriedly followed Septa.


    This was the first time for Noel to see Septa in action. And surprisingly, there was nothing happening.


    They didn''t encounter any demons, nor did they cross difficult terrain. And this was the reason why Septa was terrifying.


    There should be a lot of demons roaming in this area. Yet, Septa managed to avoid all of them while choosing a good terrain to cross.


    His sense alone might be far better than that of Rose. And the way he executed it was impable.


    He felt safe when Septa led them. And in the end, they managed to leave the area without meeting a single monster.


    But the moment they reached the safe area, Septa turned around, saying with a panicked tone. "You guys go to the fort right away. I have to leave or it will be toote. Prepare everything because we don''t know what will happen after this. And¡­ Don''t follow me."

 Chapter 616 Three Plants

    A moment ago.


    The nt Lord had reached the top floor.


    The person from Septa''s squad wrote down on the note tomunicate, "There is a path leading to the rooftop if we continue, but it''s locked."


    The nt Lord nced to the side. The stairs still continued even though they were on the top floor. So, it was clear the stairs were leading them to the rooftop.


    But since their scout had confirmed that it was locked, they had two options. First, they could go to this floor to check the situation around or they could st open the door to the rooftop and reach their original destination.


    The nt Lord looked down, contemting for a moment. He ced his hand on the ground and started channeling a minimum amount of Spiritual Energy as if he was trying to scan the area.


    The nt Lord opened his eyes and grabbed the note.


    "Since nature has taken over the building, I can sense the nts around us. Unfortunately, the rooftop doesn''t seem to have anything useful for us. So, we shall explore the top floor."


    "There are approximately three monsters near us. So, we''ll kill them the moment wee out of this passage."


    The nt Lord drew a sketch of theyout and pointed at the three locations.


    All of them looked at each other, wondering what they should do.


    "I shall take the farthest one. Can your speed handle the other two?" The nt Lord asked on the note while staring at the people from the Demon Extermination Squad.


    They nodded without hesitation. They were only unsure about the farthest demon because they weren''t as strong as their captain of Septa.


    Since the nt Lord wanted to handle that demon, they obviously agreed to the suggestion.


    The person from the Demon Beholder Squad took a peek through the window on the door, trying to locate the demons. It seemed the nt Lord gave the correct information.


    So, he nodded his head, showing that the n was feasible.


    Since they had reached an agreement, the only Demon Relief Squad member that joined their team, Zion, opened the door for them.


    Without hesitation, all three members of the Demon Extermination Squad members jumped out while wielding their weapons, eliminating the two demons near them.


    The farthest demon found their movement and wanted to let out a roar to inform the others, but there was a nt branch near him. That branch suddenly came to live and extend itself, grabbing the demons from the feet to its mouth and stopping it from doing anything.


    Since it hadn''t died, the trio ended up moving toward the third demon and delivered the killing blow.


    With this, the entire floor was clear.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Zion and the nt Lord came out of the passage. The nt Lord immediately took the right turn while Zion looked around to observe theyout of the top floor. As expected, there was a void that led to the bottom floor, but most of the area was blocked by the walls.


    ''The top floor has the least amount of demons. But there''s no way it''s only inhabited by three demons. We have to immediately dispose of the corpses and hide somewhere.'' Zion thought before realizing that the nt Lord had entered the room near the corner.


    Confused, Zion tried to follow him, wondering what he was nning to do. He entered the room to follow him while the others disposed of the corpses.


    When he arrived, the nt Lord didn''t even bother to nce at him. He continued to stroke the nt''s trunk that managed to pierce through the building and reach this height.


    It turned out there was a tall tree inside the facility. And this tree upied a third of the room.


    He didn''t know what the nt Lord nned to do.


    But it seemed thetter had realized his presence and opened his mouth as if thinking there was no other demon that would hear them. "This tree is around seven hundred years old. Its branches should have spread to the entire building and its roots should have be the demon nest.


    "Is it fine to speak here?" Zion asked carefully.


    "I already said that the tree has spread its branches all over the ce. I can sense what the tree is feeling, so I know their location."


    "Are you already aware of this tree? Shouldn''t we go with the others to see this tree on the first floor?" Zion asked another question while frowning. It was weird for the nt Lord to wait this long.


    If they moved ording to Zion''s scenario, they would be able to have a lot of brains to think about their next move. It would be better if the nt Lord used that sensation to find the demons so that they could kill them.


    He even knew that the roots were used as the demon nest, so he couldn''t help but suspect him.


    The nt Lord shook his head calmly as if he wasn''t bothered by Zion''s reaction. "That''s what I wanted to do at first, but there is something wrong with the sensation. It seems that there are a total of three nts that spread their existence all over the building."


    "I''m currently checking this tree to find their existence. I''m afraid that I need to confirm these three nts first before I can do anything."


    "And if my ability is on point, one of the nts is not on the first floor. That''s why I can''t go with them. I have to go to the upper floor to confirm the existence of all these nts."


    Zion fell silent. It was absurd, but he didn''t know the full extent of the nt Lord''s strength. So, it seemed that they had to work with his current exnation.


    Zion asked, "So, are we going to move around to check the existence of the other two nts?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Yes. Fortunately, their branches are on the top floor as well. We can take advantage of the situation to check on them. This would allow us to pinpoint all the demons inside the building. Depending on their size, we might be able to locate the demon nest hidden in this building."


    Zion let out a long sigh. "I understand. I''ll cooperate. What should I do?"

 Chapter 617 Mushroom

    Zion cooperated with the nt Lord, trying to locate the other two nts. They were following the nt Lord and moved stealthily to avoid the demon''s detection.


    The Demon Extermination Squad managed to kill all the demons quickly and precisely, allowing them to die before they could do anything.


    It seemed that the nt Lord also helped them by asking the nt to help him. He extended the nts and captured all those demons so that the others could kill them for him.


    As for Zion, he had an easier timepared to the rest. His role had changed from mapping the area and gathering the necessary items they could find in this ce to someone who helped the nt Lord locate the nts.


    They moved swiftly and found the second nt not far from their current location. The nt Lord immediately checked the nt and confirmed its identity.


    Then they continued to move to the third nt. They had a hard time finding this one because it was the nt that didn''t have anybody on the first floor. Unlike the other two nts, its body was hard to find.


    They had checked the branches or leaves that stuck out around the top floor, but most of them belonged to the two nts. The rest were wild nts that weren''t as mighty as the other two.


    So, they had to keep searching, wondering where they could find the third nt.


    However, everything changed thirty minutes after they found the second nt.


    A demon suddenly let out a roar as if it noticed something.


    *Roar!*


    This roar was different from the rest as it wasn''t followed by another series of roars but a series of actions.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" Zion widened his eyes in shock as he checked the area around, wondering if the demons woulde to them.


    The members of the Demon Beholder Squad even took a peek at the void to check the condition on the other floors.


    It was chaotic. Some of the members who were outside earlier were taken aback by the roar and ended up facing the demons. These demons let out a roar to inform their people.


    Meanwhile, those who were inside were trying to erase their presence, doing their best to wait until the situation calmed down before continuing the exploration.


    He gritted his teeth, wondering what they should do. On the one hand, their floor seemed to be safe, as they had killed almost all the demons on their floor. The remaining demons would go to their destination without passing their location, so they could remain here and remain undisturbed.


    On the other hand, the current situation was worse than he thought. The demons had found at least two out of the five groups. Even if they came out and brought those two squads away, the demons would still be rmed.


    However, that nightmare didn''t stop there.


    There was a sudden surge of Spiritual Energying from the bottom floor.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The increase was so drastic that it rmed him, who was sensitive to Spiritual Energy.


    ''This is¡­ a Superior Demon?'' The guy thought while taking a peek at the bottom floor, wondering if there was a demoning out. He wanted to see whether there was a hidden entrance or not.


    However, he couldn''t see anything as the Spiritual Energy gradually changed its position.


    ''He''s leaving?'' The guy gritted his teeth before moving away, informing the others. "The situation is not good. The demons have located the Stone Lord and Captain ra''s squads. Captain Shale seems to be hiding at the moment, but I can''t see anything regarding the bottom floor¡­


    "And judging from the surge of Spiritual Energy, I''m afraid a Superior Demon has left the building. There might be more Superior Demons since the Superior Demon this time casually leaves its nest. What should we do, Sir nt Lord?"


    The nt Lord narrowed his eyes for a moment before pointing upward. "We should go to the rooftop. With the current situation, the demons will have a hard time hearing the door being sted open. We will use the rooftop to check the situation around the building and try to evacuate. I believe the other two squads are going to retreat since the Superior Demon has begun to move. We should regroup with the others first and thin out their number before continuing the exploration."


    The others seemed to have no objection. Although the building was quite tall, they weren''t so weak that they couldn''t jump off the building. So, it was better to figure out the situation.


    Without hesitation, the squad immediately returned to the passage and sted open the door, allowing them to reach the rooftop.


    They remained low so as to not show themselves to the demons. Meanwhile, the guy from the Demon Beholder Squad kept checking the situation around, finding an escape route.


    After five minutes, he came back and informed them of the good news. "I''ve found the escape route. Captain ra and Stone Lord''s squads are heading to the north, so the demons are chasing them right now. We should go to the south and head back to the camp to get reinforcement or at least regroup with Captain Shale."


    They didn''t have any objections. Without hesitation, they moved toward the edge of the building.


    They took a peek first to make sure the demons weren''t waiting for them down there.


    After they were sure that the demons were chasing after Captain ra and the Stone Lord, they jumped off the building and started retreating from the area.


    However, none of them realized what happened on the top floor.


    On the tree trunk and branches the nt Lord found at first and on the branches of the second nt, there were some mushrooms that weren''t supposed to be there earlier.


    Two types of mushrooms seemed to have grown in a short amount of time and were releasing their pollen. The pollen was invisible to the naked eye and didn''t have Spiritual Energy, so no one seemed to have noticed it.


    Though, there might be someone who has realized the entire n.


    The top floor might look empty, but the shadow of a few objects seemed to be moving despite not having anything that could interrupt the source of light.

 Chapter 618 Trace

    The entire area turned chaotic the moment the Superior Demon came out of its hiding.


    ra looked around as if staring at the amount of Spiritual Energy the demons were emanating around her. She realized that the situation was pretty dangerous.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Luckily, the escape this time was a joint effort with the Stone Lord''s group.


    ra looked at the Stone Lord and asked, "Do you have any way to stop them?"


    "There is a Superior Demon chasing after us. Even if we can stop the Superior Demon, there are too many demons to fight. I''m afraid your subordinates will die if we fight them here."


    "No. I just want you to stop a portion of them. At least, this will allow us to have an easier time. We''ll thin them out while holding the rear after that. As for the Superior Demon, we''ll join hands so that we don''t lose any speed." ra exined her n with a serious expression.


    The Stone Lord didn''t have a lot of time to think. Since it was reasonable, the Stone Lord said, "Alright. I''ll form a lot of walls around us, turning this ce into abyrinth. It won''t trick Advanced Level Demons or above, but the rest usually try to avoid walls. Thankfully, there are a lot of trees that can be used as a pir."


    "Got it. We''ll regroup with group B before returning to the fort to get a terrain advantage to kill these demons."


    The Stone Lord nodded. Since they had reached an agreement, the Stone Lord immediately raised his staff. He created a golem to carry him this whole time, so he could spare some focus on thebyrinth creation.


    "Legies De''s El Stone." The Stone Lord released the Spiritual Energy gathered on his wand.


    Numerous trees suddenly excluded a brown-colored Spiritual Energy. Those brown Spiritual Energy linked to each other in a random way before a stone wall came out of the ground, turning the woods into abyrinth.


    As expected, the Advanced Level Demon recognized these walls to be superficial. So, they sted through them with their power. It didn''t take too much power, so they believed this was the best option to go through thebyrinth.


    However, the Low Level Demons and Mid Level Demons that were in front of them followed thebyrinth while trying to move forward. Unfortunately, it caused them to slow down.


    The demons behind them caught up to them in no time, especially the ones behind the Advanced Level Demons or even the Peak Level Demons.


    But because of the sudden intrusion and the low intelligence of the Low and Mid Level Demons, they ended up crashing into each other.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were angry at each other, but some of them died after being stepped on by a lot of demons behind them.


    With this, the Stone Lord and ra had more time to react against their enemies. Since no one was below Spirit Master Level, they didn''t feel threatened by the Advanced Level Demons.


    They only feared retaliation from the Peak Level Demons and the Superior Demon. The Peak Level Demons moved like they were not bothered by what was happening to the other demons.


    Meanwhile, the Superior Demon hadn''t shown itself as if it was waiting for the right opportunity to attack the two squads.


    ¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While they were chased by the demons, there was someone that still tried to go back to the building, searching for something.


    He went straight to the passage and tried to go to the highest floor.


    Since the door to the roof was open, he checked it first. Unfortunately, there was no trace of a fight or investigation on the roof.


    He could easily see a few footsteps that led to the edge of the building, but it should be used as an escape path.


    So, he returned to the inside and checked the top floor.


    He closed his eyes for a moment before forming a barrier in front of him.


    "Trace on." He muttered in a low voice before opening his eyes. "That way, huh."


    The barrier actually showed a record of the nt Lord moving with Zion as if they were searching for something.


    They went into the room near the corner, raising the guy''s suspicion. He snapped his finger, breaking the barrier into pieces. After that, he moved toward the said room and found nothing.


    There was only a tree that pierced through the building. There was no monster or any trace of the room being investigated.


    ''What''s going on with this room?'' The guy frowned and formed another barrier. "Trace on."


    He channeled his Spiritual Energy to the room and barrier, allowing the barrier to release the track of all the traces of Spiritual Energy inside the room, projecting it like a recording.


    This way, he would be able to see everything that happened inside the room.


    And to his surprise, the nt Lord and Zion didn''t do anything other than admire the tree. Although the record didn''t have any sound since it only tracked the Spiritual Energy, their actions were extremely clear.


    "This is¡­" the guy widened his eyes in shock as he approached the tree.


    He kneeled down and looked at the branch on the floor. To his surprise, there were mushrooms growing on the branch.


    In the recording, there were no mushrooms growing on the branch earlier, so it was clear that there was someone who nted these mushrooms.


    "Still, among the two, the only possible suspect is none other than the nt Lord. Zion¡­ was it? Although he is a good fighter, he doesn''t seem to have this kind of ability."


    "Besides, these mushrooms¡­ I think I have seen them somewhere. If I remember correctly, the blue one is Aldiesta Mushroom. It has the effect of disturbing the flow of Spiritual Energy. It doesn''t have a huge effect, but strong demons or humans with extreme senses would notice the change."


    "And this other mushroom¡­ Mfeita Mushroom. It''s a mushroom to hide the flow of Spiritual Energy. It''s effective to hide your presence from low level demons¡­"


    "This¡­" The guy looked down, contemting.

 Chapter 619 Secret Mission

    "This¡­" The guy looked down, contemting. He couldn''t help but remember what happened before the expedition.


    Back then, he received a summon from his mentor, the previous captain of the Demon Beholder Squad.


    He stood there, looking at an old man who seemed to have been too weak to move.


    "Septa¡­" The guy smiled while calling his name. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be able to find Septa without any problems.


    "Yes, Sir. I have arrived upon your call. May I know why you call me here? You are not a person who would call me without any reason, so I''m afraid¡­" Septa didn''t continue, but the meaning was already clear.


    Since he had predicted it, the old man didn''t even bother to hide it anymore. He said, "I got a piece of information from an old friend, you see¡­"


    "An old friend?"


    "Yeah. That freak who lurked in the shadow. It''s a pretty interesting piece of information, you see."


    "I think you should cut to the chase."


    "Alright then." The old man smiled. "I am asking you, as your mentor as well as the previous captain of the Demon Beholder Squad, to investigate the nt Lord during the expedition."


    "Hmm? You have received information about the expedition? And why the nt Lord?"


    "ording to my information, the nt Lord seems to be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization in one way or another. Unfortunately, we don''t have any proof right now. The only thing we know is that the nt Lord has a high probability of screwing all of you during the expedition."


    "That''s why I want you to investigate him." The old man paused for a moment. "You should understand by now. The main reason for you to be my sessor was your ability¡­ The Spirit with sixth sense where it can track all traces of Spiritual Energy and project it with the Barrier Ability¡­"


    "That ability is so powerful, especially in our line of work. And because it''s too dangerous and sensitive, I and themander have been keeping your ability a secret since you are one of the trump cards to finding the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "People only know that you can project something with your barrier ability, they don''t know where the projectiones from."


    "That''s why in this investigation, I want you to give the nt Lord an opportunity to screw all of you. Basically, allow him to be alone where he can utilize his ability."


    "And we will use your ability to prove his action."


    Septa thought for a moment. "Are you saying that we should expose my ability?"


    "No. You just have to confirm and gather the proof with your ability. That''s all."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "So, I don''t need to kill them? To be honest, my strength is not equal to the nt Lord."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That''s why I''m only asking you to gather the proof. As long as you confirm that the nt Lord is doing something bad to the group, I want you to put a note with whatever you can find as confirmation."


    "The rest will be handled by the others. Well, to put it simply, let the executors do their jobs."


    "!!!" Septa widened his eyes in shock. Although he could gather the proof, if he had to prove it, he had to reveal the secret of his ability. So, there was no way themander would do it just to prove that they were not rted to the nt Lord''s death.


    Hence, the only oue of this execution was friction between the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association. There was no way the elders wouldn''t hold the Demon Banner Army ountable, considering they lent the elders so that they could investigate the surroundings.


    In other words, they were not there as their fighting force to begin with. So, their safety was under the Demon Banner Army''s care. That was why the Tower Association would use this to cause some problems for the Demon Banner Army.


    Septa couldn''t agree to this. There were only four people who knew about his true ability: his mentor, themander, the adjudicator, and himself. All of them were rted to the Demon Banner Army; this showed how much Septa cared about the army. There was no way he wanted to harm them like this.


    The old man saw through him and said, "You don''t have to worry about it, Septa. We have prepared for everything. There won''t be any problem with the Demon Banner Army. If something happens to the Demon Banner Army, you can go to me again."


    Septa was hesitant, but it seemed that the old man was confident with his n.


    After some consideration, he finally nodded his head. "I understand. I shall follow your n. Is there anything else I need to know?"


    "The executioner is my old pal. I don''t understand how his mind works, but if you somehow meet him, be respectful."


    "¡­" Septa couldn''tment on that since it wasn''t that important.


    Though, when he remembered the conversation at this time, Septa couldn''t help but look at the mushroom and said, "It seems that the nt Lord has betrayed the kingdom and humanity. There is no proof that the nt Lord did it for the organization, but he must be doing it for a kind of plot¡­"


    "That''s why my job is to investigate, not to execute or prosecute that person. After this, I shall begin a full investigation regarding the nt Lord to see his current affiliation. If he''s truly rted to the organization, then I shall expose him."


    "And this kind of job will be easy since I don''t think the nt Lord will leave this ce alive, meaning that no one will take care of his things anymore."


    "Isn''t that right, Mr. Executor? No, I should be polite to you¡­ Sir Executor."


    Septa talked as if he knew there was someone in the room. Actually, Septa didn''t know whether that executor was still in the room or not. What he knew was that the executor once visited this room.


    In the recording earlier, he noticed a slight change in the shadow. It was the only trace he needed.


    He suddenly turned around, looking at the wall. To his surprise, the wall suddenly had a human shadow that turned out to be the extension of his shadow.


    This shadow had a blood-red mouth and eyes as if it was alive. And this shadow suddenly¡­ smiled.

 Chapter 620 Suggestion

    "We are from the exploration squad." Noel and the other three members from the Demon Extermination Squad waved their hands to the people on the fort.


    Those who had been standing on top of the wall saw them and immediately jumped over the wall to check on them.


    "I am Iadre from the Demon Relief Squad. These three are from the Demon Extermination Squad. I bring bad news with me." Noel gritted his teeth.


    The moment Noel mentioned ''bad news,'' the scout''s expression turned serious.


    "Please go in. The Demon Extermination Squad''s Vice Captain Rhane has returned to the fort and taken over themand."


    Noel exchanged looks with the trio as they agreed to report to her.


    They were immediately brought to the main tent where they usually held the meeting.


    "Vice Captain Rhane. There are a few people from the exploration squad returning to this fort and they want to talk to you."


    Rhane, who was frowning as she examined the map, couldn''t help but shift her focus.


    "Tell them toe in." Rhane nodded.


    Not long after, Noel and the others entered. Rhane instantly recognized all of them. The three members aside, Rhane had seen Noel in the meeting since ra always brought him.


    "You are¡­ Iadre¡­ the masked man that Captain ra had always brought to the meeting." Rhane narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why do you return and what is happening in the facility?"


    Noel nced at the map first before reporting, "The condition has be chaotic. The demons have been rmed and a Superior Demon has left the facility. Captain Septa, who is supposed to be with us, has chosen to return to help the other groups. So, that leaves us to report."


    Rhane furrowed her eyebrows. That nce at the map didn''t escape her eyes. She immediately asked, "Why did you nce? It seemed you could read the map. In that case, could you tell me the current situation with this map?"


    Noel nodded. "Yes, Ma''am."


    "We don''t know much about the current situation. However, the fact that they are rmed like this means a group has been found out. At first, we split ourselves into five smaller groups."


    "But the demons started to be chaotic as if someone was being spotted. However, I noticed something from that roar. Instead of continuous roars like channeling the information to the entire facility, there was only a single roar."


    "The demons didn''t spread the message. So, the one that gave such an order must be a powerful demon. But if a Peak Level Demon wouldn''t be powerful enough to do such a thing. The only one that could release that roar and order all those demons was¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rhane frowned. "That Superior Demon¡­"


    "Yes. We left pretty early so that we didn''t get caught, so we didn''t know the situation that much. But if my understanding about the groups is correct, once the demons are released from the facility, they will be leading them to the north." Noel pointed at the woods north of the facility.


    Rhane thought for a moment. "It''s possible. Our people are directing those demons to the east. So, if we take a look at the map, the only possible route is to direct them to the north. They will loop around through the western area to confuse the demons before eventually going to the south and reaching this ce.


    "What are their numbers?" Rhane asked as if she was nning to intercept them.


    "We are not sure. But I don''t think there is more than one Superior Demon currently. So, I believe they are trying to confuse the demons and regroup with the rest in this fort."


    Rhane thought for a moment. "It seems that the situation is worse than I thought. The number of demons isn''t much of a problem, but weck information. We don''t know the extent of their strength. How many Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons do the enemies have?"


    "And there is a chance that the facility has more than one Superior Demon. So, it will make the situation worse if we charge blindly."


    Noel agreed with her assessment. The Demon Extermination Squad might look like they were a group of people with muscle brains. But looking at Shale and Rhane, it felt like they were more rational than his original expectation.


    Since it was possible to reason with her, Noel gave her a suggestion. "I think we should reinforce the fort while setting up a group of scouts around us so that they can measure the number of the enemies, including the reinforcement from the facility."


    "Then, we''re going to set up an ambush squad as well. But the ambush squad only has one person, which is extremely efficient in this situation. He is the nt Lord. We are surrounded by thick trees, so if he ambushes the enemies from the side or even their back, we should be able to repel the enemies without a great loss."


    Rhane thought Noel''s n was reasonable, but there was one thing she couldn''t ept. "Unfortunately, it will endanger the nt Lord. He is here not to explore the facility but to support us with his knowledge. So, we have to protect him. Giving him this risky role will cause some problems with the Tower Association."


    Noel suggested another idea. "In that case, why don''t we give him a scout? With his power, it should be easy to avoid their detection range. As long as he attacks them from a safe distance, he should be safe most of the time. Then, we can simply give him a scout to lead him to a safe location in case something happens.


    "I''ll try to convince Captain ra to suggest this idea as well. But I need your approval so that we can start early. The sooner we prepare, the less casualties we will get."


    Noel''s expression was serious, thinking she would be convinced with this arrangement.


    Still, Rhane was a bit hesitant in sending the nt Lord to such a risky move. But since a Captain would be involved in the decision making, she nodded.


    "I authorize early preparation. But the final decision will lie on the captains and the two elders."


    "Got it. Thank you very much."


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 621 Agreed

    With the authorization, they began their preparation. The entire fort became extremely busy since they were expecting hundreds if not thousands of demonsing straight at them. This would be the first huge battle with the demons.


    On the one hand, they had fortified the area with forts and ditches. On the other hand, the demons wouldn''t be that easily stopped by all these. The powerful demons should be able to prate the fort with their power, so they had to be careful during the preparation.


    As expected, the first one to return to the base was none other than nt Lord''s squad.


    Noel met up with Zion to ask him a few questions regarding the nt Lord. He hadn''t told Zion that the nt Lord was suspicious. But due to this, the nt Lord shouldn''t realize that Zion was observing him this whole time.


    This was one of Noel''s ns. However, it wasn''t enough.


    He had already made a n to iste the nt Lord. But as one would expect from the nt Lord, his reputation didn''t allow Rhane to ask for his cooperation with the ambush.


    That was why Rhane didn''t do anything to convince the nt Lord. Instead, she was waiting for any captain to discuss it personally with the nt Lord.


    The second squad to return was Captain Shale''s squad. They waited for the demons to leave first. Once the peace was restored, they sneaked out of the building and tried to regroup with the others.


    Although they didn''t see Septa''s squad, they personally witnessed nt Lord''s squad leaving the facility. So, they decided to regroup with the others to think of their next n.


    Just like Rhane''s exnation, Captain ra and the Stone Lord led their squads to loop around the base in order to confuse the demons. With the help of the Stone Lord, they made significant progress in stalling them.


    This way, they should have a few minutes to react before the demons reach the fort.


    But to everyone''s surprise, the third one who returned to the fort was not Captain ra or the Stone Lord. Instead, it was Septa.


    Noel finally saw the opportunity in Shale''s existence and Septa''s expression.


    He sneaked around to see the two captains, trying to get a meeting with both of them at the same time.


    And since he was trusted by ra, the two ended up agreeing to his request and met him privately.


    Noel confirmed the suspicion in Septa''s face first before he said, "I believe there''s no need to introduce myself anymore. So, I''ll skip the pleasantries. I need your help."Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "What kind of help?" Shale asked. He knew that this masked boy was Noel. With his high expectation, he wondered what Noel wanted to do in this situation.


    "I want your help to convince the nt Lord to set up an ambush outside the fort. With his strength and the surrounding woods around us, I believe he is the perfect person to sneak attack them."


    The two captains were confused. They also brought up the same problem that would arise once they did something like that.


    Noel simply said, "We will send a scout that can help him escape in case something happens."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "!!!" Septa immediately widened his eyes in shock as if he had realized something important. He had talked with the shadow that appeared inside the building.


    He recalled the conversation.


    "I only have one task. It''s to kill the nt Lord. The evidence is not big, but I have made a promise. And I think it''s already a bit obvious about the rtionship between the nt Lord and the Supreme Devil Organization, especially regarding the case of the extinct nt."


    "!!!" Septa widened his eyes at that time. He had gotten the report from his subordinate about the shadow that helped them deal with a Devil Bishop. His strength was so overwhelming that he could limit the search to only a few people. And in that instant, he recognized the identity of that shadow. "I see. So, you must be the Captain of the Demon Assassination Squad, the rumored Shadow that managed toplete every single target except for thest one.


    "And if I''m not wrong, it means you are rted to the Ardagan Family. Looking at the current situation, there''s no Ardagan on the surface. But how convenient to have Iadre appear after Noel Ardagan mysteriously ''died'' in that valley. Isn''t that right?"


    The shadow was silent for a while. "My identity doesn''t matter. All I need is your cooperation."


    "You must have used your connection to contact my mentor." Septa sighed. "Though, I can''t simply dismiss the suspicion when the smell is already too much for my nose."


    Septa couldn''t ignore the extinct nt and the mushrooms. Ultimately, he nodded his head. "Alright. I''ll cooperate with you¡­ or more precisely, Noel Ardagan."


    The shadow smiled and disappeared. Even Septa had a hard time finding his presence and trace of Spiritual Energy.


    After remembering the conversation, Septa sighed and stated, "Alright. I''ll agree with your suggestion. In fact, I''m the one who will apany the nt Lord. This will stop the Tower Association fromining.


    "However, I''m not going to reveal my identity. I''m going to disguise myself as a member of the Zero Squad."


    Noel remained serious, but the shock was reflected on Shale''s face. He never expected Septa to agree to this kind of suggestion. At the same time, thinking about Noel, he might have done something that caused Septa to agree.


    He became interested in Noel even more. He said, "I can agree to that. In fact, with the current situation, it''s better for me to take the reign of the fort."


    "With this, no one willin if Septa is missing somewhere since I can simply brush the matter by sending him somewhere."


    "However, I have a condition." Shale raised one finger.


    "A condition?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. This wasn''t the time to put on a condition.


    But Shale''s condition was simpler than he thought.


    He simply pointed at Noel and said, "You¡­ be my vicemander during the siege."

 Chapter 622 Claras Strength

    "Let''s go!"


    "Hurry up!"


    ra and the Stone Lord shouted while looking back. Their bodies had been covered with wounds. And one of the Demon Extermination Squad members had fallen.


    The rest of the people also had been covered in wounds.


    They had been truly ambushed by the enemies. They thought they had managed to stop the demons from causing any damage. But they never thought that the demons would attack them from another side.


    When they were circling the building to return to the fort, they were ambushed by another Superior Demon.


    They managed to kill more than a hundred demons, including two Peak Level Demons, but as expected, they had to sacrifice a lot.


    The Superior could be handled by Captain ra and the Stone Lord, but they had to face numerous demons and multiple Peak Level Demons when fighting those two Superior Demons. And this was the result.


    ra gritted her teeth, looking around. ''Our condition is not good right now. The others can still fight, but we are pretty injured right now. My wounds are mostly superficial, but one of them managed to prate my muscle. I''m already having a hard time moving my muscles. I can heal myself, but it requires time.


    ''As for the others, luckily, Jonathan is fine. He has a lot of wounds, but there''s no injury serious enough that will cause damage to his body. On the other hand, Ste is a bit serious. Her pinky finger is cut by a demon. I managed to recover the pinky, and it should be possible to reattach it with my power, but it will seriously hinder her in wielding that sword. Last but not least, Ben. He has been covering us this whole time.''


    ''Although he doesn''t have a permanent injury, the inner injury should be quite big. I''m afraid he will have to rest for the rest of the exploration.'' ra clicked her tongue.


    Although it was a relief that none of her members died, it was truly frustrating to see them in this state.


    ''I''m afraid that more Superior Demons have been unleashed. So, we should hurry up and return to the fort so that we can prepare for their attacks.''


    ''How in the world did the demon notice us? I believe we haven''t done anything that can cause such a thing¡­'' ra looked down, not understanding the reason for the current predicament. She had been observing the other groups as well, especially the one with her. None of them knew the reason.''


    The only thing they knew was that the demons suddenly went on a rampage and found them who had been steadily making progress.


    So, no one was at fault. Yet, the demons noticed their movement. It was weird to the point she wanted to believe someone had woken up those demons.


    But she didn''t have any evidence.


    However, she couldn''t help but recall the time Noel asked for more people.


    It seemed that Noel was already aware of this situation. But because he didn''t have enough evidence to show to everyone to make them believe it, he could only make this kind of preparation.


    ''I can understand why Paul has such a high opinion of Noel.'' ra took a deep breath. She had to survive this onught and warn the people from the base.


    She didn''t know whether the other groups returned or not. But handling two Superior Demons with a fort was much more rxingpared to this kind of battle. There were also other people who managed the fort, so it should be possible to repel them with only her and the Stone Lord.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With that thought in mind, she started calcting the distance.


    ''There are only five hundred meters left. With our current speed, we can reach it in two minutes.'' She muttered inwardly. ''In that case, I don''t have to hold back anymore.''


    She nced at the Stone Lord and said, "We''ll switch our roles. This time, I''ll stall them. You help them block the enemies'' attacks."


    The Stone Lord was confused at the moment. But looking at her serious expression, the Stone Lord nodded his head. "Sure."


    ''Spider Transformation.''


    As soon as she got the confirmation, ra released the Spiritual Energy on her back, forming eight spider legs from her back.


    There were a pair of eyes under each of her eyes as if she was imitating the spider''s eyes. Her instinct had also been enhanced. With the current sense, she could easily find the enemies lurking in the shadows, especially among the trees.


    ''There it is¡­ Captain''s Transformation.'' Ste nced at her with a smile. Surprisingly, despite all the features from the transformation, ra didn''t look ugly at all. The eyes and her focused expression just made her look cool and the eight spider legs behind them created a gant aura around her. Even Ste couldn''t help but think, ''How in the world can you turn such an ugly transformation into a badass style?''


    As soon as she transformed, ra immediately jumped to the sides repeatedly as if she was trying to fool the demons.


    But no matter how much she moved around, a huge portion of the demons would still follow the original group. So, her n to lure them away failed.


    What they didn''t notice from ra''s action was how the eight spider legs became a cushion to stop her from crashing into a tree. The six spider eyes allowed her to move to the spot near the demons, but not close enough to enter their range.


    And more importantly, each time she moved around, she attached her string to the tree.


    "String Enhancement. Sharp." She poured the Spiritual Energy into the thread and used thest tree to pull it, making the thread tense.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons didn''t expect there would be a thread this strong. Those without tough skin or extraordinary defense ended up getting sliced by the thread, and those with it ended up stumbling, causing problems to the demons behind them.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    The nt Lord didn''t expect such a powerful thread as well, considering the thread was so thin that it looked like it didn''t have enough strength to stop something big.


    But when Ste saw it, she couldn''t help but smirk. ''There it is, the strength of the top five captains in the Demon Banner Army.''

 Chapter 623 Incoming Demons

    Noel and Shale stood on top of the wall, waiting for the iing enemies. The noises the demons made this whole time were giving away their location, so they were waiting for them toe.


    They knew that ra and the Stone Lord woulde out from the woods. They wanted them to enter first before they closed the gate.


    Shale closed his eyes for a while. Noel, on the other hand, nced to the right where Septa and the nt Lord were hiding.


    Luckily, with the two captains expressing their support, the nt Lord had no choice but to ept the assignment.


    He was angry that he was exposed to this risk, but there was nothing suspicious about the current arrangement. After all, the nt Lord''s role was crucial in handling that many enemies.


    At the same time, he had been apanied by a reliable person from the Demon Beholder Squad. What could he ask more?


    Ultimately, the nt Lord reached an agreement that he would help them before making his way out of the battlefield. He still wanted to keep his life after all.


    They didn''t have any objection, so they allowed the nt Lord to do whatever he wanted.


    Many members from the Demon Extermination Squads had been sitting on top of the watchtowers as well, ready to engage the enemies. The Demon Beholder Squad and the Demon Relief Squad had been standing by in their respective positions.


    Suddenly, the people on the left side raised a giant blue g. It was big enough to be seen from far away. And the only reason for it to be raised was the arrival of the enemies.


    The Demon Behold Squad had noticed the enemies and immediately notified them.


    Noel''s expression turned serious as he said, "Captain Shale. The enemies areing."


    "Good. We''re going with the current n." Shale raised his left hand. They then erected a red g, notifying the others about the n.


    Since Shale and Noel handled the same wall, which would take the full brunt of the enemies, the remaining three walls were given to the vice captains of each squad.


    Shale soon narrowed his eyes, looking into the woods. "Here theye."


    The first onesing out of the woods were the two groups that were chased by the demons.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Their conditions were horrible. ra was full of injury. One of the eight legs behind her had been damaged so badly that it almost fell off.


    The Stone Lord was in better shape, but he exhausted more Spiritual Energy than anyone else in that group.


    However, Noel could see numerous demons chasing after them. The trees were thick and tall. It was also humid, so they couldn''t find the demons from the dust they had left behind.


    But Noel could see a big monster that was only two meters lower than the tree. The humanoid demon had the head of a crocodile, but it could stand up with two feet and the belly was so round that one would mistake it as a ball.


    Yet, with such a body, the demon walked as fast as ra. It seemed that it managed to utilize its size well to get that kind of speed.


    And its condition seemed to be not optimal. There were some huge scars on its body, but there was no wound that would endanger his life.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Without a doubt, this demon was a Superior Demon. Still, Noel didn''t stop looking around, trying to find another Superior Demon. There was no way ra would be in this condition if there was only one Superior Demon after all.


    Though, he was a bit angry when he saw their wounds. He noticed that a few of them wouldn''t be able to participate in the exploration any longer, but luckily, all the Demon Relief Squads seemed to have no permanent injury that would force them to retire.


    Noel finally understood the reason why the expedition was extremely dangerous.


    Unlike the battle in the Silica Valley, they didn''t have enough people and reinforced walls to handle a lot of demons.


    A thousand demons were truly a big headache for their current numbers, let alone multiple Superior Demons.


    "Ready!" Shale shouted out loud, informing the others with his wind power. He was prepared to go to the battlefield to buy some time for ra and the rest.


    ra saw the gate and pointed to it. "Go to the gate. Stone Lord, we have to stall them for twenty seconds."


    The Stone Lord nodded. The current situation didn''t allow him toin anyway. He added, "We''ll use the ditches to buy time and disperse the enemies."


    "Got it." ra nodded.


    Without hesitation, they crossed the first ditch with the help of wooden nks that had been used as a bridge this whole time.


    The wooden nks were not that strong. They were supposed to break once stepped by a demon since most of them had a big body.


    But since Jonathan was with them, he used his Telekinesis to carry the nks back as soon as everyone crossed it.


    Then, the Stone Lord stomped the ground.


    "Grand Wall!"


    The soil behind the first ditch suddenly rose, turning into a tall wall that would stop the Low Level Demons.


    But before that, the demons with low intelligence ended up falling into the ditches. The demons that messed up afterward ended up crushing them with their weight. This would continue until the entire ditch was filled up with demons.


    This was the effectiveness of the ditch. It only required people to dig the ground, but it could stop at least two hundred demons depending on their sizes. However, the demons weren''t that easy to stop either. The Mid Level Demons and Advanced Level Demons released their Spiritual Energy and shot the walls.


    The Mid Level Demons cracked it, but the Advanced Level Demons shattered the walls.


    Unfortunately for them, what came after a wall was another wall. The Stone Lord had erected another wall behind the second ditch.


    And the shattered walls became the weapon for ra. She attached her strings to those rubbles and swung them around, using the momentum to beat down some demons.


    "Die, you monsters!"

 Chapter 624 Burn

    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    The boulders crushed the demons easily, causing the demons behind them to either jump or trip. This was enough since their current objective was to buy time.


    And with the second wall, the demons had to fill the ditch with their bodies again. And ra would take that opportunity to bring more demons down before they reached the fort.


    Though, it seemed that the Peak Level Demons had noticed her intention. They stepped forward and let out a thunderous roar simultaneously.


    *Roar!*


    "Kh?!" ra and the Stone Lord gritted their teeth while looking at the demons. They knew that the monsters nned to use that huge roar to stop them for the time being, while the Advanced Level Demons took their time to crush the wall with their bodies. This way, ra wouldn''t be able to do anything, considering the Advanced Level Demons would shoot down her spider thread.


    "Tsk." ra clicked her tongue while ncing back, finding all the people had entered the gate and thetter was beginning to close. She said, "Our job is done here. We''ll use this chance to retreat to the fort. Just stay in front of the wall."


    "Got it." The Stone Lord nodded. "What will we do after that?"


    "No need to do anything." ra smirked. It didn''t take too long for them to reach the wall. And the moment they stood in front of the wall, their bodies suddenly became light as the wind shot them upward and put them down next to Shale. "I know you''re going to do the rest."


    Shale nodded with a calm expression.


    "Two Superior Demons and at least fifty Peak Level Demons. That''s not all the mysterious facility has, I believe." ra immediately gave a report while looking at the numerous demons. Although she wanted to ask the reason why Noel stood next to Shale, she understood his quality, so it wasn''t that strange. The question could wait.


    "Can both of you still fight?" Shale asked.


    "Not a problem." ra and the Stone Lord answered at the same time.


    "Good." Shale raised his hand and waved it down.


    All the people standing on top of the tower and the wall immediately released their Spiritual Energy, starting to shoot down the demons.


    Even Noel participated in this attack. He gathered the energy in his fingertip and waved it sideways, shooting out a ck colored phoenix.


    The demons also saw them. Those who could release a long-ranged attack immediately utilized it to shoot down the attacks. As a result, most of the attacks blew up in the sky, including Noel''s ck colored phoenix.


    But there was something different with Noel''s phoenix.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Now that he had a Fire Heart, he enhanced the Undying Phoenix with this ability, amplifying its me.


    When it was shot down, an explosion urred, but due to the effect of the Fire Heart, the Undying Fire became even more resilient.


    They didn''t simply disappear after the phoenix was destroyed. Instead, the remnant of the fire was scattered by the explosion and fell on top of the demons.


    Using the demons as fuel, the Undying Firepletely filled the battlefield.


    And this was why Noel loved ditches. Since the demons died after falling into the ditches due to the weight on top of them, they became the perfect fuel for his Undying Fire.


    The ditches became the source of his fire and with the characteristic of the Undying Fire, it would continue to spread to the side and eventually cover the entire base. Maintaining the fire might require a lot of Spiritual Energy, but being able to kill a few hundred demons here was worth it. After all, he was rewarded by the system for repeatedly killing demons.


    ''Hahaha, I love ditches. I should have dug more ditches. After digging the ditches, I should dig more ditches.'' Noel couldn''t help but think like this after seeing how he repeatedlypleted the missions. He was crazy because the kill was counted for himself, considering he was the one to kill them, not the joint effort like usual.


    "!!!" But the reaction from the two Captains and the Stone Lord waspletely different. The moment they saw the me dominating the battlefield, they couldn''t help but nce at Noel as if he was a monster.


    They never thought there would be a me that strong. The demons tried to extinguish it but to no avail. Meanwhile, the demons with lower intelligence ended up either looping around to avoid the me or passing through the fire.


    Still, there was one disadvantage to using this tactic. The Low Level Demon that wasn''t killed immediately by the fire ended up carrying the fire toward the fort. If they mmed their bodies to the wall, the trunks used as a wall would bepletely burned.


    "Not good. We have to stop the iing demons from reaching the wall. Can you stop that fire? It''s good for us, but it''s going to waste all our ns."


    "As long as I stop infusing my Spiritual Energy, the me will vanish. But that''s not the time." Noel pointed forward. "We have to stop them for at least five minutes. Now that they have been weakened and the demons are getting scattered, it''s the best time to kill as many demons as possible before the situation bes chaotic. To do that, we have to send those burning monsters away."


    Shale narrowed his eyes. As he said, if they couldplete his instruction, it wouldn''t be weird if they managed to kill a third of their enemies.


    Shale didn''t have time to think. Once he thought Noel''s n was quite good, he immediately asked, "Just to confirm it. Even if it''s burning the wooden wall, you can extinguish it when you stop pouring your Spiritual Energy?"


    "Yes," Noel answered without hesitation.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The moment he heard that answer, he raised his hand. "Everyone, shoot down those burning demons and send them back to set more demons aze!"


    Noel smirked. Not a single of them realized they had been manipted by Noel to work for him. The more the demons died from the fire, the more hepleted the mission. This way, he would be the biggest contributor,plete his mission, and show his strength to make him even more important.


    It was killing three birds with one stone. But Noel had one more reason¡­ and that one reason might be able to turn it into killing four birds with one stone.

 Chapter 625 Superior Demons

    *Boom!*


    *Bam!*


    *Bang!*


    The people inside the fort kept releasing their powers. People like Jonathan or Shale used their abilities to lift up the demons into the air and throw them back into their ranks.


    However, the demons didn''t stay down easily. They tried to shoot the enemies down.


    The people on top of the walls and the tower became their target. However, the wall didn''t escape unscathed as well.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred. Some of them urred due to the sh between human ability and demon''s attack. Some of them urred because they hit their targets, whether it was the ground, the walls, or the humans.


    Some of the humans who specialized in defense stepped forward and protected these people. Those who couldn''t release long-ranged attacks also jumped forward to strike down these attacks while using the explosions to send them back on top of the wall.


    But some of the explosions urred after hitting the wooden walls.


    Even with the Hardening Rune, it was still hard for a normal wood to stop the attacks from the demons, especially those Advanced Level Demons and the Peak Level Demons.


    The wooden wall was broken, but what they didn''t know was that behind the wooden wall, there was a secondyer.


    Thisyer was sturdier than the first one, considering it was made of stone. It had been enhanced by the rune as well.


    And obviously, they had to thank the Stone Lord and his disciple to be able to create them.


    The progress of the fight was good, but Shale seemed to remain focused on the biggest problem.


    Even though he was using his ability to repel some demons, his eyes still hadn''t left the big demon that hadn''t taken a step forward as soon as it reached this ce.


    Yes, Shale was focusing on the Superior Demon. With their intelligence, it wouldn''t be weird for the demon to issue a retreat ore up with an extraordinary n.


    ''It''s still not moving?'' Shale thought while frowning. On the one hand, he could think this was due to him ring at him this whole time. On the other hand, the demon wouldn''t be that afraid of humans of the same level even with that kind of injury.


    So, he believed the demon was trying to do something.


    ''What is he nning to do? No, there are supposed to be two Superior Demons ording to the report. Where is the second one?'' Shale nced around. His heart suddenly skipped a beat as he turned around, checking the Spiritual Energy inside the fort. ''Don''t tell me, the second Superior Demon is the one digging the hidden nest? In that case, the fort¡­''


    Suddenly, he fell silent. There was nothing extraordinary inside the base.


    "ra. What''s the second Superior Demon look like?" Shale shouted.


    ra, who had just returned to the wall after throwing the demons away with her thread, stopped for a moment and said, "It''s a¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Before she finished, all of them suddenly noticed a surge of energy from the side.


    "!!!" ra, Shale, and the Stone Lord widened their eyes in shock, turning their heads around.


    Suddenly, a blue light shone brightly among the trees and flew forth, mowing down everything in its path.


    "Not good!" Shale shouted while jumping straight toward the light. He gathered the wind around his hand and leaped into the air.


    The blue light that traveled like a beam finally came out of the forest and almost hit the base.


    Fortunately, Shale managed to reach it first. The wind concentrated on his fist started to release a powerful gale downward. The wind was so powerful that the blue-colored beam was going down and eventually hitting the ground.


    But this burst of energy wouldn''t be defeated easily. It cracked the ground and turned it into a crater. This way, the terrainpletely changed and all the ditches around this area werepletely neutralized.


    At the same time, the foundation for the walls disappeared, causing some walls to crumble easily.


    The energy ended with an explosion, trying to erase everything around it.


    However, the Stone Lord managed to react to the aftermath. He erected a huge wall that blocked the explosion.


    As if knowing what would happen, the other Superior Demon came toward the Stone Lord and swiped its tail. This humanoid crocodile had tough skin, so the explosion wouldn''t hurt him.


    And with the current momentum, he should be able to give the Stone Lord some heavy injuries.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Not on my watch!" ra shouted as numerous threads circled around the tail and caught it.


    The tail stopped, but ra, who used her fingers to stop that kind of force, had her fingers almost torn. She was lucky that she had some gloves for protection. Even then, some strings had already cut a bit of her skin. If this continued, she might lose her fingers.


    But more importantly, due to the absence of those trio, the wall had no one to protect.


    "It''s just a distraction!" Shale shouted while turning around as if trying to warn ra, the Stone Lord, and¡­ Noel.


    It seemed Shale wasn''t the only one who noticed it. The moment the two Superior Demons came out, Noel had stopped pouring his Spiritual Energy into his Undying Fire. At that instant, all the mes disappeared from the battlefield, confusing the demons, especially with high intelligence.


    Noel took this opportunity to jump off the wall. Instead of falling, Noel was flying with the help of the Phoenix Wings.


    Noel couldn''t help but smirk. He had a lot of gains after dealing with that Fire Bird and he was nning to utilize it here to see how effective they were.


    A few phoenix feathers fell down before Noel pped his wings, creating a gust of hot air to bring those feathers.


    Due to the weird current from the hot air, the feathers moved unpredictably, causing them to be hard to be shot down.


    Noel had just utilized three abilities: Undying Fire Feathers, Fire Heart, and Fire Gale. With a smirk on his face, he said, "Let''s try its power, shall we?"

 Chapter 626 Superior Demons

    The demons realized that the feathers contained a power that could kill them with their instinct. So, they tried to shoot them down.


    Unfortunately for them, the unpredictable current caused their attacks to miss.


    With the current distance, it was impossible for them to hit them.


    In the end, the feathers reached their position, including the Fire Gale.


    The Fire Gale was so hot that the moment the demons inhaled the heated air made them feel like they were being cooked from the inside.


    And eventually, the feathers were thrown by the wind, scattered in the area.


    After consuming the Fire Bird''s heart, he had improved the Undying Fire Feathers. In addition, there was the Fire Heart''s amplification.


    The explosionsing from the Fire Feathers became far bigger than anything he used when fighting the Fire Bird Demon.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The explosions engulfed more than a hundred demons. With a single nce, he realized that ten feathers managed to kill thirty demons at once. At the same time, there were more than fifty demons who got severely injured.


    If he fought alone, thebination of these three abilities would work for thinning out the enemy''s number.


    ''Excellent. To think that my strength can reach this level¡­'' Noel couldn''t help but remember the time he killed his first demon. It was so hard to the point he couldn''t do anything even with three of them. But at this point, he could easily kill a hundred demons without any problems.


    If this continued, he should be able to rece Captain Shale''s tale.


    ''Still, the Fire Heart truly drains my Spiritual Energy. After bing a Spirit Master, it''s true that my Spirit Energy reserve has grown drastically. But I never thought that using the Fire Heart continuously would drain this much energy. It seems I have to be careful in the future.''


    Noel took a deep breath, returning to the wall. He nced around the battlefield.


    Since he had retracted the Undying Fire, the demons wouldn''t hesitate to go straight to the wall, especially those Peak Level Demons who had been waiting for their chance to fight.


    Shale nced at Noel, shocked by his power. This was the first time he saw Noel''s strength. Although he wanted to question him for having that fire ability, he realized that there was a reason why Noel hid his identity.


    So, he chose to respect Noel''s decision since it didn''t really matter that much as long as Noel didn''t n to harm the Demon Banner Army.


    Still, that strength was enough to scare the demons.


    He pointed at Noel while shouting as loud as possible. "You have seen his strength. Obey the vicemander from now on. I''m going to handle the Superior Demon!"


    "!!!" Everyone widened their eyes, never expecting to hear such an order. At the same time, they also understood why Shale entrusted everything to Noel.


    After hearing the order, Noel didn''t hesitate to give his order out loud. "Attacks. No need to hold back anymore. Attack them until they die!"


    The people were confused by the order, considering Shale''smand looked more reasonable. What they didn''t know was that Noel''smand had a different purpose.


    ''There are two Superior Demons. But with their current number and strength, I don''t think there are only two Superior Demons in that facility.''


    ''And at first, there was only one Superior Demoning out. But now, there are already two Superior Demons here. It seems that they''reing out within an interval. And the moment the third Superior Demon appears, there will be an interval that we can use to take down at least one Superior Demon before the fourth appears¡­''


    ''That''s why I have to force the third one to appear as soon as possible. I don''t know the interval, but if the third Superior Demon is hiding, I can force it toe out with this order.''


    Noel narrowed his eyes, looking around to see if there was a movement. ''What kind of demon is the third Superior Demon?''


    Noel kept thinking about that question while attacking the enemies.


    The others also followed his n and released all their abilities to kill as many demons as possible.


    At the same time, the Peak Level Demons began to make their move. They had been waiting from the sideline this whole time, measuring the enemy''s strength. Now that they had a good grasp of what the humans were capable of, they were nning to strike them.


    Noel noticed the movement of the Peak Level Demons.


    "Get ready, the Peak Level Demons are moving toward us. Back away from the wall and prepare to receive their attacks." Noel shouted while infusing his Spiritual Energy into his voice to amplify the sound.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While he wasmanding the army, Captain ra and the Stone Lord took this chance to fight the injured Superior Demon, trying to kill it. Meanwhile, Captain Shale had flown toward the second Superior Demon. It wouldn''t be wise for themander to leave the fort, but Shale had seen Noel''s capability. He felt it would be fine to leave Noel in charge.


    That was the only reason why Shale dared to leave.


    It seemed that the Superior Demons understood the importance of Noel in this fort. Five Peak Level Demons moved toward him. The other lower level demons also followed them to overwhelm Noel with numbers.


    ''It''s not the time to unleash our sneak attack.'' Noel thought. Since there was no other option, he nned to handle five Peak Level Demons by himself.


    Before, he struggled to even fight a single Fire Bird Demon. But this time, he was daring enough to challenge five demons of the same level. Noel looked reckless, but there was confidence hidden in his gaze.


    Noel jumped off the wall once again. If he fought on top of the wall, he might get some advantages over the demons. But the wall wouldn''t be able to withstand thebined attack of five Peak Level Demons. So, it was better for them to fight outside the fort.


    Noel summoned a pair of wings.


    He flew on top of them, telling the Peak Level Demons that he was there.


    Two Peak Level Demons released a beam from their tails to shoot Noel down. There were other lower level demons that jumped into the air to drag him down.


    Noel knew that he couldn''t use his ice ability. So, he changed his approach.


    He used the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. Since the only people that knew about this Sword Style were his group and they were already aware of his identity, there was no need to hide it anymore.


    He used the Disgust Emotion to turn the sword into a blunt bat. But this time, Noel added another twist to his ability.


    The Spirit Weaponry, the unique application of Spiritual Energy that allowed him to strike the Spiritual Energy itself.


    He could finallybine the two abilities after so many trials. He struck down the two beams from the Peak Level Demons, redirecting them to the demons beneath him.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    As expected from Peak Level Demons, their strength was quite powerful. Those two attacks alone managed to take down ten demons at once and injured many demons.


    At the same time, the Peak Level Demons were smart enough to see through Noel''s intention. It seemed that Noel didn''t n to kill them. Instead, he wanted to use their strength to kill other demons.


    This way, he would be able to conserve his energy while killing more demons.


    Noel didn''t realize at this time that his death was approaching.


    Behind the trees, there was a giant chameleon that hadpletely changed its skin color to match the environment. In addition, the strength of this demon was beyond the Peak Level Demons Noel was facing.


    In other words, this was the Third Superior Demon.


    Only two people managed to sense the threat. The first was Dimitri, who had been hiding this whole time. But if Dimitri made his move, the ambush would fail, meaning the nt Lord would be aware of their n and be harder to be killed.


    That was why Dimitri was in a dilemma. He wanted to protect his lord, but at the same time, he didn''t want to ruin his n.


    As for the second person, he was none other than the one with the most sensitive sense among them, the captain of the Demon Beholder Squad, Septa.


    Septa knew his role finally came.


    Before the chameleon released its tongue to strike Noel down, Septa appeared on top of the chameleon with his fastest speed.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "!!!" The chameleon noticed the surge of energy above his head and immediately raised his head while extending his tongue.


    *Bam!*


    The tree was taken down by the tongue, but there was soon a translucent barrier that appeared in the air and fell on top of the chameleon, pushing it to the ground.


    As one would expect from Septa, he didn''t forget the promise to his teacher. He had told the nt Lord tounch an ambush since all the Superior Demons hade out.


    In that instant, numerous roots started toe out of the woods and aimed for the monsters, trying to restrain them.


    When Noel saw all this, he couldn''t help but smile. The final phase of the n had just begun.

 Chapter 627 Plan

    "!!!" The Stone Lord and ra were shocked to see the reinforcementing from the outside. Since they had to fight the enemies upon their return, they didn''t know anything about their ns.


    So, they thought the nt Lord and Septa didn''te back to the fort.


    But considering Noel was here, they should have thought Septa was hiding somewhere. But the nt Lord was far away from them. Even Zion was stationed on another wall, so they didn''t know about the nt Lord''s whereabouts.


    Just when they were about to think the situation had gotten worse, the situation was overturned in an instant.


    Septa immediately struck the third Superior Demon that was hiding from their sight this whole time. The chameleon was extremely powerful with that camouging ability, considering only Septa was able to find it.


    They wouldn''t be able to find the chameleon before it was toote.


    That was why it was good to have Septa handling this chameleon. There was no way the chameleon would be able to hide itself from Septa.


    At the same time, the nt Lord had stretched many roots to capture a lot of demons.


    The surprise attack worked like a wonder, giving a lot of time for the people inside the fort.


    And due to the situation, the nt Lord didn''t realize that he had fallen into traps. The fact that Septa used someone else''s identity to protect him alone was enough for him to be suspicious.


    Yet, because the situation forced him to act, he didn''t have time to suspect anyone.


    Noel''s eyes shed the moment his n had entered the final phase.


    "Captain ra, Sir Stone Lord. Please kill that demon as quickly as possible. I''ll take care of the rest of the Peak Level Demons." Noel shouted, enhancing his voice with Spiritual Energy.


    ra and the Stone Lord exchanged looks. They knew fighting the Superior Demon like this allowed them to kill it quickly. And Noel''s objective must be the other Superior Demon, which would give Septa time to protect the nt Lord.


    From the nt Lord''s perspective, it was Noel''s consideration of this unpredictable thing. But he didn''t realize it was what Noel wanted him to think.


    Of course, to make his n work, Noel had to work hard as well, especially in fighting these five Peak Level Demons.


    During the time he conveyed his instruction to the Stone Lord and ra, the Peak Level Demons approached him from two sides.


    They jumped into the air with the intention of dragging him down to the ground.


    Noel pped his wings and released the Fire Gale.


    The hot gale scorched their skins. Even the Peak Level Demons might get heavy injuries if they weren''t careful.


    So, both Peak Level Demons followed their instinct and used their attacks to blow their bodies away and fall back to their group.


    The other two demons charged their tails again, ready to shoot him down. Meanwhile, thest one jumped like the first two but with different timing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As expected from a Peak Level Demon, whose intelligence was said to be equal to that of a human, it knew Noel would use Fire Gale to repel the two Peak Level Demons, but after that, there would be nothing to stop him.


    Noel saw the iing demon along with the lower level demons that tried to reach him by stepping on top of each other.


    He used the p earlier not only to produce the hot gale but also to spin his body.


    After that, he put his sword in front of him andpleted a full rotation, striking both the fifth Peak Level Demon and the demons beneath him.


    Circr Sword Strike (Vertical).


    The sword strike expanded. Even the Fire Bird Demon didn''t dare to face it directly, so the Peak Level Demon chose to use it to blow him away instead of charging forward.


    But the lower level demons weren''t that capable. They even took the Fire Gale head-on, let alone this Circr Sword Strike.


    Unfortunately, their strength was not enough to stop them and multiple demons got their bodies sliced by it.


    Still, there were the other two demons that had charged their attacks this whole time. As soon as they saw Noel using his ability, they shot him down, taking advantage of the split second Noel was unable to move because he had toplete his ability.


    Noel had expected this already, but still, there was nothing he could do. Even though he had be a Spirit Master and his strength was able topete with five Peak Level Demons, the quantity wasn''t that easy to defeat by quality.


    At the same time, there were other low level demons that kept distracting him. Some even tried to attack him from afar.


    If not for the fact that Noel had sent the Fire Gale and the Fire Feathers before his attack, he would have been swarmed by all these demons.


    *Boom!*


    The two demons'' attacks hit him.


    "Iadre!" ra shouted and gritted her teeth. It was still too much for Noel to fight all those demons by himself. At the same time, this might be their only chance to turn around the situation, so she couldn''t help him.


    On the one hand, she was afraid that she would lose her subordinate during the expedition again. On the other hand, she had to fulfill her role so that they would have fewer casualties.


    ra could only gnash her teeth and continue fighting the Superior Demon.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Noel, who was blown away by the attack, managed to recover his bnce by pping his wings a few times.


    Despite receiving the two attacks head-on, there wasn''t a single injury on his body. Instead, his skin was covered with scales. It became even more visible since the attack blew up his clothes.


    In addition to the protective armor made of the Ancient Demon Tree, Noel managed to escape unscathed from the attacks.


    Noel hurriedly flew toward the fort again since his position was right in the middle of the enemies. If he didn''t move, all the demons around him would drag him down.

 Chapter 628 Clara And The Stone Lord

    While Noel kept the enemies at bay, ra and the Stone Lord used all their power to bring down the Superior Demon.


    The Superior Demon waved its tail to destroy the wall, but the Stone Lord had erected a giant stone spike that hit the middle of the tail, causing it to stop.


    But due to the Superior Demon''s tough skin, the spike couldn''t pierce through it as well. The tip waspletely broken by the toughness of the skin.


    Still, this was enough. ra used that opportunity to run on the Superior Demon''s tail, heading to its body.


    The Superior Demon noticed her movement and hurriedly spun his body. At the same time, he raised his hand, preparing to smack ra as soon as she got off.


    But surprisingly, ra managed to keep running on that unstable path.


    It turned out ra was using the spider legs on her back to bnce her movement while creating a circr thread that circled the tail. Even if she fell off, she would still hang around the tail with this.


    She looked like she was defying gravity, causing the Superior Demon to panic.


    Without thinking, the Superior Demon used its hands tounch ra away.


    If ra didn''t avoid this, she would be pped to death like that of a mosquito. But ra had another n in mind.


    Since the hands were aiming at her, she only had to avoid the p while taking advantage of the momentum to send her to the Superior Demon''s head.


    "!!!" The Superior Demon widened his eyes when he saw the p miss. At the same time, ra actually hung around the hand. With the current motion, it wouldn''t be weird if ra managed to reach his head.


    With such an agile and flexible human on his body, he might get heavily injured from whatever she was nning to do. He was already covered in injuries, so his situation might be even worse than he imagined.


    So, the Superior Demon jumped into the air with that big body. This was the only thing he hadn''t tried to shake off ra.


    "¡­" ra maintained her calm. Since she had jumped away from the tail, the thread that prevented her from falling had been retracted. That was why the jump ended up lifting her up.


    ra clicked her tongue while looking at the Superior Demon from above. Thetter seemed to be happy that his n worked, but he didn''t realize that ra had been trying to make him focus on her.


    He forgot for a second that he was fighting against two opponents.


    "Rise!" The Stone Lord shouted.


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    Numerous spikes emerged from the ground. Each spike started with a diameter of ten meters. Even the tip wasn''t that small due to the size and toughness of the Superior Demon.


    But with this number of spikes hitting all over the body, the Superior Demon should feel the pain.


    *Roar!*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Superior Demon was wailing in pain. Two spikes managed to crack his scale, some managed to hit the open wound while the rest only inflicted some jolts, but it was enough to distract the Superior Demon for a second.


    ra took advantage of this opportunity tond on the demon''s head.


    "!!!" The Superior Demon immediately covered its eyes and nose as if trying to prevent ra from hitting his weak points. On the one hand, it was able to stop ra from injuring him. On the other hand, it gave away its weak points.


    ra waved his hands, shooting strings from her fingertips. The strings scattered around the area. They were thick, strong, and sharp. If it was a normal demon, these threads would feel like a w, grazing all over their bodies. But as expected, the toughness of the skin prevented any thread from injuring him.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It seemed that the demon''s weakness was the only part he covered. ra narrowed her eyes, thinking there was no other way since the enemy''s skin was simply too thick.


    The Superior Demon even pped its tail to destroy the spikes around him before spinning around to throw away ra.


    However, ra had understood how the Superior Demon worked. She jumped off as if she wanted to escape.


    Realizing that ra was not on his body anymore, the demon stopped for a moment to find ra.


    But the next thing he saw was ra grabbing the area where his scale cracked.


    ra extended her strings around the cracked scales and shouted, "Stone Lord! Lift it up!"


    Suddenly, a huge pir was erected near the demon.


    *Roar!*


    The demon soon let out another scream out of pain. It turned out ra sneaked in some strings underneath the cracked scales. Since it had some gaps due to the crack, ra attached them to a rising pir, causing the pir to pull out the scars andpletely reveal the skin underneath the scale. And this skin was far thinner and weaker than the scale.


    ra smirked.


    "I got you," said ra as she tried to stretch her string again to pierce through the demon. But the demon managed to react and spin his body before it was toote. He even attempted to kick ra, albeit the Stone Lord had summoned another stone wall as her foothold, allowing her to jump before getting hit.


    Then, ra aimed for the other cracked spot to pull it out again, creating more and more weak spots. The demon was already covered in wounds, so there were a lot of spots to work with.


    Her objective was to remove all the scales blocking the wound so that the Stone Lord could deal the finishing blow.


    And for the first time in its life, the Superior Demon felt scared. He realized that he might die at their hands.


    So, the Superior Demon let out a loud and long roar.


    *Rooaaaarrrr!*


    It felt different from any roar that it used earlier. In fact, it sounded simr to the first one that caused chaos inside the mysterious facility.


    "!!!" ra widened her eyes as the demons started to change the way they moved.

 Chapter 629 Taking Down The Demon

    ''The way they move¡­'' ra narrowed her eyes. They starteding toward this giant crocodile to stop ra from inflicting more damage. Even the Stone Lord would have a hard time since a few Peak Level Demons changed their target to him.


    On the one hand, ra didn''t want to let this demon do whatever he wanted. On the other hand, this sudden shift would be a bit disadvantageous for Shale. His position was in the same direction after all.


    ra and the Stone Lord would have a hard time noticing if those demons suddenly changed their target to him.


    At the same time, the nt Lord was not far away. So, his safety would be at risk. Although ra didn''t know about Noel''s n, she still knew what would happen if the nt Lord raised aint to the Demon Banner Army.


    So, she might have to let go of the giant crocodile. After all, this call was simr to the one it used to cause chaos inside the facility.


    There might be a fourth Superior Demon that got called to help him.


    Two elders and three captains should be able to handle four Superior Demons, but their fort wasn''t strong enough to contain all these demons and their condition wasn''t at their peak due to the chase. Unless they were prepared to sacrifice their lives, they wouldn''t be able to kill these four Superior Demons.


    However, Noel didn''t agree with their way of thinking. The nt Lord wasn''t considered one of the weapons since he had nned for his demise. At the same time, they still had a former captain whose strength rivaled Shale as well as the Fleeting Arbiter.


    With this lineup, Noel was ready to grasp the entire battlefield.


    He poured all his Spiritual Energy and shot the Undying Phoenix amplified by the Fire Heart.


    *Cry!*


    The phoenix let out a cry that rmed the battlefield. After all, this powerful me was heading straight to the crocodile.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A few demons jumped straight into the phoenix''s trajectory and blocked the phoenix with their own bodies.


    *Boom!*


    Still, the remnant fire dispersed in the area. The momentum kept it going until it was about to reach the crocodile''s body.


    Unfortunately, a few more demons rose into the sky and blocked them. They sacrificed their lives so that the Superior Demon could live.


    What they didn''t realize was that the reason why Noel released such a thing was to show ra and the Stone Lord something.


    "!!!" The Stone Lord and ra hurriedly turned around, finding Noel getting besieged by five Peak Level Demons. Because of the previous attack, one of the Peak Level Demons managed to hit him and blow him to the wall, causing the wooden wall to shatter and Noel''s body to be nted on the stone wall.


    Despite having five Peak Level Demons as his opponent, Noel actually did it. It felt like Noel was telling them to keep hitting the crocodile until it died.


    ''Noel left the fort to bring thest reinforcement¡­ Don''t tell me, there is another captain around us. But because of the current situation, he is hiding and preparing for the next attack? This means there won''t be any more Superior Demon and reinforcement for the enemies.'' ra recalled all Noel''s words before the exploration.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She immediately pointed at the crocodile while shouting, "Stone Lord!"


    The Stone Lord''s body shook. He understood what she wanted.


    ''Fighting a few Peak Level Demons while hitting a Superior Demon? Fine by me. I might have dedicated my life to research, but I''m not weak!'' The Stone Lord stomped the ground with his staff while releasing all the Spiritual Energy he could muster.


    "El Rolem."


    Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The tremor was so strong that they thought an earthquake had struck thisnd.


    The ground gradually cracked as a huge hand suddenly emerged from the crack. The hand pushed the ground as if it was trying to lift up something underneath.


    It turned out a giant golem made of stone came out of Earth. Its size wasparable to the crocodile.


    The golem started moving toward the crocodile, nning to have a brawl. During that time, the few Peak Level Demons had gotten close to the Stone Lord.


    Thetter stomped the ground with its right foot as a few spikes emerged from the ground, almost piercing their bodies.


    "!!!" The Peak Level Demons noticed the change in the Stone Lord''s expression.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The Stone Lord red at them while releasing a huge amount of Spiritual Energy from his body. It seemed he was nning to kill the Superior Demon with the golem while handling these few Peak Level Demons with his spell. He said coldly, "Come, little demons. Just because I''m old doesn''t mean I have grown rusty."


    ra couldn''t help but smile. She had heard the Stone Lord''s reputation. He was among one of the oldest elders in the Tower Association. His knowledge and strength were truly at their peak.


    Although the Tower Association never put a ranking among the elders like the Demon Banner Army, people always considered the Stone Lord as one of the strongest elders.


    Since the Stone Lord had sent the golem to help her take down the crocodile, she didn''t have anything to fear.


    There were many demonsing toward her. Some of them had already jumped into the air, trying to catch her.


    However, ra waved her hand, shooting the thin, sharp thread from her fingertips.


    The demons that got hit straight by the strings ended up with a hole in their bodies, while the demons that got hit from the side got sliced into pieces.


    Since she had cleared the area, she kicked some bodies like a foothold, allowing her to jump back to the crocodile.


    The crocodile was looking at ra with a frustrated look. After all, ra had closed his path to retreat and the golem was advancing without caring about the other demons.


    If this continued, he might really lose his life here.


    The crocodile wanted to let out another roar to gather more demons, but ra''s threads suddenly came from behind, circling around his mouth. The moment it tightened, the mouth waspletely shut.


    "Noisy. Be a good boy and shut your mouth," ra said with a cold tone.

 Chapter 630 Killing The Superior Demon

    "Be a good boy and shut up."


    After the mouth was sealed, the demon shook its head, trying to throw ra away to open its mouth again.


    However, that distraction stopped the Superior Demon from reacting to the golem.


    The golem had reached the Superior Demon. Because of its giant body, the lower level demons had been bombarding the golem. But as one would expect from the Stone Lord, he poured everything into this golem, allowing it to withstand all their attacks.


    Even multiple Peak Level Demons wouldn''t be able to defeat the golem easily. Yet, while maintaining such a technique, he still managed to fight multiple Peak Level Demons.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    As soon as the golem reached the crocodile, it sent a powerful punch to the face, causing the crocodile to fall to the ground.


    The fall of a giant demon shook the area and crushed multiple demons with its weight. But more importantly, this was the perfect chance for ra to kill this Superior Demon.


    She waved her hand and sent a few strings around. But this time, her target wasn''t the crocodile. Instead, she attached the strings to the few spikes that were destroyed earlier. She recovered all the tips she could use and swung them at the crocodile''s bare skin.


    *Rrrrr!*


    The crocodile wanted to scream, but the strings stopped it.


    As expected from ra, who was ustomed to ying with threads whether as a doctor or a fighter. When the demon shook its head, she used that momentum to wrap the strings around, causing them to tangle up with each other. With enoughyers, it was hard for the demon to break apart.


    And ra''s action allowed the Stone Lord to understand what he was supposed to do.


    The golem instantly turned around and grabbed a spike before impaling the crocodile''s body.


    "!!!" The crocodile almost passed out from the pain. In fact, losing consciousness might be the best thing he could have at the moment. After all, its body had been impaled by a huge spike. It would be hard for the crocodile to stand back up.


    And with the golem standing on top of him, it was impossible for the crocodile to do anything back since ra would be helping the golem.


    As soon as she saw the huge advantage against the golem, shended on top of the crocodile and moved toward the impaled spot.


    She took out a needle, the size of a knife, and attached the string to its back.


    The crocodile still had the chance to take out the spike, but there was no way ra would allow it. Her job was to seal it so that even if the crocodile could escape from this predicament, it would still die from blood loss and infection from the stone.


    The moment she reached the stone, she started piercing the stone with that knife-sized needle. With her Spiritual Energy and Spirit Ability, the needle pierced through the stone like that of a cloth. There was no restriction and the stone didn''t break apart.


    Then, ra attached the stone with the crocodile skin and repeated it until she sewed the entire circle.


    While she was at it, the golem kept hitting the crocodile so that it couldn''t get up. The other demons tried to help, but with the Stone Lord handling all the Peak Level Demons around, it was impossible for the Advanced Level Demons or below to do anything to the golem.


    The crocodile could only get beaten down. And ra continued to sew any open skin to the ground directly, preventing the crocodile from getting up anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Many of the crocodile''s teeth had dropped to the ground and the jaw was broken. The blood flowing out of the mouth and wounds had begun to fill up the crater beneath its body.


    Last but not least, the golem mmed a giant boulder into the crocodile''s head multiple times until the crocodile died.


    "Hu¡­ Hu¡­" ra panted a few times. She hurriedly checked the crocodile to make sure he had died.


    After that, she turned around, ready to help the Stone Lord.


    However, the Stone Lord was pointing at Noel as if telling her that it was better to go to him instead. After all, the Stone Lord could finally recall the golem. He wouldn''t have any trouble defeating a few Peak Level Demons with this.


    ra nodded and turned to Noel to observe his situation. It was quite dire.


    Noel was just a Spirit Master who advanced not long ago. Even though his strength was extraordinary, what he could do was limited due to him sealing his identity away, which forced him to not use his ice ability and most of his runes.


    That was why Noel''s body was covered with wounds. He even had a quite deep wound on his waist.


    Still, Noel didn''t go down without a fight. Two of the Peak Level Demons had died and the other three were heavily injured.


    Even though Noel might look like he could win this fight, it was better to help Noel to avoid any further injuries.


    So, ra leaped straight to Noel and stretched the strings, ripping apart the injured demons.


    "Iadre!" ra looked at Noel, worried. He had contributed a lot to this battle. Not only did he prove himself to be a capablemander that led them to victory, but he also yed a huge role in stopping the enemy in this wall alone. So, ra immediately checked his condition to see his situation.


    "Are you alright?"


    Noel nodded his head. Although he was in a lot of pain, he still maintained his calmposure so that others wouldn''t worry about him.


    But ra was a doctor, so she could understand how hurt he was and the pain he endured. Without hesitation, she dragged Noel back and said, "Your job is done. Leave the rest to us. I''m going to stitch the big wound first and let the healer do the rest. I don''t allow any objection, understand?"


    Noel made a small smile. "I guess I''ll rest for now."


    ¡­


    Unbeknownst to them, there was another thing that happened during the fight. However, there wasn''t a single trace that could rm them.


    If they entered the woods again to find the nt Lord, they could only find his corpse being eaten by a few low level demons.


    Yes, without them realizing it, the nt Lord had died.

 Chapter 631 Exterminating The Demons

    "Exterminate all the demons!" The Stone Lord shouted,manding the people.


    ra had been treating Noel''s injury for a while, so he was the only one who could hold the fort. Septa was waiting for his help to defeat the Superior Demon, but it seemed his help wasn''t necessary anymore.


    When the Stone Lord nced to the side, he was aplete defeat¡­ aplete defeat of a Superior Demon.


    Shale actually had finished his fight with the Superior Demon.


    Shale was standing gloriously on top of the demon''s corpse while looking at the battlefield as if trying to find a spot for him to attack.


    When the Stone Lord saw that gant figure, he couldn''t help but smirk, thinking, ''I see. So, that is Shale, the Captain of the Demon Extermination Squad. The man who ughtered a thousand demons by himself and brought the Demon Extermination Squad to second ce in the entire Demon Banner Army. It was said that his strength was second only to themander and the vicemander in the army.


    ''And if I remember correctly, there is a rumor of him being the sessor of the currentmander. Though, themander isn''t that old yet. So, I guess I won''t be around when I see the session.'' The Stone Lord smiled as he saw Shale jumping into the Superior Demon in front of Septa.


    With thembining their strength, there should be no more threats from the Superior Demon. As long as they could finish this battle before the fourth Superior Demon came, they would win.


    They still had ra and the nt Lord after all.


    The Stone Lord hurriedly tookmand and started exterminating the rest of the demons. ra also returned to the battlefield after taking care of Noel''s wounds.


    Although it would be better for her to continue fighting, she still believed that Noel was more important.


    Histent ability, hismanding ability, and his brain were on a whole different level to the point it would be a huge blow if Noel died because of this. That was why ra prioritized Noel''s well being.


    Of course, she only treated the worst injury before heading back to the battlefield. After all, the remaining injuries could be taken care of by the healers in the fort.


    Noel still wanted to fight, but it seemed that he had to rest, considering ra had told the people around him to stop him in case Noel wanted to return to the battlefield.


    He couldn''t help but sigh, feeling a bit disappointed. At the same time, he was also curious about ra''s ability.


    He looked at his waist and saw that the waist was looking as good as news.


    ¡­


    A moment ago.


    ra put him down on the ground and checked his waist. There was a wound made by a w. It was a deep wound.


    It seemed that the Peak Level Demon managed to pierce through his armor made of the Ancient Demon Tree.


    The Master cksmith had said that it could easily handle Advanced Level Demon''s attack. But his opponents earlier were five Peak Level Demons. It was possible for them to break the armor.


    In fact, if Noel didn''t have the armor, he might get severely injured or even die due to the blood loss.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After inspecting the wound, ra gathered the Spiritual Energy in both hands. She told someone to rinse the wounds with hot water before using the left hand to circte the energy around the wounds so that they stopped bleeding.


    After that, her right hand formed a needle and started stitching his wound. There was no pain at all and the threads didn''t leave any mark as if they never existed.


    "This is my ability. Due to the Spirit Thread, I can close a wound without visible scars," said ra.


    "That powerful? You might be able to be a rich woman if you treat patients like that."


    "I had a thought like that in the past, but that wasn''t something I wanted. So, here I am¡­" ra shrugged.


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded.


    After closing the wound, ra took another look at Noel''s body to make sure she didn''t leave any wound that would endanger his life.


    "Alright. It seems there''s no other wound that needs my treatment. Those people will bring hot water to treat your woundter, so just follow their treatment. I''lle back after the situation has calmed down."N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Got it. Thanks, Captain." Noel smiled.


    ra turned around and waved back without looking. She left a message before returning to the wall. "I should be the one to thank you."


    ra''s words could be interpreted in many ways. But for Noel, there was only one reason why she thanked him.


    The entire Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad managed to survive the ordeal. This alone lifted up a great burden on her shoulder, considering she had lost half of the members in the previous expedition.


    She nced to the side, finding Ste, who was treated as well. She was waving her hand, but two fingers on her right hand were gone.


    Of course, she managed to recover it and ra should be able to fix them. The others might be injured as well, but it wasn''t to the point they would die or were forced to retire.


    So, ra was thankful for everything Noel had done for the group. If they didn''t pick Septa, asked for other squads'' help, or even brought another helper from the outside, a few of them would have died.


    The fort, the preparation for attacks, and Noel''smanding ability were the main reasons why they managed to survive after all.


    Even Shale, Septa, and the Stone Lord acknowledged Noel''s ability.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. He waved his hand to Ste as well, telling her to rest since her condition was serious.


    Though, there was one more person who was impressed by Noel''s ability. He was none other than the ''partner-in-crime'' for this operation, the Fleeting Arbiter, Kevin Stargaze.


    He was standing not far from the fort while observing the situation. His daughter apanied him.


    When he saw the situation had been taken care of, he couldn''t help but smile. "Not bad. No, should I say¡­ as expected of your son, Luke¡­"

 Chapter 632 Kevin And Anna

    "The situation has be stable. The fort might be half-destroyed, but the demons are almost wiped out. The Superior Demons have died and the remaining demons won''t be able to stop those people.


    "To think he manages to do it¡­" Kevin Stargaze looked at the fort with a smile.


    Since Anna was the one inviting him to the hot springs in the first ce, she apanied him to this ce to see the situation as well. She couldn''t help but smirk, feeling a bit defeated.


    She expected Noel to survive, but she never thought that Noel''s n stretched to this extent.


    "As expected¡­ I still can''t bepared to him in this area. Even though I have grown a lot, he is also growing at the same pace." Anna made a frustrated grin. On the one hand, she felt excited to know there was someone who could keep up with her pace. On the other hand, shepletely admitted her defeat.


    Still, there was one thing that had been bothering her the entire time. She nced at her father and asked, "Father¡­ May I ask what kind of conversation you had with him? What kind of n did he give you?"


    Kevin looked at her for a moment before having a small smirk. "Hehe. Are you curious? Well, I don''t mind telling you about it. To put it simply, I told him that if he wants to be my son-inw, I won''t say no."


    "¡­" Anna blinked a few times as if she didn''t believe what she had just heard. Soon, her face became a bit red and she hurriedly retorted. "What are you talking about? I have done all that to him. Even though the misunderstanding has been resolved, we can''t go with that route¡­"


    "Hahaha. It''s true I told him that though." Kevin chuckled. "Anyway, I''m not going to do anything with your rtionship. You have been gued by your teacher''s words in the past. But I don''t see anything like that in your eyes now. So, I know that all rtionships, whether it''s a friend or lover in the future,e from your decision. All I have to do as your parent is to support you."


    "¡­" Anna looked down, feeling a bit dejected. She thought she truly couldn''t win against her father.


    In her past life, she might not be as old as her current father, but their age shouldn''t be that different. Yet, she felt like she was still immaturepared to her father.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ''Tsk. I can''t defeat my father in this¡­ If only I had grown a lot in my past life, I would have been more mature¡­ Well, I guess it''s fine for now. I can still feel the joy of being a daughter.'' Anna made a small smile before saying, "Hmm¡­ Though, I wish that you could tell everything."


    Kevin thought for a moment and decided to tell her about Noel''s n.


    ¡­


    A week ago.


    "So, what''s your n?" Kevin asked.


    Instead of answering with the n he had in mind, Noel fell silent for a moment as if he was adjusting his n. After a while, Noel began his exnation.


    "Before telling you my n, I''d like to confirm something about your power. Can you create a domain like this for a fight?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yeah. I can maintain the domain and no one will realize it. The distortion will make the others think that there''s nothing change inside the domain, but once I retract my power, the only thing you see is the aftermath. That''s the reason why I''m known as Fleeting Arbiter."


    Noel nodded his head. "Then, my n is to give the nt Lord an opportunity to cause a ruckus. If he is truly an enemy, then I''m sure that he''s going to sabotage the entire operation. In that case, there''s no need to hesitate to kill him.


    "If he doesn''t sabotage the expedition, then the n will just end up bing a failure.


    "Anyway, I will create an opportunity. Once the nt Lord causes the ruckus, the demons will surely attack us. I''ll try to manipte all of them to return to the fort and station the nt Lord outside the fort.


    "It will look reckless at first nce, but if I ask Captain Septa to handle his security, he surely won''t reject that idea. It will also be beneficial for us as well.


    "During that time, I will prolong the battle or change the situation that forces Captain Septa, Captain Shale, Captain ra, and the Stone Lord to make their moves, leaving the nt Lord alone.


    "I want you to use your ability to create a domain for his execution. Is that possible?" Noel asked.


    Kevin put his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought. "The executioner is Dimitri?"


    Noel nodded. "Do you know him?"


    "Of course. I know people call him Shadow, the former captain of the Demon Assassination Squad. He saved my life a couple of times under your father''s order, you know." Kevin paused for a moment. "Dimitri didn''t cause a lot of ruckus during an assassination."


    "So, even if I erected my domain, it wouldn''t be hard to clean up. Though, the only problem would be how you nned to exin it to the Tower Association."


    Noel smirked. "Just let the Supreme Devil Organization take the me."


    "!!!" Kevin was taken aback before a smile appeared on his face. "I see. So, you''re going that way. I get a good grasp of your n now. I guess it''s as expected from Luke''s son. You''re truly devilish."


    "Please call it smart, please."


    "No. I will call you the way I call your father, little fox." Kevin smiled. He patted Noel''s shoulder and said, "Alright. I''ll follow your n. Just think of this as the repayment for taking care of my daughter."


    When Anna heard the story, she couldn''t help but shake her head helplessly. "How could he even think that far?"


    "Well, you are the same age as him. All I can tell you is that if you decide to do it, make sure to do it as soon as possible. Don''t wait until he shines like the brightest star in the sky." Kevin advised her with a smile.

 Chapter 633 Conclusion

    *Roar!*


    *Roaaa¡­*


    Most of the demons had been annihted. Those who had higher intelligence tried to escape back to the woods, trying to attack them again. Meanwhile, the rest could only meet their end in this ce.


    Although it looked like the fourth Superior Demon should havee, there was no more Superior Demon that actually came. It looked like they didn''t have any more demons of this level. But with how the giant crocodile acted, it seemed that the fourth Superior Demon retreated to avoid a confrontation with this group.


    After a long struggle thatsted for seven hours, they finally managed to gain victory.


    The scout had been dispatched to sign a retreat while the rest returned to the fort. Those who were fine would either help with the cleaning up or bring the injured to the healers.


    Meanwhile, Septa, Shale, ra, and the Stone Lord gathered in one tent to hear the report. And due to his contribution to the battle and hismanding ability, Noel was invited to sit with them like that of an equal.


    This was the recognition Noel deserved.


    Since everyone was already here, Septa finally gave the report from his subordinates. "I have dispatched my subordinates to check the surroundings and tell the nt Lord to return to the fort.


    "For the time being, I''m going to give you the current situation. There are roughly 1,700 to 2,000 demons attacking us this time with at least thirty Peak Level Demons and three Superior Demons."


    "We have managed to rout around 80 to 90 percent of them. So, this is undoubtedly our victory."


    "However, our loss is quite great as well. We are still trying to get the exact data, but for now, I''ve received the report that 17 elite knights from the Demon Extermination, 8 elite knights from the Demon Beholder Squad, and 3 elite knights from the Demon Relief Squad have fallen in battle."


    "This is a great loss, considering the people we bring here consist of our best squads. But the expedition and battle are not over yet."


    "In the battle, the crocodile sent a roar to rm the demon. With the current situation and movement, the roar should be used to call the fourth Superior Demon. But due to us ending the battle quickly, we managed to avoid the fourth Superior Demon. We don''t know whether the demon returned to the mysterious facility or somewhere in the forest. So, we can''t let our guard down and send scouts to make sure the fort won''t be attacked when we continue our exploration."


    "Also, the exploration team might have to be divided further to ensure safety. And locating the demons should be our priority. Thanks to Knight Iadre, we managed to find out that the facility is rted to both pharmacy and health care buildings. We don''t know the name left behind by the previous civilization, but this facility has to be protected carefully."


    "You might already know this, but the drugs from the previous civilization are like wondrous magic. They have created a powerful drug that doesn''t contain Spiritual Energy. Now that the drugs have been radiated by the Spiritual Energy, the effect might be different."


    "So, we willter form a coboration between the Arbiters, the Tower Associations and the Demon Banner Army to conduct research about these drugs after the exploration finishes."


    "Last but not least, I''d like to express my thanks to the Stone Lord for taking down the crocodile demon, Captain Shale for handling two Superior Demons, and Captain ra for taking care of many injured people and keeping the casualty minimum. Of course, the rest of the knights are to bemended." Septa ended his speech with a polite bow as if thanking them and the knights.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shale raised his hand, stopping him. He pointed at Noel and said, "You forget about Knight Iadre. He has splendidly done his job as the vicemander of the battle and led us to victory. Without him helping themand, we would suffer a greater loss that might force us to retreat from here."


    He ended it with apuse. The rest also agreed with that statement and apuded Noel.


    "In that case, we will discuss the rest tomorrow morning after we''ve got enough rest and the nt Lord returns." Septa rose from his seat, ready to leave.


    The others didn''t have any objection, so they nned to leave right away. They were in no condition to discuss a serious topic after all.


    However, before they could leave, a knight rushed inside, bringing bad news.


    "We have an emergency." The knight panted a few times while falling to one knee.


    "What happened?" Shale asked with a serious expression.


    "We have dispatched the First and Second Squad to track down the nt Lord, but we can''t find him."


    "What?!" Shale widened his eyes in shock. He immediately turned to Septa since the scouts came from the Demon Beholder Squad.


    Septa asked while frowning, "What do you mean? Is he missing?"


    "We don''t know anything yet. It feels like all the traces of the nt Lord ends in one spot before he vanishespletely. We don''t find any trace that a battle took ce in that area as well¡­"N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "What?" The Stone Lord gasped and turned to the three captains. Their lives were guaranteed by the Demon Banner Army, so this kind of thing would inflict serious damage to the Demon Banner Army.


    Still, the knight said he was missing as if all traces had just disappeared. He wanted to say that the nt Lord died, but there was no evidence that a battle had happened.


    So, the Stone Lord looked at Septa and said, "Captain Septa. I''m not questioning the ability of the Demon Beholder Squad, but this incident¡­"


    Septa gulped down. His expression became grim as he answered the Stone Lord. "In that case, I''ll investigate this matter personally. If the Stone Lord doesn''t trust us, then you maye with us to check the area."


    The Stone Lord thought for a moment. On the one hand, it might look like the Demon Banner Army wants to kill the two elders by separating them. On the other hand, the Tower Association would surely take this seriously if such a thing happened.


    So, the Stone Lord agreed with Septa. "Alright. I''ll follow you."

 Chapter 634 Trace

    "This is where the trace ends." The knight from the Demon Beholder Squad pointed at the ground.


    The Stone Lord looked at Septa and asked, "Where did the nt Lord get stationed at first?"


    Septa pointed at the tree fifty meters from them. "That tree."


    The Stone Lord narrowed his eyes. Just like the Septa, he couldn''t find any trace in the area. He tried to touch the ground to check the uneven terrain caused by footsteps, yet there was nothing he could find.


    ''This is weird¡­'' The Stone Lord frowned, feeling something wasn''t right.


    Shale thought for a moment and asked, "How could this happen? There is no trace of battle. In that case, does the nt Lord run away from the battlefield? I mean, he has said that he would leave if the battle goes awry, no?"


    "That is a possibility." ra nodded in agreement, remembering the conversation.


    Still, the Stone Lord had to deny it, considering they came from the same organization. "There is no proof about it as well. So, I implore all of you to retain your remarks, or I might have to take it as an insult to our association."


    Shale and ra exchanged looks before shrugging. They had said all the things they wanted, so they had to wait for Septa to investigate this incident.


    They all looked at Septa to see if he could find something.


    Septa shook his head helplessly. "I can continue the investigation, but from what I can see right now, I can''t see anything that can be used to trace the nt Lord. It feels like he simply vanishes into thin air."


    "Aren''t you supposed to be the one taking care of the nt Lord?" The Stone Lord gritted his teeth, ring at Septa.


    "I did. However, there was a greater threat before us¡­ the Third Superior Demon. If you say that ''The nt Lord couldn''t do anything to protect himself against normal demons while I was forced to stop the third Superior Demon so that we could win'' was a mistake, then I have to ask you whether the nt Lord is qualified to be an elder with both wisdom and strength or not¡­" Septa gritted his teeth.


    He was going to investigate, but the Stone Lord started attacking him. There was no proof that the nt Lord had died or not after all. At the same time, he remembered that Noel had asked him to do something like this. In addition to the secret mission the previous captain gave him, he could see that they managed to execute the nt Lord.


    Still, he didn''t know how to get away from this, considering he was tasked to protect the nt Lord.


    The previous captain told him that he didn''t have to care about the rest since it would be taken care of. But with the current situation, the Demon Beholder Squad would take a massive blow due to this.


    If he could trust the previous captain''s words, it seemed that he had to reveal his ability to prove his innocence.


    After some consideration, he looked around and said, "In that case, I will use my ability. Other than the Stone Lord and the two Captains, I ask everyone to leave this area."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ra and Shale widened their eyes. They looked at Septa with a frown.


    "During thepetition, you never fought with your ability, so no one ever knew about your ability. Are you sure you''re going to reveal the ability you''ve hidden so far?" ra asked with a serious expression. The two captains aside, there was the Stone Lord from another organization. Leaking this kind of information was a serious matter.


    "What choice do I have? This is the only way to prove my innocence and find the trace of the nt Lord. If you understand that, then leave!" Septa clicked his tongue while waving his hand.


    The other captains also sent their people back to make sure there was no witness. Even Noel excused himself. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to be there to avoid mistakes. He didn''t stay because he knew that his n had already worked.


    Since there were only four people left in the area, Septa finally exined his ability. "I hope that none of you reveal it to others or I have to retaliate in the future."


    He took a deep breath and continued, "I have two main abilities I usually use in tracking my target. The first ability is this¡­"


    He pped his hand and suddenly golden particles became visible to the naked eye. "Spiritual Energy Tracking. This ability allows me to trace the movement of Spiritual Energy. The spirit spreads Spiritual Energy in the human body. Just like regeneration, our body excretes the excessive Spiritual Energy that our body produces, leaving a trace in the air."


    "By using this ability, you will be able to see the trace of Spiritual Energy for up to twelve hours." Septa pointed to the side. "As you can see, there are numerous glows around us. If you see them clearly, some of them are traces from our subordinates¡­ and this one in the center¡­"


    He pointed at the glow that extended fifty meters from this area. They knew clearly this was the trace the nt Lord left behind.


    And this trace ended right in the middle of them where thest trace was visible.


    "And the second ability is Barrier Record." Septa formed a barrier next to him. "The barrier can record the Spiritual Energy to see what has happened in this ce. So, I''m going to let this barrier absorb the remnant of Spiritual Energy so that all of us can see what has happened in this ce. Are you ready?"


    Septa looked at them. The two captains knew why Septa wanted to hide this power since it was extremely useful to track people, especially the Supreme Devil Organization. If the organization knew about this ability, they would use all their might to kill Septa.


    On the other hand, the Stone Lord nodded in understanding.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Septa then utilized his ability and started showing them what had happened.


    To their surprise, after the nt Lord moved to thest trace, he stayed there for a few seconds before hepletely disappeared as if he had just teleported.


    "!!!" All the people widened their eyes as if they couldn''t believe what they had just seen.


    "He¡­disappeared?"

 Chapter 635 Noels Scheme

    Once the barrier was erected and projected what happened earlier, everyone instantly narrowed their eyes, observing every little movement.


    There were two people at first. It was clear that they were Septa and the nt Lord.


    As soon as Septa sensed the third Superior Demon, he immediately pointed his hand toward this direction while telling the nt Lord what he should do.


    After making sure of the nt Lord''s safety, he finally began intercepting the Superior Demon.


    This was a careful move that should be considered properly. Even though the situation had gone awry, Septa had done his best to keep the nt Lord safe.


    And the nt Lord stayed in this ce for a while. He even used his Spiritual Energy to begin a counterattack.


    However, everything took a weird turn once the nt Lord suddenly stood still. Itsted for a few seconds before his Spiritual Energypletely disappeared. It felt like he never existed in the first ce, confusing everyone.


    "This¡­" The Stone Lord narrowed his eyes. Shale, on the other hand, turned to Septa and asked, "Since you understand your ability the most¡­ what does this mean, Septa?"


    Septa frowned. "Actually, this is the first time I have encountered this kind of situation."


    On the one hand, Septa was as confused as the other. On the other hand, he couldn''t help but recall what his mentor had said previously. It seemed that his mentor, who also knew about his ability, had prepared something in order to counter his ability.


    ''The executioner is the famous ''Shadow.'' Considering his position, such a thing can happen. But if this is the case, I think I can work around the situation and prove my innocence. This way, the nt Lord will be considered missing and I can try to get a hand on his information, including the rtion with the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    Septa became silent for a moment, falling into deep thought. He nced at Shale and raised three hands. "There are three possibilities such a thing can happen if I understand my own ability correctly.


    "First, this person is dead. But in this case, the Spiritual Energy should remain for a while since the corpse will still release the Spiritual Energy for a while. So, I don''t think the nt Lord is dead."


    "The second possibility is that he ispletely missing. You can say that it''s kind of a Space Ability. If I remember correctly, there was a man who could control Space and teleport from one ce to another¡­ That man came from the neighboring country and etched his name in history."


    "Last but not least, there might be a third method that I''m not aware of. To be honest, I can''t help but believe this can happen, considering I have a hard time tracking the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Huh?" They became confused.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ra looked at the first situation as a doctor and said, "That''s right. Death shouldn''t be an option. I mean, even if there was an ambush, the nt Lord wasn''t that easy to defeat. So, the fact that there was no ruckus meant there was no resistance. I didn''t smell any blood around here as well."


    "Then, is it the second one?" Shale asked while exining his reason. "Frankly speaking, I can''t believe the second situation. I have never heard anything about Space Element Spirit for as long as I can remember.


    "And if we connect it to the third option, are you thinking that the Supreme Devil Organization has this kind of power? This will turn the kingdom upside down. And I don''t think the nt Lord is that important enough for other kingdoms to use this kind of trump card¡­ objectively speaking. It''s not that I''m trying to look down on the nt Lord."


    The Stone Lord gritted his teeth and shouted in anger. "What did you say? The Supreme Devil Organization? Are you suspecting us?"


    "I am not suspecting you, Stone Lord. However, I can''t say the same to the nt Lord." Shale shook his head helplessly. Before the Stone Lord released all his anger, he formed another barrier and showed them the record of what happened on the top floor. "This is the record of the nt Lord in the facility."


    He even showed all the details, especially regarding the mushrooms.


    "I have brought back the two mushrooms: Aldiesta Mushroom and Mfeita Mushroom. You should be aware of their purposes, right?" Shale narrowed his eyes.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Aldiesta Mushroom¡­ it''s a mushroom that can disturb the flow of Spiritual Energy. If ingested, that person will have a hard time controlling their Spiritual Energy. But this kind of mushroom should have been guarded heavily¡­" ra frowned.


    "True. The same applies to the Mfeita Mushroom. It''s a mushroom to hide the flow of Spiritual Energy. Say¡­" Shale looked at Septa. "Don''t you think it''s possible for the nt Lord to use this mushroom to hide from your ability?"


    "!!!" ra widened her eyes in shock.


    Septa furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn''t that sure either. "If he takes out the mushroom, I should be able to record the mushroom''s energy like in this record. And the other possibility is that he has hidden a mushroom in his mouth this whole time. But I don''t think he has that ability, considering he doesn''t realize that I have recorded all his deeds in the facility."


    Septa and ra exchanged looks, wondering what pieces were missing from the puzzle. They didn''t realize that Noel had been manipting everything.


    He had asked Marquis Stargaze to create a domain for this. Obviously, Dimitri had contacted his friend, the former captain of the Demon Beholder Squad. Not only did he get his cooperation, but he also got the information about Septa''s ability from him.


    That was why Noel changed his n. With this, there was no way they would find any trace of the nt Lord. And all that was left was the suspicion about the nt Lord.


    They didn''t realize that they had been ying in Noel''s hand this whole time.

 Chapter 636 Cooperation

    Septa looked at the Stone Lord, who had a hard time believing everything. However, he couldn''t really get any argument to turn around the situation.


    No matter how he said it, it didn''t change the fact that the nt Lord was suspicious. After all, there was no need for him to do all this if he wanted to escape.


    And if that was the case, he would have returned already.


    He could say he was a deserter, but because he wasn''t from the army, he wouldn''t really get punished.


    Yet, the fact that he disappeared after causing all the ruckus simply felt like it was a scheme.


    It looked like the nt Lord had tried to kill them.


    Last but not least, Septa opened his mouth. "There was one thing that first raised my suspicion. Are you aware of the Fagant Leaf?"


    "!!!" All three of them were shocked for different reasons.


    ra, as a doctor, obviously understood the Fagant Leaf more than anyone else. She knew how powerful that leaf was since even her ability wouldn''t be able to break free from the binding. Even though there was a treatment, most people would choose to spend some time until the effect wore off. During that time, they would be extremely vulnerable.


    Shale, on the other hand, knew this because he once sent Noel to investigate the missing Kirika. He had received the report regarding the Fagant Leaf and the appearance of the Devil Bishop. "This is bad. The Fagant Leaf incident involved a Devil Bishop back then¡­"


    The Stone Lord wasn''t that aware of the incident. Instead, he focused on the current fact about the leaf. "Hasn''t this nt gone extinct a few hundred years ago?"


    "That''s the problem." Shale pointed at the Stone Lord. "I once sent Apprentice Knights to check the situation. But it turned out there was a noble cultivating this leaf. He even used it to kidnap people for the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "If this leaf was truly resurrected and used by the evil, I''m afraid that there would be a lot of chaos in the kingdom. And the one who could revive such a nt¡­" Shale fell silent while turning to Septa.


    "Yeah. There are only a few handful individuals who have the ability to revive this nt. But the only person who can do it in this kingdom is none other than the nt Lord." Septa nodded his head with a serious expression. "I won''t deny that there is a possibility that the other kingdoms are reviving it as a war weapon. But it doesn''t change the fact that the Supreme Devil Organization is involved.


    "Although I''m saddened by the fact that the nt Lord is missing, I would like to ask the Stone Lord to cooperate with the investigation. I have to get to the bottom of this and find their rtionship."


    The Stone Lord gritted his teeth. "Do you think your Demon Banner Army is above our Association?"


    Septa narrowed his eyes. Of course, they were debating about dignity. The Tower Association would be a huge joke if they were known to harbor a member of the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The Demon Banner Army once experienced it when Noel''s uncle was revealed. They obviously didn''t want to endure such ridicule.


    However, Septa''s intention was clear. "If I give this investigation to the Tower Association, you are simply going to bury this matter to avoid being ridiculed by the whole kingdom."


    "But don''t forget that our enemies remain the same. They are the Supreme Devil Organization. If we can''t find anything, we will suffer at the Supreme Devil Organization''s hand."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That''s why I would like the Stone Lord to cooperate with me. At the very least, I can ask themander to set up a hidden investigation. This way, the report won''t be published, and we still can discover the secret rtionship the nt Lord and the organization have."


    "You only need to stay quiet about this incident. If no one knows the nt Lord is dead, it will give us time and opportunity to do everything without anyone''s knowledge."


    The Stone Lord gritted his teeth. He wanted to berate Septa, but this might be the best solution.


    Even if he reported this incident to the association, the other elders would only cause a mess. There might even be a war with the Demon Banner Army.


    On the other hand, the Demon Banner Army would have the chance to do everything since they would be the ones to have the people''s support.


    And the one who benefited the most from this incident was the Supreme Devil Organization. Even the Royal Family might get involved and support the Demon Banner Army.


    In addition, with all that ruckus, the Supreme Devil Organization would have wiped all the records about them.


    The Stone Lord could see this scene in his eyes. That was why he was angry. Despite the fact that the association''s dignity and prestige were tarnished, he couldn''t help but agree with Septa''s suggestion.


    The Stone Lord gritted his teeth. He didn''t give any reply yet since he had to consider the pros and cons.


    Shale and ra already supported Septa''s arguments. Septa even said, "We can use the Spirit Seal to know whether I''m lying or not."


    This showed how serious Septa was in handling this matter.


    The Stone Lord took a deep breath. "Alright. You will retell the entire n while under the influence of the Spirit Oath. If it''s truly the truth, I will cooperate with you."


    "However, I have a condition. During the expedition, I want you to continue to look for a trace of the nt Lord."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "I understand." Septa nodded with a serious expression. "The nt Lord remains a good guy until it''s proven otherwise."


    "Alright then." The Stone Lord sighed, feeling a headache.


    They immediately returned to the tent to get the information from Septa. Once they knew what Septa told them was the truth, the Stone Lord finally agreed to remain quiet for the time being.


    Meanwhile, Septa had sent someone to ry a message to themander, preparing for the investigation.


    They didn''t realize that Noel was the one who caused all this. He had expected this oue. Last time, they were almost wiped out by the Supreme Devil Organization and were forced to take an early vacation. So, this was his way of making the organization pay for what they had done.

 Chapter 637 Urgent Request

    A bird dove down and perked on a gap between the castle wall. The bird stayed there for a while as if waiting for someone.


    The bird appeared to be trained since it didn''t move until a man reached the top of the wall and grabbed the bird.


    There was a small scroll attached to the bird. The man immediately grabbed it and opened it to understand its content.


    It didn''t take too long for the man to be shocked.


    He gasped and rushed back to the barrack. He didn''t even bother to greet others because his destination was a room that held the highest authority.


    Without hesitation, he mmed open the door and shouted, "Commander. We have an emergency request from Captain Septa."


    "Hmm?" Commander Oscar, who was busy with the paperwork, suddenly stopped and raised his head with a frown. The fact that the message came from a Captain alone reflected the severity of the situation.


    But he wasn''t the only person inside the room. There was a woman who ra encountered when shest visited this ce. She was none other than the Demon Adjudicator Squad''s Captain, Milfa.


    "Is there something wrong? Should I leave the room first?" Milfa asked, while rising from her seat.


    The guy recalled the information and immediately informed them, indirectly telling her that she didn''t need to leave.


    "Captain Septa requests a reinforcement from the HQ as well as immediate permission to investigate the nt Lord''s possession. He has sent someone here to give a formal exnation. In thest sentence, he gave a name¡­ It seems to be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization." The guy exined while handing the small pieces of paper to Oscar.


    Both Milfa and Oscar furrowed their eyebrows. She immediately moved to Oscar to see the letter while Oscar confirmed the report.


    "Immediate permission¡­" Oscar recalled all the reports about the Supreme Devil Organization and remembered the one that had Fagant Leaf in it. He started making the connections between the cases and this letter.


    "It seems that the expedition has to continue." Milfa thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I will go this time."


    "Hmm?" Oscar frowned. "Are you sure? You are¡­"


    "It''s fine. I don''t have the intention of fighting for your seat. That''s why I remain in the HQ, but it doesn''t change the fact that I''m the Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad."


    "I will rece Septa and hear the exnation from the people there. This way, Septa can start the investigation immediately. Hopefully, we can move faster than the Supreme Devil Organization." Milfa exined with a serious expression. She seemed to be stressed with the matter of the organization as well, so she wanted to get a lead and solve it.


    Oscar didn''t give the permission immediately. He considered all the pros and cons, including the weight of this information. He was the one who shouldered all the responsibilities in the Demon Banner Army, so he couldn''t be rash.


    After ten minutes, Oscar made his decision. "Milfa, you are to head to the expedition camp and take over the Demon Beholder Squad. We don''t know the situation there, so be careful."


    "Send the message to Septa that I have authorized the investigation of the nt Lord. He is to head to the nt Lord''s territory right away."


    "Yes, Sir." The guy immediately left, writing the message to send back to Septa.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Themander looked at Milfa and asked, "Are you sure about this?"


    "Of course. To be honest, I''m quite interested in a certain guy¡­"


    "A certain guy¡­" Oscar narrowed his eyes before understanding her target. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    Milfa smiled. "It''s been a while, but I guess I will meet my mentor¡­ the man who is feared as ''Shadow,'' Dimitri. I have already known that Iadre is Noel Ardagan."


    "¡­" Oscar narrowed his eyes. This matter was a secret, but he never thought that Milfa was able to decipher it.


    Milfa chuckled. "You have done a great job hiding it. But you shouldn''t have underestimated women''s instincts. Anyway, I''m going there. You surely don''t mind if I help with the exploration, right? I''m not going to take credits though. It''s also a perfect chance for me to see what kind of person the man called Noel Ardagan is."


    Oscar pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, you may go. However, you should understand the situation¡­"


    "Of course. I don''t care about the power struggle in this kingdom. After all, I only want to keep this Demon Banner Army safe. The rest doesn''t really matter¡­ including your rtionship with the Third Prince."


    Oscar let out a long sigh. He had hidden everything, but it seemed that Milfa could see through everything.


    Oscar gave her a few orders. "Then, I order you, Captain Milfa. Immediately head to the exploration camp and meet up with Captain ra and Captain Shale to continue the exploration. Make sure the exploration seeds."


    Milfa gently patted her right chest and bowed to him. "Understood."


    Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Oscar asked, "How long do you need to get there?"


    "I''m not a bird, so I won''t be as fast as them. But¡­ judging from the distance, two days should be enough."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Got it." Oscar nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment. Even though the exploration team wouldn''t have any more trouble, Oscar felt a headache just thinking about the problems that woulde from Septa''s side.


    It seemed that he had to prepare for the friction between the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association.


    "Don''t forget about the Arbiters. They are annoying¡­" Milfa smiled, reminding him.


    Oscar let out a chuckle. "Don''t read my mind."


    Milfa waved her hand and started leaving. She had to reach the exploration camp as quickly as possible after all.


    Oscar sighed when he saw Milfa leaving. There was a reason why she remained in the Headquarters all this time. Now that she has decided to leave, the problem should be easily solved. But he was worried about what she would do after meeting Noel and the one who protected him, Dimitri.


    "Whatever¡­ I''m not going to deal with that problem. Better look at the Tower Association and the Royal Family."

 Chapter 638 Milfa

    The next day.


    The three captains gathered in the meeting tent. Noel was fortunately invited as well. His insight was extremely useful after all.


    Septa had a grim expression the whole time. It seemed that there was a huge probleming their way.


    He looked at them for a while to the point ra couldn''t help but ask with an annoyed face. "What''s wrong, Septa? You surely don''t gather us like this for no reason, right? Looking at your equipment, it seems you''re about to leave. Is that all?"


    "No¡­" Septa shook his head helplessly. "I have received a reply from the Headquarters to immediately investigate the nt Lord. But there is something more¡­"


    "It seems that the Headquarters is sending a troubling reinforcement to rece me¡­" Septa sighed.


    "Huh? Isn''t the reinforcement supposed to be the mad wolf Urza? Although he is a rough bunch, he is not that troublesome to deal with." ra frowned, feeling something bad.


    "No. The reinforcement this time is¡­ that woman."


    "!!!" ra and Shale were dumbfounded when they heard about the recement.


    "Seriously?" Shale gasped and looked away. "Is this true? What should I do this time? I haven''t done anything wrong, right?"


    Noel was startled by Shale''s reaction. Shale''s strength was among the top in the Demon Banner Army. There was nothing he should be afraid of other than themander. But he didn''t understand why he had such a reaction from this mysterious woman.


    ra let out a sigh. "This is truly annoying. To think that the situation is like this¡­ it seems that the one who suggested it is not themander¡­ but that woman."


    Even ra looked troubled when she heard the identity. Noel was confused since he didn''t know who they were talking about.


    He raised his hand and asked innocently. "Excuse me. Who are you talking about?"


    ra looked at Noel with a pale face as if ming him for something. It seemed she still remembered how she was annoyed with the fact she had to meet her when discussing Noel''s matter with themander.


    Septa, on the other hand, wasn''t truly bothered, considering he would be away during that time. So, he exined it to Noel. "The one we''re talking about is the Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, Captain Milfa."


    "Hmm¡­ To be honest, I don''t know much about her." Noel shook his head helplessly as he still couldn''t understand why it was a problem.


    Septa pointed at Shale and said, "See that Shale over there? He is the third strongest person in the army. And he is the one who most likely seeds in themander''s seat. However, there is one scary woman whose strength is second only to themander¡­ She is Milfa.


    "Despite having that strength and cool head, she has stated that she has no intention to rece themander. Instead, she will support whoever bes themander."


    "In a head-on fight, I don''t think Shale has ever won against her¡­ right?" Septa asked Shale.


    Thetter only looked away, but that was enough for the answer.


    Septa shrugged. "See? Well, her strength aside, that woman is kind of strict. I mean¡­ she is easy to get along with most of the time, but on a mission, if there is a single mistake¡­ no matter how small it is, she is going to judge you. That''s the reason why she is the captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad. That''s why she is so scary and troublesome. Her advice is good though."


    "Oh?" Noel widened his eyes before nodding in understanding. It seemed that the woman who woulde this time was interesting.


    He didn''t really mind personally, considering the woman would point out all the mistakes he had. He wanted toplete something to perfection, so, of course, her presence was like an opportunity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Though, he didn''t know whether he would regret this decision or not after seeing how annoyed Shale and ra were.


    "Well, that''s all I want to say. Good luck in dealing with her." Septa waved his hand as he hurriedly escaped.


    "Oi, not fair!" ra gritted her teeth. Even Shale clenched his fists. "I''m going to remember this, Septa. Just wait¡­ I''m going to annoy you to death the next time we meet."


    "¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say. "Is there anything I have to know about this? I mean, I am not one of the captains, so I don''t think I will be noticed by her."


    "No. You can leave." ra waved his hand, dismissing him.


    Noel nodded and left the tent. Meanwhile, ra and Shale exchanged looks.


    "A bet?" ra put a smile on her annoyed face.


    It seemed both of them had the same idea in mind as Shalepleted the bet. "To see whether he is annoyed or not?"Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ra nodded. "The loser will have to drink and tell her she is annoying."


    "¡­" Septa closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. "Sure. I believe he will be annoyed by her as well."


    "Then, I am going to believe in my squad."


    Noel didn''t know their little bet. But they didn''t know that there was someone eavesdropping on their conversation.


    The shadow from the torch flickered for a split second before it calmed again.


    And when Noel was about to return to his tent, he heard a voice ringing in his ears.


    "Young Master. I''m going to apologize in advance. Actually, I was the mentor of that woman. Because I was strict with her, she ended up bing strong and strict. She might give you some trouble¡­"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes, not because of the content of the discussion, but because Dimitri chose to talk to him.


    Noel looked around, especially at the shadows around him. But there was no sign of Dimitri. He was surprised that Dimitri would stay this close to him and even contact him this way. It seemed that there was something more about this Milfa.


    "Well¡­ I don''t mind perfection since it''s beneficial for me too. But I don''t know to what extent, so I guess I''ll wait and enjoy the show." Noel let out a sigh.


    The next day.


    Noel ended up standing outside the fort with Shale and ra.


    Milfa had arrived with a smile.


    Noel was surprised by her appearance. Despite how they described Milfa, she looked like a mature woman who took care of others. Even her smile was warm and made one feel secure. While waving her hand, she introduced herself.


    "Hello, I''m Septa''s Recement. I''m the Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, Milfa. Pleased to meet you."

 Chapter 639 Test

    "Hello, I''m Septa''s Recement. I''m the Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, Milfa. Pleased to meet you."


    Noel looked at this woman. She had long straight brown hair, gently tied into a horse tail and rested on her back. Her gentle and mature smile made him feel like he was being taken care of without her doing anything.


    From the way it looked, ra and Milfa''s ages didn''t seem to be that different. Yet, ra gave a cold and young fighter while Milfa had a gentle and caring mother aura.


    Noel was standing here with Shale and ra, but as expected, since he wasn''t one of the captains, Milfa''s eyes werepletely locked on him.


    Shale, as the leader of the exploration, coughed to gain her attention and said, "It''s our pleasure to have you with us, Captain Milfa. This is Knight Iadre. He has shown his ability both inmanding and strategy, so I have him act as the vice leader of the exploration this time."


    "Iadre, this is Captain Milfa from the Demon Adjudicator Squad. Greet her."


    Noel politely bowed to her. "My name is Iadre. I''m honored to see Captain Milfa. Please take care of me."


    "Oh my. How polite." Milfa chuckled. "You are a good kid, unlike these two."


    "What kids? Our ages aren''t that different." ra clicked her tongue."


    "¡­" Shale only looked away, not wanting to have a longer conversation than it needed to.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Milfa pped her hands and said, "Well, it''s true that I''m going to participate in the exploration recing Septa, but I think my role here is just support. So, I won''t interfere with your decision¡­ as long as you make the right decision."


    She emphasized thest sentence. Her tone sent chills down their spine and the pressure on their shoulders suddenly increased by two folds.


    Noel didn''t understand the pressure yet, but he could see that the two became a bit more tense after she said it.


    Milfa observed their expressions and said, "Anyway, I went here without any knowledge about the current situation. So, I hope that you can inform me of everything that has happened."


    "Understood. Pleasee in." Shale nodded and extended his hand, inviting her in.


    They immediately entered the meeting tent, where Shale briefed her about the whole situation.


    As one would expect from someone equipped with both power and brain, she instantly understood the situation.


    "I see. So, the nt Lord is missing and there is a chance that the Supreme Devil Organization is involved, considering the nt Lord sabotaged the exploration first."


    "Because of that, you requested Septa''s recement to continue the exploration so as to not alert the enemies."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yeah. That''s the current situation. We have recognized the facility as well. So, the drugs are going to be useful for the research. If we y this correctly, we might be able to get something to boost the overall strength of our Demon Banner Army." Shale nodded with a serious expression.


    "But with me recing Septa, who is better at the exploration, is causing a problem to the exploration, right? In addition, the nt Lord is missing as well." Milfa thought for a moment. "There is one more problem. We haven''t found the hidden nest. There might be more Superior Demons than we can imagine. So, we can''t let our guard down."


    Noel nodded. "Yes. And because there are a lot of people who haven''t recovered from their injuries, I''m nning to divide the group into two instead of four with each captain and elder leading."


    "This way, we will have enough fighting force as well as someone to watch out for the elder."


    "Not bad for a n." Milfa nodded in understanding. "You said your name is Iadre¡­ right?"


    "Yes."


    Milfa raised two fingers. "Aside from thepliments, I think I have to remind you about two things. First, don''t expect too much from someone who had juste. No matter how you brief it, they will still have a hard time adjusting to this environment, especially the exploration. That''s why in a big mission, you usually have a longer time to prepare. It''s to avoid all the small problems."


    "As for the second one¡­ I''m going to ask this first. Who will pair up with who?" Milfa asked."


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I believe it''s better to have you with the Stone Lord. I have heard about your reputation, so I believe that your strength is needed to keep the Stone Lord in check."


    "That''s a no from me." Milfa smiled and continued, "The reason is that we are not familiar yet. Even with my reputation, you shouldn''t trust new people easily unless you know them well enough. That''s why I will go with ra, and Shale will keep the Stone Lord in check."


    "Shale''s strength is second to me, so it should be enough to handle the Stone Lord in case something happens. I see¡­ I can understand how you have been faring up until now¡­ It seems that you have put a lot of trust in someone''s strength. It''s a double-edged sword. If you use it correctly, you might be able to gain a huge advantage. But if you fail even once, it mighte to bite you, you know."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn''t really rebuke her words. As she said, he had put a lot of trusts even though they had just met like the Brothel and Countess Christina.


    Noel nodded in understanding. "I see. Thank you for your advice."


    "But as expected, I''m sure you''re going to provoke me by asking, ''Are you sure you are not capable of doing this? With your strength and reputation, you should be able to do it, right?'' or something along those lines¡­" Milfa made a cheeky smirk as if she had just read Noel''s mind.


    Noel shook his head. "Nope. I''m not going to provoke you. I know my ce well."


    "!!!" Milfa suddenly fell silent before realizing Noel''s real strength. If he didn''t provoke her, then there would only be one more method people like him would use in that situation.


    Milfa''s expression became serious as she looked interested in Noel. "Interesting."

 Chapter 640 Question

    "Interesting." Milfa seemed to have understood why Noel was favored by Shale and ra. She thought for a moment and said, "Alright then. I''m going to have you with me in the exploration. It seems that you are more interesting than I originally thought."


    "Is that so? Having someone whose strength is only second to themander to say that, I can only say that I''m honored." Noel smiled politely.


    However, it seemed that both of them understood that they were a bit simr.


    "Since that''s the case, ra and Shale can continue preparing for the next exploration. When can we go?" Milfa asked.


    ra thought for a moment. "Judging from the condition of our knights, we can probably restart the exploration in two days."


    "Good. I''ll leave the rest of the preparation to you." Milfa nodded her head and turned to Shale. "You should check the condition of the Stone Lord and impose an information lockdown. We don''t want Septa to have a hard time after all."


    "Yeah. But we haven''t told you about the details." Shale wanted to stop her, but Milfa simply pointed at Noel and said, "He will be with me, exining all those things while we are going around the area to check the situation. It should be fine, right?"


    Shale looked at Noel with a frown before getting a nod from Noel. It seemed that Noel was also interested in Milfa.


    "Good." Milfa smiled.


    Since they had reached an agreement, Shale and ra immediately left the tent, not wanting to get involved with Milfa any longer.


    Meanwhile, Milfa came to Noel with a gentle smile. "Please take care of me."


    "I should be the one to say that, Captain Milfa." Noel smiled.


    "Shall we go? Or do you want to get something first?"


    "No. We can go now." Noel nodded while extending his hand.


    It seemed that both of them could talk to each other without even opening their mouths. Both of them knew that they were of the same type.


    It might be because of her repulsive feeling toward Milfa that ra didn''t notice it. But Noel and Milfa were like monsters equipped with both knowledge and brain.


    And these two ''monsters'' were going straight to the woods to check the current condition.


    But after they entered a bit deeper and reached the ce where they couldn''t be spotted by anyone else, Milfa suddenly increased her pace while saying, "You should have realized it, right?"


    "What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion as if he didn''t understand anything.


    "I''m talking about how I have taken the lead in the conversation earlier. You should have realized that I have startedmanding the two captains around despite me being a recement and Shale being the leader."


    "And despite realizing it, you didn''t do anything. I wonder why you would do such a thing¡­" Milfa let out a small smirk.


    Noel realized that ying dumb wouldn''t be useful. At the same time, hiding it wouldn''t benefit him. So, he said, "You should have already known the answer."


    Milfa chuckled. "You wanted me to show a bit of my power¡­ So, how was it?"


    "How can I say this¡­ If I can be honest, you arepletely like a different person." Noel shook his head helplessly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was right. Milfa had been showing a gentle expression and gradually took the lead without anyone realizing it. Yet, in front of Noel, she showed a cheeky and sly face. If the people knew this side of her, they wouldn''t really be annoyed by her usual activities.


    "Is that so? Aren''t you the same? You are like apletely different person. Where is the powerless and docile Noel Ardagan?" Milfa suddenly dropped his identity.


    Noel didn''t have a change of expression. Still, it didn''t change the fact she knew about his identity.


    Themander didn''t seem to be telling her about his identity. And looking at how sly Milfa could be, it seemed that she figured it out herself.


    "I see. Thank you for showing me your ability." Noel smiled.


    "You are not going to deny it?"N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "You have taken me this far into the woods. I won''t be able to escape from you, right? Besides, if you decide to kill me, the one you will fight is themander. So, it seems that you just want to make something clear with me, not more than that."


    Milfa added, "I can simply erase you and tell everyone that you are ambushed by demons or the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "If only you didn''t have your reputation." Noelpleted her words.


    Noel and Milfa looked at each other, knowing that they could counter each other''s words since they were the same type.


    Milfa took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, one of the reasons why I chose to go here is you. And I can confidently say that you have surpassed my expectations."


    "Well, thanks."


    Milfa raised one finger. "In that case, I''m going to ask you one thing. Will your existence harm the Demon Banner Army?"


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. This question had a deep meaning for Milfa. Despite having the power to rece themander, Milfa never aimed for that seat. Instead, she supported themander from the shadows without getting credit to herself. All¡­ for the sake of the Demon Banner Army.


    If Noel''s existence caused harm to the Demon Banner Army, she might do everything to remove Noel from the army.


    Noel might be able to lie here, but he had no intention to do so, considering Dimitri was her mentor.


    Noel''s expression turned serious as he stated clearly, "I don''t know if my presence will harm the Demon Banner Army. But I have never intended to harm this army."


    Milfa looked at Noel for a moment before nodding her head. "I¡­ will ept that answer then."


    Noel was a bit curious about Milfa. He couldn''t help but ask, "May I ask one question¡­"


    "Sure. You have answered my question, so I don''t mind answering yours."


    "Why are you doing all this?"


    "I see¡­ You should ask another question. It''s not that I don''t want to answer it, but the one who will answer it is also here¡­ After all, that person is the reason why I can''t do anything to you¡­" Milfa nced to the right and smiled. "Isn''t that right, Mentor?"

 Chapter 641 Yesterday And Tomorrrow

    "Isn''t that right, Mentor?" Milfa nced at the side, specifically at a certain tree. The shadow flickered because Milfa had recognized it.


    "I guess I can''t hide from you anymore." Dimitri''s voice echoed from behind the tree.


    "You are not nning to show yourself?" Milfa asked with a smile.


    "Do you still need me toe out and wipe your tears?"N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "¡­" Milfa chuckled and said, "I guess not. I was surprised when you suddenly retired without any apparent reason. So, I couldn''t help but investigate you a little bit."


    "Surprisingly, you ended up working for the Ardagan Family. After making some connections and shifting some conversations for a bit, I realized that this child was Noel Ardagan."


    "There were two reasons why he managed to survive this whole time. First and foremost, it was his own ability. As for the second one, it should be your protection. It must be the reason why they could escape a Devil Bishop when investigating the Fagant Leaf."


    "You are truly great for doing all that. I guess I have taught you too much. Despite having that kind of power and brain, you choose to remain hidden. Even your squad isn''t among the top five and that brat Shale is taking the first spot as the strongest person among the captains¡­" Dimitri chuckled.


    "Thanks to you. I am morefortable protecting something from the shadow. As long as the higher-ups understand my strength and can rely on me, that is enough." She chuckled.


    "Is that so? I''m pleased to hear that. Though, I don''t think you are calling me just for this, right?"


    "Of course. Though, I end up answering that question myself¡­ I don''t know what to do now." Milfa chuckled.


    The question she mentioned was Noel''s question. The reason why she did all this was because of Dimitri''s training. Dimitri influenced the way she lived, and she ended up enjoying living in the darkness like this despite her strength and brain.


    Dimitri chuckled and said, "Still, don''t forget about this¡­"


    "What is it? Are you going to lecture me again?"


    "I''m just reminding you something." Dimitri''s tone suddenly turned serious as he stated, "Don''t forget that you are talking with my Young Master over there."


    "!!!" Milfa widened her eyes and turned around, finding Noel staring intensely at her.


    The stare was different from what she had experienced this whole time. This stare was filled with curiosity.


    She had told him that Dimitri would answer the previous question, meaning that he would get to ask another question.


    And it seemed he was nning to take advantage of it. He observed her first and formted the question in his mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The stare felt like he was stripping her naked.


    "Oh my. What an intense gaze. Are you that interested in this big sister?" Milfa tried to make Noel''s concentration waver a bit.


    But it was toote. Noel opened his mouth, startling Milfa. "I see. No wonder why the Demon Banner Army can be this sturdy. There is always a debate. Some people say that offense is the strongest defense. Some people say that defense is the strongest offense."


    "However, the truth is that if you both have the strongest offense and defense at the same time, it''s far better."


    "In the Demon Banner Army, the Commander is acting as the spear that can pierce through anything. Meanwhile, there is someone like you who remains in the shadow and acts to protect the Demon Banner Army."


    "If the enemies don''t know about your existence, they would be crushed by you, resulting in their loss."


    "Of course, it seems that despite being a shield, you are trying to expand yourself to the point you are about to be an armor¡­"


    Milfa fell silent after hearing Noel''s words. She understood what he was talking about. It was already hard to stop themander alone, so if they wanted to stop themander, they would have to use a lot of resources.


    After stopping themander, they would sneak attack and crush the inside of the Demon Banner Army.


    However, they didn''t realize that they were walking into traps. There was a sturdy shield that protected the Demon Banner Army.


    With her personally making her move, the enemies would end up getting defeated. If she continued tounch a counterattack with the help of themander, no one could stop them anymore.


    This was the reason why the Demon Banner Army could stand tall recently. In fact, she was one of the reasons why the Demon Banner Army could restore their reputation after his uncle, Laufey Ardagan, incident.


    Noel politely bowed to Milfa and said, "I''d like to offer my thanks and apology. The thanks are for taking care of my Ardagan Family''s matter. The apology is because our family has harmed the Demon Banner Army."


    "!!!" Milfa widened her eyes in shock. She had heard that Noel was pretty clueless about almost everything from Shale. Yet, the one standing before her looked so resourceful. It felt like they were two different people.


    Meeting such a straightforward attitude from Noel, even Milfa was speechless for a moment. She waved her hand and said, "You don''t have to apologize. I have met your father a few times and to be honest, Sir Luke has helped me a lot."


    "In fact, I was one of the people Sir Luke helped. I was a criminal and was ready to be sent forbor. Or I might end up bing a militarydy. He paid the officers so that my crime was pardoned before I was sent to the Demon Banner Army."


    "At that time, I asked him why he would save someone like me. It was true that I felt guilty for what I had done and wanted to atone for it, but I never had the chance to do it. He only asked me, ''If I''m busy protecting yesterday, will I be able to fight for tomorrow?''"


    "I guess that question changed my life." Milfa made a genuine smile as if she had just recounted a wonderful memory.

 Chapter 642 Recognition

    "If I''m busy protecting yesterday, will I be able to fight for tomorrow?" Noel muttered in a low voice as he fell into deep thought.


    The meaning was profound. Luke must want to tell her that if what she had done in the past kept guing her, there was no way she could shift her attention to the future¡­ the better future that coulde from her own hand.


    But for Noel, there seemed to be another meaning. His family had been reduced to ruin. He always wanted to use his power to rebuild the Ardagan Family.


    Yet, this question made him doubt whether it was the correct path or not. It seemed that he had missed something in his goal.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Noel covered his mouth as if he had just realized something unbelievable.


    He turned around and asked out loud, "Dimitri. I have a question."


    "What is it, Young Master?"


    "In your perspective, was the Ardagan Family prosperous?" Noel asked.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Dimitri fell silent for a moment. It wasn''t that he was thinking about the answer but because he was shocked that Noel asked this question. He answered without hesitation, "Yes. The Ardagan Family was prosperous."


    "In that case, do you think the prosperity canst for another thousand years? No, even a hundred years is fine¡­" Noel gasped. He suddenly recalled all the lessons his father had given him.


    Those lessons just looked like a life lesson that his father had experienced. But as a noble, he should have imparted some knowledge about management and other things. Even if Noel refused to learn it, someone as smart as Luke could easily make an example about such a thing in his life lesson, causing Noel to learn some of them.


    Yet, Luke didn''t do it. Instead, he seemed to want Noel to learn only those basic lessons so that he didn''t make a choice like his father. He wanted Noel''s thoughts to be independent of any influence.


    That was why Noel felt something was missing. It was connected to the question Luke threw to Milfa. It seemed Luke didn''t want Noel to be fixated on the old Ardagan Family. Instead, he wanted him to focus on building the new Ardagan Family. He would then set the rules, the course, and of course, the goal of the family himself. This was what he meant by fighting for tomorrow.


    When Dimitri heard this question, he suddenly came out of his hiding spot. He kneeled on one knee and answered Noel, "I am nothing but a servant. However, if you truly desire that answer, I shall bear this sin and tell you¡­ The Ardagan Family will onlyst for thirty more years before we will begin our decline."


    "!!!" Noel gasped. In that instant, he realized that his father had foreseen this situation. Instead of letting him bear the burden, he chose to destroy the family himself. The goal, which was to take care of all the problems Laufey Ardagan had made, was also aligned. So, Luke chose the weirdest and most extreme decision, which was to end the Ardagan Family.


    This way, Noel would be able to build the new Ardagan Family. It might be rted to the old family, but this time, they would create something new, stronger, and more suited to the current era.


    The Ardagan Family was a noble family with a thousand years long history. However, in those one thousand years, the kingdom had changed. That was why to keep up with the current change, the old Ardagan Family had to be destroyed.


    Noel asked, "In that case, do you think I am fit to be the head of the Ardagan Family¡­ no, the new Ardagan Family?"


    The moment Dimitri heard it, he immediately lowered his head and stated with a clear but longing tone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I, Dimitri, solemnly swear. I shall be your sharpest sword and kill all the enemies in your path. Whether it''s the humans, the demons, or even the Gods¡­ as long as this body has yet to fall to the ground, I shall fulfill my duty."


    Noel''s body trembled. He didn''t know about the secret requirement that Luke had ced upon Dimitri. But he could feel that Dimitri had let go of the past and finally swore his loyalty to him.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. It was an achievement, and he should be happy. But they did all this in front of Milfa.


    He couldn''t help but nce at Milfa and said, "I apologize, Captain Milfa, for showing all this to you."


    Milfa shook her head helplessly. "You don''t need to worry about me. Though, I am surprised to see my mentor acting that way. But I guess I should be happy for him since it seems that my mentor has already gotten a ce to return."


    Noel smiled while Dimitri looked away. He was swept away at the moment and forgot that he had shown something embarrassing to his protege. However, he didn''t have any regret in his heart.


    His loyalty had been in the Ardagan Family for decades. Now that Noel had recognized his true purpose, he could finally swear his loyalty once again.


    Noel nced at Milfa and asked, "I have changed my question."


    Milfa''s eyebrows twitched when she saw that smile. She immediately raised her hands and said, "No¡­ Don''t ask that question!"


    Noel smiled. Despite her plea, Noel still asked as he had to do his job as the lord of the Ardagan Family. "Will you join the Ardagan Family?"


    The veins on her forehead bulged a little bit. She had a hard time maintaining her smile since Noel had just asked the one question he shouldn''t have asked her.


    Even Noel had already known the answer to that question. After all, it was an obvious ''no'' from her.


    However, because they had the same personalities, both of them knew that Noel might make some schemes to somehow force her to join the Ardagan Family.


    And with his brilliance, of course, he would make her join willingly.


    She knew that fact so well that she had already envisioned such a situation.


    It seemed that instead of Milfa annoying Noel, it was the other way around.


    Both of them had a smile on their faces. But there was already a battle of wits between them.

 Chapter 643 Agreement

    ''This guy is a crafty type. I guess like father, like son¡­'' Milfa thought, feeling annoyed. She had realized that her arrival here was a mistake.


    It ended up piquing Noel''s interest. Now that the situation had turned around, she had to find a n to escape from Noel''s n.


    And it seemed that there was someone to save her. Though, it wasn''t a person.


    *Roar!*


    A roar filled the area as Noel, Milfa, and Dimitri turned around, locating the source of the roar. That roar rmed a few more demons as they marched toward their locations.


    "Ah, there are some demons. I''m going to kill them for a bit." Milfa didn''t hesitate to run, not wanting to have anything to do with Noel.


    On the one hand, she could hit Noel right here and force him to stop. On the other hand, Noel was protected by Dimitri. There was no way she could harm Noel if Dimitri was standing next to him.


    So, she had to escape first and try to find another n to turn the situation around. Of course, there was also an option of threatening Noel to stop by showing that she could spread his real identity around.


    However, there were only demerits from that n. First of all, the other kingdoms who had benefited from Noel''s rune books would immediatelye to them. It might give them some boost in reputation, but once Noel used that reputation and separated himself from the Demon Banner Army, they would soon be aughingstock again.


    And this would be a different case from Laufey Ardagan''s incident since the Demon Banner Army was the one causing this mess, not the Ardagan Family.


    There were also a lot of things Noel could do if he wanted to harm the Demon Banner Army. Unless she had the confidence to kill Noel even with Dimitri protecting him, she wouldn''t do something like that. More importantly, she wouldn''t do anything to harm the Demon Banner Army, so this n was immediately erased from Milfa''s head.


    So, to buy time for her, Milfa used the demons as an excuse to get away from Noel.


    She headed straight to the demons with her fastest speed, not allowing Noel to catch up to her.


    Meanwhile, Noel saw this as another opportunity. He immediately asked Dimitri, "We have to catch up. Help me."


    "Yes." Dimitri hurriedly grabbed his waist and poured the Spiritual Energy into his feet as he jumped at the same speed as Milfa. But the few seconds Noel used to ask the question had created a big gap between them.


    And the moment he reached the destination, Milfa was about to finish the fight.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Milfa''s opponents were seven demons with the strongest of them being an Advanced Level Demon.


    However, Milfa simply waved her hand. "Judgment."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "!!!" The demon raised its head. The trees were quite thick and tall, so the woods were a bit dark. The sunlight that prated the gap between leaves suddenly became brighter as if they were being concentrated.


    And a few gaps ended up aligned with the demon''s body. The sunlight became more concentrated to the point the light became solid and prated the demon''s body.


    It looked like the demon was impaled by several rods of light and died without being able to do anything.


    This was the strength of the strongest captain in the Demon Banner Army, Milfa. She managed to kill an Advanced Level Demon with just a single wave of her hand. If it was Noel, he would have to use at least two or three abilities to take down one.


    ''So¡­ this is her strength¡­'' Noel thought. He couldn''t help but remember the power Dimitri showed back then. He could somehow see that Milfa and Dimitri had the same level of strength currently. ''It''s interesting. Looking at her personality, once she bes loyal, she will do everything to protect it.''


    Noel smiled. This was truly an opportunity to see her strength. Even though it was only a portion of it, he became more and more interested in her.


    "!!!" Milfa sensed his gaze and turned around, waving her hand with an awkward smile. "You havee¡­"


    Now that Noel''s eyes were locked on her, she couldn''t help but remember the time when she suggested that Noel would be with her. If this continued, she might truly fall into Noel''s traps.


    ''Can I change the n right now? No, Shale and ra will be suspicious. Then, should I stop him? How do I even do it? I can force him to stop, but it might cause a lot more problems in the future.''


    ''Can he even respect my words and stop here?'' Milfa let out a long sigh and said, "I think we both know what each other wants, right?"


    Noel nodded without hesitation. He wanted her to work for the Ardagan Family, so there was no need to hide his intention.


    That was why Milfa raised two fingers. "Two years. You can do anything within two years. But I will do my best to stop you. If you still fail to make me one of your vassals, then you have to stop."


    Noel thought for a moment. It was true that he desired her, but when she was this adamant, once she was forced into the family, she might do something to cause its downfall.


    The Ardagan Family would be extremely brittle for a while after he rebuilt it, so this agreement might be a good case for him.


    "Two years is too long. I''m nning to stay here for another one and a half years. If I fail to have you swear loyalty to me, I am going to give up and leave the Demon Banner Army." Noel stated with confidence.


    "Huh? Leave the army¡­" Milfa suddenly became worried. This showed how much Noel desired her, not in a romantic way. Seeing such determination couldn''t help but touch her heart a bit. She understood how serious Noel was.


    Unbeknownst to her, Noel added inwardly, ''I already n to leave around that time anyway since it''s the perfect time to build the new Ardagan Family. So, even without her, it doesn''t really matter. But still, it seems that the words are working¡­ hehe¡­''

 Chapter 644 Last Phase Of Exploration

    Since they had reached an agreement, Noel and Milfa finally shook their hands, sealing the deal.


    Milfa didn''t realize that Noel had ended up taking the initiative in their conversation like what Milfa did with the other two captains.


    There was one weapon Milfa could use previously, which was to show her loyalty to the Demon Banner Army. As long as she mentioned that her loyalty would remain in the Demon Banner Army, Noel would stop bothering her.


    But it was already toote. Noel ended up taking the initiative and forced her to give that promise. There was no taking back after this.


    Milfa soon realized that option once Noel fell silent, but she knew it was impossible to redo everything. She could only resign to her fate, swearing that she wouldn''t be swayed by Noel.


    Though, there was no telling whether she would be one of his vassals or not. After all, even if she wasn''t there, Dimitri was still with him.


    After that realization, Noel finally lessened the mood by exining the situation around the facility. This was their original goal after all.


    Milfa also saw how meticulous Noel was in his work. He had done a lot of research after his first investigation and even put up a few hypotheses regarding the current situation.


    With all the details he provided, it seemed that the rest of the explorations would have an easier time.


    After finishing their business outside, they finally returned to the fort. Milfa had to take her time to prepare for the exploration after all. Even with her strength, taking an exploration lightly would cost her dearly.


    Though, it didn''t change the fact that Milfa was stressed about the agreement with Noel.


    She ended uping to ra with a frustrated expression.


    "ra. What''s wrong with that knight of yours?" Milfa asked with a serious expression.


    ra tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"


    Milfa closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh. She couldn''t really talk about the agreement or Dimitri, so she ended up falling silent, not giving any answer to ra.


    Looking at her expression, ra couldn''t help but ask, "I''m sorry. I''m just making this sure¡­ Have my knight brought you some displeasures? If that''s the case, I will apologize on his behalf¡­"


    "It''s not displeasure¡­ No, I can say it''s a kind of displeasure, but that''s not it." Milfa scratched the back of her head. "How do you say it¡­ He is so smart that he is scary."


    "Well¡­" ra remembered all the times Noel showed his wits. It was true that Noel was scary at those times, but it didn''t change the fact that his brilliance saved the squad repeatedly, so there was no repulsive feeling in her heart.


    Though, there was one joyous moment that she had to celebrate.


    The fact that Milfa became like this meant the showdown had ended. Milfa ended up getting annoyed by Noel, meaning she had won the bet. She wasughing inwardly, preparing to get something from Shale.


    Though, she added, "I know he is smart. As long as it doesn''t harm my squad, I don''t really care. Besides, it doesn''t change the fact that he has given us a lot of progress in the exploration. So, if you are trying to abuse your authority, even if you are stronger than me, I''m going to stop you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No¡­ I''m not nning to do that." Milfa shook her head. "I wanted toin previously, but there was really nothing I couldin about right now. Anyway, he''s quite amazing, so I''m going to use this time to teach him a few things."


    "Well, you are the best in the area. So, I''ll leave him to you." ra nodded without hesitation. It was beneficial for Noel to learn from Milfa, so she had no objection.


    But little did she know, Milfa was actually smiling inwardly. She had an evil intention behind that ''teaching.''


    She thought, ''Just wait, Noel Ardagan. I''m going to ''teach'' you so many things.''


    Of course, she knew that she was a ''bit'' annoying when she taught people. She was smart and sensible enough to see it from others'' expressions.


    And she wanted to use this as a counterattack. As long as Noel found her presence annoying, he would give up.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    As soon as she got the approval, Milfa left the tent, ready for the exploration.


    They finished their preparation and recovery two dayster. The exploration finally began once again.


    Noel wasing with Milfa and got ordered around by Milfa. She left a lot of lectures to the point even a small mistake like moving a small debris and causing a sound that was hard to hear even for a demon would end up bing a long lecture.


    However, what Milfa didn''t expect was that Noel took the lectures seriously. He even took note of all the important knowledge hidden in the lectures.


    His determination and diligence couldn''t help but move Milfa a bit. Despite having the power, connection, and brain to stop her from lecturing him, Noel didn''t do it.


    Instead, he apologized for all the mistakes he made, whether it was small or big, and continued to improve himself, leaving Milfa speechless.


    Fortunately, the exploration had be safer after all those demons came out. There were not many demons left visible inside the facility and the Superior Demons hadn''t made any ruckus.


    Now that there was no one who sabotaged them anymore, the exploration made significant progress every single day.


    And eventually, on the fifth day, they found a lead to the hidden nest underneath the building.


    All the people ended up gathering in front of the entrance, which was a giant hole inside one of the rooms. It was on the opposite side of the entrance, so it took them this long to discover it.


    Nheless, they finally found the nest. As long as they could kill all the demons in this nest, they could finally say that the exploration waspleted.


    Milfa nced at Noel and asked, "So¡­ what do you think we should do with this, Knight Iadre?"


    Noel was staring at the entrance with a serious expression, formting a n in his mind. This was thest phase of the exploration.

 Chapter 645 Anna?

    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons came out of the facility, only to be besieged by a lot of knights from the Demon Banner Army. Even the Stone Lord used his golem to smash a lot of them to show that he was cooperating with the Demon Banner Army.


    Milfa didn''t use all her strength in this fight since it wouldn''t be good to show such strength to the Stone Lord.


    Only a handful of individuals knew about her true strength after all.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, two more Superior Demons came out of the hole and ultimately got killed by the three captains and Stone Lord.


    The rest of the demons had been routed, and the nest waspletely cleared.


    It seemed that the nest had more than five Superior Demons due to them taking drugs from the facility. The demons didn''t understand the worth of the drugs, but it was enough for the Demon Banner Army.


    After all, the drugs would be useful for research. If they could somehow replicate some drugs that could enhance their strength without side effects, they might be able to grow their strength even further. Although they had to share it with the Tower Association and the Royal Family, they didn''t mind since the growth of the kingdom would be better than their own.


    Even Noel desired such a thing, considering his true enemies were the demons instead of anyone else. Though, he didn''t forget the grudge he had with the Royal Family.


    And Noel was nning to make a copy of theyout of the facility since he had explored everything. He nned to give this blueprint to the Third Prince.


    With Noel''s brain, it was easy to know that the Third Prince would be stealing some drugs from here. But he wouldn''t steal many of them since it would just force the Royal Family to move. So, Noel didn''t really mind if there were a few missing.


    In fact, Noel had another hidden n for this blueprint.


    After taking care of the expedition, he finally had the chance to rest. Dimitri told him that someone wanted to meet him in the forest. So, he thought Milfa wanted to say something to him.


    But to his surprise, the moment he went into the forest, he found a woman of his age waiting for him. She was none other than Anna.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise. "Huh? Anna?"


    Noel hadn''t met Anna this whole time for two reasons. He couldn''t leave the army easily and the one he met back then was her father. So, he didn''t have any reason to visit her.


    Surprisingly, Anna appeared this time with the help of Dimitri. Anna obviously didn''t have the power to move Dimitri. So, he realized that her father was nearby.


    With the rtionship between the two family heads, it was no surprise that Kevin knew Dimitri.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anna put on a gentle smile. "It''s been a while, Noel."


    "Yeah, it''s been a while. However, I never thought you would visit me like this." Noel nodded with a calm expression. He observed her movement, but he hadn''t used his Affection Medal this entire time.


    For the time being, he had been cooperating with Anna without using it. Even Rose''s Affection was an incident since she entered his line of sight before he could change his medal.


    He had refrained himself from using the medal with his allies. After all, it would just cause friction in his heart. Of course, people rted to his allies were a different case like Harley or Kevin Stargaze. He had to be wary of them.


    When observing her, he realized that Anna had be a Spirit Master as well. He didn''t know how Anna had reached this stage. In fact, he wanted to fight her once again to see whether he had be stronger than her or not with all the new abilities he had.


    But his instinct seemed to be telling him that it wouldn''t be an easy fight and that victory wouldn''t be guaranteed.


    Anna made breaking through to Spirit Master look easy, but she seemed to have extensive knowledge and a solid foundation to do it without any setbacks. There was a deeper secret Anna had.


    Even though he was constantly thinking about it, he wouldn''t go all the way to investigate Anna about it. He respected her that much at the very least.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "It''s not like you to visit me this way. So, I guess you have an important thing to tell me¡­"


    "I guess I can''t hide it from you." Anna smiled and raised two fingers. "I actually have two purposes. The first is the usual¡­ Information Exchange."


    "Ah." Noel nodded in understanding. Even though they were only separated for a month, a lot of things urred, especially after the rune books were spread.


    "Then, we will see who has more information. The usual bet." Noel nodded. He had exchanged some information with Anna before meeting Harley, but due to the situation, they didn''t have time to make a bet. Since the exploration had finished, he should have had some time to make a small bet.


    However, Anna shook her head. "That was what I wanted at first. But I don''t have time for that¡­ Instead, I''m just going to tell you about the situation the kingdom is facing¡­ Though, the information mostlyes from my father."


    "Well, thank you for the honesty." Noel never thought Anna refused to take credit since having a father like that was still within her ability.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "After the books are spread in all kingdoms, we have seen their intention. The Greenwood Kingdom is nning to see whether they can befriend you or not. But as you said, you should be careful with their princes and princesses."


    "The other two kingdoms are waiting for the Greenwood Kingdom for the time being while trying to investigate the Ardagan Family. If you nned to rebuild your family, they would most likelye to your doorstep."


    "Also, the Royal Family is chaotic right now because of this matter. I''m afraid they are going to dispatch people to learn about your situation. Once they investigate it properly, they might find out sooner orter that you are still alive."


    "Yeah. I understand that. Thank you for the information." Noel nodded. "I will also share some information¡ª"


    Before Noel finished his words, she stopped him. "Let me tell you about my second purpose first. I want to have a bet with you¡­"

 Chapter 646 What Is Happening?

    "Huh? A bet?" Noel widened his eyes. She said she didn''t have time for a bet, but he soon realized the bet wouldn''t be small. "I see¡­ Let me hear it first."


    Anna smiled and pointed at him.


    "I am sure that both of us have secrets. The Sword Saint has banned me from asking you about it, but it doesn''t state that I can''t know the secret."


    "Hmm? Are you nning to make me tell you the secret voluntarily?" Noel frowned. On the one hand, Anna was a trusted person. On the other hand, their rtionship wasn''t at the level where he could openly share the secret about the system.


    "Yeah. I know about that. That''s why I want to make this little bet between us. We will see who will be the one to tell their secret to the others." Anna smiled.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise. "Huh? This bet is weird. Are you saying that you want me to force you to reveal your secret?"


    "Don''t say it like you have won." Anna pouted before she continued, "But I don''t think it''s a bad deal, right?


    "I''m sure you have been curious about my secrets. Why can I know the future and have extensive knowledge¡­" Anna made a cheeky smile.


    Noel couldn''t deny it. If he understood Anna''s secret and knew how much she knew, he might be able to n for the future better than anyone else. In fact, he might be invisible. With her secret and his brain, they would truly be unbeatable.


    However, if he lost this challenge, he had to let her know about Ardagan.


    For Anna, the knowledge about the future was useful, but she might not be able to utilize itpletely with her alone. And with how much the future had changed due to her actions, the past events might not be relevant anymore. So, she tried to take advantage of it by betting on it. Even if she lost, she nned to give this information to Noel since his brain might be able to find out something missing from his past life.


    For Noel, his system was extremely useful. But it was useless for Anna. The only way to obtain this power was to marry him and let their child wield Ardagan. But their rtionship wasn''t at that level, so it would be useless. So, the only way to take advantage of it was to kill him, causing the Ardagan lineage to end him.


    Anna never killed him in the past despite having so many chances, so thetter wouldn''t happen. In that case, the knowledge would be useless for Anna.


    That was why it might be a good thing to wager it. After all, Anna''s secret was more useful.


    After some consideration, Noel nodded his head. "Sure. Let''s have a bet. Though, the method is not specified, right?"


    "Of course. I have a big disadvantage, you know." Anna smirked. "But I''m not nning to lose. You''re going to tell me your secret."


    "Hahaha. You sure love talking big. In a mind battle, have you ever won against me?" Noel snorted while crossing his arms.


    "This might be the first victory I will get."


    "Alright then. I''m looking forward to it. Though, I don''t have high hopes." Noel nodded. Now that he had sealed the deal, Ardagan appeared.


    [Mission: Anna''s Secret]


    [Description: Make Anna tell you her secret by any means necessary.]


    [Reward: Anna''s Secret and ???]


    [Penalty: None.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    ''Hmm? Another ''???'' reward?'' Noel was surprised that he would get another reward like this. Thest time he got it, it was a very lucrative reward. So, he couldn''t help but look forward to it.


    Though, there was one thing he was confused about the sudden bet.


    "Before I tell you about the information, do you mind if I ask you something?" Noel asked carefully. Anna looked weirdly calm this whole time as if she had prepared some traps for this bet, so he couldn''t help but feel a bit suspicious.


    Anna nodded without hesitation. "Sure."


    "Why do you suddenly suggest something like this? I don''t see any reasons for this bet to happen¡­ to be honest."


    "There are two reasons. The first reason is simple. Do you know I have been observing you for the past two weeks? Just say that the result of my observation has led me to this¡­"


    Noel thought for a moment. A lot of things had happened. He even gained Dimitri''s loyalty and Milfa''s agreement. Although he didn''t know what made her suggest this bet, he could somehow understand if this expedition had made her like this.


    "Then, what about the second reason?" Noel asked while tilting his head.


    "As for the second reason¡­" Anna walked closer to him with a gentle smile.


    Noel felt a bit weird and took a step back, but Anna didn''t mind since she also took another step forward.


    They were only separated by a few centimeters.


    "Anna?" Noel was confused. He didn''t know why Anna acted like this.


    "This is the second reason¡­" Anna suddenly made a swift movement as if she was trying tounch a sneak attack. Noel''s instinct took over as he immediately raised both hands to push her away.


    But his body suddenly froze when Anna took the most abrupt sneak attack.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He was too shocked to the point he couldn''t react. After all, her face was right before his eyes and her lips were already nted on his cheek.


    ''Wha¡ª'' Noel wanted to think about what had just happened, but his brain couldn''te up with anything.


    In fact, he still couldn''t believe what was happening.


    There were so many questions that couldn''t be answered. But one thing was for sure, their rtionship had just taken a weird turn.


    It seemed that the battle between the system and the rebirth had yet to end. Could Anna use her knowledge and memory from her past life to make Noel willingly share the secret of his system? Or could Noel use the overwhelming from his system to force Anna to reveal the secret about her rebirth?


    Though, there was only one question in Noel''s head.


    ''What in the world is currently happening?''

 Chapter 647 Utter Shock

    ''What in the world is currently happening?''


    For just a moment, Noel''s brain felt like it was struck by lightning. He couldn''t think of anything. In fact, even the gentle kiss from Annapletely felt nothing.


    He waspletely confused to the point he could only ask what was happening. This was Anna he was talking about.


    On the one hand, Noel thought Anna was his friend after all the things they had experienced together. On the other hand, he never thought of Anna more than that, considering he had sworn not to bother with any rtionship first before rebuilding his family. After all, it would just cause more problems with his swordsmanship and family.


    Yet, this one kiss took himpletely by surprise.


    Anna gently moved away from him. Looking at how shocked Noel was couldn''t help but make her chuckle. This was the first time she saw Noel like this.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The calm andposed Noel was nowhere for a moment.


    And before he recovered, Anna waved his hand and put on the best smile she had.


    It might be due to the kiss, but Noel''s eyes were fixated on her lips. It ended up making him more conscious about the words she was about to speak.


    "I have told you everything. All I can say is that I will continue to follow your news. This time, I have found a new goal for myself and I will seriously aim for it. Thank you, Noel."


    The words ''Thank You'' had only one meaning. She wanted to thank him for everything he had done for her, including the fact that he considered her his friend and ignored the friction between them.


    However, when it reached Noel''s ears, the words ''Thank You'' seemed deeper than he thought. It struck deep in his heart. It sounded nostalgic yet lonely; it sounded sweet yet afar.


    He didn''t know why, but he wanted to cry at this moment.


    The image of Anna in his mindpletely shattered after this. He couldn''t help but wonder why Anna did all this. Why her words struck so deeply? It felt like they had been together for a long time¡­ far more than the two years they had spent together here.


    Noel didn''t realize that Anna saw him like the Noel in her memory. Noel had a more mature look.


    Despite his cold face, there was a gentle and caring gaze hidden underneath. Noel looked battered, and all of it was due to her. He was exhausted because he tried to change her.


    And in this life, she had changed. So, she wanted to thank the past Noel for giving her this chance.


    If not for Noel trying to change her in the past life, even with this second life, she wouldn''t be able to do anything.


    It was because they were separated between two timelines that her voice felt so far.


    After saying those words, Anna gracefully nodded her head before she jumped to the side, leaving the shocked Noel alone.


    It didn''t take too long before she stopped because she could see two figures who were watching them from a distance.


    They were Dimitri and Kevin Stargaze. Both of them were still staring at Noel with their jaws wide open.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They simply couldn''t believe what Anna had done as well.


    "A¡­ Anna¡­" Kevin tried to call her name, trying to understand the situation. He couldn''t help but remember what happened during the expedition.


    They had been observing them from outside the demon''s range, wanting to know the progress of the exploration.


    Though, it was Anna''s request that made him stay a bit longer.


    Anna was staring intensely every time there was an action. It looked like she had felt something from the expedition.


    Eventually, she saw Dimitri acknowledging Noel as his master. When that happened, Anna was standing still for a while.


    Even when he called her name, she gave no reaction.


    Once everything was over, Anna''s expression became serious. She said, "Father¡­ I think I have understood my purpose and my goal. No, should I say that I have found them?"


    "Anna? What are you talking about?" Kevin tilted his head in confusion.


    "I don''t know how to describe it. However, it feels like I know what I should do¡­" Anna took a deep breath and turned to her father. "Can we wait for a while, at least until the expedition is over? There is something I wish to tell Noel."


    Kevin couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. They had gone for a while, so it might cause some problemster.


    But this was the first time her daughter had requested with such serious yet sincere expression. It made her father''s instinct to ept it. This might be the first time Anna asked something like this.


    Kevin didn''t care if there would be any problems due to this decision. Since his daughter had decided, he nodded in agreement. "I understand. If it''s the past you, I would have been worried. But looking at your expression right now, I know that you are on the right path. So, I shall support you to the best of my ability. This is what I should do as a parent."


    Anna smiled, thanking him.


    Remembering that scene couldn''t help but startle him. He didn''t expect that Anna would do something like this with such a serious expression. He wanted to know what exactly had happened to her when observing the exploration. The change was so drastic that it was unbelievable.


    However, Anna politely bowed to him and said, "I apologize for making you wait. I have finished my business. Let''s go back, Father."


    "Y-yeah?!" Kevin was still speechless, but seeing how his daughter had started to leave, he couldn''t do anything other than return with her.


    He nced at Dimitri, who was as shocked as him. In the end, he could only pat his shoulder, indirectly telling him that he didn''t know anything either.


    After all, this kind of situation would be reported to Noel''s parents, so he made his stance clear first.


    Unfortunately for him, Dimitri still didn''t know how to react. He could only see them off while scratching the back of his head, wondering what he should say to his young master since he was the one making this meeting possible.

 Chapter 648 In His Head

    "What''s wrong with her¡­" Noel muttered in a low voice while clutching his head. He looked down, wondering what had happened.


    He had returned to the fort and used the meeting tent to finish the blueprints. But he couldn''t put his head into the work because of what had happened.


    The scene where Anna kissed his cheek kept reying in his mind.


    ''What''s wrong with her? I did a lot of things, but I didn''t think there was a single thing where it could lead to something like that. That was extremely weird.''


    ''And Anna looked different just now. She felt nostalgic but distant. It felt like I was watching the same and familiar Anna, yet, I couldn''t help but think she wasn''t the Anna I knew.''


    ''I didn''t know why, but tears felt like they were about to fall from my eyes. Did she do anything to me? Still, there was nothing major happening where it could lead to such a drastic change from Anna.''


    Noel couldn''t help but recall all the memories he had with Anna.


    At first, he was trying to kill her. Anna was so apologetic back then, even though she still showed her overwhelming power.


    Not long after, Anna realized all the things she had done and wanted to atone for that mistake.


    Before they graduated, they even found out about the true scheme behind the execution and realized that everything was just a misunderstanding.


    And by that time, Anna, who seemed to have a deep hatred toward him to the point she wanted to execute him as well, hadpletely disappeared. In fact, his actions might have made her so frustrated that she couldn''t help but explode. All the words she said to him back then couldn''t help but sh in his mind.


    Only by bickering that one could understand each other more. After all, they were striking each other''s weaknesses, making them know what kind of sides were annoying to the other. This way, they could make changes for the better instead of tolerating each other''s annoying side.


    And eventually, their rtionship progressed and they finally became friends. They even shared the same birthday.


    He could still remember the little time they had when they celebrated their birthdays together and ultimately became an adult.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It was a simple but joyous event. Unfortunately, they had to be separated not long after that.


    Although they were still cooperating with each other, they didn''t meet every day like in the past.


    They weren''t missing each other because their rtionship hadn''t gone further and they had their respective goals.


    Yet, this time, Anna felt more mature as if she hade to terms with something. The change was so drastic that itpletely dumbstruck him.


    He couldn''t even react after Anna did it.


    Now that he had calmed down a little bit, he couldn''t help but think, "Does Anna like me or something? That kind of action is not something a friend will do, especially a noble¡­ So, does she see me in a romantic way?"


    Noel narrowed his eyes. On the one hand, Anna was the most talented woman in the kingdom and she was among the most beautiful as well. He would be lying if he said he wasn''t happy that such a woman liked him.


    On the other hand, he simply couldn''t believe Anna saw him that way. It might look more believable if their rtionship became closer.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel soon shifted his focus from her change to the reason for her change. As long as he could understand it, he might find out about her true motive.


    Sadly, nothing came to his mind. It felt like Anna did it for a reason that he didn''t know.


    Though, Noel couldn''t forget about the fact that he had to find a woman as well after rebuilding his family. After all, a noble had to continue their legacy if they didn''t want their household to be retracted by the royal family.


    And Anna was a perfect candidate. They had been together for a long time and knew each other''s strengths and weaknesses. They even cooperated with each other.


    However, by having a rtionship with him, Anna would be thrown right into the vortex. She would face the Supreme Devil Organization, the Royal Family, and even the Third Prince.


    And Marquis Stargaze and the entire Stargaze Family would be directly affected by it. There was no way she didn''t think of it.


    That was why that kiss waspletely confusing.


    "No, she might''ve done that just to confuse me¡­ That''s right. There is that bet. Don''t tell me, she used that method to make me open up to her. By making me fall in love with her, can she crack me open¡­ something like that?" Noel frowned.


    He tried his best to deny all the possibilities for their rtionship. Yet, a part of his heart knew that it wasn''t the answer.


    In the end, Noel couldn''t get anything from his thoughts. Dimitri was also silent the whole time as he didn''t want to intervene in Noel''s matters.


    Noel could only rely on himself to get to the bottom of this. And due to this thought, he ended up doing nothing for the rest of the day because the thought couldn''t disappear from his head.


    He could only continue his work the next morning. And there would be ast meeting between the Captains and the Stone Lord before they disbanded the expedition.


    Noel gave some input to the meeting, but he looked distracted most of the time.


    Although he managed to finish his job, he still couldn''t brush off Anna''s matter from his head.


    Time passed by quickly. Before they realized it, a week had passed since the end of the exploration.


    And there was a squad assembled for the research and reconstruction of the mysterious facility.


    All of them stood in front of the fort. The one who took over the expedition was the Demon Barrier Squad and a few elite teams specialized in research. Two Elders from the Tower Association and a few research teams from the noble factions also came to get a piece of the pie.


    Shale shook the Demon Barrier Squad Captain''s hand as a sign of handing over the authority.


    Finally, all three squads could finally return to their respective bases.


    The expedition had beenpleted.

 Chapter 649 Septas Investigation

    "This is¡­" Septa furrowed his eyebrows, looking at a few documents on the table.


    There were a total of four documents that took his attention.


    The first document stated, "Two people from the Demon Banner Army caused problems to the Fagant Leaf Cultivation. Their names are Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze. They are both in the special target list."


    "A special target list? Whose list? The Supreme Devil Organization?" Septa frowned. "Why did they be the special target list? I can kind of understand why Anna Stargaze is on that list, considering she is the most talented person. Then, why does Noel Ardagan have his name on that list too?


    "I have heard some rumors, but I don''t think it''s true¡­ it was said that a previous captain of the Demon Banner Army had defected to the Supreme Devil Organization. And that person was one of the Ardagans¡­ I don''t know much about it, but it seems I have to confirm this matter with themander."


    Septa let out a long sigh and took a look at the second document. This time, it was a letter. The letter didn''t have the sender''s name, but looking at the content alone was enough to tell who the sender was. After all, this letter was rted to the sabotage of the exploration.


    "You have to capture the special target list number 7, Noel Ardagan, during the expedition. The others can die, but Noel Ardagan has to be captured alive."


    Septa immediately frowned because this matter wasn''t small. With just this letter, he had enough evidence about the nt Lord''s betrayal.


    His action wouldn''t be med by the Tower Association. In fact, the Tower Association would be questioned by the Demon Banner Army and the public.


    But he couldn''t help but feel something was wrong with the special target list.


    "Noel Ardagan is ranked 7th in the list. But there is no Noel Ardagan in the expedition¡­ As expected, Iadre is Noel Ardagan. And the Supreme Devil Organization has known about his identity. And the only person who can find Iadre''s real identity is someone who belongs to the same family¡­ It means the traitor from the Ardagan Family.


    "And I don''t know how Noel can rank that high¡­ Who are the six people above him? Well, I think Anna is one of them. The rest are probably important people like the king, the crown prince, themander, and two others¡­ But for now, this is just a conjecture."


    After the letter, the next document was rted to something beyond his imagination.


    "This¡­ is actually a research rted to the ongoing investigation¡­" Septa gasped. "I truly like researcher¡­ They usually keep everything instead of burning the trace away."


    Septa had a hard time infiltrating this ce. But after finding the small secret room hidden in the nt Lord''s office, he could easily find all the proof.


    As a researcher, the nt Lord always recorded everything so that it could be used for theter research. But it seemed to be backfired since he got all his dirt in one go.


    From the title of the document alone, he knew what it was talking about.


    "The Effect of Saxalia Grass to the Demon''s Sense."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Septa immediately gritted his teeth. After all, there were a lot of problemsing from this research.


    Septa muttered the conclusion of the research. "Bybining the Saxalia Grass, Lei Tree Sap, and Green Tea Leaves, it can create a smell that will distract the demon''s senses. It will appear that the humans who apply the solution will be considered objects instead of living beings by the demon."


    "As expected, it''s always weird that the demons and the humans are cooperating with each other. After all, from all the reports I''ve received this whole time, it''s stated that people lock the demons."


    "With this research, the nt Lord can create a solution to camouge one''s presence from the demon. It must be extremely useful for the Low and Mid Level Demons who don''t have enough intelligence and rely on their instinct to move. But Advanced Level Demons are trickier¡­"


    "And I don''t think it''s possible to do anything to the Peak Level Demon, let alone the Superior Demon. For now, with this research, we can create a countermeasure even if the Supreme Devil Organization has this solution."N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "We are lucky that we can find something like this before there are a lot of casualties." Septa let out a long sigh.


    Last but not least, it was rted to the noble that nned to create a Demon Farm. However, the research was started before the Supreme Devil Organization made contact with the demon.


    The research was rted to the nts that could be used to strengthen the demons.


    There were some special nts that seemed to be able to increase the demon''s strength.


    "Hmm¡­ Since the demons couldn''t be tamed, the organization must want to grow the demons from the start before releasing them. It doesn''t need to be controlled¡­ since an army of demons will be useful to keep us at bay."


    Septa pinched the bridge of his nose. All the research here was beyond his imagination. He never thought that the nt Lord was involved with a lot of things.


    If everything was known by the public, it would be a huge blow to the Supreme Devil Organization. But it would also create a lot of problems as the Demon Banner Army would be receiving the anger of the organization.


    They were prepared for it, but the damage would be enormous. So, they might have to conceal some information.


    Septa thought for a moment. "Well, I''ve got everything I want from this ce. I should go back and report this matter to themander."


    Septa had expected a lot of problems by killing the nt Lord since it wasn''t an official mission. But it seemed that the nt Lord was the source of the problems itself. So, all the regrets from killing the nt Lord disappeared in his heart.


    With this, he returned to the Demon Banner Army Headquarters in order to report this matter to themanders.

 Chapter 650 Annas Letter

    Noel and the others had returned to the headquarters as well. After a hard expedition, they had to take care of the members.


    ra did her best in order to let her squads recover. She even held a ceremony for theterades who fell in battle.


    Still, she was thankful for Noel. Due to his assistance, Noel managed to find a way to keep the casualty minimum. In fact, she had expected that at least ten people would die in the expedition.


    Yet, there were only four casualties, and most of them came from lower level squads. Even the other squads recognized Noel''s abilities and had no more problems with his cement in the Zero Squad.


    And the other members of the Zero Squad thanked him for his help. They might have some scars from the battle, but it wasn''t to the point they had to retire.


    Even Ste, whose fingers were severed during the chase, was still around. ra managed to reattach the fingers, but she might not be able to fully utilize the strength of those fingers until the muscle and cells were reattachedpletely by natural regeneration.


    Noel was happy that he was of help, considering he treated them as a family. But there was something that startled him.


    Not long after his return, he received a letter from an unknown origin. He recognized the writing.


    It turned out Anna was the one sending him the letter. All the matters regarding the kiss immediately resurfaced in his mind, making him think that the letter was rted to it.


    But it seemed he misunderstood it. The letter contained the information that she got from Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford.


    Without hesitation, he examined the content of the letter.


    "I have examined all the documents we''ve found from Count Leinberd and Marquis Walford."


    "It seems that Count Leinberd is a third party, so they aren''t that rted to the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "The real hand of the Supreme Devil Organization is Marquis Walford. There are four important matters regarding Marquis Walford."


    "First and foremost, it''s the reason why Marquis Walford was chosen as the extension of their hand. They want Marquis Walford to be infiltrating the nobility. I don''t know much about their ns, but considering Marquis is only one rank below Duke, I think it''s a reasonable n.."


    "However, I don''t find anything rted to the Royal Family. So, I can''t prove whether the royal family is innocent or not. What I can say is that the dukes and duchesses don''t seem to be in the eye of the Supreme Devil Organization."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They might have higher ranks than Marquis, but their roots are the Royal Family. So, they just have to take the royal family. Meanwhile, the Marquis is there for a different purpose. He is an independent force that will infiltrate the rest of the nobility. With his rank, there are many things the Supreme Organization can do without being spotted by the royal family, unlike the rtion with the dukes and duchesses."


    When Noel read her thoughts about it, he couldn''t help but agree with her statement. A Marquis was more convenient than a Duke for the Supreme Devil Organization. And if they wanted a Duke or Duchess, they would aim for someone with the same power as the Third Prince. Unfortunately, there was no one at that level currently. The throne war had weakened them after all.


    "As for the second matter, it''s rted to the pawn that connects the organization and the marquis. She is known as a Serpent, a powerful Devil Bishop. I''m not sure about this yet, but from what I know, this Serpent is a direct subordinate of a Saint. I don''t know which Saint, but since this matter has involved a Saint, I''m afraid going further without increasing our strength will be extremely dangerous. So, I suggest you stop investigating this matter for a moment."


    Noel narrowed his eyes. "I have asked about the Supreme Devil Organization''s ranks in the past. There are two more ranks above the Devil Bishop, which is equal to that of a Captain in the Demon Banner Army. They are the Devil Saint and the Supreme Devil."


    "It''s said that the Devil Saint has a strength beyond a captain, and they can fight themander but not necessarily have the strength to defeat him."


    "So, their strength is between the Devil Bishop and themander¡­ I guess their strength is like Shale, Milfa, or even Dimitri. The top captains in the Demon Banner Army."


    "As for the Supreme Devil, it''s the leader of the organization. But no one knows his strength. People say that the Supreme Devil is the brain of the organization, and some say that the Supreme Devil has the strength and brain to lead the organization."


    "Nheless, it doesn''t change the fact that a Devil Saint is involved. Dimitri might be able to stop a Devil Saint, but the Devil Saint will surely bring one or two Devil Saints¡­ At this point, I don''t have enough power to survive under their onught."


    Noel could only let out a sigh, filled with disappointment. Sooner orter, they would realize that he was the culprit that caused the destruction of Marquis Walford. So, he had to be stronger as soon as possible.


    "The third problem is that the Marquis is rted to the distribution of Fagant Leaf. At the current stage, we don''t know how many Fagant Leaf has been sent to the Supreme Devil Organization. So, we have to be careful since the organization might use it to strike us."


    "Andst but not least, it seems that we are one of their prioritized targets. I don''t know the reason, but if I have to guess, it will be my talent. As for you, it should be rted to your ancestry."


    "Either way, it will be dangerous for us pretty soon. These are the four things I have found from Marquis Stargaze."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "So, Ie here with the solution, as well as what I know about the expedition. I think this is more important than those four problems."


    "Expedition¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes, remembering the kiss after the expedition. It seemed that her change was rted to the expedition. So, he tried to figure out what caused her change.

 Chapter 651 More Information

    Noel frowned. "Expedition, huh¡­"


    The expedition was truly important since the drug could be researched and used to increase everyone''s strength level. This way, the expansion of humanity would be faster and the humans might have the chance to reim all thends the demons had taken over.


    With this thought in mind, Noel continued reading the next part.


    "The expedition must be rted to a drug store. I can''tpletely exin it, but there should be many new drugs appearing sooner orter."


    "However, you have to remember one thing about the drug. It seems that there will be some drugs that get stolen from this ce. The Supreme Devil Organization will get it as well, improving the strength of its leaders."


    "I don''t want to let that happen, but it''s not possible to prevent it. After all, everyone wants to get a piece of the pie. The Third Prince, the Royal Family, the Tower Association, and even the Demon Banner Army¡­ To satisfy that condition, they are going to let them steal some of it¡­ though as a result, the Supreme Devil Organization will end up receiving some drugs as well."


    "Since I am not a part of the Demon Relief Squad anymore, I have to say this to you¡­ The Demon Relief Zero Squad was supposed to be eliminated in the past. I wouldn''t say the details, but you could say that we were supposed to join the current First Squad."


    "And due to that, the Demon Relief Squad got involved in this expedition. So, I think your squad will receive a reward¡­ probably some of the drugs. I know some good alchemists who work in this kind of job, so can I ask you a favor? I want you to bring a pink-colored pill to me. The shape is a circle and there is a slight gap in the middle. I''m sure you can easily find it if it''s presented to you."


    "If you can do it, I will do my best to repay you. I can''t say a lot of things about this pill, but it will surely help us in the future."


    "Last but not least, I''m talking about the solution to the current situation. Since we have been targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization, it''s better if we can take advantage of that situation."


    "If possible, we have to speed up our progress a bit more¡­ Within eighteen months, we have to reach the Spirit Grandmaster. And you shall be a noble. That''s the only way for us to survive the current problem."


    "That''s all I can say. I''m sorry that I can''t go a bit more specific. But you should know about our bet. If you want to know more about the details, you have to beat me."


    After reading the letter, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. There was a lot of information he had to sort out.


    On the one hand, the problems about the marquis had been solved even though there were some additional problems that lingered around him. On the other hand, whether it was the marquis or this expedition, everything was linked to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "One and a half years to be a Spirit Grandmaster, huh¡­ Well, it''s already within my n. Though, I don''t know if I can seed or not since I have to maintain a good foundation while absorbing the Demon Crystals."


    "At the same time, there are already a lot of details Anna''s written here. It''s clear that she knows more than I do, but I don''t know how she possesses all this information. I guess she has a irvoyance or something."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But the fact that she can''t see the oue after the change, it seems that the irvoyance is not that omnipotent."


    "Still, bing a noble is easier said than done. I have finished the first step, but if I want to be a noble, I have to reveal that I''m Noel Ardagan."


    "The Ardagan Family is hated by the Royal Family and after that execution, it''s hard to believe in me. That''s why the Royal Family is going to be more chaotic. And even though there are a few people that will vouch for me, it''s still not enough. Even I don''t want to swear my loyalty to the Royal Family after all that¡­"


    Noel narrowed his eyes, wondering what he should do about rebuilding the Ardagan Family.


    "Well, I will think about this matterter. Right now, I have to focus on the task¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "Still, I have been receiving a lot of things from her. All these pieces of information might be able to save me one day."


    "I don''t know about the pill, but I''ll do my best. Then again, I can''t let her make me owe her for all this information. I wonder what I can do for her so that she ends up owing me instead of the other way around."


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. The pill actually piqued his interest. He didn''t know how Anna knew about it, but the fact that she requested him meant the pill would be extremely useful in the future.


    They would surely use it together, so he wasn''t really bothered with the request.


    "Hmm¡­ What have I got or encountered ever since I became a Knight in the Demon Banner Army?" Noel recounted all the past events. "The kids, the mercenary group of the independent women, the twin merchants, their father¡­ Wait a minute, their father?"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Noel just remembered that he had managed to make a Master cksmith to be his vassal. In exchange, he could be the first Rune cksmith.


    "I guess this is the only way¡­" Noel took a deep breath. He finally had some goals in mind.


    He started assigning tasks to the people under him. He had to make sure that he took care of his security as well.


    After all, there was one thing that bothered him from the letter. Noel took another nce at that sentence.


    "That''s the only way for us to survive the current problem."

 Chapter 652 Tasks

    "That''s the only way for us to survive the current problem, huh¡­" Noel frowned. "From the way she phrases it, there might be a huge disaster that strikes the kingdom.


    "It will be so chaotic that we can''t guarantee our own lives. That''s why we have to be stronger¡­"


    Noel didn''t know what kind of disaster Anna was talking about, considering he didn''t know anything about the future.


    But since Anna had a hard time looking at the future because of many changes that urred along the line, it was clear that Anna only guessed most of them.


    "I see¡­" Noel took a deep breath. "Well, I''m nning to rebuild my family, so bing a noble is a part of my n. But if I be one, she might have to be an Arbiter if she wants to stay equal to me¡­"


    Noel smirked. He knew what he had to do in the next one and a half years. Although the time was a bit too tight, he should be able to do it.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Without wasting any more time, Noel immediately used his fire to reduce the letter into ashes so that no one could see the content. He then came out of the headquarters.


    They''d got some time off from ra after the expedition, so he used it to go to a remote ce where he could meet Dimitri.


    As expected, now that Dimitri had sworn his loyalty to Noel, Dimitri appeared before Noel called him.


    "Master." Dimitri bowed his head politely. Instead of ''young master,'' he called him Master, indicating his current status.


    Noel nodded. "There are a lot of things I have to do¡­ But I need to inform you of one thing. In one and a half years, I''m going to be a Spirit Grandmaster. It might look reckless, but I''m not going to neglect my foundation. At the very least, I have to be able to defeat an opponent stronger than me even with this speed."


    As expected, Dimitri was shocked to hear about his n.


    "Master. It''s not that I don''t believe in you. In fact, bing a Spirit Grandmaster is easy. As long as you can absorb enough Demon Crystals and train your body to the point it can adapt to that level of Spiritual Energy, you can be a Spirit Grandmaster."


    "But without practice and abilities, you would be extremely weak. Bing a Spirit Master at this speed has shown Master''s talent, but Spirit Grandmaster is on a whole different level, considering most people are stuck in this stage. That''s why¡­" Dimitri became worried.


    Noel shook his head. "I have thought about it. Besides, there is another reason why I wish to advance this way. By making it look reckless, the Royal Family will think that I''m just desperate and not as strong as the other Spirit Grandmasters. This way, the probability of them conferring the family name is higher."


    "Ah!" Dimitri understood the conflict between the Ardagan Family and the Royal Family. They obviously wouldn''t give Noel a chance to rebuild the family if they knew Noel would harm them. But it didn''t apply to a fool. As long as Noel looked like a fool, they wouldn''t think Noel was a huge threat.


    That was why Noel had to keep up with his act.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After understanding Noel''s intention, he was less worried but still couldn''t approve of such a decision.


    Noel added, "I will do it even if you tell me otherwise. Instead, I will show you that I''m a man of my word. If you still think it''s not enough, then you can stop me once again."


    "Anyway, I have a few tasks for you." Noel raised three fingers. "First, I want you to go to the Master cksmith and create a Rune Armor. I want to create an armor that is suitable for a woman since you will send that armor to Anna. It seems that I owe her a bit too much, so I want to turn the situation around, you see."


    "Of course, wait until I have received the reward from the squad before leaving this ce."


    "Secondly, I want you to check the situation around me. I''m sure that the other kingdoms have begun their move, especially the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "It seems that this is the time I make some contact with them. At the very least, I can understand their kingdom''s specialty. Just meeting them alone is enough to cause some misunderstanding. It''s risky, but the reward should be worth it."


    "Last but not least, I want you to gather the resources and research that the Ardagan Family has. I''m going to be a lord soon, so I have to prepare myself."


    Dimitri thought for a moment. He could understand the orders since everything was necessary for the development. Though, he was a bit skeptical about giving a Rune Armor to Anna, considering it would be the first Rune Armor that would be worn by a person.


    Even if he wanted to repay her, that was a bit too much. He looked at Noel''s expression before asking, "I apologize if I''m being presumptuous, but I have to inquire about your rtionship with Miss Anna Stargaze, Master. What do you think of her?"


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes, stunned. He never thought Dimitri would ask something like this. He even used honorifics for Anna.


    "There is nothing between us. We are simply a partner in crime, trying to escape from the grand scheme of things." Noel shook his head helplessly. He already had a headache thinking about the kiss, so he didn''t want to talk about it.


    But Noel''s reaction was enough to tell that he had considered it carefully.


    "Well, I don''t have any reason to stop you. Though, you have to remember that you have be an adult. Once you rebuild the Ardagan Family, you should know about the first problem a noble family will face¡­" Dimitri paused for a moment. "Anyway, I have received your orders. I shallplete it as soon as possible."


    Noel nodded. Since he had finished his business with Dimitri, he had to give another task to Harley since he needed a lot of information.


    But before that, he was summoned by ra to receive the reward from the expedition.

 Chapter 653 Reward

    Noel stood in front of ra. He was summoned to her office, but it seemed that the others didn''t receive the same treatment.


    So, there must be something more important that the rest of the people didn''t have to know.


    Noel couldn''t help but ask, "May I know why you summoned me here, Captain?"


    ra looked at him with a solemn expression. However, she couldn''t hide the tiredness from her gaze. She let out a long sigh and said, "I''m talking about your achievement in the previous expedition. Thanks to you, we manage to preserve our core fighters. Even our casualties are far lower than our original expectations.


    "Your achievement has to be rewarded. That''s why is there anything you want to request from me? I''ll try to amodate your request as much as possible. Even the other captains have agreed to it."


    Noel thought for a moment. This was the time for his reward. On the one hand, he had a request from Anna. On the other hand, this might be a huge opportunity for him to be stronger.


    He had thought about this before, but as expected, once he was presented with this question, he had to rethink his decision.


    ''Should I get a pill for Anna? Seeing how important it is to the expedition, it must be hard to get some pills. And it will be suspicious as well¡­ And I will also lose a huge opportunity if I request this reward.''


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. If he chose the pill, he might benefit from Anna in the future. If he chose something else, he might get the benefit here and polish it even more in the future.


    Still, the former would allow him to deepen his rtionship with Anna even further. It seemed that it was more beneficial in the future to have Anna as an ally, considering her irvoyant is extremely overpowered.


    However, Noel faced one problem. Even though he could request the pink pill, ra would be suspicious since Anna had taken an interest in him. So, he couldn''t be obvious when asking for the reward.


    After some thought, Noel finally gave his answer. "Do you think it is possible to request the drugs from the expedition? I don''t need a lot of them, just one of them for each type¡­"


    "Huh?" ra dropped her jaw, confused. She never thought Noel would request the drug, which was the reason for the expedition.


    However, she had seen a lot of medicine from the facility. Judging from its quantity, losing one of each type shouldn''t be a big deal if it was to reward the person with the highest achievement during the expedition.


    But it would surely create some suspicion and problems. ra considered the pros and cons before epting Noel''s request.


    "I can do that for you, but I can''t guarantee the quantity and quality."


    "It''s fine. I want as many types as you can grant me." Noel smiled, feeling a bit relieved.


    ra looked at Noel for a moment, thinking, ''Why did he request the medicine? Is he able to understand the medicine? No, I don''t think he has that ability. Then, does that mean he has people with that kind of ability?''


    ''Now that I think about it, the Ardagan Family was a big family with a deep background. Even though it had been ruined, Noel should still preserve some of its strength. It should be rted to Noel''s progress.''


    ''That makes sense. In that case, Noel is nning to research it by himself so that it will be beneficial to his family.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ra misunderstood Noel''s reason. But this was probably the best reason she could think of without ounting for Anna.


    ra nodded her head. "I will do my best, but I can''t guarantee it. Since I have to ask for themander''s approval, it will take at least two weeks to get the reward in case it''s approved."N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I understand." Noel nodded. "We are free for one month after the expedition, so we still have some time¡­"


    "Yeah. For now, you should rest and think about what you should do in order to get stronger. If we are not careful, the next expedition might wipe us out."


    "Yes, Captain." Noel bumped his chest before leaving the room. He managed to get the pills without raising any suspicion. Although it wasn''t guaranteed that he could get that pill, he had done his best.


    So, he just left the rest to fate.


    ''Now that I have solved the problem with the pill¡­ what should I do next?'' Noel walked out of the building while thinking. He had been bothered by a few things in the past month.''


    ''Well, something is not right. I have done a lot of things to try to invoke some missions during the expedition. But surprisingly, there is only one mission¡­''


    Noel opened the mission again to recall the information.


    [Mission: Complete the Third Prince''s task ording to the Host''s best possible oue.]


    [Description: The Third Prince will issue you a task soon, so you have to finish it. But because the Host doesn''t know whether the Third Prince is good or bad, the Host has to consider everything first.]


    [Reward: Second Slot Medal.]


    ''This mission is leaning to the Third Prince instead of the Expedition. So, I should receive at least one more mission that is rted to the sess of the expedition¡­''


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. ''Still, Ardagan is concerned about my Spiritual Energy Reserve even though I have be a Spirit Master¡­ Is the Second Slot Medal taking that much reserve?''


    ''Or is there something I don''t know? I have asked Ardagan a few times, but he hasn''t given me any reply. Heisk has been the one talking to me this whole time.''


    ''As for thest mission, it''s about Anna''s secret. Does that mean the expedition is not important?''


    Noel couldn''t help but wonder if he had made a wrong calction in predicting the mission.


    Ardagan had never banned him from learning about how the system worked, so he had been trying to find a loophole to exploit. But it felt like the previous loophole that he found suddenly disappeared.


    ''Hmm¡­ Is there a change from Ardagan?''

 Chapter 654 Ardagans Sacrifice

    Once he thought about it, a reply suddenly came. From the way it talked, it seemed Ardagan finally responded to him again.


    [Please take me out.]


    ''Huh?'' Noel was stunned for a moment. He hurriedly went to an open area so that he could take out Ardagan without a problem.


    It was there he finally found the change from Ardagan.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped after finding a small circle on Ardagan''s de. "What is this?"


    [Do you remember the time I talked about the fact that our senses are shared?]


    ''Yes.'' Noel almost forgot that he was in an open area where he could be observed. So, he immediately stopped talking out loud and returned to using his inner voice.


    [We have been sharing our senses this whole time, but the way we sense the world is different, so you might haven''t noticed it. So, I will be telling you directly.]


    [The circle on my body is the second slot medal.]


    ''The second slot medal? I''m sorry, but I don''t think I understand what you''re talking about. Isn''t the medal rted to the amount of my Spiritual Energy Reserve?''


    [Yes and no.]


    [Even though I am considered a Spirit, I am still nothing but a sword. My sense as an object is different from yours. The way I sense everything around me is reflected in the medal you have.]


    [For example, if you''re using the Newbie Medal, which grants you a boost in Sword Mastery, Spiritual Energy, and Rune Mastery. I have to block my sense and focus my power so that I can lend it to you.]


    [In other words, the Spiritual Energy increase is basically me absorbing the Spiritual Energy around and creating an additional reserve for you. It, by no means, increases your original reserve. The same applies to the Sword Mastery and Rune Mastery.]


    [With that, the second slot medal is basically me growing stronger. You can say that I have gotten stronger and can amodate more power.]


    [If you use the Newbie Medal and the Demon Hunter Medal at the same time. A portion of me will boost you while the other half is there to sense the energy from the demons and share it with you.]


    ''¡­'' Noel fell silent for a moment. He had never thought about this. After the Spirit Link, his senses and sensitivity to the Spiritual Energy drastically increased. He understood that it was how Heisk perceived this world.


    However, he might have been blinded by this small achievement that he forgot that he had never thought about Ardagan''s senses.


    When he was being confronted like this, he could see the grave mistake he had made.


    Noel couldn''t help but look at Ardagan with a solemn expression. ''It seems that I have wronged you¡­''


    Noel noticed how he had neglected his spirits. He immediately lowered his head and said inwardly, ''Ardagan, Heisk. I''d like to apologize for being neglectful. Even though I have been trying to find out about both of you, I have realized that I haven''t put any effort into it.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [You have done nothing wrong. The stronger the power, the more it will blind its owner. Even your ancestor only realized it after wielding me for ten years. Just from how you realize it in just two years has shown your talent.]


    [Don''t forget that before I''m a Spirit, I''m just a tool. I''m a tool to kill people. Those people might be your enemies, they might be your allies, or they might be just innocent people.]


    [Nheless, realizing it, making a change, and putting in an effort is something I appreciate. That''s why I''m ready to support you with all my strength. Just like you, we are going to get stronger so that we can give you more power.]


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. As Ardagan said, he was a tool. Whether it was his de form or the system, it didn''t change his fundamentals. That was why he had been ignoring the fact he was a Spirit, a living being.


    He was his partner, not his tool that he could take advantage of as much as he wanted.


    There might be a reason why Ardagan didn''t talk to him. He might be busy making changes or he might not be able to tell the secret. But one thing was for sure, Ardagan was doing his best to support him.


    Once he understood it, he looked at the circle on the de once again and said, ''Ardagan. I have been thinking about this, but what about my daily training? All those missions still give a permanent boost to my body, right?''


    He wanted to know about this because this might be another sacrifice Ardagan had paid.


    [You are half correct.]Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    [If you keep running, you are training your muscles and stamina. That''s the reason why there is an increase in stamina. Of course, I''m also using my own Spiritual Energy to refine your muscle and enhance your stamina. But you can consider it as your body''s true performance.]


    [But in the case of the Spiritual Energy from the mission of sparring with your rival, the Spiritual Energyes from your ancestor.]


    [I can''t tell you much about your ancestor because of a promise. But I still retain some of his power.]


    [The Ardagan Swordsmanship I have imparted to you is the Swordsmanship that your ancestor created when wielding me. The Fire Spirit Abilities from mee from the two wielders before you.]


    [In other words, I am the umtion of experience of your ancestors. As for the increase of Spiritual Energy, it''s basically you using my reserve.]


    [You can say that the mission will stop once you have reached one hundred percent. At that time, we''ll have a perfect assimtion. And that''s the level of the first generation''s wielder.]


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He thought the system was already a great help to him and it was a mystical power that couldn''t be described by someone like him.


    But it turned out there was a logic behind each reward from the system. It was mystical, yet, it felt so down to earth.


    It might look like the system was disappointing since it wasn''t as mystical as one would think. But on the other hand, it showed the sacrifice Ardagan had paid in order to support his wielder.


    Noel, who had neglected all this, felt like he wanted to cry. He wanted to apologize to Ardagan.

 Chapter 655 Missions

    After listening to Ardagan''s exnation, he could finally see some secret from the system.


    ''I see. There is a Training Section where Ardagan helps me improve my body as well as the current state of our assimtion. All that energyes from Ardagan, not my Reserve. In other words, it feels like we are fighting two people at once because of Ardagan.''


    ''As for the Medal, it''s basically Ardagan''s existence. Depending on the medal, Ardagan is matching his needs.''


    ''I don''t know much about the Career. On the one hand, the skills listed on the Career are those from the previous owners or everyone that Ardagan has seen and copied. That''s why there are a lot of abilities I can use. However, I don''t know much about the Career Path.''


    ''At first, I chose the Swordsman Path and finally evolved to Rune Swordsman¡­ I guess this is more like Ardagan allowing me to choose what kind of skill I want next. If I had chosen a Noble or Commander Path, I would have gotten skills rted to that path.''


    ''And there is the Status Panel. I think there isn''t much into it other than summing everything up about me.''


    ''Last but not least, the Shop Panel. This is the weirdest among them. Some items are rted to the system itself. But the rest are something that magically appears¡­''


    ''Is there something I don''t know about Ardagan? Maybe he has a Space Ability or something¡­'' Noel thought for a moment before shaking his head. He couldn''t really find out about it in his current state.


    But this might be the only mystery Ardagan had left to him.


    After some time, Noel asked Ardagan. ''There is something else¡­ which is not rted to system panels. It''s about the missions. All your missions seem to be able to see through the future. Does that mean you have a irvoyant ability?''


    ''Now that I think about it, you have provided me with Noble and Commander Path. As a Noble, you should have eyes that can see far ahead in the future. On the other hand, having a Space Element that can store a lot of things inside is extremely valuable as amander since it can create many wonderful situations on the battlefield.''


    ''Did I have any record about my ancestor using all this ability? He was supposed to be amander, right? If that was the case, shouldn''t he be able to wield this space ability?''


    Unfortunately, Ardagan didn''t answer that question. Instead, he pushed Noel outside, returning him to reality.


    On the one hand, Noel thought his guess was urate. On the other hand, Ardagan wouldn''t act like that if everything was true. It seemed that there were a few things he spected wrong. And it wasn''t the time for him to learn about it yet.


    "Well¡­" Noel let out a long sigh. "At least, I understand Ardagan a bit more. It''s true that I have been relying on him without learning about him¡­ the only thing I have learned is how to take advantage of the loophole."


    Noel nned to reflect on his action and form a better rtionship with both Heisk and Ardagan from this point onward.


    After some consideration, Noel chose four medals to be his main medal that would get revolved depending on the situation.


    Those four medals were the Charm Medal, Demon Hunter Medal, the Newbie Medal, Rivalry Medal.


    The Charm Medal was useful for understanding the opposite party''s thoughts since everything was reflected in their affection for him. The Demon Hunter Medal was the medal he had been using a lot since it would prevent any demon from sneaking up on him.


    The Newbie Medal offered a lot of utilities, while the Rivalry Medal was perfect for training.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    These four were his main medals, while the others might be used in the future, but only in an extreme case.


    It seemed that the upgrade took everything from Ardagan. Now that he had finished, Ardagan could finally give him a few more missions.


    [Mission: Peerless (2)]


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat five Peak Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: Union of Sword, Spiritual Step, and Elite Medal.]


    Noel was surprised by this mission because this was the continuation of the Peerless Mission that gave him the Newbie Medal. But at that time, Ardagan only wanted him to kill three Advanced Level Demons in a single battle.


    It seemed that Ardagan knew that he still couldn''t defeat the previous five Peak Level Demons in the expedition. That was why he wanted him to get stronger and defeat five of them in a single battle.


    As for the reward, he didn''t know anything about the Union of Sword or Spiritual Step. But he could imagine what they were used for.


    What piqued his interest was the Elite Medal. Considering the previous mission gave him a Newbie Medal, this Elite Medal must mean that he had passed the newbie level and finally reached the next level.


    ''There might even be a continuation to this mission¡­ Maybe I''ll get a medal like Veteran or something along the lines¡­'' Noel nodded in understanding.


    He was already interested in this mission, but Ardagan generously gave him another two missions.


    ''This is bing more interesting.'' Noel couldn''t help but think after reading the other two missions.


    [Mission: Repaying One''s Kindness.]


    [Description: Anna has helped you a lot, it''s time to repay her. A Rune Swordsman has always been clear with debt and gratitude. Help her finish her advancement mission in Creek Vige six months from now.]


    [Reward: Force Control.]


    [Mission: Meeting the Representative from the Greenwood Kingdom.]Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    [Description: You have be the center of attention of the four kingdoms. The Greenwood Kingdom has sent their representative to observe you. Determine the best oue that you want from them.]


    [Reward: ???]


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, looking at these two missions. After all, he hade to another realization from these two missions.

 Chapter 656 A Deal

    Noel muttered inwardly, ''Another ''???'' reward. This is the fourth mission I have encountered such a reward. It seems that every time I have this kind of reward, the reward will always be rted to the result of the missionpletion.''


    ''In other words, it feels like Ardagan is withholding the reward and giving the reward depending on my circumstances. Like Rose''s Revenge, if I don''t make such a ruckus, I don''t think Rose''s affection will be that deep. The same applies to the Sword Saint. If I end up having an unruly personality, he might not impart me the technique.''


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. His guesses didn''t seem to be that far from the actual answer. He might be able to use this information to receive something that suited his needs in the future. Then again, he would rarely do this since Ardagan had been supporting him to the best of his ability.


    Meanwhile, the other mission piqued his interest for another reason.


    Even though their rtionship had gone betterpared to the past, Noel still had the desire to make her owe him. This way, he would have the advantage whenever they were trying to reach an agreement.


    However, Ardagan seemed to have taken Anna''s kiss and their bet into consideration. By helping Anna so suddenly like this, Anna would feel a bit indebted to him. There was a chance that he would get some clues about her secret.


    In addition, he would also receive a reward from Ardagan. He didn''t know what this Force Control was all about, but the former reward was already enough for him to take it.


    Though, there was another problem. Since Anna was having a mission in Creek Vige, he didn''t know how to go there.


    Luckily, he remembered the possibility of Ardagan having a irvoyant ability. It seemed that Ardagan had taken a peek into the future and knew that he would be nearby.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Well, I can dispatch some people from the brothel to find out about this Creek Vige. This way, I will have some more information before the mission starts¡­'' Noel thought.


    There were a lot of things he could do after understanding Ardagan''s power.


    Now that he had discovered everything, he was going to make preparations for the next step.


    ¡­


    Just like Noel, Anna had also begun her preparation.


    Instead of returning with her father, she took a detour to visit a certain house.


    In the city called Draeam, there was a small alchemy store within a narrow and dark alley.


    A person covered with a ck robe entered this alley and opened the store''s door. Surprisingly, even though the door looked run down, and the alley was giving an eerie feeling, the interior of the storepletely gave a different feeling.


    The orange light warmed the store and the neat decoration made one feel like they had returned home.


    The floor was clean and there didn''t seem to be any speck of dust on all shelves.


    Because of the location, the store was pretty much deserted. No one seemed to be looking around the store.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There was only a middle-aged man sitting on the counter, who seemed to be sleeping.


    If they looked at his face, they would find a huge ck bag under his eyes. Hisplexion was also pale. He looked like he hadn''t slept for a few days.


    Yet, when Anna stood in front of him, she said, "I know you are awake. Why bother pretending to be asleep?"


    "¡­" The middle-aged man didn''t give any response as if he waspletely asleep.


    "Spirit Awakening." But the moment she called out a name, the middle-aged man suddenly opened his eyes.


    He suddenly rose from his position and looked at her. There was no drowsiness on his face.


    Anna may have covered her body and head, but she didn''t cover her face, allowing him to find out about her identity.


    "Well, well¡­ never in my wildest dream will the famous Anna Stargaze appear in my store¡­" The middle-aged man frowned.


    Anna smirked. "It''s an honor for the former Royal Alchemist of the Zaecuria Kingdom, Sir Khalid, to know my name."


    "As expected, you already know my identity. I thought I had erased all my tracespletely. I simply want to live the rest of my life peacefully, you see¡­ So, what should I do with you¡­" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became cold.


    Anna remained calm. She raised her hand as if asking him to stop while saying, "I''m sure you know about my purpose here¡­"


    The middle-aged man remembered what Anna said to wake him up, but he didn''t say anything as if he was allowing Anna to borate on her words.


    Anna continued, "I know that you are researching a drug that can awaken one''s Spirit forcefully. I have a clue that might interest you."


    "Hoh?" Anna seemed to have figured out about him, so Khalid didn''t even bother to hide it anymore. "There is nothing such as a free meal in this world¡­ I''m assuming you want something from me, right?"


    "Yeah." Anna closed her eyes for a moment, recalling all the past events where she took someone''s future possession.


    She muttered inwardly, ''Alchemist Khalid. The name that will shake the world in the future. In my past life, he managed to create a drug that could awaken the spirit forcefully. But this drug didn''t awaken the Spirit for those who hadn''t discovered them.''


    ''Instead, his drug stimted the Spirit''s potential and gave a lot of benefits to its users. It was simr to the benefit of the Spirit Link. At that time, he wasn''t affiliated with anyone else. He found the drug in the mysterious facility through his own strength.''


    ''In other words, he was a free man in the past life. But to solve the problem that would ur in the near future, he has toplete his research sooner than in his past life.''


    "I want to propose a deal." Anna smiled. She also remembered that Noel was the one supplying the drug and she was there only to be the third party that connected them. So, she didn''t n to take all the credits. Hence, she added, "In exchange for providing you a huge lead to your research, I want you to be my¡­ no, our allies."

 Chapter 657 Ocean Pearl Necklace

    Inside a small bedroom, Noel politely bowed. There was a man in front of him, who his father once served, the Third Prince.


    As expected, since the expedition was over, the Third Prince woulde to him to get the blueprint.


    Noel didn''t hesitate to present the map of the facility to the Third Prince.


    While he was lowering his head, the Third Prince looked at the map carefully. After a few minutes, he finally said, "Good work, Noel Ardagan. As expected of the son of Luke Ardagan, you didn''t fail me this time again."


    "I''m honored by your words," Noel answered with a calm tone.


    "Where are you going next?" The Third Prince asked.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in surprise. The question confused him, but thankfully, he was lowering his head, so the Third Prince didn''t notice his change of expression.


    Normally, the Third Prince would have known about his next course. Though, it seemed like he was able to adjust his course to a certain level.


    It might be due to the nt Lord and the Supreme Devil Organization that themander didn''t seem to ept any more requests from outside the army. That was why the Third Prince didn''t know about his next destination, let alone change its course.


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "I apologize, Your Highness. However, I still haven''t received any mission from Captain ra."


    "I see." The Third Prince looked down, contemting. He exined, "Normally, the mission would have gone to your Captain one week before the departure. Due to the current situation, they might be trying to be more careful. We can''t let the Demon Relief Squad, especially you, die because of someone''s interference after all."


    "Well, I will be busy for some time, so I guess you can move independently for the time being."


    "Still, you have worked hard for me. Giving me this map alone is putting you in a hard position. That''s why I won''t be stingy." The Third Prince took out a small ne and handed it to him.


    "This is¡­" Noel looked at the ne innocently. The string that made the ne didn''t seem to be anything special, but his eyes were taken by the blue gem on it.


    "This is called Ocean Pearl. You should know that there is a country that has a border where there is only endless water, right?"


    "Or so I heard." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "I got this pearl when I was visiting that kingdom. ording to the legend, this pearl came from the bottom of the ocean."


    "Ocean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. He didn''t know this word after all.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "It''s the endless water. People over there called it Ocean or Sea."


    "I see."


    "This pearl came from the bottom of the ocean¡­ Even I don''t know about the sea that much, but from the legend, it''s said that no light can reach the bottom of the ocean, no normal humans can withstand the pressure in that ce, and the temperature there is extremely cold."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Due to that condition, this gem called Ocean Pearl has a unique attribute. It allows you to increase the weight of water to a certain degree."


    "You should know that ice is made by freezing the water, right? This should be useful for you." The Third Prince exined the reason why he gave such a ne.


    Noel never expected that the Third Prince would give him something so valuable. At the same time, he couldn''t help but realize how cunning the Third Prince was.


    There were at least three hidden reasons for giving him this ne. First of all, the ne only affected his Ice Element, which he had to seal due to his current identity. That was why even if he gave him this ne, Noel wouldn''t be able to use it.


    Secondly, by giving this ne, he would give the impression that he was a good and benevolent lord to follow, even though the ne was useless to the current him.


    Last but not least, the Third Prince knew that Noel had to seal his Ice Ability for the time being. But in the near future, he would surely reveal it to the world. And this ne would give a huge boost to his strength.


    Noel would be grateful once he saw how useful it was.


    Because of these three reasons, Noel became even more skeptical of this Third Prince. He even wondered if his father had told him about the grand scheme or not.


    The Third Prince might not know about his father''s condition. And that was a huge advantage for him and his father.


    It also seemed that his father didn''t trust himpletely despite supporting him with all his might.


    In other words, the Third Prince was also suspicious.


    The Third Prince thought for a moment and said, "If you manage toplete the next mission, I''m thinking about inviting you to a gathering with some of my allies. I''m sure that it will be beneficial for you. However, you have to remember that you are Iadre, not Noel Ardagan."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I''m grateful for the opportunity you''ve given me." Noel politely thanked him.


    The Third Prince felt a bit weird about how polite Noel was. But considering Noel''s past self, he could understand why Noel was awkward. In fact, if he suddenly changed, he would realize there was something wrong with the Ardagan Family.


    But since he hadpleted his objective, he grabbed the map and headed to the door. Before leaving the room, the Third Prince added, "Don''t forget that you have to keep getting stronger. The Royal Family seems to be nning to get Anna Stargaze, who has be a Spirit Master."


    "I''m not nning to lose to them. So, I want you to keep getting stronger so that by the time you reveal your identity, I can gain more benefits. Understand?"


    "I''ve received your order." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    After confirming Noel''s expression, the Third Prince left the room. He didn''t realize that just like him judging Noel, thetter was also observing him. And it seemed that Noel managed to confirm some suspicions.


    Though, now that the Third Prince had left, he was nning to meet a few more people.

 Chapter 658 Three Options

    The next person he met was a middle-aged man. His age seemed to be simr to Dimitri''s. Luckily, Dimitri managed to find him hiding among the people to observe him.


    And there was only one more influence that would find out about his real identity. He was none other than the Greenwood Kingdom''s representative. His grandfather should have figured out that Noel was Iadre due to the few clues he had left.


    He would tell the king and finally cause this meeting to happen. There was no way his grandfather would allow such a danger to befall his grandson, so he persuaded the king to have a peaceful approach.


    That was why he chose to meet this person. Though, Dimitri was a bit skeptical since this person''s strength was simr to his.


    Ultimately, Dimitri had to apany Noel in the meeting since he couldn''t allow Noel being kidnapped or getting killed during the negotiation.


    Noel sat in front of the middle-aged man with a calm expression. The middle-aged man had long blue hair that was tied neatly on his back. Noel could tell by the cross scar on his left cheek and from the smaller scars visible on his arms that this man had gone to at least hundreds of battles.


    His calm demeanor was like the calm before the storm. However, his eyes gave him a feeling that he was able to see through his character.


    In addition to his strength, he could understand why this person was the representative of the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "I am Noel Ardagan. It''s a pleasure to meet the representative of the Greenwood Kingdom." Noel stated with a calm expression.


    That introduction couldn''t help but slightly change the middle-aged man''s expression. He said, "I never thought you would give away your identity that easily, considering there were only a few people who knew about it."


    "If I didn''t n to introduce myself like that, there was no need for me to meet you." Noel shook his head helplessly.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The man fell silent for a moment before ncing at Dimitri. It seemed that he had seen through Dimitri''s strength.


    ''I see. With a bodyguard of that level, there''s no way the Ardagan Family would fall without a fight. It seems that there is a deeper scheme ying in it. Though, that''s not my mission.''


    The man paused before introducing himself. "I am Damian Fletcher, the vicemander of the Royal Family. It''s my pleasure to meet you."


    "¡­" Noel didn''t show it on his face, but he was a bit startled when he learned that the man in front of him was that important. "The pleasure is mine."


    The corner of his lips slightly curved as if he was amused by Noel''s reaction. He said, "I don''t think we both like to deal with pleasantries, so I''ll cut to the chase."


    Noel nodded in agreement, giving him the time to tell him the request.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "His Majesty expresses his intention to be your friend. He has recognized your talent and achievements."


    "Hence, His Majesty has given you three options. First, he would like you to be one of the royalties. He is aware that your ancestry is linked to the royal family, but due to being separated by a few generations, your royal blood has be extremely thin."


    "So, if you want, he is nning to marry you with the second princess. She is extremely smart and I can list a few of her achievements, including the fact that she has be a team leader in the Royal Magician. ording to your grandfather, you are not someone who considers a woman as an essory to make you shine brighter, so he is nning to give you the most talented unmarried princess. Of course, she is still one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom."


    Noel didn''t have any change of expression, but he could understand how far the king could go. And if he became royalty, the king could easily reinstate the Ardagan Family, but in the Greenwood Kingdom.


    When that happened, he would surely dedicate the Rune Book to the Greenwood Royal Family. The benefits were a lot, but the price to pay was also heavy.


    Seeing Noel''s poker face, the man continued, "The second option is to be your friend. He is aware that the first option might get rejected since if you are someone that desires power, you would have gone to the Greenwood Kingdom and presented your achievement through the Ezenholm Family."


    "By bing a friend, His Majesty can exert some of his power to protect you. It also means that you are not going to be a threat to us. However, there is no such thing as a free meal. I''m sure you can imagine the price you have to pay¡­"


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. Of course, he understood it. In fact, that was the reason why the king ced such importance on Noel.


    He wanted Noel to develop the Rune and present it to them. He could add some conditions, but it would still restrain him since the priority should be in the Greenwood Kingdom.


    That was why he added thest condition. Though, judging from its content, the one who suggested it must be his grandfather.


    "As for the third option, considering you are from a Merchant Family, his majesty is nning to have a business with you."


    "In exchange for the Rune Development, he will help you on some asions. This will give you the most freedom."


    Noel knew that for a country, a threat was something that had to be eliminated. That was why there should be the fourth condition, but there was no way this man would tell him.


    Of course, Noel could see some benefits by engaging in a business rtionship with him. With the Greenwood Kingdom getting priority over the rune development from the developer itself, it was clear that the Greenwood Kingdom would be the most developed country. It was enough to gain prestige, influence, and money. They would benefit the most from this deal.


    "These are the three options His Majesty has given you. I hope that you can make the right choice."


    Noel''s expression remained calm as if he had already chosen the option before the negotiation even began.

 Chapter 659 Agreement

    A smile suddenly appeared on Noel''s face. He looked at the middle-aged man and gave the answer he had prepared before.


    "Even though the Ardagan Family was a noble family, my father was more of a merchant than a noble. As his son, of course, I have been taught as a merchant. That''s why there is only one answer from me. I will choose the third option."


    The middle-aged man looked at Noel''s expression. Because he hailed from the Greenwood Kingdom, from his perspective, this was the least desirable oue.


    After all, they couldn''t get Noel entirely and only acted for a matter of interest. In fact, if Noel was someone who came from the Greenwood Kingdom, marrying the second princess would do him good.


    As someone that smart, the princess lived far away from the throne war. Although she might still end up getting involved in it, if they worked together, it was possible to escape from the throne war. This way, he wouldn''t repeat what happened to the Ardagan Family when supporting the Third Prince.


    However, he could understand if that matter had given him trauma, which stopped him from choosing the first option.


    That was why the second option existed. As a friend of the royal family, specifically their king, Noel would be able to get a lot of resources and stand away from the throne war, considering the king would hide him until it was over.


    And with his protection, the Muivell Kingdom wouldn''t be able to do anything to him. Once it was over, he might be granted a fief and a family name due to his achievement in runes.


    Yet, Noel actually chose the third option. He had even pressured him to choose the best option, but he refused to be one of them and wanted to take a risk by living in this kingdom.


    When he was about to feel disappointed by Noel''s choice, thetter added, "I''m sure that His Majesty sends you here to observe me. If not, then you won''t be sticking around me for a long time without making an appearance.


    "I don''t know the time limit for that observation, but I think it''s more beneficial for both of us if we do this."


    Noel smirked while pointing at him. "Why don''t you continue observing me until the time limit? During the time you are around, I''ll call you when I need your help. Depending on the matter, we can negotiate the terms.


    "For example, I have thought about two more ways of utilizing the runes. It''s true that the only ''known'' way to utilize it, is to use it as a Spirit Enchantment, but¡­"


    Noel raised his finger, forming a small rune. He used the Strength Blessing Rune to grant a temporary boost to this man called Damian Fletcher.


    Damian was startled by the sudden burst of strength. Although the rune wasn''t that effective with his current level, it should be useful for the lower level people. And if the runes could still be improved, there might be a rune strong enough that would give enough strength where it truly mattered for him.


    "This is¡­" Damian looked at his hands, startled. But Noel''s surprise didn''t end there.


    He lifted up the cup and embedded the Enhance Forward Rune to add a motion to the cup. Suddenly, the cup flew toward Damian.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At that speed, it would strike him and ssh all the content in it, but Damian skillfully caught the cup. He even used Spiritual Energy to stop the fluid from leaving the cup.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Still, Damian couldn''t help but gasp, realizing what Noel had just shown him.


    "This is just the prototype though. I still have to experiment more to understand the extent of this power."


    "That''s why I am offering you this deal. You should know that my current path is full of thorns. So, I''m sure that there wille a time when I need your power."


    "Every time I ask for your help, we can negotiate the reward. I still have a few more ideas where I can explore the usage of the runes. But if I''m too greedy, I won''t be able to offer you a good piece. So, I''m going to focus on these two applications first. I think it''s enough, right?"


    Damian narrowed his eyes. He never thought that the situation had changed. If Noel wanted to propose a deal, he would need time to gather the reward. This way, he could somehow force Noel to take the second option.


    Yet, Noel dumbfounded him by the two applications of runes. In that instant, he realized that the creator understood the rune more than anyone else. And if they wanted to advance far faster than any kingdom, he would have to agree to this condition.


    He could easily report it to the kingdom and have Noel eliminated. But the king had told him to make a friendly approach first. And if he returned to the Greenwood Kingdom, the man behind Noel would find out about it. That way, he would lose Noel''s trust since there was a possibility that he came for the sake of eliminating the future threat.


    In other words, he had to make the decision here.


    He couldn''t help but remember what he said to him after presenting the three options.


    "I hope you can make the right choice."


    And somehow, the situation had been turned around and these words were imposed on him instead.


    Damian raised his head, looking at Dimitri behind Noel. He realized that this man''s strength was simr to him. If they fought here, they would create a huge disturbance. And the Muivell Kingdom would use that as an excuse to demandpensation for infiltrating their kingdom.


    That was why even though the situation had been turned around and Noel seemed to give him a few options to choose from, he actually only had one path.


    Damian took a deep breath, feeling defeated. He said, "It''s a pleasure to work with you."

 Chapter 660 A Surprise?

    "I have been here for two months, while the time limit is one year. But considering the situation, I shall push back the schedule. Instead of one year after my arrival, it will be one year after this agreement."


    "In other words, I shall stick around you for one year." Damian thought for a moment and took out a small badge.


    The badge had an ''X'' shape with a red-colored jade in the middle. Damian took out a simr badge and pointed at the jade in the center.


    "This badge has been embedded with Link Enchantment. Since you know about the better version of the Spirit Enchantment, you should be aware of its effect, right?"


    Noel nodded. "It''s to link two objects. But the length depends on its size."


    "Yes. This badge here can transmit your energy within fifty meters. Once you pour your energy here, I will try to find you within an hour since I can''t easily enter the fort in your expedition."


    "If I don''te within an hour, you should pour the energy once more. There is a case where I''m out of range. Though, since you have understood thepleted version of this enchantment, it might be better if you can fix it and increase its effect."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. As expected of the vicemander of the royal guard, even if he could somehow defeat him in the mind battle, he wouldn''t go down without a fight.


    By asking Noel to fix it, he would be able to assess Noel''s ability in runes. Though, Noel did his best to remain calm and ignored that statement. He only nodded his head and said, "Alright. I understand. I''ll contact you when I''m in a safe area¡­"


    Damian nodded, acting as if he never said thest part.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He stood up and politely extended his hand.


    Noel shook his hand with a smile. He had finally gotten another protector.


    Damian didn''t realize at that time, Noel''s deal was there to protect himself from him.


    He was nning to be a Spirit Grandmaster within one and a half years. By that time, he wouldn''t be able to kill him anymore.


    And with this deal, he was forced to protect Noel until he grew strong enough. Damian simply didn''t believe that Noel could reach the Spirit Grandmaster level anytime soon. After all, Spirit Master and Spirit Grandmaster were different.


    When they reached the Spirit Master, they usually maxed out their Low Level and Mid Level Demon Crystal quota. Even the High Level Demon Crystals might not have that much space left.


    If they wanted to advance further, they had to kill Peak Level Demons if not Superior Demons. And it was impossible to gather the Demon Crystals from those Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons easily.


    What he didn''t know was that Noel''s limit was twice that of normal people. He might need to max out his Low, Mid, and High Level Demon Crystals, but he would still have a lot of space for the Peak Level Demons.


    By the time he realized it, Noel had be strong enough to protect himself from him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Since we have reached an agreement, it''s better for me to go into hiding again. After all, we don''t want to make others feel suspicious by meeting here." Damian smiled before walking away.


    Though, as he moved away, his eyes were focused on Noel instead of Dimitri. He couldn''t help but feel something was weird from Noel, but he couldn''t really describe it.


    After that agreement, Noel couldn''t help but return to his seat while leaning back. He let out a sigh of relief while saying with a tired tone. "That man is too strong."


    Damian might have restrained his aura, but because of Dimitri, a bit of his aura ended up leaking as if it was his instinct to protect himself from Dimitri.


    Dimitri didn''t know about it since he was an assassin, not a fighter. He knew how to hide his power, but in this case, that action ended up making Damian even more restless.


    Since he also felt Damian''s strength, Dimitri said with a smile. "I am impressed, Master. To think you would be able to remain that calm when facing that aura. You should feel that it was like there was a lion standing in front of you, right?"


    "Yeah. It felt like it was about to bite me if I just let my guard down for a second." Noel sighed. "Do people of your level have that kind of strength?"


    "I can''t say for those who have just reached this stage, but once you train for a long time, you will have something like that naturally¡­ You should be able to differentiate between people who have killed and those who haven''t, right?"


    "Ah. It is simr to killing intent." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "In a way¡­ yes." Dimitri agreed. "So, what should we do next? There should be no more people you want to meet in this ce, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel took out a pink pill and handed it to Dimitri. "I want you to take this pill to Anna. You shouldn''t be that worried since I now have another protector, right?"


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Dimitri made an awkward smile. As a butler, he surely wanted to protect Noel. But as his right hand man, he knew that this task was more important.


    Although he couldn''t approve of Damian yet, he knew that Damian wouldn''t do anything foolish for a while. It should be enough for him to finish all the tasks Noel gave him.


    So, Dimitri grabbed the pill and asked, "Do you want to pass any message to her?"


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "Tell her that I will give her a surprise six months from now."


    Dimitri''s eyebrows twitched. "Master. The way you phrase it sounds like you are going to propose to her or something, you know."


    "¡­" Noel looked away. He wasn''t that oblivious since a noble would already have been engaged or married at his age. But he still remembered the kiss that took him by surprise. He wanted to pay her back a little bit, so he said, "Just say it as it is. I don''t care."


    "Well¡­" Dimitri sighed helplessly. Since Noel had given the order, he only had to execute it.

 Chapter 661 New Mission

    "This is your next mission." ra ced down a piece of paper. Everything rted to the mission was written on it.


    Noel and Paul were the first ones to look at it, considering one was the one responsible for the group while the other was the squad''s brain.


    But surprisingly, Noel only took three seconds to look at it before stepping back, saying, "Rose. You should take a look at it first."


    "!!!" Rose was surprised that Noel gave her a chance, considering his opinion was worth more than her. Although no one said it, they knew that Noel''s n was better than Rose''s.


    However, as the future head of the Ardagan Family, Noel had to know how to give his people a chance to develop their talents. If he was the one taking care of everything, he would die because of overwork.


    Hence, he wanted to create an independent system where he, as the head of the family, was there to supervise them instead of doing everything by himself.


    Rose doubted her power a bit, but since Noel had given her a chance, she chose to step forward, trying to understand the mission.


    Rose furrowed her eyebrows for five minutes before exining, "First of all, I''m going to brief you about the mission."


    "This time, the mission will be a joint effort again. Our partner will be the Demon Barrier Squad."


    "ording to the information, the Demon Barrier Squad is having a few severe problems due to the recent demon''s activity."


    "More and more demons areing out of their nest, wreaking havoc in a few cities nearby. The Demon Barrier Squad has been using all their strength to stop them, but because of their number, they have stretched themselves thin. If they overexert themselves, there''s a high chance that one of the cities will be breached."


    "Hence, our mission is to provide support to help them pass this matter." Rose paused for a moment. "In this case, we can provide three types of support. The first is the supply. This supply will include healing potions, so the Demon Barrier Squad will be able tost longer. There is also a possibility that we are being their errand boy to connect all those cities. The demons need to be strong enough to stop us, after all."


    "The second type is to be their backup, providing a boost in their firepower. But I don''t think this will happen since if they need more firepower, they will call other squads like the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "So, that arrives at thest type, the additional structures such as forts or any fortifications. This is our core, so I think they want us to fortify their walls."


    ra closed her eyes, letting her subordinates discuss it. Of course, she didn''t mind if they discussed it here since she wanted to see their improvements. They had experienced a lot during the expedition and some of them even felt helpless fighting against those demons. Their desire to improve became stronger than ever, especially after seeing Noel fighting on the front line by himself.


    They didn''t want to lose to Noel. So, they started improving themselves ever since they came back.


    Paul asked, "In that case, what should we do? Should we go to them and ask them about our job?"


    "That is normally the case, but¡­ I think everyone knows that it is just the bare minimum. That''s why we will go one step further." Rose''s expression became serious as she dered. "We are going to bring some supplies for them. So, even if they need anything, we will have them in our storage."


    ra and Noel couldn''t help but smile. Normally, they woulde to them first to know about their role. Rose knew that nothing would change if she didn''t improve. So, she thought one step further.


    Though, there was a problem. Noel was the one to ask it. "Still, if we bring a lot of supplies at first, there will be a problem with the number of luggage. We might have to bring additional carriages, you see."


    Rose nodded and said, "That''s not a problem. We will only add one carriage. By looking at the situation, it seems that they have some problems with the injured, so we''ll focus on bringing potions to help them. It should relieve some pressure from their healers as well."


    "In exchange, there are two water sources in the area, one from the river next to this Moah Town and the other from the city''s well. Food shouldn''t be a problem as well since there are a lot of demons."


    "With this, we should be able topress our luggage into three carriages. With Iadre bing a Spirit Master, our strength has been bolstered, so it shouldn''t be a big problem taking care of three carriages."


    Noel didn''t raise any more objections after that exnation, indirectly telling everyone that he had agreed to this n.


    After some thought, ra also gave her approval. She had seen Rose''s improvement. As for the rest, they had to wait until the battle came.


    Rose nced at Paul and asked, "What do you think, Paul?"


    "I don''t have any problem with the n itself. But the sorting will be a bit more difficult, so how many days do we have left before the departure?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We are leaving the day after tomorrow. We should arrive at our destination in seven days. Due to the amount of time we need to reach our destination, I believe bringing more medicine is better. Well, that''s my reason" Rose exined.


    "I see." Paul nodded in understanding. "Two days should be enough to prepare. Besides, our city is like storage, so we have everything prepared. It should be fine if we also open our squad''s storage, right?"


    ra nodded as she stood, dering, "The Zero Squad shall leave in two days. You are allowed to bring anything you need from the storage within your privilege. If the storage doesn''t have any, you are to procure it by yourself. That''s all."


    All the people in the room pumped their left chest, receiving her instruction.


    After receiving their order, they immediately scattered to do their jobs. Although it wasn''t that visible, there was an improvement in the group. Without them saying anything, they seemed to have realized their own role and started working on it.


    Jonathan and Ben approached Rose, discussing how many items they would bring. Ste and Paul also came together since they were the ones organizing their defense. If there was any attack from the demons, they were the ones responsible formanding the group.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    All that was left was Noel and Zion.


    Zion looked at Noel and asked, "Well, my speed is better for you to use. So, I''ll be supporting you. What should we do?"


    "¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. He said, "There aren''t many things we can do right now. However, you should conserve your stamina because you have to run some errands on the way."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Before reaching our destinations, we are going to pass a few cities, right?"


    "Yeah. There should be a total of seven cities on our way, in which two of them are under attack."


    "I want you to start going around to check thest four cities." Noel raised four fingers, implying that the four cities were the most important.


    "I see. The two cities are indeed the priorities, but the other two before it are important because the battle might affect them¡­ is that right?" Zion asked with a serious expression.


    "Yeah. That''s the problem." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Yeah. The people will panic once they know about the situation. After all, several cities have been impacted. And a lot of noble and wealthy families should have evacuated from the cities. That''s why we need to check their condition to see whether the chaos is happening or not. One wrong move, there will be a lot of casualties after all."


    Zion nodded in understanding. "Yeah. I can see that. In that case, other than those four cities, should I go around to look at the others after our arrival? No, it should be my job, right?"


    "Not yet. We have to gather the information first. The Demon Barrier Squad will provide us with some information while you shall go around to confirm it and see if there are more."


    "Only after confirming the problems shall you go to other cities. Although those cities are important, it doesn''t change the fact that the main problem is the Demon Barrier Squad."


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom "I see." Zion sighed. It seemed that his improvement still couldn''t hold a candle to Noel''s brain.


    But since he had understood his role, Zion said, "Alright then. I will make my preparation. I need a lot of things so that I can conserve my energy while moving around, after all."


    "Sure." Noel waved his hand and proceeded with his own task.


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    ra personally saw them off since this mission was the chance to see their personal growth.


    ra said, "I believe in you guys. Go out there and make those people from the Demon Barrier Squad feel ashamed for theirck of ability."


    "Yes, Captain."

 Chapter 662 Movement In The Shadow

    Their departure was also seen by Damian, albeit from a farther spot since he didn''t want to rm ra.


    Damian couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, staring at this group.


    He couldn''t help but mutter, "To think they areing out just like this, do they not know that they are being observed from all directions?"


    Damian still remembered the information he had gotten beforeing to this country.


    He looked at the document while furrowing his eyebrows. "The Demon Relief Squad retreats to their base due to them being targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization. This is just a conjecture, but after looking at most shes with the Supreme Devil Organization, the Demon Relief Squad should have be the priority to be destroyed."


    He didn''t know what happened for such an organization to exclusively target only a specific group, but once he looked at the list of the squad''s achievements, he could finally understand why.


    The squad had stopped the organization a few times. So, it would be a problem if they continued to live.


    So, they wanted to eliminate them as quickly as possible. There was also an incident in the previous expedition.


    With this, he knew that even if there were no people around this ce, they were still following the movement of the Demon Relief Squad.


    "Hmm¡­" Damian narrowed his eyes. "First of all, the Demon Banner Army is putting a lot of resources into this Demon Relief Squad. I''m sure theirmander is doing their best to ensure the group''s safety. But that is not enough."


    "After all, the royal family will be interested in it as well. I don''t know what they have done, but if I''m not wrong, Noel Ardagan is pretty famous in the kingdom."


    "Although most people still don''t know he is still alive, it doesn''t change the fact that there are already a lot of people who know his identity."


    "He has expected that once he reveals that information to someone, it''s bound to spread no matter how they try to keep it a secret."


    "But someone like him wouldn''t do something so foolish unless he has something to gain¡­" Damian fell silent for a moment before gasping as if he had realized something. "Don''t tell me, he is spreading his information on purpose?"


    "If that''s the case, what''s the reason for it? I don''t know the exact reason, but I''m pretty sure that they want to focus on him¡­ But he has been carefully building up his power, so why would he reveal it¡­"


    Damian suddenly remembered one piece of information that shocked him the most about Noel. He never trained his muscles, let alone learned about spirits beforeing to the Demon Banner Army.


    Yet, in a short period of time, he managed to be a Spirit Master and his strength couldn''t be underestimated.


    "Is he making all those people focus on him so that he can find out about their ns?"


    "No. He must want to force them to make their move. After all, it''s better to fight an enemy where you know they will attack than fighting an enemy that can wait for the end of time to find a perfect moment to kill you."


    Damian didn''t realize that his opinion was only half-correct. There was one more reason why Noel did such a thing.


    The world didn''t need to know that Noel Ardagan was still alive. However, those who were in the dark had to know. After all, among them were his parents.


    That was right. Noel still hadn''t given up on finding his parents. He had a lot of things to say, especially his frustration for not being able to participate in their scheme. He wished they told him about it.


    Hence, Noel tried to bait them to appear.


    They knew that Dimitri was protecting him. But there was a chance that they were observing Dimitri as well, so he tried to chase Dimitri away for some time, leaving him in danger.


    But as someone careful, he added Damian as his guardian, so in case his n failed, he could still protect himself.


    It was a reckless n, but this was the only n that could lure his parents out. After all, the fact that they had prepared all kinds of protections for him after being ''executed'' showed that they still cared for him. So, he nned to use that ''care'' to lure them out.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    And this mission was rted to it.


    Coming out after an expedition like this would surely rm the people lurking in the darkness. Those from the royal family would surely report and continue observing them, but the Supreme Devil Organization would surely make their move.


    In fact, the fact that there was a sudden increase in demon''s activity alone was already suspicious.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was why Noel didn''t do much during the preparation. He was calcting what the enemies nned to do during the mission.


    ¡­


    Three dayster.


    As Noel expected, the Supreme Devil Organization had learned about the Demon Relief Squad as well.


    And the one who had been paying close attention to that squad, especially Noel, was his uncle, Laufey Ardagan.


    "Sir¡­" The direct subordinate of the Devil Saint Laufey Ardagan, the serpent, came to him with a report. "We have found out that the Demon Relief Squad is moving toward the Demon Barrier Squad''s base. They are going to arrive in four days."


    Laufey narrowed his eyes, ring at the woman. "Did youe back just to tell me this useless news?"


    "No, Sir." The serpent gulped down. She didn''t want to anger him again since she would die. So, she immediately stated her purpose. "I have returned from my investigation. I¡ª"


    "Enough with the process, I want the result. What''s the conclusion?"


    The serpent took a deep breath. Although she was a bit disappointed that her superior didn''t even care about her, she still had to tell him the result. "I have concluded that Noel Ardagan is still alive."


    "As expected¡­" Laufey clicked his tongue. It seemed that he had predicted all this and acted ording to his prediction this whole time. "If that''s the case, Noel Ardagan should be this knight Iadre. They are both talented¡­"


    "However Sir, this Iadre has a Fire Element Spirit whereas Noel Ardagan has an Ice Element Spirit. It''s true that his masquerade is suspicious, but there are also his eye colors and hair colors¡­ I don''t think Iadre is Noel Ardagan."


    Laufey snorted. "You don''t know a single thing."


    Laufey turned around, ncing at the book on his desk. The book had no title, but it was very old. Even when Laufey opened it, he handled it with care.


    ''Back when he was alive, the ancestor of the Griffith Family is said to have two different elements. However, because he is using his other abilities a lot, that fact is often forgotten.''


    ''That''s why I''m sure Iadre is Noel Ardagan. The element he is using must be inherited from that sword. Yeah, I can finally believepletely what this book says¡­ Ardagan Sword should be the only living spirit in this world.'' Laufey narrowed his eyes, staring at the book. ''In that case, I should be able to obtain that power if I can steal the sword from him and force the spirit to obey me.''


    ''It''s said that the spirit can choose its host, so I''m pretty sure that I can find a way to force the spirit to abandon Noel and choose me.''


    Laufey took a moment to think about the current situation. He nced at the serpent and asked, "Who is in charge of making trouble for the Demon Barrier Squad?"


    "Devil Bishop, Arhan Arhatt."


    "Then, tell him that I will personally go there. You, and that crazy pair shall follow me."


    "!!!" The woman was startled, never thinking that the Devil Saint wanted to make a move personally.


    "I will stop Dimitri and that crazy pair will buy some time from the Demon Barrier Squad''s captain. I want the two of you to kidnap our target by any means necessary. If you prove yourself useful this time, I''m going to forget all your past mistakes."


    "¡­" The woman lowered her head. This was a rare opportunity. If he was going to forgive all her mistakes, it meant that she would have a chance to pursue an even higher rank. As long as she could behave after that and produce results, nothing could stop her anymore.


    She became even more determined. Even if she had to sacrifice something, she had to kidnap Noel.


    "Yes, Sir." The woman immediately left the room to find the pair.


    After she left, Laufey turned around and nced at the book again. He couldn''t help but smile when he looked at this book.


    "If only I can get all of them¡­ I would have gotten Ardagan''s recognition too. I guess I should be content with this book. After all, it tells me a lot about the Ardagan Family''s ancestor¡­" Laufey smirked.

 Chapter 663 Worse Than Expected

    During the trip, Zion moved ording to the previous n Noel had. He went to check the cities that were supposed to be affected by the current situation.


    As they expected, the people in the cities were panicking. On those who hadn''t been attacked yet, there were already so many people leaving the city to avoid all those battles. Meanwhile, the cities that were under attack could only lock them down until the situation became stable again.


    Although the Demon Relief Squad could help them, they decided to head straight to the Demon Barrier Squad''s headquarters to understand the situation better.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Finding their base was easy, but entering it was an entirely different case. From the looks of it, they were under a heavy attack. There were around five hundred demons surrounding the city. It looked small, but because they were located near the border, the strength of the demons was higher.


    In fact, there were at least a hundred Advanced Level Demons and ten Peak Level Demons surrounding the city. Even with their fortified base, they wouldn''t be able to kill all of them easily.


    The Demon Relief Squad stood almost one kilometer away from the base. They were watching the demon attack carefully, trying to find anything useful to enter the city.


    Paul nced at Rose, asking, "Rose. How many squads does the Demon Barrier Squad have?"


    "There are 21 squads, with a total of 243 people. Though, the report stated that there are only 15 squads around since those six are on a mission. And because there are many cities that get attacked, they have divided themselves further into five groups."


    "I see." Paul narrowed his eyes. The Demon Barrier Squad had to be praised to be able to withstand all these attacks with only three squads each.


    He could see the glowing inscriptions on the wall. There were also some ditches filled with demon blood. It seemed that they had a gruesome battle before their arrival.


    "There is something wrong, Paul." Noel suddenly came to him while watching the demon''s movement.


    "What''s wrong?" Paul asked. Since Noel had spoken, the situation might be more severe than they originally expected.


    Noel said, "If we take a look at the report, it doesn''t seem that they are in distress. However, take a look at the walls¡­"


    "!!!" Rose, who had the sharpest vision as well as some of Noel''s knowledge, could easily understand what he meant. "This is¡­"


    "What''s wrong, Rose?" Paul narrowed his eyes while the others listened to her, wondering what was happening.


    "Although the Demon Barrier Squad''s base doesn''t have a lot of people, they should still have some trainees and normal people that help them with everyday life. And those people would have gone to the wall to help those soldiers."


    "At the very least, there should be at least a hundred people on the wall for various jobs. But right now, I can only see approximately thirty people¡­" Rose gulped down. "It seems that the situation has gotten so much worse than reported. This must''ve happened within our travel since the report we received is not a distress message."


    Paul''s expression darkened. "Then, are you implying that the demons have dealt serious damage?"


    "Yeah. I think they are already sending a few birds to call for help, but they might notst long." Rose nodded. She was also worried about the situation.


    Paul nced at Noel and asked, "What do you think? Should we enter the city?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Knowing that the situation is worse than we expect, we should immediately help the Demon Barrier Squad. However, we have to be careful since we are bringing precious medicine."


    "So, it''s better to find an opening. Also, we have to contact the people inside. Jonathan should be able to carry the carriages across the ditches, so all we need to do is for them to open the gate.


    "For now, you and Ste should start making preparations for the charge. Zion and I will go around to check our surroundings, making sure there wouldn''t be any second wave. Rose will stay here to formte a concrete n. Last but not least, Ben and Jonathan will take care of the luggage. We can''t have the medicine to be destroyed or something during the charge." Noel exined his n.


    Paul nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let''s move immediately. We have to be fast, but don''t forget to be careful."


    "Got it."


    As soon as they received the instruction, they dispersed. Noel jumped around the woods while Zion tried to circle around the base.


    There was another reason why Noel chose to stay near the woods. Using the trees as a cover, Noel poured some Spiritual Energy into the badge, calling his helper.


    Noel looked around, wondering when Damian was going to make his appearance. But before he realized it, there was a voiceing into his head.


    "What do you need? To think you would need my help so soon¡­ I guess the reason for that is the assassin. You wouldn''t have sent that assassin away for no reason."


    Noel smiled. "So, are you going to help me or not?"


    "What''s the payment?"


    Noel thought for a moment. "Two Runes with the new method, Rune Engineering. The ones that I use to move the object."


    He paused for a moment before asking, "The task?"


    "I am not one hundred percent sure, but there is a very high chance that the Supreme Devil Organization is behind this. They use this to bait us out. So, I want you to go around to find them if possible."


    "You don''t want me to kill them?"


    "I do, but I have to measure the opponent''s strength first. I''m not going to lose in this deal, you know."


    "Then, I pray for a strong opponent toe."


    "¡­" Noel could only shake his head helplessly. On the one hand, it was truly the worst thing to pray for him. On the other hand, Damian''s purpose was to get the research from him. So, having strong opponents would give him more benefits.


    But with this, they had reached an agreement.

 Chapter 664 Faust

    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    A young man with short, spiky brown hair was panting. He had been running for a while and finally reached the city center.


    Inside the city, there were already a lot of empty buildings. It wasn''t that they had been evacuated.


    Instead, most of the people that lived on them had passed away. There were numerous cries all around the city as people lost their loved ones.


    The people weren''t panicking anymore. They had gone to despair, thinking this would be the end.


    In the city center, there were a lot of injured people lying down. They had been taken care of, but still, there were too many people in this ce.


    And among them was the target of the young man. He had a big, muscr body. His eyes were sharp and filled with killing intent.


    However, there was a big hole in his right arm, so he came to this ce to get treated.


    His injury had been bandaged, and he seemed to be nning to return to the city wall.


    But before he left, the young man arrived in front of him.


    "Captain. I have good news. Northwest of the city, there is a smoke signal. It seems that they are our reinforcement, but I don''t think they are the reinforcement we''re hoping for¡­" The young man reported with a worried expression.


    That was right. This big man was none other than the Demon Barrier Squad''s captain, Faust. He was the man Noel found when he returned to the headquarters with Rose. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    He was still in the middle of training the new knights. But because of this problem, he had rushed back to make sure that his squad was alright.


    Unfortunately, the situation was worse than he expected.


    Even he was injured after fighting for so long. And this time, they received good news, but they were a bit unsure since this good news might not affect the current battle.


    "¡­" Faust fell silent for a moment and grabbed the bow next to him. The ck bow didn''t seem to be anything special, but its weight might be simr to Paul''s warhammer. Even the string used to attach it came from a thread of a Peak Level Demon Spider.


    Nheless, good news was still good news. Since there was reinforcement, he had to bring them in.


    "A helping hand is always wee in this situation. I am going to create a path for them. You go to the gate and prepare to raise it for them."


    "Understood." The young man nodded.


    Both of them immediately ran toward the gate. Despite his big body, Captain Faust had speed far faster than the young man. It only took him two minutes to reach the gate from the center of the city.


    He didn''t recognize this smoke, but there was only one more reinforcement that had this small number of people.


    "I see. It seems that they are from the Demon Relief Squad, the first squad we asked for help." Faust narrowed his eyes. "The Demon Relief Squad doesn''t really have the strength forbat, but they are, by no means, weak. I guess it''s better than nothing."


    Faust nced at the demons before shouting, "We are about to let the reinforcement in. Everyone takes your position. Ready to provide some support."


    "Yes, Sir." Those who heard him answered. T<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Meanwhile, Faust raised his bow, aiming at the sky. On his right hand, an arrow made of Spiritual Energy appeared.


    He shot this arrow into the sky. When it reached its peak, an explosion urred. The thunderous sound shook the area and purple particles scattered in the air.


    This was the signal that the people in the base had recognized and prepared for their arrival.


    The Demon Relief Squad had gathered in one spot, ready to charge in. Once the signal was seen, Paul ordered, "Ste and I will take the lead. Jonathan, Rose, and Ben will provide support. Iadre will provide the firepower and Zion will take care of the unexpected situation."


    "Got it."


    Now that they were ready, they immediately ran forward. Since they brought three carriages, Jonathan, Rose, and Ben are the ones driving them. Ste and Paul ran in the front while Noel stood on top of the middle carriage, looking around.


    It seemed that the demons had realized their presence as well. Some of the demons suddenly turned around and ran to them.


    "Paul." Ste raised her sword, using her ability to cover the swords.


    "Yeah." Paul nodded. He also poured Spiritual Energy into his hammer.


    They jumped forth to reach the demons earlier.


    With a single wave of the hammer, Paul blew a demon back, causing four demons to crash into this demon. Meanwhile, Ste skillfully killed three demons in rapid session.


    Still, there were at least thirty demonsing toward them. So, they had to prepare for the remaining demons. In addition, there were some demons that would block the gate.


    Noel raised his head, looking at the big man that stood on top of the city wall. There were two people next to him that stopped the demons from reaching him.


    He seemed to have aimed the arrow at these demons. Once released, the arrow flew like that of a bullet.


    Before it reached the demons, the lightning arrow let out a spark, causing it to scatter into fifteen smaller lightning strikes. Each lightning strike hit a demon, creating a hole in their body and killing them.


    Ste and Paul smiled since their job had be easier. Meanwhile, Noel had gathered Spiritual Energy in his fingertips and waved his hand, summoning a ck colored phoenix.


    *Cry!*


    The phoenix let out a cry as if it was alive. It ignored the demons below it. Instead, it flew straight to the demons near the gate.


    One of the demons spotted this phoenix and jumped into the air, striking this phoenix with his paw to take it down.


    But in that instant, the phoenix exploded and the fire scattered around, burning the demons that touched it.


    Even though they hadn''t fought together, both squads knew their role. And they were going to open up a path.


    Faust couldn''t help but smirk. This time, he conjured a more powerful lightning arrow, aiming it at the demons on the ground.


    "Lightning Dragon."

 Chapter 665 A Superior Demon

    "Lightning Dragon."


    The moment he released the arrow, the lightning sparked. It was so fierce that the lightning seemed to have expanded.


    As the name implied, the lightning gradually formed the dragon''s shape. The dragon was five meters tall and its wingspan could reach fifteen meters.


    The dragon opened its mouth and swallowed a demon before it exploded, scattering all the lightning.


    The lightning was rampaging on the ground. The Low Level Demons had their bodies shredded apart. The Mid Level Demons were stronger, but they still couldn''t escape death or heavy injuries.


    The Advanced Level Demons had utilized their Spiritual Energy to block this attack, but the lightning still broke through their defense and injured them. Although it wasn''t to the point where it was fatal to them, the injuries still couldn''t be ignored.


    Noel, who could see everything from the top of the carriage, couldn''t help but feel amazed. That Lightning Dragon was far fiercer than his Undying Phoenix. However, there was one thing that the lightning couldn''t beat his fire, it was the character of the element itself.


    So, Noel still had some confidence he could somehow destroy the Lightning Dragon had it aimed at him. Even so, releasing this kind of power with such ease should be expected from the Demon Barrier Squad''s Captain.


    Though, Noel didn''t forget their current situation. That Lightning Dragon had killed or heavily injured the demons around the gate.


    There were only less than ten demons near the gate, so this was the perfect chance for them to go through the gate.


    Although it was extremely slow, he could see the gate was lifted up.


    "The gate is going to be opened. We are¡ª" Noel shouted, but before finishing his sentence, he noticed the injury the captain had. There was no way these demons could do such a thing to Captain Faust. So, he realized there might be something waiting for them.


    Noel immediately scanned the area and suddenly found a surge of Spiritual Energy on the horizon. He could only see it through the help of the Spirit Link.


    Noel gritted his teeth and pointed in the Spiritual Energy''s direction, shouting, "Jonathan. I need you to throw all those demon bodies in that direction!"


    "!!!" Jonathan wasn''t the only one who was surprised by that instruction. Rose also raised her head, trying to follow the direction Noel pointed at. With her sharp sense, she realized why Noel wanted to do such a thing. She shouted without hesitation, "Do it!"


    Jonathan was still confused, but his teammates weren''t people who would order such a weird thing without any reason.


    So, he immediately raised the demon corpses with his Telekinesis, shooting them in the north direction.


    Suddenly, a huge ray of light flew into the sky. Once it reached its peak, the light suddenly turned into a giant circle.


    This circle split into hundreds of smaller needles and started falling in the Demon Relief Squad''s direction.


    Although Noel wanted to focus on this sudden attack, he had to see the Demon Barrier Squad Captain''s reaction. There was no way the demon who released such an attack was an ordinary demon. So, this demon might be at least a Peak Level Demon.


    With such power, Faust would surely warn them. Yet, he didn''t. That was why Noel had to confirm whether this person was an ally or not.


    Although he had a hard time looking at his face, it seemed that Faust was also shocked. They might have to question Faust after this.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After getting his answer, Noel turned around, wondering what the ray of light could do against them.


    As expected, the demon''s attack was far stronger than they imagined.


    Even though Jonathan had used the demon corpses as their shields, the light pierced through some of the corpses and fell on top of them.


    Ste suddenly appeared in front of them. She spun her body, causing the wind on her de to erupt and create a tornado. The tornado spun some of the attacks while the rest were stopped by Rose and Ben.


    Rose had to use the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, while Ben simply used his weapon.


    Nheless, they managed to stop this attack. And it seemed that Faust had changed his focus.


    As soon as he saw those attacks, he immediately formed another lightning arrow, aiming at the source of the light.


    The arrow flew like that of a cannon. With the power and momentum, the lightning arrow sted everything in the area.


    The explosion created a crater and the lightning destroyed everything. If he ever used this attack to hit a fortified wall, that wall would surely be destroyed within a few strikes even if it had been enhanced by powerful Spirit Enhancement.


    But due to the st, a demon suddenly jumped into the air, dodging the st.


    This was the first time he saw this kind of demon. The demon looked like a human, but instead of standing on two feet, this demon stood on four feet like that of a lizard. It didn''t have a tail, but it had spikes on its back.


    Still, the most important thing to notice from this demon was its mouth. It had a long jaw like that of a barrel. When it opened its mouth, a blue light shone from the throat and flew like a beam.


    Faust wasn''t going to lose. He also sent forth his arrow and struck the demon''s attack. Each st neutralized the other as if their strength was equal.


    Judging from its strength, it seemed that the demon was a Superior Demon.


    "This is going to be harder than I originally thought¡­" Noel bit his lips before turning around. "But our objective doesn''t change."


    That was right. They still had to enter the base first before they could rx.


    Paul was still leading at the very front and charged at the demons. He opened up the way for them until they reached the ditch in front of the wall.


    The gate had been raised to a human height, but it would still be a bit too low for their carriage to go in.


    At the same time, the demons tried to enter through that gap while some humans came out to protect it.


    This was theirst battle before reaching the gate.


    "Paul, Ste. Focus on the demons near the gate. Zion, go straight to the gate and help those people. I''m going to support all of you."


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

 Chapter 666 Condition

    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred. Some of them came from the sh between Captain Faust and the Superior Demon. Some of them originated from Noel''s Fire Ability.


    "Kill them!"


    "Hurry up!"


    The knights near the gate shouted while fighting the demons.


    Meanwhile, the carriage was already levitating in the air, flying straight at them. But because the horse was confused by Telekinesis, Jonathan had to lift them until they passed through the gate.


    Thending was bumpy and almost broke one of the wheels. Nevertheless, they managed to enter the city.


    Noel helped them to shoot down the enemies with his power while the soldiers inside lowered the gate.


    Ultimately, the gate was shut down and the Demon Relief Squad could finally enter the city. As if knowing that it had failed in its assassination, the Superior Demon retreated as if it was trying to find another opportunity to kill more humans.


    But because he wasn''t sure whether the enemies would still attack or not, Faust had to remain on top of the wall.


    That was why the Demon Relief Squad was divided into two groups. Paul, Noel, Rose, and Ben went to the wall while the rest remained near the carriages.


    When Faust saw them, he said, "I am Faust, the Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. As you can see, our situation is like this. We are grateful for you toe here, but I''m afraid that if you want to help us, I have to ask the Demon Relief Squad to fight. We don''t have any problems with food or water for the time being."


    Paul smiled and said, "Paul, Vice Leader of the Demon Relief Squad. I have brought the Zero Squad to assist the Demon Barrier Squad. And, of course, we know that. Hence, the three carriages bring a lot of medicine. This should help the people in the city for a bit, right?"


    "What?" Faust widened his eyes in shock. He never expected that the Demon Relief Squad would have a lot of medicine. He thought those carriages were filled with food, water, and tools for their jobs.


    Paul smiled, "Our member has considered what might happen during our travel, so it ends up this way."


    "¡­" Faust thought for a moment and said, "In that case, you should go to the city center and find a person called Historia. She is the squad leader of the First Squad. You should ask about the distribution of the medicine as well as the exnation of our current situation. I have to remain here to make sure the Superior Demon doesn''t attack us again."


    "Got it." Paul nodded. "In that case, we''ll go there right away."


    Paul hastily turned around, ready to go down. But before he left, Faust added, "Thank you for your help, Demon Relief Squad. I hope that many people can be saved."


    Paul''s expression turned grim. Even though Faust looked like he was someone who talked with fist than mouth, he seemed to have a certain understanding as well as the power to lower his pride for the sake of the people.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Paul knew that since such a man had asked them to save people, he had to do his best.


    Paul and the others immediately regrouped with the rest and headed to the center.


    On the way, Rose couldn''t help but say, "That''s surprising. I have heard that Captain Faust is someone who has a fiery temper, but it seems that I have misjudged him."


    "But you should know that since he has asked us that way, we shouldn''t disappoint him." Paul sighed.


    The mood in the group became heavy because they knew the severity of this task. It took them five minutes to reach the city center and asked someone to guide them to meet Historia.


    They were guided into a small building near the city center.


    Inside, they met a petite woman with blond hair. She wore big round sses and her eyes made one feel like she was a schr. She waspletely the opposite of Faust.


    When the group arrived, she immediately dropped everything on her hand and politely bowed to them.


    "I thank you foring to our aid, Demon Relief Squad. I am Historia, the Squad Leader of the First Squad of the Demon Barrier Squad."


    "As you can see right now, we have a deep problem, and I don''t have a lot of time to entertain all of you."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "So, I shall brief you about our situation. There are a total of five cities that are under the demon attack."


    "The captain is protecting this ce while his right hand and left hand man are protecting two other cities. The rest are protected by a few more squads."


    "So, I remain here to handle all the problems so that the captain can fight without any worries."


    "We have been under attack by a lot of demons, and ording to the captain, there is at least one Superior Demon among them."


    "We don''t know much about the situation in other cities since the route has been blocked off."


    She stopped for a moment, so Paul took this opportunity to exin their luggage. "We have brought a lot of medicine from wound medicine to fever medicine since we expected that the city would be under a fierce attack."


    "So, we can distribute them right now. There are a total of four thousand low grade wound medicines. I think this will be useful for you. That''s why I want to ask about the numbers of the casualties, including the wounded."


    "!!!" Historia widened her eyes. She understood why the captain sent them to her. Without hesitation, she answered everything that Paul wanted to know.


    "We have a total of three thousand people in this city, including the civilians and normal soldiers."


    "Three hundred soldiers have died and seven hundred people have been wounded. So, we are going to distribute the healing medicine to them. While keeping some for future use, we would like to send them to other cities as well. Is that possible?"

 Chapter 667 Speculation

    "Is that possible?" Historia looked at them with a worried expression.


    Paul thought for a moment and said, "It''s possible. In fact, that''s the reason we are here. We can even assist you in bringing the medicine around. With our squad, it''s impossible for the demons to crush us that easily. In exchange, you have to tell us everything and do one thing for us."


    "I understand." Historia nodded. She opened the map of the region and pointed at five cities, including the one they were in. "These are the five cities that are under attack. From our observation, there are approximately four thousand demons attacking this base alone.


    "As for the others, their situation might not be as bad as this ce, but they still have to fight at least one thousand demons. It''s hard for a small group to handle that kind of number."


    "This situation has been going on for three days. And currently, there are around thirty Peak Level Demons surrounding the city, and more importantly, there is a Superior Demon."


    "Itunched a sneak attack on the captain not long ago, injuring him. So, our morale is a bit lower at the moment. If we have your medicine, we can increase their morale to a certain level."


    "Last but not least, we don''t know about the source of this attack. Although we have been guarding this ce for two years, this is the first time there has been a swarm like this."


    "At first, the demon activity increased to a disturbing level. So, we have to report the situation to the captain, resulting in himing back to this ce."


    "We haven''t found anything during our investigation. And the only thing we know is that the demon attack seems to be extremely organized."


    "!!!" Paul widened his eyes in shock as he couldn''t help but confirm it. "Do you mean there is a powerful demon that schemes against us?"


    "No. It''s because we are one of the Shields of the Demon Banner Army that we know the Demons aren''t that aggressive. It''s true that we are at the border, but demons rarelye to our base."


    "Even if theye, they will be disorganized. There will only be a few types of demonsing as if they are a tribe. So, this kind of organized attack is a bit suspicious. We are expecting there might be something that disturbs the demon¡­"


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He had an idea in his mind. On the other hand, Rose was ncing at Noel''s expression.


    She could easily find a clue from his expression since there weren''t many things that could be a reason.


    Rose raised her hand and asked, "Paul. What do you think if this is organized by the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "Hmm?" Paul frowned, not understanding her way of thinking. "I can understand if you have a grudge against the Supreme Devil Organization, but currently, there is not a single clue of what''s really happening, right? So, even if they are the enemies of humanity, we still can''t put the me on them. At least, not right now since we have to find the true source of the problem."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rose had expected this, so she immediately exined. "No, there might be a clue¡­ Do you remember our expedition? That chaos¡­"


    "Yeah, the demons suddenly became crazy, causing a mess to our expedition." Paul nodded with a serious expression before gasping. "Are you saying that the Supreme Devil Organization is using this trick to cause a problem?"


    "Yes. I don''t know what''s the reason, but with how the demons are fighting like this¡­ I''m afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization has seeded in controlling a powerful demon. I don''t think it''splete control, but even some influence can force a Superior Demon toe out."


    "A Superior Demon has an amazing brain, so it''s possible for the Superior Demon to organize the demons. I''m afraid this is the Supreme Devil Organization tactic. Influence the top and let them do the rest."


    Paul couldn''t really rebuke her despite her idea being wild. At the same time, another question appeared in his mind. "In that case, why did the organization attack the Demon Barrier Squad?"


    Historia raised her voice, answering that question. "Is it because our captain was at the headquarter, training the apprentice knights? With theck of a leader, they thought they could destroy our squad. Unlike most squads, our headquarters are also near the border where many demons reside. So, we are a perfect target¡­"


    They wanted to deny this fact, but the reason made some sense. In the end, they couldn''t dismiss this reason.


    "Well, whatever the reason, our job doesn''t change. We are going to distribute the medicine and escort the medicine to other cities. In exchange, I hope that you can provide us with food and water since we have forsaken our supply for medicine," said Paul.


    "Of course. We are going to do our best to give you everything you need. We are already grateful enough for the medicine." Historia nodded.


    "Good." Paul nodded.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Even though there were a lot of things they discussed, Noel surprisingly remained silent the whole time.


    His hand was supporting his chin all the time as he fell into deep thought.


    ''The Supreme Devil Organization¡­ I don''t think that''s all there is to it. I''m afraid that the situation is moreplicated than we originally thought. There is also a Superior Demon. If the Supreme Devil Organization has organized this attack, it means they are using the Superior Demon to stop Captain Faust. And there might be a few Devil Bishops that wille to attack us¡­''


    I still have Damian as my trump card, but I''m afraid that I would go broke if I don''t do something.'' Noel''s expression darkened.


    Like Noel thought, the situation became moreplicated than everyone thought. In fact, even Noel wouldn''t expect that there were three influences that were connected to this incident: the Supreme Devil Organization, the Demon Banner Army, and the Royal Family.

 Chapter 668 A Bigger Problem Than Expected

    Demon Banner Army''s Headquarters.


    Commander Oscar had been sitting with a frown for a while. He was staring so hard at the report Septa submitted not long ago.


    The report contained the four important things he discovered in the nt Lord''s ce.


    "Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze being on the list¡­ We can only find this out because they bothe to the Demon Banner Army, exposing them to danger."


    "Then, there is this Saxalia Grass that can fool the demon''s senses¡­ If it''s used correctly, I''m afraid we will have to face a problem bigger than anything we have prepared for."


    "Now that I think about it, they have been using it for Low and Mid Level Demons. It seems that they have improved their power. But how much has it been improved? And if they use it all around the kingdom so that all the borders in the kingdom are attacked by the demons¡­"


    Oscar''s expression darkened.


    "There is also the case about the Fagant Leaf as well as the Demon Farm¡­ What if everything is connected?" Oscar narrowed his eyes. He couldn''t imagine the consequences.


    It seemed that the Supreme Devil Organization was raising their strength to an unprecedented level. If they didn''t act now, they might be crushed by their scheme.


    Oscar didn''t know that Anna and Noel had been crushing their ns. Though, Noel wasn''t aware of the future.


    Anna was the one who had been causing a lot of problems for the Supreme Devil Organization; from the Geolythic Mountain to the Treasure Cave, she had been stealing a lot of things that could strengthen the organization.


    Oscar wasn''t aware of her deeds. So, he only thought that they had to intercept the Supreme Devil Organization as quickly as possible.


    Oscar called a name out loud. "Milfa!"


    It only took her a few seconds to open the door, entering his office. From his voice alone, it was clear that there was a big problem.


    "Yes Sir? How can I help you?"


    Oscar tossed the paper to her. He imbued a small amount of Spiritual Energy to harden the paper, so it could fly to Milfa easily.


    Milfa grabbed and made a quick scan of the report before realizing the problem was bigger than she expected.


    "What do you want me to do?" Milfa asked.


    "I need the map as well as information."


    Milfa frowned. "A map? What kind of map?"


    Oscar stated with a cold tone. "The kingdom map."


    "!!!" Milfa widened her eyes in shock. The fact that he wanted the kingdom map meant the problem would involve the entire kingdom.


    Understanding the degree of the problem, Milfa immediately disappeared, grabbing the map.


    One minuteter, she reappeared and opened the map on Oscar''s table.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The Supreme Devil Organizations¡­ you should have received the information about their movements, right? Is there any active movement?"


    Milfa recounted the information and pointed at two ces. "These are the two ces. The Demon Hunting Squad as well as the Demon Protection Squad are protecting those ces respectively."


    "¡­" Oscar narrowed his eyes.


    "Should we send reinforcement to them, Commander? If the Supreme Devil Organization is going to make a big move, then it will definitely wipe out a squad. It will be too big of a loss for the army."


    Oscar remained silent, staring at the map as if he didn''t hear her question. He suddenly asked, "In that case, is there any squad facing a problem?"


    "There are three problems. The Demon Extermination Squad has just gone on a new mission and has a problem with the new region. The Demon Beholder Squad has shifted their camp to match the report earlier and is under heavy supervision from all sides. Andstly, there is a huge demon swarm that attacks the Demon Barrier Squad. They have asked for reinforcement from nearby areas, and it seems that the Demon Relief Squad has been sent there prior to the distress call."


    "!!!" Oscar remembered the list. With Noel being so high on the list, it showed which one he had to prioritize.


    Oscar said, "We need to send reinforcement to the Demon Barrier Squad immediately."


    After hearing it, Milfa didn''t react immediately. Instead, she took a look at the map and thought about the situation.


    "Don''t tell me, the Supreme Devil Organization is going to do something in this ce¡­ The Demon Barrier Squad shouldn''t be that important in the organization''s eyes. Then, their target¡­ Wait, do they know Noel Ardagan is Knight Iadre?" Milfa frowned. She couldn''t believe that Noel''s identity could be found so easily.


    The only reason she could figure out Noel''s identity was due to her being around with themander, who had that secret. But the Supreme Devil Organization wasn''t near anyone who should know about this information, so she didn''t know how they could figure it out.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Oscar nodded. "And I think there is a way for them to find out about his identity¡­"


    "You don''t mean¡­" Milfa gasped as she immediately pumped her chest to salute. "Commander. Please dispatch me and the Demon Adjudicator Squad to help the Demon Barrier Squad."


    "That''s my n. However, you need to be careful." Oscar''s expression became grim. "You should know that your opponent might be a Devil Saint."


    If anyone could find out about Noel''s identity, it would be someone who knew a lot of things about the Ardagan Family. In other words, it would be his rtive.


    And there was one rtive that was in the Supreme Devil Organization. He was the Devil Saint, Laufey Ardagan.


    He was the reason why Milfa came to Noel personally. She wanted to know whether Noel would be someone like Laufey in the future.


    After all, Laufey was once the captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad. As the current captain, she felt responsible and wanted to capture this traitor personally.


    Of course, everything was only spection. It might be just a false rm, but with all the information they had received, it was true that the Supreme Devil Organization had been preparing for something big.


    They didn''t know what it was and when it would being, so they could only proceed carefully.


    Oscar also didn''t return to his seat. Instead, he came out of his room like Milfa. There was one ce he needed to go with all this information.


    It was none other than the capital, specifically the royal castle. Oscar was nning to have an audience with the king.

 Chapter 669 Message

    In a remote vige, Anna was standing on top of the roof, enjoying the gentle breeze.


    She hade to this vige to fulfill her mission, but at the same time, she was thinking about something.


    The scene of the expedition as well as the people who participated in it couldn''t help but sh in her mind.


    Back then, Noel led the Demon Banner Army in Shale''s stead.


    "Go!"


    "Attack there!"


    "Send ten people to the west!"


    Noel kept instructing the people while fighting against multiple Peak Level Demons.


    When she saw this, Noel''s figure couldn''t help but change to that of his form in his previous life.


    Noel was fighting against multiple enemies at that time. He never became a captain of a squad, but when he was a noble, he led an army of elites to fight against demons as well as the Supreme Devil Organization.


    No matter how hard the situation he was facing, his back was as reliable as always. The people, who were about to fall into despair due to the long battle, regained their energy and courage just by looking at his broad back.


    They knew they could depend on Noel.


    She wasn''t rted to the Supreme Devil Organization, but she was also one of the people that attacked Noel. After all, Noel had forced her to endure all kinds of things. The hatred had piled up and she fought Noel continuously.


    Anna gradually changed as if she had be annoyed just by hearing Noel''s presence. At the same time, she was also curious. What kind of reason made Noel keep attacking her?


    "Back then, I didn''t know a single thing¡­ not because the opportunity wasn''t there, but because I refused to listen to all the clues around me. Noel kept attacking me, and I did the same. As time passed, my cloudy mind started to clear up a bit and I wondered the reason for Noel''s action."


    "Unfortunately, not long after that, Noel and I had to die together. We had been taken advantage of by everyone around us¡­ the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and even the Supreme Devil Organization. Or it was only me¡­ since Noel was smart."


    "Nheless, after reincarnating, I always want to see something¡­ What if, in the past, my mind was clear and I understood all the clues around me? Would I be able to be Noel''s friend?"


    Anna closed her eyes for a moment, recounting everything about Noel.


    "Noel and I were supposed to be a Spirit Grandmaster four yearster. However, that was because our pace wasn''t as great as this."


    "Also, due to the Demon Relief Squad having their Zero Squad destroyed, Noel didn''t get the best group to join."


    "Besides, there was also the mysterious facility. It was supposed to be cleared after another two years."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The progress was extremely slow because of the uncertainty, and there were a lot of problems, such as the Demon Banner Army getting weakened due to the relentless attacks from the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "They had lost a thousand knights due to Kirika''s incident and even more due to the controlled demons. In addition to the constant annoyance from the Supreme Devil Organization, the Demon Banner Army couldn''t put a lot of manpower into exploring the mysterious facility."


    "However, one thing was clear for now. Once the mysterious facility had been figured out, there would be a lot of things happening due to the drugs. A year after the exploration waspleted, there would be a pill that could force awaken one''s spirit. I had managed to gain that person''s cooperation, so I didn''t have to worry about him too much."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "But there are a few more pills that will circte in the market. And one of them is the Berserk Pill. It released all thetent talent of someone, using it in one go. As a result, the person who used it would be either crippled for life or die. But for a moment, the surge of strength would make a huge problem for the army. After all, there were a lot of lunatics in the organization."


    "But because we have cleared it far quicker than in the past life, and because the Demon Banner Army remains this strong, the time limit should be extended a bit. That''s why I want us to be Spirit Grandmasters within one and a half years."


    "It could be said that the mysterious facility was one of the biggest reasons why the chaos even happened. I thought the expedition was for something else, but after seeing the building, I know that it''s time¡­"


    Anna couldn''t help but recall the bet they had, including the little kiss. She became flustered just by recalling that action.


    Before, she was still too cool because she was sorting her thoughts. There were so many problems that would ur, so most of her attention span was thinking about it.


    The rest was to talk to Noel. However, that kiss was a bit unnecessary when she recalled it.


    However, a part of her was actually a bit unsure of that opinion.


    When she closed her eyes, she saw her past life.


    She kept shing with Noel. So, in this life, she wondered what would happen if she and Noel joined hands.


    Noel had the power to keep up with her, who had the knowledge of her past life. It allowed her to skip all the training required to master a skill and focus on increasing her Spiritual Energy.


    Yet, Noel could keep up with her speed. No matter what Noel was hiding, she was sure that it would be the key to a better future.


    She remembered what Noel said before they died together.


    "You''re too naive."


    "You can keep believing in your ideal. I don''t care, for I have seen everything."


    Anna muttered those words and let out a long sigh. "Yeah. I was too naive. I thought I was right, but I was the one who was wrong this whole time."


    "That''s why I want to see the correct choice¡­ What if we join hands? Will our future be different?"

 Chapter 670 A Moment Of Realization?

    While reminiscing about the past, she also remembered the few pieces of information Noel gave in the end.


    "There''s no need for that corrupted kingdom to continue. Do you think they were willingly fighting against the demons? You''re too naive."


    "I always thought of you as my archenemy this whole time, but I realized that you were just a mere puppet controlled by the demons. I lost my interest in you."


    "As long as you leave thisnd and stop getting controlled by the demons, I will spare you and your family."


    "If you don''t disappear right now, I won''t hesitate to fight you. After killing you, I will destroy your family."


    "I see. He used me this whole time."


    "You were right. I should have trusted no one."


    Anna also thought about it during the expedition. There were a few things that made her doubt her current condition.


    "The corrupted kingdom¡­ The Muivell Kingdom is indeed corrupted, not about the money, but the way of their thinking. But there is something weird about the second part. They have spent a lot in order to stop the demon invasion¡­"


    "But if we''re talking about the past life, the demon invasion was caused by the Supreme Devil Organization. They had used their research to cause the demons to attack them. And the Demon Banner Army and the Royal Family joined hands, fighting together to stop their invasion."


    "What if¡­ the Royal Family was only acting this whole time? The real reason why they stopped them was because they were rted to the invasion itself. This way, the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association would be weakened¡­ When I thought about it, I remembered that the Royal Family spent a lot of money to recruit more soldiers to stop the invasion."


    "However, their core strength remained intact. The royal army hadn''t been deployed the whole time. In other words, when the two influences got weakened, the royal family would crush and absorb them, bing the absolute ruler of the country. And the Supreme Devil Organization would be there to do all the dirty work."


    "Then, I was just a controlled puppet who worked for the Royal Family. That was why he told me to leave thisnd."


    "When I think about it, and that my father wants me to change¡­ I have realized that he has been kind to me this whole time. He is trying to change me and protect me. It might be due to my father and the rtionship between our families, but it didn''t change the fact that he was trying his best to make me leave the kingdom."


    "This way, I could live happily with my family. But because of my stubbornness, I died¡­ we died. After all, if I didn''t leave, he would kill me and my entire family."


    "Getting killed by our own friends head-on might be better than having someone backstab you¡­"


    After thinking about it, Anna wanted to repay Noel''s kindness. He had shouldered everything. It must be painful, it must be heavy.


    That was why she told him about the bet. She kissed him on the cheek.


    Just for a moment, she wanted to thank him. When she gave a little peck, she muttered inwardly, "Thank you for everything, Noel."


    That gratitude had two meanings. The first one was pure gratitude for his sacrifice. And the second one was her determination.


    From that point onward, she was going to move forward.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was right. One of the biggest causes of the future chaos was the mysterious facility and its drugs. Now that the drugs could be seen and used by a lot of parties, it would mean that future change might be irrelevant to the past event.


    There might be some relevance, but it wouldn''t be that useful. Hence, she presented the bet.


    She couldn''t think about it by herself. That was why she wanted to give this information to Noel.


    Of course, telling Noel for no reason might cause Noel to be confused or even suspicious of her. That was why she made this bet. She just wanted a reason.


    Even if she ended up winning and getting Noel''s secret, she would still share about her past life.


    Anna tried to close her eyes again, recalling some other parts. But there was one thing that made her flustered.


    Her face reddened and she started rolling around as her body couldn''t remain still. She was too embarrassed.


    "Still¡­ there should be a way to thank him, right? Other than the kiss¡­" Anna clutched her head while looking down. "That''s right. There are many ways to thank him, but why did I kiss him? Did my instinct¡­ my instinct¡­"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Anna suddenly fell silent. She couldn''t help but ask herself, "Did my instinct actually make me kiss him?"


    When that question entered her mind, a few scenes shed in her mind.


    There was a scene where Noel almost hit her with his sword, but she parried her sword and overwhelmed him.


    "I will kill you." Noel red at her, full of killing intent.


    "I dare you to try." Anna smirked confidently.


    Another scene was when they discovered the secret of Ardagan Family''s execution as well as when she dared to use the bed because she didn''t find anything to restore the sheet.


    Back then, there was no meaning other than spite in that action. But when she thought about it, she had once slept with Noel on the same bed.


    Finally, she arrived at the scene where she celebrated her adulthood with Noel. It was just a simple celebration, but the winter at that time felt so warm. From killing each other to experiencing a wholesome moment together¡­ it somehow made her smile.


    At the same time, it also made her more and more embarrassed.


    "Ugh¡­ Don''t tell me¡­ No, no, no¡­ That''s not right¡­ right?" Anna tried to deny it to the best of her ability.


    And it looked like her savior came as she saw a person carrying a message for her. She tried to distract her thoughts by getting the message.


    Little did she know, she would fall into a deeper embarrassment as that message contained Noel''s message that could easily be ''misunderstood.''

 Chapter 671 Warning

    Demon Barrier Squad Headquarters.


    Noel looked at the situation around the town while the people distributed the medicine. It was clear that the mood had improved since the soldiers could easily recover from their wounds due to the medicine.


    It seemed that Paul had the same idea as he appeared next to him, nning to discuss their current n.


    "No¡ªAhem, Iadre." Paul almost called his name due to the brilliance he had shown not long ago. They were in front of many people, so he had to y along. "What do you think about our current n? We are going to distribute the medicine to other cities. With our strength, it should be impossible for the demons to destroy us. Unless there is a Superior Demon¡­ No, there is only one Superior Demon and Captain Faust is nning to hold it back."


    "In that case, what do you think if we split our group into two? This way, we can help two directions simultaneously. Since I am a Spirit Grandmaster, I can go with only two people."


    Noel shook his head firmly as if he had considered everything.


    "We can''t do that¡­ at least, not now. We have to stick together."


    "Stick together¡­ Are you worried that there are more demons than we expected?"


    "No. I''m just worried that our enemies this time aren''t just demons." Noel let out a long sigh. "This is just my spection, but this kind of attack feels a bit deliberate."


    "!!!" Paul gasped. Noel wasn''t someone who threw an empty word. If he said it, the possibility would be quite high. "Do you mean¡­ the Supreme Devil Organization will attack us?"


    "Yeah. I think so. If we take a look at the current situation, don''t you think the demons are too organized? Then, why would they attack this ce for no reason?"


    "Now that I think about it, the reason is still being investigated¡­" Paul thought for a moment. "You aren''t going to say that this might happen for a simr reason to the outbreak in the mysterious facility, right?"


    "I am not sure, considering Septa should have investigated the nt Lord''s belongings by this time. Unfortunately, we don''t have that information."


    "Still, it doesn''t change the fact that the entire situation is suspicious. If you think about it, this ce is perfect for execution."


    "The Demon Barrier Squad base is located at the edge of the border. And the distance to the nearest base of other squads is three days."


    "Hmm?!" Paul looked down, falling into deep thought. It seemed he had caught on to something. "Now that I think about it, our squad reached this ce in seven days. But the sudden outbreak happened yesterday night. Even if they send the message via bird, they still need a whole night to arrive.


    "In other words, the reinforcement still needs two more days unless they are using their quickest speed to reach here."


    "If we think about it, they might be doing it to catch us during the trip. Yeah. As soon as we leave this ce, we might get ambushed by them."


    "However, are you sure that they are targeting us?" Paul asked the most important question.


    On the one hand, they had been targeted this whole time. On the other hand, they couldn''t deny if they somehow became paranoid after being targeted for so long.


    That was why Paul had to make sure their target was them first.


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "Well, I can''t say anything for sure. In fact, this entire conversation might be my own delusion. However¡­"


    Noel suddenly fell silent while closing his eyes as if he was recounting something.


    Two weeks ago.


    After Noel handed the medicine to Dimitri, thetter actually gave him one more message to consider.


    "Master. I will be worried when I leave you like this." Dimitri bit his lips as if he was disappointed in himself. It wasn''t that he regretted not being able to protect him. He just felt he wasn''t strong enough to protect Noel. If he could, he would deliver the message, protect Noel, and even handle the family''s matter by himself. But one person''s ability was limited. That was why he was disappointed he couldn''t stay near Noel all the time, especially in this dangerous situation.


    "Don''t worry. More than anyone else, I am aware that I''m in an extremely dangerous situation since I have turned myself into bait." Noel sighed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "In that case, please don''t forget these words, Master." Dimitri looked at Noel with a grim expression. He was a former captain, so his intelligence was above average. He was a monster equipped with both strength and brain. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He said, "In the past, Master was like an ant that could be crushed anytime. You were not a threat, and your potential wasn''t that big to be favored. However, everyone has seen more about you. You could keep up with the growth of Anna Stargaze, the most talented person in the kingdom."


    "Most people still haven''t realized your identity, but those who lurk in the shadows will surely figure out your identity. If they know that you are the wielder of two elements, they will realize that your raw talent alone might be beyond Anna Stargaze and everything about you is different than reported."


    "When this happens, there will be a lot of peopleing to you. They might be simr to Damian, who is trying to form a friendly rtionship with you. But there will be a lot more who think of you as a threat. In their eyes, you only have two fates, you either submit to them or die."


    "With Damian near you, I know that most of them won''t be able to touch you. But there are two existences that will surely put their eyes on you."


    "The first one is the Royal Family. I don''t have to exin the reason. They might haven''t realized it yet, but they should have put their eyes on you."


    "As for the second one, it should be the Supreme Devil Organization. They will definitelye¡­ and I''m afraid that your uncle will be the first person to be dispatched. In fact, he might do it by himself."


    "He is a Devil Saint. His current strength should be simr to that of themander. But I don''t know if he has broken through to the Spirit Transcendence or not. Even if he has, I should still have some strength to buy time for you to run away. That''s why I kind of agree with Anna. You should be a Spirit Grandmaster as soon as possible."


    "That''s why I hope that you can prioritize your safety."


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Say, how strong is a Spirit Transcendence? Can they defeat multiple Spirit Grandmasters easily?"


    "I haven''t reached that stage, but from my understanding, they can''t. It''s true that they are far stronger than a Spirit Grandmaster, but you will feel that the Spirit Master is the transition realm. Once you reach the Spirit Grandmaster, you will understand my words."


    "That''s why¡­ even though a Spirit Transcendence can defeat multiple Spirit Grandmasters alone, they will have a hard time killing a Spirit Grandmaster, especially one that is ready to sacrifice everything to survive."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "In that case, if we have multiple Spirit Grandmasters, do you think everyone can return safely?"


    "Well¡­ just think about this¡­ Shale, Milfa, and me, the three of us should be able to buy you a lot of time while returning safely from fighting themander."


    "I see." As Noel closed his eyes at that time, the current Noel also finished sorting his thoughts. He opened his eyes and looked at Paul, "I have a n. But it will be extremely dangerous. I don''t even know if this is even possible."


    "Let me hear your thoughts¡­" Paul suddenly looked around and pointed at a small alley where they could exchange information without being heard. "Tell me there."


    Noel nodded. They immediately headed toward the alley as Noel whispered his n to Paul.


    Paul was surprised by two things. First, Noel''s n was dangerous and bold. It might be able to confirm their enemies, but if the n failed, they had a high chance of dying. Second, Noel''s trump card seriously scared him. He could only think that this was the trump card from the former Ardagan Family.


    However, it was true that they couldn''t remain in this city. If they did, this city might be destroyedpletely.


    After some considerations, Paul agreed to Noel''s n. But he also added, "I am going to tell you this first. If there is someone who is responsible for the group''s safety, it''s me. As the vice-captain, I''m the one who epts that mission. That''s why you have to obey the vice captain''s words. Understood?"


    Noel''s body shook. It was clear that Paul wanted to be the first one to sacrifice his life if their n failed. He never thought Paul was this brave, but he also felt moved.


    Although he didn''t know how much he could do, he would do everything to lead the group safely.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    They had arrived in front of the gate again. They were ready to leave this city to bring the medicine to other cities.


    Faust said his message while sending them off. "Don''t worry about the Superior Demon. Even if I have to use my life, I''m going to stop it. Good luck."

 Chapter 672 Chase

    Not far away from the city, a woman suddenly appeared as if she had just returned from outside. She walked to a deeper area.


    There was a transparent barrier that could be felt but couldn''t be seen. She gently touched the barrier and couldn''t push her finger inside.


    But after a few seconds, her finger suddenly entered the barrier and her entire body gradually came in.


    Inside the barrier stood five people. One of them was none other than the Devil Saint, Laufey Ardagan.


    The two next to him had a simr appearance. They both had long spiky hair, but their bangs leaned in the opposite direction, making it easier for them to be recognized.


    Their bodies weren''t that big, but they were excluding an aura that could make her body twitch as if she was about to be devoured alive.


    In the opposite direction, there were two people. Unlike the previous pair, both of them had a contrasting appearance. The first one had a muscr body and a huge ive resting on his back.


    Even a normal person would know that he was strong. Due to his height, he appeared to look down on her.


    Meanwhile, the other person was very skinny. His arms even showed a little bit of his bone contour.


    His face was pale and there was even a shackle on his already thin wrists, making them look like they were about to fall.


    Although his eyes weren''t excluding anything, she couldn''t help but feel eerie whenever this guy stared at her.


    "Isn''t this the idiot snake?" The muscr guyughed. "So, what did you find this time? I hope it''s something useful¡­"


    "¡­" The woman, who was known as the serpent, bit her lips. She said, "They have exited the city. Looking at their direction, it seems that they are going to the Hansville City, southwest of our current position."


    "Hoho? Is it the time for us to ambush them?" The muscr guy cracked his fingers. He seemed to have a hard time calming down. "I guess I will be satisfied in fighting that big vice captain. What is his name again?"


    "Paul." The woman answered.


    "Yeah, yeah. That Paul! Hahaha." The muscr guyughed out loud.


    "Dude. Can you lower your voice a bit? My ears hurt." The skinny guy asked with an annoyed face.


    "¡­" The muscr guy fell silent, staring at this guy. "Well, I guess¡­"


    "Then, we don''t have to handle that guy, Faust? The captain of the Demon Barrier Squad¡­" One of the pairs asked with a serious expression. The other pair also looked at Laufey, "Yeah. So, what''s the n, Boss?"


    Laufey closed his eyes for a moment. "For now, you two Demon Pairs are going to stand between us and the Demon Barrier Squad. There is a possibility that they have figured out our existence and Faust might try to attack us from behind."


    "Well, that''s annoying. But it''s still only a possibility. I guess we''re going to take the boring job." The pair said the same thing together.


    "Gargan and Fil¡­" Laufey clicked his tongue. When he was about to depart with only the serpent and the pair, he was tasked to bring these two.


    Back then, he was already standing in front of the exit. But before they left, a muscr man, who was called Gargan, suddenly stopped them.


    He politely bowed to Laufey and said, "Excuse me, Sir Laufey. I have brought a message from the Supreme Devil."


    "Hmm?" Laufey furrowed his eyebrows. He took the letter and read it. The content was simple. He wanted him to bring these two with him.


    On the one hand, he was surprised that the Supreme Devil knew about his operation. On the other hand, the handwriting was authentic. If he didn''t bring them, the Supreme Devil would surely be angry.


    After some thought, Laufey sighed. He looked at the muscr guy and said, "He asked me to bring you and the one who was hiding behind you with me."


    "¡­" The skinny guy, Fil, suddenly let go of his grip andnded on the ground. He took a peek at Laufey and said, "I apologize for not showing myself. I¡­"


    "It''s fine. I have heard about you two a long time ago. You are that old hag''s subordinates. After having two of her Devil Bishops die, she made both of you a new Devil Bishop. So, the reason you two here must be to create a bnce¡­ Tsk." Laufey clicked his tongue, annoyed.


    He red at them and said, "Even if you are that old hag''s subordinate, I''m going to warn you first. Your strength is still too lowpared to the previous Devil Bishops."


    "I don''t care what you do, but if you mess up, I''m going to make you ountable even if I have to fight with that old hag. And I''m not joking if I''m going to make you pay¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Gargan and Fil nodded furiously. They couldn''t help but nce at the woman next to Laufey.


    She was known as the serpent. Her name was Hailfa. After failing her missions several times, despite being a Spirit Grandmaster, her treatment was simr to that of a Devil Inspector.


    Laufey had warned everyone that if they gave her a treatment of a Devil Bishop, he would punish them as well.


    As a result, she had to endure all the humiliation. Even Gargan and Fil had to look down on her if they didn''t want to get punished.


    Laufey was indeed strict in administering the punishment, but no one could say anything because he had the strength to do so.


    That was why Gargan and Fil were extremely obedient.


    Laufey said, "Alright. Since everyone is here, let''s set off."


    Remembering that scene couldn''t help but make his mood go even lower. He let out a long sigh while saying, "Gargan. Your job is to stop Paul. As for Fil, you are going to take care of the remaining members of the Demon Relief Squad. This woman will use that opportunity to kidnap a knight called Iadre."


    Of course, the only people that knew about Noel''s identity were Laufey and Hailfa. Hailfa knew about him because she had been investigating him while Laufey''s target was Noel all this time.


    There was no need for the others to know. This way, they could prevent a lot of information leaks. Even in the organization, only the Supreme Devil knew about Iadre''s true identity. Though, it was due to him sharing his spection. There was still no proof, so he hadn''t said anything more.


    And this cooperation was to allow him to put surveince on Laufey.


    "Alright. We''ll follow them for a while. Until there is a great distance between them and the nearest cities, including the base in front of us, we will ambush them. Any questions?" Laufey asked with a dark expression.


    No one dared to ask any with that kind of expression. They might get punished if they said they didn''t understand.


    Besides, Laufey had told them the n as simply as possible, so it would be their fault if they couldn''t understand it.


    Now that they had finished their discussion, Laufey said, "Let''s depart."


    Fil raised his hands. The Magic Power that covered his hands suddenly disappeared, resulting in the barrier that hid them from the outside vanishing.


    With this, all of them disappeared, following Noel and the others at high speed.


    Little did they know, Noel had made severalyers of preparation even though he wasn''t sure about their appearance. Even so, this was one of the ns that saved a lot of time and their lives.


    When they were following the trails, especially the small trail the carriage left behind, everything suddenly disappeared as if they had just vanished without a trace.


    "Hmm?" The serpent narrowed her eyes while looking at the end of the trail. "Sir."


    "What''s wrong? Why did you stop?" Laufey narrowed his eyes, judging the serpent''s ability.


    However, the woman presented the end of the trail and said, "There is no more trail to follow¡­"


    "Hmm?" Laufey frowned. "What do you mean? What about the other spots?"


    "There is no trace of them being stepped on. From the trail alone, it looks like the group has disappeared¡­" The woman thought of something and added, "If my assumption is correct, this must be Jonathan''s ability¡­"


    "Jo¡­who?" Gargan asked, not hearing it correctly. He also didn''t have extensive knowledge about their names, so he didn''t know about them.


    "The one with Telekinesis ability." The woman briefly described Jonathan.


    "Ah!" Gargan nodded in understanding while Fil asked, "So, he is using the telekinesis right here¡­ The path will split not far away¡­ It seems that they have figured out our existence and erased their trace. This way, we won''t know where they are heading¡­"


    Laufey frowned. On the one hand, they hadn''t gone too far. On the other hand, if they continued recklessly, they might be ambushed by Dimitri and their fighting power would be halved.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    But they couldn''t wait for too long since their target would continue at their fastest speed.


    "We will split up!"

 Chapter 673 Trap

    "We will split up." Laufey had to make a hard decision. If he chose incorrectly, they would suffer a huge loss. Although it was true that the Demon Relief Squad would have a hard time killing even a single person in their group, it would be a different case if Dimitri had made his move personally.


    At the same time, he couldn''t waste too much time because the other party would be even further. Since the path had split, if they had gone for too long, it would be impossible to find out about the other party''s condition if they were to be attacked.


    "Hailfa, Gargan, Fil. You three are to go left and head to Hansville City. If there is no ambush within twelve hours, you are to go back and head in our direction. If there is an ambush, you are to retreat as long as the enemy is a Spirit Grandmaster. Do whatever it takes to make me notice and survive." Laufey gave his order with a strict tone.


    Hailfa was surprised that Laufey called her by her name. He never did it during the punishment, so it showed how grave their current situation was. It seemed they had underestimated Noel Ardagan.


    "Understood. But, Sir¡­ on the right path to Hemerville City, there is a small area filled with woods. There is a high chance that they will be using it to hide." Hailfa reminded Laufey as a reliable subordinate.


    Laufey nodded. "Let''s go."


    They agreed with the current n and immediately headed to their respective path at their fastest speed. The Demon Relief Squad shouldn''t have gone too far after all.


    Of course, the pair had to remain in this junction to block whoever wasing to help them.


    Laufey clicked his tongue and chased after Noel alone. Even if Dimitri attacked him, he wouldn''t be able to defeat him. So, this was the best n at the current moment.


    It didn''t take too long for him to reach the small area Hailfa was talking about. The woods weren''t that thick, but if they went deep enough, it was enough to provide some cover.


    Laufey was carefully moving around the trees, finding any traces of them while expecting an ambush.


    "¡­" Laufey looked around, making sure to not leave a single gap. He couldn''t help but think, ''Using the woods and splitting paths to their advantage¡­ This kind of strategy truly reminds me of Luke. No matter how hard I tried to outsmart him, he would always outsmart my outsmarting as if he knew my thoughts.''


    ''Noel might not be a bright guy to inherit the house, but he is surely Luke''s son.'' Laufey let out a long sigh. At first, Laufey thought that Noel could be easily killed sooner orter. In fact, he intended to wait for Luke to pass on his seat to Noel.''


    This way, when Luke was gone and Dimitri wasn''t with Noel, he could easily take Ardagan with him.


    And when Noel arrived at the Demon Banner Army, he immediately set up a lot of surveince to confirm the content of the book he stole from the Ardagan Family.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Unfortunately, Noel hadn''t shown anything that reflected the book''s content. He didn''t show the signature fire element.


    That was why he was still skeptical about taking the sword since the record might be a lie, and his existence would be exposed if he made a move.


    But there was something else that piqued his interest. It was Noel''s growth. He thought this was Noel''s true talent, the talent that he hadn''t polished the whole time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He observed Noel while taking care of his tasks. But surprisingly, every time the Supreme Devil Organization shed with the Demon Banner Army, they would always lose. When he learned that the Demon Relief Squad would always be there, he began to think that Iadre was Noel, especially with that absurd growth and simr stature.


    That was why when he confirmed the element, he was sure that it was Ardagan Sword. There were a lot of legends about the sword, so he would believe all kinds of mystical things.


    However, when he directly shed with Noel this time did he finally understand. Noel had a brain like Luke and an unparalleled talent, if he wasn''t removed immediately, he would surely be an obstacle to the organization sooner orter.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, it seemed that he had caught Noel''s trail.


    There was a trace in the middle of the woods. The leaves were crushed and the ground was slightly tilted downward.


    Judging from the trace, there seemed to be a few people who had been here a moment ago. And with the slight curve on one of them, it was clear that the wheel had pressed the soil.


    "Got them." Laufey smirked. He knew that they were here not long ago.


    Without hesitation, he began to look around, trying to find other trails that would lead him to them.


    It seemed that Jonathan was quite exhausted since there were a few more trails in a certain direction. This type of trace truly put a smile on his face. Laufey followed it without hesitation and continued moving in that direction. He believed that the enemies would appear sooner orter.


    Unbeknownst to him, while he was searching for Noel''s existence, his group was ambushed by the Demon Relief Squad.


    ¡­


    In another path, Gargan was holding his ive with only his right hand because his left hand was severed. He red at the people that surrounded him to show his determination to fight.


    Fil stood behind Gargan. In fact, he was the one who managed to save Gargan from the ambush.


    Meanwhile, Hailfa was slick like a snake. She escaped the ambush skillfully and became the first one to notice the situation.


    There was a Spirit Grandmaster aside from Paul. They didn''t know about this person, so they considered him as the ''death'' element that Laufey talked about. Meanwhile, there was actually one person missing from this group. He was none other than Zion.


    It seemed that they had fallen into their traps.

 Chapter 674 Ambush

    A moment ago.


    Noel had instructed Jonathan to carry everything with his telekinesis. It was hard work for him, but because Noel was worried about the situation, he had to do it.


    While they were being transported by Jonathan, Noel pointed to the side and said to Zion, "If you go there, you will find a small area filled with trees. I want you to make a fake trail to fool the enemy who goes there."


    "Hmm? We have a spare wheel¡­" Zion furrowed his eyebrows and understood what Noel wanted. "I see. So, you want me to drag them away from the rest?"


    "Yeah. The trail doesn''t have to go that far, but it should still follow the path. You should be able to handle it, right?"


    "Yeah. Leave it to me." Zion nodded with a serious expression. He nced at Paul. "If I jump with all my strength, the carriage will be destroyed. I don''t want to leave any trail either. So, mind giving me a boost?"


    Paul agreed without hesitation, considering he was one of the few that knew about Noel''s ns. He raised his hammer as Zion stepped on it with that huge body.


    However, Paul used his Spiritual Energy to boost his own strength so that he was strong enough to lift Zion.


    With all that strength, he swung his hammer,unching Zion into the air.


    By the time hended, he should be far enough that his trail wouldn''t easily be seen.


    As a master of jumping, it wouldn''t be hard for Zion to cover a great amount of distance in a single leap. In addition, he could easily adjust his step to match the foothold, allowing him to easily jump from one tree to another. This way, there was hardly any trace to find.


    Since the other path had been taken care of, Noel could finally focus on this path. He turned to everyone while putting his hand in his pocket. He said, "There might be some people who pursue us, most likely from the Supreme Devil Organization. I want to either fight them or run away from them, depending on our enemies.


    "I have discussed it with Paul, but this is the only n that can give us the highest chance to survive. And I think I should apologize to all of you for two reasons. First, their target might be me. Second, I have miscalcted their strength."


    "Hmm?" Ste frowned when she heard the first reason. She couldn''t help but add, "Well, we don''t know why the Supreme Devil Organization is targeting you, but the attack before our vacation¡­ their target should be us, right? In that case, you are not entirely at fault. Even if you are not here, they wille to us. So, you don''t have to take the me."


    Paul smiled. He had the same opinion when Noel discussed it with him. And it seemed that the rest had epted it as well.


    Without Noel, they would die on multiple asions, so they thought it wouldn''t be strange if Noel wasn''t targeted.


    In the end, they focused on the second reason. From how he told them, the enemies might be stronger than he expected.


    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® But before they could go into detail, a shadow suddenly jumped toward them from the side as if he had been tailing them this whole time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Who?!" The rest of the group immediately raised their weapons, trying to stop this person as if he was an enemy. But Noel immediately stopped them, "Wait. He is an ally."


    The guynded on top of the carriage softly. He wore a simple brown shirt and long ck pants. His face was covered with a shawl and the only thing they could see was the sword on his waist as well as the pair of blue eyes.


    He was none other than Damian, the vicemander of the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal army.


    He told Noel about their situation. "There are three Spirit Grandmastersing to this ce. I can''t get a good grasp on their true strength, but from a nce, one of them should be simr to this big guy, while the other two have a slightly higher power. What do you want to do?"


    "!!!" Paul and the others were shocked by his arrival. They never thought that Noel had this powerful ally. The rest might not be able to grasp Damian''s strength, but Paul, another Spirit Grandmaster, could sense how powerful he was.


    "Three Spirit Grandmasters¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. Their strength is still too big, but I guess it''s better than nothing. We will set up an ambush. If we can kill at least one of them, it would be good. If we can''t, then giving a heavy injury to some of them wouldn''t be that bad."


    "You should remember our agreement."


    "Of course." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If you can kill one or severely injure two or three of them, I''m willing to give you half of the concept of the movement. If you can kill two of them, I will add five runes with that concept."


    "We have a deal." Damian epted it without hesitation. "Looking at how you are this sneaky, it seems that you have a n already."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Yeah¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment before beginning to exin his entire n. Damian also listened to Noel since it was a good time to measure Noel''s ability.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Hailfa, Gargan, and Fil had gone for about fifteen minutes, still waiting for any trace.


    However, Hailfa seemed to notice there were some weird spots on the grass not far from them as if someone had just used their power around it.


    "Wait!" Hailfa stopped while turning around, trying to look at the spot. "I seem to have found their trail."


    "Hmm?" Gargan and Fil frowned, wondering what she found. They were a bit surprised that there was a circle where the grass seemed to fall down. It seemed that someone used their Spiritual Energy here and blew these grasses off.


    "It seems that we have hit the jackpot." Gargan smirked, feeling fired up.


    Hailfa was worried about something. "Wait a minute¡­ Something''s not right¡­ It''s true that the telekinesis user might be tired, but there doesn''t seem to be any other trace¡­ is this a tr¡ª!"

 Chapter 675 Sneak Attack

    "There doesn''t seem to be any other trace¡­ is this a tr¡ª!" Before shepleted her sentence, a few presences suddenly charged straight at them. "Watch out!"


    Even though she tried to warn them, their movement was swift and precise.


    Gargan, who had a muscr body and trained instinct, became the first one to react to the sudden situation. He immediately turned around while raising his hammer, trying to stop whoever dared to approach them.


    But before he realized it, ice emerged from the ground and circled around his arms and legs, stopping his movement.


    "!!!" Gargan widened his eyes in surprise. He could easily crush this ice with brute force, but when he applied some pressure on the ice, a ck phoenix dove down from the sky.


    "Kh." Gargan gritted his teeth, realizing that this phoenix would surely hit him.


    Still, they were Spirit Grandmasters. Fil might have reacted a bit slower, but the phoenix came a littleter than the ice. So, he managed to react to this one.


    Suddenly, the phoenix was distorted and twisted until it became a single ck dot and eventually vanished.


    While he did manage to save Gargan, the world seemed to be breaking apart as a muscr man emerged, swinging his hammer.


    "Fil!" Gargan turned around. He used the time Fil bought for him to break the ice and rotate his body, nning to use this momentum to strike the guy with a hammer.


    But when he swung that ive, another person appeared with his de cutting Gargan''s right hand.


    "!!!" Gargan widened his eyes. His body had shifted to the side instinctively, trying to avoid a certain death. And it seemed that the other party had realized it and shifted its attack from his body to his arm.


    Even though he might be able to cut his body, the wound would be too shallow. So, he wanted to take the strong arm to gain a huge advantage in theter battle.


    However, doing that alone would be underestimating him, the vicemander of the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal army.


    After taking that arm, he rotated his body, using the momentum to swing that de, trying to split Gargan in half.


    But a distortion in the air suddenly appeared in front of the sword, stopping his swing.


    It was Fil, who blocked that attack for Gargan. But due to him saving Gargan''s life, he couldn''t do anything to the one with the hammer other than raise his thin arm to stop the hammer.


    Unfortunately for him, the hammer came from Paul. The strike immediately broke his arm''s bone apart and the momentum allowed the hammer to reach his body, causing a crack on his ribs. Luckily, he managed to jump to the side, lessening the force while using the hammer tounch him away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for the Serpent, she was the first one to recognize the trap and immediately moved away instinctively. Laufey had told them that if they were ever attacked by a Spirit Grandmaster, they should leave immediately to report to him.


    As soon as she saw Damian, she immediately jumped back, trying to get away from this trap.


    However, a woman appeared in front of her, striking her with her de.


    Hailfa caught the de with her hand. Her hand was swift and precise as if a snake just bit the sword. And the purple color on her hand contained the poison, not only strengthening her grip but also inflicting poison on the thing that touched it.


    Unfortunately for her, the de released a torrential wind that scattered the poison to the air above, making sure it didn''t fall to hit other people.


    At the same time, intense pressure gathered on top of her and started pushing her to the ground. Hailfa gritted her teeth, trying to maintain her stature. But due to the amount of pressure, the ground beneath her started to crack.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Last but not least, another person appeared behind her and struck her waist with his sword, trying to cut her down.


    But surprisingly, there was a clicking sound as if the sword just struck a metal. If one took a look at the small gap from her ripped clothes, they would be able to see a scale like that of a snake scale.


    This was a trap. Hailfa never thought they would fall into this kind of trap. At the same time, the opponent seemed to be stronger than they expected.


    She realized Paul was the one hitting Fil. Due to Fil preventing Gargan''s death, he ended up getting heavily injured by Paul even though he couldpletely stop Paul''s attack.


    This showed how strong the Spirit Grandmaster that Laufey was talking about was. In a single ambush, a Devil Bishop could easily be defeated by this man.


    She never thought Noel had this kind of guardian to help him. At the same time, she realized that Noel, Ste, and Jonathan were surrounding her, preventing her from going away.


    And the reason why they couldn''t notice them earlier must be Rose''s illusion. That was right. They must have been under Rose''s influence before they knew it. She might not be the one harming them personally, but without her, this ambush wouldn''t seed.


    Even though they managed to escape from the worst oue, it didn''t change the fact that they were in a pinch.


    ''Think, think, Hailfa. You have to find a way to get out of here and inform Sir Laufey.'' Hailfa, as an expert in espionage, tried to find a way to escape from an ambush. She was also familiar with a sneak attack, so she should be able to find a way out.


    After all, they might be outnumbered, but the only one who could kill them was that mysterious Spirit Grandmaster while the rest weren''t strong enough to be their opponent, except for Paul.


    But looking at how the ambush was executed, she couldn''t help but think, ''This¡­ How could theyunch a high level ambush like this? Do they have an assassin in their rank? And a pretty high rank on top of that?''

 Chapter 676 Lesson

    When Dimitri decided to show his appearance and tell him about his real identity, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Dimitri. You are the best assassin in the Demon Banner Army, right? How could you fail to assassinate me? Although it''s true that my father is shrewd, you can''t outsmart an absolute power, no?"


    Dimitri thought for a moment and said, "It''s actually pretty simple once you grasp it. First of all, you have to be an expert in assassination to be able to counter an assassination attempt."


    "Huh? But my father is a merchant¡­"


    "I mean, a textbook assassination." Dimitri made a weird smile. "Your father might be a merchant, but he has a lot of people helping him, including an assassin. Instead of leaving everything to the guards, he is trying to learn all kinds of knowledge to counter it."


    "So, I''m going to teach you the six basic assassination attempts. They are Manual, idents, Drugs, Sharp Weapons, Blunt Weapons, andstly, Explosions."


    "Manual is like the ambush you have in your mind. However, you have to take note of three things when attempting this. First, you need enough power to kill or heavily injure the target in a single sh."


    "Second, you need to have some abilities that are strong enough that you can be a decoy. Basically, it should be enough to make your target focus on this ability instead of yourself."


    "Third, you need to be swift and precise during the attempt."


    "If you can do this, you should be able to at least heavily injure your target. After all, the stronger the target, the harder it is for you to kill them."


    Noel nodded in understanding. Though, he raised another question. "Still, if you want to assassinate someone, you should do it in the dark, right?"


    "Not really. The ce usually requires three basic things: lighting, distance, and silence."


    "Basically, it''s true that having the darkness to cover you is the best thing for an assassin. However, if we think that''s all there to it, then you only need to increase the guards during the night, right? People can expect your assassination pretty easily."


    "Besides, it''s true that your opponents will have a hard time finding you or anything you have set up, but it''s the same as you. It''s like choking your own neck. So, we are trained to assassinate someone in broad daylight as well. In fact, you can use the sun to blind your enemy like throwing an attack that forces the target to look up and close their eyes to the sunlight or something like that. Basically, you have to adapt to the situation and use everything to your advantage."


    "Then, the distance. You need at least some distance from other people. There are bodyguards that are hiding amongmon people. And some even hide in the shadows like me. That''s why you need to make some distance from other people before assassinating them."


    "Last but not least, silence. If you want to kill them, do it as silently as possible. Well, that''s the point of the assassination anyway."


    Noel remembered this lesson and applied it. Just like his father, he might not be an assassin, but knowing some knowledge could give him an idea of how to do things when necessary.


    He couldn''t help but smile when he looked at the situation. He used that phoenix by taking advantage of the sunlight to blind Fil, causing his reaction speed to be slower. At the same time, the ambush urred during the day, breaking the stereotype.


    With the help of Rose''s illusion, he could cover everyone''s movement and show everything that he wanted to let the enemy know.


    This was why the ambush was a sess even though he wasn''t an assassin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The strength Dimitri was talking about was Damian and Paul. They were both Spirit Grandmasters, so they were the only people that could inflict some damage on them. Meanwhile, the other Spirit Masters would be joining hands to restrain the third Spirit Grandmaster.


    ''Good. With this, we should b¡ª!!'' Before Noel finished his thought, he saw multiple distortions appearing all around them.


    "!!!" Damian felt the distortion around him and immediately jumped back, trying to regain some distance to observe the distortion. This ability was weird after all.


    "A space distortion¡­" Damian muttered while feeling something else. "No. It''s not space¡­"


    However, when he jumped away like this, it meant Gargan finally had the space to do something.


    While gritting his teeth, he grabbed the ive with his other hand while rotating his body. With his body, momentum, and Spiritual Energy, he created a tornado that swept the area.


    Paul was forced to step back, while the other Spirit Masters thought about retreating. Luckily, Damian made his move.


    In an instant, the wind was frozen and shattered into pieces before getting reduced to nothing.


    Hailfa didn''t miss the opportunity. The moment they were distracted, she used that split second to break through their formation.


    "Not good!" Ste gritted her teeth, trying to strike her. But Hailfa easily blocked her swing with the snake scale and used that force to boost her momentum.


    Then, she started running at a speed that they wouldn''t be able to catch up to. The only one who could stop her was probably Zion, but thetter was creating a fake trail to keep Laufey busy.


    At the same time, Gargan actually used that wind to cover his movement for a second. When the wind disappeared, Gargan was already next to Fil, who was trying to stand.


    As expected of Spirit Grandmasters, even though their injuries were heavy, they weren''t that easy to kill.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    In addition, with Hailfa going back to inform Laufey, it was clear that they were forced to choose between two options.


    ''We should retreat and continue our journey before Laufeyes here¡­ Or should we do everything to kill them and fight Laufey and that guy?'' Noel frowned, wondering what the correct choice was.


    But he soon remembered what Dimitri taught him.


    Back then, he said, "When you failed your assassination attempt, retreating is the best choice."


    It didn''t take too long for him to say, "Let''s continue our journey. Sir, please stop them for a while."

 Chapter 677 A Small Victory

    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom ?


    "Sir, Please stop them for a while."


    When Noel said those words, he immediately waved his hand, gesturing everyone to retreat.


    Since the serpent had decided to leave to inform Laufey, there was no one stopping them.


    Obviously, Gargan and Fil wouldn''t let everything go his way.


    Gargan gritted his teeth while smashing the ground with his ive.


    "You won''t get away!" Gargan shouted at the top of his lungs. The energy from his ive ran through the ground, shattering it. This powerful energy seemed to be equal to Noel''s Undying Fire Phoenix with the boost from the Fire Heart.


    It was quite shocking that Gargan could release this degree of power without his strong hand. His speed couldn''t be underestimated either.


    Fil seemed to be enduring the pain as he pointed his palm at Damian. A few distortions appeared around him, trying to crush Damian.


    Damian felt their strength and realized that they were indeed powerful criminals. Even he couldn''t easily kill them in this situation, especially since he had to buy time for the rest to escape.


    So, he stomped the ground with his sword. In that instant, both the distortion and Gargan''s attack were covered in ice.


    "!!!" Gargan widened his eyes in shock. He was also a Spirit Grandmaster, but to think there would be this big of a gap.


    Gargan gritted his teeth and said, "You should go, Fil. I''ll buy you some time."


    Fil nced at Gargan''s face, understanding his intention. If they fought together, they had the chance to slip past Damian. On the one hand, going straight to the Demon Relief Squad could stop them from leaving. On the other hand, there was still Paul. With Fil''s condition, Paul would have an overwhelming advantage.


    That was why Gargan told him to go, not to chase after them. He wanted Fil to survive while he bought time from Damian. He might get severely injured fighting Damian, but he was still confident enough to survive.


    If they could somehow regroup with Laufey, they should be able to turn the situation around. And it would be best if they could somehow surround this monstrous guyter.


    With that thought in mind, Gargan stepped forth while waving his ive.


    Each swing released a powerful strike that flew toward Damian.


    Damian remained calm the whole time. He received all this strike and dispersed their energy like a true master.


    At the same time, he gradually positioned himself between Gargan and the Demon Relief Squad.


    Little did he know, Noel was actually staring at him.


    "¡­" Noel frowned, feeling something weird from Damian. Dimitri might have shown some of his power, but he hadn''t fought anyone seriously. So, this might be the first time someone at Dimitri''s level fights.


    And in this fight, he found something he couldn''t exin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''What''s that ability? Is his ice so powerful that it can affect the opponent''s ability? Does he have a powerful spirit? At least, stronger than Heisk?'' Noel frowned.


    Noel hadn''t seen anyone with an ice ability. When he found someone with a fire element, they were far inferior to Ardagan. That was why he never thought about this before. What if there was someone with an element stronger than his? What would he do to ovee that gap?


    He had no answer, but at the same time, he felt he could get the answer by watching Damian.


    But it seemed that everything didn''t go ording to the n as Jonathan asked with a slightly frustrated sound. "Noel. Why do we have to run away when we are in an advantageous position? And why do I have to carry everything again? This is taking a toll on my body."


    Because he was annoyed and there were no other people besides the Demon Relief Squad, who were already aware of Iadre''s real identity, he called Noel by his name.


    Noel''s body shook because he was too focused on Damian earlier.


    He realized that his decision was a bit questionable. But he had already prepared an answer for this.


    "ording to the information, they have someone as strong as him. So, that woman must be trying to inform that person who seems to have gone to the other path."


    "If we take too long, we will be surrounded. And at that time, some of us would surely die."


    "Hence, I suggested the retreat. There is also a reason for you to carry us again. It''s to cover our trail. After some time, he will regroup with us and the trail will surely vanish at some point."


    "I want to create a question in their mind¡­ I want them to think about which path we will take. We might follow this path or we might stray off track just to let them pass while heading to the other city."


    "This way, we will have a lot of time to reach the city. We will have better protection once we have arrived at the next destination."


    "And depending on the situation, we can go to another city or wait until the reinforcement arrives. After all, even if the enemy is powerful, the city will allow us to defend against them to a certain degree. I doubt the Supreme Devil Organization would take the risk and engage in a fight against a fortified city even with demons helping them."


    "¡­" Everyone was silent. When they heard the reason, all kinds of misunderstandings were solved. It seemed that Noel had thought this through, especially after miscalcting the enemy''s strength.


    Noel only wanted them to survive. So, he chose to y safe.


    With Gargan and Fil being injured, they wouldn''t attack a city recklessly, especially with Damian helping them.


    However, Noel had one more purpose. He was pretty sure that the one chasing after them was Laufey.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Laufey should be aware of Dimitri and his strength, considering they were formerrades. But with the addition of a mysterious swordsman, Laufey would think twice about attacking him.


    There were two people of Dimitri''s level protecting Noel, if he wasn''t careful, all his ns would fail. This was the only way to buy more time from Laufey. He hoped he could do this until he reached the Spirit Grandmaster level.


    Nheless, they managed to escape from Laufey''s attack and the second phase of the n had just begun.

 Chapter 678 Doubt

    "What?" Laufey widened his eyes in shock when Hailfa came to him, informing about the ambush and their current condition.


    He realized that everything he found earlier was fake.


    Laufey gritted his teeth. He never thought he would lose this miserably.


    Without hesitation, he came with Hailfa to the ce where they were ambushed.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, they found Fil and Gargan on the way. Gargan was covered in superficial wounds and his left hand was severed. It was clear that his strength would decrease and his status as a Devil Bishop might have to be revoked after this mission due to his injury.


    Meanwhile, Fil should be able to recover after some time, which was fortunate for him. But Laufey still needed them for his n.


    "Kh." Laufey was biting his lips while Hailfa tended their wounds. It seemed that Hailfa was also tasked to inform the pair to regroup with them.


    "I''m sorry, Sir. Everything was my fault. If I was strong enough, I could protect all of them." Gargan lowered his head. There was no excuse since Laufey had told them that he wouldn''t hold back even if they were another Devil Saint''s subordinates.


    Laufey wanted to berate him, but when he heard about the ambush, he realized that Dimitri''s strength was in the assassination. In other words, this kind of ambush must be his doing.


    But there was something that confused him.


    ''A man with an ice spirit? That man was the one who caused all this?'' Laufey frowned. ''I have never heard of anyone with this kind of ability¡­ The only Ice Spirit user from the Ardagan Family who was a Spirit Grandmaster was Luke''s wife, Leysha. Then, who is that man?''


    ''His strength might be not less than Dimitri. Is he from Luke? Does that mean aside from Dimitri, Noel is being protected by this ice spirit user? But why would he be the only one to appear instead of Dimitri? He was someone I didn''t know about¡­ shouldn''t he remain as a trump card that would only be revealed when he wanted to take me down?''


    Laufey fell silent for a moment before widening his eyes as though he had just realized something.


    ''Don''t tell me, the one who created that fake trail was Dimitri? By luring me to a deeper region, they could separate me from the rest of the ground.''


    ''At the same time, the Demon Relief Squad would escape and enter a city for more protection. Meanwhile, the ice spirit user woulde to me and defeat me with Dimitri.''


    ''In other words, their n was targeting me¡­'' Laufey''s expression turned grim.


    He realized that the situation was more dangerous than he originally thought.


    On the one hand, he could still continue his mission with the help of the pair. In fact, he was nning to kidnap Noel with only his group. On the other hand, he couldn''t ignore the additional power that Noel had hidden this whole time.


    ''Should I continue then? The pair and Hailfa should be strong enough to buy some time from that ice spirit user. And I can take on Dimitri. In the meantime, Gargan and Fil will kidnap Noel. But there is still Paul and the rest of the members¡­ Because of their injuries, their strength is the same as the Demon Relief Squad.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''There is also a possibility that Faust would have known about this and ambushed us from behind. There is also a chance of the reinforcement arriving¡­''


    ''This is annoying. What should I do? If this mission ends in failure, my standing in the organization will take a hit since I can''t even handle a brat who is only a Spirit Master.''N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel ''But I''m still wondering who was nning all this? Its scent was like Luke''s n. Noel is his son¡­ a tiger cub is still a tiger¡­ Or is it Dimitri? Although Dimitri is not as clever as Luke, he should be able to replicate some of his strategies after following Luke for a long time.''


    Laufey became more and more frustrated the more he thought about it. Gargan and Fil''s injuries were truly the ones that caused all this problem.


    This was why Noel didn''t really mind letting them go. After all, even if they didn''t retreat, they still had enough strength to stop Laufey.


    Laufey thought for a moment and said, "They might be covering their tracks so that it will be hard for us to know their direction."


    "So, we will split up into three groups. But this time, we are going to be more careful. Hailfa, you are going back and making sure Faust is not leaving his base. You bastard pair will go to Hansville City and observe the situation. Try to see whether they arrive there or not."


    "While going there, try not to go near the main road. It''s fine to take a longer time. We don''t need more injuries."


    "The rest will follow me to the other city. If they are not the city of our target, we will move to the other city to regroup. After that, we will formte another n to ambush them. The time limit is two days. More than that, the reinforcement will surelye and I''m afraid it''s going to be another captain."


    "Also, I have to remind you that¡­ another injury will cause the mission failure. I hope you don''t disappoint me any further." Laufey stated with a cold tone. Even his entire face was dark.


    He threatened them that he would be releasing his wrath on them if they failed the mission.


    The group nodded furiously.


    Although Gargan and Fil were still injured, they could only endure their pain and follow Laufey while making sure that their wounds didn''t reopen.


    The pair and Hailfa split up, doing their own jobs.


    It seemed that the battle between the Demon Relief Squad and the Supreme Devil Organization had yet to end since Laufey insisted on continuing the mission.


    Nheless, both sides knew that the Demon Relief Squad had a big advantage.


    Would Laufey find out about Dimitri''s absence and turn around the situation?

 Chapter 679 A Deal?

    "We have spotted the city! They seem to have reduced the demon number a lot¡­" Ste reported.


    Rose was silent the whole time as she took a close look at the situation.


    There were many cracks in the wall. However, there were still far more people that stood on top of the wallpared to the Demon Barrier Squad''s Headquarters.


    In addition, there were a few experts on top of the wall, taking one demon after another.


    It seemed that even though the wall was a bit tattered, the Spirit Enchantment was still intact and there were still a lot of people fighting.


    And judging from the number of demons around here, it seemed that they were less than the ones attacking the Headquarters. In addition, they didn''t have a Superior Demon around.


    Rose reported, "The city seems to be safe to enter. Should we release our signal?"


    Paul nced at Noel for a moment before making his decision. "Alright. Send the signal to let them know of our presence."


    "Yes, Sir." Rose nodded. She raised her hand and formed an illusion in the air.


    Suddenly, a big g appeared in the air. The g was white, but there was a red ''x'' in the middle of it. Between each line, there was a different symbol, from a hammer to a weapon. This was the g of the Demon Relief Squad, showing that they were the squad that could do anything.


    It would be impossible for the people on the wall to not see this.


    Without hesitation, they immediately cooperated with them, allowing them to enter the city. Of course, the Zero Squad also showed their strength, eliminating all the demons that stood in their way.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Without much of a problem, they managed to enter the city.


    They were greeted by two soldiers who seemed to have recognized them.


    "Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad? We have received word about your arrival." One of them politely greeted them.


    It seemed that Historia had sent a few birds to tell them about their arrival. This was useful since there was no misunderstanding.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Paul nodded with a serious expression. "Thank you for receiving us. We are here with a lot of medicine. It will be useful for the people, right?"


    The soldier''s face brightened when he heard ''medicine.'' He didn''t hesitate to admit it. "Yes, Sir. We really need medicine."


    The other soldier suddenly raised his hand, stopping him as if he knew the other guy had be too excited. He said, "We appreciate the medicine. But I believe it''s better to go to our temporary base first to talk with the Vice Captain."


    "Indeed." Paul nodded. He nced at Noel, who waved his hand. It seemed that there was no need for his presence during the meeting.


    So, he said, "Rose, Ben, follow me. The rest of you can take some rest."


    "In that case, please allow me to guide you to your lodge. That''s the least we can do." The excited soldier raised his hand, volunteering to be their guide. Meanwhile, the other seemed to be leading Paul to their vice captain.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The group split for a moment.


    Noel and the others were guided to a building three blocks away. The room was simr to the one he had in the Headquarters. It wasn''t luxurious, but it was enough for everything.


    Since he finally had time alone, Noel chose to solve a few problems. And it seemed that one of the problems decided to haunt him.


    Without even Noel inviting him, Damian suddenly entered the room with a serious expression.


    "I''vee to receive my part of the deal." Damian walked inside.


    Noel didn''t push him away nor did he say anything to his action. After all, Damian had all the right to do it.


    Noel looked at him and said, "Of course. I''m writing it down now. However, because the ambush is my n and you haven''t done much¡­ Two runes should be enough, no?"


    Damian looked down, falling into deep thought. As Noel said,pared to the grand picture, ambushing the Spirit Grandmasters and stopping those injured people weren''t that much since Noel had nned everything.


    So, giving two runes that hadn''t been published to the world was a great deal. As expected of a person from a Merchant Family. He managed to give a reward equal to the effort, leaving no chance for negotiation.


    It seemed that he had to take this deal.


    "Alright then. Two runes."


    "But before that¡­" Noel raised his hand, stopping him. "Can I ask you something?"


    "Depends on the question¡­" Damian frowned, wondering what Noel wanted to know.


    As soon as he gave the confirmation, Noel asked, "I have seen how you utilize your ability¡­ However, there is something that feels a bit different¡­ I don''t know why, but it seems that your ability is like flowing in nature. I don''t think your element is like that, so it seems that the way you utilize your ability is different from anyone I''ve seen so far."


    Damian widened his eyes before contemting. "Hmm¡­ So, you want to know how I utilize my ability?"


    "I just want to check first whether it''s ssified information or not." Noel narrowed his eyes, judging Damian''s reaction. Depending on his actions¡­ No, even the slight change in his expression would allow him to get the answer he wanted.


    However, Damian didn''t have a change of expression as if it was something normal. He said, "In that case, I don''t really mind telling you about it. It''s not that big of a secret anyway, but I have to remind you that it''s information at Spirit Grandmaster Level. You shouldn''t expect to receive it for free, no?"


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking, ''Hmm¡­ from the way he speaks, it seems that the information is like public knowledge. But considering this is information from a Spirit Grandmaster level, the price shouldn''t be that low.''


    ''Besides, Damian wouldn''t lie to me, at least not now. If I knew he was lying, it would just cause a lot of demerits for him. So the information will be legitimate.''


    ''However, should I ept this deal? Should I postpone it and ask this question to Dimitri? But Dimitri is handling a lot of matters. I could only meet him in another two months at the very least¡­'' Noel was contemting, calcting the pros and cons of this deal.

 Chapter 680 Exchange

    ''Should I postpone this deal? But Damian is someone from the Greenwood Kingdom. If we''re talking about the Greenwood Kingdom, they are famous for their Spirit Magicians.''


    ''They should have some unique information regarding the way to handle the Spirits. Although Damian is a tough nut to crack, I should be able to find at least one clue about their system.''


    ''It''s not that much of a secret¡­ It means that this kind of secret will only be told when one reaches the Spirit Grandmaster Level. Even if I know about it now, I might not be able to do anything with it.''


    ''Still, epting this deal can also make me look like I''m generous. Damian still has one more option avable, which is to kill me since Dimitri is not here. He has the perfect opportunity since we''re chased by the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    ''In other words, by taking this deal, Damian will think that I''m someone who doesn''t hesitate to trade information for my convenience. If he can y his cards right, he could get a lot of benefits from me. I want to make him think that way¡­ Just like my father once said, if you want to snatch someone''s loyalty, you should use their greed first before using your kindness and charisma.''


    It seemed Noel had decided. He raised a finger and said, "One more rune for that information. You can keep the change."


    Damian smiled. "We have a deal."


    Noel immediately instructed Ardagan inwardly. ''Ardagan. Exchange my Honor Points to three random rune scrolls.''


    [Exchanging.]


    [You''ve acquired Muscle Enhancement Rune.]


    [You''ve acquired Falling Rune.]


    [You''ve acquired Gauntlet Rune.]


    ''Hmm? Am I lucky to receive one rune each? I''ve got one Rune Enchantment, Rune Engineering, and Rune Spell. Either way, the Muscle Enhancement Rune is pretty useful to increase my strength. It seems that it''s the upgraded version of the Strength Blessing Rune, but I can also use both at the same time, improving the effect even further.''


    ''The Falling Rune is like the Enhance Forward Rune, but downward. Meanwhile, the Gauntlet Rune is a rune that covers one''s fist like a gauntlet. I canbine this with Rune Body to strengthen my fist but forter.''


    Noel had finished his thought. Although he had a lot of runes in his head, he hadn''t practiced them this whole time. He took advantage of the system to use the runes.


    And if he wanted to use the rune as a deal, he had to demonstrate the rune was genuine by using it first. So, it was better to get some runes through the scrolls.


    That was why he exchanged three of them.


    It was a waste, but he had saved a lot of people from the expedition to this city. So, he had a lot of Honor Points to spend for the time being.


    He took out his book and formed the Enhance Forward Rune. "I''m sure that you have seen this rune. This is called Enhance Forward Rune. The name already tells you its power."


    The book flew toward Damian as thetter grabbed it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Before he said anything, Noel continued, forming the Extension Rune. He extended the back of his chair, causing it to almost hit the ceiling. "This is the Extension Rune. Its power is simr to the Enhance Forward Rune, but they serve a different purpose. Someone of your level should understand their difference, right?"


    "As for thest rune¡­" Noel pointed his hand toward Damian. The Falling Rune appeared on top of Damian.


    "!!!" Damian widened his eyes as he felt pressure from above, trying to push him to the floor or even break the floor underneath him. The pressure was quite strong, but it wasn''t at the point where it would stop him from moving.


    "The limit of the first rune is fifty meters, and it can lift a small boulder. It packs a lot of power. The second rune can extend something up to twenty-five meters. You can further extend it if you choose a small object. As for thest rune, the power can make you feel as if you are carrying a hundred kilograms of weight on top of you."


    "I don''t think a Spirit Grandmaster like you will be affected by this, but you should be able to see its worth, right?"


    Damian''s expression became serious. Of course, he could see it. The people that would benefit from these runes the most were probably the Spirit Masters and Spirit Wielders.


    There were more Spirit Masters than Spirit Grandmasters, and the same applied to the Spirit Wielders. If normal soldiers could use it, there would be a huge change in how they fought.


    After all, normal people could use the runes, or what the books said. Rose was the best example.


    Of course, Rose could master the runes far faster than anyone due to her senses. Because her vision was better, she could see all kinds of details. In other words, she could learn twice faster than that of normal people. That was why she was able to master Noel''s runes that fast.


    She served the purpose of telling others that normal people could use the runes.


    He thought for a moment and nodded. "Indeed. Are you going to give me the record about these three runes?"


    "Yeah. Though, I''m not giving you the exclusive right. You should know the right is expensive, right?"


    "¡­" Damian narrowed his eyes. If Noel wasn''t useful anymore, he could answer that question easily. But Noel still had a lot of secrets that were waiting to be exchanged.


    Damian let out a long sigh. "Alright. I understand that."


    e¦Áglesnovel`c,om Noel smiled. "It seems that you''re not going to ask for the rights."


    "Your development is too fast. Why should I bother with the rights? I can just gather everything you show me and send it first so that the kingdom can take advantage of it faster than anyone else." Damian shrugged.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noel sighed. Damian was indeed clever. "Well, I''ll give you all of them after you answer my question."


    "Sure. I don''t have a problem." Damian nodded. He paused for a moment. His eyes focused on him as if he was trying to see through him. "Since you told me to keep the change, I''m giving you a bonus. I hope you don''t take this as an insult¡­"


    "You¡­ are like a Spirit Ability Thrower instead of a true Spirit Master."

 Chapter 681 Realization

    "You¡­ are like a Spirit Ability Thrower instead of a true Spirit Master."


    "Huh?" Noel raised his eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean?"


    When he saw Noel''s face, Damian rearranged his words. Without context, his words were an insult. There was no way Noel would take it lightly.


    Noel was a genius that was hard toe by. Such a genius usually had a kind of pride that would be hurt when someone insulted them.


    However, when Noel heard his words, there wasn''t a single trace of pride. He was purely confused. Let alone pride, all that he wanted was a way to get stronger.


    So, he had to rearrange his words to match his personality. He thought he would beat Noel with his words, but since there wasn''t a need for it, he cut straight to the case.


    "Literally. You have a lot of powerful abilities. Although I haven''t seen everything about you, I have witnessed a few of your abilities."


    "I can say that your abilities are top notch, but that''s all there is to it. It feels like you are utilizing them ording to the textbook."


    "A textbook?" Noel frowned, looking down and falling into deep thought.


    He had felt something different whenever Damian utilized his ability. But this was the first time he heard someone telling him like this.


    Seeing Noel''s confused look, Damian continued, "For example, this Enhance Forward Rune you''re going to give me. It can move an item forward, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression. That was what the rune was all about after all.


    However, Damian added, "In that case, what would happen if I draw this rune in reverse? Doesn''t that mean it''s not forward anymore?"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes. With his brain, it was easy for Noel to understand what he wanted to say.


    And itpletely dumbstruck him. He had never thought about it.


    It was true that he could use the rune with different weapons and items, changing the purpose of the runes or his approaches.


    However, he never thought about drawing the rune in reverse.


    He imagined himself turning his body around and drawing the Enhance Forward Rune normally. But before activating it, he turned around again so that the Enhance Forward Rune was aimed in his direction instead of the other way around like it was supposed to be.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    What if he could draw the rune in reverse so that he didn''t have to turn around to draw it in reverse? That would mean the Enhance Forward Rune could be the ''Enhance Backward Rune.''


    However, his thinking was still limited since he could actually draw it sideways, changing its direction again.


    This might be what Damian meant by Spirit Ability Thrower instead of a Spirit Master.


    He covered his face with his hands as if he had just got the shock of his life.


    ''I see. What Damian means by Spirit Ability Thrower is that I have been using my ability too literally. If it''s Enhance Forward Rune, I have always thought about making an item go forward instead of the direction of the rune itself.''


    ''Now that I think about it, I have been using everything too literally. The Ice Ability, the Fire Ability, and even the Runes¡­''


    e¦Áglesnovel`c,om ''In that case, the Enhance Forward Rune can easily be the Falling Rune if I want it. Howe I never thought about this?''


    ''No, wait.'' Noel suddenly took a deep breath as if he had just realized a big problem. ''Since when¡­ Yeah, since when did I rely too much on Ardagan and Heisk?''


    After that realization, Noel noticed how much he relied on his spirits. It was true that he should rely on his spirit, but the spirit would always be his supporter and he would always have the initiative.


    Ardagan and Heisk had already told him that they would always support him. They gave a lot of abilities and the system allowed him to work on his ability swiftly just by taking advantage of the system''s Honor Points and Skill Points.


    When he wasn''t that reliant on Ardagan, he managed to create a lot of original things with the help of knowledge that he attained. He could form his own Swordsmanship with the help of the Ardagan Swordsmanship. He could make the Sword Fall make a parabolic movement instead of a simple falling movement.


    But after getting stronger and stronger, he realized that he had a bit too reliant on the system. He took advantage of the system and his overwhelming abilities to win in every battle, but he had stopped thinking about what he could do to make that technique an original ability. His personality was the one that made things unique after all.


    ''This¡­'' Noel''s body shook. ''Now that I think about it, can I use the me Scale on an object that is connected to me as long as I think it''s my own body? Can I use the Ice Mirror on a shield or something to strengthen its foundation?''


    ''There are a lot of things I can do¡­'' Once he realized everything, it seemed that the door that led him to apletely new world was opened for him. ''An infinitebination¡­ an infinite number of possibilities¡­ Since when did I limit myself? Ardagan and Heisk have told me that they are going to support me, so I, as the head, should take the initiative to choose the direction. I''m a fool¡­''Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noel gritted his teeth. He never thought he would be this angry and disappointed in himself.


    Damian saw that change of expression and closed his eyes. It seemed that he didn''t have to tell him everything since he could figure it out himself.


    Damian only added two more things. "It seems that you have realized what I''m talking about. That''s actually one of the possibilities of bing a Spirit Grandmaster. I don''t know if someone has told you or not, but a Spirit Grandmaster is like a different world. That''s because of what I told you earlier."

 Chapter 682 New Vision

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel ?


    "The Spirit Grandmaster is the realm of Fusion. There is a reason why it''s called a fusion¡­" Damian pointed at his head. "The one thing that you will refine when you be a Spirit Grandmaster is your brain.


    "The brain is in control of everything, so once you have refined your brain, you are going to achieve fusion."


    "What does the fusion mean? Well, it''s basically the way you use your Spirit Abilities. For example¡­" Damian formed an ice sword. It was identical to the sword on his waist. "This is my ability, Ice Sword. As the name implies, I can only create an Ice Sword with it. I can''t use it to form a hammer or anything.


    "However, a Sword can be anything. A double-edged sword, a one-edged sword, a two-handed big sword, or even a thin sword like rapier. A bow is the same¡­ There are Short Bow, Long Bow, Composite Bow, Crossbow or a lot more."


    "What I have seen for you is your ability to throw your Spirit Ability at your opponent. It''s true that your approach is unique, but you haven''t utilized a hundred percent of your abilities."


    "That''s why you are just a thrower, not a master. On the other hand, what I have done is mastering my own technique. My spirit once told me that it would give me its ability without telling me how to use it. He would observe how I use my ability because my answer might not be the same as his."


    "I don''t know about the standard of this kingdom, but in the Greenwood Kingdom, all Spirit Masters are attempting to fully utilize their abilities like this. It is surely hard, but this is the foundation for the Spirit Grandmaster stage."


    "Once you refine the Spirit Mind, you can easily control your Spiritual Energy. Even if you fail or can utilize a new way even a little bit, when you be a Spirit Grandmaster, you might be able to fully utilize it all of a sudden."


    "That''s why Spirit Masters usually draw the concept when they are at this stage, trying to master at least one or two techniques. When they reach the Spirit Grandmasters, they will master all their abilities."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "I believe I have answered your question with this." Damian smiled and took a step back.


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. He could only answer him with his action because his mind was thinking a lot of things.


    He soon pinched the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes.


    There were three reasons why Damian told him about all this. The first reason was his potential.


    By telling him about this, Damian could measure Noel''s talent. After all, Noel was the grandson of their former royal magician, Raincart Ezenholm.


    The second reason was rted to his judgment. Even though he had a smart head, it felt like he had always been burdened by something that made him reliant.


    It might be his spirit, but he had never heard a case where the spirits tried to take over their hosts. In other words, his spirit might be a special case since Noel could use two elements.


    He wanted to see Noel''s current state so that he could see Noel''s potential.


    Last but not least, they were in a business rtionship. By telling more than Noel expected, he could create an image that he was generous. With this, Noel wouldn''t hesitate to make a deal with him. Basically, he was doing the same thing that Noel did.


    Noel took a deep breath. Although he had a lot of things to sort in his mind, he couldn''t do it while Damian was standing in front of him.


    He looked at Damian with a serious expression and politely bowed his head. "Thank you, Sir Damian."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m just fulfilling my part of the deal." Damian humbly said.


    Noel let out a long sigh and formed another rune in front of him. This time, he used the Rune Sword, but he applied Damian''s advice from earlier.


    He turned the sword into a double-handed sword while saying, "This is the second concept. What do you think?"


    "!!!" Damian widened his eyes in shock. The rune looked like his Ice Sword ability. Noel might even have more forms and everything could be mastered like the Spirit Grandmaster.


    There was also one thing that shocked him the most. It seemed that Noel was able to change the form with ease. He didn''t know how easy it was, but it seemed that mastering a Rune was easier than mastering a Spirit Ability.


    In the future, there mighte a day when the runepletely overwhelmed a Spirit Ability. At that time, humans might be independent from the presence of Spirits.


    He let out a long sigh, feeling defeated once again. He pped his hands a few times as if praising Noel. "It''s very good, Mr. Noel."


    Of course, Damian understood the reason behind Noel''s action. He wanted to let him know that as long as he worked hard, he could get both the Rune Engineering and the Rune Spell.


    All he needed to do was to show his sincerity and work hard for it. Even though Noel was still overwhelmed, he was still as shrewd as ever.


    "It seems that we will have a productive one year together." Damian smiled. That smile was sharp as if telling him, ''I would make you broke.''


    Noel made a big smile since he knew another way to utilize Damian. He wasn''t scared of his threat. In fact, he threatened him back with that smile, indirectly telling him, ''You might end up spilling your country''s top secrets to me¡­''


    Noel and Damian extended their hands at the same time, shaking each other''s hands.


    But it seemed that Noel couldn''t have a peaceful time. Ardagan might have seen his change and started supporting him in a different way. That was why he suddenly showed him a mission.


    A blue panel appeared in front of him.


    [Mission: Survive an Attack.]


    [Description: The Supreme Devil Organization willunch an attack. Survive for one day.]


    [Reward: 5 Random Rune Scrolls and Ardagan Swordsmanship +2 Levels.]


    [Pentaly: Death.]

 Chapter 683 Trying To Be Different

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® ?


    Noel was stunned by the sudden mission, but he couldn''t show it to Damian, lest he became suspicious.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    On the one hand, he had just learned he shouldn''t be too dependent on the system and the spirits. On the other hand, they actually offered him the best support that couldn''t be refused.


    After all, from the way Ardagan worded it, Laufey seemed to be nning to attack them. And if they couldn''t survive it, they would die. The attack would probablyst for one day.


    There were a few reasons why it onlysted for a day such as the reinforcement as well as the other city. Either way, he had to find a solution.


    Noel looked at Damian with a poker face, but his brain was revolving crazily.


    "¡­" Noel''s head surprisingly lowered as if his mood suddenly shifted.


    "Hmm? What''s wrong?" Damian was confused by Noel''s action. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see why Noel became like this. If there was something suspicious, he would have to find out about itter.


    Noel scratched the back of his head while looking away. He said with an awkward tone. "Actually, now that we have reached an agreement, we have one more problem. Well, you can say that I have realized now that my mind is more open¡­"


    "A problem?" Damian tilted his head in confusion.


    "Yeah. You should know the group that is chasing after us, right?"


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Damian''s expression turned grim. "Are they going to attack us?"


    "If my calction is not wrong." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He couldn''t help but recall what Damian said earlier.


    ''If I can''tpletely rely on Ardagan, I have to think of a reason for such a thing to happen.'' Noel closed his eyes for a moment. A flood of memories rushed through his mind. ''First of all, let''s take a look at the current situation.''


    ''The enemies should have five or six Spirit Grandmasters. Two of them are heavily injured, but they still can''t be taken lightly.''


    ''Laufey will be fighting Damian, but he has to be wary of Dimitri''s presence as well. So, there might be someone who is strong enough to stop Damian in his stead? No, I don''t think he has prepared that much. In that case, is he nning to use the demon to attack the city? That''s the highest probability with his current condition.''


    ''Then, what about us? We have Paul, who can at least stop a single Spirit Grandmaster. I should probably ask him to take care of that woman who slipped away earlier. That''s right. There is also another Spirit Grandmaster here, the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. If we can gain his cooperation¡­ But what if he knows that they are here because of us? It will put the squad in a difficult position, right?''


    ''Then, How do we deal with four or five Spirit Grandmasters in case Damian sessfully restricts Laufey?''''


    Noel leaned back on his chair, experiencing a headache. The previous ambush worked because they managed to split them. But with theirbined force, their current strength wouldn''t be able to withstand them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was why Noel had to think of something to outsmart them once again. But this time, Laufey would be more careful against him.


    ''Still, we have a big advantage, which is the city. It has been fortified with a lot of Spirit Enchantment. But what if they destroy the city because we are here? Laufey should have the ability to do it. And if the demons enter the city¡­''


    The more he thought about it, the more variables that took ce in their situation.


    Noel had expected their attack, but it was hard toe up with a solution without sacrificing anything.


    In fact, he had a few ns ready, but each n required them to sacrifice something. So, he wanted to find one more path that could suffer less damage than any others.


    Damian remained silent the whole time, interested in what Noel wanted to say. He had a high opinion of him to the point he wanted to kidnap him to their Greenwood Kingdom.


    But doing so wouldn''t give him his loyalty, so he could only watch over Noel to see everything he had hidden this whole time. Of course, he would make him broke.


    Noel was quiet for ten minutes before he uttered a question. "Sir Damian. Can you destroy the city wall with your power?"


    "Hmm? I do have the strength to do it, but I wouldn''t recklessly follow that kind of n."


    "What if you have the help of the demons?"


    That question caused him to contemte the possibility of such a n. In fact, he began formting a n in his head where he could take down the city as if he was one of the enemies.


    "If I have that kind of resource, I surely can destroy the city wall. And I don''t know the limit, but if it''s possible, I would like one Superior Demon or ten Peak Level Demons to march at the same time. It will cause a huge panic as well as confusion."


    "One Superior Demon or ten Peak Level Demons, huh?" Noel let out a long sigh. From that number, it seemed that the Demon Barrier Squad would be upied with handling the demons. In other words, they had to take care of the Supreme Devil Organization themselves.


    ''As much as I want to utilize my ability in my own way, it seems that I have to rely on Ardagan and Heisk for the time being. Instead of thinking about how the mission can even take ce, I should focus on the solution. I will have to reflect on it at ater date.''


    ''For now¡­'' Noel took a deep breath. "I have onest question. Can youunch a very powerful attack from a distance? Something that can kill one or two of them, specifically the injured ones?"


    Damian was startled by the question, but it also piqued his interest. After some consideration, Damian answered, "I can''t promise two of them will die, but killing one of them should be no problem. Though, I prefer not to use my ability in front of everyone¡­ You know, politics."

 Chapter 684 Attack

    "How is it?" Laufey asked while ring at Hailfa.


    Hailfa had a hard time maintaining herposure since Laufey was already angry because he didn''t want the mission to fail. Hailfa said, "They should have reached the city in sixteen hours by now. And among the two cities, this is the one that should receive them. We can see the increase of soldiers on the wall. They should be the injured soldiers that have been healed."


    "So, I believe we can safely assume that their carriages are filled with medicine. However, the city has been fortified and has its own source of water. So, it''s impossible to cut off their supplies for the time being."


    "I know that already. If we wait for too long, the reinforcements from other squads will arrive. We can''t wait that long." Laufey''s frustration increased. He couldn''t afford to wait for so long.


    Hailfa gulped down. One wrong word would definitely trigger the eruption of his anger. So, she carefully worded her advice. "We may have a solution. It''s true that the fortified city can endure the demons'' attack."


    "But if we attack the wall and manage to st it open, we can cause some ruckus inside. With this, the squad only has two options left. They can either remain in the city or leave it. We can enter the city with the help of the demons if they choose the former. Meanwhile, we can simply ambush them with all our strength if they choose thetter."


    "ording to Sir, there might be another Spirit Grandmaster that could rival that ice spirit user, but if that''s the case, we would have perished in the previous ambush. Hence, I believe that person is not there¡­ at the very least, in this situation."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "That''s why we still have a chance to turn around the situation. All we need to do is to destroy their wall."


    Laufey''s rage calmed down for a bit as he couldn''t help but consider her opinions.


    It might look like Laufey failed as a leader since he couldn''t remain calm and use his subordinate to give him the n, even though he had been the one to devise all their ns.


    However, there was another reason for Laufey''s rage. That was why people were afraid of angering him since his anger was rted to his spirit.


    But when they managed to calm him down, Laufey could start working normally again. He considered her ns before saying, "Sure. I will destroy their city. Since they have gone all the way to anger me, it''s time to show them what my rage could do to them."


    "How many gates does the city have?"


    "Three Gates: South, West, and North."


    "In that case, we will split up into three. The injured will be with me in the West while you and the pair will hide in the South and North. If we look at their pattern, I don''t think they will remain in the city."


    "So, once they go out, we will wait for them. Remember, don''t engage. We will regroup first before ambushing them. Even if they expect it, we will overwhelm them."


    "One more thing you all have to remember. If there is one more Spirit Grandmaster, some of you will probably die. I can survive, but the mission will end up as a failure. When that happens, the Supreme Devil Organization will take this matter even more seriously since they might be using the Demon Relief Squad as bait to lure our strong fighters before killing them."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "In other words, if my theory is correct, they might already be aware of our intentions and try to weaken the organization."


    "So, once you spot another Spirit Grandmaster, don''t engage and return to our rendezvous point immediately. Understood?"


    "Yes, Sir." All Devil Bishops nodded their heads. Just like how they intended to hunt the Demon Relief Squad, the Demon Banner Army might use that chance to weaken them.


    Noel hadn''t even given such a request to the Demon Banner Army for two reasons. The Supreme Devil Organizations might have infiltrated them like the Tower Association. So, if those spies in Captain Ranks or even Vice Captain Ranks were to know about this n, the enemies would get the information and rearrange their ns. In addition, Noel didn''t know about the nt Lord''s involvement in all those incidents since the reports had just reached themander.


    That was why there was no concrete n to deal with the Supreme Devil Organization yet.


    Still, it didn''t really matter. After all, both Laufey and Noel knew that this was the best time to attack.


    Twenty two hours after they entered the city, Laufey had created a concrete n and made sure the information about the city while Noel had gotten enough rest and preparation for the iing attack.


    The sun had risen for two hours and the fight was at its peak. If there was going to be a sneak attack, it would be at this time. Not only would it pummel the soldiers'' morale, but it would also give them a lot of time to execute their own ns.


    In the city, Noel was staring at his teammates. Worried filled his heart as he said with a grim tone. "I know this is a lot to ask, but I hope that all of you can trust me no matter how weird the request is. Our survival will be relying on our own role. And if I have to die, I''ll make sure that I die together with you guys. So, please¡­"


    Noel lowered his head, requesting their cooperation. He knew that if something went wrong, someone might die. It showed how strong the enemies were.


    ¡­


    While Noel was lowering his head, Laufey was standing not far from the city. The trees covered him, so people couldn''t find him unless they were intending to do so.


    He was holding his sword with both hands. His body was emitting a fiery red glow. It was calm on the outside, but if one touched it, they would be burned to ashes as if it was a zing fire.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® This was his rage¡­ the rage that he had gathered since the start of the mission.


    When the time was ripe, he gradually opened his eyes while waving his sword downwards.


    "Madness Fury."

 Chapter 685 Destroying The Wall

    Laufey, standing between the trees, started releasing his Spiritual Energy. Unlike Noel, whose energy gave an overwhelming feeling, Laufey''s blood-red energy emitted an ominous feeling.


    Even Gargan and Fil, who were standing next to him, could feel chills down their spine. Anger, hatred, and bloodlustbined into one, boosting the Spiritual Energy.


    The more he released his energy, the stronger Laufey clenched his teeth.


    Gargan usually overwhelmed his opponent with his supernatural fighting power. But when he was in front of Laufey, he couldn''t help but feel so small as though Laufey was standing in front of him, ready to unleash his rage and rip him apart.


    ''Laufey Ardagan. He was once adopted by the Ardagan Family and became a Captain in the Demon Banner Army. Due to his ambition, he betrayed both of them and joined the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    ''When he was in the Demon Banner Army, people were afraid of his judgment because he could find any sort of clues from a person by using his own rage. The more they filled his rage, the guiltier they were.''


    ''People knew him as Raging Storm Laufey. However, after joining the Supreme Devil Organization, he became even more feared because his anger could be unleashed upon the kingdom. And eventually, his nickname changed, Mad Demon Laufey. The person who could use his rage to threaten the organization. So, this is the strength of the Mad Demon.''


    After filling up the Spiritual Energy for his attack, Laufey''s expression changed. The anger that reflected on his face disappeared without a trace as though all that rage was transferred into this single attack.


    He took a step forward while raising his sword, ready to unleash his ability.


    As soon as he locked on the target, Laufey waved his sword downwards.


    "Madness Fury."


    The blood-red Spiritual Energy flew forth and expanded. The raging energy was so powerful that it slightly tainted the Spiritual Energy ck.


    The overwhelming energy was emitting immense pressure. The ground trembled, the soil cracked, and the demons were obliterated.


    It only took a second for the attack to reach the wall.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the wall had been reinforced with the Spirit Enchantment.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The symbol from the Spirit Enchantment was reacting to the surge of Spiritual Energy, creating a translucent barrier right in front of the wall, pushing all the demons back.


    When the ''Madness Fury'' hit the translucent barrier, the ground quaked. The soldiers couldn''t help but drop to the ground as if the attack pushed the entire wall back.


    The st blew all the demons away as it boosted the strength of the ''Madness Fury'' even further.


    This Spirit Enchantment originated from the Barrier Rune, Spirit Gathering Rune, and Hardening Rune. Although they were iplete, thebination of the three could withstand an attack from a Superior Demon easily. This was what a Reinforced City could do.


    However, their opponent this time was Laufey. In addition, Laufey had a pent-up rage he had been storing this whole time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This attack could be considered as his strongest attack that couldn''t be used easily.


    The raging torrent of Spiritual Energy was rampaging on the barrier''s surface. It looked like the barrier could stop it, albeit it seemed that the barrier had worn down for quite a bit after getting attacked by a lot of demons in the past few days.


    *Crack!*


    "!!!" The soldiers widened their eyes in shock when they heard the cracking sound. The moment they found out that the barrier they were proud of was going to break, they couldn''t help but shout, "Run away. The wall will be hit!"


    The soldiers panicked and dispersed. Unfortunately, some of them were toote.


    The ''Madness Fury'' shattered the barrier and hit the wall. However, it seemed that the barrier managed to block most of its energy, so when it reached the barrier, it only created a small holepared to the overall wall.


    The hole was only three meters wide. Two small demons could enter at a time. However, there was a bigger problem than the hole. Once the barrier shattered, it meant the rune that strengthened the wall hadpletely worn off.


    In other words, there was a high risk that the wall would be crushed by the demons, especially those Advanced and Peak Level Demons.


    That was why the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad, who was in charge of the wall, shouted, "We have to close the wall! Division One, block the wall. Division two, hunt down all the demons that manage to enter the city! Hurry!"


    The elite knights, who could use their Spiritual Energy, hurriedly jumped off the wall, heading straight to the hole.


    However, a series of roars suddenly erupted when the demons failed to enter the hall.


    "Hah?!" The Vice Captain narrowed his eyes, observing the hall. The demons seemed to be stopped by an invisible barrier, preventing them from entering. It turned out Jonathan was near the wall.


    With his help, they managed to stop the iing demons. And the two divisions agreed to block the hole while the rest killed the demons from the top of the wall.


    Seeing the attempt was unsessful, Gargan couldn''t help but ask, "Sir, should we open a bigger hole? With the Demonic Potion, we can reach the wall without being attacked by the demons¡­"


    "No need." Laufey snorted. "We only have to wait. They are currently patching the hole right now, but those people from the Demon Relief Squad will surely leave the city, fully knowing that they are the reason for this attack. As soon as they leave the city, we''ll attack them. But if they are a coward, we''ll be creating another hole before attacking the city with the demons."


    Since Laufey had decided, Gargan stopped talking. He observed the city carefully, wondering when Noel and the group would leave the city.


    It seemed Noel did what Laufey had predicted.


    Thirty minutes after the attack that destroyed the wall, a city gate was opened. However, it was the North City Gate.


    "Sir!" Fil pointed at the north, seeing a huge movement as well as a carriage that broke through from the demon''s ranks.

 Chapter 686 Traps

    As soon as they spotted the carriage, Fil immediately raised his hand, shooting out a white-colored ball. The ball burst open, scattering the white particles in the air.


    This was the signal that the Demon Relief Squad had left the city.


    Those in the opposite direction would immediately loop around the city to regroup with the rest of the group before ambushing them.


    Laufey, Gargan, and Fil also rushed to the north. It seemed that they were quite lucky, considering the serpent, the fastest among them, was in the south. This way, they could regroup far faster than any other city gate.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Laufey saw two carriages floating. There were no horses, only carriages. However, he could see a figure on top of the carriage.


    When he became close enough, he recognized the person. After all, the only one who could bring the carriages like this was Jonathan.


    "It''s them!" Laufey stated with a cold voice. He believed those people were inside the carriages and used Jonathan to hide their tracks first. They would definitely find a way to lose them when they reached the woods.


    However, the signal the Supreme Devil Organization had used couldn''t help but make Jonathan hesitate.


    On the one hand, they knew they would be ambushed if they kept going. So, there was a thought to return to defeat them with the help of the city wall. On the other hand, it seemed that they couldn''t return no matter what because the Supreme Devil Organization was chasing after them. If they remained in the city, they would only bring danger to them.


    That hesitation ended up stopping the carriage for a moment. Luckily, the Demon Barrier Squad helped them defeat the enemies around them. It looked like this was a parting gift. They just wanted the Demon Relief Squad to conserve their energy to take care of their own problems. That was the least they could do for them after receiving the medicine.


    That was why Jonathan kept going. Unfortunately for him, the Supreme Devil Organization was faster. They managed to regroup within five minutes and immediately came out of the woods.


    The demon pair came out from the north, standing on their way so that Jonathan couldn''t enter the woods. Meanwhile, Laufey and the others attacked him from the side. Laufey had even covered his de with Spiritual Energy, ready to destroy the carriages to expose all of them.


    But when they made their appearance, Jonathan''s lips curved as he jumped into the air, flying back to the wall.


    "Huh?!" Laufey widened his eyes in surprise. His brain was revolving like crazy, trying to understand the reason behind his action.


    ''Why did he jump? But the carriages are still moving. No, wait¡­ That''s¡­'' Laufey saw the runes inside the carriages. It was on the back, so they were easily visible once they passed them. However, the runes were circling around the carriages. With the help of a quilt, it was possible to cover it. He could only find it once he was close enough.


    In that instant, Laufey realized they had been had. "Not good! It''s a trap!"


    Laufey stopped while ncing at the wall.


    Suddenly, five ice sunflowers appeared on top of the wall. They were ring at them as if they were the sun.


    And the one who controlled them was none other than Damian. Damian infused his Spiritual Energy into the flower and the head of each flower started charging a huge amount of Spiritual Energy.


    "Sunflower Cannon." Damian flicked his fingers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    All five sunflowers released a beam filled with the ice element.


    Laufey and the others could react, but they were one step toote. The demon pair couldn''t do anything as well since they were stopping the carriages that continued moving with the help of Noel''s Enhance Forward Rune.


    Laufey leaped into the air, waving his sword. A crescent-shaped energy flew forth and struck two of the beams, splitting them apart.


    Hailfa was indeed a serpent. She moved skillfully to the outside, leaving the beam''s range. However, the problem was Gargan and Fil.


    In fact, it didn''t take too long for them to realize that these attacks were targeting them.


    Gargan pulled his ive, ready to swing it to stop the attack. But if he stopped all these beams, he would definitely die.


    Gargan smiled. He waved his ive while ncing at Fil behind him. "Live on, Fil."


    But to his surprise, Fil was nowhere to be seen. He was confused for a split second, but the next second, he sensed the fluctuation of energy in front of him.


    When he turned around, he could see Fil floating in front of him.


    His arms were spread as though he was scattering the distortions in the air. All these distortions were devouring the ice beams.


    If Fil were in his normal condition, he would be able to stop all these attacks by himself. Unfortunately, he was severely injured previously.


    He managed to deflect a beam and weaken the other. But thest one broke through his defense.


    Since he wanted Gargan to stay alive, he used his own body to receive this attack.


    "You should live on," said Fil while standing in the beam''s path. The ice beam devoured him, covering him in thick ice. Since he was floating earlier, he ended up falling to the ground and the top part of the ice broke apart, splitting Fil''s body.


    Gargan gritted his teeth as he tried to stop the weakened one, but because Fil messed with his timing, the force still blew him away.


    "Gah. Fil." Gargan coughed up some blood as he fell to his knees, looking at his friend who had just died.


    When he raised his head, he saw Jonathan using his power to fly on top of the city, bringing Damian with him. And their direction was obvious. They took a straight path to the gate in the opposite direction. With the time they needed to loop around, there was no way Laufey and the others could stop them outside the woods.


    They truly had been had.

 Chapter 687 Devour

    "Fil!" Gargan let out a roar filled with anger. He never thought that he would lose his best friend here.


    All he could think was to kill the one who caused all this. But Laufey was the first one to put some sense on him. He struck Gargan''s cheek with his fist, smashing him to the ground.


    "Shut up! Control your rage if you don''t want to cause more mess than this." Laufey gnashed his teeth. He could feel the contempt from the people on top of the wall.


    As much as he wanted to destroy them, he had to refrain himself since his priority was Noel, who should have prepared to leave the city from the opposite direction.


    ''What should I do? If we loop around the city, we can reach the other side within ten minutes. But that would be toote. They would have covered their tracks and set up another ambush when we split up. If we don''t split up, we will fall into their trap and fail to kill them.''


    ''But if we remain careful here, we will be toote. In that case, what should we do to turn around the situation?''


    Laufey couldn''t find any ns that allowed them to catch up to Noel. However, looking at the raging Gargan gave him some inspiration.


    ''Wait a minute. They left because they knew they were our targets, right? What if we attacked this city instead? If we destroyed this city, it would be a great blow to the Demon Banner Army.''


    ''There is a possibility that they would ignore them. But it would surely leave a bad record on them. In addition, even though we couldn''t finish our mission, we got another objective.''


    ''It''s said that the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad is inside. And if we massacre all the people inside the city, the terror of the Supreme Devil Organization would surely resound across the country.''


    ''It will lead to another implication, but if we do this, there is a chance they wille back. After all, they don''t like to have a bad record since it''ll make cooperation with other squads more difficult.''


    ''The time limit is still a day¡­'' Laufey''s expression became serious. It seemed that he was thinking about the numerous people they would have to kill inside the city.


    This was the only way to lure Noel and the others.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Laufey took a deep breath to calm his heart down before ordering, "Gargan, you want to kill them, right? In that case, go rampage. We''ll destroy the city and bury thousands of people with him."


    Gargan obviously didn''t like the idea. It wasn''t that he hated killing people. He just wanted to take his revenge.


    Seeing the doubt on Gargan''s face, Laufey added, "There is a high possibility that they will return to the city when they realize we''re attacking the city instead of them. That''s why you can do everything you want, the bigger the better."


    When he heard the possibility of revenge, Gargan''s eyes brightened. He knew that he had to do it.


    Meanwhile, the serpent, who was in charge of their utilities, came to them with a few bottles. The bottles stored a mysterious transparent liquid inside. It looked like water, but its smell was a bit sour.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "This is the Demon Potion. If we''re going to attack the city, we should use this to avoid getting attacked by the demons."


    They took the potions and started smearing the liquid on their clothes. Since the liquid had been used up, the serpent dropped the bottles to the ground and used her poison to melt the bottles and the remaining liquid.


    "Go!" Laufey shouted to Gargan.


    Gargan nodded with a serious expression. He could finally unleash his rage.


    Without hesitation, he charged at the wall while raising his ive.


    The soldiers on the wall looked shocked. They never thought they would be the target, but it was toote. Gargan was already close enough with the demons and surprisingly, he didn''t get attacked by them.


    In fact, it looked like the demons thought Gargan was one of them and ignored him.


    Gargan took advantage of this to step on the demon''s body beforeunching himself into the air. His jump surpassed the height of the wall.


    He could clearly see all the scared soldiers on the wall. But at the same time, he was stunned when he saw Damian standing among them.


    "Huh?!" Gargan was toote to react as a huge ice crystal appeared on top of the wall and expanded in his direction, engulfing him. Just like Fil, he was covered in thick ice. Since the demons would be the cushion when he fell, Damian waved his sword, releasing a crescent-shaped sword strike that split Gargan in half.


    Damian smiled as they finally managed to gain the bnce.


    On the other hand, Laufey and the others were stunned when they saw the ice that killed Gargan.


    "What? He is still up there?" Laufey gulped down. The group was already near the demons, but they all hesitated because Damian and the Demon Relief Squad might still be there.


    Damian stood on top of the wall with a smile on his face as if looking down on them. He couldn''t help but recall the conversation they had before this.


    "I want Jonathan to stand on top of the carriages so that you look like you''re carrying all of us. But once you spot the enemies, you are to disengage and return to the city wall. Of course, you''re going to carry Sir Damian as well." Noel exined his n.


    "In that case, are we going to use the gate in the opposite direction to leave? This way, they would have to loop around the city and chase after us. We can employ the previous tactics to defeat some of them." Rose had already thought about the possibility that would appear in Laufey''s head.


    However, Noel shook his head calmly. "No, have you heard the saying, ''Don''t drive your enemies into the corner because they would do the unthinkable in desperation?'' That will be the case when we leave the city. But my father always asked, ''What if we know what they will do in desperation and take advantage of it?'' The answer is simple. We can devour them, and that''s exactly what we''re going to do."

 Chapter 688 Target

    "Hmm, I still don''t quite understand what you mean." Paul frowned.


    "Then, I''ll turn it into a question. If you are in his position and you lose enough people to make it look like you''re going to fail and have your enemies prepare more traps for you, it means you''re being pushed into the corner, right?"


    Paul thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah. I would be desperate at that time."


    "Then, what would you do?"


    "Hmm¡­ If I reach that situation, I might retreat."


    "But you have to maintain your dignity. So, you should achieve something so that the mission is not aplete failure."


    "Ah!" Paul gasped. "I need to attack this city. After all, the city has the vice-captain of the Demon Barrier Army. In addition, killing all the people would increase the prestige of the Supreme Devil Organization, albeit in a bad way. But this way, the task is not aplete failure."


    "Exactly. People always teach you that you can''t corner your enemies too much because their desperation will cause a lot of problems. While I agree with a part of it, I still think there is one more possibility. "


    "Since we know that they will be desperate and do something reckless, it means we have managed to limit their possible actions, right? All we need to know is what it is and make a n topletely counter it." Noel exined it with a smile on his face.


    There was a long silence after that exnation. Some of them agreedpletely with Noel. But some of them felt a bit terrified.


    It was true that Noel''s talent was monstrous. But the reason why they feared Noel was his intelligence. He didn''t only think about what they should do, but what the others would probably do.


    And that kind of mind could only be achieved by learning from the master, Luke Ardagan.


    "Terrifying¡­" Ste shook her head helplessly. "The way you can understand how people think and will do¡­ is just¡­ terrifying."


    "I know right." Ben chuckled.


    "So, I''m still terrifying no matter what?" Noel rolled his eyes.


    "Hahaha." Roseughed, though a bit proud.


    Damian listened to the entire n and couldn''t help but ask, "Say¡­ do you have any woman you like?"


    "Huh?" Noel''s body shook,pletely confused by the question. "What''s with the question?"


    "I am sincerely asking you that question. Or maybe do you have some preferences?"


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. Though, he could understand why Damian asked this question. He must be thinking it was more beneficial if they could tie him down to the Greenwood Kingdom, especially with marriage.


    He had asked it once. Noel might''ve chosen a different option back then, but he never denied he wasn''t interested in it.


    Though, it would be annoying if Damian was going to push it further. And the more he rejected it, the more adamant Damian would be.


    So, he thought about someone who would be the biggest hurdle for it to the point of making it impossible. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel said with a smile. "Maybe someone like Anna¡­ Anna Stargaze."


    "¡­" There was an awkward silence when he heard about it. The entire group knew that Anna and Noel had a good rtionship and even cooperated with each other. But Damian still believed that Anna was the one who killed his parents.


    So, he thought Noel considered Anna an annoyance. By giving him this chance, he could create an opportunity for Damian.


    Of course, Noel didn''t n to harm Anna by stating her name. That was why he added while looking up as if he was recounting something. "Though, my father once said that the best way to take revenge is to show them that you''re living a good life."


    "!!!" With that statement alone, Noel managed to shift Damian''s thoughts.


    Damian looked down, contemting the potential people. ''I see. He wants someone as strong and as beautiful Anna Stargaze. This way, he can show Anna Stargaze that his wife is more excellent than her, who took everything from him. But we shouldn''t cause too many problems or the grudge between them will escte to a whole new level.''


    This statement was used only to stop Damian from thinking about killing him.


    And Noel had achieved it. To avoid causing more misunderstanding, Noel said, "Since all of you have understood your assignment. Let''s proceed with our n, shall we?"


    All of them nodded their heads.


    And this was the n Noel had prepared to defeat Laufey with limited people.


    There were nine people standing on top of the wall. Seven of them were the Demon Relief Squad''s Zero Squad, including Noel. The other two were Damian as well as the vice-captain of the Demon Barrier Squad.


    With this, they had three Spirit Grandmasters and six Spirit Masters. In the opposite direction, there was Laufey, the demon pair and the serpent. They had four Spirit Grandmasters.


    They might be outnumbered, but it was still impossible to defeat a Spirit Grandmaster with only six Spirit Masters. That was why they still took advantage of the wall.


    This was a chance for Laufey to turn around the situation. But if he failed after all this, he could do nothing but retreat.


    Though, Noel noticed something. He couldn''t help but whisper to the Demon Barrier Squad''s vice-captain.


    "Did you see the bottle they used beforeing here?"


    "Yeah. What''s wrong with it?"


    "I''m assuming that''s the bottle that confuses the demon''s senses¡­ the one they use to make normal people like bandits or their own people to control the demons."


    "Ah!" The Vice-Captain frowned, understanding the importance of those bottles.


    "Two of them died before taking it, so if possible, we would like to procure the remaining bottles and bring them back to the headquarters. I want your people to send the information as well via bird and try to find the reinforcement to help us. We''ll stall them here."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The Vice-Captain agreed with him. He immediately moved to one of his subordinates and whispered the order to him.


    With this, the preparation was finished. All that was left was the sh between the Supreme Devil Organization and the Demon Banner Army.

 Chapter 689 Recognizing The Enemy

    Seeing Noel and the others on top of the wall, Laufey had a dilemma. Obviously, he didn''t want this mission to be over easily. However, there was still a chance that Dimitri was among them, waiting until they thought he wasn''t there.


    When that happens, there would be another casualty from their side.


    At the same time, if he retreated from this ce, there would be a lot of pressure when he returned to the base.


    That was why Laufey realized there was one more thing they could do.


    ''We can''t continue here. It''ll be troublesome if we attack them in this situation. And Dimitri might be there, waiting for us to lower our guard.''N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ''In that case, should I just ept the defeat? No, there is one more thing I can do. I just have to lure them away. Still, we can''t ambush them on the way since I''m only left with three Spirit Grandmasters.''


    Laufey seemed to have made his decision. He nced to the back while shouting, "We are retreating!"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes when he heard that instruction. He thought Laufey would be more reckless, but it seemed that he managed to maintain hisposure after all this.


    Noel nced to the side. "We have to attack them right now. Don''t let them escape. We have to buy more time! And ask the Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad toe here if possible!"


    "What are you talking about? Aren''t we safe now?" Paul frowned, feeling something bad from Noel''s excessive worry. Noel wasn''t someone that would overreact like this, so there might be another consequence that was hidden inside that message.


    "They are going to attack other cities. One city might not be enough!" Noel clicked his tongue.


    From his intention alone, it was clear that the Demon Relief Squad wouldn''t be rted to this anymore. They could abandon the Demon Barrier Squad. Even if Laufey massacred another city, the Demon Banner Army wouldn''t be able to do anything. But because they came for them, they had a certain responsibility to stop Laufey from killing the others.


    This was a trap to lure them out. But he knew that Laufey wouldn''t attack them if they chose to move to a different city. But it would mean that they would be losing Laufey, which could cause a lot of problems. Just like them, the one who had the initiative right now was Laufey''s group.


    That was why Noel wanted to keep them here for as long as possible even if it meant walking into his traps.


    Noel didn''t wait for another second as he jumped off the wall.


    He used the Enhance Forward Rune on himself so that he would fly for a bit longer and escape from the numerous demons near the wall.


    The Rune felt like there was a mysterious force that grabbed his whole body, pushing him forward.


    But Noel had to ignore that feeling for now and focus on the current objective.


    As soon as hended on the ground, he formed a pair of ck-colored wings on his back.


    Undying Fire Feathers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A few of the feathers flew forth, bombarding them with the undying me. His action managed to stop them, but it seemed that Laufey wanted to take advantage of the split second he had to capture Noel.


    After all, the rest of the group had ate reaction due to their shock and confusion.


    ''He is risking his life to keep the enemy here? Not good.'' Damian clicked his tongue while gathering a huge amount of Spiritual Energy behind them. ''Kh. I won''t make it.''


    Laufey was only ten meters away from Noel. Even if Damian utilized his ability, he couldn''t cover that much gap in an instant.


    That was why Laufey thought he was the winner until Noel smiled.


    Yes, Noel actually smiled in front of the danger. That smile contained no meaning to him, but it was a different case for Laufey.


    "!!!" Laufey''s body shook when he saw that smile. Since he was in front of Noel, he could see every detail of his movement, including the slight nce to the left.


    In that instant, his instinct and mind thought the same thing. Noel was waiting for this moment.


    Dimitri, who had been hiding this whole time, would finally make his move to hit him.


    Without hesitation, Laufey stopped his momentum while raising his sword to the side, preparing for an attack. He even thought, ''What a foolish young man. To think you would be revealing your secret n. You are still too inexperienced. Take this as a lesson.''


    Laufey''s eyes turned slightly to the side, anticipating the attack. But to his surprise, there was nothing that came to him.


    Instead, there was a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy that came from Noel.


    "Huh?" Laufey turned back and found the Undying Phoenix flying toward him. He gritted his teeth and waved his sword, shing the phoenix. There was a red-colored Spiritual Energy that covered his sword and they dispersed the overbearing Undying me that made the phoenix so that his sword would remain intact.


    At the same time, Damian had activated his ability. Since Laufey stopped for a second, he could finally use his ability on time.


    A huge ice spear appeared on top of Laufey. When it was about to fall down, the spear turned into numerous smaller spears and attacked Laufey from all directions.


    Laufey gritted his teeth as his anger erupted once again, releasing a sphere of raging Spiritual Energy and deflecting all the ice spears.


    He kept ring at Noel the whole time. At first, he thought Noel was a fool for making that slight gesture that would cause his ambush to fail.


    But when he took another look at it, Noel must have realized that he was wary of Dimitri''s presence. He took advantage of it and made him hesitate.


    In other words, Noel had just fooled him. He might only be able to use this type of trick once since Laufey would know Dimitri wasn''t with them, but this was enough since the rest of the team had gone down, ready to face them.

 Chapter 690 Surrounded

    Laufey never thought he would be outsmarted by a brat multiple times. But it was clear that Noel truly had a simr brain as his father, Luke Ardagan.


    This made him extremely dangerous, especially since Luke had no talent for fighting.


    Laufey wanted to shout, but Damian stomped the ground, creating a fence made of ice to iste Laufey from the rest.


    Damian said, "You go to your respective opponent. I will hold this man here."


    Laufey furrowed his eyebrows. He always felt something weird about this man. As someone who was pretty highly ranked in the Supreme Devil Organization, he had learned a lot of information.


    But this was the first time he saw someone this strong, especially with an Ice Spirit.


    Laufey asked, "Who are you? I have never heard of you in the Muivell Kingdom. You must be someone from another kingdom. How bold of him to invite an expert of your level to this kingdom. I''m afraid that the royal family will be surprised when they hear about it."


    Damian narrowed his eyes. He had covered his appearance, but still, there weren''t many people who were at his level with an ice spirit.


    Laufey wasn''t that foolish either, so it wasn''t that hard to recognize his origin. Though, he had some confidence that Laufey wouldn''t do something like that.


    The Supreme Devil Organization should have some connection that could inform the Royal Family about his existence. But doing so would surely bring a lot of attention from the Royal Family.


    There was a chance that they would discover Iadre was Noel. And with the author of the Rune Books revealed to the world, the other kingdoms would definitely make their move.


    And there was a big chance that Noel would be theirs instead of the Royal Family or the Supreme Devil Organization.


    He had observed Laufey''s movement as well. It seemed that Laufey only wanted to capture Noel, so it was clear that he wouldn''t do something that might kill Noel, at least for the time being.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "You don''t have to know my identity. All you have to know is that you are going to stay here with me the entire time." Damian began circting his Spiritual Energy. Though, he knew he never had the chance to win against someone like him. But it wouldn''t be much of a problem for him tost for a long time.


    The demon pair immediately approached the fence from two directions, trying to crush it.


    But Paul and the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad appeared in front of them. Paul struck the Spirit Grandmaster with his warhammer while thetter formed a translucent barrier, blocking the strike. After that, he kicked the Devil Bishop,unching him away.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the group moved to the back, nning to surround the serpent.


    The serpent knew that she wouldn''t be able to help the others if she got surrounded. So, she moved to the side, trying to leave the vicinity. This way, the enemies would be confused and there would be a chance to ambush them sooner orter.


    Unfortunately for her, Rose and Noel could easily recognize her n.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was why Rose and Noel split up. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Hailfa moved in Rose''s direction.


    "!!!" Hailfa suddenly looked down as the ground trembled. A huge crack appeared in the soil, causing Hailfa to fall.


    ''This¡­ must be an illusion!'' Hailfa instantly recognized the illusion after reading the information about all the people in the Demon Relief Squad. Only Rose could do something like this. And recognizing the illusion would make it easier for them to escape from this illusion.


    She released a huge amount of Spiritual Energy infused with her poison. The poison would melt the ground that was the core of the illusion. The slight change in the ground broke the illusion.


    "Tsk. As expected of a Devil Bishop, she could escape my illusion in a split second." Rose clicked her tongue. "But that''s enough."


    Hailfa could hear her voice, which ended up confusing her. But when she raised her head, there was a huge phoenix diving down, ready to hit her.


    Hailfa hurriedly jumped to the side, avoiding the bird. The Undying me burned and melted the ground, giving some degree of fear in her heart.


    However, it didn''t change her objective. She had to get away, albeit Noel and Rose had bought enough time for their fastest fighter to arrive in front of her.


    Hailfa waved her knife to the side out of reflex, causing a clicking sound.


    When ncing to the side, she found Zion striking her from above to pin her to the ground. The wind caused by his momentum even fell on top of her. In addition to his own weight, he created a small crater underneath her feet.


    After that, Ste approached from the side while waving her sword.


    The wind energy flew forth, trying to knock her down. Ben and Jonathan came from different directions, but they were a bit slower and more careful, making sure that no one would be injured when fighting against her.


    Hailfa clicked her tongue, knowing why the Demon Relief Squad could survive and ruin their n this whole time.


    Her body started emitting a ridiculous amount of Spiritual Energy. Even Zion instinctively leaped off her to get away from this energy. Unlike normal Spiritual Energy, hers had a slight poison on it. Even the ground slightly melted when it made contact with the Spiritual Energy.


    In addition, the Spiritual Energy gradually rose into the air and formed a shape.


    "Hmm? That''s¡­ a snake?" Noel frowned. The Spiritual Energy formed a green snake with bloodshot eyes on top of her. But because Hailfa exerted Spiritual Energy from her feet as well, the body of the snake continued circling around Hailfa''s body until it touched the ground.


    The length of the snake seemed to exceed twenty meters and its mouth could swallow them with ease. It wouldn''t be easy for them to stop this kind of snake, especially knowing it contained a powerful poison.


    Noel said, "Be careful of her poison. We also have our own objective."

 Chapter 691 Small Trick

    "We have our own objective."


    ''Their own objective?'' The serpent furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed that message. However, a part of her couldn''t help but doubt that sentence. ''Is this just a trick to fool me? If he is truly the one who has been fooling us, there is a big chance that he is saying those words just to confuse me.''


    The serpent took a deep breath while hiding behind the snake, trying to find something that would give her a clue about their objective. If she couldn''t find it, she would treat it as a trick.


    The snake started moving toward Noel, the most dangerous person among them.


    It looked like the snake was going to kill Noel, but Hailfa didn''t forget their objective, which was to kidnap Noel. That was why she wanted to make Noel think they had a change of n and decided to kill him to lower his guard against kidnapping.


    Noel raised his sword and took a step forward with his right foot. It didn''t seem he was nning to dodge.


    He even used the Muscle Enhancement Rune and Spirit Blessing Rune to confront this snake.


    Seeing Noel''s serious face, Rose hurriedlymanded the others. "Attack that woman."


    "!!!" They were startled because Noel was in danger. But they remembered when Noel said they had to take orders no matter how strange it was. Although it wasn''t from Noel, it was from Rose, the second brain of the group.


    "You all are insane." Hailfa narrowed her eyes while raising both daggers, trying to protect herself. At the same time, she was controlling the snake. Since they were targeting her instead, it was convenient for her since it gave her an opportunity to kidnap Noel.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that she was still underestimating Noel too much. It might be because Noel had just joined the Demon Banner Army not long ago, but Noel''s strength waspletely on a different level.


    He used the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to change the purpose of his sword. The emotion he used was contempt which allowed him to look down on everything as if he had the power to do so. And this power gave him the ability to strike the target precisely.


    In addition, Noel coated the sword with Spirit Weaponry. When the snake was about to reach him, he used the Split Step to make his body seem to split into two.


    "!!!" The snake paused for a moment because it was confused. Obviously, the snake waspletely linked to Hailfa, and thetter had trouble recognizing him. She took a gamble and went after the right one.


    "¡­" Noel frowned and hurriedly struck the snake''s fang, stopping it. At the same time, the other Noel disappeared.


    It might be lucky, but Noel knew that not everything would go ording to his way.


    He hurriedly changed his approach from Spirit Weaponry to Ignition Sword. The Ignition Sword exploded, blowing the snake''s head.


    Unfortunately for him, the snake was made of Spiritual Energy, so it didn''t feel any pain. However, the explosion force still knocked the head slightly, allowing him to approach the snake''s body.


    He returned with the Spirit Weaponry and struck the snake''s body multiple times. The Contempt Emotion allowed him to strike right at the gap between scales.


    The snake was being cut all over as Spiritual Energy was leaking out of the body. It ended up disappearing since it would be a hassle to manage that kind of snake even with Spirit Grandmaster''s Spiritual Energy Reserve.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Noel turned around to check on Hailfa.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    A series of clicking sounds echoed on the battlefield as Ste struck her with a few quick strikes, trying to overpower her with momentum. But as a Spirit Grandmaster, she maintained her calm the whole time, parrying one strike after another.


    Jonathan waved his hand down, putting the pressure on top of her.


    "!!!" The invisible pressure was pinning her to the ground. Although she could still move, her speed was reduced.


    At the same time, Zion and Ben approached her from two different directions. Zion used his extraordinary speed and weight to kick her.


    But Hailfa''s movement was more refined than he thought. Even without strength equal to Zion''s momentum and weight, she could still deal with this type of attack.


    She struck his boot slightly before using the soft approach to let his body slide before redirecting it to Ben, who came from the opposite direction.


    "What?" Zion was shocked for two reasons. ''Her speed is below me, but the way she controls her strength is more refined than anyone in the squad. And the way she counters my momentum with soft strength¡­ I guess I should say as expected of a Devil Bishop¡­''


    Luckily, Ben managed to avoid Zion even though his momentum had to stop.


    Hailfa took advantage of it to jump toward Ben, trying to take advantage of this situation to kill at least one member.


    "!!!" Ben hurriedly threw his body to the side when he saw Hailfa appearing in front of him. However, her dagger managed to graze Ben''s cheek.


    ''I got him!'' Hailfa thought. Her daggers wereced on poison, so it would be fatal if they ever got hit by it. After all, this was her specialty. She might not be a good fighter, but her power was surely terrifying.


    To her surprise, Ben suddenly spun his body and kicked her on the waist.


    "Kh." Hailfa instinctively used her Spiritual Energy to block it, but the impact still felt like it moved her organs a bit and the force knocked her away.


    She hurriedly stood back up and checked Ben, thinking the poison should be working by now. But when she looked at Ben''s face, the wound suddenly disappeared as though it had never existed.


    ''Huh, why?'' Hailfa''s body trembled before her head turned to Rose. That was right. Rose was using her illusion to lower her guard and allow the others to counterattack.


    "So, you are the one who I should kill first." Hailfa gritted her teeth, changing her target to Rose.

 Chapter 692 Situation

    Hailfa leaped forth, approaching Rose. However, Noel suddenly came in her way, striking her dagger with a sword covered in ck me.


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    The shsted for four strikes as Hailfa was forced to retreat when she noticed something from the me.


    When she retreated, she took a glimpse of her dagger''s condition. To her surprise, there was a slight dent on her dagger as though it was melting a moment ago.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    She realized that the me was so overbearing that it could melt something despite not releasing that much heat.


    At the same time, the poison that covered the dagger had beenpletely burned. So, even if she attacked someone with these daggers, they wouldn''t be poisoned.


    It seemed that she had underestimated them too much.


    ''I guess they should at least be this strong if they want to keep ruining our n¡­ Normally, a Vice Captain would have trouble dealing with just one Devil Bishop. Well, that demon pair is equal to a normal Devil Bishop, so splitting them is a good idea. Even a Vice Captain should be able to stop them¡­ not defeat them though.''


    ''But more importantly, these six people are extremely good at their coordination. It feels like there is someone who is controlling their movement. It must be the one with illusion ability.''


    ''With how they are fighting me, I should have no problem in killing them. But it will take a while since I have to wear down their stamina first, so their movement will be sloppy.''


    ''I guess I will have to fight them for another two hours before I can do anything. That demon pair should probably need around that time to defeat both Vice Captains. As for Sir Laufey, I don''t know someone of that level, but there shouldn''t be anyone that has the power to contend with Sir Laufey in this kingdom¡­ At least, the ones with their identity known¡­''


    Hailfa judged that the situation was a bit tricky. On the one hand, their victory was just a matter of time. On the other hand, two to three hours would be extremely dangerous.


    It was true that they could win, but they would be pretty exhausted as well. There was a high chance that these people would escape back to the wall. And if they were to choose another fort to attack, they would be exhausted and have little time to recover before the reinforcement came.


    ''In that case, I should take some risk. Sir will surely reward me if I manage to capture Noel Ardagan, right? Besides, his me can even burn my poison. Even if I poison him a little bit, he should be able to survive.''


    Hailfa took a deep breath. A snake tattoo on her back suddenly shone and started expanding as though it was alive.


    The snake tattoo started to appear around her arms as the poison density around her increased drastically.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock, feeling the change in the poison.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Not good!" Noel hurriedly charged at her with his ck fire, striking her. The me also red up as though it was trying to devour the poison emitting from her body. "I am going to be the vanguard. Be careful when attacking her! Her poison shouldn''t work against me."


    Hailfa smiled as she skillfully parried his attack with a dagger. And because Noel was a bit rushed, she managed to spin her body around and struck his left arm.


    As expected of Noel, his basics were solid after Dimitri''s lesson. That was why he managed to avoid it at thest second. Instead of a deep cut on his arm that might disable his arm, he was only left with a small graze.


    But this was enough for Hailfa. In front of Noel, who could burn her poison easily, it meant she had to fight him with pure swordsmanship. Even though in pure strength, she was a little bit weaker than Paul, she was still a Spirit Grandmaster.


    The more they fought, the more disadvantage Noel would get. And that strike was enough to prove it.


    Hailfa smiled. She nned to create a distance from the rest of the people while weakening Noel this way. With this, she should be able to capture Noel within one hour.


    Noel gritted his teeth in frustration. There was no way he wouldn''t realize her intention. But the poison emitting from her body was truly too strong for Spirit Masters. If it was Paul or someone, the amount of their Spiritual Energy should be able to stop the poison from entering their body for some time.


    But in this group, only Noel, with his Undying Fire as well as Freezing Crystal could burn or freeze the poison in the air and the one in his body. That was why he had to take this job even if it meant he had to fight by himself.


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    They traded a hundred blows within five minutes. The others could only look from the distance while trying to find a gap in the poison to strike Hailfa. Of course, they didn''t go to others because if Noel was alone, Hailfa wouldn''t hesitate to capture Noel and bring him away. That was why they had to remain in their position and helplessly watch Noel getting bullied.


    Noel had used his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style, especially with Fear Emotion, to increase his speed. Even so, his opponent was a Spirit Grandmaster.


    Her daggers gave another few wounds on his arms and feet. Though, the most worrying wound was on his waist.


    Normally, it would be blocked by the armor he had underneath his clothes, but the position was right below that armor. It was quite deep as well, so the bleeding was quite big. At the same time, he couldn''t use his Ice Ability to close the wound for a moment since it would give away his identity and elements.


    So, he was pressing that wound with his left hand while blocking Hailfa with the other hand.


    "Haa¡­ Haa¡­" Noel panted a few times, trying to catch some breath. The fight started to get hard for him. And the condition didn''t seem to favor them. Noel had to form another n while fighting her. Noel thought, ''Should I reveal my ice ability?''

 Chapter 693 Desperate

    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    *Clink!*


    A series of clicking sounds kept echoing on the battlefield. Noel was trying to block all Hailfa''s attacks, but she gradually overwhelmed him in speed once she got used to his attacks.


    At the same time, she kept releasing the poison to stop the others froming. This way, Noel had to continuously use his fire to burn the poison, weakening him even further.


    That was why even though the battle had begun for only ten minutes, Noel was already tired. This was the first time he had to constantly maintain his element while fighting the enemy.


    It was true that his Spiritual Energy couldst far longer than this. But this fight took a toll on his mind, especially since he was trying toe up with a n to turn the situation around.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do other than get suppressed by Hailfa.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Noel panted while blocking a few strikes that aimed for his thigh. Hailfa didn''t allow him to get some distance since she didn''t want him to rest even for a few seconds.


    This might be the first time he realized his weakness. What Damian said to him previously was correct.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He never had the time to master his abilities and made them even stronger. Instead, he just found another more powerful technique that couldst for a while before changing it again.


    Because of this rapid improvement, there was a hole in his solid foundation. And this hole was the one that caused all this mess.


    If only he trained his Undying Fire and even controlled it. He might be able to create something that could extinguish the poison around her, allowing his teammates to help him.


    But he could do nothing but regret. No, he didn''t even have time for regret since Hailfa kept attacking him.


    ''What should I do now?'' Noel clicked his tongue while looking around. Suddenly, Ste shouted in frustration.


    "I can''t allow this anymore. There''s no way I''ll allow him to fight against a Devil Bishop by himself. I''m going!" Ste was frustrated because she had allowed the newbie in the group to fight Hailfa alone. So, she came forth while covering her body with the wind. It seemed that she was nning to blow all the poison smoke that Hailfa emitted before it entered her.


    She waved her sword, striking her from the side.


    Even Hailfa had to stop for a second to block the attack. The wind indeed pushed her poison smoke away, but the poison didn''t only exist in the form of gas. She had excreted some liquid poison on her dagger before blocking her attack. So, when the two des shed, the poison would flow to her sword.


    Seeing the iing poison, Ste actually didn''t do anything as though she was not scared of poison. It was true that her ability was useful to blow the poison away, but she underestimated Hailfa far too much.


    The poison was strong enough to melt her de and stayed there until it created a hole. If this continued, her des would be destroyed before she knew it.


    But surprisingly, Ste wasn''t panicking when she saw a hole in her de. Instead, her entire body disappeared as though she moved at a speed not visible to the naked eye.


    "Huh?" Hailfa tried to find Ste, but she found out that Ste hadn''t taken a single step from her previous position.


    In other words, the Ste from earlier was nothing but an illusion. And that illusion came from Rose, giving some time for Noel to catch his breath.


    "!!!" Hailfa gritted her teeth. She was truly being yed by this group, even though they were weaker than her.


    "As expected, I should get rid of you first!" Hailfa turned to the side and leaped toward Rose.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Due to the time Rose brought, Noel could clear up his mind a bit. He hurriedly stood in her way while swinging his sword.


    Circr Sword Strike.


    Noel spun his body, creating a circle of sharp des that gradually expanded.


    "¡­" Hailfa stopped this de from expanding in her direction, causing the expansion to lean toward Rose, who was behind him.


    The Telekinesis appeared on top of her and pushed her to the ground, slowing her speed. At the same time, Ste brandished her swords at each other, creating a wind from both sides that tried to crush her.


    Hailfa gritted her teeth as she destroyed the wind by making a sharp movement to the sides.


    Ben waved his sword, sending forth a crescent-shaped sword strike and somehow stopping her track. Then, Zion stomped the ground and kicked a rock in her direction.


    She used soft strength to deflect the rock, but because of the distance, everyone could easily avoid the rock.


    They all were desperate to stop her. Even though they couldn''t join the battle directly, they still tried their best to help Noel.


    Noel took advantage of this opportunity to rest his mind.


    As expected, Hailfa hurriedly chased after him again, stopping him from catching his breath.


    Noel''s face became paler as time passed. Even with their help, Noel would lose sooner orter.


    Seeing such a situation, Ste approached Rose and whispered something to her.


    Meanwhile, Noel swung his sword upward as the me that covered his sword red up, extending its reach for a few meters.


    Hailfa effortlessly avoided it and took that chance to kick Noel in the stomach.


    "Gah." Noel coughed up some acid from his stomach, but he hurriedly stood back up.


    ''Ah¡­ I really want to practice.'' Noel muttered in his mind. All he could think about was how he could be stronger after surviving this fight. He never felt any more useless in a fight than this.


    "Iadre. I am going to help you. I will stop her for a few minutes, so you can catch some breaths." Ste shouted in frustration before leaping forth.


    ''Hmm? Another illusion?'' Hailfa turned to Ste. She wanted to ignore Ste since she thought she was an illusion, but when she used her Spiritual Energy to sense Ste''s location, she found nothing. In other words, the one in front of her was the real Ste.


    *Clink!*


    The wind that covered her de burst, knocking her back.


    But Hailfa was still fast enough to send her poison and create a hole in her de.


    The battle had just begun.

 Chapter 694 Not Losing

    "Ste!" Noel widened his eyes in shock, thinking, ''Ste''s element is perfect to stop the majority of her power. But there is something that she can''t push with her wind¡­ In other words, Ste is nning to sacrifice her sword and probably her body to buy me some time?''


    Noel''s body trembled. He never thought that his weakness might cause someone''s death in this ce.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, trying to find a solution. He looked at his teammates to see if there was someone that had the power to change the situation.


    But at that time, he saw the dust getting kicked up on the side.


    A short middle-aged man jumped into the air whileughing, "Kikikiki. You won''t be able to do anything against me even if our strength is the same. You should understand the strength of a Devil Bishop!"


    "Impossible. Paul." Noel gasped as he checked the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. He managed to hold on, but there were a lot of injuries on his body.


    As for Damian¡­ *Boom!* A loud noise shook the battlefield.


    A powerful sword strike ran through the ground as Damian used his sword to block it, albeit getting pushed back all the way near their ce.


    "Kh." Damian also had a hard time fighting Laufey. Laufey might not have reached the Spirit Transcendence like themander, but his real strength was not far from it. He might even be able to reach that stage within one or two years.


    It seemed that he only became one of the Devil Saints just recently. But still, the situation turned for the worse.


    He thought he managed to y some tricks on Laufey, stopping their advance. But it seemed that it took more than tricks to stop an absolute power.


    They were simply not strong enough to contend with Laufey and the others. That was probably why Anna wanted them to get stronger as soon as possible.


    ''How do I turn the situation around? Should we retreat to the wall? But if we do it, there will be a lot of people dying. Am I ruthless enough to kill thousands of people just to save myself? Am I a fool for not doing it?''


    Noel was in a dilemma. He didn''t want to be taken away, but he also didn''t want to take the option where a lot of lives were involved.


    ''What should I do?'' Noel bit his lips, using the little time Ste bought toe up with a solution.


    That was when one of his father''s advice struck him.


    "Noel. There is a time when we gamble as a merchant. However, this gamble needs a lot of things before it starts. You have to prepare everything first to give you a higher chance of winning the gamble. Remember this, doing your best and being reckless are two different things. Being reckless will result in your defeat. Doing your best might give the same result, but you will also gain one more thing¡­ It''s the leisure of avoiding defeat. If you want to take a gamble, make sure that you don''t lose even if you can''t win."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched when he remembered it.


    "Ah, I''m a fool¡­ that''s right. There''s no need for us to win this battle. All we have to do is not lose." Noel took a deep breath, thinking about something.


    All they needed to do was not to stop them. It was to buy time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''That''s right. If we calcte the timing, we have to stop them for two to three hours¡­ since the remaining time won''t be enough for them to attack another city.


    ''In that case, all I have to do is to speed things up so that they won''t have enough time.''


    Noel gathered his Spiritual Energy on the tip of his fingers and shot it out to the sky, forming a ck phoenix.


    *Cry!*


    The phoenix cry shook the battlefield as some people''s eyes were glued on it. The phoenix suddenly formed a ball before exploding as if it was trying to give a signal.


    All of a sudden, Noel''s voice startled everyone, including the soldiers on top of the wall. He used a lot of Spiritual Energy to amplify his voice.


    "Listen up, soldiers from Hansville City. Hurry up and inform the headquarters to send reinforcement to the neighboring city. And tell all the people from Hansville City to evacuate immediately if they don''t want to die."


    "!!!" That shout utterly shocked the people. After all, Noel was a part of the Demon Relief Squad, but he wasn''t one of their superiors. So, the soldiers didn''t have any obligation to follow his order.


    However, Noel''s words weren''t just a message to the soldiers. In fact, the real target was none other than the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Consider his words as mine!"


    The soldiers werepletely speechless, never thinking that someone from the Demon Relief Squad would be the one to lead them. However, the Vice Captain had given his instruction. All they could do was to obey him.


    They could also tell that these people were struggling against the Supreme Devil Organization, so they hurriedly sent many birds into the sky to deliver the messages.


    "!!!" Laufey was the first one to recognize his n. "Bastard."


    If they evacuated the city, even if they went there, it was impossible to massacre all those people. Noel and the others only needed to return to the wall to end this battle.


    In other words, sending the message alone had shrunk their time limit from two hours to fifteen minutes.


    "We have fifteen minutes. Turn yourself into a beast and kill the enemy before you!" Laufey ordered out loud.


    This was a desperate fight, but this was the only option where they could stop themselves from losing, so everything would be decided within fifteen minutes.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that not everything would go ording to their way.


    There were people who saw Noel''s phoenix from a distance. And these people would be changing the fate of the battlefield.

 Chapter 695 Defeat

    Once they heard Laufey''s orders, they couldn''t help but grit their teeth. They understood what Laufey wanted and the situation they were in.


    They never thought that Noel would be able to eliminate their advantage with just a single move.


    However, this was not supposed to be possible if Noel never thought about something else other than win or lose.


    The world was not just ck and white, so Noel realized that he didn''t need to defeat them or get obliterated by them as the only possibility.


    That was why Noel changed the oue to this. They might not be able to win, but they wouldn''t lose either as long as they could hold them for fifteen more minutes.


    With that thought in mind, both sides had reached the same conclusion. They had to use all their abilities to win within fifteen minutes.


    Damian and Laufey suddenly emitted a tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy. When their weapons shed, the ground was shaking for a second as a huge ice crystal appeared before getting shattered into pieces two secondster by Laufey''s rage.


    Paul and the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad also used all their strengths to strike their opponents.


    Unfortunately, their opponents were stronger than them. Both of them got pushed back before one of them wasunched away and crashed into the demons that were attacking the base.


    The situation was constantly changing, including thest battlefield.


    Hailfa didn''t hold back anymore and used all the remaining Spiritual Energy from her body to form a giant cloud full of poison.


    This cloud had a potent poison that when Ste''s wind blew it away, the wind somehow got slower and slower before it ultimately stopped.


    The poison was so strong that it could corrode the Spiritual Energy itself.


    That was why Ste immediately lost the power to stall Hailfa.


    The others also helped her, but whether it was illusion or telekinesis, they required Spiritual Energy.


    And Hailfa could corrode their Spiritual Energy, neutralizing their attack. So, they couldn''t do anything to Hailfa.


    Noel was the only one left who could fight Hailfa. His Undying Fire was stronger than her poison, but the amount of Spiritual Energy Noel had was far less than Hailfa.


    Even if he could use the fire, he had to channel the Spiritual Energy into it. Meanwhile, the production of poison smoke was so fast that the fire was unable to contain it.


    If this continued, Noel would be inside the poison smoke and no one would be able to help him anymore.


    At that time, Noel was as good as captured.


    That was why they had toe up with something that could stop Hailfa for as long as possible.


    Fifteen minutes.


    These fifteen minutes felt like fifteen hours. Their frustration kept growing as they were unable to stop Hailfa even at this moment.


    Some of them even thought about sacrificing themselves for Noel. But Noel stopped them since he was their target. He had to deal with this personally.


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard Noel fought Hailfa, his condition would only turn worse and worse than the previous state.


    "Gah!" Noel caught some blood before Hailfa appeared in front of him, kicking him in the stomach.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The kick was strong, causing Noel''s mind to stop for a second. In fact, one of his ribs seemed to be broken from that kick alone. If there was no armor, there might be a severe inner injury.


    The kick blew Noel away as his body rolled on the ground a few times.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Noel tried to get up, but he barely had any strength left.


    Noel gritted his teeth, ring at Hailfa, who was about to reach him.


    ''Ah¡­ It seems that I have be overconfident after causing a lot of problems for the Supreme Devil Organization. I dared to do this because I thought I could deal with them.''


    ''However, what''s currently happening ispletely different from what I have in mind.''


    ''Spirit Grandmaster in one and a half years¡­ I might not have that much time. If I''m getting captured, it''s basically the end of my life. I don''t know what they''re nning to do to me, but I won''t be alive for sure¡­''


    Noel realized that several sesses had made him too confident. In the past, he was careful or even a bit paranoid when dealing with a situation. As a result, he could somehow deal with it and even benefited from it.


    However, this time, the reality struck him hard.


    All his ns would be useless if he didn''t have the strength to back it up. There was no way it could defeat an absolute power. Even his father recruited Dimitri to reinforce his n. There were also the knight captain and his mother, who were Spirit Grandmasters.


    There might even be more trump cards that his father had. When he thought about it, he couldn''t help but feel ashamed.


    His mind might be equal to Luke Ardagan, but his experience was toocking. He couldn''t see something this simple.


    That frustration was the only thing that remained in his heart.


    Noel gritted his teeth as he asked Ardagan for onest resort. No, it was his desperation. ''Ardagan¡­ Do you have a way to turn around the situation?''


    Unfortunately, not everything would go ording to his way.


    Even Ardagan couldn''t help him in this situation as the answer was obvious.


    [No.]


    When he saw that answer, thest bit of hope in Noel''s heart disappeared. This defeat was entirely his fault. So, he could only me himself for being overconfident.


    Noel tried to rise from the ground, trying to make thest stance. But it was toote.


    Hailfa had already stood in front of him and was about to grab his neck before dragging him somewhere.


    The poisonous smoke had even surrounded them. Unless one of the members sacrificed their life, they wouldn''t be able to rescue Noel.


    Obviously, Rose was the first one to sacrifice herself since Noel was her master.


    "No!" Rose shouted in anger and approached Hailfa''s poisonous smoke.


    But before she reached the poisonous smoke, a light pir appeared from the sky, illuminating the poisonous smoke.

 Chapter 696 Disappointed

    A light pir suddenly fell down to the poisonous smoke, illuminating it.


    The poisonous fog seemed to be disintegrated by this light and even Hailfa slightly bent her knees as though a huge amount of pressure had just fallen onto her shoulder.


    "Kh." Hailfa gritted her teeth.


    The appearance of the light pir shocked everyone on the battlefield, especially Laufey.


    ''A light pir? But isn''t that¡­'' Laufey''s body trembled as he hurriedly blew Damian away before he jumped toward the light pir and crushed it with his de.


    "We are retreating!" Laufey shouted in a hurry.


    Hailfa didn''t know what was happening, but she hurriedly dragged Noel away. However, another light pir fell on top of her hand, knocking Noel down.


    "!!!" Hailfa looked at Noel and wanted to grab him back. But Laufey''s arm had circled around her waist and shouted, "Retreat. Hurry up!"


    They didn''t even bother to retake Noel as a shout echoed across the battlefield.


    "LAUFEY ARDAGAN!"


    Hailfa nced to the side and recognized the woman. "Huh? Why is she here? The Captain of the Demon Adjudicator Squad, the sessor of Sir Laufey, Milfa."


    Hailfa was confused. On the one hand, she didn''t know Milfa''s true strength, so she thought a single captain couldn''t change the situation. At least, they should still have a few more minutes.


    On the other hand, Laufey''s desperation seemed to stem from her strength. So, there might be something she didn''t know about Milfa.


    She would never expect that Milfa was actually as strong as Damian, so leaving was the only option here even if the mission had to end in a failure.


    Milfa was trying to chase after them, but the rest of the people were stunned.


    "We should¡ª" Milfa wanted tomand them to help her capture them. But most of them were frozen because of one reason.


    All their eyes were glued to the figure that was lying on the ground. He seemed to have fallen unconscious. However, his expression told them how frustrated he was because of the situation.


    Yes, that figure was none other than Noel.


    Damian''s priority was himself, so he instantly disappeared from the area since he didn''t want to get involved with the rest of the Demon Banner Army. As long as he could see Noel was fine from a distance, that was enough. His mission was rted to Noel, not the Supreme Devil Organization after all.


    Meanwhile, the Demon Relief Squad was more concerned about Noel''s well-being much more than the Supreme Devil Organization. Noel was one of their core members, so, of course, they didn''t want something to happen to Noel.


    Only the Vice Captain of the Demon Barrier Squad was ready to follow Milfa and the rest of the Demon Adjudicator Squad members.


    But when Milfa saw this situation, she deemed they wouldn''t be powerful enough to capture those four.


    In the end, she dropped the mission with a long sigh.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She came to Noel and checked his condition.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "He''s passed out. There are some injuries, but nothing fatal." Milfa nced in the direction where Laufey was leaving, disappointed that she couldn''t do anything to the former captain of her squad. But as much as she wanted to me them, everything that happened here could only be possible with the Demon Relief Squad here, specifically Noel.


    Milfa carried Noel in her arms while ncing at the rest of the people. "All of you are to remove all the demons near the city. Silvan, cooperate with them."


    "Yes, Ma''am!" A young man nodded with a serious expression.


    "I will bring him to the city. Lifeal, follow me."


    They were shocked to meet Milfa here, but Milfa ignored all of them as she approached the wall. With just a wave of her hand, more than twenty demons died after being illuminated by her light.


    After that, she jumped over the city wall and used one of the buildings toy down the unconscious Noel.


    The battle had an abrupt end, but it was different for Noel.


    ¡­


    When he passed out, Noel was actually dreaming. It felt like he was drowning in deep dark water, being unable to move.


    All he could do was think as a few scenes shed in his mind.


    The image was about several important moments in his life. The first image was about the time when Noel killed the first few demons in his life with traps.


    He had put out numerous traps around the forest, thinking there were not enough traps even though he only needed one to kill a Low Level Demon.


    After that, he could see the image of him defeating the Ancient Demon Tree. Back then, he had nothing to prepare. The risk was too great, but he could do nothing but do it.


    The image soon changed to the time he reached the Silica Valley, where he met the Water Lord.


    ''Traps, Anna, Water Lord, Shale, Dimitri, and even Damian¡­ I have been relying on a lot of people to achieve all this.''


    ''At first, I always made a lot of preparations like there''s no such thing as enough traps. But when did it change¡­''


    ''My preparation started to be less. Even during the infiltration of the brothel where I met Harley¡­ I was far too reckless. What if Harley was a Spirit Grandmaster and he was extremely hostile to me? Even with Anna and Rose, I would have died.''


    ''I have be overconfident after a few sesses.'' Noel fell silent, regretting that decision.


    Of course, it was normal that one''s confidence would grow after some sesses. However, the risk Noel had was far greater than anyone.


    That was something he almost forgot. One might suffer some setbacks when they were overconfident, but Noel would have died if Milfa didn''te. He wasn''t even aware of Milfa''s arrival.


    In other words, his survival this time was caused by luck. Noel was disappointed in himself.


    If he had to rely his survival on luck, then it wouldn''t be long before he met his demise.


    That was why Noel took this defeat very seriously.

 Chapter 697 Information

    "Mhm¡­" Noel let out a moan as his eyes gradually opened. He looked at the unfamiliar ceiling. They had never entered the house in the city, so he didn''t know whether this was the city''s house or the Supreme Devil Organization''s base.


    But all doubts were cleared when he heard a familiar voice.


    "It seems you have woken up."


    "¡­" Noel weakly turned his head, looking at the woman who was sitting next to his bed. She crossed her legs and slightly raised her head as if she was expressing her anger. Noel had little energy, but he still called her name. "Cap¡­ tain¡­ Mil¡­ Fa.."


    Yes, she was Milfa, the one that saved Noel from getting captured by the Supreme Devil Organization.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I don''t really want to berate someone who is still too weak to even speak. However, I have to do this for two reasons. First, your action is simply too reckless. Second, you dare to try recruiting me with this kind of result. If someone wants to be my master, getting beaten like this is simply a no for me. That''s why I have to tell you this¡­"


    "Noel Ardagan. Your action has gone too far. By looking at your formation and the number of enemies, I can see that you were already aware that the Supreme Devil Organization would attack you, especially Laufey Ardagan."


    "Yet, you still recklessly left the city to lure them out. Do you know that one wrong action will kill your teammates?"


    Noel narrowed his eyes, ring at her. It wasn''t that he hated the lecture. He just wanted to tell them that he was already aware of all his mistakes.


    He had be overconfident just because of some small sess. He still underestimated the power of a Spirit Grandmaster.


    He should be grateful that Laufey was still at the peak of Spirit Grandmaster, not yet reaching the Spirit Transcendence. If he had reached that stage, he would have been crushed.


    "¡­" Milfa couldn''t help but fall silent after looking at his expression. She let out a long sigh before raising three fingers. "All right. I''ll end my lecture after saying these three things."


    "First of all, I came here because I have gotten the information about the nt Lord. Since you are directly involved in this, I''ll write the details downter. But one thing you should remember is that your name is within the top ten targets in their list. So, you should be even more careful from now on."


    "Secondly, I have to ask you¡­ Do you have anything you want to tell me about that mysterious person? I don''t think he is from this kingdom¡­" Milfa and Noel looked at each other for a minute before Milfa closed her eyes and looked away. "I will consider that person as the Ardagan Family''s secret weapon for now. But the moment he bes a threat, then I''ll immediately chase after him even if it means bing your enemy."


    "Last but not least, your teammates are fine. So, all you have to do is to recuperate from your injuries. ording to the healer, you should rest for another two days before doing any activities."


    Noel understood her intention, especially the second one. He was already thankful enough that she helped them this time, and she even overlooked Damian''s existence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After regaining his consciousness for a while, it seemed that Noel had gathered some energy to speak.


    "Captain Milfa¡­" Noel still couldn''t lift his head, but he had stopped stuttering. "Thank you for your help. And I surely have disappointed you. I have be too overconfident because of a few small achievements."


    "Unfortunately, it seems that I have to be shameless once more and ask you¡­ Can you teach me a few things about the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    Milfa pinched the bridge of her nose. The information about the Supreme Devil Organization was a secret, especially regarding their high-ranking people.


    But Noel was in the middle of the storm and themander seemed to trust him a bit, especially after his help in capturing the nt Lord as well as Marquis Walford.


    So, Milfa considered this request seriously. After a few seconds, she opened her mouth. "You should know the ranking in the Supreme Devil Organization. The leader of the organization is known to be the Supreme Devil. Unfortunately, he is the most mysterious, so we don''t have a lot of information about him."


    "All we know is that all people, including the Devil Saints, are loyal to him. And even the Saints rarely see him. It''s said that the Supreme Devil is at Spirit Transcendence, but his strength is still growing rapidly. ording to the rumor, his power is going to surpass everyone soon."


    "As for the Devil Saints¡­ ording to the current information, there are approximately five Devil Saints, including Laufey Ardagan."


    "Only one of them is a Spirit Transcendence. If you add the Supreme Devil, both the kingdoms and the organization have two Spirit Transcendences each. As for the remaining four Saints¡­ they are at Laufey''s level. Their strength is at peak Spirit Grandmaster. Though, your uncle has a high probability of reaching the next level sooner orter."


    "For the time being, our power is still enough to contain the organization, especially the Devil Bishop. Thanks to you eliminating two Devil Bishops, we have weakened them greatly. After all, those two Bishops are among the strongest Bishops."


    "We don''t have the exact number, but we predict there are around thirty to fifty Devil Bishops. Of course, the high-ranking people can stand toe to toe with a Captain in our army. But those in lower positions can still be stopped with a Vice Captain. Though, if you have to deal with them, you need a Captain since we can''t waste a precious chance to capture or kill them."


    "That''s all you can know for the time being. Do you want to ask something else?"


    Noel looked down for a moment before asking a pretty weird but obvious question.


    "The organization is as strong as the kingdom. Yet, they don''t create their own kingdom. At the same time, they don''t threaten other kingdoms. In other words, the organization is only a problem to our kingdom¡­ Don''t you think it''s a bit suspicious why they don''t be an international organization? It feels like they are rted to the royal fa¡ªHmpph!"

 Chapter 698 Sorry

    Noel''s mouth was covered by Milfa.


    Of course, Milfa understood Noel''s concern.


    There was even a discussion about it previously. Some even thought that the Royal Family was rted to the Supreme Devil Organization as the Royal Family used them to control the kingdom.


    After all, when there was fear, the royal family would be a hope, continuously reinforcing the royal family''s position.


    However, they had no proof, so it was better not to say it. If someone heard it and told the people about it, they might get executed.


    Some of the Arbiters might be dispatched to execute people at their level.


    "I don''t mind spection, but some things are better to be unsaid. You should have heard some rumors about the way they handle the kingdom, right? You are guilty until proven otherwise."


    "I don''t like to do the same. In fact, I believe the other way around is better. So, don''t speak ill without any proof. If you have proof, then I will apologize right now."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "I apologize."


    Milfa sighed. "In that case, it''s time for me to leave."


    "Before that, how long was I unconscious?"


    "Four hours," Milfa answered while walking to the door.


    But before she left, Noel stated onest thing. "Captain Milfa. You can consider my recruitment to be a joke."


    Milfa abruptly stopped, looking at Noel with a frown. On the one hand, she didn''t n to leave the Demon Banner Army. On the other hand, she felt displeased to see Noel giving up just like that.


    However, Noel added, "Without your help this time, I wouldn''t be able to survive. You were not even included in my n. And despite such a failure, you still told me about the Supreme Devil Organization. So, please¡­ this is the responsibility of my failure¡­ this is¡­ a lesson for me."


    Milfa sighed and opened the door. She left while giving a message. "Failure is not the end. Stopping to improve is the end. Take this as a lesson then."


    Noel closed his eyes. He was truly hurt by this failure. This kind of price felt a bit too light for his blunder this time.


    But before he could rest, Rose opened the door, taking a peek at Noel''s condition. When she saw Noel was awake, she entered the room while bringing water and fruit. "Iadre. Are you alright? I bring you some food and water."


    Noel looked at Rose''s face. Instead of harboring hatred or disappointment, it felt like Rose was ming herself for the recent failure.


    Noel couldn''t help but grit his teeth. He looked at Rose with a determined expression. "Rose¡­ can you gather everyone here? There is something I want to tell them."


    Rose obviously didn''t want to do it if he didn''t look adamant.


    "Alright then. But you have to at least drink the water for a speedy recovery." Rose brought the water to him and helped him drink. Since thetter had shown his determination, she decided to help him.


    It didn''t take too long before the entire team was assembled. Unlike Noel, they only suffered small injuries.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were various responses to the recent failure. Ste and Paul seemed to be tense as if thinking they couldn''t protect the group. Zion and Ben had a troubled look as if they still couldn''t believe they lost. Jonathan was different. He was intensely ring at Noel as if he wanted to berate him.


    As soon as everyone gathered in the room, Noel tried to rise from the bed.


    "Kh." Noel let out a groan as the pain was still all over his body.


    "You should lie¡­" Rose wanted to stop him, only to end up helping him.


    Noel sat with a serious expression. Before saying anything, Noel lowered his head.


    This action startled everyone. Although Noel was a former noble, it was still rare to see Noel lower his head.


    "I am sorry, everyone. My decision seems to have made all of you suffer. Without Captain Milfa helping us, all of you would''ve been in danger."


    "I have be overconfident after our sess. And this is the reason for our failure. I am going to take responsibility for this. If you want me to leave the group, I will immediately give my resignation letter to Captain ra."


    Noel was ready for them to berate him, beat him, or even punish him severely.


    But surprisingly, Paul said, "Alright then. You are forgiven."


    "Huh?" Noel''s body shook. He stared at Paul as if telling him that it was his fault and that the mistake wasn''t something that could easily be forgiven.


    However, Paul added, "I have told you previously. Everything that happens to the group is my responsibility. It''s my fault that I have misjudged your condition. If I had a better eye and noticed your confidence, I would have stopped it. That''s why the problem lies with me."


    "That''s¡­" Noel was speechless, but Ste gritted her teeth, ring at Paul. She raised her voice. "Your fault? No, it''s me! I once said I would take care of him, but this is the result!"


    "Huh?" Paul and Ste ended up ring at each other.


    Ben shook his head helplessly and said, "Well, they have said everything. We are a unique bunch, you see. Instead of focusing on the mistakes of the past, it''s better if we focus on improving so that we don''t make the same mistakes anymore. That''s how our Demon Relief Squad has survived this whole time."


    "He took the words out of my mouth." Zion nodded in agreement.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Oi, be more creative and tell him something else." Ben chuckled.


    "Though, it''s true that you have brought all this danger." Jonathan stepped forward, saying something else. It looked like he was going to berate him. Even the others were ready to stop him.


    But once again, he surprised everyone by kneeling in front of Noel.


    Jonathan said, "I told you back then. Stop fighting alone. That''s why¡­ instead of ming you for this mistake, I wish you could involve us a bit more. We are there for you, so please talk to us about the problems. It''s not like we will turn you away."


    Noel''s body was trembling as his head looked down. He had just realized that he had made one of the biggest mistakes in his life. The mission wasn''t a mistake, but turning away from the family he had around him was the mistake.


    He couldn''t help but want to cry.


    "I''m sorry."

 Chapter 699 Learning From Mistakes

    Noel kept apologizing. Though, the reason gradually changed from the previous failure to not trusting them.


    The Demon Relief Squad was indeed a weird bunch from Noel''s perspective. Instead of ming him for getting them into danger, they were actually disappointed that Noel didn''t have the heart to talk it out with them.


    In fact, they didn''t really mind helping Noel in his scheme as long as Noel told them about it.


    However, for Noel, whose trust and life had been broken before, the Demon Relief Squad was actually a perfect ce to get it back. He could start trusting the people around him without the need for the Affection Medal. There was a family he could rely on here.


    They were what Noel truly needed. And somehow they became closer after this failure.


    To think, to fail, and to learn. When the group challenged and overcame strife and carnage, their bond became sturdier.


    Noel was gratified for their affection. However, it didn''t change the fact that he was nning to take responsibility for this failure.


    After they left him alone in the room to get some rest, Noel closed his eyes for a moment.


    ''There are three big reasons for my failure. First, I don''t have enough strength. That''s the most important reason. If I had enough strength to fight against that woman, we wouldn''t be in this situation.''


    ''There aren''t many things I can do to increase my strength right now. I can easily gain Spiritual Energy reserve from hunting demons since I have twice the limit of Demon Crystals than the others.''


    ''However, having more Spiritual Energy doesn''t guarantee me strength. Even if I somehow reach the Spirit Grandmaster by consuming the Demon Crystals, my foundation will be brittle. To have a great foundation means to have a battle technique that can match my reserve, have the experience to back it up, and have the knowledge to understand it.''


    ''Ick all of them. Most of the battle techniquese from the system. As Sir Damian said, I was just using what the system gave me. That''s all. A true expert could do something even further with their technique.''


    ''As for the experience, this is the hardest since I haven''t lived long enough. I will do my best to experience a lot of things, but it''ll take time.''Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ''Last but not least, the knowledge. I''ll try to ask people around me about the way to use their abilities, the information about Spirit Masters and Grandmasters, and other things. But I need to return to the base first. After all, asking Captain ra is a good way to gain a lot of new information.''


    ''In that case, I should focus on the battle techniques first¡­'' Noel paused for a moment as though he was thinking of an absurd n. ''Should I ask Sir Damian? He is the Vice Commander of the Greenwood Kingdom''s Royal Army. Captain ra can teach me if I ask, but she is a Healer. The same applies to Dimitri who is an assassin. Their way of fighting is too different from mine.''


    ''On the other hand, Sir Damian''s fighting style matches my own. He has good control over his Spirit Abilities and his swordsmanship is excellent. He is a perfect teacher¡­ However, asking him to teach me is easier said than done. It seems that if I want to be strong, I have to go broke.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel let out a long sigh. Still, money could still be gained with all the Runes and his abilities. So, Noel decided to ask Damian about it after this.


    He continued to the second reason for his failure.


    ''That''s right. The second reason should be this¡­ theck of trust in the Zero Squad. If I talked to the others, we could make some changes to the n. In fact, we could even prepare another captain since Zion could use his speed to contact the nearby reinforcement to speed up, at least their captain alone.''


    ''There were other possibilities that could increase our chance to win. So, this was truly my mistake for not trusting them.''


    ''Last but not least, I underestimated the Supreme Devil Organization. They have a lot of secrets and the fact that they have that kind of power without bing an international threat is something that I should reconsider.''


    ''There is a chance that the Royal Family is rted to them. No, the Third Prince might even be rted to them. The reason why they''re fighting is because they want to get a hold of the Supreme Devil Organization. Of course, this is just spection, but they are indeed suspicious.''


    ''Well, Anna is investigating the Royal Family while I''m investigating the Third Prince. There aren''t many opportunities, but I should continue.''


    ''Knowing about their strength alone is enough for me. After all, I can predict how many Devil Saints and Devil Bishops will move.''


    ''In fact, I should be happy that they didn''t bring any Devil Inspector or lower. It would be troublesome if they used them as cannon fodder.''


    ''One Supreme Devil, Five Devil Saints, thirty to fifty Devil Bishops, and there is some public knowledge about the Inspector, Officer, and Worshipers. It''s said they have a few thousand Worshipers and at least a thousand Officers. As for the Inspectors¡­ there should be a few hundred of them.''


    ''It''s going to be difficult to fight them, especially in arge-scale attack. I see¡­ that''s also something to worry about.''


    Noel took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to continue thinking about the possibilities, all of them were just spection. It was better to get concrete evidence of their number.


    ''Well¡­ I can work on my mistakester. Before that, I have to do one important thing.'' Noel grabbed the badge from the drawer next to his bed and channeled his Spiritual Energy.


    It didn''t take too long before Damian appeared in front of him, albeit with a bit annoyed expression.


    "Sir Damian¡­ Please teach me how to get stronger."

 Chapter 700 Teacher

    "Sir Damian¡­ Please teach me how to get stronger."


    Damian''s poker face remained unchanged as though he had expected something like this.


    "It seems that you have learned your lesson this time." Damian took a seat while saying, "I don''t mind teaching you though. However, the price is kinda steep. After all, my fighting ability is closely rted to the Greenwood Kingdom. I can''t really give you any secret of the Greenwood Kingdom without getting anything, you know."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Of course. I''m prepared to pay the price. So, you can tell me what you want."


    Damian thought for a moment. On the one hand, he could ask for an exorbitant price from Noel. They had just failed not long ago, so if he ckmailed Noel with that failure, he could easily increase the price.


    However, if he did it, Noel would be skeptical of having a business with him. He might be able to gain a good benefit in the short term, but the total benefit he would get in the long run would surely be less than the original expectation.


    On the other hand, bing too good of a man would make him suspicious as well. So, he had to set a fair price with the current condition. It was something he liked as well, considering he could get more benefits from Noel.


    After a few minutes, Damian raised one finger. "I only need one thing."


    "And that is?"


    "The concept of Rune Engineering."


    "!!!" Noel was slightly astonished by the demand. Considering he was nning to spread the knowledge in the future, giving this information away only made the Greenwood Kingdom slightly ahead of the others.


    After Noel spread it, the advantage would be gone. Still, it didn''t change the fact that the concept would allow them to understand the runes far faster and even take some precautions before the other nations.


    So, the price he asked this time was kind of high, but Noel didn''t have enough reason to reject it either.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Of course, Damian added, "I can see that you have been improving rapidly without a teacher. Well, you should have some mentors since your basics are still solid. However, you don''t have any teacher to guide you. That''s why even though you are strong right now because of your numerous abilities and innate strength, that advantage will gradually lose its meaning once you get stronger."


    "That''s why if you agree to this deal, I will be guiding you to fix all your problems, from your battle techniques to future development."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. It was no wonder why they sent Damian instead of anyone else.


    "I''m wondering how you became a Vice Captain of the royal army instead of a merchant." Noel chuckled while rolling his eyes.


    "To advance in the Greenwood Kingdom, you need more than strength, you know. I think the concept is simr to the Demon Banner Army. But the kingdom is emphasized on it more than the Demon Banner Army."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Fair point." Noel nodded. He thought about the price first. ''Well, there are five Rune Systems: Rune Enchantment, Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, Rune Body, and Rune Array. The Greenwood Kingdom has the Spirit Enchantment.''


    ''Even though it''s the downgraded version of the Rune Enchantment, the basics are still there. They only need to connect it with the runes and perfect them. So, they don''t really need the information about the Rune Enchantment.''


    ''As for Rune Engineering, this is the second stage of Rune Mastery. Rune Enchantment needs a Rune Master to draw the Enchantment. The same applies to Rune Engineering.''


    ''However, once you reach Rune Spell, it will be different. Even ordinary people would be able to use Rune Spell as long as they can draw it. So, they will be like me, a Rune Spell Thrower instead of a Rune Master.''


    ''Then, there is the Rune Body. A Rune Master can embed the Runes on a normal person''s body. Once it reaches this level, ordinary people don''t need to learn anything about Runes, and they''ll still be able to use it.''


    ''Last but not least, the Rune Array. It''s basically thebination of all four systems.''


    ''The Rune Engineering is important, but giving the information isn''t a problem. But things will be different for the Rune Spell and Rune Body, considering they are for ordinary people.''


    ''Those who are waiting for my development will surely be greedy once they know about it. That''s why I think I can agree to this deal.''


    ''Though, I have to be careful when exposing the Rune Spell to Sir Damian, lest he understands the potential. At the very least, I want him to remain clueless until I be Spirit Grandmaster.''


    ''The deal gives a good reward, but it''s a bit risky. On the one hand, Sir Damian might change his objective and try to kill me after knowing the potential. On the other hand, with him teaching me how to fight, I can be stronger rapidly since our fighting style is simr.''


    After a few minutes, Noel finally agreed to the deal. "Alright. I''ll agree to this deal."


    Damian nodded. "Then, take two days off to recover from your wounds. After that, we can start training."


    "I''m also nning to finish the previous few runes to uphold my promise. And we''ll be returning to the headquarters and staying there for a while because of this failure."


    "So, we should have enough time to practice there. I''ll start writing the concept while you train me."


    "Sounds good." Damian didn''t have any objection to the arrangement.


    Noel smiled. Before Damian left, he added, "Still, Sir Damian always appears whenever I activate the badge. You are not going to tell me that you do something that makes you look like my servant to make me open up to you, right?"


    "¡­" Damian abruptly stopped. He didn''t answer or deny his usation. In the end, he chose to ignore it and left the room.


    "Well, you didn''t deny it either¡­" Noel chuckled. "I guess the only reason why he remains as a Vice Captain is because his strength is not enough. Once he reaches the required strength, he can easily be the captain. Having a connection with him is not that bad, I guess."

 Chapter 701 Training

    Because of the situation, Milfa also helped to transport the medicine to the affected area. Milfa didn''t really showcase her power this time, considering she wanted to remain hidden from the spotlight.


    However, her squad was enough to liberate all the demons that surrounded the city while delivering the medicine. So, the mission waspleted without any problem.


    After knowing Milfa was among them, Laufey didn''t n to show himself anymore. The others might not know, but he obviously knew the vice captain of his former squad and the strength she hid.


    Damian and Milfa should have the power to stop him. And with the addition of her squad, it wouldn''t be that hard to defeat the others.


    So, Laufey chose to retreat.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The other reinforcement also came, liberating the Demon Barrier Squad from their current predicament.


    She was slightly worried about Noel, so she tried to visit him once again before they returned to the base. But surprisingly, Noel had moved on and started working for tomorrow.


    At the very least, it seemed that the setback would only motivate him to train harder instead of crushing his determination. Although she knew Noel nned to be a noble, it didn''t change the fact that Noel would be useful as long as he kept working for the army. So, she wanted to make sure that Noel kept striving forward while in the army.


    After a few days, the group had finally recovered and they were ready to return to the base. Of course, they had to go to the Demon Barrier Squad''s headquarters first to meet Faust.


    It seemed that Faust only wanted to express his thanks for their help. He also heard about the incident, so he didn''t n to do anything about it as gratitude.


    As soon as they finished settling everything, the group returned to the headquarters, which took them six days.


    During their travels, Noel seemed to be daydreaming a lot of times as though he was thinking about a lot of things. In fact, ever since that defeat, Noel became more quiet.


    Of course, Noel wasn''t trying to distance himself from them. He just wanted to think about a lot of things, including the lesson Damian gave him.


    The group had to face ra first, obviously with the record of the incident. ra didn''t say anything other than how d she was knowing all of them were fine.


    She even dismissed them to let them recover and give them time to get even stronger.


    Though, Noel chose to visit her afterward to apologize.


    As one would expect from a leader of the Demon Relief Squad, instead of ming Noel, ra actually pointed at herself and dered that she was the one at fault.


    It was her fault that she let Noel proceed with everything. Just like the others, she nned to get better at discerning the situation so that she would be able to see through the danger and prevent the others from dying.


    The result might be bad, but the Demon Relief Squad would surely get stronger.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel was truly d that he was a part of the Demon Relief Squad.


    The others chose to rest their body for one day so that they could train tomorrow. But Noel didn''t have time to rest.


    He had taken enough rest for his muscle to recover, so after dealing with everything, he came to a forest near the city. This was where he usually met Dimitri.


    But this time, the one he was going to meet was Damian.


    Noel was standing in front of Damian with his sword on his waist.


    "Alright. Since we''ve finally returned to the city, it''s time for me to teach you for real." Damian raised his finger. "I want you to answer one question first before we start. How do you think a Spirit corrtes to your talent?"


    Noel frowned. This was public knowledge, but Damian wouldn''t ask him something that simple. It seemed that he wanted him to answer something else.


    "I want to answer it with Spiritual Energy Reserve, but I think I will go with¡­" Noel paused for a few seconds before continuing, "The spirit''s type?"


    "No." Damian shook his head. "Well, this is a secret, but I think I can give it to you with my authority. The answer depends on yourself."


    "It''s true that Spiritual Energy Reserve and Conversion Rate can easily be reflected as your talent. In fact, this is the only way to measure your talent. However, have your Spirit told you the reason why they give you their power?"


    "The reason¡­ Ah!" It didn''t take too long for Noel to realize the answer. He remembered the time Ardagan told him and the Moon Goddess confirmed his suspicions.


    "The Spirits help humans because they want to see something. If humans be strong, their take in spirit abilities might differ from the spirits themselves. So, knowing there was another way to use their power was a benefit that the spirit could get, was what both of them said."


    He finally remembered the words and noticed how they had been telling him to do it this whole time. Ardagan and Heisk had indeed provided him with powerful abilities, but they had told him that he could use their abilities in his own way. He was the one who never put any effort into it.


    "It seems that you have realized it." Damian smiled. "The spirits want us to innovate and use our abilities in our own way. This is a mutual rtionship between us and the spirits."


    "Of course, doing it when you are too weak is hard. Not only is your Spiritual Energy Reserve small, but your control over Spiritual Energy is also weak. That''s why we teach this only to Spirit Masters onward."


    "I don''t care what you n to do, but I am going to tell you this one thing. The Spirit Abilities are powerful, but they are by no means perfect. If the strongest man in the world only relies on the same abilities, he will be bound to lose sooner orter. That''s why you have to keep innovating and finding a new way to progress if you don''t want to lose."


    Damian pointed his finger at Noel. "At least one ability¡­ I want you to at least master one ability."

 Chapter 702 Answer

    "At least, one ability. I want you to master one ability."


    Noel''s body shook with excitement. He knew that he had to go through this sooner orter. But having done it sooner would surely benefit him in the long run.


    However, he had been trying to do everything from the description of the Spirit Abilities. He didn''t know how to do it by himself.


    There were a few options like the Soft and Hard Approaches or themunication with the Spirits. But he didn''t know which one was the correct choice.


    Damian could see through the confusion in his eyes. He added, "I will give you a demonstration first. You can use this as a reference, but you don''t have to consider this as the only answer."


    Damian snapped his fingers and a series of ice spikes came out of the ground. All of them were circling around him neatly as if trying to protect him.


    "This is an Ice Barricade. And this is how the spirit uses it normally. However¡­" Damian waved his hand, retracting the Ice Spikes. After that, he snapped his fingers again. Suddenly, spikes appeared all over the area.


    Each spot seemed to have at least five or six spikes and all of them were pointing in the same direction.


    With one look, he noticed this was how the humans ced a barricade if they wanted to stop mounted fighters.


    "I''m sure I don''t have to exin it to you." Damian smiled. "So, you can think of a way to utilize your ability. Just like that Enhance Forward Rune that can be applied in all directions."


    Noel looked down and shut his eyes tightly, falling into deep thought.


    ''The first form of the ice spikes is the original form, which is effective in protecting the person inside of it. But the second form is used when fighting against a mounted fighter. Of course, if he wants it, he could form the other types to match the situation.''


    ''I see. So, that''s what he means by mastering the ability. You will know how to use it in all kinds of situations to suit your needs. The Spirits and Humans are two different beings, so it''s clear that the way they fight is different. This is the reason for the spirits to support humans.''


    Noel fell silent as though he had caught on to something. He noticed how Damian had used his power previously. In fact, he didn''t think Paul had done something like this.


    ''Has ra or Dimitri known about this? Well, I think a Captain should know how to do something like this at the very least, but I don''t think Paul has done this.'' Noel tried to recall the memories with Paul, thinking about using him as a reference.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing that came into his mind. In the end, he changed his focus on the Greenwood Kingdom.


    ''That''s right. I learned about Parabolic Movement in the Greenwood Kingdom. As one would expect from the kingdom that is known for its Spirit Magician, the way they use their Spiritual Energy is different from us fundamentally.''


    ''In that case, I should strive to master one ability. The question is¡­ what ability? Since I am Iadre right now, I can''t reveal my ice element. Then, should I use the Fire Element? No, maybe I can do something with the Sword Ability. Or should I just go for the runes?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel was trying to find something that he was familiar with and had the biggest potential. Since this was the first step, he might mess up, so he wanted the ability to have a high potential so that he could clean up his mess this time instead of abandoning the ability.


    While Noel was in deep thought, Damian was watching his expression as though he was trying to see through his thinking.


    He muttered inwardly, ''In the Greenwood Kingdom, a normal Spirit Master will have a hard time even mastering one. Only a genius can master two or three abilities before bing a Spirit Grandmaster. I wonder how he ispared to those geniuses? I admit that he has peerless talent, but this is different from it. Without a strong foundation, you won''t be able to master a single thing.''


    After some careful thought, he had chosen his ability. The most versatile and with the highest potential was the Undying Fire.


    That was right, instead of using the Phoenix Wings or Undying Phoenix, he nned to master the one that made those abilities.


    Damian wouldn''t expect at that time that instead of mastering an ability, Noel would choose a different path, one that would blow his mind away. After all, how could he imagine that Noel would actually master his foundation instead of the Spirit Abilities?


    Noel smiled.


    "I have thought about what I want to master. Do I have to do something special?" Noel asked.


    Damian nodded. "Well, it can be said to be special since you are going to do something that hasn''t been done before. But before you proceed, I want you to think about it."


    "What kind of path do you wish to take? If you have got the answer, then ask another question. How do you want this ability to help you? Then, what do you need in order for your ability to do that? Last but not least, can you proceed right now? If you can''t, then you have to strengthen that part first before attempting it."


    Noel closed his eyes, listening to Damian carefully.


    ''Undying Fire¡­ This fire stems from Ardagan. And it''s a free fire that can be everything. Back then, I used this ability to burn a crow, but I could use something else if I had enough control.''


    "No, should I say that the Undying Phoenix, Phoenix Wings, and so on are derived from the Undying Fire itself? In that case, if I can master it, won''t I be able to do anything?"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The moment he hit that realization, Ardagan reacted to him. Even though his eyes were closed, he could see the system in his mind.


    [Mission: Undying Fire.]


    [Description: You have be the owner of the Undying Fire. Choose the path you wish to take by yourself and strive for it. Bes the true ruler of the Undying Fire.]


    [Reward: ???]

 Chapter 703 Path

    "For now, you should sit down and try to think about it," said Damian while observing Noel''s expression. It seemed that Noel had chosen something to master. However, he had to know whether that ability was promising or not. After all, if he chose an ability that was too hard to master, the process would take longer.


    ''There are a lot of people who are taking on a challenge by mastering a difficult ability to show people that they are talented in the Greenwood Kingdom. However, that''s just an idiotic way of thinking. Most of them are hit by a huge wall that causes them to fall into despair. So, I hope that you are smart in this process as well.'' Damian sighed. He couldn''t let his guard drop until he could see some progress in Noel''s ability.


    Meanwhile, Noel followed his instruction. He sat in a lotus position. This was the most effective post when he was meditating. It helped him a lot while thinking about something.


    Noel recalled all the questions Damian posed to him.


    "What kind of path do you wish to take? If you have got the answer, then ask another question. How do you want this ability to help you? Then, what do you need in order for your ability to do that? Last but not least, can you proceed right now? If you can''t, then you have to strengthen that part first before attempting it."


    ''What kind of path do I wish to take? It must mean what I want my power to be, right?'' Noel instantly stopped at the first question. He was ready for this training, but he wasn''t ready for the question.


    He couldn''t help but imagine the Undying Fire.


    ''Well, the Undying Fire can be shaped into anything. With the Undying Fire as the base, all my Spirit Abilities like the Undying Phoenix, Phoenix Wings, or even the Undying Fire Feathers, rely on the shape of the Undying Fire.''


    ''Does that mean my path is the control? I am going to control my Undying Fire?''


    Noel couldn''t help but fall silent. On the one hand, this path seemed to be effective. If he could control his mepletely, his battle power would increase tremendously. On the other hand, it felt like this wasn''t the answer he wanted.


    It was not because he was wrong, but it was something rted to the third question.


    ''What do you need in order for your ability to do that¡­ Of course, it''s Control. But with how Sir Damian worded all those questions, it seems that he is trying to lead me from many options to only a few options. It means the next answer will be more specific than the previous one.''


    ''So, if Control is the third answer. What about the first question and second questions?'' Noel paused for a moment. ''I don''t know what kind of path I want it to take. So, maybe I should answer the second question first? But should I just go for thest question? Maybe the first and second questions aren''t that relevant?''


    A lot of thoughts and questions confused him. Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Sir. What if I find the answer to thest question without finding the rest?"


    Damian seemed to have expected this kind of question. He answered without hesitation. "You can proceed. But it will make your ability shallow. For example, you can improve it to one point, but you are limiting your ability only to that point. You should be aware of the patterns in my question, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes. You are bringing me from the general idea to the specific one."


    "That''s right. Your talent is reflected in it. Let''s say I can form the ice spikes in any formation, right? What if my thoughts are only limited to one form? It''ll be a waste, right?"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "I see. So, the first question is basically the potential of the ability."


    "You can say it like that. You are the one who will set the limit for your own ability. Being more ambitious is a good thing, but it will surely be harder to reach it. So, think about what you want and suit your needs."


    Noel nodded.


    ''Well, I do need my ability to be extremely powerful. But I don''t really have a lot of time since the Supreme Devil Organization is targeting me. But am I going to sacrifice its potential just because I don''t have a lot of time?''


    Noel was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he needed a powerful ability since it would benefit him more in the long run. On the other hand, he couldn''t improve his ability if he died in the process.


    Noel remained silent for a few minutes. There was a thought about changing his ability. But he dismissed the idea. If he chose anything weaker, he might not have enough power to protect himself and others in the near future.


    ''As expected¡­ I''m going to improve the Undying Fire. As for the first question, it''s hard, but I already have two options. The first one will lead me in the future, while the second one will improve my ability drastically in a short period of time.''


    Noel couldn''t help but remember how he got defeated by the Supreme Devil Organization. It looked like having his ability improve took priority.


    But surprisingly, Noel had a different thought.


    ''Dimitri is going back soon. And I can trust the people around me. If we don''t have enough people, there is still ra. We can even call other captains or even themander. He will surely make a move since he must have heard about the nt Lord.''


    Noel took a deep breath. It seemed that he had decided on his path. His goal was also rted to it, so he didn''t hesitate to dere the path he chose to take in his mind.


    ''That''s right. What kind of path do I want my Undying Fire to have? Of course, I want the Undying Fire to be free.''

 Chapter 704 A New Mission

    ''Free'' in his words meant unlimited potential. If the Undying Fire was free, it meant the fire could take shape into anything.


    Of course, this kind of thought would surely lead the Undying Fire to be omnipotent. However, there was a hidden problem.


    If he chose this path, it would mean the Fire could be heavy, hard, or even empty. It was already in the realm of impossibility. Anyone would surely think he was insane. There might be some ambitious and positive people that thought it was possible, but Noel was different. He might be ambitious, but he was still looking at the world realistically.


    That was why the second question was like a chain that dragged his ambition to the ground, making it look reachable.


    ''How do I want this ability to help me? The answer is obvious. Undying Fire is a fire that is far stronger than any other me I have seen so far. So, I want it to stay that way. I want this fire to burn everything I wish to burn.''


    With this statement, Noel abandoned the possibility of having his Undying Fire turn into something else.


    He had already answered the third question that asked him how to achieve it. The answer was obvious as soon as he finished answering the first two questions. He needed to improve his control over Spiritual Energy so that he could change the shape of his me without the need of Spirit Abilities.


    Last but not least, the fourth question.


    ''Can I proceed in mastering the ability right now?'' Noel assessed his current situation. ''I already know the method and I have settled all the immediate problems, giving me some time to practice. I should be able to start practicing this technique.''


    ''But mastering this power will require a huge amount of effort and time. I have to be diligent and never give up if I want to seed. That''s why the fourth question is actually asking me whether I have the resolve and determination to master my ability or not.''


    Noel took a deep breath as he gradually opened his eyes. He raised his head, looking at Damian.


    "There are a lot of people trying to kill me. I have to be strong so that all those people won''t be able to kill me. I have to survive if I want to achieve my goal. That''s why please help me, Sir Damian."


    Damian smiled. He already knew the answer, but he still had to confirm it from his mouth. "Have you answered those four questions?"


    "Yes," Noel answered without a shred of doubt.


    "I''m not going to ask the answers you have in your heart. After all, that will be the secret of your abilities. Unless you are nning to disclose the secret, I''m not in a position to force you to reveal it. However, I have to ask you¡­ How do you want me to help?" Damian smiled.


    Noel answered without hesitation. "Help me to improve my Control."


    "Do you mean the Soft Approach and Hard Approach?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Soft Approach and Hard Approach are only a method to change the type of destructive power. However, I find something else that seems to be even more specific than these two approaches."


    "In both Approaches, you are required to have a certain degree of ''control'' over your Spiritual Energy. With that control, you can increase your firepower or even change the shape of your abilities. That''s why I''d like to ask you to teach me how to control my Spiritual Energy."


    Damian''s smile couldn''t help but grow bigger. Of course, he understood the concept of Control and the two Approaches. Thetter was formed in order to simplify the former. But when one became as strong as him, they would return back to the very core, which was control.


    Damian was surprised that Noel had chosen this way. But he liked the answer.


    "Alright. I''m going to help you practice your control. Of course, I can only give the knowledge to the limit of my ability." Damian warned him that he wouldn''t disclose an important secret.


    Noel understood his position and politely bowed his head.


    Damian began training Noel like there was no tomorrow. He was strict and harsh.


    Noel didn''tin because he knew his training was effective. So, he followed his instruction no matter how hard it was.


    Noel would spend the majority of his free time practicing his control. He would use the remaining time to improve his Swordsmanship and Runes. And he didn''t forget to spare some time to write down the concept of Rune Engineering to fulfill his side of the agreement.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Time passed quickly. Because of the recent incident, the Demon Banner Army became even more careful. They also stopped the Demon Relief Squad from taking any action for the time being. So, ra used this time to strengthen the squad while observing the situation.


    Noel didn''t have any problem with it. Though, there was one thing he had to fulfill. He had to go to Anna''s side soon since there was a mission he had toplete. Because Ardagan had given him a mission, he knew that ra would be asking the Zero Squad to leave.


    In addition to Dimitri''s return, he had asked Harley to begin investigating the area that he was going to visit.


    Noel wasn''t rushing at first. But as the date was approaching, Noel couldn''t help but go to ra to see if she had any mission for them.


    ra was stunned when Noel came to her, especially when she was wondering whether she should give them a mission or not.


    In the end, ra decided to give them a mission, which happened to be simr to the mission Ardagan gave him.


    Unbeknownst to Noel, the mission would take a sharp turn for Noel. Something that he would never forget. After all, this mission connected him with Anna. And Noel would consider it to be worse than the recent defeat.

 Chapter 705 Checking

    Noel was sitting in a lotus pose in the backyard. A ck me was circling around him at a constant speed. Though, sometimes, the speed changed as though Noel was controlling it.


    However, Noel was in the middle of his control training. He had to maintain a constant speed of his me in order to master it.


    Once in a while, he changed the form of his me into a small bird and made it fly up and down before turning back to its original form and maintaining the same speed.


    Rose had just returned after the meeting and chose to inform Noel about the result.


    Since there was no one around, she called Noel by his name. "Noel. We have discussed it. We will be going on a mission again. It might be dangerous, but I want to hear your thoughts."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Noel gradually opened his eyes as the me disappeared. "Is it the Creek Vige?"


    Rose widened her eyes and nodded. "How do you know?"


    "Well, I have predicted it and I have asked Captain ra. However, this time, I''m not influencing her decision or anything. So, I don''t have any ns about it." Noel raised both hands, indirectly telling her not to worry since there was no hidden scheme from him.


    "Hmm¡­ Then, why do you know about the location?" Rose asked. She was his vassal. Questioning her lord might be overstepping her bound, but Noel knew she asked this because she was worried about him.


    So, he said, "Because Anna''s advancement mission is also in that vige."


    "Anna? Anna Stargaze?" Rose gasped.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "I have been preparing for it this whole time. You should know about the brothel, right? I have tasked them to gather information about the vige. And I have two Spirit Grandmasters that are as strong as Shale with me."


    Noel told her about the preparation. It felt like he was opening all his cards, but he would only do it to Rose. He knew Rose was smart enough to know which one she could tell the others and which one should be kept secret. This was also a small test for Rose if she truly wanted to be his secretary.


    "Then, the information has to wait until we reach the vige?"


    "Specifically, the town that is located not far from the vige." Noel nodded.


    "I understand." Rose was nning to tell a few pieces of information to the others without revealing Noel''s secret. Though, she didn''t forget to give Noel the details about the mission. She handed the paper. "Then."


    She nodded to Noel before leaving. Noel took a nce at the paper to learn more about the mission.


    Mission: Creek Vige<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Description: The vige was attacked by demons a few months ago and when the knights arrived at that ce, it was toote. All the vigers should have died. But right now, there are new vigers filling the area. It''s suspicious as there is no trace of migration happening. Even the city near the vige doesn''t have a record of it. There is a possibility that this ce is used by the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Groups: Demon Relief Squad, Demon Hunting Squad, Demon Barrier Squad, Demon Beholder Squad.


    ''Oh, wow. It''s a joint mission.'' Noel frowned. On the one hand, it felt like this joint mission was an easy mission since there was a Demon Beholder Squad, Septa''s group. On the other hand, the fact that four groups were involved, the Creek Vige''s threat level should be extremely high.


    ''Hmm¡­ A joint mission, huh. And with how they want us to investigate this vige that is suspected to be the dent of the Supreme Devil Organization, it seems that the Demon Banner Army has finally taken a serious approach to fight the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    Noel thought for a moment. As expected, the Demon Relief Squad would be a higher priority to the Supreme Devil Organization. The Demon Beholder Squad would be more suited to a covert mission like this and the Demon Hunting Squad would be their spear. Meanwhile, the Demon Barrier Squad would be their shield.


    Just from this, Noel realized that they were the bait in this mission. If they came, the Creek Vige would show their true nature.


    "I see¡­" Noel thought for a moment, wondering what he should do. He had made a lot of -preparation this time. In fact, all the past preparation couldn''t bepared to this one. Even so, he didn''t be confident. He kept being careful and considered everything before making his decision. He had learned from thest defeat after all.


    "I have be stronger, but I don''t think this is enough. After all, I also have a mission that will involve Anna. The reward is Force Control."


    [Mission: Repaying One''s Kindness.]


    [Description: Anna has helped you a lot, it''s time to repay her. A Rune Swordsman has always been clear with debt and gratitude. Help her finish her advancement mission in Creek Vige six months from now.]


    [Reward: Force Control.]


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows after taking another look at the mission.


    "Now that I think about it, why does the system reward me with Force Control? Right now, I am also training my own control¡­ Don''t tell me. Ardagan has predicted my defeat and what I will do?"


    Noel couldn''t help but feel chills down his spine. If this was correct, he could do something more about the system. In fact, he might be able to predict his own defeat and make more preparations to prevent it.


    He was scared by Ardagan''s irvoyance ability, but it also motivated him to understand it better so that he wouldn''t lose anymore.


    Noel clenched his fists and said, "In that case, I have to be even more careful. I''m afraid this mission is going to be extremely dangerous."


    Since he realized that there might be some clues within the missions Ardagan gave him. He opened the system and checked all the recent missions he got.

 Chapter 706 Who Surprised Who?

    Since he realized that there might be some clues within the missions Ardagan gave him. He opened the system and checked all the recent missions he got.


    [Mission: Undying Fire.]


    [Description: You have be the owner of the Undying Fire. Choose the path you wish to take by yourself and strive for it. Bes the true ruler of the Undying Fire.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Mission: Survive an Attack.]


    [Description: The Supreme Devil Organization willunch an attack. Survive for one day.]


    [Reward: 5 Random Rune Scrolls and Ardagan Swordsmanship +2 Levels.]


    [Penalty: Death.]


    [Mission: Peerless (2)]


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat five Peak Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: Union of Sword, Spiritual Step, and Elite Medal.]


    [Mission: Meeting the Representative from the Greenwood Kingdom.]


    [Description: You have be the center of attention of the four kingdoms. The Greenwood Kingdom has sent their representative to observe you. Determine the best oue that you want from them.]


    [Reward: Damian''s cooperation.]


    Noel looked at thepleted missions such as the ''Survive an Attack'' mission and the ''Representative'' mission.


    He had gotten 5 Random Rune Scrolls: Floating Rune, Rune Spear, Rune Strike, Rune st, and Arm Guard Rune. He also had received the two levels for the Ardagan Swordsmanship. That was why his swordsmanship was advancing by leaps and bounds during their break.


    Just like the mission ''Survive an Attack'' said, the penalty for failing the mission was death. Of course, it was death. There was no way Laufey wouldn''t kill him.


    Noel understood that if he ever received a mission with the death penalty, it meant that the mission would be extremely dangerous. There would at least be a person or demon that would kill him.


    However, he was wondering what he should do with a mission that didn''t have a penalty. It was more ambiguous, but he couldn''t ask Ardagan for a penalty.


    In the end, Noel chose to focus on the other two missions.


    ''There is the continuation of the Peerless Mission. The reward is extremely good, but I haven''t had the chance to fight against five Peak Level Demons by myself. Maybe if there is an opportunity, I will fight them even if I have to ask the others. Last but not least, the mission about the Undying Fire. This mission has an unknown reward, but I''m still far from mastering the Undying Fire. I guess this mission willst for a long time.''


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. After looking at the mission, there didn''t seem to be any clue hidden in those missions. At least the one that would be connected to the current mission.


    "Well, I still have to be careful. And since there is a mission like this¡­ It means I''m going to cooperate with Anna again. I don''t know if I can ask for others'' help. In any case, I will be able to fight with Anna again."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel couldn''t help but imagine Anna''s face in his mind. There was a feeling of annoyance, rivalry, and happiness mixed in his heart. He harrumphed, "You have confused me with that kiss. I''m going to pay you back. Just you wait."


    Noel had an evil grin as though he had juste up with a devilish n that would defeat Anna. Of course, he didn''t forget to add, "And I will surely watch how strong Anna is. What if we fight again? Can I defeat Anna this time?"


    That was just a question filled with curiosity. Whether he would do it or not was a different question.


    After checking everything, Noel finally stood up and returned to the house as he had to discuss the mission with everyone else.


    Since Rose had told them about Noel''s stance in this mission, everyone''s expression mellowed a bit. It seemed that they were still worried that he would take on everything without them realizing it.


    So, they felt a bit happy that everything Noel said would have nothing hidden. Of course, except for Anna''s matter.


    Noel had changed during the break. He became a bit more open with the rest of the group. He had begun to trust them like that of a family.


    The others also understood why Noel was scared. The Ardagan Family was strong, but it was destroyed in a single night. He must think there was no way he could rely on others. He wouldn''t trust anyone other than his subordinates again.


    Noel never admitted or thought about it. But that was what trauma meant. Sometimes, they didn''t realize it was the trauma that caused it.


    And Noel cured that trauma without him realizing its existence. This never happened in his previous life. This might also be the reason why he never had a woman in his previous life. He simply couldn''t trust anyone anymore, especially women. Even though his past life might have known about the scheme between his father and the Stargaze Family, he would still hate them because of the hidden trauma.


    Gradually but surely, Noel changed from his previous life. He could even make a joke about how his message could be interpreted as a proposal to Anna. That wouldn''t happen in his previous life.


    Of course, even Anna didn''t know about Noel that much. Only the previous Noel knew what he thought and the reason behind his action.


    As for the current Noel, he could trust others again and be the foundation of his future.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Finally, they were set for their journey. Just like before, ra saw them off personally.


    She gave them onest message. "Remember. You are to meet with the other groups immediately. Because Septa is focusing on the investigation of the nt Lord and I''m focusing on another project, we can''t join you in this mission."


    "However, Captain Faust and Captain Igor are going to be there. With those two big dudes with you, you should feel safe, right?" ra chuckled before turning to Noel. "That''s it, Kid. Don''t forget to trust the Demon Banner Army."


    Noel nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Captain."


    "Then, we''re off."


    ¡­


    In a town near Creek Vige called Wendell. Anna was sitting on her bed while reading a paper containing her mission.


    Suddenly, she stopped reading while having a yful smile. "Ah, Noel is going to surprise me soon, right? I wonder what he has prepared for me¡­ Let''s see who surprises who. Though, you might be so surprised that you tell me about your secret. Hehehe."

 Chapter 707 Arrival

    Since the vige was bad news, the group obviously had to remain in the city and group up with the rest.


    "So, this is Wedell¡­" Noel looked around the town. It was bustling with people and he didn''t find anything that made him sour. There were still some people who didn''t even have a basic need, but their number was certainly far lower than all the cities he had seen.


    He thought this city was better than he originally thought. Since this was a covert mission, there was a chance that the enemy was hiding some spies inside the town. So, all four groups had to stay in different inns.


    The Demon Relief Squad was ced in the Go Goat Inn. It wasn''t the best inn in the city, but they weren''t that bad either. So, there was noint from the members of the squad.


    They gathered in one room to discuss what they had to do.


    Paul gave them a briefing. "Alright. Since we have arrived in this city, we''ll be meeting the other groups tonight. Of course, all of us can''t go. I can only bring one or two people with me. So, I guess Iadre and Rose will be with me."


    Surprisingly, Noel raised his hand and said, "I''ll pass this time. You should ask Ben to go with you. I have to meet some people in this city. Of course, I''m not talking about hidden schemes or anything. I just want to gather some information."


    They looked at each other before Paul nodded, agreeing to Noel''s decision. "Alright then. You are free to go anywhere. But if you get into any problem, make sure to tell us immediately."


    "Got it." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    Since they hade to an agreement, Paul dismissed the group, telling them they could do whatever they wanted before the operation started.


    Noel didn''t waste any time. He headed straight to the ce where he could get that information.


    But people would surely misunderstand Noel when he visited this kind of ce as soon as he arrived in the city.


    Yes, the ce he visited was none other than the brothel, specifically the Sleeping Flower Brothel.


    The sun was about to set, so the brothel was ready to open. The women began to enter the brothel, preparing to take customers.


    But since they hadn''t officially opened, there was no one who came to Noel to persuade him to spend some time inside.


    That was normal, and it was more convenient for him. After all, he could enter the brothel without any suspicion or judging stares.


    But when he was about to take a step forward, someone suddenly hugged his right arm. A sweet perfume entered his nose and he felt the soft sensation wrapping his arms. A seductive voice whispered to him. "It seems Sir wants to visit us. Please don''t hesitate to enter and pick me, I''ll give you a good time."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel was startled, thinking there was a woman from the brothel that approached him. And since other women didn''t even bother to look at him, he thought this person must be an influential person since she might know about his identity.


    The woman didn''t hesitate and dragged him inside the brothel. It seemed that she was trying to stop him from looking at her, but Noel noticed the familiar figure and hair. It didn''t take too long for him to realize who she actually was.


    "A¡ª" As he was about to call her, the woman picked up the pace and finally dragged him inside.


    She didn''t hesitate to bring Noel to the receptionist, who was still cleaning the table. The receptionist obviously didn''t recognize this woman, but the woman didn''t do anything as though she was waiting for the man to do something.


    Noel couldn''t help but make an awkward smile while taking out a badge and putting it on top of the table. "Can I see the manager?"


    It seemed the receptionist recognized the badge. She hurriedly grabbed it as if she was trying to prevent anyone from seeing it.


    She dropped her mop and put on a big smile. She extended her hand to the side and said, "Please. I''ll lead you to our VIP Room."


    Noel nodded with a smile. Both of them followed the receptionist to the room on the highest floor. It was a wide room. But since this was a brothel, the bed was big and there were many decorations that could be used for a lot of things. He could even see some cabs filled with tools and salves.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    When the receptionist left the room after asking him to wait in this room, Noel finally sighed while ncing to the side. "So, what are you doing here, Anna?"


    Anna stepped forward. Her hands were still hugging his arm. She looked at him with a yful smile. "Hehe. Do you think I don''t know you''re going to this brothel as soon as you arrive in the city? You told me that you''re going to surprise me in six months, so I calcted that you''ll visit this city, specifically the brothel, to get the information."


    Noel shook his head in defeat. Anna had truly changed. One year ago, she wouldn''t be able to see through him. But right now, she managed to move ahead of him.


    "So, I''m wondering what kind of surprise you have for me." Her smirk was indirectly telling him that she wouldn''t be surprised by something normal. Unless it was something beyond her imagination, she would surely be disappointed.


    And it seemed that Noel had taken up the challenge.


    "Before that, I wonder why you need to act like one of the women from the brothel." Noel suddenly dragged her to the sofa and put her down.


    After that, he ced his hands next to her shoulders to prevent her from escaping.


    Anna was startled. She raised her head and saw Noel''s face approaching her from above. Her heart couldn''t help but beat rapidly, remembering the time Dimitri sent her Noel''s message that could easily be misunderstood.

 Chapter 708 Teasing

    Six months ago.


    Anna had just finished the day and was about to sleep. But suddenly, her instinct picked up a danger.


    It was a tad toote, but the danger didn''t do anything to her. So, she turned around while shouting, "Who?!"


    Dimitri didn''t reply to her. He remained inside the shadow. However, he left a box that contained all the items that Noel wanted to give Anna.


    Before leaving, Dimitri''s voice echoed inside the room. "My Master wants to give you a big surprise in six months."


    Anna couldn''t react or reply as the danger suddenly disappeared. Even her instinct told her that the person had left.


    When she opened the book, she realized who sent him. It was Noel.


    "Hu¡­" Anna let out a breath of relief, knowing that it wasn''t an enemy. "I can understand that he doesn''t want me to see him, but still, it''s too nerve-wracking. But¡­"


    Anna fell silent and recalled his words. "He said Noel wants to give me a big surprise in six months¡­ Huh? What kind of surprise?"


    Anna tilted her head in confusion. No matter how hard she thought about it, nothing came to her mind.


    However, she didn''t forget that she had just kissed Noel''s cheek not long ago.


    "Wait a minute¡­ Don''t tell me he took that kiss seriously? I mean, it''s truly easily misunderstood, but he''s not going to say he''ll take responsibility or something, right?" Anna looked up.


    She couldn''t help but imagine what if her guess came true. What if Noel suddenly wanted to take responsibility and marry her?


    "I mean, Noel is a great man. Even with my previous life''s memory, he can still match my progress. Maybe, my own progress stimtes him to make faster progress. If I y my cards right, I don''t have any doubt that I can be one of the strongest people in the world. And if he is truly by my side like this, won''t it mean that both of us will be the strongest couple¡­"


    Anna fell silent. On the one hand, she loved how it would be. Strong nobles usually had multiple wives. The wives got a huge advantage even if they didn''t be the main wife since their family would benefit from the connection, and the more wives the noble took, the bigger their influence would be. So, having more wives was proof of power and a symbol of protection. The same applied the other way around, but they had one big problem, which was the sessor. After all, there was only one person who could give birth in the family.


    On the other hand, she couldn''t imagine what the world would be if she truly got together with Noel. It might be because of what happened in the previous life that the thought never urred in her mind. They were arch-nemesis, so it was impossible for them to get together.


    But because, in their current life, their rtionship was quite good, she couldn''t help but imagine that kind of possibility.


    "W-wait a minute!" Anna was flustered. "What am I even thinking¡­ Even in the past life, Noel has never touched any women. I know that he is not nning to get closer to anyone unless he has achieved his ultimate goal."


    Anna nodded, convincing herself. And that goal would be long in the future. By that time, she would have passed the age of marriage, so they wouldn''t be together at that time. That was how she convinced herself.


    ¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, when Anna had to face this situation directly, she couldn''t help but think she might be wrong.


    Noel was staring into her eyes intensely as if he couldn''t get enough of her. And with what he said earlier, it felt like Noel wanted to take advantage of her simple y to enter the brothel into an opportunity.


    ''Wait a minute. He is not going to do it, right?'' Anna''s heart began to beat rapidly. She wondered what Noel nned to do. ''No, wait a minute. Maybe he wants to pay me back for that one? But he might do the same thing, right?''


    Anna gulped down, thinking Noel wanted to kiss her the same way as she did. Noel always paid someone back, especially if it was a grudge after all.


    So, she shut her eyes tight while closing her mouth, waiting for Noel to do it.


    But to her surprise, Noel ended up flicking her forehead.


    "Ouch! What are you doing?" Anna immediately covered her forehead while ring at Noel.


    But in that instant, she realized Noel was just trying to tease her.


    Noel had a cheeky smirk as though he had achieved his objective. He couldn''t help but tease her, "What are you doing? Don''t tell me¡­ you are expecting something? Ah, right. You were the one who kissed my cheek. Maybe, it''s you who is trying to seduce me this whole time."


    "You might be beautiful and we might be friends, but please don''t overstep your bounds, alright?" Noel chuckled.


    Anna''s face was red, not because of anger but because of embarrassment. She clenched her teeth.


    She wanted to get angry, but if she shouted here, it was the same as acknowledging her defeat. There was no way she would do it after Noel teased her like this.


    Even if she was embarrassed, she still tried to make a smile while asking, "What? You are still thinking about that small kiss? I was just trying to thank you for your help, Noel. Don''t tell me, you couldn''t forget about it? Is it because I was the one that gave you the memory? That''s why you are like this. You just can''t be honest with yourself."


    Anna also giggled, teasing Noel back.


    Both of them were ring at each other. Their eyebrows twitched, knowing their opponent was tough to crack.


    Though, they were interrupted by the sound of the door that was slightly opened.


    "Ehm¡­ Am I interrupting something?" A woman with brown hair took a peek while asking. She didn''t dare to enter when she saw these two having fun.


    She pointed her finger to the cabs in the corner of the room and said, "Since you are here for the first time, you can find all the lubes and medicine in the cab over there."


    "¡­"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 Chapter 709 Information

    "I''m sure that you''re already aware of the request. So, I won''t beat around the bush." Noel''s expression became serious. He now sat next to Anna, facing the brothel manager. He asked, "So, do you have any information about the Creek Vige?"


    "We have been sorting out a lot of information about the Creek Vige." The manager nodded and handed him a few pages of paper. "These are the things we can find about it."


    Noel and Anna took a look at the paper, trying to understand their current situation. While they were reading, the manager began to summarize the information.


    "Basically, Creek Vige was not very popr in the past. It''s considered one of the poorest viges in the vicinity."


    "However, there was a sudden demon outbreak that directly hit the vige. The demons also attacked this city. But because the level of the demons was quite low, the town easily eliminated the threat. Still, the Creek Vige couldn''t survive the demons'' onught and got exterminated."


    "Because the Creek Vige''s position wasn''t that strategic for business, the authority decided to give up on that vige until one month ago. They finally allowed people to migrate to this vige."


    "We don''t know the exact reason, but there is an increase in demon activity in that ce. So, we decided not to enter the vige so as not to alert them."


    "However, we still can''t understand what''s going on with the Creek Vige. We''ve been collecting rumors, but there are only two that seem to match the current condition. There is a possibility that the authority found something in Creek Vige and tried to get it. Or¡­There is a chance that the Creek Vige is hiding something ominous, like a group of bandits or something."


    Noel looked down, assessing the situation. He nced at Anna and asked, "What is your mission, by the way?"


    "I am nning to investigate the lord of this city. There is a weird movement in Creek Vige, so this should be rted to the lord of the city. For now, I''m nning to investigate Creek Vige and find a connection." Anna exined. "The Lord is quite entric, so I have to be careful. After all, both the current generation of Count Heirden and the previous patriarch are Spirit Grandmasters."


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "So, do you think there is a chance that this vige is rted to the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "I won''t deny the possibility. But the two are Spirit Grandmasters, and the previous lord is still holding his title as the Fist Arbiter. So, I don''t know if they are truly cooperating with them or if they don''t know about them." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "Your mission is quite dangerous, huh?" Noel knew Anna was going to advance to the next rank as an inquisitor. If she seeded in this mission, she only needed to advance one more rank before she finally had a status high enough to challenge the current arbiters.


    Still, with the Royal Family trying to grasp Anna, they might force the Fist Arbiter and his son to do something during this mission.


    "Things are gettingplicated." Noel looked at the manager and said, "Do you have anything to say about it?"


    The manager was quite surprised by the question. She politely shook her head. "If Sir is talking about the matter rted to the Demon Banner Army or the Inquisitor, I have nothing to say since I''m not a part of them. However, if Sir wants my opinion regarding the current lord and the previous lord, I can say for certain that they are great men.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They love their people, and the city has been prosperous. If Sir wants to do anything to them, the townspeople might not agree with you."


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I see. Do you have any maps for this region? Especially the Creek Vige."


    The manager nodded and left the room for a bit to retrieve the map.


    The Creek Vige was located not far from the town. They were situated between a mountain and a river. They had to cross the river first if they wanted to enter the vige and due to the steep hill, they would have a hard time reaching the vige.


    However, due to how steep it was, Creek Vige had trouble generating ie. That was why they became one of the poorest viges in the region.


    Noel suddenly felt something wrong when he looked at the map. Anna seemed to understand a little bit and said, "This is quite dangerous."


    The manager tilted her head in confusion. Although she was educated enough to deal with the informationwork and the brothel, she wasn''t that good at reading a map.


    Since the manager might have another input or piece of information that she thought was unnecessary, Noel tried to exin the situation to jog her memory.


    He pointed at the river and asked, "What''s the situation of this river?"


    "Angu River is a river that runs through five nobles'' territories. Since it''s located near the mountain where it originates, as well as due to how steep the mountain is, the flow of the river is quite powerful. It''s shallow, but the river flow will surely destroy anything on its path if you try to make a dam for it."


    "The bridge that connects the outside world and the vige took at least twenty lives when it was built."


    Noel nodded and continued, "That''s why if we cross this bridge and the enemy destroys it, we will have no choice but to go around the mountain. But due to how steep it is, we will have trouble going around it. This will be a perfect ce to execute us."


    "Ah!" The manager hade to a realization. It would be troublesome if there were strong people hiding there. And if they added the possibility that the two lords were going to ambush them as well, the situation became trickier.


    "So, do you have anything else that can be useful in the current situation?" Noel asked.


    The manager looked down, falling into deep thought. After a minute, her expression changed as she said, "I think I have one."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

 Chapter 710 Reward

    "I think I have one." The manager took another map from her room. It was a simr map, but with a few markings near Creek Vige. "Please take a look at this."


    They all glued their eyes on Creek Vige. The manager pointed at the marker not far from Creek Vige.


    "There is actually a small tunnel in this ce. One of our customers is actually the first young master of Count Heirden. When he was drunk, he told us that there was a secret passage leading to the other side of the mountain. They actually took advantage of the steep mountain and built a tunnel underneath it. This way, anyone that tried to pursue them would have to loop around the mountain, which would take a significant amount of time."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna widened their eyes. They recognized how important this information was.


    "How can I say this¡­ You are truly good." Noel scratched the back of his head, praising the manager.


    "We''ll do our best to gather the information. Besides, all the girls are working together. So, I don''t deserve your praise."


    Noel smiled and said to Anna, "In that case, we''ll check the passage first. There might be a chance that we have to use it. Of course, we need to locate and map the passage. We might be able to find a spot where we can dig to turn it into our escape route."


    "That''s indeed the case."


    "I''ll try to dy the movement of the Demon Banner Army," Noel added.


    "In that case, I''ll locate the passage." Anna nodded in agreement.


    With this escape route, he felt a bit secure if he wanted to proceed with the mission.


    Lastly, he asked the manager, "Will you have any problems if I take advantage of the passage?"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "I don''t think the first young son of Count Heirden is aware of the leak of information."


    "Still, if there are any problems, you and the girls should retreat immediately. Also, do you have any requests? Those who work will be rewarded. So, I''m nning to give you something." Noel asked.


    "I don''t have any personal requests. I''m already blessed to have a good house and living conditions. My job might not be honorable, but I can live with this. So, I''m satisfied. But¡­" The manager paused for a moment. "This might be presumptuous for me to ask, but our girls are mostly trained in the slum. They are those who want to change their lives and can only do this type of thing."


    "Two of them are facing a problem right now. Their houses were seized not long ago, so they had been sleeping in the brothel for the past two weeks. Actually, one of them was the one who received the information about the secret passage."


    Noel didn''t hesitate to ask the manager. "What''s the price of a house in this city?"


    The manager felt happy that Noel was that considerate. However, she knew that asking too much would anger Noel instead. So she thought about it and said, "350 gold coins should be enough for a house."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "350 coins, huh?" Noel nced at Anna. "How much do you have?"


    "I''m the one who pays?" Anna''s eyebrows twitched.


    "Not entirely. Just give me some money since you''ve benefited from it."


    "But you said you''re going to surprise me¡­ Don''t tell me this is what you mean by surprise?" Anna looked disappointed.


    However, Noel let out a sigh and exined what he wanted. "I''m just asking for a few gold coins. This should let them stay in a better inn for one month. I have my own savings, but it''s all located at the Demon Relief Squad headquarters. So, I have to let them stay in a proper ce until I go back and send the money."


    "Thank you, Sir. Thank you, Miss." The manager seemed overjoyed when hearing the little discussion. 350 gold coins weren''t a small sum for people like them. Even the manager had to save for a few years before she could afford her current home.


    However, for Noel, 350 gold coins weren''t that big. A Peak Level Demon Crystal alone could fetch up to fifty gold coins. As a Spirit Master, 350 gold coins were something that could be gained within one week. And it would be even easier when he became a Spirit Grandmaster.


    And since he hadn''t be a lord, which required him to take care of his spending, he could splurge a little. After all, the information was useful, and his life was far beyond 350 gold coins.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "From the way you word it, it seems that the house barely fits the requirement. I want you to buy them a better house, but not too good since I don''t want others to feel jealous.


    "So, I think 400 gold coins should be enough. If there is anything left, you can use it to treat the women with something nice."


    "Yes, Sir." The manager lowered her head. She couldn''t thank him enough.


    Noel could see the honesty and care the manager had for her people. So he didn''t feel like he had thrown away a lot of money.


    Besides, the information was truly precious, considering it could save him and all the people that participated in the mission.


    "Since we''re done here, I''ll be leaving." Noel took a look at Anna and said, "For now, we''ll meet again in the South Gate, let''s say, one day from now, at dusk. If both of us don''t appear, then assume something has happened."


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. They had a lot of preparation this time, especially for the escape route. Noel wanted to be extra careful and made sure he wouldn''t lose even if he couldn''t aplish the mission.


    All of them rose from their seats and headed straight to the door. Before leaving, Noel stopped and asked, "If possible, I want you to monitor the movement around the town. There are chances that some spies are mixing with the people. So, be careful. If there''s any important information, you can go to the Go Goat Inn, room 7, to inform me."


    "Yes, Sir."

 Chapter 711 Escape Routes

    "It seems that we''re going to infiltrate the ce in three days," said Paul. He had returned from meeting the other group leaders and gathered the Demon Relief Squad to inform them about their n.


    "Three days, huh?" Noel frowned.


    "Do you want to say something, Iadre?" Paul asked.


    "No. I think it''s better for us to listen to what has been discussed before we say something." Noel shook his head.


    "Alright." Paul nodded.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Currently, we have a total of two Captains, two Vice Captains, and thirty Spirit Masters. I''m sure you understand the power of the Captain and the Vice Captain. So, you can guess their strength."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. ''Well, if we''re going to have a conflict with the Count Family, we should have enough power to do so. Even if the previous Count is an Arbiter, one Captain and one Vice Captain should be enough to stop them.


    ''However, the problem will be Creek Vige. I don''t know what they have for us. Considering the movement and the involvement of those two, I''m afraid that there is a Devil Bishop or at least a Superior Demon inside the vige.''


    ''Well, even if we don''t have enough manpower, I can still ask Dimitri and Damian. Still, I don''t want to ask for their help if I can do it myself. I had promised Dimitri that I wouldn''t rely too much on him so that I could keep growing¡­''


    Dimitri would surely be disappointed if Noel asked him for help in every single mission. So, if it were possible, he wouldn''t ask Dimitri and Damian this time.


    In fact, he didn''t even consider them in this n since he didn''t want to be dependent on them.


    He had some ideas in mind, but he continued to listen to what Paul had to say.


    "ording to our information, the Creek Vige has the support of the Count. However, their connection is quite suspicious. So, there is a chance that the Count won''t be on our side. For now, we have two Captains that can suppress the Count easily, but you can''t lower your guards."


    "For now, all of us have agreed to split our roles. The Demon Beholder Squad will be our scout, heading first to check if there are any traps or anything. But because we couldn''t rm them, they wouldn''t be able to find anything until infiltrating the vige, which would only happen in three days."


    "The Demon Hunting Squad will be the main sword this time, while the Demon Barrier Squad will protect us. Our main role is to maintain the connection between the three of them and coordinate with any of them if necessary."


    "In fact, there is a wide river if we want to go there. There is a chance that they will destroy the bridge. So, Jonathan will remain on standby and help anyone cross it if necessary. If not, we can reconstruct the bridge with our power. It doesn''t need to be sturdy, just enough to be used for emergencies."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "For now, this is the current condition. I would like to hear your opinions so that I can discuss them with the rest tomorrow." Paul finished his exnation and looked at Noel, who was about to speak earlier.


    All of them turned to Noel, wondering what he was about to say.


    Noel said, "I believe we should create an emergency bridge ahead of schedule. And we shouldn''t disclose this secret to others for the time being."


    "!!!" All of them widened their eyes in surprise. On the one hand, it felt suspicious to build something like that without anyone''s knowledge. In fact, the Demon Beholder Squad would surely find out about it.


    Paul paused for a moment before asking, "Why do we need a bridge? Even Jonathan can use his Telekinesis to transport people. And we can still loop around the mountain if necessary."


    Everyone thought Noel had be paranoid after thest defeat. However, Noel added, "Don''t you think it''s a bit suspicious? It''s true that the Count is a threat to this operation. But you have to remember the Count has a father."


    "Hmm?" Everyone was startled. Rose looked down and muttered, "Now that I think about it, the Count''s father is an arbiter, right?"


    "Yeah. His fighting power has to be taken seriously. But that''s not all. What if his father is connected to this? There is no way an Arbiter will be working alone to the point where we are being alerted."


    "If I''m not mistaken, the enemies that are hiding inside Creek Vige this time will be extremely dangerous¡ªat least a few Devil Bishops. They might be ranked quite high to the point they have enough authority to discuss terms with an Arbiter."


    Everyone sucked a cold breath, thinking about such a possibility. It was true that they hadn''t thought about it this far.


    "So, by creating that bridge, we can have one more escape route that the enemy doesn''t know? Then, why do we have to hide it from our allies?"


    "To fool your enemies, you have to fool our allies. Of course, the Demon Relief Squad is the only one that can create the bridge, so I can''t hide anything from you guys if I want to aplish this." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    Paul thought for a moment and nced at Rose. "What do you think, Rose?"


    "I think that''s better than nothing. The mountain is steep. So, even though we can loop around it, we will have a hard time without any guides. The enemies should be familiar with the terrain, so they have a big advantage. It''s better to have another bridge located a bit farther away."


    "Besides, the two Captains shouldn''t have any trouble crossing the river by themselves, but the rest are different. I don''t think Jonathan can lift everyone in one trip. So, I suggest creating a tform or a boat that Jonathan can use to carry people. The bridge and the tform; these two shall be our escape route in case something goes wrong."

 Chapter 712 Injured?

    Noel still hid the fact that Anna was still investigating the possibility of another escape route. Since the information was reliable, he had high expectations, but it wasn''t guaranteed. So, it was better to hide the information for the time being. It would cause a lot of friction with the Arbiter if they used that secret passage, considering they might have dug a tunnel to connect it.


    Paul listened to their advice. Ste and Jonathan also expressed their own concerns, but they weren''t that important. At the very least, Paul decided to bring the topic up in the discussion tomorrow.


    Last but not least, Paul said, "Alright. I have considered all your opinions. And I will discuss it with the other leaders tomorrow. For the time being, we should begin our preparation for creating the escape route."


    "I can understand Iadre''s concerns and the possibility of hidden dangers. So, I have decided we will proceed with two more escape routes. However, I can''t allow you to go out at once since it will be suspicious."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "For now, Jonathan, Ben, and Zion shall be proceeding with the construction of the bridge. Ste and Noel will be preparing for the tform, but they haven''t built it yet. It won''t be hard to build them, so I want you to procure the materials first. The other three will build it after they are finished with the bridge."


    "Are three days enough?" Paul asked the trio.


    "Well, this is only an emergency bridge. So, there''s no need to be that sturdy. All we want is to let some people cross it." Ben thought for a moment. "Three days should be enough. Though, we might barelyplete it. So, I''m going to apologize in advance if I can''t return to the city on the day of the operation."


    "Alright. We can regroup there in the worst case." Paul then nced at Ste and Noel but didn''t say anything.


    There was a reason he wanted Ste to apany Noel. He wanted to keep Noel in check for a good reason. He didn''t want Noel to take a huge risk after all. And since Ste always took care of Noel strictly, Noel shouldn''t be able to do something big.


    Noel also didn''t have any objections since there was no reason to reject it. Ste would probably misunderstand the situation if a woman entered his room to give him some information, but it wasn''t that big of a deal.


    After the agreement, the group was dismissed. Noel was creating some alternative ns in his room most of the time.


    Meanwhile, Anna was ready to check on the secret passage. She had covered her face and hairpletely. If anyone could find anything about her, they would only see a pair of purple eyes and the fact that she was a woman. Other than that, they wouldn''t be able to find anything about her.


    Since the secret passage led from the mansion in the center of the city to the other side of the mountain, she had to loop around the mountain, which would take at least half a day just to reach the location. She also had to find traces of the entrance, which would take days.


    Hence, Anna had to begin as quickly as possible.


    After making enough preparation, Anna left the city in the dark and headed to the mountain.


    She crossed the mountain and began to search for any clues. The mountain was covered in thick and tall trees, making it look darker than a normal forest.


    Still, Anna had an objective to reach here, and since the brothel''s manager had narrowed her search range, she wanted to make sure she found it within two days.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unbeknownst to her, a great danger was about to befall her.


    ¡­


    In the next three days, Noel formted several alternative ns. He should be able to react to any kind of situation in his imagination.


    So he was quite confident in tackling this mission. Of course, he still remained careful, unlike on the previous mission.


    "Iadre. We''re going to meet the other group in front of the river in about two hours. So, get ready; we will leave the city in twenty minutes." Ste, who apanied him in thest few days, informed him from the outside.


    "Alright," Noel replied to her. He didn''t rise from his seat just yet as he checked all his luggage and ns to make sure nothing was missing.


    It took him about fifteen minutes, so he should leave the inn and head downstairs to the gate as quickly as possible.


    However, Anna''s sudden appearance startled Noel, who was about to leave his room.


    ''Alright. I''m ready. I should go now¡­'' Noel thought. He rose from his seat and opened his door.


    Surprisingly, there was a figure standing in front of his door, about to knock on the door. Just seeing the pair of her eyes, Noel knew this person was Anna.


    He could see numerous wounds on her body. They were superficial and not life-threatening. In fact, they wouldn''t even leave a scar on her body.


    However, the amount of blood that had flowed out of her body should be quite huge. If this continued, she would die from blood loss.


    "Anna?" Noel gasped. On the one hand, he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. Anna was never in this state before. On the other hand, a deep uneasiness was creeping inside of him.


    Anna''s body suddenly fell onto him. Noel caught her, but because he was still dumbfounded, he ended up tripping and falling to the floor.


    Because of her injury, he instinctively caught her gently to make sure she didn''t get any more injuries.


    "Anna? What happened?" Noel tried to call her while trying to think about what he should do. He wanted to carry her to the bed and treat her wounds, but Anna seemed to be trying to tell him something. Even though her eyes were shut and her body was exhausted, Anna was trying to warn him about something.

 Chapter 713 Help

    "Anna? Oi, what happened? Who did this to you?" Noel kept asking Anna while carrying her to his bed.


    On the one hand, all kinds of worries crept into his heart. On the other hand, he didn''t have time to think about it.


    While he was carrying Anna to the bed, Anna seemed to be able to open her mouth before passing out. However, she was so weak that she could only utter two words. "Don''t¡­ Go¡­"


    These two words startled Noel. Noel hurriedly put her on the bed while looking at her body.


    He had to close her wounds first, but he had to meet with the rest of the group. At the same time, her message caused a lot of thoughts to appear in his mind.


    "What do you mean by "don''t go,'' Anna? What happened to you?" Noel gritted his teeth before realizing she had passed out. Her breath was stable, but weak.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. He could bete, but if he was toote in treating Anna, she would seriously die.


    "I need to treat her." Noel decided to focus on treating her first. He opened his bag and took out a few rolls of bandages. He also came down to bring a basin filled with water.


    But there was a problem. Anna''s body was covered with injuries. He knew that if he had to treat all her wounds, he had to strip her. As a noblewoman, it was a big taboo. If such a scandal ever spread, her reputation would be ruined. And since the rumor would lead back to him, if she ever got engaged with someone else, both families would surely point their swords at him.


    That was why helping her alone carried a huge risk.


    "It''s still better than dying." Noel clicked his tongue, steeling his resolve. He hurriedly extended his hands, preparing to take off her clothes.


    However, someone suddenly banged on his door while shouting, "Iadre. You arete. Are you still inside? We have to go now! The rest are already waiting."


    Noel was surprised, but his lips couldn''t help but curve downward. He didn''t hesitate to open the door, finding Ste outside. Since she was the one who watched him for thest few days and she was one of the fastest among them, she returned to the inn to bring Noel.


    And this was enough for him.


    Ste waspletely confused, but Noel immediately pointed at Anna, who was lying down on the bed. "Ste. Help me!"


    "What are you doing?" Ste wanted to get angry, thinking Noel waste because he was ying with a woman. But when she took another look at the woman, she was full of injuries, and her appearance was familiar to her. "Huh? Isn''t that Anna Stargaze?"


    "We don''t have too much time. Please help me treat her. It will be bad if I''m the one who treats her." Noel hurriedly dragged her to Anna while picking up a cloth so that he could cover his eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Of course, Noel had to leave the room in this scenario. But he had to make sure Ste didn''t kill Anna, considering only Rose knew about the entire matter rted to Anna. In addition, Anna''s words and situation might cause the mission to shift in a whole new direction.


    Ste was confused. She looked at Anna while gritting her teeth, remembering the anguish she felt when she knew Anna had killed Noel. She wanted to refuse, but she decided to see the bigger picture by asking, "Are you two friends?"


    "Yes. She is important to me." Noel nodded without hesitation.


    After listening to it, she grabbed the cloth and put it in the water, ready to wipe her wound.


    "I''m sorry, but I have to remain here. I have a few things to say."


    "I surely want to listen to it. But before that, you should have an exnation as to why you''re going to bete, right?"


    "Yeah. First of all, Anna has been cooperating with me. We had information about the secret passage of the Count Family that is linked to the mountain. So Anna went there to find the passage''s whereabouts since it might be useful for another escape route. I didn''t tell you and the others because we still haven''t found it yet."


    "In any case, before Anna passed out, she told me not to go. I didn''t understand what she meant, but it seemed that the mission would be extremely dangerous." Noel expressed his concern.


    On the one hand, he wanted to stop and reassess the situation. On the other hand, Ste said, "If this is our mission, then yes, we can postpone it to reassess the situation. But this is a joint mission. Even if you trust Anna, the others don''t know about her. Do you think you can stop the others from going?"


    Noel couldn''t say anything, fully knowing that it was impossible to stop the mission. He thought for a moment and said, "I know that. However, I don''t know Anna''s exact strength, but she should be at the same level as me¡­ when I''m using both of my elements."


    "Yet, despite this kind of strength, she is injured to this extent. Of course, I''m thinking about the possibility of another Spirit Grandmaster, but she is already aware of the joint operation as well as the Spirit Grandmasters we have. But even with all that information, she still asked me not to go."


    Ste fell silent. She could understand the concern. However, it was impossible to stop the mission, especially with only Anna''s warning.


    Ste sighed. "Even so, I don''t think we can stop everyone from going."


    "I know. That''s why I''m thinking about what I should do right now." Noel bit his lips. He knew that the mission couldn''t be stopped, so he had to make a careful n if they wanted to enter the enemy''s territory.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    It might be because she was also a woman and a bit skeptical of Anna that Ste noticed something. She couldn''t help but ask, "Why did she tell you not to go?"

 Chapter 714 Discussion

    "Why did she tell you not to go?"


    "Huh?" Noel was confused as to why she asked this question. However, Ste borated on her question further. "I mean, from all the words she can use to warn you, why does she ask you not to go? Maybe there is something she sees¡­"


    "Now that you say it¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. ''Why did she tell me not to go? She should be aware of my fighting strength. I also have a few trump cards, such as Dimitri. She should be aware of his presence since they met during the expedition.''


    ''Does that mean the enemies are far stronger than we expect? Still, her father should have told her about Dimitri''s true identity. In addition, we have two vice captains and two captains.''


    ''Even with this lineup, she''s telling me not to go instead of warning me to be careful. It means she has deemed the condition to be far worse than I imagined. In fact, our groups might be defeatedpletely.''


    While Noel was in deep thought, Ste left the room to get some clothes for Anna. This way, Noel could take off the cloth on his eyes.


    ''Is it a trap?'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. ''But our lineup should be strong enough to escape from a trap. We also have the Demon Beholder Squad, which can locate any traps, and the Demon Hunting Squad. Unlike the Demon Extermination Squad, which boasts to having the strongest firepower, the Demon Hunting Squad is good at tracking their prey.''


    ''It seems that we can only proceed here. But since this might be a trap, then I have to add another twist to the situation. Should I ask Damian and Dimitri again? If possible, I don''t want to rely on them too much so that I don''t be too dependent.''


    Noel scratched the back of his head. He didn''t have an answer.


    It didn''t take too long before Ste returned with a set of clothes. She also said, "Iadre. Zion came here not long ago, but I told him that there was a problem with the mission. So he is going to call the rest of the members to return to the inn. We''re going to bete for this mission, but I guess it''s better than sorry."


    "Yeah. That''s a better option. The two captains will surely not like our warning, thinking we''re too paranoid. So, I have toe up with something that can assure people''s safety."


    Noel let out a long sigh. No matter how he thought about it, he didn''t have enough time toe up with a n.


    "What should we do with Anna? I mean, I don''t think the group wants to meet her." Ste asked. She also didn''t want to see her here. Just taking care of her wounds was already too much for her.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Noel nodded and said, "I have a connection here. I''ll ask her to watch over Anna while we''re on our mission."


    "Got it." Ste agreed with the arrangement. "In that case, we can use my room to talk about the situation."


    "Yeah." Noel hurriedly left the brothel and talked to the manager, asking her to watch over Anna.


    But when they returned to the inn, the group actually gathered in Noel''s room instead of Ste''s. They seemed to be ring at Anna while Rose was sitting on the bed, as though she was stopping them from harming Anna.


    Of course, even if Rose told them about what truly happened between Noel and Anna, they would still hold some grudges.


    And when Noel returned, they became a bit skeptical.


    "Iadre." Paul stepped forward, ring at him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel also stopped in front of him without getting scared. He was already prepared for this.


    "Putting your rtionship with her aside, I think we should talk about her appearance here, right?"


    "Of course. However, the most important thing is the mission. It seems that Ste has told you about the situation. So, I''m going to ask you instead. Are you sure you''re going even with the warning, fully aware that this might be a trap?"


    "Even if I support you, it''s impossible to stop the mission." Paul shook his head.


    "That''s why we have to be extremely careful with this mission. I''ve thought about it, but I can''t find a way to let all of us escape. There is simply not enough information."


    Paul scratched the back of his head. He had to consider the mission and the teammates'' well-being, so this matter put him in a dilemma.


    He raised two fingers. "Two hours. We''ll stay here for another two hours. If she wakes up by then, we can get more information from her. If she doesn''t wake up, you have no choice but to go with the n. I''ll take care of the problem about ourte arrival."


    "!!!" Noel was surprised that Paul still amodated him despite the situation.


    Paul added, "Use these two hours to think of something."


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    Paul asked Zion to deliver the message to the rest of the people since he was the fastest. In the meantime, they were waiting in another room, leaving Anna with the brothel manager.


    Noel also exined the situation so that the others knew and tried toe up with something.


    Unfortunately, Anna didn''t wake up in the next two hours. Noel had no choice but to follow the original n, even though it was a bitte. Since it was Paul''s decision, he would be the one to apologize for theirte arrival.


    Noel thanked him and apologized to him since all this was caused by him. In the end, all he could think about was Dimitri and Damian. They would be his trump card. However, he would judge the situation first.


    Finally, they arrived in front of the bridge that connected the city and Creek Vige.


    The two captains already had annoyed expressions on their faces. While Paul was apologizing to them, Noel came to Zion and whispered, "I want you to loop around the mountain to find the secret passage. You''re faster than Anna, so you should have no problem leaving in case something goes wrong."


    Zion nodded.


    Despite knowing this was a trap, Noel and the Demon Relief Squad had no choice but to walk into it.

 Chapter 715 Seen

    Before crossing the bridge, the two captains gathered the entire group.


    "Alright. I think you have understood your own role. Although we arete by more than two hours, we still have to continue this mission." Captain Faust informed them while pointing at the bridge. "There is a possibility that this is a trap. So, I want the Demon Beholder Squad to be more careful than usual. Check every corner and make sure there aren''t any traps that will give us disadvantages."


    "The Demon Relief Squad will remain in the rear for the time being. After we have secured the area, you will enter the vige. The Demon Hunting Squad and the Demon Barrier Squad will be following you right behind, ready to help in case something happens."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Don''t forget that Creek Vige is suspected to be a branch of the Supreme Devil Organization. From our understanding, every branch has at least several Devil Bishops. That''s why there are two captains here."


    "Once we cross the bridge, the n will start. Is there any objection?" Faust looked around, but no one raised their hand.


    He pulled the bow on his back whilemanding, "Onward."


    Igor also raised his head, looking at the mountain. The steep mountain would be treacherous terrain for them to hunt. In fact, the terrain alone was enough to make this Creek Vige a natural fortress.


    However, the original vige was never built for that purpose. The Supreme Devil Organization might have realized the potential of this vige and used it for themselves.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t discern the true reason why the Supreme Devil Organization used this ce. All they could do was be careful.


    Noel looked around. He had seen the Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad in the past. But this was the first time he saw their Zero Squad. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunting Squad didn''t bring their Zero Squad.


    It seemed that if the one who led them was the Vice Captain, they would deploy the Zero Squad to make up the firepower. But if the captain was the one leading them personally, they would only bring their First Squad. It was proven when Noel saw the same figure who talked to them when they tried to relieve the Demon Barrier Squad headquarters.


    Well, he could understand the reason as well. After all, their headquarters had to be defended by their Vice Captain or the Zero Squad if their captain left, unless something urgent happened.


    From what he could see, the team was quite bnced. So, they should be able to do something in case this was just one big trap.


    The group began to cross the bridge. The river was wide, and the water formed raging waves. Even a Spirit Master wouldn''t be able to cross the entire river with a single jump. And if they fell, they would be able to escape from it, but they would still struggle for a while.


    Noel knew if this was a trap, the first thing the enemy would do was destroy the bridge.


    That was why, the moment he crossed the bridge, he became extremely vignt.


    The Demon Beholder Squad immediately dispersed, trying to find any clues along the way. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunting Squad began to move forward. They were hunting dogs, so they were perfect to be the vanguard in this operation.


    The Demon Barrier Squad remained with the Demon Relief Squad for the time being.


    After several minutes, there was a signal that told them it was safe to climb the hill.


    So, the two squads started climbing while maintaining some distance from the Demon Hunting Squad.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­


    While the group was advancing toward the vige, Zion had been sneaking around ording to Noel''s instructions. He was going around the mountain to reach the other side and find the secret passage.


    When he was moving between the trees, he abruptly stopped when he sensed a presenceing from the north.


    ''Hmm? This is?'' Zion suddenly jumped off the tree, erasing his presence. He couldn''t allow anyone to catch him. He thought, ''I can feel two people''s presence. Their strength is beyond me. Two Spirit Grandmasters?''


    Zion tried to look at these two people through the gap between leaves to discern their identities.


    However, Zion suddenly stopped for a moment when he took a peek at their faces.


    One of them was an old man who seemed to be in his seventies. He was old, but his body was still emitting powerful Spiritual Energy. Meanwhile, the other one was a middle-aged man. He might not be as strong as the old man, but their facial features looked simr, making him look like he was a rtive of the old man.


    Two powerful Spirit Grandmasters and seemed to be rtives. It took him an instant for Zion to realize their identities.


    ''Wait a minute. Are they the Spirit Grandmasters of the Count Family? They are the current Count and the Fist Arbiter?'' Zion gulped down. ''What are they doing here? No, I think it''s pretty obvious.''


    Zion was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to follow them to confirm their actions and involvement. On the other hand, Noel had predicted this would happen. So following them would just waste his time searching for another escape route.


    ''What should I do? Should I confirm their actions with my own eyes? Or should I focus on my task?''


    Zion thought for a few seconds before choosing to believe in Noel''s prediction. It was better to focus on his task since his teammates'' lives depended on him.


    Zion continued to cross the mountain. He became even more careful because those two existed.


    However, it didn''t take too long for him to hear a huge explosioning from the bridge.


    *Boom!*


    The loud sound shook the mountain. The birds that resided on the mountain immediately flew away.


    It seemed that they deliberately caused such a scene in order to rm everyone. They wanted the people in the vige to know that the rats had sneaked in.


    "Kh¡­" Zion gritted his teeth. Although he was worried about his teammates, he had to keep going. "I promise I''ll find the secret passage."

 Chapter 716 Attack

    *Boom!*


    The Demon Banner Army was also able to hear the explosion. All the vice captains and captains immediately gathered in one ce.


    "As expected, this is a trap." Faust remained calm while looking at Igor. "Aren''t you happy, Igor? This way, you can fight against all those people."


    "That''s true." Igor nodded with a serious expression. He seemed eager to fight. Even if he had to fight multiple Devil Bishops, he wouldn''t cower.


    "Though, we still have to figure out their current power." The Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad replied.


    Paul raised his hand. "Excuse me. I think you have to know about this. There is a reason we arete. I have told you about the two Spirit Grandmasters from the Count Family, right?"


    "Yeah. They might be the ones who blew up the bridge." Igor nodded. "However, they wouldn''t be likely to attack us. In fact, if all of us died here, they would also get into trouble, especially with the Royal Family. After all, one of them is the Fist Arbiter."


    "In other words, we might be able to focus on handling the Supreme Devil Organization. Captain Faust and I can handle two or three Devil Bishops each, depending on their strength. Meanwhile, the two Vice Captains have to focus onmanding the group to take down the remaining members. If the enemies are overwhelming in number, we are going to break through."


    "Do we have to go around the mountain to escape?" Faust asked.


    "Of course. The terrain doesn''t look good, but that''s the only way. As long as we can get something from this investigation, we can get even more people to surround this ce and even destroy the Count Family for their cooperation with the Supreme Devil Organization." Igor nodded. "I don''t know much about politics, so I''ll let the headquarters deal with it. All we need to do is finish the investigation and survive."


    "Sounds simple enough." Faust nodded with a serious expression.


    "Since the enemies have known of our existence, we are going to move together. It''s safer this way. The Demon Beholder Squad will continue to scout the area around us, making sure we''re not ambushed by them." Igor gave thest instruction.


    Igor might be a big, muscr man like Faust. But unlike thetter, Igor had an exceptional brain. It might not be equal to those who used their brains to defeat their opponent, but it was still enough to make apletely rational decision.


    Now that they had reached an agreement, the group had changed their formation.


    The Demon Hunting Squad remained at the front. But behind them was the Demon Relief Squad, followed by the Demon Barrier Squad. The two squads were protecting Noel and the others.


    The Demon Beholder remained on the sides, trying to find any ambush.


    But surprisingly, even though they were rmed by the loud explosion from earlier, nothing came out.


    Noel couldn''t help but say, "This is rather creepy."


    Paul nced at Noel. "What do you mean?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They haven''t done anything, even though they have been rmed. It feels like they are nning to lower our guards by making us think they are just normal people. After all, if they are our enemies, they would usually storm out and attack us." Noel assessed the situation.


    The two captains could hear Noel''s assessment as well. They had met Noel before, so they knew that he was the real deal. His description was pretty urate, so it seemed that the enemies were more dangerous than they thought.


    "In that case, let''s do it our way." Igor covered his fists with Spiritual Energy. "Demon Hunting Squad, we are going to rush forth and be the bait. The Demon Barrier Squad is to remain on standby, ready to block any attacks that are going to harm us. Since the enemies want to lower our guards, then we will have to catch them off guard by arriving faster than they expect."


    Noel didn''t say anything about his n. On the one hand, it looked reckless. On the other hand, it could truly cause some disorder in the enemy ranks.


    Before they could think of a solution for the sudden change, they could strike them and gain an upper hand.


    After hearing their captain''s order, the Demon Hunting Squad pulled out their weapons and covered their bodies with Spiritual Energy. All of them were ready to charge forward.


    "Alright. Let''s go!" Igor dered as he started running. The others followed him.


    "There are about three hundred meters to reach the vige. I should be able to hear small movements within fifty meters. I''ll tell you if there are any suspicious movements once we reach that distance." Rose stated, focusing all her attention on her senses.


    Noel also switched his medal to the Affection Medal. This way, if the enemies disguised themselves as normal vigers, he could easily figure out their disguises and attack them.


    The Demon Barrier Squad, on the other hand, had prepared their Spirit Abilities. Two of them seemed to have the ability to create a shield, while Captain Faust was already pulling his bow.


    The three groups increased their pace. They were supposed to reach the vige in another thirty minutes because they had to be careful. But because of the change in their n, they were going to arrive in three minutes.


    "I can see the vige now!" Rose stated. She shouted, "It seems that they are not hiding their intention!"


    Rose could see several people hiding among the houses and roofs. Even Noel could see a few system panels that contained their names and affection.


    "Get ready!" Noel warned them.


    Igor charged confidently, as if he didn''t fear their ambush. Meanwhile, Faust made the first move. He charged his arrow with a lot of Spiritual Energy before shooting at a house on their right.


    "!!!" There were two people on the house''s roof. They were surprised that they were attacked like this. And the arrow contained so much power that once it hit the house, it shattered the house into pieces, exploded, and blew everything away, including the two people.


    "Attack!"


    More than ten people suddenly came out of hiding, ready to take them on.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 717 Die?

    More than ten people came out of their hiding, trying to attack them. They all gathered their Spiritual Energy in their weapons and moved toward the Demon Hunting Squad, trying to eliminate them.


    Captain Igor''s eyes shed as he stepped forward. Despite having a big body, he swiftly moved to the right side while punching the air.


    He punched the air so hard that he created an air pressure that was strong enough to blow two of the attackers away.


    After that, he used his big hands to grab two heads, crushing their skulls with his bare hands.


    Even Noel couldn''t help but gasp, witnessing the monstrous strength of the Demon Hunting Squad''s captain.


    ''Their strength might not beparable to his, but they are still Spirit Wielders. One of them is even a Spirit Master. Yet, they can''t do anything to him. No, more like Captain Igor handles them like trash.'' Noel thought while his body shuddered.


    In the opposite direction, there were two barriers that appeared next to the Demon Hunting Squad, stopping two attackers. Meanwhile, a few attackers managed to slip past the barriers and reach the Demon Hunting Squad.


    When they were about to sh, a sharp and destructive arrow flew from the side, piercing their skulls.


    The arrow was not a normal arrow. Instead, it was so long that one might mistake it for a sword.


    However, because of its length, the arrow pierced through three people''s skulls like a skewer.


    It was Captain Faust''s arrow. Just like Captain Igor, Captain Faust also killed them effortlessly.


    This was the power of the two captains. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunting Squad immediately marched forward, hunting down the remaining attackers.


    The Demon Relief Squad and the Demon Barrier Squad remained in their positions since the enemies had been defeated before they could even move.


    ''Ten people: 8 Spirit Wielders and 2 Spirit Masters¡­ are obliterated just like that.'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. ''Maybe Anna miscalcted our strength? We''re strong, right?''


    Despite thinking that way, Noel still didn''t forget that Anna looked like she knew everything. So, she might have expected this and deemed them to still not be enough.


    Noel looked around, finding no one inside the buildings.


    ''Hmm? This ce looks empty.'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows, looking around.


    "Captain!" One of the Demon Beholder Squad members came to Captain Igor. "Sir. I think this ce is empty."


    "Empty?" Igor furrowed his eyebrows, looking around. "Are you sure about it?"


    "Yes." He nodded with a serious expression. He pointed at the mountain and said, "We have climbed to a significant height, but we couldn''t find any clues about their movement. In addition, several of us have circled the vige. From what we can see, there is no movement in this vige."


    "Huh?" Igor looked down, contemting. On the one hand, he couldn''t dismiss the investigation report. On the other hand, he didn''t believe this vige was empty, considering he heard the explosion earlier. The enemies should have known their existence and tried to lock them up here.


    However, he couldn''t find any reason as to why they trapped them here.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He nced at Noel and waved his hand, calling him.


    Noel was confused, but he was his superior. So Noel had no choice but toe to him.


    Once he arrived, Igor said, "Even though Paul is the one taking responsibility, I know that you are the first one to know this ce is a trap. However, do you know what kind of trap it is?"


    "Unfortunately, no." Noel shook his head. He didn''t want to stand out, but he felt something was off.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "The vige seems to be empty. So, I''m not sure what to do right now. After all, they have blown up the bridge. There should be another catch or trap that we aren''t aware of. They might even be looking at us as if we are prey ready to be devoured." Igor pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out the situation.


    Sadly, Noel wasn''t omnipotent. He could think of something, but he was as confused as he was in this scenario.


    "A trap, huh? An empty vige." Noel looked down for a moment before asking, "What if they want us to be away from our headquarters so that they can attack our ces simultaneously?"


    Igor didn''t dismiss that opinion. However, he added, "Themander is taking this matter seriously. In fact, you should know that the role of the Demon Relief Squad is to be the bait, right? Just that fact alone makes him pay attention to our headquarters. He has thought about this possibility, you see."


    "I see." Noel did his best toe up with a potential trap. But nothing made sense.


    "Sir. We have just explored the area around us, but there doesn''t seem to be a hidden spot anywhere. The vige is truly empty, and all we can find are the fifteen people who attacked us earlier." A member of the Demon Beholder Squad reported while scratching the back of his head.


    "So, should we go back to check the bridge? The explosion might make us think this ce is a trap." Noel stated with a serious expression.


    ¡­


    While Noel and the others were discussing their current situation, Anna gradually opened her eyes.


    ''Uh¡­ where is this?'' Anna mumbled. She had a hard time moving, and she could feel pain all over her body. However, it seemed that she wasn''t tied up, making her remember thest thing she did before passing out.


    She hurriedly tried to get up while shouting, "Not go¡ªAhhhh!"


    She clenched her chest and ended up dropping back onto the bed.


    "Please take it easy." A familiar voice echoed in her ears as Anna couldn''t help but turn around, finding the brothel manager sitting next to her.


    "You¡­ Why are you here? No. Where is he and his group?"


    "They have left the city. I believe they have reached Creek Vige by now." The manager answered with a confused expression.


    "Not good. They have to leave right away. Don''t go to that vige!" Anna was struggling to get up, trying to catch up to them. "It''s a trap. They are going to die!"

 Chapter 718 Trap

    Noel and the others were exploring the vige to confirm there was a clue they had missed.


    In the end, they reached the same conclusion. It seemed that the vige was empty. Only those fifteen people resided in this vige. And they were truly people from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    As for the rest of the people, they might have evacuated the vige.


    The two captains, the vice captains, and a few people who were adept at using their brains, such as Noel and Rose, gathered in the center of the vige. They had to discuss their next move, considering they couldn''t find anything.


    Most of the Demon Beholder Squad were in the vige as well, while the rest were scouting the nearby area to see if there was a cave or something.


    "So, there is nothing we can find here." Igor sighed and said, "Maybe they have left the vige. They are already aware of our movement from the beginning or something."


    "That is a possibility." Paul nodded in agreement.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Rose and Noel were still in deep thought, believing this was not the case. As much as they wanted to believe this was the situation, there was simply no reason why Anna had to be in that situation.


    "Is there something you wish to add?" Igor asked Noel, wondering what the brain of the Demon Relief Squad could do.


    Noel scratched the back of his head. He was weighing the pros and cons of sharing Anna''s situation. But that was the only clue that led to this ce being a trap.


    He decided to exin it. "Actually, I have another partner, not from the Demon Banner Army. She has been helping me with the investigation of a secret passage that the Count Family uses."


    "Well, it''s for an escape route. So, I haven''t mentioned anything so far, considering we can''t find the truth about it. And when she returned not long ago, she was covered in injuries. I couldn''t hear her exnation since she hadn''t woken up after two hours. That was the reason we werete."


    When they heard the stories, they couldn''t help but frown, feeling a bit dissatisfied.


    However, as an expert in investigation, that small piece of information gave him another thought. The Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad asked, "Wait a minute. Did you say a secret passage? I could understand that the Count Family was suspicious. But what do you mean by a secret passage? Is it somewhere near this ce?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded. "The secret passage was said to be connecting the Count Mansion to this mountain, specifically the other side of this mountain. So, we tried to find the secret passage so that we could build a tunnel and use the passage to escape in case something went wrong."


    They could understand the precaution. Since the Demon Relief Squad was the one who did all the small work, such as an escape route, they didn''t question Noel further.


    Surprisingly, that secret passage made the vice captain fall into deep thought.


    "A secret passage. What kind of secret passage? What''s the size? This is the Count Family. No, what if the Supreme Devil Organization is cooperating with the Count Family? They also have an Arbiter."


    "What the Supreme Devil Organization currently has¡­ Why do they want to lead us here? Why do they use the empty vige to make us think there is a cave or hidden passage near us?"


    The vice captain fell silent for a moment. All of a sudden, he gasped as though he had seen through the scheme.


    He looked at Igor and said, "Sir Igor. If you don''t mind, can you assist me in my investigation?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sure." Igor nodded without hesitation. It seemed that he had gotten a clue, so it was better to check it. They didn''t have anything to do here anyway.


    The vice captain pointed at the ground and said, "Please hit the ground. No need to hit it so hard."


    "Sure. But why do I need to do that? What did you find?" Igor asked with a curious expression.


    "After thinking about a secret passage that led to the other side of this mountain¡­ I couldn''t help but think the hidden passage was beneath this vige. I don''t know if they are rted, but if the secret passage is beneath us, then it''s going to be dangerous. There are a lot of things to suspect."


    "Alright then." Igor put his knees on the ground while raising his fist. "Tell me when you''re ready."


    The vice captain ced his ear on the ground. He then released his Spiritual Energy before concentrating it on his ear. It seemed like he was using the vibration and the Spiritual Energy to listen to the movement of the ground. "Please."


    *Bam!*


    Igor hit the ground with his fist. It wasn''t hard, but the vibration moved downward. All the vice captain needed was feedback from the sound. As long as there was a gap, there would be a huge loss in the vibration he could hear.


    But he was stunned the moment the loss happened.


    He opened his mouth wide, as if he couldn''t believe it.


    "The vibration stopped only a few meters below us. There seems to be a huge room beneath us. But the problem is that we are at least fifty meters above ground."


    ''A room beneath us? No, if there is indeed a room beneath us, then the Demon Beholder Squad should be able to find the secret entrance. The connection between the Supreme Devil Organization and the Count Family¡­ the secret passage, a tunnel, an escape route¡­''


    Noel suddenly connected everything and shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to warn everyone. "Not good. Leave this vige at once!"


    But the moment he warned the others, a series of explosions urred. All those explosions came from the edges of the viges.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    They were confused, but the ground didn''t seem to allow them to react as they began to crumble.


    "We''re going to fall!"

 Chapter 719 Situation

    "We''re going to fall!"


    The ground crumbled, and the people on top of it began to fall. The hole was so big that it swallowed the entire vige.


    They ended up falling together with the buildings as they became an obstacle to them.


    Noel looked around. It started to be hard to see the surroundings due to the sunlight not reaching this far. Noel could hear a lot of noises from the sides.


    "What is going on?"


    "Why are we falling down?"


    "Help me!"


    The situation was chaotic. The people were panicking because it was something they had never seen before.


    However, Noel tried his best to remain calm. He immediately activated the Moon Blessing, allowing him to see in the dark. Even so, he had a hard time finding the bottom. It seemed that they would fall from a tall ce. This way, a lot of them would be heavily injured.


    ''They are using the same strategy. Creating a tunnel that leads to the passage. But they use the tunnels to swallow the vige and the secret passage as¡­'' Noel instantly understood what they wanted. ''¡­An executing ground.''


    Even if they managed to survive the fall, they would be surrounded by demons and enemies if his prediction wasn''t wrong.


    ''Should I tell Jonathan and all Wind Element Spirit Users to fly? No, they won''t be able to carry all of them in this situation. Then, should we just let them fall like this? We will be exterminated. How about reaching for the wall?'' Noel nced to the side, finding all the debris. ''No, the buildings and debris are blocking us. Even if some of us can stop, the people below will be ughtered. What''s the n that can ensure the survival of all these people?''


    Noel didn''t hesitate to shout, "Wind Element Spirit Users, create a st of wind to be a cushion for our fall. Don''t reach for the wall. If we don''t have enough people, we will be ughtered by the enemies that have waited for us at the bottom! I have the Moon Blessing, so I can tell you when it''s time to release your power!"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The people were still panicking, so not all of them could hear Noel''s voice. However, the two captains and vice captains who were not far from Noel immediately shouted at the top of their lungs and even used their Spiritual Energy to transmit the messages.


    This was the only option to survive.


    They said the same thing as Noel. It seemed that it was pretty effective, considering that a lot of people suddenly became quiet. In addition, there were four people who were ready to use their Wind Spirit Ability. And another person who nned to use his Telekinesis.


    Noel could see the bottom after falling for a moment. It seemed that the secret passage was located at least 200 meters beneath the vige.


    "I can see it. Get ready!" Noel didn''t even count, as they didn''t have enough time left. He could only shout, "Go!"


    The instant they heard it, they hurriedly released their Wind Spirit Ability, forming a powerful wind that reached the bottom. Then, the wind dispersed and even bounced back, pushing them back up for a split second and allowing the people to fall safely down as if they just hit a cushion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, the buildings shattered into pieces as their power wasn''t enough to lift up the house. Some of the buildings seemed to have reached the ground first. But those who were lighter dropped only a split second before they reached the ground.


    The woods and rocks scattered upon impact, causing a ruckus all around the floor. All the people that had justnded immediately covered their bodies with Spiritual Energy, trying to prevent any injuries.


    However, some of the splinters and rubble were far too big and quick, and when they hit a body, it felt like they were being struck by a Peak Level Demon.


    "Aaahhh!"


    "Aaahhhh!"


    "Help!"


    A series of screams filled the area. Noel wanted to help them, but he had to ignore them for one obvious reason.


    Since they had set a deliberate trap to bring them here, they would surely station their people to kill the people who survived.


    The two captains were the first to notice the serious expression Noel had. They also wanted to help their subordinates, but it seemed that the danger hadn''t passed yet.


    He was grateful for his Moon Blessing which allowed him to see his surroundings. The secret passage the Count Family had seemed to be bigger than he originally thought. But when the dust settled, he realized that this area had been dug up specifically.


    Two hundred meters in front of him, the path became smaller. He realized that this was the real size of the passage.


    However, beyond this shrinking passage was what made him panic. He could see demons and people standing side by side. He couldn''t calcte their number, but they would surely be pincered in two directions.


    He didn''t have time to look back, but if there was a need for rough calction, he believed there were at least a few hundred people and demons in this ce.


    ''We can go up with the help of Wind Element Spirit Users and Jonathan, but the people who don''t get picked will be ughtered. In that case, the best option right now is to fight back and break through the enemy ranks. It''s better if we can leave this ce by charging in a single direction.''


    ''In that case, we should reach the exit that is supposed to be nearer than the entrance.'' Noel pointed to the back and said, "Calcting the direction, the exit is a better option if we want to break through. There are a few hundred enemies, demons and humans, in both directions."


    The two captains who saw him nced at each other. Although they wanted to discuss the current situation, it seemed that the moment the dust settled, they would be ambushed from two sides. It would be better if they took the initiative and disrupted their ns.


    "I will take the lead and create a path for us," Igor stated with a serious expression.


    "Then, I will take the rear and protect us." Faust nodded while raising his bow, ready to shoot another arrow for a counterattack.

 Chapter 720 Rescue

    Due to the fact that they were scouting the area, a few members of the Demon Beholder Squad weren''t swallowed. They gathered at the edge of the hole, discussing the situation and wondering if they had to jump to help their people.


    Unbeknownst to them, there were two more people who were discussing what they should do in this situation.


    "What should we do?"


    "I''m not sure."


    They were Damian and Dimitri. They stood side by side, looking at the hole.


    "The hole doesn''t seem to be within the n. In fact, even if I knew this was a trap, I would never imagine they had this kind of trap for us." Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows. Even as a former captain, he never encountered this level of trap.


    "Well, I might not participate in the mission, but Noel surely told me about the mission. When I saw this hole, it seemed that the Supreme Devil Organization intentionally spread the information to bait the Demon Banner Army." Damian expressed his concern.


    "I know. I''m still thinking about whether I should join or not. After all, I might have to expose my identity if I enter the hole." Dimitri frowned.


    "So, your master''s life is less than making your identity a secret?" Damian rolled his eyes.


    But Dimitri simply added, "I simply believe in my master''s potential. He might be able to escape this without my help. So, if I were to help him now, he might end up having future problems for no reason."


    Dimitri and Damian were panicking as well. But they didn''t act immediately since they had to remain as calm as possible to not make any mistakes in this already grave situation.


    After some thought, Dimitri asked, "What are you nning to do? If you help him now, you might be able to get more favors, you know."


    "What are you? Selling your own master?" Damian shook his head helplessly. "I can still faintly sense the badge in his hand. It seems that he has begun moving toward¡­"


    Damian pointed at the mountain.


    "It seems that the hole is connected to the secret passage of the Count Family. He must be heading toward the exit. But if I were the enemy, I would ce a lot of people in this ce to stop them. Won''t it be better if he goes another way?" Damian was confused.


    Dimitri said, "It''s better to break through. If they go in the opposite direction, they have to be chased by the enemies for at least one hour since the exit will be in the Count Family''s mansion."


    "Fair enough. In that case, should we go around the mountain and ambush the enemies from behind? We will just reduce the enemies and let them do the rest." Damian gave a good suggestion.


    Even Dimitri thought about agreeing to this arrangement.


    But all of a sudden, they felt a presenceing from the bottom of the mountain. It was moving so fast toward the vige.


    "!!!" Dimitri and Damian turned their heads around, finding a person d in lightning.


    Dimitri instantly recognized that person and mumbled, "Anna Stargaze?"


    When Damian heard that name, both of them suddenly disappeared, heading straight to Anna Stargaze.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anna saw Dimitri and abruptly stopped.


    Surprisingly, her face waspletely pale. Some of her wounds reopened. In fact, she might be standing here with her willpower alone.


    It was clear that Anna exerted her remaining energy to reach this ce as quickly as possible. She used the second bridge they had prepared as an escape route to reach this ce.


    And when she saw Dimitri, she finally dropped to the ground and coughed up some blood.


    "Oi, Anna Stargaze! Get a grip!" Dimitri had no obligation to help Anna, but since Anna was currently cooperating with his master, she couldn''t die.


    Anna hurriedly grabbed Dimitri''s sleeve and shouted, "You have to go! Hurry up and save him!"


    "Calm down. Your condition is deteriorating. And exin to me why you are like this!" Dimitri wanted to go immediately, but he had to understand the full picture first.


    Anna gritted her teeth, enduring the pain. It seemed that she had to exin it, so she worded it as simply as possible so that Dimitri would leave as soon as possible.


    "The reason why the Fist Arbiter and the Count agreed to cooperate with the Supreme Devil Organization was that they had no choice. The Strongest Demon Saint, a Spirit Transcendence¡­"


    Dimitri opened his eyes wide and said, "Don''t tell me, that Demon Saint is in the tunnel¡­ Not good!"


    Without hesitation, Dimitri disappeared from the area as he headed straight to the hole and jumped off.


    "What?" Her words shocked even Damian. Even though the Supreme Devil Organization was a problem for the Muivell Kingdom, it didn''t change the fact that there was a possibility that it would be an international organization.


    So, the Greenwood Kingdom had been keeping an eye on the organization as well. That was why Damian knew what kind of being the strongest Demon Saint was.


    ''The Strongest Demon Saint, the one who is said to be on par with the Commander of the Demon Banner Army, a Spirit Transcendence.'' Damian''s body shook. He wondered if he should help as well, considering Dimitri was not enough to handle someone at that level.


    "I have to go." Anna gritted her teeth, trying to exert her energy.


    "Enough. Your condition is rapidly deteriorating. If this continues, you might die without being able to do anything."


    "It''s fine. I can keep going!" Anna took a deep breath and opened her mouth, "True Spirit¡ªHmph!"


    The first two words were like thunder reverberating in his ears. He instinctively covered Anna''s mouth and said in shock, "You¡­ You can use it? No, even if you can use it, you shouldn''t use it now. The moment you use it, you will seriously die!"


    Damian gritted his teeth. "It seems that I have to remain here to make sure you don''t be reckless. You are cooperating with him, so I don''t think he wants you to die!"


    Damian used his ice to gag her mouth and form a handcuff to tie her hands behind her. Anna was ring at him, telling him to leave her alone. But Damian decided not to leave her alone.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 721 Real Threat

    "Go!" Faust shouted while releasing his arrow toward the enemies.


    However, two people suddenly stepped forward and struck this arrow with their des.


    Their sh shook the underground passage, and the arrow ultimately exploded after the two people shed it into pieces. After that, a lot of demons suddenly charged forward, hunting the people from the Demon Banner Army.


    Knowing that they would be hunted if they remained here, Igor hurriedly led the team.


    "Demon Hunting Squad. Onward! We''ll open the path. The rest shall follow us!" Igormanded while rushing toward the exit.


    He immediately saw a lot of demons waiting in their path. There were even some Spirit Wielders, Spirit Masters and Spirit Grandmasters in the mix. It seemed that the Supreme Devil Organization nned to annihte them here.


    Igor gathered his power in his fist before punching forward. The tremendous energy created a powerful shock wave that blew the demons and people away. However, Peak Level Demons and Spirit Masters in the mix managed to stop the shock wave, allowing the rest to run toward them.


    "Ohhhh!"


    "Attack!"


    "Kill them all!"


    The passage was quite spacious. At least five people would be able to fight at the same time. However, their movement would be extremely limited due to the size of the passage.


    This time, Igor and two members of the Demon Hunting Squad came at their enemies while the rest provided firepower from behind.


    Even Noel only used his Undying Fire to reach the depths of the enemy''s ranks.


    The situation became extremely chaotic because the area was so small.


    Igor used all his strength to push the enemies back. However, most of the people still remained in the big hole area. If this continued, they would bepletely surrounded by enemies.


    "Kill them!" Igor shouted at the top of his lungs. The Devil Bishops were doing their best to stop him. In addition, the demons kept annoying him, causing his movement to be extremely restricted.


    "!!!" All of a sudden, Igor felt tremendous pressure. His instinct was telling him there was an extremely dangerous existence that approached him.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The presence moved extremely fast, to the point where a figure appeared before him out of nowhere.


    "Who¡ª" Igor widened his eyes in shock, blocking the guy''s punch with both arms. However, the punch was so strong that he felt the bone of his lower right arm crack just from a single attack.


    The force and momentum this mysterious guy carried ended up blowing him away. Due to Igor''s size, the people behind him ended up getting dragged away.


    "Cap¡ª" The people from the Demon Hunting Squad were surprised. But the enemies took that chance to sneak attack them, killing three people from the Demon Hunting Squad.


    "Aaaahhhh!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    The situation instantly tipped in the enemy''s favor.


    Even Noel couldn''t understand what was happening. The man who stood in their way seemed to be in his fifties. Even though he looked old, his muscr body still exuded tenacity and fighting intent.


    In fact, this guy looked like Igor and Faust, albeit older.


    "Hmm? Who is he?" Noel tried to check on the opponent''s affection, finding out his name.


    Name: Alexander Brighthammer


    Affection: Hostile (100/100)


    Description: Someone who will definitely kill you if you meet him.


    "Alexander Brighthammer?" Noel couldn''t help but utter that name. He waspletely oblivious to that name.


    However, Paul, who stood next to him, gasped and asked out loud, "What did you say? Alexander Brighthammer?"


    "Did you know him?" Noel asked with a confused expression.


    "I should be the one asking you. You know his name after seeing his appearance¡­" Paul wanted toment, but the situation didn''t allow him to. He exined the identity of that man. "He is the strongest Devil Saint, who is known to be the strongest man in the world. He is the one who is said to have reached the Spirit Transcendence Stage, just like ourmander!"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock, never expecting to meet someone like him here. But the fact that he appeared here meant the Supreme Devil Organization was seriously going to annihte them in this ce.


    "I thought that after that little miss managed to escape, our ns would be a failure. But to think they would still walk into traps¡­ Maybe that little miss had died on the way. Hahahaha!" Alexander smirked and looked at these people before saying, "I will kill the captains and vice captains."


    "Yes, Sir!" The Devil Bishops acknowledged the orders and began instructing the Devil Inspector and the demons to march forward. They were going to overwhelm their enemies.


    Noel clenched his teeth and began thinking, ''What should we do? I didn''t expect someone of this level.''


    He realized why Anna didn''t want him to go. She must''ve managed to escape from his grasp. But because she passed out, they ended up walking into this trap.


    The fact that Anna could escape meant a lot, but Anna shouldn''t be in an enclosed space like this. So, their chance of survival was extremely small, even with all these people. After all, the enemies also brought a lot of people and demons.


    ''Should we go in the opposite direction? No, it''s too far. And the Count and the First Arbiter might end up helping him in the mansion, so we will die. Then, does that mean we can only climb the hole? It''s far and only a few people can go up at the same time.''


    Noel realized that it was impossible to save everyone. In fact, someone from his team might die because of this blunder.


    However, Igor shouted while returning to the front. "The Demon Relief Squad had predicted the trap, but we were too stubborn to stop the mission. All of you are to bring all the people from the Demon Relief Squad and the rest you could bring up. Those who stayed behind would buy time from these people for as long as possible. Tell the headquarters that the Supreme Devil Organization is seriously aiming for our throat!"

 Chapter 722 Dimitri

    "!!!" Igor''s deration obviously raised a lot of objections. After all, they wanted to bring their own people to escape.


    Paul stepped forward and said, "Let me assist you in stopping the enemies. I''m also a Spirit Grandmaster! Jonathan. You should have enough power to bring everyone up, right?"


    "Yes, Sir." Jonathan nodded without hesitation. It looked cold, but Jonathan had called Paul with ''Sir'' to show his respect. He knew that Paul nned to sacrifice his life for the group.


    Paul said, "Ste will take my position. You have to escape as far as you can."


    Ste clenched her fists. She obviously wanted to fight as well, but even if she fought here, she would end up dying without any contribution. She would be more useful if she could lead the group to safety.


    Noel obviously didn''t like this decision. Paul had been amodating him this whole time. Even in thest defeat, he was the first to forgive him. That was why he didn''t want him to die.


    "Noo¡ª!" Noel shouted, but Ste suddenly grabbed his hand, and Zion locked his arms so that Noel couldn''t resist. "Jonathan!"


    Jonathan nodded. He targeted all the people from the Demon Relief Squad and started activating his Telekinesis.


    Right before their bodies left the ground, Igor was punched again and blown in their direction. Paul caught him and tried to stop his momentum while saying, "Go!"


    "Do you think I''ll let you go?" You must be the Demon Relief Squad that little brat Laufey talked about so much. The rest of you have to die, but that little dwarf will have to go back with me!" Alexander jumped toward them, ready to stop them.


    Paul was nning to sacrifice his life in order to stop him for a few seconds. But suddenly, a few huge shadow des fell on top of Alexander.


    They were so strong that they managed to force Alexander to stop and use his other arm and entire body to stop it.


    "Huh? This power¡­" Alexander raised his eyes, seeing a familiar figure.


    He descended to the ground while striking Alexander with his sword. Alexander blocked the sword with his arm, but the ck-colored energy started messing with his body and eventually allowed it to prate his imprable skin.


    "!!!" This attack shocked everyone who witnessed it, including the Demon Relief Squad.


    "This level of attack power even though it''s still in Spirit Grandmaster Realm¡­ So, it''s you." Alexander smirked, looking at this new person. "The man who was known as the Shadow of the Demon Banner Army, the formermander candidate, Dimitri!"


    "Dimitri?!" Noel was just about to call them, but he didn''t expect Dimitri to appear here on his own ord.


    "!!!" Igor and Faust werepletely shocked when they heard Dimitri''s identity. But the person in question only said, "What are you saying? I''m nothing but the butler of the Ardagan Family."


    Dimitri nced at Noel and said with a smile, "Master. Please go up and leave the rest to me. I''ll do my best to minimize the loss, and I can assure you I cane back just fine."


    "What are you¡ª" Noel wanted to say something, but Jonathan had begun to use his Telekinesis to climb up.


    "Do you think I''ll let them get away?!" Alexander jumped toward Noel, trying to drag them down.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Master. I shall show you the power you need to acquire if you want to stand at the top!" Soon, Dimitri''s own shadow engulfed his body. The shadow formed a ck suit that covered his entire body, including his head. There were a pair of red eyes that shone behind this ck energy. "True Spirit Body, Endless Shadow Body."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In an instant, Dimitri''s Spiritual Energy erupted and even shook the entire hall. With a single wave of his hand, multiple shadows emerged from the darkness and extended like a whip, circling around Alexander''s body.


    "!!!" Alexander widened his eyes, realizing that he couldn''t move. He nced back and saw Dimitri''s new form. He couldn''t help butugh. "Another True Spirit Body?! Hahaha, I guess I should expect something like that from a formermander''s candidate."


    Dimitri suddenly disappeared.


    Alexander''s eyes shed as his body began to move. He was exerting so much power that even the entire wall couldn''t stop him.


    *Rumble!*


    The stones crumbled, and the shadow ended up falling along with the wall. Alexander raised his hand and caught the ck de that came from above.


    It was Dimitri. He used all his strength and knocked Alexander back to the ground, not allowing him to chase after Noel.


    As soon as he fell to the ground, Igor rushed toward him and tried to punch his face. But surprisingly, Alexander was so agile that his fist also reached Igor''s face, even though his body was still unstable.


    "A good punch." Alexander smirked as blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth. But his punch hit Igor''s face, cracking his jaw and breaking a few teeth.


    But before he did further damage, there was a lightning arrow that flew straight to his head.


    Alexander used his teeth to catch it before throwing it away.


    "!!!" Faust was shocked, never expecting to see his arrow get stopped so easily.


    "I see. So, I will be fighting you three." Alexander smirked and shouted to the people, "Chase after those people! Leave the people down here to the demons!"


    The people from the Supreme Devil Organization hurriedly broke through their formation and started climbing the hole.


    Dimitri clenched his de tightly as he was about to cut them down. But before he could move, his body shook. He raised his head, seeing Alexander ring at him.


    His instinct was telling him that if he chased after them, Alexander would surely heavily injure him.


    "Kh." Dimitri couldn''t do anything other than let those people climb into the hole. He could only hope that Damian would stop all of them for Noel. It wasn''t that Noel wasn''t smart enough to ovee this situation. It was simply that the Supreme Devil Organization had finallyunched an all-out attack.


    "You guys did a number on us, especially the nt Lord. So, the organization has decided to pay back the humiliation by sending me here!" Alexander smirked.


    As soon as they heard it, they realized that there would soon be a huge war between the Supreme Devil Organization and the Demon Banner Army.


    "If that''s the case, I would like to experience the strength of the strongest Demon Saint, who is known to have limitless strength." Dimitri''s tone became extremely cold.

 Chapter 723 Running Away

    As soon as Noel and the others reached the surface, they found the rest of the people who were thinking about their next move.


    "What should we do?"


    "The bridge has been destroyed, right?"


    "We have to use the Wind Element Spirit Users to carry us!"


    However, Jonathan suddenly shouted, contrasting his gloomy appearance. "Go to the bridge, a bit further away from the one you know. Our Demon Relief Squad has built another bridge for an emergency!"


    "!!!" The moment they heard it, they looked at Jonathan for a moment.


    Ste took the initiative to rush forward as she had to lead the rest of the group. "Follow me."


    These people nodded their heads. Since there was an alternative, they immediately followed her. Ben was carrying Noel on his shoulder, knowing that he would return to the hole if he didn''t carry him like this.


    Noel could only look at the hole while gritting his teeth.


    ''What improvement? Have I even improved? No, the result is far worse than the previous defeat. I¡­''


    Noel wanted to keep regretting his choice, but he saw multiple Devil Bishops emerge from the hole. It seemed that they had prepared for this as some of them had the ability to carry people to the surface.


    All of a sudden, a huge ice wall was erected, separating the Demon Banner Army and the Supreme Devil Organization. They seemed to have brought several Devil Bishops with them. Without their captains or vice captains stopping them, they wouldn''t evenst for a few minutes fighting against them.


    If they truly chased after them, they would definitely die sooner orter.


    That was why this ice wall was like a blessing for them. They wanted to question it, but they had to hasten their pace if they didn''t want to die.


    Noel gritted his teeth, ''It''s impossible for us to fight against multiple Spirit Grandmasters. Even six of us can''t win against them¡­ If this continues¡­''


    Even though he was filled with anger and helplessness, Noel knew that if he continued to be like this, he would just put others in danger.


    So, he tried his best to calm down before saying, "Ben. Let me down."


    "What are you talkin¡ª" Ben didn''t allow it, but when Noel actually said, "Please."


    The tone was far different from the rash Noel, so Ben ended up releasing him.


    Noel continued running with them and said, "There are a lot of Spirit Grandmasters. Our group can''t even hold a candle against one of them, so it''s better if we remain together."


    Ste nced at Noel while furrowing her eyebrows. "What do you mean? If we split up, some of us will be able to survive, right?"


    "I don''t mind if other groups split up, but the Demon Relief Squad has to remain together." Noel shook his head as though he hade up with something.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Since she was the one who took themander of the group, she had to make a decision. After some thought, she said, "Alright. The Demon Relief Squad will remain together."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Thanks." Noel nodded with a sigh of relief. They had arrived at the second bridge. It seemed that the Count and the Fist Arbiter didn''t destroy it. Or they might not be aware of the situation.


    There were already a lot of people who crossed the bridge. They also crossed it without hesitation. As long as everyone had crossed the river, they could destroy the bridge.


    But when the Demon Relief Squad was about to reach the other side, a few attacks were flying in their direction.


    "Iing!" Ben warned them.


    Jonathan clicked his tongue and said, "I''ll remain here and stop them for as long as I can. You guys can¡ª"


    Jonathan wanted to sacrifice his life to stop the enemies. However, he failed to evenplete his words as a lightning strike came from the left, hitting all these attacks.


    As a result, all the spirit abilities exploded in the air.


    They were shocked and tried to see who it was. Surprisingly, Anna was sitting under the tree, not far away from the bridge. She was waving her hand as though she was saying ''hi'' to them.


    Noel hurriedly used his Phoenix Wings toe to her. "What are you doing here?"


    "Before you say anything else, do you mind carrying me out of here? That ice guy is somewhere around here, so it''s better if we leave first."


    "¡­" Noel wanted to say something, but he ended up lifting her body and began carrying her on his back. He then ran with the others.


    As soon as they left the mountain, all the people from the Demon Banner Army scattered in all directions. It wasn''t that they were deserting the mission. They had to scatter in order to increase the chance of them surviving the onught of multiple Spirit Grandmasters.


    However, only the Demon Relief Squad remained together.


    Obviously, their group became the main target, considering Noel was there and the Supreme Devil Organization could kill a lot of people just by going in one direction.


    Three Spirit Grandmasters decided to pursue them with the help of a few Spirit Masters.


    Noel saw this from afar. His expression turned grim as this was the first time he ran away just to survive.


    Anna, who was on his back, could feel his emotions. Anna said, "You must be angry right now. You must feel disappointed in yourself. If only you were stronger, if only you knew what was going to happen, you would definitely choose something different.


    "I know it''s not what you want to hear, but you need to hear this. Right now, you are weak; we are extremely weak."


    "It seems that you have been beaten by the enemies before this mission. You have be even more careful since thest time we met. And I''m sure that makes it all the more frustrating."


    "That''s why, are you listening, Noel? Remember this feeling. There will surely be times in your life when you will feel this way again. There wille a time when there won''t be anything you can do. Whenever that happens, pay attention and etch it into your mind."


    "You now can see that there are walls that you can''t ovee with just being careful and extra preparation. When that timees, what you need is knowledge and strength. This is real life. There is no such thing that everyone can be happy. You have to ovee strife and carnage. Never turn your head away from the sacrifice that you have to pay and get even stronger!"


    As she said those words, Damian suddenly appeared behind them, standing between the group and the Supreme Devil Organization. It seemed he was nning to kill all of them here.

 Chapter 724 Invitation

    Two hourster.


    They had reached a forest far away from Creek Vige. After reaching this far, the enemies shouldn''t be able to track them anymore.


    Ste and the others gathered in one ce, discussing their next move. They never expected there would be such a huge ambush, especially one involving more than ten Devil Bishops and the strongest Devil Saint.


    They had to inform their captain and the headquarters about this as there would soon be a huge war between the two organizations.


    Meanwhile, Noel was sitting a bit far away from them. Anna was sitting next to him, and her wounds had been treated again.


    Noel sat while raising his knees to cover his face. He took this matter far more seriously. It wasn''t that he acted recklessly or anything. The opponents were simply too overwhelming.


    When looking at Noel this way, Anna couldn''t help but recall her previous life.


    ''In the previous life, I have never seen Noel this weak. He has always put up such a tough front, irritating me. I have never thought about what Noel has experienced. But looking back, there were a lot of sacrifices in the past too¡­'' Anna''s expression mellowed a bit, realizing that Noel was human too. He could lose, he could be weak, and he would ovee it.


    Anna couldn''t help but lean on Noel''s as she rested her head on his shoulder.


    Noel was startled, but he didn''t move his body away.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You see¡­ There''s something I want to talk about." Anna closed her eyes as a small smile appeared on her face.


    But before she said anything, Noel asked, "Before that, do you mind telling me what happened to you?"


    "Ah. It''s true that most of my injuries were inflicted by that Saint, but I''m this weakened because of something else. Have you heard of this¡­ True Spirit Body?"


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook.


    "It seems you''ve heard of it, but you don''t know much about it."


    Instead of her, Damian was the one exining it to him. He had been hiding this whole time and decided to make his appearance the moment she mentioned the True Spirit Body.


    "True Spirit Body, the secret technique that allows you to borrow one hundred percent of the Spirit''s power. Its power will be beyond everyone''s imagination."


    "In exchange for this power, you will feel your connection with the spirit weakened for a while due to the burden of that power. And that''s what she is experiencing right now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "From what I can feel, it seems that Dimitri has used the same thing. Unless that Demon Saint is releasing the same ability, he should be able to bring the captains and vice captains away. After all, it will be a big matter if we know the strongest Demon Saint is weakened. Yourmander will spare no effort in annihting all the enemy bases."


    "Nheless, the more important thing is that¡­ I don''t think there will be someone in the Greenwood Kingdom that can match the genius Anna Stargaze. On top of being a Spirit Master at that age, she can even utilize the True Spirit Body."


    "Even in this kingdom, I don''t think there are more than ten people who can use this power. So, I will give up convincing someone to marry you. Instead, you should rejoice as there is someone who would use that power for you. If I didn''t stop her, she would use that power for the second time and suffer unimaginable consequences." Damian looked at Anna, observing her expression.


    It seemed she was slightly embarrassed as she hurriedly corrected him, "You are wrong. I did it because I deemed it necessary to stop the enemies. The Demon Banner Army was the front line for fighting the Supreme Devil Organization after all."


    "Well, whatever. I have told you everything I need. I will give you time and space to discuss whatever you want." Damian shrugged as he was about to leave.


    However, Anna suddenly stopped him. "Sir, I think you have been following Noel for a certain purpose. Considering you are from another kingdom, I''d like to strike a deal with you."


    "Hoh?" Damian furrowed his eyebrows.


    "I can''t tell you about it right now since the reward hasn''t beenpleted yet. But the moment Ie to you, you will surely agree to have a deal with me." Anna smirked.


    "I''ll be looking forward to it." Damian nodded and left them alone.


    Noel looked at Anna in silence. He never thought Anna would do something like that for him. In the past, he hated Anna to the very core. All he wanted was just to kill her.


    Even after all that, Anna still supported him like this. He didn''t know why, but he felt happy about it.


    Noel looked up for a minute before saying, "I have two Spirits; one is an Ice Spirit, and the other is a Sword Spirit. Yes, it''s Ardagan. The reason why I can be strong is because Ardagan is a living spirit. He has elevated the level of my Ice Spirit, and you can say that right now, I have two spirits with conversion rates above you. That''s why I can catch up to you."


    Noel only told a part of the truth about Ardagan. He hadn''t told her about the deepest secret that Ardagan held, which was the system.


    Anna opened her mouth, surprised. She thought and said, "My irvoyance is not impotent. What I can see is¡­" Anna paused for a moment. "¡­the scene of my other life. In that life, I couldn''t even describe how bad I was. And you were the one who changed my life. Despite all the hatred you held for me, you didn''t stop."


    She changed her previous life to an alternate world.


    "In the end, we both died in front of each other. When I saw such a thing, I couldn''t help but feel the need to change. I thought, if I ended up dying because I kept fighting you, what if I changed myself and became your ally? When I thought about it, I felt like there was a new world opened to me. I felt like I could grasp anything with you."


    "That''s why I did all this. Noel¡­ Since you told me your secret first, it meant I won, right?" Anna chuckled. "In that case, do you want to go somewhere with me? Just both of us. It''s going to be dangerous, but I believe we can ovee the challenge. If we seed, we will be able to gain enough strength to change our current situation."

 Chapter 725 Handling The Problem

    "What? Our force was defeated? What was the casualty?" Oscar mmed the table while shouting in anger.


    Milfa remained calm, but her expression was dark. She was also disturbed by the news she reported to Oscar.


    Milfa took a deep breath before exining the situation. "Captain Igor has lost his entire right arm. Captain Faust was covered in injuries, and right now, he is in aa. We don''t know when he will wake up. Vice Captain Eizen has passed away, while Vice Captain Paul''s condition is simr to Captain Faust''s. It seems that he is protected by the others, so he should wake up in a few days."


    Oscar gritted his teeth. This was the first time they had received this level of casualty. If he didn''t contain himself, his Spiritual Energy would have cracked the entire room and destroyed the windows. He asked, "What happened that day?"


    "ording to our report, all captains and vice captains were supposed to die back then. However, they received help from the one who was known as Shadow from our Demon Banner Army."


    "Shadow? Dimitri?!"


    "Yes." Milfa nodded. "He had helped them stop the Demon Saint."


    "Where is Dimitri?"


    "He has returned to his Master''s side. And even if we call him here, he wouldn''t be able to help us anymore. After all, he has left the Demon Banner Army. And currently, the link that connects him with the spirit is weakened."


    "Weakened? You mean¡­"


    "Yeah. The ultimate power of the Spirit, the True Spirit Body." Milfa nodded without hesitation.


    "I see." Oscar covered his face with both hands, wondering what he should do. "It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization has run out of patience. Did we get any proof about their connection with the First Arbiter?"


    "Not yet. Should we send Septa to lead the investigation?"


    "No. The Supreme Devil Organization is hunting us. So, it won''t be wise to do that." Oscar looked down, falling into deep thought.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Milfa was staring at him, a bit dissatisfied with the passive reaction. She couldn''t help but ask, "Are you sure you will let them do all this without suffering any consequences?"


    However, the answer came in the form of a gaze. The gaze was filled with anger and killing intent. Themander was telling her that wasn''t the case.


    "Our captains are strong. However, it will be different if the Demon Saints have begun to move. If we send our captains carelessly, the Supreme Devil Organization is going to hunt them down one by one, weakening our power.


    "For now, tell the Royal Family about this situation. They will surely send a few people to help us deal with the enemies. As for the Tower Association¡­ they have been away for so long, but it doesn''t change the fact that the nt Lord''s death is the trigger of this ambush. We''ll be involving them too, so you should think of a way to make them pay for this!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Understood." Milfa nodded with a serious expression. It seemed that she was ready to make the Tower Association a run for their money. Though, the main problem remained. "What should we do about our current situation?"


    "There are a total of fifteen Squads in our Demon Banner Army. Since the enemies are targeting us, I want them to always move in a group of three. There should be at least one top 5 squad every time they move. It will be better if there are two of them.


    "If they don''t have any major movement, then they are to remain in their position. I''m afraid that you won''t have a lot of time to y from the sidelines anymore, Milfa."


    Milfa sighed. "Should I join hands with Captain Septa to investigate the entire Demon Banner Army? The Arbiters and the Elders from the two influences have been corrupted by them, so there is a chance that they have infiltrated us as well."


    "Yeah. Septa is good at investigating things like this, but he is a bit too weak to face this situation. I want you to apany him. Septa is a great asset to us, so we can''t let him die. If something goes wrong, then immediately pull back."


    "Got it." Milfa thought for a moment before asking, "What about Noel and the Demon Relief Squad?"


    Milfa mentioned him because of Dimitri and the hidden expert from the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Themander shook his head. "We will leave him be for the time being as long as he doesn''t harm the Demon Banner Army. As for the squad, ra should be able to take care of it."


    "But Noel is currently being targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "I know. And you''re probably thinking about the people connected to him as well, since the organization can kidnap them and force Noel to do something against his will. That''s why we''ll monitor the people he is close with, especially the kids. I know it''s ruthless for me to say it, but we don''t have enough manpower to help them. So, if they are being kidnapped to be used against Noel, kill them! We''ll tell him that they died because of the organization. If he does find out, then I will shoulder the responsibility."


    Milfa fell silent. Oscar''s decision was indeed cold and ruthless. But if they took a look at the situation objectively, his decision was the correct one since it would cause the least damage to the Demon Banner Army.


    "Right now, the ones who have the True Spirit Body are you, Shale, and me. Well, we can''t count Dimitri now. In any case, the three of us are the foundation of the Demon Banner Army, so I hope nothing happens to us."


    "Us, huh? I haven''t asked you,mander. What are you nning to do?"


    "What am I nning to do?" Oscar gritted his teeth as his killing intent began to fill the entire room. "Of course, I''m going to kill them. I will destroy a few bases."


    "But this n might be there to lure you away. Are you sure about this?"


    "I''m aware that it might be a trap. But don''t worry. I''m not nning to go alone." Oscar paused for a moment. "Don''t worry. I have a n for this."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 726 Connected?

    "You are allowed to rest and remain inside the base for six months. That''s all. You''re dismissed." ra waved her hand, telling the Zero Squad to leave. Even she didn''t expect this kind of attack. She was concerned about Paul''s condition. In fact, if she were in the operation, the Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad wouldn''t die, and Captain Igor would still have two arms.


    Noel and the others politely nodded and returned to their cabins. Their expressions were dark. This defeat was not because of Noel or whatever. They were simply not strong enough to handle the enemies. In fact, without Damian''s help, they would''ve been wiped out when three Spirit Grandmasters chased after them.


    Noel was walking back to his room with his head hanging low. He also kept checking the mission.


    [Mission: Repaying One''s Kindness.]


    [Description: Anna has helped you a lot, it''s time to repay her. A Rune Swordsman has always been clear with debt and gratitude. Help her finish her advancement mission in Creek Vige six months from now.]


    [Reward: Force Control.]


    Noel couldn''t help but shut his eyes. This might be the first time he had failed a mission. He failed to assist Anna in her advancement mission. In fact, this setback might cause her to fail to be an Arbiter within the allocated time.


    However, he finished a different mission.


    [Mission: Anna''s Secret]


    [Description: Make Anna tell you her secret by any means necessary.]


    [Reward: Anna''s Secret and Hermit''s Location.]


    [Penalty: None.]


    ''Hermit''s location?'' Thispletely perplexed Noel, making him wonder what kind of hermit he was. The location was also deep outside the border. There was a high chance that they would die the moment they chose toe. So, he didn''t know why they would go to this ce.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows while going back. He also had to consider everything, especially the defeat. He never thought that the Supreme Devil Organization would do something like this.


    But when he returned to his room, he saw Anna eating noodles. She crossed her legs, not showing anything that reflected her status as a noble. Though, it seemed that she still finished everything in her mouth first and put down the fork before waving to Noel. "It seems you''re done."


    Anna came with them for a lot of reasons. She was injured heavily and had done a lot of things for them. So, Noel brought her to the city so that ra could take care of her. It seemed that most of her injuries had gone, thanks to ra.


    More importantly, Noel was still considering what Anna wanted to do. He still remembered the time when Anna asked him out.


    "Do you want to go somewhere with me? Just both of us. It''s going to be dangerous, but I believe we can ovee the challenge. If we seed, we will be able to gain enough strength to change our current situation."


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "Yeah. I''m done. I have been thinking about this, but I think it''s better to understand what kind of journey you''re nning to have first."


    Anna nodded without hesitation. "Well, I''m nning to leave the border."


    "Huh? Why?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "To find the Sword Saint''s disciple."


    "¡­" Noel waspletely speechless. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but her expression was telling him that she was serious.


    "Is it rted to what happened in that other life?"


    "Yeah." Anna pointed at him. "In fact, he was rted to you. I don''t really know the details, but I fought you at that time and I somehow managed to push you back for once. The battle was near the border and you somehow disappeared from the world for a year before reappearing before me."


    "I didn''t know what happened, but back then, you brought back a man to help you. That person was using a Sword and the way he moved was simr to yours. I''m sure he is not your disciple, so he must be Sword Saint''s disciple."


    "I mean, I can kind of understand it. But why do you want us to leave the border to find him? Yeah, you said it''s going to be a dangerous trip. Leaving the border alone is already extremely dangerous. But I still haven''t found any reason why we have to find him right now." Noel furrowed his eyebrows, thinking this was a bad idea.


    "No, there is a good reason for this. Actually, that kid is not a human!"


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Not a human?"


    Anna nodded. "That kid is from the legend¡­ the race that is said to be inferior to humans because their blood is mixed with animals in order to create a stronger species."


    "Wait. Don''t tell me, you''re nning¡­"


    "Yeah. I''m nning to visit the kingdom that hosts them. It''s far from us, so the trip will take a long time and it''ll be extremely dangerous. However, there is something special about them."


    "Their races are utilizing their Spirit Power in a different way!" Anna lifted up her shirt a little bit, exposing the Spirit Seal on her waist. "Look at this. I try to replicate the way they use their power."


    Suddenly, a few lines emerged from the Spirit Seal like that of tree roots.


    "Every time they use their power, the Spirit Seal will look like this. And in that instant, they will receive a surge of strength. I never saw you using something like this, but I had seen you doing something simr. So, I believe this trip is necessary if we want to gain a huge boost in our strength."


    "Wait a minute!" Noel suddenly thought of something. "When did I receive him?"


    "When you were a Spirit Master."


    "Then, their kingdom is located¡­"


    "Northeast to our kingdom. Though, I don''t know the exact location since a lot of information has been lost."


    "Mhm¡­" Noel made an awkward smile. "I think I didn''t visit their kingdom. Instead¡­"


    Noel brought a map from the shelf and opened it, pointing at the Hermit''s location. "I might go to this ce and meet someone from their kingdom."

 Chapter 727 Agreement

    "Master. I don''t think this is a good idea." Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows. He had listened to Noel and Anna about their n to meet the hermit.


    The n was still very basic, considering they didn''t know much about the situation. But after looking at it, the risk was simply too great.


    Even Damian joined the discussion, considering he had to follow Noel for a while.


    After considering a lot of things, Damian expressed his concern. "This is a reckless n. First of all, you don''t know much about everything outside the border. Of course, as a part of the Zero Squad, you should have gotten enough experience outside, but your mission doesn''t stray too far from the border."


    "Meanwhile, this time, you''re nning to cross various unknown terrains to reach this ce. I can''t really ept this n, fully knowing the risk." Damian shook his head helplessly."


    "Yes, Master. I agree with him. This is extremely risky." Dimitri sighed as though he had a bad memory about it. "When you ventured into that area, there would be a lot of extremely powerful demons. Without supplies or manpower, you wouldn''tst long."


    Noel nodded in understanding while Anna raised her hand. "To be honest, we don''t need supply. We can get something to eat by hunting the demons. If you''re worried about water, Noel can purify water. I''m also an expert in hiding and locating the enemies thanks to my Spirit, so I can find a perfect ce to hide during the night."


    "Alright. We can consider it done, but what about the manpower? You wouldn''tst long if you fought a lot of demons continuously."


    Noel thought for a moment and asked, "What if you followed us, Dimitri?"


    "I, of course, will follow you if that''s your decision. However, you have to be aware of how reckless you are!" Dimitri clenched his teeth. "You have been targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization, so¡ª"


    Before Dimitri finished, Noel interjected him. "That''s exactly the reason, Dimitri. The Supreme Devil Organization is currently targeting us. The Demon Banner Army is trying to match their movements and make a counterattack."


    "This is the perfect opportunity for us to cross the border and leave the kingdom. Since they are going to target us, if we can''t improve our strength drastically, we''ll die sooner orter. I can''t really rely on you all the time. Since we have a small group, we can kill and absorb a lot of demons, allowing us to raise our Spiritual Energy Reserve. And fighting in the frontline like this will hone our skills, consolidating our foundation."


    "I am aware that it looks reckless. However, if I am not reckless, I''m afraid that I won''t be able to do anything." Noel sighed. His face was filled with disappointment. He must be thinking about the recent failure where he couldn''t even do anything.


    Dimitri red at Anna and said, "You must be the one poisoning my master''s mind. How are you going to bear the responsibility?"


    Anna was aware of his worries. But she didn''t n to back down. Noel once managed to ovee the journey and be stronger when he was only a Spirit Master. And with her helping him, they should be able to reach that ce.


    Hence, Anna dered with a serious expression. "If anything were to happen to Noel, I would follow him to the underworld. You can even kill me in the most brutal way possible."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "¡­" Dimitri was startled, never expecting this kind of determination toe from Anna. It seemed that no matter what he said, they weren''t nning to back down.


    Noel thought for a moment and asked Damian. "Do you think it''s possible for you to follow us?"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "No, you should be asking whether it''s possible for me not to stop you from going on this reckless trip!" Damian coldly stared at Noel. Noel was the source of the runes, so obviously, he wanted him alive. He wanted him to keep getting stronger and give him more information about it.


    Noel took a deep breath and added, "Does that include the fact that this trip can actually teach me about the new way to utilize the runes?"


    "Hmm?" Damian furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"


    "This trip is a bit special. If I seed, it can be the foundation of a new type of rune. If you were to help us, I would definitely share it with you."


    "¡­" Damian suddenly fell silent when Noel mentioned the new type of rune. If it was only a new rune, he would surely reject it. But a new type meant an entire category. There would be a huge potential for a new type like the Rune Engineering and Rune Spell.


    Still, this was extremely risky. No one in their sane mind would agree to such a trip, considering even a Spirit Grandmaster like him might die if he wasn''t careful.


    "Of course, I will add ten more runes as a down payment. If you still think the trip is too dangerous, you can quit halfway. With your strength, it shouldn''t be that hard to go back and return to your kingdom, right? You have taken the concept of Rune Engineering and a few runes from the Rune Spell as well. So, the choice is yours."


    Damian furrowed his eyebrows. This was a hard matter. If he left and somehow died, it would be a great blow to the Greenwood Kingdom. If he didn''t follow Noel and he somehow seeded, he would lose a huge opportunity.


    Damian thought for a moment and said, "This is not a matter where I can decide by myself. Even my kingdom carries a risk when I die. Hence, I have to inform the royal family about this first. If possible, I would like you to wait for two weeks."


    "That''s impossible." Noel shook his head. "We''ll be leaving in one week. How about this, meet us outside the border between the two countries. If you haven''t appeared for three days after the promised time, we''ll consider you not joining us."


    Damian considered the ns and agreement for a bit before nodding his head. "Alright. We have a deal. Even if I don''t join you, I''ll surelye to inform you about it. We have to set a location to meet, though."


    "Yeah. That''s what we''re going to do."

 Chapter 728 Warning

    After reaching an agreement, Damian finally left. He rushed back to the Greenwood Kingdom to discuss this matter with his king.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri looked at Noel and raised a finger. "Master. It doesn''t seem that you''re nning to back down from this. So, I''m thinking about bringing another person."


    "Who is it? Rose?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    Anna nced at them. She might have told Noel about the n and given some suggestions, but Noel and Dimitri were far more usefulpared to her. In other words, Anna didn''t have any real contribution once they went on a trip.


    So, Anna opened her mouth, asking, "Is the person you are nning to recruit a scout?"


    "Yeah." Dimitri nodded. "This mission carries a lot of risks, especially from the demons. So, it''s better to have a good scout in order to avoid a lot of problems."


    Anna asked, "In that case, can you leave it to me? I can use my connection to recruit a person for us. This person has a Spirit that can heal with Light Element and she is also good at scouting."


    "Hmm? That person¡­" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You''re not nning to invite that person, right?"


    "Yeah." Anna nodded. "Don''t you think she is perfect for this trip? Besides, I will be the only woman on this trip. So, it''s better to have another one."


    "Who is that person?" Noel asked, not knowing who they were talking about.


    Dimitri pointed at Anna and said, "She is rted to her father. In fact, that person is Marquis Stargaze''s disciple. She is known as Healer Maniac. She is good at fighting, healing, and scouting. Her name is Nicole. If I remember correctly, she has be a Spirit Grandmaster and be one of the highest-ranked inquisitors."


    "Yes. Your information is correct. My father had told me I could rely on her when I became an inquisitor, but I never talked to her previously. This time, it seems that I have to rely on my father''s connection to ask this ridiculous request. That''s the least I can do so that I don''t look like I''m leeching off you. Besides, having a scout and a healer is good for this party."


    Noel thought for a moment. "In that case, doesn''t that mean we''ll have three Spirit Grandmasters with us?"


    "You''re so sure that Damian will go with us, huh?" Anna chuckled. "Well, you''re not wrong. Although a big group will carry a risk of being spotted, we''re a group of elites. So, the risk is reduced exponentially."


    "As for both of us, who are only a Spirit Master, I think it''ll be a good experience for us." Anna pointed at herself. "I mean, I can at least learn from these people."


    Noel looked down. "Well, I don''t really have a problem about having three Spirit Grandmasters with us. But I prefer to be on the frontline instead of being protected the whole time. This is a far better option to stimte my growth."


    Noel remembered a few missions from the system and added inwardly, ''Well, I want to finish some of them.''


    When he thought about the mission, he received another mission from Ardagan.


    [Mission: Meeting the Hermit]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Description: Meeting the Hermit and finding a way to learn from him.]


    [Reward: Fighter Medal and three random runes of Rune Body.]


    [Penalty: ???]


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He could see the penalty being hidden. If there was no penalty, he would be sure that he wouldn''t die. But with the ''???'' bing the penalty, there was no telling anymore. Even Ardagan didn''t know what kind of fate I would receive if he ever failed this mission.


    Dimitri, on the other hand, thought that frown was for something else. Dimitri couldn''t help but ask, "I''m not sure about this, but if possible, I want you to be honest with me. Is this hermit¡­ someone not from our kingdom, no¡­ I don''t think the other kingdoms have this kind of hermit. In that case¡­"


    Noel nced at Anna, who nodded her head.


    "Yes. The hermit is not a human." Anna confirmed it without hesitation.


    "¡­" Dimitri waspletely stunned, not knowing what to say. There were rarely any records of meeting another race besides humans. So, Dimitri didn''t know whether they were hostiles or not.


    However, there was some history about those races'' creation. So, Dimitri asked, "Are you sure they won''t be hostile to us?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Anna shook her head helplessly. "I''m not sure about it yet. But this person is not rted to their kingdom as well. I mean, his location is still too far from their kingdom. So, I think he is more rational with humans."


    "Do you know about his strength?" Dimitri asked.


    Anna shook her head. "All I know is that this person is strong. I don''t have any details about that person''s strength."


    Only the previous life Noel would know the details. However, Anna knew that Noel wouldn''t have learned from them if the other party was not strong. He even brought the Sword Saint''s sessor back with him even though he wasn''t a human.


    So, she concluded that this hermit was extremely strong.


    After a while, Dimitri let out a long sigh and said, "Since you''ve made your decision, I''ll follow you even if it means risking my life. However, you should remember that I''m ready to sacrifice my life anytime. If you''re doing something reckless, you can consider me dead."


    This was a threat and a warning from Dimitri. He wanted to let Noel know that if this reckless decision endangered his life, Dimitri would be the one to help him, even if it meant exchanging Noel''s life for his. In other words, Noel might kill Dimitri because of this decision.


    Then, Dimitri turned to Anna and said, "I have to tell you this. If I have to choose whether I should save my master or you, I won''t hesitate to save him even if he asks me otherwise."


    Anna nodded without hesitation. "Don''t worry. I''m aware of it. I''m prepared to die as well."

 Chapter 729 Decision

    "What do you think?" Damian''s voice echoed in the grand hall.


    He was kneeling on one knee, facing the middle-aged man who sat on the throne. He was none other than the Greenwood Kingdom''s king, Theodore El Greenwood.


    Because this matter was extremely important and rted to Noel, Raincart was also summoned to the pce.


    Theodore looked down for a moment before ncing to the side, finding Raincart looking away. His face was a bit distorted, not because he was concerned about Noel''s situation but because he found this n amusing.


    "What do you think, Raincart? You don''t have to hold back yourughter," he said while shaking his head helplessly.


    "Are you sure about it? Well¡­" Raincart let out a loudugh as if he had gone insane. There was no way Raincart would be happy to see his grandson send himself to his own grave. However, Raincart added, "That n is so ridiculous that I actually support it."


    Theodore and Damian raised their eyebrows, not expecting this kind of answer.


    "Apologize for interrupting." Damian furrowed his eyebrows. "But this is an extremely reckless n. There is a high chance that we will die."


    "Yeah, I know." Raincart nodded with a serious expression. "However, if you take another look at it, they''ve be desperate to think that this path is the only way to go forward."


    "Desperate? They have been cornered so much by the Supreme Devil Organization that they have to do it if they want to survive. Is that what you mean?" Theodore asked while stroking his chin as though he were still thinking about it.


    "Exactly. If you look at it optimistically, you can see at least four benefits. First of all, the trip will be dangerous, but the reward is so great that they won''t be cornered anymore. If we can go with them and somehow seed, that one thing might be worth a single expedition or even more."


    "Secondly, you can actually get more runes from him, including the new type of rune. As much as I don''t like to see you extorting my grandson, he is the one offering it. So, it''s better to ept it."


    "As for the third benefit, they said nothing about the hermit, right? But I don''t think there is anyone in the Greenwood Kingdom or the Muivell Kingdom that could be considered one. And if that hermit was that strong, then I''m afraid the identity of that hermit is far more special."


    "Hmm?" Theodore picked up the hidden message from his statement as he couldn''t help but interject, "Special and not from the kingdoms¡­ Are you telling me¡­"


    "Yeah, Your Majesty. I believe that this hermites from a distant kingdom, which is said to be ruled by non-humans. I can''t say much about the details, especially how they can find this information, but making a connection with such a person will be extremely beneficial for us."


    "I mean, ording to the legend, their kingdom is within the area of future expansion of this kingdom. By making an early connection, we have the chance to learn about their territory. Who knows, we might be able to establish a trade with them before our expansion reaches their ce."


    Theodore couldn''t rule out such a thing as it was truly extremely beneficial for them. It might be something that his descendants would reap, but it would surely pave the way for their kingdom.


    Theodore asked, "What about thest benefit?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Currently, Damian is in a close rtionship with Noel. By epting this request, that bond will be stronger. Even if he doesn''t be our ally, I''m sure that he won''t be our enemy thanks to the bond with Damian. And on this trip, Damian will be able to learn about his growth."


    "I mean, they are nning to get stronger rapidly, right? Although Damian has begun teaching Noel, he hasn''t seen a lot of results. And since the progress is a secret due to the nature of the ability, it''s better if we set another test on this trip to figure out his potential."


    Theodore could understand what Raincart was thinking. On the one hand, he seemed to be trying to exploit his grandson. On the other hand, everything he said showed his full support for his grandson. In fact, he was trying to make Damian join so that Noel''s safety would increase tremendously.


    Even though he didn''t look like it during the conversation, Raincart was extremely protective of his grandson. He just couldn''t do it on the court.


    Theodore looked at Damian, asking, "How about you, Damian? This is an extremely risky mission. So, I want to hear whether you want to do it or not. There is no need to say you will ept my decision or something. I want to hear your thoughts."


    Damian didn''t answer immediately. He made sure he worded his answer correctly.


    "If I speak clearly, then this mission is extremely risky. I don''t really want to do it. The risk is simply that big. However, I can''t deny that the benefits are extremely tempting. It feels like my patriotism is getting fired up."


    Theodore smirked. "Alright. I have received your thoughts."


    He rose from his throne and dered, "Damian, as the king of the Greenwood Kingdom, I order you to ept the agreement and help Noel reach his desired ce. Do anything necessary to get the most benefit while avoiding unnecessary problems in the future."


    "If you canplete this mission and bring back all the rewards to the kingdom, depending on your contribution, you might be able to be a Marquis. And I''ll surely reward you properly."


    "Ha!" Damian lowered his head. "I shall ept this mission for the prosperity of the Greenwood Kingdom."


    The king walked to Damian and patted his shoulder two times, saying in a gentle tone. "This is going to be extremely dangerous. Make sure you return to this ce alive, understand?"


    Damian smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty."


    Theodore nced at Raincart and said, "You are not going to get angry if Damian returns after deeming the mission unsessful, right? We can''t hurt national stability."


    "Hmph." Raincart harrumphed and looked away. On the one hand, he didn''t like that idea since he wanted his grandson to be safe. On the other hand, it didn''t change the fact that Noel suggested a reckless n. So, he didn''t say anything.


    Damian politely bowed to them before leaving the room.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 730 Nicole

    "So, we are meeting them here." Anna looked around. They were in the middle of a grass field. She had a hard time looking around because the grass was tall.


    Though, they were surrounded by a small hill. It wouldn''t be hard for Damian to find them if he ever reached this ce. They had even set up a tent and a campfire to give the signal.


    "Yeah. We have to prepare as well. Because of the danger that awaits us, we can''t bring any horses, so we have to go on foot. It will increase the travel time drastically."


    "Since we only have less than six months, we are going to take one and a half months for the trip alone and use the rest to discuss everything with the hermit. Is that alright?" Noel asked, confirming their schedule.


    "Yes." Anna nodded without hesitation. Dimitri remained by their side openly. Considering this was a mission in which Dimitri would be directly involved, he didn''t hide himself when it wasn''t needed.


    "Still, we''ve been waiting for one day. I wonder if they are going toe¡­" Anna sighed. ''They'' in her mouth were Damian and her father''s disciple. She added, "Who woulde first?"


    Anna''s doubts were answered a few hourster.


    When they had just finished their lunch, they felt a presenceing toward them. It moved fast to the point where the trio were being alerted.


    However, Anna soon smiled and said, "To think you would arrive first!"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Oh! I rushed to this ce as soon as I saw your message. What are you thinking, making me cover a trip that was supposed tost for two weeks in just one week? I had to use my power to reach this ce." A female''s voice echoed from behind the grass.


    Noel and Dimitri lowered their weapons when Anna recognized her.


    They stared at her figure. Dimitri had known about her, but he never saw her.


    The woman had long, flowing brown hair resting on her back. Her attire was a reflection of her roles as a scout and a healer. She wore a flowing robe made of fabric to make it easy to move.


    Around her waist, she wore a belt with small pouches containing a few medicines that would help her heal the injured.


    Her temperament was gentle, yet energetic and easygoing. She raised her hand on top of her head as though she were greeting them.


    "Hello, my name is Nicole. It''s a pleasure to meet you. I am Marquis Stargaze''s disciple. You can consider me Anna''s elder sister as well, since we have been together a lot in the past. No need for formality or anything since I''m not good at it." Nicole introduced herself while extending her hand to Noel and Dimitri.


    Both of them shook her hand in session. It seemed that Nicole was already aware of Dimitri''s presence since she wasn''t shocked by the power within him.


    Anna looked at Nicole and said, "I''m sorry for calling you here. I''ve told you everything, so if you think it''s too dangerous, you can back away."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "To be fair, I came here so that I could drag you back. Your father will surely not like it, you know." Nicole scratched the back of her head. "Well, even if I nned to do so, I wouldn''t be able to do it as long as this gentleman is here."


    Dimitri looked away. Since Anna was the one suggesting this idea, she had to take part in it. After all, she had to be responsible for influencing Noel with her idea.


    "So, only four of us will be going this time?" Nicole asked.


    "Not yet. There is supposed to be the fifth one, if he actually agreed." Anna sighed. "Sorry that I involved you in this."


    "No. It''s fine to be honest. Since you''ve told me about it, I can help you directly avoid most dangers. I will probably get pped a few times if Master learns about this, so I hope that you can help me with that." Nicole winked yfully.


    Even Anna shook her head helplessly. She knew that Nicole was always this yful, but it also made her feel bad for involving her.


    "Besides¡­" As a scout, she could see the slight change in Anna''s expression. So, she added, "¡­If I join you, I can witness your personal growth. Anna, you''ve been too extreme in the past and a bit cold. I''ve heard from Master that you have changed for the better, so I can''t help but want to see you."


    "In fact, I''ve been waiting for you toe to me so that I can watch your change. I guess you never need my help. Anyway, I''m just d that you invited me."


    Anna couldn''t help but smile. There was an ''elder sister'' that cared about her the whole time, but because of the brainwashing, she never cared about it in her previous life.


    But before she could say anything, Nicole had already turned around and examined Noel.


    "Ehm? What?" Noel felt a bit ufortable with her stare, especially with how she moved closer and looked upside down.


    "No. I''m wondering what kind of man can change Anna and even make her put her life on the line. I see, so it''s you. Well, I don''t know who you are, but I don''t think you are that bad. So, are you nning to marry her?"


    "Huh?" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. "We''re not that close, to begin with. We are¡­"


    Noel tilted his head in confusion, asking Anna. "What are we? Are we friends, aplices, or what? I feel like we''re as close as best friends but as distant as aplices."


    "I don''t know." Anna shrugged her shoulders, looking a bit annoyed.


    Nicole had a weird grin, as if she had found their interaction amusing. But she soon took a step back and turned around, saying, "Well, whatever. It seems that the fifth person ising."


    "!!!" Dimitri slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he hadn''t even felt Damian''s presence. To think she could sense Dimitri from that far, it seemed that she was the real deal.

 Chapter 731 Set Off

    "I am Damian Fletcher. The vicemander of the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family." Damian stated his name, his gaze fixed on Nicole.


    "Nicole. tinum Inquisitor." Nicole also introduced herself, but her tone was cold as though she didn''t trust the person from another country.


    However, Noel ignored that fact and said, "Since you have known each other now, it''s time to get moving."


    Nicole stopped him by asking, "Before we leave, where are we going? I can kinda understand the direction and the location where you want to go, but I don''t have a map of the terrain. So, it''ll be troublesome if we just enter an unknown area, considering there might be a lot of risks such as a hidden demon nest."


    Noel also had this question when he received the information from the system. However, the reward from Ardagan was much more powerful.


    He actually gave him an image of the map and the distance. It seemed that Ardagan took advantage of his ancestor''s memory to draw this map.


    So, Noel took out a scroll from his back and handed it to her. "This is the map."


    The map depicted a vast expanse ofnd beyond the border. There was a mountain standing majestically in their way. There were two rivers meandering through valleys. Most of the areas were covered by trees.


    There was a marking that seemed to be only two weeks away from their location. But due to the uncertainty of the terrain and the unknown dangers the outside world had, they might need a month to reach the mark on the map.


    In addition, there was no additional information about the danger or demons hiding in the area, forcing them to be even more careful.


    Nicole furrowed her eyebrows while opening the scroll. It took her a few minutes before she asked, "Are you sure this map is urate?"


    "Aside from the danger area, the map should be giving the terrain information urately," Noel confirmed without hesitation.


    Nicole thought for a moment. ''Although we can''t know the details about the danger, having a detailed map like this is enough. If everything that is drawn here is correct, then we can predict the ces where demons are most likely to create a nest. Still, to think that this guy has this kind of map¡­ Who is he?''


    ''He manages to invite this vice captain of the royal army from another country. He is also an expert at a simr level. One of them is enough to kill me with ease, let alone two. It seems that Anna wants me to take part because she wants to be useful.''


    ''I see. I get the gist of the situation now.'' Nicole let out a long sigh. "Alright. Do you mind if I hold this map during the trip so that I can check the terrain and confirm our location?"


    Noel nodded. She was the expert, so he didn''t n to interfere with anything she did.


    Now that they had reached an agreement, the group finally left.


    Since this was the first time they cooperated with each other, Noel had to take the reign of the group.


    "Damian and Dimitri will observe from the rear. Anna and I will be cooperating with each other to fight as many demons as possible. It''ll make the tripst longer, but this is a part of the training. So, I hope that you two can agree."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Dimitri nodded without hesitation, not doubting Noel''s decision. He must be frustrated about the two defeats he suffered in session, so he must want to get stronger to avoid such a thing anymore. So, he supported his decisionpletely.


    Damian, on the other hand, added, "I don''t mind, but whenever it gets too dangerous, I''ll make a move. Some superficial injuries should be fine since we have a healer here, but having fractured ribs or broken bones will cause a lot of problems on the trip, right,dy Healer?"


    "Call me Nicole. But yes, I can easily heal superficial wounds and some internal injuries, but bones will take longer to heal, at least two to three days, depending on the damage. So, it''ll be a problem once you suffer that much damage." Nicole agreed with Damian. This trip was dangerous, so they couldn''t make the trip too long.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks. They agreed with the condition.


    Noel opened his mission, making sure which missions he couldplete in this mission.


    [Mission: Meeting the Hermit]


    [Description: Meeting the Hermit and finding a way to learn from him.]


    [Reward: Fighter Medal and three random runes of Rune Body.]


    [Penalty: ???]


    [Mission: Peerless (2)]


    [Description: To prove your might, one has to fight a few enemies of the same level. Defeat five Peak Level Demons by yourself in a single battle.]


    [Reward: Union of Sword, Spiritual Step, and Elite Medal.]


    ''With my new strength, I should be able to handle five Peak Level Demons by myself, right?'' Noel thought while furrowing his eyebrows. Even if he had to restrain himself by using only one element, his fire element should be enough to defeat five Peak Level Demons.


    "If an opportunity arises, may I fight against five Peak Level Demons by myself? I need it to improve my strength." Noel asked right after he agreed that Damian would help if the situation went bad.


    "¡­" Damian''s eyebrows twitched, wondering if Noel heard him or not. But Noel met his gaze with a determined look as though this was important for his improvement.


    "As long as you are not injured heavily, then I don''t mind." Damian could only sigh.


    "Thanks. This means a lot to me." Noel made a gentle smile. He didn''t know about the two new abilities and the new medal, but those three should be powerful. So, he truly needed them if he wanted to survive.


    While they were thinking about Noel''s request, Nicole warned them about the danger ahead. "Hey, you guys. We havepany ahead. Seven demons ahead, and there are more in the left and right."

 Chapter 732 In Sync

    "Should we loop around them?" Nicole asked.


    As expected of the world outside the border, the number of demons increased drastically. They were moving quite fast. Since Anna and Noel were already Spirit Masters, their speed was simr to that of a horse. And this speed allowed them to maintain a proper form and conserve their stamina.


    Once they heard Nicole''s question, Noel answered with a clear mind, "We will break through them. Anna and I will take the front. Dimitri and Damian will take the sides in case they charge at us."


    "Got it." Dimitri took out his sword and faintly emitted his killing intent.


    Damian had no choice since Dimitri had made his move, leaving Noel and Anna behind.


    Nicole was surprised that they didn''t hide their intention to fight these demons, but before she could say anything, Noel and Anna sprinted past her.


    "¡­" Nicole sighed. She could also fight, but since she was a Spirit Grandmaster, she should watch over them before helping them. "There are one Peak Level Demon and six Advanced Level Demons. Be careful."


    "Got it." Noel and Anna answered at the same time as they increased their pace. Their movements were in sync as though they understood what each other nned to do.


    Noel could see a herd of buffaloes. They were mostly ck in color, but there was a bigger one whose size was twice as big as the rest. Its color was red and a single sound from him caused the six buffaloes to charge toward Noel and Anna.


    Each buffalo was emitting Spiritual Energy. They concentrated the energy in their horns. If Noel and Anna took this head-on, there was a chance that they would be stopped.


    However, Noel and Anna actually smirked as though they felt these enemies were easier than they expected.


    When they were about to sh with the buffaloes, they jumped toward each other, exchanging their positions.


    "!!!" The buffaloes tried to follow their movement, but they ended up hitting each other.


    Still, these demons were Advanced Level Demons. They still had intelligence and good ability.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Even though they crashed into each other, they still managed their bnce, allowing them to continue and exchange their target.


    Unfortunately for them, the slight disturbance was all Noel and Anna needed. They were about to slip past the buffaloes.


    Noel struck a buffalo''s horn as though he was challenging the buffalo into a battle of strength.


    The buffalo''s eyes turned red, and it stomped the ground, trying to drag Noel''s sword away. However, Noel actually didn''t put any strength into this swing, letting the de drop from his hand.


    And that was when Noel touched the buffalo, pouring his fire element onto its body.


    In that instant, the buffalo was covered in an overbearing ck fire.


    It looked like Noel defeated an Advanced Level Demon in a single move, but it didn''t change the fact that he threw his weapon away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Idiot. Why did you throw your weapon away?'' Nicole frowned, wondering if Noel had a proper education as a swordsman.


    But before the sword touched the ground, there was a ck meing from Noel''s other hand. This ck me turned into another hand as if it was the extension of Noel''s hand.


    This was the result of his training. He couldn''t show the result in thest mission, but his control had reached this level.


    He managed to use his me to catch the sword. Then, he swung it again to the second buffalo. The second buffalo was ready for the same trick, so it slowed down its momentum.


    But Noel actually made aplete swing, striking the horn as hard as possible. Due to losing its momentum, the demon got stopped on its track. After that, three giant swords appeared above the demon and skewered it.


    As for thest demon, Noel used his Circr Sword Strike to fight against the energy on the demon''s horns. It had equal strength against the concentrated energy from the demon, but that was enough for Noel.


    Damian had shown him the possibility of Rune. So, he used the Floating Rune, one of the five new runes he got from the survival mission. It caused the demon to move upward and float in the air.


    But because the sword struck its horn, a slight upward movement caused the sword to hit the demon''s head instead of its horn. As a result, the sword sliced the demon in half.


    "What?" Nicole was stunned, never expecting that Noel could actually defeat three Advanced Level Demons in rapid session. He also didn''t lose a lot of his momentum as he skillfully chose his movement in a way he could approach the Peak Level Demon while killing the three Advanced Level Demons near him.


    Surprisingly, Anna also finished killing the demons at the same time as him.


    "What is¡ª" Nicole gasped. The pair approached the Peak Level Demon.


    The Peak Level Demon gathered its energy in its throat before opening it to let out a roar that rmed the demons around.


    But the moment the jaw dropped, the demon couldn''t produce a sound.


    Its body began to feel numb. When it took another look at its body, the demon realized the electricity was stopping his movement.


    The demon hurriedly circted his energy to remove the effect of the electricity, but that was when Anna struck the demon''s neck, trying to kill it.


    Anna''s movement elerated at thest second, taking the demon aback. However, a Peak Level Demon was still capable of dodging this attack, albeit barely. Her sword still grazed its neck.


    However, Anna made a yful smile as though her job wasn''t to finish him. The demon widened its eyes and turned its head around, albeit it was toote.


    Noel used the Fear Emotion to his Everchanging Emotion to increase the speed of his swing. He swiftly beheaded the demon. Yes, Anna was in charge of immobilizing the demon while Noel delivered the killing blow.


    As a result, these seven demons died without being able to fight back.


    Nicole dropped her jaw and made an awkward smile, "What''s wrong with these two¡­"

 Chapter 733 Growth

    This was the first time Nicole saw them fighting together. She never expected that there would be someone as ridiculous as Anna.


    Of course, she had been following Anna''s news the whole time. Her growth only made her shake her head helplessly.


    She thought no one would be able to stop her once she grew. There was even a rumor that she killed Noel Ardagan.


    She wasn''tpletely aware of this situation, but it was clear that Noel was the only rival that could match Anna''s progress, considering they both graduated at the same time and headed to the same squad.


    With Noel out of the picture, she thought it would be impossible for anyone toe close to Anna. But it turned out this masked man managed to do it.


    On the one hand, she wanted to think this man was Noel. On the other hand, there was no way they were the same person, considering they had different hair color, eye color, and elements. Hence, she wondered about the identity of this masked man.


    While the two took care of the seven demons, Damian and Dimitri eliminated the demons in their direction, making sure that the group could advance without any problems.


    It seemed that their strength was beyond Nicole''s imagination. A Spirit Grandmaster like her wouldn''t have any problem eliminating those demons, but Damian and Dimitri killed all of them in a single move.


    ''Anna and the masked man are one thing, but those two are insanely strong as well. It seems that the probability of this mission is higher than I originally thought.''


    Nicole reconsidered her opinions of them and said to Noel and Anna. "You two are great andpletely in sync. It''s the first time I see Anna matching someone''s movement like that. More importantly, that person is a male. I know it''s rude to ask, but may I know the rtionship between you two?"


    "What are you talking about?!" Anna hurriedly stopped her.


    "I was just asking. If you didn''t want to answer it, then that''s fine." Nicole shrugged. "I was just curious since Anna had always beaten all the boys that came near her in order to escape marriage."


    Anna frowned, trying to cover her mouth. Her expression was telling her not to continue to embarrass her.


    Nicole smiled and finally raised both hands, stopping her remark. At the same time, she kept ncing back and forth between Anna''s flustered face and Noel''s poker face.


    In the end, she said, "In any case, I have seen your abilities. To think you would be able to defeat a Peak Level Demon without letting it do anything¡­ If this is the case, then I can be a bit bolder to increase our pace."


    Noel and Anna had managed to kill a Spirit Master when they were still Spirit Wielders, so this feat wasn''t enough to show their entire prowess, especially after bing a Spirit Master.


    Still, they both knew that they needed more enemies to get stronger.


    The group took out the Demon Crystals from their bodies before continuing their journey.


    Of course, they had agreed with the split.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anna and Noel would receive fifty percent of the split by themselves since they wanted to use this opportunity to get stronger. Damian, Dimitri, and Nicole had to split the rest.


    Dimitri, however, chose to dedicate their shares to Noel, causing Damian to not want to lose in the initiative. Nicole also didn''t want to let Noel reign supreme.


    In the end, Noel received both Damian and Dimitri''s shares, resulting in him getting sixty percent of the total Demon Crystals they acquired during the trip while Anna took the rest.


    Continuously increasing the Spiritual Energy Reserve would cause their foundation to be weak, but Noel had learned a lot of abilities and tried to master them, so he could advance pretty far.


    ording to Dimitri and Damian, he could at least make his way near the peak of Spirit Master during this trip. Meanwhile, Anna had all the memories from her previous life, so she could advance whenever she wanted.


    Hence, she chose to match Noel''s pace while making Noel believe she was doing her best to reach the next level. This way, they could maintain their rivalry, which stimted their potential.


    They continued their way toward the hermit''s location. They found thousands of demons and killed almost a thousand of them on their way.


    Noel''s strength increased by leaps and bounds. After a week, they managed to cover a third of the distance.


    Noel shouted while pointing forward, "Anna!"


    "All right!" Anna slipped past him, using her lightning to boost her speed. In an instant, she reached the Peak Level Demon not far from them and struck it from above. The electricity from her de sparked and electrocuted the demon, but due to the demon''s size, that sh wasn''t enough to kill it.


    Noel took that opportunity to catch up to Anna and waved his sword with the Circr Sword Strike, cutting the demon''s body.


    "Hu¡­" Noel let out a breath of relief while looking around. There were at least fifty demon corpses in the area. They had just cleared a demon nest that stood in their way.


    After taking out their Demon Crystals, Noel used his fire to burn all the corpses. Due to the overbearing me, it didn''t produce smoke and smell, which was extremely important for the group.


    Anna remained on his side as though she was protecting him while he did his work. But more importantly, she was observing the way Noel handled his me.


    His me actually tried to match the shape of the demons. Noel had been improving his control by using his me in different shapes. After realizing that matching the demon''s corpse would allow him to improve considerably, he had been disposing of the corpses all this time as a part of training.


    Anna couldn''t help but think, "Since when did he get this good at controlling his me?"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Unbeknownst to them, the one that got shocked the most was Damian. He had another thought when watching these two, "Why did he progress so fast? Was it because of Anna Stargaze?"

 Chapter 734 Come

    "Was it because of Anna Stargaze?" Damian wondered. He had been observing Noel this whole time, considering he had taken this trip as a part of his training.


    Surprisingly, Noel''s growth couldn''t bepared to the time when he was with the Demon Relief Group. The me that he had a hard time controlling this whole time gradually took shape and became his foundation. And he did it within a week.


    That was why he couldn''t understand how Noel managed to do it. Besides, there were other aspects, such as Spiritual Energy and Noel''s body, to be considered.


    Damian didn''t know about Noel''s system. He had several missions that would repeat themselves with a new challenge while giving Noel a boost in his physical ability.


    Those were the missions in the Training Tab. He had Running, Push Up, Sword-Swinging, and even sparring missions in this tab. There was also a Demon Hunting Mission for his Medal. This spurt Noel''s growth to a whole new level since this ce was filled with demons.


    The trip forced him to run, the demons made him swing his sword, and he also made time for his personal training.


    Without knowing this secret, all he could think was that Anna Stargaze was the source of Noel''s growth.


    ''Don''t tell me, there is a connection between Noel and Anna? Wait a minute, Noel once said that if we ever tried to make him marry someone from our ce, they had to beat Anna Stargaze¡­''


    ''If I''m not wrong, Noel should have some interest in Anna. But there is a kind of barrier that is stopping her from acknowledging that feeling. If I think about the politics of this kingdom, I can somehow link them together.''


    ''I see. I think I can figure out his intention. Since he considers Anna number one, he tells me to bring the challenger to Anna. If Anna remains undefeated, which is more likely to happen, he is nning to marry her. This way, with their growth, they would be able to reach a greater height than no one has ever seen before.''


    ''But the Ardagan Family should''ve been wiped out by Anna Stargaze''s words, right? Is there something missing? Even Dimitri, the servant of the Ardagan Family, didn''t do anything to her this whole time.''


    Damian made a weird smile, forcefully connecting all the dots. ''I see. There seems to be a hidden scheme between the Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family. The Ardagan Family wanted the Stargaze Family to execute them, making them look like an arch-nemesis.''


    ''However, they let their children rely on each other and eventually be a couple. No one would ever think that an arch-nemesis would be a couple, right? Thus, their union will cause the entire kingdom to shake. I''m not sure about their n, but with two talented people like them being together, I can''t imagine how talented their kid will be¡­ I guess this is the hidden intention of those two families. How sly¡­ I should report this to His Majestyter.''


    Nicole didn''t care about theplex stuff that would result in their rtionship. She actually epted Noel because Anna had been smiling all this time no matter how rough the situation was.


    After a while, they gathered together as Nicole pointed at a spot on the map. "Alright. Hear me out. We have two big problems that we''re going to tackle. We''re about to reach the mountain."


    "After observing the type of demons near this ce, I have realized that if we go around the mountain, we''ll be tackling a simr problem."


    "If we go to the left, we''ll meet a lot of cliffs where the demons usually reside. There might even be a Superior Demon in this ce.


    "If we go to the right, it''s going to be a swamp area. When gathering herbs for cooking, you should find a lot of poisonous herbs. I believe that the swamp area will be filled with poison. And the water will surely be contaminated."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then, should we take a longer detour?" Dimitri asked while furrowing his eyebrows.


    However, both Noel and Anna took the same action. They pointed their finger at the mountain and said the same thing, "It''ll take too long. Go straight."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "¡­" The people were speechless, but it seemed that Nicole was about to suggest this as well.


    "Yes. We haven''t encountered a lot of flying demons. If we climb the mountain, we might have to face some, but the problem won''t be as big as the other two paths. Besides, taking a longer detour will take at least five to seven days with our current speed. Hence, we should go straight!"


    ¡­


    In the middle of nowhere, a hut was standing tall, not far from a waterfall.


    There were two people near the hut. The first one seemed to be a young man. He had spiky brown hair and a robust body. However, one thing that made him stand out. Instead of a pair of human ears, there was a pair of dog ears on top of his head.


    Meanwhile, the second person was an elderly man. He lookedpletely like a human, but there was one thing that differentiated him from a human.


    Both of them were sitting underneath the waterfall, allowing the water to beat their bodies. Their faces remained calm, but the water made their clothes wet.


    If one took another look at the back of the elderly man, they would see scales that covered his entire back.


    While they were training, the young man suddenly opened his mouth, "Master¡­ I can feel your mind getting distracted. Are you fine?"


    The elderly man smiled. "I''mpletely fine. It''s just¡­ I think we''ll be having some guests."


    "Guests?" The young man couldn''t help but open his eyes, staring at the elder.


    Surprisingly, thetter also opened his eyes. However, his eyes lookedpletely lifeless as though he couldn''t see anymore. Despite being blind, the eyes still emitted Spiritual Energy, making the lifeless eyes glow.


    The elderly man said, "Yeah. They are rather interesting¡­ I wonder if they can reach this ce."


    He paused for a moment before giving a mysterious quote. "You can reset time, but you are unable to manipte it¡­"

 Chapter 735 Reaching The Peak

    Noel and the others had reached the foot of the mountain. They looked up, observing the towering mountain.


    It had lots of pointy rocks sticking out and looked very scary. But that wasn''t all there was to it, they could see fluctuations of Spiritual Energying from the mountain. It was clear there were a lot of movements between the trees that covered the mountain.


    There were one to two hundred demons standing in their path and there should be the same number of demons on the opposite side.


    Noel and the others had decided to climb the mountain. Even though the mountain was filled with demons, this was the best path. Even if there were a lot of demons, they shouldn''t be high ranking demons.


    "Remember, we have to kill the demons as quickly as possible. We can''t let the demons alert the others as there is a chance that it will cause a lot of ruckus to the point it reaches the valley and the swamp area." Nicole pointed at the top. "As soon as we reach the top, we have to get down immediately. After all, the demons'' senses are more sensitive than us. They would be able to surround us in all directions if we are stuck at the top."


    They nodded, understanding Nicole''s concern.


    "Unfortunately, it seems that we can''t allow you to hunt as you like, Master," Dimitri stated while taking out his weapon.


    "I know that already. Safety is more important than training." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    As soon as they reached an agreement, they hurriedly climbed the mountain.


    There were a lot of noisesing from the mountain. However, they couldn''t back down. They used the pointy rocks as their footholds and kept jumping, increasing their climbing speed.


    However, trouble soon came. Since the pointy rocks were sticking out of the mountain, there were hardly any covers from the trees.


    It didn''t take too long for them to be seen by nearby demons.


    Nicole warned, "Coming from the left!"


    Damian immediately turned in their direction, finding four High Rank Demons. With a single wave of his hand, he covered these demons in a thickyer of ice.


    After that, Noel took out a few rocks the size of a human head and formed the Forward Enhance Rune behind those rocks. The rune energy shot the rocks forward, hitting all the frozen demons.


    Those demons ended up breaking apart. With this, Damian didn''t have to reach their location to kill them.


    Damian nced at Noel first and nodded to him as if giving him approval. After that, he continued moving forward.


    Nicole couldn''t be bothered by what they did since she had to be at the very front, scouting the area ahead.


    "There are ten demonsing toward us from both sides and the front."


    Damian and Dimitri took out their weapons and were ready to kill their targets. Even Nicole decided to help them.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    In the end, Noel and Anna killed two demons while the other eight were split between those three.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They continued to climb the mountain without any sign of stopping. Even though the air had gradually be thin due to the elevation, they still had to keep going.


    This was also another reason why Nicole wanted them to go down as soon as they reached the top.


    The mountain''s height was almost two thousand meters. They would have a hard time breathing on top of the mountain.


    Aside from the number of demons they had to encounter on their way up, there weren''t a lot of problems. They just had to keep doing this good work until they reached the top.


    Their pace steadily increased as a result of them getting used to fighting in this type of terrain. Even Noel continuously refined his steps while aiding them with his runes.


    Noel was extremely versatile with those runes. He could attack them from afar with runes or cut them with his sword. Once he got his mastery, it would be hard to fight him.


    That was why Anna also began using all her abilities, except for the runes she had learned in her previous life. She couldn''t make Damian think she had all Noel''s knowledge after all.


    The closer they were to the peak, the more efficient their movements became. Before Nicole even warned them, the two top experts had executed the demons.


    The climb might take thirty minutes, and at least eighty demons had been in, but they finally reached the peak. No more demons stood in their way.


    All that was left would be climbing down and reaching their destination in another week.


    "Finally. We have reached the top!" Anna''s eyes shed. The moment she reached the peak, the entire horizon expanded.


    The world felt like it was spread out below her. The sun was shining brightly, making everything look golden and beautiful.


    If this was an adventure, it would feel like all the hardships were worth it. It would surely relieve some fatigue just watching this beautiful scenery.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the situation was more serious than she originally thought. After all, Nicole was cursing everything beyond the mountain. "I hate this mountain."


    She could kind of understand why Nicole didn''t like it. Beneath them, they could find several buildings that had been abandoned. The buildings weren''t big, so it looked like a camping site that the previous civilization built.


    And not far from the foot of the mountain, they could see a high-rise building, appearing to be the den of demons.


    There were some asphalt roads that hadn''t been covered by greenery, so it was clear that the two buildings were connected.


    If they took another look at the horizon, they would find a few dots in the horizon. Those dots were not demons. They were buildings like this one. It seemed that there was an abandoned city ahead.


    While this might be a great discovery, this would probably be the biggest hurdle for the group.

 Chapter 736 Trust

    "There are unknown facilities ahead?" Damian stopped while dropping to the ground as if trying to hide himself.


    Even Dimitri hid behind a tree before getting absorbed by the shadow.


    Anna grabbed Noel''s head and pushed him down, causing him to fall to his knees.


    They were taking cover behind a boulder while peeping at the mysterious facilities.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Last but not least, Nicole. She was the scout, so this might be a hard task for her.


    She examined everything and said, "There is a camping site in front of us. It has been abandoned, but I''m sure there will be a lot of demons waiting for us there. As for the tall building at the foot of the mountain, it seems to be what they call a ''Hotel.''


    "The tall inn that the previous civilization created. There might be things to find from there, but with how it''s connected to the camping sites, I''m afraid that there will be a lot of demons hiding there as well."


    "In addition¡­ I''m not sure about it, but I think I see a city on the horizon. That alone is enough for us to know that this area was well-civilized in the past. There must be a lot of buildings that have been covered by all these nts. We''ll be in trouble if we go this way."


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. They had done so much to climb this mountain, so she didn''t like the option where they had to go back and even take a detour.


    However, Noel held her hand as if trying to take her attention.


    "!!!" Anna was startled, looking at their hands. But Noel only took her hand because she had used that hand to push him down earlier.


    Noel whispered, "Time to make a detour. You said that I was able to reach the destination when I was only a Spirit Master, right?"


    Anna paused for a moment before nodding her head.


    "In that case, I should make a safer option. It''s better if we take a detour, even if it means the journey will take far longer than we originally expected. If there is a city up ahead, we have to move extremely far away from it. Let''s choose the safer path."


    "¡­" Anna let out a sigh. There was one reason why she was unwilling. It wasn''t that she wasn''t thinking about safety. It was just her instinct didn''t pick up anything as though the buildings had no demons around them.


    However, if she told them that everything came from her instinct, everyone would think she was crazy. So, it seemed that they had to take a detour.


    "Let''s go back," Noel said to the others while turning around. But he was stopped by the sight that awaited him. "That''s¡­"


    "What''s wrong?" Nicole turned around after observing the area ahead. She wondered what Noel saw and ended up getting shocked. "Flying demons?"


    There were a lot of demons flying toward them. They weren''t aware of their presence yet, but if they reached this area, they would soon find them and the sh between them would rm the presence of all the demons around the mountain.


    Dimitri had toe out from the shadow and say, "This is not looking good. If we return now, they will spot us."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But if we go forward, we will be fighting the demons in those buildings," Damian added while gritting his teeth.


    "What should we do?" Nicole asked. "We have been surrounded by demons. There aren''t enough covers for us as well. The best shot would be to kill those demons before they rm the others. But their numbers¡­ I don''t think we can kill thirty demons in an instant."


    "¡­" Damian and Dimitri looked at each other, wondering if they should use their True Spirit Body. But the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy would rm the others.


    "I can cover us with ck shadow, but I don''t know if they will recognize us or not." Dimitri gave a suggestion.


    No one could reply to him, but surprisingly, Anna also gave a suggestion.


    "Since both of you can use the True Spirit Body, you should be aware of the Spirit Link, right?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah. My Spirit Link allows me to merge with shadows." Dimitri revealed his secret, not because he had a loose mouth, but because he wanted to give options to them in case that ability actually gave them some inspiration.


    Damian also decided to reveal his. "Mine allows me to feel the Temperature urately."


    Noel also had formed a Spirit Link with Heisk, allowing him to share her senses. In other words, he gained Spirit Sense through the Spirit Link.


    But it seemed that Anna was only talking to them, not him. She said, "My Spirit Link gives me the instinct of my spirit. I can sense the dangers around us. But surprisingly, I can''t find that feeling from the camping site beneath us, only that tall building at the foot of the mountain."


    "!!!" Damian and Dimitri widened their eyes. "Are you telling us that your instinct is telling you that there are no demons in the camping site?"


    "Yes. But I''m afraid that you can''t believe such a ridiculous testament."


    Damian gritted his teeth. What she said was not wrong. Meanwhile, Dimitri came here for Noel''s sake, so he asked, "Master. I shall follow your decision."


    Hearing it, Damian also decided to leave everything in Noel''s hands. If it was a wrong move, he would start thinking about breaking through and escaping from this ce.


    "Tsk." Noel tightened his grip on Anna''s hand and said, "I am the only insane person who would believe in you!"


    "!!!" Anna suddenly got pulled by Noel as they were the first ones to jump off the peak, heading straight to the camping site.


    "You¡­" Even Anna never expected Noel to have no hesitation in believing her ridiculous statement. As he said, Noel might be the only person who would putplete trust in her words no matter how ridiculous it was.


    And this trust felt so heavy in Anna''s heart. There was a desire creeping inside her heart.


    ''Ah, I don''t like this. I feel like I can''t win against him. I feel like¡­ if the entire world is against me, he will probably be the only person who will trust me.''

 Chapter 737 Teasing

    Noel and Anna were the first ones to jump off, heading straight to the abandoned camping sites. They had to move fast before the demons on the mountain noticed them or the flying demons reached their position.


    The others were following right behind them as they had decided to follow the two.


    As they descended the mountain, there was a conflicting thought in Anna''s mind. She never thought that Noel had this degree of trust in her. On the other hand, she wondered if she could even do something like that.


    Yet, amidst this surge of emotion, Anna continued focusing on her instinct, making sure that it wasn''t wrong.


    ''There is truly no demon in that abandoned camping site.'' Anna thought while looking around. She felt a faint threating from that direction, but they were a bit far, so they seemed to be safe for the time being.


    Nicole increased her speed while saying, "I''ll scout the area in front."


    Damian and Dimitri moved to the side, making sure there was no demon attacking them. If they were spotted, the situation would be extremelyplicated after all.


    As soon as they stepped foot on the abandoned camping site, a strange calm settled over them.


    "Hmm?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. The absence of demons created an eerie tranquility in the area.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t have time to explore the situation. Nicole hurriedly opened one of the building''s doors with her power and said, "Come in!"


    The camping site looked like a dome made of ss. The side that was facing the peak of the mountain was being painted with color, making them unable to see whatever was inside.


    But when they looped around it, they would find that the other side was transparent.


    They hurriedly entered the dome, taking shelter until the flying demons were gone.


    "Dimitri," Noel called his butler''s name, signaling him to use his power.


    Dimitri nodded and reached out to the curtains on the side. He pulled it to the other side, but because of the passing of time, it became so brittle that the curtain dropped down.


    Dimitri clicked his tongue and used his shadow to attach it, but Damian decided to help him by freezing the curtain on the wall,pletely covering everything inside.


    Nicole maintained her position near the door to check the situation.


    After making sure it was safe, she finally let out a long sigh and said, "There are no demonsing. We just have to wait for the flying demons to pass us."


    As soon as they heard the confirmation, the group felt relieved.


    "Still, what''s wrong with this site? Shouldn''t this ce be upied by the demons?" Noel asked while looking around.


    His question captured the others'' curiosity. The serene atmosphere in this ce made them calm down, and they began to look around, examining this ce.


    When their gaze shifted to the curtains, they could imagine the breathtaking view of the mountain.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Within the dome, the ambiance exuded an air of elegance andfort, giving a luxurious feeling. They could find a bed, the same big screen Noel found in the mysterious facility, and even the magic pencil.


    It was covered in dust and couldn''t be used anymore, but it didn''t change the fact that they were within one of the buildings from the previous civilization.


    "What should we do in this ce?" Damian asked. "It''s true that we didn''t n to explore this ce, but it didn''t change the fact that we were within one of the facilities. Should we explore this ce at the very least?"


    "We should think about what we should do after this¡­" Dimitri shook his head. "Our objective remains the same. And even if we can stay in this ce, there will still be a lot of demons in the facility at the foot of this mountain. So, we have to return and avoid all this."


    "Hmm?" Noel looked down, contemting. Before making a decision, he asked Anna, "What do you think? No, what do you feel right now?"


    Anna looked down for a moment, focusing all her senses on her instinct.


    "There are a lot of demons in this mountain. The building ahead is too far, so I can''t be sure."


    Noel contemted his choices and said, "How about using this ce to camp first? The sun is about to set, so I think this will be a great spot to rx. In the meantime, Nicole can scout the area ahead, especially that building. If there are demons in that ce, we''ll return to our original spot and avoid this area."


    Nicole didn''t have any objection to this suggestion. They were quite exhausted after continuously fighting demons while making their way toward this ce. So, it would be better to feel a bit rxed in the middle of their journey.


    Nicole then nced at Anna. "In that case, we will be together in the dome next to this one."


    "Actually¡­" Anna raised her finger with an awkward smile. There was something she wanted to talk about with Noel.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    This feeling crept into her heart when Noel showed such trust. So, she thought it would be right to tell him about it.


    But because the request looked excessive, she couldn''t help but make a weird smile. "¡­I want to have a discussion with Noel, so I''ll remain here for the time being."


    "Huh?" Nicole was confused. Anna had been in the same tent as her this whole time, so it was surprising that she suddenly wanted to remain here. It sounded like Anna was making an excuse to sleep with Noel.


    Anna and Noel''s identities were extremely sensitive, so sleeping together would cause a lot of problems.


    "You are nning to sleep with him? Tell me honestly, have you two got engaged or something?" Nicole waspletely stupefied, trying to understand their true rtionship.


    "What? Engaged?" Anna was bewildered as Nicole misunderstood her. She only wanted to talk with Noel. That was all. But thetter interpreted it in a lewd way.


    And surprisingly, it was not just Nicole. Dimitri suddenly opened his mouth. "Master. I have prepared the bed."


    Both Noel and Anna turned around, seeing Dimitri standing next to the bed. Surprisingly, Dimitri had cleaned up the bed and changed the sheet so that it was suitable for them to sleep, causing them to be speechless.


    "¡­"

 Chapter 738 Thanks

    "¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly while Anna tried her best to exin it. "I truly wanted to talk about something, not sleeping together. How in the world did you interpret it that way?"


    Damian chuckled and said to Dimitri, ignoring Anna''s response. "As expected of a butler, you truly support your master."


    "Of course," Dimitri proudly said. "My Master is the only son of the former Count Ardagan. I should do my best to help my Master prepare an heir for the next generation of Ardagan!"


    "Wha¡ª!" Anna dropped her jaw to the ground, not knowing how to respond.


    Nicole looked down and muttered, "Ardagan and Stargaze, huh? If I''m not wrong, Master told me that Count Ardagan is his best friend. They are close like brothers. In fact, if they were opposite genders, they would have married each other."


    "You too, Nicole?!" Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she was eager to berate all of them.


    "Why did you even bother correcting them? Did you not notice they were just teasing you?" Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "That''s¡­" Anna bit her lips and asked, "Are you not embarrassed as well? They misunderstood our rtionship, you know."


    "Hmm¡­ I don''t really mind. In fact, I wonder what would happen if my wife were the most talented and strongest person in the Muivell Kingdom. Won''t she be able to apany me all the time? I''m nning to go to the top after all." Noel looked at the ceiling as if he was imagining it.


    "You¡­" Anna gasped. Noel actually admitted it. She couldn''t help but blush, thinking, ''Wait, what? Is Noel always thinking about this? He actually likes me and wants me to be his wife. Wait a minute. Is that going to happen?''


    ''Well, if I think about it, in my previous life, only Noel challenged me. In fact, we''d been fighting for so long that I thought he had been with me for the longest¡­ Don''t tell me.'' Anna looked at Noel in shock. On the one hand, she couldn''t imagine her being his wife. On the other hand, she couldn''t think of anyone better than Noel.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    But it seemed that her delusion was being distracted when Noel failed to maintain his poker face.


    "Pfft." Noel tried his best to hold back hisughter, only to end up with a cough.


    "Gah! You¡­ You teased me!" Anna''s face became red like a boiled shrimp. She was so embarrassed that she even thought about it. She couldn''t help but strangle Noel''s head, trying to get back at him. "You¡­"


    "Haha." Noel chuckled. Without them realizing it, Noel had changed the mood. They were exhausted and the tension was rising due to the demons around them. But with this simple exchange, the mood became rxing.


    While taking on Anna, Noel nced at Dimitri.


    Dimitri understood his role and asked Nicole and Damian to leave the room quietly. The demons also had passed them, so they could leave the building and enter another one.


    After they left, Noel finally grabbed her hands and asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Huh?" Anna looked around and realized the others had left. She was too embarrassed to the point where she didn''t even notice their movements.


    "¡­" Anna wanted to dig a hole and hid herself inside. But in the end, she just dropped to the bed and covered her face with the pillow. "It''s not fair."


    "Alright, alright. Take it as the teasing was too excessive, sorry." Noel smiled while sitting next to Anna. "You looked like you were about to say something important, so I thought about making you rx a bit."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for two minutes before she turned around, lying on her back. "Actually, I wanted to thank you for your trust. Never in my wildest dream would I think that you could trust me unconditionally like earlier. Even though the execution was proven to be fake, you should still hold some grudges against me."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel contemted for a moment. He didn''t deny there were still grudges between them. But he didn''t openly admit it either as though it was something unsolvable. He asked, "I should be the one asking, why were you trying to sacrifice your life for me? With that True Spirit Body¡­"


    "I¡­" Anna shut her eyes while scratching her head, not knowing how to express it. "You should know that I could see my alternate life, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "Back then, I waspletely an insane woman. I killed all people without mercy to the point where I could be called a psychopath. Yet, you were always there for me. You appeared to be trying to kill me to settle our grudges, but when I thought about it, you had multiple chances to kill me.


    "You wasted all those chances away as though you didn''t want to kill me. When I saw that scene, I couldn''t help but wonder why you never wanted to kill me. From one thought to another, it ended up leading to the idea that you were trying to help me."


    "Yeah. You tried to change me. That was the reason why I suddenly came to you during the Demon Banner Army''s training. I was still broken back then, trying to change myself. And after knowing you, I continued to change, which I hope for the better. I learned how wrong I was and wanted to fix my personality."


    "That was why¡­" Anna paused and looked at Noel. She made the most genuine smile that she ever had. "Thank you, Noel."


    Noel was stupefied. This smile felt like it prated deep into his heart. The smile carried what seemed like decades of memories. And all of it led to him.


    There was no way Noel wasn''t moved after all that. He had a hard time fighting against the need to look away from her.


    "Hmph!" Noel mmed his body down to the bed to distract himself. "I did all that?"


    "Yeah." Anna chuckled. "I might not experience everything, but I still have kept track of everything that happened in that alternate world. The information there was simr to ours. That was the reason I could find out about a lot of things.


    "Noel¡­ I don''t know if it''s possible, but do you want to join hands with me? Once this journey is over, I want to tell you about important information. I''m sure that with your brain, you can take advantage of this information better than me."

 Chapter 739 Freedom

    "Once this journey is over, I want to tell you about important information. I''m sure that with your brain, you can take advantage of this information better than me."


    Noel raised his eyebrows, not expecting Anna to do all this. He asked, "Why did you choose to do this? I mean, you looked like you were nning to keep it a secret previously."


    Anna smiled, raising her finger. "To be honest, I would like to keep it a secret for a bit longer. However, the more I try to change the situation, the more information that bes irrelevant. That''s why I don''t know what I should do with this. In fact, I believe that you should be the one who has all this information, not me."


    "Is that so?" Noel thought for a moment. "To be honest, learning all this means a lot to me. However, I''m not sure how this is beneficial to you. It feels like I''m going to owe you a lot because of this."


    Anna chuckled. "Hahaha, owe me a lot, huh? After seeing that alternate world, I actually felt like I was the one owing you. This time, I want to help you."


    "At the end of the day, the one who did it was me in that alternate world, not the one lying down next to you right now."


    "That''s true." Anna nced at Noel and asked, "Why do you think he spared me?"


    "Hmm? I''m not sure. After all, I don''t know what he has experienced in that ce." Noel obviously didn''t know what the other him experienced. However, it was clear that there was a reason why Noel chose to save Anna.


    "How about making a guess?" Anna yfully requested. Since it was the Noel from the previous life, the current Noel should have some guesses that might lead to the mystery.


    Noel chuckled and replied with a smirk. "Maybe I have fallen in love with you?"


    "You are teasing me again." Anna hurriedly rebuked him because of what happened earlier.


    "Hahaha!" Noelughed for a moment while raising his hand as if trying to grasp the sky. "If I have to make a guess, it will probably be like what you said earlier. What if we actually joined hands? Could we reach a greater height?"


    "Do you mean you wanted to change me and marry me to reach that?"


    "No." Noel shook his head. "It''s far beyond that. What do you think is the most expensive thing in this world?"


    Anna thought for a moment and asked, "A Spirit Transcendence Expert? No, someone above that, the Spirit King stage?"


    "Nah, you''re off the mark." Noel paused as if recounting everything he had encountered so far. He had one answer. "The most expensive thing in this world is freedom."


    "Freedom?" Anna was confused. "I thought you were going to say time or something because you couldn''t rewind time no matter how much you paid for it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Rewind time, huh?"


    Anna suddenly fell silent, realizing that she had just rewound her time. She didn''t know what happened, but rewinding time seemed to be possible. Though, it might just be a miracle that she couldn''t describe.


    "Not really. Maybe there is a way to rewind time? I mean, there are a lot of unique spirits¡­ There might be a Time Spirit among them. I don''t know about their abilities, but just thinking about it, doesn''t it look like rewinding time is possible?"


    "That''s¡­ true." Anna couldn''t help but wonder if Noel actually had a Time Spirit or something. Maybe, he encountered someone with that very spirit. However, it raised another question as to why he used it on her instead of himself.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    If Noel actually regressed, wouldn''t he be able to solve everything by himself?


    While she was thinking about it, Noel continued, "You can probably hire that person to rewind time. It might be expensive, but it''s possible. However, you can''t buy freedom. You may think a ve is able to buy their own freedom¡­ You may think that someone can be bailed from prison¡­"


    "Or you can probably think that you are able to create a nation where you can do anything you want with enough money. However, that''s not freedom."


    "A ve might be able to free themselves, but what if someone plots against them again, causing them to be enved once again? It will create an endless cycle of money."


    "You can escape from the prison by bail. However, that record will continue to haunt you. If you are a noble, you might be able to restore your reputation, but what if someone as strong or even stronger than you chooses to dig it out and use it to defeat you? That''s also not freedom."


    "The same applies to that of a king. You can have all the money in the world to buy everything you want, but there will be a lot of responsibilities that follow. If you don''t fulfill your responsibility, you will end up getting enved by the chain of disaster."


    "That''s why for me¡­ Freedom is the most expensive thing in the world. What does it mean to bepletely free? It means that you can do anything you want without restraints¡­ whether it''s from your responsibility or the chain of fate. That''s what I believe to be freedom!"


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for a moment. This was the first time Noel talked this deeply with her. So, she couldn''t help but ask, "But by changing me and even helping me, doesn''t that make me one of your responsibilities? Or can you say that my fate is now intertwined with yours?"


    Noel smiled. "That''s because it''s impossible to gain that level of freedom. The me you saw probably understood it."


    "No matter how I struggled, it would be impossible to seed. Instead of bearing this burden alone, I chose you to help me. It didn''t need to be perfect. If having you next to me allowed me to gain a higher level of freedom than anyone else¡­ I don''t think it''s a bad idea."


    Anna shut her eyes, wondering if that was what the previous life Noel actually thought.

 Chapter 740 A Favor

    "Does that mean that you''re nning to pursue me now? I''m letting you know that I''m not that easy." Anna tried to tease him back.


    "Woah. I wonder how you can be so confident? I just talked about philosophy, and somehow you linked it to how much I wanted to marry you?" Noel looked at her as if he was disgusted.


    Anna flipped her body so that she could look at Noel''s face from above. "Is that so? Are you sure about that?"


    She knew that Noel would express it that way, so she looked like it didn''t bother her a bit.


    Noel couldn''t help but flick her forehead.


    "Ouch! What are you doing?" Anna asked while rubbing her forehead. "Did you just lose an argument with me and choose to retaliate with that flick?"


    "It is not that simple. What I wish to do is something thates with a huge price¡­ I''m not going to let someone shoulder that burden for no reason." Noel shook his head. "I have my own responsibilities, you know."


    Anna smiled. "As expected of Noel Ardagan, I guess?"


    "Of course." Noel rose from the bed and said, "In any case, I want you to know that I recorded your promise. Once we''re done with this trip, you''re going to tell me a lot of things."


    "I am not someone who will take back my words." Anna harrumphed. "But it will take a long time to tell you about everything."


    "I have a lot of time. Besides, I might have a question and we can even create a road map about everything that has happened so far, connecting the dots."


    "Haha. Do you know it will take at least a week to do that?"


    "Are you not up for it?"


    "Of course, I''m ready! Besides, I''m also curious about what you can find from my information." Anna suddenly grinned, teasing Noel, "When that happens, how are you going to pay me? Don''t tell me you''re going to pay with your body?"


    "Maybe I should flick your forehead with my sword¡­" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Hehe." Anna made a cheeky grin as if she had just won an argument.


    "I''ve told you about my two spirits, right? Those two have a 100% conversation rate, meaning that I have twice the limit of normal people with that 100% conversation rate. In other words, I can reach a higher stage with at least half the requirement, let alone with the fact that you only have a 95% conversion rate or other people are lower than that¡­ Do you know what I mean?"


    "So, you''re going to the top?" Anna asked with a serious expression.


    "Yeah. Just think of it as me owing you a favor for now."


    "I am also a noble, you know. I''m going to make sure to charge you with a high interest."


    "As long as it''s reasonable, I don''t really mind. Don''t forget that the favor will be determined by how useful your information is. If you force me to pay an exorbitant price, I won''t pay."


    Anna extended her hand. "Then, we have a deal?"


    Noel shook her hand without hesitation. "We have a deal."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After reaching an agreement, Anna rose from the bed and looked at Noel with a rxed expression. "You know¡­ After talking about this with you, I feel refreshed. The weight on my shoulders seems to have disappeared."


    "That''s good for you." Noel sighed. "Still, since you saw yourself in that alternate world, you should have learned about runes as well, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "Do you know about Rune Body?"


    "I know." Anna nodded with a serious expression. "It was the rune that was painted on the body, allowing you to activate the rune just by pouring your Spiritual Energy into that rune. You could say that it used your body as the base."


    "Indeed."


    "Are you nning to ask me to paint the rune on your body?" Anna asked, understanding what he wanted.


    "That''s what I want, but it seems that there are things that have to be done first." Noel paused. "I also want to know about the True Spirit Body."


    "True Spirit Body, huh? You shouldn''t think about this for the time being. After all, if you are trying to invoke that ability as a Spirit Master, the price will be your life force."


    "Then, does that mean it''s alright for you to use it, but I can''t?" Noel frowned.


    "No. I don''t mean that way. But if you''re still adamant about it, then my answer remains the same. I won''t teach you about the True Spirit Body." Anna was simply worried that Noel would abuse it.


    But Noel added, "Even if it means I am going to die because Ick power?"


    "It''s precisely because you''re being targeted that I can''t teach you about it. I''m sure that you''re going to abuse that power! Instead of the True Spirit Body, you should learn everything from the hermit. That''s why we even hold this trip."


    "¡­" Noel sighed in disappointment. He only wanted to get stronger.


    "How about this? As soon as you reach the Spirit Grandmaster, I will immediately teach you about the True Spirit Body."


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. We shall do that."


    "In that case, we shouldn''t waste too much time here. We should regroup with the rest, have dinner, and discuss our next move."


    What they did was the same as what she said. They had dinner together and discussed their current condition as well as their path.


    The discussion didn''tst for too long before the conclusion was made. In fact, they all reached the same conclusion.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The road ahead was filled with demons. Even Nicole couldn''t find a gap in their rank. Dimitri and Damian could fight, but it would be troublesome if Superior Demons joined the fight. And this time, there were two Spirit Masters, Noel and Anna.


    Hence, there was only one thing to do.


    "Retreat!"

 Chapter 741 Retaliation

    The group chose to tread the safer path even though they lost a lot of time. Noel had been defeated twice, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks when proceeding. It wasn''t like he found retreating shameful.


    Hence, the group used five days to take a detour. And it seemed that a lot had happened in these five days.


    ¡­


    Muivell Kingdom.


    In one of its remote viges, a man was surrounded by more than a hundred people.


    "Attack him!" Those people charged forward with their respective weapons. Some of them even reached Spirit Wielder and Spirit Master. There were two people leading these people, which happened to be Spirit Grandmasters.


    They were nning to exhaust this mysterious man first before making a move personally.


    But the moment the people of the vige approached the man, thetter opened his mouth, saying, "Scatter!"


    In that instant, invisible energy struck all the people within a few meters radius, blowing them away.


    "Gah!"


    "Ah!"


    Those below Spirit Wielders actually got severely injured as though they had just been rammed by a powerful demon. The Spirit Wielders managed to block it, but the power was so strong that they suffered some internal injuries. Only the Spirit Masters managed to block itpletely.


    However, what the man did terrified these vigers.


    "What did he do?"


    "He just said a word and we almost died?"


    "The ability to control everything in the world bymanding them¡­"


    "Don''t tell me, he is themander of the Demon Banner Army, Oscar?"


    "What?"


    The people seemed to be confused as to why Oscar actually attacked them. But thetter didn''t n to let them think about it.


    He jumped toward one of the Spirit Masters.


    A few people tried to protect the Spirit Master, but themander actually ordered them again. "Move!"


    Those few people were blown away again. Some of them even died because of the force.


    The moment themander arrived in front of the Spirit Master, thetter tried to swing his weapon while running away. Unfortunately for him, themander had given themand. And thatmand was so absurd that one couldn''t believe it.


    "Die!"


    "Gah!" In that instant, the Spirit Master spat a mouthful of blood as he clutched his chest, albeit finding it extremely soft as if there were nothing inside. Even the bones seemed to have been pulverized, let alone his heart.


    The Spirit Master ended up falling to the ground lifelessly.


    "!!!" The Spirit Grandmasters and other Spirit Masters gasped, wondering what they should do. They never thought that themander woulde to ambush them.


    "We have to¡ª" The Spirit Grandmaster tried to make them disperse to increase their chance of survival and inform the headquarters, but themander had given anothermand. "Shut up!"


    The area suddenly became silent as the Spirit Grandmaster couldn''t move his jaw.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Themander reached him and said the same thing. "Die."


    "Gah!" The Spirit Grandmaster gritted his teeth. He felt like his heart was being ripped apart. However, he was still a Spirit Grandmaster. He used all his strength to block it, but he could feel a few ribs were broken and there were a lot of internal injuries from themand.


    Themander took this chance to grab his head and crack the skull with his bare hands, ultimately killing the Spirit Grandmaster.


    When they saw themander treating a Spirit Grandmaster like he was trash, they knew that no matter what they did, they wouldn''t be able tond a hit on themander.


    "Run!"


    "We have to run!"


    The enemies hurriedly escaped, trying to survive this ordeal.


    Unfortunately for them, the moment they exited the vige, they would find themselves surrounded by knights from the Demon Banner Army.


    Themander wasn''t worried about them as he continued killing the Spirit Masters and Spirit Grandmasters to weaken the enemies.


    It took themander ten minutes before he wiped them out. Themander was standing in the middle of the corpses while looking around coldly.


    "Bastards from the Supreme Devil Organization. You think you could provoke us without suffering any consequences?" Themander clicked his tongue before coughing. Surprisingly, blood seemed toe out from his cough.


    His ability was so powerful that it could kill someone just bymanding them. However, it didn''te without a price.


    Themander felt his body was being torn apart the more he used his power.


    "Tsk. This is getting troublesome. I have killed around five hundred people from the Supreme Devil Organizations, but I didn''t find a single Devil Saint¡­ It seems that they are hiding in their headquarters, which still remains a mystery."


    Themander found a young maning toward him with a letter in his hand.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Sir, I''ve brought you a letter."


    The young man didn''t exin the origin of the letter, nor did he specify the sender, causing themander to be cautious.


    He grabbed the letter and opened it, ready to use his Spiritual Energy to crush any scheme that hid within the letter.


    However, there was no trick yed in the letter. It was just a normal message.


    Themander said, "Alright. You''re dismissed."


    The young man politely bowed before returning to his position.


    Themander took a look at the letter that immediately caused him to frown.


    "This is¡­" Themander couldn''t believe what he saw. After all, he recognized the handwriting. It was the Third Prince.


    "Commander Oscar. You should cease your activities. The Supreme Devil Organization seems to be nning something. So, it''ll be bad if you get ambushed by them, since who knows what they''re nning to do."


    Oscar was never afraid of this kind of challenge, considering he had enough power topletely crush all traps.


    However, the Supreme Devil Organization had multiple saints and someone who could defeat him, so it wouldn''t be wise to proceed recklessly.


    "I have destroyed four of their bases, I guess that should be enough for retaliation¡­ I''ll n out another attempt to crush them." Themander sighed.

 Chapter 742 Stronger

    Themander ended up returning to the base, thinking the situation had be too dangerous. At the same time, the Royal Family and the Tower Association had also learned about his action.


    "What is this? Did themander do something this big without even consulting us?"


    "Is he nning to rebel?"


    The ministers were berating themander''s action in front of the king, trying to pin the me on themander. However, it didn''t change the fact that themander was killing the bad guys, which was the Supreme Devil Organization.


    For these nobles, the fact that themander moved without consulting them was a bigger problem. After all, this could be seen as insubordination. Even if the Demon Banner Army was an independent army in charge of demons, it didn''t change the fact that it still belonged to the Muivell Kingdom.


    They could easily give a lot of reasons why they should punish themander, such as the Supreme Devil Organization could retaliate back by wreaking havoc in multiple cities or they would be terrorized by the Supreme Devil Organization since those higher ranking people in the organization wanted to make their move.


    They had been pushing this matter to their king, wanting him to punish themander.


    However, the king remained silent the whole time. He had been watching their debates with a cold face.


    He thought, ''These fools¡­ Did they not realize that Oscar wiped out the bad guys? If I punished him, there would be a loss of trust in the citizens'' hearts. I can''t let myself be seen as a tyrant since it''ll cause many problems in the economy.''


    ''Besides, themander has enough reason to justify his operation, considering he has suffered a lot of defeats against the organization.''


    ''Still, I''ve been utilizing the Arbiters a bit too much recently. If I continue using them, there will be a crack appearing within the system itself.''


    ''It seems that I can''t make my move for the time being. However, we have to keep themander in check so that his poprity is not growing to the level of the royal family.''


    The king was assessing the situation carefully. He didn''t care whether themander beat the organization or not. He never nned to punish themander from the beginning.


    What the king actually cared about was his public image. He had to maintain a certain public image to lead the kingdom. And if themander gained a lot of poprity because of this action, it would diminish his power.


    So, he decided, "Tell Commander Oscar toe to the pce. Give my message to other arbiters that they are to remain stand by for the time being."This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Your Majesty." The people didn''t expect that the king would decide to let themander go. Even if he called themander here, it would only be a formality to appease the citizens. There wouldn''t be any setbacks themander would face.


    Of course, the king had another n. He turned to the prime minister that was standing next to him and whispered, "I want you to send a message to the Tower Association. Incite their anger regarding the nt Lord."


    The prime minister nodded with a serious expression.


    The political war between the three big influences in the kingdom was about to begin. The royal family wanted to retain their power as the absolute ruler, themander wanted to use his power to not bother with politics so that he could focus on his enemies, and the Tower Association was desperate to rebuild its reputation after the nt Lord incident.


    Obviously, as an Arbiter as well as a high ranking noble, Marquis Stargaze could see the storm brewing in the Muivell Kingdom.


    He let out a long sigh and looked at the sky, "It seems that there will be a huge civil war sooner orter. And the Supreme Devil Organization will be taking advantage of this situation to weaken our kingdom.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Just like what you said, Luke¡­ the Ardagan Family has been stretching their hand toward the three influences not because they are greedy for power, but because they want to bnce their power to reach a peace between the three influences."


    "Now that the Ardagan Family is out of the picture, there is no one keeping everyone in check anymore."


    "What will you do, my friend? Will you finally make your appearance or will you remain in the shadows? But if you make your appearance, it will be clear that those nobles will use it against you. You''re supposed to have died from execution after all."


    "There is also the young Ardagan, Noel Ardagan. It seems that my daughter is interested in him. Nevertheless, if he doesn''t grow stronger, he will be swallowed by this storm. The same applies to my daughter, who seems to have run away from this kingdom."


    "I hope that they can reach the Spirit Grandmaster stage as quickly as possible¡­"


    Marquis Stargaze fell silent for a moment before shouting, "Butler Lin!"


    "Yes, Sir?" A butler entered the room with a serious expression.


    "How is the preparation?"


    "It''s almostpleted."


    "The secrecy?"


    "No one knows about it yet."


    Marquis Stargaze nodded. "Good. Complete it. It''s time for us to cause a mess with the other arbiters¡­ We''ll have my daughter defeat an arbiter and be one herself. We don''t have much time left."


    "Understood. But who will we attack this time?"


    Kevin squinted his eyes while tossing a piece of paper with a name on it.


    The butler was surprised but immediately acknowledged the order. "I shallplete the preparation."


    "I''ll leave it to you." Kevin waved his hand, dismissing the butler from his room. "I have done all I can for you, Anna. Be a Spirit Grandmaster as soon as possible."


    ¡­


    As he wished, Anna and Noel had been proceeding with their trip quickly.


    They were about to arrive at their destination.


    "To reach the location, we have to cross this valley. As much as I don''t like it, it seems that we have to fight against Superior Demons and a lot of Peak Level Demons." Nicole pointed at the map.

 Chapter 743 A Challenge

    Upon hearing Nicole''s information, Noel immediately made a decision. "We''ll go through the demons. What''s the width of the valley?"


    "That is the problem. The valley is pinched by two tall cliffs. So, the size is about twenty meters at most. If we have to go through the valley, we might have to kill almost all the demons."


    "Cliffs?" Noel frowned. "Can''t we cross the area from the top?"


    "That''s not possible." Nicole shook her head while taking out the map again, pointing at the cross mark. The cross mark looked like it was on top of the mountain. However, there was something different from the usual. "If you take a look at this, you will realize that our target is at the peak of this mountain."


    "However, there is something weird about this map. It turns out there is no mountain."


    "No Mountain?" Noel and the others were shocked. The map they had been using this whole time was urate. Yet, thest part was not. It would surely confuse them.


    Nicole nodded and said, "When I reached the ce, there was nothing but a huge cliff. At the end of the cliff, I could see an entrance leading to a cave."


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Noel gasped.


    "Yes. I''m afraid that our destination is within the cave. Hence, we have to kill most, if not all, monsters before proceeding if we don''t want to get buried inside the cave. I don''t know where this cave will lead us, but this is the only way. I can''t find anything useful when I try to scout the area."


    Noel looked down for a moment, thinking, ''This is weird. Ardagan''s information should be urate, but the fact that the map is different¡­ It seems that the map Ardagan uses for this reward is a map from one thousand years ago. It was used either by my ancestor or the previous civilization. There was a chance that within one thousand years, something big happened and caused this massive change.''


    Noel knew that the information was urate, so he didn''t doubt Ardagan even if there was something different.


    He nced to the side and asked, "What should we do with the Superior Demons?"


    "We can only cut them. If the Superior Demons are only at the level of normal captains of the army, then I can kill one of them within a few minutes. I mean, that is only possible if I utilize my identity as an assassin to the fullest." Dimitri exined.


    "In that case, I will be the bait." Damian nodded. He never expected they would reach this far. Since the destination was right before their eyes, Damian didn''t mind sacrificing himself a bit. He asked Nicole, "How many Superior Demons did you find?"


    "Three Superior Demons: a Giant Lizard, a Spider, and a Snake. There are approximately fifty Peak Level Demons and numerous Advanced Level Demons and below. The valley is about twenty meters wide and one kilometer long. If we advance carefully, we can take care of a few demons at a time." Nicole exined.


    "I see. How about crossing the valley from the top of the cliff and jumping down?" Noel asked.


    "There are a lot of flying demons in the sky. If we disturb them, I''m afraid the entire poption of demons in this area will chase after us. And by the time we jump down, the demons below will destroy us."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But won''t it be the same if those demons order those flying beasts to attack us?"


    "Not necessarily." Nicole shook her head. "If we follow the route, the top part of the cliffs are not that far apart. This will result in a huge loss of the sounds we produce underneath it. Hence, there is a high chance that the flying beasts won''t realize it as they are in the sky."


    "And the cliffs are about seventy meters tall. Normal demons will die if they try to jump. Only people like us who can use rope and other things would survive. So, following the normal route is the only way."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Noel sighed. It seemed that they had no choice.


    Noel made a decision. "Dimitri will remain hidden and Damian will take the vanguard role. Anna and I will take care of the Advanced Level Demons while Nicole handles the Peak Level Demons. If possible, we''ll also help you deal with the rest of the Peak Level Demons."


    "Got it." Anna and the others nodded their heads.


    But before they left, Damian asked Dimitri, "Should we use our True Spirit Body?"


    Instead of Dimitri, Noel was the one answering him. "No. It''s better if you don''t use it. Although it''s true that our target is right before us, we don''t know if he is hostile or not.


    "After all, the target is not a human. There is a chance that he misunderstands us and attacks us crazily. During the misunderstanding, we will need our trump card to at least gain some time until he calms down. So, make sure you save your trump cards. If needed, I''ll ask Anna to take care of the situations, of course, without the True Spirit Body." Noel exined with a serious expression.


    He didn''t want to be reckless anymore, especially when meeting someone so powerful. ording to Anna, the hermit was mysterious, considering the Sword Saint''s disciple had been under his tutge the whole time. Hence, his strength shouldn''t be any lower than Dimitri''s. That was the only reason why they could live in this dangerous area.


    In fact, the hermit might not think a Superior Demon was that big of a deal.


    Now that they reached a conclusion, they immediately prepared for a breakthrough or elimination, depending on their needs.


    They followed Nicole and reached the said valley. As Nicole exined earlier, the top parts were expanding toward each other, creating a pseudo roof that would protect them from anything above.


    The wall was also tall enough. Without a doubt, the only way to reach the cave was through this valley.


    Noel looked at the horizon filled with demons. "Let''s go, shall we?"

 Chapter 744 Fighting Six Peak Level Demons

    "Noel!" Anna shouted.


    "Alright!" Noel jumped forth and struck a demon''s neck, killing it. After that, he formed the Enhance Forward Rune on the demon''s body,unching it to the side.


    The demon''s body crashed into another demon, causing both of them to fall. Then, Anna jumped on top of them and fell like a lightning strike, killing both of them.


    They had been killing a lot of demons ever sinceing into this valley. But their mission had yet to finish as Noel and Anna pointed forward, specifically at the lizard that was lying down next to the wall.


    Damian nodded and stepped forward. With a single wave of his hand, the ground was covered in ice, lowering the temperature of the area.


    The lizard felt the decrease in temperature and looked around, trying to find the cause.


    *Shaa!*


    The lizard stuck out its tongue when it saw Damian and the others. It released a voice that rmed the nearby demons.


    There were approximately a hundred demonsing toward them.


    Noel could see at least six Peak Level Demons leading the charge. Considering there were still a lot of demons left at the bottom of the valley, he believed this should be the time hepleted his mission.


    ''We never encountered a lot of Peak Level Demons on the way, no, there was once instance, but there were simply too many demons around, so we didn''t proceed. Since the chance has appeared, it''s time toplete my mission.'' Noel thought.


    Before fighting those demons, Noel asked Anna, "Can we trust her?"


    Anna was confused for a moment but soon nodded her head. It seemed that he still couldn''tpletely trust Nicole. "Don''t worry. You can do anything. I''ll guarantee she is keeping it a secret."


    "I see¡­" Noel took a deep breath andmanded, "Dimitri and Damian will handle the Superior Demon. Anna and Nicole shall take care of the rest of the demons. Leave the six Peak Level Demons to me."


    "Huh?" Nicole was surprised, but Noel didn''t wait for her. He had jumped forth, challenging those demons.


    Damian was already aware of Noel''s identity, while Dimitri and Anna had witnessed everything about Noel. So, those three were already aware of Noel''s two elements. The only one that had been keeping him from going all out was Nicole.


    He had been assessing her character and finally asked Anna for confirmation. Now that he deemed Nicole to be a qualified person to keep his secret, Noel could finally go all out.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, Noel spread his arms.


    "Huh?" Nicole dropped her jaw, staring at Noel in disbelief. After all, on Noel''s left hand, a huge ice lotus was formed. On his right hand, a fireball appeared. This was the first time she saw someone with two elements, except for the one in the legend.


    "Go!" Noel waved both hands simultaneously. The ice lotus released all five petals while the fireball turned into a phoenix.


    The six Peak Level Demons sensed danger from these attacks.


    A Peak Level Demon who seemed to have infected a chicken increased its speed. It pped its wings a few times, shooting its feathers.


    "Why are you the first one to step up? Even though you are a chicken." Noel clicked his tongue while controlling his phoenix.


    *Cry!*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The phoenix let out a cry as it increased its speed. The fire red up and devoured the feathers. The fire was so strong that the feathers were reduced to nothing.


    The second, third, and fourth Peak Level Demons came forth and shot their respective abilities to stop the phoenix.


    As expected of a Peak Level Demon, even with the full power of the Undying Fire, they managed to fork out something equal, causing the phoenix to explode.


    Meanwhile, the other two demons tried to shoot down the ice petals. Unfortunately for them, Noel had prepared a trick in these petals.


    Once they released their attacks, Noel activated the runes he nted on these petals. Two lotus got Enhance Forward Rune in the opposite directions, another petal got the Falling Rune, and thest two got the Floating Rune.


    Because the five petals scattered, the demons had no choice but to pick only two of them.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The ice petals on the side exploded. Seeing their superiors were in danger, a few Advanced Level Demons tried to protect them.


    Unfortunately for them, the ice petals overwhelmed their abilities, freezing their attacks before they could even hit the petals. In the end, they used their bodies to be a meat shield, causing the petals to hit their bodies. There was a huge ice crystal that came out upon contact before it shattered into pieces together with the demons inside it.


    Still, one petal managed to get through. It was supposed to reach the demons if not because of the chicken.


    Yes, the chicken suddenly stood in the petal''s way and spread its wings, using them to stop the ice petal. Surprisingly, the wing was dded in ck as though it had turned into metal. It was no wonder why the chicken was confident.


    *Boom!*


    The ice petal exploded and covered the chicken''s right wing in ice.


    However, Noel took this chance to appear before the chicken. He utilized the explosions from both the phoenix and ice petals to cover his movement.


    "Kooo?!" The chicken was surprised, finding Noel before him.


    "Toote!" Noel snorted and struck the frozen wing.


    Instead of a clicking sound that was supposed to be heard when a metal hit the ice, the valley was filled with a chicken''s wailing voice.


    "Kooo!"


    It turned out Noel''s de had been covered with the Undying me. The Undying me melted the ice and the sudden change in the temperature caused the metal wing to be brittle.


    Noel used his Anger Emotion in his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to create the sharpest de. He struck the wing and severed it.


    He tried to hit the chicken''s body afterward, but as expected, the chicken hadpletely turned into metal. Without the change of temperature, his sword wasn''t enough to slice the body apart.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue as he used the momentum tounch the chicken away. He stood in front of the Peak Level Demons without any fear. He had gotten stronger since thest time he fought multiple Peak Level Demons and he nned to show it by defeating these demons.

 Chapter 745 Killing The Peak Level Demons

    Noel took a deep breath, observing the movements of these demons.


    The other demons had caught up and tried to surround Noel. However, Nicole and Anna had also reached Noel''s position and struck them.


    Nicole waved her hands, sending more than ten needles. The needles were small, yet, each needle could pierce through the defense of the demons. The energy within them erupted and created a hole in their bodies, ultimately killing the demons.


    Meanwhile, Anna used her lightning to improve her speed. She skillfully maneuvered through these demons while slicing them one by one.


    "We''ll take care of the other demons. You can focus on defeating the Peak Level Demons.." Anna shouted with a serious expression.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Nicole couldn''t say anything because she was too shocked. She didn''t know Noel was this strong. It was no wonder he hid his power and identity. She didn''t follow Noel''s news, so she didn''t know the masked man was Noel.


    Nicole nodded to him, implying her intention. She then rushed forth, taking care of the other demons.


    There was a reason why Noel wanted to kill Peak Level Demons by himself. It was none other than his mission.


    The mission reward was the Union of Sword, Spiritual Step, and Elite Medal. Since the Elite Medal was the upgraded version of the Newbie Medal, it was clear how useful it would be for future use.


    Meanwhile, the Spiritual Step and the Union of Sword were crucial for his future development. It was true that he had Split Step that allowed him to form a shadow that looked like him to avoid the enemies, but he had a feeling that from the name that this Split Step would give him a foundation of footwork. As for the Union of Sword, he knew it would be something great for his weapon.


    That was why he wanted these rewards to strengthen him before meeting the hermit.


    With that thought in mind, Noel had no reason to hold back.


    A pair of ck wings appeared on his back. The Peak Level Demons wanted to help the other demons to stop Anna and Nicole, but Noel pped his wings, sending forth multiple fire feathers.


    The feathers exploded beside them, forcing them to focus on him.


    Noel was ring at the demons as if telling them they should fight him or they would die.


    Three Peak Level Demons decided toe forward, trying to overwhelm him so that the others could attack Anna and Nicole.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel had been preparing for this the whole time.


    Ice Mirror.


    A few ice blocks suddenly appeared all around Noel like that of a shield. With a single wave of his hand, the ice blocks started floating in front of him, blocking the demons'' path.


    Obviously, the demons had their pride as Peak Level Demons. They gathered their energy in their ws and smashed the Ice Mirrors.


    Unfortunately for them, this was what Noel wanted them to do. What greeted him behind the Ice Mirrors were multiple abilities.


    Noel attacked the right demon with his Ice Lotus, sending forth multiple ice petals to the demon. The left demon received multiple Fire Feathers that soon engulfed the demon with Undying Fire. Meanwhile, the middle demon was impaled by three giant Swords.


    *Roar!*


    The demons tried to stop Noel''s abilities. The right demon swung its tail and struck all the ice petals, causing its tail to be covered with thick ice. However, he managed to save his life.


    Meanwhile, the left demon got swallowed by the Undying me. It tried to fight back, but the demon had a hard time extinguishing it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, thest demon had a hard scale. Even the Sword Fall could only prate two centimeters of its flesh before stopping.


    It was clear which one had to be targeted. Without hesitation, Noel jumped to the left demon and struck him with his sword.


    *Roar!*


    The demon was screaming in pain while doing his best to stop the de. But Noel abruptly stopped, meeting the demon''s paw head-on.


    A rune appeared on Noel''s upper arm as he ducked down, causing the paw to hit the rune. It was an Arm Guard Rune that allowed him to create artificial equipment with Spiritual Energy.


    He used this Arm Guard to block the paw while twisting his body to slip past the demon''s defense.


    Noel cut the demon''s hand at first before spinning his body and striking the demon from the side.


    He even applied the Extension Rune so that his sword was long enough to cut the demon into two.


    "Die." Noel snorted, shing the demon. "That''s one."


    "!!!" The Peak Level Demons were shocked by Noel''s prowess. They had underestimated Noel. No, it was because they underestimated him that Noel took one of them out in an instant.


    The other two demons couldn''t move because of Noel''s previous attack. Hence, the three demons from the back chose to kill Noel first before helping the other demons.


    The chicken was at the very front even though one of its wings had been sliced by Noel. He challenged Noel with his other wing.


    Surprisingly, Noel didn''t amplify his sword with his abilities and just took the wing head-on.


    *Cling!*


    The wing had turned into metal, so Noel couldn''t cut it. Meanwhile, the other two demons approached him from both sides. This was what the demons wanted and¡­ also what Noel needed.


    The instant he saw this opportunity, Noel channeled his Ice Element into his de.


    Ice Infusion.


    "!!!" The chicken was startled, but it was toote. The Ice Infusion had frozen hisst wing.


    Seeing this situation made the demons even more determined to kill Noel in this attack. The left side shot a beam at Noel while the other pounced on him.


    Noel hurriedly spun to the left and used his Spirit Weaponry to touch the Spiritual Energy instead of cutting it. He then redirected the beam toward the demon approaching from the other side.


    "!!!" The demon had to use his w to block this beam, albeit the power pushed him back.


    Seeing its friend getting attacked by his beam made the demon hurriedly stop. Noel took this opportunity to approach this demon and slice it.


    "That''s two."

 Chapter 746 Completing The Mission

    "That''s two!" Noel nced to the side. The two demons from earlier had recovered and started approaching him. The chicken demon also wanted to help.


    Noel drew the Rune st, one of the runes he got from the mission that asked him to survive Laufey''s attack. The Rune st shone dimly before it began gathering Spiritual Energy on top of the chicken.


    "!!!" The chicken widened its eyes, but the rune had gathered enough energy and caused a massive explosion of energy.


    *Bam!*


    The chicken was sted to the ground. The power was so strong that it shattered the ice on the wing alongside the very wing itself.


    The other two demons had arrived and tried to stop him. Noel pped his wings, blocking their attacks with his Phoenix Wings. Meanwhile, he drew the Rune Arrow and shot it at the chicken.


    The chicken tried to change its skin, but the arrow was too quick, piercing through his body.


    "That''s three," Noel muttered.


    The people were quite speechless when they saw Noel''s abilities. He managed to utilize his sword, fire, ice, and rune abilities perfectly, keeping the enemies unable to get used to his attack.


    ''Seriously?'' Damian frowned. He kept ncing at Noel since he dared to challenge six Peak Level Demons, worried. But it seemed that his worry was unnecessary.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ''Howe he bes so strong with an additional element? Now that I think about it, he rarely uses his sword abilities and even those weird circle abilities are limited to only two¡­ it seems that he has never gone all out this whole time.'' Nicole assessed Noel and nced at Anna, ''It seems that she has seen all this and be interested in him.''


    Meanwhile, Anna was getting fired up. Since Noel could handle six Peak Level Demons by himself now that he could use all his abilities, she didn''t n to lose.


    There were multiple demons approaching from the front. She stomped the ground and channeled the electricity forward, spreading it so that each demon would be struck by at least one lightning bolt.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were wailing in pain, but Anna shot out a lightning dragon that swallowed and electrocuted all these demons to death.


    If Noel could defeat six Peak Level Demons at the same time, she was nning to kill sixty demons by herself.


    Seeing the littlepetition between the two put a smile on Nicole''s face. There was such synergy between the two.


    Noel continued fighting the remaining three demons. He used his Circr Sword Strike to repel the two demons before jumping to the side, moving to the demon that got hit by the beam before.


    "!!!" The demon realized it had be the new target, so it tried to get away. But when he stepped back, his foot suddenly slid on the ground. The demon was startled and tried to check it, finding a thinyer of ice where his foot was standing earlier. It realized Noel had used this ice to prevent him from going away.


    *Roar!*


    The demon chose to step forward, trying to buy time until the other two could help.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel didn''t n to prolong the fight, fully knowing that other Superior Demons or Peak Level Demons had a chance to hear the request from these demons.


    He used the Split Step to be two, moving in opposite directions.


    The demon was confused for a second before its instinct told him there was danger from the right. It turned around, only to find an intense heat breezing its skin. The gale was so hot that it felt like he was being cooked alive.


    Noel then shot out the Undying Phoenix topletely cover the demon in me. The energy from the phoenix truly cooked him alive.


    "Two more." Noel turned around, seeing the demons start to be afraid of him. They realized that they were not Noel''s match and tried to escape.


    Noel sent forth the Undying Fire Feathers on the sides, causing them to get closer to each other.


    After that, Noel formed an Ice Vortex to swallow both of them. Since the vortex''s speed was faster than theirs, the demons had no choice but to stop and destroy it.


    As expected of the Peak Level Demons, they crushed the vortex bybining their power, but their action allowed Noel to reach their position.


    Ignition Sword.


    Noel struck one of the demons, using the ability to create an explosion upon impact.


    The demon managed to block it with its w, but the st charred its entire arm. Noel took this opportunity to cut down the fifth Peak Level Demon, allowing him toplete his mission.


    As for the sixth one, he used the Ice Mirror to form multiple ice blocks around the demon, blocking its escape route. The demon had no choice but to charge at him, but Noel sent forth his Undying Phoenix to settle the fight.


    In the end, the demon was burnedpletely.


    "Huu¡­" Noel let out a breath of relief after he fulfilled his role. He looked at these demons and said, "I could somehow kill six Peak Level Demons because I didn''t let them get used to my power. But this strategy cost me two things.


    "I spent a lot of Spiritual Energy just to keep releasing all those powerful abilities. At the same time, I had to choose which abilities were perfect and memorize what I had done in the fight so that I didn''t attack them with the same ability or elements. It took a toll on my Spiritual Energy and mind."


    Noel knew that this was what he could do the moment he decided to reveal his identity. And that time wouldn''t be too long either. Unfortunately, he had to endure it for the time being.


    "I''m done for now." Noel checked his reward.


    Medal: Elite


    Effect: Sword Mastery +5%, Spiritual Energy +5%, Rune Mastery +5%


    The reward was simple, but it was extremely useful. At the same time, he also received an influx of knowledge about the Union of Sword and the Spiritual Step.


    He couldn''t help but say, "With this, we''re ready to face the hermit."

 Chapter 747 Goal

    As Noel said, they began marching forward, killing all the demons they could find. There was a reason why they spared no one. Noel deemed it would be troublesome if there was a demon sneaking up on them whether it happened in this valley or when they encountered the hermit. Hence, it was decided to kill all demons even if they looked weak and unable to fight back.


    They met the other two Superior Demons. But due to their coordination, they managed to kill them one by one, allowing them to emerge unscathed.


    Though, killing all these demons took more than a day because they had to repeatedly recover their Spiritual Energy.


    Before going inside the cave, they decided to make a camp where they conditioned themselves to their peak so that they could fight the hermit if it was necessary.


    "Are you ready for tomorrow, Noel?" Anna asked while sitting next to him.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "How confident are you that the hermit won''t attack us?"


    "I''m not that confident." Noel shook his head. "There are a lot of reasons for attacking us, especially with the fact that our races are different. Even if we can somehow make a connection with them, it would be impossible for both races to reach amon ground in an instant."


    "However, we''re pretty lucky since both races are not meeting each other. And I don''t have any intention to extend my hand either."


    "Hmm? You don''t?" Anna tilted her head in confusion. On the one hand, it would be beneficial if they cooperated with them since no one paid attention to the kingdom that was far beyond the border. On the other hand, Anna could understand Noel''s worries.


    "We have different cultures, boundaries, and egos. Both of us will think ourselves to be superior to the others. And that superiority will be the one that sparks a war between us. I mean, that''s basically why humans have four kingdoms instead of a unified one even though we have amon enemy, right?"


    "That''s true." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "Now that I think about it, I''ve given you a hint about my goal. How about you? Do you have any goals you want to achieve? Considering you manage to awaken your spirit, you should have one, right?" Noel asked.


    "Why do you ask this? Don''t tell me¡­" Anna gasped, appearing vignt.


    "It''s fine if you don''t answer it." Noel shook his head. "I''m telling you my goal so that you know what will happen if you continue mingling with me. You should know that my path will be far more arduous than anyone''s imagination, but I don''t have any intention to back down. If you have a goal, I can adjust myself to avoid getting in your way."


    Anna couldn''t help but smile when hearing about the reason. The past Noel wouldn''t even think about it. After all, even if the hatred was solved, he didn''t like or even trust her.


    But this time, Noel trusted her enough to discuss something important.


    Anna raised one finger. "I won''t tell you my goal. However, I''ll give you a hint as well. It''s pretty simple to be honest. I want to reach the peak."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Reach the peak? What kind of peak? Do you mean the Spirit King Stage, the highest stage? Or do you want to be the wealthiest person in the world? No, it''s more like the most influential person¡­" Noel frowned. There were a lot of peaks to climb.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna chuckled. "That''s the hint. I won''t give you any more details. You can guess the rest."


    "That''s¡­" Noel let out a sigh, feeling a bit disappointed. That goal was also confusing because if she wanted to reach the peak, she shouldn''t think about telling him the information from the alternate world since he could use it better than her, thus standing on her way to climb to the peak.


    "Instead of my goal, why don''t we discuss our n for tomorrow?" Anna made an awkward smile. "After meeting the hermit, what should we do if he is hostile toward us?"


    "We will, of course, fight him. At the very least, we are going to buy enough time until we have proven that we''re not a threat to him and that we want to have a deep conversation."


    "That''s easier said than done. The hermit is supposed to be extremely powerful since he can live in this dangerous ce for a long time, right? Don''t you think it''s impossible for us to buy a lot of time?" Anna sighed. Although she agreed with Noel''s n, time wasn''t simply in their favor.


    "Don''t worry. I know what I have to say¡­ Hopefully, that is enough to convince him. Nevertheless, I have to consider the situation first since what I can say will change depending on the crisis."


    "I see. Then, in the worst case scenario, do you think we can somehow escape death and convince him?"


    "I''m not very sure, but we should have a pretty high chance." Noel nodded with confidence.


    "Hoh? What are you going to say to the hermit?" Anna asked, curious. But before Noel could reply, another person beat him to it.


    "That''s what I want to ask too."


    Suddenly, an aged voice echoed within the camp. The voice was unfamiliar, yet calm and collected. It felt like he was saying those words, fully knowing that no one could react to him.


    "!!!" This voice came from behind Noel and Anna. That was why the pair was the first one to react by turning around their bodies.


    "Who¡ª" Noel and Anna gasped. Their reaction was seen by the others as they found out that there was an old man standing near Anna and Noel. Without hesitation, they unsheathed their des, ready to rush.


    However, they couldn''t do it because the old man was emitting fighting intent that was telling them if they dared to make a move, Anna and Noel would be dead.


    The elderly made a gentle smile and repeated his words. "I want to ask that too. Do you think it''s possible for you to convince me?"

 Chapter 748 The Hermit

    "I want to ask that too. Do you think it''s possible for you to convince me?"


    "!!!" Noel''s body trembled, feeling an indescribable oppression from him. It felt like this invisible pressure wanted him to kneel down.


    "Who¡­" Anna gasped, thinking, ''I didn''t sense him at all. How did he sneak up on us? My instinct is telling me that this guy is extremely dangerous. In fact, Dimitri and the others won''t hold a candle to him. He must be at least a Spirit Transcendence Stage Expert. No, he might be even stronger. I can''t measure it urately, but his strength is simr to the time when we were at our peaks.''


    Anna realized that the hermit turned out to be stronger than they expected. In the previous life, both of them were at the peak of the Spirit Transcendence Stage. It was to the point that no one could stop them anymore. No, it was that they were the only ones that could stop each other from going rampant.


    That was probably the reason why Anna and Noel had to be killed. There was simply no one who could control them anymore if they reached the legendary Spirit King Stage.


    And this mysterious person actually had a simr strength to them at their peak. It was simply unbelievable.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The old man had a warm smile on his face. His head was bald as though all the hair on his body had fallen. He wore a white robe that covered his entire body.


    ''Did I just make a mistake by bringing everyone here? But Noel did gain his cooperation in the previous life¡­'' Anna gulped down.


    Meanwhile, Noel was frozen as though he couldn''t say anything. One wrong answer might result in his death.


    "What''s wrong? Do you think you can convince me not to kill you for trespassing in my area? I''ve been listening to your conversation this whole time, so you should know that our races are different. Just for that reason, it''s enough for me to kill you." The old man smiled.


    Noel wanted to open his mouth, but he couldn''t do it due to the suppression. He realized that the old man was preventing him from saying anything. This might be a kind of test from the old man. After all, if he wanted to kill him, there was no need for this farce.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that Noel had to find a way to escape from this suppression.


    ''Ardagan!'' Noel called his helper for one reason. He changed his title from a fighting title to the Affection Medal.


    Name: Hildlru


    Affection: Good (70/100)


    Description: Someone who has a deep affinity with you.


    Noel was stunned for a different reason. Despite all his words, the affection he had toward him was the exact opposite. It felt like this old man was his long-lost friend who finally reunited with him again.


    It might be because of that sense of relief that the corner of his lips began to curve upward.


    Even the old man raised his eyebrows, not expecting Noel to smile.


    But because of that shock, he subconsciously retracted a bit of the suppression. Noel took that opportunity to open his mouth, saying, "Please don''t joke around, Sir Hildlru."


    "!!!" All people, including the old man, were shocked. They didn''t know how Noel could actually call the old man''s name. And judging from his shocked expression, the name was correct.


    "How do you know about my name?" The old man asked while squinting his eyes.


    However, the affection medal would never lie to him. Even though his actions looked like this, the affection actually increased.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Name: Hildlru


    Affection: Excellent (71/100)


    Description: Someone who has a deep affinity with you.


    Noel was surprised that there would be someone like him. It looked like the old man had already known him before he even came here. And for that reason, he had to understand why, as it would be the key to solving this situation.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "You should already know about me, Sir. If you know me, why can''t I do the same?"


    "¡­" The old man fell silent for a moment before stepping forward. He startedughing as his Spiritual Energy began to leak out of his body.


    "!!!" Dimitri gritted his teeth and clenched his de. He opened his mouth, ready to use his True Spirit Body.


    But before he could say anything, the old man red at him and said, "Don''t do anything stupid. If you make a single move, we can see who is faster, me killing him or you saving him."


    Dimitri bit his lips, having no choice but to lower his de.


    The old man smiled and said, "You made one mistake, brat. You said I know you¡­ That''s not true at all. I don''t know anything about you, but I do have a little connection with you."


    Noel fell silent. He thought the bluff would work, but it turned out to be backfired. However, the old man seemed to give him another chance.


    He added, "Humor me with this question¡­ Are you an ally or an enemy?"


    The answer was obvious. If he answered, he was an enemy, the old man would definitely kill him. But all of them wondered if the other option was the correct choice.


    Surprisingly, Noel had no hesitation in answering him. "None. As of now, we are neither enemies nor allies. We are just two individuals, but there seems to be a deep affinity between us."


    ''Huh?'' Anna didn''t expect that answer. Yet, the old man''s eyebrows seemed to twitch for a split second. It ended so fast that others might not notice it, but it was certain that Noel''s words were affecting the old man.


    "Hahaha¡­ Interesting." The old manughed out loud. "If that''s the case, follow me. Since you have gone all the way here just to meet me, I should entertain you a bit. It''s been a while since I have met someone after all."


    "¡­" Anna''s body slightly shook after hearing thest sentence. They hade here knowing that Noel would meet the Sword Saint''s future disciple. Yet, the old man actually told them that he hadn''t met anyone.


    But that reaction was what the old man was looking for.


    "Hoh? It''s you, huh?" He red intensely at Anna.


    Anna''s body froze, not knowing what he saw on her. But he suddenly whispered low enough so that only she could hear.


    "Do you enjoy your second life?"

 Chapter 749 Confusion

    "Do you enjoy your second life?"


    That question struck Anna''s heart as she couldn''t help but shiver in fear. She looked at the old man with a horrified expression. "You¡­"


    The old man ignored her reaction and simply walked to the cave as though it wasn''t important. He asked them, "Youe all the way to this ce to meet me, right? Are you going to enter?"


    "¡­" They were confused. On the one hand, this would be their only chance to escape. On the other hand, there waspletely nothing they could do once they followed him.


    That was why Noel instantly made his decision. "You may stop here."


    Even though he said those words, the first thing he did was actually step forward, following the old man. At the very least, he knew that the Affection Medal was not lying. Even if he entered, there was a high chance the old man wouldn''t kill him.


    Dimitri and Damian looked at each other. Dimitri had a clear conscience. Since he was here to protect his master, there was no way he was going to return. Meanwhile, Damian was interested in what it entailed. He had entered so deep that it would be a shame if he retreated.


    Hence, both of them followed Noel into the cave.


    The only one who remained confused was Nicole. She came here for the sake of Anna. Yet, Anna had a pale expression as if the old man was threatening her.


    ''Is he going to kill us?'' Nicole muttered inwardly, thinking about the danger and Anna''s reaction.


    Little did she know, shepletely misunderstood Anna''s reaction.


    Anna wasn''t scared because the old man wanted to kill her. She was terrified because the old man knew about her secret.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ''What did he do? How did he know? I hadn''t told him anything. Don''t tell me, he has something to do with my reincarnation?''


    ''Now that I think about it, Noel has received a great power up from this ce. No, wait. He told us that he hadn''t met someone and I reacted¡­ Is that how he determined the reincarnation? He actually lied to find me?''


    ''But why? No, that''s not important. Instead, I should be asking why Noel did all that. If the old man was rted to reincarnation, he should give something to Noel so that the ability could exist.''


    ''Noel should have been the one to use it. With his talent and brain, if he ever received the memory from his previous life, he would be able to grow exponentially.''


    ''In fact, Noel should have been far closer to the truth of this kingdom instead of me. He should have figured out the Supreme Devil Organization as well as other problems in this kingdom.''


    ''Yet, he actually chose me to reincarnate. What did he want me to do with this knowledge? Unlike him, I had no important information other than the fact that I wanted to change him. Why¡­ Why did he sacrifice that great chance for someone like me?''


    Anna clutched her head, not knowing what to do. On the one hand, she felt unworthy to receive this much treatment. On the other hand, she might be overthinking this.


    She had to get the answer.


    Gritting her teeth, Anna began to walk forward, chasing after those people.


    "Anna?! Wait. Are you going in? Is the old man going to kill you?" Nicole tried to stop Anna.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unfortunately for her, Anna''s focus remained on the old man and the reason why Noel gave this important chance to her.


    "I have to know about the truth," Anna said while entering the cave.


    Nicole didn''t know what to say. Since the person she wanted to protect had entered, she had no choice but to follow her.


    In the end, all five people entered the cave.


    The cave was dark and long. They seemed to be moving left and right like a maze.


    Luckily, both Anna and Noel had the Moon Blessing, allowing them to see in the dark. However, the old man managed to traverse in the dark without any problems. There wasn''t even any fluctuation of Spiritual Energying from his body.


    "Damian¡­ Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" Dimitri asked while gulping down.


    "I think we''re thinking the same thing." Damian nodded.


    "This old man is far beyond the Spirit Transcendence Stage. That bastard from the Supreme Devil Organization can''t hold a candle to him." Dimitri and Damian muttered in a low voice. They never thought that the hermit would be this strong.


    In fact, they couldn''t tell who would win if this old man fought against themander of the Demon Banner Army and the strongest Arbiter in the kingdom at the same time.


    However, their question was redirected to Noel, the man who knew the information about this old man.


    ''How did he know about this information? How could he know about someone like him?'' Damian asked himself while looking at Noel.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri had no exnation other than the famous Ardagan Sword. In fact, he began to change after making contact with the Ardagan Sword.


    He was supposed to kill Noel and failed to do it because of Luke Ardagan. But the reason he chose to serve the Ardagan Family was because of Noel.


    In the end, he chose to believe in Noel no matter how ridiculous things would be.


    ''I''m d that you can be this strong, Master. I hope that you can continue this way and be the strongest person in the kingdom. I shall pave the road for you.'' Dimitri took a deep breath as if he had just strengthened his resolve.


    Suddenly, their attention was taken by the light at the end of the tunnel. They were about to reach their destination.


    Even Noel slightly increased his pace, wondering what kind of ce was so bright within this tunnel.


    But the moment he exited the tunnel, it felt like the world had changed. Dark tunnel? No, there was a light blue sky in this ce. Stone cave? Let alone a rock, this ce was surrounded by fertile soil filled with flowers and wheat.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped.


    "Wee to my humble abode." The old man smiled.

 Chapter 750 Small Conversation

    "Wee to my humble abode."


    Noel looked around, amazed by the scenery. To think there was a ce this beautiful inside the cave. However, the cloud in the sky seemed to be moving, making him realize that this ce was connected to the outside.


    However, Nicole said earlier that she had checked the area and believed there was no opening that would lead to this ce.


    "It appears you are confused. Well, it''s better to follow me to my house first. We can talk slowly there." The old man pointed at the wooden house at the end of this space.


    Noel thought for a moment before hastening his pace to catch up to the old man.


    "Sir¡­"


    "I know that it''s hard to pronounce my name. In fact, you pronounced it wrong earlier." The old man chuckled.


    "I apologize." Noel immediately lowered his head.


    "Just call me Old Ru. That''s enough."


    "That¡­ I can''t use such informalnguage to address you." Noel scratched the back of his head.


    "If that''s so? The exit is over there." Old Ru smirked while pointing at the cave where they hade out earlier.


    "Old Ru." Noel immediately corrected himself.


    Old Ru smiled. "So, what do you want to ask me?"


    "That''s¡­ why do you have a favorable impression on me even though we never met?"


    "Didn''t you say earlier that we have a good affinity?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel looked down, not knowing what to say. After all, that came from the Affection Medal.


    "Instead of answering your question, I would prefer it if you could answer my question." Old Ru paused for a moment. "Do you enjoy your life?"


    "Do I enjoy my life?" Noel tilted his head. "I am not exactly sure. There are a lot of happy memories, but there are also a lot of things that I want to forget."


    "You are not sure? In that case, let me reword my question. When you are on your deathbed, will you be able to say that you have enjoyed your life?"


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, contemting. "If I manage to achieve my goal, then I would definitely say I''ve enjoyed it."


    "What if you fail to achieve your goal?"


    "If I fail¡­" Noel raised one finger with a smile. "I think I will do it in a way I can enjoy. That way, I at least enjoy a part of it."


    Old Ru smiled as though he was looking at a child who proudly told his goal. "Then, humor me with another topic. If you have to choose someone in this world, who do you think is the most important person to you?"


    "Huh?" Noel was confused by this question.


    Little did he know, Anna was actually reacting to this question. She was curious about it as this might be the answer she had been waiting for. After all, it might be rted to the reason why Noel gave her this chance instead of using it himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel thought, ''Do I have someone like that? The people close to me are my parents, Dimitri, and Anna¡­ Anna?''


    Noel raised his eyebrows, never expecting to think about Anna. There were a few people in the Demon Relief Squad he could include in the answer, but he realized that he wasn''t that close enough to them. There was Rose, but Dimitri and Rose were simr. So, if he weighed their rtionship, he would surely say Dimitri was closer to him.


    As for his parents, there was no doubt they would be at the top. Even though they had put a grand scheme like this, it didn''t change the fact that he managed to stay alive because of them.


    Yet, Anna. He didn''t know when Anna had be one of the closest people to him. They had certainly been together a lot, especially during their time in the Demon Banner Army. Even if they had gone their separate ways, they still relied on each other. Even on this trip, they came together.


    "It seems that the question is too hard for the current you." Old Ru chuckled while patting Noel''s shoulder. "That is fine. You don''t have to answer that question for the time being."


    Anna looked a bit disappointed because she couldn''t hear the answer. At the same time, she felt relieved because she didn''t have to get dejected because she wasn''t chosen.


    Noel made a wry smile. "I''m sorry. There are a lot of options to choose from, so I can''t give you a concrete answer."


    "It''s fine. In that case, I''ll ask myst question. What do you wish to achieve in this ce?"


    "I¡­" It seemed that the little talk they had earlier made Noel a bit rxed. He even managed to utter the request. "I am here to get stronger. I came to this ce hoping that you can teach me how to get stronger."


    "Even though you don''t know if I''m that strong or not?"


    "I do have a hint, but I''m not sure. So, it''s kind of a gamble. Besides, even if I reach this ce, I don''t know if Old Ru will teach me or not."


    "Hahaha!" Old Ru patted his shoulder a few times, satisfied. "Sure. I don''t mind teaching you."


    "Is that true?" Noel gasped, not believing what he heard.


    "Of course. But you have to answer this question correctly."


    "I''ll do my best." Noel nodded without hesitation, determined to get the correct answer.


    "Why do you think I will teach you? No, what can I gain from teaching you?"


    "Ah!" Noel looked down. The answer was obvious. There was nothing he would gain from teaching him. So, he had no reason to teach him.


    Yet, Noel nced at Anna, reminding him of the conversation they had back then. The person in the alternate world seemed to have received the approval and returned with the Sword Saint''s disciple.


    So, the answer might be rted to it.


    Noel gulped down, not knowing if this was the correct answer or not. However, he still had to muster the courage to answer it, or he wouldn''t get anything.


    "Because it is rted to another person?"


    Old Ru looked at him mysteriously before smiling, "You are correct. I''ll teach you then."


    ''That easy?'' Noel raised his eyebrows in disbelief.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

 Chapter 751 Entering The House

    ''That easy?'' He never thought that the hermit would agree so easily. After all, he came here not invited. They had never met and their races were even different.


    "Why are you so shocked? You don''t think I will teach you?" Old Ru smirked, teasing him.


    "To be honest, yes." Noel chose to be honest here, considering he wanted to make Old Ru trust him.


    "Haha. I like an honest person." Old Ru pointed at his house. "In that case, let''s enter first. I''ll exin it to you after this."


    "I understand. Thank you for inviting us." Noel nodded gently. Noel couldn''t help but nce back, worried about Dimitri and the others. "But, Sir. Is it fine if all of us enter your house?"


    "The more the merrier." Old Ru chuckled.


    Noel didn''t know what to say. Old Ru looked like a human. He didn''t even see anything that made him look otherwise. Yet, the way he conducted himself was so different from a normal human, especially with how he was so open in teaching them.


    However, there was no sign of him trying to lie to him. Of course, Old Ru might pretend to ept all of them and do somethingter, but he was so strong that he could kill them if he wanted. Even if they used their True Spirit Body, the area was filled with demons. They would end up dying no matter what.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    When they were about to reach the house, the door was opened.


    "Wee back, Grandpa." A young man, who seemed to be no older than Noel, emerged from the house to greet him. He soon noticed the presence of Noel and the others and looked at them for a moment.


    His eyes seemed to be fixated on Noel, who walked together with his grandfather.


    Noel could see the young man''s identity as well as his affection.


    Name: Lupin


    Affection: Vague (5/100)


    Description: Someone who doesn''t like you but doesn''t hate you.


    Just like the affection, the description was also vague and confusing. It seemed that the young man didn''t want him to be here, but because Old Ru brought them here, he ended up epting them.


    Noel couldn''t really describe the feeling, but at the very least, he wouldn''t be a threat.


    At the same time, Noel couldn''t help but remember what Anna told him previously. Lupin was actually suitable to be the Sword Saint''s disciple.


    He didn''t know if this was possible, but somehow, he realized that after knowing the future, there was a repulsive feeling as if he had over-analyzed him or something.


    If Noel knew that Anna wanted to tell him about the betrayal of the Third Prince and her teacher back then, he would have told her to stop because he wanted to judge them with his own eyes.


    Noel took a deep breath, trying to forget what Anna had said. Then, he carefully took a look at this Lupin.


    Lupin was a young man who seemed to be of the same age as him. His eyes were fixated on his ears. Instead of a pair of ears that looked like Old Ru or him, Lupin had no ears on the side. It was fixed with a pair of ears on top of his head.


    The ears were pointy and hairy, looking like a wolf''s ears. His blue hair looked like it was long because it was sticking out of his back, but when he took another look at it, the one on the back seemed to be another thing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He soon realized that the guy only had short blue hair and the one sticking out earlier was his tail.


    In addition, his eyes were sharp and nted. Other than these three features, Noel couldn''t really find anything that made him look different from a normal human. Then again, those three features were enough for people to realize he was not a human.


    "Can you guess his name?" Old Ru asked with a gentle smile.


    Noel fell silent for a moment before saying, "Lupin."


    Lupin was slightly surprised that his name was being called. However, he soon snorted. "My name is not something you can call!"


    "Oh my." Old Ru chuckled. "I hope that you don''t feel offended by his remark. He has a rough childhood, you see."


    "I understand." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Can you prepare the seats for the guest?" Old Ru waved his hand.


    Since it was his grandfather''s request, Lupin could only agree. He entered hurriedly and prepared things as quickly as possible as if he didn''t want to meet them.


    Old Ru was chuckling the whole time as if Lupin''s action was cute. Meanwhile, the others didn''t know what to say because this was the first time they saw someone with fox ears.


    Anna had heard about Lupin, but she never encountered him in the past.


    So, she couldn''t help but be curious.


    Noel said, "I should be the one to apologize for our rudeness."


    It seemed that Noel understood what happened and the reason why Old Ru only apologized once at the start, not the rest.


    Because this was the first time they saw someone like him, they couldn''t help but stare at him so intensely as if trying to learn about him. That was rude like what Lupin did.


    Hence, Noel had to apologize.


    As soon as they heard Noel''s words, their bodies shook. Dimitri and Damian looked at each other while Nicole and Anna scratched the back of their heads, feeling embarrassed.


    "Hahaha!" Old Ru chuckled and patted Noel''s shoulder a few times as though he was satisfied with him. After that, he pointed at the door and said, "Please."


    Noel nodded and followed Old Ru entering the house. He thought that the hermit''s house would be magical, especially since he showed such power.


    But the moment he entered, there was nothing extraordinary about it. The interior was made of wood and the decoration only gave a warm feeling.


    However, there was one thing that piqued Noel''s interest.


    It was the white sword hanging on the wall.

 Chapter 752 High Level Debate

    The white sword was emitting a powerful Spiritual Energy as though it was alive. He thought this white sword would be simr to Ardagan, but when he asked Ardagan about it, he realized that his assumption was wrong.


    "This is a Spirit Sword. Even though I call it a Spirit Sword, this sword doesn''t have any spirit we know so far. However, it contains a lingering will of the previous wielder, allowing it to exude such Spiritual Energy."


    "Oh¡­" Noel was impressed. He heard about Ardagan and his ancestors, but Ardagan surprisingly responded to him.


    [The will doesn''t haveplete intelligence. Instead of saying it is a will, it''s more like a lingering instinct of the previous wielder. It can detect danger or anything, but it is by no means alive.]


    ''It''s rare for you to speak to me when encountering an item. Don''t tell me, you''re jealous and want to tell me that you''re superior?'' Noel replied inwardly. Unfortunately, Ardagan didn''t reply to him afterward.


    Old Ru guided them inside, where they found a long table. The ground beneath the table was dugpletely, allowing them to slide their legs inside. This way, they could sit down on the floor without any trouble.


    "Please." Old Ru asked them to take their seats.


    Damian and Dimitri took one side, while Nicole and Anna took the other side. Meanwhile, Old Ru and Noel sat diagonally to them, with both of them facing each other.


    "I know that you are tired from your long and dangerous trip. Hence, I won''t take too much of your time. I''ll just tell you the reason why I agree so easily." Old Ru pointed at Noel without hesitation. "It''s because of you."


    "Me?" Noel pointed at himself, confused.


    "Yeah. Do you believe in fate?"


    Noel nodded. "Of course, I believe it."


    As someone who wanted to gain freedom even from fate itself, Noel definitely believed in fate.


    "You could say that our meeting here is predestined. To make it simple, you can say that it''s fate that brings us together. However, the real reason is moreplicated."


    "Do you know that something that has to happen will continue to happen no matter how you try to change it?"


    "Hmm?" Noel was confused. "Do you mean that I''m supposed to meet you and I can''t escape that fate?"


    On the other hand, Anna fell silent for a moment. She waspletely shocked by this statement as though this was a statement for her instead of Noel.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "You shouldn''t think that way. Instead, I''ll give you another example. Let''s say you have to take a breath right now so that you can live, will you take a breath?"


    Noel nodded.


    "That''s right. You will definitely take a breath. But what if the moment you breathe, you end up inhaling poison? Will you take a deep breath?"


    "No. I will only be poisoned. I''ll definitely hold my breath for a while and get into safety."


    "Then, after that, will you take a deep breath?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes. If not, I will die¡­" Noel looked down for a moment, realizing what he wanted to imply. "I see. So, our meeting has been predestined. No matter how you''re nning to twist that fate, it''s going to happen. I mighte a bit faster or slower. I mighte with other people or by myself. In the end, it will only change the process, not the result."


    "Exactly." Old Ru smiled.


    "!!!" Anna''s body shook. When she heard that the result couldn''t be changed, she couldn''t help but think, ''Don''t tell me¡­ Even with all this knowledge and Noel''s cooperation, we can''t still fight against the betrayal. We''ll definitely die no matter how we twist the history?''


    "Still, are you saying that we can''t escape fate?" Noel asked.


    "No, not at all." Old Ru shook his head. "You can change your fate. Instead of being fixated on something that can''t be changed, how about we change our perspective?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I want to stand in front of you! To do that, I have to take a few steps, right?"


    "That''s correct," Noel confirmed without hesitation.


    "In that case, what if I walk with a de?"


    "Myrades will surely try to stop you."


    "Exactly. But because I''m strong, do you think yourrades can stop me from standing in front of you?"


    "Not at all."


    "Then, what if we change the perspective this way? I want to save your life. But in order to do that, I have to wield my de and stand before you."


    "Hmm?" Noel raised his eyebrows. "Are you telling me to look far ahead?"


    "Exactly." Old Ru lined up three cups in front of him and called them A, B, and C. "Take a look at this. If I am at point A and want to get into point B. Between them shall be the progress, right?"


    "Definitely. But if we change our perspective and think that we''re at point A. But instead of getting into point B, we want to reach point C. This way, point B will be the progress itself. In the first case scenario, the progress will be the empty space between the two points. But in the second case scenario, the progress will be point B entirely. In fact, you can even add two empty spaces between those three points." Noel gasped, understanding the concept.


    "If we can''t change fate, then we should change our perspective of our result and see farther ahead. Maybe, once we see that new goal, we will have a different perspective and everything that is supposed to happen will change." Old Ru smiled. He had expected Noel to understand, but it was still quite surprising that Noel could follow him this fast.


    "If I want to escape fate¡­ Instead of thinking that way, I should set a goal farther ahead where escaping fate is simply a means to reach that point." Noel looked down for a moment. "But what kind of goal is it?"


    "Unfortunately, I can''t answer that question. It''s beyond my imagination after all. But as long as you keep seeking that answer, you might find it someday. And you might even be able to go even further." Old Ru smiled.


    Even though both Old Ru and Noel were engaged in high-level discussion, there was one person who didn''t care about it. She only had one thought in mind.


    ''Does that mean that if we have a further goal where betrayal is something that is meant to be avoided, we can avoid it?'' Anna clenched her fists.

 Chapter 753 Arrangement

    "So, what do you think?" Old Ru asked.


    "I think I understand something." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "That''s good then. The reason why I invited you so openly like this is because of the same concept." Old Ru nced to the side as though he was looking at his grandson. "He has been with me since he was a baby. I have been thinking about letting him integrate back into the society.


    "Unfortunately, his identity is somewhat special." Old Ru let out a long sigh. "If I let him go back to the same kingdom, he will end up being targeted. So, I''m thinking about taking advantage of you so that he is a bit more sociable. I can''t protect him the entire time, so I have to prepare him to the best of my ability."


    Noel frowned and asked, "Are you asking us to only converse with him? Or do you n to let him enter the human kingdoms?"


    "¡­" Damian''s expression became serious. As someone from the military, knowing that there was a potential spy entering the kingdom was dangerous, but Old Ru added, "Of course, the former. As for thetter, I won''t convince him or something. But if he ends up following you, then I don''t really mind. Just take care of him for me."


    Noel fell silent for a moment. On the one hand, he had hinted that he knew a possibility that Old Ru was pushing his grandson to follow them. After all, he was supposed to be the Sword Saint''s disciple. On the other hand, he didn''t want to openly say that he wanted his grandson.


    Old Ru smiled, "In any case, you have understood my intention. I can see that the two of you are still Spirit Masters. Hence, I will train both of you. As for the Spirit Grandmasters, I don''t mind if you''re observing the training and benefiting from it, but I won''t go all the way to teach you. You should understand why I don''t n to teach Spirit Grandmasters, right?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Nicole, Dimitri, and Damian nodded their heads in unison. Still, watching the training that a Spirit Transcendence Level Expert gave should be beneficial even for them. In addition, Old Ru should be stronger than their Spirit Transcendence Level Experts.


    "How long are you nning to stay here?" Old Ru asked Noel.


    "We''ve used a total of 27 days to reach this ce. And it''s possible that we will take around the same time to return. In the worst case scenario, it will take more than a month. Hence, we only have around four months to stay here. Is it too much?"


    "No, not at all." Old Ru shook his head. "In fact, I wish you could stay longer. But since you''ll only stay for four months, I''ll teach you depending on your talent."


    "We understand." Noel nodded without hesitation.


    "Alright. You must be exhausted from the trip, so it''s better if you take some rest. We''ve plenty of rooms in this house." Old Ru extended his hand, asking them to follow him. "Also, since both of you are going together, it''s better if you stay in one room. The essence of my training is kind of like that. I usually circte the energy between me and my grandson, so you two might have to do the sameter."


    "¡­" Noel and Anna widened their eyes, not believing what had happened. On the one hand, they didn''t know what kind of training they would receive. On the other hand, Noel actually came to this ce by himself, meaning he had to get help from someone else. This old man seemed to be joking with them to a certain extent.


    "What''s wrong? You don''t want your training to be fast? I thought you didn''t have a lot of time." Old Ru asked with an innocent face as though he thought it was nothing big.


    "¡­" Noel and Anna exchanged gazes. It seemed that they had no choice. They had gone for a lot of adventures together and ended up sleeping in the same tent, so there should be no problem as long as this didn''t cause any scandalster.


    "I guess we don''t have any choice." Noel let out a long sigh.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yeah." Anna nodded.


    In the end, Dimitri and Damian shared a room while Nicole got a room for herself. But due to the old man''s scheme, Noel ended up in the same room as Anna.


    The room was quite spacious. There were two single beds side by side. It seemed that even though Old Ru wanted them to be in the same room, he didn''t push them to sleep on a single bed.


    When Noel entered the room, he noticed something. Every single thing in the room, except for the bed, was only for one person. They had one table, one chair, one window, and even one cupboard. In other words, they had to share everything with each other.


    "Old Ru. Are you sure you''re not plotting something?" Noel asked with a weird expression.


    "I''m not. You can see the training tomorrow and understand why I put you in a single room." Old Ru shook his head helplessly.


    "¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what kind of training could convince them. Ultimately, Noel decided to enter the room, resigning to his fate.


    Meanwhile, Anna still stood at the entrance as if she was hesitating.


    "What''s wrong? You don''t want to do this?" Old Ru asked.


    "That''s not it." Anna shook her head. Their rtionship and identities as knights had gone past the point where they would be embarrassed by this.


    The only thing that distracted her this time was what Old Ru had been saying the whole time. It felt like her reincarnation was rted to his.


    She wanted to ask about it, but she didn''t know whether the other party would answer or not.


    "It seems that you have a lot of worries." He snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the world became tranquil.


    "Huh? This is¡­" Anna looked around, finding everything stopped. Even Noel didn''t make a single move.


    Old Ru''s expression turned grim. "So, do you want to talk about your reincarnation, little girl?"


    "!!!"

 Chapter 754 Why?

    "So, do you want to talk about your reincarnation, little girl?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "!!!" Anna''s body shook as she looked at Old Ru in shock. "You¡­"


    "You should have suspected it already. If you haven''t, then I don''t know why I should drop you more hints after all this."


    "¡­" Anna paused for a moment before asking, "Are you the reason behind my reincarnation?"


    "Yes and no." Old Ru slightly turned his head to the side as if asking her to follow him.


    They walked to the living room again. Anna didn''t notice it previously, but there was a picture frame of Old Ru and his grandson. But unlike the current Old Ru, the one in the picture had a shell like that of a turtle.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped.


    "As you can see, I am a turtle, while my grandson is a wolf. But that doesn''t matter for now since I''m only going to tell you about the time." Old Ru ended his statement with a question. "How much do you know about your reincarnation?"


    Anna wondered if it was alright to tell him about it. But considering the other party already knew about it, he should have pretty much guessed everything. "I only knew that I somehow got reincarnated after I died because of a betrayal."


    "Was Noel involved?"


    "He died with me."


    "Then, what did he say at hisst moment?"


    "He only told me about his name."


    "I see." Old Ru looked at Anna with a disappointed expression. "It seems that you were a big jerk in your previous life."


    Normal people would definitely get angry because Old Ru insulted them all of a sudden. However, Anna had epted the past and nodded in agreement. "You are correct."


    Anna''s expression was calm and tranquil. Her smile genuinely came from the bottom of her heart.


    Of course, she felt disappointed in herself and wanted to remove her past. However, her past shaped the current her and gave her this strength. She could regret it all she wanted, but it wouldn''t change. Since there was no other path, she could only move forward.


    ''I had done a lot of bad things in life. I had killed numerous people indiscriminately. I had made a lot of people suffer just because of my instinct and feeling. In fact, I shouldn''t belong here as my sins were so great that I should be ced in hell for eternity.''


    ''Yet¡­ despite all that, he came to me. We fought against each other, not realizing that both of us influenced each other. I never backed down from his challenge. He never gave up on me no matter how deep I had fallen.''


    ''If there is something I want to do after all this, at the very least, I want to help him achieve his dream. This is my atonement, my resolve, and my gratitude.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anna took a deep breath and showed aplex yet simple smile.


    Old Ru couldn''t help but open his mouth in surprise. He smiled back and said with a relieved tone. "I can see why he gives you that chance."


    Old Ru pointed at the picture and said, "I am one of the Guardian Deities of the kingdom, known as Longevity Guardian. As a turtle, I can live a lot longer than most people. And my ability is rted to time. Even if you see me like this, I am already four hundred years old."


    Anna was slightly startled, but she soon calmed her down, thinking this was the only possibility and an answer to why he was so strong.


    "The shell on my back is the only thing that has witnessed all my journey. It has been exposed to my power for as long as I can remember. Eventually, that shell bes an artifact that stores a massive power of time.


    "As you have probably guessed, the power of that shell is to turn back time. And around two years ago, the shell¡­ disappeared." Old Ru instantly gave the answer, showing that he was the one who truly gave her a second chance.


    However, Old Ru continued, "But from what you''ve told me, Noel didn''t bring you to this ce like this time, right?"


    "Yes," Anna confirmed without hesitation.


    "Then, you should have thanked Noel instead of me." Old Ru smiled. "I have guessed a few things. I know that I will be teaching Noel. I don''t know the reason why I chose to ept him in my previous life, but I can guess a few reasons."


    "More importantly, I should give him my shell in order to help my grandson. You can consider it as a payment too. I told him if he failed to protect my grandson, he should use this shell to restart the time and not fail again."


    "In the end, that shell was used on you. I don''t think he is the type who will break the promise, so I know that he has sessfully protected my grandson."


    Anna paused for a moment. "Yes. There were a lot of problems, but he sessfully protected him. In fact, their rtionship was so close that your grandson became the Sword Saint''s disciple¡­ The Sword Saint from one thousand years ago."


    "Is that so? It seems that my grandson had a great time with him." Old Ru smiled. He pointed at Anna, "In that case, what are you going to do with this information?"


    "Actually, I don''t understand the reason why Noel chose me." Anna shook her head. "I was a jerk and was not as smart as him. I might have paid some attention to the matter of the world, but I didn''t remember every single thing. I still believed that I didn''t deserve this chance. In fact, the world would be better if he used this chance on himself."


    "I am not him." Old Ru shook his head. "The only person who can answer that question is himself. Why don''t you ask him instead?"


    "As much as I want to ask him about it, I don''t know if I''m prepared for the answer." Anna looked down.


    "Then follow your heart. He doesn''t seem to be someone who will do something without a reason. So, if you want that answer, the best thing you can do is to stay beside him for as long as possible until you can uncover that answer."


    Anna looked down with a disappointed look. It turned out she had been receiving a lot from him without her realizing it in the past. That was why he said she was naive, ignorant, and other simr things. It was true.


    "Why¡­" Anna sighed.

 Chapter 755 Lesson

    ''Why?'' That question kept shing in her head. On the one hand, she felt like Noel had a grander scheme. On the other hand, she had been with Noel for a long time and didn''t sense anything like it.


    She had thought about telling him all the information about reincarnation, but she somehow became hesitant after listening to Old Ru.


    Still, she had prepared the ''alternate world'' as a reason to avoid the suspicion. For the time being, she could use this as an excuse.


    "Well, I''ve told you everything. The rest will be up to you and him." Old Ru smiled while waving his hand.


    Their bodies felt like they were moving backward. Her vision was blurry and her bnce was tipped over.


    Eventually, they returned to the room in the position before Old Ru snapped his fingers.


    "Have a good rest." Old Ru smiled and immediately left as though nothing happened.


    "¡­" Anna waspletely speechless. When she turned around and found Noel checking the room, the question once again crept into her mind.


    ''Why did Noel do all that? For what reason?'' Anna gulped down. She was curious about it, but she felt like she wasn''t prepared for the answer.


    "What''s wrong?" Noel asked, noticing her anxious expression.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Ah. It''s nothing." Anna smiled awkwardly. "Still, we need to share living space, huh? Even more, all the things we neede in a single set."


    "We are a bit lucky since we don''t have to share tes and utensils." Noel shrugged, noticing the items were only rted to the bedroom, not other purposes.


    "Fair enough." Anna nodded in agreement. "So, which one will be your bed?"


    Noel pointed at the right one without hesitation.


    "There is no dies first'' in your dictionary?" Anna chuckled, teasing him.


    "Do you want to be treated as such? I can change it the way you like." Noel smirked.


    "Of course not." Anna waved her hand nonchntly while moving to her bed. She sat on the bed and asked, "So, what kind of training will we receive here?"


    "Shouldn''t you know more about it?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "You kept challenging me with new power, so I didn''t know which one you got from here." Anna shrugged.


    "Then, how about this arrangement? Is there anything that can be used only when we''re together like this?" Noel asked.


    Anna tried to recall the memory, but nothing came to her mind. "We can only wait for tomorrow, I guess."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Indeed." Noel nodded. His eyes seemed to be fixated on Anna. "Say¡­ If it were the me from the alternate world, would I bring you to this ce? Would I agree to your suggestion?"


    On the one hand, Anna wanted to say no. On the other hand, she recalled that her reincarnation might be Noel''s gift.


    "What''s wrong? It looks like something is troubling you?" Noel noticed her anxiety. She had been like this ever since she entered the room, perplexing him.


    "That person¡­" Anna nced at the door as if looking at where Old Ru was standing earlier. "He told me something, making me remember my childhood. What if¡­ I''m talking about what if¡­ what if you received a present from someone? That present was so big that it was beyond your imagination. What would you do about it?"


    "Huh?" Noel didn''t feel anything special from this question. So, he just answered with whatever words came to his mind. "That depends on the context. If it''s just someone random, I will take it and probably look at itter. If it''s from a friend, I will cherish it. If it''s from my family, I will take care of it."


    "¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head, wanting to say that wasn''t the answer she was looking for.


    However, she could only sigh. She had been acting weird this whole time, so it would just make her more suspicious. It was better to wait for another day to solve this problem.


    They spent the rest of the day getting some rest and cleaning their bodies, conditioning themselves for the training.


    The next day.


    Anna and Noel were standing in front of Old Ru. The training would take ce in the field, slightly away from the garden.


    Nicole, Dimitri, and Damian were standing from afar, watching them. They couldn''t participate in the lesson, but they could observe them from afar. As a Spirit Grandmaster, learning about the movement of the Spiritual Energy should give them some ideas about what they were nning to do.


    "Are you ready for the training?" Old Ru asked with a smile.


    "Yes." Noel and Anna nodded in unison. It was their reason foring here after all.


    "Then, before proceeding with the training, I will exin the three stages of training you''ll be receiving from me. If you can clear the first stage, you can proceed to the second stage and the same applies to the third stage."


    Old Ru raised his hand and began releasing his Spiritual Energy from his palm. "Releasing your Spiritual Energy is not that hard, right? How about releasing your Spiritual Energy? Just enough to wrap your body in a thinyer of it."


    Old Ru demonstrated it by wrapping his body with a thinyer of Spiritual Energy. It felt like he had a secondyer of skin.


    Noel and Anna shut their eyes to concentrate. After that, their bodies began to emit Spiritual Energy. Noel''s energy was oozing out like a flowing river, while Anna''s energy looked like a balloon.


    "This is¡­" Noel and Anna frowned. They realized that they couldn''t do it. Even Anna, with her knowledge and experience, was unable to reproduce that feat.


    Old Ru smiled. "As a Spirit Master, Spirit Grandmaster, or even Spirit Transcendence, you would definitely have a lot¡­ lot more energy. However, the Spiritual Energy in your body is by no means limitless.


    "What I want to teach you is to control the output of your Spiritual Energy. This way, you will be able to conserve more Spiritual Energy while maximizing the efficiency of your usage."

 Chapter 756 Three Stages

    Noel gasped while Anna recalled this kind of technique from her previous life. Back then, Noel''s energy was indeed calm. He managed to control his energy perfectly so that he could concentrate a portion of energy on the spot where she was going to hit, absorbing a portion of her power.


    It seemed that the essence of the training was about that ability, she thought.


    Old Ru raised his hand again. "Take a close look at my Spiritual Energy."


    He wanted them to look at the thinyer of energy that wrapped his hand. Suddenly, it became a bit inted until it was thick enough to consider it as a glove.


    "By controlling the output of your energy, you could do something like this." Old Ru grabbed Noel''s hand with his other hand and lifted it up to the front.


    "Feel the power difference." Old Ru extended his palm to Noel''s hand and the energy hit Noel''s hand. The impact felt like he was being hit by a punch of a Spirit Master even though Old Ru didn''t use a lot of momentum to increase the power.


    "Then, how about this¡­" Old Ru did the same thing, but this time with less energy. This time, he felt the impact was like a kid pushing his hand.


    "¡­" Noel frowned, feeling the difference.


    "I was watching your battle yesterday before deciding to meet you." Old Ru punched to the side. The Spiritual Energy around his arm became like a me, covering his skin. But once hepleted that punch, the energy flowed to the fist and flew away due to the momentum. "You utilized your energy to follow the flow. You do nothing to control that energy. It''s such a waste."


    "¡­" Noel and Anna looked down, recalling how they used the Spiritual Energy.


    "There are two reasons. By using the energy this way, the energy will be less concentrated, causing the loss of power. Of course, your offensive abilities are overwhelming. That''s something I acknowledge. However, you haven''t fully utilized your ability to its full potential.


    "Then, the second reason is¡­" Old Ru grabbed a stick lying on the ground and wrapped it with ayer of Spiritual Energy. "Noel, swing your de at me!"


    "But Old Ru¡­" Noel didn''t want to do it because Old Ru was only using a stick. Even though he had this technique, Ardagan was a living spirit. He believed Old Ru was underestimating him.


    "It''s fine. Just do it."


    Noel frowned. He had no choice but toply. However, he made enough distance that even if hepleted his swing, Old Ru wouldn''t be in his range.


    "I''m going to strike it." Noel dered. As soon as he got a nod from Old Ru, he swung his de as hard as he could.


    Old Ru also did the same, striking Ardagan.


    But surprisingly, instead of getting chopped by Ardagan, the stick managed to stop the de as if it was made of metal.


    "Huh?!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Old Ru smiled, noticing that the sword managed to break through theyer of Spiritual Energy and cut a portion of the stick. In the end, the stick fell down because it couldn''t support its weight.


    "I see. It seems I''ve underestimated your de. It''s truly sharp." Old Ru apologized.


    "No, no. That''s not a problem. It''s already impossible for a stick to stop my sword!" Noel shook his head furiously.


    "This is the second reason. The durability. With this power, you should be able to increase the durability of your ability. I''m sure it can help you even for an offensive Spirit Ability, right?"


    "Yes¡­" Noel was shocked by the potential that this single ability could have. In addition, this might be something that his Undying Fire needed.


    Damian had taught him how to master a Spirit Ability, but the one he chose was the Undying Fire itself. He had trouble controlling the fire because it was too overwhelming. But this ability might be the solution.


    "This is the first stage. I want you to have some control over your Spiritual Energy. As for the second stage, I want you to match the Spiritual Energy in your surroundings. Spiritual Energy has strengthened all subjects and objects in this world. It might be small, but that stick also has Spiritual Energy. I control my Spiritual Energy, match it with the stick, and pour it to increase its strength."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "This is the essence of the second stage. As for the third stage, it''s as simple as pouring your element into the mix. You should know that your Spirit Ability is unique. Most people receive elemental spirits, but those who have unique spirits are not that low either. So, I want to incorporate the element, or specifically your spirit, into this ability."


    Noel listened to the exnation attentively. Meanwhile, Anna seemed to be contemting as if she had realized something.


    "Old Ru¡­ may I ask a question?" Anna raised her hand.


    "Sure."


    "The reason why you put us into the same room is for this, right? In the first stage, you want us to share all items inside the room while using this ability. The Spiritual Energy will linger for some time, so if you want to use the item, you have to match the amount of Spiritual Energy that remains on that particr item."


    "After that, you want us to gain more mastery and finally notice the Spiritual Energy that the items originally have. With both of us using the same thing, we might notice each other''s mistakes and make improvements."


    "Last but not least, the elements. Both of us have conflicting elements, so there might be a reason why you arrange our stay like that." Anna exined her observation.


    Old Ru thought for a moment and made a mischievous smile. "For that question, I will give you sixty points. You have a general idea, but not fully correct yet."


    "Let me give you a hint, I told you that the Spiritual Energy had empowered all subjects and objects in this world." Old Ru emphasized the ''subjects'' and ''objects'' so much that Noel and Anna could easily notice.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Both of them thought the same thing and looked at each other. It seemed that Old Ru wanted them to circte their energy to each other as well.

 Chapter 757 New Training

    Noel and Anna looked at each other.


    "Are we going to circte our energy between each other?" Noel and Anna asked at the same time.


    "That''s obvious. You two will control your Spiritual Energy, then circte it to each other and continue to the level where your element will be circted as well." Old Ru nodded.


    "Won''t this be dangerous?" Noel frowned.


    "Of course, it will be dangerous. If you don''t trust each other, then you will be fighting back against the energy whether consciously or subconsciously. However, I do think that you can do that, right?"


    Noel and Anna looked at each other. It might be a challenging task for them, but it might not be as well.


    Noel hated Anna in the past. He might still hold some grudges, but it didn''t change the fact that he trusted her enough to gamble his life. Anna, on the other hand, had aplicated emotion because of what happened during the adventure as well as what Old Ru said yesterday. She felt like she couldn''t treat Noel the same way as before. But she also trusted him and even dared to sacrifice her life to help him.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Noel and Anna took a deep breath as they made a decision.


    "I¡­" Noel and Anna opened their mouths before correcting their words, "No, we will do it."


    Old Ru smiled. "For now, your training will be to control your Spiritual Energy in your hand. Try to decrease the amount of energy and form an outeryer that will stop your Spiritual Energy from flowing outside. Then, make it as thin as possible so that it will be like anotheryer of your skin. Once you reach that stage, you can begin circting your Spiritual Energy to each other."


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. Although she hadn''t done it before, she had a good foundation and experience to do so. In fact, she was most likely to be the first one to seed.


    Meanwhile, Noel didn''t want to lose to her. However, hepletely understood that her talent far surpassed him. Even if his talent was above average, it wouldn''t be enough to follow the rate of her growth. Hence, Noel prepared one more thing that could allow him to bypass the gap in their talent.


    ''Ardagan. You should have heard about the challenge. Since this is a task that I have toplete as soon as possible so that Anna and I can begin tackling the same problem at the same time¡­ I think I don''t need to ask for it, right?'' Noel tried to negotiate with Ardagan inwardly.


    And it seemed that his prediction was correct. Ardagan''s response came in the form of a mission and a repetitive training task.


    [Mission: Keeping up with Anna]


    [Description: The training is supposed to be taken by two individuals at the same time. You have to keep up with Anna. Hence, prove yourself by creating an outeryer of Spiritual Energy.]


    [Reward: Spiritual Medal.]


    [Penalty: Time depending on the progress speed.]


    Training: Maintaining the outeryer of Spiritual Energy for 1 second.


    Reward: Spiritual Energy Sensitivity +0.1% (umtion: 0%)


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. He had also received the Fighter Medal and Rune frompleting the previous mission to meet the hermit. With this, he had prepared everything to tackle the problem.


    Still, he only expected a mission from Ardagan. To think that Ardagan would go one step beyond that and give him a training task.


    He knew that the training task would continue to be harder and harder, but it didn''t change the fact that the umtion would definitely help him. In fact, he began noticing the difference in the amount of Spiritual Energy whenever he used medals to increase his Spiritual Energy. And if he just looked at the amount he had umted, he could roughly guess the amount that had increased due to the training.


    Noel checked a few other training tasks and realized that it had be too hard that a new training task had to be given.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Training: Run 3,000 km


    Reward: Stamina +0.25% (umtion: 7.20%)


    Push Up: 120,000 times


    Reward: Constitution +0.25% ( umtion: 6.95%)


    The ridiculous amount was impossible to fulfill in a short period of time even if Noel used all his abilities toplete five push ups in one second.


    Noel took a deep breath and changed his medal.


    Medal: Best Rival


    Effect: Learning and Teaching +10%


    Medal: Elite


    Effect: Sword Mastery +5%, Spiritual Energy +5%, Rune Mastery +5%


    Noel took a deep breath. With this, he had done everything to increase the odds of his sess.


    Noel began shutting his eyes and circting his Spiritual Energy around his body. After that, he tried to move all that energy into his hand, causing his right hand to emit a huge amount of energy.


    Noel concentrated his focus on the flow of Spiritual Energy, trying to decrease the amount that seeped through the pore.


    At first, the amount of energy felt like there was a zing fire engulfing Noel''s hand, but after one minute of trying to decrease the amount of Spiritual Energy, there was a total of fifty percent reduction.


    ''Good. A bit more¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly while controlling his Spiritual Energy.


    Anna had been doing the same, but as one would expect from a regressor, the amount of energy around her hand was minuscule. If this continued, she might grasp a perfect amount of energy within thirty minutes to an hour.


    Despite his partner being able to reach that level in a short period of time, Noel remained calm.


    Noel emptied his mind and focused all his instinct on his hand.


    "Good¡­ slow down¡­" Noel kept muttering as if he was talking to his own Spiritual Energy.


    Old Ru was stupefied when he saw their talent. With Anna''s experience and knowledge, this kind of result was to be expected. But he waspletely surprised when Noel reached this level all of a sudden.


    Old Ru didn''t know that Noel had been training his control so that he could master his fire. Although the concept was slightly different, the training was still effective for this challenge.


    It seemed that he had to re-evaluate their training.

 Chapter 758 Challenge

    Noel and Anna continued for another ten minutes.


    Anna managed to slow down the rate of her Spiritual Energy leaving her body. If she could maintain this rate for a period of time, she could begin the second phase which was to create an outeryer that would contain the Spiritual Energy.


    Meanwhile, Noel was still struggling to decrease the rate of his Spiritual Energy. Butpared to what it was ten minutes ago, the current rate was only a fourth of its original rate.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel also noticed one problem that might actually help him in this challenge. "Can I ask a question?"


    "Sure." Old Ru nodded with a serious expression while watching their progress.


    "What is Spiritual Energy? Are they like gasing out of our bodies? Or is it like water? Or maybe it''s something that I don''t know about?"


    "!!!" Old Ru was quite surprised by the question, yet Anna actually answered that question first.


    "Spiritual Energy doesn''t have any form. In fact, its form follows anything that it''s attached to. For example, if you''re trying to circte your Spiritual Energy inside your body, it will have a liquid form, which is like blood flowing in your body. Once it''s outside, it will use air as a medium, which is like gas."


    "I see¡­" Noel nodded and began to change his approach once he knew about it. If the Spiritual Energy inside his body was like blood, then the process of letting it out and turning it into gas should be evaporation.


    Just like how the water turned into vapor when boiling, he imagined the blood evaporated, releasing Spiritual Energy. His hand would be acting as the bowl used to boil it.


    Noel had just made a connection that he thought was the correct one for him. If his power was the one that acted like fire, boiling all that Spiritual Energy, he should focus on his control to find the right me for this to work.


    The me couldn''t be too big, but it couldn''t be too small either.


    All of a sudden, Noel''s rate of releasing Spiritual Energy began to decrease. In just another five minutes, he managed to bring the output to only ten percent.


    On the other hand, Anna had begun to work with the outeryer.


    Their pace might be different, but they were improving at a rate Old Ru never saw before.


    ''Are they serious? I can understand Anna, but Noel¡­ How does he progress so quickly? It''s not that I don''t believe him, it''s just that his talent is beyond my imagination. Is he using a drug or something?'' Old Ru frowned. In the end, he thought it was Noel''s talent, not realizing his medal and other things also contributed greatly to his growth.


    ''I haven''t even exined the easiest way to control Spiritual Energy, but it seems that Anna has the same knowledge about it. I guess I don''t have to do anything for the time being.''


    Just like that, another ten minutes passed.


    Anna had formed an outeryer and tried to contain the Spiritual Energy inside before shrinking it. However, the longer she did this, the harder it was to maintain that level of Spiritual Energy.


    Meanwhile, Noel had reached the desired amount of Spiritual Energy. Then, he began creating the outeryer.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''What kind of outeryer do I want?'' Noel asked himself. Since he was using boiling water as a reference, he continued with it. ''In that case, the outeryer is like a lid. By putting the lid on, I can contain the vapor inside.''


    Noel tried to form ayer a few centimeters above his skin, making it look big. However, he gradually shrank it.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, having trouble controlling the outeryer.


    Meanwhile, Anna managed to reach her minimum goal. The outeryer might not be as thin as Old Ru, but it could be considered as anotheryer of clothes covering her hand.


    However, this was her current limit. If she tried to push it, the Spiritual Energy would go berserk.


    Anna''s extensive knowledge and experience deemed the spot where she had to stop. Unfortunately, Noel didn''t have that.


    As a result, he continued shrinking the outeryer to the best of his ability. The Spiritual Energy started to fill up the space inside the outeryer and expand to the point where they were pushing back his control.


    "¡­" Noel''s expression gradually became distorted as he had a hard time controlling it.


    "Keep shrinking." Noel gritted his teeth, doing his best. But when the outeryer was only three centimeters away from the skin, his control couldn''t contain the Spiritual Energy from exploding.


    Just like water vapor, the Spiritual Energy kept increasing inside. With no way out, the pressure from the Spiritual Energy began to increase. Once Noel failed to control it, it popped like a balloon, releasing a shock wave.


    *Bam!*


    The shock wave was strong enough to knock Noel down to the ground.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. "It hurts."


    Anna was startled and immediately retracted the Spiritual Energy, not wanting it to explode. After that, she checked on Noel before grinning, "You failed?"


    "No way! I''m just ate bloomer." Noel snorted. He could see that her progress was beyond him, but he immediately got up and challenged it for the second time.


    Old Ru could only shake his head, realizing that these two were not geniuses but monsters.


    "Your talents are not so bad." Old Ru nodded in approval. As much as he wanted to acknowledge their talents, it wouldn''t be too good if they became toocent. "You manage to reach that level within thirty minutes¡­ I can say that I''m quite surprised. However, you have to reach the skin level within a day. It''s fine if it canst only for one second. But you should do it!"


    Noel and Anna nodded with serious expressions. Little did they know, Old Ru was adding inwardly, ''Even though it was supposed to be a task for a week¡­ Maybe I was too harsh?''

 Chapter 759 Understanding

    "Hu¡­" Anna opened her eyes, feeling a bit rxed. She looked at her hand. The outeryer was as thin as her skin, and the energy was contained extremely well.


    However, because only her hand had this outeryer, the excess energy had to flow out from her arm. It would be more troublesome to wrap her entire body with this.


    "Congrattions." Old Ru smiled. He nced at the sky and continued, "You only used six hours to reach that level. I should say I''m impressed."


    "It''s quite hard." Anna shook her head helplessly. "Still, what''s the benefit of this ability? I have some guesses, but I''m not sure yet."


    Old Ru smiled and raised four fingers. "This control has four benefits. The first is¡­"


    Old Ru channeled his energy into his hand. "As you saw earlier, depending on how much energy we put into this, the thinyer could be a te that is harder than steel. And the burst of energy, once it''s popped out, will also be beneficial for an attack."


    "Indeed." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "As for the second benefit, try to channel your energy again to your arm, but this time starting from your Spiritual Energy Reserve."


    Anna tilted her head in confusion and followed his instruction. The moment she poured the Spiritual Energy into her arm, the flow was so smooth that she couldn''t believe it. "Huh? This is¡­"


    "This is the benefit. Once you get used to it, your body, your instinct, and your mind will get used to the smoother flow by utilizing that control. This way, you can use your power more efficiently since you can control the amount of Spiritual Energy you want to use and quicker due to the smoother flow."


    Anna sucked a cold breath. These two alone were enough to make this technique a national treasure. This kind of mastery would allow them to fight against a Spirit Grandmaster in the future.


    However, Old Ru mentioned there were a total of four purposes.


    He raised three fingers. "The third is rted to your training. Once you get used to it, I don''t think I have to exin what you will be able to do, right?"N?velDrama.Org content.


    Anna nodded furiously. "Yes. Once we get used to this, we will be able to adapt to our surroundings and have a better connection with the things around us."


    "That''s not all¡­" Old Ru closed his eyes for a second. His Spiritual Energy started toe out, interacting with the environment. "There are five ants next to your right shoe."


    "Huh?" Anna widened her eyes and checked. As he said, she noticed ants, but there were only four ants. But two secondster, she saw an ant crawling from beneath the grass, revealing its appearance. "What? How can you¡­"


    "Everything in this world has its own frequency of Spiritual Energy. I''m simply spreading my Spiritual Energy and trying to make a connection with them. Once you get used to it, you can find hidden enemies or any details from your surroundings. And if you continue, you should be able to extend it from your body to a certain distance."


    Anna fell silent, astounded by the im. However, it was still within her reason, making her realize that this ability was much more terrifying than she originally thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then, what about thest one?"


    Old Ru smiled. Suddenly, a few lines began to appear from his chest and gradually spread all over his body. The lines were glowing in green.


    Her instinct was telling her that this was dangerous, but the lines didn''t exude anything that could be deemed as dangerous. However, Noel didn''t show this in the previous life. Instead, it was Old Ru''s grandson.


    Considering Old Ru told her that it was one of the benefits, it seemed that Noel either purposely hid this power or simply hadn''t reached this level yet.


    "Bloodline Release. This is the ultimate stage of what you''re learning right now. You are basically stimting your Spirit Seal and creating an artificial Spirit Link."


    "You can consider that you are directly borrowing the Spirit''s power through this artificial Spirit Link. Since you are already aware of True Spirit Body, you can think of this as a downgraded version of the True Spirit Body."


    "The power might be a third of the True Spirit Body, but there is one big advantage of this ability. It doesn''t have any side effects like the True Spirit Body."


    "!!!" Anna''s body trembled. She obviously knew the True Spirit Body. The True Spirit Body forcefully stimted the human''s body and turned their bodies into that of a Spirit. This way they could fully utilize the power, allowing them to release power beyond human limits.


    The power didn''t have to be questioned anymore as it allowed Dimitri to challenge a Spirit Transcendence Level Expert.


    If what Old Ru said was true, they could create an Artificial True Spirit Body. The effect might be lower, but there was no side effect.


    When one used the True Spirit Body, their links with the spirit would be ruined, causing them to be unable to use the spirit for a period of time. They had to endure the excruciating pain of mending those links as well.


    So, this ability could only be described as god-like. It was no wonder why his grandson used this ability a lot.


    "I would never think such a thing is possible." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "So, how is it? I think this makes your trip here worth it, right?"


    "Indeed. But by telling us about this powerful ability, aren''t you afraid that we''ll be giving these to human kingdoms to fight against your kingdom?"


    Old Ru shook his head. "I don''t really mind to be honest. Besides, there are two big limitations to this ability. First, you need at least 80% of the Conversion Rate. Lower than that, your link with your spirit is simply too low to stimte this power. In fact, you might not be able to create an outeryer."


    Anna nodded in agreement. Even with her conversion rate, previous life knowledge, and her experience, it was hard to even maintain it on her hand, so she understood the difficulty. "Then, what about the second limit?"

 Chapter 760 Progress

    "The second limitation is the Spirit Link. Even though I said that this ability could create a Spirit Link, it wouldn''t be possible if your body didn''t have a Spirit Link in the first ce. You could say that your body had to understand the Spirit Link first before being able to attempt this."N?velDrama.Org content.


    "¡­" Anna was stupefied. The requirement was extremely hard. There might be some humans that could reach this level, but each kingdom wouldn''t have more than five people. It was no wonder why Old Ru taught them without any care. "Still, how do you know our conversion rate and the Spirit Link?"


    "I simply read your Spiritual Energy frequency." Old RU smiled while adding inwardly, ''The girl is extremely dangerous. 95% conversion rate and a Spirit Link¡­ It seems that her Spirit Link is extremely solid as well. Her talent is above my grandson, who only has a 90% conversion rate and a Spirit Link.''


    ''However, the terrifying one is Noel. He has a conversion rate of 100%. There is a Spirit Link in his body, but it feels like halfpleted. I have never encountered an iplete Spirit Link, but if I have to guess, it seems that this Spirit Link ispleted. The only reason why it looks iplete is because there is another Spirit residing in his body.''


    ''In addition, that Spirit is taking precisely half of his body, meaning that Spirit also has a 100% conversion rate. In other words, Noel has two Spirits with a 100% conversion rate and potentially two Spirit Links. His name will surely go down in history.''


    Old Ru didn''t know that if he didn''t have Ardagan, he couldn''t get this opportunity.


    However, Old Ru also noticed the speed of his growth. It was less than Anna, but the more time passed, the more refined his ability became.


    Old Ru didn''t know that Noel had yet toplete the training task, which would allow him to be more sensitive to energy, increasing his training speed further. If he knew about it, he would probably expel him from here, unable to take it in his heart.


    "Now that I have managed to do it, what should I do?" Anna asked while pointing to his other hand. "Should I do two at the same time?"


    "Yes. You will have to reach the full body eventually. So, it''s better for you to start early."


    Anna nodded without hesitation. Although she could wait for Noel here, she didn''t hesitate to proceed,pletely believing Noel was able to catch up.


    Of course, Noel had been listening while training. He finally understood the reason for his training which made him more fired up.


    It was no wonder why he could catch up to Anna in the past life. This ability would definitely y a huge part in it.


    On top of that, he also nned to get the True Spirit Body for both spirits. He didn''t know what would happen at that time, but this True Spirit Body would definitely give two different kinds of power, allowing him to make his opponent unable to get used to his power.


    Noel took a deep breath and continued with his training.


    After another three hours, Noel managed to cover his hand with this thinyer of skin.


    "I have finished my first task." Noel opened his mouth, showing the result.


    "That''s good enough." Old Ru nodded after observing the outeryer. He nced at the sky and said, "There are about two more hours before sunset. You can continue if you want. Since you''ve seeded, you should be able to do the rest by yourself. I''m going to prepare your food."


    "Thank you, Old Ru." Noel politely bowed. There was no obligation for Old Ru to ept them, yet, he actually did so much for them. He didn''t know how to thank him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It''s fine. If you want to thank me, do me a favor before you depart. That''s enough." Old Ru waved his hand with a smile.


    "I understand." Noel nodded. After Old Ru returned to the cabin, Noel took a peek at Anna''s progress.


    As expected of Anna, she managed to cover both shoulders already. It seemed that once she knew the trick, she could proceed at a far faster speed.


    If this continued, she would have cleared the first hurdle which was to envelop the whole body with thisyer of Spiritual Energy.


    And that was where the serious training would begin.


    Noel only managed to cover an entire right arm after another two hours. His progress might not be as good as Anna, but his pace gradually became faster. After all, this training allowed Noel to actually adapt to his Spirit Link.


    Heisk had given him the Spirit Link, increasing his Spiritual Energy Sensitivity. The training task should also be rted to Heisk.


    And with this training, he could finally make full use of it. It was awkward at first, considering the first time he tried it, the surge of energy caused a shock wave and knocked him down.


    But the more he used it, the higher his mastery became. If this continued, he should be able to catch up to Anna within three to four days.


    "Huu¡­" Noel took a deep breath, feeling a bit exhausted.


    "How is it? It seems that you''ve made good progress." Anna smiled, checking his condition.


    "Yeah. However, I''m not going to lose against you." Noel smirked.


    "Is that so? I won''t be pulling my punch, you know."


    "Haha. We can decide once we go back to our room. Maybe I will hinder you¡­" Noel had a mischievous grin on his face. "How about a bet?"


    "Hoh? Interesting. The loser will have to say one line that the other party wanted."


    "Huh? One line?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. The bet looked small at first nce, but he soon realized that she could force Anna to say she loved females to Nicole, causing a ruckus among the Stargaze Family. It seemed that the bet wasn''t that small either.


    Noel and Anna grinned, feeling excited.


    "We have a deal."

 Chapter 761 Same Plan

    After having their dinner and washing their bodies, Noel and Anna returned to their room. They had been quite tense this whole time due to the bet they had.


    "Are you ready to lose?" Noel smirked as if he had prepared a n to mess with her.


    "I think you should be the one to prepare for it." Anna snorted. "There is no rule regarding sabotaging your opponent."


    "What chivalry? If chivalry can be applied to every single person in the world, no one will be called cunning." Noel snorted.


    "If you think you can pull ahead of me by training during the whole night, then you''re wrong." Anna stepped forward, entering the room.


    "No. You''re the one who can''t train tonight!" Noel wasn''t afraid of her.


    Once they stepped into the bedroom, they stopped for a moment, waiting for the signal to start their n.


    "We will use this." Noel took out a coin. "Once it drops to the ground, we will begin."


    "Bring it on!" Anna pped the back of his hand, causing the coin to fly into the air for three seconds before falling down.


    The few seconds the coin took to fall down felt so long.


    Cling!


    But once they heard the clicking sound from the ground, they immediately jumped forth, heading straight to the cab that separated their beds.


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes when grabbing the cabs. Anna also had the same confusion.


    They looked at each other and asked the same thing, "What are you doing?!"


    They weren''t the type who exined first and took actionter. Instead, they moved the cabs first, making each other realize their intention.


    There wasn''t a single wording out of their mouth. After moving the cab away, both Noel and Anna ended up pushing their beds toward each other.


    ck!


    The shing sound of wooden frames made them realize that they had the same intention.


    "You¡­ What are you thinking? Are you trying to sleep on the same bed as me?!" Anna shouted while ring at Noel.


    "I should be the one asking you! Are you trying to ruin my reputation?!"


    They ignored the fact that they were moving their beds toward each other and tried to me the opposite party.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that their n was the same.


    Anna did this for the sake of distracting Noel. If she somehow managed to stop Noel from practicing here and even force him to leave, it would be a huge win. But sleeping like this would definitely hit her reputation and even break some taboos among noble rules.


    Her only excuse was, "I sleep on my bed; you sleep on your bed. If you dare to cross the line, then it means that you''re the one who is lustful. Even if it joins together, it doesn''t change the fact that we''re sleeping on our own bed!"


    On the other hand, Noel never cared about this in the first ce. After all, he had lost his status after his parents were executed. Since there was nothing to be destroyed, then he didn''t have to care about it.


    He said, "How disgusting. A noble dares to use her status to sleep with amoner!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You are openly admitting yourmoner status right now just because you think it''s right! Do you think anyone will care about that now?!" Anna snorted.


    "Of course. If you dare to do it, I can tell it to your future husband, causing a scandal to ruin your reputation!"


    "You dare? Your reputation will be hit as well!"


    "Haha, you can me society for that. There are a lot of nobles having multiple wives!"


    "I don''t care. You are not the type who will have more than one wife to me!" Anna snorted.


    "You''re just spouting a random excuse right now!" Noel harrumphed.


    Noel and Anna red at each other. Their words made less and less sense.


    In the end, both of them stood on their beds, looking at each other.


    "Hmph. If I can''t marry someone else because you are trying to ruin my reputation, I can simply make you marry me!" Anna snorted.


    "What? You can''t. I''m going to rebuild the Ardagan Family. So, you won''t be able to use your power to force that marriage!"


    "I can do it right now!" Anna smiled evilly. "You are still amoner right now. It''s not weird for a noble to force a marriage to amoner. You can say it''s to elevate your status. You should be thankful to me."


    "You dare? In the past, I might not have enough power to fight you. But right now, I can defeat you!"


    "You are still weaker than me! If you lose, how about you call yourself Noel Stargaze?" Anna looked down at him to tease him.


    Normally, the bride would be marrying into the groom''s family. But that only happened when both parties had simr power or status. In the case of amoner and a noble, themoner was bound to marry into the noble family to elevate their status.


    In that case, Noel had to change his name and follow her family name.


    "In that case, we can fight right now and see whether you''re strong enough to defeat me or not." Noel harrumphed.


    "Sure. I have a True Spirit Body with me. Once I defeat you, you won''t be able to do anything."


    "You said I''m smarter than you. Once I marry into your family, I''m definitely ruining your family from the inside." Noel gritted his teeth, not wanting to lose.


    Anna couldn''t reply to that one because that was what she admitted a long time ago.


    Both of them didn''t seem to be backing down.


    But once they calmed down for a moment, they realized that their bickering had gone to the way where the situation ended up with them marrying each other, whether she entered his family or the other way around.N?velDrama.Org content.


    "¡­" Noel and Anna fell silent. They never admitted it openly, but whenever they thought about it, they truly couldn''t find someone who could be said to be equal to them other than the one in front of them.


    "Say¡­" Noel opened his mouth with a tired expression.


    "Yeah. Let''s stop it." Anna sighed, feeling embarrassed that she got so worked up about this.

 Chapter 762 Confrontation

    ''Hu¡­ I shouldn''t get too worked up. I am supposed to be older than Noel right now¡­'' Anna took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart down. ''I don''t know why but whenever I argue with this guy, I can''t help but get a bit too excited. I should act more mature¡­''


    ''It''s probably because I have been too emotionless in the past due to the brainwashing that I haven''t got the chance to let go of all my pent-up emotion¡­ And only by bickering like this can I let go of all my frustration.''


    ''No, no. Why did I make an excuse? I simply have to act like my age.'' Anna tried to calm down, but whenever she saw Noel''s calm and collected face made her feel slightly annoyed. Noel was supposed to be younger than her, but because of herpetitiveness, she thought of his maturity as a littlepetition in her heart.


    She had been like this a lot of times whenever she was with Noel. ''How do I put this in words? I feel like I can be my true self when I''m with him like this?''


    Anna had changed a lot from the past her. And Noel was the one who brought that change. It might be because of it that she trusted Noel so much that it was fine to let him see this side of her.


    Anna let out a long sigh, thinking this had gotten a bit out of control.


    Meanwhile, Noel also had his own thoughts about her. ''I hated her in the past. I hated her for trying to kill my parents and even almost killed me. But when she told me about that alternate world, I couldn''t help but wonder what the other me thought about her.''


    ''She must have been horrible and killed a lot of people. Yet, she told me that the other me tried to help her. Why?''


    ''I couldn''t understand what the other me thought of her. However, I do admit that she is special. My talent was bad before I met Ardagan. Only thanks to Ardagan could I reach this level.''


    ''On the one hand, my inferiority might be the one causing me to be agitated whenever I bickered with her. On the other hand, I think I''ve lost all that hatred. She might have been horrible in the past, but the current her is extremely different. She is¡­''


    It felt like a coincidence that before Noel could think of an answer, Anna actually asked, "Say, Noel¡­ If you receive the chance to peek into the alternate world, what would you do?"


    "Hmm?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "Do you mean if I have the chance to be like you?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I don''t really care about that!"


    "Huh?" Anna was startled by the answer. "Why? If you got this kind of knowledge, wouldn''t that give you a chance to reverse everything and even create a future you desire?"


    "Is that so? That sounds tempting." Noel nodded in understanding.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then¡ª"


    Noel waved his hand, stopping her. "Listen to this story. There is a son who kills his father. That son is being condemned by the whole vige. Do you think the son is a bad guy or not? If he can choose to return to the past and fix his mistake, will he do it?"


    "That''s obvious. He should return to the past. This way, he won''t be condemned by the whole vige and won''t have to bear the mistake."


    "In that case, what if the son kills the father because thetter is beating him and his mother every single day? And that murder is only the reaction of the boy to survive and protect his beloved mother?"


    "That''s¡­" Anna looked down, not being able to answer.


    "I have made a lot of mistakes in the past. Just thinking about it makes me so embarrassed that I want to dig a hole to hide. However, that''s what defines me. My past has created the current me, and my future is the one that shapes my path." Noel pointed at himself while smiling. "But the present me is the one making a decision. Whether it''s right or not, I will make a decision where I will continue to move on. There will surely be some regrets, but I''m not going to run away!"


    "Not running away?" Anna contemted. It felt like Noel was saying she had been running away from her mistake. But this chance was actually given by him as if he wanted her to do just that. This made her confused.


    She recalled the story and tried to change it a bit. "In that case, how about after killing the father, the boy ends up regretting it? However, no matter what he does, he won''t be able to bring back his father. The only thing he can do is to atone for his mistake. He continued working hard for the next ten years and solved all kinds of disasters. Do you think the boy has atoned for his sins?"


    Noel shook his head, answering it with another question. "If I said yes, would the boy stop solving the disasters?"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s¡­" Anna fell silent. If the boy stopped, the disasters would strike and cause more misery.


    "What I hate is the boy who kills his father. However, what I like is the boy who solves numerous disasters. Sin is sin; merit is merit. It won''t be washed away no matter what you do. That''s why if I truly can reject that chance, then I would rather not go through it. If people wille for my life, then I shall confront them head-on. If people wille to thank me, then I shall wee them with a hug."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. All the people she killed in the past would continue to haunt her. Even if she returned to the past, that memory would continue to linger in her mind. She had been changing the future for the better. But as he said, would she stop if he acknowledged her deeds?


    What Noel gave her was not the chance to redo her life and fix her mistakes. Instead, he gave her the opportunity to do what her past life couldn''t do. They were not the same. And the question was, what could she do? What made Noel give that chance to her? In other words, the reasons why she had this chance¡­ the only thing she could do. It would be a hard path for her, but she had to find it.


    Anna couldn''t help but smile. "A truce?"


    "Peace agreement." Noel smiled back.

 Chapter 763 Knot

    Noel and Anna continued working on their control. Now that they had reached an agreement, they began to observe each other and exin what they found.


    Anna found multiple mistakes in Noel''s control and fixed them for him. Meanwhile, Noel also had his own different perspective that even Anna just figured out.


    Instead of fighting against each other, they ended up working together to hasten their progress.


    However, Noel still couldn''t forget how Anna expressed her concern. It seemed that Anna thought her life in the alternate world was real, impacting her behavior. The Noel in that world should have done a lot for her as if trying to change her.


    In the end, they couldn''t achieve anything before getting betrayed. It seemed that Anna was burdened by the fact that she killed a lot of people in that world. Most of those people didn''t deserve death.


    Hence, when Anna received all that memory, her mind underwent an abrupt change. She realized that she had done everything wrong and tried to fix it to atone for her sins.


    And one of the objectives should be changing him so that they don''t have to fight anymore and end up getting betrayed.


    Hepletely understood her concern. And all the pieces of information she had revealed were quite simr to that alternate world.


    Noel couldn''t help but feel a bit curious regarding this matter. On the one hand, Anna considered it an alternate world. On the other hand, she spoke like she hadpletely experienced that world.


    Of course, he understood that receiving a memory of that world, especially if that memory came from birth to her death, would definitely feel real and affect her personality. But Noel felt like this matter wasn''t as simple as that.


    Noel asionally took a peek at her, thinking about this matter. Like how Anna believed that they could go further if they joined hands, Noel also recognized that the only one who could probably stand beside him on that path was Anna.


    This made him in a dilemma. Noel considered Anna his friend, or even more than just a friend. However, Noel still couldn''t see Anna romantically despite spouting everything regarding his woman, marriage, and so on. In fact, this was also the reason why he never thought much about other women in his life.


    He had certainly ovee his trauma, but if he thought about the continuation of the Ardagan Family, he couldn''t help but think about the effect of Ardagan.


    As he learned from Ardagan, he wouldn''t be able to produce more than one heir. In addition, his goal would definitely cause his wife to be sad.


    Hence, he had to be careful when he picked someone to be his wife.


    Still, there was something bothering him. The Noel from that alternate world seemed to be doing his best to change Anna.


    It felt like the Noel in that world wished to mend their rtionship and eventually work together.


    So, Noel couldn''t help but wonder if the Noel in that world had fallen for Anna.


    Whenever he thought about it, he could only pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling troubled by that thought.


    And due to this thought, his progress became a bit slower. On the other hand, Anna had resolved one of the biggest hurdles in her heart, causing her to tackle the current training with a clear mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    Anna opened her eyes right before sunset. When she looked at her hands and moved to her entire body, she realized that she had done it.


    She had managed to create an outeryer that looked like skin all around her body. However, her control could only maintain it for three seconds before it disappeared.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent while taking a nce at Noel. Noel had covered his body, but his head still looked like a helmet. If this continued, he should be able to achieve it right before they fell asleep.


    However, looking at his progress ended up making her feel slightly ashamed. After all, Noel was the reason why she managed to clear this hurdle so quickly.


    In the end, Anna closed her eyes once again. This time, she enveloped her body and inted the head so that it looked like she hadn''tpleted her training.


    It seemed that she was nning to make it look like she had lost this battle to thank Noel for the answer.


    Old Ru might not be around them, but Damian, Dimitri, and Nicole were watching them the whole time, including how Anna behaved.


    "Huh? Why did Anna do something like that?" Nicole frowned.


    "Can''t you see that she is in love with him?" Damian smirked.


    "If I''m not wrong, Anna and Master often make a littlepetition. It seems that Anna is nning to let Master win." Dimitri frowned. "I don''t know what happens between each other, but their rtionship has be weirder ever since we reached that camping site."


    "Hmm?" Nicole scratched the back of her head. "I thought that Anna hated the Ardagan Family to the bone and wanted to eliminate them to remove future threats."


    "That was what I thought as well to the point where I wanted to humble her. But she had definitely changed." Dimitri shook his head helplessly, remembering the fights they had in the past.


    "Don''t you think something will happen since they are sleeping in the same room?" Damian smirked, teasing Nicole and Dimitri since they were Anna and Noel''s guardians.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Surprisingly, Nicole didn''t give any reaction as if she had given her approval. Noel had two spirits and was the heir of the Ardagan Family. So, there was no objection from her, especially after seeing Noel was this capable.


    As for Dimitri, he imed, "Those two actually joined their beds together."


    "How did you know?"


    "I''m a butler, you remember? I thought about tidying up their beds and cleaning up their room. But once I saw it, I couldn''t help but nail those beds together so that they couldn''t separate anymore." Dimitri looked calm and collected, but Nicole and Damian could sense that he was proud of it.

 Chapter 764 Observation

    "Are you serious?" Nicole''s eyebrows twitched. "I mean, do you not have any objections regarding their rtionship? As much as I don''t want to admit it, Anna was kind of¡­ horrible in the past."


    "You said it yourself. It was in the past." Dimitri shook his head helplessly. "Everyone could change. If I don''t give them a chance just because of what happened in the past, then that person might not be able to change anymore. Besides, there are not a lot of people who can stand on equal ground with my master."


    "In this kingdom alone, there are only two women who can be considered worthy to be my master''s wife. One of them is Anna, while the other is the Sword Arbiter''s daughter, Sword Princess Zera. However, I can''t wrap my head around an Arbiter, especially that old man, so I think Anna is the best candidate."


    "Of course, there is also a candidate from neighboring countries..." Dimitri nced at Damian. "¡­such as the rumored hidden genius princess, the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom, Princess Livia. And her biggest contender should be the Prime Minister''s daughter, a business genius."


    "¡­" Damian fell silent for a moment. "You surely have prepared for all of this, haven''t you? How much have you investigated?"


    "I don''t understand what you mean. I am simply thinking about the Ardagan Family''s future in my mind. Seeking the wife for the master is the butler''s job, you know." Dimitri looked away.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "If I tell you to cooperate with me for matchmaking, what will you do?" Damian asked with a nonchnt expression, but the question seemed to be extremely important.


    "I would definitely cooperate unless my master tells me otherwise."


    "¡­" Damian and Dimitri looked at each other as if they were trying to negotiate. However, Damian ended up sighing, saying, "He is simply too much. I''m just afraid that he will end up causing a disaster instead."


    "Are you cursing my master?" Dimitri squinted his eyes.


    "Of course not." Damian shrugged.


    "Hello, you guys. Why are you talking like Anna is irrelevant? You talk like Anna will end up marrying him. Shouldn''t you question whether Anna wants him or not? Don''t you know that Anna is extremely beautiful and powerful? There are a lot of people wanting to marry her." Nicole raised her hand, interrupting them.


    Damian and Dimitri only looked at her like she was a fool.


    "What are you talking about? We are already aware of her reputation. But her action here has shown enough that she is at least interested in him. Their movements are in sync, so what do you want to say?" Damian tilted his head in confusion.


    "That''s right. Even if she has a lot of suitors, does it really matter if she isn''t nning to ept them? I''ve heard that a lot of those guys are scared because of her entric behavior in the past." Dimitri nodded in agreement.


    "Why do I feel like I''m the one being bullied?" Nicole let out a sigh. "Then, let''s change the topic. What do you think about the skill they are learning right now?"


    Dimitri thought for a moment and said, "It''s quite a peculiar technique. Instead of relying on the Spirit Abilities, that technique is actually forcing us to learn how to control Spiritual Energy in its purest form."


    Damian agreed with him. "Normally, the control is divided into two categories: Soft and Hard Approaches. However, it''s simply controlling the ability ording to the purpose. Meanwhile, this technique controls the Spiritual Energy itself. If we infuse our element or Spirit Ability, there is a chance¡­"


    Dimitri nodded. "Yeah. There is a chance that a sword wave can be used as something else, like a barrier or something. Of course, it''s not good to use an offensive ability as a defensive one, but if you put up your guard, this ability allows you to maximize it. In other words, the purpose of this ability is to bring the full potential of the ability that can''t be exerted in its original form."


    "That sounds extremely powerful. Does that make the trip worth it?" Nicole asked, especially Damian, who came from another country.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Of course. I''ve been trying to do the same, but it''s harder than I expected. Still, if I continue observing them and try to replicate them, it should be enough to increase my overall abilities. If a person like Dimitri uses it, he won''t have to be afraid of a Spirit Transcendence anymore. Bringing this information alone is worth multiple trips."


    "I don''t really care about the Muivell Kingdom. But if my master wants to spread the knowledge, I''ll respect his will. Either way, it''s enough if it makes him stronger." Dimitri shook his head.


    "Fair point. Why don''t you just move to the Greenwood Kingdom? We''ll definitely take care of you." Damian smirked.


    "Shut up."


    While those two were arguing, Noel and Anna seemed to have woken up from their meditation.


    They immediately returned to the house. After dinner, Noel continued his training since he was just one step away frompleting the training.


    To avoid alerting Noel, Anna also did the same training while making it look like she was struggling with it.


    In another three hours, Noel finally managed toplete the training by wrapping his body with a thinyer of Spiritual Energy.


    Even his training task waspleted since it only required him tost for one second.


    "Hahaha! I''ve finallypleted the training!" Noel immediately stood up, proudly iming.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock and said with a gasp. "What? How?"


    "Hehe. It must be because of my talent." Noel harrumphed.


    "Kh." Anna gritted her teeth, looking very frustrated. "I was just a bit away from it."


    "Since you lose, you better prepare to say something against your will." Noel smirked evilly.


    Anna looked unwilling, but she ended up snorting, "Hmph. Try it. I don''t care."


    "Alright then. You have to say this." Noel took out a piece of paper containing two words. "Say it!"


    Anna read the words written on it out loud without putting much thought into it. But those words suddenly caused him to think about it. After all, those two words were, "I win."


    "Huh?" Anna soon noticed the meaning and raised her head, looking at Noel''s face, which hadpletely be serious as if he had realized that she was merely pretending.

 Chapter 765 Punishment?

    "Huh?" Anna looked at Noel, who was ring at him with a grim expression. It seemed that he had already known about it the whole time. Anna made an awkward smile, trying to y dumb. "Why are you telling me to say those words?"


    Noel''s expression became cold. "Are you seriously asking that question?"


    "¡­" Anna felt like Noel would be more pissed if she continued doing this. She thought for a moment and asked, "Since when did you figure it out?"


    "From the very start. It was my fault for having my thoughts getting distracted, so it would be weird if you wereter than me. That was why when I reached thest stage, I kept a portion of my attention to check on you."


    Anna made an awkward smile. Theirpetitiveness might be high, but their fairness seemed to be beyond it. Just like how Anna wanted to concede the win to him, Noel also didn''t like to win without his own effort.


    "Then, are you sure you''re going to say the words I''m going to tell you?" Anna asked.


    Noel looked away with a distorted expression.


    "You look so annoyed." Anna''s eyebrows twitched. "If you don''t like it, why would you even bother to make me the winner again?"


    "I don''t want to say those words, but I hate unfairness even more. This is not a battle of wits where trickery can be applied. So, since I''ve lost, I''ll follow it through." Noel sighed.


    "In that case, let me think about it first. What kind of thing do I want you to say¡­" Anna looked up for a few minutes before grabbing a paper and writing down her order. "Say this."


    When Noel picked up the paper, his expression was distorted.


    "Are you kidding me?"


    "It''s your fault. I''ve let you win, so you should''ve taken it if you don''t want to do it." Anna shrugged while looking away.


    Noel gritted his teeth. Since he had given her the right once again, he had to go through it. He burned the paper with his me and started unbuttoning his shirt.


    "Eh?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. "Why are you unbuttoning your shirt?"


    They were sitting in front of each other, but somehow Noel made his way to her bed while taking off his shirt.N?velDrama.Org content.


    "What''s wrong?" Noel smiled as he approached her.


    Anna didn''t know what Noel was nning to do. In fact, this was the first time she experienced something like this.


    Noel was right before her, and their bodies were only separated by a few centimeters. She couldn''t help but try to move back, but Noel didn''t let her go.


    He grabbed her hands while asking, "What''s wrong? Why are you backing down?"


    "I am supposed to be the one asking you. What are you doing?!" Anna became even more flustered. Her cheeks reddened.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m simply following your instructions." Noel smirked. Since you told me to say it, then I should act like it as well.


    "You¡ª" Anna wanted to stop him, but Noel''s face was right before her. With his hands holding her, she couldn''t move away anymore. Her face waspletely red, while Noel''s eyes were so gentle that she even felt some affection reflected on them.


    "I am Noel Stargaze. So, shouldn''t I act like I''m one?" Noel smirked, "Madam. You don''t have to run anymore."


    Anna''s body trembled. This was beyond her imagination. She never thought Noel could act this affectionately.


    Her muscles tensed up as her brain froze. She was ready for what Noel was nning to do because, surprisingly, she didn''t feel any repulsive feelings.


    But in that instant, a wide evil grin appeared on Noel''s face. The smile was filled with salt as even a dense person would feel the insult behind it.


    She realized that Noel had once again tricked her.


    "You¡­ You¡­" Anna had a hard time speaking, both angry and flustered.


    "What do you mean? I have said everything you want me to say, but the bet doesn''t specify that I can''t do anything nor say something different from those lines." Noel smirked. "I don''t know what you''ve seen from that alternate world, but shouldn''t you be more mature because of those experiences? I guess it''s not really affecting your mental age. You are too innocent in this after all. Hahahaha!"


    Noel stepped back whileughing out loud. Even if he lost the bet, he still won the war. Anna was so flustered that she couldn''t even talk back.


    Anna looked down as her expression darkened. Her body was shaking because of the shame.


    Meanwhile, Noel was putting on his shirt back with a big smile on his face.


    "You!" Anna grabbed his shoulders in shame, pushing him down. "You bastard. I''m going to make you pay! We''re going to bet once more. We''ll see whoes first in the next stage of training. Whoever wins can order the other party to do and say anything they want!"


    Noel harrumphed. "Do you think I''m afraid of you?"


    Obviously, the training task that increased his sensitivity would be the main boost that would allow him to win thispetition. However, Anna seemed to be serious about winning this time, no matter what she had to do.


    "Just wait. I''m going to make you do this and that while saying those words! I''m going to repay all this shame!" Anna bit her lips.


    "Fine? So, can you get off me now?" Noel asked.


    "!!!" Anna realized that their position was something that shouldn''t be talked about among nobles. In fact, it would lead to the point where this would lead to a big scandal.


    Anna hurriedly released him and stepped back. She wanted to say something, but she ended up clutching her head, never thinking she was bold enough to do such a thing. "Aaaahhh. You sly fox, I''m definitely going to make you suffer this humiliation!"


    "You won''t be able to do it because I''ll win this time." Noel harrumphed.

 Chapter 766 Competition

    The next day.


    Noel and Anna stood on the field. They were demonstrating the result of their training.


    "Good." Old Ru nodded, satisfied. "To think you would be able to do it within such a short period, even I''m impressed. Still, it''s too far from the usable level. So, for the next training¡­"


    Old Ru pointed at Noel. "Now that you have managed to control your Spiritual Energy all around your body, concentrating it in one spot should be possible, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Then, try to gather the Spiritual Energy in your hand."


    Noel raised his hand and enveloped it with a thinyer of Spiritual Energy.


    "Raise the output."


    Noel poured more and more, inting theyer and making it look like a glove.


    "That''s the level. Your task today is to inte theyer until that level. But while doing so, you are going to touch her." Old Ru stated while pointing at Anna.


    "Touch her?" Noel looked at him with a disgusted face.


    "I''m not talking about that." Old Ru shook his head. "Instead, I want both of you to extend your hands and feet so that you touch each other. Noel will be inting the energy and Anna is going to match it. This will test your reaction speed and train your speed in controlling your Spiritual Energy. And because your control only allows you to maintain it for a few seconds, you have to match the energy until your control deteriorates.


    "Once you''ve lost your control, the other party will be the one attacking this time. Understood?"


    Noel and Anna looked at each other. They couldn''t help but remember what would happen if they failed to match it. The burst of Spiritual Energy would definitely blow them away.


    Anna thought this was a way to avenge the shame she suffered yesterday. She would definitely make Noel suffer here. Meanwhile, Noel also had his evil thoughts in this training.


    Noel and Anna had evil smiles on their face as if indirectly telling each other that they should prepare for what wasing.


    ''Youth, huh?'' Old Ru shook his head helplessly. ''Despite trying to best each other and making all sorts ofpetitions, these two have a pseudo boundary to the point where I don''t know whether these two are a couple or not. No, why haven''t they be a thing already? Either way, it''s good that theye together since the training will be much easier that way. Their littlepetitiveness will definitely speed up the progress.''


    Old Ru decided not to say anything about their rtionship. They could be said to be best friends, but the boundary was so thin that one would definitely mistake their rtionship.


    Before leaving them alone, Old Ru reminded them. "One more thing. I think you already know this, but you can continue the practice anywhere you want, including your room. In fact, that''s the reason why you''re staying in one room. However, you have to remember one thing¡­ You two better not destroy anything in my house."


    "¡­" The smile on the two youths'' faces disappeared as Old Ru''s cold voice sent chills down their spines. "Yes, Sir."


    "Good. You may start. I''ll observe you for an hour or so. Then, you can do the rest."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noel and Anna nodded. They faced each other before sitting down on the ground. They extended their hands and feet so that they touched each other.


    Then, both of them started closing their eyes, trying to feel the Spiritual Energy.


    Noel took a deep breath as he first wrapped his entire body with theyer of Spiritual Energy first. After that, he began to shift the amount of energy to his right foot, inting the amount of energy.


    Before, one hundred percent energy was used to wrap his body. But after the change, he poured only seventy percent of the total energy into his body while the remaining thirty percent was used to power up his right foot.


    "!!!" Anna immediately sensed the change in Spiritual Energy. She had circted her Spiritual Energy, so she hurriedly proceeded to shift the energy to match Noel''s level of energy.


    But by rushing it to avoid getting blown away, she poured a little too much, causing the bnce of Spiritual Energy to change.


    In that instant, Anna''s energy began to overwhelm Noel''s energy, releasing a small shock wave that knocked his foot back.


    "Ah!" Noel gritted his teeth while opening his eyes. His body got stretched a bit because of the shock wave.


    "Oops. That was unintentional." Anna made an awkward smile.


    "No, that must be intentional." Noel red at her.


    "In that case, Anna is the one losing. Remember, you have to match the other party''s energypletely." Old Ru smirked and took out an ink. "By the way, this is an ink and a brush. The ink can be washed away with simple water, so you don''t have to worry. You can give one stroke to the loser. This should be perfect for your littlepetition, right?!"


    "!!!" Anna gasped. "Wait. That one doesn''t count!"N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Shut up! Just ept your fate." Noel didn''t wait as he grabbed the brush. He held her hand so that she couldn''t escape. Then, he made a straight line on her right eyebrow as though he wanted to draw sses.


    "Kh. Let''s start again! It''s my turn." Anna hurriedly concentrated, trying to pay him back. Anna poured some Spiritual Energy into her left hand this time.


    Noel didn''t want to lose, so he hurriedly matched it. But because of thepetition, he got distracted a bit and ended up rushing, causing the bnce to shift.


    Anna got pushed back, but a smile appeared on her face. "This time, it''s your turn."


    She didn''t hesitate to grab the brush and make a line on his cheek. "I''m going to make you a cat today!"


    "Just try it!" Noel red at her. He was starting again.


    The training might look distracting, but the desire to not want to get the punishment would make them strive to improve. And their littlepetition was what made this type of training even more effective.


    Old Ru was just smiling on the side, watching their interaction before eventually leaving those two alone.

 Chapter 767 Second Phase

    "Hahahaha! You are extremely funny right now!" Annaughed out loud while pointing at Noel. The dusk had arrived and they were about to return and continue their training in their room.


    So, they took onest look at each other, appreciating the work they had created.


    Anna couldn''t contain herself when she saw everything she had painted on Noel''s face and body. They had been trying to outsmart each other, causing the Spiritual Energy maniption to be even more ridiculous.


    But the reason why Old Ru suggested this method was actually because of theirpetitiveness. They had been battling each other in Spiritual Energy control at a far higher level than what Noel could do if he was only with Dimitri or Damian.


    The reason why Anna couldn''t contain herugh was because Noel''s forehead had "Cute" written on it. "I am" was written on his right cheek, and "weak" was written on the other cheek. There were even some cat whiskers on it.


    But because there were too many things to write, they moved toward arms and legs topensate for it. On Noel''s left hand, Anna had put "I love Master Anna." On his right hand, Anna made a drawing of him prostrating in front of her, but only with a stickman figure since she couldn''t draw.


    It was humiliating for Noel. Even though he tried his best to match her movement, he failed at least more than three hundred times today.


    Of course, Anna also lost the same number. As a result, Noel had paid her back. He had written Ugly, Stupid, and Bad on her face alongside sses and a ck eye. On her hands, there were words such as "Not wife materials" and "Single for life" on her as if he was cursing that her bad behavior would cause her to lose the opportunity to marry someone in this life.


    They had been shing since the morning and it was truly an enjoyable and frustrating time. Due to theirck of control, they ended up taking some rest to consolidate it during theirpetition.


    Without them realizing it, the battle that was supposed tost only for three seconds had increased drastically. In thest battle, Noel managed to block Anna''s advance for almost a minute.


    Old Ru had told them that they had to keep up with the control for at least thirty minutes to be able to use it in battle. But due to thispetition, it seemed that they would be able to achieve their objective in less than a month.


    Even Old Ru wouldn''t expect something like this.


    "Shut up, you ugly." Noel snorted. "No wonder you still haven''t had an engagement, your bad personality remains."


    "What is this? My cute Noel is trying to argue or something?" Anna smirked, teasing Noel.


    "I am not arguing. I am simply telling you that there won''t be anyone who will be with you. In fact, besides me, have you even got close to another man?" Noel snorted.


    "Eh?" Anna widened her eyes in amusement. "Are you sayi¡ª"


    Before she finished her words, Noel suddenly injected Spiritual Energy and pushed her back due to the imbnce.


    "You lost!" Noel harrumphed and grabbed the brush.


    "What?! We have finished our training for the day! Why did you attack me again?!" Anna gritted her teeth and tried to grab the brush, but Noel skillfully avoided it and made ast long stroke on her hand.


    "What?! It''s time for me to pay¡ª" Anna wanted to channel her Spiritual Energy, but Noel had retracted his hands and feet away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re done here." Noel stood up, acting as if nothing happened.


    "What? You cheater! You made one more turn than me!" Anna gritted her teeth and tried to grab Noel''s hand, trying to do the same.


    But Noel hurriedly waved his hand, knocking her hand back.


    "!!!" Noel and Anna looked at each other for a second. After that, Anna tried to grab Noel''s hands with all her strength, but Noel kept repelling her and even moving toward the house.


    "You bastard. Is this how a noble act? You can''t even be fair!" Anna kept chasing him.


    "I''m amoner, not a noble!"


    They kept shing until they reached the house where Old Ru made them promise that nothing should happen in the house other than in their room.


    And it seemed that Noel had taken the victory for today, albeit with a little bit of cheating.


    Anna was ring at him the whole time, not liking how he had attacked her earlier.


    Of course, the fight continued the moment they returned to their room. Noel tried to stop her, but it was impossible since they were in an enclosed space. In addition, it was better to train whenever they had time for it.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    In the end, they continued their battle until they fell asleep with all those markers on their bodies. Both of them might not realize it, but their rtionship had changed a little bit ever since the previous incident at the campsite. However, the subtle change was very obvious. Of course, Dimitri and Nicole didn''t have any intention of stopping them.


    It was the first time Nicole saw Anna being that happy when she trained and yed with someone else. And Dimitri was gratified that there was at least someone who could make Noel rx. While they were observing how they trained, they continued to support them so that they didn''t have to do anything other than train, eat, and sleep.


    This was how they acted most of the time. Eventually, they reached the state where they managed tost for an hour within one week.


    And Old Ru gathered them again as it was time to move to the next stage.


    "It seems that you two have got your fun." Old Ru smiled, looking at Noel and Anna, who appeared tired from fighting each other.


    "We still have a lot of energy to spare." Noel and Anna said the same thing.


    "Of course. It''s time to continue to the next stage. You are to infuse your element into your energy. This is going to be a bit more intense, so start off slow."

 Chapter 768 Reason

    "Before that, can I ask something?" Noel raised his hand.


    "Sure."


    "There is something bothering me. It feels like we''ve been progressing extremely fast. Originally, we were nning to stay for four months and expected that we would return without the full training¡­"


    "Are you asking why you can progress this fast? It''s pretty simple. The rivalry between you two is sparking thepetitiveness you have in your heart. This is the reason why I put you in one room¡­ Though, it seems that you haven''t used the items inside the room at all."


    "What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "I was preparing only one set of items, because I thought you would be infusing your energy into that item, preventing your partner from using it."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna gasped, realizing what they had been missing so far. Not only the item but even the bed might also be possible.


    If they could somehow do it, they would definitely annoy the other.


    "However, that''s not possible anymore." Old Ru smiled, stopping them. "Once you begin infusing your elements, it''s going to be destroyed by your elements."


    "That''s¡­" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. It seemed they had reached a tacit understanding. But that was the fact that they wouldn''t back down.


    "We can just infuse pure Spiritual Energy in it. This will definitely help with the second training." Noel exined.


    "That''s right. We could do the third training in the field while the second training in the house. This way, we can utilize our time effectively." Anna nodded in understanding.


    "Hahaha." Old Ruughed and teased them. "Even though you always bicker with each other, there is a time you are agreeing with something, huh?"


    "¡­" Noel and Anna looked away, not admitting it.


    "Alright. This old man won''t be teasing you two anymore." Old Ru raised his finger. "I don''t mind how you use your time during the night as long as you don''t harm the house."


    "Still, you haven''t answered my question. No, you misinterpreted my question." Noel waved his hand, stopping him. "Although I don''t want to admit it since it makes me look arrogant, our current pace should be enough toplete all the training while having some time to spare, right?"


    "Ah, I understand what you want to ask." Old Ru nodded. "The third phase of the training is elemental training. The fourth phase is battle. Thest phase is a test. If I look at your current speed, you should be able toplete the training within two months. Are you wondering what you can do in the remaining two months?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded. On the one hand, since he had fulfilled the objective, he would return. On the other hand, it would be such a waste to return just like that.


    Anna also agreed with Noel. She felt their time could be used more effectively.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "In that case, you can hunt the demons around here and take their crystals. You are currently Spirit Masters. Although you''ve gotten quite strong, your Spiritual Energy Reserve is not at the level where you can reach Spirit Grandmasters within a short period of time."


    "In this region, there are a lot of powerful monsters, especially Peak Level Demons and even Superior Demons. You can hunt them and increase your Spiritual Energy Reserve. This way, by the time you reach your home, you should be at the peak of Spirit Master. After consolidating your power, it won''t be weird for you to reach the Spirit Grandmaster Stage."


    Noel thought for a moment as if he was assessing the pros and cons of that schedule. Meanwhile, Anna asked a question. "By the way, you told us that you would like to ask us something after you finish training us¡­"C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Oh." Old Ru had observed them and made a decision. It seemed that they hade here knowing about it as well. So, he decided to reveal his request. "My request is simple. I hope that you don''t take my grandson away."


    "Hmm?!" Noel raised his eyebrows while Anna made a wry smile.


    "As I said, something that must happen will happen unless you change your perspective. Within that calction, your arrival here should be something that must happen. Once I think about it, I''vee to realize that my grandson will be on it as well." Old Ru exined.


    "That''s¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. "Since you''ve made such a request, I don''t think it''s right to hide it from you. Actually, your grandson is extremely talented in swords and can be the Sword Saint''s disciple. I don''t know if you know about him though."


    "The Sword Saint¡­ is it the one from one thousand years ago?"


    "Do you know him?"


    "There were legends about him even in my kingdom. Back then, both human kingdoms and my kingdoms were still connected, you know. I don''t know much about the past, but I know who you''re talking about."


    "Then¡­" Anna''s expression brightened.


    "My grandson is indeed talented. However, I don''t think I want to let you bring him away for two reasons. Now that you have changed your perspective, I don''t think letting him leave is a good option. You can consider this as a price for taking my lesson. As for the second reason, I''m just worried about his safety." Old Ru smiled.


    Noel and Anna looked down, thinking about it. They could somehow understand that because there were a lot of changes happening all around the kingdom, the situation would be unpredictable. Even with Anna''s knowledge, it might still be hard to protect themselves.


    Still, it was a shame that the Sword Saint couldn''t find a sessor.


    "Sir¡ª" Noel wanted to suggest that he left the inheritance here so that his grandson could receive it, but Old Ru shook his head. It seemed that he didn''t want both of them to be connected to his grandson more than this.


    So, Noel could only respect his choice. "I understand. I''m sorry for all this inconvenience."


    "No, it''s fine. Rather than that, how about we begin the training?"


    Noel and Anna nodded.

 Chapter 769 Third Phase

    Noel and Anna closed their eyes and focused on channeling their energy to each other.


    Noel was the first one to concentrate his Spiritual Energy on his right hand. This time, he didn''t push the energy or something to knock Anna back. Instead, he waited for Anna to match it.


    Due to the previous training, they had quite a mastery in handling this power. So, Anna easily matched the amount of Spiritual Energy on his right hand.


    After that, Noel said, "I''ll begin."


    "Go on." Anna nodded.


    As soon as he got the confirmation, Noel began to infuse ice elements into his palm. He didn''t dare to use the fire element because the Undying me might burn Anna. Even if the other party was confident in repelling it and Old Ru was here, one single incident might leave a permanent mark on her skin.


    Even with theirpetition, Noel would make sure that no harm was done to Anna.


    The blue Spiritual Energy gradually moved to the hand, emitting a chilling wind.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows, asking, "Are you not going to use your fire? Do you think I don''t have the ability to fight that stronger element?"


    "Not at all. Is it wrong that I''m concerned about your well-being?"


    "¡­" After hearing that reply, Anna couldn''t help but fall silent. She let out a sigh and said, "In that case¡­"


    Anna started sending forth her lightning element to match the amount of ice element.


    As expected, since there were two elementsing from two different people, they would begin to sh the moment they encountered each other.


    The lightning was trying to shatter the ice, while thetter decreased the temperature drastically to freeze the lightning itself.


    However, they heard Old Ru warning them, "Proceed even more slowly. The lightning will be the river basin while the ice would melt and be the water flowing through that river."


    Anna followed his instruction. She tried to disperse the lightning evenly and tried not to fight back. Because of that, she had to reverse the lightning current, following the ice element current.


    Noel soon found that the resistance was gone, allowing his ice element to continue.


    "Here I go." He warned Anna as she began infusing more energy to push the ice element.


    Anna felt the chilling ice element and hurriedly reinforced her skin with anotheryer of Spiritual Energy. Surprisingly, the ice element flowed smoothly on her arm and was about to reach her body.


    "Remember. Don''t let the energy prate your body. Element can only be countered by element and Spiritual Energy can only be handled by Spiritual Energy. Disperse your lightning to protect your body from the chill and let the Spiritual Energy guide it." Old Ru instructed.


    Anna hurriedly covered her entire body and face with a thinyer of lightning element. As Old Ru said, this would act as a tube where the ice element flowed. At the same time, she used Spiritual Energy to guide the fuel of the ice element, which was Noel''s Spiritual Energy, forward.


    Carefully and slowly, Anna moved the ice element across her body until it reached the other shoulder.


    Once it passed her body, everything went even smoother.


    Anna only needed to match the amount of Spiritual Energy of the one flowing on her body. Then, Noel did the same to receive his energy back.


    "Take this back," said Anna while checking whether Noel had matched her Spiritual Energy or not. If he hadn''t done it, she would have had to slow down the flow.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Anna was quite shocked by Noel''s recent improvement. The more he trained, the faster his progress speed became. It felt like he got constant enlightenment.


    It was quite surprising that his perception was already at the same level as hers. If this continued, it wouldn''t be long before he surpassed her.


    But for the time being, Anna wanted toplete this cirction first.


    The moment the ice element returned to his hand, Noel immediately reabsorbed it back into his body.


    "Hu¡­" Noel felt relieved that the process was smooth without any problems.


    They gradually opened their eyes, staring at each other.


    "It''s smooth, right?" Noel asked.


    "Yeah. It''s kind of cold though."


    "But it will be the same for your lightning. I might get electrocuted, or the spark will jolt my body and give me some sensation of pain." Noel shrugged.


    "Fair enough."


    Old Ru smiled and pped his hands. "Good. Both of you have done well even though this is only your first time. You have allowed your energy to enter her body and return it back to the original owner."


    Noel and Anna''s eyebrows twitched as theyined about the same thing. "Why did you make it sound lewd?"


    "Did I?" Old Ru chuckled. "In any case, this is what you''re going to expect from this training. You will circte your energy in session. If you be the master of your energy, you will be able to protect your body without feeling anything.


    "If I''m not wrong, you have used an ability to cut the Spiritual Energy, right?" Old Ru turned to Noel.


    "Yes." Noel nodded. "How about using it to cut her lightning?"


    Noel nced at Anna, wondering if she was up for it.


    "Here I go." Anna turned out to have stood up, looking very eager to do it. As soon as Noel stood up and raised his stance, Anna pointed her finger at him and shot out a lightning bolt.


    Noel sliced the bolt of lightning in half easily with his Spirit Weaponry.


    "Excellent. Now, shoot that lightning bolt at me." Old Ru nodded.


    Anna followed his instruction and released the same lightning bolt.


    Old Ru extended his hand and epted the lightning bolt through the same technique. In that instant, the lightning bolt circled around his arm and gradually moved to his body as if it was trying to explore a new ce.


    It moved fast and yed around happily before Old Ru released it into the air through the other hand. However, one thing was clear. Old Ru could actually control Anna''s lightning even though he didn''t have that element.


    "Did you see it?" Old Ru smiled.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 770 History

    "Did you see it?" Old Ru smirked. "Once you master this technique, you are able to repel or even shift the direction of your opponent''s attack to some extent. Cutting it is good, but I think redirecting it is not losing either in terms of its usage."


    Noel and Anna nodded in agreement. Noel had always wanted to use the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style with his Spirit Weaponry. By turning it into a blunt weapon, he could hit it back. However, there was something fundamentally different in this ability.


    The Spirit Weaponry was only allowed to control the opponent''s ability to some extent and it was only limited to his weapon. On the other hand, this ability would allow him to do it with all parts of his body. He could kick, he could grab it and throw it back, or he could even p it away.


    Depending on his needs, he could choose whether to use the Spirit Weaponry or this cirction method.


    "You are going to train to match each other''s energy and element to a certain extent. In fact¡­" Old Ru grabbed two branches on the ground and tossed them.


    Noel and Anna caught them with confused expressions.


    "Try to sense the Spiritual Energy hidden in that branch and match it."


    Noel and Anna immediately closed their eyes. It was a very subtle energy hidden deep inside the branch.


    Beforeing here, they wouldn''t have noticed something like this. It seemed that their training so far had trained their sensitivity to Spiritual Energy as well.


    Once they felt the faint sensation, they began to channel their Spiritual Energy, matching the amount of Spiritual Energy the branch had.


    Surprisingly, the branch reacted to their Spiritual Energy as if it was alive. It felt like their energy was connected to each other.


    "Then, pour more energy into the branch."


    Noel and Anna did it. And to their surprise, the fusion energy was getting bigger.


    "This is the difference between what you''ve been doing until now and this training. In the past, you could easily coat the branch with your energy, but that''s only limited by wrapping your energy on top of the branch."


    "The durability will only be limited to the strength of your Spiritual Energy. On the other hand, with this ability, you will be able to connect with the branch and strengthen the branch itself. This way, you have the durability of your Spiritual Energy and the improved strength of that branch, making it sturdier. This is why even I can stop Noel''s sword with just a normal branch. If I''m not wrong, that sword of yours is special, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression. It was surprising that a branch could stop a living spirit, but he finally understood the reason.


    "Because the branch isn''t connected to a spirit, it doesn''t have an element. However, your living opponents might have elements, thus the reason for our current training."


    Anna gasped. "But if this is the case, can''t we just train with other objects instead of each other?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "There are two reasons. If it''s with an individual, the Spiritual Energy can easily be detected and with yourpetitiveness, the amount of energy can change easily depending on your mood and intention, making the training more effective. As for the second reason, I don''t like destroying objects, especially trees or something. In the past, I trained like this with trees or any objects in my surroundings, only to know a harsh truth."


    "A harsh truth?" Noel raised his eyebrows, getting interested in the topic.


    "Yes. When I was traveling, I found a certain facility where I witnessed the record of the past civilization. The past civilization was flourishing, all people could go to school¡­ making their ten years old child as smart as the current noble¡­ The people could do everything, whether during the day or night, as the city would remain bright all time. It was a wonderful civilization."


    Anna and Noel were amused. They had heard about the glory of the past civilization, but they had never witnessed the real thing. They couldn''t help but wonder how amazing it was.


    "However, it didn''te without a price." Old Ru shook his head helplessly. "The day of prosperity doesn''tst very long. The poption is booming, but there is only a portion ofnd that can be turned into farms. They cut forests and do all kinds of activities, causing floods and even increasing the temperature."


    "The increase in temperature causes farming to be harder. As a result, the food supply decreases. People start dying, and the world has be a harsh world where only the strong survive. In the end, people fight for the remaining resources."


    "Whether it''s a blessing or a curse, that''s also when the demons appeared in this world. They caused all destruction. The previous civilizations united in the name ofmon enemies and fought back, but the demons destroyed all important facilities and even infiltrated their military, destroying everything. The humans gradually lost their power to fight back and began to flee."


    "It was then the Spirit made their appearance, trying to help the world. The humans began to have the strength to fight back, but because they were still experimenting with their new power, they got pushed back and gradually reached this stability. Out of ten billion people, only one percent was predicted to remain alive."


    "!!!" They gasped. This was the first time they heard about such a detailed story. They never expected there to be such a story about the previous civilization.


    However, Noel''s focus was on another thing. "Still, it was impossible to wipe out all ten billion people altogether. Just like the humans or your kingdom, there might be survivors all over the world. And to host ten billion people, the world must be huge."


    "Yeah. Though, I don''t know how huge it is." Old Ru shook his head helplessly.


    Noel clenched his fists. He somehow felt excited about it. Different people, different ces, different cultures.


    "But if they cut forests, does that mean the trees¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Yes. The appearance of Spiritual Energy has strengthened thend and sped up the recovery process, allowing us to have this kind of environment right now. Still, I have to say that if we end up destroying our environment like the past civilization, even with Spiritual Energy, we will only repeat the same mistake."


    Anna looked down, understanding why Old Ru was very reserved in using trees or all objects in the environment for their training.


    Seeing their serious expressions couldn''t help but make him smile as he tried to change the topic. "In any case, you have to continue with your training. Once you get used to it, you two will fight each other with the concept. Understood?"


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 771 Suspicions

    One weekter.


    Noel channeled his ice element to Anna''s right hand and right foot at the same time.


    Anna skillfully covered her body with her lightning element and matched the Spiritual Energy to ept Noel''s power.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The ice element flowed smoothly on top of her body as if she was just a rock that didn''t mind getting frozen by the ice. Yet, this time, the ice element could actually circle around her head, stop on her forehead to make a crown, or even create an ice armor.


    Anna managed to control Noel''s ice element to such a degree. As soon as she returned the ice element back, she began channeling her lightning into Noel''s body.


    Noel was even more surprising at this point. Due to the mission task that increased his Spiritual Energy sensitivity, he managed to easily sense the amount of lightning.


    When it flowed onto his body, the lightning actually jumped around as if it was a rabbit. It moved around Noel''s body and even stopped on his shoulder to nudge his cheek as if it were trying to act cute.


    After that cirction, both of them opened their eyes, staring at each other.


    Old Ru watched them with a smile. This was the first time he saw people with this much talent. Anna, who had experienced another life, was obviously talented. But Noel was even monstrous. He might start slow, but his pace might be even faster than Anna''s currently.


    "Now that you have grasped the essence of it. Let''s begin to do a practice match. You can start off slow." Old Ru raised his hand, gesturing to them to stand up.


    Noel and Anna nodded, following his instructions.


    "Remember. This is just a practice match. Don''t try to harm each other¡­ Well, I don''t think you are going to do it, but I''ll just remind you about it. You can only attack once before defending. Starts off slow to get the hang of it. Make sure youpletely repel your opponent''s Spiritual Energy and element. Anna attacks first."


    Anna and Noel nodded. They raised their stances.


    Anna sent forth a fist, but the speed was extremely slow. It seemed that she was matching the speed she needed to increase her Spiritual Energy and infuse her element before sending it to Noel.


    Noel also carefully watched her movement and matched her speed. In addition, he raised his right hand to block this.


    Since Anna would be trying to send the element into his body, he had to let the element flow onto his hand but redirect it to his fingers before releasing it upward. This way, he wouldn''t have to endure the sharp jolt from the lightning.


    The moment her attack connected, she sent the lightning directly onto his body, trying to electrocute his body.


    However, Noel had made his Spiritual Energy and Ice Element flow in reverse, causing the lightning to shoot upward.


    Noel was slightly surprised. In the past, whenever Anna attacked him with his lightning, he would have a hard time blocking it. Only the Spiritual Weaponry couldpletely dispel any lingering effect the lightning would cause.


    In fact, when the people from the Demon Banner Army trained for the first time in the headquarters, they were trained harshly so that they could ignore the lingering effect the enemy might have caused. But for Old Ru, it seemed that he wanted to bepletely free from it.


    That was why this ability was terrifying. Even if they faced a stronger opponent with a more powerful element, they could face them without any fear.


    Now that he finally understood how terrifying this ability could be, Noel began to concentrate his element into his fist and directly sent it to Anna.


    Anna also followed what Noel did, skillfully releasing the ice element upward.


    "Good. Continue that way. Once you get used to it, gradually increase the speed. I''m not going to let you leave before you can fight at the speed of a Spirit Master while maintaining this. Of course, that includes the fact that you''re to use Spirit Abilities and other things." Old Ru smiled. Even though he said it lightly, reaching that level would require a lot of time. They didn''t know if one month was enough or not.


    After all, there was a huge gap between their current speed and the level of a Spirit Master.


    However, they had no choice but to do it. It was only practical at that level after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While they were training, Damian couldn''t help but remember the time when they fought against Laufey and the others.


    Back then, Noel had trouble when fighting against the serpent. She used her poison to endanger the others. While his fire could burn her poison, it would be impossible for the others to replicate his feat.


    If his teammates managed to learn something like this, they wouldn''t have to fear the serpent. Of course, it was impossible to learn this ability so quickly.


    Hence, Noel was all that mattered. With his current expertise, it shouldn''t be hard for him to send the fire on her body, letting it remain to engulf the poison she was emitting. No, he might even be able to cover his teammates with his fire, wrapping them without burning them. If the team could gang up on her, there was no way the group would lose.


    That was why if the serpent wasing back at them, they would definitely win after Noel learned this technique.


    His overall ability alone might still not reach the level of a Spirit Grandmaster, but with the control of his element, he could be considered at the peak of Spirit Master.


    Since Noel was determined to finish this training quicker than nned so that he could hunt the demons around and absorb their Spiritual Energy, Noel might reach the peak of Spirit Masters this time. When they returned to the kingdom, it wouldn''t be weird if he suddenly advanced to Spirit Grandmaster within the next six months.


    Anna would definitely do the same. And this would be the birth of the pair of geniuses that would shake the entire world.


    However, there was something that felt missing in his observation.


    Damian furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before realizing something. Their friendliness made him forget, but the world knew them to be enemies of each other.


    "Wait a minute. Dimitri!" Damian gasped, staring at Dimitri. "Did you know this would happen?"


    "What do you mean?" Dimitri tilted his head in confusion.


    "I''m talking about the fact that they are known to be enemies. If both of them are on the same side, people will think that these two geniuses are going to threaten the royal family. After all, Noel has his family executed by them."


    "On the other hand, if they are on the opposite side, the royal family will think that Anna will be there to suppress Noel. This way, they could prolong their acts and gradually build up their n."


    Dimitri only smiled at his revtion while Damian actually managed to see through Noel''s little scheme in the previous life. The reason why they could reach that stage without getting betrayed was because they were on the opposite side. While Noel tried to change Anna, he didn''t do it too much to the point Anna would be on the same side. They would end up getting besieged from all directions after all.


    However, it seemed that in this life, Noel had changed his stance, especially after meeting Anna.


    Nicole was only listening to them, but the revtion was enough to shock her to the core. She obviously knew how the royal family had been trying to suppress the Stargaze Family and forced Anna to marry into their royal family. If not for the fact that the Stargaze Family was quite strong, Anna would have definitely fallen into their hands.


    That was why it seemed that Anna and Noel nned to join hands to shake up the entire kingdom. Besieged? They had truly underestimated the power of the Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family.


    There was another reason why Nicole joined the inquisitor. Of course, she was trying to aim to be an arbiter. But the real reason was that she had to find talented people in the organizations and tried to recruit them.


    As for Noel''s parents, who had been faking their deaths this whole time, no one actually knew what they were nning to do.


    Of course, there was also a need for Noel to pay back his parents for faking their deaths. Even though he could understand the reason for it, he simply couldn''t forgive them for doing something like this without his knowledge. His father might have provided him with life lessons and trained his brain for the sake of rebuilding the family, but it didn''t change the fact that prowess was the most necessary preparation.


    That was why he wanted to infuriate both of his parents and force them toe out of their holes. He wanted to show them that he was the one in charge of the family, not them.


    However, these were only the suspicions that these three Spirit Grandmasters had.


    As for whether it woulde up that way, it would depend on Anna and Noel. After all, Anna''s information about her previous life coupled with Noel''s brain might give a different answer.

 Chapter 772 Spirit Veins

    One monthter.


    "Haa!" Anna shouted while punching Noel in the face.


    Noel hurriedly raised his left hand to catch it, but Anna poured more Spiritual Energy that Noel saw at thest minute, causing the imbnce between their Spiritual Energy.


    The Spiritual Energy burst out, producing a shock wave that knocked Noel''s back.


    However, Noel skillfully redirected the shock wave only on his upper body while his lower body remained on the ground. As soon as he was about to fall, he used his other hand to touch the ground, supporting his entire body so as to not fall to the ground. At the same time, he kicked Anna''s ankle from the left side.


    Anna tried to jump, but that was when Noel''s ice appeared once again. She almost tripped because of this ice. In fact, she had suffered a lot from this Frost Control Ability and remembered that the first time she fell from his trick was when she tackled him.


    The trick worked because Noel chose such a time to execute it, causing Anna to be unable to leave the ground. In the end, she had to use her own Spiritual Energy to block it.


    The sh of their Spiritual Energysted for a second as Noel tried to manipte his own Spiritual Energy to outsmart her.


    However, Anna kept matching the amount of his Spiritual Energy whenever he increased it. Hence, Noel chose an unorthodox strategy to catch her off guard.


    Instead of increasing the Spiritual Energy to overwhelm her, he decreased his own Spiritual Energy.


    The result was obvious. Anna ended up knocking him back even though he was the one to attack.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock, never expecting Noel to lose deliberately. But she soon understood why he did it.


    Noel used the momentum that knocked his foot back to spin his body and deliver another kick at her stomach.


    "Kh." Anna caught both shoes, stopping them at thest second. Unfortunately for her, his shoes had been covered with ayer of ice¡­ specifically, only on the bottom''s surface.


    That was why when Anna caught it, Noel simply had to release the ice to leave Anna''s grip.


    "!!!" She was confused when she lost the feeling of resistance from Noel, but it turned out Noel had pulled his feet once more and increased the amount of Spiritual Energy beforeunching another kick.


    The kick shattered the ice, and Noel''s Spiritual Energy burst out, knocking her back.


    "Ouch¡­ Are you insane?" Anna waved both hands down as if trying to make the numb sensation disappear. "If that''s someone else, their ribs would have been broken!"


    "I did it only because my opponent was you." Noel shrugged. "You are the only one who can make me feel safe to try a lot of things, after all."


    "Eh?" Anna was slightly flustered by his statement, but as one would expect from Noel, he actually took advantage of that split-second gap to approach Anna and punch her.


    However, it seemed that Noel had influenced Anna to the point where she could apply some of his tricks.


    When Noel''s fist was about to reach her, she suddenly spun her body while grabbing his arm before using his momentum to throw him away.


    "Wha¡ª" Noel was shocked as he flew upside down, staring at Anna, who stuck out her tongue.


    He realized he had been tricked. Anna only acted flustered because she knew he would charge at her.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue.


    Anna smirked at Noel''s frustrated face. "Do you think I''ll let you beat me up all the time? I already know all your tricks."


    Noel shouted back, "Then I''m going to prepare more tricks that you don''t know yet."


    "Sure. I''m looking forward to stealing it and using it against you!" Anna didn''t seem to be scared. Instead, she had gotten used to this since Noel had been tricking her from her previous life to the current one.


    Noelnded on the ground after twisting his Spiritual Energy to spin his body. Before he could rush to her again, Old Ru stopped them.


    "That''s enough. You two have been able to fight at Spirit Practitioner Level. There are still Spirit Wielder and Spirit Grandmaster Levels, but I don''t think it will take too long before you master them. So, I''m going to give you onest lesson," said Old Ru while waving his hands to both of them.


    They nodded and walked to Old Ru, wondering what she had to say.


    "To be honest, I don''t really want to teach you this, considering it''s not that useful, especially to Noel. But I think you should know about it." Old Ru nced at Anna before pointing at his stomach. "This ce is my Spirit Seal. Both of you should have leveled up your connection to the Spirit Link, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes." Noel and Anna nodded without hesitation. Noel only achieved it with Heisk, not Ardagan though.


    "Now that you have reached this level, you should be able to feel the Spirit Link in your body¡­"


    Noel and Anna furrowed their eyebrows before shutting their eyes. Now that their Spiritual Energy sensitivity had increased so much, they could sense veinsing out of the Spirit Seal.


    The Spirit Seal looked like a tree that spread its roots in their bodies. This was the connection that Old Ru was talking about.


    "I think I can sense it." Noel and Anna answered at the same time.


    "Those links are connected to your entire body¡­ Try to use your Spiritual Energy to make a connection with it." Old Ru continued.


    "Understood." Noel and Anna hurriedly infused their Spiritual Energy, matching the amount with the Spirit Seal. As expected, they could actually connect with it.


    "Just like how you are connected to other objects, once you connect with the veins, you will be able to reinforce your body and make you even stronger." Old Ru exined.


    Anna widened her eyes because she saw that the Spirit Veins began to glow, making her understand what the trick was. This was the ability she showed to Noel beforeing here. She didn''t know the principle and only tried to replicate it with what she could. But to think it would be rted to the Spirit Link, it was no wonder why someone would get a surge of strength when they used this.


    It was clear from Anna''s reaction that she was already aware of this ability. So, Old Ru ignored the reaction of someone who was in her second life and moved to Noel.


    "There is one fatal problem for you, Noel. From what I can see, you haven''t made the Spirit Link with your second spirit, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "Second spirit?" Anna looked surprised.


    "Why are you so surprised? You should have figured out something like this, right?"


    "I mean, I thought you had twin spirits. In that case, when you made a Spirit Link, shouldn''t you have done it with both spirits at the same time?" Anna sighed.


    "¡­" Noel paused for a moment. It didn''t seem he was nning to hide it, but he also didn''t want to easily reveal his secret. So, he said, "The two spirits in my body are different."


    Old Ru shifted the conversation back. "In any case, the fatal problem is that I haven''t experienced this method with two Spirits. Each Spirit has its own unique Spirit Link, and in your case, the moment you create a Spirit Link with your second spirit, the Spirit will definitely create all the veins like that."


    "When that happens, their veins will be interlinked. Those two are different spirits and each spirit has its own unique Spiritual Energy and element. So, if we look at the theory, it''s possible that the energy from both Spirit Links would cause a reaction and make your body explode."


    "In addition, controlling two different levels of energy inside your body is easier said than done. It''s like splitting your brain into two¡­ that''s not including the fight against multiple opponents."


    Noel fell silent, imagining this that Old Ru said. Of course, the spirits should have known about this better, so he asked inwardly, "Ardagan, Heisk. What do you think?"


    "Everything he said makes sense. We haven''t tried it, but there is a possibility it will happen." Heisk replied.


    "Does that mean it''s not possible for me to use this?"


    "Currently, not. However, there is a method that you might want to try in the future." Ardagan reassured him that there might be a method.


    "In the future, not now?"


    "Yes. The method requires Heisk to at least be a humanoid rank spirit. Although our energy levels won''t be the same, there shouldn''t be a huge gap. Once that happens, you should be able to maintain both Spirit Links. Of course, it will require a lot of practice, but it should be possible."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Now that I think about it, what will I receive from you when we form a Spirit Link?" Noel asked, curious.


    "Unfortunately, it''s better not to tell you about it right now because there are probably three things that mighte to you, but only one will be selected depending on ourpatibility. Instead of diverting your focus to prepare for those three, it''s better if you just focus on making Heisk a Humanoid Rank Spirit first. We''ll immediately proceed with the Spirit Link after that¡­ You should be at least a Spirit Grandmaster at that time."


    "I see." Noel took a deep breath. As Ardagan said, if he diverted his focus, he would end up slowing down his progress. It was like ying rock-paper-scissors, so it was useless to worry about it.


    The fact that it was possible alone was enough for him.


    Noel looked at Old Ru and said, "You don''t have to worry about it. Please teach me about this as well."


    "Alright then." Old Ru nodded.

 Chapter 773 Leaving

    It didn''t take too long for Noel and Anna to get ustomed to tracing their Spirit Link and utilizing it to boost their physical prowess. However, Old Ru mentioned that it was only one of the functions. There was one more hidden function that they had to discover.


    It didn''t take too long for them to realize it. Since the veins flowed to their limbs, it would act as a natural flow. In order words, they could use the Spiritual Energy that flowed from their Spirit Seal to their limbs to repel the enemy''s attack.


    These two continued to train under Old Ru at a ridiculous speed. It was already insane that they managed to be a Spirit Master within two years, but the fact that they would soon be a Spirit Grandmaster would shock the entire kingdom.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Time passed by. Without them realizing it, two and a half months ever since they arrived at this ce had passed by.


    Every day was fulfilling to the point where they couldn''t think of anything other than training. Of course, the interaction as well as thepetition between Noel and Anna made the training less boring, but it didn''t change the fact that a long time had passed.


    In another forty-five days, they had to return to the kingdom. Hence, this was the time they should begin thest phase of the training, which was the hunt.


    Noel and Anna stretched their bodies as this was the first time they fought demons after their training. They didn''t know what kind of change it would bring to them.


    Obviously, the area was extremely dangerous. Dimitri, Damian, and Nicole were worried about them, thinking they would be in danger.


    But Old Ru actually stopped them, saying, "You three. I know that you are worried about them, but how about staying here? I''m sure that you''ve learned a lot over the past few months. You should take some time to sort your thoughts and try your theory, right?"


    "But¡­" Dimitri was the first one to express his worry.


    "Don''t worry. I will go with them." Old Ru waved his hand lightly, reassuring them.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    They knew that Old Ru was extremely strong. They might not even be able to do anything to him even with the True Spirit Body.


    So, after some consideration, Dimitri bowed to him and said, "Please take care of him¡­ them."


    "Mhm." Old Ru nodded.


    "Are we going to the valley where we enter here? But we''ve cleared the area previously. The demons shouldn''t have filled the valley, right?" Noel asked.


    "Of course. We are going to a different area. At the back of this ce, there is a demon nest. The nest is filled with at least a thousand demons with the leader being a Superior Demon. Your task is to clear the demon nest." Old Ru smiled.


    As soon as Dimitri heard those words, he immediately retracted his words and shouted, "That''s extremely dangerous. They are still Spirit Masters. Do you think they can fight against a Superior Demon?"


    "You are underestimating these two kids. If they fight at the very limit, killing a Superior Demon should be possible." Old Ru shook his head helplessly. "Besides, even if they can''t, I can always kill the Superior Demon¡­ Though, I bet that theirpetitiveness will stop me from doing so."


    "¡­" Anna and Noel fell silent. On one hand, they didn''t mind fighting against a Superior Demon. On the other hand, they knew that only a Captain could put up a fight against them. Even a Spirit Grandmaster like Paul would have a hard time stopping them, let alone defeating them.


    However, they knew that Paul became a Spirit Grandmaster not long ago. His strength couldn''t bepared to a full-fledged Spirit Grandmaster.


    When they thought about it, they couldn''t help but think it was possible to defeat Paul as long as they worked together. They managed to defeat a Spirit Master when they were only a Spirit Wielder after all. So, they might be able to do the same with a Spirit Grandmaster now that they have be a Spirit Master.


    In addition, Anna had the so-called True Spirit Body. If everything looked dangerous, there was no doubt that she would use this trump card.


    Though, the problem was that once she used it, she would have a hard time training because the connection with her spirit would be extremely thin for a week.


    In other words, Noel and Anna had to make a decision. The reward was extremely great, but the risk was also high. They couldn''t proceed with a half-baked decision.


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks for a minute before nodding their heads.


    "We will go." Noel stopped Dimitri with a determined look.


    "But Master¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Dimitri!" Noel raised his voice, making his intention clear. "Once we return, we are going to face enemies far stronger and more wicked than a Superior Demon. There will be a lot of Spirit Grandmasters, if not Spirit Transcendences."


    "If Anna and I can''t even defeat a Superior Demon, do you think we will be able to face them? It''s true that we can rely on you for some time, but have you forgotten about the previous ambush?"


    "The enemies have outsmarted us and even sent forth a Spirit Transcendence to kill us. If not for you using the True Spirit Body, the loss would be unimaginable."


    "If worrying about my safety is your priority, then you should know that while this training might possess a lot of risks, there is still Old Ru acting as a safety. Meanwhile, if we return with me still weak, there won''t be anyone stopping the enemies from killing me again. No, dying in their hands might be salvation¡­"


    Noel clenched his fists. He knew that with how much Laufey was obsessed with them, he would definitely be subjected to a lot of humiliations where dying would be better.


    Now that they had learned this new ability, he wanted to see how far he could go against a Superior Demon. As long as he could do it, he would have the confidence to go against someone like a Devil Bishop. That was why he had to go.


    "If you are truly my butler, then¡­ rather than over-protecting me, you should believe in me and wish for a safe journey."


    "!!!" Dimitri''s body shook. He couldn''t help but remember the time when Noel was still a baby. At that time, Noel looked extremely fragile. A single pinch from him might even kill him.


    Even though Luke knew he wanted to kill Noel not long ago, Luke actually asked him to carry him.


    Dimitri didn''t know at that time, it was the turning point in his life. When he held him as gently as possible, Noel was actually smiling.


    Even though he was held by bloodied-hands of his, the smile melted everything. Noel even held his thumb as if telling him it was fine.


    As an assassin, he had taken a lot of lives under themander''smand. Most of the time, the target of assassination would have someone they held dear.


    Every time he took their lives, those behind them would cry. That was why these bloodied hands of his couldn''t hold something precious. The only thing they did was take away people''s happiness.


    And it was at this moment he thought that his hands might be able to bring something new. Instead of doing it to take people''s lives and make others sad, he might be able to protect this precious smile. Luke, his father, had done a lot of good deeds that brought smiles to people''s faces, so this little baby might also bring a lot of smiles to people.


    In his heart, he wanted to protect this smile, he wanted to protect this little life¡­ all so that when he grew up, he would bring joy to others. When that happened, he would know that he had done a good deed.


    Now that Noel stood in front of him with that determined look as if telling him that he didn''t need his protection anymore, he felt that this might be the time to stop.


    Noel had grown up.


    Yet, as if Noel understood his feeling, Noel came to him and said, "You have been protecting me a lot this whole time. I''m eternally grateful for it. However, if I keep relying on you to protect me, there will be a time when we won''t be together. If I can''t even protect myself, then what should I do?"


    "Of course, I''m just asking you to trust me this time. There are still a lot of things you have to teach me. So¡­ please trust me this time." Noel knew that thest time they got ambushed by Laufey had traumatized Dimitri a bit, he knew that Dimitri wouldn''t always be with him. There was a time when he had to stand up, telling him that it was fine.


    Dimitri shut his eyes and clenched his fists. There were a lot of things to say, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "I apologize, Master. I was rude."


    There was a thin line between protecting someone and not trusting them. He slightly leaned to thetter, thinking Noel wouldn''t be able to do anything without him. That was why he apologized for his rudeness.


    Noel smiled. "Don''t worry. I will be back soon."


    "Yes. May the fortune bless you with its presence." Dimitri nodded.


    Looking at their interaction, Anna couldn''t help but look at Nicole while pointing at herself, asking whether she had anything to say to her. Unfortunately, Nicole could only shake her head and shoulder, not knowing what to say.


    "Let''s go then!" Old Ru decided to break the silence, or the situation would be awkward.

 Chapter 774 New Challenge

    "This is the ce." Old Ru pointed at the giant building behind him. They had ventured quite far from their ce, so it wasn''t that surprising that they found a mysterious building out of nowhere.


    "What is this building?" Noel asked while furrowing his eyebrows.


    "This building is a mansion from the previous civilization. Though, this is just a normal ce that I usually visit a couple of times every year. What I want from you is to beat all the monsters behind the building. There is a giant sinkhole behind this building and inside you will find a lot of monsters¡­ So, I will wait for you here until you finish."


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. "Are you noting with us?"


    He had talked big to Dimitri that his safety was guaranteed, but it seemed that Old Ru had a different n.


    "If Ie with you, you will always think that you have that assurance¡­ Well, I won''tpletely leave you without nothing, so¡­" Old Ru took out a small piece of paper with a weird symbol on it. "This is a talisman that is imbued with my power. If you think you can''t defeat your opponent, pour Spiritual Energy into this talisman and I will sense the reaction. After that, I will immediately go to help you. You should be able to withstand the onught for five minutes, right?"


    "I see." Noel looked down, contemting. If Old Ru went with them directly, they would definitely be unable to use all their power, thinking that Old Ru would intervene when their lives were in danger. But by doing this, they would feel a sense of urgency and make them more careful.


    With their current strength, they felt like fighting a Superior Demon was possible.


    However, they stillcked one thing.


    Noel raised his hand. "I know that we shouldn''t ask this, but considering our opponent will be a Superior Demon. May we know about the information of that demon?"


    "That''s true. It''s not fair for two Spirit Masters to challenge a Superior Demon." Old Ru nodded. "In fact, you should be able to guess what Superior Demon you will encounter once you reach their nest. Inside that sinkhole, you can find an entrance to an extremelyplex tunnel. It''s a demon that lurks inside the ground that usually makes thend fertile. Just expect something quite big. And don''t worry about your battle inside; the tunnel it created is quite sturdy."


    Anna looked down, wondering what the demon was. Meanwhile, Noel nced at Anna, asking, "Do you think it''s possible to fight the Superior Demon?"


    "There''s no way we can do that normally. But it might be possible if you use both of your elements. I''ll also warn you of the danger."


    "Alright then." Noel nodded in agreement. "Let''s go, shall we?"


    "Yeah. I''m quite curious about how strong we''ve be with this new ability. I feel like improving the control of my Spiritual Energy causes my overall control to increase."


    "I feel the same."


    Before they left, Noel and Anna bowed to Old Ru. "We will go."


    "Yeah. By the way, your time limit is two days. You have to kill all one thousand demons and the Superior Demon within two days."


    "One day is enough." Noel and Anna answered at the same time. Both of them smiled at each other and said the same thing. "Kill all the demons in a half day and take a rest for another half day before challenging the Superior Demon."


    They had the same n in their mind. Looking at their synergy couldn''t help but put a smile on Old Ru''s face.


    "Is that so? Happy hunting."


    Without hesitation, Anna and Noel turned around as they headed to the sinkhole. As Old Ru said, there was a giant hole a hundred meters behind the mansion.


    The hole diameter was about fifty meters. It could swallow the entire mansion with the size alone. And it was quite deep, considering they had to use their Moon Blessing to see through the dark to see the bottom of it.


    "The hole is quite deep, huh?" Noel frowned. "There is definitely a bottomyer and the rain should fill this hole with water. Yet, we can''t see any water on the bottom."


    "Indeed. It seems that the demon has drunk it or something?"


    "Do demons drink?"


    "I''m not sure. They can live with only Spiritual Energy, so¡­"


    Both of them fell silent. They realized that this area was more mysterious than they thought.


    "Look at that hole." Noel pointed at the hole that Old Ru said was the entrance.


    "The hole is quite big¡­ ten meters in radius¡­ What kind of giant demon is hiding inside this nest? In addition, there are going to be tunnels and caves inside¡­"


    "Do you feel anything with your instinct?"


    "I''ve picked up a few dangers from the ground, but they are pretty scattered. I''m sure that they are Peak Level Demons. We have to go into the tunnel before I can pick up the rest."


    Noel thought for a moment. The entrance was about thirty meters inside the hole, so they had to go down carefully.


    Though, both of them seemed to have reached the same conclusion on how they were going to enter the tunnel.


    "I think I don''t have to tell you, right?" Anna smirked.


    "I will drop you in the middle of the hole." Noel snorted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then, how about making a slide to the tunnel?" Anna stuck out her tongue.


    "You know that I have to use more Spiritual Energy than necessary, right?" Noel let out a sigh. Noel ended up moving behind Anna and gradually lifted up her body, carrying her like a princess.


    Anna didn''t even bother to resist since she knew what they were about to do. As she expected, a pair of ck fire wings appeared on Noel''s back. This was the Undying Phoenix Wings, and they had to fly directly into the entrance.


    And due to the characteristic of the wing and its cement, there was no way Noel could carry her like baggage or on his back. In the end, he had to carry her like this even though it would make Anna feelcent.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as Anna had a sly grin on her face, thinking that she was above him.


    In the end, he flew toward the entrance while ignoring her cheeky smile.


    "Hehe. You know how to treat a woman gently too¡­ I thought you were just a savage."


    "Do you want me to drop you here?" Noel red at her. They were in the middle of the hole. Even Anna would have a hard timending unscathed from this height, especially since there was no wall she could use.


    That was why Anna immediately wrapped her hands around his neck, making sure that she wouldn''t let it go. "With this, I won''t fall."


    "¡­" Noel sighed. "In any case, the hole is quite¡ª"


    Before Noel finished his words, he sensed some demons with his Demon Hunter Medal.


    Obviously, Anna also picked up some presence with her instinct. But Noel didn''t let her warn him as he picked up the pace.


    As soon as hended on the tunnel, he tried to toss Anna to the ground, but Anna made a cheeky grin as her arms were still refusing to let go.


    However, their time had to be interrupted by the inhabitants of the tunnel.


    They instantly picked up a total of nine presences inside the tunnel. With their Moon Blessings, they could see their appearances. They were either earthworms, mice, or centipedes.


    As much as Anna wanted to show her superiority, she knew that the enemies had to be killed first.


    She turned around and raised her right foot. Lightning began to spark from her body before moving toward her leg. Due to the training, the flow was so smooth that she felt she could muster more power than she originally thought.


    Bam!


    She stomped the ground, channeling all the lightning to the tunnel. The lightning electrified the walls, causing the demons to jump off the wall if they didn''t want to be electrocuted. But there were a few that couldn''t react to it and died from the lightning.


    As for those that jumped off the walls, Noel had looped around Anna and followed the lightning. He coated his feet with the new ability so that he didn''t get electrocuted while stepping on the lightning. After that, he reached the jumping demons and took advantage of the fact they were in the air to sh them.


    Within just a few seconds, they already killed nine demons.


    "Noel. Do you feel it?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "I discharge more lightning even though I use the same amount of power¡­ More like, I be more efficient in releasing my power?"


    Noel agreed with her. "It seems that we can test our new power here."


    As he said those words, Ardagan gave a response to his desire.


    [Mission: Testing New Power.]


    [Description: Eliminate all demons in their.]Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    [Reward: Empowerment Rune.]


    [Mission: Superior Demon!]


    [Description: Kill the Superior Demon.]


    [Reward: Force Control]


    [Mission: Time Attack!]


    [Description: Clear the whole nest within 24 hours. (1064 Monsters Remaining)]


    [Reward: Challenger Medal and Secret to Career Advancement.]

 Chapter 775 Entering

    ''Three missions?'' Noel raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought he would receive a mission, but he didn''t expect Ardagan would give him three missions at once.


    ''Ardagan. Are you sure about giving me three missions?''


    [It''s rare for you to worry about it.]


    ''I mean, it''s going to put a burden on my Spiritual Energy Reserve, right?''


    [That is true. However, you have to thank your new ability. Due to you being able to use your power more efficiently, you can utilize the Spiritual Energy that you couldn''t previously use.]


    ''I see. In that case, I won''t hesitate toplete all these three missions.'' Noel was ready to make one or two missions fail if it only caused problems for him. He was greedy, but it didn''t mean he was careful. That was why he wouldn''t make a rush decision or get dictated by his own system.


    He checked his missions. Normally, he would check the systemter when he had some time, but since he was with Anna, he didn''t really mind showing weird behavior.


    After all, Anna was going to learn about it sooner orter. And he would realize all of Anna''s secrets.


    ''Eliminate all demons in their, kill the Superior Demon, and clear the whole nest within 24 hours. The first and third missions are simr, but I can''t take my time with the third one, making it a bit more dangerous. But I''m quite curious about the second mission.''


    Noel had received a mission to get Force Control by helping Anna in the previous mission. But because he failed in doing so, he didn''t receive the Force Control.


    It seemed that the Force Control was so important that Ardagan wanted him to learn it.


    ''Although I don''t know much about the rewards, I''m quite curious about them. I mean, Force Control has appeared twice. Empowerment Rune is an extremely advanced rune from what I know¡­ It can increase one''s physical strength and Spiritual Energy for a set period of time. However, the rune is soplex that if I have to use my time to learn this rune, I might need a whole month just to learn one rune, let alone there are more than one thousand runes in total.


    ''While I have the knowledge, I can''t use or even draw them without any practice, so I''m d that Ardagan can transfer all the knowledge. Anna also seems to rarely use her runes. It seems she can only draw basic and intermediate level runes like Duplication or Strength Blessing Rune.


    ''Last but not least, the Challenger Medal and the secret to career advancement. The medal name surely has some impact. When this happens, it''s usually an extremely good medal. In fact, this medal might reflect the new ability like increasing my Spiritual Energy Sensitivity.


    ''Then, there is this secret to career advancement. When I became a Swordsman, I received a few abilities. Then, I received the same amount of rewards when I became a Rune Swordsman. I wonder what kind of ability I would receive this time¡­''


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, thinking this was his chance to shine.


    Anna was curious about what Noel was thinking. He was looking down as if he was reading something, but his pose looked like he was in deep thought.


    Luckily, she didn''t sense any iing danger, so she only waited for Noel to finish his business.


    After three minutes, Noel finished sorting his thoughts regarding the new missions. He nced at Anna, who looked bored.


    "Sorry. That took longer than I originally thought."


    "So, what were you doing?"


    "I don''t think I''ll answer that question, but I''ve prepared a n." Noel raised one finger. "Currently, we have to locate the Superior Demon. After knowing about him, then we can eliminate all the demons first before challenging him."


    "That''s a normal n, I guess." Anna nodded in agreement. "Should we split up?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "No." Noel shook his head while pointing at the tunnel. "If we take a look at the tunnel, I can imagine the kind of nest inside this ce. There should be a tunnel connecting all the bigger areas inside. In addition, there is also a chance that we''ll meet a dead-end. If we separate in this ce, it''s unlikely that we can regroup together. And when we meet the Superior Demon like that, do you think we stand a chance?"


    "Now that I think about it, Old Ru also gives us only one talisman¡­" Anna agreed, realizing that he wanted them to stick together.


    "Yeah. So, we''ll explore the tunnels and kill all the demons as quickly as possible. You should be able to hear the echo from here. Thankfully, the cave is quiterge, so the echo is not that apparent, but if the monsters let out a loud sound, it will surely rm the other demons."


    "I don''t think earthworms can do it, but the mice might be¡­" Anna thought for a moment.


    "Indeed. So, who will handle the mapping? If we are not careful, we might be trapped here, you know." Noel sighed.


    "Do you think it''s possible to map the entire nest? The tunnel shouldn''t be on the same level and they might be ovepped with each other." Anna frowned.


    "I know that, but we have no choice." Noel sighed. "Well, I will take care of it then since I can''t see you sessfully doing it."


    "¡­" Anna wanted to retort but couldn''t. "In any case, my backpack has a sleeping bag and all the equipment for food."


    "I have the rest necessary items." Noel nodded while taking out a notebook and a pencil. After that, he used the Moon Blessing to see the dark tunnel. "Let''s go."


    "Onest thing!" Anna raised a finger, stopping him. "How should we use the crystals? You should know that it''s hard to recover all one thousand of them."


    "It''s simple. I still have some rooms to carry it. Whenever we reach a bigger room, we will clear up the area and all the tunnels leading to it before absorbing it. As for the split, 50-50 to make it simpler. What do you think?"


    "That''s good enough. Though, it will be hard to track time here, considering we can''t see the sun."


    "Don''t worry. I can take care of that." Noel smiled while looking at the Time Attack Mission. He saw the timer so he could keep track of the time.


    "Alright then. Let''s head inside!" Anna nodded. She didn''t show it, but she was quite impressed that Noel could take care of all those important stuff by himself.


    The two started running inside. Thankfully, they had their Moon Blessings, allowing them to tackle this challenge.


    In fact, Old Ru might have already known about this before suggesting this ce to be their hunting ground.


    With their speed, it didn''t take too long before they encountered another wave of demons. Looking back at the demons at the entrance, it seemed that the demons inside this ce formed a small group to live together.


    On the one hand, it would be easier and much faster if they could eliminate one at a time, but since they had to gather the Demon Crystals as well, it was better if they were in a group.


    So, Noel and Anna liked the arrangement.


    After moving for a few hundred meters inside the tunnel, they finally saw the path split into two.


    Noel instantly chose the right one and would continue doing so until they reached the end so that it was easier to remember and note. Still, it also made him unable to fight most of the time.


    Luckily, he could still maintain some sort of support fire with his Undying Fire Feathers and Ice Abilities. As for Anna, she had been wielding her sword at the very front, preventing any demons from slipping past her even in this spacious tunnel.


    After an hour, they finally found their first destination.


    Noel and Anna stopped inside the tunnel a few meters from the exit, discussing.


    "From the way I perceive the danger, the space inside is about one hundred meters wide. There are monsters in the ceiling, around fifteen meters above us. It''s quiterge that I''m surprised." Anna exined.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel looked down, contemting. With that range, his Demon Hunter Medal couldn''t calcte the number of demons and even their strength. "How many demons?"


    "I can faintly sense 80 demons¡­ at least 3 Peak Level Demons and 15 Advanced Level Demons. But the number should be higher."


    "In that case, you will handle the Peak Level Demons. I haven''t done a lot today, so I will decimate all those lower level demons with my elements."


    "Sounds good." Anna nodded in agreement. She put her bag on the ground and pulled out her sword. The yellow lightning began to spark around her body, ready to charge at the Peak Level Demons.


    Noel also put down his luggage. His right hand was filled with his fire element, while the left hand contained his ice element. This was the first time he fully utilized both of them together ever since the training began.


    "Let''s hunt."

 Chapter 776 Different

    The demons in the cave didn''t know what was going to hit them. However, they soon felt the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy that wasn''t supposed to happen in the cave.


    They all turned their heads to the source of the Spiritual Energy, which happened to be the entrance.


    All of a sudden, two humans emerged from the cave at high speed.


    *Roar!* The first to react was the Peak Level Demon. It informed the other demons that the enemies had attacked.


    The other demons immediately made their move, approaching the iing humans.


    Anna jumped into the air as she pointed her palm at the Peak Level Demon. "Lightning Discharge!"


    Her palm released a bolt of lightning. Unlike the previous time she used it, the power was at least double. The bolt of lightning was huge, quick, and strong.


    The Peak Level Earthworm used its Spiritual Energy to cover the entire body before deflecting it away.


    But surprisingly, the lightning didn''t bounce that easily. The lightning moved around its body, electrocuting the earthworm thoroughly.


    The earthworm resisted the lightning strike with its Spiritual Energy, but it was clear that the lightning was burning off the Spiritual Energy by using its heat.


    During that period, Anna reached the earthworm and struck its body with her de. clear


    Cling!


    Unfortunately, there was a clicking sound from the sh, making her realize that even though the earthworm looked like it had slimy skin, it had been reinforced by rock. It was harder than he originally thought.


    In addition, a lot of demons approached her to help their Peak Level Demon.


    Anna only took a glimpse of their appearance without putting much thought into them. Instead, her focus remained on the earthworm and the other two Peak Level Demons.


    As for the rest of the demons, shepletely let Noel take care of them.


    "Ice Lotus."


    A giant ice lotus emerged in the air. The size was bigger than the previous time he used it, but more importantly, each petal contained a strength that even a Peak Level Demon had a hard time resisting.


    The petals began to fall and get carried by the wind, flying toward the demons.


    Once they hit, a huge ice crystal formed, piercing the demons in the surrounding with its sharp, pointed tips.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons panicked as that attack eliminated at least fifty of them. However, Noel hadn''t finished his attack just yet.


    After a breezing chill wind from the ice, he changed the temperature by using the Fire Gale.


    The intense heat caused the demons to get confused. At first, they were shivering in the cold. When they wrapped their body with Spiritual Energy to resist the cold, this heat brushed their skins, causing them to feel like they were being burned alive.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" The demons didn''t know what they should do. However, the sudden change in temperature caused them to forget that the ice would also melt.


    Anna could see the movements of the demons from the air, including the fact that one of the Peak Level Demons decided to loop around to stop Noel.


    Without even saying anything, both of them seemed to know what they should do.


    Anna pointed her palm at the ground and discharged lightning. The melted ice conducted the lightning and electrocuted the demons that stepped on the water.


    *Roar?!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were writhing in pain as a lot of them soon fell down, not being able to resist the lightning.


    Meanwhile, Noel turned around, seeing the iing Peak Level Rat.


    Noel raised his sword, covering it with Spiritual Energy. In addition, he channeled a portion of his energy to the ground.


    After the training, his control over Spiritual Energy became much more refined. He could split his Spiritual Energy easily.


    This way, he looked like he was trying to stop the rat from shing his head with its sharp ws.


    But surprisingly, the moment the rat was about to reach him, Noel jumped back as though he wanted to escape.


    That was when the situation changed. All of a sudden, a rune appeared on the ground, sting the rat into the air.


    The rat was confused because it couldn''t resist the power from the ground that came out of nowhere.


    When it was in the air, it had trouble moving, allowing Noel to take advantage of this situation.


    Noel immediately stepped forth and waved his sword.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Circr Sword Strike.


    A sharp circle-shaped energy flew out of the sword and hit the rat. Thetter managed to move its hands to the front, blocking it with the sharp ws. But that was Noel''s n in immobilizing the rat.


    Once it couldn''t move, Noel summoned his Phoenix Wings and shot out his Fire Feathers.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The rat was screaming in pain as a portion of his body was charred ck. In addition, the me still continuously burned the skin and the Spiritual Energy that tried to repel the me.


    Of course, Noel could use this opportunity to take down the rat, but it would mean that no one could provide support to Anna.


    He took a glimpse of Anna''s situation, which happened to be surrounded by demons. It was clear that the rat was just buying time for the others to defeat Anna before moving to him.


    Hence, Noel jumped toward her while forming two runes.


    This was one of the runes that he got from the five runes reward for surviving Laufey''s onught, Rune st.


    Once it was activated, the rune shot out a chunk of Spiritual Energy that burst upon impact.


    The shock wave repelled some demons, creating a gap for Noel to enter. He then waved his sword and utilized his Circr Sword Strike to push them away.


    Anna also leaped into the air to see an opportunity.


    However, to their surprise, the demons joined hands to grab the Circr Sword Strike and stop it.


    "Hmm?" Noel raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he saw the demons joining hands to stop his attack. Usually, they would dodge and let the demon that was targeted take care of it alone.


    And it seemed that he didn''t have time to be surprised. The moment they stopped and shattered the attack, the demons released their Spiritual Energy, shooting at him.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue and used the Ice Mirror to act as a shield.


    Unfortunately, three out of the six mirrors broke apart, and the low level demons began to swarm him.


    Noel skillfully avoided and sliced them, but their number was quite overwhelming. If he didn''t constantly move, he would be surrounded.


    Meanwhile, Anna had nowhere to go in the air. The Peak Level Earthworm stopped her movement while the Peak Level Bat used its wings to gain air superiority, blowing her away with the sound wave.


    "Noel!" Anna warned Noel when she was flying away. She also felt the danger approaching from behind. It was clear that the rat was going to strike her this way.


    Noel knew that he was surrounded by demons. It was no wonder why Old Ru chose this ce for them.


    The demons had different behaviors. It wouldn''t be weird if they ended up getting defeated by them.


    However, Noel and Anna had confidence that they wouldn''t be defeated by them.


    "I see. So, this is the test." Noel smiled. The demons didn''t pose a threat if they fought alone, but once they grouped up, they would have a different behavior from a normal demon. It seemed that the Superior Demon in charge of this ce had trained them as such.


    However, that wasn''t enough to stop Noel.


    Without hesitation, he poured all the Spiritual Energy he could muster into his wings, expanding them.


    The zing wings released an intense heat that scared the demons. Once they got hit by the me from the wings, their entire body was covered in fire and their organs soon melted due to the heat.


    Due to these wings, he managed to gain some distance from the demons, allowing him to jump into the air.


    In addition, he saw Anna skillfully avoiding the rat''s strike and cutting its arm. The rat''s movement had been sluggish ever since he got burned by his me, so it was no wonder she could achieve such a feat.


    Since the bat would be troublesome for Anna, Noel formed another two runes, shooting the Peak Level earthworm with two Rune sts and knocking it away.


    After that, he flew to the bat and struck it with his sword.


    The bat tried to blow him away with the sound wave, but Noel simply used the Ice Mirror to block the sound wave until he was close enough.


    The bat used its wings to stop the attack, but the sword suddenly emitted an explosion, knocking it down.


    Anna made a sly smile as if asking him, "Heh? What happened to me taking care of the three Peak Level Demons?"


    Noel rolled his eyes, not wanting to argue with her during the battle. Though, he would surely give her an earful after all this was over.


    Seeing the demons on the ground was about to shoot him down, Noel suddenly dove while spreading his Fire Gale.


    *Bam!*


    He hit the ground at high speed, creating a shock wave that spread his fire gale to the surroundings.


    "Change of n, I guess." Noel sighed.

 Chapter 777 Change

    "Change of n, I guess." Noel looked at his surroundings. The intense heat had made the demons cower. They knew that they would be burned alive if they stayed where they were.


    But since the bat and the earthworm had been restrained by him earlier, Anna could finally move.


    "Noel!" Anna jumped over the demons with a confident smile. "Shoot at me! We kill these demons."


    It took Noel a second before understanding her request. Since the demons made a distance earlier, it meant Noel could jump into the air again.


    Meanwhile, Annanded on his previous spot as if she wanted to be surrounded by demons.


    However, instead of flying away, Noel turned around as soon as he reached the apex of his jump and gathered Spiritual Energy on his finger.


    With a single wave of his hand, a ck bird emerged and headed straight to Anna.


    "This one is quite troublesome." Anna clicked her tongue, but her confidence hadn''t disappeared. She jumped into the air and concentrated her lightning and Spiritual Energy on the tip of her de.


    Noel''s Undying Phoenix might be the strongest attack that Noel had. It couldpletely evaporate anything that was hit by it. Yet, Anna didn''t hesitate to stab it with her sword.


    Surprisingly, the moment the tip of her de touched the phoenix, thetter lost its form and turned back to the original fire. And that fire soon dispersed due to the concentrated energy and element.


    In other words, the fire that powered up the Undying Phoenix actually dispersed in all directions and fell down like meteors.


    This was Anna''s n to kill a lot of demons in one single swoop.


    The demons were shocked and tried to protect themselves, but even when an Advanced Level Demon put up barriers, the Undying Phoenix could easily melt it and continue on its path until it reached the demons or the ground.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were panicking as they tried to run away to save themselves. The demons in this ce might have different behavior, but it would mean that they understood the importance of their lives.


    Noel and Anna took advantage of their differences to cause chaos among themselves.


    "As expected, if only they were normal demons, they wouldn''t think much about the fire." Anna smiled confidently.


    Since Anna was moving upward and Noel had begun to fall, they ended up meeting in the middle. Obviously, Noel caught her, making sure she fell with him.


    "Oi! Why are you dragging me down? I''m about to use this momentum to reach the earthworm and the bat." Anna gritted her teeth.


    "No. You''re going with me. Change of ns." Noel looked around. From his attack earlier, he managed to kill around thirty demons. In total, they had killed more than fifty demons, leaving only another fifty to defeat.


    Hence, Noel wanted to reduce their number even further. "Can you control your lightning around?"


    "Go for it." Anna smiled, knowing what he wanted.


    "In that case¡­" Noel summoned his Undying Fire and formed a giant cylinder with the help of me Conjuring Ability.


    After that, Anna covered the fire with her lightning. With this, the fire had no other choice but to get dragged around.


    Anna controlled the lightning to fly to the demons, making this giant cylinder me like an earthworm that wanted to devour them. The difference was that this me would reduce them to ashes once they got caught.


    The demons tried to escape while the Peak Level Demons charged forward, messing with Anna and Noel to cancel their abilities.


    "Hahaha. Go!" Annaughed out loud while moving the me to the Peak Level Demons.


    Since the rat was the first demon that would be engulfed, it decided to stop it with its ws.


    The energy of the ws increased drastically as his body turned around.


    That was the time Noel made his move. Since the weaker demons were pushed back by the fire and the two Peak Level Demons tried to stop them, it meant no one was watching out for the rat.


    Noel used his Split Step to confuse the Peak Level Demons. His shadow moved to the left while the real body headed to the right and continued toward the rat.


    *Roa¡ª!*


    As one would expect from Peak Level Demons, their intelligence was enough to realize what Noel wanted to attempt and hurriedly warn the other.


    But that roar only rmed the rat, not helping him with anything. After all, Noel had reached the rat when thetter turned around.


    "Goodbye." Noel smiled as he struck the rat''s neck with his fire-covered sword.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    *Scree!*


    The rat screamed in pain. Noel wanted a clean swing, but it seemed that the rat''s skin was tougher than expected.


    His de only prated a quarter of the entire neck. It was fatal, but the rat should still be able tounch a few more attacks before dying.


    "Not enough!" Noel changed his approach. Instead of the Sword Fire, he used Ignition Sword, creating an explosion inside the rat''s neck.


    "!!!"


    *Boom!*


    The rat couldn''t do anything as the explosion engulfed its throat and organs. The force also tore the skin and ligaments connecting the head and the body.


    Ultimately, the head was severed and flew into the air.


    As for the me cylinder that was about to fight the rat, it shifted its path and avoided Noel before heading to the remaining two Peak Level Demons.


    Noel looked around, seeing the other lower level demons. He ced his hand on the ground.


    Frost Control.


    In an instant, the ground was covered by a thinyer of ice. The ice had a radius of fifteen meters.


    The demons lost their connection to the earth. Even if they could dig the ground, the ice prevented them.


    On the other hand, Noel was the user, so he had gotten used to moving on top of the ice. He slid forward and used the Circr Sword Strike to kill the confused demons. After that, he began to aim for the rest of the demons, leaving Anna to fend off the two Peak Level Demons and the other demons near her.


    As much as Noel wanted to go all out by bringing one big ability after another, it would prove to be detrimental to his mission if he wanted to finish it within 24 hours. After all, he needed to spend more energy, which meant he had to recover his energy.


    That was why once the situation was under control, Noel changed his approach from big abilities to only Frost Control, one of his first and weakest abilities.


    This Frost Control might not be powerful, but if he used it creatively, it could be as fatal as the rest.


    Ultimately, Noel killed one demon after another while Anna dissolved the lightning that controlled his me and let the me hit a lot of demons and kill them.


    After that, Anna also followed Noel''s approach and handled the Peak Level Demons with her sword.


    Even without saying anything, they knew each other''s ns. Noel eventually killed the remaining demons while Anna bought him time from the Peak Level Demons.


    Once there was no more nuisance, Noel and Anna finally fought one Peak Level Demon respectively.


    Since Noel could fly, he fought the bat.


    The bat kept using the sound waves to wreak havoc, trying to injure him. Unfortunately for the bat, Noel skillfully flew around and even controlled his Undying Fire Feathers to make an unpredictable flying path.


    The bat, of course, flew around to avoid it, but coupled with Noel''s de, the bat ended up having no ce to go. Eventually, the Fire Feathers hit the bat''s wings, burning them down.


    The bat could do nothing when its wings were gone. It didn''t take too long for Noel to kill the bat.


    Even though the bat was a Peak Level Demon, it looked like Noel could easily kill the bat.


    The same applied to the earthworm. Now that Anna didn''t have to worry about other demons attacking her, she could control her lightning topletely overwhelm the earthworm.


    The earthworm was covered with tough skin that seemed to have been reinforced by the rock from this ce. However, Anna''s lightning had a far higher prating power.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Once she used it to its fullest potential, the earthworm couldn''t stop it anymore. In the end, a few holes were created in the earthworm''s body. After a while, the earthworm finally died.


    It looked like the Peak Level Demons never stood a chance in a one-on-one fight.


    However, Noel and Anna believed that had to be the case. After all, a Spirit Grandmaster was supposed to be able to overwhelm a Peak Level Demon. So, if they couldn''t achieve such a feat, it would be impossible for them to defeat the Superior Demon.


    Besides, Noel had once fought against multiple Peak Level Demons by himself. Even if the demons'' behaviors were somewhat different, it would be a problem if he had a hard time against them.


    "It seems that the enemies are tougher than we expected. I''ve used twenty percent of my Spiritual Energy. We might not be able to clear the entire nest if this continues¡­ So, let''s change our n." Noel suggested.


    "You can make a new n. I''ll take out the Demon Crystals and absorb my portions. You should havee up by then, right?" Anna nodded in agreement.


    "Yeah." Noel didn''t mind the arrangement since this was the most efficient way to use their time.

 Chapter 778 Secret

    "Ha!" Noel shed a Peak Level Demon. It had been ten hours since they entered this cave.


    Noel couldn''t help but take a look at the surroundings, only to find Anna had finished taking care of the other demons.


    Hence, Noel took this time to open the mission to check their progress.


    [Mission: Time Attack!]


    [Description: Clear the whole nest within 24 hours. ]This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    [Reward: Challenger Medal and Secret to Career Advancement.]


    [Remaining Monsters: 210]


    [Remaining Time: 13:50:10]


    They had made good progress in thest ten hours. The number of demons had been reduced to a fifth of its original number.


    There were six giant caves they had encountered so far, allowing them to kill about one hundred demons in each cave. However, he knew that they would be struggling for the remaining few demons, considering they would be hiding somewhere in the passage.


    Noel thought for a moment and muttered, "There should be two more caves like this. And considering there is one Superior Demon residing in one of them, it''s clear that the demons there will be fewer. However, it doesn''t mean that we''re safe either."


    "After all, it means that we have to fight more than fifty demons together with the Superior Demon. And considering it''s the Superior Demon we''re talking about, the demons surrounding it should be stronger than normal. Most likely, we''re going to encounter more than ten Peak Level Demons in that ce alone."


    Noel fell into deep thought that he didn''t realize that Anna had walked toward him. "What''s wrong? Is there anything bothering you? Do you find something wrong?"


    "Hmm?" Noel''s body shook a bit as he looked at Anna. There was probably one thing that could turn around the situation, but there was no way Noel could suggest it.


    However, Noel wasn''t someone so foolish that he thought hiding this matter was good. He knew that his life had been surrounded by schemes, misunderstandings, and hidden intentions. But he believed that the rtionship between him and Anna had been cleared.


    Even though they had hidden intentions and schemes, those were only at the level where they ended up helping each other or pettypetition. There was nothing serious about it. As for the misunderstandings, he had cleared almost everything just simply by talking to her.


    So, Noel decided to share the problem with her. "Actually, this looks like we''ve made good progress¡­"


    "Indeed. Having killed so many enemies within ten hours is good progress. I mean, we only have some minor injuries so far. And our Spiritual Energy is still quite high." Anna nodded. "We should be able to fight the Superior Demon in our best state."


    "That''s the problem. After examining the pattern, the cave, and their number, I think we will be facing the Superior Demon with a lot of other demons. And they should be far stronger than anything else we''ve faced so far."


    "Ah!" Anna looked down, contemting. "Are you telling me that it''s impossible to kill them?"


    "It should be possible, but I still haven''t figured out the n yet. For the time being, we can use our power to dig the ground and create some traps to kill some demons. However, the Superior Demon won''t be affected by it. And with those strong demons protecting him, I''m sure that the traps will be even less effective."


    Anna understood Noel''s worries. "I see. It seems that the situation is trickier than I originally thought."


    "Yes. That''s why before challenging the Superior Demon, we need a concrete n." Noel nodded.


    Anna raised one finger. "I think it will be possible if I activate my True Spirit Body."


    "!!!" That was right. Noel also wanted to suggest this, but telling her to do it was something he could never do. After all, he wanted to do it himself, considering he had two missions.


    So, when she suggested it herself, Noel couldn''t help but frown. "What do you mean?"


    "You didn''t hear it wrong. I''m going to use the True Spirit Body to fight against the Superior Demon. In the meantime, you are going to wipe out the remaining demons before helping me."


    "Are you insane?" Noel gritted his teeth and red at her.


    "I am not insane. In fact, I believe that the True Spirit Body is something that I should test after acquiring this power." Anna reminded him, "Don''t forget that we still have a lot of time to spare. Even if I use my True Spirit Body and rest for a few days, it shouldn''t matter that much."


    Noel grabbed her cor while saying, "I think you''re forgetting something. I, too, deserve to use it as well, right?"


    Anna was startled. When she looked at Noel''s grim expression, she realized that Noel was burdened by this fact.


    Noel had seen her state after using the True Spirit Body. Even Dimitri had a hard time fighting for a week.


    It was clear that the burden was too much. And he should have that ability as well instead of letting anyone carry that burden.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    That was why Noel had this grim expression. He was desperate, especially with the fact that the risk was bigger when it was used by a Spirit Master.


    "Do you think I''m just a weakling that needs to be protected all the time?"


    Anna couldn''t reply to him. Noel had definitely made her suffer a lot in her previous life. However, all those actions were needed in order to undo the brainwashing as well as change her behavior.


    Hence, she wanted to repay him in this life by helping and even protecting him. After all, she was granted an immeasurable experience and knowledge from her previous life.


    Noel managed to keep up with her this whole time, but because he didn''t have the knowledge about it, he couldn''t use the True Spirit Body. He couldn''t even sacrifice his own lifespan to use thetent talent of his ability.


    That was why Noel thought he was useless because he ended up getting protected all the time.


    Anna faced a dilemma. On the one hand, she had already nned to tell him about it after he reached the Spirit Grandmaster stage. On the other hand, seeing Noel acting like this shook her heart.


    ''Should I give the secret to him?'' Anna thought. ''I do want Noel to be strong, but¡­''


    Anna knew the price he had to pay if he used the True Spirit Body.


    ''I don''t really mind giving him the secret. In fact, I even n to talk about my previous life experiences after this trip is over. But if I give him this secret, there is a chance that he will be too obsessed with artificial power.''


    Anna fell into deep thought. She didn''t say anything for a few minutes, making Noel more and more frustrated.


    Soon, she opened her eyes. It seemed she had made a decision.


    "As much as I want to tell you about it, I can''t. There are two reasons. First, even if I tell you about it, no one can tell whether you can activate it without any prior training. Second, you need your Spirits'' cooperation. After all, using the True Spirit Body will cause your Spirit Link to get weakened."


    Noel frowned and couldn''t help but ask Ardagan inwardly, ''Is that true, Ardagan?''


    Suddenly, a system panel appeared.


    [There is one more hidden reason that the Spirits usually don''t tell humans. The True Spirit Body is not the human''s ability to synchronize with the spirits and borrows their full power. In fact, it''s proof that the spirits have undergone ultimate training to achieve the most powerful ability.]


    [In other words, even if you understand the secret, it''s impossible to use it.]


    Noel waspletely shaken. He never thought there would be a hidden condition. And from the way Anna worded it, it seemed that she also didn''t know about this hidden condition.


    ''Then¡­''


    [The very basic requirement for a spirit to cultivate this ultimate ability is to be a Humanoid Spirit. Currently, Heisk hasn''t reached that stage yet. If you want to activate it, you need to pour more resources into her so that she reaches that rank.]


    [After that, Heisk has to cultivate this ultimate ability. No one knows how long she needs to be able to get this ability. Even in the Spirit World, there are less than two hundred spirits that have this qualification.]


    ''Then¡­ are you saying that it''s impossible for me to use it?'' Noel bit his lips. He finally understood the gap that his hard work couldn''t ovee. Anna''s talent didn''t simplye from the conversion rate. She also had the spirit who had cultivated the True Spirit Body resided within her. Heisk couldn''t bepared to that spirit.


    However, it seemed that Ardagan didn''t n to let him down.


    [There is one way to speed up the process. It''s to be granted special power by the Spirit God himself.]


    ''The Spirit God? Are you talking about the Moon Goddess? But even if I know about it, I don''t have the connections to be granted that power.''


    [No. Did you forget about me?]


    ''Hmm?'' Noel became confused. However, Ardagan soon reminded him of another mission that he got a long time ago. He didn''t put much thought into it because the mission had a ''???'' mark. But it seemed that Ardagan confirmed the mission and told him what he needed to advance.


    [Mission: Helping Heisk advance to Humanoid Rank]


    [Description: Get a lot of materials that could be used to improve Heisk''s ice power.]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 2]


    [Penalty: None.]

 Chapter 779 Sorting Thoughts

    After seeing the new mission, Noel couldn''t help but fall silent for a moment.


    Instead of talking to Ardagan, Noel actually bowed his head to Anna and said, "Thank you, Anna. And I''m sorry. I won''t be talking about the True Spirit Body anymore."


    "Eh?" Anna was confused since this came out of nowhere. But considering there was a momentary silence earlier, she knew that his spirit must be talking to him. It seemed that there was no need to convince him anymore. "Well, it''s alright."


    "If you don''t mind, I want to have time alone for a bit." Noel gestured that he wanted to move away for a bit to talk with Ardagan.


    "Sure." Anna agreed. While looking at Noel''s back, she couldn''t help but wonder, ''What kind of spirits are inside of him? Considering it can easily talk to him, I guess he should have a Humanoid Spirit. Then again, the one-hundred conversion rate¡­ and double the limit of a normal person. It seems that the conversion rate is artificial, but¡­''


    Anna was engulfed in her own thoughts. However, if they let Noel grow even further, he would definitely be the strongest man in the world.


    ''If the Royal Family knew about this, they would have killed Noel no matter the case. No, wait¡­ They would definitely forgive the Ardagan Family previously and used the political situation to force Noel to marry into their family. In fact, I might be thrown away.'' Anna let out a long sigh, realizing that one move was all it took for them to exchange positions. She wondered what would happen if she ended up in Noel''s position.


    Noel would be favored as the greatest genius and married into the royal family. Meanwhile, she would be exiled to the Demon Banner Army.


    While she might not be strong, she was extremely talented. Her rise would just be a matter of time in the army. However, Noel managed to ovee all the hurdles with his brain. If she was in his position and Noel had that kind of power in his hand, it was obvious that she would die no matter how hard she worked.


    Of course, she was imagining things from her previous life. Everything changed the moment her ''rebirth'' took ce.


    ''If I''m in his position with all this experience and knowledge¡­ Maybe I can somehow put up a decent fight, but that''s all. He can keep up with my progress this whole time, so¡­'' Anna looked up, contemting. ''I still can''t find the reason for this rebirth¡­ the unique reason for me. Why would Noel give me this rebirth? Is there something I can achieve that he can''t?''


    Anna clenched her fists. She refused to just do whatever Noel wanted. If this continued, she would just be someone''s pawn for the rest of her life.


    That was why her determination to find the reason and ovee it grew stronger the longer she contemted her rebirth.


    ''Noel must be trying to achieve something, but I''m still me. Our visions are different. Whether it''s for better or for worse, I''m going to find my own reason¡­ So that I can stand as equal or even surpass that.'' Anna took a deep breath.


    ¡­


    While she was thinking about her rebirth, Noel checked the mission again and asked, ''Ardagan. This mission is weird¡­ Howe it''s suddenly revealed? I mean, the previous mission too¡­''


    [This chain mission''s purpose is to let you know more about the spirit world, including their system and unique power. So, letting Heisk evolve will definitely expose you to this kind of system.]


    ''Yes. It''s just¡­ I had never thought the mission would be like this. Even in the previous mission, all it took was me questioning the spirits.'' Noel frowned.


    [Have you seen me making an impossible mission?]


    Noel fell silent. Even from the first mission, it looked usible. Yes, fighting against an Ancient Demon would definitely be beyond everyone''s imagination, let alone for a young man who just awakened his spirit not long ago.


    However, the fact that the Ancient Demon''s strength was extremely weak made it possible for him to fight the demon alone. And having Anna''s cooperation just made it easier.


    Even during the two failed missions, he realized that it was still possible to clear the mission.


    Unfortunately, the first failed mission was caused by his arrogance in his nning. If he retained Dimitri and fought Laufey with both Damian and Dimitri, the mission would have seeded.


    As for the second mission, if he had tried and somehow forced the two captains to stop the mission due to the danger, he would have evaded the ambush.


    In fact, he still had one favor that the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain owed. Just using it to stall time was enough since Anna would have told them the danger.


    That was why when Noel saw Ardagan''s words, he couldn''t help but agree. Ardagan never gave him an impossible mission. Yes, it was hard, but not impossible.


    Noel took a deep breath. "It seems that I''m overthinking everything."


    [Please don''t forget that I''m a Spirit. Whose Spirit I am?]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''Mine.'' Noel answered firmly.


    [That''s right. I am your Spirit, not the other way around. You are the one in control while I''m here just to support you. There''s no way that I''ll try to harm you.]


    Noel sighed while scratching the back of his head. He almost forgot that all the missions, the training, and even the information he shared were for the sake of him. Due to all those he received, he could be this strong and keep up with Anna''s unprecedented growth.


    When Ardagan revealed the mission, he thought that Ardagan was only using him to evolve Heisk. In the end, the humans would be living under the Spirit''s control.


    However, it was wrong to think like that. It was true that the spirits wanted the best of their own. But Ardagan suggested doing so because it would bring more merit to him.


    If he followed this mission, he could get Heisk''s True Spirit Body and understand more about spirits to the point where he got a connection with their Spirit God. Since the Spirit God gave Ardagan to his ancestor to protect the world, there might be a time when he wielded Ardagan to once again expel the demons from this world.


    It seemed that having the Ardagan Family get back-stabbed by a lot of nobles to the execution took a huge toll on his heart.


    Noel opened his mouth. "I''m sorry. It seems that I haven''t thought this through."


    [After experiencing more than a thousand years with humans, I can understand your feeling. It might be a lot to ask, but please trust me.]


    It wouldn''t be enough if he just said he would trust him. So, Noel used his action to prove it. "What do you want me to do?"


    [As you might expect, the Spirit God created me. And I''m still connected to him. He gave you a mission. First, you have to evolve Heisk to Humanoid Rank. After that, there will be one more mission before he gives Heisk the True Spirit Body ability.]


    "Then, what about you? You are a Unique Rank Spirit that isparable to or even stronger than a Humanoid Rank Spirit, right?"


    [If you''re talking about my ability to use the True Spirit Body, then yes, I have it. However, I have to wait for you to be a Spirit Grandmaster first. Body and mind, I''m sure you understand the importance of them.]


    [If you don''t have the Spirit Heart and the Spirit Mind, the moment I begin releasing my Spirit Link in your body, you will definitely get incinerated alive. My Spirit Link will intertwine with your blood vessels. If you have the Spirit Mind, you can somehow control my Spirit Link so that it doesn''t incinerate you.]


    "I see. So, all I have to do is to be a Spirit Grandmaster¡­"


    [Yes. Though, that''s only for the Spirit Link. If you wish to perform the True Spirit Body, then you might need Rune to do that. Your body alone won''t be able to withstand my power, so you need Rune to bear a portion of the pressure.]


    "Wait a minute. You gave me a mission with Empowerment Rune and even the Secret to Career Advancement for the reward. Don''t tell me¡­"


    [That''s right. It should make you closer to the new Rune System you haven''t explored yet, the Rune Body. And Career Advancement will definitely help you with it. Unless you achieve those two, I don''t think you are strong enough to contain my power.]


    "I see." Noel sighed. It seemed that Ardagan had been preparing him to ept his power. He would proceed even if Noel didn''t realize it. "I''m such a jerk¡­"


    [You don''t have to apologize. I understand your feelings. If you keep apologizing, it will just make it mean less. Besides, there is one thing I have to warn you about.]


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "What is that?"


    [The True Spirit Body can''t be used easily due to the risk it carries, much so when a Spirit Master uses it. She might look like this, but she should be experiencing pains all over her body the entire time. After all, she is not a Spirit Grandmaster who can heal those injuriespletely. In addition, her Spirit Link must have given her all kinds of things that would make her mind go insane. Hence, you need to know that if she ends up with heavy injuries this time, it might put her life in danger.]


    ''Huh? Seriously?'' Noel''s body shook. Anna had never shown him something like that, but it seemed that he didn''t know how strong Anna was.


    [I have a medal that can show you three states of people. It''s simr to the Affection Medal, but it measures people''s health value, mind value, and status ailments such as poison or other things. But I haven''t given it to you because I believe it''s useful when you''re a noble.]


    Noel couldn''t help but agree. Having that medal and the Affection Medal would allow him to understand his subordinates better and make sure that he didn''t employ a spy.


    "I understand. You can leave it there. It won''t be long before I be a noble, but Anna''s condition is a more serious problem. It seems that the situation doesn''t look as favorable as before." Noel sighed. He knew he had toe up with a new n, one where Anna wouldn''t suffer such injuries.


    After sorting his thoughts with Ardagan, he returned to Anna, bringing a revised n that looked aggressive in nature but turned out to be conservative. This was the only way for Noel to repay her.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

 Chapter 780 Traps

    Noel emerged from a tunnel, staring at the demons. A single nce was enough to count the demons inside.


    ''There are approximately 40 demons, with 7 Peak Level Demons among them. Not good, but not that bad either.'' Noel smiled and began pouring all his Spiritual Energy into his palms.


    Each hand summoned an Ice Lotus, sending forth a total of ten ice petals.


    The demons were varied in size, so he wondered where the enemy leader was. After all, he couldn''t detect the enemy''s danger level like Anna.


    The ice petals flew toward the demons, trying to kill them. The Superior Demon would obviously react first.


    Its body pulsated as if releasing its order to the other demons. In addition, his body released a huge amount of Spiritual Energy and formed a barrier, catching five petals.


    Bam!


    Bam!


    Bam!


    The petals exploded and formed huge ice crystals, enveloping the barrier. The other Peak Level Demons also came forth and each struck a petal, protecting the other demons.


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. On the one hand, he had marked the Superior Demon. On the other hand, their coordination was much better than he originally thought.


    Still, he had sworn that he wouldn''t allow Anna to get heavily injured.


    Another fluctuation of energy shook the room, telling the other demons to chase after Noel.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue, showing an annoyed expression. He didn''t know if the earthworm could see him or not, considering it had no eyes. But it should sense the fluctuation of energy, the sound, and the movement he made. It was clear that Noel looked frustrated, as if his n didn''t go well.


    Superior Demons were extremely smart, so this Superior Earthworm Demon should have realized it. He sent all his minions to chase after Noel.


    Knowing that his n didn''t work, Noel retreated into the tunnel. The demons chased after him as if Noel was just a cornered beast.


    However, after a few seconds of entering the tunnel, Noel could feel that most of the enemies had gone inside.


    He then turned around and raised both hands, waving them together. All his fingertips were covered in me as waving his hands summoned forth two Undying Phoenix.


    *Cry!*


    *Cry!*


    Both Phoenixes let out a cry. Due to the nature of the Undying Fire, it didn''t light up the tunnel.


    In that darkness, the Undying Phoenixes hit their targets. Even if the Peak Level Demons could react, they were not at the very front.


    So, the Undying Phoenixes hit directly the lower level demons and burst out. The me followed the momentum and spread to the demons on the back. Even the Peak Level Demon''s barriers were burned away.


    "!!!"


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The tunnel was immediately filled with confusion and screams. They were in pain because they were being burned alive. If it was an open space, Noel might be at a disadvantage, but this enclosed space allowed him to concentrate his power into one single line and destroy the enemies.


    But as one would expect from the Peak Level Demons, their barriers might have been burned away, but they still managed to repel his Undying Fire.


    Since the demons in front of them had died, they were the ones charging ahead, trying to prevent Noel from doing something simr.


    ''Tsk. I only killed thirteen demons¡­ Only less than a third, huh?'' Noel sighed, turned around, and started running again. He never expected to kill all of them, but the number was lower than he wanted.


    After all, the moment the Peak Level Demons took the lead, it was close to impossible to recreate the same effect.


    In addition, the tunnel was big enough to allow five Peak Level Demons to move at the same time.


    The Peak Level Demons were gathering their energy, trying to kill Noel as quickly as possible. They didn''t want to leave their leader for a long time.


    However, Noel used this to his advantage. "Ice Mirror."


    A few ice blocks appeared in the tunnel as Noel stacked them up to block the tunnels.


    The Peak Level Demons believed there was another trick behind this ability, so one of them took the lead in order to expose that n and allow the other Peak Level Demons to solve the trap.


    *Scree!*<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The Peak Level Rat mmed its body to the Ice Mirror while gathering his Spiritual Energy in his ws, trying to block anything that Noel had prepared for them.


    But surprisingly, there was nothing behind the ice mirrors. The ice blocks only crumbled to the ground.


    "!!!" The demons were confused. However, they saw Noel used this opportunity to get more distance from them. It seemed that Noel''s intention was just to distract them and get away.


    If he didn''t die, he would definitely return and kill more demons in this ce.


    In fact, the fact that he managed to reach their ce meant he had killed a lot of demons that stood before them. There was no way they could forgive Noel for killing their kin.


    The demons trampled on the ice blocks on the ground and headed straight to Noel. But that was Noel''s other trap.


    The moment they crushed the ice blocks, the Spiritual Energy trapped within the ice blocks began to leak out and activate the runes that Noel had set up.


    Since the rune was made of his Spiritual Energy, they reacted to the ice''s Spiritual Energy, causing them to light up.


    "!!!" The demons felt that fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, albeit they were toote.


    Four runes had been scattered on the ground and all of them released the same burst of energy.


    Rune st.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred in rapid session and knocked the demons all over the ce.


    Even two Peak Level Demons got hit by the st and ended up stumbling to the ground. The other demons behind them couldn''t stop and ultimately stepped over them.


    The Peak Level Demons were obviously strong enough to reinforce their skins, but it was still too much getting stepped on by a lot of demons, especially after those Rune sts hitting them.


    ''Alright. The second trap is working.'' Noel was happy with the result since two Peak Level Demons were injured.


    However, this trap put the demons in a dilemma. On the one hand, their Superior Demon had ordered them to kill him. On the other hand, it seemed that they were falling into one trap after another. If this continued, they might die without being able to do anything.


    Meanwhile, they didn''t think that this person would leave just like that. Noel had gone this deep into their nest, so it was obvious that he was trying to kill their leader.


    Upon that realization, one of the Peak Level Demons released a screeching sound to inform the others to stop and turn around. They had to return, believing that their king was in danger.


    "Hmm?!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. The Peak Level Demons might not be as smart as Superior Demons, but they were, by no means, foolish. He couldn''t even use the third trap before they realized the whole scheme.


    Still, stopping abruptly at that speed took more time than they imagined. Without hesitation, Noel took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Anna!"


    His voice echoed across the tunnel. Two secondster, a spark of yellow lightning brightened the end of the cave as it moved toward them at a fast speed.


    Yes, this was Noel''s n to make sure Anna didn''t get heavily injured. He would lead the demons into the tunnel in order to defeat them inside before challenging the earthworm personally.


    Anna increased her speed and poured all her energy into the tip of her sword, which had been covered by lightning, to increase her prating power.


    Two Peak Level Demons hurriedly moved forward, trying to stop her.


    However, their sh was brief before Anna broke apart their defense and destroyed a part of their body in her charge.


    Still, they absorbed a portion of her momentum. The other Peak Level Demons joined forces to stop them and managed to stop her even though Anna almost tore their defense apart.


    Seeing that her momentum had stopped, Noel stepped forward and shot out two Undying Phoenixes to allow Anna to regain some distance.


    Realizing that they couldn''t stop the Phoenixes with their current condition, the Peak Level Demons tossed a few lower level demons into the front, especially the corpses, to block the Undying Phoenixes.


    "!!!" Noel was quite surprised that the demons were capable of doing such things. But it was effective. The demons somehow stopped the Phoenixes. The remnant fire that managed to slip through got extinguished by them.


    "We have killed half of them, five Peak Level Demons left, with two of them being injured," Noel informed Anna of the situation.


    "Not good, but not bad either." Anna nodded. "We can''t use n B, so n C?"


    "Ye¡ª!!" Before Noel answered, the demons suddenly trembled as though they sensed something. They suddenly charged at them, not because they wanted to kill them, but because they were afraid of something behind them.


    Noel was confused for a split second before imagining one possibility.


    "Not good." Noel grabbed Anna''s hand and dragged her. "Run!"

 Chapter 781 Superior Demon Emerged

    "Not good." Noel grabbed Anna''s hand and dragged her. "Run!"


    "Wha¡ª!" Anna was confused, but it didn''tst long. The danger that her instinct picked up was rapidly increasing. It was clear that something was moving toward them. And when she examined the danger level that was higher than even a Peak Level Demon, then it wouldn''t be hard to determine the cause. The Superior Demon wasing at them.


    "I can run by myself," Anna shouted while trying to release her hand from his grip.


    After seeing Anna''s reaction, Noel released her while saying, "Bring him to the previous cave."


    "I know." Anna nodded. Looking at how fast Noel''s reaction was couldn''t help but make her think, ''Yeah. This is why I need Noel. His brain is working faster than my instinct. It''s not that my instinct is useless, but he can simply assess the situation and realize the danger before it''s evening. On the other hand, I''m heavily relying on my instinct to keep me safe. I have been training my mind, but I''m still not his match.''


    Despite realizing that she couldn''t win against him in this area, she was actually smiling. There was a realization that struck her mind. ''That''s right. I have something in me that he needs. He has something I desire. We both need each other, so that''s why I won''t hesitate to risk my life for you¡­ I wonder¡­ if you can feel the same?''


    Anna actually added ''can'' in her thought because she knew that the execution, even though it was a scheme, still traumatized Noel. In addition to her bad behavior, it was clear that Noel would have to face thatst barrier. Hence, she wondered if such a thing was possible or not.


    Unfortunately, there was no way she could utter that question, let alone in the situation they were in.


    Anna nced at the back and saw the demons running for their lives. She didn''t know the size of the earthworm, but it was clear that if the earthworm caught up, they would definitely die.


    She wanted to turn her body around and shoot at them, but that would be troublesome because they were moving at their fastest speed. A slight change in the body posture was enough to decrease their speed or even trip them.


    So, Anna thought about another thing and asked, "Noel. Can''t you leave your ice behind? I mean, on the floor to make them slip."


    "As much as I want to do it, I don''t know what will happen with the earthworm behind them. With the ice, the friction is less, causing you to speed up, right? What will we do if the earthworm speeds up?" Obviously, Noel wanted to do it much more than her, but he couldn''t risk her safety for this.


    The moment their n went awry, Anna would definitely suffer a huge loss.


    They kept running without caring about attacking the demons behind them. However, Anna and Noel could actually feel that their number was decreasing.


    Noel''s Demon Hunter Medal allowed him to sense the demons within fifty-meter radius. And due to it, he knew that the moment the demon disappeared from the medal, they either left the radius or died.


    He had seen the earthworm''s size. In fact, the earthworm should be the one creating all these tunnels, considering its body and the tunnel size were simr. The difference shoulde from the Spiritual Energy that the earthworm used to dig around.


    "This is the first Superior Demon I''ll fight." Noel took a deep breath. Since he couldn''t attack the demons, he chose this time to calm his mind.


    Meanwhile, Anna asked, "Noel. How long do we need to reach the other side?"


    "About one more minute. The tunnel is quite long. The earthworm is clever to make a long tunnel before his room." Noel understood Anna''s concern. The Superior Demon''s speed couldn''t be underestimated. He had been closing the gaps a little at a time. In fact, the only demons that could reach the other side would probably only be the Advanced Level Demons and Peak Level Demons.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. The Peak Level Demons'' speed was simr to theirs, albeit slightly faster. Of course, she could wrap her body with lightning to increase her speed, but it would mean that she had to leave Noel behind.


    There was no way she could do that. However, at this rate, the demons would catch up to them in another thirty seconds.


    "Noel. Things are not looking good. Are you sure you don''t have any other trump cards?"


    "I do, but I don''t need to use it here." Noel''s expression remained calm. It seemed that he had another n to avoid getting swallowed by the earthworm.


    Noel didn''t do anything for the next ten seconds, shortening the gaps between them and the Peak Level Demons. If he waited for a few more seconds, the Peak Level Demons might be able to catch them and throw them to the back, allowing the Superior Demon to swallow them.


    Even Anna became more panicked, wondering if she should use her lightning or not.


    Anna opened her mouth, trying to warn Noel one more time. But before her voice came out, Noel''s expression changed.


    The situation was just one step away from the worst, but this was the exact reason why Noel considered this a perfect distance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Ready to jump!" Noel warned her.


    Anna didn''t know what he was nning to do, but she followed his every word.


    The moment the demons extended their hands or heads to grab them, Noel suddenly shouted, "Jump!"


    Noel and Anna jumped at the same time as if trying to avoid something on the ground.


    The Peak Level Demons were smart, so they would realize that their actions should have a meaning.


    The ones that extended their hands like rats ended up retracting and jumping like Noel and Anna, thinking there was something that would trip them. Stumbling to the ground wasn''t a problem, but getting swallowed by the Superior Demon was.


    Hence, they wouldn''t fall for such a trick. They did the same thing in order to avoid Noel''s trap. Although they couldn''t catch Noel and Anna and the distance between them increased slightly, they were unharmed.


    However, Noel''s n had a fatal w. There was one Peak Level Bat among them. Since it was flying, there was no need to avoid the trap like others. It used this exact moment to grab Anna and Noel with its wings.


    But before its wings could reach them, its body got mmed by another earthworm that ran on the wall in order to avoid the invisible trap.


    In the end, the Peak Level Bat fell to the ground in shock and got swallowed by the Superior Demon.


    In addition, that small action increased the gap between them even further.


    Noel smiled while Anna was in shock.


    "Did you just trick them?" Anna gasped. Tricking demons and pulling them into their traps weremon tricks in the Demon Banner Army, but it was because the demons were moving with their instinct. In other words, the method was only for lower level demons.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    However, the demons in this ce behaved differently. Not only could they act together, but they were also far smarter than the ones in the wild.


    Noel took advantage of their intelligence and tricked them into thinking there was a trap on the ground they had to avoid no matter the cost. And he did it with just a single jump.


    By closing their distance, Noel made the demons panic and forced them to do the same thing without putting much thought. As a result, the little chaos ended up killing one of them and putting a distance between them.


    Anna knew for sure that there was no more trap that they could use, but Noel calcted how the enemies would move as well and turned it into a trap.


    This method couldn''t help but put a wry smile on her face. She became even more convinced that if their positions were exchanged, Anna wouldn''t be able to survive Noel''s plots.


    "Let''s go." Noel smiled while pointing at the end of the tunnel that had be visible.


    "Yeah. I''m ready to fight." Anna nodded while holding her sword on her waist.


    As soon as they reached the exit, they headed to the center of the cave and turned around.


    As expected, the other demons also emerged from the cave and hurriedly moved to the side, avoiding the Superior Demon.


    Thetter emerged with a body simr to that giant tunnel. The speed of this demon would definitely crush everything that it mmed.


    However, Noel and Anna weren''t scared in the slightest. They just took a step to the side and unsheathed their des.


    Since the earthworm hadn''t fullye out and its speed was still extremely high, it was impossible for the earthworm to twist its body. So, Noel and Anna let the earthworme to them and position themselves to the side of the earthworm while striking the earthworm''s body and letting the de slide on the skin.

 Chapter 782 Another Turn

    Circr Sword Strike.


    Lightning Force.


    Noel''s Spiritual Energy started to expand, but due to the toughness of the skin, the part where it touched the skin ended up getting stuck while the rest expanded. On the other hand, Anna''s lightning element sparked to the limit, trying to break apart the skin.


    The earthworm''s skin looked smooth like that of a normal earthworm, but when they struck it with their swords, it felt like they hit a rock. In addition, the rock was so hard that they wondered if this was a rock or a metal.


    "Haaa!" Noel shouted while releasing more spiritual Energy, stretching his Circr Sword Strike to the utmost degree. The Sword Strike also hit the Peak Level Demons on the side.


    Unfortunately for him, his ability actually left no scratch on the earthworm''s skin.


    On the other hand, Anna''s lightning element had a better chance against it. The lightning''s prating force was much greater than Noel''s ability. A huge area of the strike only left a graze, but the first strike where it was hit the hardest broke apart and left a wound.


    "¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, realizing that a normal strike wouldn''t be useful against the earthworm. She had to concentrate all her attacks in one direction.


    However, the moment she thought about it, the earthworm had fully emerged from the hole. Its body suddenly wiggled to the side as if it was trying to p its tail at her.


    "!!!" Noel obviously wouldn''t allow such a thing. He nned to make the earthworm focus on him. His sword began to emit the Undying me as it suddenly burst out.


    Ignition Sword.


    *Boom!*


    The me exploded and scorched the tough skin. The explosion was even bigger than thest time he used it due to the ability he learned from Old Ru.


    Although it was faint, the skin reddened as if the inner part was actually being burned from the outside.


    "I see. The earthworm''s inner part is extremely delicate, while the outer part is the only thing that is tough. If we can somehow find¡ª" Before he finished his thought, just like what Noel wanted, the earthworm focused on him. Instead of hitting Anna with his tail, Noel was the one getting pped to the side.


    "Kh." Noel still managed to cover his body with Spiritual Energy, but the impact was quite painful. In addition, it blew him away. The front part of the earthworm actually chased after him.N?velDrama.Org content.


    Noel saw the earthworm''s giant mouth that seemed to be able to engulf everything. There were sharp teeth all around the mouth. He would definitely get skewered alive the moment it devoured him.


    "You''re not going to do it!" Anna released a burst of Spiritual Energy, ready to jump on top of the earthworm to deliver a powerful blow.


    Sadly, there was no way the other Peak Level Demons would allow such a thing. They had appeared around Anna, attacking her.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue and struck their attacks, albeit they ultimately stopped her from chasing after the Superior Demon.


    Meanwhile, the Peak Level Demons on Noel''s side also surrounded him from two directions. But instead of stopping him, they only tried to distract Noel by shooting their Spiritual Energy so that he didn''t move from his spot. It seemed that they were scared entering the earthworm''s mouth as well, further proving the lethality of that mouth.


    A pair of ck wings suddenly formed and expanded, catching the Spiritual Energy that the Peak Level Demons shot. After that, Noel formed a huge ice block made by stacking all his Ice Mirrors.


    He thought this should be enough to prevent the earthworm from eating him. Yet, thetter gave him a surprise by drilling the ice block and all the parts that entered his mouth were ground into fine pieces before it disappeared into the darkness of its stomach.


    "For real?" Luckily, Noel had another n. He used the ice block to cover the earthworm''s senses and jumped on top of him the moment he broke the ice block apart.


    But as one would expect from an earthworm, it didn''t have eyes, but it could easily sense Noel''s position.


    Instead of moving forth, it raised its head and chased after Noel.


    That was why Noel was shocked. "Ice Lotus."


    Noel changed his approach and sent for multiple ice petals inside. The moment they entered the earthworm''s mouth, the ice petals exploded, forming a giant ice crystal inside the earthworm''s mouth.


    Once again, the earthworm''s teeth vibrated and shattered the ice crystal in an instant as the head continued to chase after Noel.


    Noel tried to fly away, but the earthworm had enough length to reach the ceiling. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, a bolt of lightning suddenly hit the upper part of the head and knocked it down.


    *Bam!*


    The earthworm''s body shivered for a second as if it was indicating the pain it suffered. The lightning turned out to be Anna.


    She managed to escape from the Peak Level Demons'' encirclement and shot herself to the earthworm.


    "Don''t underestimate me." Anna harrumphed.


    Noel saw the Peak Level Demons that were after her and rained them down with the Undying Fire Feathers.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A series of explosions urred, but none of the feathers hit the demons. After all, they were not used to kill the Peak Level Demons, but to stop them froming after her. The moment they served their purposes, the feathers changed directions and hit the earthworm''s skin.


    The earthworm shivered once again, letting him know that the attack worked.


    ''We can go with this strategy.'' Noel assessed the situation. ''There are a total of five Peak Level Demons and three Advanced Level Demons. I can easily kill thetter, but the Peak Level Demons are quite troublesome in this situation. Then¡­''


    Noel took a deep breath and changed his focus. Since Anna was holding the earthworm back, he should have had some time to focus on something.


    Noel formed two runes on his hand. The first rune was the Rune st, while the second one was actually the Energy Gathering Rune.


    He shot the Rune st to the earthworm. Sensing the amount of Spiritual Energy that Noel poured into this rune, two Peak Level Demons actually jumped forth to block it.


    *Bam!*


    The st knocked both of them, but they absorbed most of the energy. The remaining energy only felt like a tickle for the earthworm.


    Noel had expected something like this. In fact, the reason why he prepared the second rune was for this exact moment.


    The Energy Gathering Rune was sucking all the Spiritual Energy around it, concentrating them above the rune.


    "!!!" The other demons thought he was nning to do the same but at arger scale. So, they hurriedly moved toward the earthworm, trying to block it. The remaining Advanced Level Demons were in charge of distracting him.


    Noel didn''t care much about the Advanced Level Demon. He focused on the Spiritual Energy the rune gathered as well as the oneing from his body.


    "Connection¡­ Spiritual Energy¡­" Noel muttered those words while trying to extend his Spiritual Energy to the one that the rune gathered. He tried to apply Old Ru''s ability and connect himself with this huge chunk of Spiritual Energy.


    Surprisingly, the Spiritual Energy looked like they were trying to attach themselves to each other and began to form a bond.


    As soon as he made that connection, he couldn''t help but smile. Even if he couldn''t release this amount of Spiritual Energy at once, he could actually use the rune to bypass that limit.


    And with this, he began the next step. He poured the fire element to light up this amount of Spiritual Energy.


    Suddenly, a huge fireball was formed. The size was as big as the tunnel. Not only the demons but even Anna was shocked by the size of the fireball.


    The Advanced Level Demons were more determined to use their lives to stop Noel, but instead of throwing this massive fireball at the earthworm, he tried something else.


    ''It''s quite hard to maintain it, but¡­'' Noel tried the me Conjuring Ability to change the shape of this fireball. He wouldn''t be able to make something in great detail, but there was an exact example in front of him.


    With a wave of his hand, the fireball extended forth like an earthworm and moved around Noel''s body.


    "!!!" The Advanced Level Demons were shocked because this fire earthworm could move freely in the air and ultimately engulfed them in rapid session.


    With that size, there was no way the Advanced Level Demon could resist.


    After that, Noel tried to move this powerful fire toward the earthworm to scorch his entire body.


    The Peak Level Demons jumped into the air. They had no choice but to take this attack head-on.


    However, it seemed that the Superior Demon also sensed the dangering from Noel''s fire.


    Suddenly, a burst of energy shook the entire area to the point where Noel''s fire became unstable.


    "!!!" Noel gritted his teeth, maintaining his control.


    But Anna felt something from the release of that aura.


    "Huh?" Anna widened her eyes and raised her head. She certainly felt dangering from above, thinking it was one of the monsters that hid inside the dead-end tunnel. And she seemed to be right. The demon was actually moving around as if it was trying to smash the ground that separated them.


    "The demon ising¡­ No, wait. That burst of Spiritual Energy¡­ it''s actually to call all the demons in this nest?" Anna''s body trembled upon that realization. They had just gained an advantage during the battle, yet, that advantage would be gone if those demons actually came to this ce.


    Even Noel couldn''t help but look at the mission.


    [Mission: Time Attack!]


    [Description: Clear the whole nest within 24 hours. ]


    [Reward: Challenger Medal and Secret to Career Advancement.]


    [Remaining Monsters: 53]


    [Remaining Time: 3:11:25]


    Their numbers weren''t great, but if they came here, it would disrupt the battlefield and put them at a disadvantage.

 Chapter 783 True Spirit Body

    Anna gritted her teeth and jumped to the side, gaining some distance from the earthworm to think.


    Noel, on the other hand, was getting suppressed by the Peak Level Demons. The Peak Level Demons didn''t even bother to kill him. They fought conservatively as if they were trying to buy time for the rest toe without getting injured.


    "Noel!" Anna shouted his name, knowing what was going to happen from now on.


    "I know." Noel nodded with a serious expression while repelling the enemy''s attacks.


    Anna was clenching her weapon slightly. Despite facing this type of situation, she still hadn''t released her full power.


    After all, she was still abiding by the promise that she made with Noel a moment ago.


    ¡­


    An hour ago.


    "Eh? What do you mean by that? Are you saying I can''t use my True Spirit Body? But this is¡­" Anna gasped.


    Noel''s expression was serious. He was still weighing the probability of her injury as well as the mission. On the one hand, he didn''t want her to use the True Spirit Body because of her injury. On the other hand, he knew that their options were limited.


    In fact, the moment Noel heard that Anna''s body was still hurting the whole time, he couldn''t help but wonder how much Anna had endured.


    She didn''t show it the whole time, so he never noticed it.


    It felt like he was being defeated by Anna before the battle even began. But that was the exact reason why Noel had to take this matter seriously.


    "That''s right. We don''t need your True Spirit Body. Think about this." Noel raised one finger. "Old Ru sent us here because he considers that we can clear the whole nest without his help, right?"


    "That''s true. But there should be a few conditions such as pushing ourselves to the limit. In fact, he should have taken my True Spirit Body into calctions."


    "No. Old Ru is only taking the new ability into his consideration. In fact, he is trying to not let you use your True Spirit Body. If not, he wouldn''t give us this thing." Noel took the talisman Old Ru gave them.


    Anna looked down. She could somehow understand Noel''s reasoning. Old Ru actually stopped Dimitri from using his True Spirit Body when they first met. It seemed that he understood what kind of power the True Spirit Body was as well as the risks they had.


    He knew that she would be in danger if she used the True Spirit Body. That was why he prevented her from taking that action.


    Still, Anna wasn''t thoroughly convinced. "There is one problem. Do you think we can kill the Superior Demon without the True Spirit Body? I mean, I can somehow picture it, but what are we going to do with the other demons? In fact, the key factor of our sess lies in those demons. If we can kill them and face the earthworm alone, we can definitely win. But if those demons surround us¡­"


    Anna didn''t have to finish her words. The result was clear. Even Noel couldn''t rebuke her statement.


    In fact, she felt a bit weird that Noel suddenly became adamant about stopping her from using this ability. She thought, ''Did he notice something from his spirit? The Spirit should know more about the True Spirit Body¡­ Wait. Don''t tell me¡­ his spirits have realized my condition and warned him about it? Is that why he is so desperate to stop me?''


    Suddenly, the spirit in her body released his voice.


    ''Oh, look at that. How sweet of him. It''s hard to find someone who cares this much for you. How about holding back for now? You can''t make him worry too much, you know.''


    Anna never thought that the Thunder Berserker Spirit would start the conversation. Normally, he would only speak whenever she visited him in her own consciousness. However, she had another reason why she couldn''t back down.


    ''Why are you suddenly supporting him? What are you scheming?'' Anna paused for a moment. ''As much as I want to fulfill that request, you should have seen his reaction about this nest. It seems that his spirit is going to reward him with something if he can somehow eliminate all the demons in the nest.''


    Noel didn''t want her to risk her life, but Anna refused for his sake as well. The Thunder Berserker Spirit could only say, ''I have warned you regarding the risk. The rest is up to your choice. Though, I must say that if you survive, you can enjoy being a little princess with him taking care of you.''


    Anna looked down for a moment. She would be lying if she didn''t think such a scene didn''t tempt her. Of course, she also felt moved when Noel showed such concern after knowing about her condition. So, she had topromise a little.


    She proposed. "How about this¡­ I will follow your n. But if the enemies end up bing more troublesome than we expect, I will have to use the True Spirit Body. In other words, if your ns can somehow eliminate the Superior Demon before I feel the need to use it, then I won''t use it."


    Noel thought for a moment and nodded. This was their agreement.


    However, everything changed when the earthworm called for the other demons.


    Even Noel knew that the demons scattered all around the nest actually tried to gather in this one ce.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel gritted his teeth. He could feel the vibration from the ceiling as a few small pebbles had begun to fall. It was clear that the demons were trying to create a hole.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Hence, he had to take down all the Superior Demons in this ce before they reached here. This way, he would be able to take down the remaining demons while Anna bought some time from the Superior Demon.


    "Haaa!" Noel released all the Spiritual Energy he could muster.


    The Peak Level Demons began to get some distance to intercept all his ns.


    But the first thing he did was actually point his hand upward.


    They were confused, especially after seeing the Ice Lotus. They thought Noel would attack them again with the petals, so they were ready to dodge it. However, the Ice Petals actually flew into the ceiling and exploded, forming multiple ice crystals that strengthened the ceiling. This way, he could buy them more time.


    But to his surprise, the demons'' movements began to change as if they were learning from him.


    "Huh?" Noel suddenly widened his eyes when a Peak Level Demon suddenly jumped on top of him, trying to catch him.


    Noel hurriedly waved his sword, cutting deep into the demon''s body. But surprisingly, the demon didn''t do anything other than use the momentum to reach him. This demon pinned him to the ground with its body weight.


    Noel obviously used the Floating Rune to lift him up, but it turned out that was just a distraction. The other Peak Level Demons moved toward Anna.


    One of them did the same thing. It sacrificed its life to hold Anna back while the Superior Demon raised its upper body and pointed its mouth to the ceiling.


    "Don''t tell me!" Anna gasped. "Stop it!"


    Both Anna and Noel understood what the demon nned to do. They jumped toward the Superior Demon in order to stop it, but it was toote. The Superior Demon actually jumped into the air with that giant body.


    Ignition Sword.


    Thunder sh.


    Noel and Anna struck it with the sword, leaving a huge wound on his body. However, it didn''t stop his momentum, only shifted it a bit.


    That giant body hit the ceiling. The ice shattered by its tough skin and the mouth destroyed everything on its path.


    It created a huge hole in the ceiling. It might not be connected to the other side, but they could see a clear crack, indicating that the ceiling had almost copsed.


    "Kh." Noel never thought that the Superior Demon would do something like this.


    "Sorry. I think this Superior Demon is smarter than we expected. Conventional way won''t do it." Anna said as she saw the ceiling on top of them crumble as ten demons emerged in rapid session. There were a few other demons that would soone from other tunnels.


    In this situation, if she didn''t use her power, they would definitely die¡­ Though, the Berserker Spirit''s words seemed to be influencing her mind as well. She thought, ''All I need to do is to avoid injuries, right?''


    "Wait. I¡ª" Noel tried to stop her, believing there was still another way to solve this. Of course, it was just him trying to avoid the worst-case scenario where Anna''s life would be in danger after using the True Spirit Body. If he actually knew about Anna''s thoughts, he would definitely p her in the face.


    Unfortunately, Anna disregarded everything she said from this point onward.


    "O'' Berserker who controls rampage and chaos." Anna started chanting unlike Dimitri. It seemed that was a condition because she had yet to reach the level where she could fully utilize this power. However, that chant contained a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    Just from the beginning of the chant alone, the Spiritual Energy vibrated and formed a pressure that tried to pin everyone on the ground.


    The earthworm was shocked, realizing that Anna had to be killed before she could do what she wanted. Without hesitation, the earthworm moved toward Anna.


    "This body is weak and unqualified." Anna continued. Suddenly, the lightning began to spark all around her body.


    The earthworm wanted to attack her, but the spark actually created a lightning bolt that hit in all directions as if trying to repel everyone that wanted to get near her.


    "With my blood as the price and my veins as the bonds, I shall offer you my life." This time, a huge change suddenly underwent. Blood suddenly flowed out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. The blood didn''t evaporate. Instead, they were floating in the air and merged with the lightning, fusing the color between the two.


    The yellow lightning gradually turned red as if it was lightning that came from her blood instead. However, this red lightning was far fiercer than the normal yellow lightning. It cracked the ground open, it created a hole in the lower level demon upon contact, and, more importantly, it was raging as if it was trying to destroy everything in the world.


    The earthworm wouldn''t allow Anna to do anything she wanted. The moment it reached her, the earthworm tried to swallow her.


    But Anna only smiled as she finished her chant. "Dwell in my body. True Spirit Body."

 Chapter 784 Strength

    "True Spirit Body."


    The moment she said those words, the red lightning erupted.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock and regret. He had failed to stop Anna from using it. On the other hand, he felt that Anna made this decision too hastily, unlike her normal behavior, making him a bit suspicious.


    Nevertheless, it didn''t change the fact that Anna had used her True Spirit Body.


    The lightning was so red that it felt like it had been dyed by her own blood. From the chant alone, it seemed that her blood was a catalyst or a bridge to this power, so it was no wonder that the lightning turned red.


    In fact, yellow lightning alone was already different from the normal lightning in the sky, so it could change its color as much as she wanted.


    What piqued Noel''s interest was actually a pair of horns that appeared on top of her head. She looked like the devil he had read in the books during his time as the young master of the Ardagan Family.


    ''Still, what should I do? She has used the True Spirit Body. ording to Ardagan, getting heavily injured in that state would be over for her. It seems that as long as she is not getting injured, it should be fine. There will definitely be some setbacks, but her life won''t be in danger.'' Noel thought.


    Without him realizing it, he clenched his sword tighter as if he was swearing in his heart to ensure the situation didn''t reach that point.


    Nheless, no matter how worried Noel was, what truly mattered was the power that red lightning contained. If Anna couldn''t fight back even with the True Spirit Body, then they would definitely be screwed. Noel was also ready to use the talisman to inform Old Ru.


    It appeared that his worry was unnecessary. The moment the red lightning erupted, it immediately sted the earthworm,pletely stopping its momentum.


    Anna''s eyes were cold and devoid of emotions despite the fact that her power was granted by a berserker spirit.


    Anna picked up a thumb-sized rock from the ground and tossed it to the earthworm as powerful as possible.


    The red lightning sted the rock straight into the earthworm''s mouth.


    However, the earthworm was still a Superior Demon. It wouldn''t lose to Anna easily.


    When the rock was about to enter his mouth, a translucent barrier suddenly emerged, blocking the rock.


    The power contained in that rock was extremely strong to the point where the earthworm''s body slightly twitched to the side as if it was getting pushed back. However, the barrier managed to stop the rock as the teeth began channeling their power, removing the red lightning from the rock. As a result, the rock lost its power and fell down.


    Obviously, Anna didn''t think that a rock could injure the earthworm. The reason why she attached the earthworm was to distract it.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Instead of aiming for the earthworm, Anna actually targeted the other demons, especially the ones that troubled Noel.


    She used her lightning to increase her speed and disappear.


    Noel had a hard time feeling her presence. In addition, two Peak Level Demons actually attacked him more vigorously, realizing that the Superior Demon would be in danger if they didn''t help. Anna was simply that strong.


    So, they wanted to eliminate Noel even if they had to risk their lives.


    "Kh." Noel was pinned on the ground. He stopped their attacks with his sword, but they used the weight of their bodies to stop him. Of course, Noel could use the Rune to blow them away, but he had to use the remaining Spiritual Energy to form Hardening Rune to the rocks in his surrounding.


    After all, the other demons were moving around and shooting their attacks from all directions.


    He had to block them and search for a new way to intercept them before he could turn the situation around.


    However, all that didn''t matter. After all, a red lightning spark suddenly entered his vision.


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock as he hurriedly covered his body with Spiritual Energy.


    As he expected, the red lightning electrocuted the two demons on top of him and sted them away.


    "!!!" Noel lowered his vision and saw Anna standing on top of a demon corpse.


    The horns made her look more confident and raised the intensity of her re. From that cold, emotionless face appeared a smile¡­ or a big grin. The grin felt like a challenge.


    "Are you done, Noel? To think you would be troubled by them? There are even more demonsing here." Anna pointed at the demons that had just fallen to this ce and headed to intercept them.


    But Anna disappeared once again as she actually headed to the rest of the demons around Noel and killed each demon with a single sh.


    The demons tried to stop her, but it was useless. When the rat tried to use the ws that managed to stop Noel''s sword the entire time actually got cut by Anna''s sword. The red lightning shattered the ws into pieces and the Spiritual Energy around the sword expanded, shing the rat.


    When the other demons used their own abilities that should work against Noel, it was rendered useless by Anna.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    They were shocked, but that was thest reaction from them before they died. In just thirty seconds, she actually killed ten demons.


    On the other hand, the earthworm obviously wouldn''t sit down when Anna annihted his army. As soon as it stopped Anna''s rock, it immediately turned around and chased after her.


    Noel couldn''t help but admire Anna''s power, but that wasn''t the time for it. Since Anna had chosen to eliminate the other demons to remove the variables in this battlefield, he had to make sure the biggest variable didn''t interfere.


    He jumped forth to the earthworm and used Fire Gale to heat it up, invoking its reaction.


    The earthworm actually pped its lower body and caused the cave to vibrate.


    "!!!" Noel almost lost his bnce, but that wasn''t enough to defeat him. He used the Undying Phoenix to buy some time while using the Phoenix Wings to get airborne.


    The earthworm had taken them seriously the moment it witnessed Anna''s extraordinary power. Its upper body raised for a bit before mming it to the ground.


    A few huge spikes suddenly emerged from the ground, almost impaling Noel.


    "Kh." Noel clicked his tongue. Luckily, he had the Phoenix Wings to shift his body position. If not, he would definitely die from that attack.


    After avoiding the spikes, he stepped on one of them and jumped into the ceiling.


    An ice lotus shot out its petals at the earthworm.


    The earthworm covered its skin with Spiritual Energy while moving like a snake, avoiding the st.


    However, Noel didn''t seem to give up. He shot a few more Ice Petals, forcing the earthworm to avoid it.


    After a moment, the earthworm actually realized that it was actually moving away from Anna even though it wanted to stop her.


    It turned out Noel shot the ice petals to create a track for the earthworm. It was extremely effective since Noel could see everything from the ceiling.


    After the earthworm realized and pped its body all over to crush the ice crystals, Noel dove and kicked the earthworm''s head.


    *Bam!*


    He had reinforced his momentum with the Enhance Forward Rune, so the momentum actually knocked the earthworm to the ground.


    Thetter released another wave of Spiritual Energy, making him remember the first wave, which called for reinforcement.


    However, there was something different from this Spiritual Energy. He could feel that his body became numb when exposed to this energy.


    He hurriedly jumped away to reassess the situation.


    But that was also the time when Anna returned to his side.


    "Hehe. It seems that I will win this time around." Anna''s voice echoed from the right side.


    Noel turned around and found Anna standing on top of numerous demon corpses. When he looked around, he realized that Anna had taken care of the remaining demons. Of course, there were still some demons that had yet to arrive, considering there were still six demons remaining in his mission.


    But it was still surprising to see Anna killing all the demons here within a minute.


    "What''s wrong? Are you speechless after witnessing the power of the True Spirit Body? Even if you asked me this time, I couldn''t teach you." Anna smirked.


    Noel realized that the berserker spirit had actually influenced her action. The reason why she put on that cold, emotionless front was because if she opened that mouth, the spirit''s nature would flow out.


    "This form is cool, right? I have a pair of horns here¡­ How do I look?" Anna teased Noel.


    Noel only put a genuine smile as he said, "I''m just d that you''re not injured."


    "Mhm?" Anna''s body shook as she looked shocked. She didn''t expect Noel to say such a thing. In fact, this might be the nicest thing Noel had said in the past few months. She didn''t realize that her cheeks were slightly reddened.


    "How is your Spiritual Energy? Can you still go on?" Noel shifted the topic back since the earthworm had recovered and was about to attack them.


    "I still have about forty percent of my Spiritual Energy left. I can definitely heavily injure this demon. The rest will depend on your performance." Anna nodded.


    "Is that so?" Noel raised his sword and red at the earthworm. Now that the demons had been eliminated, all they had to do was kill thisst one. "Let''s kill this giant demon."

 Chapter 785 Protect

    Noel and Anna jumped in opposite directions, confusing the earthworm.


    Anna was stronger than Noel. However, it was clear that Noel actually took control in most situations.


    If he chased after the wise, there would be a chance of falling into a trap. If he chased after the strong, he might get injured.


    The earthworm had to consider its choice carefully since one mistake might lead to its doom.


    As one would expect from a Superior Demon''s intelligence, the earthworm actually chose an answer aside from Noel and Anna.


    The Superior Demon actually turned around and nned to head back to the tunnel. This way, Anna and Noel would have a hard time stopping him. In addition, the Superior Demon could easily make another tunnel with its mouth, making an unpredictable route and burying them inside.


    Sadly, there was one miscalction the Superior Demon made. This n would be effective if the opponents were not Anna and Noel. Its decision to return to the tunnel was surprising, but it didn''t surpass their imagination.


    Noel pointed at the tunnel and shouted, "Anna!"


    "I know." Anna''s red lightning erupted as she moved toward the tunnel, blocking the entrance. She tossed another rock to stop the Superior Demon.


    As a result, thetter was forced to use the Spiritual Energy to block the rock once again, allowing Noel to take this opportunity to jump on top of the Superior Demon.


    He ced his hands on the earthworm''s skin and used the Enhance Forward Rune as well as the Falling Rune to push the earthworm downward.


    *Crack!*


    The ground started to crack. The force from the runes was quite strong, amplifying the demon''s weight. However, the earthworm pped its body around to throw Noel away, resulting in the runes losing their supply of Spiritual Energy.


    The moment it escaped from the runes, the earthworm wanted to crush Anna in front of him, but surprisingly, Anna wasn''t there.


    It didn''t matter too much. The earthworm hurriedly took advantage of this situation to reach the tunnel, but that was when a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy appeared.


    The fluctuation was strong but faint, showing that it came from afar. But in an instant, that energy actually appeared next to him and hit him with all that momentum.


    *Bam!*This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The impact caused the earthworm body to be pushed away from the tunnel. In addition, the area of impact actually left a big injury.


    The skin that was sturdier than metal cracked and left quite a big wound. The blood flowed out through the wound.


    Both Noel and Anna knew that if they somehow continued this approach, they could gradually weaken the demon and kill it.


    Noel and Anna nodded to each other, surrounding the earthworm from two sides.


    The earthworm channeled its Spiritual Energy to the ground, summoning multiple spikes.


    Anna used her lightning to increase the speed and move between the spikes as though she knew where it wasing from. Noel, on the other hand, flew in the air to get more time to react and avoided every single one of them with his wings.


    Undying Phoenix.


    Noel shot out his ck phoenix while the earthworm formed a dome on top of him to disperse the me. However, Anna came from the side and channeled all her strength to the sword.


    Blood Lightning Crescent.


    The Spiritual Energy looked like it became an extension of her de, cutting all the spikes, domes and even the worm''s body.


    "!!!" The earthworm was electrocuted by lightning. The dome copsed and the spikes fell down.


    The Undying Phoenix soon hit the earthworm and exploded, burning the earthworm.


    Their attacks were extremely effective. Anna''s True Spirit Body aside, Noel''s Undying Fire was so strong that it could break apart the earthworm''s defense.


    If Noel and Anna fought the Superior Demon alone, they wouldn''t be able to defeat it. Their respective strength might be equal to that of a Spirit Grandmaster. In fact, no one would know the winner if each of them fought Nicole.


    However, Anna''s True Spirit Body and Noel''s Undying Fire elevated their attack power to an unprecedented degree. In addition, both of them were smart and understood what each other was thinking, allowing them to reach a higher level. They might still not be as strong as Dimitri without his True Spirit Body, but it was already beyond the level of a mere Superior Demon.


    That was why Noel and Anna kept making one injury after another on the earthworm''s body.


    No matter how it retaliated, Anna''s fighting instinct let her avoid all of them. In addition, Noel''s support kept destroying whatever it forked out.


    "Noel!" Eventually, Anna tossed the huge spike into the air and used her Spiritual Energy to position it on top of the earthworm''s body.


    "Oh!" Noel smirked and hit the back of the spike with the Ignition Sword. The st acted like a hammer and impaled the earthworm''s body. Anna even coated the tip of the spike with her red lightning, increasing its prating power. As a result, the spike pierced through the body and nted it on the ground.


    Noel and Anna nted a few more spikes to make sure that the earthworm couldn''t go anywhere and die soon.


    The earthworm''s movement began to slow down and eventually stopped moving.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Noel panted a few times, observing the demon.


    Meanwhile, Anna lowered her weapon because she had exhausted all her energy. It was already hard to maintain her True Spirit Body.


    Due to the excessive use of her True Spirit Body, Anna suddenly dropped to her knees and coughed some blood.


    Anna gritted her teeth. The pain all over her body intensified and the horns on her head gradually disappeared. Her red lightning was also flickering as if it was trying to change back.


    "Anna? Are you alright?" Noel asked from the air.


    "Yeah. Thanks to you, I don''t have heavy injuries, so I should be fine after resting for a while." Anna sighed. "Though, I have to trouble you to deal a killing¡ª!"


    "?!" Noel abruptly frowned when Anna stopped and the earthworm started moving again.


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    It seemed to be the earthworm''sst struggle, but what shocked Noel was that the earthworm was pointing its mouth at Anna.


    "Huh?" Noel didn''t know what the earthworm was doing, but Anna''s face suddenly became pale. It was clear that she sensed the dangering from the earthworm.


    "Kh." Anna tried to circte the remaining red lightning to protect herself. Meanwhile, Noel dove into the ground, trying to rescue her. The Spiritual Energy was rising to the point where it was clear the earthworm was about to shoot something.


    ''I won''t make it,'' he thought. Currently, he was in the air between the earthworm and Anna. If he made his way to them respectively, he might not be able to reach them before it was toote. Hence, the only way for him was tond right between them.


    He thought the earthworm would be shooting out an ability to kill Anna, but it turned out the worm actually shot out its teeth.


    "Its teeth?" Noel panicked and raised his sword.


    "Huh?" Anna was shocked, never expecting that Noel had moved to protect her life.


    He used all the abilities he could use in order to protect something behind him such as Circr Sword Strike, Phoenix Wings, Ice Mirrors, or even Hardening Rune on his own body. He parried the iing teeth with all his might.


    "Haaa!" Noel shouted at the top of his lungs while trying to surpass the limit by repelling all the teeth away.


    The Circr Sword Strike eliminated a few teeth. The Phoenix Wings caught some like the extension of his hands. Ice Mirrors got shattered by the teeth but killed their momentum. Hardening Rune was hisst resort when everything he did couldn''t stop the teeth.


    However, the Superior Demon simply had too many teeth. With Noel''s current strength, he managed to repel most of the teeth.


    Out of 129 teeth the Superior Demon shot, 120 of them had been repelled. However, nine of them actually pierced Noel''s body.


    Two of them didn''t prate deeply due to the Hardening Rune. However, three of them hit his chest, waist, and stomach. Each tooth was as big as his head, so they pierced quite deeply. The remaining teeth hit his limbs.


    "Noel¡­" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was the first time she saw Noel sacrificing his life in order to protect her. Yet, she couldn''tprehend why.


    Their rtionship might be good to the point where he dared to gamble with his life. However, it wasn''t at the level where he sacrificed his life for her.


    That was why she didn''t expect Noel to do all this.


    Yet, despite such injuries, Noel still asked, "Are you fine?"


    "¡­" Anna was too shocked to answer that question. In addition, the earthworm''s body was contracting as if it was trying to make another move in its dying breath.


    If Noel got hit by another attack, he would definitely die. Without hesitation, she hurriedly moved past Noel and discharged the red lightning.


    "Die, you bastard!" Anna shouted in anger. The red lightning was rampaging in and out of the earthworm until thetter didn''t move anymore.


    When she turned around, Noel''s face had be pale. "Noel!"


    She rushed to check his condition, but the moment she reached him, Noel said, "I''m d that you''re fine. This way, I don''t owe you anymore."


    The way he worded it reminded her of the time she was heavily injured and had to fall unconscious in his embrace. Noel once said that he didn''t like to owe someone something because it would just give them an advantage during a negotiation.


    That might be the reason why Noel did such a thing. However, there was a difference between the two asions. This time, Noel protected Anna''s life directly. Meanwhile, the previous time was Anna trying to warn him of the danger but failed to do so because she fell unconscious.


    Noel fell forward as Anna caught him. She poured her Spiritual Energy around his body to assess the danger, but she heard him saying weakly, "I''m fine. Pull out all the teeth and take out a pill in my backpack."


    That assurance made her a bit relieved. She hurriedlyid him down, followed his instruction, and found the pill that the Sword Saint once gave him.


    In that instant, a surge of Spiritual Energy from the pill suddenly burst out of his body. His wounds seemed to be closing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Noel''s face gradually regained its color, showing that his condition became stable, albeit he was still unconscious.


    Looking at the peaceful face Noel had, she couldn''t help but say, "Owing me? Why did you look so happy when you said that¡­ You never owed me. It''s always the other way around."

 Chapter 786 Reason

    Anna was standing in front of the struggling Superior Demon.


    "Haa¡­ Ha¡­" Anna fell to her knees. The pain jolted her body before going straight to her mind. The pain felt like she was being shredded apart from the inside. If not for her previous life experience, she would have screamed in pain.


    Still, when she looked to the front, she realized that the Superior Demon was about to die.


    Anna took a deep breath to maintain her calm. Her power was depleted and her horns had disappeared.


    However, the moment the earthworm faced its mouth at her, the berserker''s instinct warned her of the danger.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. She felt the dangering from multiple sources. In fact, there were too many sources that she wondered if this was a real threat or not.


    But when she took another look at the earthworm, she realized what kind of danger she would be facing.


    ''The teeth? Don''t tell me, it can release its teeth? No, it''s going to shoot those teeth for hisst attack.'' Anna realized what was going on. Her face became pale.


    She tried to circte the red lightning, but the Spiritual Energy from her body was already too depleted that she could only cover her upper body with the red lightning.


    "I¡­" Anna tried to raise her sword, but her hand had be too weak. Due to the side effects of using the True Spirit Body, the damage on the nerves had prevented her from raising her de.


    "No way!" Anna gritted her teeth. She could hear Noel screaming, "NOOO!" as he was trying to rescue her.


    However, it was toote. Before he could reach her, the earthworm had shot out the teeth and impaled her body with all the teeth.


    Anna couldn''t do anything as her entire body was being ripped apart by the teeth. That was when she died.


    Or so what happened until Noel woke up from his dream.


    "NOOO!" Noel screamed as his body shook.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna''s voice suddenly echoed from the side, making Noel turn his head.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused. He looked around and realized that he was on Old Ru''s back as they were on the way back from the tunnel. "Did we¡­"


    Old Ru maintained his silence while Anna smiled at him. "We havepleted the task, which is to clear the nest. The Superior Demon has been defeated, along with the remaining demons that enter the cave after that. Though, Old Ru was the one to eliminate them."


    "¡­" Noel nced to the side and asked Ardagan to open the system missions.


    [Mission: Testing New Power. (Complete)]


    [Description: Eliminate all demons in their.]


    [Reward: Empowerment Rune.]


    [Mission: Superior Demon! (Complete)]


    [Description: Kill the Superior Demon.]


    [Reward: Force Control]


    [Mission: Time Attack! (Complete)]


    [Description: Clear the whole nest within 24 hours. (0 Monsters Remaining)]


    [Reward: Challenger Medal and Secret to Career Advancement.]


    As she said, the missions werepleted. However, it still felt surreal, especially after that dream. He never thought that he would dream about Anna getting killed by the worm''sst struggle.


    If not for him choosing the shortest path tond on the ground and blocking the teeth, it would have been bad.


    It seemed that Anna had pulled out the teeth and fed him the pill the Sword Saint had. In the past, the Sword Saint gave him the pill made of the soul of a Spirit King Level Expert. He said it had the power to let anyone recover from their wounds as long as they didn''t die. It appeared the Sword Saint told him the truth since that pill truly saved him.


    He was given three pills, which he brought with him all the time. However, he never had the chance to use it because he deemed the situation wasn''t needed. It was also his trump card.


    Although his stamina hadn''t recovered, he could feel that his body was perfectly fine. He would be fine after a good rest.


    Meanwhile, his focus shifted back to Anna.


    "Are you alright?" Noel asked. His face was filled with concern.


    "Of course, I''m alright. Who do you think you''re talking to?" Anna made a proud look.


    However, Noel only stared at him with concern, causing her to feel guilty for putting on that tough front.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head and sighed.


    "Well, if she didn''t want to say it, I will be the one telling you." Old Ru finally broke his silence. "You should know about the side effects of using the True Spirit Body. The Spirit Link will be damaged and any powering from your spirit will be reduced significantly until you repair the Spirit Link."


    "In her case, her Spirit Link might recover, but her own veins are not. I believe she has sustained a huge injury in the past. And that injury came during her time using the True Spirit Body."


    "You should know that the Spirit Link is entangled with the body''s veins. So, once the Spirit Link is damaged, the veins will experience the same thing."


    "While you can repair the Spirit Link with the help of the Spirit, your own veins are different. If it''s a normal vein, it shouldn''t be much of a problem since someone with a Healing Spirit can solve that problem."


    "But once the veins are fused with the Spirit Link, the only way to do it is to let it recover for a long period of time. Unfortunately, it hasn''t been long since the previous injury, so the veins get more injuries before they can recover."


    "Right now, she should be experiencing massive pains all over her body, especially the ce on her Spirit Link. She should feel lucky that she didn''t receive any big injuries this time around or her veins might copse and her life would be in danger."


    "That''s¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. "Is there any method of treatment?"


    "There are two ways that I know."


    "What are they?" Noel''s eyes brightened.


    "The first method is to be a Spirit Grandmaster. Once you reach the Spirit Grandmaster, you will form the Spirit Mind. The mind will be able to control the Spiritual Energy within your body to aid the recovery. She should be able to fully recover with just one month of recuperation."


    "As for the second method, it''s to control her energy from the outside. However, I can''t perform that method¡­ The only person I know who can do it is my grandson''ste father¡­ who had passed away due to conflict."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent before asking, "What do you mean by controlling her energy from the outside?"


    "Literally. You take over her flow of energy and use it to aid the repair of her veins."


    "Taking over someone''s flow of energy?" Noel widened her eyes in shock. "Is such a thing possible?"


    Anna suddenly remembered something. "Now that I think about it¡­ There is someone who can use that ability."


    "There is someone like that in your human territory?" Old Ru asked.


    "No¡­ Ites from the same bloodline as the person you mentioned earlier."


    Old Ru suddenly fell silent before understanding who she mentioned. Yes, it would be his adopted grandson.


    "Impossible. I have heard from the person who created it that he hasn''t taught anyone about that ability."


    "But¡­" Anna recalled what had happened in her previous life. "The ability could allow the user to control someone''s energy, right? While the other person can use their own Spiritual Energy to resist the control, it will be extremely useful for other areas such as healing, poison, and other things. I mean, you can guide the energy to contain the poison and even remove it."


    Old Ru gasped. The fact that Anna could describe it perfectly meant she was talking about the same thing. Old Ru had predicted that in the previous life, his grandson would be following Noel.


    In fact, Noel suddenly became suspicious due to the same reason.


    "Wait a minute." Noel''s eyebrows twitched. "May I know the name of that ability?"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Normally, you only know about two types of Control: Hard and Soft. But this one is outside the system, so it''s called Force Control."


    "¡­" Noel became speechless. He even made a wry smile, not knowing how to react.


    "What?" Old Ru was confused. Unlike Anna''s rebirth, he didn''t know much about Noel''s system.


    "By any chance, does that person acquire this control from a record or something?"


    "Hmm? How do you know?" Old Ru raised his eyebrows. "If I''m not mistaken, he deciphered an ancient book about this method."


    Noel pointed at himself and said, "I think¡­ the one who wrote that book was my ancestor."


    "!!!" Old Ru and Anna dropped their jaws to the ground.


    Noel wasn''t lying. In the past, humans created demi-humans and lived together for a while until the demi-humans were exiled. So, it wouldn''t be weird if one of them was rted to his ancestor and brought one of his books.


    In addition, Ardagan''s abilities mostly came from either himself or Ardagan Family''s ancestors. So, it wouldn''t be weird to connect everything to his ancestor.


    "I never practiced it, but I did have the knowledge about Force Control."


    Old Ru''s heart thumped. Despite knowing that his grandson followed Noel in the previous life, he couldn''t deduct the reason. However, it seemed that he finally understood why.


    It was clear that he wanted to learn the ability that his parents had. After all, that was the exact reason why his father died. Yes, the conflict came from Force Control.

 Chapter 787 Past

    "¡­" Everyone was speechless. They never thought Noel had it.


    ''Still, it makes sense. That must be the reason why someone like him would follow Noel.'' Anna looked down for a moment.


    Meanwhile, Old Ru wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. On the one hand, he wanted to prevent his grandson from following Noel. On the other hand, he couldn''t say much regarding Force Control.


    However, Noel actually said, "It seems that you are having trouble. It is not that hard to be honest."


    Old Ru opened his mouth, but before his voice came out, Noel added, "I will write down the knowledge about the Force Control and give it to you. You can think of it as my repayment. I mean, you have done a lot for us, even teaching this technique."


    "Huh?" Old Ru was surprised that Noel didn''t even bother negotiating. He simply gave everything away.


    Still, in Noel''s perspective, Old Ru had taught them a lot during the past few months. In fact, he actually epted them without asking for anything in return.


    Of course, he requested that Noel didn''t bring his grandson away, but he could fulfill that just by not epting Noel or even killing him. Yet, he didn''t do it.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    That was why Noel felt this debt couldn''t be repaid easily. Since the Force Control was extraordinary, he should give this to them. He didn''t want to owe others after all.


    "Do you know the real worth of that Force Control? That¡ª" Old Ru suddenly stopped talking.


    It seemed like his eyes were ying at him because there was a glitch in his vision.


    "Kh. What is this?" Old Ru felt a sharp pain in his head before an image shed into his brain. "This is¡­"


    The image waspletely unbelievable. It consisted of two people: him and Noel. It appeared they were talking about something in the house.


    "Old Ru. I have this Force Control, which seems to be very important to you. So, can you please take this? Thank you for taking care of me in thest few months."


    "You brat. Do you know the real worth of that Force Control? By using that Force Control, you can actually be immune to poison or other status ailments because you can simply expel them by Force Control. On someone''s hand, it will be like a miracle doctor, but what if that technique is known by a lot of people? There will be an army of them."


    Noel actually smiled at him and said, "You have saved my life and even made me stronger. I don''t have anything in me except for this Force Control that can enter your eyes."


    "Still, even my life is not worth an army of Force Control users." Old Ru gritted his teeth.


    "Then, are you going to refuse this?" Noel asked with an innocent face, making it hard to refuse.


    "Kh." Old Ru thought for a moment and pointed at the shell on his back. "In that case, I will give you my shell. I don''t think it''s enough to repay you, but I don''t have anything else. This shell can give you the chance to rewind time. However, depending on how you perceive time, the meaning can be changed. Just like how time always moves forward, the moment you try to rewind it, it will definitely be a new world that you know nothing of. You can say rather than going back in time, you go to a different world simr to this one."


    "This¡­" Noel wanted to refuse, but he couldn''t help but fall into deep thought.


    While they were discussing, a young man suddenly mmed the door open and pumped his fist, shouting, "Grandfather. Please let me leave with Noel. If it''s not enough to match the worth of that knowledge, then let me learn and stay beside him. This way, I can help him for a while and repay him the rest of the favor. In addition, since his ancestor is the one giving that knowledge, learning from him will give me a more beneficial experience."


    Yes, the one who intruded on their conversation was none other than Old Ru''s grandson.


    But his appearance actually gave a hint to what Noel nned to do.


    After some contemtion, Noel asked, "Old Ru. How about this? I will ept your shell and him right now. However, I''m surely going back to your ce in the future¡­ Or more like the past¡­ But at that time, I might not be the only one, excluding my subordinates. I will definitely give you the knowledge and you just have to ept and train me like you did here. You could say I owed you a favor now and repaid you in a different time."


    "Huh?" Old Ru widened his eyes in shock when Noel mentioned the past. It seemed that Noel wanted to use that shell on someone else. "Why?"


    "It''s not that I don''t like your present, Old Ru. At the same time, I can''t really disclose it." Noel made a wry smile. "I hope that you''re satisfied with this arrangement without asking me why."


    Old Ru thought for a moment and said, "I understand. Let''s go with your arrangement. But you should know my power of time, right?"


    "I know. That''s exactly the reason why I choose this path. I know how good you are, Old Ru. So, I will say this in advance¡­ Please take care of me." Noel politely bowed his head.


    Looking at that sincere feeling made Old Ru scratch the back of his head, saying, "You are surely a sly brat."


    ¡­


    "Haaa¡­ Ha¡­" Old Ru panted after receiving the image. He obviously understood the way his ability worked.


    "Old Ru¡­ Is there something wrong? Why are you suddenly¡­" Noel looked at him with a curious expression.


    Old Ru sighed, thinking, ''You sly brat. You think that everything can be done that easily as long as you arrange all this? If I ept this gift, you should know that in this timeline, this gift is worth what I''ve given him. It seems that this sly brat wants to suck me dry.''


    Despite cursing the past Noel, Old Ru actually smiled. "No, I''m fine. Let''s go back first."


    "Then¡­" Noel''s gaze reminded him of the Force Control.


    "I know, I know. I will ept the Force Control, but only on thest day. Don''t mention anything before that¡­ Or else he will end up following you back."


    "I understand." Noel smiled.


    Old Ru realized that he had been yed by this brat. Though, he didn''t hate the oue.


    Anna was confused about the whole thing, but she didn''t say much since there might be something that even she wouldn''t know. Considering it was Noel who linked them to Old Ru, it was better not to probe it.


    Noel looked at Anna and said, "In any case, I will recover my stamina first and try to help youter."


    "Well¡­" Anna only nodded her head.


    Since they had nothing to do on the way, Noel chose to use this time to check his reward.


    The first reward was the oneing in the eliminating all demons mission, the Empowerment Rune. As its name suggests, it could increase one''s physical ability and Spiritual Energy for a set period of time. However, this rune was more useful in another application, the Rune Body.


    If he engraved the rune on his body, he would be able to use this rune just by pouring his Spiritual Energy into it. In other words, it would feel like he had anotheryer of armor that boosted hisbat prowess.


    The second reward was Force Control. Just like how Old Ru described, Force Control was actually an extremely powerful ability. While the requirement to learn this technique was high, it didn''t change the fact that more than a thousand people could learn this in the Muivell Kingdom alone.


    As for thest mission, he couldn''t help but smile.


    Medal: Challenger Medal


    Effect: Physical Ability +10% when there is only one opponent.


    The effect was simple, but a 10% increase in physical ability was huge. So he could understand that there was a restriction on it.


    However, what shocked him the most was the second reward, the secret to Career Advancement. He actually receives the information about the requirement regarding his job.


    ''Hmm? Rune Knight?''


    [Career: Rune Knight]


    [Description: There are a total of five categories of a rune: Support Rune, Attack Rune, Defensive Rune, Utility Rune, and Movement Rune. Master 5 Runes of each category]


    [Requirement: Support Rune (2/5), Attack Rune (0/5), Defensive Rune (0/5), Utility Rune (3/5), Movement Rune (0/5)]


    ''Hmm? Mastering all five categories? This is easier than I originally thought, but wasting all my SP just for this is slightly concerning. In addition, I don''t know what I will get once I be a Rune Knight. Those who have been mastered are also basic runes like Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes.''


    ''It seems I have to take my time to consider my options and continue on this path. I also need to help Heisk and be a Spirit Grandmaster as well. This is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought. Maybe I should ask permission to move alone when we go back?''


    Noel was contemting his next move, but without him realizing it, Dimitri had prepared a special ''gift'' for him in the house.

 Chapter 788 Return

    As soon as they reached the house, Old Ru said, "Alright. With your current condition, it''s impossible to utilize Force Control. But even if you have the knowledge, unless you have a mastery over it, it will be extremely hard."


    "You don''t have to worry about that." Noel shook his head. "While it''s true that I might not be adept at it, I have a certain degree of mastery."


    Noel got the Force Control from the system. So, it was possible to increase the level of Force Control by using the Skill Point.


    In fact, he had been ying with it on the way back.


    [Force Control (4/5)]


    [Requirement: 100SP]


    But because thest stage required too many Skill Points, he ended up postponing it for another day. However, with the knowledge he had, he believed this was enough to treat Anna.


    Though, he only got the knowledge of the technique, not how to apply it. So, he asked, "What should I do to help her?"


    "You should know that Spiritual Energy can invoke self-regeneration to speed up your recovery, right?" Old Ru asked.


    "Yes, to some extent." Noel nodded while ncing at her.


    "I could fix my problem within a long period of time." Anna nodded. "It''s just¡­"


    "Yes. The level of self-recovery you can receive from being a Spirit Master is weak because you have a hard time controlling your Spiritual Energy to do it. However, it will be a different case if we''re talking about a Spirit Grandmaster."


    "The Spirit Heart might be the one increasing the output of your energy, but the Spirit Mind is the one controlling it. By having the ability to control, you can move your Spiritual Energy around to fix the damaged area far quicker."


    "This is why only a Spirit Grandmaster or above can use the True Spirit Body. More like, even if they can, the risk is too great that it''s better to wait."


    "However, it will be different with Force Control. You can actually wrap your weapon with your Spiritual Energy, right? In addition, the technique you learn here should have helped you with the control outside your body."


    Noel looked down, contemting. "Now that I think about it, yes¡­ Are you saying that I''m going to control the Spiritual Energy inside her body like I''m using my energy to wrap a sword?"


    "Yes. It requires a huge attention to detail and by moving the energy into the damaged part, you can help her repair the veins a few at a time. ording to my prediction, if you manage to do your part every day for about five hours, she should be able to recover within a month. That''s just how much damage her body has suffered."


    "Five hours, a month¡­" Noel roughly calcted the time. On the one hand, he wanted to help her recover in the fastest way possible. On the other hand, he could somehow understand why Old Ru suggested five hours.


    "I think it''s fine. It''s painful, but it''s not something I can''t bear." Anna nodded with a serious expression. "Besides, I''m grateful enough that this injury can be healed, even though I''m prepared to endure it until I be a Spirit Grandmaster. And five hours every day is not too long and too short. We still have enough time to practice."


    Noel let out a long sigh. "I understand. Let''s do it this way. Two hours in the morning, and three hours before sleep. The rest will be spent on training."


    "I don''t have a problem. Thank you in advance." Anna smiled gently. "This is the first time you care about me."


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He had always taken care of her safety during his nning. But she probably never saw it because it wasn''t apparent unlike this time. He looked away, "Just make sure you recover as quickly as possible. I don''t want to pull my punches for a long time."


    "What?!" Anna red at him. "You should treat ady better. You are going to end up single for the rest of your life."


    "If you act like one, I might do it. But are you even ady?!" Noel red back.


    Old Ru could only shake his head. These two always fought over all small things. But at the same time, they looked happier when they did that.


    Since he didn''t want to bother them, he left after leaving a message. "The treatment will start tomorrow. Go get a good rest for today."


    "Hmph." Both Noel and Anna snorted while crossing their arms.


    "I''m going to wash myself then." Anna hurriedly left.


    Looking at her back, Noel couldn''t help but sigh. He closed his eyes, recalling what happened during the hunt.


    Anna was extremely overwhelming, especially that True Spirit Body. She managed to eliminate all the demons in an instant. After that, she overwhelmed the earthworm, allowing them to defeat it quickly.


    "So, that''s the strength of the True Spirit Body. If I had it, I wouldn''t have to suffer all these defeats. I should focus on bing a Spirit Grandmaster as well as evolving Heisk."


    "Although I don''t want to rely too much on this external power, it''s something necessary if I want to move forward. I don''t think my enemies will just allow themselves to be killed by me."


    "In addition, I can''t keep relying on her to protect me. It seems that I have to be adamant about leaving alone after returning to the base. This will be a perfect time for me to amass my own influence as well as search for opportunities."This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s right. Dimitri should know about other vassals who are still loyal. Maybe I should use this time to find them. After all, the moment I be a Spirit Grandmaster, it will be the time I leave the Demon Banner Army and be a noble."


    Noel realized that he should carefully n his future. After all, the moment he was separated from the Demon Banner Army was the time for the Supreme Devil Organization toe to him. There was no way the army would protect him afterward.


    "I have a good grasp of my situation. The only problem will be how I should approach the royal family. After all, they will be the ones giving me the noble title¡­ There''s no way it will be that easy for them to grant me the title and territory¡­ they might even give me random territory just to kill me¡­ A random territory?"


    Noel fell into deep thought.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Anna was preparing a bath for herself. She was boiling the water inside a barrel to rx her body.


    "Mhm¡­" Anna let out a soft moan when entering the barrel. The warm water made her body rx and diminished the pain for a bit. "This is what makes me feel alive."


    Anna wanted to rx, but her mind couldn''t help but wander to the previous scene where Noel stood in front of her, protecting her from the impending doom.


    This was the first time she felt helpless and got protected by someone.


    "His back¡­" Anna muttered. "He is hard-headed most of the time. Besides, all that bullying¡­"


    Anna remembered how she fell for a lot of his tricks during their travels. In addition, the memory of her past life resurfaced, making her remember all the tortures Noel made her go through.


    In fact, this might be the first time that Noel''s back looked so broad that it could tower everything to protect her. And somehow that feeling was nice too.


    "If he only acted that way the whole time¡­" Anna looked down. Her cheeks were slightly reddened. She was so embarrassed that she dipped her head into the water.


    "Aaaahhh!" Anna gritted her teeth, trying to shake off that thought from her head. "No. Since when did I be this weak? I don''t need his protection. If I be so weak that I need his protection, then what will be my role?"


    "The only advantage I have as a reincarnator is the memory of my previous life, the experience, and the knowledge that allows me to move faster than anyone else. If I let him slip past me, I will lose the only thing I have¡­ Still, there must be another reason why I went through rebirth. Before I find it, I will walk ahead of him. No, even if I have found it, I will still walk ahead¡­ beside¡­ AAAHHHH!" Anna submerged once again.


    ¡­


    After having dinner with the rest of the people and telling them that they were alright, Noel and Anna returned to their room.


    "As much as I want to continue our littlepetition, it''s better to have a truce right now. What do you think?" Noel asked.


    "Yeah. I just want to get into the quilt and sleep." Anna nodded.


    "Then, let''s separate our beds first. The truce willst until you recover. We can join them together again."


    "Let''s do that." Anna agreed with him.


    They moved toward the beds to return them to their original locations.


    But before they pushed them away, Anna noticed something. "Say Noel¡­ Since when did our bed sheets be one single piece?"


    Anna pointed at the bed cover that somehow covered both their beds. They should have had a separate one before they left.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Noel asked while pushing his bed. But surprisingly, the sound of the friction the bed feet made came from both his bed and Anna''s bed. "Huh?"


    "That sound¡­" Anna frowned. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    Noel fell silent for a moment before lifting up the bed cover.


    What they saw actually made Noel shout at the top of his lungs. "DIMITRIIII!!!!!!"


    After all, they could see the bed being sewn together to the point it became one giant bed. In addition, when they looked even closer to the bottom part of the bed, they realized that the bed''s wooden frame had been nailed together, so it was impossible to separate them anymore.

 Chapter 789 Dimitris Plan

    "Hoho¡­" Anna looked at him with a smirk. "Why are you ming someone Noel? What a pervert¡­"


    "What?" Noel gritted his teeth. His eyebrows were twitching. If Dimitri was here, he would definitely fight it out with Dimitri.


    "Just admit it, it''s you who asked your butler to do this. To think that you would do something like this¡­ Don''t tell me, you have fallen head over heels for me that you are trying to merge our beds together so that we can always sleep together. What a sly guy."


    "I never asked that!" Noel red at her. He obviously never intended for this to happen. At the same time, he never thought that Dimitri would do something like this.


    "There is nothing wrong in admitting your desire." Anna made a smug smile. Despite being one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, Noel had never shown any reactions to her. So, this incident couldn''t help but boost her pride.


    Noel had always teased her in this type of scenario. But this was the first time Anna could satisfy the taste of paying him back.


    On the other hand, Noel realized what led to this scenario. Due to the training as well as all the matters he had to consider during the past few months, he actually forgot about the time when Dimitri prepared a bed for them. It was during the abandoned campsite.


    It looked like Dimitri was trying to tease them at first. But he never expected that Dimitri was actually serious about it.


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips and took his pillow. "Then, I will just sleep on the floor."


    "What are you doing?" Anna squinted her eyes.


    "What? Are you that happy to be able to sleep with me?" Noel tried to use this to turn the situation around.


    However, Anna raised one finger and said, "Did you forget what Old Ru said? We are only given one set of everything in this room¡­ It''s just the whole time, there are two beds, which is the only exception. Then, since the bed has be one now, the concept is fully materialized. There is nothing wrong with it¡­ It''s just¡­ you are probably too embarrassed to sleep with this beauty after knowing this fact."


    "¡­" Noel clenched his fists when he saw her looking down on him.


    On the one hand, it was never a problem. They had traveled together and even shared everything they had brought, including the tent. They even had slept on the same bed before. On the other hand, there was a big difference between the past and the current situation.


    In the past, they never intended to sleep together. Even if they did, it was just to tease each other or the condition forced them to do so. However, Dimitri was ying tricks this time with the intention of making them go further than this.


    He was afraid that the moment he let Dimitri do whatever he wanted, Dimitri would push for more.


    Noel was contemting the whole matter of what would happen in the future. Meanwhile, Anna was using this opportunity to continue teasing him.


    "You are a coward. You''ve always been saying that it''ll just ruin my reputation, but in this ce, no one is going to know about it."


    "You are the only one who can ruin my reputation."


    "I was supposed to die earlier, but you actually protected me. What? Is it like what I think it is?"


    "That''s right. You just can''t bear to see me dying."


    "Do you know that you were continuously uttering my name when you were unconscious?!"


    "That''s a lie!" Noel suddenly raised his voice, reacting to thest one. However, he forgot that responding to her teasing just meant he was actually admitting the teasing.


    "Hehe¡­" Anna had a huge grin on her face.


    Noel clenched his fists and tossed his pillow back on the bed. "Just make sure that you''re not regretting this. I''m pretty sure that Dimitri is not going to stop with only this."


    "Is that a problem?" Anna smirked. "You''re simply going to take responsibility for it. Right? Do you remember the time you introduced yourself as Noel Stargaze? It had a nice ring to it. How about introducing yourself like that again?"


    He wanted to get angry again, but he suddenly stopped. If he continued to respond to her, she would just be even more prideful.


    In addition, there were a few reasons why he never nned any of this. First of all, he had a clear goal he had made when awakening his spirit. And that goal would surely cause some trouble to the one who apanied him. That was why he was skeptical about rtionships.


    The second reason was rted to Ardagan. After knowing the fact that Ardagans could only bear one heir, it was enough to know what kind of future problems he would face.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Having multiple children was normal in this period. Even Anna had a brother. But because his talent was iparable to Anna, he had been sent to train elsewhere. That was also why the royal family wanted to force Anna to marry into their royal family since her family couldn''t use the sessor''s reason to reject them.


    The third reason was the current condition of the Ardagan Family. Even if he could reinstate the Ardagan Family, there would be numerous problems he constantly faced on a daily basis, such as the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization. There was a high chance that whoever was with him would be targeted.


    Last but not least, it was Anna Stargaze. Although he knew the rtionship between the Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family, the moment he made this decision, the rtionship between the two families could go either for better or for worse.


    Noel simply had to consider all this. These were probably the reasons why Noel, in the past life, had never been with a woman.


    However, Anna''s cheeky smile truly pissed him off.


    "Teasing is fine, but have you ever thought what will happen once the people know about this?" Noel asked with a sigh.


    "I know some implications, such as the Stargaze Family and the Royal Family''s rtionship or the fact that your uncle will try to aim at me as well. Those two are probably the biggest problems, right?" Anna asked.


    Noel couldn''t answer her questions. Despite knowing about this, Anna actually paid no mind and kept provoking him.


    "More like I don''t care about them. The rtionship between the Stargaze Family and the Royal Family is already sour to begin with. They even tried to force me to marry their prince or whatsoever by employing all those dirty tricks. So, I would rather marry amoner than the prince." Anna harrumphed.


    "In addition, your uncle should have been aware of my situation, no? If the Supreme Devil Organization is that strong, it will just be a matter of time for him toe after me. Rather than facing it alone, it''s better to prepare everything with you, don''t you think?"


    Anna kept spouting all the facts, except for the first one, where she just prioritized her own feeling.


    Noel looked at her in silence as if he was astonished by her words.


    Anna grinned and teased him again. "What? Did what I said make you fall for me? What am I going to do¡­ I have to me my charms for being too effective! I''m sorry that I''m too beautiful."


    "On the outside, not on the inside," Noel interjected with a sigh. "I somehow want to p you right now."


    "What''s wrong? You usually said you''re going to punch me instead of a p. Since when did you be soft?"


    "I''m just holding back since you''re still injured." Noel snorted. "Whatever. I don''t care anymore."


    Noel pushed her back to her side of the bed,id down on the bed, and put the quilt as if he was going to sleep.


    "Tsk. Are you running? I guess this time it''s my win." Anna made a victory sign with her fingers.


    Unfortunately, Noel didn''t react, taking a bit of her fun away.


    "¡­" Anna pouted. Even though this was her victory, she couldn''t enjoy it as much.


    ''Should I just get some sleep? I have to condition myself for the treatment tomorrow as well¡­'' Anna sighed. She would just continue teasing Noel tomorrow.


    She didn''t realize that Noel was actually not asleep. In fact, his mind was upied with all kinds of thoughts. He might not have realized it, but he began to consider his future, especially as the head of the Ardagan Family like Dimitri wanted.


    On the other hand, Anna covered her entire body with the quilt. Now that the joy of victory had begun to fade, all that was left was the embarrassment. She never thought she would say all those words to Noel. Her face was flushed red, so she had no choice but to turn around and hide her face from Noel.


    Unbeknownst to them, the shadow of the bed flickered for a second.


    Upstairs, Dimitri was sipping his tea with a smile on his face. He looked at the moon through the window and muttered, "I''m sorry, Master. Everything is for you¡­ Since you will soon rebuild the Ardagan Family, we definitely need an heir so that the Ardagan Blood will live on. I don''t care if you choose Anna or someone else as long as this problem is taken care of. That''s my job as the butler¡­ Other official stuff is left to the other divisions. That''s probably why your father assigned me to this job."


    As someone who had been betrayed by Laufey Ardagan during his time in the Demon Banner Army, he knew how hard it was to be betrayed by someone. So, he had been doing everything to solve the knots in Noel''s heart that prevented him from searching for spouses. That was one of the most important things for a noble after all.

 Chapter 790 Treatment

    "It seems that you had a good sleep." Old Ru''s eyebrows were twitching.


    After all, he could see a sign of fatigue on both of their faces. It looked like Noel and Anna barely sleptst night.


    "You were ignoring me the entire night. To think you didn''t sleep!" Anna red at Noel.


    "I''m busy thinking about a lot of stuff unlike you!" Noel snorted.


    "What did you say?" In the end, both of them red at each other.


    "Enough!" Old Ru gnashed his teeth, wanting to smack their heads. On the one hand, he didn''t particrly mind their rtionship, especially since the previous life''s Noel actually told him that he would bring someone here, so Anna should be very important to him. On the other hand, they were exhausted from clearing the nest, so he wanted them to sleep to recover their stamina.


    "¡­" Noel and Anna looked away, not being able to say anything since Old Ru had gotten angry.


    "I don''t care what you two are doing as long as it''s not too disturbing. However, I have to say one thing¡­ We''re going to proceed with the treatment. Since you''re the one who can use Force Control, then you''re going to do it. I''ll just help you with my knowledge about Force Control as well as the True Spirit Body." Old Ru pointed at Noel. "In other words, if something happens because of your fatigue, you know who to me."


    "I know." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Alright then." Old Ru turned to Anna. "For now, sit down on the bed and let your back face Noel."


    "Do I need to take off my clothes?" Anna frowned.


    "Just the part where your Spirit Seal is. That''s where the injuries are concentrated and if we want to channel the Spiritual Energy, it''s better through your Spirit Seal." Old Ru exined.


    "I understand." Anna agreed. It wasn''t that taking off her clothes was a problem. In fact, Noel had been ying with her to the point she was too tired to get embarrassed when seen by Noel. It was just that Old Ru was different.


    Although she knew that Old Ru was not a human, it didn''t change the fact that he looked like one because he didn''t have his shell anymore.


    Since she had agreed, Anna immediately sat down on the bed and lifted up her shirt, showing the Spirit Seal on her waist.


    "Here I go." Noel then sat down next to her and ced his hand on Anna''s Spirit Seal. He closed his eyes to concentrate.


    "Can you feel her Spiritual Energy? The one inside her body."


    It was no wonder why Old Ru used this spot to start as well. Since the Spirit Seal was the connection between her and her spirit, it was clear that there would be a concentrated Spiritual Energy in this area.


    Noel could easily feel this numbing Spiritual Energy. However, there was something else that looked different.


    When he focused on the Spiritual Energy around the Spirit Seal, he could feel fluctuation as if it was trying to guide him somewhere.


    By using Force Control, he tried to move his consciousness toward the direction where it led him.


    To his surprise, the more he ventured inside, the bumpier the road. It felt like he was being tripped all over again.


    There was one more reason why Noel didn''t have much sleep. Even though he used the system to increase the Force Control mastery, it didn''t change the fact that he didn''t have experience in using it.


    So, he had been experimenting with it with his own body. However, when he tried to move around inside his body, everything went so smoothly.


    Hence, it was clear that the bumpy road was actually her damaged veins. It was surprising that she had been living with this kind of damage in her body.


    Noel took a deep breath, bracing his heart. He didn''t know where this fluctuation was leading him, but he knew it must be important. In fact, he suspected that this fluctuation of energy was her spirit trying to help her.


    So, Noel kept following its movement for three minutes, causing Anna and Old Ru to be confused.


    "Noel?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if he couldn''t find anything at all. Even Old Ru thought that Noel should be able to sense it.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel waspletely absorbed by the movement. It turned out the fluctuation was leading him to a severed vein. Noel could feel that he couldn''t move forward because there was an emptiness in front of him. If he continued, he didn''t know where he would go.


    It seemed that the spirit was trying to let him repair it first.


    To his surprise, the fluctuation was actually moving by itself to attach the severed vein. It was holding the other tip and joined it with the one Noel was currently on.


    After it was ready, it once again fluctuated, signaling Noel to begin.


    Noel recalled the knowledge about Force Control before asking, "Old Ru. How does a Spirit Grandmaster recover from their injury? How do they utilize their Spiritual Energy to do that?"


    "It''s to envelop every little thing with Spiritual Energy. It''s not about enveloping your entire body with Spiritual Energy and calling it a day. You have to focus on each injury like the blood, the vein, the bone and other things. You wrap them individually, and the Spiritual Energy will evoke natural regeneration." Old Ru answered albeit he didn''t know why Noel suddenly asked this question.


    However, Noel focused back on the vein and tried to move the Spiritual Energy. Each vein contained a lot of Spiritual Energy, considering it was the Spirit Vein. So, he used the Spiritual Energy from the vein itself and wrapped the two parts.


    As this mysterious energy held both of them together in one ce, he could easily maintain his control around the severed vein. After a while, Noel could feel the vein acting like a sprout. It was growing at a very slow speed, but he could feel that they were moving toward each other.


    Once they reached each other, the growing parts entangled to form a strong bond. That bond would be the foundation of the repair.


    The longer he observed, the more parts grew and became entangled with each other.


    From one string to a few strings, Noel could witness this level of detail. Once the stringspletely formed enough support, the mysterious energy stopped holding it together and watched Noel do the rest.


    It remained on Noel''s side the whole time, watching over him.


    Noel couldn''t say anything in this state, but he could feel the genuine care this mysterious energy had.


    Noel kept working on it, making sure there was no energy spilled. Everything would bepleted once the vein waspletely attached with no holes in it.


    Yes, the bumpy road he took earlier was the vein filled with holes. There was Spiritual Energy leaking through those holes. It must be hard for Anna to control her Spiritual Energy with this level of damage to her veins.


    And this was only one vein, there were numerous veins inside her body.


    After a while, Noel could feel that it had fully reattached. Even the mysterious energy fluctuated to tell him that he hadpleted his job and thanked him.


    It seemed that the mysterious energy wanted to lead him to another ce, which was supposed to be the severed veins like this. Her spirit must want to fix those parts first before treating the remaining holes.


    But before he could go to another ce, Noel returned to the outside first. He let out a breath of relief and asked, "How did you feel?"


    He didn''t know if Anna was silent or not the whole time since his focus waspletely locked on the vein. However, one thing was for sure. The treatment was effective.


    Anna had a dumbfounded face as if she was looking at a lunatic. Even Old Ru couldn''t believe it. He hadn''t told Noel anything, yet, he already proceeded to finish it.


    "It seems that you can do the rest. For now, I''ll be watching from the side to make sure that nothing goes wrong. After a while, I''ll leave you two alone," said Old Ru in astonishment.


    "Understood." Noel nodded.


    "I could feel that my vein is being repaired¡­ No, more like it''s being reattached. How did you feel inside me?" Anna asked.


    "Your words can bepletely misinterpreted." Noel shook his head. "But it seems that your spirit is guiding me to the most damaged area. I''m going to reattach your severed veins first. Then, I''ll treat the remaining damage¡­ So, how long did it take? I could feel that the air is slightly warmer."


    "One hour," Anna answered.


    "One hour, huh¡­ It''s quite long." Noel thought for a moment. "Well, I will try to reattach all the severed veins first, I guess. Then, we can proceed with the agreed schedule."


    Anna looked at Noel mysteriously. He didn''t know when Noel actually learned this, but it was clear that he had practiced so much since he could do something like this on his first try. "Thank¡ª"N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Say that after I finish treating you." Noel harrumphed before closing his eyes again.


    Anna made a wry smile, but she was truly grateful.

 Chapter 791 Closer

    "Alright¡­" Noel opened his eyes and said, "I have finished treating all the severed veins. I have tried going around your entire body and there doesn''t seem to be anything missing. The conditions of your entire body are more or less fine, but the part around your Spirit Veins is critical. So, I will continue treating those gradually. For now, how do you feel?"


    Anna looked down for a moment before releasing her Spiritual Energy. The surge of energy was so strong that it released a small shock wave.


    "¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Even he could feel the difference. To think that just repairing the severed veins changed her this much. With his current sensitivity, he could notice there was about a ten percent difference.


    So, if he did this again after the holes in her veins had been patched up, she would have an additional twenty to thirty percent increase.


    Even though Noel was healing her, he couldn''t help but feel challenged. It seemed that Anna had been holding back due to her injury this whole time. If they fought again, he didn''t know if he could win against her.


    ''Tsk. I''m not going to lose.'' Noel muttered inwardly before saying, "I think it''s better than before."


    "Yeah¡­" Anna looked down in shock. "I have never thought that my injuries could be healed like this. In fact, I originally thought that I would need around six months to recover after bing a Spirit Grandmaster."


    Noel would definitely catch up or even surpass her during that period. However, it seemed that fate had prepared a present for her.


    "I wonder how you want me to pay you?" Anna smirked, teasing him. "Money? Status? Influence?"


    Noel snorted. "I don''t need them. Just think of this as me settling my debt. With this, I don''t owe you anymore."


    "¡­" Anna couldn''t help but scratch the back of her head when he said those words. This was the only thing she couldn''tment on. "In any case, I''m grateful for your help."


    "Yeah, yeah. Since we have some time, let''s continue practicing. We''ll go with the schedule starting from tomorrow."


    "Alright." Anna smiled and rose from the bed.


    Noel also got off the bed, but when he fully stood up, his consciousness shook and his body trembled. Before he knew it, his body had started falling. "Eh?"


    "!!!" Anna caught him out of reflex and panicked. "Eh? What happened to you?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel didn''t know what was happening as well.


    "It seems that you''re exhausted." Old Ru''s voice suddenly echoed from the entrance.


    "Old Ru?" Anna looked at him, concerned about Noel''s condition.


    "Force Control is taking a toll on his mind because his consciousness needs to support him in sensing the damage and everything inside your body. Just let him rest for a moment and he will be fine," said Old Ru before going away. It seemed that the situation wasn''t that concerning.


    "Is that so?" Anna frowned. She didn''t think that Noel would endure the exhaustion in order to heal her. He had been healing her for thest three days.


    Now that Old Ru mentioned Noel''s exhaustion, she remembered that during thest two nights, Noel ended up going to sleep right after treating her.


    He always put up a tough front, so she didn''t realize it. It turned out the reason was exhaustion.


    When Anna nced at Noel, he had actually fallen asleep.


    "I don''t know what to say¡­" Anna made a wry smile, feeling moved by his action. Just like her, he had been enduring things. "What am I going to do with you?"


    Anna gently put Noel on the bed. There was no sweat or anything on his body as a sign of exhaustion. Even his face didn''t be pale in the slightest.


    Looking at his sleeping face couldn''t help but put a smile on her face. Noel looked vulnerable, yet, after doing so much for her, the lingering feeling warmed her heart.


    She subconsciously reached out for his head and pushed the hair that covered his eyes. "This time, I''m the one taking care of you. Rest up, Noel."


    It seemed that Dimitri was aware of their movement the whole time. It only took him five minutes before entering the room with a basket of water as well as a towel.


    "Huh?" Anna was startled.


    Dimitri only put down the basket on the table and said, "He might get sick if he doesn''t take care of his body properly. At the very least, wiping his body and changing his clothes can make him morefortable."


    After saying those words, Dimitri hurriedly left as if he was trying to force Anna to deal with the rest.


    "¡­" Anna waspletely speechless. "What''s wrong with the butler of the Ardagan Family."


    Though, it did seem that she had no choice. She was the one who caused him like this after all.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    "Mhm?" Noel gradually opened his eyes and remembered how he fell unconscious. "Ah?!"


    Noel hurriedly pulled up his body and realized that he was on the bed with Anna still sleeping next to him.


    It was still dark outside, but Noel knew that it was about to brighten a bitter.


    "To think that the exhaustion caused me to fall unconscious¡­ No, more like¡­ I became too sleepy to even lift up my eyelids." Noel sighed.


    Noel couldn''t help but notice that his clothes had changed and there was a basket of water on the side.


    There was only one person inside this room.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. While looking at Anna''s back, he remembered the time they met. At that time, the anger in his heart swelled up to the point where he had a hard time making a rational decision.


    Yet, slowly but surely, the hatred disappeared. And currently, she was considered one of the people he could trust the most. She even dared to sacrifice her life for him and vice versa.


    "To think that hatred has now gone¡­ I don''t know what to say anymore¡­ I wonder if everything will be different if there is no such misunderstanding. Maybe we would have gotten closer."


    "Should I hit my parents for this? While I do appreciate that they have prepared everything for me to tackle the problems, they should at least tell me about it so that I can prepare. But I guess¡­ because of it, Anna can be beside me now."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "The alternate life, huh¡­ In that life, I was supposed to hate and bully her all the time, right? I wondered what I was thinking. No. I think that''s what was supposed to happen if not for the fact that Anna abruptly changed and intruded on my life."


    "I guess I now don''t feel bad about it. Thanks to her, I can be like this. Thanks, Anna." Noel made a genuine smile before deciding to leave the bed and prepare for today''s training.


    Unbeknownst to him, Anna had actually woken up. This might be the first time she heard Noel''s genuine feelings about her. Her face was red, but the smile on her face expressed her feelings fully.


    ¡­


    Now that everything had been arranged, Noel and Anna could continue working hard like normal. Although there was no mention of what happened that morning, they seemed to be a bit closer.


    Noel focused on his Force Control training and continued treating Anna. On the other hand, Anna slowed down her pace to get insight from Noel about the Force Control.


    Noel had no intention of spreading this ability as it would be too dangerous. It could fit as Ardagan Family''s secret ability, but that was about it.


    Even Anna didn''t ask him to teach her the Force Control, fully knowing how dangerous it was.


    They spent the remaining days on three things. First, they hunted the demons nearby and gathered a lot of Demon Crystals and continued absorbing them. They could feel that they were approaching thest barrier of a Spirit Master.


    Secondly, they continued mastering the new abilities. Anna had a lot of things she wanted to try now that she learned this ability. Shebined her experience from her previous life with this ability and either evolved the abilities or made them anew.


    On the other hand, Noel focused on Force Control since it was a powerful ability. If he had to face the Serpent with the rest of the Demon Relief Squad, he could confidently tell them to face them head-on because he would dispel the poison for themter.


    Last but not least, Noel was advancing his mastery in rune while Anna had a breakthrough in her Spirit Link. She also mentioned the pill that could help his spirit to transform. It came from the pill that Noel had given her previously. She promised to take him to that person to retrieve the pill once they went back.


    Dimitri, Damian, and Nicole had done a lot in the past few months. They might be watching from afar, but they had been taking notes, thinking, and discussing the techniques. Noel and Anna might not reveal theplete technique, but those three should have no problem creating a lesser technique of Old Ru''s ability.


    Time went by, and the end of the training was approaching.

 Chapter 792 Next Course

    Noel and the others were standing near the exit. They had finally finished their training and had to leave.


    "I hope that you have trained to the level where you won''t feel disappointed by your own progress." Old Ru smiled.


    "We are extremely thankful for your help, Old Ru." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Thanks to you, I now have the confidence to tackle the problems I will face in the future."


    "Indeed. Besides, we can finally move forward." Anna agreed while ncing at Noel. "This time, we''re going to face the problem head-on. There will surely be a lot of bumps ahead, but we''re not afraid anymore."


    "In that case, I''m d. I wish you luck."


    "By the way, I left the book in the room. Please take itter." Noel added.


    "Of course. Thank you."


    "Then, it''s time to leave." Anna began to turn around.


    "Ah, before that¡­" Old Ru stopped them for a moment and pointed at Noel. "If you would like to listen to this old man''s rumbling, then once you return, you should go south¡­ much further south until you meet a fateful person."


    "A fateful person?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "South¡­ wait a minute, you''re not telling me to go to another kingdom, right?"


    "I don''t know the geography of your kingdom, so I can only say that much." Old Ru shook his head helplessly.


    Meanwhile, Anna looked down, recalling the information about Noel. She wondered if there was someone from another kingdom who helped him or not. Unfortunately, she couldn''t find anyone that fit the description. So, there were only two possibilities, either the person helped him from the shadow or he didn''t exist in the previous life.


    "I understand." Noel nodded. "Then, it''s time for us to go. Thank you very much for taking care of us, Old Ru."


    Old Ru smiled while waving his hand.


    The group finally turned around and entered the tunnel that led to the outside world.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    While walking, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "By the way, Dimitri, do you have any information about the scattered forces of the Ardagan Family?"


    "Unfortunately, no. However, if you want information, you should go to Harley." Dimitri shook his head helplessly.


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment before raising four fingers. "I might look foolish by stating this, but there are four things that will happen soon. First, it will be me bing a noble. Second, there will be news that will shock the entire kingdom."


    "Third, the Ardagan Family will be facing a lot of problems after its reinstatement, but please pay no mind to it. Last but not least, the Supreme Devil Organization will make a major movement."


    "Mhm?" Damian raised his eyebrows before realizing what Noel meant. "I see. The time limit imposed by my king will be up soon¡­ It seems that you have calcted it."


    "Yes. I don''t know what you will do afterward, but I can guess some possibilities." Noel nodded. "At the end of the day, I don''t n to have the Greenwood Kingdom as my enemy. No more like, can you tell this to your king¡­"


    "I don''t mind having a mutual rtionship, but I don''t have any n in joining the Greenwood Kingdom, especially the throne fight."


    "¡­" Damian closed his eyes for a moment. Looking at Noel''s ancestry, it was clear that Noel had a shot for the throne. After all, Noel was linked not to the family but to the one that built the kingdom. By giving his words to his king, it should influence the decision that would be madeter.


    It might look like Noel was talking big, thinking that he was at the level that could suggest such a thing to his king, but the rune made it possible. In addition, he was also a master of a lot of techniques that he didn''t know about. It was clear that he would lead the Ardagan Family to its peak if nothing bad happened to him.


    Damian nodded. "Alright. I will pass your words to His Majesty."


    "Thanks." Noel nodded and turned to Dimitri. "By the way, Dimitri. It seems that we have to kill multiple Superior Demons on the way back."


    "Huh? Why? Although I don''t mind, we shouldn''t recklessly put ourselves in danger." Dimitri frowned.


    "I''m nning to advance my rune¡­" Noel smirked.


    Dimitri might not be an expert in runes, but he still didn''t find any link to the Superior Demons. "I''m not sure I follow you in this matter."


    "What I need is not the Superior Demon Crystal or their bodies. What I need is their blood."


    "Blood?" Dimitri widened his eyes in surprise.


    "Yes. What I''m nning to do next is the Rune Body!" Noel smirked while pointing at his body. "Basically, I''m embedding the runes on my own body. Once it''s done, I can simply pour my Spiritual Energy to activate the rune instead of drawing it from scratch like how I usually use my rune."


    "That''s¡­" Damian gasped. "Are you sure it''s alright to tell me about it?"


    "Of course, there are methods to paint the runes on one''s body. You can draw the runes as you like, but without the correct method, you won''t be able to activate it. Also, because the runes will have to stay, the blood should also mix with something."


    "¡­" Damian made a wry smile. It seemed that even if he heard everything about it, without proper experiments that would probablyst a few years or even decades, it was impossible to replicate it. So, his only choice was to learn it from Noel.


    On the other hand, Dimitri noticed something. "Master. It seems that you''re nning to use the blood to paint the rune on your body¡­ And the fact that you ask me to kill Superior Demons means the grade of the blood matters. Is that right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "Is there something wrong?"


    "In that case, why do you have to use Superior Demon''s blood instead of an Ancient Demon''s blood? The blood should be able to conduct Spiritual Energy better!"


    "Well¡­ is it even possible to acquire one?" Noel sighed. "It''s not that I don''t want it. I just don''t have the option to choose."


    "Does the freshness matter?" Dimitri asked.


    "Not really. As long as the blood hasn''t coagted yet, it should work just fine."


    "In that case, let me handle this matter. I will bring you an Ancient Demon''s blood." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression. "You should know that an Ancient Demon is one rank above the Superior Demon. They are equal to a few Spirit Transcendence Level Experts¡­ No more like, they''re equal to that Old Ru who is near the peak of Spirit Transcendence Level."


    "Although I want to procure a Demon King''s blood which was above the Ancient Demon''s blood, Demon Kings are simply in legend. So, there''s no record about them appearing here."


    "Still, how are you going to get that kind of blood?" Noel asked with a frown.


    "Did you forget about the one you killed one month after joining the Demon Banner Army?"


    "Ah?!" Noel dropped his jaw. So many things had happened to the point where he forgot about this. "Wait a minute, Trees don''t have blood¡­ No, no, no¡­ There is one more thing that can be used as blood recement¡­ If we use the tree fibers and sap, it''s possible."


    "That''s how it is¡­" Dimitri smiled. "Themander must be putting a high contribution point for the price, so no one should be able to get it for a while."


    "Still, I don''t have enough contribution points to exchange it." Noel frowned.


    "Please use your contribution points to create elite soldiers for the Ardagan Family¡­ maybe using runes and purchasing Demon Crystals in bulk with those points. As for the Ancient Demon''s parts, I will take care of it." Dimitri smirked while taking out the token he had from the Demon Banner Army. "I was once amander''s candidate and never spent a lot of points for myself. So, I can spend it¡­ If he dares to forget about these contribution points, I''ll simply haunt themander for a bit. It should be fine."


    "Now that I think about it, I should visit those kids as well." Noel nodded. "Let''s go to the headquarters first before the journey then."


    "What headquarters? Did you forget about me?!" Anna red at him. "You promised to go with me to visit that man. I have prepared a medicine to help your spirit, you know!"


    "Of course, we can go to that ce first. And I think you should follow me. I will teach you about the method, so you can paint the runes on my body. In addition, Dimitri should be able to purchase enough for two people. So, I will do the same¡­ if you don''t mind." Noel looked away, indirectly mentioning that he would have to see her body for that.


    Anna blushed before angrily speaking, "If you''re the only one, then I can''t reject it. Having runes on my body should improve my safety andbat prowess after all. Besides, you''re using an Ancient Demon''s materials¡­ so I feel like I owe you."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I need your help after you be an Arbiter." Noel smirked.


    "Well, fine. Let''s settle it that way."


    Nicole didn''t know what to say. Anna actually said that she didn''t mind Noel seeing her naked body? Their rtionship was already beyond what friends would have.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ These two are going to¡­ Maybe I should tell Master about it?" Nicole had no jurisdiction over this, so she could only tell the current head of the Stargaze Family regarding this matter.


    After finishing their discussion, the group finally sped up, nning to reach their home within a month.

 Chapter 793 Alchemist

    "Ahh¡­ We''re finally back!" Anna shouted while stretching her hands up.


    "Please be mindful of your conduct. I didn''t say much because we were outside the border, but now, you''ve returned as a noble daughter." Nicole coughed, reprimanding Anna.


    "Eh?" Anna looked annoyed. It seemed that she had befortable with the free lifestyle, where she didn''t have to be mindful of her image.


    They had returned to the Muivell Kingdom. The return trip might be as challenging, but Anna and Noel had grown so much that they could easily go through multiple Superior Demon nests instead of avoiding them.


    This was the result of their training, considering Noel and Anna could defeat a Superior Demon on their own.


    "Mr. Noel." Damian suddenly spoke up with an extremely polite tone.


    "Hmm?" Noel observed his expression for a moment before realizing why he did this. Noel straightened his back and said, "Yes?"


    "It''s been a pleasure to apany you." Damian bowed. "It was a great experience that I would never get had I chosen to remain in the kingdom. I even earned a lot from the trip."


    "There was an agreement between us. You don''t have to think you owe me something." Noel smiled.


    "Thank you very much. Then, I will return to the Greenwood Kingdom to report to my kingdom. While I don''t think there is a possibility of this happening, I still wish that the next time we meet, it won''t be as enemies."


    "I sincerely wish the same. If you happen to meet my grandfather, Rainhart Ezenholm, please tell him that I''m alright."


    "Of course. He might be the one dragging me to get information about you." Damian chuckled.


    Since the terms of the agreement had finished, Damian became extremely polite, treating Noel as the ambassador of the Muivell Kingdom.


    "Then¡­ I hope that everyone stays healthy." Damian bowed to the rest before leaving the group.


    Since Damian had gone, it was time for Nicole to leave the group as well.


    "I have to return to report this matter to the family head. I need to inform him that everyone has returned safely." Nicole nodded.


    "Yeah. I still have things to do. Tell him that I''m nning to be an Arbiter soon¡­" Anna smirked. "I hope you don''t mind passing you, Nicole."


    "Of course. Your strength is beyond what a Spirit Master can do. I will definitely tell the family head regarding your performance. He should begin preparing for your advancement."


    Anna nodded.


    Before leaving, Nicole walked to Noel and bowed to him politely. "Young Master Noel¡­ My young miss must be a handful, but please take care of her."


    "I understand." Noel agreed without hesitation.


    "Wait a minute. What did you mean I''m a handful? I have been the one taking care of him, right?" Annained while Noel snorted. "Really?"


    Nicole could only smile when she saw their bickering. They always shed in every little thing after all, but that was probably what made the trip more enjoyable. It definitely dampened the heavy mood during the trip.


    When her gaze met Dimitri''s, they seemed toe to a tacit agreement regarding their rtionship.


    So, they smiled at each other before Nicole left the group.


    *Cough!*


    Dimitri let out a cough to get their attention.


    "Ah, right!" Noel nodded in understanding. "We should go to the so-called alchemist who could make the pill that improved the spirit."


    "Let''s go then." Anna agreed even though she still had a lot of things to say to him.


    "Master. You two can go at your pace. I will follow you from far away so as to not disturb you like usual." Dimitri didn''t wait for Noel''s answer before disappearing. Even though he worded like he simply wanted to return to his usual work, it didn''t change the fact that Dimitri didn''t want to be the third wheel. So, he left them.


    "¡­" Noel and Anna exchanged looks.


    "Tell me about that person on the way," Noel said while turning around.


    "Sure. I''ll also fulfill my promise." Anna reminded him of the promise of telling him about the experience in the alternate world.


    They immediately headed to the aforementioned person on foot as usual. They kept up at a high speed while talking.


    "So, this person is called Khalid Mahmud. He is the former Royal Alchemist of the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "Zaecuria Kingdom? Isn''t that the kingdom south of the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    "Yeah. Unlike the Muivell Kingdom, which has the Tower Association, the Zaecuria Kingdom has a famous job called Alchemist. Due to their unique territory, the people over there are experimenting with things a lot. While it looks simr to the Tower Association, their aim is different. In any case, he''s good at making medicine."


    "What kind of medicine are you talking about? You said that the medicine could help my spirit, but I don''t know what effect the medicine has."


    Anna smirked. "Alchemist Khalid''s name shook the world in that alternate world. He managed to create a drug that could awaken the spirit forcefully. However, it was limited to those who had discovered their spirits."


    "Huh?" Noel tilted his head in confusion because Anna just said two contradictory things.


    "Yes. The medicine is called the Awakening Pill. It is a drug that stimtes the Spirit''s potential. If you don''t have a Spirit Link, it can form a pseudo Spirit Link. If you have a Spirit Link, it will reinforce the Spirit Link, specifically the veins."


    Noel raised his eyebrows, feeling amused by the pill''s information.


    "I didn''t know how he got it, but he actually managed to get the pill from the previous civilization that aided him in this discovery. It looked like he was a free man, but I wasn''t so sure about it."


    "Are you saying that there was someone providing the pill to him?" Noel frowned, contemting. "The only ones that could get the pills or put them in the ck markets for someone like Khalid could get them¡­ Don''t tell me, the Third Prince?"


    "Mhm?" It was Anna''s turn to be confused.


    "If you look at his conduct, it''s something that the Third Prince would do. By the way, how were the pills distributed in that world? Did the entire kingdom get it? How about the other kingdoms? The Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "Now that I think about it¡­" Anna fell silent, recalling the memories. It seemed that her decision to tell about her experience with Noel wasn''t wrong. He managed to see all the details that she never thought about. "I''m not sure about the other kingdoms, but the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization definitely got it. It caused such a huge disturbance that the Demon Banner Army had to get it as well."


    "I see¡­" Noel frowned. "The Third Prince is also a member of the Royal Family. Even though there is hatred between them, he might still negotiate with them. There are lots of benefits he could get by using the pills as leverage. And we have suspected that there is a connection between the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization. So, it''s not weird to see them have the pills."


    "So, are you assuming that the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and the Supreme Devil Organization are connected with the Royal Family as the middleman?" Anna asked.


    "The Third Prince is a big figure as well, so there''s a chance that all of them are connected to each other." Noel shook his head helplessly. "The Third Prince asked for the map, so that must be where he got the goods."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "I have told Khalid that in exchange for the pills, he needed to be our allies."


    "Allies, huh?" Noel thought this was a bit troublesome. After all, the other party was a Royal Alchemist. If the Third Prince made contact with him, it was clear who would win.


    "Did I mess up?"


    "Not really." Noel raised two fingers. "We have two problems. First, how to convince that person to stay as our ally? Second, how to deal with all those three giant powerhouses."


    "The second problem can wait until we be a Spirit Grandmaster, right?"


    "Yeah. Then, how about the first one? I need more information about the alternate world that I could somehow use to do this."


    "I will tell you as much as I can. Though, most of them are irrelevant because so many things have changed."


    "I know."


    Anna began retelling the story of her previous life. There were parts that she didn''t say, either because it was irrelevant or because it was still too private for Noel to know.


    Of course, she only mentioned how both of them shed with each other. She didn''t say a single thing about how Noel bullied her or how she massacred a lot of innocent people.


    As much as she wanted to tell everything, there were things that were better not to be said. It would affect their rtionship for the worse after all.


    Noel asked for a lot of details about the information, albeit Anna couldn''t answer everything because she wasn''t that adept at information. In fact, that might be the reason why Noel called her naive and ignorant. Despite that, Noel actually gave her the chance to regress. In other words, there was something that she could bring in this timeline¡­ something that only she could bring. So, until she found it, she would stick to Noel.

 Chapter 794 Persuading Khalid

    Noel and Anna were sitting in front of a middle-aged man. The man had a pale face and huge ck bags under his eyes.


    It seemed that he hadn''t slept for a few days.


    "It''s been a while, Miss Anna Stargaze." The man made a small smile, greeting her. "I wonder if this man is the one you mentioned before?"


    Anna nodded politely. "That''s right. Sir Khalid, let me introduce him to you¡­ He is Ia¡ª"


    "Please. Before you speak his name, I don''t want someone who hides his identity."


    "Mhm?" Anna frowned.


    Khalid''s face remained calm as he exined the reason. "You asked for my cooperation before. Yet, you came with a disguise. It looks so shady¡­ I don''t n to cooperate with someone who can''t meet me face-to-face. I apologize, but if you''re not going to show your true face, hair, and eyes¡­ I won''t continue."


    "You¡­" Anna clicked her tongue. Noel''s identity was sensitive, but before she couldin, Noel waved his hand, stopping her. Anna instantly understood what he wanted to do. "You are going to reveal your identity?"


    "It will be revealed sooner orter." Noel shook his head helplessly. "But if you don''t mind, I want to know how you''d find out that I have changed those features¡­"


    "As an alchemist, we''re working on a characteristic of everything, including the effect on Spiritual Energy to them. So, I''m extremely sensitive to the flow of Spiritual Energy. From what I can see, there is an energy intertwining with the natural flow of your Spiritual Energy around those areas¡­ So, I''m assuming that they have been disguised."


    "I see." Noel nodded. He contemted for a moment before his hand reached for the masquerade.


    Anna widened her eyes, never expecting Noel to show his identity to this person.


    The moment he separated the masquerade from his face, his hair began to turn ck. His eyes were covered by his hands, but it was clear that the energy that interrupted the natural flow had gone, revealing his true eyes.


    Khalid couldn''t contain his smile. "Oohhhh¡­"


    Even he wouldn''t be able to predict that the one who was sitting in front of him was Noel.


    "Do I need to introduce myself?" Noel asked after observing his expression.


    "No, you don''t have to. ck hair and ck eyes¡­ coupled with the need to hide your identity, I don''t think you need to introduce yourself anymore, Noel Ardagan." Khalid smirked. "While I''m hiding in my humble store, I still follow the news around the kingdom. Though, what surprises me the most is the fact that you can actually sit down next to Anna Stargaze."


    Noel smiled back as if he had found no problem in his statement. "Is that not possible?"


    "Not at all." Khalid realized that there might be more to this matter. "I see. So, the one providing me with the pills are you¡­"


    "I simply gave Anna the pills she wanted. That''s all." Noel shook his head.


    Khalid fell into deep thought and took out a bottle of pills, saying, "This is a bottle of Spirit Awakening Pill. I will give this to you. The situation is messier than I originally thought¡­ And unfortunately, I don''t see any future within you. If you think you can fight against the Royal Family, then I can only say that it''s hopeless. I won''t be following you to your death."


    Noel and Anna had expected something like this. Despite the rejection, they remained calm.


    "What''s wrong? You''re not surprised by this?" Khalid asked with a frown. "Of course, I''m grateful that I canplete these pills with your help. I might repay you in another way, but not in a way where I will be dragged into this mess."


    Noel smiled. "I don''t think it will be that easy to convince you. However, I''ve noticed that it''s also not impossible."


    "What do you mean?" Khalid squinted his eyes, observing Noel.


    "You refused the cooperation because you couldn''t see any future within us¡­ or more like me?"


    "Yes," Khalid admitted without hesitation. "I was amazed when I heard about the rune books, it would surely bring you a lot of benefits. However, that was all. Once the benefits ran out, there would only be a series of misfortunes."This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you sure that''s all?" Noel smirked.


    "If you have any other cards, then please show me. Maybe you can convince me¡­" Khalid wasn''t afraid of Noel.


    The moment he finished his words, a shadow emerged from behind him.


    "!!!" Khalid widened his eyes and raised his right hand out of reflex. To his surprise, there was a de right before his neck. If not for his hand, the de would definitely cut him. He sucked a cold breath and asked, "Is this a threat?"


    "Not at all. Like you said, I''m merely showing you my card." Noel shook his head nonchntly.


    Khalid took a deep breath. He obviously was shocked to know that there would be an expert of this level. If this person decided to kill him, he wouldn''t be able to survive.


    "While I''m surprised that you have an expert like him, I don''t think it''s enough." Khalid shook his head. "The Royal Family has arbiters. In fact, that little miss''s father is also an Arbiter, right? While you are acting like this, won''t it change if the king sends him to kill you?"


    Noel obviously had taken this into consideration. The king could pressure the Stargaze Family to destroy the Ardagan Family once again unless he wanted to be branded as a traitor.


    "I know. That''s why I''m going to be an Arbiter as well." Anna suddenly stepped forward.


    "Huh?" Khalid frowned. "I could understand that with your talent, bing an Arbiter is just a matter of time. However, you have to consider the fact that the royal family will be able to force you to choose between your family or his life."


    "You don''t have to worry about that." Anna raised one finger. "With your brain, why haven''t you seen the reason why I''m sitting with him right now?"


    "Huh?" Khalid became confused. He covered his eyes and started recalling all the information he had. He muttered inwardly, ''Now that I think about it, why does she sit with him like this? From the way she worded it, it seems that they are allies.''


    ''However, I have mentioned how the royal family can force her to choose between her family and his life. If she chooses the former, she will have to hunt him down. If she chooses thetter, she will be expelled from the family. A dead genius is nothing but a corpse. So, she must be aware of this.''


    ''The reason for her confidence is¡­'' Khalid paused for a moment, thinking about something that was so ridiculous that he thought it was impossible. Yet, because she was sitting with Noel here, that image could actuallye to life. ''Don''t tell me¡­ The Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family have been in cahoots the whole time.''


    ''Ah, right? The Stargaze Family has a sessor¡­ So, the reason they are so confident is¡­ Don''t tell me, they are nning to join the two families together. But Anna Stargaze was supposed to be the cause of the downfall of the Ardagan Family, right?''


    ''What if it was just a scheme? They fooled the royal family¡­ and with these two¡­ Ah, the two families were nning to marry these two from the beginning.''


    ''If that''s the case, they should have taken over a portion of the influence the royal family has¡­ Once this matter is revealed, the royal family will suddenly lose a portion of their power, which will cause the bnce to be tipped over.''


    Khalid didn''t realize that he was misunderstanding things too much. Anna just wanted him to know that the Stargaze Family and the Ardagan Family were friends and everything wasn''t like what was shown on the surface. It wasn''t rted to their individual rtionship.


    However, Khalid took it to the extreme andughed. "Hahahaha! To think that would be the case¡­ It seems that I have underestimated the situation."


    Anna tilted her head, feeling that Khalid''s reaction was a bit too much. She didn''t know what happened to him, but it seemed that their n had seeded.


    "Please, humor me with this one question. How far are you nning to go?"


    "I don''t know," Noel answered without hesitation. "How do I know my limit without trying my best? Only on my deathbed can I know how far I can go!"


    "Hahaha, you''re more interesting than I originally thought." Khalidughed out loud. "I have a condition."


    "Please say it."


    "If I have to work, then I will be under the Stargaze Family. But once you surpass that level, I will work for the Ardagan Family. What do you think?" Khalid was setting a safe cushion for himself. If the n didn''t work in the end, the Stargaze Family would just eliminate Noel. And Khalid would save himself by siding with the Stargaze Family instead of dying together with the Ardagan Family.


    "I don''t mind. Though, I don''t think you will be able to stay with them for so long."


    "In that case, let me see how the Ardagan Family rises from now on."

 Chapter 795 Next Journey

    "It seems that everything is going well." Dimitri said while asking, "But are you so sure that he won''t take back his words?"


    "Well, I will be convincing them, but I''m not going to force people to join. After all, the current state of the Ardagan Family is very clear. Only those who are willing and endure hardship with me can be fully trusted." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "So, it doesn''t matter if he joins or not?"


    "It''s true that I want him to join, but if he doesn''t, as long as he remains neutral, I won''t have any reason to harm him or whatsoever." Noel nced at Anna. "So, what will you do now?"


    "I will probably go to myst mission and advance to tinum Rank. Since Nicole reports the situation to my father, he will probably prepare the challenge like ckmailing someone to ept it. Though, I''m pretty sure that I will be fighting that traitor." Anna''s expression turned cold, reminding him about the arbiter that joined hands with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "His position should be unstable right now, so I think it''s good to strike him." Noel agreed.


    "How about you?"


    "You told me various information before. While I don''t want some information, it''s true that I have gotten a clear image of my destination. For now, I will go back to the Demon Relief Squad and ask Captain ra to go alone. Then, I''ll probably head to the headquarters to get everything."


    "In that case, I''ll choose a mission near the headquarters, so we can meet again."


    "Yeah. I can''t help you with your mission though."


    "It''s fine. Then, you''re going to another kingdom after that?"


    "I think?" Noel thought for a moment. "I could use the Rune Body to form a group of elite soldiers for the Ardagan Family. But I still need people to do that. So, I''ll visit Harley to find the remnant of the family to see if I can get some people back. Then, I''ll leave this kingdom¡­ probably visiting the Greenwood Kingdom on the way back to make my movement unpredictable."


    "That sounds good enough. Right now, you have disappeared for a few months, so people won''t know where you are." Anna nodded in agreement. "In that case, we shall meet again in the Demon Banner Army Headquarters."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "In any case, take this." Anna gave the bottle that Khalid had given earlier.


    "How about you?"


    "I have taken a few for the people close to me." Anna winked while lifting the bottle, showing the bottle wasn''t filled to the brim like earlier.


    "Alright then." Noel nodded. "Be careful, will you?"


    "You too."


    With this, Noel and Anna went separate ways for a while.


    Anna was nning to return to the Inquisitor Headquarters to receive the advancement mission. Meanwhile, Noel wanted to get ra''s permission to leave the group.


    ¡­


    But as he expected, the moment he mentioned it, ra immediately said, "No!"


    Currently, Noel was standing in front of ra.


    She already had an annoyed face before the meeting. It seemed that a lot had happened in thest few months.


    "To think this is the first thing you say after returning here." ra covered her eyes. "Do you know what happened during the time you left?"


    "No. I haven''t inquired about it yet. Other than checking the others, I immediately went to you." Noel shook his head.


    "Then, I''ll tell you about this." ra took out a map. There were four big circles in the Muivell Kingdom. The blue circle was located in the north. "This circle is the Demon Banner Army. As for this one¡­"


    ra pointed at the red circle that was located next to the blue circle and seemed to be intertwining with each other. "This one is the Supreme Devil Organization. In the past few months, we experienced a lot of conflicts, small and big."


    "Two of our Captains had died due to their n."


    "What?!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Two of them?"


    "Yeah. The Demon Spear''s Captain Yatan and the Demon Recovery Squad''s Captain August. Both of them have passed away due to the scheme of the Supreme Devil Organization. Of course, we have fought back as well. We have killed one Devil Saint and a lot of Devil Bishops. Themander and the only Spirit Transcendence Devil Saint had fought a few times. Currently, both of them are injured quite heavily."


    "However, we''ve heard a rumor about the Supreme Devil Organization raising Laufey Ardagan''s strength in order to be the second Spirit Transcendence."


    "!!!" Noel gasped. "Are you saying¡­"


    "The moment he bes the second Transcendence, the bnce would be tipped over. So, I can''t ept your request."


    "Still, don''t you think this is a perfect opportunity for all of us?" Noel asked.


    "What opportunity?"


    "Laufey''s target is me. If I leave the kingdom, his aim will be directed to the other kingdom. It will definitely cause a lot of confusion in the Supreme Devil Organization. During that time, the Demon Banner Army can recover its strength for a bit."


    "Are you saying you''re nning to be the bait?"


    "Won''t it be perfect?" Noel asked. "Besides, I''m nning to erase my presence during my visit, so they won''t be able to catch me."


    "Are you serious? Do you know what will happen to you the moment they find you?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded. "In the end, I''m nning to use the Demon Banner Army to rebuild my family. Since I don''t want to leave any debts behind, it''s not wrong for the army to use me to recover their strength. So, I think this is a fair trade."


    ra gritted her teeth. There were a lot of things that made her angry, but she never thought Noel would choose to be bait.


    "Even if you don''t do it, I can simply spread the information with my own method. So, I only need your approval to leave alone."


    "How about Rose? Are you going to abandon her?"


    "If she still wishes to follow me, then I''m not going to abandon her. However, the situation has turned for the worse, so we will have to see if she has a change of heart."


    "¡­" ra was rubbing her forehead frantically as though she had a headache thinking about this matter. "Onest question. If you satisfy me with your answer, I will grant you my permission."


    "Alright." Noel agreed without hesitation.


    "How are you nning to be a noble? Are you nning to defeat Paul?"


    Obviously, the best way to be a noble was to be a Vice Captain or a Captain. Even the Royal Family couldn''t refuse that matter.


    So, he had to defeat Paul, if not her, to be a noble. However, Noel smiled and whispered his ns to her.


    ra was dumbstruck, never expecting such a possibility. It seemed that Noel had been preparing for that the whole time. This way, he could leave without damaging the Demon Relief Squad too much.


    "You are insane; you know that?"


    "I know. But if I don''t go this far in this chaotic situation, I will be swallowed alive. I refuse to die that easily."


    ra contemted for a few minutes before saying, "Alright. I''ll grant you the permission to leave. However, on one condition¡­ You have to return within six¡­ no four months."


    "Four months is a bit too short, but I think I can manage." Noel agreed. "Alright."


    "You can meet the others and have them exin the rest of what happened all around the kingdom and retrieve the permission letter from me two dayster. It seems that your trip this time gives you a lot of benefits¡­" ra sighed.


    "Of course. I''m nning to be a Spirit Grandmaster before bing a noble after all." Noel nodded and politely bowed. "I''ll take my leave then."


    After reaching an agreement, Noel went back to meet the Zero Squad. ording to ra, due to the situation, ra would be the one apanying them. The Zero Squad was the core of every Demon Squad, so working together with their captain would reduce the possibility of them dying. So, Noel wasn''t that worried.


    However, the Royal Family seemed to be ying this whole time. Even though they were sending their people to help the army, they didn''t seem to take the Supreme Devil Organization seriously.


    Anna said that in the Alternate World, there would be a huge fight between all influences in the kingdom. She meant that even the Tower Association would be involved in this big fight, making the situation extremely chaotic. However, this was the exact reason why Noel could reinstate the Ardagan Family.


    In addition, he was nning to gather the remnant members of the Ardagan Family. Dimitri said that most of them were like Harley. They had hidden themselves among themon people, but never cked a single day in honing themselves. They believed that the Ardagan Family would be rebuilt sooner orter.


    As the sessor of the Ardagan Family, Noel nned to gather them once again. Although the Ardagan Family wouldn''t be the same as the one when his father was in the lead, he had his own vision to take this family to the peak.


    After talking a lot with the other members, it was time to leave. Rose was sad that she couldn''t follow him on this journey, but she had expressed her intention to follow him to the Ardagan Family, which meant there was no change in her heart.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    That was the reason why Noel could leave with a smile on his face. This was a necessary journey and Noel was ready for it.

 Chapter 796 Information

    The first ce they visited was Harley''s ce. Since they were going to meet the others, it was better to find out about their locations first to see if they could find someone along the way and make a schedule for them.


    So, Noel and Dimitri headed to Eternal Flower Brothel, the headquarters of the major brothel brand in the kingdom.


    "Well, well, well¡­ I have never thought that you would visit us again, Master." Harley politely bowed to him. Obviously, he had expected him toe back soon for more information, but it wasn''t this fast.


    "I need your help." Noel nodded while watching Illia pouring tea for both of them.


    "I understand. What kind of information do you need?" Harleyplied without hesitation.


    "¡­" Noel paused for a moment, feeling a bit doubtful. "That easy?"


    "Is that a problem? Seeing that Dimitri ising with you means that you''ve been fully acknowledged as the head of the Ardagan Family. In addition, I''ve sworn to serve you with my life, so is there any problem with me helping you?"


    "No, I just thought that you would think a bit more about this. After all, you should have suspected what I''m going to do from now on, especially in this chaotic situation."


    "Yes, Sir, I do. You''re nning to take advantage of the chaos to rebuild the family. It will definitely endanger us, but that doesn''t really matter." Harley politely bowed. "Please give me your order."


    Noel felt blessed to have this kind of subordinate. Hence, he didn''t hesitate to give the task to show he trusted them. "I want information about the Ardagan Family''s scattered vassals."


    "Scattered vassals? I see, you''re nning to reassemble them¡­ Are you nning to be a noble soon?"


    "Yeah. In four to five months, I will be a noble and rebuild the Ardagan Family from scratch."


    "Still, you should be aware of the rtionship the family has with the royalty, right?"


    "I know. There is a chance that they won''t even recognize us and refuse to deliver the noble title for whatever reason. However, with the title from the Demon Banner Army as well as a few rmendations from important people, it should be enough."


    "That leaves the problem to the territory. The Royal Family knows that if we regain our former territory, there is a huge chance that the Ardagan Family will prosper again. Hence, they will most likely send us to a dangerous but barren area."


    "This will be the first hurdle we''re going to take care of. However, I will have someone infiltrating the royal family and make them give us a favorable location. So, while it''s still dangerous, we can take advantage of thend to rebuild the family."


    "I see." Harley looked at Dimitri. It seemed Dimitri was already convinced as well. "I understand. Before I give you the information, do you know what makes a noble territory?"


    "Thend, the people, and the lord."


    "Indeed. Since the royal family will grant us territory, thend problem should be solved. With Dimitri recognizing you, it means that you can be a good lord. So, that leaves the people. Commoners could be found easily, but that leaves the problem with security. Due to thend being a dangerous area, security is important, both on the inside and the outside."


    "I know." Noel took out the rune and said, "I''m nning with this."


    "Ah, you''re the author of the rune book after all. So, I understand¡­ But experts that can use runes have to be trained for a period of time."


    "No. There is one more thing that hasn''t been known to the public yet. I can paint the rune in their body so that they can use the rune just by pouring their Spiritual Energy. This way, I can make elite soldiers protect thend until we can stabilize ourselves."


    "Is that true? A normal person can use runes¡­ If that''s the case, security is not a problem. That leaves the development of thend." Harley thought for a moment and asked Illia. "Bring me the kingdom map."


    Illia hurriedly fetched the map from the shelf andid it down on the table so that everyone could see it.


    Harley took the pencil on his desk and marked five spots on the map. "These are probably the five destinations you should visit if you want to gather the previous allies. I have investigated all the remnants of the families. Some don''t have the intention to rejoin, so I ruled them out in this."


    Harley pointed at the first one. "This is the former specialist in farming, which can be our source of food. Her name is Jasmine. She is¡ª"


    Before Harley continued, Dimitri stopped him by saying, "You don''t have to tell him about her. She has recognized him."


    "Ah! As expected of Master¡­" Harley smiled and continued to the second one. "In that case, you should go to this ce. While he is an entric person, the fact that you''re nning to rebuild the family means that you need him. He is Dous. I''m sure Dimitri knows him extremely well."


    Dimitri''s eyebrows twitched. "Well, I can''t deny it. Dous is the one building the city. He creates the cityyout so that it canst for a long time. If you want to build the city, then he is someone you should get. However, he is a freak. He won''t hesitate to destroy a building if it''s not in the right ce. The Ardagan Family had topensate a lot to the people affected by it. Though, I could assure you that he''s good."


    "While I can amass some funds, I can''t raise too much right now due to the limitation of my position." Noel sighed. "Can I even afford him?"


    "In that case, how should we procure the funds to build the city?" Harley asked. Noel was the son of the greatest merchant in the kingdom, so he should figure it out.


    "I have two ways. Thend over there is like a treasure stove, so we can use it to create the necessary funds, but I don''t know if they can ept something like that. As for thest one, I have two business ns that can give a lot of profits for a long period of time. The first one is Rune School and the second one is equipment."


    "By the way, do you know where we''re going to stay?"


    "I''m trying to push the royal family to this location." Noel pointed at a certain location near the border.


    "Seriously? The location is right beside the border. In fact, we might be the border itself at this point. There are two active volcanoes not far away from each other, so small movements from the volcano could cause a massive demon outbreak." Harley frowned.


    "Yes. But that''s the best ce we can go. The demons will allow our soldiers to be strong and I said it before, it''s a treasure trove if it''s governed well."


    "I see¡­" Harley thought for a moment. "In that case, I will handle the third destination for you."


    "Who is it?"


    "You should know him since he pestered you a lot."


    "Ah!" Noel remembered a certain person nagging him to take up the swords all the time when he wanted to just rx. "Vice Captain of the Ardagan Family''s garrison, Howard, huh?"


    "Yes. He might be a Spirit Master, but coupled with your runes, he can be even stronger. And he is the one in charge of the training."


    "But will hee?"


    "That''s the problem. He is currently hiding as a bandit, biding his time for the revival of the Ardagan Family. If you go there, you might have to fight him. But as I am the master of brothels¡­"


    "You can use the women to approach him?"


    "Yes."


    Noel frowned. "But won''t the women be harmed like this?"


    "Your thoughts alone are enough. But you don''t have to worry, I know how to do it. So, no people shall be harmed. And to look like a bandit, he has been getting a lot of money. In addition to the brothels and your fund, we can use it as the initial fund."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment and asked, "How about the construction of the city? We need a lot of workers. By the time we get to our new home, it should be spring, so it''s a good time to start a new life."


    "We can use the money to hire workers. Though, Dimitri should handle it."


    "Yes, as the butler, I have a lot of connections to the workers. I can pull some people, but¡­" Dimitri looked at Noel, concerned about his safety.


    "In that case, you can remain on my side until the Greenwood Kingdom. With my grandfather there, do you think anyone can harm me?"


    Dimitri pondered and finally agreed with him. "Alright then."


    "As for the fourth and fifth destinations, you could find Balott and Charlotte. Balott was the ountant and Charlotte was your father''s previous secretary. They hadn''t done much other than spending the money they had, so it was clear that they were waiting for your visit."N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Then¡­" Noel created a line on the map that passed through the destinations and several others, including the Demon Banner Army Headquarters. "I will travel through this route."


    "I see. You''re nning to visit the army¡­ wait a minute, isn''t this ce where a Master cksmith resides?" Harley was stunned, never thinking Noel was so ambitious that he nned to invite a Master cksmith.


    Dimitri smirked and said, "We''ve gotten his agreement. Besides, his children are setting up a merchant family, so we can use them to bring necessary goods to the area."


    "I see. In that case, you only need the people to fill up the town and the construction workers. I can manage the people, but the construction workers¡­ I think I have heard of a new group filled with women. They can do almost everything, including constructing buildings. They are even more efficient because I heard the women can understand each other, leaving no gaps in their movement. I thought they were a former Demon Relief Squad, but they turned out to bemoners."


    "Huh?" Dimitri made a wry smile, remembering something. "Does that group consist of neen people?"


    "Huh? How do you know?" Harley raised his eyebrows. Since he was the one gathering information, there was no way Dimitri and Noel knew about them.


    "Master saved them and encouraged them to be like that¡­"


    "¡­"


    Harley was speechless. But looking at how Noel''s father saved people during his time, the son should do the same. It seemed that all the pieces required to create a city had been assembled.

 Chapter 797 Demon Banner Army

    Oscar was sitting in his office as usual. However, he had a lot of bandages covering his body. His inner body was even messier.


    "How are you doing?" Milfa knocked on the door, entered, and asked for his condition while bringing his tea.


    "It''s not too bad," Oscar answered while writing down a few things. "How is the situation outside?"


    "We have reached a stalemate for the time being. The Royal Family is maintaining their position while the Tower Association can''t move. It seems that they are concerned about the spies among themselves. Currently, the Water Lord is the main investigator in their own rank."


    "How long do we need to wait until they join us?"


    "Approximately two to three months."


    "The situation is not looking good." Oscar looked down, contemting. "They do know that we''re an army against demons, right?"


    "Yeah. It''s just¡­ due to that nt and medicine, the Supreme Devil Organization is using the demons in their attack, causing us to get involved as well."


    Oscar covered his eyes, feeling troubled. "How about the other demon squads?"


    "The Demon Recovery Squad has chosen their new captain while their Vice Captain remains in his position. On the contrary, the Demon Spear Vice Captain has be the Captain himself. While both new captains aren''t as strong as the previous one, they are still quite good. But don''t expect too much from them."


    "The injured captains?"


    "The Demon Hunting Squad remains on their base, defending any attacks. The other three Demon Squads are considering their sessor."


    Oscar contemted for a moment and said, "We can''t be too aggressive currently."


    "But haven''t we gained an upper advantage?"


    "No. Don''t forget that their Supreme Devil has yet to make his appearance. We don''t know about his strength or his identity. If we be toocent, we will be swallowed by the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "I see¡­" Milfa nodded in agreement before taking out a letter. "By the way, I think you should see this first."


    "A letter? From the Royal Family?"


    "No. From Dimitri."


    "Huh? Why did that guy send me a letter after all this time?" Oscar frowned while taking the letter.


    Milfa remained silent since she hadn''t read the content yet.


    Oscar paused for a moment before sighing. "I don''t know if this is for the worse or the better¡­"


    "What''s wrong? Did he take advantage of our situation?"


    "Yes and no." Oscar handed her the letter so that she could read it herself.


    She couldn''t help but gasp.


    ''I''m informing you in advance that I''ll be taking a few things from the army''s storage. You have no choice but to let me exchange my points or I will haunt the army. However, you should also feel rejoiced because this action gives you another opportunity.''


    ''I will be heading to a certain ce to divert the enemies'' location. Just spread the information that Noel Ardagan is moving south. This will divert a portion of their power.''


    ''In addition, the Ardagan Family will be rebuilt soon, creating another face amidst the chaos. You should know that the Ardagan Family is the enemy of the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization. Its existence will cause another problem to both influences, which you can take advantage of.''


    ''Hence, it will be in your best interest that you put your rmendation of the Ardagan Family''s revival for the ascension ceremony.''


    "Is he serious?" Milfa made a wry smile. "I do admit that Laufey''s target is his own nephew. And spreading this information will probably make him change his target, but I''m not sure how the entire organization will react."


    "Yeah. That will also put that little brat in danger." Oscar paused as though he had realized something. "Unless¡­ he is nning to leave the country."


    "Leaving the country? Don''t tell me¡­" Milfa gasped. "Leaving the country means that the organization has to face either antagonizing the country or giving up. The other country could also use this as a chance to protect Noel and rope him to their side."


    "No matter what, Noel Ardagan is the author of the Rune Books that have be popr in all countries. This must be the reason why Dimitri is telling us to spread the name of Noel Ardagan instead of Iadre."


    "In addition, the Royal Family will be confused as well. They believe that Noel Ardagan has died in Anna Stargaze''s hand. They will probably try to stop him from leaving."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Oscar looked at the ceiling in disbelief. "That''s why I don''t know how they will respond. And it won''t be as simple as you think. The fact that Noel Ardagan is leaving the country means that the other countries have the chance."


    "Ah! This will soon be an international affair."


    "Yeah. To think that someone who became an adult not long ago could cause such a huge movement." Oscar shook his head helplessly. "I guess I can see the reason why Laufey is aiming for his life."


    "There is a reason?"


    "Yeah. If you trace back the Ardagan Family''s ancestor, it''s clear that Noel, in one way or another, has gotten the inheritance of his ancestor. This is the only possible exnation for his unusual growth."


    "His ancestor? What kind of ancestor does he have?"


    "I''ve taken a look since Dimitri chose to abandon the army in order to be with the Ardagan Family. Out of spite, but in that research, I found out that the Ardagan Family''s ancestor was actually a Spirit King."


    "What?! The legendary Spirit King?" Milfa dropped her jaw in disbelief.


    "Yeah. From all this time, the Ardagan Family''s talent is mediocre. So, the fact that Noel Ardagan suddenly has this kind of talent means that he has gotten an inheritance or another thing that boosts his talent. And looking at how Noel Ardagan has beenzing around, it must be after the execution of his parents. Although I don''t know the exact details, if this prediction is correct, then Noel Ardagan will be an extraordinary figure if he manages to fully bloom."


    "I see. So, what will be our stance?"


    "We? We can support him to a certain extent, but don''t forget that the Demon Banner Army will remain neutral in most cases."


    "Most cases, huh?" Milfa narrowed her eyes and asked, "Does that include the Third Prince?"


    That question alone was enough to show that she was already aware of Oscar''s rtionship with the Third Prince.


    Their gazes were locked on each other for a moment before Oscar shrugged. "I will be on the Demon Banner Army''s side until death."


    Milfa observed his expression for another few seconds before saying, "We''ll leave it at that. In any case, do you want me to do something about Dimitri?"


    "No. Just guide him to the storage and let him get whatever he wants. He was a captain and had been aplishing his missions without rewards, so giving a few things should be fair for him."


    "I understand." Milfa politely bowed to him before leaving the room. Though, she added onest message. "By the time we receive the letter, Dimitri should be on his way toward this ce. I think he will appear in two or three days. Do you want to pass some messages?"


    "No," Oscar answered without hesitation, but his expression looked troubled. No matter what, Dimitri was his rival for themander position, so it was better they didn''t meet this way.


    Just like Oscar, Dimitri thought the same way. That was why he said everything about their ns in the letter instead of discussing it personally.


    As Milfa said, Noel and Dimitri were making their way to the Demon Banner Army Headquarters.


    Noel''s objective would be the kids, while Dimitri would take care of his matters in the Demon Banner Army.


    But as one would expect from two important individuals, before they entered the fortress, Milfa actually stood in their way.


    "Wee, two guests." Milfa stopped them five kilometers from the fortress, showing that she didn''t want anyone to hear anything.


    "Well, it''s surprising to see you greeting us, especially from this far." Dimitri appeared from Noel''s shadow.


    "You''re going to steal a few things from our storage, so I guess I should meet you from here."


    "What steal? I''m simply trying to im what''s mine." Dimitri shrugged. "Besides, we even have paid a higher price."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Of course." Milfa nodded and nced at Noel. "I assume that you''re nning to meet the kids. They are very talented kids to the point they can defeat bandits without Spiritual Energy. So, I don''t know what you''re nning to do, but I think it''s better to not waste their talents."


    "You don''t have to care about that. In the end, the kids are the ones going to choose their own path." Noel shook his head.


    "In that case, let me guide you to the secret entrance. If you are spotted here, spreading your information will be seen as a trap by the Supreme Devil Organization."


    Noel nodded. Since the army was the one spreading the information, if they were seen in the headquarters, it would be clear that the information was a trap and the organization wouldn''t move, causing their n to fail.


    This was the reason why Milfa greeted them far from the fortress.

 Chapter 798 Children

    "So, you''ve been the one taking care of them." Noel was amused when Milfa mentioned the kids. He couldn''t help but bow to her, saying, "Thank you very much."


    "It''s fine. I''ve taken fancy of them too. They are quite talented kids." Milfa waved her hand as if treating it as not a big deal. "You might be surprised by their progress."


    "Is that so? You said earlier that they have surpassed that of normal bandits, right?"


    "Indeed. Their dance is elegant but precise. Because there is no one who is actually using the dancing footwork to fight, it makes them pretty unpredictable. By taking advantage of those points, they managed to fight against your average bandits."


    "You haven''t taught them anything about spirits and Spiritual Energy, right?"


    "Of course. In the end, they are about twelve to fifteen years old, you know."


    "Fifteen, huh¡­" Noel looked down with a smile. Now that he thought about it, he had known them for more than two years. The moment he became a noble, it should be three years.


    The kids were small back then, but they were almost an adult.


    With them training for two years, it shouldn''t be weird for them to be quite a fighter.


    "I''m looking forward to seeing them. But are you sure it''s fine to apany me like this? You don''t need to watch over Dimitri?" Noel asked. They were already walking in the town after entering it through the secret passage.


    "He might be like that, but he is a trustworthy person. He knows his boundary, so I''m not that worried. I''ll just record what he tookter." Milfa chuckled.


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded and saw the kids'' house on the corner of the street.


    Before entering it, he could hear a melody. It was soothing yet beating a bit rapidly. Noel felt a bit energetic and refreshed from hearing the melody alone.


    "This melody¡­ contains Spiritual Energy." Milfa gasped.


    "Spiritual Energy? Did someone awaken their Spirit?" Noel also noticed the Spiritual Energy and thought Milfa would know about it. After all, she was the one taking care of them. But if she didn''t know it, there might be someone visiting.


    "I don''t know. Thest time I checked on them was two months ago. I became too busy because of the matter with the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Are you serious?" Noel hurriedly mmed open the door, trying to see the visitor. It didn''t seem like this visitor was nning any harm, but he had to make sure the kids were alright first.


    But the moment he entered, he couldn''t say a single word. The melody stopped and the kids halted their movements, startled by the sudden intrusion.


    To his surprise, there wasn''t a single visitor in the garden. When he followed the melody''s direction, he realized that they wereing from Erica''s direction.


    "Huh?" All of them were dumbfounded.


    "There is no visitor? Then, the melody¡­" Noel gasped, looking at Erica.


    "Big Brother!" A big smile instantly appeared on Erica''s face. However, the kids'' reflexes became faster as well. Before she could jump on him, the other kids already rushed to Noel and swarmed him. "Big Brother!"


    "Woah?!" Noel got tackled to the ground. "Hahaha¡­ You guys seem to have gotten stronger."


    "Mhm." Erica pouted, seeing the other kids beat her first.


    On the other hand, Milfa focused on Spiritual Energy and asked, "Erica¡­ Did you awaken your spirit?"


    "Oh! Miss Milfa." Erica politely bowed to her. "Yes. It was one month ago. I awakened my spirit, but I don''t know the details."


    "What is your Spirit? Have you talked to it yet?"


    "He visited me on two asions. He introduced himself as Maestro Spirit, Helphes. As for the second asion, he granted me the ability to create a melody and control the dance of these people. You could say that he allowed me to lead these guys." Erica pointed at them.


    "Big Brother! Look at Erica. She bullied us all the time by forcing us to do a funny dance whenever she pleased." Eric pointed at Erica with a sad expression as if he had gone through nightmares.


    "What? That''s not fair!" Erica raised her voice.


    Noel chuckled. "You guys truly have a good friendship."


    Erica looped around and closed the door first so that no one could bother them. Meanwhile, Milfa wanted to ask more about Erica''s spirit, but seeing how these guys behaved, it felt like she was just in the way.


    "In that case, I''ll be leaving first. I''ll visit again at ater date." Milfa decided not to interrupt their reunion.


    "Thank you, Miss Milfa." Erica politely thanked her and saw her off.


    Meanwhile, the others had calmed down and Noel could finally get back up.


    "Big Brother. Pleasee in." Eric extended his hand, inviting Noel in.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "That''s right." The other kids pushed him with a smile as if preventing him from escaping.


    "So, Big Brother¡­ How long are you nning to stay this time?" Erica asked, thinking about preparing his bed.


    "Unfortunately, I will be leaving the next morning. And I think this is thest time we meet." Noel made a wry smile.


    "!!!" The children abruptly stopped. They were staring at Noel in disbelief, thinking Noel would abandon her.


    "Big Brother. You¡­" Eric panicked.


    Noel sighed and pointed at the house. "Let''s enter first. I''ll exin it to you guys."N?velDrama.Org content.


    The children suddenly hung their heads low. Even though Noel felt bad about it, he had no choice but to do this for the sake of the children.


    Even though the living room was filled to the brim, it felt so spacious because no one was talking.


    "Big Brother. Don''t abandon us!" Erica broke the silence and begged Noel. There was a tear in the corner of her eyes.


    "It''s not that." Noel shook his head helplessly. "You should know about my identity by now, right?"


    "We know. Miss Milfa has also told us about you. You are Noel Ardagan."


    "That''s right. The Ardagan Family has a lot of enemies outside. In addition, I''m nning to rebuild my family, so the past enemies wille. So, I won''t visit you guys anymore. You have the strength to protect yourself and get stronger¡­ you have a bright future ahead of you."


    It wasn''t that Noel wanted to abandon them. He just didn''t want to meet them in order to protect them.


    "No way! If Big Brother was going to rebuild your family, then we would move to your ce. We could use our dance to brighten the atmosphere. We could also fight!" Erica refused to listen to his words.


    "Erica¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. "Just like today, I''ll be so busy that I won''t even have time to meet you guys anymore. So, please forget about me."


    Erica gritted her teeth. Noel was the one who changed their lives, so they wanted to repay him. Without him, they might still live in the slum, having nothing to eat. Some of them might have died due to the harsh winter. They simply couldn''t ept this.


    "Big Brother!"


    Eric grabbed Erica''s shoulders as if trying to hold her back.


    "Eric. Release me!" Erica was still trying to change Noel''s mind, but Eric refused to let her go.


    However, it didn''t change the fact that Eric intended to obey Noel''s words. He said, "Big Brother. You said that we''ve be strong enough to protect ourselves, right?"


    "Yeah. If you start learning about Spiritual Energy, it won''t be hard for you guys to enter the Demon Banner Army. So¡ª"


    Before Noel finished his words, Eric raised his voice. "In that case, we will also rebel against you! Since you''re going to leave us like this, your words don''t matter anymore to us."


    "Eric?" Erica was surprised that Eric actually talked back to Noel.


    However, Eric added, "We are determined to go to your territory. If you push us away, then we won''t do things you want and remain in your territory. If you use force, we will just entertain your people so that they beg you to let us stay!"


    "You¡­ Do you know what you''re talking about?" Noel looked at Eric in disbelief. He told Eric to be the leader, but he just wanted to lead them to their death.


    "I don''t care. I have chosen not to care about your words anymore. This is my decision as their leader. Besides, I think everyone has agreed with me!" Eric spread his arms as if telling him to see everyone''s expression.


    All of them looked determined and filled with hope. Even Erica was surprised such a thing was possible.


    Obviously, Noel was moved by their action. He took care of them without the intention of bringing them into his territory, yet the children expressed their intention so clearly. Even if he rejected, they wouldn''t listen.


    "Do you know that your enemies might be the Supreme Devil Organization and the Royal Family?!"


    "I don''t care!" Eric stomped the ground and shouted, "In the harsh winter, we might only be able to clutch our stomachs while trying to distract ourselves from empty stomachs. We might be beaten by those older guys. Our possessions might be stolen by those guys. Some of us might even die from the cold."


    "However, that didn''t happen anymore once you came into our lives. You taught us how to be a proper human being. You gave us a goal. So, we would use our lives to repay you. So please¡­" Eric bowed his head, pleading. The other kids also did the same.


    On the one hand, Noel wanted to protect them. On the other hand, he couldn''t really say no when the kids did this.


    Noel scratched the back of his head, saying, "Fine. You guys won."


    "!!!" They raised their heads, and their expressions were brightened.


    Noel raised his finger. "On one condition. You have to follow my ns."

 Chapter 799 Runes

    Noel and the children were talking a lot about what happened to them in the past two years. They had truly put a lot of effort into their dancing, allowing them to reach this point so quickly.


    If theypared themselves to Noel, their speed would be negligible, but the children were also practicing a new kind of sword style. So, it was already amazing that they could reach this point by themselves.


    Ultimately, Noel agreed to let them stay in his future territory. However, Noel put on a condition, which was to follow his n.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    And the first part of his n would require them to gain their Spiritual Energy. However, this action would be extremely dangerous, so Noel added another condition to them, which was to have Milfa apany and assess their fight.


    This way, Milfa would be able to save them in case something happened. If the kids performed horrendously, Milfa would have all the reasons to stop them from chasing after Noel. This would fulfill the promise he had with Milfa, which was not to destroy their talent.


    Of course, Milfa would have no right to stop them if they managed to defeat demons brilliantly. For that, Noel was giving them basic knowledge that they taught in the Demon Banner Army.


    Because Noel had no mastery in the Sword Dance, he didn''t give anything regarding their sword style and spirits. Instead, he gave them the rune book, especially asking them to learn the three basic runes: Increase Agility Rune, Strength Blessing Rune, and Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. In addition, he gave them Spirit Techniques such as Muscle Strengthening and Spirit Aura Breathing.


    With this, the kids would have the foundation for their Spiritual Energy.


    If they truly passed all the hurdles ahead and reached his territory, he would definitely paint the runes on their bodies to make them even stronger.


    After all of them fell asleep, Noel finally left the house, hoping for the best.


    "Master." Dimitri greeted him outside. It seemed he had been waiting for him the whole time.


    "Sorry for making you wait, Dimitri. Is everything there?"


    "Yeah." Dimitri pointed at the inn. "Anna is also waiting for you in that inn. She arrived in the afternoon. It''s the furthest room on the third floor, the one on the left."


    "Got it. Thanks, Dimitri. After Anna, I''ll be painting runes on your body as well."


    "I''m grateful." Dimitri agreed while adding one finger. "But if possible, I''d like to express one concern."


    "What is it?"


    "If you are the one painting all the runes for the people around you and the elite soldiers, it will put a strain on yourself. So, why don''t you find a disciple who can do that for you? Anna aside, you will find yourself in trouble if you try to do it to another female."


    "That''s true, but¡­ it''s not that easy to find that kind of person, you know?" Noel sighed. "In fact, I want two disciples that can be taught to do this: one male and one female. This way, they can do it based on gender."


    "I see. You''ll have a hard time finding one. After all, Rune is a new concept. However, you can think of it this way. Since you''ve spread the knowledge about runes, won''t that make people who are adept at it be a good seedling? I mean, they can understand the new concept quickly."


    "Yeah. That''s probably the reason why Old Ru told me to go south until I meet a fateful person." Noel agreed, recalling the message Old Ru gave him before departure.


    Though, he had to figure out the other party''s identity since it would be troublesome if that fateful person turned out to be someone important.


    "Alright. I''ll be meeting her." Noel waved his hand and started heading to the inn. As soon as he reached the room, he knocked on the door and said, "This is Noel."


    Anna immediately opened the door for him. "Come in."


    It seemed she had been expecting his arrival the whole time. She had a translucent gown that allowed him to see through a portion of her body, including the part where the Spirit Seal was.


    "¡­" Noel was quite stunned because, in the past, he saw her body just to mess with her. But this time, he felt weird that he could see her like this when she was expecting something to the point where he couldn''t help but look away. Even Noel didn''t understand why the time he should look at her ended up with him looking away.


    "I have been waiting for you. Shall we start right away?" Anna asked while lighting up the candles to light up the room. Unfortunately, the candle wasn''t that bright, which made Noel disagree.


    "No. We''ll be waiting for the morning. Since this is the first time we''re painting runes on our bodies, it''s better to wait until the sun is up to avoid unnecessary mistakes. The blood is precious after all." Noel shook his head, exining his reason.


    "What should we do then?"


    "I''m here to talk about the type of runes that we would add to our bodies." Noel moved to the table and grabbed a paper. "You should know about the five rune types, right?"


    "Yeah. Support Rune, Attack Rune, Defensive Rune, Utility Rune, and Movement Rune."


    "Indeed." Noel nodded and wrote everything down. "In that case, what type of rune do you need?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "That''s¡­" Anna couldn''t answer because even in her previous life, she never had done this.


    "There is one more problem. Currently, even if I try, I can only create a Mid Level Rune, not an advanced one. It''s quite hard, you see."


    "So, we''ll have to renew itter?"


    "Yes."


    Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. "In that case, how about one for all types? It shouldn''t be too much to the point where it could cover one''s body."


    "Alright then." Noel nced at his system and asked inwardly, ''Ardagan. Give me ten random rune scrolls.''


    [Processing]


    [You''ve acquired Reduce Impact Rune.]


    [You''ve acquired¡­]


    [You¡­]


    ¡­


    [You''ve acquired Guardian Sword Rune.]


    After getting the knowledge, Noel immediately wrote a few names. "How about this¡­ I''ll paint Empowerment Rune as the Support Rune, Energy st Rune as the Attack Rune, Reduce Impact Rune as the Defensive Rune, Energy Gathering Rune as the Utility Rune, and Enhance Forward Rune as the Movement Rune."


    Anna assessed the names. "Empowerment Rune could increase my physical ability and Spiritual Energy for a set period of time. I have seen your Energy st Rune a lot. Reduce Impact Rune can mitigate the physical and magical impact. As for the Energy Gathering Rune, it''s quite useful for us, especially after learning Old Ru''s technique. And Enhance Forward Rune can increase our speed. That sounds good enough. We can change itter anyway."


    "Yeah. I''m nning to embed the same thing in my body. Can you paint the runes?"


    "I can''t paint Empowerment Rune and Energy st Rune. But if you let me practice here, it shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Then, how about we practice until the sun is up?"


    "Sounds good."


    "Though, how about you put on some clothes first?" Noel asked while sighing.


    "Huh?" Anna had just realized that she had forgotten since Noel talked about a serious matter. She instantly got flustered, but seeing how Noel acted a bit differently from normal, she couldn''t help but tease him. "Oh, what''s wrong, Noel? Are you embarrassed?"


    "You should be the one who is embarrassed. Besides, I''m just concerned about your health." Noel shook his head as calmly as possible.


    "You should know that after having Spiritual Energy in our body, we rarely get sick. And we have almost be a Spirit Grandmaster, so there''s no way I will catch a cold." Anna smirked. "Just say that you''re embarrassed."


    "So, are you going to put on some clothes or not?" Noel asked.


    "Tsk. You''re no fun." Anna pouted when looking at Noel''s poker face. However, the fact that he acted differently meant he was a bit more conscious of her. It somehow put a smile on Anna''s face. She would never admit it though.


    After that, they immediately worked on the paint. Noel supervised everything while asking Dimitri to bring him all the items. He had to prepare the sap and other things and mix some of them so that they could be used to paint the runes.


    ording to the knowledge he got from the Rune Mastery, this mixture allowed them to make the blood permanently stay on their body. The only way to erase it was to use Spiritual Energy and a few other materials.


    This was why Noel didn''t mind having Damian listen to their conversation since he wouldn''t know about the secret ingredients and the method.


    After a long training, Annapleted her training one hour before sunrise. She continued until the time limit before taking off her clothes.


    She was lying down on her bed with a towel covering her breasts. Noel could clearly see her Spirit Seal and nned to create the runes around her waist and stomach.


    "Alright. I''ll start," said Noel while holding a needle.

 Chapter 800 Drawing Runes

    "Aaahhhh!" Anna let out a seductive moan that echoed inside the room.


    "¡­" Noel''s eyebrows were twitching. He just coated the needle with the mixture and poked her body, but she actually let out a sound that could be easily misunderstood. "What are you doing?"


    "Sorry, I didn''t expect it." Anna smirked. It seemed that she was ying with him.


    "I''m going to tell you this, but if you''re going to mess around again, I''m going to open the window and toss you outside." Noel''s expression looked annoyed.


    "Fine." Anna pouted. When Noel made this face, she knew that he would do it without hesitation.


    While she did tease her, she wanted to soften Noel''s expression. This was the first time he painted the runes on the body, so it was obvious that he was nervous.


    Although it didn''t impact him a lot, since Noel''s expression had looked a bit better, she chose to remain silent.


    Unbeknownst to them, Dimitri was standing outside to protect them. But when he heard Anna''s voice, he couldn''t help but look at the door with a confused expression, thinking, ''Did they do something else? Does that mean we''ll be expecting a sessor soon? Now that I think about it, the former Master and Mistress shoulde out since they should want to hold their grandchild, right? What a good job, Master¡­ I should begin calling her Mistress as well.''


    While Dimitri was distracted by the thoughts, Noel continued with his work.


    He poked Anna''s skin with a needle and poured his Spiritual Energy to attach it to the veins underneath the skin. These veins were linked with the Spirit Seal, which would maintain the rune''s existence.


    He carefully poked the next spot not far from the first spot and began linking them together like a circuit.


    This process took a while because he had to assimte the two spots with his Spiritual Energy before linking it to the Spirit Veins.


    After that, he continued to the third, fourth, and other spots.


    Because of the need for uracy, Noel had to split a single rune into at least a hundred points. So, a single rune alone required at least two hours toplete.


    Noel stretched the rune from her Spirit Seal that was located on her waist to her stomach.


    After hepleted it, he didn''t immediately move to the second rune. Instead, he asked, "I havepleted the rune. How about trying it first? I have to see if it works or not."


    "Alright. I just need to pour my Spiritual Energy, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    Anna didn''t lift her body from the bed since she could do it while lying down. Surprisingly, she could feel an outeryer of skin on her stomach.


    "I can actually feel the rune¡­ It feels like an extremely thinyer above my skin." Anna reported while pouring the Spiritual Energy. The flow was smooth, filling up the rune. As soon as it reached the required amount to activate, the rune started to glow.


    Anna could feel a surge of energy in her body. She felt a gentle wave of her hand could actually destroy the wooden wall next to her.


    "I think it''s working." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Is there anything that makes you ufortable?"


    "While I do feel weird having this thinyer above my skin, there''s nothing wrong with the rune itself. I''ll try to deactivate it to see if something changes." Anna fell silent for a moment as the rune began to dim. "There is nothing wrong. The Spiritual Energy inside the rune is expelled from my body and dissapear into the air."


    "I see." Noel let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had finished the first rune and the experiment. Just like the Force Control from before, he might have the mastery and knowledge in his head, but his body still couldn''t use it. So, he was d that he seeded.


    "Should we continue with the second one?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded and began to prepare the second needle. Since it used the same mixture, there should be no problem using the same needle. But Noel believed that the Spiritual Energy used to create the rune had contaminated the needle, so it was better to use another needle as a preventive action.


    "By the way, if it takes you two hours just to create a single rune, won''t it take too long if you want to create a group of elites?" Anna asked.


    "Well, the initial elite group will be like that, but I''m nning to employ a merit system. If they reach a certain merit, they can exchange their contribution to get another rune on their body. This will make them more eager to perform. Besides, I''m nning to get two disciples to learn runes, which will make my job easier. Also, there will be a Rune School that will be the primary source of ie for my territoryter. So, yeah¡­ I''ve prepared a lot of things for the future."


    "I see. I thought I should be worried, but it seems that you''ve calcted everything." Anna smiled, remembering her previous life. Even back then, Noel''s territory was thriving. "In that case, I''ll definitelyplete this mission which should take one month and immediately challenge an Arbiter."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "How about the other party?"


    "My father should be preparing it right now. I just have to wait for the signal."


    "I see. I wish you luck. Don''t forget that your safety is important."


    "Are you worried about me?" Anna smiled brightly.


    "Only by bing an Arbiter can you repay me for this one." Noel harrumphed.


    "Hahaha!"


    Noel continued drawing the four other runes. The second rune was ced slightly above the first rune and under her breast. Even Noel had a bit of a hard time embedding the second rune due to the position. Touching and seeing were two different things after all.


    The third rune was ced on her side that stretched both to her front and back. The fourth rune was entirely on her back, while thest one was drawn right below it.


    With this, Anna had five runes on her body. While they could ce it in a further ce to avoid awkward ces, it would make the rune activation longer due to the distance. So, Anna convinced him that he should do it in those five spots.


    After getting all five runes, Anna tried all of them in rapid session and confirmed thepletion of all runes.


    It seriously took a toll on him since he had to be careful with the details or the rune would be ruined. He even used the mixture to erase a few times because he made several mistakes.


    However, he had seeded. Anna was the first person to have runes embedded on her body.


    While she was happy about it, Noel had taken off his clothes, showing the Spirit Seal on his chest. He had decided to get the same runes on his body.


    Because Anna''s rune mastery was lower than his, it took her longer toplete. However, she remained careful and not rushing despite havingpetitiveness inside her.


    Noel was fighting the urge to tease her because he worried about his own safety.


    In the end, they had to stop when dusk arrived since they wanted to avoid the mistakes due to not enough light.


    That night, Noel discussed with Dimitri the runes that he wanted on his body. Because of the nature of his ability, Dimitri only chose two runes, which were the Reduce Impact Rune and the Empowerment Rune.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Noel had some materials left, so Dimitri, as his butler, also enjoyed the privilege of having Ancient Demon Grade Material for his runes.


    After Annapleted drawing the runes on Noel''s body, she had to bid goodbye. The quicker she became an arbiter, the more she could solidify her influence over the royal court.


    Hence, Anna wanted to get it done as soon as possible so that she could help Noelter.


    Noel also understood her position and saw her off before drawing the runes on Dimitri. Since there were only two runes, it didn''t take too long for Noel toplete them.


    So, they decided to depart after Noel got a good rest for his tired mind.


    Of course, Noel took this time to check on the children, who became more determined than ever toplete the condition Noel had set.


    Milfa also agreed with Noel''s arrangement since if the kids were ipetent, she could easily subdue them and prevent them from killing themselves.


    Since Noel wouldn''t do any more missions for the Demon Banner Army, Noel took this chance to exchange all his contribution points for Demon Crystals, a few Techniques, and Materials from powerful demons.


    They were all the necessary expenses once he became a noble. Of course, Noel had asked the kids to take care of the materials. This was the second condition.


    The children would bring all these materials with them. They would also use some to be stronger.


    This way, the kids would be strong and bring a lot of materials once they reached the Ardagan Family''s territory.


    After that, he and Dimitri continued to their next destination to visit the scattered members of the Ardagan Family.

 Chapter 801 Douglas

    In a certain city, a robust middle-aged man was walking in the city while humming.


    "Mhm, hum, hum." The middle-aged man seemed to be enjoying his walk. He was also observing the locations of the buildings in the area.


    "Life is good." The middle-aged man nodded in approval. He continued for another thirty minutes before he eventually reached a two-story building.


    When he opened the door, he was greeted with a lot of tools for construction such as hammers, axes, saws, and others.


    "Wee, Sir Dous. Are you done with your walk today?" A young receptionist smiled at him.


    "Oh, Jack. You''re already up?" The middle-aged man, who was called Dous, smiled, watching the young man carrying the tools around as though he was disying them on the shelves.


    "Of course. I don''t know why, but I feel like something good is going to happen today. So, I''m setting up the shop as quickly as possible."


    "Is that so? Maybe we''re expecting the same thing. I don''t know why, but I feel energized today." Dous chuckled, not thinking much about it. "In any case, just open the shop as usual."


    "Understood." Jack nodded in agreement as he continued moving things around.


    However, their peaceful morning was suddenly disturbed when a man suddenly mmed their door open.


    *Bang!*


    The sound was so loud that it startled both of them.


    "I need one hundred saws and one hundred hammers right away!" The man shouted in an authoritative tone, looking down at them.


    Jack couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows while Dous put on his smile and said, "Wee, Mr. Raffles."


    "So, you''re here, you idiot old man." The man snorted, staring at Dous as if he was a fly.


    Jack looked angry because the man looked down on Dous, but he couldn''t do anything. There was a reason why the man could actually look down on them.


    "Of course. Since you''re here to make a purchase this big, then I should be the one weing you." Dous smiled. "Besides, you''re the butler of the city lord, so how could I let anyone serve you?"


    "This is an order. Bring one hundred saws and hammers to the city lord''s mansion if you don''t want this shop destroyed." The man harrumphed, thinking he was far above Dous.


    "I understand. But Sir, we don''t have the number you require right now. Please wait for three days, and I can deliver it to the mansion." Dous replied, still putting on his best smile.


    "You don''t have that much time. Do you think if not because of the city lord, you could still be alive? You only have until dusk. If you can''t deliver the order, I will destroy this shop." The manughed out loud.


    He didn''t care about their reply and immediately turned around, ready to leave the shop.


    However, he saw a hammer and a window next to the door, so he grabbed the hammer and smashed the window for them to see. He added mockingly, "Hahaha. Since this shop is going to be destroyed, then this one is just in advance."


    The man exited the shop whileughing out loud, mming the door so hard that the wooden door bent.


    Outside, he saw two people who were staring at him in confusion.


    "What? If you continue looking, I will rip out your eyes." The man red at them angrily, which caused the two people to look at each other. Because he was in a good mood after destroying the window, he harrumphed and walked away. "This is whymoners are¡­"


    The two werepletely dumbfounded since they didn''t expect that anothermoner would be able to act this mighty.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Due to the wooden door bent, the voice from the inside could be heard.


    "Sir Dous. Why are you serving that man so easily? Couldn''t you see how they treated you? You have been helping Count Helsberth for so long, but look at how they treat you in return."


    "Even their butler is looking down on you. You¡­ you have¡­ even helped them build a lot of things. Without you, their city wouldn''t be this good." Jack was shouting in frustration.


    Dous had reached his hand to a slum guy like him and turned him into his assistant, so Jack was angry when his savior was treated horribly.


    "You don''t know anything, Jack. And I don''t think it''s time for me to tell you about it¡­ not yet. Let''s just do our best here until the timees." Dous smiled, not caring about the treatment.


    However, the two people outside had actually opened the door and entered the shop, seeing the mess inside.


    "¡­" They didn''t know how to react since this was the first time they went to this shop.


    But Dous seemed to recognize one of them. He didn''t know the one wearing a masquerade, but the moment he saw the man behind him, he could make a guess of their identities.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "This¡­" Dous gasped. Seeing the second man nod his head, Dous suddenly dropped to one knee and lowered his head. "I humbly greet your presence, my lord."


    "Huh?" Jack was utterly confused. Even though Dous let everything happen with a smile on his face, he never knelt to anyone, including the city lord. That might also be the reason for their action.


    Yet, a single nod from them actually caused Dous to do the thing he never did in thest few years.


    Who could actually force Dous to do this?


    After they closed the door, the younger man took off his masquerade as the blond hair gradually returned to its original color.


    From behind the mask, a young yet gant face was hidden.


    Dous instantly confirmed his identity and put on a small but genuine smile.


    "Sorry, Jack. I''m going to take my words back. Sorry for letting you experience all this, but it''s time we leave the town," Dous finally exined the reason. "I have been helping the count because I''m nning to sit away from the spotlight. By making them hate me, they will definitely hide my presence because my existence is equal to their shame. But that doesn''t matter anymore. The time hase."


    "Sir?" Jack was dumbstruck.


    Dous pointed at Noel and said, "This is the person I''ve been waiting for. He is Noel Ardagan."


    "Ardagan? That Ardagan?"


    Obviously, the Ardagan Family''s deeds had spread all over the kingdom. They were a merchant family, but instead of using their wealth to rise through the ranks, they used their wealth to help the people.


    Even someone from the slum like him knew the name of Ardagan.


    "I will exin everything to youter, so go upstairs and pack up your luggage. We''ll be leaving the city."


    "But the city guards will stop us," Jack warned him while frowning.


    "Will that be a problem?" Dous nced at Dimitri.


    "I have four methods to leave the city. Which one do you want?" Dimitri smirked.


    Dous smiled and waved his hand, telling Jack to hurry.


    "I didn''t think it''d be this easy¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. He thought he had to find a way to convince Dous, but thetter immediately recognized him and decided to follow him.


    "Did Dimitri not tell you?" Dous pointed at Dimitri.


    "Tell what?"


    "If Dimitri wasn''t standing behind you when you visited us, it would mean that Dimitri still recognized you as the young master of the Ardagan Family. But considering Dimitri is with you now, it''s clear that you''ve be the master of the family. If it''s the former, then you might have to convince us because the time is not ripe."


    "We''ve been waiting for you, Master. The former family head told us toy low for the time being as the revival of the Ardagan Family would be in our hands. He told us to see for ourselves whether you were qualified or not. If you are qualified, then we have promised to follow you." Dous smiled.


    "Did my father tell all of you something like that?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. It seemed that he had known the end of the Ardagan Family and prepared for it. So, this time, we have to rebuild it again."


    "It seems that there are a lot of things I want to ask about my father from you and Dimitri. But I guess we should leave the city as quickly as possible."


    "Indeed. I''ll be ready in just an hour."


    Before Dous left, Noel asked, "It seems that you''ve encountered a problem. Do you want me to help?"


    Dimitri nodded. "Master might still be a Spirit Master, but his prowess is equal to a normal Spirit Grandmaster. I can help as well."


    "No. It seems that you do not understand our forte, Master." Dous smiled. "The Ardagan Family had several pirs. There was a reason why we were acknowledged as pirs and I would tell you after we left the city."


    Noel was confused, but it seemed that he couldn''t convince him.


    Unbeknownst to Noel, he was about to know how Dous''s existence alone could threaten Count Helsbert.

 Chapter 802 Pillars

    "Where are the tools?" A middle-aged man was staring at the construction of a big bridge not far from the city.


    "I have asked my man to grab them from the shop, Sir." The butler that stormed Dous''s shop earlier reported.


    He nodded with a serious expression. "All of his tools are excellent and he has all the perfect tools for everything. He even sells them at a low price. That''s why we''ve been developing the city at a fast rate. How about the other projects?"


    "They are steadily progressing."


    "Good." The man looked at the paper in his hand. "There are a total of ten big projects and sixty smaller projects. We have to begin changing our tools to new ones."


    "Of course. I''ll definitely bring you all the tools, Sir."


    "You''re a good butler." The man nodded in approval.


    But as he just acknowledged him, a huge problem urred. The man, who the butler sent earlier, had returned. He appeared to be rushing and without the carriage that was supposed to bring the tools.


    "Report¡­ Bad news!" The guy shouted while panting.


    "How rude of you? Don''t you know you''re in the presence of the Count?" The butler hurriedly shouted, ring at him.


    However, the Count was more focused on the bad news and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "I¡­" The guy hesitated for a moment before reporting what he saw. "I''ve gone to the shop, but¡­ he has disappeared."


    "What?" The Count and the butler were dumbstruck. The Count asked, "What did you say? He left the city?"


    "That''s what most likely had happened. When I reached the store, all the items had disappeared. I investigated a bit more, but there was no sign of him living there anymore. All the clothes and other necessities had disappeared. Only¡­" The guy took out a piece of paper that had been folded neatly. It didn''t seem the guy had seen it because there was "For the Count" written on it.


    The Count hurriedly grabbed the paper and read what he had left.


    ''It''s time for me to go. This is how I''m going to repay what you''ve done to me¡­ especially that butler. Have a good day.''


    It was a simple but powerful message.


    The Count understood that Dous had left the city. And the butler might be the reason for it.


    The Count''s body was shaking as he couldn''t help but recall all the projects he had as well as Dous''s help.


    He had taken on a lot of projects because Dous often gave him some suggestions which were doable and perfect for the project, allowing him to cut costs. Then, he used it to negotiate with another partner and lowered the price they had to pay, making his family be the favorite in those people''s eyes.


    But now that Dous had disappeared, it meant that the tools he provided would disappear.


    Of course, the Count could easily ask some workshops to provide some tools, but they wouldn''t be able to do it as good as Dous.


    There was also another option, which was asking them to make the same tool as the one they had. However, it would definitely take a lot of time to make by unfamiliar hands. And the price would be extremely high. He didn''t know if the quality would be the same or not.


    After all, he had tried this method and got disappointed.


    However, that wasn''t all. Even if he somehow solved the tools'' problem, he would have to face the design problem.


    Dous had been giving some advice on all kinds of structures, making them beautiful and cost-effective. He even knew where to procure materials and used the naturalndscape to cut more costs.


    If Dous was gone, the cost would rise so high that he would go in the red. He might not have any more money to pay the workers or materials.


    That problem would cause a chain reaction that would reach the ones paying for the construction.


    In other words, a lot of projects would definitely fail and his family might have to use loans to pay off their debts. Then, the situation would be worse. The citizens would lose their trust.


    Even if he could extort the citizens, they would be dried sooner orter. In fact, there was a chance that the citizens would migrate to another territory.


    He had a lot of enemies, which would be happy enough to ept the refugees and take advantage of this situation to strike his enemies.


    Just thinking of all the problems the Count Family would face, Count Helsbert''s face became pale.


    He red at the butler and shouted, "What did you do that ended up forcing him to leave?"


    "What?" The butler was confused. He didn''t know what to say. Not only was he afraid of the Count''s anger, but he also didn''t know why Dous would leave. After all, he had been doing simr things in the past. "I don''t know."


    Looking at the butler''s expression, it seemed that he wasn''t aware of the problem as well.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    But the messenger noticed something from the shop and said, "Sir¡­ When I investigated the shop earlier¡­ I noticed that the shop''s door was bent and the window was shattered. Did they get attacked?"


    "What?" The Count''s face became pale. He thought that there was someone aiming for Dous because he was the core of his n. But the moment he turned to the butler and witnessed his shocked face, he realized that it was the butler''s work. "Were you the one who did it?"


    "What? I¡­ I¡­" The butler couldn''t answer.


    "I have told you to treat him with respect!" The Count gritted his teeth, wanting to kill the butler that he had praised earlier.


    "I¡­" The butler looked down. The Count might probably be the only one who treated Dous warmly. However, the other family members, such as the madam and the Count''s sons, had been looking down on Dous, thinking of him as a meremoner. He was also influenced by them and treated Dous as such.


    "You¡­" The Count was fuming in anger. He raised his head and shouted, "Guards. Bring this guy out of here. I''m going to execute him!"


    Even if the Count executed him, Dous wouldn''t return. Of course, the Count immediately ordered his people to search for Dous.


    As for the one who caused all this problem, Dous was walking with Noel, Dimitri, and Jack.


    "That''s probably what''s going to happen." Dous finished his exnation, which was simr to what the Count experienced and predicted. "It might not be enough to destroy the Count. If he used this and that, he should be able to maintain the family. But he would be weakened so much that he would soon be harassed by his enemies. Unless he could somehow restore his wealth, he wouldn''t be able to stop them."


    Noel sucked a cold breath. "I see. So, that''s why you''re the pir of the Ardagan Family."


    "You could say so. Though, your father built the Ardagan Family with a solid foundation, not reckless, but not extremely careful. Even if one pir was gone, the other pirs could easily fill up the spot."


    "Like producing something at a certain limit, not the maximum amount, so that it can be pushed to the maximum limit when something goes awry?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. Something like that."


    "The other pirs should be doing the same. Who are you nning to meet after this?"


    "Balott and Charlotte."


    "Balott, huh? If I''m not wrong, he has be a free ountant that a lot of merchant groups sought. Though, he''s not doing something big currently, so even if he''s gone, there won''t be a lot of things to happen. As for Charlotte¡­" Dous is scratching the back of his head.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Dimitri looked at Dous''s troubled expression and exined, "Charlotte is probably the only one who can stop his madness. Charlotte can actually track everything in the city. If you inquire anything about the city, Charlotte will probably know it. I think Rose should learn from her since Charlotte is already quite old."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. "By the way, how many pirs did we have?"


    "There are ten pirs. Dimitri is the Worker Pir, and Balott is the Economy Pir. Charlotte is the overseer. There are also farming, information, city development, defense, public rtionship, and two other pirs that aren''t much visible. It''s said that your father is the only one who knows. Dimitri might know about it."


    "I only know one of them. It''s not that different from the information pir, but they are in charge of eliminating threats. As for the other one, it''s just a rumor. There is another pir that is secretly protecting the people of the Ardagan Family."


    Dous pointed at Dimitri. "That one¡­ I heard that people who are recruited won''t encounter any problems for the rest of their lives. Sometimes, there is someone who is dealing with anything that might cause them problems."


    "Hoh?" Noel looked down. It seemed that in governing a territory, his father was still far beyond him. "I wonder how he managed all of you."


    "Are you sure you are asking about that from me?" Dous made a wry smile as if telling him it would be awkward after this.


    "Hahaha. In any case, I might not be following my father''s footsteps, but I''ll continue to strive to be a better lord." Noel chuckled.


    "In that case, Master. May I know where we''ll be going?"N?velDrama.Org content.


    "I''m nning to ask you to stay with Harley?"


    "Are you going to revive the city?"


    "No. We''re going to a new region. I''ll manipte the royal court to get us there. So, I want you to stay with Harley for the time being."


    "Instead of that, how about telling me the name of that region? I can go there and survey the location. In fact, I can n ahead so that we can begin the moment we''re granted thatnd."


    "Still, it''s going to be dangerous, considering that ce is near the border." Noel thought for a moment. "How about going to Harley for the time being? Since he is nning to get Howard, you should be safer that way, no?"


    "I see." Dous contemted. "Understood. I will follow your arrangement."


    "Thanks. I''m nning to be a noble in about five months. So, get ready."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 803 Visit

    As Dous exined, it seemed that the pirs of the Ardagan Family had been waiting for Noel and Dimitri the whole time.


    Although Noel was supposed to have died in Anna''s hand, they still followed the instruction that Noel''s father had given them.


    The order was to wait for five years, which was the time limit, before something big happens.


    However, if Noel somehow managed to gain the power and influence to be a noble, they would be Noel''s vassals.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Dous had told Noel about all the matters that his father had passed on. Still, he couldn''t believe that Anna was Noel''s ally, even though she had brought the Ardagan Family to the brink of destruction and even killed him.


    Noel exined to Dous and the other pirs that Anna had changed. This time, she would be their reliable ally that would influence the royal family.


    The royal family still believed that Anna still hated them after all. So, if she managed to be an Arbiter, even the king had to consider her opinion seriously.


    Although they were still a bit doubtful of Anna, they had to put their trust in her because Noel believed so. In addition, Dimitri told them about the rtionship between Anna and Noel, making them understand why there was such trust between them.


    It was surprising, but Dous, Balott, and Charlotte had agreed to rebuild the Ardagan Family.


    Balott was a middle-aged man who had been working around as a frencer, giving advice to a lot of merchants. When Noel visited him with Dous and Dimitri, it took him an instant to immediately recognize Noel as the master of the family.


    However, due to his job, he had to remain in that city for a while. After all, it would be troublesome if he suddenly disappeared and incurred the wrath of all those merchants.


    Luke was his mentor, so Balott understood how the merchants worked. Instead of following Noel, Balott decided to remain and gather some money for the initial fund.


    On the other hand, Charlotte had a hard time keeping up with them due to her age. Charlotte was already in herte fifties. Unlike the others, she didn''t train her body at all.


    Hence, she had agreed on three things with Noel. The first one was how she was going to the new territory. Because of the distance and danger, Charlotte decided to go with Dous.


    She needed a carriage, so everything was prepared ording to her will and Noel gave all the necessary money for their travel.


    The second promise was about how she agreed to train a sessor. After learning about Rose, she had no qualms. Rose had exceptional eyes, which would allow her to take a good look at the surroundings. Rose also had the power and ability to protect herself.


    As long as she trained under her, Rose would definitely be Noel''s left hand, handling all the matters within the territory.


    Charlotte turned out to be someone who had been working for his grandfather. But unlike his father, his grandfather was a bitcking in terms of talent. Although he governed the territory fine, it was also his fault that the Royal Family got some advantages against them.


    When Luke took over the family, he consolidated the power of the Ardagan Family and grew it to the point where the Ardagan Family was considered the wealthiest family in the kingdom. In addition, their span of influence was so wide that a lot of nobles feared them.


    Only those who were backed by the kings would dare to fight against the Ardagan Family, like the Count and Marquis, whom Noel had exterminated previously.


    Of course, due to the hole that his grandfather made, Luke was forced to make a decision that changed the course of the family. To avoid creating more holes where the Royal Family could control them, Luke decided to destroy the Ardagan Family and let Noel build anew.


    This turned out to be the real reason why the Ardagan Family had to be destroyed. Noel never thought that his father had been preparing for this so that the Ardagan Family could remain strong.


    His father might not have any ns to go against the Royal Family, but it didn''t mean that he would let the Royal Family decide their life and death.


    Of course, there were several other factors that reinforced the course of the family, such as Laufey Ardagan, the state of the family, the Royal Family, and other smaller problems.


    Unfortunately, when Noel asked about the ''hole'' she was talking about, Charlotte imed that she didn''t know anything about it. She only ryed what Luke told her back then. It seemed that only his parents knew about the ''hole'' that made the foundation of the Ardagan Family brittle.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Last but not least, Charlotte discussed the matter of the pirs. Charlotte wasn''t that against reassembling the former pirs. In fact, they could easily rebuild the family by gathering them.


    However, it wouldn''t be Noel''s power. Noel was simply gathering what Luke had in the past. If he wanted to truly create the new Ardagan Family, Noel needed new pirs under hismand.


    They could be like Rose where the old pirs taught them and let them seed in their position. Or Noel could find other people to fill in the new spots.


    Only in this way would Noel''s family could look like the new Ardagan Family.


    Noel agreed with her. Unlike Dimitri, who had been watching how he fought against the challenge in front of him, the others didn''t have any knowledge or information about Noel. They only knew that Noel was the sessor of the Ardagan Family. And it only came from Dimitri''s existence.


    In other words, the reason why they followed Noel this time was not because of himself. This weak bond would eat him sooner orter.


    He acknowledged the fact that he had been focusing on his strength but never tried finding the people that would be his vassalster.


    When Noel thought about it, he couldn''t help but think of a few people.


    The Master cksmith was one of the strongest people that would join his rank. He thought about asking him to be one of the pirs, but he reconsidered it after learning from Charlotte.


    He thought about giving his children a chance to learn from Balott since they were a merchant.


    There were also matters regarding runes, which could be a new pir. Noel also remembered the group of women he had saved back then. They could learn from Dous.


    After thinking about all his encounters, Noel couldn''t help but wonder who actually had joined him in the alternate world. At that time, Noel refused to hear it from Anna because it would just influence his decision. But this thought made him curious. Of course, if he wanted to rece the pirs, he would need a lot of people.


    Fortunately, Anna imed that Noel managed to make a strong family that could stand in the midst of the chaos that would soon plunge the kingdom.


    Noel was thankful for Charlotte''s insight. Despite a brief meeting between them, Noel had learned a lot about how to govern his territory and manage his family. It was no wonder why Charlotte became the Overseer of the family.


    Unfortunately, Noel couldn''t stay too long in the kingdom since he didn''t want to let Laufey catch him.


    He could only give money to Charlotte and let her arrange anything she needed, Noel finally bid farewell to Charlotte and Dous before heading straight to the kingdom in their south: Atrecaeca Kingdom.


    Muivell Kingdom, Greenwood Kingdom, Atrecaeca Kingdom, and Zaecuria Kingdom were the four kingdoms that governed humanity.


    Muivell Kingdom was known for its military might from the Tower Association, the Arbiters, and the Demon Banner Army. The Greenwood Kingdom focused on their research on the Spirit and Spiritual Energy, allowing them to be the leading Spirit Magician. Their knowledge was said to surpass the Tower Association.


    Zaecuria Kingdom was located in the southeast of the Muivell Kingdom. It was said that this kingdom had water that stretched to the horizon, which was called the ocean or sea. They were more advanced than the rest because they focused on taking advantage of the weird natural resources. That was why a new profession like Alchemist was born.


    The one Noel was nning to visit was the Atrecaeca Kingdom. This Kingdom had a differentndscape than the rest.


    A huge portion of the kingdom was actually covered in sand called desert. Most of the people were situated further south, where the temperature was the lowest and fit for vegetation.


    However, some were still living in the middle of the kingdom. It was said that due to the harshest conditions, the people in this kingdom were more robust than the ones in the Muivell Kingdom.


    With a lot of exotic animals, they fought together with a beast. This way, they were known for their unusual way and toughness. If the Muivell Kingdom and the Atrecaeca Kingdom ever shed, no one knew who would be the winner.


    And Noel was nning to go to this kingdom to search for the fateful person.

 Chapter 804 Supreme Devil Organization

    There was a huge cave in the northern part of the Muivell Kingdom.


    It was a limestone cave that seemed to have been cleared up to make a clear floor and ceiling.


    A giant hall was constructed inside the cave. It looked like a box with a length of at least thirty meters. There were even multiple floors inside.


    However, there was a smaller box that was constructed on the opposite side. The box took up ten percent of the hall''s overall size. Its sides were covered with solid walls, while the one facing the hall was covered with a solid wall and curtain so that someone could enter and talk from behind the quilt.


    Outside the box stood two people. The first one was an olddy with long white hair. She looked calm and dignified, but her eyes were so sharp that it felt like she was looking at her prey.


    The second one was a muscr man in his forties. His size was simr to Igor, but his body was naturally exuding killing intent. He had a confident face, showing that he could tackle all problems.


    However, his confident smile disappeared the moment another man simr to him entered the room.


    "!!!" The guy suddenly turned around, finding the same muscr old man that ambushed Noel and the other groups.


    Yes, he was the strongest Devil Saint, who was said to have be the Spirit Transcendence, Alexander Brighthammer.


    "To think you would being here¡­" The guy tried to strike up a conversation, but he still felt pressured by Alexander''s gaze alone.


    Alexander looked at both of them until he was a few meters away from the box. He then knelt down. "Long live the Supreme Devil."


    "Thank you for your hard work. It''s thanks to you that we can kill two captains and injure that Oscar." A voice suddenly resounded from behind the curtain. The voice was deep, but the tone was t and devoid of all emotion.


    "It''s for the sake of the organization." Alexander shook his head calmly, showing that he was just fulfilling his duty.


    "It seems that all of you have gathered here."


    The moment they heard those words, the muscr guy and the olddy walked toward Alexander and knelt next to him.


    "Please wait." Alexander stopped him.


    "Alexander." The olddy furrowed her eyebrows as she didn''t tolerate any disrespect toward the one behind the curtain.


    Alexander ignored her and exined his reasons. "I know that you''re going to discuss the so-called Noel Ardagan. So, I think there is one more person that should havee."


    "¡­" The person behind the curtain didn''t answer him immediately. However, the olddy snorted, correcting Alexander. "Do you mean the one who has failed to capture a kid multiple times?"


    "The Supreme Devil hasn''t spoken. It''s also not your turn to speak, Qiel." Alexander pressured her back. "Besides, if we''re nning to talk about that kid, we should get him to speak about everything. He might have failed multiple times, but you can''t deny his talent as he might be able to be another Spirit Transcendence among the Devil Saints."


    "That''s enough." The man stopped their fight and said, "That''s true. After all, he has been the one following him the most. Although I''m a bit reluctant to see him, he can enter as well."


    "In that case, please forgive my rudeness." Alexander immediately stood up and turned around, calling the name out loud. "Laufey. You may enter."


    The moment his name was called, Laufey entered the room with his head hung low. He had failed multiple times and cost the lives of a lot of Devil Bishops, so he couldn''t be forgiven easily.


    His expression was calm, but he didn''t appear to show his dignity. He immediately fell onto his knees behind Alexander. "Long live the Supreme Devil."


    "As you might already know, we will be discussing how to get that kid, Noel Ardagan, into this ce." The Supreme Devil looked at Laufey from behind the curtains. "So, what do you have for us, Laufey?"


    "I believe that we have to apprehend him right away." Laufey didn''t hesitate to show the urgency. "It would be a problem to create an international issue since the other kingdom might mobilize their force to help the Demon Banner Army to suppress us."


    "However, I believe I have told you about the secret of the Ardagan Family. ording to my spy, his conversion rate is far below Anna Stargaze. Yet, why could he keep up with her progress? That''s where I finally believe the secret that I''ve stolen from the Ardagan Family."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Noel Stargaze has received the inheritance of his ancestor, the only Spirit King ever known in the Muivell Kingdom''s history."


    "I thought that the Spirit King''s inheritance and record were left behind in those books. So, I had been trying to steal those books while I was a member of the Ardagan Family. But it turned out the true inheritance was the sword."


    "Unfortunately, the moment he was recognized by the sword was the time Dimitri joined the Ardagan Family. I couldn''t steal the sword and was forced to flee."


    "With his current speed, it is not impossible for him to be a Spirit Grandmaster within one year from now. When that timees, it''s going to be hard to capture him. Hence, I suggest we capture him now."


    "With the inheritance of a Spirit King, we would be able to produce a lot of Spirit Transcendence, and Your Excellency, the Supreme Devil, might be able to be a Spirit King yourself."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Laufey ended his exnation with a temptation.


    Alexander had a grim expression. He knew that the Supreme Devil was a rare talent as well. It wouldn''t be weird for him to be a Spirit Transcendence sooner orter. And if he truly received whatever Noel had, he might be able to be a Spirit King in his lifetime.


    "His words are tempting. What do you think, Qiel?" The Supreme Devil asked the olddy.


    "I believe that we need to apprehend him quickly." Qiel actually agreed to Laufey, but she added, "But¡­ Laufey won''t be the one doing it. He has failed multiple times."


    "Then, who do you think will be ordered to go? Are you suggesting Alexander?"


    Alexander hurriedly replied, "If I''m ordered, I will immediately go after him. Even if I have to ignore all the captains in the Demon Banner Army, I will definitely catch him."


    "No." Qiel shook her head. "While Alexander can do it, he is still upied with themander of the army. Hence, he can''t do it or we can''t predict how the Demon Banner Army will react."


    "Then, who will go?"


    "Please let me be the one to capture him." The muscr man suddenly raised his voice. "I will definitely capture him."


    "I don''t think Nelfer is suitable for this. There is a chance that he is already approaching the Atrecaeca Kingdom. It would be troublesome if he ended up massacring the people over there and caused international dispute." Qiel paused for a moment. "Hence, I shall go this time."


    The Supreme Devil paused for a moment as if contemting her suggestion carefully. However, Laufey and Nelfer showed their unwillingness. Laufey obviously wanted to get the first benefit, while Nelfer might be rough but extremely loyal to the Supreme Devil. He just wanted to contribute.


    Alexander, on the other hand, added another point to consider. "I encountered him once when we were trying to inflict serious damage to the Demon Banner Army. I thought that he was just a weak person that I could easily capture after dealing with those captains."


    "But my opinion changed when I saw Dimitri use his True Spirit Body without hesitation. The other two captains seemed to hold him in high regard as well. I also found out that he had made all kinds of escape routes."


    "So, I looked into his deeds. It appeared he was the one who had caused a lot of our failed attempts in the past like killing the Water Lord, the Demon Farm, and other things. And with his current strength, he could be said to be thebination of Qiel and Nelfer. With Dimitri by his side, it wouldn''t be wise to approach him without preparations."


    Qiel and Nelfer were surprised that Noel got such high praise for Alexander. Even the Supreme Devil paused for a moment and asked, "How about Anna Stargaze, his nemesis?"


    "She seemed to be preparing to be an arbiter. The king over there is nning to observe whether she can be a pawn or not. There is a chance that the king will use her to lure out Noel Ardagan and kill him." Qiel replied.


    "Should we eliminate Anna Stargaze as well? Her talent is also no joke since she could keep up with Noel, who had the Spirit King''s inheritance." Nelfer asked.


    "Taking care of her would be problematic since we would directly provoke the Arbiters." Qiel shook her head. "We should capture Noel first and end the conflict with the army before moving to her. We are also spreading our influence in the royal court. Two Arbiters are about to be on our side."


    The Supreme Devil didn''t answer them immediately. Seeing Noel''s ability and theplicated conflict in the Muivell Kingdom, he couldn''t easily send his subordinates and ended up weakening the organization itself.


    "In that case, Qiel will be chasing after Noel."


    "Understood." Qiel lowered her head, but soon she was startled when the Supreme Devil added, "And bring Nelfer with you."


    "What?!" Qiel looked unwilling because she knew how hard to work with Nelfer.


    "Nelfer will be following your everymand. If he doesn''t, you may report it to me."


    When she heard the condition, she reluctantly agreed. "I understand."


    "Remember. Use the method with the least loss. Even if we can''t capture him now, there is another chance. If my prediction is correct, he will be rebuilding the Ardagan Family soon."


    "!!!" Qiel could see what the Supreme Devil was nning. "Even if we can''t capture him now, we can attack the new Ardagan Family. With a bigger target, it would be easier to lure him out."


    "That''s right. Alexander will maintain the conflict with the Demon Banner Army. And Laufey, you are going to help the Third Prince in his n. We will use him to distract the Royal Family. Besides, he was the one taking care of Noel during his time in the army, right? Use him to get all the information about Noel Ardagan. And you could tell him to force Noel to do something where we can trap them."


    "I''ve received your order." Alexander nodded without hesitation while Laufey lowered his head. "I shall not disappoint you."


    Qiel and Nelfer exchanged looks before lowering their heads to show they had understood their assignment.


    "All of you are dismissed."

 Chapter 805 New Adventure

    Meanwhile, on the southern part of the Muivell Kingdom, Noel and Dimitri were walking with their backs drenched. They didn''t meet any mishaps on the way, so they didn''t appear to be rushing.


    However, once they were near the border, the temperature had increased drastically.


    "I thought that I had prepared for the temperature, but this is much hotter than I imagined." Noel sighed. He had covered his entire body with thin clothes. Even his head was covered with a shawl to avoid direct sunlight.


    Dimitri wore simr clothing and said, "This is not everything, Master. If we continue this way and reach the Atrecaeca Kingdom, it will be much hotter."


    "Are you serious? The breeze that has been brushing our skin right now is already hot air." Noel frowned. Although he could shield himself from the heat, Dimitri had suggested not excessively using it because they would need their Spiritual Energy in the dangerous zone.


    They hadn''t reached the desert area, but they could see that less and less trees were around.


    Dimitri saw a city in the distance and pointed in its direction, saying, "Master. That''s the city, which is supposed to be the border."


    "Then, we''re going to enter the kingdom illegally."


    "If we don''t do that, we will be in great trouble since we''re leaving our trail around."


    "Alright then. I''m counting on you." Noel nodded in agreement.


    Dimitri ced his hand on Noel''s shoulder as he waved his hand. His shadow seemed to be following his hand and started toe out of the ground, forming a half-sphere to cover them.


    After that, the sphere shrank until it reached the ground again, leaving only a ck circle behind. The ck circle suddenly moved at a fast speed. Unless they were searching for it, it was practically impossible to find this ck circle.


    They moved past the city pretty easily. There were multiple guards standing on the city wall, but none of them noticed their movement.


    With this, they safely crossed the border and reached another kingdom.


    As one would expect from the border, there was another city from the Atrecaeca Kingdom''s side that watched over the area. Dimitri continued using his ability to hide them while slipping past them.


    As soon as the cities disappeared into the horizon, Dimitri finally released his ability, allowing them to return to the surface.


    "Ha¡­" Noel let out a sigh, his face was a bit pale. "I don''t really like entering that shadow."


    Dimitri chuckled. He knew that Noel could only see the darkness inside. And with him floating around, his senses would be confused, causing motion sickness.


    Unlike Dimitri, who could get all the feeling from the shadow, Noel definitely felt awful when entering the shadow.


    "In any case, we have entered the Atrecaeca Kingdom peacefully." Dimitri pointed forward. "Please take a look at that, Master."


    "Hmm?" Noel squinted his eyes. The scenery changed so much that they couldn''t see any trees anymore. They could see some roads ahead, but it was soon devoured by the presence of sand. And beyond that point, they couldn''t see anything other than sand. "So, this is the famous desert¡­"


    "Yes." Dimitri took out the map and said, "ording to the map, we have to cross this desert for three days before we can encounter a city. Or we can loop around this ce since the border is a bit suitable for living. We should encounter multiple cities."


    "How are our supplies?" Noel asked.


    "I have prepared enough for a week. But I think it will be troublesome for the water supply since this is hotter than I originally thought." Dimitri exined.


    "Unfortunately, I can''t melt my ice." Noel sighed. He had tried it in the past for survival. But because the ice was made of Spiritual Energy, it returned to its original form when it melted. "Well, we can cool down with the ice, which should take care of a bit of the heat problem."


    "Yes, but we can''t use our Spiritual Energy easily. While I know that looping around is the best action, it will take a lot of time. In addition, Old Ru told us to go south, so while we might encounter a lot of people while looping around, we may not be able to find our objective."


    "Indeed. But the desert is quite dangerous as well, right?"


    "Yes. The desert is said to be hot during the day and bes extremely cold during the night. In addition, because of the harsh living conditions, the demons are rarely exterminated in this area. They can even hide underneath the sand."


    "I can take care of the one underneath the sand." Noel had his Demon Hunter Medal, so it wouldn''t be a problem.


    "In that case, we could go there immediately. We don''t have a lot of time in any case."


    "Wait a minute." Noel stopped him and called Ardagan inwardly, ''Ardagan. Don''t you think this is a perfect time for a mission?''


    Noel had gotten quite strong in the previous training session. He had even absorbed a lot of crystals, allowing him to be around the peak of Spirit Master.


    [While you might have be this strong, your Spiritual Energy Reserve is only enough for one or two more missions. After all, I have been preparing for your career advancement.]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''I see.'' Noel remembered the Career Advancement, which required him to master a lot of runes. Although he had a lot of Skill Points to spare, he couldn''t immediately raise their levels and advance to the new path. After all, he saved Skill Points so that he could use them to tackle any problems that he couldn''t handle. If he didn''t have any Skill Points to use, he would be in trouble soon enough.


    So, Noel only fulfilled half of the condition while saving the rest of the Skill Points. It seemed that the burden of career advancement was higher than he expected.


    ''It seems that I can only solve that problem by breaking through to the Spirit Grandmaster, no?''


    [You''re correct. However, if there is an unprecedented situation, I might give you a mission.]


    ''Huh? You can see what''s going to happen in the future, no? Why can''t you just give me the mission like usual?''


    [You should have learned about the concept of time.]


    ''Is it because something is fated to happen and something might change¡­ I see. ces won''t change, but people will. Every time there is a mission about the mission, it''s either too vague because the people might leave a certain ce or it''s extremely detailed because that person is bound to remain in that ce.''


    Noel hade to a realization. He asked another question. ''In that case, do you mind giving me a mission to meet that fateful person?''N?velDrama.Org content.


    Ardagan didn''t reply to him immediately. It seemed he was pondering the pros and cons. While it would give Noel some clues about this person, Ardagan didn''t want to do something that would influence Noel''s opinion about that person.


    After a minute, Ardagan rejected the request.


    [Unfortunately, I couldn''t give you any mission about that fateful person. But I could give you another mission rted to Heisk. Do you want it?]


    ''I want it.'' Noel answered without hesitation.


    [Mission: Heisk''s Evolution.]


    [Description: There is a mystical ice crystal underneath Ricoral City. The crystal will resonate with the Ocean Pearl Ne and be extremely beneficial for Heisk''s Evolution.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ''It seems that you don''t know what Heisk will get from this. But this is good enough.'' Noel nodded in understanding. He took out the Ocean Pearl Ne that he had been wearing this whole time.


    He got this ne from the Third Prince. It was said that the ne could boost ice element spirit ability.


    Although it worked, the boost wasn''t as big as he expected. Even Heisk couldn''t absorb it, saying it was iplete.


    Since there was a mission like this, it seemed that he had to make a trip to this so-called Ricoral City. With this mystical ice crystal, Heisk could take one step further.


    "Dimitri. Is there any city called Ricoral on the map?" Noel asked.


    "Wait a minute." Dimitri scanned the map and said, "I''ve found it. About a week from the next city, there is a ce called Ricoral City."


    "That''s good. That will be our first destination."


    "Understood." Dimitri didn''t know the details, but it seemed that the living spirit guided him into that ce.


    Before leaving, Noel asked another thing. ''Ardagan. I have onest question for you. Though, I just want to confirm this¡­ We''re going to form Spirit Link as soon as I be a Spirit Grandmaster, right?''


    [Yes. I''ve promised you. However, if you would listen to this small request of mine, please master your foundation. Listen to your surroundings and you will be able to do it.]


    ''Master my foundation.'' Noel knew the foundation he was talking about. Damian had taught him about the secret of Spirit Grandmasters, so he tried to master his ability. But what he wanted to master was actually the control of his Undying Fire, which was the very foundation of his fire element.


    Still, Ardagan''sst sentence piqued his interest.


    ''Listen to your surroundings and you will be able to do it¡­'' Noel didn''t think he was talking about Dimitri. And it would be a long time before he could find anotherpanion. So, he believed Ardagan was talking about the environment.


    This was the clue that Ardagan had given him.


    ''I understand. Thank you for the advice.'' Noel took a deep breath before signaling to Dimitri. "Let''s go."


    "Yes."


    Noel and Dimitri began to cross the ce called the desert.

 Chapter 806 Slaves

    ?


    Southern Part of the Atrecaeca Kingdom.


    A young man was standing in the middle of the za. He had short brown hair and a pair of ck eyes. His gaze was hollow, but it felt like he was observing something.


    He was wearing ragged clothes that covered his upper body to his knees. His body was full of dirt and his skin was extremely tanned. Despite the intense heat, he wasn''t sweating.


    There was a handcuff made of metal that was attached by a big chain on his wrists and ankles.


    When he looked at the za, his focus was glued to a book that someone was reading ten meters away from him.


    He oddly looked at it as if he was interested in it.


    Unfortunately for him, he was distracted by a whip that struck his back.


    The sound produced by the strike was so loud that it made people know that it was a perfect strike.


    The young man suddenly dropped to his knees while screaming, "Aaaahhhhh!"


    "This disobedient ve." A middle-aged man, who whipped him, walked to him and grabbed his hair. His expression was filled with anger and frustration.


    "Aaaahhhh!" The man kept screaming in pain as he struggled to get up. However, the middle-aged man was dragging him by his hair as if he was treating him like an object.


    He was brought to the group of people who wore simr clothing to him. After reaching the group, the middle-aged man kicked him from behind so that the ragged young man fell near them. As a result, those who witnessed such cruelty couldn''t help but fear the consequences they would face if they didn''t follow this middle-aged man''s words.


    The young man was struggling to get up as the pain spread all over his body.


    The middle-aged man snorted. "Get up and follow me."


    To avoid the consequences, the young man had no choice but to endure the pain. He stood up even with tears in his eyes as he continued walking with the rest.


    Two hourster.


    They had reached a certain ce and the chained people were divided into a few prison cells. They were locked behind bars, not for those who were guilty, but for those who were enved.


    The young man was locked with a middle-aged man and a young girl.


    "Are you alright?" The young girl came to him, observing his condition. She could see several wounds on his body, making her think that he was going to die soon.


    The young man looked at the girl for a moment but chose not to say anything.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The middle-aged man, on the other hand, warned her, "It''s better if you don''t associate yourself with him. It''s not his first time disobeying the merchant. If you follow him, there is a chance that the merchant will be doing the same to you."


    "¡­" The young girl gasped, not knowing what to say. On the one hand, she was scared of pain. On the other hand, she didn''t want to see the man in front of her die.


    The young man only turned his body around so that he didn''t need to see the woman.


    Yet, the girl actually approached him and tried to wipe the wound.


    "Ouch!" The young man was startled by the sudden jolt of pain as he turned around, shouting, "What are you doing?"


    The girl said with a smile. "Helping you doesn''t mean following you, right?"


    "¡­" The young man opened his mouth in surprise. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his mouth. This might be the first time that someone tried to associate with him.


    He was known as entric from a long time ago, but to think that she would be doing something like this.


    "Whatever." The boy snorted, acting as if he didn''t care about her treatment. He thought that she would lose interest if he kept being mean.


    Unfortunately for him, that never happened.


    Several days had passed and the boy kept getting beaten due to his own interest. The girl always tried to treat his wounds despite having trouble herself.


    However, he also noticed something from her. He actually found three scratch wounds on her lower arms. It appeared that the merchant harmed her as well.


    On the one hand, the boy had told her to avoid him so that she didn''t have to suffer. On the other hand, he felt bad because the girl''s intention was good and yet, she was being punished for it.


    After two weeks, the girl''splexion had be paler. Yet, she didn''t stop doing the things she had always done.


    The boy couldn''t help but ask, "Why are you doing all this? You should have just stayed away from me and you will be fine."


    The girl smiled weakly. "If I tell you that I want to die, what will you do?"


    "Huh?" The boy was shocked to hear something like that from the girl''s mouth. "What do you mean? Why do you want to die?"


    "We have been enved for various reasons. Usually, the male will be either a meat shield for the soldiers or a ve for the mine. On the other hand, the female will be either s*x ves or a toy for the rich. I haven''t been sold yet, so why don''t I do this and die in the process? This way, I only have to suffer for a while instead of for a lifetime."


    Her reason was surprising. Even the boy couldn''t believe what she was saying.


    She could say a lot of lies such as she was doing it because of her heart or whatever reason that could change him. But this honest exnation moved the boy''s heart.


    The boy never realized that this would be his turning point.


    Sadly, their fate had been sealed. The condition became worse and worse. Even though he was wounded, he still had a better vitality than the girls. So, he should still be able tost for a while or until he gets a new owner.


    On the other hand, the girl''splexion became worse by the day. Her body had be weak and it seemed that she was going to die sooner orter.


    Seeing the girl sitting down quietly on the corner as if she didn''t want to trouble the others, the boy couldn''t help but move next to her.


    "What are you doing¡­" The girl asked weakly.


    He didn''t let out a word. He couldn''t say anything even though he felt indebted. There was nothing he could do to help her this time.


    Sadly, their misfortunes had yet to end. When the boy was about toment his actions, an explosion urred.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion was so big that it also hit the room they were in.


    "What?!" The situation became chaotic. The shock wave knocked everyone back, the explosion destroyed a portion of the wall and ceiling and the rubbles was scattered around.


    "Kh¡­" The boy was thrown to the other side of his cell, only to be stopped by the bars.


    He didn''t know what was happening, but when he opened his eyes to see what was going on, the sight was something that he couldn''t forget.


    The girl was lying in front of him. She might not have been crushed by the rubble, but it was clear that some smaller ones hit her.


    Her head, her hands, and her waist were bleeding.


    "What is this¡­" The guy gasped when he realized that she had been unconscious. If this continued, the girl would definitely die.


    He wanted to help her, but he didn''t know what to do. However, he could see that due to the explosion, there was a hole in the room and the bars that locked him got hit by one of the big rubbles, causing it to bend. The hole made from it was big enough for them to leave.


    However, there was a dilemma. In their country, a ve would be treated the same as livestock.


    Due to the harsh living conditions, people often sold themselves as ves for various reasons. If they were found to be running away, they wouldn''t be epted anywhere. In fact, there was a high chance that they would be apprehended by the guards and they would face bigger trouble.


    On the one hand, the only way for him to save the girl was to leave this ce and find a doctor. On the other hand, if he went to the doctor, they might die either way.


    The guy gritted his teeth, wondering what he should do. When he took another look at the room, he realized that some of the ves had been trying to escape as they didn''t want to be buried in this ce.


    There were also a lot of cracks around the building, showing that it would copse any time soon.


    Those conditions only reinforced the will to live for the boy. He looked at the girl and started lifting her up with all his power.


    He felt indebted to the girl. No matter what he needed to do, he was going to save her.


    Unfortunately, they were just young ves. They could only run away from the ce, the city, or any ce they could see, as the chains and clothes would identify them as ves. They had to run as far as they could.


    But eventually, the boy reached his limit as he was too exhausted to even maintain his consciousness.


    Unbeknownst to him, not long after he fell unconscious, two shadows appeared, covering him from the sun.

 Chapter 807 Slavery System

    ?


    A moment ago.


    "This heat is truly extreme." Noel sighed while walking in the desert.


    "We are about to reach the first destination, Master." Dimitri pointed forward. "ording to the map, the city should be in sight within the next few minutes."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Is that so? Well, that''s good. We have to restock our supplies as well."


    "Agreed." Dimitri understood the harsh condition of the Atrecaeca Kingdom. During the day, it was so hot that even he, a Spirit Grandmaster, would have a hard time if he was exposed for a very long time. During the night, the cold was chilling enough to kill them in their sleep if they came without any preparation.


    To think the people in this kingdom could withstand such harsh conditions, Dimitri and Noel were impressed.


    However, they found something strange. They could see ck smoke rising in the direction where they were supposed to go.


    "Dimitri. Is that?" Noel pointed at the smoke while frowning.


    Dimitri nodded his head, indicating his agreement. But the ck smoke showed something different and much more ominous. He was afraid that this ck smoke would actually get in the way since it meant that the city they were nning to visit was in trouble.


    "In any case, let''s head over there and check what''s going on." Noel decided. In the end, they couldn''t ignore their supplies, so even if they didn''t want to go, they had to.


    Of course, Dimitri and Noel didn''t hasten their speed. They continued at the same pace, hoping that the situation was under control by the time they got there.


    Unexpectedly, they found another thing that concerned them.


    "Is that¡­" Noel gasped, seeing two bodies lying on the sand. It seemed that they had fallen unconscious.


    "I don''t see any presence nearby. I don''t think it''s a trap. Maybe the citizens are fleeing the town?" Dimitri examined the area, making sure that this wasn''t a trapid by the Atrecaeca Kingdom or the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "Alright." Noel thought for a moment and said, "Is this what Old Ru means by fateful person?"


    "I am not sure. After all, we haven''t gone that far." Dimitri shook his head.


    "Still, should we help them or something? We have entered this country illegally, you know."


    "For now, let''s check them first."


    Noel and Dimitri agreed. They approached the two bodies and noticed that they were severely injured.


    However, what piqued his interest was the fact that they had big iron bracelets on their wrists and ankles.


    "This is¡­" Dimitri examined the two bodies and said, "I''m afraid that they are ves, Master."


    "ves? As in that kind of ve?" This was the first time Noel heard about ves.


    "In the Muivell Kingdom, there is no very. Although some are forced to do something they don''t want to, there is no term for their type ofbor. On the other hand, the Atrecaeca Kingdom has very.


    "Due to the harsh living conditions, it won''t be weird if someone sells their family members for some money or resources. In addition, the poption growth in this ce is extremely high. A single woman can actually give birth to more than five children easily and a lot of them are giving birth more than that in order to ensure the continuation of the family."


    "What? Are you serious? Five or more children from a single wife?" Noel gasped. In the Muivell Kingdom, it was normal for them to have two children. Three was a bit too much for a single person, but he rarely heard more than five children from a single woman. That was why the information shocked him.


    "Of course, the fatality rate is also high in this country. You could say that a lot of children are born so that the strongest can survive. Something like that."


    "I see." Noel nodded with a solemn face.


    "While very can''t enter the Muivell Kingdom, which doesn''t adopt such a system, it has been introduced to its neighboring country as well. There are four types of ves: Combat, Worker, Mate, and Specialize."


    Noel suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Before you continue with the exnation, should we help them first?"


    Instead of answering him, Dimitri gave another exnation. "The ves have lost all their rights. The fact that they are here means they have escaped from their owner. I don''t know if they already have an owner or are still under a ve merchant. Either way, they might be captured or killed even if they return. In other words, it''s up to your choice if you want to let them die or not, Master."


    Noel looked at these two. On the one hand, he pitied them because he could see the determination of them escaping from the town. On the other hand, he didn''t want to cause more problems on their trip this time.


    Hence, Noel had to consider the pros and cons before making a decision.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel remembered how he was so helpless in the past, hoping someone could take him in to sweep away his sadness after his parents'' execution.


    In the end, Noel decided, "Let''s help them and bring them a bit away from here. There is also a chance that they are the ones Old Ru mentioned. Even if they are not, we can use their knowledge about this kingdom or just hand them to the authoritiester."


    "Understood." Dimitri immediately covered them with his shadow so that the heat didn''t kill them. "But how do we heal them?"


    "I can use my Force Control to stimte their natural recovery. It''s up to their will if they are going to survive or not."


    After receiving his answer, Noel and Dimitri moved away from the location, bringing the two far away from the town.


    Dimitri erected a tent so that the heat wouldn''t reach them while Noel used his Force Control to spread his Spiritual Energy into their body, invoking their natural recovery.


    Of course, he also washed away all their wounds and bodies since it seemed that the ves didn''t even wash their bodies.


    Since ves had been deprived of their rights, Noel didn''t care about their genders anymore.


    After taking care of their wounds, Noel asked, "Can you continue with your exnation?"


    "Understood." Dimitri raised four fingers. "The Combat ve usually consists of strong men and women like war prisoners or poor fighters. Worker ves are the mostmon people as they can be anything, including children."


    "Mate ves can also be male or female. Unlike the Muivell Kingdom, you can basically have a lot of lovers if you want. I mean, it''s normal for men to have several wives in the Muivell Kingdom, but in this ce, the idea of women having multiple husbands isn''t that weird. After all, having multiple wives or husbands could create connections and fighters for the family, leading to a higher chance of survival."


    "Last but not least, the Specialize type. This one is simr to the Worker type, but instead ofbor intensive, this Specialize type is good at other things with brain or power. For example, they understand business, manage a family, or even do research. Because this kingdom emphasizes strength, people like them are important. Among all ves, they are probably the most well-treated ones."


    "I see. Since we''re talking about someone who can be my disciple, they might be in the Specialized type if they are ves, right?"


    "Indeed. Of course, we need money to buy ves."


    "The currency?"


    "Because strength reigns supreme on thisnd, they love Demon Crystals more than gold. Ten Low Demon Crystals are equal to one Mid Demon Crystals. The rate is the same for the upper level."


    Noel noticed something off. "Now that I think about it, how do you know if one is a ve or not? I mean, they surely have chains or whatsoever to bind them, but Combat ves are strong, right? They can simply destroy it."


    "Yes. You might have noticed it already when washing their bodies. They have a simr tattoo on their back."


    "Ah! Is that a mark?"


    "Yeah. Though, there is also a possibility of remaking that mark with something else after escaping. I heard some ves returned a few yearster and took revenge on their previous owners. Basically, this kingdom is chaotic."


    Noel didn''t expect that the Atrecaeca Kingdom was this different. While the concept of very was understandable, he never thought that they would be treated like toys, tools, or even objects. This was something he had never known before, but for the Atrecaeca Kingdom, this was the norm.


    "Well, I''m still nning to go further south for that Ricoral City and their capital, hoping that I meet another person. The only question is whether to bring them or not." Noel nced at the two ves, indicating that they would be a burden.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t be saints who helped people just because they pitied them. Bringing them would slow down their progress or even cause a conflict, so Noel had to consider it carefully.


    "That''s up to you, Master. If you want, we can test whether they are useful or not. Whether it''s knowledge, power, or anything¡­ If they aren''t useful, you can either turn them in or let them go. Either way, it won''t affect us. Though, I hope they will wake up soon since we can''t wait too long."


    "Yeah. Let''s do that." Noel agreed with Dimitri and chose to wait. "One day. If they can''t wake up, then we''ll just leave them here."


    "Understood." Even though it was cold, Dimitri agreed because they had no other choice.

 Chapter 808 Tristan

    *Pant!*


    *Pant!*


    A young man ran slowly while carrying a girl on his back. His face expressed his desperation


    "Please help her!"


    He kept shouting, but the people were only staring at him, not nning to do anything.


    The young man couldn''t forget their disgusted faces as if they were thinking of him as dirt to society.


    "Please¡­" He made eye contact with another person, but that person looked at him with contempt. He even shouted, "There is a ve running away here!"


    The young man panicked. He didn''t mind if he got beat up by the guards and lost his life, but he couldn''t endanger the girl on his back any longer. If the guards caught them, the girl would definitely lose her life.


    "Ha¡­"


    "Ha¡­"


    He kept running in the same direction until he couldn''t see buildings anymore. Even so, he continued because the guards could easily catch up to them and kill them.


    His feet didn''t stop even a second for another hour until he eventually became too weak to move and fell to the nket of sand.


    "No¡­ I still have to go¡­ I can''t¡­" The young man thought while tearing up. He didn''t want to give up. He wanted to save the girl. Unfortunately, he couldn''t do it.


    "Aaahhhh!" All of a sudden, the guy shouted and rose. It seemed that he was in a tent or something. He looked around and noticed that the girl was right next to him. Her breathing seemed to have stabilized and her injury had closed.


    "You¡­" The young man teared up. On the one hand, he felt d to see the girl alive. On the other hand, he didn''t know what was happening to them.


    All of a sudden, a voice came from the outside as two men opened the tent.


    "Oh, it seems that you''ve woken up. That''s good." The younger one smiled at him.


    The young man panicked, not knowing what these two men were nning to do. He hurriedly spread his left arm as if trying to protect the girl.


    "You don''t have to act like that. No one is going to snatch her from you¡­ Though, your fate will be decided by yourself." Noel smiled and said, "Try to remember everything first. I''ll wait for you outside in five minutes."


    Noel just chose to let him be so that the young man could regain hisposure. Dimitri, on the other hand, stood next to the tent to make sure they didn''t do anything stupid.


    The young man was stunned by Noel''s action. His ent didn''t seem to being from this kingdom.


    When he looked at the girl beside him, he realized that this was probably his chance. He also noticed that his chains hadn''t been removed yet, showing that he didn''t n to mess with the authorities. In other words, if he wanted to get this ce alive, he had to convince Noel.


    It only took him three minutes beforeing out of the tent.


    "Oh." Noel looked at this unknown young man walking toward him. But before he reached Noel, the young man suddenly fell onto his knees and ced his hand on the ground. "Please. You can do whatever you want to me. Just please¡­ let the girl go."


    Dimitri raised his eyebrows, not expecting such a request. With their facial features, they didn''t seem to be siblings. So, it was clear that the reason why the young man did this was because of their rtionship between ves.


    However, he didn''t know what happened between them to the point where the young man would sacrifice his life. Of course, he had to consider the fact that they were ves.


    Noel maintained his silence for a moment, causing the young man to panic.


    "You may take my life as you please. I can even do everything you want as long as you let her go."


    Noel replied, "Even if I let her go, she won''t be able to do anything. Just like her, you are just a ve."


    "I¡­" The young man couldn''t refute Noel''s words. A ve didn''t have any rights in the first ce, so what made him think he could negotiate with Noel? That was why the ve said, "I have a good memory¡­"


    "Hoh?" Noel narrowed his eyes. He had learned the four types of ves. But from the looks of it, this young man was in the worker category. If he actually had a good memory that could be useful, he might be the Specialized type.


    "I remember¡­" The young man began to draw something on the sand. His hand was shaking because of his fear and anxiety, but his face was determined to finish it.


    Unexpectedly, Noel was surprised by the drawing. He would never think that the young man was actually drawing a rune. It wasn''tpleted and his technique was messy, so it wouldn''t work, especially since the young man didn''t have Spiritual Energy.


    However, the fact that he could draw a rune alone was enough to pique his interest. Of course, the book could be easily acquired since he spread it in that way. If the ve merchant used the book to educate the ve and turn them into the Specialized type, the young man''s existence was not impossible. He had spread the knowledge for almost a year, so this kind of thing was bound to happen.


    So, Noel asked, "Your name?"


    "Tr¡ªTristan." The young man introduced himself.


    "I will have to consider the risk first. So, how about telling me how you learned about this and what happened in that city?"


    "¡­" The young man looked hesitant, but since he had no other choice, he told Noel everything.


    The reason why he was beaten up badly was not because of the explosion. Instead, he had been defying the ve merchant because he kept standing in a certain ce whenever he had the chance.


    It turned out he had been nning to use his good memory to be a Specialized Type ve by looking at the rune book that ordinary people had. He memorized the rune at every chance he''d got.


    This was the result of his culmination. Unfortunately, the young man also didn''t know what happened to the city as he escaped frantically.


    With how the townspeople were not leaving the city in panic, it was clear that demons weren''t the cause. It must be an internal conflict or something and could be resolved pretty quickly.


    After listening to his story, Dimitri couldn''t help bute to him, whispering, "Master. Don''t you think¡­"


    Noel shook his head. "I can''t say for sure. Either way, I''m nning to go to that city and the one beyond it just in case."


    "I understand." Dimitri stepped back and noticed the tent was moving. "It seems that the other kid has woken up."N?velDrama.Org content.


    Tristan''s body shook as he hurriedly turned his head around. It seemed that the girl was more important than Noel.


    From his story, Noel could also understand why Tristan protected her.


    So, Noel said, "Check her condition. If she is already strong enough, bring her here."


    "Yes."


    Tristan wanted to say something, but Dimitri arrived at the tent in an instant. He took a nce at the young girl and used his Spiritual Energy to bring her.


    The girl didn''t seem to be fighting as if she had resigned to her fate. However, she was also shocked to find Tristan kneeling to Noel.


    "Please¡­ Don''t hurt her." Tristan kept begging Noel, thinking they could easily kill her.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "That depends on your action."


    "What do you want me to do?" Tristan asked without hesitation.


    "I''ll give you a test." Noel smirked while raising two fingers. "If you pass, I can remove those chains and bring you away. And if you impress me, I don''t mind bringing you away from this country and employing you or even more. At the very least, you will lead a better life there."


    Noel had given enough information to Tristan. It seemed that he was also aware that Noel was a noble. On the one hand, he was tempted to leave this damned country. On the other hand, he was worried about the girl.


    "I¡­" Tristan was hesitant. "What will happen to her?"


    "Of course. You can bring her too. I can probably employ her as a maid and not mistreat her."


    Noel''s offer was like a devil''s temptation. Other than his words, Noel couldn''t guarantee anything.


    However, a ve didn''t have any rights to begin with. This was probably the best thing he could get from a stranger.


    "Don''t ept it, Tristan. Just kill me and let him go!" The girl said, trying to stop him.


    But those words of hers made him steel his resolve.


    "I will do it."


    "Alright. The test is¡­" Noel raised his hand and formed a rune. He pointed the rune at a stone and activated it.


    Suddenly, the rune shot Spiritual Energy and shattered the rockpletely.


    "This is your test. Prove to me that you have a good memory by recreating the rune on the sand."


    "!!!" Both Tristan and the girl gasped. They were shocked that Noel could use the rune to destroy a big rock in the distance. It showed his strength as well.


    "Do you need to see the rune one more time?" Noel asked.


    "No. One time is enough." Tristan shook his head. He immediately started drawing from what he could see.


    Of course, he started slowly and carefully because he didn''t want to make any mistakes. Sometimes, he even stopped as if trying to recount the exact detail from his memory.


    After five minutes, Tristanpleted his drawing. Even Dimitri was quite shocked by the result.


    Tristan could actually draw a rune with a single nce. Of course, Tristan didn''t know anything about the depth of the stroke and the size of the line since he didn''t have any basic knowledge about runes.


    But achieving this level alone was already enough to impress Noel.


    With this memory alone, it was enough for people to want him to be their disciple, especially for runes that relied on memory and skill.


    Afterpleting the rune, Tristan looked at Noel with a hopeful look.


    However, Noel didn''t give his answer immediately.


    "Master¡­ Don''t you want a disciple? I think his talent is enough." Dimitri suddenly interjected.


    "A disciple?" The girl was shocked while Tristan''s body trembled. If Tristan actually became Noel''s disciple, their status would be elevated even if they went to another country.


    However, Noel still looked at the rune as if contemting his choice carefully.


    "While I do need a disciple, he doesn''t have a Spiritual Energy, doesn''t have a basic foundation for Spirit, and even the will to work for it." Noel shook his head helplessly. "I''m in a rush, so nurturing one will take a long time."


    All of a sudden, Tristan refuted him. "I have the will. Even if I have to die, I will definitely work hard. I will definitely reach your expectations."


    Noel looked at him with a calm look before saying, "I''m still nning to go around the kingdom. You may follow me. During that course of time, I''ll give you several tests. If you seed, I''ll take you in as my disciple."


    "Understood¡­" Tristan paused because he didn''t know what he should call him.


    "Right? I haven''t introduced myself." Noel smiled yfully. "I am Noel Ardagan. Nice to meet you."


    "Understood, Sir Noel¡­ Noel¡­" Tristan seemed to remember something. It felt like he had seen Noel''s name somewhere.


    The rune that Noel showed earlier reminded him of the book, especially the cover of the book that stated the author''s name. Yes, the author of the book was also called Noel Ardagan.


    Tristan suddenly raised his head and dropped his jaw. "The author of the book?"


    No one would expect that a ve like him would actually meet the author of the famous rune book, let alone consider him to be his disciple.

 Chapter 809 Plan

    ?


    The girl introduced herself as Sandra. Her situation was simr to Tristan, who was sold by their parents for the sake of some money so that their family could survive.


    And they promised that they would follow Noel on his trip until they returned with him to the Muivell Kingdom.


    However, before they continued their journey, Noel showed them three problems they had to discuss first.


    "First of all. We are still going to the city to restock our supplies. Since we have two more mouths to feed, we have to get more supply than necessary. Hence, Tristan will go with me to resupply." Noel pointed at Tristan instead of Dimitri.


    "Huh?" Dimitri frowned. "Master. If you want to resupply, then I will go with you."


    "No. It''s better for you to stay here and protect Sandra. I''m nning to check the condition in the city as well."


    "But¡­" Dimitri contemted. He had several reasons to stop him, but he only mentioned the most important one. "Although Tristan can go, he might be recognized as a ve. If someone recognizes him, you''ll be in trouble without a doubt."


    That was right. If the ve merchant or the townspeople recognized him, they would definitely bring Tristan back and cause some trouble for Noel.


    "That''s easy." Noel waved his hand to Tristan, asking him toe over. Once Tristan stood in front of him, Noel grabbed the chains and iron bracelets before pouring his Spiritual Energy.


    With the skill Old Ru taught him, Noel enveloped the outeryer of the iron bracelet while maintaining the Spiritual Energy so that it didn''t burn Tristan''s skin. In just three seconds, everything melted into nothing.


    Instead of cutting it or breaking it apart, Noel actually melted it. After that, he took off his masquerade, showing his true appearance.


    Tristan and Sandra gasped because they never thought that Noel wasn''t that much older than them. Yet, he was already this strong. And with the fact that Noel was the author of the rune book, Tristan knew that following him wasn''t a mistake.


    Before they could say anything, Noel put the masquerade on Tristan, changing the color of his hair and eyes.


    With this, Tristan shouldn''t be recognizable from those two alone, which caused the people to doubt it.


    "This should be fine, right?" Noel asked.


    Dimitri couldn''t say a single thing. On the one hand, he was worried about Noel, who had to take off his masquerade. On the other hand, this wasn''t the Muivell Kingdom, so no one should recognize him.


    Ultimately, Dimitri nodded his head, showing his approval.


    Seeing how Tristan was going to do all the work, Sandra felt empty. She had been trying to die this whole time without abandoning her humanity, but she was swept away by the situation earlier and ended up agreeing to be Noel''s worker.


    She didn''t know what they should do from this point on.


    "I¡­" Sandra suddenly opened her mouth and begged Noel. "Please let me do something too."


    Noel and Tristan turned to her. Tristan objected, "No, you don''t have to do anything. Just let me do the rest. This time, I''m the one going to take care of you."


    Sandra wanted to refute him, but Noel asked, "Even if I want to ask you, can you do anything? Do you have any special qualities?"


    "That''s¡­" Sandra couldn''t answer that question. She was just a normal person.


    Tristan smiled. "In the past few weeks, you have been the one taking care of me. You give me a reason not to give up and continue to live on. So, please¡­"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Sandra looked unwilling, but she had no choice but to agree.


    Seeing Sandra''s face, Dimitri couldn''t help but ask, "How about I train her to be a maid? The Ardagan Family has three levels of maids and butlers: Outer, Inner, and Personal. The Outer is a normal maid who handles all the gardens and chores. The Inner Level is those who have at least basic knowledge and skill, including martial arts. They are usually ced around the mansion so that they can help the family in case of emergency. The personal maid is like abat maid. Not only do you need all kinds of skills, but you also need highbat prowess to protect your master. I am your Personal Butler assigned by your father, Master."


    "Hoh?" This was the first time he heard about it. As expected, he only learned the surface of how to manage a family. By creating a lot ofyers, it would be hard to shake the family. "If she learns from you, it means that she is going to learn martial arts, etiquette, and all kinds of chores, right?"


    "Yes. I''m nning to train her to be at least an Inner Maid."


    Obviously, Tristan didn''t like this idea. When Noel saw his expression, he added, "That means if Tristan can''tplete my test, she should gain some skills so that she can survive. After all, we have to leave them behind, right?"


    "!!!" Tristan fell silent after hearing those words. Noel was telling him that even if he failed, they would be able to do something and continue to live on together. Knowing that, he somehow stopped himself from showing an objection.


    "I will do it. Please let me do it." Sandra lowered her head.


    "How is that, Dimitri?"


    "I will do my best. Though, I won''t be showing any mercy, especially since they are already a bit too old for training. I have to pick up the pace."


    "Alright. You teach them about that basic stuff. After you''re done with Tristan, I''ll continue with the lesson about runes." Noel looked at Tristan. "Remember this. If you can''t even keep up with the training, let alone give you a test, I won''t even bother to teach you about runes."


    "I understand." Tristan was aware that he was still a ve even if Noel had burned away everything. Noel was already gracious enough to show enoughpassion by promising to teach him the runes. If he somehow managed to be the disciple of the author of the rune book, he would be able to turn his life around.


    "Alright. Since we''ve reached an agreement, I''m going to tell you about the second and third problems. Rune has be a vital point of a great change that will ur in all kingdoms soon. So, I, the author, will most likely get targeted, including both of you. I''m going to protect my people, but you should be aware that your life will be in danger if you remain beside me."


    "Last but not least, you two have be another variable in my journey. Know that my order considers your safety as well. If you can''t follow my order, don''t me me for being a bit merciless." Noel squinted his eyes.


    Sandra and Tristan felt chills down their spine despite the hotness of the desert. They weren''t adept in this matter because they didn''t even have a basic education, so they didn''t understand what Noel was saying. But it was clear that Noel was serious about it.


    "Then¡­ let''s go." Noel stood up and raised his hood.


    Dimitri took a set of clothes and a coat and put it on Tristan. With the new clothes, hood, and masquerade, Tristan shouldn''t look like a ve at first nce.


    Luckily, due to the situation in the desert, if they used high walls to protect their city, the heat would get trapped inside. Hence, there was no city gate or whatsoever.


    Noel and Tristan could easily enter the city. As they expected, even after the chaos from earlier, the city didn''t seem to be affected.


    Noel asked, "Guide me to the ce you escaped from."


    Tristan was slightly shocked that Noel wanted to go to that ce. He thought Noel wanted to hand him away, which scared him. However, Tristan remembered Noel''s words earlier and decided to lead him.


    Once they reached that ce, they saw a crowd surrounding the area.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. Since he couldn''t see it from here, Noel dragged Tristan to an alley.


    The building in this city had a simr structure. They were using box shapes that stretched upward.


    But because of it, Noel could easily step on the roof. So, he just grabbed Tristan''s waist and used the rune to toss him into the roof.


    Tristan was surprised that rune could be used this way. But Noel told him to stay here as he walked to the edge of the roof to check what was going on.


    He saw numerous people lying on the ground. They seemed to have died, but what concerned Noel was the fact that they had simr clothing as Tristan''s earlier.


    It was clear they were ves. And more and more bodies were dragged from the copsed building.


    No one seemed to have survived. Tristan''s choice to escape might not be wrong.


    However, he also noticed that a fat middle-aged man was clutching his head while shouting, "No. Why did this happen? I lost all my ves."


    "¡­" Noel frowned. He knew that the middle-aged man was the ve merchant that owned Tristan earlier. But he didn''t like how he treated those people like an object even though Dimitri had taught him about this country''s very system.


    Unfortunately, Noel could only remain silent in this different ideology.


    Since nothing important could be gained, Noel returned to Tristan and asked, "Do you have anything you want to do to that guy?"


    Tristan shook his head. For him, escaping from the ve merchant was already enough.


    "Alright then. Let''s go around the town to resupply and gather some information. Try to remember theyout of the city, listen to the people''s words, and see if there is anything weird."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 810 Parade

    ?


    Noel and Tristan continued wandering around the city. As a future lord, he gathered information about the town like its economy and politics.


    "Here you go." Noel handed a few coins to the seller while grabbing a huge bag that contained their supply.


    Of course, Noel had thought about using the Honor Points to procure water and hunting demons for food, but he was a bit skeptical about the idea.


    On the one hand, losing some Honor Points gave a lot of convenience. On the other hand, he didn''t want to waste too many Honor Points, especially with the fact that the two kids were here.


    He wanted to get ustomed to the fact that they might have no water to drink. He would definitely use his Honor Points in an emergency though.


    Due to his policy, he understood the supply problem the kingdom had. ording to the locals, the kingdom had a problem with both water supply and food.


    While their border wasn''t as good as the Muivell Kingdom so that the demons could roam in their kingdom and be the source of food, it was still hard to hunt one.


    Drinking water was also a problem because rain only came every now and then, so most of their water supply came from either other cities or underground.


    Those two necessities were a bit expensive in this area. So, Noel learned how they handled the problem and ran a city.


    The situation might not apply to the Muivell Kingdom, but if a drought or famine hit his territory, he could use their method to get by. This was the reason why Noel didn''t bring a lot of stuff and used his system to his advantage. He wanted to procure everything from this kingdom and ask things while he was at it.


    After procuring their supplies, Noel looked at Tristan, who was wearing his clothes.


    "Is there something wrong, Master?" Tristan asked. The ''master'' in his mouth was like a ve calling its owner instead of a disciple calling its teacher. Tristan was aware of his position. He hadn''t be Noel''s disciple, so it was only right for him to address him this way.


    "We still don''t have any clothes for you and Sandra. Let''s get some and continue the journey."


    "I don''t mind if I only need to wear that ragged clothes." Tristan politely rejected, not wanting to burden Noel even further.


    "The living conditions are extreme in the desert, I don''t want you to get frozen during the night. If you are sick whatsoever, it will also burden me. So, we''re going to get some clothes for both of you." Noel continued walking, ignoring his concern. He added, "If you want to repay me, you can do it bypleting my tests."


    Tristan raised his eyebrows, surprised. It seemed that Noel had some expectations of him. In order to turn his life around, Tristan swore that he would definitely be Noel''s disciple.


    The two continued to walk to the clothing store.


    However, they suddenly heard a rumbling sounding from the side, followed by a lot of cheers.


    "Ooohhh!"


    "Sir Ramirez."


    It was a bit far away from them, but it seemed that the cheers were moving in their direction.


    When other people heard about those cheers, they came out of their buildings and tried to find the so-called Ramirez.


    Even the store in front of him suddenly opened its door as a few employees came out to take a sneak peek.


    "Ah?! A customer?" An employee stopped for a moment, recognizing Noel and Tristan. However, seeing their clothes that didn''t seem to being from this kingdom, the employee asked, "I apologize, Sir. Do you mind waiting for a bit?"


    "Is there a celebration or something?" Noel asked.


    "You must be a tourist." An employee smiled and extended her hand to the side, exining, "The city protector must havee back. I don''t know if you are aware of it, but the city protector is the most respected person in this city. He leads his army to hunt a lot of demons to feed the citizens. Thanks to him and the team, we have no food problem."


    "Is that so? Now I''m curious about him." Noel nodded in understanding. "Is heing back every day?"


    "No. He usually organizes twice a month. They bring a lot of demons back. If you wait for a bit, you will see a long train of demon corpses."


    "Oh? In that case, I''ll wait here and see the process. Will there be a problem if I am from another kingdom?" Noel asked.


    "Of course not. There are a lot of tourists and Sir Ramirez doesn''t have any problem with foreigners. So, you will be fine."


    "In that case, I''ll watch it and enter the store after it''s over."


    "Thank you for your understanding, Good Sir." The employee smiled. It seemed that the parade was a big deal, considering they respected him so much.


    Even normal customers came out to take a peek at this Ramirez.


    Curious, Noel stood next to the store with Tristan beside him. He asked in a low voice, "Do you know anything?"


    "Yes. Each city usually has its own protector. You have to be strong and capable of leading an army to hunt the food. In exchange, you be the most respected person in this city. You will get money from the tax people pay, you get the fame not only in the city you protect but also in another city, and you can easily get any woman you want. Sometimes, they don''t mind bing a concubine, but sometimes, it causes a conflict and strength will overrule everything."


    "I see." Noel squinted his eyes as the cheers were about to reach his ce. Noel waited for the so-called Ramirez to appear.


    Before that person appeared, it seemed that Ardagan had managed to capture him first by using the Affection Medal.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Name: Ramirez


    Affection: Neutral (0/100)


    Description: He doesn''t know you.


    After the information, Ramirez finally appeared in the corner of his vision.


    He looked like a man in his early thirties. He had curly ck hair and a robust body. His eyes were sharp but gentle.


    The one that stood out from him was the sword that he used. The sword curved so much that it was almost a crescent. The handle and the scabbard were coated with gold with a lot of shining gems.


    He didn''t seem to have any armor. His clothes were very loose and thin, exposing a good portion of his body.


    Noel squinted his eyes, trying to measure his ability.


    As he expected, this person was only a Spirit Master. What piqued Noel''s interest was the middle-aged man next to him. He looked more reserved and calm, but Noel could see that he was a Spirit Grandmaster.


    If Noel had to fight them, he could easily defeat this Ramirez and have a hard time against this old man. Behind them were a lot of charts carrying a mountain of demon corpses. Surprisingly, the ones that pushed the carts were humans. If he looked at their attire, he was sure they were ves. They all looked exhausted, but nobody paid them any attention.


    He could understand that these demons could be used to feed the entire city for a while. Noel hardly encountered any demons on his way to this ce, so it seemed that this group was the one exterminating them.


    ''I wonder if I can use this kind of system too? Well, the soldiers will definitely hunt some demons. But how should I distribute the Demon Crystals and the meat?'' Noel frowned and asked Tristan. "How do you distribute all those things?"


    "There is another building for that. Usually, they share it over a period of time and a person from the family will line up. If they find out that there are two members of one family lining up, then you will be punished."


    "That''s for the meat. How about the Demon Crystals?"


    "They are usually distributed to the army. They are the ones keeping the town safe, so it''s only right for them to get stronger."


    Noel contemted for a moment. ''The soldiers can probably do that, but I think I should get a portion of the Demon Crystals for additional funds or another way to reward them. Since I''m near the border, there will be a lot of demons around, which means the meat will be abundant. Should I sell their corpses as well? But bringing all their corpses is going to be a challenge. Unlike this ce, we don''t have ves or even terrain. Should I pay people to do the rough job? But will it cover the cost? If it''s too long, the meat will rot as well. This is hard.''


    Noel kept encountering a lot of questions as he couldn''t help but ask, "Is there any way to preserve meat? I mean, they''re doing it twice a month, right? It means the meat has tost for about two weeks."


    "Yes. They do have a preservation method. But I''m afraid I don''t know the method."


    "I see. Where can I find the method? Is it avable to the public?"


    "I believe they are secret methods to each city and only the protector knows about it. It''s a kind of liquid that prevents the meat from rotting." Tristan pointed at the corpse. "Right now, there is no mixture yet. But once they process it, we usually get meat with some sort of powders. Not only can it preserve the meat longer, but it also tastes better."


    Noel became more curious about it. He thought about it until the parade was over and the store finally opened again.

 Chapter 811 Schedule

    ?


    "How is it?" Noel asked while looking at Tristan. This time, he was wearing the clothing unique to this kingdom. Due to the harsh condition, the clothing was thin but covered the entire body. Only those who didn''t mind the tan would expose their skin to the sun.


    Noel also bought some shawls and clothes for himself.


    "This is good." Tristan nodded with a serious expression. This might be the first time he had clothes this smooth. Even back in his vige, he could only wear ragged clothes since they didn''t have enough money. "Can I really wear these clothes?"


    "Yeah." Noel turned to the employee. "Can I get two more sets for him along with the same number of women''s clothing? Her size is simr to him."


    "Understood." The employee helped him pick the clothes without hesitation. Seeing how Noel didn''t mind spending a lot of money for a ve, the employee was nning to pick some good stuff that was more expensive.


    Despite being that expensive, it only amounted to two gold coins, which Noel could easily pay.


    While the employee was taking care of the payment, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Is the parade always held on this street?"


    The employee remembered that Noel had to wait until the parade was over. She nodded, "No, Sir. The parade will be held depending on where the group ising from. So, it can be from the west, east, or south. It''s been three months since this street was used."


    "I see. No wonder why people are happy¡­ I thought you would be a bit bored after seeing it multiple times." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "Haha. We won''t ever get tired of it. The parade is not only to celebrate and thank the protector, but also for the asion of praying for the next harvest."


    "How do you be a protector?" Noel asked another question.


    While wrapping the clothes, the employee answered, "Unfortunately, I am not aware of the answer. Though, I''ve heard that you can either rise from the bottom or be the previous protector''s sessor."


    Noel remembered the old man who happened to be a Spirit Grandmaster. "Was the previous protector among those people from earlier? I believe I saw a strong middle-aged man."


    "Yes, Sir. It''s surprising that you noticed it despite being a foreigner. Sir Reshian was the previous protector and decided to take a sessor, Sir Ramirez, three years ago."


    "I see." Noel saw what the employee had done, so he grabbed the bag filled with clothes and said, "Thank you."


    "Thank you very much for your patronage. I hope you enjoy your visit to this country." The employee politely bowed to him.


    Noel waved his hand, signaling Tristan to follow him. He got some crucial information and new thoughts about his future territory.


    It seemed that he wasn''t wrong in visiting another kingdom. Due to the difference in culture, they had different ways of ruling. While a lot of them couldn''t be applied to the Muivell Kingdom, he still learned some of them, which could be useful in the future.


    After buying a few other necessities, Noel and Tristan finally returned to Dimitri.


    Surprisingly, they already saw Dimitri teaching Sandra.


    "Dimitri. You already began?" Noel frowned. He thought about letting Sandra recover fully first before teaching her. This way, it would be more effective.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    However, Dimitri said, "I''m sorry, Master. The girl asked me to start right away since she didn''t want to be left behind. So, if we are alone, I will teach her about etiquette and all kinds of work rted to a maid. When both of theme, I''ll begin teaching basic martial arts, how to read and write, and some stuff about Spirit."


    "It seems that you''ve gotten a good grasp on the schedule. For now, you can teach them how to read and write in the morning. I will take some time to teach him about runes during the day. And during the night, you teach them about the rest."


    "Understood." Dimitri agreed with the schedule Noel put.


    Noel considered how good Tristan''s memory was in this decision. He believed that Tristan could grasp the runes sooner orter. So, he wanted to focus on his Spiritual Energy and Spirit as the foundation of his runes.


    "Thank you very much." Tristan knelt in front of him and thanked Noel. This was the first time he was treated this well, especially by the people who thought about his future.


    Seeing Tristan''s gratitude, Sandra also knelt in front of Noel to thank him.


    "No matter how much you''re going to thank me, it''s going to be useless if you can''t pass the tests. So, you can save themter." Noel waved his hand as if treating it as not a big deal. Of course, before bing Noel''s disciple, Noel didn''t n to elevate their status from ve tomoner. Though, he would treat them like a proper human being.


    "Yes."


    "Alright. Help us pack up the luggage. I have bought some food for us to eat before leaving this ce."


    The two happily followed Dimitri. After distributing the bags and filling up their bellies, they continued their journey to the next city.


    During the journey, Noel taught Tristan about runes, measuring his talent.


    "The rune system consists of strokes that follow the natural flow of Spiritual Energy. Depending on the depth of the stroke, the size of the line, their shape, and other things, the flow will be different."


    Noel then formed three Strength Blessing Runes in front of Tristan and asked, "What do you see from these three?"


    "Mhm¡­" Tristan furrowed his eyebrows, having a hard time. At first nce, all of them looked the same. But if he inspected them carefully, there were a few different lines scattered among the Strength Blessing Runes.


    "I think there are a few differences from what I can see." Tristan was a bit unsure and began to point out the difference. "Like this one."


    The one he mentioned had a different curve, which was easily distinguishable. However, Tristan had a hard time finding the details among them.


    This was the difference between Rose and Tristan. Tristan had a good memory, which was useful for the memorization of the runes. With this, he could cram a lot of knowledge in his brain and began experimenting after learning a lot. On the other hand, Rose had a pair of eyes that could find all those differences due to her exceptional five senses. However, she would have a problem making a breakthrough in the future.


    That was why Tristan was more suitable to be Noel''s disciple.


    It appeared that he had to train Tristan''s eyes. While it might not be as good as Rose, with an increase in perception, Tristan should be good quickly.


    After hearing Tristan''s answer, Noel asked, "In that case, which one will seed?"


    "I think this one¡­ I can''t find a lot of fault in this one." Tristan pointed at the right one.


    Noel began pouring his Spiritual Energy into the three runes. Unfortunately, each rune actually failed and faded away.


    "That''s¡­" Tristan looked down, thinking he had made a grave mistake.


    "This is the difference between normal methods and the runes. If you want to use a Rune, you are unable to create even a single mistake, or it will cause a problem. The disruption in the Spiritual Energy because of that error will affect the entire rune and cause it to fail. That''s why your memorization is suitable for this." Noel ended it with encouragement, showing the reason he chose him.


    "Of course, you will face a lot of problems. You can create runes like this, but if you don''t have good control over your strokes, causing the line to be bigger, smaller, or have some changes, it won''t get activated as well. Hence, I''ll be training you about all basics first before moving to the runes. But during that time, I also want you to memorize the runes: their strokes, their size, their pattern¡­ everything."


    "Understood, Master. I''ll do my best." Tristan was determined. There was a reason why Noel chose him. He didn''t n to waste this chance and disappoint Noel.


    His family had sold him as a ve, so he didn''t really have any attachment to this kingdom. Everything he wanted was just to follow Noel and turn his life around.


    With that determination, Noel began teaching him about all the basics. If they were resting, Noel would ask Tristan to use sand or paper to draw the runes. If they were walking, Noel would provide him with some verbal lessons.


    During the morning, Tristan and Sandra learned from Dimitri. Reading and Writing were extremely important if they wanted to be a part of the Ardagan Family.


    As for the night, Dimitri showed no mercy on them and pushed them to their physical ability to the limit.


    After they slept, Noel used his Force Control to stimte the natural recovery so that their muscles could repair themselves at a quick speed and be ready to face the next day''s training.


    Even though Tristan and Sandra felt like they had been pushed to the limit as though they were forced to mine until they dropped dead, they didn''t have any bad thoughts about Noel and Dimitri.


    They could feel the care from them. While it didn''t provide any apparent result physically, they still got some results mentally.


    Finally, a week passed by. They finally reached their next destination, where Noel got a mission from Ardagan, the Ricoral City.


    He was nning to get an item that could help Heisk. At the same time, he wondered how a desert like this would have an ice-element item.

 Chapter 812 Recruitment

    ?


    Noel and the others stood in the middle of the desert, staring at the town in the distance. If their map was correct, the town was supposed to be the Ricoral City that Noel nned to visit.


    Just like the previous town, it didn''t have any city walls to avoid building up the heat inside. Noel could see a lot of people entering the city, making him wonder if there was an event or something.


    "Since we have to visit the city¡­" Noel pondered for a moment. This problem had been causing him some headaches. On the one hand, he wanted to bring these two kids with him. On the other hand, if the authority asked for their ownership, he would be in trouble.


    Of course, having asked like that was not really thatmon. But the fact that he was a foreigner would create some problems for their country if Noel managed to smuggle a few people out.


    Previously, he indeed didn''t think it through. So, he wondered what he should do.


    "Master. Sandra and I will be fine. We''ll be waiting for you here." Tristan came to him, understanding his worries.


    Noel couldn''t answer him immediately. After all, there was a chance that these two would run away, not because they didn''t want to be his ves or anything, but because they were chased by people or demons.


    "It''s not that I don''t trust you. It''s just¡­" Noel sighed.


    "Are you afraid of demons or humans that might chase after them?" Dimitri asked.


    "Yeah. I will probably enter this city by myself. I''m nning to gather some intelligence about some phenomena that might be rted to what I''m searching for. If it''s outside the city, we''ll go there together. If it''s not, then I''ll tell you about my n."


    "Understood. I''ll take care of the kids." Dimitri agreed with Noel''s arrangement. Although it made him a bit uneasy, this was a necessary move.


    Before leaving, Noel turned to Tristan. "I''ll probably be gone for one or two days. You must not be cking in runes. I''ll test your knowledge when I''m back."


    "Yes, Master. I won''t disappoint you."


    Noel waved his hand before heading to the city.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    As soon as he reached the city, he noticed the difference between this one and the first city he visited.


    This ce was bustling with people even though it was located in the middle of the kingdom, where the condition was the most extreme.


    However, Noel noticed that there were a lot of strong people in this ce.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned before seeing a stall.


    "Wee." The middle-aged employee smiled and asked, "Do you want one?"


    "I''ll take one skewer." Noel raised a finger while still looking around.


    "Alright." The middle-aged man began cooking the meat while asking, "It''s the first time I''ve seen you around here. Are you a foreigner?"


    "Yeah. I''m visiting this country for sightseeing." Noel nodded.


    "Is that so? Wee." The middle-aged man smiled.


    "Is there anything good around this ce?" Noel asked.


    "If you are nning to visit those ces, then I can rmend you three ces. The first one is the inn five blocks away from here. It''s quite a grand inn, but the price is lowerpared to the others of the same level. If you love to see something magical, you would definitely have to go to the waterfall."


    "Waterfall? There is something like that here?" Noel was surprised, wondering how much water they needed to reach that point in the middle of the desert. He thought this was the ce where the thing he was searching for was located.


    Unfortunately, he had to get disappointed as the vendor replied, "No, no. Even though I said it was a waterfall, it''s actually not water."


    "A waterfall but not water?"


    "Yes. Instead of water falling from above, it''s sand. I don''t know how it works, but that''s definitely a magical sight to see."


    "Is that so? That must be an interesting ce. I feel like there are a lot of tourists in this ce. Are they also visiting that ce?"


    "That''s true. It seems that the city is busier than I imagined. But I think they are visiting a different ce."


    "A different ce? Do you mean the third ce you''re going to mention?"


    "Not at all. The third ce is the oasis at the heart of the city. It''s a beautiful sight where you can rx." The vendor paused for a moment. "I heard that the protector of the city is assembling a lot of people for the sake of exploring a certain ce. I am not entirely sure, but if you want to know more, you might want to head to the city center or the pce where the protector resides. The recruitment should be around there as well."


    "I see." Noel wasn''t sure if this ce was the one. But he was nning to visit the recruitment to know more about it.


    "Here you go." He handed two skewers with a smile.


    "Eh? I ordered only one though."


    "Service from the house. I hope that you have a good memory of this country."


    Noel certainly didn''t expect this. Even though the city had some food problems because of the harsh condition, the people were extremely kind. If this was Muivell Kingdom, he was afraid that the people wouldn''t be like this. They might even price their items slightly higher, thinking that the foreigner wouldn''t visit their ce again. On the other hand, he realized that they were doing things like this to create a good memory of the country, making Noel want to visit this ce again.


    It was only Noel this time, but if a lot of tourists experienced this, they would gain a lot of people, which would increase the economy.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile and hand him the money. "Thank you."


    "You''re wee."


    He started heading inside the city, wondering about the inn that the vendor thought was good. At the same time, he could feel a lot of experts. Even though they were trying hard to hide their aura, their body naturally released it.


    ''This is getting serious. I think I have found at least fifty Spirit Practitioners and twenty Spirit Wielders, and two Spirit Masters just by walking to the inn.'' Noel was surprised, believing that this ce must be dangerous and mystical for all these people to visit it.


    Noel nced at the building on the opposite side of the street. It was a three-story building. While it did have a simr design to the rest of the buildings in the city, he saw the que and a lot of expensive decorations from outside.


    Since he didn''t know much about the city, he chose to follow the rmendation and visited this inn.


    The first floor was actually a restaurant, while the second and third floors were the real inn.


    "Wee. Are you a guest that ns to try the recruitment as well?" An employee came to him. But she soon stopped after seeing Noel''s features to be different from the people in this kingdom. "Ah, I apologize. Are you a foreigner? Do you need a room? Let me guide you to the receptionist."


    Noel remained calm and followed the woman. When he took a glimpse of the restaurant, he noticed there were two groups filled with experts. The first group was led by a middle-aged man who seemed to be a Spirit Master. The second group wasposed of all young men at Spirit Wielder Level.


    "I am a bit curious about this recruitment. Is there anything special about it?" Noel asked. "There are a lot of visitors in this inn with that intention, right?"


    "Yes, Sir. The recruitmentsts for a month and a lot of experts from other cities visit this ce. It''s said that there is a chance that a second oasis is about to be born, so the protector is holding recruitment to secure the ce."


    "When did the recruitment start?"


    "If you are interested, you are very lucky, Sir. It''s said that the recruitment is going to close in two days."


    "Oh? Where is the recruitment by the way? Since I''m curious, I thought about visiting that ce." Noel asked.


    "If you intend to attend the recruitment, then the inn would have to ask you to sign a document. After all, the inn won''t know about your condition after exploring that ce, so the inn has to either remove your items from your room or other things to continue operating."


    "I see." It was understandable. It would be a problem if he didn''t return and just left his items in his room after all.


    "Yeah. I don''t mind. So, can you answer my question?"


    "Ah. I apologize. If you''re talking about the recruitment building, it''s located near the oasis. There are a lot of guards around the oasis, so if you just ask one of them, they can guide you to that ce."


    Noel noted it in his mind. Unbeknownst to him, these two days of waiting would lead to a huge problem for him.


    After all, there were approximately fifty people entering the country at high speed.


    The one leading them was a muscr man and an olddy.


    "Hahaha. We''ve finally entered this kingdom."


    "Don''t go rampage and cause more problems to the organization. We''ll be tracing him from here on and capturing him in an isted space. That number one assassin should be with him, so you can fight him and rampage all you want. I''ll handle that kid."


    "Alright. Since I can get a bout with that guy, I will follow your arrangement."


    "Let''s continue." The woman raised her hand as the entire group disappeared from the area.

 Chapter 813 Registering

    ?


    Noel had arrived near the oasis. It was the time he got entranced by the beauty of the oasis.


    He never thought that an extremely dry ce like this would have a hugeke. The water brought life to its surroundings.


    There were a few trees standing tall, surrounded by a few green grasses and bushes. It was apletely different world. The temperature in this ce was also lower than the rest.


    "This is¡­" Noel was astounded for a moment, watching the oasis. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to continue looking at the oasis, he still had a task to do.


    Noel searched for the city guards to ask for the recruitment building. After a few minutes, he finally saw a guard and approached him.


    "Hello." Noel politely greeted him.


    "Is there something wrong?" The guard frowned.


    "I''ve heard that there is a recruitment building around here. I''m a bit curious, so I want to take a look."


    The guard didn''t have a change of expression even though there was a foreigner asking for it. It seemed that they had recruited a lot of people, that the guard grew numb to this. He just considered Noel as another recruit and pointed to the left. "If you walk in this direction for five minutes, you should be able to find the building. You should be able to recognize it straight away since there are a lot of guards over there."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Alright. Thank you." Noel nodded and immediately followed the direction, wondering how many people were there.


    As the guard exined, it wasn''t that hard for Noel to find the recruitment building. Outside the building, he could see a big stand where a lot of guards stood by.


    Because the recruitmentsted for a whole month, the ce didn''t have a long line. There were only a few normal people trying to test their might so that they got a chance to be recruited.


    There were a few giant boulders and a few lines on the ground. The people were trying to move the boulder or running on top of the lines. It seemed to be a test.


    Instead of lining up, Noel approached one of the guards that were slightly far away from the recruitment process.


    "Hello."


    "If you want to register, you have to line up. There is no special treatment." The guard only pointed at the counter as if he was tired of the people who wanted to join through the back door.


    "No, I''m just wondering what kind of mystical ce all of you are nning to visit." Noel shook his head. "If I''m piqued, I might join as well."


    The guard frowned, looking at Noel, who was so young. He doubted that someone like Noel could be epted, especially since Noel was a foreigner.


    "Don''t waste my time." The guard sneered out loud.


    "¡­" Noel was speechless, wondering if he had made a wrong judgment. Earlier, the local was so good that he offered another skewer. However, it seemed that not all of them were that good. He also understood how tired the guard was though.


    However, Noel was slightly disturbed since he came here to ask. He was also polite enough.


    Noel let out a sigh in disappointment and said, "Since you aren''t going to answer my question, then¡­"


    Instead of bothering himself with this type of person, he nned to change to another person.


    Luckily, the guard would actually exin it to him.


    "The mystical ce that we''re going to explore is an underground ruin. We aren''t aware of the interior yet because the ruin is surrounded by a lot of demons. We believe there are approximately a total of one thousand demons. There should be a lot of Peak Level Demons. That''s why the protector is assembling the people."


    "I see. I could see a lot of experts all around the town." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "That''s right. We''ve managed to gain about three hundred experts. There are also a lot of people that will support this campaign."


    "Is there anything noticeable from the ruin?" Noel asked.


    "ording to the information, the area around the ruin has a lower temperature. That''s why there is an indication that another oasis can be born from it."


    Noel contemted for a moment and asked, "So, I have to pass the test if I want to join?"


    "Yes. You have to register at the counter andplete the test."


    "Alright then." Noel nodded. "Thanks."


    "You''re wee."


    After getting the information, Noel lined up with the rest of the people, registering himself.


    When he was lining up, he could feel the gazeing from the building.


    "Hmm?" Noel raised his head. The gaze was slightly disturbing him because it felt like it was trying to see through him.


    A middle-aged man was actually standing behind one of the windows. It seemed that Noel managed to pique this guy''s interest.


    When their gazes met, Noel and the middle-aged man furrowed their eyebrows as if realizing each other''s intention.


    Name: Legz


    Affection: Neutral (5/100)


    Description: Cautious of you.


    At first nce, Noel had a hard time measuring Legz''s power as thetter was deliberately hiding his power. However, after observing him a bit more, he realized that Legz was actually a Spirit Grandmaster. The fact that he could hide his energy that well made him believe Legz wasn''t a normal Spirit Grandmaster.


    He doubted he was as strong as Dimitri, but he shouldn''t be far from it.


    It seemed that this campaign was more dangerous than he expected.


    Fortunately, Legz soon stepped back as if he had just let Noel do whatever he wanted.


    So, Noel registered his name. Considering he was in another country, he used his alias to register.


    Unbeknownst to him, Legz didn''t step back for him. Instead, he was going to report what he found.


    After moving away from the window, Legz walked to a different room. This room was on the opposite side of the building.


    A graceful man was sitting on his chair while writing something. He had long curly hair tied on his back. His skin was tanned like everyone else. He might look gentle, but if one took a close look, they would notice the raging Spiritual Energy his body was exuding.


    "Legz? Is there something wrong?"


    "As usual, I was taking a look at the recruitment. It seems that we''ve got yet another interesting recruit."


    The young man raised his eyebrows. "Hoh? For you to show an interest in that recruit, it seems that he is quite exceptional."


    "He is probably the only one who manages to see through me."


    "!!!" The young man dropped his pencil with a shocked expression. "Saw through you? Saw through the great Legz?"


    "Yes. Although I don''t know how much he sees, he should have seen through my true strength. Despite that, he doesn''t show any sign of fear or shock as if I''m still at the level he won''t need to worry."


    "Hoh?" The young man became interested after the exnation. "And what is that guy''s strength?"


    "He is only a Spirit Master. However, I feel like he won''t lose to a new Spirit Grandmaster. A few Peak Level Demons shouldn''t be a problem for him."


    "Interesting." The young man smiled. "I think I should meet him."


    "I don''t think it''s wise to do that."


    "Why?" He couldn''t understand. Since such a person appeared, he should personally greet him to make that person enjoy the stay.


    But Legz gave him the reason that made him change his mind. "Because that person doesn''te from this country. From his features, he shoulde from either the Muivell Kingdom or Greenwood Kingdom. Considering the Muivell Kingdom is closer, he shoulde from there."


    "So, a foreigner¡­" The man looked down, contemting.


    "You should be aware of your status. If you easily meet such a person, our country will lose its face. That''s why, with your permission, please let me be the one to meet him."


    "Your status is not low either, Legz. For a Great Protector to greet a foreigner, the other party should be a distinguished guest or a noble from that kingdom. But since he has the strength to back him up, I guess I''ll give you permission. Report everything about him to meter."


    "Understood¡­my prince."


    ¡­


    A few minutester.


    Noel hadpleted his test with flying colors. However, a middle-aged man that he saw earlier stood in his way.


    Noel was confused as he didn''t know what the other party was nning to do by stopping him like this.


    But it was clear that he didn''t n to fight him because the affection had changed.


    Name: Legz


    Affinity: Neutral (23/100)


    Description: He has taken an interest in you.


    Noel and Legz remained still while ring at each other as though they were observing each other.


    Noel was the first to break the silence by asking, "Is there anything I can help you with? You''ve been looking at me the whole time."

 Chapter 814 Small Clash

    ?


    A moment ago.


    The guards and other participants who were undergoing their test couldn''t help but stop what they were doing to witness a certain person.


    "What''s wrong with him?"


    "Is he not a Spirit Wielder?"


    "If he is not, how could he do all that without breaking a sweat?"


    "But isn''t a Spirit Wielder allowed to skip all these tests as long as he shows his strength?"


    "I don''t know."


    The people were confused. Noel''s strength alone was enough to register and put his name on the priority list. Yet, he actually followed the test as normal people.


    The guard who didn''t answer Noel''s question earlier panicked when he saw Noel''s strength. He never thought that a weak-looking foreigner would be this strong.N?velDrama.Org content.


    On the other hand, the guard who answered Noel''s question couldn''t help but smile, thinking he managed to pique this guy''s interest by answering his question. He could brag about it and even had the chance for promotion.


    Still, everyone''s attention was focused on one thing.


    "Isn''t he a foreigner?"


    "Are we going to ept him?"


    "I have never thought that a foreigner who lives in a ce that doesn''t understand the hardship can be this strong. He is also so young."


    "The lord only wants us to ept everyone who is strong. There is no mention of whether the person is a foreigner or not."


    "Then, we''ll ept him?"


    The people silently agreed, considering Noel''s strength far surpassed what they had seen.


    "Is that all?" Noel asked the guard next to him.


    "Yes, Sir." The guard instantly became polite. As Dimitri said, this country respected the strong. As long as you showed your strength, they would definitely be polite. "We''llplete the registration over here. I''ll bring your token of participation as well."


    "I see." Noel nodded.


    "That''s¡­" The guard stopped him for a moment. He looked hesitant, but he was required to ask this question. "May I know your strength? I have to record it for official reasons."


    "Me?" Noel wondered if he should lie or not. But considering he was about to be a Spirit Grandmaster soon, the record shouldn''t be that useful. So, he answered, "I''m a Spirit Master."


    "A Spirit Master." The guards gasped, realizing the severity of this matter.


    Although they had been recruiting a lot of experts in the past few weeks, they only got a total of four Spirit Masters. Most participants were at the Spirit Practitioner level. So, having another Spirit Master was good for the sess of this expedition.


    Of course, a lot of them couldn''t believe Noel was a Spirit Master. They knew how hard it was to be a Spirit Master. In addition, Noel looked so young.


    Because he didn''t bother to hide his face, they could easily see his facial features, which looked like someone who had yet to reach their twenties.


    They couldn''t believe there was a person who managed to be a Spirit Master below twenty years old.


    However, Noel didn''t care about all their doubts. As soon as he got the token of participation, he walked away while asking, "All I have to do is gather two dayster, right?"


    "Yes, Sir. Please gather at the west gate."


    "Alright." Noel nodded and walked away.


    He could easily escape from this ce while they were still shocked, but it seemed that he couldn''t achieve it.


    When he was about to leave, a middle-aged man suddenly stopped in his way.


    "That''s¡­"


    "Sir Legz!"


    "The Great Protector Legz?"


    Noel raised his head. Although he had seen Legz, thetter was inside the building, so he couldn''t really look at him closely.


    But when he was standing in front of him, he finally realized how big Legz was.


    His height alone was more than two meters. His clothes couldn''t hide his muscr body and his gaze was sharp as if trying to pry open everything he saw.


    However, Noel wasn''t scared of him. He raised his head, ring at Legz.


    The people gulped down. The intense ring battle between Noel and Legz raised the tension, making people think they would be fighting.


    Finally, Noel broke the silence by asking, "Is there anything I can help you with? You''ve been looking at me the whole time."


    Noel mentioned Legz''s action before he went down.


    Legz surprisingly extended his hand and said, "It''s nothing. I simply want to congratte you. The expedition this time is dangerous. There is a chance that a Superior Demon is lurking inside the ruin. So, I''m giving you a chance to reconsider your decision."


    "If it''s only a Superior Demon, then you don''t have to worry. I''m not nning to back down." Noel extended his hand with a smile, shaking Legz''s hand.


    All of a sudden, Legz began pouring his Spiritual Energy into his hand as if he was trying to overwhelm Noel.


    His method was questionable, but his intention was clear. Legz wanted to warn Noel that his confidence might cause his own doom. He thought Noel didn''t know the Superior Demon''s true strength, so he wanted Noel to back away so that he didn''t have to die. A talented person like Noel should continue to survive so that he can be a big figure in the future.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel had be too sensitive to Spiritual Energy thanks to Old Ru''s method. Anna had done a lot of things like this in the past, so Noel also poured his Spiritual Energy into his hand, matching his Spiritual Energy.


    "!!!" Legz was surprised that Noel decided to fight back. So, he poured more Spiritual Energy.


    The pressure around them began to intensify as more and more Spiritual Energy was released.


    Unlike Anna and Noel, Legz couldn''t fully control his Spiritual Energy and element. The more he poured his Spiritual Energy, the more elements he poured.


    The ground started to shake while the sand started to rise.


    Noel didn''t back down. Since the other party had used his element, Noel also released his ice element. The ice element coated his entire body so that the sand couldn''t approach him.


    In fact, the temperature in the area dropped all of a sudden as the sand particles began to be coated by a thinyer of ice.


    "!!!" Legz became even more surprised because Noel could actually follow him to this level.


    He still thought that it would be a shame if someone like Noel had to die. On the other hand, he also considered the possibility of working together with Noel. After all, he was serving the second prince, who acted as themander of this battle.


    If a talented person like Noel could be the second prince''s subordinate, the pressure in the pce would disappear.


    However, Noel surpassed his imagination once more. Noel actually used his Force Control to insert his Spiritual Energy into Legz''s body.


    ''A Spirit Master doesn''t have a Spirit Mind. Yet, can he actually do what a Spirit Grandmaster can?'' Legz was utterly shocked.


    Since Legz was a Spirit Grandmaster, he could pour more Spiritual Energy to expel Noel''s energy.


    Their simple battle suddenly turned to a whole different level.


    The sh of their Spiritual Energy created even more pressure. The sand and the ice fought each other. The burst of Spiritual Energy formed a shock wave.


    "What is this?"


    "Are they truly only shaking hands?"


    "That kid is actually fighting against the Great Protector?"


    "Does he not know that the Great Protector''s status is even greater?"


    Legz heard their words and realized it would be a big deal if he didn''t back down. So, he decided to stop pouring his energy.


    Noel also matched him by erasing all the Spiritual Energy in the area. The ground stopped shaking, the shock wave stopped blowing, and the intense pressure instantly disappeared.


    There was only an eerie silence left. It felt like both of them were about to sheathe their weapons and fight for real.


    Luckily, Legz actuallyughed out loud as if nothing happened.


    "Hahaha." Legz released Noel''s hand and took out a metal token. This time, the token was made with gold. "This is your participation token. You are now considered my distinguished guest."


    The people dropped their jaws to the ground. Someone could actually fight Legz and escape unscathed. And that person was only a Spirit Master.


    Legz shouted to the guards, "Guide this guy to the best inn and the best room. I won''t ept otherwise. His expenses shall be paid by me."


    "Y-yes, Sir!" The guards didn''t know what to say. In fact, the one who didn''t answer Noel''s questions earlier had disappeared, afraid that he would die because of it.


    Sadly, Noel rejected his invitation. "There''s no need to do that. I''ve rented a room myself. I''m here because I''m curious about this ruin, not because I want to be special or something."


    Legz fell silent while the guards didn''t know what to say. They truly wanted Noel to know how big the opportunity Noel had just thrown away.


    Yet, Legz wasn''t angry or anything. "Alright. Since you don''t want special treatment, that''s fine. However, you still have to take this token. If there is someone messing with you, just show this token. The guards will be there to help you."


    "Alright then." Noel nodded. "Is that all?"


    Legz made a big smile. "Of course. I apologize for testing you. Please get some rest and enjoy your stay before the expedition."


    "Yeah." Noel only said one word before walking past Legz unaffected. Though, there was one more question that appeared in his head.


    ''Now that I think about it, I think I''ve heard a few simr terms. Protector, Great Protector, and the Grand Protector¡­ Are they the same? I should ask Tristanter.'' Noel couldn''t help but remember the flow of Legz''s Spiritual Energy.


    ''Still¡­ that guy''s Spiritual Energy is like a torrential wave that is trying to devour its target. The intensity is different from anyone I''ve met in the Muivell Kingdom. The only one close to him is probably¡­ The Demon Hunting Squad Captain Igor. It seems the trip this time is more exciting than I imagined.''


    Without him realizing it, a smile appeared on Noel''s face.

 Chapter 815 Protector

    ?


    Noel scanned his surroundings with both his senses and Spiritual Energy, ensuring that no one was following him. Since he had piqued the interest of the Great Protector, he thought there would be people following him.


    Fortunately, after scanning a few times and in a few different ces, he didn''t notice any presence around him.


    With that thought in mind, Noel left the city to discuss what they would need to do with Dimitri.


    After exining about the Great Protector Legz as well as the underground ruin, Noel asked, "What do you think, Dimitri?"


    Dimitri looked down, pondering the situation. "I don''t think there is a problem. However, the fact that there is a Superior Demon¡­ even if it''s only a probability, it has increased the level of the threat that you''re going to face. If you still want to visit this ruin, then you have to prepare for yourself to be known by a lot of people."


    "Now that I think about it¡­ it''s already weird enough for a Spirit Master to sh with a Spirit Grandmaster. If I show that I can fight against the Superior Demon, I''ll certainly be famous. Not that I like to brag, but¡­" Noel let out a sigh.


    "Yes. Because there are a lot of peopleing from different ces, they will definitely spread that news. In other words, there is a chance that our enemies can easily find our location¡­ if they haven''t found it already." Dimitri nodded in agreement.


    "There is a chance that I can''t visit their capital to find other interesting people. Well, I can still do it, but I''ll be fighting with time. Once the news reaches their side, I''m afraid that they are going after me, either by eliminating me or cooperating with me. Either way, it''ll be bad news."


    "Indeed. Since the Supreme Devil Organization is most likely chasing us even to this kingdom, they will hear about it as well. So, your identity as Iadre will be useless because the royal family will hear about your true identity."


    "Logically speaking, the Supreme Devil Organization should have seen through my disguise. And there''s a possibility that the Royal Family has known about it, but they haven''t tried to kill me or anything." Noel felt like the problem escted once the possibility was opened.


    "I don''t think they have yet to figure out your true identity. It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization is nning to monopolize you for themselves. But once the rumor about you spreads from this kingdom, everyone will know about it." Dimitri exined, reminding him about Anna''s statement. "She also said that no one mentioned your name yet."


    "If that''s the case, should I change my n? After this, instead of visiting the capital, I should go straight to the Greenwood Kingdom myself?"


    "With your grandfather''s protection, there is no doubt that you will be fine. However, your existence will be recognized by the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family. If you stay for too long, you might get dragged into the throne war."


    "I understand. If I want to visit my grandfather, then it''ll be only for two or three weeks. So, in total, we''re probably going around the two kingdoms in just two months before returning to the Muivell Kingdom."


    "That''s probably the case. We''re only half the promised time."


    Noel tried to calcte what would happen within those two months and the next two months after that. It was only a rough calction, but he had to make sure that his n seeded in order to rebuild the Ardagan Family.


    However, he noticed something in his situation. "If I think about it, shouldn''t I feel thankful if my identity spreads?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Since they hate me, they will certainly kill me. It''s easier to manipte them." Noel smirked. "Besides, the fact that I return sooner means I can start moving my n ahead of schedule and have some time left to officially break through to the Spirit Grandmaster."


    Dimitri frowned, feeling a bit worried. If Noel truly wanted to do it that way, then he would return to the Muivell Kingdom in the third month. During that time, he would be able tounch his n to be a noble.


    In the fourth month, Noel would officially be a Spirit Grandmaster. After all the process, the Royal Family would call him and he would arrive at the pce in the fifth month and finally be a noble.


    Noel said, "If I go this route, you will have a huge burden on your shoulder, Dimitri. You''re going to fight against time after all."


    "I know." Dimitri. "If Master ns to go this route, I''m ready to do it. I''ll also prepare my schedule to visit all kinds of workers I could find to build the city."


    "Then, thest problem will be how to manipte the court in my favor. It seems that I have to rely on Anna a lot." Noel scratched the back of his head. He thought he had repaid all the favor, but it seemed that he ended up with more debts.


    "It''s normal to rely on other people. She is also not an outsider." Dimitri sounded like Anna was a part of the Ardagan Family.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched, but he didn''t say anything because it would just cause Dimitri to say more things about Anna. "In any case, we''ll go with this route. Although it''s a shame that I can''t visit their capital city, I can achieve my goal a bit sooner."


    "Understood. So, you''re going to use your full power in this expedition?"


    "Yeah. So, here''s the n." Noel took out the map of the region. "We''re nning to head to the ruin around this area. So, you''re going to bring Tristan and Sandra around this ce. You don''t have to participate unless it''s necessary. Instead, it seems that you believe that the Supreme Devil Organization can find us¡­"


    "Indeed. You shouldn''t underestimate the Supreme Devil Organization. The organization''s informationwork as well as their hunting dogs are better than any influences in the kingdom. Even the brothels can''t keep up with their informationwork."


    "Is that so?" Noel nodded. "In any case, we have put a lot of distance. I don''t know when they wille¡­ It might be during the expedition or during my trip to the Greenwood Kingdom. Either way, I want you to stay sharp."


    "Understood. I''ll show Tristan and Sandra the expedition so that they can learn since they''re going to experience more dangerous things than the expedition."


    "Yeah. I''ll teach Tristan more runes for the next two days. If you have anything you want, I''ll bring it back from the city."


    "No. This is enough for now."


    After reaching a conclusion, Dimitri finally called Tristan and Sandra.


    Before continuing to the lesson, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "That''s right. I''ve heard about a few simr terms like the Protector, Great Protector, and Grand Protector. Is there anything different for them?"


    Tristan exined without hesitation, "There are four levels of Protector in the Atracaeca Kingdom. They are Normal Protector, Elite Protector, Great Protector, and Grand Protector."


    "Hoh? What''s the difference between them?"N?velDrama.Org content.


    "I heard from my parents that a normal Protector is the one protecting a single city. An Elite Protector is usually the one overseeing multiple cities. Sometimes, they are involved in choosing normal Protectors in case the previous ones don''t have a sessor or a worthy person to take over the mantle. As for the Great Protector¡­" Tristan fell silent.


    "Is there something wrong with a Great Protector?"


    "A Great Protector could be said to be the highest level authority. They are only beneath the Grand Protector. The Grand Protector is a kind of king in this kingdom. However, the royal family is often changing because this country respects one''s strength. If the royal family is not strong enough to hold their position, the next Grand Protector will belong to the victor.


    "There is a rtionship between the Grand Protector and the Great Protector. A few Great Protectors are actually the current Grand Protector''s disciples."


    "Is that so? Do you know Legz? I should pronounce that name correctly, right?"


    "Legz¡­ Ah!" Tristan gasped. "I''ve heard his name before. It was said that he might not be the brightest disciple, but he was certainly the most extraordinary one. His strength was proven by all his achievements. However, for some reason, he doesn''t have any intention of bing the next Grand Protector.


    "Instead, he is tutoring the second prince and is said to groom him to be the next Grand Protector."


    "Huh?!" Noel became confused. "Why does such a persone to this ce? No, does he stay in this ce? No, if that person is here, then¡­"


    From Tristan''s words, the fact that Legz was here meant his disciple would be here as well.


    "This is going to be moreplicated than I originally thought." Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "Will there be a change of n, Master?" Dimitri asked.


    "Not for now. But don''t let them see these two¡­ If such a person knows that we''re helping these two illegally like this, then it''ll cause another wave of problems. These two might even be tortured or executed."


    After hearing Noel''s words, Tristan and Sandra''s faces became pale. Dimitri understood his concern.


    "In any case, Dimitri will be protecting you. So, feel at ease." Noel smiled at Tristan and Sandra. "Let''s continue our lesson."


    Noel decided to shift the topic and continued with the lessons.


    Just like Noel predicted, Legz had reported everything to the second prince. Although he and Noel hadn''t met yet, it was clear that the second prince had put a lot of interest in Noel.

 Chapter 816 Culture Shock

    ?


    Two dayster.


    Noel had finally arrived at the gate ording to the arrangement. As one would expect from the bustling city, there were at least a thousand people that participated in this expedition.


    He could easily see through people''s strengths. However, he did notice a few Spirit Masters like him. Unfortunately, there wasn''t a single Spirit Grandmaster, which was quite disappointing.


    The only strong person was Legz. But like what he predicted two days ago, Legz was actually apanying someone. That young man seemed to be the second prince because when Noel saw his name, it was quite unique.


    Name: Ramuer Riz.


    Affection: Good (20/100)


    Description: He is interested in you.


    The fact that his affection was not neutral meant Legz had told him everything about Noel''s strength.


    Noel didn''t know whether this was a good sign or not. For the time being, he doubted that someone would recognize his true face. So, there was no risk of him being exposed as the author of the rune book, which would definitely pique the greed of those two people.


    Legz seemed to have noticed his presence and turned his head around, trying to find him. As soon as he located Noel, Legz seemed to be saying a few things to Ramuer before disappearing.


    Noel wasn''t surprised when Legz suddenly appeared before him.


    "How is your condition?" Legz asked.


    "I''m in my best condition, ready for the expedition," Noel answered politely.


    However, both of them were ring at each other for a moment. It was clear that Legz was nning to bring Noel to the second prince. But Noel was ready to reject him. After all, if the second prince wanted to meet him, he should have done so previously.


    If Legz forced him in any case, it would just make it look like the second prince was looking down on Noel. This wasn''t something they should do to someone as talented as Noel.


    After a few seconds, Legz finally said, "You should get in line. We''ll be leaving in thirty minutes. There will be a lot of demons around the ruin, so I hope that you can help fight them."


    "Of course. As long as I''m participating in this expedition, I''ll do my best to ensure the sess of the expedition." Noel assured him without telling him that the reason for his participation was the same as their goal. Though, Noel knew more about the item. If he could get it before them, it would be great. It wasn''t like they could use it to form a second oasis.


    "Alright then." Legz nodded and walked away.


    Noel looked at Legz''s back for a moment before his eyes took a glimpse of the second prince''s again. It seemed Legz had trained him a lot.


    He appeared to be in his mid twenties, and his strength had reached Spirit Master. He could be considered extremely talented.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t bepared to Anna or him.


    Since he didn''t want that much attention in the beginning, Noel moved to a farther spot from the second prince.


    After another thirty minutes, Legz finally stepped forward and shouted, "Wee, everyone! I don''t know if you know me or not, but I shall introduce myself. I am the Great Protector Legz. I will be leading the expedition this time."


    "Oh, it''s Legz."


    "I heard an important person would lead us this time, but to think it would be a Great Protector."


    "Right? I thought it would only be an Elite Protector. We''re lucky."


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. It seemed that Legz didn''t mention anything about the second prince.


    This meant there was anotherplicated situation that forced him to do so. In any case, his goal was clear.


    Legz exined, "There are numerous demons around the ruin. I want all of you to stay sharp because there is a chance for a Superior Demon to lead them. One wrong mistake can kill you. If you understand then¡­"


    Legz pointed his sword forward as he shouted, "March forth!"


    It was quite surprising that Legz ended it without raising the people''s morale. Normally, amander had to raise their soldiers'' morale so that the soldiers could unleash their full strength if not more.


    Yet, Legz scared them with the possibility of dying.


    However, Noel noticed that the people''s faces became tense. Instead of being energetic, they seemed to be fearful and careful. This must be Legz''s aim, he thought.


    When they were fearful, they would scan the entire area with their Spiritual Energy so that they didn''t die. Considering there were a lot of demons hiding underneath the sand, survival was probably the factor he was most concerned about.


    Because he might not have any chance to change his medalter, Noel decided to throw away all thebat medals. Instead, he utilized the Demon Hunter Medal and Affection Medal. He didn''t know if other people had bad intentions for him or not. The Demon Hunter Medal also allowed him to find out about a demon''s ambush.


    All the people began to march toward the ruin. Noel examined that thirty percent of them had Spiritual Energy while the rest were just normal people. They mostly became the ones carrying all the luggage and serving the fighters.


    Still, the formation was too loose and disarray. If they were attacked like this, there was a chance that people would just run away in all directions, causing chaos everywhere.


    But Noel didn''t say anything as this might be how the people in this kingdom could survive.


    After three hours of marching, they finally stopped.


    Legz pointed forward and shouted, "Get ready. We''re about to reach the ruin."


    They had just climbed a sand hill, so they got a pretty clear vision of their surroundings.


    Noel could see a small structure in the middle of the desert approximately one kilometer away from here. It was too small, making them think there would be a huge facility underground.


    The ruin seemed to be something that the previous civilization left behind.


    Noel also noticed another thing.


    Although there was rarely a breeze, when a weak one appeared and brushed his skin, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, noticing the drop in temperature.


    "I see¡­" Noel finally saw the reason why Ardagan wanted to acquire this item. To think the item was so strong to affect an area one kilometer away from it.


    ''Is this item enough to evolve Heisk, Ardagan?''


    [No. But Heisk should be pretty close to bing a Humanoid Rank Spirit.]


    Noel was a bit disappointed, but he understood that evolving a spirit was easier said than done. At the very least, Heisk would be close to evolution. He just had to procure another item to evolve her.


    Legz shouted, "We shall advance forward. Be careful. There will be a lot of demons emerging from the sand."


    After his warning, the group began to march again. They were nning to eliminate all the demons first before getting some rest and entering the ruin.


    The closer they were, the more Noel squinted his eyes. He could feel a lot of demons from his Demon Hunter Medal, but all of them were underground.


    Legz should have sensed them, yet he hadn''t stopped the march. It would be hard if they got surrounded by all these demons.


    Before long, Noel noticed a sudden movementing from underground.


    "Here theye!" Legz finally shouted, rming the others.


    However, it was toote.


    A giant mouth suddenly emerged from the sand and swallowed a single human.


    "Ah¡ª!" The human who got swallowed could only remain still as if he was thinking that he had bad luck.


    But this time, Noel got shocked by the people. They didn''t seem to care about the person that got swallowed earlier.


    They, in fact, ignored him and pulled out their weapons, stabbing the demon''s jaws.


    "!!!" Noel gasped. "Did they just use the normal person as bait?"


    After that movement, he realized that if it was someone who had Spiritual Energy, they should have been able to escape from the enemy. In other words, the reason why they brought a lot of people was because they wanted to use them as bait to decrease the casualty the fighters would have.


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    "Aaaahhhh!"


    Two people suddenly screamed as they got dragged into the sand. Before they could be buriedpletely, a few people released their Spiritual Energy and struck the sand, causing the burst of energy to kick up the sand and expose the demon underneath it.


    After that, several other fighters charged at the demon and killed it. The other demon had a simr experience, but he was targeted by a Spirit Master, so his head was blown away in an instant.


    "Aaaahhhh!" One of the two people that got caught earlier was screaming in pain. He was holding his thigh while watching his leg, which turned out to be missing.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "¡­" Noel, for the first time, experienced a cultural shock.

 Chapter 817 Another Wave

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    "That side!" One of them pointed at the left.


    All of a sudden, a huge sting pierced through another human,pletely skewering his whole body.


    Seeing this, a few Spirit Practitioners kicked up the sand with a burst of energy to expose the scorpion. After that, two of them charged in and shed the scorpion''s head and body, ultimately killing it.


    Noel kept watching them. Although he didn''t like this method since they were sacrificing normal and innocent people, he acknowledged this method as one of the best they could do in order to lure out the demons.


    Still, Noel''s ideology had been ingrained since young.


    As soon as he sensed a demon approaching a person not far from him, Noel hurriedly moved to the side and grabbed the targeted person.


    "What?!" The person was confused because Noel dragged him all of a sudden. He wanted to get angry because it hurt quite a bit, but a giant pedipalp soon emerged from the sand in his original location.


    That person''s face became pale, knowing that if Noel didn''t help him, that pedipalp would have killed him.


    Instead of listening to this confused man, Noel turned around and ced his hand on the ground. He poured his ice element into the ground.


    The movement underground stopped abruptly, confusing the people near him. They thought the enemies would make their appearance and wreak havoc, but surprisingly, the movement simply stopped as if it had died.


    When they took another look at the pedipalp, they saw it had been covered in a thickyer of ice.


    Yes. Noel had actually used his ice element to freeze the demon underground. That energy pierced through the sand and reached the scorpion. He had to thank Old Ru for giving him this ability.


    However, there was one more person that was curious about Noel''s true power. He was none other than Legz.


    "What is that control?" Legz frowned. He didn''t believe that a Spirit Master could reach that level of control.


    Prating the sand with their Spiritual Energy without kicking them up was hard enough to do, but Noel took it to a whole different level by freezing only the scorpion.


    Even he didn''t have that level of control.


    "Is he really only a Spirit Master? What''s wrong with the standard of the Muivell Kingdom right now¡­" Legz gasped, wondering if he should report this to the Grand Protector or not.


    If the people from the Muivell Kingdom were this good, there was a chance that they would use them to defeat the Atrecaeca Kingdom. However, there was no proof that the standard had risen. Noel might be the only one who was this abnormal, so he couldn''t make his move directly.


    While thinking, he stomped the ground with his right foot. The ground shook for a bit, but it soon stopped.


    They didn''t know what Legz did, but those, who could sense the presence beneath him, would notice that two demons were about to ambush him.


    "This is not good. There are only Low Level Demons that are attacking us." Legz felt a bit worried about the current situation even though they had skillfully defeated a lot of demons.


    And this worry also appeared in Noel''s heart.


    The current situation was good, but it also showed there was a brain among the demons. Normally, the demons would swarm them without any sort of formation. And in a group of ten, they usually had at least one Mid Level Demon.


    Yet, this time, only Low Level Demons attacked them. In other words, this brain was telling the Mid Level Demons not to attack them. And the only one capable of forming that kind of n was a Superior Demon.


    "When will the enemies attack us? I''m afraid there will be a lot of Peak Level Demons. We only have several Spirit Masters. While I can kill those demons, I''m more worried about the Superior Demon. Can that old man kill it?"


    While Noel was thinking, someone was approaching him at high speed.


    "!!!" Noel sensed the iing presence. It was fast and didn''t seem to be stopping, making him think it was an enemy that wanted to kill him. There was only one person that would try to do that. He must be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization.


    That was why Noel elbowed that iing presence with his full strength. But surprisingly, his elbow felt like he had struck a wall. The momentum caused by that person increased the power of that charge and ultimately stopped him.


    "Well, well. You are extremely strong like Legz said."N?velDrama.Org content.


    Noel turned his head around, finding a man who was in his mid twenties. He recognized this man in an instant since Legz was near him most of the time.


    Yes, he was the second prince, Ramuer.


    "Who are you?" Noel asked. They were supposed to be strangers, so he looked like he was scrutinizing this person for his actions amidst the chaos.


    "Me? My name is Ramuer. I''m quite curious about the strength of the foreigners. To think there would be someone this strong¡­" Ramuer smirked.


    As one would expect from a kingdom that emphasized strength, the second prince was bold and daring even though he represented the kingdom.


    Noel was annoyed. He wanted the second prince not to make this expedition any harder, but he soon noticed a presenceing toward them. It seemed their sh triggered something underneath the sand.


    Ramuer felt it two secondster, but Noel had already removed his elbow and jumped sideways as if trying to escape from it.


    "Tsk." Ramuer clicked his tongue and moved in the opposite direction as three scorpions came out at the same time.


    Noel noticed something different, especially the weapon.


    Ramuer took out a curved de. It was like a crescent moon, but the angle wasn''t that sharp.


    However, the moment Ramuer waved it, the shape of the weapon allowed him to extend his Spiritual Energy like a crescent moon, shing all three scorpions.


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t help but be a bit more interested. This was the characteristic of Spirit Users in this kingdom.


    Unlike the Muivell Kingdom, which had mild Spiritual Energy, the Atrecaeca Kingdom''s people had explosive Spiritual Energy. Additionally, their Spiritual Energy looked like a fluid that could match the shape of their weapon.


    Unfortunately, his observation had to be ruined by the intrusion of another scorpion. Noel ced his hand on the dead scorpion and poured his Spiritual Energy into it.


    During the training, Anna''s hand would be blown away if the Spiritual Energy was uneven. That was why he dropped the amount of Spiritual Energy in the corpse, causing the imbnce to create a powerful shock wave that sted the scorpion forward. He could only use his Spiritual Energy this way to rece the Enhance Forward Rune.


    *Boom!*


    Another scorpion appeared next to the second prince. As thetter was about to avoid it, the corpse crashed into the scorpion, immobilizing it.


    "!!!" Seeing this opportunity, the second prince smiled before charging forward and killing this scorpion.


    "As expected, you are¡ª" Ramuer wanted to praise Noel, but when he turned around, Noel was nowhere to be seen. It turned out Noel helped Ramuer, not because he was the second prince. Instead, he helped him so that Ramuer''s focus remained on the scorpion for a few seconds, allowing him to move to another location where he couldn''t find him. Sadly, that wasn''t enough to push away Ramuer. He smiled, "He is truly an interesting guy. It''s a shame that kind of person hailed from the Muivell Kingdom."


    Meanwhile, Noel had arrived at another spot. He fought another two scorpions and assessed the current situation.


    "There are about one hundred deaths if I calcte it roughly. It''s not bad, but it''s only the first wave. I''m sure they are going toe with an even stronger demon." Noel clicked his tongue.


    There were about fifteen fights that were currently urring. They had a hard time taking down the Low Level Demons because they were located a bit deeper than the rest.


    Fortunately, a few Spirit Wielders helped them and defeated the remaining demons.


    But after defeating their enemies, there was a period of eerie silence. There was no battle, but the people were still on high alert.


    They were looking at each other, asking the same thing. Had they killed all the demons?


    That silencested for a minute before they concluded the enemies had finally gone.


    When the people dropped their guard, Legz suddenly shouted, "Iing!"


    Noel also felt numerous presence climbing the sand, approaching them.


    Numerous demons suddenly emerged outside their army, circling them. All of them were Mid Level Demons.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    "Ahhhhh!"


    In addition, a lot of Spirit Practitioners and even one Spirit Wielder suddenly got killed from either stings or a pointed tail. A total of ten High Level Demons came out in the middle of their rank and let out a roar to shake them.


    "Not good." Noel gritted his teeth, realizing this was the real intention of the Superior Demon. "Iing!"

 Chapter 818 Incoming Trouble

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    "Iing!"


    Another wave of demons came out. This time, some Peak Level Demons were in the mix.


    The Superior Demon, this time, seemed to be a little more clever. It used the Low Level demons to warm up the people and lower their guards by making them think it was over.


    After that, the Mid Level Demons encircled them to close the escape route. By doing so, the humans had to go inside and ended up moving closer to each other.


    Then, the Advanced Level Demons and the Peak Level Demons appeared among them. Their appearance would cause panic and chaos within the rank. From what he could see, all these demons had a big body. They used their bodies to actually split the humans into smaller groups, making them unable to fight back with their unity.


    Noel was annoyed. Theck of information he had this time caused him to fall into this situation.


    Of course, Noel had confidence in escaping this ce alive. He also had no attachment to these people.


    However, his goal was the ruin. No matter what, he had to help these people in order to go to the ruin.


    After scanning the area, Noel muttered inwardly, "There are two ways to escape this encirclement. First, we can break through the encirclement because we''re only blocked by Mid Level Demons. Still, doing so will cause us to be scattered and these demons will surely target all those scattered ones, resulting in a lot of casualties. As for the second way¡­"


    When Noel thought about it, Legz had actually proceeded with the n. In fact, it seemed Legz had expected something like this as though it was no different than what he had experienced in the past.


    "Sandstorm!" Legz raised his hand into the air.


    The sand on the ground began to vibrate and shoot up to the sky while circling the area.


    "!!!" Noel covered his eyes because he didn''t want sand to enter his body. He even created an ice wall to protect himself from the sand while observing Legz''s actions.


    "Aaahhh!"


    "The sand¡­"N?velDrama.Org content.


    The people panicked as they had a hard time faring against the sand. However, they weren''t the only ones who got confused. The quantity was enough to reduce their visibility. Even the demons weren''t immune to it.


    After that, Legz appeared within the sandstorm and killed a single Advanced Level Demon in a split second. Surprisingly, the second prince also joined his maneuver and took down several demons. They looked like they had prepared for it.


    Seeing this situation, the Peak Level Demons hurriedly released their own attacks. Some caused a shock wave, while some released their attacks in a certain direction in order to disrupt the flow of the sand.


    The moment the sand stopped and started falling down, the visibility returned to normal as the demons noticed how Legz and Ramuer managed to kill fifteen Advanced Level Demons in just thirty seconds.


    Not liking the situation, the Mid Level Demons began marching forward, killing all humans that stood in their way.


    Legz shouted, "Men. We don''t need to fear as we are strong in this wastnd. Kill all demons, for I, Great Protector Legz, will follow you!"


    "Oh!"


    The situation was pacified immediately. Noel could see some tension in those people''s eyes, but it was clear that they were ready to fight back. More importantly, these people were not part of the military.


    If this happened in the Muivell Kingdom, he was sure that it would be catastrophic.


    "Seriously?" Noel made a weird smile. He truly learned a lot from the difference in their culture.


    Since they decided to fight back, he obviously couldn''t hold back.


    Three Ice Lotuses appeared in the air, startling even Legz. The amount of Spiritual Energy that had been poured into them was not the amount a normal Spirit Master could muster.


    Then, each lotus released five petals, letting it drop and be carried by the wind.


    Each petal either hit the Mid Level Demons or the Advanced Level Demons, securing a safe area. The Mid Level Demons died instantly upon getting attacked, opening a path to escape.


    The Advanced Level Demon managed to survive, but a lot of fighters thought this was their chance and eliminated the injured Advanced Level Demons. This way, the area around Noel was freed from the demon''s threat.


    "Impressive." Legz squinted his eyes. At first, he was amazed by Noel''s strength, but he still underestimated him, thinking that someone from other kingdoms wouldn''t understand the way they fought. However, Noel actually managed to secure a safe area where people could rally themselves in a formation. It looked like the tactic from the Muivell Kingdom, but it also worked in this ce.


    After killing the demons, a few Spirit Practitioners and Spirit Wielders were rallying the people.


    "Normal people are to go to the middle."


    "Support us from behind."


    "We''ll take down the demons."


    They ultimately formed two groups and pushed to both sides, expanding their territory.


    It looked extremely different from the condition around Legz or Ramuer.


    Sword Fall.


    A few big swords fell on top of an Advanced Level Demon and killed it. Noel also helped those groups and started exterminating the remaining demons.


    Still, there were at least thirteen Peak Level Demons around.


    Each Spirit Master seemed to be taking one Peak Level Demons as their opponent, and Legz had yet to help them as though he was conserving his strength to fight against the Superior Demon.


    Although Noel could help him, he decided to focus on these demons first. After all, it would be troublesome if the Superior Demon rallied them in any kind.


    Noel moved around to kill the demon with his de, conserving his Spiritual Energy for the Superior Demon.


    As he expected, the Superior Demon had no choice but to reveal itself or all his subordinates would be gone.


    All of a sudden, the ground started trembling horribly, forcing the people to lose their bnce and fall to their knees.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    "Aaahhh!"


    It seemed that the demons had understood this action and phenomenon and that they could take advantage of it to kill their enemies.


    From the looks of it, they had killed half of the humans in the area. This phenomenon allowed them to kill a few more fighters to reduce their overall fighting ability.


    Meanwhile, the tremor stopped for a second as Legz stomped the ground and ended upunching himself into the air.


    It turned out the Superior Demon had been lurking around him the whole time. Because the distance between him and Noel was more than fifty meters, the Demon Hunter couldn''t find it.


    The Superior Demon was a desert lizard. Its size was like a few buildings in the city attached into one. Its skin was simr to that of sand and its Spiritual Energy blended with the surrounding.


    If it was anyone else, the lizard would definitely seed in its ambush. When it opened its mouth, it could easily swallow a single building.


    Fortunately, Legz jumped high enough to give him a few seconds.


    The lizard raised its body, determined to swallow Legz.


    However, Legz waved both hands, controlling the sand. A pair of giant hands started to form from the sand and grabbed the Superior Demon''s neck, trying to pull it apart. But because the lizard''s body was tough, the giant hands only ended up pushing the lizard to the ground so that it didn''t reach Legz.


    After that, the lizard pped the sand with its tail and caused the sand to vibrate. Legz tried to control his sand, but surprisingly, the Spiritual Energy around the sand disappeared, causing them to fall.


    "Eh?!" Legz widened his eyes in shock. His eyes seemed to be ying him, but he certainly saw the Spiritual Energy disperse with a single shock wave. This might be the lizard''s true ability. But if that was right, it would be extremely difficult to fight against this lizard since they couldn''t fight with their Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    From afar, Dimitri was observing them carefully. Although he couldn''t see everything, as long as he could follow the directions of the ice element user, he was certain that Noel was still alive.


    Tristan and Sandra were standing next to him, watching the battle. But because their eyes were not as sharp as his, they couldn''t understand what was going on. They only knew there were a lot of people who had died.


    "If you want to be a good maid in the Ardagan Family, you should be able to at least defeat a Mid Level Demon by yourself. If you reach this level, even if you don''t want to work for the family anymore, a lot of people would definitely want you." Dimitri exined.


    "Don''t worry, Sir. I''ll follow the Ardagan Family for the rest of my life." Sandra was determined because she knew Tristan would be there.


    "Alright. You¡ª" Dimitri suddenly fell silent. He couldn''t help but turn around, looking at the distance. He looked unsure but troubled.


    "Sir?" Sandra tilted her head in confusion.


    "Master once told us about the inn he stayed at. Do you still remember it?"


    "Yes."


    "Both of you are to go there and hide there." Dimitri''s shadow rose from the ground and formed a sword. As he grabbed that de, he stated, "We''lle to you after solving this problem."


    They didn''t know what Dimitri saw, but it was clear the trouble was extremely big.


    Normal people couldn''t see it easily. But an expert at Dimitri''s level could see the looming killing intent on the horizon.

 Chapter 819 Warning

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    "Hm?! There is a big fight in the front." The muscr man from the Supreme Devil Organization looked up. "Qiel, should we interfere and make them owe us something?"


    "While it might be good to gather some information, we''ve been tasked to do it secretly unless it''s necessary. So, no." The old woman called Qiel shook her head.


    "Still, do you know how far they have gone?"


    "I believe it''s not that far away. Don''t you remember that we''ve gotten the clue?" Qiel sighed.


    Nelfer couldn''t say anything, remembering that they managed to gain a clue about a person with a masquerade. The previous town had given them that information, allowing them to track Noel.


    "Still, it''s been a few days. Don''t you think he has gone even further? It will be hard to find him in the middle of the desert."


    "That''s why we''re going to the cities before him. In any case, we''ll be looping around."


    But before Nelfer could agree, a figure appeared before her and said, "We''ve found what we believe to be the second son of the Grand Protector. If we''re not wrong, there is also a Great Protector called Legz."


    "Huh?!" Qiel widened her eyes. The Supreme Devil Organization obviously had a lot of information about other kingdoms as well, especially the high-ranking people, so they didn''t provoke them so much that it led to war. But it was surprising that they would find the second prince in this ce. "Are you sure?"


    "We have confirmed their identities with all the records we have."


    "Hoh? The second prince¡­" Nelfer smirked. "Don''t you think it''s good to make them owe us?"


    Qiel looked down, falling into deep thought. On the one hand, their focus was on Noel. On the other hand, having someone at that level helping them search for Noel would be beneficial to them.


    Before making a decision, she asked, "What kind of problem are they facing?"


    "A single Superior Demon and its followers. There are only a few hundred."


    "If it''s only that, we can take care of it within thirty minutes. Don''t you think this is a perfect opportunity, old hag?!"


    "Thirty minutes for the favor¡­" Qiel nodded her head. "Sure. Let''s go with that. Nelfer will lead ten people to exterminate the demons. I''ll provide you with some¡ª"


    Before she finished her words, another person appeared to report. "Ma''am! We have a situation over there."


    "Huh?" Even Nelfer became confused. They had brought a lot of experts this time, so they shouldn''t have any problems dealing with the enemies. So, this emergency looked serious.


    "What''s wrong?" Qiel asked.


    "We are not very sure about it, but we''ve found a foreigner¡­ who seems to being from the Muivell Kingdom."


    "If you''re only talking about a person, then there is no need to make it sound serious." Qiel gritted her teeth, wanting to berate him further for startling her.


    But the man continued, "But¡­ his appearance¡­ looks simr to Noel Ardagan."


    "What?!" Qiel and Nelfer widened their eyes in shock. "What did you say?"


    "We suspected that person is Noel Ardagan, but we''d like to ask you to confirm it." The guy was confused as well. They had been chasing after a guy with a masquerade, yet, they actually found Noel with his true face. Even the scout didn''t understand the situation.


    After all, there was a chance that the masquerade guy was fake and Noel entered this kingdom with his real face. However, the situation might be reversed. If they captured this Noel, which turned out to be a fake, it would be troublesome.


    "This is interesting. Should we confirm his identity?" Nelfer asked. "If this is truly our target, we should feel lucky, right?"


    "Yeah." Qiel asked, "Bring me to the highest and furthest ce. I''ll confirm his identity. As for Nelfer, you are going to move ording to mymand."


    "Well¡­ fine." Nelfer nodded.


    Now that the decision had been made, the scout brought her to a small sand hill where she could see the battlefield from more than five hundred meters away. Meanwhile, Nelfer was leading the vanguard to advance toward the battlefield as if trying to proceed with the capture.


    On top of the sandhill, Qiel closed her eyes for a moment. Her Spiritual Energy began to leak out her body, but soon turned around and entered her eyes.


    When she raised her eyelids, her pupils changed their color from ck to gold. In addition, there were several glowing lines around her pupil. A few small golden circles appeared in front of her, magnifying her eyesight even further.


    Even though she was looking from five hundred meters away, her eyes could actually see someone''s facial features as if they were right in front of her.


    "The location?" Qiel asked.


    "We believe that he is utilizing an ice element ability."


    "Ice element¡­" Qiel had gotten the report that Noel always used Ice Element Ability whenever he openly showed his face and changed to fire whenever he became Iadre.


    With that thought in mind, Qiel scanned the area. She found and confirmed the second prince. She also witnessed the fight between Legz and the Superior Demon.


    But what shocked her the most was that the ice ability user was near Legz. He seemed to be helping him, which made him even more noticeable.


    "This is¡­" Qiel took a deep breath. The pair of ck eyes, short ck hair, and a ck sword in his hand were enough to confirm Noel''s identity. "He is truly Noel Ardagan. He is also a Spirit Master like the rumor says and his strength is effective against a Superior Demon. I don''t think there is an impostor that talented. Notify Nelfer that we''re about to begin. Warn him that Dimitri might be nearby. If another Spirit Grandmaster of his level appears, I''ll handle the second one. The rest of you will proceed with the capture. Do whatever you can to capture him without killing him."


    "Yes, Ma''am!" The people around Qiel acknowledged her orders and disappeared, leaving her alone.


    After that, she grabbed the bow hanging on her back and pointed it to the front.


    When she poured her Spiritual Energy, the bow seemed to be reacting to her Spiritual Energy.


    Soon, a glowing circle appeared in front of the bow and a few lines extended from both tips as though it was extending the bow.


    While it was true that she was only a Spirit Grandmaster and had no talent to be a Spirit Transcendence, she was the oldest member among the Devil Saints.


    There was a reason why even Laufey, a fellow Devil Saint, was annoyed by her.


    She was the greatest sniper in the world. If Laufey annoyed her, she might even shoot him with a non-lethal arrow, but enough to severely injure him and annoy him to death.


    But this time, her target was a mere Spirit Master. Even though Noel''s raw strength was far below her, it didn''t change the fact that he managed to fight against a Superior Demon.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    In that instant, Qiel believed there was no need to hold back.


    She released her bow to its full potential and pointed it at Noel.


    With a single wave of her left hand, an arrow made of golden light appeared. She pulled the arrow carefully and aimed straight at Noel.


    This arrow was made of Spiritual Energy. It looked lethal, but the flow of Spiritual Energy inside the arrow made it blunt. It might crack a few bones, but it wouldn''t kill Noel.


    "You would definitely be a strong man in the future. Unfortunately, you don''t have a future because of the Spirit you have. You are pretty unlucky, young man. I hope you have a good life in your next life." Qiel pitied Noel. With his talent, it wouldn''t be weird if Noel could stand at the very top. Unfortunately, his family situation and the spirit he inherited changed his fate.


    Although they were enemies, there was no mutual grudge between them. So, Qiel showed a bit ofpassion before aiming at Noel, ready to release it.


    However, a mysterious figure suddenly jumped from the side like a bullet. Qiel''s detection range as a Devil Saint was big, so he couldn''t approach her that close unless he was about to attack.


    And it was at this moment that he chose to attack¡­ the moment Qiel lowered her guard by drawing her arrow.


    As expected, before he arrived, Qiel could feel his presence and smiled, "As expected, you are here¡­"


    With just a nce to the side, she saw Dimitri''s face that covered two hundred meters in just two seconds. He was determined to stop Qiel.


    When Dimitri was about to reach her, he waved his shadow sword, nning to sever both the bow and her neck.


    But before it could reach her, a clicking sound echoed in the area, followed by a shock wave.


    Clink!


    Boom!


    "!!!" Dimitri raised his eyebrows, finding another person appearing in front of him.


    "I can finally fight against the number one assassin in the world." The man came out of nowhere and blocked Dimitri''s de with his gauntlet.


    "Devil Saint Nelfer." Dimitri gritted his teeth. It turned out Nelfer was faking his movement. By leading those people, he made Dimitri think it was alright to approach Qiel. However, Nelfer had gone back to Qiel as well to fight Dimitri. This was Qiel''s n.


    "It seems that you have grown dull after leaving the Demon Banner Army, huh, Shadow?!" Qiel harrumphed and continued aiming. This time, she was ready to let go of her arrow.


    But Dimitri actually smiled, "Dull? I''m not a sword anymore. I am¡­ a butler!"


    As soon as he said those words, the energy on his shadow de spiked, expanding tremendously.


    "Huh?!" Nelfer got pushed back by the overwhelming energy, but more importantly, the shadow continued to expand toward Qiel and ultimately hit her bowstring.


    "!!!" Dimitri surpassed her expectations. She thought Nelfer was enough to stop him, but as one would expect from the number one assassin.


    Still, Dimitri introduced himself as a butler, not an assassin. The job of a butler was to serve his lord.


    Nelfer had to protect himself from the energy by pouring more energy into his gauntlet, causing the sh between them to produce a powerful shock wave.


    Boom!


    "Idiot!" Qiel gritted his teeth, realizing Dimitri''s real n.


    He nned to alert Noel with this shock wave.


    As he nned, Noel heard the loud explosive sound. Since they wereing from the hill, he could see everything from afar. Even though he couldn''t see the detail, he could see the ck colored energy that leaked out from the hill, showing that Dimitri had made his move. And there was only one reason for Dimitri to release his strength.


    "Huh? Dimitri?!" Noel gasped. "Don''t tell me¡­"

 Chapter 820 Cannon

    ?


    Boom!


    "!!!" Not only Noel, but all the people in the area heard that loud explosive sound. The most concerned about it was none other than Legz.


    "Another wave of demons?" Legz hurriedly turned his head around while jumping back to get some distance from the Superior Demon. But when he took a look at the explosion, the sh between Spiritual Energy looked like it came from humans instead of demons. "Huh? What is going on?"


    On the one hand, they were in the middle of the expedition. On the other hand, he was bringing the second prince. It seemed that there were experts fighting against each other and there was a chance that they would end up getting dragged into their battle.


    If that happened, the second prince''s life would be in danger. And the powering from them was no less than him. If he was closer, he would realize that they were actually stronger than him.


    Only Noel understood what had happened. He knew Dimitri would be watching him from afar and the fact that he could see the ck energy which should belong to Dimitri, it was clear that their guests had arrived.


    "The Supreme Devil Organization hase? So fast¡­" Noel predicted that they woulde after he met his way to the capital, but he had miscalcted the waiting time for this expedition. Two days were enough for them to chase after him. "Tsk."


    As he predicted, since the Supreme Devil Organization had arrived, they would definitelye to him and seize him.


    Ten mysterious figures were approaching the battlefield at high speed. They had covered their entire body with tight white clothes, leaving only their eyes visible.


    Noel scanned them and all of them had a simr affection. Yes, they were hostile and ready to capture him. There were six Spirit Masters and four Spirit Grandmasters.


    "Six Devil Inspectors and four Devil Bishops, huh? To think they would mobilize four Spirit Grandmasters just to capture me¡­ But if I''m not wrong, they should have more Spirit Grandmasters and Spirit Masters. They''re probably hiding elsewhere." Noel muttered.


    Laufey had brought six Spirit Grandmasters to capture him, but he managed to repel them even though with the help of the Demon Relief Squad.


    So, he believed there would be more people since their aim was to capture him instead of killing him.


    Noel could also see three figures in the distance. Although the Affection Medal couldn''t capture their names because it was too far, it was enough to tell him that those were the strongest people.


    In other words, they had sent two Devil Saints to capture him and Dimitri was holding them back for the time being.


    "Two Devil Saints¡­ Surely, they brought at least ten Spirit Grandmasters, right?" Noel took a deep breath, realizing the situation was trickier than he expected.


    However, he felt lucky because he didn''t see the strongest Devil Saint among them. Dimitri also hadn''t used his True Spirit Body.


    Before those people reached his position, Noel chose to talk with Ardagan instead of running away. ''Ardagan. Have you predicted this?''


    [It''s impossible to form a Spirit Link with me even if you ask me this time. The condition can''t be changed even in this situation.]


    ''So, you''re saying that I''ll die either way.'' Noel sighed. If he formed a Spirit Link with Ardagan, he would die from the fire. If he didn''t, the Supreme Devil Organization would seed.


    Fortunately, Ardagan actually denied it.


    [You might stand a chance with Heisk and the Rune Body.]


    ''Heisk?'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows before understanding the real meaning. He couldn''t help but look at the ruin. If he managed to utilize the ruin from the previous civilization and got the item that could help Heisk, there was a chance he could win against them. He was concerned about Dimitri, Tristan, and Sandra.


    Considering Dimitri hadn''t used his True Spirit Body, he thought the situation was still somewhat under control.


    "I see. In that case¡­" Noel formed a n in his mind. "It seems that I can''t hold back anymore."


    Without hesitation, he waved his left hand toward the lizard, shooting out a ck-colored phoenix.


    "!!!" Legz widened his eyes in surprise. This was the first time he saw this kind of phoenix. The fire that created it actually made him feel dread. "What is this?"All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    However, the Superior Demon''s unique ability was beyond the phoenix. With a single p of its tail, the phoenix instantly dispersed and the fire was extinguished.


    "Seriously?" Noel never thought that the lizard could actually neutralize his fire. But it was clear that the lizard would definitely be able to help him.


    The ten mysterious figures appeared around Noel, surrounding him.


    Two Spirit Masters approached him from two sides. Noel summoned another phoenix with his left hand while waving his sword with his right hand.


    "Be careful." A Spirit Grandmaster appeared and formed a stone wall in front of the Spirit Master. The phoenix ended up hitting the wall and burned it to nothing. It was clear they had studied his power.


    Meanwhile, the other Spirit Master struck Noel''s de in order to restrain him.


    The remaining four Spirit Masters approached Noel this time. In order to escape, Noel tried to grab the Spirit Master that stopped his sword, but the other party ended up grabbing his wrist, locking him in ce.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel had drawn a Rune st on his left chest. His left hand became a tunnel that transported that energy as Noel released it from his palm.


    Rune st.


    "!!!" The Spirit Master didn''t expect there was a gimmick to his left hand, but it was toote. The impact that the Rune st produced broke the bones in his arms, rendering him useless. "Kh!"


    The Spirit Master tried to endure the pain, but Noel took advantage of that little gap to slide his sword and eventually made aplete swing, severing the guy''s neck.


    "One down," Noel muttered while looking around. The four Spirit Masters were ready to attack him, but they seemed to be more careful after seeing what his left hand was capable of doing.


    Four Spirit Masters threw chains toward Noel. The Spiritual Energy that covered the chains started to entangle with each other, forming aplex pattern that somehow locked Noel in his position.


    "Hmm?" Noel tried to st it with his rune again, but the moment the shock wave hit, the chain remained in one ce as if it was incapable of moving.


    Since it surrounded him from all sides except below and above, Noel decided to jump to escape. He didn''t expect that the people that the organization sent were this good. Even though his strength was simr to that of a Grandmaster, he still couldn''t do anything against their weird attacks. They must be the elites of organizations.


    Once he leaped into the air, he formed a pair of phoenix wings on his back, ready to fly away. But he noticed the Spirit Grandmasters releasing their Spiritual Energy as if they were ready to capture him.


    But before he could do something, another explosion urred in the distance.


    "!!!" Noel turned his head around and noticed there was a big shining pattern in the distance. It seemed that Dimitri was trying to alert him.


    ''There is an archer?'' Noel asked himself while forming a Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. In addition, he formed the Ice Mirrors and stacked them together before forming a Hardening Rune to strengthen them.


    Suddenly, the light flickered as it flew straight toward him.


    Boom!


    The impact caused a big explosion like that of a cannon.


    "Gah!" Noel was blown a hundred meters away from the impact alone. The light didn''t manage to prate the ice block, but the force contained in it pushed the block so fast that it blew him that far. Noel could feel his left hand growing numb from the impact alone. "Are you serious? I think Dimitri has told me about it."


    "When I was active in the army, I knew three Devil Saints as I had been ordered to kill them on sight. The first one is the only Spirit Transcendence, the one we met not long ago. The second one is Laufey Ardagan. Andst but not least, the best sniper in the world, Qiel. It''s said that a single arrow from her is like a cannon. It can shatter the best defense easily. Alexander might be the strongest, but the one who I should prioritize to kill is actually her. You can say that she is practically someone who can go against the army on her own."


    "I can fully understand what that means." Noel gritted his teeth, finally experiencing the attack. When hended on the ground, two more shots wereunched. Fortunately, it missed the target.


    However, each shot caused a powerful explosion. One of them even hit a Peak Level Demon and after taking that shot, the Peak Level Demon''s body exploded until its body couldn''t be recognized anymore. As for the second one, itnded on an empty spot, but the shock wave it produced blew the people away.


    "I''m afraid those two shots are not meant to hit me¡­" Noel looked at both sides and realized that his entire area had been cleared. "Now I can see why the army wants to kill her more than a Spirit Transcendence¡­ No wall can remain intact if she attacks. A single shot can even kill tens if not hundreds of people."


    Noel took a deep breath, watching the Spirit Masters and Spirit Grandmasters approaching him, ready to take him down.


    "This is not going to be easy."

 Chapter 821 Running

    ?


    Cling!


    Cling!


    Cling!


    A series of clicking sounds echoed in the area. Nelfer had parried all sorts of attacks from Dimitri.


    "Hahaha. As expected, an assassin instantly bes weak the moment your existence is exposed. I guess that''s all to the so-called best assassin." Nelferughed out loud, his tone was filled with confidence.


    Dimitri maintained his poker face. It was true that he was worried about Noel, but he couldn''t do much because of this guy.


    However, he was trying to understand Noel''s needs and intentions. If necessary, he would be using his True Spirit Body. Though, that also meant a direct provocation to Qiel, causing him to use the same thing. He didn''t know if Nelfer had it or not, but if he fought against both of them in that condition, they would definitely kill him and Noel.


    Dimitri waved his de upward.


    Nelfer felt the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from below. He jumped backward as spikes emerged from his shadow, almost piercing his body.


    After that, Dimitri charged forth and swung diagonally.


    Seeing Dimitri n to attack Qiel, Nelfer stomped the ground, kicking up the sand.


    The sand blinded Dimitri for a split second. Nelfer used that opportunity to reach him and punched him from behind the sand.


    "!!!" Dimitri blocked the punch with his de, but it was strong enough to the point where he got pushed back. If not for him twisting his body to the side, he would have been blown away.


    He could see why Nelfer became one of the Devil Saints.


    Yet, despite being pressured like this, Dimitri remained calm. As long as Qiel had yet to lower her bow, it meant that Noel was still fighting.


    ¡­


    Noel saw that Qiel had cleared the area, allowing the people from the Supreme Devil Organization to surround him.


    Because the arrow was like a cannon, Legz would notice the situation even if he didn''t want it.


    "What?!" Legz frowned. "Who are they? Are they chasing that guy? But it''s true that this Iadre is overwhelmingly talented. I guess they''re trying to kill him to eliminate someone they can''t control¡­"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Legz was wondering what he should do. On the one hand, helping Noel here would allow him to gain Noel''s favor. There was even a chance to recruit him. On the other hand, he could see that his pursuers were stronger than him. If he recklessly chose to side with him, they might eliminate him and the second prince.


    But these people should also know that they had offended him as well as caused great havoc in the Atrecaeca Kingdom. The kingdom would surely retaliate in any kind.


    Ultimately, Legz decided to wait and see. If the situation was in his favor, he would definitely take advantage of it.


    Noel also noticed how he couldn''t get any help from other people. In fact, Qiel had done her best to avoid harming the people from the Atrecaeca Kingdom to lessen the conflict.


    Several Spirit Masters approached him from the side. Noel raised his left hand. The fire rose and formed a giant hand. He pped all of them, including the spiritual abilities they released. The fire overpowered the spiritual abilities, forcing the enemies to retreat.


    Though, there was another reason why Noel used this kind of attack. Using the phoenix might not be that apparent considering he didn''t look like he was summoning it, but he wanted to openly show everyone that he had a fire element on top of his ice element.


    The second prince and Legz involuntarily found that fact after seeing the giant hand.


    "What?! He has two elements?" Legz gasped.


    Ramuer contemted, "If he truly has two elements, which is not the norm¡­"


    They were reconsidering their actions. Normally, people wouldn''t like to get involved in someone''s matter, but it would be different if the reward was big enough.


    The two elements Noel possessed certainly tempted them.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t make their decision rashly. There was no guarantee that Noel would join their side even if they helped him.


    After watching this situation, Noel might have to change his n.


    ''It seems that I can''t manipte them yet. In that case, I''ll create a gap before rushing to the ruin.''


    Noel took a glimpse of the pattern in the distance. It seemed that it was about to st him again.


    Hence, Noel raised his hand and formed a big ice lotus in the air.


    Someone like Qiel obviously wouldn''t allow Noel to do anything. Without hesitation, she released her arrow, shooting down the lotus.


    Boom!


    The explosion sent a chilling wave in all directions. The petals shattered into small ice particles.


    The Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors around him hesitated for a second. The small ice particles might be another way for Noel to attack them. So they couldn''t be rash.


    Noel took advantage of that hesitation. He rushed toward the northwest.


    "!!!" They were startled for a second before chasing after him, not letting him run away.


    As for Qiel, she noticed Noel''s intention when seeing it from afar.


    "Huh? That brat¡­" Qiel furrowed her eyebrows. She realized that Noel was taking advantage of both the Peak Level Demons and people to cover himself. "He notices that I''m trying not to harm other people?"


    Qiel was amazed by Noel''s eyesight. If they were on the same side, she would definitely nurture someone like him.


    If he continuously hid among the people, the Supreme Devil Organization would definitely be more hesitant to harm him. But Qiel noticed something ridiculous from the direction he was going.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Qiel squinted her eyes. Noel was actually approaching Legz and the Superior Demon, making her think that he was nning to strike a deal with Legz. It would be troublesome if he did that, so Qiel aimed at him again and released a few strikes.


    "!!!" Noel raised his head and saw another opportunity.


    Instead of getting scared of the arrow, he used the Split Step as well as the Enhance Forward Rune in his body simultaneously.


    The Split Step caused him to split into two, confusing the people that chased him on the ground. The Enhance Forward Rune boosted his speed, allowing him to slip past the arrows before they hit the ground.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The arrows reached the ground and exploded. But because of their angle, the shock wave produced was mostly directly forward.


    For Noel, who managed to slip past the impact zone, the shock wave wasn''t enough to cause him to fall. But for the people from the organization who were behind him, the shock wave hit them at full force, causing them to stop. Some of them were even blown away.


    A few people from the Atrecaeca Kingdom were also hit by the st, causing confusion among them.


    "What is this?"


    "Did someone attack us?"


    "Did they not know that we''re fighting against demons?"


    They were searching for the people responsible, resulting in the people from the organization on the ground bing a bit hesitant in their movement.


    Noel smirked and was about to reach the lizard.


    Sadly for him, Qiel had adjusted her aim and released onest strike before Noel could reach Legz. It was slightly above Legz and the lizard and would explode in front of Noel even if he used his full speed.


    However, that didn''t matter anymore. Noel couldn''t help but smirk because his n worked.


    When the arrow was about to reach him, the sand lizard suddenly pped its tail.


    Bam!


    The wave created from the tail dispersed the energy from the arrow, causing it to disappear before hitting Noel.


    "!!!" Qiel was surprised that a Superior Demon could do that. And this was the reason why Noel would actuallye to this ce.


    Because of the power of that arrow, the lizard knew which direction he should go. He basically perceived Qiel to be more dangerous than Legz.


    In that instant, the lizard turned around and located Qiel before rushing toward her.


    "That freaking bastard. He made me shoot the arrow so that the lizard would chase after me?" Qiel gritted her teeth, finally understanding why Laufey could be defeated by Noel.


    With this, Qiel had to fight against the Superior Demon with that unique ability. Meanwhile, Dimitri could focus on dealing with Nelfer.


    As for Noel, he only needed to take care of the remaining Supreme Devil Organization members. Of course, there was a chance that more members would be hidden elsewhere. And if it took a long time, Qiel would defeat the lizard first and help them.


    Hence, Noel made a decision not to go to Legz. Instead, he shifted his direction to the ruin.


    That was right. He ran past all the people and demons and used his Ice Lotus to break apart the defense made by the Mid Level Demons.


    He emerged from the encirclement and headed straight to the ruin.


    "Not good. He is nning to hide inside." Qiel obviously wouldn''t destroy the ruin. Not only might there be a lot of demons inside that would chase after her, but she would definitely make an enemy of this country. It wouldn''t be beneficial to the organization.


    So, the only way to solve the problem was to shoot down Noel before he could enter the ruin.


    She aimed at him. But before she could release her arrow, the lizard arrived in front of her, pping its tail.


    In that instant, all the Spiritual Energy around her bow dispersed, including the arrow.


    After that, the lizard opened its mouth, ready to swallow Qiel.


    But Qiel jumped into the air and tried to find Noel. It turned out Noel used that gap to close his distance to the ruin. Even if she formed her bow and shot another arrow, she would be toote as Noel would have hidden himself behind the ruin before entering it.


    Dimitri couldn''t help but smile after seeing this situation, thinking as one would expect from his Master.

 Chapter 822 Underground

    ?


    "What are we going to do?" The people from the Supreme Devil Organization panicked when they saw Noel leaving the battlefield and heading straight to the ruin.


    Not only the people from the organization but Legz were also shocked to find Noel''s movement.


    "Is he going to enter the ruin by himself?" Legz gritted his teeth. On the one hand, he understood that Noel was forced to do so because he was attacked by these mysterious people. On the other hand, he couldn''t allow Noel to enter the ruin.


    After all, there was a chance that Noel would be taking what they wanted from this ruin. Still, he couldn''t rule out the possibility that numerous demons would emerge from the ruin if he opened it recklessly.


    Obviously, Noel understood that fact as well, considering the previous ruin he explored had multiple Superior Demons inside.


    If he wasn''t careful, he might lose his life inside the ruin instead. However, this was the only safe ce.


    He didn''t n to get captured by the Supreme Devil Organization, so he opened this door filled with possibilities.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Stop!" Legz shouted.


    Noel didn''t wait for him. Since it was impossible to open it manually, he had to strike the door with all his power, sting the door.


    The ruin itself was a small cube building, which didn''t seem to hold a lot of things. There was a thick metal door blocking his way. Noel could see a few weird mechanisms around the door, which he didn''t understand.


    If he studied this mechanism first, the organization would capture him. Hence, he ced his hand on the door and released his Undying Fire.


    The fire red up and enveloped the entire door. Noel, of course, skillfully controlled the ability so that it only melted the door. The Undying Fire showed its might by melting the door at a rapid rate.


    The people from the organization had left the encirclement and were about to stop him. With his left hand controlling the fire, his right hand summoned forth multiple ice blocks.


    "!!!" The Spirit Masters stopped while the Spirit Grandmasters broke apart the Ice Mirrors, not bothering to stop. But that was enough because Noel only wanted to cover their eyes for a second.


    When the Spirit Grandmasters went through, they saw Noel forming two runes. The first one was the Rune Strike.


    Noel shot out a concentrated Spiritual Energy into the Rune Strike. The rune then absorbed it before splitting them up into multiple strikes.


    Each Spirit Grandmaster had to stop two of the strikes, forcing them to stop because of this weird ability. They also understood that Noel was the author of the rune book. It was clear that he understood runes more than they did. And if they were careless of him, Noel could form a rune so unique that they didn''t know how to handle and kill them.


    But that small hesitation had given Noel enough time to melt the door.


    Noel activated his Moon Blessing as the darkness inside lit up. He could see several important things inside. There was a small hole that had been covered with sses on the opposite side of the room. On the left side, Noel found a big table and a weird gate that didn''t lead anywhere. On the right side, there were a few suits hanging. The suits were white and would reach the knees. It looked like the white coat that the healer usually wore.


    Without hesitation, Noel knew where he had to go. Since there was a hole, there must be a way.


    He formed an Ice Lotus above his head and let the petals drop right in front of the gate while Noel entered the ruin. He stomped the ss, breaking it apart. Meanwhile, the petals formed ice crystals, blocking the entrance.


    Noel saw multiple doors inside the hole. All of them were closed with a thick metal door.


    "Ten meters?" Noel frowned. He saw four doors before reaching the bottom. He didn''t know if they were connected or not, so he jumped down while maintaining his Phoenix Wings.


    Since it would be troublesome if the enemies knew where he was hiding, Noel extended his fire from all his limbs. The left hand burned the first door, the right hand ignited the second door, the right foot injected the fire on the third door, and the left foot shot out fire at the fourth door.


    All four doors were being burned at a rapid rate. But surprisingly, Noel didn''t sense a single demon inside the facility. Even the Demon Hunter Medal didn''t pick up anything.


    What he searched for in this location was an item that allowed Heisk to evolve. So, it should be an item made of Spiritual Energy.


    This wasn''t something that the previous civilization had, considering all the legends about that civilization stated that they didn''t have to use any Spiritual Energy.


    So, it was supposed to be impossible for it to ur naturally. Yet, he could feel the cold temperature inside the building, unlike the hotness of the desert. Additionally, there was a dense Spiritual Energy that enveloped the entire building.


    There was only one possible exnation for all these phenomena. There was a mutation of normal items from the past civilization due to the influence of Spiritual Energy.


    Noel took a deep breath, choosing to go to the third door because he didn''t want his move to be that predictable.


    After entering the third floor, he was quite shocked by the sight.


    "Hmm?!" Noel looked left and right, seeing a monotonous sight. The room itself was spacious. They could easily cram a thousand people inside. Yet, Noel could only see a total of a hundred long tables getting lined up in this ce. There were numerous chairs, but not a single person left a trace there.


    The entire room was clean, and there was no sign of destruction. It looked like it had been abandoned, but there wasn''t any sign of demons or normal animals like bugs or insects.


    There was a long counter on the opposite side of the room. Without hesitation, Noel went straight to the counter to see if he could hide behind it, but he noticed that there were a lot of empty trays.


    If he looked at the number of tables and this counter, he could see what kind of room this ce was.


    "Don''t tell me, this is the previous civilization''s dining hall?" Noel frowned. "A few hundred people can easilye here to eat. And¡­"


    Noel noticed another door not far from the counter. It had a thin vertical window on the door, so he could take a peek inside. As expected, he could see a few cooking utensils.


    He determined that this ce was the dining hall.


    Bam!


    Before his ice shattered on the surface, he could hear a loud bang, followed by a shout that echoed through the vertical tunnel earlier.


    "Who are you people?!"


    It seemed that Legz was angry. Even though he was only a single Spirit Grandmaster while the enemies had four, they wouldn''t be able to defeat him easily, and the news would definitely reach the Grand Protector''s ears, causing a fuss between the two countries. So, the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t handle this easily, giving more time for Noel.


    Noel used this opportunity to scan the entire room. Aside from the door that led to the vertical tunnel, Noel saw a few other doors. Since he knew he had to move up and down to confuse the enemies before killing them, he decided to inspect every single door.


    The first door also had a thin window on it. When Noel took a peek, he found a lot of boxes. Most items had been dposed, but he could see some rotten things that hadn''t been dposed yet. He wondered how it could be that way, but he just thought it was the wonder of the previous civilization. Since this ce looked like storage, he moved on to another door.


    This time, there wasn''t a gap to peek inside, so Noel tried to open it, which surprisingly wasn''t locked.


    "!!!" Noel covered his body with Spiritual Energy while opening the door, ready to block any kind of attack.


    He was shocked to find staircases leading both up and down. It seemed that all floors were connected not just by that vertical tunnel but also by these stairs.


    "If that''s the case¡­ I will be found out sooner orter. Should I go down instead?"


    After carefully considering his actions, Noel decided to go down, which surprisingly didn''t end with only a single floor. Yes, he saw only four floors, but surprisingly, when he reached the fourth floor, he saw another stair leading deeper underground.


    "Seriously?" Noel hesitated. He wondered why the fifth floor didn''t exist in the vertical tunnel. "Should I really enter?"


    On the one hand, Noel was hesitating because there might be another conspiracy. There was also a chance that the enemies used this ruin to bury him underneath. On the other hand, he knew that the enemies would be doing their best to capture him and they would definitely enter this ce sooner orter.


    Since he had no other choice, Noel decided to go down to the fifth floor, only to find another floor beneath the current one.


    Noel now had to face a dilemma, wondering how many floors this underground facility had. The deeper he went, the more eerie the feeling. Even Noel wasn''t prone to negative feelings that this facility was hiding something important, and it might kill him in a way he knew nothing about.


    There was only one way to do this. He believed in Ardagan''s Undying Fire which was said to be able to expel anything bad from his body. After covering his body with fire, he chose to descend even further.

 Chapter 823 Decision

    ?


    "Should we enter?" One of the Devil Bishops asked. Now that Noel had sealed himself inside, there was a chance that he woulde out again. Additionally, there would be a problem if Noel somehow outsmarted them and took a few of them down before making a run for it.


    They were concerned about the endless possibilities inside, especially since they saw how Noel defeated a Spirit Master easily. If they were careless, even a Devil Bishop would fall in his hands.


    "If we do that, we''ll¡ª" Before he finished his words, he and the others felt an iing presence. They jumped back out of reflex as that person smashed the ground so hard that it trembled for a second.


    "Who are you people?" The man who shouted at them was none other than Legz. It was true that he was a Spirit Grandmaster like the four Devil Bishops. But it didn''t change the fact that this was his territory. People from the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t run rampant if they wanted to stay here.


    "¡­" The people from the organizations couldn''t help but exchange looks, wondering what they should do. The situation had just be even moreplicated.


    On the one hand, it would be troublesome if Legz reported their transgression. On the other hand, Legz had yet to know about their identities. If they could hide it, they could get away with it. However, they had heard about Noel''s wits. There was no way that person wouldn''t give away their identity.


    "If you''re not going to talk, then¡­" Legz released all his Spiritual Energy, ready to fight them.


    However, another fluctuation of Spiritual Energy urred from the side as a soft, aged voice echoed in their ears.


    "Please cease your action, Mr. Great Protector. Wee from the same ce as the one we''re chasing right now. As long as you can give him away to us, we''ll definitely be grateful. There is no need to cause a bloodbath in this ce."


    "!!!" Legz''s body shivered when sensing her energy. He couldn''t help but raise his head, seeing Qiel standing on top of the ruin. ''When did shee? No, looking at that bow, she is most likely the one shooting that powerful strike.''


    "Before youin to us, I have made sure to aim my strike at an open space. I believe there are no casualties on your side from my strike. We would like to have your cooperation. We assure you that we won''t harm any of your people and will be gone as soon as we capture that person."


    Legz narrowed his eyes before asking, "Who are you people?"


    "Unfortunately, we cannot answer your question."


    "You do know that you are currently stepping on Atrecaeca''s soil."


    "I believe that is a little insignificant unless you''re nning to force us to exterminate all living witnesses in this ce." Qiel started releasing her Spiritual Energy. Her Spiritual Energy far surpassed a normal Spirit Grandmaster, including Legz.


    The only person who could stop her was Dimitri. But he was stopped by Nelfer, whose strength wasn''t losing to Dimitri.


    In other words, if Qiel wanted it, she could probably eliminate all of them. Legz and the second prince would definitely die. It was true that there would be an investigation, but Legz would prioritize the second prince''s safety, considering he wanted him to be the next Grand Protector. It would be useless if the kingdom would avenge him, but he was already dead in their hands.


    Legz fell silent, considering his current option. He would feel ashamed to let people from a different kingdom force him to retreat to his own country. At the same time, it would be troublesome if they died.


    Legz''s status was higher than the prince''s in some cases. And he would only lower his head to the second prince because he recognized him as a sessor of the Grand Protector, nothing else.


    So, he was the one making this hard decision.


    Legz said, "We are also aiming to explore this ruin. We can''t fully trust you in this matter. There is a chance that you''re plundering what we want from this ce."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "We can assure you that we won''t take a single thing from this ce."


    "I can''t trust you. You can''t even give away your identity, so there''s no way it''s possible. Hence, I have to apany you. If I see you or your subordinates stealing something from the ruin, then the deal is off. Even if I have to die, I''m going to make you and whatever organization you''reing from pay its price."


    Qiel squinted her eyes. It would be troublesome if he was there when Noel shouted out their identities. But if they didn''tply, the situation would be troublesome. They might have to kill all the people to hide their tracks. If they let any of them escape, there was a chance they would inform the kingdom and bring forth a lot of reinforcements.


    When that happened, a huge war woulde. The Demon Banner Army was already troublesome enough, so if the Atrecaeca Kingdom would add to their problems¡­ Qiel couldn''t imagine all the problems. In addition, Noel could also show his status as the author of the Rune Book, persuading them.


    "¡­" Qiel was carefully considering everything. After a moment, Qiel said, "Alright. We won''t be entering the ruin so that it won''t cause any trouble to your side."


    "!!!" Legz widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting this kind of answer. He thought Qiel wouldply, but it seemed that they were more passive than he originally thought.


    After considering the situation, Legz said, "Alright. If I see you inside, then I will have to report this to the kingdom."


    He had to leave behind a few people to protect the ruin, making sure they didn''t destroy the ruin from the outside.


    Obviously, Qiel''s decision also confused the people in the organization. After all, if they didn''te back, they wouldn''t be able to capture Noel.


    But Qiel had already waved her hand and said, "Move out."


    In that instant, Qiel disappeared, followed by her subordinates.


    Legz was hesitant, but he still had to go down. When he looked at the sses that covered a hole, he knew whatever he was searching for was hidden underneath them.


    After the negotiation, Legz finally returned to the battlefield, clearing up all the demons around.


    Of course, he was curious about the Superior Demon that stopped Qiel, but surprisingly, the Demon had died tragically. Its entire body was ttened after being shot by that powerful arrow multiple times.


    He had some trouble fighting against the Superior Demon, yet, Qiel managed to defeat it within a few minutes. It was clear that the opponents weren''t as simple as people thought.


    If they did sh, all these people wouldn''tst for more than thirty minutes.


    It felt like he had made a good decision this time. Though, he was also curious about the identity of that person.


    ¡­


    While Legz was fighting the remaining demons, he didn''t move too far from the ruin. At the very least, he could maintain the entrance in the corner of his vision, making sure that no one sneaked inside without his knowledge. Qiel was his priority, considering the old woman managed to appear without him feeling it.


    Legz informed the second prince about the situation and came to the exact conclusion. They didn''t want to interfere too much with their chase, but they were curious about Noel''s true identity.


    While he was taking care of the demons, Qiel and her group moved away from the location.


    They all didn''t dare to say anything, considering Qiel was the brain of the organization. However, it didn''t change the fact that Qiel had made a questionable decision. It would be troublesome if they couldn''t capture Noel when he was trapped inside.


    And it seemed that Nelfer had noticed it. After several minutes, his sh with Dimitri had stopped as Nelfer came to Qiel while gritting his teeth.


    "Old hag. I think I need an exnation!"


    Qiel stood with a poker face, raising her head as Nelfer stood right before her. He was ring at her, showing his anger.


    Qiel simply said, "It''s the only way for now."


    "Are you serious? He is now trapped inside! We should chase and capture him right away. Even if he does anything, I can stop Dimitri while you ultimately capture him."


    "You should know it would be troublesome if you fought Dimitri inside that ce. And you better not underestimate Dimitri. He still has his True Spirit Body. If the entire ruin copses, only Dimitri might be able to survive."


    "Still, are you saying that we should let him get away?"


    "I told you earlier. We can''t destroy the ruin. There is also a chance that our target is hiding within the shadow thanks to Dimitri. That''s why we''ll be waiting for him here, making sure that he is not escaping through all kinds of ways, including the shadow. We are here not because we aren''t capturing him. Instead, we stay here because we''ll be waiting for him toe out. You should know that a ruin from the previous civilization can''t be entered rashly, so the only way for him to leave that building is through the main door."


    "¡­" Nelfer fell silent, looking at Qiel as if he wasn''t convinced.


    "Don''t worry. I have another n. We''ll execute itter. But for now, stay here and watch out for Dimitri and any fluctuation of energy. We can''t let him escape from the ruin."


    "Fine. You will be the one responsible for this matter." Nelfer clicked his tongue.

 Chapter 824 Experiment?

    ck!


    ck!


    ck!


    Footsteps echoed in a dark room.


    "I wonder how deep this ruin was created?" Noel muttered while looking around. He had gone down for another four levels. The deeper he got, the lower the temperature.


    Even Noel became more wary of the dangers lurking beneath him.


    "Should I prepare a few more traps?" Noel looked down, contemting. On the one hand, it would decrease his speed. On the other hand, it could help him a lot if there was indeed a hidden danger on the bottom floor.


    "The temperature, the Spiritual Energy¡­"


    After he went down to the ninth floor, Noel finally decided to open the room to prepare some traps. Not only was the hidden danger underneath him, but the Supreme Devil Organization would alsoe for him from the surface. Hence, this trap would be proved to be useful in case of emergency.


    When Noel opened the room, he was startled by the interior of the room. Inside, he could see numerous tables lining up just like the dining hall he found earlier.


    However, Noel felt weird because he found a familiar device on each table. He first found this device in the previous expedition that explored a hospital from the previous civilization.


    "What is this?" Noel went to one of them, looking at it carefully.


    The device had a bigyer of screen. He knocked it gently and heard the clicking sound, allowing him to determine the materials used to build it.


    "As expected, it''s ss as well¡­ If I''m looking at it¡­" Noel paused and grabbed a chair. Even in his noble house, a chair that could move was a raremodity. After all, it was enough for the carriage to have it, not their house.


    When he sat down, the chair moved slightly, which startled him.


    "Oh?" Noel adjusted himself easily and started rolling the wheels beneath the chair forward. Eventually, he reached the table where his head was at the same level as the big screen. "As expected, this is how they work."


    Noel looked to the side, finding a lot of mysterious thin sticks. This was what piqued his interest in the previous civilization.


    "Right? It was said that this thing could write better¡­" Noel took off the lid and found a piece of paper on the table, trying to write on it. But as expected, after more than a thousand years, the pen couldn''t be used anymore.


    Then, his eyes moved to the big box underneath the table. The box waspletely ck and there didn''t seem to be anything interesting. But he noticed a few cables that were attached to this box, linking it to the screen and a few others.


    Noel slightly raised his head, noticing the rolling thin wooden te under the table. He found this weird-looking box with numerous characters on it.


    "What is this? Tab? Q? W? E? R?" Noel couldn''t understand the sequence, but it was clear that this thing was attached to the mechanism. "Now that I think about it¡­"


    Noel put his hand on top of it and started touching the keys. He realized that the position was natural.


    "I see. Is this how the people of the past worked?" Noel asked. He had just learned how a normal office worker did their job in front of theputer.


    "Still, is there any way to activate it?" Noel frowned. "Besides, I haven''t smelled anything, including blood. In this huge ruin, why do we find not a single corpse? There don''t seem to be any demons feasting upon them as well. If there is one, there should be some blood traces. It''s weird."


    Noel rose from his seat and looked around. Unfortunately, there was nothing suspicious inside the room. And there were only two things that piqued his interest, the pen and the chair.


    He put two pens in his pocket for ''research'' purposes while bringing all the moving chairs toward the stair. The people would be confused with the chairs as well and he hoped someone would try it and ended up rolling to the stair, injuring themselves from falling.


    After that, Noel proceeded to the tenth floor. This time, the floor showed him another weirdyout. Instead, he found multiple weird machines scattered in the area.


    "What is this ce?" Noel frowned. When looking at theyout, he felt this wasn''t a ce to work. Just by looking at the bright color of the wall as well as theyout of these machines, Noel could feel the joy crawling into his heart.


    "Is this not a working ce? But¡­" Noel arrived at a table. It had a robust body and green-colored surface. He noticed a few balls scattered on the table with two long sticks lying down. "Are these spears?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Noel asked himself. Noel couldn''t determine the building, unlike the hospital in the previous civilization. This ruin was so bizarre that he couldn''t understand what it was.


    On one floor, it was a ce for eating. On another floor, it was a fun ce. And another one, it was filled with a ce where they worked.


    "What is this building, to begin with? I have never thought you could build something like this underground. And surprisingly, it couldst for more than a thousand years. The wall manages to withstand the sand for a thousand years. This is a miracle."


    Noel had seen numerous giant buildings, but all of them were on the surface. So, this ce was more mysterious than he originally thought.


    After a while, he continued to the next floor, and on this floor, he could finally determine what kind of ce this was.


    The moment he opened the eleventh floor, he was greeted by a sight he could never forget.


    "What in the world¡­" Noel dropped his jaws to the ground.


    On this floor stood tall ten giant cylinders. Each cylinder contained a blue-colored translucent liquid. If that was all, Noel would think it was just where they stored their water.


    But surprisingly, there was a demon inside each cylinder. The cylinders were already inactive and the demons had died, so there was no sign of them getting destroyed.


    "What is this? What kind of thing are they building?" Noel''s face became pale.


    "If I remember correctly, the previous civilization had no demons looming around the world, right? Then, how could they build something like this? Or is this during the transition?"


    Noel fell into deep thought. What Noel meant by transition was the time when the world fell into chaos after the demons appeared in this world.


    There was a possibility of the previous civilization building this entire ruin after their appearance, trying to understand the demons so that they could fight back. That was the only exnation in Noel''s head.


    Noel approached the tubes carefully, staring at the demons. The first demon he saw seemed to be a Wolf Demon. It wasn''t supposed to be found in this ce, so they must have captured it somewhere far away and brought it here.


    "Now that I think about it, it''s true that the demon meat won''t rot easily, but to capture a wolf from this ce requires at least two weeks from this ce. And they can actually preserve the demon for a thousand years? What is the method?"


    Noel fell silent. It was true that the experiment was troubling him. But he had always wanted the method to preserve the meat so that he could use it for his territory.


    While moving through those tubes, Noel examined the room, wondering what had happened. Just like the other rooms, there was no trace of a living being in this ce. There were supposed to be people who took care of this experiment, but there were no remains.


    "Still, it doesn''t change the fact that the previous civilization was amazing. Being able to create a giant ruin underneath the ground alone is impossible with our current technology." Noel looked around. "And this ce is extremely cool. In fact, it''s already simr to the temperature of the mountain peak. If I go down even further, there is a chance that the temperature will be at freezing point."


    Noel was a bit hesitant to explore this ruin. While there was no danger yet, the condition had be more extreme and ridiculous.


    "Still, creating this ruin should take a lot of time or even decades. If I''m not wrong, the transition period onlysted for two years. Did this building operate after the transition period? But if that was the case, shouldn''t the Atracaeca Kingdom have a record of whatever they were doing, considering those people would join hands with the founder of the Atracaeca Kingdom?"


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering. He could draw a lot of conclusions, but there might be a few things he missed, causing his conclusion to be not urate.


    The ruin was indeed mysterious even though the purpose was clear. But the only way to find it was to continue forward. He was trying to find any records left behind in this ce to learn about it.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t find a single log book, making it extremely weird.


    Although he wanted to learn more from this ce, he had to continue because the answer could lie beneath this floor.


    He wondered what kind of thing he would find on the next floor.

 Chapter 825 Demi-Human

    ?


    "Are all of you ready?" Legz checked the condition of his people.


    After fighting against the demons, they set up a camp around the ruin. He divided the people into two groups.


    He and the second prince would lead the first group and advance into the ruin while the second group remained on the surface, making sure nothing went wrong. Legz was a bit concerned about the mysterious organization that came after Noel.


    After some thought, Legz realized that Noel was already aware that he was chased by them and still chose to join. It looked like Noel was trying to involve them in his problem, but at the same time, this was a kind of opportunity.


    Noel had a shocking talent, so it was also an opportunity if they wanted to rope him in. In fact, Noel looked like he had the talent to be a Grand Protector in the future. But as the teacher of the second prince, he was a bit skeptical about it.


    Legz nced at the Ramuer as though he wanted to exin it to them.


    "We are ready," Ramuer confirmed while sheathing his sword. Since they had to climb down, they couldn''t wield their sword easily.


    Legz then raised his hand and poured his Spiritual Energy into the air. Suddenly, the sand rose into the air and gathered around the entrance.


    With a single wave of his hand, the sand flowed like water, filling up the hole.


    "There are four floors underneath the ground. We have to be careful since there might be a hidden danger. We''ll go to the first floor first and investigate the area before continuing to the second floor and so on." Legz exined.


    "How about that guy?" Ramuer asked, mentioning Noel. Since Noel had hidden inside the ruin, there was a chance that he was ready to fight against them.


    "Unless he is proven to have stolen our objective, we won''t attack him. With his strength, it''s hard to capture him, and fighting underground is extremely dangerous since the entire building can copse. So, we''ll prioritize negotiation."


    "Alright." Ramuer agreed. If they were trapped like that, there was a big chance they would die, so it would be better to do this peacefully. "Still, will there be a problem with those mysterious people?"


    "I''m also skeptical about them, but their strength is overwhelming. If they want to kill us, we won''t be able to escape. So, I don''t think they will be destroying this building. Their original intention seems to be capturing that guy. Hence, we''ll proceed with the assumption that they won''t make a big move. Just make sure that you look around because they might be infiltrating the ruin."


    "Got it. Let''s go then." Ramuer nodded.


    Both of them were leading the team. They could see a thick ck rope attached to the top of the ceiling. It seemed that this was the way for the people to go down in the previous civilization.


    Hence, Legz grabbed the rope and started sliding down carefully. He examined the entire area with the sand scattered on the first floor.


    After he confirmed it was safe, Legz waved his hand, telling them to go down before he jumped into the first floor.


    Like Noel, they didn''t find a single person inside. Even the trace of the people from the previous civilizations was nowhere to be seen.


    While they were confused, Noel was actually shocked to the point he dropped to his butt.


    "What in the world is this?" Noel gasped in disbelief. His heart was filled with fear and anxiety.


    The sight was like none other. In fact, he could only think of this as something that wasn''t supposed to exist.


    After all, the floor below the one filled with demon corpses was actually filled with humans.


    Yes, on the next floor, there were a lot of tubes like the previous one, but instead of demon corpses, it was human.


    Noel didn''t know if he could even call them human.


    On the nearest tube, the human seemed to have mutated. His right hand was big and robust, but the skin waspletely ck. The palm had the same pattern as a dog, but instead of nails, it was more urate to consider them ws.


    And that was only the right hand. His left foot was so big and covered by ck fur, making it look like a ck bear''s foot.


    On the next tube, he saw a human with a pair of fox ears. They still retained their human ears, making them have a total of four ears. In addition, his entire body was hairy like that of an ape.


    All other humans also had a simr body but with different animals. Noel couldn''t believe it with his own eyes.


    In fact, there were two thoughts that appeared in his mind.


    "Now that I think about it, they look like Demi-human, right?" Noel fell silent, remembering Old Ru.


    Old Ru might look extremely simr to that of a human, but that was because he had cast away his shell. His grandson was the one looking like abination of an animal and a human.


    "Don''t tell me, it''s theboratory where they are born? But I don''t think the Atrecaeca Kingdom is the only one having this¡­ There should be a lot ofboratories like this scattered in other kingdoms. Due to the nature of their research, it''s long abandoned and hidden from the naked eyes."


    Noel believed that there were simr underground ruins scattered in the area. They produced the early demi-human.


    "Still, if I''m not wrong, the demi-human retaliates and finally leaves the human territory, migrating to a new ce and creating a new kingdom. And Old Ru hails from this ce."


    Noel fell into deep thought. There was a big implication of finding this ruin. First of all, the information alone would definitely scare people because there was a chance that these demi-humans woulde again and wreak havoc in their territory like what happened a thousand years ago.


    "That''s right. I think everything matches perfectly."


    Noel recalled all the information he had gotten so far.


    "In other words, the chronology is like this¡­ First, the demons appeared in this world, introducing Spiritual Energy. They destroyed the previous civilization, cornering them. My ancestor was also fleeing to this ce and fighting back."


    "However, there should be a lot of people who were smart enough at that time. They created some ruins, probably like thisboratory and anything else."


    "While they were researching, my ancestor roamed around the ce and helped the creation of the Muivell Kingdom."


    "Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, not long after the creation of the kingdom, these people seeded in creating abination of humans and animals."


    "There was no record of how they were treated, but they should be quite powerful. Fearing the retaliation of these demi-humans, the humans decided to expel them so that they wouldn''t harm all four kingdoms."


    "To avoid it happening again, all the people working on this project had to be eliminated so that they wouldn''t make something like this anymore. I''m not sure if they destroyed the ruins or not, but at least one of them survived."


    "Meanwhile, my ancestor helped the migration of these demi-humans and eventually allowed them to settle down in a newnd far from here. After that, nothing happened between them anymore."


    Noel thought he had guessed it correctly. And the remainder of the story was simr to what was written in their history.


    "In the previous life, Old Ru''s grandson ended up following me back to the human kingdom. It must be shocking to this kingdom, but it would cause a lot of controversy as well. He would be in danger and might even learn this information and the ruin. I couldn''t imagine what kind of reaction he would have."


    Noel felt a headache thinking about that possibility anymore. It seemed that he had made a correct choice in not bringing him here.


    "In any case, I got a good grasp of what this ruin is. It''s just¡­ I don''t know how far these people could go. And there doesn''t seem to be any record in this ce¡­" Noel looked around. He hadn''t found a single book in this ce. It seemed they had at least erased the written record. Without it, the people of this generation would have trouble replicating what they did.


    "Will the people of the Atrecaeca Kingdom kill me because of witnessing something like this? I could fight them, but it would be troublesome if they worked together with the Supreme Devil Organization."


    Noel was afraid that in order to keep this a secret, Legz would make a deal with the Supreme Devil Organization to capture him. They could simply lure him out and let the organization do the rest. While it was true that he had Dimitri, it was still impossible to stop two Devil Saints unless Dimitri used his True Spirit Body.


    But the moment he used it, Dimitri would be weakened, giving them a chance to capture him. So, he didn''t know what he should do in this situation.


    "It seems that my n has to be changed again after seeing this ruin." Noel nced at the stair that led him to the lower level. "I have to inspect the entire ruin before I can figure out what I should do."


    With that thought in mind, Noel immediately headed down to discover the rest of the ruin. He had to be fast and careful if he wanted to survive. At the same time, he was also worried because he had to bring Tristan and Sandra out of this ce as well.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 826 Bottom Floor

    ?


    Noel continued to the next floor.


    He found something slightly different on this floor. Instead of all the tubes with demon corpses, he actually found a lot of big machines. He didn''t understand their function.


    Next to the door were two big machines: one was a big cylinder-shaped machine, and the other was a cube. There were a few moreplicated machines scattered in the room. However, they did have one thing inmon. All of them were not active.


    Considering this facility was a thousand years old buildings, there was no way the energy source could still provide them.


    There was one more thing that piqued his interest.


    "It''s getting cold here." Noel measured the temperature with his bare skin. If not for the fact that he had both ice and fire spirits, he would have trouble adjusting to it.


    He could only think of one possible reason. "It seems that I''m about to reach the bottom floor. I wonder what will await me."


    Noel still didn''t sense a single demon lying nearby. Since the ones he had found were dead, the Demon Hunter Medal didn''t pick it up. So, if there was really another demon lying in the ambush, they should have died.


    "Still, it''s quite surprising that even with a facility like this, they don''t install any booby traps." Noel looked around. After confirming that he couldn''t find a single record, Noel continued to the next floor.


    The temperature decreased even further. This time, the floor was filled with a lot of items. He could recognize some because it was a part of his job when he was with the Demon Relief Squad.


    Noel easily recognized the room as storage. There were many shelves storing all kinds of items. Unfortunately, he couldn''t find anything useful. Hence, Noel left the floor, heading to the next one.


    And in this ce, he finally saw the end of the stairs.


    "Hmm?" Noel examined the stair. Since there were no more stairs, the area was turned into small storage. There was nothing suspicious among the items, so Noel headed to the door leading to thest room.


    But when he held the door handle, he noticed it was so cold that even his hand almost got frozen.


    "Ouch." Noel instinctively took out his hand and looked at his hand. There was no frostbite, but the fact that this item could somehow freeze him.


    "I guess I should expect this level of power from an item that can almost evolve Heisk to a Humanoid Rank." Noel smirked, feeling challenged. Since there was no demon inside the room, he focused his energy on his fire element to fight against the cold.


    "I don''t know if this will work, but¡­" Noel took a deep breath and started pushing the handle down, only to find it stuck. As one would expect, the door waspletely frozen.


    He could destroy the door with brute force, but it would create a lot of noise. So, he wrapped the entire door with his Undying Fire. Instead of pouring too much to melt it, he only used enough Spiritual Energy to warm up the door until all the ice melted.


    The process took five minutes, showing how powerful the ice was. But he finally could open the door.


    *Fwoosh!*


    A chilling breeze instantly escaped the room, brushing his skin.


    "!!!" The coldness was so extreme that Noel instinctively poured more Spiritual Energy into his fire. This was the first time he had experienced this extreme cold. "What''s wrong with this item?"


    Noel gritted his teeth. If not for his Undying me, he would definitely get frozen just from the temperature alone.


    But as soon as he adjusted himself to the temperature, he raised his head and found what had actually transpired inside this ce.


    "What?!" Noel gasped out loud. He couldn''t believe it. On the opposite side of the room, he could see a lot of humans getting frozen.


    Noel had realized where all the people in this area were. It turned out they had been hiding here this whole time.


    However, he could only see a hundred humans on the opposite side. Considering the size of the room he had seen so far, he suspected that the rest were hiding behind the wall next to him.


    Gulping down, he entered the room, seeking out the truth.


    To his surprise, the room wasn''t as big as the rest despite it being at the bottom of the building. Additionally, the spot where he expected to find the other humans that maintained this giant structure was actually filled by other species.


    Yes, he could actually find demons and demi-humans getting frozen in this ce. The demons seemed to be made of desert animals. They looked like they were trying to run to the left side of the room, but they ended up getting frozen.


    On his left stood a few statues made of frozen demi-humans. They were looking angry as if they wanted to kill the humans in front of them.


    Some of the demi-humans looked perfect like Old Ru, but some others had grotesque physiques like the ones he found on the upper floor. He realized that they were the failed creation.


    Noel scanned the room, especially the demons. It seemed that they were trying to grasp something.


    When he followed their vision, he found a small floating gem. The gem was like a blue jade. It was polished cleanly, but it didn''t let out any light, making it hard to find if there was no clue. In fact, Noel couldn''t find any trace of its Spiritual Energy as if it had beenpletely exhausted.


    "What is this? Is this crystal the thing that I''ve been looking for this whole time?" Noel frowned. He entered the room carefully as the cold started attacking him, trying to freeze him like the others in this room.


    Noel also scanned the room. There was one thing that didn''t make sense.


    Why would the humans and the demi-humans be ced against each other? They looked like they were arguing before getting frozen. Why would their number be low, not matching the size of this building? Lastly, why did the demons stay in that ce?Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    At first, he suspected that ''something'' had moved the demi-humans and the humans in this ce. But when he looked at the demons, he wondered if that something truly existed. If that was the case, that something would have organized them.


    Hence, his theory might be incorrect. In addition, he couldn''t find a single answer to their number problem.


    This building had a total of fifteen floors. Each floor had a size that could easily fit a hundred people. However, there was no way only a hundred people could maintain this building. They should have other staff to clean, cook, and do other necessities.


    Hence, he believed that the number should have been at least two to three hundred people.


    "Why does the number not match up? And the fact that not a single person remains on other floors¡­" Noel fell silent while walking toward the humans.


    Although he wanted to grasp the ice jade right away, he shouldn''t do it rashly. The way it froze the entire room showed him that this jade was extremely powerful. If he grabbed it casually, he might get harmed even with the Undying Fire protection.


    Noel tried to examine each human and muttered, "Are they still alive? No, I guess. After all, I couldn''t pick a single presence from the demons even with the medal."


    "Still, these humans look rather unfamiliar¡­" Noel realized that their features were different from his or even the people from the Atrecaeca Kingdom.


    After the Spiritual Energy filled the world, humans also began to evolve, especially with the help of the spirits. It was said that the natural color of hair in the previous civilization was only white, ck, blond, red, and brown. But after the dark period, humans evolved, and the genes gradually changed to match the Spiritual Energy, including their hair and eye color.


    Every single of these people had the same ck hair. Their eyes were round, and their eyebrows were a bit thicker than normal people.


    "Still, other than the facial features¡­ I don''t think there is any difference?" Noel looked up and down. He examined their bodies thoroughly, whether they were males or females. "Their skin color is simr to mine. But their facial features are different. I''m not sure, but I guess we have changed in the course of one thousand years."


    Since he couldn''t find anything from the human bodies, he began to switch to the demi-humans. Although some of them had a gross-looking mutation, he still examined them.


    But Noel abruptly stopped in one of them. "Wait a minute¡­ Isn''t this¡­"


    Noel sucked a cold breath and looked at the piece of clothing that a single of them actually had.


    A part of it had been torn away, but the one that was still hanging got frozen, showing something that he could never believe.


    What he saw was actually a piece of the white coat that the humans had. He raised his head, looking at the person''s face.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ They are conducting their experiments on the workers?"


    Upon that finding, Noel realized why the number didn''t match. It turned out the number was perfect all along. However, he had to count all the demi-humans and all those experimental subjects on the upper floor.

 Chapter 827 A Negotiation?

    ?


    "All these are the workers of the building?" Noel gasped and took a step back, looking around once again. When he thought about it, there were a few people who didn''t have the mutation on their faces.


    As he predicted, their features were extremely simr to the real humans on the other side of the room. In other words, they conducted their experiments on themselves.


    "What is going on here?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. He never thought that these people would be so indifferent and ruthless.


    The reason why these demi-humans showed such anger toward these humans was because of this.


    "But there is one more concerning problem¡­" Noel had noticed one most important matter. "The fact that all of them are staying here means they have been gathered by a certain person."


    That was the only exnation for why all these people would evene here. However, when he turned his head around to the location of the blue jade, he didn''t find any trace of humans. In other words, there was no one who gathered them to freeze them.


    It was most likely that this person actually froze everyone on all those floors and brought them all here.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "That''s right. This is the only possibility. It''s quite hard to gather every single one of them in this ce. So, he must have done it one by one. After he seeded, he must have stolen all the secret books and records about the experiment before running away from this ce."


    "If this is the case, then that person must have gone somewhere. But whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there didn''t seem to have any change around the four kingdoms. This ce was built one thousand years ago, so there should be a leak somewhere in time. There was no way a ce could hide its secret for a thousand years if we are realistically speaking."


    "Then, does that mean the one who did steal these records was actually a demi-human?" Noel couldn''t see any other culprits where the information didn''t leak. There was also a chance that it was a human and he died in an unknown ce, guarding that secret with his death.


    However, that didn''t matter to him for the time being. The problem was that this person left behind this blue jade in this ce.


    "If my theory is correct, the moment Heisk absorbs this jade, the ice will gradually melt." Noel was considering the repercussions of his action.


    Since that person froze the people from each floor and there was no trace of it being frozen anymore, it was clear that the ice would melt when the jade disappeared from this ce.


    Noel frowned. "If I take this jade, what will happen to the bodies that have been freed from the ice?"


    On the one hand, he had made sure that taking the jade was possible without any traps the previous civilization had. On the other hand, he encountered another problem that couldn''t be tread lightly.


    "No, I shouldn''t think of it that way. If I''m not wrong, I should have done the same in that alternate world ording to Anna. So, the people from the Atrecaeca Kingdom would have found out about these bodies as well. The problem is that I didn''t ask for more details about it from Anna."


    Noel simply didn''t expect that he would encounter this problem. If only he had asked whether this finding would cause a shock to the country or not, he could make his decision easier.


    "What should I do now?" Noel looked around. If something bad happened by taking away the jade, he would have be the enemy of the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    After some thought, Noel decided to sit down, meditating. His consciousness gradually shifted to another ce where Ardagan and Heisk stood in front of him.


    "Ardagan, Heisk." Noel nodded to the.


    "Greetings." Heisk nodded while Ardagan asked, "Do you have something to ask?"


    "You should have seen what I''ve witnessed. So, I will just go to the point. Is there a way to absorb the jade without causing the ice to melt? Will there be a problem with Heisk''s breakthrough if I do that?"


    Ardagan fell silent while Heisk said, "I can confirm that I won''t have any problem. It''s just that I will be a bit farther from the evolution process. Though, I''m not sure if it''s possible or not."


    "You can''t only absorb a portion of it?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "No. I can absorb only a portion of its energy, but I don''t know if it''ll be strong enough to continue freezing these people or not. Besides, because I have to control the absorption rate, I will require a lot of time."


    "Now that I think about it, the original n is to take the jade away and let you absorb it, right?"


    "Yes. In that case, I can simply disappear for a bit to absorb it. But since we have to do it in this ce, then you will be stuck here for a long time."


    "How long?"


    Heisk calcted the amount of energy and answered, "Approximately three days."


    "Three days, huh?" Noel had to consider Tristan and Sandra, the movement of the Atrecaeca Kingdom, and the Supreme Devil Organization. So, staying here for three days definitelyplicated things.


    "That is the only way if you only want to absorb the energy from the jade. Heisk should be able to stop when the temperature almost increases to the freezing point. I don''t know how much energy she has taken until that point though." Ardagan added and Heisk confirmed it with a nod.


    Three days was enough time for Legz to reach this ce while being careful. It was also enough for the Supreme Devil Organization to create traps and ns to ambush him.


    Either way, it would prove to be fatal if he continued to stay in this location for a prolonged time.


    "I think you are too good." Ardagan suddenly spoke. "It''s true that you have to consider others after taking something, but in this ce, you need the ability to escape and utilize what you''ve gained. If you can''t, then it''s useless."


    Ardagan was urging him to plunder everything since this chance didn''te so often. In fact, this was what most people would do. If they got the blue jade and went away with it, they could get all the benefits they wanted. Meanwhile, those who were around the area would suffer in their ce.


    Even if he cared about them, no one would care about him. So, it was useless to consider it properly.


    Heisk seemed to agree with him. Noel was too smart for his own good. If he was a little dumber, he wouldn''t have seen through the potential harm that his action might cause. And he wouldn''t have to face this kind of problem.


    Yet, the situation had forced him to consider it.


    However, Ardagan''s words actually provided some clues to Noel.


    "The people to handle the potential cmity¡­" Noel fell silent. He abruptly smiled, "That''s right!"


    The two spirits were confused by the sudden mood change.


    "Wait a bit, you two. I have to do something." Noel suddenly disappeared as his consciousness returned to his real body.


    He suddenly rose from the floor and climbed the stairs.


    He went all the way to the fourth floor where Legz set up a camp. When he felt the aura of Spirit Grandmasters behind the door, Noel opened it, rming everyone.


    Bang!


    "!!!" The people raised their weapons, including Legz, ready to fight against the demons. However, Noel was the one that surprised them.


    Without hesitation, Legz charged forward. He had to capture Noel to understand the situation and his identity. After all, he caused him to be threatened by that mysterious group.


    Noel didn''t move a single step even though he was confronted by Legz. In fact, Legz should be the one to stop.


    He sensed the aura of Spirit Grandmasters. That was right, there must be another Spirit Grandmaster besides Legz.


    And in that instant, Legz''s shadow suddenly rose and restrained his hands, upper body, and legs, stopping his movement.


    At the same time, a mysterious figure emerged from Ramuer''s shadow with a de right in front of its neck.


    "It''s better to stop doing something reckless, Grand Protector."


    "!!!" Legz abruptly stopped. He didn''t even struggle because the voice came in the direction of the second prince. When he turned around, he saw a mysterious person holding his second prince hostage.


    It was clear that if Noel wanted to fight, he couldn''t defeat Noel easily. At that time, this mysterious person would have sliced off the second prince''s neck before helping Noel.


    "Who are you?!" Legz gritted his teeth, annoyed by the fact that he got involved in their power struggle.


    But this was the question that Noel had been waiting for.


    "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Noel Ardagan." Noel politely nodded to them.


    "Noel Ardagan?" Both Legz and Ramuer recognized that name. "The author of the rune book?"


    "That''s right." Noel smirked. "And I''m here to negotiate with you. Will you lower your weapons and hear me out?"

 Chapter 828 Reaching An Agreement

    ?


    Legz furrowed his eyebrows, still not believing that the person in front of them was the one who created the rune book.


    However, Ramuer suddenly spoke out even with Dimitri''s de on his neck. He asked out loud, "Can you prove your identity?"


    Noel grinned and raised his hand. In that instant, a rune formed in front of him. It was the basic Strength Blessing Rune, directed to both Legz and Ramuer. In that instant, both of them could feel the surge of strength. Although it was quite good, it wouldn''t be enough to defeat Noel and Dimitri.


    "¡­" Legz fell silent since he could feel the effect of that rune.


    "Is that Strength Blessing Rune?" Ramuer examined the effect and the rune''s appearance. He was more knowledgeable than Legz in the rune because of his position as the second prince.


    "Correct." Noel nodded without hesitation. Dimitri didn''t know why Noel actually exposed himself like this, but it seemed that he was nning to use these people to escape from this ce.


    "Still, that doesn''t prove your identity. After the rune book is spread, there are already a lot of people learning it. It won''t be strange if they manage to use it, especially with the fact that youe from the Muivell Kingdom, the original country of Noel Ardagan."


    "I guess so." Noel smirked. "Well, the Greenwood Kingdom is easier to talk to. But I guess I''ll show you something even more interesting."


    "More interesting?" Ramuer narrowed his eyes.


    Noel took out a coin and showed it to them. After that, he tossed the coin into the air and embedded an Enhance Forward Rune on it.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    In that instant, the coin flew straight to Legz, which he caught easily.


    Still, Legz felt the impact of the coin. Because the coin didn''t have the shape for killing and the weight to crush, it wasn''t much to a Spirit Grandmaster like him. But if Noel imbued that power into a sword or something, it would definitely be fatal.


    In fact, they could use it in one way or another to suppress the demons.


    This was Rune Engineering. He programmed a certain movement into an object.


    The Greenwood Kingdom had learned about this through the exchange, but there was no deal about keeping this a secret. So, he could use this as a negotiation piece.


    "¡­" Legz had never seen this kind of application. He couldn''t help but look back to Ramuer, who was as shocked as him.


    A genius might be able to do something like this, but the creator would certainly be a genius himself. Even if Noel turned out to be fake, they could still benefit from him.


    After contemting for a moment, Ramuer said, "Lower your weapons, this is my order as the second prince."


    "¡­" The people were confused, but when they saw Legz also sheathed his weapon, the others chose to lower their weapons.


    Dimitri then disappeared, returning back to Noel''s side.


    Ramuer stood next to Legz and said, "I don''t think this is an appropriate ce to negotiate."


    Noel nodded and walked to the door he had emerged from earlier and invited them in.


    Seeing Ramuer entering it, Legz followed suit and was surprised that there was a stair behind this door.


    "To think there is a stair leading down in this ce¡­" Ramuer examined the small room that only had endless stairs.


    Noel didn''t say anything and continued moving to the next floor before opening the door again, showing that this would be a better ce to talk.


    Although Ramuer and Legz were curious about how deep the building was, they still followed Noel.


    "So, what do you want to propose, Mr. Noel?" Ramuer asked. "Since you are in danger from the attack, let''s skip all the pleasantries."


    "Thank you." Noel nodded. "They should have predicted when letting all of you alive that their identities will be exposed. So, let me just reveal their identity. They are from the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Supreme Devil Organization? The Muivell Kingdom''s most notorious organization?" Ramuer looked surprised, while Legz felt a bit skeptical about their identity. After all, even if they learned about their identity, what could they do?


    The Supreme Devil Organization brought powerful people. And it would be hard to survive under their onught. While they could report the organization to the Grand Protector, they had to survive first.


    Legz said, "If you''re nning to use us to survive, I will have to let you know that we don''t have enough people to guarantee your safety."


    "Well, that''s fair enough. The enemies have two Devil Saints. Their strength is at the Peak Spirit Grandmaster. The muscr one has a body of steel, and the woman is the best sniper in the world." Dimitri confirmed their identities, showing how powerful the enemies were.


    "I was chased by four Spirit Grandmasters and six Spirit Masters. While I could somehow fight them, I''m not sure if I could defeat them." Noel nodded in agreement.


    Ramuer made a wry smile. It was already amazing to fight four Spirit Grandmasters as a Spirit Master, but Noel had considered the possibility of him winning against them.


    "So, what do you want, Mr. Noel?" Ramuer reminded him of the first question.


    "Alright. I have two demands." Noel raised two fingers. "One, I want you to bring a message to a certain ce. Second, I want to take the thing this ruin has."


    "The second one is impossible. That''s the exact reason why wee here!" Legz stopped him while ring.


    However, Noel added, "The item that you want to take is actually irrelevant to the creation of an oasis. It is an ice element item that can strengthen an Ice Spirit. It''s more beneficial for me to take it since both of your spirits don''t have that element. It can''t create an oasis."


    "Huh?" Legz thought he was bluffing, but Ramuer stopped him while asking, "So, you''re telling us that wee in vain?"


    "Not necessarily. There are people from the previous civilizations, including the demi-humans underneath us. If I take away the item, the freezing will be undone."


    Ramuer looked down for a moment and said, "From the previous civilization? Haven''t they died? No, wait¡­ Did they¡­"


    Legz asked, "Are you going to trust him?"


    "It''s just¡­ There is one thing that piques my interest. We''ve learned how to preserve meat, right?"


    "Yes."


    "There is one method that can actually stop the time of that living being. If we''re talking about ice, it must be that method."


    "!!!" Legz raised his eyebrows. He obviously knew what Ramuer was talking about. He was talking about Cryonics, where the human remains were frozen and stored at a low temperature with the spective hope that resurrection was possible in the future.


    Considering there was an item that had been releasing its energy for a thousand years to solve that problem, it was possible. And Noel even mentioned demi-humans.


    "Still, don''t you think that we can simply get that from you without this agreement? That''s our original objective after all?"


    "Indeed. But do you think I will let you?" Noel''s eyes became cold. However, the tension didn''t rise as Ramuer simply shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. But what are you going to offer us? You should be aware that you''re currently standing in Atrecaeca Kingdom''s soil."


    "I know. In exchange for those two conditions, I will offer you the Rune Engineering Method. You could basically say that this is the advanced method of the basic rune. Rune Engineering can program a certain movement into an object. I''m sure you can see how useful it is for the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "Movement¡­" Ramuer contemted for a moment. "Are you sure you''re not asking us to protect you?"


    "I''m not nning to bring the Atracaeca Kingdom to my conflict."


    Ramuer and Noel stared at each other for a while before Ramuer added, "Seeing your current condition, I don''t think you will be able to write another book right now. How can we know that you will survive and give us the book?"


    "You can only believe in me." Noel shook his head.


    "If you die, we will get nothing." Ramuer raised one finger. "Hence, you, the creator of that book, should know a better method to learn runes, right?"


    "!!!" Noel raised his eyebrows before falling into deep thought. It seemed that Ramuer was nning to take advantage of the situation. But that was enough because he could see what would happen.


    "Fine. I''ll give you the method."


    "Good. We have a deal." Ramuer nced at Legz as if telling him to stand down. Since Ramuer had agreed to it, Legz had no choice but toply.


    "I will bring you to the bottom floor to confirm everything. Make sure you wrap yourself in warm clothes since it''s going to be cold."


    Ramuer nodded and decided to go back with Legz.


    When they were away, Legz asked, "Are you sure about this?"


    "Of course. I don''t think he can survive their onught with only two people. And it''s not like that organization dares to touch us. So, it''s better we get something first. Besides, he indirectly implied that he had a connection to the Greenwood Kingdom, right? We could simply strike another deal with them instead of him. And once we leave this ce, we can mobilize the army. Also, aren''t you curious about the message he wants us to pass?"


    Ramuer had calcted that there were numerous methods that he could take advantage of. Unbeknownst to him, his own action was the reason why Noel didn''t n to make another agreement with the Atracaeca Kingdom.

 Chapter 829 Absorbing

    ?


    "Master. Are you alright with that condition? They are trying to squeeze us dry." Dimitri asked while looking at the back as if staring at the lingering Ramuer and Legz figures.


    "It''s fine." Noel nodded.


    "But even if we get their cooperation, we haven''t got their protection, right? It doesn''t change the fact that we''re surrounded by the Supreme Devil Organization." Dimitri recalled the information from the past and continued, "If my prediction is correct, that old hag is nning to infiltrate this ce soon. She is not the type that will wait for us passively."


    "That''s why speed is the essence here. How long do you think we have left?"


    Dimitri briefly calcted. "Three hours at worst."


    "That''s enough." Noel immediately brought a few papers with him and wrote down all he wanted to say.


    Dimitri asked, "Are you going to send the message to them?"


    "Yeah. Tristan and Sandra have to go alone." Noel nodded. The message was simple, but Noel had actually drawn a few runes on the paper, telling Tristan to study it. Dimitri felt something was off when Noel actually told Tristan not to think about him anymore.


    However, Noel had made his decision, so he chose to believe it. Although Noel was still young, he had a talent for war as someone whose ancestor was the great general of the Muivell Kingdom. With every win and defeat, Noel grew to be an even better general.


    Hence, he thought Noel had another message that he wanted to convey in this letter, and only Tristan could see it.


    "How are we nning to escape from the Supreme Devil Organization? Although I hate to admit it, without the True Spirit Body, I can''t kill that gori in an instant. Even though I''m an assassin, it''s impossible unless I can weaken him first. And you will be chased by the other elites, including Qiel."


    Noel had thought about it when he was on the bottom floor. He pointed at his body and said, "I have a way."


    "The Rune Body?"


    "Yeah. If it''s necessary, I don''t want you to unleash your True Spirit Body. While it''s true that we''re in a dire situation, it doesn''t change the fact that it''s still salvageable. I''m not that weak guy anymore."


    "Then, where are we supposed to regroup? Since I''m going to focus on that steel guy, we''ll be separated, right?"


    "Yeah. We will be meeting with Tristan and Sandra in the town northeast of this ce called Elk City."


    "I understand. But I won''t be that far away from you so that I can help you in case something bad happens. I''m ready to use the True Spirit Body anytime."


    "I know." Noel examined his writing for a moment. After he was sure that it had conveyed everything he wanted, Noel began writing the secret to learn the rune effectively. Although he knew that Ramuer was taking advantage of the situation to extort him, he didn''t n to break his promise. He was a man of integrity after all.


    After one hour, Ramuer and Legz returned with thick clothes.


    Noel handed him the letter with the location of the inn to Ramuer. "This is the letter."


    "Don''t worry. I will definitely deliver the letter." Ramuer smiled while adding inwardly, ''Of course, I''m not saying that I won''t look at it first.''


    Noel then handed a second piece of paper and said, "This is the secret to learning the rune faster. Or at least, this is what I''ve used to improve myself."


    To have the secret from the creator himself was a big achievement. Even if Noel didn''t survive, he still won big.


    "If you don''t mind, I have a little request." Noel raised one finger and continued, "Since I''m going to dispel the cold, it means that your men can get all those frozen people out. This ruin can be investigated fully at ater date, so I hope that you can bring those people out right away since we don''t know what will happen to them when the ice melts."


    Noel looked like he was concerned about those people''s lives as a proper human being. And Ramuer didn''t see anything more to it, so he agreed, "Sure. I''m d that you are a good person."


    Legz also couldn''t see what Noel wanted. He thought Noel was simply too good of a man and this was the reason why they could take advantage of him.


    They didn''t realize that Noel allowed them to take advantage of him so that they would think of him that way. This was Noel''s n in using them.


    After reaching an agreement, Noel said, "Let''s go. I''ll guide you to the bottom floor. After you''ve confirmed everything, I''ll get the ice element item and you can then send people inside."


    Those four started going to the bottom floor. He didn''t n to let them see the tubes of the experiments since it wasn''t necessary. And the quicker the Supreme Devil Organization left, the safer their progress would be.


    Hence, Ramuer and Legz didn''t bother to check the other floors, thinking Noel had inspected them.


    Once they reached the bottom floor, Noel warned, "Please stand back. It''s going to be extremely cold."


    Both of them could feel the cold leaking from the door, so they immediately covered their bodies with Spiritual Energy while maintaining a proper distance.


    When Noel opened the door, the ice cold breeze hit them. If they weren''t wearing thick clothes, they would have experienced frostbite. Normal people would have been frozen to death, they thought.


    "I see. So, this is the ice item." Ramuer narrowed his eyes. "It''s no wonder that it can freeze them for so long."


    Ramuer and Legz could take a glimpse of those frozen humans inside like Noel when he first came. Ramuer, who was also knowledgeable in preservation, confirmed that if those people were alive before getting frozen, they could still be resurrected.


    With a nod from Ramuer, Legz smirked, wondering how much contribution he would make if he managed to bring back the extraordinary people from the past civilization.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    After their bodies adjusted to the temperature, they entered the room and found the ice jade floating in the air.


    Noel said, "As per the agreement, I will be taking this. Once it''s been absorbed the ice energy will dissipate and the temperature of the room will increase. You''ll immediately bring these people back to the surface for treatment."


    ''We don''t have anyone important in our ranks that uses ice elements. Looking at this ice jade, it''s clear that it won''t form an oasis. So, we''ve got a good deal since we can get the secret of runes for it.'' Ramuer thought. He nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes. We''ll fulfill our side of the agreement."


    Noel then moved toward the ice element, telling Heisk inwardly, ''Get ready.''


    Once he stood in front of the ice element, Noel took out the Ocean Pearl Ne he got from the Third Prince. As the mission described, the Ocean Pearl Ne resonated with the ice jade.


    The ne began to emit Spiritual Energy and dimly shone. The ice jade also released a burst of Spiritual Energy, followed by flowing Spiritual Energy that seemed to be moving toward the ne.


    ''Ardagan. What is this ice jade and ne?''


    [The Ocean Pearl Ne is created from a pearl that resides at the bottom of the ocean. Not only was the pressure huge, but the temperature was also cold. However, no matter how cold it was, it didn''t reach the freezing point. And this ice jade is the trigger to fully activate its ability.]


    ''The Third Prince said that the Ocean Pearl Ne is good for an ice element user, but it turns out to be iplete. It needs to be activated by a powerful ice element to show its true might?''


    [Yes. And Heisk will feed on it. You''ll understand the rest in the reward.]


    As Ardagan said those words, the Ocean Pearl Ne continued absorbing the energy from the ice jade.


    Ramuer and Legz could feel the temperature increase rapidly as more and more energy was absorbed.


    The one controlling the Ocean Pearl Ne was Heisk. Since Noel wanted to suck everything, she maintained the fastest speed and warned Noel, "I''ll be done in three minutes and seal the energy."


    ''Go on,'' Noel replied. Heisk''s Spirit Link and Spirit Seal were flickering as Noel poured more and more energy so that Heisk could maintain this pace.


    After three minutes, Noel could barely feel any Spiritual Energy left from the ice jade. The light from it also began to flicker and the temperature had increased to a bit below freezing. While it was still cold, there was no doubt that the ice would disappear sooner orter.


    After a few more seconds, the energy was finally suckedpletely. And Noel poured the energy into his ne, allowing Heisk topletely trap the energy inside the ne.


    It was at this time Ardagan showed the mission.


    [Mission: Heisk''s Evolution.]


    [Description: There is a mystical ice crystal underneath Ricoral City. The crystal will resonate with the Ocean Pearl Ne and be extremely beneficial for Heisk''s Evolution.]


    [Reward: Ocean Pearl Ne]


    [Mission: Heisk''s Evolution II.]


    [Description: Heisk will proceed to absorb the energy that has been stored inside the ne (3 days).]


    [Reward: ???]


    ''I guess Ardagan doesn''t n to tell me everything. Well, I hope that you are satisfied with this for now, Heisk.'' Noel turned around and said to Legz and Ramuer, "I''m done."

 Chapter 830 The Calm Before The Storm

    ?


    "I''m done."


    Ramuer and Legz were still in a state of shock. They had just witnessed something incredible.


    Normally, if one absorbed an item like this, their entire body would be influenced. In Noel''s case, he would be frozen, or at the very least, a few frostbite would appear on his body.


    But that didn''t happen. They could see that Noel was using his Spiritual Energy to absorb it, so he must have been influenced in one way or another.


    The reason why he wasn''t affected must be because of that ne. Still, a normal ne wouldn''t be able to withstand the power of the ice jade. From the Spiritual Energy it exuded alone, the ice jade was far too extraordinary for a ne that didn''t look mystical at all.


    Yet, the ne was able to contain that power and seal the power within it.


    "¡­" Ramuer and Legz suddenly felt a reing from behind. It was none other than Dimitri.


    That was a warning from Dimitri, telling them not to be controlled by their greed. If they thought about getting that ne and taking back their words, he would kill them here even if it meant fighting against the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    Ramuer made a wry smile, saying, "Congrattions."


    Noel nodded with a calm expression even though he saw the greed in their eyes. He said, "The temperature has increased significantly. We should get moving right away."


    "That''s right." Ramuer nced at Legz.


    Legz acknowledged the order and waved his hands. The sand started flowing into the room and carried a few people.


    "Legz will bring a few people right away and send the rest of the people downter. Getting all these people can be done within one hour, so rest assured." Ramuer exined.


    Noel agreed with him and immediately climbed to the higher floor again, ready tounch his next n.


    Meanwhile, Legz showed the people about the frozen people. He asked a few strong Spirit Wielders and Masters to help him carry all these people so that they could be brought back to the kingdom. Since they had to carry them more than ten floors, only Spirit Wielders or above could do it with their abilities.


    Ramuer stayed above, organizing the rest of the people while preparing to bring them outside. After all, they had to go through that small tunnel to go outside.


    The process was very quick and Noel didn''t have to take too long. While waiting, Noel asked his spirits, ''How is it?''


    [Heisk is in the middle of absorbing it. While you can still wield her power, she won''t be able to respond to you.]


    ''How about you, Ardagan? I think this is the first time I''ve asked this. Do you feel anything when Heisk absorbs something and vice versa? You both are residing within my body after all.''


    [You don''t have to worry about us. We are in a separate realm, so we won''t be affected at all. Only when you visit us do we go to that one realm to match your consciousness.]


    ''I see. There are a lot of things I don''t know about Spirits.'' Noel might have done a lot to know the spirits from their ranks to their abilities.


    But he had never questioned the environment. Unfortunately, he didn''t have time to explore all that.


    He only asked, ''I have one important question for you, Ardagan. If I somehow die without an heir, what will happen to you? If I''m not wrong, you are rted to the Ardagan Family, right?''


    [Yes. While I have consciousness and anyone can actually wield me if I allow it, the Spirit God has tasked me to protect the bloodline. But if there is no more in your family''s bloodline, I will be taken back to the Spirit World.]


    ''I see. Since you''re directly connected to the Spirit God, will that affect the other spirits in this world?''


    [Not at all. I''m just one among many spirits. Humans have survived for countless millennia, so they will be able to survive even without me. Though, I wish that you can continue to survive.]


    Noel fell silent and couldn''t help but ask, ''Why did you choose me? I waszy. In fact, my father looked like a better fit to be your host. After all, the Spirit Conversion Rate doesn''t apply to you since you can boost the other spirit''s Conversion Rate.''


    [If you manage to synchronize with my True Spirit Body, I will tell you the answer.]


    Noel made a wry smile. ''You know what? You''ve always told me like this a lot of times¡­ like I''m not strong enough to handle the truth. No, I admit that I''m not strong enough, but it shouldn''t affect my progress, right? After all, knowing oneself can allow you to progress even further.''


    [It''s not like that. While there are times that the truth will bring danger to you, you don''t have to be strong enough to know the truth. What I want you to know is that you have a quality that you haven''t seen.]


    ''So, you''re telling me that you will tell me about it after being able to use the True Spirit Body?''


    [Something like that.]


    Noel sighed. ''Alright. Sometimes, I wish that you could be more open. I know that I might not be the best host to learn about you and other spirits, but sometimes, I won''t know if you don''t tell me about it.''


    [I will remember that. I also sincerely wish for that day toe.]


    Noel smiled, hoping the same. He took a deep breath and checked the progress.


    Legz seemed to have extracted about two hundred fifty bodies. The people were also shocked to see demi-humans, but they could only follow orders since Legz and the second prince were the ones overseeing this matter.


    Since they were about to finish, Noel said to Dimitri, "You can use your shadow to leave, right?"


    "Yes. But Qiel should be able to see through it."


    "How far do we have to go until she is unable to find you?"


    "If I''m not wrong, her range of vision is about two kilometers."


    "Are you confident going like that for two kilometers before anyone catches up?"


    Dimitri looked down, contemting. "Considering Qiel''s weapon, she should be a bit far away as well. If I move in the opposite direction, I should be able to do that."


    "No. Don''t go in the opposite direction. Pretty sure that she will station that other Devil Saint in that ce."


    Dimitri changed this n immediately. "In that case, I will change my direction depending on their position."


    "Yeah. But there is one more thing. This is probably the only way we can fool them and move away." Noel waved his hand, asking Dimitri to move closer.


    Dimitri lowered his head as Noel whispered his n in his ear.


    The n shocked Dimitri a bit, not expecting this kind of n. But it might actually work since Qiel would be focused on him. Even if he had to fight against both Qiel and Nelfer, Dimitri had enough strength to escape without using the True Spirit Body.


    And it seemed that Noel had also nned another route for Tristan and Sandra. He didn''t know how long this could work, but he knew this was their chance.


    ¡­


    While Dimitri and Noel discussed their strategy, Qiel, Nelfer, and the rest of the group had been observing the ruin from a distance.


    "This is too hot. Are we still going to wait here? Why don''t we just crush the building or even infiltrate that ce? I know that the ones leading the expedition are somewhat special, but we can somehow capture our target without harming them, right? After all, we have two Devil Saints and several Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors."


    "You are underestimating them too much. Dimitri might have a hard time breaking your defense, but that Noel is not ordinary either. I shot him once, but he looked fine after blocking it. While it''s not a lethal arrow, it contains all Spiritual Energy I could put into my arrow. In other words, his strength is like a Spirit Grandmaster¡­ perhaps even stronger than the Devil Bishops we''ve brought here. So, we will have to wait for a period of time so that they almost forget about us before infiltrating the ruins."


    "Hoh?" Nelfer raised his eyebrows. "He could have that strength while he is only a Spirit Master? What will happen once he reaches Spirit Grandmaster or even gains the True Spirit Body?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "That''s how it is. If we let him grow, it''ll be troublesome. And I heard he is nning to rebuild the Ardagan Family¡­ There is a chance that he will reassemble all the powerhouses. So, it won''t be easy to fight the Ardagan Family as well."


    "I heard about it. While the Royal Family and two Duke Families that contained strong Arbiters were hard to fight, the most annoying one was the Ardagan Family."


    "That''s why we have to seed in this mission. If not, the hurdle will increase drastically the next time we try this thing again."


    "Got it. I''ll do my best to stop Dimitri. Unless he can chop me, he won''t be able to bother you and the rest."


    Qiel nodded in agreement before noticing something. Her eyes started shining again as if she had seen something.


    "You should go into your position," Qiel ordered.


    "What''s wrong?" Nelfer asked.


    "I saw Dimitri looking around. He must be searching for our position. I thought we had to infiltrate the ruins once they forgot about us, but it seemed that we could capture them directly."


    "Hehe. I''m getting fired up." Nelfer smirked before disappearing from the area.

 Chapter 831 Battle Of Wits

    ?


    "Hmm?!" Qiel narrowed her eyes when she noticed another movement from the ruin''s direction. "Wait, isn''t that¡­"


    Legz had first split the group into two. The first group entered the ruin with him while the second group maintained the security of the area.


    The second group hadn''t made any other moves, showing that they were waiting for Legz. Additionally, since a few hours had passed, the sky had begun to turn dark. Dimitri would be even more powerful during the dark. It was true that the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. But when it was dark, it would be hard to differentiate the shadow, making him able to blend in.


    That was why Qiel had to be careful during the nighttime. It was clear that Dimitri was nning to make a run for it.


    Qiel drew her bow, aiming at the ruin. Although she didn''t n to destroy the ruin, she would definitely shoot if Noel was there. Even Dimitri would have a hard time protecting Noel in this siege.


    But this was the exact reason why any variable might ruin her n.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    And the first group that Legz brought in earlier began to emerge from the ruin. They were actually taking out a lot of frozen statues. Those figures had been covered in a thickyer of ice.


    "Huh?" Qiel''s body trembled. She had shed with Dimitri a few times in the past. Dimitri might be clever, but not this clever.


    She instantly saw through the trick that had transpired inside the ruin. The fact that the people brought out those fragile frozen people meant she couldn''t shoot at the ruin.


    While she could shoot a non-lethal arrow and just use shock waves to blow away normal people without killing them, she was practically a cannon. A single shot from her would produce an impact that would shatter the fragile ice statues.


    If she truly shot them, it was the same as picking a fight against the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    "Kh." Qiel gritted her teeth, realizing that Noel must be the one who thought about this n. It seemed that the report of him outsmarting Laufey was not a lie. Ultimately, Qiel lowered her bow while keeping on the lookout.


    She might not be able to shoot, but she could still order the people to move.


    "You guys get ready. The moment I find a single trace of that little brat, you''re going to chase after him."


    The Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors nodded their heads furiously.


    More and more ice statues were brought out from the ruin. Obviously, the ice statues piqued everyone''s interest, so they ended up surrounding the first group, trying to get a look at these statues.


    The more crowded it became, the harder Qiel could find Noel and Dimitri. This was basically the battle of wits between Qiel and Noel.


    Not long after, Ramuer came out and shouted, "I am the second son of the Grand Protector, Ramuer. We have found a trace of the previous civilization. Hence, I''m going to order all of you to carry everything to the nearest city. We''ll use the temperature of the night to maintain their condition until we reach the city. Get ready to move out!"


    Ramuer''s order shocked everyone, but the night in the desert was extremely cold. So, it was indeed perfect to maintain the ice. It was probably the reason why Noel negotiated with Ramuer at dusk. He wanted to give the reason for Ramuer toe out during the night.


    "This is getting trickier than I expected. That little brat is smarter than reported. Are they going to use the group to escape?" After seeing the current situation, Qiel felt like Noel''s n wasn''t so simple. "No, they don''t seem to be using them to escape. If that''s the case, the future Ardagan Family will bear the wrath of the Atracaeca Kingdom as well. After all, those ice statues are valuable resources. They must be nning to escape through this confusion or¡­"


    When Qiel thought about it, she saw a fluctuation of energy.


    "!!!" Qiel''s eyes not only could see from far away, but she could also see the flow of Spiritual Energy. And currently, there was a change in the middle of the crowd. "It must be Dimitri."


    Without hesitation, Qiel aimed her bow at the crowd. She was waiting patiently, fully knowing that Dimitri would leave the crowd and make a run for it.


    "The town is in the south. I''m currently in the west, and Nelfer is waiting for them in the east. The ruin might not be big, but they still have to loop around if they want to go to the north." Qiel smirked. She had positioned perfectly, limiting Noel and Dimitri''s movement.


    As she expected, Dimitri suddenlyunched himself to the east.


    "There he is!" Qiel could see the shadow that used the darkness to cover its presence, moving in Nelfer''s direction. She thought she managed to read Dimitripletely and aimed at him, ready to support Nelfer.


    However, Dimitri''s ability didn''t allow her to see whether he brought Noel with him or not. There was a chance that Noel was hiding among the crowd or even staying in the ruin to wait for them to pass.


    While she was still thinking, Dimitri made an abrupt change. He suddenly stopped and changed his direction to the south.


    "What? He suddenly shifts his direction to the town. Did he notice Nelfer and change his direction? Or¡­" Qiel gasped, thinking of another possibility. "That little brat might be with him and he figured out my n and changed his approach."


    Dimitri couldn''t unleash his full speed in the shadow form, but that was enough to make him hard to be found.


    Even Nelfer wouldn''t notice him changing direction.


    Unfortunately for him, Qiel wouldn''t allow him to escape.


    "You might have surprised me, but you haven''t exceeded my imagination," Qiel smirked and released her bow. She had to shoot him before Dimitri left her range.


    The arrow flew like a cannon. But because the arrow was made of light, it left a trail in the darkness, startling the crowd.


    Before the crowd could react, the arrow had reached its direction. But since the distance was extremely far away, there was a small window of time that allowed Dimitri to avoid the arrow.


    Boom!


    The arrow exploded, startling everyone.


    However, the shadow managed to avoid the arrow, albeit barely. The effect was shown when the shadow stopped for a moment as if it was trying to get its stability.


    After that, the shadow continued on its way before Qiel released another shot.


    "As expected, you could avoid that." Qiel clicked her tongue, but her annoyed expression soon turned into a smile as she said, "But¡­ that shot is not to hit you, Dimitri."


    As she said those words, the shadow that had just left Qiel''s firing range came to a halt. A figure suddenly fell from the sky and punched the sand.


    Bam!


    The punch was so strong that it caused an eruption. All the sand on the surface was kicked up, including the shadow.


    Due to the change in the terrain, the shadow had to revert to its original form.


    "Do you think you can get away?" The one who knocked the sand was none other than Nelfer. That was right, the arrow that Qiel shot earlier was not to hit Dimitri but to alert Nelfer.


    Now that Nelfer had stood in front of Dimitri, he would be able to stop him.


    But surprisingly, Dimitri came out alone.


    "Eh?!" Qiel was stunned. She had expected that Noel would be Dimitri due to that abrupt change in direction. But he was nowhere to be seen. "Wait a minute. Is he using Dimitri as a distraction?"


    Qiel became hesitant, trying to figure out what Noel was thinking.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri ended up releasing all his Spiritual Energy as the shadow began to leak out from his body.


    With a gaze filled with killing intent, he stated with a cold tone. "I''m getting annoyed. If you think you can stop me from leaving, then try it!"


    Nelfer smirked as he also released his Spiritual Energy, not nning to lose against Dimitri.


    While those two were about to sh, Qiel was actually panicking.


    "If Dimitri is only a decoy, that little brat must be trying to do something." Qiel hurriedly returned her gaze to the crowd, trying to locate Noel. But because the crowd was stunned and more and more people came out, it was impossible to locate him.


    So, Qiel shouted, "You guys immediately go to that crowd and try to find Noel Ardagan. Even if he can disguise his appearance, you can still find him among the Spirit Masters."


    The group acknowledged the order. But before they left, Qiel suddenly stopped them. "Wait."


    The group became confused, but Qiel seemed to being up with another n.


    "It''s impossible to escape by himself from me. So, there are only two possibilities. He can disguise himself as one of those people or use the building to fool all of us¡­"


    Qiel gasped, seeing through Noel''s n. She corrected her order, "Split into two groups. The first group will search for him in that crowd, while the second group will investigate the ruin. Check every corner and wall to see if he is drilling the hole and escaping from underneath the sand."


    This time, the group left and divided themselves.


    As one would expect from Qiel, the strategist of the Supreme Devil Organization, she could see through Noel''s n, who wanted to escape by using the sand as his cover. However, would Noel be easy to catch? Or would Noel outsmart an opponent like her this time?"

 Chapter 832 Escape

    "!!!" Legz felt the iing people and turned his head around. However, the operation was so swift that the entire group entered the crowd, trying to mingle with them so that they were hard to find. He cursed them inwardly, ''Damn it. The Supreme Devil Organization¡­ I''m going to make you pay.''


    Legz tried to search for them but to no avail. He didn''t realize that the first group had begun their investigation, trying to find Noel among the people. The second group had sneaked inside the building, trying to find any proof that Noel would use the sand to escape.


    Unbeknownst to them, no matter how hard they tried to find him, it would be impossible to find Noel.


    Qiel, who observed the entire scene, couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. Dimitri was already outside her range, but she was still able to see Dimitri shing with Nelfer.


    It seemed that Dimitri was nning to leave this ce. But there was no way someone loyal like Dimitri would leave his lord just like that.


    "Still, why is Dimitri leaving? Is he going to find reinforcement? But no one in that town has the ability to stop us." Qiel turned to the ruin. "Is he still there? But with his intellect, he should be able to see himself being captured. No, he might be waiting to ambush us. He should know that we will have to split up the group. But I have told them to avoid a direct conflict, and if they find anything, the first priority would be to regroup."


    On the one hand, Qiel had prepared the best n she could afford. On the other hand, she couldn''t see through Noel''s n yet.


    Unbeknownst to her, Noel was already outside the ruin. In fact, he was already near the town.


    The town was quite peaceful. Not far from it, a person''s head emerged from the sand with a box covering its entire face. That was the only way to prevent the sand from entering his nose, ears, mouth, or eyes.


    This person was none other than Noel.


    He hurriedly pulled himself out while looking back.


    Qiel might be able to see the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy with her eyes, but it was impossible to find Noel.


    After all, Noel had actually been submerged. That was right. The moment the crowd formed, Noel sneaked out of the ruin and immediately buried himself in the sand.


    As for how he moved underneath the sand, it was his Rune Body. When Dimitri asked previously, Noel pointed at his body, specifically at the Enhance Forward Rune.


    Noel had actually used that rune to propel himself. He changed direction by employing the trick that he learned from Damian, where he couldunch himself in any direction depending on the direction he pointed at.


    As a result, he was moving underneath Dimitri the whole time.


    When Nelfer appeared in front of Dimitri and smashed the ground, Noel was actually underneath both of them.


    Dimitri then released his full power to make everyone think he was trying to escape. Meanwhile, the real reason was to actually cover the entire area with his Spiritual Energy, confusing both Nelfer and Qiel.


    Nelfer would be overwhelmed and his focus would remain on Dimitri. On the other hand, Qiel wouldn''t be able to find Noel''s fluctuation of Spiritual Energy when using the Enhance Forward Rune in that situation. By the time Noel left the area, Qiel wouldn''t be able to sense him anymore.


    In other words, the key factor in Noel''s escape was none other than Dimitri. Everything was a distraction.


    As for Dimitri, there was no way Qiel and Nelfer were enough to defeat him. Additionally, Qiel was still hesitant to attack Dimitri because she was focusing on Noel.


    "Still¡­" Noel coughed up blood.


    He was indeed below Nelfer and Dimitri earlier. And Nelfer''s powerful strike hit him as well.


    He had been enduring it, but he couldn''t contain it anymore.


    While wiping the blood on his mouth, Noel assessed his current condition. "There is no broken bone fortunately. There is some bleeding, but I should be able to repair it with Force Control."


    Noel smiled. While circting his Spiritual Energy, he headed straight to the inn where Tristan and Sandra were hiding.


    "Tristan!"


    Upon hearing his teacher''s voice, Tristan hurriedly opened the door, finding his injured master.


    "Master!" Tristan panicked, not knowing what to do.


    "We don''t have time. The enemies have located us."


    "Are we going to leave this ce?"All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Yes. But you and Sandra will have to go alone. I have to distract them away so that they don''t find both of you."


    "But¡­" Tristan was thankful for Noel''s kindness the whole time. So, he would never think about abandoning Noel.


    However, Noel added, "This is my order. You two are to go to this city within two weeks."


    Noel took out the map and pointed at the location while handing them money and some Demon Crystals. "You should have seen how I entered the city where we first met, so use that experience to reach your destination. Don''t take risks and go to this town first and use escorts to reach the next destination. Understood?"


    "But how about you, Master?" Tristan asked with a pale expression.


    "I have my own n, so you don''t have to worry about me. In fact, you should worry about yourself because your roles will be crucial." Noel moved to the table and wrote down a letter. "I want you to send this letter as well. The address and everything have been written down."


    "Are we going right now, Master?" Tristan asked.


    "Of course not. The night is extremely cold and treacherous. That''s why you will go after the sun is up. In fact, you will receive another instruction and we''ll use them to escape. I have given you separate instructions in the letter. That''s all. You have to think about how to survive yourself. This is another test from me. Are you ready?"


    Tristan clenched his fists. The current situation had shown how dangerous it was to follow Noel.


    If he seeded, he would be able to be Noel''s disciple and an important figure in this field. No one would dare to look down on him even if he was a former ve. If he failed, he would die, which should have happened if he hadn''t met Noel in the first ce.


    Tristan looked at Sandra first, who seemed to be determined to change her life. He said, "We will do it. We''ll certainly not disappoint you, Master."


    "Good." Noel nodded in approval. "Then, I have to go now. Remember, the situation will be dangerous."


    "Yes, Master." Tristan nodded with a serious expression. "I''m sorry that I can only be a burden right now."


    Hearing Tristan''s words couldn''t help but put a smile on Noel''s face. He patted Tristan''s head while saying, "The next lesson will be hard."


    After saying those words, Noel left the inn and erased his trace before heading out of the city and to the south, where the Atrcaeca Kingdom''s capital was.


    Meanwhile, Tristan clenched his fists. Noel might word it that way, but he was actually indirectly telling him that he wished Tristan would be his disciple. The word ''next'' indicated it.


    He swore that he wouldn''t disappoint his master.


    On the other hand, Dimitri had been fighting Nelfer the whole time.


    Clink!


    Clink!


    Clink!


    A series of clicking sounds echoed in the area as Dimitri struck Nelfer multiple times.


    Nelfer was panting. As Qiel said, fighting Dimitri was hard. In fact, the darkness empowered Dimitri even further.


    His entire body was covered with wounds. Despite having a body of steel, Dimitri managed to pierce his body. If this continued, Dimitri would be able to kill him sooner orter.


    Unfortunately, Dimitri didn''t have much time anymore. Qiel would be restless, so she would definitelye here and hunt him down.


    That was why after inflicting some damage on Nelfer, he formed his escape route.


    The moment Qiel moved from her location, Dimitri instantly turned around and escaped to the south.


    "No, you can''t escape from me!"


    Nelfer chased after him, but Dimitri was extremely swift. It didn''t take too long before they saw the town where Tristan and Sandra were.


    "Huh?!" Nelfer gasped while a few light arrows fell down in front of Dimitri, causing a series of explosions.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Dimitriunched himself to avoid the st before continuing his way to the town.


    "Stop!" Nelfer used his steel body to ignore the st and caught up to Dimitri.


    However, Dimitri actually struck him while asking, "Are you really going to destroy a city?"


    Nelfer''s body trembled. He personally wouldn''t mind razing the entire city to the ground, but Qiel had reminded him over and over again that they shouldn''t make this kingdom their enemy.


    That hesitation allowed Dimitri to escape once more and ultimately enter the city.


    "Kh." Nelfer was shocked and wanted to catch up, but Qiel''s voice echoed from the side. "Stop, Nelfer."


    "Qiel." Nelfer red at her. "Are we going to let him escape like that?"


    "Do you think you will be able to kill Dimitri inside the town? He is the most dangerous when he is among the people." Qiel was also annoyed, feeling like she had been yed thoroughly by Noel and Dimitri. "There is a chance that little brat has escaped to the town. I don''t know the exact method, but that brat must have gone away. We will need more people to find them. I have sent a message to Group D and E. We''ll monitor the town for the time being."

 Chapter 833 Hidden Message

    ?


    "How is the situation?" Nelfer asked while looking at the city from the roof of one of the buildings.


    "We can''t find him yet." Qiel shook her head. "It''s practically impossible to find him in the city."


    "We should have just led our people inside and checked every single person." Nelfer harrumphed.


    "This is why you are not the leader of this expedition. You would definitely die in Dimitri''s hand." Qiel snorted. Just from his words alone, she could imagine Nelfer bringing all his subordinates inside the city.


    When they traveled inside the city, a person suddenly moved alongside them. In just a split second, there was a fluctuation of energy as a de sent one head flying.


    After noticing that change, Nelfer and the others turned around, albeit finding nothing. After that, Nelfer became angry and tried to search for Dimitri. But they didn''t realize that Dimitri was still among the crowd.


    Dimitri attacked them once again, killing another person. Out of anger, Nelfer tried to chase after Dimitri and turned in a junction, only to find Dimitri disappear among the crowd. At that time, Dimitri would take out another person.


    Eventually, Nelfer''s subordinates would die in Dimitri''s hands. Even Nelfer would definitely die if he wasn''t careful. As a result, a single person managed to weaken the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Dimitri would definitely use gueri warfare to his advantage.


    Just thinking about it gave her a headache. Qiel bit her lips, wanting to berate Nelfer. But since she was the one leading this operation, she had to remain calm. It was impossible to find Dimitri without casualties.


    However, there was one thing that confused her.


    "Is Dimitri hiding in this ce to kill us? No, wait. If we wait here for too long, the Supreme Devil Organization will have trouble. After all, we''re still fighting against the Demon Banner Army openly."


    With two Devil Saints away from the organization, it was clear that the Supreme Devil Organization would be at a huge disadvantage. It seemed that Noel had seen through their condition and knew they couldn''t do this in a prolonged time.


    "Wait a minute. Is he going to hide here forever? No, if we''re talking about Noel Ardagan, I don''t think he has that much time either."


    The sun was already up, so the people began toe out of their houses to do their daily activities. However, as one would expect, the za was actually surrounded by people as they disyed a few ice statues while trying to resurrect the others.


    It was clear that they were trying to showcase the result of the expedition. This would increase the second prince''s reputation.


    However, the second prince and Legz had yet toplete their expedition. It was true that they had gotten the most important things, but the ruins were still full of treasure.


    So, they were still assembling people to do another exploration.


    And among the crowd, Qiel could actually find another Spirit Grandmaster.


    "Huh?" Qiel narrowed her eyes. "Is that Dimitri?"


    Nelfer tilted his head in confusion. But Qiel actually pointed at a certain person who was actually another Spirit Grandmaster among the people.


    "We have investigated the city before going to the ruin, right?" Nelfer asked.


    "Yeah. And the result is that no one other than the Great Protector was a Spirit Grandmaster."


    "¡­" Nelfer fell silent before moving to the edge of the roof. "I''m going."


    "Wait, Nelfer. The fact that he is openly showing himself means that there might be a trap." Qiel tried to stop him, but Nelfer added, "If that''s the case, I will fall into his trap."


    Just like Qiel said, the moment he said those words, Dimitri suddenly disappeared. However, the fluctuation continued to the south as if it was trying to leave the city.


    "!!!" Qiel widened her eyes in shock. She hadn''t processed the change yet, but the other party had made a move. "This is bad."


    "You can stay here. Try to find a Spirit Master in the town. Since Dimitri is trying to leave the town, you should be able to explore the city and find the fluctuation of a Spirit Master, right?" Nelfer asked. "I''ll keep Dimitri outside the city."


    "Alright." Qiel could only agree, not being able to think of another n better than that. She never expected she would have this much trouble just to capture Noel. It seemed the reason why Laufey couldn''t capture him previously was because of this.


    And if she ended up failing like Laufey, the next time they tried to capture Noel would be extremely hard.


    After seeing Dimitri leaving the city, Qiel hurriedly signaled the rest of the group to begin their search. They had to find all the Spirit Masters inside the town and make sure no Spirit Masters left the town. Even if they had to leave, they needed to be inspected.


    While the Supreme Devil Organization was searching for Noel, who had already gone, the second prince and Legz chose to fulfill the promise to Noel, which was to give a letter to the designated person.


    However, before they sent it, they checked the content. It was morally wrong, but it didn''t matter because they were suspicious of Noel and wondered who were the ones connected to him.


    When they opened the letter, they couldn''t help but be surprised by its content. It looked like a parting message from Noel, but he actually gave him a few runes.


    "This is¡­ rune, right?" Legz asked.


    "Yeah. However, I''m not sure what this rune is. Who is this person to be able to get a rune from the author of the rune book?" Ramuer frowned.


    "Do you want me to investigate them?" Legz asked.


    "Currently, we have no manpower because of those frozen statues. For the time being, copy the runes on this letter and send the letter to this person. After that, just put one or two people around that area to make sure that person doesn''t leave. After dealing with these frozen statues, we will begin the investigation about that person."


    "Understood." Legz nodded and took the letter.


    As he ordered, Legz asked someone to copy the rune before giving the letter to another subordinate to deliver.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, Legz''s subordinate had arrived at a certain inn where Tristan and Sandra were.


    He knocked on the door, which happened to be opened by Tristan.


    "Is there something wrong?" Tristan asked.


    The other party took a nce at the room that didn''t seem to have another person other than Tristan. So, he handed the letter while saying, "This is given to you."


    "Oh? Thanks?" Tristan looked confused while receiving the letter and checked the sender before politely bowing his head. "Thank you."


    Seeing his reaction, it was clear that Tristan was connected to Noel Ardagan. After confirming it, he left Tristan alone and went downstairs, where hisrade stayed.


    "How is it?"


    "I have delivered the letter. It''s true that he is rted to him."


    "Then, should we wait here?"


    "He has seen my face, so I will wait outside. You can stay here and make sure that person doesn''t leave the inn."


    "Alright."


    The two split up as the one delivering the letter was watching the inn from the outside.


    Meanwhile, Tristan was happy that he finally got the letter Noel was talking about. Sandra suddenly came out from her hiding spot, which was under the bed.


    "Is it alright now?" Sandra asked. "And what does it say?"


    "Hmm¡­" Tristan opened the letter and read it.


    "Can you even read it?" Sandra asked.


    "Of course." Tristan nodded with a serious expression. This was the part where Tristan''s extraordinary memory showed its might. Dimitri had been teaching himnguage, manners, and other necessities.


    However, everything rted to memory, likenguage, could easily be absorbed by Tristan. Although his reading ability wasn''t at the level of someone who had read for a long time, he could easily recognize words that were usually spoken.


    He read it with a low tone so that Sandra could hear it as well. "Tristan. I''m sorry that I can''t go with you anymore because of a problem. Although it''s only for a brief period, I''ll be leaving. Because I can''t fulfill my side of the agreement, you can take this rune aspensation."


    "Huh? Is that all? Master Noel said that he has given us the instructions in the letter, right?" Sandra asked, feeling confused. She couldn''t understand the words or even the runes, so she only listened to what Tristan said.


    Unexpectedly, Tristan suddenly fell silent when he saw the runes.


    "This is¡­" Tristan seemed to have noticed something. "This rune is supposed to be the Chain Bind Rune¡­ But there are a few strokes that are different¡­ This one is the Muscle Enhancement Rune, and just like the previous one¡­"


    Tristan suddenly understood what Noel said about the instruction.


    "M¡­o¡­v¡­e¡­" Tristan could actually find four characters that joined together to create the word ''move'' in the Chain Bind Rune. Tristan could remember the exact details of the Chain Bind Rune, so it was easy to find the difference. In fact, Noel had been teaching him by spotting the difference between runes and correcting all the mistakes.


    It turned out Noel had given the instruction inside the runes. Others would be able to find it out sooner orter, but only Tristan could see through the hidden messages in an instant. This was truly the message Noel left behind.


    "Sorry, Sandra. Please give me some time, I have to decipher Master''s secret message."


    "I understand." Sandra didn''t understand the secret message, but it seemed that Noel had trusted Tristan that much, which was something to be happy about.


    Just like Qiel, Noel was nning to outsmart the second prince and Legz through this letter in order for Tristan and Sandra to leave the city safely.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 834 Escaping The Town

    ?


    "Hmm?" One of Legz''s subordinates, who remained inside the inn, was watching the stairs calmly. His partner had described Tristan''s appearance, so as long as he could see him from here, it should be enough.


    Still, it seemed that Tristan didn''t n to go out. In fact, there wasn''t a single personing down for the time being. Considering the time, it was normal to have no activities around their lodging.


    But waiting for an unspecified period of time made him a bit bored.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there was something that piqued his interest. One of the tenants actually went down. This tenant had long brown hair and a pair of ck eyes. Her skin was also tanned, but she was too tall to be called a kid.


    In addition, she was a female, unlike Tristan, and wore a masquerade. She covered her body with a coat as if not nning to let the sun burn her skin.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    The guy looked at her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He thought Tristan, but it was clear that the other party was a woman. Hence, he didn''t even bother to check her.


    The woman walked gracefully to the outside and met another man. However, his partner should have seen this woman inside.


    Thinking that the woman was actually another customer, that guy simply ignored her.


    Hence, the woman walked away with a calm expression. After a few hundred meters, she turned around and headed to a small alley.


    The woman hid behind a bunch of barrels where she uncovered her body.


    It turned out the woman was made of two people. There was a guy who had been carrying her and her hands were holding a cup each, gently forming her curves under the coat.


    As soon as they thought it was safe, they finally revealed their true appearances. Yes, they were none other than Sandra and Tristan.


    This was one of Noel''s instructions.


    "How is it?" Sandra asked.


    "It''s perfect. For now, we''ll go to the north gate and leave this city through the expedition ording to Master''s words." Tristan nodded with a serious expression.


    What made the woman look like a mature one was the size. Tristan made up the height while a backpack made up their general body line, causing Sandra to look like a mature woman.


    They stored the coat inside the backpack while saying, "Let''s go. I''ll carry the bag for now. You will act as ady who is employing me as your ve."


    "Alright." Sandra agreed with the arrangement. They hurriedly sneaked around and headed to the north of the city, where a lot of people assembled.


    Sandra continued using the masquerade to change her appearance while giving the air of a more refineddy.


    Meanwhile, Tristan was following right behind her. Because of their clothes, no one thought they were ves.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reach the assembly where they were gathering the second wave of the expedition to investigate the ruin.


    Tristan and Sandra casually blended among them as if they were parts of them.


    Unbeknownst to them, there was a middle-aged man who was suddenly walking behind them. The man red at them for a bit before moving away.


    If they were stronger, they would have noticed the man and the fact that he was scanning their ability.


    Unfortunately for him, the two kids werepletely normal.


    As a result, they managed to blend in well without anyone suspecting them.


    After another two hours, they finally went on the expedition, heading straight to the ruin. Due to thebined efforts in the previous subjugation, there wasn''t a single demon appearing on their way, allowing all of them to reach the ruin without any casualties.


    The group immediately ordered the people to enter the ruin and investigate them, trying to extract everything they could find.


    Following the n, Sandra looped around the building and sneaked out with Tristan, leaving the city and the ruin with no one suspecting them.


    Their n was to head to the nearest city ording to Noel''s instruction.


    Still, Noel had asked them to move to the north for a bit even after they couldn''t see the ruin or the city anymore. After that, they turned around and headed east.


    "We are safe, right?" Sandra asked.


    "Yeah. If I remember correctly, there should be a few people staring at us. Luckily, we have managed to fool them." Tristan let out a sigh of relief. He couldn''t help but recall the message he deciphered from the letter.


    "Move north for 5 km, turn east. Head to Leoppe Town."


    This was one of the instructions that Noel had given them in the letter. There were other instructions that had been left, but this was the first step. Of course, the night Noel visited, he also told them something else.


    "In the morning, I''m sure that there will be someone delivering my letter. It contains my instructions in order to reach the rendezvous point. But when you receive the letter, I only want Tristan to open the door while Sandra hides somewhere in the room."


    "After that, Tristan will carry Sandra as she wears the masquerade. Use the coat to cover your look and act as casually as possible as if you don''t know anything. Once youe out, find a quiet alley to be two people again and head to the north. There will be an assembly for the expedition, and since the demons have been exterminated, it should be pretty safe."


    "Once you reach the ruin, follow the route I''ve left behind in the letter. Understood?"


    When recalling the n, Tristan couldn''t help but smile. "It seems that Master is extremely smart. How can he predict all this even though we only have a limited amount of time to meet?"


    "That''s true. But aren''t you going to be his student?" Sandra smirked.


    "Right? I''m feeling blessed and I''ll definitely not disappoint him." Tristan clenched his fists. "We have enough food and water to reach the next destination as well as money to hire escorts to our real destination. Can your body keep up?"


    "I have long since recovered. I can handle this much. In fact, I will help you carry the bag along the way."


    "Sure. Let''s go."


    Both Tristan and Sandra continued their journey. They might not be sure about it, but they had escaped from Legz and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    With their disguise, they easily fooled Legz''s subordinates. And when someone from the Supreme Devil Organization checked them, they were only kids without proper strength. Hence, they wouldn''t be Noel, considering they were also two people and the boy didn''t have anything that covered his face.


    ¡­


    Still, no matter how hard Noel tried to fool them, they were bound to notice sooner orter. After all, even if the kids didn''t need to go out, they still needed to eat.


    So, Legz''s subordinate felt a bit weird when he found the kid remained in his room even after the day was almost over.


    Ultimately, he decided to make a direct approach and try to find Tristan in the room through the window. But to his surprise, there wasn''t any trace of Tristan left inside the room.


    He waspletely shocked because he didn''t see Tristaning out, but the kid miraculously disappeared.


    Without hesitation, they reported to Legz. The news soon reached the second prince''s ears, who immediately ordered to search the town.


    Even though they had limited manpower, they had to find Tristan, considering he was the only person who was trustworthy enough to get the runes from the author himself.


    As a result of Tristan''s disappearance, Ramuer also doubted the letter and asked it to be checked.


    The mobilization of their forces in order to find Tristan ended up alerting the Supreme Devil Organization, who was still looking for any trace of Noel inside the town.


    Standing on top of the roof, Qiel asked her subordinate, who had just appeared next to her. "What''s wrong? Why are they mobilizing their troops? Did something happen to those frozen figures?"


    "No. It seems they are searching for a kid. We don''t know the real identity of that kid yet."


    Qiel looked down, contemting. "What kind of kid could make them mobilize their troops? Is it that brat?"


    After a moment, Qiel ordered him, "Bring Azak and Nezka here. I''ll infiltrate the Great Protector''s building and find out about the identity of that person and the reason."


    Her subordinate disappeared, carrying her order.


    Qielter found out about Tristan and Noel''s rtionship with him. However, it was toote. The so-called Tristan had gone too far and they didn''t know where Noel would send him.


    And since Tristan could be a burden, Qiel thought Tristan was sent to the Muivell Kingdom directly. As a result, she sent two subordinates to track Tristan, thinning her group even further.


    Meanwhile, Qiel remembered the direction Dimitri went and Nelfer was still chasing after him without fighting him. He perfectly knew that Nelfer would die if he was reckless.


    In that instant, he finally realized what Noel nned to do. He had been trying to divide their group, wanting to eliminate Nelfer before fighting back.


    Qiel panicked and immediately assembled her subordinates before chasing after Nelfer.


    It turned out her prediction was correct. They had brought a total of fifty people into this kingdom that was split into two groups. Nelfer had brought one group that was tasked to investigate another city.


    But when they reached Nelfer, he found Nelfer badly injured. Eight people had died under Dimitri, while two were heavily injured.


    It was aplete defeat.


    Qiel''s face became pale, finally understanding the threat Noel possessed.

 Chapter 835 Defeat

    "Kh!" Qiel gritted her teeth, staring at the defeated Nelfer.


    Nelfer looked guilty as he looked down, not daring to make eye contact with Qiel.


    "Did you enter the city?" Qiel asked a question that she already knew the answer to. She had told him not to enter the city, but Nelfer was stubborn and overconfident.


    As a result, Dimitri employed guerri warfare and killed the people from the organization one by one. Even Nelfer had a hard time fighting against Dimitri.


    There was one more problem. Nelfer couldn''t destroy the town because it would cause the Atracaeca Kingdom to deploy its troops to subjugate the organization.


    Nelfer ultimately retreated from the town, but by the time he exited the town, five Spirit Master and three Spirit Grandmasters had died. The other two were still alive, but they were no longer able to join the fight.


    In other words, it was aplete defeat.


    Qiel stomped the ground and shouted in anger, "Can you even follow my order? Do you know that Noel and Dimitri have escaped to the south? And by this time, there is no telling where they are heading right now. If they reach the capital and make a deal with this kingdom, it will be extremely hard to capture him."


    Nelfer couldn''t say anything. He had indeed made a grave mistake, thinking he could somehow drag Dimitri out.


    Instead, Nelfer remembered what happened not long ago.


    During the day when they shed with Dimitri, the group that was going to help him had finally arrived.


    Seeing the iing reinforcement, Dimitri turned around and headed straight to the south, finding a town not far from their location. He had run for quite a while after all, so he had expected this.


    "Sir. He is going to enter the town!" One of them reported out loud. "We can''t enter this town anymore."


    "Are you scared?" Nelfer roared and pointed at the town. "We''ll enter the town. Once I get a hold of Dimitri, I will toss him out and we''ll fight him again outside the town."


    "But Sir, the order was¡­"


    "Shut up! Right now, I''m in charge. Follow my order, not Qiel!"


    The people wanted to say something, but Nelfer was a Devil Saint. They couldn''t do anything against him.


    Hence, they ended up following him inside.


    Once they entered the town, Nelfer became confused. He looked at the face of the passerby but didn''t find Dimitri.


    The town was quite bustling with people, so it was quite hard to look around.


    However, Nelfer continued leading his people to go deeper into the town.


    After five minutes of walking, they didn''t find Dimitri''s presence, making them think they had been tricked.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Nelfer said, "Two of you. Go to the roof and find any trace of Dimitri."


    They were staring at each other as though they didn''t want to do it. However, Nelfer had been ring at them, so in the end, two people volunteered.


    Once they leaped to the top of the building, they scanned the area. It didn''t take too long for them to notice the fluctuation of Spirit Grandmaster''s energy.


    "Sir." One of them pointed to the east, informing Nelfer.


    Nelfer hurriedly led the rest in that direction, but in that instant, the fluctuation disappeared.


    "Huh?" They were confused, trying to find Dimitri. "Where is¡ªGah!"


    Before he could say anything, a sharp pain jolted his body. The moment he lowered his head, he saw a de piercing his heart. A ck rope suddenly wrapped his mouth, making him unable to let out a scream.


    The other person who came with him experienced the same thing.


    Before they knew it, Dimitri had appeared behind them and killed them. What could they, Spirit Masters, do against the best assassin?


    Dimitri just let them fall on the roof before disappearing again. Meanwhile, Nelfer was advancing at a fast speed, not wanting to lose track of Dimitri.


    His subordinates followed him without hesitation, but because of the pace, they had a hard time scanning their surroundings.


    Suddenly, someone passed them and a ck de appeared, stabbing one of them to death. The ck rope appeared again, gagging his mouth.


    However, his position was behind them, so without any sound, the person had disappeared. All that was left behind was the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy.


    Sadly for them, the moment they turned around, they couldn''t find theirrade anymore.


    "Where is he?"


    "He is among us?"


    All the people began to fear Dimitri while Nelfer raised his eyebrows, confused. He hurriedly checked the two people who were supposed to be on the roof and noticed how they were gone.


    But that distraction had given another opportunity to Dimitri, allowing him to kill yet another Spirit Master.


    "What is this? When did he appear?" One of them gasped, not knowing what happened. Dimitri felt like a ghost. Every time he appeared, one person would be gone without a sound.


    Even though the heat from the sun was intense, they could feel chills down their spine. A certain thought appeared in their minds.


    ''I will be next.''


    Nelfer gnashed his teeth. The situation didn''t develop like how he predicted it.


    Obviously, Nelfer had prepared a few sacrifices to draw Dimitri out. By using his speed and strength, he should be able to react to Dimitri''s actions and catch him in one way or another.


    But once Nelfer''s anger started rising, Dimitri disappeared. Just like the Supreme Devil Organization, he didn''t n to involve the Atracaeca Kingdom in their conflict. While it would surely cause a huge problem for the organization, the Ardagan Family would be dragged in as well.


    Hence, Dimitri disappeared for a moment, waiting for Nelfer to calm down.


    After that, he continued eliminating Nelfer''s subordinates until Nelfer thought it was enough and decided to escape the city.


    This time, Dimitri went on the offensive and attacked Nelfer with all his strength, injuring him and the remaining subordinates.


    But Dimitri had spent a lot of Spiritual Energy as well. Seeing that the sun was about to set, instead of continuing the fight and utilizing the darkness to kill him, Dimitri actually retreated.


    Still, the damage had been delivered. And Qiel had to see all this.


    "Argh!" Qiel roared in anger. It was already hard to chase Noel and Dimitri normally but to think that Nelfer would be this injured.


    Qiel was wondering whether they should cancel the pursuit or not. The situation wasn''t looking good. If they continued, there was a chance that Dimitri would unleash his full attack on them.


    But after talking big, there was no way they could fall empty-handed.


    Qiel recalled the time she infiltrated the second prince''s chamber. She said, "We will change our target. It appears that Noel Ardagan and Dimitri have made contact with someone in this country.


    "I''m not sure of the exact details, but this person is important enough to be given the runes. If I''m not wrong, the person is a boy, so I don''t think he can go that far. Hence, we will change our objective. Instead of going after Noel Ardagan, we will head after this guy."


    Nelfer finally raised his head and asked, "But is this guy really important?"


    "Just think about it; the boy shouldn''t have Spirit yet, but he is important enough to know about runes. I''m assuming that this boy is somehow rted to him¡­ I''m assuming he is his student. If we can capture this boy, we should be able to lure him out. At the very least, we can somehow learn his position."


    "Let''s just admit it first that Noel Ardagan is a formidable opponent. Even in this situation, he manages to split us up and deal this much damage. Hence, we will treat him as the top target of the organization."


    "I will forget about your mistakes for the time being and I''ll handle everything. Use that time to recover and prepare for another fight with Dimitri."


    "I understand." After his mistake, he didn''t dare to refute her anymore. "But where will we go? Is it the south?"


    "No. I''m assuming that they are not going to the capital."


    "But Dimitri¡­"


    "That''s just a distraction. If you think about it, the only way for that boy to escape is through the opposite direction."


    "Then, he is heading straight to the Muivell Kingdom?"


    "This is why¡­" Qiel looked at him with a sigh. She added, "Obviously not. They are heading east¡­ but the Ardagan Family should have no connection there, so they won''t have anything to stop us. But it''ll be a different case if we look at the north."


    "The Greenwood Kingdom?"


    "Yes. I''m assuming that Noel Ardagan is nning to escape from us through the Greenwood Kingdom, utilizing the power of the Ezenholm Family¡­"


    "Ezenholm Family¡­ Isn''t it his grandfather¡­"


    "Yeah. The former court magician, Raincart. If that person joins hands with Dimitri, we will definitely be the ones to die. So, we have to chase after him before reaching the Greenwood Kingdom''s territory. So, hurry up and tend the wounded. I''ll only give you fifteen minutes before moving again."


    Nelfer took a deep breath before nodding his head. He was determined to fix his mistakes.

 Chapter 836 Another Plan

    ?


    The next day.


    Noel and Dimitri had finally regrouped.


    "Master. I don''t think they are chasing me." Dimitri reported while looking back. They were a few kilometers outside the city as Noel had chosen this ce as a strategic rendezvous point.


    "I know." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If my prediction is not wrong, then they are going toe after Tristan and Sandra."


    "Are you nning to use them to escape, Master?" Dimitri asked, thinking if Tristan and Sandra would be sacrificed.


    However, Noel immediately shook his head while pointing northeast. Dimitri agreed, and they decided to start running.


    "Looking back at how the Supreme Devil Organization defeated me two times, I finally know that they are an organization that emphasizes strength. The fact that you heavily injured Nelfer is enough to slow them down."


    "Shouldn''t I kill Nelfer?"


    "After depleting all that energy, can you kill Nelfer within an hour?"


    "If I use my True Spirit Body, I should be able to."


    "But after that, you''ll be vulnerable. What will we do against Qiel?"


    "That''s true. If I don''t use my True Spirit Body, then I will probably need a lot more time because I can''t have too many injuries to handle Qiel afterward."


    "Exactly. And Qiel shouldn''t leave Nelfer for too long, knowing that you are more than capable of killing Nelfer. Hence, it''s better for you to retreat before shees."


    "Then, shouldn''t they chase after us?"


    "No. Qiel should have stayed in that city for a bit more and noticed the movement of Legz and the others. With that, she will suspect something and change her n from chasing after us to Tristan and Sandra."


    "But it will be hard even for her to bypass Legz and the second prince, giving us a bit more time. By that time, Tristan and Sandra should have reached the next city and hired an escort to another city."


    Dimitri looked down and asked, "If that''s the case, shouldn''t Qiel have figured out our path?"


    "Yeah. However, she doesn''t know the exact ce. In other words, she will try to spread her force in order to find us. The problem is whether we should divide our group again or not."


    "Although I don''t really want to say it, Tristan and Sandra are more like a burden right now." Dimitri agreed.


    "In any way, they will surely blockade the east, especially around the border to the Greenwood Kingdom. They should have sent a lot of people to maintain the border of the Muivell Kingdom." Noel raised one finger. "That''s why we only have one solution?"


    "Entering another country to loop around them?" Dimitri was thinking about the fourth country, but Noel said, "The fact that you can think of that n means Qiel would have seen through that n as well. Hence, our solution is to break through."


    "But with Tristan and Sandra, we will definitely have a hard time."


    "We''ll confuse them. Qiel should have realized by now that I''m not a mere guy who can be underestimated after our battle of wits not long ago. Hence, she will definitely be even more careful with my every movement. That''s why if we throw a bait, she will bite it."


    "Bait¡­" Dimitri wondered what the bait was. Tristan and Sandra weren''t considered ones ording to their conversation. And he would definitely oppose if Noel wanted to be the bait himself. If he became the bait, Noel and the others would be exposed to danger. In other words, the bait didn''te from someone. And there was one thing that he could think of. "Wait a minute. Our destination¡­"


    "Exactly. That''s the bait. And I have left another trump card. As long as we can reach the border, we will be safe or so what should happen." Noel sighed. "In any case, time is the essence."


    "So that they won''t have enough time to react to our n?"


    "No. So Nelfer doesn''t have enough time to recover." Noel shook his head. "I can somehow fight against their Devil Bishops, but those two Devil Saints are the problems. Hence, killing him would be ideal, but since that is not possible, heavily injuring him is enough."


    "Without his full power, Nelfer shouldn''t be able to aid Qiel that much. That should leave some burden on you, right?"


    "Yes. The injury I gave him is not something that can be easily recovered. Even if he stilles at us, I can defeat him."


    "Hence, I want you to utilize the runes on your body to defeat Nelfer within the shortest amount of time while stopping Qiel''s arrows. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "If I can use the Rune Body, it''ll be hard but not impossible." Dimitri finally understood why Noel was contemting whether he should ask Tristan and Sandra to go by themselves or not. Fighting Qiel and Nelfer simultaneously would take everything from him, meaning Noel and the others would be exposed to that kind of danger.


    Considering the enemy number, it wouldn''t be weird if Noel got surrounded by at least five Spirit Grandmasters and more than ten Spirit Masters.


    He had to fight against them while protecting Tristan and Sandra.


    After contemting his choice for a while, Noel finally made a decision. "In any way, we should regroup with Tristan and Sandra first."


    "Understood."


    Dimitri and Noel sped up. ording to their calction, Tristan and Sandra would have reached their destination one day prior to their arrival.


    Meanwhile, Qiel and Nelfer had been moving east, establishing the informationwork to capture Noel.


    As Noel predicted, Qiel had blocked the border to the Zaecuria Kingdom so that Noel couldn''t loop around and enter the Greenwood Kingdom through it.


    There was a possibility that Noel would return directly to the Muivell Kingdom. Hence, she had ordered an attack around the southern base of the Demon Banner Army. As a result, the tension would rise and the chaos would make their people find Noel easier.


    All she had to take care of was the small border that linked the Atracaeca Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Since Nelfer and Qiel didn''t take a detour and went straight to that little gap, specifically the town that protected the border, they arrived far earlier than Noel and Dimitri.


    Qiel was still heavily injured because he used most of his Spiritual Energy to speed up instead of recover, but this speed would buy him some time.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel didn''t n to let Nelfer rest.


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    Noel and Dimitri had finally reached their destination, a small town called Caidence.


    Dimitri immediately checked the town and reported to Noel, who was waiting outside the town.


    "I have checked the town. I''m not sure about the spies, but I have found Tristan and Sandra. Should we enter?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    Dimitri led Noel into the town, specifically the inn, where he spotted Tristan and Sandra.


    Knock!


    Knock!N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    It took them a while to open the door because Sandra had to dress up again, showing that they were still in disguise.


    However, the moment Sandra confirmed their identity, she called out aloud, "Master!"


    After that, Tristan opened the robe, confirming their identities. The people they had waited for so long had finally arrived.


    "You two have worked hard." Noel smiled.


    "Not at all. If not for your instruction, we wouldn''t be able to do anything." Tristan replied.


    "In any case, we don''t have a lot of time left. So, I will be quick." Noel entered the room and closed the door. He nced at Dimitri, who immediately scouted the area.


    Tristan and Sandra immediately stopped talking.


    "I''m afraid that I have to ask you to go by yourself again," said Noel with a grim expression. "And it will be very taxing because you can''t take off your disguise."


    Instead of getting disappointed or thinking about the hardship, Tristan looked at what was going to happen and asked, "Where should we go?"


    That determination put a smile on Noel''s face as he took out the map, pointing at the border town. "This one. Once you reach this ce, I want you to wait until the third day when the sun is directly above your head before leaving the town. That''s where we will meet each other again, but it will be extremely dangerous. If we can reach the Greenwood Kingdom, we should be safe."


    "I understand." Tristan agreed without hesitation.


    While Noel was talking, Dimitri returned and reported, "Master. I haven''t found any spies yet, but the people are a bit more cautious. It seems that Legz is using his influence to find us."


    Noel nodded as though he had expected it. "Well, he must have made another agreement with the Supreme Devil Organization like even if the organization fails to capture me, they will have Tristan in their custody."


    Tristan never thought that he would be targeted like this. But considering his rtionship with Noel, it was a visible sign of how his status had changed.


    Tristan said, "Are there any other instructions, Master?"


    "I''ll give you the details." Noel began exining his ns to escape this kingdom.

 Chapter 837 Final Battle

    ?


    While Noel and the others were discussing their escape n, the people from the town were actually the soldiers of the kingdom and had been witnessing their entry. By utilizing Legz''s influence, these undercover soldiers had sighted Noel and Dimitri.


    Because the town was near the border, they had stationed another Spirit Grandmaster, who happened to be another Great Protector.


    However, the other party didn''t know anything about Noel and Dimitri as Legz had hidden this information. All he knew was that Noel and Dimitri had entered the town. Even with Dimitri''s power, it was impossible to avoid his detection unless they were nning to loop around the city instead of entering it.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the Great Protector only put them on surveince and told the information to Legz. He didn''t dare to take on Dimitri or something, considering they came in peace.


    It didn''t take too long for Legz to receive the information. Obviously, since they had made an agreement with the Supreme Devil Organization, they shared the information with Qiel.


    "They have spotted them." One of Qiel''s subordinates entered the room where Qiel and Nelfer were staying and discussing their next n.


    "Where is it?" Qiel asked.


    The subordinate approached her and pointed at the city near the border of the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "!!!" Qiel opened her mouth in shock as she hurriedly stood up and asked, "Are you serious?"


    "Y-Yes!" He panicked, not knowing what to say as he only delivered the information.


    "What''s wrong?" Nelfer, who was busy recovering, ended up asking.


    Qiel didn''t answer immediately. Instead, she fell into deep thought. ''The city is near the border. They still need to cross another city to reach the Zaecuria Kingdom, but is this really their n?''


    ''That Noel Ardagan should have known about my intelligence after our battle. And I have predicted that they are using the Zaecuria Kingdom to loop around and seek refuge in the Greenwood Kingdom.''


    ''But if he is that smart, then I don''t think he will follow this n, fully knowing that I can see through his n. We need more information. There are at least four possibilities. First, he will continue with this n and escape to the Zaecuria Kingdom. Second, he will use this as bait before using the gap to break through.''


    ''The third one is the most troublesome. He will move back, confusing us. This way, he can move in all directions around the kingdom, making us search for him. But considering we have Legz''s agreement, we can somehow find them even if it requires more time.''


    ''Thest option would be going to the opposite border. Yes, there is a chance that he is going deep inside and heading to the border where the people won''t know him. In other words, he will use the demon territory to escape from any form of surveince. And we''re currently in the southern part of the region. It will only take three more days to reach the border and loop around to enter the Zaecuria Kingdom through the demon territory. But will he do it while protecting the kid that Legz wanted?''


    Qiel''s expression turned grim. Each possibility would require a lot of manpower. Additionally, they were fighting against time.


    "Tell Legz that they might use the southern border to escape to the Demon Territory. He should stop them there. Also, since he is spotted in that area, there is a chance that the kid he is searching for is in that town."


    "As for us, we will hold him back on the border of the Zaecuria Kingdom, preventing him from reaching this country," Qiel ordered.


    "Understood." Her subordinate acknowledged the order and immediately disappeared to pass the message.


    Meanwhile, Nelfer asked, "I''m not sure about this, but what about the small gap that leads directly to the Greenwood Kingdom? Won''t this be exposed if we mobilize our people?"


    "This is because of you." Qiel gritted her teeth. "Do you know that because of your condition, you won''t be able to stop them?"


    Nelfer didn''t say anything. After that defeat, he felt like he had lost the right to stop her. If he wasn''t reckless, he could stand in that gap and stop Dimitri until Qiel arrived and nked them from both sides.


    But with this condition, Nelfer could only stop Dimitri for a few minutes. It was definitely not enough for Qiel.


    That was why Qiel had to improvise and said, "You and I will stay together. If we create this gap, he will definitely take it. In other words, as soon as he begins to move, we''ll head directly to this area and ambush them. This is the only way to stop them. He wants to outsmart me? I will outsmart his outsmarting."


    Nelfer saw the confidence on Qiel''s face, so he immediately nodded his head, showing his agreement.


    "We''ll be moving now," added Qiel while looking at Nelfer''s condition.


    "Alright." Nelfer had also understood the fact that Noel wouldn''t give him time to recover.


    ¡­


    All involved parties began to move.


    As expected, Legz stationed the troops in the south, preventing Noel from crossing. However, this ce was the most unlikely ce Noel would go and since he couldn''t openly show his cards because it would mean harming Noel, he agreed to guard this area. The person he wanted was Tristan after all, so Noel couldn''t do much to him.


    Meanwhile, Qiel and Nelfer brought their group to the border of the Zaecuria Kingdom, waiting for Noel. If he truly used the Zaecuria Kingdom to loop around, then they would have a big sh here.


    Noel would surely avoid it and go for the small border that was linked directly to the Greenwood Kingdom. Hence, Qiel and Nelfer stationed themselves on the edge of the border so that they could immediately return when necessary. They only had a few elites under theirmand as the rest were spreading across the border.


    A shadow suddenly moved away from the city. A normal person would have a hard time spotting it, but there was a middle-aged man standing on top of the city''s tallest building who witnessed the shadow. He was the Great Protector that governed this town.


    "It seems that they have gone." He muttered in a low voice. "I have agreed to inform Legz about their arrival and departure, but he doesn''t give me anything to search for that kid, so I don''t care. I''ll just inform him about that shadow."


    Even Great Protectors didn''t think of each other as their allies. They were rivals since being a Great Protector meant having a shot to be a Grand Protector. Only because Legz promised him a hefty reward that he agreed to monitor Dimitri and Noel. He didn''t have any interest in looking for Tristan.


    Meanwhile, there was a woman walking in the town. The woman had covered her entire body with a coat, but she didn''t hide her hair inside the hood. Instead, she let the wind blow her hair as if she was trying to show that she was a woman.


    Yes, she was Sandra, and the one who became her leg was Tristan. This was the reason why Noel wanted Sandra to hide. He wanted people to know only about Tristan, allowing Sandra to easily move around.


    She examined the entire city while thinking, ''It seems that there is no effort in searching for us. However, we can''t let our guard down. ording to Master, leaving the city is not that much of a problem, but escaping from the border city is the problem.''


    She took a long breath to calm her down as she signaled Tristan to move to the left, entering a building.


    The building looked like a tavern. There were a lot of people eating inside and the booze smell was quite strong.


    Sandra maintained her calm expression as she headed to the staff at the counter. She asked, "Border City."


    The staff looked at her as though he was examining her. After a moment, he said, "Three Thousand Low Grade Demon Crystals."


    "I need a trusted escort party."


    "¡­" The staff seemed to be doubting her, but Sandra suddenly took out a bag filled with Demon Crystals. But instead of Low Grade, it contained Mid Grade and even Advanced Grade Crystals.


    As soon as he saw that, the staff changed his words. Instead of saying the price, he offered a group. "Welbelfon Mercenary Group. Their captain is a Spirit Master and there are a few Spirit Wielders."


    "Good. Arrange the party." Sandra nodded.


    "Let me guide you to the waiting room," the staff politely extended his hand, guiding them to a separate room. Since Sandra seemed wealthy, he better treated her well, hoping for tips.


    Sandra agreed and walked to the room where there were two long chairs for discussion. Sandra sat on one side while asking Tristan, "Are you alright?"


    They couldn''t expose their identity, meaning Tristan couldn''t get a breather and had to stay in this awkward position while Sandra was sitting.


    "Yes. This is nothingpared to the treatment in that ce."


    Sandra silently agreed, remembering their time with the ve merchant. She also knew that all the rted parties should have taken their positions and the final battle to decide their fate had begun.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 838 Final Approach

    ?


    In the border town, Sandra and Tristan were packing their luggage, ready for their ultimate trip. Sandra couldn''t help but take a look at the sky, saying, "It''s about to start, Tristan."


    "Yeah. I''m sorry that because of me, you have to go through such a dangerous situation." Tristan nodded while putting the clothes inside his bag.


    "Why are you saying it like that?" Sandra shook her head. "When I was sold to the ve merchant, I knew that my fate had been sealed. I would either go to the brothel or be a toy of a rich person. It was so awful that I wanted to die before he even got a chance to sell me. That stopped when I saw you¡­"


    Sandra recalled their memory with the ve merchant. "I saw you continuously looking at something. I couldn''t help but wonder why you would do something like that even though you would end up getting beaten every day. When we finally met Master, that was the time I realized that you had never given up. Unlike me, who resigned to my fate, you were trying to be stronger so that you could live a better life."


    "That''s¡ª" Tristan wanted to say that he could do that because of her, who kept treating his injury.


    However, Sandra continued, "When I saw you doing everything to save me, I felt like I should also do something. Unlike you, who have the goal of bing a great person as Master''s disciple, I don''t know what I want to do in the future."


    Tristan suddenly walked to her and grabbed her hand.


    "Eh?" Sandra was startled, but she soon found Tristan''s solemn face.


    "Don''t say that. If you don''t know, then keep walking forward. We will survive this and live a long life. I''m sure that you can think of what you want to do even if it''s not now."


    Facing Tristan''s sincere feelings, Sandra couldn''t help but smile, saying, "Yes. It seems that I have be too sentimental. Let''s continue packing our luggage. We have to reach the edge of the town in one hour."


    Tristan nodded with a serious expression. For Tristan, Sandra''s help was something like a miracle. Without her, he might have died or been severely injured to the point he could only wait for his death. On the other hand, Tristan had been an inspiration for Sandra.


    Without them realizing it, they had both leaned on each other.


    And to grasp their future, they had to follow Noel''s n.


    Not far from the town, Noel and Dimitri were running in the middle of the desert. The sun was about to reach the top of their head, symbolizing the start of their n.


    "What is the situation?" Noel asked while scanning the area.


    "I still haven''t found them. However, it''s true that it''s too quiet here. Considering they are mobilizing two Devil Saints, they should have brought a big group of elites. Even if they spread them, some should be hidden around this ce." Dimitri contemted and asked, "Master. I think it''s better if I use my True Spirit Body. This is thest sprint, right?"


    "No. I don''t allow you to do that." Noel shook his head. "You should know that I''m nning to reach the Spirit Grandmaster Stage either during my stay in the Greenwood Kingdom or upon my return to the Muivell Kingdom before bing a noble. Meanwhile, you have to go straight to gather all the workers in the Muivell Kingdom. If you are injured because of the True Spirit Body, will you have enough time? The people we need are many, you know."


    Dimitri couldn''t say anything back. Even he had to use his full power to roam the entire kingdom, gathering those workers. He didn''t know whether he would have enough time to gather those people before Noel became a noble.


    After a moment, Dimitri said, "I understand. But if pushes to shove, I''ll release my True Spirit Body."


    "I know. If my prediction is correct, the moment we reach the border, we will be fine." Noel nced to the horizon. "And if my calction is not wrong, the enemies will be appearing soon."


    "Well, we are only two hours away from the Greenwood Kingdom. In one and a half hours, we should be able to see the border city. They probably stationed a few people inside that city." Dimitri agreed.


    "Yes. That''s when they are going to attack. So, get ready." Noel took a deep breath. He began circting his Spiritual Energy.


    He had been conserving his energy this whole time so that he could use every bit of it during the brief sh. But since they were about to approach the border, they had to be a bit more cautious.


    "I''ll be moving around to scout the area." Dimitri nodded.


    "Go."


    In that instant, Dimitri disappeared. He seemed to have sped up and moved a bit farther away from Noel.


    Meanwhile, the Supreme Devil Organization had moved ording to Noel''s words.


    Qiel and Nelfer had stationed themselves at the edge of the border so that they could rush back to intercept Noel before reaching the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Obviously, she could see a signal that wouldunch into the sky from the border town from this ce. This would give her the time to react.


    On the other hand, Nelfer remained on the ground, trying to recover even just a little bit.


    While waiting, Qiel narrowed her eyes, staring at the border. Different kingdoms definitely had different borders.


    Between the Atracaeca Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom stood a lot of poles in an interval, stretching over the horizon. They had been connected with a few ropes to mark their area. If one crossed the rope, they would have entered the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    Obviously, it was impossible to secure every inch of their border. Even in this ce, she didn''t find a single soldier. It might look easy to cross the border, but there was a giant town not far from the border, which should act as the military base to secure the border.


    The Atracaeca Kingdom also had a border town, but because this ce was at the very corner, the border actually crossed over three countries. The border town where Tristan and Sandra stayed was connected with the Muivell Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom. Meanwhile, there was another border town slightly south of the area.


    With this kind of terrain, it would be impossible for Noel to cross over this way, leaving him no choice but to go to the gap they had created. This was Qiel''s trap.


    She turned around, staring at the border that linked to the Greenwood Kingdom. Instead of poles, there wasn''t a single thing that stopped them from entering the Greenwood Kingdom.


    The area was still filled with sand, but the desert should be ending not far from that border and that was where the Greenwood Kingdom''s border town was.


    Obviously, she noticed the slight few bricks that were ced around the lines, marking their territory. If Noel managed to cross over those bricks, it meant he had entered the Greenwood Kingdom.


    However, she couldn''t find any suspicious thing that was hidden around the border.


    ''Did I miscalcte? He should have known that crossing the border is only temporary. If he can''t reach the border town, it will be impossible for him to get any protection.'' Qiel scanned the area, finding no abnormalities. She thought Noel was prepared to fight them until they reached the town.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    It was a bit foolish, considering Noel should have foreseen his capture unless he had another trump card.


    ''I see. It seems that Noel Ardagan is going to use everything to reach that town. We have a bit more time, but I''m afraid Dimitri¡­'' Qiel nced at Nelfer on the ground and said, "I''m going to tell you this. There is a chance that Dimitri will use the True Spirit Body. If that happens, the first thing you need to do is to survive and not use your True Spirit Body."


    "Huh?" Nelfer woke up, confused. "Why? If I don''t use my True Spirit Body, I won''t be able to defeat him."


    "Dimitri would definitely inform the Demon Banner Army about your condition. So, if we return, we will be targeted by the Demon Banner Army. Even our force won''tst long. Hence, heavy injury is fine, but we have to keep the True Spirit Body our trump card if we want to return. If we stay here, the Demon Banner Army will use that time tounch a full-scale attack."


    "I understand." Nelfer nodded in understanding. "I won''t be reckless anymore. But how long do you need to capture that brat?"


    "I''m not sure. He must have hidden a few trump cards, so I''ll target the others to defeat him. Your team will sweep them and capture him."


    "Got it."


    As they discussed theirst approach, a huge red light flew into the sky.


    The light suddenly exploded like a firework, producing a loud sound that rmed Qiel and Nelfer.


    "!!!" Both of them knew because this was the signal their subordinates would send if they spotted Noel and Dimitri. In other words, the final chase had just begun.


    "Move out!"

 Chapter 839 Win

    Noel was running by himself when he was already near the city. Unfortunately, this was the only thing he could do.


    At first, he thought about looping around the town. Unfortunately, the north side where the Muivell Kingdom was had been protected strictly not by this kingdom but by the Muivell Kingdom. If a future noble was spotted like this, there would be a lot of problems.


    On the other side, Qiel and Nelfer were watching the area closely. Hence, the only thing he could do was to stay in close proximity to the city to avoid their detections.


    However, it also meant that the city could spot him, especially people from a tall building.


    When he was about to pass the city, a light flew into the sky.


    Noel nced at the light and the origin, fully knowing that the person who released that signal would be someone from that organization.


    Noel remained calm as though he had predicted all of it. In fact, Noel didn''t do anything special. He just maintained his pace, trying to conserve his energy.


    That signal rmed not only Qiel and Noel but also Tristan and Sandra.


    "!!!" Sandra widened her eyes in shock and hurriedly said, "Tristan. That signal¡­ Did you hear it?"


    Sandra hurriedly moved to a quiet ce and Tristan finally replied, "Yes. I could hear it. Considering the time, it must be the signal of Master."


    "So, should we start running?" Sandra asked while looking at the sun''s position. There were about another fifteen minutes before the promised time.


    Tristan also took a peek at the position and said, "No. We will follow Master''s instructions strictly. We will leave the town after the sun is directly above our heads."


    "All right then."


    Sandra and Tristan didn''t know anything about the real purpose of that n. However, Tristan had promised Noel that he would follow his n from word to word.


    Without them realizing it, they had escaped another scheme from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    By sending that signal, the Supreme Devil Organization could startle Tristan, the person Legz was searching for. Since he wouldn''t be with Noel and only a little child, he would panic and leave the town.


    This way, it would be easy to spot him and capture him for Legz.


    And that task was given to the person who sent the signal earlier. When he shot the signal, he was scanning the area, watching closely to see if there was someone leaving the town.


    But there was no one who left the town. The people were just shocked by the signal, and the authorities had turned a blind eye to this one.


    "There is no one? I should wait for a bit. That kid shouldn''t be that powerful, so he can''t run fast. So, he might be running around the town to escape."


    Ultimately, he was waiting for Tristan and Sandra, wondering if the kids were actually in this town or not.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Noel kept his eyes on the south direction, knowing that the enemies would definitelye from that direction. Even Dimitri had blended himself into the surroundings, ready to intercept the enemies. As Noel ordered, he had to defeat Nelfer in the shortest period of time.


    There was an eerie silence for a whole ten minutes, and Noel was about topletely cross over the city.


    However, he soon felt an incredible fluctuation of Spiritual Energying straight at him.


    He instinctively used his Enhance Forward Rune on his body tounch himself forward.


    Boom!


    An explosion urred right at his original position. If he hadn''t used the rune earlier, he would definitely have been hit by that explosion. He knew that it was Qiel''s arrow.


    Still, it gave away Qiel''s location.


    He hurriedly read the track of the arrow and raised his head, albeit a bit hard because Qiel was hiding behind a sand hill.


    ''Are you serious?'' Noel clicked his tongue, never expecting that Qiel would be this skilled. It turned out Qiel''s arrow, which was made of Spiritual Energy, could curve in the air.


    Another three arrows suddenly flew into the sky, trying to cut Noel''s path.


    "Tsk. As expected of a Devil Saint, their intensity is far different from a Superior Demon¡­" Noel took a deep breath. It seemed that he had to reveal everything in order to stay alive.


    He remembered the conversation he had with Heisk after absorbing the energy from the ice jade.


    As promised, three days after the ne absorbed the ice jade, Noel received a notification from Ardagan.


    [Mission: Heisk''s Evolution II.]


    [Description: Heisk will proceed to absorb the energy that has been stored inside the ne (3 days).]


    [Reward: Ice Burst, Snow Shield, Cold Empowerment, Eternal Frozen, Frost Control Upgrade ]


    [Frost Control has been upgraded to Spiritual Cold Control.]


    ''There are so many abilitiesing.'' Noel was quite surprised that he got four Spirit Abilities in addition to his Frost Control being upgraded. ''Yet, Heisk hasn''t evolved to the humanoid rank? I can''t help but wonder how strong you will be once you reach that rank.''


    ''I have to thank you for that opportunity. Although I haven''t reached the humanoid rank, I''m not far from it. As long as there is another ice element item, I can definitely evolve. It doesn''t need to be as powerful as the ice jade earlier.''


    ''I see. Still, with the information I have received from Ardagan, it seems that these five rewards will be extremely useful for me.'' Noel smiled.


    ''I''m d that I can help you. Please use my ability.''


    After recalling that brief conversation, Noel''s Spiritual Energy erupted. When he looked at the iing arrows, Noel looked calm as though he had confidence in stopping those arrows. Unlike Ardagan''s Undying me, Heisk''s ice was tangible. The addition of physical form added anotheryer of protection.


    "Snow Shield."


    "Ice Mirror."


    With a single wave of his hand, Noel formed three giant snowkes right at the arrow''s trajectory.


    Qiel seemed to have sensed it as the arrow was trying to curve, but the snowke was too big and the arrow ended up hitting the edge of the snowke.


    Normally, the arrow could shoot through Noel''s ice mirrors. Unless he lined up all the ice mirrors, it was impossible to stop a single arrow.


    But these snowkes were different and Qiel noticed it too. The moment the arrows hit the snowkes, they erupted.


    The snowke released a huge ice crystal, but the Spiritual Energy inside the arrow still continued moving forward, trying to break apart the ice crystal.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As one would expect from a Devil Saint''s attack, the arrows still managed to break the ice crystal apart, albeit losing most of its Spiritual Energy.


    As a result, a few ice mirrors appeared on its way and stopped itpletely.


    "!!!" Qiel, on the other side of the sandhill, widened her eyes in shock. "What?"


    Qiel waspletely shocked because Noel could actually stop her attack easily. It wasn''t like the previous one where he stopped an arrow with all ice mirrors but still got hit by the momentum and explosion.


    On top of that, Noel was still a Spirit Master. Even if he was close to Spirit Grandmaster, he was still far from her level.


    This was the first time she saw someone like Noel.


    "Ardagan Family, what is their true identity? I think I have to ask Laufey about the Ardagan Family." Qiel''s expression turned grim.


    Before she could shoot another arrow, a shadow moved toward her, ready to strike.


    However, Nelfer jumped into the sky and stomped the ground with his full weight, causing the ground to tremble and the sand to be kicked up.


    Dimitri was forced to revert to his original form.


    "You have gotten too predictable, former assassin!" Nelfer smirked.


    Dimitri didn''t answer him. Instead, he swung his shadow sword as Nelfer opened his hand, trying to grab it. He had coated his entire arm with Spiritual Energy to make his arm like steel.


    And surprisingly, despite knowing his de would be caught, Dimitri continued his swing.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Clink!


    As a result, Nelfer managed to grab Dimitri''s de. After that, Nelfer used his other hand to punch Dimitri. "Die!"


    Unexpectedly, Dimitri let go of his sword, startling Nelfer. Instead, he pulled both arms and tried to push Nelfer''s other hand. Even if its power wasn''t as high as the hand that caught his de, Dimitri wouldn''t be able to stop that punch¡­ in a normal way, that is.


    "Huh?!"


    On the left hand, Dimitri exerted the power of his rune, which was the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. On his right hand, Dimitri used the Rune st. Last but not least, he strengthened his body with the Reduce Impact Rune.


    When they were about to sh, the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune caused the energy around Nelfer''s arm to scatter.


    Without the boost of the Spiritual Energy, Dimitri punched Nelfer''s arm with the help of the Rune st.


    Bam!


    "What?!" Nelfer waspletely shocked as that punch ended up knocking his body back, causing his bnce to tilt.


    Using that chance, Dimitri moved toward Qiel.


    "No, you bastard! I won''t let you!" Nelfer hurriedly stomped the ground and tried to catch up, preventing Dimitri from interfering with Qiel.


    Qiel was startled and tried to fight back, but Dimitri couldn''t help but smile at Qiel.


    "!!!" Qiel instantly understood his meaning. Dimitri''s target was never her. "N¡ª"


    Before she could say anything, Dimitri had stopped his momentum by using the Enhance Forward Rune but backward. That sudden stop was not possible physically, but that was why Nelfer and Qiel would be shocked.


    Nelfer didn''t predict such a thing and saw Dimitri turning around with both arms coated with shadow. Even his own shadow had turned into des.


    In a single instant, Dimitri waved his hands as all the des hidden in the shadow shed Nelfer, inflicting a lot of wounds on the body with the most critical one being the huge wound on his chest.


    "Gaaaahhh!" Nelfer screamed. He just promised he wouldn''t mess up, but Dimitri almost killed him in the first round.


    As if knowing the signal, Noel suddenly sped up with his Enhance Forward Rune.


    "!!!" Qiel gritted her teeth as she was forced to choose between helping Nelfer or pursuing Noel.


    Noel and Dimitri couldn''t help but smile. In the past two shes, they were the defeated. However, today, they n to win.

 Chapter 840 Stronger

    ?


    "Gaahhhh!"


    "!!!" Noel could hear the screaming from the other side of the sandhill. That was the signal from Dimitri. Without hesitation, he circted his Spiritual Energy to the Enhance Forward Rune andunched himself forward.


    That action obviously didn''t escape Qiel''s surveince.


    "He is speeding up now?" She hurriedly turned around, trying to aim the bow at the sky to make it curve again. But she was hesitant to shoot it.


    After all, the brief moment she required to form the next arrow would expose her vulnerable state. And Dimitri was someone strong enough to exploit all that.


    Additionally, a half-baked arrow wouldn''t be able to break through Noel''s defense. She could finally see what their n was.


    It seemed that Noel was confident in stopping her arrows. Even if she pursued him directly, it would mean that Nelfer would be in danger.


    All of a sudden, another explosion echoed from behind her. It was Nelfer''s punch that struck the ground, causing Dimitri to flee to the left.


    "Nelfer?!" Qiel widened her eyes in surprise.


    "Go. I will definitely stop him here." Nelfer shouted, showing his determination in his gaze.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    In that split second, Qiel had to make a decision. Helping Nelfer would mean Noel escaping, and Dimitri wasn''t so weak that they could defeat him. On the other hand, if it took too long, Nelfer would definitely die in Dimitri''s hands. In the worst case scenario, Nelfer dies and she fails to capture Noel.


    This would definitely be a big blow to the organization. And Noel would definitely be hailed as a hero from the Demon Banner Army, which would be smooth sailing to be a noble. In other words, this was Noel''s real n.


    Qiel gritted her teeth and hurriedly shot a few arrows into the air. One arrow flew upward and exploded in the sky, creating a st that could be seen from far away. In that instant, a few Spirit Masters and Grandmasters from another position started moving toward the signal.


    At the same time, the remaining arrows curved and approached Noel.


    Noel waved his hand, sending forth the Snow Shield and Ice Mirror to stop the iing arrows.


    While running, Noel couldn''t help but nce at the sun, measuring the time and the distance he needed to cross to reach the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "The sun is almost on top of my head. I''m not sure how many more minutes for the sun to be directly above our heads. But Tristan should know about it." Noel recalled Tristan''s speed and muttered, "I can cross the border easily, but I have to stop the enemies for Tristan and Sandra."


    "¡­" Obviously, the person, who had been observing the city, noticed Noel''s movement as well. He couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, wondering what Noel nned to do.


    "He doesn''t nce at this town even once¡­ it seems he is not worried about this city. Is it because the other target is not within this city? If that''s the case, is he hiding that kid in another city and rescuing himter, or did he tell him to go straight to the Muivell Kingdom?"


    He might be the scout, but he was also an observer, making sure he took note of Noel''s every action. This way, he could get some information.


    However, Noel didn''t leave any clues in his actions, making him doubtful. Still, he had to follow orders and remained in the city.


    Different from him, Noel didn''t bother to look at the city because he hadplete confidence in Tristan. His memory was his biggest talent and weapon.


    Hence, all he had to do was create an opportunity.


    Noel continued on his way. As he was about topletely pass the city, he noticed a few more arrows as well as a cloud of dust in the distance.


    "Reinforcement¡­ Qiel is going to capture me seriously, which means¡­" Noel nced at the original location where the scream came from. "¡­she has left Nelfer behind. I''m counting on you, Dimitri."


    He waved his hands again, freezing the arrows.


    But the moment the ice crystals formed in order to reduce the energy within the arrow, a powerful shot was released, directly sting all the ice crystals. As a result, the arrows were freed from the ice crystals without too much loss in their energy. They pierced through the ice mirrors and continued flying toward Noel.


    "Seriously?" Noel didn''t expect that Qiel wouldunch that explosive arrow just to save the other arrows. That explosive arrow was the one she used to inform other people from the organization. To think it could be used that way.


    Noel let out cold air from his body as pped his hands. The cold air came in the form of a mist, bursting in all directions.


    This was one of the techniques Heisk had learned after absorbing the energy from the ice jade, Ice Burst.


    The arrow entered the ice mist and froze the energy itself.


    "!!!" Qiel was surprised when her energy was frozen. "What? He could actually affect the Spiritual Energy itself?"


    There was a reason why Qiel was so shocked. Normally, the Spiritual Energy within a Spirit Ability was so violent that they ended up striking it down as a Spirit Ability instead of pure Spiritual Energy.


    There was a big difference between Spiritual Energy and Spirit Ability. Spiritual Energy was the pure form of energy, while thetter was a condensation of that energy by using the human''s body as well as infusing their element.


    The Spiritual Energy had already existed before the Spirit Ability, but the Spirit Ability couldn''t lose its fuel, Spiritual Energy. In other words, when Noel froze the Spiritual Energy, the remaining element and condensation couldn''t release their might as there was nothing to fuel them anymore.


    The frozen Spiritual Energy was covered in a thickyer of ice and dropped to the ground before it burst, breaking apart the ice crystal and returning to the air.


    Of course, Noel had been able to do it the whole time with his Undying Fire. In fact, this was the unique ability of the Undying Fire and why it was so fierce.


    However, due to the influence of Ardagan on Heisk, it seemed that Heisk had created this technique, which was not possible normally.


    After witnessing that power, Noel couldn''t help but smile. Still, using ice mist in the middle of a desert was bound to lose its might almost immediately. The temperature of the desert made the ice mist warm, causing it to turn into normal water droplets and fall to the ground.


    During that time, Noel could also feel a surge of powering from the coldness. It seemed that the ice mist also allowed him to activate the Cold Empowerment.


    As the name implied, the Cold Empowerment would strengthen his body in the cold temperature. It was simr to the Empowerment Rune to the point where he wondered if the runes were created by using Spirit Abilities as a basis so that normal people could use Spirit Abilities as well.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have much time to think about it as the cloud of dust was about to reach him. Additionally, for the first time since the ambush, Qiel had finally revealed her location. She was standing atop the sandhill, aiming her bow at him.


    "Tsk." Noel could see how serious Qiel was.


    The arrow flew like lightning, carrying a tremendous amount of energy.


    Noel waved his hand, shooting out a ck phoenix from his finger.


    The Undying Phoenix soared to the sky and engulfed the arrow. However, thetter was so fast that it managed to pierce through the phoenix in a split second.


    This was one of the reasons why Noel didn''t want to use his fire against Qiel. It was true that if his ability exploded and engulfed the arrow, it would burn the Spiritual Energypletely.


    However, Qiel''s arrow had so much speed that it was hard to time it right. That was why he preferred using his Ice Mirror.


    But the sliver of Undying Fire that stuck on the arrow kept gnawing the Spiritual Energy, weakening the arrow.


    This arrow was much more powerful than what she had released the entire time. It seemed that Qiel had known that a normal means couldn''t defeat Noel. Hence, she treated him as a killing target and used this lethal arrow, fully knowing that Noel might still survive from a few arrows.


    "Khhh¡­" Noel had a hard time. The Undying Fire didn''t burn enough, so he added the Snow Shield and stacked all the Ice Mirrors.


    Boom!


    There was a huge explosion at the impact and all his ice was shattered into pieces. Fortunately, the arrow had lost most of its energy. Noel struck his de at the arrow with the help of Spirit Weaponry and split it in half.


    "Seriously? It took everything just to stop a single arrow?" Noel was confident he could win if he had to fight one or two normal Spirit Grandmasters. But that was the exact reason why Noel could clearly see the gap between a normal Spirit Grandmaster and a peak Spirit Grandmaster like Qiel.


    The battle might be far harder than the one in his imagination.

 Chapter 841 Full Strength

    ?


    The approaching Spirit Bishops and Inspectors raised their weapons while releasing their Spiritual Energy, ready to encircle him.


    Qiel also aimed her bow, ready to shoot another arrow.


    Seeing the situation, Noel could only run forward, trying to get as close as possible to the border.


    Qiel released another arrow, but this time, instead of Noel, her target was the ground in front of Noel.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Surprisingly, there were a few other explosions that urred right after that. Noel couldn''t see what happened because the explosion formed a cloud of dust that engulfed him.


    "Tsk." Noel gritted his teeth. The first explosion had covered his vision, so he didn''t know if the second and the other explosions after the first one were created by Qiel''s arrows or not.


    Additionally, Noel could only expect the location where Qiel would shoot him, not the actual arrow itself. Hence, there was a chance that Qiel would take advantage of this cloud of dust to bombard him.


    To his surprise, a few shadows appeared in his vision, carrying their des. He immediately thought of them as the Devil Bishops and Inspectors.


    Without hesitation, Noel waved his sword horizontally as the Spiritual Energy created a circle that continued to expand.


    Circr Sword Strike.


    The shadows seemed to be blocking the attack with their weapons. And as one would expect from multiple Spirit Masters and Spirit Grandmasters, they broke Noel''s attack apart in just a second.


    With that attack, Noel had just given away his position as well.


    With only a span of two seconds, another st urred not far from him.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He never stopped moving, so the fact that there was an explosion in front of him meant Qiel could pinpoint his location and generate another cloud of dust in front, trapping him in an endless cloud of dust.


    Still, Noel had one more trump card that allowed him to assess the situation around him. He said inwardly, ''Ardagan. Change the medal to Demon Hunter Medal and Affection Medal.''


    The Demon Hunter Medal was tasked to avoid any demons approaching him. Although the Supreme Devil Organization hadn''t shown it this whole time, he still remembered the fact that the organization could control demons. Even if the nt Lord had been eliminated, they should still have the method to replicate the item to control the demons.


    As for the Affection Medal, it would allow him to recognize all the people inside the cloud.


    ''There are a total of twelve people¡­'' Noel muttered the number of Devil Bishops and Inspectors that came after him. But the moment he saw the information notifications, there were thirteen of them, one ovepping with another.


    There were two possibilities for the thirteenth person. The first one would be the one that had been waiting in the city, giving them the signal and other misceneous things. And the second one would be Qiel.


    Although it was easy to know Qiel was the one infiltrating the cloud, it was hard to pinpoint her location due to the ovepping notifications.


    In that split second, Noel chose to utilize the only advantage he had. He was alone, and that was enough.


    Without hesitation, Noel waved his hand, using thest ability he got from Heisk.


    Eternal Frozen.


    As soon as Noel ced his hand on the ground, the Spiritual Energy burst out of his hand, freezing everything, including the sand particles.


    "!!!" Everyone waspletely shocked because this was an ability that a normal Spirit Master wouldn''t have. From the outside, it looked like the entire cloud of dust turned white because it was covered in ice. But from the people who were inside, they could see the small ice particles shing before their eyes. The ice particles might be small, but each of them carried a tremendous amount of cold energy.


    When their skin touched the ice particles, the cold ran through their bodies, causing them to shiver. And it was even worse for those who didn''t cover their mouth and nose. The ice particles went inside their bodies and burst out.


    "Gah!" A few people suddenly fell down, coughing loudly. They could feel their inner body was being frozenpletely.


    However, Qiel disyed her superiority by controlling her Spiritual Energy perfectly to the point where she created a thinyer of barrier in the direction where she was going, catching all the ice particles.


    She passed through without hesitation and reached Noel.


    "!!!" Noel clicked his tongue. Even if his strength and speed were already at the level of a Spirit Grandmaster, Qiel''s physical abilities far surpassed him.


    He tried to swing his de, stopping Qiel. But thetter skillfully jumped into the air and grabbed the back of his cor, throwing him into the air.


    "Kh." Noel could see the frozen dust. At the same time, he knew that Qiel would shoot him from the ground.


    Without hesitation, Noel formed Ice Mirror and stacked them to stop just a single bullet from Qiel.


    But that wasn''t all. Noel still had one advantage that Qiel knew nothing about.


    When the arrow was released, the fluctuation of energy burst out, blowing the dust away and revealing Qiel''s position.


    The arrow hit the Ice Mirrors, piercing through all of them.


    Noel took advantage of the little time the Ice Mirrors gave him by slowing down the arrow to activate his Enhance Forward Rune in his body. Unlike the normal rune that required a lot of time to create from scratch, the Rune Body only needed Spiritual Energy to activate.


    As a result, the Enhance Forward Rune immediatelyunched him toward the border, using the momentum he got from Qiel''s throw to create a parabolic movement.


    "What?!" Qiel widened her eyes in shock, never expecting that Noel could do something like that. It wasn''t a pure control over his Spiritual Energy nor was it a Spirit Ability. She wasn''t aware it was a rune either, making her think this was another secret that the Ardagan Family possessed, and they had to get it.


    Although the shock gave Noel an opportunity to widen their distance, Qiel managed to recover and aim at him again.


    Surprisingly, the person who had been watching them the whole time had decided to intervene.


    A shadow rose from the side, alerting Noel and Qiel.


    Noel activated his Reduce Impact Rune as well as Rune st. The Rune st knocked the guy, but thetter also managed to punch him toward the ground. The Reduce Impact Rune decreased the force he received from the punch and the fall.


    It turned out the person Qiel had stationed in the city was another Spirit Grandmaster.


    "I''m sorry i I did something unnecessary, Madam Qiel." The person apologized while recovering from the Rune st on the ground.


    "No. You''ve made the correct decision." Qiel had judged that no matter how smart the kid was, they would be no match for her. In other words, Tristan would have left the city if he had been inside it this whole time. If he waited for Noel''s signal, then it would be easier to track him down.


    Hence, Qiel deemed that Tristan was not within the town, thus allowing them to focus on Noel. It was true that they had agreed to capture Tristan, but the fact that he wasn''t here had annulled the agreement.


    Noel gritted his teeth. Behind him was the border, but he still needed to run for another two kilometers. On his right was the Spirit Grandmaster, who ambushed him while in front of him stood Qiel with her bow. A few Spirit Grandmasters and Masters seemed to survive the Eternal Frozen as well and blocked his left.


    He only had one way to go, but it would mean his movement would be predictable, especially for Qiel.


    Still, he had to go.


    Noel didn''t turn around. Instead, he jumped slightly into the air and propelled himself with the Enhance Forward Rune.


    "After him! Careful, he has weird abilities!" Qiel shouted while releasing a shot.


    Noel used the Snow Shield, Ice Mirror, and Energy Dispersing Rune to block Qiel''s arrow. After that, he sent forth the Undying Phoenix to the Spirit Grandmaster on the right.


    The people from the left approached him since this was the most useful way to stop Noel on his track, especially with the fact that Noel could propel himself backward at that speed.


    Noel used his Rune Body again, but this time, he activated the Energy Gathering Rune. He gathered a huge amount of energy on his left before sending a little Undying Fire to set it aze.


    "!!!" The sudden burst of me startled and even scared them a bit, fully knowing how intense Noel''s me was. That burst of me served as a wall that stopped them for a few seconds.


    Seeing this situation, Qiel released another arrow.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Noel finally used his Phoenix Wings tounch himself into the air and use the Enhance Forward Rune to carry him.


    He was using both elements and all his runes to the maximum in order to escape from Qiel.


    But at the same time, the battlefield had undergone another change as the person they thought wasn''t here had revealed themselves.


    Their vision had been blocked by the city building before, but when the two figures reached a certain distance, their shadows appeared in the corner of the people''s eyes.


    Yes, they were Tristan and Sandra. There was no more disguise or waiting. They were running without even looking back, fully knowing that if they reduced their speed even just a little, everything would be in vain.


    And their appearance was the thing that Noel had been waiting for because he could see the shock in their eyes. He utilized that little shock to grow his distance even more while situating himself between the two kids and the organization. The second round had just started.

 Chapter 842 4 Minutes

    ?


    "There are a lot of noises from outside the town. Is it Master?" Sandra couldn''t help but look at the sky, wondering what was happening outside the town. Even the people in the town had grown restless, wondering if there were demons attacking them.


    Tristan had been quiet for some time as he maintained his focus on measuring the sun''s position.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    While Sandra was looking around with a worried face, Tristan suddenly stood up and grabbed her hand.


    "Sandra. We''re going." Tristan said while taking a glimpse of the sun''s position. This was the position he remembered to be the one directly above his head. "We have to trust Master''s n. He said that no matter how hard it is, we should never look at him and lower our speed. Just focus on crossing the border. Even if you''re distracted, I won''t and will keep dragging you."


    "Don''t worry, I know." Sandra nodded with a serious expression.


    After that brief conversation, Sandra and Tristan dashed to the outside. They had been waiting at the edge of the town this whole time, so it only took them half a minute to leave the town.


    There were no guards as well, considering the battle had taken their attention. Hence, Sandra and Tristan smoothly exited the city and saw the border to the Greenwood Kingdom.


    With his right hand, holding Sandra''s hand, he pointed at the bricks and shouted, "That''s the border. We have to reach that ce no matter what."


    "Yes." Sandra gritted her teeth, listening to all those explosions. She could only ignore all of it, not knowing if their master was alright or not.


    The first minute waspletely safe and peaceful. There was no oneing after them. But the moment the buildings had stopped covering them from a certain angle, everything became different.


    A loud shout resounded across the area.


    "Look at them! There are two kids going straight to the border!"


    The one who released that information was none other than the Spirit Grandmaster, who was originally stationed in the city. It turned out he had been bamboozled by those kids.


    After recovering from the shock, he confirmed their identity, or more like Tristan''s identity.


    ''What? The kids are there? But there is more than one kid? Why do they appear now? Is there a specific signal? They don''t have Spiritual Energy in their bodies, so they shouldn''t know that the scout has left the city. Then, how do they know when to leave?'' There were a lot of questions appearing in Qiel''s mind. However, one thing was clear. Noel had sessfully fooled her. "Kh!"


    Additionally, Noel took advantage of that split-second confusion to use his full-speed fly toward the kids, positioning himself between the organization and the kids so that they couldn''t harm them.


    While it was true that they couldn''t kill Tristan due to the agreement, they could attack anything around them to stop them. A small injury wouldn''t be a problem, especially with Qiel''s pinpoint uracy.


    Noel released all his Spiritual Energy, preparing for hisst stand. With a nce, he gathered all the information and calcted the time.


    ''With their speed, reaching the border will require eight minutes. Qiel will release an endless onught¡­ I can stop them, but it''s impossible to handle the other experts¡­'' Noel gritted his teeth, wondering if Dimitri had finished or not.


    When he nced to the side, he saw a ck-colored energy shing with a red-colored energy. The ck energy was overwhelming the other one, but it wasn''tpletely. It seemed that Nelfer was stronger than he expected.


    In other words, there was a possibility that he had to do it alone.


    Noel took a deep breath. He could shoot out multiple runes, but the strength of the runes was stillckingpared to his Spirit Abilities.


    Hence, Noel gathered his Spiritual Energy in both hands. This time, the right hand received its energy from Ardagan''s Spirit Seal, while the left hand received it from Heisk''s Spirit Seal.


    Since it was impossible to use the Cold Empowerment, he activated the Fire Heart to boost his Fire Ability and the Empowerment Rune on his body to increase his physical abilities.


    Qiel had released another arrow straight to Tristan and Sandra. It would miss them, but the explosion would definitely stop the twins.


    Noelnded on the ground and raised both hands.


    Snow Shield.


    Undying Phoenix.


    The Snow Shield burst out, releasing a huge ice crystal.


    "Do you think you can stop it?" Qiel harrumphed as the arrow released another burst of energy, breaking the ice crystal apart.


    "Of course not." Noel smiled. He knew that Qiel was nning to use all her power to defeat him, so it was impossible for the Snow Shield alone to stop it. Hence, he sent forth the Undying Phoenix at the same time.


    The phoenix used the little time the ice crystal stopped the arrow topletely engulf it in me.


    "!!!" Qiel could see her own Spiritual Energy being reduced to nothing and the arrow ultimately disappeared before it could reach Noel.


    The other experts caught up, trying to go straight past Noel and capture the two kids. Without orders, they knew what to do not only to distract Noel, but also to get their objectives.


    "Tsk." Noel pped his wings, using the Fire Gale.


    The intense heat, coupled with the high temperature of the desert, brushed off their skins.


    A portion of their clothes started burning. The Spirit Masters persisted for a moment but ended up using their remaining energy to let out a burst to disrupt the flow of energy, protecting the Spirit Grandmasters. Thetter had their skin reddened by the heat like a boiled shrimp, but they continued chasing their target, ignoring the damage on their bodies. As long as they could get these two kids, capturing Noel would be easy.


    Noel couldn''t see any way to stop them anymore.


    Additionally, Dimitri''s side didn''t seem to be good either.


    "You won''t be able to help them, Dimitri!"


    Boom


    A shout followed with a loud rumbling sound echoed in the area. Nelfer had just smashed the ground, causing it to tremble. His body was covered in wounds to the point that his skin became red because of his blood.


    It was clear that if Dimitri continued, he would be able to kill Nelfer.


    But Dimitri actually positioned himself not far from Noel and the others. In other words, Dimitri realized that the situation was much worse than he originally thought and chose to be near so that he could help at any moment.


    ''Killing Nelfer would give a great blow to the organization, but¡­'' Noel thought for a second. But seeing how Dimitri couldn''t finish him off this whole time, it seemed that he still required a few more minutes. In addition, there was another n that appeared in his mind. That n might allow him toplete his objective, so Noel ordered Dimitri out loud. "Dimitri. Protect the kids!"


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes, hearing his master''s order.


    "You can''t!" Nelfer hurriedly punched him but ended up piercing through Dimitri''s body as thetter turned into shadow and went straight to the kids.


    The seven Spirit Grandmasters that managed to slip past Noel saw the iing Dimitri. Six of them immediately turned around, trying to stop Dimitri, while thest one caught the kid.


    Unfortunately for them, Dimitri was so fast that he could loop around them.


    The Spirit Grandmaster, who was about to catch the kids, extended his hands, trying to grab their cors. However, his face soon got kicked by Dimitri as his body was blown a few meters away.


    Dimitri had caught up to the two kids as he shouted, "Keep running!"


    Sandra was already scared from the intense fight. Tristan was the same. His body was trembling, but he continued running without looking back. He still remembered the first thing Noel said when rescuing him. He told her that if he didn''t follow his order, something bad would happen.


    No matter how much he wanted to do it, he couldn''t look back. Seeing Tristan gritting his teeth, Sandra could only steel herself while doing the same.


    Still, the one who took advantage of the moment was not just Dimitri; Noel and Nelfer had done the same.


    Noel tried to catch up and stop the six Spirit Grandmasters while looking out for arrows. On the other hand, Nelfer was more clever.


    Nelfer jumped into the air, ready to smash the ground. If he could turn the ground into a crater, it would be hard for the kids to leave. Hence, that was what he was nning to do.


    "This is your biggest mistake, Dimitri!" Nelfer shouted in anger, releasing all the frustration from being suppressed the entire time.


    "¡­" Dimitri nced at Tristan and Sandra for a bit, knowing what would happen to them. In the end, Dimitri tossed his de to the left hand while catching Nelfer''s punch with his right hand.


    "Kh." Dimitri felt the pain and weight in that punch. With the current condition, he could probably stop the punch if he didn''t mind a broken bone, but since he couldn''t afford such injuries. He actually kicked his own hand, directing the force of the kick.


    "What?!" Nelfer waspletely stunned because that kick changed the direction of the punch, causing the shock wave to hit the left direction instead of the kids. As expected, a crater was created in a fan-shaped area, but the kids were still safe.


    Dimitri immediately jumped back while raising his sword, but his right hand waspletely down. His bone might not be broken, but his hand must be so numb that he couldn''t even hold his sword.


    There were only four more minutes before the kids could cross the border and the situation seemed to have favored the organization. Would Noel, once again, lose to the organization, or would he prevail this time?

 Chapter 843 Goal

    Qiel couldn''t help but smile when she witnessed the shift on the battlefield. As she expected, the kids would be the greatest weaknesses that Noel and Dimitri had to cover.


    However, Noel alone wouldn''t be enough to stop her and the other Spirit Grandmasters. She could see that his n was to let Dimitri defeat Nelfer as quickly as possible before helping with this situation.


    If Dimitri could stop Qiel, it wouldn''t be much of a problem for Noel to stop the other guys.


    Sadly, Noel had miscalcted Nelfer''s strength. No, more like, Noel had correctly predicted his strength, but Nelfer simply surpassed that expectation. The frustration that Nelfer had endured for thest few days was released at this time, allowing him to continue moving even with such injuries.


    ''Nelfer can continue attacking the kids, forcing Dimitri to block his attack and injuring him gradually. The other Spirit Grandmasters could be a distraction while trying to capture those two kids. I will restrain Noel''s movement.'' Qiel recalcted the situation.


    She considered Dimitri''s True Spirit Body, but there was no sign of it yet.


    Noel had to do something to escape from this situation, especially if he didn''t want Dimitri to use his True Spirit Body.


    But would Qiel allow him to do so?


    Qiel had aimed her bow at him, ready to release multiple arrows.


    Sensing the fluctuation of energy, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows.


    ''What should I do? If it continues like this, the two kids will be captured before reaching the border. Dimitri might use the True Spirit Body, but it will lead to a severe dy in my future ns¡­ Is it worth it? But if we can''t escape from here, there is no future¡­ no, wait, there is one more thing¡­'' Noel looked at Qiel with a grim expression as though he had steeled his resolve.


    Feeling his fighting intent, Qiel released three arrows. The first arrow flew straight at him while the other three curved to the left and right.


    Noel raised both hands. He sent forth Undying Phoenix from his right hand and created Snow Shield on the right.


    The Undying Phoenix flew at the arrow at first, but it suddenly curved before it reached the arrow as if trying to match the arrow''s movement.


    "!!!" Even Qiel was surprised. Noel actually matched the arrow movement just so that the arrow was exposed to the fire longer. Even though the arrow was faster, it was enough because the Spiritual Energy dissipated at high speed to the point where the arrow disappeared before it could reach him.


    On the other side, the Snow Shield perfectly blocked the arrow, leaving only a small trace. Noel easily knocked it down with his de.


    However, Noel didn''t do anything against the arrow that came straight ahead.


    "What?" Qiel couldn''t help but gasp. "Is he going to take my arrow?"


    Even though she had split her power into three, the arrow was still considered lethal. Even Noel''s strongest abilities had a hard time stopping them, so how could his body receive it?


    Noel activated three runes at the same time. The first rune was the Reduce Impact Rune from the Rune Body. It reduced the force that hit his body.


    The second rune was the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, allowing him to scatter the energy that fueled the arrow even for a bit.


    Thest one was Rune st, trying to knock the arrow away.


    "It''s not enough! You won''t be able to stop it." Qiel harrumphed. Even though she was surprised by his attempt, it was still not enough.


    Yet, a smile actually appeared on Noel''s face, startling her.


    Noel used the Spirit Weaponry to cut Spiritual Energy itself, but he met with extraordinary resistance. The impact was so big that the shock wave hit him like a giant boulder.


    "Kh." Noel gnashed his teeth as blood seeped out between his teeth. Even with the Reduce Impact Rune, the force was still enough to shake his entire organ, causing some internal injuries.


    However, this was what Noel wanted. He used his body to receive the force and use it tounch him away.


    The speed was so fast that it caught up with the other Spirit Grandmasters.


    The Spirit Grandmasters were stunned, not expecting Noel to be able to escape from Qiel. Thetter hurriedly formed her arrows again, realizing Noel''s intention.


    On the other hand, Noel actually thought, ''I''m d that I use my Honor Points sparingly. Ardagan. Exchange the 400 Honor Points for Skill Points, and distribute those points to Ardagan Swordsmanship and Undying Fire.''


    It took Ardagan an instant to process everything, fully knowing that he couldn''t be slow because Noel''s life would be in danger.


    [Converting 400 Honor Points.]


    [You''ve acquired 200 Skill Points.]All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    [Using 100 Skill Points to upgrade Undying Fire.]


    [Undying Fire (3/5)]


    [You''ve acquired Hell ze.]


    [You''ve acquired me Devil.]


    [Using 80 Skill Points to upgrade Ardagan Swordsmanship twice.]


    [Ardagan Swordsmanship (10/15)]


    [You''ve acquired Imperial Sword.]


    [You''ve acquired Sword Transmutation.]


    A sharp pain instantly jolted his brain as the new information entered his mind. Yet, instead of screaming, Noel was actually smiling.


    "Miracles¡­e for those who have prepared."


    He had been saving a lot of Honor Points so that he could use them depending on the situation. Before, all his ns had seeded without any problems, so there was never a chance to use them. Of course, he couldn''t use those points in front of an absolute power like the only Spirit Transcendence level Devil Saint.


    Noel raised his right hand, clenching his sword tightly.


    "What is he doing?" The Spirit Grandmasters were surprised that he managed to catch up to them, but they became more confused when Noel made a gesture he had never shown before.


    That could only mean one thing. Noel had another trump card he hadn''t used. But the people couldn''t believe Noel actually hid another trump card after getting besieged by all of them and Qiel.


    But the moment they had that thought, Noel swung his de.


    Imperial Sword.


    Some of the Spirit Grandmasters instinctively ducked down, while some raised their weapons to block Noel.


    But even with several Spirit Grandmasters, they couldn''t even stop Noel''s de as the energy spurred out, extending the de before erupting to create an enormous force that knocked them down.


    Although it was a surprise attack, it was still shocking that even several Grandmasters couldn''t stop Noel''s sword.


    More importantly, the ones who got lucky were actually the knocked ones earlier. A huge fire erupted behind Noel, forming a humanoid silhouette. Even though it was only an upper body, the silhouette was swift as it extended its left hand to catch the Spirit Grandmasters that were still running.


    There were three people running side by side. The two on the sides managed to jump away, but because he was surrounded earlier, he couldn''t escape from the me Devil''s clutch.


    He was using all his Spiritual Energy to block the fire, but that me Devil was formed by the Undying Fire. It instantly evaporated his Spiritual Energy as the fire began to reduce him to ashes.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!" The guy was screaming in pain as he felt his body was evaporating.


    As expected, Qiel''s arrow arrived and shot down the me. The momentum caused a bit of a shock wave, obliterating the entire elbow. As a result, the remaining hand fell down and the Spirit Grandmaster was saved.


    But the result of two seconds of exposure was horrendous. Both of his arms were already reduced to ashes and a huge portion of his body suffered a huge degree of burn. Even with medical attention, it was practically impossible for him to survive.


    They never thought the trump card Noel had hidden would be this strong. It wasn''t the power of a Spirit Master anymore.


    Noel felt the same. After learning about the Spiritual Energy Reserve that Ardagan taught him in the past, he could feel that his body was full to the point where it was a bit suffocating. Additionally, these new techniques required a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    Even though he managed to pull back the Grandmasters, his Spiritual Energy rapidly declined. It wouldn''t be long until he emptied it out.


    Hence, Noel took this chance to draw the Enhance Forward Rune, not for himself but for the two kids behind him.


    Tristan and Sandra were startled as they were suddenlyunched forward at high speed.


    "Aaaahhhh!" They were screaming and panicking, thinking they had been captured. But Tristan remembered the effect and the runes and quickly calmed down. Their distance had been reduced to a mere one hundred meters. It would only take fifteen seconds to cross the border.


    "Go!"


    Noel''s shout echoed in their ears.


    "We have to cross the border!" Tristan shouted while running to the best of his abilities. "We can''t let Master down! Aaaaahhh!"


    "Gh¡­" Sandra had a hard time keeping up, but she still persisted as the goal was right before her eyes.


    Due to the Enhance Forward Rune, Nelfer couldn''t reach them anymore. The Spirit Grandmasters had been pushed back by Noel. Qiel had released her arrow to save her subordinates earlier and with Noel standing between them, it was impossible to shoot those two kids.


    Finally, after a long battle, Tristan and Sandra took a giant leap as they jumped over the bricks that separated the Greenwood Kingdom from the Atraceaca Kingdom.


    There was a huge sign of relief on Noel''s face. Tristan and Sandra looked exhausted, but they felt a sense of aplishment.


    After the chase thatsted for almost two weeks, Tristan and Sandra entered the Greenwood Kingdom.

 Chapter 844 Raincart

    Tristan and Sandra finally crossed the border.


    When Noel saw that, he couldn''t help but smile, realizing that this was going to end soon. He shouted, "Dimitri!"


    Dimitri understood what that shout was for and took a glimpse of Tristan and Sandra''s positions. "Got it."


    "What got it? You won''t be able to do anything before you reach the border city!" Nelfer shouted in anger while punching Dimitri.


    Once again, Dimitri turned into a shadow and moved toward Tristan and Sandra. Noel also did the same with the Spirit Grandmasters following him.


    "Tsk." Qiel gritted her teeth but hadn''t lost her will yet. She was the one telling Nelfer that Noel wouldn''t be safe until he reached the border city where he could get some help. "Chase him. Don''t let him go even further!"


    Qiel raised her bow and shot a few arrows into the sky. This time, she was nning to rain them down with multiple arrows.


    "!!!" Dimitri raised his head. Now that he was near the bricks, he couldn''t feel anything that could protect them. There was a feeling that Noel was too optimistic about it.


    To prove it, Dimitri rushed to the kids and waved his de a few times, sending forth a few shadows to the sky to wrap the arrow before making it explode.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    A series of explosions urred. Even after reaching the border, there was no barrier or whatever that would help them. In fact, not a single reinforcement was sent, making him think the n had failed.


    "This is the end, Dimitri." Nelfer arrived in front of him, taking advantage of his focus on the arrows to deliver a huge damage on him.


    ''I don''t have enough time to circte my energy¡­'' Dimitri thought and chose to use his body as a shield. At the same time, he grabbed Tristan and Sandra before tossing them away so that they didn''t get injured.


    "What?" Tristan and Sandra couldn''t even react, but their faces became pale when they saw Dimitri was about to be punched by Nelfer.


    But before that fist couldnd on Dimitri''s body, another palm struck the fist.


    Hell ze.


    "!!!" Both Nelfer and Dimitri were surprised that Noel managed to reach them.


    Noel''s palm released a burst of ck me, trying to engulf Nelfer''s entire arm.


    Nelfer could feel the intense me despite not sensing a lot of heat from the Undying me.


    However, he also coated his arm with his Spiritual Energy and even turned it into steel.


    "Do you think someone like you can easily block my fist?" Nelfer roared as he released another burst of energy. Instead of dispelling the me, he directed that energy to Noel''s hand.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes because this was the same thing as what happened during the training with Old Ru. He used that energy to shred his arm. In an instant, a few parts of his skin were sliced.


    Noel used his Spiritual Energy to counter that energy, but Nelfer''s torrential energy was so explosive that it ended up knocking him back.


    Still, that burst of me managed to stop Nelfer''s punch from hitting Dimitri. Thetter hurriedly waved his de, but Nelfer easily avoided it by jumping to the side.


    The Spirit Grandmasters began looping around as Nelfer shouted, "Surround those two kids."


    Qiel also shot out a few arrows to make Noel and Dimitri busy. It was possible to aim at them simultaneously now that they were close to each other.


    "Master!" Dimitri assessed the situation. Even if he could stop Nelfer and Qiel, it would be hard to stop those Devil Bishops. He thought this would be over once they crossed the border, but it seemed that he had to use the True Spirit Body to cover them until they reached the border city.


    Looking at the iing arrows, Noel remained calm as he said, "Don''t worry, Dimitri. The battle is over."


    "The battle is over, you say? You must be blind because¡ª" Nelfer wanted to refute Noel, but before he finished his words, there were numerous Spiritual Energy fluctuations in the surrounding area. "!!!"


    Bam!


    Bam!Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Bam!


    The ground started to tremble as a huge ice wall emerged from beneath the bricks that had been used as the border before. The wall was so tall that it reached the arrows'' altitude andpletely blocked them.


    Just from seeing how sophisticated other kingdoms'' borders were, it should be weird to find the Greenwood Kingdom only had bricks as their borders. That was where Noel''s confidence came from.


    It happened when Noel visited Tristan and Sandra.


    "This is what I want you to do after reaching the next city." Noel handed Tristan a letter.


    "A letter? Do we have to deliver this somewhere?"


    "No. I want you to use the kingdom''s mailing service and use a lot of money to make this letter their priority. This letter will be the one saving us, so that means your role is important here. Can you do it?"


    "I understand. I will not disappoint you, Master." Tristan nodded furiously before he fell silent while staring at the letter. Out of curiosity, he asked, "If¡­ you don''t mind¡­ can I know to whom this letter is addressed?"


    At that time, Noel smiled as he stated the identity of that person. "It''s obvious. He is the former strongest court magician of the Greenwood Kingdom, Raincart Ezenholm, my grandfather."


    He was already frustrated with how the Ardagan Family ''snatched'' his daughter from him. So, there was no way he would let a mere Supreme Devil Organization kidnap his grandson.


    Without anyone realizing it, there was an old man appearing behind Tristan and Sandra.


    "So, you two are the kids that he mentioned. You don''t have to run anymore."


    "Eh?" Tristan and Sandra raised their heads. The old man had a gentle smile, but they could feel the hatred in his eyes. That hatred was directed at all the Grandmasters that tried to surround them.


    The old man was wearing a white robe and holding a staff. There was a blue jewel on the staff that let out a flickering light.


    The people from the organization furrowed their eyebrows, wondering who this old man was.


    Meanwhile, Nelfer might be the only one from the organization who could see through the old man''s strength. His face became pale as he shouted, "Not good. Run away!"


    That shout startled everyone, but the old man replied with a cold tone. "Do you think you can run away?"


    That cold tone somehow spread and turned into a cold atmosphere, rapidly lowering the temperature in the surrounding area.


    Before anyone could react, the old man hit the ground with the back of his staff.


    "Frozen World."


    A thickyer of ice was formed on top of the ground and spread in all directions, instantly engulfing the Devil Bishops'' feet as it spread all over their bodies and ultimately turning them into ice statues.


    "!!!" Nelfer widened his eyes in shock. He couldn''t sense any life from the ice statues anymore as they suddenly crumbled into pieces. Never in his wildest dream would an old man like this appear.


    With just a single tap of his staff, he actually froze an area in a hundred-meter radius and killed eight Spirit Grandmasters. Even if they weren''t prepared, Dimitri didn''t possess that kind of strength.


    With another tap of his staff, the old man disappeared.


    "He¡ª" Nelfer instinctively smashed something on his left, albeit he found no one. All of a sudden, he felt a cold hand touching his right arm.


    "Is this the one that injured my grandson? You don''t need it anymore then."


    Ice formed and covered the entire arm.


    ''What? I reacted toote.'' Nelfer gritted his teeth. He had used his Spiritual Energy to stop the ice energy from freezing his entire body, but it actually reached up to his shoulder. More importantly, once his arm was covered in thick ice, it soon crumbled into pieces. "You mere magician!"


    Nelfer spun his body, trying to use his physical advantage to blow him away. But the old man actually moved faster than him and grabbed his face. He had even leaped on top of his body so that the punch missed.


    "Do you think a magician can only shoot their power from behind?" He snorted as he ced his hands on both Nelfer''s face and chest.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Two explosions urred as two arrows sted through the ice wall, making it crumble.


    Nelfer knew Qiel would be in his rescue, yet the old man only looked at the crumbling ice wall with an emotionless face.


    "A mere terrorist dares to run rampant in my kingdom, there is only one oue." He harrumphed as he circted his energy on both hands. "Execute."


    "!!!" Nelfer''s body jolted before his eyes rolled upward until the ck pupil disappearedpletely. Before his body fell, an ice crystal appeared on the back of his head and chest.


    The old man used Nelfer''s body as a cushion tond on the ground. Despite the frail old back, it somehow looked very sturdy and reliable. Even Dimitri and Noel didn''t expect that he was this strong.


    The old man turned his head around with a smile. "It''s been a while, my little grandson."

 Chapter 845 Grandfather

    ?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "It''s been a while, my little grandson."


    Noel smiled. On the one hand, he was dumbstruck by his grandfather''s power. On the other hand, he felt a bit helpless because he had to rely on someone else to solve his own problem.


    "Let me take care of this." Raincart waved his hand. As he said those words, two more arrows sted through the ice wall. Due to its position on the lower part, the huge sts caused the entire wall to crumble, revealing what happened on the other side.


    Qiel couldn''t help but frown, never expecting that the situation had be like this. The Spirit Masters had died in the Atracaeca Kingdom, and the Spirit Grandmasters had all died in the Greenwood Kingdom. Even though Nelfer was heavily injured, he was by no means weak. Yet, Nelfer couldn''t hold a candle against Raincart.


    "¡­" Qiel maintained her silence, but it was clear that she had been defeated¡­ miserably, in fact. Not only did they lose a lot of Devil Inspectors and Bishops, but they even lost one Devil Saint without being able to capture a single target. This might be the biggest loss they have suffered so far.


    More importantly, Dimitri hadn''t used his True Spirit Body, meaning that he could directly rush to the Demon Banner Army to inform them about the situation. They would definitelyunch a massive counterattack when they knew that one of the Devil Saints had died.


    Raincart red at her as if telling her, ''What? I''m merely killing the terrorist that invades my kingdom.''


    It was something she couldn''t refute. And with Dimitri there, she wouldn''t have enough strength to resist both of them.


    Fortunately, Raincart was a former royal magician. Even though he had retired from his position, it didn''t change the fact that his every move represented the country. If such a person entered the Atracaeca Kingdom to chase after her, it would mean aggression to the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    So, this time, Qiel was lucky that she didn''t cross the border earlier.


    "I will remember this." Qiel gritted her teeth before disappearing. Even if she said anything, it wouldn''t change the oue anyway.


    Raincart harrumphed before waving his hand to the air, shooting a blue light that exploded after reaching a certain altitude.


    It seemed he was informing the rest of the people to take care of the situation.


    After that, Raincart turned around and walked to Noel, who looked a bit ashamed.


    "Grandfather." Noel lowered his head, apologizing for the fact that he ended up forcing him toe here.


    Instead of getting angry, Raincart actually smiled and patted Noel''s head. "You''ve grown up. Despite being chased by two peak Grandmasters, you can still survive and even create a n to kill one of them. I''m impressed."


    "But¡­" Noel bit his lips. He couldn''t do that without relying on him, so Noel felt he didn''t deserve that praise.


    "Haha. What kind of grandfather am I if I can''t even help my cute grandson." Raincart chuckled. "Instead of looking down, how about you apany this retired old man for a while? You''re not going back to the Muivell Kingdom immediately, right?"


    Noel made a wry smile. He felt grateful and said, "Yes. I''m nning to master my fire and directly break through to the Spirit Grandmaster. That is if Grandfather doesn''t mind me staying for a while."


    "Good, good." Raincart nodded, satisfied. He nced at Dimitri, saying, "You''ve worked hard."


    "Thank you, Sir. Since Master is with you, I can finally leave his side for the next n."


    "Thank you, Dimitri. Sorry for giving you this much burden." Noel also thanked him since Dimitri had been fighting against Nelfer this whole time.


    Dimitri smiled before lowering his head to excuse himself. He turned back into the shadows and headed back to the Muivell Kingdom.


    Meanwhile, Raincart turned to the two kids and asked, "Who are they?"


    "Let me introduce them." Noel looked proud. After all, Tristan and Sandra hadpleted all the ordeals and became the big reason why they could reach this ce. "This is Tristan, my disciple. He is learning Rune from me. And this is Sandra, a maid in training. In fact, the only reason why I''m able to reach this far is because they have gone through dangerous ordeals to send that letter."


    Tristan couldn''t help but smile because his dream had been achieved. Noel truly introduced him as his disciple to his grandfather. Even Sandra was praised a lot in that simple introduction.


    "Is that so?" Raincart patted the two kids'' heads. "Unfortunately, I didn''t bring any gifts with me, so let''s go back to the Ezenholm Family first."


    "Yes, Grandfather." Noel agreed without hesitation as he noticed a lot of soldiersing to the area.


    A middle-aged man came to Raincart and said, "Sir¡­ have you finished your business?"


    "Yeah. I''d have to trouble you in cleaning this up."


    The man looked at the mess and understood the assignment. At the same time, he also noticed Noel and the strength he possessed.


    He couldn''t help but say, "Congrattions, Sir."


    "What congrattions? this kid can''t even stay in one ce for a long time." Raincart harrumphed,ining about the fact that Noel didn''t want to stay in his ce.


    The man could only make a wry smile as he watched Raincart bring them away.


    While walking, Raincart couldn''t help but watch Tristan and Sandra. Even though Noel introduced them as a maid in training and his disciple, their interaction looked closer.


    Raincart approached Noel and whispered, "Be honest with me. Do you have any woman you fancy over there?"


    "What do you mean? I don''t have anyone like that. If I have one, she will end up getting targeted by the enemies. I still don''t have enough strength to protect her or anything." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Come on. You have be an adult. Normally, a noble child is already married one or two years before bing an adult. Don''t be like your father, who doesn''t let me hold my kid until you''re four years old." Raincart snorted.


    Noel was speechless. He didn''t know why the topic suddenly turned into this. "In any case, I''m not nning to have one soon because I''m still weak. Maybe after reaching Peak Grandmaster, I can finally do something about it. But not now¡­"


    "Instead of searching for a woman you need to protect, how about getting one that can protect you? Look at your mother; she is far stronger than your father. That''s right, I have heard a few things about you from Damian." Raincart recalled for a moment. "I heard that you have a close rtionship with Anna Stargaze?"


    Cough!


    Noel didn''t expect that statement and said, "What do you mean¡­"


    "You don''t have to be shy. I''ve looked into it¡­ She is the most talented woman in the Muivell Kingdom. She indeed tried to execute you or something, but from the stories Damian told me, it seemed to be a misunderstanding. I heard that she is going to be an Arbiter soon since her fight against another arbiter is happening soon."


    "What?" Noel knew that Anna was going to do it, but there were still a few months from the time limit. It looked like she was rushing, but at the same time, he thought Anna wanted to use the remaining time to solidify her position as an Arbiter.


    "I think this girl is good and her father is your father''s best friend. So, how about marrying her? Looking at the fact that she can already manifest the True Spirit Body means she might be the one protecting you. So, when are you going to get engaged with her? If you say you don''t have enough standing after the fall of the Ardagan Family, you can just use my Ezenholm Family to propose."


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "Our rtionship is not like that¡­"


    "Not like that? So, do you hate her or something?"


    "No. I don''t hate her. Even though I still need an exnation from my father regarding the entire thing, I no longer hate her."


    "Then, what is stopping you? Is she not beautiful enough? But isn''t she one of the most beautiful ones in the Muivell Kingdom? Her character? No, do you like her in the first ce? I think she is the only one who can stand beside you."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. He felt like his grandfather was interrogating him. It might be because he was frustrated by the questions that he tried to recall all his memories about Anna so that he could use them to counter Raincart''s argument.


    But he ended up recalling the little bet they had, the game theypleted together, and all the other small fighting. It was frustrating, annoying, tiring, and taxing. Yet, when he recalled those memories, they gave warmth, happiness, andfort.


    Despite wanting to counter his grandfather''s words, Noel ended up saying, "She is beautiful. Anyone would definitely like her. In fact, I even admire her. She is not perfect, but she is always doing her best to be a better person."


    "Then¡­" Raincart became more interested when Noel looked so serious. He first urged him out of curiosity and desire, but it soon changed to a consultation.


    "But¡­" Noel couldn''t help but remember the time Anna proposed a little bet followed by a peck on the cheek. He said helplessly, "¡­I feel like I will lose if I admit it. Besides, if we ever end up together, the royal family would make a huge fuss about it and we would be besieged from all directions."


    "Eh?!" Raincart looked annoyed as if he didn''t understand why such a small matter stopped him. "You are too smart for your own good."


    Raincart patted his shoulder and said, "Sometimes, you don''t have to think too much about that. It''s just as simple as saying, ''I love you.'' You know, as a noble, you will get used to a political marriage. In fact, being able to say ''I love you'' to your partner is something that you should treasure dearly. This is advice from your grandfather. You might be smart, but there are problems that are so simple you can solve them just by being dumb. Don''t think too much and just do it."

 Chapter 846 Situation

    Noel''s arrival gave a huge shock to the entire Greenwood Kingdom. After the rune was poprized, it was said that Damian, the vice captain of the Royal Army, had learned directly from Noel Ardagan.


    He then publicized the two unique ways of runes. The first one was thepleted version of Spirit Enchantment. The Spirit Enchantment was basically a normal support rune that Noel usually used.


    But the most shocking thing was the second one, which was the Movement Rune. As a kingdom filled with Spirit Magicians, the Greenwood Kingdom had utilized the way of using their abilities far better than anyone else. By adding the Movement Runes into the mix, it was as if a human was given a pair of wings.


    There was a full scale research conducted in the kingdom.


    Of course, Damian also told them about the Rune Body, but because he didn''t get the secret from Noel, there was still not much movement regarding this type.


    With those achievements, Damian was promoted to a Marquis, but he chose to remain as the Vice Captain of the Royal Army.


    And because of all those trips with Noel, Raincart caught Damian all the time, forcing him to tell him about Noel.


    Obviously, Damian also got more information from Raincart, including the fact that he suddenly went to the border to get Noel.


    Upon finding out about Raincart''s intention, Damian rushed to the royal pce.


    He was currently kneeling in front of the king, reporting the situation.


    The king raised his eyebrows, asking, "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I believe Sir Raincart is bringing Noel home at this time. I think he will be staying in this kingdom for a while."


    The king looked down, falling into deep thought. "You said that it''s impossible to entice him, right?"


    "Yes. From my observation, Noel Ardagan is not someone that can be enticed by money, status, or women."


    "Coercion?"


    Damian shook his head. "The information from Commander Leon has stated that he managed to kill a peak Spirit Grandmaster with his n. He himself has fought multiple Masters and Grandmasters. Back then, he and Anna Stargaze managed to take down a Superior Demon by themselves and with the speed of his progress, I''m afraid that we might suffer if we force him."


    "Can''t be enticed and forced¡­" The king frowned. It was hard to deal with someone like this.


    On the one hand, he wanted to integrate Noel into this kingdom since the opportunity had arrived. On the other hand, he didn''t know the method that could do it.


    They seemed to only have one path, which was a business rtionship. The previous one was extremely beneficial, so it wasn''t that bad of an option.


    But before he made a decision, Damian added, "That''s right. In the report from Commander Leon, it''s said that he has brought two kids from the Atracaeca Kingdom. I don''t think he will kidnap someone with high status, so I''m assuming that they are eithermoners or ves."


    "Hmm? That kind of ve?"


    "I don''t think so. It seems that the two ves have a good rtionship, but we''re not aware of their rtionship with Noel."


    "ves¡­moners¡­ two kids¡­" The king fell into deep thought. He felt that their rtionship was moreplicated than he originally thought.


    After considering countless possibilities, the king had arrived at three possibilities. And he had just found out another way to cooperate with Noel.


    "What is he nning to do in this kingdom?"


    "I''m not sure. But if I have to take a guest, he has told me that he is nning to be a Spirit Grandmaster soon."


    That answer was what the king just needed.


    "That''s right¡­ He can''t be enticed by those things or forced, right? What if he is the one requesting it?" The king smirked as if he had just gotten a weird idea. He waved his hand, asking Damian toe closer.


    Damian was confused, but when the king whispered to him his n, Damian couldn''t help but gasp.


    "What?!" Damian couldn''t believe what he heard. However, the king only added, "You are in charge of it. Go."


    "¡­" Damian thought that the king had gone insane, but at the same time, he couldn''t deny the possibilities.


    ¡­


    The Greenwood Kingdom wasn''t the only one who got busy. There was a huge storm brewing in the Muivell Kingdom.


    Dimitri was sitting in front of themander himself with Milfa standing between them as if trying to mediate the discussion.


    Dimitri and Oscar were ring at each other.


    "To think you know how toe back, Dimitri." Oscar squinted his eyes, judging Dimitri''s action in leaving the Demon Banner Army.


    "It seems that you only care about that petty thing. I didn''t break any rules nor the army forbade me from leaving." Dimitri snorted. "If you''re gonna talk about this thing, then there is no need to hand this gift."


    "Gift?" Oscar was confused, thinking Dimitri wasn''t someone who would give another person a present.


    "It''s just a mere thanks for taking care of the kids. Well, I should hand this gift to Milfa instead of you." Dimitri harrumphed and tossed a box to Milfa.


    Milfa caught it carefully, not understanding what this box meant. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Can I open it?" Milfa asked.


    "Suit yourself."


    Milfa put down the box on the table and opened the lids. She was surprised by a lot of heads inside the box.


    "Wha¡ª!" Milfa jumped back while looking at the box with a disgusted face. "Mentor¡­ even if this is a prank, this is not funny¡­"


    "It seems that you have been around Oscar too much that you''ve be too soft." Dimitri shrugged.


    Milfa also thought Dimitri would scare her like this, so she took another nce at the heads before widening her eyes.


    "This is¡­" Milfa gasped.


    "What''s wrong, Milfa?" Oscar frowned, feeling something wasn''t right.


    "He shouldn''t have died for a long time, so the energy is still lingering in his body¡­ But even though it has been weakened for quite a bit, if I''m not wrong¡­ this person should be a Peak Spirit Grandmaster¡­ Wait a minute. Mentor, didn''t you go to the Atracaeca Kingdom earlier? And the Supreme Devil Organization chased you¡­ Don''t tell me, this person¡­"


    Dimitri shrugged. "There are also around ten Devil Bishops and dozens of Devil Inspectors. Unfortunately, that old hag didn''t die."


    "A Devil Saint?" Milfa sucked a cold breath, never expecting Noel and Dimitri to be able to subdue a Devil Saint. They were chased by two Devil Saints after all.


    "Old hag? Qiel?" Oscar frowned for another matter. Qiel was known to be a strategist on top of her strength. With her leading the operation, it was impossible to escape unless they managed to outsmart her or outnumber her.


    Thetter was impossible since Noel and Dimitri were the only ones. Dimitri couldn''t outsmart Qiel as well. In other words, the one who made this possible was none other than Noel.


    "In any case, that person is called Nelfer. He is also a Devil Saint. His body is as tough as steel. Even with my full power, I can''t cut him down." Dimitri snorted. "You should be overjoyed with this gift, right? Spare me some more Demon Crystals."


    "Didn''t you say this is a gift?" Oscar gritted his teeth.


    "Did I say something like that? I''m not sure. My blood was boiling earlier, so it might''ve affected my memory." Dimitri rolled his eyes.


    Oscar let out a long sigh while covering his face with his hands. He added, "Just talk to Milfa about that. If you have nothing to say, just leave!"


    "That''s what I''m nning to do." Dimitri immediately stood up, expressing his unwillingness to stay one more second than he needed to be.


    Milfa didn''t know what to do other than give a wry smile before apanying Dimitri outside.


    "Mentor¡­ Thank you for the gift."


    "It''s fine. I''m just doing my job."


    "Job? Are you trying to imply that we''re ipetent? Well, whatever. Thanks to you, we can start our counterattack. The organization should be chaotic after losing a Devil Saint."


    "Instead of thanking me, you should thank him. Ah, you can handle the transferring process, right?"


    "Yes, I can. But transferring? Is there anyone wanting to change their squad?" Milfa tilted her head in confusion.


    "Here you go." Dimitri handed a letter that contained Noel''s n. "Just follow this. How are the kids?"


    Milfa received it carefully and put it in her pocket. She exined, "They are doing fine. No, even better. They are freaks. Most of them are already Spirit Apprentices."


    "Do you have any opinion about them going to our territory?"


    "With our counterattack, the organization shouldy low for a moment. So, your territory should be safe for a while¡­" Milfa shook her head, giving the approval.


    "Alright then. There is nothing I need to do in this ce."


    "By the way, I think I need to tell you about these two things. There is a movement from the Third Prince and the Royal Family. I''m afraid that the organization is behind this¡­"


    Dimitri frowned, asking, "Do you mean that the organization has made contact with the Third Prince and the Royal Family?"


    "There is no evidence yet."


    "What about the second one?"


    "Anna Stargaze is about to be an Arbiter."

 Chapter 847 Connections

    In the corner of the Muivell Kingdom, the third prince was staring at the city from his balcony.


    The city was filled with people, and there were a lot of smiles on the street. It looked peaceful, the atmosphere was good, and the situation seemed to be under control.


    But while he was enjoying the little peace he had, the Third Prince suddenly opened his mouth while saying with a cold tone. "This is not the ce where you belong."


    A mysterious figure appeared in his room. He spoke, "Don''t forget that both you and the royal family are within our grasp. You, royals, have been using us to control the kingdom. It''s time for you to pay back."


    "It seems the dogs are nning to bite its owner''s hands." The Third Prince squinted his eyes and turned around, recognizing the person. "Laufey Ardagan. Don''t forget that the reason why you can enter the Ardagan Family was thanks to myte father, the former king."


    "Dogs?" Laufey narrowed his eyes as his energy started to leak out of his body. Laufey waved his hand, causing his energy to burst.


    "!!!" The Third Prince wasunched to the edge of the balcony. He would have fallen if not for the railing. "What are you doing?"


    "I''m merely putting you in your ce." Laufey snorted. He tossed a letter to the Third Prince and said, "This is your instruction. If you don''t do it, then don''t me us for destroying your influence."


    The Third Prince gritted his teeth, ring at Laufey, who immediately disappeared after delivering the letter.


    Just like the Third Prince, the current king also had a visit. But this visit came from none other than the strongest Devil Saint, Alexander.


    Inside a hidden chamber, the king, apanied by a man in his fifties, sat in front of Alexander.


    Despite facing a Spirit Transcendence, the king didn''t show any sign of fear because the man next to him was exuding an aura that was equal to Alexander''s. Yes, he was the current Marshall of the Muivell Kingdom, the Spirit Transcendence that the royal family possessed.


    Alexander smirked when he saw the Marshall standing in his way. He said, "To think the little boy back then has be a Spirit Transcendence and a Marshall¡­"


    "You didn''te here just to talk about that, right, Alexander?" The king squinted his eyes.


    "Oh,e on. It was I who helped you be the king." Alexander smirked.


    "Do you think I''m not aware that you are also using my brother?" The king snorted. There was only one person who could be called ''brother'' by the current king. He was none other than the Third Prince.


    Looking at the situation, the organization seemed to have contacted the Third Prince as well.


    "I don''t have time for this. I have to handle a lot of other things."


    Alexander paused for a moment before raising two fingers. "It''s pretty simple. We want Noel Ardagan."


    "Hmm?!" The king narrowed his eyes.


    "Oh, my. Is the kingdom reallycking that they couldn''t even find out that Noel Ardagan is still alive?" Alexander sounded it that way, but the only reason why Alexander knew Noel was because of Laufey. Other than a handful of people, Noel''s identity hadn''t been known at all.


    Still, the king couldn''t show that weakness. He kept his poker face and said, "I''m merely thinking about the possibility of you using Noel Ardagan. There is no reason why the organization wants Noel Ardagan after all. Don''t forget that it was I who eliminated the Ardagan Family."


    "What we''re nning to do is not your business." Alexander pointed to the second finger. "The next demand is exiling Noel Ardagan."


    "¡­" The king frowned. From the looks of it, Noel seemed to have gotten pretty big under another alias. And it was so big that exiling was an option.


    Normally, there was no need to exile amoner since thetter had no power to fight back. But it seemed that Noel''s situation was bigger than he thought.


    Of course, he had heard about the Rune Book as well, but because he was under the impression that Noel had died, he only tried to research the book.


    Since the organization wanted him to exile Noel, it meant they wanted to capture or kill Noel Ardagan.


    He had eliminated the Ardagan Family and his parents, so he thought there was no need to worry about Noel that much. But considering he had be another threat that might reach his father''s level, he had to take another approach in this matter.


    He said, "You should know that exiling is not a small matter because if the royal family exiles a meremoner, we will be looked down upon."


    "Of course. So, I''ll tell you a piece of information. Noel Ardagan is going to be a noble soon."


    "!!!" The king fully understood what Alexander meant. The exile could be done simply by giving Noel a new territory instead of his former territory. And that territory should be harsh. "I will consider it and give you the answer soon. I have to handle the matter of Arbiters first."


    "Then, I will be looking forward to a good result." Alexander politely bowed his head before disappearing from the room.


    Meanwhile, the king''s calm expression turned into anger.


    The Marshall was sweating as he couldn''t help but ask, "Are we going to follow the terrorist''s demand?"


    "Do you think they can control me? They are just the dogs of the kingdom. Do you think I don''t know that four out of twelve Arbiters have switched to their sides?" The king became even more frustrated.


    Unlike the Demon Banner Army, who had been strict in their selection ever since Laufey''s incident, the Royal Family had a hard time managing the Arbiters.


    "Are you nning¡­" The Marshall frowned. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Yeah. I know that Former Count Heirden has cooperated with the organization. It''s time to rece him."


    The Marshall''s face turned grim, fully aware of what the king was nning to do. There was only one person who could rece him. It was Anna.


    ¡­


    Anna was meditating in her room, preparing for the battle that was going to happen two dayster.


    She had been in the capital for a week. It only took her one week after that trip to be a Spirit Grandmaster. And she finally challenged Count Heirden for revenge on what happened in the Creek Vige.


    As expected, the capital was filled with danger. Her instinct was telling her that there was an extremely powerful man just leaving the capital. That feeling was simr to what she felt during the mission in Creek Vige.


    "That Devil Saint, huh¡­ As expected, the Royal Family is connected to them¡­"


    It might be a secret from the public, but when one grew stronger and could see the entire kingdom with their strength, they were bound to realize¡­ that the kingdom had actually created the organization to control the kingdom. In other words, it wouldn''t be that hard to know that the royal family or the exiled member had made contact with the organization.


    Even Noel could see through itpletely. However, there was simply no proof to prove it.


    Anna hade to this conclusion as well.


    "Still¡­ Why didn''t my previous life realize this? Was it because of my ignorance? No, was it because I was created to be ignorant?" Anna could see how her teacher and the royal family made her blind, forcing her to follow orders. "More importantly¡­"


    There was another question when she realized the rtionship between the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "If someone like me can see their rtionship, the previous life Noel should have seen through it too. In other words, he should have known about the connection of the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and the organization. Yet¡­"


    Anna recalled thest moment they had together. She and Noel ended up falling into an ambush.


    The Third Prince betrayed Noel when thetter should have been aware of the Third Prince''s true nature.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Anna suddenly remembered what happened after Noel sacrificed himself during the fight against the Superior Demon. At that time, Noel had a medicine that allowed him to recover from such a fatal wound. "Don''t tell me¡­ Noel used that precious medicine to make the Third Prince believe he is dead?"


    "But didn''t he get something from Old Ru and cause me to regress? Why did he do that? Why did he allow me to die if he actually wanted me to form a connection with him?"


    "I still believe that having him regress would be a better choice than me. But why did he choose the option where both of us died that day? Why?"


    Anna couldn''t answer the doubt in her mind. At the same time, the current Noel wouldn''t have the answer, considering they had taken a different path. This might be the puzzle the previous Noel had created.


    If she managed to solve it, she might be able to know why Noel chose her instead of himself.


    "Ha¡­ You bastard¡­" Anna pinched her forehead and added, "Both the previous and the current Noel are a pain in the ass. None of them can just tell me straight. Why bother using riddles?"


    "Whatever. I will repay the previous Noel by solving this riddle. As for the current one¡­" Anna fell into deep thought.


    On the one hand, the memories she had with the current Noel were far different from the past. There was simply no hatred between them. In fact, they could trust each other with their life. On the other hand, she felt like their rtionship wasn''t that simple.


    This thought reminded her of Noel''s n.


    "I want to be a noble¡­"


    She could remember Noel''s voice vividly.


    "A noble, huh? What would happen after that? Does he want to be a noble just to be killed? But this time, there is no second chance¡­ In the previous life, it''s gone bad because of me? And in this life, he wants us to tackle the problem together? Well, it''s true that I feel like no one can rival us if we''re together, but¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. "If I propose this, won''t that mean I''ve lost the purpose of my life?"


    Anna had been controlled by everyone, including Noel, in her previous life. In this life, she obviously wanted to take her own path, free from others. But there was no denying that Noel had a big impact on her life. She just didn''t know anymore.


    "Argh. The more I think about it, the bigger the headache. Whatever, I''m just going with this until I see another variable." Anna clenched her fists. "Just you wait, Noel. Whatever you''re nning, I''m going to surpass it."

 Chapter 848 Match

    Right outside the capital city, there was a huge line of people trying to enter.


    The mood inside the city was filled with excitement as though they were preparing a huge celebration. The people were cheering at each other, showing their enthusiasm.


    The heart of this festive mood came from a huge stadium inside the city. This stadium was used only for a huge celebration where they gathered a huge number of people to witness.


    And this time, it wasn''t that different.


    The people were filling up the stadium to the brim.


    "We can''t miss this!"


    "That''s right. I would never think that I could witness something like this."


    "Look!"


    In the middle of the stadium was built a huge arena. But it would be dangerous for the people if the arena wasn''t protected. That was why there were a total of twenty pirs that circled the arena.


    On top of each pir stood a powerful man, releasing their Spiritual Energy to form a barrier. However, there were four pirs that had yet to be filled.


    One of the people suddenly pointed at the northern pir. A man suddenly stepped on the pir, causing the cheers to erupt.


    "Woah!"


    "Isn''t that¡­"


    The one who stepped forth was a middle-aged man. He had a muscr body and sharp eyes. There was a w scar that ran through his right eyebrows to the right cheeks.


    Everyone seemed to recognize him as they began shouting his identity.


    "Count Zeryn!"


    "Uooohhhh!"


    "The Fire Arbiter is here!"


    "Count Zeryn!"


    "Fire Arbiter!"


    That was right. He was one of the twelve Arbiters of the kingdom, Hawk Zeryn, known as Fire Arbiter. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    However, the cheers soon swept the arena once again as another person appeared on the west pir.


    The people couldn''t help but stop for a moment as if they were getting entranced by her beauty. The woman looked like she was in herte twenties. She had long red hair and an expression devoid of emotion. But that was exactly her charm. She looked aloof and cool, like a flower that could only be admired from afar.


    "As expected, she is alsoing."


    "Well, it can''t be helped. She is after all a teacher!"


    "That''s right. The Void Arbiter, Josephine Brown!"


    That was right. The person who just appeared was none other than Anna''s teacher, Josephine. As her teacher, it would be weird if she wasn''t here.


    However, the people didn''t know that their rtionship wasn''t like what they were thinking. Josephine had been brainwashing Anna while thetter actually had figured out her trick and acted like she was a good student.


    It only took a moment before the cheers changed once again. This time, the person who came was an old man.


    At first nce, there was nothing special about this man. However, the more they looked at him, the more they felt the difference. When they made eye contact, they felt like they were being cut by numerous swords.


    He was the most senior Arbiter and known to be the strongest.


    "Uooooohhhhhh!"


    "The Sword Arbiter has taken the stage!"


    "Duke Lorelei!"


    "I''m d that I''m attending this fight. I can see all these famous figures by myself."


    "But there is one more spot that hasn''t been filled yet."


    "But the Sword Arbiter has taken the stage first. So, thest one should be someone more famous than him, right?"


    "Is it the Marshall?"


    "You idiot. You shouldn''t forget about the fighter this time."


    "That''s right. If it''s her, then her father must be going."


    As people said those words, thest figurended on the pir. As everyone had expected, since the challenger was his daughter, there was no way he wouldn''te.


    "Ooh!"


    "Marquis Stargaze!"


    "The Fleeting Arbiter has taken the stage!"


    "As expected, he is going to watch his daughter!"


    "Who do you think will win?"


    "Count Heirden might win this time. After all, he has been an Arbiter for two decades."


    "Meanwhile, his opponent is someone who hasn''t lived for two decades."


    "You idiot. That''s exactly the reason why Count Heirden can''t let his guard down. The fact that his challenger is that talented means she has a trump card that can defeat him."


    "That''s possible."


    While they were discussing the match, a loud voice suddenly swept the arena.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen. I''m sure that you can''t wait for this match, so I''ll spare you from a long opening speech.


    "Let me introduce you to the people who will protect you and be the witness of this amazing fight."


    "The first one is Count Zeryn, known as the Fire Arbiter. I''m sure you''ve known him by his nickname, Fire Demon. It came from the fight where he pushed back an army of ten thousand demons with the knights from his territories."


    "The second person is none other than our challenger''s teacher. Her Space Element is unmatched in this kingdom. You can''t escape when she has set her eyes on you, the Void Arbiter, Josephine Brown."


    "You might already know the third person as he is the oldest Arbiter and the one with the longest career as an Arbiter. In this world, there is nothing he can''t cut, the Sword Arbiter, Duke Lorelei."


    "Last but not least, as a father and as an Arbiter, there is no way he will pass this fight¡­ The Arbiter who has defeated more bandits than anyone else, the protector of the kingdom, holding the title of Fleeting, Marquis Stargaze!"


    "Uoooohhhh!" The people cheered while pping their hands.


    "Without further ado, I will be introducing you to the two people that will fight today. For our challenger, we have someone extremely special."


    "She is recognized as the most talented person in the Muivell Kingdom. She is the student of the Void Arbiter as well as the daughter of the Fleeting Arbiter."


    "In her early career, she joined the Demon Banner Army and graduated earlier than all herrades. She has broken the record as the strongest person to graduate from the training camp."


    "In the kingdom, she has surpassed everyone''s record. She is only neen years old, but she has be a Spirit Grandmaster. No one can surpass this record anytime soon!"


    "In order to get the right to challenge an Arbiter, she had toplete three missions. The first one was to gain recognition from at least six Arbiters. The second one was to eliminate a hundred Peak Level Demons, which shepleted pretty easily. Thest one was¡­ to defeat a Superior Demon by herself. It seemed that the Sword Arbiter, the Fleeting Arbiter, and the Fire Arbiter were there as her witness."


    "I''m sure that you can''t wait anymore. After all, she is known to be one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom. Without further ado, let''s invite Anna Stargaze!"


    The cheers erupted once again as a figure walked into the arena. Just like with Josephine, the people were stunned.


    Her blond hair had been tied into a ponytail, creating a gant aura around her. Her sharp eyes could freeze anyone on the spot. She was wearing a white-colored military uniform,plimenting her bright hair.


    Her expression was calm and collected as if she wasn''t afraid of the person that would fight her.


    When she stepped on the stage, another wave of cheers burst.


    "Uooohhh!"


    "Anna Stargaze!"


    "She is so beautiful!"


    "To think that she is that strong already."


    "Who would actually be her match?"


    The announcer shifted their attention again by introducing her opponent.


    "On the opposite side, I think everyone has known him. He has been an Arbiter for twenty years. His achievements are so many that I can''t list all of them for you."


    "He is the Earth Arbiter, Count Heirden!"


    An old man walked to the stage. Just like Anna, he was wearing a simr uniform. While he was keeping a calm expression, the Count had fully understood why he was chosen.


    On the surface, it looked like revenge from Anna. But the royal family definitely knew that he had been cooperating with the Supreme Devil Organization to cripple the Demon Banner Army.


    To avoid any further problems, the royal family was nning to use this fight to rece his position. After that, they could simply frame them with anything before subjugating his family.


    That was why Count Heirden knew that he couldn''t lose in this fight if he wanted his family to be safe.


    When he reached the stage, his eyes made contact with Anna''s. He couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, thinking, ''She is far different from back then.''


    But they couldn''t intimidate their opponents any longer as both of them had to turn their bodies around, facing a small balcony that was isted from the rest.


    Even the Arbiters on the pir faced the balcony. They all suddenly dropped to one knee as the announcer shouted, "His Majesty, Oliver Ve Lenferth, is entering the arena!"


    "!!!"


    From their action to the announcement, the other people also followed suit.


    The king of the Muivell Kingdom had just entered his spot, standing on his balcony while looking at the arena. He was apanied by the Marshall, who would protect him from all kinds of threats.


    He announced, "This is a battle between the young talent and the old reliable Arbiter. I''ll spare you with the speech. The rule is simple. Do your best to defeat your opponent without killing them. I don''t wish for the talent of my kingdom to be destroyed right before my eyes. The True Spirit Body is forbidden. The four Arbiters will protect the people so you can fight to the best of your abilities. I wish you good luck."


    As he finished his speech, he sat down while squinting his eyes, watching Anna closely. This was the piece he wanted to get the most.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t state it openly. He waved his hand, as if signaling the announcer to begin the match.


    Everyone began to stand up, fully knowing what would happen next. They couldn''t contain their excitement anymore.


    With an energetic tone, the announcer finally said, "With His Majesty''s permission, let me announce it to everyone. The battle between Count Heirden and Anna Stargaze¡­ officially starts!"

 Chapter 849 Anna vs Heirden

    "¡­Officially starts!"


    The moment they heard it, both Heirden and Anna released their Spiritual Energy.


    The eruption of their energy caused a massive shock wave that soon shed with each other, creating immense pressure on the field. The dust was pushed to the wall, the ground began to shake, and the people had a hard time breathing.


    In that moment, the four Arbiters as well as the experts who had been invited to protect the pir, began releasing their Spiritual Energy, creating a barrier to block everything from reaching them.


    "Haaa¡­"


    There were a lot of pantings among the audience as they were gasping for air.


    The announcer exined excitedly, "I''m sure that you''ve felt it as well. Their power seems to be equal and we''ll definitely be able to see a great match, determining whether Count Heirden could remain in his position or get reced by Anna Stargaze!"


    It seemed that they deliberately allowed both of them to pressure the citizens to showcase their power. This would give them knowledge about the power of an Arbiter, not just by seeing it but also by experiencing it.


    After that brief sh, the pressure died down.


    Anna took out her sword while Heirden raised both hands. Rocks soon appeared out of nowhere, covering his entire arm.


    Their eyes shed as both of them leaped forward.


    Anna waved her de straight to Heirden''s neck while thetter raised his hand, blocking the sword.


    A clicking sound echoed. It was hard for a de to cut down a rock, especially when both of them were coated by the same amount of energy.


    However, Anna stomped the ground, using her lower body to gain a surge of strength before transferring it to her hand.


    "Haaaa!" She roared, exerting strength three times more than she previously used.


    "!!!" Even Heirden didn''t expect such power toe from her frail body. He tried to stop the de, but the force was too much for him to handle, causing his body to spin upside down.


    Even though he was old, it didn''t mean that his body was already too stiff to move. He skillfully used his hands to stand while covering his right foot with the rock before kicking Anna.


    Anna blocked the kick with her sword, avoiding direct contact with her body. But she ended up jumping back to dodge the force contained in that kick.


    After that, Heirden spun his body again and stood back up as if nothing happened. He even looked more confident, thinking Anna wasn''t his opponent yet.


    ''You''re amazing to be able to be a Spirit Grandmaster at that age. And you''re not an average Grandmaster either, but¡­'' Heirden thought as his expression turned grim. ''¡­I can''t afford to lose this battle.''


    Since he had knocked her back earlier, Heirden leaped forth, taking the initiative tounch his attack.


    On the one hand, Anna would be able to overwhelm him with the Rune drawn on her body. On the other hand, she couldn''t expose it because it would just show her affiliation with Noel.


    Hence, Anna gathered her power in her left hand. The lightning began to spark as she stomped the ground to get another surge of strength before grasping Heirden''s fist.


    Heirden covered his entire body with the rock and took Anna''s lightning directly. The lightning tried to electrocute Heirden, but the rock blocked it and channeled it to the ground.


    "¡­" Anna looked at the sh calmly before jumping back once again as if she had been pushed back.


    But surprisingly, Heirden also stopped on his track while looking at his hand.


    The rock managed to block the lightning, but a portion of it seemed to be able to prate the rock. He was sure of it because his hand had gotten numb.


    It seemed that Anna was stronger than he expected and this was just getting started.


    He changed Anna''s threat level to someone who could actually defeat him. Getting serious, Heirden ced his hand on the ground. "Soar!"


    Suddenly, the ground shook violently as four dragon heads emerged. They were made of rock and moved up and down. They even returned back to the floor beforeing back out as if the ground was just water.


    These four dragon heads moved toward Anna, surrounding her from all directions.


    Anna jumped into the air as the four dragons followed her. One of them sped up and opened its mouth to swallow her.


    But Anna skillfully stepped on its teeth before jumping to the side.


    As expected, another dragon came from a different direction. Fortunately, Anna managed to rotate her body and jump again.


    Heirden controlled the dragons carefully, trying to surround Anna.


    Seeing Anna being toyed with by Heirden couldn''t help but disappoint the people. They came here because Anna looked capable. If she managed to defeat Heirden, it would cause an uproar. Unfortunately, it seemed she was still too young to fight against an Arbiter.


    "Anna Stargaze can only be on the defensive. As expected, is it going to be a one-sided match?" The announcer asked aloud before noticing something. "Wait a minute. Look at Anna Stargaze, she is¡­"


    The announcer was tongue-tied because of the shock. When the people tried to understand what he was saying, they were stunned as well.


    "!!!" Even Heirden dropped his jaw in disbelief. "She is¡­ actually closing her eyes?!"


    That was right. The thing that shocked everyone was the fact that Anna shut her eyes. She looked calm and undisturbed, relying on his instinct to read the dragons'' movements.


    Heirden hadunched an all-out attack, but for Anna, this was not even worth mentioning. Without anyone realizing it, Anna had actually sheathed her sword.


    "You brat!" Heirden gritted his teeth. Out of anger, he fully controlled one of the dragons, speeding it up.


    The dragon somehow got even bigger to the point there was no way Anna could avoid it unless she could fly.


    But that was the time Anna finally opened her eyes.


    As she opened her eyes, her hand drew her de, releasing the energy she had been gathering this whole time. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    The draw happened in an instant and the next thing they realized, there was an energy wave that sliced the dragon''s head into two.


    "!!!" The people werepletely dumbstruck. Anna had just cut a dragon''s head that was as big as a two-story building.


    The remaining energy was still traveling toward the audience, only to strike the barrier.


    *Rumble!*


    The barrier seemed to shake for a split second before it neutralized the energy.


    Out of the people that maintained the barrier, only the Sword Arbiter understood the degree of mastery Anna had.


    "What?" The Sword Arbiter looked at the trace of energy while muttering inwardly, ''That sh alone is carrying a sharp energy¡­ Is she able to change the property of her energy to match her intent?''


    After watching Noel''s swordsmanship for a long time as well as the experience she had in her previous life, Anna managed to understand the concept of the sword. The current her could actually decide whether the sword could actually cut or not, simr to Noel''s Everchanging Emotion Swordstyle but limited to only sharp and blunt.


    After cutting the dragon head, Anna rotated her body, seeing the dumbfounded Heirden.


    When their gazes met, Heirden regained hisposure and hurriedly controlled the remaining three dragons. After releasing such a strike, Anna should be vulnerable.


    Seeing the three iing heads, Anna turned out to be gathering her lightning in her hand as if she didn''t n to release such a power anymore.


    She pushed her hand forward, releasing the lightning forth. To everyone''s surprise, the lightning spread like branches and formed a hand.


    It looked like a bone, but it still served its job. The hand grabbed a dragon''s head as Anna pulled herself toward the dragon, avoiding the other two.


    Before reaching the dragon in front, Anna released another sword strike to sever the dragon''s neck, causing its head to fall down.


    Anna skillfullynded on top of the dragon''s head, using it as a cushion. Yet, two meters away from the floor, Anna actually used the lightning hand to toss the dragon''s head to Heirden whilending on the ground gracefully.


    Heirden stomped the ground, forming a few walls. The dragon''s head crushed a few walls before ultimately stopping at thest third wall.


    Although the attack was a failure, it still gave Heirden a scare.


    "¡­" Anna examined her attack and the two iing dragons that were trying to distract her.


    This time, she tossed the sword into the air and gathered a huge amount of energy in both hands as she grabbed both heads before releasing all that energy in one go.


    The lightning was rampaging on the heads, shattering the rocks into pieces.


    Now that the nuisance had gone, Anna grabbed the falling sword and stood firmly. Her lightning was covering her body as if it was alive.


    With a confident face, Anna looked at Heirden as though she was saying, ''The battle''s just started.''


    ''Overconfident brat.'' Heirden gritted his teeth while releasing more and more energy from his body.

 Chapter 850 Awakening

    Heirden rushed forward while covering his entire body with rock. Anna wasn''t afraid of him and made the same move.


    When they were about to reach each other, Anna waved her de, using the lightning to drastically increase his speed.


    Heirden instinctively realized that this swing was more dangerous than the one he had seen before. He hurriedly raised his right hand, catching the de.


    The energy around Anna''s sword burst, stopping him from closing his palm to grab her sword.


    Since it was useless, Heirden changed his tactics by stomping the ground.


    "!!!" Anna suddenly felt her body be light. It turned out Heirden stomped the ground to turn it into a crater. He used that split second where her body wasn''t on the ground to punch her.


    Heirden had even used his rock to attach himself to the floor, allowing him to move his body freely.


    Anna clicked her tongue and created a bolt of lightning on the side, trying to st the stone fist. To everyone''s surprise, the lightning suddenly burst out,unching Anna with its shock wave.


    "What?" Heirden was surprised and turned around, finding Anna at the edge of the arena. ''Did she use her own lightning to propel herself? She''s judged that my attack hurts more than her power¡­''


    He had seen a lot of insane people, but he never thought that Anna would rather injure herself instead of allowing his attack tond on her body. As a result, Anna escaped with only a minor bruise.


    Heirden didn''t n to let Anna control the pace of the battle. He ced his hands on the ground as the floor and the wall formed a whip that caught Anna''s wrists and ankles.


    Still, Heirden didn''t know anything about Anna''s Spirit Link. Her instinct warned her about the iing danger, including these rocks.


    She skillfully jumped forth, avoiding Heirden''s attack. After that, she used the angle of the crater to jump toward Heirden.


    The moment he saw Anna''s sword was sheathed again, he immediately formed multiple walls between himself and Anna, thinking, ''That attack ising.''


    He didn''t deny the fact that Anna''s sword strike was so strong that he would die if he wasn''t careful.


    However, this was what Anna wanted from the start.


    The moment the walls blocked Heirden''s vision, Anna covered her entire body with lightning.


    After that, she rotated her body and ended up kicking the wall.


    Old Ru had taught her how to control her Spiritual Energy. She used that lesson to concentrate the Spiritual Energy on her shoe.


    The wall couldn''t stand a chance against Anna''s concentrated energy. This was even stronger than the cut because she could concentrate everything on a single point instead of making a big sh.


    "What?!" Heirden was surprised when he felt his walls were getting destroyed. Her movement was like a spear that could prate all armor and shields.


    However, she wasn''t the only one who was shocked by it. Even Anna''s father couldn''t help but gasp, thinking, ''Since when can my daughter concentrate that amount of energy into a single point?''


    Josephine frowned, having a different thought. ''Her control over Spiritual Energy is so exquisite. I haven''t taught her anything like that. Yet¡­''


    The Fire Arbiter frowned. He had a simr ability to Anna, but there was a big difference. He muttered, ''Her Spiritual Energy ispletely empty all over her body. Normally, it''s impossible to do that as the body leaks Spiritual Energy. But she actually manages to control that leaking energy and gather them in a single point.''


    The Sword Arbiter smirked, feeling challenged. ''It seems that Heirden will have a hard time. No, I could say that the chance of him winning has decreased to fifty percent. He should feel lucky that Anna Stargaze is forbidden to use the True Spirit Body, or he would have no chance of winning.''


    Just like the four Arbiters, the Marshall could see through Anna''s profound skill. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "This is¡­"


    "Is there something wrong?" The king asked.


    "Her control even puts me to shame. No, should I say that her control is extremely unique?"


    "Is it that amazing?" The king didn''t know because he wasn''t a Spirit Grandmaster.


    "Amazing is an understatement." The Marshall shook his head helplessly. "There are two known methods of controlling Spiritual Energy: the soft approach and the hard approach. The former is focused on the flow of Spiritual Energy, allowing the user to fully direct the Spiritual Energy."


    "But our body is naturally releasing that much energy to the point that it''s impossible for Soft Control to direct everything into a single point. Yet, she is able to do it. It looks like she is directing the Spiritual Energy before the body even releases it. I can''tpletely exin it, but you can think of her entire body as a bridge that can change direction depending on her needs."


    "More importantly, that strength also contains the explosive power from the Hard Approach. By directing all the leaking Spiritual Energy, she can use the original Spiritual Energy to cover her foot. In other words, all those leaking Spiritual Energy can be stored in her foot and shot again and again."


    The king looked at the amazement on his Marshall''s face. He never thought that a Spirit Transcendence like him would praise Anna that highly.


    It seemed that he had to re-evaluate Anna.


    Not long ago, he had been trying to force Anna to marry the crown prince for the stability of the kingdom. Sadly, she managed to defeat all his ns.


    Hence, he was considering another approach. Instead of forcing her, it appeared that befriending her would give a lot of benefits, including that profound control. The closer they were, the more Anna would let her guard down. And when the time was ripe, he would make Anna submitpletely.


    But this also reminded him of the Supreme Devil Organization. It would be bad if the Supreme Devil Organization chose to capture Anna.


    He said, "After this battle is over, go to Alexander and tell him that I ept his condition. I will exile Noel Ardagan, but in exchange, the Supreme Devil Organization is not allowed to do anything to Anna Stargaze."


    The Marshall''s expression turned serious, understanding what that decision meant. He bowed to him. "I understand."


    ¡­


    The battle continued. Once Anna showed her superb control, the battle started to shift in her favor.


    Heirden tried to stop her by multiple walls, even from the sides, to stop her momentum. But Anna simply increased her speed and slipped past them.


    Ultimately, Heirden was forced to use those four dragon heads again, even though it required a lot of Spiritual Energy.


    While Anna could destroy them with her kick alone, the dragon''s size made it hard for her to do that. Once she got swallowed, the rock would lock her up, so she changed her strategy back to her sword.


    After learning about Anna''s capability, Heirden controlled the heads carefully, aware that one wrong move would give Anna the opportunity to cut them down.


    He tried to surround Anna and retreat when Anna was about to sheathe her sword.


    Anna could feel the threat appearing and disappearing all the time due to the change in Heirden''s intention. Even then, Anna couldn''t cut them down easily.


    ''As expected of an Arbiter, he is strong. In the past, I challenged the Fire Arbiter instead of him. But it''s clear that he is stronger than the Fire Arbiter. No, should I say that his strength is around ranked 6th to 8th among all Arbiters?'' Anna examined the situation.


    She had understood the strength of Arbiters since her previous life. There were only twelve of them, but each of them was so strong that they became the pirs of this kingdom, preventing the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association from taking control of the kingdom''s matters.


    ''I can''t use my True Spirit Body and Runes at the moment. But he is not someone I can defeat without putting everything on the line.'' Anna took a deep breath before making her decision. ''It seems that I have to reveal this sooner than expected.''


    Anna suddenly stopped moving for a second and even closed her eyes.


    Heirden was confused, but he didn''t let this chance go. The four dragons tried to distract her.


    But before they managed to reach her, Anna had opened her eyes again. Her purple eyes had turned light blue like that of lightning.


    Her blond hair started sparking as a portion of it turned white.


    She opened her mouth as lightning even sparked between her lips. She was transforming her body into lightning.


    ''Oi, Berserker. Are you ready?'' Anna said inwardly.


    It seemed that her spirit also responded to her. There was only one fit reply to their rtionship. ''Don''t cry if your body can''t handle my power.''


    ''Heh¡­'' Anna smirked as she stepped forth. A burst of lightning scattered in all directions, cracking the heads from its sheer pressure alone.


    There was one thing that Anna had prepared before this battle. After returning from her trip to Old Ru, Anna and Noel had made an agreement with the former Royal Alchemist and received a pill that could forcefully awaken their spirit.


    Noel didn''t eat the pill right away for an unknown reason, but she ingested the pill, allowing the Spirit Link to further develop.


    She used that Spirit Link to be a true host of the Spirit, allowing her spirit''s true power to flow in her veins, which caused her body to partly be lightning.


    "Awakening on." Anna stomped the ground before jumping forward with a speed far surpassing anything she had shown so far. The shock wave mixed with her lightning and shattered the dragon heads as Anna made her way to Heirden.

 Chapter 851 Raging Lightning Descend

    "What?!" Heirden gasped as he instinctively thickened theyer of rocks that protected his skin to the point where he looked like a golem instead of a human.


    After that, he raised both hands, trying to stop Anna''s de.


    Anna utilized the momentum as well as the fierce lightning to strike Heirden. She wanted to know how much strength she could muster by this Awakening.


    Obviously, the power of the Awakening was not at the same level as the True Spirit Body. But the pill had transformed the Spirit Links, including her veins, to a level where her body could assimte with the Spirit itself.


    When her de struck Heirden''s de, the Spiritual Energy erupted. The lightning was rampaging on the area, shattering the ground even further. The rampant lightning also bounced toward the barrier.


    "!!!" Her father, Kevin, couldn''t help but increase the output of his Spiritual Energy as the barrier began to tremble. Kevin looked at his daughter and sucked a cold breath, ''Since when has my daughter be this strong? No, what is she doing the whole time?''


    Not only the control but also this transformation. Kevin thought Anna had done something unprecedented.


    He was afraid because showing too much would definitely shoot her down. After showing her profound control, the Royal Family might be trying to tie her down. But with this transformation, there was a possibility of the royal family using their influence to suppress her and get whatever they wanted. If they didn''t receive it, they would consider Anna''s act as treason and carry out the execution.


    Still, he hadn''t seen Anna''s True Spirit Body, so he didn''t know how big the gap between this transformation and the True Spirit Body was.


    Even the Marshall trembled upon seeing this transformation. In normal cases, he wasn''t afraid of anything, considering he was a Spirit Transcendence. The only one who could fight with him equally was Commander Oscar or Alexander.


    But from the power of this transformation, he''d got a sense of dread, not because of her power, but because of her potential.


    If Anna couldpletely grow to her fullest potential, there was a chance that her power would be so strong that no one could bind her anymore.


    Even the king had to re-evaluate the situation.


    Still, the fight had yet to end. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The lightning was shattering the rocks that covered Heirden. Anna had just shown a strength second only to the True Spirit Body.


    If their power was equal before, this transformation would havepletely ovee the gap.


    "Haaa!" Anna roared while releasing all her strength toplete one full swing.


    "!!!" Heirden could feel that the rock was beginning to be crushed, and eventually¡­ "Aaaahhhh!"


    Heirden screamed out of reflex. Anna managed toplete a full swing. As a result, the rock waspletely crushed to the point where his hand was sticking out of the rock.


    There was a deep cut wound on his hand. Heirden was clutching his hand, not being able to move his finger. He doubted he could use this hand for at least a few months even after it was healed. The cut was simply too deep.


    But¡­ this wasn''t enough to make him give up. If he lost this time, his family would be ruined.


    "I haven''t lost!" Heirden made a clutching motion with his other hand.


    The ground suddenly surged out as if they were alive, trying to form a sphere that wouldpletely lock Anna inside.


    Anna simply stomped the ground, using that force to scatter her lightning.


    The lightning had far surpassed the rock and shattered them into pieces.


    But there was a reason why Heirden was one of the twelve Arbiters.


    The sphere earlier was just a distraction. When Anna destroyed it, the floor trembled as it shot up to the sky, forming a giant humanoid golem.


    Its height was more than eight meters and its fist alone was as big as the arena.


    More importantly, the golem joined both hands together and nned to m the arena, crushing Anna altogether.


    Even the audience was terrified. This was one of the reasons why Heirden''s rank was pretty high. In fact, each Arbiter had the power to destroy an entire town with ease.


    Obviously, Heirden was having a hard time controlling that massive amount of Spiritual Energy. Without it, he wouldn''t be able to attach all these rocks and turn it into a giant golem.


    Blood started flowing out of his mouth, nose, and eyes. Yet, he still maintained his focus as everything would end with just this attack.


    Seeing such a challenge, Anna took a deep breath. Because everyone was so focused on the golem, they didn''t notice the excited smile on Anna''s face.


    The instinct of the berserker had begun influencing her mind, taking this golem as a challenge that needed to be ovee.


    She sheathed her de once again. All her Spiritual Energy was concentrated in one ce only: her sword. There was nothing to protect her other than the Reduce Impact Zone.


    Just by releasing their Spiritual Energy alone, a fighter could exert some pressure. The more they concentrated their energy into one particr spot, the more pressure it brought.


    Anna did it before, but because she always shot out the excess energy, it didn''t umte enough to achieve such a thing.


    But this time, she sealed all that energy within the scabbard of her sword.


    Instinctively, both the Sword Arbiter and the Marshall had ced their hands on their de.


    The spiritual pressure emitted from Anna''s de was so strong that it deepened the crater.


    This would be a deciding sh between Anna and Heirden.


    Everyone became tense, preparing for the worst.


    "Ah¡­" Anna suddenly felt something nostalgic. This amount of pressure, Spiritual Energy, and challenge couldn''t help but remind her of what had happened in her previous life.


    Her soul instinctively recognized this challenge.


    "It''s been a while since thest time I wielded this much power¡­" Anna surprisingly closed her eyes for a moment.


    There was a scene that shed in her mind. Noel was standing in front of her.


    "This is the day I defeat you. You won''t be able to escape anymore." Anna red at Noel while concentrating her energy on her sword.


    "If you can, that is¡­" Noel raised his hand. A huge me erupted from the ground like that of a pir, releasing tremendous heat.


    It burned everything, whether it was the soil, the grass, or even her Spiritual Energy. Her lightning fluctuated as if the me was forcing it to submission.


    "Kh." Anna gritted her teeth. She wasn''t afraid of this me, but it didn''t change the fact that Noel had clearly shown that if she wanted to defeat him, she would have to do more than that.


    Anna fell silent for a moment. Her lightning was overwhelming. She had known that fact, but it stillcked the explosiveness that Noel''s fire possessed. To bridge that gap, she had to create an artificial burst.


    Whether it was her instinct or her talent, Anna actually sheathed her de. If shecked that burst of energy, she had just sealed it and unleashed everything in one go.


    "!!!" Even Noel raised his eyebrows, noticing what she was doing.


    There was an eerie silence for a few seconds before Anna and Noel leaped at the same time.


    Both of them waved their sword diagonally as their abilities erupted. The sky turned white and ck for a second.


    The ck me was overwhelming the lightning, trying to burn it into nothing. The lightning was rampaging around, stubbornly resisting the fire.


    In that split second, both of them had passed each other.


    What remained after that sh was shattered, dried ground with everything was reduced to ashes.


    "Interesting¡­" Noel smiled as he involuntarily dropped his sword to the ground. It appeared that his hand had grown so numb that he couldn''t even hold his sword.


    On the other hand, Anna''s hands were shaking uncontrobly. If not for the fact that she switched to both hands to resist Noel''s violent attack, her condition would probably be the same as his.


    "That''s an impressive attack, but that''s not enough to defeat me." As Noel said those words, the temperature had dropped, indicating that his ice element could still fight. But Noel simply left that time.


    Remembering that scene, Anna couldn''t help but smile. Noel had been pushing her to the limit the whole time.


    This technique was developed in order to defeat Noel. But in this life, they were fighting together.


    ''Back then¡­ You are like a mountain standing in my way. Whenever I climb it, I feel like it''s never ending. But what if we climb it together? Will I still continue climbing that mountain? No, I think the answer is simpler than that¡­ We will simply destroy the mountain¡­ destroy all the mountains standing on our path.''


    Anna gradually opened her eyes. Her expression was tranquil as if the golem didn''t have any effect on her.


    The lightning suddenly disappeared from everyone''s vision as if she had just given up. But this was the calm before the storm. She umted all that into this one single sh¡­ a sh not to ''climb'' the mountain but to destroy it.


    "Raging Lightning Descent."


    As she called its name, Anna drew her sword and the entire arena was overwhelmed with blinding white light.

 Chapter 852 Conclusion

    The blinding light overwhelmed everyone in the arena. The audience covered their eyes with their hands while doing their best to see what was happening.


    "What is happening? I can''t see anything."


    There was a lot of confusion because they had to prepare for the worst. Fortunately, the four Arbiters in charge of the protection were the most reliable.


    The Fire Arbiter might be ranked low among the Arbiters, but the Sword Arbiter, Fleeting Arbiter, and Void Arbiter were ranked 1st, 4th, and 5th, respectively.


    When the blinding light dimmed down, the audience tried to look at the fighters, wanting to know the result of the battle.


    However, what they found could be considered a disappointment. Instead of the conclusion of the match, they saw three peopleing into the arena.


    The first person was the Sword Arbiter, who cut down the pressure from the energy Anna released. The second one was the Void Arbiter, Anna''s teacher. She formed a blue vortex that swallowed the giant stone hands as another vortex appeared nearby, connecting the hands.


    Last but not least, the Fleeting Arbiter. He had the most crucial role as he was the fastest among the three.


    Kevin appeared in front of Anna and ced his hand on the back of the sword''s handle, preventing Anna from releasing that strike fully. But Anna managed to unleash a bit of her de, causing the Spiritual Energy that had been stored inside to leak. That leak alone caused the blinding light as well as the Sword Arbiter to interfere directly.


    "What?!"


    "What is happening?"


    "The Sword, Void, and Fleeting Arbiters are stopping the match?"


    "But who wins in this case?"


    "Come on!"


    "Why do you have to intervene?"


    The audience was disappointed because they couldn''t see the conclusion, ignorant of how close they were to losing their lives.


    When the people started raging, the Marshall suddenly opened his mouth, announcing with his Spiritual Energy. "I shall exin everything in detail. The Stone Arbiter''s golem was strong. If he smashed down, the entire arena would be destroyed. In fact, this entire area might be leveled and everyone would be in danger as the attack would render the barrier useless."


    When they heard the first exnation, they thought the winner was clear. The fact that Count Heirden could bypass the barriers made by four Arbiters and multiple Grandmasters meant he far surpassed Anna''s strength.


    However, the Marshall continued, "But¡­we have to take a look at the ability that Anna Stargaze was about to release. That dense energy would be unleashed at full force. Just like how thepressed air would explode when it could expand in an instant, her ability is the same."


    "The lightning would wreak havoc in the arena. While it won''t be able to destroy the barrierpletely, there is a high possibility that a hole will appear. The lightning will pass that hole and endanger the audience."


    "More importantly, we can''t forget the fact that she is using a sword. That sharp energy will cut down the rocks, and the lightning would shatter the remaining rock. With the Stone Arbiter''s current condition, there was a high chance of him losing his life." Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Hence, as a Marshall, I have to dere that Anna Stargaze is the winner of this match. The Arbiters are free to refute my exnation."


    The Fleeting Arbiter and the Void Arbiter immediately bowed their heads, saying the same thing, "No, Sir. Your exnation is correct."


    The Sword Arbiter nodded. "I agree with the Marshall. If this fight happened in the wild, Anna Stargaze, without a doubt, would kill Count Heirden."


    "This¡­"


    The people were inplete silence. On the one hand, Marshall''s exnation was clear about the result. On the other hand, no one could tell if that was true or not.


    However, thest thing that needed to convince them just urred.


    Count Heirden shouted, "I haven''t lost. That puny lightning won''t be able to kill me! I can still fight!"


    There was a desperate action from Count Heirden. His expression showed that he had agreed to the exnation to some extent, but for one reason or another, he refused to ept his loss.


    Count Heirden tried to move his golem''s body, but the Sword Arbiter drew his sword.


    It was just an instant, but all of a sudden, the giant hands were cut as the Void Arbiter changed the blue vortex and sent the giant rocks outside the city.


    "That''s enough, Stone Arbiter. You have to ept your loss." The Sword Arbiter red at him. "If you think that''s not enough, you may challenge the position again next year."


    After the Sword Arbiter''s ultimatum, the king finally stood up and dered, "Anna Stargaze has won the challenge and shall be an Arbiter."


    Anna sheathed her de and turned around, walking toward the king with a solemn face. Then, she kneeled on one knee while lowering her head.


    "I dere from now on that Anna Stargaze shall be known as Lightning Arbiter. Her official rank shall be determined at ater date."


    "ording to the tradition, the Stone Arbiter shall retain his title as an Arbiter, but he shall be deprived of his duty. If he wishes to regain his official position, he will be able to challenge another Arbiter next year."


    "Anna Stargaze has be an Arbiter at 19 Years Old. She is the youngest Arbiter in Muivell Kingdom''s history."


    "Oooohhh!" The people were stunned and confused. Although they felt some disappointment that they couldn''t see the result of thatst sh, the king had dered openly that they had a new Arbiter.


    And this new Arbiter was none other than the most talented person in their kingdom. Even the Sword Arbiter, the strongest Arbiter, only became one when he was 26 years old.


    She managed to break that record by a whole seven years. And no one would be able to break this record anytime soon.


    "Amazing."


    "She is able to reach this far at that age. How strong will she be in another ten years?"


    "I think she has the biggest shot to be a Spirit Transcendence."


    "That''s right. The Supreme Banner Army has a Spirit Transcendence, Commander Oscar."


    "And our Mashall is also a Spirit Transcendence."


    "With her, there is a chance that we will have the third Spirit Transcendence."


    "When that happens, our kingdom will be considered the strongest among the four kingdoms."


    "Uooohhhh!"


    "Anna Stargaze."


    "Anna Stagaze!!!"


    "Lightning Arbiter!"


    "Long live the king."


    "Long live the kingdom."


    The cheers erupted from one spot and the others followed suits, celebrating the appearance of a new Arbiter.


    Still, there was one thing that only nobles could see. Themon people were oblivious to it, but the fact that Anna managed to be an Arbiter meant that the Stargaze Family currently had two Arbiters.


    There were a few families who had two Arbiters in the past. And those families were so strong that no one dared to challenge them.


    With that father and daughter pair, the golden age of the Stargaze Family woulde soon. Even though Kevin Stargaze was only a marquis, his status might rival that of dukes and duchesses.


    Hence, the nobles were thinking about what they could do in this situation. On the one hand, there was a possibility of marrying Anna since there was no news about her engagement. On the other hand, the royal family had been showing their interest in that matter since one year ago.


    They also had to consider not to anger Kevin, fully knowing that they would be besieged by two Arbiters.


    Amidst the cheers, the king had left the stadium as a security measure. His expression was grim after announcing good news for the kingdom.


    In the past, he had been suppressing Kevin Stargaze. Now that Anna stood by his side, if he continued doing that, Anna might take her anger at the royal family. With those two Arbiters, everything could happen, especially if the Third Prince decided to join the fray.


    He had to use Josephine to control Anna Stargaze''s actions. If he couldn''t do it, he''d find a way to kill Anna before she became too big.


    That was why he had to leave and arrange the n as quickly as possible.


    Meanwhile, Anna finally stood up after receiving her title.


    Her father came to her with a smile on his face. "Congrattions, Anna."


    "Thank you, Father." Anna bowed with a calm face as if she wasn''t that happy receiving it from her father.


    When Josephine did the same, Anna put on a smile to show that her affection was for her teacher rather than for her father.


    On the other hand, the Sword Arbiter came to Kevin while saying, "Congrattions, Kevin. To think your daughter will be able to reach this stage at that age. I''m really envious. If only my grandsons can even get half of her achievement, I would be satisfied."


    "Thank you, Sir. Your grandsons are also talented too, you just don''t have to be so harsh to them, Sir."


    "Is that so? Though, I prefer a bit harsh, or else, they would be defying me." The Sword Arbiter chuckled, indirectly implying the rtionship between Kevin and Anna. "In any case, the kingdom will be noisy for a while, and you will have a lot of things to do."


    "Indeed." Kevin nodded. "I hope that you can help me take care of my daughter in the royal court."


    "Haha. Is that a signal?"


    "I don''t restrict her."


    "I see. Either way, you should watch out for the next few days. I''m not very sure, but I can feel a strong presence inside the capital not long ago."


    Kevin didn''t answer him, knowing fully what the Sword Arbiter was saying. There was a possibility that this strong existence was trying to eliminate someone, and since they were on the rise, there was a chance that they would be the target to maintain the kingdom''s bnce. Kevin bowed to him politely to express his gratitude.


    Meanwhile, Anna had left the arena first, following Josephine. Unbeknownst to all of them, appointing Anna as an Arbiter would plunge the kingdom into chaos, not because of her talent, but because of what she nned to do with that position.

 Chapter 853 Undying Fire

    "That''s basically what happened in the Muivell Kingdom." Raincart had finished recounting the information he got from the spies that the Greenwood Kingdom had nted. "I''m sure that other kingdoms have learned about her existence as well. To think she would be that strong, she can use the True Spirit Body as well, no?"


    After listening to Anna''s story, Noel couldn''t help but fall silent. On the one hand, his ice abilities had improved drastically over the past week. On the other hand, it was nowhere near Anna''s level.


    Noel looked down for a moment, wondering what he should do. While he treated Anna as his ally, she was also his rival. There was no way Noel liked the fact that he was currently weaker.


    That silence of his couldn''t help but make Raincart a little bit sad. Heforted him by saying, "You don''t have to think too much. Your progress is exceptional as well. If the Ardagan Family is still backing you, you would have reached the same level as her."


    Noel didn''t reply to him, causing Raincart to think that Noel hadn''t recovered.


    Raincart asked, "That''s right. You''re nning to reach the Spirit Grandmaster during your stay here, right? From the looks of it, you are already at the peak of Spirit Master. Is there anything troubling you? Although I''m not good with swords or runes, I''m good at elemental spirit. Maybe I can advise you or something."


    Noel''s eyes lit up as he looked at his grandfather. There was always one thing that stuck in his mind. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Even after learning the secret from Damian, he didn''t know how to master his Undying Fire. Yes, he managed to improve his control and its intensity due to Old Ru''s training, but he was nowhere mastering it.


    "Actually, I have been wondering about something." Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He thought this was just a simple question, so the fact that he didn''t know it made him look ignorant. It reminded him of how he first started.


    "What''s wrong?" Raincart asked with a serious expression.


    That expression startled Noel. It felt like Raincart was telling him that asking any questions was never a dumb action.


    Noel felt reassured and decided to share his problem. "I''m confused about my me. I don''t mean to brag, but my me is strong. It''s so strong that I feel like something is missing."


    "Continue." Raincart nodded in agreement as he had seen Noel''s Undying Fire previously.


    "I''m not very sure about this, but¡­" Noel pointed his palm to the side and started forming his Undying Fire. After that, the me red up, releasing an intense heat.


    Yet, when it died down, Noel replicated the same thing. Surprisingly, the me didn''t release an intense heat, but it reduced everything to ashes.


    "As you can see, I''m kind of confused. On the one hand, I can control the temperature, the heat, and its burning power. On the other hand, I can''t rte this me to the one in nature."


    "Because of that, you don''t know how to proceed?" Raincart asked a core question, showing that he was listening attentively.


    "Yes." Noel exined, "I have asked my spirit, but that''s actually thest requirement for me to master my me."


    "So, have you put any thought into it?"


    "Yes. If I can control the temperature, I can control the heat. But it''s kind of conflicting with the burning power because it can burn everything even without releasing that heat."


    "No, I''m not talking about that. What do you think about those three characteristics? No, should I say, what is actually your me?" Raincart asked.


    "Hmm?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. It felt like Raincart was questioning him about the me characteristic, but at the same time, there seemed to be another profound meaning behind that question.


    "What is my me?" Noel muttered that question while looking down. ''Now that I think about it¡­ why is Ardagan''s me called Undying Fire? How about other things like just Fire? Why does Ardagan specify its name to be Undying Fire?''


    Noel fell into deep thought. He had never questioned it.


    In Heisk''s case, the first ability he got from her was Ice Control. It had evolved a few times, but it didn''t change the fact that Heisk considered her ice as normal ice.


    There was also another question simr to it. Why would Heisk''s control change its name to Spiritual Cold Control? Did it mean Heisk''s element was now a Spiritual Ice or Cold?


    He had never paid attention to the name change and the meaning behind those names. This might be what his grandfather was implying.


    ''Why Undying Fire? What is Undying in the first ce?'' Noel tried to recall the meaning of Undying and thought, ''Undying meanssting forever. Wait a minute¡­ Lasting forever?''


    Noel''s body trembled. ''If the mests forever, doesn''t that mean the me won''t be able to change its attribute? If it can burn for thousands of years without me there, what kind of power does it have?''


    ''If the me burns everything, will it engulf this world with its power? How about its heat? What kind of impact does it bring? Will the temperature remain the same?''


    ''If the me has a low temperature but can burn everything, there will be a lot of implications. For example, I can separate liquid by making one liquid into a vapor. But if the fire temperature is low, the liquid will only evaporate into nothing. In fact, not even the vapor remains.''


    ''On the other hand, if the fire temperature is high and maintained at that level, it will stay at that level until the end of time. That''s the meaning of Undying.''


    ''In other words, thest requirement to mastering the Undying Fire is not control whatsoever. Instead, it''s the identity of the Undying Fire. What kind of Fire do I want?''


    Noel came to a realization. It turned out the problem was not an extraordinary challenge like he expected. It was actually the basic thing. He''d gotten the fundamentals wrong.


    And the reason why Ardagan didn''t say the correct answer was because Ardagan wanted Noel to choose without influencing him in any way.


    Ardagan once exined that the spirits resided within the people because they wanted to see how the humans wielded their power, using it as an inspiration.


    Ardagan was the same. It wanted to see how Noel wielded him. Even Raincart could see this problem.


    Noel stopped responding to his grandfather as he was too engrossed with this new thought. He had to confirm what kind of me he wanted from Ardagan and set it that way so that the Undying Fire could trulyst forever, not change with the passage of time.


    Seeing his expression made Raincart feel relieved. Raincart didn''t know anything about Noel''s talent in Spiritual Energy or his conversion rate. In fact, having two spirits alone was enough to confirm his talent.


    However, Raincart could see that Noel''s true talent was hidden in his mind. Noel''s mind worked differently from normal people''s.


    It was due to his past. He had been reading so many books in the past. People thought he waszy, but his father never stopped him.


    There was one big reason. When reading those books, Noel''s mind would often wonder in his imagination of those books.


    That imagination had been trained since he was very young, and Noel wasn''t disturbed by how the people described him.


    That was why when Noel faced a question, his mind would wander to all kinds of things. And the only thing people needed to do was to leave a single clue to narrow his imagination. He woulde up with the answer himself.


    This was the hidden intention that his father had when training Noel. In the past, he never asked Noel to learn sword or business. Instead, he only taught him about morale and train of thought. In other words, his imagination.


    To think about the problem,e up with a solution, and execute the n were something that people needed. And Noel could vividly imagine the scenario and the result. He might fail sometimes, like fighting against Laufey or Alexander, but he took that experience for future choices.


    This time, Noel had been presented with a problem about his Undying Fire. Would he choose to let the fire burn without any heat? Would the me lose its burning power in exchange for a natural power from the temperature and heat? Noel had to be the one to discover it.


    While Noel was tackling his current problem, Raincart moved away, curious about the disciple Noel took in. It was quite surprising to know that Tristan was a ve, but there must be a quality that Noel wanted from Tristan.


    By the time he learned about Tristan''s extraordinary memory, he would be so excited that he bothered Noel for days.


    But that was forter. Noel was undergoing a transformation to reach the stage Anna stood on. He didn''t n to give the lead to her.

 Chapter 854 Progress

    In the garden located at the back of the Ezenholm Family, Noel had been meditating for a few hours.


    He was fully absorbed in the current problem, which was to determine the power of his me.


    "Hmm?" Raincart, who was watching from a distance, couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. There was a spark of interest shed in his gaze, but he contained that curiosity so as to not bother Noel.


    The ck fire was gushing out of Noel''s body. At first, it was a mild fire. There was no heat or whatsoever.


    However, the more time passed, the higher the temperature of the fire. They started feeling the intense heat even though they were standing thirty meters away.


    Even Raincart had to raise his guard against that fire, but it seemed that he didn''t have to worry. Before it grew out of control, the fire temperature gradually decreased.


    Noel appeared to be having second thoughts about raising his fire temperature. Of course, it didn''t mean that he wouldpletely ignore the temperature.


    After some adjustment, the fire seemed to have stopped fluctuating. When the heat brushed Raincart''s skin, he could roughly measure its temperature.


    Noel actually wanted to maintain the me''s behavior. Since it was the me, it was obvious that it should have intense heat and high temperature. But the question was, how high?


    If he set it too high, the me would destroy everything and be uncontroble. Hence, he settled for two and a half times higher than the average me. This should be enough to overwhelm any fire his opponent might have, even if they were quite extraordinary.


    After all, Noel had a few other properties to adjust on.


    Since the fire radiated the heat, he wanted to adjust the amount of heat. If the heat was too strong for the current temperature, it would be unstable. In addition, it would burn everything around it.


    At the same time, the fire couldn''t be without heat. He thought that for an Undying Fire that wouldst forever, the sufficient heat would be two times more than normal, but he also made an adjustment with the temperature.


    This way, he wouldn''t identally hurt his people when fighting around them. While he was a fighter, he was a lord. So, there was no way he would fight alone in the future.


    The me began to swirl around Noel''s body. It looked like the fire was eager to show its power, starting from burning the grass and soil.


    However, Noel immediately stopped it with his control because if he wasn''t careful, he could easily burn the mansion behind him. It also reflected the possible future after bing a noble.


    While Noel was adjusting his me, Raincart got a guest.


    The guest was a middle-aged man. He had a straight posture and gant figure.


    "So, he is Leysha''s son¡­" The man said, a bit surprised by what he saw from Noel. Even he felt some fear toward that me. And after hearing about Noel''s achievement, he might not be able to win against Noel once he bes a Spirit Grandmaster.


    "Indeed." Raincart nodded proudly. "But don''t take it to heart. He is just too irregr. You''re already talented enough, and your children have nothing to worry about."


    "Thank you, Father." The man turned out to be Raincart''s son, the current family head of the Ezenholm Family. "But if I''m not wrong, Leysha also¡­"


    "Yeah. He has inherited his mother''s element as well. In other words, he has two Spirits residing within his body. But it''s even more surprising because those two spirits have opposite elements."


    The man thought for a moment and asked, "Those two elements are in harmony? How?"


    "Normally, if two opposite elements reside within a body, they would sh and end up harming its host. However, I could see that the me, despite overbearing, is the one harmonizing the rtionship between the two elements."


    "What? Then, the me is actually lowering its own property in order to match the ice?"


    "Yeah."


    "But doesn''t that mean the me''s full potential hasn''t been released yet?" The man gasped.


    "Exactly. Yesterday, he asked me whether there is a way to procure an Ice Element Item or herb and arge quantity of Demon Crystals."


    "¡­" The man fell silent as something clicked in his mind. "Father¡­ the reasons for him to request those things¡­ might be for the me development."


    "Yeah. I''m thinking the same thing. If my prediction is correct, that Ice Spirit is trying to increase its power so that the me can release its full potential. Actually, after he came herest time, I had been researching about the Ardagan Family."


    "If the record is correct, Noel actually possessed a simr if not the same spirit as his ancestor. The same spirit that gave birth to the only Spirit King in history." Raincart narrowed his eyes as his expression turned grim.


    "What?"


    Raincart asked, "Can you¡­ help me procure those things?"


    The man fell into deep thought, muttering, "The Demon Crystals are not a problem. Even if those families feel something weird about ourrge purchase this time, I can fend them off. The problem is the Ice Element item¡­ I think I have to ask an old friend to see if he has any clue or not."


    Raincart smiled. It wouldn''t be weird if he felt awful after knowing that his nephew was as strong as him. But that assurance from Raincart indirectly implied that no matter how talented Noel was, he didn''t belong to the Ezenholm Family. And that was enough.


    After some consideration, he stated, "I think it''s possible. But I need a few weeks to one month."


    "Sure. Thank you."


    "He is my nephew, so of course, I will help him."


    Raincart patted his shoulder while walking away. He said, "Let''s not disturb him. Just put some guards there to make sure that the fire doesn''t reach the mansion."


    "Where are you going, Father?"


    "I''m going to visit another little devil." Raincart waved his hand while walking toward the mansion. That was right. Noel''s talent was frightening. But his eyes for talent were simr to his father''s.


    The reason why the Ardagan Family became the wealthiest family in the Muivell Kingdom was because Luke Ardagan managed to find a lot of excellent subordinates. They became the pirs of the family and made the territory prosperous.


    Raincart was heading toward Tristan''s room. On the way, he could hear a maid shouting in anger. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "That''s not it. Put your hands together and straighten your back before bowing."


    Just from those words alone, he knew what was going on. It was the voice of the head maid who was training Sandra on the etiquette required to be a maid.


    After a while, he opened the door and found Tristan inside. Now that they had reached the Ezenholm Family, there were a lot of resources that could be used to practice runes.


    On the corner of the room were a few bags of Low Level Demon Crystals. Noel wanted Tristan to begin absorbing the crystals to build up his Spiritual Energy reserve even if he hadn''t awakened his Spirit.


    The runes were a method to fight without the spirit after all.


    During the day, Tristan would fully focus on drawing all kinds of arrays from his memory before matching them with the original. This way, he could see which stroke was too thick, too thin, or curved incorrectly.


    As a result, there were a few stacks of paper on his tables. Some of them had even dropped, but Tristan had no time to tidy it up yet.


    When the door was opened, Tristan''s body shook as thest stroke became too long.


    Tristan raised his head, wondering who entered the room.


    Without hesitation, Tristan stood up and greeted him, "Sir!"


    "You don''t have to be that stiff." Raincart chuckled. "It seems that you''ve been busy. How is your progress?"


    "I don''t want to disappoint Teacher." Tristan made a wry smile. He suddenly remembered that the paper was scattered on the ground and hurriedly said, "I will clean this up immediately."


    "It''s fine. Just let the maid do it."


    "But¡­" Tristan wanted to reject it. He felt weird asking the maid because the thought of being a ve was still stuck in his mind.


    "Your life is about to change, so you have to get used to it. In any case, how is your progress in runes? Do you find anything you don''t understand?"


    "I''m currently reviewing all the runes I can draw, so not yet."


    "How about your Spiritual Energy?"


    "I have been absorbing the Spiritual Energy through the method you''ve taught me. I think I have managed to umte it a bit. But Master said I still didn''t have enough to form a rune. Once I got enough, I would start creating runes with Spiritual Energy so that I didn''t waste all these papers."


    "Is that so?" Raincart smiled while taking a glimpse of his works. Tristan''s hands weren''t that nimble yet, so the stroke felt a bit too stiff. It was bound to create some mistakes.


    Still, this kind of progress was far faster than the average person. Once he got the hang of it, he would progress by leaps and bounds.


    "If you have any problems, just tell me about it. I''m also quite curious about the runes, so we might have some chats sometime in the future."


    "Yes, Sir. I will be very honored."


    Raincart patted his head while saying, "Keep up with the good work. Don''t disappoint your teacher."


    Tristan bowed his head as Raincart left the room.


    Surprisingly, a butler had been waiting outside the room.


    Raincart said, "Help me tidy up the room."


    "Yes, Sir." The butler acknowledged the order, but beforeing in, he whispered, "You have a guest, Sir."


    "A guest?"


    "Yes. The guest is a bit special, so¡­"


    Remembering that his son was helping him to bring the stuff Noel needed, Raincart nodded his head. "I''ll meet the guest."

 Chapter 855 After Training

    A burning noise echoed in the garden. The fire seemed to be burning the grass, but surprisingly, it didn''t spread like a normal fire.


    The fire only moved toward a specific area and drew a pattern on the ground.


    After thest crisp sound vanished, the guy, who was sitting in the middle of the pattern, opened his eyes.


    He was none other than Noel. In the past three days, Noel had been adjusting the characteristics of his me so that he could define it with precision. It was surprisingly harder than he thought, but Noel could see that the missing part he had felt before was getting filled up.


    "As much as I want to continue, I don''t think I can focus any further. I have to consider a few other things as well, so let''s continue tomorrow." Noel took a nce at the sun''s position.


    Fortunately, there were still two hours before dusk, so he stood up and gave a nod to the soldiers who had been protecting him the whole time.


    After seeing Noel leave the area, the soldiers made sure that there was no more fire before dispersing.


    "It''s been a while since Anna has be an Arbiter. She should have made some foundation in her new post.


    "As for me, I think I still need a few more days to finalize the concept of my me. After that, I can begin my breakthrough to the Spirit Grandmaster, which shouldn''t take more than three days.


    "I have to teach Tristan as well. Wait, there is also a Spirit Link and those awakening pills. If I have to sum everything up, I might need another two weeks beforepleting everything. And another week to help Grandfather. After that, I will return to the Muivell Kingdom and be a noble."


    Noel nodded in satisfaction.


    Since he had finished his training earlier than he expected, he wondered what he should do.


    "Tristan should be in his room reviewing his works. Should I go to Grandfather?" Noel muttered while walking down the garden.


    On the way, he heard an energetic voice from the side.


    "Oh! Is this it?"


    As those words resounded, a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy urred. This fluctuation was something Noel was familiar with.


    ''Rune?'' Noel raised his eyebrows and turned around. He didn''t expect that someone from the Ezenholm Family had practiced a rune.


    Still, the Ezenholm Family was famous for producing an exceptional Spirit Magician. And with the fact that the author of the rune book was rted to the Ezenholm Family, it was obvious that they would ask the people from the house to learn runes.


    So, Noel couldn''t help but follow the voice, wondering who managed to use the runes. He might be able to teach her a little bit to repay everything that his grandfather had done for him this whole time.


    After walking for several meters, he took a sneak peek from behind a tall bush to see who managed to use runes.


    The woman appeared to be 16 to 17 years old. She had long, wavy green hair. Surprisingly, there were a few ivy rising around her. Those ivy formed a Strength Blessing Rune.


    Noel observed her a bit further. She was wearing a one-piece light blue sundress that reached up to her knees. It was normal for someone of a noble family, making Noel think that this person should be his cousin.


    Still, there was one thing that piqued his interest. The ivy was covered in thick energy, and the Strength Blessing Rune, the simplest rune in the book, made the sess more convincing.


    "But¡­ she is using the nts? Her spirit should be a nt Spirit." Noel frowned. "The Strength Blessing is the easiest because the thickness in all strokes is basically the same. So, using ivy to form a rune is easy. But that method will cause problems if she attempts more advanced runes." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Suddenly, the ivy was trembling and gently brushed the person''s forehead.


    "Mhm?" The woman immediately turned around as if she could tell what the ivy was trying to say.


    Even Noel was surprised that he was noticed by her. While he didn''t erase his presence, he had made sure not to take any actions that would rm her.


    It seemed that her nts could get the help of the ones around them to locate their target.


    When their gazes met, Noel made a wry smile while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. Did I disturb you?"


    "No, no. It''s my fault for doing it here." The woman smiled gently.


    "Is that rune?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. I have been into it for a while." The woman grabbed the book on the table and showed it to him. "Do you have any interest in it too?"


    "You can consider it that way." Noel nodded and walked slowly. As expected, it was his rune book.


    "That''s great. I have been doing this by myself, so it would be great to have another person who has the same interest."


    "Is that so?" Noel finally arrived at the gazebo. "I''m rather perplexed though."


    "Is there anything I can help you with? I don''t know much about runes, but please don''t hesitate to ask. I''ll answer if I can."


    Noel paused for a moment, choosing words so as to not hurt this woman''s heart. It seemed that she wasn''t aware that he was the author of that rune book. But he didn''t n to brag either.


    He asked, "Your Spirit¡­ must be a nt type spirit, right? I''m wondering why you chose to create a rune with your ivy?"


    "Oh?!" She pointed at her ivy and exined, "That''s because I''ve been controlling my ability for a long time, so I''m more confident in handling it."


    To make her point, she waved her hands. The ivy began to spread, grab a few items, and stack them with precision.


    She must have used that nt for a few years, he thought. Still, it didn''t change the fact that the ivy would have a problem replicating the more advanced runes.


    "Yeah. That''s what confuses me. I can see that the ivy is creating the runes, and you infuse your Spiritual Energy into the ivy to create the runes. In other words, it''s not the ivy that is used to form the rune, but the energy within that ivy."


    She was dumbfounded. This was the first time someone managed to see through that trick. "Is there a problem?"


    "Ah. I''m not trying to attack you or something." Noel shook his head and raised one finger. "I''m just thinking, what will you do once you be more adept and create more advanced runes? For example, this rune¡­"


    Noel raised his palm and controlled his Spiritual Energy to draw a Muscle Enhancement Rune.


    The strokes were delicates, but if one took another look, there were a few strokes that almost touched each other. In other words, if she used the ivy, the ivy had to cross each other as the Spiritual Energy matched its shape.


    The contact between the stems would cause a disruption in the flow of energy.


    "That''s¡­" The woman didn''t have the answer to that problem.


    "Of course. I''m not saying your method is wrong. Look." Noel started infusing his ice element to freeze the Spiritual Energy. This way, his ice would create the same rune. However, it couldn''t be activated because the Spiritual Energy had been frozen. "At first nce, you won''t be able to activate the rune this way. But if you look at it from another perspective, don''t you think that this ice can be used for training?"


    "Hmm?" The woman was confused, but upon looking at the pattern again, she understood his words. "So, you''re saying that the ice or nts can form the rune. Well, I can see that it''s very effective for practice, especially drawing. But ultimately, the Spiritual Energy will be the one forming the rune?"


    "Yes. I have thought about the possibility of using my ability to form a rune, but the more advanced runes are stopping me from that. So, I chose to get used to the original method as soon as possible." Noel nodded.


    "I see. I have never thought about that." The woman nodded in agreement. "You''re very knowledgeable about runes?"


    "Is that so?" Noel smiled humbly.


    "Yeah. You seem to be only one or two years older than me. But this is the first time someone has given me this suggestion."


    "Well, I''ve been researching runes for a while, but I don''t think my skill is that high." Noel chuckled.


    "If I''m not wrong, the rune you created earlier is the Muscle Enhancement Rune, right?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re definitely more skilled than me." The woman''s eyes shed as she couldn''t help but ask, "If you don''t mind, can I ask you a few questions about runes?"


    "Sure. I''ll give you the answer if I know about it."


    Without hesitation, the woman began talking about runes and showed the problem in her understanding.


    Noel took his time to learn about her mastery and offered some exnations for her problem.


    She was shocked because Noel felt like a teacher who taught her everything about runes. There was nothing she could refute in his exnation.


    Without them realizing it, the sky had turned orange. It was time for them to stop.


    Since the woman was a part of the Ezenholm Family, he thought that they would meet again. Hence, Noel stood up and said, "I guess we''ll have to stop here."


    "Eh?!" Her body trembled as her eyes looked watery. She was reluctant to end their conversation here.


    But Noel only said, "I have other things to do. Well, we can meet again at this ce tomorrow, around the same time."


    "Ah!" She realized that she had been rude earlier. She hurriedly nodded her head, agreeing to the meeting. "I''ll definitely be here tomorrow!"


    "Then, see you tomorrow¡­ehm¡­" Noel had just realized that he hadn''t asked the other party''s name this whole time.


    "Maria. You can call me Maria." She immediately introduced himself to spare Noel from the awkwardness.


    "See you tomorrow, Maria." Noel waved his hand and just walked away.


    Maria was silent for a while before realizing something important. "Ah. I haven''t asked his name either. I was too engrossed in the topic¡­ Never mind, I''ll meet him again tomorrow."

 Chapter 856 A Sly Pair

    "How is your training going?" Raincart asked while walking down the hallway with Noel the next day.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "I should be able toplete my training and do the rest in two weeks."


    "I see. Tristan is doing well, and I''ll be monitoring his study for now. So, you don''t have to worry about him for now."


    "Thank you." Noel nodded. His grandfather had been helping him this whole time. Even during the previous stay, he instructed him on a few tricks for controlling his ability. And he could make a breakthrough soon because of his advice.


    So, he felt indebted to him. Noel raised one finger, asking, "Grandfather. Do you mind if I teach someone the rune?"


    "Come on. Are you thinking of owing me something? It''s fine for a grandson to rely on his grandfather. Besides, you''re a responsible young man, so there''s no need to feel that way." Raincart chuckled while patting Noel''s head.


    "Well, if I teach someone runes, it will definitely be useful for the Ezenholm Family. Even if you don''t want me to thank you in any way, how about epting it for the sake of mother and father? I feel like they have owed you a lot."


    Raincart smiled gratified. He could see that Noel had grown up right. Of course, he didn''t have any intention of receiving the gift, but it seemed that Noel would be adamant about it.


    So, Raincart said, "Alright. You can do whatever you want."


    "Actually, I saw a talented person in the family yesterday. She had a good understanding of runes and progressed very quickly. It''s just¡­" Noel stopped abruptly as if contemting something.


    "Is there something wrong with her?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression before asking with a worried tone. "Do I have a cousin called Maria?"


    "¡­" Raincart became speechless in that instant.


    And that reaction was what Noel needed. He said, "While I haven''t eaten with the entire family this whole time, I''m still keeping track of the people inside this family. It''s just¡­ this is the first time I''ve seen her¡­"


    Noel had expressed his suspicion. Even Raincart could see that Noel would have no trouble in seeing through his lies either.


    Raincart let out a long sigh, saying, "No. You don''t have a cousin called Maria."


    "Then, who is she?" Noel frowned, feeling something weird about the whole situation.


    "Her real name is Livia."


    "Livia? Which Livia?" Noel tilted her head in confusion, but after seeing Raincart''s troubled face, something clicked in his mind. "Wait a minute¡­ Are you talking about Livia De Greenwood?"


    Raincart nodded his head helplessly.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Noel clicked his tongue, annoyed.


    But Raincart added, "No. She is not aware of your identity or any of this scheme. After His Majesty heard about your disciple, he sent her to this family in order to be your disciple. She is extremely talented and can learn a lot from you. This means she will be the leading rune master in the kingdom."


    "Still¡­" Noel wanted to rebuke him, but he suddenly fell silent as though there was another idea shed in his mind.


    "I think taking her as your disciple is not that bad either. I mean, I taught the current king, so it wouldn''t be weird if my grandson did the same to a royal princess. Besides, there are several advantages you can get."


    It appeared that Raincart wasn''t aware of this scheme until the princess arrived at his family. But after thinking about it, Raincart deemed that there were things that could be taken advantage of.


    Noel asked, "Is there any condition?"


    "It''s actually at your discretion. As long as she is safe, everything is fine."


    Noel asked, "That means I can demand a lot of things from him?"


    "Yes. He won''t interfere with your teaching. I believe you can see through his intentions¡­"


    "Let her be my disciple and learn runes from me directly. He should be able to see the potential from Damian''s result alone, so following me for a few years will give a far bigger result than that. And there is a possibility that he is trying to make her close to me so that I can fall for her or something."


    "You''re truly my grandson." Raincart nodded in agreement.


    "Still, there should be a tuition fee, right?" Noel smirked.


    Raincart''s serious expression turned into a sly face. He said, "Don''t worry. I''m going to extort him for you. You can get all the demon crystals you need to break through to Spirit Grandmaster, including that ice element item. Of course, I will definitely add a lot more crystals for your soldiers."


    The serious conversation earlier had turned into a cunning conversation between two sly foxes.


    Noel added, "But I still have a condition. I am still going to ask her to do everything and I even want to create a rune school in my territory."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Just say that it''s for her training and everything is settled. Don''t forget that she is known to be extremely smart. She is also a team leader in the Royal Magician Bureau. Her control over her element should be higher than you. There are also several achievements under her belt. As a person alone, she is talented enough to help you manage the territory. And she is only 17 years old."


    "Still, she has to go back to marry, no? It''s her royal duty."


    "Actually, you don''t have to care about that. His Majesty has considered her to be more useful to let her do whatever she wants instead of burying her under the political marriage."


    "Well, if she can achieve all that when she is only 17 years old, her achievement would be boundless when she is older." Noel agreed with Raincart and the king''s opinion. "Still, it''s annoying to talk to her politely."


    "Say her name again¡­" Raincart shook his head.


    "Livia¡­ no, Maria?" Noel raised his eyebrows, finally understanding why she had given that false name.


    "That''s right. What you''re going to bring is Maria, not Livia De Greenwood. You can treat her the same."


    "I see." Noel fell into deep thought. On the one hand, he was a bit annoyed that the king decided to employ this move. On the other hand, he could see a lot of benefits by taking her as his disciple.


    Raincart raised one finger, "Actually, there is one more reason why I want you to ept." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Mhm?" Noel was confused. He tried toe up with an answer, but he couldn''t find any other reasons.


    However, Raincart was an old noble. He had more experience than him as a lord. So, Raincart said, "The Atracaeca Kingdom''s second prince had gone too far. How dare he extorted my grandson with that opportunity!"


    Raincart''s eyes were emitting killing intent as if he was ready to skin him alive. He added, "Noel, don''t forget that you will be a noble. I can see that you have integrity. After hearing your story, I know that you will be trusted since you always deliver your promise. However, if you just let them extort you without paying any consequences, you will be looked down upon. My grandson is not a pushover."


    Noel''s body couldn''t help but tremble. Raincart''s tone was strict yet protective. Even if the other party was a prince, Raincart wasn''t afraid. This shows how much Raincart cared for Noel.


    Even Noel reconsidered his approach. Just like Raincart said, if this matter was known to other nobles. They would simply pull off their trade after he delivered his side of the agreement. His strength could somehow scare them, but it didn''t change the fact that he looked like a pushover.


    And Raincart didn''t want Noel to be looked down on by everyone. With his experience as the head of the Ezenholm Family, he exined, "By taking the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom, you are showing to the Atracaeca Kingdom that they have lost their chance.


    "In other words, you can give those tips and tricks about runes to the second prince, but you can also give a letter of dissatisfaction to their Grand Protector. Just tell him that he is disappointed and only took a ve from his country as his disciple instead of any important people. And Her Highness Livia is that living proof. You should be able to see what kind of thing will happen in that country, right?"


    Noel shivered just from that thought alone. In a battle, he was smart and experienced. But Raincart was a veteran in a political battle.


    After doing those two things, the Grand Protector would unleash his anger toward the second prince. After all, Tristan had proven to be more trustworthy than their second prince. Meanwhile, the Greenwood Kingdom had a better approach and ended up with their second princess bing Noel''s disciple.


    Tristan wouldn''t go back to the Atracaeca Kingdom, while Livia would still give a lot of knowledge and information even if she didn''t return. Their second prince simply chose a box of gold in front of himpared to the numerous diamonds he could get along the way. It was clear who was smarter and better.


    "But won''t that cause an international problem¡­ Wait a minute¡­" Noel stopped talking. "The second princess is going to prevent that from happening?"


    "That''s right. With Her Highness Livia being your disciple, if the second prince or the Atraceaca Kingdom decided to attack you out of spite, not only the Muivell Kingdom, but the Greenwood Kingdom will also stop them."


    "I see." Noel agreed with this solution, but he noticed one more hidden intention. "Don''t you think the Zaecuria Kingdom will see all this?"


    "Exactly. They don''t want to follow the Atracaeca Kingdom''s move and decide to approach you with a peaceful method. You can simply promise them rted stuff to your rune schools, which allows you to gain a lot of resources from the Zaecuria Kingdom. This will prove to be useful for your development, right?"


    "Indeed. I have to fight the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization so I can get all the support I need just by taking her as my disciple. And with that big movement, other nobles won''t be able to look down on me as well. If the organization is trying to harm Livia, the Greenwood Kingdom will wreak havoc."


    Noel had learned a lot from this brief exchange alone. This was the first time he learned anything rted to politics from an experienced figure. Even his father only told him philosophy.


    While strength might indeed be the most important factor in a duel, sometimes, they could avoid all kinds of problems just by taking a step back. They wouldn''t be seen as a tyrant who shut people''s mouths with their strength as well.


    After a brief consideration, Noel whispered something to Raincart. Thetter considered Noel''s suggestions and whispered another thing.


    It seemed that they were satisfied with that arrangement as both of them gave a thumbs up with a sly smile on their faces. It was clear that they were truly blood rted.

 Chapter 857 Accepting Another One

    Two hours before dusk, Livia or, as she introduced herself, Maria was waiting for the mysterious person that taught her yesterday.


    There were two books sitting on the table this time. One of them was the Rune Book that Noel wrote while the other one was her notebook.


    "Mhm, mhmmm¡­" She was humming heavily while reading the rune book. "I wonder how the author can write all these things? While it looks like the Spirit Enchantments are the downgraded versions of runes, it''s still impossible to find all thesepleted runes.


    "There are a lot of runes that have to be researched first, including the ones without any records from the Spirit Enchantment.


    "It''s apletely new area. But it appears that the runes want everyone to be able to fight against their opponent without relying on the spirit.


    "While the spirits y a big part in one''s power, if there is a rune master, who can form runes, at fast speed, they would be able to contend against them.


    "Of course, from what I can see, the rune power is only limited to Spirit Practitioner¡­ No, Spirit Wielder. It doesn''t have anything stronger to harm a Spirit Master or above."


    All of a sudden, a gentle voice echoed in her ears. "That''s not true."


    "!!!" Livia widened her eyes in surprise. This time, Noel had moved so fast that her nts couldn''t detect him.


    "Sorry if I startle you." Noel chuckled before raising a finger. "But I don''t lie about that. There are stronger runes. Because all these runes are the basic form¡­"


    "Huh?" The shock turned into confusion. How could Noel know about such a thing? Even the Greenwood Kingdom needed a lot of research before they could prove that theory.


    Noel sat down on the opposite side and asked, "Since you''re in this house, you''re my cousin, right? To thank my grandfather, I want to teach someone from this family about runes."


    "Thank your grandfather? Cousin?" Livia made a wry smile. She almost forgot that beforeing here, her father asked her to act as a part of the Ezenholm Family and stay for a while.


    Although she didn''t know why he wanted her to act that way, she still had to follow his instructions. She nodded her head, saying, "Yes."


    "So, I''ll be teaching you about runes during my stay here." Noel smiled before forming a Rune st. "This is what I mean by those runes are the basic form."


    "!!!" Livia widened her eyes in shock when she saw the rune on Noel''s hand. She rose from her seat just so that she could lean forward to take a closer look. ''What is this rune? It''s far moreplicated than the ones in the book.''


    When she traced the strokes on each rune, she said, "This is¡­ It consists of at least fifty more lines than the runes in the book. The Spiritual Energy contained in each line is also twice, if not three times stronger.


    "With each line that strong, the power that it can exert is at least a hundred times greater than the basic runes. It''s possible to harm a Spirit Master or even a Spirit Grandmaster with this rune."


    As one would expect from the second princess, her reputation was truly well deserved. She managed to assess the runes in just a short time. While her talent was different from Tristan''s, her talent still suited the runes.


    Noel nodded his head and continued with the exnation. "The Spirit Enchantment is only one of the uses of the runes. There are several other ways to utilize the runes. For example, you can form the runes like this and apply it, right? And there are things that can be summoned and controlled by using runes like this¡­"


    Noel changed his rune into Rune Sword. As a result, a sword created by pure Spiritual Energy floated above the rune. It began flying around as if it was alive.


    Livia couldn''t believe what she saw. She had never thought that the runes could be used like this. Even Damian didn''t tell her anything about this type of rune.


    "How do you know about all this¡­ Wait¡­ that''s a foolish question." Livia couldn''t believe it, but the proof was right before her eyes. There was no one who understood the runes other than the author of the rune book himself.


    He had shown her all the hints contained in those advanced runes and knowledge. There was no need to introduce himself. Livia shivered, recalling all the questions she had yesterday. While the questions weren''t that weird, her eagerness somehow made her embarrassed.


    She said, "I¡­ apologize for my rudeness yesterday¡­ Noe¡­ Mr. Noel Ardagan."


    "Really? Hasn''t Noel Ardagan died in the Muivell Kingdom?" Noel chuckled.


    "That''s what has been known, but they haven''t received any report about your body, meaning that there is no proof. Damian''s got a lot of important knowledge just by following a man called Iadre. And with the rtionship between the Ardagan Family and the Ezenholm Family, it''s no wonder you call Sir Raincart, your grandfather. If I link everything, it won''t be hard to deduce that you''re the real Noel Ardagan."


    "Sir Raincart?" Noel squinted his eyes, judging Livia. If she wanted to show that she was a part of the Ezenholm Family, she shouldn''t have addressed him that way.


    But Livia actually ced her hand on her chest while saying with a calm tone. "Yes. I wasn''t aware of the reason why I sent it here. But after knowing that the real Noel Ardagan is currently staying in this mansion, everything is clear. I believe it is rude for me to hide my identity anymore."


    "Despite the fact that you will have the chance to be my student and learn a lot of things about runes as Maria?" Noel asked, slightly impressed by her action. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "If I continue as Maria, I might be able to get all that. However, as soon as you find out, not only you but the Ezenholm Family will dislike the royal family."


    "Then, does that mean you''re going to leave right now and just step away from this opportunity?" Noel asked another question.


    Livia shook her head. "After realizing my father''s intention, I don''t think I can back away."


    "You should know that I''ve made an agreement with the Greenwood Kingdom previously. And our rtionship is just a mere business partnership."


    "Yes. However, I believe that taking me in will prove to be advantageous to your position."


    Livia and Noel stared at each other. The former tried to exin the reason despite fully knowing that Noel wanted to ept her. On the other hand, Noel was questioning her despite already agreeing to the arrangement.


    "So, are you nning to force your way to be my student? A royalty bing the student of amoner?" Noel smirked. This was a tricky question.


    However, Livia actually went beyond Noel''s imagination.


    "I believe that words alone won''t be sufficed¡­" Livia suddenly lowered her head and stated, "Please let me be your student, Mr. Noel."


    "!!!" Noel was dumbfounded. A noble had their dignity to maintain, so they couldn''t bow to themoners easily. However, the royalty was even stricter about this. After all, the royalty carried the pride of the entire kingdom.


    If they lowered their heads easily, the entire kingdom would be aughing stock.


    Yet, the second princess, who had a lot of achievements and represented the kingdom far better than some princes or princesses, actually lowered her head to plead to Noel to take her in.


    This showed enough of her determination.


    She stripped away her pride and lowered herself down to the very bottom just to be Noel''s disciple. It was a hard thing to do even for a noble, let alone a princess.


    Noel could finally see the real reasons for the second princess'' achievements.


    He raised one finger, "Even if I''m nning to be a noble, I''m still amoner. Don''t you think your action is a bit excessive?"


    "If my action can let my kingdom prosper, I won''t hesitate to do it. But¡­ I would be lying if I said I don''t have any interest in it either." Livia took a deep breath and expressed her real intention. "Why do we have to be bound by our social stratification when our home is threatened? Why do humans have to fight against each other when we have onemon enemy?


    "Pride, greed, lust, or whatever. It can be used as a reason, but while we''re fighting among ourselves, the demons are still going to hunt us. The nobles can wield their power and wealth to assemble a lot of people to protect them. The royalty can escape easily with the power they have. But themon people can only ept their death if the demons attack us with their full force right now!


    "If lowering my pride or even sacrificing my life is the only price, I think it''s pretty cheap. That''s why¡­" Livia lowered her head again. "Please ept me as your disciple. I wish no more than themon people to have the power to fend for themselves."


    Noel was amazed by her speech. This was the first time he found someone who directed their attention not on the people, but on the demons. As she said, the demons were theirmon enemy.


    Noel naturally knew this, but he was still a human. He asked, "Are you trying to force me to ept you for the sake of morality? If morality could be used on everything, the royal family wouldn''t have executed my parents."


    "I''m aware. I will do my best to satisfy all your conditions."


    "All my conditions?" Noel squinted his eyes while scanning her body.


    Livia understood that gaze, but she didn''t have any change of expression. "Yes. Please put any conditions."


    "¡­" Even Noel was speechless about this determination. Unless he directly rejected her¡­ no, even if he rejected her, she would continue pestering him in the future. It seemed that the most dangerous thing was not the royal family''s scheme but to actually meet her in person. It was because she was this kind of person that the king was convinced that his n would seed.


    ''I guess I haven''t learned enough about people''s characters.'' Noel could only sigh at his mistake while adding, "Fine. I will ept you as my student. I''m nning to open a rune school as soon as I be a noble anyway. However, I have several conditions for you to fulfill."


    "I understand. Please state them. I''ll do my best to satisfy all of it."


    "I''ll just write it down."


    In the past, Noel had been showing his determination, n, and courage to get people''s approval like Dimitri, Harley, or other pirs of the Ardagan Family. But this was the first time he was moved by someone''s determination.

 Chapter 858 Reaction

    In the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal pce, an old man bowed his head while saying, "Your Majesty. We''ve got the news from Raincart. Noel Ardagan has agreed to take Her Highness Livia as his student. Just like his other student, he will impart all kinds of knowledge about runes."


    Upon hearing it, the king couldn''t help but clench his fist while smiling. "Finally."


    "Still, are you sure about this, Your Majesty? Her Highness Livia is a bright child and her talent is extraordinary."


    "What are you saying? Are you thinking that sending her to him would only bury her talents?" The king frowned.


    "No¡­ that''s not what I mean¡­" The old man could only scratch the back of his head, not knowing what to say. He believed that Livia was still too big for Noel to handle. In addition, staying with Noel would be extremely dangerous to the point there was a chance that her status as a princess alone wouldn''t be enough to protect her.


    The king asked, "Do you know that a princess and a prince, a thousand years ago, left their homnd and encountered a legend in the making? Back then, they simply didn''t want to get involved with the throne war. That was the greatest loss of the Greenwood Kingdom. Do you know why?"


    "¡­" The old man obviously didn''t have a record of such a thing. Only the royal family would be able to read that record.


    That was why the king said, "The princess married the strongest man alive in history. At the same time, her achievement wouldn''t be lost to the likes of our Royal Guard Captain. Had she returned to the kingdom, no one would dare to say if she suddenly sat on the throne."


    "¡­" The old man looked down, but he soon remembered that the king mentioned one more person.


    "And the prince¡­ who was known to be useless at that time¡­ he ended up bing the Sword Saint."


    "The Sword Saint?" The old man dropped his jaw to the ground. Unlike the princess, the name of the Sword Saint had spread in all kingdoms.


    It was said the Sword Saint was so strong that not a single city could withstand his sh. Even if they erected a hundred-meter tall wall, he would simply split it like cutting a hill. In terms of his achievement in the way of the sword, if he said he was the second, no one dared to im they were first.


    The name of the Sword Saint had be the inspiration of many sword users. And to think that such a person was connected to the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family was simply unbelievable.


    But there was one detail that he managed to pick up. With such a strong brother and sister, why would they not return and create a golden age in the Greenwood Kingdom?


    The answer was as simple as marriage. Why would the princess return to her country when she could just stay peacefully with the strongest man alive? The Sword Saint would follow the suit.


    The king exined, "I know that you''re worried. But sometimes, if we don''t take the risk, we won''t be able to achieve a greater height. Just like those researchers, people think they are foolish for studying an impossible thing. But when they seed, they call them pioneers."


    The old man lowered his head. "I apologize for being rude earlier, Your Majesty. It seems that I''m stillcking as your minister."


    "People make mistakes. Anyway, Did Raincart say other things?"


    "Yes. He stated a few conditions."


    "Hoh? Tell me."


    "First, he wants a tuition fee. It appears that he is requesting a massive amount of Demon Crystals and an Ice Element Item. I can understand about the Demon Crystals since it has a higher worthpared to gold, but the ice element item¡­" The minister thought that Raincart nned to use this to satisfy the people in his family.


    However, the king recalled the information that was sent by the border general. And with the information about Noel being Iadre, it was clear that Noel was the one who requested it.


    "I don''t mind. The second princess is studying a new power system that can revolutionize the entire world, so we will pay the tuition fee no matter how high it is."


    "Understood. As for the second condition¡­ he requests the Princess to follow her teacher to the Muivell Kingdom. She has to abide by his instruction for the sake of studying."


    "It''s not a problem. In fact, I don''t mind if she brings home a kid or two." The king nonchntly said before adding, "There should be a lot of requests, right? Just say the important ones and send the rest to meter for me to review."


    "Yes, Your Majesty. The third request is that she will receive the same treatment as his first student." The minister thought it was absurd to treat the princess the same as amoner, but only the king knew that the boy was actually a ve.


    If what Damian said about Noel was correct, this was the most important condition. That was also the reason why he sent Livia under the name of Maria. He nodded in approval. "I don''t mind. As long as he doesn''t forbid her from sending the letters home."


    "Then, I think this is the most important one. She will learn from him for five years before she can return home. Of course, his teacher will provide some level of security, but he also needs us to protect her in one way or another. But it doesn''t mention that she can''t send a letter."


    "I see. I don''t mind that condition." The king nodded but was a bit hesitant. Five years were quite long after all.


    "There are a few more conditions, but I think they are minor. Andst but not least, in exchange for all those conditions, her teacher will teach her everything about runes, including numerous new runes as well as a few rune systems like Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, and Rune Body."


    "Rune Engineering¡­ If I''m not wrong, it''s that moving runes. As for Rune Spell¡­ it''s embedding a rune onto something that can be used by normal people, right?" The king frowned, forgetting about all the details.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. And the Rune Body is the new system that Damian brought, albeit iplete. Normal people could activate these runes like a part of their bodies."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "From the current information alone, the Rune Engineering can be used to automate a few workshops or even help with moving parts. There is a chance that we can finally fly in the sky¡­ As for the Rune Spell, there would be an entirely new legion where these people use runes instead of their elements. It is like having another legion of Spirit Magicians, but without the needs of spirits. Andstly, the Rune Body will be useful for the fighters out there."


    The king fell into deep thought. Those three systems alone were already worth the wait. If they managed to gain all that knowledge, the Greenwood Kingdom would be the leading kingdom in rune development.


    "That''s right, Your Majesty. He stated that his new ce would be in a location where the cooperation between them could progress smoothly." "The new location? Where is it?" The king asked.


    "It''s located in a new region near the border. Its location is only a hundred kilometers from our border, so about 3-5 days if we go slowly."


    "The location¡­ is near the border¡­" The king furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding Noel''s intention.


    However, the minister had learned from his mistake and considered the risk. He said with an unsure tone, "Your Majesty¡­ I am assuming that he is talking about the border. It would be troublesome if we crossed the border, but with his location, shouldn''t it be easy for him to leave the Muivell Kingdom and enter the demon territory?"


    "!!!" The king gasped. "Then, we can simply stay around that area and do the transaction there. This will give anotheryer of protection for the second princess as well as ensuring more cooperation in the future."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    "Good, good. It seems that I''m still underestimating this brat." The king took a deep breath, having a hard time to calm down his excitement.


    "But¡­ Can he actually get that territory? I mean, in the tradition of the Muivell Kingdom, I don''t think he can choose his territory."


    "While it''s true that he can''t choose his territory, have you forgotten that his family was once the wealthiest family in the kingdom?"


    "!!!" The minister understood what he meant. It seemed that the Ardagan Family''s influence was still quite strong, that they could influence the royal court.


    The king rose from his seat and waved his hand, ordering, "We''ll ept his request unconditionally. Also, form a new legion that will handle this new route."


    "Who is the leader of this new legion, Your Majesty?"


    The king thought for a moment and answered without hesitation, "Damian."

 Chapter 859 Preparation

    "That''s perfect." Tristan said out loud while pointing at the drawing Livia had just created.


    "Is that so?" Livia smiled. "I have never thought that your memory would be this extraordinary. We''ll be learning from the same teacher, so I''m happy to meet you."


    "Did Teacher ept you too?"


    "Yes. What is your name?"


    "I''m Tristan."


    "I''m Livia. Since we''ve done our homework, should we visit him?"


    "I want to do that, but Teacher is doing his best to get stronger. I''m afraid that I will be in his way if I interrupt him." Tristan shook his head helplessly.


    "We''re not going to disturb him. We just visit him and see him from afar. If he is free, then we wille to him. How about that?"


    "I think we can do that¡­" Tristan nodded in agreement. This was the first time he had finished his homework this fast, so he didn''t know what to do with his spare time.


    Tristan and Livia ended up visiting the garden to see Noel''s progress. He had been practicing in the same ce, so it didn''t take too long for them to discover him.


    However, they were stopped by the guards more than thirty meters away.


    "I''m sorry, you can''t visit this area."


    Tristan and Livia were confused. But their doubt was answered soon as the heat emanating from Noel brushed their skin.


    "!!!" Both of them trembled as they exchanged looks, asking the same thing. "Did you smell it?"


    Their attention soon shifted to the figure sitting far away from them. It looked like a simple meditation, but the entire ground had been burned to a crisp.


    There was no grass or flower that remained standing after that heat wave. asionally, a ck fire red up and soon disappeared.


    Those res shot out a heat wave so strong that most of the guards had taken off their helmets as they couldn''t withstand the heat. The only thing stopping them was their huge shield that blocked the airflow.


    All the guards around Noel had been on high alert, stopping Noel from getting out of hand.


    While they were doing their best to block Noel''s power, thetter felt the calmest during his stay with the Ezenholm Family.


    When he opened his eyes, he realized that his consciousness had traveled back to meet his spirits.


    "Ardagan¡­" Noel muttered, finding Ardagan floating above him. Instead of saying anything, a blue screen popped out.


    [Mission: Advancing to the Spirit Grandmaster]


    [Description: After mastering the Undying Fire, it''s time to be the Spirit Grandmaster.]


    [Reward: Spirit Step]


    [Mission: Forging Spirit Link]


    [Description: Once bing a Grandmaster, Ardagan is fulfilling its promise.]


    [Reward: Undying Fire Will]


    [Mission: Force Awakening]


    [Description: Once creating a Spirit Link, it''s time to upgrade the Spirit Link by the Force Awakening Pills.]


    [Reward: ???]


    Noel was startled to find three missions at once. On the one hand, two missions only gave one skill each. On the other hand, he knew that Spirit Grandmaster was a major breakthrough, so that reward must be extraordinary. There was even one ''???'' reward.


    "Arda¡ª" Noel tried to call him, but his vision turned dark again as his consciousness returned.


    "Haa¡­?" Noel gasped for air, waking up from his meditation. He looked around and noticed that the guards had been standing far from their usual position while staring at him in fear.


    Perplexed, Noel tried to figure out the situation and noticed something changed drastically.


    His meditation spot had turned into a crater not because of force but because the ground underneath him had been burned into nothing. Even so, he could see the destruction expanded far more than he originally expected.


    Seeing the guards'' conditions could give him the gist of the situation of what had truly happened.


    "Did I do all this?" Noel muttered while ncing at the guard leader, who had been talking to him in the past few days.


    With a wry smile, he approached Noel and exined, "I apologize, Sir. It''s just the heating from you is too much for us to handle. I''m afraid that we have to require some Ice Element Spirit Magician if it''s going to be much worse."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment and asked, "Is my grandfather here?"


    "Sir Raincart has been away since yesterday. He is supposed toe back today, but we don''t have a specific schedule."


    "Understood. I''ll stop for today and wait until my grandfather returns before continuing this."


    "Thank you for your consideration."


    Noel nodded before noticing that both Tristan and Livia were visiting him. He waved his hand to the guard leader and walked to his students. "What''s wrong with you two? Since when are you so free?"


    "We''vepleted our homework earlier. So, we visit you, wondering if there is anything you want us to do." Livia exined since she was the one suggesting Tristan to visit Noel.


    "Well¡­" Noel contemted for a moment. "I think I''ll be leaving for a few days. So, I''ll give you a lot of work to the point you can''tplete it in a week. So, prepare for it."


    "¡­" Livia and Tristan were speechless. On the one hand, they wanted to do a lot of things to master the runes. On the other hand, the way Noel worded it sounded like he truly meant it. In fact, it might be an understatement.


    Before he could say more, a guard and Raincart had rushed to the garden, worried that Noel''s fire would be even more uncontroble and that it would harm nearby people.


    "Noel!" Raincart shouted before realizing that Noel had stopped and nothing really happened.


    "Grandfather? You''vee back." Noel greeted him with an innocent expression.


    "I thought you were going to burn the entire house." Raincart let out a sigh of relief while asking, "Are you done?"


    "Yes. I''m thinking about waiting for the Demon Crystal to break through to Spirit Grandmaster. I have kind of mastered my fire, but I need to be a Spirit Grandmaster to fully grasp that concept. Also, as soon as I be a Spirit Grandmaster, I''m going to absorb the ice element item before forging a Spirit Link with my fire spirit. If everything is set up correctly, I can awaken my Spirit Link and evolve it even further."


    "Then I have good news for you." Raincart smirked. "The royal family has epted the condition. They are still escorting all those things, but if you''re aiming for the Spirit Grandmaster, the Ezenholm Family can give those Demon Crystals first. If you feel bad about it, we can deduct it from what you''ve got."


    "I see. How long do I have to wait?" Noel asked.


    "Since the message arrives after one day, they should arrive in another three days."


    "I can absorb the required Demon Crystals in a sh, but breaking through will require more than one day. In that case, I''ll teach Tristan and Livia for the next two days."


    "Got it. Do you need anything? Considering you''ve caused this much scene just by mastering your ability, I''m afraid that you''re going to burn my house down when bing a Grandmaster."


    "Ahaha, you''re exaggerating. Well, if you don''t mind, I want a spacious ce to break through. If possible, there is nothing I can burn there."


    "How about the in not far from our territory? I will be going with you to freeze everything extraordinary while trying not to disturb you."


    "The entire process might take an entire week, you know."


    "Yeah. I don''t mind. I have nothing to do anyway." Raincart shrugged. "Though, I hope you give me a scene that I will never forget. Don''t disappoint me." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "You know how to create pressure." Noel chuckled. "I just hope that it''s not going to be too big that I can''t leave this country."


    "That''s true." Raincart nodded in agreement. After seeing Noel''s fire and ice, Raincart realized that while the ice was doing its best to improve, the fire had yet to reveal its true nature.


    ording to his estimation, Noel had only exerted twenty to thirty percent of the fire''s ability. If bing a Spirit Grandmaster allowed him to tap that remaining seventy percent, he was afraid that he would be uncontroble.


    That was why he decided to apany him this time. He was the only one who had the power to prevent anything bad from happening.


    ''Anna Stargaze has shocked the world by harnessing that level of power, and my grandson is no less than her. I''m afraid that he will show me something so unbelievable that I can''t prevent it. More importantly, there is a possibility that the fire element will dominate the entire system andpletely devour the ice spirit. While it shows the strength of the fire spirit, it won''t have any good effect on Noel''s body.


    Meanwhile, Noel turned to Tristan and Livia. "There you have it. Since I can''t teach you for a while, I''ll cram everything on you for the next two days. So, don''t expect any sleep."


    "Yes." Tristan and Livia replied while straightening their backs.


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel would surpass even the wildest dream of Raincart.

 Chapter 860 Advancing to Grandmaster Part I

    "Have you noted everything?" Noel asked with a smile.


    "Yes." Tristan and Livia answered at the same time.


    "Then, I''ll leave for a bit. Make sure to do everything before I return." Noel waved his hand while walking away.


    Raincart, who was next to him, nodded in approval as they exchanged looks before elerating. With their speed, horse or carriage was far too slow, especially for a small distance.


    Even though Noel was a Spirit Master, he could easily keep up with his grandfather''s speed.


    There were already a few guards standing by, ready to spread out upon seeing Noel and Raincart.


    "I will be waiting nearby. If you''re done, return to the camp in the southeast. You can sleep, eat, or anything. If you have any injuries, inform me straight away. There are enough Demon Crystals to break through, so once you''ve reached the Grandmaster level, consolidate your strength before absorbing the ice element item. It should arrive by tomorrow."


    "Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression. When he broke through to the Spirit Master, he required a whole night to consolidate his strength. So, he expected that it would be much longer.


    Even Ardagan was ready for the breakthrough.


    After saying everything he wanted, Raincart finally stopped and waited with the soldiers. Meanwhile, Noel continued forward and found a lot of Demon Crystals lying on the ground. This was the necessary amount to break through. In fact, he believed that there were more than he originally stated. It seemed that his grandfather was worried that it wasn''t enough.


    "Thanks, Grandfather." Noel smiled.


    Before attempting the breakthrough, Noel checked his status through Ardagan.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal, Elite Medal


    Honor Point: 120 Pts


    Skill Point: 5 Pts


    Status: Stamina +5.1%, Constitution +5.1%, Sword Mastery +4.3%, Spiritual Energy +4.5%, Rune Mastery +4.0%


    Low Quality Crystal - 4580/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 2102/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 350/1500


    Peak Quality Crystal - 38/600


    Superior Quality Crystal - 2/300


    "It''s not bad. In this advancement, I''m going to max out the Low Quality and Mid Quality ones. Since my limit is twice that of normal people and my conversion rate is at maximum, my Advanced and Peak Quality are still on the low side."


    As he said, Noel had been absorbing a lot of Low Quality and Mid Quality Demon Crystals but still managed to reach Spirit Master. Even Anna had ingested more Advanced Quality and Peak Quality Crystals to be a Spirit Grandmaster.


    This was the biggest advantage Noel had. If Noel continued at this pace and fully filled the Advanced and Peak Quality Crystals, he could easily surpass a Spirit Transcendence. By filling more Superior Crystals, he would reach the legendary Spirit King Stage.


    However, finding a Superior Quality Crystal was easier said than done. Unless one ventured deep into the demon territory, they would hardly find any. And once they entered, they had to prepare toy down their life.


    That was why the Spirit King Stage was just a legend, let alone with not a perfect conversion rate.


    Now that he had checked the amount, Noel tried to calcte the distance between him and the Spirit Grandmaster Stage.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel nced at the amount of crystals. "I guess I should absorb everything except for the excess Low and Mid Level Crystals. Normally, people wouldn''t attempt such a thing because that excess energy can''t be used properly. But I have two spirits as well as runes, so that excess energy is something I need."


    After making sure everything had been prepared, Noel asked his spirits,? "Are you ready, guys?"


    [We''re ready.]


    Seeing Ardagan''s notification put his mind at ease. He sat down next to the pile of crystals while grabbing some of them.


    He began circting his energy around the Spirit Seal and started sucking the energy from the crystals through those Spirit Seals.


    Noel could feel the surge of energy that rushed through his veins, filling him up. Heisk''s Spirit Seal got contaminated by the Spirit Link, turning the pure Spiritual Energy into Ice Spiritual Energy.


    That cold energy rushed and spread all over his body, chilling him. No one could withstand that surge of energy without resting since it felt like the entire body was being frozen from the inside.


    Fortunately, Noel wasn''t an ordinary expert. All of a sudden, a fiery energy burst out and warmed his entire body. The intense heat met with the extreme cold, neutralizing each other.


    While that sh of energy was pure torture, this was enough to bnce everything out inside Noel''s body, allowing him to continue for a long time.


    The eruption of that energy felt like dry ice. It was extremely cold, but when it was touched, the coldness turned into a sharp pain as though one was burned. Yet, Noel remained calm.


    The absorbing process went rtively calm, considering Noel had just to absorb and refine them.


    Even Raincart wasn''t too worried during this phase as he only asked someone to monitor Noel''s situation.


    Raincart, on the other hand, was handling a few things, such as what would happen if Noel''s energy burst caused a problem. He had to prepare the soldiers well to avoid unnecessary trouble.


    Noel might have lost his parents, even if it was only a scheme and they were still hiding somewhere. However, it didn''t change the fact that he had lost the love and care he had received the whole time.


    Due to that loss, Noel matured. He changed the way of life and pursued the ultimate strength.


    But that path was extremely lonely. If Anna wasn''t there, revenge would have clouded his mind. There was a high possibility that Noel would attempt something reckless just to fulfill his revenge.


    So, Anna might be the greatest blessing he had in the past. However, Noel was aware he was personally responsible for Anna''s interference. If he didn''t ask Old Ru and use that power to turn back time, Anna wouldn''t be there.


    Of course, Anna had only told him about the alternate world, not about the regression part. But after seeing Old Ru, it was easy to deduce this part.


    At the same time, there was one more fortune he got after losing his parents. It was his grandfather.


    Because of the ''death'' of his parents, Raincart became more concerned about Noel''s situation. Noel fully understood that Raincart wouldn''t support him this much if he didn''t have this kind of talent. But Raincart would still give a considerable amount of support even if he couldn''t awaken his spirits.


    So, his grandfather was simr to Anna in his heart.


    Hence, Noel had only one thought when attempting this breakthrough. He wanted to make sure that his grandfather was proud of him. That was probably the best thing to repay for his kindness.


    Noel took a deep breath every few crystals. In just an hour, he managed to absorb 200 Low Level Crystals. If this continued, he should be able to fill up all the space for the Low Level Crystals in one more hour.


    Although the absorption speed would be slower for the Mid Level Crystals, this speed was beyond anyone''s imagination.


    Even the soldier, who observed Noel from afar, notified Raincart of his concern. "Sir. It appears that he is ingesting those crystals at high speed¡­"


    "Hmm? Is there something wrong? His conversion rate should be extremely high, so I''m not that worried." Raincart tilted his head in confusion.


    "But he is at two hundred crystals per hour. Are you sure about this?"


    "He what?" Raincart rushed to the front and checked the fluctuation of energy in Noel''s body. To his surprise, the energy looked extremely stable. "What? Even I could only handle fifty crystals per hour. How did he do that?"


    Raincart wanted to stop him, but because there was no anomaly, he could only watch for the time being. "Monitor him closely. If there is an unstable fluctuationing out of his body, inform me and get ready to intercept." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Understood, Sir."


    The people began to raise their guards, seeing something unprecedented. The only reason why Noel could reach this speed was the two spirits in his body, the two opposite elements inside his body that supported each other instead of shing.


    Noel continued filling up his quota. After another hour, Noel picked up hisst Low Level Crystal. Out of curiosity, he also grabbed another crystal. It was said that when the limit was reached, the energy absorbed from it would simply leak out of his body.


    And he confirmed it after the first try. As soon as he filled up all the spots for his Low Level Crystals, he instantly felt full. It was hard to describe the sensation, but he knew that there was no more room for it. So, when he tried another one, the absorption was a bit chaotic.


    Ultimately, Noel dropped that crystal, abandoning his thought for it.


    After that, he continued with the Mid Level Crystals. As expected, the soldiers and his grandfather were shocked by his speed once again. It was clear that Noel''s method was far better than any of them.


    So, Raincart warned them not to disclose the information and continued observing Noel.

 Chapter 861 Spirit Grandmaster

    "This is¡­" Noel felt that his body was being filled to the brim. It was to the point that he was suffocating.


    However, this was a good sign. This meant the energy was enough to advance to the Spirit Grandmaster Stage.


    "Ardagan, Heisk. Get ready to transfer the energy you two have absorbed to the mind. We''ll proceed with the Spirit Mind."


    After asking the two spirits, Noel felt the Spirit Seal was reacting to his words. They began channeling the energy toward his brain.


    When someone absorbed the demon crystal for the first time, they had officially be a Spirit Apprentice. Once their body got used to the Spiritual Energy, they could exert strength beyond a normal person. This was the Spirit Practitioner Stage.


    However, Spirit Wielder was even more different. The human body began assimting with the spirit, allowing them to fully utilize the Spiritual Energy.


    That was when the Spirit Master came into ce. While their body could release Spiritual Energy, they didn''t have the organs to store and channel everything. That was why they condensed the energy into their heart, creating a second heart called Spirit Heart.


    This heart allowed them to change their body like that of a Spirit. Now that they had the core of the Spiritual Energy in their body, all they needed next was none other than the one controlling it.


    Noel was beginning to form the organ that controlled the Spiritual Energy, the Spirit Mind.


    The process was not that much different from when he created the Spirit Heart. He condensed all that energy and wrapped it around his human brain.


    The remaining energy continued flowing into that brain and created the remaining outeryer of the Spirit Mind.


    Noel could feel a sharp pain all around his brain. After all, the surge of energy was extremely powerful due to the fact that two Spirit Seals were sending the energy simultaneously.


    Noel began gritting his teeth, enduring the pain quietly. This was not the time for him to scream or rm his grandfather.


    He persisted for two hours and the outeryer had begun taking the shape. Little by little, he began opening a passage for the rest of the Spiritual Energy to fill up the Spirit Mind.


    At first, it felt like blood rushing into his head. But soon, his brain felt warm as Ardagan had nted the seed of his element. This seed would manifest in the Spirit Mind, fully controlling the me energy.


    The warmth was perfect as it made Noel feel rxed. Unfortunately, thatfort onlysted for an hour before the temperature rose even further. Noel was gasping for air as though the liquid in his head hadpletely evaporated.


    Luckily, before something happened, a cool breeze flowed through his veins and lowered the temperature.


    This chilling sensation came from Heisk. Thetter appeared to be using her full power in order to lower the temperature.


    Heisk had created an opportunity for Noel. By lowering the temperature, he could continue with the next step.


    He nted those two seeds in his mind and nurtured them with Spiritual Energy. This way, the pure Spiritual Energy began to be influenced by both sides, creating two sides of opposite elements.


    Normally, these opposite elements would sh with each other. But surprisingly, Ardagan controlled his own power and tried to harmonize with Heisk. The harmonization gave the sensation of a whirlpool of two liquids that were being stirred to fuse with each other.


    Sadly, the two opposite elements might be able to live in harmony, but they, by no means, could fuse.


    As a result, Noel could feel the intermittent temperature during the whole process. While it wasn''t as painful, he was certainly ufortable.


    Noel knew that the absorbing process didn''tst for a long time. Breaking through to the Spirit Grandmaster required a lot of time.


    Just waiting for the two elements to harmonize alone took at least three hours. Noel had to endure all the ufortable feelings for that long.


    Even then, it wasn''t over. Once the Spirit Mind was established, it would form a connection with the Spirit Heart. Forming one Spirit Vein that would connect both of them.


    The vein had to be strengthened by the Fire and Ice energy. After that, the energy all over Noel''s body had to be washed anew. Instead of the normal pure energy he usually used, he could only use two types of energy.


    In other words, his energy wouldn''t match with anyone other than him anymore. This was one of the features that a Spirit Grandmaster had. It was true that having this unique energy would cause them to be unable to help anyone, this also showed the value of Force Control that Old Ru was talking about.


    Noel didn''t have the pure Spiritual Energy anymore, but he could still use the Force Control to direct the energy within someone''s body to heal them.


    In addition, by having this new type of energy, his power would be amplified threefold at the very least. It was no wonder Anna could cause such amotion.


    There was such a big difference between the Spirit Grandmaster and Spirit Master.


    More importantly, Noel''s sense was heightened to a level where he could feel his own veins. It could be said that because the veins had been strengthened by those two elements, he sensed those elements instead of the veins. This was the reason for Spirit Grandmasters being able to recover from their injuries quicker than anyone below that level.


    If Anna had reached this level before using the True Spirit Body, the broken veins could easily be sensed and she would control her own energy to patch up those holes herself.


    For Noel, who had just finished linking the Spirit Mind and the Spirit Heart, the next process was torture.


    By gathering all the pure energy into the Spirit Heart and changing their element through the Spirit Mind before spreading it again, Noel felt like he was dying a few times.


    At one time, he felt so dry as though every liquid, including his blood, vanished from his body. At another time, he felt so energetic that he had a hard time focusing on controlling his energy.


    More importantly, once the unique energy was released back to the entire body, it was like he was being boiled alive and frozen again and again.


    At one point, Noel couldn''t even feel a single thing from his body. He didn''t know how much time had passed.


    All he could do was to make sure that this process didn''t cause any injuries or encounter any mishaps.


    Noel said once that he needed to be a Spirit Grandmaster before being able to master his Undying Fire.


    Now that he had this new energy and sharper senses, Noel could measure the temperature and characteristics of the fire energy that enhanced his body. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    By mastering that fire, he also created stability within the Undying Fire, allowing his veins to have the same temperature, amount of energy, and heat.


    He registered all that into his Spirit Mind, allowing Heisk''s ice to match Ardagan''s me before re-harmonizing them.


    In other words, Noel had just experienced the breakthrough two times. By this time, Raincart grew worried, thinking that something must have happened.


    Fortunately, he understood the fact that the true nature of two spirits residing in one''s body wasn''t fully recorded. So, unless Noel showed any signs of failure, he wouldn''t stop him.


    Approximately forty hours after he began absorbing the Demon Crystals, Noel gradually opened his eyes.


    The Spiritual Energy surprisingly changed its attribute when it made contact with his skin.


    ''So, this is the realm of fusion. By synchronizing the Spirit Mind and the Spirit Heart, the nature of my energy changes to match the unique ability that my spirits have. In my case, it''s the ice and fire energy. Thanks to Ardagan and Heisk doing their best to harmonize the two opposite elements, the energy is stable.''


    Ardagan also showed his confirmation by sending thepletion of his mission.


    [Mission: Advancing to the Spirit Grandmaster]


    [Description: After mastering the Undying Fire, it''s time to be the Spirit Grandmaster.]


    [Reward: Spirit Step]


    ''Spirit Step, huh? By using the explosiveness of my fire element, I can increase my speed to the extreme. That''s quite good in battle. I don''t know if it can match Anna''s speed though.''


    ''In any case, I have officially be a Spirit Grandmaster. Now, I understand why Spirit Grandmasters can look down upon those who are below them. Dimitri''s worries are also justified.''


    ''I don''t know how much time has passed, but it''s clear that I took longer than I needed¡­'' Noel rubbed his belly. Even though he was a Spirit Grandmaster, not eating for almost two days surely took a toll on his body.


    ''Let''s just recuperate and understand my current power before continuing the next step.'' Noel took a deep breath, calming his excitement down. He rose from the ground, signaling Raincart and the guards that he had finished.

 Chapter 862 Ice

    "Are you done?" Raincart asked while his eyes were observing Noel from his appearance to the fluctuation of his energy.


    "Yes. I have officially be a Spirit Grandmaster, Grandfather." Noel reported while raising both hands. On his right hand red up the Undying Fire and on his left hand formed an ice crystal.


    It looked simple for normal people, but Raincart could clearly see the difference. Noel could actually release his element with such ease. In fact, he used the Spiritual Energy around his body to form it instead of the one within him. This was the characteristic that symbolized the Spirit Grandmaster''s strength.


    Once Noel reached this stage, he believed that he could kill those Spirit Grandmasters and Spirit Masters who chased after him in just a few rounds. Although there were still some gaps between him and Qiel, he wouldn''t be so powerless after this.


    "Great. Do you need more time to consolidate your power?"


    "Aside from getting a hang of it, I think I can continue to the next part." Noel shook his head.


    "Is that so? You''re going to absorb the ice element item, right?"


    "Indeed." Noel nodded. The ice element was the one that he needed to form a Spirit Link with Ardagan after all. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Alright then. I will continue watching over you." Raincart nodded before pointing at the side. "But before that, you should be pretty hungry. I''ll ask the soldiers to cook you something."


    "Yes."


    While Raincart asked the soldiers, Noel continued with his meditation. But this time, he tried to control his new power, trying to grow ustomed to the change.


    This was the first time he felt so refreshed when controlling his element. It was as if there was nothing that clogged up within his body.


    With a single wave of his right hand, Spiritual Energy absorbed his fire energy and fused with it, allowing a fire to light up around his arm.


    After moving around for ten minutes, Noel returned to eat with his grandfather. Thetter asked a few things because he was worried about him, but after confirming that everything was fine, Raincart dropped the topic.


    Although Noel wanted to continue, Raincart suggested he should sleep and condition his body for what was going toe next.


    Since he was more experienced as a Spirit Grandmaster than him, Noel agreed.


    Before sleeping, there was a peculiar thought entering his mind.


    "Now that I think about it, Anna said that we were at the peak of Spirit Grandmaster and was about to be a Spirit Transcendence¡­ Back then, our strength was so high that we could even rival the Spirit Transcendence. Yet, why did I actually get myself killed?"


    Noel had the same thought as Anna. He obviously could see what was going on and the rtionship between the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Yet, even after unraveling the mystery, he chose to do something foolish.


    "Maybe there is something more¡­ The moment I realize it, I havee to the conclusion that it''s better to start over. No, I don''t think I will reach that decision¡­ I mean, I''m not going to give up even if I have a second chance. Even if I have one, I won''t give that to anyone else, let alone Anna.


    "In the past life, I have Ardagan with me and Anna shouldn''t have any memory about her past, right? Yet, Anna could get strong enough to rival my speed with the help of Ardagan¡­ No, that wasn''t possible unless¡­ I lowered my speed to match her. But why?


    "I was supposed to meet Old Ru when I had broken through to the Spirit Grandmaster¡­ What actually caused such a drastic change in my judgment?"


    The more he thought about it, the bigger the mystery had be. However, he knew that the mystery involved him, Anna, the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "I don''t think I can find any clues with only this much information. At the same time, I''m not nning to go all the way to discover it. I guess I will stick to my original n and search for clues after bing a noble." Noel sighed.


    In the past, he thought that the Third Prince and the Royal Family were the cause of all this. And the Supreme Devil Organization had forced them to execute his parents. But then, he learned that his parents were still alive.


    This became another confusion for Noel. For what reason did they stay alive? With the power they wielded, his parents should have made some sort of move already. Yet, he had never heard anything from them as if the news about them being alive was just a fake.


    In other words, if his parents were truly alive, they must be trying to do something big. However, he doubted it as well, considering Anna told him that she had never seen his parents making their appearance. So, if his parents were truly dead, could he actually forgive Anna?


    Unfortunately, Noel could only keep this secret for the time being. He had to do something big in order to lure all the big fish out.


    ¡­


    The following day, Noel returned to the field.


    Raincart was with him, carrying a chest. After dropping it on the ground, Raincart used his Spiritual Energy to unlock the chest, showing the item within.


    The item looked like a crown. However, the crown had a peculiar series of jewels that covered it. This series of jewels was emitting constant fluctuation of energy.


    "This is¡­ quite powerful¡­" Noel frowned. Although the energy it released wasn''tparable to the ice jade he found in the Atracaeca Kingdom, it wasn''t that weak either.


    "I did my best to request it. This crown is one of the artifacts that the Ice King used in the past. I don''t know if you are aware of the Ice King or not, but he was quite formidable. Although he was only a Spirit Grandmaster, he was practically invincible among the Spirit Grandmaster. This item was one of the artifacts that boosted his strength."


    "I see. The Royal Family didn''t seem to be holding back this time."


    "Of course. I guess you could understand their intention."


    "Indeed. Well, I might teach her a lot of things, but I will still not differentiate my disciples."


    "I''ll convey your message." Raincart patted Noel''s shoulder. "Be careful."


    "Yes, Grandfather." Noel bowed to him politely. After Raincart moved far enough, Noel turned his gaze to this crown. "Heisk."


    ''I''m ready to absorb it. However, I have noticed that there might be some resistance.''


    "Resistance?"


    "Yes. Unlike the ice jade we found previously, this one had been used by someone for a long time. The jade remembered how he utilized its strength, so I''ll reverse everything and return it back to normal first before absorbing it."


    "Some sort of memory effect, I guess." Noel nodded in understanding. "Alright. Shall we begin?"


    "Yes. Be careful. The crown might behave unpredictably and harm you."


    "Got it." Noel closed his eyes as he began revolving his energy around Heisk''s Spirit Seal.


    It seemed that the energying from the crown reacted to his own energy as it immediately caused a burst of energy, trying to blow Noel''s away.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel had focused his energy on his feet to counter the burst. But the fluctuation got stronger and stronger to the point where his Spirit Seal glowed brightly. It seemed that Heisk was using all her strength to refine this power.


    The sh escted right away. The energy around them began to freeze, creating a few spiral-shaped ice crystals. Because the shes happened continuously, more and more ice crystals began to form.


    The temperature dropped in an instant, rming the soldiers.


    Raincart frowned. Although the ice wasn''t at his level, it was still more powerful than Noel''s ice. As one would expect from the Ice King''s artifact.


    All the people were ready to act if something bad happened.


    Heisk alone might have had a hard time, but this time, Heisk had one more spirit to help.


    When the energy from the crown started counter-attacking them, Ardagan released his energy.


    The ck fire began to appear all around Noel and expanded. The intense heat warmed up the temperature and the ck fire evaporated the ice crystals in an instant.


    Even the ice energy from the jewel felt Ardagan''s suppression.


    ''Amazing.'' Noel thought. At one point, he wondered what kind of life the spirits had in their world.


    The spirits had amazing control over their strength, yet, they still tried to learn from the humans. It showed that they could still progress even further.


    As the one hosting Heisk and Ardagan, Noel wanted to show them that he was a worthy host.


    "Heisk, Ardagan. Get ready. We''re going to overwhelm it."


    After that warning, Noel started his attack. He actually used his Force Control on the crown, messing up the flow of energy within the crown.


    Due to that disruption, the crown started losing its power.


    Heisk fully understood what she needed to do. She began releasing more power to subdue this ice artifact. Even Ardagan thought that Noel would use his own power to overwhelm the crown, but using Force Control to mess them from the inside was something beyond his expectation.


    Yet, Noel actually went one step further.


    "This is not over." Noel smirked. His Force Control began to reprogram the flow of Spiritual Energy to match with theirs. This way, Heisk would have an easier time subduing this series of ice jewels.


    ''Thank you.'' Heisk surprisingly thanked Noel. The energy around them began to freeze, creating an ice sphere that isted Noel from the rest of the world.


    Ardagan stopped releasing his strength after noticing that Heisk had gotten an overwhelming advantage and was at the start of absorbing the energy.


    All Noel needed to do at this point was wait for Heisk to fully absorb the energy. At the same time, another thought arose in his mind.


    "If I can influence an item to this degree after using it for a long time¡­ should I consider creating an artifact for myself? But I have Ardagan for my weapon¡­ so, maybe a utility essory that can boost my power or armor¡­ no, too restrictive, maybe a coat that has thebination of this type of jewel and runes."

 Chapter 863 Heisk

    ?


    Noel had been meditating for quite a while. In fact, he began to lose track of time because of the chilling from the ice energy.


    The energy was much more violent than Heisk couldn''tpletely absorb it. The surrounding area had been frozen.


    Fortunately, there was a master of ice standing not far from him. Raincart had deemed that the ice energy wasn''t enough to cause a problem for Noel, so he decided to let him fully absorb it.


    After what felt like a week, Noel could finally open his eyes. But this time, instead of meeting the frozen grass field, he found himself inside his consciousness.


    The white space expanded to the horizon with no one in sight.


    All of a sudden, a chill breeze brushed his skin, causing Noel to shiver.


    "What is this chill?" Noel was quite surprised. On the one hand, he had been with Heisk the whole time, so the chill wouldn''t be that much of a problem. On the other hand, Heisk couldn''t protect him from the chill anymore, and this breeze had a temperature lower than Heisk''s ice.


    As soon as he turned around, Noel found a huge cocoon behind him. The cocoon was made of ice and emitted a chilling breeze from time to time.


    "What is this? No, is this Heisk?" Noel corrected himself, slightly panicking. This was the first time he saw a Spirit evolving, so he wondered what change Heisk would have.


    "Ardagan?" Noel called the other spirit, wanting to understand the situation.


    Unfortunately, Ardagan couldn''t appear before him or his element would sh with Heisk. It would be detrimental when Heisk was about to evolve.


    However, that doubt soon disappeared.


    When Noel couldn''t find Ardagan anywhere, he decided to take a closer look at the cocoon. He realized that the closer he was, the lower the temperature. And it wasn''t the radiation. Instead, it felt like the Spirit Link connected the temperature because the chilling sensation came from within instead of the breeze.


    "Heisk¡­" Noel called her name quietly.


    As if responding to his call, the cocoon released another breeze.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, knowing that Heisk was fine. But at the same moment, the cocoon began pulsing.


    "Hmm?" Noel''s heart skipped a beat. He thought responding to him caused this one, so he said, "No need to do anything. Just focus on your evo¡ª"


    Before he finished his words, a crack appeared on the cocoon.


    Noel''s face became pale, thinking everything was his fault. However, that crack became bigger in an instant as a pair of wings pushed through the crack, creating a hole.


    The pair of ice wings was simr to Noel''s Phoenix Wings. But instead of fire or feathers, it was madepletely of ice.


    The ice wings started expanding and pushing the cocoon open. The crack spread as more and more shells were broken.


    Inside, Noel could see the back of a human. But surprisingly, it was quite small. When the gap widened, he could see the legs and head areas, confirming his suspicion.


    It appeared that she had long, light-blue hair, covering her back. Due to hering out from the back, Noel couldn''t capture any of the facial features.


    "I''m sorry for taking too long." A gentle and mature voice echoed from the inside as the ice wings began to pull the person out.


    Noel waspletely dumbstruck by her appearance. As expected, her height was only reached up to his chest. In fact, her wingspan was bigger than her height.


    She had a pair of crystalline ice pupils thatpletely covered the entire eyes. It was clearly not a human''s eyes. The eyes dimly glowed as though it was getting filled up with Spiritual Energy.


    Despite her stature, her face was mature and devoid of emotion, making her look aloof. Other than those, nothing could differentiate her from a normal human.


    "Are you¡­ Heisk?" Noel couldn''t help but ask, still not believing the transformation before his eyes.


    "I''m sorry for taking too long." Heisk nodded. "Let me introduce myself once again. I am Heisk, a Humanoid Rank Spiriting from the Ice Fairy Lineage. Thank you for helping me evolve. It appears that you''re quite startled by my appearance, but this is how other Humanoid Rank Spirits from my lineage appear."


    As far as Noel could remember, Heisk had only been a head-size spirit. Once she evolved to the humanoid rank, her body expanded. It was probably due to her original size that she couldn''t expandpletely to mimic that of a human.


    Either way, it didn''t change the fact that Heisk had be a Humanoid Rank Spirit.


    "It''s nothing. Helping you is also helping me¡­" Noel replied slowly, still having a hard time calming his heart down.


    "I don''t think there is any need to mention this, but if you haven''t felt it¡­" Heisk extended both hands toward Noel.


    In that instant, Noel could feel a weird sensation, which never happened before. But this weird sensation felt rather familiar.


    "This is¡­ Isn''t this the usual sensation when you used to touch me? Our link¡­" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. Our link has gotten stronger. Now that I have reached a humanoid rank, although my appearance doesn''t lookpletely like a human, I have be pretty simr. You might haven''t noticed this, but my conversion rate has increased to 92 percent. Though, it doesn''t matter because Ardagan has increased it to the maximum."


    Noel was quite surprised. In the past, Heisk''s original conversion rate was 80 percent. Even though after the evolution, she was still lower than Anna''s Spirit, albeit it was extremely close. She should be proud since Anna''s spirit was already a Humanoid Rank Spirit before she even got him.


    "As much as I want to give you my power right now, I''m afraid that I can''t do it." Heisk raised two fingers. "Your body might have be a Spirit Grandmaster, but I should wait until you expand our Spirit Link with those pills so that I can give you even stronger power."


    "I know. That''s my intention. I''m going to form a Spirit Link with Ardagan first before consuming those pills."


    "That''s the second reason. Because I''m now filled with power, I can help you suppress Ardagan''s me during the linking process. You could say that my evolution is one of the requirements for that Spirit Link. Without my ice suppressing that me even for a little bit, your body can''t handle it and will end up burning away."


    "I see. So, you''re going to use all this power to help me." Noel nodded in understanding. "Is this why Ardagan is not here?"


    "A part of it, yes." Heisk nodded.


    "Do you have any suggestions of what we should do next? You understand Spirits more than me, so I want to know your opinion."


    "Actually, your n is already good enough. After giving you a new ability after boosting our link with the awakening pills, I might have to disappear for a while."


    "Disappear¡­" Noel frowned, feeling concerned. But he soon remembered something. "Wait a minute¡­ Is it rted to the True Spirit Body?"


    "Yes. The Spirit God is delivering his promise and nning to bestow me that chance. I don''t know how long, so I want to give you a stronger ability before disappearing."


    "I see." Noel contemted for a moment. He asked, "How about Ardagan?"


    "He is preparing for the Spirit Link. Because of his strength, the pain you will receive will be unimaginable."


    "I''m prepared for it."


    "In that case, there is nothing left for me to say."


    "But there is one for me." Noel looked into her eyes with a smile on his face. "Heisk. Congrattions on reaching the Humanoid Rank."


    That expressionless face changed as a warm, gratified smile appeared. She politely bowed, saying, "I can''t do this alone. Thank you."


    "Alright then, I''m going to leave and condition myself to form the Spirit Link. Since Ardagan is upied, you tell me when you''re ready."


    "Yes."


    Noel closed his eyes again as his consciousness returned.


    When he opened his eyes, the ice had begun to disappear and the frozen structure crumbled to the ground.


    It was quite uneventful for evolution, but Noel didn''t know that waiting for the Awakening Pill before Heisk bestowed him another ability was the right thing to do.


    After all, he didn''t know what kind of power Anna had after awakening the Spirit Link.


    More importantly, this was also the time for Noel to form another Spirit Link. It was clear that Ardagan was superior to Anna''s Thunder Berserker Spirit, but what would be the difference between them?


    What kind of ability would Ardagan give to Noel after all this was over? What kind of benefits would the Spirit Link and the Awakening Pill have?


    He could only find out by linking himself with Ardagan.


    Four days after the beginning of his transformation, Noel had set up for another big transformation.


    He once again stood in the middle of the field, surrounded by Raincart and the soldiers. However, Noel had warned Raincart that he wanted to create a Spirit Link with his Fire Spirit. Because of its destructive force, the soldiers had to remain on high alert if they didn''t want to get injured.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Now that the stage had been set, the Spirit Link between Ardagan and Noel began to form.

 Chapter 864 Undying Fire

    A moment earlier.


    While Noel was meditating, Ardagan actually called him back to the white space.


    "This is¡­" Noel was quite surprised that he was back here again after that long conversation with Heisk.


    However, his doubt soon disappeared when Ardagan was floating right in front of him.


    "Ardagan¡­ Are you the one calling me here?" Noel asked while looking around, not finding Heisk.


    "Yes. I''m here for onest discussion about the Spirit Link."


    Noel remained silent, fully knowing that they didn''t have much time left.


    Ardagan continued, "My Spirit Link is different from Heisk for one big reason. If her Spirit Link allows you to measure temperature as well as heighten your sense of Spiritual Energy, my Spirit Link allows you to fully utilize my fire. Do you know my fire?"


    "Yes, Undying Fire."


    "What do you think about its origin?"


    "If I''m not wrong, it''s the element you received from the Spirit God when he created you."


    "That''s not the entire story. It''s true that this Undying Fire is something that I receive from the Spirit God, but this is actually a part of the Spirit God''s element."


    "What?" Noel widened his eyes. But when he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. The fact that Ardagan received a part of the Spirit God''s power exined how Ardagan knew a lot of things about spirits as well as his connection with the Spirit God.


    "The Undying Fire''s original name is Absolute me." Ardagan paused for a moment. "Do you know what it means by absolute?"


    Noel had a few answers, but because he was unsure, it was better not to interrupt Ardagan and waste their precious time.


    "It means normal can''t hold a candle. In the presence of absolute me, all fire shall kneel."


    "!!!" Noel shivered from the words alone. His confident and overbearing tone made him feel like he was being oppressed by that ''absolute.''


    "And a part of that absolute me is concealed within me for one reason. The Absolute Fire is one of the Spirit God''s powers, meaning that it will follow him anywhere. That''s why he sealed a portion of that power within me, so that it can be used anywhere, anytime. Thus,es the name Undying Fire.


    "I am created in order to host this fire. This is the reason why I want you to define this power yourself. In your mind, what is absolute?"


    Noel thought for a few seconds before giving the best answer he got. "Absolute is freedom."


    "Freedom?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If you have absolute power, no one can stand in your way. If you have absolute authority, you can do everything. If you have that ''absolute,'' you will be unrestrained by everything."


    "Absolute is freedom," Ardagan muttered the answer as if he was happy with this answer. "Unfortunately, this is just a part of that absolute. It means that I''m still being restricted by constraints."


    "I know. That''s why I have defined you." Noel''s expression turned grim. Ardagan''s fire was Undying Fire, not Absolute Fire. That was why Ardagan was still restrained by the definition Noel had been searching for this whole time.


    "That''s right. My me is called Undying Fire. What kind of fire willst for eternity, never to be extinguished?"


    "It''s a bright me, while having its own restriction, still continues burning to free itself from the constraints." Noel closed his eyes.


    "Whatever that wille to my path, even if it''s water and ice¡­"


    "Yeah. I know that you will still continue burning brightly, reducing all thoseing into your way to nothing." Noel smiled.


    "I, Ardagan, officially recognize Noel Ardagan as my host. His enemies shall be reduced to ashes and his allies shall be embraced by warmth. I shall apany him until the end of his life as the third Ardagan¡­" Ardagan released his Spiritual Energy gently.


    Noel could feel that the Spiritual Energy was guiding his right hand toward the handle. Without opening his eyes, he grabbed the handle, feeling the connection between the sword and the Spirit Seal.


    "Noel Ardagan. As you emphasize freedom, you are also free to do whatever you want with my power. Burning your enemies, turning this world into ashes, or sealing that very me will be entirely your choice. Are you ready to ept this responsibility?"


    "I am not an extraordinary person from the start, I am selfish and made a lot of mistakes. But I promise that I will use your power responsibly and strive to be a better person every day." Noel replied with his genuine feeling. He acknowledged his shorings, but it didn''t block his path.


    "Prepare yourself as you are about to receive the fire that can burn this entire world." Ardagan was satisfied and asked onest question as the trigger. "Call my name, Noel."


    Noel took a deep breath and said his name. "I''m ready¡­ Ardagan."


    At that moment, Ardagan''s Spirit Seal shone brightly. Noel could feel the fiery energy from Ardagan rushing toward his hand.


    The ck fire started sparking all around his hand before moving toward his arm.


    The intensity and amount of fire were increasing rapidly. It felt like his organs were charred, his blood evaporated, and his bones turned to ashes.


    Still, Noel had expected this kind of pain beforehand, so he gritted his teeth, trying his best to endure the pain.


    Unfortunately, that was just the start. The pain continued increasing as the fire reached his body, stimting all his veins.


    Heisk had spread her power to cool down Noel''s body, but the me was so strong that it almost nullified whatever Heisk did.


    When the me reached his heart, the Spirit Heart began pumping rapidly, circting all that energy into his entire body.


    And by the time it arrived at his Spirit Mind, Noel suddenly screamed out loud.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"


    Even though he had prepared for the unimaginable pain, what he got surpassed anything that coulde into his mind.


    His entire body was melting down. If Noel wanted to imagine the torture in Hell, he would definitely think it surpassed that level of torture.


    The moment he lost control of his endurance, the fire erupted from his body. And that action was reflected in reality as well.


    "Aaaaahhhh!"


    "!!!" Raincart and the soldiers raised their eyebrows. That scream could onlye from one person, so their gazes immediately fell on Noel sitting on that field.


    ck fire began to leak out of his body, burning everything around him. The grass instantly turned to dust, and the soil lost all its water and became charred.


    The temperature increased rapidly as a wave of intense heat rushed in all directions.


    "!!!" Raincart and the soldiers had their skin reddened just by being brushed by that heat.


    "Impossible. Is he¡­" Raincart thought about stopping him, worried that Noel couldn''t handle it.


    However, Heisk began sending forth her icy energy, trying to fight back the fire.


    The sh between the hot and cold energy was simply too strong. The Spiritual Energy began to envelop Noel and let him float in the air.


    "What kind of Spirit is your Fire Spirit, Noel?" Raincart gasped, not believing what he had just seen. He thought, ''It was normal for a higher level spirit to show this type of phenomenon when forming the Spirit Link. Even I was tortured by an unimaginable pain and froze a whole room when forming my Spirit Link. But this¡­" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    How could Raincart believe this?


    Noel''s fire had been slightly suppressed by the ice. Despite that, the me was still strong enough to burn everything in a twenty-meter radius. Even the soil became ashes and carried by the wind or shock wave formed by the sh of two elements.


    If he was forging his Spirit Link in a room like Raincart, let alone the whole room, the entire building would be burned into nothing.


    This kind of phenomenon far surpassed Raincart. He didn''t know what kind of phenomenon Anna, Noel''s rival, caused, but he believed that she had surpassed her.


    Still, Raincart couldn''t imagine Anna would be able to surpass Noel.


    After all, this was just the beginning.


    Fully knowing that the phenomenon would be bigger and bigger, Raincart stomped the ground. He poured all of his Spiritual Energy, forming four thick ice walls in all directions, isting Noel.


    His ice would also be beneficial in reducing the temperature to fight back against Noel''s fire.


    In addition, this would prevent anyone from finding out about this phenomenon. There was no way everyone would sit still if they knew Noel was this extraordinary.


    Raincart shouted, "The second and third divisions will be guarding the perimeter. We''ll expand the perimeter to a 100-meter radius. Block everyone that dares toe. If they have any problems, they''re going to talk to me directly."


    "Yes, Sir!" The second and third division captains acknowledged the orders and immediately arranged their troops.


    "The first division will stay behind my ice walls and form a barrier. Block the wave from spreading the heat wave to all the surroundings."


    Since they were stationed the closest, all soldiers in the first group immediately circled the ice walls while using their shields to block heat waves.


    Fortunately, the ice walls were still holding up even though the intense heat had begun melting them down.


    Raincart pped his hands, pouring all the energy he had to maintain the wall. On the one hand, he was excited to see what kind of achievement his grandson would have in the future. On the other hand, he was worried that he couldn''t ovee this trial.


    There was only onest thought remaining in his mind.


    "Keep fighting, Noel."

 Chapter 865 Success

    Noel gradually opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a pitch darkness. Still, some light managed to enter his eyes, making him realize that he wasn''t isted.


    Because he didn''t understand the situation, Noel opened his eyes with a serious expression, trying to assess his current situation.


    "This ce¡­" Noel muttered. He could see some charred walls and ck soil. The smell of burnt had been trapped inside, but surprisingly, he wasn''t that much bothered by it.


    Despite being burned, there was no smoke produced, so Noel didn''t feel anything from the current situation.


    Noel tried to check his body''s condition by circting his Spiritual Energy, but as he expected, there was no change except for the new Spirit Link.


    "Ardagan, Heisk," Noel called their names in a low voice.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t any reply from them. It seemed that the two spirits had worked too hard to forge the Spirit Link.


    As a result, he could sense a deep connection with his fire. If before, the fire was something that had been given to him, the current feeling made him think that it had be a part of him.


    "I see. The Spirit Link is a kind of direct connection between me and that part of absolute fire. In other words, the current Undying Fire has the characteristic I''ve set up, but also the intensity of that absolute fire. Although it won''t be enough to suppress other mes, it should be enough to influence them. It''s no wonder that Ardagan needs me to reach the Spirit Grandmaster Stage first before attempting this."


    Noel took a deep breath, calming his heart down. While he had confirmed that everything was alright, he still didn''t know where he was.


    It appeared that he was sealed in a room with some windows, but looking around, he could only find charred soil and rocks.


    As if noticing Noel''s movement, someone''s voice echoed from above.


    "He''s got up!"


    "?!" Noel was confused and hurriedly raised his head, only to have a nk mind for a few seconds to process everything he saw.


    He was actually inside a giant hole. Its size was about three meters in radius and the depth almost reached ten meters. He couldn''t help but think he was inside a giant well at this point.


    But if he thought about it, he realized that he was the one who created this hole. The charred wall had shown that his me was burning so fiercely that it reduced everything underneath him into nothing. If he continued, he might not be able toe out.


    In fact, he should feel lucky that the ground underneath him didn''t contain any water.


    As soon as he noticed a movementing from Noel, Raincart immediately used his ice element to form adder and shouted, "Come up! There are a lot of things I want to say."


    "Ahahaha¡­" Noel made a wry smile, never thinking that he would cause all this. Without missing a beat, Noel climbed the hole. Although he could fly with his wings, he decided to take his grandfather''s kindness. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    After reaching the surface, Raincart said, "Get ready to fill up the hole."


    "Yes, Sir." The soldiers seemed to have prepared a lot of dirt to fill up the hole. They must have brought it from the hill nearby so that this hole wouldn''t cause any trouble.


    Meanwhile, Raincart brought him to another spot while checking his condition.


    "Grandfather, I''m alright." Noel felt a bit embarrassed.


    "What kind of materials do your clothes have to be able to endure that intense heat?" Raincart asked.


    "That one?" Noel couldn''t help butugh due to how ridiculous the question was. "The spirit protected it with a small amount of energy."


    "I''m joking." Raincart chuckled. "It seems that you''re fine. How do you feel right now? Do you have any weird symptoms or something?"


    "No. In fact, I feel amazing right now." Noel smiled. "If I had to fight against those people from the Supreme Devil Organization again, even if I couldn''t defeat them, I wouldn''t have any problems escaping. I finally understand why Spirit Grandmaster and Spirit Link are the biggest breakthroughs you will have."


    "But you have a Spirit Link with your Ice Spirit already, right?"


    "Yes. That''s allowed me to buy time from them." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "So, is this everything?"


    "I do have one more thing to do." Noel raised one finger. "In my bag, there is a small bottle of pills. Those pills are used to forcefully awaken my spirits and expand my Spirit Link. ording to my partner, it can assimte our body with the spirit to the limit. You can even call it Pseudo True Spirit Body."


    "Pseudo? Pills? Are you taking drugs? Do you know that if you are taking weird drugs, you will be in trouble? Have you taken any of it?" Raincart instantly changed his tone like a strict parent.


    "Ah, you don''t have to worry about it, Grandfather. Do you know Alchemist?"


    "Alchemist? That crazy bastard from Zaecuria?" Raincart clenched his fists. "It seems that they are nning to trick my grandson¡­"


    "Not at all. I have made an agreement with a former Royal Alchemist and Anna. This agreement is rted to the pill. And I believe Anna has taken the pill." Noel exined.


    "What?" Raincart fell silent for a moment. Anna was the most monstrous person among the younger generations in all four kingdoms, he didn''t believe that this kind of person would sumb to pressure. After all, there was simply no one who matched her unbelievable strength.


    So, taking this pill should only boost his strength.


    Even so, Raincart was still worried because he didn''t know anything about this pill. "I¡­"


    "I will exin everythingter, Grandfather. To summarize everything, this pill is created based on the research rted to drugs from the previous civilization. There is no side effect and I''m thinking about making it the specialty of my territoryter."


    "You do know that you''re going to be threading in a dangerous zone, right?"


    "I''m well aware. But I still have to get stronger¡­ I''m not trying to be a tyrant or anything, but I just want to get stronger so that I can achieve my goal." Noel smiled.


    "Is that so?" Raincart didn''t know what to say. On the one hand, he wanted to stop Noel because of the unknown drugs. On the other hand, Noel was adamant about ingesting this drug.


    If the drugs had been certified by a kingdom or even multiple kingdoms, he wouldn''t have had any problem with Noel taking them.


    After some consideration, Raincart stated, "Alright. I will permit it, but I have to warn you first. This drug is unknown."


    "Yes, I''m prepared for the consequences. For now, I''m going to wait for my Spirits to recover before continuing." Noel nodded, gratified by his grandfather''s concern. In fact, it wasn''t a baseless concern. If he didn''t know anything about the pill, he wouldn''t have taken it as well.


    However, Anna had assured him, with her experience and memory, that this pill was safe and would spread in the future. Even she had ingested the pill.


    That was why Noel was ready to take this one step forward to prove the pill''s efficacy.


    Raincart had decided to trust Noel. He was an intelligent kid, and his talent was among the top, so he didn''t believe that Noel would fall for low-level temptation. Though, he would definitely stay by his side during the process.


    "In any case, let''s see what kind of strength you get after forging the Spirit Link." Raincart smirked. "You have also be a Spirit Grandmaster now, so I expect you''ve be quite strong. Let''s see if you have that strength."


    "How do you n to do that?" Noel asked while recounting what he got from Heisk''s evolution, advancement, and Spirit Link.


    [Mission: Advancing to the Spirit Grandmaster]


    [Description: After mastering the Undying Fire, it''s time to be the Spirit Grandmaster.]


    [Reward: Spirit Step]


    [Mission: Forging Spirit Link]


    [Description: Once bing a Grandmaster, Ardagan is fulfilling its promise.]


    [Reward: Undying Fire Will]


    Spirit Step was a footwork that emphasized speed. It significantly increased Noel''s speed, which would be useful in battle, but he was unable to use it if his grandfather wanted to test his strength.


    As for the Spirit Link, the Undying Fire Will actually implied the connection between him and the Undying Fire. In other words, it was the aforementioned part of the Absolute me.


    After inheriting that power, Noel''s me evolved one step further.


    As for Heisk''s evolution, he didn''t get any reward, but he got the continuation of Heisk''s mission.


    [Mission: True Spirit Body]


    [Description: Heisk will receive the blessing of the Spirit God to receive her True Spirit Body.]


    [Reward: True Spirit Body: ???]


    It seemed that if he decided to follow this mission, it would be the time Heisk disappeared. So, he waited until everything was over before letting Heisk go.


    From the wording of the reward, it was clear that the True Spirit Body had a specific name, but he didn''t know what it was for the time being.


    While he was in deep thought, Noel heard his grandfather''s voice. "Just attack me with your fire. I''m quite curious what kind of transformation your fire has after that Spirit Link."


    "Is that so?" Noel was also curious about his power. And his grandfather, being stronger than Dimitri, would be a perfect person to test him. "In that case, I will use my phoenix. It has the best firepower."


    "Good."


    As soon as he heard the agreement, Noel walked away, putting some distance between them. Even the soldiers, who had been working in the field, couldn''t help but stop for a moment, wondering what was going to happen.


    "Here I go, Grandfather!"

 Chapter 866 Fatal Weakness

    The soldiers were watching Noel and Raincart standing apart as if they were going to fight.


    "What is this? Are they fighting?"


    "No way. Sir Raincart is probably trying to test his strength."


    "Can he even put up a fight against Sir Raincart?"


    "Idiot. Who was the one creating this hole we''re filling now?"


    "This is getting interesting."


    The soldiers became excited as they were also curious about the strength of the person who created such a phenomenon.


    Meanwhile, Noel had been closing his eyes, concentrating. This was the first time he used his ability as a Spirit Grandmaster, so he had to be careful.


    At the same time, he also wanted to see how far he had gone just by advancing to the Spirit Grandmaster stage and forging the Spirit Link.


    Noel took a deep breath before opening his eyes. "Are you ready, Grandfather?"


    "Yeah. Just give me your best shot. I will see if that''s enough or not."


    "Alright." Noel raised his finger. With the connection he got with the Undying Fire, he could concentrate even more energy into his fingertip.


    This was his usual way of summoning the Undying Phoenix. In the past, the Undying Phoenix would decimate everything it touched to ashes, so he wondered what kind of difference he would see now.


    Noel''s Spirit Mind changed the nature of Spiritual Energy within his body, improving its strength. At the same time, the Spirit Link had turned the me into a part of his body.


    With these two empowerment, Noel waved his finger.


    Undying Phoenix.


    Even before the phoenix was released, the people were already dumbstruck. The fire was so strong that it created a shock wave that carried the intense heat of Noel''s me.


    In the instant Noel released his Spiritual Energy, that heat razed everything within one meter radius to the ground. At the same time, the fire in the fingertips formed a ck circle connected with a plus inside.


    From that symbol, the phoenix emerged.


    This time, the phoenix carried everything that Noel had set up previously, including the intense heat and high temperature.


    The radiationing from the phoenix burned everything underneath it. The phoenix was two times bigger, but Noel could see that the strength within that phoenix was three times stronger.


    It might be because of the Undying Fire Will, but Noel could feel the phoenix like it was a part of him. As a result, the phoenix pped its wings, creating intense heat like his other ability, Fire Gale.


    In fact, the phoenix looked like it was alive.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. If he hadplete control over his phoenix, this wasn''t an ability anymore. It was a summoning. Most of his fire abilities were rted to the Undying Phoenix. me Scale, Fire Gale, Undying Fire Feathers, and Phoenix Wings.


    If the current phoenix executed all those abilities, it would feel like fighting two people at once.


    However, Noel could sense that his Spiritual Energy was draining at a pace he''d never seen before. If he continued this way, he would empty all his energy reserves in just thirty minutes.


    The higher the level of the opponent, the longer it would usually take to finish the battle. So, losing everything within thirty minutes was something he couldn''t afford no matter how strong the phoenix was.


    Even then, Noel wanted to test this potential. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Raincart raised his right hand, summoning four ice pirs to iste the phoenix. Unfortunately, Noel had control over the phoenix, so the phoenix abruptly stopped instead of hitting the ice wall.


    After that, the phoenix soared to the sky, surprising the others.


    "!!!" Even Raincart widened his eyes, not expecting to see the phoenix behave that way. In addition, the phoenix pped its wings.


    Raincart instinctively formed another ice pir to block the heat, but it was hotter than he originally thought as the ice wall rapidly melted.


    Then, the phoenix sent forth multiple Fire Feathers to hit the melting ice wall.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Every time the feather hit the wall, it caused an explosion. As the thick wall had been thinned out by the temperature, the explosions were enough to shatter it.


    The phoenix flew through that gap and reached Raincart.


    "I see. It''s quite strong." Raincart smirked. "Let''s test its firepower, then."


    Without hesitation, Raincart pped his hand. Right before the Undying Phoenix formed a small ice crystal.


    It was just a gentle ice at first, but the closer the phoenix was, the more violent the crystal became.


    It started expanding uncontrobly to the point it matched the phoenix''s size.


    "Oh?" Noel raised his eyebrows. His phoenix had a wingspan of five meters. So, it was quite shocking that the ice could expand to that state. More importantly, the energy became more concentrated as it expanded.


    It was supposed to be the opposite, so he couldn''t understand how his grandfather did it.


    When the phoenix and the ice crystal shed, their energy erupted. The phoenix caused a massive explosion, burning everything, including the ice. On the other hand, the ice released all its energy to massively expand its original size as if trying to freeze the explosion itself.


    The sh caused the area to be illuminated by two colors, ck and blue.


    "¡­" Noel frowned. The moment the phoenix exploded, he couldn''t control his phoenix anymore.


    Meanwhile, Raincart was astonished by another thing.


    "This phoenix¡­ Did I misjudge it?" Raincart observed the fluctuation of energy and muttered, "The strength of that phoenix should be lower than this¡­ No, my ice should be enough to freeze it. Wait a minute, isn''t that¡­"


    Raincart finally understood the real power of the phoenix. The moment the phoenix exploded, it influenced the Spiritual Energy around it and converted it to fire energy, causing the explosion to be stronger and bigger.


    "If this continues, it mightpletely burn my ice¡­ Although it''s not my strongest move, it''s one of the top in terms of freezing power." Raincart never expected that a new Spirit Grandmaster could achieve this much. However, he also noticed another thing within that explosion: Noel''s fatal weakness.


    It was because of this very reason that Raincart decided to put an end to this. He pped his hands one more time.


    The explosion suddenly entered the ice crystal as if it were trying to evaporate the ice from the inside.


    Noel thought he could win against his grandfather''s ability, but that was when Raincart surprised him.


    The instant the explosion came in, the ice expanded in all directions, creating a sphere to iste the fire.


    Obviously, the Undying Fire released its full might. If it was so easily frozen, it couldn''t be called Absolute me.


    However, there was a reason why Raincart was unstoppable among Spirit Grandmasters. His ice was also extraordinary. Even if Noel''s fire was overwhelmingly powerful, his ice wasn''t that far from it.


    This time, the ice was the one taking the initiative to attack. Branches with kes began to appear in all directions, freezing the fire little by little.


    The fire tried to fight back, but it was rendered useless by Raincart''s skillful control.


    After a few seconds, there was no sign of fire anymore and the huge chunk of ice finally dropped to the ground and crumbled into pieces before returning to its original form, the energy.


    Noel dropped his jaw in disbelief. Even against Qiel, he was able to stop her to some extent.


    Yet, his grandfather managed to overwhelm his fire this easily.


    Raincart, on the other hand, turned around and shouted, "What are you doing? The show is over. Go back and fill the hole up!"


    "Y-yes Sir!" The soldiers hurriedly returned to their original task.


    Meanwhile, Raincart looked at Noel for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. He waved his hand, calling him.


    Noel felt that he was too confident in his fire, only to feel disappointed that it didn''t match his expectations.


    The moment he stood in front of Raincart, thetter said, "You are very good. If it''s anyone else, they will have a hard time stopping your phoenix."


    "But¡­" Noel looked down. No matter how much he praised him, it didn''t change the fact that his fire waspletely suppressed.


    "As I said earlier, if it were anyone else, they would have a hard time. I don''t know if you have noticed this, but you are weak." Raincart sighed.


    "Weak¡­" The only one who could say that to a person who managed to fight multiple Grandmasters and even stop Qiel would probably be Raincart.


    "Yes. However, you don''t have to feel disappointed. Knowing your weakness is the same as knowing your way to get stronger. And currently, you have one fatal weakness."


    "A fatal weakness?" Noel couldn''t find anything like that. His fire and ice were strong. He had runes and other things. Even his swordsmanship was quite good at his level.


    "You be this strong way too fast." Raincart''s expression turned serious. "Because of that, you''recking experience and other skills to match your elements."


    "But I have fought a lot of people in the past few years, Grandfather." Noel tried to exin that he managed to ovee all those people.


    However, Raincart added, "Yes. But that''s because they don''t know about your elements. What if the enemies research you thoroughly? I know what your me can do and immediately react to it.


    "Your me is extremely powerful, but because of that, you are extremely reliant on it. What if you put everything into the phoenix''s beak before it touches the Ice Crystal?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel fell silent. He could easily envision the scene.


    With that beak carrying arge amount of energy, it would melt the ice in that single point. That level of control should be enough to create a hole and slip through it. Even Raincart would be pushed back and change his approach.


    When Noel was pped by that reality, he became lost.


    "As I said earlier, your elements are powerful. You have a massive repertoire of techniques from sword to Spirit Technique. You also have runes. But because you have all these things, you have lost the very foundation of your ability.


    "If I have to call you now, you are not a master of swords, a master of elements, or a master of runes. Instead, I will call you, a master of technique throwers. You don''t master them, but throw them in a certain order to overwhelm your enemy. That''s all.


    "It might work for some time, but the closer you are to the peak, the more you will realize how powerless you are."

 Chapter 867 Awakening Pill

    "But the closer you are to the peak, the more you realize how powerless you are."


    Noel opened his mouth, wanting to refute it. He had done a lot of things and experienced a lot of victories and defeats. But when he was about to say something, he realized that no words came out.


    What his grandfather said was notpletely baseless. He might have experienced a lot, but it was nowhere near other people.


    Anna had raised her strength to that degree within the same amount of time, but unlike him, Anna had the memory and experience of her past life. In other words, her strength and mastery were perfect.


    How about him? He indeed had Ardagan, giving him theplete knowledge and the ability to use it. Whether it was rune or Spirit Abilities, the knowledge entered his mind and it could be said that he could use them in an instant.


    However, using them and mastering them were two different things. Noel had been convincing himself that he had experienced a lot, thus shaping his foundation.


    But from the eyes of a true expert, it was clear that it wasn''t enough.


    That was why Noel had no words to refute those words. No matter how tough the challenge, Noel didn''t have enough to back up his words.


    "¡­" Noel looked down, not being able to say a single word. He was frustrated. Ardagan was a great system and support. But Anna could also use something great in an instant since she had learned it in her previous life. More importantly, she had the experience Noel was currentlycking.


    On the one hand, he wondered why the previous Noel handed that chance to Anna. On the other hand, he wasn''t so weak that he could onlyin about his circumstances.


    Noel clenched his fists. His voice was shaking, but his eyes were clear. He stared at his grandfather and asked, "Grandfather. What should I do? No¡­ Please help me."


    Noel even lowered his head, begging his grandfather.


    Raincart, who showed him his fatal weakness, was actually dumbstruck. His body had been shuddering because of the action Noel had taken.


    ''He must have experienced a lot of dangers to get this far. But he realized that it was not enough. There is no one who is more frustrated than him because, despite all his efforts to be one of the peerless geniuses that no one could rival, it''s not enough. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ''What he iscking is not something that he can''t control. After all, he needs time. Despite all that frustration, he could hide it and even lower his head to ask for help. Being able to acknowledge his weakness and work toward it¡­'' Raincart''s eyes zed. He was proud to the point he wanted to cry. ''My grandson is amazing.''


    Raincart ced both hands on Noel''s shoulders before saying, "Don''t lower your head anymore. I know it must be frustrating, and to be honest, I can''t do much about it. You can''t stay here for a long time, so I can only help you with this one thing¡­ Every day until the day you return to the Muivell Kingdom, you are going to spar with me. This is going to be the hardest sparring you will experience, but I can assure you that I will teach you everything I know. Are you ready for it?"


    Noel raised his head as a smile formed on his face. "Yes, I am."


    Raincart nodded, satisfied. He said, "In any case, you are going toplete everything you need first. So, condition yourself and finish it. We''ll spar after that."


    "Yes." Noel nodded furiously as he immediately continued with his current n.


    Noel decided to take a rest for a whole day, waiting for Ardagan and Heisk to recover their power.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers continued filling up the hole. Luckily, they had prepared beforehand, so filling it up didn''t take too much time, considering most of them were Spirit Masters and Spirit Wielders.


    After having enough rest, Noel finally returned to the field that had just been filled up.


    Noel started meditating with the soldiers surrounding him. He asked inwardly, "Ardagan, Heisk, are you ready?"


    ''Yes.''


    [Heisk will be the first to absorb. ording to the prescription, one pill is enough to stimte our potential. But because there are two spirits, we don''t know if that''s enough.]


    Noel had an agreement with the two spirits before. This would be thest transformation he would have during his stay in the Greenwood Kingdom. He wanted to see what kind of scenery only Anna could see.


    After conditioning himself for onest time, Noel took out the first pill and put it inside his mouth.


    The taste was surprisingly sweet. It felt like he had just eaten a candy.


    However, it didn''t take too long before the pill started to dissolve. ording to Anna, the pill was made with a medicine from the previous civilization as a basis. Because the previous civilization didn''t have any Spiritual Energy, there was no Spiritual Energy dissolving in his mouth.


    Instead, he experienced something he never expected the moment the pill entered his throat.


    All of a sudden, a sharp pain struck his chest.


    "!!!" Noel wanted to open his eyes, but he had to remain focused. The sharp pain gradually spread all over his chest as though there were a hundred needles prating his heart.


    ''Kh.'' Noel gritted his teeth. The pain was different from the one he experienced with Ardagan, but it was excruciating in one way or another.


    Because Noel''s eyes remained closed, he didn''t realize what was happening around his body.


    His Spirit Link glowed brightly to the point the light prated his clothes, exposing the location of his Spirit Link.


    As soon as everyone witnessed the blue light, the temperature dropped. They felt like winter had juste.


    The Spiritual Energy within Noel''s body started getting violent, especially the icy energy. It was rampaging all over his body, and surprisingly, Ardagan did nothing to bnce it.


    Instead, it just let Heisk do whatever she wanted, causing the icy energy to leak out of Noel''s body.


    Due to the rampaging energy, Noel felt like all his organs were punched in all directions. However, he remembered the description Anna told him. To expand his veins, the pill would use the energy within his body to forcefully stretch it.


    This was probably what she meant. The veins were being stretched violently and stuck that way because the energy continued for a few hours.


    After bing a Spirit Grandmaster, Noel could sense his veins extremely well. That was why he knew that his Spirit Link was stretched at least two times its original size. It might continue expanding, but if this continued, more and more Spiritual Energy could flow through his body.


    It might be because of what was happening to his body, but Ardagan actually spoke to him.


    ''True Spirit Body is a kind of assimtion between the human body and the spirit body. However, both of us have a different constitution, so using True Spirit Body is just forcefully assimting the two bodies. There is a time limit.


    ''With the current expansion, your veins will be closer to the level of spirit''s. This will allow us to send you more power, and the assimtion process will be smoother and longer.


    ''Once this is done, you might be able to imitate us to a certain degree without True Spirit Body.


    ''This pill is not a miracle pill that can do wonders to your spirit. Instead, its function is to actually transform your body. It could be said that it''s allowing the human body to undergo a mutation. Whether it''s bad or good, it depends entirely on you.


    ''You must still remember that in the past, there were demi-humans created by humans. If you mutate too much, you might be like them or, even worse¡­ something unknown. It will be unrecognizable, and you might even lose your identity as a human.


    ''That''s why even though I agree with the existence of this pill, I will have to reassess your body to see whether your human body can undergo another transformation. I don''t want my host to lose all his reasons by bing a monster.''


    Noel remained silent, listening to Ardagan in the middle of this pain. It seemed that Ardagan was silent because he was analyzing the pill.


    From his exnation, the pill seemed to be one of the ingredients to be something less human. If he wasn''t careful, he might be something he didn''t wish to.


    ''I won''t, Ardagan. I indeed seek strength, but that won''t be the reason to lose myself. You are awakened after listening to my goal¡­ and that hasn''t changed.''


    Ardagan appeared to be satisfied with the answer. He replied, ''In that case, I only have onest thing to tell you.''


    [Mission: Awakening Pill.]


    [Description: Ingest 3 Awakening Pills topletely mutate all your spirit veins.]


    [Reward: 1 Ice Ability, 1 Fire Ability, and Spirit Transformation (Fire/Ice)]


    Upon hearing the mission, Noel couldn''t help but smile. "You sure know how to make me fire up."

 Chapter 868 Transformation

    "Hu¡­" Noel took a deep breath. It seemed that the pill had stopped transforming his veins as the pain gradually subsided.


    As Ardagan said, the pill was transforming his human body instead of the spirit''s. But because he had forged the Spirit Link, the veins that had been affected by the Spirit Link would also be transformed, indirectly mutating the connection with the spirit.


    However, due to this pill, he noticed that not all veins were connected to Heisk. It might be due to Ardagan, but the veins each spirit had were different despite connecting his entire body.


    "Heisk¡­" Noel called her name, thinking the process had finished.


    ''Yes. We''re almostplete. I will take this time to send you my ability¡­ Because the effect of the pill is more than I originally thought, I have decided to change the ability. I hope you don''t mind."


    ''I know that you and Ardagan are choosing the best thing for me. I will trust your judgmentpletely.''


    ''In that case, I will show you the transformation. Please remember the feeling as this will be the closest form to that of a Spirit.''


    After those words, Heisk began circting her energy.


    Noel could feel that the icy energy revolved around crazily. His eyes remained closed, so he didn''t know what happened to his body outside.


    On the other hand, Raincart and the soldiers couldn''t help but drop their jaws, noticing a transformation.


    "This is¡­" Raincart widened his eyes. "The icy energy around him is transforming his body¡­"


    The Spiritual Energy began gushing out of his body. Like Anna, his ck hair gradually changed its color, matching the bluish ice. A crown made of ice formed on top of Noel''s head, and a pair of wings emerged from his back.


    He didn''t have the tiny stature or pointed ears like Heisk, but the new appearance was simr to hers.


    When Noel raised his eyelids, his ck eyes had turned light blue like that of a crystal.


    "This is¡­" Noel looked at his right hand. The power he had in his body had transformedpletely. Although there was no change in his vision, his instinct had been sharpened.


    As if trying to test the change in his body, Noel waved his hand.


    "!!!"


    In that instant, a thickyer of ice spread in all directions, covering everything underneath. The ice spread quickly while releasing an intense amount of Spiritual Energy.


    In just two seconds, the ice was about to reach the soldiers that encircled him in a meters radius.


    The soldiers were releasing their Spiritual Energy, trying to block this wave of icy energy. But before it reached them, another burst of energy shook the field, shing with Noel''s.


    As a result, they formed an ice crystal at the very edge, ultimately stopping Noel''s energy.


    All the soldiers couldn''t help but look at the only person who could stop Noel, Raincart.


    Raincart was furrowing his eyebrows. As the one who shed with him, Raincart could feel the ferocity of that energy.


    "It seems that rascal has leveled up to a whole new level. To think he forced me to instinctively use my full power just to block it¡­" Raincart smirked. The more he transformed himself, the more monstrous he became. The soldiers even wondered if they should be here or not.


    Meanwhile, Noel believed that his grandfather could stop him. Hence, he took this time to inspect his change, especially the ability he used earlier.


    ''That''s the ability I would like to give you. It''s called Frozen Domain. The rest of the information shall be transferred through Ardagan.''


    ''Thank you, Heisk. Are you going to ept the True Spirit Body after this?'' Noel asked.


    ''Yes. But after Ardagan finishes his transformation.''


    ''So, the Frozen Domain is an ability to create a domain that has an extremely low temperature. In this domain, I can easily freeze anything. And the only way to use this domain is through this Ice Transformation?''


    ''Correct. The Ice Transformation is basically using those transformed veins to the very limit, matching my own veins. However, it''s going to be a heavy burden for a human, so you shouldn''t use it too often. As for the rest of the benefits, Ardagan should exin it to youter.''


    ''Alright then. Although I''m curious about all this, I should focus on finishing the transformation first.'' Noel took a deep breath to recondition himself before ingesting the second pill.


    As expected, the second pill dissolved like the first one. However, he didn''t feel a single paining from Heisk''s Spirit Seal. In fact, the icy energy surrounding him hadpletely disappeared and his transformation had been undone, allowing him to return to his original state.


    Just like the first one, Noel could feel the sharp paining from Ardagan''s Spirit Seal. It might be due to its position, but Noel could feel that the transformation moved in one direction, which was from the right to the left side of the body.


    It first spread to his right arm, then moved to his body as well as the brain and lower body, before continuing to the left arm.


    However, he noticed something different in the second pill. Even though he had used the same amount of time Heisk required topletely refine his veins, Noel''s instinct was telling him it wasn''t enough.


    ''The veins have been transformed, but it''s not enough?'' Noel frowned, finding it weird. However, he remembered the mission, which required him to ingest the third pill.


    Without hesitation, Noel took another pill and put it inside his mouth. At the same time, he asked Ardagan, ''What is happening, Ardagan?''


    ''Have you forgotten about what kind of spirit I am?'' All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ''Huh?'' Noel was confused at first, but a certain idea appeared in the midst of pain. ''Sword¡­''


    ''That''s right. You already know about the ssification of Spirits. The highest-ranked spirit is the humanoid rank, but I am nothing but a sword. I''m different from Heisk and other humanoid spirits.''


    ''But the first pill still expands my veins like in Heisk''s case.''


    ''That''s right. But the second pill is¡­'' Ardagan paused for a moment. In that instant, the energy around his veins started to erupt as if trying to refine the veins once more.


    "!!!" Noel didn''t know what was going on, but it was clear that something was changing. ''Ardagan¡­ I can feel it, but I''m not sure what it is.''


    ''I''m transforming your veins like mine. I am a sword and have no veins like you and other spirits. Instead, I have this strand that connects my metal body. It''s the strands that you can see within minerals or metals. I''m transforming your veins and crystallizing them.


    ''It will make your veins sturdier, which is required if you want topletely use my power. At first, you won''t notice, but the more you use my power, the more that fiery energy will harm your body. Reinforcing your veins this way will not only strengthen its endurance but also inste the heat.


    ''This way, my power won''t bother your body,'' Ardagan was fundamentally different. Despite being on the same rank as the humanoid rank spirits, he wasn''t one of them. After all, he was a sword created by the Spirit God.


    That was why he had to make one extra effort to match Noel.


    Still, Noel noticed one problem. "You said that your me will harm my body, but it won''t affect my body as long as these veins are intact. What if I use the True Spirit Body in the future? You are surely going to give me that opportunity, right? Then, does that mean I won''t be able to use it?"


    ''Not necessarily. I will definitely share the True Spirit Body, even though it''s not now. I want you to fully master the fire ability and get an understanding of what all this transformation has brought you. Only then your body and mind are ready to receive the True Spirit Body. Before that, you can ask Heisk first.''


    Noel fell silent for a moment. This was rted to thest mission Ardagan gave him about the Force Awakening. After he progressed to this point, the mission changed slightly and became more detailed. The reward also became clear.


    Although Noel felt disappointed that he couldn''t get the True Spirit Body despite yearning for one after seeing how powerful it was when Anna used it, Noel had to ept it.


    Ardagan had been considerate to him and used everything to ensure his path was smooth. This might be the details that Noel had missed this whole time.


    Ardagan had been providing him with all the strength he required to get stronger. That meant the only thing he needed to do was to master it.


    That was right. Instead of frantically searching for a stronger ability, he should focus on mastering the current ones. As he took that step forward, Ardagan would create a new path for him.


    He finally connected Ardagan, his path, and grandfather. He realized that he had been mistaken the whole time.


    During the past few years, he had been asking Ardagan for more strength despite having all those achievements. Whenever he encountered a problem, he had another overwhelming strength that could suppress his enemy. He used his brain to outsmart his enemies.


    But he had never done what an expert always did¡­ he never used the overwhelming mastery and control of his technique to fight someone beyond his level. How could he use it without having it?


    When that thought appeared in his mind, Noel wanted tough.


    ''Ardagan. I am not a perfect human. I am selfish, have made a lot of mistakes and have wronged you a lot. However, I promise that I will continue to strive forward and correct myself. Will you apany me on this journey?''


    ''I am your sword, your spirit, and your supporter. Unless you drop me, I shall remain as your sharpest de.''


    Noel smiled.


    Outside, Ardagan began to float in front of Noel as fire gradually formed a chain, connecting Ardagan and Noel''s right hand.


    Without even opening his eyes, he reached for Ardagan, knowing where he was. The fire that linked the two together started bursting. There was a thin ckyer that spread from Ardagan to Noel''s right arm, covering his entire upper arm.


    This was his transformation. It wasn''t that shypared to Heisk, but its power was far more destructive.


    Noel rotated his de and stabbed the ground. The fire from the de spread in all directions, igniting the ground. With just the first burst, he created a huge crater with him in the center. The fire continued rampaging in all directions before Raincart''s ice formed, freezing it.


    Surprisingly, Raincart had a hard time suppressing this fire as it ended up evaporating together.


    Ardagan said, ''This is my Fire Transformation as well as the ability I want to give you, Outburst.''


    A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he gradually opened his eyes, saying, "I''m counting on you, Partner."

 Chapter 869 Recommendations

    After testing his new ability, Noel took a deep breath while checking the cirction of his energy. There seemed to be no side effectsing from the pill and he had powered up so much that he looked so weak a few weeks ago. More importantly, Noel had a new goal, which was to master his power.


    Seeing that Noel had finished, Raincart signaled the soldiers to remain in their position while he approached Noel to check his condition.


    "Grandfather." Noel nodded to Raincart, telling him that everything was alright.


    Only then, Raincart let out a sigh of relief. He asked, "Are you done? Is there any change in your body?"


    "Yes. There is no side effect. The pill has evolved my Spirit Link, allowing me to assimte with the spirit one step further. It could be said that the form you saw earlier is the closest one to the True Spirit Body."


    Raincart remembered that Noel called it a pseudo True Spirit Body. As someone who also had ess to True Spirit Body, Raincart obviously knew the power contained in that ability. After seeing Noel''s transformation, he was convinced that there was nothing closer to it.


    In other words, the pill was a sessful product. If it truly came to the public, it would definitely cause an uproar.


    However, there was also one catch. It seemed that the pill was best to be taken after forming a Spirit Link.


    On the one hand, it would greatly limit the number of people who would take it. On the other hand, there was a possibility that the humans would be forcing their spirits to form the Spirit Link. Human greed would cause another problem for them. In the future, there was a chance that the spirits would abandon or even go to war against them on top of the current threat, the demons.


    Raincart warned Noel, "I don''t have anything to say about its efficacy. However, I have to warn you¡­ the pill is a double-edged sword. Use it with caution."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. He had heard about what happened after the pill was spread from Anna. So, this was just a long term n for him.


    "Alright then." Raincart patted Noel''s shoulder. "Since you''re done, we''ll clean up the field and return to the city."


    "Yes, Grandfather." Noel was surprised by Raincart''s action. Despite having shown such effect, Raincart showed no greed or desire in his eyes. He didn''t even mention giving him some pills, even though he knew Noel would definitely give him if he just asked.


    His grandfather genuinely cared for him without expecting anything bad. He just wanted Noel to continue to be the pride in his heart.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, "Yeah. I''m going to check my current power and condition. I have to trouble you and the knights to handle the rest."


    The pair ended up returning to the camp as the soldiers continued in their restoration progress. On the one hand, it felt like they were doing nothing other than hardbor. On the other hand, they had witnessed such powering from Raincart''s grandson. It showed that the Ezenholm Family''s glory would be very long. Even if Noel didn''t stay here, he wasn''t someone who forgot about Raincart''s kindness.


    After restoring the field, they returned to the mansion, where Noel spent the rest of his time teaching his students and improving his mastery.


    Despite doing nothing but training, Noel was ready to brew another storm in the Muivell Kingdom.


    ¡­


    Royal Pce.


    "Your Majesty." A minister rushed into the throne room, where all the vassals discussed the current situation.


    "Hmm?" The king frowned. Although disturbed, he believed his minister didn''t cause amotion for something unimportant. Hence, he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "We have a direct letter from themander as well as the rmendation of a Noble Position."


    "If you are just talking about a new noble, then go out. You can handle that matter by yourself!" The king gritted his teeth, never expecting that this guy had the nerve to interrupt him.


    "But¡­" The minister panted a few times before exining the full story. "ording to the letter, he requests Your Majesty to increase his rank to Earl."


    "Earl? Is he insane? Even a Vice Captain can only get a baron title! Is he rmending a Captain? But other than the top three, no one is qualified to be an Earl." The king was baffled. How insane themander had be to rmend someone with that strength.


    However, the minister continued, "He is a Captain but from the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "Demon Hunting Squad? Igor?" The king frowned. He was aware of the Captain of the Demon Hunting Squad, but the problem was that he was so severely injured that his captain status had dropped so low that there might be a new captain soon. "Is he going to retire as a noble? Even so, how dare he ask for an Earl position!"


    "Please wait a minute, Your Majesty." The Sword King raised his hand and asked, "Are you sure it''s the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain?"


    "Yes, Sir. He is the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain."


    "How about his achievements? There should be a lot of achievements he has to prove in order to ask for that position."


    "Yes. However, along with the letter, there are a total of eight rmendations. But these eight rmendations¡­." The minister took a deep breath before announcing, "¡­are not limited to Demon Banner Army."


    "What?!" The Sword King was startled. Normally, the rmendation from themander was enough to be a noble, but if this person got a rmendation from another reliable source, the situation might change.


    "Yes. Five out of the rmendations came from the Demon Banner Army. They are Commander Oscar, Demon Relief Squad''s Captain ra, Demon Beholder Squad''s Captain Septa, Demon Adjudicator Squad''s Captain Milfa, and Demon Extermination Squad''s Captain Shale."


    "What?" The other people began to drop their jaws. "Rmending one person is enough to put their entire life and achievement to vouch for him. He can get it from those five?"


    "Commander Oscar would surely vouch for his subordinate."


    "Then, how about the Demon Relief Squad? Their recent achievement in fighting the Supreme Devil Organization is extraordinary. They are also among the top five squads in the army."


    "Meanwhile, Captain Septa is the youngest Captain in history. He rose into that position with his own strength and talent. He even discovered a lot of the Supreme Devil Organization''s schemes."


    "We can''t forget about Demon Adjudicator Squad''s Captain Milfa. Even though their ranking is low, it''s because their captain has never participated in the rankingpetition. It''s said that their captain is the student of the best assassin."


    "Last but not least, Captain Shale. He is the leader of the top squad in the Demon Banner Army. With strength and wisdom, it is said that he is the most likely to be the nextmander."


    "Those five people actually rmend him?"


    The people were discussing it out loud. They never thought that a mere Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain would receive this level of rmendation.


    However, one of them noticed something. "You said that there are a total of eight rmendations. Who are the other three?"


    "Yes." The minister''s expression turned grim. "Two out of three, it came from the Tower Association. They are the Water Lord and the Stone Lord. They requested Your Majesty to grant him the position of an Earl."


    "Water Lord? Is he crazy?"


    "The Stone Lord was one of the biggest contributors to the recent expedition that brought a lot of wondrous medicine." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "The Water Lord also had a new way of water purification, allowing us to prevent a lot of diseasesing from the water."


    "He also got the rmendations from those two? I never thought the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain had that kind of rtion with the association."


    "I understand. How about thest one?"


    "Thest one¡­" The minister''s face became pale as he couldn''t help but nce at one of the people standing in the room.


    The others noticed his gaze and followed it, only to find a member that they never thought would get involved.


    "One of the Twelve Arbiters, Fleeting Arbiter, Kevin Stargaze."


    Thump!


    The room fell silent in an instant. All eyes were locked on Kevin, who nonchntly stroked his chin while saying, "What''s wrong? I''m just helping a friend¡­ I can vouch for his ability and achievement."


    "Kevin?" The Sword Arbiter soon noticed who that person was. He hurriedly asked, "Oi. What is that person''s achievement as well as his name?"


    "His achievement¡­" The minister took another look at the letter and was dumbfounded when reading it. But because of the increasing pressure, he read it out loud. "He was a former noble. He has been fighting against the Supreme Devil Organization. He was the first to discover the rtionship between the organization and the demons.


    "He had prevented the full awakening of an Ancient Demon and killed it. He had led the people in the recent expedition and prevented more than a few hundred deaths. He had also stopped the nt Lord as well as the resurrection of the extinct nt that could seal one''s Spiritual Energy.


    "There were a lot of minor achievements, but for his crowning achievement¡­ he is the founder of the new power system that is said to be thepleted version of Spirit Enchantment."


    When they heard that crowning achievement, everyone was dumbfounded; without even hearing his name, everyone knew who it was. There was only one person who dared to call himself the founder of Rune.


    Even the king clenched his fists, never expecting that the news about his survival was actually true.


    That was also why the moment the minister said its name, it had even more impact.


    "His nickname in the Demon Banner Army is Iadre. But his actual name is¡­ Noel Ardagan."

 Chapter 870 Heated Discussion

    Demon Hunting Squad.


    Captain Igor was sitting in the middle of his base as his subordinates were questioning his decision.


    "Sir. Is it alright for him to use our Demon Hunting Squad like this?"


    Igor chuckled. "Have you forgotten that I owe him something? During that little fight?"


    Igor reminded them about the little fight they had to test Noel''s strength. If the Demon Hunting Squad won, Noel would join the Demon Hunting Squad. But Noel ended up winning, and Igor owed him a favor.


    "In fact, I should have thanked him for using that favor. Since I''m going to pass my mantle to someone else soon, it doesn''t mean anything to have another captain in between. By allowing him to take my position as the Captain of the Demon Hunting Squad, he can earn a better noble position."


    "But what about us? If our squad¡­"


    Before they finished, Igor added, "Of course. There is also a benefit as well. It''s like promoting our Demon Hunting Squad. In the end, we''re the ones who can say that Noel was once a captain of the Demon Hunting Squad."


    "But¡­"


    The people were worried. Igor was the one to allow this to happen. Of course, he could use it as a promotion, but Captain Igor would be recognized as a pushover, considering he just let someone be a captain just for the sake of bing a noble.


    Even if the Demon Hunting Squad would be famous, Igor''s name would be filled with infamy. Igor had been helping them from the beginning, so they didn''t want to see that happening.


    Unfortunately for them, Igor had made a decision. He said with a sad smile, "If my sacrifice can make the Demon Hunting Squad strong again, I don''t mind. I have always felt useless after losing this arm of mine, so I''m just d that I can still use myself to support the squad. I hope that you all can make the squad stronger than ever¡­ and make me proud."


    ¡­


    Royal Pce.


    "His nickname in the Demon Banner Army is Iadre. But his actual name is¡­ Noel Ardagan."


    "What?!"


    "Noel Ardagan?"


    "Is he still alive?"


    "Isn''t he¡­"


    Everyone couldn''t help but turn their heads toward Anna. Since this was a royal hearing, ministers and a few Arbiters attended it, including Kevin and Anna.


    When she received the gaze, Anna thought, ''As expected, Noel¡­ has seeded. But since when did he be a Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain? Well, the details are not that important¡­''


    Anna looked at her father and said, "To think that you have been aiming for this, Father."


    "Ah, did I not tell you about it? The Ardagan Family is my friend. Since I couldn''t do anything for him, I would just help his son." Kevin smirked.


    The people could see the conflicts between daughter and father.


    Kevin shrugged and bowed to the king. "Your Majesty. I believe that we can''t stop him from bing a noble. In addition, he has gained a lot of support from other fractions. If we don''t take their suggestion, I believe that this is a direct offense against them."


    The king tightened his grip on his throne. If he could, he wanted to tear the letter into pieces, thinking nothing of the Ardagan Family.


    Before, he had eliminated the Ardagan Family because they were a thorn in their side. But due to the plea of Luke Ardagan, he only executed his parents and let the son go.


    To think that the son, who he thought would die during his training in the Demon Banner Army, woulde back again.


    Looking at Anna''s expression, it was clear that she was shocked to find Noel was still alive. Since Anna and Kevin had friction, it meant that he could fully suppress Kevin. No, Anna might be the one suppressing Kevin.


    "Still¡­" The Sword Arbiter raised his hand. "I don''t really care about him being a noble or whatever. But to be a Captain, you need at least to be a Spirit Grandmaster, right? If I''m not wrong, this Iadre or Noel Ardagan is only a Spirit Master. Is it possible for the Demon Banner Army to change their rule?"


    "Actually, Sir¡­" The minister rubbed his cheek and exined, "ording to their testament, Noel Ardagan has be a Spirit Grandmaster. He wille to the ceremony and prove that he is a Spirit Grandmaster."


    "Is that so? Well, I have heard about his deeds recently."


    "Ah, I don''t think the information you have is urate," Kevin interjected.


    "What do you mean?" The Sword Arbiter frowned, thinking that Noel must have done something else.


    "You should have heard that the army is currently dominating the battle against the organization, right?"


    "Yes. Did he do something?"


    "I''ve got a letter saying that one of the Devil Saints has died in his hand. He was chased by a group of elites from the organization led by two Devil Saints, Nelfer and Qiel. He managed to escape and kill Nelfer."


    "What?!" The Sword Arbiter dropped his jaw. "He killed a Devil Saint? A Devil Saint is simr to the top captains of the Demon Banner Army, right?"


    Kevin nodded. "That''s why I believe that he has proved himself. It''s only right for us to reward such a hero."


    "¡­" The Sword Arbiter might be involved in politics and loyal to the Royal Family, but he was not a blind follower. He considered everything logically and said, "In that case, I have no objection to giving him a noble title. Killing a Devil Saint and creating the Rune is enough to be fair."


    "¡­" The king''s expression darkened when the Sword Arbiter stepped back. He never thought that he would be pressured to make Noel a noble.


    All of a sudden, Anna''s teacher, Josephine, opened her mouth. "I do think that we need to reward a hero. However, I am still concerned about the fact that he is using his alias to gain all that. Can he prove everything? So, I''m wondering whether to reward Noel Ardagan or Captain Iadre."


    "!!!" Kevin''s body shook as he red at Josephine. "I don''t think there is a problem with having an alias."


    "I think Void Arbiter''s concern is justified." Anna stepped forward. "If you look at it, Noel Ardagan''s element is ice. Yet, from the information, Iadre''s element is fire. You should be aware that a person only has a single spirit."


    "There is also an urrence where a person has two elements. It might be rare, but not unprecedented." Kevin''s tone became cold even though he was only talking with his daughter.


    "That''s why I''d like to suggest something." Anna nced at the king.


    "You''ve my permission. Speak." The king nodded.


    "Because we''re concerned about his identity. We should reward the Captain¡­"


    "The captain?" The king and the others instantly understood what she meant.


    "Anna!" Kevin raised his voice.


    "Please calm down, Honored Father. You are in the presence of the king." Anna reprimanded her father before continuing her exnation. "That''s right. The official record stated that the captain of the Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain is Iadre. Hence, he shall be the one receiving this reward. That includes the fact that he will be given a new territory!"


    "!!!" The king smirked.


    That was right. Since Iadre was the one officially registered as the name, there was no need to give the title to Noel.


    After all, if Noel was the one getting the title, he would get the previous Ardagan''s territory.


    This way, it wouldn''t be hard for Noel to rebuild the territory and family to its peak. However, everything would be different if they gave Noel a new territory.


    Noel had to build everything from scratch. This would severely dy his progress.


    The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but think, ''What a cruel-hearted woman¡­ To think that she is Kevin''s daughter¡­ I guess the Royal Family''s hand has stretched this far¡­ I''m starting to pity Kevin.''


    Anna, on the other hand, continued, "I believe I have a perfect location in mind, Your Majesty."


    "Oh? Please tell me about it."


    Anna smirked evilly. "How about giving him the new territory in the north? If I''m not wrong, that ce is called Lounstein."


    "Lounstein? Are you crazy?!" Kevin gritted his teeth.


    Even the others couldn''t help but shudder. They obviously knew that ce.


    "I''m merely thinking about the kingdom. If Noel Ardagan''s strength is like the reported, then he must be a genius as well. With his strength, he should be able to govern that area well."


    "Lounstein is a new plot ofnd that we manage to acquire after our expansion to the demon territory. That ce is still filled with a lot of demons. And not a lot of people are living in that area. Are you trying to kill him? He is a genius that the kingdom should treasure."


    "This is our way to treasure him. You''re only looking at the bad side. That ce is fertile, perfect for a city. Since he is so capable, he should be able to do it." Anna shook her head calmly.


    Anna was simply giving the reason for handling the territory. Since it was fertile, a good lord should be able to create a wonderful city there. However, there was also the problem with demons as well as the fact it was at the border. That ce would be targeted by demons as well as the organization.


    In other words, sending him there was a kind of exiling him in the pretense of rewarding him.


    Kevin objected to that idea. However, that was precisely what the king wanted.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    If he sent Noel there, he could plot together with the organization to kill Noel Ardagan. And the fact that Anna wanted this to happen, these two geniuses might also destroy each other.


    After seeing Anna''s strength the other day, he believed Anna would win.


    In other words, only the royal family would have this peerless genius and be prosperous.


    The king didn''t hesitate to dere, "I understand. To reward a hero is my job. We shall hold the ceremony for the ascension of Captain Iadre. He shall be rewarded Luonstein and the title of an Earl."

 Chapter 871 A Letter

    ?


    "Congrattions on having a new noble, Your Majesty."


    "Congrattions."


    Everyone started to apud, congratting the birth of a new noble. However, that was just a pretense. They all knew that the king was nning to exile Noel.


    With the threating from both the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization, he might not be able tost long.


    However, due to the fight between two Spirit Transcendence Experts, themander of the army and the strongest Devil Saint, the Supreme Devil Organization probably couldn''t do anything to him for the time being.


    The moment they recovered, it would be Noel''s time to die. And there was no way the Royal Family would just leave Noel alone. They would probably put some pressure to slow down Noel''s progress.


    "Alright. Since it''s a joyous asion for our kingdom, we''ll discuss the rest of the matter at ater date. You''re dismissed." The king waved his hands with a serious expression.


    They didn''t know that the king had already wanted to exile Noel. However, he still couldn''t believe that Alexander would personally request it.


    Now that Anna had given her statement, it would be clear that Noel and Kevin would be Anna''s enemies.


    In other words, the king had gained Anna''s support andpleted his part of the agreement.


    Once everyone left, the king''s expression darkened. "As expected of the Ardagan Family, I guess¡­ To think that a lion cub, who has never been trained as a lion, would return as not a lion, but a dragon."


    No one could predict the fact that Noel had the same talent as Anna. Unlike thetter, Noel didn''t have any interest in cultivating his power, so it was always unknown.


    That was why he was a bit perplexed on the current matter.


    "Either way, I have finished my part. I wonder how long that guy can hold on¡­" The king clenched his fists.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the other ministers and Arbiters were discussing Noel. The opinions were split. The first side wanted to form a connection with Noel, considering they could learn Rune and gain someone as talented as Anna. But the second side thought it was foolish because it would be better to side with the Royal Family. In the end, the Ardagan Family had been defeated once.


    In the midst of their discussion, there was a big conflict brewing¡­ the conflict between a father and a daughter.


    Kevin didn''t even bother to look at his daughter as he left, showing that their opinion hadpletely split.


    On the other hand, Josephine approached Anna, saying, "You have done a good job, Anna."


    "I''m merely finishing the thing I couldn''t previously." Anna shook her head calmly. She was indirectly implying that she was supposed to kill Noel in the past, but it appeared that she had failed to do so. Hence, she made him the perfect target for execution.


    "That''s good then. We have to finish all our businesses." Josephine nodded in approval.


    The others could only look at them, not knowing what to say. Anna might be a new Arbiter, but her strength and influence had grown exponentially in just one week. Her suitors increased as they wouldn''t find any woman stronger than her in the future.


    Surprisingly, Anna bowed her head to Josephine and did the same thing as her father¡­leaving. Everyone could only see her back, realizing that there would be another battle in the Stargaze''s family.


    The Sword Arbiter, who watched everything unfolding, could only shake his head. ''It''s a shame that such a talent will be buried. The Ardagan Family is an extremely influential family with Dimitri protecting it. But if Noel could survive the ordeal, there might be a new Spirit Transcendence within a decade.


    ''However, because of Anna''s stance, it is most likely that these two will sh. Only one of them will survive. If Anna defeats him, the royal family will gain all the control. They should have been nning to marry her into the royal family.


    ''But if Noel wins, no one can question the Ardagan Family in the future. It might be not only the wealthiest but also the strongest family in the kingdom, surpassing the Royal Family.''


    The Sword Arbiter wasmenting the fact that these two geniuses had to fight each other to death. It would be wonderful for the kingdom if the two actually joined hands. The kingdom would definitely feel safe as the two would dominate the entire battlefield.


    Unfortunately, having a power surpassing the Royal Family was something they weren''t allowed to do. After all, it would threaten the national security.


    The other ministers still continued discussing the ceremony as it would be a big one due to Noel''s talent and achievement.


    ¡­


    Stargaze Family.


    Anna had finally arrived at the mansion of the Stargaze Family in the capital city. When she was about to enter, her father was standing right behind the door while crossing his arms.


    His expression was cold as though he treated her not as his daughter anymore.


    Anna remained expressionless, asking, "May I know if you have a business with me, Father?"


    "Follow me." Kevin''s tone was strict, not allowing Anna to reject it.


    When the servants looked at their gestures and expressions, they were horrified. It felt like Anna and Kevin were going to kill each other.


    Kevin led her to his office. Before saying anything, Kevin waved his hand once as Spiritual Energy covered the entire room. He then said, "You''ve put a great act there¡­"


    His expression instantly mellowed. Anna did the same and let out a long sigh. "It feels suffocating. But I have done my part. This way, I don''t owe him anymore."


    Kevin already knew that Anna was on Noel''s side. Although he didn''t know the reason why she chose that ce, there should be a good reason. On the other hand, Anna believed that her father could see through her act, so she applied even more pressure to make it more real.


    Now that they didn''t have to act anymore, Kevin asked, "Do you know that Noel will be returning soon? I''ve just received a message from him."


    "Is it from Dimitri? Noel is supposed to remain in the Greenwood Kingdom for a bit more, right?"


    "No. It''s from Noel. He wants me to pass this letter to you."


    Anna grabbed the letter hurriedly, surprising her father with that swift action.


    ''I have be a Spirit Grandmaster and forged the Spirit Link as well as taking the Awakening Pills. Although it''s a shame that I couldn''t use my True Spirit Body, I am not the same anymore.


    ''If there is a chance, I do want to fight you seriously to settle who is better among us. But that''s forter since I''m going to be busy.


    ''After all, I have to build everything from scratch and teach runes to my disciples. That''s right. I have two disciples. They are called Tristan and Livia. Tristan is an extremely smart boy, so I''m proud of him. Livia has some circumstances, but she might be the reason for the territory''s fast growth due to her background.''Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    When a woman''s name was mentioned, Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. After all, this woman''s background seemed to be quite exceptional for Noel to praise it that way.


    Anna asked, "Father¡­ Do you know any Livia in the Greenwood Kingdom? She must be someone famous."


    "Huh?" Kevin was perplexed but tried to recall the name Livia. He continued, "I''m not sure about this, but the only famous Livia in the Greenwood Kingdom¡­ is probably that person. Why do you ask?"


    "Who?" Anna frowned.


    "The second princess, Livia. She has a lot of achievements under her belt such as being a captain of a division in the Royal Magicians orpleting a lot of research. While she has stated that she has no desire to hold the throne, she is probably the most brilliant candidate. It could be said that she is the apple in the royal family''s eyes."


    "Is she beautiful?" Anna asked.


    "Huh?" Kevin became even more confused before chuckling as though he realized what was going on. "Yeah. She is extremely beautiful, bright, and intelligent. You two are actually simr but in a different field. What''s wrong? Is she helping Noel?"


    "No. She has be his disciple." Anna looked a bit annoyed when she said it.


    "Disciple¡­" Kevin thought for a moment. "Are you sure she has be his student? I don''t think the royal family will be settled with just that."


    Anna took a deep breath. Even without him mentioning it, Anna knew that the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family wouldn''t be satisfied with just that. She was sure that Livia would make a move when Noel lowered his guard down.


    On the one hand, she had been traveling and cooperating with Noel the whole time. While observing him, Noel didn''t seem to have any interest in women, including her. On the other hand, Noel was about to be a noble.


    While it was true that the noble''s duty was to govern their territory, they also required a sessor to lead the house in the future. And Livia must be aiming for it.


    There was a weird feeling in Anna''s heart. Because they had traveled together for a long time, she never put a lot of thought into it. But her heart felt unease about this Livia. It was different from Rose since this one had the achievement to stand by Noel''s side. It appeared that she was about to be reced.


    ''Is it because she is simr to me? Or is it because¡­ she might rece me?'' Anna didn''t know how to describe her feelings.


    "What''s wrong? You look pale." Her father asked.


    "I¡­ am probably tired of putting that act. Please excuse me, Father." Anna bowed to him before leaving the room.


    Kevin only smiled mysteriously as if understanding what his daughter was thinking.

 Chapter 872 Realization

    Bang!


    Anna mmed the door closed while rushing to the windows. She didn''t realize that she had crushed the paper in her hand.


    As soon as she reached the edge of the window, she felt a bit more rxed, finally grasping the whole situation.


    "Wait¡­ Did I just crush it?" Anna looked at the paper while rubbing her cheek. "Why was I that annoyed?"


    Anna felt silent. On the one hand, it felt nauseating. On the other hand, she didn''t understand the exact reason why she felt that way.


    "Why did¡­" Anna paused, recounting everything that happened. And the reason was a simple letter. "Noel is just getting a few disciples. Is there anything wrong with it? Of course, I haven''t taught anyone, and I don''t think I should pass on my fighting skills just yet. However, Noel is different. He is teaching them runes. At the current stage, only Noel has a good understanding of runes, so it would be better to spread that knowledge."


    Anna thought that Tristan and Livia were just something that would ur sooner orter.


    She tried to recall the information about his disciples.


    "Now that''s weird¡­ I don''t think I have heard anything about Noel''s disciples. In fact, Noel shouldn''t have gotten any disciples in the previous life." Anna noticed something was wrong.


    "Why does Noel want a student? That''s because there will be people to help him in Rune Body. So, having a student means Noel can work on something else. It''s just¡­"


    Anna grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a few words.


    Rune Academy.


    Students.


    Rune Body.


    Elite Soldiers.


    "Noel wants to create Elite Soldiers reinforced by runes. In the past, those elite soldiers were known to be ferocious and unbeatable. A hundred of them could easily destroy an army of one thousand demons.


    "After that achievement was spread, Runes became extremely popr to the point the nobles would lower their heads as long as Noel epted them. And that was where the Rune Academy came from.


    "Noel used the Rune Academy to build up his wealth and influence. If I''m not wrong, the entire northern area of the kingdom was within his control.


    "However¡­ not a single one of them mentioned anything about Noel''s students. In fact, the one who taught them was Rose, who became the first director of the Rune Academy.


    "In other words, where did these two peoplee from?"


    Anna couldn''tprehend Noel''s reason. On the one hand, she thought that having students would be necessary since it could take off Rose''s burden. On the other hand, there seemed to be another reason.


    "Tristan won''t be able to do much because of hismon background. But Princess Livia is different. She has the background, knowledge, and influence to do it¡­ Does that mean Rose will be allocated to another position?


    "Then again¡­ Why would Noel¡­" Anna thought of something. "Don''t tell me¡­ Noel had never gone to the Greenwood Kingdom in the past. After all, his achievement wasckingpared to the current situation. So, he was stuck in the Demon Banner Army for a long time.


    "But because I changed the course of history, Noel had the time to visit his grandfather¡­ That''s right. His grandfather was actually the tutor of the current king¡­ It must be because of his influence that the Greenwood Kingdom took Noel seriously. They might have been aware of Noel''s ancestry. Does that mean their Greenwood Royal Family wants Noel to return as royalty by marrying a princess?


    "And it''s not just a normal princess¡­" Anna didn''t know why, but she got annoyed once it reached Livia.


    She couldn''t help but remember the times with Noel. At every moment, Anna could lean her back on Noel, knowing that he would protect her. She then used her strength to protect him.


    That was how they had survived this whole time. And their rivalry was so strong that they pushed each other forward.


    But what would happen if everything changed? She was still Noel''s ally. However, what if when she needed him, the one she met was Livia? What if Livia actually stopped him from talking to Noel?


    What if Noel wanted her help, but Livia didn''t allow him? That was probably the intention of the Royal Family. They wanted Livia to stop their interaction.


    At the same time, another question appeared in her mind. Why would she be annoyed by that? She and Noel might be an ally, a friend, or arade, but there was nothing really going on between them.


    Even with their rtionship, it didn''t change the fact that she was responsible for his parents'' execution, even though they were actually fake. The people also knew that she had killed him and exiled him despite everything was his n.


    She had done all that. The people only knew that Noel and Anna saw each other as enemies. It didn''t bother her before, but now that Livia came into the picture, she couldn''t help but think, what if all those deeds were used against her?


    "Why¡­ why would I be this ufortable upon knowing that I can''t be by his side anymore? Isn''t it just returning to what was happening in the previous life? The only difference was the fact that Noel and I know that we are not enemies."


    That was right. In her previous life, Noel always frustrated her by all the ''tortures'' that she had been put through. However, everything changed in this life. She knew how kind Noel was, how reliable he could be, and everything he did for her.


    "At first, I was just trying to change Noel so that he wouldn''t kill me anymore. I wanted to show him that I had realized the mistakes of my previous life. So¡­ since when¡­" Anna''s expression turned serious. "...since when did I think Noel will always be there¡­"


    It wasn''t that weird for Anna to think that way. After all, in her previous life, Noel was always there to fight her. In her current life, Noel was there to support her.


    It was because Noel was always by her side that she never thought she had taken the time they were together for granted.


    That was right. There wasn''t a single woman in Noel''s life in the previous life. But now that everything had gone better, Noel could start thinking of having someone.


    The thought that someone wasn''t her somehow annoyed her.


    "I¡­" Anna clutched her head. She wanted to say, ''I don''t want anyone near him,'' but stopped after realizing how ridiculous it was.


    Yet, she wondered why that thought would appear in her mind.


    They had experienced a lot of things together. The struggles they faced together, the problems they solved, or even the bickering they always had. They somehow put a smile on her face.


    "I never thought about this before¡­" Anna muttered. "What if we won''t be together anymore? What if our situation forces us to be enemies? No, I don''t want that. Don''t tell me¡­ I want Noel?"


    The only image that appeared in her mind was the little kiss she nted on his cheek back then. She asked him for another bet to tell their secret. But why would she do it? She could be more sincere by lowering her head or kneeling on the ground. But why would she choose that action instead of everything else?


    "I¡­" Anna''s face reddened. She recalled all the times she got flustered from all Noel''s actions. Back then, it was just Noel trying to trick her or annoy her. But if she didn''t have any feelings for him, she wouldn''t even react.


    That was why Anna had realized something that had never appeared in her mind before. "I¡­ like Noel."


    Yes. Once she noticed that she had taken everything for granted, she could see everything more clearly. She had a feeling for Noel, but there was something else that buried that feeling.


    It was guilt. She had done everything wrong in her previous life. Noel should be able to kill her in one way or another in the previous life; he just simply chose not to.


    On the other hand, after gaining this rebirth, she forced Noel to change. She never tried to talk it out and just stopped Noel''s every attempt until he changed. Even then, the one thing that changed him the most was the letter left behind by his father.


    If he didn''t know that everything was a lie, Noel might still try to kill her.


    That was why an overwhelming guilt had buried her feelings this whole time with a thought, ''Do I really deserve him?''


    "I am¡­" Anna hung her head low while uttering, "¡­so stupid. Why can''t I realize this soon? I should have talked to him a lot. I¡­"


    Anna gritted her teeth. She wanted to scold herself, but that would change nothing.


    "Do I still have time to change it? Do I still have the opportunity to change it? Please¡­ someone answer me¡­" Anna bit her lips. "I want to apologize to him. I want to talk to him about everything. I want to let him know that I like him. But is it toote?"


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 873 Return

    A few weekster.


    "Take this on, Grandfather." Noel smiled while waving both hands.


    The ck fire in both hands joined together and formed a huge phoenix. Unlike the previous Undying Phoenix, this one had more stability and energy in it.


    Raincart was satisfied with the progress and pped his hands. "Talk big, aren''t you?"


    A huge ice crystal appeared right beneath the phoenix,pletely covering it. However, the phoenix refused to be frozen and spread its fire, melting the ice at an extreme rate.


    But the ice crystal erupted once again, forming a giant crystal. The phoenix was supposed to have no chance of freeing itself.


    However, the current Noel was different from what he was a few weeks ago.


    "Rise." Noel twitched his finger up.


    The phoenix rounded up and changed its shape to an egg. This created a hollow gap within the ice.


    The egg cracked open and let out a second burst of fire that could only happen because of the hollow gap within the ice. This eruption was much stronger and broke the ice.


    Still, as one would expect from Raincart, he reinforced the ice at thest minute. Ultimately, there was only one hole appearing on top of the ice crystal, releasing all that fire like a volcano.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. "As expected, I''m still not his match. To think that he would give a channel to vent all that explosion¡­"


    "No, you should be proud of yourself that I have to be creative like that. You''ve got much stronger, Noel." Raincart was satisfied with his performance. A few weeks ago, there was no way Noel''s phoenix could create a second eruption like that.


    Despite having to teach Livia and Tristan, Noel used the rest of his time to haveplete mastery over his fire.


    "How is your progress? Have you mastered the fire?"


    "I still feel that I have a long way to go." Noel shook his head.


    Both of them began to walk toward each other. Raincart patted Noel''s shoulders while saying, "That''s good. Because it means you can get even stronger from now on. Although I can''t directly help you anymore, just notify me if you need anything. Just like the others, you are my pride."


    Noel wanted to tear up. Raincart had been the most caring grandfather in the past few weeks. He might be strict when training him, but he always took care of him after he was exhausted and even managed his time to get a proper rest.


    He truly couldn''t thank him enough.


    "Grandfather. Come to my house once you have free time. I''m going to give you a big surprise."


    "Is that so? I''m looking forward to it."


    Noel lowered his head and said, "I know that this won''t be enough to thank you, Grandfather. However, if you need anything from me, please don''t hesitate to ask. I''ll do my best to help you."


    "Why are you being so sentimental? You are going to return to the Muivell Kingdom, right? Just go." All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Noel straightened his back and nodded. "In that case, I will be going, Grandfather. Please take care."


    "Yeah." Raincart waved his hand, watching Noel walk away. Tristan, Sandra, and Livia had been waiting for him along with the luggage. Because of Noel and Livia, they were being escorted by the Ezenholm Family, and the Royal Family had even secured the route.


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man came to Raincart, saying, "It''s sad that he is leaving now. You looked like you''re enjoying your time with him, Father."


    "Yeah. But he belongs to the other side¡­ and I''m not going to selfishly restrict him in this ce. Even the Muivell Kingdom isn''t enough to contain him. So, let the bird¡­ no, the dragon soars into the sky." Raincart nced to the side. "Don''t feel inferior. You have your own path, so stick with it."


    "I understand. In that case, as the head of the Ezenholm Family, I shall escort him to the Muivell Kingdom."


    "Oh? Such an important person is going to escort my grandson to the Muivell Kingdom?"


    "What are you saying? I''m his uncle. Besides, he has given us a lot of things, so the least I can do is to ensure no harm can be done."


    "Haha. Just go." Raincart chuckled. Although he wanted to escort him personally, he had enough fill in the past few weeks. It was better for someone else to do it. He could only look at the group while waving his hand until he couldn''t see them anymore.


    Still, he would be lying if he wasn''t sad. Just like his son said, he had a great time with Noel. The feeling of having someone absorbing all the knowledge and putting it into practice was exhrating, but it was time for them to part.


    "If you don''t know what to do as a noble, you cane to me¡­ I know very well how hard it is to be a noble. Just keep moving forward; I know you can do it." Raincart closed his eyes, recalling all the memories he had with Noel. He said, "Leysha has given birth to a good kid."


    Noel also regretted that he couldn''t stay any longer. There were a lot of things he wanted to talk about with his grandfather. His techniques might be better, but he was still not satisfied with the current progress.


    However, there was an even more important matter in the Muivell Kingdom. He had finally taken the first step in order to regain everything back.


    He returned for the sake of bing a noble.


    ¡­


    The journey took three days.


    Since they had almost arrived in Noel''s homnd, Noel''s students started to get anxious. Tristan and Sandra remained silent, but they were holding each other''s hand, wondering if they would have to go through the same thing as the one in the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    On the other hand, Livia managed to remain a bit calmer and asked about what would happen as soon as they reached the Muivell Kingdom. "Teacher. Where are we going to go after this?"


    Noel thought it was normal for Livia to be worried, considering he wasn''t a noble yet. Without any ce, she might have to consider their condition.


    "No need to worry. You all are going to stay with Dimitriter. But for now, I''m going back to the Demon Relief Squad."


    "Demon Relief Squad? Didn''t you say that you''re going to be a noble with a different squad?"


    "Yeah. But the Demon Relief Squad had been taking care of me this whole time. While I couldn''t repay their kindness, I would at least thank them for taking care of me. Only after that will I go with the Demon Hunting Squad¡­ They should have been waiting for me." Noel exined.


    "I see. Where will we meet Dimitri then?"


    "Ah, that. You will find out soon." Noel chuckled. "In any case, it''s not going to take too long. We should be able to move to our new home in about two weeks."


    "I understand." Livia nodded with a serious expression.


    "I just want to tell you a few things. First of all, I''m going to protect you to the best of my ability, but I''m sure that the enemies are going toe at me. There will be a lot of strong people, so I''m afraid that my hands will be upied."


    "No need to worry, Teacher. My Father has told me that he will be dispatching Damian to stand by right outside the boulder. Although he can''t enter the kingdom, I should be safe as soon as I leave the territory."


    Noel nodded in agreement. "And this is the second thing. As my student, I''m not going to treat you differently from Tristan, no matter your background. However, I can assure you that I''ll give you all the knowledge about runes. Just remember our agreement."


    "I know."


    "Then, you are going to be helping me with the Rune Body. So, you might end up¡ª" Noel paused for a moment, unsure whether he should tell this or not. After all, a princess having to look at the knight''s naked body could be considered vulgar.


    However, Livia actually chuckled. "You don''t have to worry about that. I have seen plenty of knights due to my position. I might need some time to get used to it, but I''m also curious about the effect of this so-called Rune Body."


    "Good." Noel was satisfied with her response before raising a finger. "Onest thing. Since there will be a lot of future cooperation between me and your country, you''ll be handling most of the stuff."


    "Understood. Leave it to me." Livia nodded without hesitation.


    "Alright then." Noel waved his hand, noticing that they were near the border. He took a peek outside and saw the border with a man standing right before them.


    As soon as their gaze met, the man bowed his head and said, "Wee back, Master."


    Noel couldn''t contain his smile and waved his hand. "I''m back, Dimitri."

 Chapter 874 Demon Relief Squad

    ?


    Demon Relief Squad.


    "I heard that he''sing back." Ste nonchntly said, informing them of the news she got from their captain.


    "Is that so?" Paul looked down. His expression darkened a little.


    "Why is your face like that, Paul? You don''t want him back?" Ste asked.


    "It''s not that." Paul shook his head helplessly, recalling what had happened in the past year. "Just take a look at that kid, thest time he was with us was¡­ what? Almost a year ago?"


    "Yeah. It was almost a year. At first, we were resting due to the ambush of the Supreme Devil Organization. He was gone for a few months before going again." Ben nodded, remembering the details.


    "That''s why I''m annoyed. Once he returns, he''s going to be a noble, right? And more importantly, he is bing a noble under the banner of the Demon Hunting Army. If he wants to be a noble, why don''t the Demon Relief Squad? I''ll immediately give him my position as the vice captain." Paul sighed. "Are we that unreliable?"


    All of them didn''t understand much about the situation. However, there was one person who should understand Noel''s n in this room. So, all their gazes turned to that person.


    Rose maintained her calm face while exining, "The big reason is that Igor owes him. You should remember that bet, right? And since Captain Igor is going to choose a sessor, he is using that opportunity to sneak in to be a Captain to get a higher rank."


    "Still, why would he choose them? I can understand the higher rank, but does he have that little feeling for us? Even after everything we''ve done together?"


    "It''s not that. I believe he doesn''t want to harm any of you. After all, having to relinquish one''s position will cause a bacsh to that squad. So, he doesn''t want our squad to receive the bacsh¡­ He believes that this squad can reach a higher ce even without the fame he brings." Rose exined carefully.


    "Our squad, huh?" Ste looked at Rose. "You are going to leave the squad as well, right, Rose?"


    Rose closed her eyes with a pained look. However, she couldn''t deny it because she had promised Noel that she would follow him as his vassal.


    "I guess I will be the only girl in the zero squad." Ste sighed. "And we will have to fill up the hole that Rose will leave behind¡­ right after we''ve gotten used to not having Noel."


    That was right. After the rest, they returned to their duty. It was a bit hard to get used to not having Noel, but in the end, they returned to their previous state before Anna and Noel came to this group.


    However, Rose, the original member of the squad, would leave the group soon, meaning that they would becking someone of Rose''s caliber. It would severely weaken the group, considering Rose was their brain and observer.


    "Uh, more work." Jonathan hung his head low. His gloomy aura started to be even darker as though all hope had been lost.


    "Is the captain fine with it?" Zion asked Paul.


    "She has given her rmendation."


    "Oh!" Zion thought for a moment. "Should we bring up someone from the First or Second Squad? Or do we have any promising rookie this time around?"


    "If you''re searching for Anna or Noel''s caliber, then none." Ste shook her head. "I''m not sure about picking any random person to fill up the gap."


    "Actually, I have been in contact with someone. I believe he can fill the gap I''ll leave behind. At the very least, I don''t want to cause more problems than necessary when leaving this squad. And I''m sorry for my selfish action and my lord''s situation." Rose politely lowered her head. She even called Noel her master to show that she was already a part of the new Ardagan Family.


    If they said they weren''t angry about Noel and Rose''s departures, they would be lying. However, they had prepared about this at some point, considering Noel had told them that the Demon Relief Squad would be a stepping stone for him to be a noble.


    However, the memory and experience together couldn''t help but be their frustration. They wished Noel could stay with them longer.


    However, the gloomy atmosphere in the room was suddenly interrupted by a loud pping sound.


    p!


    "!!!" Everyone instinctively turned their gaze to the source of the noise, finding Paul was the culprit. It turned out Paul pped his own cheeks as if trying to pump himself.


    His eyes were more determined as he stated, "That doesn''t matter anymore. If you want to leave, then leave. No one is holding you back. Besides, he has done enough for the squad and the Demon Banner Army. I''ll take care of the group to ensure that the Demon Relief Squad remains as the top five squad."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Reliable, aren''t you, Vice Captain?" Ben whistled.


    Just seeing his determination made Rose more guilty.


    As if understanding her concern, Paul ced his hand on her shoulder. "Rose. This is myst order as the vice captain of the Demon Relief Squad. If you''re going to walk across this new path, make sure you go big. I don''t allow you to be mediocre."


    "Paul¡­" Rose shuddered.


    Ste couldn''t help but chuckle. "That one was great, Paul. That''s right. If you''re going to be a noble''s assistant, make sure Noel bes big."


    "Shut those people up and make us proud." Zion nodded in agreement.


    "Yeah. I hope that in the future, I can say, ''Look! Aren''t my teammates amazing?'' or something like that." Ben smiled.


    "You guys¡­" Rose opened her mouth, but words refused toe out. Her teammates were amazing. Despite her selfish actions, these guys still encouraged her. "Thank you¡­ I''m d that I''m a part of the Demon Relief Squad. If you guys need anything in the future, don''t hesitate to send me a message. I''ll do my best to help you guys!"


    "Talk big, aren''t you?" Ste smirked, teasing her. But before Rose could reply, Ste had hugged Rose. Because of the same gender, Ste and Rose''s rivalry was quite high in the group. But Ste dropped everything and just hugged her like a best friend. "Good luck, Rose. It will be hard without you, but we will manage."


    "Uhm." Rose could only mumble while nodding her head. She wanted to cry.


    "That''s right. You don''t have to worry about us." Ben gave a thumbs-up before pointing at Jonathan. "We can overwork Jonathan to get rid of his gloominess."


    "Why me?" Jonathan rolled his eyes.


    The group only chuckled as Paul said onest thing. "That''s right. I think this is the most important. Before he officially bes a noble, let me punch Noel once. How dare he disappear for almost a year."


    "Haha." Rose chuckled. "You could say it to him directly. After all, he should be arriving soon or he might already meet the captain."


    "Is that so?"


    ¡­


    As Rose said, Noel had arrived at the Demon Relief Squad''s headquarters. After leaving Tristan, Sandra, and Livia to Dimitri, he immediately rushed to the Demon Relief Squad.


    ra looked at him coldly. "So, the famous Noel Ardagan has the heart toe back?"


    "Ahaha¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. "Please don''t say it that way, Captain ra."


    "Alright, alright, Captain Noel. How can I be rude to another squad''s captain." ra shrugged.


    "¡­" Noel didn''t know what to say. After all, he had asked a lot from ra despite leaving the squad.


    However, his expression turned serious as soon as he replied, "I won''t forget everything I learned here. Ie here to thank you for everything you''ve done. If the Demon Relief Squad everes to my territory, I will definitely treat them as my esteemed guests."


    Without hesitation, Noel lowered his head, showing the weight of his gratitude. "Thank you, Captain."


    After getting confronted by Noel''s sincere gratitude, even ra knew that she was just acting like a child. She rubbed her cheek embarrassedly before saying, "I haven''t done much for you. I could only help you with the rmendation. The one who you should thank is not me but the zero squad. You''re going to meet them after this, right?"


    "Yeah. Although I don''t have a lot of time left, I will meet them." Noel confirmed it without hesitation.


    "That''s good. You don''t have to waste your time with me here and talk with them instead." ra waved her hand. "Besides, I should be the one thanking you for killing one of the Devil Saints."


    Noel nodded in understanding before walking to the door.


    Before he exited, ra said, "There is one thing you need to know. Just like you said, your territory is open for us. We''re the same. If you ever need our help, don''t hesitate to send a request. We''ll help you build everything you want¡­ after all, your territory is extremely dangerous. See you soon, Earl Noel."


    Noel didn''t turn around, but a smile formed on his face. There was no need for parting words. This was the end of the rtionship between a captain and her subordinate. But this was also the beginning of their new rtionship between a captain and an earl.

 Chapter 875 Leaving The Demon Relief Squad

    ?


    "Heh, it seems that someone finally knows how toe back." Ste smirked. Even though her words were sharp, her tone was that of teasing.


    "Ahaha¡­" Noel rubbed his cheek embarrassedly. It wasn''t that he forgot about them. He simply had a lot of things to do in order to protect himself.


    "We''ve heard about it. It seems that you are going to be an Earl." Ben waved his hands. After talking to Rose, he had grown used to this problem. At the same time, their bond with Rose was far longer than Noel''s, so Noel leaving might be sad, but it wasn''t unbearable.


    "Yes. I believe everything has been set up perfectly, so I should receive that title."


    "Isn''t it amazing? A captain usually only gets the Count Position. But you get one rank higher¡­" Zion nodded in approval.


    "Well, we might not be able to talk to you casually anymore." Ste looked sad even though she just loved to tease him.


    "You don''t have to be formal with me." Noel chuckled. "Though, this might be thest time I can see all of you like this."


    Paul patted Noel''s shoulder. "We''re aware of your situation, and your life as an Earl would be even more dangerous, so please be careful. We''ll be fine over here."


    "Thank you. Sorry that I didn''t talk to you about my n. I couldn''t afford to have a lot of people know about this n, or the Royal Family would notice and prepare another n against it."


    "It''s fine. Just take care of Rose for us."


    "Of course."


    Surprisingly, there weren''t a lot of things to talk about. There were some parting words, but they felt it wasn''t really a parting.


    Noel had even emphasized that he might need their strength sooner orter. So, they would meet each other from time to time.


    Rose had exined everything to them, so the squad fully understood Noel''s situation and n.


    "Still, I''m quite curious about what happened to you in this one year. It seems that you have be a Spirit Grandmaster." Paul looked at Noel up and down, examining his strength.


    "Yeah. I became one not long ago." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I can finally understand why the Spirit Grandmaster bes the biggest transition stage."


    They knew that Noel could defeat Peak Level Demons easily when he was a Spirit Master. So, there was no doubt that Noel could challenge a Superior Demon once he reached this stage.


    That was why Ste couldn''t help but say yfully, "That''s right. Paul wants to hit you once before you be a noble."


    "Wha¡ª" Paul was startled and hurriedly exined, "What are you saying? I was just¡ª"


    "I understand." Ste stopped Paul with a few nods as though she knew what he wanted to say.


    Noel chuckled. "Hahaha."


    "By the way, I''m quite curious about what happened¡­ What kind of struggles have you gone through this whole year?" Rose asked. As his vassal, she was curious about his experience, thinking this would allow her to understand her lord better.


    "I don''t have a lot of time, but I think I can briefly tell you about my story. If you don''t mind, that is¡­" Noel calcted the time and agreed with Rose.


    Surprisingly, Ste swiftly retreated and picked up a chair for Noel, saying, "Here you go."


    "¡­" Noel was speechless, but the others onlyughed it out.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Ultimately, he told them about how he ventured deep into the Demon Territory. It was a thrilling experience where one wrong move would spell his doom.


    At the same time, they were surprised to know that Anna was there with him alongside the Greenwood Kingdom. It was abination no one had expected.


    However, when Noel showed them what he had learned from Old Ru, they were stunned.


    On the one hand, Noel wanted to show them about the Rune Body and even drew it on their bodies. On the other hand, the time wasn''t appropriate. It would be better for his students to do it since it would increase their experience and knowledge about runes.


    After Old Ru, Noel began recounting the experience in the Atracaeca Kingdom. They were surprised that Noel was chased by two Devil Saints and felt sorry that they couldn''t be with him at that time.


    More importantly, they were annoyed when the second prince extorted Noel just for the sake of simple cooperation.


    Unfortunately, Noel couldn''t really tell them about what could lead him to be an earl or how he chose his territory. After all, the Royal Family might realize his intention and change their approach in order to ruin him.


    After talking for more than three hours, Noel finally bid goodbye to the rest of the team. This time, he was apanied by Rose as they were about to head to the capital.


    ra, Paul, and the rest of the zero squad stood in front of the gate, watching them disappear into the horizon.


    ¡­


    Capital City.


    Not long after a celebration of the birth of the strongest and youngest Arbiter in the Muivell Kingdom''s history, the city was shaken once again by the inauguration of Noel Ardagan.


    They had released the information about the youngest and strongest Captain whose achievement was beyond that of Anna''s Stargaze.


    Anna might be the youngest Spirit Grandmaster and have that undeniable strength. However, Noel wasn''t losing. He might bete by a few months, but his speed wasn''t that far from Anna. More importantly, Noel had two spirits, unlike Anna. In addition, Noel was known to be azy person who never trained his body before getting exiled to the Demon Banner Army.


    It could be said that in terms of speed, it was a draw.


    Of course, they had never seen Noel fight personally. Meanwhile, they had witnessed Anna''s undeniable strength and defeated an Arbiter that had reigned for a few decades.


    Unexpectedly, they were shocked when they heard Noel''s achievement. As the founder of Rune System as well as killing a Devil Saint, no one could say anything that he was given the noble title.


    And the most ridiculous thing they heard was that Noel was given the Earl Title, surpassing his father in one go. Because of his personal history, it was clear that Noel had surpassed his father.


    Still, there was a doubt in their mind. Luke Ardagan was known to be the wealthiest and kindest person who donated a lot of his wealth to the people while remaining the richest. On the other hand, Noel reached this position with his strength. There were some rumors stating that Noel had the potential to be a tyrant.


    Despite Kevin''s efforts to release some good rumors about Noel''s deeds and achievements, he couldn''t defeat the Royal Family. They spread the rumors about Noel''s strength, causing their decision to look right in the people''s eyes.


    There was a chance that Noel would be a tyrant and cause instability in the kingdom. Hence, the Royal Family rewarded him or, more like, exiled him to the border where he would be targeted by them, the demons, and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The royal family had given their stance, stopping Noel Ardagan from growing.


    The other nobles didn''t know what they should do. They wanted to meet this incredible young man, but they were aware that their action might cause the Royal Family to eliminate them as well.


    Still, for normal people, what they cared about was the fact that Noel was going to be an Earl as well as his achievement.


    They fully understood how Noel could be a noble.


    There was another festival created to greet Noel. They couldn''t help but wonder how thezy person changed into a god-like figure inmon people''s eyes.


    They didn''t realize that Noel had entered the capital without anyone knowing. Just like any other person, he entered without unting his status.


    No one would realize it was him even without a disguise.


    After a long journey, Noel could finally step inside the capital city without disguise.


    Kevin offered him a ce to stay, but because of Anna''s situation, Noel had decided to stay independent to avoid revealing their n.


    Rose was the one handling everything like his clothes and appearance, so that no one could look down on him.


    Unfortunately, due to his n, the Demon Hunting Squad couldn''t apany him since the only thing they would attract from people was ridicule.


    ¡­


    Thirty days after the announcement, it was time for Noel to make his entrance.


    "You look good." Rose smiled, appreciating the young man before her. She gave a thumbs up while continuing, "You''ll definitely stun everyone. Go out there and show that you are the head of the new Ardagan Family."


    Noel smiled. "I know that I''m stillcking as a lord, but thank you for apanying me this far, Rose."


    "Hahaha. I, too, don''t have any experience in governing a city. So, we''re the same." Rose politely bowed his head. "I hope the fortune blesses you with its presence, my lord."


    With a determined face, Noel replied, "Yeah. I''m going."

 Chapter 876 Earl Ardagan

    ?


    In the heart of the royal pce, hidden behind towering stone walls was the grand throne. The person who sat on it was none other than the current king, Oliver De Lenfenth.


    He looked down upon the people who had been standing on the two sides of the hall. Due to the tradition, there were a lot of nobles in the Muivell Kingdom.


    They had gotten used to seeing someone bing a noble after their service in the army. That was why this grand hall was usually deste despite the asion. All nobles had been invited, but those who came usually wanted to assess, befriend, or hinder the new noble.


    Yet, today was like none other. The deste grand hall was brimming with people. All were standing near the red carpet that led directly to the throne.


    They had been invited, and surprisingly, most of the nobles in the kingdom decided to attend. After all, they had heard the name of the noble.


    Noel Ardagan. This name had shaken the entire kingdom, not only with his achievement in rune but also his strength. It was undeniable that he would be a great figure in the future.


    The anticipation among the gathered nobles was palpable. Their silk and satin garments rustled softly as they exchanged whispers.


    Elegantly dressed women adorned in jewels whispered secrets behind delicate fans, while distinguished men adjusted the cuffs of their finely tailored coats.


    Their intention was clear. To approach the new noble, the first impression was important.


    "Are we really going to see that person?" asked one of the young women.


    "That''s possible. I wonder what kind of a hero he is."


    "From thezy noble to a grand hero, huh¡­"


    The nobles brought their children, mostly young women for one big reason. Even Dimitri had mentioned it.


    Despite his achievement, Noel had yet to have someone beside him. It would be a problem sooner orter. And those greedy nobles would definitely prey upon him.


    As the minute passed, the anticipation mounted.


    "Demon Hunting Squad''s Captain Noel Ardagan is entering the hall!"


    As the announcement from the soldiers echoed inside the grand hall. All sounds ceased as though the grand hall was holding its breath.


    With a resonant creak, the bronze doors began to swing inward, revealing the person everyone had been waiting for.


    Stepping into the grand room was a figure of unparalleled presence. Draped in robes of pitch ck, trimmed with threads of gold. The ck hair felt like it was flowing down the robe and eventually reached the ground like a river of silk as he walked.


    His pair of gentle eyes carried both the fierceness of his strength and the deepness of his wisdom. The serene expression made him look aloof and dignified.


    The young man, who could do nothing but fear his death after getting exiled to the Demon Banner Army, finally returned to the court with his achievements in tow.


    The ck military clothes matched perfectly with the ck sword hanging on his waist. Ardagan''s bright red jade caused a glint on the inner side of the robe.


    Noel Ardagan had finally returned. Despite his thin stature, not a single of the strong men gathered in the room would dare to look down upon him.


    A hush fell over the room as the figure continued forward, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor.


    The only sound was the soft, rhythmic chiming of the jewels that adorned their attire. Not a single person could believe that this was the rumored Noel Ardagan.


    Who was Noel Ardagan? They had heard of his name in the past. He was the son of Luke Ardagan, but the reason for his poprity was that he was known to have the opposite personality of his father. It was said that the Ardagan Family would decline if Noel Ardagan seeded the house.


    Yet, who could expect that infamous person would stand here and take everyone''s breath away?


    "So, he is Noel Ardagan¡­" A person muttered in a low voice. He was one of the few people who could react. He was none other than the Fire Arbiter, the one who observed Anna''s fight. She didn''t know why, but he felt a sense of suppression when looking at him.


    "Interesting." The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but smirk. Anna was good, but there was something different from Noel. And he could feel it.


    Kevin smiled gratified. He was staring at Noel as though he was his own child. ''This is something you deserve. Good job in facing all the struggles.''


    "Noel Ardagan, huh?" The Void Arbiter maintained her calm expression. He was extraordinary, but he didn''t know how he waspared to Anna. That was why she nced at Anna, wondering what kind of reaction she would make after knowing that the person who should have died in her hand actually survived.


    Anna didn''t say anything, but her expression was extremely cold. It was as if she wanted to kill him right here.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Upon reaching his position, Noel solemnly fell on one knee, lowering his head. "Glory to the Muivell Kingdom."


    The king frowned. The Ardagan Family was truly resilient. He thought he had destroyed them, but it wasn''t enough.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. If he didn''t adhere to the tradition, he would lose the favor of the nobles.


    He stood up and waved his hand, signaling to the minister next to him.


    The minister opened up the scroll and stated, "Noel Ardagan has served in the Demon Banner Army for three years. During his service, hepleted one expedition, ruined the n of the Supreme Devil Organization multiple times, and killed one Devil Saint.


    "He has be the founder of the Rune System, bringing glory to the Muivell Kingdom."


    Noel lowered his head and shouted, "I serve the country. I shall create the Rune Academy in my territory so that our country can be stronger and more advancedpared to other countries."


    "!!!" The people couldn''t help but widen their eyes. Those words were what they had been waiting for. They were wondering how the Royal Family stole the rune system from Noel, but before they could do that, Noel announced that he would let everyone learn it. This way, the Royal Family would look like a tyrant if they forcefully retrieved the knowledge from Noel.


    It seemed that Noel wasn''t that oblivious to politics.


    The minister couldn''t help but nce at the king, wondering what he should do.


    The king waved his hand. Since there was nothing they could do, it was better to continue.


    "We''re thankful for the contribution of Noel Ardagan." The minister paused for a moment. "There are eight people who rmend him to be a noble: Commander Oscar, Captain Shale, Captain Milfa, Captain ra, Captain Septa, Water Lord Azel, Stone Lord Runth, and Fleeting Arbiter Kevin Stargaze."


    "Due to all his achievements, the kingdom has decided to reward him with the rank of Earl as well as the territory of Lounstein. I hope that Earl Noel Ardagan can use his power to bring peace to the kingdom."


    Hiss!


    The people had just realized the royal family''s intention. It wasn''t a reward. Lounstein was one of the most dangerous ces the kingdom currently had. Even bandits didn''t want to stay there.


    In other words, the Royal Family was hell-bent on exiling Noel.


    The king stepped forth and asked, "Noel Ardagan. Do you solemnly swear that you will be loyal?"


    ''What loyal?''


    ''There is no way I''m going to be loyal if you are going to exile me.''


    Most of them had the same thought. To think that the king dared to use such a phrase to Noel. It might be due to his inexperience that the king tried to trip Noel.


    However, Noel wasn''t that foolish anymore, especially after learning from Raincart.


    He dered, "I, Noel Ardagan, solemnly swear that I will use all my strength for the country. I will use my wisdom to raise the country so that no one will look down on our country. I shall put my life on the line for the sake of the country."


    Noel kept emphasizing ''the country'' in his words. It was a deration that he wouldn''t be loyal to the royal family.


    The king''s face remained calm, but his heart was already distorted. Sadly for him, with all those promises from Noel, he couldn''t force his loyalty.


    He announced out loud, "From today onward, Noel Ardagan shall be the Earl of the kingdom!"


    "Long live Your Majesty, Long live the Muivell Kingdom!" Noel replied.


    A round of apuse shook the entire hall. This was a man who had ovee all odds and finally got everything he had today.


    It wasn''t because of the Ardagan Family. He was the only reason. Not a single person would expect that the infamous Noel Ardagan would be one of the most talented people in the kingdom. They couldn''t help but imagine what would happen if Noel Ardagan started his training at the same time as Anna.


    Anna might have to give the talent as the most talented to Noel.


    However, this was just the first step Noel took as a noble.

 Chapter 877 Banquet

    "Earl Ardagan, please nice to meet you. I''m Count Hareven." A middle-aged man approached Noel with a gentle smile. Next to him was a young woman. With long pink hair running smoothly like that of silk, she gave off the vibe of a gentle and graceful person. She politely lowered her head while lifting her skirt, greeting Noel as the middle-aged man introduced her. "I and my daughter, Ruby, would like to congratte you."


    "Thank you very much, Count Hareven." Noel nodded with a smile. "Since we both are lords in the north, there will be a lot of opportunities for us to talk in the future."


    Noel maintained a polite but distant approach. This way, he didn''t turn anyone down, but he did not choose any of them.


    After getting his title, they had a little banquet to celebrate his achievement. And a lot of people took this opportunity to approach Noel for one reason or another.


    The king had left the party, so the pressure on these nobles'' shoulders lessened quite a bit. Even if the king wanted to harm Noel, he had to do it carefully, so there was no problem with them taking a bite of what Noel had before that.


    While he was greeting the people, Kevin came to him while extending his hand. "Congrattions, Noel."


    "Thank you." Noel smiled. "It''s thanks to you that I''m able to reach this far."


    "What are you talking about? I haven''t done anything for you except rmending that position. Everything is due to your abilities. But¡­ I have to apologize for one thing¡­" Kevin made a wry smile while ncing at the side, where his daughter was located.


    The others who watched their interactions couldn''t help but understand the circumstances. Because Kevin was Luke Ardagan''s friend, he wanted to take care of the problems in their family by helping Noel. On the other hand, his own daughter was adamant about killing Noel.


    As the head of the Stargaze Family, he had to choose Noel or Anna.


    "Well, today, you are the star. So, I won''t be holding anyone back from meeting you. If you need anything, feel free to talk to me." All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a smile. As Kevin walked away, more and more nobles approached Noel.


    On the side, Anna was watching Noel with a cold gaze. If a re was enough to kill someone, Noel might have died multiple times.


    Not a single noble dared to approach her due to her aura. They felt they would get into trouble if they even bothered her.


    After all, Anna was supposed to be the sole pride of the Muivell Kingdom, and Noel should have died a long time ago. But everything has changed right now.


    Anna might have all the talents and extraordinary abilities, but Noel''s achievement made her strength pale inparison.


    After all, they might need a powerful strength, but if the other party had the same strength along with a lot of contributions to the kingdom, it was clear who would people choose.


    That was why they understood if Anna wanted to crush Noel.


    What they didn''t know was that Anna was annoyed by another thing.


    She had been crossing her arms while gnashing her teeth, thinking, ''He is in the limelight. I should be happy about this, but why am I getting annoyed? If I have been more honest, can I stand there?


    ''But if I stand there right now, everything would be a mess. They know that we''ve been cooperating. But because I can''t be there, I have to watch all those women flocking around him.''


    She wasmenting the fact that despite being the closest one to Noel in this room, she had no chance of meeting him.


    More importantly, she couldn''t help but wonder if she had been more open to Noel and realized her feelings, would Noel change his n?


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard she thought about it, there would be nothing she could do to change the current situation.


    Noel kept entertaining other nobles. Even he felt a bit suffocated when acting all this polite to them. Still, he was just trying to remember these people''s names, thinking that there would be a few people worth cooperating with.


    Noel didn''t n to just govern the territory well. He wanted to make his Ardagan Family the ruler in the north. This was the only way to stop the royal family and their allies.


    Unexpectedly, the guests weren''t limited to nobles.


    After he talked to another Earl, the Sword Arbiter came to him with a gentle face. "To think that I would have an opportunity to meet a man like you."


    "It''s my honor to meet the famous Sword Arbiter." Noel smiled.


    With just a nce from the Sword Arbiter, Noel could feel that his gaze was trying to slice him open.


    ''So, this is the pinnacle of the sword in this kingdom¡­'' Noel thought. As someone younger and more inexperienced, Noel was the first to extend his hand. "I''m Noel Ardagan. It''s truly an honor meeting you here, Sir."


    The Sword Arbiter shook his hand nonchntly, but he was a bit surprised when he received a firm handshake.


    "!!!" The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but look at their hands. While he wasn''t releasing his power, the aura that he had gained after honing his sword would feel like they were being stabbed. Yet, Noel actually extended his hand and gave a firm handshake.


    He was either neutralizing his aura or ignoring it.


    His surprise had yet to end. Not only did Noel disregard his power, but he also attacked him.


    The Spiritual Energy in his body started disorientating when their hands joined together. It was as if Noel was the one controlling this power. In addition, he could feel his body be warmer due to that flow.


    The Sword Arbiter hurriedly gained back control of his Spiritual Energy and smiled, not feeling offended at all. He asked, "It seems that your path is not entirely on the sword, correct?"


    "If that''s not the case, how could I even bring out the runes?" Noel shook his headpletely. "Your path might be straight, but it''s narrow. On the other hand, my path might have a lot of turns and junctions, but who says there is only one path to reach our destination?"


    The Sword Arbiter nodded in agreement. "Indeed. People often think that a single, straightforward path will be the best. But that doesn''t mean having other paths is bad. I can finally understand why you can reach this far. If there is an opportunity, how about inviting me for tea?"


    There was only one meaning for the tea in his mouth. The Sword Arbiter seemed to be eager to fight him. This also showed that he had acknowledged him.


    "Thank you. If Sir is not busy, I would definitely invite you over for tea. I hope that Sir doesn''t mind the quality."


    From the simple interaction alone, he realized that Noel wasn''t an ordinary person. However, he still couldn''t see the fact that getting this new territory was actually Noel''s idea.


    He patted Noel''s shoulder and walked away after leaving a single message. "Be careful of your back. I just hope that the Muivell Kingdom has a bright future ahead."


    Noel politely nodded to him. Despite his loyalty to the Royal Family, the Sword Arbiter still wished for the best for the Muivell Kingdom.


    Noel could respect that opinion. There were a few other important people that approached him, such as the Fire Arbiter. However, most of the time, they approached him for either the runes or his marriage.


    If they managed to marry their daughter, there was no way Noel would be stingy. And they couldn''t help but wonder when the Rune Academy would start operating.


    This Rune Academy was actually Noel''s n to buy some time. Since the academy would have a lot of noble children, the Royal Family couldn''t easily seize it or destroy the Ardagan Family. At the same time, he couldn''t stall the opening for that long either as there would be more and more pressure.


    Because he rarely attended a banquet like this, he didn''t realize how tired his father was. And he had to continue governing the territory after all this.


    Fortunately, Noel had practiced a bit with his grandfather during his stay in the Greenwood Kingdom.


    After talking to more than forty nobles, the banquet finally came to a close. The noble was slightly disappointed that Noel showed no favoritism to their daughters, but that also meant the door was still open. More importantly, they had Noel''s words that the academy would be opening soon.


    So they better prepare their children to attend it. Not only would it be good to form a connection, but also to know Noel a bit further.


    They were happy with this Rune Academy because Noel had told them that the runes didn''t necessarily need to have a Spirit. This meant their less talented children could be as strong as the talented ones. Of course, they still needed Spiritual Energy control or the Demon Crystals to build up their energy reserve, but all those stuff were minor problems for nobles.


    With all these nobles, Noel should have bought enough time for one year. He nned to use this one year to stabilize his new territory and explore the entire region.


    But when he was about to exit the royal castle and take some rest before heading to his new territory, he was stopped by a person.


    The pent-up frustration had clearly taken over her as she was looking at Noel with a cold gaze.


    Yes, this person was none other than Anna.

 Chapter 878 Evil Plan?

    <h4>Chapter 878 Evil n?</h4>


    "Well, well, well¡­" Anna walked toward Noel while saying, "It seems that our little hero manages to be a big guy, huh?"


    Noel''s expression became cold as he said, "Thanks to you."


    Anna stopped right in front of Noel, her face was only a few centimeters away from his face. She said, "This is not over. We will see how long you can survive."


    "No matter what you do, I will continue to survive. Instead, I''ll give you a piece of advice now. You should actually beg for my forgiveness, and I might actually forgive you. It''s better to give up early." Noel harrumphed.


    Their interactions were watched by many. They had their individual opinions about Anna and Noel, but it was clear that they were pretty interested to know what would happen next.


    Since the party was over, there was no need for Anna to hold back. Spiritual Energy began to leak out of their bodies, and the pressure started to build up.


    The intensity of their energy made the nobles think that these two might sh right in front of the pce. They had known Anna''s strength, but Noel''s achievement showed that his strength wasparable to hers.


    That was why they actually wanted them to determine who was stronger.


    But before they could release their full power, the Void Arbiter appeared next to them.


    "How interesting¡­ To think that two geniuses of the kingdom want to fight¡­ Don''t forget that you are right in front of the pce."


    "Teacher?" Anna looked surprised, while Noel remained indifferent. "How about you? You''re the one using your ability right now."


    "I''m using an ability as an arbiter in order to stop you two from fighting."


    Noel and Josephine red at each other. Noel knew that Josephine was the one who brainwashed Anna. It could be said that she was the cause of everything.


    "What fighting? We''re not fighting. You''re the one interpreting it as a fight. Maybe¡­ the only thing in your brain is violent? What a brute." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "You''re pretty twisted for a kid, aren''t you?" Josephine was a bit annoyed, but she managed to restrain herself. She continued, "How about you then? You''re just relying on someone to give their position to you instead of earning it yourself."


    "Giving me their position? Please don''t make up things. I earned it. If you can''t even get your facts right, then please don''t open that mouth of yours. Other than lies and nonsense, what can you actually say?" Noel chuckled.


    Josephine''s eyebrows twitched while Anna suddenly stepped forward and said, "You should have some respect for your elder."


    "Respect is earned, not granted. That''s why you''re still a kidpared to me." Noelughed while turning around. "I don''t want to waste my time with two girls."


    Anna and Josephine wanted to say something, but they realized that Noel had all sorts of replies to shut them up. Ultimately, they chose to remain silent until Noel disappeared into the crowd.


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for a while as though she was thinking about something. "Teacher¡­"


    "What?" Josephine replied with a slightly annoyed tone.


    "I will be moving into his territory."


    "Huh?" Josephine instantly became confused. If she didn''t know her students better, she would have assumed that Anna wanted Noel. But she was the masterpiece she had created, so Josephine knew that Anna wanted his life instead.


    "By moving into his territory, I can monitor all his movements and hinder his progress. Besides, even if he doesn''t like me, he can''t stop me, an Arbiter, from staying."


    "So, you''re nning to move to his territory with the excuse of helping him?"


    "Yeah. When there is a chance¡­" Anna smirked evilly.


    Josephine fully understood what Anna wanted to say. Since Anna would be there, it meant that Noel would have a hard time. Obviously, Noel would like to get rid of Anna. However, expelling her from his territory was practically impossible due to the fact that Anna was an Arbiter sent by the kingdom to ''help'' Noel.


    Of course, Josephine or another arbiter could do it as well. However, it would make Anna look like she had lost against Noel.


    In other words, the only way Noel could get rid of Anna was by killing her. But this would give the excuse for the Royal Family to punish Noel and exert all their forces to destroy him. With both of them dying, the Royal Family could seize back control and eliminate the variables. In addition, Noel had runes, while Anna had those weird abilities. So they could get it after investigating their background for a while.


    Meanwhile, Anna would try to kill Noel in one way or another. Even if she couldn''t, she could force him to use his money to do useless things with the excuse of helping. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    If she couldn''t kill Noel, she could at least burn his money and hinder his progress.


    Annoying Noel was quite a sweet n in Josephine''s mind.


    "Let me confirm this. You should know that his territory is dangerous, right?"


    "I know. That''s why I suggest it. Now that it has reached this point, why don''t I force him to go out and meet those dangerous monsters? When he is heavily injured, I think you know what to do." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Seriously injured¡­" Josephine could deliver the killing blow. In fact, the Supreme Devil Organization would use that information to ambush him.


    It was indeed a good n in her head. She considered the pros and cons for a minute before saying, "Alright. I will handle the Royal Family and Supreme Devil Organization. I''ll definitely make the Royal Family support you and stop the Supreme Devil Organization from harming you."


    "Thank you, Teacher." Anna politely bowed to her teacher. "I''m thinking about getting all my luggage right now and heading straight to his territory."


    "You''re not going to wait for a few more days?"


    "No. It''s better to reach his territory first. I can survey the area and use it to my advantage. Besides, having an Arbiter reach the territory first instead of the lord should be pretty annoying, right?"


    Josephine and Anna smiled at each other. Without hesitation, Josephine agreed with Anna''s n and left to exin their ns to the king.


    Meanwhile, Noel had returned to his inn, where Rose was waiting.


    "Have you finished everything?" Rose asked.


    "Yeah. I''m finally an Earl and have a territory. We''ll be leaving tomorrow morning."


    "That fast? You''re not going to use this time to look around the capital and maybe form a bit more connections to other nobles?"


    "No. This is enough. If I be a bit too close with other nobles, the other nobles might think of it as a threat to their position. For now, I''ll be neutral to buy some time to rebuild the territory."


    "Have you thought about the city that will be the capital of our territory?" Rose asked. "Since this is a new territory, it shouldn''t be built yet, right?"


    "I have asked Dimitri to survey the area. There are a total of five towns, but considering the danger of the area, I think having it lean to the border is a pretty good choice."


    "Huh? Why do we need to have the city near the border? Won''t it be pretty dangerous?"


    "Not necessarily. The border will be protected by the royal army of the Greenwood Kingdom, making the transaction easier for both of us. And since we''re at the edge, it''s easy to sweep everything. And basically, the farthest area from the border will be the safest and we don''t need to do much for them, cutting some cost."


    "Though, it won''t miraculously make the city the safest, right? Even with all those people from the royal army¡­"


    "Indeed. That''s why we''ll be creating roads and infrastructures to make the area more essible. As for the soldiers, Dimitri has taken care of that, and I am thinking about converting some mercenaries."


    "Won''t it make it easier for them to buy off the mercenaries? They might get information about us from them."


    "Not necessarily." Noel shook his head. "I''ll be introducing a few systems, so I think everyone will be busy once we''re there. Of course, speed is the key. For now, I have the initial fund, but we''ll need more money to build the territory¡­"


    "So, you''re nning to hunt those demons?" Rose frowned.


    "Exactly. This will be a good opportunity to train the new soldiers and turn them into elite soldiers as well. I''ll exin the systems in detail on the way to our territory."


    "Understood. It will take about two weeks from the capital city to our new territory."


    "No. It''s only one week. I have set up a few checkpoints and asked Dimitri to prepare horses at each checkpoint. So, we''ll be rushing all the time."


    "It seems that there are a lot of things I don''t know after your trip for almost a year¡­" Rose sighed.


    "Well, I''ll be telling you everything on the way." Noel chuckled. "So, get some rest for now because from tomorrow, we''ll be extremely busy."


    "Alright then. I just have one more question. Do you still n to involve the Demon Relief Squad to build the territory?"


    Noel surprisingly shook his head, not because he didn''t want to have anything to do with them anymore, but because he didn''t want them to get hurt. After all, the problem looming in his territory was at the level they had never seen so far.


    Rose could only nod her head, following Noel''s decision.

 Chapter 879 Letters

    "That''s the current situation." Josephine ended her exnation with a nod as though she confirmed that the situation was under control.


    "So, you''re nning to let them fight and destroy each other?" The king looked down, falling into deep thought.


    "That''s right, Your Majesty. By letting them destroy each other, we will be able to see their secret weapon. I''m pretty sure that there is another reason for their growth, and because of their conflict, they should have two different paths. This way, the Muivell Kingdom will be able to see both of their secrets."


    The king could agree with this statement. Even though he had acknowledged Anna as an Arbiter, her strength was still unknown. He wanted her to give that secret to him, but she had yet to show any weakness to exploit.


    So, if he agreed with this arrangement, Noel would push Anna so far that she would reveal her own secret. Noel would certainly be the same.


    Even if Anna would be the one losing in the future, he could simply intervene. Anna would fall into the hands of the royal family, and Noel would die,pletely erasing the Ardagan Family.


    "That''s not a bad suggestion." The king stroked his chin while contemting the pros and cons. After a few minutes, he said, "We''ll let them be for a moment. Since the nobles have given us a bit of pressure because of that Rune Academy, we''ll stay quiet for a bit. The crown prince¡­"


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea, Your Majesty." Josephine looked like she understood why the king mentioned the crown prince. He must want to send the crown prince to Noel''s territory not only to grow closer to Anna but also to learn the runes.


    Unfortunately for him, Josephine disagreed right away, baffling the king.


    "What do you mean, Josephine?"


    "Right now, Anna has no weakness. If you send the crown prince there, she will end up protecting the crown prince. If Noel targets the crown prince instead of her¡­"


    "Are you saying the crown prince is ipetent?" The king narrowed his eyes.


    "I have overstepped my bounds." Josephine lowered her head, but her tone remained serious as though she deemed the crown prince to be Anna''s weakness.


    The king couldn''t deny her wordspletely. Josephine had been working for him for a long time, so he knew what she had been doing this whole time.


    He ultimately agreed with the arrangement. "Alright. We''ll let them be for now. I want you to monitor their situation. Since it will look bad if the royal family sends an expedition mission to him, we''ll wait for him to settle down. This should be enough."


    "Understood." Josephine nodded.


    "Go." The king waved his hand, dismissing Josephine.


    Unbeknownst to them, this decision was something they would regret for their entire life.


    ¡­


    Atracaeca Kingdom.


    "Hahahaha. I''ve finally received the secret of the runes!" The second princeughed while holding a few pages of papers. It contained all the secrets Noel used to teach Tristan, making the runes a bit easier for him.


    "Congrattions, Your Highness." The Great Protector next to him humbly bowed to him. "You''re one step closer to bing the Grand Protector."


    "I should thank you too. If not for you, we would have lost the bargaining power." The second prince smirked.


    "I don''t deserve such praise." The Great Protector shook his head.


    "By the way, what is the situation with the frozen statues?"


    "All the ice has melted. However, the situation doesn''t look that good. Most of the frozen statues can''t be resurrected. Even with the healers and all the methods we possess, it''s basically impossible for us to stop them from dying. It''s like they have ''died'' inside the ice for a long time, so there''s nothing we can do."


    "Is that so?" The second prince frowned. The situation didn''t seem to look that good.


    The Great Protector added, "However, there are a few strong men among them. They managed to survive the ordeal of time, but there is one big problem. Because the previous civilization didn''t have Spiritual Energy¡­ their lives were extremely fragile. They are in aa right now, and we don''t know when they will wake up."


    "For now, make sure they don''t die." The second prince saw a ray of hope and had to make sure that it wasn''t extinguished. He asked, "I''m still wondering¡­ Since the previous civilization didn''t have Spiritual Energy, howe we, thetter generation, have the ability to use one?"


    "I''m afraid I don''t know the answer. But if I have to guess, it''s probably through the evolution process. Or there is a chance that the experiment has changed humans and itstter generation to be able to absorb the Spiritual Energy."


    "Well¡­" The second prince sighed. "We won''t know the answer for the time being. In any case, we''ll continue monitoring those people. My father should have known that I have the secret of runes. With these two, I should be at the top among my brothers."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    ¡­


    In another corner of the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    An old man was sitting behind a pile of papers while sighing, "Why do I have to handle all this paperwork when I became a Grand Protector due to my strength? What''s the use of my strength, then?"


    "Please don''tin, Grand Protector. We''ll be here to help you." A middle-aged man stood next to him with another batch of paper.


    The Grand Protector was surprisingly smaller than everyone could imagine. He was elderly in histe fifties.


    His body looked small and fragile. His muscles were still brimming with energy, but the tired face made one pity this old man if they didn''t know his true identity.


    "What is the current situation with the princes?"


    "The first prince is still training his body. The second prince seems to have gotten the secret of the rune system directly from Noel Ardagan himself. As for the third prince¡­ he is still ying around with women."


    "Kh." The Grand Protector facepalmed, frustrated with the first prince and the third prince. However, he noticed the second prince''s achievement and asked, "What do you mean by Noel Ardagan? Have you investigated it properly?"


    "Yes, Sir. ording to the report, Noel Ardagan was supposed to be dead, but it seemed that he had hidden his identity and just appeared in our territory not long ago. Through that encounter, the second prince managed to gain the secret of the runes."


    "Is that so? Good, good, good. If we can produce people capable of using runes, we''ll be extremely strong." The Grand Protector nodded, satisfied.


    "It''s just that¡­ we have received a letter from Noel Ardagan."


    "Huh? The letter of the creator? What does it say? Does he want to cooperate with the kingdom?"


    "This¡­" The guy looked away while scratching the back of his head. He didn''t know how to word it, but it was clear that there was a problem.


    "What''s wrong? Give me the letter."


    "This is the letter, Sir¡­" He handed him a white envelope, but when the Grand Protector received it, he realized that there were a total of three envelopes.


    "Huh? Why are there three letters¡­" The Grand Protector stopped when he saw the sender of the letters. "Wait a second¡­ Who is this Ezenholm Family?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "The Ezenholm Family is a famous family from the Greenwood Kingdom. The former head of this family was the current king''s tutor."


    "Then¡­ Why is the Royal Family sending one too? Even with their rtionship, there is no need to do it, right?" The Grand Protector''s heart skipped a beat as he pointed at the third letter.


    "I believe you should read the content, Sir. You''ll understand their connections¡­ And these letters are brought by the Greenwood Kingdom''s envoy."


    "Greenwood Kingdom? Don''t tell me¡­ the Greenwood Kingdom has gotten the cooperation of the creator of the rune system before us?" The Grand Protector panicked and hurriedly opened the letter.


    He first opened the Royal Family''s letter, considering they were the most important. However, the content was pretty simple and straightforward.


    "Noel Ardagan is the descendant of the Royal Family of the Greenwood Kingdom. We''re frowning upon your action in extorting him. We''ve decided to decline the cooperation regarding the Arnus Mine. And shall the Atracaeca Kingdom continue their aggression, the Greenwood Kingdom will be taking action as he is the teacher of our second princess."


    "Huh?" The Grand Protector dropped his jaw, not believing what he saw in the letter. The Descendant of the Royal Family? The teacher of the second princess? He looked at his assistant and asked, "This princess¡­ isn''t she¡­"


    "Yeah. The one who is most likely to be the next ruler if not for her desire to step away from the throne. "But I''m not aware of the rtionship between the royal family and him."


    "No, that''s not important right now. The teacher of the second princess¡­ there is only one thing that he can teach the second princess, right?"


    "I''m afraid so." The guy paused for a moment before confirming, "The rune system."


    "Then, what kind of action did we take against him? I haven''t heard anything about this. I only knew about him entering the country from you."


    The guy could only look away while saying with a troubled tone. "I think you can find the answer in the other two letters."

 Chapter 880 Opportunity

    ?


    "I think you can find the answer in the other two letters."


    Upon hearing it, the Grand Protector couldn''t help but look at these letters. Since he was more curious about the Ezenholm Family, he opened it first.


    "The Ezenholm Family is condemning the Atracaeca Kingdom for extorting the bloodline of our family."


    Just a single sentence was enough for the Grand Protector to understand the rest of the content. He couldn''t help but grit his teeth, asking, "Is Noel Ardagan truly¡­"


    "After a simple background check, we''ve confirmed that it''s true. He is the son of the famous Luke Ardagan and Leysha Ezenholm. Leysha Ezenholm is the daughter of the famous Raincart Ezenholm. She was once one of the five Spirit Grandmasters the Ezenholm Family had."


    The Grand Protector''s face darkened. It was clear that the situation was beyond repair. As for the reason, it would be exined in thest letter, which was Noel''s letter.


    "Before you read it, I think you should be aware of this first, Sir." His advisor stopped him for an important piece of information. "Noel Ardagan became an earl in the Muivell Kingdom not long ago. His achievement makes Anna''s talent pale inparison. Of course, his strength has also reached Spirit Grandmaster."


    "¡­" The Grand Protector''s heart skipped a beat. That achievement couldn''t be reproduced by their people. And with the status of an earl, they couldn''t easily do something to Noel, especially with the fact that he was Princess Livia''s teacher.


    When he opened thest letter, his heart sank.


    "I''m disappointed by the treatment of the Atracaeca Kingdom. I originally thought there could be cooperation between us, especially in the rune department. Unfortunately, the only memory I had of the Atracaeca Kingdom was a bitter one.


    "To maintain my integrity, I have fulfilled my side of the agreement by giving the tips of learning rune to your second prince. With this, I will have no connection with the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    "With my name, I hereby ban all people from the Atracaeca Kingdom from enlisting in my Rune Academy."


    The Grand Protector''s heart sank when he saw thest sentence. It was clear that the founder of the runes was nning to create an academy about the very thing he found. Just like the Greenwood Kingdom, they could learn from him directly and advance their progress in runes.


    Yet, for one reason or another, the second prince had offended Noel and forced him to take this action.


    The Grand Protector asked, "What actually has happened between him and the second prince?"


    "¡­" The man looked hesitant to say it. The problem seemed to be bigger than he originally thought.


    Still, as the man at the top, the Grand Protector demanded, "Say it!"


    His advisor could only sigh before exining, "Yes, Sir. You should have gotten the report about the second prince''s finding, Sir."


    "Was Noel Ardagan with him back then?"


    "Yes. It was normal cooperation at first. However, it changed when the Supreme Devil Organization came into the picture. To escape, Noel Ardagan made an agreement with the second prince. His Highness used this opportunity to extort Noel Ardagan¡­ I believe he thought that Noel Ardagan would die in the hands of the Supreme Devil Organization. After all, it was reported that the enemies had two Devil Saints and dozens of Spirit Grandmasters and Spirit Masters.


    "However, everything didn''t go ording to the original n. While it was not mentioned in the report, two Great Protectors informed us that Great Protector Legz had asked for their cooperation. They weren''t aware of the situation, so they continued as nned, but it seemed that they were trying to let Noel Ardagan die in the hands of the organization.


    "There was also a sign of Legz moving the troops near the border of the Zaecuria Kingdom. I''m assuming he was using them to create a line that prevented Noel Ardagan from crossing it, turning the battlefield at the border into his execution ground.


    "Last but not least, Noel Ardagan managed to escape into the Greenwood Kingdom. Unfortunately, nothing could be seen other than a huge ice wall. An ice wall of that magnitude could only be unleashed by the famous Raincart. And it was said that he was the one who killed one of the Devil Saints."


    The Grand Protector involuntarily crushed the letter in his hand as he couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "Are you serious¡­"


    The man couldn''t say anything. If the second prince''s n worked, they might have gotten something anybody desired.


    But the n didn''t work, and Noel retaliated by banning the Atracaeca Kingdom from enrolling in the Rune Academy.


    In other words, the one who would have the least development among the four kingdoms would be none other than their kingdom.


    For a kingdom that required strength to manage its country, they would probably be the kingdom that needed runes the most. Yet, that opportunity had been destroyed by their second prince.


    The blood was rushing into his head. Even his adviser couldn''t look him directly in the eyes.


    Spiritual Energy began to leak out of his body as the Grand Protector roared, "GET THAT DAMNED BASTARD, HERE!"


    His voice shook the entire pce. It was so loud that it felt like the pce shook for a second.


    The people could feel his anger, but their concern was taken away by the fact that they were holding their ears at the moment. After all, his voice almost ruptured their eardrums.


    ¡­


    While the Atracaeca Kingdom was fuming in anger, the Zaecuria Kingdom seemed to be riding the wave.


    They had received a letter from the Greenwood Kingdom. And with the information they received from the spies stationed in the Atracaeca Kingdom, they realized that this was actually an opportunity.


    "Hahaha. That old bastard from the Atracaeca Kingdom has produced a really good offspring. Since they''re the ones blocking the entrances, we can simply say that our kingdom wants to receive him but is restrained by the border. We would always wee him with open arms."


    "Indeed. Noel Ardagan has be an Earl. We should send a gift to congratte him."


    "Who has the most progress in the runes?"N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "I think it''s Count Bernard."


    "Count Bernard is good, but he is quite stiff. If we send him, he would just ruin it."


    "I think we should send Marquis Zepth. While his achievement in rune is less than Count Bernard, he is good at negotiation."


    "Good. Let''s send Marquis Zepth to the Muivell Kingdom."


    The Zaecuria Kingdom wasughing at the Atracaeca Kingdom for not using this opportunity. Since there was no bad blood between the Zaecuria Kingdom and Noel, they could use this opportunity to form a good bond. If possible, they would also send their people to learn runes from Noel.


    They even heard about Livia being Noel''s student. With that information, they became a bit greedy.


    It was an opportunity to send their talented men and women to befriend Noel. With this, they would also do Noel a favor by using their people to stop the Muivell Kingdom from putting more pressure on Noel''s shoulders.


    As Raincart taught Noel, the letters were extremely useful, especially if one had a good reputation. They could use it as a bargaining power in order to protect themselves.


    Even though Raincart couldn''t enter the Muivell Kingdom or stop Noel from going back, he could still protect his grandson.


    King Oliver didn''t realize that not destroying Noel right away was a big mistake. Now that he had sent Noel to the border, it meant that supervising him would be hard.


    While he didn''t know what Noel was up to, support from the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom came.


    It brought him a great shock as he didn''t know how Noel gathered their support.


    Hiding Livia''s identity seemed to work perfectly. Once the report about the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom came, the king hurriedly realized that he had been had.


    "Hurry up and call Anna Stargaze back! If we let her go to his territory, she might die. This is a trap set by Noel Ardagan. We can''t afford to lose Anna Stargaze right now!" The king ordered.


    Unfortunately, it was toote. The timing of the letters was perfect. During that time, Noel had reached his new territory.


    Noel was nning to use all these supports to build his new territory, creating a territory that was able to resist the royal family, the demons, and the organization.


    However, the support from the two kingdoms wasn''t the one that shook the country the most.


    There was one more thing that Noel had yet to reveal. Once it was known by the whole world, it would cause all four kingdoms to stand still.


    Even the royal family in the Muivell Kingdom had no clue about it.


    ¡­


    Seven days after Noel''s departure, he and Rose finally reached a small vige at the edge of the territory where Dimitri and the others had waited.


    This was the beginning of his life as a noble.

 Chapter 881 Village

    Chapter 881 Vige


    "Master, I''ve been waiting for you." Dimitri lowered his head, greeting Noel in front of a vige.


    The vige was quite big for something that was near the border. However, only Noel knew the true identity of this vige.


    Noel nodded with a smile. "I''ve arrived. I''m assuming that everyone is ready."


    "You would be surprised when youe in, Sir." Dimitri extended his hand, inviting Noel to enter the vige.


    Dimitri wasn''t apanied by anyone else, making Rose a bit confused. She thought this was just an ordinary vige, but when she followed Noel into the vige, she couldn''t help but drop her jaw.


    "This is¡­" Rose sucked a cold breath.


    Just from the entrance, she could see more than two hundred people.


    "How many people are there¡­" Rose looked around, realizing that there were more people than could be seen currently.


    Noel noticed a lot of familiar faces.


    "Teacher." Tristan and Livia politely bowed their heads. They had used light clothing simr to the vigers. Tristan aside, Noel was thankful that Livia had no problem with it.


    "Have you two got ustomed to this ce?" Noel nodded.


    "Yes, Teacher."


    Noel then turned around and noticed another person.


    "It''s nice to meet you. I''m thankful that you ept my invitation." Noel walked toward him.


    The guy didn''t seem to be famous, but it was because he rarely saw people, as he was always locked himself in his workshop.


    However, Noel greeted him politely, introducing him. "One of the Master cksmiths, Sir Roel."


    "I''ming here because I''m interested in thepleted runes. As long as I can continue learning here, then I will do my best to help the lord, including bing one of the pirs."


    Noel smiled. He had nned to rebuild the pirs of the Ardagan Family. Dimitri aside, Roel was another person he had his sight on.


    For a single territory to have the exclusive help of a Master cksmith was huge. People loved having a good cksmith because their armor was not only sturdy but it also carried an enhancement. If Roel could embed runes on their equipment, it would be even stronger.


    This was enough to elevate the safety of this territory by several levels.


    Since Roel had epted the position, Noel turned to another person. "It seems that fate allows us to meet again."


    The one he spoke to was actually a woman. She was leading a group of eighteen other women.


    At first, they looked like a weak group who could do nothing. But after a few years, they had turned into apletely independent group.


    "When we''ve fallen to despair and thought nothing could solve it other than our deaths, Lord Earl saved us. We couldn''t thank you enough for your help back then. If it''s not too much to ask, we would like to work for Lord Earl, helping to build this city."


    Noel just wanted to help people like his father in the past. These women were the same people who begged him to kill them after getting kidnapped by the bandits.


    However, his words inspired them to live once again. It was due to their efforts that they had reached this far.


    "I should be the one asking all of you. Could you help me?"


    "We will do our best."


    There were truly a lot of people, and he knew that it was impossible to greet all of them in this situation.


    Before asking another thing, Noel decided to visit another group first. They had been standing a bit further away, so he had a hard time finding them. But their importance was higher than the rest of the people.


    This group consisted of Harley, Howard, Dous, Charlotte, Balott, and Jasmine.


    He met Harley often as he was the head of the informationwork. Harley smiled, saying, "Don''t worry, my lord. We''llplete an informationwork to make sure nothing goes wrong."


    On the other hand, he had never met Howard after getting exiled to the Demon Banner Army. Still, when he was still a young master, he often saw Howard as he was the vice captain of the Ardagan Family''s garrison.


    Howard was a muscr man with a lot of scars on his face and body. It was clear that he had gone through more than a hundred battles.


    He nodded to Noel. "It''s the first time we will meet again after that incident. I''m d that you''re fine¡­ I and seventy warriors of the former Ardagan Family havee and want to pledge our loyalty to you, my lord."


    "Thank you, Howard." Noel was gratified, but he couldn''t show it at the moment.


    Dous cracked his hands as he might be the most energetic one among these people. "You''ve finally arrived. We can progress with the construction right now. How big is the city you want? I have a design for the wall that can protect us from any dangers. I''ll definitely turn this city into an imprable fortress."


    "Ahaha, I''m looking forward to it." Noel chuckled, not knowing what to say since it would also require a lot of funds.


    Charlotte surprisingly looked at Rose instead of him. She scanned Rose up and down before muttering, "Is this my sessor? She seems to be intelligent, but she iscking in a few areas¡­"


    This was the first time Rose met her, so she couldn''t help but hide behind Noel.


    "Please take care of her for me, Charlotte."


    "Of course, my lord. She will be able to do anything soon." Charlotte nodded with a slightly evil smile as though she had prepared a lot of things for Rose.


    The fifth person was Balott, he was the one managing the business of the Ardagan Family. In other words, if anyone wanted to do business in the territory, they would have to go through Balott first. Of course, it included internal affairs. The only person Dous feared might be Balott.


    "The fund is not enough, my lord. If we wish to speed up our progress, we''ll need three times the amount we have. And I haven''t calcted other projects."


    "It''s fine. I have a few things in mind. I''ll tell you about thoseter."


    "I''m looking forward to it." Balott was a rather serious person, but it might be due to this that everyone was a bit scared of Balott.


    Last but not least, the head of agriculture, Jasmine. He was the first pir Noel met.


    "Master. The mountain not far from here is perfect. I''ve checked the soil. There are also a lot of water sources that we can use. In the far future, there shouldn''t be any shortage of food for the territory."


    "I''m leaving everything to you." Noel nodded. This way, Noel had gathered eight pirs: Dimitri, Roel, Harley, Howard, Dous, Charlotte, Balott, and Jasmine. He wanted at least a few more, and he actually had the candidates already.


    The first one would be the head of medicine, the former royal alchemist Khalid, whom Anna had introduced previously. And the second one was the director of the Rune Academy, Livia.


    With Dimitri taking care of the workers, Roel handling the equipment, and Dous and Harley protecting the territory, they should be able to sustain themselves.


    Then, Charlotte oversaw the internal affairs while helping Dous with the construction of the city. Balott would handle the fund while Jasmine took care of the food.


    This would be enough to build the city. However, Noel still wanted two more spots in the territory.


    Just like his father, Noel wanted to have three specialties in his territory. The first would be handled by Livia, which was the runes. The second would be the pills that Khalid produced. Last but not least, he wanted to have a strong research group.


    He believed that runes would be the future. Hence, he wanted a bridge that connected Roel, Livia, or all rtedbat departments. In other words, the third specialty would be rted to advanced runes, allowing even a normal person to fight.


    He still hadn''t found any person who could handle this task and be the eleventh pir of the family. As for thest pir, he wanted something to oversee the development of the previous civilizations.


    So, he might have to join hands with the Tower Association if he wanted to find thest two pirs. But for the time being, he chose to leave the two seats empty.


    After greeting the people, Noel turned to Dimitri, asking, "How many people do we have?"


    "About four hundred people. It''s not enough to create a massive city, so we''re thinking about having a migration from other ces. With my lord''s guarantee, we should be able to fill up the city. Sir Roel''s children are the first merchants in our territory, so we''ll cooperate with them to handle the supplies."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "How many people do we need?"


    "Depending on the size of the city, we might be able to host five to ten thousand people in this city alone. And there will be a few other cities in the future."


    "I see. We''ll talk about thister. But before that¡­ How about those kids?"


    "If you''re talking about Erica and the others, they''re still in the headquarters. After stabilizing the territory, we''ll escort them here. I believe this is the safest n for them."


    "Alright then." Noel agreed with the arrangement and thought about dispersing these people so that they could continue with their work.


    However, their attention was taken away by a female''s voice echoing from one of the buildings.


    "Hahaha. It seems that you have made a lot of preparations, Noel Ardagan."


    "!!!" Everyone''s gaze followed the voice and found Anna sitting on top of a roof. They never expected that such an important person woulde here.


    Anna couldn''t help but look at Livia first before stating, "I''m here as an Arbiter. You should know that a noble can''t chase away an Arbiter from their territory unless there''s a valid reason. And I''m here just to ''help'' you."

 Chapter 882 Not The Past, But The Future

    Chapter 882 Not The Past, But The Future


    "Is she the famous Anna Stargaze?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "She shouldn''t be here."


    "She must be trying to ruin everything. Don''t forget about that rumor, she was the one who requested the royal family to execute the former master and mistress, and she even tried to kill the current lord."


    The people were discussing Anna''s appearance. Only a few people, like Dimitri and Rose, knew the truth.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel had asked them to pacify the rest of the people while he dragged Anna to the house in the center of the vige. They hadn''t specified the living quarters of the mansion and other things, so he just used the one in the middle to talk to Anna.


    "Seriously¡­ Do you even need to do something like that?" Noel let out a long sigh while closing the door. He even covered the windows with ice, preventing anyone from seeing or listening to their conversation.


    "I have to. I don''t know if there are any spies or not. And I go all the way here with that kind of excuse, so I should at least put up that kind of show." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "Well¡­" Noel paused for a moment. "You''ve gotten good with your acting."


    "Thanks to you." Anna chuckled while pointing at the table. "Why don''t we have a seat?"


    "This is not going to be long. If we talk too long, people will suspect something." Noel rejected the invitation and asked, "Still, what are you doing here? I thought that staying with the royal family shouldn''t pose any problems for you, right?"


    "Does that mean you don''t want me here?" Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows.


    "Of course not. I don''t mind having you here. It''s just¡­ you will be tired if you have to put up the act every single time." Noel exined his concern. It was rare that Noel was this considerate. In fact, she felt Noel had changed somehow.


    "I¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. She recalled what her father said back then and the realization that came afterward.


    There was an urge to talk about everything, but the words stuck in her throat.


    Just like Anna, his grandfather had also told him about his rtionship. The reason why he never wanted someone to apany him was because that person was bound to be a burden. What if he fell for someone and the royal family kidnapped that person to go against him?


    However, Anna was different. Her strength, experience, and talent were far better than the rest.


    Let alone protecting her, she might be the one shielding him. Even with this power, he didn''t know whether he could win against Anna or not. Though, he would probably be stronger than her when they both reached the limit of absorption of the Demon Crystals, considering his limit was twice of hers.


    More importantly, he had experienced a lot with Anna. That memory stuck in his mind.


    Noel recalled what his grandfather said about telling him that not all matters could be solved rationally. Sometimes, he just had to drop everything and do what his instincts and feelings told him.


    After seeing her troubled face, Noel couldn''t help but say, "You see¡­ I believe I haven''t asked you this question¡­ Have I caused you any inconveniences like acting as enemies or other things¡­ If you''re tired of it, then I have to apolog¡ª"


    "No!" Anna cut Noel''s words and raised her head. She had a hard time saying everything and ended up taking a few deep breaths.


    Noel patiently waited for her. The current situation reminded him of Anna''s outburst when they were inside the previous Ardagan''s mansion. At that time, Anna was tired because everything she did was never considered by Noel. So, he wanted to know what Anna had to say this time.


    "I¡­" Anna clenched her fists. Surprisingly, she lowered her head all of a sudden and finally said, "I''m sorry. In the past, you''ve never wanted me to say it, and the longer I wait, the harder it bes for me to say it. But¡­ sorry¡­ I apologize for all my actions in the past. I had ordered the execution of your parents and the downfall of your families. Without me, your family would still be intact, and you wouldn''t have to endure all this hardship!


    "It turned out¡­ I was more selfish than I originally thought. Instead of asking for forgiveness, I turned out to be forcing you to change. Yes, instead of taking responsibility, I med everything on you.


    "I thought that I had been considerate, but it appeared that you were more considerate. I simply used my strength to force you to be like that¡­"


    Anna recalled what had happened in her previous life. With Noel''s schemes, there were a lot of times he could kill her. Yet, he didn''t do it. To put it simply, he had the strength to do it but chose not to.


    On the other hand, the current Noel didn''t have the strength and was forced to abandon that thought. Of course, if one looked from her perspective, she also had the strength but chose not to kill him. But the problem came from her, not the other way around. Ultimately, it was her fault.


    "I¡­" Anna walked closer to Noel while biting her lips. "I am sorry for ruining everything."


    Noel was quite surprised that Anna would even say something like this. He froze, trying his best toe up with a reply.


    Anna looked like she was tired of acting like this. She wanted to end everything and be his ally like Dimitri and the others instead of ying the viin role.


    "It seems that I have put a big burden on your shoulders." Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "As you said earlier, my parents'' execution tore me, and my exile broke me apart. When you came to the Demon Banner Army, the only thing I could think of was my revenge.


    "But the longer I know you, the more I realize that you are just a human. Both of us have made a grave mistake in our lives.


    "What if I actually pushed aside myziness from the beginning and worked hard to be strong? Would my family get bullied to that extent? Would my father create this scheme?


    "I have been thinking that¡­ if our situation is different¡­ if we were equal in the past, would all this happen?" Noel scratched the back of his head. "How do I say this¡­ would there be a need for forgiveness if things went differently?"


    Noel was wondering what would happen if he actually trained with Ardagan from the beginning. His family might even go beyond this, and his father wouldn''t have to create this scheme. In fact, he could openly form a connection with his best friend, Marquis Stargaze.


    At that time, he and Anna might be best friends or even more.


    Unfortunately, nothing could change the past.


    "Now that you bring up this matter, I''ve actually realized something. I believe that¡­ the past is fine as it is. After all, what actually matters is the future." Noel paused for a moment before asking, "If I forgive you right now, will it change the past?"


    "¡­No." She shook her head helplessly.


    "That''s why it doesn''t really matter anymore." Noel looked into Anna''s eyes and said solemnly, "What I despise is the Anna in the past. However, what I like is the current Anna¡­ the current you. Whatever you''re doing right now won''t change the past, but it will definitely shape the future. Hence, I will say this to you. I will never forgive everything you''ve done in the past."


    Anna''s body froze, thinking it was a rejection.


    But Noel added, "However, I will put aside the grudge, the hatred, and the anger. Because this is the future I want to shape."


    Anna''s eyes regained their light. She fully understood what he meant. As he said, no matter what she had done, it would never change the past.


    With Noel''s words, he wanted both of them to put down the grudge, especially her guilt. After all, he wanted to create a future thatpletely wouldn''t happen unless she let go of the burden.


    His words somehow gave her another realization, especially regarding her rebirth. Why would she go back to the past? Was it to fix everything?


    No. She had never fixed anything. Everything that was broken would never be the same anymore, even if they managed to reattach every single piece.


    But she could choose whether to throw it away or polish it to create something anew.


    Yes, the most probable reason for her to return to the past might not be to fix the past; it was to create a new future.


    "Noel¡­ do you remember the bet we agreed on during that expedition¡­"


    She must be talking about the bet about telling each other their secret, he thought. He was soon surprised that Anna hugged him all of a sudden.


    "Eh?" Noel''s body shook while Anna buried her face in his chest out of embarrassment while muttering, "I think¡­ I''ve lost."

 Chapter 883 Most Awkward

    "I think¡­ I''ve lost."


    Noel''s body froze. He didn''t think that Anna would do something of this level. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but his grandfather reminded him that it was better to follow his instinct.


    If Noel followed his logic, he would think that if he agreed to this, it would mean that the territory would be barraged by attacks from their enemies. It would cause a lot of problems for the territory.


    Even the royal family might change their approach when they realize that Anna and Noel had joined hands this whole time.


    That was why Noel actually closed his eyes for a moment as though wondering whether he should follow his brain or his heart.


    Anna had always been beside him the whole time. There was a time she was helpful, yful or even hateful. Yet, all of them were good memories.


    There was one reminder from his grandfather that rang in his mind this whole time.


    "Instead of using your brain to consider whether that decision is good or bad, why don''t you make the decision first and use that brain to turn that decision into a good one."


    In other words, whether it was a good or bad decision, it didn''t really matter because he coulde up with a n to turn the situation around.


    With that thought in mind, Noel had decided to trust his feelings. He gently circled his arms on Anna''s back while saying, "No. You haven''t lost¡­ Let''s just call it a draw."


    Anna trembled in shock. "Do I really deserve this¡­"


    "You don''t be a good person. However, when people recognize you as a good person that you know that you''ve done something good. And that''s why I can tell you this¡­ don''t think too low of yourself."


    Noel''s tone was serene, giving peace to her heart.


    Anna made a wry smile. "I''m sorry for doing things this way. If only I could be more honest and more straightforward instead of doing this in a roundabout way¡­"


    "It''s my fault too. But don''t you think this is just like us? If we''re that straightforward, we would have killed each other in the past." Noel chuckled.


    "That might be true¡­"


    Anna and Noel closed their eyes, just enjoying the feeling of each other''s embrace. This was probably the first time they confronted their feelings.


    "I have never felt something like this before¡­" Anna muttered.


    "Me too. Though, I have to warn you that I''m a selfish person¡­ but I can guarantee that I will do my best to do anything for you."


    "I already know what kind of person you are. And you also know me¡­"


    "Indeed." Noel smiled. It was a bit awkward because they had never experienced something like this. Even their parents didn''t teach them much in this area. However, that awkwardness showed them that they had a lot of things to improve. This was just the first step.


    "I think I should get going¡­ If I stay too long, the people will get suspicious. You don''t have to announce anything¡­ Just let them realize itter and get shocked. This should be enough to buy us some time, right?" Anna gently released herself from Noel. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "No." Noel shook his head. "If we want to do it, then we will announce it right away."


    "But¡­" Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. She didn''t want to be the cause of Noel''s problems.


    "As I said earlier, we''ll leave the past behind. It''s time to create a new future." Noel''s face turned solemn. "That''s why I''m going to announce it right away. They can be shocked or whatever they want, and I will think of another n to handle all our future problems."


    Anna was amused. She never thought that Noel would actually scrap the n he had worked hard for to show his determination.


    "What do you want me to do?" Anna asked. Since Noel was prepared to go that far for her, she also didn''t hesitate to do something even if it was controversial.


    "I think we should take a seat first." Noel pointed at the table not far from them. Anna suggested sitting earlier, but theypletely forgot about it because of the matter.


    Anna awkwardly nodded while Noel contemted their current situation.


    "If you''re going to announce our rtionship, there is a chance that they will strip me of my status."


    "No. They won''t do that. They''ll probably send your teacher to go against us instead. After all, the Ardagan Family has four Grandmasters with you here."


    "Dimitri, Howard, and us?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "In that case, we should bolster our men even further. If you''re going to announce it, Khalid would definitely side with us. We should call him here as soon as possible."


    "That''s a good idea. For now, the territory is still in its early stages. So, building the territory takes priority. You should know where the resources in this territory are hidden, right?"


    "Leave it to me. Should I set off to clean up thosends?"


    "Yeah. But I don''t want you to do it alone. Howard will be with you."


    Anna thought for a moment. At first, it looked like Noel was trying to protect her. But Noel should have confidence in her strength and believed that she was stronger than Howard. In that case, Noel''s aim must be something else, she thought.


    "To train those knights?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah. I''ll give you the details after meeting with all the pirs tomorrow. Since everyone will know that we''re not enemies, I can''t predict how they are going to react. That''s why I will need a lot of people to fill thisnd."


    "With a lot of people, you can assign them to a lot of things."


    "Indeed. I think I have to apologize because I can''t do anything for you right now."


    "No need. I can understand the situation, and it''s partially because of me."


    Noel paused as he had a lot of things to consider.


    Anna looked around, wondering if this ce had a map of the region or not. But considering this was just a normal house, there was nothing they could use to consider their n.


    However, there was one thing that caught her attention. "That''s right. Noel, how far should we spread the information?"


    "How far?" Noel didn''t understand her way of thinking at first, but he soon realized that this precious information could actually be used in another way. "But are you sure you want to do this?"


    "Since we''ve decided to do this, we should go all the way." Anna agreed without hesitation.


    "In that case, let''s shake the entire kingdom¡­ no, the entire world." Noel pointed at Anna and himself in session while saying, "You have got a wild idea, while I will create a concrete n. Don''t you agree?"


    "My wild idea is unpredictable since it''s just my instinct telling me right."


    "Yeah. And I''ll consolidate that idea to a concrete n, which will throw off everyone."


    Anna agreed with this arrangement. She couldn''tpete with him in terms of nning, but she couldplement him.


    She said, "That''s right. However, I''m going to warn you first. Even if we''re together, I''m still not nning to lose to you."


    "I know. You are that kind of person. And we''ll see whether you can keep up with my n." Noel smirked.


    "Hahaha. This is truly our style." Anna raised one finger. "In that case, I think I should tell you my goal. I want to be the strongest woman in the world, surpassing even your ancestors. I will be the first woman to be the legendary Spirit King. I''m not nning to stop, so you don''t need to hesitate to ask for my protection."


    "Protect me? Who?" Noel shook his head helplessly. "I can protect myself."


    "Really? Should we test it?"


    "Fine by me." Noel chuckled.


    "By the way, what is your goal, Noel?"


    "My goal?" Noel thought for a moment. "I''m afraid I can''t tell you. It''s not because I don''t want to tell you, but if I tell you, it will mean that the goal can''t be achieved anymore."


    "Is that so?" Anna looked a bit sad, but it was understandable. She had just to trust Noel, even if Noel''s goal was actually to kill her.


    Since the atmosphere became awkward again, Anna tried to change the topic. "That''s right. We''ve gone too far from the topic. Let''s return to the first discussion, shall we?"


    "No. While we''re at it, I think I''ll do one more thing." Noel raised a finger as if asking her for a minute. He then ced his hands on his chest, waist, or even his back like he was searching for something.


    After a while, he began reaching for something in the pocket near his abdomen. It was a small pouch that looked a bit worn out. But it was worn out because it was important enough for Noel to keep it by his side all the time.


    He opened the pouch and turned it upside down, trying to get the items inside of it to fall down.


    And Anna couldn''t help but widen her eyes when a pair of golden rings dropped to his palm. The rings didn''t have any jewelry or anything. Instead, it had aplicated pattern that of a rune.


    "These two rings are symbolized as the token of love by the Ancestor of the Ardagan Family to propose to his most important person.


    "With my ancestor as the witness, I, Noel Ardagan, solemnly swear that I will apany Anna Stargaze for the rest of my life."


    Noel raised one of the rings to Anna.


    Anna''s face reddened from the shock and excitement, her hands were shaking as she wanted to touch the ring but was overwhelmed by her feelings.


    They had truly gone too far from the topic, but Anna truly didn''t expect Noel to end their randomness with a proposal. They felt like kids who didn''t know anything about love and rtionships. But this awkwardness actually showed their sincere feelings.


    "I¡­" Anna had a hard time calming her heart down. "I, too, will apany Noel Ardagan for the rest of my life. I wish that the ancestor blesses our rtionship."

 Chapter 884 Announcement

    Chapter 884 Announcement


    "What are we going to do?"


    "It has been almost two hours since they are inside."


    "Did our lord get threatened by her?"


    The people of the Ardagan Family couldn''t help but look at Dimitri, who had been apanying Noel this whole time.


    At first, they were doing their jobs, but after an hour, they became curious about the discussion Noel and Anna had. There must be an extremely important discussion since it took so long.


    At the same time, Dimitri was confused about the length of this discussion as well. Considering their current standing, it was unlikely for Noel to waste this much time.


    So, there was a chance that something must have happened. Still, the entire house was blocked by Noel''s ice, so it was impossible to find anything.


    Dimitri could only shake his head helplessly, saying, "I''m not sure either. Master hasn''t told me anything."


    "Seriously? Not even you? But they are enemies, right? She was the cause of the execution of the former lords. We couldn''t let this go."


    "That''s right. We should forcefully enter and make this woman pay for her crime."


    The other pirs nodded in agreement. Dimitri didn''t receive any orders to disclose Anna and Noel''s true rtionship, so he could only shake his head as though he was rejecting the idea.


    "Dimitri!" They were ring at Dimitri''s passive action. Dimitri was the strongest among them, so he should be the one to break the ice that protected the house.


    "If you don''t want to do it, then I will." Howard stepped forth while cracking his fingers.


    "Oh, Howard!" Their expression brightened, knowing that Howard should have the strength to do it as well.


    But right when Howard wanted to gather his energy, the ice surrounding the house began to vanish.


    "Hmm?" Howard paused his action and observed the fluctuation of the spiritual energy. "It seems that¡­ it''s really gone. The ice is gone."


    "What?" Their gazes turned to the house, specifically the door''s handle. They could see the handle gradually rotated, making them anxious. They wished their lord woulde out of the house unharmed.


    Fortunately, their wish was granted as Noel was the one opening the door, followed by Anna.


    "My lord¡­" Howard squinted his eyes to check his condition.


    "Don''t worry. I''m alright." Noel waved his hand while Anna stood next to him, her face slightly red.


    "Hmm?" Dimitri couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows as though noticing the unusual behaviors of these two.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Actually, I have a big announcement to make." Noel noticed that most of the pirs were actually waiting for him. So, it would be the best time to announce this matter.


    With him raising his left hand, Dimitri instantly understood what was going on. However, he wasn''t spared by the shock as he was the first to drop his jaw. There was actually a ring on Noel''s finger.


    Then, Noel actually confirmed it by grabbing Anna''s left hand to show the same thing.


    Due to her high perception, Rose couldn''t help but notice the rings and ask out loud, "The ring¡­ Don''t tell me¡­"


    With a big smile on his face, Noel announced, "I and Anna Stargaze are officially engaged."


    It was a simple statement. Everyone could hear it loud and clear. But that was probably the exact reason why they couldn''t help but drop their jaws to the ground.


    "EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH?!"


    Jasmine and the others couldn''tprehend this matter. They only knew that Anna was their enemy. Yet, after a long discussion with their lord, Anna actually became his fiancee.


    It was impossible to connect the dots.


    Harley, one of the people who knew the secret, couldn''t help butugh. "Hahahahaha. This is surprising and hrious! My lord¡­ and mydy, congrattions to you both."


    "Harley? Why are you congratting her?" Charlotte asked, concerned about their current status.


    Surprisingly, the one to answer that question was actually Rose. She said, "That''s actually what happened¡­ Congrattions to both of you."


    "Dimitri, say something to him! He must be bewitched!" Howard grabbed Dimitri''s shoulder while pointing at Noel. He acknowledged that Anna was beautiful, and her reputation had stated that she was one of the most beautiful people in the country. That was the reason why he thought Noel had been seduced by Anna.


    Contrary to his expectation, Dimitri actually rubbed his eyes as though he was shedding some tears because of how proud he was. "Master¡­ you''ve finally¡­ you''ve finally¡­"


    Howard''s face darkened, looking at Dimitri''s reaction in horror as if Dimitri had just gone insane.


    "There must be something wrong with this. Is it because the Ardagan Familycks the necessary funding? If that''s the case, my lord, you shouldn''t have sacrificed yourself. Let this Balott take care of the family''s funds." Balott raised his hand, trying to prevent such a situation.


    However, Livia, who was next to him, gave a contradictory reaction. "I see. It''s no wonder that my father has told me that the chance is close to impossible." She politely bowed her head while lifting her skirt. "The Greenwood Kingdom congrattes Earl Noel for his engagement. And I also want to congratte you as a student."


    "Thank you, Livia." Noel chuckled.


    "You¡­ you¡­" Balott wanted to say something, but he didn''t know what to say at this point. The fact that Anna and Noel got engaged alone was enough to shake the entire kingdom, let alone the acknowledgment from the Greenwood Kingdom. He knew that this matter would definitely shake the whole world.


    "By the way, Charlotte. I''m going to spend the rest of the day looking around the vige. So, I want all the pirs to gather tomorrow morning since I have a lot of decisions to make. This will shape the entire territory." Noel exined.


    "That''s not important right now, my lord." Charlotte panicked, thinking she had made a huge mistake by letting the son of the former lord fall in Anna''s hand. Anna just looked like a witch who could bend anyone to her will.


    "You guys are exaggerating." Noel chuckled. "She didn''t bewitch me or anything. This is my decision."


    "Still, it''s quite surprising for you to suddenly announce this matter, Master." Dimitri walked closer and asked, "When I was with you, I didn''t see any sign of this. When did you decide to do this?"


    "Just now. But well, I should thank my grandfather for this." Noel made a wry smile.


    In fact, both his grandfather and her father were the actual cause. If his grandfather didn''t give him this important advice or if her father didn''t incite her jealousy, both of them wouldn''t be together.


    That was right. Noel wouldn''t lower his pride and express his feelings and Anna would think that Noel was still hers without the sense of urgency.


    Without those two, Noel and Anna might not be together for another few years.


    Anna couldn''t help but lower her head, blushing. She could understand their reactions, but she nned to confront that problem. On the other hand, the acknowledgement from Dimitri, Harley, Rose, and Livia made her embarrassed.


    "What''s wrong with you guys? It''s nothing big really." Noel waved his hand while asking Charlotte. "Aren''t you supposed to be happy since you know that the Ardagan Family won''tck a sessor? Well, we''re only engaged right now. So, it will be a bitter in the future."


    "No, that''s not the point!" Charlotte shook her head, having trouble correcting Noel.


    "You too, Balott. Since the territory is still unstable, I''m not nning to use the funds for the marriage right now. So, we''ll stabilize the territory in one year and hold the wedding at that time. Shouldn''t you be happy that we won''t run out of funds for the time being?"


    "Charlotte said what I wanted to say. That''s not the point, my lord." Balott wanted to say that if it was any other woman, he would be happy. At the same time, he couldn''t say that his lord had made a bad decision.


    Noel scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do with these guys. In the end, he could only look at Dimitri and say, "You should handle the rest of the problems."


    "The rest of the problems¡­" Dimitri noticed what he truly intended to do. "I understand. Leave it to me."


    Noel turned to Harley. "Spread the words about my engagement."


    "Consider it done, my lord." Harley bowed with a smile. He was certainly excited to spread these words through the brothels. And before long, the engagement would reach everyone''s ears.


    "Livia. You don''t have to worry about runes for three days. Just help me with the territory a little bit, will you?"


    "Yes, Teacher. I''ll help everyone here with my experience and knowledge."


    Finally, Noel turned to Rose and said, "I''ll be touring around the vige to learn more about this ce. So, calm these people down for me. We''re going to have a meeting tomorrow morning after all."


    "Understood."


    After giving his orders to the four people who knew about his rtionship with Anna, Noel held Anna''s hand while pointing forward. "Let''s go, shall we?"


    "Um¡­" Anna was still embarrassed by everyone''s reaction, so she only nodded timidly as they ran away from these people.

 Chapter 885 Realization

    Chapter 885 Realization


    A middle-aged man was hidden between two houses as he attached a small scroll to a bird''s foot before releasing the bird into the sky.


    "They should know about this big news right away!" The guy muttered while looking at the bird.


    Unbeknownst to him, his shadow began to move. A few tentacles suddenly emerged and restrained his mouth, hands, and feet.


    "Mhmmf?!"


    The guy panicked, not knowing what was happening. However, he couldn''t do anything as his body began to sink into the shadows.


    When he submergedpletely, it would be thest time that man was ever seen again.


    Next to him was none other than Dimitri.


    Noel must have predicted that there would be spies in their territory. No matter how careful he was, it was impossible topletely check all their background. So, Noel ordered him to take care of the rest, which meant the spies.


    "Luckily, there are only three spies. I''m sure that two of them are from the Supreme Devil Organization and the Royal Family. But I don''t know who that third spy belongs to¡­" Dimitri shook his head helplessly. "In any case, since the news has to be spread, I''ll let the birds go."


    Yes. Noel had ordered to spread the news, so there was no reason for Dimitri to kill the birds.


    Instead, he killed the spies after sending the news, creating an illusion that the spies were still there and would report to them once they got more important news.


    This would fool their enemies for a while.


    ¡­


    As Dimitri said, two of the spies came from the Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization.


    In the Supreme Devil Organization''s headquarters, a man suddenly rushed into the meeting between the Supreme Devil and his Devil Saints.


    "We have an emergency¡­ they have fooled us!" The guy shouted, interrupting them while waving the scroll he got.


    "Fooled us? What do you mean?" Qiel noticed the scroll and stopped him.


    The man handed the scroll to her while catching his breath.


    When Qiel read the information written on the paper, she couldn''t help but gasp. "This is¡­"


    "What''s wrong, Qiel?" Alexander asked while furrowing his eyebrows. It was rare to see Qiel that shocked, so he couldn''t help but get curious.


    Qiel''s expression darkened. "We''ve been fooled¡­ by Noel Ardagan. We''ve just received the news from our spy that¡­" Qiel seemed to have a hard time understanding the situation, but she still finished her words. "¡­Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are now officially engaged."


    "Engaged¡­ Engaged?!" Alexander dropped his jaw to the ground. "Wait a minute¡­ Anna Stargaze once tried to disturb our n by investigating Count Heirden. At that time, she was able to barely escape through her True Spirit Body. I didn''t think too much about her appearance, but it was at that time Noel and the other squads came. Don''t tell me¡­ they''ve been working together the whole time?"


    Qiel simply couldn''t believe her realization. They all had been fooled by these two geniuses. They were always together, but because of the previous farce, no one would doubt them.


    Qiel couldn''t help but nce at Laufey. "You were an Ardagan before¡­ did you know anything about this?"


    "No." Laufey shook his head. "He never mentioned any engagement regarding his son. However, it might be possible¡­ since Kevin Stargaze was his friend. The reason why they managed to fool all of us was because¡­ Anna Stargaze was truly like that in the past. She wanted to destroy the Ardagan Family once and for all. But the enemies soon turned into lovers. It was hard to ept, but this was the only possible n I could think of."


    "Now that I think about it, Anna Stargaze went to the Demon Banner Army, right? It was to kill him, right?" Alexander asked, doubting his own words.


    "What if Kevin Stargaze was the one sending her so that she could know Noel better? It might be what he wanted this whole time¡­ with these two geniuses joining hands, they would pretty much be untouchable. Don''t forget that we don''t know the extent of the Ardagan Family''s power right now¡­ With Anna Stargaze here, they have at least four Spirit Grandmasters in their rank¡­ That''s all we know." Qiel gritted her teeth.


    No one would expect that they had been fooled to this extent.


    Qiel couldn''t help but look at Alexander. "Can you do something to them?"


    "Oscar is tracking me. If I make my move, we will sh again. So, not at the moment¡­" Alexander shook his head helplessly.


    "I¡­" Laufey wanted to volunteer, but after the previous defeat, he didn''t know whether it was the right thing to do or not.


    On the other hand, Qiel said, "It''s going to be hard for us to do anything to him. Dimitri could stop one of us pretty easily, while Noel managed to stop my arrows when he was only a Spirit Master. Now that he has be a Spirit Grandmaster, a half-baked n would just cause us a disastrous defeat."


    "Are you saying we shouldy low for the time being?" Alexander asked. "You should know that those two geniuses are advancing by leaps and bounds. If we give them another year, we might not be able to defeat them."


    "I know. That''s why I''m trying to think of a n." Qiel raised her voice, getting frustrated.


    "Noel alone is already a headache, and there is Anna Stargaze, who defeated Count Heirden without her True Spirit Body. If we want to defeat them, we could only strike the people around them or¡­ have at least three peak Spirit Grandmaster to handle them along with a lot of minions." Alexander sighed, realizing that the chance in the Atracaeca Kingdom was truly their only opportunity to kill him.


    Laufey thought for a moment and asked, "What if we use the demons? There are a lot of Superior Demons near the border."


    "We need at least two high level Superior Demons to pull that off. Just gathering those demons alone will need a lot of time." Qiel rejected the idea.


    All of a sudden, the voice of the Supreme Devil resounded in everyone''s ears.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Laufey. If I give you the task, how long do you need to gather all those demons?"


    Laufey was surprised at first but soon fell into deep thought. After a minute, Laufey said, "I need three months to do it. I should be able to gather two or three high level Superior Demons along with thousands of demons beneath them."


    "Work on it right away. And Qiel, use those three months to create a concrete n to take him down."


    "Understood, Sire." Qiel bowed to him without hesitation. "But Sire¡­ three months are a bit too long. While it''s impossible to create the city within three months, they would still have stabilized the territory."


    "I will use my own means to buy us some time."


    With the guarantee of the Supreme Devil, Qiel instantly ordered, "Alexander. I want you to lead our men and confront the Demon Banner Army head-on."


    "So, I''m the bait right now?"


    "Yeah. I want you to create a diversion to make sure the Demon Banner Army doesn''t get involved in this matter."


    "Alright. I could do that for you."


    "Laufey, you''ll be focusing on your task and gathering as many demons as you can. I want you to hold them back northwest of their territory. We are fortunate that they have chosen the northern part to create their main city. It''s easier to strike them there."


    "Got it. What are you nning to do then?"


    "I have to observe the entire territory and calcte the terrains. Noel is a genius both in spirit and brain. He''s most likely going to use the terrain to protect his territory. In fact, he should have made some preparations before choosing this exact location¡­ Considering it''s hard to strike him from the west and east as it''s blocked by a mountain and a river. So, I can''t underestimate him."


    Qiel had learned it the hard way. Despite all odds, Noel still had the chance to turn them around, so it was best to calcte everything first.


    "Alright." Laufey nodded, satisfied.


    "Hey, don''t forget those angry nobles¡­ they are counting on him to create the Rune Academy. So, we still need to stop them from reinforcing his territory."


    "I know. Those nobles would likely use this opportunity to make Noel owe them a favor. But I have my own means to stop them. Besides, he will surely bring a lot of people into his territory, so there are some opportunities to strike them from the inside." Qiel waved her hands.


    "Because of the situation, we have to be fast." Laufey asked onest question, "Qiel, how long do you think they need to be untouchable?"


    "The creation of the fortress should take at least a year, even with a thousand workers. But he is a Rune Master, and under him is a Master cksmith. Once the wall is built, it''s impossible to break it from the outside. Since we''re talking about him, he will surely build the wall from the north side first to fend off our attack."


    "That''s enough. I have to go." Laufey realized the severity of this problem and wasted no more seconds to get it done.


    Qiel couldn''t help but look down, feeling that she had missed something important.


    And that was when Alexander dropped the bomb that everyone forgot due to the engagement.


    "Qiel¡­ if Anna and Noel were together the whole time, why would Anna suggest this territory then?"


    Thud!


    Qiel''s heart sank in horror.

 Chapter 886 Panic

    Chapter 886 Panic


    Royal Pce.


    Bang!


    The door was mmed open, startling a lot of people inside.


    "We''ve got big news!" The guard rushed inside. His expression was inplete shock, and his breath was hoarse. It was clear that he couldn''t believe what he had just heard. Before anyone could say anything, he dered out loud, "We''ve gotten the news from the north that¡­ Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are now officially engaged!"


    Instead of the throne room, this one was a meeting room, usually used to hold an important meeting that not a lot of people would know.


    Inside the room sat down a few people, such as the king, Josephine, and other people from the king''s faction.


    "!!!" All of them couldn''t help but widen their eyes in shock as though they didn''t believe what they had just heard.


    "What did you say?!" The king asked, confirming the news.


    "We''ve received the words from our spy. It appears that Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are now officially engaged. They''ve announced it together in front of the people in that city." The guard repeated.


    "Damn!" Josephine mmed the table. As Anna''s teacher, she was the first to understand the situation. She noticed that Anna had actually broken the brainwashing and hidden it from everyone else, including her. "Since when¡­"


    Josephine''s reaction was enough for the quick-witted king to reach the same conclusion. "We''ve been fooled. Anna Stargaze was never on the same side¡­ No, it should actually exin everything."


    The king looked down for a moment, recounting every news regarding Noel and Anna. "Is it from the very start? Noel and Anna have been together since the start. That''s the reason why Anna Stargaze enlisted in the Demon Banner Army.


    "When the news about her killing Noel Ardagan spread and his corpse was never found, I should have realized that she had hidden the truth. Noel Ardagan never died and used that opportunity to not only hide his identity but also make us trust Anna.


    "The Water Lord and Stone Lord supporting him shouldn''t be weird, considering they met him when he used his fake identity to travel together with the Demon Relief Squad.


    "After that, the rune was spread, and a lot of things happened¡­ until eventually Anna Stargaze became an Arbiter."


    The people realized the severity of this matter after that exnation. Their faces became pale as a few of them raised their voices.


    "Then, does that mean the Ardagan Family and the Stargaze Family have nned all this from the start?"


    "Kevin Stargaze must already know this."


    "But he was fighting with his own daughter in front of everyone else¡­"


    "That''s exactly the reason. They were acting like that, so no one doubted them. Meanwhile, the truth was that Anna and Noel had been nning their engagement all this time."


    Josephine bit her lips while recalling what Anna said about Noel''s territory. Wanting to mess with Noel? Wanting to hinder his progress? Destroying his n? All of them were lies.


    The reason why Anna wanted to head to Noel''s territory was so that she could finally drop all her acts and show the truth.


    "That damned brat!" Josephine clutched her head; her heart was filled with frustration and anger. If she had known all this from the start, she could have pressured Anna and the Stargaze Family.


    "What will happen now?"


    "The Stargaze Family will definitely support this. Knowing Kevin, he will even give his blessing and spread that news!"


    "That''s right. The Stargaze Family still has a sessor. While he is shadowed by Anna''s achievement, he is still decent."


    "Then, Kevin''s n must be to marry his daughter to Noel. If the two most talented people marry, their descendants would be stars!"


    "No, that shouldn''t be everything. If we act right now and separate them by attacking them, we will get a bacsh from all other nobles. No, with the influence of Noel Ardagan, other countries would definitely make their moves."


    "The Greenwood Kingdom should have known about this. If I''m not wrong, he has been visiting the Greenwood Kingdom in the past."


    "The Zaecuria Kingdom will take advantage of this opportunity to protect Noel so as to owe him a favor."


    "No, the Atracaeca Kingdom will be the most desperate since they want to fix their rtionship with Noel. After all, they are the only countries banned from learning runes from Noel himself."


    "This is not good."


    "Yeah. This has be an international problem!"


    The people inside the room were panicking. What could they actually do?


    With Anna''s existence, the Ardagan Family had four Spirit Grandmasters. If it was only a low level grandmaster, they could still do it somehow.


    However, Anna had proven herself in the battle against Count Heirden. Noel''s strength was still unknown, but the fact that his brain was enough to kill a Devil Saint showed how dangerous it would be to attack him without a concrete n.


    There was also Dimitri, the number one assassin. If they wanted to attack them, they should have someone at Dimitri''s level to stop him.


    Howard might not be as good as the other three, but he was still the vice captain of the previous Ardagan Family. He had the strength and experience to lead the soldiers, which would be extremely crucial in the defense part.


    "We can''t attack the Ardagan Family, Your Majesty."


    "That''s right. If we attack them right now, the others won''t let us off."


    "We have to find another n to hinder their progress. If the situation bes even moreplicated, there is a chance that we won''t be able to harm them anymore."


    "If they''re going to use this opportunity to attack us¡­"


    The people became silent. Their faces were already pale enough as though the blood was leaving their bodies.


    Anna had been with them for a while, so she must have figured out their identities and told Noel about it.


    With Noel''s brain, he should be able to create a countermeasure, if not a counterattack, to their respective families.


    The king couldn''t say anything. He was too shocked by this news and even if he came up with something, it would just risk everything he had built so far.


    The king leaned his back on the chair helplessly.


    "What are we going to do?" The king muttered while recounting the time when Anna was still in the court. He noticed something. "Wait a minute¡­ If they are together in this, why would Anna Stargaze suggest this dangerous territory?"


    "Eh?"


    The people began to realize something was wrong. If they were together, there was no way Anna would give up this new territory and endanger her future husband.


    Yet, she still gave them. If they thought about it, it was easy to notice that Anna wasn''t the one who created that n. It was Noel.


    That was right. Noel was the one suggesting that territory himself. And the remaining question was why? Why would he ce himself in that territory instead of the former Ardagan''s territory?


    "Check the information about Lounstein."


    "I have checked. Anna had said a few characteristics as well. The territory was fertile and good for a city, but safety was their concern. Due to the rampaging demon, the territory wouldn''t be able to function."


    "But¡­" One of them asked, "What if Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are strong enough to solve that drawback?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The people sucked a cold breath.


    "Then, the territory is a perfect ce for people to live. It has a vast fertilend. There are two mountains and two rivers, which are good terrain for defensive battles. We don''t know much about the mining, but one of the elders in the Tower Association is eyeing that territory due to a certain vein. There should be a mineral vein, but we don''t know the exact details."


    That exnation alone was enough to tell everyone how good the territory was. Although it hadn''t been developed, if Noel yed his card right, it would be one of the most prosperous cities in the whole kingdom.


    "I think¡­ you should have known that the Ardagan Family has exhausted a lot of its resources. Even if they develop there, almost everything has been exploited. While it''s true that the territory has been developed, it''s going to crumble sooner orter."


    "Don''t tell me, Noel Ardagan knows about this all along?"


    "His father should have told him. Luke Ardagan was the god of wealth, so his eyes should be able to see the state of the Ardagan Family and tell his son¡­"


    The people became more panicked. If Noel was allowed to be developed, they would be devoured sooner orter.


    Noel and Anna''s reputation was huge, but if they were enemies, the opinions would split. However, if they actuallybined their reputation and strength, the nobles wouldn''t hesitate to help them.


    Despair started to fill the room.


    Josephine couldn''t help but rise from her seat while stating, "I''m going!"


    "Wait, Josephine!" The king gritted his teeth. "If you go, you will definitely die."


    "Then, are you going to let them off just like this?" Josephine roared in desperation. While it was rude to the king, no one actually reprimanded her because of the shock they were experiencing.


    "Even then¡­ we couldn''t do anything without any n. Making a rash decision is something they want!" The king shook his head. Even he couldn''t think of anything. That showed how much of a threat Anna and Noelbined.


    Josephine''s expression became cold, but she didn''t say anything else and just sat down.


    The king stated, "We have to investigate Lounstein right now. If they want to develop the city, they will bring in more people, so get ready to send your trusted subordinates into the mix. We need toe up with a n in less than a week!"

 Chapter 887 Building Territory

    Chapter 887 Building Territory


    While everyone panicked from the information they got from the spies, Noel had gathered all the pirs of the family.


    There were a total of twelve people sitting down, with Noel and Anna sitting at the tip of both ends as the master and mistress.


    Noel said, "Alright. I have made a decision about the shape of the territory. I will be giving you instructions, so let me hear your thoughts on whether it''s a good or bad decision. I know that I''m inexperienced as a lord, but I''ll definitely do my best to build this territory."


    The people in the room nodded their heads. That was the reason why they were here.


    "Dimitri. I want you to take care of the immigration. We''ll need a lot of people in the territory. While it''s impossible to find all the spies, I want you to reduce it as much as possible."


    "Understood. How many do you need, Master?"


    "As for the number¡­" Noel nced at Dous while pointing at the map. "I want to create a city of this size. These are the four points."


    "Actually, Master. I have a unique fort design if you desire." Dous took out his blueprints, showing a fort that looked far uniquepared to the ones he had seen so far.


    Instead of a rectangle, the fort looked like a star.


    "This is¡­" Noel frowned.


    "I call this a Star Fortress. By taking advantage of these five points and filling up the area with ponds, it will be hard for any sieges or demons to reach it. Due to the pointy edges, we can force the demons to a cone-shaped area where we bombard them from three sides. Although I want to create a hexagram, I believe a star is enough for our territory. We have the natural shield on our west and east, so we''ll create a gate toward the south. The demons won''t have any choice but to break through from the north and¡­"


    Dous stopped. Although he was a good architect, he wasn''t a good general.


    Noel should have understood the advantage of having these pointy edges as well. When Noel took a look at the design, he couldn''t help but ask, "Balott?"


    "It will definitely be more expensive. But if we can fortify these edges, it''s indeed effective. Depending on the pace, our current fund can cover two edges currently¡­ Of course, I have deducted wages, food, and other stuff."


    "There should be funds for another two edges soon. As for the rest, we''ll use our specialty to gather more funds."


    "Understood." Balott nodded in understanding.


    "In that case, we''ll go with Dous''s design. If that''s the case, the five points would be these¡­" Noel changed the location a little bit. "If we change it this way, how many people can live inside the fortress?"


    "Depending on what you need¡­ such as barracks, residential areas, and other stuff. But if I have to assume, it''s about ten thousand people. This is going to be a big project. The wall alone requires a few hundred people."


    "Can you finish the two edges within two or three months?" Noel asked.


    "If that''s the case, we need more men¡­ around one thousand people. We have to work around the clock."


    "Dimitri!" Noel nced back as he got the answer for Dimitri.


    "Understood. I''ll try to find two thousand people at first for both the walls and the early residents of the city."


    "Charlotte will supervise everything."


    "Understood." Charlotte agreed without hesitation. "I''ll definitely manage these people so that there won''t be any mistakes."


    Harley suddenly raised his hand. "My lord, I believe that we need one district for mine. While it''s true that the red-light district is something to be frowned upon, my informationwork is centered around brothels. If we can get a red-light district, I can gather information inside and outside the cities, depending on the customers. The soldiers can relieve their stress, the townspeople will have fewer worries, and the merchants will enjoy the service. The red-light district is necessary to reduce crime rates."


    "I agree." Howard nodded. As a soldier, he obviously knew the state of the city. Since Howard agreed, it would be best to consider Harley''s suggestion.


    Fortunately, Noel had already prepared the answer. "I know. There will be one, but Dous will decide the location."


    "Understood." Dous and Harley exchanged looks before agreeing with the arrangement.


    "Then¡­Howard, I want to create a new system for the soldiers." Noel raised one finger and asked, "I want to create an elite soldier with runes on their bodies."


    "Huh? Runes on their bodies?" Howard raised his eyebrows, confused.


    "Yeah." Noel pointed to the side and said, "Try standing next to me and receive the power of the runes."


    Howard followed his instruction and raised both hands.


    "I''m not using anything other than the rune itself. This is effective against a Spirit Master, but depending on how you use it, a Spirit Grandmaster could be harmed as well."


    "Please."


    Noel activated the Rune st on his body, and a shock wave shook the entire room.


    Dimitri dispelled the sting toward the people, while the rest was focused on the fact that Howard actually got pushed back two meters from his original location.


    "This is¡­" Howard looked down. Even though he underestimated it a bit, he still didn''t expect this much powering from runes. "Sir¡­ are you going¡­"


    "Yeah. I''ll grant this rune to the people who contribute. This is the new system. People who contribute will receive Honor Points. We''ll have several rewards for Honor Points. For now, I can think of several rewards such as money, runes on the body, or weapons."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "That would definitely make the soldiers excited. But how do you get the Honor Points?"


    "We''ll issue a mission or training regiments. You have to note the people who contribute¡­ While it''s true that it''s going to be a hassle, you can train them like this, making them independent."


    "If you think about it, the people will have to be creative to get the honor points. If this continues, the soldiers will be elites who know what to do without being ordered."


    "Yeah. While it''s true that mary reward is one of the things that can be exchanged, we can train elites with less money this way."


    "I don''t have an objection to the arrangement."


    "Alright. I''ll give you the details about itter. I''ll also draw some runes on your body to demonstrate it to the soldiers."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After that, Noel turned to Livia. "You and Tristan will learn under me, but at the same time, I want both of you to create the Rune Academy. You will be the principal, and Tristan will assist you. This is going to be a heavy responsibility."


    Livia seemed to understand why Noel forbade her from returning to the Greenwood Kingdom. It was indeed a huge responsibility, but the principal had to be the most knowledgeable about runes. It showed that Noel nned to pass everything to her. For the Greenwood Kingdom, this was a priceless opportunity.


    Without hesitation, Livia nodded her head. "Understood. Leave it to me."


    "Jasmine. How is the area?"


    "Thends are fertile. We could stretch the farnd from this ce to the foot of the mountain. I have several terraforming projects. If everything goes ording to the n, the territory won''t have any problems with food. We can even sell a lot."


    "Work with the defense system. It will definitely be a target after all. As for the food supply before the first harvest, it will be handled by Balott."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Sir Roel. You should have heard everything. I will be expecting you to provide the necessary equipment. In exchange, I will provide you with various runes to the point where you won''t feel bored for the rest of your life."


    "Haha. You know me so well, Sir. But since I have be one of the pirs, you don''t have to be polite to me anymore. Just call me Roel like everyone else." Roel nodded.


    After giving everyone''s direction, Noel finally turned to thest person, Anna. "Now that we''ve announced our engagement, everyone will hear about it sooner orter, especially that former alchemist. It''ll be time to formally recruit him in this territory."


    "Got it. So, we''ll use the pills and the rune academy to generate ie to build the rest of the fortress?"


    "Yeah." Noel pointed at their location. "We have to create a strong fortress first."


    "Of course. We have to defend thisnd and create a sense of security." Howard nodded in agreement.


    "But the Supreme Devil Organization and the Royal Family won''t let us off, right?" Charlotte asked.


    "Yeah. If we lose, everything will be destroyed. But if we win, we can use that opportunity to promote the security of our fortress. This way, a lot of people will think it''s better to live in this territory." Noel nodded.


    "With a lot of people filling our territory, we can prosper."


    "Indeed. I know that each of you will need subordinates. I allow you to get them yourselves." Noel looked irresponsible, but this was how he showed his trust. By giving them the authority, it would mean that Noel wouldn''t ce any person who might be a spy under them just to watch their performance. He believed that the pirs would build this territory together.


    Noel finally asked onest question. "How long do you need toplete our fortress?"


    "The first harvest will take approximately nine months. We have to terraform thends first after all." Jasmine raised her hand.


    "I will make the soldiers ready in one month after we get a new batch of soldiers." Howard looked confident.


    "We can operate at any time." Harley made a smug smile.


    "In my original workshop, we had a lot of failed products. While I call them failures, they are still better than normal tools. I''ll just call someone to bring them to the territory. This should be enough for now." Roel exined his n.


    "I''ll need six months to finalize the curriculum and learn more from you," Livia replied with a bit of an unsure tone since she didn''t know much about runes.


    Last but not least, Dous. He was the one who would create the territory physically, so he said, "The wall will take one year¡­ No, if we have more people, we can speed it up to nine months. I''m going to finalize the cements of the districts today, but I need a total of two thousand people if we''re going to speed things up."


    "I''ll provide you with all those people as quickly as possible." Dimitri nodded, assuring him.


    "Good." Noel stood up. "We''ll build this territory properly, making sure that no one can shake it. I believe that all of you can do it¡­ that''s the reason why I have no hesitation in choosing the people here as the pirs of my family."


    They couldn''t help but smile after hearing that praise.


    Noel then waved his hand, signaling them to start. "Dismiss!"

 Chapter 888 Realization

    Chapter 888 Realization


    "Hey, move it here."


    "We''re going to help with this area."


    The people in the town were focusing on their tasks. There were a lot of logs gathered from the entire area, and a few of the house''s skeletons had been built.


    Dous was the one supervising every single building. He was alone at this time, but it seemed that he would be fine for a while.


    Noel and Anna were walking around the construction site.


    "It seems that the city is going along nicely," said Anna while inspecting the buildings.


    "Yeah. It''s just¡­Protecting them is going to be tricky. We''ve bought about two or three months from everyone, but I''m sure that we''ll be attacked very soon." Noel narrowed his eyes. He could imagine the destruction that the attack would bring.


    After all, with their engagement, the enemies wouldn''t treat them lightly anymore.


    Anna truly thought that she had caused this trouble. But Noel had made her agree that she wouldn''t think that way and never apologized because it was also his decision.


    Even with a heavy heart, Anna said, "In that case, should we get a reinforcement?"


    "Reinforcement, huh?" Noel thought for a moment. "No. Not yet. If we ask for reinforcement that easily, people will think that we''re too weak. It''s going to be bad for future negotiations. Instead, we willplete the academy as soon as possible. Even if the rest haven''t been built, the academy has to be done."


    "Oh?! Are you going to indirectly get the reinforcement from the academy? This way, we won''t look too weak."


    "Not really. The academy is required for the funds. After fending off the next attack, the people should be able to see that we''re strong and have no problems in sending their talented people to us. However, it has another purpose. But I''m still not sure about it yet, so I''m not going to say it now."


    Anna looked down. "The next attack would definitelye from the Supreme Devil Organization, right?"


    "Yeah. But I''m sure that the Royal Family would be involved in it."


    "Now that I think about it, our initial question about whether the Third Prince, the Royal Family, and the Supreme Devil Organization have been answered, right?"


    "That''s¡­ true." Noel nodded. They had forgotten this question since, at first, they wanted to investigate all this by themselves, only to realize everything was connected once they were big enough to see the entire kingdom.


    "With that thought in mind, why would we die together?"


    Noel frowned. It was a core question. Why would Noel allow himself to be killed despite knowing everything? That might be the reason why Noel said she was naive.


    Something was going on, but Anna couldn''t think of anything.


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "I don''t know. I can''t think of any reason why I want to die¡­ After all, I can''t reach my goal if I die."


    Anna sighed. "Let''s drop this matter. We should focus on how to fend off the attacks. The Supreme Devil Organization would definitely cause an outbreak."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "Yeah. To take us down, they''re going to bring a lot of Superior Demons too. Is there any Ancient Demon in the mix?" Noel asked.


    "Ancient Demon, huh¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. "Nothing I know about. There shouldn''t be one near our kingdom¡­ if I''m not wrong. I''m not sure if they have sent an Ancient Demon to us or not."


    "I see." Noel closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the past. He couldn''t help but chuckle, "Still, we''ve experienced a lot of things, haven''t we? In the past, we hid from an Advanced Level Demon. Do you recall that?"


    "Yeah. I want to shut your mouth, but because of our position, I¡­" Anna paused, bing embarrassed. She didn''t notice it at that time, but she buried Noel''s face on her breast to shut him up.


    "Hoho, recalling that embarrassing moment now?" Noel smirked, teasing her.


    "What do you think then?" Anna harrumphed while looking away.


    Noel smiled but didn''t answer. Instead, he continued, "In just a few years, look at us now. An Advanced Level Demon is not a threat anymore. Our opponents now are the Superior Demon, if not an Ancient Demon."


    "Peak Level Demon, Superior Demon, Ancient Demon, and Demon King." Anna agreed. "An Ancient Demon is said to be equal to that of a Spirit Transcendence. However, the Ancient Demon is strong in both influence and power. While the Spirit Transcendence can fight against an Ancient Demon, they could only rally the army to fend off tens of thousands of demons along with a lot of Superior Demons. As for the Demon King, no one really has a depiction of its strength and influence."


    "A Demon King, huh¡­" Noel looked at the sky. Surprisingly, Ardagan gave him a notification this time.


    [A Demon King can destroy all four kingdoms at once. Your Ancestor became the greatest general after defeating a Demon King. Their battle caused massive destruction. A mountain was cut in a single swing; a hill turned into a crater in a single stomp.]


    Noel widened his eyes in shock, not expecting Ardagan to tell about it personally. Still, Ardagan had apanied his ancestors in the past, so it could be said that he was a living witness to what happened in the past.


    However, the fact that his ancestor could cut a mountain with a single swing shocked him to the core. After bing a Spirit Grandmaster, Noel could feel how strong he had be.


    But he couldn''t even imagine what it meant to cut a mountain.


    ''My ancestor was that strong?'' Noel''s body shook. He realized that the gap between him and his ancestor was so wide that he couldn''t fathom.


    Unexpectedly, Ardagan continued raising the bar.


    [But his grandmother has been fending off numerous Demon Kings.]


    Thud!


    Noel''s heart sank. If he was talking about the grandmother of his ancestor, it would be the original possessor of Ardagan. There were some records about her being the sister of the Spirit God, but he simply couldn''t believe it because humans and spirits were not the same.


    Noel fell into deep thought while Anna noticed the change in Noel.


    "Noel? Noel?!" Anna shook his body, attempting to wake him up from the shock.


    "Ah?!" Noel was startled and soon apologized. "Sorry, I was in deep thought earlier. There''s actually a few things I want to ask¡­"


    "Sure. I''ll answer those questions to the best of my ability." Anna nodded.


    "Before dying, what was our strength?"


    "Our strength?" Anna fell silent, doubting this question. Since she had promised him, she had to give the correct answer. "About to reach Spirit Transcendence, but we were basically as strong as a new Spirit Transcendence due to our unique talents."


    "As expected¡­" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Why? What''s wrong?"


    Noel couldn''t answer her. Instead, he thought, ''Ardagan, why would you talk about a Demon King right now when you''re normally silent? Is it because of your irvoyance? Is it because you''ve predicted that there would be a Demon Kinging in the future? Or is it a figure as strong as a Demon King?''


    Ardagan didn''t reply to him after giving that information.


    Noel''s expression couldn''t help but darken. A lot of possibilities appeared in his mind, which was scarier than thest.


    What if a Demon King was involved? What if the Supreme Devil himself had a way to control an Ancient Demon or even a Demon King? What if the reason why he died was so that he could be stronger to face those threats?


    However, Noel couldn''t help but feel strange about the third possibility. If he died so that he could be stronger, he would have used Old Ru''s help on him.


    If he regressed, he could be stronger than anyone else. With his brain, he could even use that knowledge to develop his own territory.


    Yet, the past Noel actually left that opportunity to Anna, whom he called naive. She didn''t even have a lot of information regarding the kingdoms.


    He only got more questions than answers.


    "Anna¡­" Noel looked at her in the eyes, his face bing solemn.


    "Yes?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Do you know the key points of this territory? What have I done to this territory?"


    "Hmm. There are a lot of things. In fact, one of them is in the nearby mountain. If we go to the other direction of the volcano, you could find a long natural cave with a mining vein in it."


    Noel suddenly thought about something. He grabbed Anna''s hands and said with a serious expression. "Let''s have a date."


    "D-date?!" Anna''s body shook as her face reddened.


    "We''re going to tour all those areas. You''ll tell me about everything. In exchange¡­ when we return, I''ll tell you about myself."


    "!!!" Anna suddenly realized what he wanted to do, but she wondered if Noel was never embarrassed to say it this way. He might even get used to teasing her with all these sweet words that he couldn''t change any more. She couldn''t help but fight back, "Is that how you''re going to invite your fiancee for a date?"


    Noel was surprised at first but quickly corrected his words. He extended his hand and asked with a gentle tone. "Mdy, would you give me the pleasure to bring you on a lovely date?"


    "I''d love to." Anna smiled while taking Noel''s hand.


    But in that instant, Noel pulled Anna to his embrace before suddenly carrying her. "Then, without further ado¡­"


    "W-wait!" Anna subconsciously raised her voice. "We''re going to move a lot, so let me change into pants first!"


    Since they were just strolling around the town earlier, Anna wore a short sundress, which made her look beautiful and sweet. However, it would be a different case if they were going to run a lot, since the clothes would be hard to move and might even be damaged.


    However, Noel actually didn''t care and carried her without hesitation. He even added, "You''re lovely in that dress."


    "You mean guy. You tricked me again! I shouldn''t have dropped my guard even with our engagement."

 Chapter 889 Hidden Intention

    Chapter 889 Hidden Intention


    "Hah¡­ You really carried me all the way to this mountain!" Anna panted a few times. Even though she wasn''t exhausted physically, she was too tired to react as Noel had been ying with her this whole time.


    "It''s your fault for losing to me." Noel shrugged while looking away as though he was trying to run away while he was ahead.


    "Kh¡­" Anna gritted her teeth, wanting to berate him, but didn''t know what to say. Ultimately, she let everything go for the time being and asked, "So, what do you want to know?"


    "You said this mountain has a mining vein, right?"


    "Yes. ording to the information, the volcano has been inactive for more than a hundred years. But because the demons haven''t done anything to thend, the minerals are still trapped within the soil. And more importantly, theva in the past created a lot of gemstones."


    "I see. So, the one eyeing for this mountain must be the Radiant Lord."


    "Yeah. He has been gathering all kinds of gemstones and using them as his weapons, so yeah¡­ it''s really the Radiant Lord." Anna confirmed it.


    Noel thought for a moment. "In our previous life, what do you know about this territory? I should have found the mine and taken advantage of it, right?"


    "Previous life?" Anna widened his eyes in shock, not expecting Noel to drop a bomb all of a sudden.


    "Come on. Anybody can figure it out sooner orter. I''m just refraining myself to avoid talking about it after knowing the truth from Old Ru." Noel raised one finger. "Don''t forget what I said earlier."


    Anna recalled that Noel was going to say something important about him. Because they had a draw, it seemed that it was better to disclose everything so that Noel would do the same.


    Anna couldn''t help but rub her cheek embarrassedly. It turned out Noel was bolder than she originally thought.


    "Yes. You did take advantage of it."


    "How did I take advantage of it? Do I sell it to the Radiant Lord or¡­"


    "No. You didn''t sell it to the Radiant Lord. I believe you used the gems to provide the funds for your territory."


    "So, selling it to others¡­ Considering the Radiant Lord''s power, he would definitely use that as a bargaining chip or a favor, but other nobles would definitely bring me money." Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.


    "Yes. It''s just¡­ I think that it''s better to consider this properly. Our situation is different now."


    "Indeed. That''s why I''m nning to sell these gems to the Radiant Lord. Making him owe me a favor should be good enough in our current standpoint."


    "If that''s your decision, then we can do that. But getting all these gems will require money." Anna raised a problem.


    "I know. For now, we can proceed with it, but not too much."


    "Just enough to pique the Radiant Lord''s interest?"


    "Yeah." Noel pointed at Anna. "You were my enemies, so you must have learned a lot about me, right?"


    "I want to say it''s wrong, but you are not wrong¡­" Anna was slightly frustrated that she couldn''t rebuke that statement. "Are you nning to visit another ce?"


    "We''ll go around the territory. At least, every single ce that can be reached within half a day with our current speed." Noel exined.


    "If that''s the case, there are two more spots you might want to consider. The first one would be the river."


    "Is there something special about the river?"


    "Well, I couldn''t say it''s special, but you surely built a dam back then."


    "A dam? While it''s true that it can bring a lot of benefits, I''m concerned about my brain¡­ If I build a dam, it''s going to be a primary target of the enemies. By striking that dam, you can cause a major flood in the city. Or you could go one step further by using poison."


    "That''s why you also built a water gate."


    "Hmm?" Noel seemed to notice something important. "Now that I think about it, the river doesn''t directly go toward the city. So, if I want to use the water, I have to create a canal toward this city. But if I create a water gate in a certain area, it will block the water from the destroyed dam. The poison is the same. If I close the gate and use my power to purify the water, it can stop the people from relying on groundwater."


    "That''s right." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "That''s not a bad idea to be honest. I will consider itter, and I might have to bring Dous to inspect the area."


    Anna agreed with Noel''s decision and finally pointed at the north. "Andstly, the border. Since we''re close to the border, you were actually building up posts for explorations."


    "Explorations?" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    "Yeah. Well, the city was more mature back then, so I thought it wouldn''t be an immediate project."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Fair enough. Is that all?" Noel asked. If these were the only special things he did, it felt a bitckluster. In fact, it wasn''t enough to handle his current enemies.


    Unfortunately for him, Anna nodded her head. "Yes. That was all."


    Noel was startled for a different reason. Why would he build these three things in his past life?


    Aside from the mine, he didn''t think they were that necessary.


    "This is weird. Why would I build them? They were not useful to the territory¡­"


    "I don''t know. I wasn''t smart enough to know the reason back then. In fact, I was so obsessed with you that I didn''t even know much about the current situation of the kingdom."


    "¡­" Noel shook his head helplessly. "Sometimes¡­ I couldn''t help but ask, what the hell you were doing in your past life¡­"


    "Unfortunately, I''ve been asking the same question over and over again. Why would you even choose me to return to this time period? Old Ru even said that if we turned back time, it wasn''t that the time moved backward. Instead, you were just going to a different world in that period of time. Everything was the same, but that would be the future and your present had be a past that couldn''t be changed."


    Noel opened his mouth all of a sudden before grabbing Anna''s shoulders and shaking her body. "What did you say earlier?"


    "Huh? Everything was the same, but that would be the future and your present had be a past that couldn''t be changed?" Anna frowned.


    "That''s it." Noel''s expression brightened.


    "What? What? I don''t understand."


    "It means that the me in the previous life was doing something to change the future. Let''s think about it this way¡­ I should know that these things are useless. Yet, why would I do it?"


    Anna tilted her head in confusion. "Were you trying to annoy the future you? Something like, you both should have realized that these were useless, but because you did it, the current you would notice it."


    "That''s right. If we''re still the same person, then these useless things are trying to give me a message."


    "Wait, doesn''t that mean¡­"


    "Yeah. The message that travels through time."


    "If that''s the case, shouldn''t you choose yourself instead of me?"


    "That¡­" Noel shook his head with a pained expression. "I''d like to ask that very question¡­ to the point where I wonder if I''m truly smart or just im that I''m a smart guy while actually not. But I won''t ask that today."


    "All¡­right?" Anna didn''t quite follow him in that part but continued, "So, what do you find out?"


    "Nothing as of now. But if these three things were truly a message, there might be another hidden thing that I''ve been doing. Well, I''ll think about itter, but those three should be important. For now, I will develop the mine¡­"


    "Then, what do you want me to do?"


    "You should go with Howard and bond with the soldiers. You don''t have a good reputation, so it''s better to build it through the soldiers. They''re a rough bunch but easier to crack." Noel pointed to the east. "I want you to go to the east and crush all the monsters around the river. After that, go toward the north and inspect the area where I previously built that post."


    "Alright. That should be enough for the soldiers to gather enough points to get their early runes on their bodies. It''s going to promote our garrison." Anna nodded.


    "As much as I want to kill those demons as well, I think it''s better to give that task to you."


    "You can definitely leave it to me. I''ll make sure that the soldiers get experience and won''t suffer any casualties." Anna smiled before asking, "That''s right. What is the important thing you wanted to talk about earlier? I''ve told you everything I know about this territory."


    "That¡­ will be forter. Once we go back, I''ll definitely tell you about it. I want to explore the mine this time. Do you mind?"


    "I know you. You are a man of integrity. If you have promised something, then you''ll definitely fulfill that promise. So, I don''t really mind." Anna shook her head and pointed to the right. "In that case, you should follow me. I know the entrance."


    "Hoh? I guess the saying that an enemy knows you more than yourself is true."


    "I''m not your enemy anymore."


    "I know. Just want to tease you a little bit." Noel chuckled. "Though, it''s weird that you know so many details."


    Anna fell silent after that, not daring to confess that she actually exploded that dam and destroyed the mine in the past to cause trouble to him. At the same time, her mind was still wondering about the important matter that Noel wanted to talk about.

 Chapter 890 Confirmation

    Chapter 890 Confirmation


    "So, this is the mine." Noel carefully looked around. The entrance turned out to be a natural cave. He suspected that this cave was actually a small vent of the previous active volcano that directly connected to the outside. But now that they weren''t active anymore, it could connect them to the inside of the volcano.


    "Yeah. From my experience, the volcano never erupted again¡­"


    "How long was it?"


    "I only know about four years from now though."


    "That is enough. In four years, I don''t think anyone can challenge us anymore." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He selected the Demon Hunter medal while asking, "Do you sense anything from the inside?"


    "My instinct doesn''t warn me of anything. I don''t think there is a demon nest inside."


    "Even though it''s a perfect ce to create one? This ce is filled with minerals¡­"


    "Yes, but if you think about it, the Demon Banner Army first cleared the area and created a new border, right?"


    "Ah, I almost forgot about it. Yeah, the Demon Banner Army should have known about this ce and cleared it up first." Noel agreed with her statement. Considering both of them had a lot of experience in the Demon Banner Army, they knew that the Demon Banner Army had considered this ce.


    "Should we go deeper?" Anna asked.


    "Sure. I have to make sure this ce is safe before sending the people to mine it." Noel nodded.


    Both of them smiled and closed their eyes for a second to activate the Moon Blessing.


    The cave lit up in their vision as both of them confirmed that they could see each other in this darkness.


    "Let''s go." Noel waved his hand and continued. The tunnel itself was quite big. It had a radius of three meters, allowing numerous people toe and go.


    The rock was extremely sturdy, so they could definitely create a mine here without fearing it would copse. The problem would be whether the enemies would attack them or not.


    "This is going to be a problem." Noel frowned.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "In the past, you should have harbored a lot of hatred for me, right?"


    "Why do you ask that?"


    "I mean, have you considered attacking this ce? In fact, just destroying the entrance is enough to create a lot of chaos and panic." Noel pointed at the back. "Even if I send a lot of soldiers here, they would have a hard time stopping the destruction."


    "Unless you are a Spirit Transcendence, I don''t think it''s possible to destroy the inside of this cave. If you look at the direction, we''re going straight into the mountain¡­ So, the weakest part would be the entrance."


    "Yes. That''s what I''m concerned about."


    "Why don''t you just reinforce it with runes?" Anna asked.


    "Runes, huh?" Noel fell silent. On the one hand, it was a feasible option. On the other hand, he didn''t know who he should send to reinforce this ce.


    Tristan was busy studying under him. Livia was the same, and she even had to n out the curriculum for the Rune Academy, so she waspletely upied. Roel had to provide a lot of equipment for them, so it wasn''t possible to ask him.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    In the end, there was only one person who could do it.


    "I guess I should do it." Noel sighed. While he looked like he had a lot of free time, he was actually busy. He had to handle a lot of negotiation as well as confirming the n of every pir. After all, everything required his permission.


    "Or do you want me to do it?"


    "Hmm¡­ Harden is not enough to handle the reinforcement. I should get something even stronger." Noel contemted. "You should know that there are a few levels of runes, right?"


    "Yeah. In the previous life, you''ve introduced three levels of runes: basic, intermediate, and advanced runes. They are differentiated by theirplexity as well as the amount of Spiritual Energy. Harden is a basic rune, so it can only withstand up to Spirit Wielder Level or Advanced Level Demon. Mid Level Runes can even inflict serious injuries to Spirit Grandmaster. And the Advance Rune is the mostplex thing that can even defeat a Spirit Transcendence."


    "Yeah. There are only a few Spirit Transcendence experts in our kingdom, so they shouldn''t be dispatched easily. I think about using Mid Level Rune to reinforce this ce."


    "Hmm¡­" Anna looked down for a moment as though something was bothering her.


    "What? Did I make another decision back then?"


    "No. You reinforced the mine with Mid Level Rune. I don''t know its name, but it''s strong." Anna paused. "It''s just¡­ don''t you have something more powerful?"


    "An Advance Rune? Just so you know, the only Mid Level Rune I have used so far is the Rune st. And my mastery in rune is not that deep currently."


    "No, I''m not talking about that. I''m saying¡­ There are a few branches for the rune, right? Enhancement Rune, Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, Rune Body, and¡­" Anna paused, allowing Noel toplete her words.


    "Rune Array!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    He checked his system to confirm his memory. He almost forgot that he hadn''t raised the Rune Mastery to the maximum.


    Rune Mastery (9/10)


    "Rune Array is thebination of all arrays. For example¡­" Noel pointed at the entrance. "If I use Harden in the entrance, Rune Spell on the outside wall to create some sort of defensive mechanism, Rune Engineering to shoot out objects or move things to trigger another mechanism, while using the Rune Body on the soldiers¡­"


    "Yes. Even if you use only Low Level Runes on all those, you can still beat the power of a Mid Level Rune. But what if you use Mid Level Runes on them?" Anna asked.


    "¡­" Noel fell silent. Even a Spirit Transcendence wouldn''t be able to destroy this ce easily. For now, the Rune Body might be the easiest to steal, but the embedding method is still unknown. So, even if the people were kidnapped, they wouldn''t be able to learn the method.


    If he hid the Rune Engineering and Rune Enhancement, unless they studied it properly, no information would be stolen. Andstly, the Rune Spell.


    Rune Array was the concept thatbined all those concepts into one.


    "Still, I will need a lot of blood, at least, Peak Level Demon blood."


    "We''ve received it from the Demon Banner Army. I will also lead the soldiers to hunt demons."


    "Fair enough. It''ll take time, but it''s not like they''re going to attack us right away. I should be able to handle it personally."


    "That solves it, I guess." Anna harrumphed as though she had made a lot of contributions.


    "Yeah. Thank you, Anna." Noel nodded.


    "Hmmm, you''re pretty honest this time."


    Normally, Noel would have a hard time acknowledging her contribution because it would make him look like he had lost to her. In fact, she felt Noel had changed after reaching this territory.


    "I''m pretty much honest this whole time. What do you mean?" Noel shrugged.


    "Well, I can''t deny that, but you never want to acknowledge it."


    "Then, I ask you again." Noel pointed at Anna. "Who are you?"


    "I am¡­" Anna was confused and subconsciously wanted to reply with her name, but she felt the hidden meaning in that question and corrected herself, "I am your fiancee."


    "That''s right. And I am your fiance. We are building this Lounstein together, so if I don''t acknowledge your contributions, am I qualified to be your fiance?"


    Anna couldn''t reply to him. However, one word really struck her heart. ''Together,'' yes, they were doing this together. Unlike other families who usually ended up with a political marriage, they were different. She was here because her desire and Noel were the same.


    It seemed that she was still a bit attached to the past.


    "Hehe¡­" Anna couldn''t contain her smile. There was a genuine happiness that sprung from her heart as she kept muttering, "Together¡­mhmm¡­ together¡­"


    Noel walked closer to her and said with a gentle tone. "Well, you''re not wrong about one thing. If I admit it, then it''s the same as acknowledging my loss. However, it''s fine. We''ll go through this together. If I lose to you, I just have to contribute more next time and take back my victory."


    "This time, even if we lose, it''ll be to each other. There is no Noel or Anna¡­ there is only the Ardagan Family."


    "That''s right. We''re fighting against those people, not each other anymore."


    "Yeah. We''re still the same. The only difference is that we''re on the same side this time¡­" Anna chuckled. "That''s just like us."


    "Indeed. That''s why, even though this is very embarrassing for me to say, I have to tell you this. With you, I feel like I can do everything in my wildest imagination. You will be able to stand beside me no matter how far I go¡­ Don''t you feel the same?"


    "I''mcking a lot of things, and you are the same. But with me here, you are invincible."


    "With me here, you are invincible," Noel repeated her words, acknowledging it. At the same time, he reached both of her hands and asked, "Together?"


    Anna held his hands firmly and stated with a determined expression. "Together."


    They had yed, teased, and fought each other a lot. However, today, they confirmed one thing. The frustration they experienced after getting yed, the embarrassment, or even the disastrous defeats they had gone through¡­ their enemies were the ones going to experience it.

 Chapter 891 System vs Rebirth

    Chapter 891 System vs Rebirth


    Anna and Noel continued with their exploration. As expected, there were a lot of demon remains inside the tunnel, but all their Demon Crystals had been extracted.


    It proved the fact that the demons once used this ce as a nest, but the Demon Banner Army had exterminated them.


    Since they couldn''t utilize these remains anymore, Noel decided to burn them into nothing with his Undying Fire.


    After that, they continued the explorations, finding a lot of gemstones sticking out of the walls. But they didn''t extract it immediately and just inspected the safety of the tunnel.


    It didn''t take too long for them to find the main chamber that was connected directly to the surface.


    Now that they had confirmed that there were no more demons hidden inside the mountain, Noel carried Anna with his wings and flew through the main vent toe out.


    Of course, Noel continued toward the post as well as the river to check the entire region. He found a lot of demons in the in, which would be dangerous, so he marked all the spots for Anna to subjugate.


    As he expected, the post where he built an outpost for a subjugation team ended up as nothing special. Sadly, Noel couldn''t see through the thought of himself from the previous life.


    Although it was a shame, he still continued to the next destination, which was the river.


    From a single nce, it was a perfect ce to create a dam and direct the water toward the city. However, the safety of the dam was extremely important, so unless his territory matured a bit more, he wouldn''t even think of creating a dam.


    In the end, Noel and Anna returned to the city with disappointment.


    They were lucky to confirm the mine, but the other two were not so great.


    As expected from a butler, Dimitri had actually been waiting for them in front of the city.


    "It''s great that both of you have returned¡­" Dimitri''s expression looked troubled, causing Noel and Anna to think something was wrong.


    "Did something happen?"


    "Yes." Dimitri nodded with a grim expression. "Actually¡­ we have secured thend for the mansion. But are you sure you want to build the mansion toward the north?"


    "Is there something wrong with it?"


    "ording to Dous, if the mansion is there, it will be the primary target of the enemy. After all, the lord of the city will require a vast amount ofnd to uphold their honor. Such a thing is easy to spot, so the enemies will attack the mansion first." Dimitri exined.


    "That''s what I have in mind. It''s fine to proceed like that. In fact, if we know that the mansion will be attacked first, we can bait them and exterminate them, no?"


    "You''re correct, but for the lord to risk his life is¡­" Dimitri scratched the back of his head. He didn''t mind getting attacked, but if the lord of the Ardagan Family became the bait, people would think that his subordinates were a waste. It was their job to protect their lord after all.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Dimitri. However, I''m making this decision with the future in my mind. Since we''ve received this territory, it won''t be weird if we expand it toward the border. In the future, there will be another fort that will withstand the enemy''s attack."


    "I¡­" Dimitri had a hard time epting it, but when he looked at how adamant Noel was, it seemed that he couldn''t change his mind. "I understand. I''ll tell Dous to proceed."


    "Alright." Noel nodded while waving his hand, signaling Dimitri to continue with the work.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna returned to their house. The sun was about to set, so it was time for Noel to reveal his secret.


    ¡­


    Two hourster.


    After finishing their bath and tidying up themselves, Noel invited Anna to the dining table where they could talk about the important matter.


    Anna''s expression was solemn because this was the first time she ever heard about Noel''s secret. Even in the past life, she had no clue about it.


    She was curious, but she was also afraid of knowing the truth.


    As if knowing what was in her mind, Noel chuckled and made a gentle smile to soothe the tension.


    "Why are you more tense than me?"


    "I''m curious, but sometimes, I''m afraid because knowing this might cause friction between our rtionship." Anna clutched her head.


    "Then, I just want to confirm one thing." Noel raised one finger. "You are not the previous Anna. Instead, you are someone from the ''future'' or more like the ''past,'' and regress to this point in time. Using that memory, you''ve learned that you''re wrong and I''ve been involved in that process, correct?"


    "Yes. You could say I''m a regressor." Anna confirmed it without hesitation.


    "I see."


    [Mission: Anna''s Secret]


    [Description: Make Anna tell you her secret by any means necessary.]


    [Reward: Anna''s Secret and a wife]


    [Penalty: None.]


    Noel''s heart sank. He tried to confirm Anna''s secret for this mission because he was curious about the reward. But he surely didn''t expect that the reward was actually Anna herself.


    ''Ardagan. You tricked me¡­'' Noel wanted to berate Ardagan for this kind of reward, but Ardagan had a perfect reply for him.


    [Why do you think she is not worthy to be your wife?]


    Noel truly couldn''t refute it. After all, it was also his decision to ept Anna. However, he was a bit frustrated because this mission was actually Ardagan''s way of matchmaking.


    He received this mission when Anna proposed the little bet to reveal each other''s secret. But when he thought about it, the direction of their rtionship had been set ever since that bet. Ardagan simply put a mission to tease him.


    Still, Noel said inwardly, ''Why do you use my wife as a reward? She is not an object, you know. Even you¡­ I never treat you as an object.''


    It was Ardagan''s turn to be silent before correcting the reward.


    [Mission: Anna''s Secret]


    [Description: Make Anna tell you her secret by any means necessary.]


    [Reward: Anna''s Secret and Couple Medal]


    [Penalty: None.]


    Medal: Couple Medal


    Effect: While fighting together with your couple, the user''s Spiritual Energy increases by 10% and the pain the user''s receives is reduced by 10%


    "¡­" Noel waspletely surprised by the new reward. The medal was overpowered as long as Anna was with him. Ardagan sealed Noel''s fate by giving him another mission.


    [Mission: Wife]


    [Description: Marry your fiancee.]


    [Reward: Husband Medal]


    [Penalty: None.]


    Noel wanted tough because he didn''t think Ardagan would y this way. But he didn''t specify the name so that he didn''t look like he was forcing Noel to marry Anna.


    "Is there something wrong?" Anna asked. Even if Noel had trained his poker face, Ardagan hadpletely obliterated him with these two missions, so he ended up with a change of expression.


    "Well¡­" Noel rubbed his cheek embarrassedly. He took out Ardagan and put it on the table. "This is Ardagan, the heirloom of the Ardagan Family as well as my second spirit."


    "Huh?!" Anna''s eyes were wide open. She knew that Noel had two spirits from the start. But she had never thought that the spirit could actuallye forth of his body. In fact, she knew that this was the heirloom of the Ardagan Family. She just didn''t expect that the heirloom turned out to be a spirit.


    "I won''t talk much about Ardagan right now. After all, it''s a secret that only the Ardagan Family can know." Noel reminded her that she was still his fiancee, not his wife. So, even if he wanted to tell her, he couldn''t.


    Anna could understand the situation. Since she was eventually going to be his wife, it didn''t matter to wait for that long.


    Noel smiled, thankful for her consideration. He continued, "What I want to talk about is the power I receive from Ardagan. You surely notice how I can master a lot of things in an instant, right?"


    Obviously, Anna noticed that instantaneous progress. But because she had promised the Sword Saint that she wouldn''t pry Noel''s secret, she never questioned it.


    But now, it is different. Noel was the one openly revealing the secret, so she could boldly admit it. "Yes. I''ve noticed it. I assume the spirit has given you that me power and the rune."


    "A part of it, yes. But the main power that Ardagan gave me is a system."


    "A system?"


    "Yes. By doing a mission, I can receive a reward. By spending some reward points, I can receive knowledge about a certain ability¡­ The abilities are directly transferred into my head. While it''s true that I can learn that ability in an instant, mastering it is a different case."


    "I see¡­ So that''s how it is¡­ That''s the reason for your rapid progress. It''s because Ardagan is a living spirit that he is actually developing things to match your desire. And your desire is directly linked to my progress. That''s why your progress is actually far faster than your previous life."


    "You can say it that way. I feel a bit relieved that I can actually tell you about this¡­ There is one thing that I always want to say, but I have never trusted you enough to say it."


    "What is that?" Anna was a bit surprised. Noel seemed to have held himself back this whole time.


    "In your previous life, you wouldn''t be able to achieve your goal."


    "Eh?" Anna''s expression turned grim. "What do you mean?"


    "Because I would be there. Just like now, I don''t n on stopping racking achievements. That''s why I''m sure that people will talk about me. It sounds arrogant, but what I want to say is that¡­ if this truly happens, people will only remember you as my wife. There is no more Anna¡­ There is only Noel''s wife."


    Anna fell silent, realizing the severity of this matter. If Noel continued outshining her in the future, her name would gradually disappear from people''s minds. Only Noel''s name would be resounded across the world.


    However, this was the exact reason why Noel acknowledged Anna''s contribution earlier. "Wait. Don''t tell me, you¡­"


    "Yes. There is one way for your name to reach your goal. You have to outshine me continuously. Even if you change your name to Anna Ardagan, people will know your name if you contribute so much that my achievement is nothingpared to yours. In other words, you can easily be the figurehead of this family, recing me."


    "Still, there is no way you''re going to let me do it, right?"


    "Of course. I''m saying that in the previous life, you wouldn''t be able to do it. I have a system that allows me to gain things easily while you don''t have anything."


    Anna agreed with Noel''s words. She had never defeated him in the past. Noel was just toying with her the whole time.


    But Noel continued, "But right now, it''s different. You have regressed and gotten all the knowledge, experience, and information about the future. I think you know what I want to say¡­"


    Anna turned solemn. "This is just like us, I guess¡­"


    "Indeed." Noel made a small smile while pointing at Anna. "Try to ovee me with everything you bring in your regression. However, I don''t n to lose. If you walk two steps, my system will push me for one more step. If you take four steps, Ardagan will carry me for the remaining steps."


    Noel''s smile became bigger as he confidently said, "My system or your rebirth¡­ Shall we see whoes at the top?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 892 Me Too

    Chapter 892 Me Too


    "My system or your rebirth¡­ Shall we see whoes at the top?"


    Anna was astounded. Her mind suddenly went nk, causing her to be unable to say anything.


    Instead, there was an image that shed in her mind.


    "Can you tell me¡­ why did you want to kill me?"


    "My¡­ name¡­"


    Yes, the image was none other than the time they were about to die. At that time, Noel hadpletely lost all his energy and his eyes were already nk. He uttered the two words that kept haunting her.


    It turned out the one who had wanted to kill her was Noel. But she had actually gone through a lot of ordeals where she could easily die but never actually failed to survive.


    At first, she thought she was a genius who had gone through numerous challenges. But she had almost forgotten this memory after realizing that Noel had never wanted to kill her.


    In that case, that memory itself was not valid. No, it was her question that wasn''t valid.


    In the previous life, Noel never wanted to kill her. He even used Old Ru to allow her to turn back time. Why?


    That question rang in her head. Why? Why would Noel go this far for her? Was there any other reason? Was it rted to their current rtionship?


    Without all those memories, Anna would continue to find a way to kill Noel. Did Noel do all that just so that Anna would actually switch sides?


    That was never a question. If Noel had all that memory and experience, no one could actually stop him.


    What did Noel see in her to make that decision? She couldn''t find it.


    But in this current life, Noel asked her, "My system or your rebirth¡­ Shall we see whoes at the top?"


    Anna couldn''t help but fall into deep thought before asking, "Noel¡­ Can''t I truly know what your goal is?"


    "Goal¡­" Noel had repeatedly told her that he couldn''t say it. Noel shook his head heavily while muttering, ''How can I tell you my goal¡­ After all, you''re going to be the one standing in my way¡­''


    Anna couldn''t find her answer. She felt that there was a link to why Noel chose her to regress. In fact, Noel might actually ask her to guide the current him.


    However, it would mean that she had lost if she actually filled that role. There was a reason for her rebirth. Noel had predicted it, so Anna knew that she had to surpass that imagination if she wanted to beat Noel.


    At the same time, the current Noel had challenged her.


    She was perplexed. On the one hand, she wanted to achieve her goal. On the other hand, what if her achieving her goal was actually someone''s arrangement? Would she still be considered to have achieved her goal?


    ''Wait¡­ no¡­ that''s not it.'' Anna suddenly noticed something wrong with Noel''s words.


    The current Noel had told her that he wouldn''t allow her to seed that easily. So, if she achieved her goal, wouldn''t that mean she achieved it with her own power? It was true that the previous Noel had arranged all this, but what if the arrangement was actually a frontal sh?


    There was no scheme in a head-on sh. It was just a fight between their technique, skills, and strength. This way, it didn''t really destroy the purpose of her goal as long as she achieved it through this method.


    Anna took a deep breath as though she had made a decision. She raised a finger, "Since you''re going to do it this way, we''ll have our biggest bet in our entire life. The winner is allowed to order anything from the loser."


    Noel smiled. There was no hesitation in his words. "I agree."


    "I have to warn you that it''s also included with an order to tell me your goal¡­" Anna warned him. Since telling her his goal would cause him to fail to achieve his goal, it was truly the biggest bet in their life.


    "I know." Noel nodded. "I ept this bet, fully knowing the consequences. However, I should ask you too¡­ Are you aware that you won''t be able to achieve your goal if I defeat you?"


    "Of course. Let''s do this." Anna smirked.


    "Alright." Noel''s expression turned serious as he said, "In that case, you have to hear things about my system. First of all, the system is more unique than you originally thought. And the most unique things are¡­"


    Noel opened the system and changed the two medals to Elite Medal and Couple Medal.


    In that instant, he got a surge of fifteen percent of his current Spiritual Energy, causing it to create a small gale.


    Even Anna noticed the difference and gasped. "This is¡­"


    Noel didn''t circte his energy whatsoever. In fact, he didn''t do anything that could cause his energy to rise. It didn''t seem to be a technique to boost his energy either.


    "This is one of its powers. Medal System. I can equip two different medals that can amplify my power. There is a medal that can increase my Spiritual Energy, sword mastery, or even rune mastery."


    "Isn''t this too overpowered? I mean, the more Spiritual Energy you have in your body, the more it increases, right? What if you are a Spirit Transcendence or even a Spirit King?" Anna sucked a cold breath.


    "Yes. The second ability is to learn all kinds of techniques in an instant as I''ve said earlier. I don''t think I have to exin much regarding this ability."


    "Indeed. It''s simple but powerful." Anna nodded in confirmation.


    "The third ability would be this¡­" Noel bought a water bottle from the system and let it appear before her.


    "Huh? Is this a space element? How do you make it appear out of nowhere?"


    "I don''t know the reason as well, but the system allows me to buy basic things. For example, I can buy this stuff to help people and something along the lines. I can even buy some runes and master them. Of course, I have the knowledge about runes in my head, but learning and mastering it takes time. So, I usually use this function to learn a new one."


    "That''s understandable. In my previous life, I have learned some runes, and it really takes a long time just to create a perfect rune." Anna agreed, recalling all the time she holed up in her room just to learn them.


    "Last but not least, the missions. The missions can be rted to the future or even information that I don''t know. So, I''ve been using it to act as a irvoyance in one way or another." Noel exined.


    "That makes sense. That''s how you know about a lot of things without the memory of the future like me." Anna nodded. "Does that mean you have a mission right now?"


    "Yes. Well, the most recent mission is to have a wife¡­" Noel teased her a bit.


    "Mhmm?" Anna was startled, her face slightly reddened.


    This reaction was the reason why Noel added, "Though, it didn''t specify who it is."


    "Wha¡ª" Anna hurriedly mmed the table while raising her voice. "You''re mine. I''ll fight whoever dares to snatch you from me."


    "How brutal¡­ you sure love to fight, aren''t you? No, should I be careful of interacting with women from now on because I''m afraid that you will kill them or something¡­"


    Anna''s body trembled. She corrected her words, "Ehm, I mean, I''m just going to change my way to the point where you fall so deep that you can''t think of anyone else."


    Noel only smiled while watching her reaction. It was at this time that Anna knew he teased her.


    "You¡­" Anna gritted her teeth. "Then, what about you? If I win, it means that I will be known as the figurehead, right? I can actually get a lot of husbands¡­"


    "That won''t happen," Noel said with a gentle smile as though he was sure about it.


    "Huh? Why are you so sure?"


    "Because you''ll be so upied with me that you won''t have the time to think about anyone else."


    "¡­" Anna wanted to refute him, but she ended up looking away, embarrassed. She never thought Noel was so bold that he could say those words straight to her. "So¡­ what do you like about me? I have to make sure that you like me and not think of anyone else besides me."


    "It''s fine. You''re perfect the way you are." Noel chuckled.


    "That''s¡­" Anna felt happy hearing it, but she didn''t really like the answer. There was no way a person would like everything from another person, especially their mistakes. "That''s a rather vague answer."


    "Then, tell me about what I should change to make you like me more?"


    "Ehm¡­" Anna rubbed her cheeks embarrassedly while looking away. "I like the way you are."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "See?"


    Anna crossed her arms, unsatisfied. "No. There must be something. You might not know it since you don''t know me enough. Alright, let''s sleep together from now on. This way, we can share a lot of things before we go to sleep."


    "I don''t think that''s necessary. I mean, it will cause trouble for your reputation because of the kingdom''s norms. It''s not about two soldiers sharing a living space anymore. It''s between two nobles."


    "Have you forgotten that Dimitri has been doing it this whole time? I''m pretty sure that he must be thinking of a way to make us sleep together."


    "Well¡­" Noel couldn''t deny it, especially after Dimitri nailed their beds together in Old Ru''s ce.


    Anna finallyunched a counterattack by asking, "Or don''t tell me that the famous Noel Ardagan can''t resist my beauty and be a beast that can''t control himself? I guess you''re just like any other man."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as he couldn''t help but pinch both of her cheeks. "Hoho? I should be the one asking you¡­ you must be so thirsty to suggest something like that."


    "Well, that would mean that you can''t find any other wife beside me, so that''s fine." Anna stuck her tongue out.


    "You really¡­"


    The two continued to bicker while heading to the bedroom. But because the mansion hadn''t been constructed, the room was small. In fact, the bed was only for one person.


    So, they ended up being so close that their shoulders were touching each other.


    After a while, Noel couldn''t help but reach her hand and hold it firmly.


    "What''s wrong? You can''t resist anymore?" Anna smirked, teasing him again.


    However, Noel kept his calm expression, his gaze remained on the ceiling. He said with a genuine tone. "No. I''m just d¡­ d that you are here with me, Anna."


    Anna opened her mouth, but the words stuck in her throat. She couldn''t help but tilt her body toward him while burying her face in his arm. "Me¡­too."

 Chapter 893 Bizarre Ideas

    Chapter 893 Bizarre Ideas


    The next morning.


    Dimitri opened a door, which turned out to be Noel''s bedroom.


    "Master? Are you still asleep? You''re already more than an hourte¡­" Dimitri wanted to wake Noel up, but he soon stopped when he noticed there were two people on the small bed.


    He was even more shocked when he saw the other person turned out to be Anna.


    He thought about leaving them alone, but it seemed that he had made enoughmotion for them to wake up.


    "Mhmm?" Noel almost forgot about the schedule and hurried up, responding to Dimitri. "I''m sorry. I waste."


    "It''s already bright?" Anna yawned while rising from the bed. She was still discerning the situation with her fuzzy eyes.


    Noel noticed that Dimitri had seen something he shouldn''t have. After all, Anna was supposed to sleep in the room next door.


    When he widened his eyes and was about to exin things to Dimitri, thetter had actually bowed his head.


    "Please continue, Master. It will be troublesome if we hold the wedding when she is pregnant, but considering it''s still one month away. You have less than three months, or you will have to wait for one more year. Ah, don''t worry. I''ll fix the bedter so that you two don''t need to sleep in that small bed."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched as if this was just a misunderstanding. He obviously understood what would happen if such a scenario were to ur. "Dimitri, stand there right now! We''re going to have a talk."


    "Since you''ve woken up, I''m going to let the others know. Please excuse me." Dimitri skillfully used his ability to escape, leaving Noel no chance to say another word.


    "You¡­" Noel waspletely speechless. He turned to Anna while opening his mouth, but the words actually stuck in his throat.


    "So, that''s your n." Anna shook her head helplessly as if she was disappointed in Noel.


    "Of course not. Even after marrying you, I don''t n to have a kid yet. You should know that your progress will be hindered that way. But because of our age, It won''t be that long either. Anyway, I have to catch up to Dimitri!" Noel rushed to the outside.


    Anna made a wry smile. On the one hand, she knew that giving birth to a kid would cause her to be unable to do much. On the other hand, she was kind of expecting it.


    "A kid, huh¡­" Anna closed her eyes. As Noel said, they were already a bit too oldpared to other nobles. In fact, other nobles would have married at seventeen or eighteen years old.


    Meanwhile, both of them will be twenty years old this winter. "Well, it seems that we have to speed up our battle."


    Anna rose from the bed while clenching her fists, bing more determined than ever.


    Surprisingly, Noel was actually right outside the room. He looked troubled and embarrassed at the same time. In fact, he might escape the room just to cover his embarrassment.


    "Well, isn''t this Noel? What are you doing here? Don''t tell me you''re embarrassed?"


    "Not at all." Noel''s expression turned to normal in an instant while saying, "I''m just thinking about the future, one year, two years, or even three years from now."


    "Ahaha¡­" Anna wanted to tease him, but this time, it was different. They had talked about a lot of things yesterday, and it was the reason why they woke upte. So, she changed the topic. "Are you going to inspect the river this time?"


    "Yeah. I''m going to inspect the river and the post today."


    "Actually, after talking to you yesterday, I couldn''t help but wonder¡­" Anna raised two fingers. "Do you even need the river when you can supply the water through your system? I mean, you can get the currency to exchange items by helping the people, right?


    "What if you don''t build the dam and cause the enemy to attack? By using those points to get water, you help the citizens, and by helping the citizens, you get the currency again. Won''t it generate an endless amount of points?"


    Noel shook his head. Of course, he had thought about it, so he asked, "Are you saying you are going to let the citizens suffer again and again? While it''s true that I will help them, living in suffering is not something you want to experience, you know."


    "No." Anna waved her hand while correcting him. "I''m not talking about living in suffering. I''m talking about the unnecessary dam¡­ Why would you build a dam when you can do all that? Is there actually another purpose for that dam? I have thought about it, but I couldn''t find the answer."


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Now that I think about it¡­"


    Noel suddenly dropped to the ground while continuously looking down as if there was a map on the floor. "If the dam has another purpose, it means the post and the mine also have one¡­ If it''s not to help the citizens and not generating the points, then¡­"


    Noel dropped his jaw to the ground as if he couldn''t believe what he had just thought.


    "Anna¡­ are you a genius?"


    "What? I''m talented, but I''m not smart enough to figure it out." Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "No." Noel smirked as he hugged Anna and raised her up. "Hahaha. That''s it. I can finally see another way to utilize the system!"


    "W-what?!" Anna''s heart skipped a beat, but looking at Noel bing so happy warmed her heart. Still, she was a bit curious. "What are you talking about?"


    "I mean, there are three other ways to utilize the dam." Noel smirked. "First of all, the dam itself might help the citizens, but it''s not necessary. Then, why would I create an important asset when I have a hard time defending it?"


    "A¡­ diversion?!" Anna seemed to have got the answer.


    "Yes. I can divert their attention to the dam, allowing them to attack the dam instead of the territory. That water gate is used to prevent any harm to the city."


    "Ooh?!" Anna didn''t see iting. The enemies shouldn''t have seen it either. "Then¡­ the other two reasons?"


    "The second reason is a weapon!"


    "A dam as a weapon? No. Are you trying to protect the side of our territory by using that dam?"


    "Yes. If we create a dam, we can destroy it as well. This way, the enemies who cross the shallow river will be swept away by the water in the dam. And even if they destroy the dam, it will greatly impact the western side of the territory and prevent them froming through it.''


    "I see. A dam as a weapon, huh. But I still can''t see the third way."


    "The third way is actually the system itself. As you said earlier, I could generate an endless amount of points, but this time, I don''t n on letting the citizens suffer." Noel grinned. "Since the dam is a weapon, it might be reconstructed a few times. By doing that, I can create a task for citizens to build the dam."


    "Ah! Helping people will generate points. So, giving people wages will be simr to saving them. Of course, that only happens for the normal citizens who are living on their wages, not the wealthy. But it will still generate arge amount of points."


    "I see. So, by creating a lot of projects, you can get points¡­" Anna asked, "What about the current progress of the city? You''re building a lot of things, right?"


    "Yes. However, I have to discuss it with Ardagan. I want to give them wages on a daily basis, allowing me to harvest more points, but Ardagan might make a fuss about it, so I''ll find the perfect time to give them wages. With this amount of points, I can buy more items and evenpletely learn all the runes."


    "I see. Then the post is like that as well?"


    "Yes. How about creating that post as your base to hunt the demons? And creating that small post will require people as well. In addition, I want you to dig out a tunnel linking this ce to that post. You should remember the mission in the Heirden''s territory, right?"


    "Ah. The emergency escape path that is hidden underneath the mountain."


    "That''s it. Not only can we use it to escape, but we can also bring soldiers tounch a sneak attack from behind. After all, the enemies can only attack us from the north or south."


    "I see. That means the mine has the same function as the dam?"


    "Indeed. Since the mine is more important than the vein, we can even use the Rune Array to create a small natural fortress to hinder or even eliminate the enemies. By taking advantage of the natural advantages, we can generate points and protect the territory. I''m going to Dous to discuss this n."


    "Alright. I will go to the soldier camp then. I have to discuss our exploration that will start two days from now." Anna nodded. "Still, you are truly a genius. To think you would use the terrain advantage like this¡­"


    "No, no. You''ve given me hints of what I did in my previous life. And you had given thatst straw leading to this conclusion. I wouldn''t be able toe up with this in one or two months without you. Thank you, Anna."


    Anna smiled. "We''ve agreed to build this ce together. I think there is no need to thank each other from now on¡­ After all, it''s only natural to help each other, right?"


    "Right? In that case, I will be cooking tonight! Then¡­" Noel waved his hand as he rushed out, wanting to discuss his n.


    "I told him there is no need to thank each other¡­" Anna shook her head helplessly, knowing the gesture was meant to thank her. But she still felt happy that she could help a lot.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

 Chapter 894 Challenge

    Chapter 894 Challenge


    "So, what do you think, Dous?" Noel asked.


    "I don''t have any problems. But if we''re going to build it and destroy it over and over again, then I have to take into consideration the materials as well as the effect it will cause on the downstream area." Dous exined.


    "I can provide with funds, and I believe this is going to take priority. It''s going to be our weapon against the first attack."


    "If that''s the case, you might have to consult with Dimitri regarding the workers. As long as we have enough workers, creating a broken dam should be easy." Dous thought for a moment. "What I''m interested in is this outpost. Are you sure you want to build an outpost in that area?"


    "Yes. For the territory''s defense."


    "Interesting." Dous raised two fingers. "In that case, I believe it''s better to make it a bit grand if you want to make the enemies believe that it''s a fort while it''s not. There is also a chance that the enemies will attack that ce instead."


    "I have considered it." Noel nodded, assuring Dous.


    "In that case, I can create the blueprints for you within three days. Dimitri has to get the workers, though."


    "Alright. I''ll leave it to you." Noel waved his hand and finally went to Dimitri to discuss the workers.


    ¡­


    While Noel was discussing a lot of projects with other pirs, Anna finally arrived at the barrack where Howard trained the soldiers.


    Clink!


    Clink!


    Clink!


    A clicking sound could be heard from a hundred meters away as Anna was sure that there was a sparring between two soldiers.


    When she arrived at the soldier camp, she found that there were two soldiers surrounded by others. One of them was sitting on the ground with a sword on his neck while the other was raising his hand as if showing that he had won.


    Howard was supervising the entire process and nodded his head as if approving the match. Soon, he noticed that a person wasing in their direction. A few other soldiers seemed to have noticed her as well and turned their heads around, finding Anna.


    "Well, well, well¡­" Howard squinted his eyes. "Who do we have here? Isn''t this Mistress Anna?"


    Anna could feel from his voice that Howard looked down upon her. As expected, Howard was one of the people that was against Noel''s marriage, so she could understand the prejudice he had.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    And it was her job to dispel that prejudice by showing that she was the only one for him.


    Anna asked, "Are you training right now?"


    "Of course, Madam!" Howard answered while smirking. The other soldiers were whispering to each other. If they had Howard''s position, they might do the same thing. However, they didn''t dare to do it because they were still seeking the points to get runes on their bodies.


    "I see. It seems that I have to interrupt your training session." Anna smiled.


    "For what reason?" Howard asked while furrowing his eyebrows.


    Anna actually brought a big scroll with her. She walked past the soldiers skillfully and reached the center.


    The two soldiers stepped back, not knowing what to do in this situation. In the end, Howard waved his hand, signaling them to return to the rank while he took care of Anna.


    Anna ced down the scroll and rolled it, showing everyone the map of the territory.


    "Hoh?" Howard was amused. It seemed that the interruption was bigger than he originally thought. "It will require a lot of time."


    "I''m aware. That''s why I just wanted to tell you about the ns for now."


    Howard walked toward Anna with a sharp gaze. It seemed that he wanted to tear Anna down so that his master didn''t need to marry her. And this was the opportunity.


    He sat down in front of the map while saying, "I''m all ears."


    Anna raised her hand and circted her energy, forming a stick in front of her.


    ''She has good control¡­'' Howard sensed the high-level control that Anna had and confirmed the rumors. It seemed that Anna truly defeated Count Heirden. Her achievement was truly based on strength instead of a hidden trade in the royal court.


    Anna pointed at three locations with the stick. "I want to mobilize the soldiers and clear up these three areas."


    Howard noticed the river and the mountain, so he immediately asked, "Do you want to utilize the river and mountain?"


    "Yes. Noel is nning to build a dam in this area, so I want to clear up all the demons that are scattered so that the workers cane in. As for this mountain, we''ve verified the existence of a mine here. We''re not sure about what kind of vein is buried underneath it, but it''s something we can utilize. The mine itself doesn''t have any demons, and all their remains have been destroyed, so we''re only clearing up the perimeter."


    Howard fell into deep thought. "The mountain should be fine. But the river is trickier. The river is about fifteen meters wide. Looking at this map, we have to go around and cross this section of the river. But doing so will take a lot of time."


    "I know your concern. That''s why we''ll create two groups."


    "And are you nning to lead the second group?"


    "Indeed." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    Howard squinted his eyes. He didn''t like that idea, but this was the perfect opportunity to see Anna''s ability. Although she had proven her strength, it didn''t mean she had themanding ability.


    But before agreeing to her, Howard changed the topic slightly. "How about this mountain?"


    "Since we''ll clear the river first, the two groups should have been established. So, we''ll sweep the mountain with two groups as well and further investigate the mine."


    Howard noticed a bit of unresting from his subordinates. Anna was too young and had never gone through anything with them, so they doubted Anna could make a goodmand.


    Hence, Howard came forward with thest trial. "In that case, can you tell me about the n for this area? I don''t see anything special."


    "This area¡­ is his direct order. No questions are allowed." Anna stated with a solemn tone.


    "!!!" Even though Howard wanted to rebuke that word, the fact that Noel had given the direct order for this area meant the information was ssified. Since the soldiers were still watching, it wouldn''t be best to talk about it.


    After looking at the three locations that Anna had pointed at, Howard exined, "We''ve scouted the area before gathering in the city. There are numerous Peak Level Demons, so it''s going to be dangerous. We''ve noticed at least seven Peak Level Demons around the river and thirteen of them in the northern part. The mountain is trickier, but we believe the number is even higher than the other two."


    Anna also noticed the tricky part of the mountain. Even her instinct picked up several dangers, so she asked, "How many men do you have, and how is their strength?"


    "I am a Spirit Grandmaster. There are four Spirit Masters under me, followed by ten Spirit Wielders and thirty Spirit Practitioners. The rest are Spirit Apprentices. In total, we have ny people."


    "Hmm¡­" Anna looked down as if falling into deep thought. "It''s going to be dangerous for the Spirit Apprentices¡­ But the runes¡­"


    Howard was worried about it as well. However, they worked for Noel and were ready to throw their lives for the sake of this territory. So, Howard assured her, "We''re men of the battlefield. We''re not afraid of anything."


    "No. I''m not worried about your resolve. Right now, the territory doesn''t have any new batch of soldiers, especially to protect a big city and those soon-to-be walls. So, we can''t afford to lose soldiers." Anna shook her head.


    Howard''s expression turned serious, realizing that Anna might not be a sheltered girl and understand a bit about the management of soldiers.


    As Anna said, if they lost too many soldiers, they would have a hard time finding their recement. Those soldiers could also help with the training of newer soldiers that the territory would recruit in the future.


    "What do you think, Howard?" Anna raised her head, asking for Howard.


    This question took him by surprise. Anna''s status as Noel''s fiancee toppled even him, so the fact that she lowered her pride and asked for his opinion meant that she was serious about protecting this territory.


    Because of that, Howard decided to give her an honest opinion. "The safest will be to clear one side first. However, it''ll take too much time. Hence, we''ll divide the soldiers into two groups."


    "Won''t it be too dangerous?"


    "We''ve received some equipment from Sir Roel, so we''ll arm them with those equipment. Besides, this will be a big opportunity for the soldiers to earn points and learn a lot from the battle."


    "So, I will still get themand of the second group?"


    "Because you''re the only Spirit Grandmaster here, then yes. However, I will send two Spirit Masters who are adept atmanding the soldiers. They''ll take over once you encounter a problem."


    "I don''t mind." Anna agreed without hesitation.


    "In that case, I can feel assured. Please don''t look down on these soldiers. They might not be as strong as you, but they won''t go down without a fight."


    "Alright then." Anna looked left and right, observing the soldiers'' expressions. She couldn''t help but say, "I know that you are unsatisfied with me. However, I won''t use my authority to make you acknowledge me. That''s why you''re free to express those arguments in the way you did earlier¡­"


    "Hmmm? Are you¡­" Howard was quite surprised that Anna decided to do it this way.


    "Who do you think has drawn runes on Noel''s body?" Anna paused for a moment so the others could think of the answer. But even without saying it, they could clearly see that person. Anna pointed at herself. "I was the one who drew them. If you have an objection, fight me.


    "Any Spirit Masters who can hit me once will be considered to win, any Spirit Wielders who can push me back will win, any Spirit Practitioners who can force me to use my abilities will win¡­"


    Anna smirked as her words managed to pique the soldiers'' interest. Anna asked out loud, "So, who will be the first?"

 Chapter 895 Respect

    Chapter 895 Respect


    "We could get a rune on our body as long as we defeat her?"


    "We don''t need to defeat her. As long as we can just push her back, we will win."


    The soldiers were whispering to each other. Anna''s offer was actually beyond their imagination and had sparked a lot of interest.


    Even Howard couldn''t help but ask, "Are you sure about this?"


    "Yes," Anna confirmed without hesitation.


    Although he hated Anna, his opinion changed during the conversation. Instead of thinking about how to harm her, he considered the fact that Anna might have to take care of these men. It would definitely look bad for her reputation.


    "But¡­" Howard wanted to stop her, albeit Anna had made her decision. "It''s fine. I''ve consulted with Noel as well. Besides, they have to win against me first."


    Howard was still worried since it wouldn''t be only her reputation that would be damaged. Noel''s reputation as the one who married her would be questioned. But the fact that she had received Noel''s permission meant that their master had agreed to it.


    One of the Spirit Masters raised from the ground and volunteered, "Captain. Please allow me to fight her."


    Howard''s face looked troubled, but after seeing Anna''s determined face, he could only agree. "Alright."


    "Oh?!"


    "Grandel is the one going to fight first!"


    "Grandel is a Spirit Master, the strongest among us."


    "This is a perfect opportunity to measure our opponent''s strength."


    The people became excited as Grandel reached the arena and stood two meters away from Anna. He politely bowed to her and said, "Please forgive my aggression."


    "If you can hit me, that is." Anna nodded with a smile.


    Howard sighed before announcing, "You can use your ability, but not the big one and destroy this area. No killing blow is allowed, and I will have the authority to stop the fight at any time. If you don''t have any objections, the match can start now!"


    Both Anna and Grandel nodded their heads as if signaling to each other that they had no objection. Grandel took out his spear while Anna pulled out her sword.


    There was a silence filling the battlefield for a few seconds before Grandel rushed forth.


    In just an instant, Grandel reached Anna and thrust his spear. Anna didn''t have any change of expression from Grandel''s speed.


    She only raised her right foot as if trying to take a step back.


    ''Going away? You can''t!'' Grandel sped up, but this was the time Anna showed her true intention.


    Instead of taking a step back, she actually rotated her body slightly, causing the backstep to be a sidestep and ultimately avoiding the spear.


    ''!!!'' Grandel widened his eyes in surprise. He hurriedly swung his spear to match Anna''s movement, but thetter had struck his spear from below, knocking it up.


    Grandel still held his spear, but the force actually forced his arms so high that he could lose his grip at any moment. In addition, Anna took this chance to push his body back.


    "Kh!" Grandel coughed a few times as though a boulder had just hit him. He never thought that a gentle push from Anna would be that strong.


    Among the people who watched the battle, only Howard could actually see through Anna''s move.


    ''What? Grandel used his Spiritual Energy to make a leap toward her and cover his whole body. But she didn''t use her Spiritual Energy to avoid him¡­ she only utilized it to strike him.''


    Howard waspletely surprised. Anna could actually change the flow of her Spiritual Energy and cause the difference between Spiritual Energy. Just like the training with Old Ru, where they knocked each other out when there was a different level of Spiritual Energy, she utilized that power to knock him back.


    And she released a high amount of Spiritual Energy in an instant to generate that much pressure.


    Her control was simply unbelievable.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    However, the more he observed Anna, the more terrifying she became. Anna actually took advantage of Grandel''s confidence.


    By making that back step, she made Grandel increase his speed, causing him to bete to react to the change in her movement.


    Anna looked at Grandel and said, "You have a good speed, but to utilize that speed, you either need a sharp instinct that can take over your fight or a fast mind to create logical attack patterns at that speed."


    "I know that." Grandel gritted his teeth and charged at her again. But this time, he stopped right at the edge of his spear''s range and kept thrusting his spear so that one of them could hit Anna.


    Sadly for him, Anna parried every single thrust. "Good judgment. To fight an unknown opponent, it''s best to learn their ability first by maintaining your distance. I guess the basics have been ingrained into you."


    "Don''t talk as if you know everything!" Grandel roared and increased his speed, trying to overwhelm Anna.


    But there was a big difference in their strength. Anna was already a Spirit Grandmaster after all. Her lightning not only increased her power but also her speed. And the instinct that his spirit gave her told her where the spear would being next.


    "I actually want to show everyone here about runes. After all, you''re going to be the elite soldiers of our Ardagan Family." Anna raised her other hand, pointing it at Grandel.


    "!!!" Grandel instinctively stopped attacking and jumped away.


    "Good reaction." Anna nodded in satisfaction while forming the Increase Agility Rune on her hand. The target was Grandel.


    "Hmm?!" Grandel felt a surge of powering into his body. He felt his body get slightly faster.


    "This is the Increased Agility Rune. It''s a basic rune, but it can increase your speed slightly. Come at me again!"


    Grandel paused for a moment, never expecting Anna to give something like this. He took a deep breath first to calm himself and erase that prejudice. His eyes were now clear and refined, very different from the first time he stepped into the arena.


    "I like your eyes now." Anna smiled.


    "Grandel,ing." Grandel lowered his center of gravity before using the Spiritual Energy to kick the bottom of his feet,unching him straight to Anna.


    The speed was faster than the previous one. Even Anna couldn''t make any fake and had to stop him with her de.


    A clicking sound echoed on the battlefield, shocking everyone.


    "Isn''t that¡­ quite fast?"


    "I think it''s faster."


    "The difference might be small, but it''s noticeable."


    "But it''s only a basic rune¡­"


    "Even if it''s only a basic one, it''s still quite huge for us¡­" A Spirit Practitioner soldier imed.


    Howard made a wry smile. He fully understood the power of runes, considering Noel had drawn it for him to showcase its power. And to think Anna was also a master of runes who had been helping Noel this whole time. It seemed that he had beenpletely mistaken about Anna.


    Anna and Grandel shed a few times. Thetter had refined his movement a bit further, but Anna started to get serious and poured more Spiritual Energy into her strike, gradually overpowering Grandel.


    Once Grandel lost his speed, Anna got aplete advantage and struck his spear down, knocking it to the ground.


    Thest clicking sound was the bell that signaled the end of the match.


    To their surprise, Grandel was actually defeated without being able to do anything special. No, it could be said that Anna directed his focus on the rune, causing him to be unable to perform as he usually did.


    "This is¡­"


    "She defeated Grandel so easily."


    "No. Grandel didn''t perform well this time."


    The soldiers had mixed feelings. On the contrary, Grandel actually bowed his head to Anna.


    "I''ve lostpletely. That Increase Agility Rune¡­" Grandel looked at Anna but was hesitant to ask for it.


    "It''s nothing secretive. Our Ardagan Family will have elite soldiers who are adept in running. There will be soldiers who can incorporate runes or even use runes directly. That''s why I''m introducing you to the runes right now. It can boost your strength, create unimaginable force, or even protect yourrades."


    When Anna started exining about runes, the soldiers fell silent as they were curious about it.


    And in this silence, Anna actually delivered the real message. "I know that you hate me for what I''ve done in the past. There is nothing I can do to change it.


    "Yes. I was your enemy¡­ I was Noel''s enemy." Anna emphasized the fact that it was in the past as she continued, "That''s why I''m going to show you that I have changed. I will show you that I will be your strongest ally and build this territory together with him.


    "I will earn your respect with my effort. That''s why I only request all of you¡­ to give me one chance. Just the river, please trust me with your life. If you deem me unfit, then you will never see me again among the soldiers."


    The soldiers were astounded. Anna''s tone was sincere and her determination was genuine. They had scrapped all the possibilities because of what they knew about her in the past.


    As she said, she needed a chance¡­ a chance to show them that she was different from the past. They only needed to respect her if they deemed she was worthy.


    She had also introduced runes, and Noel seemed to have trusted her with a lot of things.


    This plea somehow made Anna look cool in their eyes. Even Grandel broke the silence by asking Howard, "Captain¡­ I volunteered to be under her in the exploration. I am the fastest, so I can move around to help other soldiers in case of emergency."


    Grandel''s request had changed the direction of the soldiers'' thoughts.


    Although it was only a little bit, that day, Anna earned the respect of the soldiers.

 Chapter 896 Sword Arbiter

    Chapter 896 Sword Arbiter


    Marquis Stargaze Mansion.


    There were two men sitting in front of each other. One of them was obviously the owner of the house, Kevin Stargaze. But the other one was surprisingly the Duke of the kingdom, Sword Arbiter Lorelei.


    "Hahahaha. Did you hear the news, Kevin?!" Duke Loreleiughed out loud while mming the table. It looked like he was too excited for the news he had just heard.


    "I''m not sure what you''re talking about." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows while maintaining his calm.


    "Don''t y dumb. I''m sure you''ve heard about it. The Royal Family has heard about it first, but it has be a huge rumor in the capital city, you know." Duke Lorelei smirked while pointing at Kevin. "It''s about your daughter''s engagement with the famous Noel Ardagan."


    "¡­" Kevin closed his eyes, knowing what he wanted to talk about. "It''s my daughter''s choice. I try to respect my own children''s choices. That''s all."


    "You''re basically admitting that your and her actions in the royal court were fake, you know." Duke Lorelei was seriously amused by how the whole kingdom was tricked by their fights.


    At first, it was clear that Anna had been making it difficult for Kevin. She had gone all the way to put Noel in dangerous territory.


    Everything was going ording to the n until they announced the engagement.


    "It''s hrious that no one can actually believe it. It started with how she asked for the Ardagan Family''s execution and ended with an engagement. The supposedly mortal enemy ends up as a partner for life. How can anyone expect that?"


    "I''m not sure what you''re talking about."


    "Oh, are you trying to y fool here? I''ve connected most of the dots anyway." Duke Lorelei thought for a moment. "If this is their entire n, what do you think they expect from Lounstein? In the end, it''s a dangerous territory."


    "I don''t know. It can be anything rted to the future like resources and other things." Kevin shrugged. "Are you alright for doing this? Don''t forget that you''re a duke as well as an arbiter."


    "It''s fine. My grandfather was the one who married royalty and became a duke, I only retained this position because of my strength. So, this old man will be impartial most of the time." Duke Lorelei shrugged. "Instead, let''s talk about something even more interesting."


    "Hmm?" Kevin narrowed his eyes.


    "So, when did it start? Don''t tell me you''re going to say that it''s from the beginning, right? What next? Are you going to tell me that the executed Ardagan Family was fake and the real people have been hiding somewhere?"


    "If only I could meet my best friend, I would have done so." Kevin sighed as if he was sad that he couldn''t meet him anymore because the other party was already beyond this world.


    Duke Lorelei paused for a moment, observing Kevin''s face. He said yfully, "Well, even if they''re still alive, it''s not like they can show themselves. Faking your own execution, escaping your punishment, and lying to the masses about your own death, I''m afraid that even if they reveal themselves, they won''t be treated lightly."


    "Yeah. I would be the first to hit him in the face." Kevin nodded. "But at the very least, I should take care of his son. He had helped me that much in the past."


    "Fair enough. So, the engagement was your idea?"


    "Not at all. From the very start, I had dered that I left her marriage in her hands, right?"


    "That''s true. In the end, that kid grew so independent that no one could marry her. And hearing about Noel''s achievement, I could only think of him as the only partner who can stand by her side."


    "You seem to have free time, Sir Lorelei."


    "Of course. While I still retain my position as an Arbiter, I have stepped down as the family head." Duke Lorelei shrugged. "I''m just spending my life to either hone my swords or experience interesting things."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "In that case, there is something interesting¡­ It''s said that the Third Prince and the Royal Family''s rtionship is not as one knows. Instead, they are friendly. One of them controls the kingdom in the dark while the other is governing it openly."


    Duke Lorelei stared at Kevin for a moment without a change of expression before saying, "That''s an interesting opinion. You are lucky that I''m not on duty, or I might have to detain you for that sphemy."


    "Indeed. I apologize." Kevin closed his eyes with a smile as though he had gotten his answer.


    "Then, as an apology, you should answer this question. How do you think they spread the information? I''m pretty sure that the Royal Family has caught wind of it right away, but calcting the time they need to reach Lounstein, it should only be around two or three days since they met, right?


    "If you take it into the equation, you will realize that the message can only be sent through birds. And surprisingly, in a single night, the rumor has spread to the entire capital. People listen to it from the market, red-light districts, and even the slums.


    "You should know the power of information. If they can spread the news so easily, it''s clear that they want everyone to know about it for a reason. I don''t care about the reason since I don''t have anything against them, but I''m quite curious about the method."


    Kevin shrugged. "I don''t know. I only knew about their close rtionship not long ago, so I just yed along. As for their method, it eludes me."


    "Is that so? I guess I should say as expected of the Ardagan Family. Even with their current condition, they still have all this influence." Duke Lorelei chuckled. "There are a lot of people panicking."


    "They sure do."


    "At first, there are two groups: those who support Noel and the people who support Anna. Now that the people they support join hands, they''re wondering what they should do. Should they merge? Should they continue shing?


    "The people are confused, considering their original purpose is to either get benefit or join the same side as the royal family."


    "It will still take a while for them to calm down, but even I want tough about the current condition. Before, the nobles were split into two groups, but because of this engagement, it has be at least five groups."


    "Indeed, especially with the fact that Noel is the teacher of the Greenwood Kingdom''s second princess." Duke Lorelei''s face turned solemn as if this matter weighed heavily in his heart.


    "I don''t know how it became that way, but don''t forget his mother."


    "I know. She is also an extremely talented Spirit Magician like her father." Duke Lorelei raised a finger. "I don''t care much, but I think it''s a bit disadvantageous for him to choose Lounstein. He should have chosen a ce near all four kingdoms since even the Zaecuria Kingdom is trying to take a bite of his runes. If he gets the support from all kingdoms, he might be able to establish a neutral territory, not belonging to any kingdoms."


    "Well, he is the child of that Luke, I''m sure his aim is something else." Kevin shook his head helplessly. "Even I can''t say I understand my best friendpletely."


    "Fair enough. Then, I have onest question." Duke Lorelei raised a finger and his expression turned even more solemn. "I don''t have any problems with the situation to be honest. But how far is he nning to go? I don''t like raising my de to crush the future of the kingdom."


    "I''m d that you think that way, but I think you don''t have to worry about it. Let me give you one truth that you would happily hear. The grudge between him and my daughter was real."


    "!!!" Duke Lorelei was astounded. This information could be interpreted in a lot of ways. If this was the truth, it meant that even if Noel had a grudge against Anna, it could be resolved in one way or another.


    This meant a lot to the conflicts within the kingdom. But it also proved that there was a possibility that Noel didn''t intend to destroy the kingdom, which would force him to raise arms to subjugate him.


    This was the most important. He couldn''t help but chuckle as if he felt relieved. "Haha. I guess that''s his charm. Since they''re still engaged, maybe I should throw some of my granddaughters at him?"


    "Hoho, I might have to stop you here. My daughter is a little selfish, you see. Besides, don''t forget that in the Ardagan Family, most of their direct lineage only has one wife."


    "Now that I think about it¡­" Duke Lorelei nodded while recalling the history. "Well, think of it as me not saying anything. Thank you for answering this old man''s questions. So, as thanks¡­ I hope that you don''t mind me having a vacation in your house."


    "!!!" Kevin was surprised. Although he worded it that way, it was clear that Duke Lorelei didn''t have any intention to go against Noel. But if he returned to his house, the royal family would force him. Hence, he stayed here so that Kevin could keep him in check personally. Kevin couldn''t help but smile, "As long as you don''t grow tired of my humble home."

 Chapter 897 Hidden Danger?

    Chapter 897 Hidden Danger?


    Somewhere in the Muivell Kingdom, a couple got a report of interesting news that had been spreading wildly in the kingdom.


    "Hmm? Are you telling the truth?" The guy asked with a grim tone while the woman covered her mouth inplete shock. They were clearly shaken by the news.


    "Yes, Sir. That''s the rumor. And I believe Harley was the one spreading that rumor¡­ and Harley wouldn''t do something like that unless¡­" The one who reported to them didn''t finish his words, but it was clear what the continuation was.


    The guy closed his eyes for a moment before waving his hand. "Alright, thank you."


    "Congrattions, Master, Madam. The young master has finally got someone." He smiled before turning around, leaving the couple alone.


    The couple was dumbstruck, having a hard time believing the news. But if that was the truth, itpletely blew their minds.


    "Dear¡­ Noel¡­" The woman''s voice was shaken and tears couldn''t help but flow out of her eyes.


    "Y-yeah." The guy nodded his head. "I have never thought that it would end up like this."


    Yes, this couple was none other than Noel''s parents, Luke Ardagan and Leysha Ezenholm.


    After getting that confirmation, Leysha turned around as if she was trying to leave. "I am going!"


    "Wait! Do you know what will happen if we leave right now?" Luke gritted his teeth. He was as eager as Leysha, but he had to restrain himself.


    "Are you saying I should continue to hide here when it''s a big day for my son? I have been following you this whole time, agreeing to all those arrangements because I know that it''s the best for Noel. But¡ª" Leysha abruptly stopped when Luke looked at her with a sorrowful face.


    He also wanted to go out, but the implications he brought might affect Noel directly. That was why he couldn''t move. There was only one wording out of his mouth. "Please."


    Leysha clenched her fists. If she were any stronger physically, her palms might have bled from her nails. She said, "Is this also your n?"


    "No. While it''s true that I''ve got an inspiration from the ancestor, I have never done anything that will alter the course of his life." Luke shook his head. "In fact, I originally thought that he would never have one in his life due to what happened¡­ Or he might just choose one random woman just to push away anyone. Having Anna, especially with that nasty personality, is beyond my imagination."


    Leysha frowned. "I heard that in the court, she was the one who suggested a dangerous ce for Noel''s territory."


    "No. If they worked together, it meant that she had changed. That ce must have been important and will be even more prosperous in the future." Luke shook his head before asking, "Have we made any contact with Kevin?"


    "No. But the Royal Family seems to be unable to send forth all their Arbiters."


    "The Sword Arbiter?"


    "Included."


    "That means Kevin is stalling that old man." Luke looked at the map on the table. "The Royal Family and the Supreme Devil Organization are going to move."


    "I''m more concerned about the Third Prince. He has been extremely mysterious in the past two years." Leysha asked, "Should we send reinforcement? It doesn''t need to be soldiers. We can send some money to help him."


    "No. We can''t help him directly or our movement will be known." Luke shook his head while pointing at the northern part of the Loustein. "If I''m not wrong, this ce has had a high activity recently, right?"


    "The northern part of his territory? But this is already outside the border. If we''re going to help him, we should go to the territory!"


    Luke ignored her words and continued with his exnation. "If I know my son very well, there should be a reinforcement stationed here. And due to its position¡­ it must be from the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Greenwood Kingdom? My father?" Leysha seemed to be a bit startled.


    "Most likely or we might still underestimate the scale. Either way, if we''re going to send help, we''ll give it to them."


    "W-what? Why? You would rather help strangers than your own son?" Leysha protested.


    "You have known me for so long, but can''t you understand that I''m always acting for him?" Luke sighed.


    "The pirs¡­" Leysha fell silent for a moment. As he said, there were ten pirs in the Ardagan Family, but out of ten, five had either followed them, defected, orpletely disappeared.


    However, Luke had actually prepared the remaining five for Noel. For example, Dimitri was the head butler, who also took care of the family problems. Dous and Balott were perfect pirs for Noel if he wanted to build his new territory. Food supply would be a problem, so he left Jasmine. And finally, he asked Charlotte to take care of all the internal problems Noel would face.


    These five pirs were the main strength for building a territory. But to his surprise, Howard and Harley ended up in the equation.


    He brought the captain of the family''s army, but the captain actually left behind the vice captain in charge of training, believing it would help Noel in the future. The same applied to Harley. He was the assistant of the information pir, but he, by no means, was weaker than the head. Their way of gathering information was simply different.


    It could be said that Noel received seven out of ten pirs. Of course, they were shocked to find Noel managed to invite a Master cksmith, teach runes, and even had a second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom as his student.


    But this was also Noel taking his step to create his own pirs.


    After understanding the situation, Leysha calmed down a bit. "So, is there a particr reason for you sending the reinforcement to these guys? They won''t be able to enter the country, you know."


    "Yes. If they enter the kingdom, the royal family could use it as an excuse." Luke pointed at Lounstein. "But if you look at the map, there is only one ce to attack him."


    "Hmm?" Leysha seemed to notice something from the map. "The east side is the Greenwood Kingdom''s territory, which means if they attack through this area, they will face the Greenwood Kingdom''s wrath. And there is also a mountain¡­ instead of pouring a lot of money to defend it, he can actually use the natural terrain as a fortress."


    "Indeed." Luke nodded in agreement. "On the opposite side is a river. While the demons have to cross it first to attack the territory, the river can be a weapon as well. In other words, there are only two ways to attack the city."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "The north and the south. However, the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''te from the South while bringing a lot of demons since the other nobles would be forced to raise their army. The royal family would just shoot themselves in the foot if they ordered them not to do anything. In other words, the only way for the organization to attack him will probably¡­" Leysha pointed at the north where the Greenwood Kingdom''s soldiers were stationed.


    It was finally clear why Luke wanted to send reinforcement to the Greenwood Kingdom''s forces instead. They would be the main wall that stopped the demons from the north, which would reduce their number before reaching Noel''s city.


    "Yes. Only elites from the organization and royal family can actually strike him from the south."


    Leysha fell silent, understanding the whole picture. It wasn''t that Luke didn''t want to help Noel directly, he simply couldn''t. While his option was limited, he still chose the option where he could maximize his help.


    There was still a gap that the enemies could exploit, but ultimately, their number would be reduced greatly before arriving at Noel''s territory.


    "Alright. I''ll remain here." Leysha sighed. "Still, if she is going to be my daughter-inw, I have to give her something, right?"


    "I guess I can''t keep you here." Luke scratched the back of his head. "But you can''t release your Spiritual Energy no matter what."


    "I know." Leysha nodded enthusiastically. She seemed to be eager toe out.


    But before she could reach the door, Luke added, "Also¡­ since it has been a while, I think you won''t be able to go out anytime soon in the future. Hence, I think it''s the best time to warn him about that."


    "That?" Leysha seemed shocked, causing her to subconsciously utter, "Demon King Resurrection."


    Luke took out a book and showed it to her. "ording to the ancestor, the Ardagan Family is the mortal enemy of the demons. When I think about it, there is only one thing that has never changed in the Ardagan Family."


    "Are you saying it''s the sword?"


    "Yes. The fact that the slumbering sword has awakened means that the mortal enemy has returned. There is also an increase in the activity of the demons. And I don''t know if the Supreme Devil Organization, the Third Prince, or the Royal Family would take advantage of this. The longer he takes to get stronger, the more dangerous the situation will be¡­ that includes the girl. Warn them about it."


    "Should I inform my father about this as well? He will surely help us."


    "No. We can''t help directly to avoid suspicion. If you want to do it, it''s better to spread the runes." Luke''s face turned grim. "Three years¡­ No, two years or even faster¡­ We don''t have a lot of time left."


    "Alright." Leysha nodded with a serious expression.

 Chapter 898 Intermediate Rune

    Chapter 898 Intermediate Rune


    "Ready?" Anna asked.


    "Yes, Miss." The soldiers shouted in unison.


    "Amazing, you''ve disciplined them in two days." Howard chuckled.


    Anna had truly worked hard in the past two days. On the first day, she challenged them and measured their abilities. On the second day, she practiced together with them, but with much higher intensity than the rest. Not wanting to lose, the soldiers tried to copy her, only to fail miserably.


    Even then, they realized that Anna was not a simple youngdy; she was also a warrior. At the very least, she had earned enough respect to lead them.


    "How about you? Your expression has mellowed a bit." Anna smiled, recalling how Howard was so adamant about not acknowledging her previously.


    "I still hold onto my opinion though."


    "It will change sooner orter." Anna pointed at the river. "Then, we''ll be over there."


    "Yes. The enemies might be stronger over there since it''s a bit farther from the city. But you should be fine since the average ability of your group is higher than this one. If needed, I would stop the exploration and help you."


    "If needed, that is." Anna nodded and crossed the bridge together with the rest of the group. The river was calm, but the flow rate was a bit high. If they fell into the river, they would be dragged until they could reach the side. Even then, it would be a challenge to go up.


    Anna carefully scanned the entire area, wondering if there was something special.


    ''I don''t feel any dangerous existences. There are several demons not far from here, but the soldiers wouldn''t have any problems in dealing with them.'' Anna observed the area and noticed that Howard had begun to march.


    "Miss, what should we do?" Grandel asked.


    Anna turned to him, finding another person next to him. This person was the other Spirit Master who was tasked to follow her. "Grandel and Aerton will divide the group into two and move side by side. Grandel will take the left, and Aerton will take the right. I''ll remain in the center."


    "You''re not going to fight, Miss?" Grandel asked, confused. Anna was so strong, so he thought Anna would lead the group at the front.


    "I have earned their respect, but you two are more trusted by them. So, I will leave themands to both of you. This is also an opportunity to measure everyone''s individual strengths. I''ll support all of you first before moving to the front."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "Understood."


    Aerton and Grandel immediately assembled the group. While marching, Aerton couldn''t help but ask, "She actually asked us to lead the group¡­"


    "Interesting, isn''t it?"


    "Not really. I wish that the lord personally led the troops. Unlike her, who doesn''t have much experience in the army, I''m more curious about the lord''s ability."


    "This is just a rumor though. But I heard that the mistress is stronger than our lord."


    "It''s only at the individual level, right? As a lord, you need to have amanding ability." Aerton shrugged.


    "Well, we can see her performance here."


    "Fair enough. We''ll maintain our position near the river and open up the path for you."


    "My group will take the enemiesing from the left."


    Grandel nodded and started moving to the left while saying, "Good luck to you, Aerton."


    "You too."


    After taking their position, the group moved to the north. The area near the river was filled with vegetation, but it wasn''t big enough to call it a forest.


    Hence, Aerton advanced through the forest while Grandel maintained his position outside.


    Anna couldn''t help but move forward and ask Aerton, "Why are you advancing in the woods? Won''t it take considerable stamina to cross uneven terrain like this?"


    "Yes, Miss. It''s just that the woods are basically the demon''s hiding spot. We have to search every nook and corner to make sure that there are no more demons hiding in this ce. Besides, Grandel''s job is not easy either since he has to cover a bigger areapared to us." Aerton exined.


    "I see." Anna wanted to reveal her instinct, telling him that she could find all those demons. But she refrained herself since she wouldn''t always go with the soldiers every time. "I understand. I''ll return to my position."


    Aerton was a bit curious. Anna had all that talent and status, but she didn''t seem to be arrogant. She took people''s opinions carefully and didn''t hesitate to lower her pride to ensure the people''s safety.


    But he was disturbed when the scouts rmed him. "Sir Aerton. We''ve spotted several demons ahead. There should be less than ten."


    "Got it. Get into position and lure them here. Warn Grandel on our left as well."


    "Yes, Sir." The scouts immediately followed the order. One of them asked the soldiers to get into their position, the other moved ahead to lure the demons while thest one moved to the left.


    "This is¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. The shield-bearers moved to the front while raising their spears. There were seven of them, followed by five archers. The rest seemed to be using swords.


    This was the first time Anna saw how the soldiers fought. It was different from the Demon Banner Army.


    Since the Demon Banner Army had multiple groups and squads, they were a kind of specialist in their own field. So, they didn''t need to gather their strength like this and just overpower their enemies.


    But if Noel employed such a system in the family, it would take a long time for it to be effective. After all, normal soldiers were not as trained and smart as the people in the Demon Banner Army.


    "Interesting." Anna was satisfied with their movements. While they were not strong individually, if they worked together in an orderly manner, it wouldn''t be strange if they killed a stronger demon.


    However, Anna abruptly turned around and looked at the horizon as if she noticed something beyond the woods.


    At the same time, the scout that Aerton sent earlier had returned and reported in a hurry, "Sir¡­ it seems that Sir Grandel has found the enemies as well and is going to engage the enemies."


    Realizing that they were fighting at the same time, Aerton realized that he couldn''t use the normal tactic.


    ''I thought I could stop the enemies here and let Grandel nk them from the left, but¡­'' Aerton raised his hand. "Spread our rank and contain the enemies here."


    The soldiers began to spread even further, not letting any demons out of their reach and striking Grandel''s group from behind.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    A series of roars resounded across the woods. There were a total of eight beasts leaping from one ce to another, closing in.


    Anna, on the other hand, had changed her position. She was now located between Aerton and Grandell, allowing her to see both groups at the same time.


    Just like Aerton, Grandell had spread his rank, preventing any demon from entering the woods.


    ''I want to see their original ability, but I guess I shouldn''t risk it too much during the first battle.'' Anna muttered before pping her hands as Spiritual Energy began to gather around her hands. They seemed to be drawing a pattern.


    ''In the previous life, all the basic runes have been revealed, and a lot of intermediate-level runes have be public knowledge. While there are only a few Advanced Level Runes, I think it shouldn''t be much of a problem to use an intermediate-level rune here, right?


    ''Noel has revealed the runes and is recognized as its creator. And people have known that I''ve been working with him the whole time, so it shouldn''t be that weird to see me using a bit moreplex runes, right?''


    Anna just tried to confirm it with herself before drawing the runes.


    It looked simr to the Strength Blessing Rune, but theplexity was on a whole different level. The size was twice as big, and there were a lot of multiple patterns that changed from the Strength Blessing Rune.


    As soon as it was ready, Anna poured more Spiritual Energy to the point where she could feel it. ''Oh yeah. As expected of an intermediate rune¡­the effect is amazing. This is the variation of the Strength Blessing Rune¡­ Well, it''s more like the Empowerment Rune is the advanced version, while this one is the version to share with others. Its effect is less, but fifteen people can get it at the same time.''


    "Intermediate Rune, Enhanced Strength Rune." The moment Anna pped her hands, the rune began to shine and release multiple lights into the sky.


    "!!!" Aerton and Grandel were the first to notice and couldn''t help but check it. However, the light was so fast that it flew to the ground and hit the shield-bearers and the sword users.


    "This is¡­" All of them couldn''t help but notice the surge of strengthing into their bodies. In fact, they felt so strong that they could destroy the trees next to them right away.


    "I feel like I can crush those demons by myself."


    "Wow. I''m twice as strong?"


    The people were impressed, but they soon heard Anna''s voice. "Don''t let your guard down. I''ve boosted your strength, but follow the orders!"


    The people were startled, but they soon turned serious as if knowing their duty. Their mistress had gone all the way to boost their power, so it was their job to take care of the demons.


    ''Much obliged.''


    ''Thank you very much.''


    Aerton and Grandel nodded to Anna before shouting the same thing. "Warrior of the Ardagan Family. Turn thisnd red with the blood of our enemies."

 Chapter 899 Meeting

    Chapter 899 Meeting


    The demons charged toward the shield-bearers, trying to overwhelm them. However, the archers released their arrows to the back area of the enemy''s rank, causing a few demons to avoid those arrows and creating a gap between each demon.


    With this, the number of demons was reduced, and the shield bearers could easily handle one demon after another.


    They stopped the demons with their shields before piercing them with their spears.


    The demons seemed to be hurt, but they ended up rampaging and trying to break apart the formation by struggling.


    It was the time for the others toe in and slice the demons one by one, sweeping all the enemies.


    Seeing how their kin had fallen, the remaining demons tried to chase after their killers, only to be rained by arrows. Some were blinded by their hatred and continued charging, only to sumb to the arrows. The rest obeyed their feelings and stopped, turning back toward the shield-bearers.


    Sadly for them, the result was the same. They were stopped by the shield-bearers and died by the sweeping team.


    Whether it was Aerton''s team or Grandel''s group, they did the exact thing and killed all the iing demons.


    Anna was amazed. ''Divide and conquer, huh¡­ They have good training and know what to do. Fortunately, there are no big or strong demons that will change the oue. But I guess Aerton and Grandel would give a different order¡­''


    Of course, Anna could produce the same result, but it would take her a bit longer and more energy. So, having soldiers handling this type of stuff wasn''t that big of a deal.


    The problem was the loot. In the Demon Banner Army, the group usually divided their loot ording to their contribution. But since the Demon Crystals were important, she wondered if Noel would just let them take everything. In fact, she forgot to ask about it.


    "Clean up! Don''t forget about their crystals." Aerton ordered before reporting to Anna, "We''ve finished the battle."


    "Good work." Anna nodded. "By the way, how do you distribute the Demon Crystals?"


    "Fifty percent would be brought back for the lord."


    "Fifty percent? Isn''t that kind of big?"


    "No, the lord only asks for twenty percent. The other thirty percentes from the exchange for contribution points. The remaining fifty percent can be distributed among us. After all, the soldiers also need demon crystals to improve their strength."


    Anna nodded in understanding. "The points can be exchanged for demon crystals and other stuff. I can understand."


    "Yeah. That''s how it is. In fact, the soldiers can exchange their parts for more points. We''ll leave the choice to each individual."


    "I get the gist of the system." Anna wanted to say something, but she couldn''t help but hear the soldiers'' conversation.


    "The fight is too easy."


    "You should have thanked thedy. The strength I received from that weird ability actually allowed me to block the demons easily. Controlling their movement and cing them in a perfect location for our executioners to do their work."


    "That''s right. Normally, I would be pushed back by the demons, but earlier, it''s not that much of a problem."


    "To think runes would change the battle drastically¡­"


    "What if we have a Spirit Magician as well?"


    Aerton had a wry smile when listening to their conversation. "Sorry about them."


    "No. It''s something that I have to consider as well. What if we have two more categories for the soldiers like Rune Magician and Spirit Magician? Spirit Magician is known for their firepower, while Rune Magician is versatile. As you can see earlier, they can boost a lot of people or focus their power on one of them. There are also some utility, defensive, and offensive runes¡­"


    Anna looked down, contemting. "It will take a while to create Rune Magician, but I guess I can find some Spirit Magician. I will suggest them to Noelter."


    Aerton nodded. He silently acknowledged Anna for caring about the soldiers and sought more improvement. This way, the soldiers of the Ardagan Family would only get stronger. "Then, we''ll continue moving after the soldiers gather the crystals."


    "By the way, what do you do with the demon''s meat?"


    "We''d like to bring them back to the city, but because of our position, that task is left to Captain Howard." Aerton was talking about the fact that they had to cross the bridge. It would be troublesome for them to bring the demons across the river, so they would probably dispose of these bodies. Besides, Noel also didn''t have a chance to learn about the secret recipe of the Atracaeca Kingdom to preserve food for a long time.


    "I understand. Let''s cont¡ª" Anna abruptly stopped her speech, confusing Aerton.


    "Miss?" Aerton frowned. It was as if Anna felt an immense danger.


    "Maintain our position! There is a ce I have to go." Anna ordered and rushed toward the north. She continued checking the distance with her instinct as well as the target power. ''There is a strong presenceing. But it doesn''t seem to be big¡­ is it a small demon¡­ no, it might be a human. Supreme Devil Organization?!''


    Anna thought there was supposed to be no one in this ce other than them. Even if the nobles wanted to get close to Noel, they wouldn''t do something like this. Hence, whoever dared toe to their territory must be from an enemy faction. She didn''t care about their affiliation, she only had to remove the threat and interrogate this person.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Several demons noticed Anna and tried to attack her, but Anna simply stomped the ground, scattering the lightning and hitting each of them.


    The demons were either heavily injured or died before reaching her.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Anna continued with her speed and would make contact with the enemy in just a few seconds.


    Because of the danger she sensed, Anna activated the Empowerment Rune. ''I might have to use my Awakening to fight this enemy¡­ Whoever this is, it''s clear that he is stronger than Count Heirden.''


    All of a sudden, Anna turned to the side, sensing the presence changing the direction. It seemed that the other party had sensed her and tried to avoid her. But Anna wasn''t that easy to be fooled and followed the movement, finally finding her target.


    The target, this time, covered his entire body with a robe. Even she couldn''t see anything other than the person''s small lips.


    "There he is!" Anna leaped toward this person at full speed while waving her sword. "Who are you? What business do you have in this territory?"


    The person stopped for a second. Despite being face-to-face, Anna couldn''t actually see the person''s face. In fact, the person also had a masquerade to cover most of his face.


    But that didn''t stop Anna from attacking him.


    The enemy actually smiled at her as if he were impressed by the fact that she managed to locate him.


    Anna was bewildered for a split second, but that was what the other party had been waiting for. Two giant ice blocks appeared next to Anna and sandwiched her.


    Anna waved her de horizontally, cutting the two blocks. The lightning contained in that sh shattered the remaining ice blocks so that the enemy couldn''t use them anymore.


    To her surprise, her de suddenly became extremely heavy.


    "Huh?" The weight pulled her to the ground, and when she lowered her vision, she found a block of ice covering her de. It was no wonder why she ended up falling. But there was a question in her mind, ''When? Did he actually create this ice block when I shed those two?''


    This time, the enemy was the one taking the initiative by charging at her.


    Anna used her other hand to shatter the ice block on her sword while stomping the ground, sending her lightning in a fan-shaped area.


    Chilling air began to permeate the air as the surrounding soil around the enemy began to freeze. When the lightning was about to reach him, they were frozen.


    ''What? It could actually freeze my lightning? This enemy¡­ Is he truly from the Supreme Devil Organization? He should be at the peak of Devil Inspector if not a Devil Saint¡­ but we don''t have information about this person¡­'' Anna frowned.


    Seeing that her ability didn''t work, Anna had no choice but to escte the battle to a bigger one. She tried not to use too much ability since it would cause the other soldiers toe and put her at a disadvantage since she had to protect them.


    But normal means wouldn''t work against this person.


    As soon as she reached that conclusion, Anna poured her energy into the sword and swung downwards.


    The lightning formed a crescent-shape strike flying straight to the enemy.


    The guy only smiled and avoided it, but that sh was never Anna''s aim. The moment shepleted her swing, her sword actually struck the ground.


    Yes, the attack earlier was just bait. The real attack was the lightning that spread all over the ground and shattered the ground.


    It created a giant crater on the ground, causing the enemy to lose his foothold. The enemy noticed that Anna had charged her attack again and released it toward him.


    ''You can''t escape this way.'' Anna smirked and shot another crescent-shaped lightning strike toward the enemy.


    But surprisingly, her opponent caught the strike with bare hands, freezing the front part before using that solid surface to propel himself into the air.


    ''Seriously?'' Anna never thought that the other party would be this strong. She felt she was being toyed by him.


    But more importantly, the enemy revealed something even more concerning. Due to the movement, the wind ended up blowing the coat, revealing the attacker''s body.


    ''A woman?'' Anna never thought that the enemy this time was actually a woman and a very skilled one on top of that.

 Chapter 900 Hello

    Chapter 900 Hello


    ''A woman?''


    Anna became even more shocked. In the first ce, there were not many women who had exceptional strength. It wasn''t because they were less talented, but it was due to the nobility system, burying those talents with the so-called political marriage.


    That was why if the opponent was a woman, it was easier to identify them, considering the woman''s strength was exceptional.


    ''Who is¡ª!''


    It seemed that the opponent had sensed her hesitation and immediately released the next attack.


    A huge ice pir suddenly emerged from the ground, isting Anna and dragging her to the sky.


    She waspletely frozen solid inside the ice, unable to fight back.


    However, a lightning spark covered the pir before eventually shattering the ice and breaking Anna free.


    It took more than that to defeat Anna. The woman might have known this as she actually approached Anna during her time inside the ice.


    As a result, she was already right before her eyes when Anna shattered the ice.


    "Kh." Anna tried to swing her sword, but she was toote.


    The woman grabbed her wrist, spun her body, and used the centrifugal force tounch Anna far away.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    At the same time, four ice walls emerged from the ground, isting a space with nothing inside.


    Anna didn''t understand what the woman was trying to do by expending all that spiritual energy, but one thing was clear. If she didn''t get serious, she might be defeated by this mysterious woman.


    Anna forcefully stopped her momentum by using the Enhance Forward Rune on her body and took the woman by surprise.


    "!!!" The enemy hurriedly waved her hands down, but Anna was one step forward and shed her.


    A cracking sound echoed, and Anna couldn''t help but click her tongue as the thing she shed earlier was none other than ice.


    When she turned around, she saw a thickyer of ice covering the woman''s entire body.


    Since it would be troublesome if the enemy gained a foothold, Anna hurriedly utilized the Enhance Forward Rune and struck the woman again,unching her back into the air.


    But the ice soon cracked and the woman waved both hands.


    Ice began to form like a wave from both sides, surrounding Anna.


    Since she originally wanted tounch this woman back into the air, Anna had to go below her. However, it seemed the strategy had backfired.


    Even if she used Enhance Forward, she couldn''t pass this ice wave. The only way for her to avoid it was to fall to the ground.


    "No." Anna pointed her palm to the side. She utilized the Rune st, causing her body to beunched to the side due to the forceing out of that rune. In other words, she didn''t use the Rune st to destroy things before her. Instead, she just used it to avoid the ice wave.


    As a result, the ice wave reached the ground at full force and spread its freezing power, covering an area of thirty meters radius in a thickyer of ice.


    Anna realized how dangerous this woman would be once she reached the city. The growing city would be frozen in ice, and they had no choice but to rebuild it.


    That was why she had made a decision.


    Instead of facing the woman in the air, Anna chose tond on the ground. Her blond hair gradually turned white as lightning sparked in all directions.


    "Awakening!"


    "Hoh?" The woman looked impressed by the sudden spike in Anna''s power. She was surprised once again by Anna, who suddenly disappeared from her vision.


    In just a split second, she felt an impact hitting her from behind, knocking her down. Anna turned out to have looped around her, but she failed to deliver a killing blow as an ice pir had protected the woman''s back.


    "You''re strong. I guess I can get a bit more serious." The woman smiled and took out a pendant from her pocket.


    "!!!" Anna used her fastest speed to gain some distance, feeling something dangerous. She thought, ''Everyone needs a weapon. Not only does the weapon channel spiritual energy or even boost one''s power with a certain material, but it also can function physically.


    ''But the fact that she is using a pendant as her weapon, she must be a Spirit Magician. That pendant should be able to amplify her ice to a great degree. To think she hasn''t even gone all out yet¡­'' Anna frowned. ''I think I have to use it.''


    Anna took a deep breath before pointing her palm at the woman. The lightning gathered around her arm and formed a dragon.


    The lightning dragon was extremely powerful. The rampaging spiritual energy and lightning shattered the ground underneath it.


    The woman looked like she was about to do something, but Anna took the initiative to appear in front of her own ability. A Multiplication Rune formed in front of her, allowing the lightning dragon to enter it.


    The Multiplication Rune then shot forth a total of eight lightning dragons in all directions, startling the opponent.


    Anna couldn''t help but remember the time she used this rune to multiply Noel''s attack. Back then, she could only support him and not use the rune herself.


    ''I can''t use my ability when using the Multiplication Rune. I couldunch my ability first and form this rune next, but I can''t outrun my own lightning, so this was impossible back then. But because of the awakening, I can finally use thisbination. Try to defend it if you can!'' Anna smirked, challenging the enemy.


    Unexpectedly, the woman didn''t flinch despite finding herself in a pinch. Instead, she raised her hand and let the pendant hang in front of her palm.


    Both of her hands soon joined together with the pendant between them as if she was praying. A terrifying amount of spiritual energy suddenly fluctuated as the air temperature dropped drastically.


    A few giant roses tore the ground apart and bloomed, expanding in all directions. The lightning ended up hitting the roses and shattering them, but they couldn''t prate them and reach the woman.


    At the same time, the rose had thorns all over the stems. All those thorns extended themselves and curved toward Anna.


    Anna jumped back to avoid all this, but the thorns kept expanding as if they had no limit.


    But Anna didn''t jump back to run away. Instead, she wanted to lower the enemy''s guard and let these thorns pursue her. Once they were long enough, Anna stomped the ground and jumped toward the enemy.


    With her speed, closing the distance only took a mere split second. Her sword had been sheathed before anyone realized it, and she was ready to pull it out to draw the blood of her enemy.


    "Raging Lightning Descend!"


    This was the same technique she used against Count Heirden. The lightning disappeared for a second as all the energy stored inside the de was unleashed.


    It seemed that her opponent had sensed its power and pped her hands. A few roses bloomed again while the thorns created a.


    However, it was useless, Anna released all her might in this sh.


    The lightning rampaged and destroyed all the ice in its way and continued forward. It didn''t seem to lose its momentum even after destroying more than five roses.


    "Haaaa!" Anna gritted her teeth. The temperature between these roses was extremely low. Because she concentrated all her energy on the sh, she didn''t have enough energy to cover her body, which caused her to shiver.


    She endured the cold and continued destroying everything on her way. Eventually, her strike reached the woman and all Anna needed to do was toplete her swing.


    It was at this moment that she heard what the woman was saying.


    "As expected, my daughter-inw is amazing."


    "!!!" Those words caused hesitation in her heart, allowing the woman to form another iceyer to block the attackpletely.


    If Anna didn''t know that Noel''s parents were not dead, she wouldn''t fall for such a trick. But it was precisely the reason why Anna stopped at thest second.


    If his parents were not dead, they would have definitely watched him from the shadows and would eventually reveal themselves at one point.


    And it appeared the opportunity had shone upon her.


    "What did you say?" Anna turned around inplete shock. She thought she had misheard it, but the other party actually took off her hood, revealing her long brown hair. Her smile showed a warm and energetic feeling.


    Her face was a bit different from Noel''s, but Anna definitely recognized her. After all, she had studied Luke, Leysha, and Noel when she was still brainwashed.


    Her appearance hadn''t changed in the slightest. In other words, the one she fought this whole time was actually Noel''s mother.


    She said, "It seems that you''re already aware of the circumstances, so I can safely assume that the child''s also known as well."


    "Are you really¡­" Anna started breathing heavily as if she couldn''t believe what she saw. "¡­Leysha Ezenholm?"


    "Since both of you are already engaged, shouldn''t you suppose to call me mom? Nheless¡­" Leysha waved her hand. "¡­hello. I''m Noel''s mother."

 Chapter 901 Reasons

    Chapter 901 Reasons


    "Is this where it is?"


    "It is thick."


    "Can you cut it?"


    Aerton''s group managed to reach the four ice walls that Leysha left behind. Of course, it took them a while since they had to kill the remaining demons standing in their way.


    Aerton couldn''t help but realize that the enemies were so strong that Anna had to go all out.


    "I think it''s better if we call Captain Howard here and let him make a decision. Even if we help Miss Anna, we won''t be strong enough to fend off the enemy''s attack. We might even be a burden to her." Aerton shook his head and ordered, "The rest of you will maintain the position and inform Grandel to take themand. I''ll inform Captain Howard."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Aerton hurriedly crossed the river since the problem was truly beyond his ability.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Anna and Leysha were staring at each other.


    "¡­" There was an awkward silence after that introduction. Anna simply had a hard time processing what was happening in her mind.


    Noel''s mother was presumed dead. Even though they knew that she was still alive somewhere, Noel and Anna thought that they would never reveal themselves until something big happened.


    But it seemed they were wrong.


    The woman before her was truly Leysha.


    Anna wanted to ask a lot of things, such as why she faked her death, why didn''t she meet Noel, and so on. But the words that came out of her mouth were so ridiculous that she didn''t even think she would actually say it.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Can I punch you on behalf of Noel?"


    Leysha was surprised by the question, but she actually looked up to think for a bit before saying, "Sure. Noel will surely not punch me, so I think you''re more suited to do that. I know that I deserve that punch¡­ Though, if you want to do it on behalf of Noel, you should wait until you are married. Your status is not enough to represent him."


    "¡­" Anna was even more shocked by her reply. Leysha was actually answering her question seriously.


    Leysha was already aware of how much suffering Noel had. While it was true that Noel managed to grow up to be a fine man because of that hardship, it didn''t change the fact that she had failed her duty as a mother.


    Seeing that Leysha was aware of the problem, Anna let out a sigh, knowing that she must not havee not for all this.


    "I understand. When that timees, I will definitely hit you. But¡­" Anna''s expression turned solemn. "Why do youe here? And even went all the way to attack me."


    "I have three reasons." Leysha raised three fingers before Anna stopped her. "Wait. If you''re going to exin your situation or whatever. You should go to Noel instead of me. You should know how much he misses you!"


    "I want to do that if it''s possible, but unfortunately, the circumstances don''t allow me to do it. In fact, I don''t have much time either since I don''t want the soldiers to notice as well." Leysha shook her head helplessly.


    "But¡­" Anna looked down, not liking her decision. She should have gone to Noel even for a little.


    Although Leysha wanted to continue exining, she knew that she had to hurry. Ignoring her reaction, Leysha stated the first one. "First of all, you don''t have to worry about the north. There won''t be any enemiesing from the north border, but there would be a loting through the gap between the terrains. So, beware of that area."


    It was a simple reason, which Noel should have known. But considering she gave that assurance, it meant that she was actually actively protecting the border, which would give Noel some leeway in defending the city.


    "Secondly, I simply want to see my daughter-inw. It seems that there is no more trace of darkness in your eyes now¡­" Leysha looked at Anna''s eyes carefully. "When I saw you in the past, it was clear that you were not in the right mind. Your eyes were pretty hollow, but it seemed that you had changed."


    "That''s¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed. She was brainwashed after all. "I''m sorry for everything I''ve done in the past."


    "It''s fine. I don''t hold a grudge or anything. And since you''ve resolved that problem with Noel, then the matter is settled. You are pretty strong too, so I know that you can work together with Noel." Leysha lowered her head. "Noel might becking, but please take care of him."


    "Please raise your head¡­" Anna panicked when Leysha lowered her head. To think she would plead like that all of a sudden, especially despite the fact that she harmed their family in the past.


    But after she told the second reason, her face turned grim all of a sudden.


    "And this is the third reason¡­ I don''t know if I should say this, but I think you have the right to know¡­ the reason why we chose to disappear."


    "!!!" Anna didn''t know anything about Noel''s parents in the previous life. Even back then, they didn''t reveal themselves in the open. So, it was most likely they continued to be separated.


    She didn''t know if Noel knew about their circumstances or not, but she should learn about it as well. After all, Noel wasn''t aware of it in this life.


    "Do you know why the ancestor of the Ardagan Family became the greatest general in the world at that time? Was it because of him creating this kingdom? Was it because of his strength? Or was it because of his impact on the world?"


    Anna shook her head. She didn''t know much about the Ardagan Family. Even Noel only had that book and Ardagan.


    "The main reason for his title is because he personally ughtered a Demon King. The deeds he''d done that dayid the foundation of not only the Muivell Kingdom but also the other kingdoms.


    "One thousand years ago, the moment the first user of Ardagan passed away, the world was plunged into chaos. A gate connected to another world appeared and filled this world with demons. Spiritual Energy changed all living beings. The animals became stronger, the nts became mutated, and human beings evolved.


    "The demons took possession of humans and animals. But due to the different levels of consciousness, the demons preferred to use animals or nts as their hosts. Still, it doesn''t change the fact that demons can infect humans. And that''s the beginning of the cmity."


    Anna noticed something important and couldn''t help but ask, "Wait¡­ a human? There are no humans possessed by the demons!"


    "Indeed. But that''s because their bodies have evolved due to the Spiritual Energy as well as the spirits living inside them. In the past, they didn''t have any of that." Leysha exined.


    "¡­" Anna''s expression darkened. It seemed that the situation back then was more chaotic than she imagined. The previous civilization was amazing, but they never thought that they were also that fragile.


    "They possessed human leaders and gathered a lot of humans in one ce before ughtering them. That cmity is the darkest period of this world.


    "As the sessor of that sword, he led the remaining people to flee to thisnd and eventually created a new home in this ce.


    "During that escape, there were three influential families that followed him. They were Lenfenth, Greenwood, and Sorxesia."


    "Lenfenth, Greenwood, Sorxesia?!" Anna gasped.


    "Very familiar names, right? The Lenfeth created the Muivell Kingdom, the Greenwood became the neighbor, and Sorxesia was actually the most influential family back then, thus the reason why they were situated behind the Muivell Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Huh? Behind? Are you saying¡­"


    "Yes." Leysha pointed at the north. "They were fleeing, but most people didn''t know that they were fleeing from the north. So, if you actually explored the north for a bit more, you would find a lot of things. Don''t forget that there is another kingdom in the north¡­ not ruled by humans though."


    Anna was dumbstruck. This was the first time she listened to the record that happened in the dark period.


    "Anyway, those who were opposed to the creation of these kingdoms ended up banding together and creating a new ce for themselves."


    "The Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "Indeed." Leysha nodded.


    "Wait a minute. You said fleeing earlier¡­ but if the ancestor of the Ardagan Family was that strong, shouldn''t be¡­" Anna fell silent, noticing the first part that Leysha talked about earlier. "The Demon King?!"


    "Yes. They were running away from the Demon King. While he was the sessor, his strength was still too low. During the time they fled, the ancestor met a pair of brother and sister."


    "The Sword Saint and the War Maiden," Anna revealed those two identities after knowing it when they infiltrated the Ardagan Family''s mansion in the past.


    "That''s right." Leysha couldn''t help but close her eyes as if she was recalling the record. "Back then¡­"

 Chapter 902 One Thousand Years Ago

    Chapter 902 One Thousand Years Ago


    A thousand years ago.


    On a bright sunny day, a young man was cing down a wooden box containing food in front of his group. "Everyone, it''s time to eat."


    The young man had short ck hair and a stern face. His body was full of wounds, but he didn''t let out an aura that of an expert.


    While opening the box, the young man gave his best smile and said, "Come on, everyone!"


    "Oh!" The group started approaching him, getting their own share.


    "Thank you, Sam!"


    "Why do you keep calling me Sam? My name is Alexander Simeon! Simeon! Not Samuel!"


    "It''s fine, isn''t it? Sam is easier to call."


    Yes. This person was none other than the ancestor who built the Ardagan Family, Alexander Simeon.


    "Tsk." Alexander clicked his tongue, unable to refute it. "Anyway, just eat! Replenish your energy, and we''ll fight again!"


    "Fine, fine!"


    As they were about to eat, they heard a rustling sounding from the side. In that instant, all the people ced their hands on their weapons, preparing to defend themselves.


    Alexander furrowed his eyebrows and started revolving his Spiritual Energy.


    But before they could check what was going on, a pair of brother and sister came out of the bushes.


    The woman had long brown hair that was tied into twin tails. She wore a in white shirt with a skirt, but because they were moving around in the woods carelessly, part of her clothes were torn.


    On the other hand, the boy had short ck hair, covering even his eyes. He looked timid andcked confidence. His clothes were in the same state, but he seemed more apologetic for reaching that point.


    "Who are you?" Alexander asked while frowning.


    "Hehehe! Be honored to know my name!" The woman confidently ced her hand over her chest while proudly introducing herself. "I am Margaretha Greenwood. You should be grateful that this proud me came here. Hurry up and serve some food!"


    "¡­" Alexander looked at this woman dumbfoundedly, wondering if he had heard everything wrong or if this woman was just a bit dumb. He ignored the woman and nced at the other one.


    "Ray Greenwood. I''m sorry¡­" Ray, whoter be known as the Sword Saint, apologetically bowed his head.


    "The Greenwood Family should be on the other side. The fact that you are here and without food¡­ I see." Alexander sighed. "So, it''s just two runaway brats!"


    "Two runaway brats, you say? We look like the same age!" Margaretha harrumphed. "You¡ª!"


    Before she finished her words, Alexander suddenly jumped toward her as if he were trying to hit her. But all of a sudden, a rune appeared on her side as a light beam hit it, causing a small explosion.


    The shock wavepletely startled the group as they hurriedly raised their weapons, thinking there was another raid by the demons.


    "I¡­" Margaretha opened her mouth as if she was shocked, but she ended up clicking her teeth. "Tsk. I don''t need you to protect me."


    As she said that, a demon emerged from the bush and charged at them. It pounced on the rune, trying to shatter it with its fangs.


    But Alexander skillfully shed through the rune before reaching the demon''s body.


    "That''s¡­" Margaretha was shocked. She never thought that Alexander would cut through his own shield to create an unexpected attack. As a result, the demon was split in half without a fight.


    Ray, on the other hand, was staring at Alexander in admiration as if something had just clicked in him. He thought it would be cool if he could do what Alexander did earlier.


    Instead of saying anything, Alexander just grabbed two canned foods from the box earlier and gave them one each. "There you go."


    "This¡­ this is not enough!" Margarethained as if she had been starving for more than one day.


    "I don''t care. This is your ration. I won''t give more to a damned runaway brat! If you want more, then work. Whatever your identity is, I won''t treat you differently from anyone here!"


    Margaretha gritted her teeth while Ray politely bowed to him. "Thank you very much."


    "Oh!" Alexander seemed impressed by Ray''s action and nodded in approval. "Ray, was it? I like you. I will be butchering this demon, soe to meter. I''ll grill you some more meat!"


    "Didn''t you just say that you won''t treat us differently?" Margaretha became even more frustrated, especially since Alexander only stuck out his tongue to respond.


    Surprisingly, Margaretha didn''t actually do anything other than that. Even though she was still hungry, she didn''tin anymore as if her pride didn''t allow her to go as low as Alexander.


    ¡­


    A few hourster.


    While warming themselves in front of a fire, Alexander was grilling some meat next to it, causing the pair to be hungrier.


    He took a stick and handed it to Ray. "Oi! Here is the promised meat. Get your fill today!"


    "That''s¡­" Ray looked at Margaretha, unsure whether to take it or not. It would be unfair if he was the only one to eat. That was why Ray changed the topic by requesting a different thing. "Alexander¡­ Can you¡­ teach me how to wield a sword?"


    "You?" Alexander looked skeptical, considering how timid Ray was. But Ray''s eyes were glimmering with determination and resolve. There seemed to be a reason why he wanted to be stronger.


    "Alright then. But you have to eat this one since you won''t have any energy to move tomorrow if you don''t. As for her, she can just be hungry since the famous youngdy doesn''t want to work." Alexander snorted.


    "What did you say?!" Margaretha clenched her fists before leaving the ce. "Hmph. I''m tired, so I''m going to sleep!"


    Ray could only apologize to Alexander for her behavior.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Ray was helping the group move the equipment around while they were traveling to the north. They were holding the rear after all, so they didn''t need to move too much and just waited for the main party to gather their strength and leave.


    Once the sun was set, Ray and Alexander moved to a secluded area.


    "Alright. I''ll be training you. I have to warn you first though¡­ it won''t be easy. Once you give up, I''m not going to train you anymore!"


    Ray nodded with a serious expression. "I understand."


    "Alright. First¡­" Alexander began to teach him about swordsmanship. Ray didn''t understand at that time why Alex taught him a bit louder than he normally spoke. He thought it was just Alex trying to be a bit stricter during the training.


    Ray was training every morning and night to avoid hindering the group. Before long, Ray''s thin body began to grow some muscle and his movement became sharper and sharper.


    Alexander even praised Ray for his talent in swordsmanship. It was to the point that his progress surpassed Alex''s in his early days.


    Still, Ray wasn''t satisfied and continued training tirelessly.


    Six months after their training began, Ray finally had a bit more energy after their daily training during the night. So, he took this opportunity to find another ce to train.


    "Mhmm¡­ Mhmm¡­ Which form should I train for today?" Ray was humming happily as he walked down the path.


    "Hyaa! Hyaa!"


    There was a faint voiceing from deep within the woods, causing Ray to raise his guard.


    ''Hmm? This sounds¡­ it doesn''t seem to be a demon.'' Ray sneakily approached the origin of the voice, only to find his sister training with her sword. The form was exactly the same as the one he trained. In other words, his sister had actually learned Ardagan Swordsmanship.


    "Sister?!" Ray couldn''t help but call her whileing out of the tree.


    "Huh?! Ray, huh?" Margaretha was startled but soon felt relieved when the personing turned out to be her own brother.


    "Sister¡­ Are you¡­"


    "What? I can''t practice? I need to know how to protect myself in this kind of world."


    Now that he thought about it, Margaretha seemed to be tired every day. She tried her best to hide it, but since he was her brother, she showed a bit of that sign only to him.


    "So, you''re practicing all this time¡­" Ray scratched the back of his head. "Well, I have to apologize to Brother Alex since you ended up learning about it. After all, it''s a special swordsmanship that no one in the group learns¡­"


    "Can you¡­ not tell him about this?" Margaretha grabbed his hand, looking troubled.


    Ray couldn''t help but recall what she had been doing in the past few months. Margaretha had been challenging Alex to a lot of things, only to get obliterated by him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Every time they fought for real, Alexander never held back. She ultimately returned with a lot of bruises and a panda eye.


    They never looked like arade or a friend. But they couldn''t be said to be a rival or an enemy either. While their rtionship lookedplex, it was clear that they trusted each other and focused on what they could do for the group.


    That was why it must be hard for her to acknowledge it and apologize to Alex.


    "Alright. I will apologize to him a bitter, but when that happens, you''re going with me together."


    "I know." She agreed with a sad smile. "And thank you, Ray¡­ For always supporting me."


    "Eh? What are you talking about? I mean, I don''t do anything special¡­"


    "Eh? You were not the one giving me more food so that I have the energy to¡­" Margaretha couldn''tplete her words as she came to a realization.


    For the past few months, she had been receiving another batch of food in the morning, allowing her to save most of her food for the night training.


    At the same time, Ray finally understood why Alex actually taught him a bit louder than usual. He must have known that his sister had been eavesdropping on them the whole time, so he taught both of them together. But since she never revealed herself, she just watched Alexander fixing his form and followed it.


    In other words, the one who had been taking care of them was actually Alexander. Both of them just never realized how much Alexander had done for them.


    Upon that realization, there was an awkward silence that shrouded them.


    On the one hand, Margaretha looked apologetic as if she felt horrible after everything she had done. On the other hand, Alexander also did it sneakily in a way that she thought it was Ray the whole time. It looked like he never wanted to reveal himself.


    Despite being so cold outside, he was actually very gentle on the inside.


    Ray sighed. "It seems that I have to apologize a lot to Brother Alex."


    Margaretha grabbed him one more time and said with a hesitant tone. "Ray¡­ can you let me handle this by myself? Please."


    It was extremely rare for the word ''please'' toe out of her mouth. After getting taken aback by that surprise, Ray could only agree to her request. "I understand."

 Chapter 903 Feelings

    Chapter 903 Feelings


    "Like I said, you can''t. You have to think about our supplies first. If we go help them, we will be left with only two days of supplies. Unless we can procure more during those two days, it will hinder our group''s movement!" Margarethained while mming the table.


    "There are still two days, right? Isn''t that fine? It''s not like we need that much since it''s easier to hunt!" Alexander shrugged.


    "Have you forgotten where there is no demon for a whole seven days? If not for me rationing the supply, it would be bad for the group!"


    "You''re always thinking too hard." Alexander harrumphed.


    "You are the one who should think first before taking action!"


    Their bickering alerted the entire group as more and more people gathered just to watch them.


    "What''s wrong? Are they arguing again?" A middle-aged man asked Ray, who was also one of the spectators.


    "Yeah." Ray nodded with a sigh.


    "What''s going on today?"


    "Brother Alex wants to send some supplies to the main group due to the food shortage on the front. But our current supply is limited, so it might cause some trouble." Ray exined.


    "Those Lenfeth guys again? As expected of Sam, he is doing it again. Well, I have been helped through that kindness of his too, so I guess I''m supporting him this time."


    "What Sam?! It''s Simeon, you freaking old man!" Alex suddenly stopped and berated the middle-aged man.


    "He heard us?" The middle-aged man was surprised before chuckling. In the end, he shouted back, "Instead of thinking about the supply, why don''t you two get a room first and deal with the problemter?!"


    "What? Do you think I want to marry this bossy and spoiled woman? Who actually gave her this position?!" Alex looked very annoyed.


    "What did you say? Do you think you are so great? You are just someone who thinks with your muscles, not your brain! All the nutrients you get from the food goes to your muscles. Why don''t you try to develop your brain a little bit?!" She also didn''t want to lose, and the two ended up ring at each other.


    All of them only rolled their eyes as the answers to all those questions were actually much simpler.


    The one who gave her the position was Alexander. Meanwhile, Margaretha also knew that Alex not only had the strength but also great leadership that made people want to follow him.


    Ray could only shake his head helplessly. It had been another three months after that night. His sister had indeed changed after that conversation.


    She was more reliant on Alex and even helped him much more. She took care of all the logistics, which everyone had a hard time doing and became the brain of the group. In fact, everyone could see her admiration for Alex along with her desire to improve her strength to his level.


    It was just the two kept bickering over all small things. And whenever that happened, they would always do the same thing.


    "Fine. We''ll just give half of our supplies. That should be fine, right?" Alex sighed while looking away. "I''m too tired to argue with you."


    "We will be reaching a river soon, so it''s fine. With that, we still have another seven days worth of supply, which allows us to be more flexible. Besides, I''m also too busy to argue with you." She harrumphed.


    "See? This always happens. They just don''t want to admit to each other." Ray didn''t know what to do with these two anymore. They trusted each other, but their pride didn''t allow them to acknowledge each other.


    "What Ray? We''ll be hunting today. Prepare yourself!" Alexander heard Ray''s voice and immediately gave an order.


    "Fine, fine." Ray shrugged. Ray had also changed. The timidness he had in the pastpletely disappeared. Instead, his eyes were brimming with confidence.


    ¡­


    The group continued moving northward and eventually reached their original destination to settle down. Of course, they were setting up multiple things in the main group while Alex and the others remained in their position, protecting the main group from the demons.


    Margaretha was standing on top of the hill, looking at the beautifulnd, which they might be able to call home soon. They had been on the run for so long, so reaching their destination finally allowed her to feel rxed for a bit.


    "The darkness has spread on thisnd. However, the holy light has yet to disappear and illuminate a new promisednd. Once hit rock bottom, humanity holds hands in the name of survival, love, and unity.


    "Through thisnd, humanity will once again rule the entire world. It will be a long journey¡­ not even a millennium will be enough to recover. Yet, with persistence, I strongly believe that the day wille.


    "I hope that at that time, I will be able to see my descendants taking part in the world''s revolution, etching their names into the canal of time." Margaretha closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to imagine the beautifulnd that would once again be reimed by humanity.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Are you here alone, Sister?" Ray''s voice suddenly echoed from behind.


    "Ray?"


    "Yeah. Sorry, I overheard what you said earlier. But as you said, we don''t have a lot of people¡­ we are too weak and unable to protect ourselves." Ray made a sad smile.


    "Indeed." She nodded in agreement. "I can remember everything like it just happened yesterday. But to think we''ve been running for more than a year¡­"


    "I think it''s time for you to be a bit rxed, Sister. I know that you''ve been working tirelessly this whole time."


    "No way. I still haven''t even gotten my spirit yet. I''m not going to stop right now¡­ at least, not until I beat that guy."


    "Haha. I know you''ll say that. Actually, I''m here to tell you that Brother Alex is calling you."


    "Huh? Why would he search for me? I guess he can''t do anything without me." A smug smile appeared on her face as if she was proud of her own ability.


    "Is that so?" Ray only smiled and didn''t follow her.


    Meanwhile, she was moving across a lot of people. Unlike the first time they became a part of this group, the people had recognized her. From the spoiled little princess to a reliable superior, Margaretha had ovee all the challenges and earned the people''s trust.


    She ultimately reached a workshop where Alex had been isting himself for the past two weeks.


    "What''s wrong? I guess you can''t help but need me again." She smirked, teasing Alex right from the get-go. However, she abruptly stopped when she saw Alex concentrating his energy on a sword.


    The sword looked beautiful. It had multiple runes on it, painting the dull white metal de. The handle was a bit thinner as if it had been adjusted to someone''s hand.


    Alex, looking so focused like this, couldn''t help but mesmerize her. In fact, Alex was handsome and the gant figure made one feel they could rely on him. It was just that his mouth was a bit foul and his action sometimes was questionable. But when he just focused on his work like this, even Margaretha stopped talking and just watched him.


    After a few minutes, Alex gradually opened his eyes and found her right in front of him.


    He actually grabbed the de and handed it to her. "Here you go."


    "Eh?" She was dumbfounded, not knowing what trick Alex was ying at.


    "I am merely granting you a reward for everything you''ve done so far." Alex snorted.


    Another cksmith who worked with him actually exined with a yful tone. "Just ept it. He has been working hard to produce that weapon. In fact, you are the first person to get a weapon. There must be some meaning¡­ hehehehe."


    "What are you talking about? I''m merely measuring everyone''s contribution and she just happens to be the second. The second, you hear it? Her contribution is still far lower than mine!"


    "Right?"


    "What are you doing? Hurry up andplete those weapons!" Alex raised his voice before clicking his tongue.


    "Alex¡­" This time, it was Margaretha that called him.


    "What? If you''re going to start an argument, then¡ª" Alex stopped when he turned back to her and saw her face.


    There was a smile on her face. This smile was like none other. It was filled with genuine emotion, sincere feelings, and just pure happiness.


    From that mouth of hers, Alex finally heard something that he thought he would never hear.


    "¡­Thank you."


    Alex could feel that it didn''t only express her gratitude for receiving the sword. It was also the culmination of their experience and everything she had received from him.


    At that time, Alex simply froze, unable to do or say anything. This was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and to think he would see it from her.


    The workers inside were also astonished because this was the first time Alex couldn''t fight back.


    That sword might also be the trigger for her. After all, in just one month after wielding that sword, they received yet another good news.


    Alex was walking through the crowd as they were surrounding Margaretha.


    "What''s wrong?" Alex asked as he eventually found her. And he was surprised because there was a pair of butterfly wings on her back. "You¡­"


    Without hesitation, she jumped toward him and gave him a big hug. "Alex. I finally have my own spirit!"


    Alex didn''t know what to do. He couldn''t say anything bad after seeing how happy she was.


    "Kiss her. Kiss her!" One of the guys chanted and the others soon followed suit.


    "Kiss her!"


    "Kiss her!"


    "What are you saying, you old geezers!" Alex gritted her teeth, ring at them.


    "What? Are you saying you don''t like her?"


    "I¡­" Alex looked away and said, "¡­don''t hate her."


    "Then, isn''t it fine? You just can''t be honest with yourself. You are fit to be a leader but not a lover, I guess. This is why the youngsters these days are¡­ haa¡­"


    Alex wanted to argue with them, but this time, Margaretha was the one who spoke. "Alex. Just like you said, the spirit would awaken when I find my goal. It turns out I already have that goal¡­ I just never had been honest with myself. That goal is to build thisnd with you just like the one in your dream. That''s why¡­ I''ll make you fall in love with me¡­ fall so hard that you can''t think of anyone else but me. Even if you push me away, I''m not going to give up."


    Alex was speechless. If he hated it, he would have pushed her away. But after all the things they experienced together, Alex knew that she was also the reason why he had reached this far. The bud of that feeling had grown in his heart whether he realized it or not.


    He just looked at the smile on her face, feeling it would be good if that smilested forever.


    "I''m telling you that these geezers are the ones forcing me to do it. It''s time for you to push me away!"


    "Right? I guess I should add one more goal¡­ I will make you be honest with me. I will make you tell me how much you love me in the future." She made a cheeky grin before lifting her head and moving her lips closer.


    The moment they kissed, the entire group cheered as if they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

 Chapter 904 The Tragedy

    Chapter 904 The Tragedy


    After the people started to settle down, Alexander was recalled to the main group to discuss the next course.


    At that time, he met a brown-haired middle-aged guy. He looked at Alexander, saying, "Thank you for your service, Alexander. Without you, we wouldn''t have reached this far."


    "You don''t have to thank me." Alexander chuckled. He was apanied by Ray and Margaretha this time since it was an important discussion.


    "Is that so?" The guy smiled before continuing, "So, the reason I ask you toe here is to form a new ce we can call home. I want to create a country, but if we create a republic country, there won''t be any order. It will be hard to make a decision and we won''t have any speed to work with the tasks at hand. So, I''m thinking about creating a country under the monarchy."


    "Do you want to be a king?"


    "I actually wanted to nominate you. Thanks to you, the others learned a lot about Spiritual Energy and your help was the most important. So, I thought about you bing a king."


    Alexander looked annoyed while scratching the back of his head. "Don''t say that. I''m unfit to be a king. I can''t even govern my group well, so you should just do thoseplicated stuff."


    "But¡­"


    "I know that you''re going to say that¡­" The guy shook his head helplessly. "In that case, at least, I want you to be a Duke. You don''t have to do a lot of things. Just take care of a small territory and repel any demons¡­ Basically, it''s a home for your group. I won''t be a king if you refuse, Alex."


    "Well¡­" Alexander nced at Margaretha, who actually nodded her head as if telling him that she could take care of it.


    "Alright then. I''ll take it."


    "Then, there is one more problem that I want you to solve right now. Since it''s going to be a monarchy, there is a need for a family name. As you know, that family name is rather unimportant during our time period, but in this current world, it will be a household name. Hearing it alone can bolster people''s morale and other things."


    "Can''t you just use Simeon or something?" Alex asked.


    "I don''t mind if you want to use it."


    "Well¡­" Alex suddenly fell silent and looked at Margaretha, thinking about her name. She already had ''Greenwood'' in her name, so it would be weird to change it to Simeon. His father or grandmother also didn''t bother with the surname either.


    So, he wondered if he should use Simeon or something else. He suddenly remembered something¡­ something that united all of them. Yes, it was his sword.


    With a single glimpse of his sword, Alex actually smiled, saying, "In that case, I will use Ardagan as my family name. People always tease me with ''Samuel'' even though Simeon is the correct one, so let''s just rece it with Ardagan."


    "What?!" Ray and Margaretha dropped their jaws in disbelief. To think that he would change his name this easily. But considering no one would bother to see his real name, it shouldn''t be a problem.


    The middle-aged man chuckled. "Hahaha. That sounds just like you. In that case, we shall proceed with that. My name will be Andrew De Lenfeth, and you shall be Alexander Ardagan. In thisnd, I hope that you will assist me in building this new home, Alex."


    "Of course. Ah, should I call you Your Majesty or something? It''s starting to be a roley."


    "Haha. There might be a need to do so, but it''s just for formal asions. I''m extremely grateful to you, so let''s just call each other''s name when we''re alone."


    "Got it."


    "Then, I will take my leave since I have to take care of the creation of the kingdom." Andrew waved his hand while walking away. Alex also waved his hand but abruptly stopped when Andrew looked back, saying, "Also, congrattions on your engagement. Please invite me when you''re married."


    "O-oh!" Alex was startled while Margaretha looked away, embarrassed.


    ¡­


    It took a moment, but the kingdom was finally built and Alex once again called into the capital. He was kneeling in the grand hall for the coronation of the first noble in their new country, Muivell Kingdom.


    "I appoint you, Alexander Ardagan, as the Duke of the Kingdom."


    "I ept." Alex lowered his head while smiling.


    Ray was cheering for him while Margaretha watched him in silence. She was proud of him and felt very blissful with the current situation.


    They were rewarded with a territory and finally settled down. Most of the people from Alex''s group ended up joining his new family and became the pir of the family.


    It was such a peaceful time as everyone was working hard to build the territory. As expected of Margaretha, she stepped up her game andmanded the people.


    With her at the helm, the progress was far faster than any other nobles. Alex and Ray also raised their intensity.


    They swept the entire territory, protecting them from any demons.


    Gradually but surely, Ray''s reputation started to grow. Before long, people knew him as someone whose strength was equal to Alex, and he truly became the second-inmand.


    In fact, he was the one who trained all the new people in the territory. Meanwhile, Alex often left for subjugation and reimed a bit more territory.


    Of course, there were a lot of things happening during that peaceful period, including the rise of the demihumans.


    However, as a duke, Alex had a lot of authority. His strength was also unparalleled, and he assisted the demihumans in creating another home for them.


    At first, the territory of the demihumans wasn''t that far from the Ardagan Family since Alex could also take care of them that way.


    Finally, five years after Alex became a noble, a blessing smiled upon the Ardagan Family.


    The sound of a baby crying echoed inside the room as Alex was holding a small, frail baby in his hand. It might be the first time that he ever cried.


    Yes, this was the child of Alex and Margaretha.


    The entire territory celebrated the birth of Ernest Ardagan. Ray was protecting the territory non-stop just so that the two could spend more time with the new baby.


    But that peaceful time was cut short due to a certain tragedy.


    Twelve years after Alex became a noble, the family had gotten bad information.


    "Alex." Margaretha frowned while looking at the map.


    "What''s wrong? You should stop working and just let me do this." Alex made a wry smile.


    "Hehe. How can I? It''s still exciting even after a decade has passed. Just thinking about it gives me energy. This is the home that we build with our hands, so of course, I''m going to take care of it." Margaretha smiled.


    "Fine, fine. You can do whatever you want, but let me and Ray take care of the outside problems." Alex sighed, not able to fight his wife.


    "We heard from our scout that there is arge number of demons approaching the demihumans. The number is in the tens of thousands."


    "Tens of thousands?" Alex widened his eyes in shock. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes. This is not the size of what an Ancient Demon can handle. I''m afraid that guy is back."


    "I see. That motherfucker Demon King." Alex nodded. "Why are they attacking them? The demihumans might be pretty strong, but it''s not enough to resist the demon kings. Also, are they picking more demons on the way?"


    "Most likely. So, I have two points that I want both of you to take care of." Margaretha pointed at two areas on the map. "It''s possible that they are only trying to lure you, so we''llunch an ambush in these two spots and thin their number before giving the rest to the demihumans. After that, you are to return and see the progress of the battle."


    "I will take the left then." Ray took his spot while Alex nodded in agreement and took the remaining spot. "We''ll finish this fast. Even if we can''t stop the demon king, he won''t be foolish enough to continue attacking us with a small number."


    "Indeed."


    "In that case, we''ll leave immediately."


    Alex and Ray gave fist bumps as both of them immediately left the room. Just looking at their synergy made Margaretha smile. Even now, she couldn''t imagine that she would end up as his wife and have all this joy.


    Alex and Ray departed from the city in just a few hours, nning to ambush the demon king.


    It was probably because of her instinct, but Margaretha actually felt something was wrong. She looked at the map once again.


    "Why would theye to us right now? He has been haunting the group for a long time, so I can understand that he is going to attack sooner orter. But why now? Are they targeting Ray and Alex? Alex is already a Spirit King, so he should be able to fight on equal terms against the demon king. Then, is it Brother?"


    Margaretha frowned, feeling something weird. "Should I warn my brother about the potential ambush? My brother should be able to sense it and make adjustments. Alex is not as flexible as Brother, so should I tell him about it? But there is no other indication. I guess I will have to ask him to be extra careful."


    At that time, she only sent forth a fast horse to inform both Alex and Ray about her suspicions.


    As expected, numerous demons approached the territory. Alex and Ray skillfully eliminated more than fifty thousand demons in just a single day. It was a bloody battle, but with a Spirit King leading them, the soldiers had no fear when charging against the enemies.


    However, due to the battle, the information came to Alex a bitter.


    While he was cleaning up the battlefield, the messenger arrived and reported, "Sir¡­ Madam has sent you this letter."


    "Hmm?" Alex was confused and read the letter on the spot.


    ''Their movement is rather suspicious. I''m not sure about it, but the demon king should be trying to achieve something with all these demons. If you find anything suspicious, immediately retreat with Ray.''


    "Suspicious, huh? Well, the Demon King hasn''t made his appearance, so I will wait for a bit to see the battle progression." Alex nodded, thanking the messenger.


    But before the messenger could return, another one reached Alex. This time, the messenger had wounds all over his body, clearly that he passed through all demons without worrying about his body''s condition, unlike the first one who used the safest route.


    In fact, he looked like he was about to die. It was enough to show the level of the emergency.


    "Sir¡­" The messenger dropped from his horse, crawling to Alex.


    "What''s wrong?" Alex was confused and hurriedly grabbed him.


    All the color on the messenger''s face had vanished as he delivered the message during hisst breath. "The territory¡­ is attacked¡­"


    "Huh?" Alex widened his eyes in disbelief. In that instant, something clicked in his mind, especially with the first message.


    "The Demon King is aiming for something¡­ Ray could easily escape from him, and I''m the only one who can fight toe-to-toe with him. Then¡­" Alex gasped in the realization. Yes, the attack on the demihumans was just an attempt to lure them out.


    In fact, Alex had severely underestimated the number of demons this time. Due to that number, he wouldn''t realize that several thousand of them were missing from their sight.


    And the Demon King was the one personally leading this army. There was only one ce where he could deal a severe blow to Alex.


    "Kh! The territory is his target the whole time!" Without hesitation, Alex left the battlefield by himself.


    All his officers at that time were confused, but when they heard about the territory being attacked, everything was clear. They actually fell for such a simple ploy.


    In the territory, there might be several thousand soldiers as well as Margaretha, but they were not enough to resist the Demon King. In other words, the Demon King''s goal was to kill Margaretha and their son, Ernest.


    The Demon King actually knew how much Alex loved his wife and kid and that he sacrificed all those demons just to lure him out.


    And it was at that time Alex witnessed something that he would never forget.


    The soldiers were fighting the demons tenaciously, the city was in mes, and the walls had been destroyed.


    However, there was something that was much more important to Alex.


    When he reached that position, he could see his wife holding her sword. Her body was fully injured. In fact, she was standing on top of a pool of blood¡­ her own blood. Flying above her was a human with four pairs of bone wings. His ominous aura was so strong that many humans died just from experiencing it.


    The reason she could fight this long was probably due to her willpower.


    "Margaret¡­" Alex''s terrified voice echoed in her ears.


    Margaretha couldn''t help but smile, very exhausted. She turned around with a nk stare, but it felt like she was able to see Alex in front of her.


    The tension that had pent up in her body was finally gone as she started to fall to the ground.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Alex hurriedly caught her, not letting his beloved wife touch the ground. Just by moving toward her, Ardagan''s me had spread and burned all the demons near them. Like the demon king, Alex also had the ability to kill low-level demons near him.


    However, all that didn''t matter as Alexander looked at the lifeless body in his arms.


    Margaretha smiled at him while saying, "Ernest is fine. I always told you that I didn''t need your protection, but I guess I shouldn''t have said that."


    Alex couldn''t help but recall the memories of when they were together. From the first time they met, Margaretha had always told him that she didn''t need his protection.


    She worked hard alone and studied swordsmanship sneakily. She was truly independent and diligent. If not for the fact she needed to take care of the territory, she might even be stronger than Ray.


    More importantly, this woman was the reason he could reach this far. The one who had witnessed all his growth.


    As the memories shed in his mind, he couldn''t help but recall one thing that would probably lead him to this situation.


    It was when he requested to send food to the main group during their run. Back then, Margaretha said, "What did you say? Do you think you are so great? You are just someone who thinks with your muscles, not your brain! All the nutrients you get from the food go to your muscles. Why don''t you try to develop your brain a little bit?!"


    Those words never struck him as deeply as it is right now. If he was smart enough to figure this out before it was toote, he should have been able to save her and the territory long before this point.


    Margaretha used herst bit of energy to ce her hand on his cheek, knowing that her husband was suffering. If this continued, Alex might go insane. That was why she tried to do onest thing for her husband, which was to change his thoughts. "Dear¡­ I leave the rest¡­ to you¡­"


    Tears were streaming down Alex''s cheeks. He was unable to speak a single word. Even if he did, there was nothing he could say to change the oue.


    Despair began to fill his heart when her hand fell and her eyes began to close.


    "This is it¡­ This is what I want to see¡­" The demon king finally spoke a word. The demon could feel the despair in Alex''s heart. With a face filled with pleasure, he said, "I can finally see that face from you."


    "Shut¡­ up¡­" Alex gritted his teeth. His body was trembling not from fear but hatred. He raised his head and roared, "SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!"


    A burst of me erupted in all directions, reducing all the demons nearby into ashes. His roar resounded across his territory, just like the rumbling thunder that reflected the anger of Heaven.

 Chapter 905 Inheritance

    Ray, who was already toote to realize what was going on and only returned after receiving the message from Alex, reached the battlefield that had beenpletely destroyed.


    The city waspletely razed to the ground. The soldiers were fighting against the demons bravely, but they were pushed back.


    These buildings that remained as rubbles carried a lot of memories for him, Alex, and Margaretha. When he saw this scene, he could only close his eyes. The anger started to build up, wanting to kill all the demons.


    However, what happened to the terrain waspletely beyond something he could imagine.


    There was supposed to be a mountain range in this ce, but that area had turned into somethingpletely different. One of them was cut straight in the middle, turning it into a canyon. The other one had been ttened to the ground.


    But the biggest mountain among them was destroyed right in the middle, turning the top into that of a crater.


    The vegetation had been reduced to ashes, and the ground was charred ck.


    The fight seemed to have stopped as there was no Demon King insight, so Ray tried to find his sister and Alex.


    It didn''t take too long for them to reunite, but the sight was simply unforgettable.


    Alex''s body was full of wounds that a single touch might be able to knock him down. Yet, he firmly stood and carried the woman he loved so much. It felt like he used all the remaining he had to ensure that she wouldn''t feel anything.


    However, Margaretha wasn''t moving. Her legs were hanging lifelessly and her arms were resting over her stomach. Her head leaned on Alex''s shoulder, but there was no sign of movement.


    Ray''s heart sank as if realizing what had happened.


    He rushed to them and confirmed her sister''s condition, which caused him to fall to her knees. The only thing Alex said at that time was, "I should have been smarter," and those words struck his heart far deeper than anything he could imagine.


    There were a lot of words Ray wanted to say, but he knew that Alex didn''t make any mistakes. He wanted to say to his brother-inw that everything was going to be alright, but he was unable to do it. All the words stuck in his throat because his beloved sister had just died.


    That tragedy didn''t end there. Due to this incident, the demons went on a rampage. Now that he lost the reason to fight, Alex sumbed to his depression, unable to wield his sword anymore.


    The demons continued forward and pushed the kingdoms back, eventually splitting the four Kingdoms with the demihuman city.


    If Noel was here, he would be able to see the future of the mountain range. Yes, the valley he crossed to reach Old Ru''s house was actually the canyon Alex created with his sword. The dome where Old Ru built his house was the mountain that Alex crushed with his fire, and the path leading to it was where the original Ardagan Family resided.


    Unfortunately, there was no record. And Alex was never the same again after losing his wife.


    Humanity was pushed back and got separated from the demihuman city.


    The Sword Saint tried his best to fight for the sake of his sister and brother-inw, but losing Alex was too much. He was a great leader as well as humanity''s strongest fighter.


    Ray continued to grow after a lot of battles and finally halted the demon invasions. But the history had been lost, and no one remembered it.


    When watching Alex losing hope in his life, Ray only had one thought that he poured into a book.


    He used the remaining lifespan to create his own journal from the time the pair of brother and sister met Alex to the end of the greatest general in history.


    In thest part of his journal, Ray wrote, "I have four requests that I wish that all Ardagan''s descendants would have. First, don''t restrain the Ardagan because with the restraints, the talent of the Ardagans will be buried.


    "Secondly, this journal is made to honor Alexander Ardagan and Margaretha Ardagan. The Ardagan Family has lost its ancestralnd, but it never lost its inheritance. Ardagan is made to protect the world. Once it wakes up from its slumber, it''s the sign that the cmity is approaching.


    "Thirdly, the descendants of Ardagan can only bear a single child for their entire life. That''s why to choose the person you love and treat them far better than yourself, just like your ancestor treasured his wife. Sacrifice yourself for your wife, and that''s why you should choose the person you won''t regret.


    "Last but not least, teach the descendants of Ardagan that they have to be strong and smart. In the future, I hope that the descendants don''t fall for anyone''s tricks but instead, using their brain to trick them. I sincerely wish that this tragedy won''t ever happen again."


    "Signed: Ray Greenwood."


    The book was closed, but the person who read it was none other than Luke Ardagan. He couldn''t help but let out a long sigh as if this story had not only connected all the history but also the reason for his responsibility.


    After knowing that the Ardagan had woken up, it was clear that his son would be the one who brought salvation.


    If he didn''t disappear from his life, Noel wouldn''t be able to grow. And the tragedy might happen again. There was one thing for sure. The awakening of Ardagan wasn''t the mark of the iing demon king. Instead, it was due to the presence of the demon king that Ardagan woke up from his slumber.


    ¡­


    Leysha had finished the story, which included the warning about the presence of the demon king.


    "That''s all I can tell you and I hope that you pass this story to him. As much as I want to meet both of you, I have to leave." Leysha ended the story with a sigh.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Anna couldn''t help but gasp, never thinking that the story had this kind of meaning.


    "So, the inheritance of the Ardagan Family¡­"


    "Yes. It''s only the sword as well as the three journals from our ancestors." Leysha confirmed it without hesitation. "Noel''s uncle, Laufey, had stolen the journal created by the War Maiden. What we have is the journal of the Sword Saint. And Noel had the sword as well as the direct journal from Alexander Ardagan."


    Hiss!


    Anna realized that this story was much more important than anything else. It was clear that the reason why the Greenwood Kingdom had runes or the downgraded version of them was the present Alexander gave for Margaretha''s hands in marriage.


    It also showed the creation of the four kingdoms as well as the world''s situation.


    She never thought that everything was rted if not for that journal. In that dark period, there was another tragedy that erased most of the records.


    "I understand. I will definitely pass your message to Noel." Anna nodded with a solemn expression.


    "In that case, it''s time for me to leave." Leysha took a nce to the side for a moment as if she were staring at the city that Noel had built. There was a trace of sadness and longing reflected in her eyes.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to meet him. She simply couldn''t.


    Anna could only remain silent and watch Leysha leave the area.


    It didn''t take too long for Howard and a few others toe to this area, finding Anna standing in the middle of the field.


    After seeing the destruction in the area, it was clear that Anna had used a lot of her power, but because there was no corpse around, the enemies must have gone away.


    Howard was a bit curious as to why Anna''s expression was serene or even a bit sad.


    "Miss¡­ The enemies¡­"


    "I have driven them away. Unfortunately, we have to stop the exploration for today since I''m afraid that they are still roaming elsewhere. We''ll have to scout the area again to ensure that no enemies are hiding nearby." Anna exined.


    "That''s¡­ understandable." Howard nodded in agreement. "But are you alright?"


    "Yeah. I''m not injured, but the enemies are tougher than I originally thought. I''m afraid that we have to get even stronger than we are now if we want to repel their next attack. Let''s go back, we don''t have a lot of time to waste."


    "Y-yes." Howard hurriedly turned around,manding his subordinates. He also returned to the group to handle the problem personally.


    Meanwhile, Anna stood there for a moment and couldn''t help but recall the story.


    Margaretha looked a lot like her. However, Margaretha learned everything by herself and could do anything from the start. On the other hand, Anna could only mess around in her previous life.


    Only when she gained this rebirth did she actually manage to stand up on her own. She had the skill like Margaretha, but she might becking in everything other than fighting.


    "Love her more than anything else in the world, huh¡­" Anna muttered, remembering the scene where Noel swore in front of Ardagan. She finally understood the depth of that promise.


    Anna suddenly fell silent as ifing to a realization.


    "Hmm¡­ Did Noel know all this and that was why he chose to let me regress in our previous life? Was he trying to create something simr or was it because it could never be a single person?" Anna fell into deep thought.


    If Noel was already aware of the real inheritance and the story, wouldn''t it mean that he borrowed Old Ru''s ability to make that prophecy true? Then again, it still didn''t change the fact that he should use it on himself.


    With that kind of brain and power, Noel would be able to reach the Spirit King Level in no time. In fact, he should have be a Spirit Transcendence by now.


    Yet, he dropped that chance and just gave it to her. It made her unable to discern his true reason.


    Even if he knew about the truth of what truly happened, Noel wouldn''t even think of falling in love with her. After all, she was that awful in the past. So, love wasn''t an answer.


    ''Why did he give me all this?'' Anna was bothered by the fact that Noel was still mysterious to her. Even the current Noel couldn''t understand his behavior.


    ''If I think about it, we were only a Spirit Grandmaster in the past¡­ And it was a few years from now. With our current pace, we should be able to reach Spirit Transcendence in one year and possibly the Spirit King sooner orter.


    ''Is it because we didn''t have enough time back then? But if that was the answer, he should have persuaded me and told me everything instead of calling me naive or ignorant.''


    Anna shook her head helplessly. ''In any case, I should tell Noel about this story. I don''t know what Alexander Ardagan poured into that book, but the Sword Saint''s book contained his journey. So, the other book¡­ if she was like what I thought she was, then she must have written her training logs. It''s probably the reason why Laufey was targeting Noel. He must think that Noel had the secret to be a Spirit King.''


    If they nned it carefully, they might be able to lure the Supreme Devil Organization. However, Anna couldn''t help but wonder if the Supreme Devil Organization was tied to the demon king.


    Still, if the demon king had been here, the kingdom would have been destroyed. So, the demon king shouldn''t be here yet or something happened to the demon king, Anna thought.


    "It will be too much for me to think about. I guess I should ask Noel a few questions regarding this information." Anna made her decision.


    She assembled the group and left the remaining tasks to Howard while she returned to Noel so that they could think about it together.

 Chapter 906 Next Course

    Chapter 906 Next Course


    "I see¡­ So, my mother was¡­" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose, never thinking it would be the case. He had expected that the demon king might be involved because this was the only reason why he had to restart the time.


    However, he never thought that the reason why he got acknowledged by Ardagan, as well as the fact he had to endure all the hardship, was because of it.


    It was truly an amazing story to know what happened to his ancestors, but more importantly, this story allowed Noel to change the way he thought.


    "What do you think we should do now?" Anna asked.


    "After listening to the story, I have a few questions for you." Noel paused for a moment, reorganizing his words. It was clear that he was shaken by the story and felt a connection with it.


    "I will do my best to answer." Anna nodded with a solemn expression.


    "First of all, Livia and Tristan are not ready yet, so it''s not possible to speed up the progress on the Rune Body. However, with the story you told me earlier, what if we change our strategy? Instead of letting them do it, we would supply the soldiers with some runes ourselves."


    "Huh? You''re not talking about Rune Body, right?"


    "I''m talking about Rune Spell."


    Anna contemted. It seemed that Noel wanted to change his n from Rune Body to Rune Spell. It was a good method to train his students and also cost less since they gathered the rest of the materials by themselves. Only after both of them were ready for Rune Body would they begin. "I don''t think there is a problem. In fact, in the previous life, you''ve utilized everything. I don''t know which one came out first though."


    Anna was implying that he actually used the equipment that had been embedded with runes, utilized the Rune Engineering to change the movement, created Rune Spell for convenience and painted the Rune Body for improvement.


    After getting the confirmation, Noel said, "Rune Enhancement will still be Roel''s specialty, so I''ll let him handle it. Rune Spell and Rune Body will be prepared by Tristan and Livia. The problem would be Rune Engineering¡­ I''m wondering if there is someone revolutionary that could research these ideas."


    "What do you mean?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "I mean, how about using Enhance Forward Rune in a carriage? Won''t it make the carriage move forward without a horse? What if we apply that concept to other items? It can improve various aspects, including the military."


    "!!!" Anna suddenly fell silent, imagining the Rune Engineering. What if they used the Enhance Forward on a big boulder? Wouldn''t they be able to create a mobile catapult without even the tower itself?


    "What do you think?" Noel asked for confirmation.


    "I think that is good. I have seen multiple of them. Should I list them all?"


    "You can do itter." Noel nodded. "So, who is that person?"


    "Actually, I don''t think there is a person for that. I''ve known Howard and the others in the past, but I don''t think I''ve seen anyone working behind the scenes."


    "I see." It seemed that getting the clue about this person was harder than he originally thought. Considering the impact of that work, it was normal if Noel actually protected the secret.


    However, Anna had a different opinion. "How about I take part in that research? Since I know about runes and have a memory of my past life, I think I will be suitable¡­ at least for the first step. Once the recementes, I will leave that spot."


    "That''s not a bad idea." Noel agreed, but there was one problem. "How about the soldiers?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "I will be going with them during the day and take care of the other one during the night. It should be fine, right?"


    "But what about your own improvement?"


    "It''s fine for the time being. I don''t have any problem until I reach the peak Grandmaster or even Transcendence since I have the memory and experience. All I need is the Demon Crystals to speed up the progress." Anna assured him.


    Noel was slightly concerned about it, but there weren''t many options he could choose at the moment. Anna would be extremely exhausted after all this while he only handled all this paperwork. He promised in his heart that he would at least take care of herter.


    "Alright. Then, move on to the second question. With that story, do you think that I only have the river, the outpost, and the mine as trump cards?"


    "Well, you actually had a lot of trump cards, but it was after you developed the territory a bit more since they were located south of this ce. As for the ones around this city¡­" Anna looked down for a moment before saying, "Can youe up with an idea after listening to the story? I mean, what would the War Maiden do in this case?"


    "The War Maiden¡­" Noel fell silent. In the past, they had been defeated because of a simple trick, so he should prepare something to counter it. "I will think about itter. But I believe¡­"


    Noel abruptly pointed at her, specifically her finger.


    "What? Is there something wrong with my hand?" When Anna looked at her fingers, she suddenly noticed the blinking lighting from the ring. "Ah?! You''re going to use this to send a message?"


    "Yes. But I will think about the detailster. This is just one of them¡­ And I have to check the rune knowledge again to see if I can utilize it tomunicate or something."


    "Understandable."


    "Then, the third question is that¡­ What do you think about Old Ru?"


    "Huh?" Anna didn''t know why Noel mentioned him all of a sudden.


    "I''m talking about the fact that he is willing to teach me, not us. Why would he do so?"


    "Why would he do so? But we''re talking about¡­ wait, the story?" Anna seemed toe to a realization. "Now that I think about it, the Ardagan Family''s territory should be far north, close to the demihuman kingdom. The mountain was split and turned into a canyon¡­ Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes. I''m thinking about that." Noel nodded. "When we came to him in this life, he already understood everything from the past life, right? But what about the previous life? How did I convince him?"


    "It''s not that you convinced him, but he already knew the truth!" Anna gasped.


    "Exactly! He knew that I was an Ardagan and understood the story as well as the rtionship between the Ardagan and the demihuman kingdom. In that tragedy, my ancestor fell for that trick because he was trying to reinforce the demihuman kingdom, right?"


    Anna''s face became solemn. "It seems that we need to visit the demihuman kingdom¡­ No, Old Ru first."


    "That''s how it is. At the very least, we will have to defeat the first attack before being able to leave this territory." Noel nodded in agreement.


    She never thought about this detail after listening to the story. As expected, it would be good to talk about it with Noel.


    "Last question. I know that you are going to be tired after all these tasks, but I think I need to push you a bit further. In the past, my ancestor lost his wife due to the fact that there was only one brain in the family, right? While you were not a fool, you were stillckingpared to me. So, I wanted to ask you¡­ are you willing to train with me? I will be imparting all my thoughts and my ways of strategy."


    Anna almost forgot that she was simr to Alex Ardagan. She had overwhelming strength, but her brain wasn''t enough to rival Noel. Thetter was like Margaretha, slightly weaker than her, but had the ability to see through schemes.


    If this continued, history would just repeat itself. That was why Noel wanted them to be equal so that they didn''t need to tell each other about the strategy, and they already knew what to do. They were going to surpass their ancestors.


    "Fine by me. Don''t you dare to copse from exhaustion before me." Anna smirked.


    "Of course." Noel nodded before looking at Ardagan, asking inwardly, ''I know that I can''t ask you much about my ancestor. However, I think it should be fine if I ask this, right¡­ Can youpare me to my ancestor? I want to see the gap between me and him.''


    Ardagan surprisingly replied with a few missions.


    [Mission: Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.]


    [Description: You have long past the basics, so it''s time to begin mastering everything, taking it to a whole different level.]


    [Reward: One with the Sword Medal and 50 SP.]


    [Mission: Rune Master.]


    [Description: Be a proper Rune Knight and master thebat with runes.]


    [Reward: Rune Master Medal and 10 Random Intermediate Runes.]


    [Mission: One With Spirit.]


    [Description: Incorporate the elements in everything (Sword, Technique, and Rune)]


    [Reward: Elemental Medal and 2 Elemental Abilities.]


    [Mission: ???]


    [Description: ???]


    [Reward: Third Slot Medal.]


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t help but gasp when he received these four missions. While Ardagan didn''t say anything about the ancestor orpare it, the missions had indirectly shown him the gap.


    "What''s wrong? You''re doing something with your system again?"


    "Yeah. I''ve just got a few missions." Noel shared the four missions with her, wanting to know her thoughts.


    "Now that I think about it, you haven''t mastered your Evesting Sword¡­ You might have been so distracted with spirit abilities and runes that you haven''t pursued this path." Anna nodded in agreement. Ardagan was absolutely correct.


    "I think I have a perfect person for that." Noel smirked.


    "Me? No, wait¡­ Are you insane, Noel?" Anna''s eyebrows twitched. "You''re not going to involve the Sword Arbiter, right?"


    "Haha. Of course. The situation is pretty heated right now, but if we wait for a bit, I can actually invite the Sword Arbiter in one way or another."


    "While the Sword Arbiter is not bothered with the politics, he might cut you down in case something goes wrong, you know."


    "So, you''re going to let yourself be a widow?"


    "As expected, you want me to go with you." Anna sighed.


    "You don''t want to? It''s rare to fight the number one sword user, you know."


    "Well, I also want to test my ability against him, so I guess it''s fine. But we''re going to train even harder since we can''t lose without a proper fight."


    "Obviously."


    Anna then took a look at the other missions. "What about this Rune Knight?"


    "I have the mission way back, but I have almost forgotten about it. I guess it''s time to be a Rune Knight and continue the path through this mission. Though, I might need to farm some honor points to buy everything."


    "I don''t have any problems with that. Runes are going to dominate the entire world¡­ that''s what I know." Anna then pointed at the elemental ability. "Now that I think about it, the element can also be imbued with runes. While it doesn''t necessarily make it stronger, it can change its purpose. What if the rune arrow is infused by the element? It will create a ze instead of an explosion upon impact. But it takes skill to do it. In the past, I didn''t learn it since it took too much time."


    "We would train together with this."


    "As for thest mission, I don''t know much about it. You should be the one thinking about it." Anna shrugged. "In that case, let''s prepare for the mission¡­ I think we need a map. Although this territory is near the border, there are a few viges and even one city in the south, so you should go there. Let me grab the map first."


    While Anna was searching for the map, Noel''s face turned solemn. The gap between him and his ancestor was extremely big, and he was running out of time.


    But after all that seriousness, Noel actually asked in an innocent tone. "By the way, Anna¡­"


    "Mhmm? What''s wrong?" Anna asked while searching for the map.


    "Should we get married now?"


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    After that question, Anna dropped a few papers and scrolls from her hand while looking at Noel inplete shock. "Ma¡ªwhat?!"

 Chapter 907 Becoming a Rune Knight

    Chapter 907 Bing a Rune Knight


    "Ma¡ªwhat?!" Anna waspletely taken aback by the sudden question. She never thought that Noel would just forget about everything they discussed prior and talk about marriage.


    "I''m just teasing you." Noel chuckled while looking away.


    "Teasing me?" Anna squinted her eyes, noticing that Noel was lying. After they got together, Noel seemed to have a hard time lying to her. It must be that he didn''t want to have any lie between them, but it was just hard topletely change one''s character. So, this looking away action became Noel''s method.


    She approached Noel while ring at him as if demanding an exnation.


    "I''m just teasing you, alright? Just leave it at that." Noel scratched the back of his head, albeit Anna didn''t like it.


    "Have you forgotten that if there is any problem, we will be dealing with it together?" Anna sighed, slightly feeling disappointed. However, she didn''t pursue this matter.


    But that was the exact reason why Noel felt bad. He ended up resigning to his fate and apologized, "Sorry. The marriage part was just a foolish idea. I mean, if my mother visited you when we just got engaged, what would happen if I married you?"


    "Ah!" Anna finally understood Noel''s thought. The answer was clear. Noel had been chasing after his parents this whole time, so now that he had gotten a clue about it, he wanted to try to catch them and finally reunite with them.


    However, Noel instantly realized how rude that n was. Just for the sake of his parents, he actually wanted to sacrifice Anna and even married her for that cause. It was the rudest thing to theirmitment. That was why Noel wanted to brush it off.


    Surprisingly, Anna chuckled and said, "You know what? I like it when you show me how strong you are and how perfect you can be. But when you are making mistakes like this¡­ you know, I love you even more."


    "Mhmm?!" Noel was dumbfounded as if he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    To Anna, Noel was a special existence that was capable of dealing with everything. But seeing him making a mistake like this somehow made him appear down to earth. She could rte to him a bit more and that was probably why she actually liked him more.


    They were not perfect and might make mistakes. But the point was that they shouldn''t make a mistake, but to actually solve their mistake and be better next time.


    Though, Noel was tongue-tied, noticing that Anna got all the momentum in their conversation. Still, he did feel happy when she said it.


    "Thanks."


    Anna smiled and changed the topic or it would just be even more awkward while bringing the map to him. "In any case, we should get back to work. This is the map."


    From the looks of it, there seemed to be about seven viges and one city at the edge of his territory. It would be hard to get the number of people living in his territory, but he estimated there were at least three to four thousand people living in those ces.


    And with the additional ten thousand people who were going to live here, they should have enough people to gather a huge amount of points over time.


    "By the way, what''s the condition of the territory next to us?" Anna asked.


    "You want me to help the other territories?"


    "Why not? I don''t see a problem as long as they are not hostile."


    "It''s not much of a problem, but a lord leaving his territory easily is a bit¡­ problematic." Noel thought for a moment. "Well, if I want, I can probably do that. But it will take time."


    "Alright. We can figure that out after solving the problem within our territory." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "I''ll take care of the detailster. For now, I think about making a breakthrough in rune." Noel opened his system.


    Honor Point: 487 Pts


    Skill Point: 10 Pts


    ''Hmm¡­ The points should be enough to advance all the runes required to be a Rune Knight. However, it''s barely enough. If I''m attacked likest time and require more Honor Points or Skill Points to buy or upgrade my ability, I won''t be able to do it.''Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Noel contemted for a moment, carefully measuring the pros and cons before deciding to do it.


    "Ardagan. Level up these runes¡­" Noel listed all the runes from all five systems to be considered as mastering them.


    The influx of information was something Noel had grown ustomed to, but this time, he alsopleted the mission.


    [Career: Rune Knight]


    [Description: There are a total of five categories of a rune: Support Rune, Attack Rune, Defensive Rune, Utility Rune, and Movement Rune. Master 5 Runes of each category]


    [Requirement: Support Rune (5/5), Attack Rune (5/5), Defensive Rune (5/5), Utility Rune (3/5), Movement Rune (5/5)]


    [Upgrading the job from Rune Swordsman to Rune Knight.]


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Knight


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal, Elite Medal, Couple Medal


    Honor Point: 23 Pts


    Skill Point: 0 Pts


    There was another wave of information flowing into him. This information was far different from what he had seen before.


    In reality, Noel suddenly raised his hand and formed a rune in front of him.


    "!!!" Anna stepped back but soon dropped her guard, knowing that Noel wouldn''t hurt her. She believed in him.


    However, there was something weird about this rune. She squinted her eyes and examined the new rune. ''What is this? I don''t think I have seen this rune before. Theplexity¡­ doesn''t seem to be an intermediate rune. Is it an Advanced Rune?''


    ''There are not many records regarding the Advanced Rune. In fact, Noel only publicized a few of them in the previous life.''


    However, the rune soon shrunk before moving toward Noel''s chest, where Heisk''s Spirit Seal resided. It actually integrated itself with Heisk''s Spirit Seal.


    After that, Noel gradually opened his eyes. "Did something happen?"


    Anna was still gasping in shock because this was the first time she saw a rune being integrated into the Spirit Seal. "You didn''t know what you''d just done?"


    "Did I do something weird?" Noel frowned. "All I can remember is that I''m drawing a rune ording to the information flowing into my mind. If I''m not wrong, that rune can reinforce the Spirit Seal. The effect is pretty simple, it''s just increasing the conversion rate."


    "Did you just say increasing the conversion rate?! And you said it''s simple?!" Anna was dumbstruck. She mmed the table and shouted, "Do you know what kind of ridiculous thing you''ve just said?"


    "Of course I know. But If I keep quiet about it, no one will know. And my conversion rate is already one hundred percent, so it''s not a big deal."


    "I mean¡­" Anna was a bit hesitant to say that he should do it to her and anyone else. That rune would definitely be something that everyone would want. And she could understand why Noel wanted to hide it. Even his disciple might not know about this rune. After all, it could be something that destroyed the Ardagan Family.


    "Ardagan imnted that rune by using my own blood as well as his power, so it can be done perfectly. Of course, I will also imnt it on youter since I have to understand that rune a bit more. But I don''t think a lot of people will receive this kind of rune, considering it''s using the user''s blood and conversion rate to boost other people."


    "Ah!" Anna scratched the back of her head and hurriedly replied, "You don''t have to do mine. I''m fine."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Ardagan boosts my conversion rate to one hundred percent. The only reason for him to forge it by sacrificing his eternal one hundred percent conversion rate is that if, in the future, I want my child to inherit the Ardagan, my conversion rate with Heisk won''t go down." Noel exined.


    "That''s¡­ Does that mean you are the only person who can do that?"


    "I and all my descendants." Noel nodded. "Well, the one with Ardagan. And since Ardagan won''t activate without the blood of the Ardagan Family, so yeah¡­ it turns that way."


    "I see¡­" Anna finally saw the gravity of this ability. On the one hand, it looked like the others could do the same, but it sacrificed their own power to boost their sessor''s ability. And that level of power would depend on their own conversion rate and their sessor.


    So, if someone knew that the Ardagan users could do it infinitely, they would be enved and controlled. That was something even she didn''t want to see.


    "I won''t tell anyone or even make a record about it. In fact, I can finally understand why you never drank alcohol in the previous life."


    "It''s as simple as clouding my judgment." Noel nodded. "Nheless, I have be a Rune Knight."


    Noel opened the system again, checking the reward he got from bing one.


    Enhanced Strength Rune (1/3)


    Rain of Light Rune (1/3)


    Spiritual Barrier Rune (1/3)


    Energy Concentration Rune (1/3)


    tform Rune (1/3)


    It seemed that he had received one rune from each category. The Enhanced Strength Rune was the one Anna used during the exploration. The Rain of Light Rune was a versatile attack rune, while the Spiritual Barrier Rune was what Alexander Ardagan used to protect Margaretha for the first time. The Energy Concentration Rune was an enhanced version of the Energy Gathering Rune with a bit of tweak, while the tform Rune functioned as the name implied.


    More importantly, all of them were considered to be intermediate runes.


    "It seems that I have a few more runes¡­ Although I can rece a few runes on our Rune Body, I guess we can put it aside for a while, right?"


    "Yeah. Right now, not a lot of them know about the Rune Body. If we use it to surprise our enemy and upgrade it after that, we can surprise our enemy again." Anna agreed. "But to think that you can advance just like that¡­ I''m kind of envious."


    Noel shrugged. "You also have a quality, not inferior to mine. So, it''s fine."


    "Since you''re done, let''s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be exhausting."


    "Yeah. Training in the morning, taking care of the business at noon, and handling the paperwork during the evening before having another training session until we sleep."


    "Besides, you''ll be going on a trip soon, right?"


    "Indeed." Noel nodded while rising from his seat. "There are also plenty of things I want to implement with the story you told me earlier, but I haven''t thought about the concrete details."


    "Take your time. We still have plenty of time before the iing attack."


    "Yep."


    "By the way, to answer the previous question, I don''t mind."


    "Which question again?"


    "The one where we should marry immediately."


    "¡­"


    It''s just another daily life of the Ardagan Family.

 Chapter 908 Training

    Chapter 908 Training


    The next morning.


    "I think you are wrong on this part." Tristan pointed at the rune Livia drew before correcting his words right after. "Ah, I apologize. There is nothing wrong."


    Livia couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. When she checked the rune and confirmed it with the book Noel gave them, it was clear that she had made some mistakes.


    So, Tristan''s action wasn''t wrong. That was why Tristan''s action piqued Livia''s interest as there were several reasons for it.


    Livia observed Tristan''s face, who looked extremely ufortable. She asked, "Tristan. You don''t need to answer this, but are you still considering yourself a ve? Or is it because you are ufortable that I''m a princess?"


    Tristan looked away, not daring to answer that question. But there was a glimpse of hisck of confidence, which was enough for Livia to understand what was happening to him.


    "I see. So, you''re still considering yourself as a ve." Livia sighed. "I guess everything that has been ingrained into you is hard to change. Even Sandra is still like this. However, I''m going to tell you this. Owning a ve in the Muivell Kingdom is forbidden in this kingdom. Are you trying to get your teacher in trouble?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "That''s¡­" Tristan looked down. If Tristan continued considering himself as a ve, that meant the enemies could use it as a reason to strip Noel''s power. And Noel had told them from the start that they were not their ves. Tristan was the student of Noel Ardagan and Sandra was the maid of the Ardagan Family. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s not something you need to be sorry about. However, you have to let go of the past and live as a proud member of the Ardagan Family. If you can''t do that, then everything he has done will be useless. Of course, you don''t have to change right away. Just make sure you know about this and keep improving until you ovee all your troubles."


    "Yes, I know." Tristan nodded with a serious expression before hearing a clicking sound echoing from the garden. The two of them became curious since they had never heard anything like this in the past few days.


    When they checked on it, they saw Noel and Anna sparring.


    They hadn''t used their ability or Spiritual Energy. It was just pure swordsmanship.


    However, everything soon changed when Anna said, "I think that''s enough. Let''s step up our game for a bit and test the rune."


    "Indeed." Noel sheathed his sword and started raising his stance. On both hands appeared a different rune.


    "That''s the Rune st?" Livia frowned, observing the rune on his right hand.


    "If I''m not mistaken, the other rune is a Rune Strike. It''s not as powerful as the Rune st, but its purpose is to prate the enemy''s defense."


    Anna shouted, "Let''s go!"


    "I''ming." Noel nodded and leaped forth. He punched forward with the Rune st.


    Seeing the Rune st was about to be activated, Anna covered her body with Spiritual Energy before waving her sword downward.


    Boom!


    The Spiritual Energy erupted, creating a shock wave that wouldunch Anna, albeit thetter actually cut through the shock wave and split it into two. The Rune st ended up getting redirected to both sides while Anna remained in her position.


    After that, Anna formed a Rune Sword, shooting the sword toward Noel.


    Noel calcted the trajectory of the Rune Sword and shot a stream of light through the Rune Strike, knocking the Rune Sword away.


    "Is it something like this?" Noel asked.


    "I don''t think so. Though, I won''t tell you anything about it since I want to see if you havee to another conclusion." Anna shrugged her shoulders.


    "I know." Noel fell silent. "Instead of focusing on one, should we just explore all the potential? For example, we can just focus on a normal swordsman where the person only uses runes to boost their physical ability. It''s different, like when you fight with a sword and summon a rune at the same time."


    "Yeah. There is also a closebat rune like what you did earlier." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "Oh. How about this¡­" Noel pulled out his sword again, but this time, he put his left hand on the front as a Spiritual Barrier Rune formed, acting as a shield.


    "I think that''s the same as what I''m doing. Besides, it''s better to use equipment that has been enchanted with Rune Enhancement, don''t you think?"


    "Fair enough. But can we categorize the Rune Magician to be the same as what I did earlier? I mean, both fight with only runes."


    "That''s rather confusing." Anna shook her head helplessly. "Anyway, we''re only testing the runes for a bit. So, let''s test a few other runes."


    "Alright." Noel raised his hand and a big rune appeared in the sky. After that, the rune shot out numerous streams of light and rained Anna down with it. However, thetter only jumped back to avoid it.


    The impact of each stream was massive as it created a small hole in the ground. If one tried to guard it, they would either be knocked down or just get crushed by the Rain of Light Rune.


    "Then, let''s check the Energy Concentration Rune." Noel formed another rune on his back. All of a sudden, the spiritual energy began to flow toward Noel as if it was being sucked into the rune.


    Noel then controlled the rune to gather the energy right in front of him.


    "That''s¡­ probably terrifying if you use your element, no?" Anna asked.


    "Let me test." Noel chose to pour his ice element into this instead of the undying me since it was dangerous.


    Afterward, the concentrated energy started to blow out white mists and shrouded the area.


    Anna shot out her lightning dragon just to push away the mist, only to find that the mist froze even her power. "That''s quite powerful. It''s kind of enhancing one''s power."


    "Yeah. There are several runes that can enhance the power of an attack. They might be called an Enchanter since their job is only to boost everyone''s attack power in a party."


    "Their support would definitely level up the entire party. And there would be a lot of requests to those who master these runes, right?"


    "I can see that happening in the future. So, we have fivebat types for now? Rune Master, Rune Enchanter, Rune Magician, Rune Fighter, and Rune Physique?"


    "Yeah. That''s probably five of them for now¡­ until we get a new detailed versionter." Noel nodded.


    "In that case, let''s continue with the sword. I''ve gotten a good grasp of your sword, so¡­"


    Before Anna finished, Noel waved his hand and said, "Wait."


    Noel suddenly jumped into the air andnded right in front of Tristan and Livia, who were watching them from the second floor. Yes, Noel was actually standing in the air. There was a rune beneath his foot, but it wasn''t possible for him to stand on the rune unless it was designed for that.


    "T-Teacher!" Both of them panicked and hurriedly greeted him. Livia exined, "We didn''t mean to spy on you. We were just curious about the sounding from the garden."


    Considering they were living in a two-story house building that was considered a temporary mansion for Noel and all people rted to him like Anna, Livia, Tristan and Sandra, he should have expected them to be able to hear it.


    So, Noel said, "I don''t mind if you''re going to watch, but don''t tell anyone about what you saw, alright? It''s still a secret."


    "Y-yes!" Tristan didn''t think much about it. It was his duty to protect his teacher''s secret after all.


    Meanwhile, Livia realized that Noel could easilye up with a few runes. If he had time to think more about it, there would be more and more amazing runes appearing in the future. It wasn''t wrong for her to be his student.


    And with the power of the Rain of Light Rune and the Energy Concentration Rune alone, she could see that the rune would definitely revolutionize the entire power system that had been established for hundreds of years.


    She would be the first to witness it as his student.


    After warning them, Noel jumped back, but this time, instead of one big jump, Noel used the tform Rune to do multiple small leaps.


    He just got another idea and asked, "Say. Won''t it be good to have our scout learn this tform Rune? They can reach a point where no one would realize and just observe everything."


    "You have to consider their range of vision though."


    "Fair enough."


    Seeing how hardworking their teacher was, Livia and Tristan felt a bit ashamed for not pushing themselves a bit further. Though, Tristan felt a bit more confident because he could proudly say that Noel was his teacher. If he was going to ovee his past status, he would have to work hard for it.


    With that determination in his mind, Tristan said to Livia. "I think we should go back."


    "Y-yeah." Livia was a bit surprised by the sudden change in Tristan''s expression, but it seemed that Noel had intended to use that opportunity to teach Tristan this.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Anna continued with her observation. "Alright. There are two problems with your current swordsmanship. First of all, people have their own swordsmanship to create a foundation for them, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "I could say that your foundation is already solid. It''s just¡­ you don''t know what to do after that."


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. "Is it a special ability from swordsmanship? Incorporating one''s Spiritual Energy with the sword or something?"


    "No. You have the Ardagan Swordsmanship, but don''t forget that you also have a specialized one, which is the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. What''s the basis of that Everchanging Emotion?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment, realizing that a few emotions had changed or disappeared. The anger toward Anna had vanished and there was only the feeling of joy and interest in her. "Do you mean that the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style is wed?"


    "Yes. But it can be solved with a simple solution. You simply have to define that emotion and direct it to yourself. For example, why do you get angry to create that sharpest swing? It was because of me in the past, but how about changing it? Like¡­ You got angry because you didn''t like the person or whatever. The deeper the meaning, the better it is."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding since he had done the same with his Undying Fire. It wouldn''t be much of a problem to define that meaning for him. "I can fix that, so I want you to take a look at it every day."


    "I''m looking forward to it." Anna paused. "As for the second one, what is a sword to you?"


    "Hmm? I don''t think I follow you there."


    "I mean, for me, my sword is a tool that will allow me to achieve that goal. It''s because it''s a tool that I can easily utilize to conjure my spiritual energy, lightning, and anything else. But yours is different, right? Do you want to treat it as a spirit? Can it channel your emotions? Or can you boost your fire because it grants you that power? I need you to define that sword."


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t say anything to that question. Ardagan was a Spirit indeed. However, was that all?


    The moment that question entered his mind, Noel fell into deep thought.


    Ardagan had been apanying him since the beginning of his journey. He had shared what he felt and saw with Ardagan, meaning that Ardagan might be the person who understood him the most. And more importantly, he achieved all this because of Ardagan.


    So, there was no way he could consider Ardagan as a mere sword. But that also begged the question: was Ardagan a good sword?


    A spirit and a sword were twopletely different things. So, what did Noel actually see in Ardagan? What if Ardagan was just a normal sword that didn''t give him Undying Fire, Rune, or a System?


    Noel couldn''t help but close his eyes, contemting his answer.

 Chapter 909 Free

    Chapter 909 Free


    ''A sword, a partner, and a spirit, huh¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly, contemting his reply.


    Ardagan had been supporting him as a spirit and apanied him like a partner. At the same time, Noel had been wielding him as a sword.


    The question itself confused Noel a bit. While he could define Ardagan with three of those, was there a reason to actually define him with only a single one?


    ''Was it because I have never seen Ardagan purely as a sword that it has been hindering my progress? I learned Ardagan Swordsmanship thanks to Ardagan. Not long after, I created the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.''


    ''So, Ardagan has been the foundation of my sword. In that case, can I say that this achievement is mine?''


    Noel had realized that while he could actually define Ardagan with all those three, he couldn''t say that his current expertise came from himself.


    ''No. It''s not about that.'' Noel suddenly remembered the conversation with the Sword Saint when he visited his tomb.


    Back then, the Sword Saint said, "If not for Ardagan, I could beat your ancestor."


    His ancestor had been using Ardagan, so how would he define him? And the fact that Ardagan was the one helping the ancestor bes stronger than the Sword Saint made it clear that there was something fundamentally different.


    The Sword Saint also told him that the Ardagan Swordsmanship would be different for each person. Ardagan would adjust its own form in order to match the contractor.


    In other words, he could pursue his own swordsmanship and that Imaginary Battlefield would be his first step.


    ''That''s right. I was asked about my goal regarding my swordsmanship by the Sword Saint. And that goal¡­'' Noel turned silent as if he was on the verge of a realization.


    ''Yeah. I told him that I wanted my sword to be free. I want to be free from hatred, from revenge¡­ I want the freedom to choose whatever I want.''Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    However, Noel also knew that to be free from everything was close to impossible. It was such an arduous path that no one dared to walk on.


    Yet, the Sword Saint supported him and even told him that he could do it. He only warned him not to ever waver and see it through, no matter how painful the path was.


    ''Yes. Why do I have to be fixated on everything? If my sword can be free, why am I not free to consider Ardagan as my sword, partner, and spirit at the same time? Why am I not free of my emotions? No, it''s not that I''m not free¡­ It''s just that I''m involuntarily restraining myself.''


    ''Emotions are bound toe to my heart, so instead of letting my heart free from emotion, I should control which emotion''sing out. I''m free to release my anger, I''m free to be surprised¡­ I''m free to release that emotion.''


    Noel took a deep breath before gradually opening his eyes. Anna had been waiting for him this whole time and smiled after seeing the change in his expression. It appeared that Noel had found his answer.


    "Anna. There is something I''d like to try. Do you mind helping me for a bit?"


    "Of course. You''re going to teach me about other things like strategy and stuffter."


    "I will." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He raised his sword as the Spiritual Energy enveloped every corner of his sword.


    Anna could sense there was something different from the flow of the Spiritual Energy. In fact, this was simr to one of Noel''s abilities.


    That was right. Noel was actually using the Spirit Weaponry. It was the ability that he got from the Sword Saint.


    The concept of Spirit Weaponry was to assimte the Spiritual Energy into the sword and allow thetter to actually cut the Spiritual Energy itself. In other words, the sword could match the Spiritual Energy, which was the most versatile form.


    If there was something that could match the freedom that Noel desired, it would be the Spiritual Energy, not the sword.


    ''I''m free to release my emotions. And that emotion will be anger. This anger shall be directed to the world for trying to chain me down.'' Noel thought before jumping toward Anna, swinging his sword downward.


    The Spiritual Energy on his sword began to erupt, creating a malicious intent. There was anger and resentment contained in the Spiritual Energy, causing her to be rmed.


    She hurriedly released all her Spiritual Energy and struck Noel''s sword.


    The instant their swords collided, Noel''s Spiritual Energy exploded, not only giving a boost to the sword but also sharpening it.


    "!!!" Anna hurriedly used both hands to stop this strike, which actually caused the ground underneath her to begin to crack.


    It seemed like the energy was about to release another eruption, but the flow of the energy became so disrupted that it ended up dispersing into the air.


    "Ha¡­" Noel exhaled all the air in his lungs. The process took a toll on his mind since he never controlled his emotions like earlier.


    Anna, on the other hand, felt a bit terrified by what he showed earlier. She looked at the ground and thought, ''If Noel had actually mastered this ability, this area would have turned into a crater. In the future, his de might be able to cut even a mountain like his ancestor¡­ no, this time, we''re going to do it¡­ Both of us.''


    "It seems that you''re on the verge of understanding this new perception. Then, I''ll push you further!" Anna smirked and stepped forward, counterattacking.


    Seeing the iing de from the left, Noel waved the sword again. But this time, the Spiritual Energy kicked in first and formed a barrier. Anna managed to break it apart, but it still reduced her power and even bought enough time for Noel''s sword to block her.


    Cling!


    "Blocking with Spiritual Energy first before containing the impact with your sword?" Anna smiled, believing it was the ''Surprise.''


    After that, Noel rotated his sword and released another strike, far faster than anything he had done so far. This time, he used the ''Fear'' to enhance his speed.


    Even Anna had to release her lightning to match Noel''s speed, barely blocking it.


    The two continued shing as Noel kept changing his emotions. All the emotions were still iplete, but Anna could see thetent potential that this swordsmanship had.


    However¡­ It didn''tst long. Just after ten minutes, Noel had dropped to the ground, gasping for air.


    "Time out. I can''t do it anymore." Noel had a hard time even opening his eyes. Even with his good control of his energy, it was still impossible for Noel to easily manipte that emotion.


    For the others, they would only feel the change in his sword. But for Noel, that emotion would fill his heart and keep changing, causing him to be mentally unstable.


    "I think you''ve got a good grasp of your path. All that''s left is just to get ustomed to it."


    "Yeah. It won''t be easy though." Noel nodded.


    "I know you can do it. Anyway, it''s time for me to leave."


    "By the way, how did I do?" Noel tried to nce at the balcony again and realized that the two were still there.


    Anna understood what he was trying to ask, so she bent her knees and moved closer to his ears. "I''m not going to tell you. Just forge your own path without caring about that¡­ because I know that you will always be the coolest."


    Anna gave a little peck on his cheek before walking away.


    "Ahaha¡­ I still can''t handle her, I guess." Noel chuckled before waving to Livia and Tristan. "We''re done here. Go back and continue with your training. I''ll be leaving this ce in two days, so I''m going to intensify your trainingter."


    ¡­


    Anna continued the exploration during the day. But because she couldn''t say anything regarding Noel''s mother, they had to thread the exploration far more carefully, watching for the ''imaginary'' Supreme Devil Organization.


    Meanwhile, Noel had to make a couple of arrangements, considering he had to leave this city.


    "So, what do you think?" Noel asked Dimitri and Charlotte.


    "I don''t really have any problem with you going out, but don''t you think it''s a bit too dangerous? The enemies aren''t attacking us because they know that there are four Spirit Grandmasters in this ce. And three of which can handle multiple Grandmasters at once. But once you''re out, you will be isted." Dimitri raised his concern.


    "I don''t have any problem internally. I can handle the rest of the problems, but you will definitely need toplete a lot of paperwork once you return. But I believe Dimitri''s concern is justified. At least, you have to bring someone else with you and Dimitri won''t be the person." Charlotte exined.


    "Then, who should I bring? I mean, I can understand Dimitri since he is taking care of the migration. Howard and Anna are still busy with their exploration." Noel sighed, exining the problem.


    Dimitri knew that Anna was with the soldiers to get their trust. This was extremely important for the future.


    "Still, you have to bring her if you wish to go. In the past, Madam and I always apanied Master Luke during expeditions like this. The people seem to like it, considering the lord and his wife are going personally. If you are worried about the soldiers, how about bringing a couple of soldiers with you?"


    "If that''s the case, the progress of the exploration will be reduced significantly."


    "It''s going to be two days from now, right? They should be able to clear the river by that time, so it shouldn''t be that bad. I will also help Howard now and then." Dimitri suggested.


    "Hmm¡­" Noel fell into deep thought. The progress in this city was the most important, considering it would be the first line of defense. But he needed a lot of honor points to progress. If he didn''t go on an expedition, he might not be strong enough when the enemies came.


    "Master. Do you remember the idiom saying the most dangerous ce is actually the safest one?"


    "Huh?" Noel frowned. Even though there was a possibility that the enemies woulde to attack them, they wouldn''t be enough to cause the worst case scenario as long as Anna was with him.


    But he suddenly understood what Dimitri wanted. He actually wanted to cause a conflict that was big enough to make it dangerous, not only to him, but also to his enemies.


    In other words, he should find a method to bring that danger to his destination so that he could repel his enemies without fighting them.


    "I think there is one way¡­" Noel smirked. "I''m going to send a letter first. I hope that no one is going to tell me that I''m crazy."

 Chapter 910 A New Storm

    Chapter 910 A New Storm


    "Look at this... Can''t you believe what he actually sent me? Oi, Kevin! Do you know anything about this?" The Sword Arbiter showed him the letter he had secretly received.


    Kevin was also curious about it since his daughter hadn''t told him anything. When he read the letter as well as the date, he was surprised.


    The letter arrived in just one day, meaning that they had been brought by pigeons. However, Noel''s city wasn''t established yet, so mailing service had yet to be avable for him.


    In other words, Noel actually utilized another way to send the letter. But considering it ultimately arrived by using the mailing service, it was clear that Noel had this mysterious way to deliver information, which would prove significant in battle.


    And the content of the letter was bolder than he could imagine.


    "Dear Duke Lorelei,


    "This might be sudden, but I''m inviting you to visit my territory. I don''t know if there will be another opportunity like this, so I hope that you will ept my invitation."


    The Sword Arbiter gritted his teeth while asking, "Did he know that you were the one stopping me from beating him? If not for you, I would go there personally to beat him under the royal family''s order!"


    "Ahahaha." Kevin scratched the back of his head, not having any exnation. "Or he might actually want you to go there and beat him up... Just saying."


    "Huh? He doesn''t swing that way, right?" Duke Lorelei''s eyebrows twitched. He suddenly fell silent, as if sensing the hidden intention of that invitation.


    If he visited Noel, others wouldn''t dare to make a move in case they angered him. Even the Supreme Devil Organization wouldn''t go all the way to antagonize him for no reason.


    That was why Noel''s hidden intention must be to repel those people away. But he didn''t know what kind of activity Noel was nning to do that would require him to avoid all that danger.


    After all, his city had four Spirit Grandmasters. It would be an extremely safe city, unless he had to be separated from all of them. And that separation could only happen... The moment Duke Lorelei realized Noel''s true intention, he smirked evilly. "This damn kid is actually trying to use me."


    "Sir. Are you angry?" Kevin made a wry smile, trying to calm him down.


    "Yeah. I''m pretty pissed right now." The Sword Arbiter rose from his seat and said, "I think I''m going to beat this kid up for a bit...Hmm, maybe forcing him toy on his bed for a couple of months."


    "That would be a problem, Sir." Kevin tried to stop him, but the Sword Arbiter warned him. "Kevin. This is thatd''s invitation. If you''re going to stop me, I don''t mind sting everyone here, including you."


    "¡­" Kevin stopped for a moment. Duke Lorelei even emphasized Noel''s invitation to show him that he shouldn''t stop him. Noel must have a n for inviting Duke Lorelei.


    Although there were a lot of questions in his mind, he knew that Noel wouldn''t be that foolish. Even his daughter was with him.


    Kevin sighed before agreeing to let the duke go. "I understand. But I hope that the duke will be a bit lenient with him."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I don''t kill kids, women, or elders." Duke Lorelei snorted and grabbed the sword by his side. He rushed outside while shouting, "But that kid is already an adult, so it doesn''t apply to him!"


    Kevin widened his eyes in surprise, but before he chased after him, Duke Lorelei added, "Just kidding."


    Kevin almost stumbled. Even after all of this, Duke Lorelei''s simple joke still managed to trick him. He sighed, "Sly old fox. Time to spread the news, I guess."


    ¡­


    The next day.


    As expected of Kevin, he spread the news in the capital city that Duke Lorelei was visiting the new Earl, Noel Ardagan.


    It was a huge shock to all parties. While the duke was following most of the orders from the Royal Family, he was still a just man. So, no one could predict what was exactly in his head when he decided to fulfill that order.


    Obviously, the Royal Family was happy. Even if the duke didn''t kill Noel, he should be able to injure him to the point where he couldn''t train or progress for a couple of months.


    The other nobles would be panicking because they couldn''t see the oue. Those who supported Anna and Noel would find this situation troublesome.


    However, there were three parties that actually handled this differentlypared to the others.


    The spies from the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t help but gather after receiving this information.


    "Have you sent the information to the headquarters?"


    "Yeah. But can you believe it?"


    "I have confirmed that Duke Lorelei is no longer in the Stargaze Family''s mansion. It seems that the Fleeting Arbiter is nning to return to his territory soon."


    "But what is going on? If Duke Lorelei is going there, we won''t be able to attack Noel Ardagan. No, does something big happen in Lounstein?"


    "No idea. We have to wait for orders from the headquarters. Most likely, Noel Ardagan has left his territory. They are going to take advantage of the situation to assassinate him."


    The spies from the organization seemed to have reached the same conclusion. This might be an opportunity for them.


    Before, they couldn''t mobilize their strength fully due to Noel hiding in another country. This time was different. Without the need to care about internationalw, they could wreak havoc and mobilize at least a few Saints at once.


    However, Duke Lorelei wouldn''t like it if they showed up when he was fighting Noel. So, there was a high possibility that they would have to wait until Noel was injured and the Duke returned.


    The second party that took this matter seriously was the man who had beenying low for some time, the Third Prince.


    He was looking at the map while contemting. The map before him was Lounstein and its surrounding area. It was clear what he was thinking.


    However, all of a sudden, the third party in this matter finally appeared. With a single sh of her scythe, she tore apart space and emerged from the portal where the Third Prince was staying.


    Two of the Spirit Grandmasters next to the prince hurriedly unsheathed their weapons, ready to fight. Yes, the visitor this time was actually the Void Arbiter, Josephine.


    But before a conflict arose, the Third Prince opened his mouth. "Sheathe your weapon; I know her."


    The Grandmasters looked doubtful, but since the Third Prince had given the order, they had no choice but toply.


    Josephine, who was supposed to be on the Royal Family''s side, was actually visiting the Third Prince and thetter even confirmed their rtionship. They didn''t know what was going on.


    Smiling, Josephine whispered to him.


    "!!!" The Third Prince widened his eyes in shock before an evil grin appeared in his mind. "If that''s the case, it makes the situation easier."


    He looked at the Grandmasters and waved his hands as if telling them they were dismissed. They ultimately had to leave the room, and Josephine could finally speak freely.


    "I have just gone to their territory. They are truly leaving the city. But Duke Lorelei will surely not like this." Josephine exined.


    "You have gone there?"


    "Yeah. Thanks to it, I don''t have a lot of Spiritual Energy left, so you don''t mind me resting here, right?"


    "Of course. To think they have left that city on their own ord. Saving me trouble toe up with a n." The Third Prince contemted. "Who remains in the city?"


    "Howard and Dimitri among the Grandmasters."


    "So, he is only going with your student."


    "Don''t call her my student anymore. That lowly sl*t dares to fool me for so long." Josephine gnashed her teeth as if she were still bothered by the fact that Anna faked the fact that she was brainwashed.


    "Either way, they are leaving the city. I don''t need to lure them out anymore."


    "But how will you take care of the duke?"


    "I don''t need to do anything to him. If we want to deal with Noel and Anna, we just have to wait for them to finish or kill them before the duke arrives. Thetter is close to impossible, so I''ll just extend the duration of their trip, long enough until the duke''s gone and the Supreme Devil Organization can assemble."


    "Heh? You''re not worried that this is a trap?"


    "Even if this is a trap, we still have to continue. The longer we wait, the stronger he will be. Unlike Luke, who is not good at fighting, he will be uncontroble soon."


    "Alright then. I will leave everything to you. I''ve done my job in delivering the message." Josephine nodded with a smile.


    The Third Prince''s expression darkened as if he were thinking hard about a n that could fulfill the new objective.


    ¡­


    While the people in the dark were preparing for a n, Noel actually went out ording to the schedule as if he wasn''t bothered by them.


    Noel, Anna, and a few soldiers were standing in front of the city with their horses.


    "Master. Please be careful out there." Dimitri handed a bag to Noel.


    "Alright. Just make sure the territory is safe. At least I hope we don''t need to rebuild anything." Noel nodded, thanking Dimitri for the bag.


    "I''ll also ask Damian to tighten the security. At the minimum, they won''te from the north." Livia assured him.


    "I''m counting on you." Noel smiled before turning to Grandell and the other soldiers. "Thank you foring with us."


    "Please don''t mind us. We are honored to have the chance to escort you." Grandell politely replied. He was one of the soldiers that had shown the most loyalty to Anna, so when Howard presented the idea, he was the first to volunteer.


    Noel then waved his hand to Dimitri and the others. "Thenbrewing, we''ll be off!"


    The storm had started brewing and which one would be damaged? No one would know until the storm arrived.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

 Chapter 911 Fighting Together Again

    Chapter 911 Fighting Together Again


    "So, what''s going on with this town? Is there a problem that will require us to visit?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah. The city has three major problems right now. First of all, before the building of our city, it was the only fort that withstood the iing attacks from the demons." Noel exined.


    "Their walls are destroyed and the buildings are still in repair, something like that?"


    "I don''t know the extent of the damage, but it will definitely need our attention. In the end, this city will change its role to be the hub that connects the main city with the rest of the kingdom after all."


    "Fair enough." Anna nodded. "How about the second problem?"


    "Food and water supplies. ording to the information, the city has been selling demon crystals in exchange for supplies. The food can still be taken from the demon meats, but they don''t have any farnd due to the continuous onught."


    "Water problems shouldn''t be a problem, right? We have a river and can redirect it to them."


    "No. The river is actually not that far from them, so they can utilize it if they want. It''s just that the city is not suitable for water wells. I''ve heard that they don''t have any in that city. I''m not sure about the reason though."


    "Is that so? That''s rather concerning. Even if we can relieve the water problem, it won''t be sustainable."


    "Indeed. That''s why I''m thinking about connecting the river. If we solve this problem not carefully, they might haunt us and force us to go out of the main city to help them again in the future."


    Anna thought for a moment, wondering if Noel had implemented something in the past. Anna being Anna, her memory was a bit fuzzy since she was only focused on the main city.


    "Say! The fact that it''s a fort means there should be a lot of soldiers stationed there, right?" Anna asked.


    "Indeed. Unlike us, who only have elite soldiers, this fort has about five to six hundred normal soldiers. That''s why they have been able to fend off demons the whole time."


    "If that''s the case, why don''t we use runes to help these people? I mean, they have a constant supply of Demon Crystals, right? If that''s the case, we can use the rune to direct the water."


    "Rune, huh¡­" Noel looked down. Instead of selling Demon Crystals and buying water, it would be more effective to use the Demon Crystals to supply the rune''s energy. The rest of the Demon Crystals could be sold to improve the city.


    Now that he thought about it, since this ce was going to be the gate to reach the main city, he could improve the city with runes. This way, the people who entered his territory could see the wonders of runes firsthand and had their opinions increased when they reached the main city.


    What Anna found was just a small detail in her memory, but for Noel, it was a big opportunity.


    "That''s right. We can set up a few runester." Noel nodded. "But we will need to see the city''s condition first before deciding which runes we can set up."


    "That''s settled."


    "Then, thest problem would be their current condition. I mean, the people''s characters. Because it has been a border city this whole time, the people there are a rough bunch. So, we will need a lot of people to improve the city, especially to maintain the connection with the main city as well as nearby viges. There are other problems with those viges, but that can wait for a bit."


    "Should we just use force to make them submit?" Anna frowned. "But that''s not your style."


    "For now, we''ll be improving the city. We don''t know much about them, so it''s better to learn first." Noel turned to Grandell. "I will need you and the others to set up a few thingster."


    "Understood, Sir. We''ll be ready anytime." Grandell knew that even though they were soldiers, with Noel and Anna''s strength, they weren''t necessarily needed. So, they would definitely be used in a different way.


    Their destination was called Stain City. When Noel first heard that name, he wondered if the person who named that city was in the right mind or not. He learned that it was to reflect the condition, which was stained by the demon''s blood.


    The city was two days away by horse, which was normal since this city was slightly near the edge of their territory. Noel nned to create two more cities in the east and west, but that would be forter.


    Once they reached the city, he was surprised to find the condition of Stain City.


    The city wall was already half-destroyed. There were numerous cracks and they seemed to be going to copse any time soon. The blood had a red stain that was so thick that it showed the number of demons and people that had died in this ce.


    However, Noel still noticed a few people standing on top of the city wall as if they didn''t care about their own safety. No, they might simply have no choice.


    To Noel''s surprise, the people from the city didn''t seem to notice their arrival, which was odd since it was a clear day with infinite visibility.


    All of a sudden, Anna opened her mouth. "Hmm, I sense danger."


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows while ncing to the left. A few flying demons were heading toward the city. Because of the tall grass, they had a hard time seeing the demons on the ground, but it was clear that the people from the city wall could see them.


    "Number?" Noel asked while furrowing his eyebrows. It seemed that those soldiers were focusing on the demons.


    "Approximately sixty to seventy demons. I can feel one Peak Level Demon, but that''s all." Anna pulled out her sword. "I guess both of us are going to deal with them."


    "Yeah. It''s been a while since west fought together." Noel ordered Grandell, "You and the rest will set up the base near the wall in case a demon slips past us. Also, establish contact with the people on the wall and inform them about our arrival."


    "Understood, Sir." Grandell wanted to suggest the other way around since it was the soldiers job to kill the demons, but Noel and Anna''s strength was simply too overwhelming, so it shouldn''t be that dangerous for their lord.


    "Alright. Here we go. Superior Speed!" Anna snapped her fingers as a big rune appeared underneath them. Instead of themselves, Anna actually boosted their horses.


    After filling the surge of energy, the horses suddenly sped up far faster than any horses one would ever see.


    Obviously, their movement was noticed when they were closing in on the people on the wall.


    "Who are they?"


    "Two people?"


    "What are they doing?"


    "Don''t tell me they are going to fight all those demons by themselves?"


    The soldiers were confused, thinking they were just going to die. However, Noel and Anna begged to differ.


    "Hoho! It''s been a while since I''ve been riding at this speed!" Anna smirked while gathering her energy for the sword.


    "Really?" Noel also did the same. He used the Sword Transmutation.


    Ardagan sucked a lot of energy from Noel. This energy was already close to what Dimitri showed him in the past.


    He still remembered the time Dimitri helped ra defeat her opponent from afar.


    "Huu¡­" Noel recalled the way Dimitri held the sword and unleashed his power before swinging downward.


    In that instant, the energy ran through the ground and traveled one hundred meters in just one second, slicing a few demons on its path.


    "Tsk. It''s still weaker than the one Dimitri released back then." Noel clicked his tongue.


    "You seriouslypared yourself to him?" Anna was taken aback before shaking her head helplessly. She started cing her feet on the saddle as if she were about to stand up on top of a horse. "Anyway, I need your tform rune to handle those flying demons."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Alright." Noel pointed his palm toward the demon. A total of ten runes appeared in the air, starting from a staircase to a few random runes around the flying demons.


    As soon as she saw the path, Anna jumped into the tform rune and took off into the sky. She calcted the path to kill all these demons beforending on top of the rune in the middle of the demon group.


    She struck the tform Rune with her sword, sending forth lightning sparks in all directions.


    The demons were rmed and hurriedly flew away, but two of them were too close to her and got electrocuted. Still, the attack also destroyed the tform Rune, so she jumped onto another rune before falling.


    After that, she coated her sword with lightning and started jumping from one rune to another, shing the demons one by one.


    Meanwhile, Noel was about to reach the demons, so he formed an ice lotus above his head.


    The petals flew toward the area in the demon''s path and actually bloomed into an ice crystal. They lined up and created a wall.


    The demons hurriedly stopped to avoid the walls, but because of the distance, some of them didn''t manage to stop in time. As a result, they hit the ice crystals, which had pointy tips. They ended up getting heavily injured or dying.


    In the air, Anna couldn''t help but notice the difference in Noel''s ability.


    ''His ability looks more versatile. Instead of hitting the enemies directly, he creates a wall that can both kill enemies and stop their charge. In that case¡­'' Anna shot out a lightning strike at the ground, which surprisingly shattered the ice crystals.


    "!!!" Noel was startled. At first, it looked like Anna was just messing with him. But to Noel, he could see what Anna was nning to do.


    He formed a few more tform Runes so that she could go down safely. After that, he halted his horse before jumping forward.


    The demons had to stop because their path was blocked earlier, but once the path was clear, the demons would definitely continue forward. As a result, those demons stepped on theirrades'' bodies and those who didn''t die earlier ultimately got their end because of this.


    After that, Noel stood on their path with a pair of phoenix wings on his back. With a single p of his wings, the scorching heat gale passed the demon''s bodies.


    If they were stronger or their skin was thicker, they would be able to resist that heat. But most of the demons fell to the ground, unable to continue. After that, multiple feathers fell on top of them and sted them.


    Yes, Noel actually released the Undying Fire Feathers alongside the Fire Gale. But the former was used after he stopped the enemies.


    His control and the way he utilized his abilities were far differentpared to a few months ago. He had to thank his grandfather for teaching such a precious lesson.


    "Mooo!" While Noel was satisfied with his performance, the Peak Level Demon suddenly rushed forward and tried to hit Noel with its horn.


    If Noel was alone, he might have to stop this charge. But Anna was with him this time.


    All of a sudden, an extremely long sword fell on top of the bull and precisely sliced its neck.


    Noel only nced to the side, finding Anna smiling brightly as if she had done a great job. Though, Noel still had to use his Spiritual Barrier Rune to stop the bull''s momentum.


    And Anna also had her sword fall to the ground as she was struggling to hold it still.


    "Why does the sword have an increase in weight even though it''s being extended by rune? Ugh, I hate gravity." Annained. She finally used the rune that had been embedded in her sword.


    Noel chuckled while looking at the remaining demons. "Time to clean up."

 Chapter 912 Citys Problems

    Chapter 912 City''s Problems


    The soldiers on the wall couldn''t help but drop their jaws to the ground. They thought that they would have to fight hard against all these demons, but the scene before them waspletely beyond their imagination.


    "What?"


    "Sixty to seventy demons have just died?"


    "How do they find the monsters easily?"


    "Those grasses are pretty tall, aren''t they?"


    Even the captain, who led the soldiers, was frozen in his ce. All of a sudden, someone climbed on top of the wall and said, "That''s the lord of Lounstein and his wife, Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze!"


    "Who are you?!" The captain was rmed, but soon processed that name. He had heard about a new lord that would govern this territory, but he thought that it would be hard because this ce was dangerous and the town hadn''t been built yet.


    To think that the lord and his wife woulde to this ce not long after arriving at their new territory, it felt like they were trying to ask for their help if not for the fact that they eliminated all the demons easily.


    The captain regained hisposure soon and hurriedly ordered his subordinates. "Open the gate!"


    Just like that, Noel and Anna easily entered the city. They didn''t bother gouging out the demon crystals, thinking it could be treated as a gift to the city.


    The captain bowed his head and introduced himself. "I''m the captain of the city garrison, Hansen. Thank you for helping us, Lord Earl."


    Noel nced at the city''s condition, which turned out to be more awful than he originally thought. The demons must have passed the gaps between the wall and caused a lot of destruction.


    There were a lot of crushed buildings and those who remained standing were definitely damaged. When he looked deeper into the city, it didn''t seem to be that good either. While most of the building remained intact, the living conditions were harsh.


    A lot of the people seemed to have lost hope. Even the soldiers'' conditions reflected the current situation. While they didn''t seem to be malnourished, they were clearly showing signs of dehydration.


    The problem wouldn''t be food, but the water.


    After getting enough information, Noel skipped all the pleasantries and asked, "Where is the mayor of this city? Does he know about all the problems the city has?"


    "Y-yes, Sir! The mayor is in the middle of the city. Let me guide you." Captain Hansen extended his hand, asking Noel to follow him.


    "Grandell. Bring your men and survey the city. Report to me about everything you can findter."


    "Understood." Grandell acknowledged the order and signaled his men to begin.


    "Should I look around as well?" Anna asked.


    "No. You''re going with me for now. Didn''t you ask me to teach you about this kind of stuff? It will be a perfect opportunity."


    "Alright then."


    Captain Hansen brought Noel and Anna to the heart of the city. As expected, the people were staring at them as if they were a rare animal. But more importantly, their gaze seemed to have lost a lot of hope.


    The lord of the territory had visited them, so they should gain a bit of hope, but the fact that they didn''t react that much showed how worse the living condition was.


    Even Noel might not be able to handle everything right away.


    It didn''t take too long to reach the city''s mansion. However, he doubted that this ce could be called a mansion. While it was a typical two-story building, it wasn''t that wide. At best, it looked like three small houses aligned together.


    "In that case, I''d like to ask you to wait¡ª" Hansen was stopped by a single wave of Noel''s hand as thetter demanded, "No. Let''s go directly to the mayor''s office. He should be in the office, right?"


    "Y-yes." Hansen didn''t know the previous question was a test. If the mayor wasn''t in his office, trying to deal with this situation, he would be unfit as a mayor.


    As soon as they reached the office, they could find a thin man in his forties.


    "Hansen? Who are they?" The mayor furrowed his eyebrows, not recognizing Noel and Anna despite their reputation.


    "They are the lord and the mistress of Lounstein."


    "!!!" Obviously, the mayor had heard about the new governor. Once Hansen introduced them, he instantly remembered all the information and greeted them. "Lord Noel Ardagan, Miss Anna Stargaze. I''m honored to have your presence here."


    "You can skip the pleasantries. I''m here to fix some problems in the city, so I need you to tell me everything."


    "Everything?" The mayor scratched the back of his head, looking hesitant.


    "What''s wrong? Are you trying to hide something from me?" Noel squinted his eyes, pressuring him.


    "No, Sir. It''s just that¡­ there are too many problems that I don''t know where to start." The mayor shook his head helplessly. "I''m too useless, Sir. Please punish me."


    "That''s enough. Give me the major problems first." Noel turned to the captain and said, "You too. Tell me everything from your perspective."


    "In that case¡­" The mayor gave a gesture to ask Noel to sit on his seat before bringing a few documents. "There are a total of five major problems the city is currently facing. The first two are the most urgent."


    Noel skimmed the documents the mayor presented while Anna read a few other documents.


    "The water and the demon activity, huh¡­" Noel frowned.


    "Yes, Sir." The mayor nodded with a sad face.


    "Are you still bringing the water from the river? And why does this town not have any water well? You should have the fund, right?" Noel asked.


    "That''s actually the problem, Sir. We do have water well. In fact, they say that the water underneath this city has a quiterge quantity to the point we won''t be able to drain it all for hundreds of years since it''s connected to the river."


    "Then¡­" Noel frowned. "What''s the problem?"


    "The problem is that while it has arge quantity of water, it won''t go up. The well doesn''t have enough pressure and it''s also deeper than normal. We can''t create such a deep well and try to use a bucket to bring it up."


    Noel finally understood the problem. "So, the well has a small diameter, and despite the depth, it doesn''t have a lot of pressure? Have you used a pump?"


    "Yes. It''s too deep even for the pump."


    Noel thought for a moment before asking, "How about the demons?"


    "Actually, this is rted to the water problem. Because we have to fetch our water from the river, we have to send our team and bring back anything we can. But due to the increase of demon activity, a lot of people have lost their lives. We''ve been rationing our water for the past few days."


    "The past few days?" Noel noticed something important.


    "Yes. The increase in demon activity only began recently."


    Noel turned to Anna, who seemed to have realized it as well. This problem must be created by someone. And the only people that had the ability to control demons was the Supreme Devil Organization.


    It seemed that they had been trying to lure them out of the city, thinking the mayor would ask for help.


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose before asking Anna. "What do you think?"


    "Should we just clear up the river? I can lead a team there." Anna suggested.


    The captain''s eyes lit up. He had witnessed Anna''s strength, so if she truly helped them, they would definitely be able to clear the river and bring back a lot of water.


    However, Noel actually shook his head as if he rejected the idea, which dampened the captain''s hope again.


    Noel said, "The main problem is the water. If there are no people going to the river, then it won''t be a problem anymore. So, all we have to do is solve the water problem."


    What Noel said wasn''t wrong, but the mayor couldn''t think of any way to solve it. And that was where the rune came in.


    "Ah! You''re going to use the runes?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "I cane up with a few arrangements, but I don''t know if they are sustainable or not."


    "Is that true? Can you really resolve the problem?" The mayor widened his eyes in shock. The problem had been guing the city ever since its creation, so he never thought that there would be someone who could solve the problem.


    "I have to inspect the well and other things first before creating a n. For the next few days, I can supply the water for the town, so it should give us more room to create a concrete n."


    "Thank you, Sir." The mayor couldn''t contain his smile. It seemed that he was trustworthy and thought about the people first.


    Noel asked, "What about other problems?"


    "There are three more problems that have to be solved as soon as possible. They are the wall, the building, and the hygiene."


    Noel thought for a moment while Anna asked, "If there''s enough water, we can improve the hygiene slightly, right?"


    "Yes, Miss. We don''t even have enough to drink, let alone washing ourselves and other things. I''m afraid that even if you bring water from outside, they might get attacked by the demons."


    "You don''t have to worry about the water. And who has been profiting from the water this whole time?"


    "That''s¡­" The mayor hesitated. It seemed that the other party was also a noble or a merchant with that much influence.


    "Just say it. I will take care of the rest."


    "It''s Lord Alba. His city is near the river and there are not a lot of demons over there. So, he brings us the water."


    "And with a high price, right?" Noel squinted his eyes.


    "What do you mean?" Anna was the one who asked.


    "It''s pretty simple. Water itself is not expensive. So, with the city''s profit from the Demon Crystals, it should be able to buy a lot of water to the point it can somewhat solve the water problem. But because of the current condition, he must be increasing the price for all kinds of reasons."


    "So, he takes advantage of this city''s condition to jack up his price?" Anna looked annoyed as if she wanted to go there right away and beat him up.


    "Yeah, basically." Noel turned to the mayor. "You don''t have to purchase the water from him. Or do you have any contract with him?"


    "Yes, Sir. We have been paying him every month and the contractsts for another three months." The mayor nodded.


    Noel thought for a moment. "Then, you don''t have to pay him anymore."


    "But if we breach the contract, we have to pay six times the number we agreed upon." The mayor panicked. Not everything could be solved with strength or reputation after all.


    "No, you don''t have to worry about that. Because of his city location, he shouldn''t have the need to create water wells. It means his only source of water is the river. My city is nning to build a dam, so we''ll be redirecting the river and filling it. It''s not that we''ll be breaking the contract, but he is the one who can''t fulfill the agreement."


    "Ah?!" Anna seemed to have found out another reason why Noel built a dam. It was truly a weapon.


    "Of course, this city won''t be able to utilize the river as well, but the water well should cover the problem if we seed. Meanwhile, Count Alba has no choice but to start digging well. It will cost a lot of money and he also has to figure out how to fulfill the contract. If he dares not to pay for the contract breach, I''ll personally make my move." Noel exined before turning to the mayor. "With that money as well as the money that you were supposed to use for water should be enough to improve the wall, right?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "We definitely can repair the wall." The mayor assured him.


    "For the building, we can only do itter, so just put up some emergency buildings with the remaining resources to make it look like we''re trying to solve the problem. Once the city stabilizes, we will bring more resources for the construction. At the very least, it''s still early summer, so we should have enough time."


    "Understood, Sir." The mayor never thought that Noel would be able to solve the problems just by listening to them once. It seemed that Noel''s reputation was well deserved. Lounstein finally had a good lord that could govern the territory well.


    Noel stood up and said, "Alright. Let''s inspect the wells first."

 Chapter 913 Experiment

    Chapter 913 Experiment


    The mayor guided him to the first well, located not far from the mayor''s mansion. As expected, the well was so deep that he could barely see the bottom. There was indeed water and he didn''t know how deep it was, but the pump wouldn''t be effective.


    Even Anna confirmed that there was water below.


    "This is the well. What do you think, my lord?" The mayor asked after seeing Noel''s concerned face.


    "How is it, Noel?" Anna asked. "The rune should be enough, but I''m not sure I understand the mechanism."


    "Indeed." Noel nodded while looking down, pondering.


    The mayor was surprised to hear that the rune was capable of solving the issue. If that was the case, the city could finally get enough supply of water.


    A few citizens couldn''t help but stop when they saw the mayor and the captain were escorting two people personally. It was clear that their identities were far more important than them.


    The fact that they inspected the well meant that the mayor was trying to do something to solve the water problem.


    Some of the bystanders decided to watch what the mayor nned to do while the others seemed to continue their lives without any hope. Though, they still talked about it, which ended up bringing more people.


    "Can you get me the blood of the Advanced Level Demon¡­ No, the Peak Level Demon we killed earlier?" Noel asked the captain.


    "I don''t mind, but for¡ª! Never mind. Let me bring you the corpse." The captain didn''t continue his question, believing that he should act as a soldier who didn''t question his superior when thetter tried to save the town. He hurriedly departed to the gate to fetch the corpse.


    Noel turned to the mayor. "I need a bucket¡­ as big as possible."


    "I understand!" The mayor rushed back to the mansion excitedly. This was the first good news he had heard for a while.


    But surprisingly, the one that came back first was the captain, who was clearly sprinting the whole time. He carried therge corpse on his back before putting it down for everyone to see.


    "This is the corpse."


    Noel nodded and pulled out his sword, slicing the skin before using his Spiritual Energy to let the blood flow out and gather them into a single spot. After that, Noel removed the skin as it was the foundation of the rune.


    Not long after, there was amotioning from the mansion.


    "Mayor. Please let me do it."


    "Ah, give way! Give way! I''m bringing an important item." The mayor pushed through the crowd with a bucket almost as big as his body. "Sir."


    The mayor put down the bucket while panting. Noel couldn''t help but chuckle seeing his energetic self and excitement even though he was so frail that he looked like he was going to copse at any moment.


    "Alright. Everything is ready." Noel winked at Anna to protect him before announcing, "Alright. Move away from me for a bit."


    The captain and the mayor stepped back a few times until Noel snapped his finger.


    All of a sudden, a lotus appeared above Noel''s head, rming everyone. However, the petals soon fell down and hit the ground around Noel, creating a series of ice crystals that blocked the view of everyone.


    He had to hide the method of drawing the runes after all.


    Afterward, Noel began to let the blood flow out of his Spiritual Energy as he used his finger to redirect the blood and draw a Enhance Forward Rune on the skin. Of course, he used the water from the Water Bottle the system provided him to clean the skin before drawing the rune.


    After hepleted the rune, Noel turned to the bucket and asked Ardagan to buy a few Water Gallons to fill the big bucket.


    The moment he confirmed that everything was ready, Noel ced the Enhance Forward Rune into the water. Once it reached the bottom, Noel began pouring his Spiritual Energy, activating the rune.


    In that instant, the water suddenly got pushed by an unknown force that sted the water into the air.


    Boom!


    "!!!" Everyone was startled by the noise, but soon they found a fountaining from the inside of the ice barrier.


    "That''s¡­" The mayor gasped, wondering where Noel got that water. But if that could be used to supply the water, the city might reach its new peak.


    Meanwhile, Noel nodded his head with satisfaction. "The height is not enough, but the hole is small, so all that energy will be concentrated into a single spot andunch the water into the air. Since the well will be filled up constantly, it should be able to create a constant supply of water."


    However, he had to think about the way to put this rune down the well, including the activation.


    "Hmm. Can the Low Level or Mid Level Crystals be used? I don''t think they are strong enough. So, I guess I need an Advanced Level one. The captain should be strong enough to handle a Peak Level Demon, so the supply for Advanced Level Demon Crystals shouldn''t be a problem."


    Noel then butchered the demon to retrieve the crystal it had. After that, he drew the Energy Gathering Rune on another skin and the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune on the other.


    He stacked the Enhance Forward Rune with the Energy Gathering Rune while covering the Demon Crystal with the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    This way, the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune would release the energy from the Demon Crystal and the Energy Gathering Rune would catch that energy and supply it to the Enhance Forward Rune. It was still a rough concept, but it should work, Noel thought.


    After that, he tossed all of them inside the bucket and another spurt of water urred again. It was smaller than before, but this was enough for the entire concept.


    Since he didn''t know if this was enough to raise the water to the surface or not, Noel created another set of runes.


    "Done." Noel smiled, satisfied with his work. He then snapped his finger again, causing the ice to disappear.


    The people were confused as to how Noel managed to get all that water. In fact, they thought it was a waste to use such a precious resource for his research.


    However, Noel ignored them for a bit and asked the mayor, "Do you have a rope, a long one that can reach the bottom of the well."


    "Let me bring it to you." The mayor nodded his head and rushed into the mansion beforeing back with the rope.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Noel then tied the demon crystal and the runes together before lowering it to the well.


    The people were watching with anticipation, realizing that Noel wanted to use that experiment to release the water that was stuck inside the well.


    Noel lowered it carefully so that they didn''t suddenly drop and get stuck in the well. Once it reached the water level, the water instantly got pushed upward with a significant force that was enough to reach the surface.


    It wasn''t as big as the one they witnessed earlier, but the well suddenly turned into a small fountain.


    "That''s¡­ Water!"


    "Water!"


    The people became crazy, showing how desperate they were about water.


    Even the mayor and the captain couldn''t believe what they were witnessing. It only took Noel a few minutes to settle one of the biggest problems that had been guing this city for a long time.


    Noel suddenly pulled the rune back as the water dropped once again, stopping the people''s excitement. He checked the rune and made sure that it wasn''t ruined by all that water.


    "My lord¡­" The mayor looked at Noel in panic, thinking something went wrong.


    "Don''t worry. The experiment is sessful, but there are a few things that need to be fixed first." Noel pointed at the well and said, "Because this is fueled with Peak Level Demon Crystal, it wouldn''t be sustainable.


    "So, I need your cksmith to create a rod that can allow us to bring the mechanism back to the surface to rece the Demon Crystal with a new one. Since it has to be powered by Advanced Level Demon Crystal, it will need two of these inside.


    "Also, we need a giant water storage so that we only need to activate it to fill that tank instead of letting this rune run all the time. As long as we turn a few wells into this, the water problem should be solved."


    The mayor was stunned while the rest only cared about thest sentence. If they could get unlimited amounts of water, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.


    The mayor hurriedly shouted, "Hurry up, someone get cksmith Joe here!"


    "I¡­ I will!"


    "No, I will!"


    A few people hurriedly ran toward the cksmith. Noel and Anna could clearly feel their excitement to get the water as soon as possible.


    Noel then asked another question. "Is there any building we can use to distribute the water? Unfortunately, we have to wait for the mechanism toplete first for security reasons. It will be bad if the well is clogged up because someone cut the rope, right? Anyway, I have another supply of water, so we can use it first and distribute water to everyone."


    "In¡­ in that case, you can use that building. It was our garrison''s storage, but because of the prolonged battle, it was almost empty. So, we could take the rest out and use it to store water." The captain pointed at a two-story building not far from the mansion.


    "In that case, we''ll use it as the distribution point." Noel nodded in agreement before turning back to the citizens with a gentle smile. "Nice to meet you, everyone. I''m the new appointed lord of Lounstein, Noel Ardagan.


    "I can''t promise you that it will be done in an instant, but I can assure you that there will only be improvement from now on. So, please go back and spread the words. Tell the people around you to bring their buckets to receive water in that building. Don''t worry, I can fill all your buckets to the brim, so don''t hesitate toe."


    The people were amazed by what Noel said. If he said those words before proving his experiment, none of the citizens would believe him.


    However, the fact that he could create a miracle like that, he might be able to improve this city.


    Some people couldn''t help but fall to their knees as if greeting their new lord. Those few people inspired the others as one by one began to kneel, thanking their new lord. Even Anna was in awe, realizing that he was born to be a lord.


    "Thank you. Now, hurry up and go! Spread the words!" Noel waved his hand while adding to the mayor, "I need a few people to help me with the distribution."


    "Y-yes, Sir!" The mayor was still having a hard time to regain hisposure while the captain hurriedly guided Noel.


    As soon as they reached the building, Noel asked the captain to remain on the outside while he inspected the building.


    "You are truly good with your speech." Anna smirked. "And what''s with that waiting? You just want to use this opportunity to farm more honor points, right?"


    "You are not wrong, but you should feel suspicious about the demon''s activity, right?"


    "So, you''re thinking that there might be a spy from the organization among the citizens?"


    "I don''t know, but there is a possibility." Noel nodded. "Anyway, help me clear this first floor. Your control is better than mine."


    "Fine." Anna spread her Spiritual Energy and all the items inside the storage began to float. After that, they flew toward the exit as Anna threw them away.


    After that, Noel exchanged a water tank from the shop and summoned it. The tank contained about one thousand liters of water, which surprised even Anna. "Where the hell did you get this?"


    "Ask Ardagan, not me." Noel shrugged. "Use the water to clean this ce by the way. Also, use the remaining water to create a container outside this building. Make sure no one can see the inside."


    Anna followed Noel''s instruction. She took out the water from the water tank and washed away all the dirt that had been piling up inside the storage. After that, she used the remaining water to create a giant cube that would contain all the water. Noel''s job was to freeze it.


    "But won''t the ice get frozen inside?"


    "I got a Temperature Control ability from the Ice Pearl we found in thatke." Noel chuckled while summoning a few more water tanks and stacked them up together.


    "Thatke? Ah, the one where we found the Ancient Demon Tree?" Anna remembered the first joint operation they had in the past. After seeing the other water tanks, she began controlling the water to create a pipe that connected them to the main container outside.


    With this, all the water began to flow out and fill the main container.


    "I''ll be discussing things with the cksmith, so call me if I need to rece the water tank with a new er." Noel smirked. "Alright. Time to distribute the water."

 Chapter 914 Development

    Chapter 914 Development


    "Here you go!" Anna smiled.


    "Can we get all this water?" One of the citizens, who got his bucket filled to the brim, gasped. Since he had brought two buckets, the first one could be used to cook and drink while the other one could be used to wipe his body. Before this, he could only get a half bucket which was not enough for his family to drink.


    Anna shook her head and corrected him, "You cane back if you think it''s not enough."


    The others couldn''t help but listen to it as well. They realized that this was the help they had been waiting for. And once the water problem was solved, they wouldn''t have any more worries.


    Some of the people couldn''t help but tear up.


    When Anna saw their joy, it reminded her of the stark contrast of what happened in her previous life. Back then, the only thing she could bring was sorrow and death.


    And with Noel in this life, she brought happiness and hope. There was a funny feeling in her heart that somehow made it hard for her to contain her smile. In the past, she had only watched how Noel solved their trouble one after another, but never directly participated in it. This feeling made her a bit addicted. It was no wonder why Noel continued to help people. It wasn''t just for Honor Points.


    "Thank you, Thank you, Young Lady." The guy thanked Anna profusely.


    Anna waved her hand and said, "You''re wee."


    Her actions made a great impact on people''s hearts. She was also extremely beautiful, so some of them couldn''t help but idolize her.


    This was also one of the reasons Noel''s mother helped Luke when solving problems. She also built her reputation as the kinddy of the Ardagan Family.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Though, Anna never realized it.


    While Anna, helped by more than fifteen people, continued distributing the water, Noel was talking with the cksmith.


    "That''s the n. What do you think?" Noel asked.


    The cksmith was a muscr man. There were some burn marks on his arms and his hands were rough. However, he gave an aura of an expert, so Noel believed that he could give him a satisfactory response.


    "If you can get enough water to that ce, then we can create a rod through the same hole. The pipe will be nted right on the bottom, so even if they tried to destroy the entire structure, the pipe would remain. We could just rece it if that ever happened.


    "As for the storage system, we have to think about the size. Providing the entire city with water requires a considerable amount of water, especially if we can''t pump up the water to the surface at all times. How many wells are you nning to transform, my lord?"


    "How many wells does this city have?"


    "Ah!" The middle-aged man thought for a moment. "If we use all 16 wells as storages, we can downsize the storage significantly. In fact, what do you think about the main storage system, Sir?"


    "borate."


    "It''s basically a single big storage that will supply the water to the entire city. Instead of turning all the wells into this, we can just use one or two wells to fill up that main storage and distribute it to other storages that would be ced in different parts of the city."


    "So, you are going to divide the city into a few different segments and distribute them from the main storage?" Noel asked for confirmation.


    "Yes. We can even treat the rain water in this main storage. And if there is indeed an ident, we will still have the main storage as an emergency water supply. It won''tst long, but it should be enough for us to ask for help from the main city and return with the solution." The cksmith exined.


    "What do you think?" Noel turned to the mayor. He knew the city more than him, so if it was impossible to construct it, then he would have to reject the idea.


    "I think it''s usible. The current state of the city is horrible, but if we manage to restore the wall and rebuild the city, we can create that system. So, the progress can be done gradually. Besides, we can close down the deeper hole and turn the well into storage, reducing the cost." The mayor nodded in agreement.


    "If I were to agree with this development, what do you require?" Noel turned to the cksmith.


    "If you have the technology to direct the water, then we can create a pipe system underneath the city. If we just create the main storage at a slightly elevated area, we would definitely be able to fill up the storage naturally. So, we need to redirect the original resources to maintain the water level on other wells, which means the main storage has to be operated at all times."


    "That shouldn''t be a problem cost wise." Noel nodded. "But how many wells do we need to transform to be able to supply the water constantly?"


    "I think two wells should be enough. The current city only needs a single well, but if we want to rebuild the entire city, then two would be needed."


    "Then, add two more wells for back up." Noel thought for a moment before asking, "That''s right. What if you expand that pipe system underneath the city?"


    "What do you mean, Sir?"


    "The water flows from the high elevation to the lower one due to differential pressure, right? What if we create two different levels? For example, the main storage will be on the highest level, the second stage storage would be on the level below it, andstly, we would create another pipe system and create a storage to the people''s houses? This means, thest one would be at ground level."


    "This¡­" The cksmith gasped. His imagination expanded when Noel presented this idea. If they could do it, it meant there was no need for the people to get more water from the facility anymore. They could simply get an unlimited supply of water right from their house. It would definitely revolutionize the city.


    Even the mayor dropped his jaw to the ground. The project was ambitious, but the concept was very clear.


    "I need to calcte the height for that. No, it''s already outside the expertise. We need to find someone who is educated enough to handle all the calctions." The cksmith shook his head.


    "Well, the main city is in early development, so I think I can implement this idea in the main city as well so I don''t have to reconstruct anythingter. And your city is in the beginning of reconstruction, so the cost is far less than a fully developed city. There are other ideas, but let''s solve this problem first, shall we?" Noel smiled.


    The mayor thought for a moment and said, "During my early days, I had such a contact. How about I ask him to do the calction? He is an entric man, but he is exceptionally gifted."


    "If there is someone like that, send him to the main city to talk with the main architect of the Ardagan Family. They can discuss the n there." Noel nodded.


    "Yes, Sir." The mayor nodded furiously. He was just having a headache, thinking about how to deal with the water problem. But Noel actually gave a solution and an idea to revolutionize the city. This lord was like a blessing to Lounstein.


    "Then, we should build the main storage and additional storages first. We can easily reconstruct them if the calction is slightly missed, right?" Noel turned back to the cksmith..


    "Yes, Sir. Give me¡­just one day. I will deliver the blueprints tomorrow and we''ll immediately begin the construction. Also, the rod will also be ready tomorrow. I''ll ask my disciples to build them." The cksmith raised two fingers. "Mayor¡­ I think we need about two hundred people to build this as soon as possible."


    "Two hundred? It''s impossible to employ all of them right away."


    "Then, how many can we employ right now?" Noel asked.


    "At most one hundred people. Our money is currently not enough because we have just paid for water two days ago."


    "In that case, employ all one hundred people right away and focus on the main storage first. The citizens won''t have any problem in going there to get some water right now. I will send you an additional fund from the main cityter and we''ll begin the second development." Noel nodded.


    "Understood." The mayor nodded with a serious expression.


    "Also, make sure that you retrieve thends from the people who are leaving this city at a low price. We''ll then construct thatndter and sell it to the people at a higher price. This should be enough to get the money to maintain the city." Noel gave his n.. As expected of a merchant''s son, while he never went to an intense education about trading, he was still able to think of a simple n to gain some profits.


    "In that case, I will work right away. Mayor, please gather all the people as well as the necessary materials to build it. We can use bricks as the main material." The cksmith exined.


    "Alright." The mayor nodded with excitement. The cksmith seemed to know that it would be hard to get wood in this situation, so he changed it to bricks, which they had plenty of.


    Before Noel gave another instruction, Anna''s voice resounded from behind. "Noel. We''re about to run out of water."


    "Alright!" Noel automatically responded before giving hisst instruction to the mayor, "During the recruitment, just tell them that we''re going to build the storage for an unlimited supply of water for the entire city. There should be a lot of people going to apply. Choose the best among them so that we canplete the construction as quickly as possible."


    "Understood." The mayor acknowledged the order without hesitation, albeit Anna called him again. "Noel!"


    "I''ming." Noel shouted back while patting the mayor''s shoulder. His gentle smile was telling him that he would definitely solve all the trouble the city had and bring it to its golden age.


    The mayor couldn''t contain his smile. This was the biggest hope he would ever have. Without them realizing it, the mayor had sworn in his heart that he would recognize Noel as his only lord and served him until he died.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have time to be sentimental as he hurriedly followed the instructions and created the recruitment post.


    Meanwhile, Noel was participating in the water distribution directly to bond a bit with the citizens. They didn''t know what kind of surprise Noel had for them.

 Chapter 915 Teaching Anna

    Chapter 915 Teaching Anna


    On the za, a crowd of people were gathering as they seemed to have an announcement to make.


    "The lord is nning to employ one hundred men to build a main water storage for an unlimited supply of water for the city. You will be paid seventy cooper coins per day."


    Instead of seventy cooper coins, the people were actually more interested in what they were building. The people had suffered from this water problem for a long time to the point where they had grown ustomed to it.


    So, the moment they heard that they would be able to get an unlimited amount of water, they couldn''t help but look at each other, extremely interested in it.


    "I am 21 years old, Roy. How do I sign up for the job?"


    "Wait. I am¡­"


    "I¡­"


    They immediately flocked the people from the mayor office, trying to be a part of it. As Noel predicted, it didn''t take too long to get all the workers. That was why he wanted the best people so that the construction could be finished faster.


    After distributing enough water, Noel left everything to the rest. Anna seemed to be apanying him as they were going to meet with Grandell.


    "Sir!" Grandell ced his hand on his chest.


    "How is the city?"


    "It''s awful, Sir. There are a lot of buildings that can copse at any time. The area near the wall is destroyed. The west wall suffers the most damage and needs to be prioritized. While the morale has notpletely plummeted, they don''t have any high hope either.


    "After receiving the water, they gain a bit of hope, but it''s not enough. I''m not sure about the spies, but I can guard one important ce." Grandell reported.


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment and asked Anna, "What do you think?"


    "Since you''re going to send some funds from the main city, it should be enough to repair the west wall whilepleting the current project. It''s just¡­ if the enemies dare to sabotage it, we would be in trouble. Our funds are already limited, so we have to be careful." Anna exined.


    Noel nodded in agreement before saying, "Grandell. Your job now is to protect the main storage construction. Also, spread the soldiers to check the people''s improvement like their morale, hope, and other things. The better they are, the quicker we can finish this project. I''m not sure about how long we will stay here, but we might remain here for about one or two weeks before moving around to check the nearby viges."


    "Understood, Sir." Grandell hurried back to inform his subordinates.


    Meanwhile, Noel turned to Anna and raised one finger. "There is something you''re missing."


    "Something?"


    "Yes. Do you remember all my preparations beforeing here? Think about it again. There are two things that will allow us to safely improve this territory."


    "Hmm?" Anna contemted, recalling every single thing. This was the time Noel tried to teach her about governing the territory. After a while, Anna thought of something. "Is it Duke Lorelei?"


    "He is indeed one of them. Why do you think I brought the duke here?"


    "If he arrives here, no one will dare to attack this territory or they will just invoke the duke''s wrath. That should include everything that happens inside the city."


    "I will give you forty points for that."


    "Huh?" Anna never expected that her answer would receive only forty points, meaning that she had missed the most important part.


    "Think about it. The duke is impartial most of the time, right? He loves to see young talents bloom, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "What if that sprout is not a talented young man but a revolutionary idea where the entire kingdom could benefit?"


    "An idea? Wait a minute!" Anna gasped, finally understanding Noel''s goal in inviting the duke. "The duke would be so impressed with the change of the city where runes are incorporated into society. After seeing such a wonderful concept, he will definitely think highly of you.


    "And with that, there is a chance that the duke will ask you to incorporate such a thing into his own territory. There you go, a cooperation with Duke Lorelei."


    "Exactly." Noel nodded with a smile. Anna was originally smart, but she just had a hard time connecting the dots in politics. It must be because she was never introduced to politics in her previous life. So, Noel only had to give one clue after another to provoke her mind.


    "But Noel, don''t you think this is a bit too reckless? While we get the cooperation, the duke will be in a tight spot, no?"


    "Certainly. The people will think that the duke is angry and try to take us down. Even if we can''t do anything, we would be too injured to progress for a few months. That''s why there is one thing that will create an opportunity for the duke and us. That is the second letter."


    "The second letter? Do you mean Khalid?" Anna abruptly stopped as though she hade to another realization. "That''s right. Khalid might not be a healer, but he is an alchemist. He should know a bit of medicine and we should be able to recover from our injuries in no time."


    "What do you think will happen if the duke beat us up?"


    "The spies in the city will definitely think that the duke has done his job. And with the duke''s cooperation, we should be able to find the spies and eliminate them, stopping any further leaks of information."


    "Then, without the spies, what will happen?" Noel continued asking one question after another.


    "In that case, the duke will be grateful and won''t oppose the idea of having a lot of sparring with us during his stay here. In exchange, he will be able to see the rune project. And we should be able to gain an additional fund since the duke will be paying us to install it in his territory. This way, the duke won''t be held ountable and people will think we can''t do anything for a while, which is a perfect opportunity to get stronger."


    "Whose spies are hiding inside the city?"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization, the Royal Family, and the Third Prince?"


    "What will happen to them?"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization believed that they had achieved their original objective. And as long as we acted that way, we could get stronger and surprise them when they attacked.


    "The Royal Family will ignore us for a while and let the Supreme Devil Organization take care of the situation. Lastly, the Third Prince¡­ I''m not sure. Maybe he will visit us to confirm it? You are supposed to have a ''good'' rtionship with him after all."


    Noel was satisfied with her answer. While she still missed a few more possibilities, she was definitely on the right path.


    "Don''t you remember there is one more person that can check us?"


    "My teacher?!" Anna fell silent, remembering that in the past her teacher joined hands with the Third Prince to kill them together. When she thought about it, she noticed something. "Wait a minute. The set up on the current storage¡­"


    "It seems that you''ve realized it." Noel smirked. "Since the spies can''t see anything inside the storage, they will have to specte. None of us have a Space Element, allowing us to get all those water. Even my ice won''t be enough to cover all that water. But even if they still think it''s possible, that idea will be destroyed once I''m beaten up by the duke while the water supply still continues."


    "You actually want to make people believe that someone is helping you to get all that water. And with that amount of water, there is only one person who might actually help you." Anna gasped. Noel actually tried to make people suspect her teacher.


    Even if they trusted her, they still had to consider the possibility. After all, people like the Water Lord might be able to do it, but he was still in his territory. Only the Void Arbiter could teleport from one ce to another, including opening the portal to fetch the water.


    Meanwhile, the truth was that Noel used Ardagan to supply the water.


    Noel warped his hand on her shoulder while saying with a smile. "See? You can already specte my n with enough clues. It''s just that you are not used to connecting things up properly and thinking about all kinds of possibilities. So, I''ll keep asking you all this stuff until your mind gets used to thinking of all possibilities."


    "Hehe¡­" Anna couldn''t contain her smile. In the past, Noel often said she was naive or a fool. But it wasn''t true. With enough training, she would be able to reach Noel''s level.


    This praise truly meant a lot for her.


    "How about I cook your favorite meal for dinner?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Really?" Noel was taken aback as he immediately turned around. "Wait a minute. I have to bring back the meat."


    "Haha. Look at you so excited even though you can cook as good as I am."


    "Having to cook for myself and having someone make it for me are two different things!" Noel harrumphed and took off.


    Anna couldn''t even react and only smiled at his enthusiasm. This was a life she could never imagine in her previous life.


    ''I wonder if Noel gave me the rebirth opportunity to let me experience this kind of life? No, did he think that I would fall in love with him in this life?'' Anna thought, still wondering about the reason for this second chance. ''I hope that this canst forever.''

 Chapter 916 Another Invention

    Chapter 916 Another Invention


    "Move it that way!"


    "Create a wall in this spot."


    The cksmith was presenting the blueprint while asking the professional to lead the people to build the design.


    "How is it?" The cksmith asked.


    "It''s simple, so we should be able to build it as quickly as possible with all these people."


    "Good. I will report to the mayor about this before working on other things." The cksmith nodded and walked away.


    After Noel''s arrival, the city had gradually stood up on their feet again. However, it didn''t change the fact that only the water problem was going to be solved soon. They still had to face other problems.


    That was why Noel and Anna discussed it again with the mayor.


    "So, we''re going to talk about the wall, the building, and the hygiene." Noel asked, "What do you have to say?"


    "First of all, the wall has been standing there for almost five years. However, the current condition is too much for the wall to bear a huge wave of demons. We are lucky that only less than a hundred demonse at a time, but even then, it''s quite perilous. We''ll lose people and the wall will be damaged further." The mayor exined the problem in detail.


    "While the long term solution has been discussed yesterday, we indeed have to repair the wall, especially the west one." Noel thought for a moment before asking Anna. "What do you think?"


    "You told me earlier that you had sent the request to the main city and they would definitely bring it to us. However, it would be hard for them to send the funds here, don''t you think? The Supreme Devil Organization might attack them midway and seize the fund." Anna raised another concern.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Even though I say fund, it wille in the form of materials." Noel shook his head, implying that he had another idea.


    "Materials? Ah, so you''re sending people to buy the materials using that fund, so the materials wille to us from the opposite side?" Anna nodded in understanding. "In that case, we can use that material to repair the west wall. But they will realize it sooner orter and might intercept the material."


    "Indeed. The only thing that won''t be attacked is the thinging from a different country." Noel nodded. "So, with that amount of material, the west wall can be repaired. Also, the money for employing more workers wille from the same direction."


    "You''re using that source of ie?" Anna noticed that Noel nned to ask the brothel to give them money. In exchange, he would refund that moneyter.


    "Yes. So, with that, what do you think we can do with runes to speed up the progress?" Noel asked.


    Anna thought for a moment and said, "Why don''t we use something to transport the items? Mayor, the work requires a lot of manpower, right? What are their jobs specifically?"


    "I have to bring the professional to answer that question." The mayor didn''t know about the details as he was the one who gave the order, not the one taking care of it.


    "During my stay in the Demon Relief Squad, there are basically four kinds of tasks. The first one would be the one handling the cement to build a perfect wall. The second one would be the one procuring materials. The other two are the transporter and supervisor. Now that I think about it¡­" Noel fell silent as though he was on the verge ofing up with something.


    Anna turned to the mayor and changed her question. "If we can automate them, do you think we can change those people to Demon Crystal? Instead of paying people for that job, we use the fund to buy Demon Crystal."


    "That depends on the number of workers you''re going to rece. If it''s going to take only one or two people, then it won''t cover the cost. And what kind of Demon Crystal do you n to use? The Advanced Level again?" The mayor asked.


    "No." Noel was the one who answered that question. "I think I''ve got an idea."


    Anna smiled as though she had expected this.


    "I''m thinking about creating a rune that can bring people up and down." Noel smirked, feeling confident about it. "Mayor. Bringing material to a certain height is hard, right?"


    "I''m not an expert, but I do see that people have to carry the materials on their back and use the stairs. Or we could just bring them by using a pulley."


    "Then, how about having someone¡­ No, a tform that can move up and down? This way, the tform can carry humans or materials to a certain level. Then, if they need to go down, we can just bring them back down." Noel exined before asking for a pencil and a paper.


    The tform was a circle and it contained two runes on it. After that he put down the materials or humans and created a diagram on how it worked.


    "This is¡­" The mayor fell silent for a moment. "From my perspective, it would definitely be amazing to have."


    "But will it be safe? I mean, how are normal people going to maintain their bnce? And when are they going to stop?" Anna asked, seeing a few problems with the design.


    "Now that I think about it¡­" When Noel thought about it, an image shed in his mind. It was the image of the mysterious facility Noel visited in the Atracaeca Kingdom. That huge hole in the middle of the facility must be something like this. They created a skeleton to ensure its safety.


    So, Noel changed the design a bit by creating the skeleton that stretched from the bottom to a certain level. He even turned the circle into a square and sealed its four corners with the beams.


    "I think this will be it." Noel pointed at the four beams on each edge. "These beams will be the one stabilizing the tform when it is being pushed up by the rune. In fact, we could use the top tform to pull it up instead of pushing it down. And by making a nted floor, we could make the center of gravity remain in the center."


    "That''s a good idea. It definitely stops the risk of getting swayed." Anna agreed with the idea. "But what about the ceiling? I mean, is it going tounch this guy or the materials into the air?"


    "I have thought about it. The problem is the output of the rune. The water requires a lot of force to propel the water upward, but this one doesn''t need such a force. In fact, it can''t be that fast since the things inside it would carry the momentum. That''s why I''m thinking about using the Low Level Demon Crystal!"


    "Ah?!" Anna finally understood the concept. "So, that''s how it is. The Low Level Demon Crystal won''t be strong enough tounch this guy. And if we nt this structure to the ground, in addition to its weight, the tform wouldn''t be able to push the entire structure, creating a certain ceiling. We can even create the tform to be like a cage so that even if they are swinging, they will still follow the same path."


    "Exactly. I still need to test this, but I think the possibility exists. This is a structure that can only be used with a Low Level Demon Crystal. I don''t know the efficiency, so we have to test it first." Noel nodded. "Mayor. Do you have some time to go out? I also need that professional to check the design."


    "Understood." The mayor nodded furiously.


    "In that case, I will go to the cksmith to ask for the tform. I will leave the rest to you, Mayor." Noel rose from his seat and took his leave. But before he could open the door, someone actually knocked on the door.


    When Noel opened it, it turned out to be the cksmith he wanted to find.


    "M-my lord!" The cksmith panicked, thinking he had disturbed Noel.


    But Noel actually grabbed him and said, "I need your help with something! Are you free?"


    "I¡­I am free." The cksmith nodded his head. He was just going to report the progress to the mayor, but Noel''s matter took priority, considering he must havee up with another amazing invention.


    The mayor nodded his head as if telling him there was nothing more important than Noel''s matter and asked him to follow him.


    "I understand, my lord. Do you need anything?" The cksmith asked.


    "I need to borrow a metal te to test something. If it works, I might need you to create a cage with a nted floor that leans to the center." Noel exined.


    "We do have the metal te in the workshop."


    "Alright. Let''s go!"


    Without hesitation, Noel dragged him to the workshop as Anna followed Noel with a smile. Even though Noel always wanted a person to lead the research of rune applications, he was probably the only person who could do it. He was just too upied with the matter regarding the territory that he didn''t have enough time to do it personally.


    As soon as they reached the workshop, the cksmith took out a metal te. But because it was just a random te, it was a rectangle instead of a square. "This is the only thing we have."


    "It''s fine." Noel put the te down outside the workshop. He pointed at the te and looked at Anna first. "I think this size is enough, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, on the right, I will draw the Enhance Forward Rune facing up while I turn it the other way around on the left side. With this, depending on which one we power up, it can move up and down. But I''m worried that because of the nature of Spiritual Energy, the other rune will absorb a certain amount of energy that will cause the tform to be unstable."


    "Can''t it be solved by just putting the Energy Dispersion Rune in the middle? It will deflect the Spiritual Energy. And because it''s still moving, the Spiritual Energy will remain on that level and not be picked up by the other rune."


    "So, I need to connect the Gathering Rune to both the Enhance Forward Rune and Dispersion Rune¡­ That''s brilliant." Noel''s eyes brightened as they finally found the perfect concept.


    "What are you going to make, my lord?" The cksmith asked, confused.


    "Anna will tell you about it. I want to test the stability of this te and see if it''s possible for a normal person to use it or not," said Noel while stepping on the te.


    Anna agreed and watched Noel powering up the te with the Enhance Forward Rune pointing upward.


    Once he poured his energy, the te started to rise.


    "Woah!" Noel shifted his bnce a bit. It felt like he was stepping on a tform that was standing on top of a pointy tip. If he lost his bnce a bit, he would definitely fall down. "As expected, the supporting beams are needed."


    As soon as Noel passed the tallest building, he looked around. It didn''t really amaze him since he could just use his wings to do something like this, but he thought of another concept. What if they fought using this type of rune? Would people be able to fly?


    That thought caused Noel to change the rune from Enhance Forward Rune to Floating Rune. This way, the te didn''t continue rising but float to a certain level.


    "Anna. I''m going to test something for a bit." Noel shouted while creating another rune behind him. It turned out to be the Enhance Forward Rune.


    He actually pushed the floating te forward, causing him to speed up. However, he didn''t count on the air friction, which caused him to slightly lean forward. It ultimatelyunched him first from all that momentum.


    "Woooah!"


    The cksmith panicked, thinking Noel would go down. But he soon reappeared with his wings and returned to the te. "That doesn''t work. Maybe I should raise the front a bit to resist the air friction while bncing my momentum?"


    As soon as he did it, the tform actually moved like a surfboard. He leaned his body to the side and it still continued forward. The air pressure hitting the te was the one changing its direction.


    "This actually work?" Noel couldn''t believe it. He was actually ''flying'' in the air without wings.


    Anna couldn''t help but drop her jaw. This was something she had never seen in her previous life. It seemed that Noel would definitely surpass the invention of his previous life.


    "Noel! I want to try it too. It looks fun! You have your wings, so let me fly!"


    "No way. I can''t let you risk your life like this. This is extremely dangerous, so just wait there!"


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched. Despite mentioning the danger, his excitement was easily visible from the ground. He was surfing in the air and its movement was quite fast, which would definitely be something interesting to y with. That was why Anna said, "You might be able to make me believe it''s dangerous if not for that grin! Stop grinning and change with me!"


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

 Chapter 917 Adjustment

    Chapter 917 Adjustment


    "I think this is enough for the test." Noel said while looking at the structure. Because it was only a trial, they didn''t make the steel structure to support it yet. However, the cksmith gave insight and the design on how they should use their power.


    There were four main beams and an ''X'' pattern of lock that stretched from the bottom to the top. This way, the four main beams would be locked in ce.


    In addition, the te had truly be a cage. While it wasn''t fully covered, it was still safe enough as the human body would have a hard time passing through the bars.


    It was being pulled from the cage''s ceiling where the Enhance Forward Rune was set up.


    To pull this off, Anna was the first one to volunteer to test it out. After all, the one who created all the cage and the structure was Noel and Anna. She used the water to create them while Noel froze them. So, Noel remained on the ground to ensure that he properly controlled his power so that the ice wasn''t undone.


    After stepping inside, Anna closed the cage''s door and waved to Noel. "Alright. I''m going."


    "Yes. There should be a slot at the ceiling. You should be able to reach it and just insert the Demon Crystal there."


    "Alright." Anna nodded with a serious expression and found the socket where she put the Demon Crystal.


    The Spiritual Energy from the Demon Crystal then activated the Enhance Forward Rune and dragged the ceiling upward. But because it was a cage, the tform underneath Anna''s feet also got pulled.


    Slowly but surely, Anna was moving up.


    "This is¡­" The mayor, the cksmith, and the construction professional the town had couldn''t help but gasp. It was true that the speed wasn''t something extraordinary, but it was still far fasterpared to a normal human''s speed. After all, it brought them straight up unlike stairs. It was like an automaticdder.


    And the tform was big enough to hold two or three grown men. They could even put materials inside, meaning that they could easily bring it up and down depending on their need.


    With the structure, they could also change its height depending on their need.


    They tested it near the wall so that the wind didn''t really sway the structure, but it also made the entire project visible to the normal citizens.


    "Hey, what''s that?!"


    "Something is going up the wall?"


    "No. That''s a cage?"


    "Wait. Someone is inside! It''s¡­ the young miss that is always apanying the earl!"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "What?!"


    The people couldn''t help but be curious. Some of them even came closer to take a look.


    Meanwhile, Anna could see a lot of people from up there. The wall was twelve meters high, so the structure went all the way to the very top of the wall.


    She could see the town and it was a scenery that she could never forget. The horizon felt like it was expanding continuously as she went up further and further. It gave her a different feeling from when she flew or jumped into the sky.


    This was something that all people could experience in the future. And it only needed a simple structure and a Demon Crystal.


    "Wow¡­" Anna gasped in amusement. It only took her about twenty seconds to reach the top. And more importantly, she didn''t even use any of her stamina or power to reach this ce, meaning those who had reached the top would be at their peak state.


    As soon as Anna reached the top, the soldiers protecting the wall were taken aback. They never expected that someone would go up here. They thought something was going to happen when Noel created this structure, but they didn''t expect that the structure could carry them up like this.


    "This is amazing." Anna smiled, looking at the soldiers. Thetter didn''t know how to reply to her, considering the sight was just too shocking.


    Before going down, Anna checked the tform first and realized that the entire structure wasn''t being lifted by the tform. If it was a Mid Level Demon Crystal, it might be able to bring it up a bit or at least jolt the entire structure, which made it unsafe. But this structure only needed a Low Level Demon Crystal¡­ No, it could be said that this thing could only work with a Low Level Crystal.


    Anna waved her hand with a smile as if biding her goodbye. But once she was about to go down, she noticed something was wrong. If she activated the Enhance Forward Rune to go down, it would fall with the help of gravity.


    Hence, she had to do one more thing. She created the Floating Rune. This way, the structure would resist the gravity and the Enhance Forward Rune would bring it down bit by bit.


    Noel noticed the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, so he hurriedly flew into the sky to check on her.


    "Are you alright? Is there something wrong?" Noel asked with a worried expression.


    "If I take off the demon crystal up here and put it down here, won''t the tform just fall down?" Anna pointed at the socket on the ceiling and the tform.


    "Now that I think about it¡­ So, you''re using the Floating Rune to resist that power?"


    "Indeed. We might need two Demon Crystal so that we could activate the bottom rune first before pulling out the crystal above us." Anna exined.


    "No. I think it''s fine if we create a lock or something. The mechanism that will lock this entire cage on this ce as we activate the second one. But it will definitely be hard to unlock it since it was pushed down by the rune¡­ Hmmm¡­" Noel frowned, thinking about something.


    "How about creating three separate runes? Up, down, and floating rune? Of course, it''s fine to create that mechanism. So, in order to activate it, we need to activate the Floating Rune first before unlocking the tform. Only after that would we insert the demon crystal for the Enhance Forward Rune."


    "That could work. But because people are unfamiliar with it, we might need a person who specializes in operating this thing. At least until the people get used to this thing."


    "Yes. I think that''s fine." Anna nodded in agreement.


    After that, Noel stepped on the tform and said, "Let''s go down together then."


    Anna maintained the Floating Rune before inserting the Demon Crystal in the socket underneath them.


    The tform moved down slowly as the Floating Rune resisted the gravity. And Anna suggested that they had to activate the Floating Rune all the time so that even if they went up, there would be a safety rune to stop the incident.


    Noel definitely agreed since an incident would cause the citizens to not believe them anymore.


    After reaching the bottom, Noel exined the idea to the cksmith, wondering if he could create the entire structure.


    Surprisingly, the cksmith didn''t think it was that hard. But they indeed needed a bit more time to ensure it worked perfectly.


    The one who understood the construction was truly amazed by this invention. Repairing the wall would definitely be far easier and faster.


    "So, how is it, Mayor?" Noel asked.


    "I will definitely assist you in anything you want to do, my lord. Not only did you fix the water problem, but you also gave a solution to repair the wall. I believe that the city would be a wonderful city under your leadership." The mayor politely bowed his head.


    Noel smiled, "In any case, these are just the tools to solve the problem. And we haven''t fixed them yet, so we need to work hard until everything is over."


    "So, do we need to add more runes in other ces?" Anna asked.


    "I''m not sure. While I don''t mind creating more runes, we have to make sure that it won''t burden this city too much."


    "That''s also a problem. I guess we can''t be too greedy." Anna agreed with Noel.


    "But it doesn''t hurt if we take a look at other problems. Even if they are not major, just improving the convenience would definitely be big for the city." Noel turned to the mayor. "Let''s return to the office and we''ll begin inspecting other things."


    "Understood, Sir." The mayor nodded furiously as he led them back to the mansion.


    Meanwhile, the cksmith and the construction engineer couldn''t help but exchange looks.


    "What kind of lord do we get?"


    "I don''t know. All I know is that he is definitely a good man that will bring Lounstein to its golden age. I''ve heard a lot of weird rumors, but I hope that he can continue ruling this territory."


    "Agreed. All these ideas are revolutionary, so we might see a city that is unique to any ce that everyone has seen before."


    What they didn''t realize was that this city was also a ce for Noel to experiment all kinds of things. When the people from other territories, Duke Lorelei, or even envoys from other countries arrived at this ce, they would be amazed and realize the possibility Noel had.


    It would improve their opinion. For now, they didn''t know the method of embedding the rune, so it was fine. But they would definitely seek out that information to steal the technology.


    Fortunately, Noel could sit back for the time being, considering the Sword Arbiter would fend off all the problems for a while. So, he was rushing a few things so that he could show all this to the Sword Arbiter.

 Chapter 918 Shocked

    Chapter 918 Shocked


    A few dayster.


    An old man had finally arrived at Loustein, and the first city he encountered was the half-destroyed city.


    "Seriously? This is the city?" The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "There are indeed some activities on the wall, but I don''t think this city willst long. Let''s check it out, shall we?"


    The Sword Arbiter surprisingly walked to the city from the front even though his power was enough to sneak inside without being noticed.


    Duke Lorelei was wearing a white military uniform and a big mantle hanging from his shoulders. There was a big Lorelei Family''s crest on that mantle, so his appearance confused the soldiers a bit.


    When the soldiers started to gather, Duke Lorelei stated out loud, "Open up soldiers! I am Evan Lorelei, the Duke of Lorelei. I hereby order you to open your gate."


    "!!!" The soldiers panicked when they heard about the old man''s status. However, they didn''t receive any warning or see any carriage, so they were a bit skeptical about the old man''s identity. There was a chance that he was lying.


    Seeing the wariness of the soldiers, Duke Lorelei took out a badge and skillfully threw it up. The momentum was just enough to reach the top of the wall, allowing one of the soldiers to catch it.


    It was the Arbiter Insignia as a symbol of their status. It caught the captain''s attention, considering Noel had told him that a few important people were going to visit, but Noel didn''t tell him who they were.


    It appeared one of them was Duke Lorelei. So, the captain hurriedly opened the gate while making his way down to formally greet Duke Lorelei.


    As soon as the gate was up, the captain politely ced his hand on his chest. "Good morning, Duke Lorelei. I am the captain of Luna City, Hansen. It''s a pleasure to meet you. Lord Earl has informed me about your arrival, so I have to inform him first about your arrival."


    "That''s fine. I''m here just to look around." The Duke nonchntly shrugged his shoulders. It seemed that because he had stepped down from his position, he really didn''t bother to keep his image. "Why don''t you introduce this city while your subordinates inform him about my arrival?"


    "I understand, Sir." Hansen nodded in agreement and signaled his soldier to rush to the mayor''s mansion. Meanwhile, Hansen extended his hand and politely said, "This way, Sir."


    Evan couldn''t help but look at the wall and say, "The city doesn''t look that good."


    "We are in the middle of rebuilding the city, Sir. We apologize for showing you such a disgraceful thing." Hansen bowed, but his tone was filled with hope as though he implied the condition of the city was going to be something in the past soon.


    Evan was amused because it hadn''t been that long for Noel to take over this territory, but it seemed that he had gained the trust of the people living in thisnd.


    It was at that time that he noticed something different. He saw a carriage with a lot of rubble on the inside. But the carriage didn''t have a horse or anything to pull it. Instead, they only had a steering wheel that actually controlled the movement of the front wheels. The back wheels just followed the movement.


    Its speed wasn''t that fast, but it was clearly faster than a horse pulling it.


    "What is that?!" Duke Lorelei gasped in shock. "I can sense the Spiritual Energy fluctuationing from that thing, but how does it move without being pulled?"


    "That''s¡­ the first automatic carriage. I can''t disclose any information about its mechanic, but I can say that the Lord is using the rune to make it possible. And the one who is steering it is the number one coachman this town has. He is still training and getting used to it." Hansen exined.


    The concept wasn''t that big of a deal. Noel just used the Enhance Forward Rune to make it push forward. Since there was gravity that would make the carriage remain on the ground, the wheels would be the ones doing everything. In other words, Noel had just changed the horse to Enhance Forward Rune.


    Ever since Noel hade into this city, he had been creating one invention after another. Of course, he only tried everything before thinking which one would be the best for the city without burdening the cost.


    Since the automatic carriage only required an Enhance Forward Rune, it only needed one Low Level Demon Crystal and a manual brake to operate it, which was pretty cost-effective.


    And that alone was enough to shock Duke Lorelei.


    Horses were quite hard to produce, especially high-quality ones. So, if they could actually change the horses to the Demon Crystals, there would be nothing better.


    "It seems that the Earl is doing a lot of things in this city." Duke Lorelei furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Yes, Sir."


    "It seems that you have a lot of things to show me." Duke Lorelei smiled excitedly, wondering what kind of surprise he would get from this city.


    "Unfortunately, I have to remind you that I can''t disclose any secrets of the city. The only thing I can say is the one showing on the surface."


    "That''s fine. So, show me everything." Duke Lorelei nodded without hesitation.


    "Then, this¡ª" Before Hansen could continue, Duke Lorelei noticed the tform that could go up the wall without any mechanism due to his sharp vision.


    "Wait. What is that thing?! The one that can go up the wall?!" Duke Lorelei asked.


    Even Hansen could barely see it. "Do you mean the one hanging on the wall, Sir?"


    "Yes, that one."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "That is called Rune Elevator. As its name implies, it''s a device that allows you to reach an elevation that you want. Currently, it''s used to bring a few workers up the wall along with the materials. We''re currently fixing the west wall." Hansen exined.


    "What? How does that work?"


    "I can''t say anything other than Runes." Hansen shook his head.


    "¡­" Duke Lorelei was speechless. These two alone would definitely stir up the entire kingdom. In fact, if Noel actually sold these innovations, he would without a doubt be the richest man in the world, surpassing his father who only reached the kingdom''s level. "I''m more and more curious about this city. He must want to use this city as his base of operation¡­"


    "Ah, I''m sorry, Sir. We are just the gate to Lounstein. We are not the main city of this territory."


    "Huh? Seriously?" Duke Lorelei was confused, but if all these revolutionary things were implemented not in the main city, what kind of wondrous technology would the main city have?


    Instead of jealousy, Duke Lorelei could see the future. Of course, once the method was known, there would be a lot of people making their own creations. But for the time being, Noel would be able to monopolize them for a bit.


    If he wanted to be ahead of the others, he had to find a way to procure these things and might be able to ask for the secret from Noel.


    "I guess my retirement will be a very exciting one." Duke Lorelei pointed at the front. "Alright. Let''s continue and show me more!"


    Unfortunately, due to their limited time, Noel only made a total of five inventions. The first three were the water storage, the Rune Elevator, and the Automatic Carriage.


    Hence, the first ce that the captain brought him was none other than the water storage.


    After the earlypletion of the main storage, they had begun operating the main water storage, meaning that a lot of people would line up to get their portion of water.


    "This is¡­ Are you in trouble or something?" Duke Lorelei asked Hansen about the people who lined up in front of a building while carrying a bucket.


    "Ah, that''s just our water facility. It''s still in the early stages and I don''t know how they are going to continue, but the lord said that he wants to create a water storage system where every single building in this city has an unlimited amount of water without the need to go out to fetch some water."


    "What? An unlimited amount of water without the need to step out of the house?" The Duke didn''t manage the house anymore, but when he was the family head, he remembered that the maid woulde out to get a lot of water for daily use. If what Hansen said was true, then it would definitely create a city like none other.


    The people didn''t have to waste their time getting water anymore, and they could spend that time doing something.


    When various conveniences had been improved, there would be a time when an ordinary family didn''t have to do unnecessary things and spent that time to improve themselves. The kids might not need to help their parents and could go to school and do other things.


    As someone who ced his bet on future generations, even if he couldn''t see it, he could envision the wonderfulnd of the future.


    At the current stage, ordinary children would have a hard time going to school, but if they could focus there. It meant that there would be a lot of smart people in this territory.


    "This is crazy." Duke Lorelei sucked a cold breath. In fact, Noel should have isted this territory first so that they couldn''t study these inventions and even steal them from him.


    It seemed that the soldiers had informed Noel. There was someoneing in their direction at a fast speed.


    Duke Lorelei couldn''t help but raise his guard. His hand was already on his sword''s handle, ready to cut this insolent person.


    But Hansen actually bowed his head to greet the person.


    That action made the Duke calm down and observe what was actually happening. The person who came to him was none other than Anna. And she was actually floating a few centimeters above the ground.


    When the duke looked down, he found a te that made it happen, including the runes that were embedded on it.


    As soon as she was about to reach him, she stopped and deactivated the te before greeting the duke.


    "I apologize for such udylike behavior because I''m in a hurry."


    Instead of Anna, the Duke''s eyes were fixated on the board. "What is this¡­ What is exactly happening? Did you just fly¡­ no float? But that speed is quite fast."


    "Ah, this? It''s just a floating board. It''s faster, more convenient, and exciting to move by using this board, so I''m using it to go around the city. Because of the state of the city, we have to move around so much after all." Anna exined.


    "Ah!" Duke Lorelei had just realized that he was extremely rude. Even though they hadn''t married each other, there was no one as close as Anna to being thedy of Lounstein. So, he hurriedly apologized, "Excuse me for my behavior earlier. I see, so you are here, Anna Stargaze."


    "Yes, Sir. He is currently upied with another project, so I came here to greet you. I can lead you if you want to meet him, but I apologize if it takes some time." Anna smiled while nodding her head to Hansen as if telling him that she would take care of this.


    Hansen saluted Duke Lorelei before leaving them. Meanwhile, the Duke nodded his head while saying, "If you don''t mind guiding this old man¡­"


    Anna noticed that the Duke was looking at the board. Noel made it first so that both of them could fly together with this board, but it seemed that Noel had this thought in mind.


    Without hesitation, Anna offered, "Certainly. Would you like to test this, Sir?"


    "Can I?"


    "Of course. But because it''s mainly for personal use, I hope that you can maintain your bnce."


    "Don''t worry about that." The duke excitedly stepped on the te, followed by Anna.


    After checking if he was ready, Anna began infusing the Spiritual Energy into the te, but she had to start it slowly since she brought the duke.


    He was quite excited to see himself floating, but he soon regained hisposure and coughed a few times. To start the conversation, he asked Anna, "I heard that you''re nning to give an unlimited supply of water to everyone in the city without taking a step out of their house. How is that possible?"


    Duke Lorelei didn''t know that he would get the shock of his life when Anna answered him.


    "We just used Runes, Sir. The initial investment might be big, but to maintain it¡­ it shouldn''t cost more than 50 Advanced Demon Crystals a month."


    "50¡­ what?!" Duke Lorelei lost his bnce due to the shock, causing him to fall off the te. Falling on his butt was the least of his worries, as the most important thing was what he heard earlier. "You what?!"


    Duke Lorelei didn''t realize that Anna was actually smiling inside her heart. Everything was truly going ording to their n.

 Chapter 919 Inventions

    Chapter 919 Inventions


    "You what?!" Duke Lorelei gasped in shock, thinking, ''When I was still the acting head, if I''m not wrong, to provide enough water from the territory, I would spend about 200 gold coins a month. A single Advanced Level Demon Crystal cost me about five gold coins each.


    ''So, needing only 250 gold coins a month to maintain an unlimited supply of water is simply ridiculous. It''s not about providing ''enough supply'' but ''unlimited supply.'' And by doing so, the people don''t need to fetch water from a certain facility anymore.


    ''The initial investment is big, but I also need to create a facility to do that. So, the difference might not be as I expected. More importantly, the people would definitely be satisfied, which would cause the city to bloom with people. The taxes you can get from the city alone will surpass the operation cost.''


    Duke Lorelei wasn''t the only person who was shocked. Even Anna was dumbfounded, but for a different reason.


    The duke she knew would always be calm and collected. He was a cool guy who could cut down on his enemies easily. Yet, the same dignified duke was falling on his butt out of shock.


    She might never get a chance to witness something like this again for the rest of her life.


    Duke Lorelei realized that his appearance was a mess, so he hurriedly regained hisposure and coughed a few times. "I apologize for showing you such behaviors."


    "What are you talking about? The duke just lost his bnce because of this unusual te and recovered quickly." Anna smiled while gesturing to him to stand on the te again.


    Duke Lorelei embarrassedly stepped on the te and said, "Are you¡­ really telling the truth?"


    "Of course." Anna pointed at the well. The well actually had a ck rod sticking out and it was covered with a wooden pipe that flowed through the storage facility. "If you see that pipe over there, that''s the pipe that holds the power of the runes.


    "Normally, the pump would require people to operate it, right? The rune can be activated as long as there is a Demon Crystal. So, the Rune is the one shooting up the water before it was flowing down the storage.


    "We simply redesigned the storage facility so that the entire city can receive that unlimited supply of water. It''s as simple as that." Anna exined.


    "That''s¡­" The Sword Arbiter nodded. He obviously understood that the pump could be operated 24 hours a day, but it would still take too much manpower. And if the entire city used it, there was no way a few people''s strengths were enough.


    But it would be different if it were run automatically by the rune.


    "Do you know where I can purchase it? No, how do I ask for one to be constructed in my ce?" Duke Lorelei asked. He wanted to purchase the rod only so he could construct the rest of the facility himself. But there was no way they would ept it, so he corrected himself and tried to hire them.


    Anna chuckled. "I don''t have the authority to take care of the problem."


    "It''s your father, right? I have been your father''s good friend since you were young. And¡ª"


    Anna stopped him by saying, "I can''t help you with that, Duke Lorelei. Even if you bring my dad, the only thing I can do is propose it to Noel. So, I think it''s better if you talk with Noel personally. We''re heading to him after all."


    "Ah!" Duke Lorelei felt his age had been catching up to him causingpassed on him to be unable to maintain hisposure. He sighed, "I''m stupefied. No, you have truly shocked me. Still¡­ I don''t think this city is that clean, right? Aren''t you worried that they are just going to steal it from you?"


    "The method is still not passed to anyone other than me. Perhaps, his students will learn it too. But that''s all for the time being. Even if they bring it, unless they can imnt that rune, it will be impossible." She shook her head as her eyes turned cold. "And if they are tantly using our creations, it just gives us the reason to attack them. I think you and several other nobles will be jealous."


    "¡­" Duke Lorelei couldn''t help feeling overwhelmed. It seemed that these two youngsters had seen through him. "In that case, I will talk to him personally. Since you don''t seem to be able to tell me about all the important stuff, how about exining to me about the other creations?"


    "Certainly. What do you want to know?"


    "That automatic carriage!"


    "Ah!" Anna thought for a moment. "It has a simr principle to a carriage, but we just use a rune to drive it forward instead of a horse. And we make the front wheels steerable. Still, the current design is not extremely cost-effective. The more luggage it takes, the more it will burn energy."


    "Well¡­ How much does it cost?"


    "If you operate it for... what? A hundred kilometers or something, you will need 10 Low Level Demon Crystals. That''s without luggage. If you have a full amount, then the speed will decrease and the consumption will be about 30 to 40 Low Level Demon Crystals. But it should still be a bit faster than a horse."


    "!!!" Duke Lorelei widened his eyes in shock. He couldn''t believe it. "10 Low Level Crystals only cost us about twenty silver coins. The cost is indeed quite high, but horses are extremely precious. It costs us sixty to seventy gold coins just to raise a good horse.


    "If we use them to pull the carriage, there is a chance that they might suffer injury and other things, increasing the cost. They also need to eat, rest, and do other things.


    "Meanwhile, your ''not'' efficient design can cut that cost and even continue the journey tirelessly. If we just calcte the speed of the horse alone, you could travel at least twice as much without a break, let alone at a speed higher than that. And I don''t know how much luggage you''re talking about, but we need two or three horses to pull something heavy. Do you understand the concept?"


    "There, there¡­." Anna waved her hand, asking Duke Lorelei to calm down.


    Duke Lorelei took a deep breath and asked, "Still, it''s dangerous to use that thing inside the town, right?"


    "Yes, but not really."


    "What do you mean? If they are traveling at such speed, won''t it be troublesome if they crash into people?"


    "I know you''re worried, but please take a look at this." Anna formed a Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune with her right hand and poured her Spiritual Energy from another hand. Surprisingly, the Spiritual Energy couldn''t pass through the rune.


    "This is¡­" Duke Lorelei thought for a moment. "Are you saying that you use this thing to cut the power supply? Then, it will be like the horses are stopping."


    "Of course, we modify it a bit to be safer, but you get the general idea." Anna nodded. "This way, it''s still quite dangerous, but it is more controble than you originally thought."


    "This is amazing." Duke Lorelei sucked a cold breath. He then pointed at the te they were driving. "How about this?"


    "Sorry, but I can''t tell you anything about this. It''s rather special, you see."


    "I see¡­" Duke Lorelei seemed to have understood the general idea of what Noel nned to do in this city. He asked, "Do you still need some funds to build your territory?"


    "Please talk to Noel about it."


    "Tsk." Duke Lorelei wanted to insert such a thing so that Anna would slip up, but it didn''t work. He ended up changing his question to, "How about that one on the wall?"


    "It''s as simple as carrying people or things up and down, which would make construction far easier. It only costs you about one or two Low Level Demon Crystals every day. I guess it depends on how much you rely on it."


    The duke never thought that Noel would be able to achieve all this in just a few weeks after his arrival here. But it showed how much potential Noel carried. Losing these two youngsters would cause a huge setback. At the same time, the Greenwood Kingdom would have known about this through their second princess.


    With the financial power and influence of the Greenwood Kingdom, there was no doubt that Noel would get everything he wanted from them.


    Hence, it was clear why Noel actually invited him to this ce. There was something that he could get from him¡ªsomething that the Greenwood Kingdom couldn''t give him.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Duke Lorelei''s face turned serious. Talking to Noel would definitely change his life, so he had to be prepared. That was why before meeting Noel, he asked, "Do you have any other inventions that I haven''t seen yet?"


    Anna looked like she was considering it. It seemed that this next invention was something important, so it would be hard to show it to an outsider.


    "If you can show me, I can promise you something." Duke Lorelei raised his offer, wondering how important it was.


    However, Anna actually smiled after he promised such a thing. The duke instantly realized that he had been had.


    Anna pointed at a few light poles on the street and said, "I was just thinking about how I could show you since it can only be seen during the night."


    The duke''s eyebrows twitched, but he didn''t say anything because he was curious about the invention.


    Anna then brought him to a small pir in the middle of the za as if it were a mark of something.


    She took out a Low Level Crystal and ced it on top of the pir. The rune underneath the pir was activated, and it turned out to be the same rune Anna formed earlier, the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    This rune dispersed the energy of the Demon Crystal and spread it into the air. And the light poles caught the energy with the help of the Energy Gathering Rune to activate a low level Light Rune.


    Noel hadn''t mastered this rune, so it was actually Anna''s invention. The Light Rune helped her so much in her previous life since it provided a small light amidst the darkness. She didn''t have the Moon Blessing in her previous life after all.


    And these lights were shared among all the poles, illuminating the road. But because the sun was still up, they could barely notice the light.


    However, this was enough to shock Duke Lorelei.


    "What? Can you illuminate the street? Normally, you need to pour oil into them and light them up. Because it''s so costly, we can only do it on the main street. But with this method, you can actually light up the entire city. Do you know that the street will be much safer during the night, which will increase the activity?" Duke Lorelei sucked a cold breath. There was a curfew to reduce the crime rate in most of the territory, but if there was no need to think of such a curfew, the citizens could use that time to do something else and increase the economy again.


    Anna added, "You forget about something. We can actually use this to provide light to establishments or even normal people''s houses. Even if we charge them money for the service, they will dly pay it for such a thing, don''t you think?"


    "A shining city during the night¡­" Duke Lorelei could picture such a thing.


    "Though, we have to design it properly." Anna shrugged. "That''s all for the time being. We want to continue working on this, but we simply don''t have time. Noel has appointed me to be the head of the research team, so we just need to find the correct people."


    Duke Lorelei''s eyes brightened as he grabbed her shoulder and demanded, "Take me to him right now!"

 Chapter 920 Persuading Duke Lorelei

    Chapter 920 Persuading Duke Lorelei


    "Noel!" Anna called Noel from a distance while waving her hand. Noel turned out to be working among the people, supervising the ce where they could build the second stage storage.


    Noel stopped for a moment and turned around, finding Anna and Evan approaching him. Despite Evan''s calm expression, his walking speed was faster than normal, indicating that he was eager to know about the runes.


    Anna seemed to have done her job of luring him.


    Noel gestured to the person next to him to take care of the job while he met these two.


    "Wee to my city, Duke Lorelei." Noel smiled.


    "It''s truly a surprising city. I guess you have managed to aplish your first objective, eh? To think that Earl Ardagan has surpassed his father." Evan made a forced smile, showing that he was slightly annoyed that he actually fell for Noel''s n.


    "Hahaha. Let''s leave it at that." Noel didn''t explicitly acknowledge it, so Evan didn''t lose his face. He asked, "So, what does Duke Lorelei want with me?"


    "Did you seriously ask that question? You were the one who invited me." Evan''s eyebrows twitched. "You should be the one mentioning your intention first."


    "Is that so? Then, I guess it''s fine to disclose it. How about having a cup of tea a few times?"


    "¡­" Evan paused for a moment. What Noel was trying to say was that he wanted to fight against him a couple of times. The number of fights indicated that this was a spar as well as the time for him to train.


    Before replying to his invitation, Evan looked around and said, "Let''s talk somewhere else."


    "Of course. There is an empty building over there." Noel pointed at the half-destroyed building not far away from them.


    As soon as the duke agreed, they moved to that building to prevent anyone from listening to them.


    "I don''t really mind fighting you two, but you should know that I can''t hold back for a certain reason, right?" Duke Lorelei squinted his eyes, warning him that the fight wouldn''t go ording to n.


    "Of course. But that''s only the first fight. We have a countermeasure about it." Noel exined.


    "The first fight?" Evan pondered for a moment. The first fight was the most important, considering the result would be reported directly by the spies. If those people knew that Duke Lorelei had injured Noel and Anna badly enough, they would definitely feel relieved.


    From the second fight onward, it seemed that Noel had a different n in a way that the spies couldn''t kill them. No, it could be said that it was Noel''s invitation to eliminate the spies.


    In other words, Noel wanted the spies to report about the result of the first fight before getting exterminated. With that, no one would be able to report about Noel and Anna''s current condition.


    "So, if I were to agree to killing all those spies, what would you give me in return?" Evan asked. Getting suspected by the Royal Family or the Supreme Devil Organization would be annoying, so he had to get something in return.


    But when he thought he had seen through Noel, thetter actually corrected the thought in his mind. "Who says I''m going to kill them? The spies are useful because they will report everything to the people behind them."


    "Huh? You don''t want me to kill them?" Evan was startled. These inventions would be too great to be passed on. And if they knew that Noel and Anna were severely injured, they might take that chance to steal them. Of course, that would wait until he left since it was clear that the duke would be interested in them as well.


    That was why not killing the spies was a questionable move.


    Noel raised a finger. "Yes. With our injuries, the next battles will only count as training by yourself, isn''t it? No one dares to spy on you after all."


    "¡­" What Noel said made sense. After that confirmation, if the duke made a huge scene, it would just look like he was trying to annoy Noel under the pretense of training. But it also meant that their next fight wouldn''t be as big as the first one. He didn''t care about Noel''s aim in that spar. Instead, he focused on what he could get from it. "Suppose we fight like that. In that case, what are you going to do with the spies? I don''t want them to take those inventions."


    "Sooner orter, people all around the world will know about these inventions. So, it''s fine if they spread the word for us. More and more nobles will know about it and give us another source of ie." Noel shrugged.


    "But you have to be able to protect them before you can say that." Evan warned him.


    "Of course. But we are not going to be the ones who protect those inventions." Noel shook his head.


    That reply alone was enough for Evan to realize Noel''s intention. "So, you''re nning to use me. With my interest, there is no way those people would steal it directly. However, you''re forgetting something. You need something that can keep me here for a long time¡­ And it''s not like you''re going to stay here when your territory is going to be attacked, right?"


    Noel smirked. The duke wasn''t wrong. Noel didn''t n to stay in this city for a long time, so without him, the duke would lose his interest soon.


    "Duke Lorelei. What do you think about studying those inventions yourself? I have a Rune Book with me that you can use as a reference. If you can understand three out of those five inventions, I will let you visit the main city and ce your order for those three. What do you think?!"


    "!!!" Evan widened his eyes in shock. Noel actually allowed him to take a close look at these inventions. While he couldn''t replicate it, he could understand the concept.


    That process alone would take a few months toplete, which meant Noel would get a free protector for this city. And the moment he headed to the main city, this ce would have recovered to such an extent that it wouldn''t copse so easily.


    The information about these inventions would spread, which would benefit the Ardagan Family greatly. In exchange, he could be the first person to order it.


    No, Evan almost missed one detail. To ce an order, he could just send a letter to Noel. Yet, Noel actually invited him to the main city.


    That was right. If this city had all these inventions, what would the main city have? The thought alone was enough to pique his excitement, fully knowing that Noel''s city would be the first city where all the conveniences had been improved by runes. There was a chance that the things he could order were beyond these five inventions.


    But the main city was stillcking in poption and if they nned to supply people, it would be easy for them to be infiltrated. That was why before anyone sent a spy, they were nning to have a migration first and with a stricter requirement. He should be able to impose an information ckout for a few months using this method.


    With more and more people bing interested in Noel''s main city, they would resort to bribes or any other method in order to get an entry. There would even be the Rune Academy. When that one-year period had passed, it would be difficult to crush Noel''s main city.


    That was why he might be the first noble to be granted entry to his city, allowing him to be prioritized.


    And to get all that, he had to fall for Noel''s n.


    Before that, he had to confirm two things. "Tell me about these two. How many people do you n to bring to your city?"


    "The migration is divided into three stages. The first one is in progress but will take a bit longer. There will be about two to three thousand people. The second one will be in five to six months; the amount is close to the first stage. Thest stage will be right before the opening of the city. In total, we will have fifteen thousand people in this city."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Duke Lorelei nodded and asked the second question. "Your student is the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom, right?"


    "If you are worried about that, I don''t have any intention of teaching her the method just yet. So, in three to four months, I think? After all, she is just barely starting to learn about runes, unlike this one. " Noel pointed at Anna.


    It would be weird for Anna to know about all kinds of runes all of a sudden. So, Noel just wanted to reinforce the thought of her learning from Noel since the time they were together in the Demon Banner Army. This way, Anna had several years to learn from Noel, even if they were separated most of the time.


    And a lot of people would ask the duke about Anna''s knowledge and he would confirm it based on this statement, removing any possibility of them knowing the fact that she regressed.


    In addition, this would guarantee that even though Livia was his student, the Greenwood Kingdom''s priority would be lower than his. Of course, he had toplete his own objective within three to four months.


    Duke Lorelei fell into deep thought. On the one hand, he had nned to remain in the Stargaze Family for a long time. On the other hand, he didn''t expect that he would end up being the guardian of these two kids.


    Duke Lorelei raised three fingers. "Alright. I can agree to bing the guardian of this city, but I have three conditions."


    "Please." Noel nodded, knowing this would happen.


    "First, I want a written statement that my orders will be prioritized."


    "That is if your orders are within reason."


    "Don''t worry. I''m not going to make it hard for you. But you should know that my action will cause me to be suspected by the Supreme Devil Organization as well as the Royal Family. Hence, I want you to promise me that you won''t attack the Lorelei Family in the future."


    "As long as they remain neutral, I won''t do anything. I can promise that for as long as I am alive." Noel agreed without hesitation. He emphasized it with his life because he knew that Duke Lorelei wouldn''t really live for much longer. At best, he would still be alive for another ten years, but by that time, he was almost one hundred years old. With all the injuries he suffered in his entire life, there was no way his body could sustain them for that long.


    With this guarantee, Evan felt at ease. He added, "Last but not least, I don''t want you to forget that humanity''s true enemy."


    "!!!" Noel was quite surprised by the third condition. It actually implied that no matter how angry he was towards the Royal Family, he wanted him to at least not destroy the kingdom because, ultimately, the demons were their true enemies.


    If he never heard his ancestor''s story, he might disagree with this. But after knowing how much disaster the demons had brought, he knew that the world was much bigger than he thought.


    That was right. His ancestor was on the run for several years. That fact alone showed how big the world was. Instead of focusing his anger on the small Muivell Kingdom, he was much more interested in the bigger world.


    In fact, he had originally thought about this. When the needs of Demon Crystals increased, it would be time for humanity to actively hunt those demons.


    His great ancestor had stopped the demons from invading this ce, so while it might not be him, his descendant might be able to stop the demons so that they didn''te to this world anymore.


    That would only happen in hundreds, if not thousands, of years in the future. By that time, he hoped that the world had found another source of power that could make the civilization flourish just like the previous civilization managed to do all that without Spiritual Energy.


    Hence, Noel smiled at the third condition, saying, "Definitely. Just like how the sky expands to the horizon, just like how the people of the Zaecuria Kingdom can''t explore the vastness of the sea¡­ I would never turn myself into a tiger in a cage."


    Noel indirectly implied that he would be strong enough to resist anything in this kingdom. But instead of holing himself and focusing on this kingdom to the point where he became a tyrant, he would rather be free and embark on a new journey.


    "Alright. I agree to be the guardian of this city. Still, even if this ce is safe, you should worry about your main city."


    Noel pointed at the te they were using earlier and said, "Why do you think this te is not enough to protect my territory?"


    Duke Lorelei was surprised at first, considering Anna couldn''t say anything about the te for a certain reason. And it turned out that the reason was for military use.


    After realizing its true meaning, Duke Loreleiughed out loud while saying, "Hahaha. It seems that Kevin has found an amazing son-inw to the point where I want to snatch him for myself if I have a granddaughter. Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 921 Sparring

    Chapter 921 Sparring


    Noel and Anna were standing outside the town. Since they were going to fight seriously, they had to do it outside if they didn''t want to destroy all the things they worked hard for.


    "Are you sure about this?" Duke Lorelei asked with a serious expression.


    "Yes, Sir. If you''re worried about injuring us, we have our own n. It won''t hinder us or anything." Noel nodded.


    "In that case, I won''t hold back. I won''t deal any damage that wouldst for a lifetime, but I might break a few of your bones in my attack. And you are also free to do the same thing if you are capable of doing that." Duke Lorelei ultimately agreed after a lot of persuasion from Noel yesterday.


    "Thank you, Sir. And I hope that there won''t be any grudges after this battle." Noel smiled.


    "Of course." Duke Lorelei ced his left hand on his scabbard and his right hand on the sword''s handle, ready to pull it out.


    Anna and Noel pulled out their swords and raised their stances.


    As someone who had been chasing after the sword, Duke Lorelei noticed something different from these two.


    Her sword felt sharp and mysterious, as though it were waiting for the right time to unleash its might to catch its prey. Meanwhile, Noel''s sword appeared to be changing. At first, it looked like a fiery ze and the next second it was as cold as winter.


    "Interesting." Duke Lorelei smirked. He knew that these two were not normal, but not to this extent. It seemed that he would be able to have some fun in this battle. "You both cane at me together!"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Noel and Anna took a deep breath. Their spiritual energy erupted, forming a shock wave that blew away the grass around them.


    With just a nce at each other, both of them made the same movement.


    They both disappeared from Duke Lorelei''s vision.


    Duke Lorelei''s vision turned left, focusing on Anna. Her speed seemed to be faster than Noel''s, so she would be the first one to attack.


    But surprisingly, at the veryst second, Anna took the step a little toote, causing Noel to catch up.


    "!!!" Duke Lorelei was surprised to see Anna changing her pace at thest moment. Instead of blocking only her, Evan had no choice but to block these two youngsters at the same time. He flicked the cross guard, causing the de to unsheathe a little bit. A sharp energy flowed out of the scabbard and split into two.


    They both swung their des at Evan, but this energy stopped them.


    Anna and Noel were startled, but they weren''t done just with this. Anna snapped her fingers, forming a rune underneath the three of them.


    Evan didn''t know what kind of rune this was, but he didn''t sense any danger. But the next thing he realized, Noel suddenly split the energy apart and his sword continued moving toward him.


    This was actually the same rune Anna used to amplify the soldiers'' strengths during the exploration. Noel took this chance to strike him down. At the same time, lightning sparked around Anna as she spun her body, looping around the energy and striking the duke from behind.


    ''They are truly in sync, but¡­'' Duke Lorelei suddenly ducked down, letting their swords hit each other.


    Cling!


    The clicking sound surprised Anna and Noel. Seeing how the duke was below them, it was clear that a single sh would end their lives.


    That was why Noel used the Fear Emotion in his sword style, amplifying his speed. He then switched the direction of his de and struck Duke Lorelei from above.


    Evan jumped to the side to avoid that sh, noticing the change in Noel''s sword again.


    "That''s an interesting swordy you have there." Evan started to get fired up. He poured a bit of energy into his sword and shot it out. "Shadow de."


    Anna and Noel felt dangering from the front. Even though the duke didn''t draw his sword, they felt like the duke had pulled out that sword and released a sword strike.


    Both of them hurriedly spun their bodies and struck whatever wasing, matching the timing with their instinct. Lightning covered Anna''s sword while Noel activated the Surprise Emotion to amplify the defense.


    All of a sudden, they felt friction. Anna''s lightning spread around it, revealing an invisible sword strike.


    However, their bnce was off because of the previous movement, so both of them got pushed back by this sword strike until it ran out of energy.


    ''What? Even though we''re not ready to receive that attack, we are blocking it together.'' Noel frowned.


    ''Yet, he can actually push us this far without even unsheathing that de.'' Anna finally understood the level of the Duke.


    In fact, they were at a simr level in their previous lives. But back then, they did have the power to defeat a Spirit Transcendence. It meant that the current duke actually had that kind of power as well. It was no wonder why he could be the strongest Arbiter, only second to the Marshall.


    But surprisingly, Noel actually smiled and said, "Duke! That power is amusing."


    "Is it?" Duke Lorelei smirked.


    They both seemed to have the same intention as Noel actually moved first instead of waiting for Anna this time.


    He stopped three meters before the duke and swung his de.


    "!!!" The duke was startled as he instinctively raised the sword to the side. There was a little friction but the power was too low. Even so, what Noel did actually shocked the duke and Anna.


    "What? Did you copy¡­" Anna gasped.


    Duke Lorelei noticed a little bit of simrity between his sword and Noel''s sword. He couldn''t help but say, "If I knew about your talent in the past, I would have made you my disciple."


    Noel smirked. What Noel did was actually use the Disgust to create a blunt force. He then swung that blunt force. Unfortunately, this was the first time he did such a thing, so it was too sloppy and didn''t pack too much force. In fact, most of the energy was flowing in different directions.


    "Follow me if you can." Evan swung downward.


    "Y¡ª!" Before Noel could answer, he felt a strike fall right on top of him. So, he hurriedly blocked it with his sword, only to find the energy fly past him, cutting the ground next to him. The force alone actually created a hole a few meters deep.


    And Noel had no time to be amazed as an immeasurable pressure suddenly dropped on him.


    Bam!


    A crater was formed by the pressure alone, knocking Noel to the ground. If not for Noel activating the Reduce Impact Rune on his body as well as summoning the Spiritual Barrier Rune on top of his hand, he would have fallen to his knees.


    The crater started to spread, showing the massive force that Noel endured. And the duke created this powerful strike without even pulling out his de.


    "Hahaha!" Noel couldn''t help but smile, seeing the amazing person before him. If he were an opponent, he couldn''t smile like this, but it was truly a blessing to have this kind of person show him the trick to being a better swordsman.


    Seeing Noel in trouble, Anna hurriedly looped around to strike Evan to cancel that power. At the same time, she summoned the Energy Dispersion Rune on top of Noel, trying to free him.


    "Your man is not that weak!" Duke Lorelei muttered before striking Anna''s de. This time, he used all his brute strength,unching Anna away. Because she was too far from the rune, she couldn''t supply it anymore, resulting in the rune disappearing.


    Anna changed her approach by shooting out a lightning dragon toward the duke. And she even attached herself to the dragon as it stopped her momentum before dragging her back toward the duke.


    Both Noel and Evan did the same thing.


    Evan released another sword strike at the dragon, splitting it into two. Meanwhile, Noel activated the anger and split the pressure apart.


    "Good work." Duke Lorelei praised Noel for being able to do such a thing.


    "It''s because the pressure directly hit me, unlike you who can do it remotely." Noel clicked his tongue. All of a sudden, Noel pulled back his sword as if he were about to thrust Duke Lorelei.


    "!!!" Anna was the one surprised, but soon matched Noel''s movement in the air.


    Both of them thrust their swords at the same time and used the same rune¡ªthe Extension Rune.


    Their swords expanded to the front, startling Duke Lorelei.


    "This power is too mysterious." Duke Lorelei jumped away while striking down the two swords. Even he felt a bit pressured by that attack earlier. If it were a normal Spirit Grandmaster, they wouldn''t expect it.


    Noel used the Enhance Forward Rune to st himself forward while Anna gathered the spiritual energy in her sword.


    Noel suddenly pointed his hand at Anna and a rune appeared, allowing Anna tond on that rune, slightly dying her movement.


    As a result, Noel reached the duke first and struck him from the side with his Sword Transmutation. Ardagan sucked up a lot of his energy and unleashed it in a single swing.


    This was what Dimitri used back then, but he used it horizontally this time. It felt like Noel''s de expanded as the energy started curving. At this pace, it would bend so much that it ended up creating a circle and cutting the duke.


    To avoid it, the duke actually took a few steps to the side, only to realize it was Noel''s aim the whole time. After all, he was right beneath Anna.


    Anna stabbed the tform with both hands. "Lightning Executioner!"


    The lightning concentrated on Anna''s sword was unleashed.


    "You got me." Evan smiled and actually raised his other hand to catch the lightning with his bare hand.


    "What?!" Anna gasped. No one had ever caught her lightning just like that.


    "This is the difference between both of you and me. Do you think that this is my only weapon? No, everything I have is my sword, including my body." Duke Lorelei simply exined that his hand was also considered a sword. And that sword just shed with her lightning before tossing it to the side, causing a massive explosion.


    Noel took this chance to spin his body and kick Duke Lorelei, only to be blocked by his scabbard again.


    However, Noel actually used his rune this time.


    "!!!" The Duke felt something was wrong as a force suddenly kicked his entire body into the air and caused him tond more than ten meters away from him. "Seriously, the runes are mystical to the point where I can see how our race will defeat the demons in the future."


    "Then, you can experience it first hand!" Noel formed the Rain of Light Rune above Evan''s head.


    Seeing the iing energy balls that were about to fall on top of him, Duke Lorelei actually pulled out his de halfway and unleashed an extraordinary might.


    He swung downward, causing the energy to split the rune before it could release its attack before falling to the ground. Surprisingly, the moment it touched the ground, the energy expanded and ran toward Noel. The energy was so violent that the eruption created a wall-shaped trail as high as two meters.


    Anna suddenlynded in front of Noel while striking this energy with her lightning sword. "I''ll stop this!"


    The sh between them caused a massive shock wave that could be felt by the people on the wall one hundred meters away.


    "Hiding behind a woman?!" Duke Lorelei taunted Noel with a cheeky smirk.


    "No. I simply trust her." Noel looped around Anna and let his de slide on the wall-shaped trail. The trail suddenly started to freeze and the movement hepleted his swing, a line of ice continued moving forward, freezing the entire trail.


    This was Ice Infusion. In the past, Noel only utilized it by expanding the ice, but after training with Raincart, he could expand that ice while freezing everything around it.


    The ice was moving on the trail''s surface and continued until it reached the end of the trail before erupting, forming a long spike toward Duke Lorelei.


    Unfortunately, it was one meter short of reaching him.


    "Amazing." Duke Lorelei smiled.

 Chapter 922 Realization

    Chapter 922 Realization


    "Amazing." Duke Lorelei smiled.


    "Tsk. It''s still too short." Noel clicked his tongue. He thought he could reach him this time, but his control wasn''t at that level yet.


    "To think it would need our rune and abilities for him to draw his sword halfway. It seems that we have to go all out for him to fully unsheathe that sword." Anna stood next to him, ready for the second round.


    "That''s right. If you have the ability, force me to fight you seriously." Duke Lorelei provoked them again, showing that he was nowhere near his peak.


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks. They seemed to reach a tacit understanding about their next n.


    The Empowerment Rune in their body got activated, boosting their physical abilities. The surge of strength was noticeable even by the Sword Arbiter.


    In that instant, both of them disappeared. Their movement was much faster than earlier, startling him.


    The Duke took a deep breath, sending them with his Spiritual Energy instead of his eyes. One of them got caught by the Spiritual Energy and the Duke immediately jumped toward this person, which turned out to be Noel.


    Circr Sword Strike.


    Noel waved his sword, creating a circle around his body. The Duke ended up striking this circle, which soon expanded, pushing the duke back.


    The duke slightly closed his body so that he could gain another surge of strength from his lower body before using it to break the circle apart.


    After that, he closed in to lure out Anna.


    All of a sudden, Noel smiled as though everything had gone ording to the n, causing the duke to be wary. His sword ended up hesitating, allowing Noel to push him back with his swing.


    The duke never thought he would fall for such a trick at this age.


    "You youngsters are really good at giving this old man a heart attack." Duke Lorelei smirked.


    "It''s not enough." Noel stomped the ground with his Rune st, crashing the ground underneath them. With this, they would have to fall for at least one second.


    The Duke understood this kind of movement. After all, Anna immediately approached him from behind once the duke lost his foothold. She would definitely take this chance.


    Unfortunately for the duke, Noel hadn''t done it yet. He created an Enhance Forward Rune to the duke.


    "!!!" The duke widened his eyes in shock. He could feel the energy from the rune trying to affect him, but because he had never experienced this before, he was toote in releasing his energy to resist the control of the rune. As a result, the Enhance Forward Rune tossed him in Anna''s direction, closing the gap between them.


    Noel also jumped forth, surrounding the duke. His ck me gushed out of his body and formed a giant avatar behind him.


    "Come forth, me Devil."


    ''Is he going to attack both of us together? No, from what I can see, he is loyal, so¡­'' The duke thought about it instantly and ended up throwing the sword to Anna.


    "!!!" Anna struck this sword but failed to knock it down.


    However, she had done enough just to hold the sword here so that the Sword Arbiter wouldn''t be able to stop Noel''s attack.


    But to everyone''s surprise, the reason why he tossed the sword to Anna was because he wanted her to stop it. This way, he rotated his hand and reached out for the sword behind his shoulder. It was at this moment that the duke drew his sword.


    "No!" Anna tried to release more strength, but it was toote. The energy that had been contained within the scabbard was released at once, knocking her back.


    At the same time, the duke swung the sword above his head and released the residual energy to split the me Devil in half.


    Even Noel had to withstand the massive energy that fell upon him. That massive energy created another wall-shaped trail that stretched for over thirty meters. If he ever unleashed this kind of attack inside the town, numerous people would have lost their lives and houses.


    And Noel who had to withstand all this power ended up breaking the ground underneath him as blood started to flow out of his mouth.


    "Haaaa!" Noel roared as he used the Sword Transmutation and released it upward. The Sword Transmutation ended up knocking the sword energy from the duke and flew into the sky before destroying each other. The destruction caused a shock wave loud enough to be heard by the people inside the town and strong enough for the gust to destroy all the grass within ten meters radius.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Noel panted a few times, finally understanding the strength of the Sword Arbiter. "So, this is the number one Arbiter, who is known to be unparalleled under Spirit Transcendence."


    "He finally draws his sword." Anna smirked. While she wasn''t injured, her hands still felt numb from the energy released by the sword earlier.


    Noel took a deep breath, looking at the duke''s sword. A normal person wouldn''t have noticed anything special, but Noel could see how the energy flowed in that sword. It was so smooth as though it had memorized the duke''s control.


    It was something different from Ardagan, who was a living spirit. But when he thought about it, Ardagan was just a normal sword if he ignored his consciousness as a spirit. He had been living in this world for too long as a normal sword.


    During their battle earlier, Noel noticed something. The duke had been releasing the energy contained in that sword, but had he actually controlled his energy this whole time? If he didn''t have to control his energy and just let it flow as the sword had memorized it, wouldn''t it mean he could focus on anything else other than controlling the energy?


    When he thought about it, he looked at Ardagan again and asked inwardly, ''You have known me for so long, do you think it''s possible?''


    [Yes. But don''t forget that I''m only responsible for following your usual reaction.]


    ''If that''s the case¡­'' Noel smiled, realizing that he could do something else. "Duke Lorelei. If you don''t mind, could I try something?"


    "Hmm?" The duke furrowed his eyebrows. It seemed that Noel had noticed something, so he permitted it. "If it''s interesting, then sure. But if it''s not, I''m going to attack you."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. He gathered the energy in Ardagan while utilizing the ''Anger.''


    In the past, he had to control this energy, causing him to be unable to do anything else other than swinging his sword. Now that he had defined the kind of anger he wanted to have after the sparring with Anna, Ardagan should be able to control that flow of energy just by following the program he had set earlier.


    It allowed Noel to be able to do something that he couldn''t do before, especially a sword technique.


    That was right. Noel was using the Sword Transmutation, gathering a massive amount of energy. It looked like a normal Sword Transmutation until Noel swung the sword.


    The Sword Transmutation ran through the ground, smashing everything around it. Its power at least doubled, and there was a different kind of sharpness in this strike. This was thebination of the Sword Transmutation and Noel''s Anger.


    "!!!" The duke struck the energy, nning to cut it apart. Yet, the sword strike actually pushed him back until he reached Anna''s position before the duke understood the energy a bit better and cut it apart.


    Since Noel had requested the duke earlier, she didn''t do anything other than watching the duke. But even she was surprised by this level of attack.


    ''Isn''t this¡­ the same sword strike that Noel used in his previous life? So, that''s how it is¡­ Duke Lorelei was the trigger to stimte the growth of his unique sword style.'' Anna couldn''t help but remember Noel''s Everchanging Sword Style.


    Each swing was so powerful, yet had a different purpose. Even she had a hard time discerning what kind of attack he would unleash.


    "It seems that you''ve gotten a hint of where to step to go forward." Duke Lorelei smiled.


    "It''s thanks to you, Sir. If I couldn''t see your sword, I wouldn''t have noticed this."


    "But don''t forget that this is the first sparring. What is the objective of this spar?"


    Noel''s expression turned serious as he raised his de again. "Yes, Sir. I apologize for my actions earlier."


    That was right. This was the first sparring, which would be seen by the spies. This improvement would be recorded as well. Evan could tell them that this was just a repayment for the injury, but if Noel improved any further, it would be seen as Evan training these two youngsters. His stance would be questioned by his allies.


    Hence, they had no choice but to end this sparring as quickly as possible so that the spies could report to them and Noel could learn a bit more about this newfound ability.


    Although it was a shame, he had to do it.


    "In that case, let''s end this battle within ten minutes." Noel took a deep breath. The temperature started to go down as the gentle breeze turned into a chilling wind.


    Anna noticed this power and hurriedly did the same. Her hair started to change its color as the lightning began to cover her entire body.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    If they wanted to make the spies believe them, they had to do this much.


    All of a sudden, the energy from within their bodies erupted as both of them said a simr thing.


    "Awaken! Ice Transformation (Lightning Possession)!"

 Chapter 923 Serious

    "Awaken! Ice Transformation (Lightning Possession)!"


    A pair of ice wings appeared on Noel''s back and an ice crown hovered above Noel''s head. Anna had her eyes and hair turn white as the lightning covered her entire body.


    Evan couldn''t help but smile in excitement. This was what he had been waiting for. Their strength was amplified and it was clear that there was no side effect from using it.


    And as he expected, since both of them were working together, Noel also had the same ability.


    "There is no holding back," Noel said while stabbing the ground with his sword.


    Ice crystals began to emerge from the ground. They continued expanding as more and more appeared, moving to the duke''s location.


    "Of course." Evan smiled while lowering his sword. His expression turned solemn as though he were treating Noel as his equal in this fight.


    The moment the ice crystal was about to reach him, Evan took a step forward, striking the ice crystal. The swing sliced the ice crystal like paper and that sh actually released a horizontal strike that flew toward Noel.


    "Huh?" Noel was surprised because the sword energy was avoiding all the ice crystals on its path and ultimately hitting him. Noel had no choice but to deflect that energy with his sword.


    However, Evan wasn''t done yet. He actually moved forward and shed more and more ice crystals. Every single shunched the same sword energy.


    Noel had to block all these sword strikes because, when he tried to avoid them, the sword energy curved once more and chased after him.


    And the more sword strikes thatnded on him, the closer the duke became.


    In just three seconds, the duke had actually gone halfway and Noel couldn''t actually escape from his position.


    Noticing that he was in trouble, Anna appeared from the side and struck him, only to find it meeting the duke''s sword. He had been waiting for Anna because the energy in his sword turned violent the moment the two swords shed.


    Anna wasn''t losing either. Her lightning energy shed with the duke''s violent, sharp energy.


    The moment it reached the duke, it electrocuted the duke''s hand to make it numb and weaken his grip. At the same time, the momentum Anna carried earlier pushed Evan three meters away.


    The duke looked at his hand as lightning sparked multiple times, creating some small wounds.


    However, Anna wasn''t in good shape either. The violent energy reached her hand, shredded apart her sleeve, and left some wounds.


    Now that some wounds had begun to appear, the fight had gotten serious.


    Still, Anna''s attack gave Noel time to recover. He hurriedly rushed to the duke and struck him from above.


    Bam!


    The duke stopped it with his de, but the force Noel used actually pinned the duke to the ground and even turned the soil underneath it into a crater.


    When the duke was about to release his energy, the temperature dropped even further.


    "Frozen Domain!"


    Noel activated the new ability he got from the Ice Transformation.


    "Hmm?!" Evan noticed that the temperature was so low that he thought he was in the middle of a snowstorm. He had to use a bit of his Spiritual Energy to create a mantle to keep him warm. But the most shocking thing was the fact that Noel could manipte the entire area. "A domain ability?!"


    Noel answered him with his action. Because the temperature was low, Noel just had to pour a bit more Spiritual Energy to activate the Spiritual Cold Control in order to form ice crystals next to him.


    "Bloom!"


    The moment Noel said those words, the ice crystals expanded.


    Evan had no choice but to grab his scabbard and swing it toward Noel.


    "!!!" Noel was startled for a second, but he remembered that the duke used everything as his sword. So, it was normal for the duke to use the scabbard as an additional sword.


    Unfortunately for Noel, he still had to spin his body and strike this scabbard to avoid getting injured.


    But the scabbard didn''t actually aim at him. Instead, the duke used it so that he could create a gale that spun around him like a tornado, shattering the ice crystals.


    Noel was simply engulfed by it for a second andnded several meters away with some injuries.


    "I have to do something with that sharp energy." Noel muttered but soon smiled as he prepared another trick for thatst attack.


    It was the duke''s turn to be shocked because his hands felt ice cold. When he lowered his gaze, there was actually frostbite on his right hand. It seemed that Noel had sent his energy to him at thest moment to freeze this hand.


    ''Both of them are impressive. Anna Stargaze reacts and moves one step faster, but Noel Ardagan has more brute force than her. If they can grow further, no one in the kingdom will be able to shake the Ardagan Family.'' Evan thought.


    On the one hand, if he killed them right away, there wouldn''t be any threat anymore and it also fulfilled the royal family''s wish. On the other hand, he didn''t want to do it because they were the future and Noel didn''t seem to be a person who would kill for petty things.


    In the end, Evan chose thetter. He muttered, ''In that case, let me give you a present for the future of this kingdom.''


    Anna approached him fast. She had even sheathed her sword, concentrating her energy.


    Evan also sheathed his sword as if nning to do the same thing.


    When Anna was about to reach him, Evan said, "That technique is good, but you are still too slow!"


    Anna frowned but stillpleted her ability. "Raging Lightning Descend."


    "Sword Draw."


    Both of them pulled out their swords at the same time and struck each other.


    Boom!


    The sh of energy shook the entire field. The people on top of the wall could even feel the vibration.


    It ended in just a second, but when the dust settled down, they could see that there was shattered ground behind the duke. But on the other side, there were multiple deep sword marks left on the soil.


    Anna suddenly coughed up blood and fell on her knee. Multiple sword wounds suddenly appeared all over her body, and the worst one was on her right thigh and the right waist.


    Anna couldn''t help but recount what happened earlier. When they drew their de, their speed was the same. But the energy flowing out of their sword was different.


    Anna was actually one step toote. As a result, the energying from the duke''s de was able to disperse her energy before it was unleashedpletely. And the residual energy reached her body.


    The wound on her waist was a bit deep and would bleed a lot, but it didn''t strike her vitals. On the other hand, the one on her thigh was actually troublesome because it actually cut her muscle. In other words, she wouldn''t be able to use her right leg anymore in this battle.


    "Your sword emphasizes speed and your lightning provides the pration force. You have controlled the lightning well, but your speed can''t keep up." Evan gave a piece of advice to Anna before turning to Noel, who rushed to him as soon as he saw Anna was heavily injured.


    Evan didn''t do anything special this time. He just swung his sword to match Noel''s movement, but he noticed that Noel''s strength had grown again.


    Noel had used the Cold Empowerment that boosted his ability in the cold. But it wouldn''tst long since he had to maintain the Frozen Domain and Cold Empowerment at the same time.


    Noel also tried multiple emotions to see what actually worked, but as expected, he had just grasped the edge of the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style''s potential.


    Evan asked, "Your sword is unique and always changing. However, don''t forget that if it ends up bing foreign to you, how do you even use it?"


    Evan indirectly implied that Noel might have epted the change in those emotions and defined them. But if those emotions were generated from random things, he wouldn''t be wielding his sword anymore. In fact, it was just an unknown sword with mysterious power. There was no way he could master that sword.


    "The only thing that willst forever is the change itself. Humans will change, our hearts will change, and our hatred might change into love. That''s why this is my change!" Noel shouted as he stepped back.


    The ice began to cover his entire sword. The moment Noel waved it, the ice cracked and split into five before flying toward Evan.


    "!!!" Evan noticed something in these five and expanded the spiritual energy around his sword like that of a shield before striking them down.


    The ice was extremely sharp and flew in five directions as though. Instead of a single sword strike, Noel actually amplified the power bybining this attack with the Ice Lotus Ability he had been using this whole time.


    Those five ice parts turned into five shes that soon expanded in all directions to create a star. And when they reached the tips, all the sword strikes blossomed into beautiful ice crystals.


    Noel had used the Sword Transmutation to power up his Anger Emotion, and this time, he amplified the Distress Emotion to create a powerful sh like this. It was perfect to reflect the meaning of Desperate contained in Distress Emotion.


    Evan said, "The core of your power is your unique power as well as that brute strength. However, topletely master your power, you need to create it as solid as possible like this."


    Evan sent forth another sword strike like the previous attack that left a huge trail behind. But it wasn''t as big as it was before as though Evan had exhausted too much of his power and didn''t have enough power to unleash a full strike.


    Noel gathered all his strength into his sword before releasing the Sword Transmutation to overpower Evan''s ability.


    Noel''s attack actually came with more intensity as he had grown more ustomed to this new ability. But that was why the gap between them could be shown when the two sword strikes shed.


    "A sharp axe can chop down a thick tree. Unless you can condense that tree into something even denser or solid, you won''t be able to stop the axe."


    As Evan said those words, his sword strike broke apart Noel''s Sword Transmutation which carried far more energy than him.


    "!!!" Noel had no choice but to stop it with his sword, but this attack was simply too strong. He was pushed back for more than thirty meters just to stop the momentum and the residual energy was actually still solid enough to crush him.


    The residual energy actually cut Noel from his right shoulder to below his left chest.


    "Gah." Noel spat a mouthful of blood. He hurriedly covered that wound with his ice to stop the bleeding, but that strike was almost fatal for him. He started losing his grip.


    "I guess this is it." Evan sighed, thinking about bringing this battle to a close.


    "Wait a moment. Just one more time." Noel stopped him and straightened his posture even though he was clearly shaking from the deep wound.


    "Come on. You won''t be able to wield your sword for at least two or three months with that kind of injury." Evan shook his head helplessly.


    "No, Sir. Please let us do it." Anna stood up with the help of her sword. Even though she could only move one of her legs, her fighting spirit hadn''t wavered.


    "You too. All those injuries are small, but I''ve cut your muscle, so you won''t be able to move properly for a while. I don''t want to leave any big injuries that would leave a scar on this guy''s future wife."


    "Please, Sir. One more time." Noel and Anna said the same thing, their expression looked adamant.


    Noel had gathered his energy one more time and held the sword with both hands. It felt like he was about to grasp something.


    Anna also covered her body with lightning once more, but those lightning gradually moved toward her hands and swords as though she were leaving the rest vulnerable to enhance her speed.


    Looking at their determinations, Evan thought it would be rude if he rejected them. He said, "Alright. This is your request. Come at me with all you have."


    "Thank you, Sir." Both Anna and Noel thanked him before activating the Enhance Forward Rune on their body. This way, they would move at the same speed and attack Evan together.


    Evan lowered his sword for a moment, letting the energy flow down to the ground. The grasses all around him were sliced multiple times.


    "Come!"


    Noel couldn''t make his attack as solid as Evan, but there was ''Disgust'' that reflected a blunt force from a sword. He was nning to use this massive energy to create it and condense that energy as much as possible.


    Meanwhile, Anna also knew that her energy was one step toote. It couldn''t be improved instantly, so she chose to increase her movement speed as much as possible. Even if her energy was toote, she still moved one step faster so that the energy could be released at the same time.


    Evan met the determination of these two youngsters with his best ability. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "One Sword Cut A Million."

 Chapter 924 Khalid

    Chapter 924 Khalid


    Boom!


    The explosion this time was bigger than anything everyone had seen so far. It engulfed more than fifty meters in radius, destroying everything within it.


    The cloud dust rose into the sky and rmed all the people. When they began to settle down, the soldiers on top of the wall could see two big sword marks that actually stretched for over two hundred meters behind the dust.


    It was obvious who created it, and that person was standing in the middle of the field with two people lying unconscious.


    The winner was none other than Duke Lorelei. He let out a sigh, "To think I would have to use every bit of my power to suppress them."


    Evan turned around, looking at the two kids on the ground. There were numerous shallow cuts on their bodies. It would be hard to take care of their injuries like this. But there were some broken bones and muscle tears to the point where they wouldn''t be able to recover for at least four to six months.


    This was much worse than he originally thought. But it also showed the kids'' potential.


    "Seriously, the younger generation this day is terrifying." Evan shook his head helplessly. It looked like he was fine, but the next second, his hand dropped his own sword as lightning sparked around his arm.


    The lightning spark actually inflicted enough damage to stop him from wielding his sword and an ice crystal bloomed like a flower on his back, causing an internal injury. Blood began to flow out of his mouth.


    He never thought that two kids who had just be a Spirit Grandmaster managed to push him this far.


    "It''s over, I guess." Evan''s killing intent started to spread in all directions.


    However, that killing intent wasn''t directed to Noel and Anna. Instead, this killing intent was protecting them from anyone that dared to harm them after this point. After all, people like Josephine or assassins from the Supreme Devil Organization could do it.


    "¡­" The people in the shadows had no choice but to swallow their desire for a moment and tried to find the right time to kill these two kids before they grew too big.


    After their presence disappeared, Evan picked up his sword with his other hand and carried Noel and Anna with his Spiritual Energy.


    When they reached the gate, the soldiers, including their captain, came out to check Noel and Anna.


    "This is¡­" Grandell gasped. He red at the Sword Arbiter and shouted, "Why are you so vicious? They won''t be able to move their body for at least a few months with this kind of injury."


    "They should be d that I hold back. If not, they would have died." Evan snorted, showing no sign of remorse.


    "You¡­" Grandell gritted his teeth. He wanted to do something, but treating them would be the highest priority.


    "You should bring them back. While it''s not enough to kill them, they will die if you don''t treat them right away!"


    Grandell had no choice but to bring back Noel and Anna. Some people actually saw Anna and Noel''s injuries and started to hate the Sword Arbiter.


    Meanwhile, Evan remained silent the whole time and kept watching out for them to make sure that there was no ambush. Unless there was a Demon Saint here, they shouldn''t be able to get past him. And if there was one, the Demon Saint would have been discovered due to their strength.


    So, Noel and Anna were safe. That was enough for Evan. He didn''t intend to save his face after epting Noel''s agreements anyway.


    As soon as they were brought into the room, Grandell hurriedly turned around while saying, "Where is the doctor? He is toote."


    "You don''t have to call the doctor anymore. I havee here to treat my lord and the future mistress." A middle-aged man walked down the hallway with a bag that kept releasing a clicking sound.


    "Hmm?!" The Sword Arbiter couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows. "You¡­ Did they actually recruit you?"


    "Well, isn''t this the old man from the Sword Family?" The middle-aged man smiled calmly.


    "So, their confidencees from you." Evan pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing that Noel had prepared all this. "To think that they managed to invite the former Royal Alchemist Khalid."


    Beforeing here, Noel had sent out two letters. The first one was for the Sword Arbiter, but the second one was actually for Khalid. Yes, he was the only pir that hadn''t gone to the main city.


    ording to their agreement, Khalid had remained in the Stargaze Family''s territory. But after realizing that the two hadpletely fooled the world and Noel was the mastermind, he could see the future in the Ardagan Family.


    The moment Noel became an Earl, he instantly fulfilled his promise and swore his allegiance to Noel.


    That was why Khalid had now formally served the Ardagan Family.


    "While I don''t have any healing ability, I have enough medicine to heal them. Though, it won''t be an instant for them." Khalid said, "Other than the old sword and the two injured people, everyone can''t stay in the room."


    "Who¡ª" Grandell didn''t know Khalid, so he obviously couldn''t allow this person to enter.


    However, Khalid actually tossed a badge to him. This badge had the symbol of the Ardagan Family, but the silver color that made the badge indicated his status as a high-ranking officer of the Ardagan Family. In other words, the one standing in front of him was one of the pirs.


    The badge was just distributed not long ago, so there was no way people could counterfeit it right away. And when he poured the Spiritual Energy into it, the rune would react, showing that it wasn''t a fake badge.


    "I apologize. Are you one of the pirs?"


    "Pir of Medicine, Khalid is the name. So, tell the soldiers to watch around and make sure no one disturbs us."


    "Understood." Grandell nodded furiously. The spies would definitely use this time period to either assassinate Noel and Anna or send the information to the ones behind them. Since the Sword Arbiter protected them, they ended up with thetter.


    "Alright. Let''s see the wounds." Khalid scanned Noel and Anna''s bodies.


    "Don''t worry. At least, I''m considerate enough not to injure her in those areas." The Sword Arbiter muttered.


    "What are you saying? Do you think I will care about that? Though, the maids still have to change their clothester." Khalid took out a small ss jar that contained a green-colored salve. "The biggest injury would be this one."


    Khalid was looking at the deep wound on Noel''s chest. Without hesitation, he took out a water bottle and controlled the water with his Spiritual Energy, washing all the blood away. After that, he covered the wound with the salve.


    Anna''s injury was also serious, but the only wound he used this same salve was the one on her thigh. It was harsh to have her muscle cut like that, so he treated it as quickly as possible.


    After that, Khalid took out a container with a blue salve. He actually applied the smaller wounds with this salve.


    As soon as he was done, he used the water to instantly wipe out the salve. To Evan''s surprise, the wound instantly disappeared.


    "Amazing¡­" The Sword Arbiter never thought that an alchemist could actually heal them this way.


    But he wasn''t done yet. He ground a few pills and mixed it into the water before using the Spiritual Energy to direct them into Anna and Noel''s mouths, allowing them to digest the medicine.


    Their breathing was instantly stabilized and theirplexion improved drastically.


    "This should be enough. The small wounds aren''t that much of a problem, but the big wounds will definitely take more time, three to seven days, I presume."


    "Will it leave a scar?" Evan asked.


    "Depending on their recovery. Considering they are Spirit Grandmasters, there should be no scar as long as they wake up within the next twenty four hours and start mending their skin and muscle." Khalid exined.


    Evan was astonished by the healing ability of all this medicine. It was to be expected from a Royal Alchemist.


    Khalid took out two blue pills and one red pill along with a pale blue salve. "The blue pills should be enough to enhance your recovery metabolism for your internal injuries. The red pill is to supply some Spiritual Energy, and you should apply the salve to your wound. It''s the downgraded version of this one."


    Khalid was pointing at the blue salve that used to close the wounds instantly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "I''m not going to receive that one?"


    "What do you mean? It''s hard to gather the materials for all this salve. Of course, they are for the lord and his future wife. You should be grateful that I give you that one instead of the normal salves that normal soldiers would use." Khalid shrugged.


    "Hahaha." Evan chuckled and hurriedly swallowed the pills.


    The moment the red pill entered his stomach, he could feel that it was melting and his heart beat rapidly, producing more Spiritual Energy for a moment. In just a minute, he managed to recover a tenth of his Spiritual Energy.


    The other pills boosted his metabolism and the Spirit Mind had less stress in fixing the internal injuries. After that, the salve would close his wounds within an hour or two.


    Even though he wasn''t a healer, it was still amazing to see how his medicine let them recover easily.


    As soon as they were done, they brought a maid who didn''t have any Spiritual Energy within their body to ensure the safety of Noel and Anna. She changed their clothes carefully and respectfully as she was also one of the people whose life was greatly affected by Noel''s visit.


    The Sword Arbiter never left their side for a moment, ensuring that the two kids were safe. Meanwhile, Khalid ended up waiting for a few more days just because he wanted to see this town more closely. Just like the Sword Arbiter, Khalid wanted to see the potential the runes could bring to their lives.


    As Noel predicted, the spies instantly confirmed the news about their condition.


    "They are severely injured. Four to six months."


    The spies began to send the message to their masters, informing them that Noel and Anna wouldn''t be able to do anything for a few months. Since Anna had been moving around with her board, there was a potential that they could still move around, but it was impossible to train with that kind of injury.


    That was why this should be good news for their masters. Obviously, people also wanted to assassinate them, but with the Sword Arbiter not allowing more injuries, they would have to sh with Evan if they wanted to assassinate Noel and Anna.


    There was actually one more person standing on top of a tree a bit far away from the city. She was Josephine.


    "The Sword Arbiter is indeed scary. I want to kill them right now, but he doesn''t leave any gaps for me to exploit. I guess I have to discuss the matter with that person. It''s not like they can recover easily from those wounds. Oh, we also have to block all the medical personnel, especially ra since she was his superior in the past."


    Josephine ended up tearing the space with her scythe and teleported somewhere.


    Unbeknownst to them, everything was just a setup. In fact, it didn''t take long for Noel and Anna to recover, let alone waking up.


    Two hours after their treatment, Noel was the first one to open his eyes.


    "Mhmm?" He let out a soft moan and saw the duke on the corner of his eyes. "It seems that I have failed."


    "You brat. Do you know how shocked I was when you unleashed that technique? Both of you are truly monstrous. But what is scarier is how far ahead you could see."


    "Well, the first part ispleted, I guess?" Noel smiled. "Time for the next n."

 Chapter 925 Suspicion

    Chapter 925 Suspicion


    "How is your condition?" Noel asked Evan.


    "I''m still fine. Thanks to the medicine, I think I can recover in just a day. How about you?"


    "Hmm¡­" Noel checked his body once again and tried using his Force Control to speed up the progress of his recovery. Because the nerve had to be repaired, he tried to focus on creating those nerves and veins one at a time. He roughly calcted the amount of time needed and said, "Two or three days."


    "That''s good. I guess it''s time to kill the spies." Evan nodded.


    "There are a total of seven spies. You should ask Grandell about them." Noel exined.


    "How do you know?" Evan frowned, expecting that they had to wait for the spies to release a bird or send a message in one way or another to identify them.


    However, Noel had one thing that no one possessed: Affection Medal. Due to the Affection Medal, he could see their hearts as well as a brief description of their affection for him. This was another way for Noel to find the spies in his territory.


    This was also another reason why Noel actually asked everyone to retrieve water from them.


    He was scanning each person''s affinity when they came. And every time he found one, he would ask Grandell to note them and investigate those people.


    "That''s my secret." Noel chuckled, not nning to expose this secret.


    "Well¡­" Evan shrugged in understanding. "Alright then. After you recover from your injury, you will be sparring with me in the morning and I can do whatever I want after that."


    "Yes. Sorry for having you take their anger."


    "It''s fine. This is a part of the agreement."


    After making sure Noel was fine, Evan left the room with his medicine. Meanwhile, Noel''s head turned to Khalid. "Thank you foring here and helping us."


    "It''s not a problem. I am the Pir of Medicine of the Ardagan Family, after all."


    "Still, your medicine is extremely effective. Even if I don''t do anything, I can recover just fine within one week from this kind of injury."


    "That''s obvious. I might not be a healer, who can perform miracle stuff that only spirits can do, but I am an alchemist who pursues the path of medicine. I have administered a drug to reduce the pain, but it will wear out in two to three hours, so brace for the pain.


    "Besides, the previous civilization didn''t have any magical abilities, so they helped their patients by using medicine and special treatment based on what was recorded."


    "Got it. Are you going to the main city after this?" Noel asked.


    "Maybe after you fully recover. But I''m not entirely sure because you are a reckless person. There is a chance that you will be injured like this, so I might have to remain by your side and go to the main city together." Khalid exined.


    Noel nodded. "Still, I have told you previously that I will help you procure more medicine from the previous civilization. And if you think that there is a rune that can help you better or improve the tool you use, you may ask me about it. I will check whether it''s possible or not."


    Khalid''s expression turned serious. "For me, I wish to create a miracle drug that will etch my name into history. I can see that happening with the Awakening Pill, but I won''t stop there. I feel like I can achieve an even higher feat by following you, so I hope that you don''t disappoint me."


    "I will respect your wish. If you think that there is a better master out there, I won''t stop you from going. However, I am confident that you will need me the most."


    "We''ll see about that." Khalid smiled. He examined Anna for a moment before saying, "She should be waking up soon. Please tell her that she has to use her Spiritual Energy to boost the recovery as quickly as possible to avoid leaving any scars. That applies to you too, my lord."


    "Got it. Do we need to remain here until we are fully recovered?"


    "Of course not." Khalid tossed two bottles of pills. The first bottle contained yellow-colored pills while the other had a cube-shaped pill. "The yellow pill can reduce the pain a bit. Eat one every six hours if the pain is unbearable. You can also move around your body as long as you don''t make a big movement. The other pill is for boosting your recovery rate. This is much more potent than the one I gave to that old man, so you put it in a water ss first and let it dissolve before drinking it. One every twelve hours."


    "Thank you."


    "Since I''m done here, I''m going to look around the town. I''m curious about what kind of town you are nning to build here. Besides, it will give an idea of what kind of tool I can request from you in the future."


    "Sure. Take your time." Noel nodded. Although it would be good to wait for Anna, he believed he should test the efficacy of this pill before letting her drink it.


    Hence, Noel grabbed a ss on the side table and exchanged for a Water Bottle from the system.


    As soon as the cube-shaped pill entered the water, it started releasing bubbles and turned the clear water into the same color as the pill.


    After it dissolvedpletely, Noel tried to drink it bit by bit, noticing the change in the flow of his energy. It felt like the flow became much smoother.


    The recovery process became much quicker, and that boost didn''te only from the energy, but also from the natural recovery of his body.


    It was no wonder why Khalid said it was more potent. If he took this directly, the recovery rate would be so overwhelming that his body wouldn''t be able to withstand the burden.


    That was why Khalid diluted it with water first.


    Noel hurriedly meditated, focusing on his recovery. Of course, he didn''t fully enter the meditation state since he had to be aware when Anna woke up.


    Fortunately, she woke up only an hourter.


    "Noel?! Is everything done?" Anna asked weakly while trying to get up.


    It took Noel a moment to return to his original state and reply to her, "Yeah. Khalid has applied some medicine and if we close the wound as quickly as possible, it shouldn''t leave a scar. He has told us to take medicine to boost the recovery rate."


    "I see." Anna didn''t seem to be surprised.


    "Do you know anything about Khalid? I feel like I haven''t heard the full information about him from you."


    "Well, Khalid was the best alchemist in the previous life. Do you remember when you gave me a bunch of medicine?"


    "Yeah."


    "Those are the medicines he needed to advance his research. There are a lot of pills he created that would greatly impact the kingdom such as the Awakening Pill, the Physical Boost Drug, and even an unknown pill that can boost the absorption rate of the Demon Crystals. It''s notpleted yet."


    "We have seen Awakening Pills already."N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "As for the Physical Boost Drug, I heard that it can reduce the pain, pump up the muscle, and make you slightly hyperactive for a period of time. Well, you should be able to see them in the near future."


    "I see. I guess getting Khalid is like a treasure." Noel nodded with a smile. With this, his goal became a lot closer.


    And he envisioned a future where a lot of famous people emerged from the Ardagan Family.


    "I''m looking forward to such a future." Noel muttered before remembering that he had to prepare the medicine. He hurriedly poured a ss of water and tossed the pill inside. "Here you go. Drink this once it dissolvespletely. I''m going to meditate again."


    "Alright." Anna nodded. Although she wanted to say something, it could be der. After all, she was still focused on the previous battle because Khalid and Evan weren''t here.


    Anna couldn''t help but recall their battle. In thest exchange, Anna could sense the hidden potential that Noel had never traced in the previous life.


    Even though she investigated Noel again and again, she didn''t know all the experiences that Noel had. He might meet the Sword Arbiter, but she didn''t think Noel was close enough to receive some lectures from him.


    In addition, with the difference in swordsmanship experience, Noel would also get a different kind of answer. For her, she noticed that the potential he unleashed earlier was bigger than the one in his previous life.


    ''He is going to fuse swordsmanship, two elements, and rune into his fighting style. I don''t know how he is going to do it, but he would be unparalleled if he managed to do it. Well, I also have knowledge about my previous life and I have been advancing differently. Not only can I find an unknown ability, I can also reach a whole new levelpared to my previous life.'' Anna thought.


    She started getting excited. The future had changed due to her actions, but that didn''t matter anymore. Because this time, they were much faster and more powerful. ''There is also a rebellion¡­ I don''t think there will be one in this life.''


    ¡­


    While waiting for the medicine to dissolve, Anna continued thinking about a few things rted to the battle.


    However, her feeling was the exact opposite of what her former teacher experienced right now.


    After seeing the battle, she knew that Noel and Anna had to die sooner orter. And the Supreme Devil Organization would be the first to im his life.


    Hence, Josephine returned to a house where she was supposed to meet the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince had been waiting for her the whole time, but his expression was a bit too dark as if he were angry about something.


    Josephine only reported about what she had seen, wanting to know about the Third Prince''s n.


    But when the Third Prince heard Anna and Noel''s condition along with the Sword Arbiter''s, he became more furious.


    He asked coldly, "Josephine. Did you just let them go?"


    "Huh? I''ve told you that the Sword Arbiter didn''t leave any gaps to be exploited." Josephine frowned, not understanding why the Third Prince acted like this.


    "Really? How about destroying the things they have just built?"


    "If I did that, the first person who would be suspected was me. You should know that."


    "Then, how about the water supply they gave to the citizens?"


    When the third question came, Josephine realized what the Third Prince was talking about. There was no one in this kingdom who could infiltrate as smoothly as her with that space ability. And if there was someone who could help them without anyone knowing, it would be her.


    Noel had even covered everything so that no one could see what was happening inside.


    To transport all that water inside without water element spirit, there was only one possibility. It was Josephine who helped them.


    Josephine was Anna''s teacher. She had been acting under the order of the Royal Family this whole time, but Anna looked like that at first until she revealed that she was on Noel''s side.


    There was no guarantee that Josephine actually faked her loyalty. She might use her student to show that she was loyal and she wasn''t.


    Josephine clenched her fists. "Are you suspecting me right now?"


    "Who knows? In any case, you are not clear either. How about using the Spirit Seal so that I can trust you a bit?" The Third Prince squinted his eyes.


    Josephine''s body froze. On the one hand, it could clear up her name. On the other hand, the Third Prince might use that opportunity to ask for other questions rted to the Royal Family or any other shady dealings she had. So, the moment she agreed to this, she would be stripped bare.


    There was no way she would allow the Third Prince to gain an advantage over her.


    "If you can''t trust me, then you don''t have to." Josephine replied coldly and used her ability to disappear from this ce.


    The Third Prince''s face turned solemn. "It seems that I have to investigate her first."

 Chapter 926 One Good Thing After Another

    Chapter 926 One Good Thing After Another


    "Lord Earl!"


    "Lord Earl!"


    The people lowered their heads respectfully when they saw Noel going around the city again. However, his appearance was a mess.


    His body was covered by bandages. In fact, he had to use a wheelchair to move around. His face was pale and it seemed that he was sweating a lot.


    Even with that kind of condition, Noel waved his hand to the people with a big smile on his face. "I''m fine, everyone. You don''t have to worry about me."


    Grandell was pushing the wheelchair with a worried face. Even though he was one of the people who knew about their real n, he was still ufortable to see his lord bing this weak.


    Obviously, the person who received the anger of the masses was none other than Duke Lorelei. For the rest of his life, he will be remembered as the enemy of Lounstein.


    But this was also a part of the agreement. Duke Lorelei actually sacrificed his life so that Lounstein could flourish. This way, when he finally passed away in the future, his son could clear up his name while forming a good rtionship with the Ardagan Family.


    For the time being, the duke remained inside the mayor''s mansion to avoid the people.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Noel suddenly coughed up blood.


    "My lord!" Grandell panicked and suggested, "We should go back immediately. You are in an extremely bad state."


    "This is fine. I don''t want people to think that the lord of Lounstein is so weak that he can''t handle a single fight. Besides, this city is going to be better. If I can push myself a bit, the city will be rebuilt much faster." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    When the citizens heard those words, they couldn''t help but tear up. Their lord pushed himself so much that those who wereining about their condition felt ashamed.


    They had heard that the lord was in critical condition yesterday. And yet, just a single dayter, the Lord risked his life again to assure the people. He even nned to work in that condition.


    "My lord! Please go back and rest. We''ll definitely rebuild this city!"


    "That''s right. I will work myself to the bone so that the earl doesn''t need to worry!"


    The citizens started to speak up but those who dared actually kneeled in front of Noel. This was their lord. If the Lord went that far for them, they were prepared toy down their lives for his cause.


    Some more citizens kneeled down, asking the same thing. Seeing a lot of people falling to their knees, the rest of the citizens ended up following suit.


    "My lord. We should return right away. You can punish me however you want, but all I wish is for you to take some rest. Besides, the futuredy is also in critical condition. You have to be by her side."


    "But¡­ this city is the ce we work together to rebuild. I believe that¡ª" Before Noel finished, Grandell raised his voice.


    "My lord. Let us take care of the rest. Please don''t worry that we will work hard. Just¡­ Please rest. You have given us hope, so we don''t wish to see you die and lose all that hope."


    "Lord Earl!" Some citizens also called Noel as if asking the same thing.


    "I¡­" Noel had a pained look and coughed up a few more times, making everyone worried. "I understand. I will take a rest for today."


    "Thank you, my lord." Grandell hurriedly pushed the wheelchair back, not wanting to expose Noel further than this.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    As they looked at their lord''s back, the people had a simr thought. If they worked so hard that there was nothing to be done anymore, their lord wouldn''t need to do anything and just get some rest to recover from his condition. It was hard to find a good lord like him, so they didn''t wish him to die.


    "I''m going to work hard. No, even if I have to push myself a bit more, I''m going toplete the storage."


    "That''s right. The building I''m working for is said to need another two days toplete, but I''m going toplete it tonight!"


    "Let''s go back. We can''t procrastinate."


    "Yes. This is our city. We can''t let the Lord do everything."


    "Ooh!"


    The people hurriedly went back. This was probably the first time ever sinceing here that they had a desire to rebuild the city by themselves without relying on other people.


    These people ended up telling the people around them about Noel''s determination which spiked their morale even further.


    Without anyone realizing it, Noel''s name had spread across the entire city. They also sent a prayer for Anna, hoping for her great recovery.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, there was another reason why Noel showed himself in front of the citizens. Since the Sword Arbiter had eliminated all the spies, it meant that the enemies would send other spies to take over sooner orter.


    By that time, Noel would have left the city. In other words, they couldn''t observe Noel personally. The only way to get information about Noel was through the citizens. As a result, the citizens only gave them false information¡ªthe only information that Noel gave the citizens.


    The people behind them wouldn''t know that Noel had long recovered. So, when they attacked, they would be surprised to find Noel fighting in his peak condition.


    In the mayor''s mansion, Anna watched everything with a smile. As expected of Noel, he definitely could gain the citizens'' hearts.


    "We will probably stay here for another few days to fully recover and train with the Sword Arbiter. After that, we will leave the city. Although we want to check the other viges, especially their conditions, I don''t think it''s possible anymore. The viges might give different information that will make it suspicious.


    "Besides, the Third Prince is going to appear sooner orter. Whether he likes it or not, he will have to buy more time. No, wait a minute. The only way for the Third Prince to stall Noel is to send him away from this city and overwork him."


    Anna had realized that the reason Noel said that they would be visiting the viges around this city was due to the Third Prince. However, if the Third Prince tantly ordered Noel to do such a reckless thing, Noel would definitely not like it.


    "In that case, the Third Prince is going to use a few things as bait. I wonder what he is nning to do¡­." Anna fell silent for a moment. Now that she had started getting ustomed to possibilities, she started connecting the clues to specte on the oue.


    "If I''m not wrong, this city has be a vital point for Noel in my previous life. However, what about the viges around it?" Anna tried to recall what Noel did with the area around this ce.


    Unfortunately, she was too focused on Noel''s main city, so she barely had any information. If only she had been smarter and investigated everything, she would have known a lot more than this.


    Still, there was one thing that she recalled. "Now that I think about it, the way Noel governed his territory was to ensure that everything was connected. The current activities of the demons have blocked ess to those viges."


    Anna was dumbfounded. It felt like she had understood what it was, but she couldn''t put it into words.


    "How should I say this? Noel is connecting the viges to the city, but because of the method from Jasmine, the viges have be prosperous. In exchange for that prosperity, the vigers have the ability to seek out more things outside their viges. And their parents who have been around the viges are thankful to Noel! That''s right!"


    Anna gasped. "When the vigers are thankful, those who are roaming around the vige be the bearers of information. If they are going to attack the city, they will approach the vige first. So, if the vigers notice something weird, they will report it to the city. This way, there is an outer barrier that will protect the city. What Noel is nning to do is to create that barrier and surround the entire territory with viges, spreading that barrier."


    It took her a moment, but she finally realized why it was hard to prate Noel''s defense. Noel was always ready for the iing attack because he raised the living standard of each vige, allowing the viges to be his eyes.


    When she figured it out, she wrote down everything. The current Noel must haven''t thought about this, so she would be the one to give this information. She believed Noel could improve this concept further with more time in their current lives.


    However, both Noel and Anna had one miscalction. No, it was more like they never expected it because it never happened in their previous lives.


    When Anna was about to meet Noel to tell him about her findings, Captain Hansen actually visited the mayor''s mansion.


    "My lord!" Hansen kneeled on one knee. Anna ended up hiding on the corner, wondering what Hansen was nning to say. She thought the Third Prince had appeared and wanted to meet Noel.


    Noel remained calm because Hansen''s affection was still extremely loyal. He asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "You have a visitor. I''m not sure whether to allow them to enter or not, but the soldiers are having a hard time because of their identity."


    "Their identity? Who are they and what''s their number?"


    "There should be around sixty to seventy people. They seem to have brought a lot of carriages and we''re still inspecting them now. However, their carriage carries the g of the crescent moon."


    "Crescent moon? Is there a noble family with that crest?" Noel pondered.


    "They are not nobles. The one who is leading them is a youngdy with a nun outfit. She ims to have met you and introduces herself as Saintess La."


    Noel widened his eyes in shock. The moment he heard the name, he instantly remembered that person''s identity.


    Even Anna couldn''t believe it. In the past, the Saintess was affected by the demon and fell into depravity. In their current lives, Noel and Anna have actually gone their way to save the Saintess of the Moon Temple.


    That was right. In the past, Saintess La actually said, "You might lose the recognition of the people as well as their thanks, but you have gained the respect of our Moon Temple, especially me. If you need our help in the future, as long as your goal doesn''t sh with the Moon Temple''s purpose, we''ll help you."


    He even got a letter from her. It was the letter of introduction from the Saintess herself. And that letter could give Noel the best treatment from the Moon Temple. It even had the power to receive help from the Holy Knights of the Moon Temple.


    Noel had never utilized this help because he had to go into hiding. Now that everything was clear and Noel could finally reveal himself again, the Saintess might think that this was a good opportunity to help him.


    That was right. The reason for hering here couldn''t be more obvious.


    When Noel found out their identities, he couldn''t help but chuckle. "Hahahaha. To think that I would forget about this¡­"


    "Is there something wrong?" Hansen asked while tilting his head in confusion.


    "I have indeed helped them in the past. They are probablying here to help us. I can guarantee their identity, so please bring them in, Captain Hansen." Noel gave him permission.


    ¡­


    Outside the city, La was waiting patiently as though she had expected to see Noel forget about her.


    She couldn''t help but say, "I have told you that I will repay this debt, so I''m here. That''s right. I have told them that if he and Miss Anna are going to get married, he should have called me since I will be the one giving them blessings."

 Chapter 927 Negotiation

    Chapter 927 Negotiation


    Noel and Anna were sitting on their beds as though they were still too hurt to move around. Meanwhile, a beautiful woman wearing a white robe with a crescent moon crest on her chest and her signature blindfold stood in front of them.


    Despite seeing them injured, she actually greeted her with a calm tone as though she wasn''t worried about them. "Since I''ve promised back then that I will drop the honorific after you be a noble, then I can be morefortable with you. Hello, Noel and Anna."


    Noel nodded. "Unfortunately, I can''t greet you formally because of my current condition."


    There were only Noel, Anna, Evan, Khalid, and La in the room. Evan was just trying to protect these two kids while trying to learn about the rtionship between Noel and Anna.


    Evan thought, ''The Moon Temple is arge influence. They remain neutral most of the time, so it''s surprising that these two actually know her. When did they meet? It seems that I still underestimate these two kids. Their connection might be far bigger than my wildest imagination.''


    Seeing that Noel didn''t say anything about the others inside this room, La actually said, "Is that so? Even though you are well enough to run and jump around?"


    "¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. It seemed that La had realized his current condition.


    "I have told you in the past, right? I don''t regret losing my eyesight because in exchange, all my other senses are heightened. Your breath doesn''t sound like you are in critical condition¡­ Though, I can''t see if you''re covered in bandages or not." La confidently smiled as though she had seen through Noel.


    "Haha. I guess I can''t fool you." Noel chuckled. He was impressed by La''s sense. In the past, La was only a peak Spirit Master. But because she had exhausted most of his power to protect the city, she couldn''t release her full power during that fight.


    And this time, it seemed that she had be even stronger. While Noel was confident that he could defeat La, it wouldn''t be an easy fight due to the nature of her ability.


    La said, "It seems that you don''t need our healers, so I guess I havee in vain."


    "While it''s good to reminisce about the past, I think we should move on to the matter in question first."


    "If you say so." La nodded in agreement. "The reason foring here is to repay you for your help back then. As I said earlier, you''ve gained my respect for what you did back then, so in exchange, I will be setting up the Moon Temple here. If possible, in your main city as well."


    "!!!" Evan was the most shocked person here. He thought, ''If the Moon Temple set up their branch here, it would mean that at least fifty temple knights would be stationed here. There should be a few Spirit Masters and Spirit Wielders. While they can''t be used to fight against other influences, they will definitely help if the city is attacked by demons.


    ''I am here to help the city, but if the Moon Temple takes over, it will mean that there is a chance that Noel will rece me. Still, why would the Saintess go all the way here just to set up the branch? Normally, it would be just an officering here.


    ''And there should be one or two priests with healing abilities standing by in the vige. It seems that aside from repaying Noel, the Saintess is trying to witness the transformation of runes.''


    Evan knew all the benefits that came from the Moon Temple setting up their branch here. While the temple was also aiming for something, the benefits far outweigh it.


    Noel smiled with a wry smile. "I don''t mind if you want to set up a temple here, but I can''t give you permission for the main city yet."


    "I see." La understood Noel''s circumstances. It seemed that the main city was more amazing than she originally thought. And Noel obviously wanted to hide his trump card as much as possible.


    "Before that, I would like to know the reason for you to suddenlye here. This is not a mere repayment, right?"


    La hesitated for a moment. "Of course. I''m not going to use my temple influence to force you. Instead, I''m giving a proposal that will benefit the temple and the Ardagan Family."


    "Oh? Please borate."


    "I am trying to believe in the future potential of the Ardagan Family. If you give us permission, we would like to construct a third headquarter of our Moon Temple in your territory!"


    "Headquarter?!" Evan dropped his jaw to the ground. The Moon Temple might be disliked because it was known as the temple of sadness. It was because they built their temple in a ce where there were a lot of battles and people lost their hope.


    However, the Moon Temple was actually a god-sent opportunity for a lord. After all, they could receive help to fight the demons. Even more so when they constructed a headquarters.


    Evan recounted the information about the Moon Temple''s second headquarters. ''In the past, Earl Escanor had headquarters in his territory. As a result, he can focus on expanding his territory because the Moon Temple Headquarters are supplying knights to protect the territory from a demon. In other words, he can mobilize all his force for the expansion.


    ''In addition, the headquarters have a lot of healers. In other words, if the soldiers are injured, he can simply ask them to be healed by the temple. Due to his contribution, the Earl has be a Duke now.


    ''So, the Moon Temple is proposing that, in exchange for taking a look at the runes, they will be helping Noel expand his territory. And this was actually a perfect opportunity because Noel''s territory was at the edge of the kingdom, meaning he could expand his territory outward.''


    Noel looked down for a moment, contemting. If this was someone else, they might agree to it without hesitation. However, Noel wondered if the runes were more important than the temple or not.


    He even nced at Anna, who was considering the same thing.


    "I''m grateful that you think highly of me, but I don''t think I can grant you that permission." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    That rejection amused La and dumbfounded Evan.


    "May I know the reason?" La asked, not expecting such an answer.


    Noel actually nced at the side, specifically at Khalid as if telling him to speak up.


    Khalid smiled confidently. "That''s because he has me. Your Moon Temple is extraordinary, but I can do the job of several priests if I want it."


    "Mhm?" La tried to recall the voice of this person, but no one came into her mind, so she asked, "May I know who you are?"


    "Khalid."


    "Khalid¡­" La tried to recall this name. Since Khalid was so confident, he shouldn''t be an unknown person, so it narrowed down the potential people. It was then that reality struck her. "May I know if you are the former Royal Alchemist Khalid Mahmud?"


    "It is I."


    La finally understood why Noel had the liberty to reject her. Khalid could handle the task of the priests and Noel could use runes to kill the demons.


    From what she heard from the observation of her subordinate, it seemed that the Runes were more important than the Moon Temple.


    On the one hand, Noel''s potential couldn''t be missed. On the other hand, it would be hard to convince Noel. The more desperate she was, the easier it was for Noel to reject her.


    Still, it didn''t mean that La was nning to give up.


    "If that''s the case, what if I offer myself?"


    "Huh?!" Anna was the first one to react with an annoyed expression. It was an instant rejection for her.


    "Oh my, I apologize. I should have worded it better." La hurriedly corrected herself. "What if I remain in your city and take care of it personally?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Noel was astonished. La''s worth was much different from other offers. Her ability was simple and powerful. It allowed her to put up a barrier to surround the city, repelling all kinds of demons. Having her inside the city could allow him to create a barrier on a few walls while concentrating his army on one wall.


    And it became even more important when Noel thought about his main city. The only wall that would be erected in the first attack was the north wall, so having her cover the rest would prove extremely beneficial.


    In fact, for Noel''s territory, La was worth more than the entire headquarters.


    It was simply not an offer he could reject.


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows, feeling something was not right. "I don''t think that''s all. You''re going to offer another condition, right? Someone like you should have known about your true worth."


    La smiled. "Of course. The first condition is that I will remain in your city for only three years. In fact, by that time, your territory won''t need me anymore."


    "And the other conditions?"


    "Of course, it''s to build the temple headquarters. And I would like to build it as soon as possible since I''m curious about the future."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "You''re making this hard for me."


    "If you hadn''t helped me back then, I might have been controlled by a demon. So, I don''t think it''s hard for you."


    Evan was ring at Noel as if telling him to ept the offer. Khalid didn''t think much of the headquarters, but he indeed felt threatened by La.


    Anna was too focused on the fact that the temple came since it was much different from her previous life.


    Noel sighed. "Alright. I can give you permission. However, I can only give you the quota for the second migration."


    "Second migration?" La tilted her head in confusion.


    "Yeah. We''re currently bringing in the first batch of migrants. The second batch wille in a few months¡­ basically the same time Duke Lorelei visited our main city."


    "This¡­" La thought that her offer was enough to allow her to go to the main city right away.


    But it seemed that Noel was more formidable than she thought. At the same time, she could understand that it would cause a problem if she entered first before Duke Lorelei, considering he was the first to be here.


    However, Noel actually added another offer. "Though, I don''t mind if you are going to visit my city alone."


    On the one hand, this offer was unfair to Duke Lorelei. On the other hand, Noel had specified that she had to go alone.


    La was blind, so she wouldn''t be able to learn much even if she came, considering the rune required her eyesight to learn. In other words, she could only learn from what she heard. Of course, she could gather the information from normal citizens, but it was still very limited information.


    Regardless, this was an opportunity. If she agreed, Noel would definitely ask her to help defend his city. While the information she could gather was limited, she could actually tell the people in the second batch migration about the runes. In fact, she might even be able to send a letter.


    In a way or another, it wasn''t really upsetting for Evan.


    La put her hand on her cheek as though she were contemting it carefully.


    After about three minutes, La replied, "I will agree to that condition. It seems that we will be meeting a lot in the future."


    Noel gave a wry smile to Duke Lorelei. "I''m sorry, Duke. In exchange, I will increase the number you can purchaseter."


    Duke Lorelei was a bit disappointed, but he still agreed. This was better than nothing.


    Now that the negotiation was over, La became a bit more yful by teasing Anna. "Please don''t mind me, Anna. A Saintess needs to be pure until their death. So, no need to be jealous."


    "I''m not jealous!" Anna clicked her tongue while looking away.

 Chapter 928 Moon Temple

    "So, this is the carriage without a horse," said La with a big smile on her face. Despite not being able to see, she could hear that there was no galloping sound that usuallyes from a horse.


    There was a continuous flow of energy that supplied the rune. She was so excited that she couldn''t help but stand on top of the carriage.


    "Saintess. Please be mindful of your image." One of the knights who was protecting her couldn''t help but warn her, albeit La didn''t seem to care about it.


    "I mean, look at this¡­ This is an automatic carriage without a horse. Just imagine how many horses we need to bring whenever we''re on an expedition. What if those horses die on the way? If only we had this kind of technology, precious horses wouldn''t lose their lives and the people would have an easier time." La looked extremely excited about this carriage.


    Because they had been moving around to help people, they knew how much horses were worth. So, this technology was what captivated her the most.


    She couldn''t help but remember the conversation with Noel before.


    "So, when are we going to leave?" La asked.


    "I still have a few things to do. At the very least, one more week."


    "One week, huh?" La didn''t think much about the time. Noel had the right to be careful and within that one week, they could also see around the city while doing their job.


    When she recalled that information and linked it with this kind of technology, the Saintess couldn''t help but say, "Inform Pdin Lloyd and Pdin Aurelia to be ready toe in the second batch of migration for the heart of Lounstein."


    "What? You''re going to mobilize the pdins?" The knight was stunned.


    "We will have to be sincere if we want to receive his help. With me and two pdins helping the city, he shouldn''t mind parting with a lot of stuff, right?"


    "But Saintess¡­ Pdins are the strongest force in our temple. They are the only Spirit Grandmasters we have, aside from Archbishop Noah. And you are going to ask two Pdins and yourself to help this territory?"


    "Pdin Aure wille to the main city and help me. Pdin Lloyd will be standing by in this city. If those elders ask about it, just tell them that I''m cing my bet for the future. They will probably shut their mouths once they hear about this city."


    "¡­" The knight gasped. He thought La was insane. Still, when he thought about this automatic carriage, he knew how much easier it would be for them to reach their destination. And this was only the prototype.


    When Noel improves it even further, it might turn into extremely ridiculous stuff. In other words, the Saintess exchanged the service of the Pdins for that future.


    "But won''t the Earl feel troubled if we do this?"


    "We''re going to build new headquarters in the main city. So, it''s normal to at least have one Pdin stationed there, no? Let''s just say that Lloyd is a bonus."


    "¡­" The knight gave a wry smile. The Saintess was probably the only one who could say it.


    After all, she was also one of the Spirit Grandmasters that the temple had.


    "I understand. I''ll report it to the elders about your request." The knight nodded.


    "Thank you."


    While La was exploring the city, Noel and Anna were discussing her. They had never thought that La woulde here, so Noel couldn''t help but ask, "What actually happened to her in our previous lives?"


    "Hmm¡­" Anna recounted what happened. "She was controlled by the demons and became a Spirit Grandmaster. I was the one who defeated her and the Moon Temple ended up picking a new saintess.


    "However, La was irreceable. It wasn''t that she was strong. In one versus one, she would definitely lose because she didn''t have the ability to hurt others. Instead, she received the ability to protect.


    "And that barrier could be expanded to a whole city, creating an indestructible wall that protected the people. If she wanted, she could trap thousands of demons for a few days by herself.


    "Such an ability couldn''t be reced by anyone. It should be a worthy power for someone who received the blessing of the Moon Goddess."


    Noel acknowledged her power. It was indeed such a ridiculous power, but he still thought that his fire was more potent. Still, it didn''t matter because the Saintess was on their side.


    While the Moon Temple was sitting out when there was a conflict between humans, she would definitely step up against the demons. He could even leave the demons at the Moon Temple while he took care of the human side.


    "I see. How about the Moon Temple? Do you know any information about them? I haven''t searched for their information about them yet."


    "Moon Temple is a huge influence. They have several Grandmasters and a lot of knights. They nurture a lot of healers, which spread all around the kingdoms."


    "Kingdoms?" Noel frowned, not expecting it to be plural."


    "Yes. Right now, they are operating in Greenwood Kingdom and Muivell Kingdom. In the past, they were going to expand to the Zaecuria Kingdom, but the hole the previous Saintess left behind was so big that they failed to do so."


    "So, the fact that they have two headquarters."


    "Yeah. The first headquarters is located west of the kingdom. Meanwhile, the second headquarters was built fifty years ago in the Greenwood Kingdom. They remain neutral most of the time even though they are sought after by countries."


    "I see. It seems that the Saintess loves gambling."


    Anna nodded in agreement. "If she constructed the third headquarters in our territory, it meant that she would abandon the expansion to the Zaecuria Kingdom because she chose us. And if I''m not wrong, at least one Pdin will remain in the headquarters at all times. There will also be dozens of healers. So, I''m assuming that she will split the forces into two, since she has promised to build a branch here."


    "A pdin, huh¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "This is also a bit concerning."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You see¡­ If the forces within the city are too strong for the lord to control, it means that if they are trying to break away, the lord will be powerless to stop them. This is like the current condition of the royal family. If we are too strong for the royal family to control, they are going to eliminate us."


    "So, that''s how it is. But don''t you think it''s fine for the time being?" Anna asked.


    "Yes. We have four Spirit Grandmasters right now. But if she is going to move a Pdin here, it means that there will be two Spirit Grandmasters from their side. Even Duke Lorelei is here. The power bnce bes a bit too chaotic."


    "Do we need more Grandmasters?"


    "How many Grandmasters did I have in the past?"


    "Hmm¡­" Anna recounted the number. "There are seven Grandmasters. Well, my family only had four Grandmasters in our previous lives: my father, his student, my elder brother, and me. As for you, you have Dimitri, Howard, the Sword Saint''s sessor, and¡­"


    Anna paused, not knowing whether she should reveal their names.


    Noel asked, "It''s fine. Please tell me about it."


    "Then, the other three are Howard''s second inmand, a mercenary that you saved, and an abandoned Spirit Magician. Do you need me to say their names?"


    "No. That''s enough." Noel thought for a moment. Howard''s second inmand should be among the four Spirit Masters. He had no idea about the mercenary, so he should have appeared after he became a lord or they might not even meet in this life due to the change of situation. As for the Spirit Magician, it shoulde from the Tower Association. That person might even be the one leading the research for runes.


    Still, he couldn''t meet the Sword Saint''s sessor due to the promise to Old Ru. In exchange, he had Anna. However, it would still take a bit of time to nurture Spirit Masters to be Spirit Grandmaster. If he just wanted to increase their Spiritual Energy to the Grandmaster level, he could simply shove the Demon Crystals into their mouths, but their skill would becking.


    Noel asked, "How about the kids?"


    "The kids? If you''re asking about the Sword Dancing Kids, the twins were Spirit Wielder, almost Spirit Masters. The others are still one rank lower, but they are quite strong. If you''re talking about Tristan and Sandra, Sandra is an official maid. I didn''t meet her, so I didn''t know her strength. Tristan was a genius in Rune, so he had be a big figure."


    "Livia?"


    "Livia, huh? I didn''t investigate her that much, but she was the one taking care of the whole academy. And it didn''t seem like she left your side."


    "I see." Noel fell into deep thought. On the one hand, he couldn''t rely on this information. In fact, he would have a hard time finding them and convincing them. And that rtionship would be superficial because of the information from Anna. On the other hand, he needed more Grandmasters in his territory.


    "I will think about it for the time being. Instead, you should be prepared for the next mission."


    "Next mission?"


    "Yeah. The messenger is about to arrive. I''m sure that after seeing the Moon Temple and Duke Lorelei, the Third Prince won''t be able to hold the urge to send me away."


    "He wants you to move in a critical condition to worsen your condition? But doesn''t that mean you''re going to be angry when he makes it oblivious?"


    "Yeah. That''s why there must be something that he can use to tempt me. It should be pretty precious, so we should get ready and act like we''re dying. I''ve told Khalid not to show himself as well."


    "I see. In that case, I will take my leave." Anna nodded, nning to return to her room. She was still curious about what Noel was nning to do, but considering his charm, he should be able to get a few Spirit Grandmasters. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    While she doubted that the Moon Temple had bad thoughts, it made sense if he wanted to increase his strength for the sake of maintaining the current power bnce.


    By the time they reached the peak of Spirit Grandmaster if not Spirit Transcendence, the entire power bnce would be tipped over.


    She couldn''t help but wonder what would have happened if she and Noel hadn''t died in their previous lives and somehow reached the Spirit Transcendence Stage?


    Aside from themander of the Demon Banner Army and the Marshall, there was no one who had reached this stage. So, having two additional Spirit Transcendence might not be good for the kingdom since they were fighting each other.


    And in this life, the appearance of two Transcendences would definitely be enough to create a new kingdom. That was why the royal family was eager to eliminate them.


    When she was walking back to her room, the Saintess surprisingly appeared on the opposite side as if she had been waiting for her.


    Anna didn''t know what she wanted, so she was just going to pass her and return to their room.


    At that time, the Saintess opened her mouth. "The Moon Goddess gives me a revtion. The end of your growth is near if you keep doing the same thing. Have you explored the actual power behind your destiny?"


    "!!!" Anna''s body froze as she couldn''t help but turn to the Saintess. "What did you say?"


    The Saintess shook her head. "I don''t know. The Moon Goddess only told me to pass that message to you. I don''t even understand the meaning behind it. To me, you are a peerless genius with unlimited potential, so it''s kind of surprising. Anyway, I have passed the message."


    Anna''s body trembled as she watched the Saintess walking away. Those words struck deep in her heart.

 Chapter 929 The Truth

    "The Moon Goddess gives me a revtion. The end of your growth is near if you keep doing the same thing. Have you explored the actual power behind your destiny?"


    Those words kept ringing in Anna''s mind as she couldn''t help but take another look at her current condition.


    "The end of my growth¡­ Is it because I was stuck in the peak Spirit Grandmaster before I died and after reaching that point, I wouldn''t know what I should do after that? But I have a few things in my mind. It''s true that I haven''t experienced the strength of Spirit Transcendence, but it''s not at the level I''m clueless about it."


    Anna thought that the revtion wasn''t that urate. However, there should be a reason why the Moon Goddess said it that way. After all, she was a Goddess.


    When she thought about it, she changed her perspective. "She directly mentioned ''growth'' instead of any other words. The reason for my growth¡­"


    When she thought about it, there was only one person that came to her mind. In fact, this might be what the Moon Goddess really wanted to say. That person was Noel.


    That was right. In the future, Noel would have unlimited growth. He had two spirits and the size of his reserve would be more than twice of her, considering her assimtion rate wasn''t perfect.


    Even if she managed to maintain this rate of progress, she was bound to lose sooner orter.


    Anna had been too focused on thepetition to decide the acting head of the Ardagan Family that would end soon. But with their personality, thepetition definitely wouldn''t end at that point.


    Even if she won, Noel would grow even more and at that time, she wouldn''t be able to follow Noel''s growth anymore.


    When that thought appeared, she felt a part of her heart be empty.


    "My growth is going to end soon, huh?" On the one hand, she felt hopeless. On the other hand, she thought there must be another way.


    That was when the second part of the message entered the picture.


    "Have you explored the actual power behind your destiny?"


    Anna looked down for a moment. "Actual power¡­ the power that allows me to regress is Old Ru''s power, right? Now that I think about it, what happened to the shell? In my previous life, I didn''t see Noel using that shell on me. What was actually the power behind that shell?"


    It felt like the matter between her regression was moreplicated than she originally thought.


    When she thought about it, she recalled a certain scene.


    Back then, Old Ru had known about her regression. At that time, she asked if Old Ru was the reason behind her rebirth or not. But Old Ru actually answered her "Yes and no."


    However, she only heard about the ''Yes'' part as Old Ru mentioned everything about his shell and his power.


    She was overwhelmed by the information in the past that she didn''t ask why Old Ru wasn''t part of her regression.


    "The ''NO'' part should be rted to mytter growth. Right now, it''s impossible for me to visit the Old Ru again and ask him about it. He said that the shell was used to protect his grandson and Noel wasn''t the type to break the promise.


    "The only threat I could think of was the Demon King. No, there was also the rebellion. If Noel and Duke Lorelei met in the past, the duke should have asked Noel to direct his hatred elsewhere. And there was no way Noel would start the rebellion.


    "I feel like these three are connected. Wait a minute. These three were just things that happened in the previous life, not the power behind my reincarnation. Time, huh¡­ Is it only time?"


    The more Anna thought about it, the moreplex it became. There might be a lot of things that ended up causing Noel to choose her.


    As long as she couldn''t figure out that answer, she might not be able to keep up with Noel.


    "If I think about it, there was only one person who knew about my reincarnation at first. It was me. But Old Ru knew about it because his shell disappeared and I was the one approaching Noel. There should be one more person that actually knows about my rebirth¡­ The one who has witnessed everything¡­ from within."


    Anna gasped upon the shocking truth. She rushed to her room to enter her consciousness.


    She returned to the cliff where the Thunder Berserker Spirit always met her.


    "Thunder Berserker Spirit¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath. If there was anyone else who could know about her reincarnation, it would be the Thunder Berserker Spirit, who had been watching her this whole time.


    "Wee." The Thunder Berserker Spirit remained calm as though he had expected all this. No, it was more urate that she had been waiting for it.


    "The Moon Goddess gave a revtion. When Noel told me that the Moon Goddess was actually a spirit, I couldn''t help but wonder how she actually knew. At first, it looked like it was simply because she was a Goddess, but that wasn''t all. It was only a suspicion, but if a spirit like the Moon Goddess could know about my regression, then you, who have resided within me, should know about it as well."


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit replied, "I can give you a passing grade for it. It seems that you have a lot of questions. Unfortunately, I don''t think I can give you all the answers you want. But I will be kind enough to answer three of your questions. So, choose your questions carefully."


    "¡­" Anna fell silent. There were indeed a lot of things that the spirit could clear up, but because of the restrictions, she had to reconsider all her questions.


    "First question, do you know everything from the start?"


    "Are you sure you want to ask this question?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded without hesitation. The first question was meant to confirm everything. The second question was to test the limit and thest question would be the main question.


    The spirit acknowledged it without hesitation. "That''s right. I know everything."


    Anna''s heart skipped a beat. It seemed that she had found the right path to her mystery. Then, she asked the second question. "In that case, can you tell me how the Moon Goddess knows about my regression? I don''t think it''s as simple as the spirits being connected to each other. If you are that connected, does that mean that you are residing inside the bad guys and continue doing bad things.


    "It doesn''t really match on how the spirits be the savior of the human race and the weapon to fight against the demons. So, I''m afraid that there is a moreplex situation among the spirits."


    The spirit didn''t immediately reply to this question. "All spirits might not be connected to each other. Even if they are connected, they are bound for their purposes. The only thing all spirits have inmon is their loyalty to the Spirit God.


    "However, what do you think about the origin of the spirits? Do you think they just appear out of nowhere? Or are they born like humans?"


    "!!!" Anna didn''t miss thatst question. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "You could say it that way. The Moon Goddess and the time spirit you are thinking right now is connected. That''s your answer."


    Anna fell into deep thought. He never thought about it. The spirits had a lot of form, but they eventually reached the humanoid form. There were also beasts like spirits and even one that didn''t have a physical body.


    She never wondered about the origin of the spirits. Were they born from nothing? This answer exined a lot of things. In fact, there might be another connection that she didn''t know among the spirits. And she was also curious about the purposes of each spirit since the only thing the spirit had inmon was their loyalty to the Spirit God.


    If Old Ru could deduce about her regression just by meeting her, the spirit that gave him that power should have known the consequences of its action.


    That exnation gave Anna''s decision on thest question.


    "Then, myst question¡­ How does the power of time work?"


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit raised his eyebrows but soon smiled. "The time can''t be revealed. It''s not because I don''t want to say it, I can''t. However, I can give you a little analogy."


    The spirit raised his hand and created multiple lightning that remained static on top of his palm.


    "You can consider these ten lightning trails to be your destined future. Let''s say, you are in the middle." The spirit then connected the trails in one way or another. "These are the possibilities and the branches connecting it can push you to a different kind of possibility."


    "I''m still confused." Anna tilted her head. The exnation was much harder to digest.


    "Let''s use another example then. Bring that box to me." The Thunder Berserker pointed at the box behind Anna.


    Anna didn''t know what he wanted, but she still walked to the box. But when she was about to grab the box, the Thunder Berserker Spirit said, "If you touch that box, your consciousness will return."


    "!!!" Anna abruptly stopped, hesitating. When she turned back to the spirit, she noticed that the spirit pointed at the different branch from earlier.


    "If you don''t bring me that box, you won''t get your answer."


    Anna''s body trembled again. She nced at the box, wondering if she should take the risk or not. When she was about to make her decision, the spirit pointed at another trail.


    "Do you still not get it?" The spirit asked.


    "I''m sorry." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    The spirit returned to the original trail. "This is your timeline and current destiny. There is supposed to be no box or whatsoever. And because I created that box and asked you to pick it up, you ended up in the destiny where you picked up that box.


    "However, your destiny shifted again when you hesitated because of my warning before returning to the previous destiny because I threatened you. These branches that connected one possibility to another is what I''ve been doing. In other words, your preparation, your action, or even the environment around you can actually shift your destiny. It includes the time artifact."


    "!!!" Anna gasped. "Wait a minute. Does that mean that shell is only something that changes my destiny?"


    "And there is one more thing you need to know. Time only moves forward."


    "Moves forward¡­" The shock Anna received took her aback. "If time only moves forward, does that mean that I have never regressed? No. Should I say that I''m moving to a different timeline where that timeline is actually me a few years ago? It was perfectly the same as what I experienced, but because of me shifting into that timeline, it started changing."


    "Something along those lines." The spirit acknowledged it.


    "Then, what about the original timeline? If we''re using that theory, doesn''t that mean I''m upying my own body? No. What exactly have I done to my original body? Now that I think about it, because I have the memory and the same reputation, I have never doubted it.


    "The only thing I remember is my own memory. If one thing can shift the timeline, does that mean the original Anna Stargaze in this timeline is someone different? While she might be simr to me, she is not entirely the same. In other words, I have never known about the real memory of the real Anna Stargaze¡­"


    Anna gasped in shock. That was right. She had never thought about it. The memory she had actually came from Anna''s experience instead of the original owner of this timeline. In other words, she had upied that person''s body. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "What happened to the real owner of this body then?" Anna asked.


    "The three questions are up. So, I can''t answer that question." The spirit sighed. When she opened his eyes, his focus didn''t stay in Anna''s disappointed face. Instead, it was the figure behind Anna. "I don''t think I have to answer that question though."

 Chapter 930 Secret

    "I don''t think I have to answer that question though."


    Anna suddenly felt a presence appearing behind her and hurriedly turned around. Her instinct was telling her to raise her left elbow, resulting in the collision with two hands.


    "!!!" Anna never thought that she would find another person here. But when she raised her head, she saw her own face. She caught Anna''s elbow.


    Both of them suddenly released their lightning. The spark formed a shock wave that pushed them back.


    Anna couldn''t help but take another look at the person who had the same face as her. At the same time, she also noticed the numbness in her arm. The other party''s lightning was surprisingly far more powerful. It was like a whirlpool that engulfed everything.


    Anna asked, "Who are you?"


    "You shouldn''t have asked that question when you already know the answer." The other party spoke with the same voice as her. However, her tone was extremely cold.


    "!!!" Anna''s expression darkened.


    "In the rebirth situation, what do you think is the easiest to transport?" The Thunder Berserker Spirit raised another question.


    The answer was obvious. In fact, that was the only answer, considering her body should have died with Noel. It was even more convincing after meeting the Sword Saint.


    He once used the Soul Contract with her, proving that soul indeed existed. After she died, the soul must have been transported to this timeline and took over the real Anna because her soul was simply stronger than her. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Yes. In this situation, there was only one body but two souls. Her real soul upied the body this entire time, but what about the original Anna''s soul? The answer was obvious. It had been residing in my consciousness. Anna was simply not aware of it or the Thunder Berserker Spirit might y a part in hiding her.


    "¡­" Both Annas stared at each other. The original Anna suddenly leaped forward while shouting, "Just give me my body back!"


    Anna didn''t n to lose until she fully understood the entire situation. So, she grabbed the original Anna''s hand.


    Both of them were releasing their lightning in the same area, causing their lightning to sh with each other. But surprisingly, Anna was the one losing in terms of lightning. Her hand was the first to go numb as she ended up leaping back to regain some distance.


    "Wait. I have a lot of questions. Let''s talk about this!" Anna tried to stop her, but thetter didn''t care and simply charged at her.


    "There is no need to talk. Weren''t you like that in the past too? You killed anyone who disagreed with you even if they were innocent people!" The original Anna shouted.


    Anna grabbed the original Anna''s hands, trying to stop her. Their lightning once again sparked, but the result remained the same. Anna was the one losing.


    "It''s useless. No matter how many times you use it, your lightning won''t be stronger than mine. You can''t even use the lightning from the Thunder Berserker Spirit perfectly, you''re not worthy of that body!"


    Anna gritted her teeth, enduring the pain in her hands. The original Anna''s lightning was more violent than hers. It was truly the lightninging from a berserker. Unlike the current Anna who had refined her control, the original Anna focused on the explosive power of that lightning.


    "I''m not going to give you back this body."


    "You freaking intruder. How dare you upy my body?! You even ended up falling for him!"


    "I know that I upy your body, but he is not our enemy anymore!"


    "You may be right. But that''s because of you! My current enemy is you!" The original Anna red. Her eyes were filled with a lot of anger. "I will defeat you here and take over your body. After that, you won''t be able to leave this ce and see how I will steal your man! The only thing you can do is witness everything from this ce."


    "You!" Anna gritted her teeth. She never thought she would be this angry to ''herself.'' The lightning around her body began to be even more violent as she let out a roar. "Aaaahhhh!"


    The original Anna also released her lightning at full intensity. But, surprisingly, they were equal this time.


    "I have been waiting for this chance. I have trained myself to reach a level where I can defeat you." The original Anna was distorted as if her anger had begun to take over. Her physical ability and her lightning became even stronger.


    Anna started losing and even took a step back. If this continued, the original Anna would definitely overpower her.


    As the original Anna said, it appeared that she had been training in this ce for a long time without her knowing. Everything was for the sake of defeating her soul here so that she could take over the body.


    However, the thought of her helplessly watching how her real body acts like nothing happened and Noel falling for the ''same'' Anna caused her to feel so much pain in her chest.


    "I am not going to let you!" Anna gritted her teeth. She withstood the pain and neutralized the lightning.


    At the same time, Anna couldn''t help but think about what the original Anna had been watching this whole time. How did she feel when her body was taken over by her? She must be feeling the same thing as her.


    On the one hand, Anna wanted to be selfish and chose to remain the one controlling the body. On the other hand, Anna could somehow understand this hatred.


    If it was the previous her, she might not be able to calm herself so quickly. And Noel''s training seemed to bear some fruit, considering she could imagine all the possibilities that the original Anna experienced.


    Anna said, "You should know that it''s because I took over your body that everything started going better, right?"


    "So, should I thank you for kicking me out of my own body?"


    "No. What I''m trying to say is that it''s better if we talk about it. In the past, I''ve been incapable of acknowledging my faults. You should know that now it''s different."


    "If you acknowledge your fault, then switch with me. You have done enough!"


    "No way. I''m not going to let you get Noel! I, too, have a dream that I want to fulfill."


    "Because of your damn actions, I can no longer see him as an enemy. However, it doesn''t mean that I can''t bully him."


    "Do you think you can do it? He is not that kind of person."


    "That''s why you should give me that body. I will show you that I''m capable of doing so. You just have to push him down and get the deeds done until he can''t do it anymore! Even though your soul is older, your actions are too pure. You old hag!"


    "What did you say?!"


    Both Annas started applying their strength to show their anger. None of them was nning to give up.


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit, on the other hand, remained silent. In fact, it looked like he was amused when watching these two girls fight.


    They might be different, but they are derived from the same person. So, it was like they were fighting each other for someone.


    There was another reason why he actually trained the original Anna''s soul in this ce. And Anna seemed to have realized it, albeit the original Anna prevented her from thinking about it.


    "You¡­" The original Anna started to get annoyed.


    "What are you? You are me." Anna frowned. "My offer still stands. Let''s talk about this. It will be nice if we can reach an agreement."


    "Don''t talk like you are above me!" The original Anna shouted.


    "Because I am!" Anna shouted back as she tried to kick the original Anna. Thetter avoided it, but they ended up releasing each other.


    Both Annas lowered their hands as they formed a sword.


    Cling!


    Even though the original Anna was different, she had watched and felt how Anna used her weapon, so she started using everything she had experienced.


    A series of clicking sounds reverberated. In just five seconds, they had exchanged ten blows with no one gaining an advantage over the other.


    Anna couldn''t help but remember the first time she met Noel. The anger might not be as intense, but their action was a bit simr. In the past, she overwhelmed Noel, but this time, she couldn''t suppress the original Anna.


    That was why she tried another approach.


    She asked out loud, "Thunder Berserker Spirit. Why did you train her?"


    "Is there a problem? Both of you are my contractors, so I don''t think it''s a problem, right?" The spirit nonchntly replied as though it wasn''t a big deal.


    "Mhm?!" Anna widened her eyes in shock as if that answer had given her a realization. When she thought about it, both of them had the Thunder Berserker Spirit, one body, but two souls.


    Normally, people only had one spirit, one soul, and one body. Noel might have two spirits, but Anna realized that she had now be something simr to Noel, but the difference was two souls.


    In the first ce, two spirits would allow Noel to have two Spiritual Energy Reserve. In that case, what would two souls give?


    That realization actually gave her a shock and caused her to be distracted for a split second.


    "An opening!" The original Anna hurriedly kicked Anna''s hands, knocking them up. After that, she tried to sh her apart, but Anna skillfully rotated her de, stopping it at thest second.


    The original Anna didn''t give up and she hurriedly caught her before pushing her down. Her hand tried to reach for Anna''s face before electrocuting her, but Anna blocked that hand with her other elbow.


    Even though Anna was pinned to the ground, it didn''t seem that the original Anna gained that much advantage.


    In fact, this allowed Anna to ask out loud, "Thunder Berserker Spirit. If having two spirits allows you to have two times the Spiritual Energy Reserve, what happens if you have two souls in one body?"


    "!!!" The original Anna hesitated for a moment, allowing Anna to take advantage of that opening to kick her. She then stood back up as the battle stopped at a standstill.


    It seemed that the original Anna was actually curious about the same thing. She had just never thought about it.


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit smiled as though he had been waiting for this question. "The spirit only resides in one''s body. Why do you think so?"


    "It''s to create all the essentials like Spiritual Energy Reserve as well as the bridge that connects the spirit and the human, Assimtion." The original Anna answered.


    "Correct. Then, what happens when there are two spirits residing in your body?"


    "That''s¡­." The original Anna contemted while Anna answered, "I heard it from Noel. The bridge that connects the spirit and the human is the Spirit Seal. If we have two spirits, we will receive two spirit seals, or two bridges. This also applies to the reserves."


    "You will basically be able to reach the limit twice. After all, the spirits are contracted to the bodies, not souls or anything else. In that case, what do you think about the soul? There is a spirit with a soul. You have witnessed such a person and I think you have understood a bit about the soul. So, what is the soul''s role in your body?"


    Both Annas fell into deep thought this time.


    What was actually the role of the soul? They had never thought about it. They tried to connect the Spirit Seal, Spiritual Energy Reserve, Soul, Body, and their lives.


    What did they actually learn regarding the spirits? Was there something rted to the soul? Or had they just never thought it was rted?


    Seeing their confused expression, the Thunder Berserker Spirit gave another hint. "One of you already has them, but the other hasn''t formed them."

 Chapter 931 Think

    "One of you already has them, but the other hasn''t formed them."


    "Huh?!" Both Annas were dumbfounded by that hint. On the one hand, they thought they were the ones who had it. On the other hand, two of them had been developing in a different kind of situation. So, they didn''t know which one had formed them.


    Still, the original Anna didn''t think she had created something, since the only thing she did was learn how to control her lightning ording to the Thunder Berserker Spirit.


    So, the one who might have formed them was Anna.


    The moment she came to the realization, the original Anna looked at her with envy. That expression was the only thing that Anna needed to finally understand the spirit''s words.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ Spirit Practitioner all the way to Spirit Grandmasters? I mean, the power that''s given to each stage?" Anna gasped.


    The original Anna''s body trembled. Because Anna took over the body, the original Anna had never raised her strength above the Spirit Apprentice Level. In other words, the only thing she had was the awakening of her spirit.


    In other words, if she took over the body, she would be able to receive the benefit of Spirit Practitioner, allowing her to manifest her own Spiritual Energy. Then, her body would break through once again to Spirit Wielder and increase the efficiency of her Spiritual Energy.


    Still, the most terrifying thing was the Spirit Master and Spirit Grandmaster. As a Spirit Master, she would start assimting with the spirit and create the Spirit Heart.


    After that, she would form the Spirit Mind as a Spirit Grandmaster.


    If the original Anna gained all of them, Anna''s body would have two Spirit Hearts and two Spirit Minds. And the same applied when she reached Spirit Transcendence if not Spirit King.


    The Spirit Heart allowed her to pump out the Spiritual Energy, so having two would allow her to pump out twice the amount. With that amount, Anna would have a lot of ways to utilize it or even create an even stronger technique. A technique that had never existed in the current timeline.


    And with two Spirit Minds, things like her control, recovery, and other benefits from the Spirit Minds would be two times more powerful.


    In other words, Anna might not be able to reach Noel''s level in the future due to the amount of Spiritual Energy Reserve in his body. But the power that she produced might rival his.


    This was probably the thing that the Moon Goddess was talking about. The only way she wouldn''t lose against Noel.


    But when that thought appeared, Anna couldn''t help but fall into deep thought.


    On the one hand, it would be beneficial for Anna to allow the original Anna to take over the body and create all that stuff. On the other hand, there was no guarantee that she would allow Anna to return to the main body.


    In fact, she didn''t know how the takeover process would go. Even if she were more powerful, there was a chance that the original Anna would take this chance to do something irreversible.


    Both Annas were staring at each other. They each had their own conflicting thoughts.


    The original said, "It seems that I have no choice but to do it. This is also beneficial for the body, so give your body to me, and I''ll make you even stronger."


    "Do you think I will believe you?" Anna gritted her teeth. "You clearly wanted to destroy my soul earlier. If I cease to exist, it means that your soul can go to the surface and control the body."


    "That''s my body, not yours." The original Anna red at her. She deserved the body because it was originally hers. However, without the current Anna, there was no way she would achieve all this.


    In fact, history might repeat itself.


    It was at this time a question appeared in her mind. ''Why would Noel send me into the past instead of himself?''


    ''If Noel knew about this benefit, he would practically be someone no one could rival. He would get two souls and two spirits.''


    ''Wait a minute. Is such a thing allowed? I mean, the spirits are contracted to the body. The souls are creating Spirit Hearts and Minds for the body. If he has all that, what will happen to his body? Will it be able to withstand all that pressure?''


    ''Did Noel send me to the past¡­ I mean, this timeline, not because he wanted it, but because he couldn''t use it on himself?''


    Something was amiss. If Noel was this selfish, there was no need for Noel to train her in all those dangerous situations.


    She found another clue, but she was still missing a few pieces of information to know the reason for her rebirth.


    Anna took a deep breath before asking the Thunder Spirit. "What is the requirement for taking over the body? Is it to eliminate the other soul? If that''s the case, why would I take over when I haven''t eliminated her soul in the past?"


    The original Anna furrowed her eyebrows as if she didn''t like that question.


    The spirit replied, "Taking over is as simple as allowing the other to take over. Since you are currently in charge, you just have to give permission to the others. When she is in charge, she will have to do the same.


    "Of course, there are two other ways. The first one would be to eliminate the other soul. But if this is the case, everything you''ve built so far will disappear. If she takes over right now, she might be able to experience the power of a Spirit Grandmaster and immediatelyplete the assimtion as well as form the Spirit Mind and Heart.


    "But if she eliminates you here, she will have to start again from the very bottom."


    "What?!" The original Anna shouted. It seemed she didn''t know that she would be crippled if she eliminated the other soul. Wouldn''t this mean Anna could just kill her without any consequences?


    What the original Anna didn''t know was the importance of herself to Anna. The only way to keep up with Noel was to allow two souls to exist in one''s body.


    It could be said that she would have two personalities in everyone''s eyes. But the risk she would have to take the moment she did this was insurmountable.


    "It seems that you haven''t told us all of them."


    The spirit smiled. "Thest way is to form a contract¡­ a soul contract."


    "Soul Contract?!" Both Annas recognized it as this was what the Sword Saint performed to stop her from prying Noel''s secret.


    But the Sword Saint had passed away. There was no way she could ask him for a soul contract, meaning that there was no way to go with this path. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "No, wait. There is one more person." Anna gasped. She remembered that there was actually one person who could perform the soul contract.


    The Sword Saint''s swordsmanship was unique because of the spirit he had. And the one who could inherit his swordsmanship would be the one who had the same spirit. In other words, the person Anna was looking for was the Sword Saint''s sessor, Old Ru''s grandson.


    If she just allowed the original Anna to take over the body, it would be too reckless. So, the only safe way to do it was through the soul contract. This might be the only way to reap the benefits of having two souls.


    But that also meant she had to share her consciousness with the original Anna.


    Even though the original Anna wasn''t Noel''s enemy anymore after learning about the truth, it felt like she would betray Noel by allowing her to go out. After all, this was the Anna he hated.


    However, Anna could actually see that the original Anna had been affected by her experience and feelings for Noel. The original Anna might have fallen for Noel, but because she still retained her original memory, she would have a harder time epting that fact.


    Anna faced one dilemma. This problem was intriguing yetplicated.


    If she allowed the original Anna toe out and bond with Noel, would that be considered cheating? But it was with herself. Anna had never wanted to share Noel with anyone else, but it was herself, so they were basically the same person.


    Their feelings and the things they experienced influenced each other.


    This was aplicated matter for Anna. On the one hand, she wanted to solve everything by herself. On the other hand, the solution was actually ''herself.''


    If they worked together, they could reach a height that no one had ever seen before.


    Anna looked at the original and asked, "Hey, you said earlier that you''re going to steal my man. But you are me, and I am you, right? If that''s the case, does it count as stealing?"


    "That does¡ª" The original Anna wanted to rebuke her as it really didn''t matter. But as Anna thought, the original Anna had been affected by Anna''s experience and feelings. It had reached the point where the original Anna thought Noel was already hers. "¡­matter?"


    Because of Anna''s transformation as well as Noel''s training, both Annas turned into thinkers. They stopped for a moment just to wonder about the philosophical question.


    "I have always thought that Noel is mine," The original Anna muttered. "If you are in my position, you will understand how I feel. All those experiences and memories we have created together are real to the point where I believe they are mine instead of yours."


    "So, it''s like that? If we are the same person, does that mean it''s not? But we have different personalities. Wait! If we have two different personalities, why do both of us think like this?"


    "That''s¡­" the original Anna couldn''t answer that question. She had integrated the habit from Anna''s experience. So, when she took over, Anna would also get affected by her own personality habits.


    "This doesn''t make sense." Anna rubbed her cheeks embarrassedly, not being able to think of the answer.


    "But it is really important. I''m confused. Even though you are from a different timeline, you are still me. The only thing that separates us is the experience you have in that timeline, but I have also absorbed that memory, so we both have the same memory and experience."


    "This is hard."


    "It is hard indeed."


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit was watching them from afar. He had a smile on his face as he found this amusing. Anna''s change had truly made this matter even more interesting. And the original Anna also responded in the same way Anna would respond. They looked exactly the same, just with a little different personality.


    He couldn''t help but wonder about the conclusion of their thoughts.

 Chapter 932 Trust

    The original Anna said, "Even if we are the same, we are still two souls. If you are controlling the body, I have no choice but to stay here."


    "The same applies if you control the body." Anna agreed as her expression turned grim. However, Anna still didn''t lose some hope and asked again, "Thunder Berserker Spirit. I have a question for you. Is it necessary for two souls to exist to form a pair of Spirit Minds and Hearts?"


    The Thunder Berserker Spirit surprisingly shook his head. "I don''t know the answer to that question. If you want to know, you should ask someone who has the power of soul."


    "¡­" Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. On the one hand, the simple solution would be creating an agreement between them. On the other hand, she couldn''t be careless because there was a chance she wouldn''t be able to control the body anymore.


    It appeared that they only had one choice. Before doing anything, she had to consult Old Ru''s grandson before doing anything else.


    ''Wait a moment.'' Anna came to another realization. ''In the past, Noel visited Old Ru alone and gained a lot of benefits, including his grandson. At first, it looked like he was training under Noel, butter, I found out that there was an agreement between them.


    ''That agreement¡­ is it as simple as training?'' Anna emphasized the fact that she visited Old Ru with Noel in this life. Due to this change, Anna could actually go back to meet Old Ru as he already knew her.


    What if Noel had predicted that she would have two souls and the future him would be introducing Anna to Old Ru? What if the Sword Saint''s sessor was actually a hint from Noel? What if everything was within Noel''s n?


    The moment she thought about it, she came to another conclusion. Noel had never done something meaningless, so there was definitely a hidden intention. And to find it, he might have to revisit Old Ru''s ce.


    She didn''t forget that Old Ru''s ce was also where the former Ardagan Family stood firm until the invasion of the Demon King. So, she had enough reason to leave.


    Still, Noel would definitely be worried, considering this trip would be extremely dangerous. She might have to go alone.


    The original Anna seemed to be thinking about something. Now that she had the chance, Anna gradually disappeared as though she was trying to return to reality.


    "Huh?!" The original Anna was startled. She hurriedly released her power and tried to catch her. "Where do you think you''re going?!"


    Unfortunately, she was toote. Anna had disappeared, leaving a message. "We''ll talkter."


    "You¡­" The original Anna gritted her teeth. She never thought that Anna would be so despicable.


    Even the Thunder Berserker Spirit didn''t expect Anna to run away. It appeared he had overestimated their simrity.


    He could guess the reason Anna escaped. On the one hand, Anna didn''t want to give up on the possibility of bing stronger. On the other hand, Anna didn''t want to give the original Anna the chance to control the body.


    In the end, if the original Anna controlled her, Anna had to watch everything. Even if their senses synchronized, controlling the body and watching the body were still two different things.


    That was why Anna returned to reality as quickly as possible. She had found the source of the problem, so it would be better to fix it even if she was deemed as a coward by the other Anna.


    As soon as Anna opened her eyes, Noel had just closed the door. It seemed that he was going to pretend that he was unable to move.


    "Did I interrupt you? Sorry." Noel apologized, oblivious to what had just happened to Anna.


    Anna didn''t know why but there was another emptiness in her heart. She followed her instinct and jumped off the bed so that she could hug Noel.


    "Huh?" Noel was stunned. While their rtionship was pretty intimate, it wasn''t at this level. "Anna? What''s wrong?"


    Anna just buried her face on Noel''s chest and hugged him as tightly as possible. When she thought about not being able to do this and watched the other her do something like this with Noel, she felt horrible and jealous.


    In fact, it might be because she could meet Noel right after opening her eyes that the feeling was even stronger.


    "I''m just thinking what will happen if I disappear and am unable to do this anymore. Maybe I have taken everything for granted¡­" Anna said with a sad tone.


    Noel was confused, but he could feel her worries from her shaking voice and trembling hands.


    It looked like she was truly concerned about it.


    Because he didn''t know the two souls, Noel thought Anna was worried that he would lose his life and was unable to apany her anymore.


    He hugged her back and stroked her hair. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, but don''t worry. I will be here for you. As long as I have even an ounce of strength in my body left, I will not let you disappear."


    Anna wanted to tell him about the two souls, but she realized that it was her problem. Noel would have a conflicting thought when he learned that there was another soul within the body and it was the one who caused his family''s demise.


    Even though they were the same, the soul who had been spending time with him was the current Anna.


    So, she didn''t want him to worry. Of course, she nned to tell this to Noel, but after she discussed the problem with Old Ru and his grandson.


    "Noel."


    "Yeah?"


    "I want to request something from you."


    "Sure. Just tell me about it."


    "If I say I want to go back to Old Ru''s ce to do something, will you let me go?"


    Noel''s body shook. The answer was obvious, but because of Anna''s strange action, there might be another problem that he wasn''t aware of.


    As much as he didn''t want anything to happen to Anna during the journey, it would be disrespectful to her if he rejected her request right away. It would look like he was a tyrant in the family. Hence, he asked, "Can you give me a reason?"


    "I can''t tell you anything yet. But after this trip, I feel like I will be able to tell you the truth. All I can say is that¡­ this is the only way for me to be able to stand beside you for the rest of my life. I want to be the strongest woman in history, not the essory to let you shine even brighter."


    Noel fell silent for a moment. On the one hand, he would like to go with her. On the other hand, the territory would crumble without his existence.


    Dimitri might be able to apany her, but he had a lot of work to do.


    After some careful thoughts, Noel said, "If I say Dimitri will apany you¡ª"


    Noel didn''t even finish his words and Anna already replied, "I don''t mind. I know that you are worried about me. But if Dimitri goes with me, it means that no one takes care of the workers¡­"


    "I will be the one handling that problem."


    "But you are already overworking yourself right now. If you take on Dimitri''s job¡­"


    "It''ll be fine. This is the only way I can send you without worry¡­"


    "¡­" Anna fell silent for a moment before asking, "What if I ask Damian? Damian should be standing by in the north, right?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel thought for a moment before saying, "Alright. Go with Dimitri and negotiate with Damian. Even if he gives you a ridiculous price, just agree to it. I will definitely pay it as long as it can keep you safe."


    Anna felt blessed. She was still uncertain what to do with the original Anna''s soul, but she knew that Noel would be on her side.


    She felt bad that she couldn''t tell him about everything, but she hoped that the matter could be solved as quickly as possible.


    Anna couldn''t help but look up and give a little kiss on his lips. She remembered what the original Anna said previously. She was too innocent in terms of rtionship because her life had always revolved around the sword.


    Those words made her think it would be alright if she wished for more and became more proactive.


    "!!!" Noel waspletely stunned, never thinking Anna would do something like this. Despite the brief touch of her lips, Noel could feel the anxiety and worry in her heart.


    ''I will be bolder and more honest when I return. Sorry that I can''t tell you everything right now¡­'' thought Anna before giving her best smile to assure him that everything was going to be alright. She said, "Please wait a bit more, alright?" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Noel''s body tensed up, but there was nothing he could do. The highest respect he could give her at this moment was to trust her.


    "Yes. I will wait for you here. But please don''t push yourself too far. Even if it''s not going to work right now, I can definitely apany you after the Supreme Devil Organizationunches their attack. We still have a lot of time."


    "I know." Anna nodded furiously.


    As the atmosphere between them became awkward, they could feel the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy on the back of the mansion.


    "!!!" Both of them hurriedly turned around and reached for the windows, trying to see what happened.


    They saw the Sword Arbiter pinning someone on the ground with his body while his sword almost shed this person''s neck.


    "Who are you?" The Sword Arbiter asked with a strict tone, his eyes were oozing killing intent as if indirectly telling him that if he didn''t talk, he would slit his throat.


    "Don''t kill me. I''m here to deliver the message from the Third Prince."

 Chapter 933 Messenger

    "Don''t kill me. I''m here to deliver the message from the Third Prince."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna exchanged looks and immediately returned to the bed as if they had a hard time moving.


    As soon as the Sword Arbiter knew this person''s identity, he replied, "You should know that both of them are still gravely injured after fighting me, right?"


    "I''m sorry, Sir. I''m only here to pass the message."


    "¡­" The Sword Arbiter frowned. On the one hand, Noel had known that the Third Prince would take this opportunity to make him overwork himself. On the other hand, Noel had recovered most of his injuries.


    He had made enough ruckus, so Noel should have heard about him and began his acting. Hence, the only thing he needed to do was sheathe his sword and say, "Follow me."


    "Yes, Sir." The messenger had three objectives when infiltrating the city. The first was to deliver the message to Noel. The second purpose would be to observe the Sword Arbiter''s action to see whether it was possible or not to take down this city. Thest?objective was to observe rune technology.


    He was quite surprised by the third one and was ready to report it to the Third Prince. However, if the Third Prince forced Noel to hand the technology to him, Noel might use this chance to cut ties with him.


    Hence, the message wouldn''t be rted to technology.


    The Sword Arbiter led the messenger through the main hallway just to buy some more time for Noel.


    Eventually, both of them had reached the room where Noel and Anna were taken care of. Anna looked like she was sleeping while Noel was sitting on the bed while reading something. His face was pale and his body was covered with bandages.


    Because of the appearance of the Moon Temple, the Third Prince was in a rush since the longer Noel stayed with the Moon Temple, the more he would recover. After all, the Moon Temple had its own healer.


    After observing Noel''splexion, the messenger opened his mouth. "I am the messenger of the Third Prince. I''m here to pass his message to you."


    "¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "I''m still in this condition. Do you think I have time to do anything else?"


    "I apologize, Sir. I''m only here to pass his message." The messenger shook his head, but he was happy that Noel''s condition didn''t seem to be much better. It seemed that the Sword Arbiter had injured them so severely that even with a healer, it would still take a long time for him to recover. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "I''ll listen to his message for now." Noel finally agreed and gave him permission to speak.


    The messenger said, "ording to our information, there is a weird demon activity west of this city. The demons are most likely to build their nest in that ce and will attack this city again in the near future. It''s best to eliminate them right now."


    "¡­" Noel let out a long sigh. "Do you think I''m in a shape that is capable of doing so?"


    "Do you want me to eliminate those demons?" The Sword Arbiter smirked, confident in his ability to eliminate all of them. "In exchange, I stay in this ce a few days less. The city will be safe with that saintess here."


    The messenger tensed up. The purpose of this message was to have Noel injure himself further, so if the Sword Arbiter was the one going, it would ruin the entire n.


    That was why the messenger added, "The Sword Arbiter is forbidden to move. The Royal Family is turning a blind eye to your actions because you are staying in this ce. But if you go out in a direction other than your territory, the Royal Family is going to take action."


    Duke Lorelei narrowed his eyes. "Since when the Third Prince was working with the Royal Family?"


    "I''m merely conveying the word of my master. As for the depth of his connection, I''m as blind as you, Sir. The Sword Arbiter is respected as the number one Arbiter. The reasons other Arbiters don''t visit this city is because of your existence."


    "Huh?!" Duke Lorelei stepped forward, ring sinisterly as though he were about to kill him.


    "Please wait, Duke Lorelei." Noel suddenly opened his mouth. "While it''s true that the Royal Family will frown upon your action as soon as you make a move, it doesn''t mean that there is a need to act. In the end, Lounstein is a new territory filled with demons. I''m the one governing the territory. Do you think I will just go to subjugate some demons just because someone tells me to?


    "I do respect the Third Prince, but this is my territory. So, please choose your words carefully or else, your head will roll even if you are a messenger." Noel pressured the messenger even further.


    The messenger actually expected this rejection. The conversation had been going ording to the Third Prince''s n. The Third Prince already knew that Noel wouldn''t move without an incentive. And with the Rune Technology and multiple Grandmasters, Noel wouldn''t be afraid to go against the Third Prince.


    Hence, the Third Prince told him this next part.


    "It appears that the Supreme Devil Organization is behind the recent demon activity. There is a high possibility that they are creating a base around this area. There is a possibility that they are going to massacre the surrounding viges. It''s better to take them right away."


    "Supreme Devil Organization?" Duke Lorelei was the first one to react. "It is the duty of an Arbiter to maintain the stability of the nation. In that case, I will go to subjugate the Supreme Devil Organization. If the Royal Family scorns me for this, does that mean the Royal Family is working with them?"


    "!!!" The messenger''s heart skipped a beat. To think there was such a reaction from the duke¡ªeven he didn''t expect it. The rtionship between the duke and Noel seemed to be a bit stronger than they originally expected.


    On the one hand, if one was good at politics and big enough to understand the entire kingdom''s operation, they would know that the Royal Family was connected to the Supreme Devil Organization in one way or another. On the other hand, the nobles didn''t really do anything unless they were harming their territory.


    So, it was quite surprising to find Duke Lorelei reacting so fiercely.


    "Please wait, Duke Lorelei. I''m thankful that you''d like to help, but this is my territory. If I let you, Duke Lorelei, subjugate the evils in my territory, it''s the same as showing my weakness. For the subjugation, it''s better for me to go personally."


    "But¡­ your condition!" Duke Lorelei looked concerned because he was the one inflicting those wounds.


    "I am aware of my body''s situation. That''s why I''m nning to bring the saintess with me. The Saintess won''t be dealing with anything other than demons, so the Supreme Devil Organization will be subjugated by me. Even if we fail, the saintess can protect me and allow me to return to this city safely. While I can''t move and my inside is still a mess, I should be able to use my Spiritual Energy to defeat my enemies."


    Duke Lorelei didn''t look convinced, but Noel''s eyes were pleading with him to ept the circumstances.


    "But¡­ if you use your power, your injury¡­" Duke Lorelei clenched his fists.


    "I know that, but this is the only way." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    The Third Prince actually used the Supreme Devil Organization as bait to force Noel to use his power. However, this would make him look bad because it was the same as endangering Noel.


    Due to this threat, Noel had no choice but to act immediately before the Supreme Devil Organization noticed. And there was a possibility that the clue he would get from that ce would link to another ce, which caused him to move around for a few days and worsened his injury.


    He obviously expected Noel to be annoyed even though the Third Prince was merely giving Noel some information.


    That was why the messenger had onest message to make the Third Prince look a bit better in this situation.


    "To congratte Earl Ardagan for bing a noble, the Third Prince is giving you this important information. Not far from the target, there seems to be a giant building from the previous civilization. It''s most likely that the Supreme Devil Organization is building the base there in order to explore this ruin. They are using the numerous demons to create a barrier that pushes you away.


    "You are the one who discovered the fact that they are able to work with demons. So, there''s a high chance for them to enter this building and extract all kinds of things with their secret technique.


    "We have investigated this ce before. It appears to be a building with a lot of different things. There is a big hall with a lot of food items. On the other side of the building, there are a few machines that still work. Most of them have decayed or be rusty, but some are still preserved.


    "I believe this ce might allow you to get something your territory might need in the future. It''s best to hurry before the Royal Family uses the subjugation as an excuse to floor your territory, especially with spies."


    The Third Prince''s information made sense. The buildings from the previous civilizations were definitely interesting, considering they contained a lot of mysterious items. It was especially true for bigger ces. Noel had learned it during the expedition with the Demon Banner Army.


    Still, this ce was extremely dangerous due to the numerous demons inside it.


    If Noel took too long to subjugate this ce, the Royal Family might get involved. If they sent people here as well as the Demon Banner Army, they could mix the forces with some spies. It might even give them a chance to enter Noel''s main city.


    The messenger seemed happy when he saw Noel carefully consider the message. The Third Prince gave him onest weapon to cause Noel to agree.


    "ording to our information, there is no Superior Demon, but there are a lot of Peak Level Demons. Their number should reach one thousand. His Highness will stop the Royal Family for one and a half months. If you can''t do it by then, the Royal Family might use this opportunity to invade."


    The Third Prince looked generous. If the Third Prince said there was a Superior Demon, Noel wouldn''t take the bait. That was why there were only Peak Level Demons, but with enough Peak Level Demons, Noel would have to overwork himself. Even if he didn''t die, his injuries would just get worse.


    Noel had no other choice but to do this. The Sword Arbiter was agitated by this obvious move, but he couldn''t really do anything to stop Noel.


    Noel said, "Alright. Thank you for the information. We''ll subjugate the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization in five days."


    "Sir, I''m afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization will be able to realize your intention if you wait that long."


    "Then, two days. At least, I have to wait until my fiancee passes the critical condition. You surely don''t want to cause my fiancee to die, right?" Noel squinted his eyes.


    "No!" The messenger furiously shook his head to avoid angering Noel. "I will convey your reply to his highness."


    "Go." Noel waved his hand with an annoyed expression.


    The messenger bowed to him and immediately left the building. The messenger was overjoyed, thinking, ''His highness is awesome. Even that prodigy can''t do anything butply. With this, he will be in critical condition for weeks if not months.''


    He was ready to convey everything he had found to the Third Prince.


    Unbeknownst to him, Anna was actually holding herughter the whole time. When the messenger was gone, Anna burst out loud. "Ahahahaha. I can''t! He will definitely think that we have no choice but to ept that idea."


    The Sword Arbiter shook his head. "To think you expect the Third Prince to use the Supreme Devil Organization as bait. Still, the building from the previous civilization, huh?"


    "I have investigated it. Not that much, but I''m already aware of its existence. Considering the Third Prince is using the Supreme Devil Organization as bait, it''s clear that he''s also working with them. So, he must have used that secret technique to enter the building and take everything important. I guess this is the downside of having visited by the Moon Temple. The messenger arrived a few days earlier than I expected. Noel sighed.


    "They are too wary of them. Either way, the building is precious, right?"


    "Yeah. I don''t care about the items, but the building itself can be a lot of inspiration for Rune Technology. I''m thinking about using it as a base to create Rune Technology. Of course, you will be my priority, Duke."


    "Haha. You''re making this even harder for me." Duke Lorelei chuckled. "But don''t worry about this city. As long as I''m still here, it won''t fall."


    "Thanks." Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "Now, how much am I going to make them believe?"

 Chapter 934 Logistics

    "I see. So, he is going to make his move. Even though the Moon Temple is going to get involved, it should be enough as long as he exerts his body excessively." The Third Prince heard the report from his subordinate and contemted.


    "Should we set up an ambush?" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "There''s no need. I thought that he could be my sword, but it seems that the sword is trying to hurt its own master." The Third Prince crossed his arms. "The Supreme Devil Organization has set up the ambush. Even if it''s not enough to kill him, it should be enough to cause him some injuries. This way, he won''t be able to recover for a few months."


    "Then, what should we do with the Sword Arbiter? It seems that his rtionship with him is quite good."


    "While the Sword Arbiter is an upright man, he is still a noble. He should understand the current politics and there''s no way he would risk everything just to help him. For now, monitor the situation and make sure the Sword Arbiter doesn''t leave the city. As for the Royal Family, I will be the one dealing with them."


    "Understood." The messenger acknowledged the order and immediately excused himself.


    In that instant, an old man appeared behind the Third Prince, saying, "The Supreme Devil Organization has be a bit too rampant. To think they dare to order your highness¡­"


    "That''s enough. For now, the Supreme Devil Organization is useful to us. You should know what will happen if Noel Ardagan is left alive. When he bes a Spirit Transcendence, no one will be able to fight him anymore."


    "The Marshall, the Commander and the Devil Saint might be able to contend with them, but the Commander had a favorable impression on Noel. So, there were only two of them that might be able to suppress Noel. But it would be a different case with Anna in the picture." The old man nodded in agreement.


    "That''s right. There is also the rune. To think that the rune can be applied to our daily lives, this is going to be huge. While he is not as good as his father as a merchant, he has a rune. The technology he produced alone is enough to make him the wealthiest."


    "So, your highness is nning to get both him and his wealth?"


    "Yes. He is a man who will surpass his father, so that should be enough to reinstate my position as the true owner of the throne. However, I have to find a way to control him and take everything before he grows too strong."


    "So, after your highness gets the throne, you will eliminate him?"


    "Of course. I don''t n on having someone I can''t control by my side." The Third Prince thought for a moment. "Although it''s a bit early, we''ll begin the fourth phase."


    "Understood." The old man received his order and immediately disappeared.


    The Third Prince''s expression became cold as he muttered, "This world shall be mine."


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Noel was discussing his n with the Sword Arbiter. While he couldn''t fully trust the Sword Arbiter, he could still control his desire to gain the loyalty of Duke Lorelei for a few months.


    Noel said, "Anna. You''re going to join meter."


    Anna looked at the map and pointed at the vige south of their city. "I''m assuming that they are going to make clues from the supposed base to this vige before going to the opposite side. This way, you will have to move so much that you end up getting some internal injuries, right?"


    "Yeah. So, you should join me at that time."


    "I understand." Anna nodded and turned to the Sword Arbiter. "But what will he do?"


    Noel pointed at the window. "Of course. I''m pretty sure that if anyone wants to act, it''s the best time. I''m pretty sure there will be people trying to steal the technology."


    "Don''t worry. As long as I''m here, no one can steal them. After all, I''ve got the dibs on it first." Duke Lorelei chuckled. "Besides, it''s not like anyone can study it just by seeing it, no?"


    "Well, I have created anotheryer to protect the rune to be copied. While it''s made of unique technique, the rune can be copied. I know it''s going to spread sooner orter, but I''m nning to monopolize it for the time being."


    "Alright. You can leave this city to me." Duke Lorelei agreed with the arrangement. The duke noticed that both of them suddenly fell silent as though they were trying to think about something. But actually, they were waiting for the duke to leave.


    Duke Lorelei could see that Noel had a different n, so he shook his head helplessly and turned around. "It''s time for this old man to walk around."


    As soon as the Sword Arbiter left, Noel''s expression turned grim. "I need you to send a letter to Dimitri. ording to my estimate, it''s going tost for five days. With the addition of our rest and the work in this city, we will reach the main city within seven days."


    "Alright. That''s when we open the migration, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "But what''s the name of our city? I mean, it''s hard to call it the main city this whole time."


    "I have thought of the name, but I think it''s better for the city to bepleted first."


    "Well, I just hope it won''t be a bad name." Anna shrugged. "That''s the ce we''re going to live in for the rest of our lives."


    "Of course." Noel chuckled before looking at the map again. "During this expedition, what do you think is the problem?"


    "Have you gotten the agreement from La?"


    "Not yet. But I can convince her. She might bring a few knights as well. So, along with our soldiers, we should have about twenty elite knights and three Grandmasters."


    Anna contemted for a moment. "The purpose of this expedition is not to kill you. In fact, it''s already impossible to kill you the moment La arrives. So, it means that they are going to cause you to unleash so much power that the bacsh will worsen your injuries. And what about those two days and the fact that you don''t want to leave your fiancee in this condition?"


    "Hahaha. You should know why I chose two days, right?"


    "Of course. In two days, we will be fully recovered, so they won''t be able to worsen our injuries if there''s no injury in the first ce. For us, the only problem with this expedition is the logistics." Anna pointed at three ces: the Supreme Devil Organization Base, the Previous Civilization Building, and the route back to the main city.


    "Hoh? Interesting." Noel smiled. He wanted to use this chance to train Anna a bit more, but it seemed that she had grown pretty ustomed to thinking about the possibilities.


    "First of all, once you reach the Supreme Devil Organization Base, they will definitely surround you with demons. The Moon Temple will help us, but it''s not enough. To reach the base, we will have to make our way through numerous demons. So, it will be hard if we bring a cart of supplies with us, causing our supply to be limited.


    "If you don''t mind using Ardagan''s space to provide the water, we can use the demon meat to eat. But if you don''t n to show it, it''s better to reach the river and set up the camp there."


    Noel nodded in agreement before answering, "It''s thetter. The shop in the system is the only weapon to make the Void Arbiter look suspicious. So, I want to use this to sow discord between her and her backers."


    "If that''s the case, you should go to the river. And by the time you destroy their base, they will definitely stall you and release another clue leading to another vige. The supply won''t be a problem at this point, but they might use guerri warfare to injure you, like disguising themselves as a viger and suddenly stab you when you lower your guard."


    "I have my way to solve that issue."


    "In that case, we should move on to the expedition for this building. I believe the Supreme Devil Organization is nning to use the remaining demons that we failed to kill during the first expedition to fill up this ce."


    "Since you won''t be by my side at that time, I''m nning to bring Howard with me. Besides, the Ardagan Family will have a lot more soldiers by then. So, I can do it in one way or another. It''s also good for the soldiers to get some experience."


    "If that''s the case, the most serious problem would be the logistics. To reach the main city, you will have to pass this city and go through this route. It''s hard topletely monitor the entire route, so if the enemies are blocking this route and attacking anyone that passes it, nothing will reach our city. Even with our current supply, we won''tst long, especially during the construction."


    Noel contemted for a moment. "It''s going to be hard to solve this issue, considering the Supreme Devil Organization can just use a few grandmasters to block the route."


    "Yes. If our city is fully developed, we might not need to have anyone standing by over there and the city will still be fine. But right now, at least one Grandmaster should remain in this city. Should we bring the supply from the opposite site?"


    "If we use the Greenwood Kingdom too much, they''re going to start demanding ridiculous things from us." Noel rejected the idea.


    "Then, how are you going to solve it? Most people underestimate the importance of logistics. If our city can''t procure any materials, we won''t be able to develop it. Unlike other cities, we''re at the border, so we only have one route to reach the city."


    Noel also knew that the other cities could be approached from all directions, so even if they wanted to block one route, they could use other routes.


    That was why Noel had one more thing. This was probably the reason why he built the dam and created the water gate. It wasn''t that he was trying to utilize the dam to get water, but he wanted to create a waterway to connect the two cities.


    Unlike the usual road, he could reinforce the ship with a lot of soldiers as well as runes to increase its defensive capability. If he could bring at least a few hundred people on a single trip, the boat would definitely be worth it.


    He pointed at the river and said, "The downstream has a high flow rate, which causes the boat to have a hard time going upstream. However, it will be different if we are the ones using it."


    "Ah! Are you going to use the Enhance Forward Rune to push the boat?"


    "Yeah. It''s a faster way to reach the city and the safest way, so if there are other people that want to use it, we can let them pay a high fee to cover up some costs. And because the river flows across at least five territories, we can use it to open a business." Noel smirked.


    The idea was brilliant. She never thought it would be possible to utilize the river that way. It seemed that Noel had decided that the first dam would be sloppy since he wanted to use it as a weapon, but the second dam would be an extremely sturdy one so that he could control this weapon.


    And with the addition of the ship, he could force the other territories to cooperate with him.


    However, there was one problem. "How are we going to make the boat? Although I don''t want to say it, the boats in the Muivell Kingdom are rather bad in quality."


    "Of course. That''s why we''re going to use another kingdom to make a boat for us. The Greenwood Kingdom has sent us a congrattory gift, right? What about the other kingdoms?"


    "The Atracaeca Kingdom has a bad rtionship with us, but the Zaecuria Kingdom hasn''t arrived because we are still blocking ess to the main city¡­ I see. You''re going to use the Zaecuria Kingdom?" Anna gasped.


    "Exactly. Zaecuria Kingdom is most advanced regarding ships due to the nature of their location. So, once they arrive, we''ll establish a contract to create a ship. Well, I can give a few things to them so that they will be satisfied with the condition and send their craftsmen."


    Anna was dumbfounded. She never thought about utilizing the river at all. As Noel said, reinforcing a ship to bring hundreds of people would be saferpared to patrolling the entirend route.


    She thought logistics would be their biggest problem, but it turned out Noel already had a n in mind to solve the issuepletely.


    However, there was one thing that she was curious about.


    Anna asked, "Noel. I''m not sure if I should say this or not, but in our previous lives, I have never heard anything about you utilizing the water with a ship or something."

 Chapter 935 Ruckus

    "Noel. I''m not sure if I should say this or not, but in the previous life, I have never heard anything about you utilizing the water with a ship or something."


    "Hmm?" Noel thought for a moment. "Well, I''m not very sure about it. There might be a difference in details that you didn''t notice like the connection, the speed, and the value of the runes. Just like how you''re the oneing up with the idea of havingmps with runes, I might have a different idea that ends up causing it to be unable to bepleted or something."


    "Fair enough." Anna nodded. She remembered the exnation about time from the Thunder Berserker Spirit. All those variables were the ones shaping the future.


    "Either way, I want you to focus on the future trip. Injury is not allowed." Noel smirked. "If you''re injured, I''m going to punish you or something."


    "Eh? You''re going to punish an injured person?" Anna rolled her eyes but soonughed. "Then, if Ie back without any injuries, are you going to reward me?"


    "Shouldn''t youpensate me for suddenly leaving?" Noel harrumphed.


    Both of them red at each other beforeughing out loud.


    Noel said, "In any case, I have to prepare for the iing expedition, so I''ll be visiting La. You should remind us here that for the time being, we don''t know if there are other spies or not."


    "Got it."


    ¡­


    Just like how the messenger from the Third Prince had arrived, the message that the Moon Temple had sent to the elders had also arrived.


    In the Moon Temple Headquarters, five people were sitting behind a round table.


    "So, what do you think?" One of thewearing elderly men asked.


    A middle-aged man, who was wearing a knight armor, said, "If there is a technology that can allow us to rece the horses, I think it''s worth it. We have spent a lot of money on a horse, and it''s troublesome since we have to protect the horses. There''s even a chance that they will be killed or injured. Isn''t that right, Archbishop Noah?"


    An old man wearing a red-colored priest robe nodded in agreement. "That''s true. We can direct that resource to another ce. Besides, the report told us that there are other inventions, right? If that''s the case, won''t it mean that we have a chance to find something better? I think I agree with Pdin Lloyd."


    Another elder replied, "Still, mobilizing two pdins and the Saintess itself¡­ It''s too big of a move."


    "You shouldn''t think that way. The Saintess is the backbone of our temple. And if you look at her request, I think I can understand what she wants." Thest elder nodded his head in approval.


    "His request is Pdin Lloyd and Pdin Aurelia. Pdin Lloyd is the calmest one and quite smart, so you might be able to learn a thing or two during your stay there. But the most important thing is Pdin Aurelia. She was a former noble with a high education. If she and the Saintess join hands, they might be able to get important technology from the inventor of the rune." Archbishop Noah pointed at Lloyd. "The question is, do you wish to go?"


    "That''s¡­" Pdin Lloyd fell into deep thought. On the one hand, it would be meddlesome to stay in one city, especially a half-destroyed one. On the other hand, it was reported that the lord was nning to build a water supply that every single house could get without even going out of their house. It made him curious.


    "No. I think there is one most important thing." An elder stopped them with a grim tone. "If we create a new headquarters, the territory is bound to expand. Take a look at the location of Lounstein."


    "Hmm?" Everyone couldn''t help but look at the map. Lounstein was located at the northern border of the Muivell Kingdom. It was situated not that far from the Greenwood Kingdom, which had close ties with Noel.


    And with their help, the territory would expand. If Anna and Noel joined hands and reached Spirit Transcendence or even higher, there was a huge chance that the expansion would be at the scale they never imagined.


    In other words, the Muivell Kingdom''s territory would be so big that it might cause the Lounstein territory to be located in the middle of the kingdom. In other words, the Saintess was gambling on an even far future where Noel and Anna became so strong that they set their eyes to retake thends from the demons.


    Since they invested in Lounstein as quickly as possible, they would definitely be able to reap some of the benefits.


    "Did¡­ the Saintess see this far?" Even an old man like Archbishop Noah felt like his wisdom was inferior to the Saintess.


    "Who knows? We all know that the Saintess is a unique individual. She often looks like an airhead and just a genuinely kind person, but if you know her a bit more, she is like someone who can see the future. I guess that''s the reason why the Moon Goddess took a liking to her."


    "The problem is that Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze have to survive the ordeal. It won''t be easy, considering their enemies are the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization. We won''t take part in that turmoil, but we''ll definitely help him fight the demons. As long as we maintain our neutrality, even if they are defeated, we can still bail out without too much of a loss."


    "So, no one is against creating a headquarters there?"


    "I think that''s fine for now. It''s not like we''re in a hurry."


    "Yeah. We can only go there after a few months, so let''s use these few months to make the necessary preparations."


    "Indeed. In that case, let''s recall Pdin Aurelia and have her be prepared for the next mission."


    When they looked like they had made their decision, someone suddenly mmed open the door while shouting, "Emergency. We got an urgent message from the Saintess!"


    "Huh? What''s going on?" Archbishop Noah stood up. Even Pdin Lloyd was holding his scabbard as if he were ready to fight.


    "The Saintess is about to go on an expedition to kill a lot of demons. And there''s a high chance that it''s rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. The Saintess will take care of the demons and the Earl will be eliminating the organization. She said the expedition would be in two days."


    "What?!" Archbishop Noah trembled. Even for the Saintess, it looked so reckless.


    "Are you kidding me? What the hell is the Saintess thinking?"


    "Does he not know that the Supreme Devil Organization has a lot of Grandmasters and those Devil Saints?!"


    "No. This must be the Earl''s n."


    "But should we send reinforcement? This is still far too reckless."


    Archbishop Noah turned to Pdin Lloyd and asked, "If you use your full speed, can you reach her within two days?"


    "No. We''re too far. Even if I go right now, I still need four days¡­ That''s without rest in between." Pdin Lloyd shook his head. He said, "Wait. Where is Pdin Aurelia right now?"


    "She is¡­" The bishop looked at the map and gasped. "She is in Marquis Havister''s territory. She can fly and if I roughly calcte the distance, she should be able to reach her within one day."


    "Immediately send a fast bird to her location and tell her to directly go to the Saintess! Hopefully, she is enough to help the Saintess¡­ and make sure to restrain that Saintess from doing something like this in the future!"


    "Kh¡­"


    "Hurry!"


    "Y-yes!" The messenger hurriedly rushed to send the message.


    All the people in the room became annoyed due to the recklessness. They never thought the Saintess would do something like this. They hoped the bird was fast enough to reach their pdin.


    "It might tip the power bnce if Pdin Aurelia is there. So¡­" The bishop turned to Lloyd.


    "I know. I will just assemble the volunteers, priests, and knights for the next few months. She requested one branch and one headquarters, right? If that''s the case, how many people do we need?"


    "If we''re talking about a branch¡­ No, let''s make it a bit more special so that it''s like we''re doing them a favor. Send five priests and seventy knights. Depending on the situation, we''ll send a few of them to the main city. As for the headquarters, let''s send eight¡­ no, ten priests and one hundred fifty knights. If possible, ten of them should be spirit masters. We can''t send too much to maintain the power bnce."


    "In that case, I will take care of the preparation. We will measure the city first before calcting the number of volunteers."


    "Alright."


    They finally came to an agreement after the shock the Saintess had given them.


    ¡­


    A few hours ago.


    Noel and La were sitting in front of each other. La was calmly sipping her tea before asking, "So, may I know the reason for you to meet me?"


    "If I say my life is in danger without your help, what would you do?"


    "Noel. The Moon Temple is going to help you, but please remember that we''re here to help your territory, not satisfy your greed." La replied without a change of expression.


    "I guess so." Noel nodded as though he had expected this. "That''s why I came here with a proposal. I''m about to rush to kill a lot of demons and it''s rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. I''d like you to kill the demons while I handle the organization."


    "Hoh? For you to raise such a request, the price that you need to pay is high, you know. After all, the Moon Temple is usually passive and will remain in the city for protection. We are never this aggressive."


    "I know. That''s why I''m going to only ask you, not the Moon Temple. I am making this proposal to La Leinfoth. I will be making you an automatic carriage before we head to the main city. You can test it however you want since it''s yours."


    "Hmm¡­" La fell into deep thought. The offer was quite nice, but it was still too low to change their policy. "I''m afraid I can''t do as you wish. I heard that the Spirit Enchantment is the downgraded version of the rune. They can be used to reinforce things. So, how about making me a personal carriage?"


    "A carriage? You might as well call it a mobile fortress." Noel sighed. "It''s too high."


    "In that case, we will provide the material and assemble it ourselves. You are only responsible for reinforcing it. Of course, we want it to be automatic."


    "The design is slightly different from the normal carriage, so in the end, I have to bring my own expert to make the carriage."


    "Then we will take a step back. Since this will be the gship of our Moon Temple as well aahe symbol of our cooperation, we''ll provide the materials. And during this expedition, I don''t mind receiving only twenty percent of the loot. If that''s not enough to satisfy you, then I will also bring a small elite unit as well as a powerful fighter to help¡­ Hmm, a pdin should be enough, right? And I will y along with that charade of yours."


    "And now, you''re increasing your offer too high. You know that I don''t like debt, right?"


    "Oh my. Was my life worth that little? Without you, I would have died or even been controlled by that demon. How about this? You make this carriage a top priority. That should suffice." Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Noel sighed. "Alright. I will agree to this condition."


    "Also¡­ please beware of nt type demons. You should have witnessed their horrifying uniqueness."


    "Speaking from experience?"


    "Of course. nt type demons are rare because the nts'' consciousness is far too lowpared to animals, so demons have a hard time infecting them. But a high level nt type demon is going to be far more terrifying. The Supreme Devil Organization might have been cultivating them or something. It''s just spection, though."


    "Thank you for the warning."

 Chapter 936 The Start of the Expedition

    "Is everyone ready?" Noel asked while sitting on the carriage. His body was still covered in bandages to the point that he couldn''t even follow the entire group without the help of the carriage.


    Fortunately, this was the time for the automatic carriage that Noel created to show its true might.


    "Yes, Sir." Grandell replied without hesitation. He couldn''t help but nce at the temple knights that were going with them. Unlike the Ardagan Family, who didn''t required to wear armor, the temple knights actually wore full body armor, except for the helm.


    The only reason why the Ardagan Family didn''t have the basic armor was because they were elites. And with the contribution points, they could actually ask for a tailored-made armor. And it didn''t have to be from metal.


    Grandell actually used a coat made of Peak Level Demon''s hide as his armor. It had been reinforced by rune, so it was even sturdier than the armor the temple knight was wearing. In addition, it was easier to move with the coat than the armor.


    The only thing that symbolized the Ardagan Family was the family crest on his chest. That was the only requirement for Noel''s soldiers.


    Of course, Noel had prepared basic armors if he ever recruited normal soldiers.


    "Unfortunately, my pdin seems to be a bitte." La smiled apologetically. Considering the amount of time the bird had to fly to the headquarters before informing their pdin, it would be amazing if the pdin arrived before their departure.


    "That''s fine. In any case, we should get going." Noel nodded. "I will start slow and increase the pace soon."


    Because of her eyes, or more like she used her eyes as the reason to board the carriage with Noel. She wanted to know how Noel utilized the carriage.


    Instead of using demon crystals, Noel infused his own Spiritual Energy to the carriage. The carriage itself was just a four wheel cart that had been modified with a steering wheel. The steering wheel was a simple stick. Noel had just to rotate it to the direction he wanted to go.


    Noel activated the Enhance Forward Rune in the carriage, propelling it forward. The gravity pushed the carriage down and the wheel maintained the bnce, allowing this carriage to behave like a normal one.


    Seeing that their leaders had begun moving, the knights hurriedly followed on foot. They were going to a dangerous area, so it wasn''t wise to bring a horse.


    "I''ve experienced this, but this is quite good." La smiled.


    La might think so, but for the one who created it, the carriage caused him some concern.


    "As expected¡­" Noel looked down. "Unlike the paved road in the city, there will be a lot of bumps in this kind of road. And if the carriage is moving faster than this, it''s going to be extremely ufortable."


    "Oh my. You''re trying to find a solution? I''m looking forward to it."


    "Are you expecting me to give that solution to the carriage I promised you?"


    "You''re not going to?" La looked down with a disappointed expression.


    Noel didn''t bother to reply to her. He muttered inwardly, ''Should I use the Reduce Impact Rune? But it''s going to cost more demon crystals. Should I change the material? But is there any material that can be used to reduce the impact? I might be able to use Reduce Impact Rune for a high-end carriage, but if I''m going to sell the normal one, I need a cheaper alternative.


    ''Besides, ifmon people start using this, I have to create a neww. It can endanger people after all.'' Noel sighed. He should discuss it with the master cksmith in his territory first.


    After contemting for a while, Noel''s focus returned to the carriage. This was the first time he drove one, so he couldn''t help but want to test the brake and the steering wheel.


    He rotated the stick to the left, causing the front wheel to slightly rotate to the left. With the help of the wheel, the entire carriage ended up turning left. This was a bit different from a normal carriage since their front wheels couldn''t rotate like this.


    It could be said that the rotating front wheel made the turn smoother.


    However, Noel could feel the centrifugal force that was trying to knock him to the opposite direction. It was much more powerful than the normal carriage. If he went faster than this, he might be blown away by this force and fall from the carriage.


    That was why he pulled the level on his side, causing the carriage to slow down. The centrifugal force also became much less.


    "Hmmm¡­" Noel frowned. On the one hand, he was satisfied with the performance. On the other hand, there were a few ws with the current design.


    And Roel might be the only one who could fix this problem.


    Thest thing Noel noticed from this carriage was the power it had. That was right, he only used a little Spiritual Energy to drive it forward. But when he looked back, this carriage brought all the supplies they needed in this expedition.


    Despite having so much weight on the back, it could still smoothly move forward. He was concerned about the weight distribution though.


    He wanted to test some theories in his mind, so Noel began forming a rune underneath them, the Reduce Impact Rune.


    As he expected, the moment he bumped into small rocks or uneven soil, the impact reduced significantly. Even if they traveled for a long time, the bump shouldn''t make their butt sore.


    "This has be even more amazing." La also noticed the change. "If we ever use this carriage to transport people or even the injured where we have toy them down, it won''t be as painful."


    La was right. If he needed to lie down in this carriage, the bump might end up killing them if they traveled at high speed.


    There was also an intermediate version of Enhance Forward Rune, which could propel the carriage even faster. But for that, he thought it would be better if he flew in the sky to avoid all the bumps.


    He couldn''t imagine what kind of future rune would bring.


    The knights were quite surprised by the performance of the carriage. This was the first time it roamed outside the city after all.


    If they had this kind of carriage to travel around, the journey wouldn''t be as tiring. They could understand why the Saintess was trying to form a good rtionship with the lord.


    While Noel was supposed to be unable to move around so much, this carriage allowed him to go on an expedition without stressing himself. This was the picture Noel wanted to show to all those people.


    However, their peaceful journey seemed to have been cut short by the appearance of a few demons.


    "My lord." Grandell rushed to his side, still worried about Noel''s injury. "Please leave them to us."


    Noel thought about using his power to kill them and head straight to the river, but it wouldn''t be good if the lord did it while his vassals remained on the back. So, he approved Grandell''s request. "Alright. I''ll leave them to you."


    Unsurprisingly, the temple knights also came forward as if requesting their Saintess so that they didn''t lose to Grandell.


    "You may go. Show the Earl our power." The saintess smiled. Since they were cooperating, she had to show the strength of their temple knights so that it looked like the agreement was worth it.


    All twenty knights came forward, ready to challenge all these demons.


    "Moon Temple, ten knights. We''re ready to assist the Ardagan Family''s knights." One of the knights stepped up and informed Grandell of their action.


    "Is that so? Behind me are the elite knights of the Ardagan Family. I hope that you can keep up with us."


    "We''ll leisurely fight alongside you, then."


    Grandell raised his hand with three fingers up. The soldiers understood the signal and changed their formation slightly.


    As soon as they were ready, Grandell sped up. "Go!"


    The other knights increased their speed as well. Since Grandell had begun, the temple knights followed suits, matching their pace with the soldiers.


    Unlike the battle formation that Anna saw during the first exploration, this formation was used to crush the enemies with their momentum. There wasn''t a single shield-bearer among the soldiers after all.


    There were a total of fifteen demonsing toward them. When they were about to sh, Grandell sped up once more and shocked them with his speed. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    The first demon tried to strike him with its w before another demon pounced on him.


    Grandell struck this w without hesitation, but his fighting style had changed a little bit after sparring with Anna.


    As Anna said, he had good speed, but his power wascking. Back then, he tried topete with Anna and overwhelm her with her speed. The thought was correct, but the way he did it was wrong.


    That was why when the sword was about to strike this w, Grandell lowered the strength of his grip, causing the sword to slide down underneath the w.


    It brushed the demon''s skin until it managed to slip past the entire paw. It was then Grandell sped up once more and swung straight at the demon''s neck, slicing it.


    After killing the first demon, he moved to the next one. This time, the demon had more time to regain itsposure and try to strike his de first.


    However, Grandell kept avoiding the direct sh until he got a perfect opportunity. He utilized it to kill the second demon.


    After killing the demons, he kicked their corpses to the side, messing with the other demons'' movement. And it was the time for the other soldiers to kill the rest.


    When the temple knights saw the brilliant performance, they realized that they had lost the initiative by allowing Grandell to make his move first. In the end, they could only clean up the rest of the demons.


    Noel watched them with a smile. While the demons were just low level, Grandell and the others managed to defeat it with minimum strength.


    That was what he wanted, considering there were a lot of demons residing near the river and the area beyond it.


    He imagined the scene where his elite soldiers dominated the battlefield. And at that time, they would be strengthened with runes.


    Once that happened, they would be invincible.


    "It seems that you''ve gotten quite excited, Noel. I guess your soldiers perform better than mine." La sighed.


    "Don''t worry. I am expecting a lot from you guys once we prate deep into their territory. It''s only going to be troublesome from this point on."

 Chapter 937 Prelude

    "Amazing." The soldiers couldn''t help but admire when both leaders stepped forth.


    Grandell was overwhelming all the demonsing toward him, allowing the soldiers behind them to have an easier time. The same applied to the Moon Temple''s knights.


    They had gone quite far from the city and should be able to reach the river before the sun was right above their heads.


    So, the number of demons had increased significantly. This time, there were a total of a hundred demons that came toward them at once.


    The knights fought gantly. The Moon Temple had shown clearly how they had grown ustomed to fighting demons. Their method was simr to that of the Demon Banner Army, but Grandell and the others were the elite soldiers that had been picked to protect their lord on this trip, so they were the best among the soldiers.


    Their prowess dominated the entire battlefield to the point where the Moon Temple looked like a sideshow.


    Still, the most important thing was La.


    When Grandell noticed another few demonsing toward them, a translucent barrier appeared in their way, blocking the demons. It gave him enough time to deal with the current demons before intercepting them.


    That was right. La had been creating barriers to dy the demons so that the knights weren''t overwhelmed by their numbers.


    Noel had been observing this whole time. In just three hours, they had encountered about eight hundred demons. It was certainly not a normal number. Someone had artificially increased the number of demons.


    And the closer they were to the target, the higher that number. It would be troublesome if they had to fight thousands of demons with their number. For the time being, it was good enough since they only had to fight tens of demons a time.


    But if the Supreme Devil Organization startedmanding them and turned these demons into an army, Noel had to join the fight.


    "Thank you for the help," said Noel while looking at the barrier curiously. La couldn''t see anymore, so he wondered how La knew where and when to deploy the barrier.


    "Don''t worry about it. As long as the opponents are demons, I don''t mind going all out. So, just make sure to conserve your energy since the true enemies haven''t made their appearance yet. And if you''re wondering about my barrier, then don''t forget that I''m a contractor of the Moon Goddess."


    It was still daylight, so there was no moon that could help her. But when he recalled the Moon Goddess''s true identity, which was the Dark Butterfly Spirit, he got some ideas. It appeared that the Saintess didn''t only use her sharpened senses, but also released pollen that allowed her to sense everything around her.


    "To be honest, you''re far too different from thest time we met."


    "Hahaha. I was too weak after maintaining my power for a long time, so I couldn''t do anything back then and had to rely on you two. But don''t worry, I''m fully recharged now." La chuckled.


    "That''s reassuring. In that case, we will go straight to the river and clear up the area for our camp."


    "Is the base near the river?"


    "Yes. Today, we''ll try lowering their numbers as much as possible. Though, I doubt they will just let us be."


    "So, we''re going to get attacked today?" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "Yeah." Noel contemted for a moment. "I will leave this cart to you."


    "Don''t worry. It will be safe in my hands. Besides, I''ve taken a liking to this carriage. Just look at its maneuverability. I can''t help but want to possess this thing as soon as possible." La smirked. "But how are you going to fight them?"


    "I still have my flying ability. I will just act like I can''t move my body too much but can control my Spiritual Energy."


    "Fair enough. In that case, I will put you in the best position to crush your enemies. Let''s get this done as soon as possible."


    "Thanks." Noel nodded. He continued assessing the situation, wondering how many demons the Supreme Devil Organization brought to this ce.


    The group continued toward the river. They drastically slowed down due to the demons, but it shouldn''t take more than two hours before they reached the river at the current pace.


    During that time, the knights had killed a total of two thousand demons. It was a veryrge number, considering they only brought two Grandmasters and twenty knights. In addition, Noel hadn''t even made a single move during the ordeal.


    While some knights were injured, they managed to reach the river without losing a single person.


    However, there was still one problem.


    "How should we cross this river?" Grandell asked, looking at the size. He might be able to jump over the river, but barely. The other soldiers wouldn''t be able to do it.


    "Move, Grandell. I''m going to create a bridge." Noel finally stepped forward, only to be held by La from behind. She said, "I will create the bridge. I told you earlier that I''m going to send you in your best condition."


    "Then, how are you going to make one? I mean, isn''t your barrier¡­" Noel fell silent, realizing that her barrier wasn''t as simple as it looked.


    He remembered that the barrier always appeared in various shapes and sizes.


    The Saintess smiled and went back to the carriage. She then fell to her knees and joined both hands as though she were praying.


    A horizontal barrier suddenly formed on top of the ground and soon extended to the other side of the river. It was sturdy and wide enough for all of them to cross at the same time.


    One of the knights said, "The Saintess is able to manipte the shape and size of her barrier. But the moreplicated the shape is, the more she has to concentrate. Lord Earl, please use this chance to cross the river with the carriage. The Saintess won''t be able to reply to you for the time being."


    Grandell actually walked first to ensure that the bridge was safe to cross. But Noel soon said, "Let''s go."


    While he was grateful for Grandell''s attention to detail, it would be rude to the Moon Temple if they didn''t trust them in this matter.


    So, they had no other choice but to cross the river. The soldiers were still wary, thinking they would be attacked in the middle of the river.


    As if understanding their worries, the Saintess formed an additional wall that would protect them from the outside. Though, there was no need to do so since no demons attacked them.


    They ultimately reached the other side of the river safely.


    "Hu¡­" The Saintess let out a long breath as the barrier disappeared.


    "Thanks." Noel extended his hand. Since they had arrived here, Noel wanted to help her get down from the carriage so that they could set up the camp.


    "You''re wee." La smiled and took his hand.


    After that, Noel turned to Grandell. "How are the soldiers?"


    "All of them have small injuries, but only two need a bit of rest. The others can still go on."


    The knights from the Moon Temple seemed to report their conditions to the Saintess. But they had four people that needed to recuperate on their side.


    With this, there were only fourteen soldiers that could fight at the moment.


    Noel asked La. "Do you have anyone that can heal?"


    "No. I''ve only brought one priest to this ce, and I leave him in the city. I can make a barrier to give some time for the knights to recuperate after all."


    Noel then turned to Grandell. "Bring me the injured soldiers."


    Grandell didn''t know what Noel was nning to do, but he followed his order without a question.


    As soon as both of them stood in front of Noel, thetter grabbed their arm and checked the condition of their bodies.


    Their injuries weren''t that heavy, but it was true that those injuries would hinder their movements on the battlefield. So, Noel injected his Spiritual Energy and utilized the Force Control.


    The Force Control allowed him to influence the Spiritual Energy of another person and Noel used it to stimte their recovery¡­ the same recovery speed as that of a Spirit Grandmaster.


    In other words, Noel utilized the Force Control to act as the Spirit Mind for these people.


    In just ten minutes, both of them noticed that there was no more pain in their bodies.


    "Huh? This is¡­" The two soldiers were baffled while La noticed how the breathing of these two people became stable as though their injuries had disappeared.


    "This should be enough. Can you two still fight with this?"


    "Y-yes Sir!" Both of them hurriedly replied.


    "You''re truly interesting." La looked at Noel. "Fire and Ice Spirits¡­ And now, it''s a healing ability? Don''t tell me, it''s your third spirit?"


    "There''s no way I can have a third spirit in my body." Noel shook his head. "Though, I do have a technique to boost your recovery. How about bringing your soldiers here?"


    "But¡­" La obviously didn''t want to do it since Noel had to use his Spiritual Energy.


    What she didn''t know was that Force Control used the target''s Spiritual Energy, so it wouldn''t burden his Spiritual Energy that much. It would only take a toll on his mind since he had to stimte their regenerative ability, but considering he didn''t do anything this whole time, the burden wasn''t much.


    "If your soldiers can continue fighting, I can do nothing and recuperate."


    "¡­" La finally agreed. In the end, she could also buy some time for Noel to recover. "Bring the injured ones forward. The rest will set up our camp."


    While Noel was healing the injured soldiers, the demons had been gathering around them. The demons weren''t close enough to Noel and the others, so it was impossible to know their presence.


    However, there was one thing that these demons had inmon. There was a yellow-colored flower on top of their heads.


    And behind all of them were a lot of people. Their strength varied, but the strongest ones were also Spirit Grandmasters.


    "How many demons do we have?" one of the Grandmasters asked.


    "About three thousand."


    "It is not enough to kill them. Three thousand might be a high number, but that Saintess can hold off thousands of demons when she is only a Spirit Master."


    "That is going to be fine. The Saintess has no choice but to open her barrier as long as we be bait."


    "We will lure Noel Ardagan out and attack him together with the demons. Our objective right now is to injure him. It would be better if we could kill him, but if it''s not possible, we at least want him to overexert himself. Understood?"


    They nodded.


    "Alright. Let''s begin. Do your best to not die, but sacrifice yourself if it''s impossible to survive."


    Noel didn''t know at this time that the battle that awaited him was something he had never seen before.

 Chapter 938 Siege

    The peaceful situationsted for an hour. They had set up all the tents so that they could return here once they finished their jobs. And there would be a few people protecting this camp, considering the enemies might use this chance to destroy their camp.


    But to everyone''s surprise, the enemy actually did it right off the bat. There wasn''t even a need to wait for the group to divide into two.


    When Noel was recovering his Spiritual Energy, he noticed that the atmosphere had changed. The demons rarely roared unless they met an enemy, so the moment he heard a roar, followed by a series of them. He realized that the enemies had begun making their move.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Everyone was startled as all of them hurriedly picked up their weapons.


    Judging from the source of the noises, it was clear that they had been surrounded from all sides. And it wasn''t like they could cross the river easily.


    Noel gradually opened his eyes as though he had expected them toe.


    "My lord." Grandell hurried to Noel''s side, wanting to know his order.


    "It seems that they havee. We''re lucky to have theme at us instead of making us look for them." Noel nodded.


    "They might be scared of the appearance of a pdin. The one who should being to us is Aurelia. While she is not the best fighter the moon temple has, the one who has the highest firepower among the grandmasters is her. She is also smart enough and possesses an intellect like that of a general." La smirked. "Still, should we begin?"


    "Yeah. How is the barrier?"


    "You have made an anchor point, so I will just form a barrier that connects those anchor points. This way, we could create an artificial wall. I will take care of our left."


    "In that case, I will take the front. The soldiers will take the right side and your knights will be our reserve while watching our rear. As for your barrier¡­ It can withstand the attack of a Peak Level Demon, right?"


    "While the barrier doesn''t have an offensive ability, it has the strongest defense among the spirits. I can easily block their attacks with minimal energy."


    "That''s good."


    "You should be worried because you are going to be targeted."


    "That''s what I want. The sooner I wipe them out, the better." Noel nodded and turned around, ready to stand by in his position.


    But before he left, La called him. "Noel."


    "Hmm?"


    "May the Moon Goddess bless you with fortune. Happy hunting."


    Noel nodded with a smile.


    The Saintess then began to pray. There were four anchor points Noel had set up, creating a rectangle like that of a city wall. However, he didn''t stretch it across the river since there was a chance that they would use some amphibian demons to ambush them from behind.


    La formed a thick barrier that allowed one to stand on top of it.


    Noel stood on top of the wall on the opposite side of the river. La formed a weird shaped barrier that was most likely trying to stop and redirect the demons to the other side. On the other hand, Grandell and the others were used to fighting in a defensive battle like this as they had been trained as the soldiers of the Ardagan Family by Howard.


    Now that everything had been set up, Noel turned his focus to the horizon. It was quite hard to see everything with all the trees around them, but he could see a lot of demonsing toward them.


    "A few thousands at once, huh¡­" Noel muttered. It wasn''t enough to kill Noel since he could easily escape, but Grandell and the others wouldn''t be fine. The only way to do it was to kill the ones who controlled all these demons.


    It was at that time that he found a flower on the demons'' heads.


    Noel sighed. "This is going to be a bit difficult."


    La had reminded him of the terror of a nt Type Demon. He didn''t know what kind of flower was on top of their heads, but it was pretty clear that they were in the same group and could act in an organized manner.


    Noel had thought about it in the past. What if the enemies had an army of demons? Thousands of demons might only be called a swarm instead of an army. After all, they were just charging ahead with their instincts.


    However, when they had someonemanding them and that someone had the knowledge of warfare, the demons would be far more terrifying.


    After all, human warfare had evolved for so long that they had a lot of effective formation whether it was meleebat or rangedbat.


    This was also the reason why Noel nned to employ normal people as soldiers in his territory. He needed the number to deal with the demons after all.


    "Fortunately, we fight in the woods¡­ And since this is going to be where the port is, I think it''s fine to clean up this area, right?" Noel smirked.


    In the past, he had never used his power to the fullest in case it would burn the entire forest. Now that he was a lord and could do anything in his territory, there was now that prevented him from burning the forest as he could write it off as an expansion.


    "Ardagan. You can burn the entire thing off, right?"


    [My fire can burn the entire forest and it will use normal wood as fuel. However, you still have to maintain it with your Spiritual Energy. It''s minuscule, but when the fire is wide enough, you will feel the consumption.]


    "You know that you''re iming that your fire is unable to spread without my energy¡­ which is not like the real fire, you know."


    [But what you want is firepower, right? Supply the fire with your energy, and the forest will be razed to the ground in no time. Besides, isn''t it easier to put out all the fire this way? You''re the one who identifies my fire like this.]


    "Haha. The ground is slightly wet, but I guess it''s not a problem for us, right?"


    [Of course.]


    "Time to work, Partner." Noel smiled while pulling out Ardagan.


    The closer the demons got, the more horrifying they became. All their eyes became bloodshot as if they were going to kill these people even if it cost them their lives.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar! N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Noel waited for them to be close enough before releasing his Spiritual Energy. If it were any other fire spirit, the wet environment might weaken their fire, but this was the Undying Fire.


    Undying Phoenix.


    A ck-colored phoenix flew out of Noel''s fingertip and headed straight toward the demons. However, the target wasn''t actually a single demon. Instead, it was a tree.


    Boom!


    The moment the phoenix hit the tree, it exploded and shot splinters in all directions. The ze erupted and engulfed the entire tree. The leaves that touched other trees ended up connecting the ze to other trees. The splinters set aze a lot of trees, creating a chain of fire.


    Some of the leaves fell down and were set alight before touching the ground or the demons.


    Just like what happened in the Greenwood Kingdom, the wet soil was burned and became dry as though every droplet of water had evaporated.


    The demon was also burned by the fire. Since most of them were Low Level Demons, they didn''t have the Spiritual Energy to withstand the fire.


    In the end, they were burned alive. Their hot ashes started igniting the nearby trees as well, spreading the ze wide.


    With just a single skill, Noel actually killed more than ten demons. And with all the fire spreading around, the number of demons dying would be numerous.


    And the ze carried so much heat surpassing that of a normal fire. Even if the demons didn''t die from the fire, the heat would severely impact them.


    The knights and the soldiers were dumbstruck. The intense heat could be felt from their position and the horrifying scene before their eyespletely showed them the other side of Noel.


    In spite of his caring and gentle nature like that of a lord, his power was so tyrannical that it could easily destroy a city.


    "So, this is Noel Ardagan." The Saintess muttered. She obviously felt the power of Noel, especially with the fact that the pollen that covered Noel''s area was burned by Noel''s fire, blocking her entire vision.


    Though, she could pretty much guess what happened to those demons.


    Even though they were controlled, they were still letting out a shrill as the burn was unbearable.


    But as one would expect from the demons, they continued marching forward without caring for their bodies. As long as they hadn''t died, they continued rushing to the wall and hitting it.


    La felt the brunt of the demons, but this also meant that the demons carried Noel''s fire near her barrier.


    It actually influenced her barrier. While it would take more than that to melt her barrier, it was the first time she saw a power so strong that it affected her barrier to this degree.


    Noel could see the number of kills in his repeatable mission was increasing. He had to thank the Supreme Devil Organization for giving him a lot of demons for the Honor Points.


    Unfortunately, there was one big w when using this technique. The fire was so strong that it burned the demon''s body and everything in it. Yes, it meant that Noel couldn''t utilize the demon''s blood for painting the rune body, the demon''s hide to inscribe runes, or even the demon crystals.


    He had to sacrifice all that if he wanted to kill arge number of demons. This was another reason why Noel rarely wanted to use this tactic.


    However, the enemy had brought so many demons that he had to decrease their number with this method until it reached the level they could take on.


    Noel could feel that his Spiritual Energy was draining. The rate wasn''t high, so he could let it burn for an hour easily. But if the fire continued to spread, he would begin to feel it.


    In addition, there was one more problem. He still hadn''t made his second move since the demons were still dying to his me, but he soon felt spiritual energy brushing his skin. It was as if someone was trying to inform him.


    He followed the direction of the gaze, which turned out to be La. Thetter couldn''t talk while deploying thisplicated barrier, so she must want to tell him something.


    At first, he thought it would be about the hidden danger lurking in the woods, but the breeze suddenly changed and pushed him down as though it wanted him to look down.


    When he lowered his head, he saw the me the demon carried hitting the barrier. He instantly realized her concern.


    "Ah." Noel couldn''t help but rethink his decision. On the one hand, his fire was effective against them. On the other hand, if he was standing on a real stone wall or even a temporary wooden wall, the me would set it aze as well.


    While the fire had extraordinary power, the tactic itself was wed. It didn''t seem like he could use this tactic in a defensive battle.


    Before Noel began extinguishing his fire in a controlled manner, he saw a torrent of water bursting from the ground.


    The water was directly raining down on the entire area to extinguish the fire. In addition, a few huge rocks formed along with the appearance of a few flying demons.


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows as he first experienced the true raid of a demon army instead of a demon swarm.


    "I see. The Supreme Devil Organization seems to have another objective in luring me here. They not only want to probe my strength, but they also want to try a siege with the demons. And it''s all for the preparation of the iing attack¡­ They must be building their army somewhere."


    Noel couldn''t help but clench his fist. Since the Supreme Devil Organization was using him to test their army, he also nned to get experience that would be useful in the future siege.


    "Come then. I''ll entertain you."

 Chapter 939 Lure

    Looking at the iing boulders, Noel was thinking about several things. This was the true siege warfare from the demon army. He knew that it would happen again in the future, so he had to prepare a weapon that could shoot down those boulders.


    These boulders were also a double-edged sword. Precisely because Noel knew that he had formed an ice lotus above his head.


    The petals flew toward the giant rocks and froze them upon impact. Not only were they covered with thick ice, but the momentum also stopped, causing the rocks to fall right in that area and crushing a lot of demons.


    He didn''t bother to see the result as he had to extinguish his own fire.


    The water that a demon released into the air earlier rained the fire down, but the fire didn''t seem to be affected. There was no sign of it weakening. In fact, it continued to spread.


    This was Noel''s Undying Fire. Unless the demon concentrated all their power on stopping the fire one area at a time, it would be impossible to extinguish his fire.


    More and more demons continued moving toward him. Multiple Advanced Level Demons suddenly released their own attacks into the air, letting it curve parabolically toward Noel.


    He had seen this type of attack multiple times during his time in the Demon Banner Army. At that time, the Demon Banner Army used the wall as well as the enchantment within the wall to withstand it.


    Now that he didn''t have that enchantment, he wondered what kind of thing could stop this type of attack.


    He wanted to use the Ice Mirrors, but they would only stop the attack. He wanted to use all kinds of attacks to act as a double-edged sword against the demons.


    Unfortunately for him, some things were better to be shot down before the impact. Even if it couldn''t harm the demons, they wouldn''t lose a soldier with a bold and risky strategy.


    Hence, a pair of fire wings appeared on his back. With a single p of the wings, multiple mes were shot to the sky, skillfully hitting those attacks.


    Still, this was an army of a few thousands. The number of Advanced Level Demons among them was rather high. Even with the fire feathers, he couldn''t stop every single one of them.


    Some of the attacks ended up reaching his position. Some of them missed the targets and ended up hitting the ground outside the wall, which killed some demons.


    Some of them hit the wall, causing it to vibrate. However, the barrier was extremely sturdy and withstood the attacks without even a single scratch on it. Three attacks ended up hitting inside the wall, which destroyed a part of their camp.


    This was Noel''s concern, considering the city would be the target.


    Most of the time, they created a tall wall in order for the attacks to hit the wall instead of the town. So, Noel took note of this result as well.


    As for himself, he had shot down all the attacks that woulde in his direction, so he remained still the whole time.


    Even though Noel wanted to use all his abilities, he thought about using the Supreme Devil Organization to report something false. And he was still gravely injured, so it wouldn''t be wise to show everything.


    However, there was one more reason why Noel hadn''t made any big moves except for the first one. He was wondering if the Supreme Devil Organization would send their Devil Saints on this mission.


    While their mission seemed to be worsening his injuries, they should know that killing him would be more beneficial.


    So, he had been focusing on the horizon, making sure that Qiel wasn''t among the enemies. After all, her power was far more terrifying in a battle like this.


    ¡­


    As he predicted, the Supreme Devil Organization was watching him from afar. They couldn''t help but gasp when they saw how Noel killed hundreds of demons just by spreading his fire. In fact, they felt like they would be in trouble if they crossed the ze.


    "What should we do? We can''t extinguish that fire."


    "It''s fine. The headquarters have told us that his fire is special, so we just have to report all thister. As for what we''re going to do with him, we still have a lot of demons to deal with. spare. Let''s continue wearing him out. Once he begins showing any sign of weakening, we''ll lure him out."


    "Got it."


    The people from the Supreme Devil Organization didn''t step up even when they saw numerous demons dying. In fact, they had prepared a lot of things to force Noel.


    And their ns began to take shape, starting with what happened within Noel''s camp.


    "Hmm?!" Noel raised his eyebrows when there was a crumbling sounding from within the camp.


    Even the knights couldn''t help but turn their heads to the inside, finding a centipede breaking through their camp by digging the ground.


    Without hesitation, a knight from the Moon Temple jumped off the wall and sliced this big centipede, killing it in one blow.


    However, more and more demons appear from the hole. In fact, the one he killed earlier was not the only centipede. Three more centipedes broke through and created a hole within them.


    Noel''s expression darkened. If the enemies utilized this kind of attack in order to infiltrate their city, it would be even more troublesome. In fact, Noel wasn''t the only one who thought about this.


    The Saintess experienced this kind of tactic for the first time. She hurriedly formed another barrier to block the hole as the temple knights killed the other demons, stopping them from spreading.


    Seeing that the reserve had been deployed, the Supreme Devil Organization stepped up their game by sending another wave of demons. It didn''te from the ground this time. Instead, it was a few crocodiles and frogs appearing from the water. Some fish even came out just to spurt out a lot of pressurized water.


    "There are moreing!" The Temple Knights shouted. They had to split their forces into two. The first group took care of the demons that managed to infiltrate their camp while the other group stopped the attacks from the water.


    The Saintess wanted to help them, but she was also pressured from her side. The only thing she could do was seal the hole with her barrier to stop more demons froming. Though, she believed that the demons would dig to another ce.


    It would have been easier if she could actually just iste this ce with a spherical barrier, but that wasn''t what Noel wanted.


    When things couldn''t get worse, the flying demons that had been hovering in the air finally began their moves.


    They flew past the demons and released their respective attacks to harm the Saintess, Noel or any of the knights.


    Noel pped his wings, using the fire gale to blow away their attacks. The heat also affected some of them as their skin started melting.


    Flying demons, amphibians, and underground demons. He seemed to have underestimated the potential of a demon army.


    He couldn''t help but wonder how his ancestor repelled all this demon from his city. After all, the demons were controlled by a Demon King, who was said to outsmart him.


    When Noel was thinking, a few demons were climbing the wall. They stacked up in front of the walls and the surviving demons climbed on top of their kin''s dead bodies.


    This was only an army of thousands of demons. His city might have to endure more than ten thousand demons, so he had to find a way to stop them from climbing the wall this way as well. They might even be more dangerous than a human army since they could do the unthinkable.


    There were a lot of things he had to do once he returned to the main city.


    But before he could do all that, he had to eliminate all these demons.


    "This is getting dangerous." Noel muttered.


    One of the demons managed to climb the wall and hurriedly rush toward Noel, ready to pounce on him.


    Without hesitation, Noel summoned the me Devil. A huge fire avatar emerged from his back and grabbed the demon, melting its bodypletely.


    After that, the me Devil bent its body forward and grabbed all the corpses as well as a few surviving demons to melt them down so that other demons couldn''t use them to climb the wall.


    When Noel had shifted a part of his attention to the demons underneath him, the Supreme Devil Organization ordered the demons tounch another volley of attack. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Noel clicked his tongue. While maintaining the Fire Devil, Noel formed a few Spiritual Barrier Runes to block the iing attacks.


    However, the me Devil''s movement seemed to be sluggish. A few Advanced Level Demon and a Peak Level Bison suddenly appeared in the front line. Some of the low level demons actually used their bodies to bulldoze everything on its path so that the stronger demons wouldn''t be harmed by the fire.


    Those Advanced Level Demons were climbing the bodies before the me Devil melted them down. Their target wasn''t Noel. Instead, it was the me Devil.


    They covered their bodies with Spiritual Energy. Some of them even released crescent-shaped attacks or beams to destroy the me Devil''s body.


    The fire avatar wasn''t that easy to beat. Even when the attack affected its body, the me Devil grabbed their bodies to kill them. Still, there was one Peak Level Demon that had been waiting for the right time.


    When the me Devil got weaker, the Peak Level Bison charged ahead.


    The barrier should be enough to stop the charge, but surprisingly, the bison actually hit the lump of bodies before him andunched it into the air.


    "Ooooaaahh!" It let out a roar as if telling the demons to do something.


    Some of the Mid Level and Advanced Level Demons actually used those bodies to propel themselves above the wall so that they would surround Noel once they fell.


    Noel wouldn''t allow such a thing as he hurriedly pped his wings once again to release the Fire Gale that would push them away. Some of the demons that could release a wing also helped neutralize Noel''s attack.


    Ultimately, three demons managed to reach the wall and rush to Noel.


    Noel used his wing to wrap two of them in me, but thest one managed to reach him. Noel grabbed thest demon with his hands beforeunching it with a Rune st.


    Some of the demons also continued moving unpredictably, causing Noel to have a lot of information to process.


    The people from the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t help butugh. "Can you see that?"


    "He is starting to get overwhelmed."


    "Yeah. Is this really the so-called Noel Ardagan who is said to have eliminated multiple Grandmasters when he was only a Spirit Master?"


    "It must be because of the injuries. He is amazing to be able to release that level of power with that kind of injury."


    "We should juste straight to him and kill him."


    "No. Madam Qiel ordered us to avoid a direct confrontation. Besides, the Saintess hasn''t done anything yet. If the situation bes more dangerous, there''s a chance that she will iste all of them by creating an enclosed barrier. When that happens, we won''t be able to lure him out."


    "So, we''re going to separate him from the Saintess first?"


    "Yeah. Since we''ve weakened him enough, let''s begin."


    The people from the Supreme Devil Organization continued to the next phase, which was to show themselves.


    Little did they know, everything was just an act from Noel. While it was true that he started getting overwhelmed, if he were to release his full strength, the demons would be crushed.


    However, he still had to act extremely weak since he was sure that was the only way to make the organization show itself.


    Both Noel and the organization had forgotten about one more variable that could upset the battlefield.

 Chapter 940 Acting

    While killing the demons, Noel couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows when the demons cleared up the trees so that Noel could see everything behind them.


    And among those demons, Noel could see a giant boar. Its height reached three meters. If it rammed its giant body, it might not be able to destroy the barrier, but it would shake the barrier.


    However, what piqued Noel''s interest was not the boar, but the people standing on top of it. There were two Spirit Grandmasters standing on top of the boar. The fact that they could do that indicated their identities. And they were not the only ones who could be seen.


    As the trees were cleared up, a few more people were spotted.


    "This is¡­" Noel frowned. It was clear that they wanted Noel toe out of the barrier. If they didn''t manage to separate Noel from La, it would be impossible to do anything to him.


    On the one hand, Noel should capture them and interrogate them for information. On the other hand, he wasn''t so foolish as to fall into their trap.


    He could just kill all these demons first before chasing after them. Even if they ran away, he could still go after their base. Though, he doubted there was anything useful. In the end, what Noel wanted was to kill all these demons since they were the ones threatening his territory.


    Even the Third Prince couldn''t say anything if he just said that these people ran away and he couldn''t chase after them because of his condition.


    Noel smiled at them as though he provoked them by not falling into their traps.


    The people from the organization didn''t seem to be rushing even though a lot of demons had fallen and Noel had no sign ofing out. It seemed that he was so sure that they could make Noel leave.


    "As expected, everything has gone ording to Madam Qiel''s n," One of the Devil Bishops said while squinting his eyes. "He wouldn''t fall for our provocation and endanger himself."


    "Does that mean we still have to make our way through that fire? Although we have demons to spare, that fire can''t be suppressed."


    "I told you earlier that everything has gone ording to Madam Qiel''s n, right? She knew that he wouldn''t leave, so we just had to force him." He shook his head and shouted down. "Get ready to direct the flower."


    "Where?"


    "That way." The Devil Bishop pointed to the south.


    The guy didn''t know why it had to be this direction, but he still followed the instruction. He took out the powder and spread it to the south as if signaling the demons to change directions.


    The flowers on top of the demon''s heads suddenly faced to the south.


    Noel and his group had killed around seven hundred to eight hundred demons. There were still one and a half thousand demons surrounding them as if it were to lock them down. However, the rest of the demons actually turned to the south and ignored everything.


    "Huh?!" Noel frowned. He couldn''t see why the Supreme Devil Organization turned that way. If their original purpose was to stall him here and attack the city, it would be useless. After all, he still had the Sword Arbiter as well as Dimitri protecting two of his cities.


    He soon remembered the discussion they had earlier, regarding the organization''s aim in stalling him.


    That was right. Noel had expected that the Supreme Devil Organization was nning to link a hint in their base to the viges in their surroundings, so Noel overworked himself.


    But it seemed that he made a slight miscalction. Instead of leaving a clue to stall him, the Supreme Devil Organization was nning to destroy the vige with this army.


    On the one hand, it wasn''t really a big loss if a vige was destroyed. But Noel wanted to create a secondyer of defense by using the vige, so it would be troublesome if there was one vige destroyed.


    The vige could be rebuilt, but the trust was quite hard to restore.


    "So, that''s what they want." Noel clicked his tongue. If they crossed the river and went a bit further to the south, they would find the vige. This was the only chance for Noel to stop them.


    After properly considering his n, Noel shouted, "Grandell! I will leave this ce to you. I''m going to chase after them."


    "!!!" Grandell, who had just stabbed a demon, kicked the body away and turned to Noel. "But, Sir, your condition!"


    "I don''t have time to exin it. I''m going!" Noel shouted. Without waiting for Grandell to respond, Noel took off into the air and flew within a safe distance from the demons on the ground.


    In that instant, the demons couldn''t help but raise their heads. Those, who had a ranged ability, especially the Advanced Level Demons and Peak Level Demons were nning to shoot him down.


    Noel had no choice but to boost his speed further so that their attacks would reach him toote as he had flown past them.


    But the moment Noel sped up, the Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors targeted their attacks. Even if they were not at the level of Qiel, this was the exact reason why they were chosen for this mission.


    One of the Spirit Grandmasters summoned a few flying swords and released them toward Noel. Another Devil Bishop split his Spiritual Energy into multiple light balls and shot Noel. Other Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors used their respective abilities to attack Noel.


    Noel flew to the left, trying to avoid it, but a lot of these attacks actually curved and followed him.


    "What?" Noel gritted his teeth.


    "My lord!" Grandell shouted in panic.


    Noel kept flying like a bird, avoiding the attacks. However, no matter how many times he changed direction, they kept chasing after him. Only those that hit another attack ended up destroying each other.


    But a lot more wereing after him.


    While flying, Noel waved his finger at the giant boar, releasing his Undying Phoenix.


    "Dodge it!" The people on the boar hurriedly hopped onto another demon, watching how the phoenix sted the top of the boar before the me devoured it.


    After avoiding the Undying Phoenix, the people continued attacking Noel.


    "Tsk!" Noel was in a pinch. Even though he could attack them, their distance was too far since Noel had to fly high enough to avoid getting attacked by other demons. But it also meant that the people from the organization could avoid his attack easily.


    All of a sudden, a flying demon dove down from an even higher altitude, appearing behind Noel out of nowhere. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "!!!" Noel turned around and saw the appearance of the demon. It turned out to be an eagle, a Peak Level Demon on top of that.


    He hurriedly covered his entire body with the fire wings. The right side was attacked by the eagle while the left side was hit by the homing attacks from those people.


    He expanded the wings and burned everything that touched their surface. It showed the absolute strength of the Undying Fire, but that didn''t matter.


    When Noel sessfully defended himself, the eagle suddenly rushed through the fire wings and dove to the ground.


    "!!!" Noel got hit by the eagle''s head. Despite its skin burning, the eagle was actually trying to drag him to the ground. "You!"


    Noel gritted his teeth and tried to kill the demons with his fire. He even used the me Scale to melt everything that touched him as well as the me Conjuring to form a pair of giant hands that ripped the eagle''s wings apart before tossing the eagle away.


    Unfortunately for him, the eagle had done its job. Noel managed to flip his wings two times, but it wasn''t enough to stop his momentum. It only reduced the impact when he hit the ground.


    "Attack!" The Devil Bishop shouted excitedly, thinking that he could kill Noel Ardagan.


    Noel was on his knees, clutching his chest. Even his fire wings were flickering as if Noel had a hard time maintaining them due to his internal injuries.


    The Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors released their attacks. The demons surrounded him and pounced together.


    "My lord!" Grandell shouted while jumping off the wall. He was going to cut his way through these demons to protect Noel.


    However, it wasn''t that easy to defeat Noel. A huge fire avatar appeared once again. This time, Noel poured everything he had into the me Devil, causing its reemergence followed by a st that knocked the demons away.


    The intense heat was burning the demons alive. The me Devil used one hand to melt the iing attacks from Devil Bishops and Devil Inspectors while sweeping the demons with the other hand.


    "Roar!" The me devil let out a huge roar to scare them.


    It looked like Noel was safe, but on the ground, Noel suddenly covered his mouth before coughing up blood. The fire that had been burning around La''s barrier started to disappear as though Noel couldn''t control it anymore.


    "Gah!" Noel coughed a few times; his face was still down so the people from the organization couldn''t see his expression.


    Still, it was enough to show Noel''s current condition. The Devil Bishop thought he could finally kill the famous Noel Ardagan, so he shouted, "He''s about to die. Unleash all your power and suppress that fire avatar. Once it''s gone, we''ll kill him!"


    The people from the organization became even more energetic. Grandell was struggling to create a path. In fact, the demons started to overwhelm him with their numbers. The other knights rushed toward him so that they could create a path together to their master.


    However, none of them had enough time to reach Noel. No matter how they struggled, it would be impossible for Noel toe out of this alive.


    Among all the people on the battlefield, there was only one person who remained calm the whole time.


    From people''s perspectives, she might not know what was happening because she was too focused on her task. What they didn''t know was that she was still aware of everything around her and could still talk inwardly.


    When she heard all those screams, La couldn''t help but mutter in her mind, ''His acting is so brilliant that I would definitely fall for it if he didn''t tell me.''


    That was right, La actually knew what happened. It wasn''t just Noel''s condition that was fully recovered, she also knew that Noel had another n, which was to nt this sight in their memories.


    ¡­


    An hour ago.


    La couldn''t help but ask, "Say¡­ I''m going to y along with your charade, but do you mind telling me what you''re going to do? At least, I know which one is real and which one is fake."


    "Well, depending on the situation, it might change. But I will try to create a situation where I be desperate enough and get kind of¡­ defeated. Of course, I will struggle for my life."


    "Are you going to injure yourself to make this even more believable?"


    "Of course not." Noel took out a thumb-sized ball and secretly showed it to her. He ced it on her hand since she couldn''t see.


    "What is this? It''s squishy like a liquid."


    Noel whispered, "Tomato juice."


    "¡­" That answer alone was enough to know what Noel was nning to do. He wanted to use it to create fake blood to show his injury.


    ¡­


    When La recalled that conversation, she couldn''t help but think, ''To fool your enemies, you need to fool your allies first. Grandell and the others don''t know about this, which makes his condition more believable. With his desperate struggle, he would have no choice but to retreat. That''s probably what''s going to happen next.''


    When La thought that Noel was about to fly away, she suddenly felt the temperature be a bit warmer. The sunlight brightened as feathers started falling from the sky.


    There was a woman floating in the sky with a pair of angelic wings.


    La made a wry smile. ''Is this a good or bad time to make your appearance, Aurelia?''

 Chapter 941 Last Order

    Noel noticed another power fluctuating in the sky. Even the people from the organization couldn''t help but raise their heads.


    In the sky, a woman''s silhouette could be seen. The woman was covered in armor. One could still see her fluttering white hair, but her face was covered with a helmet, leaving only her mouth exposed.


    There were a pair of angelic wings on her back. When the woman held her sword with both hands and raised it, the wings seemed to multiply.


    Instead of one, there were a total of three pairs of angelic wings.


    "Who¡ª" The people from the organization were confused, but one of them seemed to recognize the silhouette. "Not good. She is a Pdin!"


    Unfortunately for them, she had swung her sword down.


    A bright golden circle suddenly formed on the ground. When it shone, it created an enormous light pir, disintegrating the demons inside it.


    It was located next to Noel, which meant that he had a space to move around.


    Without hesitation, Noel killed the demons near him before making his way to the empty space.


    Noel finally understood why La said that this pdin had the strongest explosive power. In a single attack, she killed almost a hundred demons. Though, it was also a foolish move since she exhausted a lot of her energy.


    Still, Noel could see what she was capable of.


    Once he got some breathing time, Noel pointed in the camp''s direction, specifically at Grandell.


    The pdin thought he was trying to show her the location of the Saintess. But she knew that the Saintess was probably the hardest person to kill physically. So, she helped Noel instead of La.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t attack the Supreme Devil Organization even if she wanted to get rid of these pests from society. After all, once she killed them, it would be perceived as the Moon Temple breaking their oath.


    No one had attacked the Moon Temple this whole time, but that was also because the Moon Temple didn''t attack them as well. Even if they were the Supreme Devil Organization, the Moon Temple had to maintain their integrity.


    Thus, the pdin chose to eliminate the demons around Noel to give him breathing time.


    But for someone as talented as Noel, there was no way Noel didn''t know about the Saintess''s capability and the Moon Temple''s integrity. Instead of showing the Saintess''s location, Noel was actually trying to tell her about his subordinates.


    That was right. Since the Pdin couldn''t harm the organization, Noel could do it. And there was one thing he needed in this situation: help from his subordinates.


    In other words, Noel wanted her to create a path for his subordinates. This way, the Moon Temple could maintain their integrity while Noel defeated the organization.


    As soon as she understood this, the pdinnded not far from Noel.


    She said with a soft tone, "Be careful."


    Noel seemed to have underestimated the Moon Temple''s fighting force. To think they would even warn him in this kind of situation.


    After giving that one warning, the pdin charged toward the demon. Numerous demons stood in her way.


    Despite being surrounded by the demons, the Pdin actually struck a demon down before moving even deeper into their ranks. She killed a demon with every sh.


    Unlike the big move she released earlier, she hadn''t done anything special. In other words, the Pdin actually pushed through with her swordsmanship alone.


    It was only after she was deep enough that she covered her sword with the same golden light and stabbed the ground.


    In that instant, the ground exploded and released a bright golden light that once again disintegrated the demons around her.


    Some demons from the opposite side still surrounded Noel and pounced on him. All of a sudden, Noel grabbed their heads as a torrential me burst out.


    Hell ze.


    The me engulfed the demons andunched them away. The me once again spread to the demons, the soil, and even the trees.


    The table had turned. Noel''s wings were still enough to block all kinds of attacks from the Devil Bishops and Inspectors.


    He red at them as if taunting them toe at him since they wanted his life. The only reason he couldn''t shout at them was because he still had to kill the other demons that kept charging at him.


    But this threat was enough to scare the organization''s people away.


    ''Should we continue? He is at his death door, but that Pdin is creating the path for those soldiers. There is a chance that the Saintess will make her way here.'' The Devil Bishop furrowed his eyebrows. He was still attacking Noel, but it was only to stop him from moving.


    "My lord!" Grandell and the other soldiers finally pushed through the narrow path the Pdin had created.


    And this sealed their decision.


    "Continue with the n and ignore him!" The bishop ordered and chose to turn his back away.


    The demons started to move toward the south, trying to avoid being wiped out by Noel and the others.


    There was no way Noel would allow them to leave that easily. He summoned the Undying Phoenix again to kill the demons that carried them.


    However, a few demons suddenly leaped into the phoenix''s way, using their bodies to shield the demons.


    "My lord!" Grandell had finally arrived and started killing the demons around Noel.


    "We''ll chase after them. Clear the way." Noel said, his voice was shaking. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "But you¡­" Grandell gritted his teeth.


    "I won''t repeat my order." Noel''s tone became stern.


    Even if Grandell didn''t want to do it, Noel was adamant about going alone. So, rather than stopping his lord, it was better for the soldiers to clear up their way. "All soldiers. We''ll kill all the demons in our path. Even if you die, make sure you drag the demon down."


    "Oh!" The soldiers hurriedly moved to their position and started killing the demons in their way.


    The Supreme Devil Organization would have a problem stopping these soldiers whose hearts had been filled with rage.


    With the soldiers clearing up their path, Noel could finally focus on using his Spiritual Energy to kill the monsters around them. He sent Fire Feathers, Fire Gale, and Hell ze to kill the demons. He even sent forth the Undying Phoenix and Ice Lotus to attack the people from the organization.


    They tried to stop Noel''s attack, but the Undying Phoenix was unstoppable and continued mowing the demons down.


    Seeing how the demons that carried them died one by one, it was clear that Noel''s target was the demons instead of them.


    Hence, they abandoned the demons and gave onest order.


    "Kill!" Grandell shouted. The soldiers fought like that of a beast. They didn''t care about their injuries and continued paving the way for Noel.


    However, the demons suddenly changed their approach due to thest order.


    A demon pounced on Grandell. Normally, Grandell would cut it down without any problem, but before his de reached this demon, another demon pounced from behind to save this demon in exchange for its own life.


    And the saved demon moved once again and struck Grandell''s foot.


    "!!!" Grandell managed to maintain his bnce since the demon was only a low level one. But it was still quite painful to be hit in the ce he didn''t protect.


    The other soldiers also experienced the same thing. The demons actually sacrificed themselves in order to take down the knights.


    This kind of fighting style was so much different from thest one.


    If they were humans, Noel could see them shing through theirrade''s body in order to kill their opponent.


    Even in human warfare, he would rarely encounter this kind of situation. But with the demons''s absolute obedience, it was possible.


    This kind of fighting style might be the most important information he got on this expedition. The demon that dug tunnels underground, flying beasts, amphibians, or even the demons mming their bodies to the wall couldn''t bepared to this.


    "Madness¡­ the demons are capable of doing something like this?" Noel sucked a cold breath. The most important thing was the fact that they were a demon army. If this kind of fighting style was used against him, even if he could defeat them, the casualties would be extremely high.


    In that instant, Noel shouted, "Grandell!"


    "I apologize, my lord. Please give me more time to create the path for you!" Grandell shouted back as though he were disappointed in himself.


    However, the next word that came out of Noel''s mouth shocked him and all the soldiers. "Cease. We''ll eliminate the demons and stop chasing after those people."


    "Huh?!" Grandell never thought that Noel would change his decision so easily. Thetter had already sent multiple fire feathers to kill the demons around them to lessen their burden, showing them the change in his decision.


    Instead of exining, Noel suddenly dropped to the ground and coughed up some more ''blood.''


    "My lord?!" Grandell saw all that blood. His confusion turned into worry.


    The people from the organization saw Noel''s state. They realized that Noel was just showing a strong front this whole time so that they would run away like this. If they turned around, they might be able to fight Noel again, but they had given thest order to the demons, which meant they had to fight Noel without the help of the demons.


    And Noel sealed their fate as he began to kill all the demons in the vicinity.


    Grandell wanted to kill those people, but Noel''s safety was his priority. So, he ordered the men to stop chasing and protect their lord.


    Still, the Pdin couldn''t see much from the camp. She found it weird when Noel stopped chasing after those guys as though he never had the intention to kill them to begin with.


    In fact, she felt slightly annoyed. After all, she opened the path for Grandell and the others so that Noel could kill those pests. To think that Noel would betray that expectation.


    "I will leave this area to you," said Noel while clutching his heart. "I''m going to inform the others."


    "Yes, Sir." Grandell nodded with a grim expression.


    Now that the battle''s objective had changed, Noel flew toward the camp andnded next to La while saying, "La. It''s time to eliminate all the demons. You can stop defending the camp."


    When she heard that, the wall disappeared, leaving only a small barrier that isted La and Noel.


    After that, she formed a few cube-shaped barriers to iste a lot of demons, allowing the others to take care of the rest.


    Since it had an easier shape, La could finally speak, "Aurelia. Wipe them out!"


    Although she had a lot of questions, Aurelia ended up following La''s order and the temple knights followed suit.


    La couldn''t help but ask, "What happened? For you to suddenly change our objective."

 Chapter 942 Aftermath

    "What happened? For you to suddenly change our objective."


    Noel looked around and said, "I''ll exin itter. They will probably have to know as well."


    "So, we will let them go?"


    "Yeah. It looks like they''re moving toward a vige. It''s going to be troublesome, but the Supreme Devil Organization will be known from now on. Since we will kill all the demons here, even if they pick up demons along the way, we can shift the me to them."


    "Well, if you let them go with all the demons from this ce, they will make it look like it is a demon attack. And it''s your failure as the lord to protect your people. But with them having no more demons, the Supreme Devil Organization will have to take the me." La nodded in understanding.


    "Yeah. It''s most likely that they will change their approach, which is a kind of assassination."


    "I see. In that case, it''s time to kill these demons. Do you want to have the honor?" La smiled.


    "Of course." Noel looked at the demons that had been isted by La''s barrier.


    Undying Phoenix.


    He shot the phoenix into the sky before it flew toward the barrier. La opened the top part of the barrier, allowing the phoenix to enter and explode, devouring all the demons inside.


    But as expected, the fire affected the barrier. A part of it melted and some demons used that hole to escape. Unfortunately, it only saved a few demons while the others were stuck inside and died from the intense ze.


    La caught a lot more demons as Noel kept killing them with his fire.


    While doing so, La couldn''t help but say, "This is surprising. Your fire is an extraordinary one¡­ Normally, no one can break through my barrier. But your fire can actually melt my barrier down. It will be troublesome if you are the one attacking me right now."


    "Well, you have been dividing your barrier into a lot of smaller ones. If you concentrate on only one barrier, I doubt my fire can do much."


    "I am specialized in defense. So, creating a city-sized barrier is normal. And that is still enough to stop the iing demons." La shook her head.


    Noel understood it. In fact, her barrier might be able to withstand Qiel''s arrow with a lot more enemies. Still, the stronger the opponents, the harder it would take to maintain the barrier. So, he doubted that La couldst as long as the time they first met.


    That was just one of his thoughts. He had a lot of other things to consider, especially the demons that dug the ground.


    In the end, he decided to focus on killing the demons first before discussing this matter with Anna and all the pirs in the main city.


    Grandell and the soldiers had experienced something that was never taught by Howard. It was their duty to protect their lord.


    They had been fighting for Noel and keeping him safe, but earlier, they almost lost Noel due to his poor condition.


    Noel''s action ended up nting this seed in their minds. Those who were strong would definitely ovee the helplessness and be more refined as soldiers.


    The soldiers became more ferocious when killing the demons. Their performance even put the temple knights in awe as they cut down one demon after another like an army of beasts.


    The temple knights also helped in killing the demons, but in total, the number of demons they killed was only half of what Grandell and the others achieved.


    The pdin instantly became the main part of the subjugation. She single-handedly killed one thousand demons by herself. However, it was clear that she had exhausted a lot of her energy.


    Compared to Shale, who was said to have exterminated the same number of demons, she was still a bit weaker.


    Noel had killed the same number, but that was all due to his fire that spread around the battlefield as well as La''s help in isting a lot of demons for him to kill.


    In two hours, the group ultimately killed more than three thousand demons. It was a huge achievement, but the biggest part of their sess was the fact that they engaged the enemies with the walls first. It allowed them to conserve most of their stamina while thinning out the enemy numbers.


    After they were done, the group returned to the destroyed camp. Obviously, the first one to show dissatisfaction was none other than Aurelia.


    She was standing in front of La with a cold gaze behind that helmet. "Saintess¡­"


    "!!!" La''s body tensed up. La had a rather yful character despite her brilliance. On the other hand, Aurelia showed an atmosphere of strictness.


    "Oh, Aurelia. Thank you foring here." La made a wry smile.


    "Is that all you''re going to say after dragging me to this ce?" Aurelia asked with a cold tone.


    "Good work. Also, you''re probably going to stay with me for a while as we will visit his city and stay there."


    "I''ve got the news, but not the details. However, how many times do I need to tell you that your yfulness is causing trouble for everyone? I know that you''re doing it for the benefits of the Moon Temple, but please think about the people around you."


    "I know, I know."


    "You are clearly not repentant of your action." Aurelia took a deep breath, trying her best to calm down. "Besides, unless you want to kill yourself, it''s not like you''re going to die with that ability of yours. But that''s not what a lot of people are thinking. Please pay attention to your status."


    "I understand, so let''s just leave it at that, please?" La scratched the back of her head, knowing it wasn''t enough to stop her.


    To her surprise, Aurelia let out a long sigh as the usual sign of her stopping the argument. "I will spare you with only that for now since we''re in the presence of Earl Ardagan. But I''m going to continue tonight."


    "Tonight¡­ I need to discuss a lot of things with him." La hurriedly made an excuse while pointing at Noel. La even looked at Noel. If she didn''t have her blindfold, she would have shown puppy eyes that Noel couldn''t resist.


    On the other hand, Noel said, "She is not wrong."


    La made a big smile as if she had been saved by Noel, only to be betrayed right after. "But I will make it brief tonight. You can have her after that."


    "Thank you very much." Aurelia politely bowed to him. "Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Pdin Aurelia from the Moon Temple. Aurelia Leviasta. Though, I have abandoned that name after bing a Pdin,"


    "Leviasta House?"


    "Indeed. I''m one of the women lucky enough to have the chance to change my fate from being a political tool to someone independent enough to choose my own fate. Just like your fiancee." Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel nodded in understanding. Although he didn''t know much about Aurelia, her fate was already sealed once she was born into a noble family. And it seemed that she chose a different path by wielding the sword.


    "I am Noel Ardagan. Well, the Saintess and I have agreed that you will be apanying her to visit my main city. So, we''ll be meeting quite frequently from now on." Noel smiled while extending his hand for a handshake.


    "It''s an honor to have the opportunity to learn from you." Aurelia shook his hand firmly, knowing that the younger man in front of her was more talented, knowledgeable, and terrifying than her.


    While they were talking, the knights had returned. The temple knights weren''t as injured as Noel''s soldiers, but they took quite a beating. On the other hand, Grandell and the others looked like they were about to copse. While he didn''t see any missing body parts from them, they had been covered with bandages. Grandell insisted that Noel didn''t use his power to heal them until he recovered a bit from his injury.


    However, there was one qualitative leap in his soldiers. The intensity of their gaze was much more apparent. In fact, all the soldiers understood that they had failed their duty and wanted to be punished. In exchange, Noel used it to bolster their morale once again.


    They could finally be called the true elite knights of the Ardagan Family. They wouldn''t hesitate toy down their lives if it was for the sake of their master. In other words, they were the true sword under Noel''smand.


    Noel couldn''t help but imagine what kind of expression Howard would have when he saw the change in his subordinates.


    Even Aurelia was impressed by their change. However, there was one more important matter.


    "Although this is a rude thing to ask, may I know the reason for you to stop chasing those people? The temple is not allowed to fight those people, but I think that you and your soldiers can kill those people easily," Aurelia asked.


    Grandell frowned as if thinking she was a fool for not being able to see that their lord was injured. But Noel nonchntly said, "It''s impossible. It''s not about my condition. Instead, did you notice that the demons became much harder to deal with after that?"


    Aurelia recounted what happened earlier and admitted, "Yes. It was a bit harder to fight them earlier."


    "Suppose I use us as an analogy. In that case, I want you to think this way. What if you and I fought with our swords? And then, it suddenly changes to using Grandell to stop you as I sh both of you together?"


    Aurelia couldn''t reply to that question. She truly witnessed such a thing in the fight. If thousands if not tens of thousands of demons used the same technique, they would suffer a massive loss even if they could win. She ended up lowering her head. "I apologize for my rude question earlier."


    "It''s fine. It''s normal to want to kill them, but I think we''vepleted our original objective, which is to learn how a demon army operates. Now that the demon army has a brain that can make use of them properly, they''re going to be more terrifying.


    "The underground demons, the flying demons, or even the amphibians are hard enough to repel. We have to close the waterway or n it carefully. The ground has to be fortified in one way or another. Andstly, we should have weapons to stop those flying demons. If you just think about it, there are a lot of tasks that need to bepleted.


    "Besides, this won''t affect only our territory. Once my Ardagan Family is destroyed by the Supreme Devil Organization, the terror of the organization will spread even more.


    "It will be much bigger when the dog has the strength to bite its owner''s hand¡­ The entire kingdom will be in chaos, so I will be focusing my attention on that part instead of ying too much politics." Noel nced at La.


    La couldn''t say anything. On the one hand, their duty was just to kill demons and help people. On the other hand, if the demons they had to kill were an army like this, they might experience a series of failures and would lose a lot of people if they were not careful on how to approach it.


    La understood that the Supreme Devil Organization had finally stepped up their game the moment they could control the demons and turn them into an army. They might even usurp the throne.


    "I know. I don''t know how much I can do right now, but I''m going to pay close attention to this matter. Do you want me to pull some connections here and there to assist you?"


    "No. The Ardagan Family has yet to show its true fang. So, it''s enough for the time being."


    "Alright. If you need anything, juste to me. I can do a lot of things." La smirked.


    "Yeah. You''re going to talk to her first though." Noel pointed at Aurelia. Even though La couldn''t see it, she could feel the sharp gaze from Aurelia as if telling her not to cause a lot of mess with all her weird ideas.


    La only made a wry smile before changing the topic. "So, what are we going to do now? Chase after those people?"


    "No. Let''s explore the area and eliminate all the demons. If possible, I want to see if they truly make a base or not."

 Chapter 943 Another Possibility

    Before exploring the area, they tried to gather the remaining demon crystals they could get from the demons. Most of the demons that Noel killed didn''t have anything left, so they searched for the demons they killed.


    They were already quite lucky that they got about three thousand demon crystals with variety grades.


    The most important ones would be the twenty peak level crystals and more than a hundred advanced level crystals. There was no Superior Demon this time though. The Supreme Devil Organization might be nning to use it during the actual siege.


    After loading everything in the carriage, they rebuilt their camp on the other side of the river to avoid the pungent blood smell.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Noel and the others continued their journey to the base of the Supreme Devil Organization, only to find it nowhere to be found. That was right.


    The base had been destroyedpletely with the only clue being the people that fled earlier.


    "What should we do?" La asked Noel.


    Aurelia looked around. "The area has been cleared up and there are traces of footprints. This should be their base, but it has been destroyed, giving the exnation of the visual to La."


    "We''ll chase after them. There is still a possibility that they bring out more demons, so I''ll have you apany me to visit some viges."


    "Don''t worry. I have some free time. While I can''t do anything to those humans even if they attack you, I will keep all the demons away at the very least."


    "That''s enough." Noel nodded in agreement.


    Now that they had made a decision, the group headed to the south, specifically the vige to their south. It wasn''t supposed to be a big vige ording to the mayor.


    There were only about forty people residing in this vige. Their location was not far from the river, but because of the demons, the city couldn''t rely on them. In fact, they thought that the people in this vige had died because of the demons.


    On the way, Noel couldn''t help but turn to Grandell. "Say. How far will you follow my order?"


    After the transformation earlier, Grandell answered without hesitation. "I will do anything for you, Sir. Even if it means sacrificing my life."


    "Is that so? If I were to order you to kill a little kid?"


    "That''s¡­" Grandell tensed up. On the one hand, he knew that the lord was a kind man, who wanted to provide the best for his subjects. On the other hand, that kind of order was sickening.


    Noel looked like Anna in the past, trying to kill innocent people. However, Noel knew that the Supreme Devil Organization could disguise themselves as a normal person. They might take advantage of that disguise and wait until Noel lowered his guard before killing him.


    The other soldiers seemed to understand the dilemma. However, Grandell gritted his teeth as though he had steeled his resolve. "I will follow your order. Should they resent me, I will let them crush me in the afterlife."


    "That''s enough." Noel nodded. When he thought about Anna and this kind of scenario, Noel couldn''t help but think of another thing.


    In their previous lives, Anna actually killed innocent people who had saved her. Yet, there was one more hidden scenario that he had never explored before.


    The only reason Anna killed those innocent people was because they saved her, right? If that was the case, it also meant Noel was the one who put her in that situation. And Noel should have gotten the Affection Medal, which allowed him to use the affection as a method to determine if that person was a spy or not.


    This point actually opened up a whole new scenario in Noel''s head.


    ''What if the me in the previous life actually chose that specific location? I might not have beenreason right in the head in my previous life, but I didn''t think I would be able to harm the innocent without any reasons. In that case, would it mean that there was another reason for me to send Anna there?''


    The answer to that question was rather obvious when he asked it during this expedition.


    ''I can''t believe this, but the previous me might use Anna to kill those people. They might be spies from the Supreme Devil Organization. When I think about it, the organization has a lot of small bases, but it''s hard to find them. What if they are using a vige as their base and live like a normal viger?


    ''It''s obvious that no one is going to bother them. In fact, nobles rarely visit viges a bit farther away from their city unless there is danger. In other words, as long as the organization pays the tax and never sends any distress signal, the vige will be left alone. That''s probably how they are always under our radar the whole time.


    ''In that case, the previous me might know that Anna wouldn''t be harmed by the Supreme Devil Organization. Anna was a precious tool of the Royal Family and her master, Josephine, was kind of shady. There was a high chance that the organization knew they had to protect Anna.


    ''So, I lured Anna near that vige and yed a prank on her, causing her to get mad and lose her reason. When that happened, Anna would go berserk and kill the people around, meaning destroying the base of the organization.''


    With Anna causing a ruckus in the organization''s base, bad blood between them formed. If this scenario were true, it would mean that Anna had never killed the innocent. It was more like Noel tried his best to prevent her from going in that direction.


    ''This might be possible, but it''s only a theory. There is a chance that it''s wrong, and it''s not like I can prove it. But if Anna remembers the location where she killed those innocent people¡­ I might be able to raid more organization''s bases.''


    This thought was a wild idea from Noel when he assumed that the previous life Noel was as smart as the current him. With how his previous life had been leading Anna to this ce, the chance of the scenario being true was quite high.


    ''In that case, let''s prove that theoryter. I don''t have time to raid those bases, but I can actually mark all of them first and raid them after we defend the city from the next attack. This should be enough to mess up the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    Noel reached the vige with this thought.


    He could see a lot of people living in this vige. They werepletely unscathed from the demons.


    "There is a visitor?" An olddy couldn''t help but squint her eyes, watching Noel and the others walk to the vige.


    Noel looked at the olddy while Grandell stepped forward and shouted, "The Lord of Lounstein, Earl Ardagan, is in front of you right now." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "Earl Ardagan?" The olddy raised her eyebrows. Never in her wildest dream would a noble visit this vige.


    Some other vigers who heard it couldn''t help but walk toward the entrance as if they wanted to see the noble. They were still confused, wondering if the visitor was truly a noble or not.


    The Saintess couldn''t help but frown when she looked around the vige. There was a weird smell permeating the air. It might not be apparent to normal people, but her heightened senses made her realize that something was indeed going on.


    Noel looked at the olddy as well as the rest of the vigers. There were only a total of fifteen people, so the others might still be working at another ce.


    This was the time Noel gave an order that dumbstruck everyone.


    "Grandell."


    "Yes, Sir?!" Grandell remained calm, ready to ept the order.


    However, that order was something that made him question the sanity of his own lord. After all, Noel instructed, "Off with her head."


    ''Resent me.'' Grandell''s expression turned grim as he unsheathed his sword, slicing the woman''s neck.


    The soldiers couldn''t really watch this happen. In fact, they didn''t understand why their lord became someone like this. Was the kindness he had shown this whole time a lie?


    Fortunately, the answer was revealed right away when the olddy actually avoided that sh.


    Grandell''s speed was extremely fast, so it would be hard for a Spirit Master to avoid his sh. Yet, the olddy before them was able to dodge that sharp de. It only meant one thing. She wasn''t a normal viger. There was only one other possibility.


    And Noel had seen this through the Affection Medal.


    Name: Svia


    Affection: Hatred (80/100)


    Description: She will definitely kill you if there is a chance.


    Noel had a hard time sensing their Spiritual Energy. With the fact that she was strong enough to avoid that de, it meant she was a Spirit Grandmaster.


    A Grandmaster released so much energy that it would be hard to hide them all. Hence, the organization might have another secret medicine that allowed them to hide their strength or there might be a secret technique they knew nothing about.


    They might think that wearing a mask earlier so that Noel didn''t see their face and turned into a normal viger would be smart but it wasn''t enough to fool Noel.


    Noel saw that the other vigers had the same level of hatred, which meant they were from the same group.


    The moment the olddy avoided the sh, Noel grabbed her face before she could do anything. Without hesitation, Noel released his fire, burning her entire head.


    One less grandmaster was extremely wee after all.


    When people witnessed the olddy''s reaction, they understood why Noel ordered the execution.


    "They are the devils. Kill them all," said Noel with a cold tone.


    Grandell clenched his sword tightly as he got angry at being fooled by these people. The other soldiers also unsheathed their swords and started charging.


    The disguised vigers immediately backed off as soon as they knew their covers had been blown away.


    Noel released his Undying Phoenix to make them disperse.


    Seeing that they had no chance to regroup and defeat Noel, they immediately changed their strategy. "Run!"


    Yeah. Instead of engaging Noel, they would rather preserve their lives and try it again next time.


    Noel never wanted to kill all of them though.


    "Grandell. Bring your soldiers and chase the people in that direction. Don''t go too far because of my condition."


    "Yes, my lord." Grandell instantly rallied the soldiers and began their hunt. Noel flew into the sky, providing some support to Grandell. However, he didn''t do much so the Supreme Devil Organization believed that Noel was extremely injured.


    It was annoying to let these people survive, but if it meant he could defeat the entire organization, he definitely could endure it.


    With this, all the people from the Moon Temple were left behind. They couldn''t help but look at La, who said, "We will wait here. Don''t touch those buildings until the Earl has confirmed that no one from the Supreme Devil Organization is left in this vige."


    "But don''t you think it''s better to help people eradicate these pests? I mean, if you consider how they can form a demon army, we might get dragged into the conflict in the near future." Aurelia asked.


    "I agree with you, but my answer is still no. We will maintain our neutrality here, not because I don''t hate them, but because it''s not the time yet."


    "Not the time yet?" Aurelia''s eyebrows twitched, thinking this was another weird idea of hers.


    "Yeah. I''m not sure, but the Ardagan''s family is one of the oldest families that survives from the creation of the four kingdoms. When he talked to me, it felt like he had always looked at the Supreme Devil Organization as a stepping stone.fatal."


    "Underestimating them is going to be fatal¡­"


    "No. I''m not talking about that. I''m talking about something more terrifying that can make the Supreme Devil Organization look like a child''s y."


    "!!!" Aurelia''s expression turned grim. As one of the oldest families, the Ardagan Family might really know something even a lot of nobles didn''t know.

 Chapter 944 Thoughts

    "He actually knew that we were not normal vigers? Wasn''t the disguise supposed to be perfect?"


    The fleeing members of the organization couldn''t help but look back at the vige.


    "We don''t know how he is able to do that. Maybe it''s that saintess?"


    "We have been told not to attack any member of the Moon Temple as long as they don''t harm us. The Moon Temple itself might not be muchpared to us, but the people have seen them as neutral. Once we attack them, their allies will run straight at us, which will be troublesome.


    "Tsk. We don''t have any evidence of them attacking us as well."


    "Then, we can only report this matter to Madam Qiel. Noel Ardagan has the ability to find out the true nature of this vige." Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah. He might have an informationwork far better than our original expectation."


    "Should we inform the others?"


    "Tell them to retreat. He will definitely check every vige in his territory, so we will just let him waste his time. Either way, we havepleted our original objective."


    "Indeed. He was so injured that he couldn''t chase after us. Still, he was scary. To think that he could do all that in that condition."


    "If he recovered, he might be on par against our Devil Saints except for Sir Alexander."


    "We also found out how to break through his city, so let''s just be satisfied with that. The main attack has yet to be ready."


    The people from the organization agreed and hurriedly retreated from the area.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Grandell had returned to Noel''s side with several heads.


    "I apologize, my lord. We can only kill about eight of them. The rest have escaped too far."


    "That''s enough." Noel nodded with a serious expression. Finding the fact that the Supreme Devil Organization disguised themselves as vigers was already one of the most important findings in this expedition. "Let''s explore the vige."


    "Yes, Sir." Grandell hurriedly led the team into a few buildings, while Noel entered the biggest building in this vige.


    All the houses in this vige were truly simr to those in a normal vige. However, if they took a close look, there were some demon crystals hidden somewhere in the building.


    They not only disguised themselves, but they were also strengthening themselves in this peaceful ce.


    Fortunately, there was no one hiding. Even his Affection Medal didn''t find anything.


    At first, Noel thought about a demonir, but surprisingly, the Demon Hunter Medal didn''t pick anything even deep underground.


    If they created a demonir in this ce, they would be able to ambush him from behind. Even a hundred demons was enough to create a distraction, let alone a few hundred or thousands.


    "Maybe after I killed the noble responsible for the demon''s farm, they didn''t have any other method that proved to be useful for a demon farm?" Noel had ruined their ns a few times. In fact, the Water Lord was supposed to die back then and his territory was taken to supply a lot of herbs for the organization.


    There was also the liquid that strengthened one''s body. In addition to the Saintess, he truly messed with a lot of their ns.


    ''I guess it''s good to know that they are severely weakenedpared to their previous lives,'' thought Noel.


    In the previous life, he imagined that the Supreme Devil Organization reigned supreme after building up their strength for a long time. Anna also told him that the Demon Banner Army was severely weakened, unable to stop the full advance of the organization.


    During that time, he led a rebellion. It was a sessful rebellion, but in the end, he let the Third Prince kill him.


    ''No, wait. The Third Prince should be rted to the Supreme Devil Organization. Back then, I was a peak level Grandmaster, but what if¡­ even that strength is not enough to react to the Third Prince? What if the Third Prince has gotten so strong that I couldn''t fight against him?


    ''I don''t think I can imagine the reason for me to sacrifice everything I''ve built just for the sake of rebuilding it, unless it''s a hopeless situation. There is also a possibility of a Demon King getting involved.


    ''If I take everything into consideration, does that mean even with that strength, I still feel hopeless? Well, a Demon King is equal to a Spirit King. I wasn''t a Spirit Transcendence back then, let alone a Spirit King.''


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. On the one hand, everything on the surface looked like it had been under his control. On the other hand, he felt there was a bigger secret that they didn''t know.


    If the rebellion seeded, it might mean that they weren''t that relevant. But the Royal Family still had a Spirit Transcendence, which was the Marshall. There was no way the rebellion would seed if he didn''t take him down.


    In other words, there were still some missing pieces he had to find in order to discover the truth of the rebellion as well as Anna''s rebirth.


    ''Seriously¡­ How many things did I consider to determine that the situation was hopeless?''


    Noel sighed. The more he dug deeper, the stronger his enemies would be. In fact, he might have to face a lot of Ancient Level Demons in the future.


    ''Now that I think about it, Anna told me that I didn''t reveal a lot of Advanced Level Runes, right? My Rune Mastery was already at max, but the system still only released Intermediate Runes in the shop. Is it rted to my job instead? I have gotten used to fighting with runes, but I still haven''tpleted the mission.


    ''Well, I already have knowledge of the runes, but learning how to use them is a different matter. It''ll take too long for me to learn them, so it''s better to use the system.''


    Noel fell into deep thought. It seemed that he had to focus on changing his job from this point onward.


    He managed to sort out a lot of things during the expedition. One thing was clear to him. The opponent was far stronger than he thought. Unless he grew even faster, he would be crushed.


    "In that case, let''s set up a target. ording to Anna, we should have about four more years. Hence, I have to be a Spirit King within four years. If I only need to absorb Demon Crystals, it won''t be hard. But I have to get a lot of Superior Demon and Ancient Demon Crystals, which will be troublesome unless I go outside the border.


    "If that''s the case, should I involve the demi-human kingdom? But we don''t know the conflict that will happen because of it¡­ Besides, we''ve been progressing much faster, so the enemies might also hasten their progress.


    "We might only have less than four years, if not three years. In that case, I have to be a Spirit Transcendence in one year and a Spirit King two years after that."


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. The challenge looked impossible when Spirit Transcendence was only a dream for many. Even in all four kingdoms, there were less than ten Spirit Transcendences.


    But if he didn''t take on this challenge, he wouldn''t be able to protect everything. Old Ru''s shell had already gone, so there was no more chance for them if they messed it up.


    "Sword Skill, Fire and Ice Abilities, Runes, as well as my personal Spiritual Energy Reserve¡­ There are a lot of things I have to do." Noel sighed. Aside from his personal development, he had to take care of all outside matters like Rune Academy, Rune City, and even the Supreme Devil Organization''s bases.


    He tried to calm himself down by looking around the building. After a few minutes, he exited the building, finding La and the others waiting for him. It seemed that they also wanted to explore the building, but they didn''t want to enter unless Noel confirmed that no one was inside.


    "Go on. Everyone from the organization should have vacated the vige." Noel pointed at the door.


    "That''s good. Aurelia." La gave a relieved smile.


    "Understood."


    As soon as Aurelia and the knights entered the building, La couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong? You seem to have a lot of things on your mind."


    "Let''s just say the situation is messier than I thought." Noel sighed.


    "Is that so? If it''s about demons, will my Moon Temple be able to handle it?"


    "Can your temple handle Ancient Demons?"


    "¡­" La fell silent. As she expected, an even stronger demon would appear in the near future. An Ancient Demon might be the least of their worries. After all, the organization could control them and turn the demons into a proper army.


    And if that Ancient Demon was a nt type Demon, it would definitely be a much harder opponent to beat.


    La raised one finger. "If an Ancient Demones to your city while I''m still there, they can only destroy the city after I die. As I told you earlier, we fight demons and help people¡­ even if that''s thest thing we do."


    "Thanks." Noel nodded.


    They continued the investigation for a few more hours until they determined the vige was safe. Although he had to send another group of knights to remove everything rted to the organization before he could allow new vigers to take over, it was good to have another vige to utilize.


    Without hesitation, they continued to the second vige, which wasn''t that far from their location. It only took them an hour to reach this vige, and surprisingly, this vige wasn''t empty. In fact, they were real vigers.


    When they saw the lord, they kneeled down. Some of them even admired Noel, which was shown by the Affection Medal.


    Noel also investigated the vige a little bit but found nothing extraordinary. It appeared that the organization didn''t touch them in order to make their disguise look more real.


    After ensuring that the people were not spies or the organization''s members, he continued to the next vige before the sun was set.


    But this time, the vige waspletely empty. Unlike the first vige, the people from the organization had enough time to bring all their belongings and even destroy all the buildings so that Noel couldn''t take advantage of it.


    In the end, he had to set up a tent to rest for the night.


    It was at this night that Anna sneaked out of the city, heading straight to Noel. The Sword Arbiter was watching her figure disappear into the distance from the top of the wall, ensuring that no one attacked her on her trip.


    But since they had eliminated all the spies in the city, no one knew that Anna had disappeared.


    Anna didn''t know that Noel had a big surprise for her.

 Chapter 945 Do I Deserve Happiness?

    <h4>Chapter 945 Do I Deserve Happiness?</h4>


    "So, the Supreme Devil Organizations have fully retreated from this area." Noel furrowed his eyebrows while looking at the map next to the fire.


    La, Aurelia, and Grandell apanied him as they had to discuss their next destination.


    "Looking at the situation, yes. Why don''t we end the expedition here?" La asked.


    "That''s possible, but I have to make sure about it first. Besides, there are times where I have to check every single vige in order to utilize them in the future." Noel rejected the idea of going home even though they had done enough.


    "I have gone to a lot of cities and viges. From my perspective, building a vige isn''t that hard. In fact, you can just give the vigers the tools and food. They should be able to create some buildings for their own survival."


    "Yeah. But that''s only going to give them a normal vige. I have some other uses, so we have to check them."


    It seemed that Noel didn''t n to tell La about their uses. But it was clear that he was building something nasty to fortify his territory.


    "If that''s the case, should we help? Well, we''re going to build a headquarters and a branch here, so it doesn''t hurt to go around helping those viges, right?" La turned to Aurelia.


    "Indeed. Though, I have to return to my group first after this to settle everything down. I will definitely return within?four days.''


    "How about returning now? So, by the time you finish, we''re about to go to the main city?"


    "But¡­" Aurelia looked unsure. Noel was gravely injured, the knights might have recovered, but they were not strong enough. She was afraid that the previous situation would happen and she had been instructed to protect the Saintess.


    "We''re done here. And it''s not like they''re going to attack us anymore. So, I think we will be fine without you."


    Aurelia fell silent for a moment before turning around as she felt a presenceing toward them. "Who are you?"


    Noel didn''t have a change of expression, fully aware of the person who would being to this ce. "She is my fiancee. You don''t have to worry about it."


    "Fiancee?" Aurelia squinted her eyes as Anna''s figure appeared from the darkness. Of course, she knew Anna. Unlike Aurelia who had to resort to going to the temple in order to avoid political marriage, Anna had a supportive father and the talent to push off that matter.


    More importantly, Anna''s name had resounded throughout the kingdom as she became the fiancee of Noel Ardagan.


    "See? With her, everything should be fine." La smiled, reminding Aurelia about the previous discussion.


    Aurelia contemted. On the one hand, she didn''t know Anna''s state. On the other hand, Anna was an Arbiter and her strength was extremely powerful. She had the True Spirit Body to boot. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    After a few minutes, Aurelia finally nodded her head. "I understand. In that case, I will return to my group and head back immediately."


    Aurelia looked at Noel and Anna, saying, "Please take care of the Saintess."


    Noel nodded while Anna was a bit confused. After getting his acknowledgement, three pairs of angelic wings appeared on her back as she took off into the sky.


    "What''s going on?" Anna, who had just arrived, asked while tilting her head.


    "It''s nothing important. Besides, we have fulfilled most of our objectives, so it will be just an easy ride from here on."


    "Is that so? Should I go back?"


    "No. It''s fine. There are also a few things I want to discuss with you. You should be tired after the journey, so why don''t you take a rest?" Noel pointed at his tent.


    "Since Aurelia is gone, I can finally get some rest without her reprimanding me. I''m going back to my tent." La yfully stretched her body, leaving both of them alone.


    Grandell didn''t even bother to say anything as he used his full speed to disappear, not wanting to get in between them.


    "¡­" Anna didn''t know what they had experienced, but it seemed that she was missing something important.


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "Well, it seems that it''s fine to rest early tonight. Let''s go. I have something important that I want you to know."


    Anna still hadn''t regained herposure, but she still followed Noel to the tent.


    Noel''s expression turned serious as he sat down. Anna couldn''t help but get tense. It was rare for Noel to be this serious. Even when giving important information, Noel usually just said it in a nonchnt way so that the matter looked easy.


    "What''s wrong, Noel? You''re making me scared right now."


    Noel took a deep breath. It wasn''t an easy matter to discuss, and it was hard to prove it as well. Besides, this memory had been haunting Anna the whole time, so reminding her of this would definitely impact her heart.


    "Before I tell you about it, I hope that you can listen to everything first because it will cause a lot of misunderstandings if you don''t."


    "I understand." Anna epted without hesitation.


    "It''s not like I''m picking your fault, especially after telling you that let''s think about the future instead of the past."


    "Noel, please." Anna''s expression turned solemn. With Noel''s warning, she knew that it would be extremely important and that it might hurt her. She just wanted to show him that she was ready to hear it.


    "In that case, let''s start with a question. Do you remember the ces where you murdered all the people that helped you?"


    Anna''s body shook. Even though she had steeled her resolve, she didn''t expect that Noel wanted to discuss this one.


    A lot of memories rushed into her head. The images that she wanted to forget started haunting her again even though she hadn''t done anything to them in this life.


    However, Noel''s expression showed a bit of anxiety. He must know that she would react this way, so she tried her best to calm down, answering, "I remember. I keep seeing those memories from time to time, knowing that I have to live on with my own mistakes."


    "Do you remember all the ces? Or just some of it?"


    "Not all, but I think I remember most of them."


    "If I ask you to point those locations on the map, can you do it?"


    Anna fell silent for a moment. "Tell me about the reason first."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don''t have concrete proof, but from our experience in the past few days, the chance is quite high. So, when we visited the first vige, we found out that the Supreme Devil Organization had used it as a normal vige.


    "In other words, their members acted like normal viger. I don''t know the method, but they seal their Spiritual Energypletely, making them look like normalmoners. The buildings are the same, with hidden demon crystals and other stuff that can be used by people like us.


    "After thinking about it, I wonder if I actually sent you to those ces because I wanted you to ughter them."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Anna was a bit confused. Noel was a good and kind person. He might be a little selfish, but he always avoided harming innocent people.


    "What I want to say is, those ces where I trapped you¡­ They might be the bases of the Supreme Devil Organizations. Just like how they created a vige to disguise themselves, those ces might be the same. With your connection to the Royal Family, which was familiar with the organization, you wouldn''t be killed by them.


    "In fact, they would heal you. Knowing your personality, you would kill those people after receiving their help. This way, I could somehow train you while eliminating people from the organization."


    "!!!" Anna trembled. She never thought about this possibility.


    In the past, she had been avoiding this memory because it was her gravest sin. She often looked at her hands covered in blood and a few faces that constantly appeared, reminding her of the massacre.


    And this time, Noel came up with the possibility that the people she killed might not be innocent.


    "I mean, if you have to describe my actions, shouldn''t it look like I was training you and protecting you? After all, there were a lot of opportunities for me to kill you."


    "I can''t deny it." Anna furiously nodded. Her voice was shaking as she couldn''t believe it.


    "That''s why, if possible, I want you to give me their locations. While we''re currently busy and have no way to visit those ces to prove this theory, we can go there in a few months. The only way to confirm that theory is through my medal."


    Anna looked down. She couldn''t help but look at her hands. The memories had affected her sight, making her look at her clean hands as though they were covered in blood.


    A few skeletal hands emerged from the grounds as skulls were showing their faces, reminding her that she had killed them even though they had helped her.


    And Noel said that it might not be true and her hands might be cleaner than she expected.


    "I can''t promise that all of them are Supreme Devil Organization bases. And you said that you didn''t remember all of them, so¡­" Noel couldn''t continue his words when he saw Anna''s expression.


    On the one hand, she wanted to know the truth. On the other hand, would she change after knowing this truth? Did she deserve to be this happy?


    Even if those people were people from the organization, it didn''t change the fact that her nature was brutal, ruthless, and insane.


    Noel moved closer to her and just hugged her, burying her face in his chest. "I know that this is not my ce to say it, but I think it''s fine now. Right now is different from the past. I don''t have the memory of it, but I know for sure that we''re together now.


    "I might not fully know your current feelings, but I do understand your sentiment. If it''s not much to ask, I hope that you will allow me to help you shoulder this burden. You are not alone anymore, Anna."


    Anna''s body was shaking and Noel could hear her little sobbing. Even though they had no proof yet, the possibility alone lifted a lot of burden from her shoulders.


    In the past, Noel might have wanted to say this word. Unfortunately, he couldn''t really utter those words because they were enemies.


    And when she thought about how protective and caring Noel was, both in the present and in the past, she couldn''t help but wonder what she had done in her life to deserve him.


    "I¡­ Do I¡­ really deserve this kind of hope? If this is just a dream, please I just want to wake up. What if this hope just turns into a nightmare¡­"


    "You have your second chance, and you''ve been fixing all your mistakes. No one is perfect. Even in this life, you''ve made a lot of mistakes, but you also strive forward to be a better person the next day.


    "Sometimes, we have to let go of the burden in our hearts to see what''s in front of us. Even my father said that if everyone doesn''t have a second chance, there won''t be any punishment other than the death sentence.


    "My stance has never changed. I hate the past you, who was merciless, but it doesn''t stop me from loving the current you. It''s just¡­ I want to do something more for the person I love. If the truth is harsh, I will shoulder that burden with you. If the truth is like a dream, I hope that you won''t change¡­ I hope you continue to be a better person."


    Anna wrapped her hands on Noel''s back while saying, "If you keep doing this, I keep asking if I deserve someone like you¡­"


    "Others'' opinions don''t matter. Rather than such a vague question, I''m going to say this one thing. You are and will always be the one beside me, there won''t be anyone else."

 Chapter 946 Six Problems

    Chapter 946 Six Problems


    When Noel opened his eyes, he noticed the sunlight lighting up the tent. After telling Anna about the possibility, they ended up in that position for a while. It was a bad memory for Anna, so she became a bit exhausted and fell asleep.


    Now that he had woken up, he realized that Anna was still hugging him as if not wanting to let him go.


    Even though they had been sleeping together, it wasn''t like they touched each other very often. It was more like Noel being a bit more conservative due to the current situation.


    Anna was extremely beautiful, so if he stepped a bit too far, he was afraid that he couldn''t stop. It would be more convenient for one reason after another.


    That was why he was slightly ufortable when they were like this. It was different from what he didst night since it was tofort her while this one was filled with intimacy as if seducing him to take the next step.


    Noel took a deep breath to calm his mind before removing Anna''s hand gently and escaping outside.


    La seemed to be the first to notice him as she gave a cheeky smile to tease Noel.


    Noel rolled his eyes before searching for Grandell to get ready for departure. The sooner theyplete it, the better. He could spend the rest of their time learning from the Sword Arbiter.


    Anna, on the other hand, was pretty embarrassed. After meeting the original body''s soul, she had sworn to be a bit more proactive in showing her affection. It was quite exciting and embarrassing at the same time, but in the end, she thought it wasn''t that bad.


    After packing their luggage, they began their next trip. ording to Noel''s prediction, they should be able to visit the remaining five viges within the next two days.


    On the carriage, Noel asked something that he couldn''t yesterday. "So, we''re going to fight a demon army. It''s like fighting a normal army, but with each soldier havingplete obedience and disregard for their lives.


    "Right now, I''m encountering six problems. I need your input." Noel looked at Anna as though asking about her experience in the previous life.


    "If I can answer them, sure."


    "So, the first problem will be about the corpses. The demons can stack on top of their deadrades to climb the wall. I think there is one rune that I currently master that can fix the problem, but can you think of another rune?" Noel asked.


    "Hmm. The bodies are going to be heavy, so you need firepower instead of constant movement. Are we thinking about the same rune?"


    "I believe so."


    "In that case, I think it''s good to use that rune for the time being."


    Noel and Anna didn''t mention which rune since La was with them. It wasn''t that they didn''t trust La, the runes were still the Ardagan Family''s secret, so it was better if they didn''t mention it casually in front of other people. At least, they could slightly elevate the rune''s worth in people''s eyes.


    "Then, the second problem will be regarding the flying beast. I''m thinking about creating the Ballista to shoot them down. Maybe I will reinforce them with runes, but the demons are smarter in the army because there is a demon giving an order. I''m afraid this is not enough."


    Anna thought for a moment. "Why don''t we create our own flying squads?"


    "Flying squads?" Noel contemted. Anna must be thinking about using the flying te to soar into the sky. If they had some elites on that board, they could definitely fight the enemies in the sky. However, there were a lot of risks in this n.


    First of all, creating this squad would take time. Then, if one of them fell down, they had to have another thing that could save them from that height. In addition, fighting in the sky that way was more inflexible than having a pair of wings.


    Still, Noel didn''t dismiss the idea easily. He knew that this concept was useful, not only for defense but also for scouting. They could easily fly back and forth like a bird. If it was more advanced, there was a chance that this might be a new way to deliver a message instead of a bird. With people like them, instead of a small piece of paper attached to the bird, they could even bring their whole luggage with them.


    This was why, if he carefully prepared them, there was a chance that they would be useful, whether on the battlefield or on a daily basis.


    "I''ll think about it. I''m not sure if it can be done for the iing invasion, but I''ll make some preparations." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    La, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn''t help but think, ''Flying Squad? Like Aurelia? Flying ability is extremely rare and if ordinary people can use it, there will be a lot of benefits. It seems that runes are more versatile than I originally thought.''


    Noel continued, "Then, the next problem would be the amphibians. Since we''re about to create a canal to the river, some demons are bound to attack us from there. Even if we create a gate, they will definitely destroy it. Well, that part is still under construction, so for now, it''s going to be defended by her barrier."


    "I''m not very sure about this. I mean, if they''re going to stay underwater, it''s going to be troublesome since the water might restrict our firepower. We also want to build a new method of transport, right? We have to clear the water as much as possible."


    "That''s the problem. I need a method to kill the demons under the water."


    "I don''t think I can provide you with an answer for that one. I mean, we''re going to fortify our city with a ditch and fill it with water, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "Why don''t we just let thend demons step on them and fill that ditch? This way, they won''t be able to take advantage of the water."


    "That''s possible, but it needs more fortification. I mean, right now, we won''t have any ditches. Think about the first problem."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. If they created a ditch, the runes wouldn''t be able tounch the demon corpses.


    "Well, we can think about this problemter." Noel sighed. He didn''t expect to get all the answers anyway.


    Anna tried to recall what Noel used to fortify the waterway, but she didn''t have much idea. In fact, the normal runes on the walls had been covered with the demon''s hide so that no one could see the patterns. Even if they did, Noel had painted some other patterns so that they would have a hard time recognizing the runes.


    There were some other fortifications, but she was never present when the organization attacked Noel. After all, there was no reason for her to openly join the organization to attack him.


    "Then, the fourth problem is the ground. We will have a lot of demons appearing in our city through the ground. Maybe demons like ants, centipedes, or other animal-infested demons."


    Anna asked, "Should we reinforce the ground?"


    "I mean, how? The wall is already very expensive to build, if we add the floor, the cost is going to be enormous. Besides, we don''t have a lot of time."


    "Hardening runes?"


    "It won''t be enough to stop a Peak Level Demon. It will be bad if a Superior Demon is involved. Remember that worm demon?"


    "Ah! That''s indeed terrible. But we can''t afford to have the city overrun by demons. Maybe using other runes?" Anna fell silent for a moment, remembering something. "That''s right. I''m about to visit that ce. There was a person who fought against a demon army, right?"


    "!!!" Noel remembered that his ancestors had indeed fought the demon army. Unlike the Supreme Devil Organization, this army was led directly by a Demon King. If not for the fact that the Demon King managed to lure Alexander, the Ardagan Family wouldn''t have fallen.


    They managed to deduce that the ce where Old Ru resided was their ancestralnd. Noel indeed remembered a few ruined buildings even though most of them had been reduced to the ground. It seemed Anna would take this chance to find out how their ancestors reinforced the ground.


    "I think that''s a good idea. Please take a look at it¡­ I''m not sure if it can be implemented or not, so I''ll think about a secondary solutionter."


    "Yes." Anna nodded. "How about the fifth problem?"


    "It''s their behavior. They can easily sacrifice themselves or others as long as they can drag us down. This kind of fighting style will definitely put us at a disadvantage."


    "I guess we need more rune-powered weapons. Ballistas might be useful for air defense, but we need more stuff to fight the majority of the demons. Since we''ll be staying on top of the wall, this problem shouldn''t be too much."


    "So, y it safe?"


    "Yeah. But didn''t you say Dous''s blueprint had a better fortification than normal design?"


    "That''s true. I guess we will create more weapons to ensure our sess. Roel will be busy from now on." Noel nodded in agreement.


    "I believe he isfortable with that. I mean, his eyes are always sparkling whenever he creates a new weapon, especially with the runes he has just learned."


    "I can''t deny it. In that case, let''s talk about thest problem. At the end of the day, we have to be careful of their number. I wonder how many Superior Demons they are nning to bring this time¡­ I''m not sure whether they will bring an Ancient Demon or not¡­ Besides, the Devil Saints will definitely make their moves."


    "Devil Saints, huh¡­ Are we going to fight that monster?" Anna''s eyebrows twitched.


    "No. He would probably fight against themanders so that the Demon Banner Army couldn''t help us. But Qiel and Laufey will definitelye after us."


    "You and Dimitri can take on Qiel and Laufey. I can probably join the fight if we want to kill them. But that only leaves Howard, La, and a pdin in the city. Howard is probably busymanding our soldiers, so only two Grandmasters left."


    "Yeah. They might evene with five Superior Demons this time with a few tens of thousands of demons, not to mention numerous Advanced Level Demons and Peak Level Demons. The only way to stop them is with our firepower that has been reinforced by runes."


    "Do we need more people? I mean, I can ask for reinforcement from my father."


    "That''s what I want, but I think we should request your father to keep the Arbiters in check instead of reinforcing us."


    "Fair enough. In that case, we should ask the other side."


    "Are you talking about my mother''s family or the Tower Association?"


    "The Tower Association."


    "Hmm¡­ I guess I should sacrifice a bit to invite them. If only the city is fully developed, I don''t need to worry about an invasion of this scale."


    "Yeah. There should be a few elders from the association that we can move to, right?"


    "I think. I will also ask the Demon Banner Army for reinforcement, but we can''t expect much." Noel sighed. He had a headache thinking about all these six problems. And he had to handle other work as well.


    Anna asked, "Still, what''s the objective you want to achieve in this battle? Just defending our territory?"


    "Of course not." Noel made the gesture of chopping his neck as if he wanted to kill someone. "A Devil Saint¡­ if possible, Qiel. If they lose their brain, it''s going to be hard for them to act rashly."


    "I see. Well, we have to work hard on rune weapons. This is the only way for us to win against them."


    "Yeah. We''ll be using the rest of the time here to list out and if possible make some designs for the rune weapons."


    Anna agreed.


    La couldn''t help but shake her head helplessly. She thought that she could help Noel defend the territory with her barrier. But it seemed that she had underestimated Noel''s ambition.


    She had to adjust her ns a little bit.

 Chapter 947 Settling the Rest

    Chapter 947 Settling the Rest


    The expedition went as everyone expected. The enemies hadpletely pulled back. When they encountered vigers, Noel didn''t say anything, indicating that they were normal vigers.


    Although it was a shame that he couldn''t destroy more bases, he finally wrapped up the expedition and returned to the city.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It had only been a few days, but the city had undergone an amazing transformation.


    A lot of buildings that hadn''t been rebuilt previously already had a sign of foundation. The water storage was already half finished, which would be amazing once it waspleted. The mayor had even nned for the other water storages, believing that they would be able to build everything within two to three months.


    At the same time, they knew that their lord had taken care of the demons around the river. They felt ashamed that their lord had to kill a lot of demons in his current condition. At the same time, they couldn''t help but admire the lord for doing his job tirelessly.


    The kids couldn''t help but aspire to be someone like him. The bards were singing his wonderful tale.


    The gloomy mood that had been overwhelming the city hadpletely gone, reced by a joyous atmosphere filled with hope.


    Noel returned to the mayor''s mansion first as he had to take all the reports so that he could use this experience for his main city.


    The mayor exined, "I believe that the water facility will be able to pull a lot of people into this city. So, once we''re done with the reconstruction, we will be able to gain a lot of profits from thend."


    Noel thought for a moment. "What about the current citizens?"


    "Of course, they will be treated well. They are our current citizens who rebuilt this city, so I think it''s fair to grant them a building of their own. And it''s going to be near the mayor''s mansion or water storage, depending on their needs."


    "That''s good for now. However, don''t open up for the migration yet. The current situation is troublesome since a lot of people are eyeing rune technology. Even with the help of the Sword Arbiter, we don''t know what can happen."


    "If that''s the case, when do we open the migration? We have to start filling up the city soon. At least for workers, so we can speed up the reconstruction." The mayor asked while rubbing his nose, slightly worried about their speed.


    "For workers, it''s going to be one month from now. At the very least, I want the main water storage to bepleted. This way, it won''t be easily destroyed or ruined. The well should have been better equipped as well. We will open up the migration for workers before constructing the smaller water storages all around the city."


    "I understand." The mayor didn''t find one month too long. He could understand Noel''s worry, so he agreed with Noel''s decision immediately.


    "What about the wall?" Noel asked.


    "The wall will take a bit longer, but it shouldn''t be more than two months. The damage is quite severe after all."


    "Alright. Make the schedule for the other walls as well. I want them to bepleted before the Sword Arbiter leaves the city. And by the time the Moon Temple''s branch has been constructed, the city will have a protector from the demon. It can be said that the people don''t have to worry about the threat from those demons anymore. And I think you know what to do after this." Noel smirked.


    "Since safety has been guaranteed, the property price will skyrocket. It''ll be the time for us to open for migration, introducing a city that has a lot of rune technologies. Don''t worry, Sir. I will definitely showcase those runes so that the main city will look even more mystical in those people''s eyes."


    "Haha. Sorry for making you do it¡­ But at the very least, I want the citizens in this city to have a smile on their faces first." Noel chuckled.


    "Don''t worry, Sir. It''s the least I can do after everything you''ve done for the city." The mayor nodded furiously.


    It had been a while since Noel first came to this city. The mayor, whoseplexion was pale and body was thin, seemed to have improved significantly. He still looked tired, but his eyes were brimming with energy and excitement, which he was happy with.


    "For now, you don''t have to reinforce the city wall with Spirit Enchantments. Since safety is still guaranteed and no one is going to harm the city where they can experience a new technology, the city shouldn''t be attacked for a while. After I deal with everything in the main city, I will send some people to reinforce the wall with runes instead of Spirit Enchantments."


    "Understood. There are still two problems, Sir. Before this city can produce any profits, we should make the citizens happy. Although I feel ashamed for asking you, I believe we need more funds."


    "Don''t worry. I will be sending the funds soon. I have arranged it through the Moon Temple, which won''t be attacked by people. What is the second problem?"


    "That would be a tax exemption. To reward the citizens for working hard, I believe we should grant them tax exemption for one or two years."


    "I don''t think that''s a problem. We can still make a lot of money from the property alone. All the convenience that the city will provide in the future should increase the price far higher, so I want you to keep an eye on it, making sure we don''t lose too much."


    "Yes, Sir." The mayor epted the task.


    "Is there anything else?" Noel asked while looking at the rest of the report.


    "No. The rest are just small matters. I can take care of it myself. During this time, I hope that my lord can rest to recover from your injuries." The mayor lowered his head, pleading with Noel to take care of his own body.


    Noel smiled. Even though he was already fine, he still had to act this way. So he epted his offers and said, "Alright. I will let you handle the rest."


    "Thank you, Sir." The mayor made a big smile.


    Noel left the office and walked toward the backyard, where he found the Sword Arbiter with Anna.


    "What''s wrong? It''s not like you." The Sword Arbiter asked while furrowing his eyebrows. "Your sword is wavering as if you''re not the one I fought a few days ago."


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She was still Anna, but she indeed felt the impact of Noel''s theory as well as the original body''s soul to the point where she always thought about visiting Old Ru''s ce to sort this out.


    Anna shook her head. "My mind is just slightly disturbed. I''m sorry for showing such a state."


    Duke Lorelei squinted his eyes, feeling something was weird. It seemed that something had happened during the expedition, so he ended up stopping here since Noel should be the one to solve this matter.


    He raised his head, finding Noel watching on the balcony.


    "What''s wrong? Do you want to have a spar too?"


    "I think I will just ask you a few questions today."


    "About what?"


    "There are things that I want to know about the swords. I have been thinking about making progress with my sword, but it feels like I have to improve my own sword to reach the same level as my elements and runes before I can start infusing the sword into my fighting style."


    Noel had been thinking seriously about the job change. With his current achievement in the runes, he thought that the sword was the one hindering his advancement, considering it was the weakest in his repertoire.


    The Sword Arbiter thought for a moment and waved his hand. "In that case, get down."


    Noel and Anna spent the next few days in peace. In the morning, they would have a spar with the Sword Arbiter. After that, they continued to supervise the progress of the city while greeting the citizens.


    Noel and Anna were soon to be known as down-to-earth rulers who didn''t hesitate to help their citizens directly. They were admired by the citizens because they worked tirelessly in their ''condition.''


    The Saintess, on the other hand, had been spending her time moving around the city to experience everything Noel had built so far. Everything looked amazing, but only some of them could be implemented in the Moon Temple. She was also curious what kind of runes Noel nned for the main city.


    Meanwhile, Aurelia actually came back as promised. She had brought her luggage, especially clothes for her stay in the main city.


    The Sword Arbiter spent these few days training Noel and Anna wholeheartedly. Only after they were gone would he begin learning rune technology.


    Last but not least, the cksmiths. The ones who had been working the whole time might be the cksmith since they had been fulfilling the demands for construction and Noel''s special request for the rune technology.


    Finally, four days after Noel''s return, they received a letter from the main city. The letter requested that Noel return as quickly as possible since they were ready to open the first batch of migrations. Since Noel had told Dimitri that he would personally inspect those people to avoid spies, Dimitri sent the message stating that the first batch would arrive within four days through their channels in the southeast.


    Dimitri took advantage of the rtionship between Noel and the Greenwood Kingdom to use their border to transport all these people so that they could arrive without getting attacked along the way.


    So, Noel immediately informed everyone that they would be returning the next day and that information was soon spread not only to Anna and the others, but to the citizens as well.

 Chapter 948 Settling the Rest

    The expedition went as everyone expected. The enemies hadpletely pulled back. When they encountered vigers, Noel didn''t say anything, indicating that they were normal vigers.


    Although it was a shame that he couldn''t destroy more bases, he finally wrapped up the expedition and returned to the city.


    It had only been a few days, but the city had undergone an amazing transformation.


    A lot of buildings that hadn''t been rebuilt previously already had a sign of foundation. The water storage was already half finished, which would be amazing once it waspleted. The mayor had even nned for the other water storages, believing that they would be able to build everything within two to three months.


    At the same time, they knew that their lord had taken care of the demons around the river. They felt ashamed that their lord had to kill a lot of demons in his current condition. At the same time, they couldn''t help but admire the lord for doing his job tirelessly.


    The kids couldn''t help but aspire to be someone like him. The bards were singing his wonderful tale.


    The gloomy mood that had been overwhelming the city hadpletely gone, reced by a joyous atmosphere filled with hope.


    Noel returned to the mayor''s mansion first as he had to take all the reports so that he could use this experience for his main city.


    The mayor exined, "I believe that the water facility will be able to pull a lot of people into this city. So, once we''re done with the reconstruction, we will be able to gain a lot of profits from thend."


    Noel thought for a moment. "What about the current citizens?"


    "Of course, they will be treated well. They are our current citizens who rebuilt this city, so I think it''s fair to grant them a building of their own. And it''s going to be near the mayor''s mansion or water storage, depending on their needs."


    "That''s good for now. However, don''t open up for the migration yet. The current situation is troublesome since a lot of people are eyeing rune technology. Even with the help of the Sword Arbiter, we don''t know what can happen."


    "If that''s the case, when do we open the migration? We have to start filling up the city soon. At least for workers, so we can speed up the reconstruction." The mayor asked while rubbing his nose, slightly worried about their speed.


    "For workers, it''s going to be one month from now. At the very least, I want the main water storage to bepleted. This way, it won''t be easily destroyed or ruined. The well should have been better equipped as well. We will open up the migration for workers before constructing the smaller water storages all around the city."


    "I understand." The mayor didn''t find one month too long. He could understand Noel''s worry, so he agreed with Noel''s decision immediately.


    "What about the wall?" Noel asked.


    "The wall will take a bit longer, but it shouldn''t be more than two months. The damage is quite severe after all."


    "Alright. Make the schedule for the other walls as well. I want them to bepleted before the Sword Arbiter leaves the city. And by the time the Moon Temple''s branch has been constructed, the city will have a protector from the demon. It can be said that the people don''t have to worry about the threat from those demons anymore. And I think you know what to do after this." Noel smirked.


    "Since safety has been guaranteed, the property price will skyrocket. It''ll be the time for us to open for migration, introducing a city that has a lot of rune technologies. Don''t worry, Sir. I will definitely showcase those runes so that the main city will look even more mystical in those people''s eyes."


    "Haha. Sorry for making you do it¡­ But at the very least, I want the citizens in this city to have a smile on their faces first." Noel chuckled.


    "Don''t worry, Sir. It''s the least I can do after everything you''ve done for the city." The mayor nodded furiously.


    It had been a while since Noel first came to this city. The mayor, whoseplexion was pale and body was thin, seemed to have improved significantly. He still looked tired, but his eyes were brimming with energy and excitement, which he was happy with.


    "For now, you don''t have to reinforce the city wall with Spirit Enchantments. Since safety is still guaranteed and no one is going to harm the city where they can experience a new technology, the city shouldn''t be attacked for a while. After I deal with everything in the main city, I will send some people to reinforce the wall with runes instead of Spirit Enchantments."


    "Understood. There are still two problems, Sir. Before this city can produce any profits, we should make the citizens happy. Although I feel ashamed for asking you, I believe we need more funds."


    "Don''t worry. I will be sending the funds soon. I have arranged it through the Moon Temple, which won''t be attacked by people. What is the second problem?"


    "That would be a tax exemption. To reward the citizens for working hard, I believe we should grant them tax exemption for one or two years."


    "I don''t think that''s a problem. We can still make a lot of money from the property alone. All the convenience that the city will provide in the future should increase the price far higher, so I want you to keep an eye on it, making sure we don''t lose too much."


    "Yes, Sir." The mayor epted the task.


    "Is there anything else?" Noel asked while looking at the rest of the report.


    "No. The rest are just small matters. I can take care of it myself. During this time, I hope that my lord can rest to recover from your injuries." The mayor lowered his head, pleading with Noel to take care of his own body.


    Noel smiled. Even though he was already fine, he still had to act this way. So he epted his offers and said, "Alright. I will let you handle the rest."


    "Thank you, Sir." The mayor made a big smile.


    Noel left the office and walked toward the backyard, where he found the Sword Arbiter with Anna.


    "What''s wrong? It''s not like you." The Sword Arbiter asked while furrowing his eyebrows. "Your sword is wavering as if you''re not the one I fought a few days ago."


    Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She was still Anna, but she indeed felt the impact of Noel''s theory as well as the original body''s soul to the point where she always thought about visiting Old Ru''s ce to sort this out.


    Anna shook her head. "My mind is just slightly disturbed. I''m sorry for showing such a state."


    Duke Lorelei squinted his eyes, feeling something was weird. It seemed that something had happened during the expedition, so he ended up stopping here since Noel should be the one to solve this matter.


    He raised his head, finding Noel watching on the balcony.


    "What''s wrong? Do you want to have a spar too?"


    "I think I will just ask you a few questions today."


    "About what?"


    "There are things that I want to know about the swords. I have been thinking about making progress with my sword, but it feels like I have to improve my own sword to reach the same level as my elements and runes before I can start infusing the sword into my fighting style."


    Noel had been thinking seriously about the job change. With his current achievement in the runes, he thought that the sword was the one hindering his advancement, considering it was the weakest in his repertoire.


    The Sword Arbiter thought for a moment and waved his hand. "In that case, get down."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noel and Anna spent the next few days in peace. In the morning, they would have a spar with the Sword Arbiter. After that, they continued to supervise the progress of the city while greeting the citizens.


    lightsn¦Ïv¦Ål Noel and Anna were soon to be known as down-to-earth rulers who didn''t hesitate to help their citizens directly. They were admired by the citizens because they worked tirelessly in their ''condition.''


    The Saintess, on the other hand, had been spending her time moving around the city to experience everything Noel had built so far. Everything looked amazing, but only some of them could be implemented in the Moon Temple. She was also curious what kind of runes Noel nned for the main city.


    Meanwhile, Aurelia actually came back as promised. She had brought her luggage, especially clothes for her stay in the main city.


    The Sword Arbiter spent these few days training Noel and Anna wholeheartedly. Only after they were gone would he begin learning rune technology.


    Last but not least, the cksmiths. The ones who had been working the whole time might be the cksmith since they had been fulfilling the demands for construction and Noel''s special request for the rune technology.


    Finally, four days after Noel''s return, they received a letter from the main city. The letter requested that Noel return as quickly as possible since they were ready to open the first batch of migrations. Since Noel had told Dimitri that he would personally inspect those people to avoid spies, Dimitri sent the message stating that the first batch would arrive within four days through their channels in the southeast.


    Dimitri took advantage of the rtionship between Noel and the Greenwood Kingdom to use their border to transport all these people so that they could arrive without getting attacked along the way.


    So, Noel immediately informed everyone that they would be returning the next day and that information was soon spread not only to Anna and the others, but to the citizens as well.


    f370bd097ced3c1624ce6124c752d70bb1d51a769c914532295cd71202bbe6fe59c88bfcd654b1dad7ef101b179cd3bc22e414a0da840a1ff0f1a2f1a5ae015c

 Chapter 949 Spiritual Energicity?

    Chapter 949 Spiritual Energicity?


    "Dimitri!" Howard stormed inside Dimitri''s room.


    "Again? Why won''t anyone give me a break and just let me finish my work?" Dimitri sighed.


    "I just want to say that the lord has returned." Howard pointed at the back as if he were wondering if he wanted to go together.


    Dimitri was shameless enough to turn into a shadow that instantly disappeared from the room. Even Howard was speechless that Dimitri escaped right after thatint. "Is he serious?"


    Outside, Noel and the others had finally reached the city. Instead of cheering for Noel, they were worried when they saw Noel was covered with bandages. Even Anna had a lot of injuries on her body, showing that they had a rough time when they left.


    Of course, Khalid had arrived in this city a few days prior, telling all the pirs about Noel''s current condition.


    "My lord. What happened to you?!" Charlotte looked worried, even though she was just acting to make it more dramatic.


    "I''m fine. It''s just some injuries." Noel smiled wryly like he didn''t want Charlotte to worry.


    Dimitri appeared next to Noel. "Master."


    "Oh, Dimitri?! I''m back. How is the situation over here?"


    "Everything is progressing smoothly. But your body¡­"


    "It''s fine. I can''t fight, but I can still work like normal. You don''t have to worry about my condition. It will heal over time." Noel chuckled while looking around. "It seems that the progress has been quite massive in the past few days."


    "Yes, Master. But you must be tired from your trip, so I believe you should get some rest first." Dimitri said those words so that the people knew that Noel was injured. And he would simply bring the matter to Noel after they dispersed.


    "That''s¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head.


    "Please, I insist."


    "Alright, alright." After agreeing to Dimitri''s request, Noel waved his hands to the others while moving toward their house.


    He had to discuss Anna''s departure with Dimitri as well. Though, the most excited people were Roel and Dous, fully knowing that they were going to have a lot of things to do, which was tiring but also exciting.


    Aurelia took a look at the city. It was surprisingly nice. Even though it was barely constructed, the buildings had a nice design. The road was smooth and the main street was wide enough to make people cross it to feel the majestic atmosphere of the city.


    But what made her confused was the wall in the north. The wall looked like a single corner of an ordinary city, but when she took another look at it, she realized that the width wasn''t enough for the building. In other words, Noel was using a different design than what most nobles used.


    "He is truly mysterious. I have heard that the city is only less than a month old, but I can feel the trust from the citizens. They don''t seem to be treated badly here. What can you see, Aurelia?" La whispered.


    "The city is good. Everything looks perfect on the surface. But I don''t know if this will continue. After all, once the city grows, so does the slum. I''m afraid we''ll see it in the future."


    "We can''t save everyone. So, the only thing we can do is provide help to the best of our abilities. No one is perfect anyway." La obviously understood that the more the city grew, the bigger the gap between people''s social status. "Still, it''s a quite nice city to live in, right?"


    "Certainly," Aurelia admitted without hesitation. If the city werepleted, she would love to live here, especially with the rumored rune technology.


    They followed Noel to his house. Instead of going to bed, Noel dropped his act and just sat down in the living room, asking, "So, how is the progress?"


    "There are some small problems, but we should be able to handle them. As for the migrants, we''ll be finding them soon. Though¡­ the others probably have more questions than me." Dimitri nced to the back, seeing the hungry faces of Roel and Dous. They seemed to be ready to devour Noel alive once Dimitri was done.


    "Alright. Let me introduce you to them. She is La, the Saintess of the Moon Temple. I''ve made an agreement with the Moon Temple and will construct their headquarters here. The one next to her is Pdin Aurelia."


    "I have heard about the report. Constructing the Moon Temple''s headquarters might be good, but I have to warn them that if they dare to do anything funny, I will rally all the pirs to expel them out of this city." Dimitri looked at La and Aurelia coldly.


    "Oh my. Mr. Dimitri is as strict as usual. Mr. Luke Ardagan was kind enough to work with us a lot in the past." La smirked. Since Luke helped a lot of people, it wasn''t surprising to know that he had worked together with the Moon Temple. It was probably why the Moon Temple agreed so quickly to their demands and even sent their pdin to help right away.


    "Do you mind sending them to their ce?"


    "Certainly." Dimitri turned to them and said, "Bothdies. We have prepared a ce for you. I hope you can follow me."


    Dimitri''s tone was a bit strict as if he didn''t take no for an answer. It seemed that Dimitri had quite a headache whenever he was working with the Moon Temple.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    As soon as Dimitri left, both Roel and Dous moved toward Noel and mmed the table, saying the same thing. "My lord. We need to discuss a lot of things."


    "Roel! I''m first!" Dous gritted his teeth.


    "What did you say? I should be first."


    "I have worked for the previous Ardagan Family, so I should go first."


    "Shouldn''t the seniors give way to their juniors first?"


    Both of them red at each other.


    Noel sighed. "Roel. You can talk to Anna first regarding the things we''ve created."


    Although reluctant, he agreed with the arrangement. He was quite curious about the details of everything they had made, especially the automatic carriage.


    Meanwhile, Dous hurriedly opened the design of the city. "After hearing about the report, I have made a slight adjustment to the city''s design. Please take a look at it."


    Noel couldn''t understand everything, but he could see the giant za in the middle of the city that was connected to each city''s pointy tips of the star-shaped wall. His mansion was ced slightly to the north.


    He could see several giantnds that had been changed like the main storage.


    "Are you going to build the water storage in the center?" Noel asked while pointing at the za.


    "No. I think we need to create two storage systems just for redundancy. The building might be targeted, so it''s best to have a backup. However, I''m suggesting that we build underneath the ground."


    "Huh? Aren''t we supposed to use it to ce it higher?" Noel frowned.


    "That''s what I think too, but this one is a backup, so if we ce it above the ground, it will be targeted like the main facility. On the other hand, we can still supply the city with water as long as we use the same technique to pump the water up. It will be costly, but this will only be used during an emergency."


    "Interesting. But I don''t think that''s the only reason, right?"


    "Yes, Sir. We''re thinking about camouging this facility with two giant freezer underground. This is mainly the city''s storage. We''ll supply the storage with ice during the winter, allowing us to preserve food. While we can kill demons for food, I''m still a bit concerned about the logistics. For example, what if the enemy uses the demons to blockade our paths? Even if we can kill some demons, it will be troublesome if they coordinate with them to lure us or anything. Hence, we''re going to make an emergency supply underneath the city."


    Noel frowned. "This is going to be a big burden for our budget."


    "Not necessarily so. Right now, there are no buildings on top of these areas, so we can excavate the hole required for the facility easily. I understand that their creation will put some burden, but I believe it''s not as big as you think."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel thought for a moment.


    "Ahem!" Roel suddenly coughed to grab their attention. "I happen to overhear your n about the giant freezer. This is one of my questions. My lord, do you happen to have a rune that can preserve temperature? Maybe isting things or something?"


    "Why do you ask?" Noel was a bit confused. Roel seemed to have another n in his mind that might take advantage of the giant freezer.


    "In the past, my friend once said that the previous civilization was very mysterious. They had a weird gadget and things like that, but what made me curious the most was actually the technology in their houses.


    "ording to my friend, every house seemed to have a weirdmp that would provide the house with the necessary light during the night. When I heard the concept of the Rune Lamp, I thought about providing themp to everyone. The people could do their work during the night this way.


    "Then, there is also a thin fan that seems to be attached to the ceiling or walls. It seems to be used to cool down the house.


    "And onest thing... It''s about a weird item near the kitchen. ording to my friends, it stores spices or any organic things like food. So, when Dous mentioned a giant freezer, I thought about preserving the coldness to re-invent these technologies."


    Roel didn''t know that he was just talking about a bulb, a fan, and a refrigerator. But it seemed that he wanted to apply the concept to make an even better living environment.


    "Well¡­" Noel closed his eyes for a moment, recalling all the information about the runes.


    Of course, there was no way he had any rune that could be useful in his current repertoire, so he directly essed all the information nted in his head.


    "I actually wanted to ask something, which might need to be done while we''re building the water facility." Dous raised his hand. "When you look at the previous civilization, it seems that they had another form of energy that was used to power every item inside.


    "On the other hand, we''re currently taking advantage of the rune system to provide us with anything. However, I believe that this is extremely inefficient. In the future, I believe that not all citizens will have the money to afford demon crystals. After all, they might use that money to give their children an education or things for survival.


    "Hence, Balott asked me for a way to reduce the cost significantly. Instead of letting them buy the Demon Crystals, why don''t we manage the facility that provides them with Spiritual Energy needed to supply those rune technologies?


    "When I asked Roel about it¡­" Dous stopped, letting Roel be the one to answer that question.


    "We''re thinking about whether we should grind the Demon Crystals. The demon crystals turned gray after we absorbed all the energy, making them look like normal rocks. So, we''re wondering if you can embed a rune to restore the energy back, maybe from the air or another demon crystal. If it''s possible, we might be able to transport the Spiritual Energy by grinding these crystals and turn them into a cable or conductive rod.


    "This way, we only need to generate all that energy inside one facility and distribute that energy to all the buildings. This way, citizens only have to pay taxes to have ess to all the avable technologies.


    "Though, there is a problem since there might be people who don''t want the rune technology. While we don''t have the solution for it yet, I think the people''s curiosity about rune technology will make them not mind having their houses powered by Spiritual Energy, for now."


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "That''s quite an interesting idea, albeit extremelyplicated."

 Chapter 950 Finalizing the Concept

    Chapter 950 Finalizing the Concept


    Noel looked at the entire project and couldn''t help but ask, "How is the fund situation?"


    "Far from enough for such an ambitious n. But this is the only way to cut the biggest cost. If we wait until the city ispleted, the cost will skyrocket." Dous exined.


    "How much is the costpared to our current fund? And how much will it increase if we wait?"


    "The current fund? It''s about two times... This is the first, so maybe higher than that. And Balott told me that there are also other projects."


    Noel fell into deep thought. Getting the necessary funds was easier said than done. If he was not careful, he would lose all the funds without building anything.


    Noel turned to Roel. "You should have heard a bit of my ns regarding the rune technology."


    "Yes. I''ve heard from Lady Anna." Roel nodded.


    "We have to sell something. It might be the water system." Noel pinched the bridge of his nose.


    "If we sell two new weapons, it''s going to cover the cost, I believe." Roel exined. Instead of an important water system, he believed this was a better solution.


    However, Noel shook his head, rejecting the idea. "We''ll keep the weapons to ourselves for now. We''re fighting a very dangerous foe, so we can''t allow the blueprints of our weapons to be found by the enemies and let them study those weapons. It''s going to be troublesome for us."


    "If that''s the case, how are you going to handle it?" Roel asked.


    "Anna."


    Anna was confused at first, but it seemed that she understood what Noel wanted. "Since I''m going to meet Damian, I will tell him that you don''t mind selling the design for the water system. But shouldn''t you ask Livia instead?"


    "No. If I go to Livia, it''s going to show that I''m desperate, allowing them to take advantage of it to lower the price. But if you go with Damian, the other party won''t be able to handle the negotiation, which allows us to demand a certain price. And they will confirm with Livia about the effect. It''ll ultimately give us the best advantage in the negotiation."


    "I see." Anna nodded before turning to Dous and Roel. "Are both of you fine? Noel gave you the idea, but you were the first one to ever construct it."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Roel and Dous exchanged looks. They had been arguing a lot, but surprisingly, they agreed on one thing. Both of them said the same thing. "Sacrifice one to fund ten more."


    They wanted to use the water system to fund their research on other things. In fact, by selling this water system, they could get enough funds for the freezer, the power system that would light up the city, and even other things that would be rted to those projects.


    It was a necessary price to pay.


    "Alright. I''ll do that."


    "Also, since we''re the ones selling this, add a condition where they have to acknowledge the inventors and creators. Bring Balott with you to handle the negotiation."


    "Got it." Anna nodded. "Still, it''s quite an ambitious project. If the entire city can be powered by rune, it will be fundamentally different. After all, if we have a giant power source, we can use that to power more projects in the future."


    "Yeah. That''s why this project is important." Roel agreed with Anna. "In fact, we could link this power source to the weapons powered by runes. In other words, the walls don''t need to be filled up with a lot of Demon Crystals to be fully recharged again and again. We only have to link them to this power source and we can use it forever."


    "Combined with the design of this fortress, I believe that our city will be an imprable fortress." Dous smiled, getting fired up.


    Noel asked, "Still, we haven''t solved the biggest problem. Can the demon crystal actually get restored?"


    "That''s¡­" Anna recalled the memory from her past life. In fact, she didn''t think that Noel had created something like this in the past. "I am not sure. Will the Energy Gathering Rune work? If not, do we have to use the Energy Concentration Rune?"


    "I am not sure." Noel turned to Roel. "Do you have one to test?"


    "I do have one, but let me bring it from my workshop first." Roel rushed out, getting excited about this project. This was the first time he had a challenge this big.


    After dealing with Roel, Noel''s focus returned to Dous. "So¡­ we were talking about a giant freezer, weren''t we?"


    "Yes, Sir. If we build the backup water facility together with the giant freezer, people will just think that we''re building another freezer. "Besides, there is also another reason why I want to build a giant freezer."


    "Another reason?"


    "Yes. It''s to cool the building. Just like what we discussed earlier, if you could preserve the cold, we could actually use that temperature to cool down the house during the summer."


    Noel remembered how hot the summer could be. Although it was the best season for farming, it was hard to work during the summer. If he could cool his room through this method, he could be more focused.


    Besides, the inns or any establishments must want something like this so that they can entertain their customers even better, which would lead to their business blooming. He could make money in one way or another.


    While it would take a long time to break even, it was still a good idea.


    The only question was whether he had the rune or not.


    "This is quite problematic. Rune doesn''t have elements and can''t be fused with elements." Noel murmured while recalling the ice jade he found in the Atracaeca Kingdom. It would be able to create the freezer, but in the end, only one freezer would be built.


    If it was stolen, everything would be for naught. So, they needed to find a method to make it so that normal people could create it for a longsting effect.


    Anna suddenly thought of something. "Why don''t we use Conductor Rune?"


    "Conductor Rune?" Noel looked at Anna''s weapon. If he remembered correctly, Anna''s weapon had been enhanced by five runes: Extension, Harden, Conductor, Burst, and Blood.


    He had mastered the Extension and Hardening Runes long ago. The Blood Rune was extracting the essence in the user''s blood to improve the amount of power that could be released, while the Burst Rune was the Advanced Version of the st Rune.


    However, the Conductor Rune was actually the main rune among those five runes. It made the sword able to conduct Spiritual Energy much more than it was capable of. In other words, whether it was the st Rune, the Blood Rune, or even the Harden and Extension Rune, all that Spiritual Energy could be stored within the sword by using the Conductor Rune.


    On the one hand, it looked useful for Roel''s project instead of this one. On the other hand, Noel thought of a different thing.


    "Conductor Rune is an Advanced Level Rune. Even I haven''t mastered it yet. It derives from the Energy Gathering Rune and the Energy Concentration Rune. However, its concept is slightly different. Instead of drawing the energy toward them, they devour it and keep it within the rune. So, it will only work for Roel''s project." After listening to Noel''s exnation, Anna looked a bit sad since her suggestion was a mistake. Noel suddenly added, "However¡­"


    Anna''s eyelids couldn''t help but rise as though Noel had just found an answer.


    Noel thought of something. "If there is a Conductor Rune, there is an Instor Rune. Basically, the Conductor Rune turns things into a conductor for Spiritual Energy, while the Instor Rune is the other way around.


    "But both runes derive from other runes. The Instor Runees from the Spiritual Energy Rune. It is repelling the energy from the runes.


    "The only problem is that¡­ if we repel the Spiritual Energy, will we be able to repel the air as well? What I know is that the Spiritual Energy is like gas, but I don''t know whether the energy is actually fused with the gas or a different type of gas filling the air."


    "That''s¡­" Anna couldn''t give an answer. The only people who knew this answer would probably be the Tower Association.


    "If that''s the case¡­" Noel looked at Dous. "For now, just use the instion materials. I''m going to send some people to the Tower Association to find any magicians researching things like this."


    "Understood."


    "Do you have a connection there?"


    "Ah, I once went to El-nca Academy with Rose in the past. We happened to meet a few Spirit Magicians, so I think it''s time to use them to find the necessary magicians to provide us some insight."


    "El-nca? That famous academy that is supposed to research all weird technologies rted to Spiritual Energy?"


    "Yes. With the help of the runes, we can do much more if we recruit some magicians from there. And I''m a lord now, so enticing them is easier." Noel smirked.


    "If that''s the case¡ª" Before Anna finished her words, Roel had mmed the door open while shouting, "My lord!"


    "O-oh?!" Noel''s heart skipped a beat, but Roel looked so much worse. He was panting and covered in sweat.


    "Ha¡­ ha¡­ While running, I tried infusing my energy, but I couldn''t do it." Roel shook his head.


    "Of course, you can''t. If you can, then the Spirit Grandmasters would just restore this crystal again and again so that the people weaker than them could increase their strength. I''m talking about using rune to do it." Noel sighed.


    "A-ah?!" Roel panicked earlier, but he realized he was just overthinking.


    As soon as Roel put the crystal down on the table, Noel formed the Energy Concentration Rune on the crystal. Even if it was just a little, he wanted to know whether it was possible or not. In fact, they might be able to create a recharge station for Demon Crystals through the use of Spiritual Energy in the air.


    Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. Noel ended up getting disappointed when the crystal showed no reaction to the rune even after several minutes.


    "It seems that we can''t produce something like this. But when I see how the Spiritual Energy behaves¡­ this Demon Crystal is actually a good instor," exined Anna while examining the flow of energy.


    "What do you mean?" Noel asked.


    "Do you remember that this thing is always inside the demon? Once we take them out and grab them, the spirit is the one extracting themtheir, right? And we can actually store these crystals for so long without them deteriorating, both in the amount of essence and its quality.


    "If that''s the case, how about creating a small tube to let the Spiritual Energy flow inside? You said the Spiritual Energy behaves like gas, so it''s going to fill the room, right?" Anna asked.


    Roel dropped his jaw to the ground. "If we grind this and molt it into a tube, the energy will fill the room. And at the end, that energy will be used to power up our stuff, which creates empty space. It will be filled up again. The process will continue this way."


    Noel''s eyes brightened. "Is that possible, Roel?"


    "Yes, my lord. It''s possible to create it. But we also need the reactor that produces all that energy. A facility that extracts energy from the Demon Crystals."


    "Well, we can add the energy from the air, though, it won''t be as much as the ones with Demon Crystals."


    "We have to think about the output as well and might even need another energy storage. Either way, the concept might actually work. There will be some trials and errors, but I can definitely say that this is going to work." Roel nodded furiously.


    "In that case, I will allow you to work on this project. Give me the concrete idea and designter."


    "Understood." Roel epted the assignment happily. If he could do all these projects, he might be the first Grandmaster cksmith. The title of Master cksmith was already too low for someone like him.


    "As for Dous, continue with the current project. I will try to get us as much funding as possible. I''m not sure about the freezer, so we''ll have to wait for the magicians."


    "Yes, my lord." Dous politely nodded. Both of them seemed to be quite happy. This city would be like none other¡­ the first ever rune city.

 Chapter 951 Negotiation for the Trip

    Chapter 951 Negotiation for the Trip


    Unfortunately, the peaceful time couldn''tst long.


    Just one day after their return, Anna had to leave again.


    They used the cover of the night so that no one would know she was gone. They would realize it sooner orter, but it didn''t mean much.


    Anna was apanied by Dimitri, who had to finish all the matters before the people reached this city. Of course, Balott tagged along since he had to handle the negotiation.


    "I''m leaving them to you, Dimitri." Noel gave a gentle smile.


    "Yes, Master. I will not let any harm befall them." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression.


    Noel then turned to Anna. "Be careful out there, will you?"


    "Don''t worry. I will return as soon as possible."


    "I don''t mind if you take longer as long as I can see you safe and sound." Noel shook his head. He could handle all the problems as long as he worked hard enough, but he would have a headache when he saw her injured.


    "Emm," Anna mumbled and just hugged him for a moment. She wouldn''t be able to see him for a while.


    After Anna became bolder, Noel also became ustomed to this kind of action. He just enjoyed herpany, fully knowing that she wouldn''t be here for a long time.


    Sadly, they had to go soon. So, Noel had no choice but to let her go.


    "I''m going."


    "Take care." Noel nodded while waving his hands.


    The three immediately rode the horses to the north, nning to meet Damian.


    Noel stood still until he couldn''t see anymore.


    Fortunately, the journey was safe as the Greenwood Kingdom had killed all the demons around them.


    It only took them three hours to reach their destination. Since they left past midnight, the sun was about to rise when they were about to reach their destination.


    Anna couldn''t show herself even to the Greenwood Kingdom since her existence here was a secret. Meanwhile, Dimitri and Balott had reached the Greenwood Kingdom camp.


    It wasn''t a big camp, but it should have contained one to two hundred soldiers. And with Damian at the helm, it was going to be hard to defeat them.


    "Who are you guys?" A scout suddenly found them and asked out loud while holding his sword.


    Dimitri seemed to have sensed the scout and took out his badge. "I am Dimitri, the butler of the Ardagan Family. I''d like to request a meeting with yourmander. It''s fairly important."


    "!!!" The scout widened his eyes for a moment. He obviously understood that they were here for the sake of the Ardagan Family. So, if the Ardagan Family visited them, they had been told to treat them as their highest level guests. And he had known Dimitri''s name as he was one of the most important people in the family ording to the report the second princess had sent. "I understand. Please wait for a moment; I will report to themander immediately."


    They followed the scout to the gate of the camp before the guy informed Damian. As expected of Damian, he was already awake a long time ago and was swinging his sword when the scout told him about Dimitri''s visit.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    It didn''t take too long for Dimitri and Balott to reach Damian''s tent. He was apanied by a rather skinny man. His frame didn''t look like a fighter, but his gaze kept examining them.


    "May I know the reason for your visit this time, Dimitri?" Damian asked.


    "The master is thinking about proposing something."


    "Oh? I''m all ears." Damian nodded. He perfectly understood that Noel would be generous whenever he made a proposal. It wasn''t that he was kind, but he simply didn''t want to get the feeling that they owed them something.


    "I believe you have heard about our water system from Princess Livia, right?"


    The person next to Damian was the first to react. His eyes brightened. All the fuzziness in his eyes earlier hadpletely gone. "Do you mean the water system that is said to be able to provide the city with unlimited amounts of water without manualbor?"


    "Indeed." Balott also stepped up. "That kind of water system. If you agree to our condition, then we don''t mind selling this water system, including the runes involved within the system to you. As you already know, the introductory rune book might contain a lot of runes, but it''s still very basic andcks a lot of essential runes for the technology."


    He thought for a moment and asked, "And your condition?"


    Before Balott said something, Dimitri raised his hand, asking Balott to stop. He looked at Damian first as if confirming something.


    Damian nodded his head, showing that they could trust the negotiator.


    "We''d like you to apany youngdy Anna to that ce," Dimitri stated.


    "That ce?!" It was vague, but Damian instantly understood which ce Dimitri was talking about. "Again?"


    "Yes. There is a matter that can only be resolved there. Unfortunately, none of the experts in the Ardagan Family can be moved, including me, right now. So, the condition is for you to apany her there. If you ept it, we won''t mind selling the water system."


    "Well, she has be a powerful Grandmaster this time. But it''s still extremely dangerous, considering there are only two of us." Damian contemted hard. Even though he had experienced the journey, it was still something he didn''t want to repeat.


    However, Balott added, "You might not know about this, but the design has been improved further and will soon be perfected once the people working on it arrive. If I have to say, this system will allow every single building in the city to have ess to unlimited amounts of water without needing to get out of the building."


    "What?!" The man next to Damian couldn''t contain his shock. "Did you tell us the truth?"


    "What''s wrong?" Damian asked.


    "I''m researching the technology of the previous civilization as my side job. When I take a look at the prosperous town the previous civilization had, it''s clear that they have a system that is capable of such a thing.


    "Water is the city''s lifeline, so having water in their house all the time will give a lot of benefits like hygiene, easy ess to drinking water, and a lot of other things that can boost an establishment or shop. Either way, just by having water alone, you can improve the city drastically."


    "I see¡­" Damian remembered that they mentioned the runes involved in it. The reason the Greenwood Kingdom provided him with a negotiator was not as simple as negotiating with them. This person had authority and knowledge about a lot of things, allowing them to agree on the spot. After all, they were aware that Noel might not be able to wait for them to wait for the royal family to reply to their request.


    After contemting for a moment, Damian asked, "What do you think about the proposal, Mr. Rex? If I were to ept it, would it benefit the kingdom?"


    "Benefit the kingdom? I think you''re underestimating the value of this water system. Right now, only their city has this kind of ess, but if the royal family publicizes this method and applies it to all the cities in the kingdom, what do you think?"


    Damian could see the impressive rate of progress in every corner of the kingdom. His contribution wouldn''t go unnoticed.


    After thinking for a while, Damian said, "I don''t really mind apanying her to that ce, considering Earl Noel trusts me that much. However, it doesn''t mean that it''s going to be an easy journey. If you still think that only two of us are enough, then I will ept the agreement."


    "Youngdy Anna has be a powerful grandmaster. I''m sure you are also aware of her special ability. So, the master fully supports this notion." Dimitri assured him.


    "If that''s the case, I will ept the condition. When do we leave?"


    "As soon as possible. The youngdy is waiting a bit further to the north."


    "Alright. Please give me half an hour to pack up my luggage. Mr. Rex, please take care of the rest of the negotiation."


    The negotiator nodded his head, seeing that he would be discussing this matter with Balott since Dimitri had stood up as if he were about to leave.


    Unbeknownst to them, the trip would be much safer than Noel predicted.


    Anna, who had been waiting outside the camp, was waiting for Dimitri to bring the news, only to find that there was a strong presenceing in her direction.


    Anna ced her hand on her de, but soon noticed the familiar level of threat.


    "Hmm?!" Anna politely bowed her head while saying, "Good morning, Aunt Leysha."


    "Oh my. Your reaction is so fast I can''t even surprise you." The samedy Anna encountered during her demon subjugation had once again appeared before her. She was none other than Noel''s mother, Leysha Ezenholm.


    "The fact that you are here is already a surprise. May I presume that there is another camp ahead?" Anna asked with a solemn tone, knowing that Noel''s parents were still helping him in the shadows.


    "Yeah. Once we knew that Dimitri visited the camp, he said ''If you want to help, then go. You have met her before, so meeting her twice shouldn''t be much of a problem since it''s not like she will go anywhere near the kingdom.'' Do you want to go somewhere?" Leysha asked.


    "That''s¡­" Anna hesitated before saying, "I don''t think I will answer that question when there is another pair of ears listening to our conversation." Her gaze was locked on the empty space on her left.


    Nothing happened until Leysha said, "She got you good, huh, Silvester?"


    "I apologize." That voice was followed by a snapping sound as the light started bending around him and a figure appeared out of nowhere. "My apology. I am Silvester, the former Pir of Espionage of the Ardagan Family. I greet youngdy Anna."


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. She managed to find him because of her instinct. If she was a normal person, she wouldn''t be able to find him at all. His strength barely reached Spirit Grandmaster, but the way he disappeared was so skillful. Not many could find him.


    With him, Leysha, and one more person who was known to be the former captain of the Ardagan Family''s garrison, their current power consisted of three Grandmasters and a handful of experts. Anna was quite impressed that they had this kind of power while hiding.


    "I''m fine here, so please return for now." Leysha waved her hand.


    "Understood." Silvester disappeared once again. This time, Anna felt the danger was moving away, so she finally stated, "I wish to go to the former territory of the Ardagan Family."


    "The former territory? Are you talking about our Ardagan Family?"


    "No, even older than that."


    "!!!" Leysha was quite surprised that Anna knew about the location. Even if they wanted to explore it, they didn''t know the location, so they had never set out. "Are you sure you know the location?"


    "Noel and I had visited that ce once, together with Damian and Dimitri." Anna confirmed it without hesitation. "Right now, Dimitri is talking with Damian to have him escort me there."


    "Only both of you are going?"


    "Yes. Unfortunately, Noel couldn''t send anyone else due to the current situation. And it''s not like we can take advantage of the Moon Temple for this, so only two of us will go."


    Leysha thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Alright. In that case, the three of us will go. With me here, the journey will be much safer, right?"


    "I can''t deny it, but are you sure about this?"


    "Yeah. I''m quite curious about the former territory as well. Luke still has Silvester and Raven, so he should be fine. He has given his permission too. As much as I want to just tell Silvester and Raven to follow us and ditch the Greenwood Kingdom, we can''t do that at the moment. Silvester is still tracing the demons while Raven is building traps to intercept them."


    Anna obviously didn''t have any objection if such a strong person would apany her. And both of them thought of another purpose for this trip.


    Yes, both Anna and Leysha wanted to form a good bond with each other. Leysha wanted to know more about her future daughter-inw while Anna wished to know Noel from Leysha.


    While they were focusing on each other, Dimitri''s voice suddenly echoed in their ears.


    "Is that you¡­"


    Both of them couldn''t help but turn around, seeing Dimitri''s shocked faces. Dimitri rarely showed his expression, so this was indeed a rare urrence.


    In the past, Leysha and Luke had told him to apany their son and protect him, but they never told him where they would go or what their goal was.


    So, it was a shock to be able to meet them again. After all, Luka and Leysha were the ones who changed his life. From the path that covered his hands with blood to the one that took care of others.


    Dimitri just walked to Leysha before falling on one knee and saying, "I''m d that you are in great health, Madam."

 Chapter 952 Migration

    Noel and Dimitri were looking at the people from the top of the building. In front of them were thousands of civilians that had just arrived from the east mountain.


    Because of the previous mission, Dimitri and Balott had to wait another night before returning to the city. And by the time they returned, the migration had started.


    "She is apanied by Madam Leysha and Damian. I believe she will be safe during the whole journey. While my strength is above Madam Leysha, our gap isn''t that big." Dimitri exined.


    "I see¡­" Noel didn''t seem to react when he mentioned his mother''s name. Considering she had made her appearance in his territory, he had expected things like this. So, Noel just felt relieved that Anna was apanied by two powerful grandmasters.


    Even if Damian tried to do something to them, Leysha and Anna couldbine their strength and defeat Damian. In fact, he was more worried that Damian would be ufortable apanying the formerdy and the futuredy of the Ardagan Family.


    "So, there are indeed a lot of people. It''s going to be hard for you to assign them work." Noel couldn''t help but squint his eyes, focusing back on the matter at hand.


    The soldiers had created a barrier so that the people could enter through the gap to be easily inspected.


    "Master. You said you wanted to inspect them and find the spies among them. How are you going to do it?"


    "It''s pretty simple. I, too, have a unique ability like Anna''s instinct. Most people will definitely be neutral toward me or even hold a good opinion of me. However, the spies won''t be able to hide their intention from my eyes." Noel smirked while putting on the Affection Medal.


    In that instant, numerous system panels appeared in his vision. It would be hard to look at them all at once, so he created that barrier so that only a few people could enter at a time.


    What they didn''t know was that the barrier of soldiers had been devised in order to trick the people and the spies.


    Noel made a gesture, asking Dimitri to follow him.


    He built a small post to ask some basic questions. Of course, some soldiers had also prepared some rations outside to pacify the rest of the civilians.


    "I am Aerton, one of the Elite Knights of the Ardagan Family." A knight stood up and shouted, gathering everyone''s attention. "We''ll be inspecting every single one of you before allowing you to enter the city. Don''t worry. It''s just going to be a basic question like your name, age, and so on. We simply want to record your information for administration purposes. After that, just follow the soldiers."


    Aerton paused for a moment before pointing at five people at the front. "You five go first."


    The first five people entered. Two of them were young men, while the other three were middle-aged women.


    Once they entered, they found five soldiers sitting next to each other. Each of them waved their hands to the people in front of them, asking, "Pleasee."


    These people were nervous but still followed the instructions. The soldiers asked, "What is your name?"


    The young man said, "I am Sigurd."


    "How old are you?"


    "I am 17 years old this year."


    "What was your profession beforeing to the city?"


    "I helped my father on the farm."


    "Last question, where do youe from?"


    "Ie from Levinie Vige in the southwest."


    The soldier nodded with a smile while handing him the paper containing his information. After that, he pointed at the two doors behind them and said, "Please go to the right door and hand the information to them. Someone will check your belongings just to ensure that you don''t bring anything dangerous into the city."


    The guy nodded his head. It wasn''t that much different from the normal procedure in a big city.


    Another soldier opened the door for him and stopped the others since they had to enter one at a time.


    Of course, the women felt a bit skeptical as they knew that soldiers often took advantage of this opportunity to sexually harass them. However, the soldier who took care of the left door was a woman soldier.


    She looked a bit weird, but the fact that there was a female soldier made it a bit reassuring.


    "Please don''t worry. We have female soldiers as well. They will check your luggage just to ensure that you don''t bring anything dangerous inside. We won''t sexually harass you or something." The female soldier smiled while opening the door wide. With a single peek, they could see a few female soldiers inside.


    With this, the trust had been established and the people just got checked before entering the city.


    "Next!" Aerton shouted.


    The next five people entered the inspection room where they received the same question.


    "What is your name, age, and previous profession? Lastly, where do youe from?" The soldier asked.


    "August, 21 years old, a hunter. Ie from Tusk City," A man answered the question eloquently as if he had gotten used to this.


    "Got it. Please go to that door for inspection." The soldier handed the paper to August and allowed him inside.


    There was nothing scary about these soldiers. But when he entered the room, someone hit the back of his neck, causing him to fall unconscious.


    "Is this a spy?" Howard asked. He turned out to be the one who took down August with Noel''s order. In fact, there was something different in August''s identification paper. The first letter of his name had been underlined. Noel controlled his Spiritual Energy so that he could rm the soldier and put a mark on the identification.


    Once the soldiers noticed the mark, they would knock the person down.


    Noel said, "It''s hard to determine whose spies they were without any mark of identity in their bodies. But he should be from the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "!!!" Howard hurriedly pointed at the man. "Strip him down."


    Without hesitation, the soldiers pulled off the man''s clothes and saw the organization''s mark on his back. He truly came from the organization and since he still had a bold mark on his body, it was clear that he was just a low level spy.


    "It''s truly a spy." Howard and the soldiers gasped in disbelief.


    "See?" Noel smiled. "I could see them, so while it''s too much to ask, I hope that you can believe my signal."


    Howard nodded. "Don''t worry, my lord. If they are spies, we''ll definitely not treat them lightly." He turned to the soldiers. "Bring him to jail. I will personally torture these spies once this is over."


    The soldiers followed his instruction and cleaned up the ce as quickly as possible before the next person came in.


    Of course, Noel could find it. After all, the man had a unique affection for him. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Name: Sevren


    Affection: Hatred (90/100)


    Description: Hate you because you killed hisrades.


    Noel had never poked any other nobles, so there was only one organization he had fought the whole time, the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Noel had asked the soldiers to differentiate the people in four ways. The first one was a normal citizen. He didn''t mark them in any way and just let them go through.


    The second one was the underline like earlier, indicating that they were spies. The third one was a dot underneath their names, which indicated that they had lied about their names. The Affection didn''t indicate that they were spies, but they still needed to be observed because they lied about their names.


    Thest one was a special profession like a magician, a powerful expert, and so on. This one could receive a mark depending on their affection as well.


    This was Noel''s way to stop the spies from entering the city. He didn''t have any intention of letting them give any information for the time being.


    After all, they couldn''t lie to the system medal no matter how genius they were in hiding their emotions and feelings. Unless they brainwashed themselves, they couldn''t pass.


    However, this kind of process was very taxing. Even after the soldiers refined their method to make it faster, they still needed one minute for every single person.


    Since they came five at a time, they could only allow three hundred people to enter per hour.


    There were about two to three thousand people in the first batch. Including the time they needed to organize the people and the rest of the inspection, it ended up taking the entire day to finish the migration.


    Of course, Noel had given the ration to people who were waiting for their turn. And when they entered, there was also food and water as well as the wonderfulness of this city.


    Noel had asked Dous to create some temporary settlement for these people right at the beginning of the construction.


    So, they would at least have a roof on their heads once they entered.


    Though, the people would have a hard time living together with the rest of the people. And Noel had asked Dimitri to gather special talents and workers in the first batch so that they wouldn''t mind being treated as workers right away.


    After a long day, Howard finally came to him to report on the result.


    "We have a total of 2,891 people in the batch. 76 of them are spies. I will investigate and interrogate them personally. 210 of them have lied regarding their names, so they might have some hidden intention of entering the city. It''s impossible to observe all of them, but we will be careful.


    "Last but not least, there are about 89 people with special talents. Of course, the kids that you mentioned are among them. They have been guided to a different ce if you''d like to meet them."


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. He had seen Erica and Eric leading the rest of the group inside. Unfortunately, he couldn''t greet them just yet.


    "I will meet themter. So, tell me about these special talents."


    "Yes, sir. The special talents I''m talking about are high level people in their profession. There are a lot of advanced cksmiths among them. It seems that Mr. Roel''s influence as well as the enticement of Runes have brought them here."


    "That''s good. We need a lot of cksmiths. Let Roel take care of themter."


    "Understood. There are also twenty experts among them. Three of them are Spirit Masters with two of them being Spirit Magicians. We don''t know their intention, but they are not lying about their identities.


    "The rest of them vary from Spirit Practitioner to Spirit Wielders. There is also a former mercenary captain, whom I might recruit to help me organize soldiers.


    "As for the rest, there are special cases like intelligent people. Dous''s acquaintance is among them. I believe that''s all." Howard finished his reports after rechecking them a few more times.


    "Let the soldiers cooperate with Dimitri and Charlotte to divide them ording to their abilities. The men could work on the construction, the women could help with tailoring and cooking, and the kids could help with some lighter things. As much as I hate to say it, everyone has to contribute. The more they contribute, the higher the chances are for them to be able to live here.


    "Don''t forget to pay their wages. Since we have nothing right now, just tell them to save their wages. We''ll provide them with all the necessities. As for those special talents, I will look at the detailster and assign them ording to their talents," Noel replied to the reports.


    "Understood."


    "Also, check the number of people that can be turned into soldiers. We need at least a few hundred normal soldiers if we want to defend ourselves. We''ll get more soldiers in the second batch."


    "Understood. I will make sure that we have enough soldiers to take care of the city."


    "This is the most important thing. Don''t mistreat them. The higher their opinion of this city, the better. They are going to be the image of the city and ensure the sess of the next migration and everything beyond that."


    "Yes, sir. The soldiers know their duty. If they take advantage of this situation, I will be the one to personally punish them."


    "Good. Let''s go on our way." Noel nodded while waving his hand. It seemed that he was pretty eager to meet the kids.

 Chapter 953 Each Division

    Chapter 953 Each Division


    "We''ve finally arrived at this ce." Eric smiled while looking at the buildings in the city.


    "Yes. We can finally meet with Big Brother again." Erica nodded. "It''s time for us to repay him for everything he has done."


    "Agreed. But did you remember what that olddy¡­ ahem, I mean, big sister Milfa said?" Eric asked.


    "About this ce bing a city that no one has ever seen before?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Yeah."


    "I''m not sure, but I think we''ll be able to see it tomorrow. Anyway, let''s sleep. The sooner we sleep, the faster the time passes. We can definitely meet Big Brother tomorrow. I hope."


    As they were trying to return to their rooms, they suddenly heard a creaking sounding from the door.


    "!!!" Both Erica and Eric immediately looked at each other and sneakily moved around to find out who was actually bothering them.


    But the moment they saw the figure standing at the entrance, they couldn''t help but tear up and jump straight to him while screaming. "Big Brother!"


    "W-woah? Easy, easy!" Noel chuckled while maintaining his bnce as these two almost knocked him over. It had been a while since he had met them. In fact, it had been a few years since they first met. Noel still remembered how small they were. To think that their height was already around his chest. In just one or two more years, they might be as tall as him.


    "Big Brother. I miss you!" Erica buried her face in Noel''s stomach, sobbing.


    "I miss you guys too." Noel patted Erica''s head while turning to Eric. "Have you protected everyone, Eric?"


    "Y-yes! I will definitely protect everyone." Eric furiously nodded.


    It seemed that the kids had heard themotion as well and immediately rushed to the entrance where they could meet Noel.


    It was surprising that Eric and Erica had be Spirit Practitioners while the rest of the kids were in the Spirit Apprentice Stage. They must have worked extremely hard.


    "I''m d that you are all here." Noel smiled. It seemed that it would be a long night for Noel.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    "Raise your hand if you have experience in masonry," Aerton asked out loud. After finding a lot of people raising their hands, Aerton pointed to the side. "Those who raise their hands may go that way. There will be another person briefing you about your work. But I can say this for sure.


    "You will be paid fairly. And because the city hasn''t beenpleted yet, we''ll provide all the food and water you need while paying you. So, work hard if you wish to be a citizen of this city."


    The soldiers cooperated with Dimitri in assigning the tasks to the new people. Each division would get a few hundred people at once, so it was kind of hard to assign all of them at once.


    However, once it waspleted, the construction speed would increase drastically.


    ¡­


    Roel''s workshop.


    "Alright, you guys. I have only two rules here. First, we''re working for the lord, so if I see you doing something that might harm the lord, I won''t hesitate to punish you. Second, if you wish to learn the runes instead of the Spirit Enchantment, show me that I can trust you. Of course, you have to remain in this city for a few years. That''s the lord''s condition to avoid you releasing new technology outside."


    Roel was ring at the cksmiths, who had just arrived. He knew that the main reason for them toe was the rune. And Noel didn''t mind teaching them the runes, since he wanted to spread the runes to all kingdoms eventually.


    However, this was their biggest advantage currently, so he had to y a bit more reservedly until the city was fully developed.


    Roel would be taking care of the rune for now, but once he promoted a few people, the production of rune technology would increase.


    "Alright. For now, I''m going to demonstrate a few items that will be crucial for both rune technologies and our current construction." Roel smiled as a few disciples brought a few tools into the workshop.


    ¡­


    Soldier Barrack.


    Howard was examining the former mercenary leader who came to this ce. His body was as muscr as Howard''s, albeit he was slightly shorter.


    "So, you are Genez, a former captain of the Leuvan Mercenary Group?"


    "It is I." Genez nodded with a solemn expression.


    "Why do youe here?"


    "It''s because I want to beat those Supreme Devil Organization bastards. My mercenary group was annihted by them. And when I realized that you were targeted by those people, I thought about joining you so that I could fight them. Even if I have to serve a lord in my lifetime, as long as I can kill those pigs, then so be it."


    Howard couldn''t help but squint his eyes. On the one hand, their goal was aligned. On the other hand, he didn''t like the fact that his lord was in second position in his eyes.


    "As a fighter, I could see that you are strong. However, as a retainer, I can''t say that you''re going to make a good subordinate." Howard raised two fingers and continued, "Instead of talking about your loyalty, which I can''t determine right now. It''s better I state these two facts."


    Genez didn''t have any change of expression, knowing that Howard wouldn''t like him. But it didn''t matter as long as he could avenge his group.


    "First, the lord is aiming to eradicate the entire organization. Second, you will be my subordinate. In other words, the lord will make a decision he thinks is best in that situation even if it means not killing those members right away. If you disobey the lord or your hatred takes over, I will not hesitate to cut you down immediately. Do you understand?"


    Howard wanted him to know the end goal. And there was a chance that Genez couldn''t kill those people and had to bury his hatred for a while before he could achieve his revenge. If he couldn''t agree to this, he would be executed.


    Genez clenched his fists. "If I truly can''t control my anger, you are free to cut me or whatever you need to do. As long as I can see those bastards perish, even if I have to kill myself, I will do it."


    "Alright. I, Howard, wee you to the Ardagan Family Garrison."


    ¡­


    Ardagan Family''s Main Office.


    "Oh my, this is going to be troublesome." Harley looked at the pile of paper on the table. "Why do I need to help you when I''m in charge of our informationwork, Balott?"


    "You are the most experienced in handling money because of your establishment. I''m currently short staffed to take care of all these funds." Balott sighed. "Why don''t you help me since you''re free?"


    "Come on. I''m busy establishing my own brothel here. There are a lot of people, so I''m sure that they are going to be tired and stressed." Harley shook his head.


    "If you''re not going to help me, you''re going to open your own coffer from this point onward."


    "You always threaten me like this." Harley let out a long sigh. "Fine. I will help you, but only after everything settles down. You have to do the rest by yourself."


    "I know. I''m going to recruit some more peopleter."


    ¡­


    In another building, Livia and Tristan were drawing a rune on the table. It was then that Sandra entered the room, bringing them tea. "Please have some rest."


    "Oh! Sandra." Tristan smiled. "Thank you for doing this all the time¡­"


    "You have been sitting here for a long time. Aren''t you curious about the new people we get?"


    "I do, but Master is working extremely hard, so I should do the same. The more I improve my rune ability, the more he will rely on me. Besides, I want to learn more about Rune Enchantment, Rune Engineering, Rune Body, and Rune Spell so that I can help Master." Tristan smiled. "Sorry, just for a bit more."


    "Fine. You are useless without me. I''m going to drag you when I deem that you''re too tired."


    "Hehe."


    When Sandra left, Livia couldn''t help but tease, "What a cute girlfriend you have."


    Tristan''s body shook as he looked away, embarrassed. "Don''t tease me."


    Livia chuckled. "By the way, Tristan. Are you nning to teach at the Rune Academy?"


    "Hmm? I''m not sure. I''m thinking about assisting Master, but if Master wants me to teach there, I don''t mind. It''s just that I heard that the Rune Academy will be filled with a lot of nobles. I''m just afraid that my status is too low for it."


    "You always have low self-esteem. In fact, your talent in rune is better than mine. If you get more Spiritual Energy to use, I believe that your achievement will be more extraordinary than that of a lot of nobles. I just hope that you can regard yourself a bit more without forgetting about your humility."


    "Thank you."


    ¡­


    Noel''s house.


    Just like the others, Noel was also meeting the people, specifically his talented people.


    There were three people who needed to meet him. The first one was Dous''s acquaintance.


    "You are n, right?"


    "Yes, Sir."


    Noel took out the blueprints of the water system and asked, "What do you think about this?"


    "This is¡­" n took a look at the blueprints in amusement. But it didn''t take too long for him to notice something was missing in the blueprints. "Where is the number? What is the height of this one? What is the length of this rod? But¡­"


    Despite missing the number, he was mesmerized with the concept and asked, "Are you nning to build this, Sir?"


    "Something like that. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "We have to measure the pipe''s size to make it work and adjust the height of the storage while watching out for the water pressure. But if you can actually get a constant supply of water constantly, then yes. It''s possible."


    Noel smiled. "What if I allow you to work on that project?"


    "What? Me?!" n widened his eyes in shock. Although he had heard from his friend that there were a bunch of interesting projects, he didn''t think that Noel would be this kind to grant him one immediately. "I-I would be delighted."


    Noel could see that n''s affection only increased slightly. He stood up and extended his hand. "I don''t expect you to be loyal to me. However, I have long heard about your ambition and desire to create something that doesn''t exist. In that case, lend me your hand in building this city. I will show you a city that has never existed before."


    "I-I am honored." n hurriedly shook Noel''s hand, still feeling a bit overwhelmed.


    "Ask the soldier to bring you to Dous and Roel to ask about the details. They should have a copy of blueprints for our projects, so ask them which one you should work for."


    "Yes." n nodded furiously. He didn''t know what to say anymore since he had just arrived and received such a huge task.


    After n, Noel brought in the two Spirit Magicians. He confirmed their strength to be at Spirit Master.


    ording to Anna, he would have a Spirit Magician at grandmaster level in the future. Considering there were two Spirit Magicians at master level before him, he thought that one of them might be one of the grandmasters in his city.


    The first Spirit Magician was a middle-aged man. Despite his thin frame, his gaze was calm and felt like it was filled with wisdom.


    The second Spirit Magician was a woman in her mid twenties. It was amazing that she managed to reach that level at that age. However, there was one thing that piqued his interest. Even though the Spirit Magician loved to wear robes, this was the first time he saw a Spirit Magician wearing an oversized robe as though she were trying to hide something.


    "You bothe from the Tower Association, right? In that case, I''d like to hear the reason why you came here."

 Chapter 954 A New Retainer

    Chapter 954 A New Retainer


    The middle-aged magician stepped up first. "You have visited El-nca at least once, right, my lord?"


    "Indeed." Noel nodded, remembering the time he visited the academy with Rose.


    "I am one of the professors at the El-nca Academy. And it seems that one of my students has be your guide for a while."


    "One of your students?" Noel recalled two people who had be his guides. So, he didn''t know which one was his student.


    "Yes. He goes by the name Sharkan. After his meeting with you, he asked me about the origin of the spirits. Does every single person have a spirit in their body? If that is the case, won''t the world feel like it''s fair to everyone but unfair because we''re limited by the conversion rate?"


    Noel maintained his poker face, but he indeed had this name. He was the one suggesting that the spirits lived in everyone, but most of them couldn''t awaken them.


    "But why would you be the one telling me this?" Noel frowned. If he remembered it correctly, Sharkan should have asked him to use this topic as his thesis, meaning that this teacher might be trying to use it for his own purpose.


    That was when the middle-aged man took out a small book from the handbag, handing it to Noel.


    Title: Spirit Manifestation Theory


    Author: Sharkan, Dr. Gran


    Inspired by: Noel Ardagan


    "Hmm?" Noel opened the book. And the opening of the book instantly made him understand the entire thing.


    ''The Spirit Manifestation Theory introduces the concept of the fairness of the spirits residing in everyone''s body, but also the unfairness of one''s talent in awakening it. This work is inspired by Noel Ardagan.''


    ''Dr. Gran'' in the book was none other than the man before him.


    Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Where is he?"N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "He is currently handling his graduation ceremony. And since my job there was done, I took the opportunity to see the man who proposed such a wonderful idea. He said he wanted to meet you once he graduated."


    "Hmm¡­" Noel examined his face and found no lies. Even the Affection Medal gave him simr information.


    Name: Gran


    Affection: Admiration (60/100)


    Description: Hold dear admiration for your contribution.


    "So, Mr. Gran. Why do you visit this ce? Since you came through the migration route, you should have agreed that you can''t leave this ce for a while, right?"


    "Of course," Gran confirmed without hesitation. "There is no healer who doesn''t learn about injuries and sickness. There is no antidote without knowledge about poison. I believe in this principle, and this is also the reason for my visit. You, who have created runes in order for normal people to fight without a spirit, should be a perfect inspiration for my works."


    Noel squinted his eyes. On the one hand, he didn''t like that he wanted to take advantage of him. On the other hand, this Gran was quite useful, especially for the mission Ardagan had.


    [Mission: Helping Heisk advance to Humanoid Rank]


    [Description: Get a lot of materials that could be used to improve Heisk''s ice power.]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 2]


    [Penalty: None.]


    In the second mission, he gained knowledge about the fact that the True Spirit Body was either the spirit reaching its peak or they needed to be granted that power by the Spirit God.


    And with how Ardagan nned to tell him more about the spirits, he was certain that he could get the third part.


    This Spirit Magician, who was researching spirits, would allow him to peek and even trigger a mission, which resulted in more information about spirits.


    Noel weighed the pros and cons. If he let him stay here, he could also inform Sharkan to bring more Spirit Magicians in the second batch of migration. This way, he would get a squad of Spirit Magicians that would be able to alleviate a lot of burden from the soldiers'' shoulders.


    With that thought in mind, Noel said with a disappointed tone, "Still, I have to know what you want from me and what you can do for me. After all, you''ve only stated your desire, and it doesn''t look like it''s going to benefit my territory."


    "I know, sir. That''s why I came up with a proposal. While I admit that I''m not reliable enough as abatant, I''m still a Spirit Master. I can help the soldiers with my firepower. Additionally, I can provide some lessons to people whether it''s basic knowledge or anything. I am a teacher after all."


    "You don''t have any interest in runes?"


    "While I do have some interest in it, I don''t have any ns to switch my research subject. I will probably ask some questions about runes if it actually benefits my research." He paused for a moment. "I hope that Lord Earl will be kind enough to answer a few of my questions once in a while. You don''t have to aid my research since it''s not that expensive."


    Noel contemted for a minute before raising three fingers. "I have one question, one condition, and two warnings."


    "Please." He understood that Noel would be wary of him.


    "Since you''re researching Spirit, you should know about Spiritual Energy, right?"


    "Indeed. After all, Spiritual Energy appears together with the demons and spirits."


    "I want you to help me with my own research for rune technology. Of course, you''ll be paid ordingly. You may use it as funds for your own research."


    "I don''t have any problem with it." The Spirit Magician nodded without hesitation.


    "Then I have to warn you. Everything in this city is still a secret. If I see you spreading information, I''m going to cut you down even if it means offending the Tower Association. Second, I won''t have too much time to spare."


    "You are the lord of Lounstein, so I understand you have to do everything to protect your territory. You are also the creator of the Rune, so I don''t mind waiting as long as I can get my answers eventually."


    "Alright." Noel finally agreed to ept him. "For now, I will assign you to a small house. You can use it as your research building as well."


    "Thank you very much, Sir." Gran politely bowed his head. While he didn''t be Noel''s retainer, he still considered Noel his superior.


    After that, Noel turned to the female magician and asked, "So, may I know your reason, Miss?"


    The female magician looked at Noel with an emotionless face before saying, "I don''t want to be looked down upon by other Spirit Magicians."


    Noel tilted his head in confusion. "Sorry? I don''t understand."


    "Ah, Sir. You may not know her, but she is quite popr among the Spirit Magicians in the Tower Association. She is known as an entric battle specialist among the Spirit Magicians¡­ More importantly, she is¡­" Gran was hesitant and even stopped when the gazeing from the woman was filled with murderous intent.


    "It''s because of this, alright?!" She suddenly raised her arm, revealing everything underneath the robe.


    There were numerous bottles hanging from her clothes. Those bottles varied in size and shape, but because they were made of ss, Noel could clearly see that the bottles were actually empty.


    ''No, it''s not empty. Spiritual Energy?'' Noel frowned. "May I know what they are?"


    "My Spirit is called Spiritual Wisp. Basically, it''s a spirit that can umte Spiritual Energy and utilize it in its original shape. It''s like the Hard and Soft Approach, but on arger scale.


    "I once aspired to be a powerful Spirit Magician that could fight with a wonderful element, but I ended up with this spirit. Of course, I''m grateful that I have a spirit in my body, so I try to be a Spirit Magician despite my condition.


    "However, my Spiritual Energy doesn''t contain elements, which makes other Spirit Magicians best me since their elements end up affecting my pure energy. It''s like I''m simply amplifying their power.


    "That''s why when I learn about the Runes, I research it to the best of my ability and notice something. The runes are ipatible with elements. It''s not that they can''t fuse, but the runes have made the pure Spiritual Energy count as an element¡­ a Void Element.


    "There is a difference between pure Spiritual Energy and this new Void Element. Pure Spiritual Energy has elements within it, so spark it and you will get a ze. On the other hand, the rune produced a Void Element, which is a Spiritual Energy that has no elements within it. Even if you torch it, the Spiritual Energy won''t re up. I believe that this is what I need to fight those Spirit Magicians."


    She exined everything she had found as that was the reason she came to Noel. She lowered her head and asked out loud, "Please take me as your disciple. I wish to learn to be the best."


    Noel was quite surprised that there was a spirit like that. But when he thought about it, this woman might be more knowledgeable about Spiritual Energy than Gran.


    At the same time, he didn''t think he could take her as his disciple. It wasn''t that she didn''t have talent in runes, it was just that her talent was much more focused on the Spiritual Energy, not the Rune itself.


    Noel asked, "Since you have researched the runes, can you demonstrate the runes?"


    She nodded while raising her hand, trying to form a rune. But as Noel expected, she only managed to form most parts of the rune but was unable toplete it, causing the rune to disappear.


    Even though she never learned from him, it didn''t change the fact that she was an established Spirit Magician at the level of a Master. Her control and strength should surpass those of Tristan and others.


    Hence, a few months should be enough for her to at least form one simple rune.


    The fact that she couldn''t do it showed her affinity with the runes, which made him unable to ept her as his disciple.


    Noel asked, "In that case, what can you do with those bottles?"


    "This¡­" She scratched the back of her head. "I can''t demonstrate it here."


    "Why?"


    "It''s because once I use these bottles, it will cause massive destruction."


    Noel then walked to the window and opened it. "In that case, can you demonstrate it outside?"


    "But will it be a problem if I destroy it?"


    "It''s fine as long as it doesn''t destroy the building."


    "In that case, I will set up a barrier with my Spiritual Energy once I throw this." She nodded her head and walked to the window.


    Noel didn''t understand what she meant, but the moment she threw a round bottle, she hurriedly concentrated her Spiritual Energy to protect the building.


    As soon as the bottle shattered due to the collision with the ground, the stable Spiritual Energy expanded rapidly, causing a powerful st.


    Boom!


    The building shook for a split second as Noel formed a Spiritual Barrier Rune out of reflex, feeling the true impact of the explosion.


    Noel couldn''t help but widen his eyes in amusement. He seemed to have underestimated this Spirit Magician.


    "What happened?!" Dimitri suddenly mmed open the door, worried about Noel.


    "Oh! We''re just testing something. Please tell anyone that we aren''t in trouble." Noel made a wry smile, apologetic since he didn''t want anyone first.


    "Master. Please don''t do that to me." Dimitri sighed and left.


    Before saying anything to her, Noel turned to Gran, saying, "Sorry, but can you leave us alone?"


    "Yes, Sir." Gran hurriedly left the room. It seemed that she had piqued the lord''s interest.


    Noel said, "Honestly, you don''t have a high aptitude for runes. Your talent lies in Spiritual Energy, not the rune itself."


    Her body shook as if she had expected this reply from Noel, but she was still determined to get stronger.


    "However, I have a way that will allow you to fight with runes without learning them directly. In fact, your talent for Spiritual Energy far exceeds that of most people, and you might be able to overpower those who have mastered the runes with this method.


    "Though, it''s not something known to the public and it''s not like I can disclose it to outsiders." Noel smiled as if implying something.


    She was smart enough to notice the hint and hurriedly fell on one knee. "If Sir¡­ I mean, if my lord will be kind enough to ept me. I, Felicia, would like to offer my loyalty to you."


    This was another path that Noel offered. He wanted her to be his retainer. Although Anna never disclosed the identity of the grandmaster level Spirit Magician, he knew this would be her. Even if she wasn''t the person Anna mentioned, Noel didn''t mind training her to be one.


    "Still, as a Spirit Magician, I need to ask you to help with the rune research. Your knowledge of Spiritual Energy will benefit us very much. In the meantime, I will also arrange your training in wielding runes."


    "Of course. As your subordinate, I shall dedicate my energy to your greatness."


    "In that case, I''m counting on you, Felicia."


    "Yes, my lord."


    Both of them got the benefits. Noel anticipated Felicia''s future and Felicia didn''t want to waste his kindness.


    Though, that moving moment couldn''t help but get interrupted by Noel''s question. "Why do you bring that dangerous stuff here by the way? What if they blow up here?"


    "¡­My apologies."

 Chapter 955 Insight

    "By the way, what do you think about this?" Noel produced two runes on his hands. The right produced an Enhance Forward Rune, moving the chair forward. The left hand created a Rune Sword, forming a sword made of Spiritual Energy.


    These runes should have a different concept, so he wanted to know what Felicia thought about these runes.


    "This is¡­" Felicia widened her eyes. Her gaze was glued to the sword, which seemed to contain the ''Void Element'' she was talking about.


    Noel had to agree with the ''Void Element'' concept, considering the rune ability couldn''t be affected by elements. However, he still didn''t know whether the Enhance Forward had the same Void Element or not.


    After examining the Rune Sword, Felicia moved to the Enhance Forward Rune. Noel might not notice it, but there was nothing different in this rune.


    "If you''re asking me about Spiritual Energy, then I don''t think there is anything different. Both of them have a Void Element." Felicia replied with a serious expression. "This sword is pretty obvious. While the other rune is a bit hard to see, there is indeed a thinyer of Spiritual Energy that pushed the item forward."


    "Hmm?" Noel had never thought about this before. When he used the Enhance Forward Rune, would it actually create a thinyer of energy on his back that pushed him forward, or would it envelop his entire body?


    He indeed mastered the rune through the system, but he didn''t learn this concept. Even the Void Element was a new term that Felicia had created to match the rune''s ability.


    Noel asked, "Can you sense the Spiritual Energy?"


    "Thanks to my Spirit, not only can I sense it, but I can directly see the Spiritual Energy."


    "What does my Enhance Forward Rune do?"


    "It''s¡­" Felicia paused for a moment. "The Spiritual Energy seems to be enveloping the entire chair, pushing it forward. This way, the chair is able to move without changing its bnce. But if you apply a different force¡­"


    Felicia suddenly pushed the chair''s top rail backward. As she expected, the chair''s bnce slightly tipped upward, causing the Enhance Forward Rune to slightly elevate the chair instead of moving it forward.


    Felicia didn''t realize it, but this was also the concept that Noel used for his floating te that Anna usually used to fly around.


    He never had any exnation earlier, but Felicia actually managed to see through the concept and even provided a clear detail.


    It seemed that it wasn''t a mistake to make Felicia his retainer.


    When Noel thought about this, he pulled the chair back and cut everything except for the seat, creating a small te where Felicia could stand.


    He then said, "Since I promise to allow you to fight with runes, I will show you what I promise. How about standing on top of this?"


    Felicia didn''t understand what he was talking about, but she still followed his direction and stood on top of the seat. Noel then used the Floating Rune to elevate her a few centimeters above the floor.


    "This is¡­" Felicia spread her arms to maintain her bnce.


    Seeing Felicia was ready, Noel activated the Enhance Forward Rune to propel the seat forward.


    "Woah!" Felicia almost tripped right away, but she managed to hold it for one second before her left foot stepped slightly stronger than the other, causing the te to curve upward.


    She slipped off the board and fell to the ground. "Ouch!"


    Instead of the pain on her butt, the first thing she thought about was what the rune could do. "My lord¡­ Correct me if I''m wrong. Does this te fly?"


    "It seems that you understand it." Noel smiled. "I''m nning to create a board that can fly. It looks like you are surfing in the air. This will allow you to be able to fly in the sky, right?"


    "But the speed¡­"


    "It can go pretty fast. And since the rune is embedded in it, you just have to control how much Spiritual Energy you pour into the rune to get the speed you want. The first thing I imagined when seeing your power was you flying in the air with this and throwing that bottle at the demons, blowing them up from the sky."


    Felicia sucked a cold breath. She had never thought about this before. Due to the nature of her power, she was never able to fly. In fact, most people couldn''t.


    Yet, the rune made this a possibility. "There are so many things you can make. In fact, you can create a flying carriage!"


    "Flying carriage?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Yes, Sir. I thought that you could create something like a boat and use the rune to let it fly. You mentioned that the speed was determined by the amount of Spiritual Energy poured into the rune, so I believe weight, height, and other things are also determined by Spiritual Energy.


    "I believe it would cost a lot of energy, but if you think about it, a carriage in the sky would definitely be fantastic for a lot of things. First of all, you wouldn''t be harmed by bandits or low level demons. Even if you do, you can reinforce the carriage like the city walls. And maybe you can even create a small mobile fortress that is able to bombard the enemy." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Listening to Felicia''s exnation widened Noel''s perspective. He thought about using the small board to let his soldiers fly so that they could bring news like the bird message or even a special flying squad.


    But Felicia actually went one step further and thought about a flying carriage.


    When he thought about it, he couldn''t help but smell money. Yes, the development and the cost would be extremely high.


    But there were going to be a lot of people who wanted to experience it, especially nobles. They would pay a huge price to experience such a thing.


    When he thought about it, Noel posed a concern. "Still, this is going to be dangerous. What if it''s taken down in one way or another? If it''s a fortress, once taken down, it will be destroyed by the demons and all the people will be killed."


    "That''s¡­" Felicia thought for a moment. "I am not sure about it. Maybe create an armor for it."


    "What do you mean?" Noel frowned.


    "If I''m not wrong about the Spirit Enchantment, the Rune System should be able to embed the same rune on armor, right? If the board is taken down, this armor will be activated. And everyone should move back to the city. While it''s true that the tform will be crushed, the humans will be saved.


    "Of course, there is also a chance that you will be shot down while flying back, but this is also part of the risk. You can''t simply save everyone, especially with the current level of technology. Though, if you use armor, you might need to strap their bodies so that the armor is not the only thing that moves forward."


    "Interesting." Noel thought for a moment. Felicia seemed to be knowledgeable about weird technology. But considering she was affiliated with the Tower Association in the past, she should have seen the weird technology that the association tried to replicate.


    The boards that the soldiers would use weren''t going to be that expensive since their only purpose was to fly. The expensive ones were the soldiers who used it. If the soldiers only needed to abandon the board and fly back, it would certainly reduce the casualties.


    For the time being, he might only be able to let a soldier at the Spirit Practitioner or Wielder stage use it since, lower than that, they had to resort to the Demon Crystals and had a higher chance of dying in the process.


    "Your insight is quite helpful." Noel nodded. "As a reward, I will show you another way to fight."


    Felicia watched Noel closely, wondering what kind of wonderful thing Noel nned to do.


    To her surprise, Noel started unbuttoning his shirt.


    Felicia dropped her jaw as she hurriedly covered her eyes and said embarrassedly, "My lord. Although I agree to be your retainer, I haven''t thought about being your mistress."


    "What are you talking about?" Noel shook his head helplessly. "Look at this."


    "Huh?" Felicia opened the gap between her fingers to take a peek at Noel''s body, noticing the drawing on his body. She subconsciously put down her hand and asked, "Is that¡­ rune?"


    "Yes. Armor is not the only one that can be embedded with runes. Your body too. Though, because of the Spirit Seal, it requires a different way to draw a rune like this." Noel activated the Energy Gathering Rune on his body, causing the Spiritual Energy inside the room to gather around him.


    Felicia trembled as she couldn''t help but think, ''This is just the first time we''ve met. While I have be his retainer, I never thought that the lord would be this open to revealing his secret. He doesn''t seem to be a fool, so is it because he trusts me? Or is there anything else?''


    Noel obviously saw the increase in Felicia''s loyalty. At the very least, Noel showed that he trusted her enough to show something that the public had yet to know.


    Name: Felicia


    Affection: Loyal (67/100)


    Description: Dedicate her energy to you.


    The system used ''energy'' instead of ''life'' to show that she still wasn''t loyal enough toy down her life for him. But Noel never expected someone to be like that after the first meeting.


    Noel showed this to test Felicia''s loyalty. Her knowledge might be useful, but if he couldn''t possess it, it would just be a weapon that would be used against him.


    But since her loyalty could be increased this way, he knew how to treat her in the future.


    Noel put on his clothes while saying, "I told you earlier. Give me your loyalty and dedicate yourself to the Ardagan Family, and I will fulfill your wish. I want to show you that I can fulfill your wish."


    Just like the soldiers, Felicia had to contribute to the Ardagan Family if she wanted this rune. Only by helping the family would she be able to fulfill her dream.


    Felicia lowered her head and said, "I apologize for my action earlier. I have understood my part. So, what should I do now, my lord?"


    Noel noticed that Felicia''s loyalty increased again and finally reached 70 points. He said, "You are to help Roel and Dous in their project. Your insight regarding Spiritual Energy will be useful there. And since you have be my retainer¡­"


    Noel took out a badge of the Ardagan Family and tossed it to her. "This is your identification. Show it to Dimitri and he will direct you to your own ce. Bring all your luggage there first before learning the projects from those two."


    "Understood, my lord. If there isn''t anything else, please excuse me." Felicia looked excited as if she wanted to acquire this power as quickly as possible.


    Noel knew that Felicia''s loyalty could decrease as quickly as it increased, but he also wanted Felicia to love this city with all the new inventions. When she became attached to the city, her loyalty would definitely remain at a certain level.


    ''When that happens, I think it''s not bad to make her one of the pirs.'' That was right. There was one more status that Felicia could get in the Ardagan Family. It was thest pir that Noel wanted in the family, the Pir of Research and Development.


    Although Felicia''s talent in rune was low, her insight regarding Spiritual Energy and how to utilize it was extremely high. She would be suitable as the leader and manage all the developments in the team.


    Still, Noel had to make sure of her loyalty first. He didn''t want to give the pir status to someone who could easily be swayed.


    ''Well, things are going to get interesting from here on.''

 Chapter 956 All Influences

    Chapter 956 All Influences


    "How is the progress?" Qiel asked while walking to Laufey on top of a cliff.


    "The progress is steady. I have brought at least 30 thousand demons with at least 4 Superior Demons."


    "4 Superior Demons? That''s quite big, but it''s not enough." Qiel frowned, slightly worried.


    "We still have more than two months, so I should be able to bring more. I''m not sure how many Superior Demons I can get, but that swarm should be enough to destroy multiple cities." Laufey nodded. "Once it''s done, I''m going to destroy the city and get anything they''ve left behind, especially the secret of the Ardagan Family."


    "Don''t underestimate him. We have lost against him multiple times in the past."


    "I know." Laufey nodded with a grim expression. He had suffered a lot of ridicule after that defeat, so he obviously didn''t want to do this half-heartedly. "So, how is the situation over there?"


    "All our spies have died. The Rune City is hard to prate due to the Sword Arbiter. However, the first Rune City should be quite amazing, considering our agents said he had a carriage that could move without a horse."


    "Hoh?" Laufey squinted his eyes. "Is it possible for him to create a weapon?"


    "Most likely. After all, he has a Master cksmith with him."


    "Their strength?"


    "I am not sure. Thest time we spotted him was when he went back to the city with the Moon Temple''s Saintess and a single pdin. ording to our agents, it seems to be Aurelia."


    "Moon Temple¡­ I guess we can''t attack them." Laufey looked at Qiel with a worried expression.


    "Yeah. Our action this time will definitely garner the attention of all kingdoms. The fact that we can manipte a demon army of this size means we can threaten their kingdom. If we kill the Moon Temple''s Saintess after defeating the Ardagan Family, those royal bastards in the Greenwood Kingdom would rally all other kingdoms to subjugate us. That''s why we can''t harm the Moon Temple to buy more time to assemble more power."


    "Since we don''t know the condition in their main city, how many demons do you think we need?"


    "I am not very sure. Right now, the Ardagan Family has four Grandmasters. The top powerhouse is still Dimitri, but Noel and Anna are extremely powerful. Sending a few ordinary grandmasters would be useless. Howard''s strength might not be high, but he was the vice captain of the former Ardagan Family. Hismanding ability far surpasses hisbat ability.


    "Also, they have Saintess La and Aurelia. Aurelia is known for her overwhelming ability, so killing two Superior Demons by herself might be possible, especially with La taking care of her protection. La is enough to stop a few Superior Demons with her barrier. And it''s most likely that she will cover the entire city with the barrier, leaving only the already-built wall to counter our attacks."


    "The Demon Banner Army?" Laufey frowned.


    "I expect them to give some help. I''m nning to have Alexander make them busy. While we can stop a lot of captains and Oscar, they will definitely send one or two captains to help Noel."


    "In that case, they have a total of eight grandmasters. But Noel and Anna are severely injured, right?"


    "Don''t underestimate them. Even with that kind of injury, they should have no problem killing one or two Superior Demons together. Besides, do you think that''s the only connection he has?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I am talking about the Tower Association or maybe other external allies that the former Ardagan Family has."


    "Oh? So, we need more demons than this."


    "Yeah. Still, I''m more concerned about the force outside the border."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Have you forgotten about another special person in that city?"


    "¡­Greenwood Kingdom''s second princess?"


    "Yeah. I''m not sure about their size, but there should be more than one thousand soldiers and the vice captain of the Royal Army."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Are you serious? If he is there, then the army he leads should be the royal army. Those soldiers are troublesome. Even if they only have one thousand, they can easily kill five thousand demons."


    "That''s why I want you to get at least eighty thousand demons with at least 15 Superior Demons¡­ That''s just to attack the city. We need another two Superior Demons and twenty thousand demons to stop the outside force. You and I will also be in the army that attacks the city." Qiel thought for a moment. "I''m thinking about adding two more people to the rank of the Devil Saint in order to win this battle."


    "Two more people? Then, the four of us will attack them alongside the demons."


    "Yeah. Unfortunately, the rest of the grandmasters have to be by Alexander''s side to stop Oscar and the Demon Banner Army."


    Laufey thought for a moment. "The Saintess''s ability¡­ how long can itst if we are the ones attacking it?"


    "If I have to estimate, she shouldn''t have a problem keeping that barrier up for a day. And Noel should use that time to eliminate the Superior Demons and us on that first day to relieve the burden on her barrier."


    "Alright. I will prepare for an army of that size. You should take care of the rest of the preparation."


    "I know." Qiel started walking away, but she remembered one thing and stopped. "Laufey."


    "Huh?"


    "Remember that if we fail to defeat them even with this, we will be theughing stock of the entire kingdom. The Greenwood Kingdom will most likely attack us outside the border¡­ especially the people from the Ezenholm Family."


    "I know. If that city is fully developed, we might need at least a few hundred thousand demons to destroy it, but right now, it''s only partly built. I will simply gather as many demons as I can."


    ¡­


    Demon Banner Army.


    "It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization has begun to move." Oscar said while reading the paper in his hand.


    "What''s wrong?" Milfa asked while furrowing her eyebrows.


    Oscar gave the paper to her.


    Milfa began to be concerned the moment she read the letter. "The Third Prince is forbidding you to help Noel."


    Oscar remained silent, but he still looked concerned.


    Milfa squinted her eyes and mmed the table. "Commander. Are you going to follow this? Do you remember what I said back then? Even if you are themander, you are going to prioritize the Demon Banner Army, not your affiliation, right?"


    Oscar nodded his head. "Of course, I remember."


    "Then¡­"


    Oscar still shook his head. "I am not going to move. I''m sorry, Milfa."


    "You¡­" Milfa gritted her teeth as if ready to fight it out with themander.


    "I am not going to move, but if my captains just disobey my words, I can''t really do anything about it. Demoting my captains in times like this? That''s the most foolish decision I could ever make."


    "!!!" Milfa widened her eyes in shock. "Are you serious?"


    He nodded. "I will stop Alexander."


    "Alright. I will bring ra with me, since she is good at things like this and has worked with Noel previously."


    "There is one more person you need to bring." Oscar took out a letter and handed it to her. It felt like he had prepared for this situation the whole time.


    When Milfa opened the letter, she understood why Oscar didn''t n to move.


    "Alright. That''s enough." Milfa nodded.


    "Don''t rush there immediately. In the end, he is keeping his weapons secret, so if you go right away, the progress might be slower because he has to hide a few things no matter how he can trust you and the others."


    "I know. I will ask Septa to give me the perfect time."


    "Alright." Oscar nodded. Seeing Milfa leave, Oscar couldn''t help but say, "The enemies are going to be something we''ve never seen before. May fortune be with you, Milfa."


    Milfa abruptly stopped. Oscar''s expression had shown her that he was restricted but still wanted the best for the Demon Banner Army and the future of the kingdom. Milfa knew that she shouldn''t hold any grudges about his decision and politely bowed to him. "You, too,mander. May fortune bless you with its presence."


    ¡­


    Silica Valley.


    "Oh my. To think that he is truly asking me for help." The Water Lord looked at the letter with a smile. "This is quite interesting."


    "Is it Noel Ardagan, Master?" A middle-aged man asked. He had be his personal butler after the incident.


    "Yeah. It seems that the enemies are stronger than expected¡­ Do you think I should help?"


    "Considering our history and how you are praising him, I do think we should help. The Supreme Devil Organization had once attacked this ce as well."


    "That''s true. My life is quite pricey after all¡­ I guess this should be enough to repay him for saving my life from those evil creatures." The Water Lord smirked. "I''m going to go."


    ¡­


    Muivell Royal Family.


    "How is the situation over there?" The king asked.


    "The situation is not looking good. We have suppressed a few noble families, but their desire to get a portion of what Noel has is quite strong. And Marquis Stargaze mobilizes all his force to suppress the Arbiters."


    "The Void Arbiter?"


    "We can send her, but it''s going to be troublesome if the Sword Arbiter knows about this."


    "Evan¡­" The king gritted his teeth. "How is the situation on the other side?"


    "The Greenwood Kingdom won''t dare pass the border. And there doesn''t seem to be any movement from them yet. As for the Zaecuria Kingdom, we''re afraid we can''t stall them any longer. They should arrive within two weeks."


    "Atracaeca Kingdom?"


    "We are unsure about their condition. It seems they are split. Some of them want to mend the rtionship with Noel Ardagan to learn runes. Some want the Supreme Devil Organization to seed. But the majority is abstaining as of now. They know that if Noel somehow defends his territory, it''s going to be extremely hard to destroy his city from that point on."


    "Just leave the Zaecuria Kingdom alone. It''s impossible to stall thempletely. As for the Atracaeca Kingdom, try to incite their hatred so that more people support the destruction of the Ardagan Family. As for the Greenwood Kingdom¡­" The king covered his eyes.


    He seemed to have a headache thinking about it. After all, the Greenwood Kingdom had sent them a letter stating that their princess was in the Ardagan Family. And Noel was also considered a part of the Royal Family as the blood of the Greenwood Kingdom''s ancestor ran in his veins.


    "Make sure to stop the Greenwood Kingdom no matter what."


    Each influence in the kingdom had been anticipating this battle. They wanted to know whether the Ardagan Family could survive or not. Unlike the Stargaze Family, who sent their daughter to marry Noel Ardagan, they couldn''t do much after all.


    And Duke Lorelei had stolen the lead by directly going to Noel''s territory and protecting the second city of Lounstein.


    However, none of them had yet to realize that there were two more people who could change the tide of the war. The first was none other than the force that used the Greenwood Kingdom as a cover to hide their presence, the former Ardagan Family.


    As for the second one, he was an elderly man. Despite his age, his body and face were still exuding youthful energy. He had short white hair and a long white beard. Each of his fingers had a ring that had been polished with different colors of gemstones.


    He was currently reading the letter on the table as a smile appeared on his face.


    "Hoho¡­ It seems that the Lord of Lounstein is rather generous. Since he is going to pay such a high price, it appears that I''m going to annoy the hell out of the Supreme Devil Organization."

 Chapter 957 Envoy

    Chapter 957 Envoy


    Two weekster.


    A middle-aged man with several soldiers arrived in front of the city.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "So, this is the Ardagan Family''s main city, huh?" The middle-aged man squinted his eyes.


    The construction of the city had sped up considerably after the migration. The lord mansion had finally finished and the foundation of the northern wall had beenpleted.


    The main water storage still needed a bit of refinement, but the blueprints had been adjusted with the details that n provided.


    The problem with the water storage was the height. It was true that as long as there was a differential height, water would flow. However, if they made the main storage too high, the water pressure that woulde outter would be too high, which might end up harming people.


    In the end, they used the smaller storages that each district would have to adjust the pressure. And of course, the area where Noel resided would be the first to bepleted.


    "Wee, the guest from afar." Dimitri appeared before him. "I am Dimitri, the head butler of the Ardagan Family. As per my master''s order, I shall guide you to the mansion."


    "Oh?!" The middle-aged man couldn''t help but feel a bit pressured. To think that the head butler was a person of this level. Because of the importance of this visit, he was chosen as the representative.


    "It''s a shame that we have to disy an iplete city to the guests from the Zaecuria Kingdom. But if you don''t mind, please follow me." Dimitri extended his hand, gesturing for them to follow him.


    The middle-aged man was apanied by multiple experts, who could also see Dimitri''s strength. It seemed that the Ardagan Family really couldn''t be underestimated.


    "Please forgive me. I haven''t introduced myself. I am Zaecuria Kingdom''s envoy, Marquis Benedict. I am here to congratte Earl Noel Ardagan for bing a noble." Marquis Benedict introduced himself while taking a step forward, implying that he was going to follow him.


    Dimitri nodded, remembering Noel''s order. "Show them what could be shown, but never exin anything to them. Make sure that not a single one of them slips away and takes another look at the city."


    With that thought in mind, Dimitri was apanied by several soldiers that would seal their movement.


    Now that the Marquis had done with the pleasantries, Dimitri began to lead them ording to the route that Noel wanted them to take.


    The first thing that caught Benedict''s eye was the technology on the wall. It was high up, so it was easy to spot.


    "Is that¡­"


    He saw a normal person going up with a lot of materials. Once it reached the top of the wall, the guy handed over the materials so that the walls could be constructed far easier. Normally, they would have to use thedder and bring a few items at a time, but with that technology, they could bring more materials than what twenty people were capable of at once.


    "It''s nothing much. Just a technology to speed up the construction." Dimitri smiled, prompting him to say that he didn''t n to give him any information.


    The Demon Relief Squad might be able to achieve something like that with their prowess, but if they had this technology, they could actually allow normal people to get simr results.


    While he was in shock, a carriage had just passed through. "Ah, Sir Dimitri! Mr. Roel has asked you toe to his workshopter."


    The carriage moved fastpared to their carriage. More importantly, it wasn''t pulled by horses, which made it mysterious. Though, it was just Noel''s order to show off his technology.


    Of course, Benedict should have seen these two technologies in the previous city. However, he wanted to make sure that he knew all those technologies originated in this city.


    "Sorry, but I have to take care of an important guest per my master''s order." Dimitri replied, but the guy had gone away.


    Benedict frowned upon the action of that man, but he immediately forgot about it once he saw another invention.


    "What is that?" Benedict pointed at this invention. It looked like an automatic carriage, but the front had been modified to make it look like a shovel.


    Since they required a lot of pebbles and sand, this automatic carriage was used to push those things toward their spot.


    The humans could do the same thing with their shovel, but it would take more time. With just a simple push from this invention, it could actually get done.


    There was even a giant automatic carriage that had been loaded with a lot of weight underneath it. A horse would have a hard time pushing it, but the rune actually pushed it forward. Due to its weight, it ttened the pavement on the ground, allowing the road construction to finish far faster.


    "We just modified the automatic carriage to fit our needs. It''s nothing much really." Dimitri chuckled.


    ''Kh.'' Benedict wanted to smack Dimitri, but he knew there was no way he would openly say it.


    The reason why the Zaecuria Kingdom entrusted him with this gift was because he was an expert in negotiation and an experienced man in this field. He was, after all, a minister in the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    He was instructed to observe this young man''s territory and negotiate with runes. However, it appeared that their Zaecuria Kingdom had severely underestimated Noel''s invention.


    Of course, Noel didn''t think about these modified versions in the past. However, he had given the citizens some opportunity to speak up to make the construction easier. It was then that Roel started modifying the automatic carriage.


    In fact, depending on the weight and the enhancement, the automated carriage could do a lot of things. Even Jasmine thought about using it to break down the soil for their farndter. And there were some thoughts about using such technology inside the mine.


    In the end, they could make a lot of modifications to suit their needs.


    As expected, they also found water storage in this city. They had seen how much water the citizens could receive from the previous city.


    However, Noel actually went one step further by installing a small water tower near his mansion.


    By the time he arrived, he saw a man watching the water flow out of the pipe to fill out his drum.


    "This is the lord''s mansion. Unfortunately, the Earl is currently busy at the moment. If you don''t mind waiting, I''ll lead you to your room first." Dimitri smiled strictly as if he didn''t take no for an answer.


    "If that''s the case, can I walk around the city? This old bone will be stiff if I don''t work out."


    "I don''t think that''s possible. Besides, I don''t think you will be bored here." Dimitri squinted his eyes, demanding them to y by their rules.


    After seeing all those technologies, it seemed that he should not provoke the Ardagan Family further. If their rtionship deteriorated, it would cause a lot of problems.


    But he soon noticed that the guy who filled the drum with water actually grabbed a cup and drank the water directly.


    "Hmm?" He furrowed his eyebrows. The drinking water was not as surprising as the maiding over while shouting, "Switch out. I need some water to wash the clothes."


    "Oh!" The guy nodded and just took the water elsewhere while the maid filled her bucket.


    It was so convenient that they could get all that water without even leaving the mansion. Of course, some mansions usually had their own dedicated well, but the maid still needed to draw it.


    "I have noticed this from the previous city. But you don''t need to draw the water from the well anymore?"


    Dimitri thought for a moment. Instead of giving him the information he wanted, he actually chose the answer that would fill his dream. "Every single citizen will have ess to that water without the need to take a step out of their house."


    "What did you say?" Benedict widened his eyes. His imagination was running wild.


    "The soldiers will have to stay in the guest house. If you want to wash your body or do something, please ask the maid to show you the trick." Dimitri gestured to the soldiers to escort Benedict''s escorts, while Dimitri pointed at the mansion. "Please follow me."


    Benedict, who was still inplete shock, followed Dimitri blindly, not knowing what he was nning to show this time.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers escorted these people to the guest house, which was located at the corner of the mansion. It was usually used for either both guest soldiers and the Ardagan Family''s soldiers.


    "Wee. Are they the visitors?" Sandra was the one who actually greeted them.


    "Yes." One of the soldiers nodded.


    Sandra pointed at the building. "This will be the ce you''ll stay today. If you need water, you can go to this ce." She moved toward a pipe next to the entrance. There was a tube on top of the pipe, so when Sandra pulled it, the water came out naturally.


    "If you want to wash your body, you can fill the bucket with water. If you want to simply wash your face, there is also a big te to do that. Please don''t hesitate to tell the maid what you''d like to do."


    The soldiers couldn''t help but gasp. They remembered the time they were staying in the barracks.


    Water was easy to get, but it was because of the number of maids. They would spot a maid in every single corner of the mansion because they needed a lot of people to make sure there was a supply of water every time.


    During the night when everyone slept, they simply had to endure the thirst.


    But it seemed that they could get ess to water anytime they wanted.


    And Benedict was currently experiencing that shock. He was taken to the bathroom, where he saw a big tub. It should fit at least ten people inside.


    A noble usually only had a small tub or just arge bucket because filling that tub would take a lot of time and effort. So, they usually used it whenever they met an important guest or if there was a special asion.


    But Dimitri actually opened the pipe, filling it with water.


    "What is this? It''s filling so fast? Can you do this every single day?"


    "I don''t see any reason to not do it. It will take an hour to fill the tub, so I''ll inform the maid to warm the water." Dimitri smiled.


    Benedict dropped his jaw to the ground. Everyone seemed to have underestimated the power of having unlimited amounts of water. He could see how the city developed with this kind of power.


    At first, he thought that the Zaecuria Kingdom had been generous in bringing all those gifts to an Earl. He might be the creator of the rune, but the gift was at the level of a marquis.


    However, this invention alone made him realize that they had severely underestimated Noel. He should be given the treatment of a duke.


    The only thing that haunted Benedict''s mind was Noel''s disappointment with their gift.


    As soon as he was shown his room, Benedict hurriedly gritted his teeth. ''What should I do? The initial n was to give this gift in exchange for a spot in the Rune Academy. But after seeing those inventions, I''m afraid that we have to acquire them. The second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom is in this ce, so I''m sure she will disclose this information to the Greenwood Kingdom.


    ''In the current situation, the Greenwood Kingdom has the highest advantage. In that case, I should offer something more. I can''t let this chance go. In fact, those bastards from the Atracaeca Kingdom must not know this yet. If they know, they will do anything in their power to either kill Earl Noel or mend their rtionship. That''s right. I''ll ask the king to stop them from harming Earl Noel.


    ''What to do next? Dimitri has prevented me from moving around, so I''m sure that these are the only things I''m allowed to see. There must be a lot more inventions that are currently hidden. I should have asked the king to bribe those officials with a higher price so that I could see this city earlier. No, we might have lost the initiative, but we have to get second ce. Screw with the Muivell Kingdom.''


    Marquis Benedict didn''t realize that everything he had seen was ording to Noel''s arrangement. The people he met, the construction, and even this water bath were instructed precisely by Noel to increase his worth. Someone as smart as him would definitely bite that bait.

 Chapter 958 Fund Secured

    Chapter 958 Fund Secured


    Creak!


    The sound of the door opening echoed inside the room as Marquis Benedict turned his head around to confirm the identity of the person. As soon as he saw a ck-haired man entering the room, he hurriedly stood up and ced his hand on his chest. "Marquis Benedict from the Zaecuria Kingdom. It''s a pleasure to meet you."


    "I apologize for making you wait even though I know that you have a long journey to reach this ce." Noel smiled while walking to Marquis Benedict. After shaking hands, both of them sat down.


    "Please don''t worry about it. Me and my soldiers have gotten some rest thanks to it." Marquis Benedict shook his head.


    "So, may I know the reason for your visit this time, Marquis Benedict?" Noel asked.


    "I am here to congratte you for bing a noble, O'' Master of Runes, Earl Noel Ardagan." Benedict paused for a moment before listing the gifts. "It''s not much, but I''ve brought a lot of jewels, gold, treasures, and Demon Crystals."


    "I thank you and the Zaecuria Kingdom for showing such kindness to a mere earl like me." Noel just yed along with the pleasantries.


    However, that was enough to make Marquis Benedict twitch his eyebrows. Who would believe Noel was just a mere Earl? His technology would allow him to be a Marquis easily if he spread that technology. Once he established his strength, bing a Duke was not impossible.


    In fact, if there was no conflict between the Ardagan Family and the Royal Family, thetter would have sent their princess to marry Noel to make it easier for them to elevate Noel''s position as a Duke.


    Marquis Benedict said, "Seeing how busy you are, I believe that we can skip pleasantries and focus on the main topic."


    Noel''s expression turned serious. "Please¡­"


    "First of all, we would like to know about the Rune Academy. Do you know the age limit for attending the rune school?"


    "Rune Academy¡­ As the name implies, it''s an academy for the young generations to be better than the current generations. At the same time, I know that it''s going to be unfair to those older generations because they know more and will probably learn it faster than the younger generations. That''s why I''m nning to first separate it into three categories: Expert, Talented, and Common. I think you know what I''m implying here."


    "So, the Expert ss is for the older generations whose experience and wisdom have been polished. The Talented ss is for the younger generations. As for themon, are you trying to recruitmoners, Mr. Noel?"


    "No. Talented is for those who have Spirits while Common is the ss for people who don''t have spirits. After all, my runes only need Spiritual Energy, not spirits. And I''m not nning to separate the nobles and themoners in my territory."


    "Not separating nobles andmoners? Won''t this cause friction between them?"


    "Indeed. Theoretically speaking, the principal of this academy will be my direct disciple, Livia. Do you think anyone has a higher status than her?"


    Benedict fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.


    "And if you look at my city, do you think those nobles are treated better than themoners in my territory?"


    "That''s¡­" He obviously could see that the convenience that this city provided far surpassed that of the noble families. The only thing that was different between a noble and amoner was their financial resources and status. "Still, I do think there will be prejudice."


    "So be it. My academy will have its own rules. Break the rules, and they shall be expelled from the academy. We''ll see if their noble families will ask for my exnation or beat their own children." Noel''s expression was serious.


    Noel perfectly knew that the people who didn''t awaken their spirits were still able to absorb the Demon Crystals. However, they didn''t know their conversion rate because the spirits didn''t tell them. So, it wouldn''t be weird to see a high conversion rate among them. This was what Noel wanted.


    Meanwhile, Benedict knew that if Noel properly developed the city and repelled the Supreme Devil Organization, they wouldn''t dare to cause trouble.


    In fact, if the noble children were to get expelled, their family would me the child for not enduring it and losing the opportunity. That was why the noble families would definitely tell their kids to follow the rules no matter how much they had to endure.


    If he added the connection between Noel and the Greenwood Kingdom''s princess, the Sword Arbiter, and the Demon Banner Army, no one could actually oppose him.


    Benedict sighed. "I can understand your n. So, I believe there is no age limit."


    "The Expert ss won''t have any age limit. However, they do have stricter requirements and background checks."


    "Well, you can''t afford to have a lot of people that can threaten the territory." Benedict nodded in agreement.


    "As for the other two sses, the maximum age will be 15 years old. If they''re too young, they will break the rules."


    "I see. Suppose our Zaecuria Kingdom wants to buy a quota. In that case, how much do we have to pay?"


    "Each ss will have a maximum of 50 students. They will be directly taught by my direct disciples, Livia and Tristan. And I will personally hold a ss every once in a while. And 30 slots are reserved for normal recruitment formoners or regr sources. What do you think the price of those remaining 120 slots is?"


    Marquis Benedict felt pressured. Instead of giving a price, Noel actually directed that question back to him. If he made it too low, Noel would reject it. If he made it too high, they would suffer a loss.


    "The Zaecuria Kingdom would like to buy 5 slots for the Expert ss and 10 slots for the other two sses. As for the price¡­" Marquis Benedict paused. "We''ll offer you 20,000 gold for each slot in the Expert ss and 10,000 gold for the other two. Of course, this is only the gold coin.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "We''ll also add 20 Peak Level Demon Crystals, 200 Advanced Level Demon Crystals, 300 Mid Level Demon Crystals, and 1,000 Low Level Demon Crystals for each slot in the Expert ss. Double that number for every two slots in the other sses."


    Even Noel didn''t expect that Marquis Benedict would offer this much for 15 slots. Just getting 200 Peak Level Demon Crystals alone was already tremendous. And this was only fifteen slots. He still had 105 slots left, of which 45 of them had been reserved for other influences who had helped him like the Greenwood Kingdom and the Ezenholm Family, the Sword Arbiter and Marquis Stargaze, or even the Demon Banner Army.


    In fact, Noel felt he had overpaid. While Noel could simply brush this matter off, he didn''t like to feel like owing someone.


    "Hoh. It''s an interesting offer. It seems that you are also aiming for other things." Noel squinted his eyes.


    "I can''t hide anything from you, Mr. Noel." Marquis Benedict smiled. "I have seen a lot of wonderful things you could do with runes. If possible, we would like to order some of them."


    "You should know that they are new technology. Even though they are still prototypes, they''re still very expensive."


    "Of course. We''ll pay the full price." Marquis Benedict nodded, thinking they could buy some and learn the production method by analyzing those products.


    However, Noel actually gave him another offer. He first asked, "Marquis Benedict¡­ If I''m not wrong, your Zaecuria Kingdom is famous for its navy."


    "Hmm?!" Benedict was surprised and confused at the same time. He didn''t know why Noel would mention something like this, considering the Muivell Kingdom was the furthest from the ocean. "Yes?"


    "I happen to have a river here. And do you think that the automatic carriage is the only thing that can move forward?"


    "A river?" Benedict contemted for a moment before standing up while gasping. "Are you intending to make a boat?"


    "Since the Zaecuria Kingdom has shown their sincerity, I''m thinking of creating a boat that can go upstream by using runes. Don''t you think it''s beneficial for those five slots?"


    "!!!" Benedict''s eyes brightened. The five slots he mentioned must be about the Expert ss. Noel actually gave them the opportunity to work together to create a boat. If Noel could make the boat with runes, it would definitely help the Zaecuria Kingdom a lot. In fact, they might be able to cross the ocean far more easily and explore a newnd somewhere.


    The ocean was also filled with a lot of demons, so killing them and using their crystals to refuel the ship would make the trip far easier.


    And the prototype would be built in Noel''s territory. If those five experts learned Noel''s method, they might be able to build a ship that could reach a newnd.


    There was no need to buy the carriages whatsoever. The same runes would definitely be used on the boat.


    "It''s just¡­ This ce will be attacked soon. I''m just afraid that I can''t realize that project if I die here¡­" Noel sighed helplessly.


    Marquis Benedict fully understood Noel''s n.


    He must want the Zaecuria Kingdom to send multiple experts, including those who would be ced in the Expert ss toe first and build the boat. And among those experts would be powerful people who could stop the Supreme Devil Organization.


    In exchange, Noel would work together personally and might even impart his rune skills.


    This would also annoy the Muivell Kingdom a lot. They might have to pay a high price in order to send those experts.


    But the boat was the most important. They could simply find a newnd and extract every resource from it before any other kingdoms did.


    Of course, he couldn''t send five grandmasters to avoid tipping the power bnce in the Ardagan Family.


    Marquis Benedict replied, "One grandmaster and four masters. Since Mr. Noel is this sincere for our Zaecuria Kingdom, we will also repay your kindness by bing the sponsor of the creation of this boat. All we want is for them to work together with Mr. Noel."


    "It seems we have a deal." Noel smirked while extending his hand.


    Marquis Benedict shook his hand. The man before him was not a new noble. He was scarier than the devil.


    If he could get a grandmaster this way, there was no doubt that Noel could gather a few more grandmasters to protect his territory through some channels.


    The Supreme Devil Organization might need to face more than ten Grandmasters if they wanted to harm this city. Just thinking about it made this city look safer than anything else.


    "Because this matter is extremely important. Should we begin right away?" Noel added, indirectly implying that he wanted the Marquis Benedict to leave his town as soon as possible so that they couldn''t see any more technology.


    Considering he had gotten the best deal, he definitely had no problem. "Of course. We are very excited to bring this news to our kingdom. We will definitely return in three... no, less than two weeks."


    "I''m looking forward to our cooperation." Noel smiled.


    "Indeed. It''s a shame that you were not born in the Zaecuria Kingdom. If not, you would have be a great figure. If you don''t see any future in the Muivell Kingdom, please don''t hesitate to knock on our door. We''ll wee you."


    "Please don''t jest, Marquis Benedict. This is thend that my ancestors protected, so I will remain here."


    "But of course¡­" Marquis Benedict sighed. He almost offered him women from Zaecuria Kingdom, but remembered that the report stated that Noel only loved a single person and would be annoyed if this talk was mentioned. Even other nobles had given up because of it.


    Even though it was only a few hours away from dusk, Marquis Benedict hurriedly ordered the soldiers to leave the city. Although confused, they had no choice but to follow his order.


    On the other hand, Noel had finally finished with his initial preparation. The fund was secured, the demon crystals were abundant, and the rune technology had a good talent for development.


    If he managed to defeat the Supreme Devil Organization this time, he might be able to use the Demon Crystals to reach the peak of Spirit Grandmaster together with Anna.

 Chapter 959 Reaction of Two Kingdoms

    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    Marquis Benedict''s movement was extremely swift. The moment he got an agreement with Noel, he immediately sent the information directly back to their king.


    The king of the Zaecuria Kingdom was not like the others. He had short brown hair and slightly nted eyes. Coupled with the big round sses, it gave him the atmosphere of a smart and calctive mind.


    Because of the importance of the matter, the king had asked all ministers to attend so that they could hear directly from Marquis Benedict.


    "Are you not lying?" The king asked with a shocked expression.


    "I don''t dare lie to you, Your Majesty. I have made a deal with Noel Ardagan. We''re going to create the first automated ship in history with runes," said Marquis Benedict in a solemn tone.


    "The first automated ship¡­" The minister of defense contemted. "If we have that kind of thing, we can deploy it around the river and sea. The fact that we don''t need to bring more workers to paddle the ship means we can increase the number of soldiers on board. Just imagining how a ship can bring hundreds if not thousands of soldiers in peak condition uponnding¡­ it''s unbelievable."


    "No, no. You can''t just think about the defense. If we use this ship as a mode of transportation. With our kingdom''syout, we can actually decrease the price of goods." The minister of economy waved his hand, thinking his idea was better.


    "No. We should explore the sea with this ship. It''s basically a high-risk, high-return investment. If we can find anothernd, we might be able to get more resources from that area." The minister of exploration and exploitation also intervened.


    The king raised his hand, asking his ministers to shut their mouths. "Is such a ship possible?"


    "I have seen an automated carriage that can move forward without a horse. When modified, it can also do a lot of things. I believe we can use that on a ship." Marquis Benedict nodded without hesitation.


    "An automated carriage, huh? That''s also good, but the ship is better for our Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "But won''t it use the same rune? If we have the ship, we can actually create that automated carriage."


    The ministers whispered to each other again, thinking about the benefits for the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "What is the price we have to pay?" The king asked.


    "First of all, we need about 200,000 gold coins and a lot of demon crystals to pay for the slots in the Rune Academy. As for the ship, we will be sponsoring it while sending five of the experts to work together with Noel Ardagan personally. In other words, these five will be able to learn the core technique to create the runes.


    "However, he asked us to help the territory by sending those five experts in 1 grandmaster and 4 mastersposition. From what I can see, he shouldn''t have any problem gathering at least 10 grandmasters in his territory.


    "And this is just a rumor, but the Moon Temple is nning to create another headquarters in his city. Their Saintess and a Pdin have been stationed there."


    "!!!" The people widened their eyes in shock.


    "Sponsoring the ship? Do you know that we need a lot of materials to do that? We might need at least 50,000 gold coins to bribe so that the materials and our workers can enter the Muivell Kingdom. What about the materials? What''s the size? Depending on the size of the ship, the cost of materials can reach 200,000 if not 300,000 gold coins!" The minister of economy gasped, not believing the condition.


    "That''s not all. If the Muivell Kingdom knows about this, they are going to be hostile toward us."


    The king furrowed his eyebrows. He waited for the ministers to discuss it first as he listened to their conversation.


    There was one thing that piqued his interest. "Benedict. Humor me with this question. If the Ardagan Family manage to withstand the attack this time, how are you nning to take them down?"


    "I don''t think I''m capable of answering that question. I suggest¡­" Benedict nced at the minister of war. If he was going to invade the Ardagan Family, what would he do?"


    "Noel Ardagan is a smart man. The location of his main city is very strategic. On the east, there is a mine that can act as a second fortress. Beyond that, there is also the Greenwood Kingdom. In the west, he has a river. First of all, the purpose of creating that ship is probably to take advantage of the river and create a natural defense line.


    "With this, both sides have been taken care of. In the south, he asked the Sword Arbiter to stay, meaning that ce won''t be attacked unless the Supreme Devil Organization ns to drag the twelve Arbiters in this battle.


    "So, the only way to attack this city is through the north border. However, he should have thought about this and the Greenwood Kingdom might also use this to help him. In that case, they have to divert a portion of their power to stop the Greenwood Kingdom while the rest attack the Ardagan Family.


    "I don''t know what kind of fortress they are nning to build, but I know one thing. Gathering the necessary number of demons to take down that city must cost them a lot of time. And if they want to attack again, it will require more than a year if not two years. By that time, Noel Ardagan should havepleted his city.


    "To summarize everything, if the Supreme Devil Organization fails to kill Noel Ardagan in this invasion, it''s extremely hard to take him down next time. Unless they bring at least two Ancient Demons, I can''t see any way to take them down." The minister of war finished his exnation with a scale that no one had ever seen before.


    "Ancient Demons?! But thest attack from an Ancient Demon was thirty years ago. Can they even bring an Ancient Demon?"


    "If they can, all kingdoms might have to subjugate them. There''s no way we will feel safe if we let a terrorist organization that is capable of moving an Ancient Demon exist."


    The king seemed to have made a decision. "Alright. I shall ept this agreement. In fact, bring out another half million gold coins to build the port for Lounstein."


    "Your Majesty?!" The minister of economy wanted to reject it since it would definitely hurt their budget.


    "Let''s take it this way. If we help him now, we will be considered his closest ally. So, all we need to do is ensure his safety for the sake of future development. As the minister of war said, it would be close to impossible to take him down if he survives this attack, so he should feel grateful if we help him so much right now. The boat might not be the only project we will have with him."


    "!!!" The minister of economy abruptly stopped, showing his agreement.


    "Minister of Economy, keep track of the budget. If it starts hurting, the royal family will open its treasury to raise the fund."


    "Understood, Your Majesty."


    The king looked at everyone, asking, "Who is the most suitable person to lead this project?"


    Marquis Benedict raised his hand. "I suggest Duke Briton, Your Majesty."


    "Duke Briton?" The ministers looked at each other. They wanted to suggest themselves, but when they thought about Duke Briton, they somehow felt a bit inferior.


    "Duke Briton was an excellent shipwright. He is also a Spirit Grandmaster and has a lot of experience in battle. If he leads the project, he will surely do a great job. But hasn''t he retired?"


    The king didn''t hesitate to dere. "Call Duke Briton to the pce immediately. This is a Royal Decree!"


    "Ha!" One of the ministers hurriedly left the room to prepare the royal edict. For the sake of the future, the king didn''t hesitate to pull the retired veteran back.


    "Last but not least, gather ten talented kids in my country. Even if they aremoners, you just have to adopt them into the noble household in case people don''t like it. I want them to be extremely talented in runes¡­ so talented that Noel Ardagan has no choice but to ept them as his disciples. We''re not going to lose against the Greenwood Kingdom!" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "On yourmand!" The ministers lowered their heads. All of them wanted to hold apetition to find talented people. These talents could be used in order to achieve further sess on the court.


    ¡­


    Greenwood Kingdom.


    They seemed to be not the only ones who were busy discussing the slots in the Rune Academy.


    The king had also assembled his ministers, including Raincart, Noel''s grandfather.


    "We''ll be receiving the Water System from Noel Ardagan once Lady Anna returns. ording to the second princess, the water system works perfectly as it''s been described. She has gone to the lord mansion to test it herself.


    "As for matters about the Rune Academy, the second princess has helped us get 20 out of 150 slots. The condition is only for us to help defend his territory for another two months.


    "There are also a lot of new technologies that were not possible before. While she can''t see everything, Noel Ardagan seems to be nning to use the runes for military weapons." The negotiator that apanied Damian had finally returned and reported everything in front of all the ministers.


    "What do you think, Raincart?" The king nced at Noel''s grandfather. He was supposed to be the one who knew him the most.


    "I heard from the report that he was injured." Raincart looked at the negotiator.


    "Y-yes. He and Lady Anna were rumored to be heavily injured."


    "Yet, Anna went out with Damian."


    "Are you implying something, Raincart?" The king frowned.


    "Their injuries must be fake. Even if the others have confirmed it, we can think that their injuries have beenpletely healed."


    "What? But he has the temple¡­ No, wait. The Moon Temple only sent Saintess La and Pdin Aurelia. None of them have healing ability."


    Raincart nodded with a smile. "He has someone who is good at making medicine. If I''m not wrong, his name is Khalid."


    "Khalid? That Khalid?!" The king widened his eyes in shock.


    "Yes. That''s why I believe that the Supreme Devil Organization has fallen into his illusion. By using that to our advantage¡­" Raincart looked at another minister.


    The minister sighed, knowing what Raincart wanted. "¡­I believe it''s better to send reinforcement to Damian. If they can hold off more demons, it''s going to be easier for Lounstein to withstand the organization''s attacks."


    "We got confirmation not long ago that the Zaecuria Kingdom had made contact with him. Their envoy seemed to leave right away."


    "Did he shoot them down?"


    "He won''t be that foolish."


    "Then, they might receive a deal so important that their envoy immediately returns to the Zaecuria Kingdom¡­"


    The king felt pressured once again. They couldn''t find out about this deal, but if they didn''t do something more, they would be defeated by the Zaecuria Kingdom. "What does he actually want, Raincart?"


    "I''m not sure this time." Raincart shook his head. "I think we should ask her highness Livia. The fact that he just wants help, not money, means he has secured enough funds. So¡­"


    "So, Livia is the only one who can ask him." The king closed his eyes for a minute. "Ask Livia about what Noel Ardagan needs right now. Also, tell Count Agnus to assemble another army to reinforce Damian."


    "What will be the size of the army, Your Majesty?"


    "Five thousand elite soldiers. Not only will we defend the territory, but we might also use this opportunity to attack those demons. Make sure we contribute more than the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    The king sighed while looking at Raincart. "It seems that the son is more troublesome than the father. Why doesn''t he surpass his father by stealing not the daughter of a duke but a princess of a royal family?"


    Raincart chuckled. Luke had stolen the princess of the Ezenholm Family in the past. He was angry at that time, but now that everything had passed, it was probably the best thing he had ever experienced. He proudly said, "As expected of my son-inw and grandson."

 Chapter 960 Last Person

    Chapter 960 Last Person


    "How is it going, Felicia?" Noel asked while looking at Felicia in the air. Her posture was terrible. While she was indeed flying, it was her upper body that was following the armor. Her lower body was simply hanging.


    "As expected, this is not going to work." Felicia stopped supplying Spiritual Energy into the armor andnded on the ground. "I managed to maintain my posture for a bit, but once I lost my bnce, I couldn''t regain it. As expected, we have to attach the lower body to the armor so that we can fly like a bird."


    "If it''s like that, doesn''t that mean we don''t need the boards to fly?" Noel asked.


    Felicia fell into deep thought. "That''s true. If a person can fly with the help of a rune, then there''s no need for the flying board anymore. The flying board can be used to transport materials or something else."


    "I see." Noel imagined Anna flying in the sky. On the one hand, the flying board looked exciting, but in terms of functionality, the flying armor would be better. Since every soldier was going to wear that armor in one way or another, he thought it would be better to just give them only the armor.


    If the enemies shot them down, it meant they wouldn''t survive.


    However, Felicia actually gave another suggestion. "Instead, why don''t we exchange their roles? The armor is used for fighting while the board¡­ Hmm, let''s not use the board. Why don''t we use a small object that can be carried in one''s pocket and embedded with Enhance Forward Rune? This way, when they are shot down, they could still use this small item to glide in the air as thest resort to get away."


    "A palm-size item, huh?" Noel thought for a moment. "To be honest, it''s far easier to embed a rune on arger surface. So, a palm-sized object is kind of hard to give, even for me."


    "Then, I will think about this a bit more. All I can say is that the flying squad is possible. While they need a lot of practice before they get used to this feeling, they will definitely be a terrifying squad. In fact, they might be able to protect the city from the flying demons."


    "In that case, I will select a few soldiers. I want you to practice together with them. What do you think?"


    "That''s a good idea. We can also bombard the demons from the sky." Felicia agreed.


    "That''s settled then. While I do want you to get a Rune Body, I don''t think I can grant you that right now. It''s not that I don''t trust you, but I don''t want to betray my fiancee." Noel smiled wryly.


    He didn''t mind seeing other people naked, but he didn''t want to do it unless it was necessary.


    "Don''t worry, my lord. The situation is not urgent, so I can afford to wait for another month."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "She will be back in half a month if nothing goes wrong." Noel nodded, thankful for her consideration. He suddenly turned around and noticed Dimitriing to him.


    They were training a bit away from the city so no one knew about this flying squad. But it seemed that something hade up.


    "What''s wrong, Dimitri?" Noel asked.


    "We have received the word from Mayor Dan. He said the people from the Zaecuria Kingdom had arrived along with the materials."


    "They are faster than I thought." Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "What should we do?"


    "Tell him to guide them to the location of the port. I will meet them there. While I''m not here, take care of the city."


    "Mayor Dan has told them about the port. They''ve gone there by the time the letter arrives and they await you there."


    "In that case, I''ll meet them right away."


    Noel waved his hand as he summoned his phoenix wings and soared into the sky. It had only been seven days since Benedict visited his city. The return trip alone should take at least three days if they rushed, so it was quite amazing to be able to reach his location in just seven days, especially with the materials. The Zaecuria Kingdom appeared to go all out for this deal.


    It took Noel a few hours to fly at full speed to reach the location.


    He noticed numerous carts of materials moving toward the river. There were, apparently, about a hundred people actually going to build the ship.


    As soon as Noelnded on the ground, a muscr old man stepped forth and said, "I presume you are the lord of Lounstein, Earl Noel Ardagan, correct?"


    "It is I. May I know who I am speaking to?" Noel examined this person''s strength and affection.


    "Although I''ve retired now, I was a Duke, a General, and a Shipwright before. My name is Roger Briton. It''s a pleasure to meet you." The old man introduced himself while holding his cigarette in his hand.


    "It appears that the Zaecuria Kingdom is going all out for this project." Noel smirked.


    "I shall pass his majesty''s words to you. ''The Zaecuria KIngdom shall sponsor the construction of the first automated ship as well as the port of Lounstein. I hope that Earl Noel Ardagan receives it so that you can survive. I wish you luck.'' That''s the message."


    Noel was quite surprised that the king would even sponsor the port''s creation. While it wouldn''t be a port city, it was still a port. And they would even cover the cost of materials.


    "s, our cooperation will be hard to hide," Duke Briton eximed while looking at the materials.


    There were so many cartsing here and many more woulde as the project progressed.


    "Indeed. Then again, it''s fine at this point, right?" Noel smirked.


    "As you said. If they dare to destroy the ship, it''s the same as pping the Zaecuria Kingdom in the face. We will retaliate to the best of our ability." Duke Briton stopped for a moment as if he wanted to know something.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "While this is rude to ask, I wish to see the rune that allows you to move the boat upstream."Duke Briton looked at the flow of the river. While there was no raging flow, the speed was still pretty high. Even the Zaecuria Kingdom needed a lot of people to go upstream on this river.


    "I don''t really mind showing it to you." Noel nced at the other people before pointing to a more secluded area.


    Duke Briton nodded in understanding and followed Noel after ordering the rest of the people to stay here.


    As soon as he couldn''t sense any more people, Noel pulled out his de, cutting a tree. He skillfully stripped all the branches from the log.


    "While this is¡ª" Noel wanted to start, but Duke Briton actually interjected. "Please wait a moment."


    Duke Briton took out a small knife and started cutting the trunk like butter. He took out a chisel and started ripping the inside to create a small room for someone to sit in. It was narrow, but this was a very simple boat.


    "The trunk is big enough, so I guess this should imitate the boat a little bit." Duke Briton nodded in approval. He had just shown his expertise to show Noel that he would do a great job.


    After that, Duke Briton waved his hand as the flow started to split, creating still water in the middle. It seemed that Duke Briton had a water type spirit, which was perfect for controlling the river.


    "Please."


    Noel nodded, tossed the wood into the still water, and said, "I''m ready."


    Duke Briton retracted his ability after Noel''s signal. The boat began facing the water, but Noel remained standing as if he were skilled enough to maintain his bnce.


    After that, a rune appeared behind the boat and started pushing the boat forward. The speed increased at a stable pace, indicating that the limit of this rune was unknown.


    Seeing how it could indeed go upstream even in this flow was enough for Duke Briton to see the sess of the boat. "I see. Thank you for demonstrating it to this old man, Earl Ardagan."


    "I''m not familiar with the boat. What we want is a grand boat that can hold up to a few hundred people at once as per the agreement. I believe that the weight will also affect the effectiveness of the runes, so I will personally embed the runes to see if I need to draw more runes for the boat to function or use a better rune."


    "I understand. I will begin working with my subordinates to create the perfect boat for you. If you have any requests, then please don''t hesitate to tell me."


    "How long do you need toplete the boat?"


    "We promise toplete the boat before your territory is open to the public."


    "After that, you and the other four shall enter my territory as students of the Rune Academy."


    "There is no shame in learning something even if it''s from the younger generation. After all, you are the future." Duke Briton smiled while extending his hand.


    "I believe we have a deal." Noel shook his hand firmly.


    The progress of the territory had been smooth. The people he wanted to meet hade to the territory. There were also outside helpers that woulde right before the battle ording to the agreement.


    All that was left was watching the progress until the time limit and waiting for Anna toe back.


    ¡­


    Two weekster.


    As Noel predicted, Anna was returning to the city at night. But Noel didn''t realize at the time that Anna''s return would stir trouble he had never faced before.

 Chapter 961 Back

    Two weekster.


    Noel was about to retire for the day, but the moment he opened the door to his room, he couldn''t help but find a familiar figure he had been waiting for a long time.


    "Eh?!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Anna?"


    Because of the nature of her trip, she couldn''t show herself in public. So, she had to leave and return during the night, meaning Noel wouldn''t know if she was already back or not.


    And tonight was a huge surprise for her because Anna had already returned, waiting for him on the bed.


    Noel rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating because he had missed her. "It seems I have overworked myself."


    Anna chuckled while saying, "You are not imagining things. I''m home."


    Noel''s body trembled as he couldn''t believe what she had just said. He staggered to the bed. "You are really back."


    Anna made a big smile as she leaped toward Noel, hugging him. The hug was firm to show how much she missed him and didn''t want to leave his side anymore.


    "I''m d that you''re alright." Noel closed his eyes. He felt relieved that Anna was finally back. It didn''t seem she received any harm, which finally put his heart at ease.


    "Mhm. I miss you. Leaving you for a month made me feel empty, making me realize how much I love you."


    Noel smiled. "I miss you too."


    "Really? Weren''t you too busy to think about me?" Anna grinned.


    "What? How can I?"


    "So, you felt lonely when I wasn''t here?"


    Noel''s body shook. She didn''t expect to see Anna teasing him.


    "You might not know it, but I have sworn to myself that I will be bolder once I return. The trip just showed me how important it was." Anna made a big smile. "That''s why I''m not going to hold back anymore and show everyone how much I love you."


    Noel blinked a few times. The trip seemed to be important for another reason.


    "Is that so? I personally don''t mind."


    Anna buried her face on Noel''s chest, but Noel noticed her yawning.


    "You must be tired. Let''s get some rest." Noel pointed at the bed. She must have gone through a lot in the past month, so everything could wait.


    "Oh my? It seems that you have be bolder as well. So, you want to sleep with me or maybe you want to do something more? I don''t mind, but¡­" Anna smirked, implying that if he was ready to ept the fact that he wouldn''t be able to fulfill his promise, she didn''t mind going beyond that point.


    "What are you talking about? I''m still respecting your wishes." Noel sighed.


    "Hehe."


    "Alright. Alright. Let''s sleep!" Noel shook his head. He was a bit too overwhelmed by Anna''s change, but he was fine with this kind of change as well. Though, to avoid the embarrassment, he ended up gently pushing her to the bed.


    Anna once again made her move. She normally slept without doing anything unless there was something special, but this time, she actually sneaked into his arm and hugged his body.


    "Anna?" Noel was startled. If this continued, he might really not be able to hold himself back.


    "What? Are you going to do something?" Anna smirked.


    "Kh." Noel clenched his fist. Normally, he wanted to tease her back, but Anna had just returned, so he let her win this time. "Fine. Fine."


    "Noel¡­"


    Anna''s voice echoed in his ears when he was looking at the ceiling to calm his heart down. "Mhmm?"


    "I love you."


    "I love you too." Noel closed his eyes with a smile on his face. It seemed that he was going to have a good dream tonight, or so he thought.


    Right before he slept, an image shed through his mind. It was the conversation he had with Anna.


    Back then, Anna asked, "If I say I want to go back to Old Ru''s ce to do something, will you let me go?"


    Noel didn''t want her to leave at that time, but as her equal, he knew how to respect her wish. Hence, he didn''t reject her but actually wanted to know the reason for that decision. "Can you give me a reason?"


    Anna looked pained back then as if there was a big problem haunting her heart. "I can''t tell you anything yet. But after this trip, I feel like I will be able to tell you the truth. All I can say is that¡­ this is the only way for me to be able to stand beside you for the rest of my life."


    Of course, Noel decided to trust her.


    He thought this trip was much safer than when they visited Old Ru''s together since Anna had be a Spirit Grandmaster and had no trouble using the True Spirit Body.


    But this memory actually gave him another question.


    Anna had never broken her promise to him. Even if she became bolder, she would definitely use this time to actually tell him about the reason. The fact that she called his name earlier was the trigger for this thought.


    And this was the only time they would have time together. They loved to talk about themselves during this private time to learn more about each other.


    That was why this scene actually made Noel question whether Anna still remembered the promise or not.


    However, when Noel tilted his head to the side and saw Anna''s innocent sleeping face, he sighed, fully aware that Anna was tired after the journey. He had to let her rest first.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    Noel woke up without Anna on his bed. He thought that he might have been so tired recently that he started hallucinating, but when he opened the door, he saw Anna cooking breakfast for him.


    "Oh?! You''re awake? Go wash your face first and let''s have breakfast together."


    After confirming thatst night wasn''t a dream, Noel hurriedly tidied himself to have breakfast together.


    While eating, he couldn''t help but get bothered by the image fromst night. While he didn''t want to doubt her, he had to ask. "How was the trip? You were not in danger, right?"


    "Of course not. We killed five Superior Demons during our trip in fact."


    "Woah, seriously?!"


    "Yeah. Unfortunately, we didn''t have a lot of spare bags to bring all the Demon Crystals, so we couldn''t fight too much." Anna chuckled. "Also, your mother was with us."


    "My mother?"


    "Yeah. She tagged along to make sure the journey was safer. Besides, she was quite excited to find the ancestralnd of the Ardagan Family."


    "Really?"


    "But there''s not much left after nature takes over. So, we couldn''t really find much¡­ As for the problem with the underground tunnel, your ancestor seems to be digging up holes underground to create a wall of water."


    "A wall of water?" Noel tilted his head while contemting. "Wall of water, huh? Flooding them?"


    "Indeed. The demons are strong, but they can''t breathe underwater. Hence, they use that wall so that the demons dig straight into it. If we have enough supply of water, the entire tunnel will be flooded with the natural pressure."


    "That''s indeed possible." Noel nodded in agreement. "Now that I think about it, it''s not like the demons can dig too deep underground. We have a water reservoir underneath us, which is the one providing the city water. And if you think about it, this water reservoir must be linked to the river.


    "In that case, the demons can only dig to a certain area before the water startsing out, which makes the tunnel useless. With that being said, we can dig up the soil around that level and use the river water to flood it, creating a barrier of water.


    "If the demon digs lower, they will meet the water reservoir. If they continue, we will have river water, which will flood the entire tunnel. Some of the stronger demons might be able to pass it, but the water itself should weaken it even if they are a Peak Level Demons."


    Noel could imagine the entire concept and design. He simply had to dig a hole in the ditch outside his wall. He was going to fill it up with water, so it shouldn''t be that troublesome.


    "That''s a good idea, I think." Anna agreed with Noel. It wasn''t much, but it was very effective.


    "Still, the demons might create a lot of tunnels underground. At the very least, it will weaken the soil." Noel raised a concern.


    "I think it''s not a problem. Just like how you can pump out water from the well, don''t you think it''s possible to use the rune to pump soil underground to fill the tunnel? While it''s going to be troublesome to take care of the mess, this is pretty much a simple yet effective method."


    Noel couldn''t deny it. "In that case, I will talk to Dous about it. It''s going to be hard to dig up that much, but it''s not impossible."


    "Sure."


    Noel smiled. "Thank you."


    "Is there even a need for that between us?"


    Noel then stood up. Now that the mood had lessened, Noel finally asked, "How about we have a spar? It''s been a while and it''s not like we can use our full power to avoid suspicion. So, how about a spar with only our swordsmanship? You said you want to be the strongest woman in the world, so I want to see how much you have improved in this one month."


    Anna raised her eyebrows. There was a subtle hint in his words, but Anna didn''t back down. "Oh? You can talk big now. I should show you that I''m still the stronger one between us."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 962 Who Are You?

    <h4>Chapter 962 Who Are You?</h4>


    Noel and Anna stood in front of each other. Now that the mansion had been built, they could use the backyard to have a little spar.


    "Let''s see whether your skill has gotten rusty or not." Noel smiled while raising his stance.


    "I should be the one saying that. You have been buried by all those works after all." Anna harrumphed.


    "The only way to prove that is by fighting. Are you ready?" Noel pointed his sword at Anna.


    "Of course. I''m just waiting for you."


    "What a provocation!"


    Both of them smiled as Noel began to count.


    "3¡­"


    "2¡­"


    "1¡­"


    They said thest count together as their bodies began to move. "0!"


    The moment they reached each other, Noel opened the fight with a sh from the bottom left going all the way to her shoulder in the opposite direction. Anna maintained her posture and struck Noel''s sword in the middle.


    Cling!


    The clicking sound was the mark of the start of their battle.


    Seeing Anna parry his sword, Noel was about to slide his sword on her before making a second swing.


    However, Anna actually rotated her sword slightly toward her so that Noel ended up moving a step forward.


    When adjusting to that bnce, Noel couldn''t retract his de or take advantage of Anna''s sword.


    As a result, Anna took a step forward and tried to knock his sword off his hand.


    Before she could do it, Noel used his usual strategy, which was to use the momentum to grab Anna''s leg. Since he was going to lean to the ground due to the moment, he should take advantage of that opportunity to seal her mobility.


    "!!!" Anna clicked her tongue. Because she took a step forward earlier, she had no way of avoiding this. So, she just let Noel grab her lower thigh while making another swing.


    Noel smiled as though he had expected her action. He slid his hand to reach the back of her thigh before pulling her. With the strong forward step earlier, Anna''s bnce and momentum leaned forward, so if he pulled her thigh, she would trip and fall on her back.


    Still, Anna had grown ustomed to his trick. She actually allowed Noel to spin her body. By closing her leg, she could sneak the leg toward Noel and her other leg approached him from the other side. Both legs suddenly wrapped around his head as his neck was pinched by Anna''s thighs.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth and tried to spin her body a bit more until she couldn''t see him.


    But Anna skillfully ced her hands on the ground and made a backflip, pulling Noel''s entire body with only her thighs. She was about to throw Noel into the air.


    However, Noel actually used the momentum to do a front flip. After that, he grabbed both her ankles and tossed her by using the centrifugal force from the flip.


    "What?!" Anna looked surprised that she was the one losing in that exchange. Unfortunately, she didn''t have time to think about it as Noel had closed in with his de.


    Anna regained her bnce the moment shended on the ground and struck Noel''s de.


    Because of the exchange earlier, Anna became a bit more careful and just kept fending off all his attacks.


    In just three seconds, there were already twenty clicking sounds. They were using the body of a Grandmaster to the highest degree in this spar.


    "Don''t you think you''ve grown a bit too used to how a woman''s body works? You''re not cheating on me while I''m gone, right?" Anna asked while shing with Noel. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "I should be the one asking you! Do you think that movement is a little bit vulgar for you? I''ll be jealous if you use it on another man." Noel smirked while trying to find the gap in her defense.


    "Don''t worry. It''s the secret technique that your mother taught me. It seems to be a powerful weapon to fight you." Anna harrumphed.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. "What did she actually say?"


    "It''s nothing much. Like how she suspected you to like thighs because you often used the maid''sps when you wanted to read outside."


    "Don''t you think you have been lied to?" Noel clicked his tongue. He clenched his sword tightly as he made a big swing, using all the strength he had tounch Anna away.


    "You should say that with your usual poker face." Anna grinned while maintaining her bnce mid-air. She couldn''t help but see that annoyed face on him as though his secret had been exposed. "¡­That face is not going to convince anyone."


    "We need a family meeting after this." Noel rushed forth, trying to reach Anna before shended on the ground.


    Anna harrumphed. She calcted Noel''s movement and struck him first.


    Noel took a step back, spun his body, and struck Anna from another side.


    Anna seemed to have predicted it as she actually stretched her leg in that direction, kicking his de with her shoe. After that, she lowered her foot as if she wanted to hit his face with the back of her thigh.


    Noel pushed her back andunched her into the air. Anna took advantage of it to lower her leg even further so that she ended up spinning forward instead of upward. She finallynded on the ground safely.


    "If I win, you''re going to tell me everything my mother told you. I have to correct everything she said so that you don''t get the wrong idea."


    "In that case, if I win, you''re going to confirm everything your mother has told me."


    Both of them looked like they were determined to win, but for their own absurd reasons.


    Anna was the first to charge forward this time. She struck Noel from above while saying, "Shouldn''t you use that opportunity to ask about my secret?"


    "Oh, don''t worry. Even without you telling me, I''m going to send a letter to my future father-inw about all your secrets." Noel harrumphed with veins bulging on his forehead. He was definitely pissed off.


    Cling!


    Cling!


    Cling!


    A series of clicking sounds kept echoing in the backyard as Noel and Anna traded more than a thousand blows in just twenty minutes.


    But it seemed that no one had gotten any advantage in thest twenty minutes. It might be because of the bet but they were extremely careful in this fight.


    Although it was faint, Noel felt a subtle change in the way Anna wielded her sword. While it was true that this could happen after a month, Noel couldn''t help but remember what the Sword Arbiter said to her. She told Duke Lorelei that her mind was in such a mess that it affected her sword, so he thought this must be the case.


    Unfortunately, this was only his theory. He had to confirm whether it was true or not.


    On the other hand, Anna felt something weird in Noel''s movement. Her sword style was aggressive, but in this spar, Noel looked more aggressive than usual. He was leading the fight the entire time, which made her a bit nervous.


    She suspected Noel to be plotting something in this match. Since he had been inventing a lot of things in the past month, she thought Noel must have gotten a weird, but unexpected idea to defeat her.


    To her surprise, she finally found a gap in Noel''s attack.


    Noel actually made a big swing. While it contained power, he might have the weakest control of his sword with this swing.


    ''A mistake?''


    ''It doesn''t seem that he is tired.''


    ''A trap?''


    ''But if I don''t take this chance, I might not get a second chance.''


    All these thoughts appeared in Anna''s mind in an instant. She ended up closing her stance and hit Noel''s sword from below, taking the opportunity to end this match.


    Cling!hitting


    This clicking sound was the mark of the end of the battle as Anna''s de knocked Ardagan into the air.


    After that, Anna waved that de at Noel''s neck to end this fight.


    Noel didn''t know why but he could feel a sliver of killing intent leaking in that swing. As though he had expected this moment, Noel simply closed his eyes, waiting for that de to reach him.


    Ultimately, the de stopped right in front of his neck as Anna stated, "This is the end, I guess."


    Noel gave a wry smile. "Indeed. It seems that you''ve gotten more powerful than I expected you to."


    "Of course. It''s me you''re talking about." Anna smirked while sheathing her de. She was ready to help Noel get his de back, but right after the ''Tak'' sound produced when her de reached the end of the scabbard, Noel''s hand moved at its fastest speed, reaching her face in just a split second.


    "!!!" Anna couldn''t even get surprised before Noel''s hand grabbed her entire face. His other hand tossed her de away.


    Then Noel mmed her into the ground so hard that it created a small crater.


    *Boom!*


    Anna wasn''t hurt because she protected her body instinctively, but she couldn''t understand the reason why Noel actually did something like this.


    "No-el?!" Anna looked at Noel. This might be the first time she sees this expression on his face.


    It was cold, dark, and full of anger. It might be because he was her fiance that this distorted face somehow hurt her heart. The thought that he was looking at her as his nemesis instead of his fiancee made her body tremble.


    Noel opened his mouth, his voice was filled with murderous intent as though he would kill her the moment she told a lie. The question was, "Who are you?"


    *Thump!*

 Chapter 963 Truth

    Chapter 963 Truth


    "Who are you?!"


    Anna gave a confused smile. "What are you talking about? I am Anna."


    Noel recalled Ardagan back to his hand and stabbed the ground next to her head. "I ask you once again. Who are you?!"


    "Noe¡ª"


    Before Anna could call his name, Noel shouted, "Don''t you dare call me with that filthy mouth of yours."


    Noel never expected that the situation would be like this. The reason why Anna wanted to tell him everything after he returned must be rted to this. Still, he didn''t think that Anna would be this crazy.


    ''A split personality? Is she being possessed? Did something happen during the trip? But if that''s the case, my mother would definitely tell me about it in one way or another. No, even Damian would be concerned since it means he has failed his jobs.''


    Noel thought of several abilities, but none of them could exin what he was seeing right now.


    Although he didn''t want to do it, it seemed that he had no choice but to use the Affection Medal.


    Name: Anna Stargaze


    Affection: Love (99/100)


    Description: Love you from the bottom of her heart and will never leave you.


    This was the first time he saw Anna''s affection. It was extremely hard for someone to love another person to an absolute degree. After all, it meant that they were ready to throw away their lives without hesitation.


    At the same time, the killing intent earlier made him realize that she had somehow changed. In fact, that might be the reason why she was one point short.


    When he thought about it, Noel couldn''t help but ask, ''Ardagan, does the Affection Medal see someone''s body or¡­''


    [It''s peeking at their consciousness.]


    ''Consciousness¡­'' The reason no one could hide their true selves before him was because of the Affection Medal. But if it truly peeked at someone''s consciousness, there might be something that affected Anna''s consciousness. It could even be possession.


    ''Do you know what happened to her?'' Noel asked.


    Ardagan didn''t answer his question, which annoyed Noel.


    "Ardagan!" Noel shouted in anger.


    Anna looked at Noel''s pained expression. But before she spoke, Noel had already dered, "I don''t mind the price. If you can help her return, I''m going to sacrifice everything, including my life!"


    Anna shivered because of what he said. He truly cared for Anna.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue before saying in an annoyed tone, "That''s enough."


    "You stay quiet!" Noel gnashed his teeth, wanting to kill whoever did this.


    "You are the one who should be quiet if you want to know what has happened!"


    Noel and Anna red at each other. Noel obviously didn''t want to let her go, knowing that Anna might use this chance to escape.


    But he also wanted to know what truly happened and find out if there was a chance for her to return to the way she was.


    Noel clenched his fist so tight that his palm started bleeding. Unfortunately, there was no other choice but to release her.


    That was why he pulled out his sword, stood up, and took a step back.


    "Just to let you know. Depending on your answer, I might kill you."


    "Kill the body of your fiancee?"


    "So be it. She is the only one for me. I won''t have any other woman beside her and will definitely repay her in the next life." Noel''s expression was cold as though he had made his resolve.


    "She is blessed to have you, huh? I guess this is my loss." Anna scratched the back of her head while sitting on the ground.


    "Your loss?"


    "Let me introduce myself once again. I am Anna Stargaze. That''s not a lie." Anna looked at Noel, who clearly disliked that answer. "In fact, I am the same Anna you know, who ''killed'' your parents in this life."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "In this life?" Noel fell silent for a moment before widening his eyes. He remembered that Anna had an abrupt change in personality when he first met her in the Demon Banner Army.


    "Let''s go back inside. I will tell you about what happened during the trip, as well as the agreement I have with the Anna who has been apanying you for thest few years."


    Noel was a bit hesitant, but it seemed that he didn''t have any other choice.


    In the end, Noel recalled Ardagan back to his Spirit Seal, showing that he agreed.


    As soon as they reached the mansion, Noel made sure that no one was around and asked, "So¡­"


    "First of all, you need to know that there are two souls or, you could say, consciousnesses, in this body. Both of us are Anna, but the original soul is me."


    "So, the one I know¡­"


    "She is the intruder. Even if you dislike that title, it''s the fact." Anna''s tone was stern, especially when she saw Noel''s cold expression.


    "I am aware of that." Noel nodded. "However, there is something I can''tprehend. If you are truly the one who tried to kill my parents in this life. Why¡­"


    Noel stopped. It felt like he shouldn''t ask this question at thest second.


    "Why do I love you?" Anna smiled.


    "¡­" Noel''s silence had told her everything.


    "It''s pretty simple. At first, I still wanted to kill you, but that Anna took over my body, causing me to remain inside the consciousness space where the spirit resides. Basically, I can see everything about her. What she is doing, what she has experienced, and what she feels about you. Ultimately, I am also affected by that feeling¡­ I guess it''s still far different for someone who is affected and someone who experiences it all. The killing intent must be the one that gave you thest hint."


    "I can''t deny it."


    "So, let''s talk about her soul. You should know that you are the reason for her rebirth, right?"


    "Yes."


    "However, what if I tell you that time only moves forward? No matter how powerful the time ability is, it won''t go backward."


    "It won''t go backward?" Noel looked down for a moment. It took him a full minute before he understood the entire situation. And it actually referred to what Anna had told him in the first ce.


    That was right. Before Anna admitted that she was reincarnated, she had always mentioned the Anna in another world.


    In the end, her rebirth was merely a crossover to another world simr to what she knows. But what will happen to the Anna in this world?


    The answer was right before him. Anna''s body couldn''t go to another world, only her soul. And that was the reason why she ended up taking over the original Anna''s soul.


    And the easiest way to release that soul was none other than by dying.


    It cleared up several questions in his mind. Why would the original him die with Anna? If he still had the medicine that the Sword Saint gave him, they could still survive. No, with his intelligence, there was no way he would fall into the Third Prince''s trap.


    In that case, the Noel in the previous life wanted to die together with Anna, so that her soul would leave the dying body. However, the destination was not the Nirvana, but the current timeline.


    This was the true process of rebirth.


    Without the rebirth, everything might repeat itself. In other words, while Anna took over the original Anna''s body, it was ultimately Noel who nned everything.


    Noel gritted his teeth. He didn''t want to admit it, but he was the problem.


    "I¡­"


    "Don''t apologize." Anna seemed to know how Noel would react. She looked at him with a solemn face. "I should be the one to apologize. Even though she has influenced me, after mulling it over, I realize how bad I was. Thanks to her, I can be the person I''m today."


    Noel looked down, feeling ashamed.


    "Then, how is she right now?"


    "She is currently like me, watching everything I''ve done and said from that consciousness." Anna let out a long sigh. "But it seems that I have lost the bet."


    "Bet?"


    "Yes. I believe she told you that after this trip, she would be able to stand beside you, right?"


    "Yes."


    "However, you have two spirits, which allows you to easily be a Spirit King or beyond that. How about her? She has the experience, memories, and instincts from her previous life, but in the end, her progress wille to a halt one day."


    "But there are a lot of ways¡­"


    "I know. Since you have a head start, you can progress more than what you have achieved in your previous life. But do you truly believe from the bottom of your heart that she will be able to keep up with you once you go beyond the Spirit King?"


    Noel opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to answer it; he had been avoiding it the whole time. He believed that Anna could ovee it, but deep in his heart, he still wondered if it was possible or not.


    "That''s where Ie in. Having two spirits allows you to have two Spiritual Energy Reserve, which means having twice the limit of the number of demon crystals you can absorb. Hence, she is seeking another way to close the gap."


    "But how is it rted to you?"


    "That''s because there is an advantage to having two souls. What do you think will happen if someone ever has two Spirit Minds, two Spirit Hearts, and experiences two times of assimtion and fusion?"


    "!!!" Noel''s eyes brightened. "They are rted to the soul?"


    "Indeed. This is the path she decides to walk on so that she can stand beside you."


    "Still, you are¡­" Noel was still concerned. He understood that Anna was going to stand beside him with this power, but the original Anna still took over her body. Even if she had this power, she couldn''t go with him if she wasn''t the one controlling the body.


    And even if they were going to change intermittently, he felt like he was talking to a different person right now. So, it felt like he had betrayed Anna.


    "For someone as smart as you, it seems that you are still unable to figure out the agreement between us." Anna sighed. "I guess the idiom saying ''Love makes you a fool,'' is true."


    "What do you mean? What is the agreement between you?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Anna''s words made him realize that this agreement seemed to be key to resolving the issue.


    On the one hand, Noel knew that Anna couldn''t take over and remove this soul if she wanted that power. On the other hand, he couldn''t imagine what Anna nned to do to solve the core of the problems.


    Anna closed her eyes for a moment before giving a sad smile. "The agreement is¡­"

 Chapter 964 Bet

    Chapter 964 Bet


    A few weeks ago.


    Anna was sitting in front of Old Ru while the others had to remain outside for the sake of the conversation.


    "So, why do youe back here?" Old Ru couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. While he epted Anna, he disliked the idea that she woulde here again.


    "I know that this is too much to ask. However, I still need to ask you about this¡­" Anna lowered her head. "Please allow me to borrow your grandson''s power."


    "Huh?" Old Ru''s expression turned cold. If it were anyone else, he would have unleashed his killing intent. "Do you know what you are saying right now?"


    Noel had promised not to bring his grandson back like what happened in his previous life. So, Old Ru couldn''t help but want to reject it right away.


    Fortunately, he was still the same calm Old Ru as the one they met a year ago. "At least give me a reason."


    "I have another soul in my body. Or should I say¡­ I have taken over this body due to my rebirth?"


    "Rebirth¡­" Old Ru frowned. He seemed to notice something and fell into deep thought. After a moment, Old Ru turned his head to the door and called out loud, "Andreas!"


    It didn''t take too long for the young man to arrive in the room.


    Instead of Anna, Old Ru was the one asking the question. "Andreas. Check her soul."


    Andreas tilted his head in confusion, but he stillplied with his grandfather''s instruction. He came closer to Anna before closing his eyes.


    A blue light starteding out of his thumb as he rubbed both eyes in a single horizontal motion.


    When he raised his eyelids, his eyes were glowing as though they were enveloped in a blue-colored ze. It was at this time that Andreas noticed something.


    "I see two souls. One is hidden deeply while the other is currently possessing the body. It seems this soul is older than the other." Andreas furrowed his eyebrows, examining the souls.


    "So, that''s how it is." Old Ru pinched the bridge of his nose. "Even I, who have the time ability, have no way to know what will happen if someone traverses back in time. But when I think about your case, it''s finally confirmed that time is only moving forward.


    "In the previous life, Noel might have used the shell on you, but he failed in every attempt except for thest one. And that idea probably came from¡­" Old Ru nced at Andreas.


    When he thought about it, this could be the truth. Since Andreas apanied Noel at that time, it was clear that Andreas would have realized the problem as to why the shell was unable to bring Anna back. So, the only choice was to separate her soul from the body, which resulted in Anna''s current condition.


    "Andreas. What do you think?" Old Ru asked.


    "This is intriguing. From what I can see, the second soul has been suppressed naturally because the current consciousness is stronger. However, I''m thinking about another possibility. The current soul is the one strengthening the body, so what will happen if the other soul takes over? May I ask if you notice a kind of restriction when you take over the body? Or do you get a body that doesn''t have a single bit of Spiritual Energy?"


    "Hmm?" Anna recalled what happened in the past and said, "I did feel a bit of restriction at first. When I reincarnated, this body was already a Spirit Apprentice."


    "As expected, if that soul took over, she wouldn''t be able to control the energy."


    "Are you saying she''s going to explode?" Old Ru frowned.


    "No. It''s going to be a cripple until she manages to link the soul with the body and take over all her achievements in Spiritual Energy."


    Anna''s expression turned grim. "Suppose we have two souls in the body and create two Spirit Minds and the other processes. In that case, will there be an obstacle?"


    "Hmmm¡­" Andreas thought for a moment. "First of all, you currently have three choices. If you remain like this, you should be able to pass your days like nothing happened. But if you wish for the other body to take over, you might lose all the opportunity to go out ever again unless something special happens.


    "However, the second option will be to absorb the soul and integrate it into you. This means the other soul will cease to exist. While you can gain full control of the body, you will also not benefit from the second soul.


    "As for thest one¡­" Andreas fell silent, looking hesitant.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna and Old Ru looked worried.


    "Soul Link." Andreas took a deep breath. "Connecting the two souls together. This will allow you to preserve the second soul and it''s going to link with your body. However, the disadvantage is that¡­ the other soul needs to be willing. And there is also a need for containers. Basically, it''s like having a ghost around your body."Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna thought for a moment. The third option was what she wanted. On the one hand, it would definitely make her stronger. On the other hand, she felt a bit unfair to decide this herself.


    Still, she had made her resolve beforeing here.


    She asked, "Andreas. Do you know about the Soul Contract?"


    "Soul Contract!" Andreas widened his eyes in shock, not expecting Anna to know about this ability. "Of course. It''s one of the most important abilities I''ve gotten from my spirit."


    "I want to make an agreement with my other self. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "Well, to meet both of you at the same time, we have to go directly into your consciousness. But¡­" Andreas looked at Old Ru.


    "It''s fine. You can do it." Old Ru agreed, thinking this problem came from his unreliable shell.


    "Then, please do it now." Anna didn''t hesitate to ask, knowing that she didn''t have much time left.


    As soon as Old Ru nodded his head, Andreas asked, "Please close your eyes. I will also enter your consciousness."


    Andreas bit his thumb and smeared the blood on his and Anna''s foreheads before he began revolving his energy.


    Both of their bodies started to get enveloped in a blue-colored ze before Andreas closed his eyes.


    The feeling on his skin had changed. The temperature was much cooler, indicating that he had arrived.


    Andreas couldn''t help but see two Annas and a muscr man, whom he suspected to be the spirit.


    "O'' Mighty Spirit. I beg for your forgiveness for intruding your territory. "


    "I have known your spirit for a long time, so I know what you want to do here. Do whatever you need to do and leave this ce right away." The Thunder Berserker Spirit granted him his permission.


    "Thank you." Andreas nodded and looked at the left Anna, who had an older soul. "So, may I know what kind of contract you wish to make?"


    "It''s a contract to decide the person who controls the body. If I win this bet, I hope that the other me can be a co-soul that will help me achieve my goal."


    "I have seen the details through your very eyes. I think this is also a good idea to settle things between us. However, I''m not satisfied with you being a co-soul. If I win, I want you to disappearpletely. Unlike you, I don''t have the desire to get much stronger." The original Anna agreed. Considering she knew everything about Anna''s n from the inside, she had prepared herself for this.


    "Certainly." Andreas raised both hands and channeled his Spiritual Energy, forming a brown-colored scroll.


    Soon, words of differentnguages began to appear on top of the scroll.


    "If the original wins, the older soul will be integrated into the original''s soul and disappear for eternity. If the older soul wins, the original will be a co-soul, helping the older soul reach her goal. No objection from both sides?" Andreas asked for confirmation.


    "None!" Both of them answered at the same time.


    "Then, please state the type ofpetition you want."


    The older soul said, "I will allow you to take over my body and return to Noel. If Noel finds out about you, you lose."


    "Oi. That''s too vague. That way, I won''t know when I will win. The time limit for thatpetition should be three days. If he doesn''t find out in three days, I win." The original soul smirked. She had known everything about Anna, so it shouldn''t be hard to impersonate her.


    "No." The older soul shook her head.


    "What? Is it too long?" The original soul seemed pissed.


    "No. I mean, one day is enough, specifically 24 hours. Since you will return during the night ording to my promise to Noel, that means if he doesn''t find out about you before the next night, it''s your win."


    "!!!" The original soul was surprised that Anna had such a deep trust in Noel. But this actually benefited her very much, so there was no reason not to ept it.


    "Alright." Andreas nodded solemnly, adding more words to the contract. "Thepetition will be for the Original Soul to impersonate the older soul. If Noel Ardagan can''t find out within the next 24 hours after their reunion, the original soul wins."


    "No objection." Both souls agreed at the same time.


    "In that case, the contract will be finalized. Do both of you have anything to add?"


    The original soul raised her hand. "I have a few conditions. But the most important thing will be allowing me to find another body-like container. At the very least, I want to visit the family I have owed the most."


    "I don''t have any problems. Even without the Soul Contract, I will definitely help you in that regard." The older soul waved her hand as if it were nothing big. "I owe you this much for possessing your body. If you have any more requests, please don''t hesitate to tell me about them. The co-soul should be able to talk with me, right?"


    "Yes. In fact, both of you will be able to know what each other is thinking. So, it''s like you''re talking without the need to say anything." Andreas nodded.


    "In that case, that''s enough. As long as it''s not a ridiculous request like giving Noel to you, I don''t mind fulfilling that request."


    When the original soul saw her sincerity, she couldn''t help but say, "If you are going to help me that much, in that case, I will also do my best for you. Besides, my current feeling is because of your influence. If I am separated from you for some time, that feeling might change. So, I don''t really mind not having him."


    "One more thing." The older soul raised a finger. "I don''t mind searching for a human-like container, but I hope that I can focus on dealing with the iing Demon King first."


    "It''s going to happen soon, so I can wait that long."


    "In that case, do we have an agreement?"


    "Indeed.


    Both souls shook each other''s hand.


    "The Soul Contract is now established. Please check the condition." Andreas extended his hand as the contract hovering in his palm floated to both Annas.


    "I don''t have an objection." The original Anna nodded her head.


    "Same."


    "In that case, the soul contract is now in effect." Andreas pped his hands as the contract turned into a stream of blue light attached to both Annas. "All that''s left is to find a container before thepetition."


    "I think I have that." Anna nced at the original Anna. Thetter thought of the same thing. "The sword?"


    "Yes. I received the de from the Sword Saint, a previous host of the Soul Spirit. If Andreas found out about my two souls easily, the Sword Saint should have known about this and gifted that de for this reason."


    Andreas raised his eyebrows. He didn''t expect that Anna woulde so well-prepared.


    "If that''s the case, I can check it first." Andreas politely nodded his head to the Thunder Berserker Spirit before leaving.

 Chapter 965 Goodbye

    Chapter 965 Goodbye


    "I see." Noel closed his eyes for a moment. He had a hard time believing that the person in front of her was actually the one who killed his family in this life. Although everything was a scam, he still had aplicated feeling.


    On the one hand, he had dropped his hatred long ago because of the Anna he had known this whole time. On the other hand, he wondered if this was a good idea, considering he had wanted to kill this Anna in the past.


    When he thought that this Anna wanted to help the current Anna get stronger, he was grateful. At the same time, it meant that she would lose her body. In fact, she might not be able to call herself Anna anymore.


    As if seeing his true thoughts, Anna said, "You don''t have to feel bad about me. In fact, this is something I deserve. I have done too many bad things. As you said to Anna, let''s look toward the future. Even if I can''t be Anna anymore despite being the original, I want to at least be a proper person in the future. I know that it won''t wash away my sin, but I will continue living forward for the sake of tomorrow."


    Noel took a deep breath before asking, "So, what are you going to do after this?"


    "I think you shoulde with me. There is another part that I haven''t told you yet, and it''s better if you see it yourself."


    "Alright." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    Both Anna and Noel actually left the city and headed straight to the mountain as if there was something waiting for them. He thought it would be rted to the mine, but by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Noel noticed a presence.


    "Hmm?!" Noel raised his head, finding a human with a pair of wolf ears sitting on a branch. "Andreas?!"


    That was right. It turned out Andreas went back together with them. Even Noel didn''t expect this. He had promised Old Ru not to bring Andreas after all.


    "This¡­" Noel looked at Anna. "What is going on?"


    "Actually¡­" Anna gave a wry smile as she began recounting the other part.


    ¡­


    After forming the soul contract, Andreas came out of the consciousness and inspected the sword.


    "This is a rather interesting sword. I can feel the trace of someone''s ability rted to soul¡­ It indeed has the power to contain a soul, but more importantly, there seems to be something else rted to it."


    Anna opened her eyes. The original Anna had taken over ording to the agreement.


    "The de was given by the previous host of your spirit. He was known as the Sword Saint one thousand years ago."


    "Sword Saint?" Andreas, and surprisingly, Old Ru eximed.


    Old Ru looked down for a moment while Andreas asked, "The Sword Saint aside, I can definitely move your soul into this de. I think there is another mechanism that can be used to empower the sword. But I guess I will exin itter if thepetition is over."


    "That''s probably a good idea." Anna nodded in agreement.


    Old Ru scratched the back of his head. "It seems that fate is really ruthless."


    "Grandfather?" Andreas was confused. It was rare for his grandfather to show such a distorted expression.


    "Andreas. Do you want to go to the human kingdom?"


    "Huh? What do you mean? Are you trying to throw me away, Grandfather? Have I made a grave mistake?"


    Old Ru shook his head helplessly. "No. You might not know about this, but our kingdom has sent information about the current situation to me. It seems that the demons are causing unrest. There is a chance that a massive outbreak will ur, involving a few hundred thousand demons. I, as one of the Spirit Transcendence, have to go back to protect the homnd."


    "Then, I will also go with you."


    "No." Old Ru nced at Anna, specifically her sword. "Let''s just say that we''re repaying the Ardagan Family."


    "The Ardagan Family?" Andreas tilted his head in confusion.


    "You don''t know about this, but do you know how your kingdom is formed? It''s thanks to the ancestor of the Ardagan Family. My grandfather, the first generation of soft-shelled Turtlenoid was saved by that very person. Without the Ardagan Family, our lives would be vastly different. In fact, we might only be an object in humans'' eyes. That''s the reason why our people hate humans, but hail the Ardagan Family."


    "There is such a story?"


    "Yes. The reason why I chose this ce to live in seclusion is because thisnd is the ancestralnd of the Ardagan Family. Isn''t it?" Old Ru looked at Anna.


    "I learned about it just recently."


    "That''s the reason. I''m nning to entrust Andreas to the Ardagan Family."


    "But Grandfather. If we''re going to fight the demons, I''ll also go back to protect our homnd." Andreas didn''t seem to like the idea that he was pushed away to safety.


    "No. I have three reasons for sending you there. First, it''s to repay the Ardagan Family. Second, it''s for you to train and be even stronger. Thest one is the most important¡­ I want you to lead them to our kingdom once they be Spirit Transcendences."


    "Huh?!" Anna and Andreas were confused.


    The first reason was still within theirmon sense if the history they knew was correct. The second reason made Andreas wonder if this was the correct choice, considering Old Ru was a Spirit Transcendence while they were only Spirit Grandmasters. But thest one was quite surprising.


    "The ancestor of the Ardagan Family leaves something behind for the current lord of the Ardagan Family. No, should I say for the current master of Ardagan?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. He even knew about the sword. It seemed that whatever he was saying was rted to Ardagan.


    "You will train my grandson well, right?"


    "The original n was for him to be the Sword Saint''s sessor. In fact, the Sword Saint has entrusted us with the book for him." Anna nodded.


    "In that case, it''s settled." Old Ru turned to Andreas. "I know that I''m deciding your future right now, but please understand, Andreas. Following him for a while will be extremely beneficial for you."


    "But¡­" Andreas contemted hard. He had watched Noel during his stay here, so he knew that Noel was working harder than anyone else in this ce. It was just that the situation was a bit too sudden for him.


    "In that case, how about leaving separately? We can leave a bitter since their speed will be quite slow due to her changing soul. You can use that time to consider this matter."


    "Well¡­" Andreas let out a long sigh. He wasn''t aware much of what happened in the past, but this was the first time his grandfather acted this proactively. He usually asked him what he wanted and fulfilled his wish.


    Andreas wasn''t a spoiled kid who had littlemon sense. Like how his grandfather had been taking care of him, he also didn''t want to disappoint his grandfather.


    It seemed that he had no choice but to go to the Ardagan Family.


    "Still, my ears and tail will definitely be seen. It''s going to be troublesome for both me and the Ardagan Family if they are seen, right?"


    "I have an artifact to solve that problem. It''s a very old artifact, but it still works."


    "¡­" Seeing there was nothing to argue about anymore, Andreas finally agreed.


    Even Anna was quite surprised that Andreas woulde to the Ardagan Family because of her visit.


    "Unfortunately, I can''t tell you more than this. If you want to learn more, you might have toe to our kingdom in the future. Of course, make sure that you are a Spirit Transcendence and be a part of the Ardagan Family¡­ futuredy of the Ardagan Family." Old Ru squinted her eyes.


    He was implying that if they weren''t married yet by that time, she couldn''t follow Noel.


    "You must be tired from the trip. You are free to sleep here for the next two days to adjust your condition. After that, please leave this ce."


    "You don''t mind if I''m examining the ruin of the Ardagan Family, right?"


    "Of course. If the owner of thatnd has given you permission, who am I to say no?"


    ¡­


    After listening to the story, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "I see. So, Andreas is here to be the sessor of the Sword Saint."Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "As requested by my grandfather, yes. While I will help you, I''m not nning to be a part of the Ardagan Family."


    "Sounds about right." Noel had no problem. Having an addition of fighting power was wee. "It won''t take long for us to be Spirit Transcendence anyway."


    "Alright." Andreas nodded. He then took out a bracelet given to him by his grandfather and wore it in front of Noel and Anna. In that instant, the Spiritual Energy started wrapping around his body. The animal ears disappeared, reced by a pair of human ears. The tail had also disappeared.


    Andreaspletely looked like a human, but if they came closer, they would feel the softness of the tail. Then again, he could camouge it with something else.


    "In that case, let''s start with thest process. I am going to send your soul into the sword and let the older soul take over."


    "Please." Anna nodded as though she had epted her fate. She would be lying if she didn''t want to remain in the main body, but they had made a bet and she had lostpletely.


    The one beside Noel could only be her.


    "Before sending you into the sword, I have to tell you about two things. First, the sword has a way to improve the connection between you and even nourish your soul. I''m not one hundred percent sure, but it should be rted to blood. By using the blood of the main body, your soul can be nurtured and be even stronger. When you are going to change hosts in the future, you won''t have much trouble doing it."


    "That''s good." Anna smiled.


    "Second. since you will be using this sword as a living space, you can actually control the input of the power and other things. No, should I say that you can use the blood smeared on this sword? The blood of enemies or even the host is usable. By refining that blood, you can actually rece the blood of your next body with yours to make that body morepatible with you."


    "Well, it''s going to take a few years, but I''m good with it." Anna smirked. "This is going to be an enjoyable few years."


    "Do you have anyst words?"


    Anna shook her head without hesitation. "No. Please proceed."


    Andreas bit his thumb and pressed Anna''s forehead and the sword. His body started emitting Spiritual Energy as Noel could see a line that connected the two blood prints.


    The bridge seemed to have a bulge that moved from the forehead to the sword, indicating the movement of the soul.


    Anna, who felt the process, noticed that her time was near. The original Anna couldn''t help but nce at Noel.


    She made a sad smile, giving him a sensation of remorse and regret. Before her soul waspletely sucked into the sword, Anna said, "Sorry, Noel, for everything. And goodbye."


    Noel''s heart felt like it was being shredded apart. Even though she was the original Anna, it didn''t change the fact that she had changed from the past.


    If there was no rebirth, would he do the same thing as what his previous life did? Despite being the original, she had to be driven away from her own body.


    And it was due to him.


    Noel swore that even if there was only one Anna he would ever love, he would definitely repay the original Anna for her sacrifice.

 Chapter 966 Last Progress

    ?966 Last Progress


    Anna gradually opened her eyes as the one he had known this whole time finally returned before him.


    The first thing she did was make a sad smile. Even though this was her victory, she couldn''t help but feel guilty for driving the original soul away from her body.


    Anna looked at Noel''s horrified expression as though he couldn''t meet her anymore. Anna said with a soft tone, "See? You''ve known everything as I promised."


    Noel walked toward her. It looked like he wanted to confirm if it was her or not. But the first thing he did was actually surprising.


    *Pak!*


    The crisping sound of a p echoed. Anna and Andreas widened their eyes in shock. That was right. The first thing Noel did was actually p her.


    Anna covered her cheek with a surprised expression, but soon Noel hugged her as tightly as possible.


    "Do you know that one mistake willpletely erase you? What am I going to do without you?"


    Anna''s body shook. The one who was most pained by this agreement was not the original Anna. It was Noel.


    Ultimately, they had yed with Noel''s feelings. Anna knew that she deserved this p but thought that Noel would hug her afterward.


    He was indeed angry, but more importantly, he was just d that he could see her again.


    "I''m sorry." Anna closed her eyes. Tears began to flow out of the corner of her eyes.


    "Never do this again!" Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "I know. I won''t ever do this again. I promise!"


    Noel took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to continue, he knew that this was not the right time. He released her and stepped back. "So, Andreas. What are you going to do?"


    "As promised, I''m going to stay in your territory. I will help you defend your city, but I won''t be a part of the Ardagan Family."


    "That is good enough. In that case, I wee you to our city. I will ask Dimitri for your amodation."


    Andreas nodded. "The soul transfer is done. It might take a toll on the soul, so let her rest for one or two days before doing anything."


    "Understood. Thank you, Andreas."


    Andreas nodded.


    "In that case, let''s go back."


    Noel led the group back into the city. Dimitri was obviously surprised to see Andreas here, especially with that disguise. But Andreas was strong. If he could be a Spirit Grandmaster after learning from the Sword Saint, he would definitely be a powerful ally.


    After experiencing a rollercoaster of emotion, there was no way Noel could be calm enough to do his work. In the end, he chose to spend the rest of the day with Anna.


    Obviously, he wanted to know everything that happened during the trip, making sure that Anna was fine. He also wanted to know about his mother.


    "Did my mother really tell you everything about me?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. Do you want to sleep on myp?" Anna made a cheeky grin while patting her thighs as though she were inviting him.


    "Hmph! You shouldn''t trust people''s vision too much since there is a limit to what they can observe." Noel harrumphed as if he were denying it.


    But Anna looked down while saying, "It would be more convincing if you didn''t put your head here."


    Yes, Noel actually epted her invitation out of habit, confirming his mother''s words.


    "So, what did she do during the trip?" Noel asked.


    ''Changing the topic?'' Anna shook her head helplessly. "Well, the trip was much safer than our trip since all three of us were Spirit Grandmasters."


    Anna began to recount everything that happened during the trip. They had killed a lot of demons on the way. Anna wanted to show her prowess by defeating a Superior Demon easily.


    However, Leysha turned out to be more monstrous than she expected. In the past, Dimitri might have been the strongest fighter in the family. But after a few years of continuous training, it seemed that Leysha had reached Dimitri''s level.


    That alone would make the Ardagan Family much more powerful. If his parents made their appearance, the Ardagan Family would be the target of admiration and envy. The nobles would definitely switch sides after seeing two peak Spirit Grandmasters, a lot of Grandmasters and Masters, and the fact that the current head was someone like Noel.


    They wouldn''t even bother fighting for the head wife position with Anna as long as they could be concubines. That was how strong the Ardagan Family was.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t really do it because of one big reason. They had been executed by the kingdom. If they announced to the world that the execution was fake, it meant that the Ardagan Family had fooled the kingdoms. People would wonder if they could put their trust in them or not.


    In addition, it gave the royal family a reason forunching an all-out attack on the Ardagan Family, demanding the lives of Leysha and Luke. The marshal would definitelye to this ce.


    Even Commander Oscar or the Tower Association could only let them do whatever they wanted.


    That was why Luke had been restraining Leysha the whole time.


    Just the rumor of her being alive alone was enough to create suspicion in everyone''s minds.


    "It seems that I have to be careful for the time being." Noel fell into deep thought.


    "Agreed. I believe most of the preparation is done, right?"


    "Yeah. We''re just trying to progress as far as possible. The north wall should bepleted next month. All the main buildings should be ready to be used. What we need left is¡­" Noel paused for a moment.


    "Let me guess. The dam, the ditch, and tunnel?"


    "The dam is not that urgent right now. However, we need to direct the river toward here. The ditch is our priority because we have to stop the advancing demons. As for the tunnel¡­ Do you think you can lead this project, Anna?"


    "Is it that important?"


    "Yes. If it can increase our chance of survival, I don''t mind spending all our funds and resources. This tunnel will be extremely important."


    "If that''s what you want, then I will seek itspletion."


    "But before that, I think we have to focus on the rune weapons."


    "Rune weapons, huh?" Anna recalled the weapons from the past. "I think you had a lot of them in the previous life. Your Rain of Light can be shot into the sky to reduce their number. And there are other intermediate runes¡­ which I don''t think you have right now."


    "Well, I''ve prepared for it." Noel nodded and looked at the shop. After helping a lot of people multiple times, he received a lot of honor points.


    [Shop]


    Avable Points: 3820 HP


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Water Gallon (2 HP)


    Water Tank (3 HP)


    Random Rune Scroll (30 HP)


    Random Upgrade Scroll (30 HP)


    This many honor points came from helping the citizens in several steps, triggering the repeatable mission multiple times. And if there were thousands of people in this city and the neighboring city. So, it wasn''t weird for him to have this much Honor Point.


    He could pull out the Rune Scroll right away, but it would only give him low level runes.


    "Ardagan. Do you have any way for me to get Mid Level Runes? All the Mid Level Runes I have right now are supplied from mission rewards. Even if I use everything I have in the Random Rune Scroll, I will only get 1 intermediate level rune every fifty runes, right?" Noel asked.


    [Mission: Shop Upgrade]


    [Description: Spend 1,000 HP in the shop]


    [Reward: Shop Upgrade]


    "1,000 honor points? That''s too much, right?" Noel fell silent for a moment. It didn''t seem too much when he thought about it. He could use this chance to upgrade all his abilities as well as get a few more runes toplete the mission. "But don''t you think it''s a bit excessive? I mean, I don''t need that many Low Level Runes, and what will happen when you run out of runes?"


    [You will get multiple low level runes. If you haven''t mastered it, the level of that rune will increase ordingly. If you have mastered it, nothing happens.]


    "See? That''s not really tempting."


    [Random Rune Scroll]


    Chance of getting a Low Level Rune: 98%


    Chance of getting an Intermediate Level Rune: 2%


    [Random Super Rune Scroll]


    Chance of getting a Low Level Rune: 25%


    Chance of getting an Intermediate Level Rune: 70%


    Chance of getting an Advanced Level Rune: 5%


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock when he saw the chance of getting an Advanced Level Rune. Still, five percent was extremely low. It was no wonder why Anna didn''t find a lot of Advance Level Runes in the past.


    When he thought about this, Noel said, "How many do I need to upgrade all my skills from swordsmanship to runes?"


    [1530 Skill Points are needed.]


    "Come on. I don''t use most of my skills. Some of them aren''t strong enough anymore like the Swift Strike and Mega sh. So, don''t include them.]


    [480 skill points are needed, in which 200 of them are for thest level of Undying Fire.]


    "Alright. Convert the honor points and level up all those abilities. Then, buy two Random Rune Scrolls. This should be enough toplete the mission."


    [Processing¡­]


    Noel knew that there would be a lot of problems with the influx of information. So, Noel turned to Anna. "Sorry, I will be advancing as quickly as possible. Once I''m done, I should get a lot of intermediate runes. We''ll be busy designing items after that."


    "Do you need any help?" Anna had known about Ardagan and knew the rule, so she didn''t stop him.


    "Just a quiet ce would be good. It won''t take that long anyway."


    "Alright." Anna hurriedly walked out of the room while warning the people around the mansion.


    [¡­Completed.]


    [Commencing the transfer?]


    "Go on!" Noel nodded while closing his eyes.


    In that instant, information started to flow inside his head. It felt like his brain was being fried inside, but it was better to do it simultaneously since it saved time and effort.


    "Aaaargggghh!"


    Anna was standing outside the room with a sad smile. Sadly, she couldn''t help him in this process. But of course, she would be busy soon since the original Anna would begin to assimte with the Thunder Berserker Spirit until it produced a Spirit Mind.


    There was one more thing that Anna didn''t tell Noel. The reason why Anna agreed to find a new body for the original Anna was because Noel once told her that his power was superficial. And in the future, he might let his son inherit this power from him. When that happened, Noel wouldn''t have the system anymore.


    Hence, it would be time for Anna to also let go of her rebirth, which meant her original soul wouldn''t be helping her anymore.


    Of course, they were nning to do it after they reached a conclusion between them. At that point, would the system win or would rebirth triumph?

 Chapter 967 Runes

    ?967 Runes


    "Haaa¡­ Ha¡­" Noel''s right hand was holding his head as a buzzing sound kept ringing in his head. He had just absorbed a lot of information in one go. "Ardagan. How is progress?"


    [Mission: Shop Upgrade (Complete)]


    [Description: Spend 1,000 HP in the shop]


    [Reward: Shop Upgrade]


    [Shop]


    1 Skill Point (2 HP)


    Water Bottle (1 HP)


    Water Gallon (2 HP)


    Water Tank (3 HP)


    Random Rune Scroll (30 HP)


    Random Upgrade Scroll (30 HP)


    Random Super Rune Scroll (100 HP)


    Random Super Upgrade Scroll (100 HP)


    Random Medal Scroll (5000 HP)


    "Random Medal Scroll?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He never thought that he could earn a medal through this method. Noel looked down.


    "How about the progress of my other missions like the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style and Rune Master?" Noel remembered these two missions that he still failed toplete.


    The former wanted him to master the basics of the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style. He had progressed by leaps and bounds after meeting the Sword Arbiter, but there seemed to be something that blocked his path. This was onest hurdle to ovee to fullyplete the sword style.


    As for the Rune Master, he had to be a Proper Rune Knight and master thebat with runes. He had been training in this aspect, but there was a difference between fighting with runes and using runes as support in a fight.


    So, Noel still couldn''tplete the mission.


    [You already know the assignment and your progress.]


    "Hah¡­" Noel let out a long sigh. He was quite curious about this Random Medal, but the price was too high. It wasn''t possible for the time being.


    However, when his territory waspleted and he could help people in all directions, getting all the necessary points wouldn''t be a hard task.


    "Still, the Undying Fire has finally reached its maximum level. It might be due to the fact that I havepleted mastery and even awakened the me that I don''t notice any significant improvement."


    Now that he had found the random runes for the intermediate runes, he couldn''t help but wonder what was the right number to purchase. On the one hand, he wanted to get all kinds of intermediate level runes. On the other hand, he had to keep some of the honor points not only to upgrade their levels but also to save them in case he needed them in the fight against the Supreme Devil Organization.


    After careful consideration, Noel said, "Since I still have almost three thousand points, exchange eighteen scrolls and save one thousand points for other things."


    [Processing¡­]


    [You''ve acquired the Momentum Rune.]


    [You''ve¡­]


    [You''ve¡­]


    The runes appeared one after another as their information was transmitted directly into Noel''s head.


    "Kh." Noel endured the pain while checking the runes he got. Some of them might not really be relevant to his fighting style, but there were some that would make him even stronger. He also noticed that some of the runes were useful for the weapons and armor he nned to build.


    But more importantly, he found one Advanced Level Rune.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. The Advanced Level Rune was called the Executioner Rune. As the name implied, it was a ridiculously strong offensive rune. If Noel were to unleash this, he might be able to kill hundreds of low level demons with a single rune. But the power consumption and the amount of time required to create this rune were also massive.


    He thought about using an item to trigger this rune. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to be possible. Not only was the rune massive, but it was also so violent that the item would be destroyed after unleashing this rune once. He might even need a lot of Peak Level Demon Crystals if he wanted to activate it. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    However, if he was only talking about a trump card, this rune might be able to fulfill its role.


    He finally understood why Advanced Level Runes were said to be able to rival those of Spirit Transcendences. Even Noel could only use this rune twice before he waspletely empty.


    "The rune is ridiculously strong. As for the others¡­" Noel took a look at the other runes he thought would be useful in a battle.


    There were two runes that could aid him in battle: the Amplification Rune and the Meteor Rune. He could take advantage of their firepower to suppress the enemy.


    Meanwhile, there were runes that could be useful in their defense. The Meteor Rune could produce a ball of spiritual energy that would cause a massive explosion once it hit. He thought about utilizing this rune as a catapult on the wall.


    There was also the Momentum Rune which allowed people to charge the momentum of an object tounch it at very high speed. Combined with a spike, it might prate a powerful demon.


    There were a few other runes that could be useful, but he had to discuss it with Anna and Roel to see whether crafting those weapons was possible or not.


    Before calling Anna, Noel checked the upgrade requirement for the new runes, wondering if he should increase their levels or not. But after looking at the cost and benefit of saving the Honor Points in case something unpredictable happened, he ultimately chose to save the points.


    As expected, after showing the list of runes to Anna, she could think of some ideas on how to utilize the runes.


    They ended up discussing a lot of things with Roel.


    ¡­


    One monthter.


    Noel and Anna stood in front of their northern wall. Due to the star-shaped city, the wall was split into two sides. Noel had to make sure that each side had all the runes it needed.


    "Have you decided what runes you n to draw here?"


    "Yeah. There will be five runes on each wall. After drawing everything, we will cover the runes with demons'' hide before adding one or twoyers of bricks. This way, we could hide the runes from anyone." Noel looked satisfied.


    "But won''t it be a problem if you want to repair them? What if the runes are damaged?"


    "That''s the use of the hide. The bricks will take the impact while the hide will separate the outeryer and the runeyer. I will also add some random patterns that make it hard for anyone to understand which runes I''m using. I have to speed things up a little bit since the enemies areing soon."


    "Do you need my help?"


    "How is the tunnel?"


    "It''s almostpleted, so I''m quite free right now."


    "In that case, help me with covering the area with hides and adding some random patterns to confuse the enemies."


    "Which blood are we using for the runes?" Anna asked.


    "The fake can use Peak Level Demons. The real ones will use the Superior Demon''s blood. Thanks to you, we have enough supplies to cover these walls. The remaining walls will be strengthened by the Superior Demon''s blood that we''ll get from defending the territory."


    "Got it. In that case, you may start. I will bring the hide."


    "Alright." Noel nodded and looked at the wall. He had brought a few gallons of Superior Demon Blood. Most of it came from the Superior Demons that Anna killed on thest trip.


    The most important runes among the five he nned to draw was none other than the Spiritual Barrier Rune. This rune had the same task as Saintess La''s barrier, protecting walls from demon attack. Since they were made of Superior Demon Blood and powered up by the Peak Level Demon Crystals he got from the Zaecuria Kingdom, they should be able to withstand the demons'' relentless onught for some time.


    After that, he obviously wanted the Hardening Rune so that normal demons couldn''t destroy the walls by mming their bodies against it. And there was also Rune st as he remembered the problem with the demon corpse stairs.


    He added two additional runes to solve other problems he saw during the small expedition.


    He only had less than one month before the Supreme Devil Organization came. In thest month, he focused on two things. Crafting weapons for the wall and exploring the ruin of the previous civilization that the Third Prince told him.


    As expected, the Third Prince had plundered almost everything from that ce. When he subjugated that ce, he didn''t find much other than numerous demons.


    The messenger told him that there were a lot of food items. But everything had been ransacked not long ago. And the few machines he imed to still work had been either destroyed or taken away.


    They made too much ruckus to make it look like the Supreme Devil Organization was the culprit. But it was clear that the Third Prince was grabbing all those pieces of important equipment.


    In the end, that building was only a bait to make him overwork himself.


    Either way, he didn''t care much about the ruin. If he wanted, he could set up another expedition outside the territory after expanding the border in the future. So, he prioritized building the trench from the river to his territory.


    In fact, he had been standing right in front of the ditch. In the middle of the ditch was a deep trench that reached as far as twenty meters.


    The ones who managed that project were none other than Noel and La. Noel used Ardagan and the Undying Fire to melt the soil deep underground. La used her barrier to separate that soil so that the Enhance Forward Rune could be used to pump out all the soil underground. This way, they managed to build the entire ditch system within two weeks.


    There were only three things left to do to face the Supreme Devil Organization. The first would bepleting the runes. Secondly, he had to dig thest part of the trench, connecting the ditch and the river, which would ultimately fill the ditch with water. Last but not least, he had to bring all the weapons to the top of the walls.


    With all these preparations, he believed that he could defeat the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "Alright. Let''s start, shall we?" Noel smirked. He didn''t have a lot of time left, so he hurriedly drew the runes. Of course, during the process, everyone was forbidden to be near the walls. Any attempts to peek would be akin to admitting to being a spy. Even Saintess La was no exception.


    The method of the drawing itself was simr to the Spirit Enchantment. But unlike the Spirit Enchantment, Rune''s power could be enhanced depending on the blood used to draw it. That was why Noel''s method was slightly different from what Roel used.


    There were two other people who knew this method other than him. They were Anna and Roel. Noel had taught Roel since he was a pir and the most important person during the preparation.


    Livia and Tristan would learn this as well, but after the battle. They would learn the Rune Body, Rune Enhancement, and even Rune Array.


    Howard had also been training the new recruit. They managed to at least raise the number of soldiers to five hundred. This should be enough to supply the northern wall.


    Harley always remained vignt, trying to spread his informationwork outside and inside the border. He had to make sure that not a single noble took advantage of this moment to bring down the Ardagan Family.


    Khalid also prepared a lot of medicine to heal people and boost their strength. During the battle, he might be the most crucial person in the Ardagan Family.


    Outside the city, Felicia had been training the flying squad to be the most lethal squad of the Ardagan Family.


    Andreas had also improved by leaps and bounds after learning from the book the Sword Saint left behind. To everyone''s surprise, he believed that his foundation was already strong enough and chose to advance to the Spirit Grandmaster, which meant the Ardagan Family had another grandmaster.


    Unfortunately, Felicia tried to do the same, but she was still too focused on the rune and got stuck at the peak of Spirit Master.


    Lastly, Saintess La had finished the foundation of the Moon Temple''s new headquarters. If they somehow lost, they only needed to hide inside this Moon Temple and no one dared attack them.


    However, the Supreme Devil Organization this time came without underestimating him. They would surely bring an army of the size no one had ever seen before. So, whether Noel was able to protect his city or not was still questionable.

 Chapter 968 Move Out

    ?968 Move Out


    "Master." Dimitri looked at him with a serious expression. They were standing in front of the trench leading to the city''s ditch, which would surround the city with water.


    "Alright. Let''s begin!" Noel nodded. Dimitri hurriedly raised his right hand, signaling for the workers to begin.


    Without hesitation, the workers started scooping the ground out of the trench. After a few minutes, the trench finally connected the ditch with the river.


    Water began flowing through this small channel, eroding the remaining dirt. The flow was quite stable due to it being not too deep, but the first thing that the water had to fill was the deep empty wall Noel had dug before.


    The water was suckedpletely. Noel and the others couldn''t help but try to look at it, but because they couldn''t get too close, they failed to see the bottom.


    It would take time to fill itpletely, but with this, the ditch would bepletely filled with water. Noel nned a waterway that would link the water from the river into the city, but there was a water demon, so he had to abandon this n for the time being.


    "With this, everything is ready." Noel smiled. He looked at the wall, which had been covered with bricks.


    Of course, he knew that if they prolonged the fight, they would be at a disadvantage, considering La would have exhausted her energy. Hence, he needed a battle n to kill most of the demons within the first twelve hours.


    If he couldn''t do it, the city would be in danger. In fact, he believed Qiel would use attrition warfare to destroy the Ardagan Family.


    "How is the situation inside?" Noel asked.


    "The guests from the Demon Banner Army have arrived. The two eldersing from the Tower Association have also arrived, but one of them seems to be inspecting the mountain. The Moon Temple has been here for a long time, so there''s no need to say anything about them. And we received the people from the Zaecuria Kingdom yesterday."


    "What is our strength in total?"


    "Including both of us and Andreas, we have thirteen grandmasters on our side. There are approximately twenty masters, most of them are new recruits. Knowing Howard, he should be able tomand them perfectly."


    "Our soldiers?"


    "We have about 80 elite soldiers and 10 flying soldiers. Their strength ranges from Spirit Apprentice to Spirit Wielder. There are about five hundred normal soldiers. The people seem to be eager to help with other chores like bringing water and food to the wall, helping with injuries and other things."


    "I''m sorry for them, but whether they are kids, women, or elderly, I have to work them to the bone in this battle."


    "They have seen the greatness of the city, so of course, they will help." Dimitri nodded. "Are we going to create a separate unit for an ambush?"


    "No need. As long as the wall remains intact, the Ardagan Family can''t be destroyed." Noel thought for a moment. "What about the weapons?"


    "The heavy weapons have been transported onto the wall. They are ced in their designated area, so there''s nothing to worry about. Everything is ready to receive the enemies."


    "Has Harley noticed a movement from the north?"


    "Not yet. But it seems to be extremely quiet."


    "I see." What he meant by quiet was that there were no demons. It was impossible for people outside the border not to have a demon unless they had been moved to a different ce. Noel nodded. "Alright. Make sure that the water is ready and keep vignt in all directions." Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Understood."


    ¡­


    Outside the border.


    Laufey and Qiel met up again.


    "It seems that it''s a sess." Qiel looked at the numerous demons standing quietly like that of a soldier.


    "Yeah. We have a lot of Superior Demons and almost a hundred thousand demons. This should be enough, right?"


    "To think that we would need this much just to destroy a city with only a single wall." Qiel sighed. "If we fail, those kingdoms will definitely not let us off. They might even use this demon army as an excuse to attack us."


    "How are the new Devil Saints?"


    "They are currently watching the movement from the Greenwood Kingdom. We''ll pick them up on the way."


    "Well, we''ll have to reorganize these demonster, but the journey from here to that city is about four days. Have the people been stationed?"


    "They are on the way. We''re going to dy it for another three days before departing. We have to ce our people carefully to stop the Demon Banner Army."


    "The Tower Association? We have our spies stopping them. But it seems that some of the elders are getting involved with the Ardagan Family."


    "That doesn''t matter. If they want to die, then they can die. How about the royal faction? Are they going to send reinforcement?"


    "No. They are in no position to send them. Marquis Stargaze is using all his power and influence to stop them. Besides, the Sword Arbiter is also standing on the south side of that city. I heard there is another Pdin stationed in that city. The nobles are sitting quietly. Some were willing to help the Ardagan Family but were rejected."


    "It seems that we can fullymit to destroying the Ardagan Family."


    "Yes. But there are two ces that are forbidden to be attacked, the Moon Temple and the port of the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "Zaecuria Kingdom, huh¡­ Even though they have gotten involved in this?"


    "This is an order. We''ll just focus on taking down the city. Spread our army in all directions and start attacking the barrier. The main attack will be on the north wall. All of us are going to focus our attack on that wall and sh with their main power. Even if we can''t exhaust them, we will have to show our overwhelming strength to pummel their morale."


    "Got it. Is there anything else I need to know?"


    "No."


    ¡­


    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "It''s starting, isn''t it, Marquis Benedict?" The king asked with a smile.


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    "If we take a look at their strength, I doubt that the Ardagan Family would fall without a fight. But we will be able to see how much the demon army can threaten us. If they exceed our expectations, I hope that Your Majesty will consider wiping the Supreme Devil Organization out before they grow even stronger." The minister of war opened his mouth.


    "We can only wait for the result right now. For now, just ensure that the Atracaeca Kingdom beside us won''t create any variables. That''s the least we can do."


    "Understood."


    ¡­


    Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Raincart. Are you sure you''re not going?" The king asked.


    "As much as I want to go, it''s not a ce for me to intervene. Damian is protecting the border, so we can only wait and see for now. Besides, I believe that my grandson is more than capable of repelling those armies."


    "Hehe. If your grandson loses, I don''t mind epting him here in the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "I thank you for your consideration, but it''s fine. I believe in him." Raincart smiled.


    ¡­


    North Border.


    Luke and Leysha were looking at the map as Silvester knocked on the door. "Master, Madam. We have found their locations."


    "Come in," Luke ordered.


    "What should we do?" Silvester entered the room while asking.


    "We won''t do anything for now. But get ready, as we''ll block their escape routeter."


    "Understood."


    Leysha smiled. "It seems that the time for us to not remain as bystanders is going toe soon. You promise that we will be able to see our son openly in the future."


    "Of course. I''m not nning to take back that promise."


    "That''s good then."


    ¡­


    Supreme Devil Organization.


    Alexander stood up and saw a few Devil Bishops and said, "Get ready into positions. We''re going to y with the Demon Banner Army a bit. I hope that Oscar won''t bore me."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Remember. Our mission is to stall the Demon Banner Army and ensure that they can''t send more reinforcement to the Ardagan Family. Use your life to ensure the sess of the mission and don''t forget to create an escape route in case the Ardagan Family surpasses our imagination once again. There''s going to be a hell lot of troubleing in our way after this, so I want our group to preserve as much strength as possible."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    ¡­


    Royal Family.


    The king was apanied by the marshal.


    "What''s the odds of the Ardagan Family surviving this attack?" The king asked.


    "It''s pretty low. But I don''t know the strength of their runes, so if I have to predict, it''s a 50-50 chance. That young Earl also has the influence to gather a lot of important people, so he should have gathered more than ten Spirit Grandmasters in that city."


    "50-50¡­" The king gritted his teeth.


    "Your Majesty. There is something I''d like to ask. The Supreme Devil Organization is an organization created by the Royal Family. Now that they have so much strength, what will we do if the dog bites its owner''s hand?" The marshal asked.


    "You don''t have to think about it. The Ardagan Family is more important." The king snorted.


    The marshal couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. Unfortunately, he couldn''t express his opinion here after seeing the king''s expression.


    He was a bit too fixated on the Ardagan Family. On the other hand, Duke Lorelei had been talking about him a lot. The marshal had a good rtionship with Duke Lorelei, considering he was the strongest arbiter who could at least put up a fight whenever they were sparring. So, the marshal could only bury his opinions. Ultimately, he was the royal family''s sword, so he would remain loyal no matter what happened.


    ¡­


    Finally, three days passed by.


    The promised time had arrived.


    Qiel looked at Laufey, who was waving his hands toward the Superior Demons. "Move out!"

 Chapter 969 Raising the Morale

    ?969 Raising the Morale


    Noel stood on top of a podium, witnessed by almost all the people from his territory. The soldiers were obviously at the very front.


    He was apanied by Anna and Howard by his side.


    The people couldn''t help but look at this youth before them. Most of them weren''t aware of Noel''s appearance due to him isting himself in either his workce or his mansion.


    However, those whose workshops were visited knew the identity of this man.


    "Is that the lord?"


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "Yeah. It''s weird for him to gather us here."


    "Haven''t you heard the rumor about the Supreme Devil Organization?"


    "Right? It seems that they are about to send tens of thousands of demons to our ce."


    "What? Will we be destroyed?"


    "No way. This city is splendid, but it''s not fully built yet. So, I don''t want it to be destroyed."


    "That''s right. Why would those terrorists harm us? Where is the kingdom?"


    "There''s no way those people will send reinforcement here. I heard they executed the lord''s parents in the past. They must want him dead."


    "Then¡­"


    The people were quite scared because of the iing attacks. How could they not? The scale of this attack was far bigger than anything everyone had seen before. Their city hadn''t beenpleted as well.


    However, some of them gritted their teeth and said, "If that''s the case, I''m going to fight on the wall too. I don''t have the same ability as the soldiers, but I can release some arrows. I can even bring items to the top of the wall if necessary."


    "That''s right. I have confidence in my stamina."


    "This ce can''t be destroyed. It''s the ce where our dream lies."


    Their words echoed from across the street, making people realize how wonderful the city was. It was a dream for themoner to have a chance to get a good life with treatment beyond that of a noble.


    They had to protect this ce from their enemies.


    After a lot of whispers, Howard suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "Silence!"


    The people were startled by his voice. It was loud and echoed through the city, thanks to the help of spiritual energy.


    They all couldn''t help but look at Howard with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Some of you might have known me, but¡­" Howard raised his hand and introduced himself. "My name is Howard, Ardagan Family''s Garrison Captain!"


    "The captain?"


    "I heard the captain is a strong man from the soldiers."


    "Then¡­"


    Howard extended his hand to Noel and continued, "And the man standing here before you is none other than your lord, the Earl Ardagan, Noel Ardagan!"


    The people looked shocked. While most of them had heard the rumors, this was the first time they saw their lord.


    They never thought that the lord was so young. Then again, they heard of his achievement. Repelling the Supreme Devil Organization, killing a Devil Saint, and even bing the creator of the runes. More importantly, it was the lord who enabled them to live infort.


    People who had experienced bad things and endured harsh reality in their previous ce knew what kind of change brought into this city. For the first time in their entire lives, they thought they wanted to dedicate their lives for the sake of the city and chase after a dream that wasn''t possible before.


    At that time, they couldn''t help but bend their knees.


    "My wife died in the harsh summer because we didn''t have enough water."


    "I was treated like trash because I broke my ankle and was exiled."


    The people who heard and saw their change couldn''t help but follow them. They fell to their knees while lowering their heads. It wasn''t a rare sight for a noble, but this was probably the first time that they bent their knees solely for admiration and gratitude.


    "As expected of the lord¡­" Charlotte smiled while ncing at the woman beside her. "Are you going to fight as well, Rose?"


    "Of course. While I''m learning from you to be your sessor, I am a former knight of the Demon Banner Army. Still, this is the first time I''ve seen a noble so respected before." Rose smiled.


    "This is just a start. Master is going to be an even bigger figure in the future." Tristan looked at him with a smile.


    "This is necessary steps if we want to win the war. If the hearts of the people don''t unite, they might panic and causemotions inside the city. Our current strength is only enough to handle the threats from the outside after all, so we can''t afford the citizens to be rioting." Livia closed her eyes, understanding Noel''s action. But she had no power to inspire themon people despite being a princess.


    The pirs were standing not far from the tform. They all looked at the difference between this city and any other cities they had visited. They looked like they were aware that Noel might be able to make the unthinkable happen.


    Finally, Noel stepped forward while spreading his arms. "I am Noel Ardagan, the head of the Ardagan Family."


    His voice was solemn and calm, neither too soft nor too loud. He spread this voice to soothe the people''s hearts with spiritual energy.


    Everyone''s eyes were glued to his figure.


    "As you all know, we are about to fight against the Supreme Devil Organization. This treacherous organization wants to unleash tens of thousands of demons on thisnd.


    "However, our city hasn''t prepared itself forbat yet. Only our northern wall has been built, while a lot of buildings have yet to get the foundation.


    "In other words, we will be in a very disadvantageous position. I say again. Without theplete wall, we have topletely annihte the enemies."


    The people were stunned. If there was only a north wall, they would be nked by every other side, which would be impossible to protect.


    One of the people couldn''t help but ask out loud, "But¡­ but how? We don''t have any walls to protect ourselves from the demons."


    Noel''s expression remained calm. "I am aware of that. However, we have no choice but to stop them here. That''s why I have asked for help." Noel raised his hand and asked, "Saintess of Moon Temple, La!"


    La, who had been standing at the very center of the city, released her spiritual energy. All of a sudden, a translucent barrier emerged from the ground and shot up to the sky, creating a star-shaped wall. However, the barrier continued expanding upward to create a dome.


    "That''s¡­"


    "A barrier?"


    Noel continued, "This is the barrier of the Saintess of the Moon Temple. It''s said that this barrier can hold tens of thousands of demons for days. Do you understand what this means?


    "It means that no demons can enter our city. However, if we only hole up here without doing anything, the barrier will copse sooner orter, and in the end, everyone will lose their lives here. That''s why we have our wall!


    "This wall is not only for our protection but also the symbol of our counterattack. Are you tired of having the Supreme Devil Organization terrorize thend?


    "I understand that you are terrified. The enemy is that notorious organization, while many of us are normal people. And if you do fight, many of you will lose your lives.


    "However, do you know why they want to destroy us? Take a look at the people around you. Have you seen their smiles? Or maybe you have grown tired of it.


    "I want this city to be the pir of ushering in a brand new era, a city where people get what they deserve and live like proper human beings. But because they are afraid of ournd, they are trying to destroy this city. That''s right. They are so afraid of us that they need so many demons to attack us.


    "That''s why we will fight. We will show them that this city will be the zero point of the new era. We will show them that we don''t have to fear the Supreme Devil Organization anymore. Instead, they should be the ones to fear us!


    "WE ARE STRONG!" Noel paused for a moment.


    One of the younger people couldn''t help but stand up while shouting, "My lord. This city fills me and my mother with hope. My dad died because of the brutality of the previous city and it was only after arriving in this city that my mom started to smile again. I promised him I''d protect my mother. No way, I''m not gonna let my mother lose her smile anymore!"


    The woman next to him teared up. She was proud and grateful.


    "My lord. I couldn''t be a soldier because I lost my hand, but I can still wield a spear to fight."


    "My lord. I might only be a carpenter, but I can still wield my spear if necessary."


    "My lord, I might be a woman, but I can still release an arrow or help with anything."


    "I''ll fight too!"


    "Please allow me to fight too!"


    "My lord. Me too!"


    "We''re done being weak."


    "Rise up, everyone."


    "It''s time for us to instill fear in those treacherous bastards."


    "That''s right. We''re done being the oppressed!"


    "We''ll show them our courage."


    "Uooohhhh!"


    The people couldn''t help but stand up as a sign of joining the battle. They all roared the same thing. "We chose to fight!"


    While hearing the voices filled with energy, Dimitri couldn''t help but smile. He remembered the time that Luke Ardagan helped the people, the people were only on the receiving end, satisfied that they got the help they needed. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But Noel was different. He didn''t want the citizens to only receive. Instead, he inspired the citizens to believe that they were not so weak that they could only do nothing but rely on their lord. They could do the same thing.


    As Noel said earlier, this city would be thend that would create a new brand era. The runes made it possible for even normal people to fight the demons.


    "Maybe I''ve grown too old." Balott rubbed both his eyes, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.


    "This is the man who will surpass all the previous heads of the Ardagan Family." Jasmine smiled excitedly. She was quite frustrated that she couldn''t do it more recently.


    Noel raised his hand and shouted, "I have heard your resolve. This battle will determine the new brand era. Will we be etched into history as the vanquished? Or will we fight for our survival and emerge victorious?


    "Without a doubt, we will be under the protection of the ancestors of the Ardagan Family.


    "In one hour, the demons will arrive at our door. We shall kill every single demon and crush the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "If you have any doubts, just look at my back. I, Noel, will show you that we, too, can fight back."

 Chapter 970 Begin!

    <h4>Chapter 970 Begin! </h4>


    ?970 Begin!


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars resounded across thend. The demons were making their way toward Lounstein as they bulldozed everything on their path.


    Laufey, Qiel, and two other Devil Saints sat on top of a giant bull.


    "I can see the river. It won''t be long before we reach that city." Qiel looked at the distance while frowning. This was the sh she had been waiting for. Just like them, Noel should have prepared a lot of things to intercept them.


    She believed that the winner of this battle would be the one who had made more preparation.


    "His brain¡­ Well, is better than mine. And we can''t underestimate his prowess."


    "Since there are four of us, should we take one side each?" Laufey asked.


    "No. ording to the information, it didn''t seem that his wall was the usual rectangle. I''m sure that he is going to use that wall to kill as many demons as possible. And that''s the ce we''re going to concentrate our strength. All of us will remain on the north side and have two Superior Demonsmanding the army on the other sides."


    "Ro¡ª" Laufey suddenly stopped and noticed a cloud of dusting from the north. "Huh?"


    Qiel couldn''t help but nce to the side. She shouted, "Enemy attack. As discussed, a Superior Demon and ten thousand lower level demons will be stopping them!"


    When she ordered it, there was a roaring from one of the Superior Demon as it began to curve to the left to stop the iing attacks.


    On the other side, Damian couldn''t help but smile when he noticed the movement.


    "Supreme Commander. Approaching enemy. ording to the size of the dust cloud, the number should be about ten thousand."


    "Begin our n!" Damian nodded. He was currently leading a total of two thousand men, nning to engage in meleebat with the demons.


    With his order, his subordinate blew a horn, signaling all infantry.


    "GO!" All the Spirit Masters and Spirit Wielders in the infantry began to spread and struck down all the trees. All the soldiers stopped and carefully avoided all the trees.


    Damian actually wanted to create a small battlefield in this wood by cutting down all the trees. The demons were also crushing everything on their path, which would create a bigger in.


    Damian raised his hand, signaling to his assistant. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Move out! Assume position!" All themanders under hismand immediately moved out of their army. In just an instant, they created two lines of soldiers, consisting of one thousand soldiers each.


    "Huh?!" Qiel couldn''t help but widen her eyes. "Is he¡­"


    Although there was no big war between the four kingdoms due to the demon''s threat, it didn''t change the fact that war knowledge had been passed down. And Damian actually took advantage of all his experts to create a battlefield where he could apply military formations. With these formations, he would be a bigger threat.


    "Not good!" Qiel gritted her teeth, recognizing what he wanted to do. "Send another¡ª"


    Unfortunately for her, Damian was one step ahead. He shouted, "From the right, charge in session!"


    Qiel''s face was pale. The soldiers were actually charging in an echelon formation. What he was trying to achieve was not to conserve energy or anything. Instead, he wanted to make the battlefield even bigger.


    When the first wave arrived, they hit the demons from the right, causing the shock wave to travel through the demon''s rank toward the opposite direction.


    In other words, the demons got pushed back toward the left, which ended up crushing more trees and ttening the area. With this, Damian managed to create a field at least fifty meters wide and a hundred meters long, opening a path straight to Qiel''s position.


    "Second wave!" Damian signaled the soldiers.


    The second wave moved forward and hit the demons, consolidating the battlefield.


    "tten them!" Damian ordered.


    Because the demons were still affected by the shock wave, they had a hard time regaining their bnce and started attacking the humans. Damian took advantage of this to release all their firepower.


    All of a sudden, numerous attacks from arrows to spirit abilities flew into the sky, raining the demons down. The Greenwood Kingdom was known as thend of Spirit Magicians, so they brought around one thousand of them to provide cover fire.


    Some of the demons tried to shoot them down, but it was futile. There were simply too many of them.


    "Kh!" Qiel gritted her teeth. "Send another ten thousand demons to him! If this continues, those demons will die."


    *Roar!*


    The Superior Demon informed the demons, causing more and more demons to change their direction.


    However, Qiel still severely underestimated the power of the vice captain of the royal army. Qiel might be smarter than him in a mind battle, but a battlefield was where Damian shone.


    "Jean!" Damian called.


    Jean immediately blew a different type of horn. All of a sudden, two more clouds of dust appeared on the battlefield. They were nking the demons from both sides.


    "!!!" Qiel widened her eyes. It turned out that each cloud of dust consisted of one thousand cavalries. They moved swiftly from both sides and cut off the demons in the middle.


    Those were the demons that got affected the most by the shock wave of Damian''s echelon formation.


    Seeing the progress, Damian ordered, "Tell the first wave to get back and the second line will be the vanguard. Have the reserve standby. If there is a chance, we''ll strike deep into their


    ¡ª"


    Damian abruptly stopped and jumped into the air. A giant turtle moved toward them and let out a purple beam from its mouth.


    Damian waved his sword, deflecting the beam to the side. At the same time, he noticed another strong demoning from the army. "Two Superior Demons, huh¡­ There are at least ten Superior Demons as well. And an additional five thousand demons. So, in total, we stop twenty five thousand demons with only six thousand soldiers. I guess this is enough. More than this and our army might copse."


    As soon as Damiannded on the ground, he said, "Jean. Inform all themanders to push our infantry and bail out the cavalry. After that, we''ll reinforce our defense and stop these demons here. Remember, our goal is not to crush all these demons. It''s to stall them here. We don''t want high casualties."


    "Understood." Jean nodded and began sending signals to the armymanders.


    "We have done our job. The rest is up to you, Noel Ardagan. I hope that you can withstand all these demons." Damian sighed. "Still, an army, huh? In a sense, they''re extremely dangerous. In another sense, you can beat them with tactics."


    Damian kept watching the two Superior Demons as he didn''t want them to destroy his army.


    Meanwhile, Laufey looked frustrated. "What? They took a fourth of our army immediately? We managed to retain most of our Superior Demons, but¡­"


    He had a hard time gathering a hundred thousand demons, so he got angry when a fourth of his work ended up disappearing in one go.


    "¡­" Qiel''s expression darkened. "I have severely underestimated Damian. It''s no wonder he was chosen as the Supreme Commander. Laufey. Use your anger to decimate the Ardagan Family, not here."


    Laufey clenched his fists before sighing. "I know."


    Although their number had been reduced, they still had seventy-five thousand demons and a lot of Superior Demons. It wasn''t that bad when they thought about it.


    "Should we send some demons along the river? He might be cing some weird traps there."


    "No need. The Fish Demon should be leading its fellow water demons through the water." Qiel shook her head.


    Eventually, they could see Noel''s towering wall in the distance.


    Just like them, Noel could see the iing demons and hurriedly ask La to erect the barrier.


    A star-shaped wall barrier emerged from the ground. All of them could see the enormous spiritual energy behind that barrier.


    "So, that''s the Saintess''s barrier. Can''t you destroy it, Qiel?" Laufey asked.


    "Impossible. It was said that even after getting attacked by all bishops and pdins, the Saintess still maintained her barrier easily. Even with all the Superior Demons we have here, we can''t destroy that barrier easily. And using too much energy will allow Noel and the others toe out of the castle to openly hunt our Superior Demons."


    "I see. So, we''ll use the low level demons to wear them off first?"


    "Yes." Inform the demons to take their position!"


    ¡­


    On top of the castle wall, Noel looked at the iing demons.


    "So many demons? I can''t even see the end of the cloud dust¡­ How many are they?" Howard frowned.


    "I''m not sure. But¡­" Dimitri frowned. The demon army began to spread their force like a normal army and gradually surrounded the city.


    "This is¡­"


    "All of these are demons?"


    "They''re not attacking us?"


    "They can be controlled?"


    The normal soldiers felt a bit scared because this was the first time they had seen a demon outbreak of this scale. At most, they only saw two to three thousand demons at once, but this time, there were so many demons that they looked like ants.


    Qiel seemed to adjust their positions to match the shape of the wall. Noel asked, "Are all the grandmasters in their positions?"


    "Yes. We are ready to intercept them, Master." Dimitri reported.


    It took them a moment to move all the demons, but the scale was gradually clear. Howard said, "From what I can see, they have around seventy to eighty thousand demons. About fifty thousand of them are in our wall while the rest are spread quite thin to reduce the barrier''s strength."


    Dimitri added, "Still, each side has two Superior Demons. At the very least, eight Superior Demons are contained on the other side for now. And in our front, I can see about eleven Superior Demons as well as four Grandmasters, including Laufey and Qiel. There might be other demons that are ready elsewhere, either as reserve or ambush."


    "Eleven Superior Demons, huh¡­" Noel''s expression turned grim.


    The soldiers clenched their weapons tightly, wondering if they could do it.


    All of a sudden, a giant bull moved forward, bringing Qiel to the front. Qiel shouted, "O'' people of the Ardagan Family. I can''t help but praise your bravery in protecting your territory. However, we have seventy thousand demons and a lot of Superior Demons. No matter what you do, you won''t be able to protect this city. If you drop your weapons now and go inside the Moon Temple, then I can promise you that you won''t be harmed!"


    The people widened their eyes.


    "We won''t be harmed?"


    "The Moon Temple¡­"


    There was a doubt in people''s hearts. If they could easily solve the war through that method, wouldn''t that be better?


    "That Qiel is manipting people''s minds¡­" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "Don''t worry,dy Anna. The current master is far stronger than Qiel could imagine."


    A pair of ck wings appeared on Noel''s back as he floated not far from the city. He opened his mouth, transmitting his voice to everyone. "You shoulde up with a better excuse, Qiel.


    "Despite having all those demons, you don''t even dare attack the Moon Temple? Don''t tell me, you''re actually afraid."


    "Huh?!" Qiel widened her eyes. There was no way she was afraid. She was merely ordered not to hit the Moon Temple.


    However, the people in the city thought differently. That was right. If they were so mighty, why would they not harm the Moon Temple, who clearly fought together with them?


    Noel said earlier that they were afraid, so it might really be true. The Supreme Devil Organization and the demons might not be as scary as they originally thought.


    "I have defeated your Supreme Devil Organization multiple times, including yourself. Back then, I was alone. But look!" Noel spread his arms as if he wanted to show his pride and joy. "I have all these people standing with me today. Do you think a mere demon army can scare me?"


    "My lord¡­"


    "Lord¡­"


    The soldiers looked at Noel in awe. That was right. They were currently standing with him to create a new era.


    Noel looked at them with a smile. He pointed at his back. "If you don''t know what to do, just look at my back and follow me. I shall lead you to victory!"


    All of them gritted their teeth in excitement. They couldn''t help but raise their hands and roar. "Ooooohhhhh! Long live the Ardagan Family!"


    Qiel clenched her fists, her face was distorted. She didn''t know how civilians could even have that kind of morale. She thought she could incite a rebellion inside the city, but her action ended up raising the enemy''s morale.


    "You¡­ again¡­ and again¡­" Qiel raised her hand. It carried all the frustration of not being able to outsmart Noel the whole time.


    Noel also raised his hand, giving a signal to his soldiers.


    Both Qiel and Noel waved their hands down while shouting, marking the beginning of the battle.


    "Attack!"

 Chapter 971 Unleashing Their Cards (1)

    <h4>Chapter 971 Unleashing Their Cards (1) </h4>


    ?971 Unleashing Their Cards (1)


    "Attack!"


    The first one to make the move was none other than Qiel. Instead of the demons around her, a huge water ball flew out of the ditch, trying to hit Noel.


    At the same time, numerous water demons emerged from the ditch and released their attacks.


    It wasn''t just Noel''s area. About a thousand water demons emerged at the same time,pletely surrounding the entire city. They all tried to strike the walls before them whether it was the brick wall or the Saintess''s barrier.


    "My lord!" The soldiers didn''t expect them tounch a sneak attack.


    However, a bolt of lightning pierced this water ball and caused it to explode.


    Qiel frowned, looking at Anna Stargaze. "Does the Dimitri have a healer? It looks like they have recoveredpletely. Either way, we''ve made preparations with the assumption we''re fighting all of you in full strength, so¡­"


    Qiel suddenly stopped when Anna waved her hand down, sending another lightning bolt to hit the water.


    The lightning hit the surface of the water and electrocuted all the demons on the water''s surface.


    Still, the city was quite big. Even when she spread the lightning, she couldn''t electrocute everyone. The most she could do was kill the demons on the north wall. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ''I have expected this, so we''ll take the liberty of taking you down with this.'' Qiel raised her hand, signaling the water demons from other tips to destroy the barriers. Since these star-shaped walls had five tips, she believed that she could focus on these five tips first and cause them to crumble. Anna wouldn''t be able to help them because Qiel was aiming her bow at her.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Tremble!*


    *Tremble!*


    "This is¡­" The people couldn''t help but gasp. They couldn''t see what was happening outside the wall, but the barrier was translucent. They could see numerous water demons, ranging from small fish to giant crocodiles, trying to crush the barrier.


    "How are we meant to fight these demons?"


    "Can we really do this?"


    The people doubted the situation a bit. They couldn''t stand on top of the city, so they could only watch in horror as they watched these demons attacking their barriers.


    However, Noel had made an arrangement for the remaining four tips.


    All of a sudden, the tip in the northwest generated spiritual energy. The people thought it came from the barrier or Noel''s runes, but the demons could see a middle-aged man standing in front of them. He was a small puny man, but the spiritual energy emitted from his body couldn''t help but make them afraid.


    "You water demons have an advantage underwater, right? Sorry, but I do too. With a single lift of his finger, a giant whirlpool appeared. All the demons devoured by it ended up crashing into each other.


    Then, the snapping of his finger woke up the giant whirlpool. The water rose into the air and formed a giant humanoid body made of water. All the demons inside this body were crushed, and this humanoid body kept absorbing more and more water demons.


    "If you want to break the barrier in this area, you have to defeat me, the Water Lord." The man smiled confidently. That was right. He had been invited by Noel and had been helping Noel even before thetter became a noble.


    Finally, he took thest step to openly protect his territory. This meant that the Water Lord didn''t mind if the people around them thought that he and Noel were allies.


    Qiel nced at the side and muttered, "As expected, that watery bastard is helping them. I guess he also wants to take revenge for what happened in his Silica Valley. We should have killed him back then." Qiel nced to the other side. "If he is in that area, then that ce will be protected by¡­"


    As Qiel expected, the water fluctuated. The wave was high and even flowed out of the ditch.


    "You fledgling fresh water demons. You don''t know the true terror of those who inhabit the sea. They are far more terrifying than you guys. Come forth, my pals, it''s time to hunt!"


    All of a sudden, two giant sharks made of water emerged from the ditch, swallowing all these water demons. Once they were devoured, they were torn into pieces by the numerous teeth.


    "So, that''s the famous Duke Briton." Dimitri couldn''t help but get curious about the so-called Duke Briton. Dimitri had heard Duke Briton''s name before he even joined the Ardagan Family. With just two of those sharks, he actually cleared up all the water demons around his area.


    Some of the stronger demons showed some resistance, but they would fall sooner orter.


    Still, there were two more people that Noel had stationed in the other two tips.


    The sky released a golden light that shone on one of the tips. A woman d in armor stood while holding her sword up high.


    "May you poor animals reincarnate in a world without a demon. Holy Smite."


    The golden light shone brightly on the demons. Those, who were on the surface, had their bodies melted by this warm yet deadly ray.


    Because of the Moon Temple''sws, Noel had chosen her to defend this position because he knew that the Supreme Devil Organization wouldn''t harm her. At the same time, cing her here also restricted Qiel''s n involving this area.


    She stood right behind the barrier, unfazed by the sight of the demons. "I, Pdin Aurelia, have been tasked with defending this position. And I shall guarantee that no demon shall pass me."


    Now that three out of the remaining four tips had been revealed, it was time for thest tip to show its guardian.


    She, too, had a light element spirit.


    Just like Aurelia, a single wave of her hand summoned a ray of light from the sky. But unlike her, this ray of light shot out numerous white beams, raining down on all the demons. The demons tried to shoot them down, but there were simply too many light beams.


    The light beams pierced through the demons and killed them.


    "To think that I got this role instead of fighting on the north wall. Did I pull the shortest straw? Maybe not¡­ ra isn''t that lucky either." Milfa stuck her tongue out yfully. She wanted to kill a Devil Saint, but it seemed that they were for Noel to take.


    Still, just by making a single move, these four people managed to kill more than three hundred demons. They would be the ones stopping all the attacks directed at the barrier while thinning out the enemy''s numbers.


    Qiel couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. "It seems that you have gotten some help."


    "You haven''t seen anything yet. Why don''t youe to test my trump cards?" Noel smirked as he returned to the top of the wall.


    "Hmph!" Qiel spread both arms, signaling the start of their all-


    out attacks.


    A series of roars echoed from all sides as thousands of demons started marching toward the city.


    "Here theye!" Noel shouted. "Deploy the barrier!"


    "Yes, Sir!" The normal people on the bottom of the wall began to bring in the demon crystals they had prepared beforehand. They all poured it into a giant rune inside a small room at the bottom of the wall.


    This rune suddenly glowed brightly as though it were absorbing all the spiritual energy from the demon crystals.


    All of a sudden, each wall formed a giant rune in front of them.


    As expected, numerous demons unleashed their attacks from far away. Two of the Superior Demons even did the same to test the sturdiness of this wall.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions urred, but all the attacks ended up hitting the giant Spiritual Barrier Rune. The barrage of attacks that contained more than a thousand demons'' attacks as well as two Superior Demons was extremely powerful. Even the ground trembled due to the impact.


    "Earthquake?"


    "What is going on?"


    "The walls are still standing."


    "That''s right. We''ve been preparing for this. There''s no way we will be defeated easily!"


    "Oi, hurry up and grab the dim demon crystals and rece them with new demon crystals!"


    The people hurriedly moved ording to their roles. The barriers were the most important since they were their primary defensive system.


    However, those attacks were a simple cover fire until the demons reached the city.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    The demons rammed their bodies against the barriers and wall, trying to destroy it. Unfortunately, it was too sturdy for them.


    "Go for it, pals." Duke Briton waved his hands. Numerous sharks leaped out of the water and devoured the iing demons.


    "Don''t leave a single of them alive." The Water Lord controlled his elemental to sweep its giant arm and suck all the iing demons. Since he was dealing withnd demons, all he had to do was drown them, which wasn''t a hard thing to do.


    Aurelia, on the other hand, waited until the demons arrived and fell into the pits. After that, she released her attacks once more. In the end, the demons had to fill up the pit first with their bodies if they wanted to attack the barrier. So, before it filled up, she could easily kill all these demons.


    Milfa was doing the same thing, but she also killed some demons outside the ditch to avoid filling up the ditch so soon.


    As for the north wall, Noel had another mechanism he had prepared.


    A few shining rays suddenly shed from the ground after the demons stepped on them.


    "Huh?!" Qiel widened her eyes in shock. Unlike the others, she didn''t know that this person would be helping the Ardagan Family.


    The shing light onlysted for a second before a series of enormous explosions urred, engulfing a lot of demons.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    "This power¡­" Laufey gasped. "Isn''t he supposed to have no rtion to the Ardagan Family?"


    Qiel gritted her teeth. Those explosions alone actually killed more than five hundred demons. The gems underneath the soil were likend mines, ready to explode when the demons came. It could be said that the surrounding area had been nted with numerous gems.


    Qiel red at the north wall, trying to find the person. "Gem Lord! Do you think you will be able to escape our wrath?"


    An old man walked to the front with his stick. He might look old, but anyone who knew him would understand how sly he was.


    That was right. He was the other elder that Noel invited from the Tower Association.


    "Hyoho¡­I know very well how strong the Supreme Devil Organization is. However, your era has passed."


    "We have offered you the entire mine if we manage to destroy the Ardagan Family! How much did they pay you?"


    "It''s nothing much. Only twenty percent of the mine."


    "Then, why?!"


    "As I said earlier, your era has passed. The persuasive power your organization has is far lower than his." The Gem Lord grinned while looking at them with a condescending gaze. "So, let me give you a piece of advice: just surrender now and ept that your names will be etched into history as the losers in this battle."


    "You¡­" Qiel gritted her teeth and aimed her bow at him. The arrow was fast and mighty. It might even rival the power of the attacks that the two Superior Demons unleashed earlier.


    However, another arrow appeared out of nowhere, shing with Qiel''s arrow.


    *Boom!*


    Their crash caused another big explosion, but the arrow ultimately destroyed Qiel''s arrow.


    There was only one person who had this kind of power.


    "Demon Barrier Squad''s captain, Faust." Qiel looked to the side, finding Faust standing among them. "How¡­ Aren''t you supposed to be in aa?"


    After Alexander ambushed them, Igor retired, and Faust was in aa. So, she never thought that Faust would be here.


    Milfa couldn''t help but look at the wall, remembering the letter that themander gave. It wasn''t that Faust was in aa. He simply faked that condition for this one moment.


    Faust harrumphed. "He helped my Demon Barrier Squad back then, so I''ll help him today. Let me experience the power of the number one archer in the world, Qiel."

 Chapter 972 Unleashing Their Cards (2)

    <h4>Chapter 972 Unleashing Their Cards (2) </h4>


    ?972 Unleashing Their Cards (2)


    Qiel couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows, wondering how many people Noel had won over. There were the Gem Lord, Water Lord, Duke Briton, Milfa, and Faust already. As his former superior, there was no way ra wouldn''t help him.


    Looking to her right, the demons had been closing in on the barrier, and they would start gnawing the barrier to exhaust Saintess La''s barrier. The same urrence happened on the left side.


    It would be in her best interest to lower the enemy''s morale. If the citizens thought that the demons were so easy to defeat, it would raise their morale even higher. There was no way Qiel could easily destroy the city.


    Hence, there was only one way to pummel their morale. It was to attack those citizens they were trying to protect.


    "It''s time!" Qiel shouted to the Superior Demons. "We''ll make this city remembered as a tragedy!"


    At that moment, all fifty thousand demons on the north side began moving forward.


    *Aoooo!*


    A group of wolves let out a howl and rushed first.


    "Shoot!" Noel shouted, informing the bowman. A volley of arrows flew into the air and fell right at the wolves, raining them down.


    Low level demons couldn''t protect themselves from these arrows as a lot of them died in the first volley. However, Noel noticed a few Mid Level Demons, whose hide actually deflected the arrows with its toughness alone.


    And surprisingly, two of them leaped into the air. There was no way the wolves would be able to leap over the wall since their jumps weren''t high enough.


    However, one of the wolves actually positioned itself underneath the other, letting thetter make a second jump.


    "What?"


    "It''sing!"


    "The wolf is¡ª"


    The soldiers panicked as this was the first time they saw the demons working together in this way.


    Suddenly, two shield bearers moved to the front and stood in the wolf''s way. The wolf had no choice but to m its body toward them, but surprisingly, the momentum wasn''t enough to push back these people.


    Only a loud *bam* impact was produced by the sh, drawing everyone''s attention. After the failed attempt, it looked like the wolf was about to go down. However, the shield bearers actually thrust their spears at the same time, piercing the wolf.


    *Aooo!*


    It was screaming in pain before falling into the ditch. Its blood began to dye the water.


    These two shield bearers were normal soldiers. They didn''t have the strength of the elite soldiers that Howard had trained, but that was precisely the reason why it was even more convincing.


    When they seeded in killing a Mid Level Demon, they couldn''t help but say, "Yes! We really killed a demon!"


    "Even if we don''t have the strength, we can still block the demons and stab them before letting them die from the fall!"


    The other soldiers couldn''t help but widen their eyes in shock.


    However, this was actually Noel''s scheme. He took advantage of that result to inspire the men. "Don''t look away from your enemies! This is what it means to protect yournd. Don''t be afraid, we have the advantage here and we''ll show them that they should fear us instead of the other way around!"


    "Oohhhh!" The soldiers got pumped out after seeing the first sess. They knew that even if their strength was minuscule, the enemies wouldn''t have a lot of strength or momentum left when they reached the wall, so they could defeat them.


    The battle soon shifted to melee. The demons began to run toward the walls, following the wolves.


    The archers kept releasing their arrows to kill as many demons as possible before reaching their walls. A lot of demons also died from the gem explosions that the Gem Lord had nted prior to the fight.


    Those who managed to reach the walls had to climb up the walls. Unfortunately, a lot of demons didn''t have the ability to climb the wall, especially since the ditch was filled with water.


    They ended up submerging into the water. The drowned demons even fell into the deep water wall Noel had made. The overall ditch was also quite deep, so it would take a lot of demons to fill up the ditch with their bodies.


    Even though they were an army, they weren''t able to be usedpletely like a human army. After all, if they could, Qiel would have pushed the dirt into the water, doing their best to fill up the ditch first.


    What actually happened was that the demons simply rushed into their deaths. The demons behind them tried to step over their dead bodies, only to drown like them.


    "Qiel. That ditch¡­" Laufey frowned.


    "Yeah. It seems to be deeper than I originally thought." Qiel knew that they shouldn''t waste too many demons in the beginning. Hence, she gave anothermand. "Call the big guys."


    The people on the wall saw the approaching demons. These demons were different from the demons that had been rushing to their deaths. Each of these demons had a big body, at least four meters tall and either a robust body or a big wingspan. This way, even if they fell, they would fill up the ditch pretty quickly.


    "¡­" Faust couldn''t help but aim his bow at them. If he made his move, he could take down several of them. But before he could shoot, Noel waved his hand to him, signaling him not to do it.


    "Master!" Dimitri nced at Noel. They had to stop these demons from reaching the ditch.


    "Let''s begin!" Noel nodded. Dimitri blew out a horn.


    Qiel couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows, wondering what they had. These giant demons were covering their heads and bodies with their big arms while moving toward the walls.


    At first nce, the experts of the Ardagan Family could unleash their strength to strike them down, but to fight with this many demons, they couldn''t spend their spiritual energy easily. Hence, they had to rely on their weapons first before the experts entered thebat.


    Besides, the powerful demons would also make their moves if that were the case. That was why Noel had prepared his weapons.


    "Get ready!"


    Qiel dropped her jaw when she saw an opening on the wall. "Those are¡­"


    "Qiel?" Laufey tried to see what was going on and saw some glints on the wall.


    "All giant demons, hurry up! Forget about your defense and charge at the walls!" Qiel gave an order, albeit she was a tad toote.


    There was a room within the wall where they stationed some of their heavy weapons. In this one particr room, there were a total of seven giant ballistas, each equipped with a giant javelin.


    "Aim at the giant demons!" Tristan shouted. "Shoot!"


    The people released the arrows. Due to their size, the arrows pierced through the enemy''s arm, causing the demons to scream in pain. Some of them with a thinner frame ended up with a hole directly in the back of their bodies, killing them.


    They hurriedly loaded the ballistas for the second volley. However, Tristan noticed one of the giant demons. It was a giant bull that was ready to charge and ram its entire body into the wall.


    "Sir!"


    "There is a giant bull going toe here." The soldiers panicked while pointing at the bull. It was thoroughly following Qiel''smand.


    "I will stop it." Faust clicked his tongue, aiming at the bull. The ballista was good, but it wouldn''t be enough to stop this bull. But once again, Noel stopped him. "It''s not the time yet, Captain Faust. Don''t underestimate my Ardagan Family."


    "Huh?"


    In the ballista room, Tristan remembered his assignment from Noel as he said, "Ballista A! Charge the arrow with the rune!"


    "Roger!" Two people hurriedly grabbed demon crystals and poured them into the ballista. The rune absorbed its energy to charge Ballista A''s arrow. The ballista began to vibrate as if it had a hard time containing the arrow.


    "Release it!"


    The ballista finally released the arrow. Its speed was much faster than even Qiel''s arrow. All that momentum shed with the bull''s head and instantly pierced through it. Even the head was slightly deformed due to its momentum, causing the bull to fall to its side, still a bit far away from the ditch. The arrow continued and impaled a demon before almost all its body prated the ground.


    "What?!" Qiel and Faust dropped their jaws. Both of them had the same thought. Although they believed that their arrows were stronger, they couldn''t deny that the ballista had more speed than their arrows.


    "Look!"


    "The giant bull is dead."


    "That''s right. We don''t need to be scared. We have been preparing for this the whole time."


    "Our weapons are superior!"


    "Ooohhhh!"


    The fact that they managed to kill the bulls with a weapon that they all could utilize inspired their hearts even more. That was right. Even if they were normal people, as long as they had the weapons, they could fight back.


    More than twenty giant demons fell under the ballistas'' attacks without being able to reach the wall.


    "Iing!" Some of the smaller demons utilized their giant bodies asdders and jumped toward the walls.


    With a lot of confidence, the soldiers hurriedly ced their shields at the edge of the wall, bracing for impact.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The shields stopped the demons one after another as spears started piercing their bodies in rapid session, letting them fall to the ditch.


    This was what Noel wanted to achieve. He boosted their morale until they were fearless enough to do the things they had been instructed to do. This way, he could train them in the first few engagements and turn all these people into proper soldiers.


    "Uooo!"


    Qiel looked at that ridiculously high morale and frowned. It looked like she was out of options, but amidst their celebration, Qiel had started another notion.


    The first ones to be affected were Duke Briton and the Water Lord.


    "Hmm?!" Both of them couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows.


    Some of the demons from the south actually moved toward them. They jumped into the air and used their bodies to destroy the water elemental''s humanoid body. On the other side, the demons also released their spiritual energy to hinder the movements of Duke Briton''s summoned creatures.


    "What?" Duke Briton and the Water Lord couldn''t help but nce to the side. They didn''t expect that the demons from the south would divide their number into two so that they could overwhelm the duke and the Water Lord.


    However, this wasn''t the only thing they were nning to do. Qiel had also assigned multiple giant demons to both sides.


    "Are they¡­" The Water Lord gasped while the Duke Briton gritted his teeth. "Not good!"


    The giant demons actually looped around from the two sides to reach the north wall. The demons also began to follow.


    "So, that''s how it is." Noel clicked his tongue. Before he could order the soldiers to kill them, the giant demons fell to the ditch and filled it up with their giant bodies. This way, the smaller demons could use their bodies as a foothold to climb the wall. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The star-shaped wall had one big advantage. It was that they had five pointed tips, meaning that there would be a ''V''-shaped wall that connected each tip.


    On the left side, the Water Lord and Pdin Aurelia controlled both tips so that the demons would be trapped in the V-shaped wall between them.


    However, due to the demons from the south moving toward the Water Lord to overwhelm him, the Duke lost control over his tip, allowing the demons around that area to loop around and reach the north wall.


    This also showed the weakness of the star-shaped wall. The pointy tip made the people on it look more vulnerable due to them standing out more than the rest of the wall, unlike the rectangr shape. At the same time, it also meant the demons didn''t have to go directly to the center if they wanted to aim for Noel.


    Once they managed to loop around, they simply had to fall right away to create enough space for the demons to reach Noel''s position.


    "But aren''t you underestimating me too much?" Noel suddenly smiled as the walls connected to the tip once again opened, showing another room filled with Noel''s new weapons.

 Chapter 973 Unleashing Their Cards (3)

    <h4>Chapter 973 Unleashing Their Cards (3) </h4>


    ?973 Unleashing Their Cards (3)


    "But aren''t you underestimating me too much?" Noel suddenly smiled as the walls connected to the tip once again opened, showing another room filled with Noel''s new weapons.


    The demons widened their eyes when they saw somethinging out.


    They were the ballistas. Instead, they looked like a barrel that contained multiple arrows.


    "First arrow!"


    Once they heard the signal, theyunched their first arrow. Even though it was called an arrow, it was actually a demon crystal wrapped in a demon''s hide. Once they were unleashed, the runes were activated.


    A circle of light appeared for a split second before it turned into numerous light beams.


    "!!!" The demons widened their eyes in shock. They tried to protect themselves, but there were a total of a thousand beamsing out of ten runes.


    Yes, these were the Rain of Light Runes. Noel actuallypressed it into a single ball-shaped object and sealed its power within the barrel. When it was activated, the spiritual energy from the demon crystal could power up the rune, activating it.


    Although each individual beam wasn''t that powerful despiteing from an Intermediate Level Rune, there were a thousand of them.


    The demons werepletely overwhelmed by the number of beams. Some of the stronger ones covered their bodies with spiritual energy, but it was futile. Even though they managed to block a few of them with their spiritual energy, they ended up getting overwhelmed as the beams pierced through their bodies.


    Blood flowed out of these numerous holes and caused them to die.


    Originally, Noel wanted to aim at the main army, but as expected of Qiel, it would be hard topletely outsmart her. She ended up causing him to reveal one of his cards earlier than he originally expected.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that they managed to beat him on that one.


    Now that the demons from the two sides had been taken care of, the Water Lord and Duke Briton hurriedly made their moves.


    A water sprout rose from the ditch, shooting up the giant demon''s body that was plugging the ditch. The same urred on the other side, but instead of a water sprout, it was a giant shark that bit the body before throwing it away.


    The Water Lord and Duke Briton couldn''t help but frown. It seemed that they had to be extra careful, knowing that the demons might interrupt Noel''s battle against those fifty thousand demons.


    "¡­" Qiel frowned. Despite using such a trick, he still couldn''t pressure Noel. "It seems that I can''t really hold back anymore."


    Laufey smiled. "So, it''s our turn now?"


    "Not yet." Qiel waved her hand. "Move out!"


    As per her instruction, two Superior Demons and five thousand demons advanced toward the cities. The other demons also began to close in, ready to move out the moment Noel showed any sign of weakness.


    "We''re not done yet. Kill them all!" Noel ordered the squad equipped with the Rain of Light Runes to unleash their power.


    Another volley of arrows flew toward the demons. They should be able to kill a lot of demons with this, but the Superior Demons came forward. These two Superior Demons unleashed their spiritual energy and formed a shield.


    The numerous light beams werepletely blocked by this translucent barrier. However, due to the intensity of the runes, some light beams ended up creating some holes in the barrier.


    The Superior Demon simply had stretched the shield so thin that they couldn''t protect everything. In the end, some of the lights hit the demons.


    "Again!"


    Noel hadn''t given up yet. The third volley was released. This time, it was impossible for the Superior Demon to contain these light beams by themselves.


    However, there was no way the Superior Demons would take the beating just like that. The right Superior Demon was a boar. Although its body wasn''t colossal, its height still reached four meters.


    While maintaining the shield, the Superior Demon prepared for a charge.


    *Roo!* The boar angrily shouted while charging toward the city.


    "Kh!" Faust couldn''t stop anymore as he shot out his arrow.


    However, his arrow was actually intercepted by another arrow and exploded before it could reach the boar.


    "Qiel!" Faust gritted his teeth. It was his turn to be blocked by her.


    "Go forth and destroy the wall." Qiel smirked, believing that the boar would be able to at least crack their defense.


    The ballistas tried to hit the boar to take it down, but even though some arrows managed to pierce through the boar''s body, it didn''t show any sign of stopping.


    "Brace for impact!" Dimitri roared.


    Noel simply closed his eyes as though he didn''t have any choice but to let the boar hit them.


    *Bam!*


    The impact was so loud that it felt like thunder reverberated in their ears. The wall and even the ground trembled, but to everyone''s surprise, the wall was not damaged at all. In fact, the boar took a few steps back as though it were about to pass out.


    "What?!" Qiel widened her eyes in shock. She didn''t know that Noel had ced five runes on the wall.


    The first rune that stopped the charge was obviously the Harden Rune, preventing it from destroying the wall. And the second rune that contributed to the defense was none other than the Reduce Impact Rune.


    That was right. Noel had foreseen that Qiel would definitely take advantage of the demons to destroy his wall. Hence, he prepared this Reduce Impact Rune to absorb most of the impact. Even a giant demon that could wield an axe wouldn''t be able to destroy the wall.


    Noel smiled. "Fret not! No matter how scary the demons are, this wall won''t be destroyed. That''s why you shouldn''t turn your gaze away and keep killing the enemies!"


    "Ooohhhh!" The people shouted with high morale.


    Normally, they would have to go out to stop the Superior Demons, but Noel allowed them to remain here and still get the high ground.


    Now that the boar was too upied with regaining itsposure, Noel hurriedly rained the demons under the protection of the boars with the light beams.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were killing one after another, unable to protect themselves. Some of the Peak Level Demons helped with the protection, but even the Superior Demons couldn''tst long until holes appeared on their barrier, so how could they withstand these numerous light beams?


    Noel looked solemn as though he had predicted the oue. However, when he saw Qiel''s expression, he realized that something was off. The boar had attacked them, but the other Superior Demon hadn''t done anything.


    All of a sudden, numerous tree roots emerged from the ground and shot into the air, creating a bridge toward the top of the walls.


    "What?" Dimitri gasped. He didn''t think of this.


    Qiel actually used the nt Type Demon to create a bridge that directly opened the path to the top of the wall. Without hesitation, the demons ran on top of the roots.


    Dimitri jumped into the air, thinking that this was the time for him to join the battle. He gathered his strength into his sword, ready to unleash the full might of his sh to cut down all the roots.


    But when he was about to pull out his sword, he spun his body and struck the iing presence instead.


    *Cling!*


    Two powerful energies shed with each other, painting the sky ck and blue.


    "I hope that you haven''t forgotten about me." Laufey stopped Dimitri''s de with his own. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "The former lord had graciously saved you, but you dared to betray him. I shall kill you today!" Dimitri waved his swords a few times until they began to fall down.


    "You won''t be able to kill me." Laufey harrumphed as he continued parrying Dimitri''s attack. However, Dimitri''s objective still didn''t change.


    While shing with Laufey, he kept sending the residuals of his spiritual energy to the side, either cutting the demons or the roots.


    "You¡­" Laufey gritted his teeth, annoyed by the fact that Dimitri still had leeway when fighting him.


    Seeing that Laufey had stopped Dimitri, Anna chose to leap into the air, shattering all these roots. However, more and more roots began to appear from the ground.


    That was right. The opponent this time wasn''t limited to only one tree. There was another demon tree hiding in their ranks.


    Anna couldn''t help but nce at the enemy camp, wondering which trees were the Superior Demons.


    "Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue and released her lightning bolt to strike one of the tree roots. Upon impact, the electricity was dispersed into the surrounding area and shattered the other roots. However, these roots protected the other tree''s rootspletely.


    After testing each other''s strength, the first demon tree finally made its appearance. It was moving like an octopus. Its roots kepting in and out of the ground as the branches expanded both upward and downward. The trees were actually picking demons as they came forward.


    When it reached a certain distance, the trees extended the branches forward, using their height advantage to create a straight path toward the top of the wall.


    Anna wasn''t afraid of this tree. She was ready to strike it down the moment all the branches came forward.


    But among these demons were the two new Devil Saints.


    They suddenly jumped from behind the demons to sneak an attack on Anna.


    Anna parried one of them, but the other Devil Saint actually struck a small gem.


    "What?!" He was surprised because his sword, which had been filled with his spiritual energy, could only make a small dent in this small gem.


    *Boom!*


    The gem exploded, blowing him away.


    "You should go back and drink some milk, young man," the Gem Lord said while floating in the air. No, more precisely, he was standing on top of a gem that was floating in the air.


    But because both Anna and the Gem Lord were upied by two Devil Saints, they couldn''t stop the branches from reaching the walls.


    The people directed the Spiritual Barrier Rune to block these branches, but the enemies began to rain them down with numerous long range attacks.


    The battlefield instantly turned chaotic the moment the Superior Demons began to attack. Even the bear and the other Superior Demon that approached the wall earlier were ready to unleash their second attack.


    In other words, three Superior Demons'' attacks were about to reach their wall.


    "They areing!" The soldiers shouted, preparing themselves.


    The boar charged forward, ready to ram the wall until it broke.


    However, Howard suddenly raised his giant shield and sword. "Don''t be afraid, soldiers of the Ardagan Family!"


    His roars resounded across the wall as a giant avatar emerged from his body. It was only the upper body, but it was as big as the boar.


    It suddenly flew forward with its shield on the front, charging at the boar.


    *Bam!*


    They crashed into each other. The boar couldn''t destroy the shield, but the avatar also barely blocked this charge and stopped the boar''s momentum.


    On the other side of the wall, the Superior Demon was a red-


    colored ape. It ran toward the wall, ready to punch the wall.


    A figure suddenly jumped off the wall andnded on the ape''s long arm before cutting it. The cut didn''t look powerful like other grandmasters, but the ape surprisingly lost the feeling of its arm. The arm fell to the ground as the figure leaped back to the top of the wall.


    He was none other than Andreas, the grandson of Old Ru.


    "It seems that the true battle is about to begin with all these Superior Demons¡­" Andreas muttered while looking at the middle. The giant branches were about totch onto the wall.


    However, a few small feathers flew toward these branches and exploded, engulfing the branches with a ck me. The me was so powerful that it reduced the branches into ashes faster than the tree could regenerate them.


    "Such nice firewood." Noel snorted as if implying that they would need to do more if they wanted to reach the wall.


    Qiel looked at Noel with a smile. Now that Noel had made his move, it meant that he had used all his cards.


    "It seems that you''ve severely underestimated me, Noel Ardagan. Do you think all these Superior Demons are trying to attack the city wall? No. They are just to make sure that you''ve used all your grandmasters. And now, you won''t have anyone to protect your city!" Qiel raised her hands. "Raise from the ground, my demons!"


    Qiel made a big grin as she was expecting the demons to appear inside the city. In fact, everything had just been a distraction as she was buying time for the demons to dig underneath the city. Even the giant tree was there to spread its branches and leaves to block Noel''s vision.


    And finally, it was time to unleash their power. The underground demons should have arrived at the city and been ready to destroy it and stir a huge ruckus inside the city.


    But even aftermanding the demons¡­ nothing happened.


    ¡­

 Chapter 974 Unleashing Their Cards (4)

    <h4>Chapter 974 Unleashing Their Cards (4) </h4>


    ?974 Unleashing Their Cards (4)


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Qiel stopped awkwardly when she didn''t hear anything from the city. Normally, if the demons broke out into the city, they would wreak havoc, and the people would scream in panic. But there was nothing to hear.


    "¡­" Qiel looked at Noel, who looked at her as if she was a fool. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    There was something amiss. The underground demon would be the hardest to stop, so how could they disappoint her?


    "What is going on?" Qiel turned around while shouting to the Superior Demon supervising the underground demons. Behind their army were more than twenty holes where the underground demons would create a passage underneath the city and the smaller demons woulde in and use this passage.


    Yet, nothing happened.


    *Roar!* The Superior Demon panicked while pointing at the holes. It was filled with water.


    "Huh?!" Qiel''s face became pale. How could the holes be filled with water? The demons might be strong under the soil, but if the hole was filled with water, they would drown.


    She had sent a lot of demons to dig the ground, but every single hole waspletely filled to the brim. Even if they wanted to bring them back, the drowned demons would have stuck in the hole. So, they had no choice but to dig more ground.


    But if they kept creating a new hole, the soil used as a battlefield would weaken. Noel wouldn''t hesitate to make it copse, which made the battle even more treacherous for the demons.


    "No way." Qiel gritted her teeth.


    *Ssshhhh!*


    *Sssshhhh!*


    The sound of leaves shaking echoed in her ears as if the tree demon were calling her. She turned around and saw the tree send out two roots to show something to Qiel. The first root had blood on it while the other root waspletely wet with water.


    Qiel dropped her jaw. There was no way the demon tree would kill its fellow demons when they were digging, so the blood must havee from the demon who had died, and the demon tree identally punctured it.


    And the demon tree wouldn''t have spread its roots so deeply that it would dig up the water reservoir below. There was only one possible thing that came into her mind.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ "Has he created a water wall?!" Qiel gasped. "Then, we should dig deeper to avoid the water wall¡­ no, wait¡­"


    Qiel tried to think about all kinds of possibilities. The water wall''s mechanism was pretty simple. They dug the water wall on top of the reservoir so that everything that wanted to enter the city would hit the reservoir. If they tried to dig deeper to avoid the water wall, they would still drown themselves due to the influx of water from the reservoir.


    This way, the underground demon wouldn''t be able to create a dry tunnel and would never reach the city.


    "Not good!" Qiel didn''t know what she should do. These demons were her trump card to create chaos inside the city, so she didn''t expect that Noel would have found a way to counter it.


    "No. There is still one way. If we can''t use these demons, there is another type of demon we can use." Qiel gulped down, thinking this was the only solution. "Oi, tree! Use the tunnels and extend them past the wall. All amphibians will submerge and use that hole to enter the city."


    At first, he wanted to use the fish as well, but she knew that the fish would be useless once it came out of that hole. So, it would be better if he sent amphibians.


    The problem was that there weren''t many demons she could use.


    "But this is the only way." Qiel gritted her teeth and finalized her order. "Send all the remaining amphibian demons to our side and tell them to enter the city. Destroy everything they could see!"


    A demon acted as a messenger to inform the Peak Level Demons that controlled the amphibian demons. Meanwhile, the demon tree was prepared to dig the ground underneath the wall.


    Noel took a deep breath as he raised his sword above his head. The spiritual energy on his sword red up.


    In the past, he would only use the Sword Transmutation to unleash his strike. However, it had changed. Noel had one more trump card he could use to strengthen this ability.


    "The only constant is change. My de will also change¡­" Noel suddenly drew back the sword as though he wanted to stab instead. The Sword Transmutation would run through the ground and create a wall containing a massive, sharp spiritual energy.


    Unexpectedly, the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style changed its very movement itself. Instead of the anger emotion that would make his sword the sharpest, he actually used the ''shame'' emotion to increase the pration force of his sword. In addition, he used the ''fear'' to speed up the thrust.


    To determine these two emotions, Noel believed that it would be shameful to let the demon tree cause any damage to his city and he feared that the city would seed and kill a lot of people.


    The spiritual energy responded to his emotion and started to be aze.


    The demon tree that sensed this powerful energy couldn''t help but stop. Its roots and branches suddenly gathered in a single spot as if trying to protect its body.


    Noel gathered all his strength in his right arm before thrusting his sword forward. "Sword Transmutation, Everchanging Version."


    The spiritual energy flew like a beam. Its speed was like a bullet and the amount of spiritual energy caused the air to vibrate.


    The demon tree used its roots and branches as a wall, trying to stop Noel''s attack. Unfortunately, it was useless.


    The piercing light shattered the branches and roots on its way, making its way directly toward the demon tree.


    "!!!" The demon tree never saw an attack like this. The tree would cause massive damage and be hard to kill due to the number of branches and roots. That was precisely the reason why they had to eliminate the demon tree as soon as possible.


    Anna came first and restrained the second tree, so that Noel could kill it.


    In fact, he even spent fifty percent of his spiritual energy just for this one attack. There was no way the trees could stop this attack.


    The demon tree realized that its life was over. Because it had sent a few roots toward the city, it couldn''t pull them fast enough to avoid this attack. This was exactly the biggest weakness that the nt type demon had.


    That was why the tree suddenly stopped defending itself all of a sudden and used itsst bit of energy to extend the roots as quickly as possible.


    *Boom!*


    The moment Noel''s attack reached the demon tree, it crushed its entire trunk, causing the upper part of the tree to fall to the ground, crushing the demons underneath. Even other demons on the branches ended up falling, unable to continue their attacks.


    The soldiers dropped their jaws to the ground. It was just a single sh but the demon tree couldn''t prate to the


    Undying Phoenix.


    The ck me hit the tree and set the remnant of the tree aze, trying to kill every single demon underneath the trees. Before it killed anyone, Noel hurriedly checked his mission to confirm the kill before saying, "Grandell."


    Grandell, who stood not far from him, nodded his head and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Our Earl Ardagan has in a Superior Demon!"


    "Ooooohhhh!" The cheers erupted. This was the lord they followed, the almighty lord who could kill a Superior Demon so easily.


    With how easy it took Noel to kill a Superior Demon, the soldiers knew that as long as they continued, more and more Superior Demons would die in their hands. Without their leaders, the other demons were easy to kill.


    That was why this one kill had a massive effect because it showed hope.


    "Not good¡­" Qiel''s face became pale. She had underestimated Noel. The water wall indeed stopped the underground demons. However, that wasn''t Noel''s true intention.


    Instead, Noel wanted to kill the Demon Tree. Noel had baited the demon tree to be unable to move away before concentrating everything he had to kill the Superior Demon Tree. That was right. The only one that could create a hole after this was the demon tree, so if they died, his city would be safe.


    Noel''s n had begun the moment Anna stopped the other demon tree.


    "If he raises their morale even further, we will be at a disadvantage." Qiel gritted her teeth.


    However, another nt type demon seemed to have made its move before Qiel ordered.


    On the bottom part of the demon tree, there was a yellow-


    colored flower sticking out of its trunk. It looked harmless and the fire would engulf it soon, but this was the same flower that controlled the beast.


    It seemed that Noel hadn''t seen its true might during the previous expedition. Or it could be said that the flower had grown even stronger by absorbing the experience of that battle.


    Due to the Supreme Devil Organizationmanding it, the Superior Demon actually learned from their tactic. After all, the Superior Demon was very intelligent.


    They used that experience to move before Qiel and controlled the dead tree like a zombie.


    All of a sudden, two roots broke through the ground.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock as he couldn''t help but turn around. Yes, the sound came from behind the wall.


    He couldn''t help but rush to the back of the wall and witness two giant roots.


    "What?! Did I miscalcte, but those roots¡­" Noel obviously recognized these roots since they came from the tree he had just killed. He even thought that the demon tree was still alive, but after creating a passage, the ck me reached the white flower andpletely burned it away, stopping the control.


    Although there were a lot of questions in his mind, he hurriedly sent a few feathers to burn them away. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    He thought that by destroying one of the trees, he would stop the organization from creating a tunnel to his city, but he had underestimated them.


    Once the roots were burned, the tunnel was soon filled with watering from the water wall. Demons rushed into the tunnel and started emerging.


    And the one that came out first was a red-colored crocodile.


    *Roar!* This was the Superior Demon that controlled all the amphibian demons.


    "What?!"


    "The demons¡­"


    "There are demons in the city¡­"


    "No way!"


    The people gasped. While it was true that there was a demon inside the city, there weren''t many buildings around since the city wasn''t fully developed yet.


    And ra was the one who understood the importance of this hole the most. She had been assigned to the center of the city so that she could supervise the healing and treatment of the injured while protecting the citizens, but after seeing this Superior Demon, the first thing she did was leap into the air.


    A thread formed and extended from her hand, attaching itself to the buildings next to them. She then pulled herself on top of the thread and used it tounch herself to the north wall.


    It only took her a few seconds to reach the north wall. Even the Superior Demon stopped because it was preparing for ra''s attack.


    *Roar!*


    ra raised her hand, creating numerous threads. She shouted to Noel, "I will take care of this Superior Demon. But we have to seal the hole immediately!"


    Noel nodded with a solemn expression, ready to send his squad. However, he saw that the demons began to emerge.


    Noel hurriedly ordered, "We have to plug the holes and kill all the demons. Felicia. Send half of your men down. Aerton, take control of the reserve and eliminate all the demons. And¡­ Erica, help the soldiers kill all the demons!"


    "Roger!" Aerton and Felicia hurriedlymanded the group. However, Erica waspletely surprised. Noel wanted her to lead her group to kill the demons, meaning that they finally had the chance to take part in this battle.


    Erica and Eric looked at each other and nodded their heads. "Yes!"

 Chapter 975 Unleashing Their Cards (5)

    <h4>Chapter 975 Unleashing Their Cards (5) </h4>


    ?975 Unleashing Their Cards (5)


    "Go!" Felicia shouted.


    A few men leaped off the wall, falling for several meters before releasing their spiritual energy. Their fall gradually slowed down before they ended up floating four meters above the ground.


    Two of them immediately took out several balls and tossed them toward the beasts.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The balls caused a chain of explosions after one of the balls broke apart, killing a lot of demons.


    Another pair moved toward ra and tossed their explosive balls toward the crocodile.


    The crocodile endured multiple explosions on its body. To their surprise, the explosions weren''t enough to break the crocodile''s defense. Only a bit of its scales cracked, but the rest of the crocodiles remained unscathed.


    "Madam ra. We will hold him back for a moment. Please seal the holes with your threads."


    ra nodded her head. When she looped around, the crocodile hurriedly whipped ra with its tail, but ra shot out a thick thread, attaching it to both the ground and the wall. As a result, the thread stopped the crocodile''s tail, allowing ra to leap over it and head straight to the hole.


    The crocodile turned around, trying to stop ra. However, another wave of explosions hit its face as the crocodile couldn''t help but look at these annoying people hovering in the air.


    "We''ll be the ones fighting you." The two men grinned. This was the first time they fought a Superior Demon, especially since they were only Spirit Wielders. This kind of opportunity could be achieved by the flying squad. It was an honor to fight the Superior Demon at this stage, and they nned to do it even if it cost them their lives.


    On the other hand, several demons had emerged from the hole and tried to stop ra. Four of them nked ra from both sides.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    "Just shut up!" ra took out a needle from her pocket and sewed their mouths. After that, a few threads emerged from the ground and wrapped their bodies, pinning them in their spots.


    There were only three demons left, so ra hurriedly shot out her thread to attack them. One of them went straight to the thread to block it with its body.


    The demon was sessful, but ra''s eyes shed as she pulled the thread as hard as possible before swinging it to the left, tossing this demon to the one on its left.


    Thest demon tried to fight ra, but more threads appeared and tied it up before the demon could do anything.


    Now that she was right in front of the hole, ra spread her finger, creating a cobweb that blocked the hole.


    There was a demon trying toe out, but when it tried to push through, the web expanded and pulled the demon back into the hole.


    Now that it had been sealed, the only thing she had to worry about was the other hole. But it seemed that Aerton had done a great job.


    "Surround the demons!" Aertonmanded as the soldiers began to attack the demons from all directions.


    However, the ones that stood out the most were the children.


    "Attack!" Several kids emerged from the crowd.


    Their opponent was a low level demon frog. The frog shot out its tongue at bullet speed, but the targeted kid skillfully jumped into the air. His movement was elegant and graceful as if he were doing an acrobatic front flip.


    Meanwhile, the other kids spun their bodies while holding their swords. Two of them reached the tongue and cut it into two. Another pair reached the frog''s body and cut down its legs. When the frog fell down, thest pair came from above and swiftly cut its neck, taking down the frog.


    "We have to continue."


    "We can''t do it as swiftly as those two, but we can defeat the demons."


    "Let''s go."


    The kids were pumped up because they could finally fight to help Noel. Even the soldiers were stunned by their performance. In just an instant, they killed a low level demon. Their movement was so beautiful that the soldiers were entranced as though they were watching a group of dancers.


    However, the most shocking thing was the pair that led this group, Erica and Eric.


    Before them was a mid level demon snake. The snake moved at a very high speed, trying to devour them. However, Eric and Erica leaped in the opposite direction. They spun their bodies while moving forward, using the centrifugal force to cut the snake''s body multiple times.


    Their movement was swift and precise, but the cut was actually located on the same spot as if they were moving at the same time with the same movement.


    Within a second, there were ten cuts on the snake''s body, enraging the snake. That was when both of them leaped back to the snake''s head. When the snake turned around, both Eric and Erica beheaded the snake with a diagonal swing so that when theynded on the ground, it looked like they had waved their hands and bowed to the soldiers, thanking them for watching their performance.


    "Oh¡­" The soldiers couldn''t help but get entranced by their deadly dance.


    Aerton couldn''t help but smile, thinking, ''As expected of my lord. To think that the kids he brought here are this strong.''


    "Hurry up and bring the dirt here."


    "The pump too!"


    "We have to plug the holes as quickly as possible."


    ra sneakily reached the hole and covered it with her web. She nced at the kids and understood why Milfa took great care of them. Their talents were definitely extraordinary.


    Still, she never thought that they were children from the slum, who were destined to live a miserable life. Without Noel, their futures were already decided. The women might end up bing prostitutes; the men either became thugs, thieves, or beggars.


    After meeting Noel, their fate changed as the sword dancer and the proud members of the Ardagan Family.


    ra smiled before going back to the Superior Demon.


    Noel had told them that if there was any hole appearing in the city, they should plug it back by pumping the dirt inside. It was impossible normally, but the Rune Pump was different. The pump could be facing any direction, and its power was beyond that of a normal pump.


    With this, the hole would soon be plugged and no more demons would appear.


    "My lord. They have seeded in taking over the holes and are about to fill them back with dirt," Grandell reported.


    "Good." Noel smiled. With this, he could sit back and rx for a bit, believing that the battle could progress a bit more before they released more of their cards.


    Qiel gritted her teeth after receiving the report stating that they had failed to infiltrate the city.


    ''Is the city imprable?'' Qiel never thought that a city with an iplete wall could be this sturdy. She couldn''t imagine the future when Noel fully built his city and gained even more soldiers. It would be impossible to destroy this city unless they could bring out Ancient Demons and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of demons to attack the city.


    "No. We can''t let this continue. We have to find another way to break through their defense." Qiel looked around. On the east and west sides, the demons had begun to pile up. The south was also ready for her to utilize.


    Hence, Qiel told two Superior Demons to pass her message.


    They passed this message to the Superior Demons controlling the other sides.


    Obviously, that movement couldn''t escape Noel''s eyes.


    "It seems that they are trying to do something. Is there the third demon tree?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "While I can still monitor the east and west sides, I can''t monitor everything in the south. I have ced both Milfa and Aurelia there because Milfa was extremely strong while they would think twice before fighting Aurelia due to her affiliation. But¡­"


    Noel frowned, feeling something was off.


    All of a sudden, he heard numerous criesing from the sky. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hmm?!" Noel raised his head and saw numerous ck dots in the sky.


    "My lord¡­ Those are¡­" Grandell gritted his teeth.


    "Yeah. The flying demons. Their number is about one thousand." Noel might not be able to help the other sides after the deployment of these flying beasts. "Are our anti flying demon weapons ready yet?"


    "Yes, Sir. I will inform the soldiers to activate them." Grandell confirmed.


    "Tell Felicia that she might be going soon."


    "Will our flying squad fight those demons? Although I know that Miss Felicia is strong, I don''t think she and her squad are ready to fight these flying beasts."


    "Of course not. Just tell them about it. I have an arrangement."


    "Sir!" Grandell saluted before passing Noel''s messages.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. "It seems that you''re nning to do something, Qiel. It seems that you haven''t given up on achieving aplete victory."


    Noel was perfectly aware that with the current situation, Qiel could simply utilize attrition warfare. This way, they could wear down La''s barrier while preserving their numbers.


    Once the barrier disappeared, they wouldunch an all out attack andpletely crush the city.


    However, Qiel didn''t do any of that. Instead, she kept throwing one card after another as if she were trying to overwhelm him.


    Still, Qiel had lost to him before. Although the possibility of her harboring a grudge was high, Qiel wouldn''t be so foolish as to let her pride take over. She was definitely nning to do something big, fully utilizing the fact that Noel had to kill at least fifty thousand demons and several Superior Demons before the day was over. Only by doing this would La have enough room to maintain the barrier a bit longer.


    "What are you nning?" Noel squinted his eyes.

 Chapter 976 Unleashing Their Cards (6)

    <h4>Chapter 976 Unleashing Their Cards (6) </h4>


    ?976 Unleashing Their Cards (6)


    "What are you nning?" While Noel was watching the iing flying demons, the soldiers were moving around to activate the weapons Noel had invented.


    They were simr to the ballistas, but he modified them to be very long. Instead of using a real javelin, Noel actually used the Rune Spear as its ammunition.


    "Get ready!" The people shouted while aiming at the flying demons.


    "Remember! We''ll be aiming at the demons in the sky."


    "Yes, sir!"


    The soldiers acknowledged the order as Grandell informed Noel, "Everything is ready, sir!"


    Noel nodded. "Load them up and wait until I give a signal to fire."


    Grandell nodded and hurriedly ryed the order. "Load them up!"


    "Ha!"


    There were a total of five weapons. When they heard the order, they immediately put a demon crystal into the barrel, activating the Rune Spear. When the rune spear was in ce, they activated the second rune.


    The reason this weapon had a long barrel was because they wanted to create a longerunch pad. At the tip of theunch pad, they ced a Multiplication Rune, the rune that Anna used back when they helped the saintess.


    The Multiplication Rune could multiply an object made of spiritual energy, so they couldn''t use the real spear.


    After that, they used the Spiritual Barrier Rune to hold the spear in ce while activating the fourth rune, which was the Momentum Rune. They charged the spear with all the momentum they could get, creating a very long-range weapon.


    Noel squinted his eyes, staring at the flying demons. He was pretty sure that there would be a Superior Demon taking care of them. So, he wanted to find it and kill this Superior Demon as soon as possible.


    Unfortunately, Qiel seemed to have learned about their current n, so she wouldn''t be too reckless in spending all her force.


    "It seems that I can''t force her for the time being." Noel looked at Qiel in the distance. Her area was extremely guarded, so it was clear that even if he aimed all his weapons toward her, she would still be fine. Hence, he chose to focus on the iing flying demons. "Fire!"


    Grandell ryed the message out loud. "Fire!"


    "Fire!" All the soldiers in charge of the weapons shouted.


    The soldiers deactivated the Spiritual Barrier Rune that held the Rune Spear in ce before using the Enhance Forward Rune, shooting the Rune Spear into the sky.


    However, before leaving the weapon, it passed through the Multiplication Rune at the tip of its barrel. The rune copied the spear and produced seven simr spears around it with the same intensity and speed.


    Forty rune spears flew into the sky, heading straight toward the iing flying demons.


    The demons let out a cry and started evading, but more than seventy percent of the spear still hit their targets due to their speed, instantly killing their target.


    The soldiers began to charge the weapons again, ready to shoot them into the air. Although the number of shots was quite low, it was a pretty effective weapon. Even Noel didn''t believe that they could defeat all these demons just by relying on these weapons.


    In fact, there was a reason why the weapons looked simr to each other. It was because they didn''t have enough time to invent these weapons.


    Even though Noel was the creator of the rune, invention still took time. Noel only had about two months after he returned to the city. He rushed the cksmith toplete not only the building and facility but also the new weapons. With that high workload, this was the only way to get most of the things he wanted.


    Roel and the others werepletely exhausted and couldn''t even participate in this battle.


    That was why the ballistas were the main form of their weapons and ced them inside the room within the wall. He wanted these ballistas to target the gigantic demons because they were simply too big.


    The second weapon was just a modified version of the ballista. Instead of a chamber for an arrow, they created a big container to shoot out the demon crystals. They wanted to rain on the enemies with the Rain of Light Rune. This was the Ardagan Family''s main attack in thinning out the enemy''s number.


    Andst but not least were these anti flying demon ballistas which were used to reduce the flying demon''s number before they reached their city wall.


    Instead of creating a new andpletely different design, Noel chose to just modify the main design, which was still pretty effective and efficient.


    "Kill them all." Noel shouted. He hoped that these weapons could at least kill five hundred flying demons before they could reach this ce. The remaining five hundred had to be eliminated through other methods.


    While they were upied with the flying demons, the demons on the other sides began to move.


    All two Superior Demons from each side actually ordered their army to fullymit to destroying the barrier. The Superior Demons also came toward the barrier.


    "!!!" The Water Lord, Duke Briton, Milfa, and Aurelia couldn''t help but clench their fists. The Superior Demons had finally begun to move. Each of them had to take care of two Superior Demons as well as four thousand demons. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "This is not looking good." The Water Lord furrowed his eyebrows. He hurriedly controlled the water elemental to disengage the melee and prepared for the Superior Demons. The two Superior Demons he was fighting were a giant python and a snail. The snail slowly made its way toward the barrier, while the python swiftly came toward the elemental.


    The water elemental opened its arm before trying to choke the python, but thetter actually swirled around as though it was avoiding the fight. The python was looping around to hit Noel from the side.


    "I won''t make the same blunder." The Water Lord hurriedly caught up and grabbed the python, but this was only a distraction the python made. Because of how it moved, the body was right next to the elemental.


    The python covered its giant body with spiritual energy and started wrapping the elemental as though the water had a hard physical form.


    It then overpowered the body and crushed it, causing the body of water to ssh.


    "!!!" The Water Lord widened his eyes and hurriedly waved his hands. The water from the pit rose again and repaired the elemental body before grasping the python so that it wouldn''t get away.


    However, the snail, which was moving slowly at first, suddenly reached the barrier.


    "Huh?!" The Water Lord was stunned. "Since when¡­"


    The snail moved on top of the body that the demon created and started climbing the barrier as if it were defying gravity. Although the snail wasn''t as big as the python, it was still two meters in height.


    What took the Water Lord''s focus was the green-colored trail the snail left behind.


    "What is that¡­" The Water Lord nced at the ground that the snail had crossed earlier, noticing that the soil was actually melting. "Poison?! Not good!"


    The Water Lord realized that the snail was nning to cover the entire barrier with poison so that it would melt sooner orter. Even if the saintess could repair the barrier continuously, she would deplete more energy than necessary.


    "I''m not nning to make the same blunder again!" The Water Lord roared while pointing his left palm toward the trail.


    All of a sudden, the green-colored liquid gathered in a single ce and formed a green elemental.


    "The reason I''m called the Water Lord is not because I can only control water, they simply have no other title that can fit my name!" The Water Lord made a grasping motion. All of a sudden, the snail stopped on its tracks as if its body refused to move.


    For the first time, the snail nced at the Water Lord.


    The green elemental grabbed the snail and tossed it back to the ground. The python tried to move, but its body also refused to move when the Water Lord utilized his true power.


    "What I control is not water, it''s liquid! Don''t think you can get away from me, you lowly demons!" The Water Lord looked at the demons with murderous intent, but it seemed that controlling that power took a toll on his body because blood suddenly flowed out of the corner of his mouth. In the end, even if he used that power, the Superior Demons would feel it and resist with their own energy.


    Ultimately, the Water Lord expended more energy to win in the battle of control. And he also needed to take down the remaining four thousand demons around him.


    Duke Briton was also facing a simr situation. Instead of a snail and a python, the Superior Demons on his side were a horse and a chicken.


    The horse charged toward the barrier while the chicken barely flew and glided on the air by pping its wings. It couldn''t even fly more than two meters into the air, but the speed increased due to the process.


    The chicken and the horse ended up reaching the barrier at the same time.


    Duke Briton hurriedly sent forth two giant sharks to meet them. The horse looked like it was about to get devoured, but it actually created a translucent barrier in front of it and crashed into the shark.


    The shark withstood the horse''s barrier for a second, cracking it. However, the horse increased its momentum and broke apart the shark.


    On the other hand, the chicken acted like a ''chicken'' and actually flew away to avoid the shark.


    "!!!" Duke Briton wasn''t concerned at first, but the chicken was actually heading in a different direction. Instead of sliding to the v-shaped area between him and Milfa, the chicken actually went straight to Milfa. "What?!"


    Milfa, who had to fight a tiger and a fox, had to deal with an additional opponent.


    "¡­" Milfa squinted her eyes. Even though she was capable of dealing with them, the four thousand demons were also going straight to her.


    "It seems that I have to go all out. They are seriously going to create a path here, the farthest spot from the northern wall as well as not affiliated with the Moon Temple." Milfa took a deep breath. Since she would be their target, Milfa closed his eyes for a moment.


    When she opened it again, her eyes were exuding a faint white light. Her body started to float in the air as numerous sphere-shaped lights appeared around her.


    "Even the kids from the dance group are doing their best. I have concealed my power for so long, so I guess it''s time to show it a little bit." Milfa waved her hand down.


    In that instant, all those light spheres flew toward the iing demons. They passed through the barrier even though La didn''t allow it. That power even confused La.


    However, these light spheres skillfully flew around and hit the demons, killing one demon after another. Some of them also flew toward the fox and the tiger to keep them in check.


    *Roar!*


    Another wave of demons was about to reach the wall, but Milfa simply reproduced all the bullets that had hit their target and immediately sent them toward these iing demons.


    *Roa¡ª!*


    The demons fell down one after another, not being able to fight back.


    Looking at this, the chicken hurriedly shot out numerous feathers to stop the bullets.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    They caused a small shock wave, but Milfa simply reproduced them right away and waved her hand to the side.


    The bullets hurriedly rushed to the chicken, forcing it to protect its body with its wings. The bullets couldn''t prate the wings, but Milfa didn''t stop producing them and sending the bullet into a single spot until it pierced through the wing.


    *Cookle?!* The chicken was shocked.


    The tiger let out a roar. Its sound wave shook the barrier. The fox also did a simr thing. It gathered its energy in the mouth before letting out a beam that caused a massive impact on the barrier.


    However, those attacks allowed Milfa to send out multiple spheres toward them. The two Superior Demons tried to avoid it, but surprisingly, there were a few bulletsing out of the ground, taking them by surprise.


    "!!!" The Superior Demons werepletely shocked. Even the other demons couldn''t get too close to the barrier because there were still enough bullets to suppress them.


    Milfa was floating in the air, looking at everything around her and controlling more than a hundred light spheres at once while reproducing them at a constant rate. Her ethereal figure was like that of a god of war who would not let a single enemy pass.


    "It seems that not fighting for the rank in the Demon Banner Army makes you think that I am an easy opponent. However, just to let you know, even Shale doesn''t dare im he is first if I''mpeting." Milfa waved her hands, killing yet another dozen demons. Even the Superior Demons were hesitant to attack in case Milfa used that opportunity to injure them like earlier.


    Among the reinforcements Noel got from the Demon Banner Army, Dimitri always told Noel that Milfa was actually the best thing they could get. After all, not only was Milfa Dimitri''s mentee, but he imed that Milfa possessed a strength simr to his. Yes, Dimtiri, who was a candidate for themander position of the Demon Banner Army, thought of her that highly.


    And it seemed that his words were for a reason.

 Chapter 977 All Out War (1)

    <h4>Chapter 977 All Out War (1) </h4>


    ?977 All Out War (1)


    *Roar!*


    The Superior Demons around Qiel alerted her about what happened at their target. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Qiel couldn''t help but move to the side, looking at Milfa from a very long distance.


    All the demons that tried to get closer ended up getting killed. They didn''t even have the time to fight back. Even the Superior Demons had to retreat. They couldn''t stop her attack and had a hard time breaking the barrier. Hence, it wouldn''t be wise to continue attacking unless they were just trying to die.


    Although it was a bit hard to see it from her position, Qiel could see how Milfa overwhelmed her opponents.


    "What? How can he do that? Isn''t Milfa supposed to be only a weak captain?" Qiel frowned.


    Milfa hadn''t gone to the battlefield many times.


    The only time she encountered the Supreme Devil Organization was when she tried to help Noel when he was attacked by Laufey.


    Milfa had been showing average ability and remained at the headquarters. She had never thought that Milfa was this strong. Even when Laufey experienced her attack, he said, "She is quite strong. I think that the rumor about her not being strong is not true. She should be in the middle rank among the captains in the Demon Banner Army. However, I don''t think she has surpassed ra yet."


    That was what he said. However, the report was actually a lie.


    "This is¡­" She sucked a cold breath. A single person actually managed to stop three Superior Demons and a few thousand demons by herself. "Damn you, Oscar... To think that you''ve been hiding your trump card the whole time."


    Even though Oscar was under the control of the Third Prince, he obviously had his own way to protect the stability of the kingdom and repelled any threats. Just like how he sneakily ordered Faust to remain in aa while he was actually biding his time to help Noel.


    Oscar hadn''t told anyone that Milfa was strong. Even the Third Prince didn''t know about this.


    The only impression they had of Milfa was that she was Oscar''s secretary.


    Qiel thought that by concentrating their attack on Milfa, thetter would be overwhelmed and start making a mistake. But she was wrong. They actually attacked the strongest helper the Ardagan Family had.


    ''We have a total of twenty two Superior Demons. Two of them were upied by Damian earlier.


    ''Eight of them are fighting on the other four tips. The amphibian demon is already inside while the flying demon is approaching. One of the trees has died, while the other is upied by Anna.


    ''Another two have been upied by Howard and this mysterious guy who has the strength of a grandmaster. This person has a weird ability and that ape will die sooner orter.


    ''We have managed to stop Dimitri with Laufey, but Dimitri''s strength is stronger than this. Ricky is helping him, but Dimitri will be able to break free at any moment. Anna is stronger than I expected as well. I''ve expected that they can recover to their peak in one way or another, but getting that strong is outside my prediction. Jeremy is helping the tree to stop Anna.


    ''The flower is also moving around. I can''t make a move because of Faust. That means we still have five Superior Demons to spare. But I might have to send one each to Anna and Dimitri to maintain the bnce. Only three left¡­''


    Qiel couldn''t help but grit her teeth. She had never thought that the situation would be this dire. In fact, she couldn''t send these three Superior Demons right away. After all, the opposite party still had the Gem Lord and Noel.


    She was aware of Gem Lord''s ability. As one of the oldest elders in the Tower Association, it won''t be weird if the Gem Lord kills one or two Superior Demons. Noel''s ability couldn''t be underestimated either.


    It could be said that they were actually losing in the top fight.


    ''I have ced my cards all around the bases, but he manages to stop them in one way or another.'' Qiel looked at Noel. The runes were simply weird.


    ''Those rains of lights kept showering the demons, killing so many demons. We have giant demons, but the corpses are blocking their way. They will only be crushed by those ballistas. Do we really have to rely on the flying demons?''


    Qiel gritted her teeth. She had never thought that in a frontal battle, she would lose this miserably.


    ''Do I really have to start the second phase so soon? No way, why can''t I overwhelm him even with this number?'' There was only frustration in her heart whenever she shed with Noel.


    ''But if I start the second phase so early, I don''t think they will bite the bait. Anna and Dimitri still have their True Spirit Body. I and Laufey have it, but Milfa might be my miscalction. She might have one as well and use it to tip the bnce of the battle.


    ''There is also the famous Sea Duke, Briton. I have heard about his strength and achievements. If he is going all out, we might actually be losing. The Zaecuria Kingdom actually values him that much. And also, we haven''t heard any reports about Duke Britoning here¡­ only the shipwr¡­ Wait, did he sneak inside the kingdom as a shipwright?


    ''This is my blunder. How much information does he have hidden from the entire kingdom? No, my biggest miscalction is Noel Ardagan. In the past, he didn''t have the strength or status to back up his ability. Now that he has be an Earl, his influence has spread extremely far.


    ''Even Marquis Stargaze is stopping the Arbiters from interfering with the battle. The Sword Arbiter is also protecting the city, which we can''t attack unless we end up angering the duke and causing him to enter the battle personally.


    ''There is also another Pdin in that city. Does Noel have a True Spirit Body? He is not as abnormal as Anna in terms of talent, but he might just make it look that way so that he can surprise us.


    ''As expected, having a Superior Demon die in just thirty minutes into the battle is huge.'' Qiel wondered how many more cards Noel was hiding inside the city.


    The Greenwood Kingdom had sent Damian, but there was no telling if the Ezenholm Family was going to get involved or not. In addition, she had heard about the rumor that Noel might also be a descendant of the Greenwood Royal Family. But there was no other proof she could get from that rumor.


    If that were true, the Greenwood Kingdom might send even more reinforcement even if it meant offending the Muivell Kingdom. In fact, what could the Muivell Kingdom do if the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom actually joined hands to attack them?


    There was even a ridiculous possibility in Noel''s mind. If the Greenwood Kingdom acknowledged Noel as a member of the Greenwood Royal Family and had the thought of marrying him with a princess of the Zaecuria Kingdom, he could definitely rally these two kingdoms.


    ''If only I knew this, we should kill them before he grows to this degree. The appearance of the rune book should have been the signal for us to kill Noel with every single thing we have. No, I shouldn''t think about this. I should focus on the battlefield. It''s still not over yet.''


    Qiel had expected that the battle would be hard-fought, but she had never thought that she would be the one to be overwhelmed on this battlefield.


    ''It seems that I can only do this.'' Qiel raised her hand, signaling her demons.


    The demons recognized the signal and began to change their movement.


    "Huh?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. The demons that were about to attack the north wall suddenly stopped.


    It didn''t look much at first, but all of a sudden, a yellow-colored flower appeared on top of these demons'' heads.


    In that instant, the demons ragingly charged forward.


    "Kill them!" Noel didn''t know what they were nning to do, but it was clear that the flowers were the same maniptive flowers he encountered during the exploration.


    The Rain of Light runes filled up the sky, showering the demons with thousands of beams. The demons actually ignored their injuries. Even with holes in their bodies, the demons continued forward as though they couldn''t feel any pain. In fact, they looked like a puppet that had been controlled by these flowers.


    "That''s¡­ not good." Andreas, standing on top of the ape''s arm, looked at the iing demons and noticed something weird in their souls.


    He leaped back to the wall, but the ape waved its other hand, trying to grab him.


    Andreas simply shouted, "Respected Old Man, can you switch with me a bit?"


    When the ape was about to catch Andreas, a small gem flew toward the arm and exploded, knocking the arm away.


    "Don''t call me an Old Man. Call me Gem Lord." The Gem Lord harrumphed.


    "Sorry, Gem Lord." Andreas shrugged beforending on top of the city wall. He rushed to Noel and said, "Something is not right with their souls. It''s like they''re controlled. Even if you kill their physical bodies, their souls will be stuck there and continue to be controlled unless you can destroy the flowers that control their souls."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes. While he was aware that they were being controlled, he didn''t know that it was their soul. Back then, he burned everything away, so he didn''t think much about it.


    Now that the problem had escted, Noel had to change his strategy a bit.


    However, the demons didn''t n to stop even with their tattered bodies. They mmed their bodies onto the wall, trying topletely fill up the ditch.


    Some of the giant demons also came forth. Even with their bodies getting tattered, they still continued moving forward like zombies, finally reaching the ditch.


    "Impossible. How can they not go down?"


    "What do we have to do to stop them?"


    "If this continues¡­" The soldier looked at the smaller demons using the giant demon''s corpse to create a staircase. These demons would die and be a part of the stairs.


    With their number, it wouldn''t take too long before the demons had a working staircase.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. They were simply too close to the wall, so Noel couldn''t use his me to burn their corpses, or it would affect the wall as well.


    "Destroy those bodies."


    "We have to use normal fire."


    "That''s right. We will bring some oils."


    The soldiers were thinking about what they should do because they didn''t want the demons to climb the wall.


    However, this was Qiel''s turn to attack.


    The flying demons had finally arrived.


    *Cry!*


    A huge cry startled the people on the wall as the birds stopped and gathered their energy in their bodies.


    About a hundred of them released their attacks from afar.


    "Barrier!"


    The Spiritual Barrier Rune blocked the attacks, but most of the flying demons dove down to ram their bodies at the soldiers. Even if they couldn''t kill these soldiers, they would distract them.


    The demons didn''t hesitate to die as long as it was ordered by the Superior Demons.


    "Raise your shield and block them!" Howard shouted.


    "Y-yes!" The soldiers just did what they were told to do since they didn''t know anything better.


    The flying demons ended up crashing into their shields. Some of the demons knocked the soldiers back, albeit heavily injured. They tried to fly again, but they ended up pping their wings to the side.


    "Don''t be afraid!"


    "Attack them!"


    The soldiers gritted their teeth. They had seen how their leader killed a Superior Demon, so they shouldn''t be afraid of this.


    "Surround them and kill them!"


    "Kill!"


    The soldiers gathered and stabbed the demons with their spears.


    "Hurry up and toss the demon''s body away."


    "Don''t throw it outside. Toss it inside the city. We can''t let them form a staircase."


    "Woooaaahhhh!"


    "What happe¡ª" The soldiers panicked when they saw a few flying demons choose to kidnap them instead. They grabbed them with their talons and flew up high before dropping the normal soldiers. The soldiers couldn''t do anything but be minced meat when they reached the ground.

 Chapter 978 All Out War (2)

    <h4>Chapter 978 All Out War (2) </h4>


    ?978 All Out War (2)


    The soldiers started losing theirposure when the flying demons wreaked havoc on top of the wall.


    Without hesitation, Qiel sent forth more demons to climb the wall while they were distracted.


    "Look! More demons areing." The soldiers were too busy to deal with the annoying flying demons that didn''t actually go inside the city. If the flying demons wanted it, they could fly past the city wall and enter the city through the opening. In the end, La''s barrier covered everything except for the northern wall.


    So, it wouldn''t be weird if these demons tried to attack the city. However, it seemed that Qiel prioritized the wall.


    After realizing that the amphibian, who had a Superior Demon inside the city was unable to cause any harm to the inside, Qiel knew that there were still people, possibly grandmasters, inside the city. Hence, it wouldn''t be wise to separate their strength even further.


    Noel assessed the situation around him and couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. The flying demons wereing from above, messing with his soldiers. The controlled demons kepting without caring about the wounds on their bodies.


    Because of those flying demons, there wouldn''t be enough soldiers that he could spare to handle the demons from below. If they starteding up, the wall would definitely fall.


    Hence, Noel had to do something to avoid this oue, even if it meant personally striking them back.


    Noel took out a small pill from his pocket and swallowed it. His spiritual energy fluctuated once and surprisingly, the energy in the air began to gather around him.


    This was the pill that Khalid had given him to recover his spiritual energy. Although he couldn''t produce enough pills for everyone, he at least had some for their elite troops.


    Noel squinted his eyes, looking at the flying demons, especially the Superior Demon who was supervising the rest of the flying demons from a distance.


    "Andreas. The controlled demons¡­ Do they have any weaknesses?" Noel asked.


    "No. In fact, they will keeping unless you destroy the flower on top of their heads and obviously kill the demons themselves."


    "Alright. Can you handle the ape for now? And please ask the Gem Lord to attack the flying demons."


    "But shouldn''t they have more Superior Demons to use?"


    "I have some arrangements."


    "Got it." Andreas waved his hand before jumping off the wall.


    The ape kicked the Gem Lord from the side, but he skillfully blocked it with his yellow-colored gem. It didn''t explode, but the ape couldn''t even push it back.


    All of a sudden, Andreas appeared next to them, swinging his sword. "Severed Soul."


    The ape and the Gem Lord felt a weird fluctuation of energy from his sword. The Gem Lord was surprised, but the ape suddenly fell to the ground as it could no longer feel its foot.


    "You''re back, youngd." The Gem Lord frowned.


    "He wants you to take care of the flying demons since you can fly."


    The Gem Lord nced at the flying Superior Demon and thought the same thing as Andreas.


    "Don''t worry. He has made some arrangements," Andreas assured him.


    Even though both of them didn''t know what this arrangement was, from what Noel had shown so far, it should be pretty reliable. So, the Gem Lord didn''t have an objection and hurriedly flew to the sky.


    "Seven Star Gem." The Gem Lord tossed a white gem into the air before the color suddenly changed into that of a rainbow.


    "!!!" The Superior Demon and Qiel were rmed. The Superior Demon pped its wings, expanding its spiritual energy. Meanwhile, Qiel hurriedly released an arrow to the Gem Lord, which ended up getting shut down by Faust.


    "Tsk." Qiel gritted her teeth, looking at Faust. Thetter even sent a few more arrows toward her, but unlike her arrow, she was deep within the demon ranks.


    A few Peak Level Demons jumped into the air, stimting the energy within their bodies to form a barrier.


    When the arrow hit it, it let out a burst of energy, knocking those Peak Level Demons to the ground. However, the arrow still didn''t reach Qiel.


    If these demons were still here, Faust wouldn''t be able to harm Qiel. The only thing he could do was strike down her arrow to protect the rest of the people.


    And due to his help, the Gem Lord was able to finish filling up his gem with his spiritual energy.


    This rainbow-colored gem released a blinding light. The spiritual energy from the flying Superior Demon blocked a portion of the light, but it failed to stop this radiating light.


    The demons that got hit by the red light had their bodies convulse uncontrobly. Suddenly, blood started spilling out every orifice in their bodies, killing them.


    The demons hit by the yellow light had their eyes blinded and lost their bnce, causing them to fall.


    Other lights also harmed the demons in one way or another, allowing the Gem Lord to kill more than seventy demons with just a single move.


    *Cry!*


    The Superior Demon let out a loud cry before flying toward the Gem Lord. He was simply too dangerous to be left alive.


    "Hoho¡­ A mere bird dares to challenge me." The Gem Lord summoned multiple gems around his body, ready for a fight.


    The flying demons had been distracted. Noel could finally release another of his cards. "Go!"


    "Roger! Flying Squad." Felicia shouted.


    "Ha!" The squad replied as they activated the runes on their armor. After the problem Felicia presented to Noel, thetter made some improvements to it.


    The first would be the armor itself. It was a breastte made of leather, but it still covered their entire upper body. Several straps were attached to the breastte, connecting both arms and legs so that they could gain bnce when flying. Last but not least, their shoes.


    Yes, Noel actually put another rune on their shoes. If they had a hard time controlling the rune on the breastte, they could use the rune on the shoes to propel them forward. This way, their upper body wouldn''t be the only one moving while their lower body was just hanging in the air like Felicia did previously.


    Due to this arrangement, the rune on the boots could actually increase their speed.


    The flying squad finally flew into the sky for the first time without wings. They didn''t even use a lot of their spiritual energy to lift their bodies.


    Felicia looked at the iing demons and said, "Remember. Our job is to destroy those controlled demons. Use everything you have to crush them!"


    "Yes, Ma''am!"


    Qiel waspletely shocked to see people flying in the air. While it was not impossible, she had never seen anyone do it the way they did.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Qiel gasped, recognizing their n.


    Suddenly, the flying squad dove down at high speed.


    When they were about four meters above the ground, all of them took out something from their backpack before tossing it to the ground.


    Several spheres fell on top of the charging demons. It was actually a demon crystal that had been covered with hides.


    Noel had embedded a rune on it. So, right the moment they dropped to the ground, the demon crystals exploded.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The explosions crushed their bodies, especially their limbs. Even if they were controlled, they wouldn''t be able to move if they couldn''t utilize their limbs.


    This was Noel''s n. Instead of killing them with that precise detail, he simply needed to immobilize them.


    Hence, the rune embedded in it was none other than the st Rune.


    "Go to the next one!"


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The flying squad wreaked havoc in the enemy''s ranks, destroying the mobility that these demons had. At the same time, the Gem Lord was distracting the flying demons. Some of the demons also had to fight the soldiers on the wall, so the flying squad didn''t have anyone to fight them.


    "No!" Qiel realized what would happen if this continued. "Those flying people can''t be left alive. All the flying demons disengage and kill them!"


    The flying demons received Qiel''s order, but the effect wasn''t so drastic. The majority of the flying demons were upied with their own enemies. So, only dozens of flying demons were able toe toward the flying squads.


    "Five men, follow me. The rest will continue the bombardment." Feliciamanded.


    "Yes, Ma''am!"


    She split the squad. Instead of getting scared, they were nning to show them that their flying squad would rule the air from now on.


    Some of the flying demons opened their mouths or pped their wings to attack them. Meanwhile, Felicia and the rest of the men pointed their left palms toward them.


    The moment they poured their spiritual energy, the Rain of Light rune embedded on the left glove was activated, shooting more than five hundred light beams toward them.


    While the light beams would reach them or even hit their attacks, Felicia knew that it was impossible to stop every single attack. Hence, she ordered, "Activate your barrier!"


    "Yes!" They poured their spiritual energy into their backpack. The backpack turned out to be equipped with not only the ''bombs,'' but also the Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    Several feathers and beams hit their barrier, but none of them left a scratch. In addition, the Rain of Light rune had also thinned out their number.


    In the end, the flying squads reached them practically unhurt.


    "Engage them!"


    "Yes, Ma''am!" The soldiers roared. They headed straight toward a flying demon and pointed the other glove. "Rune st!"


    That was right. This was thest card that Noel had with the Flying Squads. The armor was used to fly, the boots were made to propel them, the left glove was to mow down their enemies, the backpack protected them with the barrier, and the right glove was to engage with melee when necessary. With all these runes, they were far better than the flying demons in the sky.


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    The flying demons got taken down one after another. The flying squad even increased their speed to overrun them and engage in a better position.


    The soldiers couldn''t help but cheer. They were soldiers like them. While they had cultivated their spiritual energy, it didn''t change the fact that they were overwhelming.


    However, there was no way Qiel would let this go.


    "Captain Felicia!" One of them shouted, noticing a ray of light from the side.


    "!!!" Felicia instinctively activated the Spiritual Barrier rune.


    *Boom!* This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "Captain!" The ray of light exploded,pletely devouring her.


    In the distance, there was a giant cat with a shining tail. It was this cat that shot Felicia earlier.


    The cat looked proud as though it was able to kill Felicia. However, all of a sudden, a giant lump of energy formed in the sky,ing crushing down on the cat.


    "!!!" The cat had to gather a huge amount of energy on its paw to p this lump of ball. Their sh caused a huge burst of energy that pushed the cat back.


    The cat was a Superior Demon, so it was shocked to find an attack that was able to push him back.


    "Don''t falter!" Felicia''s voice resounded across the battlefield. When the wind blew away the smoke, it was revealed that the barrier that protected Felicia was still intact, even though there were cracks all over it.


    At the same time, there was a staff in her hand. The eye of the staff was stuffed with a Peak Level demon crystal.


    Felicia couldn''t help but remember the time when Noel and Anna were about to draw runes on her.


    "Felicia. We''re going to draw five runes on your body. These runes can be activated by pouring energy. However, we''re thinking that we should also give you a weapon since five runes aren''t enough. The weapon will also contain some runes, which can be activated like this," Noel exined.


    "I shall follow your arrangement, my lord."


    The process wasn''t that hard. After it was done, Noel brought out the staff that he and Roel had been working on. She instantly dropped to her knees while raising both hands.


    "Felicia. From now on, you are¡­"


    Felicia looked at the giant cat with a solemn look. "I might only be a Spirit Master, but I shall defeat you and show the world the power my lord has bestowed upon me, for I am the first Rune Magician."

 Chapter 979 All Out War (3)

    <h4>Chapter 979 All Out War (3) </h4>


    ?979 All Out War (3)


    "The first Rune Magician?" Qiel frowned. Even Laufey and the other two Devil Saints furrowed their eyebrows after that bold deration.


    They could clearly sense that Felicia was only a Spirit Master. Her strength was nowhere near that of the Superior Demon.


    In the past, Noel and Anna had to work together to defeat a Superior Demon. And Anna was forced to use her True Spirit Body and almost died because of it. Noel''s strength was also extraordinary for a Spirit Master.


    Yet, they barely defeated it. To think that there would be someone bold enough that they could kill a Superior Demon with only her Spirit Master''s strength¡­It was ridiculous.


    However, what they didn''t know was that Felicia was the first Rune Magician in history. While her strength was nowhere near that of the Superior Demon, the gap could be closed by the runes.


    The only real gap between them was the amount of spiritual energy. A Superior Demon had more spiritual energy. Their utilization was much more powerful and contained more energy.


    Even if the runes could withstand their attack, the consumption of her spiritual energy would be ridiculously high, let alone the fact that her energy reserve was far inferior to that of a Superior Demon.


    If she imed that she could kill several Peak Level Demons, they wouldn''t really think much about it. However, Superior Demons were simply built differently.


    "Let''s test whether you have the strength to back up your words or not. Kill her!" Qiel ordered the cat to move forward. While she didn''t believe that the Rune Magician was stronger than a Superior Demon, she still wanted to test the so-called Rune Magician. After all, it would also reflect their future potential.


    The cat leaped into the air, trying to bring Felicia down.


    Felicia flew back to avoid the cat before pointing her staff at it. "Rune Spear."


    Multiple spears appeared around Felicia. She sent four of them directly toward the cat''s eyes.


    The cat gathered the spiritual energy around its palm to block these spears. Surprisingly, the spears were actually stronger than the cat originally thought.


    *Meow?!* The cat wasn''t injured, but it felt the impact and even got pushed back a little bit in mid-air.


    "Momentum Rune."


    Felicia didn''t stop and summoned the second rune, charging the momentum of the remaining spears.


    "!!!" The cat noticed the dangering from the spear. Instead of the paw, the cat actually used the nails to strike back.


    However, beforeunching the rune spears, Felicia added one more rune. "Multiplication Rune."


    Six spears flew straight to the Multiplication Rune, and each of them split into eight spears.


    *Meow?!* The cat was startled. The number was simply too many for it to stop. The cat waved its paw at lightning speed, striking as many spears as possible.


    However, ten of them still passed through its defense.


    "Impossible." Qiel widened her eyes in shock. The damage might not be fatal, but she couldn''t say it wasn''t much either. Two of the wounds were actually bleeding profusely.


    Angered, the cat''s tail shone brightly, blinding everything around it.


    Even Felicia wasn''t immune to it. She had to cover her eyes with her hands, and that was where the cat struck back.


    The cat suddenly appeared in front of her, trying to catch her.


    Sensing the cat''s presence, Felicia activated the Spiritual Barrier Rune, creating a sphere that would protect her.


    The demon cat mmed this sphere to the ground before pointing its tail toward her. It shot another beam.


    *Boom!*


    Arge explosion engulfed the area. No demons actually dared toe close. Those who had to march toward the north gate ended up avoiding all the fights between Superior Demons and human grandmasters.


    The dust was kicked up by the explosion, making them wonder if it was enough or not.


    "Captain Felicia!" One of the flying squad members panicked. That blow was so strong that they didn''t know if they could survive or not.


    However, numerous light beams soon emerged from the cloud of dust, hitting the demon cat.


    *Meo¡ª* The cat was startled and hurriedly protected its body with spiritual energy. However, some of the light beams had hit each skin, prating his flesh a little bit.


    A few spheres flew out of the dust cloud, this time heading to the cat legs.


    The cat didn''t understand it at first, but it still produced all the energy to block it. As expected, the spheres caused a chain of explosions that almost sted the cat''s legs.


    However, the cat still sensed the danger of the spheres and protected its body, resulting in minimal damage. Unbeknownst to the cat, it was nothing but a distraction.


    "Above you!" Qiel shouted as Faust sent another arrow to shut her up, only to be stopped by another wave of Peak Level Demons.


    The cat raised its head and saw a giant ball of energy. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Meteor Rune!"


    The cat hurriedly struck the ball with its paw, but it was a tad toote in using its spiritual energy.


    *Boom!*


    The sh caused a massive shock wave that blew all the demons within a ten-meter radius away. At the same time, the shock wave knocked back the cat''s paw and dislocated it.


    In fact, the paw looked distorted as if everything inside that paw had been crushed.


    Without a doubt, the cat wouldn''t be able to use that left paw anymore.


    At the same time, the shock wave also blew away the cloud of dust, showing Felicia''s condition. Her clothes were covered in dirt and her body was filled with bruises. There was blooding out of the corner of her mouth.


    Yet the fire in her eyes was still zing in full force. She looked at the cat while saying with a grin, "As expected of a Superior Demon, every single blow is so damn powerful."


    If Felicia wanted it, she could pour all her energy into the Spiritual Barrier Rune to protect her bodypletely. But she knew very well the gap between her and the Superior Demon.


    If she kept defending, her energy would run out faster than the Superior Demon. Hence, the only solution was to risk her own life. In other words, she actually lowered the output of the Spiritual Barrier Rune so that she could activate the attack type runes.


    Felicia panted a few times, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the cat. But this was probably the most exciting time in her life.


    In the past, she had been ridiculed for her spirit. While she had arge spiritual energy reserve and a high affinity for spiritual energy, it didn''t change the fact that her ability wasn''t suitable forbat.


    Whenever she fought against someone on the same level, nine out of ten fights, she would lose.


    But today was different. The one standing in front of her was not an opponent of the same level, but far more powerful than her.


    She could actually do this much injury to the demon. While it didn''t change the fact that her spiritual energy was draining so fast, she actually saw a path to victory.


    ''I''m going to change. With this power, I am not going to let anyone belittle me again. I will be the strongest Rune Magician and repay everything he has given to me.'' Felicia took a deep breath while pointing her staff at the cat. "Come. I will defeat you."


    *Meow!* The cat let out a cry and rushed toward her. It couldn''t use one of its paws anymore, so the cat could only close the distance with a single leap instead of running. As a result, there was a time when he was most vulnerable.


    Before the catnded on the ground, Felicia threw all the spheres that contained her unstable energy toward the ground where the cat was about tond. If the cat continued this way, it would definitely be blown away.


    The cat surprised Felicia by creating a small tform underneath its paws. The cat actually stepped on the air.


    "What?!" Felicia dropped her jaw as the spheres finally reached the ground.


    *Boom!*


    The explosion engulfed nothing as the cat skillfully looped around Felicia and struck her from behind.


    "Harden Rune!"


    Felicia didn''t have enough time to activate the Intermediate Rune, so she had to resort to this basic rune to harden her body. However, the sweep was swift and powerful.


    Itunched her at least fifty meters from her original position, causing her body to roll multiple times on the ground.


    The cat wasn''t even done yet. It was about to deliver a finishing blow, only to find that this was yet another trick from Felicia.


    Before the cat was able to move, it actually saw multiple spheres in front of it.


    "!!!" The cat widened its eyes, not understanding how there were so many spheres right before its eyes. However, one thing exined it all. There was a translucent barrier that isted these spheres. It was the same barrier originating from the Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    Felicia smiled.


    "Spiritual Barrier Rune release. Plus, Momentum Rune." Felicia tossed a small rock near her and the Momentum Runeunched it like a bullet, hitting the spheres.


    *Meo¡ª* The cat was shocked, trying to cover itself with spiritual energy. Unfortunately, it was toote.


    *Boom!*


    A massive explosion shook the battlefield.


    Felicia panted a few times, her face was extremely pale. There were three key things in Felicia''s action.


    The first was tossing all the spheres. The moment she saw the cat stepping on the air, she actually cast the Spiritual Barrier Rune to protect the majority of her unstable spheres.


    Because the Spiritual Barrier Rune had been used to protect the sphere, she had to use another rune, which was the Hardening Rune to protect her body. Still, the Superior Demon''s attack was much more powerful than a basic rune. In the end, her body suffered a heavy injury from this attack.


    But she actually threw herself toward her unstable spheres so that the impact would actually blow her in that direction. And she used thest bit of her strength to activate the Enhance Forward Rune, sending the spheres to the cat.


    Last but not least, she only had to detonate the unstable sphere with a small impact, which was the stone she threw earlier.


    And the result was a massive explosion. Those spheres contained almost all the spheres she had left, so even a Superior Demon wouldn''t be able to survive.


    The result was soon clear. The shadow cat lost a portion of its head. Half of its forehead was gone, the right eye disappeared, and the entire right cheek had been sttered on the soil.


    The cat was still alive despite the damage, but if one took a closer look, there was a yellow flower on the cat.


    The cat hurriedly leaped forward, trying to kill Felicia.


    "She can''t be left alive. Kill her!" Qiel shouted.


    The two remaining Superior Demons that Qiel had saved until now finally made their appearance, nking Felicia from both sides.


    "Is it still impossible for me to defeat a Superior Demon?" Felicia gritted her teeth. She thought she could finally do it, so the frustration filled her heart.


    However, Noel''s gentle voice echoed in her ears as a small me erupted on top of the cat, burning the flower. As a result, the cat fell to the ground and finally died. The me was also about to engulf the cat and reduce it to nothing.


    "My lord¡­" Felicia noticed a presence next to her. She felt too exhausted after using her all to fight the Superior Demon. Noel caught her body gently, smiling at her achievement. "Congrattions, my rune magician, for killing a Superior Demon. Leave the rest to me."


    Felicia smiled, but ended up falling unconscious.


    Noel actually came down to the battlefield. Even if the cat died, there were still two Superior Demons surrounding her.


    "That''s Noel¡­" Qiel gasped but hurriedly regained herposure as there was an even more important thing. "That''s their lord and Supreme Commander. Surround him! Don''t let him return to the city wall alive!"

 Chapter 980 All Out War (4)

    <h4>Chapter 980 All Out War (4) </h4>


    ?980 All Out War (4)


    "That''s their lord and Supreme Commander. Surround him! Don''t let him return to the city wall alive!"


    With a single order from Qiel, the demons started changing their directions. Even worse was that these demons were controlled by the yellow flowers. Without destroying their bodies, it would be hard to kill them.


    Noel was looking for a path to escape. He knew that this would happen once he came out to the battlefield after all.


    With that thought in mind, Noel started releasing his spiritual energy, nning to burn all these demons down.


    Dimitri and Anna couldn''t help but look at him, thinking the same thing, ''Should I use the True Spirit Body?''


    Once they used the True Spirit Body, the bnce would tip over. However, it also meant that they only had a limited amount of time to defeat as many enemies as possible. And with Qiel''s brain, she would surround them with low level demons to exhaust them.


    In the end, they might fail to kill a single Superior Demon and it would be impossible to continue fighting in this battle.


    However, a loud, crashing sound soon echoed on the battlefield.


    *Boom!*


    "!!!" All of them were rmed because it wasing from the east side of the city. When they turned their heads around, they saw a huge wall of water rising into the sky. The river was still doing its best to fill up the ditch, but it was clearly draining fast.


    At the same time, the Superior Demons that were about to attack Noel suddenly got rained on by numerous lights.


    The Superior Demons followed their instinct and created a barrier made of spiritual energy to protect them. The other demons were also stopped by these light beams.


    When they raised their heads, they saw Milfa hovering above Noel.


    "Milfa?!" Noel and Qiel widened their eyes in shock. They didn''t expect Milfa to take action here, meaning that she had left her spot. If Qiel took advantage of this, they could wear down the barrier even more.


    Milfa looked at the entire battlefield for the first time and noticed how chaotic it was. At the same time, it felt like the battle didn''t progress much more than they originally expected.


    ''It seems that the reputation of that man is well-deserved.'' Milfa thought while ncing at the water wall on the side.


    ¡­


    A moment ago.


    While she was stopping the demons, Duke Briton suddenly came to her and said, "The battle doesn''t progress as we originally expected. It seems that the Earl is nning something because of it. How about I take care of the entire side, so you can help him?"


    "Duke Briton? Why are you here? What do you mean that the progress is slower than our expectations?"


    "It''s pretty clear from the sound alone. If we continue like this, the enemies won''t be rushing to finish us. While one of their Superior Demons has died, they still have arge number. Just look at the demons around you. How many have you killed?"


    "I¡­" Milfa fell silent. The battle had progressed for two hours, but when she thought about it, she had killed only 200 of them. There were four thousand of them, so at this rate, she would need twenty hours to finish all of them.


    The demons might look aggressive, but they were actually doing their best to stop or even dodge her attacks.


    The only side with an aggressive pace was the north wall.


    It seemed that Duke Briton and Noel had realized this. That was why he was trying to do something to speed up the progress.


    ''An attrition warfare¡­ Twenty hours¡­ Another reinforcement?'' Milfa sucked a cold breath. "So, that''s how it is."


    Duke Briton smiled. "I will create a path for you here and kill some Superior Demons. I can only buy you thirty minutes and after this, you might have to stop all these demons by yourself, including my side."


    "Are you sure about this?" Milfa asked with a solemn expression.


    "I am nothing but an outsider, even to this kingdom. It''s not my ce to intervene in this battle to be honest. That''s why it''s better if I use up all my power, so there won''t be a lot ofints to my kingdom."


    Milfa looked at the duke''s face and finally understood that the duke understood this battle more than anyone else in this ce.


    Milfa leaped into the air while saying, "It seems that I have underestimated the man who was known as the Great Emperor of the Sea, Fleet Admiral Briton."


    "It''s an honor." Duke Briton smiled.


    Once Milfa left, Duke Briton looked at the demons around the barrier. "I don''t suggest you stay close to the barrier."


    The energy around him started to erupt as his body was enveloped by blue light.


    The water became even more violent as if it were cheering for the arrival of its ruler. Suddenly, the water sshed and rose into the sky, forming a wall of water.


    "True Spirit Body." Duke Briton shouted as another burst of energy shook the entire area. His form gradually changed. On his head, he formed a pair of fins. On his back, he formed a tail like that of a fish.


    His shirt was ripped apart, but his muscr body was covered with a blue-colored scale. A part of his pants and shoes also got destroyed by the violent energy as his feet became webbed like that of a frog.


    When he raised his hand, a trident formed out of nowhere. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    It was then he stomped the ground with the trident that all the energy that enveloped his body dispersed, revealing his true form.


    "Sea King Body."


    Duke Briton looked like a merman, but instead of his feet turning into a tail, he formed the tail on his back, allowing him to walk onnd.


    Duke Briton waved his trident as ifmanding the water. "Come forth, my beautiful water. Let''s flood this entire area. Great Tsunami."


    The wall of water that had been umted during the entire transformation suddenly rushed forward like a raging wave, engulfing all the demons around the walls. Even the four Superior Demons that attacked his and Milfa''s areas were not an exception.


    *Gulp!*


    *Gaoo!*


    The Superior Demons didn''t know what happened, but they hurriedly released their own spiritual energy, blocking this wave of water.


    The first one that was able to survive was the chicken. It was acting like a ''chicken,'' so it deployed the spiritual energy first after thinking for the worse.


    However, the floor was extremely high. The chicken managed to stop the wave, but all of a sudden, a huge shark appeared inside the water and soared into the sky after devouring the chicken.


    The chicken was still able to free itself by sshing the water with its wings, obliterating the water shark.


    *Pekoo!* The chicken didn''t expect that Duke Briton would be able to utilize a strength of this level. It looked at the duke, thinking that he wouldn''t be able to kill him. Instead of fighting the Duke Briton, it would be best to retreat until Duke Briton exhausted his power.


    But to the chicken''s surprise, Duke Briton looked at him with a smile. "Do you think you can escape?"


    Suddenly, numerous swordfish jumped off the water, heading straight to the chicken.


    The chicken hurriedly smacked them, but surprisingly, their long, ttened bill was as hard as metal. Even if the chicken managed to stop them, its movement would be weakened due to the impact.


    As a result, a few swordfish managed to stab the chicken''s body. Even with the chicken''s best efforts, more and more swordfish pierced him. The chicken was simply confused because it had never fought an opponent with this kind of ability.


    When it was about to die, Duke Briton sent forth another shark, bigger than thest one.


    "The ruler of the sea, Megalodon!" Duke Briton smirked.


    The chicken couldn''t do anything other than let the shark devour it and drag it back into the water.


    The other Superior Demons weren''t so lucky either. There were a few monsters rampaging in the flood. On the right side, there wererge tentacles, dragging them into the water to drown them. On the other side, a huge serpent was wreaking havoc.


    In just a moment, the demons were swept away by both the water and the sea creatures that Duke Britonmanded.


    Pdin Aurelia, who was stationed not far from him, couldn''t help but notice the destructive power. "This man¡­ is he truly retired? How in the world did he achieve this level of power? If he wishes to destroy the entire city, he simply needs to drown them. So, this is the famous admiral Briton, the one who is said to be undefeated in the sea. To think that the Zaecuria Kingdom would send him here."


    On the other hand, the Water Lord waspletely in awe. Even though they both controlled a simr thing, there was simply a big gap in their power. While some of this might be attributed to the True Spirit Body, it didn''t change the fact that Duke Briton was strong enough to actually receive this ability.


    ''The ruler of the sea, huh?'' The Water Lord looked in the opposite direction before shaking his head. "I have seen what the water is capable of. However, I still have the duty to defend this position. Although it''s a shame that I can''t observe him too much, I know what kind of power I should strive for."


    Noel also witnessed this amazing power. Although he wanted to think about this as well as the reason why Duke Briton used this power, he had to escape from this ce first. Looking at the situation, the flood he caused also affected the demons around it.


    So, Noel said, "Milfa. We''ll use Duke Briton''s power to escape."


    "Alright. Follow me." Milfa smiled.


    "No! All demons, kill them!" Qiel shouted, realizing what Duke Briton nned to do.

 Chapter 981 All Out War (5)

    <h4>Chapter 981 All Out War (5)</h4>


    ?981 All Out War (5)


    Noel and Milfa moved toward Duke Briton''s flood, nning to take advantage of that power to stop all the demons.


    Obviously, other demons wereing straight to them ording to Qiel''s instructions, not letting them get away.


    Milfa waved her hands, controlling the light to suppress the surrounding demons.


    Still, the two Superior Demons were chasing them at high speed. The number of demons around them was much higher than the ones she handled in her original position, so she ended up getting upied with the normal demons. Even if Dimitri or Anna used their True Spirit Body, their conditions would be simr to hers, unable to kill the Superior Demons.


    However, Noel was currently with Milfa. As soon as he saw that Milfa couldn''t handle the rest of the demons, Noel also began to make his move.


    A pair of ck wings appeared on his back as he soared into the sky. With this, they would have a hard time catching him.


    However, Noel also knew that the Superior Demons wouldn''t give up on this.


    One of the superior demons stomped on the ground, cracking it. It actually grabbed the ground through the crack and lifted it up.


    "!!!" Noel was quite surprised that a huge chunk ofnd actually flew into the air. He hurriedly shot out his Undying Phoenix, exploding the big lump of soil. Once shattered, the remnant me reduced everything to nothing.


    While he was able to stop this attack, the other Superior Demon jumped into the sky, releasing a beam of light from its mouth.


    He didn''t have enough time to release his ability, so the only thing he could do was utilize the Rune Body. He activated the Spiritual Barrier Rune that had been embedded in his body, creating a translucent sphere that blocked the beam.


    *Boom!*


    At the same time, Noel used the Enhance Forward Rune to counter the explosion force so that he didn''t get blown away in the middle.


    After blocking that attack, Milfa released a bit of her light to suppress the Superior Demons. "Go!"


    Noel immediately took this chance to fly at full speed directly toward the water.


    There were a few demons trying to block his path, but all of a sudden, numerous flying fish emerged from the water, pping all of them away.


    "!!!" Noel smiled, knowing that Duke Briton had him covered.


    However, before he could reach the water, Qiel''s arrow flew toward him, carrying an extraordinary amount of power.


    Even his Spiritual Barrier Rune would have a hard time blocking this. Fortunately, Faust''s arrow struck her arrow from the side, causing their massive energy to sh with each other.


    Sadly, this was when Qiel showed her superiority as the number one archer in the world. Her arrow contained much stronger energy than Faust''s arrow, causing thetter to actually explode in mid-air.


    But even though Faust failed to destroy Qiel''s arrow, it was still strong enough to alter the course of the arrow, causing the arrow that carried a lot of her energy to only hit Noel''s left wing.


    The arrowpletely obliterated the left wing, destabilizing Noel''s flight ability. Still, Noel finally reached the water area as hended on top of the water, using his ice ability to freeze the water as his tform to stand on.


    After that, numerous fish came out of the water to block the demons, giving Noel precious time to repair his wings before flying into the sky. Now that he was near the barrier, he simply had to fly above it before curving toward the wall.


    With this, he safely retreated to the top of the wall.


    "Master." Grandell hurriedly came to him to check on his condition. Luckily, Noel didn''t sustain any injuries.


    "Take care of her." Noel handed Felicia to him. Her name would soon spread in all four kingdoms, not only as the first rune magician but also as someone with the prowess that was capable of killing a Superior Demon while being a Spirit Master.


    It was because of her that the Ardagan Family would be famous and even more terrifying.


    "Understood." Grandell nodded with a serious expression. He never thought that there would be a day for a Spirit Master to be able to defeat a Superior Demon.


    On the one hand, this might be the reason why Felicia managed to be Noel''s direct vassal. On the other hand, Grandell knew that he might be able to do this in the future as long as he continued serving Noel.


    Noel would definitely be able to make a great change in the kingdom. As long as they could win this battle, everything would definitely change.


    Milfa also managed to return to the wall safely with her extraordinary light prowess.


    "Are you alright?" Noel asked.


    "Yeah. I''m not injured for the time being, but I have used a bit more spiritual energy than I originally expected. Still, you should know what it means to have the duke activate his True Spirit Body, right?" Milfa squinted his eyes.


    Noel''s expression turned serious. He obviously understood the effect.


    As expected of Duke Briton, his field of vision was so wide that he actually managed to understand the whole battlefield situation from his position.


    Duke Briton should have realized that if this continued, they would need too much time to actually kill all the demons.


    Noel actually asked Felicia toe forward and moved the Gem Lord to stop the flying demon due to this particr reason. He knew that the battlefield might look extreme, but the progress hadn''t been much done. Even on the north wall, he calcted that there were only about two thousand demons who had died during the past two hours.


    Knowing Qiel, she must want him to release all kinds of trump cards he had hidden the whole time so that once everything was unleashed, they wouldunch an all-out attack. It would be even worse because this was the first fight for most soldiers.


    They would wear down their stamina much faster than experienced soldiers no matter how much he raised their morale.


    Noel shouted, "Did you see it, everyone? Even a Superior Demon can be defeated by the power of rune. Even if you are only a Spirit Master, not a Spirit Grandmaster, you can still defeat it. That''s why we should trust the rune weapons we have and kill them all."


    "Oohhh!" The soldiers cheered. They obviously heard Felicia''s deration, so they had witnessed the fight themselves.


    They knew that defeating all these demons was not impossible.


    ''It''s amazing that the duke can see everything from that position, but more importantly, the duke must have known what would happen after using his True Spirit Body. From the way I see it, he will be able to kill three Superior Demons on his side. That leaves Milfa to handle the rest by herself.


    ''What kind of effect will the duke bring with his True Spirit Body? How many demons have he killed? And what kind of effect will the flood bring?''


    Noel thought it hard, wondering why the duke chose to do it. On the one hand, it looked like the duke wanted to wipe out the entire side with his power. On the other hand, it felt like the duke had one more hidden intention.


    ''The water¡­ Milfa¡­ Duke Briton¡­ and one Superior Demon¡­'' Noel looked down for a moment before widening his eyes in shock. "So, that''s how it is."


    "Is there something wrong, my lord?" Grandell asked.


    "Grandell. I''m going to tell you two things." Noel raised two fingers. His voice was low enough that no one could hear him. "First of all, tell Aerton that he will have to clear the demons down below as soon as possible and go up here. Tell him that he will take over your job here after the signal."


    "He will be here?" Grandell was stunned, not because Aerton was going up, but because his job would be left to Aerton. He thought that he had lost Noel''s trust.


    However, Noel continued with the second matter. "Secondly, I want you to follow meter. There will be a more important role for uster."


    Grandell''s expression brightened. "Y-yes!" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    It turned out that he was going to an even more important ce. He had misunderstood the Lord''s intention.


    Without hesitation, he hurriedly went to the bottom of the wall while carrying Felicia.


    "Have you figured out something?" Milfa asked.


    "Sort of. Once the True Spirit Body wears off, I hope that you can tell him this: ''I understand your action and intention. There is an even more important role waiting for you and I hope that you won''t reject it.'' That''s all."


    "More important role?" Milfa was quite surprised, but it seemed that Noel wasn''t joking. She couldn''t help but wonder what role Duke Briton was going to y after this.


    Since she had some time, she took out the pill Khalid gave her earlier, trying to restore as much spiritual energy as possible before Duke Briton exhausted himself.


    On the other hand, Noel shouted, "Anna, Dimitri, Andreas, Howard. Return to the wall right now!"


    "!!!" All four grandmasters that were fighting the Superior Demons on the battlefield widened their eyes. This was not the time to pull back. There was only one n where they needed to go back and it was to kill the Supreme Devil Organization members.


    Noel actually sped up his n.


    "You''re not going anywhere!" Laufey stepped forward, trying to stop Dimitri from leaving. However, there was soon an undying phoenix flying toward him, forcing Laufey to jump away.


    Dimitri used this chance to disappear into the shadows, leaving the battlefield. Anna was also in a simr situation. With the support of Noel, she disengaged and returned to the wall.


    Andreas''s opponent almost died, so he didn''t have much trouble going back while the giant bull that Howard fought was suppressed by the weapons from the wall.


    Now that everyone had returned, Noel smiled. ''It''s time for the execution.''

 Chapter 982 All Out War (6)

    <h4>Chapter 982 All Out War (6)</h4>


    ?982 All Out War (6)


    ''Now, it''s time for execution.'' Noel shouted, "We''ll begin our main attack!"


    There was something that Qiel couldn''t see from outside the wall. It was the fact that the other side of the wall had actually been modified.


    When one took a look behind the wall, they would notice that there was a catapult directly attached to the top of the wall. They were so big that there was an additional structure to support them.


    Roel had been working tirelessly to make this weapon sessful as this was their main attack.


    "Get ready!" The former captain of the mercenary group, Genez, shouted, informing the soldiers under hismand to charge the main attacks.


    After hearing Genez''s story from Howard, he realized that he would be perfect to monitor these weapons. Since he wanted to kill a lot of demons and the Supreme Devil Organization, he would definitely do a great job to fulfill that wish.


    The soldiers began to move toward the catapult and pour out the demon crystals.


    On the catapult was actually a huge ss sphere made ording to Felicia''s instructions. They had the same property as Felicia''s bottles, which contained all that unstable spiritual energy.


    When the demon crystals entered the system, the spiritual energy from them started to get extracted into these ss spheres.


    Once filled, Genez ordered out loud, "Fire!"


    The springs were loosened as the catapults swung violently,unching the spheres into the sky.


    "Huh?" Qiel couldn''t help but raise her head, noticing the iing balls. She didn''t know what it was, but from the spiritual energy emanating from it, it was definitely something dangerous.


    "Not good! Destroy it!" Qiel shouted in panic while pointing her arrow at it. At the same time, she noticed that Faust was also doing the same thing.


    Several demons jumped into the sky, while others gathered their energy to shoot them down.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of massive explosions filled the air above the demons. The shock waves were so massive that they actually caused a huge mess in the demon''s ranks. Most of the low level demons had a hard time stopping the shock wave and got blown away.


    The other demons tried to use their abilities to form a barrier to block the shock wave, but they wereing from multiple directions, causing them to be unable to protect everything.


    And this was onlying from the explosions in the air. What if these explosions reached the ground? The demons could picture themselves getting sted into smithereens.


    Qiel widened her eyes in shock. The st actually killed a lot of demons, especially the ones that were trying to catch the spheres. They got knocked down to the ground so hard that their bodies were crushed.


    However, these attacks didn''t end there. Another volley of unstable energy flew into the sky.


    "Shoot it. Shoot it before they reach us." N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    The demons were trying their best to shoot these spheres. This time, they had managed to actually destroy the iing spheres before they were near them.


    The problem was that because of her action and their wariness of this type of attack, Qiel ended up ordering all the long-


    ranged demons to attack these spheres, meaning that the demons didn''t actually support the other demons near the wall.


    "Go!" Noel waved his hand down.


    The flying squad once again flew into the sky. Instead of the flying beasts, they were actually looping around the city and releasing the bombs they carried in their backpacks. As for their destination, it was obvious.


    The Water Lord, who was still controlling his elemental, noticed iing allies from the sky. They dropped a lot of spheres from their bag, raining them down.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A lot of demons had their bodies obliterated by these bombs.


    The two Superior Demons that kept him upied couldn''t help but realize what they were nning to do. The snail looped around, trying to shoot them down. However, the Water Lord controlled the green-colored elemental to m its body into the snail.


    "!!!" The snail fell down.


    The snake, on the other hand, soared into the sky by taking advantage of its size. However, the blue water elemental grabbed the snake from behind and dragged it back to the water.


    *Shaaa!*


    The snake struggled, but there was nothing they could do as the flying squads killed a lot of them.


    The bombardment continued as the flying squads tried to kill as many demons as possible.


    These demons wondered what they should do currently.


    Qiel widened her eyes in shock, realizing Noel''s n. ''So, that''s how it is. He is sealing our long-ranged attack. To stop all the iing spheres, I have to gather all those demons that are capable of releasing a long-range attack. And with this, there''s no one who can stop the flying squads from obliterating the rest of the demons.


    ''No. He must want to kill the demons on the side so that those four Spirit Grandmasters could actually help the north wall. And if this continued, the Superior Demon I stationed over there would be killed too.


    ''No. The trigger must be that Duke! He actually killed three Superior Demons by using his True Spirit Body, and he was able to maintain that position for a bit longer. Even if he has exhausted his power, Milfa could easily protect that side by herself from the remaining demons.


    ''They are trying to force me to reinforce those sides to keep them at bay. But if I spread myself too thin, Noel would definitely use this to crush all the demons in the north side.''


    Qiel panicked, realizing that she had fallen into his trap. ''What should I do? What can I do to resolve this situation? Commence a full scale attack on the wall? But that''s not the original n. If I do it right now, the soldiers still have a lot of energy left to defeat us.


    ''Then, should I send Laufey and the others? No. If I do that, it''s going to be extremely hard for us to drag those people back to the battlefield, especially during the bombardment.


    ''We have to drag at least a few of them from those walls so that they stop the bombardment even for a moment.''


    Qiel was trying to find an alternative so that the ns could work like they originally intended.


    Noel didn''t know Qiel''s original intention. However, he did know that he simply had to kill at least fifty thousand demons so that Qiel wouldn''t have enough demons left to pressure them. And he had to do it today.


    Due to Qiel arriving midday, they only had several hours left before the sky turned dark. And at that time, it would be hard to locate the enemies and what they were nning to do.


    It seemed that Qiel had nned the timing carefully. Noel made the assumption that Qiel''s real n came in the dark.


    That was why they didn''t have a lot of time left to destroy these demons. Duke Briton should have realized this and chose to light up a spark on the battlefield to progress it forward.


    Qiel and Noel looked at each other, wondering what each other was thinking.


    Noel wanted to kill the demons and force Qiel to send reinforcements to the other sides. On the other hand, Qiel had been stalling for a while. Before Duke Briton did anything, they only lost about seven thousand demons from all sides. While the number looked amazing at first nce, it was only less than ten percent of their total force.


    Even if they continued until dusk, they would still have fifty thousand demons left, which was big enough for them to do something.


    But because Duke Briton activated his True Spirit Body and Noel took advantage of that spark, they lost more than five thousand demons in just thirty minutes. The rate would definitely get even higher when the Water Lord, Pdin Aurelia, and Milfa came to the north wall.


    ''Think. Think. I have to think of a way to stop all this¡­'' Qiel gritted her teeth, wondering how she could outsmart Noel.


    Laufey and the other two Devil Saints had returned. Laufey asked, "Oi, old hag. What are we going to do next? Even though I am not adept at arge battlefield like this, I still know that we will lose if this keeps up."


    "We have to find something¡­ We need to stop them. What can we actually do to force her to stop?" Qiel ignored Laufey and kept muttering.


    "Can we justunch an all-out attack now?" Another Devil Saint asked.


    "No. Our original intention was to destroy the city. If possible, capture both Anna Stargaze and Noel Ardagan alive."


    "Then, why don''t we just lure them out if we want to capture them?" Laufey snarled.


    "!!!" Qiel widened her eyes in shock as if she had gotten an idea from Laufey''s remark. "What did you say?"


    "Why don''t we just lure them out if we want to capture them¡­" Laufey repeated his words, confused.


    "That''s right. We should lure them out. If they are leaving the city, the bombardment has no choice but to stop for a moment. The demons can surround them and weaken them. After that, we will destroy them¡­ As for how to lure them¡­" Qiel looked around, wondering if they had something that could drag Noel out.


    Qiel raised two fingers. "Laufey. Pass the message to the Superior Demons, especially the remaining demon tree. I have a new order."


    Their expressions turned serious as they couldn''t help but gasp, realizing the insanity of Qiel''s n. However, if they seeded, they could definitely turn the battle around.


    With that thought in mind, the remaining demon tree came forth and spread its branches as if it were trying to cover what Qiel and the others were nning to do.


    "Hmm?!" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, feeling something was wrong.


    "Noel. I feel like the threat are moving away¡­ There are a lot of them moving toward¡­ there¡­" Anna pointed to the northwest where the demons came from.


    "Huh?" Noel looked shocked as if he couldn''t believe what Qiel was nning to do.


    "Are they retreating? Should we chase them? Or should we destroy all the demons here?"


    Noel clenched his fists. "We should chase them."


    "Chase them? What are they nning to do, Master?" Dimitri asked.


    "Livia." Noel only dropped a single name, which became the biggest hint.


    Anna instantly picked up and exined what she found. "Don''t tell me, they are going to reinforce the demons that Damian keeps at bay. Are they going to fight the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    "They have no choice. And by doing this, we have no choice but to stop them. And there should be a lot of demons and multiple Superior Demons that Damian stops. If they get all of them and add them to this army, it''s going to be our loss."


    "!!!" Anna and Damian shuddered. Anna shouted, "Then, send me out. I will definitely stop them."


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.

 Chapter 983 Decisive Moment (1)

    Chapter 983 Decisive Moment (1)


    ??983  Decisive Moment (1)


    The battle continued with the enemies going further and further away. If this continued, Qiel would definitely defeat Damian and bring back enough reinforcement to turn the situation around.


    However, to reach her, Noel and the others had to cut their way through these numerous demons.


    Finally, the flying squad returned to the north wall before dropping everything they had around the gate.


    After that, the city gate on the north wall was finally lowered. The first two people that emerged from the gate were none other than Dimitri and Anna.


    Lightning Piercer.


    Shadow Gate.


    An enormous lightning strike flew toward the demons, hitting one of them and electrocuting everyone around. On the other side, a giant circle appeared on the ground and started swallowing the demons as though it were a gate to hell.


    There were two Spirit Masters that apanied them. They were the two original direct subordinates of Howard.


    Their original task was to bring a total of fifty elite soldiers with them and protect them as they tried to break through the demon army.


    "Kill them!" Laufey obviously wouldn''t allow them as he sent forth the demons.


    The demon army shifted a little bit, positioning themselves to stop Anna and Dimitri.


    Four Superior Demons also came forth. The Ancient Demon Tree sent the roots to crush the soldiers behind Anna. This was also another reason why it would be hard to break through the enemies.


    If only the two of them reached the other side, it would be hard to stop Qiel and those numerous demons. At the same time, the demon army would do everything they could to kill as many soldiers as possible.


    "I will create a path for you, youngdy Anna." Dimitri took a deep breath as his shadow began to return to his body, forming several tattoos. At the same time, a red horn appeared on the left side of his forehead. "True Spirit Body."


    The spiritual energy inside Dimitri''s body erupted, causing the ground to reverberate. Even Laufey, who wasmanding the demon, noticed Dimitri''s action. "He is really going to activate his True Spirit Body."


    He couldn''t help but smile, realizing that everything had gone ording to Qiel''s prediction. Even if Dimitri couldst for a while, they could just wear him down first before defeating him.


    "Shadowless Body." Dimitri''s transformation wasn''t as grand as that of Duke Briton. However, that was exactly why he had the shadow power. If one took a look at his body, they would notice that there was no shadow underneath him. It was because he controlled every shadow in the world. And if he still had his shadow, that shadow would also be affected.


    With a single wave of his hand, numerous roots suddenly emerged from the ground.


    "!!!" In every single root, there was a ck shadow spiraling to the very tip. Two more Superior Demons charged forward, blocking their path.


    Dimitri stepped forward and raised his de.


    "Shadow Explosion."


    The moment Dimitri waved his de, the shadows of every living thing felt like they were being pulled back.


    The wave of energying from his sword caused an extremely powerful shock wave thatunched all the shadows away. And obviously, the shadows ended up pulling up the real bodies, clearing up their path.


    Laufey gritted his teeth. Even though he knew that Dimitri was strong, he never expected that he would be this strong. Just like Duke Briton, if he wanted to cause massive destruction, it wouldn''t be hard for him.


    The low level demons couldn''t withstand the pressure from that de, causing them to have their bones pulled out of their bodies and ultimately killing them.


    Now that there was a gap, the soldiers increased their pace, making sure that they didn''t get left behind.


    "Kill them!" Laufey gritted his teeth. This wasn''t enough. He should weaken Dimitri even further. "Even if they get past you, just chase after them."


    This was also Qiel''s scheme. If they could chase after Anna and Dimitri before Qiel turned around, nking them from two sides, even with the True Spirit Body, they wouldn''t survive.


    However, the water inside the ditch suddenly rose, startling Laufey.


    ''This power¡­ Isn''t he supposed to be¡­'' Laufey gasped and hurriedly shouted, "Not good. Hurry up and back out! Superior Demons, hurry up and form a barrier to redirect the water to avoid all of us getting killed."


    "Tsunami."


    The water started to fall forward, creating a raging wave that swept the battlefield.


    All of a sudden, Duke Briton stepped on the north wall, looking at the entire situation much more clearly than before.


    The Superior Demon Tree hurriedly created a barricade with its roots, but Duke Briton sent forth multiple creatures to take it down. Meanwhile, Milfa had returned to her position, taking over Duke Briton''s job.


    ''There are still ten minutes left.'' Duke Briton thought before waving his hands, controlling the waves so that the enemies didn''t chase after Anna and Dimitri.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Laufey furrowed his eyebrows, thinking, ''So, that''s what they want. Duke Briton still has some time left, so they want him to stop the demons from chasing after Anna and Dimitri. At the same time, even if Duke Briton has exhausted his power, his expertise on the battlefield is much higher than that of Noel or Howard.


    ''In other words, there will be twomanders on top of that wall, allowing them to create two separate actions. This is not looking good, but I still have enough strength to resist them.''


    Laufey hurriedly arranged the yellow flower to gather the demons so that they could block off the waterway connected to the river. As long as there wasn''t enough water, Duke Briton''s strength wouldn''t do much.


    Qiel didn''t care about this because Duke Briton didn''t have much time left on the battlefield. This also showed Laufey''s ability tomand the demon army.


    Because he ordered the demons to stop the flowing water, Duke Briton could finally iste them.


    The raging water suddenly shifted as if it had its own will. However, what actually happened was that the left side had a higher flow rate than the right side.


    Duke Briton actually pumped out more water toward the left side, causing a small flooded area that separated the left side and the army in front of him.


    "!!!" Laufey widened his eyes in shock. Something was going on, but he didn''t know what Duke Briton was trying to do.


    Duke Briton nced at Aerton. "Go!"


    Aerton nodded. He was tasked with doing everything that Duke Briton ordered. So, he immediately sent off the signal for the flying squads to exterminate all the demons on the left after they were isted.


    "!!!" Laufey widened his eyes in shock. "Wait a minute. Don''t tell me, he is¡­"


    Laufey reacted a bit toote because the flying squad had gone straight to the demons that were trying to fill up the waterway with soil.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The demons were so focused on dealing with the soil that they didn''t react fast enough to the bombardment.


    Laufey trembled, his face was pale. "He¡­ he actually wanted me to use all the demons that had the ability to control earth or soil and eliminate all of them. He knew that they would be the most dangerous ones because they could create a bridge that could reach the top of the wall. Qiel actually wanted to use them as a trump card, but Duke Briton saw through it and eliminated all of them."


    That was right. The Demon Tree was dangerous, but it was still only a single tree. There were other demons that could manipte the earth and form a staircase to the top of the wall with that power.


    Qiel originally wanted to wait until the sky turned dark before buildingplex staircases all around the wall. This way, the people on top of the wall didn''t realize that their doom was about toe.


    Hence, eliminating them would cause the demon army to suffer an insurmountable loss. Even if they wanted to reach the top of the wall, they would need to make a lot of sacrifices. And there was no guarantee that they could actually win or not.


    Laufey knew that he had made a huge blunder.


    Duke Briton simply smiled as if everything had gone as expected. "You are too young to fight me on the battlefield, brat. Better call that old woman or a genius like Noel Ardagan if you want to fight me."


    This was the second intention of Duke Briton using his True Spirit Body early. Even if he couldn''t fight anymore, he could stillmand the army.


    "Release all we have and mow them down. We will reduce their number as much as possible before dusk." Duke Britonmanded.


    "Yes, Sir." Aerton hurriedly passed the message to others.


    Howard let out a long sigh. The second stage of the battle was almost done. He had to recover first before they could move on to the third stage.


    But before that, there was another ce he had to go. Howard rushed back to the bottom of the wall where ra fought against the Superior Demon Crocodile.


    With both of them here, the Superior Demon would die sooner orter.


    Even the Gem Lord was impressed by how the situation developed. He had never thought that Noel could gather all these people.


    "It seems that I haven''t made the wrong choice. Well, I''ll be enjoying the wealth of the Ardagan Family after this battle and passing on my mantle as an elder of the Tower Association. I wonder if the Earl allows me to enjoy my peaceful retirement in his city¡­" The Gem Lord yfully smiled.


    He would get twenty percent of the mine''s shares. If he retired, it meant that he could spend the rest of his life researching things without any pressure.


    And with this battle, the Ardagan Family would definitely soar into the sky, bing the perfect ce to retire.


    "It seems that I have to contribute much more than this if I want to retire here. While I don''t have the fancy True Spirit Body, I still have enough strength to kill a Superior Demon and thousands of lower level demons." The Gem Lord became a bit energetic, as if his future was on the line.


    There were two other people who worked extremely hard. While they didn''t have a fighting role, they still yed a fairly important role in this battle.


    The first one was Rose. She had been stationed inside the city in case their strategy against the underground demon failed.


    But since the strategy seeded, her role turned into that of a support and analyst of the battle. With the sense and power she had trained when she was with the Demon Banner Army, Rose actually knew how she should move the troops.


    After seeing the number of injured people that had been brought down from the city wall, Rose said, "Bring the injured to the east ward. Also, send another one hundred people to the wall."


    "Understood." A soldier immediately left her to bring the message.


    The women and kids were moving around the town with bandages and hot water, helping with the treatment of the soldiers. And Rose was the one controlling everything.


    Charlotte was looking at her from afar while shaking her head helplessly. "It seems that my sessor can help not only with administrative problems but also on the battlefield. I''m d."


    Jasmine sighed. "My knowledge is not rted to this, but help me with the number of herbs, will you? I will create a farm both for food and medicinal herbs after this battle."


    "I know. Anyway, we rested long enough. Let''s continue treating the others."


    "Yeah."


    On the other side of the city, Livia was shouting at the men who were carrying boxes after boxes. "Bring those boxes over there. These boxes are immediately sent to Tristan."


    Yes, Livia was also ying an important role. While she was good at fighting, her identity as the second princess caused her to work as someone working behind the table even in the Greenwood Kingdom. And Noel took advantage of this and made her the supervisor of their logistics.


    She had been sending supplies of the flying squad''s bombs, demon crystals, and runes.


    With these two women working on their jobs, the wall wouldn''t fall.


    That was why Anna and Dimitri could chase after Qiel. As expected, the one that would determine this war would be their battle.

 Chapter 984 Decisive Moment (2)

    Chapter 984 Decisive Moment (2)


    ??"We are out." Anna looked back and noticed that the demons didn''t chase after them because of the flood.


    Dimitri, who had activated his True Spirit Body, only had the same amount of time as Duke Briton when he first activated his True Spirit Body.


    Hence, it would be better not to waste this opportunity.


    "I will go first so that we can catch up to them."


    "It''s on you, Dimitri. You just have to target Qiel and their entire army won''t have no choice but to stop." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Understood." Dimitri disappeared into the shadow.


    Qiel might only bring a thousand demons with her, but there were two Devil Saints with them. There was no need for the Superior Demons, considering Noel couldn''t send out all his power as well.


    If it was only Dimitri and Anna, she had the confidence to take both of them down in this ce.


    Dimitri suddenly appeared behind them with ck-colored energy enveloping his body.


    As he raised his de, it felt like there was a ck curtain attached to the sky.


    "So, you''vee." Qiel secretly signaled the two Devil Saints to take their position as her body was enveloped with light.


    "Shadow Expansion!" With a single wave of his sword, the curtain expanded toward Qiel. Anna already told her that he only needed to stop Qiel, so he did.


    As expected, the demons stopped. This ck curtain contained massive energy that cut everything apart, including the ground. When the demons tried to stop it, they were immediately shed into two.


    However, before it reached Qiel''s position, a piercing light flew toward the ck curtain, bending it to the limit before breaking it apart. At the same time, the light lost all of its energy and got engulfed in the residual power of the ck curtain.


    Dimitri raised his head, looking at the one who stopped his attack. Qiel had also transformed.


    On her back were a pair of white and ck wings. Instead of a horn, she actually had a third eye on her forehead.


    Her bow was extended. The upper part had a ck-colored extension, while the bottom part had a white extension. The arrow she formed was white in color, but the energy that shrouded it was dark.


    "Profound Cannon." Qiel released the arrow.


    The arrow flew much faster than anything she had shot before. Even though there didn''t seem to be any weird energy flowing out of the arrow, Dimitri had to wield his sword with both hands and strike the arrow with all his might just to deflect the arrow.


    *Boom!*This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    The arrownded on the ground a bit farther away from him, causing a massive explosion that even left a crater 30 meters in diameter. And it was just from a single arrow. If this kind of arrow hit the city wall, even the Spiritual Barrier Rune wouldn''t be able to stop it.


    "You are a fool, Dimitri. If you think that you can defeat us here, then you''re dead wrong. This will be the ce you shall be buried." Qiel spoke, her voice gave off a bit of an ethereal feeling.


    "Utter nonsense. I have always wanted to assassinate the strongest sniper in history, then how about I achieve it today?" Dimitri smiled while raising his de.


    "If you assassinate me during the night, I might not be able to do anything against you. But it''s daylight now." Qiel harrumphed.


    "Shadow might be able to blend with darkness during the night, but the shadow is much darker during the day!" Dimitri suddenly disappeared.


    "Take care of Anna and the soldiers!" Qiel ordered the demons and the two Devil Saints.


    "Do you think you have time to order your people?" Dimitri used her shadow to appear behind her.


    Qiel turned around while swinging her blow to stop Dimitri, but thetter grabbed her wrist and nned to cut her down.


    However, a stream of light appeared around them. Even Dimitri was wrapped in this light as they suddenly flew into the sky like an arrow.


    That was right. Qiel turned them into an arrow with her ability andunched them into the sky.


    There was ack of shadow in the sky, so Dimitri wouldn''t be able to utilize his power.


    "!!!" Dimitri saw Qiel pping his wings to ensure that she remained in the air, while Dimitri had no choice but to fall down. Qiel even aimed her arrow at him.


    Dimitri smiled. Even if they were in the sky, as long as he had the sun, it was enough.


    With a snap of his fingers, Qiel''s wings suddenly closed up.


    ''My wings? No, the shadow on my wings?'' Qiel realized how Dimitri did it, but it was toote. She had released her arrow, which ended up with her shooting her own wings and creating a massive hole in them.


    Still, the arrow headed straight toward Dimitri.


    Dimitri pulled back his sword, utilizing Qiel''s shadow once again to connect his shadow. He aimed at the arrow and made a thrusting motion.


    Shadow Connection.


    Suddenly, the shadow from his de and Qiel''s shadow extended as if they were trying to reach each other.


    The arrow hit this shadow, having a hard time piercing through. At the same time, the connection from behind began enveloping the arrow, neutralizing it.


    Qiel waved her right hand, forming multiple arrows around her. After that, she took one and drew her arrow.


    The other arrows followed this arrow and flew straight to Dimitri in all kinds of directions.


    Dimitri didn''t know why this woman used this kind of power. The arrows didn''t contain a lot of energy, so even a weak defense would be enough to stop them.


    With that thought in mind, Dimitri spread his shadow into multiple spikes, hitting one arrow after another. There was even an arrow so white that it almost blended with the sun. Fortunately, Dimitri saw iting and blocked it.


    However, he felt something even more dangerousing from his side. He instinctively raised his left arm, which ended up being pierced by an arrow.


    "!!!" Dimitri couldn''t believe it. It was no wonder why Qiel made such weak arrows. It turned out she was trying to lower his guard.


    She even yed with the brightness of the arrow, which ended up blinding him with another arrow.


    Because it didn''t contain a lot of energy, it could blend perfectly with nature and almost hit Dimitri.


    A smile formed on Qiel''s face as if implying this was a payback for forcing her to shoot her own wings.


    Both of them were about tond. Even Qiel couldn''t repair her wings mid-air due to the extensive damage. When she pped her wings, she had a hard time maintaining her altitude, so she also nned tond gently on the ground.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri came crashing down. When he was about to reach the ground, Dimitri waved his hand.


    Shadow Maniption, Net Form.


    The shadows expanded from the tree branches and connected with each other, forming a. Hended on top of it and used the spring to actuallyunch himself toward Qiel.


    Intertwining Arrow.


    Qiel released another arrow to stop Dimitri. This time, it was a straightforward arrow that contained a lot of energy. She must want to stop his momentum with brute force.


    However, when Dimitri struck this arrow, it didn''t meet much restriction. Instead, it actually split into two, looping around Dimitri from both sides before curving back toward him. They even joined back together.


    Dimitri used his shadow to pull his body, causing it to spin in mid-air. It used the rotation to hit the arrow before extending the sword with the shadow.


    Qiel took the full brunt with her bow, causing her to beunched back to the ground.


    The shadows around her began to move before turning into spikes around her.


    If not for Qiel''s fast reaction to jumping away, there would have been a lot of holes in her body. Even if she was fast enough, some of the spikes still grazed her skin, causing some superficial wounds.


    Even the wings didn''t escape unscathed, making her unable to fly. It seemed that Dimitri was nning all this.


    As long as she was on the ground, there were a lot of shadows that could be his weapon. That was why this ce would be her execution ground.


    Qiel looked at Dimitri with a solemn face. Even though the situation was a bit unfavorable for her, Qiel wasn''t afraid of him. After all, she had nned all this.


    *Boom!*


    An explosive sound echoed from behind them, alerting Dimitri.


    "!!!"


    ¡­


    A moment ago.


    Anna looked at the iing demons and said, "Get ready! We will turn ourselves into a spear and pierce through their formation. Leave the two grandmasters to me."


    "Yes!" The soldiers shouted, ready to move in unison. Although there were a total of one thousand demons among them, they were the elite soldiers of the Ardagan Family. This number was still within their means, especially with Anna and Dimitri leading the group personally.


    "It''s impossible for you to stop us. It''s your destiny to fall on our hands, Anna Stargaze!" One of the Devil Saints actually spoke while stopping the demons. It seemed that he was trying to lower their morale by reminding her of the severity of her situation.


    "You don''t have to waste your words on me. All I need is to kill both of you, and this battle is as good as ours." Anna snorted.


    "Do you think you can stop us? Even if we are still a bit weaker than the previous Devil Saints, we are still Devil Saints."


    "You''re just mere recements. Don''t talk like you are someone good. The two of you aren''t enough to defeat me." Anna snorted. "No need to say anything! Get ready!"


    Anna, who was just about to engage with the demons and the two Devil Saints, was quite shocked by the sound of an explosion. She couldn''t help but turn around and notice the iing reinforcement.


    "Huh?" Anna blinked her eyes a few times. There were about another one thousand demonsing from behind and she could actually see Laufey and a Superior Demon Tiger with him.


    The Devil Saint smiled. "Yes. We both definitely don''t have the strength to capture you, especially since you have your True Spirit Body. But what if there are Laufey and another Superior Demon?"


    "You are simply too arrogant, Anna Stargaze. You don''t realize that we''re simply buying time for them."


    Laufey also had a True Spirit Body. It could be said that Laufey was her equal on this battlefield. If Laufey chose to stop her while the others exterminated the knights, even she might not be able to do anything.


    "Surrender Anna Stargaze. We won''t treat you badly¡­ at least until we get your fiance."

 Chapter 985 Decisive Moment (3)

    Chapter 985 Decisive Moment (3)


    ??"Surrender Anna Stargaze. We won''t treat you badly, at least until we get your fiance."


    Anna looked at Dimitri''s situation before turning back, looking at the iing demons. They would be attacked from two different directions by at least two thousand demons. Even with the strength of the soldiers, it would be hard for them to kill these demons alone.


    As the Devil Saint said, resistance was futile.


    "I know that this is a trap already. There is no way that you are leaving your post so easily without any ns in mind."


    "Youngdy Anna¡­" One of the Spirit Masters came to her, preparing for the worst. He wanted to advise her to leave the battlefield as they had opened a path for her.


    Anna waved her hand as if this matter were still salvageable.


    But because of that rejection, reinforcement had arrived. They stopped right before them, showing how obedient the demons could get.


    There was only one reason why Laufey stopped the demons.


    "Anna Stargaze. It''s better if you give up now. You might even be treated gently if you don''t put up any resistance as well as tell me everything about the Ardagan Family." Laufey looked down on her from on top of the demon.


    Anna couldn''t help but smirk. "Laufey Ardagan, the uncle of my fiance¡­ To think that you would betray the Ardagan Family in the past."


    "Ardagan? I have long abandoned that name. No, should I say that I have never belonged to the Ardagan Family?" Laufey snorted. "If you think that you can buy some time by talking, it won''t matter. We havepletely sealed the exit. Unless Milfa uses her True Spirit Body, you won''t be able to break through. And if she truly uses it, the Ardagan Family''s doom is just a matter of time."


    "You''re talking big." Anna chuckled. "It seems that you don''t know anything about the Ardagan Family."


    Laufey couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows.


    "What do you want to ask me? The Ardagan Family''s weapons and trump cards? Or are you going to ask me about your desire¡­ about the secret information of the Ardagan Family¡­" Anna gave a subtle hint because it was Laufey who stole one of the secret books that the Ardagan Family had.


    "!!!" Laufey widened his eyes in shock. As the futuredy of the Ardagan Family, it would be obvious if Noel would tell Anna about some secret. However, he never thought that without a formal marriage or heir, Noel would dare tell her about those secrets. "Hurry up and tell me everything!"


    Anna smirked before sticking out her tongue. "I don''t want to. Why don''t you force me to say it?"


    "You¡ª!" Laufey gritted his teeth and raised his right hand, signaling the demons to get ready to charge.


    "You guys protect our rear. I will handle everyone here." Anna looked at Laufey with a serious expression. Her hair started flickering and changing color. The lightning began to spark all around her body.


    "If you want it, why don''t you try to get it from me?" Anna smirked, taunting Laufey.


    "So be it! Attack!" Laufey shouted, ordering both the demons under hismand and the ones on the opposite side.


    "Lightning Transformation!" Anna shouted. The lightning erupted, shattering the earth around her.


    "True Spirit Body? No, it should be the transformation she showed in the capital." Laufey waved down his hand. "Don''t be afraid. It''s not the True Spirit Body."


    Looking at the iing demons, Anna muttered with a smile, "Look at these demons¡­ Don''t you think it''s time to show them who the boss is?"


    Her sword responded as though there was a souling out of the sword with the same figure as Anna. "Of course. How many do you want to kill?"


    "All of them." Anna raised her sword, activating the rune on the sword. "Sword. Drink my blood."


    A rune on the de activated as it suddenly produced a small spike on the handle, piercing Anna''s palm. The rune was drinking Anna''s blood and extracting the pure energy contained in every drop of blood.


    Then, the blood gradually moved toward the de and started turning the de red. This was yet another rune, Conductor.


    It was using the blood to coat the sword and conducting the ridiculous amount of energy contained within it.


    Anna raised her sword before swinging it diagonally. "Extension."


    "No!" Laufey noticed the rune and hurriedly stopped them. However, the Superior Demon was able to act faster since he was closer.


    Anna swung the sword diagonally as the sword extended so far, cutting all the demons within range. They were currently charging at Anna, so they didn''t put anything into their defense.


    There wasn''t a single demon that could stop the de, especially because Anna increased the sword''s power by using her own blood.


    In just a single swing, she killed more than a hundred demons until the Superior Demon Tiger struck the de with its ws before she managed toplete her swing.


    Seeing that she couldn''t continue the swing, she retracted the extension rune and used her speed to move toward the Superior Demon, trying to kill it first to lower their number.


    However, Laufey appeared in front of her and struck her with his de.


    Anna activated yet another rune on her sword, the Burst Rune. With a single swing, the explosive spiritual energy was discharged from the sword.


    *Boom!*


    The contact of their de caused that energy to explode, sting Laufey several meters away.


    "Kh¡­ How can she be that strong?" Laufey gritted his teeth. Anna''s strength was truly above his prediction. And she was still going toward the tiger.


    Fortunately for them, the two Devil Saints weren''t that foolish. As soon as they saw Anna dominating the battlefield, they decided to join the fight to suppress Anna instead of killing the elite soldiers.


    They nked Anna from left and right.


    The first Devil Saint was a master of body transformation. When he was trying to attack Anna, his right arm turned into a bear paw and mmed her from above.


    The other Devil Saint was using a spear, thrusting his weapon from a rather safe distance after seeing how Laufey was also overpowered by her.


    Anna caught the bear''s paw with her left hand, surprisingly not overpowered by the momentum and weight the bear''s paw had.


    "What?!" The Devil Saint was stunned. Even Laufey would have to block or avoid it when facing this paw, yet Anna could actually catch itpletely. What kind of monster was she?


    What she didn''t know was that Anna had the power of two Spirit Hearts and Spirit Minds, allowing her to harness twice her original power. And the original soul also controlled Anna''s spiritual energy to ensure that they didn''t use an excessive amount of power.


    There was no way she needed to be scared of this level of paw. For the spear user that attacked her from a distance, Anna simply waved her de, unleashing her lightning which caused the Devil Saint to block it with the spear''s handle. Even then, the power was still enough to push him back several meters.


    "Don''t let her charge the power in her scabbard. If it''s unleashed, one of us is going to die!" Laufey shouted, remembering what kind of terrifying power Anna could unleash after sheathing her de.


    However, Anna actually tapped the ground with her shoe, forming a big rune on the soil.


    "!!!" The three Devil Saints jumped away as soon as they saw the rune, while the Superior Demon was stuck, not knowing what the rune was for.


    All of a sudden, streams of light came out of the runes and enveloped the elite soldiers, increasing their physical abilities.


    "This is¡­" One of them noticed immediately and shouted, "This is the rune to increase your physical abilities from the youngdy. We can''t disappoint her! Ardagan Family''s soldiers, charge!"


    "Oohhh!" The soldiers used this surge of strength to kill all the demons in front of them.


    Laufey realized that theirck of knowledge about runes could be used to force them to back away. If it was an attack rune and they didn''t retreat, they would definitely be devoured alive.


    "What''s wrong? Are you scared?" Anna smirked, taunting them. "To think that the Supreme Devil Organization, which is normally spreading fear, is actually a coward."


    "You¡­" Laufey gritted his teeth. "Kill all of them. It doesn''t matter if you have to cut a few of her limbs as long as she survives! You are simply clinging to Dimitri''s ability. When his True Spirit Body wears out, you won''t be able to do anything."


    The demons surrounded Anna and the soldiers. The Devil Saints and the Superior Demon were ready to move again, but this time, they were more careful than anyone else.


    "I know that your n is to lure us out so that you can kill or capture us, which can be used against Noel. You must have two original ns. The first is to overwhelm us with the number of demons. The second n is something about buying time.


    "Unfortunately, our strength is much stronger than you originally thought, causing you to pull back and act like you are struggling to buy time. But once we see through that n, you are luring us out to take out a fewmandants to weaken the city.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "And because of that, I am here with Dimitri. We have no choice but to fall into your scheme."


    "So, what? You have been trying to buy time this whole time. No matter what you do, you won''t be able to escape from here." Laufey squinted his eyes.


    "Then, humor me with onest question. What will you do if you all actually die here?" Anna smiled. Instead of using her Lightning Transformation to push Laufey a bit further, Anna actually released a ridiculous amount of energy as a pair of horns appeared on her forehead.


    "True Spirit Body."


    "!!!" Laufey couldn''t help but tremble, feeling this energy. The lightning was raging around Anna. Even the demons felt scared to approach her.


    The white lightning gradually changed color as if it had been dyed with blood.


    "Lightning Berserker Body."


    Laufey knew what to do when she transformed this way. He simply had to surround her until they exhausted a portion of her strength before using his own True Spirit Body to defeat her.


    However, all the precious time Anna had bought was important. He simply didn''t realize how much it mattered.


    There was only one person who understood why Anna bought all this time. It was Qiel. Due to her position, she could see a cloud of dust rising behind Laufey''s demon army.


    "What are you doing, Laufey? Hurry up and defeat¡ª" Dimitri appeared in front of Qiel and knocked her to the ground when she was distracted.


    "!!!" Laufey''s body shook. There was no way Qiel would scream like that for no reason. Was there something she didn''t know? Did she buy time for some reason? He could think about itter. "Attack her!"


    "Sorry, it''s not possible. You underestimate us too much." Anna smirked.


    *Bam!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    Suddenly, a huge explosion sound echoed from the rear as numerous demons were sted into the air.


    If they turned around, they would notice a small armypletely obliterating their rear. And there was a young man flying in the sky, monitoring every single situation from the sky. It was none other than Noel.


    How could he arrive here? Did he break through the demon army just to reach her? Was it even possible? Did Anna waste all that time just for this? Did she use the True Spirit Body because she knew Noel wasing and utilize it to buy a bit more time?


    There were a lot of questions in Laufey''s mind, but they didn''t really matter as Noel had already arrived. His soldiers were killing one demon after another.


    It was then that Noel waved his hand down as ifmanding the soldiers to kill all their enemies.


    "Ooohhh!"

 Chapter 986 Decisive Moment (4)

    <h4>Chapter 986 Decisive Moment (4)</h4>


    ?A few moments ago.


    As soon as they saw Qiel leading a lot of demons away, Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows.


    "Noel! We have to stop them. If they bring out more reinforcement, especially the ones that Damian has blocked¡­ I''m afraid that we will be in trouble."


    Noel''s expression remained calm as if everything had gone ording to n.


    "Anna. I want you and Dimitri to chase after them. Bring the two squad leaders to lead the soldiers and buy us some time."


    "So, we only have to stop those people for a few hours while we''re killing all the demons here?" Anna asked.


    "No. You just have to give us ten minutes or so. Our real target remains the same. Qiel and Laufey have to die in this battle. You should be able to figure out the rest, so get going immediately. Also, I will inform you when I am about to arrive. That''s the signal to unleash your True Spirit Body."


    "A signal?" There was no way they could signal each other on a battlefield, especially if they were not near each other. However, there was something that could actually give the signal. She couldn''t help but raise her left hand, looking at the ring on her finger.


    That was right. They had this pair of rings that the Sword Saint gave them in the past. These rings could release a signal to each other. Although it was only a blinking light, it didn''t change the fact that it would be extremely useful in a battle like this.


    "I understand. If I only have to stall for time, I can fight to the fullest."


    "No. You just have to bring up the matter rted to the Ardagan Family''s secret without telling the whole thing."


    "Are you sure it will work?" Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows.


    "On Qiel? No. That''s why Dimitri has to separate Qiel from the rest so that she doesn''t influence them. As for Laufey, he might be a good schemer, but his vision is too narrow on a battlefield like this. That''s why he will think that it''s not possible for me to help you. Hence. That''s the only thing you need to buy time from Laufey. I have told you everything. Figure out the rest for yourself since we don''t have a lot of time."


    "Alright." Anna nodded with a serious expression before waving to Dimitri. "I''m ready."


    Both of them didn''t hesitate to jump off the wall, gathering the soldiers.


    Meanwhile, Noel moved to Grandell and said, "Tell Duke Briton to takemand on the wall. He should be able to outwit Laufey, and he will take care of the wall until we return. Use everyone as he sees fit. Aerton will be his deputy.


    "After telling him, you go to Howard and tell him that we will utilize the ghost squad to strike them. Prepare yourself to die because we are going to annihte some Devil Saints." Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, sir!" Grandell acknowledged the order and hurriedly rushed to handle the problem.


    Meanwhile, Noel jumped off the wall, heading back to his mansion. It wasn''t that he was trying to get some rest.


    Instead, he turned on a few mechanisms hidden underneath his mansion, opening a secret tunnel underneath the mansion.


    This tunnel led to a hidden opening on the north beyond the demon army. In fact, Noel had asked Anna to take care of this job personally because he knew he would use it sooner orter.


    Inside the tunnel, the remaining thirty elite soldiers as well as a total of a hundred normal soldiers had been waiting for him.


    "My lord!" They hurriedly went to their knees, greeting Noel.


    "Are all of you ready? This will be a decisive moment. Prepare to fight as if you were a beast and we shall cut down some Devil Saints. If we manage to win this, the rest of the demons won''t be a problem."


    "Y-yes, sir! We are prepared toy down our lives for you."


    Noel had reinforced the tunnel with runes, but it seemed that the demon tree and other demons had truly caused some damage. Although it didn''t fall apart, he noticed a few cracks here and there.


    Fortunately, they didn''t know about this tunnel. In fact, all his ns had been stopping them from finding this ce.


    When the underground demons dug up the ground, they would bump to this ''hard rock.'' Normally, they would report it to the higher-ups, but Theo utilized the water wall so that their focus would shift to the water instead of the tunnel.


    Anna also fought the other demon tree on the side, far away from the tunnel. Last but not least, there was the other demon tree that Noel killed as quickly as possible.


    With all these ns, Qiel failed to notice the tunnel underneath the battlefield.


    And all these soldiers had been waiting for their turn. At first, he thought about utilizing them to set up an ambush when Qiel was about to escape. But this moment wasn''t bad at all.


    "Let''s go. We only have five minutes to reach the other side of the tunnel and another five minutes to attack our enemies from behind. I will be supervising our army, but Howard will be themander of this army with Grandell as his deputy. Understood?"


    "Ha!" The soldiers responded.


    "Move out!" Noel shouted as he led the way to the other side of the tunnel.


    As nned, Howard and Grandell also entered the tunnel a few minutester and caught up with their speed.


    The moment they reached the other side, they opened up the exit and led all the soldiers outside.


    "Follow me." Noel hurriedly led them behind the demon army, following Laufey.


    The reason he was so confident this trick would seed was because of Duke Briton. At first, he was a bit skeptical about Duke Briton and originally wanted Howard to be in charge while bringing Andreas with him.


    However, he was quite surprised that Duke Briton was that good on the battlefield. Despite having retired, it seemed that his skills hadn''t gone rusty.


    Hence, he could feel assured of leaving the battlefield to him. Howard could go with him since he would be more adept atmanding the army.


    Of course, Anna had also done a good job of buying all the time they needed. As he expected, Laufey truly had a narrow vision for a battlefield, allowing him to hit the demon army from behind.


    "Howard. Take care of the demons, especially that tiger. I will be fighting those Devil Saints." Noel leaped into the sky and summoned his wings.


    "Did you hear that man? We would be killing all these demons. Show your guts!" Howard moved forward and summoned his big avatar to make his presence known. Because the demons were too focused on Anna, they didn''t have time to look back, allowing the soldiers to massacre a portion of them.


    "Kill!"


    "For the Ardagan Family!"


    "Show them our power!"


    Laufey wanted to turn around, but Anna hurriedly closed in, charging her de with blood-colored lightning. Laufey had no choice but to activate his True Spirit Body as well.


    "True Spirit Body!" Laufey''s body began to transform. There were a few weird red lines appearing all over his body as if they were made of blood. There was a demonic tailing from his back, but there wasn''t much transformation other than those two.


    All of a sudden, the red lightning began to move in a weird direction as if it were trying to avoid Laufey.


    "!!!" Anna noticed the difference and hurriedly leaped back.


    "Devil Blood Body." Laufey raised his left hand, cut his thumb with his nail, and let a blood droplet fall to the ground. "Blood Domain!"


    "!!!" Anna hurriedly stomped the ground with all her might as the droplet from earlier expanded, dyeing the ground red. All of a sudden, numerous spikes emerged from the red ground, impaling a few demons.


    "What?" Anna was surprised. Luckily, he destroyed the ground in front of her, causing the expansion to stop. If it continued moving toward the soldiers, they would have no power to stop him.


    "Your True Spirit Body seems to be rted to blood as well. But as the ruler of blood, I will show you what it means to be the sovereign!" Laufey red at Anna. He actually formed his sword with another droplet and leaped toward Anna. The blood that he got from the demons empowered his abilities.


    When he struck Anna''s de, he actuallyunched her into the air beforending back more than ten meters away from them.


    It showed how much Laufey had increased his strength. At the same time, every time Anna released her lightning, the lightning actually avoided Laufey as if the blood were refusing to fight this person.


    "No matter what you do, it''s impossible to defeat me. Your element won''t be able to touch me." Laufey released all his frustration and nned to settle this problem with Anna.


    The other two Devil Saints also nned to help Laufey end this battle as soon as possible.


    However, Noel had reached them. He first used the Ice Mirror to block their path before summoning the Undying Phoenix and exploding it in front of them.


    The two Devil Saints had no choice but to stop as Noelnded between them and Laufey. Even with that disadvantage, Noel believed that Anna could still win against Laufey. All he needed to do was trust her.


    "Your opponent is me." Noel dered.


    The tiger seemed to be trying to create an opportunity for the two Devil Saints as it was charging at Noel, pouncing on him.


    When it was about to arrive, a pair of giant hands grabbed the tiger from behind and threw it to the side.


    It was Howard with his avatar. "No one shall interfere with my lord''s fight."


    Noel smiled. He nced at Anna for a bit as if telling her that she would leave Laufey to her.


    At the same time, he was speaking to Ardagan. ''Come on, buddy. You haven''t given me any missions rted to this war despite preparing for so long. Give me a mission like killing Laufey or winning the war.''


    [Heisk.]


    There was only a single response every time. It seemed that he had to wait for Heisk since ording to the Spiritual Energy Reserve Theory that Ardagan and Heisk told him, the True Spirit Body would definitely use up arge portion. If Ardagan gave him several missions like Noel wanted, it would cause a fundamental issue within Noel.


    That was why he didn''t have any missions rted to the war yet.


    Noel could only sigh. At the very least, his main target remained the same. This was something he had to do even if he didn''t get any missions.


    "Ice Transformation."

 Chapter 987 Decisive Moment (5)

    Chapter 987 Decisive Moment (5)


    ??"Ice Transformation."


    A pair of ice wings appeared on his back underneath the me wings.


    "!!!" The two Devil Saints were rmed because this fluctuation of power was simr to what Anna showed earlier before the True Spirit Body.


    Frozen Domain.


    With a single wave of his hand, ice began to form underneath his foot, covering the soil and grass with a thinyer of ice. This ice spread with Noel as the center. The temperature dropped sharply as though the winter hade.


    "This is¡­" The two Devil Saints looked at each other, noticing that they wouldn''t be able to defeat Noel by themselves.


    Since Laufey was the one fighting Anna, they had to somehow work together and defeat Noel so that they could help Qiel or Laufey.


    Because of Dimitri''s True Spirit Body, Noel only had approximately fifteen minutes before the True Spirit Body was worn off.


    Hence, Noel had to do something in the next fifteen minutes and somehow defeat them. From the looks of it, the battle between Dimitri and Qiel wouldn''t end after the True Spirit Body wore off, but Dimitri would definitely lose sooner orter because Qiel still had a lot of time left for her True Spirit Body.


    With that thought in mind, Noel knew that he had to defeat these two Devil Saints within fifteen minutes. And a normal method wouldn''t allow him to achieve that.


    Noel leaped toward the spear user and increased his physical strength with the Empowerment Rune through the Rune Body.


    The spear Devil Saint thrust forward, nning to stop Noel. However, when the sword struck his spear, he noticed that he couldn''t pull back his spear as if it were glued to the sword. If he took another look, the sword was actually releasing an ice mist that froze the point of impact.


    The Transformation Devil Saint appeared behind Noel with both of his arms turning into bear arms. He mmed Noel from above, but thetter actually rotated his body midair and raised his sword, causing the spear to get dragged up.


    "!!!" The Transformation Devil Saint was startled. He didn''t transform enough to cover his entire body since it required a lot of energy, but as a result, the spear actually scratched his chest.


    Of course, Noel also couldn''t stop the iing paws. He had no choice but to use the Reduce Impact Rune to lessen the damage.


    *Bam!*


    Noel crashed into the ground, but fortunately, most of the damage was absorbed by the rune. He knew that he wasn''t in a condition to defeat these two Devil Saints, considering he used most of his energy to kill the Ancient Demon Tree earlier.


    Hence, he could only choose this risky strategy. By using unknown and reckless moves, they had no choice but to take damage as well.


    The Transformation Devil Saint nned to m Noel once again, but Noel was one step ahead and activated another ability.


    Eternal Frozen.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ice mist was released from his body, forcing the two Devil Saints to back away. There were a few demons that got devoured by the mist and froze in an instant.


    The Transformation Devil Saint took a deep breath until his chest and stomach bulged like rubber. After that, he blew away the mist with all his might.


    The Spear Devil Saint looped around to find Noel and stabbed him from afar. However, he instinctively raised his spear as if he were trying to protect himself.


    "Sharp Changing."


    Noel swung his de downward as a wall of energy rose into the sky, running through the ground toward the Spear Devil Saint.


    "!!!" The Spear Devil Saint gritted his power and stomped the ground. However, the attack was so powerful that he was being pushed back for several meters and had no choice but to deflect it into the sky. "Aaaahhh!"


    The sword strike shot up to the sky and exploded, releasing a deafening sound that shook the entire battlefield.


    Meanwhile, the Transformation Devil Saint jumped into the air, punching Noel from above.


    Noel leaped away to avoid the strike. After all, the moment the punch was connected, the entire area turned into a crater, with a lot of rocksing out to the surface due to the impact.


    The Transformation Devil Saint kicked one of the stones toward Noel, causing him to sh it into two.


    However, the Transformation Devil Saint turned out to have followed the stone, his feet had transformed into those of a deer.


    "Tsk." Noel swung his sword extremely fast just like he did earlier when he used the Sword Transmutation and Anger to overwhelm the Spear Devil Saint.


    However, the Transformation Devil Saint seemed to be one step ahead of him as his fist still managed to reach Noel and punch him away.


    "!!!" The Transformation Devil Saint couldn''t help but widen his eyes when he noticed sharp pain all over his arm. When he looked down, several cuts appeared.


    Noel had just used the Imperial Sword, which was suitable for sharp, precise, and swift multiple swings. In addition, he applied two of his Emotions, Fear and Contempt for a boost in speed and precision. There was even one wound much deeper than the other because Noel hit it twice.


    Still, because the Transformation Devil Saint blew him away, the Spear Devil Saint had a chance to strike Noel. Thetter pped its wings to stabilize his form mid-air, but it was useless. He had entered the Spear Devil Saint''s range.


    "One Thrust!" The Devil Saint gathered all the energy he could muster in those few seconds and released it in one go.


    "!!!" Noel activated the Spiritual Barrier Rune and Reduce Impact Rune. He even activated the Anger emotion and the Spirit Weaponry that allowed him to cut spiritual energy itself.


    However, the strength was much more powerful than he imagined. His body was being crushed by this pressure as his skin was shredded apart.


    The Spear Devil Saint thought he had managed to defeat Noel, but to his surprise, a giant lump of energy appeared above him. This was the same energy as the one Felicia used against the Superior Demon Cat.


    After using an enormous amount of energy, he didn''t have time to protect himself from this.


    ''Did he only use a bit of his power to block my attack so that he could send out this attack to kill me?'' The Spear Devil Saint was in shock. If Noel died, the entire campaign would be a sess. So, he never thought that Noel would be this reckless by throwing away his life just to kill them.


    Right before the Meteor Rune reached the Spear Devil Saint, another rune was activated. This was the Amplification Rune. The new rune that Noel got not long ago.


    The giant chunk of energy suddenly became more violent and more robust. If the Spear Devil Saint thought he could still sacrifice one of his arms to save his entire life from the chunk of energy earlier, he realized that one arm wasn''t enough for this one.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the Transformation Devil Saint appeared from the side, punching this lump of energy. His body hadpletely transformed into abination of animals.


    *Boom!*


    The energy exploded, engulfing arger area than the crater that the Transformation Devil Saint made earlier.


    Due to the Transformation Devil Saint, the Spear Devil Saint managed to actually keep his life by only exchanging his left hand. It looked like the lower arm bent in a weird way, but he still stood firmly.


    On the other hand, the Transformation Devil Saint was sted away and crashed onto a giant boulder. His body was covered in multiple animal''s parts, but the main defense would be the turtle shell on his back as well as the ck-colored skin like that of a beetle.


    Even then, a portion of them had cracked as his body was tattered from the explosion.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­ What is that?" The Transformation panted multiple times before coughing some blood. He never thought that the rune could be this powerful. At the same time, the way Noel fought was extremely weird.


    If it was a normal fight, they would use one technique at a time so that they could defeat the enemies without sustaining injuries. However, it felt like Noel was trying to cause mutual destruction.


    Noel had runes on his body and the transformation he showed earlier proved that he was capable of enduring all the damage anding on top even after fighting both of them.


    They simply never thought that Noel would be this daring, which was the main cause of their current injuries. If only they focused on defending, they would have managed to escape with light injuries.


    "¡­" The Spear and Transformation Devil Saints couldn''t help but look around, wondering where Noel was. They looked at his original location after getting struck by the thrust, but he was already gone.


    Suddenly, the temperature dropped once again, making them realize that they had entered Noel''s domain. They all looked around, trying to find him.


    It turned out Noel used the crater to hide himself. In the middle of the crater, Noel was cing his sword on the ground as if he were using it as a medium to maintain his domain. The energy around him also became violent as Noel activated the Cold Empowerment.


    However, the thing that the two Devil Saints noticed so much were the injuries that covered his body. That was right. Noel couldn''t escape unscathed after receiving that thrust without using a lot of abilities to protect his body.


    That was why Noel''s condition must not be that different from theirs.


    When this thought came to their minds, both Devil Saints stood up. They were ready to charge at Noel again.


    In the meantime, Noel was adjusting his breath while observing these two. While they were a new Devil Saint and their strength was still lower than the one his grandfather killed back then, it didn''t change the fact that these two had be a Devil Saint. And Noel could see why they were promoted as such.


    At the same time, Noel only managed to recover a bit of his energy after that fight. Even though he had the Ice Transformation and runes, it didn''t change the fact that he fought two Devil Saints with only 40% to 50% of his spiritual energy. He really needed something else to catch these two off guard and turn around the situation.


    The two Devil Saints exchanged nces as the Spear Devil Saint nodded his head, signaling their movement.


    In that instant, the two Devil Saints moved forward.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile inwardly. Although there were a lot of techniques he could use to make the battle safer, he knew that he could bait them like this.


    Before the two were able to reach him, Noel''s hands were covered in a ckyer as the pair of me wings suddenly red up, melting the ice wings.


    It was just a trap. When they expected the ice abilities, he only needed to use the other element.


    "Fire Transformation¡­ Release."

 Chapter 988 Decisive Moment (6)

    <h4>Chapter 988 Decisive Moment (6)</h4>


    ?*ng!*


    *Bam!*


    The sh between two users who unleashed their True Spirit Body was much more destructive.


    With a single of Anna''s swings, she released a powerful red lightning that shattered the ground and broke trees apart. On the other hand, the red lightning continued refusing to move toward Laufey as if he were some sort of god.


    "It''s impossible. Your lightning won''t be able to reach me." Laufey shouted while waving his blood sword.


    Anna struck this sword while releasing a bit of her lightning. However, Laufey used his power to deflect the sword while utilizing his blood power to redirect the lightning.


    At the same time, a giant scythe formed from the blood of the demons, flying toward them.


    "!!!" Anna hurriedly ducked when she saw the scythe swing. The blood felt like it was expanding and cutting down all the trees in their surroundings.


    After that, Laufey kicked Anna, which was blocked by her sword. However, Laufey released a surge of blood, which amplified the power of his kick,unching Anna into the air.


    Anna kept observing Laufey''s ability.


    ''He could summon that powerful scythe with the right amount of blood¡­ But why did he kick me away from the demons? Wasn''t he going to use the blood as his weapon? Or was it because there was a limit of blood he could control?''


    Anna believed that her thoughts were on the right track. It seemed that Laufey had the limit. For example, her body contained a lot of blood. If Laufey controlled it, she wouldn''t be able to do anything.


    Of course, she noticed the spiritual energy used to control the scythe, showing that if Laufey tried to control the blood in her body, she could somehow resist it with her own spiritual energy.


    ''If he has the limit, then does this mean we can overpower him?'' Anna thought. She used ''we'' to imply that the original soul would y a big role in this.


    ''He is trying to control the blood on the de. The Blood Rune and the Conductor Rune will definitely not be effective against him.'' The original Anna assessed.


    ''How about we use it as a distraction before overpowering him in another way?''


    ''That sounds good. Let''s try it.''


    As soon as they reached an agreement, Anna moved forward while raising her de. The rune was still active, but Anna actually poured more energy into the sword to make Laufey think that she had just reactivated the rune.


    "!!!" Laufey utilized his power to control the blood on Anna''s sword, trying to move the sword. In addition, he also struck the de with his blood sword to make it easier.


    To his surprise, Anna hit the ground with her sword. In normal cases, this kind of attack wouldn''t really work. But because Laufey had used a portion of his energy to deflect the sword, Anna could actually release her ability to the ground.


    The original Anna amplified that power through the second Spirit Mind and Spirit Heart, forming a lightning dragon that was bigger than normal.


    The lightning dragon shattered the ground and sted the rocks, turning the area into a crater. After that, it bounced on the ground and turned to Laufey.


    *Roar!* Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The thunderous roar resounded across the battlefield as the dragon opened its mouth, trying to swallow Laufey.


    Laufey used his power to redirect this blood lightning dragon, but to his surprise, his control failed.


    ''Overloaded?'' Laufey couldn''t help but widen his eyes. As much as he wanted to know the reason for it, he hurriedly ordered the scythe toe in front of him and change its shape to that of an umbre.


    The dragon ended up crashing into it as the lightning tried to shatter the umbre.


    It was Anna''s turn to be surprised because the lightning actually failed to destroy the umbre. Instead, it made the umbre a bit stronger.


    ''Is he using the blood from the lightning dragon to recover the umbre?'' Anna frowned.


    ''Yeah. I think that''s the situation. He should be maintaining about 80% control over the blood so that he can react if there is an overload. In the previous case, he is probably using another 10% to recover the umbre by controlling our blood lightning dragon.''


    Anna seemed to have realized that Laufey might be an opponent much more powerful than she originally thought. The elemental advantage he had over her was the one forcing her to the corner.


    It seemed that her choice in using the True Spirit Body was a mistake. After all, because of the True Spirit Body, she couldn''t use her normal lightning.


    It would be impossible to defeat Laufey in a normal scenario. What she needed was a gap that she could exploit and use another ability that wasn''t rted to her blood lightning.


    The original Anna spoke again, ''I will bait him to use that power. You find a way to utilize the rune.''


    ''Got it.'' Anna approached Laufey again, but this time she was more careful.


    "Hahaha. You won''t be able to defeat me!" Laufeyughed, realizing that even her surprise attack didn''t work on him. The umbre returned to the scythe form and flew toward Anna.


    Anna struck this scythe with her power, but as expected, the blood lightning was the one letting the scythe recover its power. If this continued, she would lose all her energy while Laufey remained unscathed.


    The original Anna saw this as an insult.


    ''If you think you can withstand the power of the blood lightning, then try it!'' The original Anna roared as she utilized the control of her energy to the fullest.


    Just like the first time Anna and the original Anna met, thetter had a more powerful control over the element. And that control was reflected on how violent the lightning could be.


    Suddenly, the red lightning sparked in all directions, hitting the spikes from all directions.


    "!!!" Laufey widened his eyes in surprise. He tried to control the blood lightning, but thetter was simply rampaging as if it had no will anymore.


    Laufey simply didn''t know what it meant to be a berserker. The original Anna made the lightning berserk so that it would crush the blood scythe.


    "Not good." Laufey waved his hand, utilizing a hundred percent of his power to control the berserk lightning to replenish the blood.


    ''Now!'' The original Anna shouted.


    Anna''s eyes shed as she formed the Meteor Rune.


    Laufey waspletely taken aback by the Meteor Rune. He hurriedly recalled the scythe, but it was toote. The chunk of spiritual energy hit Laufey''s directly, engulfing everything in that explosion.


    *Boom!*


    "Hu¡­" Anna took a deep breath before noticing that the scythe actually dropped to the ground as the blood ended up sshing on the ground. "Did I kill him?"


    Anna looked in Laufey''s direction, having a hard time seeing through the cloud of dust.


    However, a shadow seemed to be moving from within, alerting Anna''s instincts.


    Anna hurriedly raised her de and barely blocked a blood arrow. It was at this time that she saw Laufey''s entire body covered with an armor made of blood. Just like how he summoned his blood sword, he decided to let go of the scythe and use his own blood to protect himself.


    ''It''s not enough?'' Anna gulped down.


    Laufey red at Anna. He never thought that Anna had managed to corner him to the point where he had to unleash this ability. This was thest line of his defense. More importantly, he had an elemental advantage over her.


    If it were normal lightning instead of blood lightning, he would probably lose against her.


    "Ardagan Family¡­ Why¡­ Why did he always get the good stuff? His son is very talented. Even his fiancee is the most talented in the kingdom. Why?" Laufey gritted his teeth as he couldn''t help but recall how he came to hate the Ardagan Family so much.


    ¡­


    30 years ago.


    Laufey was just a street kid. He was sitting in a dark alley while burying his face on his knees, crying. The hunger was so unbearable that he was about to copse.


    "Mhmm? There is someone here."


    Laufey couldn''t help but raise his head, following the direction of the voice. It was there that he saw a ck-haired kid. His age didn''t seem to be much different from his.


    "Do you want to eat?" The guy asked, only his face wasing out behind the wall as if he were scared to show himself. After that question, his hand came out with a piece of bread.


    Laufey''s drool came out of his mouth as he instinctively approached the bread. The kid smiled and extended his hand so that Laufey could take the bread.


    When his head was about toe out of the small alley, he noticed another kid with ragged clothinging toward him. He recognized this kid because he came from the same area.


    Instead of grabbing the bread, Laufey actually pushed the kid to alert him about the iing kid who was trying to steal his money.


    "Ah!" The kid fell down on his butt while looking innocent. "If you don''t like the bread, you don''t have to push me. If you don''t want me to pity you, then just say so. And the bread has fallen to the ground."


    Laufey simply grabbed the bread while pointing at the thief.


    "Oh?!" The kid seemed to understand what he was implying. "But I don''t have any more money to spend, so even if he steals from me, he won''t get anything."


    The territory was actually very poor in the past, so it wouldn''t be weird that even if someone dressed nicely, they wouldn''t have enough money. In fact, everyone was just trying to survive here.


    "You are a good guy, aren''t you? And it seems that you are very knowledgeable about the people in this area. Do you want to follow me? I am Luke! I want to make this city brighter than anything in the world."


    Laufey was only stunned at that time, but this was the beginning of his rtionship with the man called Luke Ardagan.

 Chapter 989 Decisive Moment (7)

    <h4>Chapter 989 Decisive Moment (7)</h4>


    ?The Ardagan Family was not a prosperous family even though it was a family with a long heritage. It was because of the current head of the family.


    "You stupid low life!" The current head, Luke''s father, kicked Laufey in the stomach. His hands were covered in bruises as he tried to protect himself from all this.


    "Father!" Luke shouted in anger as he approached them.


    "Hmph! Do you think you are good?" The current head snorted. Because of Luke, he didn''t have the mood to beat anyone up anymore and simply left them.


    Luke couldn''t help but look at Laufey with a sad expression. "Sorry, Laufey."


    "It''s fine. I know that this is going to happen." Laufey shook his head helplessly.


    "Please bear with me a bit longer. Even though my father is like that, he is very ill. Once I take over the family, I can finally reform everything."


    "Yeah." Laufey nodded. "I''ve found a few names."


    "Alright." Luke listened to him with a solemn expression.


    The reason why the Ardagan Family became like this was rted to the secret of the Ardagan Family, which could only produce a single heir.


    However, due to his father''s behavior, his grandfather decided not to tell him about it and only told Luke the secret of the family. That was why he was like this. All the wealth that the Ardagan Family possessed had been used to research medicine on how to produce an heir.


    His father had even brought a lot of women into the mansion and had a lot of wives. Unfortunately, his grandfather couldn''t do anything. With only a single heir, he couldn''t really punish him and ended up cutting the bloodline of the Ardagan Family.


    Knowing this, Luke was biding his time in the darkness for a reform.


    The Ardagan Family was extremely poor. The taxes were high, the city''s security was bad, and the food was scarce.


    This was also the reason why Laufey ended up meeting Luke.


    In that short period, Laufey realized this genius called Luke Ardagan. He had been preparing for the reform and had been recruiting people in the darkness like him.


    And finally, the time they had been waiting for had arrived. Three years after the first time they met, Luke''s father sumbed to his illness. The main wife, who was Luke''s father, had cut off their rtionship because the Ardagan Family had been reduced to a mere Count Family.


    The other wives also did the same and pulled back, which was enough for Luke to make his move.


    Luke seeded the family when he was only fourteen years old. Everyone thought that the Ardagan Family would once again decline in Luke''s hands.


    Although they knew that Luke was different from his father, his achievement was never heard due to the nature of his work. That was why they were pessimistic about the Ardagan Family. There wasn''t even a single engagement talking to the Ardagan Family.


    It was at that time that Luke showed his might. He immediately reformed all sectors. All the funds he had been securing for thest four years covered everything.


    Massive projects were all over the ce, transforming the city. The security had increased, and the taxes were lowered.


    At that time, Luke looked like the savior of the city. However, people still underestimated him, thinking that he wouldn''t make it big as his funds were about to run out. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    This was when Luke showed his prowess as a business genius. He turned this noble family into a merchant family and gained a massive amount of wealth.


    When he was 18 years old, he actually managed to make the family stand on its feet again and it would only continue to rise from then on.


    Seeing how the people began eyeing the family, Laufey realized that he couldn''t bepared to him. At the same time, he also wanted to see the continuation of this rise.


    Hence, Laufey expressed his intention of going to the Demon Banner Army.


    "Are you sure about this, Laufey?" Luke asked with a frown.


    "Yes. I have made up my mind. What the Ardagan Familycks right now is the ability to protect itself. Hence, I am thinking about bing a soldier there and making my way up before returning to the family. Once I return, I won''t let the Ardagan Family get bullied anymore."


    Luke''s face turned grim as he said, "Laufey. You are like my brother. You have been on my side ever since the beginning of our reform. How could I¡­"


    "Please trust me." Laufey had made up his mind.


    Luke bit his lips. "You¡­"


    Unfortunately, Luke couldn''t stop Laufey from going to the Demon Banner Army. Although he was filled with grief, Luke still had to continue.


    Luke rose to an even bigger stage. What most people didn''t know was that the real reason he managed to do all this was because he managed to gain an ally.


    She was the one making everything possible. Yes, she was Luke''s wife, Leysha.


    Luke identally met her in the past. Because of his charisma, Leysha ended up liking Luke and decided to help him.


    For all those initial funds and other things, Leysha was the one managing them. Yes, the reform received help from the Greenwood Kingdom.


    On the other hand, Laufey was struggling in the Demon Banner Army. He managed to go all the way up to the Zero Squad with his talent, but he was particrly not intelligent in other things.


    And that was why he met the dark side of the kingdom, the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Luke had everything. His wife was beautiful and came from a famous family in the Greenwood Kingdom. His wealth couldn''t be counted anymore as he began his charity across thend, helping a lot of people. The Ardagan Family also had an ancient heritage.


    It was under that condition that he met Qiel.


    "What do you think, Laufey Ardagan? You, who was considered the brother of Luke Ardagan, actually had nothing. It seemed that your brother didn''t care about you anymore." Qiel smirked.


    "You''re wrong. He is a good man!"


    "If he is a good man, why does he leave you here? Just take a look around you, you have nothing. Is there even a letter from him? He has abandoned you, you just don''t want to admit it."


    "You¡­" Laufey gritted his teeth. It didn''t take long for Laufey toe home, but that was when he saw the perfect life of his brother, Luke Ardagan.


    His wife was already close to the Spirit Grandmaster, so there should be no more threat that could harm the Ardagan Family. Yet Luke never called him back. No, he didn''t even send a message.


    Without him realizing it, the seed of discord had been nted in his mind. At the same time, Laufey couldn''t help but wonder. It was he who wanted to join the Demon Banner Army. He knew how strict the Demon Banner Army was.


    If he continued working hard, he would sooner orter be an important person in that squad.


    When was it again that his desire to help Luke started to waver? Was it really as simple as it seemed? Was his hatred as petty as his jealousy?


    ¡­


    Laufey looked at Anna in front of her, reinforcing his opinion. The Ardagan Family had be even more powerful.


    The Ardagan Family might have lost the wealth that Luke possessed, but there was something that the royal family couldn''t seize. It was the heart of the people.


    There were still a lot of pirs that woulde to serve Noel even after Luke was gone. Noel, who didn''t look like he could be something in the past, suddenly became the most favored person in the entire world, not just this kingdom. And his fiancee was the most talented woman in the world.


    Noel had even received the heritage of his ancestor, which was the rune. Just like his father, Noel got everything for himself.


    Laufey gritted his teeth while ring at Anna. "You don''t know anything about the Ardagan Family. You don''t realize yet that you are only a chess piece that he can throw away at any time."


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows, not knowing what he was talking about.


    "If you think you can mess up my mind with all your words, then no, I would never believe anything from your mouth." Anna raised her sword. "Besides, the winner and the loser have yet to be decided."


    Laufey narrowed his eyes as he couldn''t help but nce at Qiel. Dimitri''s time was running out.


    "Hmm?" Laufey seemed to know what he should do.


    Anna hurriedly moved between them with lightning speed so that Dimitri couldn''t do anything to them.


    After that, Anna moved toward him while waving his de.


    "In the end, you will be like me. You will lose your desire to help the Ardagan Family because you are simply being used." Laufey smiled. He didn''t know why he even recalled the past at this point, considering he was fighting someone with a True Spirit Body.


    However, he felt like he saw himself in Anna.

 Chapter 990 Decisive Moment (8)

    Chapter 990 Decisive Moment (8)


    ??"Kill them all!" Grandell shouted. Noel, Anna, Dimitri, and even Howard were already doing their best to take care of the Spirit Grandmasters on their side. If the knights couldn''t even fight all these demons, they would bring shame to the Ardagan family''s name.


    "Hoa!" The knights roared in unison. The shield bearers raised their shields and moved forward, mming the demons'' heads in rapid session.


    The other fighters took advantage of that opportunity to cut down the demons.


    Fortunately, most of them were only low level demons. For them, who had a lot of Spirit Wielders in their ranks, killing these demons was not hard.


    However, Noel also brought a lot of normal soldiers or Spirit Apprentices that he got from thest recruitment to make up enough numbers.


    "All the normal soldiers gather up and kill them one at a time. Don''t kill yourself by going alone! These demons are not as scary as you think they are." Grandell shouted.


    "Ha!" The soldiers responded. Most of them were using either spears or shields. The shield bearers were in front to block the demons, while the spear users utilized the gaps and thrust their spears. Even if they couldn''t kill it in a single thrust, they just had to do it again and again.


    And their equipment was a little bit specialized. Roel had made them a bit stronger than the ones the soldiers on the wall had.


    That was why the demons'' tough hide couldn''t stop these spears.


    "Abraham, Leiren! Go to the right side." Grandell gave another order while taking down one demon after another.


    After receiving the weight of responsibility, Grandell had truly be a monster. He not only understood what Howard had been seeing this whole time, but he also understood when and where he moved his soldiers.


    The two soldiers hemanded earlier were Spirit Wielders. As soon as they received the order, they noticed that the demons started to overwhelm the right side.


    Without hesitation, they began peeling off the demons from them until the situation returned to normal again.


    During that time, Grandell shouted, "Dan, Axel. Take care of my side. The rest of you¡­ on me!"


    Dan and Axel were another pair of Spirit Wielders. They immediately came to Grandell''s side as Grandell sped up even further, cutting down the demons.


    If one took a look from above, it was clear that they could see the middle was pushing back the demons at high speed as if they were trying to break through the demon army.


    Grandell''s aim was only one. They had to go to the soldiers that Anna had brought earlier and bail them out.


    Afterbining their strengths, they should be able to reform their ranks and defeat all these demons without having too many casualties.


    The reason why Grandell believed that the soldiers that were nked from both sides could wait until they arrived was that the soldiers were the soldiers that Theo and Anna brought during the exploration.


    Yes, they were the soldiers who had witnessed their lord, Noel Ardagan, fight on the front line. Despite his injury, he still managed to push back the enemies while they were only able to witness their lord''s sacrifice. If not for Aurelia, they might not be able to see their lord anymore.


    The weight on their soldiers felt different.


    "Attack them!"


    "Kill!"


    "Are you going to show your weakness again and let the Lord you are supposed to protect sacrifice himself?"


    "Kill them! At least drag 20 of them down if you''re going to die."


    "Ooh!"


    The soldiers were fired up as they looked like an army of demons instead of their opponents. Even the two Spirit Masters that took charge of them were quite surprised that they were able to unleash this level of power. The two Spirit Masters didn''t follow Noel and Anna after all.


    However, these soldiers fought as if they were beasts. The injuries they sustained weren''t light either, yet they still continued pushing the demons back.


    They were the same as Grandell.


    ''My Lord!''


    ''My Lord!''


    The scene where they rushed through the demon army while looking at Noel being surrounded from all sides kept reying in their minds. Back then, Noel was so weak that he could barely protect himself.


    But no matter how hard they fought, none of them could do anything.


    ''I''m sick of it. I''ve sworn to protect him, but the only thing I can do is be his burden.'' Grandell gritted his teeth. His speed became faster and faster. His eyes started losing their light as he began to fight with instinct.


    With this kind of fighting style, the demons started losing him mid-fight.


    Grandell actually slid on the ground or jumped into the air. But every time he did it, several demons would suddenly get cut.


    Anna once said, ''Speed wasn''t everything.'' Grandell, who relied on speed at that time, didn''t understand what she meant.


    However, after getting beaten by Anna, he realized one more important thing. That was right. Speed was a very cool and strong ability. However, if they were predictable, there was no need to be bothered by their speed. The enemies simply had to ce their weapon in the way, preventing the speed from being usable.


    When he saw Noel repel the demon, he finally understood what he should do.


    Grandell jumped to the right side. Three demons noticed his movement and tried to stop him.


    One of them even pped Grandell with its giant paw. Unfortunately for the demon, Grandell actually stepped on this paw and decreased his momentum to the point that it felt like hended gently. After that, he sped up once again while waving his de.


    In an instant, the demon''s paw was sliced into pieces as Grandell made his way toward the demon''s real body and shed its neck. After that, he used the demon''s body to propel himself to the other two demons and cut them apart.


    Grandell looked like his momentum was going to carry him all the way toward another demon, but surprisingly, the momentum abruptly stopped.


    Itsted for an instant before Grandell reached his maximum speed again but in another direction.


    That was right. The solution Grandell was searching for was none other than a change of pace.


    He absurdly decreased his momentum to zero before rising back to his maximum speed in an instant.


    It would definitely put a strain on Grandell''s body, and even then, it would be hard to find a path with a single nce. To solve this problem, Grandell actually honed his instinct and trusted it.


    Even Anna wouldn''t be able to defeat Grandell easily this time. If she used the same tactic, which was to put her de in Grandell''s path, Grandell could simply stop and move in a different direction.


    Still, this taxing movement really took a toll on his body. After two minutes, Grandell suddenly dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Grandell gritted his teeth. "It''s not enough."


    But his action opened the path for others. Dan and Axel, who took care of his two sides, finally caught up and blocked the demons for him.


    "Sir. Please take your time to regain your breath." Dan smiled.


    Grandell nodded while looking at the situation. "Hans, Everan. Shift your position a bit to the left. The second squad will take care of the right side and let the first squad rest for one minute. We will begin the second thrust in one minute."


    "Oh!"


    The soldiers immediately moved ording to his instructions.


    Even Howard, who watched the entire thing from the side, smiled. He couldn''t take care of the army because of the Superior Demon. However, it seemed that he didn''t have to worry.


    Grandell reminded him of his young self. This must be how the former captain of the Ardagan family''s garrison felt when he saw him having a spurt in his growth.


    If there was someone who would be the next vice captain, it would be Grandell.


    "I can''t really lose, can''t I?" Howard smirked, looking at the tiger.


    *Roar!*


    The tiger pounced on him. The big avatar behind Howard stretched its hands to grab the tiger, but thetter used both paws to push them away.


    The big avatar suddenly hit the tiger with its head, knocking it to the ground. After that, he tried to grab the tiger.


    Still, he had been fighting a Superior Demon when he was on the north wall, so he had depleted a lot of his energy.


    As a result, the tiger moved a little bit faster than his avatar and suddenly leaped into the air and bit the avatar''s right hand before ripping it apart.


    "Kh." Howard gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. Even though it was only an avatar, he still felt the same pain as the avatar.


    However, Howard didn''t n to take a beating just for it. He immediately used the other hand to punch the tiger.


    *Bam!*


    The tiger was knocked down again. Before it rose back up, Howard''s real body rushed to the demon.


    While the avatar was his main fighting power, it didn''t mean that Howard was weak. In fact, he was the biggest man in the city.


    When he raised his hand, the muscle on his arm bulged. He punched the tiger with all his strength and blew it away.


    There was even a hole in the tiger''s head.


    Howard looked at his arm covered in green liquid and simply brushed it away.


    Even though he had exhausted a lot of his power, Howard didn''t n to lose against this tiger.


    The tiger was already standing, ready to fight to the death with Howard.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

 Chapter 991 Decisive Moment (9)

    <h4>Chapter 991 Decisive Moment (9)</h4>


    ?*Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    Every time Qiel released her arrow, she caused a massive explosion that created a crater in the area. Fortunately, Qiel and Dimitri fought a bit further away, or others would definitely get hit by one of these arrows.


    "What''s wrong, Dimitri? You are not strong enough to fight against me." Qiel smirked. This was also another reason why they didn''t get hit.


    Dimitri had been repelling the arrow that woulde in their direction while trying to kill Qiel.


    As a result, Dimitri''s body was covered in bruises due to the extraordinary impact that the arrow produced. It was much more difficult to fight against an opponent while trying to protect others after all.


    However, Dimitri was still one of the top fighters among the spirit grandmasters. He managed to inflict some injuries on Qiel with the deepest wound on her right side.


    It was bleeding so profusely that Qiel had to use one of her wings to press the wound to stop it.


    As a result, Qiel couldn''t go to the sky anymore.


    However, the situation had be much more difficult.


    Dimitri''s expression turned grim, thinking, ''I feel like my power is depleting fast. If this continues, the True Spirit Body will onlyst for another nine minutes. The master¡­''


    Dimitri was sensing the people on the other side. It seemed that there wasn''t much progress.


    Noel managed to fight against two Devil Saints. Although they were weaker than the previous Devil Saint, these two were still considered one. It would be hard for Noel to fight them.


    If Dimitri could look at Noel''s state, he would definitely feel worried because Noel believed that the only way to kill these two was to sacrifice his body a little bit. That could make them lower their guards and finish them before Dimitri''s True Spirit Body ran out.


    On the other hand, Anna was in a simr position. Because of the elemental advantage Laufey possessed, Anna was unable to unleash her power. In fact, if not for the original Anna helping her boost her power output, she wouldn''t be able to fight Laufey on equal terms.


    Last but not least, Howard and the other soldiers. Howard had done a good job fighting the tiger, especially in that condition. However, he doubted that Howard could actually do anything on the battlefield, especially regarding these four Devil Saints.


    That was why Dimitri was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he had to take down Qiel before his True Spirit Body wore off. On the other hand, there was another mission that Noel told him about before the war broke out.


    When Dimitri clenched his sword, Noel''s voice couldn''t help but ring once again in his ears. ''Dimitri. No matter how hard the situation, I hope that you don''t risk your life. In the near future, we will be fighting against a much more powerful opponent and witnessing an evenrger-scale invasion. I still need your help¡­ and I''m sorry that I can''t let you retire just yet.''


    Back then, Dimitri only replied, ''Don''t worry, Master. I will serve you until the day my hands are unable to wield a sword anymore.''


    Dimitri took a deep breath, dissolving his resolve. The only way to defeat Qiel was to sacrifice an arm or a foot, but at that time, he wouldn''t be able to help Noel in the near future. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Hence, he decided to change his strategy. Even if he couldn''t defeat Qiel, he would severely injure her. That way, she would be too weak to continue fighting even in her current form.


    "¡­" Qiel noticed the change in Dimitri''s expression as she hurriedly pulled her bow.


    Dimitri waved his left hand, raising the shadows that the trees produced.


    Qiel jumped to the side, using one of her wings to smack the rising shadow. That was just a distraction as Dimitri had raised his de, ready to unleash all his strength in this one strike.


    "Shadow Curtain!"


    "Darkness Arrow."


    Both of them released their attacks at the same time. The ck curtain rose into the sky, cutting everything in its path. However, it was made by a ck-colored arrow that suddenly burst out and flew like a meteor, distorting the ck curtain.


    The arrow''s movement gradually decreased before eventually, it was cut.


    "!!!" Qiel hurriedly pped her wings, causing her to fly to another side to avoid the ck curtain.


    Because her right wing was covering the wound, that sudden movement caused the bleeding to continue.


    "Kh." Qiel clicked her tongue. If she lost more and more blood, she would be severely weakened. In addition, it would be troublesome if her upper body, or at least her right arm was paralyzed during the battle since she couldn''t draw her bow anymore.


    And this was precisely what Dimitri wanted.


    Dimitri suddenly disappeared from her vision.


    Qiel spun her body and kicked something behind her.


    *Cough!*


    Dimitri spat a mouthful of blood because that kick actually hit his stomach. There wasn''t even protection. However, this was a necessary sacrifice.


    After all, it allowed Dimitri to use all his energy for that speed as well as give him the opportunity to wield his sword.


    Right before Dimitri was blown away by that kick, Dimitri had stabbed Qiel''s leg.


    "He is aiming for my foot?" Qiel looked at the sword that pierced through a little above her ankle. This would definitely make it hard for her to run or stabilize her position. Still, with Dimitri behind her, it meant she could aim at Noel and the others.


    Dimitri didn''t allow this as he formed a from the shadows, bouncing him back toward Qiel.


    Dimitri was ready to sh Qiel, who had exposed her back to him, but Qiel actually expected Dimitri this way. She suddenly turned around and used her bow to parry Dimitri''s sword.


    Meanwhile, Qiel did the same as Dimitri by using her other hand to stab the arrow she had formed earlier.


    Dimitri couldn''t block it with this momentum. The only thing he could do was raise his arm slightly, causing the arrow to miss his muscle and bone.


    While it was going to bleed, he would still be able to fight this way.


    Dimitrinded between Qiel and the others again.


    ''Seven minutes.'' Dimitri muttered in his mind, counting the remaining time he had left.


    He charged again, forcing Qiel to wave her bow to match Dimitri in close quarterbat.


    ''What''s wrong with him? He is exposing his sides. Is he seriously going to make me fall for those so that he can injure me? No, is that his real intention?''


    Qiel formed a giant arrow on top of their heads, causing Dimitri to sh upward while striking her bow on the way.


    Qiel took advantage of this predictable strike to loop around Dimitri.


    ''Six minutes.'' Dimitri followed Qiel''s movement, who actually aimed her bow at Noel. He hurriedly jumped toward her, trying to strike the arrow or the bow. At the same time, he manipted the shadow with his other hand to form a screen to block Qiel''s vision.


    At that time, Qiel simply let go of her bow and arrow, causing Dimitri to strike them over nothing.


    As a result, Qiel could cover both of her hands with spiritual energy and try to reach Dimitri''s heart.


    Dimitri''s clothes had a Hardening Rune, so it managed to stop Qiel''s nails from prating.


    Even then, it still felt like a spear hitting him.


    Dimitri hurriedly used the shadow to pull him away, regaining some distance from Qiel.


    "Hu¡­" He took a deep breath. His action became more tattered as he was close to his limit.


    On the other hand, Qiel wasughing. "You can''t do anything, Dimitri. Unlike the once famous assassin who has nothing but the target, you have grown weak. If only you didn''t have people to protect, you could probably defeat me. Those people you serve¡­ are just your weaknesses."


    "Really?" Dimitri smirked as he suddenly took out two pills from his pocket and devoured them without hesitation. "I may have gained a weakness as you say, but I have gained much more strength than that weakness."


    These magical pills were provided by Khalid. In the instant he took it, his wounds started closing in at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even Qiel couldn''t contain her shock because she had never heard anything about this. Who provided Dimitri with that pill? Even the previous Ardagan Family didn''t have someone who could make it.


    And those pills were simr to the ones from the Zaecuria Kingdom. Was it Duke Briton who brought those pills from their royal alchemist?


    Qiel didn''t know that a former royal alchemist had be one of the pirs of the Ardagan family.


    Dimitri couldn''t help but smile, remembering the time Khalid gave this pill to them.


    "This blue pill is a recovery pill. It boosts your metabolism so much that your wounds will be closed in no time. But it will definitely make you weak after some time. The red pill is a berserk pill. It''s basically stimting your spirit heart and spirit mind to the limit, allowing you to release all thetent abilities you have for five minutes. But after those five minutes, you will be in a weakened state for at least two weeks, so I only rmend taking this red pill during the emergency."


    Noel asked a question at that time. "What if we take both of them at the same time?"


    "You will get both of their effects, but the side effects might be prolonged to three weeks or even a month depending on your constitution. But I dare to say that during those five minutes, you are like a god-like figure where your wounds will heal and your fighting prowess is at its peak."


    Dimitri smiled as his spiritual energy burst out of his body. He lowered his sword while saying, "My True Spirit Body willst only five more minutes. I am going to use these five minutes to kill you earnestly."

 Chapter 992 Decisive Moment (10)

    <h4>Chapter 992 Decisive Moment (10)</h4>


    ?Dimitri looked at Qiel with a solemn expression. Qiel, on the other hand, waspletely perplexed. The pills came out of nowhere. On the one hand, it might be rted to Duke Briton, but she didn''t think it was that simple.


    After defeating the demon tree, Noel also swallowed a pill. If Duke Briton had brought them, she would have gotten some information about it since it would definitely not be a small number.


    The people on the border would definitely check their luggage and confirm that there was no pill.


    ''Wait a minute. There is one more possibility.'' Qiel suddenly noticed something. The Supreme Devil Organization had a lot of information about this kingdom, including the fact that one of the royal alchemists, Khalid, was retiring in this kingdom.


    He had been moving around so that no one could find him. But when she thought about it, there was a possibility that they managed to recruit Khalid.


    If that were the case, there would be a lot more pills than she could imagine.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri was slightly adjusting to his current state. He felt weird that Qiel didn''t attack him, but it didn''t seem she was fully distracted.


    There must be a thought in her mind, but she still made sure that she could react to Dimitri''s movement. In that case, there was only one thing to do.


    Dimitri disappeared into the shadow.


    Qiel hurriedly ced her hand on the ground, causing the ground to be enveloped by light. This circle of light would prevent any shadow froming to her.


    Dimitri returned to the surface after looping around Qiel and waving his de. Qiel instinctively lowered her upper body as the sh actually cut down all the trees around them.


    "!!!" The one who was shocked by this move was actually Qiel. It wasn''t that she was scared or that this attack was too fast for her. Instead, she didn''t understand why Dimitri decided to cut down all these trees. After all, Dimitri could manipte their shadows.


    She was the one who had been destroying the terrain this whole time to open up the area.


    When that thought urred in her mind, Dimitri waved his left hand down.


    Before the trunk fell to the ground, it projected a new shadow due to its falling motion. He extended all these shadows to create an unpredictable pattern.


    "!!!" Qiel jumped into the air to avoid the shadow, but thetter rose into the sky, chasing after her.


    She wanted to p her wings, but the bleeding would weaken her even further.


    Hence, she actually shot an arrow to the ground, but this time, there was a ck-colored string attached to the back of the arrow. She then grabbed the ck string and pulled herself to the ground.


    Dimitri leaped toward her while waving his de from above.


    Qiel held the bow with both hands, parrying Dimitri''s sh. However, Dimitri actually used the ck curtain for this sh, causing Qiel to feel tremendous pressure on her hands. It felt like the hands were about to snap.


    "Aaahhhh!" Qiel shouted while using all her strength to stop this attack. As a result, the ground underneath her began to crack.


    Dimitri swiftlynded on the ground next to her, ready for the second leap. This time, he would cut her down directly.


    QIel endured the pain in her hands and hurriedly tilted her body to the side so that she could aim her bow at Dimitri. Before he leaped, Qiel released an arrow.


    *Boom!*


    A single arrow was enough to create much more destruction than Dimitri''s attack, but thetter was swift enough to avoid the arrow.


    He looped around and waved his de.


    Qiel formed a translucent shield behind her while drawing her bow. When Dimitri''s de was about to reach her, it was stopped by Qiel''s barrier for a split second, allowing Qiel to lower her body once again to avoid the sh.


    After that, she shot at Dimitri.


    Dimitri skillfully dodged with his speed, but as expected, it would be hard to attack Qiel even in this situation.


    Qiel kept following Dimitri while thinking, ''His ability is boosted by at least thirty percent. I might not be able to keep up with him soon. This is getting ridiculous.''


    Qiel had one thought in her mind. As long as she could withstand all of Dimitri''s attacks for five minutes, she would be the winner.


    Dimitri sped up once again as he vanished from Qiel''s vision.


    As an archer, Qiel had always had a good understanding of her surroundings. Even if Dimitri disappeared, she could still use her spiritual energy to check the surroundings.


    To her surprise, Dimitri was actually gone. She couldn''t see anyone near her within a ten meters radius.


    "!!!" Qiel hurriedly raised her vision. There was only one ce where Dimitri would go; it was above her.


    Dimitri was actually cing himself between her and the sun so that his shadow would be projected on her.


    As soon as she saw through that intention, she jumped to the side, trying to avoid it.


    However, Dimitri had reinforced his shadows to the fullest, turning them into a spike that ended up hitting Qiel''s left leg.


    "Kh." Qiel gritted her teeth. It was a deep injury. If not for the fact that she was extremely strong in spiritual energy control, she might not be able to move her left leg after this.


    She hurriedly used the spiritual energy to enhance her leg.


    The moment Dimitrinded on the ground, he hurriedly waved his de horizontally, trying to cut Qiel''s upper body.


    Qiel once again ducked to avoid the sh that cut all the trees around them.


    "!!!" Qiel remembered what happened earlier and jumped forward, avoiding the falling trees. With this, Dimitri shouldn''t have control over the shadow from those trunks or at least extend them long enough to reach her.


    Even though Qiel was going closer to Dimitri, she still believed she could somehow block his attacks.


    It was at this time that she realized she had made a mistake. The sound of falling trees never echoed from her ears as if they never touched the ground.


    At the same time, her vision darkened as if something covered the sun.


    Qiel realized it was the trunks. Dimitri turned outunching all the trunks into the sky. This was probably the reason why he cleared up the area.


    He was approaching his limit and the only way to utilize his shadow was by extending the shadow naturally as much as possible. In other words, cing the trunks between Qiel and the sun.


    "Shadow Rain!" Dimitri waved his hand.


    Multiple giant spikes emerged from the trunks, impaling the ground around Qiel.


    "Kh." Qiel gnashed her teeth while doing her best to avoid every single one of them. However, some of them managed to graze her. Two of them were even quite deep like the wound on her waist.


    In the end, she used her other wing to block one of them while letting the other one bleed profusely.


    Qiel moved between the shadow spikes, barelying out alive. And it was at this time that she saw Dimitri ready to sh his de.


    In fact, he had been waiting for her. Now that she was out, Dimitri could finally strike her down.


    "Shadow Curtain!"


    Block it? She wasn''t in the position to block it. At the same time, she was severely injured from thest attack.


    It was already amazing that an archer could fight an assassin like Dimitri in close quarterbat. But this was the end.


    "Aaaahhh!" Qiel shouted, using herst resort. Both of the wings suddenly moved forward, trying to block Dimitri''s ck curtain from splitting her into two.


    However, there was no way these wings could do it. It only managed to block Dimitri''s ck curtain for a split second, but it seemed that Qiel had made her resolve.


    That split second was used to tilt her body to the side so that when the ck curtain shed through her wings, it only cut her right side.


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock. To think that Qiel was still strong enough to stop the attack by sacrificing her right arm and right leg.


    ''No. I should kill her!'' Dimitri jumped forward, trying to deliver a killing blow.


    But on the way, he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood as the ck tattoo on his body disappeared.


    "Gah!" Dimitri instantly lost all the strength in his body. The pain was so unbearable that it almost knocked him out immediately. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    His body refused to move and ended up falling to the ground.


    On the other hand, Qiel managed to survive even though she had to sacrifice a lot. At the same time, she still had her True Spirit Body.


    "You bastard¡­" Qiel gritted her teeth, ring at Dimitri. To think that she would lose all this from the fight while Dimitri managed to close all his wounds.


    Even then, the victor was her. Dimitri didn''t seem to be able to move anymore and there would be nothing to stop her from killing Dimitri.


    "Do you think I can''t shoot you anymore in this condition?" Qiel used thest bit of her wings to form her limbs. Yes, the left wing turned into her right arm while the right wing turned into her leg.


    Although this was only temporary, she could still wield her bow.


    Dimitri looked at Qiel, resigning to his fate. It seemed that he had failed his master. ''I''m sorry, Master. I can''t stand by your side anymore.''


    Dimitri didn''t know why, but he remembered the first time he met Noel. He was just a baby at that time, but he actually held Dimitri''s finger with a big smile on his face. And it made him even more regretful because he couldn''t apany the kid who had brought him from living in the shadow to basking in the bright light.


    "Die." Qiel shouted while releasing her arrow.

 Chapter 993 Decisive Moment (11)

    <h4>Chapter 993 Decisive Moment (11)</h4>


    ?"Fire Transformation, Release!"


    The ck wings red up, melting the ice wings. Noel''s hands started to turn ck as if they were influenced by the ck sword on his hand.


    "!!!" The two Devil Saints felt something much more ominousing from Noel. It seemed that the fire element was truly above the ice element.


    Instead of both of them, Noel actually focused on the demons not far from them. While they were in shock, Noel stabbed the ground with his sword.


    Outburst.


    Multiple explosions urred in front of the sword, creating a new chain of explosions in a fan-shaped area toward the demons.


    "!!!" The two Devil Saints were astounded. Instead of focusing on them, Noel actually attacked the demons.


    When they took a glimpse of the situation on the other side, Noel''s action seemed rational.


    Although the soldiers were still hanging on, they were still overwhelmed by their numbers. So, Noel actually sted a lot of demons to relieve them.


    However, this was an insult to the Devil Saints. Noel had gone all the way to fight two Devil Saints, yet he still focused on other battlefields.


    Without hesitation, the two Devil Saints jumped forth. Since Noel thought he was that capable, they just had to cut him down here.


    Noel''s n had worked. The moment they came here, he immediately activated the me Devil.


    An avatar simr to Howard''s emerged from Noel''s back.


    This avatar leaned to the right, smashing the Transformation Devil Saint. Thetter changed his legs to those of a rabbit, using the jumping power to escape from the fist.


    Meanwhile, Noel waved his sword toward the spear user.


    Sword Transmutation.


    The Spear Devil Saint hurriedly raised his spear to block this sword with its handle. However, he soon noticed something was wrong. The energy on his sword suddenly red up and got extended like that of a whip.


    "What?" The spear user hurriedly ducked while lowering his arms to avoid getting hit by this whip-shaped energy. He had never heard about a technique like this.


    Of course, he didn''t know about it. This was a technique that he created after learning from the Sword Arbiter. He had understood what he should do regarding the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.


    The name itself was always changing, so how could the energy that the sword produced remain as a sword? He could use things like a whip or even a spear. However, Noel still handled them like a sword.


    Even when the whip-shaped energy looped around, it still banged the spear''s handle like metal.


    ''Guilt is not enough?'' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. The ''Guilt'' emotion was based on the overwhelming need to change one way to avoid making the same mistake. That was why the sword could turn into a whip.


    However, he thought that this was enough for a surprise attack. Even when the Spear Devil Saint ducked down, he still maintained a certain bnce that he could escape if Noel attacked him.


    At the same time, the Transformation Devil Saint managed to loop around and attack Noel from behind.


    Noel activated the Spiritual Barrier Rune to block his kick. However, the Transformation Devil Saint had turned his foot into that of a horse, boosting the power in that kick.


    Even Noel''s Spiritual Barrier Rune actually cracked from the impact. He even wanted to perform another kick to destroy it.


    Fortunately, Noel was fast enough to draw an Amplification Rune. His target was actually the cracked Spiritual Barrier.


    When the Transformation Devil Saint sent out the second kick, it shattered the cracked part of the Spiritual Barrier Rune, but it was not enough topletely destroy it.


    "!!!" The Transformation Devil Saint realized that he had been tricked. This was actually Noel''s intention. He had to draw his foot immediately as he saw Noel turning around with his sword, ready to cut his foot.


    Before the sword could reach him, the Spear Devil Saint thrust his spear from below.


    "Snake Spear!"


    Noel nced back. The spear was swift, so Noel tilted his body to avoid this thrust.


    However, he didn''t know if his eyes were failing him or if he had been so injured that he began hallucinating, but the spear looked like it was curving toward him.


    ''Wha¡ª!'' Noel threw himself to the side as the energy from the spear burst out, grazing his cheek and right shoulder. It was so powerful that the skin was gone. If he hadn''t reacted fast enough, his head would have been blown away.


    Before falling to the ground, Noel waved his hand to send forth the Undying Phoenix toward him. Because of his current condition, he failed to release it with precision.


    The Spear Devil Saint also tried to stand up and get away, but the Undying Phoenix had reached the ground next to him and exploded. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    The Spear Devil Saint was sted several meters away. The fire caused a bit of scorched skin on the left side of his body, but the Spear Devil Saint was still skilled enough to brush off the me so that it didn''t stick to him. If the me truly reached his skin, he might have to chop that part away before it engulfed him entirely.


    Seeing the Spear Devil Saint was unable to provide any more cover, the Transformation Devil Saint, who had pulled back his foot, immediately jumped into the air before mming his fist on the spot where Noel fell.


    Noel looked at the Transformation Devil Saint. If this were a normal person, they might not be able to escape from it. But this was Noel.


    He used the Enhance Forward Rune to propel himself away from the st zone.


    *Bam!* The punch created a massive crater.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel managed to escape from him. Now that there was a crater, it meant that Noel could stop the Enhance Forward Rune, allowing his body to fall to the ground due to gravity.


    Hended foot first while positioning his de on top of his head.


    Sword Transmutation.


    Turtle. The Transformation Devil Saint created a turtle shell on his back and blocked the Sword Transmutation with it.


    But the Sword Transmutation had been powered by Fear, Anger, and Shame. The fear increased his speed so that the attack could reach the Devil Saint before the turtle shell was fully summoned. The Anger gave the sharpness it needed to cut through the shell, while the Shame increased the pration force.


    As a result, the turtle shell broke apart. Sadly for Noel, the opponent was a Devil Saint. The Sword Transmutation actually failed to cut him down properly.


    It only gave him a sword wound running from his right shoulder to his left back. Considering his current energy level, he should be satisfied with this result. The bleeding would definitely weaken him gradually.


    Still, Noel had one more problem. He didn''t have a lot of time left.


    The battle was fierce, but he still failed to kill his opponent even after ten minutes. There were only a few minutes left before Dimitri''s True Spirit Body wore out.


    If he couldn''t kill both of these Devil Saints before then, no one would be able to stop Qiel. Dimitri might die. Even if he could save Anna, Howard would probably bring the rear to stop their rampage. In the end, only he and Anna could probably survive.


    At the same time, killing these two Devil Saints was not an easy task. He had been fighting recklessly the whole time, but he still failed to create an opening that could kill them.


    In fact, he should be praised for being able to fight this much. He only had thirty percent of his energy left when he went all out against the demon tree. Even after using the pill, he only recovered twenty percent of his strength.


    So, he had been fighting two Devil Saints in that condition. It was amazing to even keep up with them.


    Noel took a deep breath, carefully assessing the situation. Howard waspletely upied and didn''t seem that he could kill the tiger in the next few minutes.


    Anna had been suppressed by Laufey''s power. So, it didn''t seem that she could defeat Laufey until the True Spirit Body ran out.


    ''What should I do now? Time is running out.''


    Noel had used the new runes and his new mastery of the Everchanging Sword. Even both of his transformations had been revealed. But this wasn''t enough. If he wanted to win, he needed thest push.


    Ever since Heisk disappeared to get her True Spirit Body, he hadn''t received any missions from Ardagan. At first, he thought that getting the mission''s reward might be able to create an opportunity that he could never imagine before. At the same time, he could understand why the Ardagan didn''t give him the mission due to the toll his body would take in getting a True Spirit Body.


    As if realizing the dire situation, Ardagan suddenly appeared, giving another solution that he never thought was possible.


    [Do you need a True Spirit Body?]

 Chapter 994 Decisive Moment (12)

    <h4>Chapter 994 Decisive Moment (12)</h4>


    ?[Do you need a True Spirit Body?]


    Noel raised his eyebrows, not expecting the Ardagan toe to him like this. Still, he had to fight these two, so he couldn''t get too distracted.


    ''Yes. Are you going to give me the True Spirit Body?'' Noel asked while watching the Spear Devil Sainte from the right.


    [It''s Heisk.]


    ''Is she done?''


    [Not yet, but I can bring her back. The situation seems to be much more awful than you predict, so I''m thinking about bringing Heisk back to lend her True Spirit Body.]


    ''Won''t that be a problem for Heisk? Will something happen to her?'' Noel treated his spirits as his partners, so he didn''t like the idea that he got an advantage over their sacrifices.


    However, Ardagan seemed to have expected this response, as he immediately replied.


    [Yes. She will be injured for a bit, but she can recover from that injury in three months. However, it will cause you to be unable to call Heisk for another six months. It causes her to require a lot more time to fully assimte with her True Spirit Body.]


    ''This¡­'' Noel frowned while parrying the Spear Devil Saint. Because of all the talking, he yed a more defensive role. ''What about you? Can''t you be the one to give me the True Spirit Body?''


    [Without Heisk''s True Spirit Body, receiving my True Spirit Body will reduce you to ashes.]


    ''¡­'' Noel was speechless. It seemed that he didn''t have any choice but to do everything by himself. There was no need to trouble Heisk. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    [It seems that you are misunderstanding the whole thing. For a spirit, the True Spirit Body is their life-long dream. You have helped Heisk be a Humanoid Rank Spirit and even be granted the True Spirit Body by the Spirit God.]


    [Not many Humanoid Rank Spirits receive this opportunity. So, originally, Heisk might be able to reach this stage, but there is a chance that she will never receive the True Spirit Body in her entire life.]


    [That''s why she is eternally grateful to you. If this kind of price is the only thing she need to pay to show her gratitude, she will dly take it.]


    ''But still¡­'' Noel bit his lips.


    [The clock is ticking. If you don''t choose now, you might lose that butler of yours.]


    Noel seemed to have no other choice. Dimitri was approaching his limit. Even if he managed to defeat these two, he didn''t know whether his current condition was able to stop Qiel or even create an opportunity for Dimitri or not.


    ''Fine. I will do it.'' Noel''s expression turned solemn. The two Devil Saints didn''t know what was going on with Noel. But these expressions were enough for them to realize that Noel was having a hard time.


    If they continued like this, they would definitely be able to defeat Noel.


    The two Devil Saints exchanged nods as they approached Noel from both sides.


    While waiting for Ardagan, Noel assessed the current situation to make sure that he didn''t throw away this chance.


    ''Anna should be fine for the time being. Howard might not look like it, but he should be able to defeat his enemy. The other soldiers are in trouble, but they should do just fine. In that case, there is only one ce I need to be.


    ''Dimitri''s True Spirit Body is about to wear out. I''m sure that Qiel won''t hesitate to kill Dimitri and use the remaining time to capture me. If I go there, I can stop her from killing Dimitri, but the problem is that¡­ I have to fight Qiel and these two Devil Saints with the iplete True Spirit Body.


    ''Still, this is better than nothing. Even if it''s too weak, this should be enough for a bluff. If it''s anyone else, they might not bite it, but since we''re talking about Qiel, she would definitely overthink it.


    ''Although this sounds a bit reckless, I have to scare them away. The Two Devil Saints, huh?


    Noel seemed to havee up with a n. ''After scaring them like this, I won''t be able to fight on the front lines for the rest of the war. It also includes Anna and Dimitri. In that case¡­''


    Noel looked at the iing Devil Saints. He waved his left hand toward the Transformation Devil Saint and sent forth his Undying Phoenix.


    The Transformation Devil Saint stopped to avoid the phoenix while the Spear Devil Saint came from the other side, thrusting his spear.


    Noel spun his body and struck his spear''s handle to knock it to the ground, but the Spear Devil Saint noticed that the strength Noel put into his swing was much weaker than the first time.


    He truly believed that Noel was going to be defeated sooner orter.


    In that case, the Spear Devil Saint roared while waving his spear to show that he was stronger than him now.


    Noel wasunched into the air but still managed tond on the ground safely. The Transformation Devil Saint noticed that change and understood that the Spear Devil Saint wanted to tell him that it was time to attack.


    Unbeknownst to them, Noel had been cing one trap after another. The direction in which heunched him had been calcted.


    More importantly, the only thing he needed to do was buy time. It seemed that Ardagan worked fast to inform Heisk about the condition.


    In just one minute, the help he was waiting for had arrived.


    [Master.]


    A woman''s voice rang in his mind.


    ''Heisk?''


    [Yes. I''m going to transfer the information about my True Spirit Body into your head through the mission. You might have to endure it while fighting these two.]


    ''Are you sure about this?''


    [Yes, Master. Please allow me to repay you. And it''s not just about me. You will also suffer the bacsh from this iplete True Spirit Body.]


    ''If you are ready, then I am ready.''


    [I shall begin.]


    At that moment, the system panel appeared.


    [Mission: Heisk''s Evolution III.]


    [Description: Heisk will receive the True Spirit Body.]


    [Reward: Heisk''s True Spirit Body.]


    The moment it waspleted, the system seemed to be calcting everything that Noel had, especially his spiritual energy reserve.


    In that instant, multiple missions appeared in front of him.


    [Mission: Defeat the Demon Army.]


    [Description: Exterminate the demons and repel the demon army from thisnd.]


    [Reward: Demon Exterminator Medal.]


    [Mission: Kill Sniper Devil Saint]


    [Description: Kill Qiel, the brain of the Supreme Devil Organization.]


    [Reward: An Advanced Rune (One Category of Choice).]


    [Mission: Kill the Two Devil Saints.]


    [Description: Show the newbie Devil Saints the strength of Noel Ardagan.]


    [Reward: 2 Special Ardagan Sword Techniques.]


    [Mission: Solve the hidden danger.]


    [Description: There is an iing hidden dangering to the city. Protect the city.]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 3.]


    Although Noel wanted to look at all these missions, he had no time. In fact, the two Devil Saints wouldn''t allow him to get that distracted even for a second.


    Hence, Noel immediately pushed away all the missions and focused on the information that Heisk sent through the mission.


    Thepletion of the mission allowed the system to impart the knowledge. It gave him everything he needed about the True Spirit Body.


    Although the influx of information made his head feel hotter, he could still endure it while fighting against these two.


    Even then, the Devil Saints took advantage of that moment of weakness to push Noel even further.


    "Spear¡­" The Devil Saint stopped not far from Noel as he thrust his spear. "Overlord!"


    Noel clicked his tongue, seeing the overbearing energy beaming toward him.


    Sword Transmutation.


    Noel tried to split it in half, but he was in no condition to use the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to boost his power. In the end, both of them neutralized each other.


    Meanwhile, the Transformation Devil Saint came from above, trying to punch Noel. Thetter managed to jump back to avoid it, but the punch shattered the ground.


    Noel ended up using his wings to get away, which was a bit slower than the jump. The Transformation Devil Saint jumped forward, kicking Noel.


    Fortunately, Noel blocked it with his sword, but the force still blew him away, forcing him to roll on the ground multiple times.


    The two Devil Saints were thinking the same thing. Noel was finally weakened, so it was their time to attack. As long as they could kill or capture Noel, the war would definitely end.


    Both of them were charging forward, not realizing that even though Noel was focused on defending, he was positioning himself between Dimitri and the Two Devil Saints. In other words, he had made sure that he was in the best location where he could interfere on both sides.


    [The information has been fully transferred. Please call its name, Master.]


    Noel made a big grin as his energy burst out of his body.


    "What?!" The Two Devil Saints abruptly stopped after feeling the energy. "Is he still hiding this much energy?"


    "No. This feels like something else!"


    The Two Devil Saints saw the ck wings on Noel''s back disappear. Soon, four pairs of ice crystals hovered around his back and expanded, turning into four pairs of ice wings.


    A golden crown appeared out of nowhere with a blue-colored jade on it. Noel''s expression turned solemn and cold as if he was looking down at the world.


    "True Spirit Body." Noel shouted as the wings pped, releasing their true force. The temperature of the surrounding area dropped so dramatically that their breath started freezing. "Ice King Body."

 Chapter 995 Decisive Moment (13)

    Chapter 995 Decisive Moment (13)


    ??"Die." Qiel shouted while releasing her arrow.


    All of a sudden, an eruption of energy shook the area. The fluctuation carried chills, making it distinct from any other people in this ce.


    "!!!" Qiel was in shock. Because Dimitri couldn''t do anything after using up his power, she thought that a normal arrow would suffice. However, that burst of energy actually repelled the arrow.


    After that, a towering ice wall appeared between Dimitri and Qiel.


    Qiel gritted her teeth. It was clear that this power came from Noel. If she didn''t make a move fast, Dimitri would survive. At the same time, she wondered where this power came from.


    ''Did Noel have a True Spirit Body?'' Qiel''s face became pale. There was no data about it. ''Had he deliberately hidden this power the whole time? Does that mean the Ardagan family has three people with True Spirit Body?''


    The True Spirit Body meant everything. It was basically the lifeline of a family. The Spirit Grandmasters might be scarce, but the ones with True Spirit Body were even rarer.


    In the Muivell Kingdom alone, there were only ten people with True Spirit Body. Getting Anna away from the Royal Family alone was already huge. If Noel was revealed to have a True Spirit Body, the power bnce would tip.


    That was right. In addition to the runes, the Ardagan family might be the top three powerhouses in the entire kingdom. The only thing theycked was the number of normal soldiers they could have due to the limit imposed on the noble''s personal armyw.


    "¡­" Qiel''s face turned dark. Although she expected that Noel might be able to awaken the True Spirit Body, she was thinking it would be much further into the future. He was indeed talented, but his insane talents only bloomed recently unlike Anna who had shown her brilliance since the beginning.


    No, that was probably not important. Even though she was heavily injured, Noel or Dimitri had to die. With that thought in mind, she looped around the ice wall.


    All of a sudden, she felt another fluctuationing from behind the ice wall. Her instinct kicked in as she suddenly saw a little shing from behind the ice wall.


    Then, a sharp sword wave cut through the ice wall and headed straight to her. This was Noel''s Sword Transmutation.


    Qiel shouldn''t have realized that the wall was actually pretty thin or she would have shot through it. Noel took advantage of this information tounch a sneak attack.


    Qiel raised her bow, trying to withstand this attack. However, she had focused her energy on her feet earlier, so she didn''t have enough energy to block this attack.


    Even if her bow was hard enough, the Sword Transmutationunched her more than thirty meters away. She rolled on the ground a few times and only stopped after her back hit a big, sturdy tree.


    "Gah!" Qiel spat a mouthful of blood.


    The two Devil Saints werepletely stunned. This kind of appearance and power could only be drawn by the True Spirit Body after all.


    They had to use their all in order to fight Noel evenly in his previous state, so could they actually do anything when Noel released his True Spirit Body.


    The two stopped for a moment, wondering what they should do. If they continued fighting, it was clear they were going to lose. Then, shouldn''t they run away?


    However, they were about to win. Even Dimitri couldn''t do anything after this. Qiel was severely injured, but she still had her True Spirit Body.


    Considering Qiel was their brain, it was better to wait until Qiel gave an order. And until she gave one, they had to fight Noel.


    The two Devil Saints jumped forth, surrounding Noel from both sides.


    "!!!" Qiel coughed a few times, trying to clear her throat so she could shout. But it was toote.


    Noel smiled as if everything had gone ording to n.


    "Ice Mirror!" Noel used one of his techniques. Normally, the ice mirrors would create a dozen ice nks. But with the True Spirit Body, this ability was amplified and formed more than thirty ice blocks.


    "!!!" The Transformation Devil Saint punched the ice blocks in front of him, smashing them into pieces. However, he soon realized that he was actually surrounded by the ice blocks. In an instant, the ice blocks joined together to form a cube, isting the Transformation Devil Saint.


    The Spear Devil Saint was simr. He thrust his spear forward, releasing the fierce energy that created a hole in more than five ice blocks, but it was useless.


    Noel used the remaining ice blocks to iste the Spear Devil Saint.


    Both of them knew that they had to go all out in order to escape from this cube. So, they all attacked the ice mirrors with all their strength.


    "Haaa!" The Transformation Devil Saint smashed the ice cube while the Spear Devil Saint created another hole to escape.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Among these two, the easiest one to defeat was the Transformation Devil Saint since the Spear Devil Saint couldn''t escape easily due to the size of the hole.


    Ice Lotus!


    Noel used yet another technique. Instead of sending the five petals, Noel actually released the entire lotus.


    That was right. The moment the Transformation Devil Saint broke free, he was greeted by this giant ice lotus that instantly exploded after getting hit by the residual power of his punch.


    "NO!" The Transformation Devil Saint tried to protect himself, but it was toote.


    The ice lotus caused an ice explosion, forming a mountain of ice that trapped the Transformation Devil Saint in the middle.


    "Master¡­" Dimitri waspletely stunned. He had never thought that he could witness this kind of power from Noel. He had watched him since he was just a baby, and to think that the person he took care of this whole time now had the power to defeat a Devil Saint easily.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that Qiel wouldn''t allow Noel''s n to seed. She hurriedly umted all the energy she had to kill Noel.


    "Behind!" Dimitri wanted to help Noel, but his body refused to move. Even so, he still managed to release a little bit of his energy into his voice so that Noel could hear it.


    Noel turned around immediately, waving his hand. "Ice Infusion!"


    The moment he touched the arrow, he froze everything, including the spiritual energy in the arrow''s trail.


    With Qiel''s current condition, she shouldn''t be able to muster too much of her strength.


    "Kh." Qiel gritted her teeth. If this continued, Noel would be able to kill the other Devil Saint before chasing after her. Of course, she knew that Noel didn''t have a lot of spiritual energy left, but she still didn''t know how much she had left.


    What Qiel didn''t know was that he only had ten percent left. As he said before, everything was a bluff.


    First, he sent Qiel flying so that she couldn''t prevent him from killing one of them. And after the defeat of the Transformation Devil Saint, Qiel knew that this campaign was as good as a loss.


    She had two options. First, she could ignore her condition and keep fighting. Even if she lost, Noel would definitely suffer as well. The second option was to pull back and preserve anything she still had. Even though they would suffer a massive loss, they could still do something in the future. At the very least, she, the brain of the Supreme Devil Organization, was still alive.


    She never thought that Noel would have this trump card.


    At first, she was convinced that their victory was nothing but assured as soon as they lured them out. Sadly, no matter how hard she overestimated Noel, Noel just kept surprising her with one thing after another.


    Qiel gritted her teeth and shouted, using thest bit of her power to transmit her orders. "All demons! Go rampage and stop them! Laufey, Arvan, we''re retreating!"


    "!!!" Laufey and the Spear Devil Saint widened their eyes. Laufey saw the power Noel unleash from afar while the Spear Devil Saint thought the order came a bit toote as one of them had fallen.


    "Do you think you can leave as you please?" Anna raised her sword, trying to step in.


    However, the Superior Tiger Demon suddenly roared. It sacrificed its front right foot so that it could blow Howard away.


    "Kh!" Howard gritted his teeth, looking at the tiger as it moved toward Anna.


    *Roar!*


    The tiger came in Anna''s way, causing her to block its attack instead of chasing Laufey.


    In the meantime, Noel hurriedly positioned himself to stop Laufey instead of the Spear Devil Saint. Laufey was worth more than the Spear Devil Saint due to his True Spirit Body, so killing him here would weaken the Supreme Devil Organization even further.


    However, the Spear Devil Saint stood between them while saying, "Laufey. Go! The old hag''s condition is severe."


    "I know." Laufey nodded and sped up. The Spear Devil Saint nned to sacrifice himself to stop Noel. The rest of the demons also became frenzied, starting to overwhelm the soldiers.


    Seeing the situation caused Howard to step in asmander so that their formation didn''t copse. However, he might abandon this post depending on Noel''s order.


    Noel was forced to choose between sacrificing a lot of things to deal huge damage to the organization or not sacrificing anything but still killing two Devil Saints.


    In the end, Noel announced his decision. "Don''t chase after them. Don''t let any more soldiers die here! We will clean up this battlefield and return to our city."

 Chapter 996 Relieving the City (1)

    Chapter 996 Relieving the City (1)


    ??"Don''t chase after them. Don''t let any more soldiers die here! We will clean up this battlefield and return to our city." Noel gave an instruction while waving his sword at the Spear Devil Saint.


    Thetter thrust his spear, causing a ripple in the air. However, the temperature dropped so dramatically that his spear was gradually covered in ice.


    This was just a normal Spiritual Cold Control that had been enhanced by the True Spirit Body. The spiritual energy around the spear gradually froze as well, causing him to be unable to release his power.


    Noel then struck this spear with his Sword Transmutation, but instead of the Ever Changing Emotion Sword Style, he actuallybined this attack with the Ice Infusion.


    The Sword Transmutation turned into an ice sword strike.


    "Kh." The Spear Devil Saint was being pushed back. At the same time, the sword strike caused the ground to be covered in a thickyer of ice. If he wasn''t careful, he might slip.


    Still, even though he could maintain his True Spirit Body much longer than this, he didn''t have enough spiritual energy to release his abilities. If he was not careful, he would end up spending all the spiritual energy away.


    However, it seemed that both of them knew what to do in this situation. Yes, both of them.


    Noel waved his hand, trying to release another ability.


    The Spear Devil Saint hurriedly raised his spear to protect himself. However, this was actually a bait. He suddenly felt a presenceing at high speed.


    The Spear Devil Saint hurriedly turned around, but he was still one step away. The red-colored lightning shed in the corner of his eyes before his vision turned upside down, looking at his own headless body.


    Yes. The oneing for him was Anna. She stopped next to Noel while asking, "What are we going to do now? Chase them?"


    Although she was curious about the True Spirit Body, it was better to focus on the matter at hand first. She hade here after killing the Superior Demon, so she was quite exhausted.


    "How much spiritual energy do you have left?" Noel asked.


    "About thirty percent. How about you?"


    "Five to ten percent."


    "So, we''re not going to chase after them?" Anna thought that they had the advantage of having two True Spirit Body users, while Qiel was heavily injured. However, it didn''t change the fact that Qiel''s True Spirit Body hadn''t worn off.


    Hence, Noel shook his head. "No. If we chase after them, we''ll have a lot of casualties here. Use five percent of your power to kill all the demons here. Do it within three minutes. We still need to head to another ce."


    "Another ce?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Yeah. I got a mission from Ardagan about solving the hidden danger of the city."


    "Hidden danger?" Anna had heard about the power of the system. It seemed that there was another thing lurking around. Was it the yellow flower? Was it the demon tree? Or was it something else?


    Since the system had given him that kind of mission, Anna stopped talking and turned around. While going, she said, "One minute is enough."


    Noel smiled. Although he wanted to do it as well, he didn''t have a lot of energy left. He had to conserve it to resolve the hidden danger or at least bluff his way out of it.


    In the meantime, he checked on the missions he got earlier.


    [Mission: Kill the Two Devil Saints.]


    [Description: Show the newbie Devil Saints the strength of Noel Ardagan.]


    [Reward: 2 Special Ardagan Sword Techniques.]


    He hadpleted one of the missions, so he immediately retrieved the rewards, wondering what they were.


    [You''ve acquired Three Purity Swords.]


    [You''ve acquired Divine sh.]


    "!!!" Noel felt something different from the sudden influx of information. Normally, it would just be knowledge, mostly words or images of the forms.


    However, this time, he saw a scene.


    In that scene, the person was swinging his sword in front of ake. Whenever he swung the sword down, the water in theke split into two.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. "The image from the Divine sh! This is actually the sword technique that my ancestor used to split a mountain in half. Even with the system, it doesn''t really allow me to reach mastery.


    "It''s not just about the form of spiritual energy control¡­ The technique actually takes into ount the movement of the muscle and other things. It''s already beyond the scope of the system. That''s why Ardagan showed me that scene." Noel didn''t expect that there would be something that the system couldn''t give me a mastery of.


    Now that he thought about it, considering it a ''Divine'' technique was probably justified. The Sword Transmutation looked simr, but their essence was different.


    Meanwhile, the Three Purity Sword excelled in fast movement which allowed him to produce three shes in a single movement. The system didn''t show him the scene like the one with the Divine sh, but it was clear that this technique was extremely high level. He could even incorporate three different emotions at once with this technique, making it unpredictable.


    While he was resting, he realized that Anna was about to be done.


    Since there were no more Superior Demons, Howard could go all out and trim down the enemies. Grandell and the others also showed unprecedented growth.


    But more importantly, Annapletely obliterated the enemy.


    "Die!" Anna roared while swinging her sword. Every time she swung her de, a few demons died. Coupled with her speed, a minute should allow her to kill more than five hundred demons.


    Howard also used that momentum to push back the demons, exterminating them.


    It took them two minutes to kill every single demon in the area.


    And Noel immediately gathered Anna, Howard, and Grandell.


    "How is our side?" Noel asked.


    Grandell reported, "I don''t have the exact number, but there are approximately 30-40 casualties, mostly on normal soldiers. A lot are injured, but there should be no threat to their lives."


    "What shall we do now, my lord?" Howard asked.


    Noel thought for a moment. "Can the soldiers still fight?"


    "Only half of the original numbers can still fight." Howard nodded. The other half was either dead or gravely injured, so this should be a reasonable number.


    "Anna. You wille with me and observe the situation from outside."


    "We''re going to ambush them from behind?" Anna raised her eyebrows. Although this method was good, they needed arge number to mess up the demon army.


    In fact, Howard and Grandell expected them to nk them from behind. However, it seemed that their lord had a different opinion.


    "No. Howard and Grandell will lead the group back to the city through the underground tunnel. Send the soldiers who can still fight onto the wall and coordinate with Duke Briton. Anna and I have to do something else."


    "Understood." Grandell and Howard bowed their heads, acknowledging the order. They immediately turned around and assembled the soldiers. Some brought the deceased, some helped the injured, while the rest protected the entire group.


    Noel was sad to see a lot of people dying. After all, he only hasreturn a few hundred soldiers currently. Having lost close to ten percent of it was a significant loss.


    But if they managed to survive this attack, they could get a total of three thousand soldiers ording to thew.


    So, they had to endure thest part of the battle.


    Just like Qiel predicted, having a night battle would be dangerous even for Noel. The demons had better eyesight during the night, but Noel had prepared another thing for this.


    In that case, there was only one thing he needed to do, which was solve the hidden danger.


    While watching the soldiers returning, Anna asked, "What is this hidden danger the system is talking about?"


    "I''m not sure. The system doesn''t disclose anything to me, but this should be enough of a hint for us to know that the battle is not over yet."


    "So, what are we going to do? Shouldn''t we go back to the city with the soldiers to find that hidden danger?"


    "No. Even if you attack the inner side of the city, they still need demons to do so. I don''t think they will send any people inside."


    "To avoid being found out?"


    "Yeah. In that case, the Water Lord can still step forward to handle them while Aurelia is releasing all her strength to keep the rest of the demons away. The kids and Rose are there too. So, sending the rest of the soldiers back to the city should be enough. Our only problem is how they are considered a hidden danger."


    "!!!" Anna picked up the hint and gasped. "So, you''re assuming that the hidden danger ising from the outside?"


    "Not necessarily. They might have hidden these demons under our noses, but in the end, they need a human to control them, right? They have to go outside to avoid getting caught."Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh! We don''t know the method yet, but we should be sure that they are outside. Or at least, wait until everything is finished and leave. That''s why we will go around to observe the battlefield from afar."


    "There you have it." Noel nodded.


    "Let''s go then. I will loop around the east and take the longer path since I have more energy than you. We''ll meet in the south."


    Noel agreed with a smile.


    ¡­


    While they were discussing it, things had progressed rapidly the moment Anna led the army out of the city.


    "What is going on? How can they suddenly appear inside the city? Do we have a traitor?" Duke Briton dropped his jaw in panic, looking at the city instead of the battlefield. He could see several clouds of dust that signified the rampaging demons. However, the barrier was still intact, which made no sense.

 Chapter 997 Relieving the City (2)

    <h4>Chapter 997 Relieving the City (2)</h4>


    ?A moment ago.


    Duke Briton looked at the battlefield while getting a report from Aerton.


    "Duke Briton. The progress on all sides is smooth. We should be able to withstand their attacks until the Lord returns."


    "Good." Duke Briton nodded with a solemn expression. "In fact, just keeping Qiel away is already good, but to think that they would bring all the humans and one Superior Demon away¡­ I guess they are that desperate to bring down an important person from our side."


    "I believe we should send reinforcement to them." Aerton was worried that their lord would be injured.


    However, Duke Briton didn''t think this was necessary. All of them were powerful individuals. Although he didn''t know about all the trump cards Noel had been hiding the whole time, he knew that he wouldn''t go without any preparation.


    That was why he only needed to take care of the remaining attackers this time.


    However, this was the time for something unexpected to happen.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars echoed in their ears. Normally, they would just ignore this because no one could breach their defense.


    But this time was different. Duke Briton couldn''t help but turn around as the sound actually originated from the city. "This is¡­"


    "!!!" Aerton followed Duke Briton, who was pushing away the soldiers while making his way to the other side of the wall, seeing a cloud of dust on three sides.


    "What?!" Duke Briton dropped his jaw. "Demons have breached the city? How?"


    Although their size made it hard to spot them, he was sure that at least thirty demons had entered the city. They were even located in three different directions.


    ra turned around to check what was going on, but the Superior Demon Crocodile mmed her with its tail, preventing her from doing anything.


    "Big Sister ra!" Erica, who had been stationed at the bottom of the wall, panicked. They had eliminated all the demons here except for that one Superior Demon, so they wondered what they should do.


    "Sword Dancer Kids, Go to the south! There seem to be demons emerging from there. The reserve soldiers will go to the west! Hurry up!" ra shouted, barely blocking the attack with her strings. "I will keep this demon here."


    "Y-yes!" Erica didn''t know what was going on, but she hurriedly ordered the other kids to move toward the south. The other soldiers followed suit.


    "Duke Briton. A few have made their moves." Aerton pointed at Erica and the soldiers.


    Duke Briton''s expression darkened. "This is not how the battle is supposed to progress. The fact that there are demons suddenly appearing out of nowhere means there should be a cause. Is there a traitor? But we should have found them¡­ Is it another n from their strategist?"


    "Duke Briton! We need your orders. The kids appear to be going to the south while the soldiers are going to take the west side. The east side has no one there!"


    Duke Briton bit his lips. "Tell the flying squad to go to the center of the city and inform that Spirit Master to help the kids. After that, they will go to the east side. The soldiers are to spread their ranks. The buildings can be destroyed, but the lives of the people are important right now."


    "Yes, sir." Aerton hurriedly left his side.


    Duke Briton looked around, wondering if there was a traitor. How could the demons appear? Was it due to the underground channel? No. The underground channel had been taken care of.


    Even the demon tree Anna fought earlier had been stopped by Andreas. He had also flooded the area to gain a terrain advantage even though his True Spirit Body had worn off.


    Duke Briton had to find this problem or the hidden dangers might cause trouble.


    "What is their purpose? The people? The buildings? Or¡­" Duke Briton just thought of something so ridiculous that he thought the Supreme Devil Organization was insane.


    "Don''t tell me, they are aiming for the Saintess?"


    No one wanted to harm the saintess, especially with the current strength and reputation the Moon Temple had.


    However, this made the saintess even more vulnerable. Because they were assured that the Supreme Devil Organization wouldn''t attack the saintess, they didn''t put any protection around the saintess.


    What if Noel had another enemy? What if that enemy didn''t care about the saintess or the Moon Temple? They could simply me everything on the Supreme Devil Organization after all.


    When that thought appeared, Duke Briton''s face became pale. If the saintess was attacked and the barrier was undone, nothing would stop all those demons from flooding the city.


    ¡­


    The saintess was still focusing on her barrier. As someone who maintained the barrier, she obviously could feel the area around the barrier, including the newmotion.


    "This is not looking good." La muttered.


    Suddenly, a fluctuation of energy urred near her. On the one hand, it didn''t seem to be anything resembling that of a human. On the other hand, she heard a couple of roars around her.


    It was clear that the demons had appeared around her. She didn''t know why but this fluctuation of energy should be the cause. Unfortunately, she couldn''t see anything or she would have known the reason.


    Even so, she still sensed the enemy''s intention. If they killed her, the barriers that protected the city would disappear.


    That was why this strategy was not bad. But the Supreme Devil Organization shouldn''t do something like this.


    "It seems that his worry is necessary." La smiled. When the demons were about to reach her, a spherical barrier appeared,pletely isting her from the outside.


    *Bang!*


    The demons tried to attack the barrier, but none of them managed to scratch the barrier. In fact, one of these demons was actually a Peak Level Demon. It charged its paw with spiritual energy and struck the barrier with all its strength.


    Yet, it was still unsessful.


    *Bam!* The door of the church was opened as Rose''s voice echoed inside. "Saintess!"


    La didn''t respond, but it was clear that she was safe.


    Without hesitation, Rose rushed toward the saintess. While she wasn''t good at fighting, she should be able to fight against a Peak Level Demon.


    All of a sudden, Rose''s appearance turned into a stone golem as she swept the demons with her hard right arm.


    The demons were confused for a bit but immediately dodged it. However, they ended up hitting each other mid-air, causing them to fall down.


    After that, Rose tried to push the Peak Level Demon from the saintess to protect her.


    "Go away!" The Peak Level Demon leaped toward Rose, not scared of her illusion. The Peak Level Demon smacked the golem with its paw, blowing Rose away.


    "Kh." Rose gritted her teeth but stood back up. No matter what, the saintess couldn''t be distracted.


    The enemy was indeed clever. They first caused the disruption in three directions, forcing them to split their force. After that, theyunched a sneak attack on the saintess as a finishing blow.


    However, this also meant that there was a time for them to react. When the Peak Level Demon was about to reach Rose, a few explosive balls fell down.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The series of explosions sted the Peak Level Demon, even though it also damaged the temple.


    "Lady Rose, Duke Briton wants you to help the kids in the south."


    "Unable. I have to ensure the safety of the saintess first. If the barrier is down, there won''t be anything to stop the demon." Rose shook her head.


    The saintess was obviously fine. Even though Noel left the saintess alone, there was no way Pdin Aurelia, with her character, would be convinced to leave her side during the siege. That was why he set up a few things to ensure the safety of the saintess, which was the rune.


    Noel had actually used the Spiritual Barrier Rune, the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, and a Superior Demon''s blood to craft all this. In other words, the strength of the barrier that protected the saintess was much stronger than the ones in the wall.


    Only by using all this did he manage to convince Aurelia to get stationed far away from the saintess.


    Still, Rose didn''t know anything about this. In fact, there were only four people who knew about this in the entire city: Noel, Anna, Aurelia, and the saintess herself.


    Even if Noel had carefully checked everyone''s affection, information was still the most important thing during a battle. He was controlling the information that he wished to spread. This was actually the reason why Duke Briton called Noel a genius of warfare and someone who was capable of fighting him on equal terms.


    And the saintess was safe due to his effort.


    Still, the flying squad and Rose didn''t know about it. That was why Rose ordered, "Kill all the demons here first. After that, the flying squad will split into two to assist the children and Lady Milfa."


    The flying squad members looked at each other. It appeared they had no choice.


    "Understood!"


    Duke Briton was watching everything from the top of the wall. Although he didn''t know what actually happened, he could still see the destruction as a sign of their action. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The demons on Milfa''s side were hindering Milfa''s action. Fortunately, his flood still made the terrain hard to prate, so Milfa could still hold back a little bit to handle the demons that appeared on her side.


    But it wouldn''tst long. And one more important thing happened. All of a sudden, a huge ice crystal erupted behind the enemy''s rank. It was outside the barrier, but due to the size of the crystal, it was easily visible from afar.


    "!!!"

 Chapter 998 Relieving the City (3)

    Chapter 998 Relieving the City (3)


    ??Noel was crossing the woods while thinking, ''If there is an enemy hiding around, this ce should be perfect. At first, I thought that Milfa''s side would be the perfect ce, but because of Duke Briton''s power, it''s not a perfect ce to hide.


    ''At the same time, there is nothing but a barren in on the south. In other words, if someone is going to hide, it''s going to be on the west side between the city and the river.''


    Noel contemted. The enemy this time was actually able to ambush the city.


    From the looks of the city, it seemed that they managed to sneak inside. He doubted the cause was a human since it wouldn''t be good to leave behind any hints.


    In other words, there should be another party observing from a distance, and this group was the culprit for all themotion.


    In Noel''s mind, an image of a person who was capable of doing something like this appeared.


    There weren''t a lot of people that could sneak inside the city, let alone bring all these beasts. If there was a person like that, he was either the one working with the darkness or actually appearing out of nowhere.


    If it was the former, Dimitri should have known them. If it was thetter, there was only one person.


    She had the ability to create a portal and teleport from one ce to another, so it wouldn''t be weird for her to create a portal and drag all the demons inside.


    With how Anna described their endings in their previous lives, Noel had taken this possibility into ount.


    And it seemed that he was right.


    When he was crossing the woods, his Demon Hunter Medal actually picked up the presence of the demon. It was already weird for the demons to hide inside the woods while the rest were fighting on the front lines, let alone the fact that he felt more and more demons. Their numbers should be in the hundreds.


    Without hesitation, Noel turned around and looked into this.


    Instead of the demons, he was looking for a person. Though, it didn''t take too long for him to find her, considering she had to be in the center of this mass so that she could teleport all of them inside the city.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons seemed to notice Noel, but it was toote. Noel''s speed was much faster in his True Spirit Body.


    He jumped into the air while waving down his left hand.


    Ice Lotus.


    "!!!" The woman waved her scythe, creating a small vortex in front of the lotus.


    *Boom!*


    The ice lotus exploded, freezing not only the vortex but also the demons around it. The ice lotus turned into a giant ice crystal that was easily visible from afar.


    ''That form¡­ True Spirit Body?'' The woman frowned. There was only one thought in her mind: escape. Without hesitation, she swung her scythe to create another portal for her to leave.


    "Do you think you can get away, Void Arbiter?!" Noel roared while waving his sword. The Sword Transmutation flew straight toward her, but a lot of beasts suddenly came into the way to block this attack with their bodies.


    As Noel expected, the culprit was Josephine. However, he was surprised that Josephine chose to escape immediately instead of killing him here.


    But he noticed one reason why it was best to immediately leave.


    "There is no evidence." The Void Arbiter slipped into the portal and disappeared.


    "¡­" Noel gritted his teeth. He was the only one who saw Josephine here, so even if he imed Josephine was helping the Supreme Devil Organization, there was no proof. He could im that she was the only one who was capable of doing this, but he still needed certain proof.


    In other words, Josephine had prepared for this. In fact, she might have been waiting until the Supreme Devil Organization lured them out before making her move. It was lucky that Noel was actually fast enough to return. If not, the city would have been flooded by the demons.


    However, Noel could see another problem in the future.


    From that short meeting alone, he could see two facts. First, he got to see her with the Affection Medal.


    Name: Josephine Line


    Affection: 100 (Hate)


    Description: She will kill you if she has the chance.


    Her affection had changed drastically since the time he met her in the pce. Back then, he hadn''t revealed his trick and Anna hadn''t shown her true affiliation, so Josephine was still rather friendly. Even her hatred was only 20 points.


    But after realizing that she had been yed this whole time, Josephine''s affection changed as she turned into their nemesis.


    This led to the second fact. As their archenemy, Josephine had to die. But could they actually kill Josephine?


    Talking about her power alone, there was no one capable of stopping her from teleporting away. That was why her power was actually the most troublesomepared to other Arbiters.


    If they wanted to kill Josephine, they had to create a trap that could actually bind her in a single space and take away her teleportation ability.


    And with how Josephine controlled the demons, it was clear that she was affiliated with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Back then, Noel caused amotion by providing an unlimited amount of water. His purpose was to sow discord between her and the Third Prince.


    However, it seemed that his action made Josephine join the Supreme Devil Organization. The Third Prince was still connected to the organization, so there was a possibility that the misunderstandings had been solved.


    But with this, the situation had just be moreplicated. With Josephine''s ability, the organization would be much more flexible in its operations. Qiel hadn''t died and Laufey would stille back.


    Those three and Alexander would definitely make the organization much stronger.


    It seemed that even if they won this war, it was still not enough to crush the Supreme Devil Organization.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t think much because he had to take care of these demons.


    "Ice Burst!"


    The cold mist spread, freezing anyone that came into contact with it. The demons charged at him, only to be frozen midway. Some attacked from a distance, but their attack also got frozen.


    In the end, the demons had no choice but to run away from him.


    That was when Anna appeared. It took her only one minute to loop around the city and reach his position.


    "Noel!" Anna shouted while sting the demons with her blood lightning.


    Noel pointed at the demons. "Kill as many as possible and nk the demons from behind. After that, we will retreat to the city."


    "Alright." Anna was worried about him, but the war wasn''t over yet. So, she had to focus on the demons first.


    Noel panted a few times, thinking, ''Maybe I should show my exhausted state to force her to attack me? This is getting annoying. Even though the only thing we need to do left is clean up the battlefield, it feels like we don''t win.''


    "What should we do now? Although I want to help, I don''t have much energy left. I should conserve some strength to create a path back to the city." Noel let out a long sigh.


    Even though most of what happened on the battlefield was within his calction, it seemed that it was impossible to predict everything.


    "Maybe I should have focused on killing Qiel¡­ Without their brain, it should be pretty hard to function. Then again, Laufey is still kicking, so I don''t think we have much luck stopping them." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    No matter how hard he thought about it, there was no action that allowed them to get aplete victory. They should feel satisfied with this.


    It took Anna several minutes to return.


    "I have dealt a lot of damage on their side. It seems that Duke Briton is also directing the flying squad there." Anna reported while looking around to ensure that no one dared tounch a sneak attack.


    "How is the city?"


    "There are a lot ofmotions, but Howard seems to have returned and taken care of the situation. They should be suppressing the enemies right now." Anna sighed. "What happened here?"


    "Your former teacher was here."


    "Josephine? Did she create a portal to send those demons inside?"


    "Yeah. I couldn''t get any proof as she immediately left the moment we met."


    "She is the best at running away." Anna clicked her tongue, fully knowing Josephine''s capability as she had been following her in her previous life.


    "Do you have any idea on how to catch her?" Noel asked.


    Anna shook her head helplessly. That power of hers was simply too overpowered for escaping.


    "It seems that we have to find a new method to trap her in the near future. And after this battle is over, I''m afraid that the organization and the royal family will join hands to crush us. This might possibly be the reason why in our previous lives, I started a rebellion."


    "An arbiter joining the organization¡­ The connection between the royal family and the organization as well as the Third Prince. I see¡­" Anna closed her eyes for a moment.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Well, even if we want to discuss this matter, we have to defeat the demons first. Let''s go back to the city wall. I will create a path for us while you release your remaining strength to kill thest demon tree. Without Qiel, I''m sure they will stillunch another attack once it gets dark."


    "So, we will break their n first."


    "Yeah."


    Noel and Anna looked at the city, ready to settle the battle.

 Chapter 999 Relieving the City (4)

    <h4>Chapter 999 Relieving the City (4)</h4>


    ?The Water Lord furrowed his eyebrows while controlling the elemental.


    "What is going on¡­ What is that ice?" The Water Lord noticed Noel''s ice crystals but even if he wanted to check them, he couldn''t move from his position.


    "The situation is stable right now. Should I go to check on the situation? But the city is still under attack. I don''t know what''s going on inside the city, but it''s clear that the demons somehow make their way in."


    The Water Lord was assessing the situation carefully. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn''t connect anything. How could he even think of the possibility of the Void Arbiter interfering with the war?


    The Water Lord was waiting for the order so that he could go to a different spot, either to suppress the demons inside the city or check the ice crystal.


    However, the order never came.


    "What''s going on with the highmand? Are they blind? Can''t they see the situation within the city?" The Water Lord gritted his teeth.


    To his surprise, he suddenly heard cheers erupting in a few parts of the city.


    "Ooohh!"


    The kind of cheers definitely were not the work of a single person. There should be at least a hundred or so.


    The Water Lord didn''t know that Howard had actuallye back to reinforce the inner city.


    But his shock didn''t end there. Just two minutes after that cheer, lightning sparked from the woods behind the demons.


    In an instant, a figure appeared behind the snail, shing the snail into two, including its shell.


    The snail shrieked, but soon the sound died down.


    "Anna Stargaze?" The Water Lord sucked a cold breath. She actually appeared out of nowhere and struck down a Superior Demon.


    However, Anna didn''t bother to look at him. Instead, her eyes were locked onto the serpent that he had been stopping this whole time.


    "Her goal is¡­" The Water Lord hurriedly controlled the water elemental to hug the snake, covering it with water. "Go, Anna Stargaze!"


    Unfortunately, Anna had unleashed all the energy that she had charged into her de. In the end, she could only form a spear in her hand and toss it to the serpent.


    *Shaa!* The serpent spat out the poison to melt the attack. Sadly for the serpent, the lightning spear pierced through, losing half of its power.


    The moment the lightning spear touched the water, it instantly spread to the surrounding area.


    *Shaaa!* The serpent was electrocuted. It felt like the inside was being reduced to ashes. At the same time, the water elemental that held him down also shattered due to Anna''s power.


    "Huu¡­" The Water Lord panted a few times. If he didn''t release his power at thest second, he would be injured as well. Still, the consumption of summoning another elemental was extremely great. Yet, thest attack didn''t kill the snake.


    It was struggling with the excruciating pain, but it hadn''t died yet. So, the Water Lord hurriedly summoned another water elemental to kill this serpent.


    Unfortunately, Anna had to go back to the woods to regroup with Noel.


    The Water Lord didn''t understand what was going on, but he tried to kill the serpent as this was his only chance.


    What he didn''t know was that Noel and Anna woulde out of the woods together.


    "That''s¡­" The Water Lord looked at Noel''s figures. Just like Anna, it seemed that he had transformed. "True Spirit Body?!"


    "Water Lord!" Noel pointed at the snake.


    The Water Lord realized what Noel wanted. That was right. They had to kill this serpent.


    Because of the sneak attack earlier, Anna''s remaining energy was only enough for one more strike. But Noel had told her to kill the Demon Tree. In other words, Noel would be the one killing this serpent.


    Although he didn''t know the arrangements, it was clear that Noel intended to kill the serpent.


    So, the Water Lord used the water elemental body to swallow the snake.


    "Explode!" Noel shouted.


    The Water Lord instinctively trusted Noel''s judgment and caused the water to explode, sttering it everywhere.


    After that, Noel waved his hand. "Frozen Domain!"


    A thickyer of ice instantly covered the ground and spread in all directions. When it touched the demons'' feet, it spread up and froze the entire body. The watering from the elemental made it even easier for Noel to freeze them.


    The Superior Demon Snake as well as a hundred demons were frozen in an instant as the west battlefield had turned into an icy in.


    Even the barrier that the saintess made was frozen a little bit.


    Noel was thankful for his assistance, but with this, he didn''t have any more spiritual energy left in his body. His transformation was being undone.


    Just like Dimitri said, he definitely felt his spirit veins were broken due to the intense burden of the True Spirit Body.


    But that didn''t matter. As expected of Duke Briton, he instantly recognized the power and sent forth the flying squads. They released all the explosive balls they had to cover Noel.


    As soon as they reached a certain range, Anna jumped onto the top of the wall.


    "Woah?!" The soldiers were startled, but Anna said, "This is your lord. Hurry up and protect him!"


    The soldiers hurriedly regained theirposure as one of the officersmanded, "Form a protective barrier and make sure not a single demon can enter. We have to escort our Lord back!"


    "Sorry for letting you do this." Noel apologized in a low tone to Anna. Even after fighting for so long, Anna still had one more important role left.


    "Don''t worry. I will be with you soon." Anna smiled as she jumped to the top of the wall near Andreas. "Andreas!"


    Andreas was confused about why he was being called, but when he turned around, he saw Anna charging her power into her sword.


    In that instant, Andreas switched his stance.


    He had been cutting the soul of this tree to the point where there were only six roots left that the tree could use.


    Since Anna was here to deliver a killing blow, there was only one thing to do.


    "My grandfather is the one teaching me this, but I guess it''s a perfect time to use it." Andreas smiled. "Timeless Soul."


    When the six roots tried to impale him, Andreas disappeared or more urately split into six.


    The demon tree was dumbfounded by the souls, but that one second of hesitation allowed the six souls to sh the six roots, incapacitating it.


    With the roots falling to the ground, Anna leaped from the wall at lightning speed.


    The demon tree tried to move its branches, but it was toote. Anna had reached the tree and drawn her de.


    "Raging Thunder sh."


    With a single draw of her de, the lightning was unleashed like a bolt of natural lightning. It was fast and destructive, splitting the tree into two. The lightning even started a fire on the bottom of the tree which soon spread to the entire body.


    "Haa¡­ Ha¡­" Anna panted a few times. She had exhausted all her energy as her transformation was undone.


    "With this, the battle should tip in our favor. They have lost all the Devil Saints and a lot of Superior Demons." Anna smirked.


    This should be enough to kill the enemy, but all of a sudden, the tree moved once again just like the other demons.


    "!!!" Anna raised her head, seeing that the branches continued expanding and turning toward her as if they were ready to impale her.


    As if expecting this, Andreas appeared next to the tree and cut the yellow flower that sprouted the moment the demon tree was defeated.


    "I hope that you are more careful than this," said Andreas while holding the flower that he cut earlier. After that, he carried Anna and jumped back to the top of the wall as if nothing important had happened.


    "Is that the flower controlling the demons?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah. I''m going to study a bit of its soulter. I should be able to get some useful information whether for myself or the Ardagan Family." Andreas nodded while lowering Anna. "I don''t have to carry you all the way, right?"


    "It''s fine. Just leave me here. I believe that the situation is going to tip over right now."


    "In that case¡­" Andreas looked down, wondering what he should do next.


    After seeing three Superior Demons die under Anna and Noel''s ambushes, Duke Briton hurriedly shouted, "Tell the Gem Lord that he doesn''t need to hold back anymore. It''s time to tten


    ¡ª"


    Before he finished his words, Noel''s voice echoed in his ears. "No. Not yet. The enemies are still fighting with all their might. We have to let them continue to gather more data. Besides, I''m sure that they are waiting until dark. I also have prepared something for them, which is a perfect time to test it."


    "What? Shouldn''t we strike while the iron is hot?" Duke Briton asked. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "No. The enemy is most likely trying to learn our battlefield. I am not sure, but there should be a demon that is currently in training to be amander like Qiel. That''s why we have to do this."


    "So, the demon learns a weird thing, thinking it''s a normal thing?"


    "Yeah."


    "But that''s just your spection." Duke Briton couldn''t believe it, considering it was simply too absurd.


    However, Noel shook his head. "I have been fighting the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization ever since I joined the Demon Banner Army. In the Muivell Kingdom, I know their behavior better than you, Duke Briton."


    Duke Briton fell silent for a moment before shouting, "Maintain the attrition warfare. We''ll reduce their number as much as possible. Tell the Water Lord to recover his stamina and Pdin Aurelia to take over the entire west side."


    However, there was actually another surprise for Noel.


    In just an hour after his return, he would receive a notification from Ardagan regarding his mission.


    [Mission: Kill Sniper Devil Saint (Complete)]


    [Description: Kill Qiel, the brain of the Supreme Devil Organization.]


    [Reward: An Advanced Rune (One Category of Choice).]

 Chapter 1000 Relieving the City (4)

    Chapter 1000 Relieving the City (4)


    ??[Mission: Kill Sniper Devil Saint (Complete)]


    [Description: Kill Qiel, the brain of the Supreme Devil Organization.]Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    [Reward: An Advanced Rune (One Category of Choice).]


    "Huh?" Noel raised his eyebrows, looking at the mission. ''Huh? Qiel died? What happened? Did she lose too much blood?''


    Noel felt something was amiss. On the one hand, there was indeed a possibility that she died that way. On the other hand, they weren''t pursuing her, so they should be able to stop somewhere and close the wounds.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna asked, noticing Noel''s change of expression.


    "This¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment before whispering the truth. "Qiel died just now. The mission confirmed it, so it must be true."


    "Wha¡ªmmmph!" Anna was shocked, but Noel hurriedly covered her mouth to not show it. Although it was joyous news, they couldn''t really dere it. What was the proof? People would simply be suspicious of them.


    Anna''s expression turned solemn. "Are you sure about this?"


    "The system has never been wrong this whole time, so I believe that''s the case. It''s just that I don''t know the process."


    Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. After a moment, she whispered, "Maybe your parents made their move."


    Noel frowned. He didn''t think it was possible. After all, if they made their move, they would have to fight Laufey and Qiel. If just a single one of them survived, the consequences would be fatal.


    Anna continued, "They still have three Spirit Grandmasters like the former captain, Raven, and the ghost, Silvester. Don''t you think it''s possible? Besides, Qiel is severely injured and with this timing, the True Spirit Body should have worn off. So she shouldn''t be able to fight that much.


    "Laufey is the same. Although he is not injured, the Spirit Veins are broken due to the side effects of the True Spirit Body. So, don''t you think it''s possible to kill them?"


    Noel still didn''t believe this was enough. The risk was simply too big. Even if they didn''t make a move, Qiel''s condition should be enough to render her useless in a fight.


    If they disclosed their existence, the royal family would definitely unleash everything they had to defeat them. In the worst case scenario, the Transcendence Experts from the royal family and the organization would join hands to destroy their Ardagan Family.


    He didn''t believe that Oscar would help them in this matter. That was why he still thought there must be something else.


    "This is weird. Did I miss something else?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. There was one thing that looked a bit weird. He had a mission to kill the Devil Saints, but Laufey wasn''t on the list. It was probably because Anna was his opponent, but was that the only case?


    ''Maybe the missions are the limit. And the system is only targeting the people who are most likely to die.''


    Noel sighed, thinking, ''Anyway, she''s dead. I should be happy for now. After all, they have Josephine now. If Qiel and Josephine join hands, it''s going to be a disaster, so I should be grateful to know that she dies.''


    "By the way, are we still going to participate in this battle?" Anna asked.


    "No. This battle is going to be over in about an hour. As soon as the night falls, we''ll eliminate them."


    "So, we''ll unleash the remaining two runes hidden in our walls?"


    "Yeah. Even though you can''t fight right now, can you go to La? Just make sure that her condition is okay."


    "Alright." Anna nodded.


    ¡­


    Northwest of Lounstein.


    "Ha¡­. Ha¡­" Qiel panted a few times. It was really hard to maintain this state, especially with her current injury. "Have we gotten to a safe ce yet? I have to close my wounds first or I would die from blood loss."


    Laufey looked into Qiel''s eyes, which seemed to have be empty. It seemed that she had lost so much blood that her focus was close to none. If this continued, she would definitely die.


    "I don''t think they are chasing after us." Laufey looked back as if trying to sense their pursuer.


    Qiel nodded. She dropped to the ground and took a seat. "Laufey. I need your help. Share your blood a little bit with me so that I can recover enough to continue our journey. We have to return to the base and bring this news.


    "Alright." Laufey pointed his palm toward her before cutting his fingers so that the blood would flow out and gradually flow to Qiel''s wounds.


    Qiel''splexion became much better due to his aid.


    While waiting, Laufey asked, "What should we report this time? We have lost two Devil Saints in this war. Meanwhile, we fail to kill a single enemy or even heavily injure them."


    "No. That''s fine. You were dispatched to gather the demons, so you didn''t know what was going on at the base. We got a new person who would be a new Devil Saint. Although she couldn''t openly show herself for the time being, her power would definitely be beneficial for us."


    "A new person?"


    "Void Arbiter, Josephine."


    "That space woman?" Laufey frowned.


    "Yeah. That''s why we have to return and start a new n. With her help, we should be able to dispatch our people in a more organized manner."


    "¡­" Laufey thought for a moment and nodded his head. "That''s indeed good. However, you should know that they will grow rapidly after this battle, right?"


    "Indeed. I have a n to hinder that movement. Besides, their main enemy will be the Royal Family right now. So, we can increase our force in the meantime."


    Laufey scratched the back of his head. "To think that you would have thought this far¡­"


    "I have to. I know very well how strong they are now. Even before the battle, I made the assumption that we wouldn''t be able to win, so I prepared for all this. Although I would have a 17:31


    hard time using my power after this injury, I could still control Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    everything from the darkness."


    "The Supreme Devil also hasn''t made his move yet. And if we Ardagan? Or is this what you''re nning to do, Qiel?"


    "Yeah. With this, they are able to prove that they are much stronger than anyone else. Even without outside help, the Ardagan Family has four Spirit Grandmasters, with three of them having True Spirit Body. The people will definitely fear them, especially the royal family."


    "But do you really think that Noel Ardagan¡­" Laufey paused. Even he didn''t expect that Noel Ardagan would have a True Spirit Body.


    Qiel shook her head. "He is as talented as Anna, so it shouldn''t be weird to have that. However, he will definitely be too strong for the kingdom to handle, so his strength will end up being the trigger of the next war."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Haven''t you seen his True Spirit Body? What element does it have?"


    "Ice¡­ Ice?!" Laufey gasped.


    "That''s right." Qiel sighed. "If youpare the power between his ice and fire elements, you will realize that the fire element is much stronger than his ice. In other words, he is still hiding one more trump card."


    "The Fire Spirit''s True Spirit Body." Laufey squinted his eyes.


    "There you have it. With that trump card, the power bnce within the kingdom will be tipped over. In addition to the Gem Lord, I''m afraid that the Tower Association will split up. And the Ardagan Family will be the new top three power, 17:31


    recing the Tower Association. With that, do you think the Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    royal family will leave them alone?"


    Laufey closed his eyes, understanding what was going to happen to the Ardagan Family. It seemed that they wouldn''t have time to attack them. The Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom would definitely make their move to prevent the Muivell Kingdom. And the Atracaeca Kingdom will be one of the keys to this war.


    "That''s why¡ª" Qiel suddenly stopped before raising her head.


    "What''s¡ª" Laufey wanted to ask, but Qiel immediately put her finger in front of her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. They were within the forest, so Qiel''s senses would definitely pick something up.


    Qiel said, "This is bad. There is another forceing to us right now. We have to go."


    Qiel stood up, ready to escape once more. She didn''t know what was going on, but this other party was beyond her imagination.


    Her eyes were looking at the horizon as she saw two mening toward them. "That''s¡­"


    The first one was a muscr man wearing armor. His eyes looked rather gloomy and exhausted, but his hand remained on his sword handle as if he were ready to wield it at any moment.


    The second one was rather hard to see even though he was there. It was like his entire existence was blurry.


    "Isn''t that¡­ the Ardagan Family''s Silvester and Raven? If I''m not mistaken, they are the remnants of the previous Ardagan Family. But shouldn''t Noel have absorbed them¡­ Now that I think about it, they disappeared after that execution. No 17:31


    matter how much I searched for them, I couldn''t find any Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    clues regarding their existence. Don''t tell me¡­" Qiel gasped, realizing something.


    In that instant, a sharp pain jolted her brain.


    "What?" Qiel looked down, finding a blood sword piercing her heart. She couldn''t help but look at the one who stabbed her from behind. "Laufey¡­ You¡­"


    Laufey''s expression was cold as he said, "Fifteen years¡­ It''s truly been a long time."

 Chapter 1001 Relieving the City (5)

    Chapter 1001 Relieving the City (5)


    ??"Laufey¡­ you¡­" Qiel widened her eyes in shock, not believing what had just happened. Did Laufey just betray her?


    Her entire life shed before her eyes. She was the one corrupting Laufey into joining the Supreme Devil Organization.


    She thought that this was a good aplishment. In fact, he even stole one of the true inheritances. It was the record of the training journey of a Spirit Transcendence Expert.


    He used that book as a gift to join the Supreme Devil Organization. And during that time, Alexander managed to break through to Spirit Transcendence. The other three experts also improved by leaps and bounds.


    But when she thought about it, was it truly a gift?


    At thest moment, Laufey actually asked a lot of things as if he were trying to pry for more information.


    That was right. Laufey knew about her n with Josephine, their current n, the situation with the royal family¡­ he knew everything.


    And if they joined hands with Josephine, the Supreme Devil Organization would definitely be much stronger. Even if the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom got involved, they wouldn''t be able to harm them that much.


    That was why Qiel had to be eliminated.


    Fifteen years. Laufey had fooled them for a whole fifteen years.


    When she thought about it, she noticed that the clues were there. After the execution of Luke and Leysha, they confirmed that they were real.


    However, what if they were fake? There was one way to fake their execution. They simply used a body double and provided proof. And that proof was none other than blood, yes, the same ability that Laufey controlled.


    What if Laufey had been working with them from the start? What if he used his ability to create fake blood?


    It was indeed possible. Then, there was something she didn''t understand. Laufey had been trying to harm Noel Ardagan the whole time. It looked genuine. Even the other Devil Inspectors who had worked with him confirmed that Laufey was genuine.


    But they had been suffering one loss after another. It was to the point that they had been sending their forces to Noel just to get eliminated.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    In this war, Laufey was in charge of gathering their forces.


    He had a lot of time, but the only thing he managed to gather was one hundred thousand demons with more than twenty Superior Demons.


    It was an amazing number, but if he tried even harder, getting a hundred and fifty thousand shouldn''t be a problem. The course of the war should also change.


    What if Laufey was doing everything for the Supreme Devil Organization while specting on Noel''s power? What if he did it only at the limit that he believed Noel could withstand?


    When all that appeared in her mind, she realized that Laufey had never been on their side. That hatred was genuine, but he might be brainwashing himself so that it looked genuine.


    And with her death, Laufey would return alone to the Supreme Devil Organization as the only witness to the war.


    Even with Josephine joining the organization and Alexander taking the helm, Laufey would still be a mole. He might be the biggest reason for the organization''s failure.


    However, Qiel never thought that Laufey was a very intelligent person. But there was one person smart enough to orchestrate the whole thing. She couldn''t help but utter his name in herst moment.


    "Luke¡­ Ardagan¡­ well¡­ yed." Qiel fell to her knees. When Laufey pulled out the sword, her body hit the ground. Laufey didn''t even spare her corpse as he controlled all the blood topletely destroy her body so that she didn''t have any chance of getting healed or resurrected.


    When looking at her gruesome corpse, Laufey couldn''t help but recall the memory of the past.


    ¡­


    Twenty years ago.


    "Brother." Laufey looked at Luke with a grim expression. "The Supreme Devil Organization approached me."


    "What?" Luke widened his eyes in shock.


    "Don''t worry, Brother. I am going to reject them and fight them if they appear again." Laufey waved his hand, assuring Luke.


    However, Luke looked down as if he were worried about this problem. It wasn''t that he was worried about Laufey betraying him, he was just concerned about whether rejecting them was a good thing or not.


    "Brother?" Laufey tilted his head in confusion.


    Luke took a deep breath. "The Supreme Devil Organization was created by the royal family."


    "Wha¡ª" Laufey rose from his seat, but Luke gestured to him to stay silent as this topic was taboo.


    "Their purpose is to control the kingdom as the viin. This way, the royal family can eliminate anyone they want."


    "But don''t they have the Inquisitors and Arbiters to do that?"


    "If they are ghosts, the Supreme Devil Organization is like the vengeful spirit. While their purpose is good, they are a double-edged sword."


    "Why is that so?"


    "With their current growth rate, they will be a force that is capable of destroying the kingdom itself."


    "Are you sure?" Laufey was stunned.


    "Yes. This is why they have to be exterminated. Unfortunately, the moment we point our swords at them, the royal family will act." Luke let out a long sigh. "At the moment, they are simr to those of a bandit group. So, the other nobles don''t bother to look at them as enemies."


    "Then¡­" Laufey looked worried that the Ardagan family would be destroyed if they acted rashly.


    "That''s why I am thinking about helping their growth."


    "Helping their growth?" Laufey dropped his jaw. "Why are you helping the enemies?"


    Luke let out a long sigh. "With their current growth rate, I believe that they will be a nuisance in another one or two decades. However, with a long game like this, the royal family can do a lot of things to brand them.


    "If they seed, we might have no chance of destroying them. That''s why if I let them progress much faster, their growth will be uncontroble. Even if they have a connection, the royal family can''t stop the nobles from looking at them as an eyesore.


    "In other words, the Supreme Devil Organization has no choice but to be a terrorist organization, meaning that even the Demon Banner Army and the Tower Association have to take action against them."


    Laufey gasped. "Are you thinking I can actually make them stronger?"


    "¡­" Luke clenched his fists but couldn''t say anything.


    "If that''s the case, I will do it. As long as I can help the family, I am prepared to do anything."


    "But¡­" Luke was annoyed. On the one hand, this was too much of a burden for Laufey. On the other hand, this was something necessary.


    "Brother. Please let me do it. Tell me how to do it!"


    "It''s going to be long. You are going to suffer and I can''t bear this¡­"


    "I am not suffering alone. I know that you are tortured by this, Brother. I''ve told you this whole time¡­ Please share that 20:44


    burden of yours with me."


    Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    "No. You don''t understand." Luke shook his head. "If you do this, you have no choice but to brainwash yourself to hate me, the Ardagan family, and even your nephew."


    "What?" Laufey dropped his jaw. When he thought about it, his words made sense. The organization should have one way or another to check whether he was a spy or not.


    And to avoid their suspicion, he had to act like he hated the Ardagan family. However, if it was just an act, it was going to be found sooner orter.


    That was why Luke said he had to brainwash himself. He had to genuinely hate them from the bottom of his heart.


    His only thought could only be filled with hatred or he would be found out.


    "Brother¡­ Are you nning to destroy the organization for Noel?"


    "No. There''s not enough time. However, I believe that Noel will rise up and destroy the organization."


    "I see. So, my nephew will be the hero of an era." Laufey felt relieved when hearing it. If it was going to harm Noel or the family, he would reject this idea.


    But he somehow longed for the time when Noel stood proudly as a hero. He suddenly unbuttoned his shirt, showing the spirit mark on his chest. He cut the spirit mark, letting the blood flow out.


    "With this blood, I swear that I will do everything for the sake of the Ardagan family, even if I have to be the vengeful spirit of the family." Laufey looked at Luke with a solemn expression. "Brother. I need your blood to perform this blood bond. With your blood and my blood flowing together, it will stop me from killing my nephew."


    20:44


    "But¡­" Luke gritted his teeth. The burden that Laufey would Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    carry after this was unimaginable. He loved the family, he cared for his nephew, and yet, this mission would make him hate that gentle side of him.


    "Brother!" Laufey gave a gentle smile. "Noel doesn''t have to know about this. It''s only right for his elder to carry this heavy burden. He doesn''t have to remember me. All I wish is for him and the Ardagan family to prosper. So, please¡­"


    Luke was crying. He couldn''t bear to do it, but facing this determination from his brother, Luke had no other choice.


    Laufey was his brother as well as his oldest friend. He was the one who witnessed everything about him. He even went to the Demon Banner Army for the sake of family.


    Yet, the only thing he could do was just give him another burden.


    Thest thing he said was, "Please take care of Noel, Brother."


    ¡­


    It didn''t take too long for Laufey to begin brainwashing himself.


    For a few years, he had to torture himself by filling himself with that thought. His heart was torn and his mind was in shambles.


    After two years, the effect had begun to show. He started nitpicking everything that the family did until hepletely believed it.


    Thest time he visited the Ardagan family was the day when Noel was born.


    "I have to kill¡­ I have to hate you¡­" Laufey was looking at the baby Noel in tears. He was crying out loud while screaming. "I''m sorry, my dear nephew. I have to hate you and try to kill Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    you to protect you."


    Every day, he suffered and cried by himself. The change was gradual, which made Qiel believe that she had managed to influence Laufey. Laufey even tricked Dimitri to assassinate Noel in order to make her believe him. And that was when he joined the Supreme Devil Organization.


    When recalling that, Laufey couldn''t help but make a sad smile. "It''s time to go. Sadly, it''s not the time for our reunion, but I''m satisfied with this. I can see that my nephew''s fiancee genuinely cares for him and won''t be swayed by anything. And the little Noel from back then has be a good warrior that can carry the burden of the world."


    Laufey hurriedly left the ce. Silvester and Raven found Qiel''s body and shouted, "We''ve found her."


    Leysha was staring into the distance, while Luke was looking at the sky with a tired gaze. "I''m sorry for making you do all this, Brother. Once this is over, let us drink every night until we can''t drink anymore."

 Chapter 1002 Reward

    Chapter 1002 Reward


    ??Noel didn''t know what happened, but one thing was clear, Qiel had died in one way or another.


    While Anna was heading to La, Noel remained at the bottom of the wall to prepare for the next scenario.


    The sky was already orange, so it wouldn''t take that long for it to be dark. That would be the moment they would turn around on the battlefield.


    "What is the current report?" Noel asked.


    "Three Superior Demons on the east side have died and one is severely injured. Two Superior Demons on the west have died and the other two are still fighting, specifically the one on Pdin Aurelia''s side."


    "How are the protectors?"


    "Ma''am Milfa is exhausted, but it doesn''t seem that she will be going down soon. Pdin Aurelia is exterminating the lower level demons and reducing their number to only a fifth of their original number. The same applies to the Water Lord."


    "Tell Captain Milfa to not exert herself too much. As for Pdin Aurelia, she is to exterminate the demons in the south. The Water Lord will be controlling the west side of our city."


    "Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted before sending a messenger to them.


    "What about the wall?" Noel asked.


    "The north wall has exterminated five Superior Demons, including the crocodile that managed to enter the city. And ording to you, my lord, one more Superior Demon has died along with two Devil Saints. The remaining two Devil Saints are fleeing right now. In total, we have killed eleven Superior Demons."


    "Eleven, huh¡­" Noel''s expression turned solemn. From what he could see, the enemy had about 22 Superior Demons. On his side, there were twelve grandmasters. If not for the fact that their grandmasters were stronger than their demons, this fight would be a disaster.


    "At first, there were only 19 Superior Demons, but we realized that there were two Superior Demon Trees and one yellow flower. But that demon flower shouldn''t be able to possess highbat prowess. In that case¡­" Noel muttered before asking, "How are the Gem Lord and Faust?"


    "They are conserving their stamina."


    "Great." Noel smirked, thinking, ''Faust should have no problem killing one Superior Demon. Someone as strong as the Gem Lord would be able to kill two. We still have ra and once weunch a full scale attack, Pdin Aurelia and the Water Lord can unleash all their strength to kill at least one Superior Demon each.


    ''Milfa is the same. She has been using a lot of energy the whole time, but she should be capable of defeating one more Superior Demon. This means we can kill seven more Superior Demons. With only four Superior Demons left and one of them only the yellow flower, they should be pulling back.''


    Noel smiled. This was a good opportunity to end everything. With his n, killing one or two more Superior Demons seemed usible.


    "In that case, pass my messages to all Grandmasters who are still fighting. On my signal, we will start the killing fest."


    "Yes, sir."


    Once he had passed down the order, Noel started thinking about what happened that allowed him to kill Qiel.


    ''This is weird. In the north, there are two forces: my own family which is currently hiding from the spotlight and the Greenwood Kingdom''s army. The Greenwood Kingdom army should have been stalling a lot of demons, so I don''t think they could stop Qiel. Then, did my parents do it? If they made a single move, it would be the same as announcing their fake execution. If a single of them survived, they would definitely tell the royal family about it, which would put me in a difficult position.


    ''But I couldn''t imagine that Qiel just died after losing too much blood. She should be able to survive in one way or another.''N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Noel clicked his tongue. No matter how hard he thought about it, he didn''t get the answer he wanted. There were simply too many unknown variables.


    Since it was useless, he should think about something else.


    Although he was curious about the mission, there was one more thing he had to take care of.


    ''Ardagan. How is Heisk?''


    [Her condition is stable and she has returned to the great Spirit God''s side.]


    ''I see. Then, it seems that I won''t be able to use her power for the time being.''


    [You can still use her power, but not her True Spirit Body. In the end, she has toplete it first before utilizing it. And I''ve warned you earlier about the dy that the forced True Spirit Body brings, right?]


    ''I know. I won''t be relying on it for now.''


    [Also, your body is damaged severely due to that as well. While you can still use ice ability, its power won''t beparable to a Spirit Grandmaster. You are currently in a weakened state.]


    ''I don''t mind that. I''m trying to take it easy in the next few months. Besides, the Sword Arbiter will being here soon, so there will be another protector to keep my enemies in check.''


    [Is there anything else you''d like to know?]


    ''How about you? When are you nning to give me your True Spirit Body?''


    [Preferably Spirit Transcendence Rank.]


    ''Is your True Spirit Body that dangerous?''


    [I am an artificial spirit. Unlike other spirits who are granted or awakened their True Spirit Body, I am born with it.]


    ''No wonder. I guess I should focus onpleting the advancement mission first before thinking about your True Spirit Body. At the very least, I still have an Advanced Rune that I haven''t revealed in this war, which is a good thing.''


    [If you wish to get my True Spirit Body, I will give you the mission once Heisk returns or when you are at the peak of Spirit Grandmaster.]


    ''I''m looking forward to it.'' Noel smiled. ''I guess I will take a look at my rewards for now. I still have some time before dark anyway.''


    Noel opened the system. He had taken a look at the two sword techniques he received from killing two Devil Saints: The Three Purity Swords and Divine sh.


    They looked amazing on their own, but he was still curious about the other missions.


    The first mission, which was to repel the demon''s invasion, was going to bepleted after the counterattack. So, he was looking forward to the Demon Extermination Medal''s effect.


    Meanwhile, the second mission had given him an Advanced Rune of his choice.


    Noel fell into deep thought.


    ''Which one should I choose? Currently, I have one Advanced Rune in the Offensive Rune category. Should I pick a Defense Rune next? But the Spiritual Barrier Rune is still working well. In that case, the Movement Rune? No. The basic runes are still working well for all the rune inventions. Then, the utility rune?


    ''They are great, but they won''t do much in a battle. In that case, I should use the Support Rune. Support Rune will increase my strength to a whole new level.''


    Noel immediately said, "Ardagan. I want to exchange my reward. One Advanced Support Rune please."


    [Processing.]


    [You''ve acquired Honor Bearer Rune.]


    ''What is wrong with this name?'' Noel was stunned for a second before his head started experiencing the sharp pain. All the information was transferred to him, but more importantly, he saw another image.


    It was an image of a beautiful woman standing in front of an army. She charged at millions of demons together with the soldiers under hermand. And once they shed, her soldiers turned into an army of gods. They were unleashing a might that was beyond what anyone could imagine.


    Like its name suggests, the Honor Bearer Rune was a support type rune that empowered an army instead of an individual. It could affect more than a thousand soldiers.


    It increased pride and morale, which would bring out thetent potential of an individual. It meant that their strength, speed, and courage would be elevated to a whole new level.


    It was no wonder that the Honor Bearer Rune was ssified as an Advanced Rune. If he had this rune and led an army of one thousand, killing a hundred thousand demons wouldn''t be a hard task.


    At the same time, Noel felt a bit scared when he saw millions of demons.


    ''This image¡­ Don''t tell me, it''s my ancestor¡­'' Noel gasped. That was right. While the head of the Ardagan family was his ancestor, the one taking care of the family was his wife.


    ''This image might be the scene where she died. It was because of this battle that she fell for that demon. Are you serious? Even without the Sword Saint or my ancestor, she led an army against millions of demons and exterminated half of them?''


    Noel realized that there was still a huge gap between them. And his ancestor was actually stronger than this.


    ''Hahaha. My family is amazing. This is not good¡­ I''m bing more excited.'' Noel knew that there were still so many things that would surprise him in the future.


    ''I will graciously take this rune.'' Noel clenched his fists, not wanting to disappoint his ancestors.


    ''Last but not least, the hidden danger¡­ It seems that Josephine was the hidden danger. Since that''s the case, don''t mind if I take this reward. I wonder what kind of information I will get this time¡­'' Noel recalled that every time he got information about spirits, he would be blown away.


    However, Ardagan actually stopped him before he could receive the reward.


    [You should finish the battle first before receiving this reward. It''s going to be something special.]

 Chapter 1003 Last Phase

    ?The sun was about to set. The warriors on each side were preparing for thest sh.


    Even Noel had returned to the top of the wall tomand the army personally. He knew that his opponent was the yellow flower.


    However, the yellow flower hadn''t made its move after they killed the second demon tree. It seemed that the yellow flower was preparing to retreat with this new knowledge about the battlefield.


    "The sky is turning ck." Duke Briton looked at the sky while standing next to Noel. He was a bit curious about how Noel nned to defeat them this time. The demon tree was dead, so the demons must have another n to settle this.


    "Duke Briton. I have onest question for you." Noel raised a finger.


    "What is it?"


    "During a battle, if the two sides are unleashing all their power, which one will win?"


    Duke Briton was a bit perplexed by this question. On the one hand, the answer looked obvious. The stronger side would be the winner. On the other hand, this question didn''t feel like an ordinary one. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    Instead of replying with the obvious question, he pondered it for a moment before saying, "The stronger one will win... is what I wanted to say. But should I say the winner is the stronger one?"


    Duke Briton only reversed his answer, but the meaning became entirely different. That was right. There was no telling whether the stronger one was this side or that side. Instead, the stronger one would be the side that defeated their enemies.


    And due to that answer Duke Briton realized what Noel was nning to do.


    "What help do you need?" Duke Briton asked.


    "The Spirit Masters of your side."


    Duke Briton let out a long sigh. "Alright."


    "Please takemand of that army. I will be the one handling the wall."


    "It''s truly amusing to fight with someone like you. You can rest assured that I will set up a perfect formation to defeat the enemies. Make sure your runes don''t hit them." Duke Briton waved his hand while walking to the elevator.


    Noel had assembled a small elite army right in front of the gate.


    When the sky turned dark, the demons looked like they were retreating.


    However, this was just a fake. Once the sky turnedpletely dark, they would have a hard time seeing the demons if they suddenlyunched an ambush.


    Hence, Noel shouted, "Don''t drop your guard down yet."


    The soldiers didn''t understand Noel''s instruction, but all the Spirit Grandmasters had been briefed on what they were trying to do.


    The Gem Lord, Faust, and ra had been waiting for their turn on top of the wall. Milfa, Pdin Aurelia, and the Water Lord were also ready to unleash all their power.


    Once the visibility had been reduced to only several meters toward them, Noel blinked his eyes, activating the Moon Blessing. In that instant, his eyes were capable of looking at the night like it was day, allowing him to observe the movement of the demons.


    As he expected, the demons were preparing for thest charge. This was going to determine the oue of the battle.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel knew their n and aim.


    The soldiers also became silent, trying to see through the darkness. The only thing they could see was the light that the Light Rune had produced, which only had a short range.


    All of a sudden, the demons rushed forth. There wasn''t a single roaring from them and because of that, the soldiers panicked the moment they saw them.


    "Demons!"


    "They areing back!"


    "Hurry up!"


    "Get into your position!"


    The beasts wereunching an all-out attack. All the iing Superior Demons were moving in unison. Even the flying beasts coordinated with thend demons.


    There were already tens of thousands of corpses surrounding the entire city, especially the city wall. Their corpses had been stacked up pretty high outside the wall, which became the stairs for thisst charge.


    "Get into your position. They areing up!"


    The soldiers were raising their shields.


    However, Noel smiled. "Unleash the st Rune!"


    All of a sudden, multiple st Runes appeared in front of the wall, unleashing all their power in one go.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    A series of explosions once again filled the battlefield as the corpses near the wall wereunched in all directions.


    Some of the bigger demons couldn''t beunched by the st Runes, but the smaller demons ended up getting scattered around, causing the stairs made of corpses to be half-destroyed.


    The demons that climbed up fell to the ground, confused.


    This was one of Noel''s ideas for destroying the stairs. One of the two runes he had hidden this whole time.


    It was a rough n, but an effective one.


    Now that the area in front of the walls had been cleared up, Noel could finally use the second trap.


    "Activate it."


    Another wave of runes appeared, but this time, it didn''t release any attacks. Instead, it was actually absorbing the blood the demons spilled on thisnd.


    That was right. Thest trump card he had was the Intermediate Rune, Blood Rune. It was the same rune as the one embedded on Anna''s sword.


    By activating this rune, the Blood Rune would charge another wave of energy for the wall. The more blood they spilled on this ground, the stronger the wall would be.


    And with this, there was no need to use the energy to maintain their defense anymore. In other words, they could use all that energy tounch an all-out attack.


    "Attack them!"


    After hearing thatment, Tristan shouted, "Launch all our Rain of Light Runes. We will kill all of them at once!"


    Grandell shouted, "All the Meteor Catapults attack!"


    "Ballistas squad! Launch everything we have!"


    In that instant, the rain of light showered the demons with a might they had never seen before. Because of the darkness, the demons had a hard time locating the Meteor Rune that the catapultsunched.


    Only those with high perception or night vision were able to react to their attacks.


    The ballistas were also shooting down all the demons, not limited to the giant ones. There was no need to focus on them anymore.


    The battlefield became chaotic once again, but this time, the humans didn''t know whether they hit the enemies or not.


    However, this was the mechanism Noel had devised before the war.


    Once the demons were upied with his attacks, the gate was opened and the bridge was lowered down.


    Behind the gate was an armyposed of elite soldiers. The leaders of this army were Howard and Andreas. Since both of them had used too much strength to deal with multiple Superior Demons, they didn''t have enough energy to kill another Superior Demon. So, their task was to eliminate the Peak Level Demons or lower.


    The army consisted of twenty Spirit Masters they recruited during the first migration as well as more than one hundred elite soldiers at Spirit Wielders or below.


    "Onward!" Howard roared as he led the army outside the city.


    The demons with night vision should be able to see what is going on. So, they hurriedly informed the Superior Demons about them andunched an all-out attack on that gate to enter the city.


    It seemed that Howard was also nning to attack them head-on.


    Sadly for them, the second phase of the n had begun.


    "Go to the left! Don''t look at those demons."


    The soldiers followed his instructions with absolute obedience. Meanwhile, the demons didn''t understand this sudden maneuver until Noelmanded his soldiers. "Brighten up the battlefield!"


    "Fire!" The soldiers threw numerous fist-sized objects as hard as they could.


    Once they reached the ground, the objects activated the rune embedded in them and emitted a strong light, brightening the entire battlefield.


    With this, they could see the demons pretty easily.


    Tristan and the leaders shouted at the same time. "Aim at those demons!"


    The situation instantly changed from releasing their attack blindly to focusing on every single demon they could see.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A lot of demons instantly fell from their attacks, unable to respond. Some of the Superior Demons moved forth to protect the other demons. They should regain theirposure andunch a counterattack.


    Meanwhile, some Superior Demons actually moved toward the army that left the city earlier.


    "Captain Howard. Some Superior Demons areing toward us!" One of the soldiers reported.


    "I told you that you don''t have to look at them." Howard didn''t even bother to nce at these demons.


    After all, an arrow and a web appeared in front of them, sting all these Superior Demons away.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Roar!*


    The Superior Demons were shocked and stepped back. ra had finally stepped out of the city while Faust remained on the wall, ready to snipe all these demons.


    The Flying Superior Demon saw this, thinking that ra would be a perfect target to be eliminated first. However, a gem appeared in front of him and exploded.


    "!!!" The flying demon was startled, realizing that his opponent remained the same.


    "It''s time to settle everything." The Gem Lord smiled.


    Howard smiled because he knew that his Lord must have a n.


    "Captain. We have a hard time seeing the enemy in this darkness." Another soldier reported while frowning. If they got ambushed this way, their army would suffer greatly.


    "Don''t worry. They are here." Howard smirked while looking up.


    The flying squads had once again taken off. They were dropping the same small objects to the ground, brightening the entire area.


    With this, there was no problem with fighting during the night.


    "You have seen your target. Our objective is to sweep all the demons starting from the west!"


    "Yes, sir." The soldiers, who realized that everything was ording to n, instantly replied in excitement.


    There were only low level demons, so they could only get exterminated by Howard and the others.


    However, there was still one Superior Demon on Pdin Aurelia''s side.


    That was why the moment he saw the army appearing in his area, the Water Lord rushed toward Pdin Aurelia.


    "Hey, youngdy. It''s time to kill the two Superior Demons on your side." The Water Lord smiled.


    "In that case, I will trouble you to take care of that spider. I will handle the other one." Pdin Aurelia smiled. She had been waiting for this.


    The moment she jumped into the air, two pairs of angelic wings appeared on his back, releasing a blinding light that revealed all the demons hiding in the darkness.


    "Heaven Judgment."


    The Water Lord smiled. "Liquid Maniption!"


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    On the other side, Milfa couldn''t help but raise her head. "It seems that they have begun. I guess myst job is to kill the Superior Demon in front of me. To think that this kid could win against all these enemies. It''s truly surprising. This battle will surely shock the entire country."

 Chapter 1004 Victory

    ?A giant wolf released a stream of light from his mouth toward the wall, only to be intercepted by an arrow.


    The arrow overwhelmed the burst of energy and eventually reached the giant wolf. Thetter tried to avoid it, but it was toote. The arrow tore apart its jaws.


    Unfortunately for the beast, it didn''t have the time to wail in pain as another arrow arrived, exploding its head.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons around it looked like they were mourning for him, but it was useless. Numerous rains of lights had been summoned, raining them down.


    On the other side, there was another beast that stuck to the ground. Its body waspletely tied to the ground.


    The other demons tried to sever the threads, but it was impossible to do it. Another arrow then came toward this demon and blew its body apart.


    Not long after, a bird fell to the ground with its bodypletely charred.


    "Kill them!" Howard pointed forward while waving his sword to kill the remaining enemy.


    There was a Superior Demon in front of them, but it was currently being drowned by a giant sphere of water. Howard and Andreas leaped into the air and shed the Superior Demon, ending its life.


    Behind that Superior Demon was yet another Superior Demon. This time, the demon seemed to be burned inside out by a radiant light that permeated the dark sky.


    Howard and Andreas didn''t hesitate to pass through him, leading the rest of the soldiers to the south. It was a quick battle as another radiant light killed dozens of demons.


    Once they reached the corner, they saw another Superior Demon dying with numerous holes in its body. Even the normal demons didn''t survive.


    It was a quick operation as they made their way back to the north wall.


    However, the moment they reached the north wall, they noticed that the demons were retreating.


    "!!!" Howard widened his eyes in shock. This could only mean one thing. They had won.


    Sadly, he couldn''t cheer just yet as Noel suddenly pointed at the demons and shouted, "Kill them!"


    Howard''s expression turned serious. He didn''t know why Noel wanted to do it, considering they had retreated, but he acknowledged the order andmanded the army to chase down these demons.


    Noel thought that there were still tens of thousands of demons and a few Superior Demons that Damian had stopped, so it wouldn''t be good if they regrouped. They could either attack this ce again or crush Damian. Hence, there was only one thing to do, they simply had to crush them until they couldn''t do anything.


    The Gem Lord and Faust also followed them, eliminating a lot of demons in the process.


    If not for the water that washed away the blood, the pungent smell of blood would have overwhelmed the city.


    During the chase, they eliminated another few thousand demons and one Superior Demon.


    In the end, the demons divided into a few groups and scattered.


    They eliminated two groups and let the others survive. Meanwhile, Noel had sent out a member of the flying squad to send out the information to Damian, ensuring that they didn''t die.


    Finally, eight hours after the beginning of the war, the demons had a full-scale retreat and left the border.


    Noel also got the notification from his system.


    [Mission: Defeat the Demon Army (Completed).]


    [Description: Exterminate the demons and repel the demon army from thisnd.]


    [Reward: Demon Exterminator Medal.]


    Looking at this mission gave him a sense of relief. The war was finally over.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, saying, "Recall Howard back."


    "My lord¡­ does that mean..." Grandell''s eyes were brimming with expectation.


    "Yeah. This war is our victory." Noel nodded in confirmation. "You can do it, Grandell."


    Grandell clenched his fists while shouting, "Blow out the horns!"


    All of a sudden, a heavy honk echoed across the city.


    The soldiers on the wall couldn''t help but turn around, the people in the city raised their heads, and some of the injured people tried to rise. This horn only had a single meaning.


    Grandell used thest bit of his energy to raise his voice. "This war is over! It''s our VICTORY!"


    Right after those words, the trumpets were blown, changing the atmosphere to a festive mood.


    People started looking at each other as if they couldn''t believe it. How could anyone believe it? This was thergest-scale attack that happened in thest three hundred years.


    More than seventy thousand demons and more than twenty Superior Demons¡­ An iplete city that only had a single wall withstood their attacks and killed a lot of theirmandants.


    The Saintess couldn''t help but smile. While she hadn''t dropped her guard yet, she could still hear what was going on outside, especially with Anna sitting next to her.


    Anna said the same thing as what La wanted to say. "We''ve won."


    "We''ve won!" The cheers erupted inside the city.


    The people rejoiced and hugged each other in disbelief. The injured ones lied down with a big smile on their faces, the kids were cheering nonstop, the elderly were crying.


    The soldiers on top were also rejoicing. They were jumping up and down while cheering no matter how tired they were.


    Charlotte looked up with a smile. She had witnessed the ability of the previous lord, but this time, she was convinced that his son had surpassed him. "To think that we are able to achieve this in our current state."


    "Indeed." Dous smiled. "This city will be the mark of the changing era. I wish toplete this city as soon as possible and find a sessor that can take care of this city. Unlike you, I have yet to find a sessor."


    "With this victory, we can do a lot of things. In fact, the money we can get just from this victory is insane, especially regarding the Rune Academy. The Lord has shown the strength of runes, so there''s no way people will be stingy if they want to get a spot." Balott smirked. "I smell a lot of money."


    "Well, the immediate danger is gone, but I''m afraid the long war has begun. I''m going to have a headache after this. But for sure, I have to spread the news as quickly as possible. Let''s shock all four countries with the deeds of our Lord." Harley chuckled.


    "Indeed. Even though we''ll have a lot of money, I can''t neglect my research. I have to make sure that these people have their bellies filled." Jasmine pumped her chest.


    "It seems that breaking my neutrality by bing his vassal is the greatest decision I''ve ever made." Roel smiled.


    "I guess he didn''t lie at that time." Khalid smiled, recalling the words that Noel said to him when he tried to recruit him.


    Sandra looked at the wall and muttered, "You have worked hard, Tristan. We were lucky to meet a good lord like him."


    Felicia, who was lying down, said weakly, "Long live Noel Ardagan, Long live the Ardagan Family."


    The pirs of the Ardagan Family weren''t the only ones shocked by this victory. Even the helpers that Noel invited couldn''t help but express their shock.


    "It seems that the Saintess has made the correct decision. A headquarters, huh¡­ It seems that I have to work hard so that the Earl doesn''t expel us or anything." Aurelia smiled. "Those oldies back home would definitely be overjoyed by the news." This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    The Water Lord smirked. "I knew it. That guy was already abnormal when I met him as a member of the Demon Relief Squad. Fortunately, my Silica Valley isn''t that far from this ce, so cooperation should be possible."


    ra looked at Noel with a proud smile. To think that her former subordinate would be someone she could only look up to. It hadn''t even been long either. "Paul and the others would be happy to hear this."


    Milfa scratched the back of her head. "What if, at that time, I lost the bet to him and ended up bing his vassal? Nheless, it seems that Dimitri has chosen the correct master to serve. I still have a lot to learn.


    Faust closed his eyes, recalling the time Noel helped his squad. "It''s truly surprising that a person can grow that fast. Then again, I should be happy because another good fighter and lord have appeared in the Muivell Kingdom. I''m looking forward to his future achievements."


    Last but not least, Duke Briton looked at the sky while thinking, ''The era is changing, the young will surpass the old¡­ He is going to be a hell of a monster in the future. Rune, huh? I should praise His Majesty for making the correct decision by allying the kingdom with him. I can see that a lot of things that were not possible in the past will be created through runes. With this, his name is enough to make the royal family of this kingdom panic. Sadly, I won''t be able to see their faces.''


    Duke Briton was still annoyed by how the Muivell Kingdom acted when they tried to stop them froming to the Muivell Kingdom. They had to pay a hefty toll and do a lot of troublesome things just toe to this kingdom.


    Last but not least, it was Noel. He was standing on top of the wall, looking at his city. In front of him was the town he swore to protect. Behind him was the battlefield where heid waste to his opponents. Besides him were therades that fought together with him.


    This was not his victory. It was everyone''s victory.

 Chapter 1005 Reaction (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1005 Reaction (1)</h4>


    ?With the help of Harley''s brothels, the news spread right away. The Muivell Kingdom wasn''t the only one who got shocked, the other three kingdoms simply couldn''t believe what they heard.


    The first one to hear about this was the Sword Arbiter as he was in the nearest city.


    "What? The brat has done it." The Sword Arbiter sucked a cold breath. "More than twenty Superior Demons, huh? That brat actually managed to defeat that number of demons?"


    As the number one Arbiter, the Sword Arbiter had no doubt that he could defeat five or six Superior Demons, especially with his True Spirit Body.


    However, even he didn''t have the connection to protect a city from that many Superior Demons along with numerous lower level demons.


    "If I''m not wrong, the demons are fighting like an army, right? And that brat''s city is notpleted yet¡­ Well, calling him a brat is impolite after this." The Sword Arbiter smiled. "Earl Ardagan will definitely shock the world with this achievement. I wonder if the royal family is going to grant him a Marquis title or not. If they truly give him that title, his rank instantly bes the same as that of his father-inw. Hahaha. That''s going to be hrious."


    ¡­


    Just like the Sword Arbiter, Pdin Lloyd was looking at the report given by Pdin Aurelia.


    "It seems that the saintess has yet again made us understand that her vision is much different from ours. To think that she bet on someone who people think will most likely lose and¡­ to think that despite the situation being so overwhelming, he manages to win."


    Pdin Lloyd chuckled. "I wonder what those old men are going to think about this. Well, I wasn''t a part of the fighting force, so I couldn''t report to them."


    "Still, it seems that the Moon Temple will see the new era from up close. Should I volunteer to take care of the headquarters?"


    ¡­


    Stargaze Mansion.


    "Hahahaha. This is going to be hrious." Kevinughed out loud when he heard about the news. "It seems that I have to visit the royal hearing after this. It''s going to be amazing."


    "Still¡­" Kevin looked at the report while recalling the conversation he had with Luke Ardagan.


    It was already a decade ago, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday.


    "Kevin. I am going to tell you this because you are my best friend. The world is going to change and there is a chance that all four kingdoms won''t be able to handle it."


    "What? Is there a threat at that level? Do you mean the demon that is considered to be equal to the Spirit King, a Demon King?"


    "I am not sure about it yet, but all I can say is that they are going toe soon. You and I will witness that battle with our own eyes. That''s why I''m going to change this kingdom first."


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "Yeah. Just like in the past, when my ancestors risked their lives to protect these four kingdoms, I, too, have the obligation to do it."


    "Even though the kingdom is pretty harsh on you?" Kevin raised his eyebrows, not expecting Luke to still have that kind of patriotism.


    "Well, I will just change the kingdom. It''s not like I''m fighting the demons for the sake of protecting the royal family." Luke carefully worded it so that Kevin knew that this wasn''t for the sake of those people. Those people just happened to be saved when he was protecting his targets.


    "But it doesn''t seem that you''re going to fight on the front line."


    "Of course. If my ancestor was the one protecting humanity and eventually built these four kingdoms, I wish that my son could usher in a brand new era where we fight and reim thends from those demons." Luke smiled. "Your daughter is a genius, right?"


    "Yeah, why? Just so you know, I''m not going to mention her engagement to your little boy even though the engagement is there."


    "I know, I know. I just know that great people will stick with each other. So, sooner orter, your little princess will be with my Noel. And I''m sure you won''t reject him, right?"


    Kevin chuckled.


    When he recalled that memory, Kevin couldn''t help but smile. "A new era, huh? Reiming the world from the demons. It''s going to be a heavy task."


    Despite saying those words, in his mind, there was an image of Noel and Anna standing next to each other. Their names resounded across the world and their statues were praised as the heroes of the era.


    "Since that''s the case, it''s time to annoy the heck out of the royal family. For my dear daughter and son-inw."


    ¡­


    In another part of the Muivell Kingdom, Countess Christina looked at the report about the rumor circting in her city.


    "It seems that the son is much stronger than his father. It''s just¡­ the royal family is going to get in their way soon." Christina still remembered how the weak boy, who had to hide his face in the open, brought the rune book to her. Yet, in just a short period of time, not only did he manage to show his face in the open, but he also shocked the entire world.


    "In the past, this territory was bullied because I was a part of the Ardagan family, who supported the Third Prince. The Third Prince didn''t do anything for my family, and the Ardagan family couldn''t support it any longer.


    "It seems that the situation will change¡­ I have been maintaining my neutrality after the failed throne war. Is it time for me to break my neutrality once again? Or is it better for me to sit on the side?"


    Christina''s expression turned grim as she watched the blue sky. It was a hard decision. After all, the Ardagan family had be stronger than ever. And if the royal family defeated them again, they wouldn''t be as merciful toward their allies as in the first attempt. In the worst-case scenario, there wouldn''t be any Countess Christina anymore.


    ¡­


    Demon Banner Army.


    Oscar pumped his fists when he saw the report from Milfa.


    "I knew it." Oscar smirked. "It seemed that the Supreme Devil Organization would retreat for a while because of this setback. In that case, I don''t have to be careful anymore. Alexander. It''s time we settle the score."


    Oscar moved extremely fast. The moment he got the news that the Supreme Devil Organization, he instantly informed every single Captain of the Demon Banner Army.


    All the squads categorized as Shield Squads were mobilized to protect the border, while those known as Sword Squads were sent to eliminate the Supreme Devil Organizations.


    After hiding for so long, Septa could finally show everything he had found so far.


    It turned into a huge operation to make sure the organization couldn''t recover for a while. Even the Third Prince couldn''t stop themander this time.


    ¡­


    Demon Relief Squad.


    "Look! I''ve gotten the letter from Captain ra. They''ve won! Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    Let''s read it together!" Paul came to the Zero Squad while waving the letter.


    All of them had their expressions brighten. Even Jonathan, who often had a gloomy expression, instantly lit up.


    They were curious about the battle.


    75,000 demons.


    22 Superior Demons.


    4 Devil Saints.


    Just looking at the numbers alone made their jaws drop to the ground. And when they knew that only a single wall had been erected, their brains short-circuited. There was no way they could win against the demons with only minor damage to the city.


    The runes were also amazing as they managed to crush the demons.


    And in thest part of the letter, there was a note that piqued everyone''s interest.


    ''Noel promised me to give two Automatic Carriages for the Zero Squad as thanks for taking care of him in the Demon Relief Squad as well as my help this time. Make sure you look forward to it. Those carriages are amazing.''


    "What is this automatic carriage?"


    They were confused, but once they knew about it, there was no way they would return to normal carriages after experiencing it.


    ¡­


    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "Hahahaha! Good job, Duke Briton. To think that the runes are this amazing." The king of the Zaecuria Kingdom couldn''t help but rise from his throne when hearing the report. "Who says that I''m foolish for supporting him and sending Duke Briton there? I want to see those people again!"


    "Your Majesty. Your image¡­" The minister next to him had a wry smile.


    "Just for one day! Let me be free for one day!" The king grinned. "With this, the rune battleship won''t be the only thing we have. There will be a lot of technology that our kingdom can adopt.


    "And there will be a lot of things that are impossible right now but will be impossible after the introduction of the runes. Our kingdom will have to ept all new rune technologies and adapt to this new era. We will industrialize runes as soon as they arrive. Tell Duke Briton about our intention and share it with Earl Ardagan."


    "Understood. I shall send the fastest bird to Duke Briton." The minister nodded.


    "Oh. That''s right. How are the young talented people we''ll send to the Rune Academy?"


    "We are still in the middle of selection. If we choose the proud men, they might cause a conflict with the Ardagan family even if we warn them. So, we want them to be obedient first before finding out about their talents."


    "Good. Let''s do it in that order. I don''t want any conflicts with the runes on the line. Also, monitor the situation with the Atracaeca Kingdom. We''ll have to see their stance."


    The minister frowned. "Are you going to stop them, Your Majesty?"


    "Of course not. However, our neighbor is more than willing to warn them. So, we''ll share the information with them." The king winked, implying that the Greenwood Kingdom would be the one suppressing the Atracaeca Kingdom, not them. This way, there wouldn''t be too much bad blood between the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    "Certainly." The minister bowed politely.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1006 Reaction (2)

    Chapter 1006 Reaction (2)


    ??Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Hahaha. Did you hear that?" The king of the Greenwood Kingdomughed out loud while looking at Raincart standing before him.


    All ministers had gathered to hear the joyous news because of the impossible feat.


    "75,000 demons, 22 Superior Demons, and 4 Devil Saints, huh?" Raincart thought for a moment. "As expected of my grandson."


    "But is that even possible? I mean, the north wall is the only one standing. I believe the princess has informed us of the weird shape of the wall¡­" A minister asked in doubt. If there were only ten Superior Demons, he believed it was possible. But the number of Superior Demons simply surpassed anyone''s imagination.


    "That''s true. And the majority of the Superior Demons died, right?"


    The ministers were filled with doubt, but the minister who read the message earlier added, "ording to the princess, the runes yed a huge part in this battle. It was said that a Spirit Master was actually able to defeat a Superior Demon amidst the demon rank."


    "What? A Spirit Master? Are you kidding?" The ministers gasped in shock.


    "A Spirit Grandmaster is the requirement to fight the Superior Demon and you need a lot of experience if you want to defeat a Superior Demon. Only a Peak Spirit Grandmaster can defeat a Superior Demon pretty easily, but you are saying that a Spirit Master has defeated a Superior Demon?"


    The minister nodded. "The letter stated that this person is called Felicia, one of Earl Ardagan''s direct vassals. She proimed herself to be the first Rune Magician. After learning from Earl Ardagan about the runes, the princess believed that it was possible to have that power.


    "The runes could close the gap between a Spirit Master and the Superior Demon. However, there is one fatal weakness in this strategy. The Spirit Master has to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible. After all, even if the firepower gap can be ignored by runes, the spiritual energy they possess is different."


    The ministers sucked a cold breath. If that were truly possible, the Rune Magician would be the most popr profession.


    The king asked, "What do you think, Raincart?"


    Raincart said, "The fact that there is only one Rune Magician means that the concept itself is still in the creation process. However, I wonder, what will happen when that concept matures?"


    "Don''t tease me, just tell us about your opinion." The king chuckled.


    "What if we can train a batch of Rune Magicians? Even if the Superior Demon has prepared for this, they will still lose if we send a few Rune Magicians at Spirit Master level, right? A single grandmaster is worth more than twenty or even thirty Spirit Masters, and if you think about it, the future potential is actually limitless," Raincart exined.


    "That''s right. If we can send twenty Rune Magicians, they can deal with at least four Superior Demons. This is much better than sending a single grandmaster. And what if we apply that idea to grandmasters? Can they somehow deal with an Ancient Demon?" Another minister understood the idea.


    The atmosphere turned grim when they realized the potential of the runes.


    The king looked at Raincart, asking, "Has he thought this far, Raincart?"


    "I''m afraid so." Raincart nodded with a serious expression. "If he shows off the power of runes like this, it''s impossible for people not to be greedy. To satisfy their greed while maintaining his sovereignty over runes, he creates the Rune Academy.


    "When you think about it, Rune Magician is not the only path. The letter states that a lot of demons died from the rune technologies. That''s probably the reason why he divides the group into two: technology and magicians.


    "The rune technology will advance the military and all kinds of household technologies, while the magicians will be a new source of squad that can wreak havoc on the battlefield.


    "I believe that we should send our talented people there. And it doesn''t seem that they are forbidding them from writing a letter home. In other words, the people from there can tell us everything they learn from the Rune Academy. And because these people are going to meet people from other countries, they have to be well-educated both in runes and politics."


    The ministers whispered to each other until one of them said, "I believe Sir Raincart''s opinion is worth considering."


    "The princess is supposed to be the principal of the Rune Academy, so we have to be careful when selecting people. If we end up causing trouble, there is a chance that the princess will lose Earl Ardagan''s favor."


    "Yes. We have to prepare them now to ensure that they are fit to be sent to learn the runes."


    The king thought for a moment and said, "Prepare a n for the selection and we will review it in the future hearing."


    "Understood." The ministers acknowledged the order.


    "If the rune technology can transform thends, there will be a lot of controversy following it, Your Majesty." Another minister spoke up.


    "The old and fundamentalist Spirit Magician, huh? Ignore them for now. The Spirit Enchantment itself came from runes, so the concept of runes had been known since a thousand years ago. I believed that his ancestor was aware of the runes but never revealed them. Instead, he created Spirit Enchantment. If those fellows couldn''t adapt to the present, then we wouldn''t force them."


    "Understood."


    The king looked at Raincart, asking, "Do you have anything to add, Raincart?"


    Raincart fell silent for a moment. "I''ve spoken as his grandfather. Now, I''m going to speak as a subject of the Greenwood Kingdom."


    When Raincart started his speech with those words, everyone couldn''t help but stop talking. The atmosphere turned solemn.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Lounstein is located next to two borders. The first will be our border. Due to their existence, the Muivell Kingdom will definitely add soldiers around this border to prevent our cooperation with him.


    "Hence, I am suggesting that we expand Damian''s camp, which is outside the second border, the demon border, in order to create a neutral zone."


    "Haven''t we done that already?" The king frowned. It was the reason they stationed Damian over there.


    Raincart shook his head. "I''m talking about reiming that territory from the demons, Your Majesty. This way, that area will be secured. However, we are not going to im that area as ournd so as to not trouble him. Instead, we will use that area for a lot of possibilities, such as future development, cooperation, or even training the first batch of Rune Magicians. At the very least, I believe the princess will go all the way there to do it."


    The ministers agreed with this idea. When they thought about it, Spirit Magicians had been their specialty the whole time. So, they had to adapt and introduce the Rune Magicians.


    Raincart thought that the Zaecuria Kingdom sent their Duke Briton because this was not possible, so they tried to squeeze as much benefit as possible and introduced the Rune Technology.


    In that case, they had to monopolize the Rune Magician, which was the second category he talked about earlier.


    The king looked at his ministers. "What do you all think?"


    "I believe it''s reasonable. If we can create a buffer zone, the Muivell Kingdom will not interfere."


    "Indeed. Due to the specialw of the Muivell Kingdom, they won''t be able to stop Earl Ardagan from leaving through the Demon Border."


    "This is the only way to stop the Zaecuria Kingdom from getting ahead."


    In the middle of their discussion, the door was mmed open.


    *Bang!*


    "Emergency!" A soldier suddenly rushed in, carrying a letter.


    All the ministers turned around and couldn''t help but furrow In the middle of their discussion, the door was mmed open.


    *Bang!*


    their eyebrows the moment they caught a glimpse of the seal.


    "Huh? Blue Royal Seal?"


    "Blue? Not green? The usual royal seal is green, but the blue royal seal is a matter that can change the fate of our country. Whose letter is it?"


    The people panicked as they whispered to each other, wondering the content of that letter.


    "Bring it to me." The king hurriedly shouted. He didn''t even bother for the minister to read it as he, as the king, had to look at it personally.


    As soon as he read the letter, he couldn''t help butugh out loud. "Hahahahahahah!"


    Thisugh confused everyone. This was a matter of importance, yet their king actuallyughed it off.


    However, their curiosity was soon answered when the king handed the letter to the minister next to him and told him to read it out loud.


    "The letteres from Her Highness Livia. Due to the long standing rtionship between the Ardagan family and the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family that traces back to our ancestry, Earl Ardagan is proposing to work with the Greenwood Kingdom in the development of an Airship!"


    "An airship?"


    "What''s that?"


    "Is it a ship?"


    They were confused, so the minister continued, "Just like the Zaecuria Kingdom''s battleship, Earl Ardagan is nning to develop a battleship that will fly in the air."


    "A battleship that flies in the air?"


    "Something like that¡­"


    They sucked a cold breath. Everyone knew about the battleship that the Zaecuria Kingdom possessed. It was magnificent and had a lot of destructive power.


    However, it could only be used in the water. It would be useless onnd. Hence, this made the airship even more valuable.


    This was also another reason why Noel proposed this agreement. The deal with the Zaecuria Kingdom would definitely transform their battleship even further. To make sure that the Greenwood Kingdom, the one who had been helping him this far, didn''t get jealous, Noel proposed this agreement.


    And obviously, the Greenwood Kingdom was the most advanced country among all of them. So, if they developed it together, they could get some results very fast.


    Noel would also get a more favorable view from the Greenwood Kingdom.


    This was why the king actuallyughed.


    "I''ve thought that I''ve increased my evaluation high enough, but it seems that I still underestimate your grandson, Raincart." The king looked at Raincart, who was actually sweating. Even he didn''t expect this from his grandson.


    "Your Majesty, what shall we do?" The minister asked.


    The king stepped forth with a solemn expression. "Warn the Atraceaca Kingdom that if they dare to harm Noel Ardagan and his territory, our Greenwood Kingdom is ready to go to war. As for the development of the airship, we will ept it. Send an envoy to convey our words and prepare a lot of gifts. Do all my ministers have any objections?"


    "Your Majesty is wise." All of them bowed down in agreement.


    There was one minister who couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "Your Majesty. What should we do with the Muivell Kingdom''s royal family?"


    "I don''t think we should worry about them. I''m pretty sure that there are already people messing up with them in the royal hearing." The king smirked.

 Chapter 1007 Reaction (3)

    Chapter 1007 Reaction (3)


    ??Muivell Kingdom.


    The royal family had once again gathered the ministers and the Arbiters they could muster at the moment.


    Unlike the Zaecuria Kingdom or the Greenwood Kingdom, the opinion was split.


    "Your Majesty. I believe that we have to demand Earl Ardagan to give the runes to the royal family so that everyone in the kingdom can get stronger, which will guarantee national security," one noble stated firmly.


    The other nobles rebuked him. "Count Sekk, I believe that what you are saying is rather ambitious. If the royal family is abusing their privilege to get what the noble has invented, no one is going to create another thing in this kingdom anymore."


    "I believe that Earl Ardagan is not concerned about this kingdom and is ready to defect. We can see how he acts toward the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "I don''t think that''s true. From what I heard, Earl Ardagan is cooperating with the Muivell Kingdom. He has created the Rune Academy in this kingdom, specifically in his territory. You should be aware that he has spread the runes themselves to the public. I think he has done the obligation for the kingdom."


    "What did you say? He also spread the knowledge to other kingdoms."


    "No. He spread the runes in this kingdom. However, we should question how that knowledge actually reached other kingdoms. Don''t tell me, someone is getting bribes to fill their own pocket?"


    "That''s a bold usation. Do you think you can take responsibility for your words?"


    "I believe that Rune Academy is enough to prove his loyalty to the kingdom. If that''s not enough, even with Princess Livia from the Greenwood Kingdom beside him, he still chooses Anna Stargaze to be his fiancee. At the same time, the number of people from our kingdom who are allowed to enter his Rune Academy is much higher than the rest of the kingdoms."


    "That''s right. What if your action forced the Greenwood Kingdom or the Zaecuria Kingdom to steal him? If Earl Ardagan left the kingdom, it would be a great loss for us."


    "You should be the one taking responsibility for making him ufortable."


    "Hasn''t he done a great service to the country?"


    "That''s right. He has repelled 75,000 demons, those Superior Demons and a few Devil Saints from thisnd. This kind of attack far surpasses anything we''ve seen in thest couple of hundreds of years. Can your territory block them?"


    "Not only that, but he has the backing of Moon Temple. Are you going to make people judge us by expelling him, which will also result in harming the Moon Temple? While they are not big, the people''s opinion about them is rather high."


    "You should be the one who feels ashamed for not being able to suppress your greed."


    The arguments came back and forth. But it was apparent that the ones on Noel''s side were greater.


    And that was because of Kevin.


    Kevin remained silent the whole time, watching the entire situation unfold.


    He couldn''t help but recall the letter that his daughter sent him.


    ''Father. The time is ripe. It''s time for us to attack. I believe that you have been working hard to maintain connections with several nobles. If you mention the spot in the Rune Academy, I believe they will agree. We''re also nning a few things about this rune.''


    The message was simple, but that was enough to turn the tide.


    In that instant, he informed the allies of the Stargaze family, who also knew the Ardagan family in the past. This way, they would definitely side with Noel. Even the royal family couldn''t make a reckless decision when a lot of nobles stopped them.


    At the same time, he had to thank Noel for having a lot of things to talk about. Despite showing his cards one after another, he didn''t forget to share them a little bit so that he wouldn''t get med for a monopoly.


    While a monopoly could make a family strong, they would be subjected to a lot of opposition. By taking a step back, Noel created an opportunity for people to back him up in exchange for favors.


    And it all started the moment he made a deal with the Sword Arbiter.


    Everyone knew that the Sword Arbiter had once opposed Noel. However, it didn''t change the fact that the Sword Arbiter was just.


    Hence, Noel treated him with respect and even gave him a lot of benefits.


    If someone like the Sword Arbiter could get all those benefits, what about them? They hadn''t really opposed Noel. While they weren''t as strong as the Sword Arbiter, they still had a bit of influence. And with him offering a seat in the Rune Academy, it would be easy for them to get them to his side.


    Of course, by defeating the Supreme Devil Organization this time, Noel had shown that he had unprecedented strength. In addition, he showed the connections they thought were impossible.


    The Water Lord, the Gem Lord, the Demon Banner Army, and even Duke Briton took part in it.


    Kevin couldn''t help but smile. However, his eyes were locked on three people. The first one would be the marshall, who was already known as the royal family''s spear. The second person was the second ranked Arbiter, whose strength wasn''t that far from the Sword Arbiter. Thest one was Duke Raymond. He had already retired a few years ago, but to think that he would show up after this, it seemed that the royal family was nning to do something.


    Still, Kevin was a bit skeptical about the current situation, especially with the fact that Josephine wasn''t among them.


    And as expected, Duke Raymond was here to fight for the royal family.


    He stepped forward while stating, "Your Majesty. While I do recognize his achievement in repelling the Supreme Devil Organization, we can''t ignore the fact that he brings foreign Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    power to this country. As everyone knows, Duke Briton, one of the most veteranmanders in the world, actively participated in that battle.


    "This action was simr to acknowledging that the Muivell Kingdom couldn''t protect itself. I believe that he had an ulterior motive and intended to weaken the Muivell Kingdom." Duke Raymond nced at everyone on Noel''s side.


    The people instinctively feared him. If Duke Briton was one of the most veteranmanders, Duke Raymond was one of the most expert in politics in this kingdom. They were afraid that their actions would bring down their family.


    "I wonder if that''s true, Duke Raymond." Kevin stepped up.


    Raymond looked at him with a solemn expression. "What do you mean, Marquis?"


    "I heard there is cooperation in order to build a ship. However, the Supreme Devil Organization was trying to destroy it. As the lord of that territory, I don''t think anyone can me him for trying to protect what he''s trying to build."


    "It still doesn''t answer my doubt, Marquis. Why was the duke there?"


    "You should correct your words, Duke Raymond. Oh, maybe I should too. He is not the Duke Briton. He is simply a shipwright. You should have heard that he has passed down his mantle as a navymander and retired from his position as a duke. Just like you." Kevin smiled.


    Raymond furrowed his eyebrows. Kevin was clearly mocking him. After all, the royal family ended up having to recall the retired noble just to deal with the situation.


    "If he was there as a shipwright, why would he unleash his power?"


    "I think that question should be answered by His Majesty." Marquis Stargaze turned around and kneeled on one knee, asking out loud. "I implore the Majesty to give your subjects an exnation as to why you forbade the Sword Arbiter to participate in the battle. This battle had the potential to plunge the country into chaos.


    "The Supreme Devil Organization has been rampant in thest few years. And with the previous battle, we could confirm that the demons could fight as an army.


    "This kingdom only has eleven million people in poption. However, if we take a look at the outside world, there are millions, if not billions, of demons.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "They have been doing nothing this whole time, but the Supreme Devil Organization has caused it to change. What if they rally millions of demons to raze thisnd? This will be an unprecedented attack that rivals the battle of dawn in the creation of the kingdom.


    "Instead of punishing Earl Ardagan, I believe that we have to think about exterminating the Supreme Devil Organization right at this instant before they are able to rally more demons.


    "The other kingdoms should be aware of this matter and think that we are unable to deal with a single terrorist organization. That''s why I implore Your Majesty to exterminate these pests from thisnd. It''s not Mr. Briton or other kingdoms that make our kingdom look weak. It''s because we have let a single terrorist organization remain active to this day.


    "I hope that Your Majesty could give an exnation to the subjects of the Muivell Kingdom for the sake of national security." Kevin ended his speech with a polite bow.


    The nobles couldn''t believe what they had just witnessed.


    Most of the nobles here knew that the Supreme Devil Organization was rted to the royal family.


    However, they had truly be so big to the point that they couldn''t be pardoned any longer. The reason was, as he said, what if the organization rallied millions of demons into this kingdom? If the royal family imed it wouldn''t happen, it was the same as admitting that the royal family was rted to them. And the citizens would be enraged.


    And this was why Kevin dared to be so bold. Despite trying to show his loyalty to the kingdom and its citizens, he was forcing the royal family to weaken themselves.

 Chapter 1008 Reaction (4)

    Chapter 1008 Reaction (4)


    ??The entire hall turned silent. After Noel''s victory, it was obvious that Noel''s side was currently winning in this debate.


    However, the king simply looked at Kevin as if he had expected this kind of reaction. He was angry because the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t do anything, but he had discussed this matter prior to the meeting.


    Kevin remained silent while contemting the reasons why Duke Raymond was here. Normally, the duke never appeared even if it was an emergency situation. It seemed that the royal family panicked this time and even brought the duke, the current king''s teacher, to help them.


    ''What is the duke nning to do? The Demon Banner Army is unstoppable, so they will definitely make their move to the Supreme Devil Organization. And if we get to join them, we can crush the Supreme Devil Organization. Wait a minute¡­'' Kevin noticed something off. ''Is Duke Raymond the only one brought back by the king?''


    The king suddenly stood up and said, "For the subject, we are ready to prepare to fight the Supreme Devil Organization¡­"


    ''Don''t tell me¡­'' Kevin finally realized why Duke Raymond showed himself here.


    "I order Duke Raymond and my arbiters to crush the Supreme Devil Organization," The king dered out loud.


    "!!!" Kevin gritted his teeth. That was right. The Arbiters were supposed to be the ones handling the Supreme Devil Organization.


    As the third ranked arbiter among the twelve, Kevin should be a perfect candidate to go. However, the royal family brought the second ranked arbiter to suppress him. If he suggested himself as the leader of this operation, which allowed him to really destroy the organization, he would be overstepping his bounds. The king would definitely use it to counter all his words.


    However, with the two arbiters shing with each other, there was a need for a person to keep them in check. That person was Raymond. Obviously, Kevin had to move ording to his orders.


    Duke Raymond obviously understood the task. There was no way he would order Kevin to hunt those bastards from the organization. And the other arbiter wouldn''t be killing them due to his affiliation with the royal family.


    In other words, this was the king''s way of not killing the people in the organization. But on the surface, it looked like he was doing something.


    "What''s wrong, Marquis? As a loyal subject, you should have seen that I''m giving an exnation to my subjects, right? Don''t tell me, are you unsatisfied with it, Marquis?"


    "¡­" Kevin''s eyebrows twitched. He calmed himself down and smiled at the king. "I believe that the marshall is a bettermander in this operation. He has both the strength and knowledge to do it. With his achievement, he is able to inspire our soldiers."


    The king''s expression turned cold. "Kevin. You should know that we shouldn''t reveal our trump card so early. Don''t you think that''s the one that makes us look weak?"


    Kevin realized that the advantage he got was gone with that one move. And he had to measure which noble families had been siding with the royal family or even recalled back to the court in order to deal with this situation.


    "I apologize; your subject has overstepped his bounds. Thank you for enlightening your subject, Your Majesty." Kevin lowered his head.


    The king could take this opportunity to punish it, but the reputation of the royal family would crumble if he did it. So he waved his hand, treating it as nothing big. "You are a good subject. You merely express your concern about our country."


    "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty." Kevin was annoyed. He thought he had prepared enough.


    "While we''re at it, what do you think about the war itself, Marquis Stargaze? Should we reward Earl Ardagan or punish him for bringing foreign power?"


    "¡­" Kevin bit his lips. If he was still winning, he would definitely choose the former. Now that the advantage was gone, he only had one choice.


    "Of course, Earl Ardagan is also in the wrong by bringing a foreign power. However, the Muivell Kingdom is blessed with good subjects. With the help of the Demon Relief Squad''s Captain, Demon Barrier Squad''s Captain, Demon Adjudicator Squad''s Captain, the Water Lord, the Gem Lord, as well as Saintess La and Pdin Aurelia, we have shown the prowess of our kingdom.


    "As the saying goes, the object of rewards is to encourage; the object of punishments is to prevent. If we solely punish Earl Ardagan for doing everything in his power to stop the Supreme Devil Organization, the subjects would be afraid and choose to run away in the face of disasters.


    "At the same time, if we only reward Earl Ardagan, the people will be encouraged to bring foreign power.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "The most appropriate reward for this victory is to elevate the rank of Earl Ardagan to Marquis. However, bringing the foreign force would definitely be condemned by our subjects. I propose to lower the reward to 50,000 gold, 10,000 demon crystals, as well as a few treasures."


    Kevin stopped. Originally, he wanted to have Noel be in the same position as him, but because it was impossible, he aimed for the second thing. After all, this was what Noel needed the most.


    Money.


    ''Kevin is too shameless¡­ Does he not know how much money those runes generated?''


    ''We should have taxed him.''


    ''Hush. No one is talking about it because a new noble is exempted from taxes for the first three years so that they can build their territories.''


    ''But the potential money we can get from those three years¡­''


    The nobles were whispering to each other.


    The king smiled. He certainly had to follow Kevin''s suggestion this time, but there was one thing he could change.


    "Your Majesty. I believe we can''t do that." Duke Raymond stopped him. "While it was true that this victory had been imed by Earl Ardagan, it didn''t change the fact that various help had been brought to Lounstein.


    "If we only rewarded the Ardagan family, the other parties would be enraged, thinking that we were looking down on The king had been waiting for this. "So, do you have any suggestions?"


    Kevin shuddered. Once again, Duke Raymond stepped over him. At first, it looked like they were going to reward the people individually, and he was sure that a few of them wouldn''t mind sharing the reward with Noel.


    But Raymond suggested another way. "I believe we should reward the Demon Banner Army, the Tower Association and the Moon Temple respectively. A good ruler will reward his subordinates. However, this is also the case for their respective influences.


    "We should split the reward evenly. I believe the Tower Association will be delighted about the rewards as they sent two of their elders to help solve the crisis. I believe the Demon Banner Army has performed its duties. With this reward, the Demon Banner Army could fight the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization even more fiercely. And the Moon Temple could help a lot more people.


    "I believe this is how Your Majesty should reward your subordinates. Everything is for the sake of people."


    Kevin''s expression darkened. As expected of the teacher of the current king, he was an extremely formidable opponent in politics.


    By giving it to the organizations to which they belonged, it was impossible for the individuals to share it.


    ''I have done my best, but I have performed below expectations.'' Kevin thought. It wasn''t that his performance was low, his opponent this time was simply that strong.


    In the end, he was an Arbiter while his opponent was a true politician. In this battle of politics, it would be hard for him to win.


    In fact, the only person who could obliterate Duke Raymond was probably Luke Ardagan, Noel''s father.


    He simply hoped that Noel had a backup n for this. After all, he needed to secure more funds if he wanted toplete his city.


    There were still a few things he could use, like the fact that Felicia could defeat a Superior Demon with runes. However, Kevin had to abandon all the ns due to Duke Raymond.


    ''The nobles on our side are chickening. Some of them can hold on, but they won''t dare to speak out. On the other side, the nobles don''t look like they are expecting this. It seems that the secret meeting has left them out in case they have be double agents.


    ''In that case, I am afraid I have to reassess the situation. Then again, the king is sending me to the fake subjugation in order to stop me from entering the royal hearing. And they can use that time to bully the nobles on our side and probably force them to switch sides.''


    Kevin closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the good times in the past where Luke Ardagan kept talking one thing after another and no one dared to interrupt him.


    "Do you have anything else to say, Marquis?" The king asked.


    Kevin politely bowed his head. "No, Your Majesty. Thank you for addressing our country''s problems. I believe that the Muivell Kingdom will be prosperous for thousands of years."


    Before returning to his original position, Kevin looked at Duke Raymond.


    "Do you want to say something to me, Marquis?" Duke Raymond asked in the same style as the king.


    Kevin smiled. "Not at all. I have long heard about Duke Raymond''s achievements. It seems that Duke Raymond is a much bigger man than the rumors suggest. I can''t help but respect you."


    Duke Raymond harrumphed, thinking that this wasn''t a fight. Kevin thought that the reason why Duke Raymond agreed to return to the royal court was probably because of the grudge against the Ardagan family. He never won against Luke, so he aimed for his son.


    Still, Kevin believed that Noel had surpassed his father or at least been equal to him, in politics. Although he couldn''t help much, he would definitely poke them from time to time and would savor the sight of them losing to Noel.


    The king dered, "Summon the four representatives to the capital city to receive their reward."


    Once again, the king wanted Noel to go to the capital so that he wouldn''t have time to take care of his territory for some time. It would also stop him from doing anything for the Supreme Devil Organization.


    What they didn''t know was that Noel had expected this, especially regarding the funds. He was already sitting down with all his pirs to discuss the development of the city.


    "Alright, everyone. It''s time to discuss the next development n. In a sense, we don''t have money and won''t be getting a lot of money. We can sell some Demon Crystals, but it won''t be enough. Hence, I have a n¡­" Noel smirked while raising one finger. "What do you think about making this family once again the wealthiest family in the kingdom? Balott?"


    Balott couldn''t help but smile as if he had already known about this topic. "The wealthiest family in the kingdom? I think you are setting the bar too low, my lord. Don''t you think we should be the wealthiest family in the world?"

 Chapter 1009 Reaction (5)

    Chapter 1009 Reaction (5)


    ??A moment ago.


    The Gem Lord was sitting in front of Noel with a gentle smile on his face. "Say, what do you think if I retire in this ce? I don''t really need the mine. Just give me enough materials and money to do my research, and I''m set."


    Noel raised his eyebrows. The Gem Lord was basically saying that he wanted to serve him. Originally, the transaction was there to get his help, but it seemed that the Gem Lord had seen the future of the Ardagan family and decided to side with them.


    The Gem Lord was the eldest among the elders in the Tower Association. His strength and his knowledge were among the greatest.


    For the Ardagan family, epting his plea would mean paying a little bit more than the original agreement in exchange for his help. That was right. As long as the Gem Lord remained here, they would get yet another peak grandmaster. He might be weaker than Milfa, but the gap between them was not big. More importantly, the explosion gems were extremely useful for city defense. Hence, the Gem Lord''s value actually surpassed Milfa.


    When Noel heard this, he couldn''t help but ask, "Are you sure about this? You should know that this city could be said to be the most dangerous ce in the kingdom."


    Lounstein was definitely the target of everyone. So, the Gem Lord might have to fight again and again.


    However, the Gem Lord made a genuine smile as though he had thought this through. "As long as you don''t push away this old man."


    Noel blinked his eyes a few times. There was a bit of disbelief since he never imagined that he would get this kind of harvest from the battle.


    Noel stood up firmly, implying his answer.


    Seeing this, the Gem Lord pushed his chair to the side and took a step back. After that, he fell on one knee while saying, "Jayden Rivermore would like to serve Earl Noel Ardagan."


    "I ept your loyalty, Jayden Rivermore. From now on, you are my vassal."


    "I greet my lord." The Gem Lord lowered his head.


    "I''ll make sure that you won''t regret your decision today, Gem Lord."


    "I have passed my mantle as an elder, my Lord. If you don''t mind, you can just call me Old Jade. People usually call me that." Jayden smiled.


    "Sure, Old Jade." Noel smiled, knowing that the name probably came from removing two characters from his real name.


    While the Gem Lord submitted to Noel, the Water Lord had no intention of serving anyone. However, he was implying that he didn''t mind some coboration between Lounstein and the Silica Valley, which was a good opportunity for Noel. The Water Lord could get a lot of runes from Noel, while thetter could get a lot of medicinal herbs from the Silica Valley. Those herbs would be useful for Khalid. It was due to his medicine that a lot of people didn''t die in thest war.


    The Demon Banner Army had also retreated from Lounstein. Noel had promised ra a bunch of stuff for her help as well as giving something back to the Zero Squad that had taken care of him this whole time.


    Milfa was a bit ruthless. Instead of bringing something back from his city, she only wanted the heads of the two new Devil Saints. It seemed that she was nning to use them as propaganda to eliminate more members of the organization.


    Faust, on the other hand, came because he was indebted to Noel for helping his Demon Barrier Squad in the past. Now that the debt had been repaid, he returned to his squad.


    Meanwhile, Pdin Aurelia and Saintess La became witnesses to the power of runes, which made the establishment of their headquarters much smoother. Of course, he had to work on the carriage that would symbolize the cooperation between the Ardagan family and the Moon Temple soon.


    Finally, he could take care of the rest of the matters regarding the Ardagan family''s future.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    He assembled all his pirs in a single room. Of course, he also added Livia, Tristan, Felicia, and Jayden.


    All of them had been waiting for his conversation with the Gem Lord to finish, which made it a good time to introduce the new vassal.


    There was a reason why Noel epted the Gem Lord into the family.


    Name: Jayden Rivermore


    Affection: Loyal (95/100)


    Description: In awe of your achievement.


    Noel entered the room with the Gem Lord, which confused most people. Only a few understood the reason for Jayden''s arrival.


    "Congrattions, my lord." Charlotte was the first one to stand up.


    Anna, Dimitri, Livia, and Harley were next.


    The rest were still confused, so he introduced him. "This is Mr. Jayden Rivermore. He will be staying with us from now on."


    "Ah?!" Dous hurriedly stood up as he blurted out, "Congrattions, my lord, for getting a new vassal."


    When they heard thest part, the rest of the people caught on and hurriedly congratted Noel. Jayden was simply too big of an addition to be ignored.


    "Ahaha, this old man feels ttered. Please call me Old Jade." Jayden smiled.


    Noel turned to Sandra. "Please bring one more chair into the room."


    "Yes, sir." Sandra hurriedly executed his order. It seemed that she had taken her training seriously the whole time. Not only her strength grew, but her skill as a maid was impeachable. In less than a minute, Sandra had returned with a chair, albeit a bit confused as to where she should put it.


    "This old man will just take a seat on the side. I don''t know anything about the family after all." Jayden smiled and took the chair from Sandra before cing it on the side. He only nned to observe the condition, since Noel wanted to show him the family that had been hiding its fangs the whole time.


    Now that everyone was seated, Noel looked at Dimitri. "Let''s start with the report of the battle, shall we?"


    Dimitri nodded. "There are a total of 121 casualties. Most of them are normal soldiers. 230 are suffering from heavy injuries, but thanks to Khalid''s medicine, more than two hundred of them will recover. However, the rest can only live with handicaps. 785 people are suffering from minor injuries. Half of them are soldiers while the rest are normal citizens."


    "Make sure to record all the people who have died and suffered heavy injuries. Compensate them properly if they have a family or rtive as it''s due to their service that the city can remain standing. Of course, all the people who participate in the battle have to bepensated as well." Noel nodded in understanding.


    It was truly hard to know that a lot of his subjects were dead. But the only thing he could do as a lord was to offer his sympathy and paypensation. Even if he wanted to visit them and thank them personally, he didn''t have enough time to do all that as work was piling up in his office.


    "Also¡­" Dimitri nced at Khalid. Khalid nodded his head, saying, "I currently don''t have a lot of materials to make more medicine."


    "In that case, Dimitri will buy the materials while preparing for the next batch migration. Also, we are going to have more cooperation with the Silica Valley, which is known for producing a lot of medicinal herbs, especially rare herbs. I think that is enough, right?"


    Khalid nodded his head. "Yes. Thank you, my lord."


    "Howard?" Noel continued to discuss the matter outside the city, specifically the demon corpses.


    "We have made a rough calction. There should be around sixty thousand corpses around the city. Although a lot of the corpses are destroyed, we should have no trouble recovering their demon crystals."


    Noel thought for a moment. "We will keep all the Superior Demon Crystals, Peak Demon Crystals, and half of the Low Level, Mid Level, and Advanced Level Demon Crystals. As for the rest, we can use it for the funds."


    Balott agreed with the arrangement. "That''s good. I believe that my lord should use all the Superior Demon Crystals and Peak Demon Crystals. If my Lord bes much stronger than today, I believe that our enemies won''t dare show their fangs in front of us. And that is the best investment in my opinion."


    Dimitri, Howard, or even Jayden were Spirit Grandmasters. However, Balott believed that Noel should be the one using it. In the end, his talent was too overwhelming to be ignored. It was better to focus their resources on the most talented ones to increase the possibility of a Spirit Transcendence Expert being born in this family.


    "We will talk about thatter." Noel waved his hand before turning to Harley. "How about it, Harley?"


    "I have gathered all the information you want, my lord. How do I say this¡­ The situation doesn''t look that good for us." Harley paused for a moment before raising three fingers. "First, we have seen the second carriage bearing the g of Rosenhood. I''m assuming that the royal family is bringing back that despicable bastard to the royal court."


    "Are you serious?" Charlotte frowned.


    "Who is he?" Noel asked, not knowing about this figure.


    "Raymond Les Rosenhood. His sister married the previous king, thus putting him as a teacher of the current king. We heard a lot of his names brought up by Master Luke. Master Luke and Duke Raymond had been stepping on each other''s toes during the throne war.


    "He retired after the execution. The reason he came back was probably to once again destroy the Ardagan family. It could be said that if Marquis Stargaze didn''t step in and take care of the execution, he was the one who would remove the bloodline of the Ardagan family forever.


    "In terms of ability, he might be the best politician in the kingdom right now. So, we have to raise our guard or something bad is going to happen."


    Noel frowned while Anna couldn''t help but ask, "I have sent the letter to my father about our next move. Is he going to hinder us?"


    "Most likely." Charlotte nodded. "I''m afraid that he is looking for a way to punish us."


    "For the time being, there is no way to punish us. The reward is simply much greater than the punishment, so if they still openly punish us, there will be great unrest in the kingdom. The only way to hit us is probably by cutting a portion of our reward." Noel looked down, contemting.


    "This is bad. Are we not going to get our reward?" Anna''s expression darkened. "My father¡­"


    "It''s fine to be honest." Noel waved his hand, assuring her that everything was fine. "I have never put the reward into consideration. Isn''t that right, Balott?"


    "Eh?" People couldn''t help but look at Balott, wondering what he was talking about.


    "Of course, my lord. People don''t know that there is one hidden meaning when showing the runes in this war. What will you think about the runes in this war?" Balott smirked. "Overwhelming? Strong? People will focus on the Rune Academy to acquire it? People want to cooperate with the Ardagan family to get a bite on the rune technology? No. That is not the real reason. What we want to show is the effectiveness of runes. This will be proof that the runes can be developed further and used by the masses. And¡­"


    "Yeah. It''s time to discuss the next development n. The reason why I''m not bothered with the money is because of this n." Noel asked, "How did people see the Ardagan family in the past?"


    "A merchant noble family?" Charlotte tilted her head in confusion.


    "That''s right." Noel smirked. "What do you think about making this family once again the wealthiest family in the kingdom?"


    Balott shook his head. "The wealthiest in the kingdom? I think you are setting the bar too low, my lord. Don''t you think we should be the wealthiest family in the world?"


    As expected, Balott understood him the most. As a merchant, they would definitely sell something. And by proving the rune''s effectiveness, he could finally sell runes.


    Noel snapped his fingers while saying, "It''s time to set up a new merchant group under the Ardagan family''s name. We will sell the rune technology, their maintenance, and even their development under a single banner. I call thispany, Rune Garden, or to make it short, Runegard."

 Chapter 1010 Family’s Future

    <h4>Chapter 1010 Family''s Future</h4>


    ?"Rune Garden?''


    "Runegard?"


    The people in the room were confused. This was the first time they were thinking about this.


    Balott had a smug smile. "Now that people have epted Rune Technology, there is one thing that we should do. It''s to utilize it to our advantage and bring in wealth that no one has ever seen before. Or to put it simply, a monopoly."


    "A monopoly?" Charlotte''s expression turned dark. "Isn''t monopoly banned in the kingdom?"


    "Of course. That''s why our master is creating the Rune Academy. It''s to spread knowledge about runes. However, it doesn''t change the fact that we are the sole possessors of Rune Technology. While the technology will spread in the future, we can still take advantage of it now¡­ Or should I say, we should utilize it now." N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "What do you mean?" Charlotte frowned. She certainly knew the trouble that woulde with monopoly. Even after following Luke, their former master, she had never seen him create a monopoly.


    However, there was one thing that reminded her of this strategy. And Balott''s words jolted her mind.


    "We will create thispany to spread the rune technology, send off experts, and even do maintenance. This is to build trust. Once the rune spreads, there will be a lot ofpanies doing the same thing. However, what do you think the customer will do?" Balott smirked.


    Charlotte sucked a cold breath. "A lot of people might go to the cheaper alternative, but even if our prices are slightly higher but still affordable, people will go to us. After all, we have shown them that they can trust ourpany. And if we start early, we can create an environment where our runes are connected to each other."


    "That''s right. Most people will go to us because we have all the convenience they want, with just a slightly higher price." Balott smirked. He was sure that the nobles or even the royal families would choose them over a cheaper alternative because they were much more trusted. After trials and errors, their Runegard would know which things the customers wanted and needed.


    In addition, Noel was the source of all those runes, allowing them to create one weird technology after another.


    While mostpanies would only produce rune technology that had better design or a cheaper price, they couldn''t bepared to Runegard in producing a never-before-seen invention.


    "This is¡­" Charlotte sucked a cold breath. She could see how much money they would get from this.


    Noel smiled. Both he and Balott had thought about this. They knew that the only way to move forward was to regain the ''status'' of the Ardagan family.


    Of course, Noel had nned for this money. Building the territories might be an important task, but he could use all this money to send forth expeditions in order to help more people. In fact, he could be a sponsor of the Moon Temple.


    By taking advantage of this money, Noel could finish the mission to help people. Helping thousands of people was just a simple task in the future. He might be able to help even tens of thousands of people every single month with this money. And all those honor points could be used for his improvement.


    That was why Noel nned to make an unlimited amount of money.


    "Still, Master¡­" Dimitri raised his hand. "While I do understand the importance of the Runegard, who will take charge of this operation? In the past, the previous master delegated this task to someone else because he was too upied with his work as a lord."


    "As for that¡­" Noel turned his head toward the most promising young talent. He believed that he could do this task pretty well.


    Everyone thought it was going to be Balott, but they soon dropped their jaws when they followed Noel''s gaze.


    "Me?" The voice of a young man echoed inside the room as he pointed at himself with a panicked expression. Yes, the one Noel wanted to be taking care of the Runegard was his disciple, Tristan. "M-Master! It''s impossible for me."


    Noel had two reasons for choosing Tristan for this task. The first one was Tristan''s self-esteem. Because of his previous status as a ve, while Tristan believed that he could be a normalmoner in the future, he didn''t have confidence in bing a person of better status.


    That was why his low self-esteem was always something he had to take care of. If Tristan showed a lot of sess in this project, he would definitely feel more confident in himself and transform into a man worthy of the status of Noel Ardagan''s student.


    As for the second reason, it was basically his talent. Tristan had a photographic memory, which was extremely useful in this area. He could remember the numbers of purchases or even the minor details of transactions. It was so overpowered, to the point that he would be able to find corruption inside thepany.


    He knew that this Runegard would make it big, so there would definitely be a lot of corruption. With Tristan as the head, they wouldn''t have the chance. Tristan was also going to be strong soon as a rune magician.


    "There is one problem about this, Master. It''s not that I doubt your decision, but Tristan doesn''t have the knowledge or skill as a merchant," Dimitri expressed his concern.


    "I know that. Hence, I''m nning to have Roel''s children support him. They have gained a lot of experience as merchants, so I think it''s fine to give them a chance. Of course, Balott will be supervising everything as well as teaching Tristan and the twins the necessary skills as high level merchants," Noel exined.


    Tristan should be able to close the gap easily with that memory of his. That was why Balott would probably be a bit too busy for a while, but in the future, he would just monitor the situation.


    Balott agreed with this.


    "Yes. I don''t have a problem." Balott nodded with a serious expression.


    "If that''s the case, I think it''s worth a try." Dimitri nodded.


    "Of course, I will bring in some experts if it doesn''t work. This is the Ardagan family''s main source of ie, so I''m nning to take this seriously." Noel waved his hand, ending the conversation.


    The others were slightly concerned, but they didn''t raise any more objections.


    Tristan was so panicked that he forgot the fact that he was still the vice principal of the Rune Academy.


    "I''ll make the business proposalter. But considering the situation, we have the Sword Arbiter, the Moon Temple, the Demon Relief Squad, and the Silica Valley as our first targets. So, we can use them to spread the word regarding the Runegard. Since you all don''t have any more objections, I shall continue on to the next topic." Noel looked at Livia.


    "Oh, it''s my turn right now? I was about to ask who would be the recement of my vice principal, Teacher." Livia smiled.


    "Tristan will still hold that position, but the majority of the work will be on you. And once the Rune Academy has developed a bit, why don''t you pick up a student as your personal disciple and teach them about more runes?"


    "Mhm?" Livia raised her eyebrows. Even though she was Noel''s student, she was still the princess of the Greenwood Kingdom. She understood perfectly what Noel meant. By taking on a personal disciple, she could teach them a lot more things and eventually be the recement for Tristan.


    Though she would be extremely busy for a while, working on everything by herself, it could be said that this was a fair exchange.


    "I understand. I shall work very hard so that you won''t feel unsatisfied with the Rune Academy." Livia politely bowed her head. This was an opportunity for the Greenwood Kingdom, which was something she couldn''t pass on. In any case, she intended to work to the bone whening to this ce, so this was just a bonus for her hard work.


    "Good. I will send you the proposal regarding the development of the Rune Academyter. I''ll leave the details to you."


    "Understood." Livia nodded.


    "In that case, who is next¡­" Noel looked at the people and pointed at Roel.


    "Oh. It''s my turn now?" Roel thought for a moment. "Currently, we are understaffed. Are you nning to divide our people for this Runegard, my lord?"


    "No. It''s more like all the cksmiths in this city will join the Runegard. And if you n to leave and be the exclusive cksmith of the Ardagan family, then that would be fine. I''m nning to raise the Runegard to the highest level to the point where Master cksmith has to bow down to the cksmiths of my Runegard."


    Roel contemted for a moment. The proposal was tempting. The Runegard would be the Ardagan family''s face in the future, so it wouldn''t be weird that their cksmiths would be considered elites. In fact, joining Runegard would mean that they could leave thepany in one way or another.


    If nobles actually recruited them, they would definitely have the status where even nobles had to be polite to them.


    If a master cksmith was equal to a noble, this new status would definitely put them slightly above nobles.


    At the same time, Noel nned to show other Master cksmiths that they could join Runegard and receive instruction about runes. When this happened, the Ardagan family would have a lot of master cksmiths.


    No one would dare to oppose this family anymore.


    Roel nodded in understanding. "Then, what am I going to be next?"


    "Well, I hope that you can be their supervisor for the time being as the cksmith exclusive to our Ardagan family."


    "I see. So, you''re nning to separate the Ardagan family and the Runegard."


    "Yes."


    "I understand." Roel nodded.

 Chapter 1011 Future Development

    ?Now that the problem with the Runegard was solved, Noel turned to Jasmine. "I will secure some funds for you. Make sure that you get enough food to feed everyone. We''ll also build some granaries after this, so I''ll let you handle the rest." N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Yes, sir. I''ll definitely give you a satisfactory result." Jasmine nodded. She had been holding back the whole time. Now that the battle had ended, she could finally create the farnd she dreamed of.


    This was the time Noel turned to Howard.


    Unlike Jasmine, Howard couldn''t help but say with a disappointed tone, "My lord. There is a problem with our army."


    "What''s wrong?" Noel frowned.


    "There are three major problems. First of all, regarding the Flying Squad, I don''t really know how to train them. After seeing their effectiveness in battle, a lot of people want to be a part of the Flying Squad."


    "In that case, have Felicia train them. However, the Flying Squads will remain our elite squad. In fact, I am nning to have three types of elite squads. They are the Flying Squad, Extermination Squads, and Rune Magician Squads."


    "The Extermination Squads will be the ones we have this whole time. And the flying squad is the new squad my Lord created not long ago. But Rune Magician Squads¡­" Howard furrowed his eyebrows.


    "They will be different from the Flying Squad. The flying squad is a squad that takes advantage of their mobility and drops all kinds of things we have prepared. On the other hand, the Rune Magician Squads will focus on their firepower. For example, what do you think of having a squad thatunches multiple Meteor Runes at the enemy? While the Flying Squads can do the same, I don''t want them to deplete too much of their energy since their mobility is much more advantageous," Noel exined.


    Howard looked down. It seemed that Noel was thinking about a mobile weapon. Their catapults, ballistas, or even theunchers were stationary. So, it would be good to have a squad that could nk the enemy from the side with that kind of firepower.


    "I see¡­" Howard nodded in understanding. "As for the trainer¡­"


    "Yes. Felicia will take care of their training. Of course, I want you to observe as well and learn how to teach them. Eventually, you will be the one in charge of all elite squads."


    "Your wish is mymand." Howard lowered his head.


    "You are fine with the arrangement, right, Felicia?" Noel asked.


    "Yes, my Lord." Felicia nodded with a serious expression. In fact, she had a hard time containing her emotions.


    She had her wish granted by Noel and showed it to everyone. A Spirit Master like her defeating a Superior Demon was basically impossible. Because of this achievement, no one would be able to look down on her anymore. The only thing she wanted to do now was repay Noel''s kindness and make sure not to disappoint him.


    "I think all the outside problems have been cleared up. In that case, we can take a look at the current state of the city. Dous." Noel moved on to the next topic.


    "There are four matters that I''m going to report today. First of all, we have cleared up thend for the Rune Academy. And I am still working on the design with Princess Livia." Dous turned to Livia.


    Livia raised three fingers. "I believe that the academy will need three things. The ssrooms and offices, the library and research area, and the training field. However, I am still unsure how much we need to create a grand academy."


    "There are five rune categories. They are offensive rune, defensive rune, support rune, utility rune, and movement rune. I believe that you should create the academy ording to these categories."


    "So, the training field should be big enough for using the offensive, defensive, and movement runes. The library will be big enough to store all the research about these five categories. And the ssrooms will have enough space for a lot of people as well as a demonstration¡­" Livia contemted for a moment. "I can imagine it in my head, but I will finalize the concept with Mr. Dous."


    "Alright." Noel nodded. "However, the limitation is only up to Intermediate Level Runes. If I put on an Advanced Level Rune, it''s going to blow up the entire academy. Also, I will review the school''s rules and the curriculumter."


    "I understand."


    Dous then continued to the next topic. "The second matter is about the development of the Moon Temple headquarters. It appears that they are nning to build the headquarters east of the town."


    "East?"


    "Yes. Because we are building a star-shaped wall, we can separate the city into five districts. The north district is the most dangerous, so we will be building that area for our military, including the Rune Academy.


    "The west district is where the water from the riveres from, so we have been building the residential district there. Meanwhile, in the southwest district, I have designed it as the business district. The south gate will be used to wee a lot of new people, so it''s only natural that a lot of merchants will be there.


    "And with a high influx of people, it''s obvious that we will also be building a red light district in the southeast. This district is supposed to be the safest from outside harm, so we can focus on the inside threat, which will reduce the cost of protection in the area. A red-light district is extremely important even though people look down on it. They reduce the crime rate by allowing people to relieve their stress. And with the business district and the red light district near each other, Harley can easily get a lot of information from these people.


    "Last but not least, the east district will also be a residential area, but it is for workers and simr people. Well, I don''t really want to use the word slum and always want to avoid them, but in the end, they will form sooner orter.


    "Hence, I believe it''s better to create them from the start so that we can control them. And by providing cheap houses there, we can reduce the number of homeless people in our city. Of course, we can use them for somebor, like mining or farming.


    "And since their ce is situated between the military and the red-light district, they can relieve their stress or be taken away by forces."


    Noel frowned. "While I don''t n to meddle in the very business, I''m forbidding them in my territory."


    Noel knew that abolishing ves was easier said than done. So, he didn''t n to touch on this subject, especially during the development of the Ardagan family. As for the future, he would just leave it to the future him.


    "I understand. We have prepared some jails in the military area. But I''m slightly concerned about your request to have the mansion in this area, my lord." Dous was worried that the thugs would attack his mansion.


    However, Noel shook his head, saying, "It''s a perfect position for all the secrets the mansion carries. In addition, shouldn''t I me our soldiers for not being able to stop the attacks? I have a high standard."


    "¡­" Howard gave a wry smile, knowing that he had to work extra hard for this.


    Dous didn''t care about Howard''s work. He simply continued, "In any case, this is also the reason why the Moon Temple builds their headquarters in this area. They want to take care of the pitiful ones."


    "Well, it''s a win-win situation for now." Noel nodded.


    "Yes." Dous agreed with his opinion. There was no way the people would think that Noel was a bad lord and believe that the Moon Temple was better than him when he provided all this. So, this was indeed a win-win situation. "Alright. The third matter is regarding the development of the city. Because of the previous war, we arecking men to construct the city."


    "Dimitri?"


    "I will be working on the second batch migration right away," Dimitri instantly replied.


    "Please work with what we have right now. It''s fine to be slightly slower since our current position is not that good."


    "I understand." Dous contemted for a moment. "Fortunately, Rune Technology has been helping us with the construction."


    "Good. I will also be inscribing the runes. Tristan and Livia will also begin to learn the technique in a month. I have to take care of the misceneous work after the war right now and I probably have to leave for a week or two after this. They definitely are going to summon me to the capital."


    "Yes, Teacher. We''ll definitely work hard." Tristan and Livia looked excited for a different reason.


    "In that case, I will move on to the next problem. It''s slightly in the future, but how do you n to develop Lounstein? Thisnd is vast and has a lot of resources that haven''t been touched by humans. I think it''s necessary not only to build the viges but also a few cities. I believe that this also involves Charlotte."


    Charlotte took a deep breath before continuing Dous''s words. "Yes. If we want one or two cities under our control, it''s going to be easy. However, it won''t be enough to control this vastnd.


    "A count can take a baron. An earl can have three barons and one count in their territory. A marquis can have three counts and five barons in their territory. All these nobles will be reporting right into the main family and paying tribute.


    "I believe that we will need to raise a few nobles to develop thisnd. Fortunately, thisnd is no-mannd. In other words, right now, we are still under the royal family''s influence and are exempt from taxes.


    "From my perspective, we will need to expand the territories right away. For example, we can raise a powerful knight or a good merchant as a baron.


    "The sooner we do this, the faster we can develop the territories. After all, they will independently seek their own way to develop thosends."


    After listening to Charlotte, Noel couldn''t help but fall silent. Now that he thought about it, there were several nobles under his father''smand. In fact, Countess Christina, whom he asked to spread the rune knowledge, was under his father.


    However, there was a problem. They were still at the beginning of their development. Noel didn''t have anyone who had the capability of bing a noble. And they had to be trustworthy.


    "Well, we can set them up in such a way that they can be our natural fortress. In fact, if my Lord can increase his nobility rank to that of a marquis, I believe that the royal family has no choice but to bestow thend on the north. Meaning we can put a noble there as a vanguard for our family. If this nes to fruition, this city will be imprable, both by demons and humans," Dous offered his opinion.


    "Humans, huh? Territorial War¡­" Howard''s expression darkened.


    When people heard that term, they couldn''t help but frown. Territorial war was normal for the nobles to solve conflict or devour each other''s territory. Fortunately, his west border directly met the Greenwood Kingdom. If he raised his rank and put a noble of his own on the north, it meant two sides of his territory were secured.


    Then, he only needed to take care of the west and south sides. On the west side, he had thest line of defense, which was the river. He nned to put a battleship there to defend his territory.


    The south side was concerned, but the Supreme Devil Organization had shown that unless they could surround Lounstein from all sides, they wouldn''t be able to defeat Noel.


    That was why Lounstein wouldn''t have any territorial wars until they had enough power to fight the city that managed to withstand the onught of a demon army.


    "I will think about it. Right now, I can''t picture someone having the ability or achievement to be elevated as a noble."

 Chapter 1012 Airship

    Chapter 1012 Airship


    ??"I think that concludes today''s meeting. Please proceed with the current nt for now. Do you have anything to say?" Before he ended the meeting, he turned to Anna. As thedy of the Ardagan family, Anna was determined to surpass Noel''s achievement in this area as well. So, it was only right to actually give Anna to say her pieces.


    Anna looked down for a moment. It seemed that she had prepared a few things before the meeting and after understanding Noel''s ns, she had to adjust the ns a little bit.


    "There are several things that I''d like to discuss. I think that my idea is a bit wild, but I believe it''s worth consideration." Anna paused for a moment. "First of all, I believe that we haven''t given the Greenwood Kingdom enough."


    "Eh?" Livia widened her eyebrows. After getting his permission to take in a student that could be the vice principal of the Rune Academy, she thought that the Greenwood Kingdom had gotten enough. And it wouldn''t be weird for the Greenwood Kingdom to favor Noel.


    However, Noel actually thought something else. "Can you borate?"


    Anna nodded. "First of all, I am looking at the Zaecuria Kingdom for this one. We have reached an agreement that there will be cooperation between the Ardagan family and the Zaecuria Kingdom regarding the battleships. This will greatly strengthen the Zaecuria Kingdom''s military power. On the other hand, the thing we''ve given to the Greenwood Kingdom is not rted to the military. While it''s true that the well is important, I think that a kingdom wants something rted to the military the most."


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. "And this cooperation you''re thinking about¡­"


    Anna raised a finger. "What do you think about building a ship with the Greenwood Kingdom as well?"


    "Eh? Another ship? The Greenwood Kingdom also shares the same ocean with the Zaecuria Kingdom, but the portion is not so big." Livia frowned.


    "No. I''m not talking about the ship on the water. I''m talking about¡­" Anna pointed her finger up.


    "The sky?" The people realized what she meant.


    Even Noel didn''t expect this one. "Interesting. Do you mind exining your n in detail? This way, Livia might understand you better."


    "Well, Noel, you have been nning to create transportation that can fly in the sky, right? That''s apparent from all the inventions, especially the flying squad. That''s why I''m thinking about creating a ship that can fly in the sky." Anna had never seen anything in her previous life, but there was one thing from the Greenwood Kingdom that made it possible.


    "That''s a very big challenge. In the end, the ship is floating on the water, so we only need runes to propel it forward. Meanwhile, the skyship, or maybe we can call it an airship doesn''t have that ability. In other words, we need a lot of resources just so that we can let it float in the sky." Noel frowned.


    "That''s¡­" Livia looked down as if she were thinking about something.


    "I believe it''s not that hard to do it, right, Princess Livia?" Anna smiled.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "How did you know¡­" Livia gasped.


    "It doesn''t really matter. And do you mind if I reveal it here?"


    "¡­" Livia hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Well, you already know. So, I don''t really have the authority to seal your mouth. And if it can really benefit my Greenwood Kingdom, there''s nothing wrong with turning a blind eye to it."


    Anna nodded. "The Greenwood Kingdom is actually developing a big balloon to carry a person into the sky. And I''m thinking about using this balloon to actually bring the ship into the air. Or at least act like the water."


    "Hoh? Will that be enough? If we create that kind of ship, the weight is no joke."


    "Yes. But these balloons will allow us to focus on something else instead. Since there is something that will push them upward, we only need the Floating Rune to lighten the ship. By ying with the right amount of weight, I believe that the ship can easily float in the sky. And it''s easier to move forward in the sky than in the water. That''s why if the normal ship needs a lot of drive to move forward, we can take half of that drive to let the boat float and use half of the remaining drive to push the airship forward and still get the same result."


    Livia dropped her jaws to the ground. If that were actually possible, Livia couldn''t imagine what kind of terror those airships would bring.


    And they could also drop bombs or other things on the ground. There was even a chance to equip the ship with the weapons Noel had created for the wall.


    One or two ships were enough to destroy a single territory. Unless they had a dome-shaped barrier, it would definitely alter how they conducted the war itself.


    "Interesting." Noel couldn''t help but smile. He never thought this was possible. Even if it were to happen, it would be far in the future.


    It seemed that Anna had grown.


    "If¡­ If that is possible¡­ then¡­" Livia stood up, having a hard time breathing. A lot of emotions, like excitement and fear, were mixed in her heart. She couldn''t help but lower her head. "I am asking not as Teacher Noel''s student but as the princess of the Greenwood Kingdom. We''d definitely love to cooperate with the Ardagan family. Please allow us to join the development of this airship."


    "Well, a battleship is good, but I''m thinking about the normal usage too." Anna raised the second finger. "We can create a smaller ship for various purposes. For example, we can use them to carry letters and goods. Unlike the fast horse, they don''t have to cross the harsh terrain. The only thing they have to avoid is the mountain, but it''s still much faster than a carriage."


    Noel felt like he was losing to her with just this idea alone. He couldn''t help but imagine these normal ships bringing goods to other cities. The logistics of the entire kingdom would be transformed by them. And it wasn''t limited to the logistics, they could also bring some soldiers, which would change the tide of war.


    Noel looked at Dimitri, saying, "Dimitri. Sorry, but I think I have to move the schedule for the second migration ahead. I order you, as the head of the Ardagan family, to set up the next migration within one month."


    Dimitri instantly stood up and bowed his head. "Your wish is Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    mymand."


    "As for the cooperation, what do you have in mind?" Noel asked Anna once again.


    "Eh? I''m the oneing up with the cooperation agreement?" Anna blinked her eyes a few times. Normally, Noel would take over after this.


    However, Noel also wanted to show them that he wasn''t the only one in this family. Even if something happened to him, Anna would be able to take care of the family.


    "You are the one suggesting the idea. So, I''m not going to take on the credits."


    Anna fell into deep thought. "Well, I can''t deny that we have given a lot of things to the Greenwood Kingdom. If the agreement is not making the Greenwood Kingdom bleed a little bit, the Zaecuria Kingdom will have an excuse to be jealous. So, if the Zaecuria Kingdom needs to build one battleship for us, how about having the Greenwood Kingdom build one battleship and three normal ships first?"


    Noel thought this was appropriate. In the end, the airship''s worth couldn''t bepared to that of a normal ship on the water.


    Livia hurriedly replied, "I will do it. Even if the Greenwood Kingdom can''t agree, I will definitely change their minds."


    "Alright. You can talk about it with your family. Since we are near the border, we can actually use the demon territory for building these ships. How about¡­" Noel thought for a moment. "Yeah. How about joint training with the Greenwood Kingdom? We can train a batch of our Rune Magicians as well while clearing those demons from that ce."


    "Definitely." Livia immediately lowered her head toward Noel and Anna. "Thank you, Master and Mistress."


    "We are still engaged, not married." Noel smiled wryly while Dimitri said, "I think it''s good to think about marriage after this, my Lord. There will be a lot of people aiming for you since the wife position is still empty. To shut them up, we will need to hold the marriage as soon as possible. In the end, even if you don''t n to have a kid yet, it''s still necessary to confirm the status."


    "That''s¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head before ncing at Anna. "I originally thought about using this city for the marriage, so I wanted to wait for it to bepleted first. But if we need to push the schedule forward, we might need another city to host it to avoid leaking out secrets."


    "I don''t really mind." Anna nodded in agreement. At the same time, she felt a bit relieved because of this.


    "Then Charlotte will be the one taking care of it, right?" Noel asked.


    "Rose and I willplete the preparation as soon as possible."


    "But considering the status of that city, we can only hold it for two or three months." Noel muttered. Still,pared to the original nine months, this was much better.


    "Understood." Charlotte nodded with a serious expression. No, it looked like she was more fired up than ever.


    "Well, we also need to speed up building the Moon Temple. Since we have the saintess here, shouldn''t it be fine to have her lead the marriage ceremony?" Dimitri smirked.


    "Of course. Don''t worry, Dimitri. I''m going to make it a better ceremony than the time when the previous master married Madam Leysha." Charlotte clenched her hands into fists.


    Noel didn''t know why, but these people were more excited than him. But when he caught a glimpse of Anna''s relieved smile, he couldn''t help but close his eyes for a moment, thinking this might be a good idea.

 Chapter 1013 Super Logistics

    Chapter 1013 Super Logistics


    ??"With the airship having been taken care of, what other suggestions do you have?" Noel asked.


    Anna paused for a moment, making people curious. Anna had given an extremely good suggestion, so they expected the same thing with other suggestions.


    "I am not sure about this, but¡­" Anna raised a finger. "What do you think about having arge carriage?"


    "Arge carriage?"


    "Yes. Since we have an automatic carriage, I think that creating arge carriage is necessary. How do I say this¡­" Anna contemted for a moment. "I have an image in my mind about creating arge and long carriage that could carry workers to their destination. For example, the workers of the mine have to go there or camp in the mine''s area, right?"


    "Certainly." Noel soon understood what she was talking about. "Are you implying that this carriage will carry the workers from here to the mine?"This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Yes. Because we are using a long one, which can bring a lot of people at once, it''s going to be very effective. I think we can get a worker''s perspective regarding this idea." Anna couldn''t really exin it, but this was actually a good idea.


    "This is an extremely good idea. Even if it''s not a worker, we can actually load the carriage with goods. With this, we will be able to transport more goods and much faster." Noel muttered.


    Dimitri added, "From a worker''s perspective, I think this is a good idea. If they canmute from this city to the mine, they can actually meet their family or even spend their money in the city, which will elevate our economy. Although creating a camp over there is a more effective solution, if we think about how relieved the workers could be to be able to meet their family, I believe it''s going to improve their motivation."


    Roel also said, "I agree with the suggestion, especially regarding the carriage that can bring a lot of mined goods inrge quantities and at a faster speed. During my time as an independent cksmith, I have always been careful with materials since it takes a long time to get them."


    "In that case, we can actually begin producing this one. The carriage itself is amon concept, and all the runes have been tested. So, we will just adjust the design a little bit to make it work. The problem will be on the road." Noel nced at Dimitri.


    "Understood. I will do my best with the next migration. Can I assume that we will bring more people than intended?"


    "Yes. One or two thousand more. Early development is important after all."


    "That much? I thought we would only get a few hundred." Dimitri raised his eyebrows, slightly concerned about the number.


    "Yes. I''m thinking about building roads to all corners of Lounstein." Noel raised a finger. "What if we actually link all the cities like this and use this road to distribute the goods in Lounstein?"


    "Ah!"


    Everyone almost forgot that Noel was nning to raise someone''s rank to that of a noble. And obviously, there were more cities in his territory. By taking advantage of the road and this carriage, they can bring goods much faster.


    "In my perspective, this is a good idea. Not only us, but the merchants would definitely use this service, which will be another source of revenue. And by increasing the speed of distributing the goods, the economy of Lounstein will be much higher. Logistics are the most important after all." Balott rose from his seat in excitement.


    "But what about the airship? Can''t they bring the goods? They are faster, right?" Jasmine asked.


    "Indeed, but the carriage and airship have their own advantages and disadvantages." Balott gave a smug smile. "The airship will be hard to produce and each trip will definitely cost more than a carriage. It''s true that they are much faster, but by using this long carriage, we can reduce the cost, even though it will take a bit more time. It''s still much faster than the normal carriage.


    "In fact, we might be able to separate the carriage into two sections. For example, we can divide it into humans and goods. Traveling requires a lot of time and money. By using the automatic carriage alone, we have cut the time. And normally, you have merchants requesting protection individually¡­ But imagine if they actually joined together with other merchants in the same carriage? They only need to pay protection for one. It''s obvious which one the merchant will choose.


    "I believe that this is much more important than the airship." Balott gave the conclusion to his exnation.


    "Oh!" They never thought that Balott would have such a high opinion.


    "There is one thing you miss out on, Balott." Noel smirked.


    Balott tilted his head in confusion. "Please enlighten me, my Lord."


    "We can actually expand this road to the surrounding area."


    "!!!" Charlotte dropped her jaw as she couldn''t help butment, "That''s right. We can actually force the surrounding nobles to act as our allies by extending the road. By looking at the benefits alone, I believe not a lot of them will be stubborn about not taking advantage of this system. And with them as our allies, the security of Lounstein bes much more absolute."


    Anna raised her hand. "Well, this is thest suggestion¡­ but I guess it''s already obvious. The security of Lounstein is going to be problematic since expanding like that will be prone to dangers from outside. Bandits and demons have to be exterminated from thisnd. If we want to find demons, we can simply go to the border."


    "That''s understandable." Noel nodded. "I''m working on the defense system right now. I will expand our army to the very limit. And it seems that raising a few nobles here will allow me to increase the number of soldiers, which will increase the safety of the territory."


    "In that case, I''m done." Anna agreed with Noel and stepped back. She only gave three suggestions, but the impact was very significant.


    The people in the room became excited about the development and talked to each other about the benefits of the development.


    Noel was actually smiling the whole time. He waspetitive, but in this case, he was just happy and proud. He wanted to show them that this was his fiancee, she was cool, right?


    Now that they had heard everything, Noel immediately took control of the meeting. "Alright. First of all, Livia, I allow you to talk about the development of the airship, but you shouldn''t reveal the expansion and this long carriage yet."


    Livia looked a bit disappointed, but it was better not to annoy Noel or she would definitely lose the opportunity to bring this technology back to her kingdom. "I understand, Master."


    "Roel. You can work on the carriage design first. It''s the easiest one and can bepleted with some tweaks. So, I hope you canplete this task before the airship development."


    "Understood. I am very excited about this to the point that I can''t sleep withoutpleting it." Roel pumped his fist, ensuring Noel.


    "Dimitri. Prepare for the second migration. Due to the size of this migration, you can send them to Laivaen City so that they can bring the people in smaller batches. It will lessen the work on this ce too."


    "I will follow your arrangement." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression.


    "Charlotte, Dous, and Balott will take care of their respective tasks regarding our expansion."


    "Understood." The three of them lowered their heads.


    "Jasmine will be focusing on the farnd, and if possible, go around Lounstein to see other potentialnd that is suitable for a new noble. Howard will expand and train our army. I want you to create one more division on top of the three suggestions earlier. This division will be taking care of the safety of all the new expansions."


    "Understood." Jasmine and Howard received their orders.


    "Harley, take care of the spread of information. If necessary, use the information to threaten other lords in the area so that they don''t attack us during the expansion. Khalid, you can research all the medicines you want. I''ll bring you the medicinal herbs as quickly as possible."


    "We have received yourmands."


    "Alright. The meeting is adjourned." Noel nodded, satisfied with today''s meeting. This would definitely transform Lounstein into a superpower among the nobles. In fact, even if Noel didn''t bring up the Runegard, the expansion alone was enough to actually beat his father''s achievement as the wealthiest man in the kingdom.


    All the pirs left the room to proceed with their respective arrangements. Anna was about to leave as well, but Noel grabbed Anna''s hand as if he wanted to talk about something.


    Meanwhile, the other pirs had a lot of thoughts after the meeting.


    "It seems that the Lord has met the perfectdy." Charlotte smiled.


    "Weren''t you skeptical about her before, Charlotte?" Dimitri chuckled.


    "Unlike you, I didn''t follow the master." Charlotte sighed.


    "To think that thedy could give all those suggestions. I originally thought that it was Master''s ideas, which he asked thedy to convey to elevate her status in the family." Harley shook his head helplessly. "From their expression, it seemed that everything came from Lady Anna."


    "Well, I think I should formally wee you, Old Jade." Jasmine smirked.


    "Hahaha. The Lord is truly unique. He told me that I wouldn''t regret my decision, but it seems that he was wrong. I regret my decision¡­" He paused for a moment as his words were like needles on everyone''s ears until he continued, "¡­I regret the fact that I didn''t meet him earlier."


    "Pfft." Feliciaughed.


    "Don''t worry, you''re not the only one. Khalid almost rejected him." Roelughed.


    "What are you saying, Mr. Roel? I am just seeking refuge under thedy''s family." Khalid shook his head helplessly, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    "Still¡­ I feel like the Lord gave thedy a chance in that meeting." Charlotte sighed.


    "What do you mean?" Balott asked.


    "Before¡­ we only knew that Lady Anna was a powerful expert, and that''s all. After this meeting, we all think that she is also a qualified leader that we can respect and serve. The reason for the Lord''s action is probably because of the royal family."


    "Royal family?" Harley frowned.


    "You haven''t got the information?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "After the war, I believe that the lord will be summoned to the royal pce. However, they must be nning to send an envoy so that they can slow down the pace to reach the capital. This way, the Lord won''t be here for a long time."


    "Ah!" Dimitri nodded in understanding. "So, he wants to show us that she is able to lead the Ardagan family when he is not here¡­"


    "Yes," Charlotte confirmed.


    "In that case, we should show our resolve as well. We''ll surprise him with all the transformation once he returns." Harley smirked.

 Chapter 1014 Reasons

    ?"What''s wrong?" Anna asked. She was a bit confused as to why Noel''s expression turned grim at this moment.


    "I''m going to be summoned to the capital soon."


    "If you use your fastest speed, you should be able to reach the capital within three days, right?" Anna frowned, thinking this wasn''t a problem. Even if he had to attend the banquet, he would only be gone for about a week.


    However, Noel shook his head helplessly and said, "No. It''s going to be a month."


    "A month? Why? Are you going to do something?"


    "Not at all. If that Duke Raymond is like what has been described, then he will be sending a slow carriage to the capital city. If I go by myself, it will be the same as challenging the royal family. In other words, I will be stuck in that carriage for a few weeks. And they will definitely dy the ceremony for a bit.


    "So, my original assumption is that¡­ I will be stuck in that carriage for about three weeks. An additional one week for the dy." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "This¡­" Anna sucked a cold breath. With Noel gone, Anna had to remain in this ce for a while as the futuredy of the Ardagan family.


    And people would definitely think that Anna was much easier to deal with than Noel.


    This was why Noel wanted to show his trusted vassals that they could trust Anna.


    Anna fell into deep thought before saying, "So, they are nning to do something while you''re gone?"


    "Yes. They are most likely going to pressure you. I am not sure who will being, but I doubt that the Third Prince and the Void Arbiter will be able to do anything right now. From my spection¡­ I believe it''ll be the Crown Prince."


    "Ah." Anna''s expression turned grim. The royal family definitely tried to marry her to the crown prince, so they might use this chance to attack her.


    Anna didn''t bother to ask whether Noel was alright or not. After all, she believed that Noel was capable of going against that duke.


    In other words, the problem would be in this territory.


    Before Noel revealed everything, he asked, "So, what do you think will happen?"


    This was a kind of test as well as a chance for her growth. So, Anna carefully considered the possibilities and asked, "Should I meet the crown prince in Laivaen City? The crown prince is probably aiming for this city, so if I go there, the crown prince has no choice but to stay there."


    Noel smiled. "Why do you think that way?"


    "It''s because¡­" Anna raised a few fingers, but she wasn''t sure how many clues Noel had given her during the meeting. "Well, I noticed that you changed the migration schedule and forced them to gather in Laivaen City first. Of course, it was better this way since we only let the spies check Laivaen City.


    "And once you returned, we could begin the real migration. I could stay there by saying I''m in charge of the migration as the acting head of the Ardagan family or something.


    "It appears that you''re nning to use this as another excuse for the Sword Arbiter. If I can convince the Sword Arbiter, I can get his help. Maybe I can tell him that once you return, we can go to the main city together with him.


    "Harley has set up his branch as well, so he can help me deal with the espionage. There is also the fact that you''re nning to split the second migration into batches, meaning that there is a chance that Dimitri will be done and help me there."


    Noel was happy with Anna''s improvement in this area. She gradually understood the bigger picture. However, Noel still added two more reasons. "You have found out my clues, but there are still two more reasons. First of all, you can bring the Moon Temple''s saintess there with the excuse of observing the creation of the Moon Temple''s branch.


    "Unlike the headquarters that we have sponsored to build because we have isted this city, Laivaen City''s branch will definitely be visited by the Moon Temple. There is a chance that some high-ranking officials from the Moon Temple will be there, which reinforces the reason for you to be there."


    "Ah!" Anna nodded in agreement. "That''s possible."


    "Then, thest one is still rted to the Moon Temple. Right now, the Moon Temple must be eager to support us, especially in building their headquarters. Even though we sponsor them right now, with La in Laivaen City, she will find a way to at least send the materials to speed up the progress. The headquarters are going to be big, so it will take more than one year to finish.


    "That fact alone is enough to make La desperate. She is nning to use those materials in exchange for the fact that the headquarters will be finished before our city officially opens."


    "!!!" Anna gasped, connecting the dots. "Now that we have gained La''s help, we can show the automatic carriage."


    "Exactly." Noel smirked.


    Anna contemted before muttering, "By showing this new longer carriage, we can show them how we can transport arge number of materials. First of all, it''s going to be beneficial for the Moon Temple. I believe that they request that the service be expanded to a lot of their branches. In other words, there will be a lot of nobles that will hear about this new carriage from the Moon Temple and will be forced to join the alliance.


    "Then, the second reason is that we''re nning to measure the crown prince''s ability. If he is at least as good as his father, he will understand the worth of the new carriage. And this will also spread to the nobles in the royal faction. There is a high chance that they will change sides. At the very least, this new carriage will create some unrest among the royal faction."


    Noel shook his head. "The second reason is somewhat correct, but not the way I intended¡­ Just think about this. If the crown princees there and meets you, what will happen? After that, will he be desperate once he sees the carriage?"


    "Ah?!" Anna finally understood what he wanted. Her second reason only covered the bare minimum of the n, but Noel nned to deal a lot of damage to the royal family. "The crown prince will definitely be desperate after seeing them.


    "And because the royal family''s original n was to marry me to him, his desperation would ruin his image. With the Sword Arbiter, the Moon Temple, and even our citizens as witnesses, even a slight rash action will harm the royal family''s reputation.


    "People will think that the royal family is going to force me, the fiancee of Earl Ardagan, to marry him which is a direct insult to the Ardagan family.


    "The rumor will spread and that is enough to make some nobles that support the royal faction leave."


    Noel nodded with a smile. "It seems that you can finally understand the bigger picture."


    "I''m still not as good as you, but thanks to you, I''ve learned a lot about politics and tactics. I will do my best so as to not disappoint you."


    "Still¡­I guess I lost to you during the meeting." Noel looked away. "Your suggestions have given us a lot of opportunities. Was that what I did in the previous life?"


    "No. The rune technology wasn''t that advanced in our previous lives and we probably died before it reached that stage. I thought about the airship from the giant balloon that the Greenwood Kingdom developed. As for the longer carriage, it was due to the Moon Temple. I thought it would be good for the Moon Temple," Anna exined.


    The air balloon in the Greenwood Kingdom was definitely something he never expected. And the Moon Temple only came to this ce because they had changed history by saving La in that city.


    "Impressive." Noel nodded in approval.


    "Hehe¡­ Are you feeling bad for losing to me right now?" Anna smirked and ced her hands on Noel''s cheeks, teasing him. "How cute. Come, let me spoil you."


    "I''m merely showing our vassals that the Ardagan family has not only me but also the soon-to-bedy of the family." Noel harrumphed.


    "You''re not so honest, aren''t you?" Anna sat down on hisp while circling her hands around Noel''s neck. "You should be more honest, you know."


    "What? You truly want me to be more honest?" Noel smirked.


    "Of course." Anna thought that Noel had a n in mind, but she wasn''t afraid of him today.


    But Noel suddenlyunched a sneak attack by whispering directly into her ears. "Why do I send you to Laivaen City? There is actually one more reason¡­ What do you think?"


    Anna raised her eyebrows. She tried toe up with another reason, but nothing came to mind. "Maybe¡­ you haven''t given me any clues about it¡­"


    Noel only gave her one word. "Marriage."


    "!!!" Anna opened her mouth in shock. The words that wanted toe out were stuck in her throat. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    That was right. They were going to hold the marriage over there, so it was obvious that they needed a new ce to hold the ceremony.


    With her there, Anna could check out this new ce and do everything necessary for their marriage ceremony.


    This might be the most important reason. Although the crown prince and other stuff were important, for both of them, marriage was definitely the priority.


    Anna couldn''t help but feel moved. Her cheeks reddened. Both of them wanted the same thing, so she felt embarrassed that Noel put more thought into this.


    Since her arms were still circling around his neck, she just pulled his head toward her and kissed him.


    It was just for a brief moment, but Noel could sense her happiness. As if losing his reason, Noel suddenly stood up while carrying her in his arms.


    Anna was surprised for a split second but soon just rested her head on his shoulder. She was simply too happy to care about other things. They didn''t know when the buds of their love appeared, but it was clear that both of them could marry the person they loved when political marriage was the norm for nobles. They had ovee the challenges and woulde together in three months.


    But to her surprise, Noel actually brought her outside the mansion and put her down.


    "Eh?" Anna blinked her eyes in disbelief.


    "What''s wrong? We have a lot of work right now. Or maybe¡­ you are expecting something else?" Noel grinned, whispering the same words Anna used to tease him. "How cute."


    Anna''s eyes shed as she instantly looped around him and grabbed the back of his cor, dragging him back inside the mansion.


    No one knew how Anna settled the score at that time.

 Chapter 1015 Royal Envoy

    ?In the field south of Noel''s city, there were two garrisons facing each other. The first one had a white carriage wearing the symbol of two swords and a shield. This was the official symbol of the Muivell Kingdom. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The carriage was guarded by at least a hundred men and their strength wasn''t that low either.


    On the opposite side was another garrison. They didn''t have any carriages, and most of them were cavalries. The one leading them was none other than Howard.


    "Is this how the Earl family treated their guests?" A shouting from the carriage broke the tension between the two parties.


    The knights behind Howard looked annoyed, but Howard waved his hand, stopping them.


    As expected, an old man came out of the carriage while bringing out a big scroll from his hand. "Is this the stance of Earl Ardagan?"


    "I am sorry, but from this point on, this is the forbidden area as imposed by Earl Ardagan. We can''t allow you to go any further." Howard shook his head. It was clear what the royal envoy nned to do here. By using this as an excuse, they would observe their city and find out about all kinds of new technology. Hence, Noel sent Howard to stop them.


    "I am bearing the royal decree for Earl Ardagan. Are you going to stop me?!"


    Anyone who stopped the royal decree would be branded as traitors, so Howard had no choice but to let him in, except for the fact that Noel had prepared for this.


    The only reason he sent Howard first was to block them, and the moment they brought out the imperial decree, it was time for Noel to appear.


    "I have seen the royal decree and shall serve the kingdom." Noel''s voice echoed in everyone''s ears.


    In that instant, all the knights from the Ardagan family, including Howard, jumped off their horses and kneeled on one knee, revealing a single person behind them.


    Noel was walking forward and finally stopped in front of the old man. He recognized this old man. If his memory served him right, the person before him had the title of aEarl. It was the same as him, but he was the follower of the royal family.


    "!!!" The Earl didn''t expect that Noel was among them. At the same time, he was wearing a formal white cilitary uniform, the same uniform that was given to him the moment he became a noble. This was to show that his title came from his original affiliation, which was the Demon Banner Army. Since the Demon Banner Army''s uniform was ck, this white color symbolized that he had switched sides.


    The Earl didn''t know why, but he felt the immeasurable pressureing from Noel. Even though he wasn''t doing anything, it felt like his neck was being choked by an invisible hand.


    Once he stood before him, Noel gracefully lowered his body and knelt down like a knight.


    The knights before the Earl were looking at Noel carefully. Their instincts were telling him that even when Noel looked this harmless, the moment they made a move, they would die.


    The Earl opened the scroll, but before he could say anything, Noel said, "Please wait."


    "Are you going to defy the royal decree?"


    "I am not, but it seems that some people are challenging the kingdom." Noel''s eyes were locked on the knights that the Earl had brought.


    "!!!" The Earl widened his eyes in shock and turned around. Before the royal decree, everyone except the royal envoy had to kneel down. Even Howard had followed thew.


    "You¡­" The Earl didn''t know what to say. He didn''t realize that Noel was simply exerting a bit of pressure to make them think that they would die if they made a move.


    "What are you doing?" The Earl roared, making the knights panic. They immediately jumped off their horses and knelt down.


    "I have saved your knights from execution, isn''t it, Earl Silmer?" Noel smiled.


    Howard and the others wanted tough because of the disy, but they couldn''t really do it in this situation. So, they tried their best to hold it in even though their actions looked apparent.


    The Earl was fuming in embarrassment. The only way to hide that embarrassment was none other than to open his mouth. "Earl Noel Ardagan. This is the imperial order. For your contribution in dealing with the demons as well as the Supreme Devil Organization, you are to head off to the royal pce immediately to receive your award."


    "I humbly ept the royal''s order," said Noel calmly before standing up. "As the humble subject of the Muivell Kingdom, I shall use my fastest speed and head to the royal pce in no time."


    "Wait!" The Earl gritted his teeth while pointing at his carriage. "You shall board this carriage to go to the royal capital."


    "This is troubling me, Earl Silmer. I am merely obeying the imperial order by going there as quickly as possible. Or does your carriage have the speed of a spirit grandmaster?" Noel smirked.


    Earl Silmer gritted his teeth. It was clear that this was Noel''s way to embarrass him, but he had to endure. If he, as the royal envoy, harmed or insulted him, Noel could take this chance to disobey the order while pinning the me on him.


    "The imperial order only states to go immediately. As long as you have departed, there is nothing for you to worry about."


    "¡­" Noel looked at Earl Silmer with a solemn expression.


    "What? Do you wish to disobey the imperial order, Earl Ardagan?"


    Noel turned around and said to Howard, "Let Anna take over."


    "Understood." Howard received the order, making Earl Silmer smile as if everything had gone ording to n.


    But Noel suddenly raised his voice, stating, "And with you, the captain of the Ardagan family''s garrison, as the witness. I order you to stop anyone who dares to enter the Ardagan family''s forbidden territory. I will give the full right to Anna Stargaze tounch a territorial war against anyone that breaks this rule."


    Howard and all the soldiers once again knelt, answering in unison. "Yes, sir."


    "!!!" Earl Silmer widened his eyes in shock. Not a single noble would dare to take a step because of this. Although the nobles rarely went to territorial war, they could do it to either devour the opposing nobles or force them to submit.


    And after hearing of how Noel protected his territory from all those demons, unless they had created a big coalition, it would be impossible to take down the territory.


    More importantly, the moment they made a coalition that big, it could be seen as an attempt to rebel against the royal family.


    Earl Silmer realized that he couldn''t really take advantage of Noel Ardagan''s absence to harm the territory. The young noble before him was truly the tiger of the Ardagan family.


    ''It seems that I can only inform the royal family about this and send out the princes or princesses. After all, only the royal family can infiltrate the Ardagan family in this situation.''


    Earl Silmer didn''t realize that this was Noel''s n. He just wanted to eliminate all the possibilities he didn''t like and make them believe that the one he liked was actually the best course of action they could take.


    Earl Silmer had no choice but to guide him to the carriage. None of the knights could do anything to Howard, so they ended up turning around.


    The Earl had to sit in front of Noel for the duration of the trip. When he took another look at Noel, it looked like he was just a normal noble. His expression was cold, but he was still approachable.


    Noel couldn''t help but look at the carriage as if he had noticed something strange.


    "Is there anything wrong, Earl Ardagan?"


    "I am thinking that the carriage is a bit too bumpy. You will be hurt if you sit too long in here."


    Earl Silmer knew that Noel was implying about the duration of the trip, which had been suggested to take at least a month toplete since he had asked them to drive it as slowly as possible.


    Hence, he replied, "I have grown ustomed to sitting in the carriage for so long. As a noble, it''s only right to visit a lot of ces for negotiation and other things after all."


    "I guess I am no match for Earl Silmer. If you don''t mind, would you be kind enough to allow me to reduce this bumpiness?" Noel asked.


    "Reducing the bumpiness?" Earl Silmer definitely couldn''t allow Noel to speed things up. He had heard about his automatic carriage after all.


    Noel simply snapped his fingers and formed a rune on the floor of the carriage.


    "Earl Ardagan!" Earl Silmer tried to tell him off, but he suddenly noticed that the carriage had stopped shaking as if they were floating.


    Noel was simply using the Floating Rune, the carriage still had to be pulled by the horse.


    After noticing the change, Earl Silmer couldn''t help but open the carriage''s door and check their speed, which was actually the same.


    "I am merely using my rune to reduce the ufortable sensation during our trip, Earl Silmer." Noel smiled while taking out a notebook from his coat. "After all, I want to use my time effectively. You sure don''t mind if I write a few things, right?"


    "¡­" Earl Silmer''s expression darkened. Noel didn''t vite anything that the royal family wanted. And this rune was also quite perfect for the journey since he would have to suffer with Noel in this carriage. So, Earl Silmer could only say, "Yes. Please make yourselffortable."


    Earl Silmer only thought that Noel used the rune just so he could write. He didn''t realize that Noel''s intention was something else.


    With the Floating Rune, the weight that the horses pulled significantly decreased, which allowed them to cross a distance at a faster rate. But because they maintained the speed, the change wouldn''t be that significant.


    Noel only expected that they could reduce only about a week of their total time with this. But that was enough for the time being.


    All the mechanisms Noel created had begun after all.

 Chapter 1016 Negotiation With Layla

    Chapter 1016 Negotiation With La


    ??Now that Noel had gone, it was time for Anna to step up her game.


    The first ce she visited was none other than the Moon Temple. And the one who apanied her this time was Roel.


    "Is it ready?"


    "The adjustment is not really that hard, but we haven''t done a lot of tests, only some spections. But I can say for sure that it''s pretty effective."


    "Good." Anna nodded with a serious expression as she saw the Moon Temple that was currently built. She saw Aurelia on the outside, so Anna asked, "Do you know where the saintess is? There is something that I want to show, which probably interests her."


    "She is¡­" Aurelia turned around, wanting to point at the saintess''s location. However, the saintess herself suddenly came out as if she had heard Anna''s voice. "I am here. What do you want to show me?"


    "¡­" Anna was speechless after seeing her eagerness. She said, "There is something that I want to show you."


    "Hoho? I''m looking forward to it. Aurelia, let''s go!" Since she couldn''t see personally, she would have to rely on Aurelia to report on everything.


    All four of them were heading to the south of the city.


    "What is it that you want to show me?" La asked, feeling weird that they had gone out of the city.


    "There is¡­ a box carriage?" Aurelia furrowed her eyebrows. The wagon itself was long, but unlike the usual carriages that were covered with big cloth on top, the wooden wagon was fully extended to the top.


    "A box?" La spread her spiritual energy to sense this new thing. "This is¡­ it''s very long and big. You can actually fit more than thirty people inside. Can this thing even move?"


    "This is our new project." Anna smirked. "Roel."


    "Yes." Roel nodded and stepped forward as he began his exnation. "This might be a normal wagon, but it can function like a carriage depending on how we adjust it.


    "In front of you right now is a cargo wagon. The purpose is the same as the normal one, but unlike the usual wagon, it can carry two and a half times more than a normal one. And because we don''t need a horse to do it, this will be a lot more efficient to transport the items."


    "What? Two and a half times?" Aurelia gasped.


    "A normal one can carry about one ton to avoid overstraining the horse. Are you sure you are able to do that?" Aurelia frowned.


    "I apologize. I was talking about the volume earlier. Since this wagon has been equipped with the Floating Rune, it could actually withstand about ten tonnes without overstraining the runes."


    "Ten tones¡­" Aurelia dropped to her butt. The Moon Temple had always been troubled with logistics. First of all, the carriage was good, but it couldn''t contain a lot of stuff. So, they needed a lot of carriages.


    And sometimes, they had to distribute their weight carefully, which made the wagon less full.


    But with this invention, they could easily fill it to the brim and still move faster than a normal one.


    However, Roel didn''t stop here.


    "We haven''t finished all the adjustment projects. There is also a chance to change them depending on their purposes like transporting a lot of people, medical facilities, and a lot of other things.


    "And this is just spection, but if we carefully adjust it, we can actually attach them to each other. Instead of letting the wagons have both the Enhance Forward Rune and the Floating Rune, we can just make the cargo wagons only have the Floating Rune. Meanwhile, we will add the pulling cargo that has been equipped with more Enhance Forward Rune than the original design. This way, both of them can be optimized.


    "We haven''t done the exact calction, but we believe that once this project ispleted, we can actually bring more than a hundred tonnes in a single trip at the cost of two or three pulling wagons."


    "A hundred tonnes? That''s¡­ that''s¡­" Aurelia waspletely scared. If they could actually do that, the logistics in the kingdom would change drastically. Even on their expedition, they would have no way to transport all that much.


    If they could have that level of logistics, the Moon Temple would be an even more terrifying organization. It was to the point where the rumor connecting the Moon Temple with sadness disappeared.


    That was right. They were associated with sadness because they couldn''t save more people. That was simply because they didn''t have the means to transport that amount of supply.


    But this invention would change everything for them.


    The saintess, on the other hand, noticed that this invention would benefit the Ardagan family much more than them. The Ardagan family could use this invention to create a logistic empire.


    "I once heard a saying in the past. Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics," said the saintess while walking toward Anna. She held Anna''s hands, saying, "The Moon Temple doesn''t need the carriage in the agreement anymore. Please tell me how to procure this thing."


    Roel was a bit overwhelmed by the reaction of the saintess. He never thought that the saintess would be begging for this invention.


    As expected, both the lord and thedy were not ordinary, he thought.


    Anna said, "Unfortunately, we don''t have any intention of selling this for the time being. However, we are nning to create a highway that connects everything in Lounstein¡­ and probably reaching the outside too."


    "!!!" La finally understood their ambition. It was clear that they would be using this to gain political advantage over the nearby lords. The Muivell Kingdom would be trouble, but what if Noel took advantage to build a highway to the Demon Territory and turn to the Greenwood Kingdom? There was no way the Greenwood Kingdom would reject this idea.


    And they could take advantage of that highway to connect with another headquarters of the Moon Temple.


    Only by utilizing this could their Moon Temple be much stronger than this. There would be more donations, and they could save more people. The people from the Moon Temple would be happy and more powerful elites would join them.


    "What do you want me to do?" La asked, not beating around the bush anymore.


    "This is nothing but a prototype. I''m thinking about testing it in Laivaen City. Do you want to watch the effectiveness?" Anna smiled.


    La pondered for a few minutes. It was impossible for Anna to ask her to simply watch the carriage.


    In other words, her n must be something else. Although she couldn''t see the entire n, it was clear that Anna had to be in Laivaen City. And she had to go there.


    While she was at it, she had to show her the Moon Temple''s sincerity. In other words, she might want to test this thing to send the materials for the Moon Temple''s headquarters here.


    La couldn''t help but ask, "The Lord''s idea?"Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "The invention was my idea, but he suggested the rest."


    La let out a long sigh. There was no way Noel''s n was so simple. By epting this deal, it would put her at a lot of risk.


    Seeing La''s hesitation, Anna knew that she only needed a single more push. "Actually, we are also nning to develop a ship that can travel in the air. And of course, it is going to be huge."


    La instantly made her stance. "I am honored to work together with the Lord of Lounstein. May I know when we depart?"


    "In two weeks."


    "I understand." La nodded with a serious expression. She turned to Aurelia. "You are to supervise the entire project and remain here. I will be going to Laivaen City."


    "Saintess?" Aurelia knew that this type of transport would benefit them a lot, but she actually saw the desperation in La''s expression.


    "I am going to be busy from now on. I have to write a lot of things to those old geezers in the main headquarters. If they disagree, I think it''s better for them to retire."


    "¡­" Aurelia smiled wryly. No one could bepared to Saintess La in the Moon Temple. Her insight was much better than theirs, so if La thought this was something they had to get, they had to use all their forces to get it. "I understand. I''ll take care of the project."


    "Mhmm¡­" La then turned to Anna. "I apologize, Lady Anna. I have to return to my residence first. If you have anything you''d like me to know, please don''t hesitate to send a message."


    With Anna''s nod, La immediately headed back with Aurelia following her.


    Anna had finally passed the first stage. There were still a few things to do before going to Laivean City. At least, she had to arrive before the crown prince.


    Harley had also made sure to pay attention to the movement of the royal family so that they wouldn''t be able to infiltrate the main city.


    "2 weeks should be enough time, right?" Anna asked.


    "I will definitelyplete it within two weeks, please rest assured."


    "Alright. Tell everyone to begin the second phase."


    "Understood." Roel politely bowed to her before leaving her side.


    Alone, Anna clenched her hands into fists while muttering, "This will be the start of the wealth empire. If anyone dares to pick a fight with us, I won''t hesitate to eliminate them. Wait a minute¡­ Now that I think about it, shouldn''t I ask La to make a marriage certificate from the Moon Temple? She is going to be the one leading the marriage ceremony, so this will bring a lot more legitimacy to our n."

 Chapter 1017 Moon Temple’s Stance

    <h4>Chapter 1017 Moon Temple''s Stance</h4>


    Moon Temple.


    "We received a new letter from the saintess a few days ago, so I have called all of you here to discuss our development." An archbishop stood up, leading this meeting.


    "A few days ago? If it''s important, shouldn''t you call us right away?" Another bishop frowned.


    "That''s what I would like to do, but her letter is¡­ how do I say this¡­" The archbishop only waved his hand. "Bring it in."


    A servant nodded his head and brought a mountain of paper. Each person would get at least forty pages filled with words and diagrams.


    "This is¡­" The people looked at the number of papers, not expecting the report to be this many.


    "The saintess haspiled all these within seven days. And I have copied the content so that all of you can read it." The archbishop''s expression turned grim. "I''d like to know your opinion after you read all this. For now, I will give you an hour to read it. No one can talk, even if you are curious or want to discuss. Just read it again if you have finished. I''m sure you will find it more and more interesting."


    They didn''t know what the archbishop was talking about, but he rarely did it this way, so they still agreed with his words and read the whole thing, no matter how confused they were.


    The saintess hadpiled all this information as concretely as possible. The contents were divided into four major points.


    The first one was about the war. Even though they had known that the war was over, they hadn''t gotten the detailed report from Aurelia and La.


    Hence, La told them everything she knew about Noel''s strategy and all the weapons that she and Aurelia had witnessed. Obviously, they had heard about Felicia, who was able to defeat a superior demon while being a spirit master.


    When they learned the war in detail, they couldn''t help but suck a cold breath. The strategy might not be perfect, but it wasn''t because Noel made a mistake. The enemy was simply much stronger than they expected.


    The second point was about the carriage. This was the main thing. La was thinking about giving up the carriage in the agreement before the war.


    Obviously, they were furious since they had fought hard for this. But La immediately showed them something even better.


    Aurelia helped her draw the image of the carriage. It was a long carriage with ten wheels.


    She even put the data that Anna and Roel gave while adding the fact that this was just a prototype. Once it was developed further, it wouldn''t be strange for it to be much stronger.


    Obviously, the one that piqued their interest the most was the fact that the moment they joined the wagons, they could bring more than a hundred tonnes. This meant a lot for the Moon Temple.


    Everyone understood why La wanted to give up the carriage as long as they could get it.


    And after this, La moved on to the highway that Noel nned to create. It would spread to the entire town of Lounstein as well as the territory near him.


    There was one thing that she emphasized in this section. After creating the headquarters in Lounstein, it wouldn''t be wrong to say that this was their current expansion priority.


    If Noel indeed created such a highway with the carriage, they could easily expand in Lounstein.


    At first, they thoughtpletion would take at least a few decades. But with all this supply, they could actuallyplete their expansion within a few years.


    This was the point that took everyone''s breath away. It was simply too scary. She had even mentioned a few things like the airship and battleship, which would be another way to transport goods.


    Last but not least, she added the fact that their action from this point on might cause some friction with the Muivell Kingdom.


    While they could stick to the rule they had made, the other party might not do the same. This was her biggest concern.


    When they finished reading, they started from the first page again or just read the part that confused them the most until one hour was up.


    After that, the archbishop stood up and said, "I''m sure that you have read everything in that report. I''d like to know your opinion. To make it on point, let''s discuss the war first."


    "If we''re talking about war, the saintess has done her job and should be rewarded by the lord of the territory. And all the opportunities written in here might be his way of expressing his thanks, but I can see that it''s too much. He must want something."


    "From the looks of it, the saintess is nning to help them. But she is still reporting to us, which means that she needs us to do something."


    "Let''s go back to the war topic. Earl Ardagan has shown the prowess that people can only look up to. In my perspective, with such a lord, it will be easy for us to expand in Lounstein."


    "Agreed. Should we send another pdin or archbishop to quicken our pace?"


    "I don''t think so. While we can show our sincerity this way, we shouldn''t do anything that outshines the local lord. Even Earl Ardagan has done it this way to avoid the royal familybeling them as rebels."


    "I agree. That''s probably why he shares the runes in those books, creates the Rune Academy, and shares the technology."


    "If we end up outshining the Lord, it won''t be weird if a certain rumor appears."


    "A rumor about the chance of us instigating a rebellion, huh? If we bring too much force there, it won''t be good. Our headquarters here have been granted as a special region, so it''s not a problem, but Lounstein is different."


    "Yes. For now, let''s acknowledge his strength and think about his desire positively."


    "Agreed."


    When they reached an agreement, the archbishop continued, "In that case, let''s talk about the highway and the carriage. They are connected, so we can discuss them together."


    "In my opinion, this is something that we should take advantage of. If we can deliver more goods, we can gain more reputation. This reputation means a lot to us. After all, we will get more donations, more donations means more resources, more resources means more reputation, and more reputation means more powerful experts we can hire."


    "And this is the main problem. He is nning to extend the highway to the Greenwood Kingdom. Through this, he is nning to connect this headquarters to Lounstein." Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "But won''t we get taxed by the Muivell Kingdom by doing that?"


    "That might not necessarily be true." A Pdin thought for a moment. "If you take a look at the route that the saintess predicts, there is a chance that he will expand it to demon territory."


    "Oh?! You''re right." Another bishop nodded and took another look at the page.


    "But won''t it still be a problem if it eventually enters Lounstein?"


    "Not really. I mean, what the saintess is implying here is that¡­ we can simply drop it off in the demon territory. Since Earl Ardagan is also fighting the demons in their territory for the sake of the kingdom, if he happens to encounter and gain a lot of things in the ''ancient ruin,'' no one is going to say a thing."


    "!!!"


    "So, we drop the items in the demon territory, and the Earl will take over, making it look like it''s a supply he has found from the demon territory."


    "Something like that."


    "So that''s what the saintess means about him expanding his territory."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Just take a look at this. If he is building the road like this, to prevent us from providing more and more items, the Muivell Kingdom has no choice but to make the demon territory a part of his territory. This way, we don''t have any more excuses to drop it. And what will the Muivell Kingdom do to give him that territory?"


    "Ah. There''s no way they have a justified reason to give him the territory. And the only time they can give him new territory is when he is being promoted. In other words, the Muivell Kingdom has no choice but to promote him into a Marquis!"


    "Right? And they won''t be able to do anything other than raise his rank. For example, what if they choose a new lord north of his territory? It''s simple. That lord has no choice but to be his ally since life on the border is harsh. And if they find a tough lord that can be considered his enemy, they will be overrun by the demons sooner orter. Once it returns as a part of the demon territory, the Ardagan family can get benefits again from us."


    "What a clever tactic! From the looks of it, the highway itself is only a paved road. So, they won''t serve any purpose if they are taken away, destroyed, or changed. The most important thing will be the new automatic carriages, which are in Earl Ardagan''s possession."


    "So, with this move, the Muivell Kingdom has no other choice but to let him win."


    "And of course, there are two things they can do. They might send a royal army to protect the north, but it will weaken the kingdom as a whole. There might be a rebellion urring because of this, so I highly doubt they will do this. The second thing will be having the new lord get our help."


    "No wonder the saintess said we might offend the Muivell Kingdom because of this. If we sided with the Ardagan family, we would send nothing to that lord."


    "That''s right. I''m disgusted by how he ns to use us. At the same time, I can''t help but admire his tactics. It''s really a good maneuver. Even if he uses us, he is still giving us a lot of benefits."


    "This is going to be a bit tricky."


    The archbishop nodded. "That''s why I called all of you here today. I''d like to know about your opinions and decide which course of action we will take."


    One of the pdins stood up, saying, "I personally don''t mind being used if it can benefit the temple. So, I''ll cast my vote to agree with the saintess''s opinion."


    "The saintess''s insight is much better than mine. I believe that she can see much further ahead, so I will support her decision."


    "I don''t think it will be good to break our neutrality. And we might get harmed along the way. I believe we have to consider it carefully once again."


    "I can see the potential of the Ardagan family. I, too, support the saintess."


    "I think everyone misses this one point. Everything that is shown here is just a n and spection. There is a chance that the royal family will stop them. So, I think it''s better to remain here."


    "That''s exactly the reason why I''ll support the saintess. The fact that the new technology is just a prototype means there will be a lot of improvement in the future. Earl Ardagan and his fiancee are the most talented people in the Muivell Kingdom, so I think it''s good to ce some hope in them."


    "I also support the saintess. My main reason is their connection. He has a lot of connections in the Tower Association and the Demon Banner Army. And Marquis Stargaze has been in the royal faction for so long."


    "I see. 5 vs 2. I think we have made our decision." The archbishop closed his eyes for a moment. "In that case, we shall agree to the saintess''s decision this time. Prepare everything she needs and do it as fast as possible. Tell all the branches we have in the Muivell Kingdom to do it as quickly as possible."


    All the people in the room nodded their heads. Even those who disagreed still helped, even if they didn''t support the notion, since this was what the majority wanted.

 Chapter 1018 Movements

    Chapter 1018 Movements


    ??Still, there was one more kingdom that was rarely mentioned after the war. It was the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    In the past, Noel once visited this kingdom and the second prince of this country coborated with the Supreme Devil Organization to kill him. Even if he failed, he still got the way to teach people about runes from Noel Ardagan.


    However, because of this very reason, the Atracaeca Kingdom was facing a dilemma.


    The grand protector was sitting in his pce, staring at his great protectors.


    "I''m sure that every single one of you knows what we''re about to discuss here." The grand protector looked down on the second prince, who was kneeling in the middle of the room. His body had been chained so that he couldn''t escape. There were a lot of bruises on his body.


    Everyone knew about the conflict between the Atracaeca Kingdom and Noel Ardagan, which resulted in the former being banned from the Rune Academy.


    "In the past, Noel Ardagan was weak whening here. However, he managed to ovee all odds and survive. Still, we didn''t necessarily need to meddle in his business.


    "But¡­" The grand protector walked toward the second prince while saying, "There was a foolish son, who tried to cheat him of a precious treasure and even conspired with his enemies to kill him."


    Their faces were already pale, knowing what the grand protector wanted to do after this.


    "And now¡­ Noel Ardagan has be a noble, an earl on top of that. It''s a position belonging to a middle rank noble, which starts to be indispensable for the Muivell Kingdom. And he¡­" The grand protector stopped for a moment so that he could punch the second prince.


    "Gah." The second prince coughed up some acid. The great protector who was with him and supported him had been executed, leaving only the second prince.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "And now¡­ he bes a noble who manages to defeat an army of demons which consists of numerous lower level demons and more than twenty Superior Demons. He has directly reached a level that even a high ranking noble desires."


    The grand protector''s eyes became colder as he asked out loud, "What is the progress of that project?"


    "We have cultivated a few people to be able to wield some basic runes. The progress is much faster and the other kingdoms seem unable to progress that fast." One of the great protectors reported.


    It was obvious that they were using the knowledge that Noel poured into the book.


    However, the grand protector also continued, "We are probably the closest country to produce a batch of Rune Magicians. Just like the Rune Magician who was able to defeat a Superior Demon. But¡­ at what cost?"


    All the protectors fell silent. The price was something that the Atracaeca Kingdom couldn''t bear.


    "The bans from the Ardagan family."


    "That''s right. The ban." The grand protector took a deep breath just to calm his anger a little bit or he might identally kill his son. "The Ardagan family is producing a lot of new inventions with runes. And because of that ban, we can''t even acquire them.


    "The Zaecuria Kingdom is mocking us for unting their battleship that will soon be equipped with runes. The Greenwood Kingdom is warning us. They, too, should have gotten a lot of benefits.


    "And acquiring them might be the least of our worries. More importantly, we can''t even learn how to embed the runes into our technologies."


    A great protector added, "Our talented people have tried to draw the runes on a few things, but they can''t even be activated. We assume that they are imnted by a special technique."


    The second prince gritted his teeth while saying, "Just kill me, old thing. Do you think humiliating me like this will work?"


    "Shut up!" The grand protector kicked the second prince''s stomach.


    "Gah!" The second prince fell to the ground while coughing up blood.


    "It''s obvious that they are nning to teach that method in the Rune Academy. And because of you, we can''t even get that method." The grand protector almost killed him out of anger. "The real problem will be our next stance. What are we going to do next?"


    The grand protector looked at his great protectors.


    "We have three options." One of the great protectors spoke up carefully. "First, we can try to make amends with Earl Ardagan. To have one more ally is much better than having another enemy.


    "Second, we can kill Earl Ardagan. By eliminating him before he grows, he won''t be a future threat to our kingdom. A dead genius is no genius. Even the Greenwood Kingdom wouldn''t risk a war for a dead genius. But it will be different if we fail in our assassination attempt. Whether sending an assassin or using poison, if we fail, the Greenwood Kingdom willunch an all-out war against us. And the Zaecuria Kingdom might also join the battle.


    "Third, it''s to negotiate with the Muivell Kingdom. At the end of the day, the Earl is staying in the Muivell Kingdom, so he still has to obey the kingdom."


    A lot of them seemed to be thinking about the first option. However, it would also mean that they had to kill the second prince and send his head to Noel. Still, it wasn''t enough to settle the grievance.


    They had to pay a lot ofpensation to appease his anger and probably sent a princess to be his servant or something, considering Noel was known to be a loyal man who didn''t n to marry another woman aside from his current fiancee.


    The second option was as stated. It was dangerous and they didn''t know whether they would seed or not. After all, the Ardagan family managed to repel all those demons. Even their lord, Noel Ardagan, was a strong fighter.


    With the Muivell Kingdom''s best assassin as his butler, they couldn''t possibly reach him.


    That meant there was only one thing that could kill him. It was poison. However, they didn''t know how to poison him since Noel was holing up inside his city, which was said to be forbidden for other people to enter.


    This was their dilemma. Each option had a high difficulty to achieve, so they had to be careful in making their decision.


    The grand protectors gathered all protectors so that they could make this decision.


    ¡­


    Muivell Kingdom.


    Inside a mansion, a blond man was signing off a few documents before a butler came in while saying, "Your highness, we have received a letter from the royal pce. It''s asking you to go to Lounstein."


    "Mhmm?" The crown prince''s expression turned cold the moment the butler mentioned Lounstein. "Bring me the letter."


    The butler handed over the letter while adding, "The pce also said that you couldn''t be rash when you''re there. The opponent this time is the new lord of Lounstein. He is a very formidable person. Even though he is not there right now, there are still a lot of pirs in the Ardagan family."


    "Ardagan family¡­" The crown prince gritted his teeth as he crushed the paper in his hand. "How dare he steal what is mine?"


    The butler continued, "All the details are in the letter, including what the pce wants Your Highness to achieve."


    "I know." The crown prince stood up while saying, "Make some preparation immediately. We''ll go to Lounstein."


    "Y-yes." The butler nodded but felt a bit worried because of the crown prince''s expression.


    Obviously, he had fallen over heels for Anna. While there were a few nobledies whose looks could bepared to Anna''s, her strength was simply second to none.


    With such beauty and strength, there was no way the royal family would sit by. Anna had always acted as if she was busy to avoid everyone, but it turned out the treacherous Earl Ardagan had taken her away.


    "Since he is going to be destroyed in the royal pce, it''s about time for me to take what''s mine in Lounstein." The crown prince snorted.


    ¡­


    A hidden base in the mountain.


    Laufey was walking into the giant hall that was made of a renovated limestone cave. There were two people inside, the known Spirit Transcendence Expert Alexander and a new face, Josephine.


    "Where is Qiel?" Alexander asked.


    Laufey remained silent as he continued walking. Once he was before the curtain that separated him from the Supreme Devil, he kneeled down while saying out loud, "I''ve disappointed you, Supreme Devil. We lost 60% of our fighting force, with the majority of the survivorsing from the detachment that stopped the Greenwood Kingdom''s reinforcement.


    "The two Devil Saints have died under Noel Ardagan''s des. And¡­" Laufey paused for a moment before helplessly saying, "Qiel has passed away."


    Suddenly, a burst of powerful spiritual energy shook the entire cave.


    "!!!" Josephine widened her eyes, feeling that this energy wasn''t losing against Alexander.


    "What happened to her? Tell me everything!" A deep voice echoed.


    "Yes, sir." Laufey began exining all the details. The reason for Qiel''s death was because she was severely injured by Dimitri.


    And he mentioned Raven and Silvester, the remnants of the Ardagan family. However, he only told them that Qiel sacrificed herself to stop Raven and Silvester so that he could stay alive. After all, his injury was the lightest.


    "The remnant of the Ardagan family? Are they still alive?" Alexander frowned.


    "All we saw was Silvester and Raven. After all, Luke Ardagan and Leysha Ezenholm had been executed. It was probably their previous master''s order, telling them to weaken the organization when the time was right. There was a chance that they would join the current Ardagan family."


    "This¡­" Alexander didn''t know what to say. Normally, Qiel would be able to exin and evene up with a n. Now that she was gone, no one could give out a n anymore.


    "What is the situation of our branches?" The Supreme Devil asked.


    Alexander bit his lips while saying, "The Demon Banner Army isunching an all-out attack. I have met Oscar on the battlefield a few times."


    "Josephine. You are to help with the evacuation of our branches. For now, we will have to retreat and preserve our strength."


    "Understood." Josephine lowered her head, but before leaving, she couldn''t help but ask, "Shouldn''t we kill them right now? With our strength, we should have the ability to exterminate them."


    Suddenly, the burst of energy shook the cave again and everything was locked onto her, making her have a hard time breathing.


    "O'' Supreme Devil. Please calm down. She is still new." Alexander panicked.


    "Do I need you to tell me what to do?"


    "Ha¡­" Josephine was gasping for air, but she still said with a hoarse voice, "I''m sorry. I''ve overstepped my bounds."


    She was still confused. With two Spirit Transcendences, they should have no problem eliminating Noel. So, there was no reason why they should hold back and use a roundabout way to kill him.


    She could even open the portal for Alexander and the Supreme Devil to ambush Noel.


    "It''s impossible to ambush him. You don''t know a single thing about the heirlooms of the Ardagan family. That sword was the reason why the four kingdoms could take ce here. Instead of the Ardagan family, there is one ce that we should eliminate first."


    Alexander was a bit confused, not expecting the Supreme Devil to talk about the heirlooms of the Ardagan family.


    At the same time, she was curious about this ce where even the Supreme Devil wanted to focus.


    "May we know the ce that you wish to destroy, o'' Supreme Devil?" Alexander asked.


    "The four kingdoms will be irrelevant once we have gathered our army. However, if that kingdom starts hindering us, it''s going to be annoying. After all, they are very indebted to the Ardagan family."


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Alexander gasped.


    "Yes. The beast kingdom that is located north from the four kingdoms, Arcandel."

 Chapter 1019 Annoying Earl Silmer out of Boredom

    A weekter.


    Noel was looking out the window before turning back to his book.


    ''Ardagan. This is boring. Is it the right time to get the reward for the spirit information?'' Noel asked in his thoughts.


    [You will need a good andfortable ce. And more importantly, it''s better for you to not be disturbed by others.]


    ''Is this reward that important?''


    [I can guarantee you that you won''t be disappointed.]


    ''Still, this is boring.'' Noel had been wondering what he should do. He had been writing a lot in his notebook. It was the current status of Ardagan, his n of development, and his own analysis. Once he returned to the Ardagan family, he could use this note to speed up their progress.


    ''Well, there is something I can do to speed this up. His territory is far away from me, so I think it''s fine.'' Noel thought of an evil idea.


    Earl Silmer had been observing him this whole time, but as expected, there weren''t a lot of things to do inside the carriage.


    "You have been staring at me the whole trip, Earl Silmer. If you are someone of my age, people will think that you are smitten by me." Noel looked at him with a disgusted expression.


    Earl Silmer was startled, not expecting Noel to open such a conversation. He coughed to rpose himself before saying, "Please don''t smear my reputation, Earl Ardagan."


    "Do you really have a reputation to begin with? Your people are sozy that we have only reached this far after a week of travel." Noelined. He even opened the window while saying, "Your people are so weak that their walk is so slow. Why don''t you change your territory name to snail? Snail City? Sounds like a good name for you, no?"


    Earl Silmer''s expression darkened. "Earl Ardagan. I haven''t said anything bad about you this whole time. Why are you personally attacking me?"


    "What do you mean I''m attacking you? I''m just doing my analysis." Noel shrugged. "I wonder if there is an animal slower than those two¡­ Maybe they are more suitable. No, they might be faster than you."


    "Earl Ardagan!" Earl Silmer gritted his teeth, ring at him. Even the soldiers felt ufortable when they heard Noel''sments.


    "I wonder if your family name is inspired by Silver. Silmer and Silver. They are pretty close, right?" Noel smiled.


    Earl Silmer fell silent. A lot of them had been asking about that question, and it could be said that they weren''t entirely wrong. They got this Silmer name because their territory was blessed with an abundant amount of silver mines.


    "In this world, people will always remember the first one, not the second one. Who is the first person to create the Muivell Kingdom?"


    "That''s His Majesty, Leon Ve Lenfenth."


    "Then, who is the next king?" Noel smirked.


    "That''s¡­" Earl Silmer paused for a moment. He eventually answered after ten seconds. "It''s His Majesty, Ryan Ve Lenfenth."


    "Took you long enough to even remember his name." Noel smirked.


    "Are you trying to insult me? Or are you trying to smear the royal family''s name?"


    "What are you talking about? I am merely asking you about names and not insulting them." Noel shrugged.


    "So, you''re trying to insult me by saying that I''m always in the second position and will always be forgotten because my name is Silver?"


    "Silver?" Noel chuckled. "You are Silmer, not Silver. When I hear your name, I can''t help but think that you are a loser. Even when there arepetitions for losers, you are still in second ce."


    "You¡­" Earl Silmer felt his blood pressure rising.


    "What? You don''t understand what I''m saying?" Noel smirked. "I think I have said it pretty clearly. You can''t even get the name Silver, which makes you a loser."


    "You¡­" Earl Silmer felt a sharp pain in his body.


    "And silver itself is second to gold. Basically, the loser. That''s why I said, Even in thepetition for the loser, you are still in second ce." Noel chuckled.


    Earl Silmer was fuming in rage. "Are you trying to provoke me, Earl Ardagan?"


    "What do you mean? I told you earlier that I''m simply talking about my analysis. You can deny it if my analysis is wrong."


    Earl Silmer wanted to cough up blood. Noel''s mouth was so poisonous that he almost had a heart attack.


    "So, are you saying you are the winner? You are the first in the kingdom?" Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course not. I am also a loser like you. Who dares to im the first ce from the royal family?" Noel skillfully avoided that tricky question. If he dared to im he was the winner, it was the same as challenging the royal family. Earl Silmer would use that to attack Noel.


    "I wonder how your father even taught you. You couldn''t even respect your elders."


    "I expected that you would put a better argument than the ssic respect the old, never have I imagined that such an elderly gentleman as yourself could utter such amon saying. My father has taught me virtue, and of course, I should respect my elders."


    "Virtue? I don''t see that in you." Earl Silmer snorted.


    "In the Muivell Kingdom, the elderly wake up early in the morning, preparing the house. The husband wakes up and works on the field, enduring the zing hot sun so that the family can eat before dark. The wife takes care of the elderly out of filial piety and the children so that they will grow strong and take care of their family in the future. The children, seeing their parents'' hard work, want to repay their parents for their hard work and wish to grow up as quickly as possible.


    "Please, tell me? You, an Earl, wake up muchter than your people and work less than them. Yet, your belly is filled to the brim, never understanding their hunger. Yet, your pocket is shining with gold and silver when your people have to work to the bone just to earn some copper. Please, tell me¡­ are you worthy of my respect?"


    Earl Silmer was clutching his chest. "If we wake up earlier than the maid, they will have to wake up even earlier to not worry their lord. If I work harder than them, they won''t be able to sleep. Are you saying that I''m in the wrong?"


    It was normal for the maid to wake up earlier and sleepter than their lord since this was a way to show their diligence.


    That was why Noel said, "Of course, you''re not wrong. I love to talk with smart people. I can learn a lot."


    Earl Silmer smiled as if he had beaten Noel.


    However, Noel added, "But if we can''t do that, we have to show them the result. We have to show them a bigger result than our hard work. We have to show them that we appreciate their work. Isn''t that what noblesse oblige means? Unfortunately, I don''t see that in you. Just take a look at this carriage, it''s so slow. You work so slowly, and your result is barely visible."


    Earl Silmer started breathing heavily. "You¡­"


    His face started to look pale. Earl Silmer bit his lips and suddenly opened the door of the carriage.


    "Get off that horse. I will be riding it from now on. You can join the other guard," Earl Silmermanded his knight, who had no choice but to ept the new arrangement.


    However, the knights were looking at Earl Silmer with a dark expression. First of all, Earl Silmer had just lost in an argument with someone a third his age. It was an embarrassment for them.


    Of course, they knew that this was an arrangement they had to follow, but losing to someone was still embarrassing. This was the Lord they served after all.


    Secondly, the Earl just escaped as if he were running with his tail between his legs. He couldn''t even counter a single argument that Noel presented.


    Thirdly, while they were angry about Noel''s remark, they could see that Noel was working hard for the people. They had heard rumors about the Ardagan family, which were spread by Harley.


    The lord who defended his city against all odds. The genius who made a lot of new inventions to help his citizens. The ruler everyone wanted to serve.


    His words were not empty and they could believe in him.


    That was why they were ashamed to actually respect the man who had insulted them and the Lord they served.


    Earl Silmer kept pressing his chest for a while, but he didn''t know that this was within Noel''s calction.


    "Now, I have the carriage all for myself." Noel smiled as he lifted his legs so that he could stretch them fully. ''Ardagan. Can I use this chance to ept the reward?''


    [There is a chance that they will disturb you.]


    ''I see. In that case, I think it''s better to wait until we reach the capital. And I don''t think the inn will be a good idea, so I will ask my soon-to-be father-inw to take me in.''


    [That''ll be good.]


    ''Got it. Well, I might be able to quicken the pace here. Say¡­'' Noel smirked. ''If I annoy Earl Silmer to death, won''t we need to arrive at the capital city faster? I''m pretty sure that Earl Silmer doesn''t want to die in such a dumb way. So, he will subconsciously ride a bit faster so that he can escape from me.''


    Noel didn''t know at that time what his mouth could actually do. However, the moment they reached the capital, there was soon to be a rumor that Earl Silmer stepped down from his position and gave his mantle to his sessor due to a health issue.

 Chapter 1020 New Type of Transport

    "I think this is the best we can do for now." Roel spread his arms, showing off the creation he had painstakingly created in thest two weeks.


    There were a total of nine long trailers, divided into three types.


    Roel made two trailers for both the passenger type and the pulling type. The remaining five were of the transporter type.


    "Mhmm¡­ They are quite good." Anna looked at them with a serious expression. "Still, shouldn''t we make them out of steel or something to make them sturdier? For the passenger type, having afortable inner part is good, but the rest doesn''t really matter, right?"


    "That''s actually the problem." Roel scratched the back of his head. "We don''t have enough iron right now. What we have the most right now is money and wood, but there''s not enough iron. Even most of our weapons are made of wood, which is easy to break."


    Anna contemted for a moment. "So, that''s how it is. It seems that we have to find a way to procure iron. Is there any ce where we can get them? Maybe the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    Anna thought about asking the Greenwood Kingdom for iron, but Roel shook his head helplessly.


    "I have asked Balott about this before, but it seems that the Muivell Kingdom is nning to iste us. While we can get a lot of money right now, if we can''t spend it to gain a lot of resources, the money will be useless." Roel exined. "The Greenwood Kingdom doesn''t have a lot of iron ore deposits."


    "Zaecuria Kingdom?"


    "It''s too far away from here."


    "Atracaeca Kingdom, huh?" Anna''s expression turned serious. There was a conflict between Noel and the Atracaeca Kingdom, so she couldn''t really make an agreement with them. "I will think about this for now. The wooden one is still strong enough, right?"


    "Yes. With the help of those runes, it should be fine as a prototype. Once we get enough materials for the rest, we can proceed with upgrading them."


    "Alright." Anna nodded. "I will draw the runes on each of them. Once done, we can start releasing them."


    "Understood." Roel asked the rest to leave first. There was a difference in drawing the Spirit Enchantment and Runes, so only Roel had the privilege for this one as of now.


    This was also an opportunity to teach Roel so that he could gradually get a few disciples for this craft.


    The process didn''t take too long. After about an hour, both of them opened the workshop''s gate and took the first one out.


    Of course, the first one toe out was none other than the pulling type.


    The pulling type had a steering wheel inside.


    "This is quite amusing." Anna pointed at the steering wheel. In the automatic carriage, the steering wheel was made of a single wheel, so a round steering wheel was a first for her.


    "Actually, I came up with this idea after hearing Duke Briton steer the ship. The round steering wheel was actually a much better design."


    "So, you rotate this to the right¡­" Anna poured a bit of spiritual energy so that the trailer would move forward. Then, she rotated the steering wheel, which turned the front wheel slightly. "Oh! This is rather interesting."


    "Yes. More importantly, a normal person can drive this thing. I believe that far in the future, being a driver will bemon. I mean, you can think of a carriage. Right now, we''re using it as a wagon, but the carriage is usually used for bringing people, mostly nobles.


    "The carriage itself might be expensive, but it won''t be as expensive as a house. The most expensive thing about the carriage is actually a horse.


    "For an automatic carriage, that can be ignored. So, there is a possibility that in the future, themon people could actually buy this."


    Anna''s expression turned serious. "What do you mean?"


    Roel raised three fingers. "For example, the normal carriage formon families; a carriage wheremon people could travel a long distance together with their family. And since this is a private carriage, you don''t have to meet people other than your family. This is a much better way tomute between cities.


    "Then, you can actually use this as public transportation, bringing people from one ce to another. It''ll be different from this passenger type trailer, where you will meet a lot of people. This smaller one offersfort and privacy.


    "Last but not least, thest type I have in mind is a mix between the passenger type and the cargo type. You can say that it''s the same as the normal farmer wagon. They cater to the workers."


    "That''s interesting." Anna nodded. She could imagine all these types, considering it was just a modification of the existing carriages. "Still, we have to seed with this one first. Once we get the hang of it, we can gradually proceed with those."


    "The passenger type can have 30 seats. If it doesn''t go at a high speed, we can actually allow people to stand up, which will increase the number of people."


    "Understood. In that case, I think we should try moving these carriages. I guess you''re going to attach them¡­" Anna came out, trying to see the joint that would connect the two of them.


    "There are three types of joints. While we don''t have enough for the whole thing, we use iron for these."


    Anna could see the metal rods with a peculiar shape that would lock onto each other. The second one was multiple chains, but it seemed that this would be secondary. Thest one was like a metal te that could be bolted together, but this one was rather a stiff joint that couldn''t allow a lot of maneuvering.


    Roel only attached them to the first one and said, "There we go. Would you like to try it?"


    "Alright." Anna nodded with a smile. As soon as she got back to the driver''s seat, she started pouring spiritual energy into it.


    The new vehicle started moving forward before they felt a bit of restrictioning from behind. However, it was only for a brief moment as once both trailers were moving, there wasn''t any more impact.


    "Let''s go out¡­" Anna drove this to the outside, startling all the people who had been waiting for them outside.


    "This is¡­" The cksmiths gasped for air. Although they had been working on this, it was the first time for them to see this behemoth moving.


    The trailer itself was three meters high, so people could easily stand up inside. With a width close to three meters, a single trailer looked like a beast that could easily destroy a house or two.


    "Amazing."


    "To think that we''ve been working on something this amazing."


    "Long live the Ardagan family!"


    "Long live the Ardagan family!"


    They were cheering, only to stop after they saw the second trailering out. This time, it was the cargo trailer.


    Anna carefully steered it to the right and made a turn, but suddenly, someone shouted, "Stop!"


    Anna frowned and stopped pouring the energy into the rune, which slowed them down.


    "What''s wrong?" Roel raised his voice, thinking that they were rude for stopping Anna.


    But when he came out and saw the person responsible actually pointing his finger at the workshop''s gate, he couldn''t get angry anymore. The distance between the carriage and the gate was only one meter left and it was shrinking. If this continued, they would collide with each other. He didn''t care about the workshop gate that much, but he definitely didn''t want the new invention to get damaged.


    "Hmm¡­" Anna looked at this matter seriously. "It seems that we have to be careful when driving this thing. It''s something that we have never done before and there will be a lot of idents if we use them carelessly. For now, we will have to take this out manually. Once we''re outside, we can test it a bit better."


    "Yes. But I can see a few problems here. First of all, it''s going to be impossible to make a big turn inside a city. If they want to make a turn, it needs to be done gradually over a long track¡­ maybe a few hundred meters or even kilometers.


    "Second, this will also cause some inconveniencegot since we will need a big U-turn if we just want to turn around. Or maybe we can ce another pulling type on the back, which faces the opposite side.


    "Still, all of them will require a lot of money. And it would be troublesome if they get attacked on the way."


    Anna contemted for a moment. "The security can be enhanced with proper guards and runes. So, you can focus on the first and second problems¡­ I will also send a letter to Noel about this. Oh, you also need to prepare for airship development."


    Roel nodded. "I can delegate my apprentices to work on more carriages while we''re solving the two problems. I''m a bit curious about the airship as well, so I think I''ll focus on it until the Lord orders something else."


    "Yeah." Anna hurriedly made an arrangement for the people to bring all nine trailers outside the city. She also wanted to test how much the carriage could pull before it was too much.


    Obviously, the people couldn''t help but watch these behemothsing out of the city, thinking that the Lord must be nning on another good thing.


    And the one who was most excited about this was actually La.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1021 Arriving at Laivaen City

    Chapter 1021 Arriving at Laivaen City


    ??"See youter!" La waved her hand toward Aurelia, who could only remain inside the city. La was inside the passenger trailer, which was spacious enough for her to do whatever she wanted.


    The two other people that came together with Anna were Andreas and Harley. Andreas had to make sure that Anna was alright, while Harley needed to deal with the information and make sure that the crown prince fell into their trap.


    "This is marvelous. To think that it can move like this¡­" Harley muttered while looking around the pulling car. "So, this area here is where we put the demon crystals."


    "Yeah. As long as we have enough crystals, a normal person can drive this." Even though Anna said that, she was still the one supplying the spiritual energy to the runes. After all, she wanted to see how much energy they needed to bring all these.


    Currently, they attached everything they had, putting all nine of them into a single vehicle.


    "How is spiritual energy consumption?" Harley asked.


    "Not too bad. If you add the weight, I''m pretty sure it''s going to be hard. That''s why we''re nning to have a paved road that we will need to build as sturdy as possible. At the very least, they should be able to withstand a hundred tonnes of cargo passing at once. With the paved road, the journey should be much smoother. From my rough calction, we will probably need about an equivalent of 10 Mid Level Demon Crystals from this ce to Laivaen City."


    "Only ten of them?" Harley looked down. "I''m not that sure with the price, but if I''m not wrong, a single trip usually costs about a few silver coins¡­ That''s for a single wagon since you need horses, protection, and other things. A Mid Level Demon Crystals is equal to 10 silver coins, so about 1 gold coin in total, huh?


    "More importantly, this can bring up to fifty tons of cargo, and about a hundred passengers at a faster speed."


    "There you have it." Anna smiled. "And by expanding the highway, we can make a route for them so they will go all around Lounstein."


    "The goods will be well distributed in Lounstein and more importantly, the people can easilye and go, which makes tourism skyrocket." Harley nodded. "The money that it can bring is simply too big to be calcted."


    "Yeah. This is what Noel is nning to do. And we''ll gradually introduce it before others can imitate our products. And of course, the information will be spread by you."


    "Ah!" Harley finally understood why he was here. He had to gather information from Laivaen City to see how they perceived this new invention. And then he could gradually work his way out to spread it. "I''ll do my best."This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Mhmm¡­ In that case, take care of the saintess for now, will you?"


    "Yes."


    Harley nodded and immediately left the car. He carefully passed the joint of the car, which definitely needed improvement to be safer.


    Meanwhile, Anna was carefully driving it. She knew that a weird and absurd turn would cause a big reaction from the rest, so she made sure it was going as straight as possible.


    Fortunately, there was only a grassy in between the main city and Laivaen City, which caused the road to be straight most of the time.


    Their arrival had been anticipated by a lot of people. In fact, the mayor had been notified by them so that the people in the city could see it.


    "Those are¡­" The citizens, who had climbed on top of the wall, gasped. They had never seen something this long, and they could see Anna in the very front.


    The mayor''s expression turned serious. "So, this is a new invention¡­ the one that can bring a lot of people and items in a single trip."


    Pdin Lloyd obviously had toe as well, considering the saintess was among the four people that came to this city. He muttered, "It''s said that we have to prepare about forty tons worth of materials. We have been sending all kinds of resources that we can to this city. Although we can''t fulfill the saint''s request, we still get a lot of materials. Can they actually bring all that?"


    The Sword Arbiter furrowed his eyebrows. He had been waiting for his chance to enter the main city because he was curious about all the new inventions. Seeing this new one just made him have a harder time holding back.


    In the end, he jumped off the wall out of curiosity andnded not far from it.


    Anna had reduced the input of spiritual energy, which slowed it down. After it made aplete stop, she came out of the front car and waved her hands to the people on the top of the wall.


    They had also raised their gate to receive her, but she had to handle the Sword Arbiter first.


    "Is this¡­ What is this called?" The Sword Arbiter asked while looking around.


    "We haven''t given it an official name yet. For now, we just call it a trailer. As you can see, there are three types: the pulling type, the passenger type, and the cargo type. In a single trip, we can bring about a hundred people and fifty tons of cargo with just ten mid level demon crystals. Of course, the longer the distance, the more demon crystals are needed. But with this, we can minimize the cost of security since this trailer has been equipped with some runes. All we need is to have some soldiers to help."


    "What?" The Sword Arbiter dropped his jaw to the ground. For the Sword Arbiter, Anna didn''t have to hide most of the information. And her im made it hard to believe.


    "You can do all that?"


    "Yes. There''s no problem for now. Even a normal person can drive it, as long as there are enough demon crystals. There are some drawbacks, but this thing should be able to operate soon."


    "¡­" The Sword Arbiter could see how this trailer benefited the entire Lounstein. "Are you nning to expand it to other territories?"


    "If we have permission, of course." Anna nodded.


    The Sword Arbiter fell silent for a moment. His territory was a bit far from Lounstein, so it might not be possible to extend it toward his territory.


    However, he had an ally between his territory and Lounstein. He could tell him to ept the Ardagan family''s offer and allow the goods and people to move back and forth. And he could just send some goods he needed to himter.


    That was right. Noel didn''t expect that the highway would connect the entire kingdom. But if he created the highway big enough, the other nobles could juste to the territory where his highway was located and be connected to the Ardagan family.


    The Sword Arbiter sighed. "It seems that I can''t really match you two."


    "Hahaha. Duke Lorelei is still underestimating us." Anna stopped there, making him think more.


    The Sword Arbiter furrowed his eyebrows. If that was truly the case, he might really need to go to the main city to take a look.


    "So, can Ie to the main city now?"


    "Right now, Noel is heading to the capital city to receive the reward for our previous battle. But it might take him a bit longer since a certain someone is slowing the travel speed. Once hees back, we can go to the main city together. That''s what he wanted you to know before leaving."


    The Sword Arbiter''s expression darkened. It looked like he was annoyed by the cheap trick that the royal family was using.


    "Tsk." He clicked his tongue as if he wanted to do something, but he didn''t say anything. "Anyway, I don''t think this can enter the city, right?"


    "Yes. We''re nning to build a receiving building right outside the city. If everyone has it, the trip will be much smoother and faster."


    The Sword Arbiter nodded his head, knowing what he had to do next.


    "Don''t worry. This trailer will be safe. I can guarantee it. And it seems that you''re nning to test it from here."


    "You''re correct. We''ll bring materials first before trying to do both passengers and materials. How about we talk inside?"


    "Sure." The Sword Arbiter extended his hand.


    Anna asked the soldiers to guard the trailer carefully. He knew that this would attract people, so Anna made more arrangements for their protection.


    Meanwhile, Pdin Lloyd wasing toward the saintess. They, too, had a lot of things to discuss.


    Lloyd reported everything that had happened so far. Meanwhile, La asked him to load all those goods inside the trailer.


    Harley and Andreas followed Anna, but their eyes were wandering around. They could see a few suspicious people through their own methods.


    However, they still didn''t dare attack it because they needed to know what this was first. If it was a trap, they would just expose themselves after all.


    These few eyes were glued to the trailer. Some of them looked a bit afraid, some were hesitant, and some were filled with anger and jealousy.


    They might not know anything about this trailer, but they needed to inform the masters they served about it and ask for their order.


    It was at this time that Andreas and Harley disappeared. Harley might not be a powerfulbatant, but he took advantage of the brothel that he set up here to gather the information.


    Andreas, on the other hand, became the sword that would kill those spies.

 Chapter 1022 An Unexpected Encounter

    Chapter 1022 An Unexpected Encounter


    ?1022  An Unexpected Encounter


    "Mom!" A kid ran across the road, his body was drenched in sweat.


    "Look at you." The mother smiled. While wiping the sweat on her son''s forehead, she gave him a small bottle of water. "Here''s your drink."


    "Thank you, Mom!" The kid smiled as he held the bottle. "To think we could drink whenever we want."


    "We should thank the Earl for giving us this opportunity." The mother nodded. Tears couldn''t help but form on the corner of her eyes, feeling moved. In the past, just to get the water, she would have to walk to the river or wait in a long line to use the public well.


    "When I''m bigger, I want to be a reliable person and serve the Earl!"


    "Is that so? Go for it." The mother smiled.


    Normally, they don''t really rmend someone to work in the mansion. While the pay was good, the work was very harsh.


    But this time, their Lord was different. She looked at her child, who had gotten stronger and more cheerful after they moved here.


    Suddenly, they heard the pping sound of a wooden wheel as both of them raised their heads, finding a man stopping in front of them. He was driving a wagon without a horse.


    "Dad!" The boy jumped up while the mother smiled. "Are you done with your work?"


    "How can I just be done with this? I''m just stopping for a bit after seeing both of you. There are still a lot of houses to be rebuilt in this city," said the man with a smug smile. His wagon was filled with rocks and wood.


    "Is that so? Do you want to have a drink?" She asked while handing him the bottle.


    "It''s fine. I''ll just drink once I reach my destination. I feel like I have been drinking so much that I end up peeing too much. Hahahaha!" The manughed. "Anyway, I''m going again."


    "Yes." The woman nodded.


    "See youter, Dad!" The boy waved his hand with a bright smile on his face.


    "See youter, Son. Protect your mother for me, will you?"


    "Un!" The boy nodded.


    The dad continued driving the carriage as he passed a lot of people with a smile on their faces.


    Not long after, the street became busy once again as five people were crossing on it. They were Anna, the mayor, the Sword Arbiter, La, and Pdin Lloyd.


    "The city feels so different from when I first came here. While I could feel a lot of hope in the past, there was still a gloomy feeling. However, right now¡­ I can only feel happiness. Their voice is brimming with energy," said La with a big smile. Whenever she came to a city to bring some help, the condition would never be as good as this city.


    The mayor said, "We havepleted the water storage in a few locations. And once the instation is sessful, we can finally open the pipe and allow them to get an unlimited amount of water. We should be able to do it within the next two months. And all the buildings that will be built from that point on will have the pipe installed already."


    "That''s good. How is the wall?" Anna nodded, satisfied.


    "The wall repair should finish within three weeks."


    "This is a wonderful city." The Sword Arbiter muttered while looking around. He had been watching over the city for a while and felt firsthand the difference between this city and his city.


    Compared to Noel, he wasn''t a good lord at all.


    "What are you talking about? Your city will soon be simr to this." Anna smiled, teasing the Sword Arbiter.


    "Hoho? Can I take your words seriously?" The Sword Arbiter smiled. "The kids are getting more active because they don''t need to worry about the water. The wives can do a lot more things since they don''t have to go to the river to fetch water or wash clothes.


    "Seeing their family having an easier time, the husbands think all their hard work has paid off. With this, future generations will have a much brighter future." The Sword Arbiter sighed, feeling a bit envious. "I can''t help but wonder if you have a n for the future. Since the kids have a lot more time, doesn''t that mean the parents can bring them to school? But school is kind of expensive."


    "That''s true. Noel mentioned it to me back then. He thought about making the school free. However, it will take a lot of money to do that since we need to find teachers and other things. In addition, the Rune Academy still needs to pay. There might be peopleining about it not being free." Anna sighed. "We are still thinking about the good system that allows us to increase general knowledge in Lounstein. After all, if we have a lot more people who can think for the future, the more unique ideas that will form."


    The Sword Arbiter nodded in agreement. "That''s true. Ah, this old man doesn''t think that far into the future. I''m ashamed."


    "Ahaha." Anna chuckled.


    The group was heading to the north gate since this was the day for the test of their trailer.


    As expected, there were a lot of people wanting to watch as the soldiers had a hard time controlling the people on the wall.


    The moment they came out of the city gate, they could see some people from the Moon Temple loading thest bit of luggage.


    "There are about 30 tons worth of materials inside." Lloyd reported. "There are stones, gravel, wood, and even ores."


    Anna nodded while asking, "How is it, Andreas?"


    The one operating the trailer this time was Andreas.


    "The consumption is a bit higher, but it''s not that much. Even a Spirit Practitioner can easily support the entire system until the next city. I will record the time, the consumption, and the materialster."


    "I''ll leave it to you. Once you return here, you can bring a few people to help as well. Just ask Charlotte about the people."


    "Got it."


    "Thank you for doing all this."


    "It''s fine. After all, you might have to leave again soon¡­" Andreas nodded, reminding her that his original purpose was to bring them to his kingdom per Old Ru''s request.


    "I know."


    "In that case, I will go back to the trailer." Andreas immediately returned as the people seemed to have finished the loading process.


    After thest check, making sure there was no leak, Anna gave the final nod.


    With that, Andreas began pouring his spiritual energy into the runes and the trailer started moving forward.


    "Woooah?!" Lloyd sucked a cold breath.


    "It can really bring all that stuff?" La asked for confirmation.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s already worth more than 30 wagons. To think that it can bring people along with it. In fact, it can bring more than a hundred tons if there''s no passenger trailer." The Sword Arbiter shook his head in defeat.


    "The era of logistics will begin." The mayor smiled, proud that he was going to witness it from the front seat.


    Meanwhile, Anna didn''t pay much attention. The moment the trailer started moving, she confirmed that the experiment had been sessful. She ended up thinking about something else. "I wonder what Noel is doing right now¡­ Has he reached the capital city?"


    ¡­


    Capital City.


    Noel was sitting on the bed. After a long journey, he had finally reached the capital city.


    Since Ardagan wished for him to have a safe ce before receiving the reward, Noel asked Marquis Stargaze to allow him to stay in the mansion, to which he agreed.


    Now that he had gotten the ce and time, he closed his eyes on the bed before opening his mouth and saying, "Ardagan."


    [Mission: Solve the hidden danger (Complete)]


    [Description: There is an iing hidden dangering to the city. Protect the city.]


    [Reward: Spirit Information Part 3.]


    Noel felt like his consciousness was being sucked, but at that time, Noel didn''t realize that Ardagan was exuding a ck spiritual energy, covering him in a sphere-shape barrier.


    When he felt the scenery had changed, Noel gradually opened his eyes, realizing that the sky was dark.


    "This ce is¡­" Noel muttered while looking around. It only took him a moment before he realized that he was on a mountain. There was a small stone path going toward the edge and that was where he saw a figure of a woman standing near the railing. She seemed to be mesmerized by the sight of whatever was below the mountain.


    Noel didn''t know why, but he was attracted to her. It wasn''t a romantic feeling, but something much purer than that.


    He approached her carefully. "Hello¡­"


    "You''ve finallye." The young woman turned around, revealing her true appearance.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "You¡­"


    She had long blond hair, slightly wavy at the tip. Her age didn''t seem to be that different from his. Her dress was a simple one piece pink dress that reached her knees.


    She looked simr to Anna if not for the fact that her eyes were gold instead of purple.


    "Who¡­ are you?" Noel sucked a cold breath and took a step back.


    Instead of answering him, the woman lifted her hands as if she were about to receive something. But that was when a ck-


    colored me appeared and formed a sword.


    Once the me disappeared, a ck sword fell to her hands. It was Ardagan.


    "It''s been a while, Ardagan. I hope you''re doing well."


    Ardagan released a bit of energy to respond to her, which made her smile.


    After seeing her familiarity with Ardagan, Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Are you my ancestor''s wife?"


    The person he was talking about was one of the three people who left behind a book as the Ardagan family''s heirloom.


    However, the woman shook her head and walked toward him. She gently rubbed his forehead while saying, "You''re almost correct."


    "Almost¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows before remembering there was one more person who might have the power to do all this. Noel instinctively lowered his head. "I¡­"


    "What a clever child." The woman chuckled while stopping him from bowing. "You''re correct this time. My name is Milinda, the first host of Ardagan."

 Chapter 1023 Noels Choice

    Chapter 1023 Noel''s Choice


    ??Noel blinked his eyes a few times in disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams would he think of meeting this person.


    At the same time, he had been hearing a lot of stories about her grandson. After all, her grandson was directly involved in the creation of the kingdoms.


    However, in terms of ability, he believed that this person was much greater. He had heard that she was the one who kept the peace in this world. Only because of her death was the world plunged into chaos.


    In other words, she might be able to teach him how to defeat all the demons in the world. Or that was what he thought beforeing up with the rune technology.


    "I am Noel. It''s an honor to meet you¡­" Noel didn''t know how to call her. She had heard from his father that he shouldn''t really mention anything rted to someone''s age. But if he didn''t call her ''ancestor,'' he would be rude. In the end, Milinda appeared before him as a woman in her early twenties.


    Milinda chuckled. "Just call me, Grandma."


    "Yes, Grandma." Noel immediatelyplied. An ancestor would be a bit too much, but Miss wouldn''t be appropriate. So, she actually chose Grandma, which was reasonable even for Noel.


    Milinda looked at Noel''s face closely while saying, "It seems that you have suffered a bit."


    "This is nothing, Grandma." Noel shook his head, not knowing what to say after this. In the end, he came to this space for the reward.


    As if knowing his thoughts, Milinda said, "In that case, let''s move on to your reward. You''re here for information, but I can''t really tell you everything. That''s why let''s y it this way. You choose one topic and I will answer everything you ask. Maybe you want to ask about my rtionship with the spirits or even the Spirit God? Ardagan has told you that the Spirit God personally bestowed on me with the sword, right?This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Or do you want to know about the origin of the spirits? How about the True Spirit Body? You can choose one topic. This is the reward." Milinda exined.


    "!!!" Noel didn''t expect a reward like this. This was his chance to gain knowledge that no one expected.


    At the same time, he was facing a dilemma. On the one hand, he could satisfy his curiosity by discussing a topic that confused him the most. On the other hand, this could be an opportunity for him to gain more knowledge for the sake of the future.


    In other words, he had to choose whether he wanted to clear up his confusion or face the future.


    Noel fell into deep thought, unable to ask the question that confused him the most.


    After a moment, Noel asked, "Grandma¡­ I want to know more about this world. What kind of civilization did we have before the demon''s invasion? I heard that it was only because Grandma passed away that the world was plunged into chaos. Then, what kind of civilization did you live in?"


    Milinda had an amused expression. Even she didn''t expect that Noel would ask something like this.


    "Why do you want to talk about this instead of any other topics? For example, anything rted to spirits or maybe a method to kill all those demons."


    Noel shook his head. "I will be lying if I don''t want to know about the spirit''s secrets, and I also want to know how to kill those annoying demons."


    "Then why?"


    "Because if I die, I can''t ask you another question."


    Milinda was surprised that Noel was thinking about life and death. What if she told him that if he died, he would be a spirit?


    But before she could ask that question, Noel had continued, "Right now, I am walking on top of a thread. One wrong move will result in my death. Even if it''s not imminent, it might set me up on the route leading to my death.


    "At the same time, even if I want to kill all the demons, they are currently used as fuel for the new technology. If we kill all of them, we won''t have enough fuel anymore. I know that this will only happen far in the future, but at the very least, I want to prolong it as much as possible until they can find an alternative fuel.


    "Besides, if I can live long enough, I can get more and more rewards from Ardagan. And I''m sure that I could get another chance to find out about spirits. This is my answer. I hope it doesn''t disappoint Grandma."


    "Hahahaha!" Milindaughed out loud as if she were satisfied with his answer. "Alright. Let''s talk about civilization in my era."


    "Thank you."


    Milinda then lowered Ardagan before tapping the ground twice. In an instant, the scenery turned back to a simple, in white cube.


    "Alright. What kind of thing do you want to know first?"


    Noel looked down for a moment. "When I explored the ancient ruins, they had a lot of giant buildings, even the tall ones, that our technology couldn''t replicate. So, I want to see the city''s civilization¡­ Then, maybe, the vige and the port. And¡­ I can''t think of anything right now."


    "Alright. But you have to remember that this knowledgees directly from my memory. Even if you ask me how they work, I won''t be able to exin it to you."


    "I understand." Noel nodded furiously.


    Now that they had reached an agreement, Milinda tapped the ground again.


    The new scenery was being built. The sun was right above their heads. On the right and left sides were two tall buildings. Most of them were made of metal, concrete, and ss.


    And there were a lot of buildings like this as far as he could see.


    "This is¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. The towering building alone made him feel small.


    But Milinda didn''t stop here. She produced the people to fill up the city. They were wearing clothes that he had never seen before.


    Noel''s eyes were glued to one of the women.


    "What is this? How shameful." Noel muttered. The woman wore a tight blouse that exposed her cleavage. She even wore a mini skirt that made it almost visible to see what was under it.


    "Hahaha. This is normal during the day." Milinda chuckled. She wore a dress that reached her knees because she expected this kind of reaction from Noel.


    "Still¡­" Noel looked down, trying not to get embarrassed like a country bumpkin. But soon, he heard a roaring from behind. "An enemy attack?"


    Noel turned around and saw a metal carriage moving at a fast speed. It was so fast that it could even rival his full speed. "What is that?"


    Unlike what he witnessed earlier, there was a simr carriage that moved a bit slowly. This time, he could see several people inside, looking like they were enjoying themselves. And seeing theposition made him believe that this was a family.


    "Grandma¡­ Are those people a wealthy family?"


    Milinda shook her head. "Nope. They aremon people."


    "To thinkmoners can move together with the entire family at that speed¡­" Noel gasped as he looked down. "And what is this ck road? I have a lot of questions."


    "As I said earlier, I couldn''t exin everything." Milinda reminded him again.


    "I know." Noel, although disappointed, moved on pretty quickly. Even just absorbing these new things would give him insight. "Then, is that carriage?"


    "Indeed. But we used to call it a car."


    "A car, huh?" Noel thought for a moment. "Can''t that car be extended to bring a lot of things?"


    "Of course." Milinda nodded and waved her hand. This time, a yellow car appeared. She opened the door while saying, "Let''s go. I will show you another ce."


    Noel panicked when he saw her entering the car. He quickly followed and noticed how cool the air was.


    "This is¡­" Noel looked to the front, finding the gaps where the cool air originated. "How do you keep it cool?"


    "I''m not sure. Something about cooling gas if I remember correctly."


    Noel had thought that his freezer facility was innovative, but he never thought that people could feel this cool even in a moving car.


    "Everything here is amazing. I never thought that they were possible. And all of thises without spiritual energy."


    "Aren''t you creating something simr to this?"


    "Yes, but mine can''t bepared to what I see in this ce. There are a few things that bear resemnce. And after some more development, there is a chance that they will be like this in the future. But I might not be alive to witness that moment."


    "No transformation can be achieved in one night. You just have to keep working on everything you can at the moment."


    "Mhmm." Noel nodded. He had an automatic carriage. Even if they couldn''t achieve such a speed as of now, future generations might develop it to be simr to what he just saw.


    "To be honest, I have a lot of questions, like, How do they clean this city? How does theyout work? How do they maintain hygiene? And a lot of other things," Noel muttered, fully knowing that it was impossible to get that answer.


    "Yes. Unfortunately, I can''t show you that. For this reward, I will just bring you around the city¡­ and maybe to a small vige and introduce their names. The only thing you can do is observe them and try to replicate it."


    "Yes. Just like this vehicle. I call my invention the automatic carriage, but I guess it''s better to call this a car from ''carriage.'' And just by observing this, I can give my vassals an idea to develop." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Then, let''s go to the train station, a ce you''ll definitely like." Milinda smiled.

 Chapter 1024 Suspicion

    Chapter 1024 Suspicion


    ??A roaring engine startled Noel as the train swiftly passed him. The speed wasn''t as fast as the cars he saw earlier, but the sheer size of this train was beyond his imagination.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. "So, this is a train!"


    "That''s right. There are a few types." Milinda nodded.


    "The one at the front is the pulling type. There is also a passenger type, but the one that passed us earlier was the cargo type. Depending on thebination, we can change the consumption or optimize the benefits."


    "That''s right. You have made a n for it in your city."


    "Yes. In that case, it''s better to name it Train. But¡­" Noel looked down, his eyes locked on to the rail. "This time the train is crossing this thin steel bar. The wheels are also made of steel, which allows them to withstand more weightpared to wood. But we have the rune right now, so we can reduce the burden.


    "And because of it, I don''t think we can make this track. No, should I say it''s not necessary? Just looking at the car earlier, I think that a ck wheel is more preferable in our case."


    Milinda remained silent on the side, but she looked proud that her descendant didn''t just copy everything from here. He wondered which one was suitable for their development. With this mindset, she didn''t have to worry about the Ardagan family''s prosperity.


    "You''re talking about rubber."


    "Rubber?"


    "Yes. You don''t know it? In the previous civilization, it''s one of the mostmon things we can find."


    "Mhmm. Do you know anything about it? Maybe its characteristics? I can probably search for it."


    "From what I know, it''s a tough stic synthetic substance. It should betex from a certain nt. That''s all I know."


    "I see. I will look into itter." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "So, what do you think about the train station?" Milinda asked.


    "It''s very practical. However, because the cities are still protected by the wall, it would be a problem to position them within the wall. After all, the train has a problem turning. They need a long distance just to turn slightly or it will put stress on the wheels and end up breaking.


    "So, I am thinking about building it outside the wall. Then, we just have to design a wall that can protect the train station from the demons, but because it''s not the main wall, we have to ensure the design won''t mess with the city wall itself. And people should be able to enter directly into the city through the station.


    "Unfortunately, I''m not expert enough to talk about the design, so I will ask my vassal to think about it."


    "That''s good." Milinda smiled. "Then, should we continue to the port? After that, we can go to the vige."


    "Yes." Noel nodded furiously.


    Both of them got into the taxi again and headed to the port, where Noel got the shock of his life.


    Instead of a train, this time, he saw a lot of container trucks parked in the harbor.


    "Grandma¡­ These things¡­" Noel looked like a kid who just found a new toy.


    "That''s called a container truck. As you can see, it has a lot of space inside. Unlike the trains, this is a smaller version, or you can even make it even smaller depending on the kind of terrain you n to cross. If it''s within the city, a small truck should be enough. If it''s an expedition outside the city, something like this will be needed."


    Noel thought for a moment. "But we have a train already, shouldn''t we just forget about this?"


    "Not necessarily. From the train station, you can directly bring out all that luggage to the client''s or people''s homes. And a smaller truck will be needed, right?"


    "Ah! Like a small wagon. That''s indeed possible. And we can sell these smaller trucks to private merchant groups or create apany to deliver all these items for a cheap price."


    "That''s correct. And the container is not a bad thing either. For example, a train station will be hard to create in a small city or vige. Then, what if you create a station only in the big city and transfer the luggage to a smaller city by these trucks?" Milinda winked.


    "Ah!" Noel nodded with a serious expression. The container truck was definitely useful for improving convenience. Lounstein was big. If he made a station for every city, it would devour his fund in no time.


    But if he made all these trucks, his fund would still be fine while still getting the benefits.


    "This is indeed good. With this container, the viges can have the supply they need. Most of the time, they have to find a merchant, but most of the time, the merchant takes advantage of the vige''s remote location to extort them. We can push down the price and not let the people suffer with these trucks." Noel nodded with a smile.


    Then, his eyes moved to the ship that was about to depart. It was a cargo ship, so he saw all the containers being stacked up on top of the boat.


    "This ship is so massive." Noel sucked a cold breath. "I don''t know how much it can carry in just a single trip."


    "This is the most efficient way to send items across continents."


    "Continents¡­ Are you talking about the distantnd?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. From your memory, the Zaecuria Kingdom is directly connected to the sea, right? If you cross that sea in the right direction, you can actually find another continent."


    "Does that mean there might be some survivors on those continents?"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Who knows? The world is big. Even I haven''t visited most of the world. It''s just¡­ a sea voyage without the right map will just send you to your death. Our world''s surface is mostly covered with water after all."


    Noel looked down. The battleship that he had agreed upon with the Zaecuria Kingdom might be the leading technology that would discover the newnd.


    "That is amazing." Noel pumped his fists.


    "You''re not afraid of meeting unknown people from another continent? You might end up bing their enemies or they might even be stronger than you¡­"


    "If they are stronger than me, shouldn''t I feel d? At the end of the day, ourmon enemy is the demon. As long as we havemon enemies, I believe humans can walk hand in hand."


    "What a positive kid." Milinda chuckled.


    Another thunderous roar came from the sky, startling Noel. He thought it was thunder, but the sky was still clear and had no sign of raining.


    Instead, he noticed a metal bird flying in the sky.


    "Grandma¡­" Noel pointed at the sky with his mouth wide open.


    "Oh. That''s an airne. It''s another type of transportation that can fly in the sky. You''re nning to do the same thing, right?"


    "That''s true. But I have never thought that the previous civilization could do all this without spiritual energy and runes. They are amazing."


    Milinda smiled wryly. "Well, you can say they are amazing, but they are also not so much."


    "Grandma?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "While we were able to do all this, the fuel we used to create this utopia ended up poisoning ourselves and this world."


    "Poisoning the world? Are you saying they are destroying this world for the sake of all the conveniences?"


    "Yes." Milinda pointed at the ship. "That ship requires a lot of fuel. And once they are burned, they will end up producing emissions. This emission is the poison I''m talking about.


    "Our world is protected by ozone. You can say it''s like an invisibleyer of protection. It protects us from being burned by the sun. However, this poison creates holes in that invisibleyer, which allows the sun to burn this world more violently, resulting in a lot of catastrophic events."


    Noel couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "But¡­ isn''t it fine now? We are using spiritual energy. I don''t think there is any poison released into the air¡­"


    "Maybe, but in the end, there will always be a human''s never ending greed. When you continue advancing your technology, there will be a sacrifice. The previous civilization had created a legendary item that brought a lot of developments to the world. It was called stic.


    "However¡­" Milinda paused and walked to the edge of the port, feeling the wave that sshed on the barrier beneath her. She then waved her hand to calm the sea down and allow Noel to see the fish. But before that, he pointed at the beach not far from the port. "Those are stics."


    When Noel caught up, he was horrified by the sight before him. The beach next to the port waspletely different from the one far away from it. The one near the port was filled with a lot of trash. On the other hand, the beach far away wasn''t tainted by this junk yet, which showed an incredibly beautiful sight.


    "Trash bes a problem everywhere because this item is hard to dpose. The water from the river carries the trash, the ocean water ims them, and they end up getting buried under the sea.


    "The humans feed on the fish, which have eaten these stics, and end up poisoning themselves by ingesting this synthetic material. Not only sea creatures, but you can also considernd animals to eat them too.


    "The humans end up poisoning themselves. They destroy the world by releasing the poisonous gas into the air. Even without the demons, humans are going to destroy themselves. Should I say¡­ the demons actually let the humans survive? By killing billions of humans, nature can finally take over, and a few tens or hundreds of millions of humans will survive."


    Noel fell silent, unable to answer that question. If that was what happened in the past, Noel could say the humans were wrong. The demons mighte to this ce, but they are not necessarily the bad guys. In the end, they prevented humans from extinction.


    At the same time, billions of people died. He couldn''t imagine the sorrow of people seeing those many deaths.


    Still, the way Milinda spoke felt a bit weird. She sounded sad when narrating the tragic end of the previous civilization. But if that was the case, why was the Ardagan family still fighting back? She would have taught her descendants about it. But she still gave the sword to her descendant.


    It was as if she was hiding something. It only took Noel a moment to realize why she was talking this way.


    "Wait a minute. Grandma¡­ I heard that the world was plunged into chaos when you died, but if you could protect this world, you could also destroy it. What if you were the one allowing these demons to invade this world so that the human race didn''t go extinct?"

 Chapter 1025 A Dream

    "Wait a minute. Grandma¡­ I heard that the world was plunged into chaos when you died, but if you could protect this world, you could also destroy it. What if you were the one allowing these demons to invade this world so that the human race didn''t go extinct?"


    Noel couldn''t help but feel a bit suspicious. If Milinda truly had the power to protect it by keeping away the demon invasion, she could be the one who allowed it to happen.


    "Silly child." Milinda chuckled. "This is not part of the reward, but I think I can tell you a little bit about it."


    Noel tilted his head in confusion. It seemed that he was wrong because he didn''t have enough information to make a deduction. And it seemed that he wronged Milinda by using her of doing such atrocities.


    Milinda said, "During the night, you could see the stars in the sky, right?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded.


    "What if I told you it''s simr to our sun, but located far¡­ far away from this world?"


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "Are you suggesting that the demon and the spirite from a distant world?"


    "You''re very clever." Milinda nodded, satisfied. "The Spirit God is trying to extinguish the demons."


    "If the Spirit God can evene to this world from a very distant ce, can''t hee directly to this ce? Then again, why is the spirit here?" Noel fell silent.


    "I can''t give you that answer because it''s not part of the reward. Grandma looks stingy right now, but I have to stick to the rule. But let''s just say that your grandma has been maintaining a barrier to protect this world. And Ardagan is not a sword. It''s actually an antenna that captures something from deep space. What does it attract?"


    Noel contemted for a moment. "The Spirits¡­ demons¡­ a barrier¡­ Ardagan¡­ antenna¡­"


    It took Noel a few minutes before he could find the answer. "Don''t tell me, Ardagan has been the antenna that is sucking the spiritual energy from the distant world. Or it might be the energy from the spirits themselves?


    "You used that energy to create a barrier. Unfortunately, it all stopped the moment you passed away. As a result, the demons could finally enter this world, which marked the beginning of the end of civilization.


    "Now that no one could control Ardagan to its fullest potential anymore, the energy that the spirits have ended up transforming into a manifestation of themselves.


    "This is why the Spirit Seal bes a link that connects humans to spirits. I can''t put it in simple words, but it should be something like this." Noel gasped.


    Milinda didn''t show any response this time as if she didn''t want to acknowledge or deny his answer. She truly stopped giving him information that wasn''t rted to the reward.


    "Ah, I apologize for overstepping my bounds." Noel took a step back and politely lowered his head.


    "How about we go to the next spot? It will be the vige, right? Or is there any ce you want to see next?"


    "I actually want to see amon family''s house. What kind of facility could amon family afford in the past¡­ I want to know." Noel''s answer came from the bottom of his heart. He had been inventing a lot of things to improve the lives of themon people. So, if he knew what he could give to them, it would make his job easier.


    "Sure. Let''s go to the house in the vige then. While it''s not exactly the same, it shouldn''t be that different."


    "Yes." Noel smiled.


    Thest part of the trip wasn''t any different. The moment Noel saw the vige, he could see the impressive farnd. People worked with machines to tend the field, which surprised him.


    The house, on the other hand, showed how much convenience it could bring. He was a bit surprised that the house could have its own water storage at the top of their building. It was expensive, so Noel only made it the city''s facility. Then again, even he couldn''t stop if his people wanted to build one over their house.


    What caught Noel''s attention the most was the light bulb. The fact that the light could be turned on and off for a whole day meant that people could work at any time.


    This would definitely make the activity inside the housest longer.


    Looking at the smile on Noel''s face made Milinda happy.


    "How is the trip this time? Are you satisfied?"


    "Yes. Although I don''t know how they work, there are a lot of ideas in my mind. I have to ask my people to research them so that themon people can live much better in my territory." Noel smiled.


    "That''s good then." Milinda nodded.


    "Thank you very much for allowing me to see all this." Noel bowed.


    "You''re a clever child. Although you have known this, I have to remind you that because the power of Ardagan is too big, I have made my descendant suffer its curse. Our bloodline can only produce a single child. I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine, Grandma. I know that a few of my predecessors might hate this, but I''m fine with it. There will only be a woman in my life after all, and a single sessor means that there won''t be any rival that will shed blood in the family."


    "You''re a good child. In that case, I will give you a little present."


    "A little present?"


    "Yep. You already know that demons can control living beings, right? And those with higher consciousness are more resistant to them, like humans. However, what if the humans didn''t resist when the demons tried to control them?"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He knew what she was trying to imply. "There might be demons among humans¡­"


    Milinda patted his shoulders while saying, "No matter what, you can trust Ardagan. He was the partner I trusted the most when protecting this world."


    "I know." Noel smiled.


    "That''s good. Then, it''s time for you to leave."


    Noel nodded. "Thank you for everything, Grandma."


    Milinda waved her hand as Noel''s consciousness gradually became fuzzy. But before he disappeared from this ce, Milinda came closer to him and whispered a few words.


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t help but shudder. Unfortunately, the next thing he realized, he was actually rising from his bed. "Huh? What?!"


    Noel, who was still in shock, couldn''t help but look around, noticing that he had returned to the bedroom.


    However, his eyes were blinded by the shining light from the window.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused. He believed he entered his consciousness only for about one or two hours. But for some reason, he actually woke up in the morning.


    "Did I just sleep through the whole night?" Noel frowned. Whenever he met Ardagan, he wouldn''t fall asleep like this.


    "Then, was our meeting¡­ a dream?" Noel couldn''t help but recall thest words that Milinda told him.


    "I am still alive, not as a human though."


    Noel waspletely shaken by that information, but when he thought about it, there was one possibility where living for a thousand years was possible.


    "Did she turn into a spirit when she passed away? Or was she transformed by the Spirit God?" Noel looked down, contemting. However, there was one thing for sure. "If she is really a spirit, what is her power? Is it a sleeping spirit? Slumbering spirit? No, the name doesn''t suit her."


    "Maybe¡­" Noel paused for a moment. "Dreaming¡­ Dream¡­ Dream Spirit or Spirit of Dream. She might be a dream spirit. If that''s the case, can I just find someone with the dream spirit to find her?


    "And because she is still alive, doesn''t that mean the other ancestors are still alive as well? Do we turn into spirits once we die? Or maybe we have to attain a high level of assimtion with the spirit first. In the end, our body turns into something simr to that of a spirit.


    "If this is truly the case, then I''m afraid there will be a few more people I have to gather." Noel chuckled. But after thinking about it, he ended up shaking his head because his imagination was simply too wild.


    If all his ancestors had be spirits, people would have heard about them.


    "Anyway, it''s just spection. And it doesn''t really matter for the time being." Noel jumped off the bed while saying, "I should get ready to face those old foxes in the royal pce."


    Suddenly, someone knocked on his door before Kevin''s voice echoed from behind the door. "Are you awake?"


    "Yes." Noel hurriedly straightened his back and fixed his hair.


    As expected, Kevin entered the room with a letter in his hand. "Did you get a good sleep?" This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Yes. Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Uncle." Noel nodded.


    "Come on. I don''t mind if you call me Father." Kevin smiled, teasing Noel.


    "Ahaha. If I have married Anna, then I will call you Father as many times as you want. However, I don''t want to overstep my bounds. I hope you can forgive me."


    "I''m just teasing you. I''m fine with waiting anyway."


    "Actually, the marriage might have to be moved ahead of schedule, and I believe it''s going to happen in two months, but we haven''t finalized the concept and invitation."


    "Really?" Kevin raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes. I hope that you can forgive us for this sudden change."


    "I see. It seems that I have to call back that brat from the frontline."


    "That brat?"


    "Yes. He is one of the five Spirit Grandmasters of the Stargaze Family and the captain of the Blue Knight Army, Dn Stargaze. Well, he''s Anna''s brother. Because of the conflict with the royal family, I sent him away to the west to protect him. But with your current achievement and this marriage ceremony, it''s time for him toe home."

 Chapter 1026 Father and Son-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 1026 Father and Son-inw</h4>


    Noel looked down, recalling the information about her brother. ''If I''m not wrong, her brother is known to be a genius as well. It''s said that Marquis Stargaze has found a good sessor for him. However, everything changes with Anna inside the picture.


    ''Her talent is so amazing that her brother turns into a shadow. However, Anna''s personality was known to be troublesome, so her brother remains the heir of the Stargaze family.


    ''It seems that he has to go to the front line to protect himself. I see. If he has be a Spirit Grandmaster, he''s definitely worthy of being the sessor of the Stargaze family.


    ''And because Anna''s personality issue has been solved and she is now engaged to me, there won''t be anyone stopping him from returning home. All Uncle Kevin needs to do is teach him the politics before handing him the seat of the Stargaze family''s patriarch.''


    Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Will it be fine for him to return? I''m not going to turn him away from the marriage ceremony. I''m just worried¡­"


    "It''s fine. I''d actually sent a message to him about the marriage ceremony. He was delighted to know that and was prepared to return. But it just happened that we would move the schedule ahead." Kevin shrugged.


    "I see." Noel nodded, feeling relieved.


    "That''s right. You''ve got a letter." This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Noel nced at the letter and mentioned no name. It must be the letter that was passed by the brothel manager in the capital city.


    "I understand. Thank you very much." Noel smiled.


    "I know that I shouldn''t worry about this, but I need to warn you. Don''t underestimate those old nobles in the pce. They might end up devouring you."


    "Do you know about their intentions? And what kind of things are they nning to seize?"


    Kevin thought for a moment. "I''m not so sure about this, but obviously, they''re nning to acquire your runes. And obviously, they might end up forcing you to submit it to the kingdom."


    "The runes are solely mine. And they won''t be able to seize it. I have prepared some assurance as well."


    "In that case, you should worry about Duke Briton''s incident."


    "I know." Noel nodded.


    "Last but not least, it''s the Atracaeca Kingdom. We don''t know about their stance yet, but if they end up joining hands with the royal family, even you might have a problem."


    "Atracaeca Kingdom, huh?" Noel looked down before asking inwardly, ''Ardagan. How about giving me a mission?''


    [Mission: Win the debate against the old nobles.]


    [Description: The old nobles have prepared to make trouble during your reward ceremony. Beat them up with your mouth and obliterate their ns.]


    [Reward: Dignity Medal]


    [Mission: Win the heart of your father-inw and brother-inw.]


    [Description: To marry someone means to win the hearts of her family.]


    [Reward: Blessing Medal]


    ''This is¡­'' Noel read the two missions carefully, confusing Kevin.


    "Is there a problem?" Kevin looked concerned.


    "I believe that the Atracaeca Kingdom hasn''t made their stance clear yet."


    "Is that so?" Kevin didn''t know where Noel got that information, but he wasn''t a reckless person, so he could safely assume that this information was true.


    "Also¡­" Noel opened the letter in front of Kevin and checked the content. As he expected, it was about their new project. "Uncle¡­ There is something I''d like to tell you."


    "What is it?"


    "I haven''t given you anything for your blessing. So, if possible, I''d like to extend the new project to your territory."


    "A new project? With your rune technology?"


    "Yes."


    Kevin looked down. "But because I''m one of the arbiters and a minister, I rarely go home. Most of the territory matters are handled by my wife or mayors. Unless they send an important matter to me, I don''t really take care of the territory anymore."


    "I understand your circumstances, Uncle. However, you''re trying to call Anna''s brother home, right?"


    "Ah!" Kevin finally understood what Noel was nning. Since he would be the sessor of the Stargaze family, it might not be a bad idea to have him govern the territory first. And this project would definitely benefit the Stargaze family.


    "The project this time is about highways. I''m nning to extend the highway to other territories as well. The rune technology I''m talking about is called ''Train.'' This technology allows you to transport at least a hundred tons in a single trip.


    "In the future, I''m nning to produce a carriage for both nobles andmon families. By using this highway, people can travel easily and much faster. I call this ''Car.''


    "However, there is a problem. If Uncle epts my proposal, we will have to convince the three lords between our territories."


    Kevin closed his eyes for a moment. This project was definitely beneficial to his territory. And the task of convincing the three lords shouldn''t be that hard, considering they were not in the royal faction.


    This might be a perfect opportunity to teach his son how to negotiate with other nobles. In addition, it would also bring these three nobles into their side, which allowed them to resist the royal faction.


    "I''m sorry that I''m a bit shameless here, considering it''s Anna who came up with the invention."


    Kevin shook his head. He had heard about the truth as well. Anna only suggested the idea while Noel extended the idea to a magnificent n. Hence, he patted Noel''s shoulders while saying, "Thank you."


    "This is what I should do." Noel smiled.


    While they married each other out of love, the usual marriage would benefit both parties. That was the basis of the political marriage. Either to gain an advantage or to provide protection, the marriage between nobles required benefits.


    He knew that Kevin didn''t really need it since, for him, the biggest gift Noel could give was the fact that Anna had changed into a better person.


    So, Kevin knew that Noel told him about this project for the sake of Anna''s brother.


    "In that case, I''ll prepare everything for your ceremony tomorrow. You can just enjoy your time here and make sure you''re ready to face those sly foxes."


    "I understand. Thank you, Uncle." Noel politely lowered his head.


    "I should be the one thanking you. Hahaha. I''ll make the arrangement immediately." Kevin waved his hand and rushed off with a big smile on his face.


    ''And we just have to wait. I hope that Anna''s brother is more open-minded. If the mission ispleted, it means he is someone I can work with. If it doesn''t, then I have toe up with a new way,'' Noel thought before closing the door.


    The content of the letter contained all the new information and test results from their new invention.


    After reading all of it, Noel replied to them about the next project as well as the names of these inventions. He simply pped the name of the previous civilization onto them though.


    ¡­


    Finally, the day of his ceremony arrived.


    "Am I supposed to wear this?" Noel asked with a wry smile.


    "What''s wrong? It suits you." Kevin chuckled. Because he usually wore the ck military uniform from the Demon Banner Army, wearing the opposite color made him look different.


    Yes, instead of ck, he was wearing a white ceremonial uniform. It created a contrast with his hair and eyes.


    However, the aura of the warrior as well as the pride of a noble transformed the awkwardness into dignity.


    Noel was never like Anna, who was one of the flowers of the kingdom. However, he had a charm different from theirs but didn''t lose to them either.


    Ardagan also matched him by turning white like when they were in disguise.


    "Hahaha. You definitely will not lose against those pretty boys." Kevinughed happily.


    "We can just wear the usual one, can''t we? It doesn''t really matter."


    "Of course, it matters. Even though it''s minuscule, having a good appearance will give you an advantage in the debate. Besides, there are a lot ofdies attending the ceremony. I want to show off a little bit, telling them that this is what they have missed."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "Well, it doesn''t really matter to me. But if that makes you happy, I don''t really mind."


    "After the ceremony, there will be a banquet too. While it looks shy, it''s prettyfortable, right?"


    "Indeed." Noel''s n was to receive the reward, escape from the banquet, and return to his territory as quickly as possible. Of course, the banquet would definitely allow him to see the nobles'' stances about the current political situation, even though he would be tired of dealing with the nobles who would try to shove their daughters at him.


    Either way, this was also another opportunity for him to deal some damage to their reputation. He had even arranged a few things.


    "That''s right. Uncle¡­ There are a few things I''d like you to do. I''m not sure what will happen during the ceremony, so I have prepared some countermeasures. If the condition reaches those points, I hope that you can help me."


    "Hoh? Sure. What do you want me to do?"


    Noel smiled evilly as if he had made a devilish n to smear the royal family as well as crush his father''s rival.


    Even Kevin''s face turned into shock after hearing the n. He never thought that his son-inw could evene up with something like this.


    "Alright. You got my words." Kevin smirked, feeling excited about the drama that would ur in the pce. "Let''s go to the pce now."


    "Yes."


    Both of them immediately headed to the carriage. This was the night where the pair of father and son-inw would wreak havoc in the pce.


    "Earl Noel Ardagan is entering the hall!"

 Chapter 1027 Debate

    In the royal pce hall, numerous people had gathered to witness the ceremony.


    "I feel like Earl Ardagan will rise to the peak with this."


    "Right? He has achieved something that no one has ever seen before."


    "Even thest invasion was three hundred years ago. And it took more than five great nobles to take action, including a hundred thousand troops."


    "But isn''t this ceremony going to be used to attack the Earl?"


    "That''s a pity."


    "A light too bright will cast a very dark shadow. Everyone is waiting for the chance to devour this light."


    The nobles inside the hall were split into three. The majority actually maintained their neutrality or more like they wanted to wait and see first before taking action.


    Meanwhile, the royal faction was the secondrgest. Their eyes were filled with anger as if they were ready to crush Noel in this ceremony.


    The smallest faction were the nobles who supported Noel. However, most of them came from the connection to Marquis Stargaze.


    These three factions were observing each other.


    "His Majesty the King is entering the hall." The soldier opened the gate while dering it out loud.


    All the nobles fell to their knees to pay respect no matter which faction they were.


    The king finally entered the room. Hisplexion wasn''t that good as though he hadn''t slept for a few days.


    As soon as he sat down on his throne, the king said, "You may rise."


    The people stood up once again, but the atmosphere had turned tense. They didn''t dare to speak another word, fearing that the king would take action against them.


    Even the royal faction waited until other factions spoke up first so that they wouldn''t be branded as overstepping their bounds by speaking before their master said anything.


    The tension was so high that people felt time had slowed down. It only took five minutes before Noel arrived at the royal court, but it felt like they had been standing for more than half an hour.


    They only wished for Noel toe first.


    Finally, the soldier opened the gate once more. "Earl Noel Ardagan is entering the hall."


    *ck!*


    The moment the gate was opened, Noel walked into the hall with Kevin apanying him from behind.


    "That is Noel Ardagan?"


    "I have seen him before, but his aura has be even more terrifying."


    "Right? He has definitely grown since he epted his title."


    The nobles were observing Noel in awe. Thedies they brought had their eyes glued to him. There was this indescribable charm that made them unable to look away from him.


    Even the people from the royal faction were admiring him for a second, forgetting that they were here to crush him.


    "Kh." Duke Raymond gritted his teeth. He had suffered a lot because of Noel''s father, Luke. So, the hatred was a bit hard to contain.


    Kevin was satisfied after looking at Raymond''s face and gradually moved to the left, joining the other nobles.


    With a solemn face, Noel dropped to one knee while saying, "Noel Ardagan greets Your Majesty. May the Muivell Kingdom prosper for eternity."


    The king''s expression became grim as he stood up. "Good work foring here, my loyal subject. I have heard about your achievements in the north. You''ve repelled the Supreme Devil Organization and numerous demons. As a king, I''d like to personally thank you."


    "Your words are a blessing to the Ardagan family. As long as I''m alive, I will continue to fight the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization."


    The nobles had their eyebrows twitched, fully knowing that the Supreme Devil Organization was created by the royal family to control the kingdom. Noel was shameless enough to thank the king and even swore to fight the Supreme Devil Organization to death. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "However!" The king raised his voice. "Would you like to exin the reason for Duke Briton''s presence in the battle? Are you trying to show that the Muivell Kingdom is weak?"


    Noel remained calm as if he had expected this. "Your Majesty. Duke Briton just happened to be a shipwright in my territory in order to build a ship that can cross the North River. If a man is being threatened, I can''t see any reasons for them not to fight back."


    "So, you''re implying that Duke Briton was simply protecting himself?"


    "That''s right," Noel confirmed without hesitation.


    Duke Raymond stepped forward and asked, "If that was the case, why did he need to be in your city? If he was being threatened, he could simply go in a different direction."


    As expected of Duke Raymond, he wouldn''t let go of this opportunity.


    Noel shook his head helplessly and asked, "In that case, may I know where he could go? The Duke was building a ship in my territory, so he couldn''t go to the south or west, which were other nobles'' territories. The east was the Greenwood Kingdom. So, he only had one option. As the one responsible for bringing him here, the least I could do was provide my protection. I believe my action has protected the country''s honor.


    "By protecting such an important person from that cmity, the Zaecuria Kingdom would definitely recognize our strength."


    Duke Raymond frowned. Noel skillfully dodged the matter. Just like his father, he was indeed a hard opponent.


    Another noble stepped forward and said, "Then, how about the cooperation with the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom? Are you trying to invite foreign power into this country, Earl Ardagan?"


    "I am not sure what you''re talking about." Noel nced at him before closing his eyes.


    "I''m talking about the airship and the battleship!"


    As expected, they had spies all around him. There might be some in the Greenwood Kingdom''s court. He truly couldn''t underestimate the old nobles since they had been in politics for so long.


    Still, if this was the only thing, he had prepared an answer. "Of course, I am not trying to invite foreign power into this country. Instead, I''m nning to strengthen this country. I have heard the naval power of the Zaecuria Kingdom is strong, so I cooperate with them to learn from them. With this, we can produce a ship much stronger than the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "The same applies to the Greenwood Kingdom. By creating something better than what they can produce, I believe I have shown my loyalty by showing the power of our country." Noel turned to the noble and continued, "Marquis Silverford, was it? Your territory is connected directly to the Greenwood Kingdom. You have also cooperated with them. Are you trying to invite foreign powers?"


    "What did you say?" The noble who questioned him earlier gritted his teeth. "This is just a beneficial trade. The country doesn''t ban international trade."


    "I am simply doing the same thing."


    "You are not. I am only cooperating with a single family, while you are cooperating with the entire kingdom."


    "That''s nder, Marquis Silverford." Kevin stepped up this time. "Earl Ardagan has done the same thing. In the Zaecuria Kingdom, he is simply cooperating with the Briton family. The same applies to the Greenwood Kingdom. He is only cooperating with the Ezenholm family, which happens to be his mother''s family."


    "You¡­" Marquis Silverford gritted his teeth.


    Duke Raymond waved his hand, stopping him. "Marquis Silverford was only worried that the technology would be snatched away by other kingdoms."


    "Is Duke Raymond implying that I haven''t done anything for the kingdom?"


    Duke Raymond asked, "Have you done anything?"


    "I have spread the knowledge about runes. In the past, the Greenwood Kingdom has been bestowed with a Spirit Enchantment Book. And they became the leading country regarding the Spirit Enchantment, the holynd of the master cksmiths.


    "I have spread the knowledge of runes in this kingdom so that everyone can learn from it. Why does Duke Raymond not think this is a big contribution to my country?"


    Duke Raymond said, "Then, what about those rune technologies?"


    "Is there something wrong? I merely research it much faster than the rest and take advantage of it."


    "You are the creator of the runes¡­" Duke Raymond gritted his teeth.


    "I''m a creator of the rune? I apologize. That is not true. I am merely researching what my ancestors left behind. Just like the other families have their own heirlooms, my Ardagan family has one too. And I''mpleting the job that my ancestor hasn''t finished."


    "I am telling you this to avoid the runes from being taken by another kingdom like the Spirit Enchantment." Duke Raymond became more and more annoyed.


    "I have done everything for the kingdom. I have even promised to create a Rune Academy, which will be filled up mostly by the citizens of the Muivell Kingdom, sharing my research. If you still wish to take away the rune technology, then I''m willing to hand over my research as long as the Tower Association also surrenders all their research to the Muivell Kingdom."


    "You¡­" Duke Raymond gritted his teeth.


    Old Jade had actually told Noel about this. He simply had to state that it was his research and not his creation. In the kingdom, they had aw to protect the research of the people and encouraged them to do so. That was the main purpose of the Tower Association.


    If the kingdom nned to seize the runes, he simply had to state that it was his ancestor''s creation and he simply researched andpleted it. This way, the Tower Association had to surrender all their research to make it fair or no one would want to invent anything in this kingdom anymore.


    The old nobles definitely knew this. That was why Duke Raymond had no words to fight back.


    Duke Raymond, however, knew precisely what Noel nned to do. He showed all that to prove he wasn''t monopolizing it. But as the creator of the rune, he could simply invent new things and monopolize them until he couldn''t anymore.


    In addition, the Greenwood Kingdom had started building roads to the demon territory. It was most likely that Noel had asked for them to do so.


    And if they dropped all the resources in that territory and Noel imed them for himself by stating that it was something he found in the ancient ruin, they simply couldn''t do anything.


    The only way to prevent Noel and the Greenwood Kingdom from expanding even further was to turn that territory into Noel''s territory. But it meant that they had to increase Noel''s rank to Marquis.


    Then again, due to Noel''s advantageous position, they could simply extend it a bit more to the north until they reached the demon territory again.


    Duke Raymond needed toe up with something fast. He shouldn''t allow Noel to win this debate.


    That was when someone suddenly asked, "In that case, what''s with those new inventions that are capable of bringing a lot of people and tons of materials?!"


    "!!!" Duke Raymond wondered who was so foolish to ask that question. But it turned out Kevin had disappeared from his vision and the noble who questioned Noel this time was from the neutral faction.


    If he took another look at the neutral faction, he noticed that Kevin Stargaze was among them.


    In other words, Noel and Kevin had nned this.


    With a big smile in his heart, Noel stated, "This is to improve the kingdom. All the ministers should have known that the biggest problem the kingdom has right now is logistics. I have created a new invention so that we can bring a lot of materials at once.


    "Once the flow of materials increases and bes much faster, the goods can be cheaper and the development of the kingdom will be elerated.


    "However, there is one big problem. The kingdom iscking a paved road. Roads are built so that people can travel faster and smoother. Nobles have made roads in their own territory for this very reason."


    Duke Raymond shuddered, finally realizing the blunder he had made. Noel was trying to force the kingdom to build a road, which he could take advantage of. If the royal family forced them to pay for using the road, the merchants and citizens would hate them.


    If they didn''t, Noel could easily expand his business by using the royal family''s money. Either way, the merchants would be flocking to the Ardagan family for this new invention.


    Kevin, who was watching the entire thing, couldn''t help but smile, thinking, ''The counter attack starts now.''

 Chapter 1028 Reward

    Duke Raymond''s expression turned grim. He had never thought that Noel was nning to expand his influence by using the royal family''s money.


    The moment it happened, the Ardagan family would be much stronger than before. The royal family had no choice but to be inferior to the Ardagan family after that.


    And with the n for expansion, the Ardagan family might be the center of the kingdom.


    That was why they couldn''t allow this to happen.


    Duke Raymond said, "It is such a big project, there''s no way the kingdom can do it right away. We have to think about the resources and other things first."


    Noel had expected this answer. Even if they just told them they would bring it up during the royal hearing and create the n, they could simply not make any ns or just make some bad ns, which couldn''t pass the inspection.


    "I understand. The road itself is the one connecting the whole kingdom, so I hope that the royal family can consider this matter positively." Noel nodded calmly.


    Duke Raymond didn''t expect that Noel would back down so quickly.


    However, he soon heard whispers from all parties.


    "A road, huh?"


    "Bringing materials requires a lot of money and time. If they can actually do much better by using the road and the new invention, won''t it make the logistics of the whole country much faster?"


    "Indeed. Unlike the battleship and the airship, this invention seemed to be much better."


    "That''s true. Those two inventions can only show their might on the battlefield. Meanwhile, if that trailer thing increased the logistics of the entire kingdom, the effect would be much better."


    "But that would make the Ardagan family be the most powerful family in the kingdom since they are the only ones who can produce it."


    "But if we don''t help him this time, what if he brings the technology to another kingdom?"


    "At the end of the day, we still don''t know why the Ardagan family remains in the kingdom. If he wants it, the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom will wee him with an open arm."


    "That''s true. Is it because he wants to take revenge for his parents'' execution, considering they were executed because they were simply on the opposite side?"


    "I heard they did it to seize the Ardagan family''s wealth. It could be said that even if the royal family gave him the funds to build a road, they were just handing over the previous wealth that was seized from histe father."


    "This¡­"


    The people of the royal faction couldn''t help but doubt their current decision. If they didn''t take Noel''s suggestion, there would be plenty of nobles who would wee him with open arms.


    And it became apparent to the neutral faction. The nobles in that faction began to consider this invention positively.


    "I have heard that the invention can actually bring more than thirty times more than a single carriage is capable of. And if we think that the expedition doesn''t cost a lot since they don''t need horses to take care and that they don''t need a lot of escort groups."


    "Yeah. If we can bring that amount of luggage¡­"


    "But what about the material itself? Theye from a different territory¡­"


    "If they manage to expand it to a lot of territories, the materials in those territories will be much cheaper. And the development in those areas can easily be done." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Does that mean we have to side with them? But if we miss this, we might need to pay a high price if we want to jointer¡­"


    The nobles couldn''t help but look at Noel. They knew that if they sided with him after this ceremony, they would definitely get a lot of benefits.


    There were three people who could take advantage of the current situation. Because the noble south of Noel''s territory was in the royal faction, it would be impossible to expand the road in that direction.


    Hence, Noel would definitely go to the west of Lounstein. And from that noble, there were two more nobles that were in Noel''s faction. That was why if the neutral faction joined Noel''s side, they would be able to extend it much farther.


    And without them knowing, Noel had instructed Anna to work on it. After all, Duke Lorelei would definitely get it.


    That was why a lot of nobles in the neutral faction were consideringing to Noel''s side after this.


    This was what Noel wanted when he mentioned the road. He never intended to use the royal family''s money.


    Everything could be seen clearly from the throne. And it seemed that the situation had caused the king to make his decision.


    The king suddenly stood up and said out loud, "I have made my decision. Earl Noel Ardagan. Prepare to receive your reward."


    Noel fell on one knee while lowering his head. "Your Majesty."


    "I have nothing but praise for your achievement in repelling those demons and the Supreme Devil Organization. You shall be rewarded with the 50,000 gold coins, 10,000 demon crystals, and 5 treasures."


    Duke Raymond raised his head. While they had decided this was the original reward, after the arguments exchanged previously, it felt like they had to raise the reward a bit to make it fair or a lot of nobles would judge them.


    However, the king added, "I can see that your eyes are set on the development of the kingdom. As a king, I am blessed to have such a loyal subject."


    "I am very grateful for your words." Noel didn''t expect the king to praise him like this. It seemed that he was nning something and he could see what he wanted.


    The king said, "That''s why on top of the reward, the kingdom will seriously consider expanding the roads so that every corner of this kingdom can be reached. To thank you for all your efforts, I bestow on you the hand of the third princess in marriage."


    "!!!" All of them couldn''t help but widen their eyes.


    The people in Noel''s faction obviously realized the hidden intention.


    The royal family knew that they couldn''t stop Noel''s marriage to Anna. In that case, the least they could do was push Anna away from the wife position. This way, the first wife would be their princess, considering the status of the royal family. As a concubine, Anna would have no real power.


    In addition, the third princess could also monitor Noel for the royal family. Obviously, it included the fact that Noel had no choice but to bring her to his main city.


    More importantly, if Noel agreed to this, it would be a p to the Stargaze family. There would be a high chance that a rift between Noel and Kevin would form.


    This was actually a good move from the king.


    Because of Noel''s silence, the king asked, "What''s wrong? Do you think the third princess is not worthy of you?"


    "I feel like I am the one who is unworthy of her," Noel hurriedly replied.


    Whether it was a coincidence or not, the king was offering the third princess instead of the second princess. Noel had heard that the second princess hadn''t gotten engaged yet.


    That was why if they were using seniority, the second princess would be the first one they offered.


    However, the fact that he used the third princess meant the king might want to show something else.


    The only possible reason he could think of was the Third Prince. The royal family probably wanted to ruin his rtionship with the Third Prince. Then again, it had be nonexistent already.


    So, it didn''t really matter.


    Meanwhile, the royal faction saw this as a surprise attack. Even Duke Raymond didn''t expect the king to marry the third princess to Noel. He knew his intention and thought this was a good opportunity to control the Ardagan family.


    The moment the Ardagan family made a single mistake, they could use it to get their technology.


    And there was no way he could reject this marriage¡­or so they thought.


    What they didn''t know was that Kevin was staring at Noel with a stunned face, not because he had a problem with the marriage, but because Noel had actually seen through the plot from a mile away.


    He couldn''t help but recall what Noel said before their departure.


    "Uncle. When the situation reaches a certain point, I need you to do something for me."


    "A certain point?"


    "Yes. To get the most benefit, I might end up poking the royal family a little bit. If the king is as wise as rumored, he will definitely try to marry me to a princess to get control over the Ardagan family."


    "A princess?" Kevin frowned.


    "Don''t worry. I told Anna that rather than instead of using my brain to consider my decision is good or bad. It''s time to make a decision first and use my brain to turn it into a good decision. And I told you that the marriage would be held in three months, right? I mean, two months from now. It was only the ceremony, we have married in paper. I had also prepared this¡­" Noel whispered the n to him.


    When Kevin recalled those words, he couldn''t help but smile.


    "Emergency!"


    Suddenly, the door was burst open as a soldier rushed inside.


    "Do you know we''re in the middle of a ceremony?" The king raised his voice.


    "Your Majesty¡­ We have just received the news that the Sword Arbiter is angered by the action of the Crown Prince. The Moon Temple was also questioning the Muivell Kingdom''s decision by ruining the marriage between two people who were blessed by the Moon Goddess."


    Both Noel and Kevin couldn''t help but smile evilly.

 Chapter 1029 Won

    Chapter 1029 Won


    ??"What?" The king opened his mouth wide as if he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    Duke Raymond shuddered while thinking, ''What did the crown prince do in that ce? We''d sent him so that he could pressure them to show him the main city.


    ''A normalint wouldn''t really matter, but the ones sending it this time were the Sword Arbiter and the Moon Temple. Even the Ardagan family wouldn''t let go of this opportunity.


    ''As the number one arbiter, we still have to listen to Duke Lorelei to a certain extent. Did he say the Moon Temple was questioning the Muivell Kingdom''s decision by ruining the marriage?


    ''Since when did they marry? No, wait. For the Muivell Kingdom, the marriage would only be recognized after a ceremony. But for themoners, who couldn''t pay for it, they usually registered it with the government, which would get the approval of the temple to bless their rtionship.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ The Moon Temple had recognized it? As a noble, it wasn''t that much of a problem for him to get it registered with the government. In other words, he had registered their marriage¡­ But when? Wasn''t his marriage ceremony still at least nine months from now?


    ''Even the temple wouldn''t really recognize it if the ceremony was too long¡­ unless they either moved up the schedule or got them to bend their rules.''


    Duke Raymond instantly realized that it seemed to be the former. Noel moved up the schedule to the point where the Moon Temple had no choice but to recognize it.


    As Noel said, he had made a decision to move up the schedule. And he used his sly nature to think of a way to take advantage of it and make that decision a good one.


    With this, no one could shove Anna''s spot as the main wife even if it was the princess.


    And there was one thing that Duke Raymond understood after learning about their marriage. There was only one thing that could anger Duke Lorelei.


    ''The fact that their marriage had been recognized meant that Anna Stargaze had be thedy of the family. Did the crown prince take action against thedy of the Ardagan family?


    ''Even if he were a crown prince, there was no way he could do that. His action would be scrutinized, and if he wasn''t punished, the nobles would definitelyin about this. We could shutmoners up, but nobles are different, let alone Noel Ardagan.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ Did he n this whole thing? He knew that the crown prince would be sent, so he moved up the schedule and set this trap where we have no choice but to recall the crown prince and punish him.


    ''They got us good¡­'' Duke Raymond gritted his teeth, realizing that they were defeated this time. He never thought that this young noble would be much harder to deal withpared to his father.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Noel couldn''t help but turn around and ask with a panicked expression. "What happened? What happened to my wife?"


    The soldier didn''t know what to say since it was an emergency message that was carried by pigeons. They didn''t have a lot of information in it. So, the soldier couldn''t only shake his head.


    "What did the crown prince do over there?" The king roared, never expecting that his n would be ruined. No, it could be said that his n actually backfired, considering he sent the crown prince to find out the truth.


    Noel clenched his hands into fists while turning back to the king, asking with a dark face. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I would like to ask if this is how you''re going to treat your loyal subject."


    "Earl¡­" The king waspletely astounded, never thinking that during the whole debate, he couldn''t get a single advantage from this young man. He thought he had prepared for everything, but he was wrong.


    "Was it because of my parents? I have forgotten all my past because I want the best for this kingdom. I was exiled to the Demon Banner Army. In there, I could see all the people seriously wanting to protect the kingdom from the demons. I, too, wish for it.


    "I fought against numerous demons and defeated a lot of the Supreme Devil Organization''s members. I even killed a total of three Devil Saints for the sake of this kingdom.


    "Yet, the only thing I received was humiliation after humiliation. Is this how you''re going to treat your subject, Your Majesty?" Noel asked out loud, his expression was dark as if he had been wronged his whole life.


    The nobles from all factions fell silent. No one could actually speak. Noel obviously knew what he was doing was weakening the royal family. But the royal family couldn''t admit that they were the ones creating the terrorist organization. Even if Noel spouted these lies, they couldn''t say anything back.


    For those who sided with Noel, this was actually a good time to push back. This was a dark chapter for the royal family. Once exposed, the royal family would lose a lot of trust from the citizens.


    Their words might not be heard by the popce.


    For those in the neutral faction, they could see that the only way to appease Noel was to either give him a promotion in rank or agree to the road building. Either way, it would benefit Noel the most. In the end, Noel would be a Marquis sooner orter.


    At the same time, they could finally see Noel''s skills in politics. With such a skill, surpassing his father would be an easy task.


    It gave them a favorable impression and persuaded some of them to join Noel''s side. However, they wondered what actually happened in his city. Was this staged?


    Obviously, the royal faction knew this was staged. They were aware that the king had sent the crown prince to take care of this.


    While the crown prince wasn''t as good as most nobles, he still saw a lot of politics and learned a lot. To think that he would still fall for the Ardagan family''s plot.


    Of course, if this matter spread, both Noel and the royal family would take a hit to their reputations. Anna''s name would be tarnished and the king would have no choice but to disown the crown prince while losing the trust of the citizens.


    However, the king knew the damage to the royal family was much bigger than Anna''s reputation. That was why he had no choice but to stop the rumor from spreading.


    The nobles in the hall were smart enough not to spread this matter. And even if one or two spread them, people wouldn''t really believe it¡­ if the Ardagan family didn''t say anything.


    That was why the only way to stop all this was to give Noel what he wanted.


    He had two options, either rank promotion or road building. If they built the road, the Ardagan family would be the wealthiest family once again. And this time, it might even surpass that title and be the top family in the world.


    But if he was given the title, it also meant that he had to expand his territory. Giving the territory south to him wouldn''t be possible. In other words, he could only give the demon territory to him.


    In other words, if Noel decided to expand, he would be able to get everything that this ce had.


    And with that size ofnd, Noel would definitely get a lot of new things and people. His original n, which was to circle Noel with the nobles of the royal faction, had been ruined because of this.


    However, there was one thing that Noel wanted. That was to reim the territory of his ancestors. That was right. He wanted to make the fallen territory his own. This was thest he could do for his ancestor.


    While he was at it, he also wanted to show that he could make a prosperous territory from it.


    The king gritted his teeth and had no choice but to dere, "Recall the crown prince to the capital city right now!"


    "Y-yes!" The soldier panicked and hurriedly escaped from the hall.


    The king then turned to Noel and said, "I have never thought that the crown prince would do such a thing to thedy of the Ardagan family. As the king and as a father, I apologize. I will definitely give you a satisfactory exnation.


    "To reward you for your action in repelling the demons and the Supreme Devil Organization, Earl Noel Ardagan shall be promoted to Marquis. His territory will be expanded two hundred kilometers to the north, which is currently within the demon territory. His reward will be increased to 150,000 gold coins, 30,000 demon crystals, and 15 treasures."


    This was what Noel had expected. By expanding his territory to the demon territory, it wouldn''t be weird if he asked for the Demon Banner Army to set up a base in that ce. In other words, they had to send one sword, one shield, and one utility squads to help him clear up this territory.


    In other words, he could actually get a bulk of Demon Crystals from the Demon Banner Army, which would be the fuel for all his rune technology.


    In addition, having a joint operation between his army and the Demon Banner Army would definitely be beneficial for his soldiers.


    And by bing a marquis, he could have more nobles and soldiers under hismand.


    This reward would definitely help him build his new territory.


    Noel didn''t say anything as he simply fell on his knees as a sign of epting the reward while showing his disappointment in the royal family''s action.


    The nobles thought this action was appropriate. However, most of them never imagined that the royal family, who had prepared for this battle, ended up getting extorted by Noel.


    In this debate, Noel won.

 Chapter 1030 Unexpected Encounter

    Chapter 1030 Unexpected Encounter


    ??"Congrattions, Marquis." Kevin smirked.


    "Don''t tease me." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Hahaha. I think you know this, but there is one thing that you need to know. No matter how you''re going to fight, don''t outshine them too much."


    "I know, Uncle. Currently, I am only a Spirit Grandmaster. They won''t be able to do anything to me for the time being. But it will change the moment I be a Spirit Transcendence Expert." Noel sighed.


    In his previous life, Noel didn''t know what caused the rebellion. But in this life, it seemed that he wouldn''t be able to avoid the confrontation no matter how he nned to avoid it.


    He never set his sights on the throne. While he believed he could be a good lord and had the power toy waste to hundreds if not millions of demons, he didn''t think he had the ability to be a king.


    That was why Noel nned to remain a noble, but he wanted to make sure that his territory prospered for hundreds if not thousands of years.


    "In that case, I don''t have anything to say anymore. Today, you are the star. There are a lot of eyes locked on you right now¡­" Kevin smirked, feeling the gaze of the nobles. It was clear that the moment he left Noel''s side, he would be surrounded by these nobles.


    "This will be a very long night. Uncle. Will you do me a favor? Please send a letter to Anna saying that I will be going home soon. I might not stop at your mansion tonight and immediately go back to my territory."


    "Don''t worry. I can understand that." Kevin patted Noel''s shoulders. "I''m truly proud of you. Please take care of my daughter."


    "Yes." Noel nodded with a smile.


    With that, Kevin walked away from Noel.


    In that instant, the nobles began toe toward Noel.


    "Congrattions, Marquis Noel Ardagan. I never thought that you would be a marquis this soon. You are just like your father, very talented."


    "Thank you, Earl Wilde." Noel nodded with a smile.


    "Ah, let me introduce you to her." The earl stepped to the side, showing his daughter.


    And Noel had to deal with at least fifteen nobles who tried to marry their daughters to him. However, Noel continued rejecting them.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    While it looked like he was arrogant, it was true that Anna was the only one who apanied him the whole time. So, it was natural for Anna to be the only person in his heart.


    However, Noel didn''t push them away so hard that they would turn into his enemies. Instead, he told them that it was possible for them to work together, especially regarding the road.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Obviously, they considered it positively. It shouldn''t take too long for Noel to be able to raise his Ardagan family from zero to the wealthiest family in the world, surpassing the reputation that his father had created.


    During the whole ceremony, Noel would always be captured by at least two or three nobles at a time. Even Noel felt a bit tired from dealing with all of them since he had to maintain his etiquette and image.


    Finally, after a long four hours, Noel escaped from the ceremony.


    "Ha¡­" Noel let out a long sigh while walking down the hallway. He was tired mentally since he had to repeat his words multiple times.


    Fortunately, he managed to gain some cooperation from the two nobles that he wanted to get the most. And with the Sword Arbiter helping him to persuade another two nobles, he should be able to expand the highway to at least a total of ten noble territories.


    "For now, I have to find people who are qualified to be nobles under me. At the very least, they should be loyal and clever." Noel looked down, thinking, ''Is there anyone like that in my territory? Or should I find people from outside my territory?''


    While he was on his thoughts, a figure appeared in the corner of his eyes as she also walked in the same hallway.


    Noel couldn''t help but be serious as the person before him was actually the same third princess that the king nned to marry.


    The third princess had long bluish silver hair. Her eyes were rather empty as though she were being controlled. At the same time, it was rather daring for a princess to walk without being guarded.


    In his memory, the third princess had little achievement under her belt. She didn''t know how to fight and had little to no experience in government matters.


    Yet, there were two things that shocked Noel. The first was the fact that he could feel the faint strength hidden in her body. It would be impossible for people who didn''t have enough strength to sense her ability.


    And the second one was her affection.


    Name: Wendy Ve Lenfenth


    Affection: Friendly (55/100)


    Description: Admire you and hope that she can work together with you.


    He had been using the Affection Medal to look at all the nobles and the king. The royal family and their faction hated him. Yet, he didn''t expect that the third princess would be friendly to him. The number was also quite high. He had never met her, so he couldn''t help but wonder where that number came from.


    "Congrattions, Marquis, for your promotion. The kingdom is blessed to have a noble like you." The third princess politely bowed to him as a greeting while lifting the hem of her skirt. However, her voice was rather monotone.


    "Thank you, Your Highness." Noel ced his hand on his chest while lowering his head.


    "I heard that my father wants me to marry you."


    "I apologize, Your Highness. I feel like I''m unworthy of your presence since I''m just a new noble."


    "If all the new nobles in the kingdom were as capable as you, our kingdom would have dominated the world." The third princess paused for a moment. "It is a pity¡­ I thought that I could work together with you."


    "Pardon?" Noel yed dumb, even though he had known about it from her affection.


    "Beware of the Third Prince. His strength is unfathomable."


    "I''m sorry? I don''t think I understand what you''re trying to say, Your Highness."


    "I am merely thinking about the kingdom. My life as the third princess is filled withparison to the mighty of the Third Prince. So, I can''t help but look into him. I might share it with you, Marquis.


    "His influence is not weaker than yours, Marquis. There are at least fifteen grandmasters under him. Even his strength is currently unknown.


    "After finding out about your background, I know that you are rted to him in one way or another. And it''s probably not a friendly rtionship.


    "You personally should have been aware of the connection between him and the royal family''s dogs. The very dogs that dare to bite the hands that feed them."


    "¡­" Noel was quite surprised by what he heard. Despite having such a hollow gaze, the third princess was actually much more resourceful than he originally thought. In fact, this might be her facade so that she could survive in the royal family.


    "I am disappointed that you chose to reject the marriage, but I can also understand your position. That''s why I want to ask you¡­ If you don''t wish to be my husband, would you like to be my sword? A sword that will cleanse this kingdom."


    "!!!" Noel raised his eyebrows. Her words made him think about the rebellion. Was he actually working under this person in his previous life?


    If that was the truth, their ultimate goal would be to eradicate the Supreme Devil Organization as well as the Third Prince before cing her on the throne.


    "I am nothing but a small noble. My hands are currently full with the development of my territory. I will just pretend that I didn''t hear any of this tonight, Your Highness." Noel shook his head.


    The third princess closed her eyes for a moment. "In that case, I wish you luck, Marquis. If you ever think that this kingdom is too dirty, you can always head to the southwest. There will be someone who will guide you to me."


    Noel politely bowed to her as she walked away. This was the first time he saw the princess.


    ''This is rather surprising. Now that I think about it, I haven''t learned much about the royal family. I only know about the king and the crown prince since they are a threat to me.


    ''It seems that I have to learn more about the royal family. I don''t really want to get into this trouble after what happened not long ago.''


    Noel sighed, still remembering how the previous throne war ended. At the same time, the third princess gave him rather interesting information.


    The Third Prince had always been the most mysterious faction in the kingdom. After being exiled, it was clear that he was trying to grow his influence and bide his time until he could retake the throne.


    But to think that he had fifteen grandmasters under hismand, even Noel didn''t know where he got those people.


    ''Now that I think about it, what if the rebellion didn''t start because the princess wanted to take the throne? What if it started to actually lure out the Third Prince? In the end, the one who would benefit the most from the rebellion was none other than the Third Prince.''


    Noel''s expression turned grim, realizing that the rebellion might not be as simple as he thought.


    Nevertheless, he had to hurry back to his territory. There were a lot of matters that required his attention.

 Chapter 1031 Visit

    Chapter 1031 Visit


    ??"Why do we have to change our direction?" A man in his mid-twenties clicked his tongue, annoyed by the driver.


    "We have got the news that the route ahead is blocked by the Ardagan family''s garrison. If we continue, we will be perceived as a threat," the driver replied hurriedly.


    "They dare? If they dare to hurt me, the crown prince, they will have to face the royal army."


    "Your Highness. I believe that we should head to that city. We''ve got information that the area around their main city is forbidden. In addition, the youngdy of the Stargaze family, who has be the one in charge of the family, is staying in that city.


    "If Your Highness recklessly enters their territory, it could be said that the royal family is abusing their power. So, I believe that we should go to Laivaen City instead." An old noble, who apanied the crown prince on this journey, suggested it with a calm expression.


    The crown prince frowned before saying, "Alright. We''ll go to Laivaen City."


    The old noble was a bit surprised that it was so easy to change the crown prince''s mind, who was supposed to be known as stubborn.


    Either way, they could still gain some information and even confirm the existence of those technologies.


    The moment they arrived in Laivaen City, they were stopped by the wall. The city was in the middle of reconstruction, so it was rather hard to enter the city. In fact, it had only been opened recently because of the new immigration n.


    "You are in the presence of the Crown Prince. Open the gate!" The driver shouted while taking out the insignia that symbolized the royal family.


    "This¡­" The soldiers were confused. If it were a normal noble, they would just make a quick inspection and let them inside. But the opponent was the royal family, they didn''t know what to do.


    If they opened it so quickly, Anna might get angry at them and tell the Lord about it.


    "You''re in the presence of the Crown Prince. Are you going to rebel?" The driver repeated himself while ring at the soldiers.


    However, the captain of the city garrison came out, saying, "My apologies. I am the one in charge of this city''s defense, Hansen. We have notified the one in charge of this city, so please wait for a moment. It appears that she will personallye to the gate."


    The gate turned tranquil once again when Anna was mentioned.


    The old noble couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. In his perspective, Noel was the one who did all the nning and negotiation. Even when she worked as administrative staff, Anna wasn''t that good of a politician.


    So, there shouldn''t be much of a problem dealing with her. Even then, since she personally nned toe, it wouldn''t be good if they rushed in.


    It didn''t take too long for the gate to be opened, revealing Anna and a few soldiers waiting on their horses.


    Anna soon jumped off her horse and politely greeted them. "The one temporarily in charge of the Ardagan family, Anna Stargaze, greets Your Highness, the crown prince."


    The crown prince and the old noble came out of the carriage.


    The crown prince couldn''t help but look dumbfounded when seeing the change in Anna. If one talked about her, it would be her cold face and harsh treatment of those around her.


    Even if she greeted him, it would be the same. That was why the crown prince was stunned to see that her expression had mellowed greatly. There was a bright, feminine smile on her face.


    The difference was simply too big. If he had to describe the previous Anna, it would be the cold flower on the edge of a cliff standing proudly even in the winter. But if he looked at her right now, the spring had arrived and the cliff was filled with green grass and warm sunlight.


    Realizing that the crown prince was mesmerized by her, the old noble tried to cover him by replying to the greeting. "We are thankful for the wee, Young Lady Anna."


    "Ahem!" The crown prince snapped back and hurriedly tried to regain hisposure. He coughed a few times before saying, "I am honored to have you wee me personally."


    "Thank you for your words." Anna took a step back before extending her hand to the city. "Pleasee in. I shall lead you to the city."


    "Please."


    Anna then jumped back to the top of her horse and immediately led them to the center of the city.


    While they were at it, the crown prince tried to talk about everything in order to have a conversation with her.


    Anna obviously exined everything while leaving several important details. The old noble was shocked by the advanced technology that the Ardagan family possessed and knew that they had to find a way to procure it.


    On the other hand, the crown prince didn''t care much about it as talking to Anna was much more important.


    Anna couldn''t help but recall everything she knew about the royal family.


    ''In his previous life, the crown prince himself was not really that good with politics. However, the second born and third born children are princesses, and the fourth prince is still too young. That''s why the king has no choice but to give the throne to the crown prince.


    ''That''s why the crown prince is often apanied by an old noble whenever he goes around to take care of his problem.


    ''Looking at his expression, it''s clear that this old man is interested in rune technology. It seems that I can ask the mayor to distract him for a moment.


    ''And this crown prince¡­ does he not have any self-restraint? He can''t even hide his intention¡­ For someone like the crown prince, he should have seen a lot of beautiful people. While I consider myself beautiful, I don''t think I''m the most beautiful in the kingdom, so I don''t really understand his obsession. Either way, it''s going to be useful in dealing some damage to the royal family.


    ''Now that I think about it, if the crown prince falls from grace, will the fourth prince be the sessor? The second princess is quite good in politics, but she is not really favored because of her gender in this kingdom. The third princess iscking in achievement, so I don''t have much memory of her.


    ''The Third Prince has be a constant threat to the throne, so I don''t know much about those princes and princesses. In that case, I should hit him lightly¡­ After all, Noel told me that the main reason we used the crown prince was not to extort the royal family but to stop anyone who tried to marry their daughter to Noel, including the princesses.''This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna thought while calcting her ns. She had to be swift for this since she didn''t want to entertain this crown prince for more than two days.


    Suddenly, a soldier rushed toward her, bringing certain news.


    The soldier whispered it into her ears as if it were something important. Obviously, this action didn''t escape the old noble''s eyes.


    Anna''s expression turned serious as she said, "Alright. You can go first. I will have to entertain our guests. I will catch up as soon as possible."


    "Yes." The soldier then rushed back to his position.


    "What''s wrong, Miss Anna?" The crown prince asked.


    "It''s¡­ nothing." Anna looked hesitant as if it were a very important task.


    "Please don''t hesitate to say it. I don''t mind waiting a little bit." The crown prince portrayed himself as a magnanimous person.


    "This¡­" Anna looked down before saying with an embarrassed tone, "Our trailer is about to leave. Since it''s still in the testing phase, I have to go there to supervise the entire process."


    "!!!" The old noble widened his eyes as he turned to the crown prince, gesturing to him to actually use it as an invitation. This would be a good time to check out that new trailer that the spy was talking about.


    The crown prince, however, didn''t care much about the trailer. As long as it meant he could be together longer, he would do it.


    "In that case, I don''t mind if we go there¡­ Of course, if it''s not a problem for you to show me such a thing." The crown prince gave a smug smile.


    A big smile appeared on Anna''s face, captivating the crown prince. She even bowed much lower as if showing her deep gratitude. "Thank you so much. Thank you."


    This boosted the crown prince''s ego, not realizing that he had fallen into her trap.


    She immediately led the group to the north gate so that they could watch the trailer leaving this city.


    There were also a lot of people. Even after departing several times, there were still a lot of people who were interested in seeing it.


    However, those who wanted to watch would have to go to the wall while the workers were the only ones allowed to watch it up-close.


    Since the guest this time was the crown prince, of course, he would be one of those qualified people.


    "This is¡­" The old noble widened his eyes in shock, looking at the sheer size of the vehicle. He never thought that he would see such a behemoth capable of bringing so many goods.


    Even the crown prince had his attention captured for a moment. Compared to this trailer, his carriage was simply too small. What if he used this as his carriage? Wouldn''t it make him look majestic?


    Anna took a glimpse of their reaction and couldn''t help but smile evilly, thinking, ''The fish has taken the bait.''

 Chapter 1032 Pressure

    After making sure nothing went wrong, Anna finally led the group to the mayor''s office.


    On the way, the noble couldn''t help but look down, contemting this new invention.


    ''This is too ridiculous. They can actually bring so many materials at the same time? No. I don''t think that''s a reason for us to worry about it.


    ''What if the Earl ns to use them as a way to attack us? Those carriages can transport hundreds if not thousands of people at once, including horses. If he used it to bring his people, he couldunch an invasion much faster and more terrifying than what people could imagine.


    ''In addition, what if he actually used that to ram the city''s wall? The Earl is known to have the runes that could reinforce its defense, right? That''s probably why the Zaecuria Kingdom worked together with him. They wanted that enhancement rune to actually destroy the wall¡­


    ''This will be even more troublesome because this invention can carry numerous explosives, resources, or materials. Once this thing enters the city and explodes, the destruction is unimaginable.


    ''Even if it stays outside, it can keep bringing resources for hundreds of thousands of people. This will be extremely useful for a siege.


    ''And more importantly, there is a chance for a new type of war. He can actually split his troops into two, one siege and one plunder. The siege army will stop the city while the plundering army will get all the resources that the territory has, either their natural resources or the materials they can plunder from viges or other cities.


    ''During a territorial war, people usually focus on defeating the lord of that territory, but what if he doesn''t intend to take down the lord in that territory? Instead, he just wants to prolong the war so that he could get all the resources?''


    The old noble couldn''t believe what he was thinking. That was how much of an impact the new invention had.


    It was clear that, if they let it be, this new invention would definitely dominate the entire kingdom.


    The old noble gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated. ''What can I actually do to stop this? Should I destroy this new invention? But it''s going to be hard to do it without getting any suspicion.


    ''In addition, we don''t know how long they need to actually manufacture this new invention. If it doesn''t take too long, it will be useless.


    ''And there will be a lot of lords interested in it. In that case, we have to acquire it¡­ Studying it and learning how strong it can be will benefit us in the long run. And by using my authority, I can force them to allow me get one for inspection to ensure the safety of themon people.''


    "What''s wrong?" The crown prince asked, noticing the grim expression that his adviser had.


    The old noble didn''t reply to him immediately. "Things are not looking good, Your Highness. The invention is too dangerous. Destroying it might not be possible for now, but if we can acquire it and study it¡­ we can halt the Ardagan family''s progress."


    The crown prince squinted his eyes. "So¡­"


    "Yes." The noble nodded. "We have to force Anna Stargaze to hand it to us."


    The crown prince thought for a moment. "Alright. We will do it."


    The noble felt relieved. They still believed that Anna wasn''t an elite in politics from all the past experience they had with her. So, this shouldn''t be too hard to do.


    Now that they had sealed Noel in the capital city, they could definitely defeat Anna.


    As soon as they reached the mayor''s office, the mayor stood up and said, "The Mayor of Laivaen City greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."


    "Mhmm." The crown prince nodded with a nonchnt expression.


    Anna sat down next to the mayor, while the crown prince was apanied by the old noble.


    "Your Highness. Please allow me to speak." The old noble lowered his head.


    "You may."


    "Thank you, Your Highness." The old noble then turned to Anna. "Young Lady Anna. As the representative of the Ardagan family, how sure are you that the inventions won''t cause any harm to themon people?"


    Anna''s expression turned serious. This kind of change right at the bat was a signal for the old noble to confirm that Anna was reallycking in experience. A good politician wouldn''t change their expression so easily when presented with a matter. They would have to maintain their poker face so that they didn''t get attacked. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Anna said, "The inventions are very safe and more convenient. This city has used it for a couple of months, and there have been no incidents so far. Besides, it''s based on the improved version of the Spirit Enchantment. I don''t think you should worry, Earl Jean."


    "Yes. There have been no incidents so far." The mayor confirmed it without hesitation and added, "Also, the cost of operating it is very low."


    "What if it''s destroyed or something? Won''t it cause the device to malfunction?"


    "Not at all. Our cksmith has put safety into consideration. For example, the automatic well has been equipped with at least two safety features. Even if the rod is split into two, it can still be retrieved and reced.


    "At the end of the day, their fuel is the Demon Crystals. The Demon Crystals will run out of power sooner orter," the mayor exined carefully.


    "Then, what about that scaffolding that brings you to the top of the wall?"


    "It''s much safer than stairs or the normal scaffolding for workers and citizens. That''s the reason we''re using a cage shape as the tform. This way, even if you''re drunk, you still won''t fall down. Even the children can use it."


    Earl Jean didn''t n to lose, so he added one more example that was the most dangerous among them. "What about that automatic carriage? If they drive it at high speed, it will definitely kill people."


    "That''s where you are wrong, Earl Jean." Anna shook her head. "A normal carriage is much more dangerous than our automatic carriage. After all, no matter how trained the horses are, they are still unpredictable when presented with weird things. The horses could easily go berserk and no one will be able to stop the incident.


    "On the other hand, our automatic carriage only requires the demon crystals to operate. This is much safer than a horse. There is always a brake that can stop this automatic carriage."


    Earl Jean raised his finger. "No. You don''t understand, Young Lady Anna. We have to count the human''s error in this scenario. What if the human actually falls off the carriage? What if humans drive it toward buildings? Nothing can stop it."


    Anna bit her lips, looking frustrated. She asked, "Then, the same can apply to the horses."


    "That can''t bepared at all. We might not be able to understand horses, but they still have brains. They won''t go to the building, no matter how foolish they are." Earl Jean was happy inwardly. The more frustrated Anna is, the easier it is to win this argument.


    The mayor noticed what was happening and remembered the instructions Anna had given him prior to this. He suddenly interjected, saying, "I apologize, Earl Jean. There is one thing that you forget about this.


    "The carriage itself is still in the experimental stage. ording to the Kingdom Law, Chapter 27, Number 2, anything that is in the experimental stage doesn''t require testing yet." The mayor stopped him.


    "And you''re risking people''s lives with these so-called experiments. Are you going to break thew?"


    "We are not breaking anyws. Just like the Tower Association, we are conducting a social technology experiment. If this is illegal or breaks anyws, then it also means that you have to prosecute the entire Tower Association with it." The mayor shook his head.


    Elder Jean realized that the mayor was actually much harder to deal with. If this continues, the mayor might be able to stop him from procuring it. Hence, he might have to drag this mayor outside.


    Even though the crown prince had to deal with Anna personally, he had confirmed that Anna wasn''t a good politician. The crown prince should have no problem forcing her to give them the invention.


    All he had to do was buy time from this mayor.


    "I am merely worried about the people. And take your invention that is located outside your city as an example. What if that kind of behemoth rammed its giant body into the city? It will cause massive destruction, and the casualties will be insanely high.


    "I, by no means, intend to question or use the Ardagan family for breaking thew. It''s just I have to ensure that this is safe¡­ not as Earl Jean, but as a minister. Since the mayor has used the new technology for a few months, I''d like to learn a lot of things from your experience with this new technology. I wonder if you have the time for it?"


    "I¡­" The mayor looked hesitant before shaking his head. "As someone who has experienced the new invention, I''m more than happy to share my experience. However, I believe that if you want to know whether it''s safe or not, you should discuss it with the creator of this technology."


    The mayor was trying to imply that they should stay here so that he could still help Anna in the negotiation.


    However, Earl Jean simply stated, "Of course, I''m going to discuss it with the inventor of the runes themselves, Earl Noel Ardagan. It''s just¡­ I want to know about your experience first."


    The mayor frowned and nced at Anna. It looked like she was being pressured as well. After a moment, she ended up nodding her head, giving him permission.


    "I understand. In that case, it would be better to talk about it in another room." The mayor nodded reluctantly.


    Earl Jean thought he had won the battle. With this, the crown prince simply had to deal with the finishing blow.


    Without hesitation, Earl Jean stood up and extended his hand. "Please."


    The mayor walked out of the room, followed by Earl Jean. The office had one room on the right and another room on the left.


    The mayor actually led Earl Jean to the room on its left. "Please follow me."


    It was just an empty room that looked like an office, probably for his subordinate or something. Since it was empty they could use it for their meeting.


    Unbeknownst to Earl Jean, leaving the crown prince alone was the biggest mistake he could ever make in this city.


    After all, inside the room on the right, Duke Lorelei was actually sitting on it as if waiting for something.

 Chapter 1033 Traps

    Chapter 1033 Traps


    ??Anna and the crown prince looked into each other''s eyes, both having the same intention. They nned to crush the person in front of them.


    "To think that the crown prince woulde to this humble ce personally¡­" Anna''s expression became cold. "If you still think about me, then I will tell you again and again. It''s impossible."


    The crown prince''s eyebrows twitched. He said, "Do you think Noel Ardagan is so great? Even if he is talented, he still can''t bepared to the royal family. You should remember that the royal family once executed his parents because of you, Anna Stargaze. No matter how you''re going to twist it, you''ll always be the murderer of his parents."


    Anna remained calm. She had learned that Noel''s parents were still alive. While it didn''t erase her past, she could finally move forward.


    She raised her head and said, "Yet Noel forgives me. That''s why, from now on, my only wish is to stay by his side, protecting this ce for him."


    "Do you think you can protect it?" The crown prince smirked. "With a single word from me, I can make the Ardagan family once again destroyed. Noel Ardagan, for the sake of his parents, raises an army to rebel. Do you know what will happen next?


    "The marshal and a hundred thousand of the royal army will being toward this ce. Even all the nobles who want a piece of this territory will join."


    "You¡­" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "It seems that you have forgotten about the basics. Don''t outshine the Lord you serve." The crown prince''s expression turned dark. "Your new invention? They are weapons of war. If you use it and strike the royal capital, people can imagine the destruction it will cause."


    "That''s all a lie! You''re using us! Noel never has an intention to betray the kingdom. If he had that thought, he would have gone to another kingdom instead of remaining here." Anna stood up.


    "That''s for people to decide." The crown prince snorted. It was clear that the royal family could easily make people think about what they wanted. Rumors were easily spread, especially when the inquisitor worked in the dark.


    The moment Noel was branded as a rebel, the royal family wouldn''t spare any efforts in destroying the Ardagan family and seizing their new technology.


    "You¡­" Anna clenched her fists.


    "If you don''t want that to happen¡­ sit down first." The crown prince had a smug smile on his face.


    Anna looked unwilling, but she ended up sitting down as if she had no other choice. With a distorted face, she said, "What do you want?"


    "Now, we''re talking." The crown prince smiled as he suddenly stood up so that he could sit next to Anna.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Crown Prince, please respect yourself." Anna moved to the edge of the couch after raising her voice.


    "So, do you want the royal army to tten this ce?"


    Anna suddenly stood up and shouted, "Are you threatening me? We haven''t done anything wrong. We have even repelled those demons and the Supreme Devil Organization. And you want me to abandon Noel? I would rather die!"


    The crown prince was startled. He stood up, approached her, and said, "I''m merely granting you this opportunity. If you¡ª"


    Before the crown prince could say another word, the door was mmed open. Earl Jean should have stopped the mayor from doing anything, so there was no way the mayor coulde to this room.


    And because of their position, the crown prince could clearly see who was actuallying to this room.


    "What is happening here?" The deep voice of Duke Lorelei echoed inside the room.


    "Duke Lorelei¡­ Is this really how the royal family treats their loyal subjects? Me and my husband have protected the kingdom from such a huge threat. But the crown prince wants to sexually assault me, thedy of the Ardagan family. This is the biggest insult to my Ardagan family."


    "What?" Duke Lorelei''s body shuddered. He had already known about the crown prince''s obsession, but this was the first time he heard about Anna iming to be thedy of the Ardagan family.


    After all, ording to his knowledge, she was still his fiancee, and the ceremony would still be eight or nine months away.


    If Anna was lying, this was a bold usation. But if Anna was telling the truth, the crown prince was in the wrong even if they ignored the treatment of the royal family.


    "Thedy of the Ardagan family? You¡­" Duke Lorelei looked at Anna, realizing the trap that she had set up.


    She first asked him to wait inside the room next to her so that when she raised her voice, he would definitelye.


    The second trap would be the way she intended to use the identity of thedy.


    "Are you really¡­" Duke Lorelei suddenly remembered that Anna came to this city with the saintess. There was indeed one way for her to be identified as thedy of the Ardagan family.


    While political marriages weremon and it wouldn''t be weird for the monarch to have several mistresses, stealing someone''s wife was frowned upon morally and ethically, especially if it involved a noble.


    As the oldest arbiter, he had seen at least three monarchs and learned a lot about history. It wasn''t that strange for a monarch to have their downfall for a woman, their greed, or be a tyrant.


    "If you don''t believe me, we can go to the Moon Temple right now." Anna''s expression turned grim.


    "You''re lying! I have never said anything like that!" The crown prince red at her.


    However, it didn''t really matter. The moment the duke came here, there was only one course of action for all of them.


    With a dark face, Duke Lorelei said, "We shall go to the Moon Temple right now."


    "Duke Lorelei!"


    "It''s in your best interest to follow me, Your Highness. Even if it''s His Majesty himself, he will definitely listen to my suggestion." Duke Lorelei red at him, making the crown prince shudder.


    The moment they came out of the room, Duke Lorelei saw the mayor and Earl Jeaning out of the room next door. In that instant, he realized that Earl Jean had fallen for their trick.


    No matter how impartial he was, he had no other option but to seek the truth from the Moon Temple. The biggest mistake they had made was not pressuring her oring to this ce, it was the fact that Old Jean left the crown prince and Anna alone inside the room.


    Old Jean didn''t expect this to happen, thinking Anna was just an easy opponent. But it turned out, Anna wanted to make him think of her that way so that he would lower his guard.


    Obviously, these five people gathered quite a lot of attention when they were storming the Moon Temple''s branch.


    "May I know the reason for your visit?" Pdin Lloyd stopped them with a grim expression.


    "We wish to meet the Saintess. It is a very important matter."


    "I am here, Duke Lorelei." La suddenly came out as if she had heard his voice from the very start.


    "Saintess. I''d like to write down aint." Anna lowered her head.


    "Aint?" La fell silent as the atmosphere became grim.


    Duke Lorelei noticed what Anna was about to say and immediately stopped her, asking, "I apologize for this sudden request, but may I know if the Moon Temple is responsible for the marriage between two individuals: Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze?"


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. Duke Lorelei had just stopped her from making this matter worse for the crown prince. As expected of Duke Lorelei, who was known to be just. Even if they had gained his cooperation, he would still try to solve the situation without harming the kingdom.


    La frowned before saying, "That''s correct. The marriage certificate has been registered in the Moon Temple and has been acknowledged by the government. In the eyes of the Moon Goddess, they have be a pair of husband and wife. Lloyd, please bring the certificate to me."


    "Yes, Saintess." Lloyd politely bowed and entered the temple.


    Duke Lorelei pinched the bridge of his nose. It was a checkmate.


    Lloyd returned in just a minute, giving her the certificate.


    "Please check this, Duke Lorelei. The marriage certificate was issued three weeks ago. We were unable to form this marriage certificate previously, but because the marriage ceremony is scheduled in another two months, we can release it now since the ceremony is within three months," La exined, showing that they were working in a legitimate way. She even created a barrier around the certificate so that no one could destroy it. Duke Lorelei was strong after all, it wasn''t weird for her to take such a precaution.


    And more importantly, the certificate had been issued for three weeks. Noel and Anna actually used the fact that their city was isted to hide this fact.


    "This is impossible." Earl Jean gasped, realizing what had happened.


    The crown prince looked at Anna as if he couldn''t believe what he witnessed. Although it was for a moment, Anna actually smiled at him as if everything went ording to n.


    Earlier, Anna said that she and Noel never had the intention to rebel. But the crown prince told her that what mattered was what people thought.


    And she showed him exactly that. No matter how they were going to twist it, Anna could always im that the crown prince tried to put his hand on her.


    The moment Duke Lorelei appeared in the scene, their fate had been sealed.


    With this, she could legally file aint through the Moon Temple. And Duke Lorelei had no choice but to do the same so that the royal family recalled the crown prince or the damage would be much harder to deal with.


    In any case, the only people who witnessed it were the seven people in front of the temple.


    As long as they kept quiet, the rumor wouldn''t start. Even Noel didn''t want Anna to have the image of being assaulted by another person even if it was not true.


    Still, all this wouldn''t have happened if they didn''t actually leave Anna and the crown prince inside.


    "Is there something happening?" La asked with an ignorant tone.


    Duke Lorelei turned to Anna and said, "Lady Anna¡­ Do you mind if I handle this situation peacefully?"


    Anna could see that Old Jean was restraining the crown prince so that he didn''t make a scene. Satisfied, Anna nodded her head and said, "In that case, I will enter the Moon Temple."


    Her point was clear. She would definitely make aint without making this situation bigger than this out of respect for the duke. If Duke Lorelei didn''t do the same, it would be clear that he still sided with the royal family instead of being impartial.


    In fact, this n could only be executed because he was impartial. Even if he wasn''t impartial, Noel could use that excuse to prevent Duke Lorelei from entering the main city and making the purchase of rune technology. There was no way Duke Lorelei would sacrifice everything he had so far.


    So, he nned to control the damage by being as impartial as possible.


    Duke Lorelei sighed while thinking, ''I''m definitely going to retire after this. I don''t want to meddle with politics anymore. It''s exhausting.''

 Chapter 1034 Return

    The soldiers were gathering on the top of the wall, watching out for visitors or demons.


    "We have gotten a lot of visitors in the past few weeks¡­" Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah. But the crown prince was only here for less than a day."


    "Shhh¡­ Don''t say anything about the crown prince. It was said that the crown prince visited the Moon Temple for some reason and that was thest thing he visited before leaving."


    "Either way, our city sure has be popr. The walls have been repaired and the living condition has improved drastically."


    "That''s right. Even my wife has been smiling continuously in the past few weeks. I never thought that when the young Earl took over this area, all this dream could happen."


    "That''s true. I thought I would be rotting here until I died fighting against the demon in the near future."


    "I''m d that the Earl is a good lord. He makes me want to serve him even more."


    "The only way we can pay him back is by keeping this city safe."


    The soldiers were chatting before they heard a shouting from the side. "There is a figureing toward here."


    "!!!" The soldiers were startled as they immediately went to the edge of the wall to check it. There was indeed a figureing into the wall at high speed.


    "Not good. Get ready."


    "The gate is closed. He might try to climb the wall."


    The soldiers gathered while raising their swords or spears, ready to take on this figure.


    This person moved so fast that they didn''t manage to take a look at his face. But it all changed when this person climbed the wall.


    "Hoop¡­" He exhaled his breath, finding himself surrounded by the soldiers who were pointing their weapons at him.


    "Who are¡ª" One of them shouted to identify the intruder, but he abruptly stopped when he saw the person''s face.


    Even the other soldiers dropped their weapons subconsciously.


    They all couldn''t help but drop to their knees while shouting, "My Lord."


    "Oh. You guys have a good reaction time. To think you manage to surround me first before I reach the wall." Noel smirked.


    The soldiers panicked, never thinking that they had actually pointed their weapons at their lord.


    But before the situation became even worse, Noel said, "It''s fine. You guys are just doing your job. So, is my wife¡­ I mean, is thedy here?"


    "Y-yes!" They all answered, nodding their heads furiously.


    "That''s good. Well, you guys can continue working. And¡­ don''t tell anyone about mying back yet. I want to surprise them." Noel winked his right eye yfully to ease their mood.


    "Y-yes!"


    Noel waved his hand with a smile and just jumped off the city wall. The people couldn''t help but gasp, not knowing what to do.


    On the other hand, Noel was jumping from one roof to another, wanting to meet Anna as quickly as possible.


    But the moment he was about to reach the mansion, a figure suddenly leaped out of the mansion as if sensing his presence.


    "You better stop!" The man raised his sword before noticing who had juste back. "Ah!"


    "Oh! Duke. It''s been a while." Noel smiled wryly. He had definitely asked the Duke to take care of Anna, but he couldn''t surprise her because of him.


    After all, the moment he made a move, Anna immediately came out to check what was going on.


    "Noel?!" Anna gasped, not expecting Noel toe back this way.


    Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I''m back."


    "Wee back." Anna leaped and hugged him tightly.


    Duke Lorelei rolled his eyes while saying, "I will leave you two lovebirds alone."


    "Duke. I know that you don''t really like the arrangement and other things, but I will talk to youter. And I have to finish a few things here, so we can probably go to the main city in three days."


    Duke Lorelei didn''t look back. He simply waved his hand and jumped off the mansion.


    Noel smiled awkwardly before hugging Anna back. "Yep, I''m back. Sorry for making you do all this. Your reputation is almost ruined because of this arrangement."


    "It''s fine. In my previous life, my reputation has reached rock bottom. So, I don''t really care about it anymore. As long as it can help you, I don''t need that reputation." Anna shook her head. "Besides, it''s not like it''s true. All I did was be in the same room for a moment and¡­ checkmate."


    "Even so, I feel bad about it. In the capital city, a lot of nobles were introducing their daughters to me and the king almost married the princess to me¡­ It felt ufortable. So, I could understand how you feel too."


    "Hehe. Doesn''t that mean you''re not going to get a mistress in the future?" Anna grinned yfully.


    "Well¡­ I haven''t told you about this, right?" Noel hesitated for a moment. "Ardagan''s bloodline has a limitation. Because of our special bloodline, we can only produce a single heir."


    "What? Ardagan has such a curse?" Anna widened her eyes in shock.


    "Well, you can call it a curse, but for me, it''s kind of a blessing." Noel scratched the back of his head.


    "A blessing?" Anna tilted her head in confusion, not understanding Noel''s way of thinking.


    "Yes. Because of this limitation, I can fully dedicate myself to a single person, you. And even in the future, our child doesn''t need to dirty their hands with their siblings'' blood. That''s why for me, it''s a blessing."


    Anna couldn''t help but smile when she heard it.


    "Besides, I have made sure that I don''t drink. I don''t want to make a decision that I ever regret after all." Noel smiled, indirectly implying that if he was drunk and ever did it with someone else, it would be a huge problem for them.


    "I see." Anna nodded. "Let''s go inside. You must be tired from the journey."


    "I was inside the carriage most of the time though."


    "Hahaha. It must be very boring."


    "Yeah. And also, I met your father. It appeared that he wanted to call your brother back to let him seed the house," Noel exined.


    "Really?" Anna looked up, recalling all the memories she had with her brother. "It was truly unfair to him. Even in my past life, my brother couldn''t really go back. I heard that he was married to a woman he knew in the military, along with two more women from political marriages.


    "In my previous life, I was so uncontroble that he might be in danger if he went back, so I guess Father had no intention to call him back to protect him.


    "In this life, I was so bright that I was seen to be his sessor. But because I''m with you now, it''s a relief for him too. If you are any less than what you''re today, people from the family will definitely object to this marriage or at least force you to marry into the Stargaze family instead of me bing the sessor of the family.


    "But because you are like this, no one can object to our marriage. With me leaving the family, Father can finally call my brother back. It''s truly unfair for my brother. Even my memory of him is pretty limited because he was sent to the border when I was young.


    "I wonder if it''s possible for me to repay him back¡­" Anna looked down.


    Noel smiled. "Don''t you worry about it. I''m thinking about stretching our highway into your family''s territory. And this is a perfect chance for him to get used to the politics and learn how to negotiate, considering there are a few nobles between our territories."


    "Ah!" Anna nodded furiously. "That''s true."


    "Mhmm¡­ I know you have a lot of regrets from your previous life. I want to help you fix all of them."


    Anna chuckled. "Thank you. But I''m nning to do the same. Now that I think about it, I wonder what regret you had in your previous life."


    "I don''t know how many regrets I had in my previous life, but I believe that I have fixed the biggest regret."


    "The biggest regret? What is that?"


    "In our previous lives, I was doing all I could to fix you, right? I did everything in order to change our fate¡­"


    "Ah!" Anna seemed to havee to a realization. "Don''t tell me, the biggest regret was¡­"


    "Exactly." Noel had a big smile on his face as he didn''t hesitate to say, "My biggest regret in that life must be the fact that I couldn''t have you when I loved you so hard¡­ No, should I say that my biggest regret was that I couldn''t say ''I love you'' when I fell so hard for you?


    "No, no. It must be where I have to pretend to not have you in my heart even though I yearn for the time when you can be by my side."


    Anna''s cheek reddened as she couldn''t help but press her lips onto him while saying, "You''re such a smooth talker. Now that we have the marriage certificate, should I try to call you something else?" Anna had a cheeky smile on her face before her expression turned innocent yet affectionate before she spoke with a seductive voice. "Dear¡­"


    Noel''s body shuddered. It felt like all the reasons in his mind had disappeared as Noel simply lifted her up and carried her inside the mansion.


    To their surprise, they actually met the mayor after entering the mansion with a mountain of papers in his arms.


    "My¡­ My lord¡­" The mayor was startled, making Anna embarrassed. Anna said, "Someone is looking. Put me down."


    Noel ignored her and simply said, "Give all the reports tomorrow. Today, I''m going to rest after my long journey. No need for the maids, thedy said she''s going to take care of me personally."


    Without hesitation, Noel walked past him. The mayor couldn''t help but smile, saying, "Yes, sir."

 Chapter 1035 Report

    Chapter 1035 Report


    ??"Ha¡­" Duke Lorelei let out a long sigh, looking at Noel and Anna. "To think that you would do something like that¡­ Do you know my current position right now?"


    "Of course." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "You will look like you''re on our side instead of maintaining your neutrality. However, it doesn''t change the fact that the reason is that they left the crown prince and Anna alone in that room."


    Duke Lorelei sighed. With that kind of justification, it should be enough to exin it to the king. But it didn''t change the fact that the situation became tense.


    Duke Lorelei asked, "So, what are you going to do from now on? I''m going to let this slide, but I hope that there won''t be a day where I have to cut you down with my own hands."


    "I''ll listen to your warnings." Noel raised one finger. "Of course, I have prepared somepensation. First of all, we will be extending the highway to the ce you want. In addition, I''m thinking about creating a container truck for you."


    "A container truck?"


    "Yes. They already have official names. The long trailer is called a train, and it''s divided into passenger, cargo, and hybrid types. Because of their mechanism, we''re thinking about creating a station outside the wall that can actually lead people directly into the town.


    "Of course, the legal process for each city will vary depending on their mayor or lord. The train is very long, so it''s hard to turn, forcing us to make the road as straight as possible. This way, it can also decrease the travel time. I will ask my people to build up the road n for this train.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "In addition to the water storage that I promised you, I''m thinking about adding two Container Trucks for you. This container truck is two times bigger than a normal wagon, but with the help of the rune, it should have no problem bringing eight to ten tons of goods at once.


    "And because they are smaller, they can move easier than the train, meaning it will be very useful for transporting goods between two neighboring cities or the nearby viges.


    "Well, we''re nning to create more variations like a smaller truck that can actually pass through rough terrain for a vige that is hard to reach or used inside the city and a family carriage that can be used by nobles or evenmon families. Nevertheless, you will need to visit our main city to know about it."


    Duke Lorelei looked down, contemting. "If what you said could be realized, I could imagine a civilization like none other. In addition, if themon families can actually move around that much, it will be a dream for themoners. After all, most people never leave their city or vige because of ack of mobility."


    "Yes. I hope that you are satisfied with thispensation."


    Duke Lorelei let out a long sigh. "Are you sure I can order things from you when visiting the main city?"


    "Yes. But that task will be left to the Runegard Company."


    "I see. Apany¡­ You definitely know how to utilize the loophole in the rule."


    "My father has shown it to me directly." Noel smiled. "Besides, I want to be a good citizen. By using thepany, it means that I will have to pay taxes to the kingdom. To build the kingdom better, I''m more than willing to contribute."


    Duke Lorelei scratched the back of his head. "Alright. I''m sure you''re busy, so I will wait until you''re ready to return to the main city."


    "Thank you." Noel smiled.


    Noel left with the duke, only to find the saintess visiting him.


    "Oh my, to think I would be meeting you here." The saintess smiled.


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. It was clear that the saintess''s hearing was much better because of theck of her vision, so there was no coincidence for them to meet here.


    "Well, I will excuse myself." Duke Lorelei shrugged, knowing what the saintess wanted.


    "I will see the Duke off." Anna nodded, telling Noel that he could deal with the saintess.


    As soon as both of them left, Noel opened the door while asking, "How abouting first?"


    "Sounds good." La smiled shamelessly. She easily sat down as though she could feel the entire room. "No need for tea or anything, I will just be brief here."


    "In that case, I will start here. Thank you for helping us."


    "There''s no need to thank me. I''m merely reminding them of the authority that the temple has."


    Noel nodded in understanding, so he simply said, "In addition to the new headquarters, I''m nning to give you four container trucks. I believe you''ve heard about it from Anna."


    "Certainly. To be honest, Container Trucks are much more convenient for us."


    "Unfortunately, we can only give you the Reducing Impact Rune and the Spiritual Barrier Rune. At the end of the day, the Rune and Spirit Enchantment are the same, so we can''t really tantly produce weapons."


    "So, that''s why you increased the number to four?"


    "Yes. If you still wish for more, I don''t mind if you make an orderter."


    "Oh my, you''re not going to sponsor us?"


    "The Runegard will definitely open up for the charity section, but not now."


    The room fell silent for a moment before La asked, "How about the train?"


    "It doesn''t have any change right now. We''re nning to build a road and use it. Unfortunately, I can''t give you a discount for this one. You should know that being able to use it alone is already a privilege at the current time."


    "¡­" La contemted. "Alright. I''m satisfied with it. Still, the only problem is how to convince the lords where our branches are located¡­ And the other two headquarters of my Moon Temple are located in the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "I''m currently a Marquis. My territory has been expanded to the north, so the Greenwood Kingdom shouldn''t be much of a problem right now. But when they start to meddle, there might be some taxes and other feester on the border. As for the road around the Greenwood Kingdom¡­ I don''t think that''s a problem, right?"


    "We have indeed had a certain influence in the Greenwood Kingdom. In addition, your disciple is their princess. After hearing about the project, the Greenwood Kingdom will definitely help you in that regard." La nodded before raising a finger. "Onest thing. Since you are a marquis right now, does that mean you''re going to start expanding your territory?"


    "That''s a given." Noel nodded. "Is the Moon Temple perhaps intending to participate?"


    "I''m not very sure right now. But after knowing about your will, I can probably consider it carefully. In the end, with your ability as a marquis, you can develop this area by raising your own nobles. And this will definitely benefit your territory as a whole¡­ Unfortunately, it doesn''t seem that you''re nning to raise even higher¡­"


    "Duke Position is only for those who are rted to the royal family from either marriage or direct rtives. I don''t have any intention to go that far."


    "I understand. I''m sorry for bothering you, but with this, I have a clear mind for what lies ahead. May I know when we are going to return to the main city?"


    "In two or three days, depending on the work I have left here."


    "Alright." La politely bowed to him and walked away.


    When Noel came out afterward, Anna seemed to have been waiting for him. They had a lot of work to do today.


    "Let''s go meet the mayor."


    "Sure."


    As soon as they reached the mayor''s office, Noel and Anna sat down while the mayor reported everything about the progress of the city.


    "The wall repair is about 90%plete. It will only take two more weeks for it to bepleted. The city reconstruction is 80%plete. We will definitelyplete it and make sure the city is as bright as possible before my lord and mydy''s marriage ceremony.


    "The main water storage and the secondary water storage have been built. However, the pipes are still in progress, so we will need more time. The central district has taken advantage of the water pipe, and I can only say it''s amazing. So, the moment the pipes arepleted, I''m sure that the people will be delighted.


    "People have grown ustomed to living alongside the Rune Technology. Currently, there is no harm to the people around, so they believe that the Rune Technology is safe.


    "The Moon Temple is helping us significantly in the city''s reconstruction. In addition, having them here gives them hope in their beliefs, so their arrival has brought a good atmosphere to this city.


    "The people have begun to move on from the past, so they are rather excited for the next development that the Lord ns to bring.


    "I believe that we can even begin allowing more people to migrate to this city. Of course, I will follow the Lord''s arrangement.


    "While we''re on this topic, I will also continue with the status of the main city''s migration. The people that are about to migrate to the main city are residing in the north camp right now. We have taken care of them pretty well, and they seem to be eager to move to the main city." The mayor concluded the report with the migration progress.


    Noel, on the other hand, looked serious after hearing the report, making people wonder if the report was bad or not.

 Chapter 1036 Suggestions

    Chapter 1036 Suggestions


    ??"Is there something wrong?" Anna asked, concerned about the serious expression that suggested there was a problem.


    "Ah." Noel raised his eyebrows while saying, "There''s nothing wrong. In fact, I''m satisfied with the result. You can finish the wall repair soon, so there should be no problem with the defense.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "As for the city reconstruction, I will send more funds, so you can finish it even faster. If you need more workers, you can actually get the people from the migration batch. Since we''ll be sending them in batches, you can allow them to contribute so that they will be sent in the next batch.


    "I hope that you can finish the city''s reconstruction before the marriage ceremony. There will be a lot of peopleing, especially nobles. There is a high chance that they will be thinking about investing in this ce, so we have to make the city as beautiful as possible."


    "Understood." The mayor nodded with a serious expression. "But wouldn''t it be a problem if I mess with the order of the migrations? After all, there might be spies that will try to sneak in."


    "No. I can catch the spies myself. In fact, some spies will definitely use this opportunity toe directly, so they will be working hard for our sake before dying." Noel just said something dangerous without batting an eye.


    Then again, the spies would be eliminated sooner orter, so they didn''t think it was too much to make the spies useful for them before disposing of them.


    "In that case, I will notify the people about the projects." The mayor agreed with the arrangement. "But we will still give them enough provisions and pay, right?"


    "Yes. Nothing should change so that they won''t feel suspicious." Noel nodded.


    "Understood."


    "As for the water storage, you can develop it gradually. It''s going to be important for the city. In fact, while we''re talking about the water and city reconstruction, I want to tell you that we might have to tear down the wall."


    "The wall?" The mayor''s expression changed. They had been working on the wall this whole time, so hearing the Lord want to tear it down that easily hurt him a little.


    "Yes. If you look at the train, you should realize that it''s hard to make a sharp turn with that thing. That''s why I''m thinking about creating a building outside the wall to amodate it. This way, people and items can reach this building called ''Train Station'' to enter the city. We basically made a fifth gate for this train."


    "Ah!" The mayor felt embarrassed that he was questioning the Lord''s decision. He was simply too shortsighted. "I understand. I will arrange it immediately."


    "Shouldn''t we use it for publicity stunts?" Anna raised her finger.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m talking about our marriage ceremony. There will be a lot of people attending it, so bying to this town differently, won''t it look cool? Besides, a lot of people will realize the use of the train."


    "Now that I think about it¡­" Noel looked down, contemting. "The train we have right now is still quite majestic, which should be enough to impress the people. And we can store the carriage and other things for the parades inside the cargo type, and the people, including the soldiers, will be in the passenger type. We can actually prepare a huge parade, which will be a fun time for the people as well."


    "Something like that." Anna nodded in agreement.


    "You gradually be better than me." Noel smiled wryly. Anna recently suggested a lot of things that he didn''t think of.


    "I''ve been learning things from you, so of course¡­ you should have heard the saying that the students will surpass the teacher."


    "Hoho¡­" An excited smile appeared on Noel''s face as if he were taking on that challenge. Still, the talk shouldn''t change. Noel hurriedly turned back to the mayor and said, "I will send you more funds to finish this project within two months. We will use it both for the parade and the opening. Do you think it''s possible?"


    The mayor thought for a moment. "The time is a bit tight, but I will definitely finish it within two months."


    "Since we''re nning to extend the highway to other ces, you can tell them that by opening this officially, normal people can also use this service to visit other ces¡­ Of course, the main city is still off limits. But they can visit other territories for the first time."


    "That will definitely motivate the people." The mayor''s face brightened.


    "Good. And for the marriage ceremony, I''m afraid a new venue has to be built. But just leaving it there will definitely be a waste." Noel scratched the back of his head.


    "I don''t think so. This venue can be a ce where people find hope. Besides, we can rent it if one wants to hold a wedding as well," the mayor exined.


    "But that''s only for the rich. I want something that all people can enjoy. After all, most of themoners can''t afford to have a marriage ceremony. So, I want to turn this building into something else. Let me see¡­" Noel paused for a minute before raising a finger. "How about turning it into a museum?"


    "A museum?" Both the mayor and Anna were confused. Out of all ces, why would Noel want to turn it into a museum? Anna couldn''t help but ask, "Are you trying to make people learn history about the Ardagan family?"


    "No. I''m talking about the Rune Museum." Noel shook his head with a smile.


    "Ah!" Anna suddenly fell silent. "Rune Museum¡­ That might indeed be good. This museum can allow people to understand the runes a bit more. Evenmon people can actually learn one thing or another from this museum. No! The purpose of this museum is not to teach people, but to let them get familiar with it."


    "Exactly." Noel confirmed it with a nod before saying, "If we put some rune technology there, people can study it and understand that they are not dangerous. Of course, we will embed the runes without the special method so that they can''t be used since their purpose is just for show."


    "That''s actually a good idea." The mayor also supported the decision. It would definitely allow not only the people in this city but those from other cities to learn about the rune technology as well.


    And with Noel creating more and more new inventions, it wouldn''t be hard to fill the venue with all these things.


    "Then, what''s next? The Moon Temple? I don''t really mind them, so they can do whatever they want for now since they can''t do much with their saintess in the main city. You can say while they''re supportive to us, that''s because their saintess is still our ''hostage.'' So we''ll ept their ''kindness'' for now."


    "You''re a bad guy, you know?" Anna smirked.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Let''s call it an opportunist." Noel chuckled before turning back to the mayor. "Is that all?"


    "Do you have any ns for how you wish to lead the people? And is there a potential migration for this city? We have to replenish the people who have lost their lives here after all."


    Noel didn''t answer it immediately. He considered it carefully before stating his goal for this city. "I wish the people could have a smile on their faces when living in this city. That''s our goal. It will portray me as a good lord while bing publicity for me to sell the rune technology. So, it''s like killing two birds with one stone.


    "As for the migration, I want toplete the migration to the main city. In the end, it''s easier to have people move here because, even if they are spies, we can still work them to the bone. That''s why I''m afraid you have to wait for another one or two months. Maybe you can do it after the marriage ceremony is over."


    "I''ll follow your arrangement." The mayor lowered his head.


    "Since we''re done here, it''s time to take care of other things." Noel stood up while looking out the window. "There are a lot of eager people that want to go to the main city, so I have to pick at least a hundred of them to go with us. After that, I have to inspect the city and the rune technology here to ensure they are not faulty. To think I only have two days to take care of all these."


    "Hahaha. I''ll be with you." Anna chuckled.


    Noel nodded. "In that case, I will leave the rest to you, Mayor."


    "Yes, sir."


    Noel and Anna left the mansion. To Anna''s surprise, Noel didn''t even bother to use the automatic carriage or their speed to go to their destination. Instead, he was just walking normally on the street.


    It looked like he was using this time to greet the people in the city. However, when they entered a rather more secluded area, Noel halted his steps.


    "Noel?" Anna noticed the change in his expression. It was simr to what he had when talking with the mayor.


    "I told you it was nothing earlier, but there was something in my mind." Noel suddenly let out a long sigh. "Do you remember what I askedst night?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. She obviously couldn''t forget about it since it was unlike Noel to ask that question. When they were lying down on the bed, Noel actually asked her with a rather confused tone. "Anna. In your previous life, you''ve been dealing with them a lot. So, I want to know the impressions you have about the royal family, the Third Prince, and all the princes and princesses."

 Chapter 1037 Royal Family

    Chapter 1037 Royal Family


    ??"Anna. In your previous life, you''ve been dealing with them a lot. So, I want to know the impressions you have about the royal family, the Third Prince, and all the princes and princesses."


    "Huh? What''s wrong with you? Why do you suddenly ask this question?" Anna''s expression was filled with worry.


    "I''m not sure about this, but I feel like the reason why there was a rebellion back then was because of them." Noel hesitated for a moment before finally exining about the meeting he had with the third princess.


    Anna couldn''t believe what she heard. She recalled all the information carefully before saying, "This is weird. The third princess is rather¡­ How do I say this? in andck of free will? The only thing I know about her is the fact that she is like the doll of the royal family, doing everything she can because the royal family wants her to do it."


    "But the third princess is definitely different. You should know about my medal, right?"Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you mean the Affection Medal?"


    "Yes. This is the only way for me to judge whether they''re hostile or not. And from the way I see it, she is rather supportive and doesn''t seem like a doll¡­ more like she pretends to be one?"


    "Does that mean she wants the throne for herself?"


    "I don''t know."


    Anna thought for a moment. "If that''s the case, I''ll tell you about them from my memory. The king is a rather brutal person. To sit on that throne, he pushes everyone away. They only have two choices, either marry someone for the sake of the royal family''s connection or die in his hands.


    "However, the one that stands out the most as his opposition is the Third Prince. Even when he loses, the Third Prince''s influence is not something that is easily dissolved. To pit me against you, they used my words to execute your parents.


    "Even then, the Third Prince is still so strong and mysterious that not even the current king could defeat him thoroughly."


    Noel raised a finger. "The nobles in the royal hall are not entirely loyal to the current king. There are still some nobles that side with the Third Prince, probably waiting for him to take over the kingdom."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Yes. That''s why if we talk about the rebellion, it will be the Third Prince, considering he is the only one powerful enough to take on the throne."


    "But there is a chance that the princes and the princesses are hiding their preparation for the throne. Then again, it''s only been six years since the king ascended to the throne. So, they still have some time before they begin fighting¡­ unless the rebellion urs."


    "In that case¡­" Anna fell silent for a minute. "The first prince is currently the crown prince. While he doesn''t seem to be that good at politics, he still has the highest poprity simply due to the other children.


    "His strength is the fact that he has been learning about politics longer, but his weakness is his obsession. ording to my memory from my previous life, the crown prince was never strong enough to handle the Third Prince.


    "The second princess is quite talented, but that talent is not bright enough to outshine the gender difference. You can say the same to me. If I don''t have this kind of talent, I will still be used as a political tool.


    "I don''t have many memories about her, considering we didn''t meet so often¡­ in the previous life or in this life.


    "The third princess is, as I said before, like a doll. Everything about her feels like she is being controlled by the royal family. It''s no wonder for them to marry her to the Ardagan family, since they can control her easily. You might not even be able to sway her.


    "But because of what you said earlier, there is indeed something different. In my previous life, do you know who met me the most among the royal family?"


    "The crown prince?" Noel answered nonchntly.


    "It was her." Anna shook her head helplessly. "She was more persistent than the crown prince, but I didn''t really care much about her. Most of the time, it would be just me ignoring her.


    "But when you told me about the different side of her, I couldn''t help but think, ''What if she was there because of you?'' or ''What if she monitored me under your instruction to see my changes?'' If that''s the case, everything changes."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "In exchange for my loyalty and you, I made an agreement with the third princess. That way, the rebellion started and she ended up sitting on the throne. Something like that?"


    "That is possible." Anna nodded in agreement. "The fourth prince is still too young. With an age gap of ten years from the crown prince, he doesn''t have a lot of supporters. The biggest supporter woulde from his mother''s side, which is a big merchant family.


    "The fifth prince is the worst. I don''t have much information about him. He is still being taken care of by his family, and doesn''t seem to have entered politics yet.


    "As for the Third Prince, I don''t think I know him more than you do."


    After listening to Anna, Noel couldn''t help but say, "I see¡­ If that''s the situation, it seems that the king still maintains control over the kingdom. He might be nning to control it through the crown prince once he is too old.


    "The problem will be the third princess¡­ The fact that she is hiding her intention means that she might have contacted nobles out of the king''s awareness. That alone is quite a big achievement.


    "And there is a chance that she has contacted Duke Lorelei."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. "Is it because the Duke has shown such a change and even remained here?"


    "Yes. If she is nning to get close to me, there are only three ways: me, your father, or Duke Lorelei."


    Anna realized that the situation in the Muivell Kingdom was moreplicated than she originally thought. If the third princess was that good, it meant that there was a big chance for her to defeat the crown prince.


    "Should we ask Duke Lorelei?" Anna asked. "I mean, we will know about it from his reaction alone."


    "No. We won''t mention anything about the third princess. We''ll let the duke decide whether he wants to talk about it or not." Noel shook his head. "In the end, I''m not nning to have any connections to the royal family since my movement will be restricted."


    "If that''s the case, I''ll respect your wish."


    ¡­


    When she recalled that conversation, Anna couldn''t help but ask, "What are you worrying about right now?"


    "The situation might change so fast that it''s going to be impossible to react to it. The Third Prince has been so passive since a year ago, so I''m afraid that he is nning to do something soon.


    "And with the addition of the crown prince, there is a chance that we will be pincered from two sides. You also still remember that the tower association has spies from the organization, right?" Noel exined his worries.


    Anna couldn''t reply to it. She realized that she had underestimated the severity of the situation.


    "In any case, our opponents will definitely change. Elite soldiers dress up as bandits, other merchant groups, or even nobles." Noel''s expression turned serious. He was indirectly implying that the duke might also be their enemy at some point.


    However, Noel still smiled to assure her. "But it''s fine. I can''t say I will deal with this perfectly because I''m not experienced enough. Still, I''ll choose the best option and fight back. And the first thing we need to do is get stronger."


    "Ah. We haven''t absorbed the demon crystals we''ve gotten from the war not long ago. There are a lot of Superior Demon Crystals. So, we should be able to increase our spiritual energy reserves considerably."


    "Indeed. But for today, we will have to finish all the tasks in this town first."


    Anna smiled. While the problem hadn''t been solved, Noel''s expression mellowed a bit after talking about it, which made her feel relieved.


    They continued to the north side of the city and began registering the people that woulde to the main city with them.


    Noel also created a rumor that if they behaved well or worked hard, there was a chance they would be chosen in the next batch, which spread like wildfire.


    When the mayor informed them about the job offer, they would definitely take it.


    Noel could see several spies with his Affection Medal. However, he didn''t take any action against them. He simply found a hundred people, who were not affiliated with anyone and told them that they would be leaving soon.


    After that, Noel strolled around the city, monitoring the progress or changes the city had made in the past month. Most of the time he was surrounded by a lot of people who wanted to see or thank him.


    He also inspected the part of the city wall that would have to be torn down for the train station.


    Finally, after two tiring days, all one hundred people had boarded the train. They had also loaded a lot of materials and supplies.


    For this test, Noel changed the demon crystal from the low level demon crystal to the advanced level demon crystal. He wanted to check if this train would be able to withstand these many people and luggage at a much higher speed.


    Noel, Anna, La, and Duke Lorelei were in the front car, observing the effectiveness of the train. With a smile on his face, he dered, "Let''s go."

 Chapter 1038 Internal Matters

    Chapter 1038 Internal Matters


    ??When they reached the main city, they were greeted by a lot of people, especially the pirs of the Ardagan family.


    "My Lord."


    "Master."


    They were standing outside the city, waiting for his arrival.


    "You''re pretty well-liked in this ce." Duke Lorelei couldn''t help butment when he saw all those peopleing just to see him.


    "Hahaha." Noel chuckled in response and came out of the train.


    A cheer erupted to wee him. Noel waved his hand to greet his people as his pirs came up to him.


    "Thank you for weing me here. I have got enough rest, so you don''t have to worry about me." Noel smiled.


    "In that case, please follow us." Howard extended his hand, pointing at the automatic carriage.


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel nodded before pointing at Duke Lorelei. "Tell Balott and Tristan to take care of him. Thedy will talk to the saintess. Howard will handle the arrangements for the people here until Dimitri returns. The rest will follow me. I''d like to know everything that has happened in the past month."


    "Understood."


    They all began to move ordingly. It seemed that they had prepared several carriages for each of them.


    Noel entered the carriage with Charlotte, Dous, Roel, Livia, and Jasmine.


    "How is the situation?" Noel asked.


    "The farmingnd has been set up. We can begin our cultivation right away. Thanks to Old Jade, we are aware of the location of the mine as well as its size. The mine itself will have a significant impact on the environment, so we are setting up the farnd a bit further away.


    "However, we still take advantage of the terrain. ording to my calction, we are able to harvest 3 times what this city needs. We can send it or store it depending on your arrangement."


    "3 times?" Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes. The soil is very rich in minerals. And with the help of my seeds as well as the cultivation technique I''ve developed, it should be able to reach that number."


    Noel thought for a moment. "The royal family has raised my rank to a Marquis and given me thend north of here. In other words, we will be expanding into demon territory. While I''m waiting for a person of noble caliber to appear, we''re going to create new cities and form a strategic defense system. What do you think, Jasmine, Dous?"


    Jasmine looked down. "If I speak for all the potential farnds in this territory, then that''s definitely a good idea. First of all, thisnd didn''t look that enticing in the past. However, it had a lot of mountains, especially volcanoes. However, most of the volcanoes are still outside the border. If my Lord is nning to expand to the north, I will create enough farnds that famine will be a forgotten concept."


    Noel smiled after hearing those confident words. He then turned to Dous.


    "As Jasmine said, we have a lot of mountains, which cause mobility issues. However, it can be solved through rune technology. The airship can easily reach the mountains, the train can easily go around them, and the normal ship can take advantage of the river that flows from the north.


    "With a proper arrangement, I believe that a defense line where the main city can''t be attacked is possible. As for the city building¡­ Are you sure you want to give me this opportunity, my Lord?"


    "What''s wrong?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. "You''re not confident?"


    "No. I''m just worried that leaving this project to only me will produce an information leak. What if they target me to know theyout of your territory?"


    "It''s not a problem for me. It seems you''re misunderstanding something, Dous. The superiority of our defense doesn''t lie in the durability of our wall or theyout of our city. It''s on our mobility." Noel smirked.


    "Ah!" Dous realized that even if they knew the cities'' locations, they wouldn''t be able to defeat them. After all, they could use the train to send troops from all over the ce. "I understand. I''ll follow your arrangement."


    "The funds won''t be a problem. Once weunch the Runegardpany, we don''t have to worry about money anymore. I just want one thing. Fast progress."


    "Yes, sir." Dous nodded.


    Since Dous''s part was done, Roel decided to speak up. "The progress of all inventions is looking good. We''ve reached an agreement regarding the airship. However, the problem will be the location."


    "We will do it on the demon territory like our original n. Even though I''m expanding to the north, I don''t n to encroach upon the Greenwood Kingdom''s future territory. However, once we have some sess, I want you to set up a simr workshop in our territory."


    "Understood." Roel agreed without hesitation. "As for the battleship, they are expected toplete it within six months. The ship is big enough to carry a thousand people at once and will be strong enough to be a fortress on water."


    "The Zaecuria Kingdom is going all out to test the limit of the runes after all. I''m sure that once they have built it here, they are going to make a more majestic ship in their kingdom." Noel thought for a moment. "I''ll give you a concept for the container truck, the small truck, and a car. You''ll try to make it, especially cars. It might allow evenmon families to travel a long distance. Just imagine that your children can visit you any time, Roel."


    "!!!" Roel looked surprised but was soon delighted. "Thank you, my Lord. I''ll definitely work hard on all of them."


    "Is it my turn then?" Livia asked. Since no one said anything, she continued, "I have finalized the concept for the Rune Academy. And I will probably need you to look at the final curriculum."


    "I''ll do itter. I think I should begin teaching you how to draw the runes on one''s body."


    Livia raised her eyebrows. She had been waiting for this. While she had the ability to inscribe the rune like that of a cksmith or use the rune like a magician, Noel hadn''t taught her the Rune Body, the keyponent of the Rune Magician. In addition, she heard that there was a way to form an array with runes, creating abination that could take down an opponent at a higher level.


    "Is that true, Teacher?"


    "Mhmm. Well, even if I say I''m going to teach you about it, Anna will be the one directing you most of the time. I don''t want to get involved in any scandals after all." Noel chuckled, indirectly implying that he didn''t want to let her use the fact that he saw her body to force him into marriage.


    "I understand." Livia nodded solemnly. She already knew Noel''s personality enough to expect something like this.


    "Also, will there be a problem if you see a man without a shirt?"


    "Not really. I was once a part of a knight order and most of them were men. So, I''d grown ustomed to the naked, sweaty men." Livia assured him, not wanting this problem to stop him from teaching her the rune body.


    "Alright. Then, there should be no problem in letting you and Tristan take care of the Rune Body for the people in the joint Rune Magician training, right?"


    The joint training he was talking about was the training under Felicia.


    "Understood. It will also provide me with a good experience."


    Noel then turned to Charlotte. "Last but not least¡­"


    Charlotte smiled. "I think this is the most important matter right now. Regarding the ceremony, we have decided to set it up in two different sections. The first one will be the ceremony itself, which will be held in the Moon Temple''s hall.


    "I''ve contacted the best people in this area. We''ve agreed on two costumes for both the wedding dress and your suit. We have chosen an auspicious date and designed the wedding invitations. We''ll need to know the guest lists from you.


    "As for the second section, it will be a banquet. You and thedy can change into a more elegant and easy-to-move outfit. As the name implies, you are able to greet the guests and dance with thedy. This will be held at the venue. Dous has finished the blueprints and we can start building them.


    "Also, it''s inappropriate for the lord and thedy to stay in the mayor''s mansion whenever you visit the city, so we are also nning to build a mansion there."


    Noel nodded, satisfied with the arrangement. "There are a few things I want you to arrange for the wedding, so see whether they are possible or not."


    "Understood."


    "As for the invitation, I''ll give you the list of the noblester. It''s time to make it clear to them about our stance. Since they''re still trying to oppose us, there''s no need to invite them. Also, invite the royal families from the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom as our distinguished guests. Of course, the Ezenholm family and the Allevion family.


    "Howard and Harley will take care of the security. Old Jade will take care of the main city while all the Spirit Grandmasters will go to Laivaen City to ensure nothing goes wrong."


    "Are we not going to invite the royal family?" Charlotte asked. "You have be a Marquis, so it''s only appropriate to invite them."


    "Well, we will still invite them. Then again, whoeveres will most likely be mocked, so they will probably send their sacrificial piece. I do want to make it big, but I don''t n to reveal all our power. Do you think you can arrange it that way?"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I will do my best." Charlotte smiled.

 Chapter 1039 2 Weeks

    Chapter 1039 2 Weeks


    ??In the next two weeks.


    Noel was taking care of the internal matters as well as the progress of his own strength. He had been absorbing the demon crystals when he was free. But as one would expect, he didn''t have a lot of free time because of his work as a noble.


    Anna tried helping him so that he would have more time. Unfortunately, it didn''t help much.


    That was why it took him two weeks, when he usually took only two days during his time in the Demon Banner Army.


    However, the progress he made was quite big this time.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Swordsman


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Hunter Medal, Affection Medal


    Honor Point: 1058 Pts


    Skill Point: 79 Pts


    Status: Stamina +12.6%, Constitution +12.6%, Sword Mastery +15.3%, Spiritual Energy ++13%, Rune Mastery +6%


    Low Quality Crystal - 5000/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 3000/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 950/1500


    Peak Quality Crystal - 124/600


    Superior Quality Crystal - 11/300


    He had maxed out the Low and Mid Level crystals. This was a good thing, considering his spiritual energy reserve was equivalent to that of a peak Martial Grandmasters. After all, the number he saw in his status was double that of a normal person.


    In other words, he should have maxed out the Advanced Level Crystals if he were just a normal person. By getting some more Peak Level and Superior Level Crystals, his spiritual energy should be enough to be a Spirit Transcendence.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t really use more crystals since they were pretty hard to find, especially the Superior Demon Crystals.


    In addition, he didn''t think his skill was stillparable to that of Duke Lorelei. He wanted to be at least stronger than Duke Lorelei first before attempting to break through to the Spirit Transcendence.


    And once he reached that level, he needed to visit the Beast Kingdom, ording to his promise to Andreas.


    Hence, he wanted to at least wait until the city wasplete before heading there.


    Anna''s progress was simr to his. However, due to the fact that her limit was lower than his, he gave her more Peak and Superior Level Crystals to her. After all, he could get all that energy from the lower level crystals.


    Anna had no choice but to agree after listening to Noel''s reason. It wasn''t like she wanted to be left behind either.


    Meanwhile, the other pirs were also working hard for the sake of the family, especially Charlotte. She left all her tasks in this city in Rose''s hands before heading to Laivaen City.


    When Noel asked about it, Rose always told him that the only thing that came out of Charlotte''s mouth was how the young master finally got married. Charlotte and Dimitri had been taking care of him since he was young, so he could understand Charlotte''s eagerness.


    In addition, it seemed that Dimitri was in Laivaen City to take care of the migration from there, selecting the batch of people that would be sent to the main city. Still, Noel could clearly see his excitement for his marriage from his report alone. Migration was just an excuse for him.


    Dous had begun surveying the area since he had to n all the routes that would reach every corner of the territory. Balott, on the other hand, took the hardest job. He had to teach Tristan how to do business while taking care of the negotiations with the likes of Duke Lorelei and Saintess La. In addition, he also had to purchase all the materials since Noel wanted to expand to the north. He was preparing all the materials for at least three new cities in Lounstein. All while taking care of that he didn''t go over budget.


    Howard and Harley had been maintaining their vignce, especially since nobles were nning to find out what was going on in this territory. There were even reports that the merchants were alsoing to this city to the point where they wanted to invest if Noel nned to build more cities. Unfortunately, he didn''t n to share the profits with the city, so he rejected them.


    Jasmine had finished nting all the seeds. After that, all they needed to do was take care of them and check the harvest before implementing her concept in other areas.


    While Balott had the hardest job, the most tiring one would be Roel. He had seen the promise that the new inventions could bring, so he spent most of his time in his workshop, trying to build them as quickly as possible. He wanted his children to visit him often after all.


    ¡­


    While Noel was working, Anna suddenly entered the room with a bright smile. "They are done with the prototype!"


    "They? Who?"


    "Those guys from the Greenwood Kingdom! Do you want to go there and inscribe them?"


    "!!!" Noel didn''t expect it. He just dropped the paper in his hand and stood up. "Let''s go! Oh, wait. We should use the new car to test it out."


    "That''s a good idea! Let''s go!"


    Noel and Anna hurriedly left the mansion and headed to Roel''s workshop. Obviously, Roel was startled because the two bigshots suddenly appeared before him.


    "Roel! Is the car ready?" Noel asked.


    "My lord, mydy." Roel greeted him first before pointing at the door in the corner of the room. "They are inside there. However, I can''t say they are finished."


    Roel led them to the room where the car was kept.


    "Yes. My Lord had given me the blueprints, so when I thought about it, I ended up creating a rather simr thing." Roel nodded with a serious expression. When the door was opened, the new automatic carriage looked like a minivan.


    Instead of an engine, the front part was a simple storagepartment where they put the demon crystals to activate the rune.


    There were four wheels like a normal carriage, but it still didn''t have rubber to cover it. More importantly, this one didn''t have a ss window.


    "I''m sorry, but I''m still not sure about this rubber thing. I have asked my acquaintances, but no one has a record of it. So, we might have to work on it from scratch, which will take a long time. As for the ss¡­ I''m sorry, but I''m not a master of this one. And most ss artisans are in¡­ the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "Ah!" Noel looked down, contemting.


    "However, this design is very amazing. For example, there is a curve in the front. Because of the design itself, it will cause the air above the car to produce downward force. This is very important for a speedy carriage. And to avoid the car being damaged, they are using the rubber tire. Of course, I think there is one more thing that can suspend them in the air. Right now, we''re using the Floating Rune to avoid the damage, but we can actually create a suspension so that it won''t be necessary anymore, which will lower the cost further in the future."


    "Oh? As expected of a Master cksmith." Noel smirked.


    "I can see that this thing can even move as fast as a Spirit Grandmaster. Should I say as expected of the previous civilization?"


    "Yeah. They are a very advanced civilization." Noel nodded. "Anyway, you don''t mind if we use this for a test ride, right?"


    "As long as you don''t move too fast, it shouldn''t break. It can also bring a lot of items or people."


    "It will only be the two of us since we''re trying to see the airship''s prototype. Or do you want to go with us?"


    Roel shook his head. "No. It''s fine. I''m not the one in charge of the project anyway. And I love cars more than airships."


    "Alright." Noel smirked before Anna suddenly entered the car without anyone noticing it. When Noel saw her in the driver seat, he couldn''t help but say, "Oi! I should be the one driving!"


    "What are you saying? I''m here first!"


    Roel was surprised at first, but he couldn''t help but chuckle. Even though these two were about to get married, they still acted like kids. Then again, this synergy between them would make the family less boring. And he was happy since his master and mistress were able to have fun.


    Roel simply opened the door to the outside.


    Noel clicked his tongue and took the seat next to her. "In that case, I will drive on the way back."


    "Mhmm¡­" Anna didn''t seem to want to give it to him, but she saw Noel''s adamant face. "Fine!"


    "Let''s go!" Noel pointed forward.


    Anna nodded and started releasing the brake, allowing the Enhance Forward Rune to pull the car forward.


    She carefully drove it inside the town and headed to the gate. Obviously, people were looking at this new invention with great interest.


    When they saw the lord and thedy were the ones driving it, they cheered for them. Because it was just a prototype, it still didn''t have the design or decoration befitting that of a marquis. Still, the surprise was enough to make it look more majestic than a normal carriage.


    Once they went out of the city, they could finally speed up. Even Noel was surprised by the speed.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Is this too fast for the prototype? This speed is about a Spirit Master''s top speed, right?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. I think it''s fine. I don''t sense any dangers from the carriage as well. But as expected, driving on the dirt causes a lot of bumps. We really need to expand the paved road as quickly as possible."


    "That''s true."


    Noel and Anna tested a few things on the way, especially the safety feature. After all, Earl Jean could use it as a way to get this technology from them. So, he had to make sure it was safe to use.


    If they used a normal carriage, they would arrive in two hours. However, with this new car, it only took them thirty minutes.


    Obviously, the people in the airship workshop couldn''t help but look at this iing object with high vignce. That was why Anna applied the brake so that they could recognize them.


    However, due to the sudden brake, the momentum pushed Noel''s body forward, mming his head against the wooden skeleton before him.


    *Bang!*


    Anna was startled. She was holding the steering wheel, so she could withstand the momentum. But for Noel, who didn''t expect such a thing inside a car that didn''t have any safety features, he waspletely caught off guard.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ou¡­" Noel let out a groan while ring at Anna. "You did it on purpose, didn''t you?!"


    "No. I didn''t know it would happen. Maybe we should ask Roel for more safety features¡­" Anna looked away.


    "Kh¡­ Just you wait." Noel gritted his teeth,pletely not buying her words.

 Chapter 1040 Airship

    Chapter 1040 Airship


    ??"Who?" The soldiers who were guarding the workshop hurriedly raised their weapons, trying to protect this area from intruders.


    On the other hand, the people from the Ardagan family instantly recognized both of them.


    "My lord!"


    "My lord!"


    The people rushed to them, confusing the rest of the people.


    When the soldiers heard about the identities of these two people, they panicked and hurriedly sheathed their swords.


    Noel and Anna came out of the car.


    "I heard the prototype is done, so I''m here." Noel waved his hand. "Where is the one in charge?"


    "Please wait. We''ll call them here." The soldiers rushed back, knowing what they should do. They didn''t think they were good enough to handle Noel and Anna, so it was better to escape and get the people in charge.


    It didn''t take too long before three people came out. One of them was a middle-aged man who previously worked on the catapult. He was one of the cksmiths in the Ardagan family.


    The second person was a man in his early thirties, but because of his tired eyes and sloppy clothes, he looked like he was older than his actual age.


    Thest person was a woman wearing a rather formal suit. She had an uptight expression as she seemed to be reprimanding the sloppy man beside her while fixing her sses.


    No matter what she said, the sloppy man didn''t bother changing. When they arrived, the cksmith hurriedly greeted Noel and Anna.


    "Thank you foring, my lord and mydy."


    "Mhmm. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Vine." Noel smiled.


    "!!!" The man looked surprised when Noel called his name. He never thought that such an important person would actually remember a nobody like him. He hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir. Thank you very much."


    Noel then turned to the other two, who seemed to be the representatives of the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Hello, Earl Aradgan. It''s an honor to have you here." The woman politely greeted him. "I am Sophia, the manager of this project. Next to me is the chief engineer, Zel."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I am the one working on the air balloon in the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Noel is fine. And nice to meet you. I''vee here after hearing that the prototype is done."


    "Certainly." The woman tilted her body while extending her hand, showing a quite big boat behind them. There seemed to be a kind of balloon directly attached to this boat. "Please follow me."


    Noel nodded. While walking, Noel waved his hand to the battlefield as if thanking them for their hard work.


    When they arrived, Noel could see the boat in detail.


    The boat itself wasn''t as big as he originally thought. It could definitely fit a hundred people, but it would be extremely cramped.


    There weren''t a lot of things inside since this was just a prototype.


    "How is this going to work?" Noel asked.


    "Let me exin it." Sophia pointed at the wooden boat and said, "Normally, we will be filling the balloon with an inert gas, one that is lighter than the air to pull the entire boat up. In a normal balloon, we are able to maintain the altitude by adjusting the me, but because of your rune, we are attaching the balloon directly to the boat and making some adjustments in the design.


    "However, this design will cause the balloon to continue to rise until it reaches the maximum point. We are thinking about tackling this problem with weight, but we also have to measure the amount of weight that the rune can withstand."


    Noel asked, "If you put the weight on it, how is it going to go up and down? Or is it using the runes?"


    "Yes." Zel nodded. "We are calcting the amount of weight. ording to the rune book, there are Enhance Forward Rune and Falling Rune. I believe that we can actually use these two runes all over the airship.


    You can say that we will be activating the Falling Runes all the time to give a downward force. If we want to go up, we simply need to turn a few off, allowing the air to pull this airship into the sky. Once we reach our desired altitude, we will activate a few Falling Runes to bnce the upward force, which will result in the airship levitating into the air. Once we want to go down, we will activate all the Falling Runes to go down.


    "The forward movement will be supplied by the Enhance Forward Rune. Because of that, the design is an ellipse, which will break the air in front. We will use the rudder for the side motion."


    Noel thought for a moment before saying, "You should know that I want a few types of airship, right?"


    "Yes. To be fair, the concept is simr. So, we will just adjust their size and other things. There''s no need to create it from scratch."


    "So, the change will mostly be on the runes?"


    "Indeed."


    Noel looked at the airship while imagining the airne he saw when his ancestor showed it to him.


    "Have you prepared the demon''s blood?"


    "Yes. All of them are stored in the warehouse. We have prepared a Peak Level Demon''s blood for this test."


    "Alright. I will draw the runes." Noel nodded. "Show me all the ces to draw the runes."


    "Then, I''ll guide you¡­" Sophia stepped forward, but Noel hurriedly raised his hand to stop him.


    "No. I think you should guide her to the Rune Magician training ce. We''ll be testing this directly against the demons to see its effectiveness. And Rune Magicians will be very suitable for this." Noel pointed at Anna.


    Sophia didn''t know what to say. She didn''t seem to have made any blunders, which angered Noel. At the same time, it was true that Zel would be more suitable for this task.


    "¡­" Sophia remembered that she shouldn''t offend Noel. Even though she disliked the arrangement, it was better to agree with him. "I understand."


    "Tell Felicia that we will be killing some demons, will you?" Noel winked at Anna.


    "Of course." Anna looked excited, as if she knew what Noel was nning to do.


    Now that only he and Zel left, they immediately worked on the runes. After showing the ces, Zel had to move away so that he couldn''t see the secret of the Ardagan family.


    Although it was a shame, he didn''t say much, considering he only wanted this airship to bepleted.


    Most of the time, they were inside a hiddenpartment. It seemed that they were nning to connect all the hiddenpartments so that they could create a main control room that took care of the operation of the airship.


    As for the ship itself, it was apact ship with a lot of windows. But they closed it for the time being because, when they started moving, the air would be sucked in. ording to Zel, it was the hardest part to design.


    It took a while, but he was satisfied with the work. All the runes could be hidden with ayer of additional skin, so it didn''t matter if it looked ugly now.


    "Is this all?" Noel asked.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zel nodded with a serious expression. "Yes. The Spiritual Barrier Rune will be protecting the airship from attacks. Most of the time, the enemies won''t be strong enough to destroy the Spiritual Barrier Rune, so this should be very safe.


    "The Enhance Forward Runes and the Falling Runes are all in ce. If we add the Floating Rune, we will be able to bring more luggage.


    "But for now, I think this is enough. We will gather more data and create an even better airship."


    When they came out, Felicia and Anna had been waiting outside along with a lot of soldiers. It seemed that they were pretty curious about this airship and what Noel wanted to do with it.


    Noel said, "You take care of the preparation and station all the people needed. After that, we will board the airship and try it. You''re not scared of heights, aren''t you?"


    "I''m thankful for your invitation. Since Mr. Noel is going to test it personally, as the chief engineer, there''s no way I will stay on the ground." Zel then moved to Sophia and instructed everyone on how to operate it.


    Meanwhile, Noel walked to Felicia. "How are you? How is the training going?"


    "Thanks to your way of teaching, we have five squads of Rune Magicians, totaling fifty people. The Greenwood Kingdom has the same number."


    "What about the runes?"


    "They are mostly Spirit Practitioners, so they can''t use intermediate runes like Spiritual Barrier Rune or Rain of Light Rune. But they are able to use the Rune Sword and Rune Spear. There are four people who are Spirit Masters right now and they are capable of using the Rain of Light Rune."


    "Well, the airship is more suitable for a weapon like our ballistas, but this should be enough for now."


    "What are we going to do here?"


    "Just shoot some demons. I''ll show you what to doter." Noel shrugged.


    It took them two hours to prepare for the flight. The balloon was fully filled with air and they had brought a lot of demon crystals for this one test.


    Noel invited everyone, including the cksmiths who worked on this project to test it. Some followed, some stayed.


    In total, 58 people entered the airship. It was a bit cramped, but this was fine.


    "Let''s begin!" Noel gave a nod to Zel and Sophia.


    Sophia announced, "Deactivate the Falling Runes!"


    The staff hurriedly did as they were told and the ship began to rise from the ground.


    "Oh! We''re going to fly." Noel looked amused while Anna was looking through the window to see the airship leaving the ground. "We''re flying!"

 Chapter 1041 Ultimate Beast

    Chapter 1041 ''Ultimate Beast''


    ??"We''re really flying."


    "Let''s fly!"


    "To think this would be possible."


    "Yes. Not only the Rune Magicians, butmon people can also fly too."


    The people couldn''t believe that the airship managed to take them into the sky. Unlike the Rune Magician who had the help of runes on their bodies or equipment, this airship marked a change formon people.


    However, Noel''s eyes had been staring at a much further future.


    Noel raised his hand and waved it forward, "Onward!"


    Sophia hurriedly ordered the people to activate the Enhance Forward Rune.


    It was then that the airship began to move forward. As expected, the influx of air was quite strong when they opened the window, which caused a drag for the airship.


    Still, the consumption was still manageable, considering they brought a lot of crystals for this trip.


    "We''re currently flying at 100 meters above the air," said Anna with a big smile on her face. A hundred meters was definitely very high. The bows wouldn''t be able to reach this height. Unless they were the birds themselves or a fighter specializing in long range attacks, they wouldn''t be able to reach this ship.


    "My Lord. I have spotted several demons." Felicia suddenly raised her voice while pointing down.


    Noel stepped to the edge and took a look. There were about fourteen demons on a small in. They were looking up, but they couldn''t do anything as it was impossible to reach them.


    On the other hand, it was different for them.


    "How far can you control your runes before they are dispersed?" Noel asked.


    "I think it''s about fifty meters. Most members can only get thirty meters, I think," Felicia answered while putting her hand on her chin.


    Noel nodded and turned to Sophia. "We''ll lower the altitude to thirty meters and hover in the air."


    "Mhmm? May I know the reason?" Sophia was worried that this action would cause them to be attacked.


    However, Noel simply stared at her continuously, pressuring her to do as ordered.


    "¡­" Sophia gulped down and ended up giving the instructions to the workers.


    When they reached the desired altitude, the beasts began to panic. Noel simply pointed at one of them while saying, "Can you kill that one?"


    Felicia''s expression turned serious as she pointed her hands down. "Rune Spear!"


    A spear was formed by spiritual energy. Felicia aimed at it carefully and released the spear forward.


    The spear flew like an arrow and pierced the ground. Unfortunately, it was hard to aim for them so urately from this distance and altitude.


    "This¡­ I apologize, my Lord. I''ll attack it again." Not wanting to disappoint her master, Felicia activated the rune once again. But before she shot the spear, Noel grabbed her hand and said, "Use the Rain of Light Rune instead."


    Felicia followed the order and changed the rune. This time, numerous beams of light rained down on the area. Some of them hit the demons, but most actually missed. Even so, the beasts couldn''t do anything other than run away. They wanted to attack this airship, but they couldn''t reach it.


    "This is¡­" Anna''s expression turned serious as if she understood what Noel was trying to do.


    The answer was revealed the moment Noel said, "Use the Meteor Rune."


    Felicia nodded and changed the rune once again. This time, the meteor rune fell like a big boulder. It caused a massive explosion when it touched the ground, creating a crater and injuring a few demons.


    "Ah!" Felicia seemed to have noticed something. However, the Meteor Rune caused such a big disturbance that the demons in the area were alerted.


    "Iing demons. There are a lot of them." Felicia shouted, warning everyone.


    Noel said, "All the people who can use the Rain of Light Runes step forward. Anna, you''re going to participate too."


    "Alright." Anna smiled, feeling a bit excited. Felicia also gathered all four people who could use the Rain of Light.


    "Aim at them!" Noel shouted as he also pointed his palm at the iing demons. There were a total of seven people activating their runes. "Fire!"


    All of them were unleashed, showering the demons with hundreds of beams.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were trying to protect themselves. There were a few stronger demons that formed a barrier with their spiritual energy.


    However, the majority of the demons ended up getting heavily injured or dying. It might be due to the fact that they were gathering together.


    "Anna, Felicia. Change to Meteor Rune and st those stronger demons."


    Anna and Felicia nodded their heads. Once the Meteor Runes were unleashed, the lump of spiritual energy hit the shield that the demons created.


    It simply stood no chance against the destructive force the Meteor Runes had. The shield shattered like sses and the demons ended up dying. At the same time, the other Rune Magicians were still using the Rain of Light Runes, killing the lower level demons.


    These demons couldn''t resist the massacre. Not only was it overwhelming, but the altitude also rendered their resistance futile. Even if a few of them could hit them, the Spiritual Barrier could be activated to withstand their attacks.


    "This is¡­" Sophia dropped her jaw to the ground. She couldn''t believe the air superiority that they could have against demons.


    "Kukukuku." Zelughed while saying, "This is insane. This airship is the smallest one we have. If we can get a big one and have at least a hundred Rune Magicians on board, I can''t imagine the destructive power it will have.


    "With just a rough calction, decimating a few cities shouldn''t be that hard. And that is what a single airship can do¡­ Imagine if we had multiple of them. The battle might be concluded before it even begins."


    When Noel heard it, he couldn''t help but smile. What Zel said was correct. The main point of the airship was to have air superiority. Just like what he showed, they could bombard anything below them and leave nothing other thanplete destruction.


    At the same time, this wasn''t Noel''s true intention. Zel''s point of view was rather too narrow when he imed that the Rune Magicians would board this airship.


    In Noel''s mind, the ones who would control and operate this ship were none other thanmon people. The Rain of Light? The Meteor Rune? He had the catapults that couldunch the Meteor Rune, he had ballistas with unimaginable piercing power, and he had the shooting barrels that contained multiple Rain of Light Runes. He only had to modify them a little bit to suit the airship.


    With normal people operating the airship, he could ce the Rune Magicians in a different spot.


    Still, the most terrifying thing about this ship was actually its mobility. Being able to move in the air like this while destroying the enemies on the ground would allow them to massacre any demons they wanted.


    What if he had this airship in the previous battle? Those seventy thousand demons could only chase after the airship and would die one by one. The airship could also appear in a ce no one ever expected.


    Noel heard about his ancestors fighting against millions of demons. If a single airship could just destroy fifty thousand, having multiple of them would have erased arge portion of those demons.


    He also had the battleship that came from cooperation with the Zaecuria Kingdom, as well as other inventions.


    If he had all of that, he wouldn''t have to be scared of the demons. What he should worry about were the Ancient Demons or even the Demon Kings. The Spiritual Barriers couldn''t withstand the attacks from the Ancient Demons.


    And the battle between his ancestor and the Demon King would cause a mountain to be destroyed and a ridge to be a valley.


    Even he couldn''t imagine how to deal with them yet.


    Noel turned to Zel while saying, "Let''s test everything here. I have three main tests: maximum altitude, mobility, and consumption. Let''s not waste the demon crystals we have brought for this test."


    "I''ve certainly heard your request. A single test like this is much better than crafting theory for ten years." Zel politely bowed his head. His nonchnt expression had disappeared. There was only excitement left in his eyes.


    The test continued. Unfortunately, the people had a hard time withstanding the thin air, so they only reached three hundred meters in the sky. The cramped area, the number of people, and the flow of air yed a huge role in this.


    The second test was rather sessful. The mobility was amazing as they managed to cross multiple areas easily without caring about the terrain. This might be the fastest mode of transportation.


    However, there was one thingcking. It was true that the airship could turn around while moving forward, but it couldn''t rotate when it was only hovering in the air. It created a big problem since they would need to rotate to face their enemies.


    So, Noel left Zel to perfect the design.


    Thest test was consumption. It was definitely much worse than the trains, cars, or any other inventions. Even with the air balloon reducing that consumption, it still costs a little too much.


    They even had to consider the amount of consumption required to go back to the ground. This would probably be the biggest challenge.


    But if one was rich enough to not care about consumption, it would definitely be a beast that could turn the tide of the war.


    ''We didn''t have an airship in our previous lives¡­ It would definitely bring a great change,'' Anna thought. She couldn''t help but recall the time when they lost their lives together so helplessly. If they had all this, the past might be different. But it didn''t matter, now that she was here with Noel instead of opposing him, she would craft the new future.


    On the other hand, after witnessing all this overwhelming power, Sophia couldn''t help but think, ''With this kind of power, taking over the world is not impossible. The war will change in a fundamental way. With a lot of airships, who can actually stop us?''


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 1042 Reunion

    "Ah. That''s an amazing experience," said Anna while leaving the airship.


    Felicia remained silent after witnessing the true power of the Ardagan family. She had joined the family for quite a while and thought she had seen everything that the Ardagan family could offer. But from time to time, she would be shocked by a new invention that could literally alter how they conducted warfare.


    Noel turned to Zel. "I think we''ve got most of the data."


    "Yes. I will definitely work hard to perfect the airship. My engineering blood is screaming right now."


    Noel smiled and turned to cksmith Vine. "Thank you for your hard work. I hope that you can continue to improve the airship."


    "Yes, sir."


    Last but not least, he turned to Felicia. "I''m nning to expand to the north soon, so we''ll be hunting a lot of demons soon. Make sure to put that in mind while training the Rune Magicians."


    "Understood. This will be a good experience for the Rune Magicians as well. And I''ll inform the Greenwood Kingdom''s representative regarding this matter."


    "Alright. Work hard." Noel smiled and patted her shoulder while walking back to their car. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Anna just followed Noel back to the car. To her surprise, Noel actually sat down in the passenger seat instead of the driver seat. It only meant one thing. They actually had another ce to go before going back.


    Since Noel didn''t say anything, it seemed that they should head back first and turn aroundter.


    The cksmith and even Zel couldn''t help but feel astonished when they saw the car moving away. It was so much easier to drive and move faster than a carriage.


    "So, where are we going next?" Anna asked after they had driven for a while.


    "We''ll be visiting my parents. While you have seen my mother, I still have to introduce you to them and tell them about our marriage personally."


    Anna was happy that Noel thought that way, but there was one problem. "Do you think they will meet you? Won''t they run away just to remain hiding?"


    "If they can do it, then sure." Noel shrugged. "Besides, we have to inform the Greenwood Kingdom and Damian that I have be a Marquis. In the end, they are staying in my future territory, so I don''t want to deal with more problems than necessary."


    "Oh!" Anna nodded in understanding. The Muivell Kingdom could use that excuse to attack Damian and the others. So, he wanted to push them away before the expansion.


    Anna drove the car northwest even though she was still doubting that his parents would meet them.


    Of course, the meeting with Damian came first. It was just a brief meeting unlike the airship test. He simply warned them about the expansion and his new title, which made it understandable for them to move away.


    As for the next arrangement, he thought about cing them north of the airship workshop since, by the time the next attack arrived, his city would have finished building its wall. There was no need for Damian to take care of them anymore.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that they needed to discuss it with the Greenwood Kingdom first before they could leave this ce.


    After that, they continued driving north where they suspected his parents were staying.


    The road was a bit rough even for the car, so they slowed down quite a bit, searching for a road that could be used.


    All of a sudden, Noel waved his hand and said, "Stop."


    "What''s wrong?" Anna applied the brake gently this time. By the time they came to aplete stop, Anna suddenly picked up someone''s presence with her instinct. "Ah!"


    Noel simply turned his head to the left and said, "If you''re not going toe out, I''ll force you¡­ Silvester."


    "¡­" The silence remained for a few seconds, but Noel kept locking the same tree with his gaze as though he could see Silvester.


    A figure gradually came out of the tree while saying, "I apologize, Young Master¡­ I''m under the order¡ª"


    "To hide from me. I know." Noel nodded with a nonchnt expression.


    Still, the fact that Noel could find him much faster than Anna shocked him. He took pride in his stealth technique, but that confidence was hurt when Anna found him. But to think that the young master of the family he served managed to find him so easily. He wondered if he had grown too old for this job.


    What he didn''t know was that Noel simply found him through the Affection Medal. Yes, he saw his name among the trees.


    "Well, I''ll just want you to call my parents here." Since Silvester had his job, he also didn''t want to prolong the conversation.


    "This¡­" Silvester scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do. This was different from Anna since the one requesting it was the young master.


    "Alright. Let''s do it this way. If you''re not going to call them here, it means I have to find them personally. So, by the time I meet them¡­" Noel raised his fist with a devilish smile. "I''m going to punch them in the face. You sure are going to take responsibility for that, Silvester."


    "¡­" Silvester was speechless. He had seen how Luke always dealt with the problem, but thought that his son would be much more shameless than him. "I can''t guarantee if they will meet you or not, but I''ll try. Please stay here, Young Master."


    Noel nodded as Silvester disappeared.


    "Was that threat necessary?" Anna asked with a wry smile.


    "No." Noel shrugged. "But we don''t have a lot of time, so it''s better to speed things up. Besides, this area will be cleared soon, so I''m still not sure where they are going to stay once we begin our expansion."


    "That''s true." Anna agreed with him. "In our previous lives, you haven''t done any expansion. In fact, you were only an Earl at that time. The Runegard Company is not built, and basically, you haven''t utilized the true potential of yournd and rune.


    "If we''re talking about runes, there aren''t many Advanced Level Runes. The rune technology is not that good either. If we can utilize thend properly, we won''t have to worry about anything." Anna exined.


    "Indeed. Everything can happen because you are by my side." Noel nced at her with a smug smile.


    Anna ced her hand on his cheek affectionately but soon pushed his head away. "Smooth talker."


    Still, she couldn''t deny it. If Noel wasn''t so focused on fighting her, he would have developed his territory more.


    "Now that I think about it, with all this development, I can''t predict the future anymore. In fact, all the information in my head has be rather irrelevant."


    "It doesn''t matter. Even without it, you are able to suggest all those brilliant ideas. Why would you care about it?" Noel shrugged.


    Anna wanted to say something, but she soon stopped when she sensed the presenceing toward them. There were only two people this time and both of them wereing at the same speed. Considering Noel''s father wasn''t a fighter, it seemed that they had failed to meet them this time.


    To her surprise, the onesing were actually Silvester and Leysha, Noel''s mother.


    She had been the one meeting Anna and Dimitri, so it wouldn''t be weird for her to appear this time around. His father, Luke, still remained hidden.


    They stopped a few meters in front of Noel.


    In an instant, Noel''s and Leysha''s gazes intertwined. Leysha was still as young as he remembered. On the other hand, Noel had grown up. The young kid who had beenzing around all day had disappeared. Instead, a responsible and hard working adult stood before her.


    Leysha had heard about all his achievements, which always brought her joy. She wanted to tell him that she was proud of him. She wanted to hug him and showed that she cared for him. Unfortunately, it couldn''t be done as she had to remain hidden.


    But for the first time after the execution, she could finally meet her son. There was an argument earlier, but Luke finally gave her permission to meet him.


    There was an awkward silence, no one actually took a step forward. Noel could see the happiness, excitement, and anticipation in Leysha''s face. At the same time, she also felt ashamed that she had to do all this and make Noel suffer.


    Noel''s expression remained unchanged. There were a lot of memories resurfacing in his mind. Whether it was the real memory, or the one he created during the sword saint''s trial, Leysha always loved him.


    As if realizing that he should be the one to take the initiative, Noel took a step forward.


    In that instant, Leysha burst into tears as she ran to Noel, trying to hug him. She wanted to show how much she missed him and loved him.


    However, when she was only one step away from him, the unthinkable happened.


    *Pak!*


    "!!!" All eyes opened wide. Silvester and Anna dropped their jaws, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.


    With a cold face on his face, Noel actually pped Leysha.


    Silvester''s face turned pale. Earlier, Noel said that he would have to take responsibility if Noel had to find his parents and punch them in the face. He thought that it wouldn''t happen since he had brought Leysha here.


    Yet, the reality was different. The crisp sound of that p snapped him back to reality. He wanted to cry but had no tears, wondering why the young master ended up pping her.


    When Silvester saw his face, he could only think, ''It''s really not a punch, but a p? You''re going to kill me, Young Master.''

 Chapter 1043 A Hug

    Chapter 1043 A Hug


    ??Leysha looked stunned. Even Anna couldn''t believe that Noel actually pped his mother. Noel was usually a loving guy, so it was a bit out of character for him to p Leysha.


    Yet, the next thing he did was actually punch himself in the cheek.


    "Noel!" Anna gasped, not understanding what was happening.


    Leysha became even more confused. On the one hand, she was worried because Noel had hurt himself like this. On the other hand, she was hesitant to take action, not wanting Noel to hurt himself again.


    That gaze alone was enough for Noel to get his answer.


    "That p is a reminder of all the things I''ve experienced in thest couple of years after your execution."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Leysha''s body trembled. Although Noel said it in a gentle way, the experience was truly horrendous. One wrong move would definitely kill Noel. Even though they had left behind Dimitri, it didn''t change the fact that he let the young boy, who didn''t have any training, go to the battlefield.


    His world was turned upside down after the execution. If he let him get away without any repercussions, it meant they were able to do anything to him or even his childter, no matter how horrible it was.


    Noel might be a loving person, especially toward his family and people. But he was also a fair person. There would be a reward and a punishment. This time, it was a punishment, but this punishment wasn''t just directed at Leysha. He also received the punishment, and even a much harsher one.


    "And this punch symbolizes myziness and all the problems I''ve caused you and Father. I''m aware of how horrible I was in the past. If I were a better person, there might be another solution to our problem."


    Leysha''s heart felt like it was squeezed. Noel might have beenzy in the past, but that was because he knew that in the future, he had to take on his father''s mantle and govern the territory. In other words, when he reached that point, he couldn''t bezy or do whatever he wanted anymore.


    So, he just wanted to satisfy his desire until he lost that ability to have a desire of his own. After all, every single thing that the Lord did would affect the people in his territory.


    Still, it would be different if Noel was a capable person. If he was strong enough, he could express himself freely without fearing bacsh.


    He learned it the moment he became an Earl.


    That was why he said things might be different if he had been more capable in the past.


    Noel then leaned closer and hugged his mother tightly. "It must have been a very hard few years for you, Mother. I''m d that I can meet you again."


    Leysha teared up in an instant. While she had taken care of Noel in the past, they didn''t interact that much. She was a bit troubled and hoped that Noel could be better. Even though she didn''t say it personally, Noel was recognized by Ardagan after all. So, it couldn''t be helped to have some expectations.


    And that young boy had finally grown into a responsible adult who could make his parents proud. His hug was gentle, yet firm, making her feel secure.


    ¡­


    A decade ago.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Noel. Have you finished your homework?" Leysha asked the young boy who was lying down on the ground with his head lying on a maid''sp. He seemed to be reading a novel, which was unrted to what a noble should learn.


    "No way. Why do people have to get homework? It''s the teacher''s problem if they can''t teach the student for the duration of the lesson. They force us to do this homework because they''re incapable of finishing the lesson." Noel snorted.


    "The homework is useful because it''s important to repeat the lessons so that you don''t forget about them." Leysha sighed. "Why are you sozy?"


    "Why are you always angry, Mom? I mean, I basically didn''t do anything."


    "It''s because you didn''t do anything that I''m angry." Leysha rubbed her forehead before thinking about something. "You didn''t do anything? You''re not nning to do anything here as well?"


    "I read a book here."


    Leysha fell silent for a moment. "If I have ten apples and I give you eight apples, how many do I have left?"


    Noel simply asked, "That depends on the condition. Are you still going to hold those apples? Or are you nning to give it to someone else? If it''s thetter, then you have zero. That''s the same for me. If I hold all the apples, I will have eight. But this will make our family''s reputation go bad if they know that I, the sole heir, don''t do charity like you guys. So, I''ll probably hold three and give five to the people. The third is for our family to eat, while the rest can be given to people to eat. Those people will have energy to continue living and working."


    "¡­" Leysha only wanted to test him, but she ended up being dumbstruck as though she didn''t believe what she heard from a kid like him.


    Noel wasn''t a fool. In fact, he might be smarter than even his father. He was justzy.


    "So, who are the four nobles around us?"


    "Earl Masconi, Count Porteiln¡­ I don''t know the other two since you guys never mentioned them."


    Leysha blinked her eyes a few times before asking for confirmation, "So, you already know all that because we''ve talked about it?"


    "Yeah. At the very least, listening doesn''t take too much energy. It''s much better than sitting in front of someone, having to put up a fake smile, or even dressing up."


    Leysha instantly realized what was going on with her child. She couldn''t help but move closer to the maid and tugged on her shoulder, gesturing for her to leave.


    The maid was worried at first, but Leysha was the one recing her. In other words, Noel was simply lying on herp this time.


    "So, you''re not going to run away like this?"


    "You should be more direct." Noel sighed. "As long as I''m not in a good part, I can''t help it if I end up getting distracted from the noise around me."


    Leysha couldn''t help but smile, finally understanding what she should have done in the first ce.


    From that point on, Leysha had been trying her best to teach Noel. Whenever Noel was trying to utilize his free time in this garden, she woulde and let him lie down.


    While Leysha was a noble daughter, her knowledge couldn''t bepared to that of her husband. That was why sometimes she ran out of topics. Of course, she also kept asking Luke about all kinds of things so that Noel knew about them.


    The more she did it, the more she realized how smart Noel was. Noel still needed a tutor for the basic things, so he still had to attend all those sses. In the meantime, Leysha had been talking about all kinds of things, from their family''s inner problems to the political situation. It turned out that Luke had also been teaching Noel philosophy and life principles. As a result, Leysha also learned a lot, which actually allowed her to help Luke''s work as the Lady of the Family.


    That was when the Ardagan family was known to have both the Lord and the Lady helping people and doing other things.


    While it was indeed tiring, the time was fulfilling for her. It was a good memory.


    ¡­


    With his exile to the Demon Banner Army, the smart boy now has the precious strength and experience to be a dignified lord.


    Just looking at his growth put a smile on her face. That was why she managed to endure it this far.


    That was why, when Noel hugged her again, she couldn''t help but cry like a baby.


    There was no wording out of her mouth, but Noel could feel how happy she was, how proud she was, and how hard it had been to endure the longing.


    Silvester instantly disappeared after seeing this as if preventing himself from seeing thedy to show such a weak side. Anna turned around and walked a bit further to give them some space.


    "I''m angry because you and Father have abandoned me that way. However, I''m not going to me you. I truly hope that our family can reunite once again¡­ even if it''s years or even decades in the future. I want all of us to reunite in the open, not secretly like this.


    "That''s why I hope you and Father take care of yourselves and live a long life. It might not be now, but I''m sure that day wille."


    Leysha hugged him even tighter. "En¡­ I¡­ am¡­ sorry."


    "What sorry? It''s only normal for us to make mistakes. It''s normal for families to help each other. That''s why there is no need for ''sorry'' and ''thank you'' between us, family. But we still need to show in our actions that we have reflected on our mistakes and appreciate the help we''ve gotten. You were the one who taught me this, Mother."


    Leysha nodded. "Right?"


    Noel smiled. "I''m sure that we both have a lot of things to share. Unfortunately, time doesn''t allow us.


    "You should already know the reason why I came here, and you''ve met her personally multiple times. Still, as your son, I''d like to introduce you to the person I''ve chosen¡­ the person who will spend the rest of her life with me. I hope Mother can meet her."


    Leysha took a step back and wiped the tears before looking at Noel with a gentle smile on her face. "En. Let''s go."

 Chapter 1044 Next Step

    Chapter 1044 Next Step


    ??"Let me introduce her formally, she is Anna, the one who has contributed to my change the most and the person I hope to witness everything about me right now and in the future." Noel extended her hand after pulling Leysha to Anna.


    Anna blushed a bit. Although she had seen Leysha two times, it was still embarrassing to have Noel actually introduce her this way.


    "I am Anna Stargaze. I''d like to apologize for my bad behavior toward Noel and the Ardagan family in the past. And I hope that you can give me your blessing to marry Noel."


    Leysha smiled. "Of course. Luke has also given his blessing, even though he can''t meet you both. Please take care of Noel from now on."


    "Yes."


    Noel added while taking out the invitation, "Well, we have been considered husband and wife in the paper, but the ceremony will be held soon."


    "This¡­" Leysha rubbed her cheek. Although she was happy to get this invitation, it didn''t seem like she would be able to attend it.


    "I know that you can''t attend the ceremony, but I''m nning to make a parade before the ceremony. If you think you can watch us from afar, then please attend. I want you to witness the greatest decision I''ve ever made in my life."


    Leysha thought for a moment and nodded her head. "I''ll do my best to persuade your father. It should be possible to only attend the parade."


    "Mhmm." Noel was satisfied with the answer. However, there was still one problem. "By the way, I don''t know how I should inform you about this, but I''ve be a Marquis, and the kingdom has rewarded me with this demon''s territory."


    Leysha''s expression changed as she couldn''t help but ask, "So, you''re nning to expand here?"


    "Yes. It''s going to happen soon."


    "Don''t worry about us. We know what to do. I''ll also inform your father about this matter and adjust our position. Though, you might not know our next position¡­"


    "I can find you in one way or another."


    Leysha nodded with a smile.


    Noel then politely bowed to her. "In that case, it''s better if I don''t disturb you any further. Please tell Father to take care of himself."


    "I will." Leysha hugged Noel once again, knowing that it would be a while before they could meet again.


    Noel closed his eyes, savoring this feeling. After a minute, Leysha took a step back and patted Noel''s shoulders. "No matter what you do, just remember that I and your father will always love and be proud of you."


    "Yes, Mother." Noel nodded before saying yfully, "By the way, I told Silvester earlier that I would punch your face because he didn''t allow me to meet you. If you wanted to me someone for that p, you could me Silvester."


    "What? Young Master¡­" Silvester coughed a few times, not believing that Noel would just say it bluntly.


    Anna and Leysha chuckled, knowing that it was just a joke.


    "Bye, Mother. I hope we can meet again soon." Noel turned around while waving his hand. "You too, Silvester¡­ or not!"


    "¡­" Silvester waspletely speechless.


    Leysha waved her hand until Noel and Anna couldn''t be seen anymore.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "So, what am I going to do with you, Silvester?" Leysha nced at Silvester yfully.


    "This¡­" Silvester didn''t know what to say because he didn''t expect that Noel would be this shameless.


    "Hahaha. Do you think I don''t know that he is just teasing you?" Leysha turned around. "We, too, should go back."


    "¡­" Silvester still remembered the yful smile on Leysha''s face as though she was trying to do something with that information. Silvester sighed, knowing that they were indeed rted by blood.


    ¡­


    "So, this is how you drive it." Noel muttered while testing a few things that came into his mind.


    "I told you the driving part was easy. However, it will be different for the masses. First of all, we will have to ensure safety, especially since a wealthier family can actually harm people before running away fast."


    "I know. There are a few solutions like early education,ws, or safety runes. But early education is not cheap, and it''s not like it''s popr yet. I mean, I have to make thend prosper first. How can I force them to learn in school if they still need to farm on the field just to fill their bellies?


    "Thews are also problems, considering this is a new technology. We can deal with it somehow, but sooner orter, thew will deteriorate. As for the safety rune, it will be an expensive option, which people won''t buy since they don''t have money.


    "Hence, we don''t really have a solution right now. And it doesn''t seem like the car will enter themon market soon, so we will just wait and see for now."


    Noel exined.


    "I see. In that case, don''t you think bringing merchants to this territory will be a good thing?"


    Noel nodded. "Yeah, but the problem is that they are thinking that they could do anything because they have money. Before the Runegardpany bes a sessfulpany, I don''t think I will invite the merchants. Besides, I want them to focus on the other cities instead of the main city."


    "If that''s the case, we have to expand to the north first, expelling all those demons." Anna''s expression turned serious.


    "Yep. Damian and probably my parents have cleared up the area, but there are still a lot of demons around and we have to set up a perimeter as well. And the biggest problem will be¡­" Noel paused.


    "The lords of the new cities, huh? We can probably install mayors in those cities for the time being, but sooner orter, you are allowed to raise a noble of your own."


    "Yes. To facilitate rapid expansion, the kingdom allows the indirect appointment of a noble by nobles with higher ranks. Still, finding a noble is easier said than done." Noel sighed. "I don''t know if there are people talented enough to take on that position."


    "How about this? We will just let them be barons first, and if they keep racking up achievements, it will be good to let them raise their rank."


    "Still, what kind of achievement do you expect me to evaluate? If I solely think about their achievement on the battlefield against the demons, they might be too crude for such a task. Then again, I can''t really raise the mayors'' ranks unless necessary." Noel shook his head, exining his concern.


    "Isn''t there a good idea?" Anna pointed at the front. "How about using the expansion?"


    "Expansion?"


    "Yes. But it also means that we might not be able to y a huge role in the expansion¡­ or more like we won''t be able to fight as much."


    "Are you thinking about creating a smallpetition so that they will showcase their talents and we''ll use it to measure them? The battle prowess can be one of the parameters, but because of thepetition, we will allow them to speak up to see their intellect and decision making." Noel asked for confirmation.


    Anna scratched the back of her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Actually, I only thought that the new cities could be used to allow them to contribute. But I guess thepetition is a much better option."


    "No. We canbine them together. We can just set up a hundred people or more to maintain the city. We''ll see who manages the city the best to be a baron. Of course, we''ll also have to send enough workers for them to utilize."


    "Something like that. You have to consider the rule and other things properly though."


    Noel carefully considered their options. "I''ll discuss it with otherster."


    They had enough proof that thepetition would be sessful for people who had big ambitions. After all, they were the ones whopeted the most.


    There would be a problem when their ambition became a bit too big. It might be simr to the rtionship between him and the royal family.


    However, the difference between them was that Noel kept improving at a fast rate, so he could still maintain his control over them.


    And these people, filled with ambition, would definitely make their own territory prosperous.


    He also thought that it would cause problems for his child in the future if thetterckedfor ambition. But that would be Noel and Anna''s fault, considering they were the ones responsible in teaching their kid.


    Now that both of them had agreed to make apetition, all they needed to do was discuss with the pirs the suitable path for the development.


    ¡­


    After returning to the main city, the first person he met was actually Dous. Since he was the one in charge of the development project, it would be good to ask him about the city.


    And that was when he got an answer that he didn''t expect.


    "If you wish to do it, I have a rather interesting n. It''s called a growth city. Basically, it''s a concept where you can first build a vige, upgrade it to a small city, and develop it further to arge city. I have never tried this before since you need to make multiple walls to fend off the demons, but I believe this kind of development suits your needs. After all, we won''t have to worry about funds soon and the train can bring a lot of materials to them. What do you think?"

 Chapter 1045 Dylan Stargaze

    Chapter 1045 Dn Stargaze


    ??On the border east of the Muivell Kingdom.


    More than a thousand soldiers were standing on a in field.


    "Hold out!"


    The soldiers were standing in lines while stacking their shields together. More than three hundred demons were charging toward the soldiers. Once they saw their prey, they started gathering in one position.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    All the soldiers had big, muscr bodies. Their faces remained stern as though they were not afraid of the demons.


    However, a volley of arrows suddenly flew into the sky from the back of these soldiers.


    The demons were taken aback and unable to maneuver at thest moment, resulting in the arrows raining them down.


    *Roar!*


    Some demons released their spiritual energy to form a barrier, but about twenty demons ended up dying. Their bodies rolled on the ground, causing more demons to trip.


    Now that the momentum of the demons had been hindered a bit, the demons didn''t have enough force to actually crush the soldiers'' formations.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    The demons rammed their bodies into the formation, but most of them were actually stopped by the numerous shields. Those who managed to prate the shields ended up dying from the spears behind those shields.


    After that, another volley of arrows rained down, killing more than fifty demons.


    When it was about to be an all out brawl, the cavalries wereing from the left side. At the front was a man in his mid twenties. Despite his young age, his eyes were sharp as though he had undergone hundreds of battles.


    With just a single nce, the man said, "Alicia. Peel off their rear."


    He was talking to a woman next to him. Her frame was rather thin, but her eyes were extremely cold.


    Once she received the order, she raised her sword while turning to the left, leaving the cavalry with only fifty men.


    After that, the man turned his head around while raising his ive. "Michael, Sam. It''s time to hunt."


    The two men behind him smiled and shouted, "Sir!"


    The other soldiers also roared, their voices were so loud that it felt like their eardrums were going to burst. The demons turned around and tried to stop them, but the group of cavalries moved so fast that they had reached them before they could change their position.


    And the one at the very front was the young man. Once he swung his ive, four demons had their bodies split into two.


    Seeing such a performance raised the soldiers'' morale. With such a man leading them in front, they shouldn''t need to be afraid.


    "Haaa!" The army turned into an army of beasts. They fearlessly traversed in the middle of the demon''s rank and cut down one demon after another at fast speed.


    Their advance was unstoppable. The demons tried to stop them, but their speed didn''t decrease in the slightest.


    As if trying to change their approach, the Peak Level Demon stood in theirmander''s way. This Peak Level Demon swept its ws to stop him on his track.


    However, the young man wasn''t afraid. Even the horse was charging straight at this Peak Level Demon.


    The man waved his ive, striking the ws. The sh produced a powerful shock wave that startled some other horses.


    Normally, the horse wouldn''t be able to withstand the weight of the Peak Level Demon, but there was a sudden rise of winding underneath the horse, which neutralized most of the force.


    After that, the man held the ive with both hands and used every ounce of his strength to actually knock the ws away.


    "!!!" The Peak Level Demon looked surprised, its upper body was knocked back.


    At that time, the twomanders, Michael and Sam, leaped into the air and cut the demon''s two paws.


    Without having anything to protect himself, there was nothing that could stop the young man''s attack.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The man swung his ive vertically as the raging wind burst out. The ive cut the skin and flesh apart while the wind actually pushed the flesh in two directions, ripping the demon apart.


    In just an instant, a Peak Level Demon died, and its body was pushed to the two sides, knocking a few more demons away.


    Sam and Michael only smiled as if they had expected this.


    "Sam. Coordinate your attack with Alicia and exterminate all the demons. Michael is to head in the opposite direction and peel off those demons from our infantries."


    "Yes, sir!" The two replied in an instant as they led their respective groups ording to the arrangement.


    The rear of the demon''s rank were pincered from two sides, causing them to be exterminated at fast speed. The same applied to the demons that tried to break through the infantries. The shields were much stronger than they expected, allowing Michael and his soldiers to kill them one by one.


    Meanwhile, the man smiled at the rest of his soldiers. "We''ll continue!"


    The soldiers shouted and followed their general, creating a wide gap in the demon''s rank and splitting them into two. Only after that would they turn around and start killing the rest of the demons.


    In just thirty minutes, three hundred demons were exterminated.


    The young general stood in the middle of the battlefield with his ive resting on his shoulder, observing his soldiers clean up the battlefield.


    "General. We only have three casualties and thirty injuries." Sam came to report.


    "Good." The general nodded without any change of expression as though this was what he expected from his soldiers.


    Suddenly, he heard a woman''s voice echoing from behind.


    "General!"


    "Alicia? What''s wrong?" The young general asked with a nonchnt expression.


    "You''ve received a letter from your family." Alicia handed him the letter.


    "My family? Is it my father?" The general grabbed the letter and read it. Both Sam and Alicia were a bit curious but they stepped back to respect his boundaries. "It seems that it''s time for me to go home and fulfill my duty as a noble."


    "What?!" Alicia gasped in shock.


    "What? What will we do if you go home, General? You are the General of our Blue Knight Army, the famous Flying General. Our army''s speed is feared by other kingdoms and demons thanks to you." Sam was worried, considering it would only be their general. On the other hand, the army would remain here as they had been stationed to protect this front.


    "Dn¡­" Alicia looked at him as if she were pleading for him not to leave. She even tried to call him with his name instead of his title.


    "Well, it appears that my younger sister is going to get married. As her brother, it''s only right for me to attend her wedding ceremony. To think that there is someone who is able to actually control my sister¡­" Dn muttered as he couldn''t help but recall the memories from the past.


    ¡­


    17 years ago.


    "Look, Brother!" Anna, who was still innocent, came to her brother with a crown made of flowers. "I made this for you!"


    "Really? Thank you!" Dn smiled.


    "Hehehe!" Anna had a big smile on her face.


    However, it started to change the moment Josephine starteding to their family.


    "Look, Brother!" Anna came again one yearter. Dn was happy and turned around, but what he found on her hands were not something cute or beautiful. Instead, it was a dead rabbit.


    "Anna? What are you doing?!" Dn gasped.


    "What am I doing? I''m just doing something normal. A good rabbit is a dead rabbit," said Anna innocently, but it was as if she was talking about her enemies instead of mere animals.


    It didn''t take too long for him to confront his father.


    "Father. Anna is¡­"


    Before he could even speak, Kevin shook his head.


    "Are you going to let Anna¡­" Dn looked shocked, but Kevin simply sighed. "I''m sorry. I''m not strong enough."


    Dn knew about Anna''s talent that surprised him. But as an older brother and a male heir, he was still ahead in terms of session. Besides, it didn''t really matter to him. After all, his sister was more talented and so cute.


    However, his opinion changed the moment Anna started to change.


    Day after day, Anna became much colder and more violent.


    And after a few years, specifically when he was 15 years old, Dn was sent to the front line so that Anna''s madness wasn''t harming him.


    Dn had been in this ce for so long. While he still could go back home to meet his mother once in a while, he couldn''t stay for a prolonged time.


    The more he rose through the ranks, the more he realized the darkness that made even his father unable to do anything.


    He gradually lost his emotion after knowing the burden that his parents had to endure this whole time. He was unaware about it when he was a kid, but this time, it was clear.


    The royal family, Anna''s talent, and even the Ardagan family. He learned all the connections and understood why his father had no choice but to send him to the battlefield.


    Still, he was unable to forget about his family back home, especially that bright, innocent smile on his sister''s face, hoping that one day he could see it again.


    Even though he was away, he did his best to follow everything that happened back home. In fact, his mother kept sending the letter to update him about the situation while making sure he didn''t feel too lonely here.


    Finally, the letter had arrived.


    When Dn saw this letter, he didn''t know what to feel. On the one hand, he expected this toe sooner orter. On the other hand, he was surprised that it came this early.


    Home was such a rather unfamiliar term after fighting in the battlefield for so long. Dn said, "Even if I''m not here, the Blue Knight Army will continue to prosper."


    "But¡­ if you leave¡­" Sam wanted to say that they would lose a Spirit Grandmaster in their ranks.


    However, Dn simply said, "My father is not that foolish. If he recalls me home, he must¡ª"


    Before he could finish his words, Michael rushed toward them while shouting, "General. The Demon Guardian Squad, led by their zero squad, ising here."


    Dn nodded as if he had expected it. "Alicia will follow me back. Sam is to take over my position, with Michael as the witness."


    "Huh?" Michael, who didn''t know anything, looked shocked, but he hurriedlyposed himself and corrected his reply. "Yes, sir!"


    "Sir¡­" Sam bit his lips.


    Dn let out a long sigh. "I told you right after I came to this ce. Never get attached to me because I would be leaving the army sooner orter."


    Without hesitation, Dn turned around and started walking away.


    Sam clenched his hands into fists, thinking, ''How could we not be attached? Not only me, even all those soldiers¡­ You were the one leading us to one victory after another, you ate together with us, lowly soldiers¡­ you were our hope. Even if you said it was only to raise everyone''s morale, how could we not be attached to you?''


    Dn stopped for a moment before saying, "Sam, Michael. There is a reason why I can easily leave this army. It''s because I know that my two deputies are capable. It might be hard at first, but I believe that the two of you will do just fine. Continue making me proud, Sam, Michael."


    Sam''s body was trembling while Michael simply grabbed his shoulder as if telling his friend that they shouldn''t see their general off this way.


    Sam clenched his fists even tighter as his nails were about to cut the skin of his palms. However, he soon straightened his posture, ced his right fist on his chest, and shouted, "General Dn, Lieutenant Alicia. Salute!"


    Michael did the same next to Sam.


    A small smile appeared on his poker face as he waved his hand without turning back.

 Chapter 1046 Dylan Stargaze (2)

    Chapter 1046 Dn Stargaze (2)


    ??Dn and Alicia were riding their horses straight to the Stargaze family''s territory.


    Because he rarely came home, Dn''s face wasn''t known by a lot of people. He easily headed to his home without getting any attention.


    As soon as he reached the mansion gate, the guards stopped him as though he were just a stranger.


    Dn didn''t feel offended at all. He simply said, "Is Taylor here? Can you call him out? Tell him that the first young master has returned."


    The guards were confused, but before they could do anything, someone''s voice echoed from afar.


    "Young Master!"


    They all turned their heads around, seeing a big, muscr man run toward the gate and even jump as if he were about to tackle Dn. Thetter simply grabbed the muscr man''s head and stopped him without taking a single step back.


    *Bam!*


    The impact produced a shock wave that astonished the soldiers.


    "Ca¡­Captain Taylor?!" The guards were confused.


    On the other hand, Dn simply smiled while tilting his head to the side so that he could take a good look at Taylor. "It''s been a while, Taylor. You still haven''t changed."


    Taylor smiled and straightened his body, revealing his true height. He was a giant with a height more than 230 cm. Compared to him, Dn looked so small even though his height was average.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m just happy that the young master can return safely." Taylor smiled. He was the one who had trained Dn since he was young, so it wasn''t weird that he had a deep attachment to Dn.


    Dn smiled. "Is my mother inside?"


    "Yes. How many days are you going to stay this time, Young Master?" Taylor asked.


    "I''m going to stay here for a long time. You don''t have to worry about that."


    "A long time?" Taylor suddenly gasped. "Young Master¡­ you¡­"


    "It''s time for me to learn how to be a noble. That''s why I''m counting on you from here on, Taylor."


    Tears couldn''t help but form in the corner of his eyes. Dn, who had been sent away this whole time, could finally return. As the one who was most attached to him, Taylor wanted to cry but had to say, "Of course. Please leave all the tasks to me. The young master is finally home¡­ Young¡­"


    Dn patted his shoulder while saying, "Alright. Alright. How about guiding me inside first?"


    "Y-yes! Huu¡­" While crying, Taylor led his young master inside.


    "Is my mother in the office?" Dn asked.


    "Yes. Madam has only told me that you will be home soon and asked me to guide you to her once you arrive."


    "In that case, I''ll go there by myself. You should guide her inside." Dn pointed at Alicia.


    Taylor was surprised at first, but he noticed that Alicia''s strength wasn''t weak. Her awkwardness and her red face only indicated one thing.


    "Yes, sir!" Taylor understood the assignment.


    Dn nodded with a smile and headed to the second floor by himself. It only took him a moment to reach the office and open the door, finding several people inside.


    On the left side, there were two middle-aged men who were surrounded by piles of papers. On the right side stood two old men who seemed to be talking about the map on the table. Still, the most important person was hidden behind the mountains of papers on the opposite side of the room.


    When the door was opened, all of them turned around to see who came in without knocking, including the person behind those mountains of papers.


    Dn could see a middle-aged beauty taking a peek. She had blond hair like Anna, but instead of purple eyes, she had light blue eyes, which he inherited. She was wearing thick sses as though her eyes had deteriorated a lot after working hard for so long. She was Anna''s mother, Vivian.


    Even though she was already close to her forties, she still maintained her natural beauty, which Anna definitely inherited. Unfortunately, she had never prioritized spiritual energy. She might be a Spirit Practitioner, but that strength was only achieved by consuming demon crystals over a long period of time. Her spiritual energy was just in her body to strengthen her body and slowed the aging a little bit. She never wielded a sword or even awakened her spirit.


    The moment she saw who actually entered the room, she couldn''t help but drop everything on her hands and stand up. "Dn!"


    "I''m home, Mother." Dn smiled. "I hope that I haven''t disturbed you."


    She hurriedly waved her hand, gesturing to the four men inside the room to leave as she had a more important thing to do.


    They all bowed to her and hurriedly excused themselves.


    "I hope you are doing well, Mother," said Dn while closing the door.


    "Are you hungry? Are you tired? How about taking a bath first? I''ll ask the servants to prepare you a meal."


    "Don''t worry, Mother. It took more than that to get me tired." Dn chuckled. "I just want to meet you after so long."


    "Mhmm¡­" Vivian felt a bit ashamed that she couldn''t prevent her son from leaving back then.


    "I have read my father''s letter. It seems that Anna is going to marry someone and it''s time for me to learn how to manage the territory from you. Is Father here?"


    Vivian gave him a wry smile. "No. Your father is still in the capital city. It seems that the situation on the court has be intense, so if he leaves, there''s going to be a lot of problems. And I''m sorry that only when Anna is like this can you finally go home."


    "Don''t worry, Mother. I disliked the fact that I''ve got to run away more than your and Father''s decision. I''m already aware of what''s been going on in the past few years." Dn shook his head.


    Vivian knew they owed him a lot.


    "By the way, I have heard a few things about the guy who is going to marry my little sister. Can you tell me more about him?"


    "That''s actually rted to what you''re going to do from now on." Vivian paused for a moment. "Your brother-inw is now a Marquis. As you know, his territory is Lounstein, and his achievement is immeasurable."


    "He is a Marquis?" Dn looked surprised. He never aimed for getting a noble title by himself since he would inherit it from his father, but he knew how hard it was to be a Marquis. People might not be able to achieve it in their lifetimes, but to think that someone as young as him would be able to reach that stage by his own strength. "And what do you mean by he is rted to what I''m going to do?"


    "You''re going to learn how to manage the territory from me, right? Managing itself is pretty easy to teach, but you''ll need a lot of partners to learn the art of negotiation. In a negotiation, you have to be careful with your words and learn what they like and dislike to get the cooperation you desire. And your brother-


    inw gives you the opportunity for it."


    "Oh? He really did all that?"


    "Yes. To be honest, I couldn''t really find any ws in the n." Vivian sighed. "He is going to expand the highway for his new technology. The technology is desired by a lot, so they will definitely support the expansion of the road.


    "You still need to negotiate with them so that we all can use the roads with the least amount of tax. Because they already want it, they will probably agree to our conditions since we''re the Stargaze family."


    Dn thought for a moment. "So that''s how it is. Because of Anna, the negotiation will be a simple task. If that''s the case, should we just try to make a profit in the negotiation?"


    "That''s what I''m going to teach you." Vivian raised a finger. "If you show outrageous cooperation and eventually sow a seed of hatred in your partner, there will be a high chance for them to betray you in the future. That''s why I''ll be helping you so that the benefits are mutual and the agreement can be longsting."


    "I see. It''s an experience that I don''t have. It seems that my brother-inw is a capable man."


    "I can''t help but agree on that. And more importantly¡­"


    "Yeah. He manages to turn my sister back to normal. Even now, I hate that arbiter." Dn clicked his tongue.


    "That''s also another problem. ording to your father, Josephine rarely visited the royal court anymore. He is still observing her movement and seems to know more of what''s going on, but currently, we don''t have to focus on her yet."


    Dn nodded. "Yes. I''ll focus on strengthening our territory first."


    "Mhmm¡­ And because of that, some other nobles might try to take advantage of this situation to make a ''connection'' with you."


    Dn''s expression turned serious. He obviously understood what she meant. Because of Anna, he became an extremely important chess piece to reap some benefits from the Ardagan family.


    After all, he could simply ask Anna for something, and thetter would give it directly or plead with her husband.


    So, there would be a lot of noblesing with their daughters.


    "Can I just tell them that I already have Alicia here?"


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Do you really think it''s going to work?" Vivian shook her head. "If you''re going to use that, the first thing they will do is eliminate her. If you don''t want that, you have to ept others¡­"


    "I guess I have to do that." Dn smiled wryly.


    "Still, your father and you are strong enough to choose your spouse. So, you can choose whoever you deem is good for you."


    "Mhmm. I''ll think about thatter. There is one thing that has been on my mind this whole time. I''ve heard a rumor about a carriage that can actually bring hundreds of people or tons of supply in a single trip."


    "It''s the new technology of the Ardagan family."


    "What are these rune technologies?"


    Vivian thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Let''s start with that. They are¡­"

 Chapter 1047 A Lot of Guests

    Chapter 1047 A Lot of Guests


    ??Two weekster.


    "We have sent out the people as you ordered. We have split five hundred people into five groups and sent them to the north to build five different viges. Each of them has enough food and soldiers to protect themselves." Rose reported.


    "Good. Record all their requests and progress." Noel nodded. "Also, what''s the situation with the Demon Banner Army?"


    "We''ve sent the request to the Demon Banner Army, and it appears that several captains have been interested in going."


    "We only need one of the five Shield teams and one of the Utility teams. I guess thetter is the Demon Relief Squad." Noel shrugged.


    "Yes. Does that mean you want one of those Shield teams to create their base here?"


    "Tell them that they will be able to do it in one of those five new viges. It will grow into a city soon, and it''ll be developed with Rune Technology in mind."


    "Got it. Does themander have something to say?"


    "No. We''re going through the normal channel, so there''s nothing to say about our method. However, there is a problem with the movement of the demons in the north."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It seems that the Supreme Devil Organizations are nning to hinder our expansion even with their current strength. They might make the move because the Greenwood Kingdom has left the area."


    "That doesn''t really matter. In fact, more demons is good since we will have more fuel for our rune technology and it can also be a good opportunity for our people to show their abilities." Noel shrugged.


    "Understood. Then, we''ll proceed ording to the n." Rose nodded. After growing a bit more ustomed to the work here, Charlotte gradually gave more and more tasks to Rose, including bing Noel''s assistant.


    "Alright. Let''s go to Roel''s workshop to check the new thing." Noel waved his hand.


    While they were walking down the hallway, a maid looked panicked, as if she were trying to find someone. When she turned around, Noel could see her face, which turned out to be Sandra.


    "Master!" Sandra rushed to him while panting.


    "What''s wrong?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    Sandra handed him a letter.


    Noel grabbed the letter with a serious expression. From the shape and color alone, he knew that this was Harley''s letter. It seemed that something was going on.


    When he opened the letter, he couldn''t help but sigh. "I see. Rose, there is a change of schedule today."


    "Is there something wrong?" Rose looked concerned.


    Noel simply gave her the letter.


    "This¡­" Rose gasped, finally understanding what happened.


    ''Four Nobles: Lesen, Caulbot, Canmond, and Yatcher have decided to ban all the trades to Lounstein.''


    This sentence alone was enough to exin the entire thing. Rose couldn''t help but think, ''These four nobles are from the royal faction, so it''s no wonder if they strike against us now. At the same time, this is quite troublesome.


    ''The Lesen family is the number one producer of bricks in this entire kingdom, the Caulbot family is blessed with iron mountains, the Canmond family has a lot of wool, and the Yatcher family is known for their y handicraft.


    ''This is not a simple ban. It''s limiting the trade. In other words, it''s going to be impossible for us to procure the materials directly. Even if we go through a separate channel, we will end up with a higher price¡­ probably close to two times its original price. They must be nning to limit production as well so as to jack up the price even further.


    ''This is not looking good for us. We use a lot of bricks in our building, so this is going to impact us pretty hard. In addition, all iron tools, from nails to hammers, are produced by the Caulbot family. We have been able to get them pretty easily, but if they''re going to impose this ban, the construction will definitely suffer.


    ''And the Canmond family is the most troublesome. We are only three months away before the temperature starts to drop and another month before winter fully arrives in full force. Even though we have no shortage of firewood and possess the rune technology, we need those clothes to make sure no one dies.


    ''It''s normal for people to die in the harsh winter, but the problem is that if we have a lot of people dying right now, not only would we lose the trust of the people, but we also lose a lot of manpower. This is even more concerning for those new five viges.


    ''Last but not least, the Yatcher family has been the one distributing the y pots and other household items. If the price increases significantly, themon people will have a hard time leading a normal life.


    ''This is going to get even trickier. We can somehow fight them with the ban of the rune technology, but the technology is still new, so the impact won''t be as big.''


    Rose urately assessed the impact after learning from Charlotte. This would be hard even for them. On the one hand, they could get it from the Greenwood Kingdom. On the other hand, the royal family might use this as an excuse to attack Noel.


    Noel had been doing his best to purchase the local products so that he could say that he loved the people in thisnd instead of importing stuff from foreign kingdoms. So, if he abandoned this trick in order to get those items, the royal family would definitelyunch propaganda or even ban imported goods.


    That was why Noel had no choice but to continue purchasing items locally. The problem was whether he could do it or not.


    "Thank you for the information, Sandra." Noel smiled and patted Sandra''s head.


    "Yes, Master." Sandra couldn''t contain her smile. "In that case, I''ll excuse myself."


    "En. Be careful." Noel nodded.


    When she was gone, Noel asked, "ording to you, what will be our course of action?"


    "If we follow the book, we''ll have to purchase these items from merchants. But the merchants have a high chance to increase the price significantly, especially with the risk that they will be banned from purchasing those goods from those four nobles.


    "We might be able to withstand it for a while by buying it at twice the normal price, but we won''tst long." Rose exined.


    "In that case, which merchants have a good reputation and are willing to do this?"


    Rose thought for a moment. "This is rather tricky. They should have caught the wind of the Runegardpany. Their position will be threatened because of the potential of our Runegardpany. So, not a lot of merchants would actually help us."


    "What about the nobles?"


    "No one is actually close to our territory, so it''s going to be costly to transport that stuff."


    Noel nodded in agreement. "In that case, what do you think we should do now?"


    "Using the neutral nobles to purchase these goods?"


    Noel shook his head. "No. It''s to gather those merchants in Laivaen City."


    "Gather them?" Rose looked shocked.


    "Yeah. I''ve expected this, so I want you to do three things for me. Send invitations to the ten biggest merchants in this kingdom and tell them that Marquis Ardagan wants to meet them in Laivaen City two weeks from now.


    "Second, I want you to assemble three hundred people. If there is someone who has experience as a mayor, include them as well. Of course, send a word to Dimitri that we will need more people after this.


    "Third, I want you to tell Howard. There is a new mission for the military. Eliminate thoroughly all the demons and bandits located west of this city."


    "Understood." Rose still didn''t fully understand the meaning behind those orders, but she knew that Noel must have foreseen something. So, it was better to focus on it.


    After Rose left his side, Noel''s expression turned grim. "I have expected this, but they are making their moves one month earlier. I guess I can''t really be idle anymore."


    When he was about to take a step forward, he suddenly noticed a presence behind him. Noel couldn''t help but say, "Geez. It seems that there are a lot of visitors today."


    Noel had already known whose presence he felt, so he turned around while asking, "Is it time for you to speak your real intention ining here, Duke? You have seen enough to finally pass on the message of that person, right?"


    Yes, the one who got the information about the ban wasn''t just Noel. Duke Lorelei immediately sought Noel the moment he got this information because of one reason.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "It seems that you''re already aware of what''s going on." Duke Lorelei took a deep breath. "In that case, I''ll give you the message that Her Highness, the Third Princess, has entrusted me. Don''t seek the answer from the east, but go to the south instead."


    As he originally expected, the duke was indeed rted to the Third Princess. The neutrality he maintained this whole time was just a facade so that other princes and princesses didn''t pressure him to choose a side. After all, the Third Princess he served had been acting as a controlled princess. In the end, Duke Lorelei was a noble who wanted the country to prosper, and the Third Princess seemed to be his answer.


    After seeing the true ability of the Rune Technology, Duke Lorelei thought that Noel would definitely be the Third Princess''s strongest weapon.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel said, "I appreciate Her Highness''s care, but the Ardagan family has their own way of fighting. Instead of worrying about my family, I think you should worry about the twelve arbiters as a whole, Duke."


    "The arbiters?"


    Noel smirked and walked toward him. "You should have heard the citizens talking about how demons managed to enter the city in the previous war, right?"


    Duke Lorelei''s expression turned grim. He obviously didn''te here just for Rune Technology. He also tried to get as much information as possible while assessing Noel''s trump cards.


    During his investigation, he had learned that despite fighting tremendously well, the demons managed to enter the city. The cause was still unknown.


    After all, there were only two people aware of the culprit. They were Noel and Anna.


    When Noel reached the Duke, he leaned closer and whispered, "After fighting those Devil Saints, I didn''t immediately go back to the city because there was a hidden threat outside the city. A threat that could send the demons inside the city."


    "!!!" Duke Lorelei''s body shook. He understood what Noel was trying to imply. Josephine was probably the only person who had the ability. He had heard that Josephine hade to the pce less and less. This only implied one thing, Josephine had changed her affiliation.


    "Instead of worrying about me, I think you should take care of yourself, Duke."


    Duke Lorelei was aware that the Tower Association had been infiltrated by the organization. While the arbiters cooperated with the organization, they were still affiliated with the royal system.


    But what happened to Josephine changed everything. If she was indeed a mole, there would be another few arbiters that might switch sides.


    And at that time, the fight wasn''t just against Noel. It would be a battle royal between the royal family, the Supreme Devil Organization, and the Ardagan family.


    If Noel told him about this before he deemed Noel strong enough, he would just dismiss his words as a seed of doubt. Noel knew exactly that and waited until he revealed his true intention.


    There was a chance that they already knew about the secret of the Third Princess. And if, by chance, they assassinated the Third Princess to deal heavy damage to him, the game would be over.


    "It doesn''t seem that you don''t have a lot of time left, Duke. Have you made your purchase?"


    Duke Lorelei bit his lips. "I''m thankful for your kind reception, Marquis. It appears that I''ve just gotten joyous news from my territory that a child will be born in my household. I have to excuse myself."


    "Please take care." Noel smiled. After Duke Lorelei left, Noel couldn''t help but sigh, thinking, ''The preparation isplete. It seems that the time has arrived for me to crush a few nobles and merchants. Let''s fight with the power of money, shall we?''

 Chapter 1048 Reactions

    Chapter 1048 Reactions


    ??"Hehehe. He must be in mes right now."


    "We don''t know about it, but this should put him in trouble for the time being."


    "But are we really going to do this? You should know that a lot of nobles have sided with him because of that rune technology."


    "We just have to follow the royal family. By pressuring him like this, he is bound to make a rash decision sooner orter. And at that time, the royal family will take the opportunity to seize his rune technology."


    The four nobles were sitting at the round table. They were the four nobles from the royal faction that controlled the northern part of the kingdom.


    In fact, Earl Canmond''s territory was directly linked to Lounstein. His territory was south of Lounstein, which became the wall that blocked travelers from reaching Lounstein.


    That was why Dimitri had a bit of a hard time gathering people for migrations.


    The other three nobles were also not losing in terms of influence and strength. They were just located a bit farther away and tried pressuring the other nobles around their area not to side with the Ardagan family.


    Earl Canmond looked at them while saying, "You better remember that the first one that will be attacked is me. If I fall, the entire n will be crushed."


    "Don''t worry, Earl Canmond. We know about this and will definitely send you our experts and soldiers in order to bolster your defense. We won''t let him seed even if he is nning a territorial war."


    The other nobles assured him, but there was no telling what Noel could do, considering he was capable of arguing with the likes of Duke Raymond.


    "You better believe that is the case. If I fall, he will definitely not let you three go."


    "Don''t worry, Earl Canmond. You should know that the ban itself is just a facade. The real weapon is not the ban, but the merchants."


    "That''s right. A few big merchants have joined hands with us, so we''ll be able to get a piece of his technology."


    Earl Canmond obviously knew about it. If they were going to impose the ban, they should also get the help of the merchants. This way, the merchants would either sell it at a very high price or not sell it at all.


    And knowing how greedy the merchants were, they would definitely demand the rune technology either be given to them or sold cheaply to them if they wanted his cooperation.


    ¡­


    Remane Company.


    A middle-aged man was looking at the letter in his hand. "Cancel all the meetings I have."


    "Is it from the Ardagan family, Master?"


    "Yeah. This is going to be interesting."


    "They must be panicking after that ban. They are currently in the middle of rapid development, so if the price suddenly increases tremendously, it will be bad for them no matter how much money they can potentially make."


    "I''m not so sure about that." The man smirked.


    ¡­


    Saltachid Company.


    "It seems that our time hase. As expected, even if he is a strong contender, he is still new to politics. He is going to be devoured sooner orter." The president of the two biggest merchant groups in the kingdom couldn''t help but smile after seeing this invitation.


    "Get ready. We''ll devour the Ardagan family alive."


    ¡­


    River Flow Company.


    "Miss. The Ardagan family seems to be inviting us to meet in Laivaen City."


    A woman in herte twenties raised the letter on her hand. "I have read it."


    "Are we going to strike at the Ardagan family like this?"


    "I''m not very sure."


    "Not very sure?"


    "You always have to fear the rising star. If they don''t have a single trump card hidden in their sleeve, they can''t be a rising star. For now, gather all the information regarding the Ardagan family, including the nobles around him. There will be a few people trying to make their moves first, so we''ll just wait and see."


    ¡­


    Just like the three of them, the Ardagan family had issued another seven invitations to the biggest merchant groups in this kingdom.


    All of them had a great interest in it, considering the Rune Technology had be popr. However, knowing that Noel''spany would threaten their profits, they were thinking about seizing his technology to crush Noel before he prospered.


    Noel, on the other hand, didn''t do a lot of things before the meeting. He was just maintaining the inspection and working ording to the original n.


    "We''ve gotten replies from all ten of them. Two of them have no intention ofing. Eight of them are nning toe, but I don''t think all of them have good intentions." Rose reported.


    Noel nodded. "There should be a few nobles who have tried to contact us, right?"


    "Yes. These are all their letters." Rose put down fifteen letters on the desk. "They seem to be trying to do something for you so that the rtionship between them and the Ardagan family bes stronger."


    "Mhmmmm¡­" Noel nodded and took a look at the letters, specifically the sender. As expected, the Stargaze family would definitely take part in this. However, he suddenly stopped when staring at one of the letters. "This is¡­"


    His shock didn''t stop there. He actually found more shocking letters than he originally expected.


    "I might be able to use this." Noel muttered, his expression turned serious. Noel asked, "How is the progress of that ce?"


    "We have sent them to this new ce. We''re still building the road, but they''re rapidly expanding."


    Noel thought for a moment. "Where is Anna?"


    "She is supervising the expansion of the road currently and should be going to the demon territory to check their situation."


    "Recall her back. She might have to negotiate with a few nobles right now."


    "Understood."


    When Rose left the room, Noel couldn''t help but stand up, looking at the map that wasid down on the table.


    It was the map of the entire Muivell Kingdom, allowing him to see the nobles and their territories.


    He couldn''t help but imagine all the pieces that could affect the oue. Seeing this map made him even more sure about his decision.


    It didn''t take too long for Anna toe back.


    "What''s wrong? Rose told me that I have to negotiate with a few nobles." Anna asked while looking at Noel, still putting a few chess pieces on the map as if he were actually ying chess with the entire Muivell Kingdom as the chessboard.


    When Anna looked at the movement of those pieces, she suddenly fell silent. Interrupting him might cause a problem, but more importantly, she could see the profound nning behind each move.


    However, there were a few ces that she didn''t expect would get involved in this chessboard.


    ''It seems that the situation is more serious than we expect.'' Anna''s expression turned grim, wondering if Noel could actually do this.


    But after another fifteen minutes, Noel started taking down the piece that symbolized the four nobles that imposed the ban.


    She couldn''t help but smile as if realizing what they should do.


    "Sorry for getting a bit too serious." Noel finally opened his mouth after the simtion was over.


    "It''s fine. It seems that you''ve found the solution."


    "Yes. The ban on trade will definitely hurt us, but this can also be an opportunity."


    "But I don''t really like the idea of using merchants. They might take advantage of this situation to get a say in the family." Anna shook her head helplessly, knowing the true terror of a merchant when the Ardagan family was at its peak.


    "No. The merchants might y significant roles, but don''t misunderstand. Even without the merchants, I can still stop these four nobles." Noel pointed at the map. "I''m nning to have you negotiate with three lords. Speed is the essence of this n."


    "Alright. It seems that I have to use my full speed to actuallyplete this mission." Anna smirked.


    "I''ll ask Harley to send the letters to these nobles, and you''ll show up a dayter."Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s easy. When do I leave?"


    "Tomorrow." Noel paused for a moment. "I''ll tell you the details about the negotiations. You can take care of the rest and inform me about the resultter."


    "Got it."


    Noel then began to exin his entire n to Anna telling her about how they should proceed.


    It seemed that Noel was pretty pissed off by these four lords. After all, ording to the n, Noel didn''t n to let them off easily. If they weren''t careful, they might even lose their lives.


    The more she listened to his n, the more she realized that Noel''s strategy had changed slightly. However, looking at the map earlier, she knew that this had to be done since the impact would be massive.


    After getting all the details, she hurriedly prepared for the departure, working as the shadow in the grand scheme of things.


    ¡­


    Two weekster.


    A middle-aged man came out of his carriage while lifting his hat. "So, this is Laivaen City. Interesting."


    The meeting between Noel and the great merchants was about tomence.

 Chapter 1049 New Experience

    Chapter 1049 New Experience


    ??"Wee." A young girl smiled, greeting the guest that came to the inn.


    "Oh! What a cute girl. I''m nning to stay for three days. Do you have your best room?"


    "Thank you very much." The girl politely thanked him for the praise before introducing the room. "We have our best room ready. Please follow me."


    The middle-aged man nodded. He just casually paid a lot of money without blinking an eye.


    "This is your key. Please follow me. I''ll guide you to your room." The girl extended her hand.


    "I can do it myself. Instead, why don''t you prepare a bath for me? It''s going to take a long time, right?"


    "Of course, I can do that. But I need to know when you''re going to take the bath, Sir. It''s only going to take at most thirty minutes to prepare."


    "Thirty minutes?" The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes."


    The middle-aged man nced outside, realizing that he hade to the inn just after lunch. It was indeed too early to take a bath. Then again, he was a bit curious about how they were going to prepare the bath.


    Normally, it takes hours just to prepare for a bath. Even a conglomerate like him couldn''t take a bath every single day.


    Yet, they imed they could prepare it in just thirty minutes. This piqued his interest.


    "In that case, how about preparing now?"


    "Yes, sir. In that case, I will lead you to your room." She extended her hand once again to ask him to follow her.


    Having no choice, the man followed her to his room on the second floor. This was said to be the best inn, but the building itself was only two-story tall. He indeed found the building stretching wide, but it was still too normal for storiesest inn in the town.


    However, it changed when he entered the room. The furniture wasn''t that big of a deal, but the young staff immediately asked, "May I have permission to enter the bathroom so that I can prepare the bath for you, sir?"


    "Y-yeah. Is the process different? Can I see it too?"


    "Of course." She nodded with a smile and opened the door leading to the bathroom.


    Once she entered the bathroom, there was already arge tub where people could sit down and lean back to rx. He originally thought that the bath would just be a giant bucket, but it seemed that he was wrong.


    The girl simply opened the faucet and let the water flow out, gradually filling the tub. She waited for three minutes so that the water had filled up the bottom part of the tube.


    She took out a lighter and moved to the back of the tub, lighting up the firewood underneath the tub. In addition, there was already a vent to expel the smoke, allowing the customers to use it safely.


    "This is¡­" The middle-aged man looked shocked, not expecting that the water could actually flow out at this height. The reason why a bath couldn''t be done easily was because they needed to fill up the tub with a lot of water they drew from the well.


    "Please wait until the water fills up two thirds of the tub. We have also measured the firewood, so the smoke won''t fill up the room and the water temperature won''t be too high."


    "O-oh?!" He was dumbfounded for a few seconds before ncing to the side, finding his assistant was the same. He said, "Thank you."


    "You''re wee." The staff then pointed at the shower head and said, "If you only wish to wash your body, you only have to open this valve and¡­" She demonstrated it and water flowed out of the shower head. "You''ll get the water."


    "This¡­" The man scratched the back of his head. "Are you sure you can use all this water?"


    There was one thing that he noticed. The invention itself wasn''t that big of a deal. The shower was just a tube with a rather broad tip that had several holes in it. The bathtub was simr.


    However, what he couldn''t imagine was how easy it was to get ess to water.


    "Yes. The water is essible all day. Of course, this water is not for drinking."


    "All day?!"


    As if she had gotten used to such reactions, the staff simply nodded her head. "Yes. We have a water tank above our building that provides all this water."


    "But the water in that tank should be running out sooner orter, right?"


    "Of course not. Thanks to our Lord, every person in this city had ess to water."


    "Everyone?!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to regain hisposure. He seemed to have underestimated the power of the water system that Noel poprized.


    Even if it were for themselves, all nobles would definitely get their hands on this technology. No, he personally wanted this thing.


    However, if the technology were this precious, would their lord be so simple? He had underestimated Noel, but he had to wait until the meeting before he could ascertain Noel''s true ability.


    "I understand. Thank you."


    "I''m just doing my job." The staff smiled. "In that case, I will return after another fifteen minutes to make sure the bath is ready."


    "Alright." The man nodded and walked out, allowing the staff to follow him and exit the room.


    "Oi, Ren. Snap back to reality," he said while ncing at his assistant.


    "Ah! President¡­" His assistant looked embarrassed and pointed at the bathroom. "The water¡­ the water¡­"


    "I know." As the president of Remane Company, the current top merchant group in the Muivell Kingdom, what he felt from the invention was not greed or curiosity. Instead, it was fear.


    The reason he managed to raise thispany to its peak was because he feared a lot of things and always proceeded cautiously.


    However, that wasn''t the extent of his shock. When he explored the room, he actually found a wooden box. There was a note on the table stating, "Please put this box near themp if you wish to turn on the light."


    "Lamp?" The president fell silent and turned around. There was onemp in the middle of the room and a little socket near it. He found anothermp on the table.


    Out of curiosity, the president brought this box to the table and ced it next to themp. He thought that themp would require oil to function, but to his surprise, themp actually lit up just by putting the box next to it.


    "This is¡­" The president sucked a cold breath. "Ren, close the windows."


    His assistant hurriedly followed the instructions. Once all windows were closed, the room darkened, showing the potential of themp. It wasn''t too bright, but it was still twice as bright as a candle.


    "It''s bright?" His assistant gasped. "This is more than enough to read during the night."


    "Yeah. You can actually work during the night without having your eyes hurt. This is amazing. There is no smoke or smell either." The president grabbed the wooden box. "I wonder what is this?"


    "The box is light¡­" The president carefully held it and tried to shake it. He did it as gently as possible, not wanting to break precious items.


    "President. Aren''t all these very important to people like us?"


    "Yeah. I''m not sure what this box is, but this clicking sound¡­ it sounds like a demon crystal."


    "Isn''t that the fuel of the rune technology?"


    "Indeed. I think that they are using this box so that we don''t make direct contact with the demon crystal. And even if we steal this, there is already a big deposit when we rent a room. I guess that''s enough to rece this box and the demon crystal."


    "Shouldn''t we try to negotiate with the Lord? Maybe we can acquire this technology."


    "I''m not sure. You should have seen several carriages outside, right? It means we''re not the only onesing here. So, I will see what the Lord wants from me first before ying my cards. Don''t say anything in the meeting tomorrow, but make sure to learn from the negotiation."


    "Understood."


    After warning his assistant, the president continued observing all the inventions inside the room. Not long after, the young staff returned to the room and made sure that everything was ready for him.


    From a few inventions alone, the trip had be something he would never forget in his entire life.


    And he couldn''t help but wonder what the noble wanted from him, especially with this kind of setup.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    He entered the room with his assistant in the meeting hall prepared by Noel. To his surprise, the table was long, and there were a total of eleven chairs inside the room. Several people had taken their seats while their assistants seemed to be standing next to them or behind them.


    All of these people were quite famous as well, especially in the business world. Still, the scariest would be him, the current president of the number onepany in the kingdom.


    It seemed that Noel didn''t n to meet them one by one, which changed the tone of the meeting entirely.


    Even though the eyes were on him, he quietly sat down and gestured for his assistant to stand on the corner so as not to disturb the others.


    He could see the intention behind these people from their eyes alone. Some were greedy, some were scared, and some were actually passive. It seemed that all of them had experienced the inn. They were aware of what they could ''steal'' from Noel and didn''t n to hold back in this meeting.


    "Well, well. Isn''t this President Maxwell?" Another man greeted him.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    He couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, considering the opposite party was the president of the two biggest merchant groups.


    He was the number one merchant in this kingdom, but his business spread to all kinds of sectors, so eachpany wasn''t as big as this guy''s.


    Before he could reply to him, a few more people entered the room. As he originally expected, Noel had gathered all the top merchants in the kingdom for this meeting.


    After another five minutes, the door once again opened, but this time the guards outside dered out loud, "Lord Noel Ardagan has entered the room."


    The young noble entered the room and stood at the edge of the table. All the merchants stood up as a formality, though some of them didn''t want to stand up and only did it because the others did it.


    Noel simply waved his hand down before taking his seat. He opened his mouth, his tone was calm as though there was no problems bothering him. "Wee to my Laivaen City. Please take a seat."

 Chapter 1050 Negotiation?

    <h4>Chapter 1050 Negotiation?</h4>


    "Wee to my Laivaen City. Please take a seat."


    ''So, this is the rumored Marquis.'' The merchants thought. They all had different opinions in their heads.


    First of all, it was clear that the marquis was the youngest person in this meeting. Yet, there were a lot of rumors about his brilliance and slyness.


    Still, it didn''t change the fact that the four nobles had cornered him to the point where he had to beg for their help.


    Some people thought that they could devour him. Some people carefully observed the situation and let the others make their move first. However, there were two people who feared him.


    "I''m pretty sure that you have heard about the situation, so I won''t beat around the bush. I gather you here to solve that problem." Noel opened it with a calm and collected tone.


    "Goods," one of them answered.


    "That''s correct." Noel raised a finger. "In that case, I will say this once so as to not make you waste your precious time. Those who are unwilling to help me can leave right now."


    "!!!" The merchants widened their eyes. In the first ce, it was quite astonishing for the ten merchants toe here. Yet he didn''t hesitate to expel them either when he was supposed to ask for their help.


    "I apologize, Marquis. Aren''t you asking for help?" One of them asked.


    "Haven''t I stated it in my letter? I invited you here to talk about the rtionship between you, merchants, and my Ardagan family. I didn''t force you toe." Noel shook his head calmly. It might be because he looked like he was cornered by those nobles that they forgot that even if they were merchants, the opposite party was still a marquis.


    If it were only a Count, all these great merchants might be able to look down on him in this situation. But he was a high-ranking noble, not even an Earl.


    He had to establish that fact first before they began talking.


    The other merchants were quite shocked as well, but the two who feared Noel actually had a different opinion.


    ''Even if he is in such a situation, there is no way for a marquis to lower his head for us. However, it seems that he has riled up at least three people in this room¡­''


    ''No. This is actually an appropriate thing to do. At the end of the day, he is nning to expel those who are arrogant enough to ignore the difference in status. If they are too arrogant to acknowledge that, there will be no negotiation. After all, negotiation is only for those who are willing to talk.''


    "If you are going to do this, aren''t you afraid that you will anger the merchants in the kingdom?" One of the riled up merchants stood up while clenching his fists.


    "That''s not the correct question. It''s whether they dare to anger a Marquis." Noel looked down on him, reminding him that he was just amoner here.


    "¡­" He gritted his teeth and said, "It seems that the Marquis doesn''t need my Elrain Company."


    He stormed out of the room in anger. The other two were confused for a moment, but surprisingly, one of them chose to stay while the other left as well.


    This action didn''t escape Noel''s eyes. "It seems that there are only eight people left here. In that case, I will be brief with my demands.


    "First, you shall provide me with goods. The price will be limited to one and a half times of the market price, but I''ll ept your sincerity if you have any."


    Another merchant looked angered as he couldn''t help but ask, "Sincerity? Shouldn''t we ask it from you, Marquis? You should know that if we ever sell our goods to you, there is a chance that the other nobles won''t trade with us anymore."


    "That is just my first demand." Noel waved his hand as if treating it as not a big deal. "My second demand is to make this agreement temporary."


    "!!!" This second demand dumbfounded them. All agreements were indeed temporary, but it seemed that Noel nned to make them short term as well. In other words, if they cooperated with him, they would only be able to do it for a few months or a year at the longest. But because of this agreement, they would definitely offend a lot of nobles.


    "I have heard enough. Unfortunately, my General Welfare Company can''t take such a risk."


    "My Saturn Company is also unable to. I apologize."


    Two more merchants left the room, believing that the risk was simply too high and that no matter the reward, it was simply not worthy.


    In addition, Noel even forced them to sell the items at a low price.


    "Hahaha!" One of them suddenlyughed. "You are a very ambitious person, Marquis."


    Noel looked at the merchant, who actually dared tough. It was the president of the two biggestpanies, Matthew.


    "Ambitious? I believe I have been a bit too lenient with the demands. And there are still two more demands." Noel shook his head.


    "That''s where you''re wrong, Marquis. First of all, you shouldn''t have gathered all the ten merchants in this room since your action might be taken as an insult toward us. And there is one thing that you''ve forgotten, Marquis.


    "We, merchants, might bemon people, but we possess wealth that can change the fate of a territory." This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Noel fell silent for a moment. "Are you saying that you have more money than me?"


    "No. Instead, I''m talking about the fact that nobles might not be the only ones that could stop their trade with you."


    Noel''s expression turned cold. What Matthew said was indeed reasonable. If the ten great merchants didn''t want to trade with him anymore, he would definitely be in a bind. There was nothing he could procure.


    Even if his territory could rely on themselves to sustain themselves, they would still be a very poor territory since they couldn''t sell their products or even procure other goods. No territory could sustain itself alone.


    As a noble, Noel should have known it.


    That was why Noel shouldn''t have gathered them in a single town since they could actually coborate in anger.


    However, it didn''t matter for Noel. Noel simply asked, "Can I assume this is a threat?"


    "A threat? Please don''t say a word that can be easily misunderstood. I don''t have the heart to offend a high-ranking noble. It''s just¡­ I''m thinking that if mypanies don''t provide you with goods, I believe that your territory is going to be in trouble."


    Noel raised three fingers. "By the way, that''s the third demand. I''m going to have you invest in my city."


    "You''re very bold, Marquis." Matthew''s body shook. It was unthinkable that he would dare to force them to ''invest'' or, more like, extort them for short term cooperation.


    "Are you sure you''re going to do this, Marquis Ardagan?" Matthew clenched his fists.


    "Oh? You''re still here? I guess my Rune Technology is that enticing to you. And that is actually the fourth demand. If you decide to cooperate with me, you are not allowed to acquire any share in the Runegard Company."


    That was it. Matthew coldly said, "It seems that the Marquis is serious about this. I hope you don''t regret this decision."


    "Just leave." Noel shrugged as if he didn''t care about his threat.


    Matthew felt humiliated. He wanted to get all the rune technology earlier, but to think that the opposite party would look down on him this much.


    After this, he swore to ban all trades with the Ardagan family. He couldn''t wait until Noel came back to him, begging to have him back.


    Matthew snorted and walked away. The merchants knew what Matthew was nning to do. Two out of the remaining five decided to bail out, thinking that the Ardagan family had no future because the lord had be too arrogant because of his achievements.


    "Oh? There are still three people here." Noel smirked, looking at the rest of the merchants. They were the number one merchant in the kingdom, Maxwell, the fourth ranked merchant Theresa, and the eighth ranked merchant Zephyr.


    While wiping the sweat on his forehead, Maxwell said, "I''d like to know a bit more about these demands first. I hope that Marquis won''t feel offended if I ask a few questions."


    "Since you still remain here, I guess I can answer a few questions."


    "Thank you very much. First of all, your letter stated that you were nning to discuss cooperation between the Ardagan family and the merchants. Then, your first demand was straight to helping you, while the second demand made it look easy for you to abandon us. I find this very conflicting."


    "I believe I''ve stated everything in the letter. It''s about cooperation." Noel nodded, confirming it. "What part of the word ''cooperation'' do you not understand, President Maxwell?"


    Maxwell raised his eyebrows before saying, "I apologize for being too foolish. May I know what cooperation means to you?"


    "Cooperation is the process of working together to the same end."


    Maxwell lowered his head for a moment. That meaning was definitely contradictory. "And what is the goal you''re trying to achieve, Marquis?"


    "Isn''t it normal for cooperation to get a good result where both parties are happy?"


    "¡­" Maxwell seemed to feel something was off. If that was what he meant by the happiness of both parties, he was wrong. However, what if the mistake was on his part? What if he misinterpreted his words? He couldn''t help but ask himself, ''In the current situation, the Ardagan family is definitely in a pinch. From those demands, it''s clear that he is nning to forget about the help we''ve given to him and terminate the cooperation¡­


    ''No, wait. He said agreement instead of cooperation. The first agreement was only for help, which was not cooperation. What if I misunderstood him by thinking the agreement was cooperation? What if he wanted the Ardagan family to escape from the predicament first before talking about real cooperation? He said earlier that he wanted to see our sincerity first.


    ''The price would go higher, but one and a half times is enough. The price won''t go much higher than that. In fact, the price might decrease because their highest demandes from the Ardagan family.


    ''If that''s the case, I might have misunderstood him. I should check whether I''m correct or not.''


    Maxwell opened his mouth. "In the third demand, you said that we would have to invest in you, but I didn''t think you would need an investment in yourself. Did you perhaps want us to invest in something else?"


    Noel smirked. "I guess this will be yourst question since the answer to that question is¡­ this area here."


    Noel pointed at the area west of the main city.


    When they looked at the area, they couldn''t help but widen their eyes, thinking the same thing. ''Is he crazy? He wants us to invest in an area that has nothing in it?''

 Chapter 1051 True Intention

    ''Is he crazy? He wants us to invest in an area that has nothing in it?''


    The three merchants couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows.


    "Are you sure you would like us to invest in thisnd?" Maxwell couldn''t help but ask, thinking that the Marquis had gone crazy. He might not have misunderstood the marquis the whole time.


    However, Noel shook his head calmly as though he had expected this kind of reaction. "Why do you think thisnd is not worth all that? I have even begun building the city there."


    "!!!" They looked confused, wondering if there was indeed another reason for that city.


    Maxwell turned his focus back on the map before taking a step back, looking at the entire map.


    ''Why does the Marquis want to create a city there? Well, it''s true that as a marquis, he has to develop thend, so it''s obvious that he will create one city after another. However, is there something special to thisnd?


    ''The Marquis''s main city is located north of this town, which is not far from the border of the Greenwood Kingdom. So, it could be said that this city is the easternmost city in Lounstein. Expanding to the west and north is something he should do¡­


    ''But if I''m not wrong, the Marquis is given the current demon territory, which he will gain after clearing up the area. So, I think he should prioritize expanding to the north.


    ''Why would he go to the west¡­ No, wait. This is¡­'' Maxwell suddenly noticed something.


    Noel''s main city was connected to the rest of the kingdom through Laivaen City. But south Laivaen City was actually the territory of Earl Canmond, who happened to be his enemy.


    If Earl Canmond blocked his territory, there would be no way to get the supply to the main city. In addition, the migration path had alwayse from Southwest, but this was not the main channel. In fact, he heard that the noble located in that path had a sh with Noel because of the price he set up before Noel took over the territory. The city hated this ce quite a bit.


    In other words, if he wanted to connect to the rest of the kingdom without going against these two nobles, he could simply expand to the west.


    And this new city, located west of the main city, was such a ce. In other words, this would be the main hub for Lounstein.


    Since the main city held all the rune technology, if they wanted to acquire or purchase it, they would have to go through this city.


    In other words, Noel actually offered them a major economic city that would shake the entire kingdom into the hands of merchants. Obviously, Noel would still be the lord of this city, but the merchants who invested in this city would be able to get an unimaginable amount of money. In addition, they might be able to utilize the rune technology that Noel provided easily.


    ''If he goes to the west, there are a lot of nobles on his side. If he connects all of them with that road building project, they can increase the logistics between them tremendously. And each lord is also connected to a few other lords in this territory.


    ''They might cause them to join the side to get that benefit. This is a well-thought-out n for future expansion. But the real problem still remains, the Marquis is still developing thend, so if he gets cut off from their supply, they won''t be able to develop it.''


    Maxwell paused for a moment while the female merchant asked, "Marquis. If I may be so bold to ask, have you gotten the cooperation of a few unexpected nobles?"


    Noel smirked and took out a piece of paper.


    There were three names in it.


    Countess Christina.


    Earl Haven.


    Earl Timbein.


    "!!!" The woman looked shocked when she saw this list.


    Maxwell instantly figured out what Noel nned to do. ''Earl Haven is located even more south of Lounstein, specifically south of Earl Canmond''s territory. If the road can reach there, they will be able to iste Earl Canmond.


    ''Earl Timbein is located much further west than Marquis Stargaze. If they manage to build the road to this ce, they can actually control the outer part of the kingdom.


    ''Still, the most important person would be Countess Christina. Her location is in the middle of the kingdom, near the Ardagan family''s former territory. With her connection, she should be able to get more materials further south. There are a few nobles that can produce bricks, ironware, y handiwork, and even wool.


    ''This ban means nothing if he can actually get Countess Christina to purchase all those things. All he needs to do is transport them, which is something easy with the rune technology.


    ''The Marquis has never been in a bad position. He is just biding his time to see who dares to strike him so that he has the justification to eliminate them. And he even uses this chance to expand his road.


    ''In addition, there are the Stargaze family and the Lorelei family that are very close to him.


    ''But I heard that Countess Christina doesn''t want to do anything with the Ardagan family anymore after the disastrous defeat of the former Ardagan family. It impacts her entire family. Does this mean Countess Christina has finally taken thatst step once more? She was indeed a supporter of Count Luke Ardagan, but who would have imagined that she would join this fight again?


    ''If this is true, then the Marquis''s aim is to destroy those four nobles. In addition, he will let the merchants who cooperated with him prosper.


    ''Those who are trying to harm him or take advantage of his situation had to be dealt with.


    ''In fact, even if those nobles don''t want to trade with us anymore or the merchants scrutinize us, we could simply reach much further areas thanks to the new road and technology. The time, cost, or even variety of items might be better than what we currently have.


    ''The moment the Marquis releases that new technology that is able to bring tons of materials at once, the oue of this battle has been decided.''


    Maxwell sucked a cold breath. He didn''t misunderstand the Marquis. In fact, he might have severely underestimated him.


    ''So, this is Marquis Noel Ardagan.'' Maxwell opened his mouth, asking, "May I know how much do you need?"


    Noel grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a few numbers as well as locations. Yet, not a single item listed on this paper was actually one of the four items that the four nobles banned. It showed that Noel already had the confidence to get them through Countess Christina.


    When Maxwell saw this, he firmly said, "I understand. If you want, mypany can even be your sole sponsor."


    "Wait a minute, President Maxwell. I was the one who saw through the n first. My River Flow Company will join this project."


    "My¡­ too¡­" The third merchant raised his hand while stuttering.


    Noel smiled. "Just be good to each other. This project is simply too big for a single merchant to chew it alone. I will give you the contractter and I think it''s best for you to make your move right away."


    "You''re right." Maxwell stepped back while lowering his head as though he were apologizing.


    "I will send someone to bring you the contract tonight. You can enjoy this city for a bit more." Noel then turned around while saying, "I''m looking forward to us working together."


    Noel exited the room with a calm face as though he had predicted the result of this meeting in advance.


    While everything might not go ording to the exact n, he must still have predicted most of them correctly.


    Maxwell pinched the bridge of his nose while muttering inwardly, ''I guess this is the reason why Luke Ardagan managed to be the wealthiest man in the past. In fact, I didn''t be the next wealthiest man because I managed to surpass him, he simply let me take that spot because of that execution.


    ''After looking at his son, I know that the gene is there. And there might not be a singlepany that can challenge his new Runegard Company in the future.


    ''Well, it doesn''t really matter. My business concept is always the same and I''m already so rich that I can''t spend all my money no matter how prodigal I am.'' Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    The same applied to the female merchant, the president of the fourth ranked biggestpany, Theresa.


    She covered most of her face with a bamboo fan while thinking, ''That fool, Matthew, will definitely get devoured by this. Even if he can bail out of this, mypany can be bigger thanks to this cooperation. At that time, I can suppress that Matthew and devour hispany.


    ''I will be satisfied to be among the top three richest people in the kingdom, alongside the Marquis and this old man Maxwell.


    However, there was one person who didn''t think this way among them. Noel saw that there were two people who actually feared him inside the room. The first one was Maxwell, but the second one wasn''t Theresa. It was this third merchant.


    He stood there in silence. His back was drenched in sweat as he couldn''t help but think, ''What should I do? I am the eighth ranked merchant, Zephyr. I somehow got this unimaginable deal, not because I''m able to see through all this, but because I was too scared to leave with the others.''

 Chapter 1052 Return

    Chapter 1052 Return


    ??A man stood behind a window while looking at the city from the second floor.


    ''I am Zephyr. I have been known as a good and trusted merchant, allowing me to climb my rank to the eighth most important merchant in this kingdom.


    ''However, there is a reason why I am able to achieve such a feat. I was originally an orphan and I had to live in a slum for a long time.


    ''I might have developed my instinct or sixth sense to detect danger. Because of that, I changed my life for the better and even sneaked around to learn things since I was young.


    ''I worked from apany at first and gradually made my own merchant group, which somehow turned into a bigpany. That''s all because of the instinct that I''ve developed during my early life.


    ''I can sense whether people are bluffing or not. Even lies are not an exception. That''s why I knew for a fact that the Marquis was not feeling threatened at all even when a big figure like President Matthew pressured him.


    ''I knew that the Marquis didn''t really need us. Allowing us to join him was merely his way to soothe the unrest and give us an opportunity instead of monopolizing everything. If I left during the meeting, mypany might be screwed.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    ''I wanted to leave with others, but I was too scared of the repercussions. That was why I couldn''t move or even say anything.


    ''When there were only three merchants left in the room, it was there that I got the shock of my life. My instinct once again proved it to be correct. The deal was unimaginable.


    ''Just from the deal alone, we could get at least ten times if not fifteen times the amount we invested easily. That didn''t calcte the amount we would get from future cooperation.


    ''It was no wonder why the Marquis wanted to remove all those hostile merchants. Their greed would definitely destroy the agreement. Well, as a merchant, I was indeed a bit greedy when seeing the amount, but more importantly, me and the other merchants were definitely scared of the Marquis.


    ''If he could give it to us, he could also take them away. So, there should be no one daring to have some thoughts¡­ at least as long as the Marquis remained as sharp as before.


    ''If this n worked, the four nobles would be destroyed economically. There wasn''t even a need for territorial wars, and the Marquis wouldn''t be med for abusing his ''strength'' to suppress them. And no one couldin if he crushed them with money since the royal family had seized the wealth of the previous Ardagan family''s wealth after all.


    ''If we ever got banned by those merchants, it didn''t really matter. We could get the items from much further away with less cost and faster speed, not including the international logistics.


    ''Sometimes¡­ my cowardice is¡­ extremely frightening.'' Zephyr closed his eyes. ''For now, I should take advantage of this wave and make sure to look good in front of the Lord. I bet the other two are also nning the same thing.''


    The other two merchants had their own thoughts regarding their situations, but most of them were simr to what Zephyr had in mind. They were just bolder than him.


    On the other side, Noel was sitting down on his office while looking at the documents.


    "You''re done?" Someone suddenly opened the door and yfully asked.


    "You''re back?!" Noel stood up in astonishment.


    "I ran with all my strength." Anna smirked. "Did that manage to help you?"


    "Definitely!" Noel hurriedly came to Anna and hugged her, expressing his thanks.


    "It was quite surprising that you wanted to actually make a deal with those three lords."


    "Well, Earl Haven had requested it, so I thought about using it as a deal. Earl Timbein would be a good candidate as well and if I''m not wrong, his territory has been protected by the Blue Knight Army this whole time. I should thank your brother for this."


    "Yes. It was easy because of my brother''s name there." Anna nodded while looking down, feeling more indebted. Not only did he not feel offended by the fact that he got exiled, but he even set up all the groundwork for that meeting. It was probably because of him that Earl Timbein sent a letter to their Ardagan family.


    "Still, the most surprising one would be Countess Christina. It was hard to convince her when I tried to spread the runes. I didn''t know why she decided to show her interest in working together again after telling me that she wanted to take care of her family."


    Anna paused for a moment before rubbing her cheek. "I think that''s because of the Third Princess."


    "Huh?"


    "Instead of the Third Princess, I think it''s Duke Lorelei. But you should understand the connection."


    "¡­" Noel fell into deep thought. ''Is the Third Princess starting to be serious in building her own faction? With the Duke taking care of the faction, she should be able to maintain her facade. She ends up convincing Countess Christina to go to my side.''


    After a minute, Noel couldn''t help but shake his head helplessly. "It seems that I have been rude to the Third Princess."


    "You didn''t know about this, so it was better to be vignt. She should be able to understand you. But are you going to join her faction?"


    "No." Noel shook his head. "I will remain true to my goal, but to achieve that, I have to take down the demons. Hence, I don''t mind cooperation."


    "Fair enough." Anna nodded. "But the problem would be the funds. You should know that building a road is going to be extremely costly."


    "Don''t worry. They are taken care of." Noel winked his eye slyly. Maxwell was the one taking care of the road leading to Countess Christina, Theressa took care of the Stargaze family and Earl Timbein, and Zephyr handled the Earl Haven. So, Noel wasn''t worried about the road building. It would all be connected to this new city he made as a hub.


    "The Stargaze family will take care of the negotiations with the lords on the west. Duke Loreleill will probably help convince the other lords in the middle of the kingdom.


    "As for Earl Haven, all the nobles between us and him were already on our side, so it should be fine."


    What Noel didn''t know was that when Duke Lorelei saw the train for the first time, he had always wanted to take advantage of it. However, he couldn''t do it directly due to the political issue.


    Hence, he would use his ally to get all the resources and bring them to his territory. And that ally was actually Countess Christina.


    Yes, after the fall of the previous Ardagan family, Countess Christina had to rely on Duke Lorelei to avoid execution. Duke Lorelei obviously epted it in favor of Noel''s father.


    While they were not in the same political party, Duke Lorelei was grateful that there had been a noble as generous as Count Ardagan in the past. If his father requested Duke Lorelei to help Countess Christina, he would definitely do it.


    And Countess Christina actually showed unprecedented growth and gradually became closer to the Duke Lorelei. Their rtionship changed from a favor to a pure friendship.


    Duke Lorelei went back immediately after hearing Noel''s warning, so it wouldn''t be weird if he actually convinced Christina while he was at it. That resulted in Countess Christina sending the letter to Noel, which shocked him and allowed him to create this n.


    Though, Noel wasn''t aware of any of this.


    He simply took advantage of the situation to ce his chess pieces.


    "It will still take at least three months toplete the first stage of the city. I''m not sure about the progress, but half of the road should be done by that time. And we can start the operation for a moment and get more money to invest in the road. Other lords will definitely join us if they see the effectiveness of those few example territories.


    "By that time, we can sit back for a bit while waiting for the winter. In fact, we can focus on subjugating the demons while honing our skills once more, trying to reach the Spirit Transcendence Stage as quickly as possible.


    "We have promised Andreas to visit the beast kingdom, and I n to fulfill that promise as quickly as possible even if having Andreas here is beneficial for us."


    Anna smiled. "It seems that you''ve gotten a good picture of what we will do in the next several months."


    "If I can''t do that, I''m unfit to be a Lord." Noel shook his head helplessly. "Besides, winter is around the corner. Realistically speaking, I don''t think it''s possible to pass the winters without a single death¡­ but I will have to do my best to make sure that the people don''t have to suffer."


    "Mhmm¡­ I know you could do it. I will do my best to make it happen as well, so let''s work hard together." Anna closed her eyes. She couldn''t help but remember how she took so many lives in her previous life. However, in this life, she wanted to use her hands to put a smile on people''s faces with Noel by her side.


    She soon shook her head, knowing that this was just the beginning. She shouldn''t be satisfied with only this.


    As if noticing the change in Anna''s expression thatsted for a second, Noel raised his finger. "Ah! There is one more thing we need to do now that you''re back."


    "What''s that?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Our marriage ceremony will be held in just a month from now, right? The venue is almostplete, so let''s take a look."

 Chapter 1053 Preparation

    Chapter 1053 Preparation


    ??Noel and Anna stood in front of a half-finished building, watching the workers working on the roof.


    "Master!" Dimitri was the first to notice their arrival and greet them.


    "Yo, Dimitri. You''re not going to return to the main city?" Noel smirked, teasing Dimitri.


    "This¡­" Dimitri scratched the back of his head. On the one hand, he indeed needed to return. On the other hand, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. There was no way he would miss out or let anyone mess it up.


    In addition, it would be better for him, a peak Spirit Grandmaster to protect it so that no one could destroy the venue. There were definitely a lot of people who wanted to destroy it and push back the schedule.


    Noel patted his shoulder. "Don''t worry about the main city. We''re doing fine right now. I''ll leave all the work here to you, Dimitri."


    "Y-yes." Dimitri smiled.


    "Where is Charlotte?"


    "Charlotte is handling the decoration. Even though the venue isn''t finished yet, it should be done in another two weeks. So, she has begun purchasing all the decorations and other stuff. That''s right. She told me to bring you two to herter. It seems the wedding dress has arrived, so she wants thedy to test it first."


    "That''s good. We should know about the n as well." Noel nodded. "But for now, let''s enter the venue. I''m quite curious as well."


    "Yes, follow me." Dimitri extended his hand.


    Noel and Anna followed him slowly. Anna was looking at the venue carefully. She couldn''t contain both the smile on her face and the tears on the corners of her eyes.


    The venue was massive. It was colored white to symbolize the purity of this sacred ceremony. The gate was massive and probably needed several people to open it.


    The venue extended for almost thirty meters from side to side and stretched for seventy meters back. Considering it would be repurposed for a museum, the size was alright.


    As soon as they entered the building, they could see the grand hall which could easily fit more than two hundred people along with all the tables and equipment.


    There were four doors in each corner. But the one that piqued their interest the most was the tform on the opposite side of the building. It was a meter above the rest and had quite a bit of space.


    It would be easier for them to announce things from higher ground, so Noel thought this must be for that purpose.


    "Dimitri. Can you exin them? The hall, that stage, and the other four rooms?" Anna asked.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course." Dimitri nodded. "We have invited about seventy people, and they wille with one more person. Of course, there are several families that wille with more than two people like the Ezenholm family, the Stargaze family, and the Allevion family. This size should be able to host all the people inside without feeling cramped at all.


    "The tform over there will be your stage. Master and mdy will go up from the left and announce everything. We''re also nning to use that stage to add some performances like music and dance. In fact, Eric and Erica are preparing their dance for this ceremony as well. And then you can climb down from the right to greet all the guests.


    The four doors lead to the restroom, all purpose room, kitchen, and storage room. I believe Charlotte will brief you about how you should proceed during the ceremony."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel nodded.


    Dimitri led them to the four rooms to check their readiness.


    After that, Dimitri asked them to follow him to Charlotte, who seemed to be waiting in the Moon Temple.


    The Moon Temple had their own grand hall, even though it was smaller than the venue. There was a red carpet leading straight to the tform where the Saintess would give the blessing.


    It was such a grand and majestic feeling, especially with a big ss painting that depicted the Moon Goddess. Everything was so detailed from the butterfly wings to the moon she was holding.


    Since all of them were going to sit, this ce shouldn''t have a problem hosting more than three hundred people. Though, most of the chairs were not there since they were usually used for healing and other treatments,.


    "Wee, Marquis. Thank you for visiting our humble temple." Pdin Lloyd politely bowed his head since La had returned to the main city.


    "En." Noel nodded.


    "Ah, Master!" Charlotte''s voice echoed from the side as she rushed to them and grabbed Anna without hesitation. "Master. May I borrow thedy?"


    "Sure." Noel agreed, knowing that it would be to try the dress.


    Anna had a wry smile on her face, not knowing what to do. She only looked at Noel, who was waving his hand as if they wouldn''t meet anymore for the rest of the day.


    While walking, Charlotte said out loud, "Dimitri will bring you to your dress room where you can try your suit. There should be a few maids waiting for you there."


    "Before that¡­" Noel pointed at the entrance. "We will be parading from the gate all the way to this ce, right?"


    "Yes. Charlotte will handle the details, but basically, you''re going toe from the train station. We have prepared the route for you. There will be two teams dispatched for this. The first team will be handling the security of the entire parade while the second team will be escorting you.


    "We''ll close this temple for that day, so you shall be the first one to enter and the Saintess will be waiting for you here. After that, both of you will head to the dressing room and change into your new clothes. The rest is the ceremony you should be familiar with," Dimitri answered.


    "Our priests will take care of the injuries and other details," Pdin Lloyd added.


    "Alright." Noel thought for a moment. "During this time, I also want to create a festival for themon people."


    "Yes. Charlotte said the same thing. It would be better to create a banquet for all themon people too. That''s why we have prepared more than a hundred cooks and a hundred volunteers to take care of the food. It''s only right for both the lord and his subjects to enjoy such a joyous asion."


    "That''s good enough." Noel smiled, satisfied.


    "The parade will start after lunch, so this ceremony should end one or two hours before dusk. You can then proceed to the banquet venue and take some rest while changing into your new clothes before greeting the nobles and familiesing here. The rest will also begin their festival slightly away from this ce so that the nobles who are returning won''t do anything to themoners."


    "It seems that you have prepared everything."


    "Yes. After this is done, you will then head to the mansion we''ve prepared to take a rest. The festival is said to be held for three days. You can greet the people in the second day and return on the third day."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "Alright. That sounds good enough for me."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Yes, Charlotte will tell you the details since she will be leading everything from the main city."


    "Got it." Noel suddenly stopped when he heard a voiceing from the dressing room.


    "Oh my goodness. You are so beautiful."


    Noel nced for a moment as it definitely piqued his interest. However, Dimitri calmly stopped him. "It would be best not to approach that ce, Master."


    "I know." Noel scratched the back of his head. If he went there, it would ruin all the surprises and excitement.


    "Charlotte told me that you would definitely be surprised. She is prepared to retire right away if it doesn''t satisfy you."


    "Really? Then I''m looking forward to it." Noel nodded. For now, he had to refrain himself even though he couldn''t really wait.


    After all, it wasn''t just Anna who was excited about this marriage.


    "What about the guests? I mean, from our families."


    "The Ezenholm family is going to arrive two days prior. It appears that they areing with full force: your grandfather, your uncle and his wife, and their children. All three members of the Stargaze family: the marquis, his wife, and thedy''s older brother will alsoe. From the Allevion family''s side, it appears they don''t n to bring the children here so as to avoid the immature from disturbing the ceremony.


    "And more importantly, the Zaecuria Kingdom is nning to send their crown prince. The king wants toe personally, but to avoid stealing the show from you, he sends the crown prince and the prime minister.


    "The problem lies in the Greenwood Kingdom. They are more sensitive to the session problem, so the king can''t go nor can he send the princes and princesses to represent him since it will be seen as an act of the king supporting them in the throne battle. However, he ns to send the prime minister and Mr. Damian along with your disciple as their representatives."


    Noel nodded. "I appreciate his thoughts. But we shouldn''t worry for now, right?"


    "Yes. We have a lot of projects with the Greenwood Kingdom, so I don''t think they will mess this up."


    "That''s good. The nobles are also good, yes?"


    "They have replied back to us. However, there is something that I''m worried about. Among the letter, there is one person that I''m concerned about."


    Noel felt like he knew who he was talking about. He just patted him while saying, "It''s fine. I haven''t told you about it, but this is also a part of the n."

 Chapter 1054 Merchants

    "So, this is the city." Maxwell stood in front of the city that was said to be built for the hub. It was still at the level of a vige, but there were already a few important buildings that were being constructed.


    The roads were also expanded to two sides, one heading to the main city while the other headed to the west.


    "There are still a few more cities that can be built along the way, but this city will have direct ess to Rune Technology. I believe that the main city will be the main manufacturer of Rune Technology." Theressa nodded her head with a serious expression, seeing the potential of this city.


    Suddenly, they heard a loud horn blowing in the distance.


    "!!!" Both of them turned around and saw a gigantic carriage that traveled at twice the speed of a normal carriage. And it was actually slowing down, meaning that it wasn''t their full speed.


    "That''s¡­" Theressa gasped.


    "So, that''s the rumored train." Maxwell''s expression turned grim.


    The train was slowing down gradually so that it didn''t cause the join to snap or the other trailers to move in an unpredictable way.


    They ended up arriving thirty meters from the city.


    Twenty people came out of the train as they opened up the trailers one by one. Some workers in the city headed to the train to discuss their goods.


    Out of curiosity, Maxwell and Theressa walked to them, wanting to know why they came here.


    To their surprise, they saw all the materials inside all the trailers. There were a total of ten trailers, one passenger car, and two pulling cars.


    Each trailer was filled to the brim with all kinds of materials, including wood, stones, and other essential items for construction.


    "They can bring all this stuff in a single trip?" Maxwell sucked a cold breath. He came to one of the workers, asking, "Hi. What is the cost of bringing all these items?"


    The worker tilted his head for a moment. On the one hand, he had heard that this area was off-limits. On the other hand, the fact that they were here meant they were allies of the Marquis. It was probably fine to disclose that information to them.


    "Not much. Because some are a bit too heavy, we need to add two low level demon crystals to each trailer, for a total of ten crystals. Pulling all these from the main city costs about eight mid level demon crystals."


    "!!!" Maxwell widened his eyes in shock. He converted the crystals into money first while muttering inwardly, ''Judging from the amount of materials, we will probably need more than five expeditions with multiple wagons on each trip.


    ''While this one is harder to protect, we can simply recruit two groups of escorts instead of recruiting one group five times.


    ''That cost doesn''t include thebor to load and unload the supplies, but it can be ignored for now. In fact, because we don''t have to hire them multiple times, it can be cheaper.


    ''To put it roughly, the cost for transporting all these materials will be about 30% of the original cost¡­ or even less. This is only a prototype, so there''s a possibility of further development.''


    While Maxwell fell into deep thought, Theressa came over and asked the worker. "How long does it take for you to reach this ce?"


    "I don''t know the exact time, but I feel less than an hour."


    "!!!" Both Theressa and Maxwell were shocked by this information. While they had never been to the main city, they knew the location of that city.


    ording to their calction, the trip should take close to three hours with a normal carriage.


    Not only the cost but also the time had shrunk to an unprecedented level. Of course, because of the needs of the demon crystals as fuels, this would further increase the price of the demon crystals, but at that time, the technology had also be more efficient.


    Even then, being able to lower the cost and travel time by half alone is already enough to shock the whole world.


    It seemed that they had underestimated the Rune Technology too much. Maxwell and Theressa were able to learn about them, while those merchants wouldn''t know about it until it was toote.


    Both of them exchanged looks, remembering the same thing. Back then, Matthew threatened Noel that he woulde and beg for him to help.


    Once they saw the train, they realized it would be Matthew who woulde back in tears.


    "Thank you." Maxwell patted the worker''s shoulder. "I have to go back to work now."


    Maxwell became excited. With the help of the train, he could upscale his business even more.


    Not wanting to lose, Theressa also walked away.


    Both of them were trying to do their best so that the Marquis looked at them in a positive way.


    However, their steps came to a halt when thest container was opened, showing yet another new technology. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Move it down! Slow!" One of the workers shouted while waving his hand down.


    Inside that trailer was none other than the truck. It was small enough to fit inside the trailer.


    "What''s that?" Maxwell asked the worker again.


    "Ah! That''s a truck. It has the same function as the train. However, the size is different. The truck is used inside the city since it''s small enough and able to maneuver around the city more easily." The worker exined.


    "What?" Maxwell and Theressa rushed to the truck with their eyes wide open.


    The truck had a rather peculiar shape. The passenger area was at the very front and could only hold two or three people. On the other hand, there was a smaller trailer linked to their back like a normal wagon.


    Still, because it was considered one vehicle, it would be easier to maneuver on a smaller road.


    The cargopartment could only take about thirty percent of what a single trailer could, but that was still two times bigger than a small wagon or the same as a big wagon that required two horses to pull.


    More importantly, there was one thing that they noticed. Most of the parts were made of wood, but the front area had crystal clear ss on it. The two sides also had one, which would expand their field of vision to reduce potential collisions.


    However, they saw it a little bit differently. Due to the existence of the ss, the entire truck became fully closed. In other words, even the driver wouldn''t need to fear the rain or sun. Yes, it meant they could operate it all the time.


    Considering the Marquis managed to move the gigantic train with only a small cost, it wouldn''t be weird if the truck didn''t cost much.


    The people started loading the items into the cargo. Once it was full, the truck began to move. The speed was much faster than a carriage, but once they reached the city, where there were a lot of people around, the truck slowed down and moved around freely, avoiding all the people.


    Once he met the first one, he would go out, grab the item, and hand it over before continuing to his new destination.


    When they saw it, Maxwell couldn''t help but mutter, "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?"


    "I think yes. That truck might be more terrifying than the train. With such a thing, even a small business owner can possess it and utilize it to grow their business. It will also help nobles andmon people."


    "Ah! You are there." A guy suddenly noticed them and came to them. He looked young and energetic, but he was dressed better than the rest of the workers. "Hello, I''m the driver of the train, Welric. May I know if you two are President Maxwell and President Theressa?"


    "Y-yeah. We are." Maxwell nodded, still shocked by everything he saw.


    "Thank you very much. The Lord asked me to pass this letter to both of you." Welric handed over the letter. After that, he bowed politely. "Then my job is over. Thank you."


    Theressa looked at the letter while muttering, "That young man¡­ His words are a bit crude with a lot of ''thank you'' in his sentence. He is doing his best to be polite, so he must be amoner. In addition, it doesn''t look like he''s well educated."


    "And yet¡­" Maxwell looked even more impressed. "¡­He is able to drive this massive train. Even the truck driver should be the same as him. In other words, they can be trained much easier than a coachman. And we don''t need to take care of the horses."


    "How about opening the letter?" Theressa pointed at the letter, curious about the content.


    When he opened the letter, the message was pretty simple.


    "I''ve told you both that you wouldn''t be able to acquire the share of the Runegard Company. However, I''m not telling you that you can''t make a purchase on the sale items. The truck is still in the testing process, but it''ll be avable soon in stores."


    "!!!" Both of them widened their eyes. This kind of letter was the same as the Marquis telling them they would be given priority once it became official. But that would have to look at their performance.


    If they could actually acquire the trucks, theirpanies would undergo a massive change.


    "This¡­ It seems that I have to work right now. Oh wait, should we inform that pushover?"


    "Where the hell is he anyway?" Theressa rolled her eyes.


    ¡­


    Haven Territory.


    "Hahaha. I got one!" A middle-aged man chuckled while showing the big fish he had just captured.


    "Congrattions, Earl Haven." Zephyr pped his hands with a big smile on his face. He couldn''t help but think, ''Why am I here again? The Marquis told me to handle Earl Haven, but he actually agreed with everything and finished the negotiation under ten minutes. And we now¡­ are fishing on theke behind his mansion.''

 Chapter 1055 Ban

    "What? Why can''t you sell it?" A middle-aged man roared at the staff.


    "I''m sorry, sir. The president has told us that anyone rted to Lounstein can''t purchase the items."


    "Do you understand what you''re saying right now?"


    The staff couldn''t say or sell anything no matter how the middle-aged man pressured him.


    "You¡­" The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, ring at the staff. When he looked around, the people were staring at him in disdain. He snorted and walked away. "Just you wait. I''ll remember this."


    This interaction was actually observed by none other than President Matthew from the upper floor.


    Next to him was Earl Canmond.


    "That should be the worker from the Remane Company. It seems that they have joined hands with the Ardagan family," said Matthew with a mocking smile.


    "So, that''s your n. To think you would approach me and join me in imposing the trade ban on the Ardagan family¡­" Earl Canmond''s expression turned serious.


    "Of course, unlike the Remane Company, I have two of the biggestpanies in this kingdom. A lot of merchants also don''t dare mess with me. Because of that, no one will be selling anything to those who are rted to the Ardagan family. Without long, they will run out of supplies."


    Earl Canmond looked at the middle-aged man''s back. "That''s good. We''ll iste him in the north. Without any more supplies, the only thing he can rely on is the Greenwood Kingdom. But he surely knows that the moment he bes too reliant on the Greenwood Kingdom, this kingdom will use it against him."


    "Of course." Matthew nodded in agreement. While he didn''t care about the royal family''s intervention, he certainly wanted to crush the Ardagan family. It could be said that the reason he joined their side was because their interests aligned.


    "What about the price?"


    "The price has been reduced to 80% of the original price because of the decrease in demand. It can''t be helped, considering the Ardagan family has a lot of demands for those items."


    "In that case, it will be better to decrease the production of those items for the time being."


    "Yes. While the profits will decrease for a while, it should be enough to cripple the Ardagan family sooner orter."


    Earl Canmond thought for a moment. "What if we sell them for ten times the original price to the Ardagan family?"


    "That can''t be done, Earl Canmond. If you want to make them desperate enough, you will have to force them into the corner."


    Earl Canmond fell silent. On the one hand, he had been pondering all kinds of things Noel could do when backed into the corner. On the other hand, he is also suffering financially because of this.


    "I''m aware of your situation, Earl Canmond. Instead of selling it to the Ardagan family, how about selling it to the people in the center of the kingdoms?"


    "But won''t we have to sh with the nobles around that area?"


    "It can''t be helped. However, there is one thing clear. Because of the reduced price, they will choose our goods instead of theirs. This should give us enough money tost until the Ardagan family copses."


    Earl Canmond contemted. What Matthew said made sense. If they could get enough money until all of this was over, they could simply ask the royal family to take care of the mediation between them and the nobles in the center of the kingdom.


    After all, they did this under the order of the royal family.


    Earl Canmond asked, "In your perspective, how long will theyst?"


    "I believe that the Marquis was bluffing. It would be impossible tost for more than six months. But because the winter is approaching, I believe he will onlyst for three months. The winter is where everything begins to copse." Matthew exined.


    "I''ll tell the other lords about it. Take care of the merchants."


    "Understood." Matthew politely bowed with a smile. He couldn''t wait for the time when Noel apologized on his knees. "How dare you look down on me, Marquis? Even if you are strong, business is a different thing."


    ¡­


    "Countess. We have received the news that the nobles are starting to intrude on the market in our territory."


    Countess Christina was looking at the documents when she was bothered by this piece of news. She said, "Tell those nobles not to buy anything from them."


    "But won''t that cause a problem? If theye here at a discounted price, we can acquire more goods from them. Besides, if we send those items to the Marquis, we can help him even more."


    "What the Marquis wants is for them to be crushed. By buying the items from them, it''s the same as prolonging this trade war. It''s better to let them destroy themselves as the price bes lower and lower. Only when the price is lower than half of the market price will we begin purchasing them and send them to the marquis."


    Her assistant seemed not to understand the current n. He thought that it would be beneficial to buy them right away. Unfortunately, the mistress he served had made her decision.


    "Enough about that stuff, their fate is already sealed the moment they impose the trade ban. Instead, what is the progress of the road?"


    Her assistant paused for a moment, gathering the reports in his mind. "We have gotten all the funds and materials. We''ve employed more than a thousand people just to build the road and it''s expected to reach Baron Schlein in another two weeks.


    "Duke Lorelei has helped us convince all the lords. They have begun making the road as well. In one month, we should be connected to Lounstein."


    "How about the west?"


    "The Stargaze family has done the same thing. Their progress is much faster than ours, but Earl Timbein is much slower due to their reach."


    "Good." Christina nodded, satisfied with the progress. "Just pay attention to the price and all the people that buy their products."


    "Yes."


    What Earl Canmond and Matthew didn''t know was how much Noel''s influence was at the center of the kingdom.


    A lot of nobles in this area were in Noel and Stargaze''s faction while the royal family faction was located much further south near the capital.


    Obviously, once they heard that Marquis Ardagan was in trouble, they were eager to offer their help to relieve the situation. This would make them look like good allies.


    In fact, they had been sending letters about buying the goods for him. Those were the letters that Rose gave him in the past, including the one from Christina. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Noel''s strength was actually much more powerful than Earl Canmond and Matthew had realized.


    Noel indeed asked for their help. But it wasn''t in the way they would buy the items from these nobles. Instead, he wanted them to actually not purchase anything.


    Countess Christina had actually purchased all those items and stored them in bulk. The item was so much that it should be enough for a month or two. Lounstein''s poption was still small after all.


    Without the nobles purchasing them, the demands would decrease even further.


    In addition, there were still some nobles from the neutral faction. When they saw that the other nobles didn''t take the opportunity, they thought it would be good to get it and wait until the price returned to normal.


    Yet, that was a mistake. Without other nobles purchasing those items, the price would only decrease. So they thought it would be useless to hold those items and take advantage of the opportunity.


    Some of the nobles from the neutral faction were actually approached by those in Noel''s faction. They were trying to convert them into Noel''s faction.


    They didn''t understand what was going on, but it was clear that these nobles were nning something.


    And that was when the price for those items dropped once more.


    ¡­


    Two weekster.


    "What is happening?" Earl Canmond shouted in anger.


    "¡­" Matthew couldn''t answer him. He was also in trouble.


    "Why don''t you answer me? The demands drop even further. No one is buying our goods even at such a price." Earl Canmond red at Matthew. Everything looked fine at first, but after the initial surge of demand, it kept plummeting every single day.


    "The nobles have lost their desire to purchase our goods because they already have too much and the price doesn''t increase anymore because the other nobles aren''t purchasing them. Some of them are even thinking about selling it even lower because they want to cut their losses."


    "Are you kidding me? You said that everything is going to be fine and those nobles won''t be able to do anything."


    Matthew bit his lips. "I don''t know. The Ardagan family should also be suffering right now. We haven''t heard anything about them purchasing anything. Even those merchants are currently suffering with him. If we continue doing this, they will also copse."


    "Then what? What are we supposed to do? We won''t be able tost long! All the goods that are banned have their prices decreased by an average of 35%. If we continue at this rate, it will only take one more week for the price to be half."


    "You have to convince those nobles, Earl. Or how about asking the nobles in the south? There are a lot of nobles from the royal faction, right?"


    "Are you suggesting that I bow my head to those neutral nobles?"


    "Then, do you want the economy of your city to copse?"


    Earl Canmond clenched his fists. To calm down his anger, he stepped to the side and looked at the city. Everything had begun to crumble the moment he imposed the ban. The situation in his city had reached a point where the unrest had crawled into the people''s hearts.


    Earl Canmond turned around while saying, "I''m going to meet the other three nobles to discuss this."

 Chapter 1056 Trouble

    "What are you doing right now? Do you know that the price has plummeted?" Earl Canmond roared, ring at the three nobles before him.


    "Do you think we don''t know that? No. Do you think we''re not facing the same problem?" Count Yatcher shouted back.


    "Kh!" Count Lesen bit his lips, not knowing what to do in this situation. "The price has decreased so much in just two weeks. Some of the nobles have stopped buying our products because the price doesn''t increase."


    "Aren''t those nobles under their faction buying it to help the Ardagan family?"


    "Yeah. They should have done that. In the long run, we should be able to win. No, as long as the trade bansts until winter, we can win."


    "But we don''t have enough money to even maintain a stable government."


    "What are we going to do?"


    The four nobles looked at each other. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Earl Canmond gritted his teeth. He couldn''t help but remember what he saw whening to meet them.


    He was inside his carriage, looking at his own city. The atmosphere inside the city was without hope.


    There were not many soldiers patrolling around the city, causing several thugs to appear. In fact, the Earl could see several of them waiting for him to pass so that they could begin robbing the people.


    Due to the severeck of money, he had to cut back on some costs, including the soldiers and even the production of the wool itself.


    It meant that a lot of people had be unemployed, which halted the economy of this city.


    The royal family and Matthew had given him some money to keep the city afloat, but it wouldn''tst long. He could give the people a lot of things, but he had to sell the wool if he wanted his territory to survive.


    The problem was that this was only a single city. He had a lot of cities in his territory. Even the royal family couldn''t send out that much money, let alone the fact that they had to send some to the other three nobles.


    If they kept subsidizing everything for these four nobles, there would be intion in the kingdom, which other kingdoms would definitely take advantage of.


    In other words, Earl Canmond and the three nobles had to find a way to solve this problem themselves.


    After remembering the scene, Earl Canmond shouted, "This is because of all of you. You should know that the Ardagan family will point their des at all of you once I''m gone."


    "Calm down, Earl Canmond."


    "That''s right."


    "We should discuss it first and see if there is another countermeasure."


    The three nobles saw the desperation Earl Canmond had in his eyes. The trade ban was definitely a powerful sword for a noble. And it was even more ridiculous when four essential items were banned.


    Yet, it was surprising that the Marquis hadn''t done anything. The Ardagan family should have been suffering.


    However, there was one thing that they miscalcted. If it were any other ce, they might be useful. But this was Lounstein.


    A messenger had finally arrived, bringing a letter of report.


    "My lord. The situation doesn''t look good."


    Earl Canmond furrowed his eyebrows and grabbed the letter, reading it. He would never have thought that this letter would be thest straw that broke his pride.


    "I''m leaving. I''m going to Count Valentia to ask him to buy my wool." Earl Canmond bit his lips.


    "What happens?"


    Earl Canmond simply tossed the letter to them so that they understood the severity of this situation.


    Beforeing here, he had dispatched a spy to Noel''s territory to assess the condition there. He thought that Noel''s city would be ruined, and people''s morale would drop significantly.


    However, when the three nobles saw the content of the letter, they realized it wasn''t the case.


    "Laivaen City is full of energy. They are already aware of the trade ban, but the people don''t care. The Marquis hase personally to the city and he is asking the people to believe in him. He has used his wedding ceremony as proof that everything is going to be alright.


    "Laivaen City has been the frontier on the border. They''ve endured all kinds of hardship under the siege of the demons. So, this ban is something they can endure.


    "All the water had been provided through the rune technology, and the food was provided from the main city (all of it was demon meat). Despite knowing that winter ising soon, they have at least a house to shield their heads. As for interiors or utensils, they can still share them. Water is not a problem, so cleaning them is easy.


    "Without any iron production, they still have the Moon Temple and even several Spirit Grandmasters from the Ardagan family as protection. Soldiers are focused on maintaining the orders.


    "Their morale is still high even after the ban. They are even building more cities to show that they have enough wealth to continue and keep the people employed all the time."


    When the three nobles read the letter, they gasped.


    "Is this really possible? Where does he have the funds to do all this?"


    "No. Right now, hispany hasn''t sold anything, so his fund shouldn''t be that high."


    "NO! We''ve miscalcted something." Count Caulbot sucked in cold breath. The other two looked at him in confusion, so Count Caulbot exined, "It''s the size of our territory, specifically the poption."


    "Ah! Lounstein only has two cities. Laivaen City only has 12,000 people, while the main city has 8,000 people. It''s far less than ours. There are some viges, but we have only known that viges are still able to maintain a certain degree of self-


    sustainability. In other words, he only has 20,000 people to sustain."


    "In the meantime, we have approximately 200,000 to 300,000 people scattered across more than thirty cities. If we sacrifice ten cities, we might be able to cut spending, but that means the cities would be destroyed. Even then, we still need to take care more than ten times what the Marquis has to."


    This ban was indeed a double-edged sword. While they had a lot more money than the current Ardagan family, they would have to spend much more as well.


    If they had to think about the stability of their territory, they couldn''t make any rash decisions.


    In addition, they had a hard time providing for their basic needs because of theck of funds. The water was hard to get. While they had wells, they didn''t have the rune technology to pump those wells to make it easier for the people.


    In addition, Lounstein was next to demon territory. Meat would be abundant. How about them?


    Earl Canmond had a lot of sheep since he focused on wool production. But if he killed those sheep, even if he could escape from this predicament, he wouldn''t produce enough wool to sustain the entire territory.


    What about the food? Most of the demons had been cleared up. While they had some farnds, it wasn''t enough to sustain the city. The only way to get money was to either increase the tax, which ended up squeezing every little thing the citizens had. In addition to the fact that they had cut some budget for their army, it wouldn''t be weird if rebellions urred.


    In other words, if they couldn''t get money, their territory would be destroyed from the inside.


    "Not good. We have to do everything we can in order to gain additional funds."


    There was one big miscalction in their n. It was the morale of the people. Laivaen City''s circumstances were special. So, it wasn''t that hard to maintain their morale.


    The main city was even easier. Since they were disconnected from the outside world, they wouldn''t know anything about the ban. In addition, Noel was staying there personally, suffering together with his subjects.


    For an outstanding Marquis who led his people in battle, maintaining their morale was an easy task.


    That was why, the moment Earl Canmond read the letter, he immediately took his leave.


    There was only one option left to avoid the worst-case scenario. If the royal family couldn''t help them anymore, he had no other choice but to do it himself.


    The other nobles also realized that option and immediately dispersed. Instead of returning to their territory, they headed to another territory.


    Yes, the solution was what Matthew suggested. They had no other choice but to bow to another noble.


    However, traveling from their territory to meet the other nobles took several days, and it took another few days to go from the meeting point to the respective nobles.


    By that time, the price had dropped even further.


    While Matthew wanted to crush Noel, he still had to keep hispany afloat. That was why he was unreliable in his support for these nobles as he wouldn''t spend all that money to actually support them.


    In fact, that greed was enhanced even further after Maxwell, Theressa, and Zephyr cooperated with Theo. Because of that cooperation, Maxwell''spany had taken a hit, allowing Matthew to actually surpass him as the number one merchant in the kingdom.


    There was no way he would abandon that position. Noel knew this fact from the first time he met him, specifically saw his affection.


    Hence, the four nobles had no choice but to actually lower their heads to other nobles, pleading with them to buy their products.


    Finally, Earl Canmond had arrived at one of the nobles in the neutral faction, Count Siegfried.


    He was currently sitting before him with a dark expression, feeling humiliated that he needed to beg him.

 Chapter 1057 Trap

    Chapter 1057 Trap


    ??Earl Canmond was staring at Count Siegfried with a grim expression.


    "So Earl Canmond would like me to purchase your wool?" Count Siegfried looked at the documents in his hand. "And the amount of the purchase is not small either. You should know that it''s hard for me to raise this much money to purchase the wool, right?"


    Earl Canmond bit his lips. "I''m aware of how much money you need to fork out. However, please remember that this is beneficial for you as well."


    "Beneficial for me? Howe?"


    "The wool''s price will return to normal soon."


    "I don''t think so. It has been a few weeks since the wool''s price dropped. I''m also aware that this happens because you''re imposing a trade ban against Marquis Ardagan. If I buy this wool from you, I might inquire about the wrath of Marquis Ardagan." Count Siegfried frowned. "Let alone that the wool price has been dropping continuously as no nobles want to buy it because of the same reason or because the price doesn''t rise anymore."


    Earl Canmond took a deep breath. He was angry, but there was nothing he could do. He had to make Count Siegfried buy his product.


    "I''m aware that you are trying to maintain your neutrality. However, you should see the future, Count Siegfried. Once the Ardagan family is crushed, the rune technology will spread. You don''t have to even beg for rune technology to acquire it. The Marquis is having a hard time right now, and if we canst to winter, there will be a lot of deaths in Lounstein. And I''m sure you can imagine what will happen after that."


    Count Siegfried nced at the document again and said, "But I still have to pay the price¡­ The price of the wool has dropped from 100 silvers per 10 kilograms to only 55 to 60 silvers in the current market.


    "And you''re asking me to buy a hundred tons. Don''t you think it''s too excessive? If I''m not wrong, it''s your entire stock right now."


    "¡­" Earl Canmond was aware of the amount. Even if the price had been reduced, he still had to fork out more than five thousand golds.


    Five thousand gold might not be that muchpared to the entire budget, but as a noble, he had to consider the other costs as well. Asking for five thousand gold coins was simr to asking for six months of revenue from the entire territory. This money could be used to train their elites or buy good things for the territory. In fact, he could use this amount of money for rune technology from Noel.


    Count Siegfried turned to Earl Canmond while raising his finger. "And do you think that I''m unaware that you are visiting other territories first? What is their answer?"


    Earl Canmond couldn''t reply to that question, but the answer was rather obvious. He wouldn''t have gone to this ce if he had sold his products.


    Hence, Earl Canmond said, "If you buy all this, I can promise you a lot of other things in the future."


    Count Siegfried shook his head. "But that''s only if you manage to crush Marquis Ardagan."


    "I will¡­ We will. I promise!"


    "I can''t risk my territory''s stability on a promise, Earl Canmond."


    Earl Canmond clenched his fists. "Then, what do you suggest, Count Siegfried?"


    Count Siegfried looked troubled, contemting the problem seriously. He said, "I can buy all your wool, but you have to lower it even further. Maybe 40 silvers per 10 kilograms."


    "That''s too low." Earl Canmond shook his head.


    "This¡­" Count Siegfried pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was going to reject him.


    Earl Canmond had lost hope and thought about visiting another noble. He had been thoroughly humiliated during the whole trip.


    However, Count Siegfried changed his mind and added, "In that case, I will buy it for 50 silvers per 10 kilograms. However, you have to throw at least 1,000 sheep for me."


    Earl Canmond shuddered. A thousand sheep was not a small number. It would definitely harm his production a little bit. But when he thought about what was going to happen to his territory''s economy, it might not be a big deal.


    After all, the production would have to be restored gradually. During that time, he could breed more sheep and reach his peak again. In fact, the rune technology would provide him more money than the sheep.


    5,000 gold coins might not be much, but they shouldst for a while if he uses them sparingly. This should provide enough food for the popce.


    "However, I can only buy the raw materials from you. I can''t afford the clothes you''re offering me."


    "Yes. That''s enough." Earl Canmond nodded furiously. Since the wool had been cleaned up, he could get another 5,000 to 10,000 gold coins for the already made clothes. This should be enough tost until winter.


    "Alright." Count Siegfried sighed. "And I also want an additional condition. I want this wool to be transported to me right away."


    "Of course. I can promise you that everything will be delivered within one week."


    Count Siegfried nodded, agreeing to this arrangement.


    Earl Canmond was satisfied.


    What he didn''t know was the reason why Count Siegfried bought those materials from him.


    Count Siegfried was looking at the leaving Earl Canmond from his window while thinking, ''What a fool. I guess everything is going ording to Marquis Ardagan. I''m supposed to be buying the wool while another lord purchases the clothes so as not to make Earl Canmond too suspicious.


    ''The road leading to Countess Christina is about to bepleted, so we can start sending the materials to Marquis Ardagan, who offers 125 silver coins per 10 kilograms. From that alone, I''ve got 7,500 gold coins. It''s a shame that it can''t go any higher, but that doesn''t matter because of other benefits.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ''I can get the cooperation of Countess Christina and Marquis Ardagan along with a seat inside the Rune Academy. Is there any deal better than this?''


    Count Siegfried closed his eyes. Earl Canmond didn''t realize that he was just a sacrificialmb for Count Siegfried.


    As predicted, another lord bought the clothes from Earl Canmond, giving him a lot of money.


    At first nce, it looked like Earl Canmond had gotten enough money tost for a while. However, he didn''t realize the secondyer of trap Noel had created for him.


    The same applied to the other nobles who sold their goods at a cheap price.


    ¡­


    When Countess Christina heard the news from Count Siegfried, she couldn''t help but smile.


    "To think that the son is much more terrifying than the father," Countess Christina muttered as she remembered Annaing directly to her mansion. She thought they would be too busy for a long negotiation, but Anna simply swept in and took care of everything.


    "But I don''t think the defeat of these four nobles is the only thing he has in mind. There must be another reason why he wants to defeat them so badly." Countess Christina looked down, contemting.


    ¡­


    On the other side, the Stargaze family had also received news about other nobles near their territory.


    Dn was looking at the report with his mother.


    "This is good, right, Mother?" Dn asked.


    "Why do you think it''s good?" She asked.


    "Now that we''ve purchased their goods, we can send them to Marquis Ardagan. After that, we will crush them simultaneously.


    "Besides, we''ve reached an agreement with other lords, so the road is about to bepleted. By the time they realize it, it will be toote."


    She nodded, satisfied. "Then, what do you think we should do from now on?"


    Dn contemted it for a minute before writing it down on the paper. "Something like this?"


    "That''s good enough." The one who answered it was not his mother, but a voiceing from the opposite side.


    "!!!" Dn hurriedly stood up and positioned himself between the voice and his mother to protect her, only to find Kevin appearing out of thin air. "Father?"


    Kevin nodded with a smile. "I''m back."


    "Dear, you¡­" She took a deep breath while rubbing her forehead. "Can you not appear all of a sudden? Why do you even use your power to enter the mansion?"


    "I want to surprise you both since it''s rare for me to get the time to visit home and meet both of you together." Kevin smirked before turning serious as he patted his son''s shoulder. "And I also want to apologize to Dn¡­"


    "You don''t have to, Father. I understand the circumstances of our family." Dn shook his head. "Besides, this is for my little sister."


    Kevin felt gratified to have such an understanding son. He had owed him a lot, so he said, "While we''re at it, what do you think about a little family trip?"


    "A family trip?" Dn raised his eyebrows.


    "Yep." Kevin took out a letter and said, "We''re already one week away from the marriage, so let''s visit her first. I''ve got permission from Noel to visit their main city."

 Chapter 1058 Four Days Away

    Chapter 1058 Four Days Away


    ??While the four nobles were panicking because of theirck of funds, Noel was rxing in his office. There wasn''t a lot of work because of theck of supplies. All he could do was wait until the situation was resolved before restarting all the projects again.


    "Master." Charlotte entered his office with a worried expression. "Are you sure you''re not going to meet them?"


    Noel knew what she was talking about. He shook his head while saying, "No. It''s hard for them to reunite like that, so it''s fine for Anna to have some private time with her family. I''ll meet them tomorrow. Instead of that, have you prepared their amodation?"


    "Yes. In fact, thedy is the one mostly taking care of everything."


    "That''s good then. How about Laivaen City?"


    "A few nobles have arrived. The rest will most likely arrive by tomorrow or the day after. Dimitri is the one taking care of the problem over there. Howard has also been dispatched to ensure security over there. Harley has reported that there''s no abnormal situation yet."


    "Well, if they mess with me during the ceremony, no one will bat an eye if I dere a territorial war. So, I don''t think they''re going to ruin the ceremony. However, tell Dimitri not to let his guard down and eliminate the spies."


    "Understood." Charlotte nodded. She stood there for a moment, staring at Noel as though she wanted to say something.


    "Is there something wrong?"


    Charlotte didn''t reply immediately. Instead, she remembered all the memories of when she served Luke.


    "Master. The young master iszing around the garden again. Are you not going to punish him? If this continues, I''m afraid the young master is going to be a bad lord."


    Luke only smiled. "Are you sure about that? You''ve been following me since you were young, Charlotte, so it can''t be helped if you use me as the model. However, Noel is much more amazing than you think. If you don''t believe me, you can ask the maids around him."


    Charlotte didn''t understand what he was talking about, but she followed his instructions and asked around.


    When she asked, "Has the young master harassed you?" The maid always replied, "No way. The young master is very gentle. He has never touched me in that way, and whenever I feel like my legs are going numb, he will always ask me to stand up and change with another maid. I don''t even know how he is aware of that."


    Surprised, Charlotte went to a second maid with another question. "Do you have any trouble working with the young master?"


    The second maid shook her head. "In fact, all my trouble is gone because of the young master. He talked with us from time to time. I once had a problem with my family, and the young master offered me a solution. From that point on, everyone in my family has always been in harmony."


    Not believing the oue, Charlotte asked the third maid, "What do you think of the young master''s behavior? He is toozy. He has to learn how to be a good lord."


    "I''m not sure about that. The young master always asks us about the city. Whenever he feels something is wrong, he always asks us to inform the master. We''re often rewarded for it."


    "¡­" Charlotte never expected that the maid actually held Noel in high regard.


    At one point, Charlotte went to the garden personally and told the maid to exchange with her.


    However, Noel said, "No."


    "Young Master?" Charlotte was shocked.


    "You''re not a maid. Besides, you''re too old. It won''t befortable." Noel snorted.


    Charlotte''s eyebrows twitched as she wanted to drop all the good opinions she had about him.


    However, Noel added, "Lecturing me, finding information about me, or testing me. If you can deny any of that, I will let you exchange ces with her."


    "!!!" Charlotte widened her eyes in shock. She had been sneaking around to find information about him. She wanted to test him this time and prepared to lecture him if she found something wrong.


    "I''m trying to do my best for the sake of the family." Charlotte didn''t deny any of them and tried to change the topic.


    "By the time my father retires, you will be close to sixty, Charlotte. You''ve worked for more than twenty years, and people deserve to enjoy their retirement."


    Charlotte looked surprised that he even remembered her information. After listening to the maids'' high praise of Noel, she realized that the young man before her was already aware of everything around him. And he didn''t n to use her once he took the mantle of his father because he wanted her to enjoy her retirement.


    Charlotte chuckled.


    "What''s funny?"


    Charlotte raised one finger. "It appears that you''re unaware of one thing. I''ve told your father that I''m still going to serve you for a few years until I can find my recement. Don''t you think you should know more about me so that you know I won''t stab you in the back?"


    "Geh." Noel dropped his book, looking very annoyed.


    Charlotte understood from this reaction how important she was. The fact that Noel didn''t say anything about firing her showed his full understanding of the family.


    "I''ve gotten your father''s permission. From tomorrow, you''re going to have a one hour discussion with me."


    "Guh¡­" Noel bit his lips before lowering his shoulder, resigning to his fate.


    Their rtionship was probably the most unique. Charlotte was simply ying the bad guy to make sure Noel was ready to be a lord, only to be surprised by his awareness. Without her realizing it, she always came to Noel whenever the family had a problem to ask about his opinion.


    While remembering this memory, Charlotte shook her head and said, "It''s nothing. Please excuse me."


    When Charlotte was about to leave, Noel said, "The ceremony is only four days away. Please bear with me for another four days, Charlotte."


    Charlotte looked surprised but soon smiled. "I have worked harder than this, Master."


    Noel smiled back before making a yful grin, teasing her, "After that, you can finally enjoy your retirement, right?"


    "What did you say? Rose is still nowhere near enough to rece me yet! I''ll still nag you about everything for another one or two years."


    Noel and Charlotte looked at each other for a moment beforeughing out loud. Charlotte opened the door and walked out of the room while thinking, ''What a good lord you''ve be, Master.''


    ¡­


    On the other side of the city, Anna guided her family to the mansion where they would be staying.


    "How is it?" Anna asked.


    "To think there would be such a magical city¡­ I feel like I''m in a fairy tale." Anna''s mother, Vivian, said this while cing her hand on her cheek. "But I guess the biggest shock I''ve found is that genuine smile on your face."


    "Ah!" Anna scratched the back of her head. She had done a lot of wrong things to her family, so thatment struck deep into her heart.


    They had been focusing on the city the whole time, so when they settled down, it was no wonder that they began to shift their focus on her.


    "I''m notining." Vivian shook her head. "I''m just d that you''ve changed for the better."


    "Sorry." Anna''s head hung low. After all, it wasn''t just her. This feeling also came from the original Anna, who hid inside the sword.


    "There''s no need for such a sad thing in this joyous moment." Kevin waved his hand, shifting the topic. "Besides, where is Noel? How dare he not show his face?"This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "It''s not that he doesn''t want to show his face¡­ I was the one who asked him¡­ I wanted to at least spend a day with all of you because it''s been years since thest time we''ve spent time together."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Is that so?" Kevin scratched the back of his head.


    Anna nced at Dn because he was the reason she did all this. He had gone away for too long because of her, so she wanted to make a lot of memories with her family together.


    "It''s the duty of the big brother to protect his sister. You don''t have to feel guilty about it. The only thing I hate is that Josephine, not you." Dn patted her shoulder.


    After hearing such a response, Kevin decided to reveal the n that had been in his mind for a while. "By the way, I''d like to add one thing. During the ceremony, I won''t be the one apanying you."


    Everyone looked shocked. After all, it wasmon knowledge to have the father apany and deliver the bride to the groom during the ceremony.


    But before they could say anything, Kevin pointed at Dn. "It will be your brother."


    "Father?" Dn widened his eyes in shock.


    Kevin smiled. "I''ve owed you a lot of things and haven''t done much as your father. That''s why I''d like you to rece me."


    The father role was a representation of their duty, a reflection of their hard work, and the importance of their presence. By giving this to Dn, it would show that he was the most important person in Anna''s growth.


    "That''s a good idea." Vivian nodded her head without hesitation.


    "Mother?!" Dn didn''t expect that her mother would even support this decision.


    However, Anna held his hands and looked at Dn with a sad expression. "Father''s decision is a good idea in my opinion. Are you really not going to do it, Brother? If not for your sacrifice, I won''t be able to reach this point."


    Facing her puppy eyes, Dn''s heart melted.

 Chapter 1059 Starting

    Chapter 1059 Starting


    ??"Gah!" A man got knocked out from behind and fell to the ground, unconscious. The person who knocked him down was none other than Dimitri.


    "This makes it 52. To think there are so many spies in this city. If we open the main city, that number is going to surpass it easily. Even during the migration, we have to kill close to a hundred people." Dimitri muttered in a low voice as his shadow began to devour the body.


    "Dimitri. Another one for you." Harley walked from the opposite side, dragging another body. He tossed it into the shadow so that Dimitri could absorb him.


    "How many spies are there?"


    "I don''t know. Our job is to kill them so that there won''t be any chance of them ruining this ceremony." Harley shook his head. He had lost count of how many people he had eliminated as well.


    "Indeed." Dimitri nodded in agreement.


    "When is the train supposed toe?"


    "Tomorrow morning," Dimitri answered while ncing at the city road. There were a lot of decorations hanging on the building. The street had been cleaned up multiple times.


    They had truly rushed the reconstruction project for the sake of tomorrow. The train station was not a big deal, but fortunately, they managed to change the wall to create the fifth gate linking directly to the train station.


    "Anyway, I''m going to find another spy if there''s any. I''ll just tell you about this. Howard has set up all the soldiers at the key points. All the nobles have arrived, except for the royal family."


    "Those nobles don''t make trouble, right?" Dimitri asked with a grim expression as if he were nning to ''educate'' some nobles who couldn''t behave properly.


    "Right now, they''re under control. Howard is the one ensuring it. Luckily, our master''s name is also effective, since they don''t want to make us their enemy. In fact, I''ve received the news from several brothels located in those four nobles'' territories. They are on their wits end. While we''re happy here, they''re going to suffer."


    "I don''t care about what happens outside our territory right now." Dimitri paused for a moment. "After dealing with these spies, I''ll greet the Ezenholm family and other important guests."


    "Alright. I''ll have to go too."


    Both of them disappeared into the dark alley.


    As Harley said, Howard was taking care of their guests since there were a lot of VIPsing into this city.


    Even the inn''s staff had trouble dealing with them. Howard was there to ensure that the nobles didn''t do anything to the staff. He had permission to use Noel''s name to make them behave if necessary.


    There were also a lot of people trying to see the rune technology scattered around the city. All of them were guarded heavily, making sure no one came to destroy them.


    After taking care of the spies, Dimitri finally paid the VIPs a visit. Each of them had significant status in the kingdom or in Noel''s eyes.


    The first VIP was none other than the Ezenholm family. Raincart personally came together with his children and grandchildren. Even Dimitri felt pressured against him, considering his strength was simr to that of the Sword Arbiter. Raincart even made a fuss, telling him that anyone who dared to disturb this wedding would have to face his wrath.


    The second VIP came from the Stargaze family and Vivian''s family, the Allevion family. After meeting Noel and Anna, the Stargaze family headed to this city first to check on all their preparations. Kevin even offered to help with the security, which Dimitri politely refused.


    The third VIP was not losing to any of them. After all, he was themander of the Demon Banner Army, Oscar. For Dimitri, he was a former rival fighting for themander''s seat. But for Noel, he was formerly the suprememander of the unit he grew up with. Of course, Oscar brought along Milfa and the Demon Relief Squad''s zero squad, including ra.


    The fourth VIP were the respective representatives of the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Last but not least, thest one was none other than Duke Lorelei, considering he had been helping with their security this whole time.


    There were still the royal family, the Water Lord, or some nobles that came to attend the wedding. However, it didn''t really matter for Dimitri. Noel also didn''t tell him to personally greet them.


    Though, there was still one more guest that Noel asked him to greet¡­ A guest that no one would expect.


    ¡­


    Finally, the next day had arrived. The promised day between Noel and Anna.


    In the demon territory, a muscr man walked into the room, finding Noel''s father, Luke, sitting weakly while looking at the clear blue sky.


    "Are you sure you''re not going, Master? The young master would be delighted to see you there." The muscr man asked.


    "I would be lying if I said I didn''t want to go, but it''s fine. Leysha is there, and Silvester follows her to make sure she doesn''t blow out her cover." Luke shook his head. "Both of us know that me being there will just cause future problems since I''m not powerful. Maybe everything will change if I be as strong as my brother, eh, Raven?"


    Raven didn''t reply to that question as he was unable to predict what would happen. Raven looked at his lord, who was extremely vulnerable today.


    His lord was always the mastermind of all kinds of schemes. He rarely showed his weakness, no, it was more urate to say that the time he showed his weakness was because he wanted people to know that weakness.


    However, today was different. This was the most important day in his son''s life. As a father, he would definitely love to attend. After all, he knew about Ardagan''s curse and the fact that Noel would only have a single wife. Unfortunately, the circumstances prevented him.


    "Enough about me. Why don''t you bring me some alcohol? The best one we have."


    Ravel closed his eyes after seeing that regret in his master''s eyes. He only lowered his head and prepared what he wanted without saying anything before leaving him alone.


    Luke raised his cup into the air and muttered, "Congrattions to you, my son. I hope that you''re able to tackle all the problems in your life and lead a good and happy family. Don''t be like me¡­ a failure who is unable to attend my son''s wedding."


    ¡­


    In the main city, Old Jade was standing on top of the city wall, facing south, as if he were looking at the city far on the horizon.


    "What are you doing here alone, Old Jade?" Roel climbed the wall while bringing some alcohol.


    "You''re going to drink this early?" Old Jade smiled, ncing at Roel.


    "This is a joyous asion. How about joining me?" Roel handed over a cup for him.


    "You''re making my old liver work hard, you know." Old Jade chuckled before grabbing the cup. "I''ll join you though."


    Roel poured him a drink while saying, "Thank you for remaining in this city."


    "What are you talking about? Even if I''m not here, that Pdin is still here." Old Jade chuckled. "While it''s a shame that I can''t see the young Lord today, I guess I should be happy that I''m trustworthy enough to hold the fort here."


    "Indeed. To think that the young man I met a few years ago would actually be the Lord I serve." Roel smiled.


    Among his retainers, there were four people he didn''t bring on this asion. Aside from Old Jade and Roel, Jasmine and Dous didn''t go to the ceremony.


    Charlotte was the one taking care of the entire process, so she would be there. Harley, Howard, Andreas, and Dimitri took care of the security. Livia and Tristan were there as his students, while Sandra served Noel as a personal maid and met up with Tristan from time to time.


    Felicia had be the symbol of the Rune Magician, so she and Grandell were the ones leading the parade. Khalid had to be there since there would be a lot of people who needed his ability. Of course, the priests from the Moon Temple would be helping him.


    Now that the train had gone for a while, it became a bit lonely.


    Old Jade looked at the distant while muttering, "May the Spirit God bless you with its presence."


    ¡­


    The situation in the main city and Laivaen City was the exact opposite. There was only a festive mood inside as people excitedly waited for the arrival of their lord. This was the person who had changed the city and turned it into something that would only appear in their dreams.


    There was no way they would miss this event. The people were cramming into the street. A lot of people also came to the top of the city wall.


    The first ones who were able to see the iing train were the ones on the wall. As if greeting their arrival, they blew out the horns.


    The deep echo became the signal of the arrival of Noel and Anna. All the people burst into cheers.


    The trumpets started filling the entire city and the drumbeat matched the rising expectations of the people.


    The citizens were standing on both sides as the soldiers managed them so that they didn''t end up standing in the way.


    The people near the gate were trying to take a peek and saw the giant train gradually stopping right in front of the city.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The cheers became even bigger, especially once the trailer was opened.

 Chapter 1060 Parade

    Chapter 1060 Parade


    ??The first one toe out was a group of knights led by Grandell. There were a total of twenty two knights behind him, riding their majestic horses. Each knight looked proud and gant. Their strength was at least Spirit Wielders.


    The people cheered for them. They were already aware of the might of the Ardagan family''s knights, considering they managed to repel numerous demons.


    "Hooray."


    "Long live the knights."


    "Good job protecting Lounstein!"


    Grandell felt tremendous pressure right now as his job was to lead the parade. This showed that he was the most prized power in the Ardagan family.


    He had been training himself for this moment so as not to embarrass Noel.


    However, their attention soon shifted as the second group made their appearance.


    The second group was the Rune Magician led by Felicia. Instead of a horse, they were actually standing on top of a te that hovered one meter above the ground.


    They were the most diverse group. Their bodies didn''t need to be muscr and they didn''t have to look intelligent. However, there was one thing they absolutely had. It was discipline.


    Felicia raised her hand, followed by the rest of the magicians. They formed a rune on top of their palm and pointed upward.


    The moment they activated these runes, more than a thousand beams of light flew into the sky. Instead of hitting anything, the Rune Magicians deactivated their power, causing the beams to disperse into light particles, creating white particles as if it were snowing.


    "So pretty." A young girl spread her arms as the light particles brightened her smile.


    If the first group represented the Ardagan family''s strength, the second group reflected its grandeur.


    They wanted to dispel all kinds of bad rumors about runes.


    The third group soon made their appearance. And to everyone''s surprise, this group consisted of children.


    The people were dumbfounded when they saw these children. They had heard the rumor about a group of children performing well during the war.


    They were standing on top of a tform that was pulled by a small car.


    Eric and Erica gradually opened their eyes and stepped forward. They opened their dance with a step to the outside before spinning their bodies and returning to their original position. Then, light particles of multiple colors began to appear around their bodies.


    When Eric and Erica''s swords shed with each other, the particles flew toward each other and burst into numerous smaller particles like a firework.


    The other kids also began their dances.


    Their movement was sharp and swift. Yet, they also looked elegant and graceful. These kids were like fairies dancing on top of theke under the moonlight.


    The particles made them look ethereal to normal people. Their dance looked dangerous to practitioners.


    The third group represented diversity. No one knew about the sword dancer, but the Ardagan family took them in and showed them to the world as a part of their strength.


    "What a beautiful dance." Duke Lorelei, as one of the people watching the parade, couldn''t help but p. He had seen them a couple of times, but he had never seen them wielding their des. And this sword dance truly impressed him. To think that the kids would be able to improve to such a degree when they were so young.


    The fourth group consisted of Tristan and Livia.


    Both of them exchanged looks as a smile appeared on their faces.


    Tristan pointed his palm up and formed a big rune above them. Seeing this Multiplication Rune, Livia responded by creating a Rune Sword.


    The sword passed through the Multiplication Rune and turned into eight, creating a circle in the sky.


    After that, Tristan changed his rune into the Chain Bind Rune, binding each sword to this rune.


    Livia controlled these swords and made them look like they were dancing in the sky. The chains soon entangled and turned into a stem as the sword gradually formed a flower''s head.


    All the people who had the runes should know how hard it was to form the runes, let alone controlling it. Yet, these two were able to do such a thing. They were much more profound than the rune magicians in these people''s eyes.


    "So, these are runes¡­"


    "It''s so beautiful."


    The sword flower gradually dispersed, turning into powder that was swept away by the wind.


    Tristan and Livia ced their hands on their chests while politely bowing their heads.


    This performance had a greater impact on Tristan as this was the first time he managed to gain a bit of confidence in himself. He felt happy that he didn''t mess it up.


    Last but not least, the fifth group came out. They were the main characters in this parade.


    It was Noel and Anna.


    Noel was wearing his military uniform, reflecting his duty and responsibility. Anna put on a light blue dress,plementing her blond hair.


    They were standing on top of a wagon, but they didn''t use any horses. Instead, it was pulled by the car.


    There was a big, empty tform attached to their car.


    Noel and Anna looked at each other with a smile. When Noel raised his left hand, an ice castle began to form behind them, symbolizing their home. This ce is their home and it will never change. It would be up to them to ensure thisnd''s prosperity.


    The people in this city couldn''t help but tear up. The castle built by Noel was a reflection of thisnd. This city had been torn apart by the demons and finally rebuilt by him. The main city was nothing but an emptynd in the past. It, too, had be a magnificent city that could withstand the demon''s onught.


    He came, he built, and he protected. This was what Noel wanted to convey.


    Noel and Anna held hands as an expression of their bond. When Noel raised his right hand, Anna lifted her left hand.


    Noel shot out his ck me that turned into a phoenix. Anna released her bluish white lightning that turned into a dragon.


    The phoenix and dragon created a spiral and gradually formed a ck and white pir.


    *Cry!*


    *Roar!*


    The phoenix''s cry and the dragon''s roar marked the beginning of their rtionship as if pronouncing their rtionship to the heavens and earth.


    For the people, the meaning might only end at that point. However, for Noel and Anna, there were a lot of other meanings.


    Their gaze met once again.


    ''If I''m the dragon¡­'' Anna said inwardly.


    ''I will be your phoenix.'' Noel smiled.


    ''If I''m the light¡­''


    ''I will be the darkness.''


    ''If I''m white¡­''


    ''I will be ck.''


    These ck me phoenix and white lightning dragon represented their identities. He, who once lost everything, rose from the ground like a phoenix rising from ashes. She, who had everything yet felt empty, found something that fulfilled her life.


    This was the symbol of a rtionship that everyone thought impossible. A rtionship that overcame the meaning of enemies. A love that subdued the hatred. A bond that stepped over the blood.


    Everything about them was simply the exact opposite. Yet they overcame all that difference and finally held these hands up high.


    However, there was one thing that they agreed not to be the exact opposite.


    ''If I''m the beginning¡­'' Anna looked into his eyes with love and passion.


    ''I will also be the beginning¡­ starting everything with you from nothing.'' Noel''s gaze filled with care and kindness.


    ''And we shall walk together to the end. You and me.''


    A smile formed on their faces¡­ a smile that might only appear once in their entire life¡­ a genuine smile that reflected pure happiness.


    The people were stunned by their smiles. Despite Anna''s beautiful and graceful appearance or Noel''s gant and mature look, the people didn''t have a single thought other than joy.


    Oscar pped his hands, knowing how everything began as themander. He couldn''t help but remember the first time they met.


    ra covered her eyes with her hand, remembering how much suffering Noel and Anna had experienced to reach this point.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevin ced his right hand on his wife''s shoulder and his left hand on his son''s shoulder as he pulled them together into his embrace. They looked shocked for a moment but soon smiled.


    Raincart wiped the tears on the corner of his eyes. He didn''t think that the young boy back then would grow up this quickly. Even though he looked like he was always angry at Luke for stealing his daughter, he never med him. As long as his daughter was happy, he was satisfied. And this time, it was his grandson''s turn.


    Just like Raincart, Leysha cried. She covered her mouth with both hands while looking at the beautiful smiles on their faces as her tears flowed down her cheek. She was just happy and proud. She regretted the fact that she couldn''te to him and expressed these feelings.


    This was their day.


    The parade continued as they made their way toward the Moon Temple, where the Saintess had been waiting.

 Chapter 1061 Husband and Wife

    "It''s amazing."


    "To think that we would be able to witness such a thing."


    "I don''t know when, but my tears start to fall from my eyes."


    "Right? I could feel their feelings when they did it."


    The citizens were busy talking during the festival. After the parade, the road was opened again, and people began to set up stalls.


    Of course, all of them had been bought by Noel so that the people could just enjoy the food without paying for anything. This festival wouldst for three days, which was a kind of gratitude from the Lord for their cooperation.


    Howard and Harley became even more anxious because they had to ensure the security of this wedding.


    Charlotte was handling all the details of the events. Dimitri took care of their guests while having a hard time holding back his tears.


    Even though Leysha also wanted to see the wedding, she was satisfied that she was able to see the Moon Temple from afar. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The smiles on these people''s faces didn''t lie. Noel had be a strong individual, a good lord, and an excellent leader. And today, he could finally be a good husband¡­ or even a good father. But that was the story for the future.


    ¡­


    After they were done with the parade, Noel and Anna immediately went into their respective changing rooms.


    The guests started entering the temple and taking their seats. Most of them were nobles, with the front seat reserved for the pirs of the Ardagan family, including his students, the Ezenholm family, the Stargaze family, and the Allevion family.


    Noel also invited the mayor and a fewmoners as a symbol to show that they were also a part of his life.


    Noel had changed into a white tuxedo, which gave a contrast to his ck hair and eyes, unlike the ck military uniform during the parade.


    He stood in front of the Saintess with a calm and collected expression despite feeling a bit nervous.


    The people''s gazes were on his back.


    However, their attention soon shifted when an announcement echoed inside the room.


    "The bride is entering the room."


    All gazes turned to the entrance, including Noel.


    The room turned silent for a second.


    The guests were stunned.


    Noel was dumbfounded.


    There, they found a beautiful woman. Her blond hair had been tied into a bun on the back of her head, letting a bit of the wavy tip fall down. Her long side hair gently rested on her chest. Her enchanting purple eyes gazed upon the world with maturity and gentleness.


    Her eyebrows looked slightly longer, making her gaze able to entrance the people who looked at her. Her pink, seductive lips looked glowing, brightening her entire atmosphere.


    She was wearing a stunning white wedding dress. The bodice featured a sweetheart neckline with off-the-shoulder sleeves, adding a touch of romance and elegance.


    A pair of pure white gloves covered her hands all the way to just below her elbows. The skirt was long, voluminous, andyered, with subtle sparkles throughout, giving it a magical and ethereal feeling.


    She gracefully and slowly walked on the red carpet, her right hand resting on her brother''s arm as he guided her to the groom.


    She looked otherworldly, untainted by the bad things of this world. Her temperament, or even her makeup, made her look like a fairy descending into this world.


    "So, this is the bride." One of them snapped back to reality, muttering in a low voice.


    Even though they were supposed to be silent, the people couldn''t help but express their shock.


    Vivian covered her eyes as if she were about to cry, while Kevin simply pulled her into his embrace while gently stroking her arm to calm her down.


    "It''s no wonder why she is my granddaughter-inw." Raincart nodded with a big smile on his face.


    Dimitri kept wiping his tears as the same words continued to sh in his mind. ''The master''s finally getting married. The master''s finally getting married. The master''s finally getting married.''


    Dn stopped right before the stairs. Before leaving Anna and heading to the rest of his family, Dn looked at Noel for a bit. His gaze was firm as if he were saying, ''I leave my sister to you.''


    Noel straightened his back, took a step forward and extended his hand.


    As Anna took his hand, she climbed the four stairs that separated them from the others. Both of them were standing in front of the Saintess.


    "Good afternoon,dies and gentlemen. We''re gathered here today to celebrate the union of Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze in marriage. Today, we witness the joining of two lives, two hearts, and two souls, as theymit to walk this journey together, hand in hand, through all of life''s joys and challenges.


    "In just a moment, Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze will share their vows with each other, expressing their deepest feelings andmitments. But before we proceed with the exchange of vows, let us take a moment to reflect on the love that has brought Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze together, the love that surrounds them from family and friends who have gathered here to support and witness this special asion."


    Anna and Noel held each other''s hands tightly as both of them looked at the Saintess.


    Instead of using the usual words, Noel chose to change them slightly to reflect their circumstances.


    "I, Noel Ardagan, take you, Anna Stargaze, to be my wedded wife, my partner in life, and my one true love. I promise to love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I promise to walk together with you, tough with you and to cry with you, and to honor and respect you in all that life may bring. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from the past, the present, and the future."


    Anna looked surprised, especially with thest part. The past represented the Noel Ardagan, whom she knew in her previous life. The present was the person before her. The future expressed his evesting love.


    The Saintess noticed the difference and skillfully matched it. "Anna Stargaze, do you take Noel Ardagan to be your husband, to live together in sacred matrimony? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, and to be faithful to him to the end of time?"


    The Saintess didn''t understand what was going on, but the vows that Noel announced sounded like they transcended time. That was why, instead of ''until death do them part,'' she chose these words.


    Anna said with a smile, "I do."


    The Saintess repeated it for Noel. "Noel Ardagan, do you take Anna Stargaze to be your wife, to live together in sacred matrimony? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, and to be faithful to her to the end of time?"


    Noel also smiled. "I do."


    "May we have the rings, please?"


    Tristan walked to them nervously, holding a tray covered in dark blue cloth. On top of it were the two rings that were bestowed by the Sword Saint. Yes, they were the same rings that the ancestor of the Ardagan family and his wife wore in the past. It could be said that this marriage was also blessed by their ancestors.


    Noel gently grabbed the ring and said, "With this ring, I thee wed and pledge my eternal love," before cing the rings on Anna''s finger.


    "With this ring, I thee wed and pledge my eternal love." Anna repeated the same thing as she put on the ring on Noel''s finger.


    "May the Spirit God witness the union of the two individuals under the melody of spirits'' ethereal choirs." The Saintess immediately announced out loud, "By the power vested in me by the Moon Goddess, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss."


    Noel and Anna turned to face each other. Anna''s gentle smile was trying to loosen up the tension, while Noel was just stunned for a few seconds.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna asked.


    "Nothing. It''s just¡­ you''re so beautiful today."


    Anna could feel his passionate gaze. She felt happy hearing those words¡­ or she might feel a bit too happy. "That''s the first time you called me beautiful."


    Noel raised his eyebrows. Now that he thought about it, it was indeed true. He had always acknowledged her beauty as if it weremon knowledge. And because he hated her so much in the past, praising her beauty never appeared in his mind, even after they became a couple.


    That was why, for Anna, those words struck more deeply.


    "Is that so?" Noel gently held her hands. "In that case, I will tell you how beautiful you are every day until you are tired of hearing it."


    "There''s no way it''s going to happen." Anna chuckled, leaned forward, and kissed him.

 Chapter 1062 Banquet

    The moon gradually rose up as the bright sky turned dark. Themps in every single corner of the town had been lit up, creating a warm atmosphere.


    The people were cheering for Noel and Anna, creating a festive mood.


    Simr to the town, the banquet venue had been decorated by the runemps, which could shine without any smoke or fumes, creating an elegant atmosphere inside the venue.


    A lot of nobles had entered the venue and talked to each other while waiting for the host to start the banquet.


    However, they were still pretty shocked by the sheer number of important people in this venue.


    "Hey, look at that. Isn''t that themander of the Demon Banner Army? He ising all the way here?"


    "Wasn''t the Marquis a part of the army in the past? I heard themander also rmend him when he wanted to be a noble."


    "Instead of themander, I thought you would be more curious about the Sword Arbiter."


    "He was already known to be very supportive of him, even though he still did his best to maintain his neutrality."


    "If you want to be surprised, it would be the Ezenholm family."


    "Yeah. Isn''t the one talking with the former head of the Ezenholm family the prime minister of the Greenwood Kingdom?"


    "You are right. And if you take another look, you will also see the prime minister from the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "The Marquis has been recognized by the two kingdoms."


    "I don''t think any nobles have achieved such a feat in the past. But shouldn''t our royal family send someone too?"


    "Ah. You got that right! A sacrifice!"


    The nobles whispered to each other. The royal family would be too embarrassed if they came here. Then again, Noel was a high ranking noble, it would be rude if the royal family didn''t attend this banquet.


    In other words, they would send a sacrifice to bear all the shame tonight.


    As if responding to their words, the soldiers at the entrance shouted, announcing another guest.


    "The third princess, Wendy Ve Lenfenth, is entering." This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "!!!" All the nobles instinctively turned around, watching the princess with dead eyes enter the venue. She didn''t have any expression on her face as if she were a doll.


    "As expected, the one they send is the third princess. She doesn''t speak a lot and doesn''t show any emotions, so she is a perfect sacrifice."


    "Pfft. This is ridiculous."


    "Even though it''s just a formality, I kind of pity her."


    The people cast a mocking gaze on her. It was clear what the royal family tried to do to Noel, yet they had never seeded. So, those in Noel''s faction sneered before her presence.


    They didn''t realize what kind of person the real third princess was.


    "Earl Haven is entering the venue."


    The next guest made his appearance. It was the Earl located south of Earl Canmond.


    "What? Earl Haven ising?" The people were a bit shocked. Considering his position was near Earl Canmond, they thought Earl Haven nned to side with the royal family.


    However, several people were already aware of Earl Haven''s scheme with Noel.


    It was not only him, there were several other lords near the three nobles who attended this banquet. When seeing their number and force, it showed how much connection the Ardagan family had.


    Almost a third of the total nobles in the Muivell Kingdom had actually sided with Noel. It wouldn''t be wrong if Noel could be considered an overlord among nobles even though it had only been a few months since he became one.


    Still, the surprise had yet to end. There was one more guest that Noel had kept secret the whole time.


    "Prime Minister, Great Protector Tej, is entering the venue!"


    "!!!" All the people widened their eyes when they heard that name. They all looked at the old man, who had just entered.


    "That''s¡­ Tej¡­ The prime minister of the Atracaeca Kingdom!"


    "What?"


    Yes, the Atracaeca Kingdom actually sent representatives to this banquet.


    "But isn''t the Atracaeca Kingdom supposed to have a grudge with the Marquis?"


    "No. Are you blind? Can''t you see that? The fact that their prime minister is appearing here means the Atracaeca Kingdom has made their stance."


    "!!!"


    The nobles couldn''t believe what they saw. They thought that the Atracaeca Kingdom wouldn''t lower their heads in this scenario, so their arrival blew everyone''s mind.


    "Well¡­ Isn''t this interesting?" Raincart nced at this new guest before turning to Dimitri.


    "Ahaha. I didn''t know much about this since I had been too focused on the wedding. But the other side was the one who approached us first."


    Raincart was the one who taught Noel that while he could maintain his integrity, he should be decisive.


    That was why there was a rift between Noel and the Atracaeca Kingdom. To think that the other party would take the initiative to resolve this conflict, it seemed that he had underestimated his grandson.


    "I guess they were hoping that the Supreme Devil Organization would destroy him or something. But after seeing numerous miracles he created, they realized it would be bad if they continued with this conflict. You could say he beat them into submission." Raincart chuckled.


    "Are you¡­" Dimitri looked at Raincart as if wanting to warn him not to cause chaos. Even though they were enemies in the past, they could still be allies.


    In fact, Dimitri was already aware the moment Noel began to put on ss windows on his territory and even the rune technology.


    That was probably why Noel extended the road to the nobles in the west. He wanted to be connected to the Atracaeca Kingdom through that route since the middle area was blocked by the royal family.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not going to do anything. It''s his matter. Other than giving him some personal advice, I won''t do anything. If he believes this is the best action, then so be it." Raincart shook his head, assuring Dimitri.


    Dimitri let out a breath of relief and took a step back. "In that case, I''ll inform the master that all the guests have arrived."


    Raincart nodded.


    A few minutes after Dimitri disappeared, the door that led straight to the back room of the venue was opened.


    "!!!" All the people stopped what they were doing and turned around.


    Noel and Anna started walking to the stage. Her hand was on top of his palm as he guided her carefully to the center. Anna had changed to a lighter red dress which was easy to move but still gave her elegance.


    Noel looked at all the people and said, "Allow me to express my gratitude foring to this happy asion despite your busy schedule.


    "There is no reason to deny that I can rebuild the Ardagan family thanks to everyone''s support.


    "On this asion, all I wish is to share my happiness with everyone. Without further ado, let''s begin the banquet."


    Dimitri came to them with a pair of sses of wine.


    Both of them raised their sses with a smile as the others followed right after.


    "Cheers!" Noel announced.


    "Cheers."


    The music began to echo inside the room as Noel gradually walked down the stage so as to greet everyone. This was the purpose of the banquet after all.


    Obviously, the first one he met was none other than Raincart.


    "Grandfather. I apologize for not bringing her to you before all this. Even the marriage is so sudden."


    "Hahaha. You don''t have to worry about that. Bringing her to me will simply raise suspicion. However, I''m satisfied with the granddaughter-inw you''ve chosen. This is your time, so this old man is not going to upy you any further." Raincart patted Noel''s shoulder. "I''m proud of you."


    Noel smiled as Raincart turned his head toward Anna.


    Anna politely lifted up her skirt while bowing. "It''s an honor to meet you, my name is Anna Stargaze. Noel has been taking care of me."


    "Mhmm. You can call me Grandpa. Don''t be like him, who keeps calling me grandfather," Raincart joked a little to ease the atmosphere.


    Anna looked surprised for a second before smiling. "Yes, Grandpa."


    Raincart nodded, satisfied. He just ended it there and let Noel greet his children and grandchildren before moving to another guest, which was Kevin.


    "You haven''t forgotten what you promised back then, right?" Kevin smirked cheekily.


    "Of course I haven''t, Father." Noel finally changed the way he addressed Kevin as he promised.


    "Hahaha." Kevinughed as if he had achieved a great victory.


    Dn extended his hand to Noel while saying, "I''ll leave my sister to you. She is a bit hard to handle, but please take care of her."


    "Definitely. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask me, Brother."


    Anna chuckled, not feeling embarrassed since she was indeed hard to handle.


    Noel continued walking around and greeting one guest after another. It was a bit nostalgic when he met people like Oscar or ra.


    He also thanked the nobles who supported him and had attended the banquet. However, he was quite amazed by the sheer will of the third princess. Even he would have a hard time enduring this kind of humiliation.


    After greeting the guests for almost two hours, the main event of the banquet hade.


    The melody turned mellow, creating a graceful atmosphere. The tables had been moved to the corner, leaving a big space in the middle of the venue.


    Without hesitation, Noel was the first to extend his hand. "Mdy, would you be so kind as to apany me for a dance?"


    "I''d love to." Anna smiled.


    Noel and Anna went straight to the center and began to dance. After their first dance, the others started to join them, enjoying themselves to the fullest.


    The entire banquetsted for almost four hours as Noel had to end it before midnight. They went back to the mansion, where Anna had prepared a surprise for him.

 Chapter 1063 Noel x Anna

    Chapter 1063 Noel x Anna


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm ??"Ugh." Noel gradually opened his eyes. His head was hurt and his body was exhausted. Judging from the amount of light piercing through the curtain as well as the temperature of the room, he was sure that it was already midday.


    He had never woken up thiste, so his body reacted instinctively, trying to lift him up from the bed.


    Suddenly, he found something weighing on his left side.


    "!!!" Noel turned around and saw the naked Anna hugging him tight.


    "Mhmmm?" She let out a groan, waking up because of the movement.


    Seeing her made him remember what happenedst night. He couldn''t help but mutter inwardly, ''Ah. Right¡­st night¡­''


    As soon as they reached the room, Anna surprisingly locked the door and even blocked the curtain.


    "I guess you''re pretty tired too. Let''s sleep." Noel nodded, ignoring her actions.


    However, right when he had just finished taking off his tuxedo and unbuttoned the top part of his shirt, Anna suddenly pushed him down.


    "What?" Noel was taken aback and fell on the bed. He looked at Anna with a dumbfounded face as she sat down on top of him as if she were trying to restrain him. "Anna? What''s going on?"


    Anna didn''t answer him immediately. She took a close look at Noel''s face as if she were unsure whether to say it or not.


    "What''s wrong?" Noel was concerned. This was the best day of their lives, so he didn''t want her to feel bad about something.


    "I know that you''re respecting me by not touching me."


    Noel raised his eyebrows as if he had gotten the gist of the discussion. "That''s because¡­"


    Before he finished, Anna continued, "I know. It''s because you don''t want me to be pregnant and lose a few months of my life, not being able to do anything but focus on the baby, right? I understand and am thankful for your consideration. It''s just¡­"


    Anna bit her lips before saying, "You''re taking it too extreme. Just like how you are banning yourself from alcohol. With your power, you can actually burn the alcohol content and enjoy the drink, right?"


    The answer was obvious. With his current skill, it was an easy task and Noel would never be drunk. He abstained from alcohol because he didn''t want to make a decision he would regret. But Anna was trying to say otherwise.


    "This is the same. I don''t have a lot ofpelling arguments for this and I have been waiting for our wedding before saying this. But I wish you would make mepletely yours¡­"


    Noel wanted to open his mouth, but Anna stopped him by cing a finger on his lips. She opened the drawer next to the bed and took out several things.


    "That''s¡­" Noel looked surprised.


    "I have asked Harley, Dimitri, Khalid, my father, and even your grandfather." Anna looked a bit embarrassed. "Harley gave me these best quality rubbers imported directly from the Greenwood Kingdom. They are said to be the best in the world.


    "Dimitri told me about the way to control my essence for one specific reason. Khalid even gave me this pill that he said would help me avoid pregnancy. It was said to be popr in the Zaecuria Kingdom for lustful nobles who didn''t want illegitimate children.


    "My father advised me to do it on certain days while your grandfather asked me whether you were impotent or not." Anna scratched the back of her head. "I know that you are a perfectionist.


    "Even if you can burn the alcohol, you will still consider the 0.01% chance of you failing to do it. I know you''re like that too in this scenario. It''s just¡­I feel a bit empty as if something is missing."


    Noel widened his eyes in shock. She prepared all those things because she respected his decision.


    But in this way, Noel realized that his decision was just his selfishness. Unlike the alcohol that impacted only him, this was a decisioning from both of them.


    He never thought that his decision to respect her would turn into selfishness before knowing it.


    Anna should know that even she forced herself on him, he wouldn''t reject her. But even with all this, she still didn''t do anything. In the end, she wanted him to make his decision.


    Noel was obviously restraining himself. He was open to that idea. In fact, he had been trying to distract himself whenever he was tempted with all kinds of activities but never reached thatst step.


    "It seems that I have made you suffer¡­" Noel''s expression mellowed.


    "No. I''m happy that you are trying to consider my condition. It''s not something you should apologize for. It''s just¡­ do you not want to?" Anna asked with a pleading gaze.


    It broke Noel''sst line of defense. He flipped her over.


    "Wha¡ª!" Anna was startled, but Noel was already looking at her with a passionate gaze. "Alright. Action speaks louder than words in this case."


    ¡­


    Noel covered his eyes when he recalled what happenedst night. They both were Spirit Grandmasters, so thest thing he knew was that the morning sun had risen slightly before they fell asleep.


    "Good morning." Anna let out a soft moan while rubbing her fuzzy eyes.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "I think the sun is already right above our head." Noel gave a wry smile, thinking they had overdone it a little bit.


    "Ehehe¡­" Anna let out a cheekyugh before she lifted herself up and ced her head on Noel''s chest. "Somehow today¡­ I don''t care about anything else. I just want to do this for a whole day."


    Noel''s heart melted. He touched her forehead while saying, "You selfish little cute thing. Sadly, it''s enough selfishness for today. You can be selfishter once we return to our city."


    "Right?" Anna stuck out her tongue.


    "I''m going up and greeting our guests first. You can take your time here. I''ll call the maid to prepare you some food." Noel gently freed himself from Anna and put on some clothes.


    When he was about to leave, Anna called him. "Noel."


    "En?" Noel turned his head around, seeing Anna sitting down on the bed while covering herself with the quilt.


    "Thank you¡­"


    Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. "I should be the one thanking you. Whenever I''m being too excessive, don''t be shy and just p me. You might be the only one who has the courage to say it directly to me."


    As he said, even if he gave permission to Dimitri and the others, they would be a bit more reserved. While Anna could say it directly, she wasn''t the type of person who could only whine.


    Even a baby could cry if they didn''t like something. That was why she prepared all that before confronting him. This was what Noel probably needed.


    It also confirmed the doubt in his heart. There was no one other than Anna who would be perfect for him.


    "I''ll go with you as quickly as possible."


    Noel waved his hand. "Take your time¡­ I want you to take care of yourself first."


    "En."


    Noel nodded and finally left the room.


    Anna dropped to the bed once again while covering her eyes with her arm. Still, there was a big smile on her face. She felt fulfilled.


    As soon as Noel came out, he immediately headed to the garden where his family gathered.


    He could see his grandfather talking with his father-inw and mother-inw.


    "Mhm?" Both Raincart and Kevin instantly noticed him and turned their heads around while it took Vivian a moment to realize Noel''s presence.


    Kevin simply nudged his wife secretly. As if understanding what he wanted, Vivian stood up and walked to Noel. "Has she woken up yet?"


    "Yes." Noel nodded gracefully.


    "Then, I''ll check on her."


    "Thank you."


    As soon as Vivian left, there was an awkward atmosphere between the three men.


    Raincart was the first to open his mouth. "I will let you choose, do you want my right fist or my left fist?"


    Noel gave a wry smile while scratching the back of his head. "Please spare me, Grandfather. I know I was wrong."


    "I''m just joking." Raincart shook his head. "This is your life, so you do whatever you want. I don''t think I have to tell you this, but your case is very different from that of a normal noble. Normally, because of multiple wives, the biggest decision will be yours. However, in your case, you have to consider her opinion as well."


    "Yes, Grandfather. I''ll take your lesson to heart."


    "That''s good then. You don''t have to worry about today. I and your father-inw have discussed it and will take care of those nobles ourselves. Just spend your time quietly for today."


    Kevin nodded in agreement. "I have told Dimitri and Charlotte to adjust your schedule. Don''t worry about today."


    "Thank you." Noel smiled. He might have be a good fighter and a good noble. But unlike them, he didn''t have any experience as a husband or even a father in the future. That was why Noel lowered his head. "I''m still inexperienced, but please take care of me."


    Kevin patted Noel''s shoulder. "I''m proud of you. I believe that your parents are also proud of you. So, just like your grandfather said, just rx for today."


    "Yes." Noel bowed to them, expressing his gratitude.


    Raincart looked at Noel''s back when he was leaving. He mumbled, "You know¡­ When his father stole my daughter, the only thing I wanted to do was rip his father apart. But there¡­ I found my daughter having the biggest smile in her life. I wish that your daughter would be the same."


    "Yes, father-inw." Kevin closed his eyes, thinking that the dream had alreadye true.


    "Let''s take care of the rest as their elders, shall we?"


    "Indeed."

 Chapter 1064 Sanctions

    Chapter 1064 Sanctions


    ??"In that case, we''ll take our leave now, Marquis." Earl Haverson politely shook Noel''s hand.


    "Yes. Please take care of the situation over there."


    "Of course. It''s time to destroy Earl Canmond economically." Earl Haverson smiled and took a step back before walking away.


    Earl Havenson was thest noble he met before going home. During the day, they had been walking around the town to greet the citizens.


    And after taking care of everything, they could finally return to the main city with everyone.


    While looking at Earl Haverson''s back, Noel''s expression turned sad.


    "What''s wrong? Isn''t the n going well? Or is there a problem?" Anna, who was apanying him the whole day, couldn''t help but look concerned.


    "It''s nothing. The n itself works very well. It''s just¡­" Noel paused for a moment. "The ones who will suffer the most are themon people."


    Anna held his hand. "I know you''ve done your best. Sadly, there is no other way to do this. If we seek the Greenwood Kingdom''s help, the royal family will take action against us. If we engage in a territorial war, it can be seen as rebellion. That''s why I know that you want to end this problem as quickly as possible, so even when themon people suffer, it will be for a brief moment. You have even prepared the relief supplies."


    Noel bit his lips. As a lord, he had to be merciless to his enemies. But he knew that if he fought nobles, themon people under those nobles would suffer the most.


    "I love that kindness of yours." Anna rested her head on Noel''s shoulder.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Kindness, huh? It''s just my principle. It''s just¡­ I''m afraid that if I continue doing this, the bad and corrupted effects of being a noble will affect me and turn me into someone that I hate."


    "When that time happens, I will surely give you a good smack."


    A small smile appeared on Noel''s face. He took a deep breath and said, "Let''s go back, shall we?"


    "En."


    While Lounstein was celebrating the marriage, the four nobles were facing a huge crisis right before their eyes.


    "My lord! It''s not good!" A butler entered Earl Canmond''s office with a panicked expression.


    "What''s wrong?" Earl Canmond''s expression turned grim. The situation in his territory wasn''t good, so he thought there might be a riot starting.


    Unfortunately for him, the one that struck him was much worse than a mere riot.


    "Earl Haverson has just dered economic sanctions against us. Anyone who dares to cross his territory to bring the goods will face an enormous tax. Those who try to smuggle will be cut down!"


    "What?" Earl Canmond''s heart sank. His brain was revolving at crazy speed, connecting all the dots. "Impossible. Check the two nobles where we sell our clothes and wool!"


    "How does the Lord know?"


    "Know what?"


    "Those two nobles had also dered thepletion of the Golden Trade Road!"


    Earl Canmond was terrified. Golden Trade Road was the name Noel gave to the highway he was expanding. Their announcements were the same as their deration of siding with the Ardagan family.


    "We''ve been had!" Earl Canmond gasped. "We have sold a lot of our assets to them at a very low price. However, what can we do when Earl Haverson gives a sanction? Most of our trades pass through his territory first before reaching ours.


    "We can pay a high price for the goods, but it''s impossible to do the same for other cities in our territory. In addition, all the acquired funds will be gone in no time."


    The butler''s body froze. He couldn''t help but say with a desperate tone, "What if we use another path?"


    As he said those words, another butler came to the room. "Emergency. We have gotten an emergency letter."


    The butler took this letter and read it in horror. "Count Lastis, Baron Willow, and Countess Hestia give us the same sanction!"


    "!!!" Earl Canmond dropped to his chair. "It''s over."


    Earl Canmond imagined the map. Those three names were located around their territory. By getting their cooperation, they could iste his territory from the rest of the kingdom.


    "So, that''s the real n of Marquis Ardagan." Earl Canmond''s face became white as if his soul had left his body.


    "After spending so much money for the sanction, we basically damaged the foundation of the economy of thisnd. Then, he forced us to sell our assets at a low price instead of buying them at a much higher price as they intended through those nobles.


    "After getting the fund, he ced an economic sanction against us, which would cripple our economy and tried to suck all the money we had left.


    "With the economy ruined, thend became less stable and there would be great unrest among the popce. Sadly, we had cut down the army''s budget, which reduced the number of soldiers, making us unable to stop the riots or even potential revolts.


    "Because of the supply and demand, we had cut down our production. Even if we tried to raise it again, it wouldn''t reach its peak anytime soon. No, it would already be a miracle to even operate at 50% of the original capacity.


    "Ultimately, we couldn''t recover our economy while being istedpletely. And the territory would definitely fall¡­


    "Meanwhile, Marquis Ardagan might have suffered a bit economically, but this sanction allowed the other nobles to have an opportunity to make a connection with the Ardagan family directly. At the same time, the expansion of his Golden Trade Road became much faster.


    "He got our goods and could easily survive the winter. With his road project''s sess, Lounstein''s economy would reach a whole new level.''


    Earl Canmond gulped down. He realized that he had lost. Even if he tried to survive, he could onlyst for so long.


    He could try contacting the Greenwood Kingdom, but Noel''s connection over there reached even the highest level, so there was no way the nobles over there would trade with him.


    If everything that happened to him was ording to his prediction, the other three nobles might be facing the same thing.


    Earl Canmond said, "Send a message to the other three lords to help us. If they don''t give any help, it means their territories will fall sooner orter."


    "Y-yes." The butler didn''t know what to say at this point. He had heard Earl Canmond''s exnation and realized that they had been checkmated.


    "There is one more thing." Earl Canmond stopped his butler from leaving. "Where is that bastard, Matthew?"


    "He¡­" The butler looked concerned.


    ¡­


    In the city, Matthew was already boarding his carriage. As soon as he closed the door, the only thinging out of his mouth wereints.


    "This Earl Canmond is so useless. I have to get away right now. I don''t want to risk mypanies¡­" Matthew gritted his teeth. "To think that both of mypanies are being pressured from all sides. Even our sales have dropped to 70%. If this continues, they might even drop below the top tenpanies in this kingdom."


    Matthew was angry. He never thought that Marquis Ardagan''s n was this thorough. It was no wonder he was so confident in that meeting.


    And judging from what happened, those three merchants that took Noel''s offer were ready to take the top spots.


    His biggest miscalction was that the young Marquis, who became a lord only for a few months, managed to do this well. It was as if he were fighting against a noble who had decades of experience.


    "Wasn''t he supposed to be azy young master? He should have no experience governing the territory." Matthew bit his lips.


    The coachman who drove his carriage suddenly knocked on the carriage and opened the peephole. "Master. We have a problem here."


    "What''s wrong?" Matthew saw the small piece of paper in his assistant''s hand. It contained the recent news, not about the economic sanction against the four nobles, but regarding the movements of Maxwell, Theressa, and Zephyr.


    Unlike the merchants who didn''t join Noel because of the risk, Matthew was showing his hostility openly.


    And it was time for Noel to counterattack.


    "Bastard!"


    "Are you insane?"


    He kept screaming inside the carriage, letting out all his anger.


    The coachman couldn''t do anything other than close the peephole and drive safely while listening to Matthew cursing for half an hour.


    As Earl Canmond predicted, the other nobles also received economic sanctions at the same time.


    This sanction might onlyst for a while because the royal family could intervene, but at that time, it was already toote. The four nobles wouldn''t have any fighting power left even after getting bailed out by the royal family''s decree.


    In addition, if the royal family helped them by giving a decree, it would be seen as them abusing their power. If the royal family didn''t help these four nobles, people would think they were just mere pieces that the royal family could throw away after using them.


    Count Lesen was rampaging in his mansion for a few days when he heard the news. Count Yatcher''s blood pressure went up so much that he spurted blood out of his mouth and passed out. Meanwhile, Count Caulbot was desperately struggling against the sanction. Unfortunately, the Stargaze family was also in that area and ready to crush thempletely.


    With this, Noel would be able to erase the royal family''s power in the north. It could be said that the Ardagan family had be an overlord in the north.


    However, Noel didn''t have any intention of challenging the authority of the royal family. That was why he let other nobles devour those four nobles instead of himself.


    His father-inw, Kevin, had warned him not to be too big after all. If he became too big to the point where he could rival the royal family, it would be easy to make people believe he was preparing for a rebellion. After listening to what happened in the previous life from Anna, he was doing his best to avoid the same thing.


    Still, Noel didn''t dismiss anyone if they thought of him that way. If the demons were going to invade them, they woulde from the north. If he became the overlord in the north, he could rally people to resist them together, which would be a valuable force for Noel''s future battle.


    And the biggest contributor to this n was none other than his father''s former ally, Countess Christina.


    She was the one handling the nobles in the middle part of the kingdom.


    Without her, Noel might struggle a bit against these four nobles. However, with this, he should be able to wrap up the battle against the four nobles¡­ or so he thought.


    At that time, he forgot one variable that he had thought was not possible yet.

 Chapter 1065 Meeting

    Chapter 1065 Meeting


    ??Maxwell had a big smile on his face as he said, "The Golden Trade Road has finally beenpleted."


    "Indeed. With this, we are able to start the trade." Theressa smiled, looking at the giant train passing before their eyes.


    "Are they bringing the wool to the main city?" Zephyr asked with an ignorant expression.


    "That''s what I heard. If you take a look at it, there are several soldiers guarding both the inside and the outside." Maxwell raised his head. To ensure that no bandits or even a hidden army could destroy the train, Noel created a small tform for people to protect the train from above.


    In addition, the train also increased its speed slightly since it didn''t need to pass through the towns anymore.


    If there was indeed a bandit with the strength to destroy the train, it could be said that this person was not a bandit anymore.


    Yes, ording to the calction, the train was able to withstand an attack from a spirit grandmaster, and no bandit was that strong. This was a trap that Noel had devised to find out strong people that were hiding inside his territory.


    "Where did the traine from by the way?" Zephyr asked.


    "If I''m not wrong, they sent the itemst night from Countess Christina," Theressa answered as usual.


    "Eh? It brings all that material overnight?" Zephyr widened his eyes in shock.


    "It''s amazing, right? If we add their number, we can actually trade with the people near the border of the Atracaeca Kingdom in just one day. The cost is also not big. A lot of things that were not possible before will be possible. And only the three of us can take advantage of it." Theressa smirked.


    "I personally don''t want to fight both of you out of greed." Maxwell nced at them.


    "I have the same intention. It''s not like you are able to utilize everything. And I don''t want to get trapped in a monopoly scheme as well." Theressa thought for a moment. "We don''t have any simr goods, right?"


    Maxwell nodded. "Indeed. So, it''s not a problem for us."


    "Madam Theressa¡­ We have though." Zephyr raised his head with a wry smile.


    "How about I get the cotton and you get the wheat? The cotton has a high price but a low supply. Wheat has a low price but a high supply. Their overall earnings shouldn''t be that different, right?"


    "True. The train will make transporting wheat easier." Zephyr nodded. "Alright. Let''s do that."


    "How many trains do we have right now by the way?"


    "There are currently six trains. Two are going to the west, two are going to the center of the kingdom, and the rest are used for cirction around this area. It seems the Marquis is nning to add more. In addition, he is nning to create a schedule and route for them. From what I''ve heard, there are going to be at least twenty of them before the main city is opened to the public," Maxwell exined.


    "That sounds good." Theressa smiled. "By that time, the road can be refined even more."


    "Indeed." Maxwell nodded. "Anyway, I''m nning to visit a few nobles first. They are interested in the new goods cirction method."


    "True. I have received several letters as well." Theressa chuckled.


    Zephyr was standing with a wry smile. He couldn''t help but wonder, "Several? Am I the only one getting more than 20 letters?"


    Definitely not because he was a pushover, so nobles thought it would be easier to get the best deal from him.


    The merchants looked busy. However, Noel was actually busier.


    The first thing he did after his marriage was actually set up the meeting with all his pirs.


    "Those nobles are struggling because they have a hard time getting the essentials. I heard from Earl Haverson that he managed to seize more than a hundred tons of goods that were about to be smuggled to Earl Canmond''s territory.


    "If this continues, they are going to destroy themselves before winter arrives. We don''t have to get involved anymore," Rose exined.


    "Good." Noel thought for a moment and turned to Harley and Dimitri. "Do you think we can get some people from their side?"


    "I think we can use them, but of course, they won''t migrate to the main city. They will live in the cities around us. It will boost their construction rate as well." Dimitri agreed without hesitation.


    "In that case, I can use the girls from the brothels located in their territory to spread the rumors about ournd." Harley also approved the n.


    "Will it cause a revolt or something?"


    "Don''t worry. I will just make a subtle rumor. Besides, if more and more people leave, they will have fewer people to set up a revolt." Harley smiled. "Besides, a revolt is bad for my girls, so I would like to avoid it as well."


    "Alright. I''ll leave the details to you, Harley. Get as many as possible. With the current number of cities, I think we can host more than fifty thousand people in our territory. I want to get at least a hundred thousand before the main city is opened."


    "Understood." Harley bowed politely, receiving his order.


    "What about the winter preparation?" Noel asked.


    "The soldiers are ready." Howard pumped his fists.


    "We will get the first harvest in two weeks and change them to another variety that can withstand the cold." Jasmine exined. "Depending on the number, we will be expanding the farnd right after the winter."


    Charlotte raised her hand. "We have just received a new batch of wool. We are preparing all the warm clothes in full force, making sure that each person has a roof above their head, enough firewood, and warm clothes. Normally, it won''t be weird for a city to lose about a hundred people and viges to lose ten percent of their numbers. But I believe Master doesn''t want it, right?"


    "Yes. Even if we have to subsidize everything, I''d like to do my best to contain the casualties."


    "Even the best lord or your father still loses about fifty people in their city. But with the help of the rune technology, I think it''s possible to reduce that number even further. May I know your target, Master?"


    "I don''t wish for anyone to die¡­ but I know it might not be possible. So, I''ll set up the target to be a single digit. Both for this city and Laivaen City. Of course, the six new viges too. Those people are essential to growing those viges into cities after all." Noel exined.


    "I understand." Charlotte nodded.


    "Roel?" Noel turned to Roel since he had given him some projects.


    "They are almost ready. Normally, the road will be closed because of snow, but if we attach this new thing, we can push the snow in front to the side. By adding more of them, we can because of snow, but if we attach this new thing, we can push the snow in front to the side. By adding more of them, we can still transport goods easily even during the winter."


    "That''s good." Noel nodded. "If necessary, it''s fine to use the airships."


    "I believe it''s better to have them remain hidden for now. They''re the greatest secret of the Ardagan family after all." Roel rejected the idea.


    "Alright." Noel nced at Anna. "Suppose I and thedy are going to hunt in the demon territory during the winter¡­"


    Anna''s eyes brightened. That was right. They had been so busy with all these projects that they didn''t have time to progress. Noel and Anna had to be Spirit Transcendence soon and visited the Beast Kingdom.


    "As a fighter, I don''t personally have a problem. But as a soldier¡­ I''m feeling rather conflicted." Howard obviously didn''t want the lord and thedy to get injured.


    If they had a child already, Howard might feel a bit relieved. If Noel died, the Ardagan family''s bloodline would be cut after all.


    "Do I have any way to convince you to bring me?" Dimitri asked.


    "You know that I''d like to have some time alone, right?" Noel smiled. He and Anna often hunted together without anyone else, so he would like to do the same. Besides, since their energy reserve was already at the peak spirit grandmaster level and both of them had a True Spirit Body, even if an Ancient Demon came, they should be able to run away at the very least.


    "How about Old Jade?" Dimitri pointed at Jayden, which was also rejected.


    The problem would be that these two might actually sneak out if he stopped them.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "In that case, please give us the route so that we can understand your situation from time to time."


    "You''re such a worrywart, Dimitri." Noel sighed. "Well, I think it won''t be a problem if I give you the route and a simple report. But I''ll just write it and ce it on the camp¡­ maybe leaving before you arrive."


    "That''s¡­" Dimitri scratched the back of his head. If he continued, it would just annoy Noel. So he epted the arrangement. "Alright."


    "Well, we are nning to hunt a lot of demons and probably visit multiple ancient ruins. I''ll leave the signal by burning a piece of wood with my ck me."


    Dimitri''s face turned pale when Noel said he was nning to visit ancient ruins. Even the Demon Banner Army required a lot of preparation to do that.


    "Wait, Dimitri. Look, I have talked to Khalid about preparing some medicine for us. Even if we can''t conquer those ces, we are still strong enough to escape. Besides, the demons won''t move far away from those ruins during the winter. This is a perfect time to explore them." Noel had a wry smile, knowing how worried he was.


    Dimitri bit his lips and red at Khalid.


    Khalid panicked and hurriedly exined, "I will prepare some pills for every kind of situation¡­" Dimitri still had that murderous gaze, which forced Khalid to correct his statement. "Dozens of pills¡­ Yes, dozens of pills for all situations. Whether they''re healing pills or antidotes."


    Noel could understand Dimitri''s feelings. After all, even when he was sent to the army, Dimitri was still there to protect him.


    And thest time Dimitri wasn''t there, he almost died. So, he could understand why Dimitri would be this worried.


    "Anyway¡­ that''s that. I''ll tell you about the details of the huntter. Or more like, Anna will be giving the details." Noel pointed at Anna.


    "Eh? Me?" Anna widened her eyes. Noel was much better than her, so giving her the job would just worry them.


    However, this was Noel''s way to give her the opportunity to grow even further. If what was written in the Sword Saint''s record was true, it meant they needed to be on the same level.


    He said, "That''s right. I still need to do a lot of things. I mean, the meeting is still going on. We have yet to discuss those merchants, the roads, or even the new trade with the Atracaeca Kingdom. There is snow and a new method of preservation from the Atracaeca Kingdom. I want thisnd to not worry about food and even export the excess food to other nobles."


    "If you put it that way¡­" Anna nodded. "Alright. I''ll think about it seriously. We still have a month, so it should be fine."

 Chapter 1066 Atracaeca Kingdom

    "I''ve returned, Grand Protector." The prime minister of the Atracaeca Kingdom kneeled on one knee before the Grand Protector and other Great Protectors.


    "Mhmm. I believe you have brought good news for us, am I right?" The Grand Protector asked with a grim expression.


    "Yes, Grand Protector. The connection with the Ardagan family has been established. The condition is actually much more favorable for us than anything we''ve imagined."


    "Is that so? Can you recount everything for all of us here?" The Grand Protector asked.


    "Yes, sir."


    ¡­


    Ten days ago.


    The prime minister and Noel were sitting in front of each other.


    The prime minister felt pressured. He didn''t want to mess up this meeting. At the same time, with his power as a Great Protector, he could see Noel''s true strength. No matter what he did, he couldn''t defeat Noel.


    "I have read the official letter from the Atracaeca Kingdom. I''m looking at it positively¡­" Noel didn''t beat around the bush since it would just make the situation more awkward.


    "!!!" The prime minister''s eyes lit up.


    However, Noel raised one finger. "But before we reach that point, shall we discuss the condition?"


    "Ah, yes!" The prime minister nodded. As a great noble, there was no way Noel would just swallow the extortion from their second prince. In addition, the Atracaeca Kingdom is utilizing the trade ban because this would be their chance to settle their grievance.


    The prime minister raised two fingers. "I''ve heard that your territory is currently in need of materials. So¡­"


    Noel raised his hand, stopping him. "I apologize for stopping you here, but I''d like to decline your support regarding this."


    "Mhmm?" The prime minister raised his eyebrows, not expecting that Noel would reject him so tly. "What do you mean, Marquis Ardagan?"


    "You''re misunderstanding something. My territory isn''t really facing any trouble."


    The prime minister couldn''t help but frown. He thought, ''Is he underestimating us? No. He might stop me because it''s rather useless to send those materials because the cost will be much higher. This ce is located in the very north of the Muivell Kingdom, while our capital is located in the very south. They are the exact opposite and it''ll take days, if not weeks, to travel.


    ''In that case, essential items would be useless. Is that why he stops me? We have thought about this problem before departure, but we don''t have anything else to offer. The Atracaeca Kingdom is alreadycking a lot of resources.''


    The prime minister suddenly thought of something. He muttered, "Our specialty?"


    Noel gave an answer in the form of a smile.


    It seemed he had guessed it right. If they were talking about specialty, the Atracaeca Kingdom had three of them: ves, ss, and silk.


    "ves, sses, and silk¡­ Are you asking us to hand over one of our specialties to resolve the conflict, Marquis?" The prime minister never thought Noel would be this greedy. He instantly raised his guard, not nning to agree to anything if it would just destroy the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    However, Noel shook his head. "You misunderstand my intention. To resolve our conflict, you can just give me one of the few methods you have for preserving the food. It shouldn''t be that significant for you, right? You can consider it a trade between that method and my teaching guide that the second prince got from me."


    "!!!" The prime minister looked surprised. He had seen the teaching method and knew how effective it was. The kingdom also thought that if they couldbine this guide with their enrollment in the Rune Academy, they would be able to surpass the rest of the students.


    In exchange, the preservation method was quite simple. While it was important, it wasn''t at the rune teaching guide''s level. "Are you sure about this?"


    "You see, I have killed a lot of demons recently. And because of that, I don''t have any way of preserving their meat and have no choice but to dispose of them. You can see it as your preservation method has a higher value in my eyes."


    "That''s¡­" The prime minister contemted. "¡­understandable. But isn''t this more beneficial for us?"


    It was a great deal for them, but it was so good that it felt like a trap. In addition, they wronged Noel in the past to the point where he almost lost his life. That kind of grudge was definitely hard to solve.


    "I''d rather have one less enemy than be petty." Noel shrugged with a calm expression. "If the Atracaeca Kingdom can punish the second prince without creating a longsting grudge between us, that''s enough for me."


    The prime minister was taken aback by the request. Noel simply looked too good as a human.


    To probe his character further, the prime minister asked, "In that case, why do you mention our specialties?"


    "That''s the second thing. I''d like to purchase a huge amount of ss from the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "I see." The prime minister finally understood why Noel wanted to end their grudge on a good note. This way, they could form a trade as equals. "In that case, we can trade in the demon territory to avoid the Muivell Kingdom''s royal family." This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "No. Please enter through the formal channel. I will pay for the tax." Noel waved his hand, rejecting the idea.


    This made the prime minister even more confused. "Please excuse me, but aren''t you having a conflict with them?"


    "I hate a lot of people, but it doesn''t change the fact that we have amon enemy."


    "The demon!" The prime minister finally understood what Noel was thinking. It exined everything if Noel focused on demons instead of all these political fights whatsoever.


    "If you still feel indebted to me, you can just promise me that you will help me fight the demons one time."


    "Do you perhaps notice something from the demons, Marquis?"


    "I''m not sure yet, but¡­ there is a chance that a cmity¡ª


    bigger than anything recorded in history¡ªwille to thisnd."


    The prime minister fell into deep thought. ''The biggest cmity in history¡­ is it something close to the one that attacked him not long ago? No, if we''re talking about the biggest cmity, it might be that cmity that the four kingdoms experienced during their creation. The record states that the Demon King brought chaos to thisnd by leading millions of demons. Don''t tell me a Demon King is going to appear again?


    ''If I''m not wrong, that Demon King was in by someone from the Muivell Kingdom, the one known as the only person to reach the level of the Spirit King. Wait a minute¡­''


    The prime minister looked at the young man before him and added his wife to his imagination. Their growth was at unprecedented levels.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­ the Spirit King in the legend is rted to the Ardagan family? If that''s true, does that mean a Demon King wille to thisnd once again? A Spirit Transcendence can only fight an Ancient Demon, not a Demon King¡­


    ''So, in the face of imminent danger, he chose to prepare for it while having someone stabbing him in the back. Such a man¡­''


    The prime minister saw Noel in a new light. In addition, he managed to connect another dot to Noel''s words. ''The Supreme Devil Organization. They managed to control the demons¡­ which only a Demon King could do. Judging the history between Marquis Ardagan and the Supreme Devil Organization, there''s a chance that he has seen the potential of a Demon King hiding behind the Supreme Devil Organization.''


    He ended up sucking a cold breath. He didn''t know if this was true, but if he returned and proved his spection, there was no way he would reject Noel''s request.


    The prime minister''s expression turned grim. "If that''s the case, I will pick the preservation method that you can easily replicate in thisnd. I will try to convince the king to bear half of the tax as a sign of our sincerity."


    "The road to the nobles in the west is about to bepleted. If we can extend it a bit more to the Atracaeca Kingdom, you can probably reach this ce from that border in a day or two."


    "Such speed?" The prime minister looked surprised.


    "Yes. In addition, to solidify our rtionship, what do you think about letting my rune technology enter the Atracaeca Kingdom? I happen to have a smaller version of the train that can easily drive around the city. I believe this is much more suitable for the people in the Atracaeca Kingdom than a train."


    "Really?" The prime minister patted his chest. "I will try to convince the Grand Protector to give you the best response."


    "Thank you." Noel smiled.


    After recounting the story, the prime minister ended it by saying, "That''s all, Grand Protector. From what I can see, he might harbor grudges, but he is a person who always sees the bigger picture."


    "At first, he sounded so rude, don''t you think?" A great protector frowned.


    "But we wronged him in the past. By seeing all those offers, we could see that he stopped being rude soon. Maybe his message is that the grudge ends after that," Another protector interjected.


    The Grand Protector put his chin on his palm before noticing one Great Protector that had an extreme reactionpared to the rest.


    It was an old protector. He fell down on his butt with a terrified expression.


    "What''s wrong, Old Rain?" The Grand Protector asked.


    The old protector opened his mouth, his voice was shaking. "Demon King¡­ It was said that the battle between the Demon King and the Spirit King crushed the entire mountain and turned it into a valley, their sh split the sky, and the shock wave razed the entire forest."


    "Ah. If I''m not wrong, you are our record keeper!" The Grand Protector raised his eyebrows. "Does that Spirit King have any connection to the Ardagan family?"


    "I don''t know. However, he indeed married the princess of the Greenwood Kingdom in the past."


    "Mhmm?!" The Grand Protector gasped. "Is that the reason why the Greenwood Kingdom is trying to get a hold of him? But his grandfather was the teacher of the current king. Or is it not enough? Their approach is rather excessive."


    The Great Protectors in the hall couldn''t help but agree. One of the Great Protectors couldn''t help but ask, "By the way, do we have a record of that man''s name?"


    "Yes. There are a lot of records of his name, but it''s rather confusing."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He has one name, but three different family names. I don''t know if there are three different families iming to be his descendants or if it''s just a mistake in the trantion." The old protector raised three fingers. "His well-known name is Alexander. However, ording to one record, his family name is Samuel. In another record, we know him as Alexander Simeon. But if you dig deeper, there is anothernguage that pronounces it as¡­ Sirius."

 Chapter 1067 Fate

    Chapter 1067 Fate


    ??"What? They have been defeated?"


    "Howe they are defeated so quickly?"


    The king, Duke Raymond, and several nobles held a private meeting, discussing the trade ban.


    "It''s not important. The most important problem will be their current condition." Duke Raymond bit his lips. "They are in dire need of support. It''s going to be hard to help them because the nobles around them will take action."


    "Shouldn''t we use the royal army? They won''t be able to act that way."


    "The royal army can''t be used in this case. People will just think the royal family is abusing their power."


    "Then, are we going to abandon them? There will be a lot of nobles that will think we''ll do the same to them in the future."


    Duke Raymond bit his lips. "I could think of several ns, but we have to wait for the winter.


    "There''s no way they canst that long. Some citizens are even reported to have fled to Marquis Ardagan''s territory."


    "Does that mean we can''t do anything?"


    The people were concerned. Even the king didn''t say anything as if he were waiting for an answer from his retainers.


    Due to how swiftly Noel finished it, they didn''t have enough time to react. To get enough money to support them, they would have to gather them for a long period of time so that there wouldn''t be any intion or detion. That was why Duke Raymond was confident in helping them after the winter.


    But in this situation, they simply had no choice.


    ¡­


    Their atmosphere was simr to the one in President Matthew''s office. After getting hit by Maxwell, Theressa, and Zephyr, he was doing his best to stop hispany from going out of the top ten.


    However, people had be a bit skeptical about trading with them, afraid that they would anger Marquis Ardagan.


    In addition to the promotion that the three presidents had done, they became even more popr.


    President Maxwell bit his lips, recalling how he threatened Noel. At this point, he might be the one to beg for forgiveness.


    ¡­


    The four nobles had the most stress.


    Earl Canmond coughed a few times while looking at the report. He looked exhausted as if he had aged a few years in just a week. "We are already losing three thousand people from this territory. And more will probablye. I need to station the soldiers near the border¡­ but will I still have enough soldiers to stop any revolt that might ur after that?"


    Count Caulbot was bedridden because of the stress. His son was screaming at him, "This is your fault! If you didn''t provoke the Marquis, we wouldn''t have to suffer like this. How am I supposed to take care of all this?!"


    Count Yatcher was buried under all the documents. There were several letters on his desk as he nned to beg other people to save his territory.


    Last but not least, Count Lesen was gathering his son and daughter in his office.


    "The royal family has abandoned us. If we continue this useless fight, there won''t be any Lesen family anymore. My son, you are going to take over my position."


    "But Father¡­ I don''t know how to handle these problems. How am I even supposed to stop the Marquis''s anger?"


    Count Lesen nced at his daughter. "You will go to him and serve him as his ve or maid. I will retire to atone for my mistake. If that''s not enough, I will take my own life as long as it can remove his anger from thisnd."


    "What?" The two children gasped for different reasons. His son was surprised that this might be thest time he met his father. His daughter never thought that her status would be reduced to that of a mere servant. She might even be treated less than amoner in that ce.


    "I have never thought that the royal family would even abandon us. It just makes me angry because all this starts with their order." Count Lesen bit his lips. "My son, never point our sword at Marquis Ardagan anymore. After seeing what has happened to us, I believe that even the royal family will be defeated if they fight the Marquis in the north. If they want to defeat him, they have to take the fight elsewhere, but I don''t know if it''s even possible.


    "My daughter. I''m sorry that your life will be hell after this. If there is indeed a next life, I hope that you find a better father than me."


    His daughter bit her lips. While she had been educated in various things, she had never learned what a servant could do. In addition, she couldn''t take her own life because it might cause the marquis to unleash his anger on their family again. In other words, from this point on, she would live in a harsh condition and would meet all kinds of humiliation every single day.


    ¡­


    While they were stressed under the pressure of Noel, thetter was actually stretchingzily on his bed. "I''m exhausted."


    "Is it because of me?" Anna, who was next to him, responded.


    "Of course not. It''s just¡­ there is too much work in the office."


    "But the preparation for the winter is going pretty smoothly, right?" Anna asked.


    "Yes. All the necessities have been taken care of. But I''m trying to upgrade it a little bit more. Instead of surviving the winter, I''m also thinking about how we can be productive even during the winter."


    "You''re pretty greedy, you know that?"


    "Yes and no. Right now, if people can be productive during the winter, they can actually get more money during a period where it''s usually impossible to get money. With enough money, they can use it for otherforts. This way, their children won''t have to help them anymore. Since their sons have some spare time, I can push education to everyone."This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Oh. That sounds good. If every single person in this city can read and write, it will be extremely good."


    "Not just that, it''ll make upholdingws much easier. We''re going to make them learn and improve their logical thinking. This way, more and more people can contribute to future development. In addition, the future generation will be more civilized. That''s when the family cars can be introduced."


    "I see." Anna nodded in understanding. "By the way, I have been inspecting the progress of the farnd, the airship, and the battleship. The air has be chilly since we''re only two weeks away from the winter month.


    "The farnd has harvested everything and will gradually send the harvest to the city soon. The airship is progressing better than we expected. The chilling wind is not a concern anymore since the Atracaeca Kingdom sells us some ss now. They are only worried about the piling snow that will impact thending area or even the airship operation.


    "Last but not least, the battleship is 50%plete. Since they have built the hangar, they can continue working even if it''s snowing. They should finish within 5 months."


    "Excellent. The Runegard Company is also progressing well. Once the winter is over, they can begin their operation and begin spreading the rune technology. There are a lot of people who are asking them right now.


    "They are making anything they can right now and will probably assemble it after the winter before transporting it to their destinations." Noel nodded, satisfied. "And two months after that, we will officially open the main city."


    "Yep!" Anna smiled. "I''m looking forward to our opening."


    "I''m more looking forward to reaching the Spirit Transcendence level. We have to hide that strength, but it''s better to be one as quickly as possible."


    "ording to the scouts, they have found three Superior Demons in the north, a lot of demon nests, and numerous ruins." Anna exined.


    "Is that so? I''m expecting more than that to be honest. I guess we''ve cleaned up a lot of them in the previous battle."


    "Hahaha." Anna chuckled. "We can still find more while we''re on site. You and I can find them, right?"


    "That''s true. We''ll be going after it starts snowing."


    "Sounds good enough. We will have plenty of time to gather enough demon crystals. Then, thest problem would be how to be a Spirit Transcendence."


    "Yeah. I''ve been asking around. Even though a lot of people have quality above their ranks, they are stuck at the peak grandmaster. Most of the time, it''s because of their lower absorption rate, which ends up forcing them to get Superior Demon Crystals or even Ancient Demon Crystals to level up.


    "However, there is also another barrier that we need to cross. Commander Oscar has promised to send me the book about it. My grandfather and Duke Lorelei seem to have some advice as well. So, we wait until they arrive."


    "Fair enough. And once we be a Spirit Transcendence, I''m afraid that the situation will change again."


    "Yeah. The Supreme Devil Organization¡­ If a Demon King is involved, I''m afraid they have a way to force those humans to be Spirit Transcendence. It also means that the Demon King has finally begun to take this matter seriously." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "We need to prepare for it."


    "Yeah. But rushing won''t help, so I''ll just do everything one step at a time." Noel shrugged. "Anyway, I''m going to the office now."


    "Alright." Anna waved her hand.


    When Noel just exited the room, Dimitri seemed to have been waiting for him. Even though he had asked that they didn''t need anyone to wait for them outside, the fact that he was here meant there was an important matter.


    Dimitri whispered to him about the news.


    Noel looked surprised before nodding his head. "Alright. I''ll take care of it."


    Noel turned back and opened the door again while saying yfully, "Anna. Take care of the city today. I have to visit Laivaen City."


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "Well, one noble seems to be more rational than I originally thought." Noel chuckled.


    "Alright. I''ll take care of the work for today."


    Noel nodded and walked away. "Time to meet Count Lesen, I guess."

 Chapter 1068 Punishment

    Noel mmed open the door, finding two people inside. He recognized Count Lesen, but not the woman.


    After seeing her by using the Affection Medal, he could see her name, which proved her identity.


    Noel didn''t even bother with courtesy. If it were his ally, he would have apologized for making them wait.


    But Noel only gave them a cold gaze as if meeting them was an unpleasant time he had to spend.


    "Should I call you brave or hypocritical? You were the one starting this war, but now, you are right before me." Noel looked down upon him.


    His daughter only hung her head low as her body shivered. Count Lesen was simr, but there was still some life in his eyes.


    He bit his lips and said, "As you said, I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. However, I''m still a lord. Even if I''m a sinner, I still have the obligation to bring closure to this war."


    "You should have realized that if I''m the one losing to you, what happens to me will be worse than this, right?"


    Count Lesen froze. Of course, he was aware of that fact. If Noel lost, his territory would be destroyed, his rune technology would be seized, and his life would be taken. Even worse, his wife would be sealed and even controlled by the royal family.


    In other words, it would be total annihtion. If Noel asked for forgiveness, he might even lead a life much worse than death.


    Count Lesen clenched his hands into fists. He dropped to the ground and kneeled before Noel. His head hit the floor so hard that it started bleeding.


    "It is as you say. I''m shameless¡­ And this shameless person would like to ask the Marquis for forgiveness. I''ve given my authority to my son and we will never raise our arms against you anymore. My daughter will be your ve. But please¡­ Please end it with only my head."


    Noel''s expression remained unchanged. In fact, his voice became even colder. Every word struck deep in his heart. "How do I know that your son won''t do the same thing? You are still rted to the royal family. And do I look like someonecking in people that I need your daughter to be my ve?


    "What can your daughter even do other than be a tool of political marriage? Having her beside me will just increase the potential of her turning into a spy. And your life? You are bound to die sooner orter, Count Lesen. It doesn''t have to be me who kills you."


    His words might be ruthless, but that was the fact.


    If this continued, a revolt would appear sooner orter. If other territories used this chance to wage a territorial war, his life would be over.


    In fact, giving his daughter to him was kind of acting as her own protection.


    "Spirit Oath! We can use the spirit oath!"


    Noel snorted. "A spirit oath is a good binding contract, but you have to remember that you are only a noble. The spirit oath is better used by someone like me because I have much more to lose. You and your son are not even Spirit Wielder, you think I will believe that you uphold your promise?"


    The Spirit Oath could take away the owner''s spiritual energy and all their strength. The stronger a fighter was, the more effective it was because they had more to lose. But Count Lesen wasn''t even a fighter. Even if he lost his strength, he could still control his soldiers and territory.


    *Bang!*


    Count Lesen''s daughter suddenly kneeled down next to her father. "I¡­ I can do everything. I can learn things fast. If you¡ª"


    "Shut up. This is not your ce to speak." Noel''s eyes emitted a bit of killing intent, freezing her. "Do you think I don''t know what kind of person you are? I should just execute you and disy your head on the city gate."


    She shuddered, but she banged the floor with her head once more as if trying to show her determination. "Please¡­ give me a chance. If you aren''t satisfied, then you can punish me in any way you want. Kill me, burn me¡­"


    Noel looked at her coldly. "Determination, huh? I should probably hang you on the city wall and let that cold wind freeze your body and the sun dry you up like a jerky. Or maybe I should give you to the soldiers to satisfy their desire. One month is enough, let''s see if you still have the nerve to ask for that chance."


    Both of them were terrified. Even though it wasn''t winter yet, the temperature had be a bit chilly. If he hung her on the city wall for a month, she wouldn''t evenst for a week.


    No, even in a warm temperature, she would onlyst for two weeks without water since she had been given Demon Crystals to reach the Spirit Practitioner level. Even someone like Noel would still struggle tost for a month without water.


    This was just a way to torture her to death.


    Count Lesen wanted to say something, but his daughter opened her mouth first.


    "If that can pacify your anger, I''m willing to do it."


    "!!!" Count Lesen looked at his daughter in shock.


    "Hmph. Empty words. Dimitri. Kick her out! Tell anyone not to give her anything and let her kneel until she''s dead."


    Dimitri suddenly opened the door and appeared behind her.


    "Yes, Master." He politely bowed before disappearing from this room after devouring her with his shadow.


    It only took him two seconds to reach the gate and he threw the woman in front of the mansion''s gate.


    "U¡­" The woman was shocked for a second before realizing what happened. She looked at Dimitri and remembered what Noel had said earlier. Without warning, she hurriedly kneeled in front of the mansion as if asking for forgiveness.


    "What''s this?" This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    "Who is she?"


    "Her clothes¡­ Is she a noble?"


    The people were curious and kept ncing at her.


    Dimitri shouted, "She is the daughter of one of the four nobles who banned everyone from trading with us. In other words, she is also responsible for the material shortage not long ago.


    "If the Marquis is not as great as he is, the rune technology will be seized and you won''t have any way to use it anymore, the Marquis will be reduced to below that of amoner, thedy will be living a life worse than death, and thisnd won''t have anyone to take care of anymore. In other words, all of you will have to face a condition much worse than the one when the Marquis first came to this ce.


    "The marquis has given her the punishment to kneel until he forgives her. No one is allowed to help her."


    Dimitri''s deration was like a shock wave.


    The people never thought that they would have to suffer because of this woman.


    When Dimitri disappeared, the people couldn''t help but say, "What is the deal with that woman?"


    "She is the one waging the war, but she ends up begging for forgiveness."


    "If she wins, we would have to endure the life of livestock."


    "The Marquis is a good lord¡­ Why would they even want to attack the marquis?"


    The woman had no change of expression until a boy shouted while throwing a stone at her. "You evil witch."


    The rock hit the side of her head, causing her to bleed. She wanted to scream in pain, but she still remembered her mission. She bit her lips and tried to endure the pain as much as she could.


    Because she was unresponsive, the people looked horrified.


    The mother of the boy had stopped him, while the others became a bit hesitant. Since the Marquis had punished her, they should just let her be.


    Meanwhile, Count Lesen couldn''t say anything when his daughter was taken away.


    "Here is my demand. The Lesen family will pay for the damage caused by the trade ban to the Ardagan family, for a total of 400,000 gold coins.


    "The Lesen family has to announce that their action has been instigated by the royal family and that your loss is due to the royal family abandoning you.


    "If the Lesen family points their finger at the Ardagan family once more, the Ardagan family will spare no efforts in exterminating the entire Lesen family.


    "As the head of the Lesen family, who is responsible for the war, Count Lesen shall retire from his position and be reduced to amoner. You shall live the remainder of your life on the country''s side.


    "Eva Lesen, the daughter of Count Lesen, shall be reduced to amoner and be punished."


    "What?!" Count Lesen gasped. Four hundred thousand? Even if it was his territory at its peak, they could only pay it off in eight years by taking all the revenue the family made. In other words, there would be no development during those eight years, not counting intion.


    With the current capacity of his family, they might need twenty if not thirty years to even settle this debt.


    In addition, denouncing the royal family was the same as cutting them off. Even if they tried to rekindle their rtionship with the royal family, people would be skeptical about it. In fact, the royal family might not ept them because they are ashamed.


    But the Lesen family might escape the worst. The Lesen family could still continue their bloodline. Once the debt has been paid, they might be able to rise again. After all, Noel was like that after his father was executed.


    This kind of punishment actually made sense if he took into ount Noel''s past like his parents'' execution, the royal family''s plot, and even the Supreme Devil Organization''s rtionship with the royal family.


    If he didn''t ept this, a revolt would happen. The Lesen family would disappear from this world, and around a hundred thousand people might die during the revolt and the winter.


    Count Lesen remembered how his daughter was determined to preserve the Lesen family. He bit his lips and answered with a shaking voice. "I ept."


    Noel looked at him before snorting. "Dimitri. Throw him out of this city. Tell our allies to stop the sanctions¡­ only after he fulfilled the agreement."


    "Yes, sir." Dimitri nodded as he watched Noel leave the room.


    He wrote down the contract and had Count Lesen sign it before throwing him out of the city.


    Noel was sitting down on the balcony of his room as Dimitri appeared next to him.


    "Master¡­"


    "What''s wrong? Are you going to say I''m too cruel?"


    Dimitri shook his head. "I believe you''re too lenient. We should have just rejected them right away and they will die sooner orter in the rebels'' hands. It''s not weird to exterminate your enemies thoroughly so that there won''t be any future revenge. Is there a reason why you''re too soft on them?"


    "I''ll be going back to the main city." Noel didn''t bother to answer that question and simply leaped into the sky. His eyes nced at the woman kneeling in front of the mansion before turning forward.

 Chapter 1069 Elaine

    Count Lesen''s daughter, ine Lesen, had been kneeling for a whole day in front of the mansion.


    The rumor about her had spread to the entire city. Obviously, people wanted to see her figure.


    But when people saw her state, they somehow stopped in their tracks. ine had yet to move for a whole day.


    "Isn''t a noble''s daughter always having their belly full?"


    "I have been watching her for a while. I don''t think she has moved, let alone eaten or drunk anything."


    "Is that so? Even though the temperature has be a bit chilly, during the day, it''s still quite hot. Are you sure she hasn''t done anything?"


    "Yeah. It''s real."


    "You two¡­ Are you trying to pity her? She is the one responsible for our recent suffering."


    "Right? The Marquis has announced her punishment as well."


    "¡­"


    The people continued watching her. Those who had work continued their job like normal.


    ine remained silent the whole time. It was hot. She felt like she was being dried like a vegetable. In addition, she was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.


    During the night, the chilling wind brushed her skin. Because she didn''t get any sleep, the night felt so long. It might be the longest night she has ever experienced.


    She was convinced that she would be dying sooner orter. However, she didn''t intend to stop because the survival of her family depended on her performance.


    Still, her headache was quite severe, due to the kid throwing a rock at her head.


    However, her trial had yet to end.


    On the second day, the rain was pouring down pretty heavily.


    ine waspletely drenched. Her entire body were aching, especially her back, her knees, and her hands.


    It was freezing cold. ine was shivering the whole time. In addition to the fatigue from the previous day, she almost copsed.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" ine breathed heavily. Even though her body had been strengthened by the energy from the demon crystal, it was extremely hard to endure two harsh days without food and drink.


    Due to her wet clothes, the chilling wind ended up prating her skin and seeping into her bones.


    Even when the sun was up, she kept shivering. Fortunately, there was no rain the next day. The sun naturally dried her clothes, but it was still bad for her body. Her body temperature felt like it was increasing.


    There was only one thought in her mind at this point. She would die sooner orter. ording to her prediction, she could onlyst for another two or three days before she died.


    She just thought this was just torture before her execution and resigned to her fate. At the very least, her ''salvation'' woulde in a few days.


    On the third day, the people were quite shocked to see ine remain on her spot.


    "Did she¡­"


    "Yeah. She must have been under the rain the whole time."


    "This¡­"


    The people exchanged looks. After they saw her shivering continuously, they realized that she was nearing her limit. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    They imagined themselves in her ce. They might have copsed to the ground and died.


    Yet the sheltered youngdy managed to persist for three days.


    The third night had finallye. ine''s body temperature continued rising. Her consciousness became a bit fuzzy. It didn''t take too long before she realized she had caught a cold.


    Her body wanted to give up. The exhaustion had finally caught up to her. Because she hadn''t slept for three days, she almost fell unconscious.


    ''No. I have to continue,'' ine kept muttering inwardly. ''The only time I can copse will be the time I die¡­ I need to persist a bit more.''


    When the fourth day came, the people started to have a change of heart. They could imagine the physical pain she was enduring, but she didn''t say a single word the whole time.


    In fact, the only thing that came out of her mouth were coughs. People knew that she had fallen sick.


    No one was saying anything about her anymore. They hated her because it was just her punishment, but getting tortured this way somehow invoked empathy in the people''s hearts.


    All of a sudden, ine noticed that there was a shadow covering her entire body.


    ine didn''t turn her head to see the person, but thetter ended up squatting next to her.


    "Hey¡­ Isn''t that¡­"


    "Lady Jessi. What are you doing there?"


    "Lady Jessi? Who is she?"


    "Ah. Isn''t she one of the popr prostitutes?"


    ine''s body shuddered, reacting to that information. She thought that this prostitute would take her chance to humiliate her. After all, this was her one and only chance to do anything to her.


    But to her surprise, thedy just put down the umbre she was holding so that it could cover ine''s body.


    "What are you doing?" Two soldiers suddenly emerged from the crowd as if trying to apprehend her.


    Jessi only red at them and shouted, "What? Am I not allowed to do this?"


    "You''re not allowed to do it. The Marquis has given the order that no one can help her."


    "What are you saying? I''m not helping her. I just want to put my umbre on this spot and she just happens to be underneath it!" Jessi snarled back.


    "This¡­" The soldiers looked stunned, not being able to rebuke her.


    "Look. I haven''t done anything wrong. If you still want to punish someone, you can punish me. Just tell the Marquis that I''m the one messing with his punishment." Jessi red at them.


    The soldiers were confused, not knowing what they should do. In the end, they returned to ask their superior.


    ine was taken aback. Why would this person help her?


    "What are¡­ you doing?" ine couldn''t help but ask, her voice was shaking and sounded very weak. Her lips were already dry as she hadn''t drunk anything in the past few days.


    "I already told the soldiers what I''m doing. Don''t tell me, a noble daughter like you can''t understand it?"


    "You''re¡­ going to¡­ be punished¡­"


    "I don''t really care. I should be the one asking you¡­ Aren''t you tired about this? If you just stop, you don''t really need to endure all this."


    ine didn''t want to talk to her since her throat was sore. However, Jessi''s words simply struck deep into her heart. "I have¡­ to endure¡­ for the sake¡­ of my family''s survival."


    "Why do you even care about that? Once you die, you won''t be there to witness your family''s survival. And who knows if your family can even survive."


    "Amoner¡­ like you¡­ won''t¡­ understand." The moment she finished her words, ine shuddered, realizing the mistake in her words.


    Jessi''s voice soon sounded annoyed. "Suit yourself." She took the umbre back as if showing her discontent that, despite her kindness, ine would only insult her.


    ine wanted to say something, but she couldn''t. There was a tinge of regret in her heart.


    Jessi once again surprised her when she returned and put down the umbre on the ground to shield her again. But this time, she didn''t say anything. She just harrumphed and walked away.


    ine somehow felt empty in her heart. When she was a noble daughter, she didn''t think much aboutmoners. She thought they could easily be reced.


    However, once Jessi left, she realized no one was like her. In fact, even the people had stopped scorning her.


    She didn''t need their pity, but the change affected her heart and point of view.


    As if the heavens were trying to make her pay for what she had done, the rain started pouring down. Because of the umbre, the rain didn''t hit her body directly.


    But the rain was heavier than the one from two days ago. The wind ended up blowing the umbre away, causing her to be drenched again.


    In that dark hour, another ray of light illuminated her. Jessi actually returned with another umbre.


    "As expected, it''s really being swept by the wind."


    "Why are¡­ you back?" ine asked.


    "What? I guess, a noble daughter like you can look down on a prostitute like me. Anyway, not many customers during a pouring rain like this, so why not?" Jessi snorted.


    "But I''ve said¡­ mean things to you."


    Jessi harrumphed. "I couldn''t care less. You can look down on me in any way. All I want is to survive. If I don''t be a prostitute, I won''t have money to sustain myself. Unlike you, who was born into a noble household, I don''t have a choice."


    "¡­" ine fell silent for a moment. Because of this punishment, she realized that, for the first time in her life, she didn''t have any choice but to endure it. Jessi did it for the sake of survival, while she did it for her family''s survival. They were pretty much the same.


    Yet, the only thing she had been thinking about was when she would die. Meanwhile, Jessi kept enduring all that shame and continued to live on.


    When she opened her mouth again, an unexpected word came out. "Sorry."


    Jessi was taken aback by her apology.


    "Hmph. I guess I will just stay here for the time being." Jessi harrumphed and put down a basket filled with bread and water. "Eat and drink. I don''t think anyone will see it under this kind of rain."


    "I can''t¡­" ine rejected it because she shouldn''t move.


    Jessi remained silent for a while, making ine think she would leave again out of anger.


    For the first time, ine started the conversation as though she wanted her to be by her side for a bit longer.


    "Why are¡­ you doing this? I did horrible¡­ things¡­ not deserve¡­ your pity."


    Jessi didn''t reply immediately. ine thought Jessi was thoroughly angry this time. When she resigned to her fate, Jessi opened her mouth. "I''m nothing but a prostitute. I have no choice but to let the men touch my body just to put food on my te.


    "However, the Marquis has changed it. Because of him, there is an unlimited amount of water in my little room. I don''t have to work hard to procure water for washing clothes, cleaning my body, and drinking.


    "Not just me; the others are the same. They now have more money to spend, which results in me getting more money. More importantly, because of all these improvements, the customers don''t live under too much stress like previously, so the way they treat me or other women isn''t that bad now.


    "The Marquis has changed my life, making me a bit more greedy, like having a better life in the future. I admire the Marquis, not only is he generous, but he is also kind.


    "When I look at your punishment like this, I just can''t help but wonder if he is still the same. I believe that the marquis doesn''t give punishment beyond someone''s ability. And I also don''t want to have Marquis kill you. I want him to remain kind.


    "That''s why I want you to survive. I believe that the Marquis will let you go sooner orter." Jessi grabbed the water and stuck the straw at the entrance of her mouth. "Well, you can consider it my own selfishness¡­ but I want you to survive."


    "¡­" ine fell silent. This was the first time she heard of Noel''s reputation from his citizens. For the people, Noel was like their savior. That was why they were so hostile to her at the beginning.


    The Marquis was just doing what he was supposed to do as a good lord, but they chose to destroy him because of the royal family and their own greed.


    ine suddenly stopped resisting and opened her mouth, taking a sip of the water.


    Jessi seemed to know that ine wouldn''t move no matter what. Hence, she held the bread and moved it to her mouth.


    Jessi smiled. "Is it good?"


    ine bit her lips. This might be her first meal after starving for days, but more importantly, this was the first bread that she got from kindness. She didn''t know why, but she wanted to cry.


    "En."


    "That''s good." Jessi smiled.

 Chapter 1070 Punished

    Chapter 1070 Punished


    ??After giving ine some food, Jessi waited until the heavy rain stopped before leaving ine alone.


    Because of what she had done, ine''s will to survive increased. However, her willpower alone wouldn''t be enough.


    The fatigue had caught up to her. In addition, the cold had be even more severe.


    The voice of the people kept ringing in her head, her body became extremely weak, and her breath was unstable.


    She looked like she was about to copse soon. The hot sun couldn''t bepared to the hot temperature of her body.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" ine panted a few times. Her body started convulsing. Hunger and thirst might not have been a problem anymore, but her consciousness had be fuzzy.


    ''This is not good. I still have to continue.''


    ine kept muttering inwardly, trying to persist as much as possible. But after grueling seven days, she passed out.


    ¡­


    Two hourster.


    ine opened her eyes, looking an unfamiliar ceiling.


    ''Mhmm? Aren''t I supposed to be looking at the ground?'' ine thought before snapping. She hurriedly rose from the bed and looked around, realizing that she was inside a house. And Jessi was in front of her, taking care of her. "What¡­"


    "You passed out. Don''t move too much for now. Your fever is still severe."


    "What have you done? I have to go back! My family is at stake." ine tried to jump off the bed, but Jessi stopped her. "At least rest for a bit. It''s been seven days, so the lord shouldn''t being back soon."


    ine wanted to refute, but the word stuck in her throat. Instead, she changed it into another question. "Why do you help me? Do you know that you''ll be in trouble if you help me? I have done a lot of bad things to your territory!"


    "It''s your family, right? Not you personally." Jessi shook her head helplessly. "Besides, how foolish are you¡­ If you want to repent, you should live on instead of dying. Death is just an escape. If you feel bad for people, you should spend your life making them happy. That''s just my own thought¡­ I think the nobles can''t understand such a simple thing."


    "That''s¡­ not true." ine bit her lips.


    Looking at her grunted expression, Jessi stood up. "I won''t stop you from going back, but eat something first."


    Jessi went to the back to grab some food, leaving ine alone.


    ine was contemting. She had looked down on the people because they were uneducated or their lives were cheap. But because of Jessi, she thought she was the one imposing her own ideal on them.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t have a lot of time to think about it as the outside was bustling with people.


    "ing!"


    "The Lord¡­"


    "ing!"


    ine couldn''t help but hear some voices from the outside. She raised her head, wondering why it suddenly became too noisy.


    "The Lord ising!"


    The moment ine heard the message clearly, she panicked. Right now, she isn''t kneeling in front of the mansion. In addition, if she stayed here, Jessi would be implicated as well. "I have to go!"


    ine rushed outside, forgetting the fact that she hadn''t changed her clothes back.


    When Jessi returned to her room, she only found an empty room. "Mhmmm? ine?"


    ine rushed to the mansion barefoot, trying to reach the spot before the Marquis.


    Unfortunately for her, the moment she reached the mansion, Noel was already waiting for her. He was apanied by Rose.


    ine''s face instantly turned ghostly pale. As if noticing her presence, Noel turned his head around.


    The moment their eyes were locked onto each other, ine immediately kneeled once again, her body was shaking uncontrobly.


    "Why are you not here?" Noel asked while pointing at the spot where she originally kneeled.


    "I¡­" ine didn''t know what to say. Her family was at stake.


    Noel''s expression turned cold. "Don''t tell me. There is someone helping you?"


    ine''s heart sank. On the one hand, if she protected Jessi, her family would be destroyed. On the other hand, if she abandoned Jessi, it wouldn''t change the fact that she had moved away from her position.


    ine hurriedly replied, "No. That''s not true."


    The people looked stunned when ine tried to protect Jessi. They all knew about what happened in the past few days, especially how ine continued to persist despite her condition.


    Only Jessi was brave enough to even approach her. When she copsed, Jessi was the one who brought her away and treated her.


    "If that''s not true, then what exnation do you have for me? How are you going to exin that you''re trying to escape from your punishment?" Noel asked again.


    "I¡­ I¡­" ine wanted toe up with something, but the fatigue was still too much for her body. She couldn''t think of anything.


    Noel walked toward her as his body leaked out some spiritual energy, pressuring ine. "Don''t tell me. Despite all your deeds, you still threatened my people?"


    ine bit her lips. Her family was going to die because of this anyway, so why would she hold back in thest phase of her life?


    ine shouted back, "Yes. I threatened her! Nomoner dared to refuse the order of a noble! A mere peasant should just follow my order!"


    The bystanders were surprised, not by her words, but by her voice. The more she spoke, the more her voice was shaking. It was clear that she didn''t mean it. In fact, she said all those words just so that Noel could direct his anger at her and at her alone.


    Noel stepped on the ground, applying more pressure. His eyes were now filled with killing intent.


    "Gah!" ine spat a mouthful of blood as the pressure was crushing down on her body. The road underneath her started to crack. Yet ine still raised her head, ring at Noel as if telling him that she was the only one responsible.


    Sadly, it didn''tst long. Her body was giving up. She persisted for a few seconds, but her consciousness became fuzzy. Before she knew it, she had lost her consciousness.


    Once her body dropped to the ground, Noel pulled out his sword and said coldly, "In that case, I shall execute you."


    The people looked pale. Some were trying to look away or bring the children to the side.


    But before he swung his sword, Jessi suddenly appeared and kneeled next to ine. "My Lord! Please spare her."This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel red at her while saying, "Are you the one helping her?"


    "Yes," Jessi answered without hesitation.


    Noel fell silent for a moment before asking, "Why?"


    "I believe that everyone has the right to live. Just like how I, a lowly prostitute, am able to lead a normal life."


    "Why should I forgive her? Her family was the one who started all this. Once she is forgiven, the others will think lowly of this territory. They will think that this territory can be bullied, and all of you will experience a lot of suffering because people think they can get away with it!" Noel exined with an angry tone.


    "I¡­" Jessi clenched her hands into fists. "I¡­ don''t want the Lord, whom I admire so much, to live in the dark, ruthless world. You are the Lord the people need because you are kind, you help all of us. I don''t want my lord to be known as the ruthless tyrant, even though you are just trying to help us. I believe that she has been punished severely. Instead of executing her, she should work for thisnd and make it better to atone for her mistake."


    Noel looked at her determined expression before ncing at the others. "Do you think the same? After all, all of you are the ones impacted the most. Think about it first before making your decision."


    The people looked down, not knowing what to do. Jessi was saying what they wanted to say. They didn''t have the courage to answer this question.


    Only one brave kid suddenly stepped forward and kneeled in front of Noel. He was the kid who threw a rock at ine.


    His parents panicked and tried to stop him, but looking at this kid, they saw several people falling to their knees, making the parents wonder if they should stop their kids or not.


    More and more people began to kneel. They had witnessed ine''s suffering in the past few days and how she remained still no matter what happened around her or to her.


    As Jessi said, if she wanted to atone for her mistake, she should survive and work for thisnd.


    Not long after, everyone was already kneeling on the ground, begging for forgiveness.


    Noel looked at his subjects for a moment as if he were contemting whether to execute or not. In the end, he was the one giving the judgment.


    After a long minute, Noel finally sheathed his sword.


    "Rose. She will be under you for now. See whether she is useful or not," said Noel with a serious expression.


    "Understood." Rose nodded and turned around. "Bring her inside and get her treated."


    "Y-yes!" The soldiers hurriedly moved. With this decision, they felt a bit relieved since they should be spared from any punishment as well because of what Jessi did. The people looked happy.


    To avoid the awkward situation, Noel and Rose entered the mansion without any more words.


    But Rose couldn''t help but open her mouth the moment they were inside. "It''s rather surprising that you''re actually willing to take her in. No, should I say that if you want to take her in, why bother with all this?"


    "If I take her in just like that, will the citizens agree?" Noel asked a simple yet profound question.


    Rose fell into deep thought. ine was still the daughter of the one responsible for thest material shortage. It would be wrong if Noel just chose to take her in. Rumors might even lead to her potentially getting married to him as a concubine.


    She could understand the reason behind Noel''s actions. There was one question that remained. "Still, is she useful? You should have just rejected them and crushed them, and no one will say a thing."


    Noel smiled while closing his eyes.


    Two weeks ago.


    "By the way, what will you do if those four nobles surrender?" Anna asked.


    "If they surrender? I''ll probably reject them. I don''t care much about their territories. Once the revolt within their territory begins, they have no other choice anyway." Noel shrugged.


    "If you don''t mind, how about sparing one person?"


    "One person?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. It is ine Lesen."


    "ine Lesen? Who is she? Judging from her name, she should be rted to Count Lesen¡­ so, his daughter?"


    "Indeed."


    "Give me a reason."


    Anna raised one finger. "The reason is simple. In our previous lives, the one that gave you the most trouble in the north was her."


    "!!!" Noel looked down, his hands rubbing his chin. "What did she do?"


    "Well, it wasn''t just her. To be honest, in our previous lives, Count Lesen was crushed by you. His son was dead, so his daughter, ine, took over the territory.


    "She did several reforms in the territory and made it stronger than ever. At that point, her talent bloomed. You could say that a person who had buried her talent under the pretense of being a ''political tool'' finally got the chance to release it all.


    "I took advantage of her influence to strike at you as well. So, I think she is worth winning over."


    Noel thought for a moment. "How about the other lords?"


    "I don''t have much memory about Count Yatcher. Earl Canmond is the most reasonable, but the trait is not carried by his descendants. Count Caulbot is just¡­ pathetic."


    "So, this ine Lesen is that special, huh?" Noel closed his eyes. "It''s going to be hard for that, you know. It''s not like I can just outright demand her from them without any rumors. And taking an enemy in is also frowned upon."


    "I know you can do something about it." Anna smirked.


    When Count Lesen came here to beg for mercy, Noel realized that the chance hade. He devised all kinds of ns and finally seeded.


    That was why, when Rose wanted to know the reason, he simply said, "Anna believes she is useful. If she is not, you are free to dispose of her."


    "Alright." Rose smiled wryly. "But this is a little too much. Her condition is so bad that she can die if not treated right away. And Khalid might nag you about this, you know."


    "Geh." Noel looked away with a troubled face.

 Chapter 1071 Reforms

    Chapter 1071 Reforms


    ??ine woke up once again, finding herself in a different ce.


    "Where am I again?" ine didn''t know why, but her body wasn''t as heavy as she remembered. Considering what happened previously, ine couldn''t help but say, "I see. So, I have died."


    "Dying? What the hell are you talking about?"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mhmm?" ine turned her head around, following the origin of the voice and finding a woman she was unfamiliar with standing next to her bed. "Who are you?"


    "I am Rose, the Ardagan family''s retainer. I will just keep it brief. Instead of punishing you to death, we''ve changed the punishment tobor." Rose raised three fingers. "Firstly, you shall work under me personally. If you don''t produce any results, I will deem you useless and remove you, including your family.


    "Secondly, you are not allowed tomunicate with your family unless you''re permitted to do so. If found, you and your family will be exterminated.


    "Last but not least, you should be thankful to that woman. If not for her begging the Lord to not execute you, you wouldn''t be here anymore."


    ine blinked a few times. The punishment was harsh, but it was understandable. However, it also meant that she had to work hard to make the family that crushed hers prosper.


    "That''s all. You are to rest for one more day before following me back to the main city."


    This kind of mercy slightly surprised her. While she indeed had to work for the Ardagan family, she could still somehow learn the condition of her family after all this. She hoped that her brother was able to withstand this kind of challenge.


    When she saw that Rose was about to leave, she couldn''t help but open her mouth. "Wait."


    Rose nced at her coldly.


    "Ehm¡­" ine wanted to say something but she realized that she had to change the way she spoke due to her current status. "May I know¡­ What happened to Jessi? I mean, the person who¡­ I threatened."


    Rose sighed. "You don''t have to worry. She is perfectly fine."


    ine''s eyes brightened and politely bowed her head. "Thank you very much." The reason was rather different though. She bowed because her expression melted and she was about to cry but didn''t want Rose to see it.


    Rose shrugged and left the room since she had to report to Noel.


    "¡­and that''s what happened."


    Noel nodded in understanding. "We''ll treat her the same as amoner. Do good work, you will be paid generously."


    "Are you sure? If we just provide the basic necessities and housing, it should be enough for her."


    "It''s fine. Just do it that way." Noel waved his hand as if he had calcted everything.


    "Alright. Do you know what kind of work I should give her? I mean, it''s unlike you to ept her like this, so she must be useful somewhere."


    Noel recalled what Anna said back then.


    ¡­


    "You said reforms. What are those reforms?"


    Anna raised four fingers. "If I remember correctly, the first reform is about thews. She has implemented a neww where they apply a merit-based system. I''m not sure about it that much, but it seems to be something like amoner can rise through ranks if they produce something good."


    "I see. That''s the kind of system that we currently need." Noel pondered for a moment.


    "The second reform is about worker policy. Something like their condition and working time makes people more civilized."


    "Mhmm? I don''t really mind if it''s going to help the people, but we''re rather in a delicate state. If we limit their productivity, the royal family might take advantage to strike us. What about the third reform?"


    "It''s public sanitation."


    "Now that''s interesting. I don''t know to what extent, but the sanitary problem is quite big, especially in a closed area like most cities in the kingdom. If we can improve it, people''s overall health will increase. And more importantly, it''s close to impossible to stop the slum from appearing. Hence, a clean slum is better than a dirty one."


    "That''s indeed true. Thest is about education¡­ Not that she seeds in this one though."


    "Education?" Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Yep. Like the one you''re currently trying to achieve. I think you know the reason why it''s failing."


    "Obviously. The people have a hard time even eating, so why would they care about education? But now that the rune technology has improved their daily lives, there''s a chance for it to seed. With a more civilized city, we can produce even more talents.


    "After all, a lot of people are smart, but only those who are educated can disy their talents." Noel nodded in understanding. "I see. It''s no wonder why you want to have this woman."


    "That''s how it is. Besides, you can see why she is such a popr person among the citizens, right?"


    "Indeed. With all those reforms, she could gain the people''s hearts. They will be more solid and she can show it to other lords as a bargaining chip. This way, they will lean toward agreeing with her condition, which ultimately reaches me." Noel sighed. He finally knew why Anna said ine was the one holding him back in the north.


    "Do you think you can win her over?"


    "If we''re lucky, yes. But I''ll need some ns first."


    ¡­


    After remembering the reforms, Noel said, "Let''s just say that she is good atws and regtions, especially for the popce."


    "Is that so? Well, it''s under my management then," Rose answered.


    "Indeed. That''s why I want to leave her to you."


    "Alright." Rose didn''t understand why Noel wanted to treat her that well, but he wasn''t a person who did things without reason.


    "In that case, I will be back first." Noel waved his hand and simply leaped out of the building through the window. He didn''t return to the main city immediately. Instead, he took a moment to appreciate the view from the wall, looking at the sky. "The winter, huh? I hope that everyone can survive."

 Chapter 1072 Getting Elaines Allegiance

    Chapter 1072 Getting ine''s ''Allegiance''


    ??"Hello, you''re new here, right?" A man came to ine with a bucket of water.


    "Y-yes." ine nodded, confused. She thought she would be bullied in this ce.


    However, the man simply said, "Please use this to wash your face. If it''s still not enough, you can use the public bathroom to wash yourself."


    "I-Is that so?" ine raised her eyebrows in amusement. As a noble, she was obviously familiar with this treatment. In fact, she usually washed her face in the morning and cleaned her body during the night. In addition, there would be a bath every week.


    However, the man actually said she could wash her body in the morning.


    ''Is such a thing possible?'' ine contemted before asking, "Are you sure?"


    "Of course." The man nodded.


    This made him even more suspicious. She had prepared herself to be treated harshly by the people, but she could actually maintain a part of her noble lifestyle.


    "Are you the one bringing the water?"


    The man looked surprised and remembered something. "Ah. Now that I think about it, you''ve just arrived in this town yesterday. Miss Rose has asked me to show you around and treat you like normal workers here. Don''t worry. If you''re worried about water, we have plenty of it. Please take a look at that."


    The man pointed at the window, specifically the maids and butlers that gathered water from faucets. "We just have to open the faucet, and the water wille out. There is no need to worry about the water. If it can make you feel refreshed, it means that the water has done its job. Just make sure you work hard today."


    "¡­" ine fell silent for a moment. She suddenly remembered that when Rose brought her to the dorm. Each room was extremely small.


    The bed took up the entire left side of the room and a table was next to the bed. On top of the table was a window, which would bring in some light. However, Rose said that she could put a small box next to the ceiling if she needed some light during the night. She hadn''t tried it, but after seeing how easy it was to procure water, the room might not be as simple as she originally thought.


    "I will take this." ine grabbed the bucket.


    "Sure. If it''s not enough, you can go to the worker''s bathroom. The Lord said that we don''t need to care about how much water we use, but still, the habit from old days keeps haunting me. So I don''t dare to use too much water."


    "Understood. Thank you."


    "Sure. If you''re done, meet me outside. I''ll show you around."


    "Yes." ine suddenly remembered something and stopped for a moment. "Ehm, I am ine. What is your name?"


    The man smiled. "Jack."


    ine nodded before walking away. When she passed the bathroom, she heard the sshing sound of water from the inside with a few people talking lightheartedly. They seemed to be happy with their current lives.


    A person came out of the bathroom, the towel was still wrapping her hair and there was a cool atmosphere around her. There was no bad smell whatsoever. Normally,moners hardly wash themselves. Most of the time, they would just wipe their bodies with wet towels once a day or every other day.


    So, it wouldn''t be weird for their body to release some foul odor. Only those who worked around the lord of the city would maintain such a good look, since if their foul odor displeased the lord, there was a chance they would be expelled or even beaten.


    Yet these people actually got such a thing even though they didn''t work directly in the Lord''s mansion.


    ine hurriedly looked away and awkwardly left.


    After that, Jack began to guide her around the area, including all the facilities and divisions around her.


    Their division was under one of the pirs of the Ardagan family, which meant Rose would be her direct superior.


    It took them a whole day to go around because they kept stopping whenever they met something new. ine couldn''t help but ask about all of them.


    And before retiring to her room, she finally stopped by the worker''s bathroom.


    "In that case, I have done my job for today. You can wash yourself here and retire to your room. Tomorrow, I will bring you to your post."


    "Yes. Thank you for everything." ine nodded.


    "Anyway, we don''t understand your capability right now, so we''ll be paying you the same amount as the new worker, which is 5 silver coins per day."


    "Am I really getting paid?" ine widened her eyes in shock.


    "Yes. Is there something wrong? Everyone who works deserves to be paid." Jack tilted his head in confusion. "You can spend the money as you like. Maybe buy some clothes or pay for some entertainment."


    ine was staring at him in disbelief. Considering her position, she thought she wouldn''t be paid at all and would be worked to death in a harsh environment.


    Five silver coins might not be a lot for a noble like her, but it was at the level of a maid in her family''s mansion. After all, being a butler or a maid for the Lord was an ideal job in the kingdom. They were paid well, and there were a lot of bonuses.


    Jack added, "Well, I have only heard of it, but if you do some good work, the Lord will actually properly reward you. I''ve heard that there was a maid creating a new menu that was so delicious that the Lord gave her a few gold coins. There was also a cksmith who made a breakthrough and got rewarded with a hundred gold coins.


    "Hence, there is a rumor going around among us. The Lord is trying to activate a new system that is based on people''s merit. It encourages people to do better.


    "And there is even a more ridiculous rumor. With all the technology, the citizens have enough spare time to actually learn a thing or two. They are thinking about sending their kids to the school, which the Lord is still considering. They want their children to be smart and do good work so that their family can achieve what they normally can''t."


    "!!!" ine widened her eyes in shock, thinking, ''Merit? Public school?''


    "Anyway, I''ll take my leave here." Jack waved his hand.


    ine was still in a state of shock. She entered the bathroom while her mind was still too upied with all kinds of thoughts.


    They could actually take a shower in this ce. Since all of them were women, there was no problem. ine just chose to forget about her identity as a noble and wash herself here.


    Once she returned to her room, she hadpletely cooled down, feeling refreshed after a long day.


    ''To think that the people in this city can get all the benefits of a noble. We can wash ourselves two times a day and the wage is high.


    ''If people know about it, they will surely want toe here. No, if nobles know about all these things, they want them for themselves and won''t share them with the people.


    ''It can be said that the Lord has grasped the people''s hearts. With such a kind Lord, it''s obvious why the people love him so much. I can kind of understand why they looked like they wanted to butcher me when they knew my identity. It was like the Lord actually spared my life when he told them not to help me. They mighte at me and beat me while trying to ''help'' me.''


    ine chuckled. "Still¡­ a wage, huh? If I do something big, will I be rewarded with money as well? What if I can earn thousands of gold coins and use them to pay the debt? Won''t it help my family that way?


    "No. I should aim higher. If I can earn tens of thousandswho of gold coins or even surpass a hundred thousand, my family might be able to escape from this debt a lot sooner.


    "Besides¡­" ine couldn''t help but remember Jessi''s words about atoning her mistake by making the people that had suffered happy.


    "Oh wait." ine suddenly lowered her vision and noticed the small box on the table. "If I''m not wrong, I should ce this on the ceiling."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ine grabbed it and tried to ce it next to themp, which suddenly shone. "What? Bright¡­ No, wait. It actually shines. So I need to hang this box here?"


    When ine climbed down the chair, she was surprised that the entire room lit up.


    "This is bright. No candles can go against this." ine nced at the paper. If she could get this kind of light during the night, she might be able to work the regr job during the day and continue with her ''great work'' during the day for the reward.


    This was actually an opportunity for her.


    "Since the royal family has abandoned us and won''t cooperate with us in the future because of the punishment¡­ I should do things differently. If I can be irreceable in the Marquis''s eyes, I can get a lot of money and might not need to die. No, he might not even restrict me from contacting my family anymore." ine had just gotten a new goal and started scribbling a few things on the paper, pouring all her ideas onto the paper.


    Little did she know, everything was actually Noel''s n.


    Even Jack, who guided her around and told her all kinds of things, returned to Rose.


    "Yes, I have told her about all of it, including the wage and merit," Jack reported.


    "Good work." Rose handed him a small pouch containing several gold coins.


    "Thank you very much."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Time went by swiftly.


    Without her realizing it, ine had stayed in this ce for a week. She had written dozens of ideas like a merit-based system or even public education, like what she had done in her previous life.


    Feeling a bit tired, ine stretched her body while yawning. Her eyes couldn''t help but look at the window, noticing the falling white particles falling down. "Mhmm? Snow, huh?"


    Just like ine, Noel and Anna were actually watching the snow.


    "It''s finally snowing." Anna smiled, feeling excited. "We can go hunt now!"


    "Indeed. I''ve finished all my jobs, so I''ll just let them do the rest." Noel smiled. "Let''s sleep early and leave early in the morning."


    "En! Let''s get enough demon crystals to be a Spirit Transcendence in this hunt. Peak Level Demons, Superior Demons, we''reing for you." Anna pumped her fists.


    Noel and Anna were smiling. Unbeknownst to them, this journey to be a Spirit Transcendence was actually much harder than they originally thought as a beast much stronger than anything they had faced in their whole life would soon be their obstacle.

 Chapter 1073 Spirit Transcendence

    Chapter 1073 Spirit Transcendence


    ??Noel was sitting on top of the wall, ready to leave. However, he seemed to be upied with something as he kept staring at empty air.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna came to him with a gentle smile on her face. They were about to start their hunt, so she wanted to check Noel''s condition first.


    "Nothing. I''m just looking at my mission and medals." Noel shook his head.


    In his system, it was shown four new medals he received not long ago.


    Name: One with the Sword Medal


    Effect: Sword Proficiency +20%


    Name: Demon Exterminator Medal


    Effect: Sensing a Demon within a 100 meter radius.


    Name: Dignity Medal


    Effect: Charisma +30%


    Name: Blessing Medal


    Effect: While fighting together with your family, the user''s Spiritual Energy increases by 30%


    Name: Wife Medal


    Effect: While fighting together with your wife, the user''s Spiritual Energy increases by 15%, the user''s strength and speed increases by 10%, and the pain tolerance increases by 20%.


    He changed his medals for this hunt.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Knight


    Weapon: Ardagan Sword


    Main Medal: Demon Exterminator Medal, Elite Medal, Wife Medal


    The Demon Exterminator Medal was basically an upgraded version of his Demon Hunter Medal. So his senses wouldn''t lose to Anna''s instinct from now on.


    He could rece this Demon Exterminator Medal with the One with the Sword Medal whenever there was a big fight.


    Noel still hadn''tpleted the Rune Knight''s mission, which asked him to fight with runes. He had a few things in mind and nned to test it during this hunt, so he was a bit excited for this hunt.


    Before going, Noel added, "Ardagan. You''re not going to give me any missions? I might reach Spirit Transcendence after this hunt, you know."


    [Mission: Pest Extermination.]


    [Description: Annihte all demons standing in your way. Setting up the target for the hunt. Kill 50,000 Demons during the hunt (0/50,000).]


    [Reward: Demon Suppression Medal.]


    [Mission: Spirit Transcendence.]


    [Description: Reaching the Spirit Transcendence Stage.]


    [Reward: Eternal me Body]


    [Mission: Fighting the Unknown.]


    [Description: An unknown danger is looming in the area. Overrelyingon the system is bad. Figure out the unknown and defeat it with your own strength.]


    [Reward: ???]


    Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Killing fifty thousand demons? Are you serious? They are pretty scattered around the area, so it''ll be hard to reach that number. No, it''s possible if I somehow kill one thousand demons a day. We''re probably hunting for two and a half months and will be back before spring anyway. Still, I''m not hunting alone this time."


    As if understanding what Noel was implying, Ardagan made a correction.


    [Confirm you want to have a joint mission with your wife?]


    "That''s possible?" Noel frowned. "Yes."


    [Mission: Pest Extermination.]


    [Description: Annihte all demons standing in your way. Setting up the target for the hunt. Kill 75,000 Demons during the hunt (0/75,000).]


    [Reward: Demon Suppression Medal.]


    "Hahahahaha. You''re kidding me." Noelughed because the number was so ridiculous. Then again, Anna didn''t have to hold back because Noel had to get the kill. So this could be considered an upgrade."


    "Also, Ardagan¡­ Is this Eternal me Body the same thing I''m thinking about?"


    [Yes. It is my True Spirit Body.]


    "Oh? That''s perfect." Noel smirked. "Now that I think about it, what about the information I''ve received from Duke Lorelei about what I will get after bing a Spirit Transcendence?"


    [No need for the system.]N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "¡­" Noel gave a wry smile. "Alright."


    When Noel turned around, Anna realized that he was done reorganizing everything rted to the system. "So what do you want to do? Will there be a change for our n?"


    "No. It''s just¡­" Noel exined everything the missions gave him, including the number of kills and the unknown danger.


    Anna contemted for a moment. "If that''s the case, we can proceed ording to the n. And since we''re heading north, do you n go to a bit further and find that kingdom?"


    "No, not yet." Noel shook his head. "There must be a reason why Old Ru asked Andreas to bring us after reaching the Spirit Transcendence Stage. So we''ll follow his words."


    "Alright. Just to let you know, our first destination is an ancient ruin. It''s so big that we need to be careful since there are going to be thousands of demons and numerous Peak Level Demons."


    "I know." Noel turned around, releasing a bit of his spiritual energy as if calling someone.


    In just a few seconds, both Dimitri, Howard, and Old Jade appeared.


    "Are you going now, Master?" Dimitri asked politely.


    "Yes. Dimitri will be acting on my behalf until Ie back. You shall do your best to stop anyone from dying. Charlotte will be his deputy. Effective immediately, with Howard as the witness."


    "Yes, sir!" Howard ced his fist on his chest and lowered his head, acknowledging his words.


    Noel smiled at Dimitri. "I know you''re worried about me, but believe me, I have enough strength to at least run away."


    "Yes, Master." Dimitri nodded dejectedly.


    Noel then turned to Old Jade. "Dimitri will have a lot on his shoulders, so Old Jade, I hope you can take care of the city''s defense. I doubt anyone will try anything during the winter, but be vignt."


    "Yes, sir." Old Jade epted it with a serious expression. Then, he couldn''t help but ask, "Are you really going to be a Spirit Transcendence after this?"


    "Are you worried about the power bnce or something else?" Noel asked with a smile.


    "I apologize." Old Jade gave a wry smile as Noel had seen through him. "To be honest, I have heard about the Spirit Transcendence stage. You have created your Spirit Heart and Spirit Mind, so the next is to be one with spirit."


    "I know." Noel nodded, recalling information from his grandfather.


    ¡­


    A few weeks ago.


    "You should remember that Spirit Master is basically the rank for Assimtion and the Spirit Grandmaster is the rank for Fusion. Now that you have created a fusion with your spirit, you have to understand them and finally be one. We call this Synchronization.


    "All the exceptional Spirit Grandmasters have ''Fusion'' with their spirits, which we call True Spirit Body.


    "However, Spirit Transcendence is different. Synchronization is not as simple as you think. For example, if we use our strength to shoot an attack, we are charging the Spiritual Energy while the spirit is infusing their elements, right?


    "On the other hand, in this Synchronization, the roles will be the same. The human acts like a spirit, and the spirit acts like a human. For example, if we charge the spiritual energy, the spirit will have to do the same. If the spirit infuses the element, humans have to do the same.


    "This way, you are able to release your power twice as fast. But that''s not all. I''ve heard that if you want to be a Spirit Transcendence, you will have to be one with the spirit.


    "In other words, your body will gradually change from normal human to half spirit. You will kind of notice the strong spirit around you and so on. Then again, I''m not a Spirit Transcendence, so I can''t exin it to you.


    "Just remember that when you''re about to approach that stage, the Spirit Seal will undergo a transformation. There aren''t many records about having two spirits in one body, but it''s said that thest person who has a twin spirits is unable to reach Spirit Transcendence because of the sh between the two spirits.


    "I don''t know what kind of obstacle you will receive, but I pray that you''re able to ovee it."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I''ll do my best, Grandfather."


    "Mhmm. If you manage to ovee that obstacle, you will be unparalleled. You might even get a new ability. ording to my teacher, a Spirit Transcendence will have an ability surpassing anyone''s imagination."


    "I''m looking forward to it. But for now, I want to focus on oveing the limit first." Noel smiled.


    "Alright."


    ¡­


    Noel remembered that conversation and couldn''t help but say, "Spirit Union Ability, huh?"


    "!!!" Old Jade looked surprised while Dimitri added, "I heard from Oscar that the Spirit Union ability is something you can''t use easily. But once he uses it, destroying a single city with one ability is actually possible."


    "¡­" Howard and Old Jade could only listen to something that they would never achieve in this life.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna turned serious. If the Spirit Union Ability could do something like that, they thought the record about Noel''s ancestor being able to destroy a mountain or create a valley as a Spirit King might be true.


    Noel added, "And that will force the royal family to make their move. That''s why I want you to keep this matter a secret¡­ All of you."


    "Understood." Dimitri nodded. "Still, you have to be careful, Master. Even a twin spirits user is unable to create a bnce in his body. You¡­"


    Noel understood Dimitri''s concern. If two elements that actually stemmed from twin spirits couldn''t unite as one, his fire and ice, which were opposite of each other, would create a much bigger impact. That was why Dimitri was worried.


    "I know, Dimitri." Noel waved his hand. "In any case, we should get going now."


    "Please have a safe journey." The three lowered their heads.


    Noel and Anna were standing on the edge, exchanging smiles. "Shall we go?"


    "Of course. I''ll remain beside you even if it''s to the end of the world."


    Both of them jumped andnded on the ground at the same time as if they knew what each other was thinking. After that, they ran toward the north at high speed.


    Before entering the woods, Noel said, "In our previous lives, we haven''t reached Spirit Transcendences, right?"


    "Yes. That''s why it''s also an unknown territory for me."


    "Then, it''s time for us to surpass our previous lives. Are you with me?" Noel smiled while extending his fist.


    "Of course." Anna bumped his fist lightly as they entered the forest.

 Chapter 1074 Opening

    "So this is our first target," Noel muttered in amazement. He was standing on top of the tree, staring at a giant building in the distance.


    This might be the biggest ancient ruin he has ever seen. It didn''t have the depth of the one in the Atracaeca Kingdom, but it was still more than three hundred meters long and two hundred meters wide.


    Noel waspletely stunned, never thinking that there would be a building of this size. They didn''t find it when they first went to Old Ru since they were a bit too far to the east.


    That was why Noel felt overwhelmed to see this engineering marvel.


    "What kind of building is this?" Noel asked.


    "I''m not sure. But it must be something important. Look at the area around the building." Anna pointed to the side. "The building has an even wider empty space around it. In addition, there are several buildings on the side. While some have been destroyed by both demons and nature, two are still intact."


    "That''s true." Noel pondered for a moment. "Just from them alone, I can see several hundred demons lying around."


    "Yeah. I don''t mind about the number since we have a quota to fill, but we need some ns to deal with these many demons." Anna sighed. "And we shouldn''t destroy the buildings that much to see if we can get anything useful from them."


    Noel fell silent for a moment before asking, "What do you think we should do then?"


    "I''m the one nning for this?" Anna gasped.


    "Yes. Is there something wrong?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "I mean, if we mess this up, we won''t be able to get things from the ancient civilization." Anna pointed at the buildings in panic.


    "It''s fine. We still gain one thing." Noel smiled while raising one finger. "We''ve got the experience for you to grow even further."


    "Eh?" Anna blinked a few times. Noel actually nned to sacrifice a few ancient ruins for her development. And because of the importance of these buildings, Anna had to make a careful n.


    Seeing how much he wanted to sacrifice for her sake, Anna didn''t have the heart to reject him anymore.


    She immediately lowered her head as if trying to simte their battle n.


    Noel simply went around to kill all the beasts that wanted to harm them.


    After a long one hour, Anna finally finished her thought.


    "So I am thinking about this¡­" Anna exined all the details to Noel. She exined all the reasons for her judgment to show that she came up with this n for reasons, not just a random thought.


    Noel was listening to her the whole time, not nning to say a single word. After she was done, she asked, "What do you think?"


    Noel nodded without hesitation. "Sure. Let''s do it that way."


    "Eh? Are you sure?"


    "Why? You don''t sound confident in your own n."


    "Well¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head.


    "This is for the sake of the future. In the past, my ancestor received a lifelong regret for not being able to understand the demon king''s n. And this is the same. I want you to keep growing so that you will understand the whole picture even without me." Noel smiled. "What? You''re worried about a few ruins? Even if I have to trade everything I have for you, I don''t mind." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna felt goosebumps. He was always like this, she thought. "Alright. I will take the left building."


    "I will enter the right one then."


    Both of them looped around the area and headed to the two tall buildings on the side. This was Anna''s n. They should conquer these two buildings first to avoid any reinforcement.


    As they expected, the buildings were filled with numerous demons. From one building alone, Noel could sense almost two hundred demons. Anna should have a simr number in that building.


    In addition, Noel could see a lot of demons lying in the empty space outside the huge building.


    They might end up encountering more than two thousand demons if they wanted to clear this area.


    Still, Noel had a few trump cards he could use against them. He had never tested them because they were so powerful that they would be dangerous for others. But this ce was different.


    "Alright. Let''s enter this building," Noel muttered while approaching the building.


    Both of them matched their pace, rming the demons on the ground floor. When they saw humansing toward them, the demons wanted to alert other demons, but both Noel and Anna had reached the building.


    They drew their sword, releasing a simr attack.


    *Bam!*


    The spiritual energy hit the building, shattering the window and crashing the entrance of the building.


    "!!!" The demons raised their heads. Most of them didn''t know what happened, but they were soon rmed when they heard one of the distress roars from the demon in the building.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    A series of roars immediately responded to that distress call as the demons rose from the ground.


    Meanwhile, both Noel and Anna had begun shing down one demon after another. Some demons tried to jump off the building so that they could reach Noel and Anna instantly, but their efforts were futile because they climbed the second floor right away, forcing those demons to chase after them.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel and Anna''s advances were like bullets. Unless they were a Peak Level Demon, they couldn''t stop even a single sh from them.


    Anna boosted her speed with her lightning, while Noel utilized his Everchanging Emotion Sword Style to keep up.


    In just three minutes, they actually reached the tenth floor. And the building had been surrounded by the demons, some of them had even entered, making ruckus all over the building.


    Noel and Anna noticed that the buildings were shaking as though the pirs had a hard time withstanding the weight of the entire building.


    Now that they had climbed pretty high, they could take a peek at the situation inside the building from the rooftop. Surprisingly, the building wasn''t fully covered by the roof. They could actually see three giant centipedes rising from the ground in the middle of the building.


    And each of them was actually a Superior Demon.


    Noel and Anna couldn''t help but smile. They were surprised that the first ancient ruin they explored would have three Superior Demons, but they were quite excited since this would be a perfect opening for their hunt.

 Chapter 1075 Test

    Still, the problem remained. There were about five hundred demons surrounding the two buildings.


    There were also still a hundred demons in each building too, so they had to continue moving up.


    Hence, Noel and Anna continued going up.


    Noel didn''t want to burn the entire building down, so he summoned the ice lotus and rained down the petals on the demons to slow down the demons on the lower floor.


    Anna didn''t need to do it because her speed was actually faster than Noel''s.


    When they reached the fifteenth floor, the situation changed. The three Superior Demons had actuallye out of the giant building and reached these two tall buildings.


    It let out a screeching sound from its mouth, ordering the demons to enter.


    Due to the influx of demons, the pirs were unintentionally crushed, causing the two buildings to be unstable. In fact, Noel and Anna already felt that the buildings were about to copse.


    When the building began to tilt, Noel waved his sword at the window, sting it open.


    "!!!" Anna noticed what he was doing and saw the building''s condition. Without hesitation, Anna did the same before leaping out of the building.


    Noel also jumped off, but he left behind the Undying Fire Feathers and sent them to the ground floor, creating numerous explosions that shattered the remaining pirs.


    As a result, the bottom part of the building copsed and the top part began to fall down.


    With a pair of wings on his back, Noel flew to Anna and caught her before she fell down.


    The two buildings ended up crushing numerous demons. Even the Superior Demons chose to dig the ground and escape.


    They ended up killing more than two hundred demons in total.


    "Wow? These concrete buildings are so deadly." Anna muttered. "We''re only able to recreate the brick and wood buildings¡­ not the concrete."


    "That''s not important right now. There is something I''d like to try. Can I get all three Superior Demons for myself?"


    Anna looked at Noel''s serious expression and nodded without asking any questions. "Go ahead."


    Amidst the demons'' confusion, Noel flew away from the crowd and put Anna down.


    Anna looked at the swarm of demons that wasing at her, but more importantly, her instinct was picking up the presence of the three Superior Demons.


    "Gradually move to the woods. I might identally destroy this ce if you don''t." Noel exined.


    "Got it." Anna nodded with a serious expression. Lightning began to spark all around her body, its force cracked the ground.


    Before the demons reached her, Anna formed a lightning dragon and shot it at the demons on the left.


    The lightning dragon moved like a snake, but still let out a roar. The demons tried to stop the dragons, but a lot of them were swallowed, and some ended up being electrocuted from touching them alone.


    Some of the Advanced Level and Peak Level Demons hurriedly formed a barrier with their spiritual energy, doing everything they could to contain this dragon.


    When the dragon''s momentum was about to die, Anna clutched her fist. "Scatter!" N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    The dragon exploded, releasing a burst of lightning in all directions. The barrier couldn''t withstand the prative force of the dragons and shattered like sses.


    The surrounding demons were electrocuted. All Low and Mid Level Demons died in an instant, while the Advanced Level Demons managed to escape with heavy injuries. The Peak Level Demons somehow blocked it with another barrier that shrouded their entire body.


    At the same time, the demons on the right were about to reach Anna. As if coordinating with these demons, two Superior Demons emerged from the ground: one was in front of Anna while the other one came with the demons on the right.


    Anna only took a nce at them before ignoring them as though they were not worth her time.


    Angered, the two Superior Demons sped up.


    Noel leaped forth, nning to stop these two demons. However, the third Superior Demon stood in his way, nning to buy some time until the other demons killed Anna.


    Seeing this Superior Demon, Noel didn''t activate his Fire or Ice Transformation.


    Instead, he focused his energy on his sword.


    *Scree!*


    The centipede rushed to him while covering the entire body with its energy.


    When they were about to sh, Noel stomped the ground, abruptly stopping his momentum. In exchange, he converted all that momentum into a downward swing.


    Divine sh.


    "!!!" The centipede twitched. This swing made it feel dreadful, but it was toote to stop.


    The sword strike released tremendous energy like the extension of the de, crushing the centipede in a straight line.


    The head was instantly crushed as the energy destroyed the tough shell and cut half a meter deep into its flesh. Not only that, the energy continued moving forward, which meant destroying the centipede''s long body.


    *Scree!* It was wailing in pain, but the centipede was still moving even though it was injured heavily.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. The Divine sh was a technique that his ancestor used. In fact, this was the same technique used to cut the cliff or mountain in the legend.


    He could only release 20% of its original power, but it was surprising that a Superior Demon was able to withstand this strike.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have enough time to observe the effect. He immediately rushed to Anna''s side. There was one more sword technique he wanted to test.


    Since the centipedeing from the right would still take a moment, he focused all his attention on the one in front of Anna.


    When it was about to attack Anna, it noticed Noel''s presence and switched its target. It spat acid from its stomach.


    Noel waved his left hand, forming a fewyers of ice mirrors to block the poison. After that, he jumped to the centipede''s head.


    The centipede felt like it was hallucinating because Noel looked like he was swinging his sword three times simultaneously.


    The first swing came from the left and contained Disgust Emotion, which turned it blunt but packed a lot of punch. The second swing came from above and was boosted by Anger, improving its sharpness. Thest swing came from the right, and Noel chose the Fear Emotion so that it would be much quicker than the rest.


    The centipede focused too much on the third swing since it hit first. However, the real impact came from the first swing. It felt like there was another centipede that rammed its entire body from the left. Its strength was still iparable to the Divine sh, but it still managed to make a big crack in the tough shell.


    Thest swing hit the centipede''s head. It contained more spiritual energy than the rest and cut the head, only to hear a clicking sound from the sh. It actually failed to break the shell.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. From the looks of it, the Divine sh had the biggest firepower among his techniques. Meanwhile, the Three Purity Swords he just used were more suitable to kill a human since they didn''t have a high defense.


    ''That''s how it is, I guess,'' Noel thought. The sh that contained the Disgust emotion was still strong enough to knock the demon to the ground.


    Noel took advantage of that opportunity tond on the ground and moved to the right, approaching the third Superior Demon together with Anna.


    Anna slightly shifted her direction so that the demons could focus on her more. When the swarm began to curve to match Anna''s movement, Noel sped up and headed to the third Superior Demon.


    While he wanted to test thest thing now, it was something unsuitable in this situation. Hence, Noel summoned the Meteor Rune.


    The spherical spiritual energy flew toward the Superior Demon. Unlike the other two, this centipede actually turned gray as it took the Meteor Rune head on.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    The meteor exploded and slightly knocked the centipede''s upper body down, but there was no scratch even on the centipede''s surface as though the skin had be much harder than steel.


    In addition, it was moving toward the shocked Noel and rammed its body from the side, blowing Noel away.


    The centipede didn''t stop there. It hurriedly recovered and returned to its track before approaching Anna from behind.


    "!!!" Anna nced at the iing centipede, but she couldn''t do anything because she had just released her attack on the swarm.


    Noel hurriedlynded on the ground and stabilized his posture. After raising his sword, he swung it down with the Divine sh.


    The energy razed the ground and hit the centipede. Surprisingly, even with such an attack, the gray centipede managed to withstand the force of the Divine sh with only a crack in its shell.


    Fortunately, the centipede was still blown away by the residual force and slid to the ground, crushing a lot of demons along the way.


    Without hesitation, Anna jumped away and regrouped with Noel. As if they were getting overwhelmed by the demons, the two ran back to the woods as if they wanted to escape.


    The demons hurriedly chased after them. All three Superior Demons also recovered and started moving, not nning to let them escape.


    Unbeknownst to them, this was another trap that Noel had prepared.


    While they were running away, Noel had been forming a rune. This rune was much bigger than anything he had used, so the preparation took a bit more time.


    When they were about a hundred meters away from the ancient ruin, Noel jumped into the sky as Anna sped up to get as far as possible.


    A rune, 50 meters in diameter, appeared in the sky. It was exuding an extraordinary amount of energy as it took about 40% of Noel''s total spiritual energy just to use it.


    "Let''s test the Advanced Rune I couldn''t use before." Noel waved his hand down. "Executioner Rune."


    The rune shone brightly in red, blinding the entire area.

 Chapter 1076 Annihilation

    Chapter 1076 Annihtion


    ??The rune produced a blinding light that engulfed everything within a hundred meters of the rune before shooting into the sky.


    "Oi, oi, oi!" Anna gasped while rushing away, barely avoiding it. Her instinct was telling her that she would survive this attack, but this wide-range attack''s main purpose was annihtion.


    When the pir of light disappeared, Anna dropped her jaw to the ground.


    "Is this for real¡­" Anna looked at the devastation that the rune brought. The ground cracked and a portion of it actually evaporated. The beasts looked like they were fried from the inside, their skin and flesh were melting. Out of seven hundred demons, only less than a hundred survived.


    Only those Advanced Level Demons or above had the chance to actually withstand such abilities. Even then, the Advanced Level Demons sustained heavy injuries and were even close to dying.


    "In my previous life, there were only a few Advanced Level Runes. However, those high level runes are ssified. There isn''t much information about them because Noel has been keeping them a secret. Even I only hear the rumors about their power.


    "So this is the true power of the Advanced Runes¡­ It''s actually much stronger than the rumors." Anna felt goosebumps. "The high level runes can affect the battle between Spirit Transcendence or even Spirit King. I guess it''s not exaggerating. If Noel uses this when he is a Spirit Transcendence Expert, he will be able to use this rune multiple times and kill at least a thousand each time. But¡­ I don''t think it''s sufficient, considering we might have to fight against millions of demons."


    Anna gulped down. She finally understood what kind of cmity the demons brought one thousand years ago. Noel alone wouldn''t be able to change such a thing.


    "That''s why Noel doesn''t necessarily destroy all his opponents. He still needs them if he wants to resist the demon''s cmity. And more importantly, a Demon King might get involved in it." Anna bit her lips.


    "Still¡­ Noel''s ancestor is good to be able to defeat a Demon King, but his wife is able to lead the army of a single family to actually resist a million demons. Even though the Ardagan family was destroyed, it didn''t change the fact that she managed to do it¡­ especially with the fact that most of their soldiers were sent to both her husband and her brother.


    "Being able to lead only several thousand people and resist a million demons¡­" Anna clenched her fists, wondering if she could do that.


    Even though she wanted to think about it a bit more, there was a more important thing to do.


    "Noel!" Anna hurriedly checked Noel''s condition.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Noel was breathing heavily. He had exhausted 75% of his spiritual energy just by using the techniques and rune above his level.


    The result was pretty great, but after calcting the pros and cons, Noel deemed using this rune when he was only a Spirit Grandmaster rather foolish.


    "The Three Purity Swords and Divine sh aside, I have to think of a way of utilizing the Executioner Rune¡­ maybe like a trap or something. Just cing a hundred of those traps, I can kill a hundred thousand demons or something. It''s going to change the battlefield if I make a lot of them." Noel fell silent for a moment.


    Looking at the rest of the demons, Noel couldn''t help but say, "Sorry, you have to take down the Superior Demons. They are already heavily injured, so finish them fast. I''ll take care of the rest of the demons."


    "This is going to be hard." Anna frowned. Because of the energy fluctuationing from them, more and more demons emerged from the giant building. "More of them areing. Should we retreat first?"


    "I think it''s still manageable. Once our energy is only 10% left, we''ll retreat." Noel shook his head.


    "In that case, you don''t mind if I use my transformation, right?" Anna smiled.


    "Yep." Noel nodded.


    "That''s good." Anna stepped forward as the lightning began to appear all around her. Her blond hair turned white. "Lightning Transformation."


    Anna looked like she was about to chop the heavily injured Superior Demons, but Noel actually called her first. "Anna."


    Anna nced back as if saying they didn''t have a lot of time as the demons were about to reach them.


    "Both of us will be much stronger than this. If you want to reach the finish line, you have to take one step at a time. Don''t worry¡­ I will always be by your side."


    Anna''s body shook before a smile appeared on her face.


    "You always know how to talk. But I also have my own pride. If you''re going to walk besides me, I will make sure that you won''t have to slow down¡­ No, I will force you to run!" Anna smirked as she leaped forth.


    She closed the gap between her and the half-dead superior demon in an instant.


    In just an instant, she drew her de, cut the centipede, andnded on the ground.


    "One down, two more to go." Anna saw the demons trying to stop her.


    However, Noel had flown into the sky with his Phoenix Wings and shot numerous Fire Feathers, raining them down with explosive feathers.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    Amidst the explosion, Anna saw the narrow gap Noel had prepared for her. This path would directly lead her to the Superior Demon.


    Without hesitation, Anna made a zigzag movement, using the explosions as a wall to block the normal demons froming into her way.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    In just three seconds, she reached the Superior Demon. Thetter tried to swallow her, but Anna wasn''t afraid of being swallowed.


    In fact, she charged straight in and released all the built-up energy in one go, causing an explosion inside the centipede''s mouth.


    After that, she continued to thest centipede, whose injury was the lightest. She bit her thumb and smeared the blood on her sword.


    "Get ready." Anna muttered, signaling to the soul residing inside her sword.


    The sword sucked up her energy and concentrated it at the tip. When the demons stood in her way to block Anna, even if it cost them their lives, Noel wanted to interrupt them, only to stop when he saw what Anna had prepared.


    She had pulled her sword back like she was an arrow.


    When it was released, her entire body actually flew forth as though both her sword and her body had turned into an arrow.


    The demons that tried to stop her shed with the intense spiritual energy at the tip of the sword. All kinds of defenses were broken, and even their bodies were shattered into pieces.


    Noel changed his targets to the Peak Level Demons that tried to form a barrier. At the very least, he wanted to ensure that this strike was still strong enough to kill thest Superior Demon.


    *Boom!*


    *Boom!*


    The Peak Level Demons were forced to retreat to avoid the st, causing the barrier they created to be unstable.


    In one swift thrust, it was destroyed.


    The centipede turned gray once again, using the same hard body that withstood Noel''s attack to block this thrust.


    It even moved toward Anna as if it were nning to use the momentum to crush her.


    Unfortunately for him, he''d severely underestimated the intensity of Anna''s lightning. This was thebination technique between Anna and the original soul.


    The original soul fully mastered the berserk element of the lightning from the spirit, so its pration force was actually triple that of Anna''s.


    On the other hand, Anna used her delicate control over spiritual energy to keep it from going berserk and getting scattered in all directions. As a result, that berserk lightning energy was fully concentrated in one spot.


    When the centipede hit the sword with its gray body, the shsted an instant. The berserk energy blew the centipede apart.


    Because of the centipede''s motion, the entire body actually exploded, leaving nothing but shattered remains and a Superior Demon Crystal.


    "Hu¡­" Anna couldn''t help but smile as she managed to take down three Superior Demons in less than ten seconds. Although Noel had severely injured them, it was still quite amazing to deliver such killing blows so fast.


    Anna hurriedly turned around, preparing herself to fight the remaining demons.


    "Another one thousand demons to go, huh?" Anna muttered before she suddenly felt a surge of strength spreading all over her body.


    "!!!" Anna raised her head, seeing Noel point a rune at her. Since he didn''t have a lot of energy left, it wouldn''t be surprising if he took on the supporting role.


    "In that case¡­" Anna leaped forward.


    There were a lot of demons that wanted to surround her, but he didn''t care about them. After all, a few ice petals and numerous fire feathers fell upon them and sted them apart.


    She only needed to focus on the demons in front of her.


    With a swift movement, she charged at the demons and killed them one after another.


    Without their leaders, the demons instantly went into disarray. They tried to stop Anna, but no one could actually stop them.


    Anna overwhelmed them with speed and extreme prative force, while Noel controlled the battlefield with superior firepower.


    The demons simply stood no chance and got obliterated.


    The battlested for only an hour. They killed a total of 1,848 demons, ording to the count in the system, and more importantly, Noel and Anna managed to test several new skills they had learned in the past few months.


    But both of them knew that they needed more than this if they wanted to be Spirit Transcendence.

 Chapter 1077 Suspicion

    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Noel panted a few times, looking at the numerous corpses before him. "This is quite hard."


    "Yeah. We have killed close to two thousand demons by ourselves. There are even three Superior Demons to boot." Anna nodded with a serious expression. She, too, didn''t have a lot of spiritual energy left.


    Noel couldn''t help but look down as if something hade into his mind.


    Meanwhile, Anna focused her instinct on sensing the surrounding area to ensure that no demons couldunch a sneak attack. Fortunately, all those demons seemed to have died as her instinct didn''t pick up any kinds of danger anymore.


    Anna noticed that Noel was still in deep thought. "Is there something wrong?"


    Noel waved his hand first, asking her to give him some time as if it were something important. Curious, Anna walked to him and just stood in silence.


    After a few minutes, Noel asked, "Don''t you find it strange?"


    "What? Strange what?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "The number of Superior Demons in this ce."


    "Three Superior Demons? I don''t think it''s weird, considering this ce is an ancient ruin. And looking at the size, it''s kind of understandable to have three Superior Demons. In fact, it won''t be weird if there is one more Superior Demon."


    While her words held some truth, Noel''s focus wasn''t there. Instead, he corrected his question. "The number itself is not weird, but the location is. Don''t you remember that the Supreme Devil Organization brought a lot of Superior Demons and numerous lower level demons?"


    "Hmm?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before noticing what he was trying to say. "Are you saying that someone in the Supreme Devil Organization was sabotaging their own invasion?"


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If you think about it, the Supreme Devil Organization should have gone to this ce. In fact, there weren''t many demons on the path we crossed to reach this ce."


    "Now that I think about it, that''s true." Anna raised two fingers. "First of all, if they wanted it, there should be a lot more Superior Demons. In fact, you had predicted that there would be an Ancient Demon, right?"


    "Yes. In fact, my original n was that they woulde with a lot more Superior Demons, and everyone had to take down at least two Superior Demons. And we would be focusing a lot more on the defense on the wall instead of chasing them out of the city." Noel confirmed it.


    "If there was an Ancient Demon, we would have the justification to ask for Commander Oscar while Dimitri and I would stall it with our True Spirit Body." Anna agreed with him.


    "Yes. And the fact that the size of the enemies was much lower¡­" Noel frowned.


    "I don''t know. Maybe they didn''t want to cause trouble to the Greenwood Kingdom? If they brought such a demon, Damian would inform the Greenwood Kingdom. Instead of Commander Oscar, the first one that would appear was the Spirit Transcendence from the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "That could be a possibility, but¡­ it didn''t justify the number of Superior Demons. They could simplye here and get an additional three Superior Demons, you know."


    Anna fell silent, not being able to refute it. As Noel said, the situation would be vastly different if they just brought these Superior Demons with them.


    "Sabotaging, huh? In that case, who would do such a thing?" Anna asked.


    "I don''t know. Such a thing would involve the Devil Saints. There were six Devil Saints we had known prior to this. One of them had died in the Atracaeca Kingdom, so it shouldn''t be him."


    Anna nodded. "The other two had died in your hands as well. We didn''t know much about them other than the fact that they were new Devil Saints."


    "They were suspicious, but we couldn''t get information from them anymore. In that case, there was Qiel. She had died ording to the mission, so there was nothing that could be done."


    "Or maybe she was the one who did it? Something like the Supreme Devil Organization had realized her betrayal and killed her?" Anna asked,ing up with a possibility.


    "We don''t know for sure. How about Alexander?"


    "Do you think someone as strong as him would betray the organization? If he betrayed the organization, he could easily kill all the Devil Saints!"


    Noel prubbed his forehead, trying to get an idea. "I can''t think of anyone. Your former teacher?"


    "She joined the organizationte, right? How could she have the time to gather those demons?"


    "I guess we can''te to a conclusion with the current information. All we know is that there might be a traitor in the Supreme Devil Organization." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "That''s true. In fact, I''m suspecting Laufey. After all, he was once a part of your Ardagan family, no? He was your uncle!" Anna pointed at Noel.


    "But how could you exin the fact that he tried to kill me many times and had taken the secret of the Ardagan family with him and gave it to the Supreme Devil Organization?" Noel asked.


    "I can''t exin it." Anna shook her head helplessly. "It was just a spection."


    Noel suddenly fell silent, noticing something was off. "Now that I think about it, I have gotten the missions to eradicate the demons, the two new Devil Saints, and even Qiel. But I haven''t received any mission rted to Laufey¡­"


    *Thud!*


    Noel''s heart sank as he couldn''t help but gasp. "What? Are you serious?"


    "Huh? So is that true? He was the traitor?" Anna turned serious, not expecting this revtion.


    "I couldn''t describe it any other way." Noel waved his hand. "But if that''s true, this is insane."


    "Yeah. If someone from the Ardagan family manages to infiltrate the organization''s rank like that¡­ I can''t help but question the brain of the people in the Supreme Devil Organization. I mean, it''s pretty clear that the organization has seen the ''Ardagan'' name attached to Laufey." Anna fell silent, remembering what Laufey said to her back then. Something about the Ardagan family using her.


    "Wait a minute. Noel¡­" Anna tried to recount everything that Laufey said to her back then.


    "!!!" Noel dropped his jaw in disbelief. "Are you serious?"


    "That''s his words."


    Noel''s expression turned grim. "If that''s true, then it just confirms my suspicion. Laufey is the spy, and the one responsible for sending him¡­"


    "Your father, huh?" Anna never thought that the situation would turn out to be this way.


    "Yes. If it''s him, there''s a possibility."


    Anna pondered. "This is getting tricky andplicated."


    "That''s true. For now, we can focus on the hunt, I guess? It''s not like we will be able to get an answer right away. Even if we do, there''s nothing we can do right now." Noel crossed his arms, feeling a bit frustrated. He didn''t know howplicated the real situation was.


    "Yeah. For now, we''ll explore this ancient ruin and prepare the smoke signal before continuing our journey." Anna nodded.


    "Agreed."


    Anna just hugged his arm with a yful smile as if she were nning to drag him away if he was going to discuss theplicated stuff again.


    Noel and Anna entered this giant ancient ruin. They had to look around for the entrance, which took a bit too long because of its sheer size.


    Although they could fly inside, they would just get confused on how to explore the other roomster, so it was best to enter from the entrance.


    Fortunately, the entrance was big enough to be noticeable.


    It looked like a giant double door, but it was made of sses that had shattered a long time ago. Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    When Noel entered this ce, he couldn''t help but get stunned. The ceiling was up high, most likely reaching the normal four or five-story building that the current civilization was capable of. The pirs were big and still managed to withstand such a building.


    "This is so big. How many people are they able to host inside? A hundred thousand?" Anna asked. "This is just the entrance, right?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    Since the beasts had been ordered to go out to kill them, there was no corpse inside.


    "Let''s go this way." Noel pointed at the corridor on the right.


    Anna nodded and walked beside him while observing the interior. There was not much left after a thousand years. She could see that there were separate rooms from time to time, but there was nothing important they could find.


    After walking for a while, they finally reached the staircases.


    "Is this¡­" Anna took a nce between the gaps in the staircases. "I don''t know how many floors are there, but it''s pretty high."


    "We''ll just climb it as usual. We still have the whole day to explore this ce anyway, so let''s take out time." Noel waved his hand, calming her down.


    "Sure."


    Both of them began to climb the stairs before noticing something different.


    They should have gone up several floors, but to their surprise, there was no door leading to that floor. It was just an endless staircase, which made them doubt whether there was a door or not at the end of it.


    Still, Noel and Anna persisted, thinking they could just make a hole with their strength if necessary.


    Fortunately, after climbing for another few minutes, they found a door.


    Without hesitation, Noel opened the door and walked across a small corridor that led them to the inner part of the building.


    It was a giant rectangr field surrounded by spectator seats. Tall grasses had spurted out of the ground, covering a part of the field. A portion of the roof had copsed as well.


    "What is this? An arena?" Anna gasped. "How many people cane to this ce? Fifty thousand? Sixty thousand?"


    "A lot." Noel sucked a cold breath. This was the first time he saw a building this big, truly a miracle of the previous civilization. "When I was touring the city of the previous civilization with my ancestor, I had never seen this one. I wonder what this ce was called back then?"

 Chapter 1078 Arrival

    "How about cutting all the grasses here? Maybe we can find something. I mean, the centipedes must have dug the ground."


    "That''s true." Noel nodded with a serious expression. He began cutting down all the grasses and burning them all to clear up the area.


    After a while, they could finally see the field a bit clearer.


    "As expected, this is a kind of arena or something." Anna looked at the spectator seat. "I feel like this is too big for a single person¡­ It must be a group battle. Then again, they didn''t have spiritual energy in the past, so they weren''t strong."


    Noel hadn''t finished yet. He was still cutting down the grass while his eyes kept ncing at the holes in the center of the field where the centipedes dug.


    Meanwhile, Anna kept thinking about what they found. "There are metal poles on both sides. They look wide, but I don''t think they''re out of reach for even a normal person. Maybe they are running around on the field and trying to bring something into these metal poles? I''m not very sure. But this must be a popr arena since they can hold tens of thousands of people."


    "Did you find anything?" Noel asked out loud.


    "Yeah. This must be a battle arena; I''m not sure what it is used for though."


    "If this is indeed an arena, there must be a few things we can find. For example, the infirmary. We might be able to find something unique."


    "But shouldn''t we just leave it to Dimitri to take care? He will be the one excavating this ce."


    Noel fell into deep thought. "Alright then. I don''t feel any presence of demons in the entire building, so it should be safe now. I''m going to send the smoke signal."


    "Alright. I''ll try to look around." Anna waved her hand. She activated her lightning to boost her speed before going around the area, skimming everything she could find.


    On the other hand, Noel prepared the smoke signal and burned it with a normal fire so that it couldst for at least ten hours.


    After he was done, he checked the holes the centipedes left behind and found nothing but a tunnel leading outside.


    Hence, they went around for another three hours before leaving the area, heading to their next destination.


    ¡­


    A few hourster.


    An airship flew above the area, finding the smoke signal.


    "This is¡­" Dimitri was the one in charge of the airship, while a lot of workers and soldiers followed him on this trip. Of course, this trip allowed the engineers to get the data they needed.


    "We''re going down!" Dimitri announced while checking the area. He had to make sure the ce was safe because they didn''t want the airship to get destroyed.


    In the air, the people couldn''t help but gasp, seeing thousands of corpses lying on the ground. The building was also majestic, making them curious about what was inside.


    However, that didn''t matter.


    Dimitri turned around and said, "I think we need more than one airship to transport all these corpses."


    "Indeed." Grandell nodded. "We have prepared the preservation additives as well, so we''ll be able to store them all and export them to other ces for some money."


    "The soldiers will go around and extract all the demon crystals. The workers will apply the additives. Only after all of them are done will we begin getting all the items from the ruins," Dimitri ordered.


    "Understood." Grandell bowed his head.


    "I can''t help but think of something."


    "Mhmm?" Dimitri turned to the side, looking at the chief engineer of the airship, Zel. "What''s wrong?"


    "Just looking at it, it''s clear that the airship can actually do one more thing. Especially if we actually attach a giant basket to the bottom of the airship."


    "What do you mean?" Dimitri asked.


    "Right now, the inside of the ship is filled with people. Even if we can bring those corpses, this ship will be filled in no time. However, what if we attach a giant basket to the airship? This way, the personnel can remain onboard while the basket is filled with items. Then, we''ll just attach them to the airship, so there''s no need for the airship tond on the ground."


    "But we''re talking about a giant basket, you know? It''s going to be heavy, so won''t it be swaying violently?" Dimitri asked.


    "If the airship can maintain the velocity, then I don''t think it''ll be a problem. And we can station a few people to activate the movement runes for the basket when we''re about to stop."


    "So this is a new kind of transport ship?"


    "Yes. This way, the airship only needs to go down to a certain altitude and the people on the ground will detach the basket. The airship can then move to either resupply the demon crystals or get another basket and fly again." Zel nodded with a big smile. It seemed that he became excited by this inspiration.


    "It seems that this new airship will emphasize speed and efficiency."


    "Yes. However, safety will be reduced significantly. But if you think about it, can''t you send a lot of supplies to a city that is besieged by demons much easier?"


    "Still, is there a rope that powerful? I mean, if we''re going to talk about a giant basket, it will weigh at least a hundred tons¡­ or even more."


    "I can only rely on Marquis Noel''s runes. If he has an even more powerful rune, it will be an extremely good airship. Not only normal items, you can even premake big structures like a house in one area and send them to another area, don''t you think?"


    "I can''t deny it." Dimitri nodded in agreement. "Come up with a proposal and list all the ideas. I''ll give it to the Lordter.'' This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course." Zel nodded furiously.


    Dimitri crossed his arms. While the research sounded interesting, he couldn''t help but imagine what kind of battle Noel and Anna had fought in this ce.


    Just from the number alone, it should be pretty hard even for a Spirit Grandmaster. And looking at the destruction in the area, he believed that Noel and Anna had used extremely powerful abilities to destroy them.


    More importantly, he could actually see three Superior Demon corpses lying on the ground. There might even be more Superior Demons, but there was no way to confirm it from the air.


    After that, they crossed over the roof and saw a giant field inside. It was a perfect ce tond, but this would make it hard for them to load the corpses and demon crystals outside the building.


    Hence, Dimitri ordered them tond outside the perimeter and begin cleaning up the area.

 Chapter 1079 Thinking

    Chapter 1079 Thinking


    ??"It seems that Dimitri has done a good job." Noel smiled.


    Noel and Anna had returned to the previous ruin, finding a pile of demon crystals. Each of them was at least Advanced Level and there were three Superior Demons Crystals.


    Yes, these were the crystals that had been excavated from the corpses they had left behind.


    "Indeed. Your n?" Anna asked.


    "Yes." Noel nodded, recalling the discussion between him and Dimitri.


    A few days ago.


    "So whenever I encounter the ancient ruin, I will be cleaning it from all demons. Once we''re done, we''ll go to the surrounding area, killing as many demons as possible. After that, we''ll go to another ancient ruin and return several dayster."


    Dimitri crossed his arms. "But if that''s the case, are you nning to absorb the demon crystals on the spot?"


    "Yes. That''s why I need your assistance. During those several days, I want you to gather all the demon crystals and the corpses. You can bring everything except for advanced level demon crystals and above. Just pile them up in a safe and easy to find spot."


    "Won''t it be dangerous if you absorb them out there?" Dimitri frowned, thinking it would be best if Noel and Anna returned and absorbed the crystals in the territory.


    "The trip will take too long and be inefficient. Besides, Anna and I will take turns, so it will be pretty safe, especially since we have cleared up the area. If you still don''t believe us, you can patrol the area to ensure that no demons are nearby before heading to the next ruin."


    Dimitri fell silent, thinking for a moment. "I understand. I''ll do as you say."


    "Thanks." Noel smiled.


    ¡­


    If they took their time to extract the crystals from the corpses, the winter would end very soon. Hence, this method was different.


    With Dimitri''s help, they could get the demon crystals while clearing the next ruin. Now that they had returned, it was time to harvest the demon crystals.


    Noel first took a look at his status and said, "You go first. I''ll take all the advanced quality crystals and get half of the peak quality crystals. You can get all the superior quality crystals."


    "Alright." Anna didn''t reject him even though she knew how hard it was to find superior quality crystals.


    After all, she couldn''t absorb any more advanced quality crystals and the peak quality ones were about to be filled up. So she had to get as many superior quality crystals as possible.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Job: Rune Knight


    Low Quality Crystal - 5000/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 3000/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 950/1500


    Peak Quality Crystal - 124/600This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Superior Quality Crystal - 11/300


    Noel believed this was the correct decision, considering he should be able to advance to Spirit Transcendence just by filling up the advanced and peak quality crystals. In fact, by the time he reached that stage, the peak quality might have yet to be filledpletely.


    Now that Anna had started absorbing the crystals, Noel took this time to think about the mission.


    He was looking at the old missions that he had yet toplete.


    [Mission: Rune Master.]


    [Description: Be a proper Rune Knight and master thebat with runes.]


    [Reward: Rune Master Medal and 10 Random Intermediate Runes.]


    [Mission: One With Spirit.]


    [Description: Incorporate the elements in everything (Sword, Technique, and Rune)]


    [Reward: Elemental Medal and 2 Elemental Abilities.]


    "I still don''t understand how to do this¡­" Noel muttered with a serious expression. "The most ring problem will be the second mission, where I have to incorporate my element into the rune¡­ Runes are supposed to be made of pure spiritual energy.


    "How could you infuse the element in it? I have tried to coat it but it''s not working. What about the Rune Master?


    "I''ve been using all kinds of attack patterns that incorporate the runes. However, the mission hasn''t beenpleted yet." Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Is there something wrong in my approach? There are five rune categories and five paths. The five categories are Offensive Rune, Defensive Rune, Utility Rune, Movement Rune, and Support Rune. I''ve used all of them right now.


    "As for the five paths, they are Rune Enhancement, Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, Rune Body, and Rune Array. Rune Enhancement is the first thing I learn, and Rune Spell is the one I mostly use. I have Rune Body, and Rune Engineering is basically the new rune technology. The Rune Array is thebination of all that."


    Noel fell into deep thought. "This is the hardest part. After all, we mostly use Rune Enhancement and Rune Spell. Even the Rune Body is used separately most of the time.


    "Am I missing something? Or isbining all of them thest test for this mission?" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "Is the mission telling me to actually create a contraption tobine all that? But the mission states I should masterbat with runes. What if it''s not contraption? Abination without a contraption¡­"


    Noel fell silent for a moment as he got some clues. However, no matter how hard it was, he couldn''t imagine anything he could use.


    The Rune Engineering meant he had to use items, while the Rune Body meant it was his body. If he had to move the item away from his body, how could he even connect it with the Rune Body?


    This was the biggest problem that Noel encountered.


    "Besides, the item with the Rune Engineering needs a demon crystal to function." Noel let out a long sigh, looking at the pile of demon crystals. "If I want to use a Rune Array without a contraption, I have to use them as a one-time throwing weapon¡­"


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "Mhmm? Throwing weapons?"


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows as if noticing something.


    ¡­


    While Anna was focused on absorbing the demon crystals, Noel seemed to be doing something. He even set up defensive ice structures to protect Anna so that he could be a bit more focused.


    A few hourster, Anna finally finished absorbing the crystals, only to find Noel doing some weird things.

 Chapter 1080 Rune Card

    Anna gradually opened her eyes after absorbing all the demon crystals assigned to her. However, she actually found her husband sitting in front of her while scribbling something.


    There was a mix of confusion and curiosity in her heart.


    When she opened her eyes, Noel actually felt it and took a nce at her. However, he focused back on whatever he was doing as if it were something important.


    Anna looked down to see what Noel was working for. To her surprise, it was actually a card.


    The card had been inscribed with a rune. In fact, there was something wrong with the card. She didn''t question where Noel got the card, but she couldn''t help but wonder what kind of material this card was made of.


    From the looks of it, it was made of metal. In addition, the color was dull gray. It didn''t have the luster that metal had.


    Although she was curious, she didn''t say anything to avoid breaking Noel''s focus.


    Afterpleting the rune drawing on this card, he lifted it up to take a closer look at the card.


    Instead of talking to Anna, Noel actually stood up and threw the card to the side. The car was coated with spiritual energy, so it didn''t sway because of the air friction. In addition, the rune on the card suddenly activated.


    It shone for a bit before forming a sword on top of the card.


    However, because of the card''s position, the sword shot upward.


    Still, Anna couldn''t help but drop her jaw, not believing what she had just seen.


    "Noel¡­" Anna couldn''t contain herself and called his name.


    "It seems that it can work somehow¡­" Noel muttered.


    "What is that?"


    "I don''t have a name for it right now. But if I have to call it, maybe Rune Card?" Noel answered with a nonchnt expression.


    "Rune Card?" Anna had never heard of it in her previous life. It seemed to be a new creation, surpassing their previous lives.


    "Yes. I have been thinking about how we''re able tobine the Rune Enhancement, Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, and Rune Body in order to fight with the runes. And this is what I came up with." Noel pointed at the card that was lying on the ground.


    Anna looked back at the card and said, "So, it''s like using the Rune Enhancement on the card, programming some movement into the card so that it could fly like you want to, which applies the Rune Engineering concept, then adding a Rune Spell on top of it. But what about the Rune Body?"


    "I''m thinking about using the Rune Body as a trigger."


    "Something like Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "But hasn''t the current Rune Magician already fit the idea?" Anna crossed her arms.


    "This is different from Rune Magician. They are utilizing their clothes, weapons, and the rune body to use the runes, right?"


    "Yes."


    "For this Rune Card, they''re targeted for close quarterbatants like us. Imagine if we couldn''t use runes. We might still be able to use the Rune Body, but it will onlye from us. What if we want to use a trap or release an attack from a different direction?"


    "Ah?!" Anna could imagine it. They would throw the card in one direction and this card would shoot out an attack from that direction, which could serve as the main attack or a distraction depending on how they were nning to use it. They could even ce this rune card in one ce and use the Rune Body as a trigger to activate it like a trap.


    "There you have it."


    "This is a rather interesting concept. A fighter like us will be able to do something we''ve been unable to do in the past. For example, what if we put Floating Rune and tform Rune in that card before throwing it upward? We can probably create a staircase. Rune Magicians might be able to just use the Rune Body to fly, but these cards are able to construct something out of nowhere."


    "And you are missing two facts. It''s their material and source of energy."


    "Huh?" Anna frowned. She didn''t understand the material even after observing it. However, she noticed that Noel only used a bit of Spiritual Energy to activate the rune on the card, while the rune''s source of energy came from within itself. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    Noel smiled. "There is a high possibility that a normal person can actually use it. Unlike the rune weapons we have invented, this one can act like a personal weapon."


    Anna looked down. As Noel said, their rune weapons could be used by normal weapons, but they were for military use. They were too big for a single person to carry around. However, the rune cards were different. Each person wouldn''t have any trouble carrying a dozen cards without being too noticeable.


    "Are you nning to create a ''pseudo'' rune body?"


    Noel''s answer came in the form of a smile.


    Anna sucked a cold breath. The ''pseudo'' rune body she mentioned was a battery. The principle was like the Rune Body, but instead of a human''s body, it would be simr to the one they used to fuel the runemp.


    This way, even a normal person could actually use runes. This was indeed a different concept than that of a rune magician. No, it could be said that it was more terrifying.


    "Still, there is only so much space for us to draw the runes¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. Even if they could draw a rune, with such a limited space, the most they could have were basic runes. Only she and Noel might be able to inscribe an intermediate rune on this small card.


    "I''m just talking about the future. ording to my ancestor, there is a device of a size a little bigger than our hand that can do everything."


    "Are you serious?" Anna could see what direction he was nning to take.


    "Yes. In the future, we''re going to enter the realm of micro¡­ Something that is barely visible to the naked eyes. In the future, the ones who can create the rune cards for Intermediate or even Advance Rune will be respected. I don''t know when it will happen¡­ maybe a decade¡­ fifty yearster¡­ or even a hundred yearster. However, it won''t stop me from building that very concept and foundation today.


    "I hope that even without us, in the far future, humanity can still develop and flourish. They will exterminate the demons from this world. And by that time, they might find another source of energy they can utilize to rece the demon crystals."


    "That''s such a grand dream."


    "Indeed. It''s a dream, not a goal. My goal will remain the same." Noel chuckled.


    "Still, how are we going to achieve it? I mean, I understand the card''s concept, but where do you hide that demon crystals that will fuel the rune card?"


    Noel took out a card he found in one of the kiosks on the ruin.


    "What is this?"


    "I don''t know¡­ Maybe this is the name of the card¡­" Noel pointed at the watermark on the card.


    "Ci¡­re¡­duit¡­ car¡­ud? I don''t know how to pronounce it." Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Well, who cares about that. What I want to say is this card''s concept¡­" Noel pointed at the small gold te embedded in the card.


    "Ah?!" Anna contemted. "So, you are creating a card with a hollow inside. You will fill the inside with demon crystals. Now that I think about it, ording to Felicia, you can shape the demon crystals. We don''t need it currently, but what if we shape it into a thin te and insert it inside that hollow hole inside the rune card?"


    "Yep. That''s what I''m thinking about."


    "Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, the gray-colored card¡­ Did you make it from the Demon Crystal, whose spiritual energy had been absorbedpletely?" This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Currently, the empty demon crystals are trash. Instead of wasting them, how about we turn them into a shell of the card? This way, the cost of the cards can be lowered drastically and those crystals won''t be a waste that will pollute thend."


    "That''s true. And you can actually reuse the card by changing the fuel inside it. While it''s true that in battle, it''s almost impossible to refuel it, these cards are meant for their utility. It''s never going to rece the roles of Rune Magician or Fighter."


    "There you have it." Noel smiled. "Though, there is one ring problem."


    "What is that?" Anna frowned. The rune card''s concept was revolutionary and very practical, so it would be bad if they couldn''t actually achieve it.


    "We need something that can measure the amount of spiritual energy inside the card."


    "Mhmm?" Anna tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"


    "Take a look at the size of the demon crystals." Noel pointed at the pile of crystals they had.


    Although each crystal had different shapes and sizes, they could be generalized. The peak quality crystal was bigger than the advanced quality crystal. The superior quality crystal was the biggest among the ones they had.


    Noel added, "Remember what Felicia said about crystals and spiritual energy? Each crystal actually has a different amount of spiritual energy inside. In addition, low quality, mid quality, advanced quality crystals and so on, will have different concentrations of spiritual energy inside. If they don''t have different concentrations, the superior quality crystal will be bigger than a house, while the one we see is only the size of a human''s head. The question is¡­ do we have a device that can measure it urately? No, has this world invented it yet?"


    Anna looked down, falling into deep thought as she recalled all the information from their previous lives.

 Chapter 1081 Identity

    Chapter 1081 Identity


    ??After a while, Anna couldn''t help but say, "There is one. Though, I don''t know if we can acquire it or not."


    "What do you mean?" Noel first felt relieved before frowning. "Is the one holding it the Muivell Kingdom''s royal family?"


    "No. The good news is that the one who has it is an ally, the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "And the bad news?"


    "The one who created it was the Fourth Prince."


    Noel looked up, feeling speechless. "Ah¡­"


    If the Greenwood Kingdom was the one holding it, they could use their partnership to trade it or even manufacture it.


    However, the problem would be the identity of that creator. If he had to deal with the fourth prince, it could be seen as supporting the fourth prince. No matter how hard he tried to stop them, the princes and the princesses might use that excuse to crush the fourth prince. In addition, he wouldn''t be left alone either.


    The only reason no princes or princesses came to him was because Livia had be his disciple and followed him. With such a condition, she had basically lost her right for the session. It could be said that the princes and princesses were thankful since Livia was a powerful contender for the throne.


    That was why if he tried to acquire it from the fourth prince, he would end up getting dragged into the battle he didn''t want, especially in this vtile time.


    "Maybe I should wait forter¡­" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Let me recall my memory about this prince. The Fourth Prince of the Greenwood Kingdom is known to be an inventor. He has a lot of sessful research under his belts, mostly toward elements and spiritual energies. A lot of spirit magicianse to him for that very reason.


    "While he doesn''t have any intention of taking the throne since he is a full time researcher, his invention has gathered a huge number of spirit magicians. So he bes a powerful contender for the throne.


    "In our previous lives, the Greenwood Kingdom hadn''t changed its ruler yet. However, the second prince, the fourth prince, the sixth prince, and the first princess have all died¡­ Most likely because of assassinations.


    "But this is all I can remember¡­ It''s huge news after all. As for the details, you might have to ask other people," Anna exined.


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel pondered. The problem was the fact that the fourth prince would die from this battle. That meant he might be unable to recreate this device.


    If he wanted to do it, he had to do it fast. But it would also bring in those other princes and princesses.


    Still, Noel couldn''t help but say jokingly, "The fourth prince is a good researcher and the second princess is exceptional in a lot of areas. If our kingdom''s crown prince is as good as them, he might not bite our bait previously."


    Anna chuckled. "The condition of the Muivell Kingdom is rather unstable after all, especially because of the Supreme Devil Organization and the Third Prince as well as your family. So I can''t really me them. Still, as a subject, I wish for the royal family members to be morepetent and focus on developing the kingdom instead of useless greed or lust."


    "Indeed. Duke Lorelei would have retired peacefully." Noel nodded.


    Anna pondered for a moment. "How about using the Ezenholm family?"


    "It might be traced back to me." Noel shook his head. "If we go to the official channel and make a direct request to their kingdom, the nobles will be able to see it as well."


    "Are we going to steal it?" Anna asked.


    "We need arge number of them if we want to think about future developments. And if that matter is known, our reputation will go down the drain." Noel rejected her idea again.


    "How are we going to procure it then?"


    Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I''ll try to think about it for now."


    "Alright then." Anna nodded. It was a shame that they couldn''t procure the device right away. The Rune Card might be able to achieve what the current rune technologies and rune magicians couldn''t. In fact, it might be a bridge that would connect all of them.


    Still, Noel had gotten the new concept. While he couldn''t do it right away, he could still try it.


    Hence, before absorbing the crystals, Noel created several more cards first. Noel couldn''t help but recall his two disciples.


    Livia''s talent might be in the education of runes, but Tristan might be the leading card maker in the future due to that powerful memory.


    While creating several cards, Anna asked, "By the way, I have noticed something. The fact that we don''t need to use our own spiritual energy to activate them means we can throw them all at once, right?"


    Noel nodded. "Yes. It seems that you''ve understood what I''m nning to do."


    "Something like that. I can''t help but think of a lot other things like dropping the cards from the airship and activate them midair¡­ If those cards are Meteor Rune Cards, it will be like a bombardment, don''t you think?" Anna yfully winked.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Indeed. Still, it wouldn''t be so easy to produce the Rune Card. The masters who are able to create it need dexterous fingers."


    "What are you going to call them? For the rune user, you call them Rune Magician. How about them?"


    "I haven''t thought about it. I''m not sure if there is a good name. Maybe something like Rune Meister for the people who make the cards? The ones who use rune cards¡­ maybe they are just Rune Magicians but on a different path. Why don''t you think of a name?"


    Anna smiled wryly. "Better not. If I were to name it, I would say a Card Thrower or something."


    "Put more thoughts into it." Noel let out a long sigh. "Anyway, I''m done making the cards. I''ll inscribe the patternster. You should have seen how I do it as well, so you can try making it yourself."


    "Alright. Take your time." Anna waved her hand, watching Noel walk to the piles of crystals and start absorbing them.


    Even though the rune cards would be useful, their priority would be the hunt after all. So Noel didn''t want to take too much time preparing for the cards.

 Chapter 1082 Next Destination

    Chapter 1082 Next Destination


    ??"It''sing in your way." Anna shouted.


    "Don''t worry. It''s the perfect time to test it." Noel smiled, looking at the iing demons. There were a total of ten demons. They were mostly low and mid level demons. This was perfect to test their new creations.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The beasts let out their roars to show their ferocity. However, Noel simply took four cards from his pocket.


    When the demons were about to reach him, Noel tossed them forward and instantly activated the runes.


    The beasts pounced on him, disregarding the cards. But in that instant, the card projected spiritual energy in all directions, forming a barrier.


    With four cards standing next to each other, it turned into a barricade.


    "!!!" The beasts noticed it a bit toote as they had no way to stop their momentum. In the end, they ended up crashing into the barrier. The other demons behind them also jumped and ended up sandwiching them with the barrier.


    Instead of a roar, the demons let out a shrill that gradually faded away.


    Now that the demons had been stopped, Noel tossed a rune into the air and jumped back. The rune was activated in the air and showered the demons with light beams, killing all of them.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile as though he were satisfied with his creation. These cards were just prototypes, so he didn''t expect a lot.


    However, this was much better than he imagined. The first part was the barrier. They were just the lower version of the Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    The fuel stored inside each card was enough to activate the rune and maintain it for a while.


    Of course, more spiritual energy would be used if the demons had a more powerful impact on the barrier.


    As expected, this new profession, Rune Meister, would be the key to achieving it. They not only had to be good at inscribing cards, but they also had to understand how much spiritual energy should be inserted into the card as well as give rmendations.


    All those tasks could only be given to elites.


    More importantly, the second experiment waspleted. The Rain of Light rune that had been embedded into the card he threw into the air yed a significant role.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Even for him, inscribing an intermediate rune on a small card was challenging. However, he had proved that the concept was possible.


    In addition, because he tossed the rune into the air, he could activate it from above them. If he had to use this rune with his hand, he wouldn''t be able to reach such height.


    That was why these rune cards could open up a new possibility.


    Unfortunately, once he used the cards, he had to retrieve them and rece the ttened crystal to use it again.


    In a battle, it was simply close to impossible, especially during a big fight that involved hundreds or thousands of people.


    "How is it?" Anna asked.


    "Yep. It''s pretty good. I''ll try making several cards with intermediate runes in them. This will increase our firepower even more, especially since we only wield our sword with one hand." Noel exined.


    "That''s good. Although I want to let you continue with your experiments, unfortunately, we don''t have much time. Our next destination lies behind this hill."


    "Okay." Noel nodded and retrieved the cards before climbing the hill with Anna.


    The sight on top of the hill was fabulous as expected. There was nothing that stood in their vision. All they could see was the horizon and the vastness of the blue sky.


    It was rather peaceful to see this kind of scenery.


    However, when they lowered their vision a little bit, they would see their destination.


    "So, this is the ce¡­" Noel muttered, his voice was filled with astonishment.


    "Yes. ording to the information, this ce is the most dangerous. The area is just slightly smaller than a small city. There are a total of 27 buildings and they''re said to have been inhabited by more than five thousand people in the previous civilization.


    "I believe that this area has been explored by your ancestors in the past, but due to the passing of time, there are a lot of demons now inhabiting this ce." Anna nodded.


    They were looking at it from a hill not far from their next destination, so they were able to see the whole area.


    Even though 27 buildings were considered low for a city, ten of these buildings were five-story tall and extremely wide. It wouldn''t be weird if each of the buildings could host hundreds of people at once.


    There were also some suspiciouslyrge buildings that didn''t look like housing.


    Still, the biggest thing that took up thend was the ck-


    colored road that stretched far away. Most of the road had been covered by wild grass or rubble.


    If they took this road into consideration, he believed that the area would be much bigger than what they could see.


    Nevertheless, they had to explore this area.


    It was possible that they had to stay here for a while, considering how big it was.


    "Still¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Noel pointed at one of the big things out in the open. It had been destroyed, but it looked simr to the thing he had seen before.


    No, he never saw this big thing in the real world. He saw it in his consciousness, specifically when his ancestor showed a lot of things from the previous civilization.


    However, there was one problem. "That thing¡­ was supposed to be flying in the sky. I saw it in the memory that my ancestor shared."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. "What? Do you know that thing?"


    "I''m not sure. It''s simr to what I''ve seen, but I don''t know how it can fly or how to operate it." Noel paused for a moment. "Anyway, we should check it right away. There seems to be a lot of demons¡­"


    "True. But you''re going to tell me everything you know about this ce tonight."


    "Alright. Alright." Noel chuckled as he moved first.

 Chapter 1083 Airport

    Chapter 1083 Airport


    ??"Go that way and eliminate all the demons inside that building. There should be less than fifty demons in that small ce." Noel shouted while pointing at a tall tower.


    Anna nodded and moved separately. On the other hand, Noel continued killing the demons that kepting endlessly.


    He might have underestimated their numbers. At first, they thought there were only around five thousand demons here.


    However, even though they had just conquered ten percent of the area, they had fought against more than a thousand demons.


    More importantly, he hadn''t found any noteworthy demons, which made him a bit uneasy.


    In a ce with thousands of demons, it wouldn''t be wrong to have several Peak Level Demons or even a Superior Demon.


    However, this ce doesn''t have one yet.


    There was a chance that they might be hidden in a deeper area, but the Peak Level Demons were usually scattered around the area, each having their own territory.


    So Noel felt a bit suspicious and sent Anna to the tower so that she could take a look at the entire area. Her instinct might pick up something.


    Unfortunately, when Anna stood on top of the tower, she could feel nothing.


    "What is this¡­" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "There are no extraordinary demons. Yet¡­ my instinct is telling me this ce is dangerous. What is going on?"


    She stayed for a while, observing the situation. She still found nothing, so she chose to go down and exin everything to Noel.


    "You found nothing, but felt this ce dangerous?" Noel was taken aback by the assessment. As expected, there was something weird about this ce. They didn''t know what was hidden inside this ce, but Anna''s instinct was never wrong.


    Noel looked up for a moment, contemting. "Let''s retreat first."


    "Retreat?" Anna raised her head. "We still have a few hours before dark. Even then, we can still use the Moon Blessing."


    Noel shook his head. "Let''s not be reckless. While it''s true that your instinct can pick up danger, it is still not perfect. In addition, there are some additional problems, especially regarding Dimitri and the others."


    "Ah!" Anna almost forgot that since they would be stuck here for a while, they would probably meet Dimitri''s group.


    Noel was thinking about the arrangement for Dimitri''s group since they had to be extremely careful here.


    "Alright." Anna agreed after understanding the reason.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Noel chose to retreat outside the area because he felt this ce was much more dangerous than he originally thought.


    "So what is this ce? You said that your ancestor told you about this kind of thing," Anna asked.


    "It''s called Airport. The thing that can fly is called an airne. I''m not sure about the principle, but they are able to do all that without spiritual energy."


    "For real? People can fly around without spiritual energy." Anna raised her eyebrows.


    "Yes. In the past, people could travel around the world. It''s a bit costly, but it''s not impossible for even amoner." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Are you serious?" Anna looked surprised. Commoners in this kingdom usually only traveled from their vige to a city to trade their harvest or pay taxes. Those in the city would be able to travel to another city, but most of the time, they wouldn''t go that far.


    Only merchants and nobles had the power to travel around the country or even to another country.


    "Yes. And ording to her, the four kingdoms are just like a tiny piece in this world."


    "A tiny piece?" Anna gasped. "You know that even in this tiny piece, we still need weeks just to travel from our city to the Atracaeca Kingdom''s capital city, right? If what we know is just a tiny piece, how long does it take for them to travel?"


    "That''s my question as well after learning about it. But surprisingly, you could travel to the other side of this world in less than a day." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Are you serious? It''s that amazing¡­ and without spiritual energy?"


    "Yes. Unlike us, who rely on spiritual energy and runes, they are using the naturalw of this world."


    "Naturalw¡­" Anna looked down. "Like the earthquake?"


    "I''m not sure about it as well." Noel shook his head. "But if you think about it, it feels amazing to know that we''re just like a tiny piecepared to the whole world."


    "What do you mean?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "I''m talking about the potential." Noel smiled. "The world poption in the past must have been extremely high. And considering this world is such a huge ce, there''s a chance that there are other survivors out there."


    "Ah!"


    "I wonder what kind of life they have right now, I wonder if they have technologies that are simr to the previous civilizations. Do they also utilize spiritual energy and how do they utilize it?" Noel spread his arms as if he were trying to embrace the world. "I want to go out there."


    Anna looked at Noel with a smile. Noel usually stayedposed, but whenever he talked about his goal, he was always passionate.


    "I will apany you even to the end of the world. Though, there are a few things that we need to achieve first before we are able to do that."


    "Ehehe." Noel felt a bit embarrassed. "Anyway, this ce is where they gather all the airnes and control them. It''s that simple."


    "I see. Do you think we''re able to do that? If we take a look at the airship, can''t we reproduce their achievement?"


    Noel thought for a moment. "I believe we can. First of all, there is one big advantage the airship has. It''s able to bypass any terrains¡­ except for the mountain. Just that alone increases the travel time significantly."


    "Now that you think about it¡­ that''s true." Anna nodded. "If we think like that, we''re actually able to go to the Atracaeca Kingdom''s capital city in a day or two, right?"


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "Yes."


    "How about increasing the altitude to avoid the mountain as well?"


    "The air is so thin that it will be harmful to humans." Noel shook his head.


    "I see. How about the intermediate rune for Enhance Forward Rune?"


    "I have the memory of it, but I haven''t mastered it. I''m afraid that if I put it in the book, it will just be a failure."


    "Well, it can''t be helped."


    "Yes."


    Anna thought for a moment before saying, "Since I''ve satisfied my curiosity, how about preparing for thending space?"


    "Sure."

 Chapter 1084 Unexpected Situation?

    <h4>Chapter 1084 Unexpected Situation?</h4>


    "This is¡­" Noel''s expression turned grim when he was looking at the airport.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "We have been hunting here for two days. Tomorrow will be the third day, and Dimitri should be arriving somewhere in the evening." Noel crossed his arms as if he were bothered by something.


    "Are you thinking that this has gone too well for us?" Anna asked.


    "I can say it''s going well, but¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment. "The fact that nothing happens is more concerning. Do you know what scares me the most?"


    "The Demon King? Your parents?" Anna answered jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.


    "No. It''s the unknown." Noel shook his head helplessly. "I''d rather fight against a Demon King than an unknown. If it''s a Demon King, I can prepare for its arrival at the very least. But if I have to fight the unknown¡­ I can''t help but overthink it. What is their strength? How much people they have? That kind of stuff."


    Anna shook her head helplessly. "Are you saying that something is going to happen on the thmanyy?"


    "I''m not very sure. However, the variable has increased. If something goes wrong, we can somehow escape with our True Spirit Body. But it will be different for anyone else. If we lose a lot of people or even the precious airship¡­"


    "The loss is too big, huh?" Anna let out a long sigh, understanding his worries. "We have been eliminating about twenty percent of the demons in this area. We should be able to eliminate another ten percent tomorrow before Dimitri arrives. Will it be enough?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "Then how about asking Dimitri to go down and scout the area? He is an assassin, right? In terms of stealth, no one should be his match."


    "¡­" Noel fell silent for a moment as if he were contemting this option.


    "Maybe we should just sacrifice all the demons here? I mean, to have all the demon corpses and turn them into money sure is nice, but we might lose a lot of things. If we let the airship get destroyed¡­ our n will be pushed back for at least two months since we need to wait for a new airship."


    Noel couldn''t give an answer. They currently have three options. The first one was like Anna said. They would kill the demons first before letting the airshipnd. Until it was clear that nothing would happen, the airship wouldn''tnd here.


    The second one would be to send Dimitri to check on the situation. However, this would be a problem. What if they had prepared for it?


    Since Noel and Anna were gone, Dimitri was assuming Noel''s position, ensuring everything was alright. If he got injured or anything, the situation would be chaotic. They could probably change Dimitri with Old Jade, but Old Jade had just joined them. Even if Noel said he could trust him, there would be some discontent from other subordinates. Hence, the situation would get tricky.


    Thest option would be to use the airship as bait. This way, they could lure out anything hidden inside this ce. Even Peak Level Demons or Superior Demons woulde out if they got bombarded so hard. But it might lead to casualties.


    That was why Noel was considering the pros and cons, ensuring that he didn''t make the wrong decision.


    After a few minutes, Noel nced at Anna. "This is my n¡­"


    ¡­


    The next day.


    Noel and Anna kept hunting the demons as usual. The only difference was that Noel was more aggressive while Anna slowed down her pace for a bit.


    Anna just lured the demons toward her and Noel would be there to burn them all. However, that fire of his was actually much more violent than what he had shown yesterday.


    Because the burning demons were in significant pain, they started losing control over their bodies and began running with all their might in all directions.


    *Bang!*


    *Bang!*


    *ng!*


    Various noises echoed in the area. From shattered sses to crushed concrete, the entire airport was in a mess.


    Still, whenever the demons were about to hit a building, Noel would usually extinguish the fire. But whether it was due to his carelessness or it was just impossible to keep a close look on every single demon, one of the demons was still burning when it hit one of the buildings.


    The demon crashed into the building, causing Noel''s Undying Fire to burn down the wall and everything that the demon touched inside.


    "Noel!" Anna shouted in panic, pointing at one of the buildings.


    "!!!" Noel turned his head, watching the burning building. Noel clicked his tongue, saying, "I''ll try to extinguish it."


    Anna nodded and positioned herself next to him, killing all the demons that tried to approach him.


    On the other hand, Noel pointed his palms at the building. The zing fire became smaller rather instantly, but the fire itself kept fighting back.


    "What''s wrong? Can''t you extinguish it?" Anna asked out loud.


    "It''s impossible. It''s the same as when we''re fighting inside the forest. The things inside the buildings are so easy to burn, so when I was about to extinguish them, the fire just spread again! I need ten minutes." Noel shouted in frustration.


    "Are you serious?"


    "What? You can''t do it?" Noel smirked, teasing her.


    "Only ten minutes? Even if it''s ten hours, I can do it just fine." Annaughed out loud. She leaped into the air as her body began to be shrouded by lightning.


    With a wave of her hand, the lightning went rampant, taking down several demons at once. With a swing of her sword, the lightning turned into a crescent and split all the demons in front. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    No demons coulde close to Noel as long as Anna was protecting him.


    Or at least that was what was supposed to happen when, all of a sudden, a series of roars echoed from all the areas.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    Anna and Noel raised their heads, noticing that the roars didn''t juste from the airport but also from outside the airport.

 Chapter 1085 Trick

    Chapter 1085 Trick


    ??*Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    "!!!" Both Noel and Anna widened their eyes in surprise.


    The demons inside the airport immediately came toward them. Meanwhile, the ones that had been hiding outside took more time to arrive.


    However, both Anna and Noel knew that they were actuallying here for the purpose of surrounding them.


    Anna looked around. The demons seemed to have be much more ferocious. It would be troublesome soon once more and more demons appeared.


    In this situation, they would start thinking about an escape route. However, Anna was actually smiling when this situation urred.


    There was only one thought in her mind. "This is¡­ actually going ording to Noel''s n."


    ¡­


    Last night.


    "This is my n." Noel paused for a moment. "There are two things that I want to test first before I can determine what''s going on in this airport.


    "Firstly, I want to see if there is indeed a powerful demon in this ce. If it is that powerful, it must be extremely intelligent. It could be said to be the most intelligent demon we''ve faced so far. It is hiding extremely well and not revealing their cards like the Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Secondly, I''d like to know about theirplete strength. If the first point is proven to be correct, we might end up facing more than five superior demons in this area. I want to know their number and adjust my n ordingly."


    Anna contemted. "I think it''s a good idea, considering this airport keeps ticking me off. But how are we supposed to test it?"


    "The test is going to be simple. Because they are so intelligent, the demon must have another demon that observes us and rys that information at all times."


    "Are you going to trick this demon?"


    "Yes. I will spread the fire and act as if I lose control over it. If I act like I don''t have the ability to control it or something like I need more time to extinguish my own fire, it will definitely make a move. Of course, if it doesn''t make a move, it means that there aren''t any demons observing our action."


    "In that case, what are we going to do next?"


    "We''ll proceed with the second n. It''s to destroy one or two buildings. Since they have used this ce as a nest, destroying them will make the demons think that we don''te here to explore the ancient ruin, but to destroy it."


    "I see. The demons, who think of this ce as a nest, will do anything to protect it. That''s why this is an opportunity to lure them out. But still¡­ the humans are destroying it while the demons are protecting it, huh? It feels very contradictory."


    Noel couldn''t help but agree. But there was no other way. "I just hope that the first n is good enough."


    "Then, what will happen if we manage to lure these demons out?"


    Noel sighed. "I have prepared some ns, but I think we''ll be trying to run¡­ especially if their numbers are too high. In the worst case scenario, we might need to use our True Spirit Body. And there is also a problem with Dimitri''s group.


    "Hence, I want to lead them slightly off the north instead of the east, where Dimitri willnd. After losing them, we will loop around and head to Dimitri, warning him and discussing the new n.


    "If not all demons are moving, it means that we have overestimated the demons hidden in this airport. If possible, we will eliminate them. If not, we will retreat while thinning their number."


    Anna nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let''s do it that way."


    "Sorry about this. Although I want to give you a chance, we don''t know the danger this airport poses. I can''t really risk too much or Dimitri is going to force us to return to the city." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Don''t worry, I understand. The situation right now is very delicate, so it can''t really be helped. Besides, even when you''re the one making the decision, I will continue to wonder: how did youe up with that n and why? What is your train of thought? And other things¡­ so that I can understand and learn more." Anna smiled, not feeling dejected at all.


    Noel blinked his eyes a few times, taken aback by her understanding. A smile appeared on Noel''s face as he said, "Let''s do this, shall we?"


    ¡­


    Anna shouted, "Noel! I won''t be able to handle all these demons by myself. I''m not sure, but it sounds like there are also demons from outside this ce that areing. I won''t be enough to protect you."


    "Are we going to abandon this building?" Noel looked stressed as if he were doing his best to stop the fire.


    However, the situation changed when two moles emerged from the ground next to Noel, ambushing him.


    "Watch out!" Anna shouted while waving her finger, shooting out lightning strikes. Fortunately, the moles were only Peak Level Demons.


    A single lightning strike managed to stop them, and Anna hurriedly went to Noel''s side, cutting them down.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm When she turned around, she noticed several strong demons that had begun to appear among the horde of demons.


    "What? We have to stop. Look at them! There are about ten Peak Level Demons and two Superior Demons! They are going to surround us soon!" Anna tried to stop Noel.


    However, Noel acted stubborn. "Use your transformation first! I should be able to extinguish this in three minutes."


    Anna gritted her teeth, not agreeing to that decision. However, she had to follow his order.


    Lightning began to spark around her body as her blond hair turned white.


    "Lightning Transformation."


    The demons didn''t look afraid as if they had prepared for this. And that was because more and more demons emerged from all the giant buildings. Even though Anna had inspected it before, there were supposed to be no high ranking demons in those buildings. So, why?


    There was only one answer to that question, a tunnel that connected all the buildings.


    It was at this time that Noel fully understood the situation. Everything had gone ording to n. They were lucky that the demons had fallen into their trick.


    And it was time for them to continue to the next phase.

 Chapter 1086 Unexpected Find

    Chapter 1086 Unexpected Find


    ??Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    "Shut up!" Anna shouted while sending forth a lightning strike that scattered when reaching the ground, killing numerous demons.


    However, the number was so overwhelming that a lot of demons that couldunch a long range attack suddenly released it into the sky.


    Anna clicked her tongue. The attacks wouldn''t injure both her and Noel. But Noel is currently exposed.


    So Anna returned to his side and formed a barrier made of spiritual energy, withstanding all these attacks.


    Anna had a hard time enduring all these attacks. Even their own city wall required a constant supply of spiritual energy to stop all the attacks, so there was no way she would be able to replicate it by herself.


    Because Noel had decided, Anna remained silent the whole time.


    Still, more and more demons wereing. They hade in all three directions, leaving only one direction free. It was the direction where Noel and Anna came from, as well as their escape route.


    If this continued, the demons would block off this ce as well.


    Anna gritted her teeth. She didn''t understand what Noel wanted or how much longer they had to wait, but she had to secure their escape path.


    Anna looped around while gathering her spiritual energy in her palms, but right before she realized that power, Noel suddenly shouted, "Shoot the building on your right."


    Anna widened her eyes. She didn''t know what Noel was nning to do, but this was the first time Noel said something off the script.


    ''The building on the right¡­'' Anna turned her body to the side and saw a tall but small tower. It was simr to the tower she climbed earlier, but this one looked a bit bigger in size, but shorter in height.


    Without hesitation, Anna joined her hands, causing the spiritual energy in both palms to merge and shoot out a giant dragon.


    Roar!


    The lightning dragon came out of nowhere, causing the demons to be confused.


    However, Anna was once again shocked when she saw three Peak Level Demons and one Superior Demon actually jump into the air just to block this attack.


    This made Anna even more confident to hit that tower no matter what.


    "Ahhh!" Anna gnashed her teeth while doing her best to control that huge amount of spiritual energy, twisting the body of the dragon and barely avoiding all the beasts on the way.


    Roar!


    The dragon let out a huge roar before crashing into the tower.


    To Anna''s surprise, right before the dragon touched the tower, grass started to grow all around the tower. Each de of grass was so long that it didn''t look ordinary. In addition, with thousands if not tens of thousands of des of grass protecting a single tower, it created a rather formidable defense.


    Boom!


    The dragon collided with the tower, causing an enormous explosion.


    Even though the grass was powerful, it was made at thest second. In addition, the lightning dragon came from Anna, who had used her lightning transformation, its power couldn''t be underestimated either.


    The entire tower wasn''t destroyed, but a part of it copsed, exposing what was inside.


    "That''s¡­" Anna gasped, seeing that the tower was filled with grass. However, among the grass, she noticed a small, spherical form of concentrated energy. It had been covered by grass as well, but she knew perfectly well that this was actually a demon.


    Anna''s instinct didn''t pick up anything at all, making it weird. But it only took an instant for her to finally understand what was going on.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ the reason why I''m unable to perceive this demon¡­"


    "Yes. That must be a grass that has grown its sentience and turned into a demon. And it has been spreading its consciousness in all grasses in the area, making you unable to find it."


    As Noel said, the grass spread its consciousness so that Anna''s instinct perceived all those numerous dangers and mistook them as dangersing from other demons.


    Because it needed to use everything it had to protect itself, the grass merged back and used all its power, revealing the true strength that the grass had spread this whole time.


    "To think that a Superior Demon can fool my instinct¡­ what a blunder." Anna gritted her teeth. It was no wonder why her instinct told her that there was nothing dangerous, but her instinct still considered the whole ce to be dangerous.


    Her instinct summed up all those consciousnesses and gave that conclusion, but it was unable to perceive the individual.


    Meanwhile, Noel''s medal was able to sense demons clearly. Despite Anna sensing danger from all around them, he didn''t sense a single demon with that medal.


    So, he knew something was amiss and tried to check it with this n.


    And it worked.


    "We''ll have to kill that demon no matter what," said Noel with a grim tone. He didn''t care whether it had fooled them or not. He was just afraid that such a demon would fall into the Supreme Devil Organization''s hands.


    It would cause him endless trouble in the future.


    "Alright. What should we do?" Anna nodded in agreement, understanding the threat that the grass demon possessed.


    Noel didn''t reply immediately. Instead, he pulled out his sword and released his Sword Transmutation to sh the burning building diagonally.


    The sh of his Sword Transmutation onlysted for a split second as the building began to slide down.


    The demons could only see the copsing building. They couldn''t run away from the pack because there were simply too many of them.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Bam!


    The building hit more than a hundred demons and formed an obstruction in the demons'' path.


    In addition, the fire still spread, burning more and more demons.


    Now that the grass didn''t have to hide its existence anymore, numerous grasses began to grow around the tower and tried to extinguish the fire by wrapping it.


    Noel was quite surprised that, despite its bad affinity for fire, the grass actually managed to suppress his Undying Fire.


    Still, it didn''t change the n.


    "We run." Noel turned in the only direction with no demons and started running.


    Anna followed right behind, knowing that they would be heading to the gate.


    However, they encountered yet another surprising thing.


    The half-destroyed fence had actually been covered in spider webs. It had even been spread upward by more than a hundred spiders before their eyes.


    Each spider was as big as a human kid, which made them even more terrifying.


    "What is this?"

 Chapter 1087 Spider

    Chapter 1087 Spider


    ??"Since when the spiders¡­ No. Is there even a spider in this area?" Anna gasped, not expecting that they would have been surrounded like this. The web didn''t seem to be a normal one, considering she could see a huge amount of spiritual energy covering every single strand.


    Anna finally understood the enemy''s n. They were waiting for them to go deeper and deeper before sealing off their escape path.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    If they had fallen into this trap, they would definitely not have been able toe out of the airport. In fact, Dimitri and the others might get swallowed as well.


    There were only several Superior Demons, so this shouldn''t be a problem for both of them yet.


    As if knowing her thoughts, Noel waved his left hand, shooting out a phoenix.


    The spiders noticed the strength of the phoenix and immediately jumped in its way, protecting the webs.


    Boom!


    The phoenix exploded, engulfing more than ten spiders. However, that was all. He didn''t see the web catching fire.


    "Let''s go. We have to escape first!" Noel shouted and started running toward the gate. He didn''t care if the spiders stood in their way.


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. "I will cover the rear. You go directly open our path."


    Noel agreed with her as Anna had already started shooting her lightning to the back, stopping the demons for a moment.


    Meanwhile, Noel came closer toward the gate and released his phoenix wings, making the opponents think that he could fly over them or pass straight through them.


    The first thing he did was p his wings, activating his Fire Gale technique.


    Since this gale was just a gush of hot air, the spiders wouldn''t be able to block it.


    As if knowing what the Fire Gale was capable of, tall grasses spurted and formed a wall. The grass caught fire due to the intense heat, but the hot gale was blocked.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes. It seemed that while the Grass Superior Demon didn''t have much offensive power, its reach and utility were enough to make it a troublesome opponent.


    The spiders had also jumped off their webs, nning to take Noel on. Even though they were weak, they still had numbers. Even just for a few seconds, they had to stop Noel.


    Noel tested the spiders by sending another fire phoenix.


    However, the annoying grass demon captured the phoenix and formed a sphere to iste it. Even when the phoenix exploded, it didn''t touch a single spider.


    ''Should we turn around and eliminate all the demons here? No. Their number is too much even for us, especially when there is amander among them. This grass demon is also annoying. The demon must be nning to neutralize our attacks and exhaust our energy.


    ''Besides, the way they are waiting for us to be unable to move before attacking¡­ I''m sure that they are trying to kill us while knowing that these demons are not enough to stop us if we want to escape.


    ''Even the spiders are just a distraction. Is there something else the demons are hiding in this airport? No, if it''s in this airport, Anna should have felt it. Now that I think about it, there are other Superior Demons and Peak Level Demons aside from that grass demon.


    ''Did Anna feel nothing about them? Or¡­ did theye from the outside?'' Noel suddenly understood what was going on.


    The strong demons actually hid outside. Since Noel and Anna were so focused on everything inside this airport, they didn''t notice the demons outside this area.


    With the grass demon as their eyes and brain, they will know when toe and ambush them.


    When Noel nced at those Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons, every single one of them was a speed type. In other words, they came here at their fastest speed.


    If that was the case, it meant there would be more demonsing at their pace. That was probably why these spiders were so desperate to stop them here.


    ''To think the demons are this smart already¡­'' Noel bit his lips before shouting, "Anna. Fly!"


    "!!!" Anna looked surprised since they first agreed that they would use the rune to fly only in emergencies. It seemed that the situation was much more severe than she thought.


    Without hesitation, Anna jumped into the air and activated her rune.


    The grass demon spurted again, trying to catch her. However, Noel had seen through their n.


    "Ice Transformation!"


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Noel finally activated his transformation. The cold ice mist appeared all around him and was blown in all directions, freezing the ground. Obviously, the mist touched the grasses and froze them, preventing them from catching Anna.


    After that, Noel also took off into the sky. Now that both of them had activated their transformations, she thought Noel wanted to kill some of these demons before leaving.


    However, Noel stopped for a moment, looking to the north as if he had noticed something.


    Bam!


    Bam!


    All of a sudden, the ground started to tremble. There was a huge cloud of dust rising from outside the airport, causing Noel and Anna to squint their eyes. As Noel expected, they were the Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons that were supposed to be in the airport. There were about five Superior Demons.


    However, when the dust was blown away by the wind and cleared their field of vision, both of them were dumbstruck by the sight of a shadow on the horizon.


    Anna''s face turned pale. Even though it was not clear yet, her instinct was crying out loud, telling her to get out of there as quickly as possible.


    The shadow they saw was that of a spider. But it was no ordinary spider. It was hard to determine the size of this spider from so far away, but Noel could clearly see that the spider''s height was at least forty if not fifty meters.


    It could easily ce one leg on the side of the airport and the other leg on the other side.


    Big might be an understatement as they had never seen a demon this humongous.


    Even though the size of the feet looked small, Noel knew that if the spider was standing here, it was still as big as a tower in this airport.


    Every single step that this spider took caused the ground to tremble.


    "What is that?" Noel couldn''t believe what he saw. The biggest demon he had ever seen was probably the Ancient Demon Tree in the past.


    "Don''t tell me." Because of that memory, Noel couldn''t help but realize the situation they were in. "That''s¡­ an Ancient Demon!"


    "!!!" Anna''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Run!"

 Chapter 1088 A Single Attack

    Chapter 1088 A Single Attack


    ?1088  A Single Attack


    "Run!"


    Both Anna and Noel were ready to fly away before they noticed a huge amount of spiritual energying from the spider. It was so huge that they could even feel it from far away.


    The attacksing from other demons were insignificantpared to the one the spider was about to unleash.


    "Tsk!" Noel bit his lips and flew toward Anna. His Ice Transformation was undone as the ice wouldn''t be able to block it.


    "Fire Transformation."


    Noel waved his hand, shooting out a phoenix. Due to the Fire Transformation, the fire phoenix became much bigger and its me was more ferocious.


    However, in front of the spider, it was still insignificant.


    Noel and Anna sensed a level of pressure they had never felt before. It was heavy and suffocating even for peak grandmasters like them.


    Even though an Ancient Demon was supposed to be equal to a Spirit Transcendence, they never felt the same thing from Oscar or even Alexander from the Supreme Devil Organization.


    The spider finally released its attack, shooting out a ray of green light.


    The ray of light illuminated the area, turning the sky from blue to green. The Undying Phoenix let out a huge cry, trying to burn the very light itself, but at the same time, the phoenix was actually being corroded.


    Holes started to appear on the phoenix''s body as it was losing its power.


    "Not good!" Noel gritted his teeth. A huge fire avatar emerged in front of him, circling its arms around Noel and Anna. Its back was facing the spider, as if nning to cover the two from the green light.


    When the phoenix disappeared, the me Devil Noel summoned became their sole shield. Noel had a hard time maintaining it as the me Devil was also corroded. This was the first time his superior me faced such a troublesome element.


    Anna wanted to do something, but her power wasn''t useful to block this kind of attack.


    Hence, she chose to trust Noel and focus on the other demons. Fortunately, it seemed that this ray of light also corroded the attacks from other demons.


    "Gaaaahhh!" Noel shouted as his hand shook. The me Devil was about to be destroyed.


    Anna gritted her teeth. This was the first time she encountered an Ancient Demon. It was true that there was an Ancient Demon Tree, it had been sealed and its strength was only a minuscule fraction of its true strength.


    At that time, she thought that the Ancient Demon Tree only unleashed a percent of its power. However, she was toocent.


    After sensing this kind of strength from an Ancient Demon Spider, Anna knew that the tree didn''t even use one ten-


    thousandth of its power."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Anna was wondering what she could do, but fortunately, the ray of light gradually dimmed down before the avatar fully melted. Still, half of its body was gone, the head had disappeared, and the remaining body had multiple holes in it. Even after the Undying Phoenix blocked it first, the me Devil still suffered that much damage.


    Now that the blinding light was gone, they could finally see the destruction that a single attack brought to this area.


    "This is¡­" Anna gasped. The ray of light expanded in a fan-N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    shaped area.


    Anything¡ªthe trees, the soil, or even the rock itself¡ªmelted into nothing. And that area stretched for more than two hundred meters.


    They didn''t know how much strength the spider put into that attack, but it was clear that they weren''t the spider''s opponent.


    "So¡­ this is an Ancient Demon." Anna was only a peak Spirit Grandmaster in the past, so she never witnessed this level of power.


    Themander and the marshal had this kind of strength as well. If there was a Spirit Transcendence trying to destroy the Ardagan family, they didn''t have the strength to resist.


    It was no wonder why Noel said that he could only utilize ten percent of the Executioner Rune''s true power. An Advanced Rune was said to be effective against an Ancient Demon or even a Demon King.


    If Noel could utilize its true potential, killing ten thousand demons with a single rune might be possible.


    While Anna was focusing on the strength of the Ancient Demon, Noel was thinking about the impact.


    ''An Ancient Demon? How fast is it? If we run away like this, will we end up leading this Ancient Demon back to our territory? But Commander Oscar will be fighting it¡­ No, if he is injured because of the fight, no one keeps the organization or the royal family in check anymore.


    ''Then, should we run to the west or east? The west is blocked by those demons. Then, the east? What if the Greenwood Kingdom suffers a huge loss? They might make a ridiculous demand.


    ''What are we supposed to do? Challenging the Ancient Demon? We''re not strong and foolish enough to do so. But there is no other way.


    ''If we manage to pass the Ancient Demon and somehow outrun it, it will remain in this ce and we might be able to challenge it again. But can we actually do it? There are a lot of Superior Demons standing in our way. They''re going to surround us so that we can''t escape.


    ''And there is that Spider¡­ it''s like a fortress whose ability is still unknown. Besides, can we actually loop around and inform Dimitri about this. If we return, the grass will find out about us.


    ''No. There''s not much time to think. The demons are getting closer. Anna is blocking most of the attacks, so¡­''


    Noel bit his lips. It seemed that they only had one choice.


    Noel''s expression turned grim. "Anna."


    Anna nced at him, finding the severity of his decision from his face.


    "Do you trust me?"


    "That''s a foolish question. Even if we go to hell for our honeymoon, I will still apany you." Anna smiled.


    "This is the only best option."


    "Alright then."


    Both of them suddenly stopped supplying their spiritual energy and gradually fell to the ground. Their transformations were undone at the same time as though they had given up.


    But at that time, a burst of energy exploded from within their bodies. The two energies were flowing in harmony, creating a much stronger pressure.


    Light started to envelop their bodies as both of them said the same thing.


    "True Spirit Body."

 Chapter 1089 One Shocking Action

    Chapter 1089 One Shocking Action


    ??"True Spirit Body."


    Anna grew a pair of horns as red-colored lightning started sparking around her body. Noel, on the other hand, formed an ice crown above his head and a pair of ice wings on his back.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    With a wave of Noel''s hand, he froze the area within 50 meters in diameter, covering all the demons in thick ice.


    "Let''s go!" said Noel while ncing at the grass demon. His power could freeze the grass, so it should know that it would be futile to try to stop them. In addition, they were going straight to the Ancient Demon instead of running away. The grass demon should consider them foolish.


    Anna was leading in front. She skillfully jumped over the building and headed straight to the colossal spider.


    However, standing in their way were multiple Superior Demons and numerous Peak Level Demons.


    Just this number alone made Noel more convinced that Laufey had deliberately weakened the demons that attacked the Ardagan family not long ago. Still, it was for another time. Noel had to focus on the opponents before his eyes.


    The Superior Demons abruptly stopped in their tracks when they noticed the strength Anna''s body was exuding. They seemed to have realized the power of the True Spirit Body.


    But the Peak Level Demons continued onward, either not knowing it or simply sacrificing themselves to stop Noel and Anna.


    Although Anna could handle these Peak Level Demons, she was better focused on the Superior Demons.


    Hence, Noel sped up, bing the one in front. He waved his sword three times.


    Three Purity Swords.


    There were three powerful shes that flew out at the same time. However, Noel extended them even further by using Sword Transmutation on each sh. He also applied Anger Emotion to make it sharper. For the finishing touch, Noel used Ice Infusion so that the sword strikes contained the powerful freezing power from his True Spirit Body.


    Roar!


    The Peak Level Demons leaped into the air as if trying to avoid the attack before pouncing on him.


    However, it was useless. The Sword Transmutation carried the chilling energy that slowed them down significantly.


    Most Peak Level Demons couldn''t even avoid this attack as the sword strikes hit their bodies directly. Some of them were split into two, and their wounds were frozen, while the demons with tougher skin ended up stopping the sword strikes, only to find the sword strike dispersed and cover them in a thickyer of ice.


    Those who managed to survive were out of the way.


    However, these were just Peak Level Demons. Now that they were out of the way, the Superior Demons behind them came forth.


    A Superior Bison Demon charged forward, forming a barrier in front of him. Another Superior Demon gathered all its energy into the mouth and shot out a beam. Another Superior Demon stomped the ground so that stone walls emerged, trapping them inside.


    However, nothing could block Anna''s vision, considering she could sense their position with her instinct.


    Anna suddenly stopped, causing Noel to do the same. Both of them slightly bent their knees and jumped into the air.


    The bison demon rammed the stone wall, only to find no one behind it.


    Anna used the tform Rune so that she could kick herself back to the ground. However, she slightly shifted the trajectory toward the Superior Demon who was about to release something from its mouth.


    "!!!" The demon panicked because Anna''s speed increased drastically for a split second. It tried to tilt its body to the back, but Anna was one step faster.


    She swung her de downward as the lightning extended her sword forward, shing the beast''s mouth as well as its body.


    Still, the beast was big enough to avoid vital areas such as the brain or lungs.


    Since it managed to survive, Anna stepped on the beast andunched herself at the third Superior Demon.


    The Superior Demon formed a thick earth wall to block and disperse the lightning.


    However, it underestimated Anna a bit too much.


    Anna spun her sword and made a motion like drawing a sword. This was the sword draw that had been Anna''s pride the whole time.


    Not only did it have extraordinary power, but the sharpness also couldn''t be underestimated. Even the Sword Arbiter acknowledged this sword draw technique.


    Raging Blood Lightning!


    With one swift swing, the thick earth wall was sliced. It slowed down her momentum a little bit, but that was because she didn''t use all the lightning in that previous attack. Instead, she reserved some so that when she made it through, she could release it once more.


    "!!!" The Superior Demon widened its eyes as Anna''s lightning erupted from her sword.


    Bam!


    It caused a lightning burst that electrocuted andunched the demon away.


    As if not nning to let Noel and Anna gain some advantage, the Ancient Demon Spider had been quietly gathering its strength again.


    Instead of the mouth, the spider was tilting its body up and pointing that spinneret toward them.


    "Tsk." Noel ced his hands on the ground.


    Ice Mirror.


    Snow Shield.


    Noel used the two techniques at the same time and amplified their power with the True Spirit Body.


    Giant ice crystals suddenly formed in rapid session, each bigger than the other.


    When the spider shot its web, the super corrosive web actually went through the ice crystals in an instant.


    "Eternal Frozen!"


    Noel summoned the mist so that the temperature became cooler, allowing his ice to drop the web''s outside temperature and ultimately freezing the web itself.


    "Go!" Noel shouted.


    They didn''t have much time. If the spider charged another attack, he didn''t know whether he could block the spider again or not.


    That was why they had to be fast. As long as they could somehow injure the spider, thetter would take them more carefully. They only needed to pass the spider and outrun it after that.


    However, right after Noel and Anna ran forward, they saw something even more unbelievable.


    The colossal spider actually jumped into the sky. With the height alone, covering a few hundred meters would be easy. It seemed that he had underestimated the mobility of this colossal spider.


    Noel dropped his jaw while saying with a pale face, "It can jump?"


    The moment the spidernded, the ground shook violently and each leg formed a big crater.

 Chapter 1090 Useless

    Chapter 1090 Useless


    ??The spidernded in front of them as if implying that they could challenge him directly.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. There were two big problems with that jump alone. First of all, that colossal body would be extremely heavy if the spider was able to create such a tremor from jumping alone. They could easily get squashed by that giant body if they were not careful.


    The second problem would be the spider''s mobility. It was said that ants were moving much faster than humans, but because humans had a far greater reach, they would never outrun humans.


    Right now, Noel and Anna are the ants. The fact that it could easily jump meant the spider could run as well. If it decided to chase after them, the spider could easily catch up to them.


    In other words, they had nowhere to run.


    Noel was trying to find their escape path, not expecting that an Ancient Demon would appear. Even if the spider was an Ancient Demon, he didn''t think it would be this ridiculously strong.


    The spider tilted its head down, gathering energy once again.


    They couldn''t stay here. Noel didn''t have the confidence to stop that ray of light one more time. At the same time, they couldn''t go left or right since the spider could easily tilt its head that way. The Superior Demons were ready to intercept them if they moved back.


    The only way to go was to the front. But moving underneath that enormous body could get them crushed.


    Noel clicked his tongue and chose to move diagonally to the left.


    Anna followed right behind him, wondering what their n was. In this situation, she shouldn''t suggest a n, which would just distract Noel. Instead, she should focus on giving Noel time to think.


    ''The body? No, I think I should aim for the legs. Even though those legs are sturdy enough to withstand the spider''s weight, if we can take out one or two legs, the spider won''t be able to chase us.'' Anna''s expression turned grim as she assessed the situation.


    Since she had found her target, she should get going. After ensuring that no one could harm Noel, Anna sped up, heading to the second right leg.


    As if noticing her movement, the spider lifted up its leg to avoid Anna''s attack.


    "!!!" Anna jumped into the air. The leg was so big, so lifting it would require some time.


    However, the spider itself was extremely tall, so she didn''t get enough jumping power. She considered choosing another leg, but she would end up going too far from Noel.


    Hence, Anna used the tform Rune to get the second jump.


    As if noticing what she nned to do, the spider chose to do something special.


    The spider pointed its leg toward Anna and tried to stomp her.


    With such an enormous body, the leg itself was as thick as a single tower in the airport.


    And this massive leg wasing straight at her.


    "Not good." Anna summoned another tform Rune, barely avoiding the leg. Or did she? "Wait!"


    The leg was actually not aiming for her. Its target was Noel.


    The spider was smart enough to position its leg so that Noel and Anna would align with its trajectory.


    Now that Anna had chosen to dodge, Noel was left alone on the ground.


    "¡­" Noel raised his head as if he were trying to time his dodge. However, the grass demon hadn''t given up on him.


    Numerous grasses grew around Noel as though they were trying to stop him even for a second. This way, the spider''s leg would hit him.


    Before the top was blocked, Noel waved his hand, freezing all the grass around him.


    After that, he jumped into the air, seeing the huge spider leg hit the ground.


    It formed a crater, and the soil in front of the leg''s trajectory was pushed forward, forming a small hill.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows. ''The opponent is too ridiculous. We are still fine, but the longer the battle drags on, the more we will be put at a disadvantage. The legs are good targets, but one wrong move will kill us.''


    Noel bit his lips. ''Can we actually defeat an Ancient Demon before reaching Spirit Transcendence Stage? I can''t see the path for victory. In that case¡­''


    Noel waved his hand up, shooting the Undying Phoenix to the spider''s body.


    "!!!" Anna noticed Noel''s counter attack, making her feel relieved.


    She then shifted her focus back to the leg. Using the falling momentum, Anna struck the enormous leg.


    Raging Blood Lightning.


    The sh of blood-colored lightningsted for a split second before a powerful eruption of lightning hit the spider''s leg.


    Bam!


    The spider tilted its body slightly as if feeling the force of that attack. At the same time, the Undying Phoenix had also reached the spider''s body and exploded, spreading the Undying me.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Boom!


    The spider should have been injured after all this, but to their surprise, the spider didn''t let out a single sound.


    "Huh?!" Noel widened his eyes, seeing the spider''s body. His Undying me, which was supposed to burn the spider''s skin, actually disappeared.


    It was then that he noticed the small hair that covered the body. He saw the fluctuation of energy that actually formed a barrier and dispersed the me.


    Anna was in the same predicament. Despite using everything she could, her sword actually failed to pierce the spider''s skin.


    She only made a small dent on the skin''s surface, which could easily be recovered.


    "What?" Anna gasped in disbelief.


    Both of their attacks were useless. How were they supposed to hurt the spider if that was the case?


    After all, both of them had amplified their power with the True Spirit Body. Yet all of it was useless.


    The spider gradually pulled back its leg as its body was moving down.


    "Not good!" Noel flew straight to Anna, ready to take her out of this ce as the spider was going to crush them with its body.


    ''No. He won''t make it with me.'' Anna spun her body mid-air and formed a tform Rune so that she couldunch herself to the ground.


    The time it took her to reach the ground was enough for Noel to overtake her. However, Noel didn''te to her because Anna was much faster on the ground, especially with the lightning boosting her speed.


    Yet, despite fleeing at full speed, they barely escaped from the spider''s enormous body. Thetter even produced a powerful shock wave when it touched the ground.


    "Kh!" Noelnded next to Anna and formed a Spiritual Barrier Rune to block the shock wave.


    The spider shocked him once again when the shock wave actually blew everything away, such as trees, boulders or even the topyer of the earth itself. And the thing that shocked him the most was actually what happened to his Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    *Crack!*


    A huge crack appeared on the Spiritual Barrier Rune. This rune was capable of stopping the attack of a peak Superior Demon. Yet a simple shock wave from the spider was enough to actually crack it.


    Noel''s face became pale. For the first time in his life, he was actually wondering, ''Can we even escape from here alive?''

 Chapter 1091 An Attack That Changed Everything

    Chapter 1091 An Attack That Changed Everything


    ??''Can we even escape from here alive?''


    Noel gritted his teeth. After getting shown the big difference in power, Noel finally understood what kind of nightmare an Ancient Demon was. It was no wonder why Laufey didn''t bring them in the previous attack.


    He couldn''t help but remember the time Dimitri used his True Spirit Body, just to barely escape from a Spirit Transcendence from the Supreme Devil Organization. Even then, the other two captains were severely injured at that time.


    Right now, the threat didn''te only from the Ancient Demon. There were other Superior and Peak Level Demons. They had controlled the lower level demons to avoid them getting swept by the attacks, but they still possessed some threat if they decided tounch a volley of attack to restrain Noel and Anna''s movements.


    ''Do I have to be a Spirit Transcendence forcefully? Just by absorbing enough demon crystals, it should be possible even though my skills won''t be at the level of Spirit Transcendence. But will it be enough?''


    When Noel was thinking, the lightning actually sparked all around him. Even the ice element that was naturally leaking out of his body lowered the temperature.


    "Mhmm?" Noel''s expression turned grim, noticing something. ''What? Our elements shouldn''t have¡­ Don''t tell me¡­ the reason why the Ancient Demon could crack the Spiritual Barrier Rune is because he infused spiritual energy into the shock wave?This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''No. Should I say he is shooting out multiple streams of spiritual energy and letting the shock wave carry it? This way, those streams of energy will turn into a spear. If that''s the case, it''s no wonder why the Spiritual Barrier Rune can crack because of a shock wave.''


    Noel had just realized that while the danger remained. There was also an opportunity.


    The way the Ancient Demon used its spiritual energy was fundamentally different.


    ''Is that how a Spirit Transcendence fights?'' Noel remembered the way the Sword Arbiter used his strength.


    He didn''t have any proof, but even if he didn''t try anything, it would be impossible to escape. So he chose to die trying.


    "Anna."


    "What?" Anna, who was also dumbstruck by the Ancient Demon''s capability, nced at Noel. Their morale was low, but Anna still noticed the trace of hope that his voice carried.


    "Conserve your energy and leave this to me. Remember to watch me because it might be useful for youter. Once I run out of spiritual energy, I''ll leave the rest to you."


    "What are you say¡ª" Anna abruptly stopped when she saw Noel''s resolute face. She ultimately nodded, agreeing to that decision.


    Noel was nning to risk his life in order for them to escape.


    While his Spiritual Barrier Rune remained intact, Noel raised his de on top of his head.


    He took a deep breath while gathering his energy into the de.


    ''Sword Transmutation? But even my strongest strike can''t prate its defense¡­ Can the Sword Transmutation, which is much weaker than my strike, deal any damage? Why not use Divine sh?'' Anna was observing him like he wanted to, only to get confused by his choice.


    Noel simply gathered as much energy as he could. After five seconds, he finally gathered ten percent of his total energy reserve.


    "Sword Transmutation." Noel swung his sword downward.


    The sword released the energy to the ground as thetter red up, creating a ten-meter curtain of pure energy that kept extending toward the spider.


    Because Anna''s strong strike didn''t deal any damage to its leg, the spider deemed this strike, which was less powerful, not dangerous. It didn''t even bother to lift up its leg or dodge it, nning to show Noel and Anna the true terror.


    However, that was a mistake. The spider only noticed at thest moment that this attack was different from anything they had shown so far, but that was toote.


    After all, Noel actually created twoyers of Sword Transmutation. The firstyer was just a simple spiritual energy that pushed anything in front of them forward. The secondyer was the real Sword Transmutation.


    In addition, before using the Sword Transmutation, Noel actually sent forth the emotion and element. Yes, Noel infused the emotion with ayer of spiritual energy. The same applies to the element.


    Because of the firstyer of Sword Transmutation, the twoyers of emotion and element were pushed forward in front of the real Sword Transmutation until it reached the spider''s leg. This was like how the shock wave carried streams of the spider''s spiritual energy.


    Just like hitting his barrier earlier, now that there was no way to go forward, all thoseyers popped out.


    The real Sword Transmutation suddenly fused with the emotion and element. Normally, this was done within the sword, which created a stable power. But due to the sudden fusion in the environment, the real Sword Transmutation became unstable.


    That instability caused a reaction to the spiritual energy in the air, which caused a burst of even more powerful energy.


    The Sword Transmutation shed for a second before it suddenly climbed the spider''s leg. The fusion with the element turned the Sword Transmutation into an ice wall on top of the leg, weakening the tough skin for a bit.


    Last but not least, the emotion he infused into the attack was the Anger, which drastically increased the sharpness of the sword strike.


    But due to the fact that it was frozen, all that sharp energy had nowhere to run. So the only thing it did was explode.


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    *Bam!*


    The ice wall exploded in rapid session from the ground to the spider''s leg. And all that power hit the leg, crushing the tough skinyer.


    *Scree!* The spider was wailing in pain as some crushed parts were deeper than others and spurted some blood.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. This was it. This was the secret to reaching the Spirit Transcendence. The reason why the Spirit Transcendence was so different from the Spirit Grandmaster was because the former incorporated nature into their power.


    Yes, Noel used the fusion of his spiritual energy, emotion, and element to cause a chain reaction with the spiritual energy in the air, drastically improving the explosive power of their attack.


    Obviously, Noel knew that this was only one way. Because they fundamentally released their power in a different way, he knew he could explore more of this power, not just the explosive power.


    He never thought that he could release this much power with just ten percent of his attack. If the opponent was a Superior Demon, they were either severely injured or died.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, understanding the way to move forward. And this might also be the only method to escape from the spider. This was his path to Transcendent.


    Noel could finally see that the Sword Saint didn''t exaggerate the record even a little bit. If he became a Spirit Transcendence, he might actually be able to cut a mountain in half with a single swing. For a Spirit King, he could easily change the map with his power.


    Next to him, Anna dropped her jaw to the ground. She couldn''t believe that a Sword Transmutation was able to release a power surpassing her strongest strike.


    She barely understood the concept, but she never thought it was possible.


    Sadly, their challenge was not over yet. Now that Noel was able to injure it, the spider turned around to face them. This time, the spider was not going to hold back and treated Noel as a huge threat. It could be said that the fight had just begun.

 Chapter 1092 Noel vs Demons

    Chapter 1092 Noel vs Demons


    ??Scree!


    The spider let out a loud screeching sound. Noel hurriedly put up the Spiritual Barrier Rune in front of them.


    As expected, he felt the impact of the shock wave. He knew that the spider would release a bit of its spiritual energy in this way.


    "Noel¡­" Anna was still shocked by Noel''s power. She couldn''t believe that Noel instantly surpassed her during this exchange.


    At the same time, she slightly understood the concept of the new power that might lead to Spirit Transcendence.


    Noel''s expression turned grim because the spider was gathering the energy in its mouth again, making him think that he would be using the same attack as the first one.


    Noel hurriedly prepared for the iing attack, only to find the spider suddenly lifting its body up and shooting out the web from its spinneret.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. He was so focused on the spider''s most powerful attack that he would end up falling for the spider''s trick.


    When the spider shot its web, Noel didn''t have a lot of time to prepare.


    He thought about cutting the web, but he didn''t know the reaction it would bring to the web. At the same time, utilizing his ice element would be a rather bad move since the web easily melted it and passed through it.


    However, there was one thing that he could try after gaining the new power.


    Instead of an ice mirror that was normally used for defense, Noel actually summoned an Ice Lotus above his head.


    This huge ice lotus sent forth its petals.


    Because this was an ice element technique, he couldn''t do it the same way as Sword Transmutation.


    However, there was something that could help him trigger a burst of energy from the petals. It was the Everchanging Emotion Sword Style.


    That was right. Noel incorporated his emotions into each petal. He had to use different emotions in those five petals to create the disturbance. Hence, he chose Joy, Guilt, Distress, Surprise, and Fear.


    He then let all these petals collide right before the web hit them.


    Joy produced a blunt force that was used to protect. Surprise boosted the defensive power. Distress and Guilt created two opposite powers, as they represented desperation and hesitation.


    Those two emotions were the ones causing the energy flow to change abruptly, hesitating to mix with them while desperately trying to enter.


    And the one that acted as the catalyst was Fear emotion, which boosted the speed.


    As a result, the process sped up, causing a burst of torrential energy that mixed with the ice petals.


    When the web hit them, it was the same as pushing another variable into the system, which caused the ice petals to explode.


    The explosion caused the ice to spread in the air, freezing the web in an instant. Even the corrosive power of that web wasn''t enough if they were covered in thick ice in just a split second.


    As if knowing what was going to happen, the Superior Demons and Peak Level Demons suddenly emerged from the woods to their right. The Ancient Demon Spider had expected Noel to block that attack, so it was just acting as bait.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The beasts were approaching at a fast speed.


    Anna turned around while holding her de, ready to engage them. This way, Noel could focus on the spider.


    However, Noel suddenly leaped toward these demons while saying, "Conserve your energy. And¡­ sorry."


    Anna was baffled. There was nothing to apologize for, so why would he do it?


    Noel showed the reason in his next attack.


    He gathered his spiritual energy from his sheathed sword.


    Normally, the Sword Transmutation would create a powerful and thick strike. But Noel could finally change the Sword Transmutation''s approach with this new method.


    Since he''d got the power to back up the Sword Transmutation, all he needed to do was speed. And he based this attack on Anna''s sword draw. It could be said that he stole it to perfect this technique.


    Noel took a deep breath and clenched the sword handle as hard as possible.


    When the demons were about to reach him, he unleashed everything in one go.


    Roar!


    Two Superior Demons noticed the attack and leaped into the air to avoid it. However, all Peak Level Demons and one Superior Demon acted one step toote.


    Noel made a quick draw, unleashing the Sword Transmutation horizontally.


    It created a crescent-shaped sword strike that flew for a good distance. But this time, the crescent shape became more elongated and disappeared right after a split-second spark of light.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But in that split second, the Sword Transmutation fused with Fear emotion and his ice element.


    Ro¡ª!


    The demons wanted to let out a roar, but they abruptly stopped.


    All Peak Level Demons were split in half along with all the trees and boulders within 50 meters in front of him.


    The Superior Demon that failed to dodge managed to block it, but both of its arms were gone and there was a deep wound on its chest. It was so injured that one more attack should be enough to kill it.


    Anna couldn''t believe that it was so easy to kill a Superior Demon. They usually needed twenty or thirty percent of their total spiritual energy to kill them. But Noel didn''t even use half of the usual amount.


    Still, these demons were yet another distraction. After that attack, the demons suddenly leaped away, bringing their injured friend away before Noel could kill it.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes as he noticed a powerful fluctuation from the spider. His gaze immediately shifted back to the spider.


    It turned out the spider wasn''t faking the attack from its mouth with the web. It had been gathering the energy in its mouth the whole time.


    Now that the spider had bought enough time to gather the necessary amount, it was time to shoot it.


    "This is it for me," said Noel while raising his sword. It was a signal to Anna, implying that he would be empty after this attack.


    Anna was perplexed, considering Noel only used ten percent of his power inside the airport, twenty percent to block the spider''s first attack, and another twenty percent for thest two shes and ice lotus. He should have half of his total power yet.


    However, what she didn''t know was that Noel nned to use the remaining energy for this one attack to create an opportunity for them to escape.


    Noel chose Divine sh as hisst attack.


    Just like the spider, this sh contained an enormous amount of energy.


    Noel took a deep breath, looking at the spider''s mouth.


    Scree!


    The spider spewed the same ray of light that was used to corrode everything in its path until there was nothing left.


    On the other hand, Noel swung his sword downward.


    Divine sh!


    The ray of light produced a green color while the Divine sh ran through the ground and expanded, releasing a burst of blue light that reflected the ice element in the air.


    When the two collided for the first time, the sky turned into two colors as if it were being split.


    The Divine sh mixed with the ice element tried to freeze the light itself, while thetter was corroding the ice and shattering it into pieces the next instant.


    The spiritual energy from both attacks shed, producing an earth-shattering shock wave that obliterated anything around the area.


    However, the conclusion was reached soon.


    After all, this was not Sword Transmutation but Divine sh.


    The Divine sh actually left behind a sword trail on the ground that reached ten meters deep underground.


    The ray of light ended up getting split into two, the residual light was still flowing but not in Noel and Anna''s direction, reducing everything in its way to nothing.


    "!!!" The spider looked shocked when the Divine sh managed to sh its ray apart. The Sword Strike continued on its path toward the spider.


    The spider knew that if an attack of that caliber were to hit him, it would definitely pierce through its skin and cut deep into its body. Once the Divine sh hit his head, it had the chance of killing him.


    At the same time, it just released too much energy in that attack, so it didn''t have enough energy to jump into the air.


    The only thing that the spider could do was drag its body to the side.


    When the Divine sh shed through the spider''s poison ray, it continued moving forward, albeit missing the spider''s head due to the spider''s exceptional prediction.


    The Divine sh ended up hitting the spider''s leg. The ice element froze it for a split second and weakened the tough skin before the residual energy from the Divine sh cut down the entire leg.


    Scree!


    The spider wailed in pain, but surprisingly, the attack didn''t end yet. The Divine sh still had enough energy to reach the second leg behind.


    Once again, the ice froze the leg and the Divine sh cut it down.


    The spider didn''t expect that it would suffer so many injuries when fighting against two Spirit Grandmasters.


    The Divine sh''s size had been reduced significantly. Even when it hit the third leg, it only managed to cut the leg slightly before exhausting all its energy.


    Anna sucked a cold breath. Noel actually managed to injure two of its legs and cut down another two when she struggled just to hurt one. This was the strength of the Spirit Transcendence.


    However, she didn''t have time to think.


    After that attack, Noel copsed to his knees and spat a mouthful of blood.


    "Gueeh!" Noel ced his hand on his chest. He exerted a power that surpassed what a Spirit Grandmaster could utilize, so it caused heavy injury internally. In addition, he didn''t have any more power left as his True Spirit Body was undone. Due to the side effects of the True Spirit Body, his injury became even more severe.


    The spiders were still focusing on its injury, but the Superior Demons tried to use this chance to kill Noel, treating him as the highest threat as he was able to injure the Ancient Demon to that degree.


    The two Superior Demons rushed toward him and the Grass Demon even summoned all the grass to create a prison for both him and Anna.


    ''This is not the time to be surprised. Noel''s aim wasn''t the spider, but its legs. With that injury, it shouldn''t be able to follow us. This is our only chance to escape.''


    Anna realized why Noel told her to conserve her energy. She hurriedly grabbed Noel from behind and carried him on her back.


    She enveloped their bodies in lightning, using her fastest speed to escape from here.

 Chapter 1093 New Utilization

    Chapter 1093 New Utilization


    ??While carrying Noel on her back, Anna turned around and headed in the opposite direction, trying to run away as far as possible.


    With such injuries, the spider would have trouble moving. It was even more impossible to support the entire body to make a jump like earlier.


    Hence, this was their biggest chance to escape.


    Seeing the tall grasses that surrounded them like a prison, Anna waved her sword to the ground, letting the lightning run through the ground and hit the grasses before dispersing in all directions, destroying all the grasses in the front.


    The spider was moving slowly, but it seemed that Noel had miscalcted one thing.


    Even though the spider couldn''t run, a single step it took easily covered fifty meters.


    If Anna wanted to outrun the spider, she would still need some time.


    The spider even shouted some webs to catch her.


    Anna turned around and pointed her sword at the web, shooting a lightning dragon at the web.


    Unlike Noel''s ice, the lightning element was more aggressive. When it shed with the web, the lightning sparked and sted the webs away, creating a huge hole in the middle.


    However, Anna couldn''t move too much during this period because she had to position herself within the hole when the web fell down.


    In the meantime, the two Superior Demons came closer, each of them having spiders on top of their bodies that formed their own webs to protect their bodies from the Ancient Demon Spider''s web.


    Anna clicked her tongue and waved her sword, sending a crescent-shaped lightning wave.


    One of the Superior Demons stepped forth and punched the air, creating an air torrent that pushed back the lightning wave.


    However, Anna''s strength wasn''t that easy to defeat. The lightning pierced through the air pressure even though it became weaker as it continued.


    Still, the lightning reached the Superior Demon and electrocuted him. The spiders on his back were fried and fell to the ground.


    However, the Superior Demon managed to withstand the lightning strike. Its body was letting out steam, but it didn''t have any sword wounds on its body.


    The other Superior Demon looped around and waved its ws. The spiritual energy extended the ws, forcing Anna to block them with her strength. She was even pushed back by this attack.


    "Kh." Anna couldn''t gain any advantage against these demons since she had to use one of her hands to hold Noel. Still, if this were Noel, he should be able to kill these Superior Demons or even force them to retreat with only one hand.


    Anna never thought that the gap between them had be so big.


    Suddenly, Noel''s voice echoed in her ears. It was still weak, but his voice was very clear.


    "Calm down. You should have seen my attacks and grasped a bit of it. The way we utilize our spiritual energy is different. Don''t ask and maintain your focus while listening to me."


    Anna was startled, but after listening to him, she didn''t bother to even nce at him to check his condition.


    "Utilize nature to your advantage. If it''s not possible, you just have to force nature to get involved. You should be able to do it."


    "!!!" Anna couldn''t help but think, ''Differently? Nature? Now that I think about it, his element only gets utilized when they are about to hit the target¡­ He is separating them so that the collisions between energy and element can suck even more energy from the surroundings, like a vortex?''


    ''If that''s true, then¡­'' Anna didn''t continue, but the answer was clear. If the concept was like that, it would benefit her more than Noel. After all, she had the original soul. ''Oi.''


    The original Anna inside her sword replied, ''No need to exin. I already understand what you''re thinking. I will control the lightning, since I''m better than you in controlling it.''


    ''In that case, I will take care of the spiritual energy.''


    There was no one who could do better than them in terms of timing.


    Because the demon managed to stop her, the Grass Demon immediately grew the grasses around them again, this time trapping Anna and the Superior Demon at the same time. This prison would be a ring for them to fight to the death while the Ancient Demon Spider caught up.


    However, Anna chose to leap back, breaking free from the ws.


    Then she raised her sword, her spiritual energy flowing into the sword.


    If she stabbed the ground with just this, the spiritual energy would release a shock wave that would blow away everything around her.


    However, it wouldn''t work against a Superior Demon.


    That was why, when the sword was about to touch the ground, the original Anna sparked the lightning. The spiritual energy would act like a condensed gas while the lightning would be the spark that lit up this gas, causing a massive explosion.


    However, the explosion in this case was the spark of lightning. Instead of the lightning that went in all directions, it actually formed a spherical barrier.


    Anything that touched the barrier was obliterated by the violent lightning energy. The extension of the ws shattered into pieces and the grasses simply snapped and burned until nothing was left.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was the first time she released an ability with such a level of power without a lot of spiritual energy. ''That''s¡­''


    ''Yeah.'' The original Anna smirked. ''So that''s the Transcendent Path¡­ To think that he was able to realize it during the battle against an Ancient Demon. What a great man he is. How about changing with me? I''ll reward him with a lot of things.''


    ''I agree with rewarding him, but I''ll ignore the rest. Still, we have to escape first. Lend me your strength.''


    ''Of course.''


    Since the lightning sphere had destroyed the grass prison, Anna could escape from this ce.


    As expected, the Superior Demon hurriedly looped around as if trying to block her.


    Little did it know, the first thing that Anna nned to do was actually kill him. Yes, Anna jumped toward the Superior Demon, taking it by surprise.


    Roar!


    The demon waved both paws, nning to crush Anna with its ws.


    Instead of gathering her energy in her sword to parry the ws, Anna actually caused a burst of essence underneath her foot. The original Anna boosted the explosive power with lightning.


    Itunched Anna at the demon, closing the gap between them in an instant.


    Anna then kicked the demon to stop her momentum and shed the demon''s left arm. The right arm was about to reach her, but Anna simply moved even faster. Just like the burst on her foot, she used the same technique on her sword, causing it to instantly swing to the other side, cutting the demon''s right arm.


    Now that the obstacles were gone, it was time to kill the demon.


    As if knowing what Anna wanted to do, the small spiders on the other Superior Demon actually shot out their webs and pulled the demon back so that Anna didn''t kill it.


    "Tsk." Anna stomped the ground, nning to catch up.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Noel said, "Enough."


    In that instant, Noel tossed the Rune Card, albeit weakly. Still, it didn''t matter. The Enhance Forward Rune allowed the card to fly on its own.


    Then the mechanism would activate the Meteor Rune embedded in it, forming a huge sphere without using Noel''s own energy.


    For the finishing touch, Noel sent forth his fire element to lit up the spiritual energy sphere, turning it into that of a ck sun.


    "!!!" The demon panicked, but there was nothing it could do as the Meteor Rune hit him and engulfed himpletely.


    Roar!


    The demon let out onest roar before copsing to the ground.


    "Noel. You''re fine?!" Anna looked shocked, but she soon realized that Noel used the gathering rune to recover his spiritual energy a bit faster.


    And with the Rune Card, he didn''t have to supply his own spiritual energy to use the rune. All he needed to do was use the element to increase the firepower, which didn''t require a lot of energy. In addition, the True Spirit Body might hurt his connection with the spirit, but that only applied to Heisk. He still had Ardagan.


    With thebination of the two, Noel could still fight even in such a state. It seemed that the Rune Cards were much more useful than he originally imed.


    Apparently, it also became the mark of thepletion of his mission.


    [Mission: One With Spirit.]


    [Description: Incorporate the elements in everything (Sword, Technique, and Rune)]


    [Reward: Elemental Medal and 2 Elemental Abilities.]

 Chapter 1094 Outplayed

    Chapter 1094 Outyed


    ??[Mission: One With Spirit.]


    [Description: Incorporate the elements in everything (Sword, Technique, and Rune)]


    [Reward: Elemental Medal and 2 Elemental Abilities.]


    Noel was surprised that this mission took so long toplete. He thought thatbining the Rune and Element was impossible.


    However, the concept itself had already existed, and it was for the transcendent path. If he realized it sooner, he would have be a Spirit Transcendence easier.


    Still,pletion waspletion. He was d to have itpleted.


    Medal: Elemental Medal


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Effect: Elemental Power +20%


    [You''ve acquired Ice Wave.]


    [You''ve acquired Blossoming Fire Roses.]


    "¡­" Noel just brushed the rewards off for the time being, considering they were in still a bad predicament. They should get away from the spider, who had been gathering his energy. Noel tapped Anna''s shoulder, snapping her back from her shock.


    "!!!" Anna''s body shook before she turned around, using the lightning to escape from this ce.


    Anna hurriedly moved to the west, but soon found a cloud of dusting from the front.


    "Huh?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows. Even Noel said, "They''re blocking us."


    Anna realized that they had been moving all their low level demons around so that they would be able to block their path like this.


    "Tsk!" Anna clicked her tongue. Even with her full power, she couldn''t pierce through a few thousand demons at once. In addition, the spider was still charging its power behind them, ready to shoot at any time.


    However, with the front being blocked, they only had one direction to go. It was to go to the north since the other two directions were blocked by a Superior Demon and an Ancient Demon.


    Without hesitation, Anna turned around and headed to the north, trying to get outside the spider''s shooting range.


    Even Noel didn''t say anything about her decision. This was the only thing they could do.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the spider didn''t n to let them go. Even though the spider hadn''t gathered the usual amount of spiritual energy, it was preparing to release that ray of light so that Anna would still get a hit.


    This whole time, only Noel had been taking on its attack, so Anna shouldn''t have the power to block this attack.


    "Noel, sorry!" Anna abruptly turned around when her instincts warned her about the danger. Noel''s body was flung to the side, causing him to fall off her body.


    Noel supported his body with his hands, knowing that Anna had to take this attack head-on if they wanted to escape.


    However, taking this attack meant allowing the demons to approach them. They might end up having to break through their rank if they wanted to escape. This was probably the spider''s true intention.


    "Aahhh!" Anna screamed as the blood lightning began to spark violently around her body, shattering the soil and crushing the trees.


    "Thunder Berserker Spirit. I need more power!" Anna gritted her teeth. Her Spirit Veins started to surface on her skin as they were glowing.


    "!!!" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. Spirit Veins were supposed to remain inside because they were the tunnels for spiritual energy.


    However, Anna was actually forcing it to surface. This time, he saw another concept that he had never thought of before.


    Anna was actually doing this so that the Spirit Veins would actually take in the spiritual energy in the air, boosting her firepower even more.


    It was risky, but the power that came from it was enough to make up for it.


    Suddenly, six lightning spheres appeared around her. The spheres were only as big as their palms, but each of them was filled with concentrated spiritual energy.


    Anna waved her hand, controlling the spheres to move forward. Each sphere then began to link up with each other, creating a hexagon.


    All six of them started channeling that concentrated energy into the middle, forming the seventh sphere that carried all their energy.


    The spider shot out its ray of light.


    Anna was the same.


    "Blood Lightning Cannon!" Anna shouted to ignore her pain.


    The seventh sphere shot out a massive beam that was made of raging lightning.


    The two beams shed mid-air, their energies entangled with each other but not fused with each other, coloring the sky with their colors.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, using the tree on his back to stop the shock wave. He hurriedly grabbed for his Rune Card and deployed the Spiritual Barrier Rune. He truly didn''t have enough strength to block the shock wave alone.


    However, this also showed that Anna''s strength was gradually approaching the transcendent path.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel raised his head, looking at the collision of their attacks. Neither side was losing. In terms of firepower, Anna''s attack was superior because the spider couldn''t shoot the usual amount of energy while Anna had the Original Anna and Thunder Berserker Spirit helping her.


    However, Anna''s blood lightning focused on its prative force, while the spider had extraordinary corrosive power.


    Its ray of light kept chipping away at Anna''s beam at high speed. Thetter tried to prate the spider''s ray and dispersed the ray of light in all directions except for their own.


    Anna noticed that she would be losing soon, so she pped her hand, utilizing thest power from her beam to cause a massive explosion.


    Boom!


    The explosion hit the spider''s head, causing it to be knocked to the side.


    The disturbance caused the spider to retract its attack.


    Scree!


    The spider looked angry after its attack failed to kill them. However, it had aplished its original purpose.


    The demons were approaching Anna and Noel from the side. They were looping around in order to surround them.


    "We have to go!" Anna rushed back to Noel, preparing to carry him.


    But her instinct actually picked up numerous demons in the north.


    "Huh? So fast?!" Anna never thought that the demons would be this fast.


    "No. They are¡­ different¡­" Noel sucked a cold breath. "The Ancient Demon Spider''s original subordinates."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. Now that she thought about it, the spider came toward them with only a group of Superior Demons and Peak Level Demons. An Ancient Demon should have been surrounded by numerous demons, not just those elite demons.


    They thought the demons that were supposed to protect the Ancient Demon Spiders were the ones in the airport. However, it was not correct. Those demons were under the Superior Demons.


    They were distracted by the appearance of spiders, which made them think that way.


    However, the real army of demons under the Ancient Demon Spider was always waiting.


    The higher the rank of a demon, the smarter they were. Even the Superior Demon Flower they met on the previous battlefield couldmand the demons brilliantly.


    It seemed that both she and Noel had underestimated the intelligence of an Ancient Demon.


    "We''ve been had." Noel''s expression turned pale. They had been outyed¡­ by a demon.


    Thatst cry was actually an order for the demons under the Ancient Demon Spider to make their appearance, not the spider''s way to unleash its anger.


    If previously, they were still in a condition to escape. This time, they werepletely defeated.


    Anna nced to the right. That was right. Because they had run quite far, there was still an opening to the right.


    Unfortunately for her, the Ancient Demon Spider moved all its four right legs to their right, which sealed their escape route.


    In the north, there were more than ten thousand demons under themand of the Ancient Demon Spider. On the west side, there were another five to six thousand demons. On the east, the Ancient Demon Spider had sealed the route. Last but not least, the Superior Grass Demon and another Superior Demon from the airport had actually joined up with the other Superior Demons to seal their southern path.


    With this, they werepletely surrounded from all sides.


    ''Impossible. Noel is actually being outyed by the Ancient Demon Spider? How is it possible? What about the Demon King? Is the Demon King smarter than this? What kind of level mind game did the ancestors y against the Demon King in the past.


    ''Can we even beat the Demon King? No, are we even able to escape from this ce?'' Anna gulped down. This was the bigger problem. This might be the ce where they fell in battle.


    "NO. I can''t give up! It''s better to die trying than surrender." Anna gritted her teeth. Out of the four paths, the easiest one would be the west. The south was the second best path because they had a low number, but it was still hard to break through multiple Superior Demons at once, especially in their current condition. The Superior Demons'' strength was also quite powerful, which would allow them to stop their advance for a bit, allowing the others to catch up and kill them.


    Hence, Anna charged at the thousands of demons in the west while carrying Noel on her back.


    "This is not the ce we''re going to die! If I''m going to die, it will be on the bed because of old age." Anna shouted while jumping into the demon rank, causing an outburst of lightning thatunched multiple demons into the air.

 Chapter 1095 Decision

    Chapter 1095 Decision


    ??Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons were charging from all directions, trying to devour Anna and Noel.


    "Get away!" Anna waved her sword forth, releasing her sword strike that cut down more than fifty demons at once.


    However, the gap that she managed to create ended up getting filled up with another batch of demons.


    Anna gritted her teeth and started striking them down, advancing forward step by step.


    She unleashed her lightning attack, exhausting a lot of her spiritual energy to widen the path while protecting Noel on her back.


    There were multiple demons that tried to attack Noel instead of her, forcing Anna to spin her body and block their attacks instead.


    Noel threw the remaining Intermediate Rune Cards, blowing them up with the Meteor Rune and mowing them down with the Rain of Light Rune.


    They managed to advance a bit more, but it was useless.


    Noel could sense with his medal that the demons simply looped around and filled up their numbers with the demons within their ranks or the demons under the Ancient Demon.


    Anna kept unleashing her attack. She only wanted to get far enough so that the Ancient Demon Spider''s ray of poison couldn''t hit them.


    However, the Ancient Demon Spider simply walked a step, which covered the distance they managed to create in ten seconds.


    It was basically impossible for them to escape unless they were fast enough. If Noel still had enough energy to fight them, they might still have a chance.


    However, Noel had just be a liability.


    Even though he supported Anna with his Rune Cards, the numbers were limited. It didn''t even take long before Noel realized that his pocket was already empty.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, thinking that this was it. Normally, he would just toss himself away from Anna, allowing her to escape by herself.


    However, he didn''t do it for two reasons. First of all, knowing Anna''s personality, the first thing she did was turn around. Even if he exined it to her, Anna would just argue with him, which ended up stopping her. And the second reason was that Anna didn''t have enough spiritual energy left to break through from the very beginning.


    All these low level demons were just throwing their own bodies against them, trying to stop their movements.


    Even Anna wouldn''t be beaten by them. However, once she got exhausted by their number, the Ancient Demon Spider would release his attack and kill her. After all, both of them had noticed that the Ancient Demon Spider was gradually charging its energy to kill them.


    That was why escaping was futile from the beginning.


    More importantly, there was no way the other Superior Demons would let them get away easily. In fact, they might be the force that had the highest possibility of killing them since they had a smaller bodypared to the Demon Spider and strong enough power to contend against Anna.


    As expected, the first one to make their move was the Grass Demon. The grass around Anna suddenly grew, this time circling around her wrists and ankles.


    "!!!" Anna''s movement was restrained for a half second before she realized it and let out a burst of energy to shatter the grass.


    "Haaa!" Anna shouted while shing her sword, but that split second was enough. After all, she didn''t manage to sh fast enough for several demons.


    Two of them used their bodies to restrain Anna''s hand, slowing it down even further. Meanwhile, one Advanced Level Demon took advantage of this opportunity and punched Anna.


    Noel extended his hand, but he didn''t have enough strength to block it. He managed to reduce the impact, but the punch stillunched both of them away.


    Noel ended up getting separated from Anna andnding two meters from her. The other demons surrounded him immediately.


    "Tsk!" Anna hurriedly stood up and moved toward Noel, shing all the demons around her while ignoring the bleeding on her head.


    However, after fighting for so long, her body had be tattered and her energy had been exhausted.


    No matter how strong Anna was, with enough numbers, she would eventually be defeated.


    Because she saved Noel, the demons behind her scratched her back with their ws.


    "Kh!" Anna gritted her teeth. Despite w injuries on her back, she still spun around and killed the demons behind her, nning to take Noel away with her.


    Unfortunately, even Anna knew that there was no way to escape from this ce. She just refused to admit it.


    Looking at his wife fighting so hard, Noel gritted his teeth. He had done everything correctly, except one. He miscalcted the strength and intelligence of an Ancient Demon.


    What a good husband! Because of his mistake, he and his wife would die here.


    However, there might be one more solution to escape from here. He had never considered it before because the situation was never this desperate. After all, this would be hisst trump card.


    Noel clenched his sword tightly as if conveying his intention directly to Ardagan.


    As expected, Ardagan understood it and replied to him.


    [You''re going to die if you do this.]


    Noel smiled. "So be it. If I don''t do this, we both won''t survive. If I can at least save Anna, it doesn''t really matter. I won''t regret my decision."


    Ardagan didn''t say another word. However, there was a spark of me around Ardagan.


    "NO!" Anna tried to save Noel from all the demons that were about to gnaw him.


    However, the ck me red up and instantly engulfed the demons around him, reducing them to ashes.


    Noel gradually stood up and held Ardagan with both hands, stabbing the ground.


    The clicking sound was like a bell that signified great importance.


    The me was in a frenzy, expanding in all directions.


    Noel took a deep breath before making a deration out loud, "ARDAGAN!"


    In response, the ck me flickered and killed even more demons, but when it was about to reach Anna, it suddenly circled around her and protected her back.


    Anna was stunned. She didn''t know why, but her instinct was telling her that Noel shouldn''t do it.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t care what''s going to happen to me! Lend me your strength! I know that you keep giving me missions so that I can grow, but I also know that you are able to give me all those abilities without a mission. Just this once, please lend me your strength!"


    Anna''s face became pale as if understanding what Noel was nning to do. "NOOO!"


    "If I don''t have enough spiritual energy, use my life force! If my Spirit Veins are broken, use my blood vessels. If my Spirit Heart is destroyed, use my human''s heart. Give me the power so that I don''t have another regret in this life!"


    "STOP! Noel!" Anna rushed to Noel, trying to stop him from doing it. His condition was that he was in no state to fight. If he continued, he would definitely die.


    Unfortunately, she realized it toote.


    A ck me appeared around Noel''s body. This ck me formed a pair of jet-ck wings and a big ring on his back. His body started getting covered by a ck-colored ming tattoo that emerged from the Spirit Seal on his hand.


    "True Spirit Body, Undying Infernal Body!"

 Chapter 1096 Escape

    Chapter 1096 Escape


    ??"True Spirit Body, Undying Infernal Body!"


    The me let out its final burst, engulfing all the demons around them.


    "Noel!" Anna finally reached him, but it was toote. She looked into his eyes while biting her lips.


    Noel smiled for a second, but they didn''t have a lot of time as the demons continued swarming them.


    The Ancient Demon Spider was also rmed after knowing that Noel, who managed to injure him, actually rose once again.


    Scree!


    The Ancient Demon Spider ordered the demons to kill him. Even the Grass Demon hurriedly summoned its grasses to restrain Noel.


    However, with a single wave of his hand, Noel sent out a superheated gale. With the True Spirit Body, Noel''s Fire Gale was not ordinary anymore.


    The ground turned dry as if all the water content inside had evaporated. The weeds and seeds were reduced to nothing, making the groundpletely barren. The demons got their skin brushed by this gale and ended up with burned skin. Some of them even caught fire or melted.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons were wailing in pain.


    The Grass Demon simply couldn''t believe it. A single gale was all it took to render him useless.


    The Ancient Demon Spider hurriedly shot out its ray of poison, even if there were other demons standing in its path. Noel had simply be a tad too strong for a Spirit Grandmaster.


    Noel nced at the iing green-colored ray.


    The ck wings on his back suddenly expanded as Noel pulled Anna into his embrace as the wings wrapped around them, protecting the couple from the poison ray.


    The green-colored light hit them in full force. A lot of demons were corroded until nothing remained. No one inside the attack range was spared, even if it was Peak Level Demons.


    However, the poison ray actually posed no harm to the ck wings.


    In fact, the spider could actually see the wing burning down the ray before it even touched them.


    "!!!" The spider looked shocked as this wasn''t supposed to happen. No matter what, Noel was still a Spirit Grandmaster while he was an Ancient Demon. In addition, he was half-dead not long ago.


    Anna looked at Noel worriedly. She could see ck veins appearing all over Noel''s body. It was the same as her gathering more energy from the Thunder Berserker Spirit earlier.


    Noel''s face was already pale as if his own life were being drained away. She noticed blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.


    "Noel¡­" Anna wanted him to stop, but before she could do it, Noel had retracted his wings.


    The spider''s poison ray had created a huge path to escape for both of them. However, Noel knew that the spider would definitely chase him.


    Hence, Noel waved his hand up while muttering in a low voice. "Blossom! Undying Rose."


    "!!!" The spider looked down. All of a sudden, ck-colored veins and roots emerged from the ground as they started circling around his legs.


    Scree!


    The spider was wailing in pain. These veins and roots were actually melting its tough skin. He hurriedly released all his spiritual energy to blow away the fire.


    However, that spiritual energy ended up feeding Noel''s me even more.


    The giant veins grew up, acting as a stem. When it reached all the way to its base, a few holes appeared on the veins as roses started to bloom, creating ominous ck roses.


    Scree!


    The spider started to be desperate. It shot out the webs onto its own legs, covering the ck me. This was the only way to actually suppress the ck me.


    The spider started rampaging in the area because of the hot me, which ended up distracting him.


    Meanwhile, Noel started flying in the opposite direction, using the gap that the poison ray created earlier.


    Other demons hurriedly patched it up, but Noel almost got out by the time they managed to stand in his way.


    Without hesitation, Noel pped its wings, sending forth more than twenty feathers ahead.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The feathers burst into me once they touched their targets, engulfing the demons and everything around them, including trees.


    The me spread wide, which was actually Noel''s target. The trees would end up bing their wall of fire, preventing others from catching up to them.


    In addition, all the demons that stood in their ways had been burned down to the ground. Noel took this chance to fly out of the encirclement.


    The demons that tried to chase after them had to go through the me wall. Some dared to break through, only to meet their ends by being engulfed by me. Some tried to loop around, but Noel had spread his mes as far as possible with those twenty feathers, causing them to take a long time to loop around.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    By the time they reached the end, Noel was already far away.


    "Noel, stop! Let me take care of you from here. Don''t use your power anymore!" Anna struggled, but Noel refused to budge. He was using his own spiritual energy to increase their pace, which was slightly faster than Anna''s speed.


    Tears started streaming down her face. The reason she wanted him to stop was because he had exerted too much power.


    His face was already so white that she might mistake him for a ghost. The skin of his fingers was drying up as though he had been in water for several hours.


    Blood was alreadying out of his eyes, mouth, nose, ears, and even his pores. The veins had popped, causing severe damage inside his body.


    If this continued, he would die. She didn''t want it.


    However, Noel refused to stop. He continued to fly for another two minutes before eventuallynding next to a big tree.


    The moment his feet reached the ground, the fire ring and wings on his back disappeared, and the ck me tattoo returned to the Spirit Seal.


    Noel ced his hand on the tree, barely supporting his body.


    "Gah!" He spat a mouthful of blood as he could feel his own heartbeat gradually slow down. He ended up falling down.


    "Noel!" Anna gritted her teeth as she caught him carefully. She flipped him around and ced her hand on his chest to check his condition.


    She couldn''t describe how horrible it was.


    "No, no, no!" Anna panicked. She had toe up with something fast to save him.


    Noel panted weakly while looking at the sky. "I''m d¡­ At least you''re fine."


    "Stop talking!" Anna was staring at his body. She had to fix the veins first. There was Noel''s Force Control technique. After he showed her the Force Control during the training with Old Ru, she had been learning it from time to time, so she could use it for a bit.


    However, the Force Control used the target''s own recovery to stimte their regeneration. It wasn''t suitable for Noel''s condition since his spiritual energy had dried up and his veins had been tattered.


    "This might also be fate. In our previous lives, we died at the peak of the grandmaster stage. Even in this timeline, we would actually have suffered the same thing¡­ except that this time, I managed to beat fate. At the very least, you survive." Noel smiled while holding her left hand, his grip weakening by the second.


    "Stop talking! I''m going to heal you right away!" Anna looked around. "You only used low level skills like wings, feathers, and gale. Only that rose is powerful. You knew that using too many high level skills would be harmful. There''s still a chance! That''s right. The pills that the Sword Saint gave you!"


    Anna hurriedly searched for those pills in Noel''s body since he always brings them everywhere.


    "I know my body''s condition. Even that pill will only close the wounds, not bring back my life force. It won''t be enough." Noel started gasping for air, knowing his end was near. "You know what¡­ My goal was to escape the chains that restrained us. I wanted to be free¡­ the most free person in this world. I guess¡­ it''s not possible. I have put the strongest shackle on myself¡­ the shackle called love."


    If he wanted to be freed from all the restraints, it wasn''t only fate, obligation, or responsibility. He also had to escape from the shackle in his heart.


    For that, Noel had failed as there was no way he couldn''t escape this shackle. However, Noel could actually say with a smile, "But¡­ I never regretted it once. At the very least, this¡­


    different from our previous lives¡­"


    Anna reached out for the pocket on Noel''s pants, feeling the bulge of a pouch that he used to carry the remaining two pills.


    However, when she grabbed the pouch, her body shook and her expression turned aghast. The weak grip on her hand waspletely gone.

 Chapter 1097 Where?

    Chapter 1097 Where?


    ??"Eh?" Anna''s heart sank when she lost the feeling of the grip. She looked at Noel, who looked so peaceful.


    "No, no, no!" Anna''s face turned extremely pale. Her hand moved to his heart, realizing that it had stopped beating.


    "What fate? What freedom! You''re going to be freed from death itself!" Anna gritted her teeth. No matter what, she had to do everything she could before giving up.


    Without hesitation, she started pumping Noel''s chest with both of her hands. "Come back to me! How dare you die before me!"


    Anna didn''t get any response, so she changed her approach due to the wounds that Noel suffered. She ced the pill between her teeth and inserted it directly into Noel''s mouth, using her own tongue and spiritual energy to guide the pill into his body.


    In that instant, the pill released a burst of energy that closed Noel''s wounds. However, she couldn''t help but remember Noel saying that the pill was not enough because the injury wasn''t just external and internal. He had used up all his life force.


    "I''m not going to let you die! If there is an underworld that dares to take you away from me, I''m going there to bring you back." Anna shouted while pumping his chest again. "That''s right, my blood¡­"


    While her spirit was Thunder Berserker, her True Spirit Body was up. And this body could use some abilities regarding blood.


    Without hesitation, Anna grabbed her sword and slit her wrist, allowing the blood to pour down. She positioned her wrist right on top of Noel''s mouth so that the blood would immediately fall to the back of his throat.


    ''Don''t lose focus. My blood is notpatible with Noel. I have to carefully direct them and avoid coagting with his blood¡­'' Anna let her left hand supply the blood as she controlled the blood inside of his body with her right hand.


    She directed the blood toward his veins before letting it coagte in the holes of his veins. In addition, her blood contained a lot of her own life force. She tried to let the energy within her blood mingle with Noel''s body and eventually harmonize them.


    Due to her condition and intense workload, Anna''s face turned pale as her own vision had be a bit blurry. Still, she didn''t give up. She tried her best to save Noel.


    "Come back to me. If you die, it means that I win against you in terms of age. I''ll dieter than you. Are you fine with that?" Anna started to be desperate, just trying to say anything to keep herself sane while calling Noel back.


    Anna gritted her teeth and ced her hands on his chest once again. This time, she didn''t pump it normally. Instead, she used her lightning to beat his heart. "Come back, you bastard! You are going to regret leaving me alone!"


    She couldn''t contain her tears from streaming down like a fountain. The longer the time passed, the more it was impossible to bring him back.


    Anna opened his mouth again and started blowing her breath. She closed her eyes while saying inwardly, ''Don''t leave me¡­''


    Meanwhile, Ardagan was activated onest time as if he hadn''t lost his owner yet. And the only thing that was activated was the mission.


    [Mission Complete.]


    [Mission: Fighting the Unknown. (Completed)]


    [Description: An unknown danger is looming in the area. Overrelying on the system is bad. Figure out the unknown and defeat it with your own strength.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ''What is this? Where am I?'' Noel muttered inwardly. He couldn''t open his eyes as he kept sinking as though he were inside water. Still, he could breathe. ''It''s dark. Is there no light around here?''


    Noel''s consciousness was a bit fuzzy.


    ''I don''t know what''s happening. Are my eyebrows twitching? I feel like something is pressing my chest.''


    Noel calmed himself down, trying to remember what happened.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Ah! I have died. So this is where I go after dying? Ardagan?'' Noel tried to move his body but to no avail. ''I hope that Anna doesn''t follow me to death. Well, there is also the threat from the Demon King¡­ Then again, I''ve died. Should I care about it anymore? Ah right? Does this mean the Ardagan family''s bloodline ends with me? Jeez, why am I thinking all this now that I''ve died? It''s not like I can change anything.''


    Noel sighed. To his surprise, something actually bumped his back.


    ''Ehm?'' Noel didn''t understand, but when his lower body and head actually touched the same thing as his momentum stopped, he realized it. ''Did I just touch the bottom?''


    ''No, wait. Is the temperature gradually rising? I feel a bit warmer now¡­''


    Suddenly, despite the darknessing from his closed eyes, Noel noticed that there was a light that sneaked into the microscopic gaps between his eyelids. ''Light? Now that I think about it¡­ I can move my body now?''


    Noel tried to move his hands and feet. Surprised that he could move them, Noel proceeded to lift his body by touching the ground underneath him.


    Gradually, he opened his eyes, noticing that there was indeed a light source out here.


    However, he got yet another surprise.


    "What is this?" Noel gasped. The scenery before him only appeared in fairy tales. "Where am I?"


    Noel seemed to be sitting on the edge of a very tall cliff. From his position, he could see a very vast horizon.


    In front of him was a giant mountain, rising into the sky. There was a meandering river path from the mountain to his current position.


    On the left side of the river, he could see a rainforest. Thevish green made the scenery a bit cooler. On the other side was yet another forest, but the trees on this side seemed to be vastly different from the other side.


    However, what actually shocked him the most were the inhabitants of this forest.


    Standing near the top of the snow-covered mountain was a giant phoenix. It had a blue color as though its body were made of ice. It spread its wings.


    The fact that he could easily see the phoenix that was located a few kilometers away from him and still considered it big reflected the actual size of the phoenix.


    In the rainforest, there was a towering rocky formation. At the very top, he could see a winged red lizard basking in the sunlight. Its size was actuallyparable to that of the phoenix.


    That wasn''t all. He found yet another peculiar beast in the other forest. It had an elongated neck that could reach up to a hundred meters.


    "All of them are actually bigger than the spiders. They look extremely strong as well. And what is this ce? I can feel boundless spiritual energy floating in the air." Noel lowered his vision, noticing the small beasts that traveled under the trees. He even noticed the shadow underneath the water, which was actually one kilometer long.


    "What is this ce? Is this a demon paradise or something? But they don''t look like demons. So is this something like the heavens? But I''ve killed a lot of people¡­ There''s no way I can go there." Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Hahaha. You can call this ce anything you like." Suddenly, a man''s voice echoed from behind him.


    Noel tried to turn his head around, wondering who just said those words.


    But before he knew it, Noel actually lowered his head and his body was moving without his permission.


    ''Eh?'' Noel widened his eyes. ''Did I just kneel? And I did it like it''s a natural thing to do.''

 Chapter 1098 Unexpected Encounter

    Chapter 1098 Unexpected Encounter


    ??Noel was still in a state of shock, not knowing what had just happened. He couldn''t help but wonder why he kneeled.


    It felt like the person before him had a status so high that it was only natural for him to kneel. There was an indescribable feeling that wanted him to submit.


    Noel''s body was shaking as if he were trying to resist it. He didn''t mind kneeling for a lord. At the end of the day, he still had to acknowledge the royal family.


    But it was unpleasant to kneel before someone he didn''t even know.


    As if knowing his thoughts, the person suddenly said, "Don''t y around too much, Ardagan. I''m thankful for your loyalty, but look at our little friend here¡­ He is ufortable."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. After that, he suddenly stopped feeling that weird sensation and could actually lift up his head, finding a man standing in front of him.


    The man had short, blond hair and a pair of golden eyes that dimly glowed. He looked mature and gentle as if he were looking at a kid. But the one that shocked him the most was the aura this person had. It gave him a reassuring feeling, but it also made Noel feel like there was an insurmountable wall before him.


    "Who¡ªGah!" Noel couldn''t continue. There was nothing behind him, but it felt like he was being strangled from behind, as if someone was telling him not to be rude.


    "It''s fine, Ardagan. He is Milinda''s descendant and doesn''t know anything about me. Besides, he''s the person you choose."


    "!!!" Noel nced to the back, finding no one. It appeared that Ardagan was within him, doing all this. The fact that he knew Ardagan meant he was rted to him in any way. He even mentioned his ancestor. "Are you¡­ my ancestor?"


    "Mhmm¡­" The person rubbed his chin as if contemting it seriously. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself first to make you understand quickly. I''m what you call Spirit God."


    "!!!" Noel dropped his jaws to the ground, staring at him in disbelief. At the same time, he said it so casually that it was hard to deny it. The fact that Ardagan didn''t do anything means he should be telling the truth.


    After all, Ardagan was created by the Spirit God.


    Still, this was the first time he saw the Spirit God. He never thought the Spirit God would look like a human. At the same time, he understood that he was a humanoid spirit. Yet Heisk didn''t lookpletely like a human. Even the Thunder Berserker Spirit had a humanoid body but still retained some body parts that didn''te from humans, like his horns.


    He never thought that the man before him was actually the Spirit God.


    ''He looks¡­ too ordinary¡­ No, wait. There is that ethereal feeling from him¡­'' Noel gulped down as he couldn''t help but think, ''Is he matching the human appearance so that it''s easier to talk to me? But why would I meet the Spirit God?''


    Noel fell silent for a moment before saying, "I greet the Spirit God. I''d like to thank you for allowing me to possess two spirits. They have helped me a lot."


    A smile formed on the Spirit God''s face. "Is that so? In that case, why do you sound like you are not attached to them?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel became hesitant once he knew the other party''s identity. At the same time, he never thought he would meet the Spirit God in this way. It was a bitckluster, but it actually gave him a more easygoing atmosphere, which allowed for light-hearted conversation to happen.


    "I''ve been watching you. You are someone who thinks about a lot of things. Why don''t you show me your thoughts? I''ll allow it."


    Noel hesitated for another few seconds before deciding to open his mouth. "It''s because I have died. The scenery before me is amazing, yet it looks like a fairy tale. The fact that Ardagan has some influence on my body makes me realize that this is not my world.


    "From that alone, I believe that this is an afterlife. However, I still can''t confirm whether this is a spirit world or not. If yes, then is it possible for the humans who have died to actuallye to this ce after they die?


    "More importantly, it''s your existence. Despite the connection between my world and the spirit world, I havee to realize that you have been treating both sides fairly.


    "There are two reasons. First of all, every human has a spirit inside their body, which has already given them the possibility to rise through the ranks. The same applies to the spirit. Even if they are at the lowest rank, if humans continue to grow, they will also do the same.


    "The second reason is that¡­ they were my partners before I died. If this is an afterlife, I don''t think it''s appropriate to call them that way anymore.


    "Instead, I should focus on building a different type of rtionship, one that is equal with them. I believe that''s how I can repay them for helping me from the beginning." Noel exined everything in his mind.


    The Spirit God''s expression mellowed a bit as though he were satisfied with the answer.


    "If I say¡­ you can go back to the world of living, what will you do?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes. Obviously, he wanted to go back and meet Anna again. There were still a lot of things they hadn''t done. He wanted to make more memories with her until the end of time. But when he opened his mouth, the words stuck in his tongue.


    There was one concern that crept into his heart. He said, "I don''t know. I''d be happy to know if I could go back to the world of living. But that depends on the circumstances. Would I be someone different? What kind of price would a person who has died need to pay to return?"


    The Spirit God smiled. "In that case, I''ll change my question. Why do you think you are here?"


    "Why am I here?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. If this was the afterlife, it was only natural for him to be here.


    But the Spirit God actually asked him a reason. There were multiple possibilities, such as the fact that he wasn''t dead or in a state of pseudo-death currently.


    Noel thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I''m afraid I don''t know the answer."


    The Spirit God closed his eyes while saying, "Ardagan."


    Ardagan responded by showing a screen panel.


    [Mission Complete.]


    [Mission: Fighting the Unknown. (Completed)]


    [Description: An unknown danger is looming in the area. Overrelying on the system is bad. Figure out the unknown and defeat it with your own strength.]


    [Reward: ???]


    "Huh?" Noel widened his eyes. "But I didn''t defeat the spider."


    "It seems that you still don''t understand." The Spirit God chuckled. "I''ll give you a clue. What will the spider do to recover?"


    "Using spiritual energy to recover¡­ No, before it''s a demon, it''s an animal." Noel suddenly gasped. "Don''t tell me¡­ Shedding skin?!"


    The Spirit God''s lips curved a little bit.


    ''Shedding skin¡­ It''s a process to remove the dead/damaged body. The spider sheds their hard-exterior exoskeleton, which allows the spider to grow and rece its exoskeleton with a fresher model. It''s called Molting. For several animals, shedding their skins is like a rebirth¡­'' Noel sucked a cold breath, not believing what was actually happening.


    "It seems that you understand why you managed toplete the mission." The Spirit God nodded gently.


    "That''s¡­" Noel didn''t expect that the reward was rted to the Spirit God. On the one hand, the fact that the spider was molting meant it didn''t follow Anna. On the other hand, it also meant that the spider would fully recover from its injury after some time.


    While he was still worried about it, he couldn''t help but wonder why the Spirit God mentioned him returning to the living world and showing this mission.


    ''Is the reward about revival or something? He is a god, so that might be possible. But even in the Moon Temple, I have only heard about Heaven and Hell, nothing about Reincarnation or Revival. Even Anna is manipting time to a different timeline.''


    As if reading his thoughts, the Spirit God chuckled.


    "Indeed. Meeting me is a part of your reward, but this time, it''s not the actual reward. Your reward for defeating that spider is¡­"

 Chapter 1099 Problems

    Chapter 1099 Problems


    ??"Your reward for defeating that spider is¡­ actually something you have to decide."


    "Eh? I have to decide it myself?" Noel blinked his eyes a few times.


    "Indeed. Whether you want to return or not, you have to make that decision." The Spirit God confirmed it with a nod.


    "Then, I want to return," Noel said without hesitation. There was no need to choose. As long as he could revive, he would do it.


    However, the Spirit God actually raised his hand, gesturing him to stop. "I know your excitement, but the method is rather special. So hear me out for a moment."


    "I apologize." Noel looked down. Still, he was excited that he could be revived. He clenched his hands into fists, determined to go back. But the decision he had to make was rather a hard one.


    "The only way for you to go back to the living world is by repairing your body and recovering your life force. I''m sure you are already aware of it."


    "Yes." Noel nodded. If he didn''t know, he wouldn''t say that the pill from the Sword Saint wasn''t enough.


    "Your body can be repaired with the pill you have. In fact, thatdy has done it for you."


    "¡­" Noel looked down. He couldn''t really say it was a waste, considering Anna''s desperation.


    "The question is, how are we going to restore your life force?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel didn''t know. If he had known such a thing, he would have fought longer and nned it much better.


    That was when the Spirit God gave him an unexpected answer. "Unfortunately, it''s going to be impossible to replenish human''s life force."


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook. He thought that the Spirit God would give him a solution. But it seemed that it was impossible. When he was about to feel disappointed, he suddenly noticed something in his words. "Human''s¡­ life force?"


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm Noel widened his eyes and raised his head, staring at the Spirit God in disbelief.


    "Indeed. I can''t replenish a human''s life force. But what do you think the Spirit''s life force is?"


    "Spiritual energy?"


    "Indeed. The spiritual energy can rece a spirit''s life force."


    "!!!" Noel understood what he was trying to say. It was no wonder why the Spirit God asked him to listen first. The only way to resurrect him was by turning him into a spirit. "I see."


    "There are two good news and two bad news that you''ll have to consider before making your decision." The Spirit God raised two fingers. "I''ll begin with the good news. First of all, there aren''t many changes if you decide to live as a spirit. You won''t have a different body or end up having a spirit child. You and thatdy won''t face any weird problems during your daily life."


    That was indeed good news. It would be troublesome if Anna suddenly gave birth to a child with a horn or something after all. And if his body looked different, the royal family could brand him as someone who had integrated himself with demons. Even if he exined it was with the spirit, they wouldn''t believe him. People were afraid of the unknown.


    Since this had never happened before, only a small portion of people would believe him.


    "The second good news is that this can be considered an upgrade to your power. You will be half-human, half- spirit, meaning you can unleash much more power than before."


    Noel fell silent. It was indeed a tempting offer. However, he couldn''t help but worry about the bad news. He gulped down, listening carefully.


    "Onto the bad news, it will be your age. Because you''re going to turn into a half-spirit, your lifespan will increase drastically."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    The Moon Goddess had been alive for more than a century. He didn''t know about other spirits, but most likely, they could easily live for more than a few hundred years, if not thousands of years.


    For a human, it was like having an endless lifespan. On the one hand, it was good to live for a very long time. On the other hand, living too long would shred their hearts apart.


    First of all, Anna would die, while his appearance would look as if he hadn''t aged. Then he would witness the next generation, and the next generation after that would die before him. He didn''t know how many painful experiences would tear his heart apart.


    That was why the Spirit God ssified this as bad news instead of good news.


    Noel could also choose to take his own life, but¡­ could he?


    Noel gulped down. After thinking for a while, he bit his lips while saying, "I understand. This world is vast¡­ I can always travel, explore new areas and find new encounters. As long as I stay true to myself, I don''t think I will go crazy."


    The Spirit God smiled. "Then the second bad news is¡­ to replenish your life force, your body has to be turned into a spirit so that you can use the spiritual energy to replenish your life force.


    "But in order to turn your body into that of a spirit, I will need another spirit to do it."


    "Another spirit?" Noel fell silent for a moment. There was only one spirit that came into his mind.


    It was the weapon spirit that was said to be crafted by the Spirit God himself. This was the only spirit that was artificial. "Don''t tell me¡­"


    Noel''s face turned pale as if he couldn''t believe the price he had to pay.


    "That''s right. In order to turn you into a spirit, I will have to reforge your own body with Ardagan. In other words, you and Ardagan will merge. Ardagan will forever be bound to you.


    "Your descendants won''t be able to inherit Ardagan or the system anymore. They won''t be able to turn their lives around like you do.


    "You said earlier that you can go around the world. But you have to remember that from now on, once you perish, so will Ardagan."


    Noel''s body trembled. He wasn''t prepared for the second bad news. The Spirit God was telling him that he had to pick between Anna and Ardagan. If he picked Anna, his partner and his family would suffer.


    If he picked Ardagan, it meant that he couldn''t go back. He had to choose between friendship and love.


    When Noel was faced such a problem, his heart sank.

 Chapter 1100 Returning

    Chapter 1100 Returning


    ??Noel gritted his teeth.


    As if responding to Noel''s feeling, Ardagan spoke directly in his mind.


    [It''s not a hard decision, isn''t it? If you don''t go back, there simply won''t be any sessor of the Ardagan family. It will be the same as me not having another potential master who is qualified to wield me. Meanwhile, if you go back, I can still serve you¡­ for hundreds of years. It''s the same as having a few generations of masters.]


    "It''s not easy!" Noel clenched his hands into fists. "You''ve been helping me from the beginning."


    Noel closed his eyes, recalling all the memories they had together.


    At the beginning, it was Ardagan who gave him the power to take down his opponent and rise through the ranks. He was able to keep up with Anna.


    When he was in confusion, it was Ardagan who gave him missions to relieve his doubt.


    At a time, Ardagan was like an elder who guided him through all his mistakes. On another asion, Ardagan was like his best friend, apanying him and supporting him through hard times.


    For Noel, Ardagan was like a family.


    Yet, after everything that Ardagan had done, he repaid him by sacrificing him for the sake of his own selfishness in wanting to revive.


    Noel couldn''t simply make a decision. His heart was torn.


    Noel personally couldn''t forgive the person who would do such a thing to him. He imagined Tristan, whom he raised as his disciple, suddenly betraying him in this manner. He didn''t know if he could even forgive him.


    So there was no way he could do the same thing as what he didn''t want others to do to him. He wasn''t a hypocrite.


    [As expected, even though you are a genius in all sorts of areas, you can be such a fool at a time like this.]


    "Wha¡ª" Noel''s body shook, not expecting Ardagan, who never insulted him, to actually call him a fool.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm [Haven''t you realized it? How long have we spent in this ce? How much time could a man go without a beating heart?]


    "!!!" Noel trembled. Now that he thought about it, he was supposed to be dead and had no chance to resurrect. The Spirit God told him he would be a half-spirit, half-human, but he still had that human side. Even if he could resurrect the body with the former, the human side had to be revived as well.


    And to do that, he needed his heart beating.


    "You¡­" Noel fully understood what he actually meant.


    [I''ve made my decision. And now, it''s time for you to make a decision. It''s not about sacrifice. It''s about what you''re nning to do from now on.]


    That was right. To make his heart beat, the Spirit God had actually refined a portion of Ardagan and integrated it with Noel''s heart before the conversation began, allowing the spiritual energy to replenish his Spirit Heart while giving Anna the opportunity to wake up his human''s heart.


    In other words, the moment he reached here, Ardagan had already made the decision to integrate himself with Noel.


    The only thing that was left was Noel''s decision. Would he choose to reject this and perish together with Ardagan? Or would he agree and fully integrate with Ardagan?


    Noel bit his lips and said with a low voice, "I apologize for my rudeness, Spirit God. However, I''d like to request one thing."


    The Spirit God''s expression turned serious. "What is it?"


    Noel dered his intention out loud. "I''d like you to be the witness of my oath. I, Noel Ardagan, solemnly swear that Ardagan will be my brother. I will definitely realize my goal so as to not disappoint his expectations of me.


    "And I, too, will spare no efforts to fulfill his wishes. I will make the Ardagan family prosper and eliminate the demons from the world.


    "Please be the witness of this oath. May you give me divine punishment if I ever stray from my path."


    Noel''s oath was pretty simple. The first part contained how Noel would treat Ardagan from now on. He was his savior. Noel was extremely protective of his family, so he would definitely do anything to protect Ardagan.


    The second part was his and Ardagan''s goals. It was his desire to fulfill those goals.


    The third part was his obligation, simr to what his ancestors had done in this world.


    These three parts were mixed into one single oath, giving it a simple look yet having an exceptional binding effect.


    The Spirit God smiled. "And that''s why Ardagan chose you. Fine with me. I shall be the witness to your oath. Please take care of Ardagan for me."


    "Yes." Noel furiously nodded.


    "Before I begin, I''m going to tell you a few things." The Spirit God paused for a moment. "You will be able to use Ardagan the way you''ve been wielding him since the beginning. Nothing will change, including the system. However, because of this integration, the True Spirit Body will undergo a change, considering you are now a half spirit.


    "Even if Heisk''s True Spirit Body won''t be affected, there will be something different for Ardagan. And even I don''t know what shape it will take.


    "At the same time, due to this intense process, Ardagan might fall into a slumber for a period of time. In other words, you can''t use his power. Take this into ount when youe up with a n.


    "And you say that you wish to eliminate the demons, right?"


    "Y-yes." Noel nodded, thinking that the Spirit God supported this decision because demons and spirits had been shing for a long time.


    "In that case, I''ll give you three tips. Firstly, go to the beast kingdom and do whatever you need to gain the Diva''s cooperation."


    "Diva¡­" Noel didn''t know who he was talking about, but considering the Spirit God oversaw everything, this Diva should be someone special.


    "Secondly, go to the Zaecuria Kingdom and head ten degrees to the south from where the sun is rising. Believe me and sail no matter how rough the journey is. Whatever you find on that journey will definitely help you in the fight against a demon king."


    "!!!" Noel was already aware that this world was a big ce. There might bend across the sea.


    The Spirit God was simply confirming that theory and even went all the way to give the direction.


    Thatnd might have resources or survivors. Either way, it would be best to check it first.


    "Last but not least, it will be hard for your wife to follow you with that body. So I''ll give her something as well." The Spirit God touched Noel''s forehead with his index finger.


    In an instant, Noel felt an influx of information in his brain. It was the same as when Ardagan gave him something.


    However, he noticed that the information suddenly disappeared from his mind.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused, thinking that something must have gone wrong. Yet the Spirit God didn''t give any reaction.


    "It''s time for you to go." The Spirit God snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a beautiful pink me red up from underneath Noel''s feet.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "This is¡­" Noel panicked. The pink me didn''t look menacing, but it gave off an aura that actually made his me shiver as though it recognized the pink me''s superiority.


    The pink me instantly engulfed Noel''s entire body. The spiritual energy was also pouring inside, bing the fire''s fuel.


    Noel''s eyelids suddenly became heavy as though he hadn''t slept for a few weeks.


    "There''s no need to resist." The Spirit God''s voice became soothing.


    Noel''s body was still shivering for a moment, but when he closed his eyes, his body also stopped moving.


    The spiritual energy gradually lifted him up into the air as Noel''s body vanished from the world.


    The Spirit God watched Noel disappear with a smile.


    "He is unique, isn''t he?" A female''s voice suddenly echoed from behind the Spirit God.


    The Spirit God nced back with a smile on his face. "Milinda¡­"


    Yeah, the one behind him was actually Noel''s ancestor, the first host of Ardagan, Milinda.


    "Even Ardagan is charmed by him. He is going to be one hell of a monster¡­ one that will make those demons shiver just from hearing his name¡­ like you." Milinda harrumphed.


    "Who knows? But¡­ yeah, I''ve blessed him with good fortune. I''m looking forward to what he can achieve in the future." The Spirit God closed his eyes while walking away.

 Chapter 1101 Weird

    Chapter 1101 Weird


    ??"Mhmm¡­" Noel let out a soft groan as he gradually opened his eyes. The ce was dimly lit but strangely warm.


    "Kh." Noel felt his body was a bit too stiff. ''Is this the side effect of merging with Ardagan? I have a hard time moving my body. Does my body turn into a sword or something?''


    Noel lifted up his head, trying to see the rest of his body.


    However, he soon found out the answer to why his body was like this. Anna was sleeping on top of him. They were both naked and covered with a big nket on top so that they could warm each other up.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, knowing that Anna was worried about him. In addition, it didn''t seem that a day had passed. The sky had turned orange, but they should still have an hour before it was fully set.


    They were actually inside a cave and there was a fire pit next to them. It seemed that Anna had moved them to a different spot after saving him.


    At the same time, he noticed her pale face. It didn''t seem toe from worries.


    Out of curiosity, Noel tried to release his spiritual energy to see whether he could use it or not. The Spirit God only forbade him from using the fire element after all.


    Once he saw the spiritual energy, Noel channeled it into Anna''s body to check her condition.


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows.


    ''Hmm? Something is wrong with her body¡­ Did she bleed profusely?'' Noel explored her body with his spiritual energy and ultimately noticed the multiple cuts on her wrist. ''This is¡­ Her True Spirit Body is rted to blood as well¡­ Don''t tell me, she used her own blood to help me?''


    Noel bit his lips. It seemed that Anna had suffered much more than he originally thought. With a sad smile, he just patted her head and stroke her hair. "Thank you¡­"


    All of a sudden, his hand suddenly glowed with a beautiful, purplish white color.


    "Huh?" Noel was confused, not knowing what his hand was doing.


    However, this color exuded some spiritual energy that gradually moved toward Anna''s forehead.


    "This is¡­" Noel noticed that the spiritual energy condensed and formed a lightning mark on her forehead.


    When it was done, the spiritual energy started to react to this mark and enveloped her in a translucent white sphere.


    "What is happening?" Noel could only remember what the Spirit God said. "Is this the reward? Or is it something else?"


    He thought the transfer was a failure, but it seemed that he was wrong. The light sphere floated two meters above the ground. Not only her spiritual energy, but her condition improved much further. Her pale face gradually regained its color, making Noel slightly relieved.


    While he was worried about her, he was also curious about his current condition.


    He rose from the ground and started moving body.


    "There is nothing weird with my body. I can move just fine. The spiritual energy¡­" Noel suddenly fell silent. Now that he thought about it, he could sense something weird this whole time.


    It was as if numerous needles were poking him. Surprisingly, these needles weren''t hurt. Instead, they acted like a funnel for the warm air enter his body.


    "Is this what it means to be a half-spirit? Sensing the spiritual energy will be much easier with this¡­ And there is still that spider. It might still be recovering, but it''ll be bad if the spider decides to attack humans.


    "In that case, I have to be a Spirit Transcendence as quickly as possible. My wounds have been closed as well¡­'' Noel fell silent for a moment.


    He tried to open the system, which was still functional. Even the mission that allowed him to return was still there.


    "Ardagan¡­" Noel muttered. His face became even more determined. He would simply reach a level that wasn''t possible in the past.


    "There might even be strength above the Spirit King. I can''t find it right now, but in the future¡­ when I begin traveling around the world, I''ll definitely discover it."


    Noel clenched his fists, but he had to shift his attention back to Anna when he sensed the spiritual energy around her had be less concentrated.


    Noel raised his head and found out that the sphere gradually vanished into thin air. The sphere popped like a balloon as Anna fell down.


    He swiftly caught her and looked at her forehead. The lightning mark gradually disappeared into the skin like the Spirit Seal.


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm He didn''t know the purpose of that mark, but he knew that it would be extraordinary. The one who gave it was the Spirit God after all.


    "Mhmmm¡­" Anna let out a soft moan as she gradually opened her eyes. The first thing that appeared in her vision was Noel''s face. "Noel¡­ Am I¡­ dreaming?"


    Noel put on a gentle smile. "No, you''re not dreaming. I''ve recovered thanks to you."


    "!!!" Anna''s fuzzy eyes instantly turned clear. Her voice was shaking, but her lips gradually curved. "Not dreaming¡­ you''re alive¡­"


    "Yes."


    "You''re still alive!" Anna just hugged him tightly, her tears welling up in her eyes. "You''re not dead. You''re not dead. You''re not dead!"


    Noel could feel the pain of her losing him in this hug. It tore his heart apart.


    "Yeah. I''m still alive. I''m with you here." Noel picked up the nket with his spiritual energy, covering her body so that she didn''t feel cold.


    "Ah!" Anna shivered when she felt the nket. She looked down, realizing that they were still naked. She hurriedly wiped her tears while saying, "Put me down. Put me down. We need to get dressed first!"


    Noel chuckled and gently put her down. It was already a miracle to be able to be with her again, so he didn''t ask for more.


    Anna just felt relieved and began to put on her clothes. "I thought I would lose you forever¡­"


    "Me too."


    "You''re not going to do that again, right? Promise me."


    "There''s no way I can promise something like that. For you, I don''t mind sacrificing myself. You know that."


    "Are you going to leave me alone?" She bit her lips.


    "I don''t. But the only thing I can promise you is that¡­ I''ll definitely consider our safety a top priority. I''ll definitely not let the same thing happen in my n. Is that enough?"


    Anna let out a long sigh. "Fine. That''s enough for now. But know that I''m going to follow you to death if you dare to die again¡­ and I''ll bring down some demons with me."


    Noel just smiled. He didn''t know how to exin to Anna his current condition.


    Fortunately, Anna was actually the one who mentioned a matter rted to it. While touching her forehead, she couldn''t help but ask, "Noel¡­ I''m feeling weird right now. I don''t know why but I feel like there is something on my forehead. I also think that certain knowledge is added to my brain. It''s a foreign feeling¡­ I don''t know what is happening¡­"


    "I can exin that. I think I should tell you about what has happened since I died." Noel paused for a moment. "But I think there is one more thing we should take care of before we have time to discuss that matter."


    "A problem?"


    "Yeah. It''s Dimitri. Has a day passed yet?"


    "Ah!" Anna almost forgot that Dimitri was supposed to arrive soon. If they got intercepted by those demons, the ship would fall and even Dimitri might die in the process.


    "There you have it. Let''s go to the rendezvous point or even further than that to avoid another sh with those demons. The spider seems to be recovering from its wounds, so we still have some time.


    "During that time, we will somehow be a Spirit Transcendence with this new transcendent path and eliminate them. What do you think?"


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. She was also curious about this new knowledge. And from the way Noel worded it, something amazing must have happened after that.


    Even she thought that it was impossible to bring Noel back when she discharged lightning to pump his heart.


    "Alright."


    "How is your condition? I can carry you if you feel too weak. Just point out the direction." Noel asked.


    "I''m¡­ strangely filled with energy. I''m not at my peak, but I can still move around at high speed. Is it rted to this weird thing on my forehead?"


    "Yes. But don''t push yourself too hard, alright? Tell me if you feel ufortable or tired."


    "En." Anna nodded with a smile.


    "Let''s go then." Noel extended his hand.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Anna just held his hand tightly as if not wanting to let it go once more.

 Chapter 1102 Test

    Chapter 1102 Test


    ??Fortunately, by the time they reached the area, Dimitri hadn''t arrived yet. Hence, they immediately went a bit further down the south, which would intercept the airship farther from the Ancient Demon.


    They ended up meeting Dimitri more than ten kilometers south of the airport.


    He immediatelynded the airship and met up with Noel and Anna.


    "What? You want me to stop?" Dimitri''s expression turned grim. There was no way he could follow that order, considering his task was to bring the demon meat and preserve it to be sold.


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "It can''t really be helped. Or if you don''t want to stop, it''s better to head to another destination."


    "Another destination? Is there something wrong with this destination, Master?" Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows, feeling something was wrong. There was no way Noel would stop him if nothing happened.


    Noel thought it would be too bothersome to lie to Dimitri since thetter would find it sooner orter.


    Noel said, "Yeah. There is an Ancient Demon hiding in the airport."


    "An Ancient Demon?" Dimitri gasped while taking a step back. However, he soon realized that both of them must have shed with the Ancient Demon or they wouldn''t have known about it. "Master¡­ you¡­"


    If he told him that he died after fighting the Ancient Demon Spider, Dimitri would definitely use whatever he could to stop him from venturing any more.


    At the very least, he had told him about the Ancient Demon Spider. He could fill the rest with some lies. "Anna and I barely escaped with our True Spirit Bodies. The Ancient Demon is much more terrifying than we originally thought.


    "It is capable of making a strategic move and even controlling a lot of demons in the area. If not for our quick reaction, we would have died."


    Anna noticed the lies and decided to support him by adding, "If you bring the airship close to that Ancient Demon, it can release a ray of corrosive light that will reduce the airship and everyone inside it to nothing with a single shot. Hence, it''s not wise to go to this destination."


    "Master¡ª!" Dimitri was fuming. No matter what, the Ancient Demon was terrifying. They were even more terrifying than a Spirit Transcendence. Thetter was like a solo fighter, while the former controlled demons.


    Noel stopped him from saying anything else. He eximed, "But¡­ that escape also provided us with something."


    "Huh?" Dimitri frowned. What could the Ancient Demon Spider give them other than terror?


    Noel raised one finger. "Transcendent path."


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock. "What? Are you saying¡­"


    "Yeah. After analyzing the way the Ancient Demon fought, we found a new way of fighting that suits us. It gave much stronger power output and a new fighting style."


    "¡­" Dimitri was shaken. On the one hand, he wanted to stop them from continuing this hunt. After all, they would surelye back and challenge the Ancient Demon again. Even if he stopped them, Noel and Anna would simply sneak out. On the other hand, he also understood that this hunt was for the sake of reaching Spirit Transcendence.


    The fact that Noel and Anna imed to have found their path meant they could be Spirit Transcendence by simply absorbing the demon crystal and building up their energy reserve to that level.


    Noel raised two fingers. "That''s why I hope that you don''t stop us. In exchange, I will promise you two things. First, we won''t challenge the Ancient Demon again until we are fully recovered. Second, we will have to be a Spirit Transcendence expert first before fighting that demon. Those are the two I can promise you."


    If they became a Spirit Transcendence, it meant they would be the Ancient Demon''s equal. No, they would definitely have an upper advantage, considering it would be two versus one.


    Dimitri bit his lips. Noel had given him all this reassurance so that he would ept his decision.


    Despite how worried he was, Dimitri had no choice but to ept.


    "I understand."


    Noel smiled, feeling relieved that Dimitri had epted it.


    "However, I have a condition as well, Master. This is for the sake of the Ardagan family."


    "Alright." Noel nodded.


    "Please show me that transcendent path. It''s not that I am doubting you, Master. But I can''t allow you to go unless I know that you have the power to challenge that Ancient Demon.


    "I also understand that the Ancient Demon can wake up anytime and lead numerous demons to the kingdom, which means our territory will be the first line of defense. I know that challenging that demon here is a way to ensure that it doesn''t happen while experiencing the power of an Ancient Demon.


    "But I hope that you''ll listen to my rude request. I can''t afford to lose both you and thedy I serve. More importantly, you haven''t even produced an heir that I and the rest of the subordinates can pledge our loyalty to. Please allow this mere butler a chance to make his heart feel relieved." Dimitri lowered his head.


    Noel thought for a moment and said, "Alright. But we will have to go much further from here to avoid the detection of that spider."


    "Understood. Please follow me to the airship."


    They came up to the airship and immediately departed until they were more than fifty kilometers away from the airport. Considering the spider could move one kilometer with a single jump or the Grass Demon''s superior detection ability, this kind of precaution was necessary.


    The people were confused because Noel and Dimitri ended up standing 50 meters apart.


    "What is this?"


    "What is Mr. Dimitri doing?"


    "Is he trying to fight the Lord?"


    "What are we supposed to do?"


    The people inside the airship were watching them in panic.


    "Since I have yet to fully recover, we will only end this with two strikes. You may attack me once and I will block it, and vice versa. Will that be alright with you?" Noel asked with a solemn expression.


    "Yes, Master. Thank you for epting this rude servant''s request." Dimitri formed a de with his shadow power.


    "You might want to use your True Spirit Body." Noel smiled.


    "I don''t believe that was a taunt for me. Nevertheless, I''m here to witness your so-called transcendent path, not to hurt you, Master."


    "Very well, you may start." Noel nodded.


    "In that case¡­" Dimitri gathered his spiritual energy in his sword. He lifted up the de and closed his stance a little. This was the same technique that Dimitri used when he fought against a Devil Bishop in Silica Valley. It was a simr technique to his Sword Transmutation.


    "I apologize for attacking you, Master." Dimitri waved his sword upward. The shadow energy ran through the ground and rose into the sky, forming a tall curtain.


    Noel stood still, even though the sharp energy was about toe toward him.


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes. Things had started getting dangerous since this attack contained a lot of his power. If Noel didn''t take this seriously, he might end up getting severely injured. "Master!"


    A small ice crystal appeared in front of Noel. He extended his hand as though he were about to grab that ice crystal. But the thing he caught was actually Dimitri''s Dark Curtain.


    With this, the ice crystal was surrounded by his palm and Dimitri''s sword strike. The ice crystal shook violently and burst, releasing all the frozen energy. Due to the fact that Noel''s hand was covered in ice element, the ice crystal had no other ce to spread but Dimitri''s sword strike.


    Eternal Frozen.


    "!!!" Dimitri widened his eyes in shock as the conclusion came in an instant.


    The burst of violent ice energy froze his Dark Curtain and covered it in a thick iceyer. Even the spiritual energy within the Dark Curtain wasn''t spared. No, it could be said that Noel actually used that spiritual energy to freeze his attack from the inside as well.


    And that frozen energy spread so fast that it covered more than fifty meters in just two seconds.


    Dimitri dropped his jaw to the ground in disbelief. This was definitely much different from the fighting style he knew.


    The frozen Dark Curtain ended up shattering into pieces like an ice berg before disappearing.


    "Are you going to continue, Dimitri?" Noel asked.


    Dimitri bit his lips and raised his sword. "Yes, Young Master. Please allow me to taste your strength."


    "Since you''re not using your True Spirit Body, I won''t use my element this time. Only my sword strike¡­" Noel opened his hand and formed an ice sword. Unfortunately, he couldn''t use Ardagan, considering the me originated from Ardagan''s real body, which was the de. Even the system was frozen.


    The only thing he could use was checking his status and changing his medals. Apparently, those medals had been embedded within his own spiritual energy reserve, so he could still use them, but not the rest of the function.


    Even then, it was enough for the time being.


    Noel raised his de above his head and swung downward. "Be careful, Dimitri. Sword Transmutation."


    The sword strike ran through the ground like Dimitri''s Dark Curtain, but it didn''t re up into the sky.


    Instead, it maintained all its energy inside as though it were saving up for the most important thing.


    Dimitri didn''t think this attack would be dangerous for him. He waved his sword horizontally, trying to split it into two.


    However, the energy from the Sword Transmutation suddenly red up at thest second.


    Bam!


    Their sh, which was supposed to be normal, suddenly turned into a powerful sh that split the night sky into two. Dimitri''s shadow power darkened the sky itself, but it was being overwhelmed by therge spike of Noel''s bluish sword strike.


    "Kh!" Dimitri gritted his teeth. How? He didn''t understand why the sword strike suddenly became so powerful, but it took a lot of his power just to stop it.


    In fact, the sword strike started pushing him back. As Noel said, if he could make this sword strike even more powerful with his element, it was understandable that he needed True Spirit Body if he wanted to receive this attack.


    He finally understood that Noel''s current level was very close to Devil Saint Alexander and Commander Oscar''s.


    By the time he stopped this attack, the shadow de evaporated into thin air as both of his hands became numb. Without him realizing it, he had been pushed back for more than thirty meters.


    "Kh." Dimitri panted heavily, looking at his master. He had never thought that the young master, who had never started training physically a few years ago, had actually surpassed him.


    ''He¡­ might be able to reach his ancestor level in the future.'' Dimitri couldn''t help but smile. Knowing that one fact made him realize that Noel wasn''t someone who needed his protection anymore.


    Dimitri walked toward Noel with a solemn expression before falling on one knee.


    "I apologize for my rudeness, Master. I shall follow your order and retreat for today before making a trip to the next destination in the west."


    Noel smiled and patted Dimitri''s shoulder. "I know that you''re just worried about me and I''m grateful for it. If not for your care, I might not be alive now."


    Noel helped him up, which made him embarrassed.


    "Please believe in me, Dimitri."


    "Yes, Master." Dimitri nodded with a gratified smile on his face.


    "And¡­ I have to request something."


    "Is there something wrong? I''ll definitely solve it for you."


    "No, it''s not that of a problem. As you can see, due to some reasons, I''m unable to wield Ardagan for the time being. I don''t know for how long, so¡­" Noel looked away.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Ah! Do you need a sword recement?"


    "Yeah."


    "In that case, I''ll go back and bring you my sword. I rarely use it anymore since it''s a bad image for a butler going around with a sword on his waist." Dimitri smiled. "And if you aren''t satisfied, I can ask Roel to make a sword for you. Nevermind, there is actually an auction one month from now. If I''m not wrong, there should be a very good de in the catalog."


    "Is that so?" Noel gave a wry smile, knowing that this was Dimitri''s trick to make him go back home. But Noel simply said, "Alright. I''ll go back during that time and make sure to prepare for it as well."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 1103 Annas Reaction

    Chapter 1103 Anna''s Reaction


    ??"Mhmm¡­ so that''s the problem." Anna looked down for a moment after Noel exined everything regarding everything that happened after he died.


    "Yeah. I know that it''s a lot to take. Even I was overwhelmed in the beginning¡­" Noel nodded in understanding.


    "No. That''s not the problem." Anna shook her head and pointed at Noel with a grunted expression. "The problem is¡­ does this mean I''m going to lose to you?"


    "Lose? What lose?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "I''m talking about losing against you in terms of who will pass away first! Even if I manage to be a Spirit Transcendence or Spirit King, I won''t be able to outlive you. This means that you already have one guaranteed win! This is going to affect the overall score in ourpetition!" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "That?" Noel dropped his jaw in disbelief. "Out of everything, that was your problem?"


    Noel knew that they werepeting in every little thing. It was just for their enjoyment as well as to satisfy theirpetitiveness, but the rest was actually much more important than that single thing.


    "Are you serious? There are a lot of problems, you know."


    "I know it''s going to be hard for you to live for a long time. Do you actually feel alive when you know that you won''t die, even after living for a couple of centuries? But if you think about it, don''t you think there is one more possibility?" Anna raised a finger.


    "One more possibility?" Noel frowned.


    "Yeah. I''m talking about my current body."


    "Your current body¡­" Noel felt like he got a bit of understanding what she was talking about.


    Nevertheless, Anna exined her insight. "I''m talking about me and the original Anna. Since this soul theory is true and we can get Andreas''s help for my soul, doesn''t that mean I can transfer my soul to a new body?


    "Obviously, it''s going to be a body that can''t age. This way, I can follow you for a few centuries. Besides, the fact that your body''s function remains the same means that there won''t be another child in our journey. This will make your sexual desire be satisfied as well so that you won''t think about cheating on me.


    "We can just make it look like we have passed away due to old age and go on a journey to look at every corner of the world.


    "We can still watch over our descendants as well. While it''s true that not having Ardagan will be a problem, we just have to develop the Ardagan family to be strong enough so that Ardagan won''t be necessary anymore¡­ especially regarding the rune.


    "Thus, I don''t really care about other things to be honest. Living for a few hundred years, or even a thousand years¡­ it will be hard for us alone. However, it will be different if we''re always together."


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "Well, what you said is correct, but¡­"


    "What? You must worry that transferring my soul will bother me? Look at the Original Anna and you''ll understand that I have no problem. Besides, I have reincarnated once¡­ People say the first step is the hardest. I have done it once, so it''s easy to do it the second time." Anna shrugged.


    "I think you mean, ''He, who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second and third time,'' but I understand what you''re saying¡­" Noel sighed.


    "Noel¡­" Anna''s expression turned solemn. "I know that you have no memory of it, but even in our previous lives, you have sacrificed a lot for me. No, even in this life, you keep thinking about me. I''m sick to see only you who keep sacrificing yourself for me. Please allow me to share this burden. I''ve told you, right? I want to walk beside you, not behind you. As you protect me, I''ll also protect you. That''s why in this life, I''m not going to let you suffer alone."


    Noel''s body shook. After listening to her words and seeing her solemn face, Noel''s heart moved. "I apologize¡­ it seems I''ve been rude."


    Anna smiled and hugged him. "Well, we can push that matter aside, so this is what you mean by a new ability that the Spirit God personally gives to me¡­" Anna touched her forehead.


    "You switch the matter so easily¡­" Noel gave a wry smile. "But yeah."


    "From the information that is transmitted directly into my head, the technique''s name is Thunder God''s Possession, Heaven Wrath. It''s simr to my Lightning Transformation, but this technique has several stages. No, should I say that this is actually an upgraded version of my Lightning Transformation, especially with the fact that I canbine it with my True Spirit Body?"


    "That powerful?"This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah. With this, I think I''ll be able to keep up with you."


    "Oh." Noel nodded.


    "And there seem to be a lot of interesting things outside our ownnd. Diva, was it?"


    "Yeah. I don''t know who this Diva is, but it seems that this person will be important for that expedition."


    "The sea expedition¡­ In that case, we might have to talk with the Zaecuria Kingdom regarding this expedition."


    "Yeah. We might have to reveal the fact that we''re Spirit Transcendence to make him believe."


    "With two Spirit Transcendence Experts, there''s no way they will reject it." Anna nodded with a serious expression. "The problem will be the timing and the negotiation."


    "Yep. Well, we still have to meet the Diva first before we can think of a n. Even if it''s urgent, it will happen only a yearter at the very least. We also have to continue making our ns to counter the demon king."


    "Indeed. While we can reach Spirit Transcendence right now, we still have to make sure that the territory can go on without us for a while. I don''t think the trip to the beast kingdom will be that short¡­"


    "Yeah. That''s why I have to focus on the nning after all of this is over. I might end up having to bury myself in the mountain of paperwork." Noel sighed. "And because of that, I have a request."


    "A request?"


    "Yeah. If possible, I''d like to challenge the Ancient Demon Spider by myself."


    "Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. As the Lord, Noel would definitely be stuck in his office for a while. During that time, Anna was much more free to move around. She muttered, "So I will stop the rest of the demons¡­"


    "Yeah. Do you think it''s possible?"


    "As a Spirit Transcendence, of course it''s possible. It might even be easier than I imagined." Anna nodded. "But that means I will fight the next Ancient Demon by myself while you are protecting me from the rest of the demons."


    "Of course." Noel nodded furiously.


    "That''s good then. Besides, the Ancient Demon Spider has a big body. We will be able to get a lot of materials because of it." Anna smirked. "I guess this is also the reason why you want to fight the demon¡­"


    "That''s true¡­" Noel couldn''t deny it. An Ancient Demon was so rare that people might never see it in their lifetime. However, just like other demons, their bodies were precious materials, especially with a body that big.


    This Ancient Demon Spider had a very durable body that could even stop Anna''s strongest attack before understanding the transcendent path. It would definitely make Roel excited to work on this material.


    This spider would provide much more materials than the Ancient Demon Tree they killed back then.


    He could even use these materials to provide armors, weapons, and even rune technologies that could alter the course of the war.


    That was why he wanted to defeat the spider by himself. His ice element would be perfect for the work.


    "This is going to be exciting. The spider''s tough skin, the demon crystal, and even the blood filling its body¡­ The Ancient Demon Spider''s worth is immeasurable." Anna smiled.


    "Yeah."


    "Then we have to make sure that Dimitri knows about this since he will be the one transporting its body. It might take months to get all those materials¡­"


    "I have told him. I even make sure that he can keep it a secret. It''s going to be troublesome if others are eyeing the spider''s corpse. And they will be suspicious of us, the two people capable of defeating such a demon."


    "Fair enough." Anna nodded with a serious expression. "As expected of you¡­"


    "For now, let''s move around and recover our bodies."


    "Sure!"

 Chapter 1104 News

    Chapter 1104 News


    ??Windeblew Mansion.


    "Sir!" A maid suddenly mmed open the door in panic.


    "Mhmm?" The middle-aged man, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room, couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "You should have behaved properly like a maid. It''s going to be troublesome if people know about it."


    "But this is an important letter¡­" The maid showed the letter on her hand.


    "You can just go through the usual letter¡­" the middle-aged man abruptly stopped. He had trained his maid to be exceptional, so it wasn''t umon for her to make a mistake unless she really didn''t make a mistake. His expression turned serious as he asked, "Whose letter is it?"


    The maid looked left and right as if ensuring no one was listening to them. She then closed the door and said, "Marquis Ardagan."


    "M-Marquis Ardagan?" The man dropped his jaw to the ground. "Are you serious?"


    "Yes, sir. Most likely, he is going to participate in the auction that will be held one month from now."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "!!!" The man''s body shook. "Give me the letter."


    As soon as he got the letter, his sweat started dripping off his head. He seemed to realize what was going to happen.


    "Why is he suddenly showing such an interest in our auction to the point where he needs to cross the border¡­" The man frowned.


    "We are currently unsure about his intention. Should we give him the invitation that he requests?"


    "Of course! We''re talking about the tycoon from the north. Even if he is aiming for something else, he will definitely spend some money." The man''s expression turned grim as though he were wondering which item would pique his interest. With the Rune Technology, Noel had be one of the wealthiest people even among the four kingdoms. "Give him the VVIP Card."


    lights¦­¦Ïv¦Ål ?¦Ïm "U-understood." The maid nodded.


    "¡­" After the maid left, he leaned back on his chair while covering his eyes. "What is actually going on? Noel Ardagan has be a hot topic in the Zaecuria Kingdom. Should I even report this matter to the kingdom? But this is a private matter¡­"


    Noel''s name had be so big that he had to think about the effect of his arrival.


    However, it would definitely make his auction house more famous. There was no way a merchant like him would pass on this opportunity.


    ¡­


    Ardagan Family.


    Dimitri opened the door to Roel''s workshop and shouted, "Roel! Where are you? I know you''re here."


    There were multiple clicking sounds echoing from the corner of the room, where a bunch of metal items gathered. Roel''s head poked out from the pile of items, his facepletely covered in dirt.


    "What? Do you know I''m busy, Dimitri?" Roel frowned.


    "The Lord would like you to work on something else¡­"


    "What? Is he crazy? I have my hands full. While I''m also having fun with all this new stuff, it''s impossible to add another work."


    "I know you''re going to say that. But this time, you will definitely not reject this."


    "Huh? What kind of crazy thing is he going to make next?" Roel never expected Dimitri to be this confident. It seemed that he had prepared yet another interesting thing.


    "It''s something that you have been familiar with."


    "Rune technology?"


    "Nope. It''s what you''ve been doing beforeing here."


    "Huh?" Roel squinted his eyes. "You want me to make weapons and armor again? While I''m good at it, this rune technology is more interesting to me right now."


    Dimitri closed the door before looking at Roel with a smug smile. "Even if that means you''re going to pass on such rare materials?"


    "Rare materials?" Roel frowned. "Are you crazy? As a Master cksmith, what kind of materials have I not worked on before?"


    Roel started to get frustrated, so Dimitri decided not to tease him anymore. "Ancient Demon."


    "¡­" There was an abrupt silence inside the room after Dimitri revealed the materials. Roel waspletely astounded, not being able to process the information. It took him a minute before he suddenly dropped his jaw to the ground. "A-Are you serious?!"


    Dimitri ced his finger on his lips, gesturing for him to remain quiet.


    "You''re not joking with me, right?" As a Master cksmith, he obviously worked on all kinds of metals and items from Superior Demon. However, thest record of an attack from an Ancient Demon was two hundred years ago.


    There was one with the Demon Banner Army, but Oscar definitely wouldn''t reveal that kind of information due to the importance of the materials. After all, it would be better to use them to strengthen the Demon Banner Army.


    "I''m not kidding. ording to the Lord, there is a huge quantity of it¡­ definitely enough for hundreds of thousands of people if not bing materials to build rune technology. And do you know about thedy''s strongest attack, the one she used to be an Arbiter?" Dimitri smirked.


    "An Arbiter? I think I''ve heard the rumor, but I don''t know much about it. Still, an Arbiter is the highest honor for a knight in this kingdom, so it''s going to be extremely amazing¡­"


    "Yeah. Apparently, the material is actually strong enough to withstand that attack."


    "!!!" Roel widened his eyes in shock. "That''s¡­ After losing the empowerment of the demon crystal, the material will be weakened for a bit. In the past, I''ve worked on the Lord''s armor made of an Ancient Demon''s body. If I work on it properly, I should be able to create armor that can block an attack from a Peak Level Demons.


    "If it''s a rune technology, I can use more materials, which will strengthen it. It''s possible that it can even withstand an attack from a Superior Demon¡­" Roel sucked a cold breath.


    Unlike thest time, he would get a huge amount of supply to the point where it was impossible for him to actually use all of it in his entire life.


    "¡­" Roel thought for a moment and said, "I don''t really mind working on it, but I still think we don''t have any manpower for that. More importantly, this is an Ancient Demon we''re talking about."


    "Well, Master and mydy are nning to secure more Ancient Demons. But this is a secret." Dimitri shrugged. "It could be said that you would probably be the only one working with this material¡­ Maybe with one or two your most trusted disciples."


    Roel looked down, contemting. "If that''s the case, can I actually bring in my friend? He is also a Master cksmith, so I''m sure he''s going to be tempted."


    "There is a risk of information leakage. Even if we don''t care about it, there is one more problem. A noble family with two Master cksmiths can be seen as a big threat, you know."


    "What big threat? This family is already a big threat, even with only me here." Roel clicked his tongue.


    "I''m just saying. No family has ever gotten two Master cksmiths for themselves. If we end up getting him, it will cause some issues."


    Roel scratched the back of his head and said, "How about this¡­ I''m the Master cksmith of the Ardagan family, right? Then the Master cksmith''s position for the Runegard Company is still open, right?"


    "Don''t tell me, you''re going to bring him there?"


    "Yeah."


    Dimitri fell silent. "If that''s the case, we have to move the Runegard''s headquarters to the new city to avoid the Master cksmith monopoly. You might not meet him a lot."


    "That''s fine. To be honest, I also want a helping hand so that I don''t get too buried in work. asionally drinking with him and discussing our progress is fine. That''s how our rtionship is."


    "In that case, I''ll need to ask for Master''s permission first. Once we''ve got permission, you can try inviting him. As for the materials, it wille in about two weeks¡­ since it''s hard to handle that kind of material, especially concerning secrecy."


    "I know." Roel grinned. "This is going to be interesting. Ancient Demon, huh?"


    "I''m sure I don''t have to remind you, but you shouldn''t talk too much about this matter, alright?"


    "Of course I know that. Don''t worry about it." Roel nced at Dimitri yfully. "Besides, look at you¡­ I don''t know why but you are more expressive aftering back this time¡­ Did something happen?"


    "Well¡­" Dimitri closed his eyes while smiling. Dimitri had always been an elder who apanied and guided Noel. Now that Noel had surpassed him, that heavy burden was lifted on his shoulder, which brought out his real self. "Yeah. Something good. Anyway, I''ll go back now."


    Looking at Dimitri''s back, Roel could only shake his head helplessly.

 Chapter 1105 Important Matter

    Chapter 1105 Important Matter


    ??Roar!Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Roar!


    The demons let out theirst roars before falling to the ground. Their bodies had been sliced by a sword strike, which ultimately split them into two.


    The one who did it was standing before them, sheathing her sword.


    Anna took a deep breath and said, "The enemies have be a lot easier to kill."


    "Of course. You''re not getting bored because of that, right?" Noel gave a wry smile.


    "Not really. I mean, there is still an opponent like that spider. Even if we have found this transcendent path, it doesn''t seem like it''s just a single path. It has a lot of branches, and we might have to choose which one to master."


    "Indeed. For now, let''s discover everything and test them. We''ll master one thing at a time. At the very least, we can advance to the Spirit Transcendence stage with this power. All we need now is¡­" Noel looked at the demons.


    "The demon crystals, huh? What is your current progress? Are you about to reach Spirit Transcendence?"


    "I''m not sure. It''s very close to full, but I can''t sense how much more I need." Noel shook his head.


    "Since you don''t have Ardagan right now, you have to be the first one to be Spirit Transcendence. It''ll be much safer even for me when it''s my turn to advance to that level."


    "I know." Noel fell into deep thought.


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "No, I''m just thinking that we have gotten the transcendent path as well as the Rune Card in this trip. There are a lot of things to process. And if you consider the fact that we''ll be Spirit Transcendence experts once we return, this trip is very fulfilling."


    "That''s true. We can somehow hide our power so that we look like a Spirit Grandmaster, but it won''tst long." Anna nodded in agreement, knowing the problem.


    "Yeah. I also expect that¡­ Having two Spirit Transcendences in the north breaks the delicate bnce of the kingdom. They will definitely try their best to grasp our power or use the Supreme Devil Organization to boost their own power." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "You will be buried with a mountain of work like deployment, strategic battle, and so on. I''ll help, but unfortunately, my current level is still not on the same level as yours." Anna fell silent for a moment before saying, "Noel¡­ is it possible for the kingdom to use another marriage trick?"


    "Mhmm? Are you doubting me that I will go for another woman?"


    "No. I''m not talking about that." Anna shook her head helplessly. "What if they''re using a dirty trick so that you will end up conceiving a child?"


    "Huh?" Noel''s expression turned serious. He wanted to rebuke her right away, but he couldn''t because he understood what she was talking about. They could use all kinds of tricks, from temptation, alcohol, or even drugs, to somehow make him sleep with a woman.


    While he had some assurance that such a thing would never happen, the chance was still there. The biggest problem was that his family bloodline only gave him a single child.


    If the royal family had figured that out, it wouldn''t be weird for them to use that trick. It was why Anna looked anxious.


    Still, he had promised her not to do that for various reasons.


    "Are you talking about¡­" Noel stopped, seeing Anna''s serious expression.


    "I''ve been thinking about it. In any case, I''ll soon be a Spirit Transcendence and you will soon have a lot of work that you won''t have time to even practice. I think it''s worth the shot. I mean, we both are already pretty old. We turned 24 years old a month ago and most people conceived their first child at the age of 16 to 17."


    Noel fell silent for a moment. This was indeed not an easy decision. Anna must be thinking about this seriously because of what happened not long ago. What if he died again?


    "Well, there are other forms of training aside from physical training¡­" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Then¡­" Anna''s expression brightened as her eyes were filled with expectations.


    "For now, we''ll be very busy with things such as the auction, the beast kingdom, and even the expedition. But after that¡­" Noel paused.


    The hint was as clear as the day. Anna clenched her fists. "I understand."


    "In that case, we''ll have to ask Duke Briton so that the expedition can happen as quickly as possible. You have to work even harder from now on, you know." Noel smiled.


    "Yes!" Anna''s smile became even bigger.


    "I just hope that there aren''t a lot of nobles that are trying to immediately give birth to a daughter after hearing the news. After all, the main city is already open to the public at that time and people will find out about it." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "Ahahaha. You''re talking about an arranged marriage?"


    "Yeah. In any case, I don''t like cing that kind of expectation."


    "I don''t really mind." Anna chuckled.


    "Anyway, we shouldn''t talk about this. If we don''t hurry up, we might end up taking too long to have another match against that spider." Noel stood up.


    "Indeed." Anna nodded. "By the way, what''s the condition of the city? Dimitri has given you the report, right?"


    "Don''t worry. The city is performing much better than our original expectations. We don''t know the result since the winter willst for another month, but we should get a pretty good result."


    "That''s a relief then." Anna felt like all the burdens in her heart had been liftedpletely. Hence, she could focus on reaching the Spirit Transcendence.


    Noel only smiled and started moving again, killing as many demons as possible.


    It took them a few more days, but Noel had finally filled up all 17:28


    his energy reserves required to advance to the Spirit Transcendence.


    Obviously, Noel chose a in field so that it would be easy to spot all the iing beasts.


    Anna was standing next to him to protect him against all harm.


    However, Noel didn''t know about one thing. Advancing to the Spirit Transcendence was much crazier than all the breakthroughs he had experienced. And that would bring him yet another problem.

 Chapter 1106 Advancing to Spirit Transcendence

    Chapter 1106 Advancing to Spirit Transcendence


    ??Noel was sitting on the ground with a bunch of demon crystals in front of him.


    "Are you ready?" Anna asked while unsheathing her de. They had killed all the surrounding demons, but there was still a possibility that a demon would attack here.


    "Yeah." Noel nodded as he gradually closed his eyes.


    His hands reached for the demon crystals and began to absorb them.


    Noel could feel the fullness of his spiritual energy reserve, but he continued to absorb more spiritual energy until the very limit.


    The spiritual energy from Noel''s body started leaking, a sign that he had gathered enough power. Absorbing more would just cause the spiritual energy in his body to get pushed out.


    This leaking spiritual energy was different from normal spiritual energy. It had been dyed in Noel''s color as a Spirit Grandmaster.


    The spiritual energy was carried by the wind and started flying to the west.


    It would take a few minutes, but the demons were very sensitive to the spiritual energy. The moment they sensed this abnormal spiritual energy, they became alert.


    Aoo!


    Roar!


    The demons startedmunicating to each other, which eventually brought attention to the overlord of their area.


    Anna wasn''t aware of their presence just yet, but she had expected that there would be trouble following the breakthrough. Hence, she sharpened her instinct, picking all dangerous signs from the entire area.


    On the other hand, Noel continued to absorb the spiritual energy even though the excess energy was leaking from his body.


    Anna was confused at first, but Noel''s body suddenly underwent a change. There was a small ice shell covering his lower left arm, which continued expanding.


    ''Is that¡­ a shell?'' Anna furrowed her eyebrows. ''No. It''s like a scale¡­''


    Anna became even more confused when the scale continued to grow. They were covering his entire left arm before spreading to his body.


    But their growth stopped in the middle of his chest as if they had hit an invisible wall. Since they couldn''t go much further, the ice scales expanded upward and downward. Just like what happened to his chest, the ice scale only covered the left portion of Noel''s body.


    ''Noel is a half spirit. Is the ice scale only covering that spirit part? But his body bing that of a spirit is due to Ardagan. Maybe Ardagan has upied the right part of his body, considering Heisk''s spirit seal is located in the left chest while Ardagan''s spirit seal is located in the back of his right hand.''


    Anna observed Noel''s condition, hoping that nothing went wrong. After all, she had no idea what kind of transformation a Spirit Transcendence would have, let alone one with two spirits.


    The process took some time, but eventually, all the left part of his body was covered by the ice scales.


    Even though she couldn''t see the scales underneath his clothes, the spiritual energy that the ice scales exuding was enough.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    "!!!" Anna furrowed her eyebrows while turning to the west. "So they havee¡­ to think that the demons are able to sense things from far away. We have to take this into ount. Then again, Felicia said that the spiritual energy acts like gas. It might get carried by the wind or something¡­ If that''s the case, won''t it be another way to lure those demons? Well, I can discuss itter. For now¡­"


    Anna moved to the side, standing between Noel and those demons. "I have to kill those demons first."


    The demons started exiting the forest that was located one kilometer from their current location.


    Anna''s expression turned serious because she could actually sense one Superior Demon among them. There were also at least three hundred other demons.


    This number could multiply if demons from other areas also joined forces.


    Still, this number was something that Anna could easily handle in her current state. That was how much the transcendent path strengthened her abilities.


    "In that case, I will¡ª" Her words abruptly stopped because there was a burst of spiritual energying from her back. "Huh?"


    She turned around and saw Noel had stopped absorbing the spiritual energy. All that spiritual energy was now being released from his body, causing a burst that produced a shock wave in all directions.


    "!!!" Anna couldn''t help but widen her eyes. If he did that, it wouldn''t be weird if the demons from other directions also joined.


    However, it seemed that this burst of energy was a must. As his body was releasing that energy, Anna could sense that the part that released the most energy was actually his back.


    The ice wing formed very slowly as if it were being integrated as a part of his body instead of a skill.


    ''Is this what it means for synchronization?'' Anna thought. ''From the record that Grandfather and Sword Arbiter gave, the synchronization is a part where the human acts like a spirit, and the spirit acts like a human.


    ''Doesn''t this look like merging? No. Looking at our transcendent path¡­ we are utilizing our power differently. The record said that if we are charging spiritual energy, the spirits will do the same, allowing us to release our power twice as fast.


    ''However, our transcendent isn''t like that. We separate the energy, elements and other things to cause a burst that involves nature in the process. Well, the recordes from the peak of Spirit Grandmaster, so it might not be urate. Still, the spirit seal is supposed to undergo a transformation as well¡­''


    She realized that the record they currently had was a bit unreliable. Still, this was just the beginning, so there might still be other things happening on Noel''s body.


    For the time being, he had to focus on the iing demons.


    Roar!


    The Superior Demon let out a roar,manding the demons to charge forward to take down their opponents.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Before Anna could take them on, she could sense hundreds of demonsing from the south and north. It seemed that they were lured by the burst of energy Noel was currently releasing.


    Fortunately, they came from the east, so they had cleaned up that area better than others. There was no demoning from the east¡­ or so she thought.


    The one picking up Noel''s spiritual energy wasn''t just any demon. It was a demon located far east¡­ yes, the one they had to escape from, the Ancient Demon Spider.


    The Ancient Demon Spider, who was still shedding its exoskeleton, picked up the faint spiritual energy.


    Even though it couldn''t move currently, the spider sent a signal to the superior demons under him.


    And all these superior demons woke up from their slumbers to lead thousands of demons ording to the spider''s instructions.


    Roar!

 Chapter 1107 Changes

    Noel felt something he had never experienced before. After he stopped absorbing the spiritual energy, Noel felt a sudden burst of energy.


    ''This is¡­'' Noel noticed that his spiritual energy started to change. ''Why is my body expelling my spiritual energy? But in exchange, my body is able to absorb the spiritual energy from the air much easier.


    ''Don''t tell me, this is the secret of the Spirit Transcendence? By circting the spiritual energy inside and outside my body, I''m able to create a body that can act like a funnel for the spiritual energy itself.


    ''But ording to the record, the only thing I can think of is that this process will allow me to manipte the spiritual energy in the air. Just like the transcendent path that uses the energy in nature to boost my power, being able to manipte such energy will produce the same effect much faster.''


    The energy still didn''t stop leaking out of his body. On the other hand, the spiritual energy from the outside was concentrated in one spot. It was his back.


    ''Pain¡­ Cold¡­ No, it''s just numbness. But I have Heisk¡­ Why do I feel this?'' Noel felt something was growing on his back.


    He could feel it like it was an extension of his body.


    ''It''s like a wing¡­ but only half. Is it due to Ardagan? Nevertheless, the wing feels so natural now. Don''t tell me, Heisk doesn''t do anything so that the wing can grow like a part of my body instead of my ability.


    ''If that''s the case, Ardagan would have undergone the same transformation as well. However, it''s going to be impossible this time. Ardagan doesn''t have the power to transform due to his current condition. Does this mean my advancement is halfpleted?


    ''But the Spirit God didn''t stop me from breaking through to Spirit Transcendence. There should be no side effects, but for now, I should be careful.''


    Noel suddenly furrowed his eyebrows.


    ''What is this¡­ There is a burning sensation in my chest?''


    Noel had to maintain his focus, so he couldn''t open his eyes. The burning sensation felt different from a fire. It was like facing dry ice. It was so cold and dry that it ended up burning.


    ''Heisk? Now that I think about it, it''sing from Heisk''s Spirit Seal.''


    Noel didn''t know that outside his body, the Spirit Seal began to expand, forming lines from one spot to another like his veins.


    After that, the spirit seal that was located in the chest began to move inside, which meant his heart.


    Noel could feel as though his heart was being grasped by an invisible hand. But to his surprise, this feeling didn''t make him short of breath. Instead, it was like his heart being strengthened from the inside, spreading a certain cool air that made him feel refreshed.


    ''What afortable feeling¡­'' Noel muttered inwardly.


    The process took a while, but eventually, the excess energy in his heart returned to the spirit seal.


    The spirit seal reacted by retracting all the lines it had spread earlier. In fact, it started shrinking into a single dot on his chest.


    At the same time, all that power was concentrated in the same spot.


    ''This kind of energy¡­ is it going to explode? But the concentrated energy is extremely stable. I feel like I''m able to control the energy inside, especially if I want to extract it.


    ''The entire process doesn''t have any pain. Is it because this is just a synchronization with the spirit? Or is it because I''m half spirit?''


    Noel was silent for a moment. ''No, wait. This concentrated thing in my chest is not energy, it''s element. Heisk''s ice element¡­''


    Noel changed his opinion because the concentrated element started to flow all around his body, including the right side of his body. It cooled down his body''s temperature.


    But more importantly, the element didn''t actually mix with the spiritual energy.


    Normally, the elements would naturally merge with the elements, which would be the symbol of a person''s energy.


    However, this new change caused them to be separated.


    ''Is this what it means to have the spirit''s body? The body is made of spiritual energy, while the elements are concentrated in their core. By getting separated like this, I can utilize this pure spiritual energy and mix it with the energy in nature because they''re the same, unlike before, when my spiritual energy was slightly tainted or mixed with ice element.


    ''And by fusing them with elements and other things¡­'' Noel fell silent. The answer was clear. He could use the power of transcendence much easier because of this transformation.


    ''So that''s how it is. Just like the record said, the spirit seal would undergo a change. This change actually causes the spirit''s special power, in Heisk''s case, her element, to gather in a single spot so that it won''t interfere with others.


    ''The Spirit Seal is expanding earlier, creating like veins in my body. I can use that as a tunnel to direct my element so that it won''t fuse with spiritual energy on the way.


    ''This is the new way to actually utilize my power. There are a few things they misinterpret in the record. Then again, considering I ask Spirit Grandmasters instead of Spirit Transcendence experts, it won''t be weird if they''re wrong. They only interpret it after all.''


    Noel noticed that everything inside his body had gradually settled down. He didn''t know how long he had used for the entire process, but it felt like an instant for him.


    ''I feel like I can let out a burst of all this element at once. Is this the rumored Spirit Fusion Ability? I can''t see any other possibilities that will exin the Spirit Fusion Ability.''


    Noel thought for a moment. Even though he didn''t know what happened outside, he knew fore sure that the demons would definitelye to hunt him down.


    ''In that case, beforepleting my advancement, let me test the power of Spirit Fusion Ability.''


    Noel finally raised his hand in reality. He gathered the spiritual energy and all that concentrated element into a single thing, letting them burst in all directions.


    He didn''t realize at that time what kind of destruction he brought when making that decision.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1108 Spirit Fusion Ability

    Roar!


    The demons were struggling to get past Anna''s defense as another sword strike reached them, causing a shock wave that blew away a lot of demons.


    "Huu¡­" Anna exhaled to calm her down. After all, these demons weren''t the only onesing for them.


    She had fought against these demons for more than five minutes, killing more than two hundred demons and even injuring the Superior Demon.


    However, she had to conserve some of her energy while pushing back all these demons so that they couldn''t interrupt Noel.


    As expected, another wave of roars suddenly came from the north. Yes, this was the reason she was holding back. She knew that there would be some demonsing from another direction.


    When she nced toward the north, she couldn''t help but mutter, "Another Superior Demon, huh? And there are about five hundred demons under him. This is going to be a bit annoying¡­"


    Suddenly, she heard another series of roarsing from the south.


    "How can they alle at the same time?" Anna frowned. "Did another Superior Demon know about this and try to use it to their advantage? Either way, this is still within our expectations."


    To handle them, leaving Noel in the open would be troubling. The demons could simply attack him from a distance.


    Anna could handle all those attacks by herself from one direction, but not three. It seemed that she truly needed those things.


    Anna took out several rune cards that Noel had given her earlier.


    She then tossed it toward him. Four of those cards were floating around him as if they were nning to block his sides, front and behind.


    After that, the runes were activated, each card forming a translucent barrier. Because of those four cards'' positions, they ended up connecting with each other, forming a wall that blocked all four sides.


    Then, another card floated on top of Noel''s head, forming a barrier that would be his roof. Thest card was slipping underneath him, ultimately creating a cube of barriers that would protect Noel even if the enemies chose toe from underground.


    This was what the Rune Cards could do. These cards were made from a Superior Demon Crystal that they''d gotten on the way here. They would definitelyst a while and withstand a lot of attacks.


    At the very least, this cube should be able to protect Noel for at least fifteen minutes.


    Anna couldn''t help but smile. This was just a possibility that the Rune Cards had. They would definitely be popr if they knew that the Rune Cards could protect a VIP like this.


    In addition, with other runes, they could use it on all sorts of situations, from offensive to supporting.


    That was why the Rune Cards'' value might actually be higher than the airship itself.


    "And now¡­ it''s time to kill these demons." Anna smirked. "Lightning Trans¡ª"


    When she was about to transform, she suddenly heard something from the east as her instinct picked up all the danger signs from that direction.


    "Are you serious?" Anna frowned, looking at the east, especially more than five thousand demonsing from that direction. "We should have killed all the demons from the east¡­ No, don''t tell me¡­ are they the demons under the Ancient Demon Spider? This exins why the demons are actuallying at the same time. They know that we''ll have trouble if we have to fight them simultaneously."


    Anna gasped, realizing that she had underestimated that Ancient Demon Spider. With this number, there was no way the Spiritual Barrier Runes could handle it.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    There was another series of roars that became the signal for all those demons. In that instant, the low and mid level demons immediately charged forward as high level demons followed behind him, turning the battlefield into chaos.


    Looking at the iing demons, Anna couldn''t help but mutter inwardly, ''Don''t tell me, we have to retreat? But it might cause problems for Noel. In that case, I have to push myself a little bit¡­ It''s going to take longer, but I should be able to manage all these demons with my True Spirit Body.''


    Anna took a deep breath. Although it was a shame, she had to do it in order for Noel to not be disturbed during his advancement.


    The lightning around her body began to spark, gradually changing into red. "True¡­ Spirit¡­"


    Before she could transform, she suddenly felt enormous energying from Noel. It was chilling energy. The temperature was actually lower than what she had experienced this whole time.


    "Huh?" Anna turned her head around, seeing Noel lift his right hand.


    The spiritual energy from both his body and the air started to mix in, creating a formidable pressure that even made Anna cautious. "What is this? Is he done? But his eyes are still closed."


    The spiritual energy wasn''t the only thing that gathered in his hand. The chilling energying from the spirit seal on his chest instantly created a gale that could seep into the bones.


    Anna covered herself with spiritual energy, barely blocking that chilling wind. "What is this power?"


    Anna didn''t know why, but her instinct was telling her to get away from him. But if she ran away, the demons mighte toward him.


    The moment she noticed that the spiritual energy and Noel''s ice elements started to merge, she realized what was going on.


    "Not good!" Anna jumped into the air.


    The spiritual energy and ice elements burst together, causing a massive shock wave where those two fused inside.


    The burst of chilling energy flew in all directions, with Noel as its center. It covered the field with a thickyer of ice.


    There were multiple roses blooming from the iceyer, not hitting anyone. On the other hand, the demons who got covered by the ice shock wave were frozen in an instant. Some of them ended up turning into ice roses.


    Only those Advanced Level Demons or above could actually withstand the cold with their own spiritual energy.


    Even then, they didn''tst long after that. There were a total of forty ice roses that bloomed in the ice field, which expanded for more than 100 meters in radius.


    With the shock wave alone, Noel had killed more than three hundred demons. However, his attacks didn''t stop there.


    All forty ice roses exploded at the same time. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" The demons near the ice roses widened their eyes, but were unable to close them again as they ended up getting frozen by that sudden burst.


    Even Advanced Level Demons instantly died. Only Demons that were stationed slightly further from the roses managed to survive.


    The roses with demons inside of them ended up shattering like broken ss with some flesh inside. On the other hand, the roses that didn''t have anything inside just released a shock wave that expanded the chilling air outward. At the same time, they burst into blue particles that gradually fell to the ground, turning it into a deadly yet beautiful ice field.


    Anna couldn''t help but gasp as if she couldn''t believe the power that this attack contained. Her body was trembling from both the chill and shock.


    "How is it possible? Without True Spirit Body¡­ and while he is in the middle of his breakthrough¡­ he is able to achieve all this¡­ Is this a Spirit Fusion Ability? To think that he is able to kill more than a thousand demons with a single ability¡­ If those demons are closer to him, it''s clear that there will be more casualties¡­"

 Chapter 1109 Messenger

    Anna shuddered. If this was truly the Spirit Fusion Ability, everything would definitely change.


    "A single attack that can decimate a thousand demons¡­" Anna couldn''t help but remember the Ancient Demon Spider''s poison ray andpare it to this attack.


    It was actually simr in terms of the destruction. Noel''s Spirit Fusion Ability had a big radius, while the spider''s poison ray had a very long range.


    If positioned correctly, they could kill the same number of enemies in a single shot.


    However, just like the spider''s poison ray that required a lot of time to recharge, Noel also had to wait for a long time to use the Spirit Fusion Ability once again. The Ancient Demon Spider had the privilege to actually focus on charging its power, while Noel had to fight the demons with his sword, which would prevent him from charging that power.


    Anna gulped down. "This kind of power is something that I will get after bing a Spirit Transcendence expert. It''s kind of amazing."


    Anna looked around. The Spiritual Barrier Rune had been destroyed because of Noel''s Spirit Fusion Ability, but the demons were actually hesitating to attack as if they realized the difference in their power.


    The Superior Demons understood it more than anyone else. The moment Noel joined the battle, they would definitely die.


    And the first ones to act were none other than the Superior Demons under the Ancient Demon Spider.


    The Grass Demon noticed Noel''s spiritual energy. The rampaging energying out of his body had gradually calmed down, stabilizing itself inside Noel.


    It could only mean one thing. Noel was about to wake up.


    The Grass Demon had to choose whether to use all they had in order to stop Noel from advancing to the next level or retreat before Noel woke up.


    Considering they didn''t have a lot of demons after Noel and Anna killed more than three thousand of them when running away, they realized it was better to actually conserve their energy.


    They had to wait for their master, the Ancient Demon Spider, to fight Noel again. In that case, there was one more thing he had to do before anything else.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons from all directions let out a roar as if signaling their retreat.


    "!!!" Anna raised her head, feeling something was weird. Their movements looked coordinated. "This is¡­ the demons from the north and south are retreating toward the east. Are they nning to join hands and attack us together? No, looking at the demons on the west, I''m sure that they are trying to gather all the demons, especially Superior Demons, under the Ancient Demon Spider.


    "That''s the only way to actually fight us¡­ Should we give chase?" Anna thought for a moment. Considering Noel hadn''t officially advanced to the Spirit Transcendence yet, she decided to stand by his side and summon the Spiritual Barrier Rune with her own power so that no one couldunch a sneak attack. "We''ll meet again anyway. At that time, I''ll definitely kill those demons."


    Her decision was the correct one. After the demons retreated, Noel gradually opened his eyes.


    "Huu¡­" Noel let out a long breath.


    "Mhmm?" Anna turned around. "Are you done?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "I guess this is still an iplete transformation."


    "Iplete transformation? Is that the reason why, despite showing such a reaction during your advancement, there is really nothing much going on in thest few minutes?" Anna asked.


    Noel confirmed, "Indeed. Right now, I have advanced to the Spirit Transcendence rank. It''s just¡­ only my ice spirit has been upgraded. Because of Ardagan''s current state, he can''t transform ordingly. That''s why it''s iplete. In addition, the mission to be a Spirit Transcendence hasn''t beenpleted yet.


    "At the same time, this is also why there aren''t any reactions between the fire and ice. For the time being, you don''t have to worry. I''ve officially be a Spirit Transcendence expert for my ice spirit, so I should be able to protect you during your advancement and kill that spider."


    Anna looked down, contemting. "As long as you''re fine, I can''t reallyin."


    "Mhmm¡­ Still, I need to stabilize my power. Because I used that ability earlier, my energy is currently unstable."


    "In that case, we don''t have to chase those demons. There will probably be at least ten Superior Demons and a few tens of thousands of lower level demons when we fight the Ancient Demon Spider again."


    "Are you scared that you''re unable to defeat them?" Noel smirked.


    "You''re joking. Killing them is easy, but protecting you from thousands of attacks is hard. I''m just saying that we need a bit more nning. I''m not saying that we''ll fail."


    Noel smiled.


    Anna paused for a moment. "By the way, Dimitri should have told the Zaecuria Kingdom about our n, right?"


    "Yeah. If we get the help of Duke Briton, the royal family will know and start suspecting us of doing something. That''s why I have to send him." Noel nodded.


    "Him?"


    A sly grin appeared on Noel''s face.


    ¡­


    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    The king was holding a meeting with his ministers to discuss the matter regarding the kingdom before a messenger came inside, bringing certain news. The content was only known by the king and the prime minister, who personally received the letter.


    The king, the prime minister, and the minister of defense ended up excusing themselves to a hidden hall for a secret meeting.


    They all had serious expressions, showing the importance of this meeting.


    The doors were knocked as the soldiers outside opened the door for the visitors.


    The first one was easily recognized because he was one of the ministers in the kingdom. However, the second one was actually a person who was supposed to be dead.


    "Huh?" The king widened his eyes in shock. "Why are you still alive, Khalid?"


    Yes, the messenger that Noel sent to the Zaecuria Kingdom was none other than the former royal alchemist, Khalid.


    Khalid smirked. "Oh, please, Your Highness, don''t kill me just yet. I just didn''t like the politics in the court back then, so I chose to hide myself."


    The king frowned. "So you''re the one spreading the rumors about your own death¡­"


    "Of course. I just want to research medicine peacefully."


    "It seems¡­ that your new master has been spoiling you¡­" The king squinted his eyes.


    "But of course¡­ other than some normal work, I can research everything I want with unlimited budget." Khalid shrugged.


    "Oi, Khalid! I''ve been tolerating your behavior, but this is not how you should behave toward your¡ª" The minister of defense smacked the table while ring at Khalid. Sadly, he was stopped by the king with a wave of his hand.


    "That''s enough. If he wants to serve the new master, that''s his choice. We always knew that his behavior was problematic. Instead of focusing on that useless thing, what I want to know more is the meaning behind sending me this letter¡­" The king raised the letter with ck seal on it. "Minister Qaize, why do you purposely choose the ck seal that represents the entire fate of this kingdom?"


    "That''s because¡­" The minister next to Khalid wanted to answer, but Khalid took a step forward, personally answering, "Let me answer that question. My master is nning to speed up the cooperation between the Ardagan family and the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "A cooperation?" The king frowned.


    "Yes. I''m sure that you will definitely be interested in this cooperation. It''s been what this kingdom has been doing this whole time after all." Khalid smirked. "I Project."


    "!!!" The king and the two ministers widened their eyes in shock.


    "I Project, the sea expedition to explore a newnd across the ocean and find survivors other than us."


    "What? Are you insane?" The prime minister stood up, his body was trembling. They had been doing it but didn''t get any results due to the sea demons. However, he couldn''t disclose that information to Khalid, not that it mattered to him anyway.


    Khalid shook his head. "My master and thedy would like to lead an expedition that has a very high chance of seeding. He will provide security as well as runes for the sess of the expedition." N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "High chance of seeding?" The prime minister gritted his teeth. They had sent more than twenty expeditions, but none of them came back. If Noel and Anna joined the expedition and ended up dying, it would cause a lot of problems for them as well, especially regarding the runes. In addition, how could they actually trust the two people who had never gone to sea?


    Duke Briton might have praised Noel as a genius on the battlefield, but fighting on thend was different from fighting on the sea.


    But the king actually asked, "What do you demand from us then?"


    "Your Majesty." The prime minister wanted to warn him, but the king raised his hand, stopping him.


    Khalid raised two fingers. "Build a giant ship twice as big as what Duke Briton is currently building, but with the design you got from us, so that we can draw the runes. The time limit is six months.


    "That''s all we ask. As for the details¡­ my master will be attending the auction held by Windblew Company in one month. I believe that the details can be discussed during that time."


    "Suppose I ept it. In that case, how many people do we need to build that ship within the allocated time?" The king nced at the prime minister.


    "Your Majesty. This matter is huge and needs to be carefully considered." The Prime Minister warned him again. However, his heart sank when the king red at him as if he didn''t want to hear ''no'' from his mouth. The Prime Minister bit his lips and said, "1,000 to 1,500 people."


    "Get 2,000 people and immediately work on it."


    "Y-Yes." The Prime Minister reluctantly agreed.


    "That''s all. In that case, I shall not disturb you anymore, Your Highness. I will take my leave." Khalid politely bowed and turned around. However, he remembered one thing. "Ah, that''s right. My master also asked me to pass on this message. Bring at least the captain of the royal knight if you don''t want the next negotiation to be a mess."

 Chapter 1110 Home

    Chapter 1110 Home


    ??"Ha¡­ Hah¡­" Tristan panted a few times before wiping the sweat on his forehead. Despite the cold weather, Tristan''s back was actually drenched in sweat even though he was sitting on his table and the room''s temperature was still quite cold.


    After all, around him were more than a thousand Rune Cards. Yes, per Noel''s instruction, Dimitri had brought back a lot of things and orders, including Tristan''s new work.


    Unlike anyone else, Tristan''s enhanced memory was extremely useful. Once he made the first rune card right, he wouldn''t make the mistake on the second rune card.


    "Tristan. Are you there?" Suddenly, someone knocked on his door as Sandra''s voice echoed through the door.


    Tristan raised his head, stopping his work for a moment. "Yes, I''m here."


    "Alright. I''lle in." Sandra opened the door, bringing a tray of food. At the same time, she couldn''t help but find all these piles of empty demon crystals that had been shaped as cards, getting scattered all over the room. "Jeez, are you still working? Take a break a little, will you?"


    "Well¡­" Tristan scratched the back of his head. "I couldn''t help it. There aren''t a lot of things to do during the winter."


    "That''s true¡­" Sandra sighed, unable to refute it. She put down the tes while ncing through the window. "Winter, huh? Because we''re in the north, we would actually experience winter, unlike when we''re in the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "Yeah." Tristan nodded. He saw a big car bringing the pile of snow outside the city, allowing the city''s road to remain clear. "Teacher is amazing."


    "Indeed. I have heard from other maids that when the snow starts covering the street, people tend to remain inside, trying to survive with all the firewood and food they have. But in this city, they can''t help but feel amazed when they can still go around the town while wearing warm clothes." Sandra nodded.


    "But I heard from Ma''am Charlotte that people still need to get used to this kind of environment before they know what they can do and what they can''t. So there are still not a lot of jobs during the winter." Tristan crossed his arms. "Like me¡­"


    "You have worked extremely hard as well. You''vepleted Master Noel''s homework in just two weeks. And now, you''re working on this new thing." Sandra shook her head helplessly.


    "Not at all. Compared to Teacher, I''m still not as productive." Tristan sighed. "Everyone is working much harder than me while I still can''t do anything but learn."


    Sandra opened her mouth, but no words came out. As Tristan said, everyone was working hard.


    Dous continued the construction despite the chilling winter while ensuring that no one overworked or died due to the chilling temperature. Balott was ensuring everything had enough fund to operate. Howard and Harley maintained their defense while Livia fully focused on the Rune Academy. Even Khalid had left the territory for a while.


    Only Tristan was studying without contributing anything, despite the fact that Noel had entrusted three jobs to him: Runegard''s Master, Rune Academy''s Vice Principal, and this new Rune Meister.


    Sandra said, "By the way, Miss Felicia asked you to visit her today. Why don''t you go visit her after lunch?"


    "Miss Felicia? Ah, understood." Tristan nodded. He hurriedly ate as if he hadn''t eaten anything for the past few days and immediately headed to Felicia.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Aside from her work as a Rune Magician instructor, she was also working on this Rune Card.


    That was why he hurriedly met her.


    "Miss Felicia!" Tristan entered Felicia''s office, which was actually not much different from his room. There was a pile of demon crystals that had been shaped to match the rune cards. Among those piles of demon crystals was Felicia.


    "Mhmm?" Felicia gradually opened her eyes. "Oh, Tristan. You''re finally here."


    "Sandra said you wanted to meet me. But you look very tired¡­ Please get some rest first."


    "No, it''s fine. It won''t take long." Felicia rubbed her fuzzy eyes before tossing three card-shaped demon crystals. "Take these."


    "!!!" Tristan caught them, albeit barely. He couldn''t help but look at them, noticing something different from each card. "They are¡­"


    "I think you have noticed it too. All cards emit spiritual energy because I merely reshape the demon crystals. The one emitting the lowest amount is made of low level demon crystals. The one with the highest amount is created from mid level demon crystals. The one in between is thebination of low level and mid level demon crystals."


    "Combination?!" Tristan widened his eyes.


    "Yes. I call this a rune battery. This will be the perfect fuel for the Rune Card. I first divide the battery into ten cells. Thebination battery is made of 3 cells of low level demons and 7 cells of mid level demon crystals. While I can feel the difference in the amount of energy, it''s not very detailed."


    "I guess we really need the machine to measure spiritual energy¡­" Tristan frowned.


    "Yeah. As Master Noel said, we need to acquire that machine from the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "In that case, I''ll ask Dimitri to ry that message to Teacher. For the time being, I think it''s better to test each rune spell with multiple rune cards to grasp some understanding of how this system works."


    "As expected of the Lord''s student¡­" Felicia smiled. "Bring the rune cards and we can test them tomorrow. I''m going to sleep a bit more before producing more of these batteries."


    "Thank you." Tristan nodded and exited the room so that he could write a letter for Noel.


    Meanwhile, Noel was actually standing with Anna. They were only less than a hundred meters away from the airport. It had been a week since they had run away. Noel and Anna had finally reached the Spirit Transcendence Rank.


    There was only one thought in their minds: revenge. It was time to take down the Ancient Demon Spider that caused such a devastating defeat, especially to Noel, who lost his life.


    It seemed that the Ancient Demon Spider had been ready for war. Unlikest time, the Ancient Demon Spider had been standing straight as if weing Noel and Anna. His figure was covered in the fog, leaving only a creepy shadow.


    The Superior Demons had also worked together with the Grass Demon in order to find a perfect gap to kill Noel and Anna this time.


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks.


    "Are you ready?" Noel asked with a confident face.


    "Of course. This time, we will be the winners." Anna nodded.


    Both of them then turned to the giant spider''s shadow behind the fog as they said the same thing.


    "Let''s go!"

 Chapter 1111 Challenging the Spider Again

    Chapter 1111 Challenging the Spider Again


    ??Scree!


    A loud cry was released by the spider as if trying to inform all the demons that Noel and Anna hade back for revenge.


    It might be due to the fact that they knew both of them had reached Spirit Transcendence rank, they were mobilizing all their demons right away.


    No, Noel could see the deep wisdom the spider had. There was no way the Ancient Demon Spider wouldn''t have realized that Noel and Anna were capable of knowing there would be a trick in this battle. That was why the spider chose to not hide anything and make a head-on sh.


    Noel raised his head, seeing the spider that was charging its energy to utilize its poison ray.


    Because the fire wings were unusable, he summoned a single ice wing on the left side of his back. The transformation of his body into a half spirit indeed caused several changes such as his wings. He believed that he had to use a fire wing on the right side if he wanted to fully fly.


    For the time being, this one wing was enough to help him move around in the air. Meanwhile, he lifted his body with the runes.


    Once he was in the air, several demons hurriedly concentrated their spiritual energy, preparing to shoot Noel down.


    In those several seconds, Noel had seen the movements of the demons. "Five thousanding from the front, ten thousanding from the right, and three thousanding from the left. There are more than ten Superior Demons among them.


    "The front one is all the demons under the spider, while the right one ising from the airport, huh? If that''s the case, the left side should be formed from all the reinforcement they have gathered in the past week. In that case¡­" Noel shouted, "Anna. I''ll go to the left and make my way to the spider. I''ll leave the rest to you."


    "Alright." Anna smirked and immediately charged forward, as if they had discussed what to do in such a situation.


    Noel alsonded on the ground since it was much easier to move around like this.


    He went to the left side. Although he didn''t really want to let Anna face all those fifteen thousand demons by herself, he had to conserve his strength as much as possible.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but even after bing a Spirit Transcendence expert and having True Spirit Body, he didn''t know if he could win or not.


    After all, this was the first time he wanted and had the potential to kill an Ancient Demon at their full power.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    As expected, the demons noticed what Noel and Anna wanted. The Superior Demons immediately ordered a few thousand demons to stop Noel.


    Anna''s eyes shed the moment those demons tried to stop Noel.


    "Lightning Transformation!"


    Her blond hair turned white, and lightning started sparking around her body. It didn''t look that different at first nce, but Anna''s speed was amplified greatly.


    After all, she suddenly disappeared from the demons'' eyes.


    "!!!" The demons became confused, especially the low level ones, considering they were ordered to defeat Anna.


    There was another roaring from the side, specifically from the demons that were trying to reinforce their right side.


    The demons were stunned. Anna actually appeared in their way all of a sudden. Even the Superior Demons couldn''t follow Anna''s movement.


    The Superior Demons were ring at Anna. Even the Grass Demon changed the order so that all his ten thousand demon subordinates would aid the middle group. This way, they could break through using all these demons.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    The n still hadn''t changed. They would exhaust Anna''s spiritual energy with numbers. After all, they had fifteen thousand demons to spare.


    "Yeah. This is good!" Anna smirked. "Come!"


    Roar!


    The demons were approaching Anna at high speed. Even if Anna killed the ones in the front, the demons on the back would step over their dead bodies without any hesitation because they had been ordered to do so by the Superior Demons. And that order was absolute.


    That was why Anna would be overwhelmed with this strategy.


    However, Anna had also be a Spirit Transcendence expert. She gathered her lightning inside her de before stabbing the ground, sending forth the lightning in a fan-


    shaped area.


    The screeching noises of the lightning rang in their ears even though the intensity of the lightning was actually the same as the one she released previously.


    However, when there was a lightning strike bouncing off the ground and hitting a demon, instead of electrocuting the demon, the lightning strike actually blew its body apart, leaving an edge of scorching flesh in the remaining part of its body.


    And that lightning couldn''t be stopped even by the demons behind it.


    Ro¡ª!


    Raaw¡ª!


    The demons were wailing in pain, but they couldn''t even finish it because the lightning had struck them and destroyed the upper half of their bodies.


    The Superior Demons panicked. This was uncharted territory for them, especially with the fact that they had to face two Spirit Transcendence experts.


    The Superior Demons had to continue pushing forward.


    The demons stepped over theirrades'' bodies in order to reach Anna.


    "You are really like that¡­" Anna smiled as if this were within their n.


    Anna pulled back her sword. The lightning started sparking at the edge of her de before she swung it.


    A crescent-shaped sword strike flew toward the demons, but suddenly stopped as if it just hit an invisible wall. The lightning even created a crack in the air.


    But this was just how it looked. Meanwhile, those lightning strikes that turned into cracks were actually being held down by Anna so that the center part, where most energy was concentrated, didn''t leak or move.


    "I have to thank your leader because¡­ her web has given me such inspiration. I''ll call this Lightning Eye!"


    The center part of the lightning that looked like a human eye released a burst of energy and those cracks looked like eyshes.


    The eye suddenly formed a half-sphere and expanded it forward.


    The demons that ended up entering this sphere got their bodies fried by the lightning. Their deaths were different from the previous lightning strike.


    The demons didn''t even have time to let out any sound before they dropped to the ground. Even their corpses were gradually being reduced to nothing.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The Superior Demonsmanded the demons to avoid that attack, but Anna was actually using it as bait so that she could find the Superior Demon among them.


    "Found one." Anna sheathed her de as she nned to release another strike that would kill the Superior Demon in one hit.


    At the same time, the Ancient Demon Spider had finished gathering its energy, using this chance to defeat Anna.


    When the demon spider was about to release its poison ray, there was a ruckusing from the left group.


    Bam!


    Roar!


    More than fifty demons were sent flying with a powerful shock wave from the ground.


    In the middle of those demons was Noel, with his sword already above his head.


    "Oi, spider. I hope you don''t forget about me. I only managed to use about 20% of Divine sh''s power, but I have advanced to the Spirit Transcendence rank this time¡­ I will test the might of 50% of Divine sh''s power." Noel smirked while shing downward.

 Chapter 1112 Noel vs Spider (1)

    Chapter 1112 Noel vs Spider (1)


    ??Noel swung his sword downward, releasing tremendous power from the tip of his sword.


    Even the spider had no choice but to turn its head around, changing its target. She saw a simr sword strike that once cut down two of her legs. Knowing that Noel had be even stronger, she couldn''t underestimate Noel anymore.


    The spider shot out its poison ray.


    Noel''s sword strike red up as if it were meeting the poison head-on. The moment the two were about to sh, ice began to form around the Divine sh.


    Just like the previous sh, the ice suddenly erupted, freezing the poison.


    Unfortunately for Noel, the Ancient Demon Spider''s poison was much stronger than the ice, especially since Noel hadn''t used his True Spirit Body.


    Both ice and poison were neutralizing each other, so the energy within the sword strike and the poison ray shed with each other, producing a massive shock wave.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons around were feeling scared by the intensity of this sh, especially those who had never witnessed Noel and the spider''s battle.


    The sword strike split the ray into two, but eventually it lost its power before reaching the spider. The spider had also exhausted all the energy it stored earlier.


    "¡­" Noel furrowed his eyebrows. Even though he had only managed to release 50% of the true power of the Divine sh, it was considered his strongest attack. Yet, it didn''t seem enough to injure the spider.


    Unlike the previous battle, the spider wouldn''t underestimate him anymore.


    ''Ha¡­ This is really not good. Because Ardagan is not with me, I am still not that spider''s equal unless I use my True Spirit Body,'' thought Noel while gathering his energy on his palm. ''Anyway, since the spider has used his poison ray, it should be fine if I use my Spirit Fusion Ability, right?''


    "Ice Transformation!" Noel activated his transformation. To kill the demons around him, he didn''t need the True Spirit Body. In fact, if he used this trump card easily, the spider could simply order the demons to exhaust him first.


    The spider didn''t know what Noel was nning to do. She had three options. First, she should stick to Noel, who was clearly trying to challenge her. Secondly, she could maintain a distance and kept charging for the poison ray until Noel reached her. Orstly, she should control the other demons and maneuver them around to defeat both Noel and Anna.


    After seeing the option, the spider knew one thing. Noel shouldn''t fall for the third option, so the spider began to gather the spiritual energy again in its mouth while observing Noel''s reaction. If Noel did something, she might have to stick close to him so that she could stop him.


    And Noel actually forced her to make a decision the moment the spiritual energy in his palm reached a certain threshold.


    "!!!" The spider noticed that fluctuation and realized what Noel was doing.


    Without hesitation, the spider jumped into the air, nning to stab Noel to death with her long legs.


    "Toote!" Noel released his ability first before the spider couldnd on the ground.


    "Eternal Frozen."


    The Eternal Frozen was supposed to release a chilling mist that could freeze things around Noel. But Noel turned it into his Spirit Fusion Ability so that it changed the way the ability was released.


    Instead of mist, the Spirit Fusion Ability created a chilling gale that instantly froze the soil and anything standing on top of it within a hundred meters.


    The roses began to bloom once again, but before they exploded, the ancient demon spidernded on top of Noel, mming her entire weight into the ground.


    The eight legs pierced through the ground and caused the ground to vibrate. That vibration was so hard that it cracked the roses, ultimately leading to their eruptions.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The roses killed more than three hundred demons even though they were prematurely destroyed by the spider. Thetter had even sent forth some spiritual energy from her pores to lessen the damage.


    "Tsk. As expected of the spider¡­" Noel clicked his tongue. Just like how he managed to block the poison ray, the spider also managed to reduce the casualty. "I should have killed more than half of them with that alone. She reduces it to only a fifth¡­"Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The spider lifted up its body so that she could point her spinnerets at Noel.


    However, the spider was still too big for Noel, causing that web to take some time to reach Noel. During that time, Noel spun his body, using his Circr Sword Strike.


    Due to the Spirit Fusion Ability, the demons'' movements were sluggish. They were trying to resist the cold.


    Unfortunately for them, the Circr Sword Strike ended up splitting them into two. The spider released a bit more spiritual energy to neutralize the sword strike, but it still managed to kill more than five hundred demons near him.


    After that, Noel turned his head to the spinneret, finding the iing web. He waved his hand up as if he were trying to lift up something.


    "Ice Wave!"


    An ice crystal emerged from the ground. This crystal then summoned a total of three ice crystals in front of it. After that, the three crystals produced the same amount of crystal but added one crystal on the left and right. It continued producing simr patterns, eventually turning into a fan-shaped pattern.


    In addition, each summoned crystal was bigger than the previous one, forming an ice slope.


    When the web touched this ice, it failed to actually melt the ice like before. Instead, the ice was the one freezing the web this time.


    The spider still continued to produce the web, so it gradually overwhelmed the ice.


    But during that time, Noel simply left the area, avoiding the web entirely.


    He released the Sword Transmutation to kill another one hundred demons on his path.


    The spider hurriedly moved two front legs, surrounding Noel from the two sides. Due to their size, it felt like he was being mmed by two giant towers.


    Noel took a deep breath.


    There was an ability that he could use to stop the two legs while striking back at the spider.


    "Three Purity Swords."

 Chapter 1113 Noel vs Spider (2)

    <h4>Chapter 1113 Noel vs Spider (2)</h4>


    "Three Purity Swords."


    Noel released three strikes in a single swing. The first strike went to the left leg. It was fueled by his emotions to be strong enough to withstand the weight of that leg.


    The second strike flew to the right leg. After getting infused with the ice element, it would produce a power that wouldn''t lose against the first strike.


    Thest strike went straight to the spider''s body. For this one, he could use his fire in normal cases, but since he couldn''t, he just relied solely on the Divine sh.


    The first and second strikes erupted at the same time. The first strike was fueled by Disgust, which turned into a blunt attack but got a tremendous increase in power. The strike actually knocked back the entire leg, causing the body to slightly tilt back.


    The second strike froze a portion of the leg, and the shock wave it produced sent the leg flying while making it numb.


    Without the two legs, the spider couldn''t stabilize its front body. And that was where the Divine sh struck it.


    Boom!


    The Divine sh actually exploded before it reached the spider.


    ''As expected, that''s not enough, huh?'' Noel frowned, knowing that the spider had released a bit of its spiritual energy to form a barrier that blocked the Divine sh. If he had at least increased the power with his Undying me, he would have injured the spider.


    Nevertheless, the spider got knocked back and couldn''t use the front legs for a few seconds.


    Before they recovered, Noel turned around, looking at the demons around him. He jumped toward them.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons were warning each other and trying to stop Noel and somehow survive. The spider also shot out some webs in order to stop him.


    Unfortunately, Noel had prepared a few things to deal with them. In fact, Anna was doing the same thing.


    Both of them took out several rune cards and tossed them into the air.


    "Go!"


    The Rune Cards had Meteor Rune drawn on them. They all produced the lump of energy and shot it at the demons.


    A series of explosions shook the area. Anna had skillfully directed them at the concentrated spot, killing more than three hundred demons at once.


    Noel also did a simr thing. But due to the demons being scattered, he only killed around two hundred demons with those runes. Still, the fact that it didn''t require any spiritual energy to kill those many demons had proven the power of Rune Cards.


    Noel saw the iing webs and simply leaped away. In the end, the web had been stretched so far that it ended up sshing on the ground and hitting a lot of demons near the target, killing them.


    At the same time, Noel waved his sword, killing more demons with his Sword Transmutation.


    The spider couldn''t believe it. Noel actually managed to kill half of the demons while fighting against her.


    If this continued, the entire left group would be decimated. There were some Superior Demons left, which should be enough to stop Noel for a bit.


    "Scree!"


    The spider ordered all the demons in the area as her two legs recovered from the damage earlier.


    The demons charged at Noel, disregarding their own lives.


    "Huh?" Noel frowned. He waved his hand to the right as the Sword Transmutation imed yet another fifty lives.


    However, the demons continued approaching. By the time he released another strike, the Advanced Level Demons and Peak Level Demons had actually joined hands to form a barrier as if to block Noel''s attack.


    Unfortunately for them, they had been doing this the whole time. However, the result remained the same. The Sword Transmutation cut down their barriers, along with the demons behind them.


    The demons didn''t give up. More than three hundred demons released their attacks into the air as it gradually fell down in a parabolic movement.


    Noel wasn''t that bothered by these attacks.


    The strength of his spiritual energy alone could disregard any attacks from Advanced Level Demons or below. Just like the spider, he released a burst of spiritual energy. It looked like a normal burst, but it actually contained a lot of concentrated spiritual energy.


    They all hit the iing attacks and caused them to explode.


    He did the same thing as the spider that used its own spiritual energy to create a shock wave that was capable of destroying a Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    However, the Superior Demons were waiting for that exact moment. Since Noel had just released his burst, he would have a hard time fighting them, especially if they came from four separate directions.


    Even the spider had sent forth the two front legs again.


    This way, Noel waspletely surrounded. Even the Three Purity Swords wouldn''t allow him to block everything.


    This was what Anna meant by not being able to protect him. Fighting several thousand demons while still handling an Ancient Demon was simply a suicide.


    Except for one thing. Noel had distanced himself from the spider. Unlike the previous time, where the spider coulde from two sides, with their current position, the spider had no choice but to reach him from the front.


    Noel smirked, waving his sword at the two front legs.


    Divine sh.


    The sword strike flew forward. The spider released her own spiritual energy to block the Divine sh, but the Anger Emotion and the Ice Element red up. The ice element froze the spiritual energy and opened up the path for the sword strike to reach the spider''s legs. At that time, the emotion exploded, slicing the spider''s legs at the same time.


    "Scree!"


    The spider was wailing in pain as the Divine sh actually cut the center of its legs and maintained that trajectory for a while, causing its lower legs to actually get split in two.


    The legs remained intact, but there was tremendous pain just using them to stand. With this attack, Noel managed to seal the spider''s jump.


    However, this decision also came with a cost. Noel had used everything to hurt the spider, so the four Superior Demons could hurt him or even take his life.


    Roar!


    The Superior Demons knew that they shouldn''t waste this chance. If it meant sacrificing their lives, they should drag Noel down with them.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel had been waiting for this. He couldn''t use another attack, but that was fine. After all, he could use something else. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Rune Cards floated on top of his palms as each card flew in different directions, creating a barrier that once protected him during his advancement.


    "Now. What are you going to do?"

 Chapter 1114 Noel vs Spider (3)

    <h4>Chapter 1114 Noel vs Spider (3)</h4>


    Two of the Superior Demons released a beam to destroy the barrier. Unfortunately, even when the beams exploded at the same time, the barrier remained intact.


    The other two Superior Demons rammed their bodies onto the barrier. Both of them had quite big bodies, so when they hit the barrier, the ground shook a bit.


    Just like the previous attack, the spiritual barrier remained intact. Still, this was the difference between rune cards and rune spells. If these spiritual barrier runes were made of rune spells, Noel could pour in more energy, which wouldpletely withstand their attacks.


    But the rune cards contained a limited amount of spiritual energy. The attacks had scratched the surface. Another attack would probably crack them and onest attack would destroy them.


    The ancient demon spider was quite shocked to find how easily Noel blocked the Superior Demons'' attacks. It immediately let out a cry.


    The Superior Demons seemed to be trying to flee, knowing that they shouldn''t stay any longer.


    Sadly for them, Noel didn''t n to let them live any longer. Killing multiple Superior Demons at the same time would probably be too greedy, so he chose one of them to focus on.


    The spider released her web while the other Superior Demons tried to help. Even the lower level demons had released another volley of attacks.


    Nheless, Noel was one step faster than them. His target was trying to block him, but Noel didn''t care.


    Imperial Sword.


    Noel cut through the barrier. The Superior Demon waved both paws to stop Noel, but it didn''t realize that Noel''s first target was its paws. He cut them both with a single sh.


    Without anything to protect its body, the Superior Demon could only see Noel''s deing directly to its neck and sending its head flying.


    Before the other attacks reached him, Noel used his fastest speed to move away from the location. He even headed to the scattered remnants that managed to gather more than a hundred demons in a single spot.


    It was supposed to be a joint group to attack Noel, but they ended up bing a target.


    The demons tried to attack Noel, but Noel simply released his Sword Transmutation with ice and anger.


    All of them were split horizontally, and their flesh was frozen right after they were cut.


    Even though it hurt, the spider didn''t have any choice but to kill Noel with those two legs. It couldn''t jump anymore, but Noel was also having a hard time with those two legs.


    While the giant size was beneficial for destruction, its mobility was still too restricted, especially against an opponent of the same level. For example, the spider had to use six legs to withstand its entire body, so only two front legs could be used.


    There were still pedipalps and fangs, but Noel might be waiting for them as well.


    Hence, the spider tried to attack Noel from the front once again, impaling him with those giant legs.


    The remaining Superior Demons also surrounded him with the help of lower level demons. This time, they nned to use the number to hide the real attackers.


    Noel frowned. It was a clever trick. Even he would have a problem if he deployed his barrier at the wrong time. These demons could overwhelm that barrier with their numbers and create an opening for the Superior Demons.


    He could move to the side, but the spider could easily follow his movement due to that giant body.


    So he had no choice but to take this head on.


    ''My Spirit Fusion Ability is only 30% right now with only natural recovery. The spider should have recharged for about 60% since it has some time bought by these demons. In that case¡­'' Noel took a deep breath.


    Noel raised his hand, drawing his rune above his head.


    "!!!" The spider and the other demons noticed what was going on. However, this rune was different from anything they had so far, especially with the fact that Noel needed time toplete it.


    They wanted to destroy it, but they were made of spiritual energy, so unless the spider made her move, it would be impossible to disrupt the rune.


    And that was why Noel used his other hand to swing his sword at the two spider legs. If they approached the rune and released the spiritual energy that changed the natural flow of energy, he would be in trouble.


    Divine sh!


    He actually sent forth the emotion and ice element along with this Divine sh, cutting a fourth of the legs'' length.


    Scree!


    The spider was wailing in pain, but it didn''t really matter. She had aplished her objective.


    Noel immediately used the Rune Cards to form a protective barrier around him. But that was when the demons started ramming their bodies against these runes. They even released all their spiritual energy tounch an attack.


    The demons behind them also attacked the barrier, even if it meant injuring the demons near it.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    All Advanced Level Demons and Peak Level Demons were using their all just to weaken the barrier.


    Noel frowned because he was expecting the Superior Demons tounch the final blow.


    And that moment came when he heard a cracking from the right barrier.


    "!!!" Noel turned his head to the right side. There was another volley of attacksing from the sky.


    They hit the area around him, including the barrier. Noel could see at least two powerful attacks that should have been released by the two Superior Demons shooting beams earlier.


    The barrier shattered into pieces, allowing the demons to enter.


    However, another demon actually rushed toward him, using its giant body to trample over the demons on its way.


    "Tsk." Noel clicked his tongue. Instead of using his sword to block this guy, he actually removed all the barriers around him. This way, nothing would stop him in case he was blown away.


    *Rooo!* This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The boar Superior Demon let out a roar as orange-colored energy erupted from its body.


    Noel jumped into the air, but the Superior Demon simply raised its head, hitting Noel with its tusk.


    Noel twisted his body a bit so that his foot would lessen the impact, but Noel felt his bone crack from blocking it with only his spiritual energy.


    "At least, it''s not broken¡­" Noel let out a sigh of relief as the hitunched him into the air. There were a lot of attacksunched right away, trying to hit him before hended on the ground.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel had finished forming his rune. This rune was none other than the high level rune, Executioner Rune.


    Back when he was still a Spirit Grandmaster, he killed a lot of demons as the rune drained more than half of his energy.


    Now that he had reached Spirit Transcendence rank, he realized that a single executioner required twenty percent of his energy. However, the power it contained should be more powerful.


    "Let''s try it, shall we? Executioner Rune, activate!" Noel spread his arms.


    The Executioner Rune shone brightly as a pir of light started to appear from the ground and shot into the sky before expanding in all directions, engulfing everything around.

 Chapter 1115 Noel vs Spider (4)

    Chapter 1115 Noel vs Spider (4)


    ??The light pir expanded for more than a hundred meters, engulfing all the demons in the vicinity.


    There was an explosion of spiritual energy that shook the area. The energying from it was much higher than what Noel used previously.


    The spider released her own spiritual energy to stop Noel''s attack, but it was toote. By the time the light pir disappeared, it had devastated all the demons around Noel.


    All Advanced Level Demons or lower were dead. Some Peak Level demons located at the edge of the pir managed to survive, but there was one Superior Demon that was located right next to Noel. It barely withstood the Executioner Rune.


    The Superior Demon was covered in injuries, and Noel appeared right after, killing it with a single sh.


    Still, Noel was within the light pir as well. There were some burn marks on his body due to that Executioner Rune, but he was mostly fine due to his power as a Spirit Transcendence. The only thing that wasn''t fine were his clothes.


    His top was already destroyedpletely. His shoes and the bottom part of his pants were gone, leaving only the tattered upper pants, which didn''t look much different than shorts.


    "Even I don''t really want to fight naked. Besides, without Heisk, this temperature will definitely freeze me." Noel smiled wryly. This was still winter after all.


    Noel looked around. He noticed that there were only about a few hundred demons left around him. The Ancient Demon Spider was also injured.


    While his condition wasn''t that good either, the chance of defeating the demon spider was extremely high in the current situation.


    The spider was ring at Noel. She never thought Noel would be this much of a threat in just a week. It was simply unbelievable.


    However, Noel wasn''t the only one that she had to pay attention to. On the other side, Anna had been fighting fifteen thousand demons.


    The current strongest captain of the Demon Banner Army, Shale, was famous after defeating a thousand demons by himself.


    His achievement was pale inparison to what Anna was currently doing.


    Anna had actually taken down at least six thousand demons by herself. There wasn''t a single scratch on her body.


    If this continued, Anna could kill all of them without even using her True Spirit Body.


    In addition, she utilized her power ordingly and managed to be a wall that blocked all these demons.


    Of course, Noel''s n was part of her sess. His n was to lure the spider in so that those big legs became another wall that blocked half the ess to Noel. That was why Anna just had to block the other half, which was possible with her current strength.


    Noticing the progress of the battle, the spider realized that she had changed ces with Noel, from the hunter to the hunted.


    The spider started to get enraged. She couldn''t allow this situation to continue.


    "!!!" Noel frowned, feeling something ominous about the spider.


    Even Anna couldn''t help but look at the spider. Her instinct actually changed the threat level of this spider.


    "Noel, stop her! She is bing more dangerous!" Anna shouted, transmitting her voice with spiritual energy. "Tsk."


    But that distraction also caused the demons to push her back, so she had to focus back on stopping these demons.


    "What is that?" Noel was stunned for a second. He saw a glowing green vein appear on the bottom of the spider.


    The vein actually multiplied and spread in all directions, including the spiders'' legs. The body of the spider started glowing the same color as the vein.


    With the addition of Anna''s warning, Noel finally noticed what was actually going on, believing that this situation had be more dangerous than he expected.


    Noel jumped into the air.


    Divine sh.


    The crescent-shaped sword strike flew toward the spider, but it was toote. As if showing that it was sessful, there was an eruption of green colored energy from the spider''s body. In addition, the spider was also shooting its poison ray.


    The poison ray shed with the Divine sh. The ice element from the sh started freezing the ray again, but the ice actually melted at a faster rate, rendering the ice element useless. The Anger emotion he nted in the sh was also barely hanging on against the tremendous energy from the poison ray.


    The Divine sh gradually disappeared, getting overwhelmed by the strength the poison ray had.


    The poison ray continued its way toward Noel.


    "Kh!" Noel hurriedly used his ability to protect himself, but the poison ray ended upunching him a hundred meters away.


    Bam!


    Noel let out a groan. Some parts of his body turned pale as Noel barely covered those parts with his ice in order to stop the poison.


    Now that he was farther away, he could see the current state of the spider more clearly.


    Those veins had spread to all parts of the spider''s body, increasing the spider''s strength to a whole new level.


    "What kind of strength is that? Don''t tell me¡­ is it a demon equivalent to True Spirit Body?" Noel frowned. "There aren''t a lot of records regarding Ancient Demons or even Demon Kings.


    "So I know close to nothing. Still, unlike the True Spirit Body, it doesn''t seem to change the appearance of the demon. Instead of transformation, it looks like the veins just increase the spider''s overall abilities¡­


    "The energy starts to feel unstable as well¡­ No, more urately, it''s like rampaging energy¡­ If I have to describe the appearance of the spider in a simple way¡­ I think I will call it Berserk State." Noel muttered.


    Noel wanted to observe it a bit longer, but the spider actually tilted its head to the side, targeting Anna next.


    In that instant, the ice erupted from Noel''s body as an ice crown was formed on top of his head.


    He didn''t really want to use the True Spirit Body since he could take his time against the Ancient Demon. The berserk state was one thing, but the audacity of this spider to target Anna was something unforgivable to Noel.


    Even if it meant the battle wouldst for no more than thirty minutes, it didn''t matter anymore.


    Noel nned to kill this demon right away.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1116 Noel vs Spider (5)

    <h4>Chapter 1116 Noel vs Spider (5)</h4>


    Noel had finally activated his True Spirit Body. He immediately closed the distance between them, causing the spider to focus on him again.


    The spider was gathering some power in her mouth, but realizing that Noel would reach her before she was able to unleash another poison ray, the spider pointed its spinneret instead.


    Noel pointed his palm forward. His Ice Mirror was one of his best defensive techniques aside from Snow Shield.


    But there was a change in the way he wielded this technique after reaching a new level.


    He was forming the ten mirrors gradually. The process looked so slow at first, but all of a sudden, the spiritual energy from the air entered the system, causing a burst of ice energy.


    The ice energy expanded one mirror after another, turning them into giant blocks of ice that stretched for more than ten meters to each side.


    The poisonous web broke one shield after another. Instead of escaping, Noel was actually standing behind these mirrors.


    He used those giant mirrors to take out several rune cards and toss them into the air before moving again.


    The seven rune cards contained Meteor Rune on them. Those Meteor Runes wereunched into the sky like a giant boulder thrown by a catapult.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The remaining demons warned the spider. At the same time, they were trying to shoot down the lumps of spiritual energy in the sky.


    Their efforts were not futile. Two out of seven meteors were destroyed by them, but the spider still had to take on the remaining five meteors.


    Meteor Rune wasn''t that dangerous for the spider, but it was different when Noel was already waiting for them, ready to unleash his ice element and merge it with those meteors.


    Each injured leg took down one meteor. It was surprising that Noel didn''t actually merge his ice elements into these meteors, so the spider got a bit greedy, using the two legs to sweep the remaining meteors. This was just a distraction, the spider thought.


    But the moment she approached the remaining three meteors, Noel immediately activated the ice elements.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The meteors exploded and fused with the ice elements, covering the spider legs in ice.


    "!!!" The Ancient Demon Spider instantly realized what Noel was nning to do. Exploding the meteors with the tips of her legs would cause the ice element to cover only a small part around the tip with ice.


    But if it touched the middle of the leg, it would spread to both sides, freezing an evenrger area.


    That was what Noel was waiting for.


    The moment the ice covered the legs, Noel used his Sword Transmutation, cutting them.


    This time, the spider''s front legs weren''t longer than her pedipalps.


    Still, Noel had just exploded two meteors, there was one more meteoring directly to the spider''s head.


    Noel hurriedly infused his ice element into this meteor. If he could freeze her head, he could strike her down with the sword technique he had been saving this whole time.


    To his surprise, the spider actually leaned forward as if trying to swallow the meteor.


    Noel wouldn''t allow it to happen, and he hurriedly let the energy burst to cover the spider''s head.


    However, it didn''t happen. At thest moment, the spider opened her mouth and shot out a little bit of poison ray to block the energy froming to her head.


    After that, she easily overwhelmed the spiritual energy with her own.


    "¡­" Noel frowned. As expected, the spider wouldn''t be that easy to deal with.


    The spider surprised Noel once again by leaning toward him as if she were nning to use her fangs and pedipalps to attack him now. The movement was swift and the weight contained a huge destructive power. Even Noel couldn''t escape unscathed if he didn''t block this attack.


    ''The spider positioned me right in the middle of her mouth. Is she nning to devour me or shoot me with a burst of poison ray? My sword isn''t long enough to stop it. Should I go away?''


    After seeing how the spider released only a bit of its poison ray, he knew that the spider''s control over her element was much better than his. If he could use his Spirit Fusion Ability a bit without exhausting all the elements stored inside the spirit seal, he could use it in a more flexible way.


    Hence, his only choice was to jump into the air, avoiding the spider''s fangs and pedipalps.


    Still, the spider chased after him, leaning its body forward to the very limit. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel frowned. There was no way he could escape from this.


    Divine sh.


    He finally released his Divine sh along with the Anger emotion to cut the spider''s mouth.


    As expected, the spider released a bit of poison ray as well, while her fangs pinched the Divine sh and the pedipalps released spiritual energy to neutralize it.


    After that, the spider did her best to reach him, but Noel hurriedly raised his sword, using it as a base for his new technique.


    Snow Shield.


    The sword produced ice and expanded it to create a giant block. The sword was like the handle used to hold the shield. This way, he had a weapon big enough to block the spider''s mouth.


    The spider crushed the two sides with its fangs and the pedipalps smashed the broken pieces away. The center was melted by another wave of poison ray.


    Unfortunately for the spider, the shield was just a distraction. Noel used Enhance Forward Runes from his equipment, rune body, and even rune cards to actuallyunch him to the ground. He knew the spider was about to spit the poison ray to kill him when he was defenseless like earlier.


    However, Noel''s expression turned serious as though he were thinking about something.


    After using the Snow Shield earlier, he noticed something. ''The spider can control the amount she uses her element¡­ I can''t replicate it, but shouldn''t I be able to change the form of my Spirit Fusion Ability a bit?''


    Noel nced at his sword. If the motion was different, would the Spirit Fusion Ability be different? In the end, the spirit was trying to match their host''s ability. If it could work, he might have a way to defeat this spider.


    ''Should I test it?''

 Chapter 1117 Noel vs Spider (6)

    Chapter 1117 Noel vs Spider (6)


    ??''Should I test it?''


    Noelnded on the ground safely due to his Snow Shield. The spider moved a bit closer so that she could reach Noel''s location even if he backed away.


    However, this was a mistake the spider made.


    When the spider leaned forward, Noel also did the same thing as if he were preparing a simr approach.


    Noel gathered his spiritual energy in his sword. The spider knew that it would be either Divine sh or Sword Transmutation. Either way, it was something she could handle.


    Hence, the spider continued onward, ready to shoot a bit of its poison ray.


    To the spider''s surprise, the moment Noel was about to reach her, he actually took out a rune card.


    The spider was taken aback as the rune card shot out another sphere of energy. Noel looked like he was about to coat the spiritual energy with his ice, bursting it right in front of her face.


    The spider opened its mouth, nning to take it down.


    However, by the time the meteor hit the spider''s head, the ice element never appeared. In fact, the spider let the meteor hit its head since it wasn''t enough to injure her.


    But that was the trick. After dealing with the meteor, the spider actually lost sight of Noel.


    "!!!" The spider panicked as Noel could do anything at this point. She spread her spiritual energy to sense him, finding Noel underneath its body.


    The spider hurriedly tilted its body up so that she could shoot some web to stop Noel.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel actually jumped toward the lower part of the spider''s body, ignoring the web.


    In fact, Noel simply tossed all the remaining spiritual barrier runes that he had to block the web even if it was just for a second longer.


    After all, he needed everything he had in order to prate the spider''s skin.


    "!!!" The spider began to panic because Noel was closing in.


    ''I still can''t manipte my Spirit Fusion Ability. Even though I say I can change the shape, it''s as simple as channeling the ability into my sword.'' Noel nced at his sword. The ice elementing from the Spirit Seal had covered his swordpletely.


    If he used it normally, the ice element would spread in all directions, even if he used the sword. However, his target this time was the spider.


    He used the Shame emotion to boost the sword''s piercing power.


    "If outside is not enough, how about inside?" Noel smirked, stabbing the spider with his sword.


    The sword prated the spider''s skin. In the end, the sword was like an antpared to the size of the spider. So it didn''t prate past its skin.


    Even so, Noel''s objective had been achieved.


    He activated his Spirit Fusion Ability. In that instant, the ice elements inside the sword burst out in all directions. Because the sword had pierced the body, it meant the ice element spread inside the spider''s body¡­ the same ability that created a hundred meter ice field.


    Still, Noel had only recovered fifty percent of the element in the spirit seal, so the size was reduced significantly.


    Nevertheless, the Spirit Fusion Ability froze the flesh, organs, silk nds, and everything near the impact area.


    *Scree!*


    The spider was wailing in pain as its body shook violently. The ice had frozen half the inside of her body.


    "No, no, no. Wait." It was Noel''s turn to panic when the spider showed signs of copsing. He was underneath the spider, so he had to get away as quickly as possible. He used everything he had to escape from this ce.


    "I should have gone from the top." Noel shouted. He was so focused on testing his ability that he forgot the impact his action might have.


    Even if he became a Spirit Transcendence, he doubted he could survive being buried underneath this giant body.


    After all, it was as if he was being squeezed by a hill.


    However, it seemed that escaping was impossible. Just like between ants and humans, even though ants moved faster than humans, they were still unable to escape the humans'' grasp.


    In the end, Noel got hit from above, gradually going down to the ground along with the spider''s entire body.


    "Oi, oi. I just got a second chance from the Spirit God. No way I''m dying again." Noel clicked his tongue. There was one thing he could still do.


    Noel looked and calcted the spot where he would crash.


    He gathered his energy into his sword again. He had exhausted his ice element and emotion, but he hadn''t used his Sword Technique just yet.


    Divine sh.


    He sent forth a sword wave as big as possible to the ground, prating the ground for more than fifteen meters.


    When the spider''s body crashed into the ground, his body wasunched deep into that crevice, allowing him to survive.


    Of course, the fall actually shook the entire area. The crevice instantly copsed, but the entire area managed to withstand the spider''s entire body weight.


    "Hu¡­ That was close." Noel muttered as he was stuck inside the ground. He was wondering whether he should make his way up or sideways. In the end, he chose to go back up since it would also produce more injuries to the spider. Hopefully, the spider will die from the wound.


    Noel hurriedly gathered all the energy he had and prepared his most powerful attack.


    Obviously, that reckless action made Anna worry.


    "What? Did he just kill himself again?" Anna frowned. Even she couldn''t cry at this point because it was so dumb. The demons she was currently stopping were rampaging because they couldn''t ept the situation.


    However, the conclusion was soon reached.


    Suddenly, a crescent-shaped sword strike pierced through the spider''s body and flew into the sky before bursting and turning into a shock wave as if a deration of the winner.


    "!!!" Anna raised her head, finding Noel flying after that. His body was fully covered by liquid, but it seemed that he was fine, indicating the liquid wasn''t poisonous.


    Noelnded on top of the spider''s body. The wounds were too much even for the spider. It couldn''t move anymore.


    Noel panted a few times, feeling a bit tired. Some parts of his skin were also burning due to the poison. If not for his ice, they might melt his body.


    Noel walked to the spider''s head and raised his sword. "You''re very strong, Spider. Thank you, and farewell." He stabbed the spider and channeled his spiritual energy to destroy everything inside her head.

 Chapter 1118 Discussion

    "Huuu¡­" Noel nced at Anna. "Are you alright?"


    "Yeah. You should worry about yourself." Anna shook her head while looking around, finding only corpses around the area.


    "Yeah. I''ll recover a little bit. You can look around and examine the spider''s corpse."


    "Alright. You did push yourself too hard this time." Anna looked at the spider. "To think that she still had that kind of trump card."


    "I was lucky this time that using my Spirit Fusion Ability inside her body worked so well. I guess the spider didn''t expect me to use that kind of attack."


    "More like, there was no reason for you to go underneath its body, especially since you could easily be crushed by lowering its body." Anna shook her head. "I couldn''t even cry if you died so foolishly."


    "Ahahaha."


    "Anyway, I''ll take a look at our surroundings first."


    "Alright." Noel smiled.


    After killing the spider, the first thing he did was help Anna. Even though he had exhausted a lot of spiritual energy, he still had his True Spirit Body.


    Without any support from their leader, the demons started losing their ground. Anna was pushing back with all her might.


    Even the Grass Demon had trouble facing these two, especially since the demons had started panicking.


    They had no choice but to disperse in all directions, preserving all the remaining strength they had.


    They ended up getting ughtered by Noel and Anna due to that decision.


    Out of the eighteen thousand demons, more than twelve thousand of them had actually died in this ce.


    Sadly, Noel and Anna couldn''t kill all of them by themselves. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    However, they had killed all the Superior Demons except for the Grass Demon and one more Superior Demon.


    Although it was a shame that he couldn''t kill all of them, Noel believed this was enough. His True Spirit Body had run out as well, so it wouldn''t be good to chase after them any further.


    Noel was reviewing the battle against the spider. It was true that he was extremely lucky. He originally expected that the battle would actuallyst much longer.


    ''Changing the shape, huh? Maybe I will start working in that area. If I can change the shape of my Spirit Fusion Ability, I might be able to be stronger. There is also a method to limit the amount of elements I can put into the Spirit Fusion Ability like the spider earlier.


    ''There are still many ways to get stronger. And if I can master all of them well, I can reach the next step, the Spirit King.''


    Noel noticed one important thing. Now that they had killed the Ancient Demon, who would get the crystal?


    Noel personally wanted to give this to Anna. But Anna would definitely reject him.


    While stabilizing his condition, Noel chose to contemte this matter.


    Anna came back after fifteen minutes.


    "There should be no more demons in this area. There might be some stray demons returning to the airport, so we''ll clean that area. After that, Dimitri can enter and take care of these demons. The only problem will be butchering it to a size that can be lifted by the airship." Anna exined.


    "Mhmm. We can butcher itter. For now, there''s something I''d like to discuss with you." Noel nodded.


    "No." Anna tly rejected him.


    "I haven''t said anything." Noel let out a long sigh.


    "I know you''re going to give me the Ancient Demon Crystal. However, you should know how rare an Ancient Demon is. I don''t think we can find another one pretty soon. So I''m thinking about focusing the resource on you this time."


    "Let me exin." Noel stopped her.


    "No, you should listen to me first." Anna shook her head. "Since your limit has been doubled, you should be able to approach the spiritual energy necessary to be a Spirit King¡­ at least easier than me.


    "While I can produce twice the amount of power you have, you still have an easier time making progress. Right now, we don''t have a lot of time to prepare for the Demon King. If you are going to be stubborn and both of us fail to be Spirit King, then we will basically lose the match for a very foolish reason.


    "So we should focus the resource on you. I mean, you can probably fill up more than half of the requirement for spiritual energy by absorbing low level to superior crystals to the limit. The rest can be done with some ancient crystals.


    "Meanwhile, if it were me, I could only fill a third¡­ or even less than that with the rest of the crystals. So I need a lot of ancient crystals to fulfill the requirement."


    Noel fully understood her reasoning. In fact, that was the best option. If they still had five years or something, they could probably be a Spirit King together.


    That just showed how hard it was to find an Ancient Demon.


    Still, Noel didn''t really want to ept it just like that. He said, "But¡­"


    "There''s no but!" Anna harrumphed. She must have thought about it ever since he died back then. Her action had be a bit different.


    "That''s¡­ I mean¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. It was really hard to refute her words. "How about storing the crystal inside the mansion first? I mean, if it''s not enough, then I don''t mind absorbing all of them.


    "But if that''s enough, you will absorb them. After all, you can utilize twice as much power as me at the same level. It can be said that you have a higher chance to defeat a Demon King!"


    It was Anna''s turn to be unable to refute his words. Now that they had be a Spirit Transcendence expert, they looked more rxed to think about options. So it might not be wrong if they stored everything first.


    Anna let out a long sigh. "We can probably do that. But the security needs to be tight. We can''t afford to let a thief steal the ancient crystal."


    "Of course. I''ll set up runes."


    "In that case, let''s go with that arrangement." Anna nodded. "I guess it''s important to create the family treasury to avoid it."


    "Dous has built it. But if we are nning to continue this way, the Treasury might end up getting filled pretty soon."


    "That''s a problem for another time." Anna shrugged. "Anyway, we should recover fast, clean up the area, and dismantle this spider''s corpse."

 Chapter 1119 Report

    "How is it, Dimitri?" Noel asked, presenting a part of the leg that he had cut earlier.


    "This¡­" Dimitri sucked a cold breath while raising his head. The leg part stretched for more than thirty meters and reached almost twenty meters high. It also looked thick. "To think that there was a monster of this size¡­ the leg alone would definitely shock everyone."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit troubled.


    "Is there something wrong, Master?" Dimitri frowned.


    Noel nced at Anna, who had a wry smile on her face. He replied, "Well, this is only¡­ what? A fourth or a third of the entire leg?"


    "I''m not sure. But it''s definitely not a half." Anna nodded, confirming it.


    "¡­" Dimitri''s face turned pale. He had heard that the spider was big, but he didn''t think it was this big. He couldn''t imagine the size of the demon. "Please excuse me for a bit."


    Dimitri jumped into the air, finding the spider''s body scattered around the area. Noel and Anna had dismembered the body, but Dimitri could still imagine the size when Noel faced this spider.


    He thought he shouldn''t worry about Noel anymore, but this was simply reckless, especially when thest recorded battle against an Ancient Demon was led by a Spirit Transcendence expert and had more than two thousand casualties.


    "¡­" Dimitrinded on the ground while pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "No need to worry about us, Dimitri. Look!" Noel pointed at himself and Anna. "We are not injured whatsoever. See?"


    "Indeed. Noel alone was enough to handle the Spirit Transcendence." Anna definitely wouldn''t tell anyone how Noel died during their first encounter. If Dimitri heard about it, he might do everything he could to stop Noel from going out anymore, especially for the sea expedition that he was nning to have soon.


    "Besides, do you think we can transport this back to the city? It''s going to take a long time, right?" Noel tried to shift the topic.


    Dimitri looked at him for a moment before ultimately answering, "Yes, Master. We can indeed transport it to the city. It''s bigger than expected, but there shouldn''t be a lot of problems.


    "However, looking at the size, it will probably take months to transport all these. After all, moving the parts to the airship alone will require a lot of manpower and time. And we have to send the airship as well.


    "Considering the importance of the materials, I''m afraid that I need at least a Spirit Grandmaster to oversee either this ce or the transport."


    Noel thought for a moment. "In that case, call Old Jade to help you with the transfer. Inform him of all the necessary information if needed."


    "Understood. However, since it will take a long time, the meat won''t be usable."


    "No. We don''t need the meat. You must have seen some destruction where there is nothing but soil on a straight line. That''s caused by the spider''s poison. I don''t know if the spider''s meat is coated with poison or not, but I surely don''t want to take any risks." Noel shook his head.


    Dimitri nodded. "If that''s the case, I''ll have to remove the meat from the material before transporting it. This will reduce the weight a lot." Dimitri nced at the leg. "ording to Roel, the Spider''s legs are usually hard after bing a demon. They''re more suitable for hard objects such as rune technology or vehicles.


    "On the other hand, the body might be softer, but they''re still quite solid and durable. With the addition of a few materials, armor can be made. They will be durable and thin, which is perfect to hide underneath clothes."


    "I''ll let the experts do their job." Noel waved his hand, telling Dimitri to just follow the instructions from Roel for this one.


    "And about Roel''s acquaintance¡­"


    "Have you sent someone to invite him?"


    "Harley is working on it."


    "That''s good then. What about the merchants?" Noel asked.


    "They''ve begun their operations. While the city is not built yet, it''s already possible for operation. The merchants are nning to use their operations as a way to advertise this city, gradually turning it into a trade city."


    "That should be good enough for now. We have enough trains, right?"


    "The trains are easier to build, but Tristan and Livia are struggling to draw the runes."


    "Well, I won''t be back for a while, so that''s also a problem. If that''s the case, tell them to do it. Whoever seeds will learn about Rune Body from me. This will sure fire them up."


    "Understood." Dimitri acknowledged the orders.


    "Is there anything else you need to report? I and Anna will go to the next destination after this."


    "There are three matters that you need to know. The first matter is about the city''s condition. Thanks to the rune and all the new convenient tools, we have managed to liven up the city even during the winter. There is currently not a single death recorded in our city. However, there is a problem."


    "A problem?" Noel frowned. "Sickness?"


    "No. It''s about the water pipe. Dous has buried the water pipes quite deep, so they will naturally get heated by the earth, but it''s going to be a problem if the winter is long."


    "There''s a chance that the water will freeze, huh? And it doesn''t seem to be the underground pipe alone." Noel rubbed his chin.


    "!!!" Dimitri looked surprised but soon nodded. "Yes. There are also pipes for the houses. For now, there should be no problem, but it''s a matter of concern for the sustainability of the city."


    "Got it. I''ll try to solve it after some time."


    "In that case, the second matter is regarding the royal family. They have been extremely quiet. While a lot of action is ceased during the winter, they''re too quiet after losing four nobles and getting a hit to their reputation. Harley is afraid that they''re nning something big."


    "We definitely can''t ignore them. However, we don''t know what they''re nning to do as well." Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "Try to find out about their strength. See if there is a sudden emergence of a Spirit Transcendence expert in their rank."


    "What? Is such a thing possible? I mean, Spirit Transcendence Rank is not that easy to create." Dimitri frowned, feeling something was amiss.


    "I''m not very sure either. However, because we''re like this, there''s a chance that they will strengthen their cooperation with the Supreme Devil Organization to create new powerful fighters." N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "U-Understood. I''ll ry that information to Harley."


    "What about the third problem?" Noel nodded while asking.


    "The third matter is the road. We have scouted the area around and I believe that we have more people than we originally thought¡­ They''re very secretive."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel''s expression turned cold. "The royal family? No, the royal family already knows that they can''t mess up. In that case¡­ a merchant?"


    "A merchant?" Dimitri tilted his head in confusion.


    "Yeah. Maybe a certain merchant is nning to take revenge on me, using those secret elites as bandits to sabotage the train."


    "That''s¡­" Dimitri turned serious, knowing what it really meant. "Should I assassinate him, Master?"


    "For the time being, just send one or two Rune Magicians and dress them like normal soldiers that protect the train to defeat them. Capture those people and get information from them. After that, Howard and his soldiers will sweep in. Since he''s giving a precious chance for our soldiers to experiencebat, we should thank him instead." Noel smirked. "Tell the three merchants to take advantage of it to crush him. Once he has nothing left, it''ll be your time, Dimitri."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 1120 Invitation

    In the following month, Noel and Anna continued hunting down as many demons as possible. Even though Ardagan was still in slumber and Noel couldn''tplete his mission, he still had to do it, knowing that everything would seed after Ardagan woke up.


    During that time, Dimitri began transporting the materials back to the city.


    Obviously, the one who was shocked the most was none other than Old Jade. He would never think that he would have the honor to oversee the transport of an Ancient Demon.


    And the fact that Noel could win against this demon meant only one thing. Noel had just proved to him that retiring in this ce was truly the correct choice. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Of course, the one who was most excited by this material was Roel.


    "Is this really the material?" Roel gasped, looking at the giant leg.


    "Yes. There are a lot more, so it''ll take time to bring all of them. In fact, we might have to set up a new warehouse outside the city due to their size." Old Jade closed his eyes while nodding. However, he ended up hearing Roel''s voiceing not from the front, but from where he put down the spider''s leg.


    "Oh! This leg is extremely hard. What temperature is enough to actually melt this bastard?"


    "You''re not listening¡­" Old Jade facepalmed. "Well, I''ll go back there to bring another part. You can have fun."


    "Yep, go, go." Roel nodded, his eyes still lingering on the leg. "This is quite sturdy. If I use it as a material to reinforce the train, I don''t think they will be destroyed even if the rune is not active. Alright. Let''s just upgrade all the property for the Lord by using this.


    "The water storage also needs this material, considering a spy mighte to destroy it, which would be annoying." There were a lot of ideas in Roel''s mind. He was just making an excuse to use this material.


    ¡­


    Backwater City''s Erlfen Smithy.


    "Increase the temperature!" A big, muscr man shouted. When the fire lit up, he could see that part of the metal had begun heating up.


    After that, he picked it up with a tong before hammering it, perfecting the shape of the de. He even used his spiritual energy to harmonize the de.


    It took him a while before hepleted it and put it inside the water to cool it down and strengthen it.


    "Master!" Suddenly, a worker from the shop entered the workshop with a panicked expression.


    "Huh? I''m in the middle of work here. Is the client not able to wait for that long? I have even managed to make a sharp sword that can cut a Peak Level Demon easily. If he is going to displease me, I''m going to increase the price!" The man gritted his teeth.


    "No. We''ve got a guest. They''d like to meet you."


    "What? If they''re going to buy something, just handle it as usual. If they want to order, wait until I''m done with this. Are you a fool? This is the normal procedure."


    "That''s¡­ what I want to do, but the guest this time is special. Theye with the Ardagan family''s seal along with Master Roel''s letter."


    "Huh? Roel? Now that I think about it, that old bastard has gone to serve a lord, hasn''t he? Has he gone senile or something?" The man paused for a moment. "Sai, you deal with the finishing touch."


    "Yes, Master." Another worker who was standing next to him immediately picked up the tong.


    After that, the man walked out of his workshop, trying to see who dared to interrupt him.


    Outside, there were a total of three people. The ones standing in the front were twins. He recognized them both, but his eyes soon focused on the man behind them.


    "Rica, Rick, huh?" The man frowned before raising his head. "And who are you?"


    "I''m Harley, representing the Ardagan family." Harley showed the Ardagan family''s seal.


    "I''ve heard about the Ardagan family. But I don''t really care about the noble families. As long as you don''t bother me, I won''t bother you. And if you think about recruiting me, I won''t go. That''s my reply. I don''t like working for a noble family." The man snorted.


    "Please don''t say that. First of all, allow me to greet one of the ten Master cksmith of our kingdom, Master Johan Eirfen. While I do represent the Ardagan family, the real business is¡­" Harley smiled while ncing at the twins.


    "Huh?" Johan turned back to the twins. "You guys¡­"


    "It''s been a while, Uncle Johan. As you are already aware of it, wee here to invite you." Rick nodded, confirming their intention.


    "Like I said¡ª"


    Before he finished, Rica added, "However, we don''t represent the Ardagan family to invite you. I and Rick would like to invite you to join our Runegard Company as a Master cksmith."


    "Huh? Isn''t that the same? The fact that you''re apanied by the representative of a noble family makes it clear that thepany is under the management of the noble family." Johan looked displeased. "You called me uncle, that was why I didn''t kick you out here immediately. But even if you two were that old bastard''s children, I wouldn''t be polite if you kept spouting nonsense."


    "We understand your wish, Uncle Johan. At the very least, please read the letter from our father." Rick walked toward him, politely handing the letter with both hands.


    Looking at how Rick behaved, reading the letter was probably the least he could do. Despite his big, muscr body, he opened the letter with care as if he had perfect control over his strength.


    The letter didn''t contain a lot of words, so it didn''t take a long time for him to finish it.


    After that, he walked to themp hanging on the wall. He opened it and put the letter inside, burning itpletely.


    "Is this letter true?" Jason''s expression turned grim.


    "Everything stated there is true." The one to answer it was Harley.


    Jason finally understood the reason why the twins invited him as the Runegard Company''s representative. Jason stared into Harley''s eyes, seizing him up.


    "I''m going to confirm it first. If it''s true, then I''ll ept the invitation. However, if you lie to me, don''t think I''m going to let it slide just like that."


    "Of course. Even among Master cksmiths, no one can match the sharpness of the de you make, and your eyes are as sharp as your skill. As expected of the number one weapon maker in the kingdom." Harley politely bowed. "I sincerely wee you, Mr. Johan Eirfen."

 Chapter 1121 Secret Discussion

    "How is the preparation?" The king asked. He was holding a meeting with only a few trusted nobles, especially Duke Raymond.


    "The negotiation should be concluded soon. But are you sure about this, Your Majesty? There is a higher chance of it being known by the public. If the royal family is openly cooperating with the Supreme Devil Organization, the people will lose their trust in us." One noble asked.


    "Are you doubting my decision?" The king squinted his eyes, pressuring the noble.


    "N-No." The noble shook his head.


    Duke Raymond added, "This is a matter of national security as well. From what I have heard, they have established apany to separate the business sector from the government. However, they''re clearly still under Noel Ardagan.


    "And they''re currently conducting several negotiations for rune technology, especially with their allied nobles. If those nobles take advantage of the rune technology as well, I''m afraid that not only the Ardagan family but also those noble families will be too big for us to handle.


    "When that happens, the central government will be the one receiving the pressure. You should already know the previous Ardagan family''s patriarch. The current Ardagan family is on the way to bing the wealthiest family not only in the kingdom but in the entire world. Even I can''t imagine how he will wield all that money."


    The people looked tense, recalling what Luke Ardagan was capable of when he was still the wealthiest man in the kingdom.


    First of all, Noel could easily gain the support of his people, especially with the charity. He could use the rune technology to operate the charity. Without much justification, it would be hard to take him down.


    There were a few other things Noel could do to strengthen his force. If he became too big for the royal family to handle, Noel could simply refuse the royal family and rally the entire force to actually bring down the royal family and be the king himself.


    Even if Noel didn''t want it, how about the others? His allies could try manipting him into taking that position. His descendants might be the ones affected the most.


    That was why the royal family had been doing their best to weaken Noel or even crush him.


    The king nced at another noble. "What about our arbiters?"


    "Three Arbiters have decided to participate, including the former Arbiter, Lord Heirden, whom Anna Stargaze defeated before."


    "Tower Association?"


    "We have gained the cooperation of two elders."


    "Good." The king nodded with a serious expression. "If I''m not wrong, there is a request for them to pass the border¡­"


    "Yes, Your Majesty. Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are nning to go to the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    The king nced at Duke Raymond, who nodded his head. Duke Raymond said, "I believe it''s a good time to assassinate them. Taking down his territory during their absence is hard because of the support they have and theck of justification. But as long as people can''t find any evidence regarding the assassinations, we won''t be held responsible."


    "Do you have a n?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    "In that case, I will leave this matter to you."


    "Understood." Duke Raymond nodded with a solemn expression.


    "What is he nning to attend in the Zaecuria Kingdom?"


    "I believe it''s the auction from one of the biggest auction houses in the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    The king pondered for a moment. "It doesn''t seem that we can do anything during that time. In addition, for now, monitor the situation. The Greenwood Kingdom is annoying, so make sure they don''t contact him. The Atracaeca Kingdom also chooses to be his ally after resolving their hatred. But for now, they''re not that close, so we can ignore them for the time being. The problem will be the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    Duke Raymond nodded. "Yes. Stopping the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom alone has taken a lot of resources. We can''t afford to do anything to the Atracaeca Kingdom right now."


    The tense atmosphere in the meeting room was shattered by the sudden appearance of a masked man who appeared behind the king.


    "!!!" The nobles couldn''t help but shudder, never expecting that such a person would appear out of nowhere. Only a few nobles actually knew their existence, considering they were the secret squad that maintained the informationwork of the royal family. Duke Raymond simply squinted his eyes, wondering what kind of information was important enough for them to make their appearance in front of these people.


    However, it seemed that the matter was more serious than he thought when he saw the change of expression on the king''s face.


    After he was done, the masked person disappeared.


    The king had a solemn expression as he announced the important matter. "It seems that the Ardagan family has brought Johan Eirfen into their territory."


    "!!!" Everyone widened their eyes in shock.


    "What? Johan Eirfen?"


    "The one who is known to be the best weapon maker?"


    "How? No, that''s not important. Is he nning to monopolize the Master cksmiths? He has already recruited Master Roel, who is known to be good at every field."


    "Is he nning to make weapons on arge scale?"


    Duke Raymond tapped the table a few times before saying, "Runegard Company, huh?" This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "!!!" The nobles shut their mouths as if realizing why he mentioned thepany.


    "A clever move. With this, he can avoid the stigma of monopolizing the Master cksmith since one serves the family and another serves thepany. And if I''m not wrong, the Runegard Company is located in¡­"


    The king nodded. "Yeah. I believe it''s in their trading city where those three merchants operate. It can be said that this trading city has just be an important fortress that not only handles the economy but also the security. In the south, he has one city and two nobles to protect his territory. The east has Greenwood Kingdom, their solid shield. And with the expansion to the north, he has sessfully protected the main city from all directions. If it continues, we will have no way to reach the main city."


    Duke Raymond and the other nobles were sweating profusely.


    Duke Raymond shouted to a lower noble. "We need a new map."


    "Map? Which map?"


    "The entire northern area."


    "Y-Yes!" The noble hurriedly left to retrieve the map.


    "It seems that the situation has be even moreplicated. With a steady supply of high ss weapons and armor, his elite soldiers will be harder to defeat." Duke Raymond gritted his teeth.


    When they thought that the situation had just gone under their control, Noel actually made another move that would make them reconsider their current n.


    "Unlimited wealth, two Master cksmiths, a lot of Spirit Grandmasters, a lot of elite soldiers, Rune Technology, and a lot of allied nobles." The king clenched his fists. "This doesn''t look good. He also has allies in the central area, especially Duke Lorelei. That annoying Duke, who always maintains his neutrality, has been helping him a lot."


    "We have sent the Third Princess to keep him in check. Even if she is useless, she will still report to us in case something happens. She is the best piece to keep him in check." Duke Raymond waved his hand, calming the king down. "We should focus on the Ardagan family for the time being."

 Chapter 1122 Demonic Human

    The former Count Heirden was standing in the middle of a stone room with two more people. He recognized them as they were his peers in the past.


    "To think that you would actually get invited as well, Count Heirden¡­ Ah! I can''t use that name anymore, right, Yesley?" One of them sneered. "Not only have you lost your identity as an arbiter, but you also have lost your title, reducing you and your family tomoners. No, in fact, you''re already lucky enough that you manage to avoid execution."


    Yesley Heirden didn''t even bother to reply to him, but his hands were already clenched into fists. He hade here because of Noel and Anna. The king told him he would get the power and chance to kill them if he came here.


    But before they could mock him even more, he was fortunate that the door was opened.


    *Creak!*


    "!!!" The three turned to the door, finding the king and the marshal entering the room.


    "We greet Your Majesty." They immediately fell onto one knee.


    The king waved his hand. "You may rise. This is an unofficial meeting anyway."


    As soon as they stood up, the king continued, "I''ve told you the reason why I called you this time. However, I''m going to ask you again. Are you ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of strength? This power will be able to let you reach a level you''ve never thought was possible before. If you don''t have the determination to do it, you are to leave right away."


    The three stood still, looking at the king with a resolute face, which gave more answers than their words.


    "In that case, bring it in." The king waved his hand.


    Duke Raymond entered the room, bringing a box that was covered by fabric in his hands.


    The people couldn''t help but feel curious, noticing the spiritual energy emanating from this box.


    "If you want strength, you just have to swallow this." The king extended his hand as the marshal pulled down the fabric, revealing what was inside.


    "!!!" The three of them dropped their jaws immediately.


    "That''s¡­"


    "No way!"


    Yesley Heirden gritted his teeth. Inside the ss box lived a few round creatures with eight legs. It looked like a spider if not for that towering figure. "Don''t tell me, they were¡­ demons?! The original form of demons?"


    Obviously, all of them knew that demons were a kind of parasite that controlled the host. The demons usually entered the animals and transformed them since they had lower consciousnesspared to humans.


    The king''s expression turned grim. "That''s right."


    "!!!" The three shuddered. "Your Majesty¡­"


    "If you want to get stronger, you are going to swallow these. The demons will transform your bodies, which will allow you to harness your full potential."


    "But¡­ it''s a known fact that demons can''t possess humans," one of them stated.


    "That is because we have higher consciousness. You are not wrong, but you are not entirely correct as well."


    "Don''t tell me¡­" He gasped, noticing one more possibility.


    "Yes. What if you allowed them to enter your mind? As long as you maintained your own consciousness, the demon wouldn''t be able to control you. But due to that integration, you would be able to reach a new height with your power." The king smirked.


    "¡­" The three sucked a cold breath. There were a lot of questions in their minds, such as, ''How is he able to acquire the demons in their original form, considering all the demons they''ve encountered so far has already possessed animals?'' or ''Why would he suggest such a thing, fully aware that the citizens would condemn them if found out?''


    Thetter was rather simple. The king had already asked them if they wanted power, even if it meant sacrificing everything. In other words, could they sacrifice their humanity?


    Surprisingly, Yesley took a step forward as if he had no hesitation.


    "You¡­" The two arbiters looked shocked.


    "I have lost everything. I don''t need to sacrifice anything for power." Yesley walked toward Raymond. He grabbed one of the demons as he heard the king say, "If you swallow it, the demon will take care of the rest. This is a Superior Demon in its original form. If itbines with the body of a Spirit Grandmaster, you might even reach that sacred realm. The rest will depend on you."


    Yesley lifted up the demon and raised his head as if nning to let the demon fall directly into his mouth. The other two looked disgusted. In fact, Raymond''s face also became pale, never thinking that a human would swallow something that disgusting.


    However, Yesley didn''t hesitate to swallow it.


    The demon''s size was actually bigger than his mouth, so it fell on top of his mouth. But when the demon recognized Yesley''s mouth, the demon started moving, crawling into his throat. It shoved its entire body down Yesley''s throat.


    "Kaaahh!" Yesley was gasping for air as he fell on one knee. His eyes rolled back as the bulging skin gradually went down. Instead of the stomach, the demon actually moved to the heart as if it tore apart his trachea just to reach his heart.


    "Kh¡­" Yesley was clutching his chest as if he were in pain. The other two arbiters turned pale, thinking that they would suffer the same thing. They might even die because of this.


    In addition, there was a sudden ck spot emerging from his chest. This ck spot expanded in the form of ck lines like veins all around his body.


    "Aaaahhhh!" Yesley screamed in pain when the ck veins reached his head. His spirit seal shone brightly as if resisting the ck veins. However, the ck veins gradually took over and started overwhelming the spirit seal to the point where the spirit seal actually disappeared as if it were being erased.


    "!!!" The two arbiters gasped.


    "Did the spirit leave his body?"


    But because the spirit had left his body, the demon could finally take control. The white part of his eyes gradually turned ck as his pupils became yellow.


    As soon as the ck veins spread all over his body, Yesley emitted spiritual energy.


    Bam!


    The enormous amount of spiritual energy actually cracked the entire room made of stone.


    The two arbiters released their own spiritual energy to avoid the impact. The marshal had also stepped forward, protecting the king and Raymond. He had ced his hand on the sword, ready to cut down Yesley if he dared to harm the king.


    However, these two arbiters actually noticed something weird.


    "What is this spiritual energy? This is the first time I feel this much spiritual energying out of someone''s body."


    "This has far surpassed the amount that Yesley is supposed to be able to release at once."


    "Yeah. Peak Grandmaster? No. The amount of spiritual energy alone¡­ I think this is actually more than the old sword."


    Obviously, the ''old sword'' they mentioned was none other than the Sword Arbiter, Duke Lorelei, the one who was known as the number one among Spirit Grandmasters.


    "Losing the spirit and humanity to gain a strengthparable to a Spirit Transcendence¡­"


    The two arbiters exchanged looks. It seemed that the king was indeed telling them the truth. If they integrated the demons into their bodies, they might be able to reach the stage they could only dream of.


    Still, one problem remained. They needed to see whether the demon controlled Yesley or not.


    "This feeling¡­ Hahahaha." Yesleyughed out loud. He nced to the side and pointed his palm at the wall.


    They were confused about what he was nning to do at first. But the marshal became wary the moment Yesley released his spiritual energy.


    Bam! This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The wall crumbled into pieces, shocking all of them. Even the marshal widened his eyes.


    "What? Too fast. He merely released his spiritual energy¡­"


    "But the speed was too fast. I couldn''t even react. No, I couldn''t even see it¡­ When did he gather the spiritual energy and release it?"


    As an Arbiter, they were already quite strong. But the realm that Yesley showed was simply too much even for them.


    "This is it. This is the power¡­" Yesley smirked. "I will kill those brats with this power and destroy everything they have. No. I will torture them first. I won''t let them have a peaceful death."


    The king said, "I will give you that opportunity. What do you think?"


    "You have given me this power. As long as I can kill them, I don''t care about anything else."


    "Good. Congrattions! You have be a demonic human." The king smiled, satisfied. He then nced at the two arbiters. They gulped down, looking very tempted.


    Just like how the king strengthened his force by using the demon, there was no way the organization where it originated didn''t do such a thing.


    In the cold, stone room underground, a lonely man sat down on his chair. He was clutching his chest as the ck veins covered his body. But only his right eye had turned ck, contrary to what happened to Yesley.


    To avoid suspicion, he had to do it. However, it also meant that no matter what he did, he wouldn''t have any ce to return anymore. Even if he died, his grave would be unmarked, and his deeds would be erased or known for their infamy.


    He was panting heavily as if he were resisting pain. He muttered, ''I might not have a lot of time left¡­ Forgive me, at this rate¡­ I might end up bing your enemy¡­ forgive me, my brother, sister-inw, and¡­ my nephew.''

 Chapter 1123 Return

    "Huu¡­" Noel let out a breath of relief as hended on top of the castle wall. The hunt thatsted for more than a month had finally ended.


    He had killed numerous demons to the point where he couldn''t count them anymore. The system wasn''t there as well.


    Standing next to him was Anna. Unlike him, Anna was more focused on the city when she reached this wall, staring at the bustling city despite the cold winter.


    There were still a lot of activities going on. Considering all of them weremoners, it was an amazing achievement. Themp lit up the road, making the atmosphere look warm. Some vehicles were carrying the snow and heading outside the city as if it were about to dump the snow.


    However, the snow had actually stopped yesterday. That was why Noel and Anna returned.


    The soldiers had yet to notice them, so they immediately jumped off the wall. The first thing they needed to do was check on the city''s situation.


    They had left this city for a while. Dimitri might have given some reports, Noel had to look at the detailed report.


    "It seems that I have to be buried in my office for a while." Noel let out a long sigh while walking to the mansion.


    "Should I help you with the paperwork?"


    "No. If you want to help me, there are several things you can do. For example, monitoring the city, going to Roel''s workshop, and dealing with all the practical stuff. That''s right. I think Tristan and Livia have finished with the train, can you handle their Rune Body training?"


    "Oh!" Anna nodded. "I can do that. Then, we''ll split up. I''ve hogged you for myself for more than a month. That should be enough for our honeymoon."


    "You call that honeymoon?" Noel chuckled. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Haha. Anyway, I''ll handle all those matters, including the preparation to go to the Zaecuria Kingdom. Since this is an official visit, we have to go with our carriage."


    "Yeah. I''ll leave it to you." Noel nodded.


    Anna immediately left his side since she had several destinations. While it was true that they were exhausted from a long hunt, thest few days weren''t that intense, so they had no problem working right away.


    Still, after more than a month, the ones who changed were not only them, but also their people.


    When Noel was about to open the door of his mansion, someone actually opened it from the inside. It was Sandra


    If it was a coincidence, Sandra would look surprised. However, Sandra''s expression remained calm as she politely bowed to Noel. "Wee back, Master."


    "¡­" Noel was the one who was surprised. "You know I''ve returned?"


    "This maid only knows one thing. It''s that you and thedy will return after it stops snowing. Looking at the master''s habit, you will definitely return one day after and during the day because there is still a lot of work to do," Sandra replied. Even the way she spoke had changed. She used formal speech so that the other maids would do the same even though Sandra''s status was much higher than theirs due to her rtionship with Tristan.


    And the fact that she could predict him made her look even more reliable. She was a bit simr to Dimitri. Of course, the strength they had was different. Even then, Sandra had actually be a spirit practitioner.


    With his spiritual energy, he could also sense hidden weapons underneath her skirt as well as her back.


    It seemed that Dimitri was training her to be his sessor in the future.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile, satisfied with her hard work. "Where are Charlotte and Rose?"


    "Ma''am Charlotte has just left to inspect the UD site. Miss Rose is working in her office."


    "Tristan and Livia?"


    "They''re currently discussing the Rune Academy," replied Sandra while helping Noel take off his coat as if knowing that Noel wouldn''t ask anything else and just head to the office.


    Noel nodded. "In that case, I will go to my office right now. I''ll have tea while working."


    "Understood." Sandra acknowledged the order and stepped back.


    Noel never expected that Sandra was in the middle of her development to be a head maid. Once her strength and her experience improve, she might end up bing a future pir of the family. Her status wouldn''t be so far from that of Tristan. It seemed that he made the correct decision when he brought both of them away from the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    Sandra wasn''t the only one who would be one of the pirs in the future. When Noel returned to his office, Rose, whose office was next to him, immediately knocked on the door.


    "Come in."


    Rose already had several documents for Noel. Of course, she had sorted the mountain of documents on Noel''s table so that he would have an easier time looking at them.


    "Wee back, Noel. It seems that you have a bountiful harvest in this hunt."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded.


    "I''m going to start my report if you don''t want to get some rest first." Rose smirked.


    "No. It''s fine. I have been away for a while, so I need to handle all these matters as quickly as possible. For now, let''s start with the winter''s casualties as well as the construction."


    "Instead of that, I believe you need to hear this first. The saintess would like to meet you. She is nning to leave this city."


    "Now that I think about it, she should have gone back by now." Noel nodded. Before telling her to call the saintess, Sandra arrived at the room, bringing him his tea. She was so quick as if she had prepared everything from the start.


    And because of that, Noel had another idea. "Sandra. Can you call the saintess to meet me here?"


    "Understood." Sandra nodded while cing the tea on the table.


    Looking at her leaving, Rose couldn''t help but say, "She has grown a lot in the past month."


    "Yeah. You might need to do the same¡­ or else, the first one to seed a pir position will be her."


    "I don''t really mind. It''s not about a race after all¡­" Rose chuckled as if she didn''t get bothered by something that simple. Charlotte had truly drilled everything into her, considering that their position required them to remain calm at all times.


    "Well, let''s get back to the topic." Noel waved his hand.


    "Alright. The casualties this town suffers during the winter are...

 Chapter 1124 Report

    "The number of casualties during the winter is¡­ 2."


    "!!!" Noel raised his eyebrows. "2? Are you serious?"


    At first nce, it looked like Noel was dissatisfied with the result. However, the real truth was that Noel was simply shocked.


    This result was beyond his imagination.


    "Yes. Both of them also have their own illnesses, so the severe cold makes their immune systems finally give up." Rose nodded. "We have more than eight thousand people in our city. Only two have died. While the winter has yet to end, we believe that the number wouldn''t reach five."


    Noel sucked a cold breath. In the first ce, a big city with twenty to thirty thousand people usually loses more than a hundred people. So, it was shocking that Noel only suffered two casualties. While it was true that every death saddened him, it didn''t change the fact that he was already sessful in managing the winter, especially since his town hadn''t beenpleted yet. Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "If we have topare them with big cities, it''s already amazing. Even if we have the same number of people, we should be able to pass the winter with a tenth number of deathspared to other sessful lords."


    Noel thought for a moment. "What about the others? Are there sick people?"


    "Indeed. However, Khalid has assured us that everyone will be fine except for one person who has a severe illness. Thus, the reason for our confidence in keeping the number low." Rose exined.


    "I see." Noel let out a long breath of relief. Even his father couldn''t achieve this in the past. "What about our money? Have you spent all of them?"


    "Don''t worry. While we haven''t sold the rune technology yet, we still have about twenty thousand gold coins to spare. We have also negotiated with several lords about the instation of the said technology, especially the water storage. Among what we currently have, the water storage and the container are the most sought after. They''re also wondering if you are nning to open the train for business as well."


    Noel thought for a moment. "Tell them that the train will be open for business after the main city is open to the public. Before that, I''d like to increase our number to ten thousand first and use the train to enter our city. This way, the train should be advertised to nobles, merchants, and evenmoners. Use it as a way to measure the ticket price as well."


    "Certainly." Rose nodded.


    "As for the instation of the water storage, I will leave it to the Runegard Company. Tristan will be the one to handle it. The ones apanying him will be¡­ Sandra, Felicia, and Andreas. Tell Roel''s children to handle the details."


    "Sandra and Felicia aside¡­ Do you think Andreas will help him? I mean, it''s good that Tristan can gain some experience by doing this. But I''m afraid that others will try to kidnap him."


    "In about six to seven months, I''m nning for a long trip. And due to that trip, I will have to fulfill my promise to him first. This should be enough to make Andreas agree. While he doesn''t look like it, Andreas is extremely strong, even among spirit grandmasters. With the help of Felicia, unless a Spirit Transcendence attacks them, they won''t be defeated." Noel exined.


    "Understood." Rose nodded.


    "Regarding the containers, I''m not nning to sell them for the time being. How about renting them? It should be pretty popr among nobles and merchants."


    "You''re not worried that they won''t take it away?" Rose asked. "What if they use it for bad things?"


    "That''s true. I have been thinking about it, but if I monopolize this technology, those people are going to cry. It''s annoying to have them screaming about it, and there''s a high chance they will turn to the royal faction. The train is still exclusive to us, but the container truck doesn''t need to be."


    "I see. You can also test them this way. Anyone who misuses the container truck will be banned. Of course, this can also be a silent threat, telling them that we might sell the truckspletely in the future."


    "Yes. And we will register each truck with a special code. This way, we will know who we sell and other things. Prepare for the contract as well." Noel thought for a moment. "Even if they misuse it, we still have the battleship and airship as our trump cards. So it should be fine for now."


    "Indeed." Rose nodded. "I''ll deal with them ording to your instructions. We''ll introduce these technologies first before adding other technologies to the catalog."


    "There you have it," Noel confirmed.


    "Now that the rune technology is done, I think I should give you this." Rose grabbed one of the few papers in her hand and ced it in front of Noel.


    "What is this?" Noel frowned, trying to see the title.


    "Do you remember the hostage?"


    "ine?"


    "Indeed. She is pretty eager to contribute to us. She hopes that her way of thinking can be epted and rewarded. The reward is, of course, for her family."


    Noel took a look at the paper. "Merit-Based System." The title was exactly the same as what he heard from Anna.


    "I have read it as well. To put it simply, the merit-based system allowsmoners to rise through the ranks. Right now, formoners to be respected, they only have two options: working for the lords like maids and butlers or racking up achievements as soldiers.


    "But after hearing about your new system and n to create an academy, she is creating a school system for it.


    "First of all, it''s hard formoners to go to school since they have to work or they won''t even have food on the table. The adults also think that it''s fine since they can live well even though they can''t write or read.


    "Hence, if we implement this merit-based system, we can make them think that they can achieve more. There will be a lot of people willing to learn how to write and read. Continuing that path, we will have more people who can calcte, and so on.


    "This process will be introduced gradually so that they won''t be overwhelmed and won''t cause a lot of friction. For example, we can force the people to study at school, but they will question our decision since they need to put bread on their table. But by introducing it gradually, they will perceive this as something normal sooner orter. That''s why she believes the school needs to be free."


    "Free?" Noel frowned. "You should know how much we need to pay for their education alone, right?"


    Rose nodded. "That''s the catch. She also mentions that free education is only for the basics, like how to read, write, and calcte. Once they''re done with this, we will introduce more advanced education. The Lord will subsidize a part of their education, while they can earn some money by themselves to cover the rest."


    "So that''s how it is. After knowing how to read, write, and calcte, I''m sure it won''t be hard for them to get a job. Even merchants would like to hire them." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "Yes. We can actually introduce the basic school right now and wait until the city is open for advanced education. This way, more people will be smarter. And with this new merit-based system, they will feel appreciated by the Lord and choose to work for you instead of any other lords."


    "We can also allow some nobles to recruit them. Having talented people work for them will definitely ease their jobs. And these nobles will be thankful to us and remain our allies." Noel smirked.


    "Indeed. That''s just the first concept shees up with. The second concept is about working hours. ording to her, having a rest will allow people to appreciate their lives more. For example, if we allow them to get one day of rest, they will spend it with their family. Seeing their family will make them think about how hard they should work to keep their family happy. With the technology we introduce to improve their convenience, they will feel the effect more."


    "Interesting." Noel nced at the paper. "It seems the details are written here."


    "Yes. Thest part is about sanitation. Dous'' city design has made the city cleaner, but as expected, we still need to get involved. After seeing how we can throw the snow outside the city, she is thinking about using a simr system to sanitize the city. We also need a new division to clean the city, from sweeping the dust to overseeing every corner."


    "Mhmm¡­ Isn''t this¡­" Noel raised his eyebrows. "Is she targeting women?"


    "I believe so. Wives or retired men who remain home can earn a bit more by doing such a simple task. That additional ie can also allow them to let their children pursue higher education," Rose exined. "Well, this is more like an advanced system that the Demon Banner Army is currently using."


    "Indeed." Noel agreed. "Call her to meet me. I''ll have an audience with her and listen to what she has to say. I''ll decide the reward after that meeting."


    "Understood."


    Noel never thought that ine was exactly as Anna said. The theory itself was full of controversy, and she was at risk of being executed if she suggested it to other nobles. It was the reason why ine managed to reform her city once she seeded her father in her previous life.


    There was no lord who wanted to adopt this policy if they were sane enough. It seemed that sparing her life was the correct choice. And he had to think of a way to recruit her and make her loyal, especially after such a conflict between the two families.


    Rose wanted to continue, but she soon heard footsteps outside. Sandra''s voice then echoed, informing them. "Saintess La has arrived."

 Chapter 1125 Thoughts

    "Saintess La has arrived." The door was opened by Sandra before she bowed to La, allowing her toe in.


    Noel nodded to Rose first, signaling for her to get ine here. Rose nodded back and walked away. After that, he stood up while saying, "I apologize for taking so long to meet you."


    "It seems that you''ve gotten stronger again, Marquis." La smiled. "It''s a blessing to this territory."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel looked at La for a moment before turning to Sandra to leave them alone. It seemed that La was nning to talk about something important by the way she spoke.


    After Sandra left, Noel extended his hand. "It''s my fault for taking so long to meet you. It seems that there is a reason for you staying behind when no one will care if you choose to leave since you''ve fulfilled the agreement we''ve made beforehand."


    La smiled. "As expected of Marquis Ardagan, you certainly understand me."


    "You''re exaggerating. There is no one here, so you can speak informally."


    La paused for a moment before calling Noel "Marquis Ardagan," as if showing that this wasn''t a matter she could easily talk about.


    Noel understood the meaning and turned solemn.


    "I''ve received the divine revtion from the Moon Goddess herself. The chaos is approaching. Humans have to join hands to deal with it, or the demons will raze everything that has been built so far."


    Noel frowned. Now that he thought about it, her spirit was also one of the highest rank. He was aware of this due to his ancestors'' books as well as the meeting with the Spirit God.


    La continued, "The Moon Temple won''t change its way. We will continue to fight the demons but leave the humans'' matters alone."


    "I see." Noel closed his eyes. La simply said that she would help him fight the demon army and the demon king. However, she wouldn''t do anything for the Muivell Kingdom, especially their royal family.


    La politely bowed to him. "I''ll go back this time and persuade all the pdins and elders of my Moon Temple to assist you in the battle against demons. However, even with the help of my Moon Temple, it''ll be impossible for us to resist them."


    "I know." Noel nodded. "I''m not nning to fight it alone."


    "I believe so." La smiled. She obviously knew that Noel had been creating an alliance in the northern area. Since the only way for the demons to destroy them was through the north, this alliance would create a wall that repelled those demons.


    Of course, Noel didn''t intend to fight them alone. The Greenwood Kingdom was most likely toe forward the moment they knew a Demon King had appeared. Once Noel was down, the first thing the demons would hit was them after all. Besides, there was no way his grandfather would just let this happen.


    They might choose to help, even if it meant invading the Muivell Kingdom.


    He also had some rtionships with the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom, but he didn''t know whether they woulde or not. Still, the Zaecuria Kingdom would be useful for the sea expedition that the Spirit God had ordered him to do.


    Still, having the help of all the pdins, archbishops, and elders from the Moon Temple was huge. They also had numerous resources.


    "I''m thankful that you''re willing to help us. However, I''d like to remind you of something. I never and won''t consider myself a hero. Even if it''s for propaganda, I''m unwilling to be recognized as such. I''m merely a single man, struggling to break away from my impending doom," said Noel with a solemn tone.


    La could feel his seriousness about it, but she simply smiled. She bowed. "I understand that very well, Marquis. In that case, please excuse me. I''ll take my leave here. You don''t have to see me off."


    Noel nodded, seeing La turn around and open the door. But before she left, she stopped for a moment and added with a sly smile. "And congrattions to you and thedy¡­ for advancing to the Spirit Transcendence rank."


    "!!!" Noel looked surprised, but La had already left. Noel scratched the back of his head. Whether it was due to her exceptional senses or the revtion, it seemed that the matter of his advancement had already spread. Then again, he nned to use it to leverage himself in a negotiation. "Fortunately, she isn''t a person who would blurt out a secret easily."


    It seemed that the conversation with La wasn''t the only intense conversation he had that day.


    Half an hourter, ine was already standing in front of him. She looked quite nervous, but Noel could see the expectation reflected in her eyes.


    Rose was standing next to him, ready to give him assistance during the meeting. While Noel praised ine''s work, it didn''t change the fact that there were several problems.


    While looking at the paper, he said, "I''m impressed that you''re able to think of all this."


    "T-Thank you." ine''s heart beat rapidly as it was filled with excitement.


    "However, I fear that I must execute you immediately." Noel''s expression turned cold, his eyes emitting killing intent.


    "Eh?" ine shuddered, feeling the killing intent. Her breath became heavy. She had poured her soul into that work, so she didn''t understand why Noel wanted to execute her.


    Of course, Noel exined the reasons why he said this work was extraordinary but also dangerous.


    "First of all, let''s talk about the merit-based system. It''s indeed a good system, but you seem to have forgotten that your idea is in conflict with the aristocratic system we currently adopt. By allowing the citizens to learn, they will be able to criticize the government and rally the masses. Even worse, they might overthrow the government themselves.


    "The proof is in the school system. If all the citizens be well-learned, the gap between the nobles and themoners will be blurry.


    "You should already know about this as someoneing from a noble lineage. People regard you highly because you are a noble. You have learned a lot of things and are able to do something they aren''t able to.


    "Once that barrier is removed, other than lineage, what''s the difference between nobles andmoners? For example, what is currently differentiating a merchant family from a noble family other than their lineage? Some merchants are even living better than nobles. Your idea is simply heresy.


    "Moving on to the second concept, I can agree with most of what''s written here. Even as a noble or a fighter, you need a rest. However, what I can''t agree on is regarding noblesse oblige. The servants might get criticized if they don''t work while the Lord they serve is still working. That''s why I''ve been doing things during the day and resting as soon as possible so that it doesn''t be a concern.


    "However, if I adopt this system, it''s going to be impossible to deal with all the matters in the allocated amount of time. To put it simply, I won''t have enough time.


    "Last but not least is public sanitation. While it can prevent diseases, maintaining such a system will definitely burden the budget."


    Noel finished listing the problems and retracted his killing intent.


    ine''s body was shaking. She had a hard time standing since her legs were about to give up. But Noel actually stopped talking instead of executing her right away.


    In other words, Noel still gave her the opportunity to answer those problems. That was why she couldn''t give up.


    "No. Those problems are inconsequential for the Marquis. By implementing the merit-based system, we''ll be able to inspiremoners to strive for a better future. However, this is by no means allowing them to be nobles.


    "Instead, this system allows us to create a smaller ss between nobles andmoners. In this ss, you''re known as well-educated and can take some actions regarding the social issue.


    "While they do have the risk of criticizing the government, I believe that the reward far outweighs the risk. If the government is doing things correctly, there is nothing to criticize. In addition, the things they criticize can be used as suggestions on how we should improve. However, I do understand that the government shouldn''t blindly follow what the masses want.


    "Instead of blurring the gap between nobles andmoners, this system will allow a good noble to create an even betternd.


    "In addition, as long as the monarchy is still adopted by the entire kingdom, nobles will always be nobles andmoners will remainmoners.


    "Of course, this school will also help you with the second point, which is the working hours. By birthing more well- educated people that can help you with government work, you will be able toplete all your work within the allocated amount of time.


    "I also understand that some professions will require them to be on standby all the time. However, this can be solved by utilizing a two-shift system. This is not a new concept.


    "But with the addition of thosemps, I believe it''s not impossible anymore for the city to operate 24 hours a day. And by making two shifts, it will allow the servants to have more time outside, which has a high chance of leading them to the school.


    "If the Marquis has maids and butlers who are intelligent enough to read, write, or even calcte, your burden will be lessened. It can be said that instead of doing everything by yourself, your job is to oversee everything.


    "The maids and butlers can even aim to be civil servants. Their children might be even more talented.


    "Of course, this system has to be implemented gradually to avoid misconceptions and shocks that might turn into rage.


    "Last but not least, by making people more well-educated, the economy of thisnd will grow drastically to the point where the tax you gain from them will be much more than you spend for the school.


    "If you allow me, I can exin the implementation in detail," ine exined. She clearly didn''t write the whole thing, which ended up leveraging her argument in this conversation.


    "So¡­ what do you think, Rose?" Noel nced at Rose.


    "There are still some ws within the system itself. But it''s not like the current system has no ws either." Rose shook her head helplessly.


    "If you have to reward her, what do you think is the appropriate amount?"


    *Thump!* When Noel mentioned reward, ine''s heart skipped a beat. This was the reason why she wrote all those new systems after all.


    "If I have to be honest, after considering the impact it will bring, rewarding her with ten thousand gold coins should be appropriate. This system seems iplete as well. If it''spleted, maybe double that amount or even more."


    ine''s expression brightened when she heard the amount. The Lesen family had to pay 400,000 gold coins.


    She knew that it was impossible for an individual to cover the entire cost, considering the Lesen family had to rely on tax to pay them off in installments.


    Still, receiving ten thousand right away was something she had never anticipated. She could evenplete her work to get double that amount.


    This was something she should agree to immediately. But ine suddenly knelt in front of Noel. She didn''t beg for more. Instead, she said, "This lowly person asks the Marquis to send supplies to the Lesen family. The winter is harsh, and the citizens can''t endure any longer."


    That was right. She could pay the debt, but the problem would be the citizens. If they raised a rebellion, it would be over for the Lesen family. To avoid it, she needed to send supplies to appease their anger, even if it meant begging Noel.


    "So you''re nning to use all that money to send supplies instead of paying your family''s debt?" Noel squinted his eyes.


    ine''s head remained low. "The citizens are the heart of thend. If they flourish, the government will feel it as well."


    This was probably the reason why ine reformed her territory in her previous life.


    He turned to Rose. "That amount is appropriate for what you have read. However, you might change your assessment if you know the true extent of the impact it''ll bring. Hence, if she manages toplete the work within three days, subtract 30,000 gold coins from the Lesen Family''s debt as well as send 15,000 gold coins worth of food to their territory."


    "!!!" ine widened her eyes in shock, not expecting the amount. Let alone double, he multiplied that amount by 4.5 times, as if he were able to see through what her work could actually bring.


    "Are you sure about this? That amount of gold coins is not small, even for the Ardagan family." Rose frowned.


    "I do my best to be fair with reward and punishment. I appreciate all talents, regardless of their background." Noel shrugged.


    "Understood." Rose nodded. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "There you have it. You have three days." Noel turned back to ine.


    "I can do it. No, I will make sure toplete it within three days. Thank you very much, Marquis." ine lowered her head to the ground. This was the best reward she could think of; no, it was beyond her expectations.


    Noel might truly appreciate the talent. She might be able to erase more debts than she imagined if she worked for Noel. No, if Noel trusted her more, she might even be able to bring back the rune technology. Her family would definitely flourish when that happened. She might turn this misfortune into a blessing.


    This was far different than the treatment they received from the royal family.

 Chapter 1126 Gaining Elaines Loyalty

    Chapter 1126 Gaining ine''s Loyalty


    ??Three dayster.


    ine had finally gone back to meet Noel, presenting herplete work. Her face looked exhausted, but there was still a smile of confidence on her face. It seemed that she was proud of her work this time.


    Noel took a moment to read it. As expected, all the details were extraordinary. She had written everything, from the concepts to the detailed steps for implementing them.


    Still, Noel noticed that the result was actually different from what he expected. For someone who managed to reform her territory in her previous life, he thought she would write something more realistic.


    However, everything she put in this paper was actually filled with ideal conditions. Then again, she didn''t have any experience governing the city. That must be the reason for her result.


    Noel nodded his head, signaling to Rose that they would proceed ording to the n.


    Rose then took out the contract. "This will be the contract for this piece. The Ardagan family will buy this work for a total of 45,000 gold coins, which is divided into 30,000 gold coins to pay off the debts and 15,000 gold coins for winter''s relief for the Lesen family.


    "In exchange, the Ardagan family has the full right to implement everything written. However, the Ardagan family will recognize the full right to the name of the author."


    "Eh?" ine widened her eyes in surprise. "Recognizing my name¡­"


    ine had presented this to Noel so that she could gain all that money to help her family. She expected that Noel would get full rights. It wouldn''t be weird if Noel used it to poprize himself.


    However, Noel didn''t do such a thing. Instead, he published this work under her name. In other words, her name would spread even further.


    If the people were thankful, they wouldn''t just thank the Lord but also her, who hade up with such a brilliant idea. And if this system became big, it wouldn''t be weird for her name to be etched in the annals of history.


    Who wouldn''t want their name to be remembered by future generations?


    45,000 gold coins was big, but it was far from enough to immortalize the name of a person.


    "Are you sure about this?" ine asked with a stunned expression.


    "It''s written in the contract. The Ardagan family will act as a buyer as well as an investor in this project. However, the published work will remain in your name, Evine Lesen." Noel nodded.


    "But¡­ with this, my name¡­" ine stopped abruptly. In the short term, public opinion about her would improve tremendously. In the long term, she would be remembered by people even one thousand years from now.


    "As I told you earlier, I will reward the people who work hard and punish them severely if they mess up. Besides, with your concept, it''s only appropriate to publish it under your name, right? Knowing their Lord doesn''t take their subject''s hard work will boost people''s confidence to do their best." Noel smiled.


    "But¡­" ine looked down, her body was shaking in excitement.


    "The contract is here. Hurry up and sign it." Rose handed over the contract, nning to guide her to the table to sign it.


    However, ine simply fell to the floor and signed it on the floor as if she couldn''t bother with the few seconds it took for them to reach the table.


    At first nce, the uses were simple and generous. It was also filled with sincerity. Hence, ine immediately signed it.


    Still, it seemed that she was mistaken about the marquis.


    While looking at the contract, she couldn''t help but think, ''He governs this territory fairly, he secures his find with his brilliant idea, and he has the strength to protect his people. As a Lord, he might beparable to the Noble Sage Wilheim, Grand Noble Ishtar, and all those great governors and ministers of the past.


    ''No, he might be able to surpass them. With such a quality, there''s no way one can resist the temptation of working for him. However, his reputation isn''t too good¡­ probably because of the royal family''s influence.


    ''Once you know him, you will realize how oustanding he is. To think that my Lesen family would attack him¡­ Maybe if we have never had any conflicts, can I actually work for him?


    ''No, wait. Can I do it now? But after everything I''ve done to thisnd, do I deserve to be recognized as a good person? I still need to pay for my family''s debt. That''s right. I need to work to pay the family debt. This discussion can be held for another time after the debt has been settled.


    "I''ve signed it, my¡ªMarquis!" She enthusiastically stood up, but almost called him ''my lord.'' She handed the paper back to Rose.


    Noel nodded. Even though he didn''t smile, he was pleased inwardly. After all, he could see her affection directly.


    [Name: Evine Lesen.]


    [Affection: Admiration (85/100)]


    [Description: Someone who is loyal and willing to contribute for your sake.]


    With such a high value of affection, it could be said that he had sessfully recruited ine.


    Noel nodded. "Nevertheless, the concept itself is quite idealistic. While it''s true that pursuing the ideal is good, you still need to view it realistically. What can be implemented? What is the optimal cost? How can we increase the efficiency of such a concept? There are still a lot of things you need to work on."


    "Ah." ine nodded furiously. She poured everything from her heart, so she didn''t consider other things. "I understood. I''ll definitely work hard."


    "For now, give her an additional 500 gold coins." Noel nced at Rose.


    "Eh?" ine looked shocked, while Rose was confused.


    "Use that money to rent a house or buy you some nice clothes. I can''t really allow you to continue working on that condition, lest people think I don''t take care of a person who contributes greatly." Noel shrugged.


    Rose nodded in understanding. Noel was talking about the fact that ine''s clothes were actually worse than those of amoner here. In addition, she was still sleeping in the dorm with more than a hundred people.


    In addition, ine could choose to use that money to repay the person who greatly impacted her life.


    "T-Thank you very much!" ine bowed to him.


    Noel waved his hand. "If you don''t have any more questions, you''re dismissed."N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Yes." ine nodded as Rose guided him to the door.


    This might be the first time she truly smiled from the bottom of her heart.


    ''I originally expected the worst, but why does it feel like a blessing? If I serve such a Lord¡­ I might be able to write down everything that I have thought about and even implement it.''


    ine pumped her fists, feeling even more fired up.


    Anna once told him that ine was a good noble who brought reformation and was loved by her people.


    However, there was no way that Anna and Noel could expect that recruiting her would alter the course of history.


    In the future, there would be a name that could rival the great sage, grand noble, or all the famous ministers that had etched their names in history as one of the best philosophers in history.


    And that name was Evine Lesen.

 Chapter 1127 Going to the Zaecuria Kingdom

    "How much money have we secured?" Noel inquired as he made his way towards the carriage.


    Rose looked at the report and said, "After negotiating with the other nobles, we''ve secured about 720,000 gold coins. There are still some nobles nning to pay in installments, so we can get a lot more after a period of time. For the time being, I believe this is enough to buy a sword. Even if it''s a family heirloom, I don''t think anyone is willing to buy a sword for more than four hundred thousand gold coins."


    "Ardagan is priceless though," added Noel.


    Rose chuckled. "Indeed."


    It was a living spirit, so it was not a mere sword. There was no one who could put a price on Ardagan, not even Noel himself.


    Rose then handed him the deeds for the money. "It''s in the Central Bank."


    "Got it. After this is done, I want you to split the rest of the money and store it in the Greenwood Kingdom, Zaecuria Kingdom, and Muivell Kingdom''s banks."


    "Understood. It''ll be troublesome if the royal family is trying to freeze our capital as they like after all." Rose nodded with a serious expression. "Still, are you sure about this?"


    "Yeah. I need to negotiate about the expedition as well." Noel nodded. "For now, all I know is that they will attack the trains. Make sure to pay attention to it."


    "Got it. Please take care of yourself."


    "I will." Noel nodded. As they passed the front gate, they found Andreas standing next to the wall, as if he were waiting for him. "Andreas?"


    Rose stared at Andreas. While she had met him a few times, Andreas didn''t really meet a lot of people in thest few months. It was as if he had no intention of getting along.


    Andreas was ring at Noel, expecting something. "You''re not lying, right? After this, you''re going with me?"


    "Of course. I have never broken my promises." Noel nodded.


    "In that case, I''ll sincerely protect that disciple of yours." Andreas nodded. It turned out that he just wanted to confirm it. After all, he had been entrusted with the task of bringing Noel and Anna to the Beast Kingdom.


    "Thanks. By the way, I''ve been meaning to ask you about this. But do you know anyone who is known as a diva?" Noel asked. He was curious about the identity. Considering she was called a diva, she should be able to sing. He didn''t know why they should bring a singer on the sea voyage.


    "The Diva? Why do you ask her? No, how do you know about her?" Andreas frowned.


    "You know her?" Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Of course." He stopped for a moment, ncing at Rose.


    "Don''t worry. She already knows about it. Besides, her ability is an illusion. There''s no way she can''t see through that disguise of yours." Noel shrugged.


    "¡­" Andreas'' eyebrows twitched. He said, "Well¡­ If you''re talking about the Diva, then there''s only one person who fits the description. The kingdom has seven grand elders, which represent the fighting power of the kingdom. The requirement to be a grand elder is simple¡­ you just need to reach the Spirit Transcendence rank.


    "And the Diva has been recognized as a grand elder for thirty years. She is half human, half fish. If my grandfather is known as the wise elder, she is known as the ruler of water."


    "Ah!" Noel nodded with a serious expression. That alone was enough to exin why the Spirit God told him to get her help during the sea voyage. It would definitely make the voyage much safer.


    At the same time, the Spirit God should know about the danger lurking in the sea. It seemed that he had underestimated the sea.


    "Why do you know her? From what I know, there shouldn''t be any information regarding the Beast Kingdom." Andreas frowned.


    "I can''t really say the reason, but if I have to say something, it''s probably because I need her help."


    Andreas didn''t know what Noel was plotting, but Noel and Anna alone wouldn''t be enough to face all seven elders.


    Meanwhile, Rose was quite shocked after knowing the military power that the Beast Kingdom had.


    ''Seven elders? If we don''t take Noel and Anna into the calction, this kingdom only has two Spirit Transcendences. The Greenwood Kingdom has three. If we somehow want to resist the beast kingdom, all four kingdoms might have to work together. Then again, the beast kingdom is united under a single banner, unlike us. They also have better physiques.'' Rose gulped down.


    Still, she didn''t think that Noel nned to go there just to die.


    "Alright. Thank you for the information." Noel nodded. "Please take care of Tristan for me."


    Andreas nodded.


    Noel then turned to Rose. "Do you remember our n?"


    "Yes. Because there is a chance that Tristan will be attacked, you''re going to distract the enemy first. This way, Tristan can leave the city without being noticed. However, it doesn''t guarantee that the trip will be smooth as well."


    Noel confirmed it. "I believe that Tristan can be much stronger after this trip. I have asked them to pay attention to the negotiation since I don''t want Tristan to make a blunder and somehow mess around with the traps¡­ especially women."


    Yeah, Noel was known to have a boundary that pushed away any arranged marriage. And he wasn''t foolish enough to get swayed by beauty.


    However, Tristan was still young and inexperienced. If the noble sent forth their daughter or something, Tristan might end up in trouble.


    "I don''t think you have to worry about that. Just like his teacher, his eyes are only glued to one person. Isn''t that the reason why you also send them together?" Rose chuckled.


    "That''s true." Noel smiled wryly. Rose was talking about Sandra, obviously. "Before leaving, I want to confirm one thing first. Have you sent that letter?"


    Rose''s expression turned serious. She said, "Yes. Harley is also cooperating. Using the brothels so that no one will realize about it. It should arrive by tomorrow."


    "I see. That''s good then." Noel waved his hand. "Then take care of the territory again for me."


    Rose bowed to him, watching him approach the car with Anna already waiting for him in the driver seat. "You''re done with the matter?" N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Yup. It''s time to head to the Zaecuria Kingdom." Noel smiled. "Drive safely, will you, mydy?"


    Anna smiled from ear to ear. "Not going to happen. We are going at full speed."


    ¡­


    As Noel expected, the eyes were on him the whole time. Once Noel left his city and was spotted by Laivaen City, the news instantly spread.


    The spies that had been nted in Laivaen City immediately sent the information.


    ¡­


    Supreme Devil Organization.


    "So, they have left. What are we going to do, sir?" Alexander asked. "Should I have another round with Oscar? I don''t think I will lose to him now."


    They all looked at the curtain where the Supreme Devil usually resided. To their surprise, the answer was, "No. The one who will make the move this time is not us."


    ¡­


    Royal Family.


    Upon hearing the news, the king and Duke Raymond couldn''t help but smile.


    They all immediately went to a hidden room that isted a single man.


    The man looked excited, as if he knew the reason why these two came.


    "So, it''s time¡­ I''m getting tired of waiting." The man smirked.


    "Yes. They have left their city. As nned, you will eliminate them in the Zaecuria Kingdom, Yesley."


    Yes, this man had been waiting for this moment when he could finally exact his revenge.

 Chapter 1128 Ambush

    Chapter 1128 Ambush


    ??"Thank you very much. Please continue, and I wish you a pleasant trip, Marquis Noel and Lady Anna." The captain on the border politely bowed as Noel and Anna took off into the distance.


    The soldiers couldn''t help but look at this weird ''carriage'' they were driving.


    "Woah? Is that the legendary Marquis Noel Ardagan?"


    "Lady Anna Stargaze is also beautiful."


    "More importantly, what is that carriage? Is that the rumored rune technology that we''ve heard about? It''s so fast!"


    "Yes. The speed alone seems to be at least two times that of riding a horse and more than three times that of a normal carriage at full speed."


    "That''s amazing."


    The soldiers were astonished, but their admiration was short-lived as the car gradually disappeared into the horizon.


    However, they were not the only ones watching the car. There were two people standing in the distance.


    "Remember, Yesley. I''m here only to observe the situation and report it back. If you end up failing the task, the kingdom willpletely cut ties with you, ming everything on you."


    "I know. Who cares about that? I won''t fail. My power surpasses that of a spirit grandmaster." Yesley harrumphed. "You just have to stay far away from me and see their demise. I will personally kill them in the most brutal way possible."


    "So be it. We will have to wait a bit longer until they get a bit deeper into the Zaecuria Kingdom''s territory. You have to cause a lot of destruction as well. This is a warning to the Zaecuria Kingdom. If they aren''t going to stop, they will be destroyed by our kingdom''s military might."


    "Hmph." Yesley snorted. He knew that it wasn''t the only thing they had in mind. However, he wasn''t a noble anymore, so he couldn''t care less about their intentions as long as he could get his revenge.


    "Just remember your orders, and I won''t do anything. Let''s go."


    The two disappeared, chasing after Noel and Anna.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Anna frowned. Anna said, "It seems that the trip won''t be as peaceful as we originally thought. The danger I feel from them has surpassed that of a spirit grandmaster."


    Noel nodded. He didn''t have her instinct, so he couldn''t sense that far. But that was fine. "There is no change in our n. You continue to our original destination, as I will handle another matter in the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "For what reason do they attack us here?"


    "It''s probably a warning to us. I don''t know how they''re able to bring out such powerful people, but they''re trying to probe us. Still, we''ll be using the Zaecuria Kingdom to hide our power. Will that be fine?"


    "Yep. I''m not confident in bringing this car in one piece, but defeating them shouldn''t be that hard with my current level."


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "In that case, I will leave them to you." He opened the door and jumped off the car, using his fastest speed to cross the border and head to the Atracaeca Kingdom.


    He was near this area when he was chased by the Supreme Devil Organization, so he knew the spot where he could enter the Atracaeca Kingdom without getting noticed.


    Anna continued driving, knowing what Noel was nning to do. She had to focus on taking care of the problem here.


    ''The royal family seems to be nning to stop the cooperation between us and the Zaecuria Kingdom. Then again, they don''t realize that the agreement is simply too good for the Zaecuria Kingdom to pass.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Besides, this is getting trickier. The fact that they have surpassed the spirit grandmaster means they are truly aiming to reach the next level with whatever method.


    ''The Supreme Devil Organization must have been involved in this matter. If this is the case, they might create more of those ''superhumans.'' We may need to modify our original n if Felicia and the others are unable to defeat them.


    ''Was this the reason for Noel choosing to turn back time? Did he fight with these new superhumans and notice that he couldn''t beat them in the current situation, especially with the iing demon king?''


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. Even if Noel somehow managed to reach Spirit Transcendence, it wasn''t enough to contend against the demon king. It was probably because these superhumans had been slowing down his progress so that he didn''t have enough time to be a spirit king.


    ''I see. If that''s the case, we probably need more people, especially spirit grandmasters. From what I can feel, they''re above spirit grandmasters, but they haven''t reached the spirit transcendence rank yet. If that''s the case, we can still close the gap with rune cards or rune body. So that''s how it is¡­''


    Anna couldn''t help but smile as if she had confirmed what she should do next.


    As expected, these two people were following her at a certain distance. It didn''t take too long for her to find a city.


    She just passed through this city since she had no business in it. However, this city was the most important point for both Anna and the two chasing her.


    The two would think that Anna didn''t notice them aftering this far. After all, if someone truly chased after her, the city would notice it.


    After driving for another hour and reaching a deste ce with the closest city being more than one hundred kilometers away, the two finally decided to take action.


    Anna was driving normally before she suddenly noticed a fluctuation of spiritual energying from above.


    "!!!" Anna hurriedly opened the door and jumped off the car, rolling a few times on the ground.


    Bam!


    The car was crushed by a burst of energying from above.


    "Who?!" Anna shouted, acting clueless. She raised her head, finding a figure levitating in the air with his spiritual energy alone.


    It was Yesley.


    "You''ve taken everything from me. It''s time for me to take everything from you, Anna Stargaze."


    "Count Heirden?" Anna looked shocked.


    Yesley nced to the side, not finding Noel. "Where is he? No. I don''t care about him. I can simply kill you here and lure him out."


    "I defeated you two years ago. After two years, I''ve be even stronger. Do you think you''re capable of doing so?" Anna snorted and jumped into the sky.


    However, thetter simply pointed his palm at her.


    "!!!" Anna suddenly felt a powerful impact from the spiritual energy. "Gah!" She wasunched back to the ground.


    "Your power is now inconsequentialpared to mine." Yesley harrumphed. He was gradually decreasing his altitude so that he could see Anna''s face filled with despair.


    "What is that power?" Anna clutched her chest as if she were still feeling the impact.


    "The only thing you need to know is that this power will be enough to kill you. Don''t worry. Anna Stargaze¡­ I won''t let you die so easily. You and your husband will experience something even worse than death." Yesley snorted.


    "You¡­ You¡­" Anna gritted her teeth. Her body was shaking as if Yesley''s new ability was too much for her to handle. However, Anna couldn''t help but continue her words inwardly, ''You¡­ fool.''

 Chapter 1129 Running Away

    "Kh." Anna bit her lips as if she were struggling to fight Yesley.


    This was it. This was what he wanted to see. Yesley had always wanted to crush them like ants after getting all the humiliations from the two.


    If not for them causing a lot of mess in his territory, Noel would have died. Even Anna should have died if not for her True Spirit Body in the past.


    Just like the first time he crushed her, he was nning to kill Anna with a huge gap between their powers.


    "You''re not stronger than me!" Anna shouted in anger. Sheunched herself into the sky once again, but this time, her lightning covered her entire body.


    "Hmph!" Yesley harrumphed and waved his hand.


    His spiritual energy shed with Anna''s lightning, producing a massive shock wave. Unlike the normal spiritual energy, Anna noticed that Yesley''s spiritual energy was much more sinister.


    It wasn''t the color of spiritual energy that Yesley had in the past.


    "What is this power?" Anna frowned. "You''re not supposed to have something like this in the past!"


    "Hmph! You talk too much!" Yesley snorted and released more spiritual energy.


    "Kh." Anna was struggling to maintain her power output as Yesley''s power was gradually overwhelming her lightning. "Haaaa!"


    Anna released another burst, as if she were utilizing all her spiritual energy at once, matching up the power that Yesley had.


    "Is this your best? Hahahaha. You''re so pathetic, Anna Stargaze!" Yesleyughed out loud as he simply released even more power, this time, the eruption was at least twice as much.


    In just an instant, Yesley''s power crushed Anna''s lightning and sted her away.


    "Gah!" Anna was screaming as if she were in pain. She was flying more than a hundred meters away before falling to the ground.


    Unfortunately for her, Yesley had already caught up, not allowing her to escape. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Lightning Transformation!" Anna stepped up her game, showing the same power that defeated Yesley in the past.


    After that, she sheathed her sword and started pouring all her energy into the sword.


    Yesley didn''t even bother stopping her from umting all that energy. He was confident that he could block it. In fact, he wanted to challenge this attack once again and crush it. Anna would surely fall into despair when her strongest attack was stopped.


    "Raging Lightning Strike!" Anna jumped into the air, drawing her de at lightning speed.


    "This is it!" Yesley grinned. He sped his hands, forming a barrier purely with his spiritual energy. Ever since he lost his spirit, he couldn''t utilize his own spirit abilities. However, he could still use the spiritual techniques.


    This barrier was just a normal spiritual technique that formed a barrier.


    But when Anna struck this ''normal'' barrier, the sword couldn''t actually sh through it.


    The sword only managed to scratch the surface. The lightning then dispersed to shatter the barrier or hit anything behind it.


    "Kh." Anna looked frustrated that this attack couldn''t actually prate this barrier.


    "Hahaha. You''re so pathetic now, Anna Stargaze. With your power, you''re not my match. Let''s see, what am I going to do to you first? I can probably capture you to lure your husband in. No, I''ll just let the crown prince and the soldiers y with you first. I can''t help but wonder what kind of face your husband will have at that time." Yesley looked even more excited.


    "Haaaa!" Anna''s energy erupted even further, as if showing her rage from this humiliation.


    The lightning sparked in all directions as one of the sparks ended up hitting Yesley''s face, grazing its skin.


    "!!!" Yesley looked surprised at first and touched the wound before chuckling. "Hahaha. You use all this power just to graze me like this? I''ll show you true power!"


    Yesley waved his hand. "Stone Palm!"


    A big hand made of spiritual energy appeared, following the movement of Yesley''s palm.


    Anna widened her eyes in shock, sliding her sword on the barrier and striking this palm to avoid getting hit directly.


    However, the lightning waspletely suppressed by the palm as thetter pped her to the ground.


    "Kh." Anna wasunched to the ground, forty meters away from him. She struggled to get up. When she managed to stand up, she was clutching her arm as if a bone were broken.


    "Hahaha." Yesleyughed, satisfied with the sight. "Even your True Spirit Body won''t be able to do anything against me, Anna Stargaze. This is a strength that you won''t be able to attain for the rest of your life. Nevermind, it''s not like you have a lot of time to live anymore, so of course, it''s impossible to reach my level."


    "You¡­" Anna bit her lips. The difference in their power was clear. If this continued, Anna would be defeated sooner orter. It didn''t seem that she could inflict serious damage on him as well.


    "Where is Noel Ardagan? He should have gone with you. Where is he?" Yesley tried to find more information.


    However, Anna simply smiled as if she had some ns in mind.


    "There''s no way I''m going to tell you!" Anna stomped the ground, releasing more spiritual energy as if she were about to attack Yesley.


    "It''s useless to struggle!" Yesley harrumphed.


    Before he could do anything, Anna actually turned around and ran away to a deeper part of the Zaecuria Kingdom, trying to use her fastest speed to get away.


    "!!!" Yesley widened his eyes in shock. He was pleased that Anna ended up humiliating herself by running away. On the other hand, he couldn''t let her escape.


    Yesley used his fastest speed to catch up to him. As expected of a lightning user, she was extremely fast. It would be hard for Yesley to catch up to her, but even though it wasn''t much, his speed was faster.


    He should be able to catch up to her soon.


    Unbeknownst to him, he had fallen into Anna''s trap.


    Anna could defeat him and the other person. While no one could know what happened in this ce, they could be suspicious of them reaching the next rank.


    Hence, Anna changed their n a little bit. Instead of killing both of them, she only nned to defeat Yesley and let the other person go.


    Of course, defeating Yesley directly would allow the other person to judge that her strength was much stronger than Yesley''s.


    That was why Anna nned to involve another person to kill Yesley.

 Chapter 1130 Reinforcement

    "You won''t be able to escape." Yesley harrumphed and struck Anna with his powerful spiritual energy, knocking her down.


    Anna clicked her tongue. She released a burst of spiritual energy to neutralize Yesley''s power before running at full speed again.


    Yesley couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. He knew that the auction location wasn''t that far from here. However, it didn''t change the fact that no one could actually help her. Even if there were multiple spirit grandmasters, Yesley could simply crush them.


    On the other hand, the person who was observing the fight couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, thinking, ''What is she doing? Is she nning to do something? No. Considering the location, is she trying to use the city where the auction is held to rally numerous experts to resist Yesley?


    ''The auction is quite big, so there should be a lot of noticeable figures. There''s a chance that more than three spirit grandmasters are among the visitors. Is that her n?


    ''But Yesley''s current ability can easily handle a few grandmasters. Anna should have figured it out this whole time, so her decision doesn''t make sense. I smell a scheme¡­


    ''Now that I think about it, Noel Ardagan is not here, despite the fact that they were together when crossing the border. Did they sense us? Impossible, we were extremely far away¡­


    ''Still, if they sensed us the whole time, there was a possibility that Noel Ardagan had been going ahead the whole time. Is he trying to set up a trap or get the cooperation of those people?


    ''Is that their n? If Noel and Anna use their True Spirit Body along with the help of a few spirit grandmasters, they might be able to resist Yesley. But we can still crush them as long as I get involved.''


    The guy frowned, not being able to understand their n. ''Nevertheless, I can simply join the fight.''


    Anna continued running, trying to reach their original destination. With her full speed, she could cover that distance in just ten minutes.


    But during that time, she had to get hit by Yesley''s attacks multiple times.


    Anna didn''t just get hit. She actually smeared some sand and dust on her body and let Yesley''s attack rip some parts of her clothes, acting like his attack was effective. She even resorted to slowing down.


    Yesley chased her without suspecting that she was merely acting.


    Finally, after running for so long, she could see a towering city wall in the distance.


    Yesley understood her npletely, but his current power allowed him not to care about those people that Anna considered reinforcements. It would be even better if Anna entered the city since he could destroy it together with her, which wouldplete both of his objectives.


    However, it appeared that Anna wasn''t insane enough to involve the civilians. She stopped fifty meters outside the city and turned around.


    "I''m going to stop you here." Anna released another burst of energy, as if showing her determination.


    "Enemy attack?!"


    "We need to call the captain!"


    "Call for reinforcement!"


    The soldiers were shouting at one another, making their intentions clear.


    "It''s useless. It''s time for me to destroy all your hope!" Yesley smirked and waved down his hand, releasing another energy that felt as if the sky were falling. "I can simply crush you before anyone cane out of the city."


    Anna stood there with a serious expression, as though she had epted her fate. However, she soon smiled as she felt another fluctuation of energy.


    All of a sudden, a water droplet appeared in the air and expanded into a giant bubble.


    "!!!" Yesley widened his eyes in shock. The spiritual energy he sent forth hit the bubble, ttening it like that of a balloon.


    However, the bubble didn''t pop. Instead, it absorbed a portion of the energy from Yesley''s attack and bounced the rest back into the air.


    "What? Who?" Yesley gasped. He never thought that someone would stop him. In addition, this person was strong enough to actually block his power, unlike what Anna had been doing.


    The big bubble suddenly burst into multiple smaller bubbles floating in the air.


    Yesley looked around, trying to find the person. However, the bubbles got closer to him, so he had no choice but to destroy them.


    Yesley sped her hands, forming two giant arms on his back.


    "Haaa!" Yesley used these giant hands to p the bubbles, only to get caught.


    Yes, the bubbles did get squeezed for a bit, but the deformed part ultimately circled around the arm like a ring, trapping the hand inside. After that, the bubbles turned extremely hard, as if they were being locked in the air.


    "What is this? My power is useless against these bubbles? I have far surpassed a spirit grandmaster." Yesley gritted his teeth. He never thought there would be a person of this caliber appearing in this city. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "A mere fake transcendence actually dares to challenge a real transcendence¡­ I don''t know if you are foolish or bold, but you have crossed the line. For daring to mess with my country, I bestow you death." A woman''s voice echoed in the area.


    Yesley instantly picked up the origin of that voice and looked up, finding a woman sitting on top of a bubble with her legs crossed.


    She had long, spiky blue hair that was tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were sharp, like a beast''s. She was wearing a rather revealing outfit: a tube top, shorts, and a leather jacket. She was smiling, revealing her pointy teeth like a shark.


    "You¡­ You are¡­ one of the three Spirit Transcendences of the Zaecuria Kingdom, Fradania Elison." Yesley gasped. He never thought that such a person would appear on the outskirts of the kingdom.


    "It seems that a faker can''t even notice the true power. I don''t know how you have that power, but you reeks of demons." Fradania snorted.


    "A faker?" He noticed another clue that she had just left behind. He couldn''t notice the true power? There was only one person who could actually match her description. And that person suddenly appeared behind him with a speed that far surpassed what his eyes could follow. Yes, Anna was already behind him, ready to draw her de. "You¡ª"


    "Quick Draw, Lightning sh."


    *Zap!*

 Chapter 1131 Easily Killing Yesley

    Chapter 1131 Easily Killing Yesley


    ??"Quick Draw, Lightning sh."


    "Kh!" Yesley widened his eyes in shock as he immediately released his spiritual energy, trying to resist Anna''s de like earlier.


    However, Anna cut through his barrier like butter. Yesley tried to get away at thest second, but Anna still managed to cut his left arm and hit his side. The wound was quite deep, almost hitting his heart. The blood was gushing out like a stream.


    "What?" Yesley gasped. This was a power that Anna hadn''t shown this whole time. While he was a bitte to put up his barrier, it should be enough to stop Anna''s previous strongest attack.


    Hence, the only reason he couldn''t even resist that sh was because of the gap between their strengths.


    "You¡ª" Yesley wanted to shout, but Fradania snapped her fingers, causing Yesley to shut his mouth. Yesley struggled to open his mouth, but to no avail. He couldn''t help but think, ''Is this the power of water? She is able to control the water inside my body.


    ''In addition, has Anna Stargaze actually reached the spirit transcendence rank? This is impossible. She is still so young, but she is able to achieve it. How about Noel Ardagan? No, no, no. Does this mean that no matter what I do, I can''t exact my revenge?''


    Yesley was showing a sign of struggle, trying to let the other guy know about it.


    At the same time, Yesley was ring at Anna, unwilling to die without bringing her down with him.


    Unfortunately for him, Anna had already swung her de.


    Yesley used his power to form a sphere made of spiritual energy, pouring all the remaining energy into his body to cause a massive explosion.


    "Oh?!" Fradania raised her left hand and formed a small bubble.


    On the other hand, Anna simply shed through this sphere and eventually sent his neck flying.


    As expected, the sphere immediately exploded, causing a massive explosion of spiritual energy. Even the soldiers on the wall wouldn''t escape unscathed from this¡­ except for the fact that the Zaecuria Kingdom''s guardian was here.


    Fradania expanded her small bubble and contained the explosion inside it.


    The bubble popped out, sshing all that water. However, it didn''t produce a shock wave that would cause devastation to the surroundings. It could be said that the bubble contained the explosionpletely.


    Anna simply looked at the severed head, confirming that Yesley had died.


    Meanwhile, Fradania stared into the distance before calling one of her bubbles. She pinched it and pulled it like drawing an arrow.


    When she released it, the entire sphere flew like an arrow. On its way, the bubble gradually turned into a shark, as if it were about to swallow something.


    As expected, there was a purple-colored energy that destroyed half of the shark but still got hit by the other half.


    Fradania frowned, but before she could chase after this guy, Anna said, "It''s more beneficial to let him tell his master."


    "¡­" Fradania squinted her eyes for a moment before smirking. "I don''t know what you guys are doing or who they are, but you do know that this is the Zaecuria Kingdom, right?"


    "Of course, I know. However, it''s in your best interest to cooperate with me now." Anna shook her head.


    "Is this a threat?" Fradania snapped her fingers as if she were warming up for another fight.


    "It''s a matter of goodwill for the negotiation."


    Fradania clicked her tongue. "So, that''s how it is. It''s no wonder why you requested a present from the captain of the royal guard. Spirit transcendence, huh?"


    "We don''t want it to look like we''re threatening your kingdom." Anna confirmed it with a nod. "Nheless, we don''t expect that you are the one entrusted with the task."


    "Hoh? You know me?"


    "Who doesn''t know the genius of the Zaecuria Kingdom who manages to reach the Spirit Transcendence rank at the age of 38? The woman who is proimed to have the best in defense, Duchess Fradania Elison."


    "Heh. Even if I can''t defeat you two, I can still bring the king away." Fradania''s hands ended up rxing again, as if she had dropped the intention to fight. "Still, to think that you let that person go¡­ And the fact that you lured them here¡­ Were you hiding your power?"


    "It couldn''t be helped." Anna shrugged.


    "I don''t care about the Muivell Kingdom''s politics. Still, it''s ironic for you¡­ or maybe you two, who have reached this rank, to not get recognized. Why don''t youe to the Zaecuria Kingdom? Your family will instantly be a dukedom. Hahaha."


    "I appreciate the invitation, but I''d like to refuse. The marquis and I have no intention to switch kingdoms." Anna shook her head. "Besides, allowing him to report about your appearance here is enough."


    "Hmm? What do you mean?"


    "Just think about it, why would a guardian of the kingdom appear here? It might be an auction, but the items shouldn''t be something that a person such as yourself will notice."


    "So, you''re saying that they will think I''m escorting an important person?"


    "Yes. And there is only one person important enough to make you his escort."


    "His Majesty, the King." The grin on Fradania''s face disappeared. "Oi. Are you nning to die for trying to use my king?"


    "Of course not. What I''m trying to say is that this secret meeting is important enough for you to get involved. We can make them guess about it."


    "It only benefits you." Fradania frowned. "Since their attention will be shifted from you to us."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "And that''s where this persones in." Anna pointed at the corpse. "We can safely assume that this person is trying to cause a ruckus in the Zaecuria Kingdom. They''ll definitely try to deny it, but it will allow your kingdom to get an upper hand during the negotiation."


    "You might be right. Nevertheless, I''m not someone who is too keen on politics. I''ll still tell my king about this."


    "I understand. My dear husband will be personally discussing this matter with your king."


    "Husband, huh? Now that I think about it, I don''t see your husband around here." Fradania looked around. "Where is Noel Ardagan? Surely he''s not doing something illegal in this kingdom, right?"


    "Of course not. I can assure you. There are still two days before the meeting, so please don''t mind about it." Anna extended her hand as if telling her to go inside the city together.

 Chapter 1132 Visit

    Chapter 1132 Visit


    ??Atracaeca Kingdom.


    Inside a small house, there was a man being restrained by giant metal balls in his legs. Just to move around, he had to drag his feet. In fact, there were already big calluses on his ankles due to him dragging the metal balls around.


    While he was bringing his te to the table, he suddenly heard a knock from the outside.


    "Tsk." The guy clicked his tongue and dragged his feet again to the front. But when he opened his door, the one who visited him this time was actually the same man who caused all this. "You¡­ Noel Ardagan¡­"


    "It''s been a while, Prince Ramuer." Noel smiled calmly. Yes, the person in front of him was actually the second prince of the Atracaeca Kingdom, who was punished after extorting Noel.


    "What are you doing here?" Ramuer gritted his teeth, ring at Noel. While he was angry, he wasn''t foolish enough to actually charge toward Noel.


    "It might not be appropriate to talk here." Noel nced to the inside, implying that it was better to talk inside so as to avoid any suspicion.


    Although he didn''t like the fact that Noel entered this small house, Ramuer couldn''t reject him. "Suit yourself."


    Noel went in. After Ramuer closed the door, Noel couldn''t help but say, "How is your life here? I guess it can be hard since there''s no more servants to do all the jobs."


    "Shut up. Just say the reason you''re here." Ramuer''s eyes were filled with hostility.


    Noel paused for a moment before asking, "Would you like to restore your identity as a prince and start all over again?"


    Ramuer frowned. "Restore? What are you talking about?"


    "I''m talking about cooperation."


    "Cooperation? You? This must be a trap. You''re just nning to execute me, aren''t you?"


    "I''m sincere." Noel shook his head. "If you do me a favor, your prince status will be restored. Of course, if you bare your fangs against the Ardagan family again, I won''t hesitate to kill you at that time."


    Ramuer squinted his eyes, not finding any lies in his expression. "Why me?"


    "Because your identity is perfect. Someone who is hostile to me will definitely not be considered a part of my n." Noel smirked.


    Ramuer understood what he was talking about. It seemed that Noel nned to do something big in secret. If he asked anyone else, there was a high chance that they would be found out by the spies.


    However, if he was the one doing it, no one would think he was working for him. Besides, he was already a perfect person. While his strength wasn''t too high, he could still fight. He was also a good politician and could negotiate.


    Ramuer asked, "What''s in it for me? Just restoring my status?"


    "Do you think it''s not worth it?" Noel smirked. Restoring his status as a prince allowed him to return to the starting point. In addition, if he cooperated with Noel this time, he could somehow negotiate with him for his assistance in the future.


    While he needed to rebuild his force again, he might still be able to seed his father''s seat.


    And what Noel and Ramuer needed was the same. All eyes had already ignored Ramuer, so no one would see him when he moved in secret.


    "What do you want?"


    "I''d like you to procure an item for me inrge quantities." Noel smiled while handing him a piece of paper containing information about the item as well as all rted information.


    When Ramuer saw it, he finally understood why Noel wanted his help. He said, "Suppose I were to refuse?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nothing happens."


    "I can sell out this information to people who would like to know about your n."


    "While I need it, I''m not that desperate. The item is precious to me, but it doesn''t mean that I can''t do anything without it." Noel shook his head.


    Ramuer bit his lips. He still hated Noel, but it didn''t change the fact that the offer tempted him.


    Still, there was one problem. "How are you nning to reinstate my status? Do you think my father will agree?"


    Noel smiled. "Don''t worry about it. I''ve talked to your father, and he lets you choose your own path from now on. But I need to remind you again, point your sword at me, I''ll remove you even if I have to fight the entire Atracaeca Kingdom."


    Ramuer looked surprised at first, but soon contemted it with a solemn expression. After a few minutes, Ramuer said, "Alright. I''ll handle this."


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the Grand Protector couldn''t help but look at the agreement letter he had just signed.


    He kept remembering the conversation that took ce not long ago.


    The Grand Protector sat down in his office after a long meeting in his pce. However, even though there was no more work he had to do, he still walked into his office. He even raised his guard once he sat down.


    "Come in. I know that you''ve been waiting to speak to me. Who are you?" The Grand Protector asked.


    Noel suddenly appeared in his room. "I believe it''s the first time we meet, Grand Protector. My name is Noel Ardagan."


    "So you are¡­" The Grand Protector frowned. He knew about Noel, but he had never seen his portrait. "To think that the genius of the Muivell Kingdom has be a spirit transcendence. Should I congratte you or eliminate you before you be too big for me to handle?"


    "Hahaha. I believe we should go with the first scenario. I have no intention to fight against the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "Who knows if that will be the case?"


    Noel smiled. "In that case, allow me to prove that."


    "Prove? How?"


    "I''m willing to give an opportunity to the second prince. With your permission and my agreement, it should be enough for him to regain his status as a prince, right?"


    "Huh?" The Grand Protector looked shocked, not expecting such a deal. He thought that if Noel wanted to propose something, it would just be a business deal. "You''re trying to restore the second prince''s status to remove all the grudges we have?"


    Even though they were cooperating, the Grand Protector was still the second prince''s father. He obviously didn''t like the fact that he had to imprison his own son because of Noel. If he didn''t care about the nation''s interests, he would havee directly for Noel''s life.


    "Indeed." Noel nodded. By reinstating Ramuer''s status, the fact that he had to start all over again could be seen as a punishment for his mistake. And with this punishment, there was no way Ramuer would make the same mistake. If he did, he would be so disappointed.


    The Grand Protector closed his eyes. "You''re not trying to support him, are you?"


    "I, too, know what I can do and how the bnce will copse if I support someone. Hence, I can guarantee that everything will depend on his effort. I have no intention of meddling with the Atracaeca Kingdom''s politics." Noel looked the Grand Protector in the eyes.


    The Grand Protector sighed. "What do you want from me?"


    "Just your permission. Maybe a little bit of help since he has nothing right now."


    "Alright. However, we have to write down the agreement. If you lie to me, I will not hesitate to rally the entire force of my kingdom on you."


    "Absolutely." Noel nodded in agreement.


    They immediately wrote down the contract that both parties signed. Looking at the copy of the contract, the Grand Protector couldn''t help but say, "It seems that the situation is much more dangerous than it seems. To think that I would see a Spirit Transcendence having no choice but to hide that fact¡­ What is currently going on in the Muivell Kingdom?"

 Chapter 1133 Believe

    Chapter 1133 Believe


    ??After aplishing all the objectives he had set in the Atracaeca Kingdom, Noel made haste toward the Zaecuria Kingdom, specifically to Luin City, where the auction would be held.


    He had to reach this city before dark, considering tomorrow was the date for the auction. And there was a chance that the auction would cause conflicts, so the date for the meeting was the night before the auction.


    Fortunately, he managed to reach Luin City when the sun was about to set. Without hesitation, he directly headed to the best inn in the city, where he was supposed to meet Anna. Thetter seemed to have been waiting for him on the first floor.


    For normal people, she appeared to be trying to make her presence known since she was one of the guests invited by the auction house. For Noel, she was simply waiting for him.


    Once both of them sensed each other, they smiled.


    "It seems that you''re back." Anna hurriedly came to him.


    "Yeah. Sorry for waiting."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. Let''s go to our room." Anna hugged his arm and pulled him as if there was something important they needed to discuss.


    As soon as they went inside, Anna immediately recounted everything that happened to her as well as her n.


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "I see. Count Heirden became something like that? Guardian Fradania smelled him as if he were a demon."


    "Yes." Anna confirmed it with a nod.


    This news simply made Noel''s expression even more solemn.


    "Is there something wrong?" Anna was worried about that change of expression. She crossed her arms, wondering if she had done something wrong.


    "Remember the record about the demon king?"


    "If it''s the book written by the Sword Saint, then yes."


    "The demon king possesses the body of a human, right?"


    "!!!" Anna suddenly widened her eyes in shock. She could see where this conversation was going. "Are they possessed by the demons?"


    "Most likely. If we look at it logically, there is only one way for them to be possessed by a demon. The original form of a demon is a type of parasite, right?"


    "But they are weak. Does that mean he swallowed that demon willingly?"


    "I believe so." Noel nodded. "I don''t know how they''re able to procure the demons in their original form. I have two possibilities in mind. They know the ces to get those demons, or they have a way to extract the original form from an existing demon."


    "!!!" Anna gasped. "If it''s thetter, it''s going to be dangerous. What if they fuse with an ancient demon? If the demon army we have to face in the future is abination of demons and humans, it''ll be extremely dangerous. The demons are already smart enough to imitate human tactics. If they''re also trained by humans, they''ll be even more terrifying."


    "Indeed. And the one responsible for all this¡­"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization." Anna knew that even if the royal family used this method, they wouldn''t be able to acquire those demons without the organization.


    And the fact that they chose to do it in this manner meant that they were nning an all-out war against the Ardagan family.


    In their previous lives, Noel might simply have been trying to fight back, but it ended up being dered a rebellion.


    "Won''t this be dangerous for Tristan? What if they attack Tristan? Their strength already surpasses that of spirit grandmasters." Anna was indirectly implying that Andreas'' strength might not be enough to go against them.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "If that''s the case, we can''t really do anything other than believe in Tristan."


    "Even though they have runes, I don''t think that''s enough to defeat them. I have experienced the level of their power directly, so I know that the rune is not enough."


    "I don''t know, but I still believe the rune is enough." Noel''s expression turned serious. "The reason you say they are not enough is because of the amount of spiritual energy they can muster. However, they are unable to use their spirit abilities. If I y my cards right, I can defeat them alone. So I believe that Tristan, with the help of Sandra, Felicia, and Andreas, should be able to defeat them."


    "What are you talking about? They''re much stronger. Even with rune cards, they won''t be able to defeat them unless they''re able to create a rune card with an advanced rune on it."


    "I don''t ce my confidence in the rune cards. I believe Tristan will y a big part in the battle because of one thing. Rune Array!" Noel raised a finger.


    "What?" Anna looked shocked. Noel had told her that the Rune Array could finally be essed easily with the help of the Rune Card. Even then, Tristan had just learned Rune Body not too long ago. She couldn''t believe that Noel actually believed that Tristan was able to do it.


    Noel simply smiled. He knew that she was just worried about his disciple. However, Anna forgot about one thing. While looking at the ceiling, Noel couldn''t help but say in reminiscence, "Do you remember how you''re able to push me beyond my limit?"


    "Huh?" Anna shuddered, recalling the fact that Tristan came with Sandra this time. She couldn''t help but ask inwardly, ''Did he believe that Sandra would be able to push Tristan forward?''


    Looking at Noel''s expression, she couldn''t ask it out loud anymore.


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment before standing up. "Alright. I think that''s enough for our discussion. We have no choice but to trust them. If they can''t solve the trouble by themselves, we won''t have enough talent to actually fight the demon king. So we should just focus on our own objectives."


    Anna bit her lips, unable to deny his words. No matter how much she worried about them, it wasn''t like they could do anything in this situation. The only thing they could do was negotiate with the Zaecuria Kingdom''s sovereign.


    ¡­


    In a dimly lit room hidden from anyone''s eyes, the king of the Zaecuria Kingdom was apanied by Guardian Fradania. They were staring at the door on the opposite side, which was soon opened by Noel and Anna.


    "I apologize for making you wait." Noel smiled.

 Chapter 1134 Secret Meeting

    Inside the room, there were only four people. There was no one else, including guards, at the entrance. This way, no one would know about the meeting, and if Noel and Anna decided to kill the king, they might be able to do it.


    However, that was the reason why Noel suggested the king bring a spirit transcendence as his guard.


    The king finally understood the reason and started the conversation from there. "To think that you two would be able to be spirit transcendence experts at that age. I have no words to describe how amazed I am."


    "Thank you." Noel nodded. "I appreciate that you are a wise king who would take the suggestion of a noble from another country."


    "I am probably an insane king who actually believes your words." The king chuckled. "I know that you are going to participate in the auction. Fradania has nagged me a lot that we need to leave tonight to avoid themotion that the auction will cause, so let''s discuss the most important matter, shall we?"


    Noel agreed. "I believe that Khalid has exined my intention to you regarding the sea expedition. I and Anna will be participating in the next expedition. We''ll provide the runes that the ship will use. In exchange, the Zaecuria Kingdom shall provide the ship and the remaining crews for the expedition."


    The king closed his eyes for a moment. With two spirit transcendence experts on board, the expedition might be the safest expedition to date. However, the king still warned them, "In the past eighty years, we have sent twenty expeditions into the sea to find and other than the one we currently live in. However, we''ve failed every single one. I''m sure that you''re aware of this before proposing the sea expedition, right?"


    "Of course." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Then, why would you volunteer to join the sea expedition this time? This might even be more dangerous than the demon army you fought a few months ago."


    "I am aware of the danger. However, it''s not like I''m suggesting a sea expedition without any confidence to seed."


    "Hoh?" The king squinted his eyes.


    "I''ve got certain information from a very reliable source, so I believe that we can findnd in this sea expedition. I have no proof, but my confidence is about 80%. While I''m aware of the failure, I''m still new to the sea and the danger looming inside it, so I can''t increase the chance further." The Spirit God was really a very reliable source. In fact, he might call him the most reliable source since there was no reason why the Spirit God would trick him.


    "That''s rather reassuring." The king closed his eyes for a moment. "80%, huh? That''s the highest number we''ve heard so far. Suppose I ept. What will I receive from this?"


    "First of all, I''m going to tell you about my demand first." Noel stopped him. "As you probably heard from your guardian regarding the incident outside this city¡­"


    "Are you talking about the attackers?" N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Yes. You should have realized the implications it will bring, so instead of keeping this expedition a secret, I''m thinking about releasing the information bit by bit."


    "Won''t this make us the next target of the Muivell Kingdom?"


    "That''s certainly true, but¡­" Noel shook his head. "By doing this, their attention will return to me after the expedition ends. Instead of the Zaecuria Kingdom finallypleting their expedition, it will be ''Zaecuria Kingdom with the Ardagan family joint expedition.''


    "Instead of pressing the Zaecuria Kingdom for what they manage to get from the expedition, they wille to us instead, believing that we''re an easier target."


    The king contemted for a moment. He could see some truth about it. He then asked, "So you''re nning to take the full brunt of their curiosity? And what''s in it for you?"


    If he could be honest, Noel wanted to say that he just followed what his wife had decided. After all, it was Anna who got those people involved, but there was no way he could say it. Hence, he just thought about the n that could use that mistake to his advantage.


    "Indeed. The items we can procure from the newnd might attract a lot of people. And it''s my job to turn them into my allies."


    The king nodded in understanding. That was indeed a tempting proposal. "How do you suggest we split the loot?"


    "3-7 with me only taking 30%."


    The king raised his eyebrows. "Isn''t that too small for you? After all, you''re going to provide two spirit transcendence experts and the runes. Meanwhile, in all expeditions, we never sent a single spirit transcendence expert¡­ And most likely, this time as well. In addition, you''ll also give us information about this newnd."


    "Providing the runes is something that we''ve agreed upon previously, and you sent Duke Briton to build a ship in my territory ording to the agreement. And if you can agree to three things, I don''t mind only taking 30%."


    "Three things? That is¡­"


    "First, we''d like to receive the right to be the first to choose our loot."


    "That''s not a big problem." The king agreed without hesitation. It wasn''t like they could get them without Noel''s help. While he might be able to find that ce sooner orter, he might still need more than ten expeditions before finding it.


    "The second condition is providing the transport to carry all these loots to my territory. Of course, the Zaecuria Kingdom will take responsibility for guarding it."


    "That''s easy. To assure you, I''ll even send one of the three guardians of the Zaecuria Kingdom so that no one can steal it." The king nodded, promising him a spirit transcendence expert as the escort. This was still a safer missionpared to a sea expedition after all.


    "In that case, myst condition is to be acknowledged as the highest rank authority in this sea expedition."


    The king was surprised by the third condition. That was what he was supposed to do because Noel was a spirit transcendence.


    However, Noel realized that he was still new to the sea and knew close to nothing about it. Hence, he added, "Of course, you''re going to provide all the essential personnel, such as crews, the captain, and anguage master."


    "Language master? Oh, they will indeed be needed if we find a person in this newnd. In fact, I''ll be appointing you as the suprememander of the sea expedition, even if you don''t ask me for it. It''s only natural for the strongest person to be the suprememander. But to show you my sincerity, I''ll appoint one of the two admirals that our kingdom has to be the captain of the ship."


    Admiral was the highest title one could attain as a soldier. Duke Briton was a former admiral. The requirement to be an admiral was extremely strict. They needed to have a lot of experience, strength, and talents tomand the troops.


    It was said that the Zaecuria Kingdom managed to kill more than ten thousand demons onnd or water without losing a single person because it wasmanded by an admiral.


    With such a personmanding the ship, the chance to seed would be higher.


    This was the Zaecuria Kingdom''s sincerity. While they couldn''t send out their Guardian, they would lend him an admiral.


    Noel smiled, acknowledging their efforts this time. "I believe we''ve reached an agreement."


    The king stood up and extended his hand. "Let''s make this expedition seed."


    "Yes." Noel shook his hand.


    "I will send someone to bring out the contractter." The king nodded. "In that case, I shall return to my pce before a certain someone nags me again to quickly leave. I hope that you enjoy the auction and win the item you like."


    "Hahaha. Thank you." Noel chuckled. Both of them exited the room through their respective doors.


    Noel and Anna were satisfied with the terms of the agreement.


    On the other hand, the king was happy with Noel''s sincerity, while Fradania was on edge the whole time.


    "Your Majesty¡­" Fradania finally opened her mouth.


    "What''s wrong?" The king nced at her face, finding a scared expression in this fearless woman. "Seriously, what''s wrong?"


    "That man is dangerous." Fradania shuddered in fear.


    "Dangerous? Are you saying that he smelled like a demon as well? The one you warned me about." The king widened his eyes in shock.


    "No. It''s not a demon¡­" Fradania shook her head. "It''s a spirit."


    "A spirit?" The king dropped his jaw. "I have never doubted your nose, but are you sure? Is he a spirit? But humans have spirits in their bodies¡­ He personally has two spirits. Maybe it''s rted to that?"


    "No. My nose is telling me that his body is like a spirit¡­ not exactly, but maybe a portion of him has be a spirit."


    The king''s expression turned solemn. "What are you saying? Is that a sign or something? I don''t think we have any records about it. Don''t tell me, he has started to ascend, and his body gradually turns into that of a spirit, as a form of a higher being. Or maybe¡­"


    The king paused for a moment, thinking about another possibility. "Don''t tell me. His fate is going to be beyond a spirit transcendence. If I''m not wrong, the ancestor of the Ardagan family was once a spirit king."


    Fradania couldn''t say anything, but if that were true, Noel would be a truly terrifying existence in the future.


    "If only I knew about it during the negotiation, I would give him a better deal to show more sincerity so that the good rtionship between the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Ardagan family willst for a long time." The king sighed. "There are a lot of things I need to adjust after knowing about this."


    The king and Fradania didn''t realize that they simply misunderstood Noel''s current condition.

 Chapter 1135 New Idea

    In front of the auction house, a lot of people suddenly stood still, looking at the two people who had just made their appearance.


    "Is that¡­"


    "Yeah. I think they are the ones¡­"


    "Don''t tell me. The rumor is true?"


    "So the Ardagan family has alsoe to this ce?"


    Yes, the ones who had juste out of their carriage were none other than Noel and Anna. In addition, their carriage looked so different that the people had a hard time choosing whether to look at them or the carriage.


    "That carriage¡­ No one was driving it."


    "Don''t tell me, they were the ones who drove it?"


    "What? A noble is driving their own carriage?"


    "But isn''t it amazing? I mean, if you can drive it yourself, it will be like riding a horse by yourself but more secure because it''s a carriage."


    Still, there were some mixed opinions regarding the car. On the one hand, it was a great tool to bring someone from one ce to another at high speed. On the other hand, once they had money, they would ask someone to drive the carriage for them.


    Noel obviously knew about it, and that was why he believed that the job wouldn''t disappear because of his invention. He also thought about changing the design to allow it.


    Currently, the car only has two seats because of its design. Getting more seats would just cause it to need more spiritual energy.


    Of course, the ''car'' that brought them here was just a normal carriage they bought in this city. Their original car was destroyed by Yesley after all. Noel just bought a carriage that had a simr shape and pped a rune on it. This way, it could move without a horse even though it was far less convenient than their car.


    However, as an advertisement, it was a sess, as it already piqued people''s interest.


    Noel and Anna walked toward the entrance, ignoring their reactions. Noel showed the invitation to the staff and immediately guided them inside.


    "Wee, Marquis Noel Ardagan and Lady Anna Stargaze. We''re honored by your presence." A beautiful woman was already waiting in front of their door and politely greeted them with a bow. "I am Hilda. I''ll be your assistant in this auction. If you have any questions regarding the auction, you can ask me. I can also bid in your stead if you wish."


    Noel nodded. "Mhmm. I''ll just take a look at the auction for the time being. Is it started yet?"


    "Yes, sir. Two items have been sold." Hilda opened the door and extended her hand. "Please follow me."


    Noel and Anna were considered VIPs. They received a private room.


    When Noel and Anna entered, they could see at least nine more VIP rooms. Their room was quite bright, but surprisingly, it was quite hard to see things from the other rooms because the window was ck.


    "Hmm." Noel squinted his eyes. If he tried, he could see them. However, normal people surely couldn''t see past it.


    "Is there something wrong?" Hilda''s heart skipped a beat. She was instructed not to displease Noel, so she ensured that this room didn''t have any mistakes. She was afraid that if Noel didn''t like the room, her life would be in danger.


    "Something piques your interest?" Anna asked lightly while sitting down on her seat. She even opened the catalog, acting as if this were her home.


    Noel approached the window. This room wasn''t too big, but the entire front part was actually a window. In addition, it was a window that could block someone''s view. "It''s quite hard to see the other rooms. What kind of trick is this?"


    "Ah!" Hilda''s heart was at ease after knowing the problem. "Allow me to exin, this mirror came from the Atracaeca Kingdom, and it was customized to match the room''s size. However, there was anotheryer of protective screen that was added on top of the mirror.


    "Thisyer would protect the identity of the person inside the VIP Room to protect the privacy of our VIPs."


    "Is something like thismon?" Noel asked.


    "It can be said to be umon, but a lot of auction houses use it for the same purpose." Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I see. But if it''s too dark, doesn''t that mean the host can''t see our bid?" Noel pointed at the person on stage who was currently introducing an item.


    "Indeed. Some auction houses that use this protective screen actually order the screen to be a bit lighter in color so that people can still see them from the outside. However, it''s still dark enough to make it hard for people to see inside. Meanwhile, our auction house is using a different method." Hilda walked to the right side of the window. "Please take a look at this."


    Noel turned his head around, finding a small spot where the window wasn''t protected.


    "This is usually where we ce our bids. The room is not soundproof as well, so you can also shout your bid since it''s part of the excitement during the auction."


    "Interesting." Noel nodded and finally took a seat. He checked the catalog first before asking, "Can I get something to drink?"


    "Of course, sir."


    "You want something?" Noel nced at Anna.


    Instead of answering Noel''s question, she turned to Hilda instead. "Do you have any rmendations for tea?"


    "If that''s the case, I''d rmend ck Pearl Tea. It has a strong aroma but a mild taste. It''s a perfect tea to calm one''s heart."


    "In that case, I''ll take that." Anna nodded.


    "Make it two." Noel smiled yfully.


    "Understood." Hilda hurriedly exited the room. On the other hand, Anna''s expression suddenly turned serious as she couldn''t help but ask, "So, you''re thinking of using this protective screen or something? It looks like you''re interested in it."


    "Is it something we can purchase easily?" Noel answered her with another question.


    "I''m not too sure. It''s not like we can really ask the staff about it, lest they use it to their advantage. Isn''t that why you send her away by deliberately asking for a drink?"


    "Haha. Is it that obvious? But yes, I''m wondering if we can use this in the car or passenger train. I mean, we can see easily from the inside, but it''s hard to see from the outside, right? We can use this protective screen in a different way, depending on their darkness." Noel grinned. "Besides, nobles love privacy, right?"


    "So that''s what you''ve been thinking the whole time." Anna sighed. "If it''s something hard to get, we can use it for a high-


    ss car for nobles. If it''s easy to mass produce, we can apply it to normal cars as well."


    "Yep. The problem is that¡­ because of this protective screen, we need to change a fewws. I mean, it will be a problem if someone uses a screen this dark and drives to our city, carrying more than 10 Meteor Rune Cards, don''t you think? What if, because we can''t see it, they explode and harm civilians?"


    "I see. That''s indeed dangerous. Even if we don''te up with this screen, people will realize it sooner orter. In that case, we might also need another division for soldiers¡­ the one that will patrol the roads and have the right to inspect the cars."


    "Yep. And I don''t think there is someone who is qualified to lead this new division. In addition, ine cane up with a concept, but we need an expert toe up with thews. Do you have anyone in mind for those two positions?"


    Anna looked up, contemting. "If that''s the case, then¡­"

 Chapter 1136 New Target

    "If that''s the case, then I don''t really know." Anna frowned. "Well, I might have an idea for the second person." She paused for a moment. "First of all, there is a rather unique person. He is criticizing the kingdom due to the fact that it''s easy to execute themoners while it''s hard for the nobles to get punished by something."


    "Hoh? That''s indeed unique as well as dangerous. He should know what it means to criticize the kingdom and its nobles, right?"


    "Indeed. As a result, he is being scrutinized by all the people around him. However, two years from now, he ends up finding a true master. He changes the way thend is regted, and it''s not limited to crimes."


    "Not limited to crimes?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. You should know that to export our items, there will be several regtions and checks, right?"


    "Indeed. It takes several days, since we also need to notify the destination regarding it." Noel nodded.


    "In our previous lives, when he took the office, he reduced all that process to just two days."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Are you sure about it?"


    "Yeah. That first day is to handle everything on our side while waiting for the letter to be sent to the destination. The second day is the finalization. We can send out the export that day. And that territory is soon loved by the merchants."


    Noel became even more interested. "And who was his master?"


    "Christina."


    "Countess Christina?!" Noel looked shocked.


    "Yes."


    Noel looked down, contemting. ''It''s true that Countess Christina''s location is in the center of the kingdom. With her territory as the basis, people would love to use it as a hub. But Countess Christina currently has a good rtionship with Duke Lorelei, and thetter is rted to the third princess.


    ''Don''t tell me. The Third Princess has been manipting everything behind the scenes?'' Noel gasped. "If this is true¡­ she is one hell of a princess."


    "Princess? Huh?" Anna was confused.


    "Yeah. What do you think will happen if the third princess, who everyone thinks is nothing but a doll this far, suddenly takes the throne?" N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "That''s¡­" Anna fell silent. She started connecting all the dots, from the kingdom''s situation to its stability and the rebellion. "So she is nning to use Countess Christina as the beacon for the Muivell Kingdom''s recovery?"


    Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Now I finally understand¡­ She has been enduring everything this far while manipting things from the shadows. While it''s the same maniption, she is doing it to make the Muivell Kingdom great again, unlike the others who are rted to the Supreme Devil Organization." Anna gasped.


    Noel let out a long sigh. It seemed that the Muivell Kingdom''s future wouldn''t be too bleak. While he still didn''t intend to join her, he didn''t mind helping her a little bit. "Anyway, we''ll contact that guy¡­ Who is his name again?"


    "Gustav."


    "We''ll invite Gustav to work for us. And we''ll use our city like Countess Christina did in her past life, but after that, we will negotiate with Countess Christina to adopt the same policy. With Countess Christina''s position in the kingdom and our Ardagan family''s technology, the effect it''ll bring will be much bigger."


    "That sounds like a good n." She nodded with a serious expression. "In that case, I''ll try to remember anyone remarkable in their previous life. And we need someone who is not affiliated with someone, right?"


    "Yes. Now that I think about it, what is Gustav doing right now?"


    "He? He should be preparing for his graduation from the royal academy."


    "Graduation? Wait, what? How old is he again?"


    "Right now? If I''m not wrong, he should be 19 years old this year."


    Noel dropped his jaw, never expecting someone who brought all that change to be this young. "Hahaha. I thought that the Greenwood Kingdom is the only one filled with talents, while our kingdom is in a sad state. I guess it''s not true."


    Anna shrugged. "Well, you can handle the auction. I''ll search for a name."


    Noel nodded and took his time browsing the catalog. After another two minutes, Hilda finally returned.


    The excitement inside the auction house gradually increased as the items became more and more expensive.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing that piqued Noel''s interest. Even in the catalog, the only thing that he wanted to buy was the sword.


    But because of the sword''s origin as well as its power, it was listed as thest item to be auctioned.


    During that time, Noel made some small talk, trying to get some information from Hilda regarding the protective screen. In addition, he also tried to understand how the auction was held and how he should proceed with the bid.


    Finally, after waiting for almost two hours, thest item was finally brought out. The host had changed from a beautiful woman to a middle-aged man who appeared to be a spirit master.


    The weapon was shown inside a ss case.


    This sword looked a bit unique. It was a bit thicker than a normal sword, and the aura exuding from the sword was actually beyond Dimitri''s weapon.


    The de was actually green, with a few cross symbols lining up in the middle of the body. The cross guard was a circle, and the handle was at least two times longer than Ardagan''s.


    While Noel needed to adjust himself a little bit if he wanted to wield this sword, it shouldn''t be much of a problem to master it. Nevertheless, this was just a recement. He could still use it for another thingter.


    The host exined, "And with this, we''ve arrived at thest item of the auction. This sword is called Forsaken Duality. It''s a treasured sword of the Sherverna family, who are famous for their spear technique. The starting bid is 10 million, and every bid can''t be any lower than 1 million."


    "11 million!"


    "15 million!"


    "16 million!"


    The people started bidding with excitement.


    Noel smiled and finally opened his mouth. "Hilda. Win this sword for me. Just use 10 million in every bid."


    Hilda looked shocked at first, but she immediately nodded. "Understood."

 Chapter 1137 Winning

    "31 million!"


    "32 million!"


    The people continued raising the price of the sword excitedly. However, their excitement stopped the moment Noel''s room began to send out a signal.


    "40 million!" The host suddenly increased 8 million in the bid, which startled everyone. It was true that there were some bids higher than a million earlier, but the higher the price, the harder it was for it to increase.


    Still, the million they were talking about here was only copper coins, which only measured four thousand gold coins.


    Even then, a lot of people started to be unable to keep up, especially with the fact that the person in the VIP box who hadn''t bid a single time would go all out. It was clear that this VIP came to the auction only for the sword.


    "41 million!" Another bidder increased the price again.


    However, the host instantly announced the increase in price. "50 million!"


    As if feeling challenged, there was a noble that raised the price even sharper than Noel''s room.


    In an instant, the host suddenly announced a new biding from another VIP room. "100 million!"


    "105 million!" Another participant decided to join. They knew that the real price of the sword was still higher than this.


    Noel looked at the auction and couldn''t help but say, "Should we speed things up?"


    "As long as the price increase is not too destructive, it should be fine." Hilda exined.


    "In that case, make it fifty thousand gold coins first." Noel waved his hand. "It''s not like this sword will be sold for less than a hundred thousand gold coins."


    "Understood." Hilda immediately signaled the host.


    The host was surprised but stayed professional. He immediately announced, "500 million!"


    "!!!" The people looked surprised, as the leap was almost 400 million. The majority of the people immediately backed down because the truly wealthy people were about to start their wars from this point on.


    "600 million!"


    "610 million!"


    "620 million!"


    "700 million!"


    Only less than ten people from the auction hall participated. And three of them came from the VIP rooms.


    "750 million!" The VIP room next to him suddenly shouted, suddenly joining the battle.


    "100,000 gold coins!" Hilda immediately changed the price ording to Noel''s instructions. Since the price had surpassed a billion, they changed their currency.


    Meanwhile, Noel was examining all the people participating in the bidding war. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel nced to the right. He could sense two people, one seemed to be a spirit grandmaster, while the other was a normal person.


    "120,000 gold coins." This time, the bid came from the room to his left.


    When Noel checked this room, he was surprised that there was only a spirit master inside the room. There didn''t seem to be anyone else.


    He couldn''t help but wonder how a single spirit master would be able to protect the sword. There might be some people intending to steal such a sword after the auction.


    While he was checking the people, the price had reached 210,000 gold coins. Noel still looked calm, but Hilda already had some hesitation. While it was her job to let Noel spend as much as possible, she was afraid that if she put in the wrong bid, she would be killed by this noble.


    In addition, the price was already reaching its true value. Even Noel knew that the price should be about 250,000 gold coins.


    That was why Noel said to Hilda, "I don''t care about the price. Just get the sword. Keep increasing 10,000 gold coins in every bid."


    Hilda was surprised, but her face became even more rxed.


    There were only three people left fighting for the sword.


    "250,000 gold coins!" The VIP room on the right side announced out loud.


    "260,000 gold coins!" Hilda easily replied with Noel''s guarantee.


    As if responding to the bid, someone suddenly knocked on their door.


    Hilda looked rmed, as if she knew what was going on. She nced at Noel.


    "It''s fine. See what they''re up to. I''ll continue from here."


    Hilda hurriedly went to the door to know what was going on. Meanwhile, Noel shouted, "290,000 gold coins."


    There was a momentary silence after that bid. In addition, Noel noticed that the spirit master in the VIP room to his left had already stopped bidding a while ago.


    In fact, Noel noticed that the spirit master was already leaving.


    While he came from a noble family and his father was a great merchant, this was the first time he participated in an auction. He didn''t know what kind of n they had or how to ce bids. The only thing he knew was that if they wanted to mess around with him, he could simply crush them. Even the king wouldn''t say anything since this was just self-defense. Besides, it wasn''t like he was hiding his identity here, so if they really dared to challenge the Ardagan family, their family wouldn''t be able to withstand their wrath.


    Hilda came back and whispered, "Sir, the room on our right is Earl Eyester. He is nning to bid 300,000 gold coins and asks you not to fight him for it. He will owe you a favor if you can allow him to win."


    As she reported, the Earl had already ced his next bid in 300,000 gold coins.


    "Hahaha. Do you think I''m scared of him?" Noel chuckled. "310,000 gold coins!"


    Hilda gulped down. She had seen a lot of conflicts because of the bidding war. In fact, she had served several people who ended up dying because of the conflict.


    However, Noel simply said to her, "Tell them that this is an auction where wealth matters. There is no need to tell him about my identity, but after this is done, if he still ns to challenge me, warn him that he will be facing the Ardagan family next."


    "Understood." Hilda nodded furiously. While she had be a bit nervous, the person before him was the rumored genius who managed to repel a demon army. There was no way he would be scared of a mere Earl, let alone when the king of this kingdom was so eager to form a rtionship with the Ardagan family.


    "330,000 gold coins!" While waiting, he already added another 10,000 gold coins.


    Anna remained silent the whole time, but she knew that the reason Noel didn''t want to let them know his identity was to make the bid fair. If the opponent was scared of his identity and the price became lower, he might get criticized for abusing his influence.


    Still, Noel had another reason to increase the price. There was one more big fish to bait in this auction.


    Noel kept bidding until the Earl gave up. Noel ended up winning the sword for 370,000 gold coins. It wasn''t a small sum, but it was only half of the cash he currently had. And he could easily get that amount soon.


    "Congrattions, sir. You''ve won the sword." Hilda smiled.


    "What am I supposed to do next? Should I wait here or something?"


    "If you want to wait, I can bring you the sword as well as the contract for the trade. If you want to get the sword directly, I can lead you to the contract room."


    "Let''s go then." Noel stood up. He was going to leave after getting the sword anyway.


    However, when Hilda opened the door for Noel and Anna, there was already an old man standing in front of him. He was a spirit grandmaster, but more importantly, his face looked angry.

 Chapter 1138: Unexpected Encounter

    Anna raised her eyebrows, thinking that this would lead to a fight.


    Even Noel could see through him with the Affection Medal.


    Name: Ryan Eyester.


    Affection: Hostile (65/100)


    Description: Angry because you humiliated him in the bidding war.


    Noel couldn''t help but wonder, ''When did he humiliate him?'' After all, this was a fair war. It was just his petty pride that couldn''t take a loss.


    However, when the person saw Noel and Annaing out of the room, his affection abruptly changed.


    Name: Ryan Eyester.


    Affection: Happy (10/100)


    Description: A very moody guy.


    ''Oi. Don''t give up my medal.'' Noel was quite shocked by the description.


    More importantly, Earl Eyester suddenly smiled at him and said, "Congrattions for winning the sword."


    "Eh?" Hilda was taken aback. This wasn''t what happened a moment ago. When she delivered the message, Earl Eyester was angry at her, insulting her and even saying that he would crush her.


    But it all changed as soon as Earl Eyester saw Noel and Anna. He was one of the people who were able to see Noel and Anna''s faces when they came into the auction house. So he recognized them in an instant and changed his approach.


    Earl Eyester thought, ''I was lucky enough to see their appearances earlier. My quick reaction is so swift that I''m even scared of myself.''


    It couldn''t be helped if people didn''t know him. After all, not a lot of people had seen him, and his portrait wasn''t really spread that wide.


    In fact, it wouldn''t be weird for a normalmoner to never see the lord who controlled their territory in their lifetime.


    Noel knew about his hostility, yet he smiled back. "Thank you. Unfortunately, I don''t have a lot of time in the Zaecuria Kingdom. I''ll excuse myself."


    "Of course." There was no way the Earl didn''t take the opportunity to get away.


    Noel signaled Hilda to continue guiding them, leaving the Earl alone. Anna couldn''t help but say, "He is only brave enough to bully the weak, but he is a coward who doesn''t dare to go against the strong."


    Hilda looked shocked. She had served a lot of nobles in the auction houses, but this was the first time she saw true strength. The Earl was a powerhouse in the Zaecuria Kingdom, so there weren''t a lot of people that could scare him. When she saw his reaction, she realized that even the people the Earl was afraid of might not dare to go against Noel. This was true strength.


    They swiftly handled the rest of the process, getting the sword for 370,000 gold coins. It was a lot, but it wasn''t like this sword was the only thing they wanted.


    "How is it?" Anna asked.


    "Yeah. It''s good. It''s a bit heavier, but it''s not a problem." Noel nodded while walking out of the auction house.


    "Did you notice it?"


    "If you''re talking about the hostility, yes, I sense it." Noel nodded.


    "It seems that the fish has taken the bait. We''re quite lucky that the fish is inside the auction house. We don''t have to search around anymore."


    "Agreed¡­"


    Noel and Anna walked normally, but they hid their presence a bit so that they could move away from the crowd. They took a detour toward the stables where the nobles parked their carriages, as if inviting this person to take action.


    The shadow that had been following them for a while remained quiet, so Noel chose to approach it in a more aggressive manner.


    Both Anna and Noel suddenly disappeared.


    "!!!" The shadow shuddered because they lost track of them, realizing that they had noticed them. However, she suddenly heard a voiceing from behind.


    "So, what''s the reason for you to tail us?"


    "!!!" The shadow hurriedly turned around while waving her hand, trying to knock Noel away.


    Unfortunately for her, Noel caught her wrist and mmed it against the wall, restraining herpletely. He finally got the opportunity to take a look at this woman.


    Name: Incetta Sherverna


    Affection: Hostile (0/100)


    Description: Taking hostile action but never having any hostile intent toward the host.


    This was the first time he saw zero point in the affection. There was no grudge between them, and she probably had to do it just because of the sword.


    "Kh! Release me!" Incetta gritted her teeth, struggling. But no matter how hard she tried releasing her spiritual energy, it felt like she was being grasped by an invisible hand, causing her body to refuse to release the energy stored inside her body.


    When Noel confirmed her name with his medal, he couldn''t help but recall the conversation he had with Anna after mentioning the auction.


    ¡­


    A month ago.


    "Incetta Sherverna?" Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes. I didn''t know a lot of people from other kingdoms, but this name made a sound big enough for me to know her name. In our previous lives, Incetta or Cetta managed to rise through the ranks. It was said that she became one of the youngest admirals in history.


    "She hailed from the Sherverna family, who were known for their spear technique. But after her father died and her uncle became the patriarch, her life turned miserable. If I were not wrong, her uncle erased her name from the family registry to avoid her getting in power again.


    "After all, she was a genius in spirit techniques. However, that wasn''t all. Once she escaped from her family, she ran to the military, where her real talents shone brightly. She became a general in just three years.


    "There were rumors that she had the chance to be a Spirit Transcendence, which would guarantee her the Guardian position. In addition to her title as a future admiral, she could be the first person to achieve the two highest positions in the kingdom."


    When Noel heard all that achievement, he couldn''t help but ask, "And you want me to recruit such a person?"


    "When her name resounded across the kingdom, instead of crushing her uncle, she turned her own name into a household name."


    "So she made a new family instead of returning to her ancestral family? She hated her family that much." Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Probably. But I think you now know why I want you to recruit her, right?"


    "That is true. Still, an admiral, huh? She might be able to be our navymander." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    ¡­


    When Noel recalled it, he looked at the woman before him with a serious expression. "You don''t expect me to release you when you''ve been tailing us for a while, right?"


    "Should we just kill her?" Anna smirked, teasing her.


    "Kh." Incetta was helpless, but she still red at him.


    "Oh. This sword?" Noel lifted up his sword.


    "Don''t use that sword. You are not worthy," said Incetta coldly.


    "I don''t need anyone''s permission to wield a sword, let alone from a stranger who has been tailing me. Who are you? Whether I kill you or let you go depends on your answer." Noel ced the new sword on her neck, threatening to kill her with the sword of her family.


    Incetta didn''t n to answer him. Even if she had to die now, she would at least die by her family sword.


    "Do you think I don''t dare?" Noel released his killing intent and pressed the sword slightly, causing the edge to slightly slit the throat. The blood flowed to the de, showing that it wasn''t an empty threat.


    But that was when the sword suddenly shone as if reacting to the blood.


    "!!!" Noel, Anna, and even Incetta widened their eyes in shock when the sword let out a green-colored glow.


    There was a fluctuation of spiritual energy, which Anna immediately suppressed to avoid people feeling it.


    And the three of them were stunned for a second. For Incetta, she saw a floating, translucent person that suddenly emerged from her sword.


    She was a middle-aged man with a muscr body. She wore only shorts and a tube top that only covered her breasts.


    "Who finally awakens me after a thousand years?" The woman smiled in excitement while stretching her body.


    The original Anna sensed it and said to Anna, "Something ising out¡­ Something simr to me."


    Andst but not least, Noel saw nothing but empty air. But his medal was showing him something else.


    Name: Vivi Shervina


    Affection: Loyalty (100/100) - Saved


    Description: Loyal to you and won''t hesitate to risk her life. (Saved)


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.

 Chapter 1139: Vivi Shervina

    ''Saved? This is the first time I have seen something like this. What is going on?'' Noel had a lot of questions on his mind. If Ardagan was here, he might be able to answer that question.


    Unfortunately, he needed to discover the truth himself.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    On the other hand, Incetta could see the person clearly. "W-Who?"


    "Oh? You can see me? So that means you''re my descendant?" The woman smirked.


    "Descendant?" Incetta was stunned, not knowing how to react. She lowered her vision and saw Noel and Anna having the same reaction. It was clear that they were aware of the person before her, so there was no need to hide the fact that she could see the woman.


    "Yep! The fact that you can call forth the wisp of soul I''ve left behind means that you''re my descendant. And one that is very simr to me. Still¡­" She stopped for a moment and turned to the two people. "Are they bullying my descendant? No, wait.


    Look who we have here¡­"


    She floated toward Anna, specifically her sword. "There is someone like me in this sword? But this isn''t done exceptionally well, or her figure cane out like mine. Then again, no one can control the soul as well as he did. And this person¡­ why do I feel like I have some personal attachment to him?"


    She stood in front of Noel, observing him. "ck hair, ck eyes. Wait a minute. Inside of his body, I can see runes. Not only on his body, but there are also multiple runes in his items and clothes. Don''t tell me, he is my boss'' descendant.


    Is he from the Ardagan family?"


    "Ardagan?" Incetta gasped. It was a name she heard recently.


    "So you know me?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows as if he only reacted to Incetta''s remark.


    "So he is really¡­" The woman smiled. "There must be some misunderstandings between the three of you. For now, tell him this. Brat, who will be impotent, stop this at once and bring us to a ce to talk peacefully."


    Incetta dropped her jaw. If the person in front of her came from the famous Ardagan family, saying those words would definitely get her killed.


    "What? Just say it!"


    Incetta didn''t know what to do, but if she didn''t do anything, the weapon would be taken and she would die. Hence, Incetta couldn''t help but repeat her words. "Brat, who will be impotent, stop this at once and bring us to a ce to talk peacefully."


    "What did you say?" Anna gritted her teeth.


    On the other hand, Noel shuddered at the thought that appeared right after hearing those words.


    It was the price he paid when he was born into the Ardagan family. But no one was supposed to know about it.


    In other words, the only possible exnation was that the person called ''Vivi Shervina'' was the source of that information.


    His eyes darted to the empty air where Vivi was supposed to be. He asked, "Are you¡­ rted to my ancestor?"


    "Look at this guy, he is calmer and smarter than his ancestor." Vivi smirked.


    Incetta looked up before repeating the words that Vivi wanted to convey. "Alex, Sam, or whatever you''re calling him right now, had tenmandants in the past. The firstmandant was his brother-inw. The secondmandant was his wife. I was the sixthmandant. I don''t need to say my name because you can see my name, right?"


    "!!!" That confirmed it. She knew about Ardagan. His ancestor must have been extremely close to her, to the point where he shared this secret. "Vivi Shervina."


    Vivi smiled.


    After knowing about this person''s identity, Noel''s attitude charged abruptly. He let go of Incetta''s hands, took a step back, and politely introduced himself. "I apologize for my rude behavior before. I''m the current head of the Ardagan family, Noel. This is my wife, Anna Stargaze. There might be some misunderstandings between us, so allow me to invite you to the inn where we''re currently staying."


    Noel and Anna released their spiritual energy a little bit and erased their presence. They took Incetta and returned to the carriage at the fastest speed.


    After that, Noel personally drove the carriage to show his sincerity.


    Anna was quite shocked to find out about the rtionship between this Vivi and Noel''s ancestor. In fact, if she was the same person, she must know about that fact.


    Anna couldn''t help but test her. "I apologize for being rude, but there''s one thing I need to confirm."


    "Anna." Noel tried to warn her, but Incetta had said, "What is it?"


    "If you are truly someone close to Noel''s ancestor, you must know the only person who is capable of turning you this way, right?"


    Incetta listened to Vivi for a moment before saying, "His brother-inw, the sword saint. It seems that you have found someone who has the same spirit as the sword saint, but his mastery is still too low. If not, the person residing in your sword will be able to achieve something like this."


    "!!!" Anna shuddered. Not only did she answer her, but she also pointed out her secret. With this, there was no doubt anymore. "I apologize for doubting you."


    Vivi smirked before looking at her descendant. "You''re lucky that you managed to awaken me. It looks like you were about to attack them earlier. Why?"


    "I¡­" Incetta looked down. "I felt a connection to the sword since I was young. But a lot of things happened, and the sword ended up in an auction. I tried to buy it with all the wealth my father left behind, but it was still not enough."


    "So you tried to attack him." Vivi looked at the sword on his waist. She couldn''t help but mutter inwardly, ''Isn''t Ardagan supposed to be his primary weapon? Where is Ardagan? The fact that he is able to see me means Ardagan is involved. Nevertheless¡­''


    Vivi sighed. "Still, what the fuck are you thinking? To think that you dare to attack two spirit transcendence experts."


    "Spirit transcendence?" Incetta gasped.


    "!!!" Both Noel and Anna were rmed since they had been hiding their strength. Then again, the guardian could see through their strength, so even though she was only a clone, Vivi must be able to see that as well.


    Vivi shook her head helplessly after seeing Noel and Anna''s reactions. "Either way, apologize to them first. Also, don''t forget to introduce yourself. Not that it''s required since they must have known your name, but it''s a basic courtesy."


    "Y-Yes!" Incetta was still confused, but she followed Vivi''s instructions. "I apologize for attacking you. And I''d like to formally introduce myself. My name is Incetta Sherverna."


    Before Noel and Anna could reply, Vivi was the first to react. "What the fuck? Why is your name Sherverna? Did you motherfuckers adopt my name at all?"


    "What the fuck? Motherfuckers? What do they mean?" Incetta panicked, not expecting that Vivi would be so angry.


    "For real? You don''t even understand those words? This generation is so weak. They don''t even know a little curse word. I''m so disappointed." Vivi shook her head helplessly. "Whatever.


    Just answer my question!"


    "We adopt your name. The family has never changed its name since its creation."


    "Shit! Those idiots must have messed it up. My family name is Shervina, not Sherverna!"


    "Sherveana?" She tilted her head in confusion, wondering if she pronounced it right.


    "Fuck! So this is where the problem is? My thick ent is the one messing up my family name? Now I finally understand why Alex always got annoyed whenever people called him Sam instead of Simeon." Vivi let out a long sigh. "Whatever. Change the family''s name right now!


    Change it to Shervina!"


    Incetta scratched the back of her head. "I don''t think it''s possible right now."


    From her expression, Vivi knew that something big must have happened. Before going to that point, she chose to turn her attention to Noel. "In that case, ask him why he bought this sword. Where is Ardagan?"


    Incetta immediately conveyed it to Noel.


    Noel looked a bit hesitant and chose not to tell the whole truth. "Because of a reason, I''m unable to wield Ardagan right now. Even using his element is not possible. I''m not sure for how long. That''s why I need a good sword for the time being."


    "I see. How much did it cost?"


    "370,000 gold coins."


    "How much did you have?" This time, the question was directed at Incetta.


    "I have 220,000 gold coins."


    "150,000 gold coins, huh?" Vivi thought for a moment. "What''s the annual sry for a spirit grandmaster?"


    "Depending on their job, it will vary from 5,000 to 10,000 coins."


    Vivi asked, "In that case, use your body to pay for the difference. Work for him for ten years to get this sword. Besides, working for him should benefit you a lot. After that, you will be strong enough to do whatever you want."


    "But¡­" Vivi looked down. Working for a spirit transcendence expert would definitely benefit her a lot, especially if Noel went all the way to guide him. Even if she worked in this kingdom, she would need more than ten years to get all the gold coins. But there was one problem. "I''m still a spirit master."


    "Just tell him this¡­" Vivi exined it.


    After some hesitation, Incetta finally exined, "Mhmmm. Madam Vivi said that I would work for you for ten years. During that time, you''ll provide everything, including the runes, and still give me an annual sry of two thousand gold coins. In addition, I will be the one wielding this sword spear."


    "Sword spear?" Noel looked surprised.


    Incetta followed the instruction and infused the spiritual energy into the spear. Suddenly, the thick de split up, turning wider like that of a spear. The handle also got extended to match the spear''s length.


    "What? This is a sword and a spear at the same time?" Anna gasped.


    "In exchange for all those conditions, with her guidance, I''ll be a spirit grandmaster in one month, as well as mastering the true Sword and Spear Duality."


    "You''re making this hard for me. I don''t have a weapon right now." Noel smiled wryly.


    "There''s no way you don''t have a substitute. You''re more like that shrewd princess. I know you''re aiming for something; just spill it."


    Vivi was so close to his ancestor that she was able to see through him. Noel sighed. "In a few months, I''m nning to go on a sea expedition. It has never been sessful before."


    "You want me to be a guide?"


    "I have already known the direction."


    "Where?"


    "10 degrees to the south from the east."


    "Oh. I think there is indeednd in that direction. In that case, you must want me to tell you more about the sea."


    "Indeed." Noel admitted it without hesitation.


    "Well, I know a lot about the sea. I retire to the Zaecuria Kingdom because I love the sea. More importantly, I can show this abs and body of mine." Vivi had a smug smile on her face as she lifted her big breasts¡­ not that anyone other than Incetta could see it though.


    "Anyway, I have learned to even operate ships, from a small wooden boat to a gigantic vessel that can carry more than 200,000 tons of cargo. I should be able to do it."


    Noel was surprised about this so-called ship that could carry that amount of cargo. Even his train could only carry a hundred tons at once.


    Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I understand. In that case, I''ll agree to your condition. But are you sure it will be alright with you, Miss Incetta?"


    "It''s your choice. I personally don''t care about the family that has messed up with my own name. Even if you n to go back to the Zaecuria Kingdom, I won''t mind. No, in fact, you should create a new family. Make sure it''s called Shervina, not Sherverna whatsoever!"


    Incetta smiled wryly. It was true that she didn''t have any ns. She thought about amassing achievements in the military, but this path might be more secured. Besides, her ancestor mentioned that she once worked for Noel''s ancestor in the past.


    Incetta hurriedly went to her knees and lowered her head. "Incetta Sherverna¡­ No, Incetta Shervina greets my master, Noel Ardagan, and Lady Anna Stargaze."

 Chapter 1140: Truth

    Noel, Anna, and Incetta were sitting inside the room Noel rented in the city. Noel''s expression turned solemn, as if he were about to say something important.


    Noel couldn''t help but ask, "Why did you seal your soul into the weapon, Miss Vivi?"


    They had agreed that Incetta would be the one conveying her words. "Before I answer that question, I''d like to know something from you first. And also, call me Vivi. There''s no need for honorifics. I call the king by his name, because I don''t mind if people call me casually as well. I''m sure it''s annoying to deal with a thousand-year-old woman like me."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand, Vivi. Please ask me anything. I''ll answer it to the best of my ability."


    "Why are you so desperate to look for people that you ept everyone just because you feel like it?"


    "What do you mean? I''m not just epting everyone."


    "Don''t lie. This girl is the reason why I came to that conclusion. I can see that you have nned to recruit this girl from the beginning. I don''t know the reason, but your eyes are simr to the boss when he wanted someone in his group."


    Noel hesitated as this matter was hard to exin, especially to an outsider. He didn''t mind if Vivi knew about it, but Incetta had just joined the Ardagan family.


    "It seems that you have your own reason. But feel free to share it if it''s regarding a demon. If not, I''ll ask a different question."


    Noel nced at Anna. This had never happened in their previous lives, so they didn''t know what kind of effect it would have.


    After exchanging nods, Noel answered, "Two words. Demon King."


    "!!!" Incetta looked surprised, but Vivi didn''t have any change of expression as though she had expected it. "Time?"


    Noel noticed her calmness in that question and continued, "Three to five years."


    Incetta waited for a moment as if Vivi were thinking about something. After a momentary silence, Vivi exined, "In the past, Alex fought and defeated the Demon King. However, he didn''t manage to kill that damned bastard.


    "Due to Alex''s worsening condition after losing Margaretha, Ray chose to tell me about his n. As long as the demon king didn''t die, the demon king would re-emerge again in the far future.


    "Thus, we had to prepare for the future, which was to prepare our descendants. Unfortunately, not a single one of my descendants seemed to be able to awaken me or have forgotten me."


    Noel frowned. Ray was the sword saint, while Margaretha was his ancestor''s wife. There didn''t seem to be any difference in the Sword Saint''s characters, giving more credibility to Vivi''s words. "You actually sealed yourself into that weapon and waited for, who knows, how long?"


    "Ray did it, but yes. I did it to repay what Alex had done for me. And after I retired, I went to the Zaecuria Kingdom, enjoying the beach during the morning, bing a foodie in the afternoon, and having sex during the night. Well, I was waiting for someone who could dominate me, but it seemed that I was simply too good.


    "So, I did have several husbands and gave birth to several children. I loved all my husbands, children, and grandchildren. It could be said that I had lived myself to the fullest." Incetta was already closing her eyes as her body was twitching. Her face was red due to the embarrassment of conveying all those words.


    "So after serving the Ardagan family and wanting to retire, you could have several husbands as well. The night will¡ªThere''s no way I can say those words." Incetta snapped and shouted at Vivi.


    Viviughed out loud while saying, "I was saying it to you. I have five things I love dearly: alcohol, the sea, fighting, money, and my family. You can live for yourself as well. I''m just giving another option."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Incetta took a deep breath to calm her down, her face still flushing red.


    Noel smiled wryly. "It seems that you have lived life to the fullest."


    "Yep. Anyway, Ray came to me and told me about his n. After considering a few things, I agreed to his n. Then again, the only people crazy enough to agree were Ray, Margaretha, and me. None of themandants would take up that kind of offer. There were two options back then.


    We could seal our bodies in the ice or we could seal our souls into something. There was no guarantee that the ice couldst for that long, so Ray and I sealed our souls.


    "Wait a minute." Noel raised his hand, stopping her. "The ice to seal your body¡­ Are you continuing that project?"


    "Continuing? That project was recing the previous project that forced Alex to take action personally. And that was when he met Nico, the ninthmandant. Nico was a human with tiger ears and a tail."


    "!!!" Noel gasped. He couldn''t help but stand up and ask another question. "That project¡­ was it in the Atracaeca Kingdom?"


    "Atracaeca Kingdom? What''s that?"


    "It''s the kingdom west of this kingdom and south of the Muivell Kingdom."


    "Oh! To think that the exile ce has be a kingdom after a thousand years."


    Noel fell to his chair with a wry smile on his face. It turned out that the ancient ruin he found in the Atracaeca Kingdom, where he got the one thousand years ice, was something left behind by them. If Vivi had chosen to seal her body in the ice, he would have met her back then.


    "I went to that ce and received the ice that managed to freeze an entire room for a thousand years. Everything inside was also frozen."


    "Are there people inside?"


    "Yes. From what I know, they have been recovered. Those who are unfrozen end up dying or in aa with no signs of waking up." Noel felt a bit overwhelmed. More and more information about this world started to get connected in his mind.


    "Haha. Lucky for me not to choose that option. Nevertheless, my objective is to train my descendant to kill the demon king. After knowing about it, it seems that Ray''s n has seeded. Have you received the inheritances of those three?"


    "Those three?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    "Alex, Margaretha, and Ray."


    "What kind of inheritance are you talking about?" Noel asked.


    "Alex should have left behind a trial. He entrusted it to Nico. Margaretha kept it a secret. I only heard of it being rted to Alex''s. As for Ray, he should be in his tomb."


    "I have visited the tomb. As for my ancestor¡­ I don''t think I''ve gone to the Beast Kingdom. And I''m nning to go there in one month since the requirement is to reach this rank first."


    "Another kingdom? Don''t tell me, Nico retired as a ruler over there? Still, a spirit transcendence, huh? I don''t know much about the details, but it''s fine, I guess."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. It seemed that the books were not the real inheritance. They were only made such to make their enemies think they had gotten the inheritances.


    "Anyway, entrust this kid to me. I''ll show her hell. I don''t know if we have enough time to make her a spirit transcendence or not, but she will definitely be useful in your fight against the demon king. We''re not nning to repeat the same mistake. This time, we will achieve aplete victory."


    "I know that you dislike formality, but as the head of the Ardagan family, allow me to express my gratitude. After all those problems in the past, you have sealed yourself for a thousand years. And I know that you have done so much for the Ardagan family, and no one has the right to ask you to fight again." Noel stood up and lowered his head. "And I''m asking¡­"


    "Tsk. Your aura is like Alex, but your action is simr to Margaretha. If it''s Alex, he would simply say, ''Just shut up and follow me. I''ll punch you if you say no.''"


    Noel scratched the back of his head.


    Vivi smiled as if she were looking at Alex and Margaretha in Noel. Talking to him really made her feel nostalgic. She asked, "What do you need, kid?"


    "I need your assistance to make sure that the tragedy doesn''t happen for the third time."

 Chapter 1141: Navy Commander

    "I need your assistance to make sure that the tragedy doesn''t happen for the third time."


    Vivi didn''t understand what Noel meant for the third time. The only tragedy that happened in history was when his ancestor lost his wife to the demon king.


    However, Anna couldn''t feel moved. Noel was simply counting their previous lives as a tragedy. In the end, Noel failed to work with Anna in their previous lives, which caused them to be unable to reach a higher stage. And it wouldn''t be weird to say that if Anna and Noel joined hands in their previous lives, they might still be able to challenge the demon king.


    Vivi said, "Sure. I''ll do my best to assist you. If you have any questions, you can ask me about them. However, most of the time, I will guide this girl."


    "In that case, will it be fine to let youmand our navy?"


    "Where is your territory?" Vivi asked.


    "It''s located in the north of Muivell Kingdom." Noel looked around. "Do we have any paper here?"


    "I''ll grab it." Anna hurriedly went to the room and brought back a piece of paper and a pencil.


    Noel then drew a rough sketch of the world map. He marked two ces, which were his Ardagan territory and his ancestor''s territory. "I believe it''s something like this. The current family''snd is about 4 hours away if we ignore the demons."


    "I see. It seems that the Muivell Kingdom has been greatly reduced in the past one thousand years. No, I guess they have expanded it again." Vivi frowned. "After the battle against the demon king, the Muivell Kingdom shrank to a fifth of this size. The same applied to the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Yes. But it doesn''t seem that they have reached their golden age."


    "Indeed. Alex was a monster back then. With Margaretha taking the helm, the expansion was crazy. Sadly, it caused one problem in the past." Vivi pointed at their currentnd. "Due to the rapid expansion, most of thend was basically empty. When the demon king attacked us, the Ardagan family was alone."


    Noel nodded in understanding. "Right now, I''m nning to expand the Ardagan family, but instead of thend, I''m increasing the number of cities. We have also turned most nobles in the northern area into our allies. Some are reliable, while others are questionable. Anyway, we also n to work on expanding our road and building more trains and airships.


    This way, we can create an integrated system that allows us to reinforce neighboring cities and use it in a simr fashion as an omni-directional reinforcement attack."


    "Trains and airships? Now that I think about it, what kind of technology and culture does this ce have after a thousand years? No, never mind. I''ll be seeing it with my own eyes first before I give you any advice in that area." Vivi sighed.


    "Understood. In that case, regarding taking themand of our navy¡­"


    "If I''m not wrong, there should be a river somewhere around here, right? Or has it changed?"


    "I believe it has been diverted slightly. The river is close to my city right now, which is around here." Noel corrected her.


    "I see. That''s enough for now. Our force?"


    "We haven''t trained anyone yet. However, we have made some small ships as well as a giant ship. We''re nning to reinforce them with runes. I''m not sure about the size of our navy though."


    "I see. How many people can you ess? I mean, you can turn into soldiers?"


    "As a marquis, I''m allowed to create 50,000 soldiers. And mynd should have no problem taking on about a million people. As for the distribution, I''m nning to have ten thousand of them as our elites rted to runes or any other specializedbat. The remaining forty thousand will be directed to normal soldiers.


    Of course, I''m nning to build numerous cities since each city can also recruit its own soldiers. If I y it right, I can get about a hundred thousand soldiers."


    "Fifty thousand, huh?" Vivi squinted her eyes. "What''s the size of the ship?"


    "It can easily bring at least five thousand people."


    "In that case, give me all those five thousand soldiers. I''ll turn them into elites."


    "It''s a bit hard right now. We will have to wait until mynd is officially opened. And the cities haven''t been built yet."


    "That''s fine. I can use that time to make her a spirit grandmaster first. People will respect her more that way." Vivi agreed.


    "Understood. I''ll make an arrangement." Noel nodded. "It''s just¡­ I''m sorry, but I''d like to ask you to act separately from here on. The current political situation is not good for me."


    "So you want us to travel to your territory by ourselves?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s fine. She can be a spirit grandmaster during the journey, and I can learn more about this world."


    "Thank you very much. I believe that''s all I have to discuss right now, but if you don''t mind, I''d like to ask Incetta if she knows about the protective screen that the auction house is using. And where they''re being produced¡­" Noel nced at Incetta.


    Unfortunately, Incetta shook her head. "I''m sorry. I have never thought about it."


    "It''s fine. In that case, please take your time to rest in this room. Anna and I will stroll around first." Noel stood up. "If Vivi doesn''t have anything to ask, I''ll take my leave here."


    "Nope!" Vivi waved her hand, even though Noel didn''t see it. She looked satisfied with Noel''s quality.


    Now that they were left alone in the room, Vivi couldn''t help but say, "So, how is it, kid? Are you going to ept my training? If you do and somehow want to reinstate your family and be a noble, you are going to create a family with the correct name. That''s my only condition."


    "My closest rtives have been killed, and my family is trying to eliminate me and everything that is dear to me, no matter if they are objects or people. Besides, it''s not like I have a lot of good memories of that family, so I don''t mind about the condition. But allow me to bury this hatred.


    I don''t want the current family to be destroyed as well, simply because the blood running in our veins is the same."


    "I don''t care about that. Just don''t be a pushover."


    "Thank you."


    "In that case, call me Teacher! I will teach you everything I know about fighting and nightlife. Yes, I''ll definitely teach you about the nightlife." Vivi nodded with a serious expression.


    "W-What are you talking about? How perverted." Incetta''s face became red again.


    "Listen, kid. I don''t care about what others think. I''m just tired of people saying that if a man is intimate with multiple women, people call him a chad. But if a woman is intimate with multiple men, people call him a slut. So I just live a fulfilling life without caring about people''s double standards.


    Of course, you can ignore what I say if that means you''re living ording to your own ideal." Vivi harrumphed.


    "I don''t fully understand all the terms you''re using, but just teach me how to fight." Incetta looked away.


    "Hahaha. You are a quiet-type girl. They are innocent, shy, and don''t talk a lot. But once they''re in the room, all hell breaks loose. The bed will bre¡ªMmphh!" Vivi''s mouth was sealed by Incetta''s hands.


    She red at Vivi while saying, "Let''s train, dear Teacher!" with an embarrassed face.


    "Alright." Vivi smiled wryly. Incetta released her hands, which caused Vivi to think of something weird. ''Wait a minute. She can actually touch me?''


    An evil grin appeared on Vivi''s face as she couldn''t help but think, ''It seems that I won''t be bored on this journey.''N?velDrama.Org holds this content.

 Chapter 1142: Panicked

    "What did you say? Spirit transcendence? They''re being protected by a spirit transcendence?" The king asked with a shocked face.


    Raymond frowned. "Why would the Zaecuria Kingdom protect them? No, why would a guardian appear in that ce?"


    "I don''t know." The man who was tailing Yesley could only shake his head. He couldn''t see everything due to the distance. At the same time, he needed to escape right away, fearing that the guardian would kill him.


    "Who is the guardian?" Raymond asked.


    "From the power that attacked me, she must be Fradania."


    "Fradania? That barbaric woman?" The king crossed his arms. "Why would she, a woman who always remained inside her house just to get stronger, go all that way to that ce? Is that city special? There''s no way a mere auction can pique her interest."


    "We need to investigate the auction. If Fradania didn''t participate in that action, it meant something was up. We might need to investigate the entire Zaecuria Kingdom because of it," Raymond suggested.


    "No. The Zaecuria Kingdom will definitely move first. They will send an envoy to investigate Yesley''s action. The situation has gotten moreplicated now that Yesley has failed and a guardian gets involved."


    The king''s concern was not an empty guess. Their original intention was to warn the Zaecuria Kingdom that they shouldn''t mess with them. However, that also meant that Yesley would retreat after destroying a city or two.


    This way, the spectators could only see his figure, while the rest remained unknown. This way, the Zaecuria Kingdom could only specte that they were trying to catch Anna and Noel, but they had no way of confirming because the witness would only say it was a mysterious man who did it.


    The Zaecuria Kingdom would believe that the Muivell Kingdom had a mysterious force that could be used against them. And thatck of information would cause the Zaecuria Kingdom to be more careful.


    Sadly, now that Yesley''s identity has been proven, the Zaecuria Kingdom will use this as retaliation. In addition, the Zaecuria Kingdom could confirm that the Muivell Kingdom had something that could increase one''s strength. There was a lot more they could learn from Yesley''s corpse, especially since they had their alchemist and medical techniques.


    The most important part was that a spirit transcendence could confirm the limit of their strength.


    "Kh." The king gritted his teeth.


    Raymond was also frustrated, but he needed to do something. "Your Majesty. I don''t think we can attack them anymore as long as they are in the Zaecuria Kingdom. Considering this attack, they should be going back through the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "I know. The Zaecuria Kingdom will definitely increase their security because of this." The king pinched the bridge of his nose. "Still, we can''t just let it end this way."


    "Your Majesty is correct. That''s why we need to target a different person."


    "A different person?"


    "Yes. First of all, if we follow his testament, it''s clear that Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze still have no power to resist them. It''s most likely that Noel Ardagan went to the city first to inform a guardian."


    "Shouldn''t Anna Stargaze be the one going? I mean, she had a lightning element, so she should be faster than him."


    "Certainly. But because of that very reason, Yesley didn''t realize he had been tricked. If she was the one to go, Yesley would think something was up. But because Noel was leaving, Yesley believed Noel wouldn''t be fast enough, which dyed his response."


    "I see." The king looked down as his exnation made sense. "Then, who are you nning to target next?"


    "For better or for worse, Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze have no choice but to stay a bit longer outside for their safety. That''s why it''s better to change our target to his disciple. I''ve just heard that he is spotted outside their city."


    "!!!" The king raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. He is rumored to be protected by a spirit grandmaster and the spirit magician Felicia. Even though Felicia can be considered equal to a spirit grandmaster, she can''t bepared to our people. After all, even Noel and Anna could only run away. There''s no way two spirit grandmasters weaker than them can do anything."


    "I see." The king approved it with a nod. "Good. Let''s do it this way. Where are they heading by the way?"


    "We need to move fast because they''re heading to Duke Lorelei''s territory."


    "What?" The king frowned. "Isn''t this going too far? I''m not scared of him, but it''ll be bad if we end up angering him as well."


    "That''s why I say we need to move fast. If we let his disciple meet the duke, there''s a high chance that the duke will provide him with protection for the rest of his trip. I''m sure that Noel Ardagan will send a message via bird to warn them. In other words, we have to move faster than the messenger bird."


    "!!!" The king bit his lips. He immediately said, "You go! Hurry up! Don''t let them reach Duke Lorelei''s territory. You''re faster than a messenger bird. Remember, another failure is uneptable."


    "Understood." The guy lowered his head, acknowledging the order. He hurriedly disappeared from the room, leaving the two alone.


    "This is not good." The king tried to recall information about the Ardagan family and the Lorelei family. "The reason for his disciple visiting Duke Lorelei must not be for a mere request, right?"


    "I believe they''reing to install the rune technology. We don''t know the details about the agreement between the two families, but the Duke has been constructing water storage as well as several wells."


    The king''s expression turned dark. "As expected, now that the Ardagan family''s position has been stable, they are starting to spread the rune technology. Once they see and hear the sess of rune technology in another territory, more and more nobles will be roped in. The insane amount of wealth will definitely go to them."


    "And we can''t strike him because everything is managed by the Runegard Company. They even pay taxes, even though the Ardagan family doesn''t need to pay taxes. If we attack them, they can use it to garner more support. So it won''t be wise to attack them." Raymond sighed.


    Their only hope this time was to kill Tristan before he met Duke Lorelei.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1143: Attacked

    Tristan was staring at the sketchbook before making some corrections to the drawing.


    Felicia, who had been looking at him working nonstop, couldn''t help but say, "Why don''t you take a break for a moment? You''ve been looking at the runes for a whole day."


    Tristan shook his head. "I don''t have a lot of time to learn all of this. In addition, the client this time is extremely important. I don''t want to make any mistake if possible so that I don''t embarrass Teacher."


    Felicia shook her head helplessly. "I understand your good intention, but from my experience, you better make one or two big mistakes first so that you can calm down. Besides, you can only feel assured because you''re working with Duke Lorelei, who has a very good rtionship with your teacher. If it''s any noble, they might take advantage of your mistake to get something from your teacher."


    "That''s¡­" Tristan gasped, not knowing about it. The only thing he had done the whole time was study, so he didn''t have any experience.


    This was the biggest reason why Noel sent Tristan to Duke Lorelei first.


    For someone who valued new talents, Duke Lorelei would still reprimand him if he made a mistake but would also encourage him to take a step further.


    Felicia couldn''t help but nce at Andreas, who had been silent this whole journey. "Why don''t you say something?"


    Andreas nced at her before turning back, as if he didn''t have any interest in making a good rtionship with the rest of them. He came here originally for Noel to go to the beast kingdom, not to be his retainer.


    Felicia let out a sigh. It seemed that she couldn''t make Andreas open up to them.


    On this journey, there were only four of them as the remaining people, such as Roel''s children, were going to Duke Lorelei''s territory separately. Thest person among them was Sandra, who was currently driving the carriage.


    "Still, for your first journey to be so dangerous, I guess your teacher is a bit sadistic." Felicia crossed her arms. Although she and Andreas apanied them, it didn''t change the fact that fighting against multiple grandmasters would potentially injure them. No, they might even die on this trip.


    "That''s fine. If it were not for him, I would have died in that sickening cell." Tristan shook his head. "He not only saved me but also gave me an opportunity to change my fate. I''ll definitely do my best."


    "Not that I can''t understand the sentiment." Felicia smiled.


    When they were having a chat, Andreas suddenly raised his head as if he heard something with his sharp animal hearing.


    "An attack?" Andreas frowned and opened the car''s door before swinging his body to the roof. He stood up, looking at the grasnd to the left.


    Even though he had hidden his ears, it didn''t change the fact that his animal ears could listen to a far higher range than a normal human.


    "!!!" Felicia didn''t understand what was going on, but because Andreas came out, Felicia also came out and flew above the carriage. "What''s going on?"


    "A few people areing at high speed from there." Andreas squinted his eyes.


    As soon as Sandra heard it, she asked, "Should I stop the carriage?"


    "No. Go to the city as quickly as possible. We still need to travel for another three hours before we can reach the city, so we need to do everything to get closer to the city. We will be safe as soon as we meet up with the duke," Felicia replied with the order Noel had given her when something dangerous happened.


    "Understood." Sandra nodded with a serious expression. She continued to drive while warning, "Tristan. Be careful!"


    Andreas couldn''t help but squint his eyes as these people were getting closer and closer.


    When they reached a certain range, three bolts of different elements wereunched into the air before going down.


    "Enemy''s Attack!" Felicia shouted, warning them. She started channeling her spiritual energy to block them.


    However, Andreas abruptly stopped her by saying, "Don''t. Focus on attacking them. There are seven of them with three of them being spirit grandmasters."


    "Tristan! Barrier!" Felicia changed her order immediately, feeling a bit shocked that they had to fight three spirit grandmasters.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The three bolts of attack were about to reach them, but Tristan followed the instruction while looking at the iing attacks.


    "Activating the car''s defense system. Activating the booster."


    Right after Andreas noticed the fluctuation of energy, he jumped off the car. The grasnd was quite tall, so it was a bit hard to see the enemies, but this wasn''t a problem for Andreas.


    Meanwhile, Felicia used her rune body to summon two Rain of Light Runes above her head. "Go!"


    She rained all the light bullets on the grass field.


    Knowing her capability, Andreas was simply forming a small barrier on his back as he continued marching toward the enemies.


    The light bullets wouldn''t be able to prate this weak barrier because the Rain of Light Rune was only to locate their attackers. There seemed to be five people near them, with one of them moving in the opposite direction. "Four enemies spotted."


    Still, the three bolts were about to reach the car. Instead of reinforcing the defense, Felicia summoned a Meteor Rune. "Go forth!"


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The three elemental bolts hit the car''s barrier. They were quite powerful, but it wasn''t enough to destroy the barrier. Besides, the car had been filled with a lot of crystals, so they should be able tost for a few hours under barrages of attacks.


    On the other hand, Felicia could focus on bombarding them with Meteor Rune.


    As if noticing the strength of the meteor, one of them leaped into the air. He was wearing a hood and a mask that covered his face, so they couldn''t find anything about him unless they killed him first.


    This person drew his de, splitting the spiritual energy bomb into two.


    Boom!


    The meteor rune exploded, but that was when Andreas appeared. Since this spirit grandmaster had used his full power to split the meteor rune, he couldn''t avoid him.


    Unfortunately for Andreas, another spirit grandmaster had the same idea. He leaped at the same time as Andreas and struck him down.


    Soul Severing Strike.


    Spirit Thrust.


    The clicking sound echoed in the grass field, producing a powerful shock wave that didn''t lose to the meteor rune.


    "Tsk." Andreas gritted his teeth as the other party overpowered him because he struck him from above. Andreas ended up crashing to the ground, but instead of worrying about himself, Andreas actually shouted, "Hurry up and stop the car. Use all the power in the defense system!"


    "!!!" Felicia looked stunned, but Sandra managed to remain calm and pulled the brake, abruptly stopping the carriage.


    Andreas had realized from that sh alone that thest spirit grandmaster was hiding his strength in the first attack. He matched the power of the spirit masters so that Felicia and Andreas thought the third spirit grandmaster was actually among the four people in the front.


    However, they were wrong. A huge burst of energy shook the field as a giant sphere formed and turned into a bird.


    "Go!"


    The fire bird flew toward the carriage, which was already thirty meters away from them.


    It turned out that the enemies wanted to separate them first by allowing the carriage to continue.


    Boom!


    The firebird caused an explosion three times the size of the previous attack. While it didn''t destroy the barrier, the car ended up getting blown away.


    "Tristan, Sandra!" Felicia''s face turned pale.

 Chapter 1144: Counterattack

    "Tristan, Sandra!"


    Felicia leaped toward them. The spirit grandmaster and the two spirit masters tried to stop her. The same applied to Andreas, who was fighting with a spirit grandmaster.


    Meanwhile, once they managed to flip the car, the three experts continued bombarding them from afar.


    Unfortunately for them, a barrier appeared next to the car, blocking all the attackspletely. Due to the barrier having more distance from the car, the explosion didn''t cause enough force to flip the car again.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Tristan panted a few times as he opened the car''s door and climbed on top of the car.


    Sandra also did the same thing, showing that they were fine.


    "Good." Felicia felt relieved and summoned two Meteor Runes, sting her own opponents.


    Those three couldn''t help but fall back, fully knowing that this meteor rune could kill a Superior Demon. Even the spirit grandmaster didn''t dare to cut the meteor rune like earlier after realizing how much energy he needed to cut one.


    Felicia took this time to position herself near the car. At the same time, she formed a spiritual barrier to block the bombardment herself.


    While it was true that the car had a lot of demon crystals, they still needed those demon crystals to continue the trip. So it wouldn''t be good to use everything up without any ns.


    Still, Tristan knew that Felicia alone wouldn''t be enough to fight six people. Although it looked like she wanted Andreas to eliminate one of them first, it would be too hard for her.


    That was why Tristan jumped to the other side of the car.


    "Tristan?" Sandra did the same, staring at him with a confused expression. "What''s wrong?"


    "Can you flip the car back to its original position?" Tristan asked while lifting the car with all his strength.


    Sandra did the same, but they were not strong enough to lift it up.


    "We can''t." Sandra shook her head. "Felicia can."


    "No. We can''t give her more work to do. Instead, we should use the car''s defensive system to lessen her burden. But to do that, we need to first flip the car."


    "Can''t we just use rune cards?" Sandra asked.


    "¡­" Tristan fell silent for a moment before cing his hands on the ground. ''Can I do it?''


    Even though he had experience creating runes, all of them were his training in a safe environment. His mind was currently shaking and his heart was beating loudly. He didn''t know whether he could draw a rune in this situation.


    ''No. I have to do it.'' Tristan started drawing runes on the ground with his spiritual energy. He intentionally created one rune on each hand. However, his focus deteriorated because of the sound of explosions, so he had no choice but to abandon the second one.


    At the very least, one of them had to work.


    "Enhance Forward Rune." Tristan activated the rune.


    The rune shone and pushed the upper part of the car upward, gradually flipping the car back to its original position. The car looked like it was damaged, but it wasn''t destroyed.


    "We need to kill the spirit masters at the very least. I need your help." Tristan pointed at the guy on the left.


    Sandra nodded with a serious expression. She waved her left hand, lifted her skirt, and pulled two throwing knives hidden underneath it. Her other hand reached the small pocket on her back and took out a rune card.


    Meanwhile, Tristan returned to the car and ced his hand on the car''s roof. "Activate."


    The two spirit masters were still supporting the spirit grandmaster in attacking Felicia, who was also upied with the bombardment.


    "Tsk." Felicia clicked her tongue while ncing at Andreas. It would still take some time before Andreas could kill his opponent, but it didn''t seem that she would be able tost for that long.


    In addition, the two spirit masters split up, surrounding Felicia in two directions. Meanwhile, the sword grandmaster looped around, trying to attack the two kids.


    "You''re not going anywhere!" Felicia shot out a meteor rune at the spirit grandmaster, halting his advance for a few seconds.


    However, the two spirit masters took this chance to approach her.


    Felicia gritted her teeth. She might be able to stop one of them, but the other would definitely hit her.


    But that was when a throwing knife flew toward one of the spirit masters.


    "!!!" The spirit master tilted his body to the side and struck the throwing knife back at the car.


    However, that was when a huge rune appeared in front of the car''s door, facing the spirit master.


    "What?" The spirit master hurriedly raised both arms and used his own energy to form a barrier.


    Meteor Rune.


    "Sh¡­" The spirit master took the full brunt of the Meteor Rune. His barrier shattered into pieces, while his body was blown away.


    Before he could get up, Sandra threw the second throwing knife.


    The spirit master raised his arm, allowing the throwing knife to hit him on the arm instead of the body.


    Unfortunately for him, this throwing knife was just a distraction as behind the throwing knife was none other than the rune card she took out earlier.


    The rune card was flipped by its internal function and shot out a powerful st right at the guy''s face.


    Rune st.


    "NO!" The spirit master wanted to form the barrier again, but it was toote. Both his hand and his head got hit directly by the Rune st and were reduced to ashes.


    "!!!" The enemies looked shocked because one of them died in the kids'' hands.


    Felicia couldn''t help but smile. She only had to focus on the second spirit master. "Die!"


    "Not good!" The spirit master wanted to get away, but he was already too close to Felicia.


    A rune appeared on top of him, causing a huge explosion of spiritual energy.


    "Aaaggghh!" The spirit master screamed as his right hand and his left foot were blown flying into the air while a lot of his bones were crushed from the explosion.


    Tristan couldn''t help but shout, "Kill those three! Focus on the attack and trust us!"


    Felicia didn''t know what their n was, but she chose to trust him for the time being. At the very least, her equipment was good. Even if she got hit because of a mistake, she would only be injured, not dead.


    As soon as they saw Felicia approaching, the three enemies shifted their target to Felicia, trying to stop her from reaching them.


    At the same time, the other spirit grandmaster had already reached the other side of the car. Since the two kids were hiding inside the barrier, the spirit grandmaster gathered all his energy to break through it.


    "Defining Strike!"


    The sword was extended by his spiritual energy, causing a huge crack in the barrier.


    "One more time!" The spirit grandmaster gathered his spiritual energy again.


    But before he could shoot, something big happened to his friends.


    The three guys attacked Felicia at the same time.


    Instead of using the spiritual barrier rune, Felicia chose the meteor runes instead.


    After all, when their attacks were about to reach her, a barrier suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking all these attacks.


    Felicia couldn''t help but smile. It was Sandra. She threw the Spiritual Barrier Card at her. She might be a bit lucky with the timing, but the n worked.


    "Get away!"


    The three of them panicked, but the Meteor Runes had sted them before they could escape.


    "Aaaahhh!" The two spirit masters were close to dying, while the spirit grandmaster had a sluggish movement because a few of his bones were broken.


    This was the perfect chance for Felicia to kill them.


    Meanwhile, the sword grandmaster had gathered enough spiritual energy to crush the barrier.


    "Defining Strike." He used all his power to kill Tristan, who was inside the car, before escaping.


    The cracked barrier stopped the sword strike for a second, but thetter ended up crushing the barrier.


    The guy thought Tristan would definitely get split into two together with the car.


    Unfortunately for him, Tristan also activated his Spiritual Barrier card inside.


    A barrier appeared right before the ''Defining Strike'' reached the car. Due to the amount of spiritual energy inside the rune card, the barrier ended up vanishing after blocking the sword strike.


    "!!!" The sword grandmaster was shocked, but it didn''t matter. He just needed to strike it again.


    To his surprise, he sensed a presenceing from his right. He twisted his body so that he could direct his swing, only to find his hand flying right after as Andreas hade to the rescue. Without them noticing, Andreas had actually killed the spear grandmaster.


    They should be able to win in this condition. Yet before Andreas could unleash his strike, he abruptly raised his head while shouting, "Enemy!"Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    There was another presenceing so fast that they could barely react.

 Chapter 1145: Mysterious Person

    "Enemy!" Andreas'' shout alerted everyone.


    The spirit grandmaster hurriedly backed off, taking this chance to get away from Andreas. He was fortunate enough to survive because Andreas was distracted.


    But his luck ran out the moment he fought Tristan.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    While it was true that Tristan was Noel''s student, hisck of experience was causing him to have a dyed reaction.


    Even Sandra, who was considered weaker than him, reacted fast enough to twist her body in the direction of the iing person.


    Meanwhile, Tristan was a little bit too focused on the spirit grandmaster.


    His inexperience confused him as to why Andreas let this spirit grandmaster go. Since Andreas didn''t have any intention to kill this spear grandmaster, Tristan ended up activating the meteor rune on the car and shooting it at the grandmaster.


    ''Eh?'' The spear grandmaster widened his eyes in shock when he found the giant lump of energy that was about to hit him. "No¡ª*Boom!*"


    The Meteor Rune exploded, sting the heavily injured spear grandmaster and ultimately killing him.


    It could be said that his death was indirectly caused by Tristan''s inexperience. If he were an expert, he would shift his focus to the greater threat.


    "Tristan. Shield in full power!" Felicia suddenly shouted as she returned to the car.


    "!!!" Tristan was startled. He didn''t know where the attacker was, but he still followed Felicia''s instruction by raising the output of the barrier to the maximum.


    In addition, Felicia had also reached the car and activated her own Spiritual Barrier Rune.


    There was a man floating in the air, looking down on them as if they were ants.


    When he waved his right hand, a wave of spiritual energy suddenly hit the barrier, as if there were a massive beast that just hit them with powerful momentum.


    Bam!


    The spiritual barriers from both the car and Felicia cracked in an instant.


    Even Felicia had to use a bit of her spiritual energy to keep the car in ce. If it flipped over, that would be the end of them.


    ''Tsk. What is going on? How strong is this person?'' Felicia gritted her teeth. ''To think that he managed to cause such heavy damage to two spiritual barrier runes that are going at full force. Even a superior demon can''t do something like this¡­''


    Sandra was holding several rune cards, not knowing which one she should use. This person was much stronger than the seven mysterious attackers.


    However, while the others were defending, there was only one person who dared to approach this mysterious person. He was none other than Andreas.


    "Soul Severing Strike." He unleashed all his power in a single attack.


    The mysterious person nced at him as if he had been following him the whole time. When Andreas unleashed his attack, this person also released another wave of energy.


    "!!!" Andreas widened his eyes because this energy was actually close to the level of his grandfather. ''What is this¡­''


    It felt like his world vibrated for a second. Before he realized it, his stomach had been hit by this energy as his body wasunched to the ground.


    Bam!


    The momentum was so huge that the crash created a 30-meter radius crater.


    "Gah!" Andreas spat a mouthful of blood.


    The mysterious person was more quiet than Yesley. He simply red at Andreas as if he were telling him he was like an ant. No matter how much he struggled, he wouldn''t be able to do anything.


    Andreas, on the other hand, could see that ridiculous soul of his. Andreas couldn''t help but smirk. "Do you think that you are powerful? A mere demon dares to look down on us."


    Suddenly, a sword mark appeared on the guy''s hand. It was small, and the bleeding wasn''t that severe.


    However, it was enough to shock the mysterious guy. He didn''t expect that a spirit grandmaster would be able to harm him. Even Anna had no choice but to escape.


    What he didn''t realize was that Andreas'' power was the soul itself. From the first time he cast his gaze on him, Andreas already knew what was happening inside his body. He used it to his advantage, putting close to no energy into his defense.


    This way, he was able to hit the guy''s hand. And that attack was his Soul Severing Strike.


    "!!!" The guy widened his eyes when he lost the sensation of his hand. ''What? I can''t feel my left hand. No. I can''t even move it anymore.''


    That was right. Andreas shredded the left hand of his soul, meaning that even if his physical body still had that hand, he couldn''t use it anymore. This was the same technique he used to defeat the demons during the siege.


    Andreas took a deep breath. It didn''t seem that he could win against this guy, but if they could somehow injure him enough, they should be able to escape.


    However, the mysterious guy also noticed this. He didn''t n to make the same mistake as Yesley. No matter what, he needed to keep them in this one ce. He couldn''t underestimate them because they had just crushed three spirit grandmasters and four spirit masters.


    "!!!" Andreas suddenly felt a presenceing from his side. Before he realized it, the mysterious guy in the sky had already disappeared. ''Ah. This¡­ it might be bad.''


    The mysterious guy kicked Andreas in the head,unching him far from the car. This way, he could kill Andreas first.


    "Andreas!" Felicia panicked and shot two meteors. Sandra and Tristan also threw the Meteor card.


    "Tsk." The mysterious guy waved his other hand, sending powerful energy to hit all those energy balls.


    Boom!


    A series of explosions urred. Even the mysterious guy had to take it seriously due to the number, just like when he failed to crush two Spiritual Barrier Runes.


    In addition, Andreas took this opportunity to get away from him.


    His body bounced several times on the ground, but his animal instinct immediately took over. Hended on all fours while putting his sword in his mouth.


    After that, he started running like a real wolf. He might even be faster running this waypared to when he ran like a human.


    In just an instant, he created more than a 200-meter gap between them.


    "!!!" The guy widened his eyes in shock. ''What is that speed? That''s not a speed a grandmaster can have¡­ It''s even faster than Anna Stargaze''s lightning speed.''


    This guy was forced to choose whether to chase after Andreas or kill Tristan and the others. On the one hand, if he chased after Andreas, he could kill him first and avoid leaking information. On the other hand, Tristan was his original objective. Even then, killing him wouldn''t be that easy either.


    The spiritual barriers were definitely going to stop him multiple times. By the time he killed them, Andreas might have reached the duke and told him about this. It would be troublesome if the Duke got involved. His fate wouldn''t be any different than Yesley''s.


    To think that kicking him away was a mistake. He thought he was going to separate them to kill them easier, but he miscalcted Andreas'' speed.


    The guy sent his energy toward the car.


    "Defense!" Felicia shouted.


    Two spiritual barriers appeared and blocked it again, but this time, the attack was slightly more powerful. Even if it failed to destroy the two barriers, Felicia didn''t have any leeway to use her spiritual energy to keep the car in ce anymore.


    As a result, the car flipped over.


    "Aggghhh!" Tristan gritted his teeth. He was holding a few rune cards, ready to use them out of desperation.


    Even Felicia was ready to use everything in order to stop him.


    However, that attack was just a distraction. Now that they couldn''t do anything, the mysterious guy chased after Andreas, not allowing him to inform the duke.


    "Kh." Tristan climbed out of the car. "Felicia¡­"


    "Are you alright? We need to chase after him, or Andreas will die." Felicia pointed in the direction Andreas was going.


    "So we are now separated¡­ What is that guy? How can he be so strong?" Tristan bit his lips.


    "I don''t know. Anyway, we have to hurry." Felicia helped him flip the car once more.


    "No. We shouldn''t chase after him." Tristan shook his head.


    "What are you talking about? Andreas is going to die if we leave him alone."


    "No, trust me. I still remember what my teacher said whenever we encounter someone we can''t beat."

 Chapter 1146: Andreas

    "Sandra. I will be counting on you." Tristan looked at Sandra with a serious expression.


    "Yes." Sandra nodded and jumped off the car. She immediately used all the Enhance Forward Rune Cards to push herself forward. Her speed might not be very fast, but she definitely surpassed the car''s speed.


    She was heading in a different direction than Andreas or Tristan. Instead of going south in Duke Lorelei''s direction, she was actually heading to the west.


    Meanwhile, Felicia and Tristan immediately started the car again and continued their journey to Duke Lorelei.


    Tristan was driving the car while Felicia remained on the roof, making sure that the enemy couldn''t ambush them.


    Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Andreas'' extraordinary speed had distracted him.


    ¡­


    Bam!


    "Gah!" Andreas spat a mouthful of blood when the pressure crushed his body. However, he skillfully twisted his body and escaped from the pressure.


    He didn''t even bother to look at the attacker, knowing that his only job was to survive.


    Andreas couldn''t help but grit his teeth. He was too excited when Noel gave him thest task before going to the Beast Kingdom. He never expected that the mission this time would be this dangerous.


    Still, he couldn''t help but recall the condition of the soul. He was able to see the soul of every living being, whether it was a human, an animal, or even a nt.


    All of them had the same color, which was a translucent yellowish-white color. Meanwhile, the spirits had a golden color, which might be the reason for the human''s soul to have a yellowish color.


    However, what he found in this mysterious person was a translucent white color with dark veins spreading all over his soul.


    Unlike the spirit that influenced the white-colored soul, which resulted in a color gradient, these dark veins were like roots attached to the soil, sucking everything inside.


    In addition, he couldn''t see any golden color from his soul, which shouldn''t be possible because all people had spirits in their bodies, even though only a small number of people could awaken them.


    In other words, the guy had no more spirit in his body, and he had been using pure spiritual energy or technique to suppress him.


    When Andreas realized this, there was something he could do.


    Once he got enough distance from the car, he could finally begin his n.


    As soon as Andreas felt the crushing pressure about to fall on top of him, he used all his hands and feet to slide on the ground, abruptly stopping his momentum. As a result, the crushing pressure ended up falling in front of him.


    "!!!" The guy raised his eyebrows. The only reason for Andreas to stop running was to fight him. Still, the gap between their powers was big.


    Andreas jumped into the air. The guy immediately waved his hand to strike him down, while Andreas swung his de, releasing a crescent-shaped sword strike.


    Surprisingly, the crescent sword strike that was supposed to be destroyed ended up splitting the energy wave into two.


    "What?" The guy looked shocked. Even Noel and Anna weren''t capable of this. "What is going on?"


    He hurriedly sped his hands, forming a barrier purely made of spiritual energy.


    Unfortunately for him, this barrier was also cut into two.


    "Tsk." The guy threw his body to the side, albeit he was a step toote. His foot got hit, which made him unable to use it anymore. ''What is this strange power? What is his actual power? How could it be stronger¡­ No, the amount of energy he puts in is by no means stronger than that of Noel and Anna. In other words, this weird power is the one allowing him to hit me.''


    Andreas was smiling. Although he didn''t want to admit it, a human had definitely helped him with this technique. That human was not Noel or Anna. It was the sword saint.


    ''This is the Energy ying Technique. You must not know that every time someone releases their energy, they are also releasing a bit of their soul into that energy. Obviously, the spirit is doing the same, as both humans and spirits are connected.


    ''If I use this technique on a normal person, I won''t be able to cut the spiritual energy so easily. After all, the Energy ying Technique will have to cut both your soul and the spirit''s soul.


    ''However, you''re different. You don''t have any spirits to fuel that energy wave, meaning that the only thing the Energy ying Technique has to cut is your soul.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''As expected, the fact that this technique actually works must mean you are a ''Demonic Human'' as described in the sword saint''s books.


    ''Still, for a demonic human to appear¡­ ording to the record left behind in that book, a demonic human will only appear if a demon king is nearby.


    ''In the past, demonic humans hid among normal humans and caused massive destruction.


    ''Does that mean the demon king has appeared? But if a demon king is here, he doesn''t need to wait. There is no spirit king on our side, so a single demon king is enough to kill all the living beings in thisnd. What if the demon king has appeared but his strength hasn''t reached its peak? Injured? There''s no credible proof to back this assumption, but it might be possible.


    ''I have to tell this not only to Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze but also to the Tiger King and my grandfather.''


    Andreas took a deep breath. Since this attack was effective, he nned to take this guy down if possible.


    However, right after Andreasnded on the ground, both of them suddenly turned their heads to the side, finding a car moving at a high speed toward the city.


    Andreas let out a long sigh. It seemed that he was a bit excited that the sword saint''s technique he had been learning started working. He almost forgot that the first thing they should do was reach the city.


    As soon as he remembered the original mission, Andreas turned around and started rushing to the city.


    "Kh." The guy gritted his teeth. He now had to choose again whether to go after Andreas or the car.

 Chapter 1147: Tristans Plan

    "Get back here!" The mysterious guy flew toward the car.


    Felicia was driving, so she just formed a spiritual barrier and let the defense system of the car be controlled by Tristan.


    "Activate." Tristan ced his hand on the wall.


    Another spiritual barrier appeared, lining up with Felicia''s barrier.


    "Spiritual Torrent!" The mysterious guy became so frustrated that he had no choice but to unleash all his strength to take them down. At the very least, even if he exhausted a lot of his spiritual energy, the mission could be consideredpleted.


    A tornado of energy flew toward the car, gradually expanding in size.


    "What is that power¡­" Felicia could sense the ridiculous amount of power surpassing what a superior demon could do.


    When the tornado hit the barriers, it cracked them in an instant. The raging wave started ripping the barriers apart before they werepletely gone. Unfortunately, the tornado also exhausted its power.


    "One more!" The mysterious guy shot out another tornado.


    "This is not good." Felicia gritted her teeth.


    "I still need more time to repair the rune." Tristan panicked.


    Felicia had been using the spiritual barrier rune on her body. This time, she used the barrier on her clothes.


    "Rune card!" Felicia shouted.


    Tristan widened his eyes and immediately opened the door before tossing a rune card.


    Now, two more barriers appeared next to each other, blocking the tornado.


    "What?" The mysterious guy looked shocked. ''What is that annoying item that looks like a card? It can produce a barrier as well? This is not good. This item can be a terrifying weapon in the future. I will have to kill him here and get these items to be researched¡­''


    While the mysterious guy wanted to attack again, he soon noticed that Andreas had gone outside of his detection range.


    Andreas'' direction remained the same. He was nning to use Felicia and Tristan to buy some time for him.


    The guy didn''t know whether he could destroy the car quickly or not. After all, it seemed that they still had confidence in taking out more barriers. If he let Andreas increase the gap, he might not be able to find him anymore.


    "Kh." The guy ended up leaving the car alone for the time being and increasing his speed to catch up with Andreas.


    Tristan couldn''t help but smile. "He''s gone now. We need to repair the runes before hees back."


    "Yeah. So I have to drive not too far from Andreas?"


    "Yes. If we follow the teacher''s n, we need to maintain some distance from him, but still within his range, so that the enemy has no choice but to split his attention between both of us."


    Felicia nodded.


    Tristan''s n actually worked. When the enemy attacked Andreas, he managed to survive in one way or another. In addition, Andreas even added some counterattacks.


    However, before he managed to kill Andreas, the car would drive off, leaving them behind. The enemy had no choice but to abandon his n to kill Andreas because he had to chase after the car.


    When the enemy attacked the car, Tristan and Felicia used all their barriers to block him until Andreas managed to slip past the enemy once again.


    This was Tristan''s n to reach a stalemate in this battle. At the same time, they still managed to move toward Duke Lorelei''s city.


    The closer they were to the city, the more desperate the enemy became.


    Due to this tactic, they managed to cover forty percent of the remaining distance. Unfortunately, this n wouldn''t seed due to theck of numbers. If they had another group that would divide the enemy''s attention, they might be able to reach the city.


    After a long two and a half hours, Tristan said, "I''m out of the rune cards."


    "¡­" Felicia gulped down. "Brace for impact."


    Tristan nodded with a serious expression.


    During thest attack, Felicia used her Spiritual Barrier Runes again, but this time, Tristan couldn''t supply another barrier.


    "!!!" The enemy noticed it as well, thinking that this annoying chase was finally over.


    His tornado ripped apart a single barrier. Even if it managed to withstand a portion of the tornado power, the remaining energy still hit the car and ripped it apart.


    Bam!


    An explosion urred once the tornado reached the ground, sting the car into pieces.


    Felicia held Tristan, protecting him with her body.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    However, she ended up getting injured from the impact. "Kh."


    Tristan was alsounched andnded on the ground not far from the broken car with Felicia on top of him.


    Tristan let out a small groan while raising his head.


    "What?" Andreas panicked as he turned around after noticing that the car was destroyed. He rushed back to help them, but he wasn''t fast enough to reach them, especially in this condition. "Have I failed¡­"


    "I''m going to praise you for being able to run away for hours, but this is where it ends. Even if you beg for your own life, I''ll kill you because you have annoyed me." The mysterious guy gathered his energy in his palm, ready to shoot it.


    Tristan remained calm. "I should have died a year ago. Do you think I''ll fear death? Kill me if you can."


    "So be it!" When the guy was about to release his power, he noticed something was off. He widened his eyes and looked around before asking inwardly, ''Where is the maid?''


    Tristan looked at the mysterious guy in the air. His face was unwilling to ept reality, but it hadn''t lost its fire either. It was as if he had another n in mind.


    What Tristan actually had in mind was the memory of his teacher.


    At that time, Noel was teaching him about his own tactics.


    "Currently, you might think that the fastest way of sending a message is via bird. However, once you reach a certain level, you can actually travel much faster than a bird. What will you do if you encounter an enemy who can travel faster than a bird?" Noel asked.


    "Run? Teacher said ''a certain level,'' so that person must be powerful. While the rune cards can allow me to fight them, I don''t have any method to match their speed. Even if I know which rune card I can use, it won''t mean anything if he is fast enough to kill me before activating the runes."


    "That''s correct. You have to run, but he is faster than a bird. Do you think you can run away from that person?"


    "That''s¡­" Tristan looked down for a moment. "I don''t."


    "What do you think is the most important element in running away?"


    "Speed?"


    "No. It''s quantity as well as deception." Noel raised two fingers. "If a thousand people scatter in all directions, even if the opponent is faster than a bird, some can still get away."


    "So we need to sacrifice several people?"


    "That''s where the deceptiones in. You first force your enemy to use a portion of his power by number. This way, you can reduce the strength that will attack you, increasing your chance of dying. If that person needs two attacks to kill a person instead of one, the number of casualties can be reduced by half. That''s why deception is the best method."


    Tristan fell into deep thought. "However, in this scenario, some people have to die. What if the first person to die is me? I don''t mind sacrificing my life for others, but if I stay alive much longer, doesn''t that mean I can prevent others from dying as well? But quantity and deception are still not enough to solve the power difference."


    It was a great question, yet Noel actually smiled as though he had expected this question.

 Chapter 1148: Reinforcement

    Tristan was confused by Noel''s smile, even more so after listening to the answer.


    "In that case, you only need one thing: Quality. Just cut the enemy down."


    The problem was that they didn''t have the strength to cut the enemy down, so why would he give that answer?


    After encountering this situation himself, Tristan could only think of one way to cut the enemy down.


    When the mysterious guy was about to crush them, both the guy and Andreas sensed a fluctuation of energy from a distance.


    "!!!" The mysterious guy thought that it was the maid trying tounch a sneak attack.


    On the other hand, Andreas'' sharp ears could hear the breathing of an old man.


    "You think you canunch an ambush on me? That maid won''t be able to do anything." The guy waved his hand down.


    But that was the time their reinforcement drew his de, creating a massive shock wave.


    "Wha¡ª" The mysterious guy widened his eyes as his spiritual energy was being swept away by this shock wave. In addition, he could feel the sharpness within the energy as if he were being sliced by thousands of knives. "What is this?"


    He ended up using his spiritual energy to form a barrier, blocking this attack. His own barrier cracked, barely stopping the shock wave.


    It was there that he noticed who the reinforcement was. It wasn''t the maid.


    "Sword Arbiter¡­" The guy sucked a cold breath. There were a lot of questions in his mind, but the most important question was why the Duke would go all the way here.


    "!!!" It only took him an instant to understand. The maid must be the culprit, but he didn''t know how the maid was able to reach the city. Sandra was clearly weak, and her speed was slower than that of the car. Hence, he thought Sandra was just a distraction.


    However, Tristan and Felicia smiled at this time. Felicia gradually got up while recalling what happened a few hours ago.


    ¡­


    "Although I''m not as smart as the teacher, I''ve remembered one of his tactics. Escaping from that guy is impossible, so we''ll cut him down here."


    "Cut him down? How? We can''t even escape from him, and you want us to kill him?" Felicia argued.


    Tristan smiled. "We just have to invite the person who can."


    "Duke Lorelei?!" Felicia widened her eyes in shock.


    Tristan turned to Sandra. "I need you to go to the nearest city from here. It should be only fifteen minutes in that direction, if I remember the map correctly. Tell them to send their fastest bird to Duke Lorelei''s main city and request Duke Lorelei''s help."


    Before she left, Tristan handed over the Ardagan family''s insignia as well as his student''s badge. "This should be enough to convince them."


    Sandra nodded. She hurriedly exited the car and went to the city.


    Tristan added, "The bird is not faster than that guy, but it''s surely faster than our car. This is a very dangerous role, Felicia."


    "I see. We''re going to be the bait." Felicia nodded.


    "Yes. But not just normal bait. We are also heading toward Duke Lorelei''s city. The closer we are to the city, the better. We probably need to survive for at least two hours. It''s going to be hard, but it might be possible if we coordinate with Andreas."


    "Understood." Felicia happily agreed with the arrangement. It seemed that there was another reason why Noel took him as his student.


    ¡­


    When she recalled the n, Felicia couldn''t help but smile. "We won."


    Duke Lorelei looked at the guy in the air, recognizing him. "Why would you attack my guests, Lean?"


    "!!!" The mysterious guy, whose name turned out to be Lean, gritted his teeth. He needed to escape as their n had failed. He had miscalcted two things. The first one was the rune card and its capability. He never thought that the rune cards were capable of buying more than two hours of time. The second one was the maid.


    Before he could escape, Andreas suddenly shouted, "He has lost the blessing of the spirits! His soul is being corrupted by a demon!"


    Duke Lorelei and Lean widened their eyes. The Duke raised his head, noticing the surprised expression as if confirming the usation.


    "For the man who is known for its thousands needle technique, do you have anything to say, eh, Silent Arbiter?" The sword arbiter squinted his eyes.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "He is lying. It''s just an empty usation without any proof. Are you nning to get entangled in this matter, Duke? You should know that it won''t just affect you but also your family."


    "No. I should be the one asking. Is the royal family nning to involve my Lorelei family?" Duke Lorelei''s expression turned dark. "Besides, if you haven''t lost your spirit, the easiest way to prove that he is lying is to show your spirit ability. If it''s proven that he is lying, I will let this matter go."


    Lean was clenching his fists. He had two options. First, he was going to run away, but he had exhausted a lot of his spiritual energy. He doubted that he could be faster than Duke Lorelei in this scenario.


    The second option was to deal with the Duke here. He should be able to create a gap with his overwhelming energy and crush the duke with his remaining energy.


    When that happened, he could kill all of them here since Tristan''s group could barely protect themselves in that condition.


    "In that case, it seems that you can only let me go¡­" Lean raised his palm as if he were nning to show his spirit ability. But when he opened his palm, tremendous energy flew toward the Duke and Tristan. Even if the Duke could block it, Tristan would definitely die.


    "Ha¡­" Duke Lorelei inhaled some air as his right foot took a step forward. After that, he waved his sword horizontally, releasing his own spiritual energy.


    It was supposed to be a sh of two energies, but Duke Lorelei''s energy actually shred Lean''s energy apart as if there was no resistance.


    In fact, a few grazes suddenly appeared on Lean''s face and arms as if he had been cut.


    "What?" Lean widened his eyes in shock.


    "Youngsters these days surely love to take shortcuts. I don''t know how you are able to get all that energy, but in the end, it''s too weak. Even if you are already above spirit grandmasters, you don''t understand a single thing about the transcendent path."


    ''What is this overwhelming power?'' Lean never thought the gap between him and Duke Lorelei didn''t shrink even after fusing with a demon. ''I need to run.''


    Lean turned back and flew at his fastest speed.


    However, Duke Lorelei simply sheathed his sword.


    Andreas couldn''t help but think that Duke Lorelei was trying to let him go, but he was wrong. Duke Lorelei gathered all his momentum for a single draw.


    "!!!" Andreas barely followed the movement of the sword draw.


    "Instant sh."


    "Gaaahhhhh!" Lean''s scream suddenly resounded across the field. Before anyone realized it, there was a wound on Lean''s back, as the blood was spurting like a fountain. With such a big wound, Lean ended up falling from the sky.


    Duke Lorelei looked angry. "The reason why people call me invincible among spirit grandmasters is not because I couldn''t reach spirit transcendence. I simply couldn''t find any ancient demons. You are ten years too early to challenge me."

 Chapter 1149: Evan Lorelei

    80 years ago.


    "Oh! You''ve finally awakened, Evan." The young Duke Lorelei heard his instructor''s voice. "Yes, Teacher. Thank you very much for helping me. I''ll not disappoint you."


    "Hahaha. Just awakening your spirit alone is already good. How about your absorption rate? Let me check." An elderly man extended his hand.


    "Yes."


    Instead of giving an immediate answer, the elderly man frowned as if he had found something wrong.


    Evan looked at his teacher with an expectant look, yet the only answer he got was that of disappointment. "Your absorption rate is only 62%."


    "62%?" Evan''s face turned pale. "How can this be? I only have a 62% absorption rate?"


    His teacher could only shake his head; his disappointment could be clearly seen in his face.


    As someone who was born into a noble family, having a spirit was good, but having a low absorption rate was the same as having no spirit.


    After all, their path was limited, let alone for a third son like him.


    His hellish days in the mansion had just begun.


    During the night, he overheard his father talking with his first wife. "That useless child. His absorption rate is too low to be even considered my son."


    During the day, he listened to the servants gossiping about him. "62% is too low, isn''t it? Even the second son has an 83% absorption rate, let alone the eldest young master, who has an 88% absorption rate. The third young master is skilled with the sword, but in the end, his talent iscking."


    On the training field, he was bullied by his two elder brothers. He was beaten up ck and blue while listening to their mockeries. "Why would our father even take that lowly maid as his wife?"


    "You are a disgrace to this family."


    Out of frustration, Evan just trained separately, away from everyone. Even then, the bullying and gossip didn''t end.


    "Why am I only having a 62% absorption rate, Mother?" Evan cried in his mother''s embrace.


    However, his mother was also receiving bullying from other wives. Her body was thin and herplexion wasn''t good.


    "I''m sorry for making you suffer, Evan." His mother could only stroke his hair while holding back her own tears. "Your mother is just amoner. I''m a coward. That''s probably why I can say this¡­ If it''s too hard for you, you should run away from the mansion."


    "Running away?" Evan raised his head.


    "Yes. I know that running away is shameful. Sometimes, the only option you have is to run away. As long as you are alive, you can always get stronger. Just like me, I became a maid for ten years, serving from one ce to another. It was only when I encountered your father that I became his wife¡­ So, your opportunity might not be in this mansion."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Evan felt like he grasped something, but it soon disappeared as he couldn''t help but ask, "But what about you, Mother? Are we going to run together?"


    "No. Your mother will stay in this mansion so that your father and other wives can forget about you."


    "But¡­" Evan clenched his fists.


    She shook her head. "Your mother selfishly brought you to this world. The only thing I can do is provide you with an opportunity to forge your own path. Don''t worry. When you are tired, you cane back home. I''ll always be waiting for you."


    "Mother¡­"


    "This is not much, but this is all my wages when I worked as a maid. I thought that I could buy you something nice when you married someone, but I hope that this can help you just a little." She smiled while giving him a pouch she always hid under her bed.


    "Mother¡­" Evan couldn''t contain his tears anymore and just hugged her tightly.


    In the end, Evan left the mansion by himself. He walked from one city to another, defeated numerous demons, and learned from several teachers during his adventure. Whether during the hottest day in the summer or during the coldest day in the winter, he continued moving forward, not skipping a single day to train.


    His two brothers might be more talented than him, but Evan trained multiple times harder than them.


    His name started getting known by people, which ended up going back to the Marquis household.


    He eventually learned that his mother passed away due to the intense harassment, which came from the jealousy of other wives. He returned to the family and took his revenge, ultimately bing a marquis.


    Evan never took a shortcut. He took one step at a time and continuously grew stronger. It was hard and tiring, but in the end, he managed to be the strongest arbiter with his hard work.


    The king rewarded him with the title of duke, as he ended up marrying a royal.


    ¡­


    Duke Lorelei walked toward Lean, who was crawling on the ground to get away.


    "Duke Lorelei. This is just a misunderstanding! You shouldn''t kill me! I''m still young, right? I can reach transcendent rank in the future."


    Duke Lorelei''s expression turned sad after seeing such pathetic behavior. "I might favor the younger generations, hoping that their talents will create a better future. That''s probably why I expect a lot from Noel Ardagan. I can see the talented version of myself in him. I want to see what kind of future I ''could'' shape if only I were a bit more talented.


    "You, too, have a higher absorption rate than mine. If you work a bit harder for another decade, you can probably reach spirit transcendence." Duke Lorelei closed his eyes. "I can''t understand why you choose to take a shortcut, listening to the demon''s temptation. Demons are ourmon enemy. Yes, you''re talented, but you are now my enemy.


    There''s only one thing I''ll do to a talented younger generation from the enemy side."


    "Duk¡ª" Lean raised his hand, trying to stop him.


    Unfortunately for him, Duke Lorelei had drawn his de. Lean''s body was ripped apart into pieces as if he were being cut by hundreds of des.


    And from his body, Duke Lorelei could see a demon crystal, which ultimately proved that he had fused with a demon.


    Duke Lorelei had a pained expression as he turned to Tristan and the others. "I''m sorry that you almost died in my territory. I''ll properlypensate you."


    Tristan politely lowered his head. "Noel Ardagan''s student, Tristan, greets the Duke. I thank you for saving us. This gratitude will always be remembered in my heart."

 Chapter 1150: A Lesson

    Duke Lorelei invited Tristan''s group to his mansion. Sadly, Sandra was still on her way here since she had no choice but to go to another city to call for help.


    Tristan and Felicia were a bit tense, knowing what kind of person the duke was.


    Meanwhile, Andreas remained calm and even observed him. He couldn''t help but remember how fast and powerful the sh he released was. He could barely follow his movements.


    ''I''ve seen him a few times during his stay, but the image I have of him is just a warm old man who is curious about a lot of things. To think that he would be so terrifying¡­'' Andreas clenched his fists. Even if Duke Lorelei fought his grandfather, he might not easily be defeated.


    "It seems that your teacher wants me to get involved in all this." Duke Lorelei smiled.


    "¡­" Tristan gulped down. He hurriedly replied, "No. Everything was my n. The teacher didn''t n anything. If the Duke wan¡ª"


    Before he finished, Duke Loreleiughed out loud. "Don''t worry, young man. I was just joking. You shouldn''t be that tense in a negotiation, or the other party will take advantage of you."


    Tristan looked down, feeling embarrassed. As they expected, the Duke was casual enough to give him a good lesson. Tristan took a deep breath before saying, "I apologize for involving you. We had expected that we would be attacked on the way, but the level of the opponent seemed to be stronger than expected. I''ll definitelypensate the Duke for all this."


    "Indeed. To think that a human would fuse with a demon. From where he actually acquired the demon in its original form." Duke Lorelei let out a long sigh. "It seems that I can''t really retire in peace."


    "¡­" Tristan noticed the depressing atmosphere and tried to change the topic. "I''vee here to fulfill the agreement. ording to the agreement, I''ll be drawing runes for two water storage systems as well as their backup. As for the container trucks that you have ordered, it''ll take a bit more time because we have toplete the regtion first."


    "So, what about thepensation? How are you going topensate me?" Duke Lorelei suddenly smirked.


    "That''s¡­" Tristan opened his mouth, but he had no idea what he should give forpensation. While he was Noel''s student, it wasn''t like he had anything.


    "See?" Duke Lorelei raised five fingers. "You made five mistakes during this entire conversation and still make them now. First of all, you should have made an excuse to dy the negotiation. I''m aware that you are not the one who handles the negotiation. I can see that you have learned a lot, but it''s not enough.


    "Instead of going with me directly, you should say that you''re exhausted or something. Even I have to consider your well-being and agree to meet you after you recover. During that time, you can talk with your representatives and think about the solution."


    "That''s¡­" Tristan scratched the back of his head. He didn''t think of that. After all, they were supposed to be meeting Roel''s children before the Duke. The unexpected situation had forced them to go with him. But as the Duke said, if he said he was tired, the Duke would surely give him time.


    "The second mistake is that you are showing everything on your face. I can see that you''ve been training to keep up with your poker face, but that''s not enough.


    "This mistake is linked to your third mistake, which is not creating a pace you''refortable with. It''s true that we can drop pleasantries and focus on the important matter.


    "But if you somehow slow down your speech or even sip the tea and talk about the taste or other things, you can give yourself precious time to think about the conversation. You won''t suddenly stop when you try to offer a conversation."


    Tristan had no words to rebuke. It was truly as he said. At the same time, he didn''t feel dejected because Duke Lorelei still offered a solution within his harsh words.


    "Fourth, don''t let the other party take the initiative in the discussion. Don''t forget that even if youe here to fulfill the agreement, I''m still the one who needs the technology. In other words, you are still the one who has the upper hand.


    "Andst but not least, you should at least learn my characters and personalities, as well as investigate the people I''ve met and what kind of discussion I have. Using that information in the negotiation will give you the initiative."


    Tristan closed his eyes for a moment. He nodded his head with a serious expression. "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Duke."


    Duke Lorelei smiled. "I hope that you can take this into your heart and learn from this experience. The other party might not be as good as me, who will offer you some advice and not take advantage of you. Well, just be good to my family once you be a big figure in the future. I''ll treat it aspensation."


    Tristan felt a bit touched. "Y¡ª!"


    "Sixth!" Duke Lorelei raised his voice as if knowing what his reply was going to be. "Don''t make any promises that will bind you for a long time. If you end up failing to do it in the future, you won''t be able to maintain your integrity, just like your teacher."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Tristan shut his mouth in panic. His heart was beating rapidly.


    "This is why your teacher sends you to me first. This is something you have to learn from experience." Duke Lorelei sighed. "You can leave for now and meet me tomorrow. If I don''t see any improvement, then don''t mind if I take advantage of that weakness."


    "Y-Yes!" Tristan nodded furiously. He was definitely crushed by the Duke in this discussion. He had learned etiquette from Charlotte, but she never taught him how to behave in the conversation.


    Even Noel made some dumb mistakes during the negotiations in the past. As the Duke said, he had to learn it from experience.


    Andreas and Felicia didn''t say a single thing during their discussion. They only watched how Tristan became dejected. That was the condition Noel gave after all. Even if Tristan made some mistakes, knowing the Duke''s personality, Noel could still pay the price. He just took it as a lesson fee.


    Still, Tristan had rather low self-esteem. It was indeed a problem, but this problem actually created an advantage for Tristan. He got over it immediately and tried to improve.

 Chapter 1151: Completed

    "This should be enough." Tristan took a step back while looking at the long rod that he had just embedded with runes.


    Because of the attack, the rod itself was carried by Roel''s children. And Tristan''s job was to draw the runes while ensuring that nothing went wrong with the runes.


    Now that he had finished, Tristan emerged from the room, finding Felicia and Duke Lorelei waiting outside. No, if he took another look, there were also Rick and Rica a bit further away with several workers.


    "Thankfully, I''vepleted it. We can test it right now, Duke." Tristan smiled.


    "Is that so?" Duke Lorelei nodded.


    The twins immediately signaled the workers to get going.


    "We''ll test it immediately." Rick suddenly approached them while extending his hand. "If you''d like to see it personally, please follow us, Duke."


    "Sure." Duke Lorelei nodded.


    They were walking toward the mansion, specifically the water storage that was located right behind the mansion.


    It appeared that Duke Lorelei had actually prepared a lot of things. Even the well had been covered with a small building. There was a pipeing out of the roof and stretching toward the facility so that the road wasn''t blocked.


    The rod itself was in pieces previously. Hence, when they entered the small building, they started assembling it one after another, gradually lowering it to match the depth of the well.


    It took a while, but ultimately, they finished. Thest step would be fueling the pump with demon crystals.


    Duke Lorelei was holding two low quality demon crystals.


    "Please." Tristan pointed at the small holes.


    Duke Lorelei nodded. He inserted the demon crystals into the hole, which activated the runes. A few months had passed since the technology had been created. The design had actually been improved.


    The current design allowed them to actually put the demon crystals on the surface instead of lowering it down with another rod. Instead, they were using a tube that could iste the demon crystals inside. This way, the demon crystal would be filling up that tube, even if it meant flowing down to the bottom.


    Of course, there were two ways of knowing whether it was activated or not. The first one was to touch the pipe and feel the flow inside. The second was an option that the Duke chose. It was to add a Light Rune to the top part. If there was no more spiritual energy inside the tube, the Light Rune wouldn''t produce any light. This way, it would be easier for maintenance.


    Now that the Light Rune had been activated, the water from the well began to flow up. The Duke could feel the flow of the water, but just to be sure, he exited the building and jumped to the top of the water storage.


    He opened the giant lid casually and saw water gushing out of the hole, gradually filling the storage.


    "This is¡­" The Duke raised his eyebrows.


    There were a lot of citizens looking at the Duke. They gathered here because they knew the Duke was holding a test today.


    Tristan and Felicia reached the top of the storage with their Floating Rune.


    Once Tristan confirmed that everything worked perfectly, he said with a smile, "We''ll just have to wait for half a day to fill up the storage. Now, everyone can simply open the valve and get all the water they need. Congrattions, Duke."


    "Hahahaha." The Dukeughed, startling everyone. There was one unfortunate thing in this city.


    Because the city was built a hundred years ago, it was hard to actually renovate the citypletely, such as by building water pipes and all the other details that could make the water storage 100% effective.


    However, this achievement alone should be enough to make living in this ce much easier.


    The Duke couldn''t help but ask, "I wonder if there is something that can carry a huge amount of water."


    "A huge amount of water?" Tristan tilted his head in confusion.


    "Indeed. Tell your master that if he has a technology or at least a type of carriage that can carry a huge amount of water and distribute it to the city, I''ll be the first customer."


    "!!!" Tristan widened his eyes in shock. Although the purpose was different, the Duke actually came up with the same idea as his teacher.


    Noel wanted a truck that could bring a lot of water. While his city already had a perfect water system, other cities might not have. If they could simply bring a lot of water from one ce to another, it could be treated as a relief.


    Yes, for a vige or city that had just faced a disaster such as famine or drought, getting a huge supply of water would be extremely beneficial. In fact, it could also be used as water storage for an expedition so that they didn''t have to search for rivers during an expedition anymore.


    Andst but not least, Noel had even used another rune to generate enough pressure to shoot this water. Normally, people had to work together and bring a lot of buckets to suppress a house fire, but with this truck, it would be much easier.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    On the other hand, the Duke actually understood the limitations of his city. In the end, his citizens still needed toe to the water storage to gather water.


    That was why he was thinking about the water truck that could bring all this water to every corner of his city.


    Unfortunately, this was still a secret. He could only say, "I understand. I''ll forward your request to my teacher."


    "No need. Your expression still showed it. It seems that your teacher hase up with the same idea or has even begun producing it. But not yet publicizing it, huh? Is he nning to wait until you are done with this trip? A lot of nobles should be able to see through this type of problem, so he''ll start offering that solution.


    I almost forgot that his father was an excellent businessman¡­ How rich is he nning to be?" Duke Lorelei shook his head in defeat.


    Tristan smiled wryly.


    Little did he know, it was just the surface of Noel''s n. Meanwhile, the aforementioned person had just concluded a deal with thepany that handled the protective screen and had made a huge order.


    And there was one more n that was working in the shadows. It was none other than the second prince of the Atracaeca Kingdom.

 Chapter 1152: A Deal

    Greenwood Kingdom.


    In a certainboratory located in the south of the kingdom, a man wearing a white coat was tampering with a piece of machinery. He heard a static sounding from the weird box, which originated from an ancient ruin.


    "Is this it? Hmm¡­ I feel like I''ve done everything right. Maybe I''m missing something¡­" He crossed his arms while observing the box. "I probably need the Tuning Tool to fix this."


    Knock!


    "Mhmm?" The guy turned around while lifting up his goggles and fixing his hair. "What''s wrong?"


    "Sir, someone would like to meet you." A female''s voice echoed from behind the door.


    "I''ve told you to reject anyone unimportant¡­" The guy''s voice became lower and lower before he corrected his reply. "Who would have the time to visit me?"


    "Second Prince of the Atracaeca Kingdom, Prince Ramuer."


    "¡­" He raised his eyebrows as if he were not expecting to have such a visitor. "I''ll meet him."


    Ramuer was waiting in a rather small room. It wasn''t big, but it felt warm andfortable. However, it seemed that they didn''t spend more than necessary.


    "Well, well. For what pleasure do I owe this visit, Prince Ramuer, especially after your conflict with the Ardagan family?"


    Ramuer looked at this 16-year-old guy. "I''m honored that Prince Drein knows me."


    "The only reason for me to appear here is to see what kind of man you are. Right now, the royal family''s rtionship with the Ardagan family is something that shouldn''t be harmed in any way. Even I, who don''t aim for the throne, know that they''re not to be offended right now." Drein''s expression turned serious.


    Ramuer smiled. "If Prince Drein doesn''t mind giving me a bit of your time, I''d like you to hear what I have to say first."


    "I don''t need to hear your reasons. But well, it''ll be rude to just send you off after agreeing to meet you. I''ll give you a minute."


    Drein had been acting rude this whole time. For a prince, Ramuer would feel rather insulted, especially since his status as the second prince and his age were higher than Drein''s.


    However, Drein did this to see his reaction, hoping to use his rash action to kick him out of here.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Even his sister, who was studying under Noel, was bringing a lot of things home. Some of them even helped him, so he didn''t n to harm Noel on a personal level.


    "I wonder if Prince Drein is currently in need of money?"


    "Hmm?" Drein furrowed his eyebrows. As a researcher, he needed a lot of money, of course. But if this was a funding from the second prince, the Ardagan family would frown upon him. "I don''t think I¡ª"


    "Don''t be in a hurry to reject, Prince Drein. I''m simply trying to buy one of your research."


    "Mhmmm?" Drein''s expression darkened.


    "It has also been approved by my father, the Grand Protector."


    "Your Father?" Drein fell into deep thought. On the one hand, the Grand Protector should know that moving the second prince was simr to offending Noel. On the other hand, the Grand Protector shouldn''t be that foolish to make such a move unless he knew that it was safe. Hence, Drein asked, "I have two questions. Why are you the oneing here?


    If it''s an important matter, your father will definitely send another prince¡­"


    Ramuer smiled. "Certainly. However, if they send another prince, it''ll definitely be seen by a lot of people."


    "Now that I think about it, after offending the Ardagan family, your name has disappeared. Everyone thinks you''re finished."


    "That''s certainly not wrong. And that''s why I''m able to see you without anyone knowing it."


    "I see. For you to sneak into this country means that you don''t want this transaction to be disclosed. In other words, even the Ardagan family won''t know about it as well." Drein frowned. "Still, if I don''t have any dirt to hide, I don''t have to be nervous all the time. I think it''s better to send you off and inform the Ardagan family about it."


    Ramuer shook his head. He couldn''t really reveal Noel''s involvement. Hence, he said, "Think about it, Prince Drein. My father should know about your current condition and rtionship."


    "Are you saying that your father has reached an agreement with the Ardagan family?"


    "I''m not sure about it. All I have is an agreement with my father, which is to strike a deal with you."


    "Well, the Ardagan family has a project with both the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom. There''s also a chance that the Atracaeca Kingdom has a secret project as well¡­" Drein frowned. He contemted for a moment before asking the second question. "In that case, what kind of research do you wish to acquire?"


    "I''ve heard that you have a machine that can measure the amount of spiritual energy urately¡­"


    "!!!" Drein widened his eyes in shock. He never thought that the Atracaeca Kingdom would purchase this item. After all, this research waspletely useless, considering that no one really needed this equipment. The spirit magician simply manipted their abilities. Even without an urate measurement, they could roughly feel the amount they produced.


    There was no need for such a precise measurement.


    Drein pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do you want that research?"


    "Don''t ask me. I don''t know." Ramuer shrugged. "All I want is to procure the equipment as well as the blueprints."


    "Mhmm¡­" Drein extended his hand. "How much do you want to pay for it?"


    Ramuer didn''t answer immediately as though he considered the amount of money he could offer. "100,000 gold coins. 25,000 gold coins for the equipment and 75,000 gold coins for the blueprints."


    It was a good price. No, it was beyond his expectations. He thought he would be lucky that someone would take it with just half of that number.


    If the Atracaeca Kingdom really considered that research special, he might be able to get something more from this. Drein couldn''t help but say, "It''s too little. You need to double that number for me to be willing to part with that research."


    Ramuer smiled wryly, realizing how Noel felt when he extorted him in the past. He said, "I''m willing to buy it for 80,000 gold coins for the blue prints and 30,000 gold coins for the equipment. In addition, we hope that you are able to manufacture more of this equipment."


    "!!!" Drein never thought he wanted multiples of that machine. If he manufactured a few more, it might even surpass 200,000 gold coins. "This¡­"


    Ramuer realized that Drein was nning to increase the number again. That was why he raised his hand to stop him. "Prince Drein. If you don''t mind hearing my advice, it''s better for you to agree to this deal and don''t be too greedy.


    "The price I offer has already surpassed the value of that research. You know it, I know it. Don''t fall for the same thing as the one ruining my life. All that money is just to show my sincerity, not my desperation."


    Drein''s body shook after hearing that advice. "How many machines do you need?"


    "I don''t know how many, but for starters, 10 machines?"


    Drein let out a long sigh. Because of that advice, his mind became clear again. If he manufactured ten machines, he would get a total of 380,000 gold coins.


    If he became a bit too greedy, as Ramuer said, his brothers and sisters might notice it and try to kill him to get all that money for funding their campaign.


    He said, "You need to pay half of the money in advance. That''s my condition." By splitting it into two payments, his brothers and sisters wouldn''t think much since the money would have been spent before the second payment came.


    "We''ve got a deal." Ramuer smiled. "In that case, I''ll take my leave to bring you all the money."

 Chapter 1153: Back

    "We''re finally back." Anna stretched her body. "To think that driving for too long will make you stiff¡­"


    Noel walked out of the carriage while saying, "This is not our car, so of course, it''s not the best."


    "Fair enough. I can''t expect too much from a carriage that we bought out of nowhere." Anna chuckled.


    Noel looked at the mansion with a serious face.


    Noticing his worries, Anna said, "Don''t worry. I''m sure that Tristan is fine. Let''s ask Dimitri about it. No, if I''m not wrong, Andreas is to go back after this, right?"


    "Yeah. The escort is only necessary until they meet Duke Lorelei. I''m sure that Duke Lorelei will provide an escort or evene with them personally. Even without him, he will probably ask two grandmasters to help." Noel nodded.


    "See? That''s why it''s going to be fine."


    "¡­" Noel smiled wryly. "Now that I think about it, where is Dimitri? He usually senses us from afar and greets us¡­"


    "Ah." Anna almost forgot that Dimitri would always be ready in front of the gate unless he was doing something. "He''s not in the mansion?"


    "If you''re looking for Dimitri, he is on the north. There seems to be some trouble in the demon''s territory."


    "Charlotte?" Noel raised his eyebrows while turning to the side, finding Charlotteing from the garden.


    "Wee back, my lord and mydy." Charlotte politely lowered her head.


    "We''re back." Anna waved her hand with a smile. On the other hand, Noel crossed his arms. "Is there a problem in the north?"


    There was only one problem in the demon territory, which was the transport of the ancient demon. It was a precious material, so it was a bit concerning.


    "I don''t know." Charlotte shook her head helplessly. Her job was to manage the internal matters, not the external ones anyway.


    "It''s fine. Knowing Dimitri, he will probably be back soon." Noel nodded. "By the way, have you heard anything from Tristan?"


    "He has sent a letter. It should be in your office. Andreas was the one who brought it here." Charlotte exined.


    "I see." Noel nodded. The fact that he could send a letter meant that he was fine.


    "I believe that Rose will be able to answer any of your questions. I''ll need to head to the temple because they want an arrangement for priests and knights. After all, we''re only one month away from opening the city. There are a lot of people asking Balott about the city''s housing. A lot of them love to have a taste of this city''s technology." Charlotte smiled.


    "Ah! Yes." Noel nodded. As Charlotte said, spring was about to arrive. They started building this city right after spring arrived, so now that the one year was almost up, he had to prepare for the grand opening.


    "If you don''t mind, please visit Andreas on your way back. Tell him that we''ll leave two dayster, as I have to take care of all the arrangements for the grand opening first."


    "Understood." Charlotte nodded.


    Once Charlotte left, Anna couldn''t help but say, "Two dayster, huh? Will we have enough time?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I think? The journey shouldn''t take more than a month. So once we''re back, we''ll be busy with the grand opening." Noel shrugged while opening the door.


    "Indeed. It''ll be quite hard. Then again, they won''t try to sabotage us all of a sudden, right?"


    "Not at the moment. With the grand opening as well as people''s realization of the rune technology, if they try to sabotage the city, those people will be angry. It''s not just a matter of our allied force but also of the merchants or any important individuals. Even the royal family shouldn''t be dumb enough to offend those people just to provoke us."


    "Fair enough." Anna contemted for a moment. "In that case, we can get an insane amount of money from the grand opening."


    "Yes. Balott and his team will be extremely busy. The residential district will be filled with people."


    "But it''ll be troublesome if a wealthy merchant tries to buy everything¡­" Anna frowned.


    "Of course. That''s why I''m nning to discuss it with Balott right now, especially about the restriction and serious background check. I don''t want them to monopolize the housing market in the city. Besides, we''re also developing a lot of cities at once, so there''s not a single merchant in this kingdom who can actually monopolize it."


    "In that case, I''ll call Balott for you."


    "Also, send a letter to Tristan to get ready for an influx of Rune Technology sales as well. You probably need to get prepared as well."


    "Me?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "You''re going to be the head of the Ardagan family''s charity foundation."


    "Charity foundation? I know that the Ardagan family has been doing charity, but is now the right time? I think it''s fine if we wait for another two or three years. Once the cities are built, the financial situation will be more stable."


    Noel waved his hand. "It''s better to do it as soon as possible. There are three benefits. First, the people will trust us more, stopping the royal family from doing anything reckless."


    "Potential for rebellion, I presume?"


    Noel winked his eye. "And the second benefit is that people will have Rune Technologies soon. But if we can create a good brand, people will trust us more."


    "I see. That alone is enough to speed up the creation of the foundation." She nodded.


    "Lastly, even if we only give people clothes, it means that they will use the remaining money they have to pay for something else, such as food¡­ with a bigger amount since the clothing''s budget will go toward that. It means that more money will be thrown into cirction, which will boost the economy no matter how small it is. Besides, it''s better to spend money than just collect it." Noel shrugged.


    "Fair enough. But if we''re going to provide charity or build some housing, why don''t we use the bricks produced by the Lesen family? They''re the number one producer in the north before fighting us." Anna suggested.


    "Once she contributes a lot, that''ll definitely be an option. No, it''s more like she must have thought about it if she is indeed capable. She is racing against time to produce a policy for the development of thisnd. After all, business cooperation will help the Lesen family in the long run more than straight cash." Noel smirked. "That was the reason why I pumped up her rewardst time."


    "Bringing out her greed? You''re a bad guy, you know that." Anna smirked.


    "And you should stop smiling."


    "Hahaha. Alright, alright. I''ll be heading out now."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded while walking toward his office. There were indeed a lot of problems he had to handle, especially since he also needed to recruit someone well-versed in thews. He wondered who he should send to recruit this person.

 Chapter 1154: Finishing Arrangements

    "I see. I will take care of the market in the city to avoid further conflicts. In addition, we can also use the three great merchants to make it easier. Instead of this city, I believe that most merchants are aiming for the next city."


    "Fair enough." Noel nodded. "For the time being, I want you to keep an eye on all that matters. And just make sure that you maintain the strict background check when they want to stay here."


    "Understood." Balott nodded. "There''s one thing that I''d like to know, sir. About the upper-ss residential district, what are you nning to do with it?"


    "Are you asking about which nobles will be allowed to stay?"


    "Yes."


    "Firste, first served. Everyone can buy it as long as they follow the regtions. However, the regtions will be much stricter. I don''t mind if it''s bought by an enemy''s faction, but just ensure that not all the top mansions are bought by them."


    "About that¡­ I believe that the other kingdoms will be interested in it, especially the Greenwood Kingdom. They definitely love to buy it for Princess Livia, don''t they?"


    "Yeah. If they use it as her house, it''ll be much easier for them toe here. But just make sure that you leave one mansion free."


    "Is there someone you''d like to give it to?"


    Noel pointed at Balott. "That''s exactly what I want."


    "So you''re nning to use the mansion to make people think that there is someone important enough for you to reserve a mansion for them. This way, there will be some rumors about their wildest imagination to guess that person. But actually, it remains empty because you just want it to be empty."


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. If they realized it, he could simply say that the mansion was to honor his parents. The people didn''t know that his parents hadn''t died after all.


    Noel contemted for a moment. "By the way, do you have a connection to someone who is good at managing internal security? I want to separate the soldiers from the new division that is tasked with managing the security of the city."


    "A new division?" Balott understood why Noel asked him this question. In the end, a new division meant a new budget, so it was only right for Noel to ask his opinion first. Unfortunately, Balott could only shake his head. "Unfortunately, I don''t have any connection to such a person. For such an important role, he not only has to be capable but also powerful.


    If possible, the former captain of the Ardagan family''s army is very suitable.


    "Unlike Howard, who is good at training soldiers, the former captain is good at managing tasks. The reason there was no riot when your father just took over the family was because of his skillfully operating the soldiers."


    "The former captain, huh?" Noel knew that the Ardagan family was in a bad state during his grandfather''s era. It changed when his father took over, but he never really thought about it deeply. It seemed that he needed to find the former captain. ''I guess visiting them should be fine. I should have time during the trip.''


    "Yes. Currently, we have an abundant fund, so we can always create a new division. However, once we reach certain progress, we need to think of a way to make profits."


    "I know that. But this fast expansion should be able tost for another five years, right?" Noel asked for confirmation. The only reason he was this aggressive was due to the iing demon king. If he didn''t develop his territory fast enough, the demon king would definitely devour it.


    "It''s possible. Besides, Old Jade has confirmed the mine to have a big silver vein. Probably the second or third biggest vein among the four kingdoms. Instead of exporting it, we should find craftsmen to process it."


    "Well, we can also make the silver for beautiful things orbine it with the rune technologies. Nobles love to have shiny things, right?"


    "Certainly." Balott raised a finger. "As for thest matter, I''d like to talk about the food issue."


    "Jasmine?"N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Yes. She is asking for an exorbitant amount of money right now."


    "How much?"


    Balott raised five fingers.


    "Fifty thousand? I don''t think that''s a problem." Noel tilted his head in confusion. However, when he noticed Balott''s worried expression, it seemed he was wrong. "Five hundred thousand?"


    He finally understood why Balott told him it was an exorbitant amount. However, Balott had yet to give him a reply, which meant what she wanted was actually much higher.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ Five million?"


    Balott smiled wryly. "Yes. She is asking for five million gold coins."


    "Are you serious?"


    "Yes. She told me it was just for the first phase."


    "What?" Noel frowned. "Why would she ask for that kind of money? Even if we sell all the avable housing in our city, we could probably only make a few million, right?"


    "About 2¨C3 million to be exact, but yes." Balott sighed. "The problem started after she sneaked into the expedition team."


    "Expedition team? Dimitri or Howard?"


    "Dimitri. She followed him to check on the condition of thend. ording to her, there is fertilend spanning about 20% of our total territory. All of them are still considered demon territory, but if we expand there, we might be able to be one of the top wheat producers. And not far from there, there is a mountain that is suitable for the best quality tea production."


    "¡­" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "What''s the location?"


    Balott took out the map and pointed it at the northwest. It wasn''t that far from the previous territory of the ancestralnd.


    When Noel saw this, he hurriedly wrote a letter and handed it to Balott. "Once Incettaes, give her this letter. If she says yes, give any money that Jasmine wants. Other than that will have to wait for me."


    "Understood."


    Balott didn''t know that the letter was actually addressed to Vivi. She should know about the ancestralnd and their specialty, so he needed to ask them.


    "Is that all?" Noel asked.


    "Well, if I can be a bit bold, I''d like to ask a question."


    "Ask away."


    "Have you prepared the name for this city? We''re about to open it, so it''ll be better to have a name beforehand." Balott asked.


    "Yes." Noel nodded. "Well, considering you are going to y a major role after the grand opening, I guess it''s fine to let you know in advance. While you''re at it, tell Roel to make the que for the name."


    "Thank you very much." Balott politely nodded.


    Noel wrote it down and handed the piece of paper to Balott. "What do you think?"


    Balott looked at the name carefully before smiling. "I think it''s fantastic. Simple, but it suits us the most."


    Noel smiled.


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    After the hellish two days where he couldn''t get a wink of sleep due to the insane amount of work he had to settle for the next one month, Noel finally escaped from his office.


    Anna and Andreas had been waiting outside the mansion with Dimitri.


    "Sorry, Dimitri. It seems that I have to use this sword for a bit longer." Noel smiled wryly. Although he managed to acquire the sword he wanted from the auction, he ended up giving it to Incetta. If not for Vivi, he would have used that weapon.


    "No problem." Dimitri politely nodded. "Please take care of yourself, Master. Even if you have be strong, we don''t know a lot about the demon territory and the beast kingdom."


    "I know. Please take care of the city while I''m away."


    "Understood."


    "Then I''m off." Noel waved his hand.

 Chapter 1155: Security

    "Madam."


    Leysha raised her head. "Silvester? What''s wrong? Is there a problem with our progress?"


    "The young master would like to see you and Raven."


    "Mhmm? Me aside, Raven? Why would he want to see Raven?" Leysha frowned.


    All of a sudden, Luke''s voice echoed from the side. "That''s probably because he wants to expand the territory. If I''m not wrong, he was granted demon territory when they promoted him to the rank of Marquis."N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Expansion?" Leysha tilted her head in confusion. "I still don''t understand why he would need Raven for expansion. Isn''t Howard the best one to do it? I mean, he will train a lot of soldiers."


    "No. Once your territory is big enough, you need three divisions. The first is the normal army to stop other nobles or other external threats. The second one is the information division, which takes care of all the espionage work. Thest one is the internal division that will take care of the security and stability of the territory."


    "Mhmm? Did we have something like that in the past?"


    "No. Our territory wasn''t big enough to require the third division. The army was enough to do all the work, and Raven was the one behind all the arrangements."


    "So he wanted to see Raven for his advice?"


    "Probably."


    "I see. I''ll go with Raven then."


    ¡­


    It didn''t take too long for them to actually meet. Considering Noel and Anna''s current strength, it wasn''t that hard for them to find them as long as they knew their general location.


    When Leysha arrived, she noticed that there was another person aside from Noel and Anna. She thought it would be a family meeting, but that didn''t seem to be the case.


    There was an awkward atmosphere because they hadn''t met for a while. She hurriedly started a conversation, following up on thest thing they talked about. "Congrattions for your marriage."


    Noel nodded with a calm expression. "I miss you, Mom."


    Leysha''s expression melted. She walked to Noel for a hug. "I miss you too¡­"


    She also hugged Anna, while Noel warned while ncing at Anna''s stomach, "Be careful. Don''t hug her too tight. It''ll be bad for her¡­"


    "Huh?" Both Anna and Leysha widened their eyes in shock.


    "Congrattions?" Silvester and Raven blinked their eyes a few times.


    "What? You are pregnant? I have a grandson?" Leysha dropped her jaw.


    "Unfortunately, I have to lie¡­" Noel sighed while looking at his mother with a sad expression, indirectly implying that he would have to lie about his grandparents'' deaths.


    "That''s¡­" Leysha panicked while looking left and right. "W-What? What do I do now?"


    Leysha didn''t know what to do. On the one hand, she had to take care of her grandson. On the other hand, she couldn''t leave this ce.


    "Don''t panic, Madam." Silvester facepalmed. Now that he had regained hisposure, he noticed Anna''s confused face and realized that it wasn''t true. "Young Master. I don''t think it''s good to lie to your parents."


    "Ah?" Leysha snapped.


    "I can''t lie, but they can fake their deaths. Alright." Noel rolled his eyes. "Besides, it''s not like I''m lying. I didn''t mention any pregnancy."


    "¡­" Silvester couldn''t refute any of those ims. In addition, he noticed that the awkward atmosphere had disappeared, which was probably his aim.


    "You dare to tease your mother? Why do I feel like your mouth has be foul? Have you been corrupted by those idiots in the pce who can only think about their pride, greed, and power?"


    "You shouldn''t do that, Noel." Anna shook her head helplessly.


    Noel only shrugged while looking away.


    Anna smiled gently while saying, "Mother. I''m not pregnant yet. I''m sorry that it''s because of me that we have to wait."


    "No, no. Don''t apologize¡­" Leysha waved her hand.


    Now that Anna had taken care of Leysha, Noel sneakily walked to Raven.


    "There is something I''d like to ask."


    Raven nodded. "I''m already aware of the situation, Young Master. Are you nning to create a system to take care of security?"


    "If you already know about it, then our conversation will be simple. Do you have any suggestions?"


    Raven thought that Noel nned to recruit him. He thought about rejecting it. However, Noel seemed to have known that would be the oue and didn''t bother to ask. Instead, he wanted to know about an alternative.


    "It is indeed going to be effective if you want to expand your territories. By creating this division, the soldiers can focus on external threats such as bandits, terrorists, or demons. In addition, this division won''t only maintain security but also help people."


    "Help people?" Noel frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "There are a lot of problems in the city as you might already know. Thieves, hygiene, and slums. This division can take reports from the citizens and investigate things in the city. They can also handle other problems such as fire, copsing buildings, or small other works."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. As expected, talking to Raven was indeed the correct choice. He never thought that this division could do all that. Noel raised a finger. "Unfortunately, there is one problem. I don''t have anyone capable of leading that division."


    "If that''s the case, I have someone to rmend." Raven nodded. "We used to work together in the past. He should be working as a mercenary right now."


    "Mercenary, huh?" Noel frowned. "Will such a person join us? I don''t mind about their background, but mercenaries are quite hard to handle."


    "Don''t worry. His name is Colice. He is currently the leader of a small mercenary group called Small Thorn. If you mention my name as well as your purpose, I think he will ept your offer on the premise that you also take his subordinates. Indeed, they''re a rough bunch, but they''re not bad people.


    Once they''re integrated with this division, I''m sure that their behavior will change to suit their needs."


    "Mhmm¡­" Noel nodded. "Alright. I''ll try to find that person. The problem is that¡­ the city might not be the only one he needs to take care of. He will have to look after all the roads that connect the cities."


    "Is it regarding your invention?"


    "Yes."


    "If that''s the case, you probably need a regtion first."


    "I''m currently trying to recruit that person."


    "Then, you will need the same invention with faster speed, higher durability, and a lot of offensive power. Just like we need a better horse to chase after someone with a horse, you will need the same thing with higher quality. To be honest, Colice will be able to answer all of these questions."


    "I see." Noel thought for a moment before ncing at Silvester.


    "Y-Yes?" Silvester''s body tensed up.


    "I''m just wondering if you have some time to pass the message to Charlotte or Dimitri for me. Sadly, I''m nning to go outside this time and won''te back for about a month."


    "¡­" Silvester smiled wryly. "I understand. Still, I might not be able to sneak inside. I can feel a lot of spirit grandmasters inside of your city¡­"


    "Don''t worry. There is a secret tunnel leading to my mansion."


    "If that''s the case, I''ll take care of it."


    Noel then discussed all the details and everything he wanted to pass on.


    It took them an hour, but they finally settled everything. Even Anna had talked a lot about their lives after marriage with Leysha.


    Of course, the expansion was a serious business. Leysha had promised to pass on this matter to Luke. They might have to relocate or adjust their ns after all.


    Andreas was sitting silently on the side. One or two hours didn''t really matter to him as long as Anna and Noel went to the Beast Kingdom.


    Finally, Noel, Anna, and Andreas were ready to leave after finishing all their business here.


    Before they left, Leysha called him in a soft tone. "Noel, Anna."


    "Yes?" Noel turned around while Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Congrattions for killing an ancient demon. You two have gotten stronger." Leysha smiled. There was a sense of pride and joy in her voice. The kid, who waszy and needed to be protected, had grown into a man much stronger than her. Still, no matter how strong he had be, there was one thing that she couldn''t stop saying. "Take care.


    Try not to get hurt."


    A smile formed on his face. "Yes, Mom. We''ll be off."


    Anna politely bowed her head.

 Chapter 1156: Buffalo Tribe

    "This is the Beast Kingdom?" said Noel, whose voice contained confusion and excitement.


    Before him was a savanna. The only thing he could see was grass and some trees. There wasn''t any sign of life in this ce. Then again, even the Muivell Kingdom had a part like this where they could see nothing but scenery.


    Andreas nodded his head. "Yes. We have reached the Beast Kingdom, specifically the Buffalo King''s territory."


    "Buffalo King?" Anna raised her eyebrows. "Now that I think about it, what''s the structure of the Beast Kingdom?


    "As you probably know, animals have their own living areas suitable for them. Because of this bloodline, most of us live in a ce suitable for us.


    "Just like you, we''re also having sovereigns for territories. This savanna, which stretches for more than fifty kilometers, is protected by the Buffalo King.


    "There is a swamp area not far from this territory, which is protected by the Alligator King. All these kings are the strongest people in their respective territories. The Buffalo King can be considered equal to your Demon Banner Army''s captains or Arbiters.


    "And above them are the elders. Whenever there''s a conflict, the elders wille to handle the situation.


    "I''ve heard some rumors that there is something called an Overseer that is above the elder, but there''s no proof of it, and it''s not like I have seen this Overseer. Even my grandfather refuses to confirm its existence."


    Noel fell into deep thought. "Does the beast kingdom have cities?"


    "Yes, we do. While most of us live in tribes, there are cities scattered all around the kingdom. Their purposes are for neutral zones. In these cities, fighting is prohibited. The city is where the trade urs.


    "Of course, there are cities with different purposes, like our current destination. This city is for the meeting of all elders and all important discussions. Whenever there''s a need to involve a lot of tribes, they usually convene a meeting there and call the kings to either give them order or persuade them."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding.


    "It''s time to sneak around, huh? The Beast Kingdom hasn''t seen any humans for thest seven or eight hundred years, right?"


    "Yes. But this time, it''ll be much easier if we meet the Buffalo King and ask him to escort us. Considering the Buffalo King''s personality, it''ll be quite simple to persuade him. All we need is strength, and I also have the connection with my grandfather."


    "Strength, huh?" Noel nced at Anna.


    "I don''t mind a fight. I''ll just avoid causing injuries. It''s not like we want the Beast Kingdom to be our enemies."


    "Please don''t worry about it. There is a tradition we can use. If you don''t have any more questions, please follow me."


    Noel and Anna exchanged looks. On the one hand, they wanted more information about the Beast Kingdom. On the other hand, it seemed to be more appropriate to ask Old Ru or other elders about it. In other words, it would be best to reach their destination first.


    "Alright."


    The group started traveling inside the savanna. Noel couldn''t find a single thing for the first ten kilometers, as if this area were abandoned.


    However, this area was directly linked to the demon territory, so they might want to create their defense a bit more on the inside.


    As expected, they finally found their first settlement.


    It was located in the middle of a in. The settlement was also quite huge with more than a thousand tents on sight.


    Each tent was quite huge, able to amodate more than twenty people.


    However, when they took another look, they could finally see the buffalo-people. Each of them was huge. Their average height was more than two meters. Whether they were males or females, all of them were extremely muscr.


    In addition, the parts that turned into a buffalo varied. There was one person who only had a pair of giant horns on top of his head. There was another person with aplete buffalo head.


    Their bodies still looked humanoid, but some were covered in the ck skin that buffalo had.


    "Oh?" Noel was intrigued. For a human like him, he understood how handsome or beautiful a human was. However, he couldn''t discern the same thing for animals. Meanwhile, there were indeed some people with human facial features that piqued his interest.


    At the same time, he realized that the buffalo would have their own beauty senses. He was a bit curious about their cultures.


    "Have you seen enough?"


    "There is one thing that I want to ask, but the question is extremely rude¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Andreas shrugged. "Just ask away. I''m not a person who cares about that stuff. You might as well ask it to me since no one is here."


    "From the way I see it, all of them are buffalo-people. And I don''t think I have seen anyone other than them¡­" Noel stopped the question before it sounded even worse.


    "We have a tradition here. Marriages with other races are allowed, but their child will have three possibilities. The first one is to have the same feature for only one of their parents, which happens in most cases. In this scenario, if they stay within the tribes, they usually have to live in their respective tribe and their children will follow the race they belong to.


    "Most of the time, they choose to live inside the cities, bing the representatives of their tribe to take care of the trades and other stuff. Since the city is free for all races, they can live together there.


    "The second scenario is where they are unable to conceive a child due to their genes shing. In this case, there are couples who are disappointed and divorced. Some are loyal and choose to spend the rest of their lives together.


    "Last but not least, there are cases where the children will have both of their parents'' race characteristics. We call them hybrid races. In my family, I have an uncle who married someone from the cat tribe.


    "My cousin ends up having a pair of wolf ears and a pair of cat eyes. She is able to use those two traits to be stronger than normal people from the wolf and cat tribes. Of course, there are cases where thebination messes up, such as having the left ear of a wolf and the right ear of a cat, which creates an imbnce.


    "That''s why people encourage marrying people of the same races."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. "Tribes, huh?"


    "Yes. As you can see right now, there are a few wooden structures and a lot of tents. A single race usually has a lot of tribes scattered all around the territories. You can think of them as nomadic viges. But there are some who choose to settle down. They usually be a beacon point for these nomadic, smaller tribes.


    "The Buffalo King is living inside that vige. It should be the biggest house over there." He pointed at the house.


    "In that case, I don''t have any more questions. Thank you for answering that one." Noel nodded.


    "Alright. It''s time to meet the Buffalo King."

 Chapter 1157: Tradition

    Noel was quite surprised when they crossed the bustling street. Even though there were trades, they merely exchanged one thing for another.


    There were also a lot of arenas between tents that were used by their warriors to fight each other.


    Noel thought this would be what they used to negotiate with the buffalo king.


    Still, even though the buffalo-people had a massive physical advantage, he noticed that they didn''t have a lot of spiritual energy in their bodies.


    "This is it," said Andreas whileing to a halt. Before them was a huge wooden house where the buffalo king resided. There were two guards, each of them was a spirit master. They were holding a huge axe with a long handle. Coupled with their muscr bodies, it increased the intensity of pressure they were emanating.


    When they noticed Andreas, both of them immediately crossed their axes together to create a wall between Andreas and the door.


    "Who are you?" One of them asked while ring at them. Considering Noel and Anna covered their bodies and faces with long coats, they indeed looked suspicious.


    However, Andreas didn''t hide any part of his body. He simply took out a ne that had a shell with a pair of swords on it.


    "That''s¡­" It seemed they had recognized the ne.


    "I am Andreas. I''m currently on an errand for the Prophet. I need to meet the buffalo king."


    Both guards exchanged nods. One of them said, "Please wait. We''ll inform¡ª"


    Before he finished his words, a voice came from the inside. "There''s no need. I''m here."


    A person suddenly emerged from the giant gate. This person was twice as tall as Noel and its head and feet were like buffalo, while its muscr body was that of a human.


    Noel and Anna were quite surprised. Although their average height was above two meters, this was the biggest person he had met so far.


    "I''ve heard a lot about you. Andreas, the adopted grandson of the prophet." The Buffalo King sniffed a few times before saying, "What do you want from me? Is the prophet''s business rted to those two?"


    "The prophet asked me to bring them to him."


    The Buffalo King squinted his eyes. "Then you should know about the tradition of my tribe, right?"


    "I know. The person who wants to ask for help from the Buffalo tribe will need to fight in the arena with the person they requested."


    "Indeed. So what''s your request?"


    "I want you to escort us personally to the sanctuary."


    "Do you think you will be able to afford me?"


    "Not me." Andreas shook his head before ncing back. "Them."


    "Hoh?" The buffalo king squinted his eyes before saying, "That''s fine with me. But you should know what it means to fail the challenge, right?"


    "Don''t worry. You won''t win."


    "I won''t win?" The buffalo king harrumphed before stomping the ground.


    Bam!


    His stomp was so powerful that it cracked the ground within a thirty-meter radius. Even some of the walls of his house got crushed by that stomp alone. After that, he let out a roar into the sky while releasing his spiritual energy.


    His spiritual energy was different from what Noel and Anna had faced so far. This spiritual energy felt heavy.


    From the two basic approaches for spiritual energy control, it was clear that the buffalo king actually practiced the hard approach. This explosive power was so great to the point where Noel realized that he had never learned anything about the soft approach. In other words, the buffalo king was actually taking the extreme path of the hard approach.


    ''So, this is what will happen when you take the hard approach to the extreme.'' Noel frowned.


    "So who is going to fight me first?" The buffalo king smirked while ring from above as if to intimidate them. Judging from his reaction, it was clear that there were people who wanted to get the buffalo king''s help by bringing a lot of people.


    However, Noel ced his hand on Anna''s shoulder as if saying that he would be the one taking this challenge.


    "So you''re the first, huh?" The buffalo king sneered.


    "No. I alone am enough."


    Instead of getting offended, the buffalo king simply grinned. "Hahaha. I like this guy. Everyone needs to have their own arrogance. In that case, we shall go to the arena!"


    Noel whispered, "By the way, what''s the rule of this tradition?"


    "There''s no rule. You fight with all you have and try to defeat him. If you''re too weak, you can also die in the challenge."


    "I see." Noel nodded.


    The matter of their king taking the challenge immediately spread to the settlements. A lot of people were trying to see the buffalo king''s strength.


    The arena itself was just a small field next to the buffalo king''s house. There was nothing special. Even the spectators were standing in a circle.


    "Buffalo King!"


    "Crush the challenger!"


    The buffalo king and Noel were standing only two meters apart. Just looking at their size alone, people already felt sorry for Noel.


    Noel nced at the people and asked, "You''re not going to use your weapon?"


    "My body is a weapon that is enough to defeat you." The buffalo king smirked.


    "In that case, I won''t use any weapon as well."


    "Don''t say that I don''t give you the opportunity!" The buffalo king frowned. He stomped the ground and released his explosive energy. More energy was concentrated on his right arm, which suddenly turned into steel. "In that case, die in your arrogance!"


    The buffalo king charged forward while mming his fist at Noel. Thetter jumped to increase his momentum and met the buffalo king''s fist with his own fist.


    Bam!


    The sh between their fists caused a massive shock wave that dispersed in all directions. However, the result of the match was clear.


    All of a sudden, the area behind Noel was crushed by an absurd amount of force, which alsounched all the people standing there.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    Despite them getting injured, the buffalo-people actually cheered as if it were something normal. "As expected of the king!"


    "You''re the strongest!"


    "Uoohhh!"


    Amidst their cheers, the buffalo king couldn''t help but tremble. Only a few people could understand what kind of exchange just happened earlier.


    Noel split his spiritual energy into twoyers. The firstyer contained the powerful fist and the secondyer dispersed that energy. If not for it, the destruction would be even bigger, especially in the area behind the buffalo king.


    "Shut up!" The buffalo king roared.


    "!!!" The people were startled. They didn''t know why the buffalo king was mad at them.


    "It seems that I have underestimated you, challenger. However, we don''t need your pity here. It''s an honor if someone dies in this match, even if they are only spectators. Do you think you will gain my acknowledgment without using your full power?"


    "You will die if you don''t use all your power as well." Noel smiled.


    "In that case, I have to apologize for doing something rude."


    "We both are."


    The buffalo king shouted, "My axe!"


    Two giant buffalo-people hurriedly came to the arena, bringing a four-meter-long giant axe. In addition, the fact that the weapon needed two people to carry it signified its weight.


    On the other hand, Noel pulled out a thin sword that looked like it could be snapped easily by the axe.


    "Haaaaaa! Rage!" The buffalo king roared, causing his energy to explode. The ground was shattered by the intense shock wave it produced.


    Noel concentrated his energy on his sword. Unlike that rampaging explosive power, his energy was refined and calm, which made it hard to see its strength.


    "Here Ie, challenger!" The buffalo king''s eyes turned bloodshot as he unleashed every ounce of his strength in this swing. "Mountain Crusher!"


    Noel took a deep breath before swinging his de. "Divine sh."Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Clink!


    The ringing sound of the sh echoed first before the two energies shed.


    Bam!


    The explosive power from the buffalo king traveled first, destroying everything in the fan-shaped area. Anything within fifty meters was crushed and swept away. A lot of people got crushed by it, but due to the joint effort, they were only injured.


    However, the next thing that happened was much more impressive.


    A huge wound from the buffalo''s hand all the way to the shoulder appeared, the blood spurting to the ground.


    After that, the sword strike traveled to the area behind the buffalo king. There were several people trying to stop that attack, but the sword strike cut their weapons along with the people behind them, killing four people in the process.


    The sword strike continued to travel to the edge of their settlement, which was almost four hundred meters.


    More importantly, it left a ten-meter-deep sword mark on the ground, meaning that the power they saw was only a fifth of its total power as the rest was hidden underground.


    "This¡­"


    The people were stunned. They couldn''t imagine that the buffalo king was defeated overwhelmingly.


    "Transcendent¡­" The buffalo king sucked a cold breath.


    "What did the king say?"


    "Transcendent?"


    "That small guy is a transcendent? The same as the elders?"


    "No. Is he an elder?"


    "How envious¡­ Those four people died in the hands of a transcendent. I should have stood there!"


    Noel finally understood why the buffalo king told him not to worry.


    "To think that the gap between us is so big." The buffalo king''s expression turned solemn.


    "Not really. Your strength is beyond my imagination. I have never thought that I would fail to protect myself." Noel raised his head.


    "!!!" The buffalo king widened his eyes, seeing the small scratch on Noel''s cheek with blood flowing out. It was a small wound, but it was true that the buffalo king''s attack managed to reach Noel.


    The buffalo king then stood up before shouting, "I shall rebuild my house on top of the sword mark! Only the mighty warriors of our tribe are allowed to build their house on top of it."


    "Uoohhh!"


    "Glory to the king!"


    The cheers erupted as their eyes were filled with excitement.


    "Thepetition of those twenty might warriors will be held today. Those who are chosen shall have the honor to follow me and escort our guests to the sanctuary."


    "Uooohh!"


    After the announcement, the buffalo king then ced his axe in front of Noel before falling on one knee. He ced his right arm on the ground so that the blood flowing from his wound would fall to the ground.


    "With this honored scar, I, Buffalo King Uruk, have acknowledged you and your power. Hence, I shall be at your service."


    Noel smiled. Even though there were a lot of different cultures, he could see that this buffalo tribe ced importance on their honor and strength. They were simple, but righteous. "I''ll leave it to you."

 Chapter 1158: Seven Elders

    "Go!"


    "Iing attacks!"


    The buffalo-warriors shouted at each other while pointing at the iing herd of demons. There were more than ten demonsing at them.


    However, the buffalo-warriors simply sent forth five people while the main team continued their journey.


    "Hoo!"


    "Kill them!"


    They crashed with the iing demons, but the buffalo-warriors weren''t losing in terms of physical. They smashed the demons with their hammers, chopped them with their axes, and ripped them apart with their bare hands.


    It was an amazing sight to see, considering he would never see a group of humans whose bodies were not losing to the demons crushing them.


    It seemed that they were using their unique trait to fight the demons, which made them extremely strong. Meanwhile, humans were normalizing their methods to reach more people.


    On the way, the buffalo king was the one handling all the diplomacy with all the tribes between them and the sanctuary.


    ording to Andreas, the Beast Kingdom''s actual size was the same as the Muivell Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdombined.


    This massive kingdom had more than fifty big tribes, meaning fifty kings, like the buffalo king.


    This alone was enough to show that the Beast Kingdom, which was formerly founded for the sake of refugees, had actually be a country whose strength was iparable to that of a single kingdom.


    If they decided to seek revenge, the Muivell Kingdom would definitely get destroyed.


    Fortunately, most of the people here didn''t know about the history.


    Still, the journey shouldn''t take more than eight hours to reach the sanctuary. Unfortunately, because they needed to meet four kings on the way, the trip was dyed a bit, forcing them to take a whole day to reach the sanctuary.


    ¡­


    Beast Temple.


    Inside a massive hall stood a giant round table with six seats inside.


    Suddenly, a door was opened by a man. His body looked like a human if not for the fact that his limbs were elongated, including his neck. His eyes were sharp like those of a snake, and his skin was covered with scales.


    "It seems that I''m first here."


    "Nope. I''m just waiting for this¡­" A female''s voice echoed from another door. There was a woman suddenlying into the room. She had a perfect human body on her upper half, but her bottom half was that of a fish.


    She entered the room with a bathtub that slid on the ground, leaving a trail of water.


    "Diva." The guy narrowed his eyes.


    "It''s been a while, Venom Overlord." She smiled.


    "Do you know what the meeting''s all about?"


    "I don''t. All I know is that the old prophet is calling us. I thought that guy had retired."


    "I heard that his grandson is currently visiting the human kingdoms. Maybe he found something concerning? That old prophet is annoying-nya!" Another voice echoed inside the hall.


    "!!!" Both of them turned around and saw a female cat. She had a human body, but her hands, her feet, and her ears were those of a cat. She even had a long ck tail.


    "Phantom." The Venom Overlord nodded his head as a greeting.


    "This annoying ''nya'' woman is here." The diva furrowed her eyebrows.


    "What''s wrong-nya? Do you finally agree to be my prey-nya? I want a taste of your body-nya! The fishy smell is amazing-nya." The phantom smirked.


    "What do you mean by sending his grandson to the human kingdoms? Isn''t it forbidden to do that?" The Venom Overlord asked. "The prophet has lived the longest among us, so he should know about the rule of not contacting the human kingdoms."


    "I don''t know-nya! That''s all I have heard. The prophet is unnaturally sneaky this time-nya!" The phantom shook her head.


    "If even you can''t find it, that means this meeting must be important for me to bring my stomach all the way here. Haa¡­ it''s tiring." A heavy voice resounded across the room as a big guy appeared.


    His height reached as high as four meters, but that was because his stomach took a third of it. His bloated belly had to be dragged by those big, robust limbs.


    He suddenly fell to the ground not far from his seat, casually destroying it with his entire body. "Burb¡­ I''m finally here. Diva. Can you help me a little bit?"


    The diva sighed while snapping her fingers. Water started flowing underneath his body and moved it to the proper position. "Why don''t you stop beingzy, Gluttony?"


    "It can''t be helped. I just eat too much." While he said it, he somehow took out a big demon leg and opened his mouth, which somehow stretched to the point where it could swallow 40 kg of meat in a single bite.


    "Aoooo!" A howl rang inside the hall, which ended up causing an echo.


    "You idiot husky! You''re too noisy-nya!" The phantom gritted her teeth, ring at the sixth person, who happened to be simr to the phantom, but all the parts were changed to those of a husky.


    "Great. Annoy that noisy cat, Arctic Queen." The diva gave a thumbs up.


    "It''s just a habit." She smiled wryly. "Besides, are we all here?"


    "No. That vampire hasn''te."


    "If you''re talking about that vampire, isn''t he normally above us?" She raised her head. The others followed and found a guy hanging on the roof, sleeping.


    "This guy always has little to no presence. It''s annoying-nya!" The phantom let out a long sigh.


    "I see. That means only the prophet remains. Where is he? Knowing him, he usually sees us and appears out of nowhere, as if he has divined us to gather at a certain time." The diva asked while looking around.


    "You know me well, songstress. Hohoho!"


    "!!!" All of them widened their eyes. Without them realizing it, Old Ru had entered the room.


    "I almost had a stomach asma." The gluttony sighed.


    "Hoho. Then I''ll apologize." Old Ru chuckled.


    "Prophet hase?" The vampire fell from the ceiling,nding on top of the table gently. He said, "If that''s the case, let''s finish the meeting as quickly as possible. I want to go back and sleep. You know that it''s still noon¡­"


    "Yeah. Why do you call us here, Prophet?" The venom overlord asked.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "The reason I call you¡­" Old Ru paused.


    "I''m sorry. It''s because of me." Another voice echoed once again.


    All of them couldn''t help but turn around. This was supposed to be a meeting between the seven elders. Even their assistants weren''t allowed to enter. Hence, they couldn''t help but feel curious about the person who just entered, let alone the fact that this person asked Old Ru to convene a meeting.


    "Ah. You¡­" As his silhouette entered the room, the phantom gasped while pointing at her finger in disbelief.

 Chapter 1159: Arrival

    "So this is the sanctuary¡­" Noel muttered while looking at the massive city in front of him. Unlike human cities, there weren''t any walls that protected them. It might be due to this reason that they could use their massive resources to build the rest of the buildings.


    The sanctuary was located in the middle of the jungle.


    The wood was tall and robust. The average height reached as far as thirty meters.


    There were also a variety of buildings, from tree houses to normal buildings. They were much more massivepared to the ones they had back home.


    What was more impressive was the fact that there were so many people in this ce. Some had wings and flew around in the air, some were so gigantic that their heads were higher than buildings.


    Still, the one that took their attention away was the massive building in the center of the city. The building was as massive as a small castle, but more importantly, there was a huge tree sprouting in the middle of the building as if it were used to support the entire building.


    Noel and Anna could sense some threats hiding over there.


    "This is amazing." Noel smiled.


    "Indeed." Anna nodded in agreement.


    Andreas had a small smile on his face. Even though he rarely showed it, it didn''t change the fact that he still had a lot of pride in his country.


    All of a sudden, Noel and Anna turned around as if they were sensing somethinging toward them extremely fast. Even Anna could feel the dangering from this presence.


    Both of them were holding their weapons for a fight, but they soon heard a female''s voice ringing in their ears.


    "Don''t fight-nya! I''m not your enemy-nya!"


    "!!!" Noel and Anna widened their eyes as a figurended on the ground like an arrow. Despite her speed, she actuallynded so smoothly that it didn''t destroy the ground. "Who are you?"


    "Are you perhaps Noel Ardagan-nya, the guest of the prophet, I mean Old Ru-nya?"


    ''What is that annoying way of speaking?'' Anna couldn''t help but ask inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Noel was more focused on her reasoning and replied, "Yes. Who are you then?"


    "I am one of the seven elders-nya! I''m known as the phantom cat-nya! Just call me Phantom-nya."


    "¡­" Noel frowned. "So¡­ for what reason are you suddenlying all the way here?"


    "I''m tasked with escorting you inside-nya! There are a few people that would like to meet you."


    "¡­" Noel nced at Andreas.


    "She is known as Phantom. She is an elder, the one in charge of espionage. Any kind of movement from the demons will be known to her. If there''s anything happening, she is the first to know." Andreas exined.


    "Oh! Is that you, wolf boy-nya? You''re finally back home-nya?!"


    Noel thought for a moment before saying, "Alright. Guide us." After that, Noel turned to the buffalo king. "As you can see here¡­ it''s regretful, but I think this is where we part."


    The buffalo king, still stunned by the phantom, took a moment to reply, "Y-Yes."


    He never thought that they would be able to meet an elder in this situation.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Thank you for escorting them-nya. The council will remember your contribution-nya!"


    "Y-yes!" The buffalo king nodded furiously.


    It was a shame, but this was the end of the escort. The buffalo king immediately led his people back, giving them a space to talk with each other.


    "What do you think-nya? Do you want to get some rest first or immediately meet them-nya?"


    "Since the other party has been waiting for us, I think it''s better to meet them right away. Only after finishing the matter can I rx." Noel nced at Anna, who nodded in agreement.


    "In this case, this way-nya." The phantom extended her hand, bringing them inside the city.


    Now that they had entered the city, they could finally feel the majestic feel of the city. Compared to the people, buildings, or even trees, they felt so tiny.


    However, as Andreas exined, the city had numerous tribes. Noel and Anna could see all those tribes with a variety of body parts.


    While their bodies didn''t follow the standard of a human, both Noel and Anna weren''t at the stage where they would think of them as disgusting. In the end, the demons were more disgusting.


    Once they became closer to the temple, Anna could feel the threats more clearly.


    "Is the temple so deserted that no one takes care of it? Why can I only feel six people inside?" Anna asked Andreas.


    "!!!" The phantom widened her eyes in shock. Even she wouldn''t be able to sense those people. In fact, she was more shocked by the fact that Anna could sense the vampire, whose presence was the weakest.


    Andreas simply said, "Whenever there is a meeting, all personnel are cleared out. Only when there is no meeting will the people be inside to take care of it. So you don''t have to worry¡­"


    "I see." Anna nodded. "Five strong people, huh?"


    It would be quite hard if they wanted to escape, but Noel simply continued because he trusted Old Ru. At the very least, it wouldn''t seem that he would be backstabbing him.


    "By the way, I''ll remain here." Andreas stopped at the entrance.


    "Mhmm?" Noel and Anna were confused, considering Andreas had been guiding them the whole time.


    "As I said earlier, no one is supposed to be inside other than the ones involved."


    "No. You alsoe too-nya! Your grandfather is asking you to go inside because of something-nya!"


    "Me?" Andreas looked shocked.


    "Well, let''s just enter." Noel shook his head helplessly, since there was no problem.


    "Alright."


    The phantom guided them into the hall. It seemed that even as Old Ru''s grandson, Andreas had never entered this ce with how curious he was.


    The hall was spacious, as if it were trying to amodate the size of the people that would enter rather than give a majestic feeling.


    And at the end of their path was a massive hall, not separated by a door.


    "Wee." Old Ru was already standing in front of the entrance as if he had been waiting for them.

 Chapter 1160: Incomplete

    The elders couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows when they sensed the strength exuding from the bodies of these two humans. They still covered their bodies and faces, but they could feel that even if all of them fought them, there was a high chance that several of them would die in the process. That was what their animal instinct was telling them.


    Noel and Anna were also looking around, assessing the situation and the elders'' strength. Still, the one piquing his interest was the man in the middle. Six people, no seven people were sitting on the opposite side, including the phantom who had led them here. But the weakest person was actually sitting in the middle, as if he were the one leading them.


    This person had theplete body of a lion, but he was able to stand on two feet like a human.


    "Thank you for inviting us here, Old Ru. However, I''m still unable to understand the reason for your sudden invitation¡­" Noel lowered his hood. He didn''t greet them since they were in equal positions. In addition, he had been invited all of a sudden, so it would be better to focus on the matter at hand.


    Old Ru smiled. "I think you have guessed the reason already."N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Ardagan¡­" Noel squinted his yes. "No. Something rted to my ancestors?"


    The lion squinted his eyes. He opened his mouth. "This is surprising. Even though there is supposed to be no record about it, you are able to guess it."


    Obviously, Noel was clueless if he didn''t meet Vivi. She told him that his ancestor''s inheritance actually resided in the Beast Kingdom. He instantly linked it with Old Ru''s invitation.


    "It''s merely a guess." Noel shook his head.


    "The reason I call you is exactly for that reason. In the past, there was a prophecy. In the future, the slumbering divine de will wake up again. It''s not the sign of protection, but the mark of counterattack."


    Noel frowned. "The mark of counterattack¡­"


    He never thought that the prophecy was urate. If he managed to survive this ordeal, he wanted to explore the world while cutting down some demons along the way.


    Of course, what he could do was try to survive this whole time. He wasn''t at the level where he had the leeway to strike back.


    "So are you going to give me the inheritance just like that? Not that I''mining, but if that''s the case, I don''t think you will gather all of them here." Noel nced at the other elders.


    "Indeed." Old Ru nodded his head.


    The lion stood up. "In the past, my ancestor followed the Great Commander Alexander Simeon, whoter changed his name to Alexander Ardagan."


    "The ninthmandant¡­" Noel muttered.


    The lion looked surprised. "You know about him? I don''t think this is just a mere guess. After all, from the record I''ve been keeping, there''s no record about his identity left behind in the Ardagan family."


    They could only think of one possible reason. The one who knew about it was Ardagan. Yes, Aradgan might have told him about the reason and their identities.


    Noel shrugged. "I have my own ways."


    The lion paused for a moment before continuing, "Once he retired, he chose to form this country. I believe you already know the reason why this country was formed in the beginning, right?"


    "Yes. To create a home for the people who had been affected by the experiments." Noel nodded.


    "Indeed. It was only due to your ancestor''s help that it was possible. In order to repay his kindness, our ancestor had given us three orders." The lion raised three fingers. "To protect the legacy, consider the demons as our mortal enemies, and break free from the curse bestowed upon us."


    "The curse¡­" Noel felt like he understood what he wanted to say. If it were that easy to give him the legacy, he wouldn''t call him here. Hence, that reason must be rted to this curse.


    "I don''t know if you are aware of it, but¡­ we are unable to have a spirit in our body."


    "Huh?" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "Unable to have a spirit in your body?"


    Anna couldn''t help but nce at Old Ru and Andreas, who had a time spirit and a soul spirit respectively.


    The lion waved down his hand, asking him to calm down and listen to his exnation. "During the experiment, they fused humans with animal genes. It looked like there was no trouble at first, but theyter learned that not a single one of them had a spirit in their body.


    "Why? The simple answer is the demon. You should know that the demons are able to infect the animals easily, turning them into beasts, right?"


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. They infused corrupted genes into us,bining us with animal traits and demon powers to empower us. As a result, we are unable to receive the blessing of the spirits."


    "That doesn''t make sense. If that''s the case, why would they be able to have spirits?" Noel asked.


    It was clear who the people he mentioned were. Old Ru stood up and put down a box on the table. "Because of this."


    Old Ru opened the box. There was a single thing inside that box, and Noel somehow felt an attachment to it.


    "A scabbard¡­ scabbard?" Noel noticed the meaning behind that scabbard. "Is that¡­"


    "Yes. Ardagan''s scabbard." Old Ru confirmed it with a nod.


    The lion added, "ording to the record, the demon king broke the greatmander''s heart. However, the battle against him tore apart Ardagan."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. The fact he could summon Ardagan and recall it back inside his body had made him not think about this possibility.


    For aplete sword, even if he was a spirit, Ardagan should have a scabbard just like any other sword, especially with the fact that he was forged by the spirit god.


    "The battle against the demon king broke Ardagan into three pieces: the sword, the scabbard, and the core.


    "I believe what''s written in your family''s record is that Ardagan will only choose a worthy heir to fight against the demon king.


    "However, that''s not entirely true. Ardagan is a magic sword. If that''s the case, why would Ardagan not have the power that can amplify your power like the staff that humans love to use?


    "The answer is simple. Ardagan is notplete. In that battle, the scabbard was gone. After the relentless efforts of our ancestor, he managed to recover the scabbard. Instead of epting it, your ancestor told ours to keep the scabbard here and gave those three orders.


    "As for how he was able to receive a spirit blessing, he would exin itter. I want you to know about the core first.


    "At first, we couldn''t believe it, but it seems that the demon king has the core."


    "Are you telling me to defeat the demon king to get that core? And how is it going to affect you? I mean, erasing your curse."


    "The core is with the demon king to keep him in check. In fact, it''s not that Ardagan woke up from his slumber because he chose you. Instead, it was because of the core that he woke up.


    "Still connected, the energy core transmitted that energy to Ardagan, which woke him up and chose its owner¡­ to once again fight the demon king. Of course, half of these were just spections. You should ask the spirit itself.


    "As for how to remove the curse..."

 Chapter 1161: Truth

    "As for how to remove the curse¡­" The lion turned to Old Ru.


    Old Ru nodded his head as he took a step forward. "110 years ago, I was researching history to learn more about us from the very beginning.


    "After learning about curses, I was so frustrated that I chose to bury myself inside the library, searching for a way to break the curses.


    "It was at that time that I learned of a certain existence." Old Ru''s eyes shifted to the lion. "It was the one who carried the bloodline of the ancestor who created this kingdom: the overseer of the kingdom, whose bloodline was different than the others.


    "Normally, a beast-person would follow the traits of their parents, whether it was a dominant one or a mix. However, that person somehow was only able to conceive a child of a single race.


    "Whether you were a cat-person or carrying other bloodlines, it didn''t really matter. Through history, the child would end up being the one carrying the lion bloodline.


    "Later, I found out that the person was the one who supervised the entire kingdom. He was known as the Overseer."N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "!!!" Noel and Anna squinted their eyes. They remembered what Andreas talked about. It seemed the rumor about the Overseer was true.


    "Thanks to a certain someone, my research could progress even further, learning about the curses of our bodies. I could even receive help from the Overseer in order to use this scabbard for my research as well.


    "Sadly, no matter how hard I tried searching, I couldn''t find a way to break the curses. My friend and I were simply stuck for more than fifty years.


    "Eventually, my friend gave up the research and chose to form a family. His son ended up following me to help with my research.


    "However, the progress remained stagnant. Even I thought about giving up eventually until that happened¡­" Old Ru paused for a moment.


    The people were curious about what happened and who this person was talking about.


    "25 years ago. The scabbard suddenly red up, burning three people. I used all my power to save my best friend''s son, but to no avail. It resulted¡­" Old Ru opened his shirt, showing his body, which was almostpletely covered in burn marks.


    "!!!" Andreas widened his eyes in shock. He had been living with Old Ru for a long time, but he had never seen this scar. "Grandfather¡­"


    "My best friend also tried to help his daughter-inw, but he was already too old and his strength had grown weaker. As a result, his son pushed me away so that I didn''t die with them.


    And my old friend took the third person out of his daughter-inw''s belly and directed that fire to himself so that his grandson could live on." Old Ru''s eyes zed as tears formed in the corner of his eyes, reminiscing about the sad past he wanted to forget.


    Meanwhile, Andreas couldn''t help but notice who the person in this story was. "Grandfather¡­ That person¡­"


    With a sad smile on his face, Old Ru confirmed, "Yes. The person I worked with in the past was a great man who was once the strongest among the elders and regarded as the Celestial Wolf, your grandfather."


    Andreas gasped. He always thought that the deaths of his parents were due to the attack. That was what Old Ru had always told him. He never thought that the death of his family was caused by that scabbard.


    But before Andreas could react, Old Ru had to continue in order to solve the misunderstanding.


    "I hated this scabbard and ended up leaving my research. I took the child away and lived in seclusion.


    "But how ironic¡­ this scabbard that took the lives of my best friend and his family ended up bing the answer to my own research."


    Andreas trembled.


    Old Ru confirmed, "Yes. Due to that fire, we were able to remove the curse and receive the blessing of the spirit. That was how both of us managed to have spirits. I didn''t know how or why because I never continued my research.


    "And because we were different, I decided not toe back. I abandoned my post until a certain young man came to my house."


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook as he realized that the young man was him. At the same time, he noticed the meaning of that year. He would be 24 years old this year. If he included the nine months he was in his mother''s womb, although it was a bit of a stretch, the timing matched. "Wait a minute. 25 years ago¡­"


    Old Ru nodded. "Yes. If the theory about the three parts was correct and those parts were still connected, the incident that urred 25 years ago must be connected to the demon king''s revival."


    Anna and Noel took a cold breath. Everything started to be connected. Why would Ardagan suddenly choose a host? Why would he bless him right away?


    It must be because Ardagan''s core must have received a tremendous amount of power, which caused Ardagan to wake up and the scabbard to re up. It was a sign. 25 years ago, the demon king was revived.


    Andreas gritted his teeth. His hatred for the demon king had soared through the roof.


    Old Ru closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I''m sorry for hiding this secret from you this whole time, Andreas. I''ve failed as a grandfather."


    On the other hand, if this story were true, the way to remove that curse would be none other than Ardagan, specifically his fire. However, he didn''t think his fire could do this. At the very least, not yet.


    And it might also be the reason why Noel was epted by Old Ru even in their previous lives. No, Noel was toote in their previous lives. That was why Old Ru gave that shell to Noel. He wanted Noel to get a second chance.


    Noel chose to use that shell for Anna. She didn''t know the exact reason yet, but the reason for everything that took ce in their previous lives starteding to light.


    Of course, Anna knew that Noel also didn''t have the capability yet. But it might change if he reached the spirit king stage.


    To do that, he had to defeat the demon king. And obtaining the support of the beast kingdom was necessary in order to defeat the demon king. In order to gain that support, Noel had to be a spirit king. In other words, they had to focus their resources on him.


    Anna patted his shoulder. Even though she didn''t say anything, he already knew what she wanted to tell him.


    ''I win. You now have no choice but to absorb the ancient demon crystal.''

 Chapter 1162: Scabbard

    Andreas had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was disappointed that he didn''t know the truth until now. On the other hand, he also felt angry at everything.


    While clenching his fists, Andreas ended up storming out of the building.


    Old Ru opened his mouth as he wanted to call his grandson''s name, but he wondered if he truly had the right to do it.


    The overseer patted Old Ru''s shoulder and nodded. "Go. I will take care of the rest."


    Old Ru closed his eyes, lowered his head, and left.


    At the same time, Noel didn''t respond to Anna for a bit since he didn''t know the answer yet.


    Because of the awkward silence, the overseer continued, "I will be giving you back this scabbard. In exchange, I want you to remove this curse from our bodies."


    Noel nced at the scabbard. On the one hand, he would love to have it, wondering what he would get after recovering that scabbard. On the other hand, he didn''t want to lie, especially to the Beast Kingdom, which had kept the scabbard safe, as well as for a few other reasons.


    Noel sighed. "As much as I''d love to get that scabbard, I don''t think I have any solutions to remove that curse right now."


    "Even though you are not a human anymore?" The vampire suddenly spoke.


    "!!!" All of them suddenly widened their eyes in shock.


    The overseer asked, "What do you mean?"


    The vampire simply said with a tired expression, "His blood doesn''t smell like a human anymore. There is a human smell, but there''s something else. And it''s not the smell of a demon or a beast like us. Hence, it could only mean one thing."


    "!!!" They immediately saw through Noel''s identity. The overseer couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "You are a spirit now? No, half spirit?"


    If this was something normal for humans, Anna would be the same. Hence, this was not normal. The only thing that could make such a thing was none other than Ardagan.


    The overseer looked down for a moment while muttering, "There was no record about your ancestor being a half spirit. The sign of a counterattack." The overseer gasped at the realization. "You¡­ Have you fused with Ardagan?"


    "Indeed," Noel confirmed. "At the moment, Ardagan is in a slumber. Hence, I can only say everything from my perspective.


    "There are two things that I want to ask before this. Do you know Force Control? Any of you is fine."


    "Force Control?" The phantom raised her head. "Isn''t that the technique that allows the Celestial Wolf to reign supreme during his prime-nya?"


    "You know it?" Noel frowned.


    "Yes. We are aware of it." The overseer confirmed it with a nod. Since Noel didn''t hide much from them, they chose to be truthful about their situation as well.


    "In that case, my second question¡­ Is it a technique exclusive to him?"


    "I heard it was self-created."


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. He muttered inwardly, ''If that''s the case, then does it mean my ancestor doesn''t know anything about Force Control? And the reason Ardagan knew and gave me Force Control was because the creator of the technique had always been with him for a long time.


    ''Because the scabbard and the sword were connected, he transmitted the Force Control to me because he wanted me to meet Andreas and Old Ru. This must be what happened in my previous life.


    ''If I take a look at the bigger picture, that must be because Ardagan wants me toe here. Considering Ardagan''s personality, he must want me to help them. In exchange, he also wants me to retrieve the scabbard.


    ''However, I don''t have any ways to do it right now. I can try burning them with my fire, but I don''t have such precise control, nor do I know to what extent I should burn them. If I be a spirit king, my senses and understanding should deepen, so I might be able to do it.


    ''But it''s best to ask Ardagan about it to be sure.''


    Noel shook his head helplessly. "Unfortunately, I don''t think I''m able to help you right now. In my perspective, doing it right now will be extremely dangerous. I might end up burning you to death, simr to what happened to the Celestial Wolf.


    "Hence, the only possibility I can think of is the stage above transcendence."


    "Spirit King¡­" The overseer squinted his eyes. "Judging from the situation, it will be unlikely for the demon king to allow you to reach that stage. I see¡­"


    From those words alone, the elders realized that they might have to get involved directly.


    The overseer said, "To honor the words of our ancestor, we will definitely fight the demon king, as they''re ourmon enemy. However, we don''t like to get involved with other humans. We''ve heard a lot of what humans can do¡­ to the point where they can be crueler than the demons."


    Noel nodded in understanding. "If you are willing to help me, that''s enough. The demon king will definitely attack, this time, with an army. It might not just be a few hundred thousand, but millions."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Of course, we''ll help you take down that army. If the demon king seeds, we''ll be the next target anyway."


    "I''m not sure if this is fate or an objective¡­" Noel sighed before turning to the two women aside from the phantom. "If I may be so bold, may I know which one of you is the diva?"


    The Arctic Queen remained silent.


    "Mhmm?" The diva frowned. "The Prophet or Andreas told you about me?"


    "No. The Spirit God."


    "!!!" The elders and the overseer turned to the diva in shock.


    The diva shook her head. "He is not lying." After that, the diva exined to Noel, "I have a sharp sense for sound. No matter how great you are at lying, there will be a slight difference in the sound you make. However, I don''t sense any of that from your words¡­"


    "I heard that the Spirit God was the one who created Ardagan¡­" The overseer mumbled.


    "Yeah. He was the one who helped me fuse with Ardagan as well." Noel nodded.


    The overseer sucked a cold breath. If that were true, this might also be a sign. The Spirit God might want to use this cooperation as a sign of trust. With the diva helping Noel and Noel helping them, the Spirit God would use this as a reason to bless the beast-people.


    The overseer said, "That''ll be up to Elder Diva whether to ept it or not."


    The diva actually answered without hesitation, "Sure. I''ll help you. However, I also want to ask you something."


    "And that is¡­" Noel nodded.


    "I''ll say itter in private."


    "Alright."


    The overseer then proceeded to hand the box to the Arctic Queen, as if asking her to give it to him. The Arctic Queen then stood up, bringing the box to Noel.


    "I want you to ept this first. In the end, it''s the wish of our ancestors to let you have it. Even if you can''t solve our curses, then so be it. We have been independent for a thousand years, so it''s fine if we have to search for it independently." The overseer extended his hand. "Please take this scabbard."

 Chapter 1163: Flame

    Noel hesitated for a moment, wondering if there was any hidden meaning. However, after some consideration, he grabbed the scabbard.


    All of a sudden, a ck me sparked in his hand.


    "!!!" The Arctic Queen''s heart skipped a beat. After hearing how the me was able to kill the Celestial Wolf, she thought it would be her next. Hence, she immediately dropped the box and jumped back in fear.


    The me touched the box and burned itpletely before it could touch the ground, proving that the story wasn''t an exaggeration.


    The elders looked shocked. The me itself wasn''t a part of Noel, so it was just purely the me of the scabbard. And it could actually burn the box to nothingness in less than a second.


    More importantly, the me started spreading to Noel''s hand.


    Noel remained silent, as if the me wasn''t hot. But as he expected, he could feel the attachment to the scabbard, but not Ardagan.


    "¡­" Noel bit his lips. It seemed that this wasn''t enough to wake him up. Nevertheless, the me continued moving up his shoulder. If this continued, it would burn his clothes.


    Hence, Noel began to channel his spiritual energy. The me shed with his spiritual energy, but because his body had fused with Ardagan, the me recognized the spiritual energy.


    It gradually changed from burning spiritual energy to harmonizing with it.


    "Go back." Noel muttered as if he weremunicating with the me.


    The me gradually moved back to the scabbard. Some of them were still rebellious, but Noel continued to infuse his spiritual energy until they were under his control.


    Noel could kind of understand what was going on.


    ''This scabbard¡­ is it the me itself? Or should I say the container for the me? The physical form is the sword, while the scabbard is the storage. If I consider it that way, the core must be the amplifier.''


    Noel gradually closed his eyes to feel the scabbard. It felt like the scabbard had its own consciousness, or it might be a part of Ardagan''s consciousness.


    When Noel opened his eyes again, he noticed that everything was dark, with numerous small dots emitting light from very far away.


    "Huh? Where is this?" Noel looked around. He saw a small sphere floating in the middle of nowhere. "Where am I? Is the scabbard trying to show me something?"


    Suddenly, a figure flew from behind him.


    "!!!" Noel was startled because he didn''t feel this presenceing. More importantly, when he saw his back, he couldn''t help but remember a certain person''s appearance. "Wait¡­ Is that the Spirit God?"


    "I can move my body now?" Noel adjusted his position. There was only one thing he should do. He chased after the Spirit God as quickly as possible.


    The original small sphere expanded rapidly before his eyes. Before he knew it, the small sphere had turned into a colossal mountain. But it didn''t stop there.


    "W-What is this big thing?" Noel gasped. The sphere turned out to have a diameter of 500 kilometers. He felt like an ant in front of a mountain. "Is there an object this big in this world?"


    When he passed the colossal rock, he noticed there was another sphere. It seemed that this rock was heading to that sphere. But unlike this rock, this sphere had a lot of colors on it. There were a few strokes of white color floating on top of the bluish water color. He was mesmerized by the beauty of this sphere, but that was when he sensed a massive spiritual energying from the side.


    The Spirit God was standing in front of the colossal rock.


    On his hand was a beautiful golden me, increasing the freezing temperature drastically. When he shot out this small me toward the giant rock, he thought that it was impossible to do anything against it.


    Noel had thought that his ancestor destroying mountains with his sword was a realm that no one could easily reach. But this rock was at least 500 times bigger than the mountain he cut. There was no way it was going to work.


    Yet the Spirit God still sent forth that small me toward this rock. The small spark burst into a raging me. It was burning everything, using the rock itself to act as its fuel.


    In just five minutes, it covered ten percent of the rock''s surface. In ten minutes, it covered half of the rock''s surface. In thirty minutes, it burned half of the rock. And in an hour, there was nothing left behind.


    "What is this¡­" Noel dropped his jaw in disbelief. "That me is¡ª"


    Before he could finish his words, his head suddenly started spinning.


    "Kh." Noel clutched his head. There was an influx of information entering his brain.


    ''The Undying Fire is a part of the essence of fire, the me that burns everything.''


    "!!!" Noel was astounded by the statement that rang in his head. He also got more understanding about his me. "The me that can burn anything? If it''s really able to burn anything, it also means that it can burn nothing.


    "If that''s the case, it might also be possible to burn that curse." Noel gritted his teeth as the pain kept increasing, and he didn''t know why. But he needed to get a bit more time toplete his thought. "If that''s the case, then¡­ if I can control to burn only the curse¡­"


    Noel''s consciousness started to disappear as he muttered hisst words. "The Celestial Wolf died because¡­no one controlled this me."


    "Haaa¡­ Ha¡­!" Noel started panting heavily when he snapped back to reality.


    "Noel?!" Anna panicked while the others were staring at him worriedly. "What''s wrong? Your body is convulsing like crazy."


    "I am¡­" Noel wanted to assure her, but he couldn''tplete his words. The blood rushed toward his head as he suddenly dropped to his knees. He spat a few mouthfuls of blood. "Geeeh!"


    "Call¡­ Call the prophet!" The overseer hurriedly shouted.


    Anna approached Noel, trying to check on his condition.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    However, Noel grabbed Anna''s arm. He said, "I¡­ might have found a way to remove the curse¡­" before passing out.

 Chapter 1164: Circulation Methods

    "Kh¡­" Noel let out a groan as he gradually opened his eyes. The first thing he found was Anna''s face, which was filled with worries. He also noticed two people next to her.


    "Are you alright?" Anna asked with a soft tone.


    "Mhmm." Noel nodded before his fuzzy eyes shifted toward the two people next to her. The first one was Old Ru, while the second one was the diva.


    "The flow of his energy is normal." Old Ru took a step back.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Noel''s body felt sore. It must be rted to the scabbard, which happened to be sealed back inside the box and left in this room.


    "What happened?" Noel asked with a hoarse tone.


    Anna poured him a ss of water while saying, "You passed out for seven hours. We should be the ones asking you about what happened¡­"


    Noel ced his hand on his forehead. "Right. What happened¡­"


    It took Noel a moment to gather his thoughts. "The curse. I feel like I''m able to do something about it."


    "Are you sure?" The diva leaned forward, her body was still inside a bubble of water that was carried by the spiritual energy.


    "Yeah. The scabbard has been in a dormant state for thest one thousand years. At the same time, it''s also storing energy within it for that long. Even though it''s only superficial, I can utilize the me stored inside that scabbard."


    Anna frowned. "But is your body in a condition to do that?"


    "The reason I passed out was probably because of the overwhelming amount of me stored inside that scabbard. It had been waiting for one thousand years, umting the me that could burn the demon king for good." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "I believe that even though most of the me inside should be used against the demon king, if I extract a bit of its me, I could somehow remove the curse."


    "!!!" Old Ru widened his eyes in shock. It was as he expected, the scabbard was really the answer.


    Noel raised two fingers. "However, there are two problems."


    "What is that?" The diva somehow looked more eager than Old Ru.


    Noel didn''t understand her excitement, but he still exined the reasons. "First of all, my current control over the me is still too low. If I do it right now, I might be able to preserve the person''s life, but I can''t guarantee they will be alright after that.


    "As for the second problem¡­" Noel turned to Old Ru.


    "Me? Do I need to help you?"


    "No." Noel shook his head. "I need Andreas'' ability. If I can identify the so-called ''curse'' in your body, I will be able to erase only that part. If I can get Andreas to help me, I will be able to see the soul and see the difference between our souls to know what I should do."


    "That''s¡­" Old Ru looked down, not being able to make that decision because of their current rtionship.


    Surprisingly, as if he heard their conversation, Andreas suddenly rushed to this room and said, "I''ll do it."


    "!!!" Old Ru widened his eyes in shock. "Are you sure?"


    "If my ability can do something about it, then I''ll do it. This is my family''s wish as well, so I''ll carry their legacy." Andreas nodded with a solemn expression. He must be hurt from learning the truth that had been hidden for so long, yet he resolved himself to face it and even help other people.


    Noel nodded. "If that''s the case, I also need the Force Control to see the difference in the flow of energy, so I can be more urate."


    "I have learned it as well. I might not be able to utilize it as well as my grandfather, but I''m still able to use it."


    "If that problem is solved, I might have a way to solve the first problem." The diva raised a finger. "The Arctic Queen might have the solution."


    "Are you saying¡­" Old Ru frowned.


    "Yeah." The diva nodded. "We''re talking about the curse. If there''s a chance for it to disappear, the Arctic Queen will definitely help. We need her Mind Separation Cirction Method."


    "Mind Separation Cirction Method? What''s that?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.


    Old Ru hesitated for a moment. "The humans are focusing on spirit abilities because they have spirits. However, we don''t have any spirits, so what we''ve been developing is a cirction method. The way to regte your spiritual energy.


    "Force Control is one of those cirction methods. You might only think of it as a technique that is able to boost your recovery, but my old friend made it to increase the metabolism in the body. By amplifying it to a certain extent, he could break past his limit and exert a strength that no one could ever imagine."


    Noel looked surprised. "It seems that our perspectives differ so much that I don''t even think about this."


    "Yeah." Old Ru nodded. "The Arctic Queen''s Cirction Method is known to be able to divide your mind into two. For example, if you think about your me, you first think about activating the fire and setting it to a certain temperature. In other words, you program it one by one, correct?"


    "Indeed."


    "However, the Mind Separation Cirction Method will allow you to divide your mind into two. Instead of forming the fire first before setting it at a certain temperature, you do both of them at the same time. You can basically use your ability twice as fast."


    "I see. So if I use my ability at the same speed, I have more time to think and control my ability the way I want to¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. If that were the case, the technique would be able to improve his control since he had more time, which could be put into more care for his control.


    "Still, everyone has their own unique cirction method. Asking it from someone is the same as asking about their core ability." Old Ru exined with a troubled expression.


    "I understand now." Noel nodded.


    "I''ll find a way to convince her about it." The diva suddenly interrupted them. "And what favor do you want to ask me before?"


    Noel was quite surprised that the diva seemed to be rushing the whole time. He nced at Old Ru.


    Old Ru was also helpless. "I''ll take my leave then."


    Andreas followed him out, leaving only Noel, Anna, and the diva inside the room.


    After some thought, Noel started his exnation. "I''m about to sail across the ocean to a certain ce that we don''t know if it exists yet. The Spirit God told me the direction and the fact that this ce would be a huge help in the fight against the demon king."


    The diva thought for a moment. "So you want me to bring you to that ce?"


    "No. There''s already an agreement with another kingdom. We''ll be using their boat to sail across the ocean. The Spirit God told me that I should ask for your help before going."


    The diva closed her eyes for a moment. "It seems that the Spirit God knows everything. I can escort you there, which will make the trip safer.


    "However, I have a condition. I want to be the first person whose curse gets removed."

 Chapter 1165: Ultimatum

    "I want to be the first person whose curse gets removed."


    "!!!" Noel didn''t expect this request. Normally, the ''first'' person would etch their name in history more than anyone else, but in this scenario, Old Ru and Andreas would be known more than her.


    However, the diva soon added, "I don''t want you to harm anyone else in case something happens. We can do it in water, and I will manipte the water with my spiritual energy so that I can suppress the fire. Among all of them, I believe that the one who has the highest chance of survival is me."


    It might be due to their nature or their animal instinct, but animals were known to have more loyalty than humans.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    In other words, the diva wanted to do it sincerely to help the Beast Kingdom. If the Muivell Kingdom was at least this sincere, he would probably help them be the strongest kingdom.


    Facing such a sincere request, Noel said, "Alright. I can respect that wish."


    If the diva had a spirit, they would have a high chance of reaching this newnd. Besides, the news about her having a spirit would make other processes go smoothly, especially with the other elders.


    The diva nodded. "Well, I do have another reason. And it''s linked to the sea voyage that you''re preparing."


    "Mhmm?" Noel frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "How much do you know about the sea?" The diva asked.


    Noel crossed his arms and looked down, falling into deep thought. "Not so much. I have never seen a sea, but I have an experienced person who can handle the sea to take the helm."


    "You truly don''t know much." The diva shook her head helplessly. "You don''t know anything about the terror of the sea. It''s not just about the water. Have you ever seen the demons living inside the sea?"


    "No."


    "If you look at the sky, you will find flying beasts. Their number is high, but most of them will eventually rest on thend. However, the sea is different. All the living creatures inside will always remain inside the water, growing endlessly.


    "The water pressure will increase the deeper you sink into the ocean. That makes it hard fornd living creatures to even invade the sea. The same applies to the sea creatures, but this is not the main problem.


    "We have numerous threats on thend while the sea creatures are just fighting among themselves. The demons grow stronger and stronger."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. They were thinking about the same thing. "Are you saying that the demons are much stronger than the ones we see onnd?"


    "Yes. More importantly, you won''t be able to move freely in the water. By using that to their advantage, it won''t be wrong to say that several superior demons could actually kill you. That''s why I need spirits. Even if I''m equal to them right now, the sea creatures are simply overwhelming in number.


    "And that''s only the sea creatures on the surface level. The sea floor is actually much deeper than the tallest mountain you can find right now. The sea is also extremely vast, much bigger than thend.


    "With the pressure increasing as you go deeper, the more terrifying monsters will reside in it."


    "Demon kings?" Noel''s heart skipped a beat.


    "I can''t rule out that possibility. Even right now, I have led my people to rule a small part of the ocean. However, I can''t go much further due to their overall strength being much stronger than my own.


    "Getting the spirits will increase our advantage, but I don''t know how effective it will be. You definitely can''t underestimate the sea. I''ll try to help you if I get the spirit, but even then, I might not have the necessary strength to handle everything."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing all that information. He had never thought that the threat from the sea was actually much more terrifying than the ones they had onnd. However, the sea hadn''t done anything this whole time, probably because they couldn''t live on thend.


    However, what if they coulde to thend? It might still be far in the future, but he had to consider this threat very seriously.


    The diva nodded. "Any way, you cane to me if you have any questions about the sea. I''ll try to answer every question with my knowledge. If you don''t have any questions, I will take my leave to persuade the Arctic Queen."


    Since Noel didn''t say anything, the diva chose to leave, giving him time to properly consider what he had just learned.


    Anna, who had been silent until now, looked at Noel with a grim expression. "If what we heard just now was true, then it''s not time for our littlepetition. We''ll focus all our resources so that you can reach the next stage.


    "I know that you''re going to find any arguments to stop it, but I don''t like arguments, so I''ll just give you an ultimatum. A dead Noel is a good Noel. That''s what the demons are thinking. If you''re dead, it''s over.


    "For me, a living Noel is a good Noel. I want you to continue living. We can create morepetitions for both of us if we still live, but we can''t do that if we''re dead.


    "I know how much you want me to reach the spirit king stage as well, but this is not the time for that. If you think it''s unfair, then protect me from that demon king. After all, you can fight that demon king while I''m able to move our troops to take down millions of demons.


    "If you think it that way, my achievement will be equal to yours in that war. No, if the demon army threatens tens of millions of lives in the kingdoms, people will revere me more. In other words, I can still win against you.


    "Hence, I''m warning you. If you reject me again, I''ll do anything I can to be pregnant and end thispetition right away. Besides, it seems that you''re underestimating me too much. Do you think I''m so weak that I need your pity for the sake of fairness?


    "Just sit there and consider it carefully, I''ll have my own way to win against you." After giving that warning, Anna walked away, leaving Noel stunned in the room.


    It seemed that she had thought about it carefully before giving it to the winner. She already had a solution in mind.


    The first thing she did after exiting the room was visit Old Ru, who was currently sitting with Andreas.


    "Old Ru." Anna lowered her head. "I know that this is shameless of me, but I have a request. We''ll probably stay here for a month. During that time, would you be so kind to spar with me and also teach me more about the cirction method? I''ll try to create my own cirction method."

 Chapter 1166: Noels Decision

    "This is hard." Noel let out a long sigh as heid down again, staring at the ceiling. "If I absorb the ancient demon crystal, it means that I can be a good husband and strong fighter. However, this will be unfair for a rival.


    "If I don''t absorb the crystal, I will be a strong fighter and fair rival, but I won''t be a good husband."


    After marriage, he tried to bnce everything, but in the end, it didn''t work out. "Then again, I can''t reallyin after what happened during the battle against the ancient demon spider."


    Noel fell silent for a moment. "My father has taught me a lot about life''s principles, but he hasn''t taught me anything about being a father and a husband. I should probably ask my grandfather about this. But for now¡­"


    Noel abruptly stopped and raised his head a bit more, staring at the window next to the bed. There was a ''cat'' sticking on the window, her eyes staring at him intensely as if wanting something.


    "What are you doing here, Em¡­ Phantom?"


    She opened the windows skillfully from the inside using her spiritual energy. Sheined, "Why is it only the diva-nya?! Why is that fish getting a special treatment from the Spirit God-nya?! I want it too-nya!"


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He wanted to shout back at this cat, but the other party was an elder. Then again, why would an elder be this childish and yful?


    "It just happens that the diva is more suitable for this. You don''t have to think hard about this." Noel shook his head helplessly while rising from the bed.


    "Then why is that fish allowed to be the first one to get the spirit-nya? It''s not fair. It''s not fair-nya!"N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ''Why is this person so annoying?'' Noel said, "Well, I don''t even know what you can do. Besides, can you even do anything under the water?"


    "I love to eat fish-nya! I can do a lot of things, like roaming around-nya!"


    Now that he thought about it, she was the one who discovered them right as soon as his group reached the sanctuary.


    Could he actually use this? Considering this person''s annoying and yful nature, he might be able to take advantage of her. He said, "Anyway, it''s going to be dangerous. I don''t even have any assurance that everything will go perfectly fine."


    "It''s fine-nya! I won''t die-nya!" She pumped her chest proudly.


    Noel wondered if this was alright or not, but he might be able to appease Anna with this. He said, "Well, I don''t know if I should ask you about this or not¡­"


    "What is it-nya? Give me anything. I''m more useful than anyone else-nya!" She was staring at him with shining eyes.


    "Actually, we thought that Old Ru''s request would only take a week at most. We would spend the remaining three weeks to hunt some demons, especially ancient demons. Not only can we reduce their number so that the demon king won''t have a lot of them in the future fight, but also so that we can absorb the crystals to reach the spirit king.


    "But from the looks of it, we can''t do that since I have to focus on mastering a cirction method that can help me erase the curse.


    "Besides, this request ends up causing a small problem for me and my wife. This will probably be the only way to appease her''s anger. Besides, who is not curious to test their new might against a worthy opponent?"


    "!!!" The phantom''s expression brightened as if she had just gotten what she wanted. "So if I can find the ancient demons, you will erase my curse-nya?"


    "Even if you don''t, I''ll help you as well. I have promised them to help after all."


    "No, no. I want to be the next in line-nya!"


    "Fine, fine. I can promise that, but I''m warning you that it might be dangerous!"


    "Nyahahaha!" She patted Noel back repeatedly whileughing. "You are my person now-nya! Wait, I mean, you are a good person-nya! I''ll be going first!"


    In an instant, she just disappeared.


    Noel was taken aback by her appearance. She just came and left as she pleased. And there was a chance that she was just faking her behavior to get some information from him.


    However, the only reason Noel told her about it was because of that high point in the Affection Medal. Since she regarded him quite highly, it didn''t seem that she would backstab him or something even if she told the others about the request.


    Meanwhile, if the phantom could really find an ancient demon, he could give Anna a chance to fight it as he originally promised. After that, he absorbed the demon crystal in front of her to show his answer.


    "I guess this is the only way." Noel sighed. "If I manage to defeat the demon king, we canpete with each other all we want. If we fail, we won''t be alive topete with each other.


    "Still, Mind Separation Cirction Method, huh? It allows me to do things twice as fast, but that''s because the Arctic Queen doesn''t have a spirit¡­ let alone two spirits.


    "If I have this cirction method, can I do something a bit different with two spirits, specifically two elements?" Noel couldn''t find the answer until he understood the method itself. "In my previous life, had I gone to this ce? Doesn''t seem likely¡­ since Old Ru had given me a condition to be a Spirit Transcendence first.


    "In other words, because I''m fasterpared to my previous life, the options are opening up." Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "And Force Control can actually increase the metabolism, huh? I wonder what will happen to someone who has two cirction methods?


    "Can I actually use both of them because I have two spirits?"


    Unfortunately, that answer went to Anna instead. Old Ru asked, "Creating a cirction method will take a long time. There are some basic cirction methods, which you can use to create your own, but the fastest one here still requires ten years.


    It''s not that I doubt your talent, but even if you can do it fast, it will definitely still take at least five years¡­ this is my opinion after increasing my expectations beyond my own imagination."


    "But¡­" Anna protested. This was the only way for her to get stronger.


    "Instead of creating your own method, you should use that time to learn my cirction method. Besides, he should have taught you the Force Control, right?"


    "Yes. I don''t know Force Control is a cirction method."


    "That''s why I want you to think about this¡­ There''s a high chance that you will be able to do something that has never happened in this kingdom. To have two cirction methods!"


    "!!!" Anna and Andreas widened their eyes. Andreas asked, "Is that even possible?"


    "She might be able to do it. It wasn''t because of her talent, but¡­" Old Ru lowered his head, his gaze shifting to the de.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Anna raised her de.


    "I think you understand it now. Your main body can use the Force Control Cirction Method. It will raise your strength beyond your limit. And my cirction method has a calm and smooth flow, which will be beneficial for that soul. From what I heard, that raging lightninges from the spirit, correct?


    "By using my cirction method, it''s possible to actually control that raging thunderpletely. And if you''re thinking about getting a new body, due to the nature of this cirction method, the spiritual energy can harmonize with the new body easier.


    "Not to mention that this is also a way for me to prolong my life. Even though I''m looking like this, I''m already 250 years old. I''m already 100 years past my life expectancy.


    "Besides, training here will also help Andreas'' progress." Old Ru smiled. He nced at Andreas first before asking Anna. "So¡­ do you want to learn it?"

 Chapter 1167: Agreement

    This time, Noel, the diva, and the Arctic Queen were sitting on the same table.


    The Arctic Queen was staring at him intensely with those golden and blue eyes. Noel was a bit surprised to find her eye colors were different from one another.


    "I understand about the idea. In order to increase your control, getting more time to be more careful of your control will definitely be beneficial. And at this stage, I don''t think we arecking control.


    "I personally don''t have any problems if you need my cirction method if it can truly help you in removing the curse. However, I do have two things to say.


    "First of all, I want to be allowed to witness the process for the diva. And the second thing is that I want to see the human civilization."


    "!!!" Noel was shocked by the second condition. "The first condition is simple, but the second condition¡­"


    "You don''t have to think much about it. I know what it means for someone of my caliber to enter the human kingdoms¡­ I only want to see what kind of civilization you have and the difference between us.


    "I don''t mind if you put a surveince on me. Or if you need my help, as long as it won''t affect this ce, I can do it."


    The first condition was simple. Noel could easily agree, but the second condition was the same as tipping the power bncepletely.


    The Muivell Kingdom had two Spirit Transcendence Experts not long ago. That bnce changed after Noel and Anna reached that stage. They weren''t aware of it yet, but they would definitely figure it out sooner orter.


    If he added the Arctic Queen, it meant that his territory had three Spirit Transcendence Experts. Even if the royal family joined hands with the Demon Banner Army, they might still not be able to defeat him.


    It would create a power imbnce, and the royal family might use it to im him to n a rebellion. At the same time, if people knew about hering from the Beast Kingdom, it would definitely cause an even bigger problem.


    However, Noel couldn''t dismiss this tempting offer easily either. With the royal family colluding with the Supreme Devil Organization to create an expert that was strong enough to overpower other grandmasters, the Arctic Queen''s help would definitely solve this trouble.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "The prophet would be busy from now on to help his grandson. And he won''t probably go back with you. As a result, I can use it to hide all these parts."


    That wasn''t a problem was what Noel wanted to say. If she was only a grandmaster, he could easily ept this condition.


    Even if the grandmasters couldn''t sense her true power, those who were of the same rank would definitely sense it. No, even those who were close at that power, such as his grandfather or Duke Lorelei, might be able to realize her true power.


    "I know that this is not an easy decision. But you might want to decide it soon since you have a limited amount of time to learn my cirction method."


    When the Arctic Queen stood up, Noel waved his hand as if telling her that he had made a decision.


    "I have three conditions though." Noel raised three fingers. "First of all, I want to make sure that you are only trying to learn the human civilization, correct? How do you n to do it?"


    "How do you suggest I learn it?"


    "If I give you someone who can exin it, is it enough?"


    "If you can add reading books and probably moving around¡­"


    "I can give you a lot of books. But your movement will be severely restricted. You can probably move around to other cities, but you probably need to be a bodyguard so as to avoid raising suspicions. While I can give you a bit of freedom, if it''s bringing trouble, I might have no choice but to hunt you down personally."


    The Arctic Queen would definitely not like this threat, but surprisingly, she replied without hesitation, "Alright. What are the other conditions?"


    "Do you think it''s possible to fully master your cirction method within a month?"


    "Ah." The Arctic Queen nodded. "Since I''m with you, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."


    "And I also want to learn more about this kingdom."


    "I don''t mind." The Arctic Queen actually agreed without hesitation.


    "In that case, thest condition is about your situation. You can''t show that you are a transcendent unless it''s necessary. At least, shows that you''re only a grandmaster¡­ ehm, I don''t know if we''re using the same measurement. Maybe show the strength simr to the kings in this country."


    "I''m fine if I''m being treated as a normal citizen as long as I''m not humiliated or anything."


    "In that case, to hide your real identity, we might need a spirit. While some humans can gain strength without awakening their spirits, they can''t reach that far without one. As a result, most masters and all grandmasters have spirits in their bodies."


    "I see. I understand. I''ll also remove my curse. It will also help me since I can learn directly about spirits from you or anyone who is experienced with it."


    "Alright. We''ve got a deal." Noel nodded with a solemn expression.


    The Arctic Queen then turned to the diva. The diva nodded. "Alright. I''ll take my leave." Her spiritual energy started carrying the water sphere that enveloped her body.


    "Please follow me. There is a more suitable ce for this training. It''s going to be a bit far on the north."


    Noel just agreed with her. After telling Anna that he would go to the north for training, she just nodded her head, saying that she also nned to train here with Old Ru.


    The Arctic Queen actually brought him very far to the north. The temperature decreased drastically. It took more than twelve hours to reach this ce, and surprisingly, it was still snowing in this area even though the spring had arrived.


    This ce was so cold that he thought this area was in the middle of winter.


    "What is this ce?" Noel asked, considering the Arctic Queen stopped after reaching this field buried with snow.


    "This will be a perfect ce for training. Are you ready for it?"


    "Yeah." Noel nodded. "I won''tin no matter how hard it is since I only have a month to be here."


    "In that case, we''ll use the most extreme method." The Arctic Queen nodded in understanding. Suddenly, her gaze became sharp as she raised her voice. "Strip!"

 Chapter 1168: Training

    Noel was meditating in the middle of a snow field.


    "It seems that you can withstand the cold." The Arctic Queen squinted her eyes. "Mind Separation. While the concept is simple, the process is not. Try to circte your energy in the opposite direction.


    "Let the energy in your right body flow to the left side of your body, while the energy in the left side of your body flows downwards."


    Noel tried to do it. Because of his habit, the flow gradually turned into a vortex in a counter-clockwise direction.


    "That''s not how you''re supposed to do it. Create two individual flows that, even if they touch each other, they won''t merge."


    Noel''s eyebrows twitched. He followed her instruction, but the moment the energy from the right side touched the energy on the left side, it ended up fusing with each other and creating a single flow.


    "Imagine this snow is built up inside your body. Using it as a bridge to avoid that flow."


    ''A bridge?'' Noel was a bit confused. He thought a wall would suffice, but when he tried creating a wall, the flow from the right simply got blockedpletely. "¡­"Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Noticing the messed-up flow of energy in Noel''s body, the Arctic Queen raised her voice. "A bridge!"


    Noel fell silent, wondering how to do this. A bridge was good, but it would be hard to create a bridge. After all, if there was just a single drop of that energy touching the other, it would definitely get linked to the other.


    Even so, he still tried to do it. He tried to block all the flow with a ''wall,'' which forced the energy to flow to the top of the energy that went downward.


    As he predicted, the energy ended up touching each other due to its nature being simr to gas instead of liquid.


    "The veins are like tunnels in your body," the Arctic Queen added.


    When she mentioned veins, Noel suddenly realized something.


    ''Instead of creating a bridge, should I just use my veins to let the energy flow? Like a water pipe¡­'' Noel tried this method. He was having a hard time since the veins had to be istedpletely.


    Still, it was much easier than to make an imaginary bridge. He then encountered a problem. The veins in his body ended up getting connected to each other. If he let the energy flow to that vein and reached the other one, there would be no stopping it.


    But he got another idea.


    ''How about using that wall to block the veins leading to that section?''


    Noel tried to block them. It was a bit hard to control the moving veins, but he managed to do it after a few tries.


    However, the flow of energy was soon disrupted again.


    "!!!" Noel''s body shook. The problem this time came from the flow that went downward. There was an influx of energy that ended up disrupting the flow that went to the right.


    The veins'' position might cause the energy that went to the right to not enter it, but the same couldn''t be said for the other one.


    ''No. I should be able to handle it. If I block it as well¡­'' When he blocked that path, he realized that another wall had disappeared.


    "Kh." Noel gritted his teeth. When he just focused on this one, the other disappeared. He had to maintain his focus on both of them at the same time.


    Due to the difference in flow, he had to split his mind to do it.


    ''Is that the essence of this cirction method? To train my consciousness to split its focus¡­''


    Noel fell silent for a moment. ''Normally, if I want to use my elements, the energy will be influenced by that element. When I infuse another element, it''ll just sh with each other. As a result, I can''t use my two elements at the same time.


    ''But if I can separate them like this, it''s possible to use two elements at the same time. And I now understand that I can split my focus so that one can emphasize speed while the other one remains on the element.


    ''I can realize this easily, but that''s because the Arctic Queen teaches me about it. I can''te up with such an idea on my own.''


    As if seeing through his mind, the Arctic Queen said, "It seems that you have found out the true meaning of my cirction method. However, don''t becent yet.


    "What you touch right now is only the tip of the iceberg. It''ll be increasingly difficult once you add elements, abilities, or even your transcendence power. And you have to be able to control the energy flow in all directions.


    "And that''s only for the inner part¡­ For you toplete this basic training, you will need to control this snowfall using your spiritual energy. That''s why this is a perfect ce for you."


    "I see." Noel''s eyes remained closed. But he finally understood the training she was talking about. There was one question though. "But is it necessary for me to go without clothes? I mean, I can endure this freezing temperature because of my spirit, but I can''t see the reason for this in the training."


    "Ahem." The Arctic Queen looked away, causing Noel to open his eyes and find her embarrassed face. She said, "This is just for me to learn human anatomy. I need to see the difference between you and other people in this kingdom."


    "¡­"


    ¡­


    In another part of the kingdom, Andreas was roaring. "Graaaahhhhh!" His eyes turned bloodshot as all the fur on his body were standing. His energy burst out of his body in an explosive manner.


    Not far from him was Anna, who was doing the same.


    "Khhhh!" Anna''s reaction was milder. However, unlike Andreas, who was releasing pure spiritual energy, there were some lightning sparks urring in her energy.


    "What are you doing? You can''t release your element. This Cirction Method is to break your physical limit, so it can''t get influenced by your spirit or its element." Old Ru shouted before turning to Andreas. "You too! Don''t get taken over by the cirction method! Keep your rage under control."


    And they were not the only ones who got berated by Old Ru. He turned his head to the other side while tossing a small pebble to the sword. "You too! Don''t fall asleep! I know howfortable my cirction method is, but that''s for you to resist thatfort!"


    Now that Old Ru had decided to be sincere in their training, even the original Anna, who was residing in the sword, wasn''t spared from his Spartan training.

 Chapter 1169: Cleansing

    25 dayster.


    Anna was standing in the middle of a field by herself. She was regting her breathing for a while. The wind was calm and the atmosphere was peaceful.


    As Anna opened her eyes, she released a burst of her energy. With a loud "Hap!" the energy turned explosive as her eyes turned bloodshot.


    The energy was so powerful that it cracked the ground in twenty meters radius just from the sheer pressure.


    Her right foot stepped forward, stomping the ground and turning the cracked ground into a crater. After that, she threw a punch with her left fist.


    The torrential explosive energy flew forth, crashing to the ground and expanding the crater.


    After that, she grabbed the sword with her spiritual energy. Then she turned to the boulder located a hundred meters from her.


    Anna drew her sword at lightning speed, shooting out the explosive energy in a crescent form.


    When it hit the rock, the spiritual energy cut the rock instead of crushing it. Multiple sparks urred on the cut surfaces. However, the lightning soon overwhelmed the rock and ended up shattering it into pieces.


    "¡­" Anna looked disappointed when she saw that result.


    "We failed again, huh?" The Original Anna frowned.


    "It should be me. It seemed that the explosive power was a bit too much. If I toned it down a bit, it might work."


    "No. I was the one who couldn''t control the lightning." The original Anna harrumphed.


    If one took a closer look at the rubbles, there were actually multiple scorch marks. Instead of the earth-shattering lightning, this lightning could be calm and only release its mighty heat. It couldn''t happen without Old Ru''s cirction method that calmed down the lightning.


    "We both need to get stronger or we won''t survive against the demon king." Anna''s expression turned solemn.


    "You better keep your promise once we''re done with the demon king."


    "Of course. I''ll definitely find a body for you and let you live like a normal person. In fact, with all the techniques you learn, it won''t be weird if you be a powerhouse after that."N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "As long as you remember." The original Anna nodded. "Still, isn''t he taking too long?"


    "No. He should be back today if I know him correctly. He will need two days to sort out everything and another two days to go back." Anna shook her head.


    As she said, the Arctic Queen walked toward Noel, who was still meditating in the snowy field.


    She couldn''t help but feel a bit shocked with what she found. The snow had two directions, one side fell to the left while the other fell to the right, creating a small spot in the middle where the snow didn''t fall.


    However, the snow wasn''t the only thing that changed. The wind was also blowing in two separate directions.


    ''This is so cold-nya!" The phantom nced at the Arctic Queen while asking, "The training is over, right? We could go back right now, right-nya?!"


    "I thought that it was impossible for him to reach this stage in less than a month. But I never thought he not only aplished it but also surpassed it." The Arctic Queen''s expression turned solemn.


    As if noticing their presence, Noel gradually opened his eyes while maintaining the cirction method.


    He stood up and started walking toward them. His pace was slow, but the Arctic Queen couldn''t help but feel astonished. "You can even do it while doing other things."


    Noel let out a long sigh as everything returned to normal. "It''s a bit hard, but it''s doable right now. However, I don''t think I can use it on high-speed battles yet."


    "It takes time. It''s already amazing that you''re able to do it in less than a month."


    "I don''t have a lot of time." Noel shook his head helplessly. Not only was he busy with his job as the lord, but he also had a lot of opponents. That was why he didn''t have a lot of time. "Anyway, is everything ready?"


    "Yes. That fish has been waiting for you-nya!" She pouted. "Also, also¡­ I have found ancient demons. Not just one, but two-nya! You have to keep your promise-nya!"


    Noel chuckled. "Haha. I know, I know. For now, we should remove the curse first. I don''t have much time left here. For now, if the first treatment is sessful, I will probably remove the curses for all elders right now.


    When I have time, I will do more."


    "I''ve conveyed that intention. After some considerations, we''re thinking about giving that chance to five elders: me, this cat, Venom Overlord, Diva, and Vampire. The gluttony showed no interest in it. Instead, how about giving that chance to the overseer as well as a king? The Buffalo King had guided you here, so we could reward him that way.


    "In addition, the Buffalo King could easily lead you back outside. How is it?" The Arctic Queen asked.


    "Is the Buffalo King here?"


    "Yes. We have called him to reward him. If you don''t agree, we''ll reward him with something else."


    "In that case, let''s do it. I''ve been simting the process in my head in thest five days. If nothing goes wrong, the process won''t take more than two hours per person."


    "Alright. I''ll inform them-nya!" The phantom disappeared first. Meanwhile, Noel and the Arctic Queen returned together.


    He was guided back to the hall. They had removed the table and chairs to create an open space. The Overseer, the five elders, Andreas, and Anna had been waiting for him and the Arctic Queen. The only one missing was the Buffalo King, but it was probably because the overseer was here. Even Andreas only heard about him from the rumor after all.


    Noel then shifted his gaze to the side. There was a pool of water on the side so that the diva could use it to suppress the fire.


    "Is there anything you need?" Old Ru asked.


    "No. We can begin right away. This will be the treatment process. I''ll use the fire to cleanse the soul, then the blood. Andreas will help me with his soul ability and Force Control for both the soul and blood. It''ll be painful since you''re going to be burned from the inside.


    After it''s over, I''ll move the me outside your body. Any questions?"


    "No." The diva moved to the center. "I''m ready."

 Chapter 1170: A New Spirit

    Noel was sitting behind the Diva while Andreas held her hand.


    After a nod from Old Ru and the overseer, Noel signaled Andreas. "Soul."


    Andreas nodded and activated his ability. The diva''s soul gradually left her body, revealing its true form. As expected, the soul was not pure blue in color. Instead, there were purple dots everywhere, as if it were a sign of corruption.


    Still, this was only the projection of the diva''s soul. The real soul was inside her body.


    Noel closed his eyes, remembering all those spots. After that, he ced his hands on the diva''s back and began to channel his spiritual energy.


    He was tracing her body to make sure he marked everything perfectly. Then he began to mark her organs as well as her metabolism.


    It might be due to the training for the Separation Mind Cirction Method, but he could actually spread his spiritual energy much easier in her body.


    Old Ru and Andreas were able to get their spirits because their entire body was on fire. That was what he was nning to do as well, but in a controlled manner.


    The marking alone took more than fifteen minutes.


    "Huu¡­It''s going to be painful from this point onward." Noel warned her.


    As soon as the diva nodded her head, he picked up the scabbard. With a wave of his spiritual energy, the me came out of the scabbard and circled around Noel''s arm.


    Little by little, Noel''s spiritual energy guided the me inside her body.


    "Kh." The diva was already gritting her teeth, even though only a bit of the me entered her body.


    Even then, it was the Undying me. Having it inside one body would feel like they were melting from the inside.


    "Aaaggggghhh!" The diva''s body was convulsing. Her body started to redden as if she were steamed from the inside.


    "Endure it. Only half of the amount needed has entered."N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    The diva couldn''t respond to him, but she was doing her best to endure the scorching pain.


    "Andreas. Get ready to use the Force Control to repair her damaged inner parts. Follow closely behind my me."


    Andreas nodded with a grim expression.


    "Aaaagggghhhh!" She was screaming in pain, her body was convulsing uncontrobly. Her skin was red, but the me was finally inside her body.


    "Now! Use your power!" Noel shouted, signaling the diva to use her power to cover her body in


    "Aggghhhh!" She kept screaming and started writhing. Noel''s miscalcted the pain that they would endure.


    Even the others looked worried because this was the first time they saw the diva in so much pain. She couldn''t even release her own spiritual energy.


    "Tsk!" Noel gritted his teeth. He had two choices. If the diva couldn''t use her spiritual energy, he had to stop the treatment right away since nothing was cooling her body down. At the same time, it would be extremely dangerous if he pulled away now since it would leave a burning mark simr to Old Ru''s body.


    "We need to cool her down!" Noel shouted. As much as he wanted to use his ice element, which was already possible due to the Mind Separation Cirction Method, he still needed to focus on the fire. If he used his ice, the treatment would be over.


    They panicked, thinking that something had gone wrong. Meanwhile, Anna was the first one to react. She immediately extended her spiritual energy toward the pool on the side.


    She used her spiritual energy, which, while not as good as the diva, was still enough to envelop her body with the water.


    "I will help you!" Old Ru saw Anna''s effort and hurriedly used his own spiritual energy to reinforce the wobbling bubble.


    Even the other elders released their own spiritual energy.


    As expected, water started evaporating after making contact with her body. However, her body''s temperature gradually decreased due to the water.


    Noel''s expressions began to rx a bit. The most crucial step was over, and the long war had begun. "Andreas. Follow me!"


    Noel began to circte his me all around her body, starting from her back to her left arm. Then he moved to her legs before eventually reaching the right arm.


    The process was carefully done as he maintained both the intensity of the me as well as the temperature. The diva hadn''t stopped screaming this whole time. Fortunately, she didn''t pass out.


    Andreas continued repairing the damaged inner parts, from muscle to nerves, with his Force Control.


    Once the four limbs were done, Noel began moving toward the head, which was the most crucial.


    "Aaaahhhhh!" The diva''s scream became even louder as she started clutching her head as if begging Noel to stop.


    "We need more water!" Old Ru shouted, noticing that all the water had be warm, which wouldn''t be effective to cool her down.


    "I will get it!" the Venom Overlord hurriedly rushed out.


    "I will help you!" the Arctic Queen followed right after.


    "Andreas! Keep up!" Noel shouted.


    "Yes!" Andreas had a hard time because his mastery over the Force Control was still a bit too low. However, he managed to catch up, albeit barely.


    After that, Noel began to move downward and spread the me to her upper body, burning all the tainted parts in her organs, blood, and all innards.


    This was the most crucial step. The Arctic Queen and the Venom Overlord had returned with a huge bubble of water.


    "We''ll rece the water!" They shouted.


    "Good. Get ready!" Old Ru nodded with a solemn expression.


    "Not yet! I''m about to finish and pull out my me. If you do that, it will cause a steam explosion. Also, get ready to release your control over the water!" Noel shouted back.


    They froze on the spot and had no choice but to follow Noel''s instruction.


    Noel was trying to feel the blood cirction to make sure everything disappeared. As soon as he was done, Noel signaled. "Now! Release your control!"


    All of them retracted their spiritual energy, causing the bubble that cooled down her body to fall to the floor.


    After that, Noel pulled his hand back as the me gradually emerged from her body as though it were being extracted.


    "Andreas. We''re going to repair the damage on her upper body together. The rest of you will use the fresh water to cool down her body!"


    They all nodded.


    However, before they could react, water starteding out of the diva''s body.


    "!!!" All the elders widened their eyes in shock while Anna pointed at the diva''s belly. "Look. That is a spirit mark!"


    There was a symbol with a mermaid symbol on her belly. It was releasing the energy from the diva body in the form of water.


    The red skin was actually getting peeled off, blood leaked out of all those wounds. This would be bad if it continued, but to their surprise, the peeled skin recovered just two secondster as if the water held a healing attribute.


    Even Noel and Andreas noticed that her innards were recovering at much faster speed than their Force Control.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. He immediately ordered, "Stop doing anything to her. It seems that her spirit is helping with her recovery."


    Noel grabbed Andreas and pulled him back as they watched the waterpletely cover her body.


    The recovery was so fast that it could be seen by naked eyes. In just a minute, the bubble disappeared, showing the diva''s original appearance as if nothing had happened. The only difference was the spirit mark on her belly.


    "Is it done?" Old Ru asked.


    The overseer gulped down, approaching the diva.


    "I think it''s done." Noel nodded.


    As soon as he gave the confirmation, Old Ru came to the diva to check her condition. "Her spiritual energy is flowing normally. No, it feels more robust and brimming with vitality."


    As he said those words, the diva let out a small moan while gradually opening her eyes.

 Chapter 1171: Working Together

    The diva gradually opened her eyes, meeting the curious stares from the others. She didn''t realize what was happening to her body after a spirit mark appeared.


    "How are you feeling?" Old Ru asked, still circting his energy into her body to check her condition.


    "Right now¡­ I feel refreshed." The diva looked down, falling into deep thought. She turned to Noel and lowered her head. "I''m sorry. I couldn''t do anything earlier."


    He had a hard time because she was unable to use her spiritual energy to cool herself down, so the least she could do was apologize.


    "It''s fine. Tell me everything. I don''t think the pain was the only one, right?"


    "Mhmm." The diva nodded. "At the beginning, it was indeed painful¡­ No, I felt like being burned from the inside, my organs were melting, my blood was evaporating, and my muscles were scorching. I couldn''t really describe the pain.


    "I don''t know if anyone could handle it, but I definitely was able to hold on for a while. However, once you started circting the me around my body, I felt like there was another source of energy entering my body.


    "My mind split into two, one was my consciousness that endured the pain, the other one was like a dream. Inside, I met a mermaid, simr to me.


    "She said she was a spirit who governed water. Unlike any other waters, this water had the ability to enhance recovery. While it could give some boost in my power, its main feature would remain the same.


    "After talking to her for a bit, she ended it by saying that she would be my spirit. She also told me that spirits were not chosen, not from either side, but were destined due to ourpatibility.


    "After that, the pain subsided. I could feel that the spirit was controlling my spiritual energy at thest moment, saying it was a gift of a first meeting. Then I woke up."


    Noel thought for a moment while Anna said, "That sounds like a conversation with a spirit. And I''m assuming that after the moment she said she would be your spirit was when the spirit mark appeared.


    "And that gift was the water that we saw earlier, aiding your recovery." Anna crossed her arms.


    "Spirit mark?" The diva was a little confused, but she noticed that people were staring at her stomach. It was there she found the tattoo. "Is this the spirit mark?"


    "Yes."


    "I see. I finally have the spirit¡­" The diva muttered. She felt relieved that everything went ording to n. The diva bowed to Noel. "Thank you for removing my curse."


    Noel shook his head. "If only my control was better, you might not even feel any pain. The only way to solve this was probably if I reached the next stage."Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I can aid you with this new power."


    "I know." Noel turned to Old Ru and the overseer. "As you have seen, I can probably help the high-level people because they have a stronger mentality and durability. If I do this for others, they might end up dying.


    "However, because I''ve cleansed everything, including your bloodline, the generations after you will definitely be free from this curse as well."


    "I see. So you want us to wait until you reach that stage?" The overseer pondered.


    "Doesn''t that mean you''re going to face the demon king first?" Old Ru asked for confirmation.


    "Yes. This is the only solution as well as my determination." Noel''s expression was solemn. If they wanted to remove the curse for the entire beast kingdom, they would need him alive.


    Of course, the Beast Kingdom had the intention to fight the demon king. However, Noel''s action was just forcing them to get involved more deeply.


    There was also a high chance that if they failed, not only would their kingdom be destroyed, Noel would also die. In other words, there would be no one who had the power to remove their curse.


    But if they didn''t take this chance, they might not be able to erase the curse for generations toe.


    The overseer nced at the elders.


    "I personally don''t see a reason to reject." The Venom Overlord smiled wryly. "The demon king is a being that will definitely destroy not only those humans but also us. Even the record said that the humans helped us when we were attacked by the demon king''s army, right? And that was the reason why the humans suffered a great loss, including the grandmander."


    "I also don''t see a problem. If we''re going to be destroyed, it''s better to fight back." The Vampire nodded in agreement before raising his hand. "But can I dy this removal thing? I can wait until he reaches the next stage."


    "Yes. I think that''s a good idea." The Phantom somehow agreed with him, scared of the intense pain that rendered the diva unable to do anything. Her face was so pale that she even forgot to add ''-nya'' at the end.


    "What''s wrong? Are you two scared?" The Arctic Queen smirked from behind before pushing the Phantom. "By the way, you''re next, right, Phantom?"


    "Wait. I think it''s fine if I don''t do it right now-nya!"


    "Promise is a promise." The Venom Overlord added while wrapping his arm around the Vampire''s back to prevent him from escaping.


    "I wonder if I should aid this sneaky cat? I believe she is strong, right? At least she is boasting that she has nine lives like in the legend."


    The Phantom''s face turned white.


    The overseer finally made a decision. "I understand. In that case, this will be our stance. We''ll prepare ourselves for war against the demon king, aiding our human friends. After this, the Diva will aid him to a certain destination and ensure his safety until he''s back."


    The diva nodded.


    "Then, the Arctic Queen will follow him, helping him with all the necessary tasks. The Venom Overlord will work together with the Gluttony to prepare our army. The Vampire and the Prophet will search all our records to find all information about the demon king, especially its weaknesses.


    "The Buffalo King would serve as an example so that the people can ept living with the spirits."


    Now that the overseer had given the order, all of them went on one knee, saying the same thing. "As youmand."


    The overseer turned to Noel and stated, "This is our resolve."


    Noel''s expression was solemn. "We won''t lose."


    "I heard that you were locating some ancient demons recently, Phantom." The overseer asked.


    "Yes. It was his request-nya," the Phantom confirmed.


    "Yes. Considering there were two of them, I was thinking about letting her fight one." Noel pointed at Anna. "And the elders would definitely like to try their new power. But because you hadn''t gotten used to it yet, wouldn''t it be better to work together to take the other one down? This would also weaken the potential army of the demon king."


    They didn''t have any objections. The Arctic Queen pushed the Phantom from behind while saying yfully, "To do that, we need to remove this curse first. Now, now. It''s your turn now, Phantom!"


    "W-Wait. N-Nyoooaaa!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs.

 Chapter 1172: Fighting the Ancient Demon

    "It seems that everyone is ready." Noel turned to the others. The Venom Overlord, the Phantom, and the Arctic Queen had decided to help. It was probably because her main power didn''t lie in the battle that the diva chose to remain in the sanctuary. The Vampire was just toozy to move because it wasn''t night.


    Hence, the subjugation team consisted of five Spirit Transcendence: Noel, Anna, and the three elders.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "We''ll be securing all four directions while Anna takes down the ancient demon. After that, the Buffalo King will sweep in to take care of their corpses. Once we''re done with the first one, the three elders will be taking down the second ancient demon. Is there any objection?"


    "It''s not an objection, but I do have a question." The Venom Overlord''s expression was serious. "Are you sure you don''t need anything else other than the ancient demon crystals? While we do need some crystals, most of us here don''t seem to be able to improve anymore from absorbing them. How about you take the crystals from peak level demons and superior demons as well?"


    "That''s¡­" Noel felt like he would be taking too much since the other party helped them in the fight.


    "No need to hesitate. The demon meats alone can feed the territory a lot, let alone the materials. Just getting those materials is enough for us."


    "I''ll just take the superior demon crystals." Noel decided to agree.


    "That sounds good enough." The Venom Overlord nodded.


    "That''s the ancient demon-nya!" The Phantom pointed forward.


    All of them shifted their gaze, finding a grizzly bear in the distance. The grizzly bear was colossal. Its height reached ten meters, but if it stood up, it would go as high as 50 meters.


    While it wasn''t as big as the spider, Noel and Anna could sense an enormous amount of spiritual energying from its body.


    It seemed that the ancient demon bear had sensed their presence. It bulldozed everything in its way, leading its followers from the front.


    "There are about 50,000 demons around him-nya." The Phantom said while squinting her eyes. "The majority of them is behind him. It seems that he is also gathering demons from nearby areas-nya."


    "I should take care of all the demons behind him then." The Venom Overlord smiled.


    "What? This is not fair!" The Phantom red at him.


    "I''m the strongest elder after the prophet. It''s only appropriate if I handle the biggest problem." The Venom Overlord chuckled. "The Arctic Queen should take the right. It''s a in field, so you definitely will shine over there. The Phantom can take care of the woods. Our guest here will have the easiest time.


    Of course, it''s to let you conserve your stamina. After all, you''re going to handle a lot of demons against the second ancient demon."


    Noel showed no objection.


    "It has noticed us." The Phantom raised her head, staring at the bear demon that shot out a light bullet from its mouth.


    The bullet flew fast and contained a lot of spiritual energy.


    "!!!" The three elders released their energy, but Anna was the first one to make her move. She had already jumped toward the bullet.


    "Lightning Draw." She drew her sword so fast that without even noticing it, the bullet split into two.


    Boom!


    The divided bullets hit the hills and the explosions half destroyed them.


    "Let''s go!" Noel''s voice snapped them back.


    Despite not saying anything, Anna seemed to be the most excited among them.


    The three elders could only smile wryly as they followed this pair.


    The grizzly bear released a deafening roar as the demons turned berserk, rampaging in the area. As an army, they became much more menacing.


    However, their opponents were five spirit transcendences. The bear knew that escaping was not an option since they could easily catch up to him.


    "Spirit Summon!" The Venom Overlord waved his hand down. "Great Serpent!"


    A huge snake appeared out of thin air as the Venom Overlord and the Arctic Queennded on top of it. The snake moved swiftly, destroying everything in its path.


    Noel and Anna used the runes to fly in the sky. Meanwhile, the Phantom directly fell to the ground.


    But before she reached the ground, a wire appeared, attaching itself to trees. She used it to bounce back into the air.


    All of them were moving at the same speed, but Anna would be the one reaching the bear first.


    Roar!


    The bear gathered its energy at its w and waved it down. The energy shot out as if the ws were being extended.


    Anna took a deep breath. She was wondering where she should begin.


    "I guess let''s test this new power first." Anna muttered. She raised her head, feeling the intense pressure from that giant w.


    She infused her lightning energy into her sword, and the original Anna turned the rampaging energy gentle.


    After that, Anna waved her sword, sending forth a crescent-shaped sword strike toward the w.


    Normally, the two energies would sh, but surprisingly, Anna''s sword strike shed through the powerful ws so smoothly.


    "!!!" The bear widened his eyes. It felt like his own energy treated Anna''s energy as its own because the two energies ended up harmonizing with each other in the instant they made contact.


    As a result, the giant ws extended by the spiritual energy disappeared due to the supply of energy being cut.


    Now that the path had been opened, Noel and the three elders immediately sneaked past the bear to reach their designated positions.


    The Arctic Queen moved to the right. Snow started to fall the moment her footnded on the ground. Temperature decreased drastically as the beasts had no choice but to use their own spiritual energy to keep themselves warm.


    "Wee, little demons. Let me show you the bitter winter."


    Meanwhile, the Phantom was hanging on top of a tree. Numerous wires had been spread all around the area. Her eyes were filled with excitement, as if she were going to hunt.


    "I don''t like to waste my time. Let''s get it done quickly." The Venom Overlord raised his hand. "Summon Spirit. Hydra!"


    Seven snake heads suddenly emerged from the ground, carrying out their huge body. There were about 25,000 demons in this direction, but this hydra''s strength was not far from the ancient demon itself. "Go!"

 Chapter 1173: Anna vs Bear

    "Raaa!" The bear roared at the top of its lungs. The energy inside his body went rampage.


    When the bear stomped the ground, it unleashed an immeasurable strength, turning a field in the radius of 200 meters into a giant crater.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "I know, I know. You are getting stronger because of that, right? I''ll do the same." Anna smirked as she could finally unleash this new power at full force. "Force Control!"


    Anna''s energy exploded in a simr way to the bear. Due to her size, her strength might not be a match against the bear, but the amount of energying from her body was much more explosive.


    The bear tried to stomp Anna while thetter swung her sword.


    The sword created a shock wave that rose up. Lightning sparked upon hit.


    Meanwhile, the bear could feel that his foot was being fried by the lightning, but it endured the pain and continued with the stomp.


    "Tsk. As expected, it''s not enough, huh?" Anna clicked her tongue. She easily avoided the stomp, but the ground shook violently after that stomp. A huge crack expanded in all directions, one of them heading straight at her.


    Anna used her speed to avoid it while approaching the bear.


    The bear lowered its body again so that it could sweep Anna from the side. Its colossal paw bulldozed everything in its path.


    The paw was actually scraping the topyer of earth. If it threw all of it, it would disrupt other battlefields.


    "Lightning Prison!" Anna stabbed the ground with her sword.


    Multiple lightning strikes hit the ground and remained static as if they froze and turned into pirs.


    The lightning pirs were actually strong enough to stop the paw.


    "!!!" The bear released another burst of energy to destroy it, but Anna had predicted it and appeared right in front of the paw.


    She stabbed the bear''s arm with all her momentum, her de piercing through its tough skin. She remembered how Noel defeated the ancient demon spider and thought the same method would be effective against the bear.


    By infusing the lightning element into her sword, she spread it to the bear''s muscle.


    "!!!" The bear gathered its energy in its mouth before roaring. "Raaaa!"


    "What?" The roar shot out a massive shock wave. Anna tried to hang on but to no avail. Just like the spider, the shock wave carried the bear''s explosive energy. Several of them hit Anna in rapid session, each one being heavier than the others.


    As a result, Anna wasunched into the air.


    She thought flying up would just make her an easy target. Hence, she chose tond on the ground.


    As if predicting Anna''s movement, the bear mmed the ground with both paws.


    Mountains of rocks suddenly emerged from the ground and shattered, turning into projectiles.


    Anna covered her front with a barrier made of spiritual energy, but somehow the barrier cracked after getting hit by the bear''s explosive energy. After that, a huge boulder came at high speed.


    "Oh¡­" Anna couldn''t do anything other than let the huge boulder crash into her, pushing her for more than a hundred meters away.


    The bear didn''t stop here. It immediately chased after Anna, not letting her have the chance to recover.


    Right before the bear could reach her, multiple shes appeared on the boulder before it suddenly shattered into pieces as if it had been cut.


    There was Anna behind the boulder, blood flowing out of the corner of her mouth.


    "I see." Anna smiled. Her blond hair turned white as lightning was rampaging around her.


    "!!!" The bear tried to stop, but it was toote. The bear chose to swipe its paw, but Anna was faster. In an instant, she reached the bear''s body, avoiding the paw by arge margin.


    "Lightning Lord Sword."


    A trace of lightning shed from the bear''s left stomach all the way to its shoulder.


    After that, the lightning exploded, shattering the skin. Blood spurted like a fountain.


    "Tsk. Even with Lightning Transformation as well as Force Control, it''s not enough to cut the bear''s arm. My raging sh has even evolved to Lightning Lord Sword thanks to Old Ru''s cirction method.


    "I can only chip away its strength bit by bit, I guess. Noel''s Divine sh is just that powerful. If I want to use my True Spirit Body, I have to wait until the demon goes berserk."


    Anna muttered with a solemn expression. However, she suddenly remembered something. "Ah. Now that I think about it, I have something else to try. Maybe I can end this battle without using my True Spirit Body¡­ This way, I can continue fighting on the second ancient demon."


    Anna headed toward the bear.


    The bear realized that her speed had already surpassed what he could handle. She put everything she had to increase it, and the moment she slipped past its defense, a trace of the sword appeared from the right chest to the stomach.


    The blood that had been gushing out of the bear''s body was not small.


    The bear managed to push her away, but Anna showed no sign of stopping. If this continued, the bear would definitely lose.


    As if realizing that oue, the bear''s energy vanished. Suddenly, the blood turned into mist and shrouded the bear.


    "Raaaa!" The bear let out a deafening roar. Its eyes turned bloodshot as the energy started to turn red as if it were being affected by the blood.


    The explosiveness of its energy had increased by three times. Even the elders couldn''t really ignore this kind of power.


    They were thinking about helping Anna, but instead of panicking, a grin appeared on her face.


    "I have been waiting for you to use that." Her entire body started glowing. Her spirit mark released some sort of pattern and spread it on her body. Her legs and arms had lined up and werepletely filled with immense spiritual energy. There were two lightning patterns that ran from her cheeks to her forehead. "This is the power that the Spirit God bestowed on me."


    "Thunder God''s Possession, Heaven Wrath, First Form!"

 Chapter 1174: Killing the Bear

    "Thunder God''s Possession, Heaven Wrath, First Form!"


    "!!!" The three elders couldn''t help but feel amused that Anna would have a simr thing.


    "Is this the True Spirit Body in the legend?" The elders muttered. They never had a spirit, so they could only know from the record and Old Ru.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Only Noel realized what happened. "So that''s the divine ability that the Spirit God taught her. A powerful empowerment that can even bebined with the True Spirit Body. This time, it''s only that power, but imagine if she also uses her True Spirit Body.


    "I can''t kill an ancient demon without a True Spirit Body right now, but if Ardagan wakes up, it''ll be different. Still, this just makes us equal. It seems that I truly don''t have the time to think about the fairness in ourpetition¡­"


    Noel let out a long sigh.


    Roar!


    The bear was having its paw down, releasing massive and explosive power.


    Meanwhile, Anna sped up and jumped straight toward the paw.


    Their sh produced a massive shock wave, blowing all the trees within twenty meters radius.


    However, the energy from the bear''s paw actually hit the ground and caused the ground to tremble for two seconds.


    Meanwhile, Anna''s energy remained sharp. She concentrated it at the tip of her de. Despite the overwhelming energy from the bear, Anna actually broke through the tough paw and pierced through it. The lightning exploded, expanding the hole.


    "Raaa!" The bear was wailing in pain, staring at the hole in its paw.


    Anna hadn''t finished yet. She was falling, but it didn''t mean she couldn''t do anything.


    "tform Rune."


    All of a sudden, twenty tform runes appeared around the bear. Shended on one of them before turning around. "I''m not done yet!"


    Before the bear could react, Anna had sped up. A trace of light was visible all around the bear, moving from one tform rune to another. At the same time, multiple sh wounds appeared on the bear''s body as the blood spurted like a fountain.


    Roar!


    The bear was wailing in pain. It released a burst of energy in all directions, crushing the tform runes in one go.


    Annanded on the ground and approached the bear again. Thetter turned around and pped her from above. The rocks rose as though they were squeezed out of earth.


    To the bear''s surprise, Anna used this chance to climb onto the bear''s paw and speed up once again. She struck the arm in a circr motion.


    Seeing numerous wounds on the bear''s body, the Venom Lord couldn''t help but say, "I see. So that''s the power of a spirit. I should trybining it with the trait of my snake bloodline."


    He inhaled deeply, gathering his energy into his mouth. The giant snake underneath him also did the same.


    Both of them then spewed poison from their mouths. The snake shot a massive toxin bubble while the Venom Overlord was in small quantity, but the moment it touched the snake''s toxin, it turned the green-colored poison to purple.


    The purple poison bubble fell on top of the demons and sshed in all directions.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Numerous beasts were screaming in pain. After all, the poison was actually melting their bodies. Yes, not a single thing escaped from this poison. Whether it was the tree, the soil, or even the demons were melting.


    "It seems that the Venom Overlord has gotten serious. I will too." The Phantom smirked. She bounced on the ground and came toward the enemies. With a single wave of her hands, multiple wires were shot out. Each of them was sharp enough to slice a demon into two.


    After that, the Phantom used another wire that had been attached previously tounch herself in a different direction. She then shot out wires again and shed not only the demons but all the trees standing on her way.


    Trees fell down, bodies were sliced, and ground was dyed red by blood. She bounced from one ce to another, increasing her speed simr to Anna.


    In that moment, she managed to kill more than two hundred demons in just a minute.


    The demons tried to get past her, but the Phantom also had her own way to block the path. If the Venom Overlord summoned multiple giant summoned creatures, she created a trap with her sharp strings, cutting down all the demons that dared to pass.


    However, the Arctic Queen''s situation was much different from these two. There was no blood spilled on her battlefield.


    Instead, the battlefield had been covered in thick snow. The demons that wereing toward her ended up getting frozen.


    The Arctic Queen was merely walking forward as she passed all the frozen statues. With a single touch of her hand, the frozen statue broke apart and fell to the ground.


    "A bitter winter. It seems that not a lot of demons are able to survive this bitter winter. What a sad world we live in." The Arctic Queen looked sad while ncing at the demons that survived. Most of them were at least Advanced Level Demons. Even then, those Advanced Level Demons couldn''t fight anymore.


    The Peak Level Demons and Superior Demons managed to withstand the cold with their spiritual energy, but the Peak Level Demons had their abilities reduced significantly. Meanwhile, they needed multiple Superior Demons if they wanted to put up a fight against the Arctic Queen in this situation.


    As the three elders secured the battlefield for Anna, thetter didn''t disappoint.


    The bear had a lot of wounds on its body. Its ability had been weakened severely due to the extensive blood loss.


    Anna sustained some injuries due to the bear''s desperate attempts, but the Force Control was repairing her body at fast speed.


    Hence, the conclusion of the battle was reached not long after.


    A huge cut ran through the left side of the bear chest all the way to the other side. The wound was much deeper than any wounds it had suffered. The blood spurted like a waterfall; the bleeding flowed like a river.


    The bear was screaming onest time before it fell to the ground.

 Chapter 1175: Going Back

    "Hu¡­" Noel exhaled while opening his eyes. Next to him was a giant ancient demon crystal that had been fully absorbed.


    To show his resolve and answer, Noel had decided to absorb the crystal right in front of Anna.


    He was a bit surprised by the amount of spiritual energy stored inside this demon crystal.


    "How is it?" Anna asked.


    "It''s too much. I feel like we don''t really need a lot of ancient demon crystals if we want to reach the spirit king. Then again, the limit for the ancient demon crystals is also not that many.


    "This is just a rough calction. Someone with a 90% absroption rate or above should be able to be a spirit king as long as they get enough ancient demon crystals."


    Noel nced at the limit of his crystals in his status.


    Name: Noel Ardagan


    Low Quality Crystal - 5000/5000


    Mid Quality Crystal - 3000/3000


    Advanced Quality Crystal - 1500/1500


    Peak Quality Crystal - 560/600


    Superior Quality Crystal - 70/300


    Ancient Quality Crystal - 1/50


    His limit had been doubled, so normal people only had 25 crystals as their limit. While it was a huge number and that many ancient demons would be hard to find, it didn''t change the fact that it was possible to reach the spirit king.


    He had a 100% absorption rate and double the amount of limit for each crystal. He believed he could be a spirit king if he absorbed ten crystals. If he included the next target and another crystal back home, it meant he had fulfilled 30% of the requirement.


    Yes, Noel roughly calcted that he only needed 10 crystals to reach the spirit king stage. And that number might decrease if he filled up all his superior quality crystals.


    Meanwhile, because Anna didn''t have double the limit and only had a 95% absorption rate, he thought she would need about 20 to 25 ancient demon crystals while filling the rest to the limit.


    Despite such a huge difference, she only needed 10 to 15 more crystals than Noel. That was how much of an impact the ancient demon crystal had.


    Noel said, "In any case, we should get going."


    "Yeah. We have gathered all the Superior Demon Crystals from all battlefields." Anna nodded, pointing at a giant bag on the side. "The people from the Beast Kingdom will help with the transportation, and we''ll bring those crystals back with us after the second ancient demon."


    "Alright." Noel nodded and signaled to the three elders to move on to the second location.


    The second ancient demon was actually a tiger.


    Unfortunately, this wasn''t a challenge for a single elder. If they had to fight it alone, they might need a lot of time to defeat the ancient demon.


    However, the elders had wielded their power for so long that their strength was already equal to the ancient demon without using their spirits.


    Even if they hadn''t mastered the spirits, they were simply bullying the ancient demon.


    The Venom Overlord restrained the ancient demon with multiple summoned creatures. The snake wrapped the giant lion''s body, and the hydra restrained the demon''s limbs. No matter how hard the demon struggled, the hydra kept recovering its heads.


    From the right side, the Arctic Queen wasing with its snowy domain. The giant lion released all kinds of attacks, but all of them were frozen before it could reach the Arctic Queen.


    When the demon went berserk, the Phantom skillfully came in and used its wires to tie up its limbs right after the beast managed to overwhelm the two summoned creatures of the Venom Overlord.


    Taken aback, the demon fell down, giving a big opportunity for the Venom Overlord and the Arctic Queen to take it down.


    Noel and Anna were simply withstanding thirty thousand demons by themselves. Noel created a huge wall of ice while Anna formed a prison made of lightning pirs.


    Both of them annihted the army with their full strength, except for the True Spirit Body.


    Since the elders managed to kill the ancient demon tiger so quickly, they immediately spread in all directions, swiftly cleaning up the battlefield.


    It didn''t take more than an hour to actually kill the ancient demon as well as its massive army.


    In these two hunts, they got a total of two ancient demon crystals as well as 45 superior demon crystals. It was a number that could threaten the entire kingdom, but in this ce, they were simply annihted by five people.


    They returned with a huge bag of superior demon crystals. The rest of the crystals would be given to the Beast Kingdom so that they could strengthen their forces for the final battle against the demon king.


    At the same time, seeing this kind of number actually put a fear in Noel''s heart. He wondered how terrifying the millions of demons that his ancestor once repelled were.


    Not only the low level demons, there must be hundreds of superior demons alone along with more than ten ancient demons.


    After almost a month staying in the Beast Kingdom, it was time for Noel and Anna to go back.


    This time, they would be returning with the Arctic Queen, whose true appearance had been hidden.


    Old Ru, Andreas, the Phantom, and the Venom Overlord were personally seeing them off. The overseer couldn''t go out since they were going with the Buffalo King, who had awakened a spirit as well.


    "The diva said that when you need him, you only need toe to this ce. It''s located on the southeast of this kingdom, which means you don''t have to do all the unnecessary things to reach the sanctuary anymore." Old Ru handed a map to Noel. "She is currently focusing on mastering her spirit since the trip will be extremely dangerous even for her."


    "Thank you. I''ll keep that in mind." Noel nodded with a serious expression.


    "Come here again-nya. Tell me about the adventure-nya! It''s not fair if that fish is the only one knowing what kind of adventure you guys have-nya!" The Phantom patted Noel''s shoulder.


    "Haha." Noel chuckled.


    "If you want a sparring, I''m up for it. I want to test my strength once I fully master my spirit power." The Venom Overlord nodded. "But until then, be safe."


    Noel nodded.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Last but not least, Andreas brought him a letter. "You should read this on the way. ording to him, this letter is already a thousand years old, so a lot of information might have ruined."


    Noel could see that the condition of the letter was already quite bad. At the same time, if they didn''t take care of this letter, the letter might have beenpletely destroyed by the passage of time.


    Of course, the person Andreas mentioned was none other than the overseer.


    "Alright. I will." Noel waved his hand. "I''m grateful for helping us in the past thirty days. All of you, please be safe. I''ll definitelye again in the future."

 Chapter 1176: Ready for the Grand Opening

    "Mhmmm! We are finally back." Noel stretched his body.


    "Wee back, Master." Dimitri suddenly appeared in front of the mansion. He was one step toote, but that was only because he was a spirit grandmaster, and Noel chose to sneak in to avoid any confusion.


    However, Dimitri noticed that Noel and Anna brought a huge bag each along with a woman. The fact that Anna didn''t say anything about this woman meant either they weren''t in a romantic rtionship or that something was going on.


    "I''m back, Dimitri." Noel nodded before turning to Anna. "Can you take care of her for the time being? I have to focus on catching up with all the paperwork that needs to be done."


    "Sure. Is there an empty house, Dimitri?"


    "I believe you need to visit Balott about it. I don''t know which one has been sold and which one hasn''t." Dimitri shook his head helplessly.


    "No. No need for a mansion, right?" Anna nced at the Arctic Queen.


    "Yes. I''ll take care of everything by myself, so a quiet small house is enough for me."


    While he didn''t know who this person was, Dimitri knew the Arctic Queen was important. Hence, he pointed at the mansion. "If that''s the case, how about a house only three minutes away from the city za? Because it''s not directly near the za, it is peaceful and quiet. You can reach any ce quickly. If it fits you perfectly, better go to Charlotte to get the key.


    She should be in the city hall."


    "Alright." Anna guided the Arctic Queen after thetter showed a sign of approval of the house.


    As soon as they left, Dimitri couldn''t help but ask, "Who is she, Master? I feel like she is not ordinary."


    "Just a spirit transcendence from the Beast Kingdom. She will be here for a while, helping us here and there." Noel shrugged.


    "What? Spirit transcendence? This will destroy the bnce of the kingdom."


    "I know. But for now, no one knows about anything. Without proof of me or Anna being a spirit transcendence, they can''t do much. Just keep it a secret. She will be a great help for what''s about toe."


    Dimitri wasn''t entirely convinced, but he still nodded. "I understand."


    "Mhmm. By the way, is Rose in the office?"


    "Yes, sir. She has been waiting for you because there are a lot of things you need to handle."


    "Hahaha. I guess I''ll be isting myself in my office for a while." Noel chuckled.


    "By the way, what are these two bags, Master?"


    "Superior demon crystals. I''m nning to absorb themter once I manage to free up my schedule. For now, store it together with the ancient demon crystal."


    "Oh?!" Dimitri looked at the two big bags. The number of superior demons they killed seemed a little bit too much even for him. "I understand. I''ll take care of it."


    "How about the people I mentioned previously?"


    "We have taken care of it. ine was trying to talk with this entric man withws."


    "I see. Alright then." Noel wanted to enter the mansion but he remembered something. "That''s right. Do you know any person that has the knowledge of how to handle a thousand-year-old paper?"


    "A thousand years old paper? If you''re thinking about old books, I can probably find someone around."


    "I need an expert that is guaranteed to not damage the paper any further. I tried to open the letter, but the paper was peeled off slightly, so I didn''t dare to open it any further. And yes, if he were an expert, he shouldn''t know about the content of the letter either." Noel was talking about the letter from the overseer. He never thought that the condition was actually worse than he imagined.


    "If that''s the case, I''ll search for someone around. There should be a lot of experts since they are experts in reading scripts found in a rune. I''ll find the best for you."


    "Good." Noel waved his hand. "I''ll go in first."


    "Yes, Master."


    As soon as Noel returned to his office, Rose couldn''t help but sigh while saying, "Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"


    "Hahaha." Noel let out a hollowugh, seeing Rose''s table buried under mountains of papers. His table was the same.


    "Wee back." She was a bit tired, but it was good that Noel had returned.


    "I''m back." Noel nodded and raised his finger. "Let''s start right away. Regarding the city opening, how is the invitation''s progress?"


    "We have announced that our city will be opening tomorrow. We have prepared three trains that will be picking up the people that have been waiting in Laivaen City. But I believe the nobles prefer to go with their own carriages. We believe that about two thousand people wille tomorrow and another two thousand the day after."


    Noel nodded. "That''s fine. Our target this time is not noble. What we want to show is the living quality for themon people and people who don''t mind mingling with them. I have seen a bit of the city''s progress. It seems that our transportation system has worked."


    "Yes. We have a single trailer going around from one part of the city to another, bringing a lot of people at once. We have put several posts for taking in and dropping off people all around the city. You sure you want to call this a bus and not let them pay for it?"


    "Yes. It is a privilege for the citizens of this city. Once thew ispleted, they will be more disciplined, and the road will be much safer. And with this, the citizens can reach every corner of the city in a short amount of time without paying." Noel thought for a moment. "The transportation seems to be working. How about the guides?"


    "We have prepared the staff that will direct them to their destination. And all buildings are prepared, including the market. Once the trade begins, all kinds of items will be flooding inside the city."


    "The soldiers?"


    "The new division has started working. We currently call it Inner Guard. Their leader said that you were the one asking him to work in this city. He said he''d like to meet you once you''re back."


    "That''s true. I''ll meet him tomorrow. I guess that''s it?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. There were too many things going on, so he had a hard time remembering all the small problems.


    "Everything is done for the city opening. The rest is just paper work. Maybe you also want to visit Princess Livia."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Ah! The Rune Academy is going to open two weeks from now. I guess I should see what she has prepared for the academy." Noel nodded.


    "Yeah. So before that time, please at least finish these three piles before the grand opening. You will need to give a speech in the city za as well." Rose pointed at three stacks of paper that were halfway to the ceiling. She was smiling, but her eyes were dead inside.


    Noel also wanted to cry but no tears came out. This was supposed to be handled in a month, but he only had one and a half days. "I guess all these papers are more troublesome than an ancient demon."

 Chapter 1177: Grand Opening

    "Is that the city?" A young kid took a peek outside the window, staring at a majestic city in the distance.


    His eyes were filled with excitement, the same as the rest of the people inside the trains. They were heading straight toward the city, believing that this might be their new home.


    The train slowed down toward an additional wall that was made for a train station. It was still outside the city essentially, and the people would have their luggage checked out to avoid smuggling dangerous goods.


    The boy enthusiastically moved to the very front. "Is that the Lord?"


    After that, they were stopped by the soldiers right in front of the gate. There was a tform right in front of the gate. Thousands of people were standing in the road, looking at the gant figure that gradually climbed the tform.


    Anna wasn''t on his side this time. Instead, she was watching along with the pirs as well as all the important people in the city.


    With such high expectationsing from their gaze, Noel smiled and opened his mouth.


    "A few years ago, the Ardagan family was at its peak. Myte father had brought back the Ardagan family from the brink of destruction to be the wealthiest family in the kingdom.


    "Unfortunately, it was only temporary." Noel closed his eyes with a pained look.


    The people had heard the story about the Ardagan family since they had lived here for a year. It was a rather sad story.


    At the same time, the Ardagan stood back on its feet again, climbing to the top. "However, the tears have been shed, and the past will remain the past. We learn from our mistakes to face tomorrow.


    "This city will be the witness of our path from today onward. No matter the challenges we will face in the future, we will not disappear into the dark, we will not remain quiet.


    "We will keep rising back up, we will live on. All the people standing here today know that not every farmer will die as a farmer, not everymoner will die as amoner.


    "I have forged the path not only for me but for all of you. Grasp it and make this city even more beautiful than its current state. I might be the lord of this city, its head¡­ However, all of you are the backbone of our city.


    "That''s why, as the lord of the Golden Dawn City, I ask you as my friends, my people, and¡­" Noel put on a sincere smile. "¡­my family."


    The people were staring dumbfoundedly. It had been a rollercoaster of emotion.


    The man before them had gone through so much. He, who was once at the peak, lost everything but refused to disappear. He once again stood back on his feet and rebuilt his family. He fought numerous demons and overcame all the challenges in his way.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    He created a utopia that no one had ever imagined. No one would say anything if he imed everything was aplished because of him.


    Yet Noel acknowledged them and told them they were the main pir of the city. It was because of them that he managed to aplish all of this. And the same person treated them not only as his friends and his subjects, but also as his family. Everything he had done for the city and for them was the proof.


    Tears couldn''t help but form on the corner of their eyes.


    "Sob¡­ Sob¡­"


    The good wives and mothers covered their faces with their hands, finding hope in this city. Even if they couldn''t do it, their children might achieve something that they never dreamed of before.


    The good husbands and fathers clenched their hands in excitement. The burden they carried was not only about them but for generations toe.


    The children gathered their resolve as they couldn''t disappoint their parents, who had sacrificed a lot of things for them.


    With a deep tone, Noel ended his speech with onest call. "Let us build this paradise together."


    "O-ohhh!


    "Uooohh!"


    "My lord!"


    "Marquis!"


    A deafening cheer erupted, shaking the ground. People felt goosebumps all over their bodies.


    Dimitri was wiping his tears with a pinch, trying his best not to cry. He had witnessed everything about Noel from when he was a baby until he became a lord respected by tens of thousands of people. And this was only the start.


    Charlotte saw the back of her previous master, Luke Ardagan. For her, Noel''s figure was gradually catching up to that figure and would surpass him soon.


    Rose felt a bit emotional. Golden Dawn City. That was the name Noel showed her a month ago. The ''Golden'' word signified the golden era of the Ardagan family. The way the Ardagan family was about to be destroyed and Noel rebuilt was like a sun rising from the east, illuminating the world from the darkness.


    It was the sign of a new era¡­ a new golden era for the Ardagan family. That was why Noel named this city Golden Dawn.


    The rest of the pirs smiled. They were proud to serve a master like this. Tristan and Livia clenched their fists. This was the burden they had to carry as the students of Noel Ardagan.


    Incetta was watching with Vivi from a distance. Vivi couldn''t help but tear up while saying, "That guy is one ridiculous monster. He will definitely surpass his ancestor."


    Incetta wryly smiled, facing a dilemma. On the one hand, she had the task of rebuilding the family with the correct name. On the other hand, serving someone like him swayed her heart a lot. "Maybe¡­ I should just rebuild the family in this ce."


    The shock didn''t onlye from the people inside the city.


    Those who were outside and ready to enter couldn''t help but feel moved. Noel was an extremely different lord than any lord they had seen so far.


    Little did they know that several nobles were actually mingling among them.


    There was Raincart smiling among the crowd. Even though he looked calm, his heart was set aze. He really wanted to shout, "That''s my grandson! That''s my grandson over there!" if not for the fact that today Noel was the star. It would be better not to cause a ruckus.


    There were also a couple not far from him. It was Anna''s brother and his assistant, who was also his fiancee. They didn''t go together with Kevin and Vivian because he wanted to see how much Noel had achieved to change the life of amoner.


    Just from listening to his speech alone, Dn couldn''t help but say, "My brother-inw is truly astounding."


    She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "It''s fine. In this life, not everything is about thepetition. It is all about moving forward until we reach the end. Instead ofpeting with them, I prefer to listen, learn from them, and apply it in our ce. Just like how you inspire me and teach me during our time in the military¡­"


    Dn held her hand tight while saying, "Yeah. This is only the beginning. As always, we''ll continue moving forward."


    After the speech, Noel walked toward the gate that had been sealed with a ribbon.


    Noel grabbed his sword''s handle and used it at a speed not visible to the naked eye to show his martial prowess.


    The moment the ribbon was cut, Noel extended his hand toward the new people. "Wee to Golden Dawn City."

 Chapter 1178: Reaction

    "So this is the Golden Dawn City." The boy looked around, amazed by the atmosphere of the city.


    After such a big wee, the people were let in one by one.


    "If anyone wants to go to the market, please hop on." A woman with a uniform shouted. Next to her was a huge trailer with a lot of people already sitting in it.


    The boy walked toward the woman and asked, "Can I really get to the market if I go with you?"


    "Of course. We''re about to depart." The woman confirmed it. She extended her hand while saying, "Where are your parents?"


    "I am here alone because I want to join the Rune Academy," the boy answered excitedly.


    "If you''d like to go to the Rune Academy, you should go with that one." The woman pointed at the one next to them.


    "No. I want to go around the city!"


    "Is that so? In that case, pleasee aboard. We''ll be departing in two minutes."


    "That''s right." The boy patted all the pockets while muttering, "Where did I put the money?"


    The staff chuckled. "Don''t worry. This bus is a service from the Lord, allowing the citizens to travel from one ce to another quickly without any cost."


    "What?" The boy gasped. "I really don''t need to pay?"


    "Yes. Please take a seat inside."


    "En. Thank you!" The boy entered the bus while seeing a lot of people looking through the window. The bus was almost full, so he just sat down on an empty seat.


    The boy kept ncing at the window, but it was slightly blocked by the woman next to him.


    As if noticing his gaze, the woman nced back. Seeing his excitement, she couldn''t help but ask, "Do you want to exchange seats?"


    "Can I?" The boy''s eyes lit up.


    "Yeah. This is not my first time riding this bus."


    "Yay. Thank you very much!" The boy hurriedly took the window seat, staring at the city.


    "Is this your first time entering the city?" She asked.


    "Yes. I want to enroll in the Rune Academy." He nodded furiously.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Is that so? I believe you can do it, seeing you are so passionate about the city." She smiled. "What is your name?"


    ''"I am Andrew, ehm¡­Big Sister!"


    She chuckled. "I''m Arc¡­ I mean, Melissa. Nice to meet you, Andrew."


    "En!" He nodded, not realizing that the woman in front of him was one of the strongest people in this city, the Arctic Queen. To avoid causing trouble, she had to disguise themselves as a normal human with her original name, Melissa. Ever since she became an elder, she was always called by her title, so she still hadn''t gotten used to her name again.


    The bus started moving, which slightly startled Andrew.


    "Woah?! It''s moving!" He looked at the front while muttering, "So this is a bus. It is able to bring more than fifty people at once. No, it might be more if people are willing to stand. It''s going as fast as a carriage, but there is a special road to prevent any incident."


    He soon noticed another thing that distracted him. "Wait. Is thatmp using a rune as well?


    "Wait a minute. That building has a curtain, but there is a lighting from the inside? Why? The sunlight should be strong, but why is there a stronger light? Is this the Light Rune?


    "Oh! There is another wagon moving a lot of items!"


    He kept getting distracted by all the new things he had found. Laivaen City was nothingpared to this city.


    "Are the inventions that amazing?" Melissa asked.


    "Of course, it is amazing!" The boy nodded furiously. "The great noble, Noel Ardagan, has done a lot of things for themoners with all these new inventions and runes. This city is much different from any city I have seen so far.


    "The atmosphere is brimming with hope and excitement. The living quality is the highest. Normally, people won''t be on the street during the night, but I bet thosemps will brighten the night, which makes the street even safer.


    "There is also this bus. It is able to carry all these people at such a speed. More importantly, it''s free! Normally, people have to walk thirty minutes or even an hour just to go to the market. But with this thing, it feels like they''ll be able to reach from one corner to another at the same amount of time. More importantly, they won''t be tired!


    This is so amazing."


    Melissa had been strolling around the city in the past few days. She, of course, heard a lot of praises from the citizens.


    While they felt sincere, it was because this was the city they lived in.


    However, this boy was simply telling her about everything he had just found. In other words, this was what an outsider saw from the city without any bias.


    "Is the city looking that good in your eyes?" She asked.


    "Big sister. You must be joking. To be able to live here is like a blessing. To have water for everything, to be able to study even during the night¡­ Basically, you can spend time more effectively. If one is hardworking enough, they should be able to achieve what they''ve been unable to do in the past.


    "I don''t think anyone will be going back to their original city once they settle here." The boy crossed his arms.


    Melissa faced a dilemma. On the one hand, the boy described this city as a paradise. On the other hand, she hadn''t experienced any other city to be used as aparison. "Is that so?"


    The boy continued to observe every single thing that piqued his interest.


    Meanwhile, Melissa had stood up and got off the bus at the next stop.


    Because of him, she somehow really wanted to see another city andpare it to this one. She wondered if Noel was truly as amazing as he described.


    "Well, it seems that I''m going to be stuck here for a bit longer. I hope that he doesn''t forget about me when he is going to visit another city." Melissa muttered.

 Chapter 1179: Raincarts Advice

    "Can I buy this please?"


    "How to order this one?"N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "What is this?"


    The city was filled with a lot of shocked faces, not only from themoners but also from the nobles.


    Of course, themoners thought that everything in this city was expensive, and they couldn''t afford it.


    Meanwhile, the nobles were eager to make a purchase.


    Tristan, apanied by Roel''s children, ended up holing inside the Runegard Company''s headquarters, answering them one by one.


    Not a single noble dared to act all mighty in front of Noel''s student. After all, Tristan had gone around toplete the water storages for multiple nobles. A lot of them already knew her, and they were also afraid of Noel, especially since the Rune Academy had yet to open.


    No one wanted to make a mess.


    At the same time, Tristan had matured a little bit. With Balott and the twins helping him with the negotiation, they managed to gain a lot of new customers.


    Meanwhile, Dimitri and Charlotte were busy ensuring the city was operating perfectly. Howard, Harley, and even the new division, Colice, did their best to maintain the security in this grand opening. They had to use force even against nobles, taking advantage of Noel''s name to ensure a fair judgment.


    Still, the busiest person in the city was none other than Khalid. Yes, he had to help the people who got heat stroke or simply passed out from excitement.


    Even with the temple''s help, he couldn''t catch a break all the time. Then again, Khalid was happy since there were a lot of new medicines he could try after Howard brought his team to clean up several ancient ruins.


    Anna and Noel had to receive the nobles that greeted them. In the end, they might be the rising nobles in the north, but they were also the strongest.


    They knew that they would be crushed if they tried to fight Noel.


    Noel had a lot of spirit grandmasters, and each one was quite famous among grandmasters. In addition to what happened to the four nobles that challenged Noel, there was simply no more opposition in the north.


    "You are truly my grandson." Raincartughed out loud.


    "It''s thanks to Grandfather." Noel smiled.


    "I didn''t do anything. All of this was due to your effort. Be proud of yourself, but don''t be toocent." Raincart patted Noel''s shoulder.


    "If Grandfather didn''t shelter in the past, I would have died. If Grandfather didn''t trust me, I probably couldn''t have achieved all this." Noel shook his head, showing how much Raincart had impacted him just being an exceptional grandfather.


    Raincart felt moved. "If you need any help, feel free to contact me. I''m quite free in my retirement anyway."


    "Hahaha. Yes, Grandfather." Noel paused for a moment. "By the way, Grandfather¡­ I want to ask you something."


    "What is it?"


    "Mhmm¡­ I have never been taught how to be a good husband and a good father in the future. I don''t know anything about this. On the one hand, I''d like to respect my wife as a good husband, but I end up betraying her as my friend and rival. On the other hand, it''ll be the same if I do the opposite."


    Raincart smiled and turned around. "Follow me."


    Raincart brought him to a more peaceful area. He pointed at the grass while saying, "Do you know that your mother once got sick after eating grass in the garden?"


    "Eating grass?"


    "Yeah. My wife and I were tired after taking care of both our household and family. In addition, there was a huge problem that the city was facing, and I was pretty busy with my profession as the king''s mentor. I ended up neglecting her, and your mother fell sick. No, that sickness was quite bad to the point where several doctors gave up.


    "It was a wake-up call to me. On the one hand, I had been a good patriot for my country. I was also a good lord by trying my hardest to solve the huge trouble in the city.


    "However, my wife broke down in tears once she found out about Leysha''s condition. She told me that I had neglected the family.


    "I snapped back, realizing what I had done this whole time. It was like the most powerful p I received in my life. No pain could bepared to it.


    "I did everything I could to save her. I still remembered that even though she managed to recover, she never forgave me for a long time.


    "She ran away from home. By the time I found her, she was already with your father. Well, it was probably because your father was simr to me. He was a good lord, a good provider, a good husband, and a good father. He looked like he was busy, but he never neglected you.


    "And only after giving birth to you that she finally came home after almost a decade. Do you know what she said back then?"


    Noel shook his head.


    "I hated you, but I now understand how hard it is to be good at everything. It''s impossible to get everything as we always must sacrifice something for another. I sacrificed my family for my ambition. It was toote for me to realize I had to sacrifice my job for my family. You told me I''m a good grandfather, but I never am. I made mistakes and still make a lot of mistakes even now.


    "All I know is that I''ll probably still make mistakes. At the same time, I don''t n to turn a blind eye to that mistake. We make mistakes, we fix them, and we grow from them. This is what it means to have a rtionship¡­ a family. You can fall in love at first sight, but rtionships can only be built one at a time.


    "All I want to say is that¡­ you do everything you think is best. If it doesn''t work out, apologize and fix those mistakes. There is no sure way of building a family since every family is different."


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.


    Seeing that expression, Raincart added, "Your mother has forgiven me. That''s why there is one thing clear for me. Your mother only forgives me because she is still alive. In other words, as long as you live on, you can still fix those mistakes."


    After hearing thatst advice, it felt like a knot in his heart had just loosened. He understood which path he should take. Noel muttered, "You shouldn''t die for the family, You live for them¡­ together with them."

 Chapter 1180: Four Kingdoms

    "Report!" A man mmed open the door, finding the king, Raymond, and several other ministers in the room.


    "What have you found from that city? Tell us right away!" Raymond shouted.


    "Y-Yes, sir!" The man was a bit hesitant because he felt he was being treated less than amoner in that city. "The city is called Golden Dawn City. It is a ce with a lot of new things.


    "I tried living there as a randommoner, but it was simply ridiculous. If you wanted to get water, you could get it easily without paying for anything. You could take a bath as much as you and the servant didn''t even need toe to fetch the water. Unlimited amounts of water were avable in that city.


    "There were also public transportations where amoner could go all around the town in less than thirty minutes without paying or even standing.


    "In addition, during the night, the city was bright. Themps were on during the night, which would reduce the crime rate. In addition, you could easily light up your room, which would give you the ability to read or finish any work during the night.


    "And this was just the life of themoner." The man paused for a moment.


    They couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows when they heard about such a thing. It was indeed the life of a noble, but themoner could do it themselves without a single servant.


    "What about the systems of that city? Is there anything we can take advantage of?"


    "I''m not very sure. First of all, the morale was high. They loved the Marquis so much. The soldiers were swearing their loyalty to the Marquispletely. I even got the testament of one of the soldiers, saying that if the Marquis wanted him to die, he wouldn''t hesitate to slit his throat, knowing that his family would be taken care of.


    "The city was big, able to house about 30,000 to 40,000 people at once easily. There were about five thousand soldiers in that city, while the rest had been scattered across thend.


    "I noticed more than 7 spirit grandmasters residing in that city, but there might be more hiding.


    "The city''syout was extremely sturdy, allowing reinforcement to any walls. The star-shaped wall looked strange at first, but when I took another look at it, it actually produced a bigger threat than a normal box-shaped castle.


    "If I had to simplify everything I found there¡­ it was impossible for the city to fall."


    "¡­" Everyone remained silent. There was tension rising in the air. Without hearing that conclusion, they could already tell that the city was perfect. The defense on the outside was valid, and the morale was incredible.


    "The safety?" Raymond asked.


    "It was well regted, but there was a rumor that they invited a master ofw to strengthen it even further. The citizens made a lot of contributions after knowing that the Lord would reward them generously if they could do something special for the city."


    Raymond''s expression turned solemn. "As for the visitors¡­"


    "I saw Royal Magician Raincart from the Greenwood Kingdom, Duke Briton from the Zaecuria Kingdom, and the Great Protector Soles from the Atracaeca Kingdom."


    "The information has been out, huh?" Raymond nced to the side, no one was saying anything as if they didn''t know what to do.


    Just like the king, there was another person that received simr information from a different method.


    It was the third princess.


    She was reading the letter from Duke Lorelei secretly.


    ''Nothing can stop the momentum of Marquis Ardagan. The royal family is trying to get rid of him by using the Supreme Devil Organization, but that also means allowing the demons to destroy this kingdom. Meanwhile, if we let him alone, the marquis will reach a level that no one in the kingdom can stop him anymore. Still, the kingdom might not be destroyed in this scenario.


    ''ording to Duke Lorelei, Marquis Ardagan is righteous and loves this country, but at the same time, he won''t blindly follow everything. In other words, even if the country survives in the future, anyone who rules it can be his puppet. Puppet, huh?''


    The third princess was staring at herself in the mirror.


    ''If what Duke Lorelei states here is true, what the royal family is trying to do is eliminate a lion from a cage by shooting it from the outside. Meanwhile, leaving Marquis Ardagan alone is the same as destroying the cage and expanding it to a zoo even though it means that one can be his prey at any moment.


    ''A cage¡­ and a zoo¡­'' The third princess paused for a few minutes before standing up. ''It seems that I have to speed up my n. Even if there is a lion in the zoo that can prey on me at any time, the lion will die of old age sooner orter. It''s better to die in a grand grave as a faker than to die in a small coffin while wearing a broken crown. It seems that the throne once again will see blood.


    ''I''m sorry, father, brothers, sisters. I''m a failure as a daughter and a sister. But if you want to destroy the kingdom, I still have the duty as a princess.''


    The Muivell Kingdom''s royal family wasn''t the only one who heard this news.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡­


    Greenwood Kingdom.


    The king looked stunned, asking, "The city was that amazing?"


    "Hahaha." Raincart smiled. "I was given a mansion in that city, but I could always stay within his mansion whenever I visited him. So I''d like to present the mansion to the royal family. If Your Majesty would like to visit the princess, you could do it easily."


    The king smiled. "You''ve done great!"


    ¡­


    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "I think that we should warn the students we have sent to that city once again. There are definitely a lot of secret projects that we can''t even find,'' a minister suggested.


    The king stated, "Duke Briton. You hadn''t finished the ship yet. I know that you''re missing your family after being away for so long, but I''d like to ask you to head back there and warn those students. If there is any problem, I''d like you to handle it personally."


    "Of course, Your Majesty." Duke Briton paused for a moment. There was one thing that he wanted from doing all this work. It was the expedition to the sea that he heard would involve Noel and Anna.


    If it really seeded, he wanted his descendant to be a part of it. And that was the agreement between them.


    ¡­


    Atracaeca Kingdom.


    The Grand Protector visited the second prince, asking, "How is the progress of that task?"


    "I just needed to wait for thest batch before sending it to the Ardagan family." The second prince Ramuer exined.


    "Send them right away. Thest batch can be sentter. I''ll cover the cost."


    Ramuer looked surprised before he said, "It seems that the city is more amazing than anyone''s imagination."


    The Grand Protector sighed. "It was a sign of change. In the future, no one might be able to stop him anymore. But in the end, our enemies are those demons. Instead of getting locked here in these four countries, he might already set his eyes on the world¡­"


    "¡­" The second prince didn''t say anything afterward, but he was deep in thought after hearing those words.

 Chapter 1181: Rune Academy

    Rune Academy.


    The boy who wished to learn more about runes couldn''t help but look around. "Woah. The academy is so big. There are a lot of people here."


    The students came from various backgrounds. A lot of them weremoners who managed to pass the test. There were old students who came from their workshop to understand more about runes so that they could use them to enhance their work.


    Still, there was another fraction, which was the noble fraction. They were all the noble children that got their opportunity from the connection with Noel. Their parents were sending them to the academy personally. Most of the students got berated by their parents as they reminded them over and over again not to cause any trouble.


    "Wuoohhh¡ªouch!" A girl tripped over, her head hitting the ground.


    "A-Are you alright?" Startled, the boy hurriedly checked the girl''s condition while extending his hand.


    "I''m alright. Hehehe." The girl raised her head, showing a wry smile.


    The boy was stunned, never thinking that he would see such a beautiful girl. "P-Please get up first!"


    "Thank you." The girl took his hand while taking off her round sses. "It seems that I have to get new sses after this."


    "Are you really alright?"Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m fine, I''m fine. This happens all the time because I''m very clumsy. Hehe."


    ''Cute.'' The boy thought. He asked, "Are you also a student from this academy?"


    "Yep! It seems you are too."


    "Yeah."


    She looked around while saying, "Aren''t we supposed to go to the hall?"


    "Yes. The hall is that way." The boy pointed at the building on the right.


    "Oh!" She nodded. As she was about to leave, the boy suddenly asked, "What is your name? I am David."


    She thought for a moment before smiling. "Hello. My name is Isabelle. Since we''re probably going to be ssmates from now on, please take care of me, David."


    "Y-Yes!" David immediately replied, mesmerized by her.


    "Should we go to the hall? I don''t really want to bete since I can''t make a bad first impression."


    "This way." David nodded furiously.


    The hall was quite spacious with a lot of empty space. The academy didn''t have enough students to fill them up, but that was only because they didn''t have enough teachers. Once the academy was developed even more, they could get more and more students.


    This was just the preparation.


    "Woah." After taking her seat, Isabelle took a look around. Despite such a big hall, the area waspletely lit up.


    More and more students came in, filling up the empty space. They intentionally gave a lot more seats so that those who didn''t want to interact could take a seat somewhere far from other students.


    After some time, the gate was closed, signaling them that the ceremony had just started.


    Livia walked to the stage with a solemn expression. She looked at all 150 students while spreading her arms. "Wee to the Rune Academy."


    The Rune Academy that the people had been waiting for had finally been opened.


    "Woah. Is that the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom?" Isabelle''s expression brightened as she had a hard time containing her excitement.


    "I believe that most of you have known me, but allow me to introduce myself. I am here not as the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom. I''m here as the principal of the Rune Academy as well as the student of Noel Ardagan, Livia.


    "You should have seen all kinds of innovations that the runes brought all around the town. I''m just going to tell you one thing. When you are in the academy, you''ll be able to learn about the depth of the runes and create something like that as well.


    "Unlike other methods, the runes don''t discriminate. The only thing you need is enough spiritual energy and to work hard. You don''t need a spirit, you don''t need to know how to wield a weapon, because the runes will do everything for you.


    "As you probably already know, there are five types of rune and four divisions. The runes are divided into offensive, defensive, support, utility, and movement types.


    "All of them are connected to one another. You may think that you only need a defensive-type rune if you want to create armor, but that''s not all. If you put a movement rune, you can increase its mobility. The support rune can boost one''s ability. Basically, the runes are not limited to only one type.


    "Hence, during the first year, you will be learning all the foundations of each type. After that, you will be able to choose your own specialization, which is divided into four: Rune Enhancement, Rune Engineering, Rune Spell, and Rune Body.


    "Along with the vice principal, Tristan, who is also the student of Sir Noel Ardagan, there will be ten teachers aiding us in order to teach all of you.


    "However, I''ll remind you of something. If you are here as a student, behave like a student. If you''re causing trouble by using the people behind you, we''ll be taking action. Depending on the severity of the condition, we might expel you.


    "Anyway, I won''t take much of your time as there is a more important person willing to say a thing or two. Let us wee him with a grand apuse, Sir Noel Ardagan."


    The cheers erupted as Noel took the stage.


    David dropped his jaw, not believing that he could see this figure again after the grand opening. Isabelle was staring at Noel with pure admiration and excitement.


    "Thank you." Noel smiled at Livia as she took a step back, standing behind Noel. "I believe that the principal has said everything that needs to be said. So, I''ll just add one thing.


    "For the next six months, I''ll be monitoring the academy closely and choosing five people among all of you. The first one will be the best student among you and the other four will be the top scorers in four divisions.


    "You are free to reject if you manage to get the qualification, but those who ept will be taught the fifth division." Noel smiled. "The division thatbines the enhancement, engineering, spell, and body into a single array."


    Noel''s speech was simple, but enough to stun everyone. If there was indeed the fifth division, it meant that the people who knew about it were the ones close to him. It could be said that they became Noel''s indirect disciple if they managed to get that position.


    "Uoohhhh!"


    "I will do it!"


    "I''ll be the top student!"


    That speech lit up the ember in their hearts. Whatever drove them, whether it was greed or something else, Noel gave them a fair chance.


    Those who wanted to make their family proud would definitely try to seed. At the same time, with the pressure the Ardagan family was putting in the academy, the students couldn''t threaten the others in fear of getting kicked out.


    In other words, the five people that managed to be chosen would learn the Rune Cards and became the foundation of the Rune Meister that Noel developed personally.


    Noel closed his speech with, "Do your best."

 Chapter 1182: Spiritual Energy

    "Hehehehe. It''s finally done." Felicia grinned, staring at the machine. There was a number on it.


    [49,040]


    "This is interesting, very interesting." Felicia nodded furiously.


    "What''s wrong, Felicia?" A door was opened from the outside as Noel''s voice echoed inside the room. "Rose said you needed me."


    "My lord." Felicia bowed to Noel first.


    Noel waved his hand. "What''s wrong? I''m a bit busy for the time being."


    "Yes, sir. In that case, let me introduce you to the spiritual energy counting machine." Felicia stepped to the side, presenting him the machine that Prince Ramuer managed to buy.


    "Hoh?" Noel squinted his eyes. "What can the machine do?"


    "Allow me to exin the concept first." Felicia pointed at the demon crystals on the side. There were low level demon crystals to peak level demon crystals, each type having ten different crystals.


    "The crystals are varied in size, but if you take a closer look at each type, the difference won''t be that significant. Even if they have a different shape, two low level demon crystals wouldn''t have much difference in size. At most, it will be a ten percent difference in size or weight.


    "However, what I''m surprised about is that each demon crystal is actually giving you the same amount of spiritual energy."


    "The same amount?" Noel fell into deep thought. Now that he thought about it, this was the logical exnation. If they didn''t have an equal amount of spiritual energy, the limit would be different. In fact, his system would give a different number or a decimal."


    "Yes, sir." Felicia nodded. "Even the biggest low level demon crystal will still give you 10 points of spiritual energy. At the same time, how about the mid level demon crystals? They contain 500 points of spiritual energy. At the same time, their size is not 50 times bigger than the low level demon crystal."


    "Wait a minute. Before that, what do you mean by points?"


    "Ah, my apologies. This machine is taking the concept of particles." Felicia drew a circle on the table and put ten low level demon crystals inside it. "Please take a look at this. Imagine that these crystals are all spiritual energy particles. It''s a bit weird to call energy a particle, so we''ll probably need a new termter.


    "Anyway, imagine that there are ten particles inside a single low level demon crystal. They are floating freely inside the crystal, but there can be no more than ten of them inside a low level demon crystal."


    "I see." Noel nodded in understanding. "Then¡­"


    "Then, for the mid level demon crystals, there is something different. Instead of the particles floating around like this, they are¡­" Felicia grabbed five of the crystals andbined them. The other five crystals also had the same result, creating two groups of particles. "They are like this."


    "The spiritual energy create groups?"


    "Exactly. Instead of 500 particles floating freely, it''s actually more like 25 particles roaming around. Each group consists of 20 particles."


    Noel fell silent for a moment before asking, "If this particle theory is correct, doesn''t that mean it is extremely important, not only for the development of runes but also for fighters?"


    "Yes, sir. If this is true, we have found the real exnation why a spirit practitioner is stronger than a spirit apprentice. Just like the demons, humans also condense their spiritual energy into groups while increasing the amount of reserve we have.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "In other words, we can think of it as a spirit apprentice can have a hundred particles in their reserve, but to be a spirit practitioner, they have to condense the energy into groups.


    "This is the exnation why even though someone is a spirit practitioner and using the same skill as the spirit practitioner, they will produce stronger might. It''s because even if they use ''five points'' of spiritual energy, the spirit apprentice literally uses five while the spirit practitioner uses five times something. I don''t know the number right now.


    Of course, if they try to limit themselves to match someone''s power, they will subconsciously use one point of their energy¡­ times the multiplier, which is still stronger than the spirit practitioner."


    Noel''s expression turned grim. If this theory were true, there would be a lot of mess happening all around the world. They had to redo all their understanding about spiritual energy.


    "But how does one condense their spiritual energy?"


    "That''s the problem. They don''t. The spirits are the ones doing all this. If we follow this theory, we might find a new concept of spirit absorption. It''s not how much the spirit can absorb from a single demon crystal. Instead, it''s how much the spirit can condense.


    "For example, if one has 100 points of spiritual energy with a 90% absorption rate, they will be able to form condense 90% of its power. However, thest ten points can''t be condensed even though they remain in our reserve. Because of that, their power is minuscule. When the body recognizes those 90% of condensed energy, that 10% of loose energy is simply too insignificant, creating a kind of void.


    "This is what actually stops someone from reaching the next stage. The higher their absorption rate, the longer this ''poison'' is getting created. And if you have a 100% absorption rate, you basically be simr to the spirit, and your potential is limitless."


    Noel sucked a cold breath. They might really need to change the entire system.


    "Does the prince who invented this machine realize it?"


    "He probably doesn''t realize the true extent of it. From what I''ve heard, the prince is more like an engineer than a researcher. He is doing all the practical things, but he doesn''t care much about the extent of the concept itself."


    Noel rubbed his chin. "In that case, it''s better to hide this information for the time being. We have topile the knowledge in the meantime and test it before publishing the knowledge."


    "Yes, sir. However, the reason I call you is not because of the knowledge, but because of the use of this machine as well as the concept. Please allow me to exin to you the potential that this machine has."

 Chapter 1183: Leaving

    "Please allow me to exin the full details of this machine''s true potential."


    Noel squinted his eyes, contemting his schedule. It seemed that this machine was much more important than anything in his current schedule, so he nodded. "Alright."


    "Thank you, sir." Felicia raised four fingers. "Basically, it can be summed up into four things. First of all, if we can somehow integrate this machine into our own rune technology, we will know when we should recharge the demon crystals."


    "Are you talking about the Rune Card?"


    "No, Sir. I''m talking about all inventions. For example, if we can somehow put it inside and know how many points we have left, we will be able to know when we should recharge the demon crystal. If there are only two particles left, we might have to get a new demon crystal in case it stops midway. This will give a better understanding of the people''s trip and so on."


    "I see. That''s understandable. If we look at it that way, we can use the airships and boats to know how far it can bring us."


    "Yes." Felicia nodded. "For example, if we need ten thousand particles to go from this city to Laivaen City, we will be able to see the cost per trip, which will define all the fees for our transportation."


    "Because we know the cost exactly, the people will be eager to improve the design that can give more efficiency."


    "Indeed. That''s the second potential."


    Noel was quite surprised. If this were true, those airships and boats could bemercial transportation as well. After all, each of them could bring a lot of cargo and people. They also needed special routes. Noel thought, ''An airship could easily fly over a mountain range instead of going around it, which will reduce the cost tremendously.''


    Currently, there would be a lot of innovationsing out, but in the future, efficiency would be the market.


    Noel asked, "What is the third potential?"


    "It is still rted to the second potential, but this time, it''s for the military. By using this machine, we''ll be able to measure the amount of spiritual energy needed to use Rune Cards, Rune Spells, and other things. The normal soldiers might be able to bring Rune Cards, but currently, we are just pouring all the demon crystals we have until we think it''s right.


    "Maybe a rune card has an excess of one or two low level demon crystals. It''s not much, but if we have a thousand of them? We will easily save a lot of money just by focusing on the details."


    Noel nodded in understanding. "Indeed. The scale will be problematic. We can still burn some money since we''re rapidly growing, but in the future, we need to think about profitability as well."


    "The fourth potential is rather different because it needs an entirely new invention. My lord is using empty demon crystals because he doesn''t want to waste them, but if there is a chance that we can recharge the demon crystal or turn that waste into some sort of battery¡­"


    "!!!" Noel looked shocked. The fourth potential could be the biggest potential he had so far. After all, it emphasized the sustainability of the rune technologies. "Can you make this machine?"


    "I can''t. I need engineers that could help me with it, but more importantly, we might get into trouble with the Greenwood Kingdom if we produce it on arge scale."


    "I''ll be taking care of the problem myself. Besides, we have purchased the right to manufacture it as well as the blueprints. We still have the legal right to back us up, but yes, it''ll definitely sour our rtionship with the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "For the time being, proceed in secrecy. We need to maintain our rtionship until the fight against the demon king. After that, we can handle this however we want.


    "We probably can integrate it as the government''s special machine, which will improve us and introduce it bit by bit."


    "Understood." Felicia nodded her head.


    "Also, list out all the details for me. I''ll read itter."


    "Yes, sir."


    Noel waved his hand as he exited the room.


    Rose, who had been waiting outside, crossed her arms and said, "We have a problem."


    "What''s wrong? The royal family has made their move?"


    "No. You should meet Old Jade. He seems to have something serious to ask and potentially needs to leave the city."


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. Old Jade was one of their strongest people, so it would be a big loss if he left. Still, Rose worded it in a way that Old Jade only had a matter outside.


    "Alright. Let''s meet him." Noel decided to hear of this important matter right from Old Jade himself.


    Old Jade was waiting outside Noel''s office, carrying a small bag with him as if he were ready to leave right away.


    "Old Jade. I apologize for making you wait. I''ve heard that you want to leave the city." Noel approached Old Jade, the Affection Medal showing Old Jade remains loyal, so it must be just a matter on the outside.


    "Yes, sir. I''m sorry for doing this suddenly, but there seems to be a problem back in the Tower Association. My disciple ends up getting dragged into it."


    "A problem in the Tower Association?" Noel thought for a moment. "Are they making their move against us?"


    "I''m not entirely sure. All I know is the Tower Association is very chaotic right now. That''s why I have to go back and help my disciple¡­ at least until the situation calms down. It might be a few months, so I''d like to ask for your permission to leave."


    Old Jade showed his sincerity by asking his permission. He liked living in this city, so it was a bit hard for him to leave.


    "Do you need any help?" Noel asked. Of course, Noel wasn''t heartless enough to stop him.


    "No need, sir. I believe I can take care of the problem by myself. I just need a bit more time." Old Jade shook his head.


    "Understood. If you need anything, there should be a brothel under Harley in that city. If you need anything, you can send a message to me directly. Don''t forget that you are a part of the Ardagan family right now."


    Old Jade smiled, feeling moved. He politely bowed to him, saying, "Yes, sir. Thank you so much."


    Noel''s expression turned solemn when watching Old Jade leave. A problem that required Old Jade to leave suddenly urred at this time, making him think this was a conspiracy. At the same time, he wondered if he had be paranoid recently, thinking that everything was a conspiracy.


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 Chapter 1184: Problems

    Old Jade raised his head, looking at the sparkling white town. His gaze soon shifted to a tall tower located in the center of the city.


    "It''s been a while since Ist visited the city. I was so focused on my research in my own basement that I rarely came here. I guess I should visit my disciple first."


    Old Jade walked into the tower without raising any attention. He had retired and was under the protection of the Ardagan family, so he personally didn''t wish to create more trouble for the Ardagan family.


    He sneaked into his former office that the Tower Association had given him, which obviously was seeded in by his student.


    "!!!" As if sensing an iing presence, his disciple turned around, finding Old Jadee through the window. He hurriedly opened the window while saying, "Teacher."


    "It''s been a while, Gaston. How is your life here?" Old Jade smiled as hended inside.


    "I apologize for calling you back here, Master. It''s just that the situation in the Tower Association is not really good. As much as I want to peacefully research things, the problem has be too big."


    "Is that so? Let''s listen to your situation first." Old Jade nodded. "You said in the letter that the problem also involved the Ardagan family¡­"


    "Yes. Please take a seat first, Master. I''ll prepare tea."


    "No. It''s fine. Ie here secretly, so I don''t wish to be seen by anyone else." Old Jade shook his head.


    Gaston nodded his head. "I understand. There are three big things currently happening in the association. First of all, they seem to be forming a coalition between elders as if nning to make someone a leader of the association."


    "What? The Tower Association is a ce for knowledge and research, not a political party like the Demon Banner Army. The reason why we have a lot of elders is for this exact reason. There might be a lot of discussions about the position of a grand elder, but all of them are shot down right away." Old Jade''s expression turned grim.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Yes. If it''s dismissed right away, I wouldn''t have called for you, Teacher. It''s just that five elders are in cahoots, trying to make this grand elder position a reality."


    "What?" Old Jade dropped his jaw. "There are a total of twelve main towers, which mean twelve elders¡­ How about the remaining seven? If they get two more, by using the voting right, they will actually create the grand elder position¡­"


    "That''s the problem right now, Master. They are sneaking around. From what I''ve heard, they''re currently approaching three elders: the Lightning Lord, the Dark Lord, and the Magic Lord."


    "¡­" Old Jade fell into deep thought. "How about you?"


    "They are trying to use their position as well as your retirement to denounce me from my position, saying that I''m not worthy of this position."


    "Are they insane? They are not nning to get only 7 votes, but they''re nning forplete control." Old Jade clenched his hands into fists. "What are they doing?"


    "I''m not sure, but there is one thing rted to the second problem. It''s only a rumor, but it has been spread around the tower."


    "What is the rumor?"


    "They said that Noel Ardagan had stolen the secret of the Tower Association and imed it as his own."


    "Huh?" Old Jade tilted his head in confusion. "They believed it? And what kind of thing had he stolen?"


    "They''re iming that all the rune technologies were designed by the Tower Association and that he stole them from them several years ago when he visited the academy."


    Old Jade''s expression darkened. "And people believed it?"


    "It was because they only imed the Spirit Enhancement, not the Runes themselves. Spirit Enhancement had been researched for more than a thousand years, so it was hard to say anything in that regard. The rune knowledge simply perfected the already existing system."


    Old Jade never expected that the Tower Association had been so corrupted in just a few months he was gone.


    No, it was probably something they had been nning this whole time. Old Jade leaving the association was the trigger for them to make a move.


    Old Jade pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now that I think about it, he has once told me that some of the elders in the Tower Association have defected to either the royal family or the Supreme Devil Organization. It seems that they have been biding their time to do all this."


    "I''m afraid that''s true." Gaston nodded in agreement. "Looking at the situation, they are not iming everything. They''re nning to take a bite from Noel Ardagan. This will diminish a bit of the Ardagan family''s strength without giving a reason for the Ardagan family to go into an all-out war.


    "In addition, if Noel Ardagan makes his move, others will see him as a bully and gang up on him. I''m not doing this for him. I''m just worried about you since you''re now staying in his ce."


    Old Jade patted Gaston''s shoulders after hearing those words. At the same time, he was also contemting the current situation.


    "It seems that the situation has gone from bad to worse. I''m sorry for having you entangled in all of this." Old Jade sighed.


    "That is fine. Even if I''m not, they will still try to get rid of me. It''s just a matter of time." Gaston sighed. "In the past, there were records about previous civilizations saying that powerful countries usually copsed from within. I guess that was correct."


    "Hush. Don''t say anything that would lead to treason." Old Jade waved his hand down. "I''ll try contacting him after this. We will wait and see what he is nning to do next. Also, I might visit those three elders and convince them not to be swayed by everything. Besides, even though you are not as strong as me, your achievement both in martial prowess or research is the best among the candidates.


    You are definitely qualified to be my sessor more than anyone else."


    Gaston nodded. "In that case, I''ll tell you about the third problem¡­"

 Chapter 1185: Rumor

    "In that case, I''ll tell you about the third problem." Gaston''s expression turned solemn.


    Old Jade noticed that this might be the biggest problem they were facing.


    "There is a rumor that the Tower Association is reeking of demon energy. It is still a rumor, but this is a very bad rumor."


    Old Jade sucked a cold breath. He couldn''t help but remember what Noel said to the pirs, especially to Howard and all Spirit Grandmasters in the territory.


    "Remember, the enemies this time are much stronger. Their strength has surpassed that of a grandmaster. While it hasn''t reached the spirit transcendence, it might be just a matter of time.


    "In addition, you have to remember that a single grandmaster might not be their opponent. Only people at the peak of grandmaster might be able to pose a challenge.


    "In other words, you can think of it as only Old Jade and Dimitri are able to fight them.


    "If you havee across them, try to escape or kill them with numbers. I don''t know what is going on with this corrupted royal family, but you have to be careful."


    Old Jade''s face darkened as he muttered, "I will handle this personally."


    "Do you know something, Master?" Gaston frowned.


    "A demon in human clothing."


    "A demon?" Gaston digested the answer, which led to two possibilities. He instantly realized what his master was trying to say. "Are you saying that the demons have invaded us?"


    "Invaded, huh? That word is only used if they are attacking us."


    "!!!" Gaston gasped. "Do we actually wee demons?"


    Old Jade didn''t reply, but his expression had said everything.


    Gaston finally understood what was actually happening. "Are they trying to control the Tower Association by this method?"


    "I''m afraid so. For the time being, I''ll take care of this. Only I and other elders who are at peak grandmasters can fight them. I have to visit other elders so that they don''t get swayed as well." Old Jade sighed.


    "I understand. For now, I''ll be ying dumb. I''ll be observing them from a distance and giving you the information."


    Old Jade nodded. "I''m sorry, but even though I have a lot of things to talk about, I have to go."


    "I understand, Master. Please be careful."


    "You too." Old Jade smiled as he leaped outside.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The first thing he did was none other than visit the brothel.


    "Mister. How about visiting us?" A beautiful woman hugged his arm, asking with a seductive voice.


    Old Jade nced to the side to find the brothel''s name. As soon as he knew that the brothel was the brothel he was searching for, he immediately circled his arm around her neck. "Is that so? Maybe I should. Even if I''m old, I''m still strong enough."


    "Oh my." The beautiful woman smiled brightly as she pulled him inside.


    Old Jade wasughing pervertedly until he reached the counter.


    "Am I going to be with you, Mister?" The woman whispered in his ears.


    "Hahaha. Sure. Let me register first." Old Jade chuckled.


    "Wee, sir. What would you like to do, and for how long? We have several packages that you would definitely love to try." The receptionist smiled sweetly.


    "Hmm. I want her and the best girl of this brothel. I can pay you however you want." Old Jadeughed proudly.


    "I understand. The total will be 3 gold coins."


    Old Jade reached out for his pocket. Instead of paying with coins, what Old Jade took out was actually a circr badge with the sword pattern on it.


    "!!!" The receptionist and the girl widened their eyes in shock.


    The receptionist looked around before sneakily sliding the badge under the table.


    "We have received the payment. Lily, please guide our customer to his room."


    "Y-Yes." She nodded, feeling afraid.


    Old Jade only chuckled and acted like a perverted old man so that no one would be suspicious of him.


    However, the moment he entered the room, Old Jade returned to his usual gant demeanor. He crossed his leg while saying, "You don''t need to be nervous."


    Despite his aging face, Old Jade casually grabbed the wine on the table while pouring it for the woman. "Let''s drink while we wait, youngdy."


    "Y-Yes." She hurriedly picked up the ss, but because of Old Jade''s identity, she tripped. "NO!"


    Old Jade skillfully caught the ss with one hand and the woman with the other. He used his spiritual energy to avoid spilling the wine. "Oh my. What a cute youngdy. Are you hurt anywhere?"


    She could only look with wide eyes. Instead of aging, he was mature. Instead of calm, he was gentle.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the receptionist had gone to the manager''s room, finding a woman in her early forties. "Manager."


    "Mhmm?" She raised her head while putting down the pen. "Is there a bad customer?"


    The receptionist showed the badge to the manager.


    "Who is the customer?"


    "We don''t know. We only know that he is old. I have asked Lily to bring him to the first suite."


    "For that person to bring this badge, he should have ess to the Night Bunny Network. Someone from the Ardagan family?" She stood up after realizing the situation. "I''ll talk to him. Just act as if you don''t know anything."


    "Understood. I''ll go back to my counter." The receptionist hurriedly exited the room.


    Meanwhile, the manager brought the badge and immediately headed to the suite to meet Old Jade.


    "Respected envoy. I am Ezelia, the manager of this brothel. May I know your reason for visiting us?" The manager politely bowed, but the voice that rang in her ears was not Old Jade. It was Lily.


    "Mister, Mister. How did you do this?" Lily was sitting on top of Old Jade''sp while wrapping her arms around his neck, asking coquettishly.


    Ezelia widened his eyes in shock, not expecting Lily to behave this way. She could see pure admiration in Lily''s eyes. They were the ones usually getting information from customers, not the other way around.


    Old Jade casually turned around as if nothing big happened. He said, "I need to send a letter."

 Chapter 1186: Speculation

    "Old Jade has sent an emergency letter to us." Rose handed over the letter. "I''ve just received it whening here."


    "!!!" Noel''s expression turned solemn. He grabbed the letter and took his time to read it, digesting the information he provided.


    The more he read, the darker his expression became.


    "I can''t leave the city right now. Follow me to meet Anna and Melissa." Noel immediately stood up.


    "What''s going on?" Rose''s heart beat rapidly, not knowing what kind of letter Old Jade sent.


    Noel tossed the paper while walking out of the mansion.


    Rose apanied him while reading the letter. "There are rumors about the tower association reeking of demon energy? If this is true, does that mean they''re those humans that have fused with demons?"


    "That''s the only exnation. However, Old Jade might not be able to handle this."


    "If I''m not wrong, you say that there are three elders who have been in cahoots with the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Indeed. It seems that after knowing they can''t touch us right now, they are moving their aim away by targeting the weaker opponents first. If they manage to gain the Tower Association, it''ll be even harder for us. Don''t forget that we have been hiding the rune inventions under the banner of the Tower Association."


    Rose nodded with a serious expression. "If that''s the case, we need to stop them somehow."


    "It''s not easy, or should I say it''s already impossible¡­" Noel sighed. "If we intervene with the Tower Association right now, we will be judged as ruling the kingdom from the shadows. That can pretty much escte to rebellion."


    While Noel didn''t mind fighting the royal family, he had heard about the rebellion from Anna. If the result would be simr to what happened in his previous life, it would mean Noel couldn''t defeat the demon king anymore.


    Hence, he had to avoid rebellion at all costs.


    Noel thought for a moment. "They have been nning it this whole time."


    "What do you mean?"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization and the royal family might have a symbiotic rtionship. At the same time, the royal family is still trying to regain their absolute control over them. Thetter is trying to break free from the royal family and govern the world for real.


    "As a result, they''ve been scheming against each other the whole time. Now that I emerge as the new faction, they finally see me as amon enemy and work together.


    "Knowing the Supreme Devil Organization as well as this demonic human¡­ I''m afraid that the king has either been brainwashed or has switched sides."


    "Brainwashed?" Rose gasped. "How? Why? When?"


    The king was the most protected person in the country, but there was indeed one time when it was possible to brainwash the king. And if his spection was true, the royal family had been gnawed by the demons.


    "About 3 decades ago, before the throne war."


    "!!!" Rose widened her eyes in shock.


    "I''m afraid that a demonic human had been on the king''s side this whole time. My father knew that the Supreme Devil Organization had to be destroyed, but he might not realize the true extent of the problem.


    "If that demonic human had been brainwashing him this whole time, it wouldn''t be weird if the king was turned into an idiot who only focused on the title and power.


    "It might be able to exin why the king is so focused on me right now instead of focusing on the demons.


    "The king had no choice but to ept that proposal because that was the only way to defeat the Third Prince and my father.


    "After knowing about my father''s realization, the king wanted to get rid of my father. Because of my bad reputation, I was spared from it, and they must not realize I would be this big."


    This spection made some sense. And if this was true, the entire kingdom had been corrupted.


    Rose asked, "But how about the Third Prince?"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization might be using the Third Prince as well, so in the end, they were on the same side if you look at it from that perspective.


    "What I''m currently worrying about is how much they are involved in this matter." Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.


    The Space Arbiter joined hands with the Third Prince in his previous life. In this life, the Space Arbiter joined the Supreme Devil Organization.


    There was a possibility that the Space Arbiter had also joined the Supreme Devil Organization in his previous life, and the organization wanted her to cooperate with the Third Prince to kill him and Anna.


    If this spection was true, the situation would be even more chaotic than he originally thought.


    As soon as they met Anna and Melissa, Noel stated, "Anna. I want you to help Old Jade right away. He is in grave danger. I''m afraid that it will be more dangerous than what happened to us in the Zaecuria Kingdom or the attack on Tristan."


    "Alright." Anna didn''t bother to reject it since Noel had such a serious face. "I will ask Old Ru about the details."


    Noel gave the letter to Anna, which would give her the basic information. After that, he turned to Melissa, asking, "I know that this is so sudden, but I think you are eager to see other cities as well.


    "In that case, I want you to go with Anna. Once you reach the city, I want you to hide your presence so that no one knows you''re there or affiliated with the Ardagan family. No matter what, don''te out since Anna should be able to handle most problems.


    "I want you to follow Anna''s instructions, but other than that, you are free to do anything you want. The expense will be covered by my family as well."


    Melissa agreed without hesitation. She had a hard time containing her excitement.


    Noel turned back to Anna and said, "Melissa will be with you to guarantee if something goes wrong and you are somehow facing a life-and-death battle. If you deem that if you''re in a situation where your life is endangered, just shout Melissa''s name to get her help. Only at that time will she appear. I''ll trust your judgment for this mission."


    "Alright."


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 Chapter 1187: Bait

    After sending the letter, the first thing Old Jade did was visit his former colleague, the Dark Lord.


    They often worked together in the past, so if there was anyone he could convince, he was definitely one of them.


    "Old friend. It''s been three years since youst visited me." The Dark Lord smiled while spreading his arms.


    "Hahaha. It''s indeed been a while." Old Jade chuckled and hugged him.


    "I never thought that you would visit me."


    "Indeed. I wanted to retire peacefully, but it seemed that they couldn''t really let me retire." Old Jade shook his head helplessly.


    "Right? I heard you retired to the Ardagan family. Were you having fun there?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Yeah. It was great. I had never expected to be able to live in such a dream." Old Jade nodded.


    "Is that so? Now I''m a bit curious about the Ardagan family. Maybe I should retire there as well?"


    "You''re still young, but you''re thinking about retiring already?"


    "What young? I might not be as old as you, but I''m already 64 years old." The Dark Lord chuckled.


    "Hahahaha." Old Jadeughed out loud while rubbing his beard.


    "Well,e in first. Let''s talk about the old days inside." The Dark Lord extended his hand while his other hand wrapped around Old Jade''s neck, gently pulling him inside.


    "Indeed." Old Jade nodded in agreement.


    The Dark Lord brought him to his office as he personally poured him tea.


    "Thank you." Old Jade put the cup down while saying, "Are you aware of the situation of the kingdom right now?"


    "Somewhat. It''s really chaotic out there." The Dark Lord then took a seat while casually saying, "So the reason why you''re out of retirement is because of the rumors?"


    "You already know about the rumors?"


    "While I''m not there all the time, of course, I have heard it. The reason why we have never had a great elder and only twelve elders is so that there will be a bnce. The Tower Association since there will be six elders opposing it. The moment a great elder is born, the bnce will be broken."


    "Then¡­" Old Jade''s expression brightened. It seemed that he wouldn''t need a lot of effort to convince him.


    Sadly for him, the Dark Lord dropped a bomb he never expected. "And that is why I choose to break that bnce."


    "You¡­" Old Jade stood up, trying to use his power. But that was when he suddenly felt immense pain all around his body. "!!!"


    Old Jade dropped to his knees while screaming. "Aggghhh!"


    He was trying to move his body, but they refused. His spiritual energy caused immense pain.


    The Dark Lord''s expression darkened. "Old friend. What have you heard? 5 people have agreed to open the great elder position? That is wrong. 8 people have agreed from the very start.


    Those rumors are just distractions."


    "Distraction? Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes. It''s to know who can be persuaded and who can''t."


    Old Jade felt chills down his spine. If that was true, then the rumors were actually bait to bring him back here. Old Jade gritted his teeth, ring at his old friend. "What did you put in that tea?"


    "A poison¡­ one that is supposed to have gone extinct more than five hundred years ago." The Dark Lord casually sipped his tea. "It saddens me that my old friend doesn''t know what is good for the kingdom and what is not good."


    "Five hundred years ago?" As an elder, he remembered another elder that might get involved. However, that elder should have died. "Don''t tell me. The nt Lord¡­"


    The nt Lord had been eliminated in the past because he was involved with the Supreme Devil Organization, especially with the cultivation of an herb that was supposed to be extinct in the past.


    "Indeed. The nt Lord might not be with us anymore, but the cultivation of the Fagant Leaf is not with him anymore. Such a potent drug that is able to seal one''s spiritual energy and immobilize one''s muscles¡­ it''s truly one of a kind. It seems to take some time for a stronger human, but I guess you still can''t escape from it."


    "You¡­ Do you know what you''re doing? What is good? You''re the one confusing what is good!" Old Jade gnashed his teeth. He wanted to move his body and punch his face, but it was futile.


    The Dark Lord replied with a question. "And what is good to you? Do you not understand the position we are currently in? Suppose I''m supporting the Ardagan family, will they be able to ovee numerous demons? What about the ancient demons that they will bring?


    "A single ancient demon alone can wreak havoc on this kingdom, let alone multiple of them. The kingdom will be destroyed, and we won''t be able to do anything. Other kingdoms? Even they won''t be able to stop them.


    "If you think about it that way, it''s easy to realize that humanity will go extinct. And what? I''m going to make sure humanity survives. If only you could understand me¡­"


    "Survives? What is the difference between you and a dog? I''d rather die with dignity than let those demons who are lower than ants trample my pride as a human." Old Jade snarled.


    "You don''t know anything, my friend." The Dark Lord shook his head helplessly.


    "You''re the one who doesn''t know anything. Throughout history, humans will win again and again. We won''t go extinct because the light we have will be inherited to the next generation! You have lost your light and given up. I''m not your friend, you lowly dog! You are the same as those people in the pce who can only think about their fake authority."


    "That''s what you think. I couldn''t care less about them. They can y territory as they want, but me? I''ll make sure that this world will be repopted by a human again¡­ a much superior human."


    "You¡­Aaaahhhhh!" Old Jade roared. He administered as much strength as he could, he released all the spiritual energy that he had. However, it was futile. None of them could produce anything.


    "It''s useless, my friend. Unfortunately, it''s such a shame, but I guess I''ll be alone in the new era that wille after this. It was nice to have you as my friend." The Dark Lord pointed his palm at him. His pupils suddenly turned ck, which wasn''t the characteristic of a human.


    There was immense strength emitted from his body.


    "This power¡­" Old Jade widened his eyes in shock. "You are not supposed to be this strong."


    "This is the power that will rule the new era. I''ll give you onest chance. Join me."


    Old Jade made a painful look as if he were able to foresee the future. "My lord¡­ You must get stronger¡­ much stronger than right now. You have to kill these bastards!"


    "¡­" The Dark Lord noticed what he said at thest moment. It seemed that Noel wasn''t strong enough to go against him yet. And that was what he really needed.


    Little did he know, Old Jade was lying onest time. He knew Noel had reached the Spirit Transcendence and had the ability to fight them. He just wanted to lower their guards.


    He looked like he was still struggling, but he had given up inwardly. He muttered in his heart, "I''m sorry, my lord. I''ve screwed up. This is the only thing I can do for you¡­ humanity''s fate is in your hands."

 Chapter 1188: Finding

    As soon as Anna and Melissa reached the city, they split up. Melissa could go around the street as she liked, considering it was her original objective.


    That was when she noticed the difference between Golden Dawn City and this ce.


    While the city looked clean, there were actually a lot of ces that were unsanitary.


    It didn''t take too long for her to see a mountain of trash getting abandoned on a small alley. As a husky, her senses were much sharper, which allowed her to smell that foul odor.


    In addition, she could see people living in those alleys. Their tattered clothes were covered in dirt as though they hadn''t been cleaned for years. No, it could be said that cleaning these clothes would just destroy them.


    The street was bustling with people, but a lot of them were bringing buckets back and forth.


    And going from one ce to another would be quite hard. Even if the city wasn''t big, it would still take an hour due to theplicatedyout and no guides or directions.


    "Now I understand why they say the city is different. And ording to Anna, this city is considered one of the cities with good management.


    "I guess the standard is just different." Melissa muttered.


    While she was walking across the street, she couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. It wasn''t a rotten smell of an alley that caught her interest, it was the big tower in the middle of the city.


    "Hmmm?" Melissa sensed something peculiar that somehow activated her instinct.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Anna had arrived at the brothel.


    "So Old Jade has been here. And what did he do and what was his purpose?"


    "Sir only wanted to send a letter." The brothel''s manager, Ezelia, replied.


    "Only the letter?" Anna thought for a moment. "Where is he now?"


    "Thest time we saw him was when he left the city, heading to the north. If I remember correctly, there was a rumor that Sir Gem Lord was a friend of the Dark Lord.


    "The Dark Lord resided in the City of Raia, which was north of her. It wouldn''t take too long to reach them.


    "That''s my spection. We haven''t heard any information from our branch as well. I''m sure that he is sneaking into the city to avoid attention."


    Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. "If this is true, it''ll be quite dangerous. Do you have any information about the Dark Lord, his city, and everything that is currently happening in this city along with the tower?"


    "Not so much. The Dark Lord has been residing in his mansion for thest three months, but there aren''t many records about her activity. Normally, such an important person would have a lot of connections. Wealthy merchants and other influential people will then visit brothels, allowing us to get the information we need."


    "So it''s all nk?"


    "Yes." Ezelia nodded. "Regarding his city, there isn''t anything big either. As we said earlier, there are no influential people visiting, so it is as normal as it gets.


    "That''s also why Sir Gem Lord not contacting us means there is something going on. I may not be able to speak on his behalf, but Sir Gem Lord is the type of person that would report if he finds something wrong and ns to make a move."


    Anna didn''t say anything about her judgment regarding Old Jade. However, she couldn''t help but agree. If Old Jade had seeded in persuading the Dark Lord, he would probably inform the brothel about it.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The fact that he didn''t meant he might haven''t left the Dark Lord''s mansion. And for what reason did he need to stay inside?


    "It seems that I have no choice but to visit that ce myself." Anna''s expression turned solemn. She knew that this was a kind of entering a ce with an unknown danger. She was confident because of her transcendent strength.


    "As for what is happening inside this city¡­" Ezelia continued, "There are bad rumors regarding the Ardagan familying from the tower."


    "I already know about it. I just want to know if there is something strange in how they operate or any weird things currently happening in the city."


    "If that''s the case, there is one thing that I''d like to bring to your attention." Ezelia''s face became much more serious. "It seems there are a lot of kidnappings happening in the citytely. Actually, one of our people was kidnapped three days ago.


    "We have tried to contact the authorities but get no response. We have reported this matter to the headquarters, but because we haven''t found any clues about it, there is no response as well. If this gets any worse, then the headquarters will probably make their move."


    Anna noticed that Ezelia reported it so that she would take action. At the same time, this is also what she was searching for.


    She stood up while saying, "In that case, I''ll take care of it. Do you have any people familiar with the information?"


    "That¡ª" As Ezelia was about to give her a name, the room temperature dropped as a chilling voice echoed inside the room.


    "Anna. There seems to be something weird in this city."


    "Who¡ª" Ezelia turned around, trying to stop the intruder.


    However, the other party had already passed her as if she didn''t even exist. Melissa simply stood in front of Anna since she was the only one that mattered.


    "Did you find something?"


    Melissa nodded. "There is a rotten smell¡­ not from food items, but the same rotten smelling from corpses."


    "!!!" Ezelia and Anna widened their eyes. Anna asked, "Where is that? Have you checked it?"


    "No, since I''m not supposed to make a move. I just want to let you know. As for the location, it''s from the tower in the middle of the city."


    "The Grand Tower?" Ezelia gasped.


    "It must be hiding something since the rotten smell is leaking out of the underground. If not for my nose being much, much sharper than the rest, I would probably not notice it too. There should be something that is trying to cleanse that rotten smell."


    Anna''s face darkened. She said, "We''ll move during the night. Melissa, you can go around the town for the time being. But once the night falls, we''ll sneak into the tower and find out what happens. I need you as my guide."


    "Alright." Melissa nodded.


    Anna turned to Ezelia. "It might also be rted to the kidnapping case of the girl. For now, I need a room to wait. Also, send a letter to the headquarters."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 1189: Discovery

    Once the moon was at the top of their heads, Anna and Melissa began to approach the tower.


    Melissa stopped Anna when she was about to break through. She listened closely and said, "There are about four people."


    "I know." Anna nodded. She could also sense them because of her unique instinct. "We''ll knock them out. For the time being, our appearance here is not known by anyone. If we knock them out and get out of here without making our appearance here, we''ll be able to y innocent. The only problem is what we will find inside the basement."


    "In that case, I''ll knock out the two people on the right."


    Anna agreed. "Let''s go."


    The ones guarding the basement were actually spirit wielders. They were very strong. Even if a spirit grandmaster came, they would be able to put up a fight for a few seconds and sound the rm.


    However, no one would expect for two spirit transcendences to actually sneak into the tower.


    One of the spirit wielders noticed iing presences, but before he could react, Anna had appeared behind him, her fingers touching the back of his neck.


    With a little spark into his brain and spine, the man was knocked out.


    Anna then moved to the other guard and knocked him out with the same method.


    Of course, Melissa skillfully took down the other two guards.


    "I should be able to handle this myself. Watch over this door. Knock out anyone that tries toe and make sure to remain hidden."


    After nodding her head, Melissa moved to a different spot. Meanwhile, Anna snapped the lock with her spiritual energy before opening it as quietly as possible.


    There was a rotten smell gushing out of the pathway, which forced Anna to close the door again so that no one would find out until she was gone.


    Inside was a small pathway that led to stairs leading to the basement. However, it seemed that he had underestimated the tower association.


    As soon as she reached the stairs, she could see a huge underground basement. It was like a circr tower with numerous staircases leading to the very bottom.


    ''Thirty¡­ forty meters deep. What kind of thing are they hiding here? No. When did they actually build this ce?'' thought Anna as she noticed several doors on the side of the stairs.


    She approached the first door not far away from her. There seemed to be nothing dangerous since her instinct didn''t pick up anything.


    She carefully opened the first door to check what could be hidden inside this ce. And that was when the rotten smell suddenly struck her nose.


    Anna hurriedly used the spiritual energy to form a barrier to stop the smell from leaking out before closing the door.


    Anna couldn''t help but widen her eyes the moment she saw everything in this room. It was a small room, and she could easily see everything right from the entrance.


    It was dark because there were no candles, but thanks to the Moon Blessing, she could see it.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    On the opposite side of the room, there was a corpse hanging on the ceiling. It was a male corpse, but unlike a normal human corpse, his right hand had expanded five times of the original size. The veins bulged on that arm as the skin turned purple.


    On the left hand, it still resembled a normal human except for the same purple skin.


    The most horrible things were the two legs. They were stretching like rubber but also expanding like the right hand. In addition, half of the legs had already rotten, showing how long this guy had been here.


    Anna covered her mouth as she wanted to puke.


    Even the original Anna said, ''Come on. Even the you in our previous lives was not that bad. Without Noel, we would still kill people, but we did it instantly, so they didn''t really feel much pain. Looking at this guy, he is being tortured by transforming his body. Demons?''


    Anna''s expression turned dark. ''They are trying to turn innocent people into demons? If their experiment seeds, they can actually cause a lot of unrest inside the kingdom. Are they insane?''


    ''But Noel said there is a possibility that the king has been brainwashed or turned into a demonic human. If that''s the case, there''s a possibility that the demonic humans have a way to change their appearance. Remember that their eyes were different?''


    ''If we can''t actually differentiate between a normal human and a demonic human, it''ll be all over. Are all of these nned by the demons? They know they won''t be able to defeat the Ardagan family by fighting them head-on, so they choose this kind of tactic?''


    ''It''s possible, but we have to figure out what is happening first. We''ll briefly check all those doors since they might be the same.''


    The two Annas reached an agreement, but before they opened the door, they heard a woman screaming.


    "NOOOO!!!"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes while the original Anna said, ''I think it''s better to skip everything and head down there right away. It''ll allow us to find out what''s happening.''


    Anna immediately opened the door and jumped to the very bottom. She used her spiritual energy to smooth hernding so that she didn''t produce any sound.


    At the bottom, she saw a big corridor with two paths at the end. Considering the scream came from the right, she chose this path and actually saw a long corridor with cells as if this were a prison.


    Anna checked the content of the prison, which turned out to be humans. Their eyes had lost their focus as if they had been drugged.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t help them right now since there was something more important. She continued, following the woman''s scream until she reached the cell at the end of the corridor.


    There was a woman being chained down to the bed. A middle-aged man was casually bringing his tools to the table next to the operating bed.


    Anna couldn''t help but shudder in shock as she hid behind the wall. The middle-aged man who had been doing this was actually Old Jade''s disciple, Gaston.

 Chapter 1190: Clue

    "NO!" The woman screamed, tears streaming down her eyes. She was struggling to get up, but the chains shackled her entire body. "Why are you doing this?"


    "You don''t have to be afraid, littledy. This is going to end pretty soon." Gaston brought a small jar to the operating table.


    He casually opened it and took out the content, which not only shocked the woman but also Anna.


    "!!!" Anna shuddered, thinking, ''Is that a demon in its original form?''


    ''ording to the knowledge we have, it''s indeed a demon in its original form.''


    ''Should we help her? Stopping Gaston and getting information from him.''


    ''I''m not sure about this. Gaston is Old Jade''s disciple, so he will surely want to handle this himself. We should probably report it so that Old Jade knows about it and gets the justification. If we recklessly attack Gaston here, we might end up making Old Jade our enemy.''


    Anna knew that Old Jade couldn''t be their enemy in this sensitive time. At the same time, if they didn''t save the woman, the woman would be killed.


    The original Anna was much calmer. While it was true that she had changed, she wasn''t influencedpletely, which meant she retained her ruthlessness from the past.


    The original Anna said, ''In our previous lives, we''ll definitely leave that woman be. It''s true that a life is important, but if you don''t help her right now, you can retain Old Jade as your ally, get more information, and investigate the Dark Lord without any interference.


    ''On the other hand, if you attack him right now, Old Jade might even be a demonic human. He has worked in the mine as well as a part of our research pir. If we lose Old Jade, we might experience a big drawback.


    ''In addition, the Tower Association will realize that we''ve been sniffing around. They might immediately point their sword to attack us. Even if we have the strength, they can crush our allies. That''s why we have to be careful in making a decision.''


    The original Anna gave a reasonable input. It was a woman they didn''t know, and there were still a lot of people that Gaston could use.


    Anna bit her lips. If it was in the past, she would probably decide it in an instant.


    ''You should steel your heart. Instead of helping, you should see this through, know what is going to happen to other people, and do something to prevent it. Don''t help her right now because we''ll be clueless as to what is going to happen if a human swallows a demon. For example, that Gaston might already be a demonic human who manages to camouge himself like a real human.


    If that is correct, we can expect that demons have truly been living among us.''


    Anna gritted her teeth.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "NO!"


    "Please!"


    "Don''t!"


    The woman continued screaming, agonizing her heart. She had never thought she had changed so much that hearing them scream like this pained her heart so much.


    Anna clutched her chest, knowing that she would get the retribution for this. That woman could hate her for not saving her.


    But the moment Gaston shoved that demon into her mouth, her body convulsed violently as the demon made its way inside of her.


    Her eyes rolled back, instantly losing control over her body.


    Her skin was being peeled from the inside, especially her hands. It was simr to what happened to the corpse they found earlier. Instead of her legs, it was her hands.


    The flesh kept expanding until it was four times its original size. Then, the skin was reinforced and stopped for a moment. The other parts of her body began to transform as well.


    "Hmm¡­" Gaston observed her while taking note. "Talk to me, demon."


    "Y¡­Y¡­ Yes¡ªHaaa!" The woman uttered a single word before it spat a mouthful of blood. Its throat burst as if it were unable to contain the demon power.


    "One word, huh?" Gaston contemted. "As expected, a stronger body is needed to host a demon. A normal person bing a demonic human will just end up bing this grotesque creature. Animals have higher durability and lower consciousness, so they don''t resist as much as humans.


    "It seems that I have to find a spirit apprentice and a spirit practitioner next to see whether they can seed or not.


    "It seems that the demons have absorbed the knowledge from the human''s mind and are able to talk. If it works, they might be able to live among other humans."


    Gaston looked satisfied. "Now that I think about it, that human has gone there. Is he going to be the next specimen?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. The way Gaston worded it was as if he wasn''t a human anymore. In that case, he must have indeed swallowed a demon and still retained his consciousness.


    The problem was what he said earlier. A new specimen? For Gaston to think of that person highly meant he was strong. And there was only one person he would mention and one ce he could go, it was Old Jade who visited the Dark Lord.


    ''Not good.'' Anna''s heart sank. All those words had forced her to make a decision. This time, she knew what she had to do.


    Gaston suddenly turned around as if he sensed a presence.


    "Hmm?" Gaston furrowed his eyebrows as he walked back outside the cell, checking what was going on with this basement. No one could be seen inside the corridor.


    "Is it just my feeling?" Gaston spread his spiritual energy to check the entire basement, counting the number of people inside. "All of them are there. It seems that I''ve mistaken. Maybe I''ve be a bit too excited with this new subject."


    Little did he know, Anna had exited the basement.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­" Anna was gritting her teeth, hating herself for having to escape.


    "Is there something wrong?" Melissa was worried, wondering what happened inside the basement.


    "We only have several hours. We need to go to the Dark Lord''s mansion right now and find Old Jade. Something might happen to him."

 Chapter 1191: Explosion

    "Aaaggghhh!" Old Jade''s scream echoed under the basement of the Dark Lord''s mansion.


    His body was restrained by chains, but his eyes had turned ck as the demon had corroded his mind.


    Unlike the humans inside the tower, his human body was still intact.


    "You don''t have to reject that power, my friend." The Dark Lord smirked, looking at the pathetic state of Old Jade.


    "You bastard. What are you nning to do?" Old Jade gritted his teeth. He was trying his best to resist the control, but to no avail. If this continued, he would really lose his mind."


    "n? I don''t have any ns. I just think it''s a shame to let you die. It''s better if you live even if it''s not you anymore." The Dark Lord thought of something. "Now that I think about it, I think it''ll be even better if you end up killing those people from the Ardagan family, right? It''ll be hrious to see them dying in your hands."


    "You¡­" Old Jade wanted to crush him, but stopping the mind control was the only thing he could do. The moment he released his Ena, the corrosion rate might increase. He had to persist as long as possible.


    At the same time, Old Jade could see what was actually going on. "It is such a shame that a human, who once conquered the whole world, needs to be at the mercy of mere demons.


    "Lowly demons like you must be thinking that you have grasped everything, but you''re wrong.


    "The poison? It''ll be gone sooner orter. You might be able to use it right now, but it won''t be effective in the future. I know it." Old Jade smirked. He worded it in a way that his death would be the trigger for the extinction of Fagant Leaf. And that would be their n crumbling.


    "You don''t know a single thing, my friend. You should have continued your retirement and note here, or all this wouldn''t have happened." The Dark Lord snorted.


    "The Tower Association won''t crumble even if you have a grand elder. What you''re doing is simply hastening the copse of the tower itself. When no one is able to trust you anymore, that''s when the Tower Association will fall. And what''s next? You are all going to be abandoned."


    The Dark Lord smirked. "That''s where you''re wrong. Do you think our target is only the association?"


    "!!!" The Old Jade came to a realization. They managed to use the Fagant Leaf to immobilize him and shoved the demon into his mouth. If this were true, they might also target the Demon Banner Army.


    In other words, the demons would attack the Ardagan family from the border while the Tower Association, the Demon Banner Army, and the royal family would be attacking from behind.


    If they were surrounded in such a way, he didn''t think the Ardagan family could defeat all of them at once.


    "You bastard!" Old Jade roared. His spiritual energy erupted like his anger, causing a powerful shock wave that shook the entire mansion.


    "It''s impossible for you to do anything. No one will help you, no one can help you. In the end, your fate has been sealed."


    Old Jade smirked. "Not necessarily."


    His consciousness had started fading due to that release.


    "There is nothing you can do. No one wille for you. Even your jades have been taken by me."


    Old Jade''s smile became bigger. "Do you think so? Do you know why I''m so obsessed with jades?"


    The Dark Lord frowned, still thinking that Old Jade was just saying nonsense.


    "In the past, I was a brat who did a lot of bad things. I was simply curious, but in the end, my curiosity lost me the fingers of my feet. That incident was so dumb that I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it, but this time, I''m d that I haven''t told anyone about it."


    "!!!" The Dark Lord widened his eyes and hurriedly lowered his vision.


    Because of that eruption of spiritual energy, the Dark Lord could actually see the faint spiritual energy that was building up until now.


    "You¡ª" The Dark Lord waved his hand, trying to cut Old Jade''s feet.


    Unfortunately for him, it was toote. The spiritual energy went berserk, amplifying the energy more than a hundred times.


    "What items do you think I use to rece the seven toes?" Old Jade smirked. "Yep, jades!"


    In that instant, the jades caused a massive explosion, blowing up the basement as well as the mansion on top of it.


    ¡­


    Anna and Melissa used their fastest speed to reach the Dark Lord''s mansion. As Anna said, they only had several hours.


    She was sure that Gaston would being back to the surface. Even if he hadn''t gone back, the guards would realize what happened.


    Hence, they had to solve this problem before Gaston was done and said something to the Dark Lord.


    More importantly, he was worried that something had happened to Old Jade.


    Unlike the tower, the mansion was less spacious, so it wouldn''t be hard for them to sneak in. The guards were patrolling outside the mansion, which made Anna feel a bit suspicious.


    "My instinct is telling me there''s not a single person in that mansion. Instead¡­" Anna lowered her vision.


    "Underground?"


    "Yeah." Anna thought for a moment. "I''ll need you to secure the perimeter. If the Dark Lord somehow escapes from me, we''ll stop him."


    "Do you want to kill him?"


    "Yes. We probably need to kill him. If not, he will realize what happens."N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "But won''t they realize we''re involved in this even if he dies?"


    "At least better than letting him give the information.


    Melissa nodded in understanding before disappearing. "Alright."


    Anna unsheathed her sword and started erasing her presence, ready to sneak into the mansion. She climbed the wall from an unexpected spot, but before she could actually approach the mansion, it exploded.


    Boom!


    The entire mansion exploded.

 Chapter 1192: Information

    Boom!


    "¡­" Anna''s heart stopped for a second, seeing how the mansion exploded right before she wanted to enter. "This is not the n¡­"


    "What is going on?"


    The guards were shouting in panic because the mansion they were supposed to guard was gone.


    "Tsk." Anna gritted her teeth, having to change her n. It seemed that she had no choice but to knock down all those guards first.


    To her surprise, there was only one strong presence in the basement, but she somehow located another one as if it appeared from the thin air.


    "That''s¡­" Anna dropped her jaw to the ground when she saw Old Jade escaping from the basement. He was the second presence that suddenly appeared earlier, which she thought was the Space Arbiter considering she was the only one who could teleport.


    Chasing after him was the Dark Lord. It seemed they were fighting, especially when she saw Old Jade losing both of his legs. Even his arms were bent weirdly with shackles on his wrists.


    It was clear that Old Jade was trying to run for her life.


    Anna gritted her teeth and shouted, "Take care of the soldiers!"


    "!!!" That shout rmed not only Melissa but other people.


    Old Jade turned his head around, looking at her with those ck eyes. The Dark Lord released his spiritual energy, not expecting that he actually missed a person that was trying to infiltrate his mansion.


    Old Jade shouted, "I don''t have much time left before turning into one, but he is a demonic human!"


    Old Jade purposely crashed himself into the ground a bit far away from Anna, fully aware that if he came to her right away, Anna would think he was there to deceive him.


    With this action, Old Jade skillfully stopped Anna from considering him an enemy.


    It was at that time that Anna immediately released her spiritual energy, locking it on the Dark Lord.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "Die!" The Dark Lord waved his hand down, using the power beyond a spirit grandmaster on Anna.


    It would pack a punch if he attacked her a month ago, but this kind of attack wasn''t effective against Anna anymore.


    Anna used the Force Control to boost her strength, exerting explosive spiritual energy.


    "!!!" The Dark Lord''s instinct was telling him to escape right away. There was no way he could endure an attack from that kind of power.


    However, he was toote.


    Anna leaped into the air and kicked the Dark Lord to the ground.


    "Gah!" The Dark Lord spat a mouthful of blood. He didn''t expect that with this kind of strength, that single kick actually broke his arm as well as a few ribs.


    Yeah, he managed to block it, but his power was simply not enough.


    The Dark Lord tried to get back on his feet, but all of a sudden, ice froze his hands and legs, attaching him to the ground.


    "!!!" The Dark Lord raised his head while shouting, "A¡ª"


    He couldn''t even utter the second syble before Anna shed his head with such a force that it destroyed his mouth and upper body, making him unable to utter another word.


    "Old Jade!" Anna turned her head to the side.


    Old Jade raised his hand froming over. He was clutching his chest as he had a hard time resisting the corruption.


    "Don''t. I don''t have much time left, so please listen. Tell the marquis that the enemy is forcing people to swallow the demons. People with stronger bodies won''t mutate much, but their minds and bodies will be corrupted by the demons.


    "Once you swallow a demon, you might still be able to save that person as long as you remove it not too long after that. But in my case, it''s simply toote.


    "The spirits are resisting the demon''s corrosion, but we need to use our spiritual energy to resist it. However, they have the Fagant Leaf that will make one unable to use their spiritual energy. This way, we won''t be able to resist that corrosion.


    "There are three states of demons that I have seen. The first is like me, resisting to the bitter end. The second one is eptance, which allows them to receive and probably cultivate that power. Thest one is forced. In thest one, people can''t even resist, and their bodies will mutate and get destroyed from within. Only those with stronger bodies have the ability to resist.


    "They are¡­" Old Jade panted heavily as if the demon just did something inside his body. His eyes started losing their focus.


    "Old Jade!"


    Old Jade raised his hand again as if implying that he was fine.


    "They have seized the Tower Association. The only elders who might still be sane are the Water Lord, the Stone Lord, and the Magic Lord. Try to ensure their safety because they are the only ones who can resist them. But don''t trust them too much because there''s a high chance they have been controlled. As long as we don''t know how to differentiate them, they might be controlled.


    "And¡­ ha¡­ ha¡­" Old Jade gritted his teeth as he used his right hand to stab himself in the stomach. "Gaaahhh!"


    After such a wound, he managed to regain a bit of control over his body and said thest piece of information he sneakily gathered from the Dark Lord. "They are aiming for the Demon Banner Army as well. Warn them!"


    "Old Jade. You have said enough. Please circte your energy. I''ll try to help you!" Anna bit her lips.


    However, Old Jade simply stabbed his own heart and ripped it out, showing the heart as well as the demon crystal to Anna. In thest bit of his strength, he said, "Please... kill¡­ my disciple¡­ mountain¡­ bury¡­"


    Old Jade spat a mouthful of blood before he died in the most excruciating way.


    "Old Jade!" Anna hurriedly checked his body. Even though he could only say a fewst words, she understood what he wanted to say. She could picture the younger version of Old Jade meeting a kid on the mountain, whoter became his sessor. And that was why he requested her to kill his disciple, fully aware that he had been controlled.


    His request was to bury them together on the mountain just like their first encounter.


    That was exactly the reason why Anna became so mad.


    "Melissa¡­" Anna took a deep breath, her expression darkened. "Please clean up this area and bring Old Jade''s body back to the family. I still¡­ have something to do."

 Chapter 1193: Return

    *Bam!*


    A man crashed into the wall with his left arm severed from the base. He gritted his teeth while shouting, "You¡­ What are you doing?!"


    "I should be the one asking you that question. A demon like you experiments with people''s lives¡­" Anna gritted her teeth.


    "What are you talking about? I''m not a demon!" Gaston roared. "Do you think you will be fine after touching me? Anna Stargaze. You are going to make my teacher your enemy!"


    "Someone who is dead can''t possibly challenge me!" Anna snorted.


    "What?" Gaston''s lips were shaking.


    The moment Anna saw that the lips were about to curve, she sent his head flying. Even Old Jade wouldn''t want to see a smile on his disciple''s face when he was the one who killed him.


    This was the least she could do.


    Anna looked down for a moment. Although she was a bit hesitant, she still did what Old Jade did previously.


    She cut the chest and took out his heart, finding a demon crystal inside his body. As expected, Gaston had been controlled by the demon.


    The method should be simr to what they tried on Old Jade.


    "¡­" Anna bit her lips. Even though this was the best solution she had, it wasn''t satisfying.


    They had lost Old Jade to such a cruel method, and the situation inside the kingdom became much more erratic.


    "I have to tell Noel about this. Even if we can solve this problem, there is no one who can stop the Tower Association." Anna hurried back outside, but of course she didn''t forget about what the brothel''s manager said.


    She took a look at the cell and picked up the girl that matched the description of the manager.


    After that, she returned to the brothel.


    While putting down the woman, Anna said, "The situation has gotten pretty dangerous. If possible, try to limit your activity as much as possible right now."


    "Is there something wrong, mydy?"


    "Just keep that in mind. There should be several important peopleing into the city. It would be troublesome if they caught wind of you. For the time being, focus on treating this girl. She should be drugged, but her life is not in danger."


    "I understand."


    Anna nodded. She took her leave immediately, going back to the basement to grab Gaston''s body. She originally wanted to use the body to incite suspicion, but Old Jade had requested that she bury both of them together.


    Hence, the only thing she could do was bring this body back to their territory. There was a mountain in their territory with a mine. The mountain would signify their first meeting, while the mine represented their identity.


    Of course, she did this because she wanted to tell Noel about everything that happened.


    After visiting Old Jade''s grave, Noel let out a long sigh. "I see. That''s what Old Jade said¡­"


    Noel looked a bit exhausted. When she thought about it, this was the first time Noel lost someone.


    Even during the hardest battle, Noel had tried his best to protect the people important to him.


    "Sorry." Anna bit her lips. If she was a bit faster in investigating the basement, she would have noticed what happened to Old Jade and immediately rescued him. There was a chance she could treat him before the demon took over.


    "It''s not your fault. You have made the correct decision. We have simply never thought that the royal family would resort to such a thing and the kingdom has been infested by the demons. When you think about it, in my previous life, it was not me leading a rebellion. It was me leading the cleansing of demons.


    Maybe from that rebellion, I came to a certain existence that I knew I couldn''t beat no matter what, thus the second chance."


    Anna looked down as she couldn''t deny it. She wondered if something would change if she trusted in her previous life.


    "Anyway, I know that we have to honor Old Jade, but Old Jade must not want us to drown in sorrow, especially with the country in such a danger.


    "Because of that, I have to ask you to do one more thing." Noel''s expression turned solemn.


    Anna clenched her fists, swearing in her heart that she wouldn''t be toote anymore.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Go to the Demon Banner Army with Melissa. Exin the situation to themander, and if possible, find a way to send Milfa to this ce. I will be exining everything to her. Unfortunately, I couldn''t leave the territory right now, so I have to ask you all this.


    "Once you''re done, go visit those three lords. If there is any sign of them bing a demonic human, kill them if they want to harm you or ignore them if they don''t.


    "After that, ask Melissa whether she wants to visit another country or not. If she wants, bring her to the Ezenholm family. Exin the situation to my grandfather so that the Greenwood Kingdom is aware of the situation right now. However, make sure that my grandfather can stop the king from doing anything. We can''t rm them right now.


    "This is not the time for us to attack them yet. Instead, we should actually find the ce they are cultivating the Fagant Leaf. With them being able to control the demons, there is a high chance they''re cultivating the Fagant Leaf in the demon territory.


    "That is why, if possible, instead of a direct action from the king, it''s better to request their support. The Demon Banner Army might be able to support us, but it''s only limited to this kingdom, not outside. If we want to figure out the enemy''s movement, we have to focus on the outside."


    Anna frowned. "In that case, should we actually involve the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom as well?"


    "No. The Zaecuria Kingdom has to focus on the sea expedition. As the Spirit God said, we have to go there. As for the Atracaeca Kingdom, our rtionship is not as good as the other two kingdoms. For now, the only kingdom we can trust is the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Of course, if you find any clues about the demons sneaking into their country as well, tell my grandfather not to tell anyone about it, including the king."


    "Alright." Anna nodded in understanding. "I''ll take my leave right away."

 Chapter 1194: Oscar

    Noel looked at the map with several pieces on it. He was contemting hard, making one simtion after another in his head.


    "You should take a rest." Rose came while bringing tea.


    Noel let out a long sigh. "To think that we would be losing this much. The situation is actually much more dangerous than I originally thought."


    Rose tilted her head in confusion. "To be honest, I don''t really understand the entire kingdom''s situation."


    "First of all, we have to consider that there will be no help from the Tower Association. In fact, they might be the ones striking our back. We still need to confirm the Demon Banner Army''s stance. Right now, we have no way to determine whether they have been taken out or not.


    "Last but not least, there might already be some demons within the northern alliance. They''re trying to benefit from us while sending all that benefits to the royal family."


    Rose paused for a moment. "Does that mean we should find a method that can determine whether they are a demon or not?"


    "I have a way, but it''s not reliable." Noel thought the Affection Medal could do it since demons would be hating him. However, not only did he need to see them directly, but he couldn''t scan all strangers.


    That was why this method was unreliable.


    "That does sound horrible. Without being able to know whether they are a demon or not, we won''t be able to trust anyone. Still, I have sent the news to Duke Lorelei and Marquis Stargaze, our closest allies in this situation."


    "Send another one to La. Having the temple with us will definitely lift up some burden." Noel contemted. "Tell the merchants that we''ll be moving up the schedule for our trade. We don''t know how many people have been controlled, but I assume the longer we wait, the more people will be controlled.


    "Hence, it''s better if the trade starts faster, allowing us to get as much money as possible. Also, tell Harley to sneak in some people to monitor them. If they are making any suspicious moves, report them to me immediately.


    "Last but not least, you are to go to Roel and ask him whether there is a tool that can find one''s spirit or something. If not, go to Livia. That genius prince might have something like that. Anyway, we need such a thing immediately."


    Rose nodded. "Understood."


    As soon as Rose left, Noel''s gaze returned to the map.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Anna had reached the Demon Banner Army. Because themander was a spirit transcendence rank expert, she had asked Melissa to remain as far away as possible from the fortress. She didn''t want Melissa''s existence to be known by themander.


    Still, Anna''s spirit transcendence rank strength couldn''t escape from themander. In that instant, he immediately appeared on top of the roof, not letting the spirit transcendence rank enemy toe closer.


    It was at this time he recognized who actually came.


    "Anna Stargaze?" Oscar frowned.


    "I''m sorry foring like this, Commander Oscar. I''m pretty sure you understand why Ie like this, right?"


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    "Your strength¡­" Oscar released a bit of spiritual energy as he asked coldly, "What do you want? Are you nning a war against the Demon Banner Army as well?"


    "Something even more horrible is happening right now. Old Jade¡­ I mean, the Gem Lord, his sessor, and the Dark Lord have died."


    "!!!" Oscar widened his eyes in shock. The Gem Lord and the Dark Lord''s deaths alone would be a devastating blow, and to think that the new Gem Lord also died.


    He had heard that the Gem Lord had joined the Ardagan family, so there was no way she killed the Gem Lord. The only reason for hering here was probably trying to convince him or something.


    After some careful consideration, Oscar said, "Follow me."


    Both of them disappeared as Oscar led her to his office, where they could talk peacefully. Obviously, Milfa noticed that themander was missing and tried to check on him, only to find himing with someone else.


    "Anna Stargaze?" Milfa gasped.


    "Milfa. Go out for a second. I have an important meeting." Oscar pointed at the door.


    "Alright." Even though she was curious, she couldn''t refuse his order.


    However, Anna actually said, "Actually, she better stay here and listen to the entire thing. Noel has asked her toe to the Ardagan family because he is going to exin everything there."


    "What is the topic all about?" Oscar asked.


    "A demon in human clothing."


    Oscar''s expression darkened. "Take a seat, Milfa."


    Milfa didn''t understand what was going on. "Should I make tea first?"


    "No. I''d rather not drink anything right now." Anna waved her hand, closing the windows with her spiritual energy.


    Milfa was surprised that Anna''s way of controlling spiritual energy had reached such a high level. She could feel that Anna was a spirit grandmaster, but the way she did things surpassed it. "Are you approaching the transcendence rank?"


    "She has already reached it." Oscar took his seat and asked with a cold tone. "So, what do you want to talk about?"


    "Do you know anything about the demonic humans?" Anna also ignored Milfa''s reaction and continued the conversation.


    "I have heard some rumors, but no confirmation yet."


    "That makes it easier for me to exin. Also, I don''t know if you remember this, but I and Noel once took a mission to find out about the nts that were supposed to be extinct."


    "Isn''t that Fagant Leaf? When I was studying your track record, I came across it." Milfa was the first one to react.


    Meanwhile, Oscar understood why she didn''t want to drink anything. Oscar asked, "So the Fagant Leaf has fallen to the Supreme Devil Organization? Now that I think about it, it''s indeed possible. The one causing it was the nt Lord, who had been eliminated, but the record about the nt cultivation was there.


    The Supreme Devil Organization would definitely have that if they had been working together from the start."


    "The Gem Lord and his disciple had fallen due to that leaf. They had also been demonized against their will."


    "!!!" Oscar widened his eyes in shock. Once he got the picture of the situation, his expression turned dark. "What do you want?"


    "Your help."

 Chapter 1195: Oscars Decision

    "That''s the overall situation," said Anna while crossing her legs.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Oscar''s expression was much darker than before. He had thought he had known everything, but this was a bit surprising.


    Oscar turned to Milfa. "How is Septa?"


    "He has been reporting us all the information. Don''t tell me¡­" Milfa sucked a cold breath. The fact that they didn''t get much information meant someone from the Demon Banner Army had been controlled.


    "There is no proof yet. However, we will probably need to keep an eye on him. Our information regarding the Supreme Devil Organization is currently being sent by him. He has been sneaking around, so there''s a chance that he has been captured and turned into a demonic human. However, don''t make it too obvious. We''ll y it ordingly."


    "In that case, shouldn''t we need an independent third party to gather information?" Milfa asked.


    "I have a method." Oscar nodded. "For now, do it that way. After that, you are to go to the Ardagan family. I''m curious what Noel Ardagan has in mind. To think that the youth who was exiled to my army a few years ago has grown so much that he can be my ally."


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    "I understand." Milfa nodded.


    "On another note, the situation of the Tower Association is currently grim. If we move carelessly, they will use it against us and strip us of our power. We should safely assume that the enemy has taken over fifty percent of the kingdom."


    Anna raised one finger. "For the time being, I''m nning to visit the three elders to warn them while checking whether they have been controlled."


    "I know." Oscar clicked his tongue. "I don''t have a map right now, so I''ll rearrange each squad''s position. If we end up isting ourselves, the enemies will realize that we''ve been aware of their movement. Hence, we''ll only position several squads while the rest continue with their aggression."


    "That sounds about right." Anna nodded. "Unfortunately, I can''t think of aplex n, as it''s not my job right now. I believe that Commander Oscar will understand and make the best decision for the Demon Banner Army and the kingdom you swear to protect."


    Oscar squinted his eyes. "Are you going?"


    "Yes. The task is important, and I don''t have a lot of time to do it. Before they realize the Dark Lord and the Gem Lord have died, we have to finish all the preparation." Anna stood up.


    Because Oscar didn''t say anything, she left through the balcony as if she had never visited this ce.


    Meanwhile, Milfa couldn''t help but ask, "Commander. What am I supposed to convey if I meet Noel Ardagan?"


    "First of all, it''s probably because of your connection with Dimitri that Noel Ardagan trusts you more than me. Then again, I once followed the Third Prince until he chose to point that de to this kingdom.


    "Secondly, Noel Ardagan must have reached the spirit transcendence rank as well. Those two have been growing at the same pace, so if Anna has be one, it won''t be weird for him to be one as well. Having two Spirit Transcendences will be reassuring, but the problem is that the enemies are stronger than spirit grandmasters.


    "While we are able to kill them, if they attack from multiple directions, we won''t be able to protect everything. In addition, a single trap might kill us, which will be a devastating blow.


    "Last but not least, I don''t want to admit it, but in terms of warfare, there are only less than ten people who are on par with me. Noel Ardagan is one of them, but our specialty is different. I am leaning toward a defensive battle while Noel Ardagan is a swift and decisive strike."


    Milfa''s expression turned serious. "Since you im to be a master of defensive battle, you must have a n, right?"


    "Indeed." Oscar smiled. "We just need to make people admit they are demonic humans."


    "Huh? But they''re hiding from the people around us."


    "Yeah. That''s why my ability is useful." Oscar turned to Milfa and asked about his ability. "Answer me truthfully. Do you have a demon crystal in your body?"


    Milfa''s body shuddered for a moment, but she couldn''t resist the power. She opened her mouth. "NO!"


    She snapped angrily, "Oscar, you bastard!"


    Oscar shrugged. "That''s my ability. Anyway, we''ll be removing all the pests within the army first. Before telling you about my n, I need to hear what Noel Ardagan is nning to do since his n might affect mine."


    "I understand. I''ll go there. If you do that to me once again, I might quit the army. I don''t like serving someone who can''t even trust me and my ability."


    "I know, I know." Oscar chuckled. "Also, tell ra to be extra careful. Right now, ra is the most suitable target. If she dies, while it does impact us, it''ll hurt Noel more. Sometimes, physical injury is much better than a broken heart. They will probably try to crush Noel''s heart because he can''t kill him right now."


    Milfa nodded. "Anything else before I depart?"


    "All the captains who have retired¡­ I need all of them back. Even though I know that they have served the army and the country so much, I have to be shameless and ask for their help."


    "Alright." Milfa exited the room after listening to his order.


    Oscar brought up the map while muttering, "It seems that I have to redo all my ns."


    ¡­


    After leaving the Demon Banner Army, Anna headed straight to meet the three elders. He just hoped that none of them had been controlled by the demons since they were thest line of defense for the Tower Association.


    The first destination was none other than Silica Valley. The Water Lord was closer to Noelpared to the other two, so it would be better to check on him first.


    Little did she know, she would be finding a huge surprise in his castle.

 Chapter 1196: Water Lord

    "Well, well, well. To think that Miss Anna Stargaze would grace her presence in this humble home." The Water Lord smirked. "Should I call you Madam Ardagan now? I have never thought that the person who ''killed'' her own husband in the past would end up marrying that person. I guess you have been working together even beforeing to my ce."


    When they visited the Silica Valley, it was true that Anna killed him. It was also the start of Noel living while wearing a mask.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    There was no way the Water Lord would forget about it.


    "Please don''t tease me." Anna let out a long sigh. "I havee here for a different purpose though."


    "The Tower Association, I presume?"


    "¡­" Anna fell silent. Now that she thought about it, the Water Lord was the one who gave the three names that he suspected to be working with the Supreme Devil Organization.


    If anyone knew about the serious situation in the tower association, it would be the Water Lord.


    "Do you know what happened there?"


    "More or less. It seems that people have taken over the Tower Association, and they''ll probably try to take advantage of the situation to strip me of my power." The Water Lord''s expression turned solemn. "It''s better if you warn Noel Ardagan to get ready. Those rune technology he has¡­ it''s going to be hit hard.


    "After all, the rune technology has been staying under the Tower Association. Once it''s getting hit, they will try to seize it and use it as their own.


    "If you think that way, it''s better to affiliate yourself with the Demon Banner Army, registering it as a weapon. Of course, that also means you have to share your technology with the Demon Banner Army."


    Anna raised her eyebrows. It seemed that Noel had actually thought the same thing. That was why he actually asked Milfa toe to the Ardagan family.


    Even though she wasn''t amander, Milfa had enough authority to make that decision.


    "Well, I don''t know what he is nning to do, but I''ll convey your message." Anna nodded.


    "As for the second problem¡­ a demon controlling a human¡­" The Water Lord stood up. "Follow me."


    "It seems that you are already aware of the situation." Anna frowned. "The Gem Lord has passed away."


    "Jayden?" The Water Lord looked shocked. "Is his disciple getting targeted?"


    "He had been controlled as well as the person who sent him to his death."


    "Had?" The Water Lord contemted. "I see. The Tower Association is surely chaotic. I assume I''m the first one you visit. Are you nning to visit another person?"


    "Yes."


    "Who is it?"


    "The Stone Lord and the Magic Lord."


    "I guess those two oldies are fine." The Water Lord raised two fingers. "I can talk to them for you. I know the Magic Lord personally, and we both don''t like people messing with the Tower Association. It''s thend of knowledge, not something vile that is used for politics."


    "In that case, I''ll talk to the Stone Lord. Noel had talked with him quite a bit during an expedition."


    "Sounds good." The Water Lord continued, "In that case, it''s better to see my experiment, the one that your husband helped me in the past."


    Anna frowned, following the Water Lord. Even if the Water Lord was nning to do something, she believed she had the strength to overpower him.


    "In the past, I told your husband that water is actually made of a very small particle that no one can see. Thanks to him purifying the water, I have managed to find a breakthrough in my experiment.


    "Well, I don''t think that I''ll be using this experiment for this, but¡­" The Water Lord opened hisboratory.


    Anna could see a long table on the opposite side of the room with a lot of tubes lining up.


    "Those small particles allow me to differentiate the purity of the water." The Water Lord came to the table. "Take a look at these four water tubes. All of these contain purified water. The first one will be used as aparison.


    "This is the second one." He poured oil into the purified water, and unsurprisingly, they didn''t mix. "As you can see, they are separated. As for the third tube, why don''t you pour your spiritual energy into this tube?"


    "Hmm?" Anna tilted her head in confusion as the Water Lord put a drop of a blue-colored liquid into the tube and closed the lid.


    Although a bit hesitant, Anna still poured some of her spiritual energy into the water.


    To her surprise, she noticed that her energy actually moved upward but ended up getting stuck due to the lid.


    "What is this?" Anna widened her eyes in shock.


    "After confirming that the water is indeed made of small particles that are not visible to the naked eye, I can separate everything other than water, whether it''s a poison or even energy. That reagent is something I personally make. It can attract spiritual energy.


    "By adding such a thing, you could see that the spiritual energy actually moved away from the water.


    "And I think you know where this is going¡­" The Water Lord took a demon crystal from the corner of the table and tossed it after putting a drop of reagent on the fourth tube.


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. The reagent actually extracted the spiritual energy from the demon crystal. "That''s¡­"


    The Water Lord smiled.


    "Will we be able to differentiate between a normal human and a demonic human?"


    "A demonic human? Is that what you call them? Either way, my answer is yes and no. Yes, this experiment will be able to do it, but no, not yet. I haven''t perfected it yet. I still need a bit of time.


    If you can actually capture a person who has turned into a demonic human, it will be much better."


    Anna remembered that Gaston was having such an experiment. If she could infiltrate that ce and get the information, it might allow the Water Lord to perfect his craft.


    In addition, they had buried the Dark Lord, but looking at how much he had fallen to the point where the Gem Lord didn''t even want to recognize him anymore. It was clear that they could probably use his corpse for this experiment. Exclusive content at m,v,l,e,mpyr


    "I think I can help you with that. I''ll tell Noel about it and see if he is willing to help or not."

 Chapter 1197: Giving Away Rune Technology

    While Anna was persuading the other lords, Noel had the exact n as the Water Lord suggested.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Milfa came to visit Noel as Oscar ordered, not expecting that Noel would suggest such a ridiculous thing.


    "What? You''re trying to offer rune technology as a military weapon?" Milfa gasped. "Do you understand what you''re talking about? You are basically giving us your technology."


    "You''re protesting even though it will benefit the Demon Banner Army. Are you sure you are on the army''s side instead of mine?" Noel smirked.


    "This is not the time to joke around!"


    Noel let out a long sigh. "Yeah. I''m serious. If I don''t do this when the Tower Association has been seized by the demons, the Tower Association will be trying to seize the rune technology for free.


    "On the other hand, if I turn this technology into a military weapon, they won''t be able to seize it. Unlike the regr army, the Demon Banner Army has a certain authority over their creation. The merchants do have the same privilege to a certain extent."


    "Is that the reason why you are using the Runegardpany instead of doing it yourself?"


    "Yes. To avoid them seizing my property with the charge of a monopoly, I will be splitting my technology into four. The Ardagan family has the right for the water system and my new weapon, the Rune Cards.


    "The Demon Banner Army will be receiving our weapons while we retain the rights to utilize and invent new weapons."


    Milfa thought for a moment. "And the Runegardpany will get the right for the distribution of daily technology? Who is the fourth party?"


    "The Moon Temple. They will get the right of transportation."


    "Transportation!" Milfa fell silent for a moment. "The army can also get the right for transportation, you know."


    "I know that both the army and the temple require transportation. However, I''m not nning to give anyone the right to half my technology."


    Milfa felt it was a shame since the train would help a lot in moving their squads around. And by giving that transportation to the Moon Temple, they had to work together with both Noel and La to use it, whichplicated things a little bit.


    At the same time, there was one problem with Noel giving his technology away. "If you give away all this stuff¡­"


    "I know. I might lose all of them, but they can try to backstab me if they can. Noel smirked as if he wasn''t afraid that the Runegard Company, the Moon Temple, and the Demon Banner Army decided to overthrow Noel once they got the technology.


    The Runegard Company was managed by his people, and his disciple was there to keep everyone in check. The Demon Banner Army still had to focus on the demons, which meant they wouldn''t be able to overthrow him if the demons defeated them. This was the biggest reason why Noel would suggest such a bold n.


    If the demons won, everyone would lose everything. If humans won, the Ardagan would be the strongest, and no one would dare try anything against them. Noel even had a longer lifespan because he was already half-spirit.


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    In addition, Noel could always develop the rune technology even further and produce more new technology. These three influences could help him in spreading the current technology wide, which would allow the other three kingdoms to get a piece of the pie.


    It was true that losing them was painful, but if he looked at it in the long run, the Ardagan family would be the biggest winner.


    Besides, he was quite close to La, who happened to have the Moon Goddess as her spirit. The Moon Goddess should know the Spirit God''s stance, so there was no way she would betray him, at least not anytime soon.


    And by doing this, the royal family and the tower association couldn''t im them for themselves, no matter what loophole they nned to use.


    Milfa didn''t know that Noel still had the airship and the battleship that he hadn''t even revealed yet. And he didn''t n to give those two.


    "So that''s how it is. By giving the right of transportation to the Moon Temple, they have no choice but to use their own resources to expand the road. No one can really refuse the temple, unlike you, who can easily be kept in check by usingws." Milfa sucked a cold breath.


    Noel winked his right eye. The royal family had been using all kinds of excuses to not uphold their promise in building roads.


    But if the Moon Temple requested it, let alone the nobles, the royal family had to help. After all, the Muivell Kingdom wasn''t the only one that watched over the temple. The Zaecuria Kingdom and the Greenwood Kingdom would have a reason to interfere with the Muivell Kingdom''s decision if they refused.


    The demons inside the royal pce had no choice but to agree if they didn''t want people to realize their identities.


    "What do you think?" Noel asked.


    "If we acknowledge it, the Demon Banner Army will also be dragged into this political strife. At the same time, our goal remains the same. It''s to fight the demons." Milfa sighed.


    Noel smiled. "It seems that we have reached an agreement."


    "Before that, I hope to see the details of the agreement. And let''s put it in a contract."


    "I know. That''s why I have prepared this." Noel grabbed a paper on his table.


    "¡­" Milfa skimmed the entire document and couldn''t help but say, "You definitely know how to make an offer that no one can reject¡­ No. I can''t even argue or negotiate."


    "I''m d that you like it." Noel chuckled. "Though, no matter how hard I try to convince you, it''s not like you are going to leave the Demon Banner Army and join my Ardagan family, right?"


    "That''s obvious. Don''t test my patience." Milfa snorted. "Anyway, I''ll ry the contract to themander. And he would also like to hear what you''re nning to do next so that he knows how to position our squads."


    "If that''s the case¡­" Noel moved to the table on the side. There was a map on top of it, as if he knew she would ask for it.

 Chapter 1198: Supreme Devil Organization

    Supreme Devil Organization.


    Two days had passed as Anna was currently heading to the Greenwood Kingdom.


    Alexander frowned. "It seems that the situation has changed. The Gem Lord and his disciple have died. We have lost contact with the Dark Lord as well, so we should assume that he has died."


    The Void Arbiter frowned. "How did they die? The Gem Lord should have died, but not the other two."


    "We are unsure. The only thing we know right now is that there was an attack on the Dark Lord''s mansion. The soldiers were killed, but ording to the people living in that town, there were two men flying into the air for a bit, and a fight must have ensued."


    "Did the Gem Lord have the ability to kill the Dark Lord? Didn''t we receive the report that the Dark Lord sessfully fed him the demon?" The Void Arbiter frowned.


    "It seems that someone is interfering with our work."


    "Does the Ardagan have sniffed our n?"


    The atmosphere became tense. The Ardagan family had been stopping their ns multiple times. If they were careless, the Ardagan family might seed again.


    "But isn''t this n much different than thest? They won''t be able to identify who is a demonic human and who is not. Even in the Golden Dawn City, several of us have infiltrated the city without getting noticed. All we have to do is wait for Noel Ardagan, Anna Stargaze, and Dimitri to leave the city beforemencing our n. The Gem Lord has been eliminated after all."


    "But how are we able to draw them out? If we wait for too long, Noel Ardagan will most likely find out our spies."


    "¡­"


    Laufey, who had been silent this whole time, finally opened his mouth. "There is a rumor that Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are nning to go to the Zaecuria Kingdom for the sea expedition."


    "Should we sabotage them? Since they''re nning to join, they must have some level of confidence in finding thend." Void Arbiter crossed her arms.


    "Shouldn''t we focus on the Golden Dawn City? If we can destroy it, even if they find something out there, he will have to clean up the mess in his own territory for a long time.


    "With their scheme, I''m afraid that unless we send three people who are close to the transcendence, we won''t be able to take those two out, let alone the fact that they have the support of the Zaecuria Kingdom. It''s too risky to send all those people at once. It''s better to focus on what we are sure is going to work."


    "You are awfully quiet, Laufey." Josephine squinted her eyes.


    "Am I?" Laufey looked away. "I''m just thinking about how to handle Dimitri. Even though he has retired, it doesn''t change the fact that he shouldn''t have any problems killing two or three people by himself, especially with that True Spirit Body. Nobody can stop him from assassinating someone."


    Josephine couldn''t deny it. The reason why Qielsted so long against Dimitri was because she managed to turn the battle into a head-on one.


    "Shouldn''t we just attack them? You have your portal, Josephine. If we send some demons inside and outside the city, it should be enough to confuse them. After that, we''ll destroy the water storage and flood the entire city." Alexander suggested.


    "Do you know how much they reinforce that water storage? The reports say that the Water Storage is much sturdier than the wall, not counting the runes used to reinforce it. And that''s only the water storage for other people. We know that the Golden Dawn City would definitely have a much better quality."


    Alexander looked down. "Does that mean we can only wait? How about sending the Tower Association to stop the Demon Banner Army? Or I can stop Oscar while the association hurts them?"


    "This is bad. We need Qiel to think of a strategy for us. We are able to gain all this advantage, but because we don''t have her, we are unable to think of a good execution. Losing Qiel is too huge of a blow for us."


    "Instead of doing that, we have to diminish the Ardagan family''s growing influence. Why don''t we kill one or two more important people? Or maybe harassing the Runegard Company?"


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    "It''s true that we might be able to bait Howard or Felicia toe out, but we have done that previously, and the result is Duke Lorelei''s anger. He is starting to break his neutrality. If he goes back to the court, the influence of the royal family will be diminished even further.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "That is enough." The Supreme Devil suddenly broke his silence. "Josephine. You tell the Tower Association to start iming the rune technology. As long as we can study it, we will be able to find its weakness.


    "Tell the spies to maintain a close look, making sure that Noel Ardagan doesn''t leave the city.


    "Alexander. You are to observe the Demon Banner Army. If they are making a big change, we''ll assume they have realized about the deaths of those three and will probably prepare to fight us. Just poke their formation here and there so that we can deliver a devastating blow when the timees.


    "Laufey. Continue with the cultivation of the Fagant Leaf as well as our force. We can''t rely on the Tower Association and the royal family."


    The three were surprised, but since the Supreme Devil had spoken, they all lowered their heads. "Yes, sir!"


    "Report!" A Devil Bishop entered the room and kneeled right at the entrance. He shouted, "We have just received an urgent report from our spy in the Golden Dawn City. Pdin Aurelia in the Moon Temple Headquarters located in that city has just left the city with a fast horse.


    We are unsure of her intention, but someone of her level to rush out means the Ardagan family must be nning to do something."


    "!!!" Both Josephine and Alexander widened their eyes in shock.

 Chapter 1199: Greenwood Kingdoms Action

    "So that''s what you''re worried about." Raincart sipped his tea calmly even after listening to Anna''s story.


    "Yes. The demons are evolving and bing smarter. And if they work together with the demonic humans, they will be more unpredictable." Anna nodded.


    "You don''t have to worry about that."


    "What do you mean?" Anna frowned. All the people she had met previously expressed their concern. Only Raincart actually acted calmly as if nothing happened.


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    She couldn''t help but think of the worst possibility, which meant Raincart had be a demonic human. However, the only time to do it was when Raincart visited their city during the grand opening, so she doubted her spection was correct.


    Raincart said, "The special elite team was dispatched two days ago. We''re still unsure about it, but ording to the report, there is a sight of civilization in the demon territory. They are looping around your territory to figure out the situation."


    "Is it within our territory?" Anna asked. Their territory hadn''t been developedpletely. In fact, most of their territory was still upied by the demons, so there was a chance that the Supreme Devil Organization used their own territory to do it.


    "No. It''s much further in. We are assuming that they are using this area to develop everything, including their base. The elite team will be able to find out what that ce is."


    "I''m not trying to curse them, but the enemies are strong¡­ above spirit grandmasters."


    "I know. However, they''re still weaker than me." Raincart waved his hand. It wasn''t an empty talk.


    His strength was equal to Duke Lorelei since he had found his transcendent path as well. However, he didn''t know whether he should reach the next rank or not due to the power bnce in the kingdom.


    "Even if they don''t return, we''ll be able to confirm their existence. And the Greenwood Kingdom will definitely send people to attack. That''s why you don''t have to worry about it. If they''re really there, they will be too upied with us and have to stop the harassment against you.


    "Instead, you should focus on fighting the enemies within the kingdom¡­" Raincart closed his eyes. "Instead of ying passively, you should be aggressive at a time like this. Don''t just sit around and do nothing. Bait them out and attack them head-on."


    "¡­" Anna scratched the back of her head. That wasn''t her decision to make. "I''ll at least pass your message to Noel."


    Raincart nodded. "Anyway, don''t reveal your secret project for the time being. It seems that you are nning to go on a sea expedition¡­ You should reveal it after that.


    "By taking advantage of the sessful sea expedition, the people will think of you highly. Of course, there are a lot of things you need to do, but I think Noel would be able toplete it before the big reveal."


    "Yes, grandfather. We''ll do our best." Anna nodded.


    "Instead of worrying about the demonic human, there is something I''m worried about."


    "And that is?" Anna''s expression turned solemn. If the demonic human wasn''t a problem for him, this one must be an even bigger problem. She was ready to inform Noel about it. Even Raincart put on a grim expression, showing the importance of this matter.


    He asked, "So when will I get to see my great grandson?"


    "¡­what?" Anna couldn''t process the question since she had been expecting a huge problem.


    "Don''t ''what'' me. I want to know when you are going to have a child! I have heard from Leysha that she can only give birth to a single child, so I''m anxious." Raincart raised his voice.


    Anna was speechless. "That''s¡­"


    "You only have two options to answer me. Now or now."


    Anna''s eyebrows twitched as she was trying to convince Raincart, but thetter kept spitting one hard fact after another.


    "Listen here. I know that my grandson is loyal to you and won''t marry anyone else beside you, so if you are not there, the Ardagan family''s bloodline will be cut.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "The same applies to him. There is a reason why a king needs a lot of concubines. It''s to ensure the prosperity of the royal bloodline. What about you?


    "Not only you two are nning to go on an expedition that has never seeded before due to the danger, but you are also fighting against multiple enemies at once.


    "If something happens to either of you, how am I going to hold my great grandson?


    "You keep endangering themselves, making me see that you are nning to cut off the bloodline. How can I not rest easily?"


    Anna took a deep breath and tried to address the issue. "We have discussed this."


    "I don''t need the discussion. Remember, actions speak louder than words!"


    Anna scratched the back of her head. "Please calm down for a moment."


    "I can''t. You two might not think it that way, but when you are as old as me, you will be extremely anxious. If you already have a kid, your people can swear their allegiance to your kid and allow them to nurture him as the next head of the Ardagan family.


    "If any of you are gone, the Ardagan family will becking a sessor, so the family will be dissolved."


    Anna sighed. Now that she thought about it, Noel had been pushing her away whenever he talked with Raincart.


    He must know that Raincart would be bombarding her with all these questions. She stated, "I apologize, but we have reached an agreement that we''ll settle down only after we defeat the demon king!"


    "What?! Are you insane?"


    "No." Anna shook her head.


    "I¡ª" Raincart wanted toin, but Anna raised her voice. "Grandfather!"


    Raincart was startled as he stared at Anna''s solemn face.


    "I''m grateful for your advice, and I appreciate that you''re worried about us. However, this is our family. You might think we are insane, but this is our resolve. We are not backing down because if we lose, we will lose everything, our lives, our future, and even our entire race. This is our resolve. Please respect it."


    Raincart blinked his eyes a few times. Unlike Noel, Anna was more hardheaded since she wasn''t as indebted as Noel to Raincart.


    "¡­"

 Chapter 1200: Letter

    Duke Lorelei and Countess Christina kneeled on one knee before a person. It was obvious who the person they served was.


    "Third Princess. The Supreme Devil Organization has run rampant, and the demons are currently corrupting the kingdom. We have to act immediately," said Duke Lorelei with a grim tone.


    The third princess remained silent for a moment, as if she were contemting something. "If we make our move right now, we won''t be able to do anything. The marshal is still in their hands. Can you handle the marshal?"


    "¡­" Duke Lorelei fell silent. No matter how strong he was, it was impossible. Just like how Noel, who noticed his transcendent path, fought against the Ancient Demon Spider, the result would ultimately be his defeat.


    The third princess said, "What we need is one swift sweep. We can''t do this half-heartedly because they are going to hide if we make our move. In addition, we need the marshal to fend off the demons. Is the information you provide correct, Duke Lorelei?"


    Duke Lorelei nodded. "Although I have no way of confirming it, the one providing that information was Noel Ardagan himself."


    "In other words, the demons are going to attack us, the Supreme Devil Organization is going around to turn people into demonic humans, and the central government has been infested." The third princess closed her eyes.


    "But if we wait, Noel Ardagan won''t be able to hold out. If he can''t, the demonic humans will destroy this kingdom before we can do anything." Duke Lorelei exined. He wasn''t supporting Noel to be the strongest influence in this kingdom, he just wanted to clean up this kingdom.


    However, the third princess actually said, "You are underestimating him, Duke. He will be able to hold out for a long time, unless the demonse crashing down right now. Well, it doesn''t change the fact that I need some time."


    "Time?" Duke Lorelei raised his eyebrows.


    The third princess tossed a letter to Duke Lorelei. "Take a look at it."


    Duke Lorelei opened the letter that surprisingly contained several names. Countess Christina took a peek at the names.


    "This is¡­" Duke Lorelei gasped. "Your highness¡­"


    "If what Marquis Ardagan said regarding the demonic human is true, those are the people who had a change of method during their reign. Duke Raymond has retired after being beaten by thete Count Ardagan.


    "However, he has changed his method from dealing on the surface to controlling the shadow all of a sudden. He has influenced the king to crush the Ardagan family.


    "My father has thought about taking the Ardagan family as his own because of their heritage and wealth, but he has changed his opinion. From that point onward, he is so adamant in destroying the Ardagan family, which is a bit weird. There are also a few nobles who have changed their method all of a sudden.


    I want to believe they have an epiphany, but it doesn''t seem likely for all those people to get it within a short period of time."


    "!!!" Duke Lorelei sucked a cold breath. "Are you saying¡­"


    "I''m afraid they have been turned into demonic humans. After that day, my father hasn''t gotten any single concubine into his chamber. And if you take a look at other names, they''re all pretty old, which might not be surprising for them not to get another child, but there are names like Count Duvan and Marquis Elezkiel, who are known for their lecherous nature. Don''t you think it''s strange?"


    Duke Lorelei trembled. He had never thought that the third princess was able to find all this information by herself. In fact, she had been working under the disguise of a doll princess, which was more amazing.


    Duke Lorelei wanted to let out some tears, knowing that this was the sovereign they needed to lead the Muivell Kingdom.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Are we going to strike them?" Duke Lorelei asked.


    "Not yet. As I said, we need a perfect time to eliminate all of them at once. At the same time, we''ll regain control over the marshall and repel the demon.


    "Unfortunately, we don''t have the manpower to do it just yet." She exined. "And there is one more terrifying potential. The demonic human looks dumb in the beginning, but look at them right now. They are able toe up with a tactic to pressure Marquis Ardagan by using the Tower Association.


    "In other words, they are improving at high speed. If we let them be like this, they might even outsmart us too hard and crush us. No matter what, we have to cooperate with the Ardagan family."


    "What if the Ardagan family bes too hard for you to control?" Duke Lorelei asked.


    "Isn''t it obvious? I''ll let them control me. At the very least, the kingdom will remain intact. I''m already used to being a puppet, but for the next generation, I can''t say. How about his children? His grandchildren?


    His great grandchildren? It can be an arranged marriage or whatever. Once the marquis is gone, it''s over. The kingdom has been corrupted by the demons, so we''ll have to do this.


    "However, I''ll do my best to limit it to only my generation. It''s fine if I''m the only one who needs to be the puppet. I just hope that the future generations can regain control over the kingdom and bring the kingdom back to its greatness."


    "For now, just maintain our neutrality in the center area."


    Duke Lorelei and Countess Christina closed their eyes with a pained look. "Understood."


    ¡­


    Golden Dawn City.


    "So that''s what my grandfather said¡­" Noel crossed his arms, looking up and down as if trying to understand the request. "Hmm¡­"


    Seeing Noel have a hard time to figure it out, Anna couldn''t help but ask, "Does he not know about our strength?"


    Noel shook his head. "No. He has known our strength. Even though he is not a spirit transcendence, he is at the same level as Duke Lorelei. So he could sense our strength.


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    "If he wants to stay aggressive, I need to know the reason and the goal. The reason is probably because the Tower Association is going to pressure us soon."


    Anna frowned. "If they attack us, we''ll be upied on all fronts. Does that mean he wants us to remain aggressive so that we keep our initiative?"


    "No. We probably need a bait¡ªa big enough bait to kill several of them. And after that, we''ll end up exposing our strength." Noel sighed. "Maybe there is another way to do it¡­"


    "Noel!" Rose suddenly mmed open the door while bringing the letter they got from the Beast Kingdom. "I mean, my lord¡­ the letter, the letter has been recovered."


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 Chapter 1201: Mountain of the Beginning

    "The letter has been recovered."


    "!!!" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. This letter was a message from his ancestor.


    The first thing Noel did was ask, "How is that person?"


    "We have secured him for the time being. ording to the agreement, he is not to leave this city for the next three years. There is also a nondisclosure agreement. Of course, we''llpensate him fairly," Rose exined.


    "Good. Don''t make it too suspicious, lest it''ll attract suspicion."


    "Yes." Rose nodded and handed over the letter.


    Noel grabbed the letter. It was extremely old, so they had to be careful.


    Each word was a bit hard to read. In fact, some of them were missing, but they could still read it.


    Dear my descendant,


    I don''t know if you''ll ever receive this message or not, but I hope that you never have the need to read this letter.


    If you read this letter, it means that the demon king has been resurrected. The demon king is an extremely powerful demon, but you don''t have to fear. One demon king can only create so much devastation, not the whole world.


    There are a lot of things I want to say, so I leave everything in that ce. I don''t know who will have this territory in the future, but I will go to the mountain of the beginning.


    There is a gate that leads to my and my wife''s resting ce. As long as you bring the key, you will be able to enter that ce.


    I leave everything you need to know in order to defeat the demon king over there¡­ probably demon kings.


    After all, in this world, there are multiple demon kings, ording to my grandmother before she used Ardagan onest time to close the portal.


    I wish you to find that ce, my descendant.


    And say hello to Ardagan for me.


    "¡­" Noel blinked his eyes a few times. "The mountain of the beginning? Where?"


    "I don''t know." Anna shook her head helplessly. "ording to this letter, Ardagan must have known about it."


    "That''s true¡­" Noel scratched the back of his head. "But he is not here right now. There is no way I will know about this mountain of the beginning¡­ Then again, it''s not like he will tell us everything in a single letter. I guess we have to find it out.


    Anna thought for a moment. "By the way, I don''t think we need to wait until Ardagan wakes up. There is someone who might know what this mountain is."


    Noel dropped his jaw to the ground, remembering one person who once served his ancestor.


    "Call Incetta¡­ No, where is Incetta right now?" Noel asked.


    "She is probably in the barrack, training with the soldiers," Rose answered.


    "Take care of my work for a bit, Rose. I need to go out." Noel didn''t even bother to leave through the door. He just opened the window and jumped out.


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    Anna followed him, leaving Rose behind.


    "¡­" Rose''s eyebrows twitched. "I know that the letter is important, but don''t you think it''s not good to leave just like this? You can call Incetta here, you know."


    Noel and Anna didn''t care about it. They immediately headed to the barracks and saw Incetta sparring with Howard.


    When Incetta was about to thrust her spear and Howard was waving his de, Noel suddenly appeared between them, stopping their weapons with his bare hands.


    "!!!" Incetta, Howard, and the soldiers widened their eyes in shock.


    "My lord?" Howard panicked. Even though Noel barged into their fight, it was still dangerous.


    "That''s the marquis¡­"


    Before they reacted, Noel said to Howard. "I''ll be borrowing her for a bit."


    "Huh?" Incetta was confused, but Noel already grabbed her and leaped into the sky.


    "¡­" Everyone dropped their jaws, not knowing what was so important for Noel to ''kidnap'' Incetta like this.


    He brought her to a small alley in the area.


    "What do you need from me for you to drag me here?" Incetta asked.


    "Sorry, but it''s not you." Noel shook his head. Anna was waiting on top of the roof.


    "Not me?" Incetta was confused for a moment before tilting her head to the side.


    Vivi came out as Incetta repeated it for Noel to hear. "What do you need from me?"


    "I''ll cut to the chase. Do you know the mountain of the beginning?"


    "!!!" Vivi''s body shook when she heard that name. "Where did you hear that name? Has Ardagan woken up?"


    Noel shook his head and took out the letter, showing it to only Vivi by cing it above his head.


    "This is Alex''s writing¡­" Vivi fell silent for a moment. "The mountain of the beginning is the ce where Alex and Margaretha held their marriage. After Margaretha fell in battle, Alex buried her in that mountain.


    "He never called it the mountain of beginning and end because Alex is a person who always believes that when there is an end, there is always a new beginning. That''s why it''s called the mountain of the beginning."


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. "Do you know where the mountain is?"


    "Yes. I doubted anyone who followed him wouldn''t know that ce. It seems you''re nning to go there."


    "Yes."


    "Well, this job is supposed to be Ardagan''s job, but it doesn''t seem possible right now. I guess I can lead you there. Just bring this kid with you, and I''ll point out that ce."


    "Thank you very much." Noel nodded.


    When the agreement was reached, Anna jumped off the building and said, "Still, even though this is important, you said you shouldn''t leave the city for the time being."


    "I''m nning to employ the strategy that my grandfather has devised. Since we''ll be aggressive from now on, there is no need to do that. Hence, I need you to create a distraction."


    Anna frowned. "Alright. What do I need to do?"


    "Bring Howard and the others to the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters to take care of the transfer of our technology. That also includes the Moon Temple. They will be focusing on you, but Melissa has to remain in this ce since there is a chance they wille here as well."


    "Alright."


    Although Noel felt bad that he couldn''t go together with Anna to pay respect to their ancestors, they could still visit that ce in the future.


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 Chapter 1202: Mountain

    "Report!" A soldier mmed open the door and fell on one knee. "We have just received a report from the north. Anna Stargaze has just left the Golden Dawn City and moved to the southwest. We are assuming that her destination is either the central nobles or the Demon Banner Army."


    "!!!" Duke Raymond widened his eyes in shock as he couldn''t help but stand up from his seat. ''Do they know our n? If that''s the case, then their aim must be the Demon Banner Army.


    ''Not good. For the bird to travel here means two to three hours have passed.'' Duke Raymond hurriedly rushed outside.


    "Sir?!" The servant was confused for a moment. It seemed the report was actually much more serious than he originally thought. After all, the first thing he did after receiving the report was to head to the pce.


    Little did they know, Anna was just a distraction. Find new chapters on m-vl-em-pyr


    Noel and Incetta had gone to the previous city of the Ardagan family.


    There was simply nothing in here other than ruins that nature had taken over.


    When Vivi saw thisnd, she couldn''t help but sigh. "To think that the once prosperousnd would actually fall like this, forgotten in the canal of history."


    When she closed her eyes, she could see the towering wall that blocked the demons. She imagined the clear and bright city inside. It was the peak of their lives.


    After wandering for so long, they had finally created a home they could call home.


    However, that home was gone when the demon king attacked. They destroyed their home and everything they could call home.


    Alex lost everything on that day. She still couldn''t believe that burning sky.


    Vivi let out a long sigh. The descendant that would fight the demon king once again stood in front of her.


    She immediately guided Noel to the mountain not far from the city. There were a total of four mountains, so Vivi pointing out which one was the mountain of the beginning was a big help for him.


    "This is the mountain. If we go to the west side of the mountain, you will be able to find a small hole on the wall that would only reveal itself when the sun is setting."


    That was what Vivi said after pointing out the mountain.


    Noel was currently floating in the air, watching the west side of the mountain. The sun was about to set, so Noel had been squinting his eyes, wondering if that clue would still work even after a thousand years.


    The longer he waited, the more serious his expression became.


    "Where is it?"


    He doubted that the mechanism would still work after a thousand years, making him think that it was better for him to search the mountain from scratch.


    However, right before he gave up, there were a few seconds where the intensity of the orange light was the brightest before it disappeared into the horizon.


    At that time, there was a small glint within the mountain. It was not big enough for normal people to see, but because he had reached the spirit transcendence rank and his senses were much sharper, that glint didn''t escape his eyes.


    "Is that¡­" Noel hurriedly flew toward that glint. The area had been covered with veins and rocks. If he didn''t know about it, no one would probably find this small hole.


    The hole had actually been concealed with the rune.


    "This is¡­" Noel noticed something from the rune. "The key¡­"


    There was nothing inside the hole other than the rune. If he wanted to open it, he needed a key.


    However, the hole wasn''t enough to put Ardagan inside, meaning that the key wasn''t Ardagan.


    "What should I put inside?" Noel looked down and took out the letter. He put it inside the hole, but nothing happened. "I guess it''s not."


    Noel poured his spiritual energy to inspect the rune, but it didn''t get activated. However, he noticed another rune hidden underneath this one. "Hmm?"


    When he inspected it with his spiritual energy, the rune was something he was familiar with.


    "Blood Rune? Don''t tell me¡­"


    Noel pulled out his sword and cut his thumb, letting the blood fall on top of the rune.


    In that instant, the spiritual energy fluctuated, which caused an even bigger wave to burst out of the mountain.


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock as he took a few steps back. "What is happening?"


    The Blood Rune triggered other runes.


    A huge advanced rune appeared in the sky above the mountain. Four other runes also appeared, facing all four directions.


    "The Advanced Runes¡­ They are the runes I haven''t mastered. That big one at the top is called the Supreme Elemental Barrier. Those four¡­ which one is it¡­" Noel had a lot of knowledge about runes, but he still had to find it out in his memory since he hadn''t mastered them.


    The four barriers sadly shattered into pieces before he could recognize them. After that, a rumbling sound started echoing inside his ears.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Huh?!" Noel turned around and followed the source of that sound, finding the stone wall starting to move.


    "This is¡­" Noel gasped. "Did the blood get recognized by the Blood Rune? Then, it was used to trigger the spiritual energy that had been contained inside a chamber? If that didn''t get triggered, those four barriers, while I don''t recognize them yet, I believe they are offensive runes.


    "Those four offensive runes would attack me and probably severely injure me. But because the Blood Rune recognized my blood, it disarmed those four runes and activated other mechanisms.


    "Are all of these actually getting controlled by the runes? No. Is this the true Rune Array?" Noel gasped. He had used his understanding of the Rune Array to create Rune cards.


    However, his ancestor used Rune Array in a different manner.


    Noel looked at the small tunnel leading deep inside the mountain. Noel politely bowed first and said, "Noel Ardagan, the 34th head of the Ardagan family, shall be intruding on your resting ce. Please forgive such a selfish act of this unfilial descendant, ancestors."


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 Chapter 1203: Message

    Noel entered the tunnel and activated his Moon Blessing to see in the dark. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the cave was actually lit up by the moonlight.


    "Mhmmm?" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, noticing that there was another source of light at the end of the tunnel.


    He carefully crossed this tunnel while using his spiritual energy to check if there were traps or runes nearby.


    Ultimately, he reached a big opening inside of the cave, which wasn''t too big but had enough room for thefortable movement.


    It was there he actually saw two graves. On top of the grave was the light rune that illuminated the entire area by using the spiritual energy that came from nature.


    The tranquil atmosphere and the light gave an ethereal feeling to the gravestones.


    Their names couldn''t be seen anymore due to the passing time, but Noel knew that these two were his ancestors Alexander Ardagan and Margaretha Ardagan.


    Behind their gravestones was a box, which probably contained what they had left behind.


    Before he could do something like that, Noel went to his knees and said, "Noel Ardagan, the 34th head of the Ardagan family, greets the ancestors.


    "I have disappointed you and allowed the Ardagan family to be almost destroyedpletely. However, I promise that I''ll make the Ardagan family prosper.


    "Currently, the demon king is encroaching on our kingdom, and I can only shamelessly admit that I''m not ready for it. Please forgive this useless descendant for worrying you.


    "I''d like to ask for the ancestors'' blessing to defeat the demon king."


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment to pay his respect.


    After several minutes, Noel stood up and grabbed the box that was left behind by his ancestors.


    He thought that whatever was inside the box would be deteriorating due to the passing time. Nevertheless, he could still recover itter.


    Noel then showed the box to the grave once again as if trying to show that he had received what they had left behind.


    After that, Noel opened the box. It was a big box, so he opened it carefully, wondering what was inside.


    To his surprise, there were only five items sealed inside the box. Instead of a letter, the box was actually used to write down their will. The inside of the box was able to endure the passing of time more than a paper, so it wasn''t weird his ancestors chose them.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    The five items: a key, a badge, a scroll, a ck cube, and a ring.


    "Hmm?" Noel frowned. He didn''t understand all these items or know what they were used for.


    Hence, he grabbed them first and put them away so that he could read the words his ancestors left behind.


    But when he grabbed the ck cube, a system panel suddenly appeared in front of him. Read now on m_vl_em_p_yr


    The system panel was red instead of the usual blue, which startled him.


    "What is going on?!"


    [Recovering¡ª]


    [System Error]


    [Deactivate]


    Those were the only words that appeared before the system disappeared again. "Ardagan? System?"


    Noel hurriedly opened his system and let out a sigh of relief that nothing happened. He checked carefully a few times to make sure that he could still change his medal, but there was nothing that could be done.


    Because he was too confused, he had to read the words left behind by his ancestors first.


    ''If you ever read this, you must be in a desperate situation, my descendant. If you are not my descendant, then take only the ring and the key because you won''t be able to use them. No one can use those three other than my qualified descendant.


    ''If you are my descendant, I have bad news and good news for you. Bad news, my grandmother once said that there are a total of thirteen demon kings that sneaked into this world.


    ''However, you don''t have to worry about all these demon kings. While they are strong, they are still constrained by space. Some demon kings rule over the ocean, some kings are restricted to its continent.


    ''At the same time, you shouldn''t let your guard down. I once took down a demon king in my era, but that demon king hadn''t died because, at thest moment, there was actually another demon king that helped him.''


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. He had never expected that there would be a lot of demon kings in this world.


    He didn''t understand what he meantpletely, but it was clear that the demon kings couldn''te to this ce as they liked.


    If there was something he needed to be concerned about, it would be the second demon king. If there were two demon kings, wouldn''t it be better if Anna joined the fight as well? After all, with his current strength, he doubted he could actually defeat two ancient demons by himself.


    In other words, Anna had to be a spirit king as well. No one knew there were two demon kings since the only one who fought him was Alexander. At the same time, it was surprising that Alexander hid this information from hisrades. Even his brother-inw, the sword saint, didn''t give him this information.


    He continued to read the message.


    ''The reason I failed to kill him was because of the second demon king, which caused me to use all my power to barely repel them.


    ''Your task is to defeat both demon kings if you want to regain peace over this piece ofnd. If you want to explore the world and find other demon kings, you can do that after defeating them.


    ''I''m sorry that I have to entrust the task I have failed to my descendant. As an ancestor, I have failed. The only thing I can do is give you these five items that will help you in defeating the demon kings.


    ''First of all, I hope you''re not as dumb as me because you might end up losing something precious like me.


    ''Second, after losing my wife, I couldn''t recover. At the same time, everything they knew was not true. I pretended not to be okay because there was someone feeding the information to the demon king.


    ''There was a traitor among us.''


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1204: Five Items

    ''There was a traitor among us.''


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock.


    ''That traitor not only fed the enemy with information, but it was also the cause for my wife to die. If not for that traitor, my wife would still be able to endure the demon king''s army until I arrived.


    ''That''s why I have prepared these five gifts for you.


    ''There is no need to exin about the badge, the scroll, and the ck cube. The qualified Ardagan family''s members will be able to understand them without me exining it.


    ''The key is a key for the Ardagan family''s treasury. I don''t have much, but the Treasury will definitely help you. Last but not least, the ring. This ring has a special power, but rather than exining it myself, you should find the Dark Butterfly Spirit''s contractor. The Dark Butterfly Spirit can exin it better than I do because this ring is a keepsake from my grandmother.''


    "¡­" Noel fell silent after reading the messages. There were three things that came into his mind.


    "If there are indeed two demon lords, it means that I can''t be the only one to reach the spirit king stage. Anna should be one as well. However, to reach that level requires a lot of resources. If we look at this, it''s going to be extremely hard for us to be spirit kings at the same time.


    "I don''t know what''s going on, but I guess this is the only way. However, Anna will surely say that if we can''t defeat the demon kings, it''s fine to repel them first and kill themter once she bes a spirit king.


    "That''s why I have to consider this possibility as well. As for those three items, considering it''s actually rted to Ardagan, I might have to wait until Ardagan wakes up before I know what they are.


    "Judging from what I''ve seen so far, I''m sure they''re going to give me something. If that''s the case, I should focus on the key and the ring. I can easily bring this ring to La, but to confirm it, if I personally go there. Anna has distracted the enemy, so if I go there right now, they might cause some trouble.


    "I guess we have to wait for a bit more. As for the key, where is the Ardagan family''s Treasury? There is no mention of its location. I guess Ardagan will know about it.


    "He can even confirm whether there are two demon kings or not. I guess Ardagan hasn''t said anything because we''re nning to be spirit kings together¡­"


    Noel fell silent for a moment, contemting what he should do.


    After some time, Noel returned everything inside. Before leaving, Nathan politely bowed and said, "Thank you very much for your help, ancestors. This descendant will take his leave. I''ll do my best to defeat the two demon lords so that thisnd can gain peace."


    Noel brought the box with him and immediately searched for Incetta and Vivi.


    "Are you done?" Incetta asked.


    "Yes. There is one thing that I need to ask though." Noel turned to Vivi. "Do you know where the treasury of the Ardagan family is located?"


    "Huh?" Vivi tilted his head in confusion. She thought for a moment before saying with an unsure tone, "I''m not really sure. However, Margaretha had a stash in the past."


    "A secret storage?"


    "Yes. I''m not sure if that is the one you''re talking about, but I can show you the location. Because Alex doesn''t care much about their spending, Margaretha has to take care of everything, including the budget for Alex''s spending."


    "In that case, can you lead me there? Has it been destroyed yet?"


    Discover more stories on m_vl_em_p_yr


    "I don''t know, but it''s located underground, so it might haven''t been destroyed yet."


    All of them walked back to the city that had been reimed by nature.


    Vivi pointed to a building. "That''s the ce."


    The building itself had been destroyed, leaving only a single wall. "Go to that ce and dig one meter down. If you find a ck rope, follow that rope to find the entrance. It has been buried inside, so it''ll be hard to find it. Then again, Margaretha''s element allows her to do all that work in just a few seconds."


    Noel couldn''t help but say, "This is such a random building to hide your belongings¡­"


    "That''s what we said as well. Then again, it was actually connected to a secret tunnel where they lived. By putting this building on top, she basically camouged it. No one was going to dig that ground, so yeah¡­"


    "Fair enough." Noel started releasing his spiritual energy, lifting up a chunk of soil at a time.


    It didn''t take too long for him to actually find the rope Vivi was talking about. However, it had deteriorated to such an extent that he couldn''t pull it anymore if he didn''t want to break it.


    Hence, he just lifted up the soil around it and continued to follow this ck rope.


    After several minutes, the rope started leading down. It turned out there was a hole that had been covered by dirt, so Noel carefully excavated all the soil until he could jump into the hole.


    He threw away the soil and cleared up the area around the hole, revealing two things.


    When he turned to the left, he saw the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, confirming that this was a tunnel. Unfortunately, the tunnel had been fully blocked, and he didn''t have any business in that direction.


    Meanwhile, on the opposite side, there was a door made of metal. There was a wheel, which only had one meaning.


    Noel carefully grabbed it and started turning it, testing which direction would work.


    *Creak!*


    Unfortunately for him, the metal wheel actually snapped. Yes, it snapped.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Huh?" Noel blinked a few times, looking at the wheel on his hand. Because of this, he couldn''t open the door anymore. "This is¡­ How am I going to open this door? Should I just destroy it? There is no rune around."


    Noel tried to scan the entire area with his spiritual energy, which actually revealed another door behind this one, which had a different mechanism.


    "Yeah. I think there is no other way." Noel clenched his hand into a fist.


    *Bam!*


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1205: Treasury

    *ck!*


    There was a clicking sounding from the door when he inserted the key. It turned out the family''s treasury was actually Margaretha''s stash.


    Then again, after listening to Vivi about Alex''s thoughts on money, it wouldn''t be weird if she was the one handling all the resources the Ardagan family had.


    And that was when his ancestors shocked him once again.


    The inside of the treasury was dark, but because he had been using his Moon Blessing, he could see the entire treasury in one go.


    The Treasury was actually huge enough to make everything he had look small inparison.


    "What is this?" Noel gasped.


    The first things that greeted him were shelves after shelves containing small things, from jewelry to other rune items.


    If he took a look at the left and right sides, he found mountains of demon crystals just lying around on the floor because there were too many of them.


    If he moved deeper, he would find several more shelves that contained weapons and armor. They were exuding some spiritual energy, either from being influenced by the spiritual energy that had been filling this room or something else.


    Then again, the entire room had been sealed by runes, which ended up containing the spiritual energy inside.


    "Is this really the Treasury? I mean, they possess all these items." Noel felt chills down his spine. "Look at these weapons¡­ There are at least 10 of them that look better than Dimitri''s sword.


    "Dimitri''s sword is already top-notch, its worth is among the top even if we gather all the weapons that the kingdom has. It''s thanks to this sword that he is able to assassinate all his targets. Yet, there are ten of them better than that sword.


    "However, if I take another look, there are actually thirty weapons of the same grade as Dimitri''s swords. I can also see hundreds of weapons that could be considered quality pieces even for Master cksmith.


    "What''s more terrifying is that there are more armor pieces than the weapons. They have everything here, from a gauntlet to full body armor.


    "If I just take ten of them here, I would probably earn a few tens of thousands of gold coins."


    Noel never expected that a personal stash could be this amazing.


    "Is this the peak of the Ardagan family?" Noel smiled wryly.


    "I can see there are two ancient demon crystals. I should bring them back right away, but I''ll talk to Anna about two demon kings first."


    Noel suddenly fell silent after seeing thest section of the Treasury. It was filled with books.


    Noel examined them. Judging from the titles alone, it looked like a spirit technique.


    "A spirit technique, huh? Considering they are being hidden inside the Treasury, I should consider them as good as it can be¡­ No, wait. Can''t I just ask Vivi about them? They''ll see the Treasury anyway since we need to bring them back."


    Noel hurriedly moved a bit deeper and found onest thing.


    It was actually a pair of swords. They were nted on a stone table and made a crossing pose.


    There was a stele that defined the meaning of these two swords. "In memory of my brother and wife."


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "These two swords are¡­ actually those two?"


    Noel couldn''t contain himself anymore. He hurriedly came out and brought Incetta in so that Vivi could actually see everything here. He lit up the room with the Light Rune, which shocked Incetta to the core.


    "These are¡­" Incetta dropped her jaw.


    Vivi couldn''t help but smile. "What a nostalgic collection. Oh. She even stored all our items here."


    "Your items?" Noel raised his eyebrows.


    "Yep. These were our items. You should remember there were tenmandants, right? Eachmandant was leading a legion, and we both had our trusted subordinates.


    "All these items are what we and our subordinates wore in the past. Of course, they were all made by a very good man."


    Noel''s expression turned serious. "By the way, there is something I''d like to ask."


    "What is it?"


    "Is there a traitor among themandants?"


    "¡­" Vivi''s expression turned dark when she heard that word. She walked toward the items and said, "After Ray and Margaretha leaving their posts asmandants and turning into overseers, these are¡­"


    She pointed out a ck sword.


    "The firstmandant Dole''s ck sword, the secondmandant Balford''s greatsword, the thirdmandant William''s longbow¡­ the fourthmandant¡­"


    Vivi introduced the items one by one, except for onemandant.


    "Huh?" Noel suddenly understood why she introduced it like this. "The Eight Commandant?"


    "I don''t have proof. In fact, I didn''t know if there was a traitor or not. As amandant, I could only specte that something went wrong because Margaretha was supposed tost longer even against a demon king.


    "And the one who protected the city alongside her was the eightmandant Spencer.


    "If there was something wrong, it would be him. However, it was said that he had perished from the battle, so there was no one who could confirm it." Vivi exined.


    "Spencer¡­" Noel''s expression turned serious. "We have the Supreme Devil Organization¡­ Is it controlled by him?"


    "I don''t know. Ray has never used his ability on someone else, so there''s no way he can stay alive after a thousand years."


    "His descendant?"


    "Perhaps."


    Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. It seemed that the situation was much more serious than he originally thought.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you know his motive?"


    "No." Discover untold stories at m_vl_em_p_yr


    "How about his full name? Is he someone who will use his full name in his family?"


    "Maybe. His full name is Spencer Daivantaein."


    "I haven''t heard any name with Daivantaein." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "Yes. In addition, if he is really the traitor because we can''t recover any of his belongings, there''s no way Margaretha would know about it. So that''s just a baseless usation of mine."


    "But if we know his name, we might be able to find some records about him unless it''spletely erased. I''ll tell my subordinates to search for his information. For now, we''ll return with as many items we can bring and gradually transfer these items to the current Treasury."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1206: Decision

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    Anna and Oscar were standing on the stage, watched by a few hundred people. He said, "With this, we have reached an agreement with the Ardagan family. From now on, we''ll be putting the rune weapons in our arsenal and using them to kill more demons."


    "Uoohhh!"


    The soldiers cheered. They had heard about the rumor of the rune weapons. It was one of the biggest reasons for Noel to defend his city despite being surrounded by a hundred thousand demons.


    Obviously, the ceremony wasn''t attended only by the people from the Demon Banner Army. The spies from various factions immediately sent back the information.


    The ones who reacted the most were definitely the royal pce.


    "What? They have truly made a transfer of technology?" The king gritted his teeth.


    Duke Raymond frowned. "This way, the Tower Association won''t be able to do anything even if they im it. After all, it''s not in their jurisdiction anymore. By splitting the technology, the Tower Association or even us won''t have the chance to seize it anymore.


    "What is the situation over there? Where is Anna heading next? I know that she won''t stop there."


    "She¡­ she is heading to the Moon Temple."


    "!!!" Duke Raymond was so shocked that he subconsciously stood up. "If they also use the Moon Temple¡­"


    Another noble muttered, "The Moon Temple might be neutral, but the Moon Temple is actually helping the Ardagan family. If the Moon Temple is helping them, it''ll be hard for us to do anything against them."


    Duke Raymond''s expression was dark. He was fully aware of what kind of effect it would bring.


    "We need to stop her from reaching the Moon Temple!"


    They gritted their teeth. It seemed they had no choice but to deploy the hidden men they had prepared to kill Anna Stargaze.


    As if knowing what was happening, the king said, "Don''t move recklessly."


    "What? We need to move fast, Your Majesty."


    The king waved his hand. "Look at the map. Don''t you see that the Demon Banner Army has been adjusting their position? Look at the Moon Temple!"


    Duke Raymond trembled and took another look at the situation. It was true that the Demon Banner Army had been moving their positions. And the Moon Temple should be aware of what was going on, or Noel Ardagan might have informed them about it.


    It was at this moment that he realized that the entire n was actually a trap. If they made a move, the people they sent would die. Anna would receive them while they were getting pincered by the Moon Temple and the Demon Banner Army.


    Knowing Noel''s rtionship with the Greenwood Kingdom, there was a high chance the Greenwood Kingdom would attack them as well.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Duke Raymond trembled. He had almost fallen into their traps. It was not a very obvious trap, but he didn''t expect the king to figure out their n.


    Duke Raymond frowned and said, "This n¡­ It''s almost perfect."


    "Duke Raymond. Are you implying that we can still attack them?"


    "Indeed. If you take a look at it, harming the Moon Temple will lead to other kingdoms starting an aggression. At the same time, fighting the Greenwood Kingdom is thest thing we want to do right now. However, no one can say the same for the Demon Banner Army."


    "!!!"


    They all turned to the Demon Banner Army. One of them said, "That''s true. While the Demon Banner Army is trying to help the Ardagan family, they''re not stretching out their force far enough. If we can actually force them to remain, they''ll definitely stop, allowing our troops to sweep in from their direction."


    "In that case, how are we going to do it?"


    "We should make the Tower Association and the Supreme Devil Organization put pressure on the back of the Demon Banner Army. The Demon Banner Army will have no choice but to divert some of their force to that front, which will allow us to sweep in."


    "If we can kill Anna Stargaze, we should be able to deal a devastating blow to the Ardagan family, especially since we know that Noel Ardagan is madly in love with her. By taking her out, there''s a high chance he will do something reckless."


    "When that happens, we will have enough reason to take him down."


    Duke Raymond looked at the king while saying, "Your Majesty. I believe we should do it this way. Our priority should be Anna Stargaze''s death. It''s true that it''ll create a lot of trouble, especially with Kevin Stargaze, but this is the only way. While Marquis Stargaze is still upied with his sessor, we should kill his daughter."


    The king frowned and said, "Are you sure we should do this? What if we fail?"


    Duke Raymond squinted his eyes. It was true that they had been suffering a lot in Noel''s hand. If they lost this time again, there was a high chance they couldn''t do anything for the next few months.


    During that time, Noel would advance his technology even further and gain more allies. The Supreme Devil Organization would most likely step away for a bit to recover from their loss. No one could predict what would happen if the Tower Association suffered big damage.


    The king didn''t want to take such a high risk because there was a chance that Noel wanted this to happen.


    "We should be decisive. If we wait, we might lose them." Duke Raymond tried to persuade the king.


    Other nobles were also thinking the same thing. If Anna reached the Moon Temple, it would be over.


    The king gritted his teeth and shouted, "Fine. Mobilize our elites! Eliminate Anna Stargaze at all costs."


    The king looked frustrated because if they let Noel do this, the consequences would be quite immense as well.


    Little did he know that the opponent this time was not only Noel. Yes, the Demon Banner Army, especially Oscar, was ready to show why he was the best in a defensive battle.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1207: Attack

    "Hmmm¡­ So, they want us to attack them from behind?" Alexander squinted his eyes.


    "Yes. If we can somehow do this, we''ll distract the Demon Banner Army and allow those people to attack Anna Stargaze," said Josephine.


    "Hahaha. I have never thought that you would agree to this, especially since she was your disciple!"


    Josephine gritted her teeth. "Never mention it again."


    How could she like it when that very disciple betrayed her? Then again, how could she not feel ashamed when the disciple she had brainwashed turned out to be the one fooling her?


    "Well¡­ we still have to fight against the Demon Banner Army once again. Who is the captain we have to destroy this time?" Alexander asked.


    "It''s Shale."


    "Oh, that young guy. He is very strong." Alexander thought for a moment. "There should be two more captains nearby, right?"


    "Indeed."


    Alexander thought for a moment. "What is going on with the preparation? Do we have to fight all of them?"


    "No. We just have to take care of the one on the west. The other one will be handled by the Tower Association."


    "Hoh? In that case, let us begin." Alexander nodded.


    "Yes." Josephine waved her hand, forming several portals next to them. One by one, Supreme Devil Organization members came out of the portal. "Let''s start the party."


    Alexander waved his hand while muttering, "I''ll wait here to conserve my stamina. I''m sure that Oscar wille here. Even if they can''t predict everything, we should stop underestimating Noel Ardagan."


    "¡­" Josephine didn''t want to admit it, but she shared the sentiment. Even if they fought, they would have to be careful or they would suffer major damage.


    ¡­


    The bells in the city started ringing as people were running around. The squads were assembling on top of the city''s wall, ready to fight.


    "Sir. The enemies areing. Since they are humans, we should assume they are from the Supreme Devil Organization."


    Shale''s expression turned dark. He stood up while asking, "How is the preparation?"


    "Everything is ready, sir."


    "Inform themander that we''ll stop them for fifteen minutes. We need him toe right away."


    "Yes, sir!"


    The people started going back and forth. Messenger birds were flying in multiple directions as the soldiers were keeping the citizens safe.


    Obviously, themander knew about it too.


    The distance from Shale''s post to the Demon Banner Army''s headquarters could be covered in just ten minutes for the fastest bird he had.


    Milfa immediately brought the news to themander. "Sir. Shale has been attacked. The other captains are reinforcing him, but there is a big chance that Josephine and Alexander are involved in this attack. They need you."


    Oscar couldn''t help but smile. "I have never thought that it will be this easy. I have always said that Noel Ardagan is talented, but he doesn''t only create an opportunity to attack but also allows me to disy my best strength. How are the preparations?"


    "Everything is in position."


    "Tell them to begin. It''s time for us to deal huge damage to the Supreme Devil Organization."


    "Sir¡­ I think you have to be careful. They might bebining the attacks with the demonic humans."


    "It seems that you don''t fully understand my tactics. Nevertheless, just do it. I have handled everything."


    Milfa tilted her head in confusion. "Alright."


    ¡­


    Obviously, Oscar had to send information to Anna as well, showing that they would be attacked.


    But before the information from Oscar came, she got one from Noel first.


    "We have received a letter from the Marquis." Howard came to Anna. "It''s said that once we reach the Dulva in, the enemy will attack."


    "I understand." Anna nodded. "ording to our pace, the easiest ce to attack us is definitely the Dulva in. It''s not that far from the Greenwood Kingdom, but not so close either, which will seal reinforcement from the Greenwood Kingdom. The Moon Temple won''t send reinforcement either.


    "In other words, we''ll be handling them by ourselves. Are you ready, Howard? The enemies will be much harder than you have seen so far."


    Howard smiled. "If, in the end, we will have to fight a lot of demons and demonic humans, this will be a good warm up. The soldiers have to understand what kind of cause we''re fighting for."


    Anna smiled. "Are the elite soldiers ready?"


    "Yes, Ma''am."


    "The Rune Magician Squad?"


    "They are in position."


    "Immediately form a defensive position and set up an ambush to reduce the enemies once they attack. I''ll kill the rest."


    Howard squinted his eyes. "Are you going to reveal your true strength?"


    "Noel has made a decision. It''s time for us to gain our initiative this time."


    "Understood."


    As soon as Howard left, Anna''s eyes turned to Melissa. "Are you ready for it?" Check out m_vl_em_p_yr storiesAll content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah. I have never thought that we have to fight humans."


    "Unfortunately¡­ Even though I''m a human myself, I can say that humans are the greediest creature, the most depraved, and the insufferable creatures this world has. I''m still like that." Anna had a sad smile on herself, even though her greed was simply everything about Noel.


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "Loop around and create a safety. If they run away, kill them."


    Melissa nodded and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Anna was sighing before muttering, "I have gathered their attention here, my dear husband. They won''t be looking in your direction for a while."


    ¡­


    While they were preparing for wars, Noel was actually busy ''digging.'' Yes, he had to dig up all the items from the Treasury and transport them back to the new Treasury.


    Incetta helped him, but due to the importance of the items, Noel chose to avoid getting anyone''s help.


    Even Dimitri and Rose didn''t know this.


    Still, something unexpected happened.


    "What are they doing here? The Demon Spear Squad shouldn''t being here, right?" Alexander shouted, looking at the Demon Spear Squad''s captain from a distance.


    "I don''t know. The Tower Association should have been the one stopping them."


    "Do they betray us?!"


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1208: Trap

    "Are they betraying us?" Alexander frowned.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "Should I check?" Josephine asked, her face turning dark. If they messed this up, they would be facing serious trouble.


    Alexander wanted to confirm, but he suddenly felt an overwhelming presenceing from the side.


    "!!!" Alexander immediately jumped forward as Oscar made his appearance right in front of him.


    "Alexander!" Oscar grinned and punched forward.


    "Oscar." Alexander didn''t expect that Oscar would be arriving so fast. Their fists collided, causing a massive shock wave that shook the area.


    "Power!" Oscar used his power, boosting the strength on his arm. He overpowered Alexander andunched him to the ground.


    Bam!


    Alexander gnashed his teeth, trying to assess the situation. Josephine should be smart enough to see what was going on, but Alexander had actually sealed Josephine.


    When she created the portal and was about to enter, several wind des cut the portal into pieces, neutralizing her power.


    "!!!" Josephine turned around and waved her scythe, the tip getting covered with her space element that would distort everything.


    Shale was there as if he were trying to grab the scythe. In front of him was his wind element that shed with that distortion.


    The space element distorted the wind element, but thetter also dispersed the space element in all directions.


    In the end, both of them neutralized each other''s power.


    "I have always thought that you are the bad guy, but it seems that you have truly joined the Supreme Devil Organization." Shale moved away andnded on the ground. He pulled out his sword, ready to sh diagonally.


    "You don''t know anything." Josephine also did the same.


    Both of them swung their weapons at the same time, sending forth their own elements.


    The wind and the space element created a cross-shaped collision as they ended up neutralizing each other''s gain.


    "Since I don''t know, please educate me on what you know. Or maybe you want to tell meter¡­ in the torture room, that is!" Shale used his fast speed, closing the gap between them.


    "What can you ask if you''re dead?!" She waved her scythe downward.


    Shale jumped away as the burst of spiritual energy pushed him back. He immediately shed his sword so that Josephine couldn''t run away.


    Josephine was forced to form a portal to absorb the iing wind attack, but as one would expect from the top captain of the Demon Banner Army. His wind expanded at thest second to the point where the space couldn''t even suck it. Instead, the wind was actually stretching the portal until it reached its limit and broke.


    It was her turn to jump away, getting some distance. She cut down all the trees in their surroundings. Before falling, she absorbed all those trees into the void.


    Shale rushed toward her and saw multiple portals above him, releasing all the trees.


    Shale formed a sphere with his wind, isting him. As a result, all the trees that fell on top of the barrier got deflected by the sheer pressure from the wind.


    But that was what Josephine was waiting for. She rotated her hand as if she were twisting something. All of a sudden, the wind''s flow was inverted.


    In other words, all the trunks were nowing straight at him.


    All the woods immediately hit Shale.


    "Hahaha. Got you!" Josephineughed.


    "Did you?" Shale smirked when he was being pinned down to the ground by all these trees.


    "!!!" Josephine suddenly felt the wind flow change. When her eyes looked around, she realized that the wind flow had changed as well. Several of thembined and formed a stronger wind and went toward her, each of them felt like she was getting hit by multiple carriages at once.


    "Argghhh!"


    Bam!


    The explosion urred after all the windbined together, kicking up the dust on the ground.


    A burst of wind then swept away both the trunks on top of Shale''s body and the dust as Shale stood up.


    Josephine''s body flickered as she escaped from the explosion, albeit barely.


    Shale couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. Josephine had gotten even stronger when she joined the Supreme Devil Organization.


    He realized that Alexander was the one teaching her, allowing her ability to develop even further.


    At this point, Josephine might be able to reach the Spirit Transcendence in the near future.


    Still, he couldn''t kill Josephine in a short period of time even with the True Spirit Body since Josephine also had one.


    On the other side, Alexander and Oscar made an even bigger mess.


    Alexander punched the air, creating torrential pressure toward Oscar. The torrential pressure destroyed everything in front, including a portion of the ground. Experience the journey at m-vl-em-py-r


    "Scatter!" Oscar imbued his spiritual energy into his order, causing the torrential pressure to disperse in all directions.


    Alexander wanted to throw another punch, but Oscar shouted, "Deviant!"


    In that instant, the spiritual energy on Alexander''s fist turned against him and caused a massive burst that hit its owner.


    Alexander was pushed back for several meters. It looked like Alexander was at a disadvantage, but thetter knew Oscar''s power wasn''t that conventional. It drained his energy, and if there was a gap of power, it could even cause an internal injury.


    After fighting multiple times in thest few years, he already grasped Oscar''s power. At the same time, he knew he couldn''t kill Oscar so easily. After all, the other party was known for his tenacity.


    Alexander realized that there must be a reason for Oscar to suddenlye to this. In addition, he had sealed them so that no one could ry any information, especially regarding the Tower Association.


    "!!!" Alexander widened his eyes in shock. "This is a trap! We have to go back!"


    Oscar grinned. Even if he realized it, it was toote.


    On the battlefield, the position of the troops remained the same. However, there were three people that actually joined the fight this time. They should have retired years or even decades ago, but Oscar lowered his head to get their help.


    One of them was the former captain of the Demon Beholder Squad, the one Dimitri asked for a favor. The other two were the former captains of the Demon Hunting Squad and the Demon Barrier Squad.


    "To think that the youngmander is asking us for help."


    "It can''t be helped. The Supreme Devil Organization has been more active in his generation."


    "I guess it''s fine for us to move these old bones for a bit and maybe kill several hundred Supreme Devil Organization members while we are at it."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1209: Traps

    "Aaaahhhh!"


    "Help!"


    "Who are they?!"


    The people were crying, unable to fight back.


    The Supreme Devil Organization had to split their people into two groups since they had two bases to raid.


    However, that ended up backfiring because there was only one person who needed to defend their base. The rest was encircling the other group. Dive deeper into the story on m-vle-mpyr


    In that group, three retired captains and the captain of the base started massacring the enemies. Milfa couldn''te because she had to hold the line in the headquarters.


    Meanwhile, Alexander kept gritting his teeth. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the trap Oscar had ced here.


    "You bastard!" Alexander punched Oscar. Thetter did the same as their spiritual energy blew them away.


    Oscar only smirked. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Alexander''s body trembled as he thought, ''We''ll lose all those people. Those two hundred people will definitely die even if we try breaking through right now. Shale and Oscar still have their True Spirit Body, so it''ll be impossible to break through here and save them.


    ''We have been tricked. The reason why Anna Stargaze is showing her location is to bring us here.''


    There were still two questions that had yet to be answered. The first one would be the Tower Association.


    They should have sent some people, but they couldn''t find a single elder from the Tower Association stopping the Demon Banner Army.


    The second would be whether Anna Stargaze had the strength to fend for themselves or not.


    The first question could easily be answered by thinking that Oscar had ced another trap that somehow stopped them. The answer to the second question wasn''t something he would like to believe.


    ''Don''t tell me. The reason they are so confident is that Anna Stargaze has reached the spirit transcendence rank?'' Alexander''s expression darkened the moment he thought about it.


    After all, there was a high possibility that Noel Ardagan had reached it as well.


    If that were true, not only would the Supreme Devil Organization lose two hundred of their men, but the royal family would lose dozens of their demonic humans.


    What would they get? They only confirmed that Anna Stargaze had reached the spirit transcendence rank.


    They still suffered a huge loss, to the point where they wouldn''t be able to do anything against the Ardagan family for a while.


    They finally realized what Noel was aiming for.


    Because he had to go on a sea expedition in a few months, he wanted to use this time to build a defense that wouldn''t copse even if he left this ce.


    ''I need to stop them!'' Alexander nced at the side. He needed Josephine''s ability to reach Anna Stargaze before anyone else.


    As if knowing what he was up to, Oscar suddenly attacked him and blew him in the opposite direction.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Oops. What are you nning to do? It''s unlike you to get distracted by something in that direction." Oscar smirked.


    "You¡­ You know everything." Alexander clenched his hands into fists.


    "Just some cleaning up. Don''t worry about it."


    As Alexander predicted, there was indeed a trap that stopped the people from the Tower Association. Those were the two elders, the Water Lord and the Magic Lord.


    Both of them were standing in their path, looking at the three lords that wanted to attack the Demon Banner Army.


    The Water Lord casually summoned a tall wall made of water while the Magic Lord squinted his eyes.


    The Magic Lord said, "It seems that everything is true. The Tower Association has be rotten. The Tower Association might be the bnce the Muivell Kingdom needs, but we have never interfered with the Demon Banner Army or the nobles.


    "To think that the ce I belong in the past has gone because of the ipetence of our own people¡­" The Magic Lord squinted his eyes.


    The three elders gritted their teeth. If they wanted to kill these two elders, they would have to pay a huge price as well.


    The Water Lord said, "Please be careful, Magic Lord. Some of them might have been turned into a demonic human. Their strength has surpassed that of a spirit grandmaster. Even I won''t be able to hold them for long."


    "I think you''re forgetting something, young man. Even Jayden has to call me his senior." The Magic Lord gritted his teeth.


    An enormous amount of spiritual energy burst out of his body like a volcanic eruption. The energy blew away everything, whether they were boulders, grasses, or trees, in a twenty meters radius.


    The Water Lord took a step back, feeling overwhelmed by that power. He almost forgot that the most senior member of the Tower Association was the person in front of him. He was so strong that he almost reached the Spirit Transcendence.


    In fact, there were rumors stating that he never reached that rank simply because he didn''t want to destroy the bnce in the kingdom.


    And it seemed that the situation of the Tower Association had thoroughly angered him.


    The Magic Lord was an elder who was already over a hundred years old. His body looked so much older than anyone here, but the moment his spiritual energy erupted, not a single person would think that they were better than him.


    Even with the demons, they realized that the amount of spiritual energy that the Magic Lord had surpassed even them. There was a high chance that the Magic Lord had actually found his transcendent path.


    The Magic Lord gave an ultimatum. "Whoever has be a demonic human. Come at me and ept your death. Whoever hasn''t be one, prove to me that you still have the spirits and repent. Come at me, all of you brazen brats!"


    ¡­


    While the Magic Lord took care of the threat of the Tower Association, Anna was facing the same thing.


    Anna stood behind her troops, who were standing by to receive the enemies. She said, "Howard, Felicia. They''reing. Show them the power of the Ardagan family."


    Howard and Felicia turned serious. "Understood."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1210: Attacked

    They could see more than a hundred peopleing toward them while they only had about thirty people. They werepletely outnumbered, but none of the soldiers or the rune magicians were cowering in fear.


    "Get ready!" Howard shouted.


    "Prepare the rune!" Felicia waved her hand.


    All the rune magicians immediately took out two big carpets andid them down on top of each other. After that, a young man poured his spiritual energy into the rune to activate it.


    The runes drawn on the carpets began to glow. The first one that appeared was a huge barrier that covered the area around the carpet, including the trucks they brought.


    Then, the spiritual energy moved to individual rune magicians and soldiers.


    "This is¡­" The soldiers looked shocked, as if they felt a surge of power.


    The soldiers exchanged looks, realizing what happened.


    Howard smiled. He stepped forward and shouted, "Soldiers of the Ardagan family, charge!"


    "Uoohhh!" The soldiers'' cheer erupted as they started running toward the enemies, not scared of their number.


    The rune magician took advantage of the barrier to protect themselves while they were preparing their own runes, mostly the Meteor Runes.


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    They bombarded the enemies with the Meteor Runes, killing several of them in the first volley.


    "Attack!" Howard led the charge as he summoned his avatar.


    The soldiers followed as they released their own spiritual energy. The rune they had activated earlier was actually one of the Advanced Rune Noel had, the Honor Bearer Rune. It was impossible toy it down in the Rune Card, but they could do it on a huge carpet. That was why they brought those carpets inside the trucks.


    When the enemies arrived, the soldiers waved their swords at their respective enemies. To their surprise, they overpowered their enemies. The moment their weapons shed, they destroyed their weapons, knocked them back, and killed them.


    "How can they be so strong?"


    "What kind of strength is this?"


    "We have be stronger, but it''s not enough to go against these guys."


    The enemies were using spiritual energy like the demons, but it was actually useless.


    They didn''t realize thatpared to the demons for low level experts like them, the Honor Bearer Rune gave them more strength.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Even the soldiers were shocked by the boost they received.


    "What is this?"


    "Howe we are this strong?"


    "I feel like my strength now is more than doubled¡­"


    The soldiers became even more pumped as they looked at their next enemies. "Attack!"


    Instead of getting suppressed, it was the Ardagan family''s soldiers that actually pushed the enemies back. They even had a hard time stopping the Meteor Runes.


    Howard couldn''t help but smile. He finally understood what Noel wanted from this expedition.


    It was to wait to train the soldiers and see the effectiveness of the runes on the battlefield. If they had something like this, even a thousand soldiers were enough to fight against five thousand or even more demons of the same level.


    "Kill them!" Howard became even more excited because the experience from this battle would drastically change how they fought their enemies.


    "Uoohhh!"


    The soldiers cheered and started killing one enemy after another.


    However, that momentum disappeared right after because of a powerful strike hitting Howard andunching him toward the barrier.


    Bam!


    The soldiers widened their eyes as they couldn''t help but look at Howard''s condition.


    When they raised their heads, they could see five people floating in the air.


    "It seems that there are many bugs to crush," One of them said.


    Anna squinted her eyes, noticing that they had thoroughly prepared to kill her. Out of the five people, she noticed that there were three people who had surpassed the spirit grandmasters. One of them was actually an arbiter, while the other two came from the adjudicators, the secret organization under the royal family that she was once a part of.


    The other two had reached the peak of the spirit grandmasters. It seemed that the demons could only surpass the spirit grandmasters if they were already at their peak.


    The other two should have just been normal spirit grandmasters before getting their demons.


    And their aim was probably Howard and Felicia.


    The one that attacked Howard earlier flew toward the barrier and used all his force to hit the barrier, trying to crush Howard together.


    Howard hurriedly jumped down and let the barrier take the full hit.


    Bam!


    The impact was so strong that the ground trembled. However, that powerful strike didn''t even leave behind a single scratch on the barrier.


    "!!!" The enemy looked surprised but soon noticed the flow of spiritual energy inside the barrier.


    His eyes darted to the truck behind the rune magicians. Those trucks were actually filled with demon crystals, turning into a mobile battery for the rune.


    The rune magicians immediately attacked him with Meteor Runes.


    "Annoying!" The guy waved his hand and destroyed the Meteor Runes easily.


    "What?"


    "He is that strong?"


    "Continue to attack him!"


    The Rune Magicians used as many Meteor Runes as possible, trying to find a gap in his defense to hit him.


    However, the demonic human simply destroyed them so easily.


    The four people who were observing his strength couldn''t help but smile, fully aware that this was the strength they had gotten by turning into a demonic human.


    Still, the guy couldn''t break the barrier, even though he had attacked it multiple times.


    "Kh!" The guy gritted his teeth and raised his vision. Now that he thought about it, there was one more person outside the barrier.


    She was located behind them, watching the entire battle with a calm expression as if nothing would touch her.


    The guy couldn''t help but smile and fly toward Anna. "In that case, you are the one going to die, Anna Stargaze!"


    "!!!" Howard and Felicia turned around, shocked that the guy would aim for Anna.


    How could he be so foolish?


    Anna raised her head and drew her de, sending forth her own spiritual energy.


    The guy formed a barrier with his spiritual energy and blocked the first sh, but that was when the lightning sparked, turning a normal attack into a lightning sword strike.


    The spark shattered the barrier as the sword strike cut him in half.


    And Anna did it so easily.


    Looking at the body dropping to the ground made Anna ask, "What are you trying to do?"


    *Thud¡ª!*


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1211: Gap

    *Thud¡ª!*


    The body of one of the most powerful demonic humans fell to the ground without being able to touch Anna.


    "What?" The remaining demonic humans couldn''t help but widen their eyes in shock. They were supposed to be stronger than spirit grandmasters, how could Anna defeat them?


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    "Did she just kill one of us?"


    "How could this be?"


    "Isn''t Anna Stargaze only a spirit grandmaster?"


    The people were trying to figure out how Anna managed to defeat one of them so easily.


    On the other hand, Howard and Felicia had already heard about her strength and the fact that she would show it to the enemy. Both of them smiled, knowing that this was the time to defeat their enemy.


    "Howard, Felicia. You take care of one of them each. There will be a lot of theming in the future, so consider this mission a failure if neither of you can defeat them."


    Howard and Felicia obviously understood the assignment. Howard had been getting stronger under Noel, not only with Rune Body but also with equipment. Meanwhile, Felicia had a lot of Rune Cards at her disposal. Even if they were weaker than their opponents, their own trump cards should be enough to kill one of them.


    "Understood!" They replied in unison.


    During that time, the enemy had figured out her true strength.


    "No. That''s impossible. She has reached the spirit transcendence rank. We need to retreat and inform them about her strength."


    The two demonic humans who had surpassed the spirit grandmasters rank turned around, trying to escape.


    Anna stomped the ground as lightning sparked all around her feet. She then leaped into the sky, closing the gap in an instant.


    The Metal Arbiter pulled out his sword and struck her de, stopping Anna. "Go. I''ll stop her here. You have to inform them that Anna Stargaze has reached the spirit transcendence rank."


    The other guy couldn''t help but grit his teeth and flew away as quickly as possible.


    "We have to help!" The other two demonic humans pulled out their weapons. Even though they weren''t strong enough, they could at least stop her for a bit.


    However, a giant avatar suddenly appeared from the side and struck one of them, punching the guy to the ground.


    "Gah!" The guy gritted his teeth. He wasn''t injured, but the power from that avatar had been amplified. If he looked closely, there was a dim glow underneath Howard''s shirt.


    "Meteor Rune!"


    The other demonic human was sted away by the Meteor Rune. Right after he stopped, another Meteor Rune was already waiting above his head, sting him back to the ground.


    Felicia used the rune to fly in the sky, staring at the enemy much stronger than her. In the end, she hadn''t reached the spirit grandmaster because she was too focused on researching and learning about runes instead of absorbing demon crystals.


    However, it didn''t mean she wasn''t strong enough.


    In the end, one of them managed to escape as the Metal Arbiter shed Anna with everything he got.


    "You won''t be able to defeat me. He just underestimated you. That was the only reason why you could kill him so easily!" The Metal Arbiter roared, pushing Anna away.


    "You talk too much! It seems that the demon doesn''t only control you but also increases your desire to talk. I guess that''s because the demons have never talked when they control animals." Anna used a bit more power in her swing and struck the Metal Arbiter.


    The Metal Arbiter stopped her de with his own. He even imbued all the spiritual energy he could muster right now.


    That amount of spiritual energy gradually overwhelmed the spiritual energy around Anna''s sword, but that was only for a second before lightning sparked from her spiritual energy, boosting her power multiple times.


    The Metal Arbiter widened his eyes in shock as he almost lost the grip of his sword because of the difference in strength. His sword was getting pushed back toward his body, the sharp edge almost hitting his chest.


    "Kh!" The Metal Arbiter gnashed his teeth, wanting to throw his body to the side so that he could at least avoid it.


    Unfortunately for him, Anna held the sword with both hands andpletely overpowered him,unching him to the ground.


    Bam!


    The Metal Arbiter spat a mouthful of blood as his sword ended up cutting his chest due to her swing.


    Annanded in front of him while cing her sword at his neck. "You are weak. You think just because you have that amount of spiritual energy, you are strong? You don''t understand the real power. If your body can still turn into metal by using your spirit ability, you would have been able to fight me much longer."


    "I don''t understand? Someone as talented as you would never be able to understand the struggle of a normal guy!" The Metal Arbiter shouted.


    "Indeed. I might never understand them, but I don''t escape like you." Anna snorted.


    "Hehe. A minute has passed. Even if you defeat me, you won''t be able to catch up to that guy. It''s useless, Anna Stargaze. Once the people know your true strength, you will be screwed." The Metal Arbiter grinned.


    "Him? Leaving? How?" Anna shook her head helplessly.


    "Huh?" The Metal Arbiter raised his eyebrows, noticing something was wrong.


    Anna had never looked desperate this whole time. It was as if she let the other guy go this whole time, not because she didn''t mind if the information was spread, but because there was no way that guy could escape.


    Three kilometers from their battlefield, thest demonic human was standing on the ground with a pose as if he were about to pounce on something.


    However, his body couldn''t move as the ice had frozen his body. A thickyer of ice gradually formed outside his body.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Then, with a light push from Melissa, the ice crumbles into pieces. "How foolish a human can be? Just for strength, they''d rather side with demons, forgetting the fact that they''re the world''smon enemy." Melissa shook her head helplessly.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1212: Howard vs Demonic Human

    "Haaa!" Howard swung his sword against his opponent, who happened to be using one as well.


    Clink!


    Their swords shed together with their spiritual energy.


    The demonic human overpowered Howard with his spiritual energy, but to his surprise, Howard didn''t even flinch.


    He remained still as if his strength was stronger than his spiritual energy.


    In the end, Howard''s strength was boosted by the advanced rune, allowing him to fight someone at a higher level than him.


    It was true that using this rune would require a lot of demon crystals, but if they could boost a hundred people at the same time as Howard, they could basically conquer the enemy.


    "Haaa!" Howard roared as he used every bit of his strength and gradually pushed back the enemy.


    The demonic human jumped away before releasing a crescent-shaped sword strike.


    Howard activated his Spiritual Barrier Rune that had been drawn on his body. However, as one would expect from the peak spiritual grandmaster, one barrier wasn''t enough.


    Howard''s eyes turned bloodshot as he struck it with his sword, cutting the sword strike that had lost most of its energy.


    After that, Howard summoned his avatar and made it punch the demonic human.


    The demonic human had to choose whether to focus on Howard or the Avatar. If he struck the avatar, he wouldn''t have anything to stop Howard.


    He couldn''t use his elements as well since his spirit was gone after epting the demon into his body.


    The demonic human gathered all his strength into his sword before shing downward. A sword strike ran through the ground and red up five meters above the ground.


    The avatar put its arms on the front and blocked the sword strike before Howard summoned a Meteor Rune from the side and hit the sword strike itself. The explosion of the meteor dispersed the energy of the sword strike, allowing Howard to close in.


    "Tsk." The demonic human clicked his tongue as he exchanged blows with Howard.


    Howard''s strength won against his while the demonic energy managed to cause a stalemate. Still, Howard had his avatar.


    The avatar kept punching the demonic human but kept missing.


    The avatar was simply too big and too slow, so it wouldn''t be much of a difference for a fight of this level.


    In fact, Howard had realized the weakness of the avatar. It was the fact that the technique only worked against demons since they were simple-minded.


    That was why he had been working hard on something else.


    This was the first time he used it against an enemy.


    The avatar started to deform as Howard adjusted his spiritual energy.


    "!!!" The demonic human was startled and immediately leaped away, getting some distance from Howard.


    Unfortunately for Howard, using the new technique was easier said than done, especially with how he hadn''tpleted it. It was something he worked on under the guidance of Old Jade, but now that Old Jade was gone, he had to do it himself.


    Howard gnashed his teeth as he continued maintaining the close distance.


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    The two exchanged more than 200 blows in just five minutes.


    Even though Howard had runes, he still couldn''t avoid all the attacks the demonic humanunched, causing several injuries on his body, the deepest one being the wound on his chest.


    On the other hand, the demonic human didn''t expect that Howard could also injure him to this extent.


    With Anna ring down on them, they really had no choice but to end this fight as quickly as possible and somehow escaped from Anna Stargaze.


    The demonic human gritted his teeth. There was only one thing he could do.


    When Howard closed in, he struck the demonic human from the left.


    To his surprise, the demonic human didn''t parry that attack and just let Howard take his left arm. Howard wanted to take advantage of it and cut the demonic human into two, but his attack was stopped by armor hiding underneath his clothes.


    "!!!" Howard widened his eyes in shock as he saw the demonic human ready to thrust his head.


    Howard tilted his head to the side, barely avoiding the attack. However, the sword still grazed his neck pretty deep, forcing Howard to jump away while putting pressure on his wound.


    The demonic human didn''t let this change go. He gathered all his spiritual energy and released forth another crescent-shaped sword wave.


    "Kh!" Howard blocked it with one hand as his body was being pushed back for twenty meters. Because of the amount of power he exerted, the blood spurted a bit.


    Howard couldn''t help but recall the memories he had with Old Jade. Because Dimitri was too busy with managing the family, Old Jade surprisingly spared some time to fight them, allowing them a precious experience against a peak spirit grandmaster.


    Obviously, no matter what he did, Howard couldn''t gain a single advantage against Old Jade. Whether it was his skill, timing, or even experience, none of them could beat Old Jade.


    "What''s wrong? Are you tired yet? You will probably have to fight enemies at my level in the future." Old Jade smiled. "Do you want to try again?"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    "Yes, sir!" Howard shouted.


    Old Jade kept fighting with a smile. Despite his fierceness, he remained gentle.


    When he saw Old Jade''s corpse, Howard didn''t expect that such a kind and strong person would have died to the scheme of the demonic humans.


    Howard gnashed his teeth before he let out a roar at the top of his lungs. "Hoaaaa!"


    His avatar suddenly grew smaller, matching his size. All of a sudden, the avatar grabbed his sword as if it were Howard itself.


    "What?!" The demonic human widened his eyes. "Integrating with his own avatar?"


    Howard''s eyes shed as he cut the enemy''s sword strike in half.


    "!!!" The demonic human instinctively jumped back, trying to gain some distance. At the same time, he prepared for the next attack.


    However, Howard''s strength wasn''t the only thing that increased. To his surprise, Howard closed the gap between them in an instant.


    The demonic human swung his de at Howard, but Howard spun his body and looped around, causing the de to miss him.


    "You¡ª" The demonic human wanted to say something, but it was toote. Howard slipped past his defense and struck his body.


    The armor the demonic human wearing underneath his clothes cracked, withstanding the sh for a second before Howard cut through the armor and split his body into two.


    "Old Jade is stronger than you!" Howard roared as he cut his enemy''s abdomen.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1213: Felicia vs Demonic Human

    Meteor Rune!


    Boom!


    The demonic human thrust his spear, destroying the meteor. The residual energy from his spear flew toward Felicia, forcing her to use her Spiritual Barrier Rune to block it.


    The demonic human immediately charged forward. Felicia had left the barrier, so it was only right for him to turn this battle into closebat.


    At the same time, Felicia had no choice but toe out, or the demonic human would simply choose to escape.


    Seeing the iing demonic human, Felicia waved her hand down, using the Rain of Light Rune.


    The demonic human nced up and created a barrier with his own energy, using it as an umbre from all those light beams.


    Once he reached Felicia, he thrust his spear at her neck, nning to end this battle in an instant.


    As if she had anticipated such an attack, Felicia had activated two runes: the Enhance Forward Rune and the Floating Rune.


    The spear ended up missing as she flew into the sky. However, the demonic human could also fly in the sky with their spiritual energy alone.


    Without hesitation, he chased after her in the air, albeit it was a trap from Felicia.


    The moment he jumped, he was greeted by two meteor runes.


    He could destroy one, but the other one would definitely hit him. This was Felicia''s n all along. Unlike Howard, who could kill his enemy in an instant, Felicia couldn''t do the same thing as Rune Magician, mostly because she didn''t have enough runes at her disposal.


    At the same time, she was just a spirit master.


    To her surprise, the demonic human released even more spiritual energy, as if trying to match the amount of energy the two meteors hadbined.


    "Torrential Thrust." The demonic human thrust his spear not at one meteor but toward the gap between the meteors.


    The thrust channeled all his spiritual energy, causing a gale made of spiritual energy.


    "!!!" Felicia couldn''t help but widen her eyes because that gale was actually strong enough to blow the two meteors to the sides, opening up a path toward her.


    Felicia hurriedly exploded the two meteors, but because it was at a distance and the demonic human had covered his own body with the same amount of energy as the two meteors, he pushed through.


    This time, the demonic human wouldn''t let Felicia get away again. He thrust his spear before Felicia could activate her rune.


    Unexpectedly for him, a barrier suddenly appeared, stopping his spear for a second, which was enough for Felicia to get away.


    After that, she used the tform Rune, which allowed her to stand in the air. Seeing the Floating Rune made the battle a bit moreplex, considering Felicia could go anywhere she wanted.


    But it didn''t mean anything. He chose to overwhelm her with his speed.


    Felicia wanted to get away, but the demonic human had reached her much faster. He even used the tform Rune to make a jump, increasing his speed even further.


    "!!!" Felicia widened her eyes in shock. She hurriedly formed a barrier in front of her, but that was futile.


    The demonic human thrust the barrier, cracked it, and ultimately shattered it into pieces. The spiritual energy sted her entire body andunched her back to the ground.


    Both Felicia and the demonic human knew that Felicia would be at a big disadvantage fighting him on the ground. After all, flying by controlling one''s spiritual energy was much slowerpared to moving around on one''s feet.


    Without hesitation, the demonic human jumped to the ground to catch up to her. Felicia managed to stand up, but she couldn''t make a proper stance.


    The demonic human nned to take advantage of this situation to kill her and get away from here. Find your path on m_vl_em_p_yr


    Even Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows, her hand holding her de as if she were about to make her move.


    However, she noticed something from Felicia''s movement.


    Felicia tried to block the spear, but it was impossible. The barrier shattered into pieces, and the spiritual energy sted her again. If not for the Rune Body that strengthened her body, she would probably have broken ribs or broken arms.


    The demonic human sted her ten meters away. This was it. This was thest attack to kill her.


    When the demonic human was about to leap forward, spiritual energy suddenly surged underneath his feet.


    "!!!" The demonic human widened his eyes and looked down, finding a card. The card exploded.


    Boom!


    His feet took a direct hit from the explosion, causing his right leg to snap.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Kh!" The demonic human gritted her teeth, realizing what she had been nning to do this whole time.


    It was toote for him. The moment he recovered from the st, a lot of meteor runes had encircled him. All of them were not made by Felicia, but rune cards.


    Yes, Felicia knew this would happen once they fought on the ground. That was why she let the demonic human hit her to lower his guard.


    She lured him into this area and tossed several rune cards when her crash kicked up the dust, which created a small smoke screen.


    The rune cards were small, so it was easy to hide them, especially in a in like this. The grass might not be tall, but they were not short enough to reveal those rune cards, especially if one didn''t pay special attention to it.


    In fact, Anna realized it at thest moment. If not for her special perception, she would have thought Felicia had lost.


    ''I know that I''m weak. I know it more than anyone among the mainbatants of the Ardagan family. That''s why if I can''t defeat them, I''ll outsmart them.'' Felicia waved her hand, activating the meteor runes simultaneously.


    "Wh¡ª!" The demonic human hurriedly raised his spear, but it was useless. There were a total of twelve meteorsing at him from all directions.


    All of them exploded at the same time, causing a massive explosion that even blew away Felicia and forcing Anna to use her own spiritual energy to block this explosion.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1214: Retreat

    "Are you alright?" Anna asked while turning her head to Felicia.


    "Yes. The wound should heal pretty quickly." Felicia nodded. "Sorry for making such a mess."


    "That''s fine. You are only a spirit master, so killing a peak spirit grandmaster is already a close to impossible task. I''ll talk to Noel to solve your problem."


    "I want to do it myself, but learning runes isn''t my strong suit." Felicia scratched the back of her head.


    Anna nodded. "Still, good work."


    "Will all of our enemies be this strong in the future?" Felicia asked.


    "Yes, if not stronger." Anna''s expression turned dark. "That''s why we need to hurry up. With this setback, they shouldn''t be able to do anything for the next few months."


    "I understand. I''ll focus on training the rune magicians. I hope that there are people who can fight these enemies." Felicia nodded.


    "If possible, I would like you to be a spirit grandmaster as well. The Ardagan family doesn''tck resources."


    "Yes. I''ll think about it." Felicia acknowledged the request.


    While they were talking, Howard wiped out the rest of the enemies, not letting a single person alive. There would be no one returning to tell the tale, but the enemies in the royal pce should have figured out that Anna needed to be a spirit transcendence to do all this.


    After all, they hadn''t received any reports about anyone mobilizing their spirit transcendence expert except for the Demon Banner Army, who was stalling the Devil Saint Alexander.


    At the same time, the Water Lord couldn''t help but suck a cold breath, looking at the destruction the Magic Lord had just created. It didn''t look like the Magic Lord was struggling, so it was clear that his strength had surpassed that of a spirit grandmaster.


    ''So, this is the strength of the Magic Lord.'' The Water Lord gulped down while looking at three dead elders.


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    The Magic Lord took out the demon crystals from their hearts. As the Water Lord said, there was indeed a demon crystal in their hearts, which made them a demonic human.


    The Magic Lord looked at them with a serious expression before asking, "Is this currently happening all over the kingdom?"


    The Water Lord nodded. "Yes. Not only the Tower Association, but the entire kingdom. We don''t know how to differentiate them. I''m currently researching the way and trying to make it practical, but I don''t know if I''ll be fast enough or not."


    The Magic Lord closed his eyes for a moment. "I have never thought that the demons would be able to infiltrate the kingdom this much."


    "No one has expected it, but ording to my source, the demons have been nning to do this maybe a few hundred years ago. And ultimately, it''s traced back to the demon king from one thousand years ago," exined the Water Lord.


    "Now I can finally understand why the central government has been declining in thest thirty years. The demons are not suitable to be the ruler of the kingdom, let alone the world." The Magic Lord looked at the sky as if staring into something beyond the horizon.


    "Are you nning to fight them?"


    The Magic Lord replied with another question. "If I stay away, will they leave me be?"


    "Definitely not. The Gem Lord died because he lowered his guard down. They used Fagant Leaf, the material for drugs that had been banned and put into extinction a few hundred years ago."


    "Who is still in their right mind in the Tower Association?"


    "ording to them, the Gem Lord''sst words told them three names: you, me, and Stone Lord."


    The Magic Lord turned to the Water Lord and tossed a small key. "Go to my tower and open the vault located underneath my desk. You will be able to find a keyhole underneath the carpet. If you can find anything useful for your research, use it.


    "I only have one condition. Complete your research as quickly as possible. As for the Tower Association, leave it to me."


    "!!!" The Water Lord looked shocked, understanding the burden of this request. He nodded. "I understand. I''llplete it as quickly as possible."


    "I''ll go to the Stone Lord right now."


    "You might want to be careful. I''m sure that they''re also approaching the Stone Lord. It''s best not to drink anything because your spiritual energy will be sealed."


    "I know what Fagant Leaf is. You don''t have to remind me about it." The Magic Lord thought for a moment before saying, "I''m not going to ally myself with the Ardagan family. However, I am the ally of humanity. Please make that clear."


    "!!!" The Water Lord looked surprised at first but soon understood his concern. Instead of choosing a side between the Ardagan family or the Royal family, the Magic Lord nned to choose the third party, like the Moon Temple.


    The Magic Lord added, "However, cleansing the Tower Association is easier said than done. All I can say is that they will be busy for a few months."


    The Water Lord nodded. "I''ll convey your message to him."


    "In that case, my job here is done." The Magic Lord harrumphed and took his leave.


    The Water Lord shook his head helplessly. "It seems that the Magic Lord is extremely close to the Spirit Transcendence rank. The reason he never bes one is to avoid the bnce tilting to one side¡­ But in this current situation, I''m afraid that bing a Spirit Transcendence is the best thing he could do.


    "After all, the enemies have gotten stronger. There is no saying that there will be several ancient demons to suddenly appear in their ranks." The Water Lord sighed.


    ¡­Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Bam!


    A powerful shockwave shook the battlefield as Oscar and Alexander blew each other away.


    "What''s wrong, Alexander? Have you gone senile enough that you can''t match my strength?" Oscar grinned. He was ying tough even though he was at a disadvantage.


    Alexander gritted his teeth. The battle hadsted long enough that it wouldn''t be weird to see the Demon Banner Army having wiped out their force.


    They had truly fallen into Oscar''s trap.


    Alexander bit his lips before shouting, "Josephine. We''ll retreat."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1215: Damage Report

    "Should we chase after them, sir?" Shale asked while looking at the retreating Alexander and Josephine.


    Oscar squinted his eyes before shaking his head. "No. It''s better to kill the remaining members of the organization here. We''ll use this to deliver enough damage that they can''t deal with us for a few months."


    "A few months, huh?" Shale nodded in understanding. Embark on a quest at m-vl-em,py-r


    "Yeah. It''s time to clean up the Demon Banner Army."


    "Understood."


    Both of them returned to reinforce the bases, making sure that no one would return alive.


    Meanwhile, Anna and the others had restarted their journey and headed straight to the Moon Temple headquarters.


    Even though they only had reached halfway, they could find the sincerity of La regarding this n.


    On the way, they were greeted by a group of holy knights.


    They were led by two powerful individuals. One of them was a 48-year-old Pdin, and the second one was none other than the only archbishop the Moon Temple had.


    "We wee you, Anna Stargaze, and the rest of the people from the Ardagan family." The archbishop shifted his nce to the back. "It seems that some of you are injured. Please allow us to treat them first and escort you to the Moon Temple."


    Anna nodded with a serious expression. "Thank you for the help. There are a lot of things I want to say, but let''s go to the Moon Temple first."


    "Indeed. We''ll definitely not treat our biggest sponsor badly." The archbishop nodded.


    While everything was working out for Anna and Oscar, the same couldn''t be said to the Supreme Devil Organization and the royal family.


    "What? Everything has been wiped out?" Duke Raymond stood up in shock.


    The king''s expression turned dark as he red at the Duke. He had told him to be cautious against them, but he and a lot of people ended up persuading him to take them on.


    Duke Raymond gritted his teeth and said, "How can they wipe them out? There are six people who have reached spirit grandmasters. In fact, two of them have surpassed the rank of grandmasters. Anna Stargaze has only Howard and Felicia, right?"


    "That''s what we believe as well. However, no one can confirm that information right now, especially now that they have met up with the Moon Temple''s escorts."


    "Kh." Duke Raymond gritted his teeth. "How? Did they have a hidden force? Did Noel Ardagan join the fight?"


    They couldn''t answer the questions. Noel Ardagan was supposed to be in the city, and the remaining force of the Ardagan family had been scattered across theirnd, so Anna shouldn''t have any hidden force to defeat them.


    That was when one thing came to their mind.


    "What if¡­ Anna Stargaze has reached the spirit transcendence rank?"


    "!!!" Everyone was stunned. They didn''t want to believe it, but this one reason exined everything. If Anna had reached that rank, she would definitely have the strength to kill all of them. Even the marshal confirmed that possibility in the past.


    "Is that true?"


    "But if we think about it, there is really no other way."


    "Anna Stargaze actually has such a power?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    "No. If we consider this to be true, what do you think about Noel Ardagan?"


    "What about him?"


    "Anna Stargaze has been the most talented person in our kingdom, but Noel Ardagan somehow keeps up with the pace she is growing."


    The people fell silent. "Surely not¡­ right?"


    They didn''t really want to believe this. If Noel and Anna had both reached the spirit transcendence rank, they could join hands with the Demon Banner Army and control the entire kingdom with their strength alone.


    "If this is true, we have to reconsider our approach. Two spirit transcendence experts along with the Demon Banner Army."


    "Should we call them to the pce to force them to exin themselves and swear allegiance?"


    "But if they know about their strength, a lot more people will switch sides to the Ardagan family."


    "If we y this badly, there''s a high chance they will immediately gain most of the people''s hearts, which will make our position even worse."


    "But if we don''t do anything, they will keep growing."


    "Not necessarily. By looking at our damage, we won''t have enough pawns to deal any serious damage. But because of their sacrifice, we manage to discover this truth a lot sooner."


    "That''s right. If I''m not wrong, they are nning to go on an expedition, right?"


    "True. Why don''t we use this time to build up our strength again? The sea expedition has never seeded, so there''s a high chance it will fail as well. If we use this to smear their reputation, we''ll be able to attack the Ardagan family with enough justification with our new build force."


    They considered this possibility carefully because one wrong move would definitely make attacking them impossible in the future.


    Of course, they were scared because the king was angry. He was the one who had told them to be careful, so if they mess up one more time, they might die.


    ¡­


    Supreme Devil Organization.


    "The attack itself is a trap. Right now, we don''t have enough people to even manage a few of our branches." Alexander frowned. "They must have nned this for a long time, especially with how Oscar ces his troops."


    Josephine gritted her teeth and shouted, "I don''t like this. Am I supposed to ept that my student has reached the spirit transcendence rank before me?"


    "Josephine. Shut up. This is not the time for that. I''m sure that the Demon Banner Army will be putting a lot of pressure on us. I suggest we should hide and rebuild our strength." Alexander''s expression darkened.


    Josephine looked like she couldn''t contain her anger, but he didn''t care. The most important thing was that they had fallen into traps and a third of their force had been crushed.


    Laufey calmly said, "Why don''t we use demons to fill up our rank as well?"


    "Demonic humans?" Alexander frowned.


    "Both. We will use both Demonic Humans and Demons. This should be enough for us to stand on our ground. If our defeat here is ording to their n, not only the Demon Banner Army but even the Ardagan family will definitelye. They know that the royal family can''t do anything right now after all."


    "!!!"


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1216: Agreement

    "What? A demonic human?" One of the Pdins stood up in disbelief.


    "Yes." Anna nodded with a serious expression.


    "If they are really turning normal people into demonic humans, it means that we have to figure out how to differentiate them from a normal human." Another Pdin squinted his eyes.


    "Is this what you mentioned previously, Saintess?" The archbishop asked, his expression turning grim.


    They were discussing the topic regarding the demonic human and the transfer of technology in the grand hall, where they previously discussed the matter of creating a headquarters in the Ardagan family''s territory.


    La nodded. "Indeed. The Moon Goddess has told me about their existence and possible destruction."


    "However, won''t we take action against them the same as breaking our own policy? When that happens, the others will just watch if we end up getting attacked by them, saying we deserved it."


    "I can''t deny that possibility." La thought for a moment. "Still, the matter regarding the demonic human is present. Besides, while it''s only a pretense, it will be bad for our image if we don''t do anything after receiving the technology."


    "But if we do anything, it will just mean we are greedy bastards who are willing to do anything as long as they have donated enough."


    La crossed her arms, having a hard time thinking about a solution.


    Anna exined, "Noel has actually an offer."


    "Hoh? Might as well hear it first." La nodded.


    "If possible, we don''t want you to do anything right now. Instead, please take care of the technology we have transferred to your name."


    "Is that all?"


    "This is the contract for the transfer." Anna took out the contract.


    One of the Pdins grabbed it and approached the saintess. La simply said, "Read it for me."


    Since the saintess was blind, the Pdin nodded and began reading the contract out loud.


    The contract was simple, which would allow Noel to still be able to invest, expand, and research new technology.


    However, there was one thing that piqued La''s interest.


    "Hmm? I have to visit your city?" La frowned.


    "Yes. It''s only for the sake of formality. And we''ll also present one more piece of technology, which will definitely help you a lot. Well, it''s not like we''re going to give you the patent or blueprint, but we''ll give you the ''item'' if youe there and check it yourself," Anna exined.


    "Hoh? What kind of item for me to personally go?"


    "Not just you¡­" Anna smirked.


    "!!!" La shook her head. "Don''t you think you are too greedy?"


    "Not at all. The condition is for you, the archbishop, and one pdin toe to our city. This is a deal with both the Ardagan family and the Runegardpany. Hence, the ones meeting you will be Dimitri and Tristan."


    "Dimitri? That butler of yours¡­" La looked down, falling into deep thought. "So that''s how it is. The date is when you are actually leaving your territory. That''s why you''re forcing me to visit so that no one dares to attack during your absence."


    "Isn''t this¡­" One of the Pdins stood up, disliking the condition.


    "Stop it." La waved her hand. "Don''t be rude to our guest. She has been doing us a favor the entire time by not pressuring us with her strength."


    "What? Even though she is strong, she has to fight six of us here. Do you think we will lose?"


    "I am saying that we are already lucky if we can stop her for even a few seconds."


    "Huh?" The Pdin looked confused while the archbishop simply tranted La''s words in a way that was easy to understand. "She simply said Anna Stargaze has reached the spirit transcendence rank, idiot."


    "What?" The Pdin looked shocked. Several other Pdins were also furrowing their eyebrows.


    "My apologies for ending up revealing your secret. Then again, before youe here, it seems that you have revealed that secret to your enemy, so you won''t hold me ountable, right?" La smiled.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "It doesn''t matter anymore." Anna nodded her head. "The problem is¡­"


    "Yes. It still doesn''t change the fact that you are trying to offer me something. What kind of item can force me to leave this ce? Currently, I''m busy preparing for my next expedition after all."


    Anna pointed up. "The sky."


    "The sky¡­" La looked down. The same applied to other pdins and the archbishop.


    The first one to figure out was, as expected, La. She asked with a grim tone, "Is it simr to a train or a truck but able to travel in the sky?"


    "!!!" The rest couldn''t help but widen their eyes. The trucks were already a great addition to them, but it didn''t change the fact that it would be hard for them to reach every corner. There were simply too many viges that had rough terrain, which made them hard or even impossible to reach.


    That was why if there was indeed a truck that could fly in the air, it would be easier to reach that area.


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    "Are you sure you are going to reveal this information?" La asked. "This will change not only us but the whole world. If you are going to reveal this information, it can be said that they will shift their target to this technology."


    Anna smiled. "The Marquis has determined to stop going defensively. We''ll take the initiative now."


    "I see." La thought for a moment before ncing at the Pdin. "Where do I sign it?"


    The archbishop took out the feather pen and the ink as if showing his approval. The other Pdins didn''t say anything.


    "I''m willing to hear if you have any objections right now." La waited for a moment while the archbishop guided her hand to the signature area.


    After signing the contract, La dered, "With this, the cooperation with the Ardagan family has been established. If you can give us a reason, we can start with the Ardagan family."


    "Of course. There are several viges that are currently in trouble. I wonder if you can help them there." Anna smiled.


    "Prepare our men. Tell Aurelia to get involved directly."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1217: Ring

    Anna suddenly rose from the bed and grabbed her sword before noticing whose spiritual energy she actually sensed. Read the full story on m-vl-em-py-r


    "Dimitri?" Anna frowned.


    A ck circle appeared on the carpet and rose into the air before turning into a humanoid form. When the darkyer disappeared, Dimitri''s true appearance was revealed.


    "I havee under the order of the master." Dimitri took out a small box.


    "Noel? To deliver me an item? What is this?"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    "I don''t know, but he said that if you present this to the saintess, something interesting will happen. This belongs to the former contractor of the dark butterfly spirit. He received it from his ancestor''s inheritance."


    Anna''s expression turned solemn.


    "Alright. I''ll take care of this. Are you going to go back now?"


    "Yes. It will be bad if I''m seen here. I''ll immediately return to the city. Master wants me to ry a message for you. The enemies we currently face are actually much more terrifying than we originally thought. There is not one demon king, but two.


    He said he''ll exin the rest once you return."


    "!!!" Anna''s heart skipped a beat when she heard this information. Not one demon king but two? This message had simply changed the way they would handle things. It was clear that Noel was trying to say that she had to be a spirit king as well if they wanted to win against the demons.


    And La might have a change of attitude if they knew about this information.


    Anna turned serious as she waved her hand. "Anything else?"


    "No. That''s all."


    "In that case, go back and tell Noel that I understand. I''ll handle the situation over here."


    "Understood." Dimitri nodded and disappeared into the darkness.


    ¡­


    It didn''t take too long for Anna to make her move.


    The saintess chamber could be said to be one of the most protected rooms in the Moon Temple, yet Anna actually managed to reach the saintess'' chamber without anyone noticing it.


    The saintess opened the window while saying, "For what reason do youe here at this time, Anna Stargaze? Even though our rtionship is pretty close, I don''t think this is appropriate. If you are going to abuse your power here, even I might get angry."


    "That''s not it. This is a very important matter. I''ve just got this from Noel, saying that this is what the previous contractor of the Dark Butterfly Spirit would like you, the current contractor, to have."


    "The Dark Butterfly Spirit? The Moon Goddess?" The saintess frowned.


    "Yes."


    "Come in for the time being."


    As soon as Anna came in and she closed the windows, she asked, "What is that item?"


    "I don''t know." Anna presented the small box to her.


    La was scanning the area in front of her, having a hard time finding the box. Her hands scanned the box before opening it gently.


    "Hmm?" La furrowed her eyebrows. "A ring?"


    "That''s what I see as well." Anna nodded. "It''s said you will understand once you wear it."


    La didn''t know what was going on, but she tried to wear it, wondering if she would understand something.


    To her surprise, the moment the ring fit on her finger, the ring immediately drained her spiritual energy.


    "This is¡­ Kh." La gritted her teeth.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna panicked. She thought something had happened to La. Was the ring fake? Did Dimitri sabotage it? Had Dimitri switched sides?


    "Kh." La dropped to her knees as Anna immediately caught her. "Oi. What''s wrong? What is happening?"


    La didn''t respond to her. She just endured something, as she couldn''t help but take her blindfold off.


    "Kh! I need¡­" La pushed Anna away and rushed to the window even though her body was swaying left and right.


    "Oi." Anna circted her own spiritual energy, nning to save La.


    However, a barrier suddenly formed all around her, isting her from the rest of this world. She just fell on her knees, her face facing the moon.


    It was at that time La opened her eyes.


    She had sacrificed her eyes by giving the Moon Blessing. The ck color on her eyes hadpletely vanished, leaving the grayish color thatcks life.


    But when it was exposed to the moonlight, the ckness of her eyes actually returned. No, it wasn''t only that small pupil and iris that regained the ck color. The white part of the eye gradually turned ck.


    There were multiple small white dots glowing within those dark eyes as if they were the reflection of the starry sky.


    "Ah¡­" Tears flowed out of the corner of her eyes.


    "La. Respond to me." Anna frowned, wondering if she should just expose herself here and call the archbishop and the pdins. They might know something.


    Before she could leave, the barrier suddenly changed color from the translucent white barrier to ck. Their form also changed from the hard wall to a mushy liquid, continuously changing as if it were alive.


    ''What did Noel give? Is it really what Noel gives? But I don''t see any demonic energy, so this ring must be real. But what is currently happening?'' Anna gritted her teeth.


    Once again, La showed a change. The dark barrier gradually disappeared into thin air, revealing La, who was still on her knees.


    Anna approached her with a serious expression, checking her current condition.


    With a wave of her hand, the mushy liquid expanded like a whip, grabbing her blindfold. However, the ck eyes actually turned normal. Instead of wearing this blindfold, she actually folded it neatly while muttering, "Thank you for helping me this whole time."


    "La?" Anna frowned.


    La turned to her before smiling. "So that''s what you look like, Anna."


    "You can see me?"


    La''s smile became bigger. "Thanks to you."


    "What is happening? What is the ring to you? What does it do? Does it harm you?" Anna asked a couple of questions.


    "You are not the only ones who need to know." La shook her head and moved closer to the door as she asked out loud, "Guards. Are you there?"


    "Yes, Saintess!" Two people responded to her voice.


    "This is my direct order. Call all the pdins and the archbishop and meet me in the Grand Hall."


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 Chapter 1218: Divine Items

    "What is going on?"


    "Why does the saintess ask us toe here thiste?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe there is something important."


    "It''s rare, so let''s hear it from her first."


    They were confused as to why they had been called. Considering the timing, it wasn''t that pleasant for them as well.


    That was why if this was not important, they would definitely be disappointed.


    To their surprise, the saintess actually entered the hall with Anna Stargaze.


    "Huh?"


    "Anna Stargaze? Why is sheing with the saintess?"Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Is she the one having a problem? Don''t tell me, she is the one calling us here."


    The pdins and the archbishop couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows. If this were true, they would feel displeased. Anna might be strong, but this was just an abuse of power.


    Before they could go any further, the saintess suddenly grabbed her blindfold as she took her position. "I''m sorry for asking you to gather here. There is an important reason that I believe everyone has to hear it."


    "Saintess?" Several of them looked surprised when they saw the saintess taking off her blindfold.


    However, the rest soon followed the moment she opened her eyes, showing a pair of normal eyes.


    "That''s¡­" The archbishop stood up. "Your eyes¡­ They look normal."


    The saintess smiled. "Yes."


    She turned to the archbishop while smiling, "So that''s what your face looks like. What a kind face you have¡­"


    The archbishop trembled in shock as the saintess continued, "So that''s your face, Romeo. Your beard really makes you look mature."


    "!!!" One of the pdins was shaking.


    She immediately listed everyone''s face to show them that she was able to see.


    "Saintess¡­ Your eyes¡­" The archbishop couldn''t help but tear up. He had been taking care of La since she was young, so he couldn''t help but get emotional.


    La smiled. "Hehe. I think that all of you want to know what is happening with my eyes."


    "!!!" The archbishop turned to Anna and asked, "Don''t tell me. She is the one healing your eyes."


    "Yes and no." She shook her head. "Today, I''m nning to discuss our future stance. It''s not because I''m owing them a favor, but because of a divine revtion."


    "A divine revtion?" The archbishop gulped down.


    La nodded. She showed the ring on her hand to everyone while saying, "This ring is called the ring of the pledge. It is the treasure that has been crafted to bear the mighty power of the Dark Butterfly Spirit.


    "As you are already aware, there are five ranks among spirits. However, even among the humanoid spirits, there are spirits who have the True Spirit Body and who don''t.


    "It''s clear that there is a hierarchy among spirits. ording to what I have found, the Spirit God has actually predicted the chaos of this world and crafted five divine items."


    La nced at Anna for a second and said, "Ardagan is one of them. The sword is one of the divine items he graces upon this world. The second one is this ring of pledge that allows me to fully utilize the power of the Moon Goddess.


    "There are three more divine items in this world. If we are able to gather them and let them utilize their power, we will have another chance to kill the demon kings.


    "To prove if this is true or not¡­" La smiled. "Anna. You are nning to go on a sea expedition, correct?"


    "Yes."


    "Is that mission rted to the Spirit God?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes.


    La nodded. "The reason why the expedition is so special is because thend you''re going to visit holds one of the divine items."


    Anna trembled. She never thought the journey held such a meaning. The Spirit God had told them that this journey would help them a lot in defeating the demon kings, but she never knew this was the reason.


    "This will change the way we''ll be operating from now on. That''s why I think a mortal like me shouldn''t be the one doing the exining." La smiled.


    She put her hands together, praying. "O'' Goddess, who is overseeing the night, your servant is offering your body for you to guide this world. Please¡ª!"


    Before she even finished, the ring on her finger had started emitting a faint ck light.


    The ck light gradually covered her entire body in a thinyer. Her eyes opened wide, starting to change color.


    "This is¡­" The people were standing up, not knowing what happened. This was the first time they saw the transformation, but there was a weird ethereal feeling that made them want to fall to the ground.


    A pair of butterfly wings suddenly emerged from her back, ripping apart her clothes. Two antennas came out of the top of her head.


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. La''s current form was simr to the True Spirit Body.


    Considering the Moon Goddess'' strength, it wouldn''t be weird if she had the True Spirit Body. But why would La never have one or use it once? Now that she thought about it, La''s power was those barriers, but thest thing she saw from La was something rted to darkness.


    ''Don''t tell me. The Moon Goddess has only been giving a part of her power this whole time. That indestructible barrier is a part of her power? And now she is able to give her full power?''


    Anna had realized that among their spirits, the Moon Goddesses might have the highest rank. The ones who could go against her were probably the Spirit God himself.


    If that were true, giving La that ring might have been the cause for the strongest spirit to appear in this world.


    As soon as the transformation was done, her body was exerting a burst of energy. This energy made even Anna want to look down, or more like the spirit inside her body wanted to look down, not daring to catch a glimpse of her.


    The others were also resisting their feelings in their own way.


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    It was then an otherworldly voice echoed in their ears.


    "I am¡­ the Dark Butterfly Spirit."


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 Chapter 1219: Dark Butterfly Spirit

    "!!!" Everyone widened their eyes. This was the first time they talked with the Dark Butterfly Spirit. However, they knew her more as the Moon Goddess.


    As a result, the pdins and the archbishop immediately fell to their knees.


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit smiled.


    "I''m grateful for your devotion. Unfortunately, I can''t descend for a long time."


    "It''s what we should do."


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit nodded. "I''m just d that you aren''t corrupted. Please stand up."


    All of them looked hesitant, but because the Dark Butterfly didn''t have a lot of time, they had to stand up instead of wasting her time.


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit raised her palm, projecting a sphere and two small figures.


    "More than a thousand years ago, the Spirit God and the Demon God fought with all their strength. The Demon God had an army of powerful demons, each of his trusted subordinates could easily destroy a world.


    "The Spirit God led a coalition of multiple words and fought against the Demon God. A lot of people had fallen, and it ended up with the ultimate showdown before the Demon God and the Spirit God.


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    "With everyone''s efforts, the Spirit God managed to take down the Demon God and his trusted subordinates.


    "However, his army of billions of demons scattered in all directions, running rampant in all words for the sake of survival.


    "The coalition army was determined topletely eradicate the demons for one reason. The demons had the ambition to destroy this universe, not allowing a single living being to survive.


    "We continued to search for the remnant of the demons and found this distant that was unreachable from other worlds.


    "The Spirit God would like toe to this ce and eradicate the demons, but by doing so, it would expose the world''s location to the rest of the demons. He couldn''t afford to do it, especially because this ce was important for the Spirit God.


    "Hence, the Spirit God utilized his power and sent five divine items. The first item was the Spirit Sword called Ardagan. It was a divine weapon that had been killing all the demons before the invasion.


    "The second item was this Ring of Pledge. It blocked the portal that the demons used to enter this world.


    "The third item was the Wheel of Destiny. It would be able to calcte your destiny. Seeing how the demons hadn''t destroyed the humans meant they didn''t have the Wheel of Destiny in their hands.


    "The fourth item was the Martial Headband. It was meant to grant the strongest power to an individual.


    "Last but not least, the Gem of Immortality. As the name implied, it would allow someone to live for as long as they wanted, cheating the reincarnation cycle. Of course, there is a price to pay."


    They trembled after hearing all those five items. They never thought there would be such magical items.


    Anna thought for a moment, remembering that Noel had once told her about his ancestor. It wasn''t the one that created the Ardagan family, but the one who protected the world from the demons.


    As if noticing her gaze, the Dark Butterfly Spirit turned to Anna. "It seems that you have a question in your mind, child."


    Anna nodded. "I''m sorry if I''m being rude by asking this question."


    "It''s fine. Ask away."


    "Did you bestow all five divine items on a single person?"


    The Pdins and the archbishop didn''t expect such a question. It made Anna look like she knew something more about these divine items.


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit smiled. "Indeed. Her name was Milinda Sirius, whoter changed her name to Milinda Ardagan, following her husband''s family."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes because she had heard her name from Noel. It was truly his ancestor.


    On the other hand, the rest of them were surprised because it turned out the Ardagan family had been the protector of the world even before the invasion.


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit''s expression turned solemn. "You have to find the Wheel of Destiny as quickly as possible. If the demons have it, they will be able to know which location they should attack. All I know is that among the five divine items, one of them is currently in the demon''s possession.


    "You need all five divine items if you wish to stop the demons from invading this world. However, you only need the Spirit Sword, the Ring of Pledge, and the Wheel of Destiny if you wish to eradicate the demons."


    Anna closed her eyes for a moment. Meanwhile, the archbishop raised his shaking hand. "G-Goddess¡­ If we end up searching for the divine items, won''t it make us break our own pledge to never get involved in human''s matter?"


    The Dark Butterfly Spirit shook her head. "I have never asked you to retrieve the divine items." With just a single nce at Anna, they realized the one who had such a task was the Ardagan family.


    On the other hand, their role remained the same. It was to fight against the demons and help as many people as possible.


    One of the Pdins raised his hand. "What about the demonic humans?"


    "The demonic humans, huh?" The Dark Butterfly Spirit raised a question. "A demon eats away your brain and heart, eventually taking over your body. When that happens, can you consider yourself a human anymore?"


    "The body is human, but the mind is not. No, it might even be considered worse than a normal demon because, from the information, they have also taken over their memories." The Pdin gulped down.


    That one sentence was enough to show how they should proceed from this point onward.


    "I know that all of you can do it. Let me give you a certain blessing." With a wave of her hands, a golden light started to appear on their forehead, forming a crescent moon symbol.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    They could feel a surge of strengthing from the moon. "I''ll leave the matter in this world in your hands, my children. Don''t let the demons destroy this world."


    "Yes!" The Pdins and the archbishop clenched their hands into fists, making their resolve in their hearts.


    After receiving that reply, the Dark Butterfly Spirit disappeared. The wings and the antenna returned to La''s body as she fell unconscious.


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 Chapter 1220: Decision

    "Mhmmm." The saintess bit her lips, feeling weakened after hosting the Dark Butterfly Spirit. "Kh."


    "Are you alright?" Anna asked while checking her body.


    "Yes." La nodded. She raised her head and used the table to support her body. She asked, "I think our next move is already decided, right?"


    The pdins and the archbishop agreed with her decision, especially after the Moon Goddess told them directly.


    It was something they would never experience again. In fact, they pitied the two pdins that had to take care of the other two headquarters the Moon Temple had since not only could they not meet the Moon Goddess, but they also didn''t receive her blessing.


    "In that case, the next discussion is about how we will deal with the demons. Because it''s alreadyte, everyone should go home and think about it first. We''ll convene another meeting tomorrow."


    This was indeed a good decision. They should get one idea or two by tomorrow, but Anna actually raised her hand. "Actually, I''m nning to return tomorrow."


    "Are you sure? This will concern the Ardagan family. And I haven''t even thanked you for bringing the ring of pledge."


    Anna shook her head. "Actually, I''m thinking about another thing. What do you think of a joint cooperation with the Ardagan family?"


    "A joint cooperation? We have to remain neutral." La shook her head.


    "No. I''m not talking about that kind of cooperation." Anna raised a finger. "I''m talking about charity. What if we, the Ardagan family, work together with you for charity?"


    "!!!" La widened her eyes. The archbishop crossed his arms and said, "A charity is indeed different. It is only to help the people. However, having a joint cooperation like this will mean that we are being restricted by the cooperation. But it is also worth considering that we have to show our sincerity after receiving technology from the Ardagan family."


    La''s expression turned serious, realizing what she wanted. "Are you trying to make us help the people around your territory?"


    "Yes and no. It''s true that helping us or our allies will definitely give a good boost of morale, but it can be said to be a bias, which will make the Moon Temple lose their credibility. But what if we create an event for it?"


    "An event?"


    "Yes. For example, a charity of a straight line. We just take a straight line in a certain direction and help the people around that straight line, whether they are allies, neutral parties, or enemies. Of course, it''s preferable to have more allies getting helped, but this way, you won''t lose your credibility."


    One of the Pdins actually said, "That is a good idea. Next month will be our Moon Temple''s 200-year anniversary."


    La thought for a moment. "I don''t think it will benefit you a lot."


    "No. What I am thinking about right now is the fact that you''re organizing it with the help of our technology. People will wonder what you''re currently doing by showing off our technology and will focus on you instead of us. By redirecting their attention, it will just mess up their own schedule, such as training new people and other stuff, which will slow them down tremendously."


    "So you want us to take the me?" Another Pdin frowned.


    The archbishop shook his head. "No. In the end, they can''t touch us because we are doing this event independently, helping all people without any bias."


    La looked at Anna. "But this will put a burden on your budget, no? You are currently building a lot of cities. That alone needs hundreds of thousands of gold coins every month."


    "We get a lot of money from selling some of our stuff." She winked yfully.


    "You probably need the permission of the head of the family before deciding this."


    "Noel has mentioned charity a couple of times. And it looks like this is the best time. Of course, I''ll consult him with this matter once I go back, but I don''t think he will reject the idea."


    Of course he wouldn''t reject the idea. He just got a lot of money from opening his ancestor''s secret stash.


    "What do you think?" La turned to the archbishop.


    "I don''t see any problems. The details can be discussed at ater date."


    La nodded. "Alright. For now, I can only say that we''ll consider this positively. Once we can think of what kind of event we will make and the amount of money that will be poured into it, we will reply to you once again."


    Anna nodded. "I''ll also be taking my leave so that I can send you the money."


    La once again bowed to her. "And again, I''d like to thank you for bringing the ring of pledge. ording to the Moon Goddess, I can actually give a person one Moon Blessing every two months without having my eyes deteriorate.


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    "This means I can see the world as it is while still giving out the Moon Blessing." La smiled.


    "I''m happy for you too. Congrattions."


    La waved her hand toward the Pdins. "Pdins. We will also prepare our holy knights and strengthen them. The enemies this time are not mere demons. If we are too weak, we won''t be able to do anything against the demons.


    "Two of you will take charge of the event, the other two will focus on strengthening our force." La turned to the archbishop. "Please oversee everything."


    "Understood." All of them responded.


    But La still had one more thing to say. "Also, I will be joining all of you. The Moon Goddess has given me a challenging task, which is to be a Spirit Transcendence within two years."


    "!!!" The two Pdins in charge exchanged looks.


    At the same time, they were curious about La''s new power, especially since it was clear that she didn''t only use barriers but also those ck things.


    "Is there something wrong?"


    "Not at all. We''ll definitely not let you down."


    La chuckled. "No need to give me special treatment. Alright. Dismiss!"


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 Chapter 1221: Divine Items Locations

    "Divine items, huh?" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.


    "Yes. What do you think?" Anna nodded, but that question wasn''t directed to Noel, but the other person in the room, Incetta, or more like Vivi.


    Vivi crossed her arms with a serious expression before shaking her head. "To be honest, I don''t know what you''re talking about. No, it''s more urate that I''m not aware that these items are called divine items.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "However, I think I remember them using it¡­" Vivi paused for a moment. "For example, that Martial Headband, I think I know who has worn it in the past."


    "Who?"


    "Don''t you remember that the fourthmandant wore a pair of gloves?"


    "!!!" Noel widened his eyes, remembering the items in the Treasury.


    "But¡­" Vivi looked troubled. "The fourthmandant retired from service and left right after that war because he couldn''t bear to see themander he once served was broken.


    "Hisst message was something like he would create a n that could rise to the top so that when the demon kings came again, another tragedy wouldn''t happen.


    "The fourthmandant was an honest, straightforward, and blunt man. He solved everything with his fist, but also the one who was the most loyal. Back then, his fist was so powerful that he could destroy a mountain with a single punch.


    "He idolized Alex and thought of him as his role model. That was why he couldn''t live with the disappointment after the war and left.


    "So¡­ His current whereabouts are unknown. I''m afraid I can''t give you any information about the headband that he wore in the past.


    "This headband was ck in color and had a long golden dragon embroidered on it. I thought it was a normal item, but it turned out I was wrong. He was the most loyal, so it was no wonder why Alex gave that headband to him."


    Noel frowned. They got a bit more information about the headband, but it didn''t seem they could find it. "How about the other two divine items?"


    "As for the Wheel of Destiny¡­" She tilted her head a few times as if she were trying to recall the information about it.


    After several minutes, she suddenly frowned. "I might be wrong about this, but I believed that wheel was in the hand of the Greenwood Kingdom''s royal family."


    "Huh? The Greenwood Kingdom? Why?"


    "When Alex married Margaretha, he gave the Greenwood Kingdom multiple items, including the book of downgraded runes, several good items, and a brokenpass. Thepass was quite big, so it was noticeable, but because it was broken, they might not realize what it was.


    "There was no way Alex gave such a random thing, so that might be the most urate representation of a divine item called the Wheel of Destiny."


    "Apass, huh?" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. Anna asked, "Should we retrieve it?"


    "Considering it is something he has given, I don''t think we should. At the same time, we will probably need itter¡­" Noel looked down. "Still, I''m rather conflicted about this."


    "Why?"


    "I don''t want my choice to be dictated by someone. If I get this Wheel of Destiny, doesn''t that mean I just acknowledge it that I leave my life in the hand of destiny?


    "You could probably say that the Demon King was out there, but if I gave that excuse to use the Wheel of Destiny, wouldn''t I make another excuse in the feature? One excuse gave birth to other excuses, and eventually, I ended up getting trapped by my own mistakes."


    Anna thought for a moment. "But you wouldn''t be able to fulfill your dream if you died."


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    "I know that. That''s why I''m feeling conflicted." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    "If that''s the case, I can probably bear that burden." Anna looked down. "Maybe I can get the help of your grandfather¡­ No, what if I use Livia? She is the second princess as well as your student. You don''t have to take care of this, Noel. Just leave the Wheel of Destiny to me."


    Noel smiled wryly, wondering if this was the best choice or not.


    Anna shrugged. "How about thest item? The Gem of Immortality."


    "That I don''t know." She shook her head. "I have never heard or seen this divine item."


    "The Moon Goddess has confirmed that one of the divine items is in the hand of the demons. If we think about this, there are only three possible items. And if we can somehow confirm that the Wheel of Destiny is still in the Greenwood Kingdom''s Treasury, it will be good.


    Even though the Moon Goddess has said they must not have the Wheel of Destiny, knowing and doing our best to protect it will reassure us.


    "In other words, we should think about the Martial Headband and the Gem of Immortality. There is a possibility that the fourthmandant ended up passing away in an unknown ce and the demons found his body, thus allowing them to get the Martial Headband.


    "The second possibility is that the Gem of Immortality was stolen in the past. The one from the past had remained using that gem to prolong his life. And this second possibility would result in¡­" Anna''s expression turned grim.


    "The Supreme Devil Organization." Incetta gasped.


    "Yes. But I think the Gem of Immortality is not as overpowered as we think. If there is someone who can live for more than a thousand years, it means that they are able to advance his power to a level that no one has reached before.


    "They have no need to scheme against us. The fact that the Supreme Devil Organization has toe up with a tactic means the w of the gem or that the Supreme Devil Organization doesn''t have this gem." Anna nodded, exining her thoughts.


    Noel had been in deep thought this whole time. He already had a n in mind, but he wondered how things would y out.


    After considering a few other things, Noel opened his mouth. "Alright. I have a n."


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 Chapter 1222: Leaving the Territory

    After making a decision with Vivi, Noel proceeded to tell her about what he found in his ancestor''s secret stash as well as the fact that there were two demon kings they had to kill.


    "What do you think?" Noel asked.


    Anna fell into deep thought. "I don''t think it changes my opinion."


    "As I expected, huh?" Noel let out a long sigh.


    "You should have known what we should do, right?"


    "Yeah. Focusing the resource on me to at least make me a Spirit King. Only after that will we focus on you. This way, even if you are not quick enough, I can still somehow repel the enemies and wait for you to be a Spirit King before we deal with them together."


    "And there''s nothing wrong with that." Anna nodded in agreement.


    Noel scratched the back of his head. "There is one problem though. By focusing the resource on me, it also means the scarcity will increase, especially for the ancient demon crystals. The only way for us to get those crystals is¡­"


    Both Noel and Anna knew the same thing. "Killing the Ancient Demons that the Supreme Devil Organization brings during the final assault. In other words, we focus on killing them and let me absorb as many crystals as possible. In order to do that, we will have to do it quickly, or even rely on the help of the people from the Beast Kingdom."


    "That''s the only way." Noel agreed.


    "Yeah. And just leave the Wheel of Destiny to me. I''ll try to use it if I can. There are a lot of things I can do with it, such as finding ancient demons or something. But the problem is that I''m not sure if the demons are aware of this or not. And if they have been aware this whole time, why are they not finding it?"


    Noel crossed his arms. "Or they might have been searching for it, but they haven''t found it."


    "That''s also possible." Anna nodded. "After all, the ring is hidden in that Treasury. The Wheel of Fortune is in the Greenwood Kingdom, the Martial Headband is unknown, and the Gem of Immortality might be in their hands. They have been trying to find a way to get Ardagan."


    Noel nodded in agreement. From how they tried to find the secret about Ardagan to how they tried to kill him, it was clear that the demons knew Ardagan to a certain extent. They were probably trying to know some secrets so that they could decide whether they could get Ardagan and wield him or if they had to destroy it.


    Noel''s expression turned serious. "If one of the divine items is in this farawaynd, which happens to cross the sea¡­ How did it even reach that ce in the first ce?"


    "Hmm?" Anna squinted her eyes. The only way to go to that foreignnd would be crossing the sea. And if they wanted to cross the sea, they would probably need Vivi. If the fourthmandant truly went all the way to such a ce, Vivi should have known about it.


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. "Is Vivi the traitor?"


    "No. The Affection Medal has shown that she is not a problem. There might be other experts who have also crossed the sea, but we simply don''t know about them. If not, why would the Zaecuria Kingdom venture into the sea even after all those failures?"


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes. "Are you saying that the Zaecuria Kingdom might have some secrets or records about this?"


    "Yes. And Vivi doesn''t like politics. There is a high chance the royal family might know about this." Noel''s expression turned serious. "If we can find a record about him, the Martial Headband might be in that location. In other words, the one that the Supreme Devil Organization has the Gem of Immortality."


    "Just knowing that fact alone will make nning much easier."


    "Indeed."


    "How long do we need to wait until the ship is ready?"


    "It should be ready in three to four months."


    Anna contemted. "Should I go there and find the record?"


    Noel shook his head. "This time, I want you to remain in the city. I will be the one going."


    "Huh? You said you couldn''t leave the city."


    "That''s true, but the biggest reason is that the enemies know they won''t be able to do anything while I''m here."


    "Ah. Is that why you build such a reputation? If the genius Noel who is able to see through ns remains in this territory, it''s better to target other ces rather than sending the people to their deaths after their ns were seen through by you."


    "It''s kind of embarrassing when you say it that way." Noel chuckled.


    "But the fact you''re leaving now means you want to bait them?"


    "Yes. After knowing the Magic Lord''s intention, I know that the Tower Association will be locked for a moment. The royal family has also suffered huge losses. In other words, the only one that can move right now is¡­"


    "The Supreme Devil Organization, no, wait¡­" Anna gasped. "The Third Prince''s faction?!"


    Noel smirked.


    That was right. The Third Prince had been silent this whole time. While they were preupied with the entire mess, the Third Prince didn''t do anything. It was either because he didn''t want to make Noel his enemy or he was building up his force.


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    But with Noel leaving this ce, the Third Prince would definitely make his move. He must weaken Noel so that no one remains strong. He wanted to control everything after all of this was over after all.


    It could be said Noel leaving this city was bait. There was a possibility that the Third Prince would remain silent, but it also meant the development could still proceed at high speed. Explore more stories at m,v l''-NovelFire


    With the Demon Banner Army ying their parts perfectly, this was the only way to proceed. Once they weakened the third prince''s faction, they could go on an expedition without worrying about anything.


    This was when a sly smile appeared on Noel''s face.


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 Chapter 1223: Visiting the Zaecuria Kingdom

    Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "Your Majesty." The minister walked across the room and whispered to the king.


    "Hoh?" The king looked amused. "That is indeed interesting. He wants to see the ship?"


    "Yes. He is probably trying to see how long it takes to finish."


    "That''s true. If what we have heard is true, it''s clear that this is a perfect time to actually set sail." The king thought for a moment. "How long do we need toplete the ship?"


    "Three months."


    "Is it possible to speed it up?"


    "No. We build it so fast that if we speed it up even further, I''m afraid we can''t guarantee its quality."


    "However, the foundation has beenpleted, right?"


    "Yes. He can begin drawing the runes."


    "Alright. Tell the admiral, the chief engineer, and the guardian to ept him. He will definitely tell us how to operate the rune, and we can train our sailors for the next three months."


    "Understood." The minister nodded with a serious expression. "And there is one more problem."


    "What is it?"


    "He is asking about the record of the sailing from the start of our project. We are not sure about his intention."


    "The record?" The king couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. He thought, ''Did he know that record? How? It was supposed to be a well-guarded secret of the royal family. Was there someone leaking the information? But there was supposed to be no one who could do something like this at the moment.''


    The king fell silent for a moment before asking, "Tell him to meet me first if he wants to see the record. I''ll listen to his request after hearing his reasoning. Otherwise, he won''t be allowed to see the record."


    "But¡­" The minister looked concerned.


    "I will call upon the guardian when we meet. Don''t worry about my protection. I am not as foolish as those people from the Muivell Kingdom." The king shook his head, assuring the minister.


    Although he wasn''t fully convinced, it didn''t seem he had much choice.


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    The minister took his leave and hurriedly sent a reply to Noel Ardagan.


    The king looked down, falling into deep thought. ''The record contains information about a mysterious ind that is said to be across the ocean. However, even with the information, we still can''t reach that ind.


    ''And there is not much record about its location and how to get there. That''s why we have been trying to do whatever we can to reach that ce.


    ''If he is aware of that record, it means he knows about this ind for one reason or another. I need to know how before I can make a decision.


    ''It is clear that Noel Ardagan is nning to join the expedition because he knows something is out there and the journey has a high chance to seed.''


    The king remained in his seat for a long time. The moment he stood up, his face was filled with resolution. It was as if he had made a big decision.


    ¡­


    Ardagan Family.


    Noel raised his head, looking at the big boat that Duke Briton had made.


    "So this is the boat. It''s big and looks powerful already." Noel smiled.


    "Hahaha. I''m d you like it. The progress is about 70%. If we continue at this rate, we should be able to finish this by the end of the summer. And we''re nning to paint it to increase the impression as well as put the symbol of the Ardagan family.


    "This way, the ship will look even more menacing. It should be perfect to be the gship of the Ardagan family." Duke Briton smiled, proud of his own work.


    "I like that. Once it''s about toplete, don''t hesitate to call me again. I''ll be drawing the rune myself."


    "Understood." Duke Briton extended his hand. "Would you like to take a look at the interior?"


    "I''d love to, but¡­" Noel nced at Duke Briton, asking, "Do you know why the Zaecuria Kingdom starts creating ships and discovers an ind across the ocean?"


    Duke Briton looked shocked but immediately replied, "I''m not sure what you''re talking about. My apologies."


    Noel looked at Duke Briton with sharp eyes as if he already noticed that slight hesitation. "I see. Thank you for answering my question. It seems I have to meet your king directly. Well, I''m going to visit the Zaecuria Kingdom to draw the runes for them, so I guess I might as well do it."


    "You are visiting the Zaecuria Kingdom?" Duke Briton was taken aback. He thought Noel wouldn''t leave the territory, but he was wrong.


    "Yes. I have received the letter from them, so I''ll be leaving tomorrow. I''m just asking if you need me to pass a message or something."


    Duke Briton scratched the back of his head. Since Noel would know it from the king himself, Duke Briton only said, "I''m sorry, this matter is top secret. That''s why I can''t divulge it." Continue your adventure at m|v-l''e m,p| y- r


    "Don''t worry. I know that after seeing your reaction. As long as I know it exists, it means I have to go."


    "From what I have heard, you will be going with Admiral Christopher. He is a rather stiff man, but his skill is good. I know that you are the one leading this expedition, but I think it''s good to leave themand to him." Duke Briton exined.


    "I know. That''s what I''m nning. It''s just¡­ I also have my own expert, so if necessary, I have to regain control. What I''m worried about is not him, but the demons hiding underneath the sea."


    Duke Briton''s expression turned dark. "There is one record stating that they find giant demons emerging from the sea, destroying the ships. Out of the three ships, only one survived to tell the tale. Considering this trip only consists of one ship, you should be careful even though the ship has been reinforced by the runes."


    "I know." That was the exact reason he wanted to get the Diva''s help. With her controlling the water, underwater fighting would be much easier.


    Duke Briton nodded, implying he didn''t need to send a message or anything. "I wish you luck."


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 Chapter 1224: Arrival

    Noel walked out of his car. This time, he was apanied by Incetta and Vivi, who happened to be his drivers.


    "How is it?" Noel asked.


    "It''s amazing. I have never thought that a carriage could be this fast. In addition, you can actually control how fast you''re going without caring about the durability or quality of the horse," Incetta''s smile widened. She was excited during the whole trip because that was the first time she was driving.


    "You have almost copied the car from the previous civilization," said Vivi. "I guess this is more friendly to the environment since you only need to waste the demon crystals."


    "Yes. We can also use the demon crystal that has lost all of its spiritual energy. As for recharging them¡­ We''re still working on it." Noel nodded. "And I''m d that you like it, Incetta."


    Before they could continue, a group of people came toward them.


    There were two people that led this group. The first one was a middle-aged man wearing a military uniform. He had multiple cuts on his face, but it just increased the fierceness of his aura. His body might not be big, but he was giving off indescribable pressure.


    More importantly, the sword hanging on his waist also exuded a huge amount of spiritual energy, as he didn''t even bother controlling it.


    The second person was the woman that he had met during his previous visit, one of the guardians of the Zaecuria Kingdom, Fradania.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    She grinned while saying, "It seems you are back here."


    The rest of the group were just soldiers. At the same time, all of these soldiers were actually spirit masters.


    Unlike Fradania, the man actually recognized Incetta. Unfortunately, there was one important thing he needed to do first.


    He stepped forward and said, "Wee to the Zaecuria Kingdom, Noel Ardagan. I hope that you like the view on your way here. I am Admiral Rafael. Besides me is Guardian Fradania."


    Noel stepped forth and shook the admiral''s hand while saying, "I have heard one of the two admirals of the Zaecuria Kingdom. Your battle in the North River is something I have to admire."


    "Hoho. My achievement is nothingpared to the man in front of me. I can''t even list all of your achievements before losing my voice." He chuckled. "I''ve heard that you''re going to inspect the boat and draw the runes, correct?"


    "I''ll inspect the boat today and meet your king tomorrow. Only after I''m done with my matter will I have the time to draw the runes. And this time, I am apanied by¡­"


    "Incetta Sherveana."


    "You know her?"


    "Of course. I''ve learned a lot from her grandfather." He nodded. He then turned to Incetta and said, "It''s surprising that you would join the Ardagan family. However, after listening to the situation in your family, I guess I can understand your decision. It''s just sad that you chose to leave the country instead of joining the army. I believe you have a talent that surpasses your grandfather."


    While ignoring Vivi, who kept saying, ''It''s Shervina, not Sherveana, you bastard,'' Incetta said, "I''m well aware of my circumstances. However, the only person who reached out to me during my darkest hour was not the military, but the Ardagan family."


    Rafael only nodded and didn''t say anything further, fully aware it would just be considered an insult to Noel.


    Noel said, "Anyway, we''ll be inspecting the ship. I hope that you can introduce me to the ship so that I know how to arrange the rune."


    "Of course." Rafael nodded. "Following me are the 24 main personnel that would be training the sailors. I hope you don''t mind if they follow us."


    "I don''t mind."


    "If that''s the case, please follow me. The Chief Engineer, Dealott, is waiting for you in the dock."


    "Good." Noel agreed as Rafael guided him to the said ship.


    While Noel was inspecting the ship, a lot of movements had begun in the shadow.


    One of them was a shadow that entered a small room. There was only one person sitting in that room as he heard the report.


    "We have confirmed that Noel Ardagan has reached the Zaecuria Kingdom, Your Highness the Third Prince. What are we nning to do?"


    The Third Prince squinted his eyes. "Such a clever move, Noel Ardagan. If you hadn''t shown your cards previously, I would have bitten the bait right away.


    "However, there is no way Noel Ardagan will leave the city without any preparation. In addition, Anna Stargaze is holding the fort. With her spirit transcendence''s strength, it won''t be impossible for them to wipe us out if we are not careful.


    "However, he should know that Anna Stargaze is not as capable as him. That''s why he must have set up a trap beforehand."


    The Third Prince closed his eyes, falling into deep thought. On the one hand, not doing anything would give the Ardagan family a precious time to build up their strength. On the other hand, they would have a high chance of falling into his trap if they made their move.


    The Third Prince obviously understood what would happen if he also lost his force.


    "What a sneaky fox. He is even more troublesome than his father." The Third Prince looked down. "We won''t make any big attack." Find more to read on m_v-l -NovelBin


    "I understand. I''ll tell everyone to remain on standby."


    "No. We will harass the Ardagan family in multiple locations. Before that, I want you to bring out all our scouts to infiltrate the Ardagan family, learning about their trade route and the cement of their troops."


    "Understood." The shadow once again disappeared from the room.


    The Third Prince stood up and walked to the window. "To think that a man who I can use has ended up bing too big for me to hold. Since you''re going to hinder me, I won''t hesitate to destroy you as well, Noel Ardagan."


    The Third Prince fell silent for a moment before muttering one name. "Luke Ardagan. What a snake."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1225: Vivi Showing Off

    "This is the ship." The chief engineer pointed to the giant ship behind him.


    Noel couldn''t help but raise his head, looking at the massive ship. It was even bigger than his mansion.


    This was the first time he saw such a huge ship, to the point where he questioned whether their experts were from a different breed.


    On the other hand, Incetta was so shocked that she actually repeated what Vivi actually said, "A good big and sturdy ship. It is able to bring more than 1,500 people. It should be able to withstand a wave up to 20 meters high."


    The admiral and the others were stunned, not expecting that Incetta could see through their ship.


    It was no wonder why Noel brought her here. The admiral blinked a few times. This kind of talent had been snatched by the Ardagan family without them realizing it. It was a great shame for the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    Noel, on the other hand, remained expressionless. He said, "This should be enough. I will make some arrangements, especially for the runes."


    Vivi couldn''t help but smirk when she saw everyone''s expression. Vivi whispered to Incetta, making her say, "If we can reduce the number of crews from 1,500 to only 1,000 and use the space for demon crystals, it will be enough.


    "By putting the majority of the runes into propelling the boat, we can travel at much faster speed. All we have to do is reinforce the front.


    "With faster speed, the travel time will decrease, allowing us to reduce the number of people that might end up falling sick.


    "Besides, with fewer people and using demon crystals, we can also make room to get items from the newnd."


    Your next chapter awaits on m v|l--NovelBin


    "!!!" The admiral''s body shook. Her suggestion even made him feel ashamed. He would definitely suggest the same thing, but that was because he had a lot of experiences. Meanwhile, the girl before him was able to suggest this kind of thing with only her shallow knowledge.


    This kind of talent rarely appeared in the Zaecuria Kingdom. In fact, her talent surpassed even her grandfather, who was also an admiral.


    In addition to her spirit grandmaster''s prowess, it wouldn''t be weird if she would be the youngest admiral if the Zaecuria Kingdom nurtured her.


    As if realizing what the admiral nned to do, Noel walked away while asking, "So we''ll be decreasing the members¡­ From which division?"


    "Those small holes for rowing boats are not needed. We can change it with weapons from the Ardagan family. This way, we will be able tounch a counterattack. In addition, we can use them as food and their demon crystals to refuel the ship.


    "In addition, with you and Mistress Anna going on this expedition, the ship''s safety is nothing but guaranteed. If not for this second reason, I can''t suggest the removal of personnel." Incetta exined.


    "Is that so?" Noel smirked, leaving behind the shocked people. "In that case, I will create a fewyers of barriers."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes."


    Noel and Incetta continued to the inside without them guiding, as if Incetta had known everything.


    It was as if Incetta was being possessed by the ship itself.


    Of course, Noel took advantage of Vivi''s knowledge toe up with the bestyout for the runes.


    At one point, they were thinking about making a flying boat. Unfortunately, the idea was rejected because the weight was simply too much.


    Even if they used the runes, it would put too much burden on the spiritual energy''s consumption.


    In addition, they would also have to fight on the flying beasts if they ended up migrating.


    That was why they took advantage of the water to reduce the fuel consumption.


    After more than eight hours, Noel had finally finished drawing up his n andyout.


    Vivi suggested the number of people as well as their positions. At the same time, she wasn''t arrogant enough to dismiss the admiralpletely.


    Instead, she used this to make Incetta look humble. This way, the admiral couldn''t im that Incetta was arrogant because of her talent.


    Instead, it was because she humbled herself that the soldiers were more fired up, thinking they could believe in her. Even the admiral asked a lot of questions, which she answered perfectly, dispelling a lot of his doubts.


    As a result, the admiral had no qualms if Noel wanted to take control over the ship. He had Incetta that would be handling all this matter.


    After that, the admiral began to divide the group of the soldiers along with the training they would receive.


    Before ending the meeting, Noel said, "I will be counting on you, Admiral."


    "How can that be? I still have a lot to learn. However, if you leave it to me, I will do my best to make sure the journey can be sessful." The admiral nodded.


    Now that he had humbled himself, Noel could finally say, "You have the experience and knowledge to operate the ship. And the soldiers are looking up to you. That''s why you are the perfect person to lead this expedition.


    "I will oversee the situation and take over when the situation goes awry. After all, our obstacles are the sea and everything underneath it. Let''s make this journey sessful, Admiral." Noel extended his hand.


    The admiral smiled and shook his hand. "Yes, Marquis Ardagan. I''ll definitely do my best."


    Fradania was stunned. She had been observing them the whole time so that she could report to the king, but this was indeed beyond her imagination.


    She couldn''t help but wonder what kind of magic Noel had used to make Incetta his subordinate.


    However, she also had heard some rumors about the Sherveana family. It seemed that she had to report the situation to the king. After all, they had just lost a peerless talent.


    If they demanded Incetta back, there was a high chance the expedition would fail and they wouldn''t get anything.


    Hence, they had to proceed carefully.


    "In that case, I will take my leave first. After all, I have to meet the king tonight."


    "Please." The admiral nodded as he guided Noel and Incetta back.


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 Chapter 1226: Negotiation

    In the dark, Noel was led across thebyrinth of the castle. Theyout wasplicated, but at the same time, it was lightly defended as though it had been instructed to avoid a lot of people.


    After walking down the hallway for more than thirty minutes, he finally reached a door at the end of the hallway.


    The admiral who brought him here knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty. Noel Ardagan is here."


    "Come in."


    The admiral opened the door as per order, revealing the familiar king and Fradania.


    The king smiled. "Wee, Noel Ardagan. It has been a few months since west met."


    "I''m grateful that you are weing me to your castle." Noel politely greeted him.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    "Though it appears that you are apanied by an old man instead of a beautiful wife." The king made a joke to lighten the mood.


    "That is indeed true." Noel nodded as both of themughed. The admiral could only look at them as if he had been betrayed.


    "Pleasee in." The king extended his hand.


    Noel nodded and sat down casually without even the king''s permission. It was normally not eptable, but not a single person bat an eye. His status as a marquis wasn''t the one that enabled him with such a behavior, it was his strength as the spirit transcendence.


    The king''s expression turned serious. "How do you like the ship?"


    "The ship is very good. I have inspected it and will draw the runes starting tomorrow."


    "Should I have high hopes for this expedition?"


    "Of course. Ie here not to die after all." Noel nodded.


    "Still, are you sure that if we manage toplete this expedition, you don''t need anything, Marquis Noel?"


    "Yes. As long as the Zaecuria Kingdom fulfills their agreement, I am satisfied." Noel nodded.


    "However, the people will think my kingdom is stingy for not giving you anything, especially after you have made such a huge contribution." The king squinted his eyes. He knew Noel must want something else.


    Noel knew the king wanted to bait him into biting it by mentioning about the record. However, Noel had another n.


    "If that''s the case, is it possible for the Zaecuria Kingdom to do something for me?" Noel asked with a calm expression.


    "And that is?" The king smiled.


    Noel raised one finger. "I just wish that you are able to secure the coast of the Greenwood Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom in the near future."


    "!!!" The king and the others were so shocked that their jaws fell to the floor. They couldn''t believe what Noel had just asked.


    If they did something like this, the Greenwood Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom would think of it as an aggression.


    "Marquis Noel. Are you asking my Zaecuria Kingdom to go to war against those two nations? I am not scared, but I don''t think the Zaecuria Kingdom will take that action." The king squinted his eyes, pressing him to abandon that idea.


    Noel simply raised one finger. "I''m just talking about the future. In the near future, there is a time where the people have to unite.


    "It doesn''t matter if you are from the Atracaeca Kingdom, the Zaecuria Kingdom, or the Greenwood Kingdom. If you don''te together, you will die."


    "!!!" The admiral and the guardian turned grim. They wondered if Noel just made it up.


    However, the king asked, "I see. Instead of waging war against those two kingdoms, you want us to watch their back?"


    "Exactly so." Noel nodded.


    "How does that benefit us?" The king asked. "You''re saying that we''ll be destroyed if we don''t unite, but our Zaecuria Kingdom has the capability of going to a newnd. I''m only saying this to you."


    "You won''t. After all, there is no safe ce in this world." Noel shook his head. "Once the four kingdoms lose, the demons will be even more rampant. Unlike humans, the demons can move much more freely all around the world. And it is not limited to the four kingdoms. The world we know so far is nothing but a glimpse.


    I don''t know if you believe it or not, but you, me, and everyone else in the four kingdoms are like a frog living inside a well."


    "!!!" Noel simply implied that there would be morends to discover. However, if they had to retreat and rebuild everything from scratch again, it would take forever to discover morends.


    Rather than running away because it wasn''t worth it, it was better to join hands and shift their vision to the entire world.


    Still, the king added one more thing. "However, you can only say it that way because currently, you and your wife are the most talented people among the four kingdoms. You should have heard a story about a hero fighting against the demons.


    "The hero continuously fought the demons and finally defeated the evil. It was a good storybook for children, but when you look at it politically, you will realize that this hero, who now has the power to threaten the world, will be the next target.


    "The people don''t know how to control the hero. They won''t be able to sleep peacefully because the only thing that maintains the peace is the hero''s goodwill. Once it''s over, the hero can destroy the people he protects the whole time."


    The king was indirectly implying that Noel and Anna would be those heroes. Explore more adventures at m,v l''-NovelBin


    "Spirit Oath. I''m sure you know what that is." Noel smiled as if he had expected this kind of question. "I''ll make an oath through the spirit that after repelling the threats, I will close down my border. Once my wife passes away from old age, I''ll leave the four kingdoms. I understand very well what kind of existence I am, and that''s why I''m willing to do this."


    What the king didn''t know was that he still had a way to preserve Anna''s soul, which would apany him during his travels. Besides, by the time she passed away from old age, they would probably have a grandson or even a great-grandson. The Ardagan family would have been prosperous.


    The Spirit Oath was an ultimate binding oath where one couldn''t lie and would lose their spirit if they broke the oath.


    The king had no choice but to agree when Noel showed his sincerity like this. He was unaware that Noel never really cared about the four kingdoms. After all, his goal was to be the most free person in this world. Free from politics, obligations, and roles.


    The king nodded. "Alright. You''ve mentioned that you are nning to look at the record. I''ll give you the golden authorization to look at our records. That is basically the same as my authorization, which means there is no restriction on what records you want to see."


    "!!!" The two people beside him looked concerned, but the king added a question, "By the way, Marquis Noel¡­ Are our enemies scary?"


    "Much scarier than you can imagine. No matter how strong I am, I won''t be able to defeat them by myself."


    "I see." The king nodded. "Thank you for dispelling my doubt. Do remember that the Zaecuria Kingdom is not on your side or any other kingdom''s side, we are on the side of humanity."


    Noel stood up and politely nodded his head.


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 Chapter 1227: Test

    For the next several days, Noel focused on drawing all the runes. Because not every part was done yet, he had to improvise and draw as many runes as possible.


    The Zaecuria Kingdom showed their sincerity by using all the Peak Level Demon as the material. The ship itself had a lot of precious metal and high level materials.


    Hence, Noel could focus on the runes. During that time, the admiral would be apanying him everywhere while Incetta was invited to give some lectures on what to do to the sailors.


    She even increased the training for the sailors ording to Vivi''s instruction.


    Finally, six days had passed.


    "Turn it on!" The admiral shouted.


    "Yes, sir!" The sailors inside the ship immediately activated the defensive runes.


    A spiritual energy barrier soon appeared, covering the entire ship.


    "There doesn''t seem to be any weakness. How about the water? Is it getting pushed away?"


    "No, sir." The sailor shook his head.


    Normally, the Spiritual Barrier Rune would have pushed out the water. Even Noel understood it, so he made a little tweak so that the ship could remain as a ship.


    It was to let the water enter the barrier.


    After learning the trick from his ancestor regarding the rune array, Noel had decided to use the concept of the rune array instead of his original idea.


    Hebined several runes, such as the Blood Rune and the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune.


    By slightly changing the Blood Rune, he recognized the blood as the liquid. This meant the water would be recognized as such and allowed to enter.


    By adding the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune, he singled out the water that didn''t have spiritual energy to enter.


    In other words, any water abilities wouldn''t be able to enter the ship.


    "How is the barrier underneath the water?" The admiral asked.


    "Everything looks perfect, sir!" The sailor who was near the water surface confirmed.


    "Let''s test the strength of the rune, shall we?" The admiral took out his weapon.


    Several spirit masters behind him also readied their weapons.


    "We''ll attack it at the same time." The admiral shouted as he raised his weapon. "Go!"


    The moment he gave the signal, all of them unleashed their respective attacks. They all flew forward and hit the ship at the same time.


    The sh between the spiritual energy from the barrier and their attacks caused a shock wave that shook the entire building.


    However, their attacks soon vanished after losing their spiritual energy while the barrier remained intact. In fact, there wasn''t even a scratch on it.


    "!!!" The admiral looked impressed. "So this is the rumored imprable defense that the Ardagan family has. This ship alone can act as a fortress, unable to be breached."


    The admiral''s expression turned serious. There was one thing they needed to be concerned about.


    It was the rune underneath the ship. Noel told him that he had modified the runes so that they would still be able to float on the sea. This made him worry about the barrier strength, especially since the fish woulde from the bottom.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    That was why the test would be conducted by Fradania. Stay tuned with m-v l|-NovelBin


    "It''s my turn then." Fradania smirked and jumped off the edge. She skillfully dove into the water and turned her body around.


    After inspecting the barrier for one more time, Fradania started gathering her energy on both hands.


    There was a small water bubble that suddenly turned into an underwater whirlpool.


    The whirlpools rose to the surface, hitting the barrier.


    She even used her transcendent strength a little bit, but to her surprise, it only left a scratch on the barrier.


    It might be due to the amount of spiritual energy poured into this barrier, but being able to block an attack from a spirit transcendence rank expert like her was no small feat.


    Still, they had to continue with the test.


    Fradania swam to the bottom of the ship and punched the barrier with her bare hand.


    "Bubbly Wobbly Punch." Fradania smirked.


    A bubble formed on her fist and expanded so big that it popped, causing a massive shock wave underneath the water.


    Boom!


    The burst of the bubbleunched the ship one meter above the water. The water had turned violent as the ship ended up falling back to the water and started hitting some equipment inside that building.


    The admiral couldn''t help but squint his eyes, wondering if the test was sessful.


    Only after several minutes that Fradania finally emerged from the water, her clothes surprisingly stayed dry.


    Fradania let out a long sigh. "That barrier is so sturdy. It should be able to withstand two or three all-out attacks from even a spirit transcendence or an ancient demon. But by that time¡­"


    The admiral sucked a cold breath. "Mr. Noel and Miss Anna should have sprung into action."


    "Indeed." Fradania nodded.


    What she didn''t know was that Noel had prepared reinforcement that would allow them to handle that situation.


    "To be honest, this is the first time I see a ship this sturdy. If you are able to use the demon crystals from those that attack you along the way, I think you have the highest chance to survive. I don''t dare to say it will be 100%, but it should be triple the previous number."


    "You do know that the previous number was only 22%, right?"


    "Exactly my point." Fradania nced at the ship. "If this ship has served its purpose, we will get this ship along with the runes, right?"


    "Do you think it will be?" The admiral asked while pointing at the few old men on the side. They were studying the runes, especially on how Noel was able to allow the water to remain unaffected.


    "Well¡­" Fradania shrugged. "At the very least, we know that this is the new generation of ship. In the future, there will be more and more imprable ships. And if we want to discover a newnd, the Zaecuria Kingdom will be the only one to achieve it."


    "Yeah. The runes are awesome." The admiral nodded, acknowledging the person who poprized it.


    As for the afore-mentioned person, he was already inside the library, surrounded by mountains of books.


    His eyes had been fixated on a single book for thest few hours. It was because of that book he finally broke his silence. "This is¡­"


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1228: Record

    "This is¡­"


    Noel''s expression turned serious. He had been holing up inside the royal library for more than three days, reading books after books.


    Most records consisted of trials and errors from the previous expeditions, so he just skimmed them, making sure he knew what to do when a situation urred.


    There were a lot of records about sea demons destroying ships. They came not only during the day but also during the night.


    They crushed the bottom of the ship. Some records had stated that water element spirit was necessary because it would allow them to better fight in the water.


    However, the overwhelming number of demons couldn''t be underestimated. A single human wouldn''t be able to do it. The demons'' goal was to sink the ship no matter the method.


    The moment water started entering the ship, they had failed.


    That was why they began to take a stone element spirit or a wood element spirit. This way, they could patch the hole to an extent.


    However, when there were simply too many holes, those people would end up exhausting themselves. As a result, the ship sank yet again.


    The most important fact he found among the records was that the demons always came in a massive group. They never attacked alone.


    That was why the existence of a lightning element spirit would be good because the sea was a good conductive material.


    Still, the demons were able to control the water as well, isting the part that was conducting electricity to avoid getting electrocuted.


    But this was the most effective strategy. That was why they actually used items that were able to withstand electricity to an extent, such as wood and rubber.


    And with good enough control, they should be able to prevent the electricity from damaging the ship.


    However, even with ten attempts, the expedition still ended up in failure. The main reason for their failure wasn''t solely due to the demons.


    There were also high waves, rough storms, and other natural phenomena that wrecked the ship.


    In fact, a third of the failures was actually caused by these natural phenomena. Another third was caused by demons, while the rest was due to theck of information. They didn''t know where they set sail and didn''t find an ind after a long time.


    As a result, the sailors became sick due to the prolonged journey and were unfit to continue the mission.


    Having these records alone allowed them to progress rapidly for this expedition. In addition, he got Vivi on his side. Her experience would be beneficial for this trip. Then, both he and Anna were Spirit Transcendence, which guaranteed the safety of the crews. They had even asked the diva to escort them.


    Last but not least, Noel had the direction to that ind. If it was from an unverified source, he would probably have low confidence, but this information came from the Spirit God.


    The only thing left to find was the record that started all of these expeditions.


    After looking around the records for several days, he finally found it.


    "Day 26, Month 09, Year 0058."


    "A giant ship was made under the request of One of the Great Heroes Ihui. Because of his service for humanity as well as the cooperation from the Great Commander Simeon, the royal family prepared a ship."


    Noel''s expression turned bright after seeing this piece of information. After all, the Great Commander Simeon was none other than his ancestor.


    It appeared he was using Simeon instead of Ardagan this time. And Ihui was the fourthmandant. His full name was Ihui Makaveli.


    It turned out everything was indeed rted to the fourthmandant. In other words, the divine item they would find on this ind would be the Martial Headband, which meant the one the demons possessed was the Gem of Immortality.


    "Day 15, Month 10, Year 0058."


    "The expedition was a sess. There was an ind across the sea. They didn''t speak the samenguage as us, but they had a very big simrity to the people of the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Day 30, Month 10, Year 0058."Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Great Hero Ihui decided to stay on the ind. The ind has a lot of new things and advanced knowledge. Each of them is strong and utilizes the spirit a bit differently from the people on the maind."


    "Day 06, Month 11, Year 0058."


    "Great Hero Ihui had fallen in love with a local woman and finally chose to settle down with his new family. Hisst message was, ''For whoever needs my help,e to me. I''lle rushing to your side once again. I hope that there is never a need for my power to be required anymore, but my master said there would be a day for the destined war between humans and demons to ur far in the future.


    Hence, I will stay here and train my descendants. Once again, I hope there won''t be anyoneing to this ce.''"


    The message was clear. Vivi said Ihui was loyal, and Noel could feel it from that message. He was simply tired of all this conflict.


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    However, it looked like Ihui realized that Alex was notpletely broken. Instead, he was acting like one while preparing for the future battle.


    Ihui knew this and chose to build up his own force outside thisnd. It might be Alex or Margaretha''s n, as they wanted the demons to focus on the Ardagan family. When the battle happened, Ardagan would tell him about Ihui.


    Unfortunately, Ardagan was currently in slumber. It was probably the reason why the Spirit God was the one telling him about it.


    When he thought about it, everything made sense. Normally, Ardagan would send a mission in this form, which made it look like a prophecy.


    "I see. So that''s how it is." Noel smiled. He never thought that Ardagan was still helping him this much.


    He raised his hand, looking at Ardagan''s spirit symbol. He muttered, "I hope you wake up soon, partner."


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 Chapter 1229: Laws

    "So this is what they have been doing¡­" Anna looked at the document.


    "Yes. After we send ine away to bring him to our side, both of them end up having a lot of debates discussing thews and policies.


    "And this is what they currently think of." Rose nodded.


    The concept was rather simple. It was made so that it could be interpreted word for word.


    There were five importantws regarding the transportation of the Ardagan family.


    Generalization of speed: The Ardagan family is required to generalize or measure the speed as precisely as possible. By measuring the speed and what such a speed can do to a vehicle, or in the case of an ident, the measure can be taken depending on the degree of the incident. Speed Limit: The Ardagan family has to maintain the speed limit.


    Anyone that has surpassed it will be judged and has the chance of not being able to drive anymore in the future. License: A coachman needs a certificate, but not every coachman has it because they can be trained without any generalization of the certificate.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    However, with public transportation, nobles'' transportations, and even normal people having the chance to ride a car, it''s necessary to create a license to show that they are eligible to drive.


    Illegally driving will increase the chance of an ident, which will create public unrest.Institute: There will be a need to set up another organization in order to monitor the entire situation as well as issuing and monitoring the license. It is required that drivers renew their licenses every 10 years, especially due to the rapid progress of cars.


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    They will also inspect the car to see if they''re still eligible to be on the road, preventing the car from breaking down or causing any idents. They can also cooperate with the security division to monitor all the cars.


    It is also important to have identification for each car in the cirction.School: It is necessary to set up a driving school, which will allow everyone who wants to learn how to drive properly. This knowledge will spread from mouth to mouth, but adding the fact that the people can get their license much faster through the school will make the school extremely popr.


    This way, people will learn from the legal and updated sources.


    When Anna read these five points, she realized why he was such a genius in her previous life.


    "What do you think?" Anna asked.


    "I believe it''s better to ask Noel''s opinion about it. This is beyond my expertise." Rose shook her head.


    Anna smiled wryly. "But this is not the only one, right?"


    "Yes. He is actually giving a lot of ideas about thews within the territory." Rose started bringing them one after another. "This is the document regarding theborers."


    "That''s true. There is not a lot of research regardingbor. Some people work less and get more results, while others work hard but with less results."


    "Indeed." Rose nodded. "And this one is regarding the logistics of the territory, including the import and export. Due to all the new transportations, it''s clear that the volume of logistics will increase to a level that no one has ever seen before. Currently, we don''t have a number yet, but we should be able to get one in six months.


    "We have been monitoring the logistics for thest six months, but it can be said that the number is already equal to a lot of records from other territories. And we haven''t fully developed our territory, so I''m afraid we might see ten times or even twenty times the number in another six months due to the rapid progress of trains and trucks."


    "Noel must have been overwhelmed with all this number."


    "Yeah. He couldn''t go out even though he wanted to." Rose chuckled.


    "Is there anything else?" Anna asked.


    "There are three other topics they are discussing, such as agricultural reform, the meritocracy system, and public education. It''s in line with what we have in mind, so it''s more like an improvement toward our goal."


    "That''s interesting." Anna nodded. She looked at the documents. "We have to reward him for his effort, but I''m not sure about the number."


    "We better wait for Noel. If you give him too much, people will think you don''t understand money. If you give him too little, people will think you are stingy. It''s better to wait for Noel to give the reward."


    Anna thought for a moment. "Also, have we received a reply from Livia?"


    "Not yet. It''s clear how hard it is to get into the royal family''s treasury. In fact, I was dumbstruck when I heard you wanted something from there, especially since we were not affiliated with the Greenwood Kingdom."


    "Hahaha. It couldn''t be helped, the situation required us to do so. Anyway, please pay attention to them."


    "Got it. Also, the Saintess of the Moon Temple is preparing toe to our ce¡­"


    "Noel has arranged it. Just fulfill their conditions." Anna waved her hand.


    "Understood. Also¡ª" Rose wanted to report another matter, but he was interrupted by an urgent message.


    Dimitri suddenly entered the office without bothering to knock. His face turned serious as he immediately reported, "We have received a message. Our train was attacked by unknown enemies not long ago. ording to the report, the assants were covering their full bodies, but it was clear they were spirit grandmasters.


    "There was a report that they wanted to chase, but the assants immediately disappeared after several minutes and confirmed that they couldn''t break through the barrier."


    "!!!" Anna widened her eyes in shock. "The train''s condition?"


    "The barrier wasn''t breached, but we did lose a lot of demon crystals due to the attack. And they were so sneaky there was no trace for us to find them."


    Anna squinted her eyes, thinking about a person that was capable of doing so. "The Third Prince, huh? To think he finally made his move."


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 Chapter 1230: An Attack

    Two hours ago.


    A train was crossing a in field. The road was peaceful because the Ardagan family had been eradicating the demons from the area.


    "What a good day." One of the passengers said while looking out the window. "To think that we would be able to see things like this. It''s also moving so fast."


    "This is amazing."


    There were a lot of new people that just wanted to test the train, experiencing it for the first time. Unlike the normal carriages, the people could actually look around to enjoy the scenery. It wasn''t that packed as well.


    More importantly, it was cheap.


    That was why the train was popr. While they were at it, the trains also brought a lot of demon crystals and other resources to be transported to the next city.


    "Eh?"


    "What is that?"


    Two passengers suddenly noticed dotsing from the distance.


    The dots suddenly formed a huge fireball and fired it at the sky.


    More importantly, the fireball was actually falling upon them.


    "Fireball?"


    "Aaaahh. We are going to die!"


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    The passengers panicked. They knew how horrible it was to travel. If they fought someone strong or encountered bandits, their lives would be screwed.


    The train also had their own guards, but they wondered if that was enough to deal with the enemies. After all, some escorts actually left behind the people they had to protect because they were scared of the enemies.


    And it wasn''t that rare for a merchant to have half of their luggage destroyed. That was why only the lords who were able to maintain a safe territory usually had lower prices of goods, allowing more people to have ess to those items.


    All of a sudden, a translucent barrier appeared around the train.


    The fireball hit the barrier and red up, causing a massive explosion.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Boom!


    The loud explosion startled everyone, scaring them.


    "What''s going on?"


    "We''re under attack?"


    "Nooo!"


    A lot of people started screaming. Even a merchant had a dark expression. The reason why he used this train was because of its safety, speed, and cost.


    However, this was the risk if he brought a lot of items at once. A single venture would result in a huge loss if the items were destroyed.


    But when he saw the barrier, it remained intact as though nothing happened. In fact, the train didn''t get blown away or affected by its shock wave.


    Several attacks came again and sted the train with a stronger force. A series of explosions made the passengers panic, but the barrier remained without a scratch.


    Suddenly, a guard entered the cabin and shouted, "There''s no need to panic, passengers."


    Several people were charging straight at him and grabbing his cor.


    "What do you mean not to panic?"


    "We are under attack!"


    As if knowing this would happen, the guard simply pointed to the barrier. "This train is as strong as a wall of a stronghold. Of course, I''m talking about the Golden Dawn City''s wall as the standard."


    "!!!" The passengers looked shocked. They had certainly heard about the demon''s attack on the Golden Dawn Vige. Some of them believed it was only a rumor, but with the guard using it as an example, it might not be just a rumor.


    A wall that could withstand the attack from tens of thousands of demons and remained intact.


    A single person couldn''t kill tens of thousands of demons by themselves. In fact, a group of people might not be enough, so unless they had a huge organization at the scale of thousands, the train would remain undisturbed.


    "You can take a look at the sturdiness of our barrier. This is the pride of the Ardagan family. Why don''t you give your best face to mock whoever dares to attack the Ardagan family''s train instead?" The guard smiled.


    Normally, de-escting the situation would solve most problems, but this time, the guard actually shifted their panic to confidence.


    Some of them were curious, so they couldn''t help but move to the window, trying to see the attackers.


    As the guard said, the barrier was intact. Another series of explosions hit the train, but it didn''t leave a single scratch.


    There were several people wearing a ck coating toward them. They took out their swords and unleashed a sword strike at the point nk range.


    The spiritual energy they used caused a massive shock wave, but toward themselves. The barrierpletely blocked everything that carried spiritual energy.


    This group followed the train and tried a couple of times but to no avail.


    The conductor simply looked at the road. Even though he wanted to do something, the procedure was to reach the next city as quickly as possible. No one would be stupid enough to attack a city for no reason.


    Besides, they could report it right away, and the Ardagan family would mobilize their army to investigate.


    It was precisely this reason that the people covered in a coat looked frustrated. They couldn''t really see their faces, but the way they behaved and attacked showed their annoyance.


    The conductor suddenly noticed something.


    There was actually a person standing in their path.


    "!!!" The conductor''s expression turned serious. This guy was so muscr that his coat couldn''t cover himpletely. It wasn''t hard to realize what he was trying to do.


    That was why the conductor didn''t decrease their speed.


    "Uoohhhh!" The guy roared as he pushed the train, trying to stop it. His hands ended up on the barrier, and the train shook a little, but the guy underestimated the force that the train carried. It wasn''t just about the speed.


    The train''s weight was close to a hundred tons, which was moving at twice the speed of a carriage.


    The moment the guy tried to stop it, he was being pushed back, almost getting crushed by the sheer momentum.


    "Kkhhh." The guy gritted his teeth, his right hand almost snapped. No, his right arm''s bone had actually cracked.


    His feet kept sliding on the ground with no sign of stopping.


    The guy endured it for a bit more, but he ended up throwing himself to the side, unable to use his arms anymore.


    All the attackers were stunned. They expected that they could destroy this train within a few minutes. But all their attempts had been unsessful.


    If they continued, there was a chance that the Ardagan family would send reinforcements and attack them. It seemed that the attack had failed.


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 Chapter 1231: Train

    "The train was attacked but suffered no harm?"


    "They couldn''t even do anything to the train? Even a scratch?"


    "The rumor about it being as sturdy as the wall of the Ardagan family was true."


    "But maybe the attackers had low level strength."


    "What kind of low level strength could create a massive explosion?"


    "Then, was it a spirit master or spirit grandmaster?"


    "No way a spirit grandmaster attacked, right? They were the backbone of our country, so they couldn''t easily move."


    "But the strength was apparent."


    Because of that attack, a lot of people were talking about it. They had never thought that the train would be so sturdy.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Themoners recounted everything they saw. Some guards were even spreading rumors about the enemies being spirit grandmasters, which increased the reputation of the train even more.


    When they realized how safe the train was, they finally realized one thing. It seemed that the train would be the most popr method of travel.


    The merchant simplyughed while saying, "Hahaha. I could move my items from one city to another at such a high speed, and with this level of safety, there''s nothing I canin about. Even the cost is much lower than a normal carriage. I have to get a contract with the Ardagan family so that my goods can be guaranteed."


    Other merchants couldn''t help but gasp. Even though three out of the top ten merchants had used the train, it was because they allied themselves with the Ardagan family.


    However, with such a neutral merchant recounting the incident and the safety, everyone couldn''t help but want to try.


    Of course, to withstand that attack, the train had used up a lot of demon crystals. But the free advertisement from the people made everything worth it.


    A lot more merchants started flocking the trains, wanting to transport their goods. Even if the Ardagan family had a lot of enemies, their goods would still be safe with how sturdy the train was.


    Even bandits couldn''t do anything if there were still any bandits in the Ardagan family''s territory.


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    More importantly, the Ardagan family had spread their road to other territories. They could spread their goods widely with little cost. This was just an opportunity for them to rise.


    In fact, thirty percent of the nobles in this kingdom had be Noel''s allies, including nobles in the central region.


    The ten great merchants were probably able to spread their goods for thirty to forty percent of the kingdoms, but more than that would need an even better technology since the cost to transport their goods would increase drastically.


    Meanwhile, the Ardagan family could allow them to reach that level just by using them. In addition, the number of nobles willing to trade with Noel was steadily increasing.


    In the future, it wouldn''t be weird if the Ardagan family gave them an opportunity to spread their good to more than half of the kingdom. And it might not take that long.


    Meanwhile, those who had fallen out with the Ardagan family could only try their best to cater to the remaining half of the kingdom with primitive technology. It wouldn''t be weird if a lot of great merchants would be pushed away from their rank because of the Ardagan family.


    Without anyone realizing it, the road that Noel had built started getting called the Golden Road.


    It was a road of opportunity.


    Obviously, several great merchants immediately came to the Ardagan family, begging them to forgive their mistakes.


    With Anna in charge, she simply followed Noel''s instruction, which was to make sure the gratitude and grudge were clear to see.


    She rejected them and pushed them away. By the time they saw the sess of other merchants, their second plea would definitely be much bigger, which was Noel''s way to extort them.


    And they would have a hard timepeting with the merchants that had been using his train from the beginning.


    Little did everyone know, Anna actually used this method to make an agreement with the Greenwood Kingdom.


    In their royal pce, Livia lowered her head and lifted her skirt. "I greet Your Majesty."


    The king couldn''t help but smile. "It seems they didn''t treat you badly there, Livia."


    "Yes, Your Majesty." Livia still called him with his title since this audience was a formal one. There were still several ministers in the hall, so she had to maintain her image.


    "How have you been? Is everything good?" The king asked.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. Everything is running smoothly. And a lot of talents will emerge from the Greenwood Kingdom. I see a lot of theming from the Greenwood Kingdom." Livia smiled.


    "Hoh?" The king looked amused. Even the ministers looked excited. They knew what this implied. Still, there was no way Livia would go back for no reason. "I''m a little surprised about you returning here, especially because of the agreement. Even though I want to talk a bit more, I think we have to get to the point first."


    "Yes, Father." Noel had forbidden Livia to return to her country if she became his disciple. But since it was Noel''s side that allowed her, there must be something she needed to do in this kingdom. "I have managed to get an agreement with the Ardagan family."


    "Oh?" The king and the ministers were curious. If this was a small agreement, there was no way Livia woulde back. This meant whatever agreement they made, it would be something that could influence the two kingdoms.


    "First of all, allow me to tell you about everything that happened recently regarding this agreement. Not long ago, the Ardagan family''s train was attacked by mysterious assants¡­"


    She recounted everything from the information she had gathered.


    They were quite surprised about the power of the train. They had been fixing their road the whole time since they wanted to get the train for themselves.


    And that was when the king realized why she recounted the train. The king stood up and asked with a shocked face, "Don''t tell me. The reason youe back is¡­"


    Livia nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I''m talking about allowing the train to operate in the Greenwood Kingdom. And this is not just for the kingdom, but also for the import and export as well as the future ventures, not only with the Ardagan family, but also with the Muivell Kingdom, the Zaecuria Kingdom, and the Atracaeca Kingdom."


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 Chapter 1232: Transforming the Logistics

    "Hoh?" The king and the ministers looked curious. They wondered what kind of n Noel had. The king nodded. "borate."


    Livia nodded. "First of all, the Ardagan family is nning to expand to our kingdom, specifically the Golden Road.


    "By expanding to the Greenwood Kingdom, the Ardagan family will be able to expand their business as well as the reach of other merchants. This will allow their venture to be even bigger, which will be more attractive to merchants."


    A minister stepped forward and said, "I believe this is a good idea, not only for the Ardagan family but also for the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "Right now, they don''t have a lot of justification to import the trains. If we do it, the Ardagan family will be held ountable or framed.


    "And if we engage in a trade like this, we will be able to give that justification to the Ardagan family.


    "As her highness said earlier, the merchants would see this as an opportunity. Normally, they would have a hard time importing or exporting items.N?velDrama.Org content.


    "But if we establish the trade like this, with such arge quantity of items from the Greenwood Kingdom flowing into the Muivell Kingdom and vice versa, the tax will be quite high. And a lot of merchants will be happy.


    "In addition, the train will being to this kingdom as well. Since this is the future, we can actually think of it as a way to establish the foundation of the train in this ce as well. In the future, we can actually use the train to increase the logistic speed of our kingdom.


    "That''s why I don''t think it''s a good idea to propose this trade."


    Other ministers and the king contemted. They couldn''t help but agree once they heard the benefits. It would increase the economy. In fact, they might acquire a train for their local use.


    Still, there were some doubts, especially because of the Muivell Kingdom''s condition.


    That was when Livia added, "Actually, that''s not all. I mentioned earlier that the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom will benefit from this as well, right?"


    "Hmm? Are you implying that if we reject them, Marquis Noel will simply work together with those two kingdoms, Your Highness?" Another minister asked.


    Livia shook her head. "In fact, the Ardagan family wishes the Greenwood Kingdom to be the pioneer. As you mentioned earlier, the train will be the future. All goods will flow much faster, which means¡­"


    "!!!" They all suddenly realized what she was talking about.


    "I see. So this is an experiment as well as the foundation to create a connection with the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom. In the future, we can not only procure items from the Muivell Kingdom but also the other two kingdoms. Once the road ispleted, everyone is connected.


    In other words, we can actually do something we have never thought possible before, especially due to the resources that we can''t easily procure.


    "Right now, we have a hard time procuring items from the Atracaeca Kingdom, but by using this method, we will be able to do it¡­ maybe in a few years, depending on how much we n to progress."


    Once they heard about it, their opinions about the road changedpletely.


    That was when Livia dealt a killing blow. She raised a finger and said, "And this is just from thend transportation perspective.


    "If we can seed, we will know what we should do for future methods. A lot of goods are going bad because of the time it takes to transport them.


    "However, what if we are able to procure items much faster? For example, not through thend, but¡­" Livia pointed up.


    They couldn''t help but raise their heads. Some looked at the ceiling, while others imagined the sky.


    "The air?"


    "Yes." Livia nodded with a serious expression. "Do you forget the cooperation we have with the Ardagan family right now?"


    "The airship!" One of the ministers shouted. It looked like he was the one in charge of the project. "That''s right. The airship is able to cross any type of terrain. I don''t have the exact number yet, but the airship can probably go from this ce to the Atracaeca Kingdom''s capital city in just two days."


    "Two days?! Are you serious?" Another minister gasped. "Do you understand what that number means?"


    "Of course I am. Can''t you see how excited I am? Normally, it would take about two to three weeks. If we are able to reduce it to two days, we will be able to do things that were not possible before."


    "The logistics will definitely change."


    Livia smiled. It seemed that every minister thought it positively.


    Only the king had a different thought. He was a bit skeptical since it was rare for Noel to suggest such a beneficial deal. He usually had his back on the wall before he suggested it, so he had to be careful.


    "What does Noel Ardagan want from us?" The king asked.


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    Livia raised three fingers. "There are three things. The first is to be a pioneer. As Your Majesty knows, there arews regarding the import and export. But they are rather vague.


    "After all, they are usually used for different types of items and in a low amount.


    "However, after trading with apany in the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom, he was able to purchase ss in high quantities. But because of that vaguew, the process became difficult.


    "By bing the pioneer, we could transform thatw for the future, which would simplify everything and allow logistics to propel the economy significantly."


    "Oh?!" The ministers nodded in understanding. They thought, ''As expected of the Marquis Ardagan, he is farsighted.''


    "The second reason is to make thisw applicable not only for the ground but also the sky and the water. We have both airships and ships. The trade can now be conducted not only from the sea but also from the sky. As such, creating thisw would be necessary."


    The ministers looked at each other. It was true that transforming thews would be quite hard, but it was not possible. This was a long-term project.


    Livia''s expression turned solemn as she stated the third condition. "As for thest part¡­ I think I can only say it to you, Your Majesty."


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 Chapter 1233: Decision

    Livia whispered the third condition, which was rather surprising, especially since the rest of the ministers weren''t allowed to hear it.


    But what was more surprising was the fact Noel involved Livia rather than his own grandfather. Livia was supposed to be his disciple and someone who was directly linked to the royal family.


    She would definitely be more biased toward the royal familypared to his grandfather. At the same time, her grandfather was a good politician as well as one of the most respected people in the country, so he would give a better resultpared to Livia.


    This action didn''t make sense at all, especially after everything Noel had done. The king didn''t realize this was Anna''s n instead of Noel. It was because Noel had been controlling everything, like the back of his palm, that the people believed it would be Noel again.


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    Then, when Anna took over, people would still think it was Noel''s n, making them worry about what kind of thing he had hidden in this n.


    The king closed his eyes, falling into deep thought.


    The ministers were curious what words Livia whispered to him.


    It took the king a whole ten minutes beforeing to a decision.


    "Before I give my verdict, I''d like to know what the ministers think about the first two."


    Several ministers exchanged looks, discussing it.


    One minister stepped up and said, "I believe that we indeed have toplete the import and exportws. First of all, technological advancement can''t be stopped. Rather than trying to fight against the flow, it''s better if we go along with it.


    "Bypleting thesews, we will have the foundation of the future trade, at least much faster than the other three kingdoms.


    "Of course, this applies to all types of transportation. This way, if the Zaecuria Kingdom wants to trade with us through sea or river, we will be ready. If the Atracaeca Kingdom wants to trade with us through the sky, we have prepared everything to ept them."


    Another minister interjected, "That''s only the benefits. By doing this, we will probably have to pay a lot of money. For example, the Muivell Kingdom is pretty hostile.


    "Bypleting thisw, there is a high chance they will try to extort us, fully aware that we want this to seed."


    Another minister stepped in. "From my perspective, this is a necessary expense. Rather than waiting and losing potential ie in the future because we''re slow, it''s better to do it now."


    The ministers exined the benefits as well as the risks. It didn''t take long for them to conclude that while the n had a high risk, the gain would definitely outweigh the risk.


    That was why the majority of them agreed to take this risk.


    The king pinched the bridge of his nose before asking, "Are you sure about this, Livia?"


    All ministers turned to Livia. Although no one mentioned it, all ministers knew one sacrifice had to be made for this decision toe into fruition.


    If they let this project begin, Livia''s name would definitely spread.


    Livia had been seen as apetitor in the past, even though she never had the intention to be a monarch. Her brilliance was simply too big for them to be ignored.


    A lot of nobles even flocked her, trying to make her the monarch.


    And that was when Noel came. He brought her away from the kingdom and stopped her from returning.


    This way, he had cut off her path as a monarch.


    All other princes and princesses were relieved that they didn''t have topete with Livia.


    They could hear Livia doing well and even bing the Rune Academy''s principal, which would threaten their positions, especially since runes would be their future. But because Livia never returned previously, they just kept a watch on her.


    But thesews would change her lifepletely.


    They would think the king favored her, and Livia would return with her brilliance. And she would once again enter the battle for the throne.


    Everything had been civilized for the time being, but with her messing up their battle, it wouldn''t be strange if they ended up taking a more desperate measure.


    That was why the king couldn''tprehend why Livia instead of Raincart.


    Livia must have thought about this as well and chosen toe after weighing the pros and cons.


    She didn''t know what kind of conversation happened between her and Noel, but it must be quite special.


    Livia gave a wry smile. "If I''m allowed to say something, I just want to say that even if I''m not here, please remember that my heart always belongs to the Greenwood Kingdom."


    The king''s expression darkened. The decision had been made.


    The king stood up and dered, "From this point onward, I will ept the second princess'' request and establish the newws for future trades. However, she has overstepped her bounds by interfering with the national budget.


    "Hence, she will be stripped from her status as a princess and shall be exiled from the Greenwood Kingdom.


    "If she steps into the Greenwood Kingdom, she shall be captured and executed."


    This was the only way for him to protect her. With this decree, she was able to escape from the battle of the throne. And Noel would definitely protect her in his territory.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Even without her title as the princess, she would definitely have a great life. However, she had been doing a lot for the countries.


    It was visible from all her actions how much she loved this country. There was nothing that hurt her more than getting exiled and even treated as a criminal if she ever returned.


    And this was also a warning. If, after all these, other princes and princesses did something to Livia, they wouldn''t escape the king''s wrath.


    That was why this was probably herst duty as the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom. To pave the way for the Greenwood Kingdom to be an economic superpower.


    "Ministers. How long will it take to finalize thews?" The king asked.


    "Two¡­ No, one year."


    "I will give you all the resources and manpower you want. Finish it within half a year."


    "Ha!" The minister lowered his head.


    Thepletion of thews was the only thing the king could give in return.


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 Chapter 1234: Retrieving the Wheel of Destiny

    Once the decision had been made, Livia and the king went to the bottom of the castle. There was a secret passage heavily guarded by a lot of strong soldiers.


    The king looked at the double gate before him and said, "Thest time we opened this ce was 26 years ago."


    Livia widened her eyes. "26¡­ Is that because of you, Father?"


    The king smiled wryly. "Yeah. Because yourte grandfather thought I was exceptional, he opened the Treasury and allowed me to choose something. And that action caused the bloodbath a few yearster."


    Livia''s expression turned solemn. The bloodbath he was talking about was definitely the previous battle of the throne.


    Back then, her father fought against three princes and two princesses. He won by andslide due to Raincart, Noel''s grandfather.


    The king sighed. "I never really wanted to sit on the throne in the past. All I wanted was to go around the world, searching for new things and learning about other cultures.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "But due to that event, I unknowingly pressured my brothers and sisters. The next thing I realized, I was already involved in the throne battle. Stay tuned to m-v l|-NovelBin


    "I just wanted to survive and escape back then, and eventually, I did exactly that. To survive, I had to dirty my hands with the blood of my siblings.


    "I thought I had done my best to prevent further bloodshed, but it didn''t seem all my children took it to heart. Among all of you, only you, the fourth prince, and the sixth prince never intend to take the throne.


    "It wasn''t that I nned to cut your ambition. I just wish that you never had to dirty your hands with the blood of your siblings if you wanted to ascend it. s, it is impossible. Politics, corruption, and other things will lead to such a thing.


    "If your siblings are still alive, they still have the ability to threaten your position. If you are paranoid or influenced by those people, you will eventually force yourself to kill your own sibling.


    "I''m sorry, Livia. As a king, I have to strip you from your title and exile you to a faraway ce." The king lowered his head.


    Livia was dumbstruck. She hurriedly waved her hands, "No, Your Majesty. It''s thanks to you that I''m able to escape from the battle of the throne while still contributing to the country. I should thank you for fulfilling my wish. I might not reach the ideal goal in mind, but I''m satisfied with the result."


    The king smiled wryly. "Maybe I should have betrothed you to Marquis Ardagan from the start."


    "Hahaha. You know it''s not possible." Livia chuckled. "Besides, he is my teacher."


    "I know. I''m just kidding. However, if you have anyone you fancy, be bold and make him yours. Although I''m bound as the king of the Greenwood Kingdom, I will definitely visit you as a father."


    His words moved her heart.


    The king ced his hand on the door. "What you''re searching for must be inside. As thew stated, you only have one hour inside."


    "Yes!" Livia nodded with a serious expression.


    Once she entered, she could understand why this ce was called the kingdom''s treasury.


    Sparkling gold scattered everywhere. A lot of extraordinary equipment, high quality items from paintings to jewelry, and even important books and records were stored inside.


    With just a single nce, Livia knew that if she sold all this, the Greenwood Kingdom could definitely live for more than a decade without earning anything.


    Still, Livia had a task from Anna. This was the agreement she had to fulfill.


    She started looking around the Treasury, wondering where the Wheel of Destiny was.


    "A brokenpass¡­ A brokenpass¡­ They''re not throwing it away because it''s a brokenpass, right?" Livia muttered while going around.


    She had a hard time finding thispass due to how many items were there.


    In fact, she was a bit distracted by the quality of these items.


    Fortunately, she ended up finding it after half an hour. It was actually located deep inside the Treasury.


    Livia didn''t know that the items near it were actually the inheritance from Noel''s ancestor. They were the gifts sent to the Greenwood Kingdom by Alexander Ardagan.


    Nevertheless, she just went outside because it was better not to know more items lest people were tempted about the information of those items.


    The king looked worried at first but soon felt relieved when he saw Liviaing out with an item.


    Despite getting called a Wheel of Destiny, the item on her hand looked no different than a normalpass that everyone could find in a cheap store.


    However, it didn''t seem to deteriorate even though a thousand years had passed. It was clear that thepass was extraordinary.


    The king and Livia didn''t know thepass'' true name. In fact, Anna only mentioned apass, which might have broken down after so much time.


    "You''re getting a brokenpass?"


    "Yes." Livia nodded. "I have agreed to bring out apass."


    "Hmm. Do you know what it is?"


    Livia shook his head. "The only thing I know is thispass must be special. However, I don''t know how special it is."


    "Considering he is nning to operate the train in the Greenwood Kingdom and also other transportations, I can imagine how special it is. Nevertheless, it''s something you have agreed to."


    "Yes. The train is also strong enough like a fortress wall, so I believe this is going to be the future. Also, I''ve heard that the Ardagan family is currently reforming their ownws to match the future. I''ll try to write down several of thosews so that you and the ministers can consider them."


    "Thank you." The king smiled. "Be careful out there. I know that things start getting tricky on that side. If you need anything, head to the demon territory as usual and get reinforcement there."


    "Yes, Your Majesty." She nodded and paused for a moment. After some hesitation, she actually hugged him, which startled the king. "Goodbye, Father."


    The king bit his lips and hugged her tightly, expressing the bitterness of his decision. "Goodbye, Daughter."


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 Chapter 1235: Using Wheel of Destiny

    "So this is what you''re searching for from the Greenwood Kingdom." Rose squinted her eyes, examining thepass. Just like she originally expected, it was like a normal brokenpass. People could easily mistake this as junk.


    "Yeah. Nevertheless, we are getting this for free, so¡­" Anna shrugged.


    "Free, huh? We are already nning for the expansion to other kingdoms. They are bound to happen in a year or two, but¡­"


    "But they don''t know." Anna nodded. "The fact they don''t know about this gives us thispass. As Noel said, information is the most important and powerful weapon. Without them knowing about thispass or our expansion n, they end up giving thispass."


    Rose nodded with a serious expression. "So what are we going to do next?"


    "We will¡­" Anna paused for a moment and closed her eyes. She channeled her spiritual energy into thepass while thinking about the closest Supreme Devil Organization''s branch.


    She didn''t know how to utilize thispass, so she just tried to use her spiritual energy. It was said thepass would lead her to that exact location.


    And it did.


    The brokenpass that kept moving as if it couldn''t find the world''s maic field ended up pointing in a single direction.


    "This is¡­" Rose looked surprised.


    Anna put down thepass, confirming that thepass was pointing northwest.


    "I''m thinking about the nearest location of the Supreme Devil Organization branch. And this is the result." Anna''s expression turned solemn. "Call Dimitri right away."


    "Yes!" Rose nodded.


    It didn''t take too long for Rose to return with Dimitri.


    Obviously, Dimitri didn''t understand the power of the brokenpass.


    However, Anna simply said, "Dimitri. I need you to move in a straight line in this direction," while pointing at thepass. "This includes the buildings in our city."


    "What is going on, Mistress?" Dimitri frowned. "I''m afraid I don''t know anything about this."


    Anna continued, "Thispass is currently pointing at the nearest branch of the Supreme Devil Organization. We don''t know where, but we know its general location. All you just need to do is follow this direction until you find it.


    "Considering they are humans, I don''t think they will be that deep into the demon territory."


    "Hmm." Dimitri thought for a moment. "Do you want me to ambush them?"


    "No. All I want is to locate them as well as confirm thepass'' power. If you find them within our territory, that''ll be good."


    "Good? But shouldn''t we get rid of them?"


    "Of course. However, getting rid of them all of a sudden for no apparent reason might raise their suspicion. And with their knowledge, there''s a chance they will realize we have gotten this brokenpass.


    "Rather than rming the enemies, it''s better to proceed more cautiously, especially since the Third Prince is also on the move.


    "Hence, my n is to have the soldiers expand in that general direction. Once they''re close enough, even the Supreme Devil Organization should have expected they would find them sooner orter.


    "Right before they left, we will swoop in. No. It''s probably better to get the help from the Demon Banner Army at this rate. This way, future cooperation will be easy."


    Rose and Dimitri fell into deep thought. This was a rational decision. Not only did she avoid revealing the Wheel of Destiny, but she also wanted to destroy a single branch.


    With the current strength of the Supreme Devil Organization, this should be easy. In fact, the Demon Banner Army could use this opportunity to weaken the Supreme Devil Organization even further.


    The weakened organization wouldn''t pose a threat when Noel and Anna went on the sea expedition.


    Of course, Anna didn''t n to hit only the Supreme Devil Organization. He wanted to crush the Tower Association, the Royal Family, and the Third Prince.


    However, confirming the Wheel of Destiny''s power was necessary. She could probably test it with something simple, but it was better to use it for something like this.


    Dimitri nodded with a serious expression. "I understand. I will go in that direction and report to you if I find any sign of human activity. What if the nearest branch is located outside our territory?"


    "Return and report immediately. We won''t be attacking them for the time being."


    "Understood." Dimitri nodded and turned into a shadow, leaving the room.


    Rose asked, "Have you told Noel about this?"


    "Yeah. He gave me the full right to do it." Anna nodded while adding inwardly, ''But that''s because he doesn''t want his fate to be tied into this Wheel of Destiny.''


    "I see." Rose nodded, having no more qualms.


    Fortunately, Dimitri worked extremely fast as one would expect from a former top assassin.


    It only took him a day to actually find that sign, which turned out to be located not far from their city.


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    While the demons were still looming around, they could use one of the viges as the foremost point for the ''military training.''


    By using this as an excuse, Anna mobilized the Ardagan family''s soldiers.


    Howard could use the demons as training partners for the soldiers. He had seen how effective thebination of soldiers and rune magicians fighting together was, so this was perfect for them to know each other.


    Unfortunately, it still took a week for Howard to reach the designated spot.


    Within that time, Anna had sent a letter to the Demon Banner Army.


    "Sir. It seems that they have found a branch of the Supreme Devil Organization and are currently asking for our assistance." Milfa reported.


    "Hmm?" Oscar squinted his eyes. "What unit is currently on standby?"


    "Shale can go at any time. In fact, if not for you requesting him to remain near the headquarters due to the current situation, he would have gone to the demon territory."


    "In that case, tell Shale to lead his squads to assist the Ardagan family. Make sure to exterminate those pests. Just capture several of them for information."


    "Understood." Milfa nodded, acknowledging the order.


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 Chapter 1236: Working Together

    "Sir. There is a movementing from the Ardagan family. They are approaching this way." One of the Supreme Devil Organization members reported with a serious expression.


    "What? Did they find us?"


    "No, sir. It looks like they are merely expanding."


    "Hmm¡­" The leader frowned. It looked like the Ardagan family was just following their general expansion n. In fact, Anna had never really shown any result that could make her a good lord or a troublesome opponent.


    She was fierce indeed, but that was all. She wasn''t as cunning as Noel, so he doubted Anna had found them.


    "Nevertheless, we have to report this to the headquarters. And since the Ardagan family is expanding in our direction, we will begin evacuating our men."


    "Yes, sir!"


    While waiting for the reply from the headquarters, they began to pack up their belongings, ready to evacuate sneakily at a moment''s notice.


    There was also some distance between them and the Ardagan family''s soldiers, so it shouldn''t be that hard for them to escape.


    However, the soldiers moved at a speed much faster than they originally expected. They thought they were able to wait for the reply from the headquarters, but it seemed they had to evacuate before that.


    After all, the soldiers were only a hundred meters away from them. And that happened in the middle of the night, which caused them to panic.


    "Sir. They''reing. They are advancing toward our base during the night. Their camp is right outside our base. We have to go."


    The leader frowned, not expecting that they would be this bold. At the same time, he couldn''t deny the Ardagan family was surprising them by this move.


    If they looked at it carefully, it was as if the Ardagan family had found out about their base.


    Their base was located underground, hidden behind a hill. If they wanted to reach them, they would have to loop around the hill first.


    That was why this was the time for them to escape.


    He immediately ordered, "Release those demons in their direction. Let them focus on the demons."


    "But won''t that make them know we''re escaping?"


    "They won''t move during the night if they know about us. The only thing that bothers me is why they haven''t made any move even though they havee close." The leader shook his head.


    Even if they assumed the Ardagan family didn''t know about their location, they still had to evacuate the branch. After all, the Supreme Devil Organization couldn''t afford to get another loss.


    Their base here was to monitor the Ardagan family, so it was better to be cautious.


    Without hesitation, he ordered the evacuation and immediately brought his people away.


    In the meantime, hundreds of demons were released in the camp''s direction.


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    *Roar!*


    The demons were charging toward the camp.


    In the meantime, the leader opened the secret door as people starteding out of the secret base.


    They had to cross the forest and hide in the demon territory for a while. Fortunately, they were immune to demons.


    Little did they know, the demons that wreaked havoc in the Ardagan family''s camp noticed something amiss.


    When they attacked the camp, there was no soldier guarding the camp. Once they tore the tents, they only found them empty. The moment they crushed the camp, nothing could be found. Nothing.


    Where did all those people go?


    The leader was the one who got the answer.


    "This is¡­" The leader gasped as he came to a halt. He saw soldiers surrounding them from the front and the right sides.


    Howard was standing in front of the soldiers as he shouted, "Surrender. We know you are from the Supreme Devil Organization. If you don''t surrender, don''t expect us to show any mercy."


    "!!!" The leader was stunned. How could they find out about their base? When did they figure it out?


    A lot of questions appeared in his mind, but there was one thing for sure. They were baited by that camp.


    The reason they didn''t attack the enemy during the night was because they knew they would unleash demons to fight for them.


    As a result, they set up the camp so that the demons woulde toward the camp. Then, they sneakily looped around the hill during the night. It must be hard since it was dark, but they did it.


    The leader gnashed his teeth, never expecting him to be fooled. He had 50 subordinates with him. The Ardagan family brought more than three times their number. This would be a one-sided ughter, but they could still drag a lot of people down, especially with those demons.


    "Kill them!" The leader shouted and waved his hand down.


    "Uooohhh!" His subordinates charged forward.


    Howard had no choice but to give a signal to attack. The soldiers moved forward, trying to surround them, but for some reason the left side was open. If they wanted to escape, they could, but the leader realized it was a trap.


    As a result, the leader suddenly blew a trumpet. The dull sound echoed across the forest.


    The demons definitely heard it and started charging in their direction. Even if Howard had a trap there, they couldn''t handle several hundred demons by themselves. At the very least, it was enough to create an opening.


    That was when several hooded people came from the left side and sliced several organization members'' necks.


    "!!!" The leader widened his eyes in shock as he turned to the side.


    Right after, he heard a series of roarsing from the side. The sound was as if the demons were wailing in pain.


    One of the hooded guys took off his hood and shouted, "Is the Ardagan family''s captain here?" Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "I am here." Howard immediately shouted back.


    "I am the vice captain of the Demon Extermination Squad, Davey. The Demon Extermination Squad will fully cooperate with the Ardagan family. You don''t have to worry about those demons."


    Those words echoed in everyone''s ears, making them realize the situation they were in.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    The Ardagan family''s soldiers were fired up, knowing their time hade.


    "Attack them!"


    "Capture as many people as possible for information!"


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 Chapter 1237: Solving Problems

    The branch leader engaged in a battle against Howard and the vice captain of the Demon Extermination Squad.


    While all three of them were spirit grandmasters, the Ardagan family boosted both of them with runes.


    As a result, both of them had far surpassed the branch leader.


    In just a few exchanges, Howard was able to cut one of his arms while the vice captain subdued him.


    The rest were either killed or captured, concluding the mission in such a fast manner.


    On the other hand, the rest of the Demon Extermination Squad was handling hundreds of demons the organization freed.


    With Shale as the center, they took down the demons in just less than fifteen minutes.


    "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Howard. If not for the Ardagan family, we wouldn''t be able to catch all these people." Shale extended his hand.


    Howard shook his hand while saying, "You''re wee. The mistress has specifically asked us to hand over every person we capture to the Demon Banner Army. We hope that they''re able to be punished."


    "Of course." Shale nodded with a serious expression. Shale looked at the captured people.


    Normally, the Supreme Devil Organization branches were hard toe by. Even if they had information, it was impossible for them to gather enough men to surround them.


    However, Anna found them easily through the Wheel of Destiny. With Dimitri confirming the ability of the Wheel of Destiny, they were able to organize the manpower to surround the enemy.


    And because of this very reason that Anna was able to ask for reinforcement from the Demon Banner Army.


    Before the organization noticed, they had approached them and surrounded them. Meanwhile, the Demon Extermination Squad took advantage of their speed to reach their position from a farther position, allowing them to create an ambush that sealed the enemy''s escape route.


    Still, the Demon Banner Army had truly fought them quite a lot. The fact that they knew there was poison that these people would take in case they were captured had been seen through by them.


    As a result, out of the 69 people, 27 people were captured.


    "If it''s not much to ask, we''d like to also investigate the base. If possible, together," said Howard.


    There was only one reason. It was to transfer their knowledge so that the Ardagan family could independently take them down in the future.


    Besides, this would be building trust between the Ardagan family and the Demon Banner Army.


    At first, it looked like a gamble for Oscar to simply trust Anna''s words and send the Demon Extermination Squad. But after this, they would definitely believe if the Ardagan family asked for another reinforcement.


    As long as this trust wasn''t broken, the Ardagan family could easily gain the reinforcement of the Demon Banner Army.


    This was Anna''s n. Unfortunately, Noel didn''t n to tell her anything on how to utilize the Wheel of Destiny correctly.


    In other words, Anna had to know who to attack and when they should begin. Although it was a bit frustrating for Anna, it was also a good learning opportunity.


    The investigation didn''t take a long time as the Supreme Devil Organization had started transferring their resources and evacuating.


    So, they couldn''t find a clue about the Supreme Devil Organization''s headquarters.


    The only thing they could find was that the branch was rted to one of the Devil Saints, who happened to be Laufey Ardagan.


    The cooperation ended with no major issues.


    "I see." Anna looked down, falling into deep thought. She had just listened to Howard''s recount of the event.


    "Do we need to raid another ce?"


    "Not yet. With that branch gone, the Supreme Devil Organization will need a lot more time to reorganize them. And even if they rebuild a branch near our location, they would have to go up north, as far as possible, so that we wouldn''t even discover that ce for a long time." Anna shook her head.


    "How about raiding the ce around our allies?" Howard asked. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "No. It will raise suspicion. That''s what we don''t want to do right now," Rose exined before turning to Anna. "How about removing the spies in this city? It should be possible, no?"


    "Yes, but Noel wants to let the spy remain here. By showing that we''re harmless for the time being, you will give us some time." Anna noticed one other possibility. "No, we can actually remove the spies, but we won''t do it now. We''ll wait until we''re about to depart for the Zaecuria Kingdom."


    "So that they will be cautious?" Rose and Howard saw through her intention.


    "That''s right." Anna confirmed her intention. "For now, we''ll stay quiet. Looking at the previous attack, it''s clear that the Third Prince is nning to make a big mess soon."


    "Yes. The previous attack seemed to be just them measuring our strength. Now that they know our strength, they will try something bigger this time. I''m nning to spread my soldiers even more right now because I''m afraid other cities or viges will be the victims," Howard gave his insight as a captain of their army.


    Anna looked down, muttering inwardly, ''The Wheel of Destiny should be able to show us where they''re going to attack but not the timing. In other words, we still need some information.''Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Anna turned to Howard. "I want you to focus on strengthening the army. We are thinking about letting the soldiers train to operate."


    "Ah. The one where you want to transport a thousand people at once?"


    "Yes. For a short distance, I think this is the best method. And we''ll try to calcte the time for each city and create a new camp for our soldiers. This will be the center of our military."


    "But shouldn''t the military focus on the main city?"


    "Because of our city''s location¡­ no." She shook her head.


    "Understood. I''ll arrange the soldiers ordingly." Howard nodded and took his leave after receiving his order.


    Anna then turned to Rose and said, "I want you to cooperate with Harley and locate all those spies. The purge will be a few monthster, but just make sure we keep an eye on them."


    "Alright."


    Noel didn''t know that by the time he returned, Anna would have solved half of their security problems.


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 Chapter 1238: Retreat

    "What? They attacked one of our branches? How did they find it?" Alexander stood up.


    "We heard their report stating that the Ardagan family was expanding in their direction. However, they were found much faster than they originally expected. Apparently, they were trying to escape, but the Ardagan family set up an ambush. The Demon Banner Army was even involved in this," exined Josephine.


    "Where is Laufey? He should be the person in charge of that branch, right?"


    "He is immediately going there to confirm it with his own eyes," said Josephine.


    Alexander fell silent. He couldn''t really get angry when the person in charge was going there personally. Besides, this attack was just weird.


    Why would they suddenly expand in that direction? It was true that the Ardagan family was expanding, but suddenly finding their base was weird.


    "We have received information from the people there that they are expanding their farnd."


    "What? Are they taking down one of our bases just to expand their farm?" Alexander frowned.


    "Most likely. ording to our spies in the Golden Dawn City, they''re nning to increase the yield of their farm because of the situation in the kingdom."


    "Farm, huh?" Alexander frowned. There was one thought in his mind. Since they were fighting, it was obvious that thend couldn''t be farmed when it had been destroyed by the demons.


    It would definitely cause a famine if they attacked hard enough. This was one of their ns, but what if Noel expanded his farm, fully aware of this n? He didn''t have to rely on others, who might also experience famine. In fact, he could use his own storage to help them.


    As a result, Noel''s strength became much more consolidated.


    What about the battle against them? Such a war would definitely cause a widespread famine. Noel was simply preparing for it, which was understandable.


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    It seemed he was the one who didn''t understand what Noel was nning to do.


    Alexander nodded. "It seems we have no other choice but to retreat our force. Doing so will lead to the growth of the Ardagan family, but if we lost more than this, especially after the defeat against the Demon Banner Army, it would be hard to recover from the setback."


    Josephine couldn''t refute those words. The continuous defeats had started running them dry. If they continued at this pace, it wouldn''t be weird if the Supreme Devil Organization ceased to exist.


    Besides, the royal family, the Third Prince, and the Tower Association had tried to attack Noel, but they were stopped whether through Noel''s superior n or superior technology.


    Suddenly, the Supreme Devil''s voice echoed from behind the curtain.


    "Tell them to retreat. There is no point in sending them to their deaths. It''s best if we replenish our strength during this time¡­ even if it means allowing the Ardagan family to further grow.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "What we have right now is iparable to the Ardagan family. However, both Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are nning to leave their territory for a sea expedition.


    "Even if we can''t sabotage the expedition itself, we will definitely be able to mess with his territory.


    "Josephine. I want you to utilize your ability to help with the evacuation. I don''t want another loss."


    "Understood." Josephine acknowledged the order.


    "Alexander. You have to distract them until the full evacuation ispleted. I''m afraid this matter is not as simple. Currently, we know that both Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze are spirit transcendences.


    "However, this kind of boldness doesn''te only from their strength. Make sure to investigate them thoroughly and figure out whether the Greenwood Kingdom helps them."


    Alexander nodded. "Not only the Greenwood Kingdom, but I''ll also investigate the Zaecuria Kingdom. They''re going on a sea expedition with the Zaecuria Kingdom, so it won''t be weird if they receive the Zaecuria Kingdom''s help."


    "I''ll leave it to you."


    "Yes." Alexander lowered his head.


    "Warn the Third Prince, the royal family, and the Tower Association to not do anything. Thest thing we need is to get our force weakened further. It''s better to build up and attack the Ardagan family together.


    "Tell Laufey to oversee the retreat as well."


    "Yes!" Both of them lowered their heads, acknowledging the order. It seemed they had no other choice but to swallow their pride.


    "You''re done here?" The admiral asked with a smile.


    "Yes. Everything is done. I''ll return here once we''re ready to depart." Noel nodded before turning to Incetta. "What do you think?"


    Incetta nodded. "I believe that they will train their soldiers perfectly. If we y it right, we might be able to findnd this time."


    "What about their training?"


    "They are moving in the correct direction."


    "Alright." Noel nodded and turned back to the admiral. "There you have it. We''ll take our leave here. We''re thankful for your hospitality for thest three weeks. It took longer than I expected, but I couldn''t be away for too long."


    "Certainly." The admiral nodded. "I hope we will be able to make this expedition a sess."


    "Yes."


    After shaking the admiral''s hand, Noel and Incetta went back to their car, starting their return trip.


    On the way, Vivi couldn''t help but ask, "So it''s really that guy?"


    "Yes. ording to the report, the first expedition was a sess. He seemed to have settled down over there. Although it is shameful, we really need the divine item."


    "Fair enough. Besides, he must also understand it. Hopefully, we will be able to get it without any fight." Vivi nodded. "Still, I have never thought that a muscle gori would end up settling down.


    "When we fought together, he was thest person that came to my mind for a husband. After all, the only thing in his mind was to fight, fight, and fight.


    "I guess someone managed to change him over there. I wonder if his legacy is still being passed down today¡­" Vivi smiled.


    She was a bit excited to see what kind of n he built and whether it was sessful or not.


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 Chapter 1239: Invitation

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    "Huu¡­" Noel took a deep breath as he sat down in his chair. It had been a while since he managed the territory, so he knew there would be a lot of things to handle. "Anyway, give me the work, Rose."


    Rose nodded. "Actually, there isn''t a lot of work left. The only thing that will need your attention is probably the train that is increasingly popr and the road project to other kingdoms."


    "Hmmm?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Nothing left?"


    "Yes. Anna has handled everything." Rose confirmed it. "However, the train has be a bit too popr. If we want to continue our production of trains, we will need a lot more materials and craftsmen."


    "I see." Noel looked down, falling into deep thought.


    "There are several tradingpanies approaching us, wishing to cooperate with us for the transportation."


    "The scale of theirpanies will be much bigger, so of course¡­ Do you have a list of their names, and have you done a background check?"


    "Yes." Rose nodded and showed the documents. "Shouldn''t we ept everyone? This is just a business agreement that allows them to use the trains to transport the items."


    "Not yet. While it''s true that allowing them all to utilize the trains will increase the scale a lot, it will cause a massive influx of items."


    "Ah. The price will decrease by a lot."


    "Yes. The merchant aside, how about those who are producing those items? With a lower price, their ie decreases, and most likely, they will try to change the items they wish to change."


    "But if we don''t ept any of them, there will be a riot."


    "Yes. For the time being, I''m thinking of epting several of them. And it''ll be much better if we can utilize other lords in the north." Noel nodded.


    "The lords? Why?"


    "If we just ept the merchants, those lords will not like it. It is as if we''re the ones in charge. Their fate will depend on our words. However, if we involve those lords, we will be able to let them know that we''re seeking cooperation with them.


    "That''s why I''m nning to hold a conference. Let''s see¡­ don''t use the Ardagan family''s territory to hold this conference. We probably can ask the Stargaze family to hold it. We''ll invite the lords and let them discuss what merchants will be best to distribute their goods here.


    "In this exchange, not only can we make them feel at peace, but we can also understand their circumstances." Noel exined.


    "Oh!" Rose nodded in understanding. She had been learning a lot from him, but this was something much moreplicated. Rose asked, "In that case, shouldn''t we allow them to suggest someone as well?"


    "That''s possible, but we will also have to judge whether they are worthy or not. If we let a lot of them enter, it''ll prolong the meeting. That''s why if they want to suggest someone, they should also bring their background and other information and why we should ept him."


    "It''s clear that there will be bribery in this. There are a lot of merchants wealthy enough to bribe nobles after all. But by letting multiple lords judge this merchant, it will reduce the chance of an insignificant person who relied solely on bribes to enter."


    "Indeed." Noel crossed his arms. "The problem is that they can also influence other lords, which will make it political. It will be troublesome if they create alliances. That''s why we have to make a contract short, like only for a year.


    "Besides, after a few years, there will be a lot more trains on the road, so we don''t have to worry about that problem anymore.


    "What we want right now is to boost the economy while making other lords more loyal to us."


    Noel began to write a letter for one of them, telling them that he would like to hold a conference. He told them everything they needed to know, including the suggestion.


    "This should be enough, right? If there is no problem, let them copy it and spread it to other lords."


    "Shouldn''t we inform Anna''s brother first? We don''t know if he is willing to use his territory to bring those lords."


    "Alright. Give me the list of the people of our allies. We will try to invite everyone, but that depends on their current circumstances." Noel thought for a moment. "That''s right. We should give them an option to use the cars provided by us as well. We will need to make some luxurious cars for those nobles, which will end up promoting it.


    Nobles love luxury, so yeah¡­"


    "Alright. I''ll tell Roel about it. How about the date?"


    "Set it up one month from now."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Understood."


    Rose immediately worked on the problem while Noel took care of the rest of the problems. He was a bit surprised that Anna had taken care of most of their external problems, but this also meant she''d got the Wheel of Destiny.


    ¡­


    Stargaze Family.


    His fiancee, formerly his subordinate, Alicia, walked to Dn''s office. "Dn. A letter from your sister has just arrived."


    "Hmm? That''s weird. Hasn''t she sent a letter a week ago?"


    "Yes. It''s probably regarding business or something." Alicia nodded.


    "Let me see." Dn nodded. He had been learning a lot of things as the new lord of the Stargaze family, considering Kevin fully focused on his job as an Arbiter to suppress the royal family as much as possible.


    When Dn read the letter, his expression turned serious.


    "A conference to regte a merchant, huh?" Alicia frowned. "This kind of action¡­"


    "Yes. It''s her husband." Dn nodded. "If things are going well, that means the people in the north will be much more solid. If that''s the case, we should provide the venue as well as the security."


    "Indeed. I''ll take care of the security." Alicia smiled. "This is what I''ve been doing, so it shouldn''t be too hard."


    "Mhmm. I''ll handle the rest then. I hope that my brother-inw seeds this time. If we get an influx of goods, it should fix a lot of problems in our territory."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1240: Decision

    A lot of nobles received the same invitation from Noel, stating that he wanted to hold a conference between lords to discuss how to develop the northern territories.


    Of course, there would be some conflicts on a smaller scale even among Noel''s allies, but he had specifically mentioned that everything would be discussed together.


    In other words, it wouldn''t just be Noel who decided it.


    Because everyone needed the train that had been confirmed for its safety and function, Noel had specifically stated that all the lords invited would be the priority to get ess to the train.


    No amount of money or politics would be able to influence Noel to change his decision. It could be said that if they ended up bringing their conflict to this conference, Noel would ssify them as someone who didn''t need trains. He would simply not build a road over there, which would make other territories more prosperous.


    That was why they had no other choice but to drop their conflict, at least for this conference.


    Noel would definitely take advantage of this conference to ensure the safety of the trains, even if they were in the middle of the conflict.


    All 15 lords that had been invited, none of them rejected.


    As such, the Stargaze family would be the one hosting this conference. And Noel offered to pick them up with his luxury car.


    Obviously, the northern territory wasn''t the only one doing it. The nobles in the Greenwood Kingdom had also heard about the expansion to their territory, allowing the goods from the Muivell Kingdom to enter the Greenwood Kingdom at a massive scale and vice versa.


    A lot of nobles would definitely take the offer without hesitation, especially with how close Noel and the Greenwood Kingdom were.


    And this news had spread to the entire Muivell Kingdom.


    "This is¡­" Duke Lorelei sucked a cold breath.


    "What do you think, Duke?" the third princess asked.


    Duke Lorelei smiled wryly. "If they truly proceed with such a thing, the development of the north will be much faster.


    "First of all, we have to acknowledge that the Ardagan family has stopped the enemies from bothering them. And with the train guaranteeing the safety of the goods as well as the speed, it''ll allow the goods to be distributed much faster than the rest of the kingdom.


    "It is as if Noel is saying, "Hahaha. You have lost to me and can''t do anything to me. So I will just build up at a much faster rate than you expect."


    "And if they end up taking a bait, this project itself might look like a trap, which Noel will use to weaken them further.


    "After getting beaten several times, they should have known that Noel is capable of doing such an unexpected thing. That''s why no matter how hard they want to sabotage it, no one will be foolish enough to stop him.


    "Hence, his n is likely to seed. And other nobles and merchants will definitely try to join."


    The third princess looked down. "Does that mean the economy of the Muivell Kingdom will soon be controlled by them?"


    "Not at all. Even Noel knows that he can''t do such a thing to avoid any future problems. Besides, I''m afraid that his target this time is the one who has been antagonizing him this whole time."


    "The demons?"


    "No. The merchants and nobles." Duke Lorelei shook his head. "You should have heard about the time Noel called the top ten merchants to his territory. Only three of them have joined him, and as a result, the top one is currently leading with arge margin. His goods that are usually traveling between ten lords or so have doubled in number. Even the volume of the transaction has gotten bigger.


    "Even the lowest one, Zephyr has now been considered the 4th rank, only lower than the previous 2nd ce, whose rank drops after picking a fight against him.


    "And with this strategy, there will be a lot of merchants and nobles that will try to eliminate them or weaken them to curry favor. I believe either me or Countess Christina will be picked next to hold the conference for the center part of this kingdom." Continue your story on m,v|l-NovelBin


    The third princess frowned. "But doesn''t that mean he will control the goods?"


    "Not at all. I''m sure that this agreement will be a short one. What he is currently doing is increasing the loyalty of those in the north and creating a wall to stop anyone from stabbing him in the back.


    "This agreement willst at most a year or two. By that time, a lot more trains will be produced, allowing other territories to even have their own independent trains and trucks.


    "At that time, everyone is happy, and Noel will probably have another transportation or a new invention.


    "I mean, he has begun the expansion to the Greenwood Kingdom. The Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom will definitely join pretty soon. If his father bes the wealthiest guy in this kingdom, his son will soon be the wealthiest man in the world."


    The princess asked, "So he''s not controlling the kingdom''s economy, simply because he is ying in a much bigger field?"


    "Indeed." Duke Lorelei nodded.


    The princess closed her eyes, picturing what would happen in five or even ten years from now on.


    By strengthening the northern lords and creating a wall behind him, Noel had just made things easier for him to fight against the demons. With the cooperation of four kingdoms, the demons would have a harder time since they might not win in number.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    It was a clever and aggressive n. And the demons had no chance to stop it.


    The princess took a deep breath before standing up. "Duke. I need your help."


    "Please give me your order, Your Highness."


    "Those people in the royal pce are just a tumor of this kingdom. They might even be influenced by demons. I need more nobles under mymand. That''s why I need you to gather more nobles under me. Once we are powerful enough, I''ll usurp the throne if necessary. I''d rather be the viin of the kingdom than let the kingdom fall into ruin."


    Duke Lorelei smiled and fell on one knee. "I''ve received your order."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1241: Merchants vs Nobles

    Count Elevan was one of the northern lords who had the qualification to attend the conference.


    And it was obvious that, as one of the attending nobles, he would be visited by a merchant.


    It was no ordinary merchant. It was one of the ten top merchants who were once invited by Noel to the past conference.


    "Count Elevan. Our rtionship has gone a long way back, so I''m sure that I have never been stingy with you. I have helped your territory with my power, allowing your people to purchase goods at a reasonable price." The merchant smiled.


    Count Elevan''s expression remained unchanged. He simply asked, "I know what you want. You want me to persuade Marquis Ardagan to help you, right? No. It''s more urate that you want me to actually rmend you in the conference."


    The merchant smiled. "Of course. I have been a good merchant this whole time, so don''t you think I deserve some of your help?"


    "Help, huh?" Count Elevan gritted his teeth and shouted, "Let me see. What kind of help do you need for a merchant who was once invited by Marquis Ardagan and let the favor slip?"


    The merchant''s smile disappeared. "Count Elevan!"


    "I''m not done. Not only did you miss out on that favor, but you also bribed my wife to get that information." Count Elevan squinted his eyes.


    "That''s¡­" The merchant''s body was trembling. The invitation itself was a secret. In this mansion, only him and his wife, whom he talked to, knew about this information.


    The fact that the merchant suggested himself meant he knew the information. In other words, the only one who could tell him was his wife.


    Of course, he would be angry at his wife for letting out that secret, but he was angrier at the merchant for using that method.


    The merchant gritted his teeth, but the count wasn''t done yet.


    He red at the merchant and said with a cold tone. "Also, helping me? It''s true that you have circted the group, but a reasonable price? Do you think I don''t know that it''s actually 20-30% higher than the market price?"


    "What? You should also count the effort that I take to get it!" The merchant stood up.


    But he would soon sit down the moment Count Elevan asked, "Then, what kind of exnation have you prepared for me for the surge of price when people tried to sabotage Marquis Ardagan? Tell me."


    "That''s¡­" The merchant couldn''t say anything. The answer was clear.


    "You want me to actually rmend you while this whole time you have been profiting off me?" Count Elevan gnashed his teeth. The veins on his forehead bulged as if he wanted to kill this merchant right away. "It seems you''re still working together with those bastards from the central in. I know it. You''re trying to sabotage me, aren''t you?"


    The merchant was trembling in fear. He could im he didn''t, but what would change? The count was angry.


    And the fact that he was talking back to the count was the same as him forfeiting the chance of making up.


    "I¡­ I¡­" The merchant bit his lips. "If you rmend me, I''ll reduce the price of the goods in your territory to half for three years."


    He was willing to take a huge loss because, after those three years, hispany would definitely berger.


    That might be effective before Noel produced all kinds of transportation, especially the trains.


    But even without him, the people in his territory could receive the goods from a farther ce by using the trains. It would be much easier to deal with it, and with Noel''s authority, no one would dare to mess up the price.


    That was why Count Elevan shouted, "No. You better pack up your belongings right now before I tell my guards to escort you out of my territory. From now on, you''re banned from my territory. If you want toe back, better beg Marquis Ardagan."


    "You¡­" The merchant gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. Even if he begged Noel, there was no chance of him being forgiven. Even if he managed to do it, it would probably take a lot of time to the point where otherpanies would have be much biggerpared to his by the time he was allowed to trade.


    Several other nobles were also approached by merchants, who used their ways to get that information.


    However, there were also a few other merchants who were called by nobles.


    ¡­


    Mayzion Family.


    Earl Mayzion smiled at the merchant in front of him.


    "Lavar. You have helped my territory a lot."


    Lavar was wearing aplicated expression, not knowing why the Earl suddenly called him to his mansion.


    Lavar scratched the back of his head and said, "I''m just repaying your Lordship." It''s thanks to you that mypany can prosper."


    "No, no. It''s because of your good leadership that yourpany can prosper. I''m just thankful for all the goods you have brought to my territory and keeping the price stable. As expected of a great merchant."


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    "I can''t bepared to the great merchants." He shook his head. "While I do want to be a great merchant, I believe that one shouldn''t lose their humanity when pursuing greed."


    Hearing those words put a smile on Earl Mayzion. He smiled. "And that''s what I like from you. And I believe it''s time for your effort to be rewarded. Lavar. I would like to rmend you as one of the merchants that is allowed to use the trains."Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Huh? Sorry? What do you mean¡­" Lavar was stunned.


    "Literally. Marquis Ardagan is allowing us to rmend a merchant that will be allowed to distribute their goods with trains. I''m sure you know about the trains'' good reputation recently, right?"


    "Yes."


    "I believe that you''re capable of being epted. This way, you can distribute your goods to a much wider area. And this might allow you to be a great merchant. With such a good merchant transporting their goods in his area, Marquis Ardagan will be happy, and he will recognize me as well. In other words, everyone wins." Earl Mayzion smiled and patted Lavar''s shoulders.


    "I just hope you don''t abandon your way once you get big."


    The nobles and merchants'' interactions varied, but they all were settling one way or another. Finally, a month had passed, and it was time for the conference.


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 Chapter 1242 : Luxurious Car

    One monthter.


    "It seems Marquis Ardagan is generous enough to send his car. I''m kind of curious what kind of car he has, especially since he looks like he is boasting." Earl Mayzion fixed his attire while walking toward the front door.


    "Dear." His wife smiled, looking at him.


    "You''re going to apany me today. I hope you won''t mind."


    "Of course." She nodded and casually sneaked her hand into the Earl''s arm as they walked together.


    They intentionally didn''t bring their own carriage because they were curious about the power of the marquis.


    And it turned out he was even more shocking than they originally thought.


    Once they walked outside, they found a long car. The ck color was sparkling, which was very contrast to all the carriages they had used. There were rarely people using ck because the color was often mentioned together with death or a curse.


    However, the sparkle made the ck color feel bright.


    In addition, there were also decorations made of gold, along with the banners of the Ardagan family and the Mayzion family on each side.


    A man was standing next to the car with a ck-colored suit, holding his ck round hat on his chest.


    "Wee, Earl Mayzion and Madam Mayzion. I''ll be your chauffeur for this trip. My name is Elmon."


    "Oh?" The Earl looked startled but soon regained hisposure. "It is fine if we bring our own soldiers, right? Besides, where are the soldiers to protect us?"


    "Please don''t worry, Earl Mayzion." He smiled. "This car is the best car the Ardagan family has ever produced. It is built of a high-level material, which is extremely durable. It also has multiple runes, from defensive runes to offensive runes. It has a lot of storage for the demon crystals and can move even twice the speed of a horse.


    "Please don''t worry about your safety. Even if there are one hundred bandits in front of us, we will be able to overrun them. The runes can also defeat them."


    Earl Mayzion looked surprised by the exnation. This was a big im from the Ardagan family, but if it was true, the Ardagan family was definitely terrifying.


    "In that case, I will only take one person with me." Earl Mayzion turned to the knight next to him. "Lein. You''lle with me."


    "Yes, sir." The knight captain nodded. There was another reason why he agreed so easily. Even though the man in front of him imed to be a chauffeur, he was actually a spirit master.


    The rumor about the Ardagan family''s spirit masters being able to fight Superior Demons had been spread to all four kingdoms. That was why there was no need for a knight. Sending one of the spirit masters alone was enough. And the fact that he was sending all these spirit masters to nobles who wanted to go with the car showed the wealth of the Ardagan family.


    Elmon opened the car''s door. "Please."


    The Earl nodded. When he took a peek inside, he was shocked by how spacious it was. The inside was enough for at least ten people. An empty space in the middle was so big that they could actually put a bed on it. There were also several other things that shocked him, but the one that piqued his interest the most was the window.


    The window was dark. He was unable to peek anything from the outside, but when he entered, he could actually see things through the windows.


    "This is¡­"This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    The Earl waspletely stunned. While the couch wasn''t any different from his carriage, the spacious space made it even more luxurious.


    Elmon even stored their luggage on the back of the car, which turned out to be much bigger than normal storage.


    His wife and the captain were as surprised as he was.


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    The earl asked, "Can you show us the top speed?"


    "Yes. I''ll be able to show it to you, but the Marquis has specified not to cause any idents, so I can only show it to you once we exit the city."


    Since the other party had mentioned Noel''s name, they had no choice but to agree. Then again, as a wise lord, he also agreed with the sentiment.


    "Alright. That is fine."


    "In that case, I''ll start driving." Elmon nodded.


    He started driving slowly, which ended up catching the attention of the citizens in the city. All of them were staring at this car, which was standing outpared to the rest of the carriages they had seen so far.


    Of course, the one providing the design was actually Vivi. She was simply trying to recreate a few things from the previous civilization.


    And Nathan epted it since it was aligned with what he had in mind.


    There was also a separate segment for the driver and the passengers. If they didn''t want to talk, they could simply close the ss door.


    The Earl and his wife looked at the street, seeing the people''s shocked faces.


    "No one can really see us inside, right? There''s no need for the curtain?"


    "Yes, sir. The windows are the same as the ones usually used in the auction in the Zaecuria Kingdom, which is a one-way window. In other words, only the people inside can see the outside."


    "I see." The Earl was even more amazed. Whether it wasfort, speed, or even privacy, everything had been taken care of perfectly.


    "Dear. Look¡­" His wife pointed at the windows, seeing the people start waving their hands.


    "We have a sunroof for you, sir. If you wish to show yourself, you are able to open it and stand up," Elmon added.


    "This one?" The Earl looked up before noticing something else. "Ah. Is that the reason why you''re making this car with a low ceiling?"


    "Yes, sir.


    The Earl was impressed, but he soon shook his head. "No. Let''s not do that."


    Elmon didn''t say anything more as they passed the gate. "We have passed the gate. With your permission, I can start to increase our speed, sir."


    "Alright. You''ve got my permission."


    "In that case, please don''t be shocked by the eleration." Elmon smiled.


    The expression of the Earl and his wife soon changed as their bodies felt like being dragged backward as the car sped up.


    And the earl was just one of the nobles shocked by the car.


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 Chapter 1243 : Conference

    "Sir. We have arrived," said Elmon as he stopped the car.


    "What? We have arrived? While my territory is not that far, I still usually need a single day to reach the Stargaze family''s territory. But with this car, will we reach it before dusk?"


    "Yes, sir. The conference will be held in two days." Elmon nodded as he walked out to open the door for him.


    Earl Mayzion was in utter shock. Everything hadpletely changed. When he turned around, he could see several cars parked in that inn. Instead of a stable, this inn was actually made to allow the cars to park.


    While admiring the new car, he realized that other nobles were experiencing the same thing. Those who took Noel''s offer ended up talking about this car and how they tried to purchase it.


    After all, having a luxury was always what nobles wanted. Those who tried to go with their own carriages ended up staring at them in jealousy.


    Still, most people looked at the conference very positively, especially since this might be their way to get the luxury car or even other inventions that hadn''t been out in the market yet.


    Their surprise aside, they didn''t forget what kind of matter they wanted to discuss here.


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    Seventeen nobles¡ªfifteen of the invited nobles, the Stargaze family, and the Ardagan family¡ªwere sitting behind a round table. Since the host was the Stargaze family, it would only be right for the host to open the conference.


    Dn stood up, saying, "I''m grateful for all fifteen lords to ept my invitation and grace your presence in my humble ce.


    "As much as I want to express my gratitude, I believe we have to go directly into the heart of the discussion.


    "Hence, I''ll be exining about the three steps of this discussion. First, a noble will suggest a person if they have any, exining to everyone in this room why it''s necessary to have him in using the train. As you all know, the current supply of trains is limited, so we have to focus on the one we will benefit the most.


    "The second step will be a question and answer session. If any lords have a question, please ask it in this session, but before that, please don''t say anything to avoid wasting our time. In addition, please don''t bring any conflicts here. There might be a conflict of interest, but we''re here for a discussion, so please keep it civil.


    "The third step will be the judgment. 17 people in this room will have one vote. However, it is not a matter whether you have more than the majority. Instead, we''ll actually count the number of votes.


    "The higher the votes, the more we''ll prioritize them. For the time being, Marquis Ardagan has shared that we will be epting 5 merchants. Those who are not picked immediately might still have the chance to be picked after three months.


    "That''s right. What we want from the merchants is to maintain a stable supply of goods. In exchange, their trade volume will increase, which also means their profits will increase. However, if the merchants are ck-hearted, trying to increase the price after receiving the deal, we reserve the right to take away their privilege.


    And those who will rece them will be those from the 6th rank onward. Andst but not least, this rule will also apply to those who haven''t been picked."


    After the exnations, the nobles looked at each other. Your next chapter awaits on m v|l-e''m,p y r


    "It is understandable. We don''t like it if the merchants abuse their privilege. And I believe this is the right for all the nobles here, correct?" One noble asked.


    Dn nodded. "Indeed. To avoid any noble from taking advantage of the price maniption, we''ll also monitor theints. Any suspicion will be taken seriously and investigated."


    "What if the investigation itself is not conducted by a neutral party?" One noble asked, his eyes ncing between Noel and Dn.


    It was clear what he meant. Noel could easily give a lot of benefits to the Stargaze family, considering it was his wife''s family. While it was understandable, they didn''t think it was fair in this matter.


    Noel answered it as if he had expected this question. "Don''t forget that the lords''ints matter."


    "But you''re the¡­" He wanted to say Noel was the one owning the train, but that would just make his reason justified. In the end, they came here because Noel wanted to get them involved, not the other way around.


    And Noel revealed his card by stating, "And this project is just the beginning for not only the merchants, but also for all of you."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s simple. Exports and Imports."N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    "!!!" They widened their eyes in shock. Noel was talking about expansion to other countries. If they could get the goods from other countries easily, the economy would transform even further.


    It just made Noel''s position clear. Join on board and ept his kindness, or leave and get destroyed by your own foolishness.


    At the same time, having a bad reputation, whether it was a merchant or a noble, would do them no good. Other countries or even other nobles wouldn''t want to have a trade with them.


    That was why everyone had to do it correctly. Corruption would just make them a target. And if Noel also abused his privilege, he might lose all of it after a few years or decades when people found a way not to rely on his trains.


    The nobles finally understood Noel''s sincerity. They all looked at each other and nodded. In fact, two of them looked pressured as if they had done a shady deal with their merchants.


    "Any other questions?" Noel simply asked as if reminding them that he would be there as a judge.


    Since no one opened their mouths, Dn took over again. "The purpose of this project is for all the northern lords to prosper. With that in mind, let''s continue to the first session. Please suggest a merchant¡­ starting from Earl Mayzion."


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 Chapter 1244: Effect

    "I believe that in the entire northern territories, he has the biggest supplies. As such, I''d like to nominate him so that he could bring his merchandise to the entire northern territory."


    "Any objections?"


    "This guy might be the biggest, but I don''t have a good experience with him. He is increasing the price by more than half in my territory. During thest famine, he increased it to three times, which caused not only me but my people to suffer."


    "That''s true. I also had a bad experience with this guy. In fact, I think that the merchant Count Elzein suggests earlier is much better. While he is not as big, he only needs time to grow."


    The arguments continued as they were debating every single merchant brought up in this conference.


    But with Noel observing the entire conference, they didn''t raise their conflict. They maintained the conducive atmosphere, allowing them to finally decide which merchants should receive the right to use the train.


    Finally, after a full two days, they had decided the five merchants that would be given the right to use trains.


    "With this, we have achieved the purpose of this meeting. If there is anyone who would like to raise an objection, this will be yourst chance." Dn asked.


    Some nobles had their expressions darkened. Unfortunately, no matter how much they rejected it, it was impossible to change the decision. After all, the majority of the nobles had agreed.


    "Alright. With this, the meeting is concluded. I''d like to thank all the lords that are present in this room. I believe that these five merchants will be able to perform what we expect them to do and avoid doing hical trade. Other merchants might haven''t been picked, but they are the ones most likely to be picked if any of these five fails to perform.


    In that case, as the host of this conference, I''ll announce that the meeting has ended. Thank you."


    The Lords were nodding their heads.


    In this conference, they were able to see the next Marquis Stargaze. Although Dn''s skill was still subparpared to his father, it didn''t change the fact that he was quite formidable. Of course, he was able to showcase his strength due to Noel''s help.


    But as he grew older and gained more experience, Dn should be able to rule the territory just fine. That was what Noel believed.


    While the nobles started to go back, Noel and Dn were watching them through the window.


    "Thanks to you, Brother. If not for you giving me this chance¡ª" Dn wanted to thank him because this chance had just allowed him to set up his foundation in the political world like any other noble. He had lost this chance because he had to remain on the battlefield.


    "What thank you? You are a capable person, one that I honestly respect." Noel shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you. Despite your living condition this whole time, you remain righteous and humble. You don''t hold a grudge against your younger sister. I believe that you have the quality that not a lot of people have.


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    I hope you are able to continue living that way. As your brother-inw, I will also help you."


    Dn smiled. "It seems Anna has met a perfect husband."


    "Haha. You tter me." Noel chuckled.


    "But that''s the truth." Dn shook his head. "Nevertheless, this is just the first step to go against the demons, right?"Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel''s face immediately turned solemn. He nodded his head, "Yes. By strengthening the northern territory, I will create a wall. This train is not just for the sake of the merchants. It''s to send all the troops around. That''s why I have toplete the road even in the pretense of the merchant."


    Dn nodded in understanding. It was indeed a good n.


    "I see. But to do that, you need toe back alive from the expedition. I have never thought you would casually bring Anna to such a dangerous expression.


    "It can''t be helped. It is a necessary trip."


    "But won''t it leave your territory defenseless? Should I share some soldiers?"


    "No need. The Ardagan family will function as usual. I believe my subordinates will do just fine."


    "Alright then. But if you need anything, do let me know. We know how dangerous the enemies are."


    Noel nodded.


    Once the conference ended, the news spread about them choosing merchants to utilize the trains. Obviously, it sparked a lot of envious people who would like the same opportunity.


    Unfortunately, the only thing they could do was watch from afar. A lot of other merchants and supplies immediately came to them, trying to work together. The merchants would be d since they could increase their trade volume.


    However, Noel would be observing them. If there was anyone trying to abuse this opportunity, he would strike them down with no mercy.


    Obviously, all the people in the kingdom began to realize the power of the trains as the volume of items traded on the northern territory alone had be twice the amount of the rest of the kingdom. In other words, all these supplies would eventually result in development of the entire northern territory.


    And a lot of nobles expressed their desire to get on board. Even those who remained neutral the whole time ended up switching sides to Noel.


    That was the time when the second conference began. It was held in Countess Christina''s territory. Duke Lorelei couldn''t participate in this conference.


    As a result, more and more merchants were threatened by the existence of the northern alliances. If they opposed them, they would be crushed. The one who experienced the effect the most was none other than the royal family.


    Not only did they lose too much in the previous attack against Anna, but a lot of nobles were leaving their side.


    And this was actually when the third princess and Duke Lorelei began to recruit their own supporters.


    Without anyone realizing it, their supporters had actually surpassed the likes of the crown prince.


    Fortunately, there was no bloodshed or big attacks happening, as they feared that Noel had another n.


    Time passed by, and three months had passed. It was the time for the sea expedition.


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 Chapter 1245: Leaving

    "Then, we will be off." Noel smiled at his pirs. "In my absence, Dimitri will be in charge of the family matter. Charlotte and Rose will directly help him. Enjoy new chapters from m-v l''-NovelBinContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "If you need anything, you can call Tristan and let him learn how to govern the territory as well. The rest of you, I hope you are able to help them and ensure the stability of the territory."


    "Yes, sir!" They all nodded.


    "Can I really do it?" Tristan looked down, wondering if this was the correct choice or not.


    "I believe you can." Noel patted his shoulder. "Your ability lies in your memory. And it''s one of the most powerful tools to do anything, whether you want to be strong or govern a territory. Make sure you learn well."


    Noel had high expectations for Tristan. He thought Tristan was able to govern the territory while being a Rune Meister. Once that happened, Tristan could leave both the Rune Academy and Runegard Company and be a full-fledged noble under him. He was even prepared to make him a baron as soon as he was qualified for that position.


    In the end, creating his own noble was a much better option than letting the royal family interfere.


    "I understand. I will do my best so as to not disappoint you, Teacher." Tristan nodded.


    "Good." Noel nodded before waving his hand. "In that case, everyone. We''ll be off."


    Dimitri nodded while saying, "May fortune bless you with its presence, Master."


    The others lowered their heads. Not only Livia, but ine was also there. Despite being a former enemy, she truly believed that Noel was one of the greatest lords in history.


    Besides, after all her work, the burden on her family had lessened. And if this continued, her territory might even have the chance to use the train. That was why ine chose to work hard under her former enemy.


    As expected, a few people were sneakily observing them. They immediately sent the words about Noel, Anna, and Incetta leaving for the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    ¡­


    Royal Pce.


    "So Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze have left their city. This is our chance. If we can hit them where it is hard, we will be able to crush the Ardagan family before they return." Duke Raymond smiled.


    "We need to investigate a bit more instead of attacking immediately. Don''t forget that Noel Ardagan must have mobilized his people in secret, positioning them in a way he can trap us."


    "That''s right. It''s not like they are going back in less than a month. We have a lot of time, so it''s better if we prepare thoroughly before doing anything. We can''t afford another mess."


    The nobles in the royal pce, who wanted to take down Noel, agreed with the preparation.


    Noel had repeatedly beaten them, so they really had no choice but to be careful.


    ¡­


    Supreme Devil Organization.


    "Should we make a move then?" Alexander asked.


    "I think it''s best not to do anything yet. We know that the Ardagan family has been increasing their power through their train project. If we attack there, we might not seed."


    "I can destroy the train. After all, I''m the Spirit Transcendence expert in this ce." Alexander raised his eyebrows.


    "I''m telling you to wait because Oscar might have been waiting for you to do exactly that." Josephine shook her head helplessly. If that''s the case, you might get injured. In the worst-case scenario, the Demon Banner Army will destroy several of our branches, weakening the strength we have just got. Besides, the damage we can do there is minimal.


    "No. It might help him. People will think that his train is so safe that we need a Spirit Transcendence Expert to harm it. What do you think people will do?


    "They will ignore the fact that the Supreme Devil Organization is targeting this train. Instead, they will think that once Noel and Anna are back, they can utilize their trains like there''s no tomorrow. After all, there is only the Supreme Commander of the Demon Banner Army and the Grand Marshall who have the same strength as you.


    "Instead, what we should do right now is wait. The royal family will be much more desperate than us, so they will have no choice but to poke first."


    "Is that so?" Alexander looked down, falling into deep thought.


    ¡­


    Tower Association.


    "We can''t do this anymore. As long as the Magic Lord is in this ce, we can''t gain any advantage. How can we even do this? We have to eliminate the Magic Lord first."


    "How can we even do that? He is extremely careful after knowing our method."


    "But he can''t openly act against us."


    "Still, because of him, the Supreme Elder System has now be invalid."


    "The Ardagan family has lost their strongest fighters, so this will be the chance for us to go against them."


    "But what am I supposed to do?"


    "By the way, where is the Thunder Lord?"


    "Now that I think about it, where is he? Is he sick?"


    The elders were confused.


    Meanwhile, the Lightning Lord in their mouth was currently facing a big predicament. His body was covered in injuries as the Magic Lord was choking his neck.


    He had exhausted all his strength, unable to fight the Magic Lord anymore.


    The Water Lord was there as a witness. And more importantly, there was a ss of water on the table.


    It was just a ss of water with no poison in it. But the water was actually purple instead of transparent. It was as if something was mixed in.


    "Can you exin yourself, eh? Why would the water indicate you are a demon? And during the whole fight, you can''t even use your famous lightning element. Thunder Lord. Answer me, are you a demon or a human?" The Magic Lord was ring at him, his dark expression already giving the answer.


    The Thunder Lord gritted his teeth and shouted, "Don''t think this will be over."


    "I don''t, but I''ll make sure to clean up this association from the likes of demons." The Magic Lord applied more pressure and crushed the Thunder Lord''s neck and his body, killing him.


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 Chapter 1246: Set Sail

    "Wee to the Zaecuria Kingdom once again. We are pleased to have you with us now." The king smiled.


    Noel nodded. Because he was apanied by Anna, the other party was also taking out their Spirit Transcendence, as if showing them that they were not going to lose. And they would sure remember these faces, knowing full well that Noel and Anna would dominate the future.


    "We are thankful for your warm wee." Noel smiled back. "I guess you''re putting pressure on me since we can''t afford to fail on the expedition."


    Noel subtly hinted about these three spirit transcendences before them. Of course, he used the expedition as an excuse.


    All three spirit transcendences couldn''t help but furrow their eyebrows.


    They all knew that Noel would probably be the only one having the authority to say such a thing. After all, his strength wasn''t the only one they should be concerned about.


    Even if all five spirit transcendences fought in this ce, the three people from the Zaecuria Kingdom wouldn''t be so sure they could kill both of them together. Even if they managed to do it, two of them would definitely die, and thest spirit transcendence would be severely injured to the point where they would have to retire.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    That was why no one really rebuked Noel''s words. The king was aware of this and said, "Hahaha. Of course. The money we have spent for this expedition is the greatestpared to any expedition so far. I hope that you are able to lead this fleet well, Marquis Ardagan."


    "I will do my best. After all, our goal is the same." Noel nodded.


    "Alright." The king took a step back and shouted, "Marquis Noel Ardagan! Step forward!"


    Noel did as he instructed. This was a formality that had to be done.


    The king waved his hand. "From this point onward, I honor you with the title Prince of the Sea. All 600 sailors, including the admiral, are now under yourmand."


    "I shall humbly ept." Noel politely nodded. Since he was a spirit transcendence from another country, there was no need to kneel when receiving his decree.


    And with this transfer of authority, all sailors standing behind him, including the admiral, gave him a military salute.


    "May God of the Sea grant you a safe passage." The king nodded.


    "Thank you."


    With the transfer authoritypleted, the sailors began to board the ship. There were a lot of people, mostly friends and families of these sailors.


    Due to the scale and Noel''s participation, they had no choice but to make it official. If they failed, Noel would be held responsible. If they seeded, all these sailors would be heroes.


    The sailing date had been determined, and it had been announced throughout the kingdom. The port was bustling with people.


    There were a lot of nobles either trying to catch a glimpse of the hero of the younger generation, Noel Ardagan, or see what kind of ship that would make Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze participate.


    And they werepletely surprised by both. The ship was massive, capable of carrying at least two thousand people and supplies for more than a month.


    They also carried a lot of things, including goods to trade if they somehow found other civilizations.


    The ship had a huge banner of the Zaecuria Kingdom, making sure people knew that it was the Zaecuria Kingdom that had such a technological marvel.


    Of course, because of the cooperation, they also ced the Ardagan family''s g next to the kingdom''s g.


    After all, Noel was the fleetmander in this expedition.


    The festive atmosphere filled the entire port city. Trumpet was ringing across the town, cheering for the people on this journey. Some were holding a ritual, wishing for a peaceful sea.


    The king was observing from afar, not wanting to take everyone''s glory this time. After all, it would be these warriors who had to fight their lives for the glory of the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    In the boat, Incetta was apanying Noel and the admiral in the navigation room since Vivi wanted to make sure everything was right.


    Anna was on the top deck, watching everything from the highest point.


    Meanwhile, Noel and the admiral were watching the sailors prepare the sail.


    "How many troops do we have?" Noel asked.


    "Including me, there are a total of 5 grandmasters. Of course, we also bring 15 spirit masters and 50 spirit wielders. The rest are either spirit apprentices or spirit practitioners. Everyone, whether they are chefs, doctors, or normal sailors, has spiritual energy in their bodies."


    "I see. It seems that the Zaecuria Kingdom is investing a lot." Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    "Of course. This will be the expedition with the highest chance of sess, considering there will be two spirit transcendences protecting this ship."


    "Is there any noble on board?"


    "Yes. However, we have specifically mentioned that they won''t be treated special. And it is fine to execute them if there is insubordination."


    "So cruel."


    "It is to ensure the order within the ship."


    "I know. I''m just joking. Well, it''s time for us to set sail."


    "Where are we going, sir?"


    Noel pointed to the east. "We''ll be going to the east. But this time, adjust our path ten degrees to the south."


    "Understood." The admiral nodded. He then gave the order to the sailors. "Let''s set sail!"


    "Uoohh!" The sailors began activating the runes, allowing them to propel the boat forward.


    As expected, several people were on the deck, which caused a lot of confusion.


    "Goodbye!"


    "Please make sure youe back!"


    The people were cheering and waving their hands. Some cried, some were proud. They were bidding their goodbyes to their loved ones, knowing full well that there was a chance for them to never return.


    Noel and the admiral were staring at the sailors who were trying to look at their loved ones for onest time.


    "We have to make this a sess." The admiral smiled.


    "Indeed." Noel smiled. As the ship got farther and farther away, the people started going back to their posts, determined to make it back home.


    Without them realizing it, there was actually a group of mermaids following the boat underneath the water. And the one leading them was none other than the diva.


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 Chapter 1247: Peaceful Trip

    The ship was swaying left and right as they crossed the sea. It was still a rather peaceful sea, so the soldiers kept going without much care.


    Anna was maintaining her vision on the sea, ensuring there was no extraordinary presence sneaking up on them.


    Meanwhile, Noel and the admiral were roaming around the sea.


    "It''s really peaceful today." The admiral smiled. "It seems that the Sea God is answering our prayers. I hope we can continue like this until we reach our destination."


    "Is it normally not peaceful?" Noel asked.


    "Yes. From the record I get, most of the time, there will be some demons. As we cross farther and farther, the demon increases. We are about to reach the deep sea soon, so that''s where a lot of demons areing.


    "Those fish are much stronger than the ones in the shallow sea. That''s why the soldiers are already prepared toy down their lives."


    "Hmmm¡­" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. "The soldiers don''t need toy down their lives. We still have the runes."


    "That''s what I''d like to use as well, but that''s not necessarily good for the crews. If we spoil them too much, there''s a chance the barrier will be taken down due to theck of supply of spiritual energy.


    "After all, we''ll be under constant attack. If we waste the spiritual energy, we might run out of demon crystals before reaching thend.


    "Besides, it will be good training. If there are more dangerous demons hiding in the deep sea, we will have to handle it. There''s a chance an army of fish wille to swarm us.


    "Or even worse, they wille with a storm and high waves. It''ll be chaotic."


    "Hoh?" Noel nodded in understanding. "That''s certainly a problem."


    "That''s why I can''t spoil the crews too much. The sea can be said to be much harsher than thend or the sky. In one of our records, it''s said that the previous civilization has conquered thend and the sky, or even reached beyond it. However, they have never conquered the sea."


    Noel listened to him attentively, curious about his knowledge.


    "So you''re going to send out the people if we''re attacked?"


    "Yes. Of course, we''ll activate the barrier to ensure the ship is not damaged, but I want the crews to leap into the sea and kill the demons. Obviously, because the fish can swim freely in the water while my soldiers can''t, they''ll be at a disadvantage.


    "Normally, a spirit master can defeat a peak level demon and a spirit grandmaster can handle a superior demon. However, in the sea, a spirit master could only fight against an advanced level demon. It''s because they''re unable to move freely.


    "Of course, the stronger you are or the more effective your ability is, you are bound to have the ability to fight a demon of your equal.


    "That''s why when I know that both you and your wife areing, you two should be able to take down an ancient demon if they evere to the surface."


    "An ancient demon, huh?" Noel closed his eyes. "Will they appear? Or do you have any record of them appearing in the expedition?"


    "There are several records. In one record, it''s said that their ship is attacked by a giant octopus. In another record, there is a huge sword puncturing the fleet. It''s a group of swordfish, and the strongest of them crush the entire ship easily."


    "I see." Noel had Diva as his trump card. Her ability to fight underwater was unmatched.


    If he and Anna could only fight one ancient demon together. In that case, the diva could take care of another one.


    But it seemed he had to train the crews even if he didn''t like it.


    "Still, to think there are so many ancient demons appearing in the expedition¡­ In the Muivell Kingdom, thest ancient demon recorded was a long time ago."


    "Hahaha. The sea is unexplored after all, so it can''t be helped." The admiral chuckled. "Besides, most of the time, their appearance has to be kept a secret due to the potential of destruction they bring."


    "That''s true." Noel agreed. He continued asking several questions, which would directly influence the trip.


    After knowing everything, he had to change his n a little bit, especially regarding the escort from the diva.


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    Later that night, Noel came out of his room and headed to the edge of the ship. Without anyone realizing, he jumped off and froze the sea a little bit.


    While standing on top of the sea, Noel looked down as a shadow emerged from the sea. It was the diva.


    "It seems you should go ahead for a bit, just to let the demonse and attack us. This way, we can train the soldiers to face a much more formidable foe. If they''re prepared, it will increase the chance of seeding."


    The diva shook her head. "I will try that, but the entire day, the fish are simply going away. It''s not just my aura. It seems they are fearing yours and Anna''s. Thebination of us three scares the small demons away. Unless there is a peak level demon, if not a superior demon, I don''t think there will be an attack."Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Noel considered his n carefully. "Should I ask you to bring in some demons?"


    "That''s possible. I will also stay a bit further ahead to avoid disrupting the smaller demons, but I can''t guarantee."


    "In that case, please do that. Also, if you find anything suspicious, especially rted to an ancient demon, inform me immediately."


    "Alright. If there''s nothing, we''ll just talk like this every night."


    "Yep. Sorry for making you work all the time."


    "It''s fine. Besides, I''m also curious about this newnd. There''s always a possibility of using there independently." The diva nodded.


    "True." Noel agreed. "Anyway, I should go back now."


    "Yep. Good luck." The diva returned to the water while Noel jumped back to the ship.


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 Chapter 1248: Test

    The next day.


    Because the diva had moved a bit further ahead, the fish could only sense Noel and Anna in the ship. It was still too much, so there was still no demoning to them.


    As a result, he consulted with the admiral, wondering if it was appropriate for him to leave the ship. Anna might also be doing the same just for the sake of the soldiers'' training.


    After some consideration, the admiral actually gave an approval.


    It would be better if some people got injured when this was still calm rather than if the expedition failed or most people were dead or injured because of a future attack.


    As a result, Noel and Anna took off the ship, using their runes to float a bit further away from the ship.


    Of course, the admiral didn''t tell anyone about their position, making sure that they thought they still had Noel and Anna to take care of them in case something big happened.


    Noel and Anna took this chance to observe them.


    As expected, the moment they flew off, the demons started flocking around the ship.


    The spirit grandmasters were the first ones to feel them. Obviously, the admiral did too.


    Without hesitation, the admiral shouted, "Activate the barrier! We will slow down!"


    The ship slowed down by putting less energy into the rune. The barrier then formed, protecting the ship from any attacks.


    The demons started their attacks by ramming themselves against the ship. Even then, the material of the ships should be sturdy enough to withstand it without any damage.


    However, it was time for Mid Level and Advanced Level Demons to attack. They were actually spurting water or fins, trying to destroy the barrier.


    Some bigger demons ended up jumping off the water and pping their bodies to hit the ship.


    The ship shook violently, but it was nothing for the barrier.


    "Hang on!"


    "There are demons approaching from our sides."


    "It doesn''t matter. All troops. Go to your positions!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    The people went to their stations. Some of them were holding the rune weapons Noel had brought. Some were grabbing their swords, ready to kill them even if it meant jumping into the water.


    Some took care of the ship''s defense with their arrows.


    When the admiral saw the soldiers were ready, he waved his hand. "Commence the operation!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    The first ones to attack were the rune weapons. The Rain of Light Runes started raining them down with its attacks. The light pierced through the water, but as expected, the water pressure weakened the bullet, so it didn''t travel far.


    Still, it was much more powerful than the arrows that were soon released by the people on the deck.


    Seeing this kind of effect, the admiral immediately changed his strategy.


    "Pull back those with arrows. Get ready to take them out!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    The people immediately stepped back as several people pulled out their swords, marching to the ship''s sides.


    "Get ready!"


    The Rain of Light Runes soon stopped. Instead, they were using the Meteor Runes this time.


    The Meteor Runes sted the water, creating an explosion that took care of a lot of fish near the surface.


    After that, several soldiers searched for the enemies before jumping into the water. Stay updated through m-v l|-NovelBin


    Some of them actually killed a demon as soon as they entered the water. However, some were not so lucky.


    Those who met an opponent of their level couldn''t kill the demon in a single strike. The demons even swam away to regain some distance.


    Then, they took advantage of their maneuverability in the water to overwhelm the humans with their speed.


    But this was when the humans showed the reason why they went down.


    They suddenly unleashed a strike that erupted underneath the water. There was no need for it to be strong.


    As long as they released enough force to knock them into the air, it was enough.


    After all, several people suddenly jumped into the air and struck them. The fish couldn''t handle an attack while in the air, so they ended up dying right away.


    The admiral squinted his eyes, thinking, ''Good. It''s progressing quite smoothly. If this continues, they should be able to kill the rest of the demons in just several minutes.''


    "Second squad, GO!" The admiral shouted.


    As the first squad was pulled out of the water, the second wave of people jumped off the ship, picking their respective opponents. They killed the demons using the same method.


    However, a lot more fish wereing. The admiral thought this was due to the fact that they hadn''t killed any fish before, so he ordered out loud, "Pull up the second squad. Weapon Squad, fire! We''ll thin out their number with the runes!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    While they were thinning their numbers, there was another squad that would gouge the demon crystals on the back of the ship.


    It might not be enough to recharge everything, but it was enough to lessen the burden on the demon crystals.


    Normally, they would just ignore these corpses, thinking that they didn''t want to slow down the ship with a lot of luggage.


    But this was a necessary process for the rune ship.


    Besides, the barrier also provided enough protection for them.


    Several people dragged the demons to the ship, where they peeled their bodies and recovered the demon crystals before releasing the corpses again. Some had to go underneath the water.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In the end, the admiral took care of the attack in just twenty minutes, killing more than two hundred demons. It was an effective way of defending the ship.


    Noel couldn''t help but smile. "I guess that''s the power of an admiral. Hismand is effective and efficient. He knows what to do and his experience is preparing for the next step. I guess we don''t have to worry about this ship."


    "Yes. I''m d that they spare such a reliable man." Anna nodded. "But the journey will be much harder after this, right?"


    "Yep. We have to get ready, since we might end up having to fight soon."


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 Chapter 1249: Lower Price

    The train stopped in front of the city. The station hadn''t been fully constructed, considering this ce was none other than Earl Mayzion''s city.


    Still, the moment the train stopped, several people came out, whether they were passengers traveling to this city or the staff of the merchant group whose goods were being transported.


    The passengers were inspected by the guards one by one, like the normal procedure. But because of the number of passengers that entered all of a sudden, they had to bring in more guards.


    In addition, there were several wagons that had been prepared near the city gate. The workers from the merchantpany started unloading their items. In fact, all ten wagons they had prepared outside weren''t enough. They had to send them one by one and make them return.


    Earl Mayzion was observing this from the side while saying, "This is¡­"


    The merchant smiled. "All of them are items for the general store."


    "To think there would be so many of them. How much do you bring into this city?"


    "To be honest, it''s like a week''s worth of goods."C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    "One week?"


    "Yes. I usually transport this much in one week, but I have never thought we can do it in just a single trip."


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    Earl Mayzion couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "But won''t this cause a lot of trouble for you? I mean, I don''t know if the citizens can buy everything."


    "Please don''t worry about it. Thanks to the Earl, I''m able to transport all this in just a single trip. That''s why I''m thinking about lowering the price."


    "Lowering the price?"


    "Yes."


    Earl Mayzion looked down, falling into deep thought.


    "Please don''t worry. This is not a loss for me. Because I can carry this much in a single trip, I don''t need the wagons and even the guards that I usually need when transporting the goods. In addition, horse maintenance costs are extremely high.


    "Without all those three, the costs to transport the goods have decreased significantly. Of course, I still need these horses for now, but I''ve heard that the Runegard Company is nning to sell trucks soon. There are a lot of people pre-ordering them.


    "Once the truck is avable, there''s no need to maintain the horses anymore, which will reduce the cost even further."


    Mayzion couldn''t help but nod in agreement. "That''s true. And the volume of goods you can transport has increased by multiple fold."


    "Indeed. That''s why even if I lower my price, I will still profit much higher than my original profit. With the train, we can also bring in goods from much farther away, which will allow me to maintain a stable flow of goods. It''s thanks to you, Earl. As expected of the wise lord."


    "You tter me." Earl Mayzion turned outside of the city. "What about other cities?"


    "Right now, I can use the wagons to transport them as usual, but because ites from this city, I can use it as a center and distribute them with lower costs. In addition, if the truckse, it will be much easier.


    "In the future, there might be no need for a merchant to have a horse. No. Maybe there''s no need for a horse anymore in the future. Because of this, the horse''s supplies will decrease drastically.


    "And there might be a time where the rune technology bes so cheap that normal people can buy it while the horse''s high maintenance cost ends up bing a luxurious good that only rich people or nobles will buy."


    "Hmm¡­" Earl Mayzion squinted his eyes. It wasn''t an empty prediction.


    The reason why Noel did all this was because of the scarcity of the rune technology currently. At the same time, it was to build a brand. Everything that the Runegard Company sold was of high quality.


    There might be futurepetitors that offered a lower price, but a lot of people would still be loyal to the Runegard Company''s brand. It was the stability that Noel wanted so that his descendants could still make it work even if their talent was mediocre.


    And with such wealth, unless the descendant was aplete fool, the wealth wouldn''t disappear even for a thousand years.


    It was no wonder why Noel gave such a proposal.


    After thinking about it, Earl Mayzion muttered, "He will leave behind a legacy that history will not ever forget."


    The merchant didn''t know who he was talking about, so he remained quiet, observing the goods being transported into the city.


    In fact, he wasn''t the only one lowering the price of the goods he brought. The other four merchants did the same thing. Whether their intention was to butter up the nobles to retain their privilege or due to their kindness and gratitude, they still lowered the price.


    And these lower-priced goods would develop the northern territory much faster than the rest of the kingdom.


    Obviously, the nobles in the central region were taking a glimpse of what they could achieve from the north, considering Noel had also extended his hand to them.


    The nobles became even more eager, to the point they spent a lot of money to ensure the road quality as well as the train station.


    Without Noel there, everything progressed smoothly for a while. It caused a lot of merchants desperate to get Noel''s attention, but those near the capital city felt like the empire they had built was gradually burning.


    The Greenwood Kingdom saw this as an opportunity and sped up their progress for the train. The Atracaeca Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom were doing a simr thing after knowing Noel''s intention.


    As a result, the royal family, the merchants, the Supreme Devil Organization, and the Third Prince had one goal inmon. It was to mess with Noel and his trains at all costs.


    Just like how the storm was brewing in the Muivell Kingdom, the sea was not safe anymore.


    Noel, Anna, Incetta, and the admiral raised their heads, looking at the horizon. They were approaching a ck cloud that stretched from one side to another without the opportunity of looping around it.


    The admiral turned solemn as he muttered, "The storm, huh?"


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 Chapter 1250: Giant Octopus

    Noel and Anna were standing next to each other, observing the chaotic room. Their ship had been swaying violently due to the storm.


    The admiral had been ordering the crew to ensure the safety of the ship. Even though they were protected by the barrier, it wouldn''t really matter if they ended up flipping.


    The crews were also in their stations, making sure the ship was able to continue operating. The rest was making sure to clear the deck unless they needed to be there, preventing anyone from falling into the sea.


    Besides, they were fairly strong themselves, so even without Noel and Anna, they wouldn''t fall easily.


    Still, the storm wasn''t the only one they had to endure.


    "Activate the barrier!" the admiral suddenly shouted, rming everyone.


    There was no other reason why they had to activate their barrier. The demons wereing.


    Noel could feel the number of demons. The fact they wereing must mean they were confident in fighting them.


    There would be at least a Superior Demon among them.


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. Considering their situation, the diva should being to help as well. However, to avoid the barrage of attacks from the ship, she would fight at a much deeper level.


    The problem would be the Ancient Level Demon. If there was indeed a demon of this level, they would be in trouble.


    As Noel expected, the diva was facing numerous demons underneath the water. She needed to fight them fifty meters below the sea surface to avoid getting hit by friendlies.


    In addition, it would be bad if people knew her existence, especially since she also brought several people with her.


    There were four of them: two were mermaids like her, while the other two were males.


    Most of them were holding a harpoon, while one of them held nothing in her hand.


    "There are about a thousand of them. I don''t think this is all of them, considering I haven''t seen any demon that seems to be their leader. I do see several Superior Demons, though. Besides, I don''t think we''ll be able to stop them all."


    "Of course. Our role is just to thin out their number. The rest will depend on themselves. I believe they''re strong enough to handle the rest." The diva nodded.


    "That''s true."


    "Get to work. I''m doing this so you guys not only get the experience from crossing the sea, which might be our territory in the future, but also have a higher chance to be picked up next. I want you to have spirits."


    "Understood."


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    All of them swam forth.


    The diva waved her hand as the water formed a torrent, carrying all four of them to their respective positions.


    Her four subordinates immediately struck several demons in their respective areas.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    One of them twisted his harpoon and created a simr torrential flow, gathering several demons in a single ce. After that, he thrust his harpoon, killing them.


    Another one moved at lightning speed. She took advantage of her pride as the fastest swimmer and killed the demons in rapid session.


    The third one just punched the demon with her fist, destroying them and creating an underwater ripple that affected other demons. Even though she didn''t kill many, the demons were weakened by the attacks to the point where they would be too weak to attack the ship even if they managed to reach the surface.


    Last but not least, the guy was throwing his harpoon, which somehow went back to him like a boomerang.


    However, their dominance soon ended the moment the Superior Demons joined the fight.


    Two of them had to stop the approaching Superior Demons.


    As a result, the diva gave an order. "Focus on the Superior Demons. The rest will continue handling the lower level demons. Kill as many as possible."


    "Understood."


    The diva then waved her hand, creating an even bigger torrent that sucked all nearby demons.


    Of course, she nned to kill a lot of demons herself.


    But because of that very reason, it seemed their leader had no other choice but toe personally.


    A giant tentacle suddenly emerged from the depths of the ocean.


    "!!!" The diva couldn''t help but raise her eyebrows.


    The presence was moving fast and the tentacle was so long that it could reach her easily.


    The tentacle pped the torrent and neutralized it.


    A giant octopus emerged from the darkness, which made the dive worry. The battle between them seemed unavoidable.


    ''Is the giant octopusing here because of my power?''


    If this was true, it meant the diva was the one bringing the ancient demon. She might have to distance herself from the ship because of that very reason.


    It would have been better if the storm was the cause.


    Nevertheless, there was no way to check it. Besides, this would be a good fight that only she could do.


    Even though her power focused on its regenerative property, she could still fight as one of the elders of the Beast Kingdom.


    But it seemed that Noel and Anna had noticed this giant octopus as well.


    They were releasing their spiritual energy at full force as if trying to say they were here and wanted to fight the Ancient Demon.


    The diva frowned. Then again, Noel would probably need the Ancient Demon not only for its material but also for its core.


    In the end, the diva raised her hands, creating a torrential flow that would push the giant octopus to the surface.


    The octopus was fighting back the torrent at first, almost neutralizing it. But because of the burst of the spiritual energy from the surface, it realized it would be better to take care of them instead.


    The diva chose to stay to thin out their numbers so that Noel and Anna could focus on this octopus. Besides, it would be good to have her around if another ancient demon wasing, which ended up confirming her theory.


    On the surface, the soldiers who were busy fighting the demons were startled by tentacles suddenly emerging from the sea.


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 Chapter 1251: Revealing Their Strength

    "What is going on?!"


    "The tentacles are so big!"


    The sailors were panicking. The first one to act was not Anna or Noel. Instead, it was a spirit grandmaster that had been waiting for his chance.


    Since there were tentacles all around the ship, as long as he could cut them down, he would contribute a lot.


    He leaped into the air and waved his de, releasing a sword strike flying in a straight path.


    "Oh! It''s Lord Abel!"


    "Our spirit grandmaster is here!"


    The sailors were cheering, believing that the enemies would have to pull back.


    However, that cheer soon turned to panic as the tentacle grabbed this sword strike and crushed it as though it had a physical body.


    "!!!" The sailors and even the spirit grandmaster were shocked.


    "How?"


    "Why is the tentacle able to crush that attack?"


    "Is it not a Superior Demon?"


    "What? To be able to crush such a thing, it''s beyond a Superior Demon."


    "Don''t tell me, it''s an Ancient Demon?"


    The realization caused the people''s hearts to sink. They were so unlucky to fight an ancient demon. Because Noel and Anna hadn''t publicized their true strength, no one thought they could escape from the ancient demon.


    "Impossible. Everything has been going so smoothly this whole time, but we have to end up encountering an Ancient Demon."


    "This is impossible."


    "No!"


    "Our journey has failed."


    As the people started to sink into despair, the tentacles struck the barrier, which stopped the ship and caused it to tremble violently.


    The people had epted they would die from this expedition until two people appeared.


    "Thunder God''s Possession, Heaven Wrath!" A sh of lightning suddenly circled around the enemy, cutting the tentacles.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    It didn''t cut through the tentacles, but it definitely left a huge wound on it. In addition, the lightning spark blew away the tentacles, freeing the tentacle.


    Before it went back into the water, Noel''s voice echoed in everyone''s ears.


    "Ice Wave!"


    A wave of chilling energy flew in all directions like a circle, passing and freezing the tentacles.


    A thunderous roar echoed from within the sea as the tentacles fell into the water.


    "!!!" The people couldn''t help but widen their eyes.


    "Did we just repel the tentacles of an ancient demon?"


    "Who did it?"


    Everyone was looking around, finding only one single person. "That''s¡­ That''s the two esteemed guests, Marquis Noel Ardagan and his wife, Anna Stargaze!"


    "Were they the ones who did it?"


    "What? They managed to injure the Ancient Demon?"


    "Don''t tell me. They have reached the spirit transcendence?"


    Both of them didn''t say anything to them. Instead, Noel said, "The admiral said that it needs both of us using our full power if we want to take down a berserk Ancient Demon. However, there''s something I''d like to try."


    "Are you going to bypass that gap with the True Spirit Body?"


    "Yes. However, you will help me to ensure the sess. I don''t want to underestimate this demon, especially since we can''t afford to have the ship damaged."


    "Alright!" Anna nodded.


    Noel smiled. "Admiral. We''ll take care of the Ancient Demon. But ording to the agreement¡­"


    "Of course, everything will be yours." The admiral confirmed it without hesitation.


    "Alright then." Noel and Anna leaped into the sea. Before they reached the water surface, Noel waved his hand. "Frozen Domain."


    A freezing mist appeared around Clovis and spread in all directions, freezing the sea. As expected, the ship would also stop, but they had to kill the demon first before they could leave, so it didn''t really matter.


    Everyone dropped their jaws to the floor.


    "What?"


    "He froze the sea? It was so wide as well."


    "Are they truly spirit transcendences?"


    The people were trembling both in fear and excitement.


    To ensure people''s hearts and raise their morale, Noel immediately activated his True Spirit Body.


    A pair of ice wings appeared on his back as the crown made him look like the king of ice.


    The burst of spiritual energy made people want to fall on their knees and worship him.


    Amidst their confusion, the admiral shouted, "That''s right. Marquis Noel Ardagan and his wife, Madam Anna Stargaze, are at spirit transcendence rank. They will be the ones taking care of that ancient demon. Discover stories with m,v l-NovelBin


    "However, all of you must have known the danger of the sea. That''s why we have to fight. We have to make sure that both of them can fight the octopus without worry.


    "Do you understand?" The admiral asked out loud.


    The people ground their teeth and clenched their fists. They knew what the admiral was trying to say.


    "We will kill all the demons so that they won''t be able to help that Ancient Demon. We can''t let the outsiders do everything for us! We are the proud warriors of the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    "All troops! Prepare toy down your life. Today, we will be hunting an Ancient Demon!"


    "Uooohhh!" The cheers erupted. Their morale was high and the spiritual energy burst subconsciously from their bodies.


    They raised their weapons. Even those who were maintaining the ship''s movements had taken up their arms since the ship wouldn''t need to move.


    Everyone went to their stations.


    "Kill them!"


    Upon the admiral''smand, they leaped off the boat and started taking down one demon after another. The rune weapons were running at full force.


    They were fighting the demons like beasts, showing an intensity far greater than the demons.


    It even piqued Noel''s interest.


    "You can do that too to our people, raising morale and stuff," said Anna, remembering the time Noel did it in the battle against the Supreme Devil Organization.


    "No. I just understand what kind of power the admiral possesses to be as rare as the guardians. They are not only strong but also a goodmander that can inspire their warriors."


    "Indeed. In that case, we only have one thing to do here." Anna nodded.


    "Yeah." As Noel said that word, the tentacles broke through the ice, encircling Noel and Anna. He simply smiled while raising his sword. "Octopus is supposed to be delicious, right?"


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 Chapter 1252: Fighting the Octopus

    When the demon shot out its giant tentacles, Noel and Anna waved their swords, sending their respective sword strikes.


    As if realizing the power of their attacks, the tentacles caught them and destroyed them. Of course, they were not spirit grandmasters.


    Even if the enemy could catch it, it would still leave behind a big sh wound on the tentacles.


    Still, the main reason why the octopus sent its tentacles was none other than to break the ice Noel made earlier.


    Bam!


    The tentacles smashed the ice and broke it apart. Anna leaped into the air while Noel remained in his position, causing him to fall into the water.


    Noel could finally see the true appearance of the octopus. It was colossal. The body alone was 50 meters in radius. The tentacles were so long that they looked at least double, if not triple, that length.


    As the creature of the sea, the octopus had no trouble moving around.


    Meanwhile, Noel could feel his strength getting restrained by the water. His speed was greatly reduced, which would definitely be a problem for Noel.


    Still, he had trained in a fight like this in theke in his territory. He used his spiritual energy and rune to maintain his speed.


    As a result, he managed to dodge the tentacles skillfully.


    ''Still, the biggest problem when fighting in the water is breathing. While I canst long without breathing, the air will be depleted pretty easily. There''s a reason why martial arts are usually starting with breathing.


    ''The intake of air provides the necessary nutrients to the muscles. In other words, I have to keep going back and forth from the water to the surface if I want to maintain my strength.''


    Noel looked around. Since there were two tentaclesing from the front, he pushed his body forward with spiritual energy.


    At the same time, Noel could feel the sudden surge of energying into his body.


    "This is¡­" Noel wasn''t the only one to feel it. All the soldiers, including the admiral, were perplexed.


    Anna smiled and announced it by sending her voice through spiritual energy. "This is a rune that will enhance your ability. I will maintain this rune for a while. Go rampage!"


    The admiral looked excited. He never thought they would have such a rune.


    ''This kind of rune will allow me to have the strength simr to someone who is close to Spirit Transcendence rank. This is really amazing.'' The admiral shouted, "You hear that, men? Go wild!"


    "Uoohhh!"


    The people became even more excited and took down the enemies at a much faster rate. It was as if they had be fearless after gaining this mighty strength.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    On the other hand, Noel had waved his sword at the two tentacles in front of him. The two tentacles wanted to block it, but the sword strike soon froze and spread their icy power on the tentacles.


    "!!!" The octopus let out a cry as the ice not only pierced through its skin but also froze a bit of the flesh underneath it.


    It sent all eight tentacles at the same time, trying to kill Noel in one go.


    Unfortunately for him, Noel activated another Advanced Rune, the Executioner Rune.


    This was a rune to annihte arge number of enemies, but he chose it this time to distract the octopus. Discover hidden stories at mvl


    The octopus thought Noel was aiming for the rest of the demons. In the end, he had no choice but to pull back if there were no other demons other than him.


    That was why the eight tentacles moved away, trying to contain the explosion that the Executioner Rune produced.


    Boom!


    The explosion shattered the ice on top of it and sent it flying for at least a hundred meters into the sky.


    The octopus was able to contain that power, but there were some scorching marks on its tentacles.


    Angry, the octopus mmed Noel as hard as possible.


    Since he was in his True Spirit Body, Noel simply froze the water and created a barrier to block the tentacles.


    Still, he needed some air soon, considering his strength had grown weaker.


    The moment he moved to the surface, the tentacles immediately surrounded him.


    And that was the reason Noel asked Anna to take care of the rest.


    When the tentacles were about to reach him, there was a lightning bolt passing all the tentacles, leaving behind one strike.


    The strike caused a lightning spark, which electrocuted the octopus.


    "Reee!" The octopus was letting out a high-pitched cry.


    "Nice control!" Noel gave a thumbs up, knowing that Anna controlled her lightning so that the water didn''t spread it around or it would cause a lot of people to die. At the same time, he went to the surface and gasped for air.


    The octopus spun its body, creating a huge water tornado that would turn into a whirlpool the moment it reached the surface. When that happened, the ship would be damaged.


    Anna wanted to strike it, but Noel hade back and froze the water tornado.


    After that, he released another sword strike, taking advantage of the massive tornado to reach the octopus'' body.


    The octopus was cut. It wasn''t even a small wound as it stretched from its lower body to the back of its head.


    More importantly, the wound started to freeze. Instead of stopping the bleeding, the freezing temperature was a kind of dry ice. It hurt more than it expected.


    This was Noel''s strategy in fighting the Ancient Demon. In less than thirty minutes, they should be able to kill the octopus.


    And that was when everything started to change.


    The octopus let out another cry. Its body turned red as if it were getting cooked from the inside. The water started flowing in random directions, creating turbulence, which caused Noel''s stance to be unstable.


    In addition, the spiritual energy leaking from that body increased tremendously to the point where Noel frowned.


    "No. Everything has gone ording to n. I''ve been waiting for that moment!" Noel smiled.


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 Chapter 1253: Killing the Ancient Demon

    "No. Everything is going ording to n." Noel''s expression turned solemn. This was the crossroads.


    When the octopus went berserk, the flow of the spiritual energy from within its body changed tremendously.


    It sent forth all the energy from all the tentacles. With the additional spins on the tentacles, it produced eight tornadoes at the same time, surrounding Noel. Enjoy exclusive chapters from mvl


    If Noel tried to escape between the gaps, he would be entangled or even shred by the two tornadoes. Hence, Noel had to fight the tornadoes head-on.


    The octopus seemed to be nning to rip him apart with all the tornadoes before joining all of them to create a massive one that would engulf the soldiers on the surface.


    Noel waved his left hand. In that instant, the chilling energy spread in all directions and started freezing the water.


    "!!!" The octopus was surprised by the sudden emergence of a giant ice crystal, but it was toote to stop.


    He scraped the ice crystals from all directions, gradually making his way toward Noel.


    Noel was just buying time for his impending doom.


    Even Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. ''Does he have another n? Should I help?''


    All of a sudden, a hole was made within the ice crystal as blue light leaped off the crystal before the water slowed it down.


    The blue light reached one of the tentacles and cut itpletely.


    "Reee!" The tentacle was crying in pain, but the attack didn''t stop there. The remaining tentacle was frozen as the ice made its way toward the body.


    The octopus used its own energy to stop the ice, but Noel''s real intention was to actually use the ice as a surface for his sword strike to travel.


    The moment the ice stopped, the sword strike hit the skin and reached the octopus'' body.


    "Raaa!"


    Anna dropped her jaw. "He¡­ He actually created an ice crystal and destroyed the inside so that he could create a small space where there was no water restriction? And used that to gain his top speed and release his strength¡­"


    The octopus was angry, especially since the ice crystal had begun to disappear. It immediately sent several of its tentacles to Noel, trying to surround him, but to no avail.


    Noel skillfully escaped and looped around, heading to the three tentacles that were on the other side of the ice crystals.


    Before the tornadoes were able to merge, Nathans struck them.


    Unfortunately, he could only leave behind a big wound on the tentacles instead of cutting them off.


    Nevertheless, four of the tornadoes had gone.


    If he could keep this up, he should have no problem defeating the octopus.


    The four tentacles chased after him and created aplicated flow of water, which would carry him to one of the tornadoes eventually.


    Noel couldn''t resist this kind of attack, but it was clear the octopus had abandoned its n to destroy the ship.


    Hence, Noel signaled to Anna toe down.


    Anna didn''t know what was going on, but she immediately jumped into the water.


    Noel gathered his strength and released his freezing ability to create a pir toward the octopus.


    The octopus didn''t care. It was ready to get struck by this ice pir as long as it managed to take down Noel. This was a bad move from Noel, considering he would be destroyed by the four tornadoes with nothing to protect him.


    The pir ended up stabbing the octopus giant''s body.


    Meanwhile, Anna could see what Noel was aiming for. Lightning spheres emerged and gathered in front of her. The lightning spheres charged to the center, creating an even more powerful lightning sphere.


    This sphere released a beam made of lightning, destroying the inside of the ice pir. The ice evaporated in an instant, creating a tunnel inside this pir.


    The moment she entered the pir, Noel closed it with his ice, preventing any more water from rushing in.


    She was smiling. This was Noel''s n. Now that there was no water between her and the octopus, nothing would be able to stop her.


    She held her sword beforeunching herself toward the other side.


    "!!!" the octopus seemed to have realized it and tried to break the tunnel.


    "Toote!" Selena sped up, instantly crossing the part where the demon was going to shatter.


    Noticing Anna would deal a lot of damage, the demon chose to go for mutual destruction by focusing on Noel.


    "Kh!" Noel gritted his teeth. He activated all the runes in his body and used his sword strike to defend himself, but the four tornadoes were too much for him to handle, especially with him maintaining a big pir.


    Still, everything was worth it. The moment Anna reached the other side of the pir, her energy erupted.


    A sh of golden light illuminated the ocean, followed by an extrarge explosion.


    "Boom!"


    The explosion shot the octopus upward and shattered the ice pir that covered the surface.


    "!!!" The people were shocked to see such a massive octopus. It was even sent flying for fifty meters.


    Still, four of its tentacles had gone missing as Anna also cut three of them when sending him up.


    Before the octopus could return to the sea, another ice pir emerged from the water and pierced through the octopus'' brain.


    "Reee!" The octopus let out another cry, but it was toote. The moment it was stabbed, the ice spread and covered the octopus in a thickyer of ice, ultimately killing it.


    "This¡­" The admiral gasped. "This is the Ancient Demon? We won?"


    The soldiers became even more excited, knowing that Noel and Anna had defeated the Ancient Demon.


    The admiral noticed it and immediately shouted, "You see that, men?! It''s time for us to clean up the rest of the demons! Kill!"T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kill!" The soldiers roared and became even stronger, crushing all the demons that attacked the ship.


    Anna emerged from the water with no visible injuries, but Noel was covered in wounds due to taking on the four tornadoes mostly with his physical bodies. But it was worth it.


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 Chapter 1254: Historic Event

    "Set sail!"


    "Take it out!"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Where''s the chef?!"


    "We''ll grill this Ancient Demon to the best of our ability!"


    The sailors were excited. They never expected they would be able to fight against an Ancient Demon in the first ce.


    Even the previous expeditions failed when they encountered an Ancient Demon.


    They thought this expedition would be the same. However, it turned out there was a reason why the king agreed to let Noel and Anna join the expedition and even make them the head of the expedition.


    It was because of their unparalleled strength.


    Without them, they wouldn''t be alive by now. And not only did they defeat the Ancient Demon, but Noel also dered that he would be grilling the meat for everyone.


    Then again, there were a total of four tentacles that had been cut, so they definitely had to use it. In addition, most of the bodies had to be either eaten or thrown away, considering they would rot.


    Noel only took a few important parts that could be used for materials and let the rest sink into the depths of the ocean.


    In the end, the body and the blood of the Ancient Demon would attract demons. To avoid more problems after this, they decided to let it go.


    Of course, Noel had to recuperate in his room, considering he had used his True Spirit Body. And he had to ingest the Ancient Demon Crystal. It felt like he almost absorbed half of the requirements he needed to reach the Spirit King stage.


    He knew there must be something else he needed to do before he could be a spirit king, but it was clear that he was the closest human to that stage.


    Anna was standing by his side, making sure no one interrupted him. If there was another Ancient Demon, she would be using her True Spirit Body.


    Concerned, the admiral couldn''t help but visit them.


    "Hmm?" Anna squinted her eyes.


    "Please. I''m not here for anything. I''m just worried about him. Is he going to be fine?"


    Anna nodded. "Yes. Although he is injured, he should be fine after a few days."


    "I see. That''s good." The admiral fell silent for a moment. "The others have been cooking the octopus like crazy. Do you want me to bring some here?"


    "No need. If we are hungry, we will head there. But for now, I just want him to recuperate from his wounds."


    "I understand." The admiral nodded. "In that case, we''ll continue sailing in the same direction."


    "Yes. Incetta has been giving us reports as well. If we maintain this direction, we should be able to reach the destination soon. And I hope we do."


    "Indeed." The admiral looked hesitant, as if there was something in his mind.


    Anna raised her guard, suspicious of him. However, the admiral lowered his head and bent his body down. "Actually, Ie here to express my gratitude."


    "!!!" Anna was surprised since the admiral was also a proud guy. His authority was not losing to the likes of ministers. To think that such a man would lower their pride like this.


    "Without both of you, we won''t be able to even return. In addition, you even share the loot with us. Eating an Ancient Demon is something that people can only dream of. And it happens because of this expedition.


    "It can be said that if the expedition ever seeds, it''s because of both of you. We don''t even have a lot of casualties this whole time. All the injured had been treated and cheered for the victory." The admiral knew how important Noel and Anna were.


    They created runes that reduced their casualties. They had the strength to kill the Ancient Demon. Last but not least, they were the ones proposing this expedition.


    If they seeded, the Zaecuria Kingdom would use it as propaganda, showing how strong they were.


    And he was afraid that Noel and Anna''s identities as Spirit Transcendences would be exposed. Even if he could shut these people''s mouths, it would be impossible to prevent any slip up, especially with how the people sang praises about themter.


    No one was immune to them. Besides, there would be others that tried to kidnap them and extract information.


    That was why, other than the risk, he felt ashamed they couldn''t give much to Noel and Anna.


    "Just continue and seed. That''s the best thing you could ever do for us." Anna smiled. "So, please raise your head andmand the ship like you always do."


    The admiral was stunned and raised his head in disbelief. A smile couldn''t help but appear on his face. He gave a military salute to Anna and Noel, who were recuperating inside the room. "Thank you. I will definitely make sure nothing goes wrong with the expedition."


    As such, the ship continued at high speed, making their way toward the ind the Spirit God was talking about.


    One morning, a sailor casually woke up from his slumber, wanting to take a piss outside as he was already sick of this sea breeze.


    But that was when he noticed a dot on the horizon. This dot became bigger and bigger as they crossed, so the sailor rubbed his eyes, wondering if he didn''t see it wrong.


    And he wasn''t wrong. The dot kept getting bigger. It turned into a rock, a mountain, and even bigger like a real ind. It was a giant ind that stretched from one side to another.


    With no hesitation, he immediately shouted, "An ind!"


    The people rushed outside, trying to see whether it was true, and ended up confirming it. The euphoria immediately spread throughout the ship as all people wanted to see the ind. Even Noel, Anna, Incetta, and even the admiral couldn''t contain their excitement.


    And that was the beginning of an event that would go down in the canal of history.


    Day 12 Month 5 Year 1067.


    After crossing the ocean for eleven days, the joint expedition between the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Ardagan family found the promisednd.


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 Chapter 1255: Arrangement

    "We have finally found the ind."


    "Long Live Zaecuria Kingdom!"


    "Hooray!"


    They were cheering. Some even wanted to throw a party to celebrate this historical event.


    Meanwhile, Noel and the admiral still remained on the ship, scouting the area from an elevated position.


    "What do you think?" The admiral asked.


    "I''d like to hear your opinion first."


    The admiral nodded. "First of all, we need to divide our people into three groups. The first will be in charge of securing this shore and creating a small port. In addition, they have to ensure that the demons don''t destroy the ship.


    "The other two groups will be exploring. Since this is a foreignnd, we have to beware of disease or any weird things. While the spirits have given us some sort of protection, it''s not enough.


    "Hence, the second group will being with me and heading south. The third group will head to the north. The problem is¡­ are you going to takemand of the men, sir Noel?"


    Noel shook his head. "I will go with Anna and Incetta. We''re pretty curious about this ind, so it''s better to go by ourselves."


    "Fair enough." The admiral nodded. Considering both Noel and Anna were Spirit Transcendences, there would be nothing that could endanger them.


    "In that case, the next problem will be civilization. If we can find any trace of civilization, we will be able tomunicate with them. There are several trantors and experts who will try to decipher theirnguage."


    "Got it." Noel thought for a moment. "In that case, we should form a small team that will act as a messenger. At the very least, they should know your position so that if I find something, I can find you. If you find something, I will just return from time to time."


    The admiral agreed. "If that''s the case, what time limit should we put here?"


    "For now, 30 days should be enough. If it''s not enough, we will extend it to 60 days. Everyone has toe back on the 30th day. No news means you''re dead."


    "That''s fair. We just have to be careful, considering we know nothing about thisnd."


    "Yes." Noel pointed at the port. "Still, you have to put enough men to secure this area. There''s also a chance of demons attacking from thend or even local people if there''s any."


    "Understood."


    "In that case, I will look around the ind." Noel waved his hand while walking away.


    The admiral nodded and headed to his subordinates, starting to assign them their roles.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Before meeting Anna and Incetta, Noel moved a bit further away, standing at the coast.


    That was when the diva emerged from the water and sat down on the beach. "Congrattions."


    "For both of us." Noel smiled. "Thanks to you, we''re able to reach this ind."


    "Without your direction, it''s going to be impossible."


    "Hahaha. Your people still help us. If you don''t stop tens of thousands of demons for us, we would be in trouble." Noel waved his hand.


    "Well, I guess that''s enough for ttering each other."


    "True." Noel chuckled. "And what are you going to do now?"


    "I think about going around the coast to see if I can loop around this ind or not. Unlike the Beast Kingdom, which is located on a huge continent, this ind doesn''t seem like it. At least, until I confirm it personally. If this ce is good, I''m thinking about informing the kingdom about it. It''s good to know there''s another ce we can live, away from humans, you know?"


    "Fair enough." Noel thought for a moment. "In that case, return within 30 days if possible. If we can solve everything within those 30 days, we''ll immediately go back. I''ll also tell you about the demons or any civilizations on thisnd if we find any."


    "30 days, huh? Fair enough. Is there anything you would like me to do while I''m following the coast?"


    "Yes. If this is an ind, there''s a chance that people will build a settlement near the coast like the Zaecuria Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom. Just inform me about it since I''ll be focusing on a much deeper area."


    "You don''t n toe to them?"


    "If time allows it, but if not, then it''s fine. However, if there''s someone strong and wearing a headband, inform me about it."


    "You''re searching for a person or something?"


    "Something like that."


    "Got it. In that case, let us meet againter." The diva jumped back to the sea and started arranging her people.


    Now that he had arranged everything, Noel returned to Anna and Incetta. They had brought their respective equipment and supplies.


    "I have scouted the area. There aren''t any civilizations, at least, around here. If we want to go, I think the north is better. My instinct tells me the north is safer. The fact it''s safer means¡­" Anna exined and stopped.


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. "People live there. They might even have the power to fight against demons and hunt them, huh?"


    "Yes." Anna nodded. "What do you think?"


    "I don''t mind going there. In fact, we can even split our groups into two if necessary. You can bring Incetta."


    "Are you going alone? In that condition? You haven''t fully recovered after using your True Spirit Body, right?"


    "It''s fine. In fact, because I can''t use my True Spirit Body, it''s better to leave Incetta in your hand." Noel chuckled.


    Incetta knew she was a burden, but her strength wasn''t that bad. She even had Vivi with her.


    Still, this unknownnd might contain even stronger demons since there was a chance no spirit transcendences were here, allowing the demons to grow without any threat.


    Vivi raised her head and said, "By the way, if you meet a mountain or a hill, better go to that ce. That guy loves cool temperatures, so he will probably stay in an elevated area."


    "There you have it." Noel smiled. "Let''s go, shall we? We can discuss the rest on the way."


    They didn''t realize that the trip this time would be wilder than they originally expected.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1256: Familiar Language

    Bang!


    Bam!


    Clink!


    A series of sounds echoed across thend as a lot of demons fell prey to Noel, Anna, and Incetta.


    Still, the one who did most of the fighting was Incetta. Vivi and Incetta had asked so that Incetta could grow stronger.


    And Noel agreed. There was no reason for him not to ept. That was why Incetta had been wielding her spear for more than fifty minutes as they made their way deeper to the ind.


    Noel and Anna mostly retrieved the demon crystals.


    "What do you think about the demons on this ind?" Noel asked.


    "That''s rather hard to say." Anna looked around. "They are different. There are demons that I have never seen in the four kingdoms. Then again, the demons are possessing animals, so they must be local animals here."


    "Fair enough. What about their strength?"


    "There isn''t any difference from what I can see. They are not stronger or weaker. Normally, if they''re stronger, it means this ce is more dangerous. Thepetitions or even the humans might be stronger. Or if they are weaker, there must be nopetition here that the demons don''t know what they should do in a fight. But I can''t see any of those signs."


    "So you think there is a civilization on this ind? And it has survived for more than a thousand years?"


    Anna crossed her arms, contemting. "I don''t know the strength of the tenmandants, but it''s clear they are pretty strong, especially this one since he has the headband.


    "So, I believe that his descendants are able to protect themselves. The question is, in what shape? Do his descendants have any weird lords? Foolish ones tend to destroy the heritage."


    "There are too many assumptions." Noel shook his head.


    In the middle of their conversation, they couldn''t help but hear a voice resembling that of a human.


    "Help!"


    "!!!" Both of them raised their eyebrows. They sensed it at the same time, so they exchanged looks.


    "A human?" Anna frowned.


    "Most likely."


    Both of them came to a tacit understanding.


    They hurriedly followed the origin of the voice, finding a boy getting chased after by multiple demons.


    The boy was only wearing a sleeveless shirt that had no button, as if trying to expose his muscles and abs.


    Still, he had much bigger musclespared to anyone he had seen, especially from a twelve or thirteen years old boy.


    ''He''s young, but his strength¡­ It''s already at the Spirit Practitioner level? No, it''s close to the Spirit Wielder?''


    Both of them thought the same thing. They had never thought someone that young would have such strength. In terms of talent, Anna might even lose.


    "Help!"


    "I don''t know what word he said, but it sounds like he needs help." Anna pointed at the boy.


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows, not because of this guy''s talent but because of thenguage.


    "This¡­" Noel narrowed his eyes.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I recognize thenguage."


    "What? Really?"


    "Yes. Although all four kingdoms have used the standardizednguage, they still have their respective nativenguages. And this sounds like the Greenwood Kingdom''s nativenguage."


    "Seriously? Can you understand that boy?" Anna was taken aback. They had brought multiple linguistic masters, but it turned out there was no need for them. "Can you speak?"ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    "Probably. I don''t have the ent, but I have gotten the lesson. Well, it''s more like because my mother came from the Greenwood Kingdom, he made me learn it. I have never really practiced it, so it will sound awkward and make us look like outsiders."


    "Who cares, right?"


    Noel chuckled. "True."


    "Let''s go."


    "I will take care of the kid. You go with Incetta and try to follow me."


    "Oh! Alright then." She nodded in agreement and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, the boy had been cornered.


    "Kh!" He tripped. He had exhausted all his energy, but he failed to take down the giant boar in front of him. The giant boar was an Advanced Level Demon, so it was already amazing that he had the ability to fight it.


    The boar was charging straight at him.


    He gnashed his teeth. Even though he was going to die, his eyes were still ring at the boar as though he had no fear of dying.


    But all of a sudden, the boar suddenly stopped.


    "Huh?" The boy widened his eyes in shock, finding the boar''s body was suddenly split into two. Its blood spurted and caused a tremor upon its fall.


    More importantly, there was a figure standing behind the boar who might be the one killing it.


    "Who?" The boy gasped.


    Noel looked around and asked, "Are you safe?"


    The boy tilted his head in confusion because he didn''t understand hisnguage. Noel used the standardizednguage, so of course, this was the result.


    "You can''t understand me?" Noel pointed at his mouth.


    The boy got the gist of what Noel was trying to say but did not know the exact wording. He only shook his head furiously. "Who are you?"


    Noel looked shocked, as if he understood the boy''snguage. "Ah. Can you understand me this time?"


    His tone was a bit awkward, but it was correct.


    "Eh? I can understand it now." The boy''s eyes brightened.


    "Hahaha. Sorry if I''m a little awkward since I rarely use thisnguage." Noel chuckled. "What are you doing here, kid? To think you would provoke an advanced level demon."


    "I am training!" The boy pumped his fist.


    The fact that he didn''t deny the advanced level demon meant the categories had been spread, most likely by the fourthmandant.


    Noel frowned. "Training? The demon is much stronger than you. You''re just sending yourself to your death."


    "I need to get strong fast. As a man, I have to get stronger and stronger so that no one can steal myposition." The boy red at Noel. "By the way, who are you, big brother?"


    Noel thought for a moment and decided to go with his real name. "I am Noel. Who are you, kid?"


    "I am Xui."


    "Sui?"


    "Xui."


    "Sorry, I''m not used to pronouncing names like this. Let me just call you Sui."


    "Well, whatever." The boy shrugged.


    Noel smiled as if knowing that there was a strong family in thisnd. It could give birth to Sui and it was most likely a giant family, which would be useful for him to get more information about this ind.


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1257: Clan

    "This is my home." Sui pointed at the grand city in front of them.


    "Woah? What a huge city!" eximed Noel in surprise. The size of the city wasparable to his Golden Dawn City.


    However, the architecture of this city was different from anything he had seen so far. Instead of the cone-type roof, most of the buildings had a single-nted roof that faced the sun.


    The building might be small, but they were made of brick, painted neatly in red or white.


    From the way he saw it, the people had simr features to the people in the Greenwood Kingdom, so they might be from the same ancestry.


    "Have you not lived in a city like this?"


    "No. I haven''t. Maybe I will be treated as an outcast here¡­" Noel looked at his clothes, implying that he should get new clothes to mingle with them.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    "Oh!" Sui noticed his worries. He said, "Big brother. Why don''t we buy you new clothes? I know a perfect store for this."


    "Sure. I''ll buy you clothes while I''m at it."


    "Hahaha. Please don''t. Let me treat you at least this much after saving my life."


    "Is that so? If you put it that way, I can''t reject it."


    "That''s good. Let''s go. It''s this way."


    Sui led him to a store and bought him new clothes. These clothes werepletely different from what he had seen so far.


    He now wore a white shirt with diagonallyced buttons. There was an embroidered flowering from the side all the way to his chest. The bottom was simple white cotton pants.


    It looked simr to Sui''s clothes but was more modest.


    "Hoho. Does this suit me?" Noel jokingly said while checking his clothes. It was easy to move in these clothes.


    "Big brother. You''re so handsome. You must have a wife already."


    "Do I look that way? But yes, I do have a wife."


    "Your wife must be happy to have such a handsome and strong husband." Sui chuckled.


    Noel smiled. "How about you? Looking at how people admire you, you must be pretty important in this city. You must have a wife or at least a fiancee, right?"


    "It''s a mess. I want to focus on my martial path. Big brother, you''re so strong. Teach me how to get stronger!" Sui pouted.


    "When I was your age, I hadn''t even trained. You are already ahead of a lot of people."


    "I''m not. I can''t even beat my sister. She is much stronger than me."


    "What? You have such a strong family?" Noel raised his eyebrow.


    "Yep. Do you want to visit my n?"


    "A n?" Noel was confused. He didn''t know the structure of the hierarchy.


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    "You don''t know about it? Where are you from, big brother?"


    "I''m from far away in the west."


    "The west?" Sui looked down, contemting. However, he soon gave up and just epted it. "Well, I am from one of the four great martial arts ns.


    "In fact, my n is from the first generation. The founder of the n spread his teaching to other areas and became the foundation of the martial arts ns that are standing today.


    "The n is responsible for protecting its people, so I have to get stronger as quickly as possible so that I can take up my father''s mantle.


    "However, my sister is much stronger than me. It''s said that her strength is very close to my father, who is the n head. And she is only 26 years old.


    "I have to reach my sister''s level before that age and be the n head."


    Noel crossed his arms. "So you want to be a n head? Does that mean you''re going topete with your sister?"


    "I don''t know. The elders in my n say that my sister is not qualified to be the n head because she is a woman. I don''t know why they think that way. After all, she can just beat them up. If my sister leaves the n, won''t it make the n weaker?"


    Noel looked at Sui''s sincere expression. It didn''t seem he had any grudges with his sister. No, the rtionship between the brother and sister looked pretty good.


    Sui thought for a moment beforeing up with a brilliant idea. "That''s right. Big Brother! Do you want to visit my n? Or do you have anything else to do?"


    "I don''t currently have anything to do since I''m just going around wherever the wind carries me."


    "Then, visit my n! Let''s go. I will guide you!"


    "But isn''t this inappropriate? I''m just an outsider."


    "That''s true. Big Brother''s name is also kind of weird, but it''s fine. Big brother is strong."


    Noel smiled wryly. It seemed that Sui just thought everything could be solved with martial might.


    Then again, he was still a pure young boy, so he understood it. After some consideration, he nodded his head. "Sure. I don''t have anything to do anyway."


    Sui became even more excited and immediately brought Noel to the biggest mansion in the city. The mansion was vast, but it only had a single floor. It was also filled with multiple gardens and courtyards, which seemed to be used for training.


    As if they sensed his presence, a person suddenly leaped and broke through the roof.


    "What are you doing with my Xui? A spirit transcendence expert is trying to mess with my n?" The man with a simr appearance as Sui''s came crashing down with his fist.


    His strength was simr to Noel and his body was big and filled with muscles. He came to Noel with all the momentum as his me-covered fist struck him.


    "!!!" Noel immediately grabbed that fist while releasing his own energy. His ice energy soared and shed with his zing energy, causing the sky to split in two colors: red and blue, which represented their respective energies.


    The sh was so fierce that the floor tiles were ripped from the ground and sent flying. The gate shattered into pieces before a steambustion urred.


    Boom!


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1258: Recognized

    Boom!


    The explosion engulfed the entire entrance, causing the people to notice the fight between them.


    "Big Brother?!" Sui was shocked but he wasn''t far enough to avoid the st. To his surprise, before the st reached him, a shadow appeared and pointed its palm toward the st, causing the energy to ripple and avoid them.


    When the explosion settled down, they found two figures standing face to face.


    The first was Noel, who remained standing. His hand was still catching the fist while the other hand was on the sword, ready to draw it if necessary.


    The second one looked at Noel with his sharp gaze, noticing that his punch did nothing to him. In addition, there were flickers of ice energy that looked like it was trying to freeze him but to no avail. Considering he did nothing to protect himself against that energy, it meant the other party was still holding back.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    Noel furrowed his eyebrows, examining this middle-aged man. He also noticed another spirit transcendence in the area.


    "Father? Sister?" Sui gasped but soon got angry. "What are you two doing to my savior?!"


    "Savior?" The middle-aged man widened his eyes in shock.


    The reason Noel hadn''t done anything crazy was because of what he saw in the Affection Medal.


    He could see his name, which was simr to Sui''s. His affection was also suspicious, not hostile. This meant he was only wary of him and didn''t n to fight him for real.


    However, it might change depending on what Sui said.


    Noel couldn''t help but nce to the side, finding a beauty standing in front of Sui. The woman was a little older than Anna, but her gaze was fierce. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts, which allowed her to move freely.


    But the things that piqued him the most were her gloves and the headband.


    "I don''t understand why I''m being suddenly attacked like this. Does a n really have no morals or etiquette? If you really want to fight, I don''t mind giving you a fight." Noel''s expression turned cold.


    "Father, Sister!" Sui gnashed his teeth, ring at them. "Why do you attack him? And Sister, why do you not even stop Father?"


    The man took a deep breath. After contemtion, he took a step back and retracted his punch.


    "Who are you? Even though I can see that you have a bit of a simr feature to the people on thisnd, you don''t seem to being from here."


    "He is from the west," said Sui.


    "West?" The man frowned even deeper before asking, "You are not from thisnd, aren''t you? You are from somewhere much farther from thisnd¡­ thend beyond the sea."


    "Huh?" Sui was confused because he had never heard of it.


    Noel remained expressionless, as if he were trying to avoid giving too much information from his reaction. However, he never intended to hide his identity, especially from a n like this.


    In the end, he wanted to find the fourthmandant''s descendants. He didn''t know whether they would still honor the words of their ancestor, but he just wanted to take the headband. It didn''t really matter if he had to fight for it.


    Still, if it could lead to a peaceful negotiation, it would be good for both sides.


    "You are from beyond the sea, Big Brother?" Sui asked with an innocent face.


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    "Yeah." Noel nodded. He never intended to keep it. In the end, this n could also be the vital point for their transaction. The Zaecuria Kingdom would definitely love to have such a thing.


    However, it didn''t mean he would just ept the beating without any reasons.


    Noel took a deep breath and said, "I am from what you call thend beyond the sea. I don''t know if it''s the same, but I came to thisnd because of a certain person who was once connected to my family. His name is Ihui Makaveli."


    "Ancestor?!"


    All three of them recognized that name and Sui was the loudest about it.


    The middle-aged man turned solemn, looking at Noel. "What is your name?"


    "Noel¡­ Noel Ardagan."


    Sui tilted his head in confusion, but it looked like the middle-aged man and Sui''s sister recognized that name.


    Even Noel didn''t expect that the first n he found was actually rted to him. Then again, they came straight to this ce, so there was a high chance they were connected. It didn''t seem like Ihui ventured far to the north.


    "What''s wrong? Father, Sister¡­ Do you recognize his name?"


    The middle-aged man closed his eyes and sighed. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier. But do you want to talk in another area? I believe this ce will be crowded soon."


    Noel could sense the people from this n starting to gather around the entrance to check the situation. They were ready to fight if it was necessary.


    Noel nodded. "Alright. Let''s do it that way."


    After reaching an agreement, the four of them disappeared as Sui was carried by his elder sister.


    The ce they brought him was a courtyard. It was still within the n''s mansion, which made Noel raise his guard.


    However, the other parties seemed to have dropped their fighting spirit, showing no sign of aggression.


    "Please." The middle-aged man extended his hand to the side, asking him to follow him in.


    The room waspletely empty with little decoration. However, it was quite spacious and clean.


    "I hope you don''t mind with this room." The middle-aged man started talking. "A thousand years ago, thisnd was ravaged by the demons. All the people who managed to survive did their best to avoid the demons.


    "It reduced the number of people on this ind by more than 95%. When we started to lose hope, Ihui Makaveli came to thisnd.


    "He brought changes to this ind, introduced the spirits, and taught martial arts. The seeds he sowed that day became the foundation of all the ns on this ind.


    "And this n was where he resided."


    This chapter upload first at

 Chapter 1259: Decision

    "Where he resided¡­" The guy looked down, hesitating for a moment. "The descendant has followed his will and continued to grow stronger. My name is Dhui.


    "My son is Xui and this is my daughter, Rui."


    "!!!" Noel raised his eyebrows, noticing something from the name.


    "As you probably have noticed, our names are simr. In fact, all the descendants of this n have simr names with ''ui'' in their names.


    "The ancestor has once told us about a certain premonition. It''s not guaranteed but there will be a big battle in the future where humanity might cease to exist the moment we lose that battle.


    "And that he was loyal to the Ardagan family to the very end." Dhui''s expression turned grim. He looked at Noel and asked with a solemn tone. "Why do youe here, Mr. Ardagan?"


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    Noel closed his eyes for a moment. "The battle is about toe. The threat is right at the doorstep and they mighte at any moment."


    "So, do you want us to spill our blood for the sake of humanity?" Dhui asked.


    Noel shook his head. "If I can do it myself, I won''t ask anyone else to participate. In the past, my ancestor, Alexander Ardagan, used five divine items to repel the demons.


    "We are able to repel the demons if we have all the divine items. However, that is not possible anymore.


    "The demons have one of the divine items in their possession. Hence, it''s close to impossible to get it back.


    "That''s why I''m nning to gather the remaining divine items. Even if I can''t use it, I will have to keep it safe to make sure no demons can use it."


    Dhui squinted his eyes and asked, "And those divine items¡­"


    "There are five divine items: a sword, a ring, apass, a jade, and a headband."


    "!!!" Dhui was startled while Rui''s body shook. Sui expressed much more than the rest as he was staring at his sister.


    It only took a glimpse for Noel to understand everything.


    Dhui''s expression turned heavy. "So, are you going to take back the divine item?"


    "No."


    "!!!" Dhui looked surprised. The true owner of the divine items was none other than Noel''s ancestor. No one would say anything if he wanted to take it back. Yet Noel said he didn''t want to take it back. He couldn''tprehend the meaning of his action. "What are you nning to do with it?"


    "I''d like to borrow the divine item."


    That answer certainly shocked everyone in the room. However, Noel continued, "As I said previously, the battle ising.


    "No matter how hard I think, I can''t predict the exact date of the battle. All I know is that it will happen within two years¡­ three years at thetest.


    "Hence, all I wish is for me to borrow that item. After those few years, I will return it.


    "That''s all I wish for the divine item. There is a reason why my ancestor must give that divine item to Sir Ihui, so I will respect that decision and shamelessly ask you to lend me that divine item."


    Dhui crossed his arms before asking, "Are you going to use it?"


    "I don''t know. If I can use it, I will use it. If not, I''ll just keep it safe for the time being."


    "If you just want to keep it safe, why don''t you leave it to us? I mean, we are quite safe in this ce."


    "Safe, huh? Is there a safe ce in this world?" Noel raised his head. "When the demon kingse, will there be a safe ce?


    "Demon kings!" They never thought Noel would mention ''demon king'' and it wasn''t even one demon king but multiple of them.


    "In the past, my ancestor repelled two demon kings, one who ruled over thend and one who ruled over the sky."


    "!!!" Dhui''s face darkened. "Are you saying there are demon kings who rule the sea?"


    "I don''t know. All I know is that there are a lot of demon kings in this world." Noel shook his head helplessly.


    To gain their cooperation, Noel had been exining everything, expressing his sincerity.


    He was prepared to draw a huge rune if necessary, giving them more protection.


    However, that would still depend on whether they would cooperate or fight him.


    Dhui contemted for a moment. After a few minutes, he stood up and asked, "Do you want to follow me for a bit?"


    Noel nodded.


    All four of them walked toward the deeper part of the building and eventually reached a grand hall. From this hall, Dhui actually revealed the secret entrance hidden in this hall.


    It appeared that Rui knew about it while Sui was amazed.


    "Where is this, Father?" Sui asked while looking around. "I never thought there was an underground hall in our ce."


    The underground tunnel was just a simple tunnel with dim light to brighten their path.


    However, it all changed when they reached the deepest part of the tunnel.


    The space immediately opened up. In fact, it was even bigger than their grand hall.


    There was arge crystal in the middle of the room, which illuminated the entire room.


    On both sides, he could see nothing but pirs and walls. However, there was a huge scroll at the end of the hall.


    This huge scroll was hung from the ceiling to the floor with a small altar underneath it.


    ''Martial Might.''


    ''Honesty.''


    ''Promise.''


    ''Pride.''


    ''Warrior.''


    These were the words written on the huge scroll.


    "This is thest masterpiece that our ancestor left behind. We have to get stronger, be honest, never break our promise, have the pride of the strong, and act like a warrior.


    "You said you wanted to borrow the divine item earlier, then you must know that you''re searching for the headband from this ce."


    Dhui stood in front of the scroll and pointed at his daughter. "My daughter, Rui, has the headband. Due to the promise that my ancestor made in the past, I''d lend the headband to you.


    "However, because you go all the way here, there''s something I''d like to request. And that is¡­ bring Rui out of this ind."Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


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 Chapter 1260: Agreement

    "However, because you go all the way here, there''s something I''d like to request. And that you bring Rui out of this ind."


    "Sister?!" Sui widened his eyes in shock, never expecting this kind of request.


    Noel, on the other hand, remained silent as if he were trying to see through his intention.


    "Father¡­" Rui looked down for a moment before turning to Noel. "I also have a condition since I''m going to get involved in this."


    "Rui!" Dhui frowned.


    Rui didn''t care. She simply continued while pointing at the headband she was wearing. "Take a look at this. This is what you want. And if I have to leave the ind, it means the n willck another expert of my caliber. If that''s the case, I need to put a condition as well!"


    Noel closed his eyes for a moment.


    "RUI!" Dhui raised his voice, trying to stop his daughter. However, Noel raised his hand and interjected him. "Depends on the condition. What do you want?"


    Rui took a deep breath. She raised four fingers. "In this area, there are four overlords. Well, you know them as Ancient Demons.


    "I want to kill two of them at the very least before leaving this ind."


    "Rui¡­" Dhui clenched his fists. He knew how powerful the Ancient Demons were. If they fought against them, there was a huge chance they would be injured in the process.


    While getting weakened, it would be bad if the other ns were to attack.


    Hence, it was better for them to fight the demons that threatened the n. Since both of them would leave, it meant her father would remain at full strength while two of the ancient demons had died.


    If it was only two ancient demons, the n could take care of it while making sure other ns didn''t take advantage of their weakened state.


    Noel squinted his eyes. This condition was truly big, especially since Rui had gathered her resolve. It also meant that she would be injured if something happened.


    If they had Noel, one of them could focus on the ancient level demon while the others handled the rest of the demons.


    It wasn''t that hard to see what would happen.


    However, they didn''t know about Anna and Incetta yet.


    When he thought about this, Noel raised one finger. "I don''t mind epting your condition, but since you guys like to put a condition, I also want to put a condition."


    "Hmm?" Dhui and Rui frowned.


    "This condition might be advantageous for you guys as well, so please consider it carefully.


    "I came here with a group of people. After all, I can''t operate the ship by myself.


    "There are a lot of people and parties involved. And my condition is for you guys to trade with them."


    "A trade?" Dhui crossed his arms.


    "Yes. If you do a trade with them, you will be able to get items from our group as well. In addition, I believe that you are more capable of discussing the trade with them. If they have done something bad, punish them ording to yourw.


    "Of course, I will also warn them not to make a problem. And while you''re at it, you can use them to kill some demons, cleaning up the aftermath of the battle against the ancient demons."


    "!!!" Dhui looked shocked. "This is too advantageous for us. Why are you doing this?"


    "The fourthmandant was a loyal man, I heard. How could I treat the descendant of such a great man harshly? Besides, having another spirit transcendence rank expert would be good for the battle against the demon kings. Is this reason enough?" Noel smiled. Read new adventures at mvl


    Dhui clenched his fists. If he followed this arrangement, they would definitely gain a lot. Still, it meant Noel would be injured after fighting two ancient demons.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh, by the way, you don''t have to worry about the ancient demons. If you can locate them, I''m most grateful. After all, it means I can hunt them all."


    "Hunt them all?" Rui gasped.


    "Yes. To fight the demon king, I have to be a spirit king. Hence, I need ancient demon crystals. If you give me those demon crystals, let alone two, I will kill all four ancient demons. Of course, the body will belong to you since they are precious resources."


    "This¡­" Rui looked down. "It''s not that I''m looking down on you. Do you know how strong the ancient demon is?"


    Noel raised his hand, stopping her. "My wife and my subordinate are also in this town. My subordinate is a powerful spirit grandmaster, while my wife has simr strength to me."


    "!!!" All of them dropped their jaws.


    "If needed, I can bring in another spirit transcendence, but I don''t think it''s necessary. With three spirit transcendences and one spirit grandmaster, do you think we are unable to kill all of them?" Noel turned to Rui. "Of course, since this is your condition, I hope you can participate in this battle to make things easier for us."


    "O-Of course!" Rui furiously nodded.


    Noel smiled and turned to Dhui. "What do you think? We''re nning to stay here for one month or 30 days. In that case, we can take down one ancient demon every week. If you can help us with locating them and the amodation, we will take down all four ancient demons.


    "Besides, my wife and I have killed an ancient demon during our voyage here. I don''t want to boast, but we are experienced in killing ancient demons."


    Rui clenched her fists. If this was how he treated other people, Rui swore she would work hard when she came to his ce.


    Dhui stood forward and sped his hands. "We will provide you with the amodation, resources, and information for the next thirty days. Of course, we will also enable trade and ensure safety.


    "If you are able to do this, we will recognize you as our eternal friends and Rui will join your force to fight against the demon king."


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 Chapter 1261: Returning to the Camp

    Noel and Rui ended up leaving the city together. Since the trade involved her, she had the obligation to apany Noel while giving the information to the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    On the way, Rui couldn''t help but ask, "Do you know the reason why my father is allowing me to go with you?"


    "Kind of." Noel nodded. "In a single word, it will be Sui¡­ Sorry, Xui. I have a hard time pronouncing his name."


    Rui chuckled before nodding. "Sui is fine if it''s hard for you. Yeah. In our n, usually, the strongest heir will be the sessor of the n.


    "In this scenario, I should be the sessor, until Sui was born.


    "He was much more talented than I was when I first started, so there was no doubt Sui would be the n head.


    "At first, I was devastated. I had poured everything I had so that I could be the next n head. It was the reason why I was able to be a spirit transcendence when I was only 28 years old.


    "However, even though our absorption rate was simr, Sui had more talent than me in terms of martial arts. He was able to absorb all the teachings much faster than me. At one point, I was a bit jealous. I had done everything I could, so why would Sui get all the recognition while I didn''t?"


    "Then, it appeared, I was being selfish. Sui was straightforward and honest. All of a sudden, he suddenly asked why people thought he would be the leader when I was the strongest.


    "Do you know what he said? He said¡­ ''I admire my sister, who can try harder than anyone else. I believe that talent is not necessarily the only thing that the n needs. Instead, they also need to calcte hard work, the love for the n, and so on¡­'' He listed every single thing that could put me at an advantage.


    "At that time, I realized¡­ maybe I was simply too selfish. From that point on, I had stopped fighting for that position. Instead, I believe Sui will be the best lord that the n could have.


    "That was why I agreed to go. Without me here, there would be no one opposing Sui bing the n head. And I might have to stay longer than several years so that when I returned, Sui would have be a n head and that status wouldn''t change no matter what."


    Noel smiled. He couldn''t help but wonder what would happen if the Ardagan family didn''t have the curse that made them unable to conceive another child.


    What if there were two or three heirs in the Ardagan family? Would the situation be chaotic?


    Noel knew that giving up after doing all that was much harder than anyone could imagine. In fact, he should praise her for being able to step down instead of fighting for it.


    "You''re strong." Noel smiled. "In all aspects."


    She smiled wryly.


    "Anyway, we should be arriving soon." Noel suddenly raised his eyebrows. Even Rui could feel the iing presence.


    "Oh my, dear. Suddenly,ing out of the city with a woman, what should I do with you?" Anna smiled.


    Noel chuckled. "Hahaha. You shouldn''t joke about it. You know I won''t cheat on you. Anyway, this is Rui, one of the two spirit transcendences in that city. She has a certain level of authority within the city, and she will be with me to negotiate with the admiral."


    Noel continued recounting all the agreement they had, making sure she knew everything beforehand.


    Obviously, Rui couldn''t understand Anna and Incetta and vice versa. That was why Noel ended up turning into their trantor.


    Of course, the same applied to the admiral and the people from the Zaecuria Kingdom.


    As soon as the admiral returned to the camp, he waspletely stunned to see Rui.


    "This is¡­" The admiral gasped. It only took Noel less than half a day to actually find a city and even bring someone back. It waspletely shocking.


    Noel had also made sure that no one learned about it yet as they secretly entered the camp.


    He requested the admiral to bring someone who understood the nativenguage of the Greenwood Kingdom, which wasn''t that hard to find.


    Noel smiled. "There are multiple ns scattered across thisnd, and I have encountered one of them. This is Rui, the representative of that n.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


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    "I have negotiated with them first. They don''t mind trading with you, but they have a condition.


    "They want to ensure that you don''t act like an invader, such as by piging, killing, and other barbaric actions. If you do, they will punish you ording to theirw.


    "From what I have heard, their n is the strongest with two spirit transcendences. She is one of them, and if you do, even I have to take their side."


    The admiral knew that it wasn''t good to offend a spirit transcendence rank expert. Still, it was quite shocking. Even their massive kingdom only had three spirit transcendences, yet a n was enough to have two of them. If this news were made public, the kingdoms would be shaken and would try to form a good rtionship with them.


    However, their Zaecuria Kingdom would have the biggest advantage.


    "Also, it appears that their n is in trouble. There are about four ancient demons threatening their n. I will be cooperating with the person here, as well as my wife and Incetta, to take down all those four ancient demons in the span of one month.


    "I believe that they won''t mind paying for some stuff or giving you a more preferable trade if you help out.


    "Of course, we want this matter to be top secret. What do you think, Admiral?"


    Noel exined everything, making sure that the negotiation was moving in the direction that favored the Ardagan family and Rui''s n.


    Still, it also felt this was a win-win situation for the Zaecuria Kingdom. Through this n, they might be able to open more trade in the future. After all, this expedition''s most important purpose was to confirm the existence of thisnd and the people in it.


    The admiral looked at them with a solemn expression as he had made his decision.


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 Chapter 1262: Sabotage

    "Thank you very much." The admiral smiled and shook hands with Dhui.


    After the visit, it was clear that the admiral was fond of the idea of trading. It was quite surprising that Noel wanted to take down all the ancient demons, but he might be able to do it, considering his strength.


    Of course, during the first visit, the admiral was only apanied by several people and discussed the things they wanted to trade.


    After all, this was the purpose of their expedition.


    "Please take a look at this." The admiral pointed at the side with his hand. His assistant took out the veil covering the items.


    "They''re beautiful." Dhui nodded. "I bet they are going to be popr."


    "Thank you." He smiled.


    "If you would, you can also take a look at our city."


    "I would love to."


    "Great."


    As the trade was set up, they started pouring out all their items to see which ones interested them more. It didn''t take too long for them to have a tour around the city.


    Due to the difference in culture even from the Greenwood Kingdom, the admiral couldn''t help but get startled. Nevertheless, they still proceeded ording to the n and talked about the subjugation of all ancient demons.


    That night, the admiral visited Noel''s room.


    "How is it?" Noel asked.


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    The admiral nodded. "We have received their cooperation. It''s thanks to you, Marquis."


    "Haha. That''s good. How about the other n?"


    "Yes. We have discussed it. ording to them, they will be providing everything from food to supplies. We''ll be supplying the personnel. Are you sure about this, Marquis?" The admiral asked.


    "Yes. I and Anna will be taking down the ancient demon while Rui, the spirit transcendence from their side, will take on the lower level demons. Your people will have to ensure that nothing goes wrong."


    "No. I mean, it''s extremely dangerous to fight against ancient demons¡­"Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah. If you can help me take out the superior demon crystals and the ancient demon crystals, you''re free to take everything else. Those cores will definitely be useful for our return trip."


    The admiral smiled wryly. Both of them surely knew what the admiral was talking about. However, Noel intentionally didn''t discuss it, as if telling him not to mind about it.


    "I understand. I will gather my troops and prepare them to make sure everything goes smoothly."


    Noel smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good. In that case, see you in two days."


    "Yes, sir!"


    The admiral was preparing for the trade and fight as he arranged his people to their respective positions.


    Unbeknownst to them, the danger had been looming around them. There was a pigeon that flew toward the north when no one was watching.


    As Dhui and Rui had previously stated, thend itself had multiple ns on it.


    The pigeon arrived at one of those ns.


    When they heard about this, they held a huge meeting.


    A muscr middle-aged man entered the room, walking past 15 kneeling men on the sides. He sat down on his small throne while raising his right foot.


    While drinking a jar of wine, he asked, "So?"


    The man on his right raised his head and exined, "We have just received the information that the Ui n has received the arrival of strangers. Apparently, they came from thend beyond the sea.


    "ording to the legend, the founder of martial arts, Ihui, also came from thend beyond the sea. Considering they came from the west, we could safely assume that they were from the same ce. And we have confirmed the existence of their boat.


    "They seemed to have reached an agreement with them. We are still unsure what kind of agreement they currently have, but I''m assuming they''re rted to trade and subjugation.


    "Those foreigners have a lot of unique stuff, so trade is understandable. As for the subjugation, we are still unsure about it."


    The middle-aged man had a big gulp before saying, "How do you know they''re nning a subjugation?"


    "They have set up a camp in the Ura Forest. We are unsure what they''re nning to do."


    The middle-aged man''s eyebrows twitched. "They''re aiming for the ancient demon in that forest. No, they might evene for other ancient demons. That n is trying to take advantage of the foreigner to take down the four heavenly disasters."


    "!!!" His retainers widened their eyes in disbelief.


    "What? They''re nning to take down¡­"


    The man snarled, "You can''t imagine it? Are you a fool? You should know how dangerous the sea is. Unless they have enough strength, they won''t be able to reach this ind."


    "Then, we have to stop them. If the Ui n was allowed to take down the four heavenly disasters, no one could keep them in check anymore."


    "Stop them? Are you a fool? I already told you that they needed strength to reach this ce. The fact they''re able to reach this ce means they have a spirit transcendence expert, and it''s not only one.


    "How to stop them? Attack their ship? That will just unleash their wrath upon us. The Ui n has been at the top because they have two spirit transcendence experts. If theye at us, we''ll be wiped out immediately."


    His retainers could only look down. They were trying toe up with a strategy, but there didn''t seem to be anything they could do.


    "Should we send someone to meet them and form a mutual rtionship with the foreigners? If we can hold them with marriages, we might be able to turn them against the Ui n."


    "I feel like a fool talking to you guys. All of you are useless. Do you think it''s possible? The Ui n would have done so if it''s possible. After all, they have Rui."


    They couldn''te up with a better solution.


    The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows before saying it with a cold tone. "We should sabotage them. If they''re truly aiming for the conquest of the four heavenly disasters, we should make that conquest fail with all of them suffering heavy injuries."


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 Chapter 1263: Dual Weapons Style

    "So, this is the ce." Noel raised his head, looking at the entire area from the sky. This area was rather hard to conquer.


    Most of the area was a swamp, with two rivers splitting this area. There were several hills that could be used by the demons.


    In fact, sunlight had a hard time entering due to how big the trees were. Stay tuned for updates on §Þ??


    "It will be quite hard to locate the demons from above. We can still see a few giant demons from here, but most of them are covered by the trees." Anna nodded.


    "What do you think, Incetta?" Noel asked.


    Incetta looked down, contemting. Vivi didn''t say anything because Noel wanted Incetta to grow. After all, she had to take the mantle as the Ardagan family''s navymander in the future.


    Rui remained silent this whole time, observing them.


    "How about forcing our way through all those hills? Those hills should have a lot of demons, so eliminating those demons will end up causing a huge movement from the demons. This movement will berge enough to mess with the ancient demon, which causes them to have no other way but to show up. Still, because we have three spirit transcendences here¡­"


    Incetta pointed at two hills near them. "My lord, you should take that hill. Miss Rui can go to that hill. Madam Anna should remain here and hide yourself. You have to conserve your strength because we need it to kill the ancient demon.


    "Once the ancient demon dies, the team from the Zaecuria Kingdom will sweep in. My role is going in a straight line, disrupting the demons. This way, a lot of demons wille to my way first, allowing both of you to have an easier time taking down the hills.


    "And finally, after everything is done, you cane to my position and deal with the rest of the demons that I have gathered in the center."


    Noel smiled before ncing at Rui. He tranted everything to Rui before asking, "So, what do you think?"


    Rui nodded. She had no qualms. As long as they could kill the ancient demon, nothing really mattered.


    "Alright. Let''s do it!" Noel agreed without hesitation.


    Incetta was quite surprised because Noel epted the arrangement so easily. Incetta knew that her strength and strategy couldn''t bepared to Noel, so she expected Noel to give her some corrections.


    However, Noel wanted her growth. If the n ended in failure, she had to learn from that mistake.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Even Noel had a few mistakes in his ns when he just started, so Noel had to teach her the importance of that mistake early on.


    For Incetta, it felt like Noel had an absolute trust in her, which made her feel moved. She swore she would do her best to ensure the sess of this mission.


    Since their roles had been determined, theynded on the ground. "Then, I''ll go first."


    After bowing to Noel, Incetta rushed forward with her spear.


    Her spiritual energy erupted, causing a fluctuation that could be felt in all directions.


    Normally, they would hide their spiritual energy because they would just let the demons notify each other without wasting their energy.


    However, Incetta''s role was being the bait. Because of this eruption of energy, the demons raised their heads and rushed toward her.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons alerted each other, focusing on the one that caused such a disturbance.


    It only took her a few moments before hundreds of demons rushed toward her. She could already see a hundred of them right in front of her.


    Vivi smirked. "It''s time to show your might. Go!"


    "Yes, ancestor." Incetta''s expression turned solemn. She raised her palms and formed a huge water sphere. "Water Needles!"


    The huge sphere was suddenly split into a thousand smaller spheres that turned into needles.


    The moment she waved her hand down, they flew forward, piercing through trees, rocks, or even demons.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons warned the others. Those who had thicker skins moved forward while those who couldunch a ranged attack stopped and released their attacks outside Incetta''s range.


    Little did they know, the needles were there just to see how they reacted.


    Once she knew about the targets, Incetta rushed forth, heading straight toward the demons that couldunch ranged attacks.


    A lot of demons immediately stood in her way to stop her, but Incetta slightly twisted her spear and muttered, "Shervina''s Dual Weapons Style, Scatter Spear."


    The demons that were charging toward Incetta suddenly stopped mid-air as though the time had stopped. A split secondter, Incetta passed them, and their bodies fell to the ground, sliced apart.


    "Hoho. That''s quite an interesting spear technique." Noel smiled.


    "Right?" Anna nodded in agreement.


    However, she didn''t stop there. She continued to her targets. Those demons released their attacks prematurely.


    A water bubble suddenly formed on the tip of her spear. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she waved her spear. "Water Slicer."


    The bubble turned into sharp, crescent-shaped water moving at fast speed, cutting all the trees and attacks in its path.


    "!!!" The demons panicked and tried to regain their distance. Other demons were alsoing to help.


    Incetta suddenly slid her hand to the end of her shaft. All of a sudden, the spear started changing its form to that of a sword.


    "Shervina''s Dual Weapons Style, Scatter Sword."


    "!!!" The demons widened their eyes, but it was toote. Incetta had struck them. If the spear caused them to be sliced into pieces, the Scatter Sword only released a single strike on every demon. That single strike split them into two.


    However, the attack didn''t only reach the demons. It scattered to the entire area. Whether it was a tree, rock, or demon, none was spared.


    Looking at this unique technique put an even bigger smile on Noel''s face. "I see. Each weapon has a different style of wielding, but somehow they''re simr to each other. It will be quite hard to master, but her master used this technique in the past and became a fearsome person¡­"


    "Yeah. We can''t lose." Anna nodded.


    Noel then turned to Rui. "It''s time for us to start as well."


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 Chapter 1264: Heavenly Disaster

    Noel was moving straight to the hill, taking down all the demons in his path. Obviously, the goal in Noel''s mind wasn''t to take down the hill. Instead, he wanted to observe Rui''s strength.


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    Anna was there to have a better observation spot. Since she also didn''t do anything to conserve her stamina, she watched Rui closely, feeling the fluctuation of her spiritual energy.


    Rui saw the iing demonsing from the hill. Her body started glowing like a light source. All of a sudden, she disappeared, moving faster than Anna.


    "!!!" Anna couldn''t help but raise her eyebrows, noticing that speed. She had been proud of her speed, but the one Rui had just shown was simply too much.


    Rui appeared on top of those demons with her right leg still shining. She spun her body and kicked down, releasing a light beam that hit the ground and causing a massive explosion.


    Boom!


    The explosion engulfed everything in a 50-meter radius, killing all the demons and any living beings. The only thing that was left after that attack was a huge crater.


    Anna squinted her eyes. ''Her speed is extraordinary, but I guess her strength is lower than mine.''


    Rui turned into light again andnded on the ground. Due to the explosion, more and more demons wereing toward them.


    She simply formed a light sphere in front of her before punching it. The force from that punch shattered the light in all directions like bullets. They pierced trees, rocks, and even demons.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons were alerting each other to be careful against her, but to no avail. They still continued charging toward her.


    This time, Rui punched forth. Her pure strength caused a ripple in the air and formed a massive st, pushing everything in the fan-shaped area.


    Her kick released a crescent-shaped energy that cut down everything in its path.


    Anna couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. "She is strong. Her overall fighting style is good and she is also pretty young.


    "Still, this kind of strength doesn''t look normal. No, is this the strength that has been boosted by the headband?


    "She is the user of the Martial Headband, so it might be. Noel is pretty untouchable when he is with Ardagan, so it''s understandable.


    "However, I can see that she has only be a spirit transcendence recently. Her mastery over her power is stillcking. Should we tell her about the power unique to the beast kingdom? I''m sure she''ll get even stronger.


    "I wonder what''s the right choice." Anna crossed her arms. "Well, the diva is here. Even Melissa is in our territory. I will just tell them about itter."


    Both Noel and Rui were conquering the hills at high speed. They killed every single demon inhabiting both hills while making as much ruckus as they possibly could.


    The sounds of explosions continued to ring across thend as the hill was gradually destroyed. Thendslides urred in almost all directions.


    On the one side, the hill had a lot of huge ice crystals, freezing more than a hundred demons each. On the other side, the hill was basking in golden light.


    Meanwhile, Incetta could only smile. Her initial n in baiting the enemies had seeded, but she had a hard time maintaining them in this ce.


    Still, it was a challenge that she needed to ovee. She killed as many demons as possible, fully aware that her contribution couldn''t bepared to Rui and Noel.


    It only took Noel and Rui fifteen minutes to clear up the entire hill. They both saw Incetta still holding down the enemies in the middle.


    Without hesitation, both of them leaped toward her. Noel released his ice ability while Rui punched the ground, cracking it and letting out a light eruption.


    Their energy burst in a different way and eliminated most of the demons so easily.


    It looked like the demons would end up moving to the hills sooner orter. There were even a series of roarsing from nearby locations as if telling them that something happened in those two hills. They wereing straight to the hills, which was noticed by Anna.


    However, both of them abruptly stopped when they sensed an extraordinary energying from the front.


    Noel leaped into the sky and released his Divine sh, splitting the green ray into two. The green ray turned purple the moment it stopped, revealing its true appearance.


    It was a purple poison liquid that melted even the ground when it fell.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Noel and Rui looked at each other, realizing that their n really worked. The ancient demon wasing toward them, bringing an army of demons with him. Their task was to kill those demons while Anna took down the ancient demon.


    Anna squinted her eyes, raising her head. She saw the huge looming shadow from the mist.


    Its body was so big that the overgrown trees around this area meant nothingpared to it. The rivers could be easily covered by its body.


    It bulldozed everything on its path.


    With a long tongue sneaking out of its mouth, the heavenly disaster made its appearance.


    "So, that''s one of the four heavenly disasters. It''s said that the giant body has the strongest scale. I guess we have to see it personally¡­ especially those wings on the back." Anna squinted her eyes.


    The first heavenly disaster that they nned to kill was none other than a serpent. And it wasn''t just a normal person. It seemed to have mutated, whether it was due to its power or anything.


    This was the first time Anna saw something so ridiculous as a winged serpent.


    "What is going on? Is the demon in this ce fundamentally different from the ones we have?" Anna shook her head. "Nevertheless, I have to kill it. Its ability is mist and strong body. It also has poison. Nevertheless, I have to chop this snake, so I should begin."


    Anna smiled as her hair turned white and the lightning began to spark all over her body.


    "Lightning Transformation."


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 Chapter 1265: New Lightning Ability

    Roar!


    Roar! Find your next read on M-V-L


    Roar!


    Noel and Rui noticed the numerous demons that came after the snake. Due to their size, they ended upte, but their numbers were close to seventy thousand.


    Both Noel and Rui knew they really needed to focus on them because of their number.


    "Incetta. Take care of yourself." Noel said while leaping toward the demons. With this number, it would be quite hard to protect Incetta. Besides, this would be a good chance to let her grow.


    Meanwhile, Anna was focusing on the ancient demon.


    "Lightning Transformation."


    "!!!" Rui couldn''t help but turn around, noticing the sudden increase of strengthing from Anna. Her lightning energy also became eruptive. "This is not the True Spirit Body¡­"


    Anna leaped into the air, looking at the huge snake. The snake sensed her, especially that killing intent that was locked on him.


    The snake immediately gathered his energy in his mouth before releasing another poison.


    Anna grabbed her sword handle as the lightning sparked violently. When the poison was about to arrive, she drew her sword, unleashing the lightning element that had been sealed in the scabbard to split the poison into two.


    After that, she used the tform Rune as a foothold before jumping forward with her fastest speed.


    It was slower than Rui, but it carried all the momentum, especially from that lightning element.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The snake opened his mouth as Anna swung her de.


    The world felt like it suddenly darkened for a split second before the lightning expanded, illuminating the world once again.


    The snake released all its energy in its teeth, using the corrosive power of his poison to destroy Anna''s lightning sword strike.


    At the same time, he pulled the rest of his body onward so that it could take advantage of his giant body to crush or confuse Anna.


    Seeing this, Anna used the tform rune to jump toward the ground.


    Hernding spot turned into a crater, but she was able to be faster than the snake. After that, she struck the snake''s body and unleashed the same power of attack.


    The lightning sparked violently, unleashing both its prative force and heat. The spark destroyed the trees and even scorched the ground.


    It ran through the snake''s skin as though it were trying to crush the scales.


    To her surprise, the skin remained intact. In fact, all that lightning energy didn''t leave any scratch.


    ''Hoh? The snake is this strong? I think this is the strongest demon I have faced so far. This is going to be interesting. Then again, I have to kill this one fast.''


    Anna took a deep breath. There was a way to do it.


    "Force Control!"


    Anna utilized the Force Control to break her physical limit. She then unleashed her lightning energy again, which turned out to be at least three times more violent.


    Even the snake could feel the extraordinary power the lightning was releasing.


    "This is too much. What kind of lightning is this?" Rui gasped.


    The snake pushed his body forward forcefully, throwing his massive body against Anna. Since she wasn''t capable of destroying the scales, the entire weight could definitely defeat her. In fact, the snake could actually destroy a single hill with its body alone.


    Unfortunately for him, Anna unleashed all that lightning in a single draw.


    "Raging sh."


    The lightning sparked, expanded, and shed with the giant body. The lightning energy formed a sphere that electrocuted everything. The sheer pressure of this sphere alone shattered the ground and kicked up the rocks.


    The lightning rampaged on the snake''s body, trying to prate the scales again and again. The lightning was so violent and powerful that the scales actually cracked. Some areas were even scorched by the intense heat.


    "Shaaa!" The snake was screaming in pain.


    However, his momentum was still going forward. Anna noticed this and immediately leaped away, but the snake was one step forward and flicked his own body forward, crashing onto Anna.


    All that momentum and strengthunched her at least two hundred meters away. Her body bounced several times on the ground and destroyed tens of trees standing in her way.


    "Kh. That hurts¡­" Anna gritted her teeth as blood leaked out of the corner of her lips. "So, the snake has a hard body, big size, and the poison. I will stop him from using the poison with my speed, but this snake is still pretty agile."


    Anna took a deep breath. She leaped back before the snake could attack Noel or Rui.


    "You''re not getting away!" Anna didn''t use her sword this time. Instead, she used all that momentum to kick the snake''s head.


    She crushed the scales on its forehead and knocked back the head, but the snake rolled around so that its head would actually fling her.


    Anna was once again thrown away by the snake, which made her realize the situation would just continue if she didn''t do something special.


    Thanks to her Force Control, she was able to have the strength capable of crushing the snake''s scales, but she would end up with a lot of injuries once this battle was over.


    Hence, she really had no other choice but to use the True Spirit Body earlier than she expected.


    "True Spirit Body!" A pair of horns appeared on her forehead as the lightning energy exploded, destroying everything within twenty meters radius.


    The snake could feel Anna''s immense strength and started radiating a dim white light from its body. Anything that touched its body was melting due to the corrosive poison. In fact, the snake was moving continuously to avoid getting buried due to its powerful poison.


    "Let''s test this new ability I have worked on. Thunder God Possession, Heaven''s Wrath. Second step."


    She gathered her lightning on top of her palm. There didn''t seem to be anything special about this lightning energy. Even her previous attack was much stronger than this.


    But when Anna clenched her hand into a fist, destroying this sphere of energy, before raising her hand on top of her hand and waving it down, a lightning bolt suddenly flew down from the clear sky.


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 Chapter 1266 : Killing the Heavenly Disaster

    A lightning bolt fell from the clear sky.


    The snake raised its head, releasing every bit of energy he could muster at the moment. Unfortunately, it was toote.


    The lightning fell down much faster than it could cover itself. Upon making contact, the lightning caused a massive explosion in the shape of a half sphere, engulfing everything within a two hundred meter radius.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Rui dropped her jaw in shock. It wasn''t the size of the destruction that surprised her. It was the power behind that lightning bolt.


    Even Noel couldn''t help but smile, realizing how strong the lightning bolt was.


    "Well, even I would have some trouble facing that. I need Ardagan to block it." Noel was proud. If only Ardagan were here, and Anna could also be a spirit king. Both of them could definitely defeat the demon kings.


    When the explosion settled down, the snake was still alive. However, the scales, especially the ones that made the first contact, werepletely obliterated. The scales around that area were either suffering numerous cracks or getting scorched.


    The residual lightning still sparked all over the snake''s body, electrocuting the snake.


    Smoke wasing out of its pores. The snake released a burst of energy to st it away. While enduring the pain, it swung its own body.


    "!!!" Anna couldn''t dodge fast enough, especially after using such a big move.


    She got hit on the left arm and wasunched for more than two hundred meters.


    After that, the snake released a green beam from its mouth. It hit the ground first and moved toward Anna as the snake raised his head.


    Anna hurriedly got up, but in the end, the ray was faster and hit her before she could escape. She blocked it with her sword, but she continued getting pushed back.


    Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. His spiritual energy erupted, trying to ignore these demons and hit the snake.


    However, Anna suddenly appeared in the air right before the snake''s eyes.


    She was injured, but she was still nning to fight this snake alone.


    A sh came from Anna, and a split secondter, Anna had passed the snake. One of the wings on the snake''s back was sent flying.


    "Shaaa!" The snake was screaming in pain. Its body wriggled, trying to hit her again.


    However, Anna had seen this pattern and immediately leaped into the air by using the tform Rune before it was toote.


    The snake released another beam of poison, but Anna skillfully avoided it with another leap.


    She formed multiple tform Runes and jumped from one to another like a pinball, confusing the snake.


    The snake took advantage of its massive body to create an obstacle, hoping to hit her.


    Anna surprisingly stopped using the tform Rune and actually ran on the snake''s body instead. The snake was trying to get away, but Anna was one step faster.


    She reached the snake''s head and struck it with all her strength.


    "Shaaa!" the snake wailed in pain. There was a huge wound on its head because Anna struck the same spot as the one she hit earlier.


    The snake''s tail had finally arrived and pped her to the ground.


    "Gah!" Anna spat a mouthful of blood as she crashed into the ground, creating a crater.


    The snake wanted to release another beam, but all of a sudden, a huge ice crystal appeared from the ground, both stopping the snake''s movement as well as piercing through multiple cracks in its skin.


    The snake didn''t expect that Noel would be helping all of a sudden. He ended up taking several hits from a few Superior Demons because of that reason, but it didn''t matter.


    "Jeez. You''re such a worrywart. Then again, I''m the same." Anna smiled wryly. The assist wasn''t needed because she took that blow willingly so that she could charge the lightning energy again. And for the second time of the day, a lightning bolt fell from a clear sky.


    Boom!


    This time, the lightning hit the wound on the head, which ended up piercing through its skin and creating a hole in its head.


    Whether the body was damaged or not didn''t matter. After all, the snake was falling to the ground, dead.


    "Hehe. We''re finally done." Anna smirked.


    "It''s time to speed up then." Noel nodded. He immediately increased the output of his power and started massacring the demons. Rui noticed his movement and did the same thing.


    Since there was still time for her True Spirit Body, Anna also worked together with them.


    Incetta felt helpless because she couldn''tpete with them, but Vivi assured her that she had progressed a lot. She should be able to be a spirit transcendence expert before the final battle, which allowed her to do such a thing.


    It didn''t take too long for them to wipe out most demons. As a result, the demons lost their number and instinctively feared them, causing the rest to flee.


    Although they were unable to take down all of them, they had at least killed twenty-five thousand demons.


    When everything was over, Rui couldn''t help but look at the battlefield, specifically the snake''s body, from the air. She sighed. "To think that a heavenly disaster that has been guing the n for over a few decades would die so easily."


    Rui knew that the biggest contributor would be Noel and Anna, who were willing to take the risk.


    Meanwhile, Anna pointed at Noel while saying, "With this, we''re one step closer to making you a spirit king. Do we have enough cores to reach that stage if we eliminate all the ancient demons?"


    "I don''t know. Besides, even if I have filled up my energy, I won''t be able to be a spirit king yet. Just like what happens when we be a spirit transcendence, I still need to know the path to bing a spirit king. I guess it''ll be much harder than a spirit transcendence. I will probably have to wait until Ardagan recovers."


    "Is that so?"


    "Still, once I fill up my spiritual energy reserves, you''re going to be next, alright? We need to kill both demon kings, so you need to be one too."


    She smiled. "Alright, alright. I know."


    "I''ll tell Incetta to ask the others to clean up. As for you, I''ll need to fix you up. I won''t take no for an answer this time."


    She chuckled. "Yes, sir."


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 Chapter 1267: Next Subjugation

    "Congrattions!"


    "Woah!"


    "Amazing!"


    "Is that the heavenly disaster?"


    The city became very festive. People were cheering left and right as the main road was used to parade the snake''s head.


    People knew how terrifying the snake was. That was why the celebration was massive.


    "Have you seen the snake''s body?"


    "I have. It''s so huge that the snake''s body covers almost the entire city. I never thought they would be able to take down such a thing."


    "As expected of the Ui n."


    "We''re also the Ui n."


    The people were cheering.


    "Sorry for taking the credit like this," Sui apologized while looking at her sister leading the parade. Considering she was stronger, it would be more believable if she was the one taking down the snake.


    "It''s fine." Noel chuckled. "We fight for the sake of your n right now, so it''s fine. Besides, we have taken the cores, which is the most important thing."


    Sui looked down, feeling bad.


    After all, they were going to take down all the heavenly disasters within a month.


    Noel patted Sui''s head while saying, "I don''t want your sister to leave with regrets. Besides, you need to get stronger because once your sister leaves, all the burden will be upon you."


    "Mmmm." Sui nodded with a serious expression. "I will definitely work hard."


    "Good. I will be looking forward to your achievements in the future, Sui."


    "Yes!"


    In the distance, the admiral, Anna, and Incetta were staring at them.


    "Hahaha. They look like two brothers, don''t you think?" The admiral chuckled.


    "Well, Noel is a single child, so I''m sure that he is acting that way because of that very reason."


    "Heh¡­" The admiral smiled. Even though Noel was a scary person in the political world, in this ce, he was just a person who wanted to be the older brother.


    Anna could imagine what would happen if he had a brother or a sister. Just like how he taught her, cared for her, and sacrificed for her in the previous life and in this life, their past would have been much different.


    Since Sui was watching his sister happily, Noel returned to them while asking, "Admiral. How is the condition of our men?"


    "They are in high spirits. Although they can''t fight a lot, they''re pretty excited right now. After all, allowing them to witness the battle between a spirit transcendence and an ancient demon alone would give them a lot of advantages. Some of them even realized something yesterday."


    "That''s good." Noel thought for a moment. "Injuries and casualties?"


    "80 injured, but all of them are healing rapidly. Because you have taken care of most of the demons, there are only 5 deaths."


    Noel nodded, satisfied with the numbers. "As I told you before, we would take out all their demon crystals. I will get the ancient demon crystals and the superior demon crystals. You guys take the rest.


    "I hope we can bring back all those crystals not only for the return trip but also to cash them. Let those people get their share of crystals and make sure topensate the fallen warriors."


    The admiral smiled. He nodded. "Of course. The king will be happy since we have found the ind. On top of those crystals, he will most likely give them other rewards, including promotions. That''s why you don''t have to worry about them. They will be rewarded properly."


    "That''s good."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "It''s no wonder why your people love you. You truly care for the people under you, even though we''re not from the same country."


    Noel shrugged and turned to Incetta. "I and Anna should be reaching the limit for the superior demon crystals pretty soon. You should take the rest of the superior demon crystals."


    "Are you sure about this? I¡­" Incetta looked down. She hadn''t contributed much. Even on the ship, the admiral practically managed the ship most of the time.


    "What are you talking about? You have done a lot. Ask both of them, and you will get the same answer." Noel pointed at Anna and the admiral. "However, giving you the demon crystals doesn''t mean you''re going to easily reach the spirit transcendence.


    "You still need to polish your ability. Without enough understanding about your own power, you won''t be able to reach this stage."


    "I understand." Incetta nodded.


    "Woah. Spirit transcendence¡­ You truly hold nothing back. Isn''t that woman, Rui, going back with us? And if she is also going to be a spirit transcendence, doesn''t this mean your territory has four spirit transcendence experts?" The admiral widened his eyes in shock. "Your territory is basically the strongest, even toppling a kingdom."


    Noel smiled. He knew where this conversation was going.


    The admiral didn''t know that there was another spirit transcendence in his territory. Nevertheless, it didn''t change the fact that his territory had a power that could topple a kingdom.


    If the people knew about this, they would think the Ardagan family would try to revolt.


    He had been carefully manipting the people''s thoughts so that they wouldn''t think much about it.


    Still, not only the Muivel Kingdom, other kingdoms would definitely feel pressured with the Ardagan family having all that strength.


    And it looked like Noel and Anna were nning to go one step further.


    Just a single action from them might cause a kingdom to be destroyed.


    Noel chuckled and said, "You don''t have to worry about that. I have never intended to take part in politics for a long time. In fact, I won''t be in my own territory in the future."


    Noel raised his head, looking through the window. "Just like this ind, there are a lot of ces that haven''t been explored due to the demons.


    "I want to explore the world, meet a lot of people with different cultures, and seek the truth behind the demons.


    "I believe I will be able to achieve my true goal on that journey. I don''t know how long it will take, but¡­" Noel''s smile became even bigger, carrying his hope and confidence.


    "Is that so?" The admiral closed his eyes. He would definitely report this to his king. Whether it was an assurance or not, they would definitely need it.


    "Anyway, let''s take our time to prepare for the next subjugation. I will be the one taking down the heavenly disaster in one week."


    "Yes." The admiral nodded.


    Little did they know, the subjugation this time would be much different from anything they could ever imagine.


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 Chapter 1268 Welcome Back

    "Is everything ready?" Noel asked.


    The admiral nodded. "Yes. We have positioned ourselves south of the heavenly disaster. The heavenly disaster this time is quite different, considering it has a lot of underlings. If necessary, we will also be sweeping in with our people to lessen your burden."


    "Don''t worry about it. If necessary, we can still use the True Spirit Body." Noel waved his hand.


    "Understood. May the fortune bless you with its presence."


    Noel smiled. Now that everything was ready, he headed out, meeting Anna and the others on the in to the north.


    Noel turned to Incetta while saying, "This one is going to be slightly more dangerous due to the number of demons. We''ll be doing the same thing asst hunt, with Anna taking my position."


    "I understand." Incetta nodded. It was normal if Noel tookmand, considering he had more experience than her.


    "There are approximately seventy thousand beasts in this area. And this ancient demon is able to bring them in. We tried approaching this demon in the past, but we couldn''t get past its underlings. That''s why we have to be careful." Rui warned.


    "Alright. If necessary, we might end up using our True Spirit Body. Either way, we''ll try to lure it away." Noel turned back to Incetta. "As such, I won''t be conserving my stamina behind. Instead, I will be taking the front with you. Follow my lead."


    "Yes. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you directly." Incetta politely bowed. As Vivi told her, this was not Noel trying to stop her from learning. Instead, by looking at Noel''s power from up close, she might learn a thing or two about the transcendent path.


    "In that case, let''s go." Noel nodded.


    Since the matter had been settled, all four of them moved to the north. There were some demons here and there, but they swiftly killed it.


    Fortunately, the numbers weren''t too high because they were still a bit far from the enemies.


    They expected the numbers would increase as they got closer to the demons. But to their surprise, instead of increasing, the number was actually decreasing.


    No, it was much worse than decreasing.


    "This is¡­" Rui couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. She looked at the ins, noticing something amiss. "No demons spotted. Something is wrong. Why are there no demons here? From the looks of it, there should be a lot more demons around here."


    Incetta asked, "Maybe the demons are migrating?"


    "No way. They have been staying in the same spot for at least thest fifty years. There''s no way they are migrating right now."


    "What if the demon is actually a coward? The ancient demon orders a retreat because it knows it won''tst fighting against three spirit transcendence rank experts."


    Rui considered the possibility carefully before shaking her head. "I don''t think so. I have never heard of an ancient demon being a coward. Their instinct is always the same. They will deal with the threats as quickly as possible."


    "This is worrying." Incetta crossed her arms.


    Noel had been staying quiet the whole time. Anna noticed it too, so she tried to join the conversation.


    "If the demons are gone, we should at least find its nest and see the trail, ensuring that the demons can''te back," Anna exined the possibility of the n in this scenario.


    Rui nodded. "Yes. If the demons are migrating, it means the Ui n won''t be in danger. In fact, the people in the north will have to deal with them, not us. So, I can consider this subjugation a sess as long as we can find where it is going."


    "In that case, we should continue onward. However, an ancient demon is pretty smart, so we have to be careful when advancing. There''s a possibility that this is a trap. We have encountered a few ancient demons, so¡­" Anna shrugged. She couldn''t help but remember the time they encountered the Ancient Demon Spider.


    It managed to outsmart them and kill Nathan. That was why she needed to be extra careful.


    While the others agreed, Noel remained silent. He had a worried face, as though he were thinking about something.


    "Noel?" Anna frowned.


    Noel took a deep breath. "I''m just thinking of another possibility."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Another possibility?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    Noel turned to Rui. "How is the rtionship between your n and the people in the north? Good or bad?"


    "!!!" Anna and Incetta were dumbfounded by the question.


    "Not necessarily good. We are respected to be the number one n, but there are people who are envious of our positions."


    Noel''s face turned grim. Anna couldn''t help but ask, "Are you thinking of the possibility of enemies'' maniption?"


    "Yes. No matter how we hide it, the fact that we havee from far away can easily reach their ears. They should have their respective informationworks. And there''s a chance that they''re bringing away the heavenly disaster for something¡­"


    "A trap? Or maybe they bring it elsewhere so that we can''t kill it and return to that heavenly disaster here once they''re done. They must have realized we don''t have a lot of time to stay here."


    "That''s¡­" Rui didn''t know what to say. If they couldn''t kill the remaining heavenly disasters, she couldn''t leave with a peace of mind.


    To everyone''s surprise, Noel and Anna suddenly unsheathed their swords while looking to the right. Rui also raised her stance as though they felt something.


    Incetta asked, "An ancient demon?"


    "Yes¡ª!" Right after she confirmed it, Rui suddenly sensed another powerful creatureing from the north. "This is¡ª!"


    She couldn''t even finish her second sentence before another powerful existence entered her detection range.


    Numerous roars echoed from three different directions.


    Due to their massive numbers, the dust clouds rose high in the sky, alerting even Incetta.


    "This is¡­ there are threeing¡­" Incetta gasped.


    "We have to retreat." Anna clicked her tongue. "Whoever ns this must want to eliminate us by forcing us to engage three ancient demons at the same time. We''ll take care of the rear. Incetta, you go to the admiral and retreat¡ª!"


    Noel suddenly grabbed her shoulder, as if telling her to stop.


    "Noel?" Anna opened her mouth, trying to persuade him to retreat. Even though they could fight, it would be better if they didn''t take the risk.


    However, Noel couldn''t help but smile. No, he almost teared up. After all, there was such a nostalgic panel suddenly appearing in front of him.


    He muttered quietly, "Wee back, Partner."


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 Chapter 1269 New True Spirit Body

    "Wee back, Partner."


    Anna turned her head, wondering if she had misheard or something.


    Noel waved his hand while saying, "Incetta. Go inform the admiral that we''ll be fighting against those three heavenly disasters."


    "What are you doing? It''s reckless." Anna couldn''t believe it. Even Rui shared the same opinion. No matter how good Noel was, it was simply too reckless.


    However, Noel continued, "Bring the admiral and the spirit masters¡­ No, all the spirit grandmasters here. Ask them to kill as many demons as possible.


    "Anna, you will take the oneing from the left. I will be fighting against the remaining ancient demons. Rui, your job is to kill as many demons as possible. In this case, I might have to ask you to use your full strength to kill them."


    Rui was stunned while Annained, "Fighting two of them at the same time? It''s too reckless¡­"


    Noel simply looked at Anna with a solemn expression. "Look at me. Do you think I''m out of my mind when suggesting this?"


    Anna''s body shook a bit.


    To avoid making her more worried, he simply said, "Well, it''s been a while since I was this fired up." Your next journey awaits at empire


    Noel stretched his hand as a ck me appeared on top of his palm.


    ''ck me? Doesn''t he have an ice element?'' Rui was stunned.


    "Ah! That''s¡­" Anna gasped. "Ardagan¡­"


    "Yeah. That''s why you don''t have to worry about me." Noel smiled. "Leave those two ancient demons to me. I will defeat them. I promise."


    Anna fell silent. Ardagan was extremely strong, especiallypared to the ice spirit Noel had.


    In addition, this was Noel''s main sword. There might be a change in Noel''s body, considering he had be half spirit due to Ardagan.


    That was why there was a high chance Noel would be winning.


    "I understand." Anna sighed. "If you die, I will kill you."


    Noel chuckled. Rui didn''t expect Anna to agree. However, it didn''t seem Anna was someone rash. There must be something that she didn''t know about this ck me.


    Hence, Rui nodded her head. "I understand. I will kill as many of them as possible. If we are able to kill as many of them as possible today, I don''t mind using my True Spirit Body. After all, all four heavenly disasters have died, which means there''s no need to prepare for something else.


    Noel nodded. "Yes."


    Incetta looked worried. After all, she had never seen him with Ardagan. The first time they met was when Noel was seeking a weapon.


    However, Vivi obviously recognized this ck me.


    She said, "Incetta. Let''s go. Trust him and Ardagan. There''s no need to worry anymore."


    "Ardagan? Who is he?" Incetta was confused.


    "I will tell youter."


    Incetta thought for a moment and ultimately chose to believe in Vivi. She turned around, ready to inform the admiral. Before they left, Noel said, "Vivi. Ardagan says hello."


    Vivi couldn''t help but smile. Still, they didn''t turn back.


    The ck me in Noel''s hand started to form a sword as several system panels appeared.


    [Recovering Completed.]


    [Rebooting the system.]


    [It''s been a while, Master.]


    Noel smiled. As the rebootingpleted, Ardagan fully formed in his hand.


    The divine sword once again appeared in this world.


    [I have noticed that you have recovered a lot of treasures. I notice the presence of my scabbard, but it doesn''t seem you brought it with you right now. I have also noticed several items rted to me, but they''re not with you.]


    "I''m sorry. I don''t bring them with me on this expedition because I don''t know you will be appearing here."


    [It''s understandable. Still, to think that you would be near the headband.]


    "Yes. She will be joining us after this. We have recovered the Wheel of Destiny. La has the ring. All that is left is the jade. We can talk about itter, since I also have a lot of questions."


    [Indeed. In that case, I will be giving you everything you need.]


    [Completing the fusion.]


    [Unlocking a new form of True Spirit Body.]


    "A new form?"


    [Yes. Due to your body merging with mine, you have be a half spirit. In other words, it''s basically half of me using the True Spirit Body instead of you. As a result, the True Spirit Body might be different from what you know.]


    "Is it stronger?"Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    [A dumb question.]


    "Hahaha." Noel grinned. "Still, with me being half spirit and half human, can''t you just activate the True Spirit Body using your own body, or the spirit body, while I activate Heisk''s True Spirit Body with my human body?"


    [That''s a possibility, but I have never tried it with your ancestor, so I don''t know if it''s going to work or not. Hence, it''s better to try itter. You might have to train your body further if you want to do that.]


    "Got it. Well, our opponents will be those two ancient demons. Are you up for it?"


    [A pointless question. We will destroy them.]


    "It seems you have changed, Ardagan. You are bolder now."


    [I just believe there''s no need to hold back anymore. You and I are now one.]


    "Fair enough." Noel looked at his surroundings. He could hear Anna and Rui had begun their attacks.


    The ancient demons were alsoing closer. If he didn''t start soon, the two ancient demons woulde for Rui.


    "Although there is a lot to catch up on, I guess we have to focus on the matter at hand. We''ll kill the ancient demons first and talkter. Lend me your power."


    [Yes.]


    "In that case, let''s start, shall we, Partner?"


    [Yes. Unleash me.]


    Noel smiled. The energy around him red up as the fire was gushing out of his body, turning into a giant ze that burned everything to ashes.


    The demons seemed to feel the extraordinary me, noticing how different Noel waspared to the other two. They instinctively shifted their directions.


    And that was when the me erupted as Noel muttered, "True Spirit Body."


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 Chapter 1270 New Abilities

    "True Spirit Body."


    "!!!" The ancient demons noticed the powerful wave of spiritual energy, rming them.


    The wave of spiritual energy carried an intense heat as the ck me erupted, then dispersed in all directions. Everything it passed ended up getting burned and reduced to ashes. Even the soil turned dry in a split second.


    Within that me was Noel. His appearance was different from before.


    Instead of a pair of ck wings, there was a ring made of ck me on Noel''s back. Eight ck swords were attached to that ring, divided into two as though they were a pair of wings.


    Noel''s pupils had a cross sword mark. Despite the overbearing me, the transformation didn''t give as much impact as Noel''s previously True Spirit Body did.


    However, it couldn''t be any different for Noel. He actually felt the surge of strength he had never felt before.


    "This is¡­ amazing." Noel couldn''t help but smile.


    [There are a lot of things we can try. Although you don''t have a pair of wings anymore, the ring will carry you into the air when you pour your spiritual energy, so you don''t have to worry about your flying ability. It''s still there.]


    "I''m not worried about that." Noel looked at the two ancient demons. The first one was a rat and the second one was a dog. Both of them were perfect to be his experimental subject. "Let''s test the power, shall we?"


    [Yes. I will be guiding you through the new power.]


    Sensing his killing intent had been locked on them, the two ancient demons didn''t shift from their original directions. They ignored Rui. In fact, they even sent some more demons just to upy them until they killed Noel.


    The dog was the first one to make a move. It opened its mouth, gathering its spiritual energy in his throat before shooting a powerful beam.


    Noel only raised his hand as though he was trying to block the beam with only a single hand.


    "Be careful!" Rui shouted, warning him.


    Boom!


    The beam hit Noel and caused a huge explosion.


    However, a ck me appeared from within the explosion and actually burned the explosion itself.


    "What?!" Rui looked shocked.


    Noel snapped his fingers. He noticed that a lot of demons were stilling together with the ancient demons, so he had to kill some of them.


    All eight swords suddenly flew off the rings and headed toward the demons.


    The ancient demons felt the power within the sword and warned them to be careful.


    The demons gathered in a single ce and joined hands to form a powerful barrier. The superior demons took charge, doing their best to block a single attack.


    To their surprise, the swords didn''t explode upon impact. Instead, it melted the barrier with its extraordinary strength and reached the ground. It was only at that time the swords exploded, dispersing the ck me in all directions.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Roar!


    The demons were wailing in pain, as a few hundred, if not over a thousand, actually died from those swords.


    More importantly, the swords were gradually restored on Noel''s back. Although it would take a while, he could just consider it like the charge that the ancient demon spider needed to release his poison ray.


    He still had a lot of things to depend on.


    "Shaa!" The mouse looked at Nathan with bloodshot eyes. It waved the ws, sending forth a strike that cut everything on its path.


    Looking at this, Noel simplynded on the ground.


    A ck burning line appeared from underneath his foot and red up, forming a huge sword.


    The w attacks hit the sword and ended up getting split in two, unable to scratch the sword.


    [How is it? They''re pretty strong, right?]


    "True." Noel smiled. "Then, the next one is¡­"


    Noel gathered his energy in his fingertips before waving it forward. A huge phoenix emerged from his fingers and flew toward the dog.


    "!!!" The giant dog leaped to the left, avoiding the phoenix. It ended up hitting the demons behind him.


    Instead of exploding, the phoenix hit the ground and turned into a giant pir.


    It onlysted for a second, but the pir actually reduced everything within it to nothing.


    They didn''t even leave behind the demon crystals.


    "This one is too powerful. We need those crystals. Can''t be too wasteful." Noel smiled wryly.


    The mouse took advantage of this opportunity to reach Noel''s position.


    He waved his ws, trying to overpower Noel with his weight.


    [Try Divine sh.]


    Noel''s expression turned solemn. The target was obviously the mouse''s ws.


    Hence, he gathered his spiritual energy on the tip of his sword and shed upward toward the w.


    Divine sh.


    To his surprise, the Divine sh actually transformed. There seemed to be a blinding light shing for a split second, rising to the sky.


    All of a sudden, the me erupted from that blinding light, cutting the mouse''s entire left paw instead of nails.


    "!!!" The mouse looked shocked. Its hand was already shocking, but what was even more shocking was the fact that Noel''s power traveled to the sky.


    If one took a look at the sky, they would see the cloud was actually burned by the ck me.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Seeing the power of the Divine sh, Noel couldn''t help but turn to the mouse, knowing that he might be able to kill this in a single sh.


    When Noel unleashed another Divine sh, but this time straight to the mouse''s body, thetter actually leaped into the air, fearing for its life.


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    As a result, the demons behind him were sliced. No, it was more like everything behind him in a fan-shaped area within a 200-meter radius was sliced into two. In addition, the me actually traveled much farther, killing a lot of demons in the process.


    The mousended on the ground, causing a huge tremor. However, it immediately leaped back, trying to gain some distance before Noel attacked.


    The dog also chose to be careful after realizing what would happen to him if he charged in blindly.


    Rui dropped her jaw. "I can finally understand where his confidencees from. If it''s like this, no matter what I do, those two ancient demons won''t bother me. In that case¡­"


    Rui took a deep breath. It was time for her to fulfill her role.


    "True Spirit Body."


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 Chapter 1271 Overwhelming Strength

    "True Spirit Body!"


    Rui''s appearance didn''t change much. There was a ring of golden light on her back. Her arms and legs were covered in the same golden light. Other than that, her appearance remained the same.


    However, it didn''t really matter whether her appearance was not as impactful as others. After all, her strength was the only thing that mattered.


    She leaped into the air, looking at the numerous demons before her.


    Rui circled his arm and pushed forth her palm when it reached her waist.


    All of a sudden, a huge sweeping force made of light appeared as the extension of her arms, scooping or even obliterating everything in its path.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    Several demons managed to survive, but they were peak level demons or superior demons. Even then, they were heavily injured.


    Seeing the iing demons from the right side, she made a kicking motion sideways, releasing a crescent-shaped light toward the demons. Upon impact, the light exploded and turned into a giant wave made of light, burying everything.


    Rui then turned around and punched in the opposite direction, shooting out beams from her fist and decimating yet another few hundred demons.


    Every attack carried a tremendous amount of power, which made her simplicity look even more terrifying.


    "So, that''s her strength." Anna muttered while looking at her own enemy. "It''s no wonder why she is able to have that headband."


    On the other side of the battlefield, Incetta and the admiral had arrived together with all the spirit grandmasters among them.


    "We''re here." The admiral couldn''t help but gasp, feeling the amount of spiritual energy in this area. "What is actually going on?"


    "The remaining three heavenly disasters somehow make their appearance here for some reason. My Lord wants you to kill as many demons as possible to make the situation not go out of control." Incetta exined.


    "This¡­" The admiral looked shocked. On the one hand, he felt obliged to help. On the other hand, he never thought they would be able to watch a fight of this level.


    Of course, the fact that the three heavenly disasters suddenly appearing in one go was a mystery and something they should be concerned about. However, Noel didn''t retreat because he must have some confidence against these enemies.


    If Noel was foolish and unable to see through the gap between them, he would have died at some point instead of bing such an influential person.


    In other words, if Noel fought back, it meant they had the chance to win.


    And since Noel was willing to let them take part in this battle, the admiral also didn''t hold back with his words. "All of you know your roles. Kill as many demons as possible with your power. Make sure you don''t die. What we need here is to kill, not to die. That''s why I only bring spirit grandmasters. And¡­"


    The admiral sighed. "And¡­ take a look at the battle over there. See their strength and find a way to get stronger. Don''t forget that they might be our enemies at one point, not that I would like to, but who knows?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    The admiral couldn''t help but look at Noel''s battle.


    The dog shot out another beam to cover Noel''s eyes. Noel had no chance but to block it with his hand, turning the beam into fire that hovered around him.


    The lower level demons swept in, wanting to overwhelm Noel with their number.


    Unfortunately for them, Noel simply waved his sword, scattering the fire in all directions.


    The nearby demons ended up getting burnt to a crisp. After that, Noel released the eight fire swords once again. All swords exploded, engulfing more demons.


    The dog leaped toward him together with the rat, trying to attack from both sides.


    Noel used the Three Purity Swords, using three Divine shes at the same time.


    One hit the dog, and one hit the rat, which both of them managed to block because they had expected this kind of attack. However, they miscalcted the amount of attack Noel could release.


    Thest Divine sh actually hit the dog.


    Roar!


    The dog let out a wail of pain, trying to stop it. Unfortunately, it was impossible. The Divine sh ultimately cut his front left leg. Even though the dog managed to disperse the overbearing me so that it didn''t burn his body, it didn''t change the fact that he was weakened severely due to this injury.


    The dog went into a frenzy as he pped Noel without caring about the consequences.


    Noel blocked it, but the dog''s strength surpassed his imagination. He wasunched a hundred meters away with a single p.


    "Huu¡­" Noel couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows. "It''s not hurt?"


    [Your body can be considered as hard as my body, so the damage is lessened due to our fusion.]


    "I surely get a lot of benefits by fusing with you. Thanks, Ardagan."


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    [Wield me and continue to hunt the demons.]


    "Of course." Noel grinned.


    Looking at the battle, especially on how Noel crushed the two ancient demons, made the admiral turn grim.


    "Make sure you pay close attention to Sir Noel. If this mission is done, the Ardagan family will have three spirit transcendences rank experts, with Sir Noel capable of dealing with two ancient demons at once. If they end up pointing their swords at the Zaecuria Kingdom, the kingdom will most likely be destroyed."


    "What is that supposed to mean?" Obviously, others were more patriotic and didn''t like how the admiral downyed their power. Both sides still had the same number of spirit transcendences after all.


    "With that kind of strength, he can definitely crush his opponent even if the other two are just defending against our guardians. When he''s done, he can help others, which means it will be unfavorable for us.


    "And the biggest advantage of spirit transcendence is their speed. If they spread in the kingdom, creating a random and unpredictable attack pattern, we won''t be able to stop them from destroying the kingdom. At best, we can only concentrate all our forces in the capital. Nheless, that''s the end of the kingdom.


    "That''s why I tell you to take a look carefully. The world is going to change in the future."


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